Hong Kong: Sun Dong starts Switzerland tour Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Prof Sun Dong began his visit to Zurich, Switzerland, on April 26 by meeting the Greater Zurich Area (GZA) Chief Executive Officer and visiting ETH Zurich. GZA is a national, non-profit service company that operates promotion and marketing for the great Zurich economic area which consists of nine cantons in the German and Italian-speaking parts of Switzerland with each of them contributing specific technological competencies to the entire economic area. Prof Sun started the day by having a lunch meeting with GZA Chief Executive Officer Sonja Wollkopf to learn about the latest situation of attracting enterprises and investment, particularly in the innovation and technology (I&T) industry, in the area. Prof Sun briefed her on the latest direction and strategies of Hong Kongs I&T development, and they explored opportunities for strengthening bilateral exchanges in I&T development between Hong Kong and Switzerland. He then visited ETH Zurich, which is a pioneering public research university in Europe and worldwide with a world-class reputation in academia and industry, particularly in science and technology. It is also one of the non-local partners under the InnoHK research clusters. In addition to receiving a briefing on the universitys achievements in research discoveries and innovations and its support to entrepreneurship, he learnt about the operation of the Competence Center for Materials & Processes. After visiting the Multi-Scale Robotics Laboratory to learn about its latest technologies in clinical treatment, Prof Sun had exchanges with Hong Kong graduates who are currently doing research at ETH Zurich about their school life. He also presented them with new opportunities brought about by Hong Kong's I&T development and welcomed them to return to Hong Kong. Prof Sun will proceed to the city of Basel on April 27 to continue his Switzerland visit. This story has been published on: 2023-04-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. HCM City leaders pay tribute to martyrs ahead of National Reunification Day A delegation of leaders of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, Peoples Council, Peoples Committee and Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee on April 27 paid tribute to martyrs at the city cemetery for heroic martyrs on the occasion of the National Reunification Day (April 30) and May Day (May 1). Ho Chi Minh City leaders pay tribute to martyrs at the city cemetery for heroic martyrs (Photo: VNA) The delegation, led by Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen, spent a minute of silence in memory of the heroic martyrs who laid down their lives for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland and happiness of the people. They laid flowers and lightened incense in each grave to commemorate the martyrs. After that, the city leaders paid tribute to late leaders of the city in different period and revolutionaries who made outstanding contributions to the national construction and defence at the municipal cemetery in Thu Duc city. Also on April 27, they offered flowers to President Ho Chi Minh at the Ho Chi Minh Museums branch in the city and the President Ho Chi Minh Monument Park in District 1. The same day, the delegation also offered incense to martyrs at Ben Duoc Martyrs Monument in Cu Chi district, in which 45,693 martyrs who died during the war against France and the US are being commemorated. The delegation also commemorated martyrs at local martyr cemeteries, as well as Heroic Vietnamese Mother and Hero of the Peoples Armed Forces Nguyen Thi Ranh at her monument in Cu Chi./. Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. Live Presentation on April 28, 2023, at 11:00 am ET MONROE TOWNSHIP, N.J., April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. (OPT or the Company) (NYSE American: OPTT), a leader in innovative, cost-effective, and autonomous low-carbon marine data, power, and consulting service solutions, today announced Matt Burdyny, Vice President, Global Sales & Marketing, will be participating in the Water Tower Research Fireside Chat Series on April 28, 2023, at 11:00 am ET. This event is open access for all investors to participate. Topics will include: The recent announcement from various government agencies that will further accelerate operationalizing OPTTs strategy. How OPTT has positioned itself to service the government market and still maintain a solid commercial market offering. The introduction of next-generation technologies, which the company is already field testing. Interested parties can register for the event at the link below. Replays of the webcast will also be available after the event. PLEASE REGISTER HERE About Water Tower Research Water Tower Research is modernizing Investor Relations through research-driven communications and Investor Engagement. Sound investment research begins with good information. At WTR, we help companies and investors connect by creating expert information flow and strategies that are the foundation of a successful modern investor relations platform. Our analysts and capital markets professionals bring decades of unrivaled Wall Street experience and insight to a new digital world of investor communications and engagement. Our research and investor content is distributed across traditional research aggregators like Bloomberg, FactSet, etc., proprietary direct distribution lists, social media, search engines, and our website. As a result, every institutional and retail investor has equal access to our high-quality company research. Our mission is to help companies take control of their IR program and proactively reach investors while bringing investors a consistent flow of quality information to help them understand our clients businesses, industries, and the investment opportunities they present. Story continues About Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. OPT provides intelligent maritime solutions and services that enable safer, cleaner, and more productive ocean operations for the defense and security, oil and gas, science and research, and offshore wind markets. Our PowerBuoy platforms provide clean and reliable electric power and real-time data communications for remote maritime and subsea applications. We also provide WAM-V autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) and marine robotics services through our wholly owned subsidiary Marine Advanced Robotics. We are headquartered in Monroe Township, New Jersey, and have offices in Houston, Texas, and Richmond, California. To learn more, visit www.OceanPowerTechnologies.com. CONTACT: Contact Information Investors: 609-730-0400 x401 or InvestorRelations@oceanpowertech.com Media: 609-730-0400 x402 or MediaRelations@oceanpowertech.com TORONTO, April 27, 2023 /CNW/ - OCR Canada, a leading provider of AIDC solutions, announces the opening of its new office location in Montreal, Quebec, located at 9300 Cavendish Boulevard, Saint-Laurent, QC, H4T 1Z8. This expansion is part of OCR Canada's continued growth strategy to better serve businesses in the province with customized solutions for their data capture, automation, and mobility needs. OCR Canada opens new 16,000-foot Montreal facility at 9300 Cavendish Boulevard, Saint-Laurent, QC, H4T 1Z8. (CNW Group/OCR Canada Ltd.) In 2022, OCR Canada experienced significant growth in its existing business, by acquiring two companies, Day2Mobility, and EXA Systems, resulting in a staff growth of over 50 employees and increased capabilities. The company also expanded with a Vancouver office in British Columbia and an additional Ontario office, supporting corporate mobility to better serve the nation. Further, OCR Canada added partnerships with physical security, voice automation, and wireless connectivity vendors, while introducing the latest industry products like intelligent cabinets. With the opening of the Montreal office, OCR Canada continues its growth trajectory into 2023 and beyond. The new Montreal office will house several key departments, including OCR Canada's Automation department, and Labeling department, equipped with state-of-the-art machinery, which will provide businesses with customized solutions to optimize their production operations and product labeling needs. Additionally, the expanded sales and service teams in Montreal will provide local support to businesses, while highlighting OCR Canada's wide range of products and services in our innovation showroom. "As the leading provider of mobility solutions, OCR Canada is excited to expand our services to businesses in Quebec with our new 16,000-foot Montreal facility," said Lesley English, CFO and Vice President of Operations of OCR Canada. "Our new larger facility provides our valued customers with the products and local services they need to drive growth and productivity." Story continues Since 1981 OCR Canada has been providing cutting-edge solutions to a variety of industries, including healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, and retail. As the demand for automation and digitalization in the supply chain continues to rise, OCR Canada is well-positioned to meet the needs of businesses in Quebec and across Canada. About OCR Canada OCR Canada is a leading provider of automated data capture and mobility solutions for businesses across various industries. With over 40 years of experience, OCR Canada offers a wide range of products and services, including barcode scanners, mobile computers, RFID solutions, and more. SOURCE OCR Canada Ltd. Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2023/27/c4478.html (Bloomberg) -- Oil eked out a gain after a muted session with traders on standby amid mixed economic signals. Most Read from Bloomberg West Texas Intermediate inched forward after a two-day loss of more than 5% wiped out all of the gains from OPEC+s surprise production cut. Oil has been tracking wider markets in recent sessions, as traders parse a slew of economic data in hopes of interpreting the US central banks next rate hike decisions. The current earnings season, as well as the macroeconomic reports in recent weeks, are sending mixed signals about recession risk, said Pavel Molchanov, an analyst at Raymond James. This is why oil prices are moving rather aimlessly there is a lack of conviction in either direction. While front-month prices follow the whims of broader markets, recent supply-and-demand data has been mixed. The US posted a largely bullish stockpile report this week, with crude inventories shrinking by 5.1 million barrels last week. But demand in Asia is being heavily scrutinized with fuel markets showing weakness in refiner profit margins. Despite current weakness, many traders and analysts are still betting demand from the worlds largest oil importer, China, will lead to price gains over the rest of the year. Meanwhile, US growth slackened in the first quarter by more than anticipated while one measure of inflation rose to a one-year high. Now, investors are gearing up for US Federal Reserve and European Central Bank interest rate decisions next week for clues on the health of the economy and the path of monetary policy. Energy Daily, Bloombergs daily energy and commodities newsletter, is now available. Sign up here. Story continues Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. ANTWERPEN, BELGIUM / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / OMP has implemented its renowned Unison Planning solution at the African facilities of Beiersdorf, bringing state-of-the-art planning intelligence to boost supply chain performance. Planners confirm they are delighted. Nivea Beiersdorf, a global skin care company with 20,000 employees in over 170 affiliates worldwide, is best known for brands such as NIVEA, La Prairie, Eucerin, and Hansaplast/Elastoplast. The company has embarked on a digital transformation journey, and partnering with OMP is a significant achievement. OMP's Unison Planning Solution enables Beiersdorf to streamline its planning activities and achieve end-to-end visibility, cross-functional collaboration, and greater agility. Meanwhile, Beiersdorf's African operations, which include factories in Nigeria and Kenya as well as four distribution centers, already went live in the spring of 2022 with a comprehensive OMP Solution, including supply planning, demand planning, and a full carrier solver. The implementation is based on OMP for Consumer Goods industry solution and fully connects with the Beiersdorf SAP system. Planners gain confidence and create value The implementation allows planners to better cooperate in matching end-to-end supply and demand and in organizing Beiersdorf's increasingly frequent product innovations. In a recent survey, users unanimously confirmed that the solution provides a big leap forward. "We've seen users with little or no advanced planning experience gain confidence with OMP throughout the project and create great value for the company," said Holger Ludwig, Beiersdorf's head of regional planning. Project leads Karen Schalbroeck (OMP), and Anna Buzolina and Mark Helbing (Beiersdorf) are equally satisfied. "It was a tremendous cooperative achievement, leading to tangible results very quickly," they said. The OMP implementation was supported by Bluecrux, the global value chain consulting and technology company that connected the dots between tool, process, data, and people. Story continues About OMP OMP helps companies facing complex planning challenges to excel, grow, and thrive by offering the best-digitized supply chain planning solution on the market. Hundreds of customers in a wide range of industries - spanning consumer goods, life sciences, chemicals, metals, paper and packaging - benefit from using OMP's unique Unison Planning. Contact Information Jan Lemmens Advisory Manager jlemmens@omp.com +32 3 650 22 80 SOURCE: OMP . View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/747951/OMP-Unison-Planning-Boosts-Supply-Chain-Performance-of-Beiersdorf-African-Operations Allied Market Research The growth of the operational technology (OT) security market is attributed to several factors, including the increase in the use of OT security solutions that are cloud-based, the surge in the integration of government initiatives to security norms, and the increasing demand for cyber threat modeling solutions. By region, North America held the major share in 2022, garnering more than one-third of the global operational technology (OT) security market revenue. Portland, OR , April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the report published by Allied Market Research, the global operational technology (OT) security market generated $15.2 billion in 2022 and is estimated to reach $84.2 billion by 2032, witnessing a CAGR of 19.0% from 2023 to 2032. 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. Request Sample Report: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/75141 Report coverage & details: Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 20232032 Base Year 2022 Market Size in 2022 $15.2 Billion Market Size in 2032 $84.2 Billion CAGR 19.0% No. of Pages in Report 385 Segments covered Component, Deployment Mode, Organization Size, End-User, and Region Drivers The increase in the use of OT security solutions that are cloud-based The surge in the integration of government initiatives to security norms The growing demand for cyber threat modeling solutions Opportunities The rise in IIoT connectivity between industrial operations and the internet Increased work-from-home activities which is widening the penetration of broadband Restraints A lack of skilled security agents to analyze OT security systems High installation cost of OT security solution Covid-19 Scenario- The COVID-19 outbreak had a positive impact on the global operational technology (OT) security market due to the rapid shift towards digitalization, which created a robust demand for AI-powered OT security solutions that offer real-time reporting and agile efficiency features. In addition, the pandemic had forced many businesses to move work to remote locations. This has increased the reliance on digital systems and the susceptibility of OT systems. To defend their systems from cyberattacks, businesses are now making investments in the operational technology security sector. This led to an increased investment in operational technology (OT) security solutions that can assist businesses in mitigating risks and ensuring the continuity of their operations. Story continues Procure Complete Report (385 Pages PDF with Insights, Charts, Tables, and Figures) at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/operational-technology-market/purchase-options The report comprehensively analyzes the global operational technology (OT) security market, covering its various segments such as component, deployment mode, organization size, end-user, 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. Based on component, the solution segment held the largest share in 2022, accounting for nearly three-fourths of the global operational technology (OT) security market revenue and would dominate the market in terms of revenue through 2032. The services segment, however, is estimated to witness the fastest CAGR of 20.7% during the forecast period. Based on deployment mode, the on-premise segment captured the largest share of more than half of the global operational technology (OT) security market revenue in 2022. On the other hand, the cloud segment is expected to dominate the market in terms of revenue during the forecast period. Simultaneously, the same segment would also display the fastest CAGR of 20.6% from 2023 to 2032. Based on end-user, the BFSI segment held the major share in 2022, garnering more than one-fourth of the global operational technology (OT) security market revenue and is projected to rule the roost by 2032. However, the energy and power segment is expected to witness the fastest CAGR of 22.4% from 2023 to 2032. The manufacturing, oil and gas, transportation and logistics, and others segments are also studied in the report. Based on region, the market in North America was the largest in 2022, accounting for more than one-third of the global operational technology (OT) security market revenue and is likely to maintain its dominance during the forecast period. The market in Asia-Pacific, however, is expected to manifest the fastest CAGR of 21.8% during the forecast period. The other provinces studied in the report include Europe and LAMEA. Enquiry Before Buying: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/75141 The key players of the global operational technology (OT) security market analyzed in the research include Microsoft Corporation, Forcepoint, Darktrace Holdings Limited, Cisco System, Inc., Palo Alto Networks Inc., Broadcom Inc., Fortinet, Inc., Kaspersky Lab, Forescout, and Thales Group. These players have adopted various strategies such as expansion, new product launches, partnerships, and others to increase their market penetration and strengthen their position in the industry. The report is helpful in determining the business performance, operating segments, product portfolio, and developments by every market player. About Us Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of " Market Research Reports " and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. CONTACT: Contact: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States USA/Canada (Toll Free): +1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1(855)550-5975 help@alliedmarketresearch.com Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/reports-store/information-and-communication-technology-and-media Follow Us on Blog: https://www.technologyplz.com/ Key Insights The projected fair value for Krones is 211 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity Krones is estimated to be 45% undervalued based on current share price of 116 The 128 analyst price target for KRN is 39% less than our estimate of fair value Does the April share price for Krones AG (ETR:KRN) reflect what it's really worth? Today, we will estimate the stock's intrinsic value by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to today's value. Our analysis will employ the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. It may sound complicated, but actually it is quite simple! 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. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model. View our latest analysis for Krones Crunching The Numbers 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 start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate: 10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF (, Millions) 59.3m 202.0m 234.9m 299.0m 345.4m 383.1m 412.5m 434.9m 451.7m 464.1m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x4 Analyst x6 Analyst x5 Analyst x1 Est @ 15.52% Est @ 10.91% Est @ 7.69% Est @ 5.43% Est @ 3.85% Est @ 2.74% Present Value (, Millions) Discounted @ 6.0% 55.9 180 197 236 258 269 274 272 266 258 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = 2.3b Story continues We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. 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 0.2%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 6.0%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032 (1 + g) (r g) = 464m (1 + 0.2%) (6.0% 0.2%) = 7.9b Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= 7.9b ( 1 + 6.0%)10= 4.4b 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 6.7b. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of 116, the company appears quite undervalued at a 45% 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 The Assumptions The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the 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 Krones 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 6.0%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.991. 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 Krones Strength Earnings growth over the past year exceeded the industry. Debt is not viewed as a risk. Dividends are covered by earnings and cash flows. Weakness Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Machinery market. Opportunity Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the German market. Good value based on P/E ratio and estimated fair value. Threat Revenue is forecast to grow slower than 20% per year. Next Steps: Whilst important, the DCF calculation is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. It's not possible to obtain a foolproof valuation with a DCF model. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. Can we work out why the company is trading at a discount to intrinsic value? For Krones, we've put together three additional factors you should look at: Risks: For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Krones that you should be aware of before investing here. Future Earnings: How does KRN'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. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every German stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here Ouinex has launched a strategic sale round exclusive to the Interactiv Trading community Paris, France, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ouinex is pleased to announce a partnership agreement with Interactiv Trading (IVT), the French-based trading academy that is home to one of the largest trading communities in France and Benelux with over 150,000 active traders. Founded 15 years ago, Interactiv trading, led by trading specialists and founders Rodolphe Steffan, and Xavier Fenaux, provides exclusive access to institutional grade trading education, including, 24/7 coaching, live trading, market research and trading strategies, with unparalleled sophistication. Ouinex has launched a strategic sale round for their $OUIX token, exclusive to the Interactiv Trading community. In just one week, over 1,500 traders have shown their support by signing up to buy the token, with an average investor ticket size of 2,300 Euros. This partnership locks in Ouinex as the future crypto exchange for Interactiv Tradings user base and gives the IVT community voting authority on designing the advanced trading functionalities they want to see on Ouinexs trading platform. Because of this highly collaborative relationship, Interactiv Tradings community members that hold $OUIX, will also work directly with Ouinexs executive leadership and provide their input on decisions such as new asset listings, new product features, customer satisfaction feedback, and other integral decisions. Co-Founder of Interactiv Trading Xavier Fenaux, a renowned public trader in France, commented on the partnership by saying Our entire business is built on efficiency and trust, and we are thrilled to give our community the ability to design the crypto exchange that they envision, with a trusted partner, Ouinex. Founder and head of Interactiv Trading Rodolphe Steffan added onto Xaviers comments with Our users being able to work with the Ouinex team to create a hyper-custom exchange that meets their needs as sophisticated traders, is a home run and will ensure our users are always receiving a best-in-class crypto trading experience. Story continues I have been in derivatives trading for over 15 years and Interactiv Trading is a heritage brand recognized by the french speaking community as the go-to institution for anyone actively trading the markets. Their program now regroups one of the largest communities of traders in Europe. We are thankful for the IVT communitys trust in Ouinex, and most importantly thankful for their contribution in accelerating our growth through their investment in the $OUIX token. We look forward to working closely with all of the IVT members as investors and future users of our trading platform, said Ouinex CEO and co-founder Ilies Larbi. About Ouinex Ouinex is a bleeding edge digital asset exchange; by prioritizing transparency, liquidity, and sophistication, Ouinex delivers an institutional-level trading experience for beginners and experts alike. For more information about Ouinex, please see their website. About Interactiv Trading Interactiv Trading is an online trading institution that helps individuals with their investments by providing unparalleled trading resources, through education content, 24/7 live trading, market research, trading strategies and more. The founders are renowned public figures in the trading space and count a community of over 150,000 active traders. For more information please visit their website. Media contact: Robert Penington Robert@thronepr.com Ken Research The report covers Pharmaceutical Packaging Sector, Global Pharmaceutical Packaging Market, Glass and Plastic Pharmaceutical Packaging Market, Rubber Pharmaceutical Packaging, Oral Drugs Pharmaceutical Packaging Market, Leading Players in Pharmaceutical Packaging, Major Companies in Pharmaceutical Packaging, Key Competitors in Pharmaceutical Packaging, Emerging Companies Pharmaceutical Packaging Market, Pharmaceutical Packaging Market Trends and Challenges, Opportunities Pharmaceutical Packaging Market, AptarGroup Nasal Drug Packaging revenue, Gerresheimer Packaging revenue, West Pharmaceutical Packaging Revenue, Mondi Pharmaceutical Packaging Revenue, Pharmaceutical Packaging Revenue, North America Pharmaceutical Packaging Market, Europe Pharmaceutical Packaging Market, Asia-Pacific Pharmaceutical Packaging Market, Middle East Pharmaceutical Packaging Market. Gurugram, India, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Driven by the increasing focus of pharmaceutical packaging solution providers on sustainable and eco-friendly packaging along with the surging demand for easy-to-use, easy-to-dispose, and child-resistance packaging for pharmaceutical products, the Global Pharmaceutical Packaging Market is Forecasted to reach nearly US$ 180 Bn by 2028 says Ken Research Study . Pharmaceutical packaging is the economical means of providing protection, identification information, presentation, convenience, and compliance for the product during transport, storage, display, and until the product is consumed. Different types of packaging are used for pharmaceutical products such as primary, secondary, and tertiary, and are primarily used for storing semisolid, solid, and liquid forms of formulations, including syrups, capsules, tablets, and topical drug formulations. "Ken Research shares 5 key insights on this high opportunity market from its latest research study". 1. Pharma Industry has witnessed a Rapid Surge in Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Packaging post-2020 Pharmaceutical packaging is essential to protect drugs from any kind of damage or contamination. Sustainable and environmentally friendly pharmaceutical packaging is gaining importance owing to rising concerns related to the environment among consumers as well as manufacturers. Governmental bodies and manufacturers are taking initiatives to introduce sustainable packaging in the pharmaceutical industry to reduce carbon footprints and address environmental-related challenges. However, the shortage of raw materials and inflated prices may affect the manufacturers especially the small-scale manufacturer of pharmaceutical packaging, which is anticipated to hamper the growth of the market. The growing usage of smart packaging for patient identification and engagement is creating immense opportunities for the growth of the global pharmaceutical packaging market. According to Ken Research estimates, the Global Pharmaceutical Packaging Market valued at around US$ 110 Bn by 2022 is expected to grow around US$ 180 Bn opportunity by 2028. Story continues 2. The Demand for Child Resistance Packaging is Driving the Market Growth The increase in demand for innovative childproof pharmaceutical packaging to avoid access to drugs for children is expected to propel the growth of the market. The demand for child resistance packaging is increasing as a safety measure to prevent the unintended and harmful intake of drugs by children. Packaging manufacturers also ensure child-resistance packaging by introducing single-dose blister packaging, safety caps or closures, and other products. The increase in the cases of child death due to acute poisoning from pharmaceutical products has increased the demand for child-resistance pharmaceutical packaging. According to European Child Safety Alliance, around 3,000 children in the EU under the age of 14 die from acute poisoning each year after gaining access to pharmaceutical products. 3. Fluctuating Prices and Shortage of Raw Materials are the Most Significant Barrier to the Growth of the Pharmaceutical Packaging Market The volatility in the raw material prices including wood pulp and others for pharmaceutical packaging may hamper the growth of the market. The shortage of raw materials such as plastic, paper, glass, and others especially due to COVID-19 restrictions has upended the manufacturing process of pharmaceutical packaging as well as elevated the prices. The COVID-19 pandemic led to the shortage of workers and the shutdown of factories which resulted in disruption in the manufacturing of raw materials as well as their transportation. The above-mentioned factor is expected to hinder the growth of the pharmaceutical packaging market globally. In March 2022, the cost of pulp, which is a key raw material for paper and corrugated boxes, has increased by over 25% due to higher quality environmental standards, and increased fuel prices which ultimately increased the transportation cost, and scarcity of raw material. Interested to Know More about this Report, Request a Sample Report 4. Pharma Manufacturing holds the Major Share among End-User Segments and is Expected to Maintain Dominance During the Forecast Period Among the end-user segments, pharma manufacturing remained the dominant segment during the 2017-2022 period contributing to maximum market revenue share. Further, the Research Study found that this segment is likely to retain dominance even by 2028. Its dominance is owing to the rising population and poor medical facilities along with the rising prevalence of various diseases is further increasing the demand for pharmaceutical products and their packaging and demand for better medical facilities. Moreover, the demand for convenient and clean packaging is increasing among pharmaceutical manufacturers to promote and represent their products well as well as to store and preserve their products according to governmental guidelines. Additionally, the rising geriatric population and increase in requirement for additional medical assistance are expected to propel the growth of the segment in the Global Pharmaceutical Packaging Market. According to World Health Organization (WHO), the proportion of the worlds population over 60 years is expected to nearly double from 12% to 22% between 2015 and 2050. As the geriatric population is more prone to diseases and requires more medical attention is expected to increase the demand for pharmaceutical products. As per the analysis, the rapid increase in the geriatric population is expected to increase the demand for pharmaceutical drugs as well as packaging which is anticipated to boost the growth of the market. 5. North America region Dominated the Market with the Majority of the Market Share North America region holds maximum market share and dominates the industry owing to the rising adoption of advanced and smart packaging for pharmaceutical products, the strong foothold of key players in the region, and strong production capacity for pharmaceutical product packaging. The increasing demand for pharmaceutical products and rising focus on life expectancy is anticipated to augment the growth of the market in the region. Furthermore, manufacturers of pharmaceutical packaging are actively involved in strategic developments such as partnerships, acquisitions, launches, and others, which are further expected to propel the growth of the region in the Pharmaceutical Packaging Market. In May 2020, Sharp, part of UDG Healthcare plc and a global leader in clinical supply services and contract packaging, acquired Quality Packaging Specialists International, LLC, a USA-based pharmaceutical packaging facility. The company aimed to expand its product portfolio and production capacity and offer efficient services by delivering primary and secondary pharmaceutical packaging products namely blistering, vial labeling, serialization service, bottling, and others. Market Taxonomy By Material Plastics & Polymers Paper & Paperboard Glass Aluminum Foil Others Visit this Link :- Request for custom report By Packaging Type Tertiary Pharmaceutical Packaging Secondary Pharmaceutical Packaging Primary Pharmaceutical Packaging By Product Type Bottles Caps & Closures Pre-Fillable Inhalers Pre-Fillable Syringes Vials & Ampoules Blister Packs Bags & Pouches Jars & Canisters Cartridges Others By Drug Delivery Mode Oral Drugs Injectables Topical Ocular/ Ophthalmic Nasal Pulmonary Transdermal IV Drugs Others By End-User Pharma Manufacturing Contract Packaging Retail Pharmacy Institutional Pharmacy Others By Geography North America US Canada Mexico Europe Germany UK France Spain Italy Request free 30 minutes analyst call Asia-Pacific China Japan South Korea India Indonesia Australia LAMEA Latin America Middle East Africa Key Companies Amcor plc Becton D AptarGroup, Inc. Gerresheimer AG West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. WestRock Company CCL Industries Berry Global, Inc. Nipro Europe Group Companies Mondi plc For more insights on the market intelligence, refer to below link:- Global Pharmaceutical Packaging Market Related Reports By Ken Research:- Australia Pharmacy Retail Market Outlook to 2025- Led by Growth in Increasing Number of Customer Footfall and Organic Expansion of Pharmacies Australian Pharmacy Retail Market in terms of Total Revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.1% over the period 2020 to 2025. The market in future is anticipated to grow as a result of growth in the number of Pharmacy Stores, growth in customer footfall, Proportion of elderly population and awareness of services among different customer cohorts. In addition to that Growth in Healthcare Expenditure along with multiple strategies implemented by Pharmacies such as the opening of the store 24/7 will complement the Revenue Growth in the industry. Market in terms of Number of Pharmacy Stores and Revenue will witness a single-digit growth rate in future. Indonesia Pharmacy Retail Market Outlook to 2025 By Market Structure (Organized & Unorganized); By Region (West Java , East Java , Central Java , Jakarta , North Sumatra & Others); By Product Categories (Prescribed, OTC, Non-Pharmaceutical Products & Medical Equipment); By Therapeutic Areas; and By Product Type (Patented & Generic Drugs) The Pharmacy Retail industry is expected to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and witness growth by 2025. The increasing demand for OTC products and an increasing number of telemedicine companies such as Halodoc, Alodokter, SehatQ, GoApotik, and others are expected to fuel the sales of medicines. The adoption of generic medicines is also expected to increase over the forecast period. The Pharmacy Retail market is expected to witness investment in promotional and marketing activities and also strategic partnerships or acquisitions of smaller players and independent pharmacies. Vietnam Pharmacy Retail Market Outlook to 2025-By Market Structure (Organized & Unorganized); By Region (North, South & Central); By Hospital-based & Street/Mall-based; By Product Categories (Prescribed, OTC, Non-Pharmaceutical Products & Medical Equipment); By Therapeutic Areas; and By Product Type (Patented & Generic Drugs) The industry is expected to witness a CAGR of 8.1% on the basis of revenue by 2025. Fast growing aging population is projected to positively impact the industry with median age in the country expected to hit 42.1 years by 2050. Pharmacy chains are expected to increase their presence in the future by opening new stores in the northern and central regions or acquiring small independent stores or regional chains. Seeing the opportunity in the country, pharmacy chains having large presence in South East Asia including Matsumoto Kiyoshi & Watsons have recently entered the market and more players are expected to enter into the industry and expand their presence. Thailand Pharmacy Retail Market Outlook to 2025 - By Market Structure (Organized & Unorganized Segment); By Region / Cities (Bangkok & its Vicinity, Central, South, Northeast, North, Eastern & West); By Product Categories (Prescribed, OTC, Non-Pharmaceutical Products and Medical Equipment); By Therapeutic Areas; and By Product Type (Patented & Generic Drugs) The competition stage within the retail pharmacy industry has become highly fragmented with numerous unorganized chain brands present across almost every region. On the other hand, penetration of organized space is increasing over the years with top five players including Watsons Thailand, Boots Thailand, Pure Pharmacy by Big C, Fascino Drugstores and Save Drug. The players in the industry compete on the basis of parameters such as Number of Pharmacy Stores, Geographical Presence, Brand Recognition, Partnerships with Telemedicine & E-Prescription Providers, product portfolio, online deliveries & Other Value Added Services. Taiwan Pharmacy Retail Market Outlook to 2025 - By Market Structure (Organized and Unorganized), By Region (Taipei Division, Northern Division, Central Division, Southern Division, KaoPing Division and Eastern Division), By Product Sales (Prescribed Medicines, OTC Products, Non Pharma Products and Medical Equipments), By Drug Type (Generic And Patented) and By Therapeutic Class The Taiwan Pharmacy Retail Market witnessed a slight decline initially with the onset of Corona Virus Pandemic, however, the market recovered quickly with proactive measures taken by government for stopping the spread of the virus. The pharmacies are expected to have a makeover integrating latest technologies, collecting data for cloud storage and adding other beneficial features. Online Pharmacies will grow in future and the business model will adapt to the hybrid pharmacy. The chain pharmacies will increase their presence in the future by opening new stores or acquiring small independent stores or regional chains. The expenditure on pharmaceuticals is expected to increase as government wants to reduce their expenditure on imported drugs in the country, this will also result in the increase in demand for generic medicines. Follow Us LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube Contact Us:- Ken Research Private Limited Ankur Gupta, Director Strategy and Growth Ankur@kenresearch.com +91-9015378249 CONTACT: Contact Us:- Ken Research Private Limited Ankur Gupta, Director Strategy and Growth Ankur@kenresearch.com +91-9015378249 Pos Malaysia Berhad (KLSE:POS) Full Year 2022 Results Key Financial Results Revenue: RM1.96b (down 11% from FY 2021). Net loss: RM167.7m (loss narrowed by 50% from FY 2021). RM0.21 loss per share (improved from RM0.43 loss in FY 2021). All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period Pos Malaysia Berhad Revenues and Earnings Miss Expectations Revenue missed analyst estimates by 5.9%. Earnings per share (EPS) also missed analyst estimates by 90%. Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 4.0% p.a. on average during the next 2 years, compared to a 3.7% growth forecast for the Logistics industry in Malaysia. Performance of the Malaysian Logistics industry. The company's shares are down 2.7% from a week ago. Risk Analysis Don't forget that there may still be risks. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Pos Malaysia Berhad that you should be aware of. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here First-of-its-Kind and Inclusive Program Empowers Next Generation of Healthcare Professionals with Premium Fertility Services and Products at Discounted Rates HOUSTON, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Prelude Network (Prelude), North America's largest network of premium fertility clinics and part of Inception Fertility, announces today it is partnering with leading fertility organizations to launch a comprehensive program exclusively for medical residents. The Family Building for Medical Residents program aims to support medical residents on their journey to parenthood by providing access to discounted, premium fertility services and products. The Prelude Network (PRNewsfoto/The Prelude Network) The program offers medical residents discounted services and products including third-party reproduction services, fertility preservation, IVF and IUI, cryostorage, as well as pharmacy and nutritional support services. Family Building for Medical Residents is open to women, men, and those within the LGBTQ+ community. As part of the program, medical residents in any residency program in the United States or Canada for any medical specialty will have access to Prelude's Resident Care Coordinators, who provide personalized support throughout the process. The program also offers financing options through Future Family, Prelude's newest partner and a national platform for family-building with flexible financial plans and concierge support services. "By collaborating and combining the expertise, resources, and services of our Inception brands, we are providing a comprehensive care journey for medical residents and empowering the next generation of healthcare professionals in their family-building journeys," says TJ Farnsworth, Founder and CEO of Inception Fertility. The program is unique in its inclusivity, as well as its collaboration between North America's leading fertility companies. Other organizations within the Inception family of brands participating in Family Building for Medical Residents include HavenCryo, a long-term tissue storage solution that offers secure and advanced cryopreservation technologies; NutraBloom, expertly formulated supplements that support women's and men's health and wellness goals from preconception and beyond, and InspireRX, a specialty online fertility pharmacy exclusive to Prelude patients. MyEggBank, one of North America's largest frozen donor egg banks, provides additional support to those looking to build their families through third-party reproductive services, like egg donation. Story continues "We are proud to offer Family Building for Medical Residents and, within that, a package of services and products that are differentiated, accessible, price competitive, and most importantly, inclusive," adds Farnsworth. Medical residents interested in learning more about the Family Building for Medical Residents program can visit https://fbmr.preludefertility.com About Inception Fertility Inception Fertility (Inception) is a family of fertility brands committed to helping patients build their own families. Built by patients for patients, Inception's purpose is to achieve the highest bar in experience, science and medicine in an effort to enhance each patient's experience and achieve better outcomes. Inception's medical experts are leading pioneers in fertility care. Our doctors are some of the first to use breakthrough assisted reproductive technologies (ART) including in vitro fertilization (IVF), preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) and fertility preservation services and they continue to lead the industry by building on these technologies by through development, research and thought leadership. Through its growing family of national organizations which includes The Prelude Network, the fastest-growing network of fertility clinics and largest provider of comprehensive fertility services in North America; Pathways Fertility, clinics that provide affordable, individualized and high quality care; MyEggBank, one of the largest frozen donor egg banks in North America; BUNDL Fertility, a multi-cycle fertility service bundling program; HavenCryo, a long-term reproductive preservation and storage solution provider and NutraBloom, a premium lifestyle brand with expertly formulated supplements to support individuals' health and wellness goals for preconception Inception is working to deliver on its promise to push the envelope of what is possible for exceeding patient expectations. Media Contact: Mia Humphreys 239-297-6592 MHumphreys@kruppagency.com Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/prelude-network-and-leading-fertility-organizations-launch-discounted-family-building-program-for-medical-residents-301809810.html SOURCE The Prelude Network Among the persistently small number of people in the Indigenous film community who are known in the larger Hollywood ecosystem, Heather Rae has been a mainstay. The independent film producer formerly ran the Sundance Institutes Native Program (now known as the Indigenous Program); she serves on the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Indigenous Alliance; and her credits, which often feature Native American characters and culture, include 2005 documentary Trudell, the 2008 Oscar-nominated film Frozen River and 2023 family drama Fancy Dance, which premiered at Sundance in January. Over the decades, the Idaho-raised Rae, 56, described her heritage as Cherokee on her mothers side, an identification that has been repeated in references to her in the media. But on Sunday, the New York Post published a story about a watchdog group accusing her of falsely claiming Native identity. An organization called Tribal Alliance Against Frauds, whose website says its mission is to research and expose individuals and groups who misrepresent themselves as American Indian for profit or fame, posted genealogical documents on its blog indicating that both sides of Raes family at least patrilineally were identified as white going back at least six generations, despite one branch of the clan long maintaining that it has ties to the Cherokee people. More from The Hollywood Reporter Now, Rae speaks exclusively to The Hollywood Reporter about the exploration of her roots that she quietly has been undertaking in recent years, with the knowledge and support of her friends and colleagues. I began to really look into my familys history in a deeper way, says Rae, who has employed the services of a professional genealogist. Im still in that process, so for several years I have identified as an ally. Story continues The news may come as a surprise to those not closely involved with the tight-knit Indigenous creative community, but theres no gotcha there, says one source familiar with the situation. A lot of people grow up with stories [about having some Native ancestry], and shes been upfront with me that she needed to go on this journey. Rae tells THR that she was raised by her mothers side of the family, who hailed from northern Oklahoma and southern Missouri and taught her that they were of Cherokee descent. When my mother was a child, she and my grandmother and great-grandmother were participating in cultural and community events and felt a sense of belonging and identity, so my mother always carried that with her, she says. It really informed my growing up. There were important conversations as I was becoming a young adult that I had with my grandparents and my great-grandmothers that were a call to action to make a difference for Native people. She carried that mandate with her as she entered the film business and soon established a place for herself and a reputation in the indie film community as a leader and champion for Native artists. [Identifying as a Native woman filmmaker] influenced the way in which I engaged with the industry, specifically around systemic change, she says. I was always working in the capacity of trying to create space for Native filmmakers and Native storytellers. When asked whether she felt like she encountered obstacles or opportunities as a direct result of identifying as a producer from a marginalized background, she replies: I think that independent producing is always difficult. In maybe the last 24 months weve seen the rise of so many wonderful Native and Indigenous voices, but through the course of my career it was incredibly challenging to get those stories told. Echoes a longtime colleague of Raes, Another falsity of the accusation coming to her is that shes stealing all of these big, high-paying opportunities for qualified Native people. I want to see what those opportunities are! They dont exist. Native stories are really the stepchild of our industry. So much of our work has been not for profit. A little more than five years ago, Rae says someone from Cherokee Nation whom shed known for a long time reached out and asked her point blank: Do you know what your ties are in terms of your family? I stopped and thought, I dont fully understand what my ties are,' Rae says of her reaction. I know my familys story and the strong sense of connection they feel, but it was important for me at that point to lean in and really begin to interrogate my familys story, to pause and get really responsible to how I identify myself and doing work so that I can represent myself authentically and accurately. Although Rae did not publicize what she calls the reframing of her identity until now, she says that she stopped describing herself as having Cherokee heritage in biographical information submitted by her and her team since beginning her search. A review of public mentions since 2020 that include Rae-provided materials use language such as her settler and Indigenous heritage or elide any mention of personal Native affiliation for her altogether, such as last falls press releases describing her involvement in the Academys apology to and subsequent celebration of the late Sacheen Littlefeather (who, shortly after her death in October, was herself accused of faking a Native identity). Secondarily, when things would come to me that perhaps somebody was identifying me [as Indigenous], being able to promptly make the course correction and send them in the direction to where they could find the person they were looking for or make a connection with someone from a specific community, adds Rae in response to a question about how proactively she sought to make sure she was no longer being identified as Native. Both the Academys Indigenous Alliance and the social justice organization IllumiNative, for which Rae works as a narrative change strategist, have never explicitly identified her as either Native or an ally, while the Sundance Institute has a longstanding policy of self-identification for its global community of filmmakers. As one source notes, the U.S. and Canada are the only countries in the world that require official documentation when it comes to Indigenous status. The Sundance Institute Indigenous Program honors and upholds the inherent Sovereignty of Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples, program director Adam Piron wrote in 2021 as part of the programs values statement. We respect and uphold that Sovereignty and the nuances of Indigenous cultures, kinship and community, and their right to determine belonging and citizenship For Indigenous Peoples, community comes in many forms and we recognize the shifting nature of community due to colonization and genocide that has impacted Indigenous peoples across the U.S. and around the world in different ways. Authenticity of Native identity has long been a contested, complicated and nuanced issue. Tribal enrollment is in part a political designation for the 574 tribes recognized by the U.S. federal government which doesnt, for instance, include Tongva peoples indigenous to the land now known as Los Angeles. Tribal enrollment numbers, its a prison number, Yellowstone actor Mo Brings Plenty told THR in an interview last month, because we are born prisoners of war due to the treaties that were implemented back in the 1800s. The U.S. Department of Interiors Bureau of Indian Affairs says it leaves criteria for membership up to each tribe; common metrics of eligibility include blood quantum (a certain percentage of Indian blood) or being a descendant of someone from the base rolls (the original list of tribe members). According to Cherokee Nations website, to become an official citizen, a person must have at least one direct ancestor listed on the Dawes Roll, a federal census from 1898-1906. But systemic forces including state-sanctioned boarding schools that specifically functioned to separate Native children from their families and assimilate them into European American culture, and other forms of legal and social discrimination against Indigenous people have led to the dilution, whitewashing and disconnection of Native heritage from an untold number of impacted residents. At the same time, appropriation of Indigenous culture and outright identity remains rampant in American society, from the co-opting of symbols, dress and vernacular for aesthetics to the exaggeration of Native ties for a perceived benefit (such as academic scholarship eligibility). In Hollywood, many an actor has claimed Indigenous heritage in order to justify taking on a Native role. One of the most important things that we have to protect in this country is tribal sovereignty, and a really important component of tribal sovereignty is each tribes right to determine their own citizenship, says Rae, who is not enrolled in Cherokee Nation. I have absolute and utmost respect for that. When asked whether she felt anything in the Posts report about the Tribal Alliance findings misrepresented her story, Rae takes a long pause. I think theres a lot of nuance to this identity, she says. Because a lot of people are in this position trying to navigate their identities and relationships to their communities, there has to be space for people to do that work. The Tribal Alliance Against Frauds has not responded to a THR request for comment. TAAF issued a press release on Monday after this storys publication. While this is progress, Raes response does not appreciate the privilege that her falsely claimed identity gave her throughout her career, or the privilege she takes today in her response to truth, the organization stated. Rae continues to influence American Indian and Indigenous films through her work on the Academys Indigenous Alliance, with individual film companies and as a Narrative Change Strategist at IllumiNative. She cannot fulfill these roles with integrity or credibility, since she is not who she said she was. It is inappropriate to center herself in any of these roles as if she were an American Indian. If Rae truly wants to make amends, she should resign from these posts and make room for authentic American Indian voices. In a subsequent interview with THR on Tuesday, TAAF director Lianna Costantino explained whats at stake when non-Native people falsely claim Indigenous identity. When we say that the Pretendians are erasing us by replacing us, thats not just a trite tagline. We believe that this could possibly be the last nail in the coffin of our genocide, she says, noting past examples of people who have appropriated Native heritage to fraudulently set up financial institutions or to brand themselves as healers, financially and physically endangering an unsuspecting public. I cant tell anybody that Im Cherokee without hearing, Oh yeah, Im Cherokee, too. And to them thats a lazy self-identification based on a family myth, and they dont know anything about their supposed Cherokee ancestors or the tribe or our culture, Costantino, who is a dual citizen of the United States and Cherokee Nation, continued. But to me, its a responsibility to my tribal nation and my community and my clan. Its hundreds of years of intergenerational grief and trauma and oppression and genocide in my family. My family was actually on the Trail of Tears, and I can tell you their stories and all their names. My family were in boarding school and suffered those atrocities, and now were seeing some of those babies come home and get buried. Its a lot of stuff that weve survived so when people tell us theyre Cherokee with nothing else behind that statement, what is that supposed to mean for us? Our sovereignty is hanging on by a thread, and most people have no idea what that means, and they could not care less. Costantino says that TAAF, which was incorporated about a year ago and is currently comprised of 40-something volunteers who are members of federally recognized tribes or allies, seeks initially to give people suspected of false Native ties the opportunity to correct the record and save face. In Raes case, the co-founder says the producer had known about doubts over her background for a couple of years and was unrepentant, so the organization progressed directly to the whistleblowing stage. The two parties have not had direct communication with one another. The response we should have seen from her was, Im so sorry, I made a mistake. I believed the family myth without checking on it and I claimed an identity that did not belong to me. Im going to put that story away now and go forward as an ally and make amends,' Costantino says. That would have garnered respect and done some healing, and we could have gone forward in a good way. Thats all were asking for: honesty, authenticity, transparency, accountability. Rae says that shes been having conversations with her family about her exploration of their identity. [My mothers] of a different generation, so in a lot of ways I am educating her and helping her to see how these things work and the responsibility that we have, she says. Ive had the conversation with my own kids [her three children with filmmaker husband Russell Friedenberg include Dexter: New Blood actress Johnny Sequoyah] because I want to mitigate any confusion for my descendants. It stops with me. Even if we find those ties and theres an indication those ties could be there I am not a recognized citizen or descendant, and thats the bottom line. Therein lies the cautionary tale, because a lot of American families have these stories, this understanding that they have this ancestry, she continues, noting that her lifelong commitment to supporting Native creatives has not changed. Its part of Americas lore, and its important to mitigate the mythology and begin to connect in a responsible and authentic way. Im accountable for the ways in which Ive represented myself, and I want to be authentically who I am. April 3, 11:59 a.m. Added statement from Tribal Alliance Against Frauds press release. April 6, 4:42 p.m. Added interview with TAAF director Lianna Costantino. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Click here to read the full article. Market Research Future The key factors driving the PIM market include the increasing need for a centralized data storage system. New York, US, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to a comprehensive research report by Market Research Future (MRFR), " Production Information Management (PIM) Market: By Component (Hardware, Software), By Deployment (Cloud, On-Premise) By Vertical (BFSI, Government, Retail) And By Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, And Rest Of The World) Market Forecast Till 2032, the market is predicted to thrive substantially during the assessment era from 2023 to 2032 at a healthy CAGR of approximately 12.08% to attain a valuation of around USD 23.72 billion by the end of 2032. Production information management refers to the process of collecting, organizing, and analyzing production data to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of production operations. The increasing need for automation and digitization of production processes, the growing adoption of industrial IoT and big data analytics, and the rising demand for real-time monitoring and control of production processes are driving the growth of the production information management market. Get a Free Sample PDF Brochure: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/5965 Report Scope: Report Metrics Details Production Information Management (PIM) Market Size by 2032 USD 23.72 billion PIM Market CAGR during 2023-2032 12.08% Base Year 2022 Forecast 2023-2032 Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Key Market Drivers The key factors driving the market include the increasing need for a centralized data storage system. Centralized data storage help enterprises to organize and manage all the data related to its product. Drivers: The production information management market is being driven by several factors. One of the key drivers is the need for automation and digitization of production processes. With the increasing complexity of production processes, there is a growing need for automated systems that can improve the efficiency and accuracy of production operations. The adoption of industrial IoT and big data analytics is also driving the growth of the production information management market, as these technologies enable real-time monitoring and control of production processes, as well as the analysis of production data to identify areas for improvement. Story continues Browse In-depth Market Research Report (100 Pages) on Production Information Management Market: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/production-information-management-market-5965 Challenges: Despite the growth drivers, the production information management market is not without its challenges. One of the key challenges is the lack of standardization in production processes, which can make it difficult to collect and analyze production data. Another challenge is the high cost of implementing production information management systems, which can be a barrier to adoption for some companies. Market Segmentation: The global production information management market has been segmented on the basis of component, deployment, organization size, application, and region. By component, the market has been segmented into software and services. The software segment is expected to hold the largest share of the market during the forecast period. By deployment, the market has been segmented into on-premise and cloud-based. The cloud-based segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. By organization size, the market has been segmented into SMEs and large enterprises. The large enterprises segment is expected to hold the largest share of the market during the forecast period. By application, the market has been segmented into inventory management, quality management, supply chain management, and others. The supply chain management segment is expected to hold the largest share of the market during the forecast period. Regional Analysis: The global production information management market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World. North America is expected to hold the largest share of the market during the forecast period, due to the presence of a large number of production companies in the region, as well as the high adoption of automation and digitization technologies. Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period, due to the increasing industrialization and digitalization of production processes in the region. Buy this Premium Research Report at: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=5965 Industry Trends: The production information management market is witnessing several industry trends. One of the key trends is the increasing adoption of cloud-based production information management systems, which offer greater flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness than on-premise systems. Another trend is the growing use of AI and machine learning technologies to improve the accuracy and efficiency of production operations. Key Players: The report profiles some of the key players operating in the global production information management market, including ABB Ltd., Siemens AG, Schneider Electric SE, General Electric Company, Honeywell International Inc., Rockwell Automation, Inc., Yokogawa Electric Corporation, Emerson Electric Co., and Mitsubishi Recent Developments and Opportunities in the Production Information Management Market New York, NY, April 6, 2023: The global production information management market is witnessing significant growth, driven by the need for automation and digitization of production processes, the adoption of industrial IoT and big data analytics, and the rising demand for real-time monitoring and control of production processes. The market is set to grow at a CAGR of 8.7% during the forecast period of 2023-2028, according to a report published by Market Research Future. Recent Developments: The production information management market is witnessing several recent developments that are shaping the future of the market. Here are some of the key developments: Siemens AG, a leading player in the production information management market, announced the launch of its new production information management software, Simatic IT Preactor APS. The software enables companies to optimize production scheduling, reduce lead times, and improve delivery performance. Honeywell International Inc., another key player in the market, announced the acquisition of a leading provider of industrial IoT solutions, FogHorn Systems. The acquisition is expected to enhance Honeywell's capabilities in industrial automation and digitalization. ABB Ltd., a global leader in electrification, robotics, and automation, announced the launch of its new production information management software, ABB Ability Manufacturing Operations Management. The software provides real-time visibility into production operations, enabling companies to improve efficiency and reduce costs. Request For Customizations: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/ask_for_customize/5965 Opportunities: The production information management market is witnessing several opportunities that are expected to drive the growth of the market in the coming years. Here are some of the key opportunities: Increasing adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies: The adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies, such as IoT, big data analytics, and AI, is expected to drive the growth of the production information management market. These technologies enable real-time monitoring and control of production processes, as well as the analysis of production data to identify areas for improvement. Growing demand for cloud-based solutions: The growing demand for cloud-based production information management solutions is expected to create new opportunities for market players. Cloud-based solutions offer greater flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness than on-premise solutions, making them a popular choice among companies of all sizes. Increasing focus on sustainability: The increasing focus on sustainability is expected to drive the adoption of production information management solutions, as companies seek to improve the efficiency and sustainability of their production processes. Production information management solutions can help companies reduce waste, conserve resources, and minimize their environmental impact. Conclusion: The global production information management market is witnessing significant growth, driven by the need for automation and digitization of production processes, the adoption of industrial IoT and big data analytics, and the rising demand for real-time monitoring and control of production processes. The market is set to grow at a CAGR of 8.7% during the forecast period of 2023-2028. The market is witnessing several recent developments and opportunities that are expected to drive the growth of the market in the coming years. Market players are investing in new technologies and solutions to meet the evolving needs of customers and stay ahead of the competition. Also Check Trending Report of MRFR: Global IoT Managed Services Market: By Services, End User Forecast Till 2030: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/iot-managed-services-market-2333 Global Freight Management System Market Research Report: By Component, Execution and Operations Forecast Till 2030: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/freight-management-system-market-8715 Web 3.0 Blockchain Market Research Report Information By Blockchain Type, Application, Vertical Forecast Till 2030: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/web-3-0-blockchain-market-10746 About Market Research Future: Market Research Future (MRFR) is a global market research company that takes pride in its services, offering a complete and accurate analysis regarding diverse markets and consumers worldwide. Market Research Future has the distinguished objective of providing the optimal quality research and granular research to clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help answer your most important questions. Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter Contact Market Research Future (Part of Wantstats Research and Media Private Limited) 99 Hudson Street, 5Th Floor New York, NY 10013 United States of America +1 628 258 0071 (US) +44 2035 002 764 (UK) Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Website: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com Prosafe SE After more than 6 years as CEO in Prosafe, Jesper Kragh Andresen, has informed the Board of Directors that he will step down as CEO. He will continue in his current role until his successor is in place. The Board has initiated a process to identify the next CEO of the Company. Jesper Kragh Andresen says: It has been a privilege to be part of the Prosafe team through these years. My near-term focus is to ensure the optimal running of Prosafe and at the same time contribute to a smooth transition to provide the best possible starting point for my successor. Glen O. Rdland, Chairman, says: The Board wishes to thank Jesper for his contribution to Prosafe and the close collaboration for more than 6 years. He managed the company safely through the downturn in the energy industry and subsequently a financial restructuring of Prosafe. The company is now moving into a new phase and is well positioned for an expected upturn in the market from 2024 and onwards. The Board has engaged Russell Reynolds Associates in Oslo as an advisor in the recruitment process. Prosafe is a leading owner and operator of semi-submersible accommodation vessels. The company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange with ticker code PRS. For more information, please refer to www.prosafe.com Stavanger, 27 April 2023 Prosafe SE For further information, please contact: Glen O. Rdland, Chairman Phone: +47 907 41 662 Jesper K. Andresen, CEO Phone: +47 51 65 24 30 / +47 907 65 155 This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. MAXIMIZE MARKET RESEARCH PRIVATE LIMITED Protein Sequencing market which is at USD 1.34 Billion, is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 3.77% in the forecasted period. The forecasted revenue hints at a growth of around 1.73 billion USD by 2029. Pune, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A global Electronics business-consulting firm, Maximize Market Research, has published a market intelligence and competitive landscape report on the Protein Sequencing Market . The report is a combination of primary data and secondary data and domain expert has analyzed the Protein Sequencing Market from a local as well as a global point of view. Over the forecast period, Maximize Market Research expects, the market to grow from USD 1.34 Bn in 2022 to USD 1.73 Bn in 2029 at a CAGR of 3.77 percent. Protein Sequencing Market Report Scope and Research Methodology Market Size in 2022 USD 1.34 Bn. Market Size in 2029 USD 1.73 Bn. CAGR 3.77 percent (2022-2029) Forecast Period 2023-2029 Base Year 2022 Number of Pages 270 No. of Tables 115 No. of Charts and Figures 112 Segment Covered Application ,Technology and End - User Regional Scope North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, South America Report Coverage Market Share, Size & Forecast by Revenue | 20222029, Market Dynamics, Growth Drivers, Restraints, Investment Opportunities, and Key Trends, Competitive Landscape, Key Players Benchmarking, Competitive Analysis, MMR Competition Matrix, Competitive Leadership Mapping, Global Key Players Market Ranking Analysis. Request For Free Sample Report : https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-sample/186745 The report is a thorough analysis of the Protein Sequencing market provided with key findings including Pricing, investments, expansion plans, and physical presence in the Protein Sequencing market. The bottom-up approach was used to understand the Protein Sequencing market size estimation. The report provides information on the drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges of the Protein Sequencing market. The financial standing, portfolio, technology adoption, merger and acquisition, joint ventures and strategic alliances are included in the competitive environment for the Protein Sequencing market. Story continues Regional analysis of the Protein Sequencing market conducted at a local, regional and global level. For a segment-wise analysis of the Protein Sequencing market, it is divided into, Application, Technology and End User. The report also provides information on the emerging regions that are expected to be major markets for the Protein Sequencing market. The report includes primary and secondary data including qualitative and quantitative analysis of the Protein Sequencing market. The primary collection method includes Surveys, questionnaires and telephonic interviews with market leaders and business owners. The secondary method includes financial reports, annual reports, press releases, white papers , etc. SWOT analysis is used to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the Protein Sequencing key players. Get a Sample Copy of the Report : https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-sample/186745 Protein Sequencing Market Overview Protein sequencing defines the methods for determining the amino acid sequence of the proteins or peptides and analysis of the sequence and it is relying on the enzymatic or chemical digestion methods to separate peptides and detect the composition and amount of the amino acid residues. Protein sequencing using a mass spectrometer has become an important output proteomic technique. The increasing applications of protein sequencing such as in generic reengineering influence the demand for Protein Sequencing Market. Protein Sequencing Market Dynamics The increasing demand for Protein sequencing from the healthcare industry driving the market growth. The increasing advancements in clinical mass spectrometry and analytical techniques and financial support for proteomic research are also the factors that fuel the growth of the Protein Sequencing market. The development of the public and private sectors for proteomic research, increasing incidences of chronic diseases, technological advancement in protein sequencing and growing focus of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies on target-based drug development are the factors influencing the market growth. The market growth is expected to be hampered by the high cost of setting up infrastructure and the unavailability of expertly skilled scientists and researchers, over the forecast period. Protein Sequencing Market Regional Insights In 2022, North America dominated the Protein Sequencing Market with the largest market share and is expected to continue its dominance over the forecast period. The increasing number of drug development activities, availability of funds from public and private organizations for bioinformatics research and increasing focus on structure-based design are the influencing factors for the regional market. Get Customization on this Report for Specific Research Solutions: https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-customization/186745 Europe is expected to have significant growth in the Protein Sequencing Market over the forecast period. The regional market is driven by the increasing demand for protein sequencing, rising investment in the healthcare sector and new launching programs that are funding research and development projects in the life sciences industry such as Protein Sequencing research. Protein Sequencing Market Segmentation By Application Biotherapeutics Protein Engineering Proteomics research On the basis of the application, the protein engineering segment is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period. The market is driven by the added advantage of protein engineering it has changed the metabolic drug landscape and formed unnatural polypeptides simply. By Technology Edman Degradation Mass Spectroscopy On the basis of technology, the Edman Degradation segment dominated the market in 2022 with a significant market share and is expected to dominate the market over the forecast period. This segment is driven due to its time-consuming and non-damaging protein properties in the sequencing process. By End User Pharma companies Research institutions Research Laboratories On the basis of the End-User, the pharma companies segment held the largest Protein Sequencing market share in 2022. The segment is driven by the high investment and the requirements of Protein Sequencing in pharma companies due to its several beneficial advantages. Get the Sample PDF of the Report: https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-sample/186745 Protein Sequencing Market Key Competitors include: Thermo Fischer Scientific (US) Waters Corporation (US) Agilent Technologies Inc. (US) Bruker Corporation (US) Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (US) Promega Corporation (US) GE Healthcare (US) Danaher Corporation (US) PerkinElmer, Inc. (US) Charles River Laboratories (US) Levita Magnetics (US) Praxis Biotech (US) Rapid Novor Inc (Canada) Bioinformatics Solutions (Canada) Selvita SA (Poland) Proteome Factory (Germany) Biofidus AG (German) Qiagen N.V. (Germany) Genedata AG (Switzerland) SGS SA (Switzerland) Genedata AG (Switzerland) Quantum Si (UK) Shimadzu corporation (Japan) Takara Bio Inc (Japan) GeneX India (India) GeneproDX (Chile) Key questions answered in the Protein Sequencing Market are: What is Protein Sequencing? What is the CAGR of the Protein Sequencing Market? What was the Protein Sequencing Market size in 2022? What is the expected Protein Sequencing Market size by the end of the forecast period? What are the global trends in the Protein Sequencing Market? What are the major challenges that the Protein Sequencing Market could face in the future? What growth strategies are the players considering to increase their presence in Protein Sequencing Market? What are the upcoming industry applications and trends for the Protein Sequencing Market? What are the recent industry trends that can be implemented to generate additional revenue streams for Protein Sequencing Market? Who are the leading companies and what are their portfolios in Protein Sequencing Market? Who dominates the largest market share in Protein Sequencing Market? Key Offerings: Past Market Size and Competitive Landscape (2018 to 2022) Past Pricing and price curve by region (2018 to 2022) Market Size, Share, Size & Forecast by different segment | 20232029 Market Dynamics Growth Drivers, Restraints, Opportunities, and Key Trends by Region Market Segmentation A detailed analysis by Application, Technology , End - User 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 leading Healthcare research firm, has also published the following reports: miRNA Sequencing and Assay Market - The market size is expected to reach USD 702.29 Mn by 2029 at a CAGR of 13 percent during the forecast period. The market is expected to be driven by development in technology in nucleotide sequencing, rising research funding for genomics, and the decreasing cost of sequencing. Next-Generation Sequencing Data Analysis Market - The market size is expected to reach USD 58333.64 Mn by 2029 at a CAGR of 18 percent during the forecast period. The market is expected to be driven by the growth of cloud-based bioinformatics platforms and services for large-scale NGS data processing. Proteinase K Market - The market size is expected to reach USD 150.51 Mn by 2029 at a CAGR of 7.6 percent during the forecast period. The market is expected to be driven by an increase in the number of chronic diseases, increasing Biotechnology industries, Advances in Molecular Biology and Drug-designing fields. Gene Therapy Market - The market size is expected to reach USD 44.51 Bn by 2029 at a CAGR of 27.9 percent during the forecast period. The market is expected to be driven by the growing field of advanced therapeutics and gene delivery technologies. CRISPR And Cas Genes Market - The market size is expected to reach USD 11.60 Bn by 2029 at a CAGR of 21.2 percent during the forecast period. The market is expected to be driven by the development of CRISPR-based diagnostic assays and technological advancements in the biotechnology. 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 IRVINE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / HippoFi, Inc. (OTC PINK:ORHB), a leading healthcare innovator and technology company, is proud to announce the expansion of its biologics division, PUR Biologics. The addition of 32 new distributors to PUR Biologics' distribution network is a testament to the growing demand for its high-quality products and expertise in ortho-spine biologics. With these new distributors, PUR Biologics has significantly increased its reach and access to new customers, bringing its total number of distributors specializing in the surgical spine and orthopedic market to 239. "We're excited to see PUR Biologics' continued growth and expansion," said HippoFi Founder, Executive Chairman & CEO, CJ Wiggins. "Our team's dedication and hard work is reflected in the addition of these new distributors." PUR Biologics specializes in the development and sales of biologics that offer effective solutions to critical health problems. The company's management believes that the new distributors will have a positive impact on product sales as early as the second half of 2023, bringing valuable experience and expertise to the company. "We're thrilled to partner with PUR Biologics and bring their innovative products to our customers," said Brooks Kieschnick, President of Dispersion Group. "Their commitment to quality and innovation aligns with our own values, and we look forward to working together to improve patient outcomes and advance the field of biologics." PUR Biologics' success is due in part to its strong partnerships with leading product development organizations and broad sales channels, as well as its commitment to advancing technology and quality. "With the continued growth of our distribution network, industry-leading product pipeline, and breakthrough technologies, PUR Biologics is well-positioned to continue to lead this space and drive further growth in the biologics industry," said Ryan Fernan, Head of PUR Biologics. Story continues HippoFi, Inc. is publicly traded under the symbol: ORHB and is headquartered in Irvine, California. For more information, please visit: www.HippoFi.com and www.PURbiologics.com. ORHUB, Inc., Thursday, April 27, 2023, Press release picture About HippoFi, Inc. HippoFi, Inc. delivers its cutting-edge healthcare innovations through an extensive sales channel network while implementing first-to-market solutions in the multibillion-dollar Biotech, Fintech, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) markets. HippoFi comprises three segments: Regenerative Therapeutics, Digital Payments, and AI, which utilize the same customer channels to commercialize solutions, drive revenue, and improve patient outcomes. About PUR Biologics PUR Biologics, a wholly owned subsidiary of HippoFi, Inc. (OTC PINK: ORHB), is a leading biologic company committed to supporting surgeons and hospitals in providing the best care for their patients. PUR Biologics' full line of biologic products currently include: advanced allografts and demineralized extracellular matrixes (d-ECM), innovative synthetic solutions, cellular derived tissues, and a future of next generation regenerative stem cell and growth factor driven therapeutics for treating osteoarthritis and cartilage regeneration. Contact: Jason Brown Shareholder Communications HippoFi, Inc. 612-209-7565 SOURCE: ORHUB, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/751574/PUR-Biologics-Expands-Sales-Network-by-15-Adding-32-New-Distributors TORONTO, April 26, 2023 /CNW/ - Hospital Professionals represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/SEFPO) will be holding rallies on Thursday, April 27 to speak out against the threat that Bill 60 poses to the regulation of their professions and the safe delivery of healthcare services. OPSEU Logo (CNW Group/Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/SEFPO)) Local leaders will be present and available for media comment. Ajax Time: 12:00 1:00 p.m. Location: Lakeridge Health Ajax Pickering Hospital, 580 Harwood Ave. S., Ajax Media contact: Leanne Weatherill, OPSEU/SEFPO L. 348 President, 905-213-5772, leannedw@hotmail.com Barrie Time: 11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Location: Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre, 201 Georgian Drive, Barrie Media contact: Liz Watts, OPSEU/SEFPO L. 346 President, 705-794-6702, opseu346pres@hotmail.com Kingston Time: 11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Location: Kingston General Hospital, 76 Stuart St., Kingston Media contact: Erica Benn, OPSEU/SEFPO L. 4106 President, 613-888-5754, ericabenn72@gmail.com Kitchener Time: 11:30 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Location: Grand River Hospital, 835 King St. W., Kitchener Media contacts: Dan Hahn, OPSEU/SEFPO L. 239 Vice-President, 519-616-0090, danhahn31@gmail.com Judith Kaye Freeman, OPSEU/SEFPO L. 236 President, 519-998-3759, jkayefreeman@gmail.com London Victoria Hospital Time: 11 a.m. 1:30 p.m. Location: Victoria Hospital, 800 Commissioners Rd. E., London Media contact: Steve McCaw, OPSEU/SEFPO L. 106 President, 519-709-6634, mccaw.steve@yahoo.com London University Hospital Time: 11 a.m. 1:30 p.m. Location: University Hospital, 339 Windermere Rd., London Media contact: Steve McCaw, OPSEU/SEFPO L. 106 President, 519-709-6634, mccaw.steve@yahoo.com London St. Joseph's Hospital Time: 11 a.m. 1:30 p.m. Location: 268 Grosvenor St., London Media contact: Steve McCaw, OPSEU/SEFPO L. 106 President, 519-709-6634, mccaw.steve@yahoo.com Oshawa Time: 12:00 1:00 p.m. Location: Lakeridge Health Oshawa, 1 Hospital Ct, Oshawa Media contact: Leanne Weatherill, OPSEU/SEFPO L. 348 President, 905-213-5772, leannedw@hotmail.com Story continues Ottawa Time: 11:30 a.m. 1:30 p.m. Location: The Ottawa Hospital, 501 Symth Rd., Ottawa Media contact: Melissa Coenraad, OPSEU/SEFPO Region 4 Vice-President, 613-218-7323, melissacoenraad@gmail.com Peterborough Time: 11:30 a.m. 1:30 p.m. Location: Peterborough Regional Health Centre, 1 Hospital Drive, Peterborough Media contacts: Karen Seymour, OPSEU/SEFPO L. 373 Acting President, 705-740-3666, keseymour@hotmail.com Shelley Hermer, OPSEU/SEFPO L. 373 Vice-President, 705-772-6987, root.hermer@gmail.com Sarnia Time: 11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Location: Bluewater Health Sarnia, 89 Norman St., Sarnia Media contact: Philip Hodgetts, OPSEU/SEFPO L. 145 Executive member, 519-331-1386, philipghodgetts@gmail.com Toronto Time: 12:00 1:00 p.m. Location: Baycrest Health Sciences, 3560 Bathurst St., North York Media contact: Iris Weinberg, OPSEU/SEFPO L. 583 Vice-President, 647-809-7690, daniris64@hotmail.com Thunder Bay Time: 11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Location: Thunder Bay Regional Health Science Centre, 980 Oliver Rd., Thunder Bay Media contact: Gail Kelly, OPSEU/SEFPO L. 715 President, 807-632-2030, kellygailkelly@yahoo.ca Quick facts: In February 2022, the Ontario Conservative government introduced Bill 60, Your Health Act, under the guise of relieving strain in public hospitals and reducing wait times. The Bill will allow more private clinics to open, without limit, and conduct OHIP-covered surgeries and diagnostic services. This announcement comes as public hospital operating rooms cannot operate at full capacity due to a lack of staff and funding. Hospital professionals and their unions have adamantly spoken out against Bill 60. Schedule 2 of Bill 60 has serious consequences for the safe delivery of healthcare services. It will give the government the power to deregulate some health professions by making changes to the definitions of Medical Laboratory Technologists, Medical Radiation Technologists, Registered Respiratory Therapists, Physicians, Registered Practical Nurses and Registered Nurses. Bill 60 poses a further threat to public hospitals budgets because of 'cream-skimming' when for-profit clinics the easiest, fastest and most lucrative procedures and leave the most difficult, risky and expensive ones for the public system. Ontario's underfunded public hospitals rely on these procedures to offset the costs of more difficult ones. Bill 60 will not only privatize surgical and diagnostic services; it is going to pull even more funding and staff away from public hospitals, making the healthcare crisis worse. Ontario competes for last place among the provinces when it comes to healthcare funding per capita. In terms of hospital staffing, bringing Ontario from dead last to the Canadian average would cost $2 billion. Last fall, Ontario's Financial Accountability Office (FAO) reported that healthcare spending was nearly $2 billion ($1.8 billion) less than what was originally earmarked. SOURCE Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/SEFPO) Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2023/27/c0265.html OTTAWA, ON, April 26, 2023 /CNW/ - Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) will release its latest Housing Market Outlook (HMO). CMHC's annual HMO provides forward-looking analysis into Canada's national and major housing markets. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Logo (CNW Group/Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation) The report will be available in the CMHC Media Newsroom on Thursday, April 27th at 9:30 a.m., Eastern. A media availability via teleconference with CMHC Chief Economist Bob Dugan and CMHC Deputy Chief Economists to outline the national forecast will begin at 10:00 a.m., Eastern. Call number: 1-866-805-7923 Participant passcode: 3309320# Journalists looking for further information regarding forecasts at the local level can contact CMHC Media Relations and arrange to speak directly to local market experts. Follow us on Twitter , YouTube , LinkedIn , Facebook and Instagram . SOURCE Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2023/27/c6184.html "The Canadian Association of Radiologists' Annual Scientific Meeting will feature leading-edge technologies that will transform medical imaging and improve patient care in Canada" MONTREAL, April 27, 2023 /CNW/ - For three days only, radiologists from across Canada and abroad will congregate in Montreal to showcase technological advancements in radiology. With a strong focus on new technologies and improved guidelines for patient care, the 2023 Canadian Association of Radiologists' Annual Scientific Meeting (CAR 2023) will help establish a blueprint for the future of radiology in Canada. Radiologists from Across the Country Convene for Canadas Premier Radiology Event The Canadian Association of Radiologists Annual Scientific Meeting will feature leading-edge technologies that will transform medical imaging and improve patient care in Canada (CNW Group/Canadian Association of Radiologists) CAR 2023 will welcome renowned speakers from North America to share their expertise and talk about key issues impacting radiology as it pertains to patient care in Canada. Featured keynotes will include: Dr. Jan Fritz (New York University) - Photon-Counting CT in Musculoskeletal Radiology: Opportunities and Limitations Dr. Jeremy Erasmus (MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston) Imaging the Chest Post Radiation Treatment: What Books Don't Tell You Dr. Jorge Soto (Boston University) Pitfalls in CT Imaging of Abdomino-Pelvic Trauma Dr. Carlos Torres (University of Ottawa) Treatment-Induced Neurotoxicity Dr. Yimming Gao (New York University) Abbreviated Breast MRI State of the Field New this year, the CAR is hosting the first ever Radiology Directors Meeting in Canada. This meeting, taking place on Friday, April 28th will bring together radiology departments senior administrators to identify key metrics for quality improvement for medical imaging in Canada. This session will be moderated by former Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) for Health, Marcel Saulnier and will welcome representatives from government, senior officials at national health societies and industry. "Having established metrics is crucial in the management of quality patient care and improving accountability for healthcare. Adhering to a set of defined metrics will improve workflows in radiology, create efficiencies in radiology departments, and reduce the backlog for medical imaging across Canada." Marcel Saulnier, Associate at Santis Health and former ADM at Health Canada. Story continues The theme for the conference is Advancing Imaging Care Through Innovation. Highlights will include a panel discussion on current trends in artificial intelligence in radiology for 2023 and beyond, a focus on the importance of cancer screening, innovation in community interventional radiology and mistakes we all make. "Artificial intelligence is developing at such a rapid pace that is hard to conceptualize where medical science will be in a just a few years. The integration of AI into radiology is a positive leap forward for patient care, however, it is important to understand the value that these technologies add and to establish a validation framework to ensure that the systems that are being integrated into the healthcare system are enhancing the workflow of radiologists and delivering improved access for patients. During CAR2023 there will be an opportunity to learn more about these technologies and their functionality" - Dr. Gilles Soulez, President of the CAR. With over 150 research abstracts and lectures focused on various areas of radiology, CAR 2023 is an event not to miss. There will be plenty of opportunities for learning, networking with radiology leaders and discovering how they are raising the bar in medical science to improve patient care. The CAR is extending an invitation for media to join us in an observer capacity with the opportunity to interviews. Please reach out to Natalie St-Pierre for complimentary registration. Event location: April 28-30, 2023 8 am -5 pm Le Westin 270 Rue Saint-Antoine O, Montreal, QC A copy of the educational program can be accessed here: https://car-asm.ca/preliminary-car-2023-agenda/ About the CAR: The Canadian Association of Radiologists (CAR) is the national voice for radiologists in Canada, dedicated to imaging excellence and advocating for the highest standard of patient care across the country. The CAR is a recognized leader in education, research and innovation in radiology and focused on providing world-class resources that empower our members to be more successful in their profession. SOURCE Canadian Association of Radiologists Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2023/27/c2507.html STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Bambuser AB (STO:BUSER)(FRA:5JL) At the annual general meeting (the "AGM") in Bambuser AB, reg. no. 556731-3126, (the "Company"), on 27 April 2023, the AGM adopted, inter alia, the following resolutions. For more detailed information regarding the contents of the resolutions, please refer to the notice to the AGM and the complete proposals, which have previously been published and are available on the Company's website, https://ir.bambuser.com/corporate-governance/general-meeting. Adoption of the income statement and balance sheet, allocation of the Company's result and discharge from liability The AGM adopted the Company's income statement and balance sheet and the consolidated income statement and consolidated balance sheet for the financial year 2022. The AGM resolved that no dividend is paid for the financial year 2022 and that the Company's available funds shall be carried forward to new account. The AGM also discharged the board members and the managing director from liability for the financial year 2022. Election of board members and auditor The AGM resolved, in accordance with the nomination committee's proposal, that the number of board members shall be seven (7) without deputies and that one (1) registered auditing firm shall be elected as auditor. For the period until the end of the next annual general meeting the AGM re-elected, in accordance with the nomination committee's proposal, the present board members Joel Citron, Carl Kinell, Sonia Gardner, Jrgen Madsen Lindemann, Niclas Lindlof and Mark Lotke and resolved on new election of Iris Epple-Righi. Mikael Ahlstrom had declined re-election. Joel Citron was re-elected as chairman of the board. The AGM further resolved, in accordance with the nomination committee's proposal, to re-elect the registered auditing firm Mazars AB as the Company's auditor for the period until the end of the next annual general meeting. The auditing firm Mazars has informed that Michael Olsson will be appointed as auditor in charge. Story continues Remuneration to the board of directors and auditor The AGM resolved, in accordance with the nomination committee's proposal, that remuneration to the board of directors shall be SEK 250,000 each to the board members Jrgen Madsen Lindemann, Sonia Gardner and Iris Epple-Righi. The AGM resolved, in accordance with the nomination committee's proposal, that remuneration for work in the audit committee shall be SEK 75,000 to the chairman and SEK 50,000 to each of the other members of the committee. Remuneration for work in the remuneration committee shall be SEK 50,000 to the chairman and SEK 25,000 to each of the other members of the committee. The AGM further resolved, in accordance with the nomination committee's proposal, that remuneration to the auditor shall be paid in accordance with approved invoice. Amendment of the terms and conditions under LTI 2022 The AGM resolved, in accordance with the board of directors' proposal, to amend the terms and conditions under LTI 2022 with opportunity to further allotment. Category 1 (Management) is offered to subscribe for an additional 318,750 employee stock options per person and Category 2 (Stars) is offered to subscribe for an additional 143,000 employee stock options per person. The resolution entails that LTI 2022 can no longer include a maximum of 36 employees in the Company, but instead approximately 31 employees in the Company. The AGM resolved, in accordance with the board of directors' proposal, to approve transfer of warrants to participants that have been allotted additional employee stock options under LTI 2022. For information on dilution and costs, please refer to the board of directors' complete proposal for LTI 2022, presented at the annual general meeting 2022. Authorization for the board of directors to issue shares, warrants and/or convertibles The AGM resolved, in accordance with the board of directors' proposal, to authorize the board of directors to, with or without deviation from the shareholders' preferential rights, on one or more occasions until the next annual general meeting, resolve on new issue of shares, warrants and/or convertibles in the Company. The total number of shares covered by such new issues may in total correspond to a maximum of ten (10) percent of the shares in the Company at the time the authorization is used. Payment for subscribed shares, warrants or convertibles may be paid in cash, by set-off or in kind or on terms referred to in chapter 2 section 5 of the Companies Act. Contact information Corporate Communications, Bambuser AB +46 8 400 160 00 | ir@bambuser.com Certified Adviser Erik Penser Bank AB About Bambuser Bambuser is the world's leading Video Commerce company with the largest customer base in its industry. More than 350 brands from 40+ countries leverage Bambuser's best-in-class solutions. Bambuser is truly global with headquarters in Stockholm and offices in New York, London, Paris, Tokyo and Turku. Our rapidly growing team speaks more than 30 languages and 62% of our senior management is female. Founded in 2007 as a livestreaming pioneer, Bambuser pivoted to Live Shopping in 2019, leveraging our legacy as industry-leaders in video-first technology. Follow us Subscribe to Bambusers press releases here. Bambuser on LinkedIn. Attachments Report from the annual general meeting in Bambuser AB on 27 April 2023 SOURCE: Bambuser AB View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/751712/Report-from-the-Annual-General-Meeting-in-Bambuser-AB-on-27-April-2023 ResMed Inc. Year-over-year revenue grows 29%, operating profit up 28%, non-GAAP operating profit up 27% Note: A webcast of ResMeds conference call will be available at 4:30 p.m. ET today at http://investor.resmed.com SAN DIEGO, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ResMed Inc. (NYSE: RMD, ASX: RMD) today announced results for its quarter ended March 31, 2023. Third Quarter 2023 Highlights All comparisons are to the prior year period Revenue increased by 29% to $1,116.9 million; up 31% on a constant currency basis Gross margin contracted 150 bps to 55.3%; non-GAAP gross margin contracted 200 bps to 56.1% Income from operations increased 28%; non-GAAP operating profit up 27% Operating cash flow of $282.6 million Diluted earnings per share of $1.58; non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $1.68 During the third quarter, we significantly ramped up production and delivery of our cloud-connected flow generator devices to meet ongoing high demand from customers, resulting in strong device sales growth across our global markets, said Mick Farrell, ResMeds CEO. We now have full global availability of our connected AirSense 10 platform, while we continue to ramp production and availability across more geographies of our AirSense 11 platform. The bottom line is this: We can now support global customer demand for CPAP and APAP devices to serve the entire sleep device market. This is great news for physicians, providers, and especially for patients. We also saw very strong growth in our mask and patient interfaces businesses globally, demonstrating a sustainable focus on patient adherence and resupply. Our outside-hospital software-as-a-service business achieved high-single-digit growth organically and reached well into double-digit growth with a full quarter of contribution from our MEDIFOX DAN acquisition that we closed last November. We remain laser-focused on delivering lifesaving therapy solutions and accelerating the adoption of digital health in sleep apnea, COPD, insomnia, and out-of-hospital care. During the last 12 months, we improved over 156 million lives, and we are well on our way to our goal of helping 250 million people sleep better, breathe better, and live higher-quality lives with outside-hospital care in 2025. Story continues Financial Results and Operating Metrics Unaudited; $ in millions, except for per share amounts Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 March 31, 2022 % Change Constant Currency (A) Revenue $ 1,116.9 $ 864.5 29 % 31 % Gross margin 55.3 % 56.8 % (3 ) Non-GAAP gross margin (B) 56.1 % 58.1 % (4 ) Selling, general, and administrative expenses 228.5 182.4 25 28 Research and development expenses 76.4 66.8 14 16 Income from operations 300.7 234.3 28 Non-GAAP income from operations (B) 321.2 253.0 27 Net income 232.5 179.0 30 Non-GAAP net income (B) 247.8 193.3 28 Diluted earnings per share $ 1.58 $ 1.22 30 Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share (B) $ 1.68 $ 1.32 27 Nine Months Ended March 31, 2023 March 31, 2022 % Change Constant Currency (A) Revenue $ 3,100.9 $ 2,663.4 16 % 20 % Gross margin 56.1 % 56.4 % (1 ) Non-GAAP gross margin (B) 56.8 % 57.6 % (1 ) Selling, general, and administrative expenses 633.3 544.5 16 21 Research and development expenses 209.5 189.3 11 13 Income from operations 856.6 744.9 15 Non-GAAP income from operations (B) 917.5 801.3 15 Net income 667.9 584.4 14 Non-GAAP net income (B) 714.3 631.5 13 Diluted earnings per share $ 4.53 $ 3.97 14 Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share (B) $ 4.85 $ 4.30 13 (A) In order to provide a framework for assessing how our underlying businesses performed excluding the effect of foreign currency fluctuations, we provide certain financial information on a constant currency basis, which is in addition to the actual financial information presented. In order to calculate our constant currency information, we translate the current period financial information using the foreign currency exchange rates that were in effect during the previous comparable period. However, constant currency measures should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to U.S. dollar measures that reflect current period exchange rates, or to other financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. (B) See the reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures in the table at the end of the press release. Discussion of Third Quarter Results All comparisons are to the prior year period unless otherwise noted Revenue grew by 31 percent on a constant currency basis, driven by increased demand for our sleep and respiratory care devices as well as reduced competitive supply. Revenue in the U.S., Canada, and Latin America, excluding Software-as-a-Service, grew by 32 percent, primarily due to the factors discussed above. Revenue in Europe, Asia, and other markets, excluding Software-as-a-Service, grew by 28 percent on a constant currency basis. Software-as-a-Service revenue increased by 35 percent, reflecting incremental revenue from our acquisition of MEDIFOX DAN and continued organic growth in our SaaS portfolio. Gross margin decreased by 150 basis points and non-GAAP gross margin decreased by 200 basis points, mainly due to unfavorable product mix and higher component costs, partially offset by an increase in average selling prices. Selling, general, and administrative expenses increased by 28 percent on a constant currency basis. SG&A expenses improved to 20.5 percent of revenue in the quarter, compared with 21.1 percent in the same period of the prior year. These changes in SG&A expenses were mainly due to increases in employee-related expenses and increases in travel expenses. Income from operations increased by 28 percent and non-GAAP income from operations increased by 27 percent. Net income for the quarter was $232.5 million and diluted earnings per share was $1.58. Non-GAAP net income increased by 28% to $247.8 million, and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share increased by 27% to $1.68, predominantly attributable to strong sales, partially offset by gross margin contraction. Operating cash flow for the quarter was $282.6 million, compared to net income in the current quarter of $232.5 million and non-GAAP net income of $247.8 million. During the quarter we paid $64.6 million in dividends. Other Business and Operational Highlights Announced the retirement of David Pendarvis, Chief Administrative Officer & Global General Counsel, effective June 30, 2023. An internal search for ResMeds new Global General Counsel is underway and expected to be completed before Pendarvis retires. In parallel, announced the promotion of Amy Wakeham to Chief Communications & Investor Relations Officer, effective April 1, 2023. Wakeham joined ResMed in June 2018 and previously led IR at several other public companies. Published 2023 Global Sleep Survey as part of National Sleep Awareness Week (March 12-18) and World Sleep Day (March 17). The survey, conducted in January, asked over 20,000 respondents in 12 countries whats keeping them up at night; survey results aim to build awareness of the critical role good sleep plays in physical and mental health. Of note, 81% of respondents experience one or more symptoms indicating poor sleep quality, despite 64% saying theyre satisfied with the quantity of their sleep. Dividend program The ResMed board of directors today declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.44 per share. The dividend will have a record date of May 11, 2023, payable on June 15, 2023. The dividend will be paid in U.S. currency to holders of ResMeds common stock trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Holders of CHESS Depositary Interests (CDIs) trading on the Australian Securities Exchange will receive an equivalent amount in Australian currency, based on the exchange rate on the record date, and reflecting the 10:1 ratio between CDIs and NYSE shares. The ex-dividend date will be May 10, 2023, for common stockholders and for CDI holders. ResMed has received a waiver from the ASXs settlement operating rules, which will allow ResMed to defer processing conversions between its common stock and CDI registers from May 10, 2023, through May 11, 2023, inclusive. Webcast details ResMed will discuss its third-quarter fiscal year 2023 results on its webcast at 1:30 p.m. U.S. Pacific Time today. The live webcast of the call can be accessed on ResMeds Investor Relations website at investor.resmed.com . Please go to this section of the website and click on the icon for the Q3 2023 Earnings Webcast to register and listen to the live webcast. A replay of the earnings webcast will be accessible on the website and available approximately two hours after the live webcast. In addition, a telephone replay of the conference call will be available approximately three hours after the webcast by dialing +1 877-660-6853 (U.S.) or +1 201-612-7415 (outside U.S.) and entering the passcode 13737758. The telephone replay will be available until May 11, 2023. About ResMed At ResMed (NYSE: RMD, ASX: RMD) we pioneer innovative solutions that treat and keep people out of the hospital, empowering them to live healthier, higher-quality lives. Our digital health technologies and cloud-connected medical devices transform care for people with sleep apnea, COPD, and other chronic diseases. Our comprehensive out-of-hospital software platforms support the professionals and caregivers who help people stay healthy in the home or care setting of their choice. By enabling better care, we improve quality of life, reduce the impact of chronic disease, and lower costs for consumers and healthcare systems in more than 140 countries. To learn more, visit ResMed.com and follow @ResMed. Safe harbor statement Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as contemplated by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements including statements regarding ResMeds projections of future revenue or earnings, expenses, new product development, new product launches, new markets for its products, the integration of acquisitions, litigation, and tax outlook are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to materially differ from those projected or implied in the forward-looking statements. Additional risks and uncertainties are discussed in ResMeds periodic reports on file with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission. ResMed does not undertake to update its forward-looking statements. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited; $ in thousands, except for per share amounts) Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended March 31, 2023 March 31, 2022 March 31, 2023 March 31, 2022 Net revenue $ 1,116,898 $ 864,500 $ 3,100,936 $ 2,663,390 Cost of sales 490,824 362,321 1,340,660 1,128,314 Amortization of acquired intangibles (1) 8,322 10,982 22,001 33,271 Total cost of sales $ 499,146 $ 373,303 $ 1,362,661 $ 1,161,585 Gross profit $ 617,752 $ 491,197 $ 1,738,275 $ 1,501,805 Selling, general, and administrative 228,457 182,401 633,317 544,483 Research and development 76,436 66,801 209,498 189,258 Amortization of acquired intangibles (1) 12,188 7,730 29,701 23,175 Acquisition related expenses 9,157 Total operating expenses $ 317,081 $ 256,932 $ 881,673 $ 756,916 Income from operations $ 300,671 $ 234,265 $ 856,602 $ 744,889 Other income (expenses), net: Interest income (expense), net $ (14,964 ) $ (5,462 ) $ (32,436 ) $ (16,770 ) Loss attributable to equity method investments (183 ) (2,627 ) (5,037 ) (5,927 ) Gain (loss) on equity investments 6,418 (1,735 ) 11,506 (527 ) Other, net (2,564 ) 1,878 (5,773 ) 729 Total other income (expenses), net (11,293 ) (7,946 ) (31,740 ) (22,495 ) Income before income taxes $ 289,378 $ 226,319 $ 824,862 $ 722,394 Income taxes 56,878 47,307 156,970 138,018 Net income $ 232,500 $ 179,012 $ 667,892 $ 584,376 Basic earnings per share $ 1.58 $ 1.22 $ 4.55 $ 4.00 Diluted earnings per share $ 1.58 $ 1.22 $ 4.53 $ 3.97 Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share (1) $ 1.68 $ 1.32 $ 4.85 $ 4.30 Basic shares outstanding 146,914 146,240 146,681 145,969 Diluted shares outstanding 147,395 146,962 147,400 147,034 (1) See the reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures in the table at the end of the press release. Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited; $ in thousands) March 31, 2023 June 30, 2022 Assets Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 227,894 $ 273,710 Accounts receivable, net 686,264 575,950 Inventories 1,011,269 743,910 Prepayments and other current assets 412,388 337,908 Total current assets $ 2,337,815 $ 1,931,478 Non-current assets: Property, plant, and equipment, net $ 528,778 $ 498,181 Operating lease right-of-use assets 127,508 132,314 Goodwill and other intangibles, net 3,353,302 2,282,386 Deferred income taxes and other non-current assets 366,476 251,494 Total non-current assets $ 4,376,064 $ 3,164,375 Total assets $ 6,713,879 $ 5,095,853 Liabilities and Stockholders Equity Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 161,896 $ 159,245 Accrued expenses 347,354 344,722 Operating lease liabilities, current 23,129 21,856 Deferred revenue 141,043 108,667 Income taxes payable 78,368 44,893 Short-term debt 9,901 9,916 Total current liabilities $ 761,691 $ 689,299 Non-current liabilities: Deferred revenue $ 108,875 $ 95,455 Deferred income taxes 113,015 9,714 Operating lease liabilities, non-current 115,090 120,453 Other long-term liabilities 69,553 5,974 Long-term debt 1,575,963 765,325 Long-term income taxes payable 37,183 48,882 Total non-current liabilities $ 2,019,679 $ 1,045,803 Total liabilities $ 2,781,370 $ 1,735,102 Stockholders equity Common stock $ 588 $ 586 Additional paid-in capital 1,728,997 1,682,432 Retained earnings 4,088,057 3,613,736 Treasury stock (1,623,256 ) (1,623,256 ) Accumulated other comprehensive income (261,877 ) (312,747 ) Total stockholders equity $ 3,932,509 $ 3,360,751 Total liabilities and stockholders equity $ 6,713,879 $ 5,095,853 Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited; $ in thousands) Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended March 31, 2023 March 31, 2022 March 31, 2023 March 31, 2022 Cash flows from operating activities: Net income $ 232,500 $ 179,012 $ 667,892 $ 584,376 Adjustment to reconcile net income to cash provided by operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 44,356 42,306 118,396 122,198 Amortization of right-of-use assets 8,434 9,302 23,967 26,636 Stock-based compensation costs 17,832 15,860 51,215 49,265 Loss attributable to equity method investments 183 2,627 5,037 5,927 (Gain) loss on equity investment (6,418 ) 1,735 (11,506 ) 527 Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Accounts receivable, net (12,629 ) 15,689 (88,452 ) 98,158 Inventories, net (21,974 ) (70,227 ) (255,091 ) (209,476 ) Prepaid expenses, net deferred income taxes and other current assets (19,961 ) (106,588 ) (86,607 ) (127,977 ) Accounts payable, accrued expenses, income taxes payable and other 40,240 27,722 31,012 (277,973 ) Net cash provided by operating activities $ 282,563 $ 117,438 $ 455,863 $ 271,661 Cash flows from investing activities: Purchases of property, plant, and equipment (28,817 ) (48,445 ) (85,223 ) (106,192 ) Patent registration and acquisition costs (2,406 ) (3,712 ) (10,043 ) (17,449 ) Business acquisitions, net of cash acquired (1,011,225 ) (35,915 ) Purchases of investments (12,597 ) (4,250 ) (29,729 ) (16,614 ) Proceeds from exits of investments 3,937 6,802 3,937 6,802 (Payments) / proceeds on maturity of foreign currency contracts 11,780 110 18,961 (5,309 ) Net cash used in investing activities $ (28,103 ) $ (49,495 ) $ (1,113,322 ) $ (174,677 ) Cash flows from financing activities: Proceeds from issuance of common stock, net 983 2,814 25,649 26,269 Taxes paid related to net share settlement of equity awards (584 ) (2,253 ) (30,297 ) (52,278 ) Payments of business combination contingent consideration (316 ) (316 ) Proceeds from borrowings, net of borrowing costs 1,070,000 160,000 Repayment of borrowings (215,000 ) (260,000 ) (136,000 ) Dividends paid (64,640 ) (61,418 ) (193,571 ) (183,853 ) Net cash (used in) / provided by financing activities $ (279,557 ) $ (60,857 ) $ 611,465 $ (185,862 ) Effect of exchange rate changes on cash $ (208 ) $ 207 $ 178 $ (4,631 ) Net increase / (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents (25,305 ) 7,293 (45,816 ) (93,509 ) Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 253,199 194,476 273,710 295,278 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 227,894 $ 201,769 $ 227,894 $ 201,769 Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures (Unaudited; $ in thousands, except for per share amounts) The measures non-GAAP gross profit and non-GAAP gross margin exclude amortization expense from acquired intangibles related to cost of sales and are reconciled below: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended March 31, 2023 March 31, 2022 March 31, 2023 March 31, 2022 Revenue $ 1,116,898 $ 864,500 $ 3,100,936 $ 2,663,390 GAAP cost of sales $ 499,146 $ 373,303 $ 1,362,661 $ 1,161,585 Less: Amortization of acquired intangibles (A) (8,322 ) (10,982 ) (22,001 ) (33,271 ) Non-GAAP cost of sales $ 490,824 $ 362,321 $ 1,340,660 $ 1,128,314 GAAP gross profit $ 617,752 $ 491,197 $ 1,738,275 $ 1,501,805 GAAP gross margin 55.3 % 56.8 % 56.1 % 56.4 % Non-GAAP gross profit $ 626,074 $ 502,179 $ 1,760,276 $ 1,535,076 Non-GAAP gross margin 56.1 % 58.1 % 56.8 % 57.6 % The measure non-GAAP income from operations is reconciled with GAAP income from operations below: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended March 31, 2023 March 31, 2022 March 31, 2023 March 31, 2022 GAAP income from operations $ 300,671 $ 234,265 $ 856,602 $ 744,889 Amortization of acquired intangiblescost of sales (A) 8,322 10,982 22,001 33,271 Amortization of acquired intangiblesoperating expenses (A) 12,188 7,730 29,701 23,175 Acquisition-related expenses (A) 9,157 Non-GAAP income from operations $ 321,181 $ 252,977 $ 917,461 $ 801,335 Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures (Unaudited; $ in thousands, except for per share amounts) The measures non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share are reconciled with GAAP net income and GAAP diluted earnings per share in the table below: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended March 31, 2023 March 31, 2022 March 31, 2023 March 31, 2022 GAAP net income $ 232,500 $ 179,012 $ 667,892 $ 584,376 Amortization of acquired intangiblescost of sales, net of tax (A) 6,207 8,374 16,531 25,373 Amortization of acquired intangiblesoperating expenses, net of tax (A) 9,090 5,894 22,317 17,673 Acquisition related expenses, net of tax (A) 7,527 Reserve for disputed tax position (A) 4,111 Non-GAAP net income (A) $ 247,797 $ 193,280 $ 714,267 $ 631,533 GAAP diluted shares outstanding 147,395 146,962 147,400 147,034 GAAP diluted earnings per share $ 1.58 $ 1.22 $ 4.53 $ 3.97 Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share (A) $ 1.68 $ 1.32 $ 4.85 $ 4.30 (A) ResMed adjusts for the impact of the amortization of acquired intangibles, acquisition related expenses and the reserve for disputed tax positions from their evaluation of ongoing operations, and believes that investors benefit from adjusting these items to facilitate a more meaningful evaluation of current operating performance. ResMed believes that non-GAAP diluted earnings per share is an additional measure of performance that investors can use to compare operating results between reporting periods. ResMed uses non-GAAP information internally in planning, forecasting, and evaluating the results of operations in the current period and in comparing it to past periods. ResMed believes this information provides investors better insight when evaluating ResMeds performance from core operations and provides consistent financial reporting. The use of non-GAAP measures is intended to supplement, and not to replace, the presentation of net income and other GAAP measures. Like all non-GAAP measures, non-GAAP earnings are subject to inherent limitations because they do not include all the expenses that must be included under GAAP. Revenue by Product and Region (Unaudited; $ in millions, except for per share amounts) Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 (A) March 31, 2022 (A) % Change Constant Currency (B) U.S., Canada, and Latin America Devices $ 372.1 $ 250.8 48 % Masks and other 257.1 224.7 14 Total U.S., Canada and Latin America $ 629.1 $ 475.4 32 Combined Europe, Asia, and other markets Devices $ 235.8 $ 182.3 29 % 36 % Masks and other 115.2 105.6 9 15 Total Combined Europe, Asia and other markets $ 351.0 $ 287.9 22 28 Global revenue Total Devices $ 607.9 $ 433.1 40 % 43 % Total Masks and other 372.2 330.3 13 15 Total Sleep and Respiratory Care $ 980.1 $ 763.4 28 31 Software-as-a-Service 136.8 101.1 35 Total $ 1,116.9 $ 864.5 29 31 Nine Months Ended March 31, 2023 (A) March 31, 2022 (A) % Change Constant Currency (B) U.S., Canada, and Latin America Devices $ 1,057.1 $ 771.5 37 % Masks and other 765.4 681.8 12 Total U.S., Canada and Latin America $ 1,822.5 $ 1,453.3 25 Combined Europe, Asia, and other markets Devices $ 611.1 $ 608.3 Nil% 9 % Masks and other 307.9 304.2 1 12 Total Combined Europe, Asia and other markets $ 919.0 $ 912.4 1 10 Global revenue Total Devices $ 1,668.3 $ 1,379.7 21 % 25 % Total Masks and other 1,073.3 986.0 9 12 Total Sleep and Respiratory Care $ 2,741.5 $ 2,365.7 16 20 Software-as-a-Service 359.4 297.7 21 Total $ 3,100.9 $ 2,663.4 16 20 (A) Totals and subtotals may not add due to rounding. (B) In order to provide a framework for assessing how our underlying businesses performed excluding the effect of foreign currency fluctuations, we provide certain financial information on a constant currency basis, which is in addition to the actual financial information presented. In order to calculate our constant currency information, we translate the current period financial information using the foreign currency exchange rates that were in effect during the previous comparable period. However, constant currency measures should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to U.S. dollar measures that reflect current period exchange rates, or to other financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. For investors For media +1 858-836-5000 +1 858-836-6798 investorrelations@resmed.com news@resmed.com SkyQuest Technology Consulting Pvt. Ltd. The global Drones in Energy Sector market size is expected to reach USD 178.36 million by 2030 and exhibit a CAGR of 18.68% in the forecast period (20222030), according to Skyquest latest research report. With an increasing need for safer inspection and reduced inspection costs, the need for drones has grown in the past few years. In addition, according to SkyQuest, using drones in infrastructure inspection in the energy sector can result in up to a 50% reduction in cost compared to traditional methods. Westford, USA,, April 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LiDAR technology and several initiatives is helping the market to grow The increasing trend of using drones equipped with light detection and ranging technology has added to the growth of for drone market in the energy sector. The LiDAR technology drone can generate highly detailed 3D maps of infrastructure, allowing more accurate inspection and faster identification of issues. Moreover, the use of thermal imaging cameras on drones is increasing, which can detect heat anomalies in pipelines and power lines that could indicate potential problems. On a global scale, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched a program called "BEYOND" (Building Enduring Networks for Drone Integration) to accelerate the integration of drones into the national airspace system. Similarly, the UK government has launched a 2m innovation competition for drones in the energy sector, to support innovation and improve efficiency in the industry. Get sample copy of this report: https://www.skyquestt.com/sample-request/drones-in-energy-sector-market Fixed-wing segment dominates the global market Fixed-wing dominated the global market owing to its longer flight time and stability in windy conditions. It also can carry heavier payloads, such as LiDAR sensors, which can provide more detailed and accurate inspections of infrastructure. In addition, fixed-wing drones equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms can provide more accurate and efficient inspections. Story continues In terms of application, the inspection and monitoring segment is the leading segment for its easy and less expensive inspection. The growing regulations in various countries have led to the growth of drones for this application. In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted more than 5,000 waivers for commercial drone operations, many of which are for inspection and monitoring purposes in the energy sector. North America to register substantial growth Region-wise, North America is one of the largest growing markets due to the presence of leading drone manufacturers. The United States has a well-developed regulatory framework for drones that encourage the safe and widespread use of drones in the region. Asia-Pacific is one of the fastest-growing markets owing to an Increasing demand for energy and the development of new technologies. According to research, the Indian government has launched the National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy, which aims to increase the share of renewable energy in the country. Drones are being used to inspect solar and wind energy infrastructure which has led to an increased efficiency and cost savings. Browse summary of the report and Complete Table of Contents (ToC): https://www.skyquestt.com/report/drones-in-energy-sector-market Drones in Energy Sector Market Report Suggests: The global market size is projected to grow by USD 178.36 million by 2030 owing to the increasing need for safer inspection In terms of application, the Inspection and monitoring segment dominates due to easy and less expensive inspection provided by drones In terms of type, the Fixed-wing segment is projected to gain more popularity due to the presence of leading drone manufacturers North America and the Asia Pacific are leading markets and will continue to exhibit dominance in the global market mainly due to Government initiatives and the development of new technologies. Drones in Energy Sector Market Segmentation: The global Drones in the Energy Sector market report is segmented based on type, application, and region. By Type Fixed Wing Drones Multi-Rotor Drones Hybrid Drones By Application Inspection and Monitoring Oil and Gas Wind Energy Solar Energy Power Transmission and Distribution Others (e.g. nuclear power plants, hydroelectric dams) By Region North America U.S Canada Europe Germany France UK Spain RoE Asia-Pacific China India Japan South Korea Rest of Asia-Pacific Latin America Brazil RoLA Middle-East and Africa South Africa GCC Countries Rest of MEA Speak to Analyst for your custom requirements: https://www.skyquestt.com/speak-with-analyst/drones-in-energy-sector-market Drones in Energy Sector Market Major Company Profiles: DJI AeroVironment Cyberhawk Innovations Sky Futures Measure PrecisionHawk Airware Kespry AirRobot Delair Flyability Ascending Technologies SenseFly Skycatch Aeryon Labs Flyability H3 Dynamics DroneDeploy Flyability Percepto Related Reports in SkyQuests Library: Global Smartphone Screen Protector Market Global Software Defined Storage SDS Market Global Artificial Intelligence As A Service Market Global Mixed Reality Market North America Automatic Touchless Garbage Bin Market About Us: SkyQuest Technology is leading growth consulting firm providing market intelligence, commercialization and technology services. It has 450+ happy clients globally. Address: 1 Apache Way, Westford, Massachusetts 01886 Phone: USA (+1) 617-230-0741 Email: sales@skyquestt.com LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Fortune Business Insights Key Companies covered in salon services market are Great Clips, Inc. (U.S.), Regis Corporation (U.S.), Dessange International (France), Ulta Beauty, Inc. (U.S.), The Lounge Hair Salon (Thailand), Seva Beauty (U.S.), Drybar (U.S.), Skin Rich (U.K.), The Leading Salons of the World, LLC. (U.S.), Snip-its (U.S.), and more players profiled. Pune, India, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global salon services market size was valued at USD 215.65 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach a valuation of USD 230.64 billion in 2023. The market is expected to reach USD 383.88 billion by 2030 with a CAGR of 7.55% during the forecast period. Salon services refers to the activities such as shaping, polishing, cutting the nails, eyebrow threading, skin treatment, and hair cutting. Hairdressing parlors have been utilizing sustainable and scented hair shampoos & massaging oils to enhance the consumer experience. Broad portfolio of services by the market players is set to propel market growth. Fortune Business Insights shares this information in its report titled Salon Services Market, 2023-2030. Get a Free Sample Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/salon-service-market-104608 List of Key Players Profiled in the Salon Services Market Report: Great Clips, Inc. (U.S.) Regis Corporation (U.S.) Dessange International (France) Ulta Beauty, Inc. (U.S.) The Lounge Hair Salon (Thailand) Seva Beauty (U.S.) Drybar (U.S.) Skin Rich (U.K.) The Leading Salons of the World, LLC. (U.S.) Snip-its (U.S.) Report Scope & Segmentation: Report Attributes Details Forecast Period 2023-2030 Forecast CAGR 7.55% 2030 Value Projection USD 383.88 Billion Market Size in 2022 USD 215.65 Billion Historical Data 2019-2021 No. of Pages 195 Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Company Profiles, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors and Latest Trends Segments Covered By Service Type By End-User By Region Regions Covered North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East and Africa Salon Services Market Growth Drivers Rising Number of Barber Shops & Beauty Parlors to Favor Market Expansion Increasing Popularity of Online Appointment Booking Platforms to Strengthen Salon Services Businesses Browse Detailed Summary of Research Report with TOC: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/salon-service-market-104608 Story continues Segments Hair Care to Lead Owing to Demand for Natural and Organic Hair Care Products On the basis of service type, the market is divided into hair care, nail care, and skin care. Hair care segment dominates due to demand for natural and organic hair care products and growth in the levels of consumer spending on hair cutting & dressing services. The skin care segment is also estimated to have a good growth due to consumer inclination toward specialized skincare salon treatments. Women Segment Led Due to Rising Prevalence of Feminine Products and Services Offered On the basis of end-user, the market is categorized into women and men. Women segment dominates due to rising prevalence of feminine products and services offered across salons. Men segment is also set to grow owing to the growing popularity of beard shaping, eyebrow threading, and body waxing services. Geographically, the market is studied across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America, and the Middle East & Africa. COVID-19 Impact: Maintenance of an Infection-free and Sanitized Environment to Build Greater Customer Confidence Post-pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic led to the closure of barber shops and hairdressing, which impacted revenues in 2020 and 2021. Governments refrained the individuals from visiting salons by following social distancing norms. From a service standpoint, lack of availability of the staff personnel across salons challenged the industry participants amid the peak COVID-19 crisis. Numerous players operating in the beauty salon services industry have been maintaining the environment sanitized and infection-free to build greater customer confidence. Get a Quote Now: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/get-a-quote/salon-service-market-104608 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. Drivers and Restraints Increasing Count of Barber Shops and Beauty Salons to Progress Market Growth Increasing count of barber shops and beauty salons is anticipated to drive the salon services market growth. The number of barber shops, beauty parlors, and manicurist clinics has been increasing and expansion of hospitality establishments offering premium-quality services will favor industry expansion. Establishment of new salons is increasing the consumer demand for services worldwide due to increasing preferences toward eco-friendly cosmetics and sustainably made and vegan cosmetic items. Increasing popularity for online appointments on various platforms is also strengthening the market growth. However, intense competition from unorganized players to restrain the market growth. Regional Insights Owing to Increasing Levels of Consumer Spending, Europe Led the Market Share Europe held the largest salon services market share due to increasing consumer spending on beauty products and services. The Global Wellness Institute Organization (GWI) stated that the expenditure by Europeans on personal care products & services in 2020 was USD 273.6 billion. North America to have the second-largest share in the market for salon services due to rising popularity of facial, massage & nail treatment-related services in the U.S. At a macro level, focus toward using premium-based and vegan cosmetic items in the U.S. and Canada will further create attractive business opportunities. Asia Pacific is expected to witness significant growth due to the rising number of hair and nail salons and beauty parlors in India and China. Competitive Landscape Schwarzkopf Professional Launched Personalized Hair-Care Recommendations, SalonLab Global beauty parlors and barber shops have been putting their efforts in expanding their geographical footprint to increase their service revenues. In addition, numerous industry participants employ management software to offer an enhanced salon experience to their clients. In October 2022, Schwarzkopf Professional launched personalized hair-care recommendations based on the hair types of customers. This recommendation is done by using companys in-salon hair consultation device called SalonLab. Ask for Customization: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/ask-for-customization/salon-service-market-104608 Detailed Table of Content: Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions Executive Summary Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities Key Insights Overview of the Parent/Related Market Industry SWOT Analysis Supply Chain and Regulatory Analysis 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 Salon Services Market Analysis, Insights, and Forecast, 2019-2030 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Service Type Hair Care Nail Care Skin Care Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By End-user Women Men Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Region North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa TOC Continued...! Speak to Our Expert: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/salon-service-market-104608 Key Industry Development November 2022- Reliance Retail announced its plans to enter the salon business by acquiring Natural Salon & Spa, which has over 650 salons in India. It will help Reliance brand in competing with major players of the market. Read Related Insights: Hair Care Market to Hit USD 112.97 Billion by 2028 | With a CAGR 5.6% Hair Styling Tools Market Assessment (2020-2027) | 3.7% CAGR to Generate a Revenue of USD 39.63 Billion by 2027 Hair Removal Products Market to Hit USD 4.94 Billion by 2027 | Industry to Generate 4.3% CAGR during (2020-2027) About Us: Fortune Business Insights delivers accurate data and innovative corporate analysis, helping organizations of all sizes make appropriate decisions. We tailor novel solutions for our clients, assisting them to address various challenges distinct to their businesses. Our aim is to empower them with holistic market intelligence, providing a granular overview of the market they are operating in. Address: Fortune Business Insights Pvt. Ltd. 9th Floor, Icon Tower, Baner, Mahalunge Road, Baner, Pune - 411045, Maharashtra, India. Phone: US: +1 424 253 0390 UK: +44 2071 939123 APAC: +91 744 740 1245 Email: sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com Follow Us: LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter On May 3, 1968, Braniff Flight 352 crashed in the town of Dawson, about 80 miles southeast of Fort Worth. All 85 passengers and crew aboard the aircraft died, making it at the time the deadliest airplane crash in Texas history. This grim record held true until August 2, 1985, when Delta Flight 191 crashed at DFW airport, killing 136 and injuring 25. While the Delta crash has been memorialized in several documentaries and dramatizations, the tragedy of Braniff Flight 352 seems to have been largely forgotten. A Delta plane flies by the wreckage of Delta Flight 191 the day after the Aug. 2, 1985, crash. Braniff Flight 352 was a regularly scheduled commuter flight that had left Houstons Hobby Airport at 4:11 PM local time, headed to Dallas with later stops scheduled in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Braniffs L-188 Electra that was involved in the accident The flight had an experienced three-person cockpit crew including Capt. John Phillips, First Officer John Foster, and a flight engineer, Donald Crossland. The aircraft was a four-engine Lockheed Electra L-188, one of the last large turboprop airliners made before jet airliners became commonplace. At 4:35 p.m., about 25 minutes into Braniff 352s flight, the airplane had reached its cruising altitude of 20,000 feet when the crew saw a thunderstorm on their on-board weather radar about 60 miles in front of them. The captain of the flight told the first officer to request air traffic control for a deviation to the west, a course that they believed would avoid the worst part of the storm. Glenn Wilson was the air traffic controller handling the flight in Fort Worth. He had been monitoring the line of storms on his radar as it moved in from the northwest and was directing other aircraft away from it toward the east, which he saw presented a more clear flight path to Dallas. He therefore replied, suggest deviation east of course, the [other] aircraft are deviating that, that way at the present time, according to a transcript of cockpit voice recordings in an accident report prepared by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Story continues Looking at his radar, Capt. Phillips told his first officer, it looks like theres a hole up ahead to me. Foster replied, yeah, and then told the controller, On our scope here it looks like to the uh a little just a little bit to the west would do us real fine. Airline pilots are ultimately responsible for the safety of their aircraft, and with the controller having no valid traffic reason to deny the request, he granted 352 permission to deviate west. Dozens of rescue workers, many from volunteer fire departments in neighboring towns, rushed to the scene of the wreckage of the Braniff flight. Extrication of victims caused one to observe, This looks like the battle scenes in World War II. At 4:46 p.m. Flight 352 had almost reached the edge of the storm clouds and Capt. Phillips directed his first officer to ask the controller if there were any reports of hail in the area. No, the controller responded, youre the closest one thats ever come to it yet. I havent been able to well I havent tried really to get anybody to go through it, theyve all deviated around to the east. Capt. Phillips told his first officer, No, dont talk to him too much. Im hearing his conversation on this. Hes trying to get us to admit were makin a big mistake coming through here. At 4:47 p.m., witnesses on the ground reported seeing the plane approach a bank of dark, black-green clouds that had a rolling or boiling motion at the leading edge. As the plane was buffeted by the storms turbulence, alarms began to go off in the cockpit. The captain told his first officer, Lets make a one-eighty, [that is, a 180 degree turn] and immediately put the plane in a hard right turn in an attempt to head directly out of the storm the same way they had come in. Rescue workers sift through wreckage of the Braniff International Lockheed Electra plane that crashed near Dawson, Texas. Investigators later speculated that strong wind gusts caused the aircraft to suddenly roll to the right and dive toward the ground. The captain tried to recover from the spiraling dive, but when he pulled up it placed too much stress on the planes right wing. First the tip snapped off, followed by the rest of the wing. As the plane tumbled down, it broke apart and crashed in multiple pieces in the town of Dawson, narrowly missing some farm buildings on the ground. Though unprepared for the tragedy which fell upon them so unexpectedly, the people of Dawson and the surrounding communities nevertheless dutifully pursued the gruesome but necessary task of gathering the bodies, few of which were intact after the impact. A Braniff International Lockheed Electra plane exploded in midair near the Navarro County town of Dawson, Texas. Pictured are rescue workers attempting to sift through wreckage of the plane. The largest air-conditioned structure in the town was the gymnasium, which was turned into a temporary morgue. The bodies were wrapped in white sheets and lined up on the floor in rows. Only after a body was identified by a Department of Public Safety forensic team were the remains removed from the gym and taken to the funeral home across the street. Volunteer workers set up a temporary morgue in a school gymnasium in Dawson, Texas, for victims of Braniff International airline crash in 1968. The red brick structure, built in the 1920s as a community center, is on Dawsons busiest intersection. Bodies of the victims are seen being carted into the gym. The NTSB did a thorough investigation and concluded that the crash was caused by the stressing of the aircraft structure beyond its ultimate strength during an attempted recovery from an unusual attitude induced by turbulence associated with thunderstorm. The operation in the turbulence resulted from a decision to penetrate an area of known severe weather. The investigators further noted that the fact that other aircraft had deviated east instead of west, along with repeated comments from the controller regarding deviations to the east, should have been sufficient reason for the captain of Flight 352 to reconsider his decision to penetrate the weather area. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, May 4, 1968 The crash of Braniff Flight 352 was a major news story at the time, gaining front-page headlines across the country. Initial reports indicated that 84 people died, but that was later updated to 85. In the past 55 years, the event has faded to obscurity except in Navarro County, which contains the town of Dawson and the city of Corsicana, which were the communities most affected by the tragedy. In 2022, a state historical marker was finally placed on the site of the crash, which is scheduled to be dedicated at 2 p.m. on April 29, 2023. This dedication will hopefully help preserve the memory of this important and tragic part of Texas history. David Wilson lives in Plano. He is a writer, historian, and works in the creative department at Mary Kay Inc. Davids father was Glenn Wilson, the air traffic controller mentioned in the column. For a more in-depth look at the story of Braniff 352, visit The Crash of Braniff Flight 352: The forgotten Texas air disaster that helped make aviation safer. In order to justify the effort of selecting individual stocks, it's worth striving to beat the returns from a market index fund. But in any portfolio, there will be mixed results between individual stocks. At this point some shareholders may be questioning their investment in SIA Engineering Company Limited (SGX:S59), since the last five years saw the share price fall 32%. Shareholders have had an even rougher run lately, with the share price down 10% in the last 90 days. It's worthwhile assessing if the company's economics have been moving in lockstep with these underwhelming shareholder returns, or if there is some disparity between the two. So let's do just that. Check out our latest analysis for SIA Engineering While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement. Looking back five years, both SIA Engineering's share price and EPS declined; the latter at a rate of 21% per year. This fall in the EPS is worse than the 7% compound annual share price fall. The relatively muted share price reaction might be because the market expects the business to turn around. With a P/E ratio of 45.73, it's fair to say the market sees a brighter future for the business. The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image). This free interactive report on SIA Engineering's earnings, revenue and cash flow is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further. What About The Total Shareholder Return (TSR)? Investors should note that there's a difference between SIA Engineering's total shareholder return (TSR) and its share price change, which we've covered above. Arguably the TSR is a more complete return calculation because it accounts for the value of dividends (as if they were reinvested), along with the hypothetical value of any discounted capital that have been offered to shareholders. SIA Engineering's TSR of was a loss of 24% for the 5 years. That wasn't as bad as its share price return, because it has paid dividends. Story continues A Different Perspective SIA Engineering shareholders are down 17% for the year, but the market itself is up 0.02%. Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 4% per year over five years. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. For example, we've discovered 2 warning signs for SIA Engineering that you should be aware of before investing here. We will like SIA Engineering better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on Singaporean 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. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here Sibanye Stillwater (JSE:SSW) Full Year 2022 Results Key Financial Results Revenue: R138.3b (down 20% from FY 2021). Net income: R18.4b (down 44% from FY 2021). Profit margin: 13% (down from 19% in FY 2021). The decrease in margin was driven by lower revenue. EPS: R6.51 (down from R11.40 in FY 2021). SSW Production and Reserves Gold Production: 620.54 troy koz (1,072.9 troy koz in FY 2021) Proved and probable reserves (ore): 373 Mt (329.2 Mt in FY 2021) Platinum Production: 1,125 troy koz (1,252 troy koz in FY 2021) Proved and probable reserves (ore): 340.2 Mt (363.9 Mt in FY 2021) Nickel Production: 6,842 t All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period Sibanye Stillwater Revenues and Earnings Miss Expectations Revenue missed analyst estimates by 5.1%. Earnings per share (EPS) also missed analyst estimates by 21%. Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 3.5% p.a. on average during the next 3 years, compared to a 2.6% growth forecast for the Metals and Mining industry in South Africa. Performance of the South African Metals and Mining industry. The company's shares are down 5.2% from a week ago. Risk Analysis What about risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Sibanye Stillwater you should know about. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here BEIJING, CHINA / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation ("Sinopec Corp." or the "Company") (HKEX:00386)(SSE:600028) today announced its unaudited first quarterly results for the three months ended 31 March 2023. Financial Highlights In accordance with the IFRS, the Company's operating income for the first quarter of 2023 was RMB 791.331 billion, up by 2.59% year on year; the net profit attributable to shareholders of the Company was RMB 20.740 billion; the basic earnings per share were RMB 0.173. In accordance with the CASs, the net profit attributable to equity shareholders of the Company for the first quarter was RMB 20.102 billion; the basic earnings per share were RMB 0.168. The Company maintained sound financial position. The Company achieved high quality operating results. In the first quarter, the Company's oil and gas production reached 124.6 million barrels of oil equivalent, up by 2.6% year on year, with natural gas production reaching 330.47 billion cubic feet, up by 5.3% year on year. The Company processed 62.24 million tonnes of crude oil, and total sales volume of refined oil products was 56.16 million tonnes, up by 10.1% year on year. The ethylene production was 3.347 million tonnes, and the total chemicals sales volume was 20.69 million tonnes. Operating Review In the first quarter of 2023, China's economy improved with gross domestic product (GDP) up by 4.5% year on year. The international crude oil prices fluctuated in a wide range and the spot price of Platt's Brent for the first quarter averaged USD81.27 per barrel, down by 19.7% year on year. The domestic demand for refined oil products rebounded rapidly, demand for natural gas maintained growth year on year, and demand for chemical products recovered. The Company seized the favorable market opportunity, optimized the whole business chain, strengthened the coordination of production and marketing, made great efforts to expand sales, and achieved good performance. In accordance with CASs, net profit attributable to equity shareholders of the Company was RMB 20.102 billion in the first quarter of 2023. In accordance with IFRS, net profit attributable to shareholders of the Company was RMB 20.740 billion in the first quarter of 2023. Story continues Exploration and Production: The Company intensified efforts in high quality exploration, expanded the scale of profitable production capacity, and made positive progress in maintaining oil production, increasing gas output and reducing cost. In exploration, we focused on expanding resources, increasing reserve and obtaining more exploration licenses, strengthened risk exploration in new regions and areas, and made important breakthroughs of oil and gas exploration in Shunbei, Chuanbei, and Jiyang depression. In development, we accelerated the capacity building of Shunbei and Tahe oilfields, strengthened fine-tuned development of mature oil fields, and sped up capacity building of natural gas in Western Sichuan and Southeast Sichuan. We also optimized the resources structure of LNG to reduce procurement costs, strengthened operation optimization of natural gas business, achieving a constant improvement in the profitability of whole natural gas business chain. In the first quarter, the Company's oil and gas production reached 124.6 million barrels of oil equivalent, up by 2.6% year on year, with natural gas production reaching 330.47 billion cubic feet, up by 5.3% year on year. The exploration and production segment realised an earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) of RMB 13.357 billion. Exploration and Production Unit Three-month period ended 31 March Changes Oil and gas production million boe 124.60 121.41 2.6 Crude oil production million barrels 69.49 69.07 0.6 China million barrels 61.86 61.60 0.4 Overseas million barrels 7.63 7.47 2.1 Natural gas production billion cubic feet 330.47 313.94 5.3 Realised crude oil price USD/barrel 75.21 89.02 (15.5) Realised natural gas price USD/thousand cubic feet 8.70 8.14 6.9 Conversion: For domestic production of crude oil, 1 tonne = 7.10 barrels. For overseas production of crude oil, 1 tonne = 7.25 barrels. For production of natural gas, 1 cubic meter = 35.31 cubic feet. Refining: The Company actively addressed the market changes, vigorously optimized production operation to maximize the overall profits along the business chain. Closely following market changes, we maintained high utilisation rate. We flexibly adjusted the procurement strategies to reduce procurement costs. We optimized the product mix and increased the exports of refined oil products. We also accelerated the construction of world-class refining bases and advanced with structural adjustment projects in an orderly manner. In the first quarter, the Company processed 62.24 million tonnes of crude oil, yielding 37.30 million tonnes of refined oil products. The refining segment realised EBIT of RMB 10.459 billion. Refining Unit Three-month period ended 31 March Changes (%) Refinery throughput million tonnes 62.24 64.19 (3.0) Gasoline, diesel and kerosene production million tonnes 37.30 37.36 (0.2) Gasoline million tonnes 15.16 16.48 (8.0) Diesel million tonnes 15.58 15.72 (0.9) Kerosene million tonnes 6.56 5.16 27.1 Light chemical feedstock production million tonnes 10.61 11.79 (10.0) Light product yield % 74.82 74.48 0.34 percentage points Refining yield % 94.88 95.26 (0.38) percentage points Note: Including 100% production of domestic joint ventures. Marketing and Distribution: The Company seized the favorable opportunity arising from the rapid recovery of demand, fully leveraged the advantages of integrated business and marketing network, strengthened resources coordination, made every effort to expand sales volume, and achieved significant improvement of the sales volume and profits. We optimised the sales network of refined oil products, made continuous efforts for the transition to an integrated energy service provider of Petro-Gas-Hydrogen-Power-Services. We continued to improve the quality and profitability for the non-fuel business. In the first quarter, total sales volume of refined oil products was 56.16 million tonnes, up by 10.1% year on year. The marketing and distribution segment realised EBIT of RMB 8.475 billion. Marketing and Distribution Unit Three-month period ended 31 March Changes (%) Total sales volume of refined oil products million tonnes 56.16 51.02 10.1 Total domestic sales volume of refined oil products million tonnes 44.57 41.06 8.5 Retail million tonnes 29.36 27.34 7.4 Direct sales & Distribution million tonnes 15.21 13.72 10.9 Annualized average throughput per station tonnes 3,802 3,559 6.8 Note: The total sales volume of refined oil products includes the amount of trading volume. Chemicals: Facing severe challenges resulting from the concentrated release of chemical capacity and fierce competition, the Company closely followed the market demand, optimised the structure of feedstock, facilities and products with a profit-driven orientation, maintained high utilisation rate in profitable facilities, increased production of high value-added products such as PV-grade EVA and polybutadiene rubber, and reduced products with no marginal contribution. We actively promoted the construction of advanced capacity. In the first quarter, the ethylene production was 3.347 million tonnes, and the total chemicals sales volume was 20.69 million tonnes, up by 0.2% year on year. The chemicals segment realised EBIT of RMB -3.022 billion. Chemicals Unit Three-month period ended 31 March Changes (%) Ethylene thousand tonnes 3,347 3,606 (7.2) Synthetic resin thousand tonnes 4,816 4,867 (1.0) Synthetic rubber thousand tonnes 349 353 (1.1) Monomers and polymers for synthetic fibre thousand tonnes 2,034 2,491 (18.3) Synthetic fibre thousand tonnes 258 286 (9.8) Note: Including 100% production of domestic joint ventures. Capital expenditure: In the first quarter, focusing on quality and return of investment, the Company continuously optimised its investment projects, with total capital expenditures of RMB 23.40 billion. The capital expenditures of the exploration and production segment were RMB 14.98 billion, mainly used for the crude oil and gas production capacity construction in Shunbei, Tahe, Western Sichuan and Southeast Sichuan, and construction of the Shengli Shale Oil National Demonstration Zone and storage and transportation facilities of Shandong LNG. The capital expenditures of the refining segment were RMB 4.22 billion, mainly used for the expansion of Zhenhai refinery and structural adjustment of Anqing and Yangzi refineries. The capital expenditures of the marketing and distribution segment were RMB 0.78 billion, mainly used for renovation of the existing stations. The capital expenditures of the chemicals segment were RMB 3.27 billion, mainly used for ethylene projects in Tianjin Nangang and Hainan, Yizheng PTA project, caprolactam relocation project in Baling, and new material projects in Zhenhai and Tianjin, etc. The capital expenditures of the corporate and others were RMB 0.15 billion, mainly used for information technology projects. Appendix: Principal financial data and indicators Principal financial data and indicators prepared in accordance with CASs RMB million Items As of 31 March 2023 As of 31 December 2022 (before adjustment) As of 31 December 2022 (adjusted) Change (%) Total assets 2,011,153 1,948,640 1,951,121 3.08 Total equity attributable to equity shareholders of the Company 806,963 785,577 788,471 2.35 RMB million Three-month period ended 31 March 2023 Three-month period ended 31 March 2022 (before adjustment) Three-month period ended 31 March 2022 (adjusted) Change (%) Operating income 791,331 771,386 771,386 2.59 Net profit attributable to equity shareholders of the Company 20,102 22,605 22,800 (11.83) Net profit attributable to equity shareholders of the Company excluding extraordinary gains and losses 19,716 22,450 22,645 (12.93) Net cash flow used in operating activities (18,397) (46,781) (46,781) - Basic earnings per share (RMB) 0.168 0.187 0.188 (10.64) Diluted earnings per share (RMB) 0.168 0.187 0.188 (10.64) Weighted average return on net assets (%) 2.52 2.88 2.90 (0.38) percentage points Note: In accordance with the requirements of both the Interpretation of Accounting Standards for Business Enterprises No. 16 and the Accounting Standard for Business Enterprises No. 18-Income Taxes, the Company retrospectively adjusted the relevant items of the financial statements. Extraordinary items During the reporting period (income)/expenses(RMB million) Net gain on disposal of non-current assets (78) Donations 4 Government grants (676) Gains on holding and disposal of various investments (181) Other extraordinary expenses, net 257 Subtotal (674) Tax effect 182 Total (492) Attributable to: Equity shareholders of the Company (386) Minority interests (106) Principal financial data and indicators prepared in accordance with IFRS RMB million Items As of 31 March 2023 As of 31 December 2022 (before adjustment) As of 31 December 2022 (adjusted) Change (%) Total assets 2,011,153 1,948,640 1,951,121 3.08 Total equity attributable to shareholders of the Company 806,099 784,706 787,600 2.35 RMB: million Three-month period ended 31 March 2023 Three-month period ended 31 March 2022 (before adjustment) Three-month period ended 31 March 2022 (adjusted) Change (%) Revenue 791,331 771,386 771,386 2.59 Operating profit 31,090 32,960 32,960 (5.67) Net profit attributable to shareholders of the Company 20,740 23,338 23,533 (11.87) Net cash flow used in operating activities (18,397) (46,781) (46,781) - Basic earnings per share (RMB) 0.173 0.193 0.194 (10.82) Diluted earnings per share (RMB) 0.173 0.193 0.194 (10.82) Return on net assets (%) 2.57 2.94 2.96 (0.39) percentage points Note: In accordance with the requirements of the International Accounting Standards 12, the Company retrospectively adjusted the relevant items of the financial statements. About Sinopec Corp. Sinopec Corp. is one of the largest integrated energy and chemical companies in China. Its principal operations include the exploration and production, pipeline transportation and sale of petroleum and natural gas; the production, sale, storage and transportation of refinery products, petrochemical products, coal chemical products, synthetic fibre, and other chemical products; the import and export, including an import and export agency business, of petroleum, natural gas, petroleum products, petrochemical and chemical products, and other commodities and technologies; and research, development and application of technologies and information; hydrogen energy business and related services such as hydrogen production, storage, transportation and sales; battery charging and swapping, solar energy, wind energy and other new energy business and related services. Disclaimer This press release includes "forward-looking statements". All statements, other than statements of historical facts that address activities, events or developments that Sinopec Corp. expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including but not limited to projections, targets, reserve volume, other estimates and business plans) are forward-looking statements. Sinopec Corp.'s actual results or developments may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors and uncertainties, including but not limited to the price fluctuation, possible changes in actual demand, foreign exchange rate, results of oil exploration, estimates of oil and gas reserves, market shares, competition, environmental risks, possible changes to laws, finance and regulations, conditions of the global economy and financial markets, political risks, possible delay of projects, government approval of projects, cost estimates and other factors beyond Sinopec Corp.'s control. In addition, Sinopec Corp. makes the forward-looking statements referred to herein as of today and undertakes no obligation to update these statements. Investor Inquiries Beijing Tel(86 10) 5996 0028 Fax(86 10) 5996 0386 Email ir@sinopec.com Media Inquiries Hong Kong Tel(852) 2522 1838 Fax(852) 2521 9955 Email sinopec@prchina.com.hk SOURCE: China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/751605/Sinopec-Achieved-Good-Performance-in-2023-Q1-Net-Profit-Reached-RMB-207-Billion PASAY CITY, Philippines, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SM Investments Corporation (SM Investments) remains optimistic on the business prospects this year with sustained consumer spending. (PRNewsfoto/SM Investments Corporation) Reflecting this optimism, the company declared an increase in dividend payout to PHP9.165 billion or PHP7.50 per share in favor of stockholders on record as of May 11, 2023. The dividends are payable on May 25, 2023. The dividend declaration represents a 20% increase from the previous year's PHP6.25 per share. "2022 was a year of remarkable growth as our businesses participated in the reopening of the economy. This performance is reflected in our dividend declaration. We remain optimistic about the business prospects going into 2023," SM Investments President and Chief Executive Officer Frederic C. DyBuncio said. About SM Investments Corporation SM Investments Corporation is a leading Philippine company that is invested in market-leading businesses in retail, banking, and property. It also invests in ventures that capture high growth opportunities in the emerging Philippine economy. SM's retail operations are the country's largest and most diversified with its food, non-food, and specialty retail stores. SM's property arm, SM Prime Holdings, Inc., is the largest integrated property developer in the Philippines with interests in malls, residences, offices, hotels and convention centers as well as tourism-related property developments. SM's interests in banking are in BDO Unibank, Inc., the country's largest bank, and China Banking Corporation, the 6th largest bank. For information, please visit www.sminvestments.com Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/sm-hikes-dividend-payout-to-shareholders-on-favorable-full-year-performance-301809377.html SOURCE SM Investments Corporation Market Research Future Smart Hospital Wearables Market Trends and Insights By Type (Diagnostic & Monitoring Devices {Vital Sign Monitoring Devices, Glucose Monitoring Devices, Neuromonitoring Devices, Sleep Monitoring Devices and Others} and Therapeutic Devices {Pain Management Devices, Rehabilitation Devices, Respiratory Therapy Devices and Others}), By Technology (Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Cloud Computing and Others), By Distribution Channel (Pharmacies, Hypermarkets and Online), By Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest Of The World), Competitive Market Growth, Size, Share and Forecast to 2030 New York, USA, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smart Hospital Wearables Market Overview According to a Comprehensive Research Report by Market Research Future (MRFR), Smart Hospital Wearables Market Research Report Information By Type, By Technology, By Distribution Channel, By Region - Forecast till 2030, the market size was valued at USD 17.44 billion in 2021 and is projected to grow from USD 19.94 billion in 2022 to USD 58.08 billion by 2030, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.3% during the forecast period (2022 - 2030). Market Scope The increased adoption of smart hospital wearable devices, the growing need to improve clinical processes and workflow efficiency, and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases are driving market growth. The Internet of Things (IoT) is a growing technology that is rapidly changing how healthcare is delivered. Patient safety and efficiency are rising as a result of connected medical equipment. A hospital becomes a "Smart Hospital" when such technologies are applied to the whole ecosystem of the healthcare company. Get Free Sample PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/11411 Report Scope: Report Attribute Details Market Size in 2030 USD 58.08 Billion CAGR 14.3% Base Year 2021 Forecast Period 2022-2030 Historical Data 2020 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered By Type, Devices, Therapeutic Devices, Technology, Distribution Channel Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW) Key Market Drivers Increased adoption of smart hospital wearable devices and rising prevalence of chronic diseases Growing need to improve clinical processes and workflow efficiency Smart Hospital Wearables Market Competitive Outlook Leading market players are implementing a variety of business tactics to strengthen their position in the industry. In order to increase their product range and further fuel the market for smart hospital wearables, they are making large investments in R&D. Also, market participants are implementing a number of strategic efforts, including the introduction of new products, contractual agreements, mergers and acquisitions, raising investments, and collaborating with other participants to increase their worldwide presence. Story continues Key Companies in the Smart Hospital Wearables market includes, Boston Scientific Corporation (US) Honeywell International Inc. (US) Omron Corporation (Japan) Medtronic (Ireland) Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherlands) Sotera, Inc. (US) Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd. (China) BioIntelliSense, Inc. (US) VitalConnect (US) MedioTek Health Systems (India) among others Smart Hospital Wearables Market Trends: Drivers The increasing incidences of multimorbidity and the rising number of surgeries are positively contributing to market growth. The market is expanding as a result of the rising acceptance of smart hospital wearable technology, the growing demand to enhance clinical workflow effectiveness, and the rising incidence of chronic illnesses. Smart hospital wearables are wearable computers that can track and monitor a variety of vital indicators, including blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen levels. These tools support the monitoring of a number of illnesses, including lung diseases, diabetes, and sleep problems. Hospital wearable devices combining artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and digitalization enable real-time access to patient health data, better patient outcomes, enhanced efficiency, and increased capacity for medical personnel. The market for smart hospital wearables is being driven by factors including rising acceptance of wearable medical technology, a growing demand to enhance clinical workflow effectiveness, and rising chronic illness prevalence. In addition, the market's participants benefit from the rising acceptance of new technologies and greater internet usage. Hospitals all over the world have been hesitant to implement these technology and procedures because of the significant investments required. Hospitals nowadays are being compelled to use technology due to the falling cost of it and the rapidly emerging use cases that demonstrate the value of digital connection solutions. Through digitizing workforce management, asset monitoring, and scheduling for greater operational efficiency, these technology advancements will also help hospitals. There is a rising need for remote patient monitoring solutions as a result of the aging population and long-term chronic illness conditions in many countries. This has a big effect on how fast the market is growing. Hospital executives are under continual pressure to cut expenses while maintaining a high level of patient care. Wireless technologies are being used by hospitals to run more smoothly, boost patient care, and enhance patient experiences. Limitations Nevertheless, the expansion of the market for smart hospital wearables may be hampered by increased data security concerns and expensive gadget prices. The hospital staff's most difficult responsibility is to shorten the wait times for all patients. Using other software would assist streamline processes, enhance patient care, and lessen staff burnout. Vendors are concentrating on creating software and solutions to increase hospitals' efficiency as a result. Browse In-depth Market Research Report (128 Pages) on Smart Hospital Wearables: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/smart-hospital-wearables-market-11411 COVID-19 Analysis The COVID-19 pandemic has overloaded hospitals to the point of failure. Nonetheless, the crisis response also promoted creativity. The need to preserve social isolation and make the most effective use of busy employees accelerated the digital transformation. Smart Hospital Wearables Market Segmentation: Wearable Device Insight In 2021, the market for diagnostic and monitoring equipment held the biggest share. This is brought on by the rising incidence of chronic conditions including neurological and cardiac disorders, the greater use of smart devices by hospitals, and the infrastructure modernization in the healthcare industry. Technology Insights Due to the deployment of artificial intelligence technologies in hospitals because it offers a decrease in medical mistakes and administrative stress, this category of technology held the greatest share in 2021. Distribution Channel Insights In 2021, the pharmacy industry held the biggest market share. This is due to the rise of hospital and retail pharmacies throughout the world. Smart Hospital Wearables Market Regional Insights Technology improvements in hospital wearable devices and the region's well-established healthcare infrastructure are credited with driving the growth of the smart hospital wearables market in North America. The market for smart hospital wearables in North America holds the largest market share as a result of the region's established healthcare infrastructure, rising prevalence of chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disorders, as well as technological advancements in hospital wearable devices. As a result, more patients are admitted to hospitals for the treatment of heart problems. There is increasing demand in the area for smart healthcare wearables. According to market statistics, the US market for smart hospital wearables had the biggest market share, while the Canada market for these devices accounted for the second-largest market in North America. From 2022 to 2030, the market for smart healthcare wearables is anticipated to expand at its fastest rate. This is brought on by the growing elderly population, the rising cost of healthcare, and the expanding use of wearable hospital AI devices. Moreover, the growing market for smart hospital wearables in the area is being driven by middle-class families in Asia, who make up a significant portion of the population and have more discretionary income, which encourages greater spending on health. In addition, the Asia-Pacific region's smart hospital wearables market in China had the greatest market share while the market in India had the quickest rate of growth. Buy Now: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=11411 Advanced infrastructure is available in European nations including Germany, the UK, Sweden, and the Netherlands for the deployment of cutting-edge health informatics systems and the construction of smart hospitals. These nations employ IoT to connect devices to transfer patient data and lower health risks, and AI to provide intelligent medical services. The swift adoption of Industry 4.0 in the UK is a revolutionary move for the nation and will inevitably result in the creation of smart hospitals thanks to the widespread participation of businesses, customers, and workers. Notwithstanding various regulatory obstacles brought about by the Brexit scenario, Europe has managed to rank among the top producers of smart devices. Moreover, possibilities for the market under study are anticipated to arise from the consistent inflow of investments into the healthcare industry, particularly as a result of beginning projects that were in the pipeline. Discover more research Reports on Healthcare Industry by Market Research Future: Wearable Medical Device Market Size, Trends By Type (Activity Monitors, Smart Watches, Smart Clothing, Patches), Device Type (Diagnostic & Monitoring Devices, Therapeutic Devices), Application (Sports Academies and Fitness, Remote Patient Monitoring, Home Healthcare), Distribution Channel (Pharmacies, Online Channel, Hypermarkets) - Forecast till 2030 Smart Medical Devices Market Research Report: By Type (On-body (adhesive patch), Off-body (belt clip), Hand-held), By Technology (Spring-based, Motor-driven, Rotary Pump, Expanding Battery, Pressurized Gas, Others), By Application (Oncology, Diabetes, Auto-Immune Disorders, Infectious Diseases, Others) and By End-Use (Hospital, Clinic, Home Care Settings, Others) Forecast to 2027 Global Smart Biosensors Market : Information by Product Type (Wearable Biosensors, Non-wearable Biosensors), Technology (Electrochemical Biosensors, Others), Application (Drug Discovery, Others), End User (Point-Of-Care & Others)Global Forecast till 2030 About Market Research Future: Market Research Future (MRFR) is a global market research company that takes pride in its services, offering a complete and accurate analysis with regard to diverse markets and consumers worldwide. Market Research Future has the distinguished objective of providing the optimal quality research and granular research to clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help answer your most important questions. Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter CONTACT: Market Research Future (Part of Wantstats Research and Media Private Limited) 99 Hudson Street, 5Th Floor New York, NY 10013 United States of America +1 628 258 0071 (US) +44 2035 002 764 (UK) Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Website: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com Market Research Future Smart Medical Beds Market Trends and Insights by Product (Electric Beds, Semi-electric Beds, and Wireless Beds), by Application (Acute Care, Long Term Care, Bariatric, Pediatric, and Others) By End User (Hospitals and Clinics, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, and Others), By Distribution Channel (Online Stores and Offline Stores) and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World), Competitive Market Growth, Size, Share and Forecast to 2030 New York, USA, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smart Medical Beds Market Overview According to a Comprehensive Research Report by Market Research Future (MRFR), Smart Medical Beds Market Information by Product, Application, End User, Distribution Channel and Region Forecast till 2030, the market size was valued at USD 2.78 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow from USD 2.97 Billion in 2023 to USD 4.74 billion by 2030, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.91% during the forecast period (2023 - 2030). Market Scope: "smart hospitals" refers to comprehensive, multidisciplinary design approaches that are integrated with patient care monitoring and support solutions. Innovative technological characteristics that improve user comfort and positively affect health are integrated into smart beds. These beds feature cutting-edge technologies that enhance comfort, health, and sleep. Along with connectivity for smart homes, the features include automatic mattress adjustment, sleep tracking, temperature controls, an anti-snoring feature, and IoT. These attributes enhance overall sleep quality and work with the user's sleep schedule. Smart hospital beds are the main pieces of hospital equipment that help patients. These cutting-edge, intelligent hospital beds can be connected to electronic medical and health records. This enables the medical professionals and nursing staff to review the patient's medical history and decide on the most appropriate treatment. Additionally, cutting-edge products in the global market for smart hospital beds can provide essential data about patient statistics, such as heartbeats, medication histories, blood and oxygen levels, and body temperatures. In addition, these products on the global market for smart hospital beds can show details about a patient's allergies, immunization status, and lab and diagnostic test results history. All of this enables medical professionals to provide better patient care. Smart hospital beds help patients so doctors can perform thorough examinations, provide appropriate treatment, and offer other medical amenities. Story continues Get Free Sample PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/11474 Report Scope: Report Attribute Details Market Size in 2030 USD 4.74 billion CAGR 6.91% (2023-2030) 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 Product Type, Application, End User and Distribution Channel Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW) Key Market Drivers Increasing incidences of multimorbidity and rising geriatric population Growing number of surgical procedures is driving up demand for smart beds Smart Medical Beds Market Competitive Landscape: The focal companies in the smart medical beds market are: Stryker (US) AMICO GROUP OF COMPANIES (US) Favero Health Projects Spa (Italy) GF Health Products, Inc. (US) PARAMOUNT BED CO., LTD. (Japan) LINET (Czechia) Baxter International, Inc. (US) Joerns Healthcare LLC (US) Arjo (Sweden) Invacare Corporation (US) Smart Medical Beds Market Trends: Market Drivers: The main cause of multimorbidity is demographic change, and as per research, this trend will be continuously growing. Furthermore, multimorbidity has become more prevalent in the geriatric population over time. In the elderly population, some common multimorbidity include respiratory disease, hypertension, heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease. The popularity of smart home appliances and technology is growing, and rising consumer interest in these products is boosting household consumption. The requirement for these types of beds is being fueled by the capacity of smart beds to deliver accurate information on the quality of sleep and the convenience of pairing with mobile phones and other gadgets. The market for healthcare smart beds is also expected to grow as a result of the rising costs of healthcare. Additionally, it is predicted that a shift in patient preferences and a rise in the demand for cutting-edge medical facilities will restrain the market's growth for healthcare smart beds. Major manufacturers are concentrating on delivering the newest product portfolio with high inbuilt technology and feature to engage a wider audience. Market Restraints: The reputation of a brand or business under which the item is sold can suffer if products are manufactured and sold under various trademarks. False goods can be sold through distribution channels by counterfeiters, which will influence customer demands and lower product demand. On the other hand, the market for healthcare smart beds is anticipated to grow slowly over the timeline due to a price increase. COVID 19 Analysis The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented and staggering global impact, and smart bed products have positively impacted every region. This greatly impacted major companies' product revenues. Furthermore, during the pandemic, the product consumption rate was significantly hampered by the closure of retail stores and electronics companies and shortages in the raw material supply. However, a change in purchasing behavior is being noticed, exhibiting an involvement in online channels as more people spend their time indoors. The market might experience a positive trend in its growth due to increased sales revenue through online channels. The lockdown constraints will also cause consumers to focus more on their health, comfort, and personal care indoors, increasing demand for smart home furnishings like smart beds. When the pandemic is over, this market's demand and growth will resume to pre-pandemic levels, which explains the abrupt increase in CAGR. Browse In-depth Market Research Report (128 Pages) on Smart Medical Beds: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/smart-medical-beds-market-11474 Smart Medical Beds Market Segmentation The market segmentation of smart medical beds based on product type includes electric, semi-electric, and wireless beds. The industry for smart medical beds has been divided into three groups based on the end user: hospitals and clinics and ambulatory surgical centers. The smart medical beds market has been divided into online and brick-and-mortar stores based on the distribution channel. The smart medical beds market segmentation based on application includes acute care, long-term care, bariatric, pediatric, and other applications. Smart Medical Beds Market Regional Insights Regarding revenue, North America has recently held the top spot in the worldwide market for smart hospital beds. Increasing demand for these cutting-edge products from both long-term and acute care facilities in the region and rising demand for continuous patient health monitoring in a non-invasive way are some of the main factors contributing to the leading positioning of the North American smart hospital beds market. During the forecast period, the market for healthcare smart beds will continue to expand due to improved patient safety provided by the automatic real-time data transfer over wireless networks that enables medical teams to review and monitor patients' vitals instantaneously. Buy Now: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=11474 Due to the aging population's increased demand for better healthcare, Europe is predicted to experience significant growth in the market for healthcare smart beds. Additionally, the presence of numerous major players in the area and the early adoption of technologically cutting-edge medical tools and equipment by local hospitals and doctors are promoting the growth of the North American worldwide hospital beds market. Discover more research Reports on Healthcare Industry by Market Research Future: Hospital beds market research Report Information By Type (Acute Care, Long-Term Care, Psychiatric & Bariatric Care, Others), By Power (Electric, Semi-Electric, Manual), By End Users (Hospital, Clinics, Ambulatory), And By Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, And Rest Of The World) Market Forecast Till 2030 Electrical Hospital Beds Market Research Report: by Type (Semi-automatic, Automatic), By Treatment (Critical Care, Acute Care, Long Term Care), By Application (General Purpose, Psychiatric), by End-user (Hospitals & Clinics, Reproductive Care Centers, Dentistry, Home Care) - Forecast to 2030 Automated Hospital Beds Market : Information by Type (Semi-Automatic Hospital Beds and Fully Automatic Hospital Beds), Technology (Basic Automated Hospital Beds and Smart Automated Hospital Beds), Type of Treatment (Critical Care, Acute Care and Long Term Care), Usage (General Purpose, Intensive Care, Delivery/Birthing, Bariatric, Pediatric, Psychiatric Care, Pressure Relief and others) End User (Hospitals & Clinics, Reproductive Care Centers, Dentistry, Home Care and others) - Forecast till 2030 About Market Research Future: Market Research Future (MRFR) is a global market research company that takes pride in its services, offering a complete and accurate analysis with regard to diverse markets and consumers worldwide. Market Research Future has the distinguished objective of providing the optimal quality research and granular research to clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help answer your most important questions. Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter CONTACT: Market Research Future (Part of Wantstats Research and Media Private Limited) 99 Hudson Street, 5Th Floor New York, NY 10013 United States of America +1 628 258 0071 (US) +44 2035 002 764 (UK) Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Website: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com Market Research Future Steel Market Research Report Information By Type (Flat and Long), By Product (Structural and Prestressing), By Application (Building & Construction, Automotive, and Electrical Appliances), And By Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, And Rest Of The World) Market Forecast Till 2030 New York (US), April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Steel Market Overview According to a Comprehensive Report by Market Research Future (MRFR), Steel Market Information by Type, Product, Application, and Region - Forecast till 2030", The steel market will surge from USD 1353.28 billion in 2022 to USD 1718.26 billion in 2030, at a rate of 3.47% from 2022 to 2030 Market Synopsis Steel is primarily an alloy that is created by combining its key ingredient with iron and various elements. These elements, at the right pressure and temperature, play an important role in influencing steels properties in terms of toughness, strength, weldability, durability and ductility. Combining iron with elements like carbon, manganese, or base metals including copper and nickel, results in a type of steel that has crucial applications. Some of the most commonly used methods for altering steels properties are tempering, annealing, peening and quenching, along with cold or hot rolling. Get a Free Sample PDF Brochure: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/5465 Market Competitive Landscape: The affluent companies in the steel industry are ArcelorMittal (Luxembourg) POSCO (South Korea) Shangang Group (Spain) NSSMC Group (Japan) China Baowu Group (China) HBIS Group (China) Tata Steel Group (India) Nucor Corporation (US) Hyundai Steel Company (South Korea) China Steel Company (Taiwan) Among others. Report Scope Report Attribute Details Market Size in 2030 USD 1718.26 billion CAGR 3.47% (2022-2030) Base Year 2021 Forecast Period 20222030 Historical Data 2020 Forecast Units Value (USD billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Market Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered Type, Product, Application, and Region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW) Key Market Drivers Rising automotive production Large-scale investments in water treatment facilities Browse In-depth Market Research Report (188 Pages) on Steel: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/steel-market-5465 Story continues Most of the renowned manufacturers in the global market spend considerably on rigorous research and development activities to come up with various types of advanced steel that have better features in order to facilitate higher performance and efficiency. These players launch highly efficient products that meet with the escalating demand for excellence among the end-use industries. Expansion of production capacity via acquisition and partnership remains another key competitive strategy usually undertaken by the companies to further establish themselves in the market. Market USP Covered: Market Drivers: Rising preference for low cost, durable and sustainable building materials among contractors worldwide has fostered the steel demand significantly in several construction projects as well as in industrial infrastructure. Technological innovations have led to enhanced structural integrity in pre-engineered metal buildings, where steel has emerged as a vital component that lends an aesthetic appeal, design flexibility and stability. All these factors combined can translate into significant revenues and bolster the global steel market size over the next few years. The primary trend gaining traction in the steel industry is the surging focus on product innovation. New, more advanced products are being introduced by major market players, thereby gaining the attention of a higher number of end-users. Market Restraints: High-quality raw materials have become scarce as a result of the overproduction of steel over the past ten years. The availability of top-notch raw materials will be crucial for producing steel in big quantities in order to meet the challenge of future rising steel demand. The use of low-quality raw materials during production may have unfavorable repercussions, such as increased GHG emissions that might disturb the environment and increased energy use. As a result, the market's expansion in succeeding years will undoubtedly be disrupted. Opportunities In the following years, steel will be installed by both residential as well as commercial property owners. The steels remarkable qualities will offer a lot of room for expansion. Consumer spending on home remodeling and refitting will increase in the coming years. Many homeowners desire upgrades that are affordable. Future market expansion chances will be brought about by the rising cost of home improvement. The simplest roofs and various construction parts are made of steel. It is another element that will provide growth opportunities for the steel market throughout the projection timeframe. COVID 19 Analysis The demand for steel declined by double digits in numerous nations in 2020, despite a favorable worldwide figure. The tighter controls, declining raw material costs, drops in tourism, and insufficient budgetary assistance in emerging countries made them more susceptible to the epidemic. Both the developed world and the developing world saw a good comeback in 2021. The pre-pandemic level of steel demand was reached in 2021 in emerging nations, which had a stronger recovery than developed ones. It required more time in sophisticated economies. With some slowdown of growth, a solid rebound was seen throughout 2022. The pandemic's development and vaccination's efficacy were both unknowns, which increased dangers on both ends of the spectrum. Share Your Queries: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/5465 Market Segmentation By Type Depending on the type, the steel market has been considered for flat as well as long steel. Flat steel has remained the market leader since the year 2019 and should thrive at a rate of 2.5% over the projected timeline. Products made of flat steel are hot-rolled coils, slabs, coated steel, cold-rolled coils, heavy plate, and tinplate, which are mostly used in pipes, tubes, heavy machinery, construction, packaging and appliances. By Product The product-based market segments include iron steel wire, braids, structural steel, welding wire/rod, bright steel, prestressing steel, ropes, and others. In 2017, the lead was achieved by the structural steel segment, which is set to record a CAGR of 3.15% over the analysis period, thanks to the mounting use of structural steel in various applications like frames of buildings and bridges. Structural steel also finds extensive applications in construction equipment, freight cars, machinery, truck parts, transmission towers, and truck frames. Meanwhile, prestressing steel will be the second-biggest segment in the global industry. By Application Major applications of steel include automotive, building & construction, domestic appliances, metal products, mechanical equipment, electrical appliances, other transportation and more. The building & construction segment in 2019 took the top spot and was valued at USD 417.3 billion and could soar at a rate of 2.5% to reach USD 487.6 billion by 2027-end. The notable surge in residential construction across various countries has led to the segmental growth in the global market. Regional Insights During the research period, the Asia-Pacific market, which had a USD 574.17 billion market value in 2021, will expand at a substantial rate. The APAC market growth is offset by the skyrocketing demand in construction as well as infrastructural development and the surge in automotive production. The China steel market is mostly supported by the thriving electrical appliances industry in the country. The escalating steel consumption in the region is the result of the influx of large-scale direct foreign investments along with the soaring demand in the automotive and shipbuilding sectors. Europe commands the second biggest share in the global market and is touted to project healthy growth in the years to come. Germany has emerged as the top-performing market in the region and can maintain its winning streak throughout the conjectured period. Other than this, the Central European market should demonstrate healthy growth on account of the rising expenditure on infrastructure development. Mechanical engineering and automotive manufacturing in the region are the top consumers of steel and are expected to contribute significantly to the market growth in the ensuing years. Middle East & Africa will be the third dominant market, right behind Europe, in view of the mounting demand for steel in the construction industry, which itself has been witnessing significant growth in the region. The enhanced industrialization rate across North African economies is bound to favor the regional market in the years ahead. Ask for Customization: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/ask_for_customize/5465 Discover more research Reports on Chemical Industry , by Market Research Future: Hot Melt Adhesives Market Research Report Information By Type (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate, Polyolefin, Polyamide, Polypropylene, Polyurethane, Others), By Application (Food Packaging, Buildings & Construction, Wood Working, Carton-Sealing, General Consumer Packaging, Electronics, Others), And By Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, And Rest Of The World) Market Forecast Till 2030 Silica Sand Market Research Report Information By Mesh Size (<70 mesh, 70-120 mesh, 120-200 mesh,>200 mesh), By Grade (Glass, Foundry, Chemical), By Process (Wet Silica Sand and Dry Silica Sand), By Application (Glass, Hydraulic Fracturing, Foundry, Construction, Chemicals, Water Filtration, Paints& Coatings, Ceramics And Others), And By Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, And Rest Of The World) Market Forecast Till 2030. Industrial Coatings Market Research Report Information By Resin (Acrylic, Epoxy, Polyester, Polyurethane, and Fluoropolymers), By Technology (Water-Based, Solvent-Based, and Powder), By End-user (General Industrial, Automotive & Transportation, Industrial Wood, Marine Protective, and Packaging) About Market Research Future: Market Research Future (MRFR) is a global market research company that takes pride in its services, offering a complete and accurate analysis with regard to diverse markets and consumers worldwide. Market Research Future has the distinguished objective of providing the optimal quality research and granular research to clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help answer your most important questions. Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter CONTACT: Market Research Future (Part of Wantstats Research and Media Private Limited) 99 Hudson Street, 5Th Floor New York, NY 10013 United States of America +1 628 258 0071 (US) +44 2035 002 764 (UK) Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Website: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com The logo of STMIcroelectronics is seen outside a company building in Montrouge By Martin Coulter LONDON (Reuters) -European chipmaker STMicroelectronics beat first-quarter results forecasts on Thursday, defying signs of a slowdown in the semiconductor industry. However, it shares fell around 4% in early trade as investors worried the slowdown would eventually catch up with the company, which counts iPhone maker Apple and carmaker Tesla among its customers. STMicro reported first-quarter earnings per share (EPS) of $1.10 on a 20% increase in revenues to $4.25 billion. Analysts had expected EPS of $0.99 and revenues of $4.19 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv Eikon. "STMicro continues to grow robustly during a semiconductor downcycle, so they are bucking the trend. The key question for investors is: how long will that last?" said Paul Allison, an analyst at investment platform Finimize. "Analysts on Wall Street and elsewhere who are slightly less positive are saying exactly that. Watch out for a slowdown later in the year." CEO Jean-Marc Chery said STMicro was aiming for full-year revenue of $17 billion to $17.8 billion, keeping it on course for its target of $20 billion by 2027. "We are operating in an environment with significantly different dynamics depending on the end markets we serve. Based on our leadership position, strategic approach and current visibility, we anticipate another year of revenue growth and profitability," Chery said. Rival Texas Instruments forecast second-quarter revenue and profit below Wall Street estimates on Wednesday. STMicro's net income rose about 40% year-over-year to $1.04 billion in the quarter. (Reporting by Martin Coulter; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Mark Potter) SkyQuest Technology Consulting Pvt. Ltd. SkyQuest's Restaurant POS Systems Market report provides actionable insights for individuals interested in valuable data, trends, and opportunities in a rapidly growing industry. Additionally, the report is produced and published 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 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SkyQuest projects that the restaurant POS systems market will attain a value of USD 37.60 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 8.00% over the forecast period (2022-2030). The market is expanding quickly on a global scale due to the restaurant industry's increased acceptance of technology. The market exhibits intense competition, with long-standing businesses and recent newcomers battling for market share. The rising desire for efficiency and automation in the restaurant sector is one of the major market factors. POS systems can help restaurants to increase efficiency and decrease the need for manual labour by automating order-taking, payment processing and inventory management processes. The increasing use of cloud-based POS solutions, which have various benefits such as scalability, cost-effectiveness and real-time reporting is another significant development in the market. According to the SkyQuest, additionally, the market is characterized by the rising demand for mobile POS systems, which provide flexibility and mobility and enable servers to take orders and handle payments anywhere in the restaurant. Quick-service restaurants, which need to manage orders quickly and effectively. The growing threat of cyberattacks and data breaches is one of the issues facing the sector. Restaurant owners must ensure their systems are safe and secure from unauthorized access due to the possibility of POS systems becoming a fraudster target. Story continues Get sample copy of this report: https://www.skyquestt.com/sample-request/restaurant-pos-systems-market Browse in-depth TOC on "Restaurant POS Systems Market" Pages - 242 Tables - 78 Figures 75 POS restaurant management systems assist business owners in streamlining sales, food inventory, cash flow and bookkeeping processes while improving the customer experience. The payment gateway for table reservations, order administration and analytics, are additional capabilities. Some point-of-sale (POS) restaurant systems also include more sophisticated capabilities, such as food costing and a built-in marketing suite, to aid restaurant operators in budgeting, planning, and carrying out outreach initiatives. Other food and beverage enterprises such as bars, cafes, and food trucks can use Maximum POS restaurant systems and software. Prominent Players in Restaurant POS Systems Market Toast Square Lightspeed POS TouchBistro Upserve Revel Systems NCR Corporation Clover Network Heartland Payment Systems Breadcrumb POS ShopKeep Oracle Hospitality Harbortouch POSist Technologies Epos Now Zomato QSR Automations Ordermark LimeTray GoFrugal Hardware Segment Is Expected To Grow Due to Increasing Adoption of Cloud-Based POS Systems The hardware segment is anticipated to be the largest segment. This is because hardware elements such as POS terminals, card readers, printers and cash drawers are essential for processing transactions and managing orders and serve as the foundation of every POS system. Therefore, POS terminals, card readers, printers, cash drawers and other ancillary equipment that are used to process transactions and manage orders are included in the hardware section of the restaurant POS systems market. North America accounted for the largest market for restaurant POS systems. The region is fueled by widespread technology use and the presence of numerous well-established market participants. Canada is the second-largest market in the region after the US. A number of substantial restaurant chains that need cutting-edge POS systems to manage their operations dominate the industry in North America. These huge chains progressively implement cloud-based point-of-sale systems due to their numerous benefits, including real-time reporting and analytics, multi-location administration and streamlined inventory control. Browse summary of the report and Complete Table of Contents (ToC): https://www.skyquestt.com/report/restaurant-pos-systems-market Software Segment is Anticipated to Grow Due to the Rising Demand for Cloud-Based Solutions The software segment is anticipated to develop at the fastest rate in the market for restaurant POS systems globally. This is due to the rising demand for cloud-based solutions and the number of restaurants searching for software to manage their businesses more effectively. Benefits like remote access, real-time reporting, and data analytics, which are becoming more and more crucial in the restaurant industry, are provided by cloud-based software. To manage orders, handle payments, and keep track of inventory, the restaurant POS systems market software sector offers both on-premises and cloud-based solutions. The market for restaurant POS systems is expanding at the fastest rate in the Asia Pacific region due to the rising automation demand and the growing use of online meal delivery services. Several growing economies, such as China and India, which are seeing rapid expansion in the restaurant sector are located in the region. Growth in the use of cloud-based point-of-sale systems, which have various benefits including affordability, scalability, and real-time reporting, is one of the major factors driving the Asia Pacific market. Demand for POS systems that can interface with online meal delivery services is another significant trend in Asia Pacific. A comprehensive analysis of the major players in the Restaurant POS Systems 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 endeavours to develop innovative solutions to cater to the growing demand. Key Developments in Restaurant POS Systems Market In May 2022, Verifone, a provider of payment solutions, and Lavu, a vendor of restaurant software, collaborated to enable cross-distribution of a unified point-of-sale and high-end payment experience for their customers. In September 2021, a relationship between TouchBistro and Square, a provider of iPad-based point-of-sale systems for restaurants, was announced. TouchBistro users accessed Square's payment processing capabilities through this partnership. Speak to Analyst for your custom requirements: https://www.skyquestt.com/speak-with-analyst/restaurant-pos-systems-market Key Questions Answered in Restaurant POS Systems Market Report What specific growth drivers are projected to impact the market during the forecast period? 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 these differences shape the market's future growth? Related Reports in SkyQuests Library: Global Online Travel Booking Services Market Global CPAAS Market Global On-Demand Transportation Market Global Blockchain IoT Market Global Soft Services Facilities Market About Us: SkyQuest Technology is leading growth consulting firm providing market intelligence, commercialization and technology services. It has 450+ happy clients globally. Address: 1 Apache Way, Westford, Massachusetts 01886 Phone: USA (+1) 617-230-0741 Email: sales@skyquestt.com LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Shutterstock / Shutterstock President Joe Bidens federal student loan forgiveness plan got pushback almost as soon as it was announced back in August 2022, and its fate now rests in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court following a series of legal challenges. But even if the court rules against the plan (as many expect), at least one lawmaker U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) holds out hope that it will still survive. See: New Student Loan Forgiveness Rule Simplifies Process Who Qualifies? Find: 3 Signs Youre Serious About Raising Your Credit Score Ocasio-Cortez addressed the issue in a recent Instagram post replying to a question from one of her followers, Business Insider reported. The question was: What can we expect on the student debt forgiveness case? Im scared that it wont work. Ocasio-Cortez answered that there are two major parts to the question: how SCOTUS will rule on forgiveness, and the grounds/rationale for the ruling. What happens next on student loans depends on both, Ocasio-Cortez wrote. If the court rules that the program as-is is legal, the program will proceed as designed and Biden admin may just change some deadlines since applications were frozen (thatd be up to them). If the Supreme Court strikes down the plan, Ocasio-Cortez said that doesnt necessarily mean it will disappear altogether. If the court rules against Bidens loan program, I STILL dont think all is lost, she wrote. It depends on the grounds of the courts ruling. The worst-case scenario is SCOTUS tossing out all authority to do anything on it. But that would be dangerous for the courts legitimacy and rulings are usually more nuanced than that. If they point out some aspect of the program that they take issue with, its possible that gives us something to work with. Ocasio-Cortez has long been a vocal supporter of the Biden forgiveness plan. After the plan was unveiled last summer, one of the congresswomans Instagram followers asked her, How does cancelling student debt help us who paid their loans? Story continues Take Our Poll: Do You Think Bankruptcy Is an Acceptable Way To Escape Student Loan Debt? As People reported at the time, Ocasio-Cortez took issue with the premise of the question. In her reply, AOC wrote: Ive said it before and Ill say it again: Not every program has to be for everybody. Maybe student loan forgiveness doesnt impact you. That doesnt make it bad. I am sure there are certainly other things that student loan borrowers taxes pay for. We can do good things and reject the scarcity mindset that says doing something good for someone else comes at the cost of something for ourselves. Whether or not her support is enough to save the plan is another matter. Some analysts suggest the majority-conservative Supreme Court will rule against the plan, and any other attempts to salvage it will fall short. If that turns out to be the case, millions of federal student loan borrowers will likely have to resume payments sometime in late August. More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Student Loan Forgiveness: AOC Tells Scared Follower All Is Not Lost if Supreme Court Rules Against Bidens Plan Sun Life Logo (CNW Group/Sun Life Financial Inc.) TORONTO, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Sun Life Financial Inc. (TSX: SLF) (NYSE: SLF) will release its first quarter 2023 financial results on Thursday, May 11, after markets close. Sun Life will hold its earnings conference call and live webcast at 10:00 a.m. ET the following day. Date: Friday, May 12, 2023 Time: 10:00 a.m. ET Visit www.sunlife.com/QuarterlyReports 10 minutes prior to the start of the event to access the call through either the webcast or conference call options. The webcast replay will be available after the event. About Sun Life Sun Life is a leading international financial services organization providing asset management, wealth, insurance and health solutions to individual and institutional Clients. Sun Life has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of December 31, 2022, Sun Life had total assets under management of $1.33 trillion. For more information, please visit www.sunlife.com. Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF. Note to editors: All figures in Canadian dollars Media Relations Contact: Krista Wilson Director, Corporate Communications T. 226-751-2391 krista.wilson@sunlife.com Investor Relations Contact: Yaniv Bitton Vice-President, Head of Investor Relations & Capital Markets T. 416-979-6496 yaniv.bitton@sunlife.com Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sun-life-hosts-first-quarter-2023-earnings-conference-call-301809661.html SOURCE Sun Life Financial Inc. MAXIMIZE MARKET RESEARCH PRIVATE LIMITED Sustainable Packaging Market is segmented into Material Type, Packaging Type and End User for the analysis of the market. Growing initiatives and demand for environment-friendly packaging solutions are expected to drive the Sustainable Packaging Market. Pune, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A global Packaging research and business-consulting firm, Maximize Market Research, has published a market intelligence report on the Sustainable Packaging Market . The report is a combination of primary data and secondary data and domain expert has analyzed the Sustainable Packaging Market from a local as well as a global point of view. Over the forecast period, Maximize Market Research expects, the market to grow from USD 281.42 Bn in 2022 to USD 406.66 Bn in 2029 at a CAGR of 5.4 percent. Sustainable Packaging Market Report Scope and Research Methodology Market Size in 2022 USD 281.42 Bn. Market Size in 2029 USD 406.66 Bn. CAGR 5.4 percent (2023-2029) Forecast Period 2023-2029 Base Year 2022 Number of Pages 276 No. of Tables 116 No. of Charts and Figures 114 Segment Covered Material Type, Packaging Type and End User Regional Scope North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, South America Report Coverage Market Share, Size & Forecast by Revenue | 20222029, Market Dynamics, Growth Drivers, Restraints, Investment Opportunities, and Key Trends, Competitive Landscape, Key Players Benchmarking, Competitive Analysis, MMR Competition Matrix, Competitive Leadership Mapping, Global Key Players Market Ranking Analysis. Request For Free Sample Report: https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-sample/185625 The Sustainable Packaging Market report provides a detailed analysis of the data through segments such as operations and payloads along with their multiple sub-segments. The bottom-up approach is used to estimate the size of the Sustainable Packaging Market by value and volume. The report includes data regarding strategies, investment in research and development and mergers and acquisitions. The Sustainable Packaging Market involves pricing analysis, market share and product penetration and scope for the market in major geographic regions such as North America, South America, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Europe. Primary and secondary research methods were used to collect data. Collected data was later analyzed by tools such as SWOT analysis and PORTERs five force model , which includes drivers, restraints, opportunities and regional insights. Story continues Sustainable Packaging Market Overview Sustainable packaging is a product that is degradable and harmless to the environment. Sustainable packaging has some significant benefits such as being easily disposable, reducing carbon footprints, no harmful toxins and others. Increasing demand for sustainable food packaging and supportive government regulations are boosting the market. Get a Sample Copy of the Report: https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-sample/185625 Sustainable Packaging Market Dynamics The government regulations of the government and global trends of ESG, the rapid growth in the e-commerce industry along with the demand for sustainable packaging solutions are expected to drive the Sustainable Packaging Market. The increased consumer awareness and risks associated with the use of plastic and the benefits of using single-use and non-biodegradable plastic goods for packaging have been driving the Sustainable Packaging Market. The market is also expected to be driven by the major Sustainable Packaging Key Companies developing new technologies to integrate sustainable plastic packaging. The lack of manufacturing plants is expected to impede market growth. Sustainable Packaging Market Regional Insights Europe is expected to grow significantly during the forecast period (2023-2029). The growth is supported by the growing demand for sustainable packaging and the aim of reducing waste and promoting sustainability across the world. North America is the second-largest growing region in the Sustainable Packaging Market government initiatives and corporate sustainability regulations are expected to drive North America Sustainable Packaging Market. Sustainable Packaging Market Segmentation By Material Type: Paper and Paperboard Plastics Biodegradable Bio-based Aluminium Others The Paper and paperboard segment accounted for the revenue of 21.2 percent in 2022. Recently, Amazon decided to use sustainable materials paper and paperboard for its shipments. Get Customization on this Report for Specific Research Solutions: https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-customization/185625 By Packaging Type: Rigid Packaging Flexible Packaging The Rigid packaging segment held the Sustainable Packaging Market share of 18.2 percent in 2022 since the major companies have committed and started developing recycled products. For instance, Coca-Cola decided to make all of its packaging 100 percent recyclable. By End User: Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Cosmetics and Personal Care Food and Beverage Other End Users Sustainable Packaging Key Competitors include: Sonoco Products Company Amcor pie Gerresheimer AG Smurfit Kappa Ball Corporation BASF SE Ardagh Group S.A. Crown Holding,Inc. WestRock Company DS Smith Mondi International Paper Berry Global Printpack Sealed Air Stora Enso Oyj Georgia-Pacific Huhtamaki Genpak,LLC Tetra Pak InternationalS.A. Billerud Albea S.A. HCP Packaging Get the Sample PDF of the Report: https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-sample/185625 Key questions answered in the Sustainable Packaging Market are: What is Sustainable Packaging Market? What was the Sustainable Packaging Market size in 2021? What is the expected Sustainable Packaging Market size during the forecast period? What are the global trends in the Sustainable Packaging Market? What are the major restraints for the Sustainable Packaging Market? Which segment dominated the Sustainable Packaging Market growth? What is the demand pattern for the Sustainable Packaging Market? What growth strategies are the players considering to increase their presence in Sustainable Packaging Market? What are the upcoming industry applications and trends for the Sustainable Packaging Market? Who are the leading companies and what are their portfolios in Sustainable Packaging Market? Which region dominates the largest market share in Sustainable Packaging 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, Organization Size, Application and Industry Vertical Market Segmentation A detailed analysis by Material Type, Packaging Type and End User Competitive Landscape Profiles of selected key players by region from a strategic perspective Competitive landscape Market Leaders, Market Followers, Regional player Competitive benchmarking of key players by region PESTLE Analysis PORTERs analysis Value chain and supply chain analysis Legal Aspects of business by region Lucrative business opportunities with SWOT analysis Recommendations Maximize Market Research is leading Packaging research firm, has also published the following reports: Connected Packaging Market - The market size is expected to reach USD 61.73 Bn by 2029 at a CAGR of 5.13 percent during the forecast period. The market is expected to be driven by the growing complexity of things that must be preserved or transported to remote areas while maintaining their integrity. Display Packaging Market - The market size is expected to reach USD 2.20 Bn by 2029 at a CAGR of 4.5 percent during the forecast period. The market is expected to be driven by growing interest in environmental issues, the most reputable brands are now focusing on eco-friendly packaging. Sterile Packaging Market - The market size is expected to reach USD 79.06 Bn by 2029 at a CAGR of 9.1 percent during the forecast period. The market is expected to be driven by demand for anti-viral packaging solutions, as well as product innovation by sterile packaging manufacturers. Cement Packaging Market - The market size is expected to reach USD 449.6 Bn by 2029 at a CAGR of 3.9 percent during the forecast period. The market is expected to be driven by the cement companies that have made the switch to environmentally friendly alternatives, such as replacing plastic bags with long-lasting paper bags. Reusable Packaging Market - The market size is expected to reach USD 159.54 Bn by 2029 at a CAGR of 5.5 percent during the forecast period. The market is expected to be driven by the factors such as extreme durability and collapsible and allowing low-cost return. 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 The academic medical center's EVP and CIO is recognized for his role in advancing Tampa General's position as a national leader in health information technology innovation. TAMPA, Fla., April 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Scott Arnold, executive vice president and chief information officer (CIO) of Tampa General Hospital, has been named a top health care information technology (HIT) leader by Becker's Hospital Review on its 2023 "CIOs to Know" list. Arnold's inclusion on the list reflects his efforts to drive technological advancement at Tampa General, including championing initiatives and optimizing processes to transform care and drive improved outcomes for patients. Scott Arnold, executive vice president and chief information officer (CIO) of Tampa General Hospital, has been named a top health care information technology (HIT) leader by Beckers Hospital Review on its 2023 CIOs to Know list. Arnolds inclusion on the list reflects his efforts to drive technological advancement at Tampa General, including championing initiatives and optimizing processes to transform care and drive improved outcomes for patients. "Scott's efforts in the hospital IT (HIT) space are foundational in shaping Tampa General as one of the nation's leading academic medical centers and as home to the most innovative and highest-level care available ," said John Couris, Tampa General's president and chief executive officer. "His forward thinking and expertise in information technology play an integral role in streamlining and enhancing processes and onboarding new technologies that make efficient and effective care coordination possible." "The various patient data points that are often stored in disparate locations tell important stories that give caregivers additional insight into whom they are caring for and how to best care for them," Couris added. "Under Scott's leadership, Tampa General has been able to integrate technological systems to unleash the power of that data to improve care quality, patient outcomes, and the patient experience." A recent example of Arnold's approach to data integration is Tampa General leveraging data generated by its partnership with the GE Healthcare Command Center system which monitors the location, care, and status of every patient within the hospital to create an early warning system for potential sepsis cases. The academic medical center's CareComm Command Center also provides real-time situational awareness throughout the organization to drive efficiency improvements. This happens through the use of a predictive analytics algorithm, which alerts a rapid-response clinical care team to potential sepsis concerns. Story continues The algorithm uses real-time information from Tampa General's electronic health records (EHR), and rules-based logic based on a weighted algorithm with specific clinical factors. Within two years, this new approach to predicting and eliminating the life-threatening complication of infection resulted in a reduction of the early death rate from 6.1 percent to 3.1 percent. This accounts for more than 50 lives saved in the past six months. Through this ongoing work, Tampa General developed pathways to get patients home from the hospital sooner. Additionally, Arnold is working with his team at Tampa General to ensure health information technology is front-and-center in the health system's approach to care coordination. Data is essential in transforming the patient care experience from transactional interactions at specific points of care to a more curated and holistic experience. When technology systems are fully connected and integrated, caregivers and clinicians can better understand a patient's entire health journey and work together to provide exceptional, personalized care. "I'm honored to be recognized by Becker's and believe it is a testament to the way our team at Tampa General has embraced new use cases for technology to support proactive, sound clinical decision-making," Arnold said. "HIT isn't just the future it's here and now. Every advancement we make in leveraging patient data to enable more seamless care delivery benefits our patients, our care teams and our community." In its announcement of the "Top CIOs to Know" list, Becker's Hospital Review stated "the creation of novel technologies and cyber systems is ushering in an era of growth and innovation in the health care industry. Top CIOs are adopting these technologies and health IT initiatives to enhance the patient and provider experience." Becker's Hospital Review is a leading source of hospital business news and analysis for the health care industry. This list highlights health care's top CIOs across the country. Arnold and the rest of this year's "CIOs to Know" honorees can be found online here. ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL Tampa General Hospital, a 1,040-bed, not-for-profit, academic medical center, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region's only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News & World Report's 2022-23 Best Hospitals, and is tied as the third highest-ranked hospital in Florida, with seven specialties ranking among the best programs in the United States. Tampa General Hospital has been designated as a model of excellence by the 2022 Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals list. The academic medical center's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by two prestigious Forbes magazine rankings first nationally in the 2022 America's Best Employers for Women and sixth out of 100 Florida companies in the 2022 America's Best Employers by State. Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal year 2021, provided a net community benefit worth more than $224.5 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education, and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is one of the nation's busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With six medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center, and its 32-bed Neuroscience, Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital's footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health, and 21 TGH Imaging powered by Tower outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics. To see a medical care professional live anytime, anywhere on a smartphone, tablet or computer, visit Virtual Health | Tampa General Hospital (tgh.org). As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is the first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that provides real-time situational awareness to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org. Media Contact: Beth Hardy, APR Senior Communications Specialist (813) 844-7322 (direct) (813) 510-6363 (cell) ehardy@tgh.org Tampa General Hospital logo. (PRNewsFoto/Tampa General Hospital) Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tampa-general-hospitals-scott-arnold-named-a-chief-information-officer-to-know-by-beckers-hospital-review-301808999.html SOURCE Tampa General Hospital AI tech is being embraced by everyone, everywhere, it seems, in the food business. Chipotle (CMG) said automation or AI is something the burrito chain is looking into and how it can help employees with certain tasks. McDonald's (MCD) has hinted at a new digital enhancement that allows employees to know when a customer is nearby so they can begin prepping their food. Even execs from the big soft drink and snack makers The Coca-Cola Co. (KO) and PepsiCo (PEP) have weighed in. But the fast-fooders have been the real players. Here's a pocket guide to some innovations and a few yellow flags as well: Chipotle In a call with investors, CEO Brian Niccol said the fast-casual chain has discussed the idea of AI internally. "We've worked with a lot of our employees to identify what are the tasks that they would love to see us bring automation to, or AI, so that hopefully, the role can become less complicated...I think there's just other places in the back of the restaurant where we have the ability to automate, whether it's on the digital make-line or other tasks..." For instance, last fall Chipotle rolled out testing for a new kitchen management system to streamline operations, plus a new robot called Chippy that makes tortilla chips. Then, in an interview with Yahoo Finance on Wednesday, Chipotle CFO Jack Hartung said AI presents "endless possibilities" that it is exploring with its Cultivate Next fund. This new venture is intended to invest in "forward-thinking ventures that are looking to drive meaningful change at scale [and] will help accelerate Chipotle's aggressive growth plans," per the release. Hartung warned, though, "there's also a lot of pitfalls as well, so we want to be very careful, very thoughtful." He added: "Certainly, if there's ways we can make the job that our crews, do the jobs that our support staff do to support a restaurant easier, better and if the end result is we can run better restaurants and serve the customers in a better way, we're certainly going to look at any technology." Story continues Future chips: Chippy, is an autonomous kitchen assistant that integrates culinary traditions with artificial intelligence to make tortilla chips. (Courtesy: Chipotle). McDonald's Is McDonald's a frontrunner in the AI game? In late 2021, McDonald's teamed up with IBM (IBM) to "further accelerate the development and deployment" of its automated voice ordering technology. As part of that, IBM acquired McD Tech Labs, an innovation hub created after McDonald's acquired Apprente in 2019. All these investments are part of its larger growth strategy called Accelerating the Arches 2.0. There's a bump in the road: consumer concern. Earlier this year, customers took to TikTok to share their issues with the service, such as accidentally placing nine sweet teas in an order. Meanwhile, McDonald's Australia received attention earlier this week when Gold Coast influencer Jasmine Hand felt "exposed" over a kiosk from having a personalized welcome message. Can I have some AI with my fries? A McDonald's in Florida. (Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) Wingstop Wingstop (WING) partnered with AI voice startup ConverseNow in March. As part of that, the fast food chain is running a pilot where a voice AI-powered virtual assistant will take customers' phone orders at select locations. ConverseNow contended this system will boost the brand's "labor, guest experience, and operational efficiency..." Embracing the brave new world of AI: a Wingstop store in Chicago. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) YUM! Brands Yum! Brands (YUM) is using AI and machine learning to predict how much food is needed at its nearly 3,000 U.S. stores, which include the brands Taco Bell and KFC. Recommended ordering "predicts and recommends the quantity of product for a restaurant manager to order each week with the goal of reducing product waste and intra-store transfers of inventory," CFO Chris Turner said in Yum! Brands Q4 2022 results. It's also using AI technology to predict the correct amount of food and timing to cook products according to customer demand. Welcome to "Cook Schedule." The company also rolled out Tictuk in 2022, an online ordering system via chat, which is now used in over 3,200 locations across 49 markets. "We processed millions of digital orders in 2022, with Tictuk continuing to prove it can bring in incremental customers and drive digital sales. This is evidenced by the chat ordering launch in KFC Mexico, where more than 90% of users who transacted on the chat channel had previously not placed a digital order on other channels," Turner said. Brooke DiPalma is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter at @BrookeDiPalma or email her at bdipalma@yahoofinance.com. For the latest earnings reports and analysis, earnings whispers and expectations, and company earnings news, click here Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Market.Us The increasing prevalence of infectious diseases and the emergence of new medical conditions such as dengue and malaria are the primary drivers of the market. The Thermometer Market is also expanding due to their growing use in various fields, including industry, imaging, research, and medicine. New York, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Global Thermometer Market size is expected to be worth around USD 3.14 Bn by 2032 from USD 1.39 Bn in 2022, growing at a CAGR of 8.7% during the forecast period from 2023 to 2032. The main factors anticipated to propel the market are an increase in the frequency of infectious illnesses and other medical disorders, including dengue and malaria. Increasing the uses of these devices for temperature monitoring in the industrial, medical, and lab are a few key reasons for boosting market expansion. Increasing patient awareness and rising health consciousness are two other important aspects influencing the market's expansion. With the need for self-healthcare rising, businesses like Nexcare and Terumo Corporation produced portable solutions that are user-friendly and simple for any patient to use. Additionally, a growing reliance on thermometers by medical professionals to assess patients' health is anticipated to fuel market growth. The food, chemical, and pharmaceutical sectors, as well as other end users, are becoming more aware. In these businesses, it is crucial that certain temperatures are maintained at different phases of product development. These elements are anticipated to accelerate market expansion during the forecast period. Thermometer Market Get additional highlights on major revenue-generating segments, Request a Thermometer Market sample report at https://market.us/report/thermometer-market/request-sample/ Key Takeaway: By Product, in 2022, the mercury-free thermometer segment dominated the global revenue share. Due to high adoption and ease to use. By Application, the medical segment dominated the largest market share. In 2022, North America dominated the market with the highest revenue share of 34.4% . Asia Pacific is anticipated to have the highest CAGR among all the regions. Story continues Factors affecting the growth of the thermometer industry There are several factors that can have an impact on the growth of the thermometer industry. Some of these factors include: Technological developments : The thermometer company has been able to create new types of thermometers with increased features, accuracy, and reliability as a result of technological enhancements. The market for thermometers has grown as a result of the rise in demand for these types of products. Healthcare sector : The thermometer market is dominated by the healthcare sector. The demand for thermometers rises along with the demand for healthcare services. Therefore, a crucial aspect that may have an influence on the growth of the thermometer industry is the expansion of the healthcare sector. Government regulations : The development of the thermometer industry may be impacted by government rules and policies. For instance, new rules requiring the use of thermometers in a variety of sectors may raise demand for these products and drive the expansion of the thermometer business. Digital Thermometers: Digital thermometers have become increasingly popular due to their accuracy, convenience, and faster reading times compared to traditional mercury thermometers. They are often used in hospitals and clinics. It comes in a variety of formats, including oral, rectal, and ear thermometers. Multi-functional Thermometers: As people become increasingly conscious of indoor air quality and its detrimental effects on health and wellbeing, multi-functional thermometers that monitor temperature, humidity, and air quality are becoming more prevalent in both personal and professional environments. Wireless thermometers: Because they can wirelessly transmit data to a computer, or another device, and monitor temperature remotely from a distance, wireless thermometers have become increasingly common in scientific and industrial applications. They are used in many industries, including manufacturing and food processing. To understand how our report can bring a difference to your business strategy, Inquire about a brochure at https://market.us/report/thermometer-market/#inquiry Market Growth There are several factors for the thermometer market's expansion. One of the main factors is the rising demand for temperature monitoring devices in the healthcare sector. With the rapidly increasing healthcare spending, there is a growing need for accurate and reliable temperature monitoring devices, leading to a rise in the demand for thermometers. In addition, increasing health consciousness and rising patient awareness are among the major factors contributing to the market growth. Furthermore, technological advancements have led to the development of innovative and advanced thermometers, such as non-contact infrared thermometers, which provide greater accuracy and ease to use. This has also contributed to the growth of the thermometer market. Regional Analysis North America led the thermometer market in 2022 with a 34.4% revenue share. The aging population's expansion and the increase in healthcare expenses are the main drivers responsible for its largest market share. The market is anticipated to benefit even more from healthcare initiatives created by government organizations like the NIH and WHO to encourage better health and raise awareness of infectious diseases. For an instance, up till a vaccine is available, body temperature monitoring has become a routine procedure for coronavirus infection detection. As community expansion begins in the majority of countries worldwide, such as the U.S., the over-the-counter thermometer market revenues are increasing. The market is anticipated to grow the highest compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.1% in Asia Pacific. High unmet medical requirements, rising rates of target illnesses including swine flu, dengue, and malaria, as well as increasing patient knowledge of these conditions in the area, are some of the main drivers of this industry's lucrative growth. Have Queries? Speak to an expert or Click Here To Download/Request a Sample Scope of the Report Report Attribute Details Market Value (2022) USD 1.39 billion Market Size (2032) USD 3.14 billion CAGR (from 2023 to 2032) 8.7% North America Revenue Share 34.4% Historic Period 2016 to 2022 Base Year 2022 Forecast Year 2023 to 2032 Market Drivers The rise in infectious disease prevalence and the addition of new medical conditions like dengue and malaria are the most significant factors anticipated to drive the market. The market for thermometers is expanding as well as these instruments' increasing use in industry, imaging, research, and medicine. The chemical, pharmaceutical, and food industries are just a few examples of end users. Accurate temperature maintenance is a crucial need across several product development cycles. Throughout the duration of the anticipated year, it is predicted that these factors will boost the market's growth. Infrared thermometer demand has increased due to the need for thermal screening in common areas, workplaces, and hospitals. Market Restraints High ambient temperature has negative consequences The demands of vibration and high environmental temperatures may be challenging for thermometers. Either of them could change the reading on the dial. It is crucial to get into the habit of avoiding places where one of these two factors significantly affects the thermometer set. Even so, it's not always possible to stop these kinds of accidents from happening in the workplace. So, this factor may reduce the market's expected growth rate. Market Opportunities Increase in diseases like dengue Dengue fever has significantly increased in prevalence worldwide during the previous ten years, according to the WHO. Approximately half of the world's population is now in peril. Every year, between 100 and 4 billion individuals are estimated to have the disease. As the prevalence of infectious diseases rises, it is expected that there will be an increase in the need for thermometers. It is anticipated that this feature would make it easier for this market to continue expanding. Grow your profit margin with Market.us - Purchase This Premium Report at https://market.us/purchase-report/?report_id=100447 Report Segmentation of the Thermometer Market Product Insight In 2022, the market for mercury-free thermometers was in the lead and contributed 65% of total revenue. Due to its wide adoption and simplicity of use. Mercury-free thermometers, such as IR radiation thermometers and digital thermometers are anticipated to take a significant share of the market since they provide more accurate readings and do not create any environmental issues related to mercury. Revenues from mercury-free thermometers are also expected to expand quickly by 2030, with a CAGR of 11.3%. This category is also divided into digital thermometers, infrared thermometers, and other types. While easy to use and frequently used in laboratories are mercury-based thermometers, such as liquid-in-glass thermometers. Application Insight The medical application dominated the market in 2022 and provided 29% of total revenue. The segment includes hospitals, clinics, and basic healthcare institutions. This is explained by the presence of well-established healthcare infrastructure and the high occurrence of conditions requiring the monitoring of body temperature. The rise of this industry is significantly influenced by the advancement of thermometer technology. For instance, the Instant Read Digital Ear Thermometer by A&D Company, Limited offers a thermometer with a one-button interface and 10 memory memories. It has an LCD with a one-second measuring speed and ease. During the forecasting period, it is predicted that the industrial application segment would have lucrative growth. While the chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries require precise temperature control during various phases of product development Recent Development of the Thermometer Market The launch of the consumer-focused Radius T Continuous Thermometer was announced by Masimo Corporation in October 2020. The Instant Read Digital Ear Thermometer from A&D Company, Limited is designed with a user-friendly one-button interface and can store up to 10 readings in its memory. For more insights on the historical and Forecast market data from 2016 to 2032 - download a sample report at https://market.us/report/thermometer-market/request-sample/ Market Segmentation Based on Product Mercury-Free Thermometer Digital Thermometer Infrared Radiation Thermometer Others Mercury-Based Thermometer Based on Application Medical Industrial Food Laboratory Other Applications 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 Competitive Landscape Key strategic initiatives of these companies involve the development of new products, and mergers and acquisitions to cater to the growing needs of the consumer. Furthermore, the introduction of cost-effective and innovative alternatives is the key strategy implemented by the major players to gain maximum share and survive competition in the market. Moreover, the companies are expanding geographically to cater to the untapped market of thermometers along with many acquisitions. Omron Healthcare is a Japanese company that produces a wide range of medical devices, including thermometers. Omron's thermometers are known for their accuracy and ease of use. Medline Industries, Inc. 3M Welch Allyn America Diagnostics Corporation A&D Medical Exergen Corporation Omron Healthcare Microlife Corporation RG Medical Diagnostics Medtronic Terumo Corporation Actherm Inc. Briggs Healthcare OMRON Healthcare Inc. Fairhaven Health Other Key Players Browse More Related Reports: Medical Thermometer Market is projected to be USD 1.4 Bn in 2022 to reach USD 3.2 Bn by 2032 at a CAGR of 8.8%. Digital Thermometers market is estimated to be USD 1379.2 Mn in 2032 from USD 803.3 Mn in 2022 and is projected to increase significantly at a CAGR of 5.7% from 2023 to 2032. Pupillometer Market size is expected to be worth around USD 697.8 Bn by 2032 from USD 357.5 Bn in 2022, growing at a CAGR of 7.10% during the forecast period from 2023 to 2032. Blood glucose meters market size is expected to be worth around USD 22.6 Bn by 2032 from USD 10 Bn in 2022, growing at a CAGR of 8.7% during the forecast period from 2022 to 2032. Medical thawing equipment market was valued at USD 174.1 million in 2021. It is projected to grow at a 7.1% CAGR, from 2023-2032. Faucet Market to grow from USD 18,933 million in 2021 at a 8.1% CAGR between 2023 and 2032 By Top Key players: Kohler, Kraus, Pfister and others. 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Email: inquiry@market.us Address: 420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 300, New York City, NY 10170, United States Tel: +1 718 618 4351 Website: https://market.us Thumzup Media Corporation Thumzup Media Corporation Thumzup Surpasses Over 1,567 Percent Growth in Advertisers The Thumzup mobile application now has over 100 listed opportunities from businesses as it continues its rapid growth Los Angeles, CA, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Thumzup Media Corporation ("Thumzup" or the "Company") (OTCQB: TZUP) is excited to announce it now has over 100 listed opportunities from businesses in its mobile application, an increase of more than 1,567% since the start of its commercial rollout. The Thumzup mobile app, which is available for download in the App Store and Google Play, enables advertisers to garner user generated content from customers and fans, incentivizing them to become social media advocates for the brands they enjoy by paying them cash for approved posts. We believe Thumzup has the potential to become a go-to destination app for discovering great local businesses and restaurants while earning cash for recommending them and we believe that we are starting to see early signs of this happening, stated Thumzup Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Robert Steele. Users have been advocating for Thumzup among local businesses and their peers, with some already indicating their preference to eat at restaurants on Thumzup over those that havent yet signed up. Just as exciting, clients have started recommending us to other clients, with one business reporting a ten-fold increase in Instagram followers after using our service. We believe this viral effect has the potential to continue gaining momentum and believe it could help Thumzup become a go-to advertising platform for the tens of millions of small businesses across the country [ 1] . [1] https://www.oberlo.com/blog/small-business-statistics#:~:text=1.-,How%20Many%20Small%20Businesses%20Are%20There%20in%20the%20US%3F,has%20fewer%20than%20500%20employees. About Thumzup Thumzup Media Corporation (Thumzup) is attempting to democratize the multi-billion dollar social media branding and marketing industry. Its flagship product, the Thumzup platform, utilizes a robust programmatic advertiser dashboard coupled with a consumer-facing App to enable individuals to get paid cash for posting about participating advertisers on major social media outlets through the Thumzup App. The easy-to-use dashboard allows advertisers to programmatically customize their campaigns. Cash payments are made to App users/creators through PayPal and other digital payment systems. Story continues Thumzup is a publicly traded company (OTCQB stock ticker: TZUP). For more information, please visit https://www.thumzupmedia.com Legal Disclaimer This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These include, without limitation, statements about its potential growth, impacts on the advertising industry, plans for potential uplisting, and planned expansion. These statements are identified by the use of the words "could," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "expect," "may," "continue," "predict," "potential," "project" and similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. 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Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. AN OFFERING STATEMENT REGARDING THIS OFFERING HAS BEEN FILED WITH THE SEC. THE SEC HAS QUALIFIED THAT OFFERING STATEMENT, WHICH ONLY MEANS THAT THE COMPANY MAY MAKE SALES OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED BY THE OFFERING STATEMENT. IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE SEC HAS APPROVED, PASSED UPON THE MERITS OR PASSED UPON THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE INFORMATION IN THE OFFERING STATEMENT. YOU MAY OBTAIN A COPY OF THE OFFERING CIRCULAR THAT IS PART OF THAT OFFERING STATEMENT FROM: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1853825/000149315222036476/partiiandiii.htm YOU SHOULD READ THE OFFERING CIRCULAR BEFORE MAKING ANY INVESTMENT. Contact Info: investors@thumzupmedia.com 800-403-6150 Attachment (Bloomberg) -- Australian wine exporters are facing incredibly tough conditions, with an economic slowdown and increased competition from other beverages hurting sales to its biggest markets in the UK and US. Most Read from Bloomberg Exports to the UK posted a 20% decline in value in the year to end-March, data from government marketing and research body Wine Australia show. Shipments to the US fell 8% from a year earlier. Overall exports were down 7%. The industry has sought to diversify its export destinations after Chinas trade curbs decimated what was once its most lucrative market. Australia ramped up sales to the UK in 2020 as demand soared at the start of the Covid pandemic and was boosted in the lead-up to Brexit. Now sales to the UK are dropping. In traditional markets for Australian wine, the decline in demand is being felt the most in lower price segments while premium wine is still finding growth, Wine Australia said. Consumers purchase wine less frequently but are choosing to spend more on each wine product they buy. This has a disproportional impact on Australia, as a large share of exports to key markets such as the UK and US are currently in lower-priced products. A silver lining is that Australias diversification into emerging markets is starting to bear fruit. Southeast Asia grew strongly at both the commercial and premium ends of the price spectrum, as well as in key markets such as Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Future Market Insights Global and Consulting Pvt. Ltd. The United States Power Grid is Aging, and Several Transformers Are Nearing the End of Their Useful Life. Upgrading These Transformers With Advanced Tap Changers and Voltage Control Relays Can Improve Their Performance and Extend Their Lifespan. Germany Transformer Tap Changers and Voltage Control Relay Market is Anticipated to Expand at a CAGR of 4.4% Over the Assessment Period. Germany is One of the Leading Economies in Europe, and Has a Highly Developed Energy Sector. It Includes Vast Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution Networks. NEWARK, Del, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- By 2033, the market for voltage control relays and transformer tap changers is expected to be worth over US$ 2357.1 Million. It is estimated to rise by 4.9% year over year. Sales of voltage control relays and transformer tap changers are anticipated to expand at a decent CAGR of 4.9% over the course of the forecast period. In 2033, the market is anticipated to reach a peak valuation of US$ 2357.1 Million. The market for high-power transformers is expanding rapidly as a result of the need for high-capacity power plants and the increasing demand for electricity. Transformer devices are hence used to enable the transmission of power across greater distances through interconnected networks. Tap changers are a crucial part of transformer systems as they can maintain a constant voltage within the constraints of the transformer. These can also guarantee the unbroken operation of the machinery and maintain it for use in large power networks or industries. Drivers and challenges have an impact on market dynamics, which can impact businesses. Find more insights in a sample report! https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-17099 In emerging countries, the expansion of the housing market is increasing the need for dependable electricity sources. The need for transformer accessories and components such as tap changers, voltage relays, and other related products, is hence growing. Story continues Leading companies should profit from consistent growth opportunities as a medium- and small-sized enterprises become more and more recognized. They aim to be a viable alternative for individuals looking to invest in infrastructure development. Several regional administrations have varied plans for electrification, including the construction of hydroelectric facilities and electrification of rural areas. It is predicted that these will help to raise the need for transformers. The market is expected to be propelled by the increased reliability of transformers due to retrofit possibilities for reducing maintenance costs. Key Takeaways: By phase type, the three-phase segment is estimated to account for a significant share of 59% in 2023. On the basis of application, the industry segment is likely to dominate the market and create an incremental opportunity of US$ 219.4 Million from 2023 to 2033. The global transformer tap changers and voltage control relay industry is anticipated to provide a total revenue potential of US$ 892.90 Million in the period of assessment. Germany transformer tap changers and voltage control relay industry is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 4.4% in the next ten years. China transformer tap changers and voltage control relay industry is expected to flourish at 6% CAGR from 2023 to 2033. Urgent requirement for effective power transmission and distribution systems is projected to drive the market. Through 2033, the market is also expected to be influenced by the world's aging power infrastructure and rising electricity demand. Reliability is a major issue for modern consumers. Manufacturers in the market would find significant growth opportunities in innovating towards this end. Says a lead analyst at Future Market Insights (FMI). Competitive Landscape: The global transformer tap changers and voltage control relay market is moderately consolidated with few global players acquiring around 40% to 50% of shares. These players are likely to invest in new technology developments and expansion of their distribution networks to maintain their presence. A few of the leading key players in the industry include Schneider Electric , ABB Ltd. , Eation Corporation , OMRON Corporation , Mitsubishi Electric Corporation , Rockwell Automation , Hitachi Energy Ltd. , Toshiba Energy Systems, and among others. Want your report customized? Speak to an analyst and personalize your report according to your needs: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/customization-available/rep-gb-17099 Recent developments: In September 2022 , General Electric announced that it had developed a new grid management system. This new system provided advanced voltage control and transformer tap changer technology, ultimately improving the efficiency and reliability of power systems. In December 2022, Siemens revealed that it had supplied its advanced voltage control technology to the Grid Asset Management project in the UK. This project specifically aims at improving the durability of the country's power grid. Find More Valuable Insights: The research report analyzes the demand for transformer tap changers and voltage control relays. The global transformer tap changers and voltage control relay market has been analyzed with the COVID-19 impact, various macroeconomic factors, market trends, and market background. As per Future Market Insights Inc. (FMI), the market has been analyzed based on phase (single phase, three phase), application (industrial, utility & grid, commercial), product type (transformer tap changers, voltage control relays), and region. The report provides qualitative and quantitative information on various players in this market. This report also tracks the market by both, supply-side and demand factors. About the Industrial Automation Division at Future Market Insights (FMI): The industrial automation division of Future Market Insights (FMI) offers a novel approach and innovative perspective in analyzing the industrial automation market. Comprehensive coverage of capital, portable, process, construction, industrial, and special-purpose machinery across the manufacturing sector and distinctive analysis of the installed base, consumables, replacement, and USP-feature-application matrix make us a pioneering voice in the industry. We are preferred associates with established as well as budding industry stakeholders and channel partners when it comes to sustaining, growing, and identifying new revenue prospects. Market Outlook by Category: By Phase: Single Phase Three Phase By Application: Industrial Utility and Grid Commercial Others By Product Type: Transformer Tap Changers Off-circuit Tap Changer On-circuit Tap Changer Voltage Control Relays DIN Rail Panel Mounted By Region: North America Latin America Western Europe Eastern Europe East Asia Central Asia Russia and Belarus Balkan and Baltic Countries South Asia and Pacific Middle East and Africa Grow your profit margins with Future Market Insights Inc. Buy the report now! https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/17099 Table of Content (ToC): 1. Executive Summary | Transformer Tap Changers and Voltage Control Relay Market 1.1. Global Market Outlook 1.2. Demand Side Trends 1.3. Supply Side Trends 1.4. Analysis and Recommendations 2. Market Overview 2.1. Market Coverage/Taxonomy 2.2. Market Definition/Scope/Limitations 3. Key Market Trends 3.1. Key Trends Impacting the Market 3.2. Product Innovation/Development Trends 4. Key Success Factors 4.1. Product Adoption/Usage Analysis 4.2. Product USPs/Features 4.3. Strategic Promotional Strategies 5. Global Market Demand Analysis 2018 to 2022 and Forecast, 2023 to 2033 5.1. Historical Market Volume (Units) Analysis, 2018 to 2022 5.2. Current and Future Market Volume (Units) Projections, 2023 to 2033 5.3. Y-o-Y Growth Trend Analysis (TOC Continue...) Explore Trending Reports of Industrial Automation: Wear Plates Market Demand: The wear plate market is capturing a valuation of US$ 7.62 Billion in 2023 and is predicted to reach US$ 12.53 Billion by 2033. The market is registering a CAGR of 5.1% during the forecast period. Air Filters Market Size: The air filters market size is projected to be valued at US$ 16.53 Billion in 2023 and is expected to rise to US$ 30.33 Billion by 2033. The sales of air filters are expected to record a significant CAGR of 6.26% during the forecast period. 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Global demand for sensor cables is expected to rise at a CAGR of 7.2% to US$ 1,400 Million in 2033. Security and Surveillance Equipment Market outlook: The Global Security and Surveillance Equipment market share is projected to reach US$ 31.6 Billion in 2032. The growing global security concern, theft prevention, and safety assurance has been increasing the demand for Security and Surveillance Equipment. About Future Market Insights, Inc. Future Market Insights, Inc. (ESOMAR certified, Stevie Award - recipient market research organization, and a member of Greater New York Chamber of Commerce) provides in-depth insights into governing factors elevating the demand in the market. It discloses opportunities that will favor the market growth in various segments on the basis of Source, Application, Sales Channel, and End Use over the next 10 years. Contact Us Future Market Insights, Inc. Christiana Corporate, 200 Continental Drive, Suite 401, Newark, Delaware - 19713, USA Tel: +1-845-579-5705 Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com Web: www.futuremarketinsights.com LinkedIn | Twitter | Blogs | YouTube FILE PHOTO: Workers unload a truck with GMO yellow corn imported from the U.S., in Tepexpan By Adriana Barrera MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Trade consultations requested by the United States on Mexico's plan to limit the use of genetically modified corn are an "unacceptable violation" of Mexican law and feed the interests of seed "oligopolies," a top Mexican official said on Thursday. The United States, Mexico's main trading partner, requested the consultations in early March under the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) agreement, which calls for a science-based approach to domestic regulations. U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has said Mexico's policy is not based in science, while the Mexican government claims it is consistent with USMCA regulation. "The United States' request to Mexico follows the interests of seed, agrochemical, and other food-producing oligopolies," said Mexican Deputy Agriculture Minister Victor Suarez. Suarez said that seed makers Bayer AG, Corteva Inc, ChemChina's Syngenta and BASF are "winning" under the U.S.' trade and agricultural policies, but that they do not represent all U.S. growers. Washington requested consultations after Mexico softened an original plan to ban GMO corn across the board and instead opened its use for animal feed and industrial use. However, Mexico retained plans to prohibit GMO corn's use for human consumption, which applies to flour, dough or tortilla made from the grain. The consultations are a first step toward a trade panel under the treaty, which could ultimately rule in favor of slapping Mexico with punitive tariffs. The Mexican policy "does not affect U.S. corn producers in any way," Suarez said, contradictory to the U.S.' claims. "It is the U.S.' own agricultural and trade policies, as well as its food development model, which distorts prices and creates gaps between small-scale producers and large transnationals," Suarez added. Suarez told Reuters in October that Mexico was exploring agreements with farmers in the U.S., Argentina and Brazil to import non-GMO yellow corn. Story continues Mexico may have found some allies in the endeavor. Some U.S. corn growers told Reuters they were open to Mexico's restrictions, arguing in favor of a free market in which they could sell the non-GMO corn at a premium. (Reporting by Adriana Barrera; Writing by Kylie Madry; Editing by Sandra Maler) DUBLIN, April 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Wholesale Carrier Ethernet Services Update, United States, 2022" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Research and Markets Logo In this report, the analyst focuses on leading service providers of comprehensive wholesale carrier Ethernet services in the US market. The US wholesale carrier Ethernet services market has started to experience negative revenue growth rates, primarily due to price compression and market maturity. The report delivers market forecasts for US wholesale carrier Ethernet services from 2022 to 2026. The analyst defines wholesale Ethernet services as services sold by providers to other carriers, systems integrators, and resellers, which include Ethernet services in all layers (1, 2, and 3). The study includes an in-depth analysis of the key trends impacting the US wholesale carrier Ethernet services market, including growth drivers, growth restraints, market revenue forecasts, and port forecasts. The revenues are not broken down by service configuration (E-Line and E-LAN) in this report. The analysis is further segmented by transport distance (metro and long haul) and service type (dedicated or port-based services and switched or VLAN-aware services). Key Topics Covered: 1. Strategic Imperatives Why is it Increasingly Difficult to Grow? The Strategic Imperative 8 The Impact of the Top 3 Strategic Imperatives on the Wholesale Carrier Ethernet Services Industry Growth Opportunities Fuel the Growth Pipeline Engine 2. Growth Opportunity Analysis Scope of Analysis Segmentation by Transport Distance Segmentation by Service Type Growth Metrics Market Trends Growth Drivers Growth Restraints Forecast Assumptions Revenue Forecast Percent Revenue Forecast by Transport Distance Percent Revenue Forecast Comparing Dedicated and Switched Ethernet Revenue Forecast by Switched Ethernet Revenue Forecast by Dedicated Ethernet Revenue Forecast Analysis 3. Metro Segment Analysis Growth Metrics Revenue Forecast Percent Revenue Forecast Comparing Dedicated and Switched Ethernet Revenue Forecast by Switched Ethernet Revenue Forecast by Dedicated Ethernet Revenue Forecast Analysis Story continues 4. Long Haul Segment Analysis Growth Metrics Revenue Forecast Percent Revenue Forecast Comparing Dedicated and Switched Ethernet Revenue Forecast by Switched Ethernet Revenue Forecast by Dedicated Ethernet Revenue Forecast Analysis 5. Growth Opportunity Universe Growth Opportunity 1: Demand for High Bandwidth Connectivity Growth Opportunity 2: Mobile Backhaul and Increasing 5G Deployments Growth Opportunity 3: Growing Adoption of Cloud Services List of Exhibits For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/q71jwd About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg Cision View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-wholesale-carrier-ethernet-services-report-2022-pricing-compression-and-market-maturity-attributed-to-declining-revenue-growth-rates-301808435.html SOURCE Research and Markets CEO of Activision Blizzard, Bobby Kotick - Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Vanity Fair The boss of one of the world's largest game makers has accused Britain's competition watchdog of being used as a tool by President Joe Biden's officials after it struck down a 55bn tech takeover. Bobby Kotick, chief executive of Activision Blizzard, alleged that Lina Khan, Bidens appointed head of the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), had met British officials days before the gaming giants merger with Microsoft was blocked. Mr Smith said: There's a clear message here the European Union is a more attractive place to start a business than the United Kingdom. He added: The English Channel has never seemed wider in terms of Europe as a continent being attractive for investment. Activision is the publisher of the lucrative Call of Duty franchise, a military action series that is played by tens of millions of people. Sony, which makes the PlayStation console, had claimed Xbox-designer Microsoft would use the merger to restrict access to the popular game. On Wednesday, following the CMAs decision, Activision warned it would now reassess our growth plans for the UK and claimed the UK was clearly closed for business. Mr Kotick, meanwhile, suggested to CNBC that Democrat officials had leaned on their UK counterparts to advance an ideological attack on Big Tech, though he admitted he did not know what exactly was discussed. The Activision Blizzard boss said on Thursday: I was surprised to learn that Lina Khan and the head of the CMA had a meeting a week and a half ago in Washington. What you're seeing now is that the CMA is being used as a tool by the FTC to create these kinds of outcomes. Mr Kotick added: Ideology shouldn't play a role in the functioning of the FTC... we're handcuffing American companies. That isn't going to serve the interest of America. Douglas Farrar, an FTC spokesman, said: The FTC regularly and lawfully cooperates with international partners and has for decades under both Republican and Democratic Chairs, a practice long welcomed by the business community. Story continues But we never outsource our authority. The FTC absolutely did not collude with the CMA or any other international regulator on any proposed merger review. When a deal appears blatantly anticompetitive then independent antitrust regulators can simply make their own judgements. The CMA declined to comment. Ms Khan, the 34-year-old chair of the FTC, has been a vocal critic of the monopoly-like power of some Big Tech giants. Lina M. Khan - Graeme Jennings/Pool via REUTERS Critics, however, have accused the chair of engaging in hipster antitrust. Ms Khan has previously led failed efforts to sue Facebook-owner Meta over its acquisition of a small VR company and is currently investigating Elon Musk-owned Twitter. Insiders at Microsoft's Redmond headquarters are understood to have been stunned by the CMA's decision. Senior sources said the tech giant had offered legally binding commitments... not empty promises to mitigate concerns around the deal. Microsoft had offered to allow gaming rivals such as Sony and Nintendo long-term deals that would guarantee access to Call of Duty. Mr Smith, Microsofts vice chair and president, told the BBC's Today programme on Thursday the CMA decision was bad for Britain. He added: People are shocked, people are disappointed, and people's confidence in technology in the UK has been severely shaken. The watchdogs ruling came just hours after No 10 hosted Britains gaming industry in an effort to showcase its work in the sector. The CMA said: It is the CMA's job to do what is best for the people, businesses and economy of the UK, not merging firms with commercial interests. Microsoft and Activision have vowed to appeal the decision. The deal still faces an investigation in the EU while US authorities, led by Ms Khan, have launched a legal bid to block the merger. Additional reporting by Gareth Corfield MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / The cryptocurrency market has been generating mixed feelings among investors, with constant price fluctuations and sensational incidents around various companies and characters. As a result, the search for reliable professionals in the industry has become increasingly important. To make it easier, Umix Group, an Australian-based company is providing innovative solutions to cryptocurrency investment around the world. UMIX Group PTY LTD, Thursday, April 27, 2023, Press release picture Located in Melbourne, one of the largest economic, cultural, and educational centers in Australia, Umix Group aims to change the cryptocurrency industry by offering reliable and secure sources of income. Founded by successful economist and professional in banking, trading and investment, Edward Turner, the company is committed to proving that cryptocurrencies can make users financially stable . "Working at the bank, I turned my attention to the cryptocurrency market, which at the time was just starting to become popular. I saw great potential in this industry and it nurtured unimaginable opportunities that motivated me to start my own business," said Edward. Umix Group provides an innovative investment platform that offers a range of reliable sources such as, swing trading, futures trading, cryptocurrency exchange, staking, and loan issuance. Each team member has been carefully selected to maximize success and provide opportunities to anyone who wants them. "Our team of professionals is dedicated to making the cryptocurrency industry better, and we never stop striving to achieve our goals," added Edward. Since its establishment, Umix Group has rapidly gained a lot of attention worldwide because of the unique opportunities it offers. The company's services are available to nationalities worldwide. Benefits of Umix Platform Advance security protocols Assets protection protocols Risk management Theft insurance Portfolio management and tracking Market analysis ( technical, fundamental & sentiment analysis) Story continues "We believe that transparency is essential to building trust with our investors. That's why we provide detailed reports on our investments, so our investors can see exactly how their money is being used," said Edward. Umix Group's investment platform has been designed to be user-friendly, even for those who are new to cryptocurrency investment. The company provides its investors with a range of tools and resources to help them make informed investment decisions. "Whether you're a seasoned cryptocurrency investor or just getting started, our investment platform is designed to help you succeed. We provide you with the tools and resources you need to make informed investment decisions, so you can achieve your financial goals," added Edward. In conclusion, Umix Group is a young and innovative company that is changing the cryptocurrency industry by offering reliable and secure investment options. The company's commitment to security, transparency, and user-friendliness has made it a popular choice among investors worldwide. With ambitious plans for the future, Umix Group is well-positioned to become a leader in the cryptocurrency investment industry. For more information, please visit the Umix Group website at https://umix-group.com/ or contact them at support@umix-group.com. SOURCE: UMIX Group PTY LTD View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/751716/Umix-Group-Open-New-Horizons-With-Cryptocurrency Students in several states eligible for a multitude of additional benefits PHOENIX, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Technical Institute (UTI), a division of Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE: UTI) and a leading workforce solutions provider of transportation, skilled trades and energy education programs, is announcing the addition of EquipmentShare to its Early Employment Program at campuses in California, Arizona, Florida, and Texas. Early Employment Program employers like EquipmentShare may offer students paid work experience, along with consideration for full-time employment and reimbursement for education-related expenses after graduation1. EquipmentShare is a nationwide construction solutions provider. EquipmentShare offers a wide array of construction-based products that include logistics-tracking software technology, equipment rental, equipment purchasing and equipment service locations across more than 160 branches nationwide. It will also offer the Early Employment Program to its recent acquisition, Landmark Equipment, a five-location equipment dealership in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. EquipmentShare has committed to offering its Early Employment Program students school tuition reimbursement, paid on-the-job training, mentor matching to accelerate industry knowledge and experience, $300 each year in boot reimbursement, $500 each year in tool reimbursement, and access to complimentary breakroom food and drinks. The program will be available to students at UTI's Long Beach, Rancho Cucamonga, and Sacramento, Calif.; Orlando and Miramar, Fla.; Avondale, Ariz., and Dallas, Texas campuses. "We're proud to welcome EquipmentShare to our Early Employment Program and thrilled to offer our graduates another potential career opportunity as they enter the workplace and begin their careers," said Vice President of Student Success Melanie Scheet. "This relationship helps UTI continue to offer students access to some of the most reputable and forward-thinking companies in their respective industries. Our students benefit greatly from real-world experience." Story continues "Our need to hire skilled workers remains high at EquipmentShare, and our commitment to Universal Technical Institute's Early Employment Program will provide a much-needed pipeline of entry-level technicians," said Leslie Adams Elrod, human resources manager at EquipmentShare. "We are looking forward to providing these students and future graduates with the hands-on experience they will need to help EquipmentShare continue to deliver best-in-class service at one of our many branches." UTI offers students many Early Employment Program opportunities across its campuses nationwide. For more information, visit uti.edu/support-services/employment-assistance/early-employment. About Universal Technical Institute, Inc. Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE: UTI) (the "Company") was founded in 1965 and is a leading workforce solutions provider of transportation, skilled trades and healthcare education programs, whose mission is to serve students, partners, and communities by providing quality education and support services for in-demand careers across a number of highly-skilled fields. The Company is comprised of two divisions: Universal Technical Institute ("UTI") and Concorde Career Colleges ("Concorde"). UTI operates 16 campuses located in 9 states and offers a wide range of transportation and skilled trades technical training programs under brands such as UTI, MIAT College of Technology, Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, Marine Mechanics Institute and NASCAR Technical Institute. Concorde operates across 17 campuses in 8 states, offering programs in the Allied Health, Dental, Nursing, Patient Care and Diagnostic fields. For more information, visit www.uti.edu or www.concorde.edu, or visit us on LinkedIn at @UniversalTechnicalInstitute and @Concorde Career Colleges or on Twitter @news_UTI or @ConcordeCareer. About EquipmentShare Headquartered in Columbia, Mo., EquipmentShare is a nationwide construction solutions provider dedicated to solving industry pain points through smart jobsite technology and equipment rental, retail and service centers. EquipmentShare's cloud-connected platform, T3, is powered by telematics and machine hardware to give construction and industrial companies a real-time view into their jobsite and operations. EquipmentShare's enterprise suite of apps is OEM-agnostic and can track and manage any piece of equipment, regardless of brand, to help fleet managers monitor assets, prevent theft and machine misuse, track employee hours and shifts, increase machine utilization, streamline maintenance and prevent unplanned downtime. Founded in 2014 and incorporated in 2015, EquipmentShare operates 160+ branches and employs more than 4,000 team members of diverse perspectives who push the boundaries of possibilities to create unparalleled customer value, support their communities and empower construction professionals to work more efficiently. EquipmentShare's growing presence of locations, which includes equipment and service yards, research and development sites, dealerships for major brands, administrative offices and specialty solutions locations, serve the rising demand for the company's equipment and digital solutions. To learn more, visit equipmentshare.com. 1 Incentive programs and employee eligibility are at the discretion of the employer and available at select locations. Special conditions may apply. Talk to potential employers to learn more about the programs available in your area. UTI is an educational institution and cannot guarantee employment or salary. Media Contact Alanna Vitucci avitucci@uti.edu 480.710.6843 Equipment Share is joining UTI's Early Employment Program. (PRNewsfoto/Universal Technical Institute,) Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/universal-technical-institute-adds-equipmentshare-to-early-employment-program-providing-experience-tuition-reimbursement-and-supplies-to-jumpstart-careers-301810009.html SOURCE Universal Technical Institute, Inc. Traders look on after trading was halted on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., March 18, 2020 Lucas Jackson/Reuters US stocks were mixed on Wednesday after strong earnings from Microsoft boosted tech shares. Microsoft surged 7% after it reported solid growth in its cloud division and talked about its opportunity in AI. First Republic Bank plunged as the company continues to search for a rescue deal. US stocks were mixed on Wednesday after big-tech earnings from Microsoft and Alphabet helped boost technology shares while continued stress in the US banking sector dragged down the rest of the market. Shares of Microsoft surged as much as 9% after the company reported solid growth in its Azure Cloud division and talked up the potential it sees in artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, Alphabet said its Google Cloud division generated a quarterly profit for the first time on record. But a poor earnings report from First Republic Bank sent the stock to new all time lows as it failed to stem deposit outflows. The bank continues to search for a rescue deal from larger banks. So far, 28% of S&P 500 companies have reported first-quarter results. Of those companies, 78% beat profit estimates by a median of 7%, while 71% beat revenue estimates by a median of 4%, according to data from Fundstrat. Here's where US indexes stood at the 4:00 p.m. ET close on Wednesday: Here's what else happened today: Story continues In commodities, bonds and crypto: West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell 3.78% to $74.16 per barrel. Brent crude, oil's international benchmark, dropped 3.96% to $77.57. Gold fell 0.20% to $2,000.50 per ounce. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell one basis point to 3.38%. Bitcoin rose 2% $28,122, while ether edged up 0.4% to $1,844. Read the original article on Business Insider Verizon Sourcing LLC Verizon, the network America relies on, will demonstrate 5G innovations that are transforming business operations at The Venetian, Las Vegas, NV, May 1-4 BASKING RIDGE, N.J., April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Verizon Business will showcase its 5G business solutions at the Channel Partners Conference & Expo (Booth #1219) at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas by demonstrating how 5G, edge computing, collaboration tools and a host of advanced connectivity solutions can facilitate the digital transformation of small businesses and large enterprises alike. Were thrilled to be at the Channel Partners Expo to showcase how Verizon is helping our customers transform their business with new and advanced technologies, including a full deployment of 5G core with our proprietary cloud platform, advancement of our fiber network, artificial intelligence utilization, and so much more, said Michael Caralis, Vice President, Verizon Business Markets. The combination of these new and advanced technologies not only drives enhanced productivity and generates new revenue streams, but also allows our customers to respond more quickly to changing business dynamics and truly change the world. Verizons 5G solutions connect discrete systems to streamline operations and provide businesses with the insights to make smarter decisions. Experience how Verizon is making businesses faster and smarter. At Verizon booth #1219, Channel Partners Conference & Expo attendees will be able to meet with Verizon solution experts and see demos illustrating the transformative benefits of Verizons solutions, including: 5G and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) BlueJeans by Verizon Public Sector solutions To find out more about Verizons Partner Network and solutions, come check out booth #1219 or visit https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/partner-network/ Media contact: Sarah Heinz sarah.heinz@verizon.com Arriving In High Heels Corporation Popular Travel App Visited publishes top 10 destinations and travel trends for Australian Travellers as well as top travel trends for 2022 TORONTO, April 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the Visited App, Australia is currently ranked as the most wished for destination to visit among international travellers. Australia is also currently ranked as the 30th most visited country among the travel tracker app. The Visited travel app has over 1.65 million users across the globe and offers a unique glance into popular destinations. All data is based on the user's self-reported information on where theyve been, and launching shortly a section for travellers to mark where they would like to go with the trip-planner feature. On average an international traveller has been to 15 countries, however Australians on average have been to 20 countries. Visited App has recently published the Top 10 Most Visited Countries by Australians . Below is the list: 1) United Kingdom 2) France 3) United States 4) Italy 5) Germany 6) Thailand 7) New Zealand 8) Spain 9) Indonesia 10) Singapore For more travel stats and the top 2022 travel trends, you can download the travel report. This report highlights how many countries travellers around the world visit, want to visit, and lists all the popular destinations for 2022. About Visited App: Visited App, is a travel app which allows users to map their travels based on where youve been to or wish to travel to. You can see personal stats, such as how many countries you have visited, what percentage of the world you wish to still see and more. The map feature also allows you to create your very own scratch map by country, region and city. The travel list feature allows you to check off famous places by interest. Examples of travel lists include snorkeling spots, art museums, capitals of the world, scenic drives, beaches, and national parks, to name a few. You can also see the order of popularity, for example Sydney Opera house comes in 19th spot for most visited world wonder, while Bondi Beach in Sydney comes in the 7th spot as most visited beach in the world. Sydney Harbour Bridge is ranked 12th most visited bridge in the world. Its interesting to note that while the Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest reef its only ranked as the 4th most visited in the world with Cancun, Bali and Cozumel coming ahead. Story continues The new travel itinerary feature allows users to mark all places they wish to visit by interest or country; and to scroll through inspirational photos or select experiences they wish to have. You can see your results sorted by country so you can decide on your next destination based on its rank, of the number of places left you have to see. To learn more about the Visited app and its latest feature update, please visit https://visitedapp.com . To download the app for free, you can find Visited on iOS and Android . About Arriving In High Heels Corporation Arriving In High Heels Corporation is a mobile app company; Visited is its most popular app. For inspiration on travel destinations, travel stats and the latest travel news, follow Visited's Travel Blog . Contact: Anna Kayfitz anna@arrivinginhighheels.com VORTEX ENERGY CORP VANCOUVER, British Columbia , April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vortex Energy Corp. (CSE: VRTX | OTC: VTECF | FRA: AA3) ("Vortex" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the addition of four key advisors with in-depth knowledge of Atlantic Canada, climate policy, geology of salt caverns and disruptors. The Honourable Stephen McNeil, retired Premier of Nova Scotia, served for 18 years in the Nova Scotia Legislature and was re-elected five times by the voters of Annapolis. Robert (Rob) Crosbie is a member of the Order of Canada and is an Atlantic Canada business leader with experience in hyper growth companies. Stephen Kukucha is a Partner at PacBridge Partners with over 20 years of experience in clean technology, renewable power, investing and public policy. At PacBridge Capital Partners, he specializes in providing early-stage and growth capital to companies seeking to take disruptive technologies to market and build scalable businesses. Piotr Kukialka is a salt cavern specialist with broad experience across a number of projects in Canada, the United States, and Europe. With over 20 years in the industry, Piotr has provided technical, geological, and engineering support in the solution mining field for all types of salt caverns. Paul Sparkes, CEO of Vortex commented, Our new advisors bring a wealth of knowledge and experience that will help Vortex as we move forward in the salt and hydrogen space. These are exciting times for Newfoundland and Labrador and Atlantic Canada and I am happy to have Stephen, Rob, Piotr and Stephen as part of our team. Stephen McNeil After retiring from his position as Premier of Nova Scotia, the Honourable Stephen McNeil joined Cox & Palmer in the role of Strategic Business Advisor in the Halifax office. Until his resignation in Spring 2021, Stephen was the dean of Canadian premiers, having held the office since 2013. He served for 18 years in the Nova Scotia Legislature and was re-elected five times by the voters of Annapolis. During his time in the provincial government, Stephen served as Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Minister of Planning and Priorities, Minister of Regulatory Affairs and Service Effectiveness, Minister responsible for Military Relations, Minister responsible for Social Innovation and Integrative Approaches, and Minister responsible for Youth. He was the Leader of the Official Opposition in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 2009 until 2013. Story continues Robert (Rob) Crosbie An experienced and well-respected Newfoundland and Labrador-based business leader and entrepreneur, Robert (Rob) Crosbie is the Chair of Crosbie and has significant experience leading growth-oriented companies. Rob started with the family business in 1991 and led the company's growth in real estate development and industrial services. Rob Crosbie is a member of the Order of Canada (2018), holds an honourary Doctor of Laws degree from Memorial University (2018), and is a member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Business Hall of Fame (2016). Rob has also received Ernst & Young's Atlantic Canada Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2016), Memorial University's J.D. Eaton Tribute Award (2014), and Memorial University's Faculty of Business Administration Alumnus of the Year Award (2003). Stephen Kukucha Stephen works across multiple platforms helping companies scale and commercialize their technologies and products. This includes roles as an investor, Advisor, Board member or sometimes even taking a hands-on role in companies to drive their early success. With over 20 years of experience in climate and clean technologies, and other relevant experience as a lawyer and in public policy and government, he brings a wealth of experience to organizations. His current focus is helping lead companies in the emerging carbon (markets, credits, production and removal) and climate/clean tech space, capital raising, investing and advisory. Current, active roles include CEO, Cero Technologies, Senior Advisor, Fort Capital and Partner, PacBridge Capital Partners. Stephen serves on the Board of Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), DevvStream Carbon Credit Investing and Cero Technologies. Previously, he served as Vice-Chair, Fuel Cells Canada (FCC); Chair, Canadian Transportation Fuel Cell Alliance (CTFCA); Steering Team & Planning Committee California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP); Member, US Dept. of Energys Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Advisory Panel; Director, National Hydrogen Association (U.S.) & Director, US Fuel Cells Council. Stephen graduated from the ICD-Rotman, Directors Education Program (September 2022) and is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors, ICD.D (September 2022). Piotr Kukialka Mr. Kukialka, M.Sc, P.Geo, is a salt cavern specialist with broad experience across a variety of projects in Canada, the United States, and Europe. With over 20 years in the industry, Piotr has provided technical, geological, and engineering support in the solution mining field for all types of salt caverns (storage, waste disposal, and brine production). He has worked for DEEP. Underground Engineering GmbH (Germany), and consulted for Encana / Cenovus, CNRL, CBW Engineering / SubTerra Engineering, and Pure Environmental. Mr. Kukialka is a Ph.D. candidate (2023) in solution mining and salina geology at the AGH University of Science and Technology, Krakow, Poland. Options Issuance Vortex also announces that it has granted an aggregate of 600,000 stock options (Options), each with an exercise price of CDN $0.65, to Mr. Kukialka, Mr. McNeil, Mr. Kukucha and Mr. Crosbie. These Options shall vest in four equal installments on October 26, 2023, April 26, 2024, October 26, 2024 and April 26, 2025, and shall expire on April 26, 2026. Each vested option, upon payment of the exercise price, entitles the holder thereof to receive one common share of the Company. The Options, and any shares issued upon the exercise of, will be subject to a hold period of four months in accordance with the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange. About Vortex Energy Corp. Vortex Energy Corp. is an exploration stage company engaged principally in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties in North America. The Company is currently advancing its Robinson River Salt Project in Stephenville in the Province of Newfoundland & Labrador covering over 17,000 hectares. Leveraging the Robinson River Salt project, the Company is also exploring the development of technologies to efficiently store green Hydrogen in Salt Caverns. Vortex also holds the Fire Eye Project, which is located in the Wollaston Domain of northern Saskatchewan, Canada. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Paul Sparkes Chief Executive Officer, Director +1 (778) 819-0164 info@vortexenergycorp.com Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including with respect to the Company's business and plans. The Company provides forward-looking statements for the purpose of conveying information about current expectations and plans relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. By its nature, this information is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections, or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct, and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited those identified and reported in the Companys public filings under the Companys SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events, or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or 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. 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 unless required by law. The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) has not reviewed, approved, or disapproved the contents of this press release. Recent bank crises in the U.S. and Europe have many Canadians worried about the fate of their deposits here at home, and the resiliency of our banking system. 56% of Canadians are concerned Canada's banking system is vulnerable to collapse. 28% of Canadians are somewhat worried about the security of their deposits. To protect from a potential financial crisis, 22% of Canadians have withdrawn money from their bank in the last 30 days, and 15% have transferred money to a different institution. TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / A new survey conducted by WealthRocket reveals more than half (56%) of Canadians are concerned our domestic banking system is vulnerable to collapse, similar to what's happened with some banks in the U.S. and Europe. WealthRocket - Banking Fears Survey Results The recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, followed by the near-collapse of Credit Suisse, has many Canadians worried about the fate of their deposits at home, and the resiliency of our banking system. Concerns about banking system vulnerability and safety of deposits Fifty-six percent of Canadians are concerned our banking system is vulnerable to collapse, with younger Canadians - particularly millennials - most concerned. Those ages 35-44 expressed the most concern (64%), followed by those 25-34 (63%), 18-24 (51%), 45-54 (51%) and 54+ (45%). More than a quarter (28%) of Canadians are somewhat worried about the safety of their money in a Canadian bank, with 20% very worried, 9% extremely worried, and 19% not worried. While many banks are insured by CDIC, only 37% of Canadians know what CDIC is and know their financial institution is a member. Slightly less (32%) don't know what CDIC is, and have no idea if their financial institution is a member. Canadians taking preventative action to protect from potential banking crisis In an effort to shield their money from a potential financial crisis, in the last 30 days: 22% of Canadians have withdrawn money from their account 16% have transferred money to an investment account 15% have transferred money to a different institution 14% have purchased alternative assets, like cryptocurrency 13% have verified whether their bank is a CDIC member Story continues Survey Methodology Data collected via an online Pollfish survey of 1,500 Canadians (18+) conducted between April 13 and 14, 2023. Estimated margin of error: +/- 3%. About WealthRocket WealthRocket a Canadian personal finance website focused on credit cards, banking, investing, budgeting, and more. Our mission is to empower Canadians to make informed financial decisions and get the most out of their money. For further information, contact Rebecca David, rebecca@wealthrocket.com. Contact Information Rebecca David Media Relations Coordinator rebecca@wealthrocket.com 902-293-9342 SOURCE: WealthRocket . View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/751563/WealthRocket-Survey-Finds-56-of-Canadians-Concerned-Our-Banking-System-is-Vulnerable-to-Collapse Even when a business is losing money, it's possible for shareholders to make money if they buy a good business at the right price. For example, biotech and mining exploration companies often lose money for years before finding success with a new treatment or mineral discovery. But while history lauds those rare successes, those that fail are often forgotten; who remembers Pets.com? Given this risk, we thought we'd take a look at whether Sareum Holdings (LON:SAR) shareholders should be worried about its cash burn. In this article, we define cash burn as its annual (negative) free cash flow, which is the amount of money a company spends each year to fund its growth. We'll start by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves in order to calculate its cash runway. See our latest analysis for Sareum Holdings How Long Is Sareum Holdings' Cash Runway? A company's cash runway is calculated by dividing its cash hoard by its cash burn. When Sareum Holdings last reported its balance sheet in December 2022, it had zero debt and cash worth UK2.9m. In the last year, its cash burn was UK2.7m. Therefore, from December 2022 it had roughly 13 months of cash runway. Notably, analysts forecast that Sareum Holdings will break even (at a free cash flow level) in about 2 years. Essentially, that means the company will either reduce its cash burn, or else require more cash. You can see how its cash balance has changed over time in the image below. How Is Sareum Holdings' Cash Burn Changing Over Time? Because Sareum Holdings isn't currently generating revenue, we consider it an early-stage business. So while we can't look to sales to understand growth, we can look at how the cash burn is changing to understand how expenditure is trending over time. Over the last year its cash burn actually increased by a very significant 51%. Oftentimes, increased cash burn simply means a company is accelerating its business development, but one should always be mindful that this causes the cash runway to shrink. Clearly, however, the crucial factor is whether the company will grow its business going forward. So you might want to take a peek at how much the company is expected to grow in the next few years. Story continues How Hard Would It Be For Sareum Holdings To Raise More Cash For Growth? Given its cash burn trajectory, Sareum Holdings shareholders may wish to consider how easily it could raise more cash, despite its solid cash runway. Companies can raise capital through either debt or equity. Commonly, a business will sell new shares in itself to raise cash and drive growth. By looking at a company's cash burn relative to its market capitalisation, we gain insight on how much shareholders would be diluted if the company needed to raise enough cash to cover another year's cash burn. Sareum Holdings has a market capitalisation of UK80m and burnt through UK2.7m last year, which is 3.3% of the company's market value. That's a low proportion, so we figure the company would be able to raise more cash to fund growth, with a little dilution, or even to simply borrow some money. Is Sareum Holdings' Cash Burn A Worry? Even though its increasing cash burn makes us a little nervous, we are compelled to mention that we thought Sareum Holdings' cash burn relative to its market cap was relatively promising. Shareholders can take heart from the fact that analysts are forecasting it will reach breakeven. Cash burning companies are always on the riskier side of things, but after considering all of the factors discussed in this short piece, we're not too worried about its rate of cash burn. On another note, we conducted an in-depth investigation of the company, and identified 3 warning signs for Sareum Holdings (1 is a bit unpleasant!) that you should be aware of before investing here. If you would prefer to check out another company with better fundamentals, then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt or this list of stocks which are all forecast to grow. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here Key Insights Significant control over Suntec Real Estate Investment Trust by individual investors implies that the general public has more power to influence management and governance-related decisions 50% of the business is held by the top 9 shareholders Insiders own 30% of Suntec Real Estate Investment Trust If you want to know who really controls Suntec Real Estate Investment Trust (SGX:T82U), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. We can see that individual investors own the lion's share in the company with 40% ownership. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company. Meanwhile, individual insiders make up 30% of the companys shareholders. Generally speaking, as a company grows, institutions will increase their ownership. Conversely, insiders often decrease their ownership over time. In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Suntec Real Estate Investment Trust. View our latest analysis for Suntec Real Estate Investment Trust What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Suntec Real Estate Investment Trust? Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing. Suntec Real Estate Investment Trust already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of Suntec Real Estate Investment Trust, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too. Story continues Hedge funds don't have many shares in Suntec Real Estate Investment Trust. Our data shows that Yigang Tang is the largest shareholder with 15% of shares outstanding. With 9.6% and 8.0% of the shares outstanding respectively, ARA Asset Management Limited and Chen Huaidan are the second and third largest shareholders. On further inspection, we found that more than half the company's shares are owned by the top 9 shareholders, suggesting that the interests of the larger shareholders are balanced out to an extent by the smaller ones. 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. There are a reasonable number of analysts covering the stock, so it might be useful to find out their aggregate view on the future. Insider Ownership Of Suntec Real Estate Investment Trust While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. 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 Suntec Real Estate Investment Trust. Insiders own S$1.2b worth of shares in the S$4.0b company. That's quite meaningful. Most would say this shows a good degree of alignment with shareholders, especially in a company of this size. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling. General Public Ownership With a 40% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over Suntec Real Estate Investment Trust. 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. Next Steps: It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Suntec Real Estate Investment Trust better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should learn about the 4 warning signs we've spotted with Suntec Real Estate Investment Trust (including 2 which are a bit concerning) . 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. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here US and EU officials welcomed news that Chinese President Xi Jinping had spoken with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, but not without some scepticism from Washington over whether the development would lead to the end of Russia's invasion. Speaking to reporters just hours after Zelensky's phone call with Xi, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby called the move "a good thing". He cautioned that he had only learned about the call through news reports. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV also said that China would send a delegation headed by Li Hui, Beijing's special representative on Eurasian affairs, as special envoy to Kyiv and "other countries". 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. Eric Mamer, spokesman for EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, said the call was "an important, long overdue first step by China in exercising its responsibilities as a member of the UN Security Council". Eric Mamer, chief spokesman for the European Commission, standing behind European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday. Photo: EPA-EFE alt=Eric Mamer, chief spokesman for the European Commission, standing behind European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday. Photo: EPA-EFE> "China's leadership needs to use its influence to bring Russia to end its war of aggression, restore Ukraine's territorial integrity and respect its sovereignty, as a basis for a just peace," Mamer added. In the nearly hour-long phone call, Xi told Zelensky that "talks and negotiation" were the "only way out" of the war. Kirby said that whether the call would "lead to some sort of meaningful peace movement or plan or proposal, I just don't think we know that right now. Story continues "We have long said we want this war to end. It could end immediately if [Russian President Vladimir] Putin would leave. That doesn't appear to be in the offing." Kirby added: "We certainly would welcome any effort to arrive at a just peace as long as that peace could be, as I said, just, could be sustainable and could be credible. "It's not going to be sustainable or credible unless the Ukrainians and President Zelensky personally is invested in it." China has faced mounting criticism from Washington and other Western countries over its refusal to condemn Russia's invasion, now entering its 15th month, and Beijing's close economic ties with Moscow. Calls from these countries to further tighten sanctions against Moscow had also been gaining momentum. Xi has had multiple calls with Putin since the invasion and even met the Russian leader face-to-face in Moscow in March. In Europe, some leaders have staked political capital on engaging China in peace efforts in Ukraine, and controversial comments by a Chinese diplomat last week rattled confidence in that approach. Speaking on French television, Lu Shaye, the Chinese ambassador to France, questioned the sovereignty of post-Soviet states - three of which, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, are members of the European Union, while Ukraine is another. The furore created by Lu's comments may have been the trigger for the Xi-Zelensky call to take place, two officials speaking on the condition of anonymity suggested. "I know I can count on you to bring Russia to its senses, and bring everyone back to the negotiating table," French President Emmanuel Macron told Xi during a state visit to Beijing this month. Political figures close to Macron said that the call showed he had been right to seek China's assistance. "A first step towards peace, under the conditions desired by Ukraine," tweeted Pieyre-Alexandre Anglade, chairman of the French Parliament's European Affairs Committee and a member of Macron's Renaissance party. "To those who doubted it: moving [Macron] to China was useful in asserting the voice of France and the strategic autonomy of Europe." Benjamin Haddad, another Renaissance lawmaker, also linked the call to Macron's trip. In the call to Zelensky, Xi noted that "one of the objectives of Macron's visit to Beijing was to push China to play a more constructive role in the conflict". Finnish President Sauli Niinisto tweeted simply: "Good news." French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on April 6. Photo: AFP via Getty Images/TNS alt=French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on April 6. Photo: AFP via Getty Images/TNS> Another senior EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the EU "has always encouraged China, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, to share the global responsibility to defend and uphold the UN charter and the principles of international law". "We take note of China's intention to send a special envoy to Ukraine (and other countries) - also to stress the above message; we look forward to more details on this initiative," this official added. Rorry Daniels, managing director of the Asia Society Policy Institute, said the call showed that China was attempting a delicate balancing act in managing its relations with Russia, the EU and the US. The phone conversation, she said "seems to have laid a foundation for more regular contact between officials from China and Ukraine". "China wants to show Europe that it can play a more constructive role on issues that matter most to Europeans," Daniels added. "At the same time, China wants to manage expectations that it is ready, willing and able to mediate a dialogue process." Additional reporting by Mark Magnier 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. Although the controversial LGBTQ book This Book is Gay was ordered to be relocated to the adults-only section of the Keene Memorial Library on April 17 by the library advisory board, several local residents continued to complain about the books presence in the city library during the Tuesday, April 25, meeting of the Fremont City Council. During the once-a-month public comment period hosted at the final city council meeting of each month, three speakers former council member Brad Yerger, local book activist and business owner Sandra Murray and resident Scott Preston all chided the council for allowing the book to stay in the library, while Murray and Preston also complained about no public comment being allowed at the April 17 meeting of the Keene Memorial Library Advisory Board. This Book is Gay, by Juno Dawson was the subject of two book removal requests in February from local residents Sandra Murray and her daughter, Kelley Garay. Their requests were denied by Library Director Laura England-Biggs, whose decision the duo appealed to the librarys advisory board. That appeal led to the book being deemed adult content and relocated to the adult section of the library. However, while a small victory for those opposed to the book, Murray and others who spoke on Tuesday are hoping the city council will overrule the library board and remove the book altogether. Yerger began the comments, first criticizing the council for a lack of action in his opinion on a variety of what he said were important community issues that had yet to be dealt with as needed. Among those complaints were the status of $10,000 annual payments to Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach; a first responder and law enforcement response plan for the impending Bell Street viaduct/bridge closure; the status of a new police station planning process; and the compliance with the Childrens Internet Protection Act at the city library. Moving to the topic of the book controversy at the Keene library, Yerger said he felt Mayor Joey Spellerberg, library officials and City Administrator Jody Sanders were, enabling Fremont to go woke, and demanded the council remove This Book is Gay from the city library. Its my belief that due to an apparent lack of leadership, inaction or reliance on a misguided moral compass that doesnt comport with the communitys norms, the mayor, the city administrator, the library, the library board and this council have been enabling Fremont to go woke, Yerger said. This has occurred by creating and facilitating radical fringe groups and sexualization and gender identity indoctrination of our children by allowing this to happen in our library. Yerger also accused the city and library leadership of endangering, childrens physical safety, and the books allowed in the library have in his view, polluted and confused their minds and worked to destroy their innocence. Mental health issues, sex trafficking and moral decay are on the rise throughout the country and theres evidence that its here in Fremont as well. This must stop and youre in a position of leadership and your actions can make a difference, Yerger added. Although the library boards decision to remove This Book is Gay, from the childrens section was unanimous, moving the book to the adult section is mostly symbolic. Where can you start? By overturning the library boards relocation decision and ordering the removal of This Book is Gay, from the library. Preston, who had a short debate with City Attorney Travis Jacott at the April 17 library board meeting after he was denied the ability to speak at the meeting, also addressed the council on Tuesday, demanding the eight members of the council remove that trash referring to This Book is Gay from the city library. I do want to start by saying that the library board did a good thing two Mondays ago by moving This Book is Gay from the young adult section into the adult section. However, the board missed an opportunity to do what they should have done, which is to get that trash completely out of Keene Memorial Library, Preston said. Preston also stressed he does not oppose the book because it is about LGBTQ issues, but rather he is against the sexually explicit content of the book which he claimed is aimed at children. He then challenged the council to place the issue of possibly removing the book from the library altogether on a future council meeting agenda. The second reason I bring this up is because this council has final oversight of the library director and board. You could choose to put this book on an upcoming agenda and vote to remove it from the library. It is clearly within your power, Preston added. However, I think that cowardice will prevent you from doing that. If you think this book is so great and vital to the public good that it needs to be in the library at all, why not go on the record with a vote? Are you afraid of what the public in this generally conservative town might think? Are you worried that voters would turn against you if they actually knew the truth of what you believe? Murray, whose complaints on Dec. 27, 2022, about five books at the library she and her other daughter, Brianna Kindler, opposed kick-started the current debate over sex education and LGBTQ books, also spoke at the meeting. Murray told the council she would be working with her council representative Ward 2 Council Member Glen Ellis to have an item placed on a future city council agenda to consider the council overruling the library advisory board and removing This Book is Gay altogether. I do plan to appeal. The pictures and images in this book are horrible, Murray said, before explaining a prime objection to the book was passages she claimed teach minors how to upload inappropriate and illegal photographs of themselves unclothed or their genitalia to apps and websites. Theres a chapter in that book that tells children how to download their pictures on to adult sex sites. This is a danger to children. Why would you tell a child that? That is just completely crazy. And then theres another page in there that tells kids how to go to sauna rooms where adults are having sex and engage in sex with adults, Murray said. To me, it is not only a matter of child, childrens safety, but its unlawful. Its unlawful according to our town, its unlawful according to our state, its unlawful federally and it just is appalling to me that the whole library board everyone on there said this books inappropriate, Lets put it in the adult area. Murray than questioned the council on who in the community needs that type of information. But I say thats not good enough because their whole point is theres a section of our community that needs this book and needs to be able to have access to it. Who is it that needs that section (of the book)? Is it sex offenders, pedophiles, sex traffickers? she asked. Theres a problem with sex trafficking in Nebraska and in Fremont, who is it that needs to read this book in the adult area? According to the citys municipal code as well as library policy, the Fremont City Council can overrule any decision of the librarys advisory board. However, council President Mark Jensen has been vehement in his objections to that possibility, vowing to block an efforts to even address the library book issue at the council level in several previous interviews and statements. With no leads, foul play suspected and DNA test results taking longer than expected, Pueblo County sheriff's Detective Vanessa Simpson decided to embark on a different method for identifying the remains. On the recommendation of a colleague, she reached out to noted forensic artist Samantha Steinberg. The DNA hadnt come back, and we had a family out there in some capacity who needed to be brought peace, Simpson said. Steinberg has been a forensic artist with the Miami-Dade Police Department in Florida for more than two decades. A pioneer of forensic art, Steinberg has lent her talents to police departments across the country, including elsewhere in Colorado. Steinberg got her start in forensic art shortly after graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design with a degree in fine art. In a virtual interview with The Gazette, she said shed always loved true-crime books. Through her reading, she learned about forensic art. So here I am, out of college, reading this serial killer book and seeing that theyve contracted a fine artist to help find them. And Im thinking that if someone taught me the science behind it, I could do this and it would be such a great merge of (my) two passions, all things true crime and my art, Steinberg said. She began trying to learn about forensic art, even cold calling the FBI. At the time, they had a three-week forensic facial imaging course at the academy in Quantico. But you had to be employed by a police agency, and you had to have a number of successful cases, Steinberg said. So, I thought, OK, I need to get a police department to take me on. She reached out to Miami-Dade police and was connected to Detective Charlie Holt. At the time, a forensic artist position didnt exist within the department. Although Holt was responsible for producing forensic art, he was listed as a detective with the auto theft unit. He said to come on by, and to bring my portfolio, and hed be happy to talk to me, Steinberg said. He said that Id never get a job here the position simply didnt exist. He was willing to humor me. That is, it didnt exist yet. With Holt teaching Steinberg the ins-and-outs of law enforcement, and Steinberg helping Holt sharpen his artistic skills, the two were an unlikely but solid team. That first year, I was an unpaid volunteer with the department, Steinberg said, but it wasnt long before she proved herself to be worth more than volunteer status. The second case she worked on with the department helped lead to an identification. Thankfully, my supervisors soon realized they might be able to get a better product (forensic art) by hiring a civilian and paying them less than what they were paying a veteran police officer with little artistic training, Steinberg said. With Holt on his way to retirement, the department spent the next two years creating the position of forensic artist for Miami-Dade police. And I was the very first one to have it, Steinberg said. Its quite a small field. We carry the opinion that if we have the time and the talent that its in everyones best interest if we assist other law enforcement agencies when we can, Steinberg said. A meticulous process With only roughly 30 full-time forensic artists employed in the U.S., Steinberg has always had an open door policy" regarding her work. Thats how she found herself involved in the unidentified remains case in Pueblo County. In looking at the image Steinberg created for Pueblo County, it takes a second or even third glance to realize it isnt a photograph. Its nothing like the pencil sketches seen on popular crime TV shows or even real-life courtroom scene renderings. Steinberg begins her process by conducting measurements of the skull and jaw and analyzing the forensic anthropologists report. The doctor (forensic anthropologist) determines the individuals gender, approximate age, ethnicity and if theres any anomalies present (such as a healed fracture), Steinberg said. The more niche the injury, the more helpful it can be in identifying remains. Once I have the biographical information of the individual, and the skull itself, Ill prep the skull for photography by applying tissue-depth markers. Using a chart that indicates common facial contours for different gender, ages and demographics, the tissue depth markers are blended with the biographical information provided by the forensic anthropologist. If you get the science and the photographs right, then the outside contours should be pretty straightforward just connecting the dots, Steinberg said. She then takes measurements of the eyes, nose and mouth to determine the proportions of the individuals facial features. Creating different images The remainder of the process is when Steinbergs artistic skills and creativity come into play. Steinberg explained the technique she uses is one shes worked to perfect for years and one she wasnt always sure would be accepted by the public. When we started back in the '90s, we did everything by hand. When I started here, I already knew how to use Photoshop (invented in 1987). I just thought at the time that in 1998 and 99 that the public wasnt as familiar with digital imaging software, and I thought it was almost a disservice by making an image too realistic or photographic in quality. Because then people think its an exact individual, not an approximate likeness based on skeletal remains and the anthropologist report. Over time, she began using Photoshop more and more as public perception advanced, and with real-time success in cases being solved. Today, most of her work is done digitally. What I had started doing years ago was a hybrid technique where I draw most of it by hand and I would add the hair and clothing in Photoshop, both in composite drawings and in facial reconstructions. Over about a decade or so I sort of kept sliding that needle over more and more until it was almost entirely done with Photoshop, Steinberg said. Utilizing tracing paper to ensure measurements and proportions are accurate, Steinberg then scans the "outline" of the individual into Photoshop and uses a "scrapbooking" technique to complete the composite image. I try and pull images of people who fit the demographics of the individual. So in this case Im looking for white males who are sort of middle aged, maybe 30 to 50 and try and figure out what is average for a man based on this description, Steinberg said. Im able to sort of take anything (facial features) and make it into the proportions and the angles for anything that needs to be. Steinberg said any single rendering could be a combination of 20 to 50 different images of different people found in stock photos or mugshots. In the case of the rendering she created of the Pueblo remains, Steinberg featured the man with several combinations of hairstyles and facial hair. Theres nothing on our skulls that indicates if a person has a unibrow, or if theyre balding or have long hair. Nothing is going to tell you the exact shape of someones eyes, or if they have heavy eyelids, or the shape of their mouth, Steinberg said. It also happens a lot with skeletal remains that you dont recover hair. I always explain in my lectures that if you did a rendering of me based on my skull and you had me with straight hair, theres not a person in my life, not even my own parents, who would call in if I were missing. If we dont recover the hair or facial hair or something then you must be willing to build in ambiguity, like I did in this case. One side of the hair is short, and one side is long. I also provided alternate appearances with longer hair and facial hair. These are things we cant determine based on the circumstances we have, and I dont want to visually exclude someone who could be a match because I wasnt ambiguous or vague enough in some of the choices I made, Steinberg said. Redecker case Simpson, the Pueblo County sheriff's detective, hopes the forensic rendering produces a promising lead. We ended up going down the forensic artist route because the DNA was taking too long to get back to us. We ended up getting the results back the same day Samantha returned the completed reconstruction, Simpson said, but we didnt end up getting any hits on the DNA. This was the first time Simpson has used forensic art. She could only recall one other time the Pueblo County Sheriffs Office opted to use a forensic artist. We only have four sets of unidentified remains, including the set from 2022, Simpson said. The only other time that I know of that we did any facial reconstruction was in 2001. That case is still open, with the victim's remains unidentified. In 2020, Steinbergs technique proved successful in identifying a set of remains from 1994 in Douglas County. Becky Redecker, who was previously known as the Rainbow Falls Jane Doe, was found murdered at the Rainbow Falls campsite by a hiker. It was determined her death was a result of blunt force trauma. For more than 20 years, Redeckers remains went unidentified. Finally, in August 2020, Redecker was identified through a tip brought by a facial reconstruction created by Steinberg. It always feels great to close the book on a case, to have it come full circle with an identification, Steinberg said. In the end, thats one of the reasons I love it, having the ability to bring a sense of closure to a case. Age progression There are 1,354 cold cases statewide, including 81 cases of unidentified remains. El Paso County has 157 cold cases, including one set of unidentified remains, said Audrey Simkins, a cold case criminal intelligence analyst with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Although she said she hasnt had a great deal of experience with forensic artists, Simkins said their work has also been helpful in long-term missing persons cases. In a long-term missing person case we may look to see what the possibility of doing an age progression might be, Simkins said. You see this used most often when kiddos go missing and the age progression of the missing kiddo can be completed and then shared with members of the community in hopes that someone might recognize them. In unidentified human remains cases, Simkins said, Oftentimes, you may have crime scenes or morgue photos that cannot readily be shared. However, with the use of forensic artists you may be able to clean up the image enough to create a sketch or an image similar to a photograph that could be shared with the community. Simkins said the bureau used a forensic artist in a recent Weld County case to conduct a facial reconstruction of a female homicide victim. The case remains unsolved but at least we have an image that can be shared with the community in hopes of generating new information that might lead to the female's identification. Getting an updated image to share with the community aids in the development of tips and leads, she said. Our American justice system is based on fair and impartial judges at trial and appellate court levels ensuring that cases are decided on their merits, based on the facts and the law. A fundamental strength of our system is appellate review by which trial court judges decisions are reviewed and, if warranted, reversed by appeals courts. While judges are human and errors can occur, appellate review enhances the judicial decision-making process by involving multiple eyes on cases. Recent Gazette coverage would have you believe that raw numbers on trial judge reversals are compelling tools to evaluate judges competency and performance (Colorados judicial performance review misses key test of judges legal knowledge, April 9). But Colorados voters should not settle for such a simplistic, misleading approach. Reliance on raw reversal numbers fails to take into account many factors, having nothing to do with judges competence or performance, that can lead to reversals of judicial decisions. First, the laws applicable to individual cases may be complex and may change over time based on evolving precedents. Each case has unique facts and circumstances. Legal disputes are not always cut and dried. Particularly on complex issues, different judges may reasonably come to different interpretations and issue different decisions. Even in the highest appellate courts, dissents occur. Second, the type of cases may play a role. Decisions in criminal and complex civil cases may be more frequently appealed versus other types of cases such as traffic, probate, county, and domestic, and may include more involved factual and legal questions than more straightforward disputes. Third, busy court dockets and heavy workloads are commonplace and many judicial districts are understaffed. To promote prompt resolution of disputes, trial court judges, working individually, strive to issue rulings as quickly as possible. Appeals courts, while also busy, typically have more time to reflect on cases and appellate judges work in teams. Again, the multiple-eyes-on approach of the appeals process provides a remedy, where warranted, to help ensure fair and impartial justice. Raw reversal statistics alone do not reflect the above factors. Colorados voters should not accept such a shortcut as a factor in judicial performance. Instead, a broad range of information should be taken into account. That information should include appellate information involving trial judges performance. That is exactly how Colorados judicial performance evaluation system works, with information provided from parties, lawyers, jurors, and other others who have directly appeared before or worked with a specific judge, as well as consideration of trial judges appealed cases. Colorados voters have the benefit of that broad information as part of our gold standard judicial performance system. More information is available at KnowYourJudge.com. Christopher Reeves, Esq., is a Denver attorney who serves on the board of the Colorado Judicial Institute, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that promotes excellence, equity, impartiality, and public trust in Colorados courts. Jeff Rupp is executive director of the Colorado Judicial Institute. Fort Carson leaders in charge of operations, fire protection, public works and other key functions gathered in a dark incident command center Wednesday afternoon for the first widespread power outage exercise at the post. The congressionally mandated Black Start exercise designed to run for eight hours was planned to test the backup generation systems to the 93 critical facilities on post, said Col. Sean Brown, the garrison commander. We cant control the weather. We cant control bad actors. But what we can do is be prepared in the eventuality that we have to move forces out of Fort Carson in a contested environment where the power may not be on, he said. The training scenario assumed Fort Carson and Colorado Springs Utilities staff had both a widespread outage across the post and widespread outage in town to cope with, said Jim Rice, the director of plans, training, mobilization and security operations. Colorado Springs Utilities was a key partner in the training since the agency is now in charge of maintaining and operating the posts electric system, Brown said. At the same time, life on base was going as normal with child care centers remaining open, traffic proceeding through intersections with flashing lights and soldiers assessing what work could continue, Rice and Brown said. The post went through an extensive communication and planning process to make sure those working on Wednesday were prepared. The post planned to prioritize restoring power to homes to reduce impacts on families, Brown said. Power to most of the installation was expected to be restored in under three hours, he said. Sign Up for free: Military Brief Your weekly local update on local military news and events, sent straight to your inbox. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. The post practiced a similar smaller exercise last year and learned about gaps in some capabilities, such as refueling generators, he said. Doug Homa, operations, maintenance division chief for the post, said the smaller test showed that preventative maintenance checks and services are working. We found we are a pretty resilient installation, he said. Still he expected the practice outage that required 100 to 150 people to restore power would test that resiliency. Brown said the exercise would have external evaluators, but the generators would provide immediate indicators of success. The real measuring stick is those generators coming on in the first place and then the garrisons ability to provide fuel for those generators, he said. The post has plans to update some back up generation with a microgrid powered by a natural gas generator, similar to the ones Colorado Springs Utilities is installing at the Martin Drake Power Plant, Brown said. The new generator would provide 65% to 70% of the power the post needs. Southern Colorado children working to overcome cancer or blood disorders will receive an extra boost of support in fighting their disease. A $50,000 donation to Childrens Hospital Colorado in Colorado Springs from Northwestern Mutuals 120 local employees will be used to create a permanent endowment. Funds generated from the principal investment will provide direct aid to patients receiving care, needed equipment and program support for the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Childrens Hospital in Colorado Springs, said Greg Raymond, president of Childrens Colorados Southern Region. The hospital foundation's Patient Aid Fund helps families receiving care with transportation vouchers to and from the hospital and costs at home, such as groceries, clothing and utilities, said Leila Roche, spokeswoman for Children's Hospital Colorado. We are so grateful philanthropy is integral to our ability to provide world-class care to kids in southern Colorado and support their whole family throughout their diagnosis, Raymond said. Last year, 770 unique children were patients of the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at the Colorado Springs hospital, which offers pediatric emergency and specialty physical and mental health care, Roche said. Kevin Kaveney, Noah Botkin and Scott McKechnie, wealth management advisers from the Colorado Springs firm, led the charitable effort in observance of the companys 10th anniversary of the firms philanthropic program specifically benefiting pediatric cancer patients. Over the past decade nationwide, Northwestern Mutuals Childhood Cancer Program has donated more than $40 million for research and programs and also funded more than 500,000 hours of research in childhood cancers, according to the company's foundation. We believe in the power of helping others, transforming lives and strengthening communities, said Kaveney in announcing the endowment. Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. We feel a deep responsibility to act locally and get involved, McKechnie said. Finding a cure for childhood cancer starts here in our own community by providing families and children with the resources they need on their healing journey. Endowment funds are professionally invested in a diversified portfolio designed to maximize impact by balancing maintenance and growth of the initial investment and providing ongoing financial support for specified programs. This is the second endowment the Colorado Springs location of Childrens Hospital has received since opening in 2019, Roche said. The first, she said, was from the Faricy Family Endowed Fund to support pediatric diabetes care in southern Colorado. Other donors who live in Colorado Springs and southern Colorado have established endowments; however, they are not specific to the Colorado Springs hospital and can be used to help fund programs and care throughout the system, Roche said. But it's the largest endowment to be donated from the local Northwestern Mutual office, said Kelli Klitzke, spokeswoman. While many of our employees are charitable with time, talent and treasure, this is the first endowment of its kind here in our office, she said. The hospitals Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders is ranked No. 8 in the nation for pediatric cancer programs by U.S. News and World Report. The Colorado Springs center is part of that ranking, Roche said. Letecia Stauch told forensic psychologists that she created different personalities for herself, and that switching between these personalities helped her deal with the sexual abuse she says she suffered as a child, according to video clips prosecutors played for the jury on Wednesday during Stauchs murder trial. Ive taken so many different personalities in life, Stauch says in one of the clips, conducted during a sanity evaluation. So many different ways to cope. The defense has argued throughout the trial that Stauch, who has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to charges of killing her 11-year-old stepson, Gannon, in El Paso County in 2020, suffers from dissociative identity disorder. But Loandra Torres, a forensic psychologist with the state hospital in Pueblo, told jurors she was skeptical because Stauch told us she created them (the different personalities) herself. We began to wonder if she was exaggerating, Torres added. All of it seems a bit far fetched to me in terms of dissociative identity disorder. Click or tap here to watch live coverage from the trial. Follow @ZachNDupont on Twitter for more updates from the courtroom. In the first clip played to the jury, Stauch said she had different personalities she would bounce between with names like Maria, Victoria, Harmony and her main personality Taylor. In other clips, Stauch said she can forcefully switch between her personalities at her choosing, with the exception of Maria. Stauch claimed that the Maria personality was the one who assaulted an El Paso County deputy while she was extradited to Colorado after her arrest. Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Over the course of the trial, now in its fourth week, prosecutors have asked witnesses who knew Stauch if she referred to herself by other names such as Maria, Taylor, Victoria, Harmony or Jasmine, among others. Every witness who was asked about Stauchs alleged other personalities denied hearing her refer to herself that way, or any way other than Letecia Stauch. Torres, the forensic psychologist, said it appeared Stauch was exaggerating about her symptoms during her sanity evaluation, when she told Torres she could hear the devil and how she used to have flashbacks about her stepfather. The sanity report from the state hospital found Stauch to be sane at the time prosecutors say she killed Gannon. A contrasting report filed by the defenses expert found Stauch to be insane at the time Gannon was stabbed and fatally shot. In 2020, Torres and forensic psychologist Jackie Grimmett determined Stauch was competent to proceed to trial. A competency evaluation is used to determine if a person is competent enough to understand court proceedings and to interact with their attorneys. If a defendant is found incompetent, the case is put on hold until the defendants competency is restored. Grimmett and Torres testified Wednesday that they felt many of the things Stauch said and did during the interviews were exaggerated, and that her actions werent consistent with someone who was mentally incompetent. Grimmett testified that she believed Stauch was pretending to be worse than she actually was, pointing to examples such as how Stauch claimed to be talking to the vampires from the Twilight movies during one interview. While Grimmett and Torres said they believed Stauch was competent and did not have a severe mental illness, they believed that Stauch showed several signs of narcissistic personality disorder during her interviews. Torres testimony will continue Friday, when the prosecution is expected to play an hourlong clip of her interview with Stauch in which Stauch describes her version of what happened to Gannon. District Attorney Michael Allen said there is only one prosecution witness left after Torres, and that the prosecution should rest its case Monday at the latest. Jefferson County Sheriff's investigators arrested three 18-year-old Arvada residents in connection with the death of a woman who was killed when a heavy rock was tossed into her moving vehicle, authorities said on Wednesday. The suspects Joseph Koenig, 18, Nicholas Mitch Karol-Chik, 18, and Zachary Kwak, 18 were arrested at their homes late Tuesday or early Wednesday. They are being held on suspicion of first-degree murder, extreme indifference and additional potential charges as determined by the First Judicial District Attorneys Office. Joseph Koenigs father, Mark Koenig, was also arrested Tuesday night after allegedly getting in the way when deputies approached the family home as they attempted to secure a search warrant, said Jefferson County Sheriff's spokesperson Jacki Kelley,. He was arrested for obstruction, said Kelley. The three suspects are scheduled to be advised of the charges against them at the Jefferson County Courthouse Thursday morning. "Ultimately, mobile device forensics and supporting information from the public helped lead to the identification and arrest of the suspects," Jefferson County Sheriffs Office said in news release. Alexa Bartell, 20, of Arvada was talking to a friend on the phone in her yellow Chevy Spark late April 19 when she suddenly went silent. Bartells friend tracked down her phone and drove to the location on Indiana Street and found Bartell dead inside her car, which was off the roadway in a field. Her death was part of a string of rock attacks that night. The incidents began at around 10 p.m. on April 19, ended just after midnight April 20 and included five vehicles. Other drivers whose vehicles were hit suffered from minor injuries. The arrests were made with assistance from Westminster Police, Arvada Police, and the Boulder County Sheriffs Office, according to the news release. Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Investigators "worked around the clock to identify and arrest the suspects responsible for Alexas death," the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office said. "While it remains unclear at this time which suspect(s) were driving throughout the spree, the suspect vehicle is a black 2016 Chevy Silverado," the office said. "All three are suspected of throwing rocks and all three are currently facing charges." A family friend expressed relief Wednesday morning at the news of the arrests. "We are grateful for the work the police have done," said Eric Peterson, Alexa's boss at Commercial Flooring Services in Denver. "They don't get enough credit for what they do behind the scenes." The company put up $15,000 in reward money for information leading to the arrest of the suspect or suspects, in addition to the $2,000 from Crime Stoppers. "This opens the door for more healing," Peterson said. "We've been wondering who did it and what happened. It doesn't take away the devastating loss. We remember the great times and the smiles and the laughter." A friend of Karol-Chik, who worked at a lawn service company with him, said he was "shocked" to learn of the arrest. He asked not to be identified, as he hadn't gotten permission from the family. "We're all very alarmed and worried about him," the friend said. "I would never have expected anything like this." Karol-Chik apparently graduated early from Ralston Valley High School, did courses online and worked fulltime, according to the friend. "He went to work all last week and showed no signs of being worried or upset," the friend said. A Jefferson County Sheriff's spokesperson said last week that large landscaping-style rocks were used in the attacks. A home believed to be owned by Zachary Kwak's family, according to public records, sits nestled near the foothills in Arvada, just a 10-minute drive from where Bartell's body was found in a field on Indiana Street. There was no answer at the door late Wednesday morning. Denver Gazette reporter Julia Cardi contributed to this story. Charter school offerings will grow this fall in Colorado Springs School District 11 with the transfer of one charter and the expansion of another. The Colorado International Language Academy will join the district's six existing charters next academic year after the school board unanimously approved its application on Wednesday. CILA serves kindergarten through fifth-grade students with an emphasis on foreign language immersion in Mandarin Chinese, German and Spanish. Students spend half of each school day building linguistic skills alongside native speakers and learning about foreign cultures. This has been a long way coming, board President Parth Melpakam said, referring to the districts charter school strategy conversations that began in January. To come to an extent where the entire board is supportive of the charter school strategy, District 11 has come a long way since even seven or eight years back. CILA resides in D-11 but has held a state-sponsored charter through the Colorado Charter School Institute since its founding in 2013. Financial benefits and the need to meet an increasing student population are the primary motivators behind the transfer, according to CILAs transfer application. As of October, 311 students were enrolled at CILA, including 273 full-time students and 38 students in its homeschool enrichment program. The school currently leases space from a local church on the corner of Austin Bluffs Parkway and Nevada downtown. The transfer will give CILA greater financial freedom to move to its own, bigger space with a similarly central location in the district that can accommodate a student population set to outgrow current facilities in two to three years. CILA leadership is also considering adding a fourth language program and a middle school, both of which require additional classroom space. Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Language programs at middle schools across different districts do not provide language instruction that meets the language proficiency of our students adequately, thus risking a stagnation or loss of language skills in middle and high school, the application reads. District administration will next negotiate a contract with CILA in an anticipated four- to six-week process, with a final contract subject to future board approval. The charters term will last five years, at which point CILA can approach the board for a vote on a potential contract renewal. The transfer is not expected to cause any changes to school programming or organizational structure, according to the application. GLOBE Charter School, which serves kindergarten through sixth grade under its current agreement with the district, modified its contract to expand curriculum to the seventh and eighth grades, the board also unanimously voted Wednesday. Seventh grade will be available to GLOBE students beginning this fall. Eighth grade will open to students in the 2024-2025 academic year. The change comes at the demand and support of current families, according to GLOBEs modification proposal. In a survey sent to all fifth and sixth grade students, 95% of respondents said they would be likely to stay at GLOBE if they knew a middle school option was available. Families with children not currently enrolled at GLOBE have also expressed interest, according to the proposal. GLOBE currently serves 95 students and is expected to increase enrollment to 160 by fall 2024, according to the charters forecast presented to the board. The modification proposal states the seventh grade will be self-contained with no more than 20 students in the classroom. The school will search for a math and science teacher and an English and language arts teacher to instruct both seventh and eighth graders their respective content once eighth grade is implemented. Several classrooms at the school are only utilized up to 40% of the time, according to the proposal, and those rooms can be combined to allow seventh and eighth grade students spacious, desirable classrooms that are a conducive learning environment for middle school programming. Manitou Springs School District 14 announced the selection of Sean Dorsey as its next superintendent, according to a news release Thursday. The district expects Dorsey to start in his position no later than July 1. 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. The selection process confirmed what I already knew about MSSD14that it is a tight-knit community deeply passionate about meeting the needs of the whole child, Dorsey stated in the release. I grew up in a small town similar in size to Manitou Springs and its surrounding communities. I understand firsthand and appreciate the value of education and experiences in a smaller setting. The school district launched its search in January after former Superintendent Elizabeth Domangue stepped down mid-year in mutual agreement with the board. Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Dorsey was one of four finalists announced earlier this month. Other finalists included Andy Burns, executive director of student support services in Pueblo School District 60; Jim Fraley, assistant superintendent of instruction for Laramie County School District in Wyoming; and Jim Smith, assistant superintendent for strategic planning and community engagement in Academy School District 20. As we celebrate our graduates and shift into spring and summer, we look forward to our future as a district and are ready to begin our work with Sean Dorsey at the helm, board of education President Natalie Johnson said. A landscape river rock hit Alexa Bartell's car so hard, it sounded like a "rail gun," one of the teens suspected of killing her told Jefferson County Sheriff's investigators this week. Arrest records obtained by The Denver Gazette said the rock slammed into the windshield of Bartell's car, hit her in the head, and exited the back window. It's unclear from interviews with the three suspects which suspect lobbed the fatal throw. The arrest documents showed that at least six other cars were hit that night in a 45-minute span, injuring some victims and leaving others befuddled about what happened, even wondering if a wind storm had come through the area. On the early evening of April 19, three Arvada teenagers loaded up the back seat of a pickup truck with landscaping material and allegedly went on a deadly rock hurtling spree at times pretending they were Marines hitting targets in a combat zone, according to a Jefferson County Sheriff Office's arrest affidavit released on Thursday. When another member of the group of friends, Joe Bopp, asked how many rocks the suspects were taking from a Walmart landscaping display, they answered: "As much as they could carry," the arrest records said. That's when Bopp asked the others to take him home. What followed was a night of precision bombardment, requiring one of the suspects to drive and the others to throw the rocks, using "Marine terms" before a rock was thrown, the affidavit stated. Interviews with the suspects revealed that the three teens each played a role: One drove, and the two others did the throwing from the moving truck, one of them yelling directions, such as "contact left" before a toss. Jeffco sheriffs said seven cars were hit, injuring several drivers and killing Alexa Bartell, 20, a resident of Arvada, around 10:45 that night. Bopp, 20, was interviewed by Jefferson County Sheriff's investigators Tuesday and hours later, three teenagers were arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder in the death of Bartell. Bartell died when a large, rounded landscaping rock hit her windshield the night the teens went on the rock-throwing spree, which started at West 100th and Simms at around 10 p.m. and ended around 10:45 p.m. on a lonely stretch of Indiana Street, where Bartell's yellow Chevy Spark left the road, investigators alleged in the arrest documents. In addition to first-degree murder, extreme indifference, 18-year-old Joseph Koenig, Nicholas "Mitch" Karol-Chik, 18, and Zachary Kwak,18, could face additional charges, such as attempted murder or assault, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said in a press release. Karol-Chik, who owned the truck that allegedly transported the boys, told investigators that he and Kwak had started throwing rocks at statues and people in February. He said that it was Kwak who threw the rock that smashed Bartell's windshield and struck her in the head, killing her, the arrest documents alleged. But Kwak told investigators it was Joseph Koenig who threw the fatal rock, according to the affidavit. Jeffco sheriffs said that Bartell was on the phone with a friend when her voice went silent. The friend tracked her cellphone to the remote highway and found Bartell in the driver's seat. When law enforcement arrived, they discovered Bartell in the front seat with no pulse, her "arm cold to the touch." Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Bartell's front windshield had a hole in it, the back window was completely blown out, the affidavit said, and a rock with what appeared to be blood on it was found by the highway. What followed was an intense investigation that involved an elaborate web of cellphone pings, witness interviews and even a query with a nearby Chevrolet dealership as to what kind of truck would have headlights which were seen on a surveillance video. Koenig and Karol-Chik were both arrested at 11 p.m. on Tuesday night, and Kwak was taken in early Wednesday morning around 2 a.m. Koenig's father, Mark Koenig, was also arrested on suspicion of obstruction when, according to his arrest records, JeffCo deputies knocked at the family home in Arvada and asked if Joseph was home. When Joseph came to the door, his father objected to a request to search the house. When the elder Koenig got in the way, he was pulled away, arrested and eventually released. The arrest document said that, after the rock hit Bartell's car, the suspects circled back around and were aware that something bad had happened. Kwak told investigators that he snapped a photo of the car where it had come to rest in case his friends "would want it as a memento." On the way home, the three teens vowed that they would always be "blood brothers" and promised never to speak of what happened that night, the arrest affidavit said. All three teens appeared virtually from jail on Thursday morning, Kwak with his head bowed and hair in his face, Koenig and Karol-Chik looking straight ahead. All three wore orange clogs and jail tops, Koenig and Kwak opting to wear shorts and Karol-Chik in long orange pants. The virtual feed was watched by several victims, including Bartell's family. One woman who had a tissue in her hand shook her head "no" when Kwak's lawyer asked to discuss the no-bond hold. The Denver Gazette tried to contact several victims and witnesses of the rock-throwing spree, who could not be reached or declined interviews. All three are being held without bond. Their next hearing is May 3. Thursday, Bartell's family set up a fund in her honor to go toward legal expenses, to create a student athlete endowment fund, and for a memorial dedicated to the amazing daughter "who was an intelligent, kindhearted soul, with a bright future ahead of her" and "whose life was taken too soon." Donations are accepted via Zelle @ alexabartellmemorial@gmail.com Donations are also accepted via Venmo @Alexa-Bartell-4. Denver Gazette reporter Julia Cardi contributed to this article. Massachusetts man Brian Walshe, who is charged with the murder of his wife, Ana Walshe, allegedly thought that she was having an affair. Brian Walshe appeared in court on Thursday and pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, misleading a police investigation/obstruction of justice, and improper conveyance of a human body. He was indicted by a grand jury on March 31. ANA WALSHE DISAPPEARANCE: FINAL NOTE MISSING PERSON WROTE TO HUSBAND HOURS BEFORE VANISHING REVEALED Prosecutors said on Thursday that Brian Walshe thought Ana Walshe was having an affair in December 2022, a month before she was last seen on New Year's Day. Brian Walshe's mother hired a private investigator to surveil Ana Walshe, but Brian Walshe's defense attorney said his client did not support his mother's decision. Ana Walshe told a friend that she suspected her husband would be incarcerated as a result of a federal art fraud case, and she was prepared to leave him, prosecutors said via reports from within the courtroom. Brian Walshe, accused of killing wife Anna who disappeared on New Years Day 2023, enters the courtroom for his arraignment, Thursday April 27, 2023, in Dedham, Mass. Walshe, 48, has been charged with first-degree murder as well as misleading a police investigation/obstruction of justice and improper conveyance of a human body. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool) Greg Derr/AP Investigators have been looking for Ana Walshe since Jan. 1. Her disappearance, which was reported by her employees in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 4, quickly turned into suspicions of murder after Brian Walshe allegedly provided conflicting statements about his wife's location and his whereabouts while he was on house arrest for the art fraud case. Throughout the search for Ana Walshe, officers obtained evidence from the Walshes' basement, a trash compactor at a transfer station, and video surveillance footage. A bloody knife and blood remnants were discovered in the basement of the couple's home, and a hacksaw, hatchet, rug, and cleaning supplies were found in a transfer station's trash compactor 15 minutes from Brian Walshe's mother's home. Brian Walshe's internet records showed he searched "how to dispose of a 115-pound woman," "how to stop a body from decomposing," and information on dismemberment. Video surveillance cameras also showed Brian Walshe purchasing similar items found at the trash compactor, as well as a Tyvek full coverage suit and trash bags at Lowe's. He was later seen buying hydrogen peroxide and jugs of ammonia. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER The defense for Brian Walshe argued that he has been "nothing but cooperative in this" and asked for bail, saying Brian Walshe is his and Ana's children's primary caretaker. However, the judge ruled he was to be held without bail. Brian Walshe will appear back in court in August. Original Location: Ana Walshe disappearance: Husband suspected of murder allegedly thought wife was having affair Washington Examiner Videos By James Oliphant and Alexandra Ulmer (Reuters) -In his face-off with Walt Disney Co, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has frequently adopted the pose of a swaggering gunfighter out of the Wild West. Theres a new sheriff in town, DeSantis boasts to conservative audiences nationwide as he prepares to launch his 2024 presidential bid. The flex brings him cheers from the friendly crowds. But as his clash with Disney escalates, so does the political risk for DeSantis and his nascent campaign. The news on Wednesday that Disney had filed a federal lawsuit against DeSantis brought him a fresh round of criticism, particularly from fellow Republicans who contend that DeSantis approach is at odds with the pro-business policies the party typically favors. Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who is also seeking the 2024 Republican nomination, needled DeSantis, saying to Disney in a tweet my home state will happily accept your 70,000+ jobs if you want to leave Florida. South Carolina, she said, is not woke, but were not sanctimonious about it either. The lawsuit was the latest development in a battle sparked last year by Disneys criticism of a Florida law that banned classroom instruction of sexual orientation and gender identity for young students, dubbed by opponents as the "don't say gay" bill. That led to the states attempt to strip the theme park of its independent governing powers. The complaint accuses DeSantis of illegally using the state government to punish a company for exercising its free-speech rights. Speaking in Jerusalem on Thursday as part of a week-long international trade mission, DeSantis decried the lawsuit. "I don't think the suit has merit, I think it's political," DeSantis told reporters at a news conference. FRESH CONCERNS DeSantis is expected to announce his presidential run next month. And while his hardline stance against Disney has roused part of the conservative base, it has also prompted fresh questions about whether he can muster enough widespread support across the party to defeat former President Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican primary. Trump has capitalized on the Disney drama, recently declaring on social media that the company was getting the better of DeSantis and suggesting that Disney could end up damaging Floridas economy by reducing its footprint there. While DeSantis has tried to portray himself as a trustworthy, pro-growth steward of Floridas economy, his stance on Disney has left some deep-pocketed Republican donors befuddled. Billionaire Ken Griffin of Citadel Securities last year remarked that DeSantis actions amounted to retaliation against corporate America. The war with Disney made some sense for a time in the context of Governor DeSantis presidential aspirations. Now its coming across as petty and personal, said Carlos Curbelo, a former Republican U.S. representative from Miami. What seemed like a political win for the governor is starting to become a liability. Robert Bigelow, a hotel magnate who recently handed $20 million to a super PAC supporting DeSantis, said he was standing by the governor. On balance, the governor is a fair man and he is a lawyer, so I assume Disney and the governor are prepared for a strong fight, Bigelow told Reuters on Wednesday. In a national Reuters/Ipsos poll taken this week, 44% of Republicans said they had a more favorable view of DeSantis because of the fight with Disney. But 73% - including 82% of Democrats and 63% of Republicans - said they were less likely to support a political candidate who backs laws designed to punish a company for its political or cultural stances. Mac Stipanovich, a retired Republican lobbyist in Florida and a frequent critic of DeSantis, said the governor had taken the conflict too far and could pay a political price. He has gotten all he is going to get out of this gambit with the right-wing zealots, Stipanovich said. From here on out, he will just appear more petty, vindictive and foolish to everyone else. (Reporting by James Oliphant in Washington and Alexandra Ulmer in Chicago; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Matthew Lewis) By Francesco Guarascio and Khanh Vu HANOI (Reuters) - Tighter U.S. rules to ban imports from China's Xinjiang are compounding pressure on Vietnam's apparel and footwear makers, hitting a sector that has already shed nearly 90,000 jobs since October in the global manufacturing hub as demand slowed. Among garment exporters, Vietnam has faced the worst hit from the the Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act (UFLPA), a Reuters review of official U.S. data showed. The law, in place since June, requires companies to prove that they do not use raw material or components produced with Xinjiang's forced labor. The U.S. clampdown hurts as it comes on top of a drop in clothing demand from richer nations that has already dented industrial output and exports from the Southeast Asian manufacturing powerhouse, a major supplier to big brands such as Gap, Nike and Adidas. Of the $15 million worth of apparel and footwear shipments held up for UFLPA checks more than 80% were from Vietnam, and only 13% of its cargoes were cleared for entry, U.S. customs data up to April 3 showed. Graphic: Frozen trade - https://www.reuters.com/graphics/VIETNAM-CHINA/akpeqxebepr/chart.png Many U.S. importers are still sanguine, but their supply chains could still be disrupted as Vietnam's apparel makers depend on China for about half of their input materials, according to the country's industry association. Vietnamese manufacturers, trade associations and the industry ministry did not reply to Reuters questions about the impact of UFLPA. The value of shipments from Vietnam that have been denied entry to the U.S. exceeded $2 million, three times more than those from China - with the sanctions having increased exponentially in the first months of this year. While U.S. controls have been far more frequent for the electronics industry, especially for solar panels which could be made with polysilicon from Xinjiang, only 1% of electronics cargoes checked were denied entry, as opposed to 43% of apparel and footwear shipments. In total, customs checked nearly 3,600 shipments worth more than $1 billion from a range of countries to ascertain they did not carry goods with input from forced labor in Xinjiang, U.S. customs data showed. XINJIANG LINKS While the halted shipments represent a tiny portion of the $27 billion worth of garments and footwear Vietnam exported to the U.S. last year, compliance risks may lead to more painful adjustments for Vietnam. That, in turn, will hit U.S. consumers as Vietnam is their main source of cotton apparel, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. "Vietnam's heavy reliance on cotton textile materials from China poses a significant risk of containing Xinjiang cotton, as the province produces over 90% of China's cotton," Sheng Lu, Director at the Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies at the University of Delaware, told Reuters. He said it was unlikely Vietnam could drastically reduce this dependence, also because many manufacturers there are owned by Chinese investors. An industry and a government official familiar with the matter confirmed that some Vietnamese suppliers may find it hard to comply with the new rules, either because they import cotton from Xinjiang or because they are unable to prove they do not. The Federal Maritime Commission, the U.S. agency responsible for international ocean transportation, warned earlier this month of potential supply chain disruptions caused by UFLPA checks. In a survey last year, nearly 60% of U.S. fashion industry managers said they were exploring countries outside Asia for their supplies as a reaction to the forced labor law. Sheng Lu said it would be hard for U.S. firms to rapidly find alternative suppliers, therefore more checks on Vietnamese cargoes are to be expected. Western companies should "make more significant efforts to map their supply chain, figure out where production at each stage happens and demonstrate adequate due diligence", he said. SHEDDING JOBS Weaker demand has forced the industry, Vietnam's biggest employer after agriculture, to shed nearly 3% of its 3.4 million workers since October, and contributed to an 11.9% drop in the country's exports and a 2.3% decline in output in the first quarter of this year from a year earlier, slowing growth. Roughly one in every three pairs of shoes that Nike and Adidas sell globally and 26% and 17% of their clothing, respectively, is made in Vietnam. However Nike has significantly reduced its output of apparel and footwear in Vietnam despite the country remaining its main manufacturing hub, according to its latest annual report updated to May 2022. It did not reply to questions about UFLPA. Adidas did not comment on UFLPA either, but said downsizing at its Vietnamese suppliers would respect local law. "Vietnam continues to be among our major sourcing countries," an Adidas spokesperson said. Gap said it had no shipments detained. Two officials from U.S. footwear and apparel industry trade associations said the new rules have had no major impact so far on Vietnam and blamed recent job cuts on lower global demand. Major job cuts in Vietnam were under way at Pou Chen, a major supplier to Nike and Adidas, Reuters reported in February, at a time when it is planning a big manufacturing investment in India. People were fired at a contractor of U.S. sportswear company Under Armour, and workers had their hours slashed at Regina Miracle International, a supplier of U.S. lingerie giant Victoria's Secret, workers and executives told Reuters. Those companies did not reply to Reuters' questions. "Normally, firms recruit new workers after Tet (Lunar New Year), but this year everything has gone the opposite," said Nguyen Thi Huong, 45, who worked for Pou Chen for ten years and recently lost her job. (Reporting by Khanh Vu and Francesco Guarascio; Additional reporting by Kate Masters, Casey Hall and Phuong Nguyen; Editing by Miyoung Kim and Sonali Paul) Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) is not ready to choose between former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) just yet despite mounting pressure after several of her fellow Florida delegation members endorsed earlier this month. "I've had great, productive conversations with both Gov. DeSantis and President Trump," the Florida congresswoman told the Washington Examiner in an interview. FLORIDA SENATE PASSES ELECTION BILL REPEALING 'RESIGN TO RUN' "I think both of them are great guys," she added. "And I think we're going to continue to have conversations." While Cammack wouldn't choose between the two men, she said, "The one thing that I can tell you for sure is that the next president of the United States will be a Floridian." So far, Trump boasts 11 endorsements from Florida representatives. Florida is home to 28 U.S. representatives, 20 of whom are Republicans. Cammack is one of only eight Florida Republican representatives who has yet to make an endorsement for 2024. Notably, DeSantis has not yet launched a presidential campaign. However, he is widely expected to announce a 2024 bid as early as mid-May. This month, he paid visits to two key early primary states, New Hampshire and South Carolina, speaking in both. He also made a relatively rare visit to Washington, D.C., where he met with Republican lawmakers. According to one report, DeSantis's political team began reaching out to members of Florida's delegation earlier this month after several of them announced Trump endorsements. NBC News reported that DeSantis's team urged several representatives to avoid making endorsements in the near future. Cammack was reported as one of the members who were called. It also said GOP Reps. Aaron Bean, Vern Buchanan, Mario Diaz-Balart, Laurel Lee, and Greg Steube were called. Since the report, Steube and Buchanan both issued endorsements for Trump. However, Lee became the first Florida representative to endorse the state's governor last week. "As Ron DeSantis's Secretary of State, I had the honor of witnessing firsthand his unparalleled leadership under pressure, his character and his commitment to core conservative principles," she said. "His leadership and his vision made Florida a shining beacon of freedom. Ron DeSantis fights for what matters, and he wins when it matters most." DeSantis has also earned the support of Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX) and Thomas Massie (R-KY). CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER All eyes are on the remaining Florida Republican representatives as they decide on a 2024 position. Cammack may not be endorsing Trump or DeSantis right now, but she made it clear that the choice is between the two. As of Tuesday, Trump was polling at 58% in a hypothetical 2024 Republican primary. DeSantis is the only contender to also reach double digits, with 21%, per Morning Consult. Original Location: Florida men: Kat Cammack speaks out on looming DeSantis-Trump battle Washington Examiner Videos By Kanishka Singh and Moira Warburton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - West Virginia Governor Jim Justice launched his campaign on Thursday for the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, a moderate who has been a constant thorn in his party's side. Justice, 72, has repeatedly changed parties, most recently in 2017 when he switched his registration to Republican after being elected as a Democrat in 2016. Justice was reelected as a Republican in 2020. Manchin, 75, is expected to face a tough campaign for a third six-year term in a state that then-President Donald Trump won by a wide 69% to 30% over Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. Holding the seat will be critical for Democrats' hopes of protecting their narrow 51-49 control of the Senate in 2024, when they will also be defending seats in Republican-leaning Montana and Ohio and highly competitive Pennsylvania and Arizona. Manchin has been a key vote on every major piece of legislation of Biden's tenure, as a moderate representing an increasingly conservative state. His support was critical to passage of Biden's sweeping $1 trillion infrastructure law, one of the president's key domestic accomplishments. In recent months Manchin has repeatedly slammed the White House for its interpretation of the major climate and tax bill he helped pass last summer, decrying the administration's moves to enact climate-related portions of the bill, such as electric vehicle tax credits. Manchin has not publicly declared whether he will run for reelection in 2024. Justice, a coal-mining billionaire, would first need to win a Republican primary against U.S. Representative Alex Mooney to become his party's nominee to challenge Manchin in 2024. The governor is a strong supporter of Trump, stating in 2017 that the then-president had "a backbone. ... He cares about us in West Virginia." (Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Moira Warburton; Editing by Scott Malone and Jonathan Oatis) Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) cautioned against future feuds with business akin to the one between Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and the Walt Disney Company. "I think where it gets problematic in the eyes of some people is when you start creating the idea, and I'm not saying we're there yet as a state, but the idea that somehow, like if you run crossways with us politically, whoever's in charge, then you may wind up in the crosshairs of the legislature," Rubio told Fox and Friends. DESANTIS SAYS DISNEY LAWSUIT WITHOUT MERIT AND IS 'POLITICAL' The senator noted that he "didn't have a problem" with DeSantis's push to nix the company's special tax status. "I think the fundamental question here is, what we're trying to fix is the fact that Disney governmental type powers. I think it's a perfectly legitimate thing," Rubio said. DeSantis and Disney have been at odds since last year after Disney came out against the DeSantis-backed Parental Rights in Education Act, which critics denounced as the "Don't Say Gay" bill. The company later publicly vowed to work to nix the law. Shortly thereafter, DeSantis came out in support of scrapping Disney's special tax district. Earlier this year, Florida moved to take over the district after determining that stripping its special status could hike taxes on locals. Then it was revealed that Disney quietly cut a deal with the prior board that effectively stripped the new one of much of its power. The new board then moved to void the agreement. This triggered a lawsuit from Disney earlier this week, alleging that DeSantis and his allies weaponizing government power against the company as "retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint."DeSantis shrugged off the suit as "political" and expressed confidence he will prevail. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER DeSantis's dispute with the company has drawn criticism from potential 2024 rivals, including former President Donald Trump, former United Nations Ambassador and former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC), Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH), and former Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ), among others. Rubio's colleague, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), recently voiced hope that "cooler heads will prevail and Disney will say let's go back to being in a company that gives us all great experiences." Original Location: Rubio backs DeSantis in Disney feud, with one caveat Washington Examiner Videos By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The U.N. Security Council unanimously condemned on Thursday a Taliban administration ban on Afghan women working for the United Nations in Afghanistan and called on Taliban leaders to "swiftly reverse" a crackdown on the rights of women and girls. The resolution - drafted by the United Arab Emirates and Japan - describes the ban as "unprecedented in the history of the United Nations," asserts "the indispensable role of women in Afghan society" and says the ban on Afghan women working for the U.N. "undermines human rights and humanitarian principles." UAE U.N. Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh said more than 90 countries co-sponsored the resolution "from Afghanistan's immediate neighbourhood, from the Muslim world and from all corners of the earth." "This ... support makes our fundamental message today even more significant - the world will not sit by silently as women in Afghanistan are erased from society," she told the council. The Security Council vote came days before a planned international meeting in Doha on May 1-2 on Afghanistan. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will convene behind closed doors special envoys on Afghanistan from various countries to work on a unified approach to dealing with the Taliban. "We will not stand for the Taliban's repression of women and girls," Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Robert Wood, told the council. "These decisions are indefensible. They are not seen anywhere else in the world." "The Taliban edicts are causing irreparable damage to Afghanistan." Earlier this month the Taliban began enforcing the ban on Afghan women working for the U.N. after stopping most women working for humanitarian aid groups in December. Since toppling the Western-backed government in 2021, they have also tightened controls on women's access to public life, including barring women from university and closing girls' high schools. The Taliban says it respects women's rights in accordance with its strict interpretation of Islamic law. Taliban officials said decisions on female aid workers are an "internal issue." The Security Council resolution also recognizes the need to address substantial challenges facing Afghanistan's economy, including through using assets belonging to Afghanistan's Central Bank for the benefit of the Afghan people. The United States froze billions of the bank's reserves held in the U.S. and later transferred half of the money to a trust fund in Switzerland overseen by U.S., Swiss and Afghan trustees. "As of today, what we have seen is only that assets have been transferred from one account to another, but not a single penny returned to the Afghan people," China's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Geng Shuang told the council. Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia also called for the return of the Afghan Central Bank assets. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Kanishka Singh and Stephen Coates) Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) hosted a panel of local officials from Arizona in Washington this week as part of an effort to bring their stories on the impact of the border crisis into public view and pressure the Biden administration to do more. The Democratic-turned-independent senator led a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday afternoon to let leaders from across the state share the realities of life in border communities. TEXAS STATE TROOPERS DEPLOYED BY ABBOTT STOPPED 8,721 HUMAN SMUGGLERS Democrat Clea McCaa II, mayor of Sierra Vista, a city of 45,000 residents that is 45 driving miles from the closest border crossing, described an idyllic town shaken by the sudden influx of police speeding through the town in pursuit of human smugglers over the past two years. "It is a crisis," said McCaa. "We have ... four to five pursuits a day going through our town." McCaa's citizens had witnessed the reckless behavior of smugglers, oftentimes minors from out of state recruited on apps like TikTok to make fast cash by picking up and driving illegal immigrants who crossed the border without getting caught. "One incident that's etched in my mind is a load car driver hitting a 65-year-old woman ... going to a birthday party," said McCaa. "Her son was trying to get to the birthday party as well and passed the accident. He did not know that that was his mother. We had to tell him that that was ... his mother. Her name was Miss Wanda." Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls testified that his border city's nearly 100,000 residents were concerned about what would happen in several weeks when public health policy Title 42 is rescinded and border authorities lose the ability to expel immigrants back to Mexico immediately. Nicholls, a Republican, has declared citywide emergencies twice in recent years as more than 500 people were put onto the downtown streets each day in December 2021 and the city was unprepared to respond. Nicholls demanded on Wednesday that the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency be brought in to handle all immigration matters because it was a federal issue. "Federal government needs to own the entirety of the situation and not push it off to local governments and [nongovernmental organizations]," Nicholls said. Immigrants who crossed the border in Yuma have ruined portions of farmers' fields, costing landowners $10,000 in losses per acre and workers their wages. Yuma is a top national supplier of produce during the winter months but must destroy crops that have been trampled on. Dr. Francisco Garcia, chief medical officer for Pima, said the county has processed 150,000 illegal immigrants released onto its streets since 2019. "This is a crisis. It is using up resources that we need to use for other purposes," Garcia said. "Federal agencies have signaled that we expect twice that number after [May 11]. If that happens, we will be overwhelmed, and there will be many hundreds of people per day left to fend for themselves on the streets of Pima County." The top-ranking Republican member invited a police chief from Oklahoma to share with the panel how his city had been affected by the events at the border despite being so far away. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER McAlester Police Chief Kevin Hearod said one of his officers was killed in the line of duty when an illegal immigrant crashed into the officer's vehicle. The deceased officer, Joseph Barlow, was killed on March 20 while he was escorting the former police chief in a funeral procession. Hearod additionally said drugs were the greatest issue in his community and that the large majority originated in Mexico and were then trafficked into the United States, including throughout Oklahoma. Original Location: Sinema brings Arizona leaders to Washington to pressure Senate action on border crisis Washington Examiner Videos Residents of Chelsea, Massachusetts, who are receiving money from a food and utility subsidy program will receive their final payment in 18 days. The payments, ranging from $200 to $400, will go to 738 households on May 15. The funds, disbursed through the Chelsea Eats program, are meant to subsidize food and utility costs. A Chelsea city spokesperson told the Washington Examiner that the funds are loaded on recipients' debit cards, which were issued in early March. WHO OWNS AMERICA: EXPERTS WARN OF THREAT TO FOOD SECURITY FROM CHINESE LAND OWNERSHIP AND ESPIONAGE IN US This next payment will be the third and final payment of the program. The first payment was issued on March 15, and the second was issued on April 15. The amount issued to recipients depends on how many people are in their household. A household of one receives $200, a household of two receives $300, and a household of three or more receives $400, according to the program's website. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER To be eligible, families had to have been residents of Chelsea with a household income of 30% less than the area median. Households of one must make less than $29,450, and households of two must make less than $33,650 to be part of the program. The threshold increased for each additional member of the household. The spokesperson told the Washington Examiner that the program will end after this next payment. Original Location: Stimulus check update: Direct payment worth up to $400 to be paid to qualifying Massachusetts residents in 18 days Washington Examiner Videos Add Attorney General Phil Weiser to the growing list of elected officials who shift blame from criminals toward corporations. In the five years since state government has been firmly in the control of the Democratic Party, Colorados laws and enforcement have taken a decided turn from personal responsibility for criminals. Instead of discouraging criminal conduct through accountability and punishment, the Legislature has consistently moved to minimize the consequences for lawlessness and to redefine responsibility for it. This year, the liberals in charge of the gold dome pushed through a bill making it easier to sue firearms manufacturers and sellers. Their extremist bill treats the firearms industry differently from all others. For instance, if a drunken driver plows his Chevy into a family and kills them, nobody sues Chevy. The car manufacturer can defend against any claim of liability by pointing to the intervening cause of the criminal in misusing (driving drunk) their otherwise properly functioning product. Our guns are the problem Legislature stripped that defense from the gun industry. In Colorado, even if a person misuses an otherwise properly functioning firearm to commit a violent crime or kill themselves, the gun manufacturer cannot avoid liability by pointing to that individuals conduct. Rather, this Second Amendment-hating legislation seeks to destroy an industry by shifting responsibility for crime from the offenders who commit it. It is the gun manufacturers fault. The bill comes after back-to-back legislative sessions in which the Democrats in charge passed laws legalizing the possession of firearms by tens of thousands of felons, including drug dealers and car thieves. Each of these bills was supported by AG Weiser. It comes as no surprise, then, that Weiser has joined 17 other AGs from across the country in sending a 10-page letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to condemn car thieves er, wait no, not car thieves. To condemn Kia and Hyundai. The AGs demand that NHTSA force the car makers to engage in a costly recall of their vehicles across the country, not because they are unsafe by design in fact, they have great safety ratings. Instead, Kia and Hyundai are to be bent to the will of government because their cars have become too easily stolen, due in large part, to a viral TikTok video detailing how criminals can start them without a key. Sign up for free: Gazette Opinion Receive updates from our editorial staff, guest columnists, and letters from Gazette readers. Sent to your inbox 12:00 PM. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. It is the car manufacturers fault. Neither the letter nor most of the news outlets reporting on it reveal that all 18 AGs signing the request for federal intervention are Democrats. Democrats who hail from states with some of the highest rates of car theft in the U.S. The letter does not detail the increasingly forgiving laws of these states that provide little disincentive to steal cars over and over again. Eight of the 10 states with the highest rate of car theft in America have Democrat AGs; six of those are signatories to the blame the car maker letter. It is unclear if Weiser or the other left-leaning, criminal justice reform-minded AGs have also sent letters demanding the videos be removed from public access at the threat of legal action by the states top government lawyer. Remember that Weiser has presided over the largest law enforcement law firm in the state during a time that Colorado has surged to No. 1 as the worst state in America for car theft. And yet, during his time as AG, despite detailing the risks and costs associated with rampant car theft and agreeing with the other left-wing AGs that stolen vehicles presen[t] a serious safety issue nationwide, Weiser has never advocated for stiff bonds or mandatory incarceration for car thieves. Not even the repeat ones. Instead, during the last election cycle, Weiser famously endorsed an approach to addressing car thieves this way: after someone commits a third or fourth car theft in, say, three months, they should be kept in [jail] with a really high bond, because you got a sense they are going to get out commit more crimes.In Jeffco, thats what they do. Insightful. The letter to Kia and Hyundai allows those ambivalent-on-crime AGs to look like they are doing something about runaway car thefts without having to come to grips with the real issue. It is not how easy it is to steal a car; it is that criminals are excused and forgiven for their repeated and intentional misuse of cars and guns and fill-in-the-blank, while those progressives in power focus their ire and attention on law-abiding manufacturers. I presume Weiser will next start suing marijuana producers for the next high driver who kills someone on our highways. George Brauchler is the former district attorney for the 18th Judicial District. He also is an Owens Early Criminal Justice Fellow at the Common Sense Institute and president of the Advance Colorado Academy, which identifies, trains and connects conservative leaders in Colorado. He hosts The George Brauchler Show on 710KNUS Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Follow him on Twitter: @GeorgeBrauchler. Nearly 80% of older workers say they have seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace and around 40% of hiring managers admit to reviewing resumes with age bias. In Colorado, lawmakers are trying to change that with Senate Bill 58. If signed into law, the bill would ban employers from asking for an applicants age, date of birth or graduation date on a job application, beginning in July 2024. Colorado legislature passed the bill on Wednesday and sent it to Gov. Jared Polis for final consideration. "This bill creates a fairer playing field for all workers by ensuring that applicants are judged by their merits and qualifications, instead of their age," said bill sponsor Rep. Mary Young, D-Greeley. "We frequently think of this as applying to older Coloradans. It also applies to younger Coloradans. Age discrimination is a real problem." Under the bill, employers could still ask an applicants age or graduation date later in the hiring process, but just not as part of the initial application, which proponents said would help older applicants get their foot in the door. The bill also allows exceptions for federal, state or local legal age requirements or if there is a genuine age qualification related to safely performing the job. Employers could face penalties from the Department of Labor and Employment if they repeatedly violate the prohibition up to $2,500 for three or more violations. The Senate re-passed the bill in a 23-12 vote on Wednesday, following an amendment from the House. The House voted, 41-19, to pass the bill last week. In both chambers, the vote was strictly along party lines, with all Democrats in support and all Republicans in opposition. Republican lawmakers mostly criticized the bill for getting involved in private hiring processes. "It just goes beyond the role of government to mandate behavior in such detail," said Sen. Mark Baisley, R-Woodland Park. "It is an overreach of government." Other opponents of the bill argued that age can be a relevant factor in the hiring process and should be able to be taken into consideration in applications. Housing voucher program for homeless foster youth awaits Polis' signature Sign up for free: News Alerts Stay in the know on the stories that affect you the most. Sign Up For Free View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. "Many jobs require certain skills that need certain maturity levels," said Rep. Richard Holtorf, R-Akron. "I could talk a lot about the inexperience of youth and the lack of knowledge and institutional understanding. ... It takes decades to learn how to do the things that old farmers do. Decades." The bill still allows employers to ask an applicants age later in the hiring process, just not in the first step. And, under an amendment from the House, employers could immediately request materials, such as transcripts or certifications from applicants, so long as they inform applicants that they can redact information that identifies their age if they want to. Proponents of the bill maintained that it would simply help older Coloradans get the chance to prove that theyre qualified to work, regardless of their age. They said this is particularly important as Colorado's population continues to get older and the state continues to face a worker shortage, with the state having two job openings for every available worker, according to The Denver Gazette. In seven years, 21% of Colorados population will be over the age of 60, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. In Colorado, the average retirement age is 65, though it has been steadily increasing for the past several years. "It just means that those age identifiers won't be used in the very first step of the job application process and older people will enter the application process on equal footing with their younger counterparts," said bill sponsor Sen. Jessie Danielson, D-Wheat Ridge. Nearly a dozen organizations registered in support and opposition to the bill. Opponents include the National Federation of Independent Business, United Airlines, Rocky Mountain Mechanical Contractors Association and the local governments or chambers of commerce for Denver, Colorado Springs, Fountain and Monument. Groups in support of the bill include AARP, the Colorado Center for Aging, Disability Law Colorado, the Colorado Bar Association, Bell Policy Center, the Partnership for Age-Friendly Communities and the League of Women Voters of Colorado. If signed by the governor, the bill will take effect in August. Polis' housing bill advances after panel strips key upzoning provision The owners of Cuba Cuba are apparently so proud of their cafe and bar they named it twice. Not far from our state capital, the lively ambiance, colorful setting and authentic cuisine reflect the restaurants pedigree in addition to the name. Consider the expansive list of Cuban rums, the steady beat of salsa music and the vibrant food, and theres no mistaking what makes this a popular Denver dining spot. Reservations are not accepted, so arrive early or expect a wait. Since 2001, this Cubano family-run business has been serving such traditional dishes as ropa vieja, picadillo, lechon and more. Forewarned that portions are large, we skipped appetizers even though the empanadas ($3 each) were tempting. Instead we opted for mojitos while waiting for our entrees. The refreshing beverages packed with mint leaves and lime wedges can be purchased by the pitcher ($45) or glass ($15). The math works out best for the former, but the latter seemed more responsible. Ropa vieja de casa ($24) is served with black beans, rice and tostones (crispy plantains), which I swapped for sweet maduros. Ropa vieja translates to old clothes; thankfully, its slow-cooked shredded beef with tomatoes and peppers. The name comes from the long strands of meat, which are tender and well-seasoned. Mixed with the rice and beans, its evocative of the Caribbean. The naturally sweet, banana-like maduros are caramelized without becoming too saccharine. Garlic, onions and citrus season the slow-cooked pork shoulder, aka lechon asado ($22). It, too, is tender and its flavor is surprisingly subtle. A mound of moro rice (black beans meshed together with white rice) and yuca fritas (fries) complete the dish. Lime wedges are a common garnish and a squeeze or two does help further brighten the food. Cuban bread is shaped like French baguettes but is soft and fluffy. Cuba Cuba makes its own, so the pan con bistec (steak sandwich) is not to be missed. Thin slices of seared meat, with onions, tomato, lettuce and shoestring potatoes are stuffed between slices of bread for a hearty meal. Chimichurri, a parsley, garlic and olive oil-based condiment, is served on the side, along with mojo fries (thin-cut, garlicky french fries), which are addictive. The latter are also available as an appetizer ($6). The least successful entree was the picadillo a caballo ($23)CQ. This is a combination of ground beef, diced potatoes, olives and peppers in a tomato sauce served over rice. Its topped with an egg and served with maduros. The picadillo was underseasoned. Traditionally, raisins are included, but are missing here. Sign up for free: News Alerts Stay in the know on the stories that affect you the most. Sign Up For Free View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Desserts include tres leches cakes, chocolate quato leches, flan and key lime tart ($7 each). They may be paired with suggested rums ($15 for dessert and rum). Service was attentive. The restaurant is in an old house, so dining areas are scattered throughout. We were in a north-facing dining room with a view of the Denver skyline. The line outside the only restroom was constant. Cuba Cuba has three other Denver locations, with smaller menus, and recently opened a restaurant in Castle Rock. Cuba Cuba Traditional Cuban cuisine. Location: 1173 Delaware St., Denver Contact: 1-303-605-2822; cubacubacafe.com Prices: $3 to $29 Hours: 5 to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 5 to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday Details: Credit cards accepted. Alcohol. Wi-Fi. Outdoor dining. Favorite dishes: Lechon asado and maduros. Other: Gluten-free and vegan options available. The Colorado Supreme Court announced on Monday that it will hear a case questioning whether an El Paso County judge who was the victim of a roadside shooting should have recused herself from presiding over a road rage trial with similar circumstances. At least three of the court's seven members must agree to grant an appeal. The justices narrowly turned down two additional cases: a criminal appeal about the effect of a defendant's lengthy failure to appear on her right to a speedy trial, and a proposed class action lawsuit alleging McDonald's locations in southwest Colorado prevented employees from taking rest breaks. The judge who was shot at In February 2017, Khalil Jamandre Sanders shot and injured the driver of another car in an apparent act of road rage. An El Paso County jury found him guilty of assault, menacing and the illegal discharge of a firearm. He is serving 32 years in prison. During jury selection, then-District Court Judge Barbara L. Hughes took the parties aside and said she "would be remiss" if she did not tell them something: A few years prior, she was driving along Nevada Ave. and saw people fighting in the street. She honked at them and someone shot at her car. "I heard pop, pop, pop, ping, and it hit the spoiler of my car. I had to duck," Hughes recalled. "There was a case report, I guess, a police report, but there was never any filing of any charges. There was never any person that was identified as the shooter that did the crime." Sanders' attorney requested that Hughes recuse herself, but she denied the motion, asserting she had "no interest in the outcome, no interest in either party." On appeal, Sanders argued Hughes needed to recuse under the constitutional guarantee of due process, under state law, under the rules of criminal procedure and, finally, under the rules of judicial conduct. A three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals found most of those provisions applied to judges who were actually biased against a litigant. The rules of judicial conduct, in contrast, prohibit judges from hearing cases when a "reasonable observer" might have doubts about whether a judge is impartial. However, "Sanders has not cited, and we have not found, any Colorado precedent holding that an appearance of bias arises whenever a judge presiding over a criminal case has experienced criminal conduct similar to the conduct at issue," wrote then-Judge David J. Richman last year. "We find it significant that the judge was not actually shot or injured in the prior incident, and there was no indication that she was the target of the shooter or that shots were fired due to road rage." Sanders turned to the Supreme Court, arguing the proper question was whether, under the total circumstances, there was an "unconstitutional potential for bias." "Here, a reasonable observer might have doubts about the judges impartiality, based solely on the fact the judge and the victim both endured a very frightening experience, regardless of any differences between the two incidents," wrote public defender Tracy C. Renner. The Supreme Court will consider whether Hughes was disqualified from presiding over the case and, if so, whether it must reverse Sanders' convictions. The case is Sanders v. People. The missing defendant Arapahoe County prosecutors charged Jennifer Soderlund with violating a protection order, also known as a restraining order, in August 2020. She failed to appear multiple times before finally entering a not guilty plea on March 8, 2021. The U.S. Constitution gives criminal defendants the right to a speedy trial. Colorado has interpreted that guarantee to require the government to bring defendants to trial within six months of a not guilty plea. The legislature has provided one consequence if that does not happen: dismissal of the charges and a bar on further prosecution. On March 8, County Court Judge Michael Roche determined the speedy trial deadline was Sept. 8, but, for reasons that were unclear, he did not set a trial date planning to do so instead at an April motions hearing. But Soderlund did not appear then and was absent for nearly 300 days, resurfacing before the court in January 2022. Sign up for free: News Alerts Stay in the know on the stories that affect you the most. Sign Up For Free View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. At that time, the defense moved to dismiss the case because the government had failed to bring Soderlund to trial in time. County Court Judge Melina Hernandez agreed and granted the motion. The prosecution appealed to District Court Judge Elizabeth Beebe Volz, but she reached the same conclusion. "At first blush, it appears Defendant absented herself from trial and was the cause of the delay," she wrote last August. "The trial court is responsible to ensure a defendants speedy trial date is not violated. ... The Court failed to protect the statutory right of the Defendant in not timely setting the trial date." The 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing Soderlund's own failure to appear should be taken into account. "While a defendant has no duty to bring herself to trial, the defendants presence is still necessary to keep the case proceeding forward," wrote Deputy District Attorney Laura Wood. The Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal, but Chief Justice Brian D. Boatright and Justice Carlos A. Samour Jr. indicated they would have reviewed whether a defendant can "engineer dismissal of her case by failing to appear." The case is People v. Soderlund. Breaks for fast food workers In December, the Court of Appeals permitted three lawsuits against various McDonald's and Wendy's franchises to proceed as class actions. The plaintiffs, who are former employees, alleged the restaurants failed to permit 10-minute, paid rest breaks for every four hours of work, as state regulations require. An appellate panel decided it was possible for those claims to be litigated as class actions. In the lawsuit against McDonald's, there were data, drawn from employee timesheets, showing that after the lawsuit was filed, employees at two Durango and Cortez restaurants missed 93% fewer rest breaks. It may be the case, wrote Judge Terry Fox, a jury could believe employees were choosing not to take the breaks the law entitled them to. "But a jury could also reasonably conclude that managers were unable or unwilling to authorize such breaks because of staffing decisions," she continued. "This dramatic shift supports an inference that the employees were probably not waiving their rest breaks to begin with." The appellate panel determined a second set of claims, regarding missed meal breaks, was not appropriate for a class action. Both the McDonald's operator and the plaintiff appealed to the Supreme Court. The operator argued timesheets alone should not be the basis to find a class of similarly-situated employees exists, and the panel's opinion created an obligation to "micromanage" employees' breaks. "This case also reflects a growing trend in Colorado wage and hour law: the use of class action lawsuits to embroil small businesses across the state in expensive, time-consuming litigation, and the increasing uncertainty for employers and employees as to their rights and obligations," wrote attorney Micah D. Dawson. The plaintiff's lawyers countered that, if the Supreme Court was inclined to review the Court of Appeals' decision on rest breaks, it should also consider reversing the part of the opinion about meal breaks. Justices Melissa Hart and Maria E. Berkenkotter indicated they would have granted an appeal for all issues. The case is Colorado Hamburger Company, Inc. v. Hicks. Police have arrested a Sutherlin man in connection to a February fire that damaged a church in Sweet Home. In court on Wednesday, April 26, he admitted he did it. Deputies arrested Andrew Jacob Justin Cartwright, 36, on suspected charges of arson, burglary and criminal mischief. The fire On Feb. 25 at around 1:25 a.m., someone called 911 to report that the Fir Lawn Lutheran Church at 109 W. Holley Road was on fire. Firefighters responded and found flames and smoke billowing from the church. The Sweet Home Fire District called in for backup from Albany, Brownsville and Halsey, and upgraded the fire to a two-alarm emergency. Battalion Chief Shannon Pettner said firefighters worked for more than an hour on the scene. Pettner told Mid-Valley Media at the time that an investigation at the scene suggested the fire likely started under suspicious circumstances. Following the fire, the Oregon State Police arson unit, Oregon State Fire Marshals Office and the Sweet Home Fire District all assisted Sweet Home police with the investigation. According to a Wednesday, April 26 Sweet Home Police Department Facebook post, Cartwright was located outside of Linn County. The aftermath for the church "We're kind of happy about (the arrest)," Fir Lawn Lutheran Church Council President Barb Moody said. "We hope he gets the help he needs." Moody said the church is trying to figure out next steps. The council will consider the church and community's needs before deciding on where to rebuild. For now, services have been happening and will continue at the Sweet Home United Methodist Church. Cartwright was arraigned in Linn County Circuit Court on Wednesday afternoon on charges of first-degree arson, second-degree burglary and first-degree criminal mischief. "I don't want an attorney," Cartwright told Judge Michael Wynhausen. "I'm guilty." Wynhausen appointed Dillon Duxbury as Cartwright's attorney. According to Oregons online court database, Cartwright has another open case in Linn County Circuit Court where hes accused of robbery and theft. During Wednesday's arraignment, prosecutor Coleen Cerda said Cartwright had previously confessed to the robbery and the church fire. A motive "I did it because I don't like church," Cartwright told the court Wednesday. He added that he wanted to proceed with sentencing as quickly as possible. Cerda said the arson is now a bias crime following Cartwright's admission. "He's lucky nobody was in the church," Cerda said. Court records show Cartwright has been convicted of multiple crimes in Linn County over the years, including harassment, possession of methamphetamine and unauthorized use of a vehicle. "I ain't going nowhere," Cartwright said. "I'm going to prison for life." Wynhausen set Cartwright's bail at $50,000 total for the two open cases. The next court appearance in the matter is scheduled for May 8. Xi says dialogue only viable way out for Ukraine crisis Xinhua) 08:03, April 27, 2023 BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday that dialogue and negotiations are the only viable way out for the Ukraine crisis, and no one wins a nuclear war. He made the remarks while talking to his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, over phone. The two sides exchanged views on China-Ukraine relations and the Ukraine crisis. China will send a special representative of the Chinese government on Eurasian affairs to visit Ukraine and other countries to conduct in-depth communication with all parties on the political settlement of the crisis, he said. Xi pointed out that bilateral relations have gone through 31 years of development and reached the level of strategic partnership, which has boosted the respective development and revitalization of the two countries. Xi said he appreciated President Zelensky's repeated expression of emphasis on the development of China-Ukraine ties and cooperation with China, and thanked Ukraine for providing considerable assistance for the evacuation of Chinese citizens last year. Mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, said Xi, is the political foundation of the bilateral ties. He called on both sides to focus on the future, keep on viewing and making plans for bilateral relations from a long-term perspective, and extend the tradition of mutual respect and treating each other with sincerity, so as to propel the development of the China-Ukraine strategic partnership. China's willingness to develop its relations with Ukraine is consistent and clear, Xi said, adding that no matter how the international situation changes, China is willing to work with the country to push forward mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries. Xi pointed out that the Ukraine crisis is evolving in complex ways with major impacts on the international landscape. On the Ukraine crisis, China always stands on the side of peace, and its core stance is to facilitate talks for peace, he said. Xi noted his proposals of four points about what must be done, four things the international community must do together and three observations, saying that on this basis, China released its Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis. China did not create the Ukraine crisis, nor is it a party to the crisis, Xi said, adding that as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible major country, China would not sit idly by, nor would it add oil to the fire, still less exploit the situation for self gains. Everything China does is aboveboard, said the Chinese president. On the nuclear issue, all relevant parties must stay calm and exercise restraint, truly act in the interests of their own future and that of humanity, and jointly manage the crisis, he said, adding that with rational thinking and voices now on the rise, it is important to seize the opportunity and build up favorable conditions for the political settlement of the crisis. It is hoped that all parties would seriously reflect on the Ukraine crisis and jointly explore ways to bring lasting peace and security to Europe through dialogue, Xi said. China will continue to facilitate talks for peace and make its efforts for early ceasefire and restoration of peace, he added. China has sent multiple batches of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and will keep providing help to the best of its ability, Xi said. For his part, Zelensky congratulated President Xi on his re-election, commended China for its remarkable achievements, and expressed confidence that under the leadership of President Xi, China will successfully address various challenges and continue to move forward. China upholds the purposes and principles of the UN Charter in international affairs and has significant influence on the international stage, Zelensky said, adding that the Ukrainian side is committed to the one-China policy, and hopes to advance all-round cooperation with China, open up a new chapter in Ukraine-China relations, and jointly safeguard world peace and stability. Zelensky shared his views on the current state of the Ukraine crisis, thanked China for providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, and welcomed China's important role in restoring peace and seeking diplomatic solution to the crisis. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Ukrainian aircraft manufacturer Antonov denied earlier information from the government of State of Sao Paulo this Wednesday about possible investments in Brazil. The Secretary of International Affairs of the State of Sao Paulo had released a statement stating that representatives of the Antonov Company had decided to suspend the negotiations in light of the latest statements by the federal government. During a visit to Abu Dhabi 10 days ago, the president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva claimed that the Ukrainian government is one of those responsible for the war with Russia and criticized U.S and the Europe for supporting Ukraine with arms, repeating previous comments. Faced with the negative repercussions, Lula made new statements seeking to reinforce his condemnation of the Russian invasion. In his first speech during his visit to Spain on Thursday, the president said that it cannot be accepted that one country invades the territorial integrity of another. On its Facebook account, the Ukrainian company said that incorrect information about the alleged suspension of negotiations by the State Antonov Company on the alleged start of aircraft production in Brazil is being disseminated. Antonov stated that it conducts regular consultations with foreign partners from different countries, including Brazil, within its activities to promote products and services in foreign markets. However, DP Antonov does not have its authorized representative in Brazil and has not given any person, including law firms, any authority to represent the companys interests. The Sao Paulo secretariat had informed that on April 11, it received representatives of Oleksandr Nykonenko and Victor Avdeyev, board member and vice-president of the Antonov Company, for a hearing regarding the interest of the Ukrainian state-owned company Antonov to develop activities in Brazil, especially in the State of Sao Paulo. from Sao Paulo. Later, the participants of the meeting got in touch, by e-mail, informing that in view of the latest declarations of the federal government, Antonov decided to suspend the negotiations, added the note from the secretary of Sao Paulo. The Ukrainian company, however, highlighted that it is interested in developing cooperation with Brazil in the field of aviation technologies, and will appreciate official initiatives on the Brazilian side for the establishment of mutually beneficial cooperation. In note to Reutersthe Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services said it was not aware of negotiations by the Ukrainian state-owned company to install manufacturing units in Brazil. The Brazilian government has not received requests for meetings with representatives of the Ukrainian group to discuss projects of this nature, said the ministry. Sought at the beginning of the evening to comment on Antonovs publication, the advisory of the government of the State of Sao Paulo did not immediately respond. IOWA CITY One of Iowas most generous and notable philanthropists a Mason City native whose name graces buildings, centers and programs including North Iowa Area Community College's John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center has died. Pappajohn died April 22 at age 94. His death is a great loss, University of Iowa Tippie College of Business Dean Amy Kristof-Brown said in a statement, and his legacy will far surpass the name on her colleges primary campus home. His story is at the heart of what we do and inspires us every day, she said. He lived the American dream, immigrating to the United States as a child, raising a family and using his intelligence and hard work to become a business leader. His is a success story we can all learn from. 'Business builder Pappajohn who with this wife, Mary, has given more than $100 million to various philanthropic causes was born in Greece in 1928 and immigrated to the United States at 9 months old with his mother. He grew up in Mason City where he had to repeat kindergarten due to the language barrier and saw his world upended at age 16 when his father died, according to Pappajohns biography. He spent six years working his way through college, earning a UI bachelors degree in business in 1952. After graduation, though, he did not interview for a job. He wanted to own his own business, according to his biography. Pappajohn established an insurance agency, eventually becoming chair of the board for Guardsman Insurance Investors a public insurance holding company. In 1969, Pappajohn sold the enterprise for $100,000 and used the money to launch his own venture capital fund, Equity Dynamics. Before venture capitalists were what they are today, Pappajohn was investing in startups involving himself in more than 100 over the years and more than 50 initial public offerings of public stock. Pappajohn served as director of more than 40 public companies, and his philanthropy has been recognized in the naming of UIs main business building, the UI Hospitals and Clinics Pappajohn Pavilion, the John and Mary Pappajohn Clinical Cancer Center and UIs Pappajohn Biomedical Institute Building. With more than $30 million, he organized and financed the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Centers at five Iowa universities and colleges the UI, Iowa State University, the University of Northern Iowa, Drake University and North Iowa Area Community College. As of 2022, more than 421,000 people had participated in the programs statewide, including 161,092 at the UI. The centers have churned out more than 8,500 new businesses and 17,400 jobs. At the time of their creation, Pappajohn said he aimed to revive Iowas entrepreneurial spirit following the farm crisis of the 1980s. I want to make Iowa the most entrepreneurial state in America, he said. In 1997, Pappajohn and his wife created a $5 million John and Mary Pappajohn Scholarship Fund for ethnic, disadvantaged and minority students; in 2001, he funded the NIACC Pappajohn Business Building in Mason City; and the couple committed $4 million to help finance the John and Mary Pappajohn Higher Education Center, a collaborative of seven universities and colleges in the state of Iowa. As one of the states leading business builders, John serves as a daily inspiration to Iowans who want to become entrepreneurs, Kristof-Brown said in a statement. I saw firsthand the passion he felt when he engaged with students, inspiring and guiding those who sought to follow his path. 'How can I help? One such student-engagement experience came in fall of 2015, when Pappajohn spoke to a crowd of more than 1,000 during a homecoming week event at the University of Iowa. The largely student audience connected with Pappajohn instantly, hanging on advice like, Philanthropy is a way of life. "If you incorporate it in your DNA, it becomes part of your persona, he said. At that event, Pappajohn told students he was motivated by his UI education to start giving back right away although at the time he could afford only to give $5 as his first donation. His giving grew over time, of course, and he took the wealth he acquired to inspire students that day to start small, too. Distributing envelopes of $10 each to every student in the house, Pappajohn instructed them to give it away and to keep giving $10 a year for five years. And I will match you, he said, acknowledging they werent required to give the money back. If you'd rather go to the Airliner and buy a beer, OK. But your conscience is going to bother you. Pappajohns giving has supported discovery and innovation, launching student, faculty and community entrepreneurs who have started hundreds of businesses, creating thousands of jobs. I dream a lot, I dream constantly, Pappajohn said during his 2015 lecture. I dont have these wild dreams, I just dream about what I want to do and want to give away and what are my priorities in life. "How can I help the world with the time I have left? Close Mason City firefighters battle a huge blaze at the Kirk Apartments in downtown Mason City on Monday, April 24, 2023. Mason City firefighters battle a huge blaze at the Kirk Apartments in downtown Mason City on Monday. Mason City firefighters battle a huge blaze at the Kirk Apartments in downtown Mason City on Monday, April 24, 2023. Mason City firefighters battle a huge blaze at the Kirk Apartments in downtown Mason City on Monday. Mason City firefighters battle a huge blaze at the Kirk Apartments in downtown Mason City on Monday, April 24, 2023. Mason City firefighters battle a huge blaze at the Kirk Apartments in downtown Mason City on Monday. Mason City firefighters battle a huge blaze at the Kirk Apartments in downtown Mason City on Monday. Firefighters spray water on the shell of the Kirk Apartments building in downtown Mason City on Tuesday. PHOTOS: Kirk Apartments in Mason City destroyed by huge fire Mason City firefighters battle a huge blaze at the Kirk Apartments in downtown Mason City on Monday, April 24, 2023. Mason City firefighters battle a huge blaze at the Kirk Apartments in downtown Mason City on Monday. Mason City firefighters battle a huge blaze at the Kirk Apartments in downtown Mason City on Monday, April 24, 2023. Mason City firefighters battle a huge blaze at the Kirk Apartments in downtown Mason City on Monday. Mason City firefighters battle a huge blaze at the Kirk Apartments in downtown Mason City on Monday, April 24, 2023. Mason City firefighters battle a huge blaze at the Kirk Apartments in downtown Mason City on Monday. Mason City firefighters battle a huge blaze at the Kirk Apartments in downtown Mason City on Monday. Firefighters spray water on the shell of the Kirk Apartments building in downtown Mason City on Tuesday. Danvilles Smokestack Theatre Company invites the region to a 1920-40s speakeasy-themed gala. This fun and fancy themed event will take place at Smokestack Theatre from 7 to 10 p.m. May 6 and the $100 tickets (or two for $150) include period music and improv performances, canapes, drink tickets, dessert, raffle tickets and a special gift. Tickets are available at https://bit.ly/SmokestackGALA through Friday. The dress code is formal cocktail attire (black tie not required), and vintage speakeasy dress is encouraged. Attendees are also encouraged to take photos during the evening and share them online. Everyone who registers will receive a special password by email so they can enter the speakeasy. All proceeds go into funding this nonprofit community theatre. All guests must be 21 or older. Attendees are asked to have have IDs ready at the door. Smokestack Theatre Company is almost entirely run by volunteers, board secretary, and fundraising committee chair Jess Brammer-Owens said. We are dependent on money raised from events, like the gala, in order to operate. Research highlights how important the arts are to every area of life. Not only does theatre spread joy; theatre teaches empathy, builds community, and fosters overall brain development. Its so important to fund companies like Smokestack to ensure this valuable resource thrives in our community. Smokestack ensures theater is accessible for everyonebut we need financial support to realize that mission. Smokestack Theatre Company has become known in the area as an ensemble of theatre artists dedicated to creating quality, exciting and transformative theatre for the cultural enrichment of the entire community. Since 2017, Smokestacks volunteers put in more than 25,000 hours to make the theatre a success. In 2022, the nonprofit community theater relocated to a dedicated performance space in the River District at 319 Lynn St. The space includes a stage, costume and dressing rooms, bar, stage lights and more. In addition to the upcoming gala, Smokestack Theatre has a full season of adult and youth performances, youth summer camps, improv nights and event space rentals. Smokestack Theatre Company is funded by Danville Toyota, the Hughes Center, other local businesses and individual donors. To learn more, visit www.thesmokestack.org or contact managing director Josh Lucia at josh@thesmokestack.org. Local and state authorities are offering rewards totaling $30,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the shooting death of a 24-year-old man in Greensboro more than a decade ago. Officers with the Greensboro Police Department responded about 4:30 a.m. Nov. 26, 2012 to a call about a shooting at an apartment in the 2300 block of Kersey Street in Greensboro. Upon arrival, officers located Jeremy Jermih Bailey in the residence deceased from a gunshot wound. The investigation showed that a back door of the residence had been forced open by the suspect. The apartment showed signs of being ransacked and it is believed the suspect(s) were targeting Bailey or his residence for a burglary or robbery. Gov. Roy Cooper issued a proclamation Thursday announcing the State is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Bailey's death. In addition, Greensboro/Guilford Crime Stoppers will pay a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information in the case. Anyone having information concerning this case should contact Greensboro Police Department at 336-373-2450, Greensboro/Guilford Crime Stoppers, Inc. at 336-373-1000 or the State Bureau of Investigation at 919 662-4500. Two fundraising events displaying legislative bipartisanship are planned in the next few days to help a quadriplegic state worker purchase a vehicle that will give him some freedom and independence. And the public may attend. Several state lawmakers will kickoff a fundraiser 6 p.m. Thursday on the second floor of the Montana Club, 24 W. 6th Ave., and officials from both sides of the aisle will be tending bar. There will also be live music. All proceeds will benefit Jack Racicot, who wants to buy a vehicle adapted for the disabled that would give him more independence. Racicot serves as a clerk for the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee. During the 2019 legislative session, he was snowboarding at Great Divide where he suffered a debilitating accident that crushed his C5 vertebrae and left him paralyzed from the neck down. Racicot, 25, the nephew of former Republican Gov. Marc Racicot, returned to the Senate as an aide in the 68th Legislative Session in 2023. Sen. Mike Cuffe, R-Eureka, who is organizing the events, said they have a fundraising goal of $75,000. Checks can be made to the Montana Chamber Foundation. The Montana Club fundraiser has nearly a dozen sponsors. There will be refreshments. The event has a suggested donation of $100, but people can give more or less, Cuffe said. Celebrity bartenders will not only offer mixed drinks, but a mix of politics as well. They include Senate President Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton, Senate Minority Leader Pat Flowers, D-Belgrade, House Speaker Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, and House Minority Leader Kim Abbott, D-Helena. This is the kind of thing that pulls (people) together, Cuffe said. Then on May 1, there will be a fundraiser at Lewis and Clark Taproom hosted by Sen. Jason Small, R-Busby. The event, 6-9:30 p.m. at 1535 Dodge Ave., is also organized by Cuffe, The Montana Tavern Association and others. The Montana Chamber Foundation is also handling the donations. Live music will be provided by Vinyl City, featuring Attorney General Austin Knudsen. John Todd has been named the new executive director of Wild Montana, a 65-year-old grassroots conservation organization. He succeeds Ben Gabriel, who stepped down on April 15 to become the new executive director of the American Alpine Club. In his 11 years with the organization, Todd has served as its field director, conservation director, deputy director and, since Gabriel departed, its interim executive director, Wild Montana officials said Wednesday. In 2012, Todd began organizing efforts that would lead to the Gallatin Forest Partnership, a collaborative group that crafted a proposal that shaped the new Custer Gallatin National Forest Plan and got new protections for the Gallatin Range, according to a news release from Wild Montana. Before its passage in 2014, he played a crucial role in building statewide support for the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act. As Wild Montanas conservation director and deputy director, Todd oversaw the advancement of the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act, the successful defense of Montanas wilderness study areas (against several bills meant to eliminate them), and the advocacy for wild places in several Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management planning processes. Hes also overseen the growth of Wild Montanas stewardship efforts and the creation of an energy and climate program and an organizing team, according to the news release. The organization is bigger, stronger, more diversified, and more effective than its ever been, and thats largely due to Johns vision, inspiring leadership, and strategic brilliance, Tim Lynch, Wild Montanas president, said in the news release. Hes a deft communicator, a joy to work with, and highly regarded within the organization and throughout the conservation community." Todd said he was honored and excited to serve as executive director. "... we will continue to work day-in and day-out to ensure that Montana's public lands are wild, healthy, and accessible for all," he said. "Our best work is ahead of us. Todd moved to Montana from Tennessee 20 years ago and worked as a river guide in the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. He later earned a master's degree in forestry at the University of Montana before joining Wild Montana. He, his wife, and their two daughters live in Bozeman. Kayje Booker will be deputy director. Born and raised in Helena, Booker holds a Ph.D. in environmental science, policy and management from the University of California, Berkeley. She was executive director of Forward Montana before joining Wild Montana in 2016. The state Senate on Wednesday voted down two competing bills to establish charter school options in Montana. The bills were House Bill 562 from Rep. Sue Vinton, R-Billings, and House Bill 549, from Rep. Fred Anderson, R-Great Falls. While both bills would allow for the formation of charter schools, they would have created that process in different ways. Andersons first offers up an opportunity for involvement with the local school board while Vintons instead has a separate commission to validate schools. Anderson's bill would also hold the schools accountable to existing education and licensure laws and rules, while Vintons does not to the same degree, though she told legislators it still has accountability provisions. Vinton previously said the intent of her legislation was to empower parents and encourage students to achieve their full education potential, as well as to offer educators professional opportunities. Charter schools would have access to state and local funding, Vinton said, though she emphasized that philanthropy would play a major role in school budgets. Anderson argued in the House he wanted to ensure the opportunity for a local school board to be involved if they wanted to be. Sen. Jason Small, R-Busby, said on the Senate floor during debate Wednesday that he worried Vintons bill would allow for state funds to flow to charter schools without enough accountability and said the bill needed more work. But Sen. John Fuller, R-Whitefish, argued that existing public schools are not meeting the needs of every student. They need choices, parents need choices, students need choices, Fuller said. Vintons bill died on a 23-27 vote. Sen Dan Salomon, R-Ronan, advocated for Andersons bill, which he carried in the Senate, by saying it gave existing school boards an opportunity to have a say and allowed for more oversight than Vintons proposal. But Sen. Greg Hertz, R-Polson, said it was unnecessary and that it wouldn't create enough flexibility. Andersons bill died on a 8-42 vote. There are seven days left in the legislative session as of Thursday, and lawmakers could attempt to revive either bill in the coming days. Montanas tourism industry operates in a balance, driving economies in communities around the state, but also putting visitors into many of the outdoor places that residents value at a time of booming population growth. The University of Montana Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research recently released its annual report Montana Residents: Attitudes towards Tourism 2022. Since 1992 the institute has surveyed residents at gas stations and rest areas, asking questions on tourism and its impact on quality of life in the state. Tourism is one of the top industries in Montana Montana is the friendliest place Ive ever been to and Montana has an extremely loyal tourism base, said Melissa Weddell, the institutes director. More than 3,900 residents were interviewed last year, and asked whether they agreed with three statements: the overall benefits of tourism outweigh the negative impacts; if tourism increases, the quality of life for Montana residents will improve; and in recent years, the state is becoming overcrowded because of more tourists. Two-thirds of residents agreed with the first statement believing benefits outweighed negatives, but that represents a dip and the only time since 2007 fewer than 70% of residents responded positively. The percentage gap between those who agreed and disagreed also hit a low, indicating potential shifting views on tourists in the state. But Weddell noted that support for tourism still remains strong. It is generally so high, its crazy high in my opinion, she said, emphasizing that the institute only collects data but does not advocate. Tourism comes with benefits to communities from economic spending to tourist-oriented businesses, such as shops or restaurants, also being available to residents, she said. Montana is also still adjusting to surges in outdoor activity related to the pandemic as well as an influx of new residents in the state. A common theme from residents was frustration over crowding due to new residents rather than tourists, and Weddell suspects that plays into responses on tourism as visitation has stayed relatively steady at 12.5 million visitors annually. I think its normal for communities to be concerned about outsiders coming in when there are stressors, she said. Id also point out, with new residents coming to the state, its hard to tell the difference between tourists and (new) residents sometimes. In response to the quality of life should tourism increase statement, less than 35% of residents agreed while 36% disagreed and 29% were neutral. The responses mark a regional shift from recent years, where southeast Montana, Missouri River Country and central Montana previously regions most likely to agree, fell by 15% from 2021 and are now the most likely to disagree. In southwest Montana, Glacier Country and Yellowstone Country had traditionally been most likely to disagree, but saw higher levels of agreement in 2022. Only southwest Montana had more residents agreeing than disagreeing with the statement. The survey also recorded for the third time more than 50% of respondents believing the state is becoming overcrowded due to tourists. The study noted that beginning in 2015, 25% of respondents believed the state was becoming overcrowded and that has steadily increased, surpassing those who disagreed in 2021 and 2022. The issue of nonresident visitation and recreation has been a major theme of the ongoing session of the Montana Legislature. Bills have advanced seeking to reduce nonresident hunting, and lawmakers recently passed a bill that will limit the number of state campsites that may be reserved with the idea that locals would have better opportunities to snag a last-minute site. Dax Schieffer, director of Voices of Montana Tourism, said a major theme among the industry has been how to create long-term sustainability, saying that the feelings of residents have to be part of that criteria. When were asking residents do we feel like the states becoming overcrowded? most years thats asked, the response is theres plenty of space here and were doing fine, he said. Today that trend is showing that is a concern of residents, so then its up to us to understand whats happening. Schieffer agreed that new residents could account for some feeling of crowding, but said the industry is still focusing on reducing crowding and other impacts while promoting stewardship of resources. Its actionable data to make sure were being leaders in stewardship, education and having a balanced approach to solving the issue, he said. Now its a matter of working and finding and marketing to those high value, low impact visitors so we can enjoy the jobs and economic benefits while not creating more crowding. DECATUR Decatur Public Schools Board of Education has approved a new three-year contract with Superintendent Rochelle Clark. The contract runs from July 1 until June 30, 2026 and replaces the previous contract that was approved when Clark was named to the position in February 2022. That agreement set Clark's pay at $206,000 for the current year and indicated that salary amounts for future years would be set by agreement between the board and Clark. Her salary will rise to $212,798 for the 2023-24 school year; rise again to $219,182 for the 2024-25 school year; and to $225,758 for the 2025-26 school year. The contract is linked to student performance and academic improvement. Clark will be required to develop related goals and submit them to the board for its approval no later than October. The board may also choose to extend the contract up to five more years at the end of any year of the contract. I just want to express for me and, I hope, for many others, appreciation for Dr. Clark, said board member Fred Spannaus. You've brought a sense of stability, knowing where the problems are and going at them full force to deal with them, and that's exactly what this community and district needs. Board President Andrew Taylor agreed. Thank you for your service, Taylor said. I appreciate your hard work and as I've said before, I hope you're sitting in that chair when my kids graduate high school. Clark was named to the position after a lengthy search for a superintendent following the resignation of previous Superintendent Paul Fregeau. The search, conducted by firm Hazard, Attea, Young and Associates at a cost of $24,950, resulted in 17 candidates narrowed down to two finalists, Michael Gaal and Mikayla Savoy-Brooks. Gaal did not hold the proper credentials to serve as a superintendent in Illinois schools, and Savoy-Brooks had indicated that if the board did not unanimously vote in her favor, she did not want the position, then-board President Dan Oakes said. Clark, who had served as director of student services and as assistant principal at Stephen Decatur Middle School, Thomas Jefferson Middle School and Phoenix Academy, left the district in 2016 and returned in August 2021 for what was originally intended as a temporary position as assistant superintendent of support services. She applied for the superintendent position after applications had closed and was not part of the search firm's list of candidates. She was interviewed by the board on Jan. 31, 2022 and approved at the Feb. 8 school board meeting that year. New school materials The board approved a low bid for the purchase of materials for the new K-8 magnet school that will be built on the site of the former Oak Grove School. While building contracts have yet to be awarded, certain building materials that will be necessary have long lead times for delivery due to supply-chain issues, such as prescast concrete wall panels, which can be delayed as much as eight months. BLDD Architects advised the board that these materials should be ordered and on site as soon as feasible, and general contractors will be awarded the materials during the construction process. The low bid, from Midwest Precast Concrete was $2.8 million and costs will be paid from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds. "These are critical items for the schedule so getting them in a timely manner is critical. I've never seen anything with this long of a lead time in my 35-year career and it changes daily, said Steve Oliver of BLDD. The pricing on this (material) because of supply chain issues is hard to comprehend right now. We're still $207,000 under our estimate." A low bid was also accepted for the main electrical switchgear, which has a lead time of up to 16 months. Dunker Electric was the only supplier able to meet the projected delivery date of August 2024, at a cost of $98,733. That cost will also be covered by ESSER funds. The third bid accepted, for air conditioning system chillers, was awarded to Trane for $169,671 with a projected delivery date of 336 days. The chillers must be on site prior to the electrical switchgear. "These are critical items for the schedule so getting them in a timely manner is critical," said Steve Oliver of BLDD. "I've never seen anything with this long of a lead time in my 35-year career and it changes daily." A low bid was also accepted for the main electrical switchgear, which has a lead time of up to 16 months. Dunker Electric was the only supplier able to meet the projected delivery date of August 2024, at a cost of $98,733. That cost will also be covered by ESSER funds. The third bid accepted, for air conditioning system chillers, was awarded to Trane for $169,671 with a projected delivery date of 336 days. The chillers must be on site prior to the electrical switchgear. PHOTOS: All the members of the Decatur Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame Kenny Barnes, Stephen Decatur, 1962 (Aug. 2016) Marsha Bond, MacArthur, 1980 (Aug. 2016) Hubie Carter, Eisenhower, 1972 (Aug. 2016) Wayne Dunning, Lakeview, 1979 (Aug. 2016) Penny Hammel, MacArthur, 1979 (Aug. 2016) Gay Kintner, Decatur High, coach (Aug. 2016) Bill Madlock, Eisenhower, 1979 (Aug. 2016) Mark Malley, Stephen Decatur, 1969 (Aug. 2016) Rudy Phillips, MacArthur, 1963 (Aug. 2016) Lee Sentman Jr., Decatur High, 1927 (Aug. 2016) Deana Simmons, MacArthur, 1996 (Aug. 2016) 1965 Lakeview Football (Aug. 2016) Merle Bourne Jr., MacArthur, 1962 (Jan. 2017) Tim Cruz, Lakeview, 1974 (Jan. 2017) Bob "Chick" Doster, Decatur High, 1945 (Jan. 2017) Ray Goodman, Lakeview, 1975 (Jan. 2017) Bill Harbeck, MacArthur, coach (Jan. 2017) Dave Hood, Eisenhower, 1976 (Jan. 2017) Jeff Innis, Eisenhower, 1980 (Jan. 2017) Martha McCann, Eisenhower, 1983 (Jan. 2017) Marcia Morey, MacArthur, 1971 (Jan. 2017) Ken Park, Decatur High, 1936 (Jan. 2017) Dave Scholz, Stephen Decatur, 1965 (Jan. 2017) 1962 Stephen Decatur Basketball (Jan. 2017) John Alexander, Eisenhower (Aug. 2017) Terise Bryson, Stephen Decatur, 1997 (Aug. 2017) George Eubanks, Eisenhower, 1960 (Aug. 2017) Julie Foertsch, Stephen Decatur, 1986 (Aug. 2017) Elizabeth (Kampfe) Plinske, MacArthur, 1995 (Aug. 2017) Gwen Muex, Stephen Decatur, 1983 (Aug. 2017) Robert Pittenger, Lakeview, 1967 (Aug. 2017) Ray Rex, Decatur High, 1931 (Aug. 2017) Pete Scott, MacArthur, 1986 (Aug. 2017) Dion Simmons, MacArthur, 1990 (Aug. 2017) Roe Skidmore, Eisenhower, 1962 (Aug. 2017) 1992 MacArthur Boys Track (Aug. 2017) Tony Austin, Stephen Decatur, 1997 (Jan. 2018) Ben Cooper, Stephen Decatur, 1966 (Jan. 2018) Jerelene (Cummings) Ross, MacArthur, 1984 (Jan. 2018) Amber (Creason) Jackson, Eisenhower, 1995 (Jan. 2018) David Dakin, Lakeview, 1974 ( Jan. 2018) Jim Minton, MacArthur, 1982 (Jan. 2018) Dawn Pitman, Eisenhower, 1986 (Jan. 2018) Karen Roppa, MacArthur, 1966 (Jan. 2018) Tim Smith, Eisenhower, 1979 (Jan. 2018) Bill Wolfe, Lakeview, 1965 (Jan. 2018) Bob Witt, Eisenhower, coach (Feb. 2018) Ida Brooks, Eisenhower, coach (Feb. 2018) Jerry Curtis, MacArthur, coach (Feb. 2018) Ray DeMoulin, MacArthur, coach (Feb. 2018) Jack Kenny, Stephen Decatur, coach (Feb. 2018) Bob Matheson, MacArthur, coach (Feb. 2018) Mike Rusk, Eisenhower, coach (Feb. 2018) Joe Russell, Eisenhower, coach (Feb. 2018) Terry Cook, Stephen Decatur, 1984 (Oct. 2018) Joe Doolin, Lakeview, 1966 (Oct. 2018) Martha Downing, MacArthur, 1967 (Oct. 2018) Pat Hamilton, Eisenhower, 1983 (Oct. 2018) Gary Hunt, Lakeview, coach (Oct. 2018) T.J. Jackson, Stephen Decatur, 1962 (Oct. 2018) Reeni (McElyea) Letizia, Eisenhower, 1983 (Oct. 2018) Brit Miller, Eisenhower, 2005 (Oct. 2018) Dale Minick, Decatur High, 1937 (Oct. 2018) Steve Phillips, MacArthur, 1979 (Oct. 2018) Dante Ridgeway, MacArthur, 2002 (Oct. 2018) 1962 Eisenhower Baseball (Oct. 2018) Rease Binger, Stephen Decatur, coach (Jan. 2019) Lee Boyko, Eisenhower, 1963 (Jan. 2019) Terra (Crutchfield-Tyus) Jones, MacArthur, 1992 (Jan. 2019) Cary Eller, Eisenhower, 1968 (Jan. 2019) K.C. Hammond-Diedrich, Eisenhower, 1996 (Jan. 2019) Aaron Holloway, Stephen Decatur, 1966 (Jan. 2019) Tim Littrell, MacArthur, 1973 (Jan. 2019) David Marques, Lakeview, 1972 (Jan. 2019) Marcus Phillips, MacArthur, 1992 (Jan. 2019) Eddie Taylor, Lakeview, 1980 (Jan. 2019) Lee Utt, Decatur High, 1952 (Jan. 2019) 1930-31 Decatur High Boys Basketball (Jan. 2019) 1935-36 Decatur High Boys Basketball (Jan. 2019) 1944-45 Decatur High Boys Basketball (Jan. 2019) Michael Clevenger, MacArthur, 2012 (Oct. 2019) Paula (Keller) Holtman, Stephen Decatur, 1984 (Oct. 2019) Mike Larson, Lakeview, 1972 (Oct. 2019) Jad Mason, MacArthur, 1986 (Oct. 2019) Ty Mason, MacArthur, 1987 (Oct. 2019) Emily Price, Eisenhower, 2000 (Oct. 2019) Don Spain, Eisenhower. 1966 (Oct. 2019) Raisa Taylor, Eisenhower, 2008 (Oct. 2019) James Wills, Lakeview, 1978 (Oct. 2019) Greg Watchinski, Stephen Decatur, 1993 (Oct. 2019) Mike Wilks, Eisenhower, coach (Oct. 2019) 1986 MacArthur Boys Track (Oct. 2019) David Bond, MacArthur, 1984 (Feb. 2020) Greg Collingwood, coach, Eisenhower (Feb. 2020) Richard Floyd, Lakeview, 1964 (Feb. 2020) Adam Hodges, Eisenhower, 1993 (Feb. 2020) Perry Hines, Stephen Decatur, 1970 (Feb. 2020) Latoya Johnson, Eisenhower, 1993 (Feb. 2020) Mchael Phillips, MacArthur, 1997 (Feb. 2020) Jeff Roth, Eisenhower, 1976 (Feb. 2020) George "Butch" Smith, Stephen Decatur, 1965 (Feb. 2020) Stephanie (Spurlock) Fitzpatrick, Stephen Decatur, 1988 (Feb. 2020) Crystal Zeigler, MacArthur, 2008 (Feb. 2020) 1985 MacArthur Football (Feb. 2020) Scott Busboom, significant contributor, media (Spring 2021) Ferlaxnes "Lexy" Carson, MacArthur, 2011 (Spring 2021) Kostaki Chiligiris, Stephen Decatur, 1994 (Spring 2021) Harry "Rocky" Cook, Eisenhower, 1961 (Spring 2021) Tim Cox, Lakeview, 1974 (Spring 2021) Moe Dampeer, MacArthur, 2002 (Spring 2021) Leon Fonville, Eisenhower, 1969 (Spring 2021) Al Lawson, MacArthur, 1985 (Spring 2021) Lindsay Martin, Eisenhower, 1997 (Spring 2021) J. Thomas McNamara, special contributor, media (Spring 2021) Mike Nolan, Stephen Decatur, 1963 (Spring 2021) Steve Smith, Eisenhower, coach (Spring 2021) Adrian Walker, MacArthur, 2002 (Spring 2021) 1992 Eisenhower Football (Spring 2021) John Cliff, MacArthur, 1996 (Jan. 2022) Leonard Dabner, MacArthur, 1964 (Jan. 2022) Lewis Jackson, Eisenhower, 2008 (Jan. 2022) Ann Kampfe, MacArthur, 1993 (Jan. 2022) Amy McEvoy, Eisenhower, 1991 (Jan. 2022) Mike McLaughlin, MacArthur, wrestling (Jan. 2022) Betty Ray, Stephen Decatur, 1986 (Jan. 2022) Ray Rients, significant contributor, official (Jan. 2022) Patrick Ruwe, Eisenhower, 1979 (Jan. 2022) Michael Wilder, Stephen Decatur, 1998 (Jan. 2022) 1977 Stephen Decatur Baseball (Jan. 2022) Felicia Britton-Harris, Stephen Decatur, 1995 (Sept. 2022) Adrian DeVore, Eisenhower, 1990 (Sept. 2022) Chris DeVore, Eisenhower, 1992 (Sept. 2022) Malik Fonville-Simmons, MacArthur, 1990 (Sept. 2022) Brian Innis, Eisenhower, 1979 (Sept. 2022) John Kotzelnick, Lakeview, 1970 (Sept. 2022) Erin Didde Levy, Stephen Decatur, 1995 (Sept. 2022) Bob McAdam, MacArthur, 1981 (Sept. 2022) Sam McAdam, MacArthur, 1983 (Sept. 2022) Kevin Roberson, Eisenhower, 1986 (Sept. 2022) Tylian Smith, MacArthur, 2001 (Sept. 2022) Matt Tyner, MacArthur, 1976 (Sept. 2022) 1972 MacArthur football (Sept. 2022) Brenda Clark, Lakeview, Stephen Decatur, coach (Sept. 2022) Donna Dash, Lakeview, MacArthur, coach (Sept. 2022) Duane Garver, significant contributor, teacher (Sept. 2022) DECATUR Angie Anderson arrived at Robertson Charter School for lunch on Thursday loaded down with takeout for her two grandsons, Jordan and Trae Anderson. Thursday was Lunch with a Loved One, which has taken the place of Muffins with Mom, Donuts with Dad and other such events, said Principal Niki Fenderson. With some of their parents working, or absent from kids' lives, having an event devoted to a specific parent doesn't work for every child. We would have students who would be upset because mom wasn't in their life, or dads not being in the home, Fenderson said. So we thought, what event could we have that there's no label on who could come, mom, dad, grandma, uncle, cousin, big brother, big sister. This way we get them into the building and there's that collaboration with families in schools and it's a positive experience. Anybody, even a family friend, qualifies as a loved one, she said, and the kids get to have a visitor and a special lunch and nobody has to feel left out. It's a good way to spend time with them at school and see how their day's going, Anderson said, who was attending her first Lunch with a Loved One on Thursday. First grader Jordan's mouth was too full to speak, but Trae, in sixth grade, gave Anderson a hug and said I like this. Robertson has four lunch periods for different grade levels, but when a family has more than one child at the school, older and younger students can eat together with the loved one as the Andersons did. Kaitlin Wright came for son Gabriel, in first grade. We like to come in and see our kids and have meals with them and see how their day's going, Wright said. I love this, Gabriel said. Robertson holds the event at various times throughout the school year, and kids look forward to it and talk about it at home, Fenderson said. At the previous Lunch With a Loved One, 80 adults showed up over the course of the day to eat with students, and she expected at least that many on Thursday. Close Herald & Review, Jim Bowling Third-grader Laura Jones holds a sign made by her class while participating in a Robertson Charter School school-wide peace march around the Macon County Courts Facility in observance of the United Nations International Peace Day Monday. Herald & Review, Jim Bowling Sixth-grader Torrieon Howard walks in the Robertson Charter School school-wide peace march around the Macon County Courts Facility in observance of the United Nations International Peace Day Monday. Howard initiated the idea that resulted in the schools march for peace. Herald & Review, Jim Bowling Principal Cordell Ingram leads Robertson Charter School in a peace march around the Macon County Courts Facility in observance of the United Nations International Peace Day Monday. Herald & Review, Jim Bowling Robertson Charter School walks in a peace march around the Macon County Courts Facility in observance of the United Nations International Peace Day Monday September 21, 2015. Herald & Review, Jim Bowling Robertson Charter School walks in a peace march around the Macon County Courts Facility in observance of the United Nations International Peace Day Monday September 21, 2015. Herald & Review, Jim Bowling Robertson Charter School walks in a peace march around the Macon County Courts Facility in observance of the United Nations International Peace Day Monday September 21, 2015. Herald & Review, Jim Bowling Robertson Charter School walks in a peace march around the Macon County Courts Facility in observance of the United Nations International Peace Day Monday September 21, 2015. Herald & Review, Jim Bowling Robertson Charter School walks in a peace march around the Macon County Courts Facility in observance of the United Nations International Peace Day Monday September 21, 2015. Herald & Review, Jim Bowling Robertson Charter School walks in a peace march around the Macon County Courts Facility in observance of the United Nations International Peace Day Monday September 21, 2015. Herald & Review, Jim Bowling Robertson Charter School walks in a peace march around the Macon County Courts Facility in observance of the United Nations International Peace Day Monday September 21, 2015. Herald & Review, Jim Bowling Robertson Charter School walks in a peace march around the Macon County Courts Facility in observance of the United Nations International Peace Day Monday September 21, 2015. Herald & Review, Jim Bowling Robertson Charter School walks in a peace march around the Macon County Courts Facility in observance of the United Nations International Peace Day Monday September 21, 2015. Herald & Review, Jim Bowling Robertson Charter School walks in a peace march around the Macon County Courts Facility in observance of the United Nations International Peace Day Monday September 21, 2015. PHOTOS: Robertson Charter School Peace March Herald & Review, Jim Bowling Third-grader Laura Jones holds a sign made by her class while participating in a Robertson Charter School school-wide peace march around the Macon County Courts Facility in observance of the United Nations International Peace Day Monday. Herald & Review, Jim Bowling Sixth-grader Torrieon Howard walks in the Robertson Charter School school-wide peace march around the Macon County Courts Facility in observance of the United Nations International Peace Day Monday. Howard initiated the idea that resulted in the schools march for peace. Herald & Review, Jim Bowling Principal Cordell Ingram leads Robertson Charter School in a peace march around the Macon County Courts Facility in observance of the United Nations International Peace Day Monday. Herald & Review, Jim Bowling Robertson Charter School walks in a peace march around the Macon County Courts Facility in observance of the United Nations International Peace Day Monday September 21, 2015. Herald & Review, Jim Bowling Robertson Charter School walks in a peace march around the Macon County Courts Facility in observance of the United Nations International Peace Day Monday September 21, 2015. Herald & Review, Jim Bowling Robertson Charter School walks in a peace march around the Macon County Courts Facility in observance of the United Nations International Peace Day Monday September 21, 2015. Herald & Review, Jim Bowling Robertson Charter School walks in a peace march around the Macon County Courts Facility in observance of the United Nations International Peace Day Monday September 21, 2015. Herald & Review, Jim Bowling Robertson Charter School walks in a peace march around the Macon County Courts Facility in observance of the United Nations International Peace Day Monday September 21, 2015. Herald & Review, Jim Bowling Robertson Charter School walks in a peace march around the Macon County Courts Facility in observance of the United Nations International Peace Day Monday September 21, 2015. Herald & Review, Jim Bowling Robertson Charter School walks in a peace march around the Macon County Courts Facility in observance of the United Nations International Peace Day Monday September 21, 2015. Herald & Review, Jim Bowling Robertson Charter School walks in a peace march around the Macon County Courts Facility in observance of the United Nations International Peace Day Monday September 21, 2015. Herald & Review, Jim Bowling Robertson Charter School walks in a peace march around the Macon County Courts Facility in observance of the United Nations International Peace Day Monday September 21, 2015. Herald & Review, Jim Bowling Robertson Charter School walks in a peace march around the Macon County Courts Facility in observance of the United Nations International Peace Day Monday September 21, 2015. DECATUR A scheduled preliminary hearing involving the Decatur couple accused of allowing their pet dog to freeze and suffer to the point where it had to be put down, got delayed Thursday. This time a human tragedy, unspecified during the Macon County Circuit Court hearing, meant the case could not go ahead. Attorney Fallon Conner appeared in place of lead defense attorney Daniel Fultz and she told Presiding Judge Thomas Griffith that Fultz was facing a personal family issue and could not be present. States Attorney Scott Rueter said the prosecution would have no objection to delaying the hearing. The case was set for a new hearing May 11. Defendants Mark A. Miller Jr., 42, and 39-year-old Nyssa Richardson-Miller, who were not present, are charged with animal cruelty. Prosecutors say they allowed their pet pit bull called Berry Blue to freeze and suffer in brutal temperatures just before Christmas. Blue was found in such bad shape it was too late to save him, and Macon County Sheriffs Office deputies said the dog had to be euthanized. Four other pet dogs in various stages of suffering were seized and have since made full recoveries in the custody of the Macon County Animal Control and Care Center. Miller is charged with one count of aggravated cruelty to animals and one charge of cruelty to animals. He also faces five counts of being a felon in possession of an unsterilized dog. Illinois law says felons with certain records are not allowed to own any dog unless it is spayed or neutered. Richardson-Miller is charged with one count of cruelty to animals. Both defendants have yet to enter formal pleas to their respective charges. Watching the proceedings Thursday was a large contingent of blue-clad protestors from a group called Justice for Blue. They said they understood that Thursdays hearing could not go ahead but vowed to stick with the case and keep showing up as a way to draw attention to the issue of animal cruelty. The group founder is Courtney Pritchett, who said she has been involved from the very beginning. She said she was the person who alerted law enforcement after driving by the Miller couples yard and seeing Blue in distress. I could see him kind of hunched over, stumbling, staggering, just lethargic-acting, said Pritchett. Within minutes he collapsed on the ground; Id say the wind chills were negative 20-plus that day it was brutal outside. Pritchett said Blues case has become symbolic of the suffering that can be inflicted on companion animals and highlights the need to stop it. She said that will happen when the public decides to take action. We need to look out for our furry friends, she said. And if you are seeing something you dont think is right and you see an animal suffering, say something: call animal control or, if it's after hours, call the Macon County Sheriffs Office. Just step up; be that voice. 2023 mugshots from the Herald & Review Lourash Hirstein Phillip Gehrken Joseph A. Williams Jetrevius O. Jarrett Edwards King-Woods Wilson NILES Some Niles residents were startled to see a cow running down their streets Thursday morning after it got loose during a high school senior prank scheme gone wrong, Niles police say. The male cow was captured, police reported around 9:40 a.m., and is being held at Glenviews Wagner Farm for the time being. Police said they initially responded to a call for suspicious subjects at 3 a.m. April 27 and found students from Northridge Preparatory School had been bringing live farm animals to the school for an end-of-year practical joke. During the activity a live cow escaped from the students and went into the local neighborhood, police said in a news release. Police said officers worked with representatives from Wagner Farm to secure the cow and said the cow will remain at Wagner Farm until a final destination is determined. A representative from Wagner Farm said the cow was getting some peace and quiet after an exciting morning. He is in the trailer resting, she said. Hes getting some water and some privacy. He was very panicked and traumatized. He is a beautiful steer. He doesnt need any more drama. Northridge Preparatory is a Catholic high school for boys at 8320 Ballard Road, Niles. Photos: Chicago mayoral candidates Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson Brandon Johnson - 2022 Brandon Johnson - 2022 Brandon Johnson - 2022 Brandon Johnson - 2022 Brandon Johnson - 2022 Brandon Johnson - 2022 Brandon Johnson - 2023 Brandon Johnson - 2023 Paul Vallas - 2023 Paul Vallas - 2023 Paul Vallas - 2023 Paul Vallas - 2023 Paul Vallas - 2023 Paul Vallas - 2023 Paul Vallas - 2023 Paul Vallas - 2023 Paul Vallas - 2023 Paul Vallas - 2023 Paul Vallas - 2023 Paul Vallas - 2023 Paul Vallas - 2023 Paul Vallas - 2023 SPRINGFIELD Industry advocates and unions supporting caregivers for individuals with developmental disabilities are calling on lawmakers to more than double a funding increase proposed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in February. The Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities is requesting a $4 hourly increase to the wage rate for direct service professionals in community-based settings that serve individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Direct service professionals, or DSPs, are the individuals who provide daily personal care such as assisting individuals with eating, grooming and dressing. The requested increase is $2.50 beyond an increase proposed by Pritzker earlier this year. The $4 rate increase is also backed by AFSCME Council 31, the union representing about 4,000 workers at community facilities as well as about 4,000 employees at state-run centers. Supporters say the increase is needed to fill staffing shortages and offer more competitive wages. The current $17 wage rate is just $4 more than the states $13 minimum wage, although some DSPs make more than that and some make less. Look at the cost of food, gas rent, mortgage insurance, Veronica Lea, a DSP of 30 years at Trinity Services in Joliet said at a Capitol news conference. People working in fast food make more than we do. And that's, again, a shameOur pay is so low that people leave. They love their job but just can't afford it. While IARF and AFSCME are backing different proposals in terms of how providers could spend the money, each of them would bring the base wage rate to $21 by January 2024. Community not prepared for most vulnerable The rate increase is one of dozens requested by various providers in the states Medicaid program. But it is also one that is directly pertinent to a federal consent decree governing the states provision of services for developmentally disabled individuals. That court filing, known as the Ligas consent decree, is the byproduct of a lawsuit filed in response to a 1999 U.S. Supreme Court decision that ruled individuals with developmental disabilities have a right to placement in the community if they desire it. Advocates for the rate increase note the state has failed to comply with the consent decree since 2017 and long waitlists for community placements persist. According to an Illinois Department of Human Services database, about 14,900 people were on a waitlist to receive state care as of the end of March, including 5,848 adults who are seeking services and currently eligible for community placement. Josh Evans, IARF president and CEO, said if the state is to ensure community placements are available, it must provide adequate financial support for providers to be able to hire and retain staff. The community at large is not prepared to serve residents with higher level of needs, which are typically in the state centers right now, Evans said in an interview. And the reason we're not able to do that right now is because we're not equipped with the staff that we need in the community to serve higher-need individuals whether it's more complex medical conditions, whether it's higher behavioral health support needs we're not there. IARF said its member facilities have a 25% DSP vacancy rate and a 23% vacancy rate for supervisors and case managers. Additionally, 28% of providers are unable to accept new individuals, 14% have closed or consolidated group home placements, and 72% have delayed service expansions due to staffing shortages. Evans and union members said staffing shortages have been exacerbated since the COVID-19 pandemic. Mechelle Patton, a Carbondale-based DSP, said at a news conference that the pandemic meant long hours and risk of disease due to inadequate personal protective equipment. Some staffers died due to on-the-job exposure, she said. Cheryl Kakuska said she was one of several DSPs who participated in live-ins at their facilities during the pandemic, staying there for 24 hours a day, seven days a week as a safety precaution. She said she was asked to live in an uninsulated garage in the middle of winter. I started three and a half years ago, (the wage) was $12.18 an hour, she said at a news conference. Now we're up to $17.89. But let's be honest, it's just not enough. IARF and AFSCME are calling on the state to fully fund one recommendation of a 2020 study commissioned by the IDHS Division of Developmental Disabilities and conducted by the consulting firm Guidehouse in response to the Ligas consent decree. IARF and AFSCME are advocating for full implementation of a Guidehouse recommendation that wage rates for DSPs be funded at 150% of the minimum wage. That would accelerate a six-year window outlined by IDHS to comply with the Guidehouse recommended rates. The $21 rate would be 150% of the $14 minimum wage upon its effective date. The increase would take effect halfway through the upcoming fiscal year to give the state time to approve the proposal with the federal government. AFSCME and IARF, however, are backing two different proposals. AFSCME is supporting two measures Senate Bill 1600 and House Bill 3398 that require all $4 of the increase be directly passed through to workers. You must ensure that providers are required to pass through the funds for our wages rather than spend that money in other ways, Christine Rivera, an AFSCME member and DSP at Ray Graham Association told a House committee Tuesday. Evans said the bills IARF is backing House Bill 3569 and Senate Bill 2026 would require that $2 be directly passed through to DSP wages, while the other $2 could be used more flexibly, such as for recruitment and retention efforts. Its an agreement that Evans said was reached between providers, the state and labor in a previous fiscal year. He said their proposals provide more flexibility to employers to pay higher wages to more experienced DSPs, as the base wage rate is an average, rather than a minimum number. Never going to catch back up The total half-year cost of the increase would be approximately $151 million, according to IARFs estimate. About half of that cost would be shared by the federal government, and the annual cost would be roughly double that amount once it is implemented for an entire fiscal year. We need to fund this rate study proposal this year, Evans said in an interview, noting that the state is in the midst of a period of strong revenue growth that forecasters have noted could soon be slowing down. Because if not, we're never going to catch back up to private industries that can afford to pay higher wages, he said. That means we're always going to be behind, we're always going to be coming to the General Assembly saying, with our hat in our hand, we need you to do this. We've got to eventually get ahead of the curve here, and if it's not going to be in Fiscal Year 24, I don't know when it's going to be. In a Senate committee Wednesday morning, Illinois Department of Revenue Director David Harris urged caution for the Fiscal Year 2024 budgeting process, noting that there will be no April surprise of tax season revenue spikes to boost the states fiscal outlook. Several members of the Senate Republican caucus are backing the IARF proposal. They tied the ongoing fight for funding by human service providers to a major expected spending increase for providing state-funded health care to noncitizens, a program that has greatly exceeded initial cost estimates after its implementation three years ago. That expansion of care to individuals aged 42 and older who would be eligible for Medicaid if not for their citizenship status is expected to cost the state $990 million in the upcoming fiscal year and it is not federally matched. Senate Republicans calculated that disability services had been underfunded by about $500 million cumulatively over three years when compared to the Guidehouse study. Its a disgrace that the administration has ignored and abandoned our developmentally disabled community, that has been underfunded by more than a half a billion dollars, state Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, said in a statement. Crafting public policy is about setting priorities and the governor has made it clear that he is prioritizing nearly a billion dollars in Medicaid expansion for undocumented adults over our developmentally disabled community. In a statement, a Pritzker spokesperson said the administration increased funding for services provided to developmentally disabled individuals by $108.9 million in Fiscal Year 2022, $179.6 million in the current year, and has proposed a $161.3 million increase in the upcoming Fiscal Year 2024. If the governors proposed budget passes the General Assembly this spring with these investments intact, that would mean a $449.8 million investment in the Division of Developmental Disabilities, Pritzker spokesperson Alex Gough said in a statement. Individuals with mental illness, intellectual and developmental disabilities deserve to be treated with dignity and ought to receive the highest quality of care. Both IARF and AFSCME credited the Pritzker administration for increasing funding to developmental disability services in recent years, including a $2.50 increase to the wage rate for DSPs. But they noted the minimum wage rose $2 hourly over that span, making the effective increase 50 cents. The statewide minimum wage is also set to increase by $1 next year, lessening the impact of the administrations proposed $1.50 increase for DSPs. The administrations budget proposal also included another $14 million to add 700 new placements at community facilities and $19.3 million to increase staffing by 330 positions at state-run facilities. Repurposing of Choate Evans said the funding increase for DSPs was particularly important in light of the states March announcement of a plan to restructure and repurpose Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in Anna, relocating about half of the facilitys population or 123 individuals to other facilities. While AFSCME and IARF both agree that Illinoisans with disabilities deserve a choice as to where they will reside, AFSCME strongly opposes any downsizing of the state-run facilities. Choate is one of seven state-run centers serving developmentally disabled individuals and is the subject of an ongoing Capitol News Illinois, Lee Enterprises Midwest and ProPublica investigation of abuse, neglect and cover-ups at the facility. That reporting found Illinois spends more money and houses more people at such facilities than most other states. IDHS Secretary Grace Hou said in a March interview with the news outlets that one goal of the repurposing effort was to reduce the number of people living at state-run developmental centers, giving them the option to live in community-based settings. Per the repurposing plan, the state would work with families and residents to relocate them over a three-year period with the option of moving into other state-run facilities or community arrangements. That would allow time to build up private placement options and develop support services to make those placements successful, Hou said. But Evans said that plan is only feasible if community-based providers can maintain adequate staffing. What we've heard from members in Southern Illinois is they don't have the capacity right now, he said in an interview. May they in the future? That fully depends on their ability to hire. But right now, the indication is there's not the capacity, by and large, to serve 120 residents in the community. It doesn't exist. Photos: Pritzker sworn in for second term New Braunfels Independent School District is searching for a new superintendent for the second time in two years. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. BRISTOL, Va. Firefighters from both Bristols battled an early morning blaze Wednesday that destroyed a home on the Virginia side. Firefighters responded to a report of a house fire at 4:30 a.m. As crews were responding they reported over the radio that flames were visible from several blocks away, according to a written statement. First arriving crews found a one story house fully involved. Bristol Virginia firefighters received immediate assistance from Bristol Tennessee. Crews worked together to extinguish the fire and they attempted to search the house for potential victims. Due to the extent of the fire damage and the unstable structure, crews were limited in their efforts to search the house. Portions near the front of the house collapsed. Crews knocked down the main fire and then transitioned to an aerial ladder in order to deploy an elevated master stream. There were no injuries reported and the house appears to be a total loss. There did not appear to be any electrical service to the house. The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time. Rep. Ellzey To Visit Hillsboro Monday Evening United States Congressman Jake Ellzey will meet with Hill County constituents Monday, May 1, at 7 p.m. in Hillsboro. Congressman Ellzey will update attendees about what is happening in Washington, D.C. and will answer questions. The meeting will be at Historic City Hall, located at 127 East Franklin Street in Hillsboro. " " Colorful houses dot the small town of Upernavik, located in north-west Greenland, the largest island in the world. Christophe Boisvieux/Getty Islands Area: 836,330 square miles (2,166,086 square kilometers) Part of: Denmark (it's an autonomous territory) Ocean: Atlantic Population : 57,777 Greenland, the world's largest island, is also one of the most sparsely populated. More than 80 percent of Greenland is covered in a white sheet of ice, so why is it called Greenland? When the Viking Erik the Red was exiled to Greenland for murder, he gave the desolate island a more colorful name to attract settlers. It didn't work. Greenland's name in the Greenlandic Inuit tongue is Kalaallit Nunaat. Just how big is Greenland? It's three times the size of Texas and almost three times bigger than New Guinea, the second-biggest island on our list. In fact, Greenland is larger than all of these countries combined: France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, Italy, Greece, Switzerland and Belgium. Greenland is considered an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark and has had home rule since 1979. The Australian Defence Force is looking to improve its cyber warfare capabilities. Image: supplied A review of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) has called for a boost in cyber defence capabilities, urging the ADF to prepare itself for a "radically different" security environment. The Defence Strategic Review 2023, released by the Albanese government on Monday, warns the ADF was structured for "a bygone era", and that it must evolve into an "integrated force" which harnesses effects across five domains, including: maritime, land, air, space and cyber. The report said the ADF must enhances its cyber capabilities to "deliver the required responsiveness and breadth of capability to support ADF operations". To achieve this, the report made suggestions for three key areas of cyber focus: delivering a "coherent" and "centralised" cyber capability development and management function; building and maintaining ADF's cyber workforce, and; integrating the defence and management of ADF's command networks and architectures. The report stresses a need for network and architecture resilience in the face of "persistent penetration and network attack", and recommends an open architecture approach in ADF's hardware and software. "Australias cyber and information operations capabilities must be scaled up and optimised," the report said. "More countries are able to project combat power across greater ranges, including against our trade and supply routes, which are vital for Australias economic prosperity. "Cyber warfare is not bound by geography. The review also highlights strong demand for innovation, calls for greater cooperation with industry and research bodies like universities, and suggests there is a problematic lack of appropriate staff in relation to information and communications technology. For one of the most complex ICT networks in Australia, Chief Information Officer Group (CIOG) has a smaller leadership team than Services Australia or the Australian Tax Office, which have much smaller ICT footprints and classified network architecture, said the report. A major point of criticism was directed at CIOG's heavy reliance on contractors and outsourcing, for which the report recommends a rebalanced ratio of staff to contractors. Additionally, the report strongly encourages the establishment of an external "Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator", which would act as the missing link between Defence and innovative Australian companies beyond the Defence primes. "This represents a document for today, and tomorrow. It is the most significant work that's been done since the second world war," said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. "It demonstrates that in a world where challenges to our national security are always evolving, we cannot fall back on old assumptions. "All of this is making Australia more self-reliant, more prepared, and more secure in the years ahead." More missiles, more bases Outside of cyber defence, the review covers a vast range of recommendations for other areas of national security totalling a government-estimated implementation cost of about $19 billion over an initial four-year budget period. The Albanese Government has agreed with many of the review recommendations, and has identified a range of priority areas for immediate action, including: developing the ADF's ability to "precisely strike targets at longer-range" and manufacture munitions domestically; improving its ability to operate from Australia's northern bases; and deepening diplomatic and defence partnerships with key partners in the Indo-Pacific. In action, these priority areas are expected to see the army's maximum range of its weapons increase from 40km to precision strike missile ranges in excess of 500km, as well as the development of a stronger network of bases, barracks and ports across Northern Australia. The controversial AUKUS project was also mentioned among the government's priority areas, and was strongly supported throughout the defence review via calls for rapid progression and "enhanced lethality". "Navy must have enhanced lethality including through its surface fleet and conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines underpinned by a continuous naval shipbuilding program," the report said. Notably, the report also calls for the Commonwealth to work with states and territories to develop national resilience and response measures" for adverse climate change, specifically at the local level and largely without the need of ADF support. This recommendation, among with others from the review, was only agreed upon "in principle". Students initiated into the Society must be sophomores, juniors, seniors, or graduate/professional students in the top 35% of their class, demonstrate leadership experience in at least one of the five pillars, and embrace the ODK ideals. Fewer than five percent of students on a campus are invited to join each year. SALISBURY Rowan-Cabarrus Community College recently graduated its first class of Certified Logistics Technicians at the Cabarrus County Detention Center. The graduates completed the Colleges Certified Logistics Technician (CLT) course which provided training and certification that prepares them to apply for sustainable employment when they are released from incarceration. Six interested inmates who met requirements from the College and detention center were offered the opportunity to complete the course with scholarships to cover the cost. This nationally recognized industry credential positions these graduates for immediate employment by equipping them with relevant skills to perform in-demand jobs in our area, said Rowan-Cabarrus Vice President of Corporate and Continuing Education Craig Lamb. The short-term Certified Logistics Technician program prepares graduates for jobs in global logistics facilities. Logistics positions account for one of the fastest-growing employment segments in the region, offering competitive pay and benefits. The program offers training in front-line material handling and supply chain logistics so that graduates will qualify for jobs in fulfillment centers, warehouses, distribution centers and factories. Rates of recidivism (relapse into criminal behavior) for justice-involved populations are approximately 47%, with most arrests occurring within two years of release from incarceration. Some of the strongest factors influencing recidivism include post-release support in the areas of employment, housing and transportation. To assist inmates upon release, the Cabarrus County Sheriffs Office is partnering with the College, along with local second-chance hiring employers and Rider Concord-Kannapolis Area Transit to provide support. We are honored to be given the opportunity to work with these men and this program, said Matthew Griffin, production coordinator at Snyder Packaging. It is our duty to give others another chance. Second-chance hiring benefits businesses in an increasingly tight labor market while giving formerly incarcerated individuals an opportunity to prove themselves in the workplace. According to the Second Chance Business Coalition, the majority of second chance business leaders report that workers with criminal records perform as well or better than those without a criminal history. We are grateful to Rowan-Cabarrus and our community partners for this proactive approach to helping ensure that candidates with high potential have employment opportunities when they return to society, said Cabarrus County Sheriff Van Shaw. Finding satisfactory employment is a big factor that can make or break their success. At an event held in their honor, the graduates from the Cabarrus County Detention Center were able to participate in interviews with representatives from local employers Owens Corning Reinforcement Solutions and Snyder Packaging. Our mission is to help individuals improve their lives through the power of learning, and we are proud to participate in outreach to prepare these justice-involved individuals to succeed, said Dr. Carol S. Spalding, president of Rowan-Cabarrus. Connecting people with opportunities to be loyal, productive employees is a critical step in changing their lives and our community for the better. For more information about Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, visit www.rccc.edu or call 704-216-RCCC (7222). Telecentro Argentina has selected Finnish telecommunications vendor Nokia to provide traffic capacity growth needed for future services and subscriber base growth along network protection capabilities against DDoS threats and attacks. Telecentro will deploy Nokias IP solutions including Nokias 7750 Service Router (SR) platform, powered by FP5 routing silicon, and its 7250 interconnect routers (IXR) for broadband aggregation. Telecentro chose Nokia mainly because of FP5, which can build higher capacity networks and are more energy efficient. The FP5s future-ready 800GE capability will also accelerate Telecentros ability to meet future traffic growth sustainably and at lower cost, Nokia claimed. Telecentro will also deploy Deepfield Defender, Nokias DDoS security solution. Defender detects DDoS, providing protection and mitigation. The Deepfield Cloud Intelligence solution will also be deployed, which will give Telecentro cost-effective, real-time and actionable insight into all its network flows. "This strategic project implies an extensive 100% 400GE deployment, the first one in the Latin American region. In addition, the comprehensive blend of Deepfield will provide inline protection from DDoS attacks and a complete view of the behaviour of the traffic in our network, serving a B2C and B2B ever-demanding market, said Telecentro Argentina chief technology information officer Juan Luna. This network transformation will allow Telecentro to meet the increasing demand for ultrabroadband services throughout Argentina, said Nokia market unit head for Southern Cone Fernando Sosa. The network deployment also includes use of Nokias 1830 PSS-8 (Photonic Service Switch). The PSS-8 is part of Nokias family of DWDM multiservice, multilayer packet optical transport network (P-OTN) platforms from compact access to the converged OTN/DWDM core. This first appeared in the subscription newsletter CommsWire on 26 April 2023. GUEST RESEARCH: Radware, a leading provider of cyber security and application delivery solutions, released a new report Hacktivism Unveiled: Insights into the Footprints of Hacktivists. The tell-all report provides an in-depth, comparative analysis of the motivations, targets, tactics and techniques, and DDoS activities of the world's top 15 most active political and religious hacktivists groups. Radware's threat intelligence reveals the rankings and profiles of top attacking actors, the most attacked countries and websites, as well as some misperceptions about well-known hacktivist groups. The findings in Hacktivism Unveiled are based on the tracking and analysis of messages from active hacktivists groups on Telegram during the period between 18 February and 18 April 2023. Radware director of threat intelligence Pascal Geenens noted the changing landscape of hacktivism. Geenens said, "While religious hacktivism has remained a constant threat over the years, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has ushered in a whole new wave of not only patriotic and political hacktivism, but also hacktivism in general. Modern-day hacktivism with its barrage of denial-of-service attacks is bolder, more determined, and more media-driven than ever before." Ranking of the Who's Who of Hacktivists During the period between 18 February and 18 April 2023, over 1,800 denial-of-service attacks were claimed by political and religious hacktivists across 80 Telegram channels. NoName057(16) claimed almost 30 percent of the attacks, followed by Anonymous Sudan (18 percent) and Mysterious Team (13 percent). NoName057(16) is by far the most active DDoS hacktivist among the politically driven, pro-Russian hacktivists. Anonymous Sudan, Mysterious Team, and Team Insane PK are responsible for most of the religiously driven DDoS activity and ranked second, third, and fourth respectively among hacktivists claiming the most attacks. While there might be doubts about the alignment of Anonymous Sudan to the Russian government, their attack motives and patterns suggest a religiously motivated group rather than a politically motivated one. Killnet, the group most prominently covered in the media and often suspected of the most hacktivist DDoS activity, did not rank among the top 15 of hacktivists, claiming 11 attacks during the period compared to NoName057(16)'s 544 attacks. Passion, the pro-Russian, turned for-profit criminal hacktivist group that provides DDoS-for-hire services, stands out among the hacktivists targeting large U.S. cloud organisations. Top attacked countries During the period from 18 February to 18 April 2023: Israel topped the list of most attacked countries, shouldering 11 percent of the DDoS attacks, followed by India (9 percent), Poland (8 percent), and Australia (8 percent). Israel, India, and Australia were targets of pro-Islamic hacktivists during the recent #OpIsrael, #OpIndia, and #OpAustralia operations. The United States (6 percent) and Germany (6 percent), followed by Sweden (5 percent), Ukraine (5 percent), Denmark (4 percent), and Italy (4 percent) rounded out the list of top 10 most targeted countries. Poland is the only country in the top five that was specifically targeted by pro-Russian hacktivists in attacks relating to the Russo-Ukrainian war. Top attacked websites During the two-month period: Business (19 percent), government (18 percent), and travel (13 percent) websites were the most targeted by hacktivists, followed by financial services (7 percent), education (6 percent), and health and medicine (4 percent). Business and government websites were attacked by most of the top hacktivist groups that were tracked in the report. Financial services and travel websites were primarily targeted by NoName057(16), Team Insane PK, Mysterious Team, and Anonymous Sudan. Geenens added "Denial of service has always been an important tactic used by hacktivist groups, and this will not change any time soon. Any organisation, independent of size and industry, can become a target of hacktivists who desire to advance their cause and hold organisations and governments accountable for their actions. "While there is no reason for panic, organisations need to be prepared. It is widely known in the security community that disrupting or impacting an organisation or infrastructure requires more perseverance than skills or sophistication." Radware's complete Hacktivism Unveiled report can be found on the company's website. About Radware Radware is a global leader of cyber security and application delivery solutions for physical, cloud, and software defined data centres. Its award-winning solutions portfolio secures the digital experience by providing infrastructure, application, and corporate IT protection, and availability services to enterprises globally. Radware's solutions empower enterprise and carrier customers worldwide to adapt to market challenges quickly, maintain business continuity, and achieve maximum productivity while keeping costs down. For more information, please visit the Radware website. New research by global enterprise software company Oracle and New York Times bestselling author Seth Stephens-Davidowitz finds people all around the world are struggling to make decisions in both their business and personal lives, at a time when we are all being forced to make more decisions than ever before. The research is titled the Decision Dilemma, and was conducted across more than 14,000 employees and business leaders from 17 countries, including a thousand Australians. Despite the mantra of this decade exhorting us to be data-driven leaders, the reality turns out that almost everybody is suffering from data overload and the end result is an inability to make effective decision making. Key findings from the report indicate 99% of people want decision-making help from data, yet the explosion of data is working against them. 82% of Australians are so overwhelmed by data they simply give up on decision making 95% of business leaders have suffered from decision distress - regretting, feeling guilty about, or questioning a decision they made in the past year 82% admit the sheer volume of data and their lack of trust in data has stopped them from making any decision at all 95% have changed the way they make decisions over the last three years People are drowning in data, said Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, data scientist and author of Everybody Lies and Dont Trust Your Gut. This study highlights how the overwhelming amount of inputs a person gets in their average day -- internet searches, news alerts, unsolicited comments from friends -- frequently add up to more information than the brain is configured to handle. People are tempted to throw out the confusing, and sometimes conflicting, data and just do what feels right. But this can be a big mistake. It has been proven over and over again that our instincts can lead us astray and the best decision-making is done with a proper understanding of the relevant data. Finding a way to get a handle on the stream of data at their fingertips, to help businesses distinguish between the signal and the noise, is a crucial first step. Australians recognise the significance of data in making accurate and reliable decisions and understand that decisions shouldnt be made based on gut feeling alone (95%). However, 93% of Australians also believe the volume of data has made decision-making more complex in both their personal and professional lives the highest in the world. With the ever-increasing volume of data, Australians are now confronted with a decision-making crisis, unsure whether to rely on their intuition or the data in front of them. As a result, many Australians are simply avoiding making decisions altogether. Interestingly, this number was higher for business leaders (89%) than employees (75%). Australia understands that data is instrumental to making accurate and reliable decisions. However, today, business leaders and employees are faced with an unprecedented volume of data, leaving many feeling overwhelmed and stripping them of confidence in decision-making, said Oracle ANZ regional MD Stephen Bovis. Australians are famous for our laissez-faire, shell be right attitude. This study shows that perhaps, this attitude boils down to a lack of confidence in decision-making capabilities with many Aussies choosing to avoid making a decision altogether. The number of decisions we are making is multiplying and more data is not helping People are overwhelmed by the amount of data and this is damaging trust, making decisions much more complicated, and negatively impacting their quality of life. 88% of Australians say the number of decisions they make every day has increased 10x over the last three years and as they try to make these decisions, 90% are getting bombarded with more data from more sources than ever before. Australians are the most likely (93%), compared to other global cohorts (86%) to say the volume of data is making decisions in their personal and professional lives much more complicated and 66% admit they face a decision dilemma not knowing what decision to make more than once every single day. 41% dont know which data or sources to trust and 82% have given up on making a decision because the data was overwhelming - the highest globally - which is perhaps the cause for Australias famous laissez-faire, shell be right attitude More than any other country, 93% of Aussies say this inability to make decisions is having a negative impact on their quality of life. It is causing spikes in anxiety (40%), missed opportunities (39%), and unnecessary spending (34%). As a result, 95% have changed the way they make decisions over the last three years. 44% now only listen to sources they trust and 26% rely solely on gut feelings, which is less than the global average (26%), showing Australians recognise the significance of data in making accurate and reliable decisions Decision distress is creating organisational inertia Business leaders want data to help and know it is critical to the success of their organisations but do not believe they have the tools to be successful, eroding their confidence and ability to make timely decisions. Australian business leaders suffer from decision distress more than any other nation (95%) regretting, feeling guilty about, or questioning a decision they made in the past year and 99% believe having the right type of decision intelligence can make or break the success of an organisation. Almost all respondents (99%) want help from data. In an ideal world, they want data to help them: make better decisions (34%), reduce risk (35%), make faster decisions (34%), make more money (38%), and plan for the unexpected (32%). In reality, 89% of Australian business leaders admit the sheer volume of data and their lack of trust in data has stopped them from making any decision at all and 99% believe the growing number of data sources has limited the success of their organisations. Managing different data sources has required additional resources to collect all the data (68%) for Australian leaders made strategic decision-making slower (37%), and introduced more opportunities for error (32%). Business leaders do not believe that the current approach to data and analytics is addressing these challenges. 89% say that the dashboards and charts they get do not always relate directly to the decisions they need to make and 90% believe most data available is only truly helpful for IT professionals or data scientists. Business leaders know this needs to change. They believe the right data and insights can help them make better HR (99%), finance (99%), supply chain (99%), and customer experience (98%) decisions. Australian business leaders clearly understand the impact the right data can have on their businesses. Data needs to be relevant to the decisions people make or they will give up on it Collecting and interpreting data has driven people to their breaking point at a time when the stakes are incredibly high for business leaders. 86% of people say the headache of having to collect and interpret so much data is too much for them to handle. This is particularly evident in the business world. 90% of Australian business leaders say people often make decisions and then look for the data to justify them, while 76% of employees believe businesses often put the highest-paid persons opinion ahead of data, and 14% feel that most decisions made in business are not rational. The situation is so challenging that 81% of people and 64% of business leaders - would prefer for all these difficulties to just go away and to have a robot make their decisions. Despite their frustrations with data in their personal and professional worlds, Australians recognise, more than any other country, that without data their decisions would be less accurate (55%), less successful (25%), and more prone to error (49%). People also believe that an organisation that uses technology to make data-driven decisions is more trustworthy (88%), will be more successful (85%), is a company theyre more likely to invest in (85%), partner with (85%), and work for (85%). Australias business leaders have a sophisticated view of data, with only a few preferring to make decisions based on gut feel alone, Bovis said. But while they recognise the value, they do need help in making the data work for them. This study's hesitancy, distrust, and lack of understanding of data indicate that many people and organisations need to rethink their approach to data and decision-making. What people really need is to be able to connect data to insight to decision to action. With our span of connected cloud capabilities, ranging from foundational data management, to augmented and applied analytics, to our suite of operational applications, we are uniquely positioned to meet this need providing insights for more confident decision-making and making their lives easier. "Our doctors and nurses welcome every advantage in making the best decisions in critical moments - such as the end of a long shift - and this is where data insights can add value to real-world patient outcomes, said Royal Flying Doctor Service CIO Ryan Klose. But without the right tools, an organisations ability to use data for better decision-making is severely hampered. There are real people at the end of all the decisions we make, so in this way, I.T. isnt just delivering technology outcomes, were delivering real-world patient outcomes. Methodology This global sample of 14,250 people was surveyed in January 2023. In each country, the sample represented employees and business leaders, including titles such as President, CEO, Chairperson, C-Level Executive, CFO, CTO, Director, Senior Manager, HR Manager, and other select leadership roles, confirmed by consumer-matched data accessed via the global insights platform Prodege. Employee samples were calibrated, where possible, to reflect the age and gender demographics of the nations workforce. DKC Analytics conducted and analysed this survey with a sample procured using the Pollfish survey delivery platform, which delivers online surveys globally through mobile apps and the mobile web along with the desktop web. No post-stratification has been applied to the results. Australian laser fusion energy company HB11 Energy has signed a bilateral agreement with Spains University of Salamanca and the Spanish Pulsed Lasers Centre (CLPU) to accelerate laser fusion energy development in Australia and Spain. The agreement will give HB11 Energy - Australias first laser fusion energy company - access to Spains most powerful petawatt-class laser, operated by CLPU, which uses similar technology to the Livermore National Ignition Facility (NIF) where net energy gain was recently achieved. HB11 Energy said Australias Ambassador to Spain Sophia McIntyre attended the signing of the agreement, due to the huge national potential for the bilateral partnership to put both countries at the forefront of the global race to clean, safe, reliable, and unlimited energy production using laser fusion. The Australian Government, through the Australian Research Council (ARC), has also awarded a $560,000 ARC Linkage grant towards a $1.76M project for the development of HB11 Energys home-grown hydrogen-boron laser fusion, hosted by UNSW and involving collaborators at Macquarie University, University of Bordeaux and Spains CLPU. HB11 Energy says accessing CLPU facilities is particularly critical to the company- and Australia as a whole - because Australia doesnt currently have the laser required for this work, whereas the laser owned by CLPU is a short-pulsed variety which is most advantageous for hydrogen-boron fusion. Conversely, CLPU is particularly interested in HB11 Energy and its Australian and global collaborative network, because it offers a best-practise approach to sourcing clean and affordable energy through laser fusion, and because of the capabilities it has built such as materials and laser target fabrication. HB11 Energy says the combination of Spains expertise in nuclear science and ownership of ultra-high intensity laser facilities, with Australias capability and personnel in laser science and technology, make for a strategically-matched international partnership that will progress science for fusion energy generation, says HB11 Energy. Dr. Warren McKenzie said: The co-founder of HB11 Energy, Professor Heinrich Hora, first theorised about laser fusion in the late 70s and pioneered the field at UNSW Sydney. But the high-powered lasers needed to achieve the hydrogen-boron laser fusion did not exist back then like they do now. Partnerships with organisations like the University of Salamanca and the CLPU are crucial for fusion energy research, like the research we will be conducting under the ARC Linkage grant, and beyond. Australia needs to build its national laser fusion energy capability if we are going to lead the race towards fusion energy. This partnership is one of the many steps HB11 Energy is taking towards this goal, which will raise the profile of Australian research into laser fusion energy at a time when many governments around the world are planning major international laser fusion programs. Sophia McIntyre, Australias Ambassador to Spain, said: HB11 Energys research with CPLU is groundbreaking and a great example of the growing science and technology ties between Australia and Spain. Collaborations like these place Australia in the vanguard of international research and help to build our scientific knowledge base and ensure we stay competitive. Dr Maria Dolores Rodriguez Frias, director of CLPU, said: Since the achievement of the laser laboratory NIF (US), Ignition is a reality in nuclear fusion. At CLPU we host the most powerful laser in Spain that counts among the three most powerful in the world at a high repetition rate. We are sure that this agreement will enhance our capabilities and strengthen our common interests fostering a green fusion energy in the next decades. NEOGA A Neoga man that was the subject a police manhunt has been apprehended in Kentucky. According to the Illinois State Police, James M. Walthers was arrested Wednesday by officers of the U.S. Marshals Service in Princeton, Kentucky. He remains in custody at the Caldwell County Jail, awaiting extradition. Walthers, 51, is charged in Cumberland County Circuit Court with aggravated battery in connection with an April 20 incident. According to authorities, the Cumberland County Sheriffs Department responded at approximately 12:08 p.m. to a domestic incident in the 400 block of County Road 600N in rural Neoga. Walthers had left the scene prior to the officers arrival, which led to an extensive, but unsuccessful, search that included the state police. No other information about the incident that led to the charges or his arrest has been released. 50 best crime TV shows of all time Intro #50. Southland #49. Happy Valley #48. Boston Legal #47. Bosch #46. American Crime Story #45. The Americans #44. Banshee #43. Broadchurch #42. Person of Interest #41. Ozark #40. Brooklyn Nine-Nine #39. Love/Hate #38. Harley Quinn #37. The New Batman Adventures #36. Alfred Hitchcock Presents #35. Trailer Park Boys #34. Luther #33. Big Little Lies #32. Boardwalk Empire #31. The Punisher #30. Hannibal #29. Sons of Anarchy #28. Mr. Robot #27. Homicide: Life on the Street #26. Wentworth #25. Endeavour #24. Young Justice #23. Poirot #22. Justified #21. Deadwood #20. The X-Files #19. Mindhunter #18. Daredevil #17. Dexter #16. The Return of Sherlock Holmes #15. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes #14. Line of Duty #13. The Shield #12. Oz #11. The Boys #10. Better Call Saul #9. Twin Peaks #8. Narcos #7. Peaky Blinders #6. Fargo #5. True Detective #4. Sherlock #3. The Sopranos #2. The Wire #1. Breaking Bad 50 best crime TV shows of all time #50. 24 #49. Brooklyn Nine-Nine #48. Love/Hate #47. The New Batman Adventures #46. Alfred Hitchcock Presents #45. Bosch: Legacy #44. Southland #43. Harley Quinn #42. Happy Valley #41. Boston Legal #40. Bosch #39. Person of Interest #38. Big Little Lies #37. The Punisher #36. Hannibal #35. Ozark #34. Foyle's War #33. Mr. Inbetween #32. Wentworth #31. Endeavour #30. Trailer Park Boys #29. Poirot #28. Justified #27. Deadwood #26. Boardwalk Empire #25. The X-Files #24. Mindhunter #23. Sons of Anarchy #22. Mr. Robot #21. Daredevil #20. The Return of Sherlock Holmes #19. Homicide: Life on the Street #18. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes #17. Young Justice #16. Line of Duty #15. The Shield #14. Oz #13. The Boys #12. Dexter #11. Twin Peaks #10. Narcos #9. Peaky Blinders #8. Fargo #7. Better Call Saul #6. True Detective #5. Batman: The Animated Series #4. Sherlock #3. The Sopranos #2. The Wire #1. Breaking Bad Wells Fargo & Co.s board of directors disclosed in a regulatory filing Thursday that it has amended the banks code of ethics and business conduct. Although the changes, which went into effect immediately, apply to all employees, the filing specifically cited the chief executive, chief financial officer and chief accounting officer positions. The bank said the changes to the code of ethics and business conduct reflects (its) commitment to the highest standards of honesty, transparency and acting with integrity. The code contains principles, guidance and employee responsibilities under the code, including: the alignment of the code with the companys expectations that guide employee conduct and decision-making; focus on fair and honest business dealings; non-retaliation policy and guidance on escalating to appropriate reporting channels; compliance obligations under the laws and regulations within jurisdictions where the company conducts business; and responsibilities of employees to identify, avoid or manage actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest. Since the fraudulent customer account scandal erupted in September 2016, Wells Fargo has had three full-time and one temporary chief executives, and two chief financial officers. In April 2022, chief executive Charlie Scharf said it could be several more years before the bank resolves enough legal and regulatory issues to be allowed by the Federal Reserve to grow beyond the $1.93 trillion asset cap placed on Feb. 3, 2018. Federal banking regulators ordered a $17.5 million fine against former chief executive John Stumpf for his role in the scandal. Stumpf, who was allowed to retire, agreed to a prohibition order, which includes a lifetime ban from the banking industry. In November 2020, the SEC ordered Stumpf to pay a $2.5 million penalty for his role in allegedly misleading investors about the success of its community bank division. The fine settled charges against Stumpf. Bowman Gray IV, a local independent stockbroker, said that, I applaud the implementation of this standard, but it seems very late in coming. Gray said the bank needs work to more closely resemble the opening line of the code: Wells Fargos reputation as one of the worlds great companies for integrity and principled performance depends on our doing the right thing, in the right way, and complying with the laws, rules and regulations that govern our business. We earn trust by behaving ethically and holding all employees and directors accountable for the decisions we make and the actions we take. Gray said, I do sincerely hope they can establish themselves as all of those things they claim. Only time will bear that out. The amending of the code of ethics and business conduct comes as Wells Fargo continues to struggle to resolve and settle numerous federal investigations into its business practices, most approved or condoned by former top executives. Tolstedt example The highest-profile example is Carrie Tolstedt, who played a lead role in the Wells Fargo fraudulent customer account scandal. Tolstedt was retroactively fired with cause by Wells Fargo shortly after the scandal erupted in September 2016. Wells Fargo acknowledged in 2017 the opening and issuing of at least 3.53 million unauthorized checking and savings accounts, debit cards and credit cards between 2009 and October 2016. Tolstedt, 63, and the former head of Wells Fargos Community Bank unit, pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of a bank examination, the U.S. Justice Department said on March 13. Wells Fargo has admitted that from 2002 to 2016, excessive sales goals led Community Bank employees to open millions of accounts and other financial products that were unauthorized or fraudulent. In the process, Wells Fargo collected millions of dollars in fees and interest to which it was not entitled, harmed customers credit ratings, and unlawfully misused customers sensitive personal information. According to the plea agreement, Tolstedt acknowledged that she knew of those fraudulent practices in 2004, including that some retail employees had been fired over those tactics. Yet, internal investigations within the Community Bank flagged only a small portion of the potentially problematic activity for investigation, according to Justice officials. Tolstedt is the first former or fired executive heading to federal prison over the events. The plea agreement carries a 16-month federal prison sentence. The statutory maximum sentence for obstruction of a bank examination is five years. A Greensboro husband and wife have brought two cultures together in their food-truck business, which has been making the rounds throughout the Triad. Nidal Bouresslan, a native of Lebanon, came to the United States as a young adult, first to California, then to North Carolina. I came to North Carolina to visit a friend from high school, and I just stayed, he said. It turns out he had a good reason for staying. We actually met the first day he was in North Carolina, and we hit it off really well, said Missie Bouresslan, who grew up in Greensboro and Browns Summit. The two married in 2006. By 2012, they had gone into business together, selling food at fairs and festivals, as well as doing some catering. We did that up until the COVID pandemic and then there was nothing, Missie Bouresslan said. The food truck was born of the need to pivot a need to continue to be able to work. They launched their food truck, The Local & The Lebanese, on Sept. 11, 2021 its name describing not only the couple but the food they serve. The truck has been working throughout the Triad. It alternates Wednesday evenings between Joymongers Brewing Co. in Greensboro and Joymongers Beer Hall in Winston-Salem. The trucks menu mixes authentic Lebanese with American fare. You go from very authentic Lebanese cuisine famous street food like chicken shawarma, kofta and falafel to the feta burger, Nidal said. You feel like you travel to the Mediterranean and you come back. It also has kids favorites and vegan options. We want to appeal to the whole family, Missie said. We felt it was important not to leave anyone out. The truck typically will serve a smaller menu at lunchtime bookings and a larger menu at evening events. The shawarma is chicken cooked with sumac and other Mediterranean spices that Nidal brings back from Lebanon when he goes to visit family each winter. The kofta is a skewered meatball. The falafel is made from Nidals grandmothers recipe. All are served on pita, usually with lettuce and tomato and, in some cases, tzatziki or another sauce. They also serve gyro, hummus and veggie pitas. On the American side of the menu are classic and Carolina-style burgers, steak and cheese or chicken and cheese subs, chicken tenders and hot dogs. The feta burger includes not only feta, but grilled mushrooms and onions, house dressing and house-made garlic mayonnaise. All the burgers and sandwiches come with fries, and most sell for $12.95 to $13.95. The salad and dessert menus are equally split: Customers can choose a regular house or Mediterranean salad, and baklava or fried pie. We wanted to offer people some staples they are used to, Missie said. I like to say its taste of there or a taste of here. The owners of Slice of Napoli, at 5089 Country Club Road, have announced that their last day of business will be April 30 less than three years after they opened. But a new pizza place will be moving into that spot soon. Daniele Scala, a native of Naples, Italy, and his wife, Elizabeth Grubbs, opened Slice of Napoli on Aug. 19, 2020, bringing years of Italian restaurant experience with them. In a Facebook post April 25, Grubbs wrote, With lots of thoughts and prayers, we have decided to accept an offer that we were presented with, to sell our pizzeria. We are very proud of the successful business we have created, and we are thankful for all of our hard-working employees and loyal customers who have helped us and supported us along the way. Our decision did not come easily. In an interview, Grubbs said that the business was doing well but that staffing was such a problem that she and her husband were putting in way too many hours at the restaurant, and they didnt think that was good for their three children. Weve been thriving. We have a great following, she said. But we were putting too much into the restaurant and not enough into our family. Scala and Grubbs sold their business assets to Lampros Tsipras, who is a partner in TJs Deli along with his wife, Maria Strates Tsipras, and her brothers Pete, Spiro and Johnny Strates (all children of Paul Strates of Dukes Restaurant fame). They took over TJs, just a few doors down at 5017 Country Club, in 2021. Lampros and Maria Tsipras, Greek-Americans, said they plan to open a pizza restaurant at 5089 Country Club that also will sell gyros and other Greek fare. Lampros Tsipras said that, before moving to North Carolina to get married, he spent many years in the pizza business in Massachusetts, where his family owns several pizza restaurants. He does not yet have an opening date for the new restaurant, but he plans to call it Pizza Greco. Two Winston-Salem men are facing charges after another man was shot and wounded Wednesday in the 1800 block of Patterson Avenue, authorities said. Shamarion Porter, 19, of Butterfield Drive is charged with assault with a deadly weapon, inflicting serious injury and carrying a concealed gun, police said. Dante Wyse, 21, of Joshua Way Lane is charged with being an accessory to an assault with a deadly weapon, inflicting serious injury, police said. Porter and Wyse were being held Thursday in the Forsyth County Jail with Porters bond set at $50,000 and Wyses bond set at $20,000, the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office said. Winston-Salem police responded shortly before 7 p.m. on a reported shooting in the 1800 block of Patterson Avenue, police said. Before officers arrived at the scene, they learned that someone had been shot. With a gathering of 500 to 700 people nearby, officers found Supreme Grimmage, 21, of Fayetteville with a gunshot wound on the sidewalk, police said. Grimmage was taken to a local hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound to his right shoulder, police said. Grimmages injury is non-life threatening. Investigators found a suspect vehicle, a silver Ford Mustang convertible, in the 5100 block of Butterfield Drive, police said. Officers detained and questioned the vehicles occupants. Anyone with information about this shooting can call Winston-Salem police at at 336-773-7700, Crime Stoppers at 336-727-2800 or its Spanish line at 336-728-3904. Fans of Lego toys are buzzing over a report that the company is eyeing Omaha for a new store, but the company is neither confirming nor denying. I can confirm that my fingers and toes are crossed for this to happen, said Brian Hirt, president of the Lincoln and Omaha Lego Users Group, a club of devout fans. If Omaha does get a Lego retail store, it would be a great recognition by the Lego Company that eastern Nebraska is a great market for Lego and has a thriving community of adult Lego builders, Hirt said. A website that highlights Omaha development happenings ignited the speculation. The Grow Omaha website, in its weekly market report March 16, said that Lego representatives visited the city. Representatives from Lego were in town last week touring various retail properties, the site reported. The closest Lego stores are in Kansas City and Minneapolis. Those cities are quite a bit larger than Omaha. But there are clearly Lego fans in Nebraska and Iowa, as evidenced by the strong turnout at last weekends Brick Days Omaha, an expo of all things Lego. The show attracted about 7,000 people to the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Hirt said. Organizer Daniel Schmidt described it as a Lego-fan celebration. The public could come and see imaginative creations made by Lego club members from across the country. All of these creations that these folks have brought in have incredible detail to them, Schmidt said. They really have spent a lot of time and energy to create each scene and each individual building. Theres a lot of humor in it. Theres a lot of fun and whimsy. Among the creations were a model of the Nebraska State Capitol, created by John Tooker, and an elaborate machine called the Great Ball Contraption. The motorized Rube Goldberg device conveyed marbles around a track of ladders, wheels, rails and levers. In one display, locomotives ran around a track, at one point passing two Lego wind turbines like the ones along Interstate 80 and carrying the Lincoln Electric System logo. Legos are hands-on and mind-engaging, Schmidt said. And theres a social aspect, whether through the clubs or with a grandparent and grandchild teaming up on a project, he said. Theres a lot of opportunity to work together, and also its a lot of fun to work solo and build and sort out your Lego without being on the phone, without sitting in front of a screen, he said. Schmidt said if Lego opens a store, the folks at Brick Days would be excited about it. We are really of the belief that the more people that get into Lego and find how creative it is and how open-ended it is, the more participants there are in Brick Days, and the more that they join the clubs and the more fun thats had. Legos all about fun, and we love fun, he said. The World-Herald contacted Lego for comment. The company declined to confirm the report but sent our warmest regards to the Lego fans at Brick Days. We love hearing about Lego fans coming together for joyful play, and its great to hear theres an enthusiastic community in Nebraska, a Lego spokesperson said. Im afraid we dont comment on any of our future store plans and deliberations ... During 2022, the company grew its global network of stores, opening 155 new stores together with partners, taking total stores globally to 904, according to Legos 2022 annual report. The stores included a refurbished flagship store in London, stores in Dublin and Munich, and 95 stores in China, it said. In 2023, we will continue to make significant investments in our retail platforms to reach and inspire even more shoppers, the report said. LONDON British antitrust regulators on Wednesday blocked Microsoft's $69 billion purchase of video game maker Activision Blizzard, thwarting the biggest tech deal in history over worries that it would stifle competition in the fast-growing cloud gaming market. The Competition and Markets Authority said in its final report that "the only effective remedy" to the substantial loss of competition "is to prohibit the Merger." The companies vowed to appeal. The all-cash deal announced 15 months ago faced stiff opposition from rival Sony, which makes the PlayStation gaming system, and also was scrutinized by regulators in the U.S. and Europe over fears it would give Microsoft and its Xbox console control of hit franchises including Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. The United Kingdom watchdog's decision "came as a surprise to most people" and heightens global uncertainty over the deal, said Liam Deane, a game industry analyst for research firm Omdia. "It's a big enough market to throw a pretty serious spanner in the works from Microsoft and Activision's perspective, but things will get a lot worse if they also get the wrong decision from the European Commission in a few weeks time," he said. The U.K. watchdog's concerns centered on how the deal would affect cloud gaming, which streams to tablets, phones and other devices and frees players from buying expensive consoles and gaming computers. Gamers can keep playing major Activision titles, including mobile games like Candy Crush, on the platforms they typically use. Cloud gaming has the potential to change the industry by giving people more choice over how and where they play, said Martin Colman, chair of the Competition and Markets Authority's independent expert panel investigating the deal. "This means that it is vital that we protect competition in this emerging and exciting market," he said. The decision underscores Europe's reputation as the global leader in efforts to rein in the power of Big Tech companies. A day earlier, the U.K. government unveiled draft legislation that would give regulators more power to protect consumers from online scams and fake reviews and boost digital competition. The U.K. decision dashes Microsoft's hopes that a favorable outcome could help it resolve a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. A trial before the FTC's in-house judge is set to begin Aug. 2. The European Union's decision, meanwhile, is due May 22. Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft signaled it wasn't ready to give up. "We remain fully committed to this acquisition and will appeal," President Brad Smith said. The decision discourages tech innovation and investment in Britain, he said. "We're especially disappointed that after lengthy deliberations, this decision appears to reflect a flawed understanding of this market and the way the relevant cloud technology actually works," Smith said. Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said in a blog post that both companies are working on an appeal to the U.K.'s Competition Appeal Tribunal. Regulators concluded that if the Activision Blizzard deal went through, it would reinforce Microsoft's advantage by giving it control of key game titles. To ease concerns, Microsoft struck deals with Nintendo and some cloud gaming providers to license Activision titles such as Call of Duty for 10 years offering the same to Sony. Sony's European press office did not respond to a request for comment. The watchdog said it reviewed Microsoft's remedies "in considerable depth" but found they would require its oversight, whereas preventing the merger would allow cloud gaming to develop without intervention. Cloud gaming is a small piece of Britain's $6.2 billion video game market but is expected to see explosive growth in coming years. Donna Dee (Raddatz) Bloch August 29th, 1958 - April 23, 2023 Donna Dee (Raddatz) Bloch, 64, entered Eternal Glory Sunday, April 23rd while at home comforted by her family. Donna was born on August 29th, 1958, in Lincoln NE. She attended Hartley Elementary, Culler Middle School and graduated from Lincoln Northeast in 1977. She remained a proud Rocket and Rowdy Rooter until her death. She graduated from cosmetology school before joining the work force. She married the love of her life Daniel Bloch in 1982 and was blissfully married 38 years until his passing. She was the mother of four sons who kept her on her toes. Donna had several jobs over the course of her occupational life: Bookkeeper, Hairdresser, Assistant Manager of the Disney Store, Screen Printer, and Jewelry Saleswoman. Whatever the occupation, she excelled with her people skills and work ethic. Donna had an amazing ability to picture something in her mind and make it. She employed this skill in her artwork, improvements on houses, and ripping apart clothing for alterations. There were multiple occasions where wedding dresses were torn apart and redesigned to make the perfect dress. Donna was kind, generous, loving, determined, decisive, and smart. She welcomed everyone into her home, chased her grandchildren through her home, laughed at the table while playing cards, and supported her boys in every endeavor. Donna was an avid Red Sox and Nebraska Volleyball Fan making multiple trips around the country to see them play. She is survived by her four sons Jeremy (Talea) Bloch, Bryce (Sarah) Bloch, Nicholas (Toni) Bloch all of Lincoln, and Dustin (Sarah) Bloch of Ashland; she was blessed with seven grandchildren. Brother David Raddatz of Martell, NE, Sisters Debbie (Phil) Dillinger of Buffalo, WY, Gail (Jean Helms) Raddatz of Lincoln as well as in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins and lifelong friends. She is preceded in death by her husband Daniel, parents Elmer and Maryann (Swain) Raddatz, Brother Dennis Raddatz, her parents-in-law Walter and Pauline (Wendeland) Bloch, Sister-in law Sally (Eastham) Raddatz, along with other relatives and friends. A memorial service will be held Saturday, April 29th at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 510 S. 33rd Lincoln, NE The service will also be live streamed through the church's YouTube channel. Memorials in her honor can be sent to Redeemer Lutheran Church. A Lincoln woman went to prison Wednesday for stabbing and seriously wounding two people in the yard outside a home near North 56th and Fremont streets nearly a year ago. At trial, Sondra Gray told the jury she was there May 13 when it happened, but she denied having done it. On Wednesday, the 42-year-old made a tearful plea for probation and, in an lengthy statement to the judge, spoke of being a victim of a "demonic attack." "I remember the incident that led up to the situation and I know that there was a lot of evil, a lot of dark forces, that were involved," Gray said. "But even in my mind a lot does not add up, and I know that satanic power was invoked and summoned to be used against me." She said she has battled against evil forces and been transformed through prayer while in jail. "I am a success story and I trust in God," Gray said. Her attorney, Trevin Preble, said Gray has had struggles in life and would like to continue treatment for her mental health issues. According to trial testimony, on May 13, Anthony McManaman and Kristeen Dickson had been staying at Gray's friend's house near 56th and Fremont streets when their teen daughter yelled that a woman was outside slashing the tires of their van. McManaman ran outside first, where he said he got tackled from behind by Gray's brother, who held him down, before Gray stabbed him. He didn't know her name then, but identified the woman on trial as his attacker. Dickson said she ran up to help free McManaman when Gray came at her with the knife and stabbed her twice on the side by her ribs. In March, a jury found Gray guilty of two counts of second-degree assault and two counts of use of a deadly weapon. At sentencing, Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Jeff Mathers asked the judge to take into consideration that Gray's acts had a long-term effect not only on the two people who she stabbed, but also on their teenage daughter, who witnessed it. In the end, Lancaster County District Judge Kevin McManaman (who is not related to the victim) told Gray her past criminal record was extensive and the nature of her crimes were extremely violent. "It was a heinous attack on two innocent individuals," he said. "It appears you were caught slashing the tires of this minivan that you may have thought belonged to someone else and then it became an attack when they came out to try and stop you." Then, he sentenced Gray to 35 to 49 years on the assault and weapons charges and a separate charge of felony driving under suspension. She will have to serve roughly 17 years before she's eligible for parole. Safest cities in America 2023: Violent crime rate increases drive per capita cost of crime Safest cities in America 2023: Violent crime rate increases drive per capita cost of crime The 15 Safest Cities in America The 15 Most Dangerous Cities Methodology Watching the news during the summer of 2020, Elina Newman found herself reliving the trauma of fleeing her home country through images and videos of the Black Lives Matter protests. "The broken windows, the fire, all of that brought back what my family fled," Newman said. "That's where I realized that I have a different perspective on things that not a lot of people have in our leadership right now, especially on the council. We dont have representation from immigrants and refugees, we dont have perspective from people who fled trauma." Then 9-year-old Newman arrived in Lincoln in 1993 after her family fled both the Armenian genocide and a threat on their lives in Baku, Azerbaijan. "Lincoln has been my home since," she said. "This is all that I know." Newman, 39, graduated from Lincoln Christian in 2002 and pursued post-graduate degrees in psychology a bachelor's from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a master's from the University of Phoenix and a doctorate from Northcentral University. Since returning to Lincoln, she's served as an educator at a local college, a pharmacy technician and owner of a small business focusing on student success. Newman is also on the steering committee for the welcome plan for immigrants and refugees in Lincoln and Lancaster County. "To me, City Council is just an extension of human service, an extension of what I already do on a daily basis," Newman said. "It's time to take it up a notch." Before 2020, Newman had never been interested in politics. It wasn't something she paid attention to, and she never thought her career would take her onto the political stage. Once she started watching the protests, Newman said she saw division and divisiveness across the country. "That's the reason Im running independent and nonpartisan," Newman said. "I want people to come together, I want people to interact with each other, I want people to have difficult discussions. We need to be able to sit down and have conversations that are respectful and that will leave people feeling empowered and heard." If we're going to have a discussion about the difference between apples and oranges, we first have to agree they're fruits, she said. Coming from a country where she didn't have the opportunity for her voice to be heard, Newman is determined to bring all voices into the City Council chamber. "There are a lot of countries where women are struggling to have a voice and make themselves heard, to do the bare minimum in society that we are able to do here," Newman said. "So Im also looking at it from that perspective. For a lot of people like myself, this involvement, its why we came here." For Justin Carlson, after years of volunteer and community service in the Lincoln community, running for Lincoln City Council felt like a natural next step. "I've tried to think if there were any eureka moments, and there weren't," Carlson said. "It really triggered more collectively. It just felt right." Born and raised in south Lincoln's District 3, Carlson attended Prescott Elementary, Irving Middle School and Lincoln High School before graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a business degree. After graduation, Carlson worked for State Farm Insurance for almost a decade and then as a financial adviser for another nine years before joining the University of Nebraska Foundation as the Director of Development, focusing on the College of Engineering. "Growing up in Lincoln, I've always been one of those people who's super involved in the community," Carlson said. "I would say what I hear most often is, 'Finally, I've been waiting for you to run.'" Carlson, 48, has served on the Lincoln Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, including two terms as chairman; as secretary of the Lincoln Parks Foundation board of directors; on the board of the Community Services Fund of Nebraska and more. From his time in various volunteer positions, Carlson said he's learned to balance having a bold vision with incorporating the voices of the community. "I think Lincoln is in a great place right now, and there's so much potential for what's next," Carlson said. "It's time to rally up the community, both parties and everyone together for things that are practical and things we need to set our community apart to be the best city, the best municipality we can be." Politics first piqued Carlson's interest when he began volunteering with the Lancaster County Democratic Party, where he ended up as chairman and received both the Kathleen Fahey and Patriot awards. And for Carlson, this is it. When he heard Jane Raybould announce plans to run for the Nebraska Legislature, leaving the City Council position open, he knew it was time to take the next step. "I don't have these big delusions of grandeur for future office or anything like that," he said. "I just want to be a good city council person for Lincoln." Carlson said he isn't approaching the position with a particular issue in mind or problem he wants to solve. His passion lies with citizens' accessibility to elected officials and creating an approachable atmosphere on the council. "I'm optimistic about Lincoln's future," he said. "We need to look at what we're aspiring to be and the direction we're heading we need to continue to dream big for Lincoln and look for what's next." A Bellevue man accused of his killing his own children will go on trial in September. Adam L. Price, 27, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the May 15, 2021, deaths. He allegedly smothered his daughter, Emily, 5, and son, Theodore, 3, inside their home at 2716 Alberta Ave. in Bellevue. Sarpy County District Court Judge George Thompson on Tuesday set the trial to begin on Sept. 12. Its expected to last about two weeks. The mother of the children, Mary Nielsen, had asked the friend to check on the children because it had been 48 hours since she had spoken to the them. A divorce decree had ordered daily contact from each parent when the other had custody of the children. Nielsen, who lives in Illinois, had spoken to the children May 13 but couldnt reach them either of the next two days. Bellevue police officers went to the home but did not make contact with the father or the children and did not force entry. A police spokesman has said the circumstances didnt rise to the level of requiring police to enter the home. Most dangerous cities in Nebraska Dangerous Cities in Nebraska 6. South Sioux City 5. Scottsbluff 4. North Platte 3. Lincoln 2. Grand Island 1. Omaha A note about the numbers Several state lawmakers on Wednesday denounced a complaint filed by an Omaha attorney against Sen. Megan Hunt alleging she could benefit financially if a bill banning gender-affirming care for minors fails in the Legislature. Senators from either side of the political aisle condemned a complaint submitted to the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission by David Begley as frivolous and malicious. Others called it a deliberate attempt to intimidate and harass a lawmaker and her family. Begley lodged the complaint on March 24, a day after 33 senators voted to shut off debate and advance Omaha Sen. Kathleen Kauths priority bill (LB574). The bill would prohibit Nebraskans under the age of 19 from obtaining puberty blockers, hormone therapy, or gender-affirming surgeries. Although Nebraskas Medicaid policy explicitly excludes gender-affirming care, Begley alleges in his complaint Hunt and her child have a slightly more than average chance of obtaining Nebraska Medicaid coverage by filing a lawsuit should LB574 not pass. The bill was advanced to the third and final round of consideration on April 13 but hasnt been scheduled for debate. If LB574 does not become law, then Senator Hunts immediate family member could receive a financial benefit with Medicaid paying for the medical services necessary to transition genders, the complaint states. After receiving Begleys complaint, the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission initiated a preliminary investigation on March 28. The commission notified Hunt of the investigation and the steps that would be taken on Wednesday. Hunt, who has been an outspoken opponent of LB574 and has joined in an effort to grind the progress of the Legislature to a halt until it is defeated, said the complaint was only part of what she has faced in a difficult session. The harassment is the point, Hunt said. Early Wednesday afternoon, Lincoln Sen. Danielle Conrad called the complaint a hateful attack and urged other senators to draw a hard line, referring to a previous instance where senators from either political party stood up against personal attacks made against a sitting lawmaker. Of course we all recognize and understand that people have a right to be as hateful as they want to be in their speech, Conrad said. But we have a free speech right and an obligation to meet hateful speech with more speech and to set a tone as leaders in this state to say this will not be tolerated. Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Bennington called the allegations made in Begleys complaint tenuous, and said if taken seriously could require lawmakers to file conflict of interest reports on nearly all matters that come before them. That income tax bill we had the other day? I voted on that, DeBoer said. Im not yet in that higher tax bracket, but if we lower that middle tax bracket, that could affect me, so I guess I failed to disclose that. DeBoer added all senators who own real property have benefited by property tax cuts passed by the Legislature in recent years, and noted senators have recently voiced support for certain bills based on their personal experiences as farmers or business owners. Building on that point, Lincoln Sen. George Dungan pointed out the state statute governing conflicts of interest bills indicate senators arent required to file reports if the bills at hand impact the public generally or a broad segment of the public. The idea that Senator Hunt is benefiting in any way, shape or form specifically from the conversation around LB574 ignores the very crux of the argument that this doesnt affect just her, Dungan said. It affects a large segment of the population. He and Omaha Sen. John Cavanaugh also said the way in which the ethics complaint system was being weaponized should alarm members of the Legislature and all Nebraskans. Today, its Senator Hunt, but tomorrow it could be anyone else, Cavanaugh said. If someone changes their vote because they are afraid someone is going to file a frivolous complaint against them, then I dont know what we do here. Two Republican senators who have voted for cloture and to advance LB574 in the first two rounds of debate also condemned Begleys complaint. Sen. Tom Brandt of Plymouth, who sits next to Hunt in the chamber, said the "offensive complaint" using a legislators family member was "off limits." You can come after me, but stay away from my family, said Brandt, who has supported LB574, but said he prefers an amendment that would only prohibit gender-affirming surgeries. It is so far out of bounds that it doesnt merit discussion, he added of the complaint against Hunt. Speaker John Arch said he and other lawmakers have been the targets of name-calling, vitriol, and hate speech throughout the session from individuals who feel they have been given license to do so based on their passion for a particular issue. While the 49 members of the Legislature know they will be the target of scrutiny and criticism, Arch asked Nebraskans watching to respect senators families: They dont get elected. We signed up to take the hits they didnt. Hunt said she was appreciative of the support but would rather have senators vote against Kauths bill. I want to see you vote in support of me, she said. Dont say anything if youre going to vote for that bill you might not think this is a big deal, but this is what youre doing. Open your eyes. The Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission asked Hunt to preserve evidence for its review in the confidential investigation, which could result in a civil and not a criminal penalty. Based on its findings of its investigation, the commission can redirect or terminate the proceedings. Meet the Nebraska state senators making laws in 2023 Nelnet was among five companies to sign contracts with the U.S. Department of Education to overhaul student loan debt repayment plans over the next five years. The Lincoln-based student loan servicer will be tasked with implementing "much-needed improvements" for more than 37 million borrowers with Direct Loans as well as federally managed Federal Family Education Loans. In a news release, the Education Department said the contracts are part of a plan to provide "high-quality customer experience" and support for at-risk borrowers in order to prevent them from missing payments, defaulting on their loans, as well as qualifying for forgiveness programs. Servicers that work with at-risk borrowers to keep them current are eligible to receive financial incentives or double the length of their contracts with the Office of Federal Student Aid. James Kvaal, the undersecretary of education, said the contracts are part of the Biden administration's plan to fix the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program and implement "the most affordable repayment plan ever." "The contracts awarded today will combine more investment and more accountability to deliver high levels of service to 37 million borrowers with federally managed loans, help them claim student loan benefits they have earned, and reduce the number of borrowers who fall into delinquency and default," Kvaal said. Nelnet CEO Jeff Noordhoek said the company looked forward to its ongoing partnership with the education department. "The department's goal of modernizing and enhancing student loan servicing for borrowers through (Unified Servicing and Data Solution) aligns well with Nelnet's current investment strategies focused on the modernizing of our systems to ensure secure, state-of-the-art servicing platforms," Noordhoek said. "We're excited to be part of the solution for the next 10 years and beyond as we continue our long-term mission of helping people fulfill their educational dreams," he added. Along with Nelnet, Central Research Inc., EdFinancial Services, Maximus Education and the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority all received contracts to service loans under the new program. In March, Nelnet announced plans to layoff more than 500 people as a pause on student loan payments was extended while the Biden administration's plan to forgive up to $20,000 in student loans was being challenged in court. The U.S. Supreme Court has yet to rule on that case, which was brought by Nebraska and five other states that said the student loan debt forgiveness plan exceeded the federal government's authority and would do harm to those state's finances. The White House said in January 154,000 of the 232,100 borrowers in Nebraska deemed eligible to apply for forgiveness had been accepted into the program before it was put on pause. Of those, 97,000 borrowers in the Cornhusker state were told their applications had been sent to loan servicing companies for discharge. Top Journal Star photos for April 2023 Citing optimism about Nebraska's economic future, a state panel delivered good news to state lawmakers Wednesday. After reviewing numerous economic indicators, members of the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board made only minor updates in their projections of state tax revenues through June 30, 2025. Board members dropped their previous forecast by $80 million for the current fiscal year, while adding a total of $80 million to the next two years. The new forecast calls for revenues of $6.365 billion in the year ending June 30, followed by revenues of $6.5 billion and $6.61 billion in the following two fiscal years. The outcome means lawmakers will have about the same amount of tax revenue as they previously expected to use in setting the next state budget and deciding about tax cuts and other spending proposals. Gov. Jim Pillen hailed the updated forecast, calling it a "sign of Nebraska's economic strength." "(It) means full speed ahead for tax relief for hardworking Nebraska families," he said. State Sen. Rob Clements of Elmwood, the Appropriations Committee chairman, said he was pleased with the forecast. He said it allows room for the state budget plan advanced by the committee to the full Legislature on Tuesday. That plan would provide for state general fund spending to grow an average of 2.3% over the two-year budget period, well below the average of the last 20 years. State spending would top $5.34 billion for fiscal year 2023-24 and $5.36 billion for the following year. The new forecast also pleased Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, the Revenue Committee chairwoman. She said she agrees with the forecasting board members about the strength of Nebraska's economy. "I actually think they're being really conservative," she said. The new forecast would still make $703 million available for tax cuts and other uses over the two-year budget period. That's the difference between the updated revenue projections and the Appropriations Committee budget plan, assuming lawmakers opt to transfer the same amount of money to the cash reserve fund that was built into the budget plan. Based on the previous revenue forecast, the $620 million transfer would have happened automatically at the end of the current fiscal year. With the new forecast, the transfer will no longer be automatic. But Clements said the committee will propose it as part of its budget plan. Under Nebraska law, both the governor and the Legislature use revenue projections set by the forecasting board in setting the budget and crafting fiscal policy. Board members on Wednesday set their projections higher than those provided by two national economic services. Members expressed confidence in the state's economic strength, based on state data and on their observations of area business indicators. Several members said the biggest economic challenge in Nebraska is the need for workers, along with some supply-chain bottlenecks. But they said they are continuing to see growth in their areas. "It's great to be in Nebraska right now, I think," said board member Leslie Anderson. Photos: 2023 Nebraska legislative session I dont sympathize in any way with Andrew Lester, but I think I understand him. From what I hear through the media, he sounds like a fellow grumpy old man. I understand. Im old and feeling grumpier by the day. But I dont turn to firearms to do my talking. The same apparently cannot be said for Andrew Lester, 84, the retired airplane mechanic who infamously gave a trigger-happy response to Ralph Yarl, when the 16-year-old teenager knocked on Lesters door in Kansas City, Missouri, not knowing he had come to the wrong address. Yarl was picking up his younger siblings at a friends home. Far from a gangbanger, Yarl was described later in a statement by North Kansas City School District Superintendent Dan Clemens as an excellent student and a talented musician who maintains a stellar GPA while taking mostly college-level courses far from a criminal profile. Fortunately, the teen survived two gunshot wounds, including one to his head. The case stoked national outrage as a symbol of gun violence and national debates over self-defense, racial profiling and stand your ground or castle doctrine self-defense laws. Lester pleaded not guilty to the charges of assault in the first degree and armed criminal action and was released on $200,000 bond. In custody, he told police that he fired his Smith & Wesson .32-caliber pistol because he was scared to death that someone was trying to break into his home. Controversy deepened as Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said at a news conference without elaborating that there was a racial component to the case. That view seemed to be supported by Lesters grandson Klint Ludwig, who told the Kansas City Star that he was repulsed but not entirely surprised by the shooting. Ludwig told CNN how his grandpa fell further down the right-wing rabbit hole" while immersed in a 24-hour news cycle of fear and paranoia. By contrast, Klint Ludwigs older brother Daniel declined to comment much, but in a New York Times interview, he disputed claims that their grandfather supported extreme views and conspiracy theories. Yet, when we try to make sense out of the senseless in cases like this one, the narrative is complicated by some eerily similar gun tragedies that happened within days of each other. For example, race didnt come up as an issue two days after Yarls shooting when Kaylin Gillis, 20, riding with a group of her young friends, pulled into the wrong driveway at a rural country home in a wooded area of upstate New York. The homeowner came out of his house and, reportedly without warning, shot at them, killing Gillis. Or there were the two Texas cheerleaders, shot on April 18 after a friend mistakenly got into the wrong car in a supermarket parking lot. A suspect, Pedro Tello Rodriguez Jr., 25, was charged with deadly conduct, a third-degree felony, punishable by two to 10 years in prison or a fine of up to $10,000, authorities said. And, of course, there were more gun-related tragedies across our land where guns way outnumber people. These stood out only because of the striking similarities in their circumstances. Whether it was because of mistaken identities or senselessly volatile tempers, they stand out as tragic examples of how routine mistakes quickly can turn tragic at the hands of people too eager to pick up a firearm. No parent should have to worry that their kid will be shot after ringing the wrong doorbell, said President Joe Biden after Yarls shooting. Thats too true. But last week Tucker Carlson, who split with Fox News Monday, quickly accused Biden of trying to further divide the country. Aw, cmon, Tucker. Youre too young to join us grumpy old men, although youre off to a good start. If you go What: UW-Parkside Wind Ensemble and Community Band concert When: 7 p.m. Thursday, May 4 Where: Bedford Concert Hall on the west side of the campus, 900 Wood Road in Somers Tickets: $10 for adults and $5 for senior citizens, available online at uwp.edu/therita More information: Call the box office at 262-595-2564 or email boxoffice@uwp.edu By Dean Weingarten. Apr 25, 2023 The History of Bans on Types of Arms Before 1900, by David Kopel and Joseph Greenlee, Law review article, 165 pages, 2021. The Supreme Court in the seminal Bruen decision, held: once the clear text of the Second Amendment is implicated, the burden falls on the government to prove there were widespread and accepted statutory restraints in history which are very similar to the restraints the government is defending. The law review article by Kopel and Greenlee is the most comprehensive compilation of the laws on ownership and regulation of arms from medieval England through 1900, especially on weapons bans, yet seen by this correspondent. Those laws are of varying relevance to interpretation of the Second Amendment. The article is astonishingly comprehensive. From the introduction of the article: This Article describes the history of bans on particular types of arms in America, through 1899. It also describes arms bans in England until the time of American independence. Arms encompassed in this article include firearms, knives, swords, blunt weapons, and many others. While arms advanced considerably from medieval England through the nineteenth-century United States, bans on particular types of arms were rare. In the early history section of the article, one startling fact revealed was the Royal Charter of King James I, in 1606, granted to members of the Virginia Charter, perpetual rights to: bring "sufficient Shipping, and Furniture of Armour, Weapons, Ordinance, Powder, Victual, and other things necessary for the said Plantations and for their Use and Defence there." The rights were granted to all settlers of the Virginia colony. ..... 1. Yes. Of course. Local governmental entities have the most direct impact on our lives. 2. Yes. Its always important to weigh in on local issues; otherwise we cant complain. 3. No. Im not that familiar with the issues or the candidates this year. Ill sit it out. 4. No. My vote doesnt seem to matter much, so Im not going to make the effort. 5. Unsure. I havent decided whether to take part this time around. Vote View Results KEARNEY A call to attend a mass meeting of registered nonpartisan voters (also called independents) in Buffalo County has been issued by Nathan Leach of Kearney. Leach is the executive director of the statewide nonprofit Nonpartisan Nebraska. "Nonpartisans like me may not be members of a political party, but that doesn't mean we don't have our own opinions or have an obligation to serve as engaged citizens in our communities," Leach said. His aim is to "start a conversation about our role in defending democracy and how we can fight against the growing polarization and divisiveness in politics today." Leach's call to action reads: "All registered nonpartisan voters of Buffalo County are hereby called to attend a mass meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to consider forming a caucus to examine our role in promoting the health and welfare of the community." The 6 p.m. meeting on June 22 is on the second floor of the Kearney Public Library. It is open to the public, but participation will be limited to registered nonpartisan voters. Nonpartisan voters (independents) are voters who are not affiliated with any political party. Those interested in attending can RSVP online at https://forms.gle/hndtToEKyseGcWjr5. KEARNEY HelpCare Clinic, which provides medical care for underserved people in Buffalo and Kearney counties, will celebrate its eighth anniversary in May. It sees an average of 1,000 patients each year, according to Lisa Guthrie, its executive director. The clinic will hold a Dine to Donate event 5-8 p.m. Tuesday at Billy Jacks Pizza Pub at 813 Third Ave. Ten percent of all sales will be donated to the HelpCare Clinic. The clinic opened in May 2015 and is located at 3015 A Avenue. It has three paid staff members and offers treatment in family medicine, chronic disease management and behavioral health. Each month, 15 medical providers and 10 licensed medical professionals volunteer there. The clinic was founded after a group of doctors approached Buffalo County Community Partners expressing a need for a medical clinic that could serve underinsured people. Estimates are that 12.5% of Buffalo County residents and 11% of Kearney County residents are underinsured and may skip medical care because of the cost. That often leads to serious health consequences. It is funded by donations, the United Way of the Kearney Area and the Kearney Area Community Foundations Give Where You Live campaign. It is also the benefactor of the annual Holiday Home Tour held every December. Patients are seen by appointment only. For more information, contact Guthrie at director@helpcareclinic.com or call 308-251-5364. LINCOLN Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol removed 13 impaired drivers from the road, including two drug-impaired drivers, during a special enforcement operation last weekend. The effort, which ran from April 19-23, included high-visibility patrols throughout the state. During the operation, troopers arrested 11 people for driving under the influence of alcohol and two people for driving under the influence of drugs. In addition to the arrests for impaired driving, troopers issued citations for speeding (295), driving under suspension (24), minor in possession of alcohol (2), open alcohol container (3), no seat belt (9) and improper child restraint (1). Troopers also performed 184 motorist assists during the campaign. This effort was made possible thanks in part to a grant from the Nebraska Department of Transportation Highway Safety Office. Sen. Mike McDonnell of Omaha has been a key figure in this year's legislative session, occasionally parting with his Democratic colleagues in the nonpartisan Legislature to provide critical votes on hot-button issues in accordance with his "personal conscience" and his Catholic faith. "I am who said I was when I ran," McDonnell says, "pro-life from conception to natural death," a Democrat who is a nonpartisan senator, a senator who responds to "my personal conscience." McDonnell was the only Democrat who joined all the Republican senators to provide a critical 33rd vote that freed a bill (LB626) that would ban abortions in Nebraska after detection of a fetal heartbeat from the grip of an opposing filibuster and move it ahead. And he was the only Democrat to join all the Republican senators in breaking a filibuster that had blocked the bill (LB574) that would prohibit a range of gender-affirming medical care for youths, allowing the proposal to move forward. Only by voting together as a bloc can the 17 Democrats in the 49-member Legislature sustain a filibuster that traps legislation. Although not alone, McDonnell was among a minority of Democrats who voted to enact a bill (LB77) that would allow concealed carrying of a handgun without a permit, a measure that Gov. Jim Pillen signed into law on Tuesday. "Look at who I said I was when I ran" for a seat in the Legislature in 2016, McDonnell said Tuesday. "I haven't changed." McDonnell, who is president of the Omaha Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO and a former Omaha fire chief, is a Roman Catholic. And that, he says, "definitely comes into play along with my private conscience." "My positions haven't changed since I went door-to-door in 2016," he said. "I don't base my positions on whether I'm the 25th vote or the 33rd vote. My votes remain consistent." Yes, he said, "definitely, there has been pushback from the party, and that's OK. Everyone has a right to their opinion." In seeking the District 5 seat in the Legislature, McDonnell noted, "I didn't run with a D behind my name. I vote for what I believe in." In Nebraska's uniquely nonpartisan Legislature, he said, "I believe we should be leaving our political parties at the door." McDonnell has been a member of the Legislature's Appropriations Committee for all seven of his legislative years and that's a position that allows him to "deal with all parts of state government." "It's been very educational and rewarding for me," he said. What lies ahead may be a bid to be elected mayor of Omaha in 2025. McDonnell says his decision won't come until a year from now. "I'm definitely interested," he said. "My wife will be part of that decision. I'm thinking about it, praying about it, discussing it with family, friends and neighbors. "I want to consider what's best for the city of Omaha and whether I can do the best job." Top Journal Star photos for April 2023 (Courtesy of Greater Omaha Chamber) LINCOLN The Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce issued a statement Wednesday saying that in the interest of diversity, equity and inclusion, the Nebraska Legislature should steer clear of bills that threaten Nebraska as the warm and welcoming state we know it to be. Inclusivity is the right thing to do, says the statement from the Chamber, citing recommendations from a statewide, economic development report from 2021 called Blueprint Nebraska. Aimed at LB 574 The statement, signed by Chamber President Carmen Tapio and interim President/CEO Tim Burke, did not name a specific bill, but was clearly aimed at a proposal that would ban gender-affirming care for minors. A Chamber spokesman later told the Examiner that while the letter was general in nature, it was intended as a comment on the transgender proposal. That measure, Legislative Bill 574, has sparked controversy throughout the 2023 session. Despite a series of sometimes emotional filibusters, the measure has advanced to the final round of debate. Amendment being discussed Omaha Sen. Kathleen Kauth, the main sponsor of LB 574, is currently working with a committee of fellow senators to see if theres an amendment that would improve support for the bill. The Chamber statement said that the business organization was not equipped to weigh in on issues that involve personal medical care decisions or medical decisions regarding parents, their children and their health care professionals. The organization remains fully committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in recruiting and retaining a talented workforce, the statement said. We ask our elected officials to focus their work on being part of the long-term solution on the policy matters of the highest importance to Nebraskans. the statement said. KEARNEY Theres rarely bumper-to-bumper traffic in Kearney, but thats exactly what the owners of the citys newest car wash hope to create. We can do 2,000 cars in a 14-hour day, said Ben Conover, explaining the volume of customers that he and his business partner, Matt Preister, will need to attract to earn a spot in the Tommys Express record books. Think about it: The national franchises one-hour record is 239 cars washed. The single-day record is 3,100 cars. Pushing that many vehicles through the system is entirely possible, Preister and Conover said, but it requires extreme coordination from car wash staff and the customers. The bumpers of cars entering the car wash must be so close that the spinning brushes simultaneously wash the back of one car while also scrubbing the front of the next car entering the wash, or tunnel, as Preister and Conover refer to their conglomeration of stainless pipes, high pressure nozzles and powerful fans. They say that after a few weeks practice, customers learn to navigate the system like clockwork. The Tommys Express Car Wash is at 3802 N. Second Ave., the former site of Platte Valley State Banks circular drive-up bank. If the old round bank looked like a flying saucer from another planet, the new Tommys Express could be the hangar of a spaceship that ferries aliens to and from Kearney. But the partners promise: Theyve not come here through interstellar space. Rather, the Norfolkans follow U.S. Highway 81 south and take a sharp right turn at Highway 30. The Kearney car wash is Conover and Preisters fourth Tommys Express venture. They also own franchises in Norfolk, Columbus and the Grand Island site that opened last June. Theyre planning additional Nebraska locations in cities with at least 20,000 people. At this moment, there are 150 Tommys Express sites in the United States, but the goal is 500 car washes in 3-4 years. The partners said self-serve single-bay car washes dont fit a modern business model. While one customer spray-washes his car, other customers wait in line for their turn. Conover and Preister set out to find a better way and found Tommys Express operations sprouting up around the Midwest. They were convinced that, after several decades of experience, Tommys founders had developed a winning strategy. However, bankers were slow to step on board. It took 10 turndowns before Pinnacle Bank decided to back the partners from Norfolk. They spent $1.65 million buying the property at 39th Street and Second Avenue arguably Kearneys busiest, most accessible intersection and invested almost a year building the new car wash. Theyve hired 16 people so far, but are gunning for a staff of 23 to cover multiple shifts during the 14-hour days. Kearney residents will get their first opportunity during the next several days to try the new Tommys Express with free washes. The weekend of May 5-6 will be the grand opening. There will be more free washes, giveaways and a donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Staff will wear Oompa Loompa costumes like the characters in the Willy Wonka movie, Preister said. The lines will be long, but the wait will be short, Conover added. Photo: Contributed On May 1, regardless of the current strike status of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), you must file and have your personal income tax returns received by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). This includes paying any taxes owed, or you will face penalties. As Members of Parliament, we are responsible for keeping (Canadians) informed about how the government spends their tax money. From my perspective, there is one area of spending that raises some concerns, and I will provide an example. In January, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited a rare earth mine processing plant in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, for a photo op and to make an announcement. The government recently announced $5 million in funding to help establish processing and production at the facility. "Rare earth elements," as the Government's press release pointed out, "are a critical minerals used in clean technology like electric vehicles and wind turbines." The funding was part of the government's critical minerals strategy, which calls for $3.8 billion in spending, or, as the government calls it, "investing." This week, the same rare earth mining company in Saskatoon announced operations were being "paused" while the company seeks "alternative funding sources and partnerships for a sustainable business model." The Financial Post reported on this story and quoted the interim chair of the company's board saying there is "no economic imperative" to complete the project at the current time, citing higher costs, lower prices and no market for what the facility aimed to produce. It is unclear at this point what will become of the $5 million "investment" of taxpayer dollars. This also raises concerns about what type of due diligence the government does before handing out taxpayer money. This year, the government also announced it will give Volkswagen up to $13 billion in subsidies over the next decade as part of a deal to ensure the automaker builds its electric-vehicle battery plant in southern Ontario. Conservative Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre pointed out, in response, that the money belongs to Canadians. Not to a foreign corporation. Not to Justin Trudeau. How much of Canadians' money is he giving to this foreign corporation?" asked Poilievre. The government defend the spending by claiming it will be a good deal for Canadians because of the long-term jobs and economic benefits. However, in 2020, the government made similar promises when it provided $173 million to a Quebec-based drug manufacturer, supposedly developing a COVID vaccine. The parent company of the facility, the Mitsubishi Chemical Group, announced in February the plant in Quebec will close. It is unclear what the status is of the $173 million in taxpayer-provided funding. The same goes for a $125 million deal the government announced in a partnership with the Maryland-based drug manufacturer Novavax, which, in March, also stated it had "substantial doubt" about its ability to survive here in Canada. My question this week is: What are your views on government subsidies for private, for-profit corporations? You can contact me at [email protected] or call toll-free 1-800-665-8711. Dan Albas is the Conservative MP for Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola. This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet. In the wake of Cardinal Stritch Universitys decision to close at the end of its spring semester, local colleges and universities have offered to help CSU students scrambling to find places to finish their degrees. Cardinal Stritch, a private college located in Milwaukee, announced on April 10 its intention to close in a video featuring University President Dan Scholz, citing fiscal realities, including declining enrollment, the pandemic, the need for more resources and increasing facility and operational costs. In response, Carthage College and University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Herzing University and Gateway Technical College have stepped up to help. Carthage College According to its website, Carthage College, located at 2001 Alford Park Drive, will accept all credits and credit hours from Cardinal Stritchs transfer students. Additionally, it is working on a financial aid package that is consistent with the aid students have been receiving at Cardinal Stritch, on-campus housing if needed, a waiver for the housing requirement for students who do not need it, and waivers for the application fee and deposit. This aligns with other changes weve made in recent years to provide a smooth transition for transfer students and make a Carthage education accessible for all, said Ashley Hanson, vice president of enrollment at Carthage College, in an email. Although nothing is finalized, Hanson said the Carthage admissions staff is working with about a dozen students from Cardinal Stritch, as they determine the next step in their educational journey. For more information of transferring, visit www.carthage.edu/admissions/undergraduate -students/cardinal-stritch- students. Wisconsin-Parkside University of Wisconsin-Parkside, located at 900 Wood Road, is working to review its transfer equivalencies for both its undergraduate and graduate programs, according to Derek Fye, Parksides communication manager. Our goal is to provide as many transfer options as possible so that the Cardinal Stritch students can maintain their academic momentum without facing additional time-to-degree, Fye said. Given the profile of the Stritch students, we believe UW-Parkside is an affordable, ideally sized and welcoming campus community. For more information on transferring, visit www.uwp.edu/apply/admissions/landing/welcomewolves.cfm. Herzing University Herzing University, located at 5800 7th Ave, will accept all successfully earned credits for undergraduate and graduate students toward requirements for similarly available Herzing degrees. Those include, but are not limited to: undergraduate nursing, graduate nursing, psychology, health and human Services, social work (MSW), undergraduate business management, master of business administration, criminal justice and interdisciplinary professional studies. In addition to the credit transfer option, the university is offering its Closed School Equalization Scholarship program to Cardinal Stritch students as well. The program ensures students would pay the same, or lower, out-of-pocket costs at Herzing that they would have paid at Cardinal Stritch. Projections for the number of transfer students coming from Cardinal Stritch are hard to tell, as the university holds preliminary discussions. Its impossible to tell how many transfer students we will have, said Jeff Hill, regional president of Wisconsin campuses for Herzing University. Were excited to help in any way we can, he said. In situations like this, we try to go above and beyond to make things easier for students. For more information on transferring, visit www.herzing.edu/cardinal-stritch-students. Gateway Technical College Gateway Technical College will also offer credit transfer options to Cardinal Stritch students, along with tuition at $146 per credit and waived application fees. GTC has posted a message to the Cardinal Stritch students on its website: Gateways New Student Specialists, Academic Advisors and Financial Aid representatives are ready to assist you in exploring your course options, evaluating transfer credit, understanding financing and determining the best course of action for your educational goals. For more information on transferring, visit www.gtc.edu/admissions/transfer-support-cardinal-stritch-students. Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) Governor Lee Bok-hyun speaks during a meeting at the headquarters of Daegu Bank in Daegu, April 3. Newsis By Anna J. Park Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) Governor Lee Bok-hyun is slated to visit Singapore and Indonesia in the second week of May, aiming to support Korean financial companies' overseas business operations. According to FSS officials, Lee plans to depart for Singapore on May 8 and stay there until May 10, then make a two-day visit to Indonesia from May 11 to 12. Nearly 10 heads of major financial firms will accompany him, including KB Financial Group Chairman Yoon Jong-kyu, Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo, Mirae Asset Securities CEO and Executive Vice Chairman Choi Hyun-man, Korea Investment & Securities CEO Jung Il-mun and KB Kookmin Bank CEO Lee Jae-keun. Leaders of major insurance firms also joining the FSS chief will include Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance CEO Hong Won-hak, Hanwha Life CEO Yeo Seung-joo, KB Insurance CEO Kim Ki-hwan and Korean Re CEO Won Jong-kyu. But not all financial firms' CEOs will have the same itinerary. Six company chiefs, including the heads of KB Financial Group, KB Kookmin Bank, Hana Financial Group, Korea Investment, Korean Re and Samsung Fire, will join the FSS governor in Singapore. There, the FSS plans to hold a joint investor relations event with the accompanying financial firms to raise interest and awareness in their overseas businesses operations. The event is also intended to attract investments from institutional investors in the city while seeking bilateral cooperation with financial regulators there. In the following Indonesia visit, the heads of Hana Financial Group, KB Kookmin Bank, Mirae Asset Securities, Korea Investment, Hanwha Life, Samsung Fire and KB Insurance will join the FSS' investor relations activities, which will largely focus on consultative meetings with financial authorities of the Southeast Asian country. The FSS chief's visits to the two countries have been organized to support Korean financial firms' foray into overseas markets, particularly in Southeast Asia. The FSS' move to strengthen cooperation with foreign countries is in line with the financial authority's annual key goals announced early this year that it would focus on supporting financial firms' overseas business expansion. The FSS plans to bolster direct communications with its counterparts in foreign countries to buttress local financial firms' overseas expansions. Well, I did it. I put away my last pair of snow boots the ones that look like they lace up the front, but really zip up the side, the laces in front just for show. So nice to have something warm and pretty to wear with any nice outfit on a quick outing to town. Id been fooled before, and. I was, again. But isnt that what the promise of spring is that pushing and pulling, sun and 80 degrees one day, hot enough to get soaking wet washing sugar pails and loving it, then snow on the daffodils the next? Mom would have turned 90 years old on April 12. We decided to celebrate by eating out at her favorite restaurant, the following weekend. The five of us who could make it, and a few spouses, met at the Guadalajara in Superior, Wisconsin. Mexican food! Why was it always a surprise when my parents tried something new? When I was a kid, I didnt know what a taco was, much less the refried beans, and Mexican rice which are part one of the signature meals I like to make. We ate and talked and traded memories, then went back to the cabin, Moms cabin, where we had all the cake and ice cream we could hold. The cake, made by my brother Chris, was beautiful three chocolate layers with frosting and raspberry filling in between, and plump, red raspberries circling the perimeter on the top. My parents moved to their cabin in the woods in northern Wisconsin in 1997. They were closer to their own birthplaces of Floodwood, and Duluth, Minnesota, where they lived until Dads job sent him to Green Bay in 1959, the year I was born. We made two trips north every year, eight kids packed shoulder-to-shoulder in the station wagon, the youngest in the honored place between my parents in the front seat, pop-up-camper pulled behind. A favorite and vivid memory is our arrival in Duluth in the early evening darkness, having crossed the bridge from Wisconsin to Minnesota, my eyes blurry with sleep, the million lights of that beautiful city, blurry, too. Mom was born in the spring. Her disposition and outlook on life was pretty much like spring usually cheery and hopeful got her through some tough times, thats for sure. And now shes gone. She left us her legacy of love and acceptance, the stuff that will get the eight of us through as we traverse the coming legalities in the months ahead. Ive said my last goodbye to several friends and family members these past 12 months. Each goodbye feeling like a cold, damp, dreary winter day. As time goes by, though, the memories are starting to feel a bit like spring flowers about to bloom. I wonder what that big hello will be like, the winter of this life finally over. Maybe it will be like a warm spring day, with balmy, soft summer breezes tickling our faces while we lie on our backs on the grass to find pictures in the clouds overhead. Or maybe like a long summer vacation, between school terms. Funny the above was written one day, and just a few days later I made the snowy, blowy drive back home to southern Wisconsin. Yup, I was fooled again! In Viroqua, I made a quick stop at the food co-op, then drove slowly through town, admiring what looked like spring-blossoming trees, but really the trees were covered with pure, white snow. At home, my daffodils and the purple and pink hyacinths were covered with snow, just a hint of yellow and pink and purple showing. The next morning, we awoke to blowing winds and no sign of spring flowers at all. I began this column heralding the end of winter, and it really is over. Dave made a trip to the Wilson State Forest Nursery near Boscobel last week to pick up our order of white spruces. The temperatures and spring rains late in the week were enough to melt the snow, giving the earth just the right kind of moisture for Earth Day tree planting. As often happens, most everything in life like an unwelcome snowstorm eventually works out okay, after all. Happy Spring. Photo: The Canadian Press Minister of International Development Harjit Sajjan prepares to appear at the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, studying the government's response to the final report on the Special Committee on Afghanistan, in Ottawa, on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan told his fellow MPs Wednesday he did not know a Canadian senator was handing out unauthorized travel documents to hundreds of Afghans during the rise of the Taliban in 2021 because he wasn't checking his email at the time. Sen. Marilou McPhedran told the House immigration committee last week that Sajjan's then-chief of staff, George Young, had given her a template for a "visa facilitation letter" that people could use to clear checkpoints on their way to the airport to escape the country. She shared that template with several "trusted advocates," including the chief human rights officer with FIFA and a former Canadian Olympian. McPhedran said she doesn't know how many letters were handed out, but believes it was about 640. Sajjan was defence minister at the time and McPhedran said she copied him and several other ministers on many emails about her activities. Sajjan told the committee he was so busy at the time he didn't have time to check his inbox. "During the time of the evacuation, I really didn't have the time to be able to check my emails," Sajjan told reporters after his committee appearance. Sajjan told the committee he was consumed 24/7 by continuous security updates about the situation in Afghanistan throughout August 2021 as Canadian Forces aided in the evacuation of Afghans. Even when the federal election campaign period started on Aug. 15, 2021, Sajjan said he was entirely focused on the situation in Afghanistan until the final Canadian evacuation flight left the capital city of Kabul. He said he was aware of authentic visa facilitation letters issued by Global Affairs Canada, but didn't authorize anyone else to use them. In a statement, the Immigration Department said it issued several authentic letters directly to Afghan nationals who were eligible to come to Canada to help them clear checkpoints, but didn't allow third parties to issue them on the government's behalf. The situation was referred to the RCMP, which determined it cannot pursue a viable investigation. Meanwhile the government's refusal to honour the documents to allow Afghans entry to Canada is now the subject of a court case. Conservative MP Michelle Remple Garner compared the minister's explanation to the excuse that the "dog ate my homework." "The response 'I didn't check my email' was preposterous," she said after the meeting, highlighting what appears to her as a lack of oversight and fairness in the process. McPhedran tabled her emails with the committee but they have not yet been shared with members. In a written statement sent to The Canadian Press on Wednesday, she thanked Sajjan for his commitment to getting Afghans, including women and girls at high risk, out of the country. She also thanked him for his "appreciation of his then-chief of staff George Young for working diligently to try to save lives." Young never told Sajjan that McPhedran was handing visa facilitation letters out, Sajjan said, but he wouldn't comment further on whether Young's alleged actions were appropriate or not. He said he directed his staff to forward all people who were concerned about getting individuals out of Afghanistan to the appropriate interdepartmental team, but also described the frenzied atmosphere at the time. NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan said at the end of the day, the minister is responsible for the actions of his chief of staff. "I am dismayed with the minister's comments and a little bit in shock at the level of, frankly, incompetence, if that's how he operated," Kwan said. Conservative members of the committee filed a notice of motion to call Young to testify. "This testimony is going to be critical in terms of understanding exactly what happened, if there was authorization, why he undertook this and if he actually did it to begin with," Remple Garner said after the meeting. High water levels are expected to recede slowly over the next couple weeks after historic flooding from the Mississippi River and its tributaries. The Mississippi in La Crosse reached a crest of 15.9 feet Thursday morning, making it the third largest flood on record. Winona flooding crested Wednesday at 18.8 feet, the fourth highest on record. Mike Welvaert, a hydrologist from the National Weather Service North Central River Forecast Center, said the remaining snowpack and some water backed up in the tributaries will lengthen the amount of time it takes for the high water to recede. A slow recession is expected, Welvaert said. High water will linger well into May, and future rainfall may keep water levels high. The forecast for early May shows minimal precipitation, which Welvaert said is a good sign for lowering water levels with the caveat that weather predictions are ever-changing. Welvaert also noted that a historic snowpack in the northern Mississippi River basin was the leading cause for this flood event. La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds said he thinks the city has done very well in handling the high water and that this has been a much better response than the recent events of 2019 and 2001. Significant improvements to four stormwater lift stations around La Crosse is one of the biggest factors that has led to the improved response, Reynolds said. A 24-hour levee watch has been active in both La Crosse and Winona since flooding reached the major stage. Reynolds did note that damage has been done to some parks and infrastructure and that it will take a couple weeks for the water to recede before damage can be assessed and repairs begin. Officials from Gundersen Health System and Mayo Clinic Health System have advised the community on how to take personal precautions when cleaning up from flood events. Since flood water can be contaminated, items flooded in indoor environments and wet for 48 to 72 hours should be removed and discarded. Discard foods that have come in contact with floodwater that are prepackaged in paper, boxes, glass jars with screw tops or other non-waterproof packages. Commercially canned foods are safe if labels are removed. Tetanus boosters will be available at Gundersen for patients coming in for injury evaluation. As floodwaters recede, Dr. Michael Bassett, a family medicine physician at Mayo, recommends people keep a lookout for mold, which can lead to other health concerns. People who are sensitive to mold may experience a stuffy nose, irritated eyes, wheezing or skin irritation, Bassett said. To protect your lungs against mold, wear a mask while youre in an area that has mold growth. When the waters recede, clean up and dry out the building quickly within 24 to 48 hours. Open doors and windows. Use fans to dry out the building. To clean moldy surfaces, make sure to wear gloves to protect your hands and use a mixture of 1 cup bleach to 1 gallon of water when cleaning. IN PHOTOS: Flooding from Mississippi River pushes into Riverside Park Ruberta Weaver, the inaugural first lady of whats now called the University of Wisconsin System and a prominent supporter of husband John Weaver during his presidency, died March 29 at her California home. She was 106. Bestowed the title of General Superintendent by System staff, Weaver helped her husband facilitate the first System merger. It brought together the University of Wisconsin, which consisted of UW-Madison and its Extension campuses in Milwaukee, Green Bay and Kenosha, and the former State Universities System, which consisted of nine campuses, in 1971. Weaver also helped her husband in navigating the controversies and high expectations of the job, such as student unrest and violence over the Vietnam War, serving as hostess and helping write his speeches. In the 1970s, the presidents job required a lot of support, son Tom Weaver said. John Weaver served as president of the University of Missouri System before taking the helm of the University of Wisconsin. Then, with the merger, he went from being UW president to overseeing the entire System of 13 schools. In a farewell speech in June 1977 as he retired from the System, John Weaver credited his wife with being 75% of the 100% of the effort behind his career. Its fascinating to think about this career of hers that she chose, was essentially to be my dads partner, Tom Weaver, the former investments director for the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, said from Missouri, where he now lives. I dont think you can go from what my dad was doing, being a professor, through various levels of university administration, and becoming president of a major university system here in Missouri, and then going back home to Wisconsin to do the same thing ... thats not a one-person job. Ruberta Weaver herself intended to be an educator, graduating with a bachelors degree from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1938. Deciding she needed a masters degree, she applied to universities in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan and planned to attend whichever school responded to her first. Luckily for John, his father, Andrew, chair of UW-Madisons speech department, never let an unanswered letter sit overnight, Tom said. Ruberta earned her masters in oral interpretation from UW-Madison in 1939 and married John a year later. Ive been a peripheral person to education my whole life, she said in an address given after being awarded Person of the Year from the University of Southern California Town and Gown organization in 2021. My parents were public school teachers; my father-in-law was the chairman of the department of a major university for over 40 years. And then my own husband was influential in helping higher education. Ruberta was born Aug. 4, 1916, to Albert and Verna (Ruby) Harwell in Berkeley, California. As a teenager, she spent her summers living at Yosemite National Park when her fathers career shifted from high school principal to park naturalist and ornithologist, studying birds. It was the love of nature instilled in Ruberta by her father that drew her to John Weaver, a geologist. When the couple moved to New York, where he did work with the American Geographical Society, she put her education to use by becoming a storyteller for the New York City Public Library system. The ability to speak and interpret the emotion of a story or a speech whatever she was doing, she really could command a room, Tom Weaver said. The couple retired to Los Angeles after leaving the UW System in 1977. In California, John taught geology with the University of Southern California, and she volunteered with Town and Gown, helping grow scholarship support. Ruberta was charitable by nature, family friend Pete Christianson said. Always trying to find a way to help people, she drove for Madisons Meals on Wheels when it started; when she gave up driving altogether the day of her 100th birthday party, she turned her vehicle over to a charity and opted for Uber afterward. Wherever she was just grabbed on to everything she could get her hands on and help with it, Christianson said. And never stopped ... there was no end to it. She is survived by her sons, Andy (Roly), of Austin, Texas, and Tom (Karen) of Columbia, Missouri; granddaughters Cynthia Weaver Henzl (Lance) of Fort Worth, Texas, and Carrie Weaver of Columbia, Missouri; and great-grandchildren John and James Henzl and Hannah and Elijah Weaver. John, to whom Ruberta was married to for 54 years, died in March 1995. Wisconsinites who experience eviction sometimes lose more than a home. Those who cant afford to move and store their belongings may lose them, too adding to the financial and emotional toll of displacement. In Milwaukee County, where landlords filed for more than 200 evictions in the first week of April alone about half of those filed statewide government and nonprofit officials have in recent years bolstered resources for eviction prevention. But little, if any, aid is available to help residents retain or reclaim their possessions following an eviction. What happens to a tenants stuff during and after an eviction? Heres what to know. Eviction requires judges signoff First, remember that a landlord cant remove a tenant without a judges order. It is illegal for a landlord to file for an eviction before giving a tenant a notice, usually of five or 28 days. When tenants face an eviction, housing advocates suggest they talk to their landlords, apply for rental assistance and find legal support. Milwaukee County residents can visit EvictionFreeMKE.org to find resources, including free legal representation and information about their rights as a tenant. Check language in lease Milwaukee County is among jurisdictions that used to require any landlord to hire a moving company to assist a county sheriffs office with eviction. But a 2013 state law made such requirements dependent upon leasing language. Under that state law, landlords may dispose of items however they want to without hiring a mover if a lease specifies that landlords wont store left-behind items. There is one exception: prescription medication and equipment. A landlord must hold those items for seven days and return them at a tenants request. If the lease doesnt explain how the landlord will handle left-behind property, Milwaukee County landlords must hire one of the two moving companies approved by the sheriffs office. Executing an eviction When the sheriff executes an eviction, a tenant who comes to the door gets about 15 minutes to gather their belongings and leave, said Tom Brittain, president of Eagle Movers, one of the bonded moving companies in Milwaukee County certified for eviction-related moves. Sometimes tenants arent there when the sheriff arrives. In either case, the sheriff decides what goes with the moving company, according to Brittain. The movers do not take items the sheriff declares as junk, such as dressers with missing drawers, stained beds or insect-infested furniture, Brittain said. Due to safety concerns, the company also leaves clothing thats on the floor or dirty. A landlord can ask the movers to place junk items on the curb for garbage collection. State law requires the sheriff to mail a notice to the tenants last known address within three days of the removal of possessions. The notice must tell tenants where they can retrieve their possessions. Landlords and tenants must pay the moving company. In some counties, the moving companys monthly storage can cost more than the tenants rent. Eagle Movers charges landlords $220 per hour for five movers and a truck, Brittain said. The company charges tenants $30 per month for every 100 cubic feet plus a $60 labor charge, Brittain said. If items go unclaimed for two months, Brittain notifies the tenant by phone, email or letter that their belongings will be sold. About 60 to 70% of people reclaim their belongings, Brittain said. Ive always looked at us as kind of a lifeboat for tenants, Brittain said. Currently, there arent any programs that assist people with funding to rent trailers or U-Haul vans to move their belongings. But Heiner Giese, an attorney who represents the Apartment Association of Southeastern Wisconsin, said there should be. Theyve given (millions) to pay for lawyers to help tenants, which is all well and good. They can get a delay or they can get the case dismissed, Giese said. But jeez, you know, they should take some of that money, a very small amount of it and they could really do some good by having a fund available for tenants. What happens to pets during an eviction? Sometimes tenants manage to remove their belongings before the sheriff arrives but struggle to find a place for their pets. Surrendering a pet to an animal shelter can be difficult due to a lack of capacity. Karen Sparapani, executive director of the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission, has seen cases in which a tenant will return to their former rental every day to feed the animal until the sheriff executes the eviction. In other cases, pets are left to starve, said Sparapani. The sheriff calls Sparapanis office to pick up animals left behind during an eviction, typically dogs over 40 pounds and many cats, Sparapani said. The agency will put pets up for adoption if they go unclaimed for more than eight days. We can work with somebody who has time to find a place, and we work with them on fees too, Sparapani said. Pet owners who return must pay a boarding fee of $20 a day, plus a $25 impound fee for a licensed animal and $35 for unlicensed animals, Sparapani said. Any necessary vaccines or other treatment will add costs. News414 is a service journalism collaboration between Wisconsin Watch and Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service that addresses the specific issues, interests, perspectives and information needs identified by residents of central city Milwaukee neighborhoods. Nearly a month after she disappeared, Winona police searching for Madeline Kingsbury are asking property owners in Winona and Fillmore counties to provide information about any old structures on their land. Police encouraged landowners to report wells from before 1925, old homesteads and old windmills or windmill bases or any sinkholes that would be accessible by car. The information police are asking for is not included in available records and could lead to new searches. Landowners can report these items by emailing search@co.winona.mn.us. Were just trying to dive deeper, said Winona Deputy Chief of Police Jay Rasmussen. Were focusing on that area and trying to cover all the bases. Kingsbury was last seen March 31 when she and the father of her children took their two kids to daycare shortly after 8 a.m. After returning to her Kerry Drive residence in Winona around 8:15 a.m., she did not show up to work at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, authorities said. Law enforcement is partnering with Kingsburys family to request property owners in Winona, Fillmore and Houston counties place a blue check mark in an easily-visible location if they consent to having their property searched by volunteers. Search volunteers will only look for Kingsbury, signs of a disturbance, or something out of the ordinary, police said. Volunteers will not enter any homes or other structures on the property and police said they would follow all state and local laws and postings on the property. Before entering a property with a blue check mark, police said volunteers would confirm with the property owner that a search is OK. Once searched, volunteers will tie a blue ribbon around a mailbox or post letting others know the property has been checked. Landowners whose property already has been searched can tie a blue ribbon outside to inform others. Emergency management officials have encouraged volunteers to be safe when searching properties by not searching alone or in dangerous areas, and to not enter water. They do not want volunteers to get lost or hurt, which would take resources away from the search for Kingsbury. Police said tips continue to come in daily through Crime Stoppers. A $50,000 reward has been offered for information that leads police to Kingsbury. Law enforcement have not identified a suspect or person of interest in the investigation. Anyone with possible information about Kingsburys whereabouts should call 911 or the Winona Police Department at 507-457-6302. To give a tip anonymously, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or go to www.crimestoppersmn.org. A recent citizen request for longer weekend curfew hours on Friday and Saturday nights to better match those in place in other Walworth County communities moved a step closer to reality on April 17 as the Williams Bay Village Board held a first reading on Ordinance 2023-03. If approved, the ordinance would amend Section 238-1A of the Village of Williams Bay Code of Ordinance to adjust the curfew hours for minors under the age of 18 on Friday and Saturday nights to a 12:01 a.m. start from the current 11 p.m. start, with curfew hours running to 6 a.m. Curfew hours for minors would remain at 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. for the remainder of the week, Sunday-Thursday. A second reading, as well as discussion and possible action on the proposed ordinance, was set for Monday, May 1. Back on March 6, 5-year Williams Bay resident Nicole Goy appeared before the Williams Bay Village Board, requesting that the village Code of Ordinances be changed to push the start of weekend curfew hours back to better align with those in place in neighboring communities. The Friday and Saturday night start of curfew hours for minors in area Walworth County communities include, among others: Town and Village of Bloomfield, 11 p.m.; City of Delavan, 11 p.m.; Village of Darien, midnight; Village of East Troy, 11 p.m.; City of Elkhorn, midnight; Village of Fontana, 12:01 a.m.; Town of Geneva, midnight; Village of Genoa City, midnight; City of Lake Geneva, midnight for minors age 16 and 17 and 10 p.m. for minors under age 16; Town of Lyons, midnight; Town of Linn, midnight for minors age 16 and 17 and 10 p.m. for minors under age 16; Village of Sharon, midnight; Walworth County, midnight; and City of Whitewater, midnight. Parking hours extended Holding a first reading and waiving a second reading, Williams Bay trustees approved the passage of Ordinance 2023-05, amending the Chapter 345-4 Paragraph B of the Village of Williams Bay Code of Ordinances to extend maximum parking time from one to two hours on Walworth Avenue in downtown Williams Bay between Geneva Street and Cherry Street. Fireworks proposal approved Looking ahead to the summer, Williams Bay trustees approved a $25,000 bid from Yarmouth, Iowa-based J&M Displays, Inc. for a 1,109-shot Aug. 12 fireworks show in conjunction with the Williams Bay Lions Clubs annual fundraising Corn & Brat Festival. The pyrotechnics display is timed to last 19-20 minutes. Founded in 1980, J&M Displays has been the fireworks show vendor for the Village of Williams Bay and the Williams Bay Lions Club since 2018. No stranger to southeast Wisconsin and Walworth County, J&M also conducts fireworks displays for the Lake Geneva Jaycees Venetian Fest and municipal Fourth of July pyrotechnics shows in the City of Milwaukee, Village of Fontana and City of Delavan. Other news In other developments at the April 17 meeting, the Williams Bay Village Board: Approved a municipal lease agreement with Yoga Lake Geneva, LLC for the use of Williams Bay Beach, west of the Beach House, to conduct lakeside yoga classes from 7-8:15 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays between Memorial Day Weekend and Labor Day. Under the lease agreement, classes will also be offered on Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day at 7 a.m. Approved a municipal lease agreement with Williams Bay-based Dip in the Bay LLC to occupy a stationary cart to sell food and non-food items such as t-shirts, souvenirs and sundries through Oct. 31, 2023 on three possible areas at municipally-owned Williams Bay Beach, as well as at 105 N. Walworth St. in downtown Williams Bay. Approved a not-to-exceed maximum $9,000 contract with Edgerton-based J.W. Schultz Construction Co., Inc. for the replacement of approximately 750 feet of failed concrete sidewalk sections along Elkhorn Road (State Hwy. 67) between Olive and Stark streets as part of the ongoing Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT)repaving project on State Hwy. 67 in the Village of Williams Bay and the Town of Delavan between Geneva Street and Glenwood Drive. The 1-mile DOT repaving project, begun in March and overseen by Waukesha-based general contractor Payne & Dolan, Inc., is slated for completion by this summer, weather permitting. Approved a general consulting contract with Milwaukee-based Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc., an employee-owned wealth management, capital markets, asset management and private equity firm, to assist the village in the creation of a Capital Improvements Planning (CIP) Model, a long-term capital improvement plan for physical development and infrastructure improvement as a planning tool for the villages annual budget process. The 2024-2028 contract proposal calls for a fixed $5,000 cost for the first year and $700 for each subsequent year. Approved a renewal 3-year cell tower lease agreement with US Cellular, which includes a six-month notice termination clause than can by exercised by either the village or US Cellular. Held second readings and approval votes to amend the Village of Williams Bay Code of Ordinances governing communication towers and communication tower performance standards to permit communication towers as a conditional use in Agricultural Holding (AH) and Public and Institutional District (P&I) zoning districts. Approved Village President William B. Duncans appointment of Brenda Hausner, Chrissy Wen and Kim Parker to the villages Conservation Commission, with terms ending April 30, 2020. Approved Duncans appointment of Alice Morava as an advisory member to the Conservation Commission, with the term ending April 30, 2024. SOMERS Gov. Tony Evers visited with students and staff of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside during a tour of the campus Thursday afternoon ahead of Chancellor Debbie Fords exit. Parkside staff and faculty ushered Evers through campus as he entered classrooms and chatted with surprised students. Many students stopped Evers and took selfies with the Democratic governor who was re-elected in 2022. One of the first things he did Thursday was stop at a booth run by students and write them a note reading Congratulations! Class of 2023. Its good to be here at Parkside, Evers said said after visiting classes with students studying applied health sciences, social psychology, work-based learning and statics. They just do a great job and Ive always been impressed with them. They are the go-to place in southeast Wisconsin. Evers was accompanied by Ford, who after 14 years of leadership at university will be leaving to assume the role of chancellor of Indiana University Southeast in New Albany, Ind. Evers presented Ford with a certificate of commendation in honor of her efforts at the public university that enrolls some 4,000 students annually. The chancellors done a great job, Evers said. Ill miss her. She was somebody who made this school what it is today. Ford said she was truly honored. I am grateful to Gov. Evers for taking the time to meet with our students today. I am truly honored and humbled to receive this recognition, Ford said in a statement. It has been my absolute pleasure to serve and be a part of the UW-Parkside community and it will forever hold a special place in my heart. Although I am leaving, I will never stop being an avid supporter and advocate for UW-Parkside and the success of our students. Once a Ranger, always a Ranger. While touring classrooms Evers reminded students they should focus on their mental health. Mental health is such a significant issue for our young people, and it didnt just come with the pandemic, Evers said. I just think life has become more and more complex for them. Whatever they can do at the end of the school year to take care of themselves, thats a step in the right direction. Evers said the university can make young people superstars despite the states support for the public university system not where we want it to be. He highlighted a recent report in conducted by the nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum that found the University of Wisconsin System ranked 43rd nationally for per-pupil funding in 2021. People have to understand how important (education) is and we need to do more, Evers added. Evers was also joined by state Reps. Tip McGuire, D-Kenosha, and Tod Ohnstad, D-Kenosha. Parkside is such an important part of our Kenosha community, and its great to have the governor down here and recognizing the contribution that Parkside makes to Kenosha, McGuire said. I think Parkside is well respected in Kenosha. Ohnstad said the tour was bittersweet because Ford is leaving by the end of the school year. Ohnstad said shes been one of the most impactful leaders in the area. Shes done such a great job and Gov. Evers is certainly no stranger to Kenosha, Ohnstad said. Parkside is always a special place to come visit. Ohnstad said the university has been transformed inside and out by Ford. Senior Dylan Oberbroeckling didnt expect to meet the governor. We just looked up and here he is walking through, Oberbroeckling said. That was awesome. Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on April 21 issued an annual report regarding Wisconsins progress on the Trillion Tree Pledge. On Earth Day 2021, Evers signed Executive Order #112, joining the global Trillion Tree Pledge (dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/forests/trillionTreesPledge) and committing to plant 75 million new trees in rural and urban areas and conserve 125,000 acres of forest in Wisconsin by 2030 in collaboration with public, private, and non-governmental partners. When fully realized, Wisconsins tree pledge will result in nearly 29 million metric tons of carbon dioxide stored over the next 50 years. According to the Wisconsin Trillion Tree Pledge 2022 Annual Report, more than 12.9 million trees were planted and more than 2,000 acres of forestland were conserved in Wisconsin in 2022. In total, the state has planted more than 22.2 million trees since Evers committed to the Trillion Tree Pledge in 2021. Planting trees and conserving forestlands are simple but powerful tools to help store carbon dioxide, improve air quality, protect wildlife habitats, and combat the climate crisis, all while supporting our statewide economies, Evers said. We are thrilled to be nearly a third of the way through reaching our tree planting goal, and were going to continue this momentum forward so we can keep building a healthier, more sustainable future for our state. The forest products industry in Wisconsin accounts for more than 60,000 jobs and has a total industry output of $24.4 billion, and for every 10 jobs in the forest products industry, 12 additional jobs are supported in other state sectors. The governors 2023-25 biennial budget includes several investments to strengthen Wisconsins forest regeneration and management, take preventative action against invasive species, and expand the forestry industry workforce across the state. According to the 2022 report released April 21, of the 12.9 million trees planted, the DNR supplied nearly 3.5 million of the seedlings planted, including more than 2.1 million that were planted on private lands, over 1 million that were planted on DNR, federal, Tribal and other public lands, more than 175,000 that were planted in county forests, more than 36,000 that were planted in school forests, and over 35,000 that were given to elementary school students last Arbor Day. The DNRs reforestation program has supplied Wisconsin landowners with more than 1.6 billion seedlings since its founding in the early 1900s. The DNR is coordinating the implementation of the pledge on behalf of the state of Wisconsin. The DNR cannot meet the commitment alone and relies on partnerships with private nurseries to help fill the gap. In 2022, private nurseries supplied an estimated 500,000 trees planted throughout Wisconsin for conservation purposes, in addition to all the trees supplied by private nurseries for landscaping purposes. We rely on the efforts and support of residents, organizations and businesses to achieve the goals listed in the pledge, said DNR Secretary Adam Payne. We encourage you to plant a tree or a thousand trees and then record it on Wisconsins Tree Planting Map so it counts towards the pledge. More information about the Trillion Trees Pledge, Wisconsins Tree Planting Map, the list of partners, and the full report of 2022 accomplishments is available at dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/forests/trillionTreesPledge. In 76 Photos: Whitewater Lake Segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Walworth County IAT American Pokeweed.jpg Ice Age National Scenic Trail - Boardwalk in Whitewater Lake Segment IAT Bridge and Boardwalk.jpg IAT Common Selfheal.jpg IAT Creeping Bellflower 2.jpg IAT Delicate Fern Moss.jpg IAT Erect Hedgeparsley 2.jpg IAT Giant Chickweed.jpg IAT Motherwort.jpg IAT Pine Cones.jpg IAT Sign.jpg IAT Tall Hairy Agrimony.jpg Ice Age Trail yellow blaze marker IAT Trail View 2.jpg IAT Trail View.jpg IAT Whitewater Creek 2.jpg Ice Age Trail Ascent.jpg Ice Age Trail Bird's Foot Trefoil.jpg Ice Age Trail Black Raspberry.jpg Ice Age Trail Black-Eyed Susan.jpg Ice Age Trail Boletes fungi (mushroom) on forest floor.jpg Ice Age Trail Wild Parsnip.jpg Ice Age Trail Yellow Blaze with Trail View in Pine Plantation.jpg Ice Age Trail Yellow Blaze with Trail View.jpg Ice Age Trail Common Chicory (Blue Dandelion).jpg Ice Age Trail Common Crownvetch.jpg Ice Age Trail Common Mullein (Aaron's Rod).jpg Ice Age Trail Common Yarrow.jpg Ice Age Trail Creeping Thistle.jpg Ice Age Trail Deptford Pink.jpg Ice Age Trail Emerald Ash Borer .jpg Ice Age Trail Emerald Ash Borer 2.jpg Ice Age Trail Evening Primrose.jpg Ice Age Trail Fallen Tree .jpg Ice Age Trail False Solomon's Seal.jpg Ice Age Trail False Sunflower.jpg Ice Age Trail Flowering Spurge.jpg Ice Age Trail "Flowing Well" in Town of Whitewater.jpg Glacial deposits on Ice Age National Scenic Trail Ice Age Trail Gray Dogwood.jpg Ice Age Trail Hoary Verbena.jpg Ice Age Trail Illinois Tick Trefoil 2.jpg Ice Age Trail Panicledleaf Tick Trefoil.jpg Ice Age Trail Marker Post.jpg Ice Age Trail Mile Marker Post.jpg Ice Age Trail Morrow's Honeysuckle.jpg Ice Age Trail Nodding Thistle.jpg Ice Age Trail Northern Catalpa.jpg Ice Age Trail Oriental Ladies Thumb.jpg Ice Age National Scenic Trail overlook view Ice Age Trail Oxeye Dairy.jpg Ice Age Trail Perennial Sowthistle.jpg Ice Age Trail Pine Forest.jpg Ice Age Trail Pine Plantation.jpg Ice Age Trail Pinnate Prairie Coneflower.jpg Ice Age Trail Prairie Fleabane.jpg Ice Age Trail Prarie Clearning Under Power Lines.jpg Ice Age Trail Queen Anne's Lace (Wild Carrot).jpg Ice Age Trail Rock covered with Schreber's Big Red Stem Moss.jpg Ice Age Trail Rock Deposits.jpg Russulaceae fungi on the forest floor along the Ice Age Scenic National Trail Ice Age Trail Scenic Lake Overlook 1.jpg Ice Age National Scenic Trail overlook Ice Age Trail Shrub Lespedeza.jpg Ice Age Trail Smooth Sumac.jpg Ice Age Trail Soapwort.jpg St. John's Wort blooming along the Ice Age National Scenic Trail Ice Age Trail Steep Climb.jpg Ice Age Trail Thistle Field with feeding Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly.jpg Ice Age Trail Trichaptum fungi on tree.jpg Ice Age Trail View from Bench.jpg Ice Age Trail Walking Path in Forest.jpg Ice Age Trail Whitewater Lake.jpg Ice Age Trail Wild Bergamot.jpg Ice Age Trail Red Spotted Purple Butterfly.jpg Photo: The Canadian Press A federal appeals court on Wednesday night moved former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence closer to appearing before a grand jury investigating efforts to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election, rejecting a bid by former President Donald Trump's lawyers to block the testimony. It was not immediately clear what day Pence might appear before the grand jury, which for months has been investigating the events preceding the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and efforts by Trump and his allies to subvert the election outcome. But Pence's testimony, coming as he moves closer to entering the 2024 presidential race, would be a milestone moment in the investigation and would likely give prosecutors a key first-person account as they press forward with their inquiry. The order from the three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was sealed and none of the parties are mentioned by name in online court records. But the appeal in the sealed case was filed just days after a lower-court judge had directed Pence to testify over objections from the Trump team. A lawyer for Pence did not immediately return an email seeking comment, and a spokesman for the Justice Department special counsel leading the investigation declined to comment. EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR THURSDAY APRIL 27, 2023 The Ventriloquist and The Dummy April 26, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)The Ukraine theater of NATOs proxy war against Russia continues on its trajectory of an early superpower showdown, with relentless chatter broadcast by Ukrainian authorities, from President Zelenskyy on down, of a coming Ukrainian counter-offensive to include seizing control of Crimeaa nuclear tripwire if ever there was one. High-level Russian officials continue to warn, at every opportunity, about where that trajectory leadsa hot, full-scale World War III, as Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev stated yesterday. In such a touch-and-go strategic situation, its critical to keep a sharp focus on who here is merely the dummy (that professional comedian assigned to the Ukrainian Presidency), and who the ventriloquist. As the Russian embassy in London put it in a statement issued yesterday: London will not succeed in shifting blame to its Kiev clients for their crimes. All roads do, in fact, lead to London. For example, there is the British Empires authorship of the insane plans to shatter Russia and eliminate it as a nation altogether, which is being actively promoted in a traveling road show across the United States this weekand which we document in the EIR article appended to this Briefing. More central still is the collapse of the bankrupt trans-Atlantic financial systemcontrolled by the City of London and their junior partners on Wall Streetwhich is the underlying cause of the drive to war. Scarcely six weeks after Silicon Valley Bank went belly-up on March 10, the crisis in the U.S. banking sector is back with a vengeance, with Californias First Republic Bank front and center. With some $100 billion in deposits stampeding out of the bank since the beginning of 2023, and the value of its stock plunging to near junk status over the last week, authorities suspended trading on the morning of Wednesday, April 26. The City of Londons Financial Times ran a worried article late Tuesday, April 25, headlined: Sharp Sell-Off in First Republic Shares Causes Alarm in Washington, which sent a dark message of foreboding to their readers: government officials and regulators scramble to come up with plan, and banking officials are in touch with the U.S. government, which is on high alert. The options on the table are all of the same bad choices faced in mid-March in the case of Silicon Valley Banklike First Republic, a mid-sized bank heavily involved in tech start-up and other sorts of speculation: a) let it fail, and let the contagion rip throughout the entire speculative financial system; b) have the FDIC exceed its regulatory authority of insuring deposits only up to $250,000, and instead bail out all depositors at First Republic (the gambit used with Silicon Valley); or c) convince a half-dozen mega-banks to step in and buy up First Republic, including all the non-performing speculative garbage on its books. On the other side of the Atlantic, Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS), currently the third largest in Europe, is sweating bullets over how it is going to swallow, and presumably digest, all of the financial garbage it agreed to take over from the failed Credit Suisse, which went under on March 19, right after Silicon Valley Bank. UBS is so intertwined with the global derivatives bubble, that the Financial Stability Board considers it a global systemically important bankmeaning it has to be kept afloat, or the whole system could implode. But the hard reality is that the $2 quadrillion speculative bubble cannot be kept afloat. The whole system is going to implode. And the only open question is whether the people of the United States and Europe will be smart and courageous enough to demand their governments get off that sinking Titanic, while survival is still possible. As Helga Zepp-LaRouche put it in her weekly webcast discussion today: The war danger, in my view, is increasing by the day. Step by step we are moving closer to a possible catastrophe. Its time to silence the ventriloquist, and listen to our own better angels. China urges UK to stop making groundless accusations against China: spokesperson Xinhua) 08:09, April 27, 2023 BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- China urges the UK to be prudent in its words and actions, stop making groundless accusations against China and interfering in the country's internal affairs, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Wednesday. According to reports, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said in his speech on foreign policy and the position on China on April 25 that it would be a betrayal of national interest to declare some kind of new Cold War or to isolate China. This Government will engage robustly and constructively with China, and at the same time, steadfastly defend the UK's security and values. He said, China should fulfill its obligations in the Sino-British Joint Declaration. The UK is entitled to say so and act. China should not see the UK's remarks on Xinjiang as interference in its internal affairs. He also said the UK hopes to see a peaceful settlement of the Taiwan question, and it is essential that no party takes unilateral action to change the status quo. "In today's deeply interconnected world, the multiple challenges facing humanity require joint responses. Bloc politics and the Cold War mentality are against the trend of history and do not serve the interests of the UK or any other party in the world," spokesperson Mao Ning told a daily news briefing when answering a relevant query. Mao said that China has grown its relations with the UK in the spirit of equality and mutual respect. However, the UK has not kept up with the times and has been repeating old lines from an outdated playbook, which will only keep the UK itself further and further away from the advancement of our times. Regarding the Hong Kong issue, Mao said that all provisions concerning the UK under the Sino-British Joint Declaration have been fulfilled, adding that the UK has no sovereignty, no jurisdiction or right of "supervision" over Hong Kong and no so-called "rights" or "responsibilities" concerning Hong Kong. As for the circumstance of Xinjiang, Mao pointed out that Xinjiang enjoys economic development, social stability, religious harmony and cultural prosperity and people there lead a happy life. "These are facts for all to see, yet the UK side chooses to be oblivious to this and has deliberately smeared and slandered China," she said. The status quo of the Taiwan Strait is that both sides of the Strait belong to one and the same China, Mao said, adding that the biggest threat to peace in the Taiwan Strait comes from the "Taiwan independence" separatist activities and the U.S. connivance at and support for them. If the UK side wants sustained peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, it needs to strictly abide by the one-China principle and stand firmly against the "Taiwan independence" separatist activities. Mao reiterated that the Taiwan question and issues concerning Hong Kong and Xinjiang are purely China's internal affairs which brook no external interference. "We urge the UK to be prudent in its words and actions, stop making groundless accusations against China and interfering in China's internal affairs, and do more things that are conducive to the development of China-UK relations and world peace and stability," said Mao. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Photo: Advantage Tankers Iran's navy seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday amid wider tensions over Tehran's nuclear program, the latest-such capture in a waterway crucial for global energy supplies. The Navy's Mideast-based 5th Fleet identified the vessel as the Advantage Sweet. Satellite tracking data for the vessel from MarineTraffic.com showed it in the Gulf of Oman just north of Oman's capital, Muscat, on Thursday afternoon. It had just come from Kuwait and listed its destination as Houston, Texas. The Advantage Sweet issued a distress call at 1:15 p.m. while in international waters as Iran seized the vessel, the Navy said. "Irans actions are contrary to international law and disruptive to regional security and stability," the 5th Fleet said in a statement. Iran should immediately release the oil tanker. The Navy initially said Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard seized the vessel, but an American naval aircraft later confirmed that Iran's navy captured the ship, 5th Fleet spokesman Cmdr. Timothy Hawkins told The Associated Press. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said the seizure came after an unknown ship collided with an Iranian vessel last night in the Persian Gulf, causing several Iranian crew members to go missing and get injured. It did not identify the other ship involved in the alleged collision. The Advantage Sweet had been in the Persian Gulf on Wednesday, but its track showed no usual behavior as it transited through the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of all oil traded passes. Iran has made allegations in other seizures that later fell apart as it became clear Tehran was trying to leverage the capture as a chip to negotiate with foreign nations. Irans harassing activity within the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman is commensurate with an established pattern of behavior that has seen Iran target vessels as a result of ongoing disputes," maritime security firm Dryad Global said. The 5th Fleet said the Iranian seizure was at least the fifth commercial vessel taken by Tehran in the last two years. Iran's continued harassment of vessels and interference with navigational rights in regional waters are a threat to maritime security and the global economy, it added. The vessel's manager, a Turkish firm called Advantage Tankers, issued a statement acknowledging the Advantage Sweet was being escorted by the Iranian navy to a port on the basis of an international dispute. The safety and welfare of our valued crew members is our No. 1 priority, the firm said. Similar experiences show that crew members of vessels taken under such circumstances are in no danger. The ship's listed owner appeared to be a Chinese company. Manifest information from data firm Refinitiv showed the Advantage Sweet carried Kuwaiti crude oil for American energy firm Chevron Corp. of San Ramon, California. Chevron did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Thursday's seizure by Iran was the latest in a string of hijackings and explosions to roil the region. The incidents began after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from Irans nuclear deal with world powers, which saw Tehran drastically limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Also, the U.S. Navy has blamed Iran for a series of limpet mine attacks on vessels that damaged tankers in 2019, as well as for a fatal drone attack on an Israeli-linked oil tanker that killed two European crew members in 2021. Tehran denies carrying out the attacks, but a wider shadow war between Iran and the West has played out in the regions volatile waters. Iranian tanker seizures have been a part of it since 2019. The last major seizure came when Iran took two Greek tankers in May and held them until November. Meanwhile, talks over Irans tattered nuclear deal have been stalled for a year. Since the deals collapse, Iran runs advanced centrifuges and has a rapidly growing stockpile of enriched uranium. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has warned Iran has enriched enough up to 60% purity a short technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%. That would be sufficient for Iran to make several nuclear weapons if it chooses to do so. A Japanese space exploration company said Wednesday there was a high probability that its vehicle crashed while trying to land on the moon. The vehicle from ispace launched on a SpaceX rocket from Florida in December. It sent images of Earth back to Tokyo throughout its trip. The vehicle entered the moons orbit on March 21. If the project had succeeded, ispace would have been the first private business to make a moon landing. Space agencies of the United States, former Soviet Union and China have succeeded in such efforts. The ispace lander was carrying a rover, a vehicle to explore the moons surface, provided by the United Arab Emirates. A small robot was also on the flight. Ispace officials told reporters later on Wednesday that its lander may have run out of fuel and crashed. The last communication showed the vehicle low on fuel and the lander increasing in speed. Chief technology officer Ryo Ujiie called it a free fall. Takeshi Hakamada started ispace in 2010. Hakamada said another moon-landing attempt is planned for next year. The goal of ispace is to become a transport service to the moon for equipment and other goods. The company has raised $300 million to cover its first three missions. We will keep going, never quit the lunar quest, Hakamada said. A Japanese government spokesman, Hirokazu Matsuno, said it was sad news but the nation wants ispace to keep trying. One member of the U.S. space program offered kind words for ispace on Twitter. If space is hard, landing is harder, Laurie Leshin wrote. She is the director of NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory. I know from personal experience how awful this feels. Leshin worked on the Mars polar lander that crashed in 1999. It is the second crash or explosion for private space exploration companies in the last week. SpaceXs Starship rocket exploded a few minutes after the launch of a test flight on April 20. Many countries and private businesses are trying once again to reach the moon. NASAs Artemis program made it to the moon and back in 2022. Two American companies have finished moon landers and are hoping to launch later this year. China has landed three spacecraft on the moon since 2013 and the U.S., China, India and South Korea have satellites in place. Im Dan Friedell. Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on reports by the Associated Press and Reuters. ______________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story quest n. an important journey or project lunar adj. having to do with the moon awful adj. something bad or unpleasant ______________________________________________________________________ We want to hear from you. Are you excited about the new moon exploration projects? Here is how our comment system works: Write your comment in the box. Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with D on it. It is free. Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here. Photo: The Canadian Press Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley co-chair a meeting of the UN development panel known as SDG Advocates at the United Nations in New York on Thursday, April 27, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick The Liberal government is spending more money on women's rights abroad an effort to showcase Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's bona fides on gender equality in a country where access to abortion seems to be slipping away. Trudeau was expected to reaffirm his government's commitment to supporting reproductive freedom later Thursday at a star-studded progressive summit in the heart of Hell's Kitchen on the shores of the Hudson River. Earlier, though, his international development minister laid the groundwork in Ottawa, announcing a five-year, $195-million investment plus $43 million every subsequent year in women's rights advocacy around the world. "When it comes to women's rights, our government is unapologetically pro-choice," Harjiit Sajjan told a news conference on Parliament Hill. Trudeau was expected to pick up the baton at Global Citizen NOW, a gathering of change-minded celebrities, world leaders and activists where he was taking part in an afternoon panel on gender rights. The panel boasted an all-Canadian roster: Jacqueline O'Neill, Canada's first ambassador for women, peace and security, as well as former CTV National News chief anchor Lisa LaFlamme, whose firing last summer became a cause celebre. The perils facing abortion rights in the U.S. demonstrate that even the most basic rights must be defended with "constant vigilance," said Kirsten Hillman, Canada's envoy to Washington and the first woman to occupy the post. "Human rights, women's rights, security of individuals and all kinds of minority rights around the world these are things that we can't take for granted," Hillman said Thursday outside the United Nations. "We see in the United States that once rights are attained, you can't take them for granted. You have to continue to make sure that you're building on them and reinforcing them." Hillman has had a front-row seat to some seismic shifts in access to abortion over the last year, most notably the Supreme Court's decision last June to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that established federal abortion rights. And advocates had feared that a legal stalemate over access to the so-called abortion pill, mifepristone, would end much the same way, before the high court opted late last week to maintain the status quo for the time being. The U.S. Department of Justice is fighting a Texas court decision which, if allowed to stand, would effectively rescind the Food and Drug Administration's 23-year-old approval of the drug. Trudeau began his first full day in the city with a visit to the UN, where he met briefly with Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley to talk about one of their shared passions: advancing sustainable development goals in the Global South. The two leaders also hosted a meeting of the UN panel they co-chair together: the SDG Advocates, a group of international activists and experts committed to accomplishing a daunting list of ambitious sustainable development goals by 2030. "Whenever there's a situation of real crisis, the natural human instinct is to fold inwards, hunker down and hope the storm passes by," Trudeau told the meeting as it unfolded live on a UN sound stage. "Well, this storm will not pass us by unless we actually reach out to each other and work together. And that's where the SDG goals are so unbelievably important." The gender rights funding will fall under the government's Women's Voice and Leadership program, first launched in 2017. The government says it has worked with about 1,500 organizations through the program so far. The announcement comes at a time when the Liberals appear to be cutting their overall development spending, which had been boosted to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This year's federal budget shows spending will be down about 15 per cent in the coming fiscal year. On Friday, Trudeau will speak to the influential Council on Foreign Relations, making his case for Canada as an attractive trade partner and investment destination especially after last month's visit by President Joe Biden. Business leaders and private-sector observers alike are pressing Ottawa to get busy on streamlining the regulatory process for Canada's nascent critical minerals sector as the demand for green energy kickstarts a new 21st-century gold rush. That is "absolutely a priority," Hillman acknowledged Thursday, adding that Canadian industry currently enjoys a competitive advantage over its U.S. counterpart. "I know Canadians get a little bit frustrated sometimes with the length of the permitting that is required in in some of these large projects," she said. "But I can tell you from where I stand in Washington, what I hear from American industry is how much faster we tend to do it than they do. I'm not saying it's good enough. And I'm not saying we don't want to continue to streamline and improve. But we already have a natural advantage there, and we'll continue to improve it." Researchers say they have developed a small printing device that can produce vaccine patches for COVID-19 and other diseases. Since the device is moveable, or mobile, it could be easily deployed to areas of the world that face difficulties receiving and storing vaccines, the scientists say. Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) led the development of the printer. While the developers say it will likely take years to become widely available, some experts are calling the technology exciting. Creators of the device recently reported their development results in a study in the publication Nature Biotechnology. The device prints 2-centimeter-wide patches that each contain hundreds of tiny needles that administer vaccine material when pressed against the skin. The team says such patches offer major improvements over vaccine shots given in the arm. Users can easily self-administer the vaccines and they are mostly painless. The patches could appeal to people resistant to traditional vaccines. They can also be stored at room temperature for long periods of time. The popular mRNA COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna need to be kept cold in refrigerators. This has made it hard to get them to parts of the world that lack the ability to keep the medicine cold, especially developing countries. Some of those nations criticized the unequal sharing of vaccine shots during the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers said the new printer was tested with the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. But the goal of the international development team is for the device to be used for other vaccines as well. Robert Langer is the co-founder of Moderna and one of the study's writers. He told the French press agency AFP he hoped the printer could be used for "the next COVID, or whatever crisis happens. Ana Jaklenec is a researcher at MIT and another co-writer of the study. She said in a statement that the devices could someday establish on-demand vaccine production. Jaklenec added, If, for example, there was an Ebola outbreak in a particular region, one could ship a few of these printers there and vaccinate the people... Microneedle patch vaccines are already under development for COVID-19 and a series of other diseases, including polio, measles and rubella. But the patches have long struggled to expand because producing them is a costly, labor-intensive process that often involves large machines. The researchers developing the new process said they shrank the process down by using smaller equipment to create the patches. Currently, the team said the printer can produce 100 patches in 48 hours. But researchers say experiments have shown that with improvements, the printer could print thousands a day. "And you can have more than one printer," Langer added. Joseph DeSimone is a chemist at Californias Stanford University who was not involved in the study. He said the work is particularly exciting as it realizes the ability to produce vaccines on demand." DeSimone has invented his own versions of microneedle patches. He said if the printing process can be widely deployed, it can help bring "widespread access to RNA vaccines." Antoine Flahault directs the Institute of Global Health at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. He told AFP that production and access to vaccines could be "transformed through such a printer." This, Flahault added, could become a real breakthrough." Flahault noted, however, that the success of the method will first require government approvals and mass production. And that could take many years. Im Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from Agence France-Presse and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Quiz - Scientists Develop Mobile Printing Device for COVID-19 Vaccine Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz ____________________________________________________ Words in This Story patch n. a piece of material used to cover a hole in clothes or other material needle n. the thin, sharp metal part of a piece of medical equipment used to put medicine in the body region n. a particular area in a country or the world access n. permission to enter or use something transform v. to change something completely, usually to improve it breakthrough n. an important discovery What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: Write your comment in the box. Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with D on it. It is free. Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here. Singapore on Wednesday executed a man accused of coordinating a cannabis delivery. Cannabis is another word for the drug marijuana. The man was executed although his family asked for clemency and activists protested his sentence. They said the evidence against the man was weak. A court in Singapore sentenced Tangaraju Suppiah to death in 2018 for assisting in the trafficking of 1 kilogram of cannabis. Under Singapores laws, delivering more than 500 grams of cannabis may result in the death penalty. Tangaraju was 46 years old. Tangaraju was hanged Wednesday morning. The news came from a message on Twitter from activist Kirsten Han of the Transformative Justice Collective. The group supports ending the death penalty in Singapore. Tangaraju was not caught with the cannabis. But government lawyers said phone numbers proved he was the person responsible for trafficking the drugs. Tangaraju said he was not the one communicating with the others connected to the case. Ravina Shamdasani is the spokesperson for United Nations Human Rights. She called on Singapores government to suspend executions for drug-related crimes. Executing people for drug offences is incompatible with international norms and standards, said Shamdasani. She added that increasing evidence shows the death penalty is ineffective at stopping crime. Singapore officials said the punishment is effective. They said studies show that drug traffickers carry less than the amount that would bring an execution. Singapores use of the death penalty for drugs is different than its neighbors. In Thailand, cannabis is mostly legal. Malaysia has ended the required death penalty for serious crimes. Singapore executed 11 people last year for drug crimes. One case that caused international concern involved a Malaysian man whose lawyers said he was mentally disabled. The Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network condemned Tangarajus execution. The group said in a statement that Singapores use of the death penalty goes against international human rights standards. It added that the death penalty calls into question the legitimacy of Singapores criminal justice system. Relatives and activists had sent letters to Singapores President Halimah Yacob asking for clemency. In a video posted by the Transformative Justice Collective, Tangarajus relatives appealed to the public to raise concerns to the government over his execution. An application filed by Tangaraju on Monday to cancel the execution was dismissed without a hearing Tuesday. Maya Foa is director of the non-profit human rights organization Reprieve. She said in a statement that Singapores government does not give people sentenced to death fair treatment. She said lawyers who work on the cases are threatened. Critics say Singapores death penalty has mostly been used on low-level criminals. They say the death penalty has done little to stop drug traffickers and organized crime. But Singapores government says all those executed have been treated fairly under the law. The government says the death penalty is necessary to protect its citizens. Im Dan Novak. Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press. ___________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story coordinate v. to organize an activity so it is carried out as planned clemency n. asking for better treatment than what is expected under the conditions or law; asking for mercy traffic v. to be directly involved in the trade of something illegal incompatible adj. in conflict with norm adj. an acceptable level of behavior among people standards n. (pl.) ideas about what is right morally legitimacy n. the condition of being real, accepted and undisputed ODESSA The Kearney Volunteer Fire Department and area law enforcement responded to a skid steer fire in Odessa during the evening of Wednesday, April 26. According to Kearney Fire Chief Jason Whalen, at 10:12 p.m. the department was dispatched to a residence along Highway 30 in Odessa for the report of an ongoing fire. Law enforcement with the Buffalo County Sheriffs Office was the first to arrive on scene, followed by a fire engine and tanker. Whalen said an additional engine and tanker were en route but were called off as the fire was brought under control. Around 23 firefighters in total responded to the call. On scene, a Bobcat skid steer with JRs Arborcare, owned by Jordan Bauld, had caught fire with the flames appearing to have started in the engine compartment. The skid steer had been used by the business to move wood. Whalen said the cause of the fire was determined to be mechanical in nature, as Bauld had reported having mechanical issues earlier. The skid steer was determined to be a total loss. There were no injuries associated with the fire and the skid steer was not in use at the time of the fire. Whalen said firefighters had returned to the station by 11:23 p.m. The Buffalo County Sheriffs Office, Nebraska State Patrol and Good Samaritan EMS assisted with the call. A total of 38 suspected illegal workers have been detected across the city, according to the data from the Public Security Police. In a statement, the bureau said that, along with the Labour Affairs Bureaus operations, they inspected 414 locations in March to combat illegal workers. Last month, 48 workers were found following inspections in 509 sites. Related China warned against continued U.S.-Taiwan cooperation yesterday, responding to reports that the U.S. military was sending officers to help train Taiwans counterparts and that a delegation of defense contractors would visiting the self-ruled island next week. We resolutely oppose the U.S. having any form of official or military contact with Chinas Taiwan region, Zhu Fenglian, spokeswoman for Chinas Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a weekly press briefing in Beijing. Taiwan and China split in 1949 after a civil war. Taiwan never has been part of the Peoples Republic of China, but the Communist Party says it is obliged to unite with the mainland, by force if necessary. President Xi Jinpings government has flown fighter jets and bombers near Taiwan in increasing numbers and fired missiles into the sea in an attempt to intimidate the island. Taiwanese media reported this month that the U.S. had sent 200 military personnel, mostly Marines, to help train Taiwan troops. Taiwans Defense Ministry has neither denied nor confirmed the report. Meanwhile, a delegation of around 25 defense contractors is visiting the island next week, hosted by the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council. Nikkei Asia reported that the weapons manufacturers will discuss joint production of drones and ammunition in Taiwan. U.S. defense contractors intentionally provoke confrontation between the two sides, taking the opportunity to make a profit, Zhu said. She accused the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which has been in power for six years, of colluding with the U.S. to press for the islands formal independence. The U.S. doesnt formally recognize the Taiwan government but is Taipeis most vital provider of weapons and other security assistance as well as political support. China has turned up the heat by sending fighter jets and navy vessels near the island on a near daily basis, especially in response to political meetings between the U.S. and Taiwan. Earlier this month, China held large-scale military exercises simulating a strike on key targets in Taiwan in response to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen meeting with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. MDT/AP On the last stop from the 10-day European tour, the Chief Executive (CE), Ho Iat Seng met yesterday in Brussels a group of leaders of the overseas Chinese community in Belgium. At the reception, Ho said he hoped the communitys leaders would strengthen ties with Macau businesses for mutual economic benefit. Ho briefed overseas Chinese community leaders on the latest developments in, and prospects for, Macau, the Guangdong-Macau Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area. Also addressed in the meeting with the Chinese communities was the current promotional effort, in particular in overseas countries and regions, aiming to extend Macaus market reach to international visitors. As at previous occasions and meetings, the CE also gave a briefing on the 1+4 approach to support Macaus appropriate economic diversification, as well as its expected outcomes. Attending the reception was also the Ambassador of China to Belgium, Cao Zhongming. In turn, Cao noted the special advantages attributed to Macau by the central government authorities, noting that following such strategies, the local economy should recover fast from the effects of the pandemic. Like others before him, Cao also put the Embassy in Belgium at the availability of all Macau people aiming to seek to deepen cooperation between Macau and Belgium as well as with other European countries, noting that the Embassy in Belgium will be able to collaborate further in terms of cultural affairs and the tourism sector. Brussels was the last stop of the tour of the CE and Macau delegation who traveled to Portugal, Luxembourg, and Belgium before returning to Macau today. Initially, the trip to Belgium was planned primarily for a visit to the European Union (EU) headquarters in Brussels and to meet some EU officials. It was also expected that while in Brussels, the Macau delegation would meet Belgiums Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy and Employment, Pierre-Yves Dermagne, as well as the Minister-President of the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region, Rudi Vervoort, although as at press time there was no information available on these visits and meetings. Iranian hackers broke into to a system used by a U.S. municipal government to publish election results in 2020 but were discovered by cyber soldiers operating abroad and kicked out before an attack could be launched, according to U.S. military and cybersecurity officials. The system involved in the previously undisclosed breach was not for casting or counting ballots, but rather was used to report unofficial election results on a public website. The breach was revealed during a presentation this week at the RSA Conference in San Francisco, which is focused on cybersecurity. Officials did not identify the local government that was targeted. This was not a system used in the conduct of the election, but we are of course also concerned with systems that could weigh on the perception of a potential compromise, said Eric Goldstein, who leads the cybersecurity division at the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. If not expelled from the site, the hackers could have altered or otherwise disrupted the public-facing results page though without affecting ballot-counting. Our concern is always that some type of website defacement, some type of (denial of service) attack, something that took the website down or defaced the website say on the night of the election, could make it look like the vote had been tampered with when thats absolutely not true, Major Gen. William J. Hartman, commander of U.S. Cyber Commands Cyber National Mission Force, told conference attendees this week. Hartman said his team identified the intrusion as part of what he termed a hunt-forward mission, which gathers intelligence on and surveils adversaries and criminals. The team quickly alerted officials at the U.S. cybersecurity agency, who then worked with the municipality to respond to the intrusion. Hartman said his team then acted to ensure the malicious cyber actor no longer had access to the network and was unable to come back into the network in direct support of the elections. No details were released on how or from what country the Iranian intrusion was detected. Its successful thwarting highlights the stealthy, largely classified, efforts of U.S. military cyberwarriors to prevent a repeat of 2016, when a Russian hack-and-leak operation targeting Hillary Clintons campaign favored former President Donald Trumps election. Asked in a recent interview about his accomplishments since he was promoted to U.S. Cybercom and National Security Agency chief in 2018, Gen. Paul Nakasone pointed to election security. We said if you are going to come and try to influence or interfere in our elections, were going to take you on, and we did, he said. Election and national security officials have been increasingly focused on cybersecurity threats since the 2016 election. Locally, they have been trying to heighten protections for voting machines, vote tabulators, voter registration databases and electronic pollbooks, which are used to check in voters at polling locations. Some of the non-voting systems present security challenges because they have internet connections. As the use of electronic systems has grown, they have proved an attractive target for those seeking to meddle in elections. In 2016, Russian hackers scanned state voter registration systems looking for vulnerabilities and accessed the voter registration database in Illinois, although an investigation later determined no voter data was manipulated. In 2020, Iranian hackers obtained confidential voter data and used it to send misleading emails, seeking to spread misinformation and influence the election. Beginning in 2018, the National Defense Authorization Act let the U.S. take down infrastructure and take on adversaries outside the country, Nakasone said. So by 2020, when Russian and Iranian actors attempted to interfere with the U.S. election, U.S. cyber operators were able to thwart them, he added. Under Nakasone, Cybercom has sent small teams to 22 countries to help hunt on their networks to identify malware, tradecraft, techniques that adversaries are using and then broadly publicize that, he said. That includes Ukraine, where he said a team arrived on Dec. 3, 2021, more than two months ahead of the Russian invasion. In a March statement ahead of a congressional hearing, Nakasone said Cybercom had deployed its teams 40 times to work on 59 networks, generating insights and imposing costs on common adversaries. He said the missions exposed malicious cyber activity by China, Russia, Iran and cyber criminals, helped make other nations networks more secure and led to the public release of more than 90 malware samples for analysis by the cybersecurity community. CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY & FRANK BAJAK, MDT/AP MGM is honored to announce that its signature Sichuanese restaurant Five Foot Road at MGM COTAI has been awarded One Michelin Star at the latest MICHELIN Guide Hong Kong and Macau 2023. This grand culinary milestone is a concrete testament to MGMs continuous endeavor to promote the gem of Chinese culture through gastronomy, art and craftsmanship, and more essentially, its contribution towards strengthening Macaus legacy as a UNESCO-designated Creative City of Gastronomy. Mr. Hubert Wang, President and Chief Operating Officer of MGM China Holdings Limited, expresses his gratitude towards the achievement, Being a proud homegrown brand of MGM, Five Foot Road is uniquely positioned to offer fine dining in regional Chinese cuisine, which demonstrates our ambition in promoting the great stories of Chinese culture and its gastronomic treasures. This global recognition celebrates our culinary excellence achieved by every member of MGMs culinary and service teams, who are always dedicated to striving for the best. Empowered by our core values of originality and innovation, we will continue to elevate the Macau gastronomic landscape by providing the best dining experience to guests from near and far. Culinary Gem of Ancient Past and Copious Culture Five Foot Road takes guests back in time to the Sichuanese fine dining experience of official banquets and soiree for the respected society held at the mansions of Chengdu, back in the early 20th century. The restaurants name nods to the 5-foot width of merchant carts that once traversed the Southern Silk Road, tracing back to the Han Dynasty over 2,000 years ago and inspired by this origin, the restaurants Chinese ornamented dining room with landscape paintings and poetry calligraphies, depicting a glimpse of the historical past which takes guest on a multi-sensory journey of Sichuanese cuisine. Chef Yang Dengquan, Chef de Cuisine of Five Foot Road, helmed the restaurant since its opening in 2018. With nearly four decades of culinary experience in numerous large-scale government events and celebrity soiree in Asia, Chef Yang bestows his deep understanding on the preciseness of Chengdu-Sichuanese cuisine, enabling guests to experience the most sophisticated side of genuine Sichuanese culinary craftsmanship. With distinctive ingredients sourced exclusively from the province, he strives to pass on this Sichuan treasure through its persistence on presenting authentic flavors beyond the public perception of fiery and hot the unparalleled and sumptuous 24-taste-profiles evolved from the ancient times. Bygone Stories Relished in Every Bite Numerous classic Sichuan dishes are featured on the restaurants menu, including the Stewed minced chicken bouillon with birds nest, a staple in the Chengdu mansion cuisine famous for its unique texture chicken in a form of tofu with a touch of birds nest. This signature dish also brings a long-lasting fragrance, known as the epitome of Chengdu cuisine. On the other hand, the Crispy Mullet Carpaccio with Sichuan Peppercorn Sauce, showcases Chef Yangs refined depiction of the spicy flavor being a reinvention of a classic beef dish, Chef Yang reinvented it with fresh mullet fish fillets by marinating, air drying, and pan frying until translucent, served with sugar, vinegar and special red oil that contributes to a complex taste profile beyond spiciness. At Five Foot Road, Sichuanese also claims their emotional click from the century-old Sichuan dish crafted by Chef Yang, one of them being the sweetened Wok-fried Glutinous Rice with Pork Belly, a nostalgic handcrafted dish of a gelatinous and aromatic rice cake that requires skillful culinary techniques to achieve. Elevate the dining experience with a tea-pairing of premium Sichuan-specialty teas, which are exquisitely prepared with glacial water from the high mountain ranges in Sichuan or Spring water from Mount Wuyi. Michelin Star Discovery Menu In celebration of this proud achievement, Chef Yang at Five Foot Road introduces a special Micheline Star Discovery Menu, which features a lineup of the restaurants signature dishes that pay tributes to the delightful gem of authentic Sichuanese culinary culture. For restaurant enquiry and reservation, please call (853) 8802 2361 or email fivefootroad@mgm.mo . Local health authorities have amended the guidelines for wearing facemasks in line with the new national recommendations on the matter. The new guidelines divide the wearing of facemasks into three categories, from situations where masks should be worn to those where there is no need to wear them, with a mid-range category of circumstances in which mask-wearing is recommended. Following this guideline that enters into force on April 28 (Friday), it is recommended that people wear masks while on public transport (both drivers and passengers), as well as senior citizens, the pregnant, and those who have not been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus or influenza viruses. It is also recommended that people attending indoor events in crowded venues wear a mask, although as stated, this is not mandatory. The guidelines also grant discretionary power for entities in charge of private vehicles or venues to decide whether to require individuals entering to wear masks by taking into account the current epidemic situation, air circulation in the space, the number and density of people, and the nature and duration of activities, among other aspects. Masks should be worn as standard practice when people develop flu-like symptoms such as fever, myalgia, sore throat, cough, and runny nose; when testing positive on a Covid-19 antigen or nucleic acid test; and when clusters of influenza-like illnesses appear in workplaces, nurseries, and non-higher education institutions. It is also requested that people wear masks when entering medical facilities and nursing homes for the elderly; other situations might be included by the authorities depending upon changes to the epidemic situation of infectious disease. Questioned by a Chinese media outlet on the topic, the director of the Health Bureau, Alvis Lo, said that the new guidelines aim to unify the existing guidelines across different jurisdictions, namely between Macau and the mainland. These guidelines are not limited to Covid-19 but also take into account the current situation of seasonal flu and other infectious diseases. According to Lo, the public hospital is seeing some 800 to 900 visits per day, slightly lower than the previous 1,000 to 1,100 daily visits. Also, the government will also be announcing the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases on a daily basis once again. Yesterday, the government reported that two babies, both less than a year old, have tested positive for Covid-19. 10 cases of Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 detected According to the governments monitoring data, the city has recorded 10 cases of the new Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16, referred to as arcturus. However, Lo urged the public not to worry as it is less likely to cause severe illness. For those who have fever or respiratory symptoms, Lo recommends undergoing antigen tests for three consecutive days. He also assured that there is sufficient stock for medicines for the new virus. The World Health Organization is monitoring XBB.1.16, which is contributing to a recent surge of Covid-19 cases in India. Photo: .DARREN STONE, TIMES COLONIST Police taped off a Subway restaurant at a shopping plaza at Bay and Blanshard streets on Thursday, April 27, 2023. A newborn baby was found dead Wednesday night at the Blanshard Centre shopping plaza in Victoria and police say they are concerned about the welfare of the mother. Victoria police and paramedics responded just before 10 p.m. to the plaza and found the infant in the parking lot. Police believe the baby had been born not long before, possibly in the area. The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit has taken over the investigation. No further details were immediately available from police. The plaza was largely behind police tape until about 10:15 a.m. Thursday Investigators could be seen outside the plazas Subway restaurant, taking photographs around the property. Officers in white coveralls, masks and purple gloves were examining large garbage bins across the parking lot. Police ask anyone with information to call the Major Crime Unit at 250-380-6211. Hengqin, will soon launch its summer internship program for university students from Macau, officially starting in May. Launched in 2018, the program has been welcomed by university students from Macau, providing about 185 internship positions in many sectors, such as financial services, law, high-tech, traditional Chinese medicine, culture, innovation, and tourism and related industries. This internship program aims to encourage and support Macau youth to participate in the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, better understand the country and integrate into the overall development of their motherland, according to the official statement. Visits to patriotic education establishments and local companies will be planned during the internships, with the aim of further enhancing Macau students awareness and understanding of the countrys political, social and economic development. Government departments, state-owned companies, joint ventures, organizations and private enterprises have already offered numerous internships to Macau students this year. In addition to Hengqin, internship destinations include Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other major cities in the mainland. Staff reporter The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) is preparing for an expected influx of tourists over the Labor Day holidays this year from April 29 to May 3. The preparation aims to ensure smooth operations from the departments involved as well as the tourism operators, as the MGTO forecasts that some 70,000 visitors per day will enter Macau during this newly established golden week. The Office has said that historically the May 1 holidays are one of the busiest periods of the year, competing directly with the Lunar New Year. Considering the results obtained during the Easter holidays when Macau exceeded expectations, reaching an average of 80,294 visitors per day during the holidays that put together the Ching Ming Festival and Easter, it is likely that for the five-days of Labor Day, the figure will be similar or even higher. MGTO is said to be actively preparing in a variety of ways, including a promotional campaign for visitors and the travel industry, to provide practical information, and raise awareness through publication as well as conducting patrols. The Office is also said to be in close communication with mainland tourism authorities to safeguard tourism service quality and reinforce Macaus image as a destination. One of the methods to facilitate the trips of the visitors and locals will be the Smart application for visitor flows that allows real-time checking and forecasting of visitor flows at over 117 tourist attractions in Macau. This smart app is available on the website: https://poimonitor.macaotourism.gov.mo. A series of promotional street campaigns are also being prepared for the Guia Lighthouse and Patio do Espinho on April 29 and 30, and Praia do Manduco from May 1 to 31. Other promotional events are also scheduled to take place at the Macao Grand Prix Museum starting April 26 and extending all summer until the end of August. Special offers will also be in place at the Macao Museum which will have some special offers at the gift shop from May 1 to 14. As the director of MGTO, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes said on Tuesday, the hotel occupancy is expected to be high, reaching over 80% and up to 90% during the holiday. Prompted by these rates, the MGTO sent letters to industry operators to raise their awareness of the desirability of ensuring a safe and pleasant experience for visitors. During the period, cross-departmental inspections and supervision will be in place at various ports of entry, tourist attractions, and shopping areas in collaboration with the Public Security Police Force, Labour Affairs Bureau, Consumer Council, and Macao Customs Service. A delegation from the University of Macau (UM), led by Rector Yonghua Song, recently visited three universities in Singapore, making a first stop at the National University of Singapore, where it was announced that the universities will strengthen their collaboration in areas such as student exchange, joint training of doctoral students and research. The delegation then visited the Singapore University of Technology and Design, and a memorandum of understanding was signed to undertake joint academic and research projects, establish exchange programs for faculty and students, co-organize academic seminars and share academic resources. UM will also deepen its cooperation with Nanyang Technological University in technology and innovation. Related American and Filipino forces pummeled a ship with a barrage of high-precision rockets, airstrikes and artillery fire in their largest war drills yesterday in Philippine waters facing the disputed South China Sea that would likely antagonize China. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. watched the American show of firepower from an observation tower in the coastal town of San Antonio in northwestern Zambales province the latest indication of his strong backing of the Philippines treaty alliance with the U.S. Marcos has ordered his military to shift its focus to external defense from decades-long anti-insurgency battles as Chinas increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea become a top concern The shift in the Philippine defense focus falls in sync with the Biden administrations aim of reinforcing an arc of alliances in the Indo-Pacific region to better counter China. China has angered the Philippines by repeatedly harassing its navy and coast guard patrols and chasing away fishermen in the waters close to Philippine shores but which Beijing claims as its own. The Philippines has filed more than 200 diplomatic protests against China since last year, including at least 77 since Marcos took office in June. Sitting beside U.S. Ambassador MaryKay Carlson and his top defense and security advisers, Marcos used a pair of binoculars, smiling and nodding, as rockets streaked into the blue sky from the U.S. High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, a multiple rocket and missile launcher mounted on a truck that has become a crucial weapon for Ukrainian troops battling Russian invasion forces. The coastal clearing in front of Marcos resembled a smoke-shrouded war zone, which thudded with artillery fire as AH-64 Apache attack helicopters flew overhead. A private light plane flew by during the exercises, briefly interrupting them, and was asked to move away, said Col. Mike Logico, a Philippine military spokesman for the drills. Fishermen have been advised to stay away from the area. This training increased the exercises realism and complexity, a key priority shared between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. military, Lt. Gen. William Jurney, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific, said. Together we are strengthening our capabilities in full-spectrum military operations across all domains, said Jurney, the U.S. director for the annual joint exercises called Balikatan, Tagalog for shoulder-to-shoulder. About 12,200 U.S military personnel, 5,400 Filipino forces and 111 Australian counterparts were taking part in the exercises, the largest since Balikatan started three decades ago. The drills have showcased U.S. warships, fighter jets as well as Patriot missiles, HIMARS and anti-tank Javelins, according to U.S. and Philippine military officials. The ship targeted by the allied forces was a decommissioned Philippine navy warship, which was towed about 18 to 22 kilometers out to sea. Smaller floating targets, including empty drums tied together, were also used as targets to simulate a battle scene where a U.S. Marine Corps command and control hub enabled scattered allied forces to identify and locate enemy targets then deliver precision rocket and missile fire. Philippine military officials said the maneuvers would bolster the countrys coastal defense and disaster-response capabilities and were not aimed at any country. China has opposed military drills involving U.S. forces in the region in the past as well as increasing U.S. military deployments, which it warned would rachet up tensions and hamper regional stability and peace. Washington and Beijing have been on a collision course over Chinas increasingly assertive actions to defend its vast territorial claims in the South China Sea and Beijings goal of annexing Taiwan, by force if necessary. Taiwans Defense Ministry said this week that Chinas Shandong aircraft carrier group was also conducting training 120 nautical miles southeast of the islands southernmost tip. In February, Marcos approved a wider U.S. military presence in the Philippines by allowing rotating batches of American forces to stay in four more Philippine military camps. That was a sharp turnaround from his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, who feared that a larger American military footprint could antagonize Beijing. China strongly opposed the move, which would allow U.S. forces to establish staging grounds and surveillance posts in the northern Philippines across the sea from Taiwan and in western Philippine provinces facing the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety. China has warned that a deepening security alliance between Washington and Manila and their ongoing military drills should not harm its security and territorial interests or interfere in the territorial disputes. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has said that such military cooperation should not target any third party and should be conducive to regional peace and stability. JIM GOMEZ & AARON FAVILA, SAN ANTONIO, MDT/AP The Dane County Medical Examiner's Office has confirmed that the woman who was found dead Monday at a business on Madison's West Side was Micaela Juarez Ocolt, who owned the business. But the medical examiner said Wednesday the cause and manner of Juarez Ocolt's death were yet undetermined, and that further tests were ongoing. Madison police have been calling her death a "suspected homicide." Juarez Ocolt, 43, of Monona, was found shortly after 4 p.m. Monday at Spark Nutrition, 1330 S. Midvale Blvd. On Monday afternoon, a statewide Wisconsin Crime Alert bulletin stated that police were trying to locate Juarez Ocolt's 6-year-old daughter, Avril Duenas Jurarez, who was missing, along with Juarez Ocolt's husband, Jose Duenas-Quinonez. The alert was called off late Monday after authorities said they learned two were believed to have left the U.S. They have not said where they believe Dueans-Quinonez is or how he got there. Police are not calling Duenas-Quinonez a suspect but a "person of interest." On Tuesday, a former employer of Juarez Ocolt identified her to the Wisconsin State Journal as the woman whose body had been found. Kristy Blossom Heine, co-owner of Marigold Kitchen, who knew Juarez Ocolt for 18 years, said she had four children and two grandchildren, taught Zumba and fitness classes, and left Marigold to open a restaurant and Spark Nutrition. Rep. Shelia Stubbs brought an end lingering confusion over her future in the state Assembly late Wednesday, announcing that she will resign from her seat if shes confirmed as the director of Dane Countys Department of Human Services. Just hours earlier, Stubbs told her constituents in an email that she planned to keep both jobs. And on Sunday, in a speech at her church, Stubbs rebuked county officials who had called for her to step down in order to devote her full attention to the 800-person agency with a roughly $242 million budget. They said I cant do two jobs at one time, Stubbs said. I can walk and eat and talk if I need to. Im not going nowhere, Stubbs said in the speech, which was captured in a Facebook video that has since been deleted. The question of whether Stubbs will lead the department now goes to the boards Health and Human Needs Committee, which Stubbs chaired at one point during her 16-year tenure on the board. The full board will vote on confirming Stubbs to the $181,500-a-year job in the coming weeks. In the speech at her church, Stubbs said her nomination is facing scrutiny because of her race. One of the most well-known leaders in Madisons Black community, Stubbs served on the County Board from 2006 until 2022. Since 2018, shes served in the state Assembly as the first Black person to represent part of Dane County. County Executive Joe Parisi, who nominated Stubbs on April 14, first confirmed that Stubbs would leave the Assembly if confirmed in a statement to Channel3000. Parisi and Stubbs did not return repeated requests for clarification until Stubbs announcement shortly before 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. Parisi spokesperson Ariana Vruwink wouldnt say whether Parisis support of Stubbs nomination was contingent on her agreeing to give up the seat, which represents Madisons South Side, Near West Side and parts of the West Side. Questions like this are advanced by some as a distraction to the merits of her qualifications, Vruwink said. The County Executive feels Representative Stubbs years of experience helping kids and families at local neighborhood centers and advocacy for those in our community who struggle to meet lifes basic needs wholly qualify her to run the Department of Human Services, Vruwink said. Despite Stubbs multiple statements to the contrary in recent days, Vruwink said Stubbs had told County Board Chair Patrick Miles and other supervisors that she intended to resign from the Assembly. It is not clear if Chair Miles shared the contents of this conversation with the County Board or if he has accurately portrayed the information shared with him, Vruwink wrote. Miles did not immediately return a request for comment. Full-time job Miles has said it would be problematic if Stubbs kept both jobs because the Department of Human Services receives state funding, which could present a conflict of interest. The responsibility of leading the countys biggest department also requires the directors full-time commitment, Miles said. In her application to serve as Human Services director, Stubbs estimated that she spends 80 hours a week working in the Assembly. Many members of the Legislature have other jobs. Like Stubbs did for several years, three County Board supervisors currently hold seats in the state Assembly, although neither position is by definition full time, and the responsibilities of public office are far different from leading an agency. Stubbs potential departure from the state Legislature does put Democrats in a more precarious position if they want to stop Republicans from overriding Gov. Tony Evers vetoes. Hypothetically, the Republicans could override the governors veto in that chamber if all their members are present while Stubbs seat is vacant and two other Democrats are not present for a vote. Upon her resignation, Stubbs seat would be filled via a special election. Photos: The Northern Lights appear over Madison Northern Lights Northern Lights Northern Lights Northern Lights Northern Lights Northern Lights Northern Lights Northern Lights Northern Lights Northern Lights Northern Lights Northern Lights Northern Lights Northern Lights Northern Lights Northern Lights Northern Lights Northern Lights Northern Lights Northern Lights WAUPUN Inmates in Waupun Correctional Institution have remained under modified movement for almost a month following a lockdown that occurred at the facility on March 30. Anytime we modify movement at a facility, it is generally done to ensure the safety of staff and the persons in our care, Wisconsin Department of Corrections Director of Communications John Beard said. WCI will return to normal movement and operations when it can be done in a manner that supports safety of staff and people in our care. Essential and important operations continue, including showers, telephone use, medication delivery, laundry, and access to psychological and health care, Beard added. At this point, inmates can contact their loved ones over the phone, but they have not restarted in-person visitations, Beard said. The maximum-security facility, which houses 962 inmates, was under lockdown the night of March 30 and went under the modified movement order the next morning. At the time, Beard said that action was taken because some of the population of Waupun Correctional had been breaking rules that were put in place for everyones safety. GALLERY: WAUPUN PRISONS HIGHLIGHTED IMG_7412.JPG IMG_7413.JPG IMG_7415.JPG IMG_7416.JPG IMG_7417.JPG Waupun prisons highlighted IMG_7420.JPG IMG_7421.JPG IMG_7422.JPG IMG_7423.JPG IMG_7424.JPG IMG_7428.JPG IMG_7429.JPG IMG_7431.JPG Residents of De Soto said it was the "loudest shriek they ever heard" when a BNSF Railway freight train derailed shortly after noon Thursday between De Soto and Ferryville in Crawford County. Four BNSF railroad crew members were transported to a nearby hospital for medical examinations after the southbound freight train derailed in southwestern Wisconsin, sending some rail cars into the Mississippi River. The cause of the derailment is still unknown. Two locomotives and an unknown number of cars derailed on the eastern side of the river, a BNSF spokesperson said in a statement. Crawford County Emergency Management Director Jim Hackett said the derailment poses no immediate threat to public safety. Hackett said the derailed train cars contained paint, oxygen and lithium batteries. "At this time, we're not concerned about any hazard to the public, the batteries have not gone into the water," he said. A Vernon County hazmat team is on site in the event of a hazardous waste situation. If lithium is exposed to water, a rupture or explosion can occur. Two of the freight train's three locomotives derailed and a diesel fuel leak from one of the locomotives has been "fairly contained" to the river bay, said Brandon Larson, director of Vernon County Emergency Management and Hazmat. Larson's team has deployed absorbent booms to soak up the spillage. Two cars holding painted floated south down the river. Hackett said boat crews were able to secure the rouge cars to the bank. Nearly 30 state, local and public agencies responded to the incident. Hackett said the community response many volunteer firefighters was "quick" and "amazing." First responders are expected to work through the night at the site. Officials said they do not know how long the clean up process will take. BNSF is working to build "access ways" of rock and sand from Highway 35 to the railroad that runs parallel to the highway. Due to the waterway in between the railroad and the highway, a platform must be constructed so crews can access and remove the cars. Private truck drivers contracting with BNSF have been hauling sand and rock from a quarry in Genoa to the accident location. The cause of the derailment is under investigation, said BNSF spokesperson Lena Kent said. She did not immediately respond to a follow-up email inquiring about whether whether the derailment had caused any environmental contamination. The Federal Railroad Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates safety across the nation's railroads, said it was sending a team to the site to gather information and help local emergency workers. I live in the area and I told my wife a week ago, I said, Because of all the high water, I said you watch, were gonna have a train derailment, and we sure did, said Tim Lange of Ferryville. Gov. Tony Evers tweeted that he was briefed on the derailment and is getting regular updates from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, the Department of Natural Resources and state emergency management officials. His spokesperson, Britt Cudaback, said in a short telephone interview that it wasnt clear if any environmental contamination has happened. I have been briefed on the derailment of several railroad cars on the Mississippi River near De Soto, and am receiving regular updates on this situation from the @WisconsinDOT, @WDNR, @ReadyWisconsin, and other responding agencies. Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) April 27, 2023 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources spokesperson Katie Grant did not immediately respond to an email asking if the derailment has resulted in any environmental contamination. U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, who sits on the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, said in a statement he was working with BNSF, the Federal Emergency Management Association, Wisconsin Emergency Management, the state and national Departments of Transportation and Crawford County officials to find out what occurred. My staff is traveling to the site, and Congressman Troy Nehls, who Chairs the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Rail, has also made staff available to assist our team," Van Orden said. "We will continue to monitor the situation and determine next steps. Eileen Brown, who works at the Great River Roadhouse in De Soto, near where the derailment occurred, said, We have flooding right now and its causing business to be a little slow so Im kind of worried about whats going on down there. This is not the first time a BNSF train has derailed near Ferryville. In 2016, two locomotives and six rail cars derailed due to extensive flooding after a rain event at a site about 5 miles south of Thursday's derailment. An estimated 1,170 gallons of diesel poured into the river from a ruptured tank in the 2016 incident. The derailment comes almost three months after a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. Officials there decided to release and burn toxic vinyl chloride from five tanker cars to prevent a catastrophic explosion. Hundreds of people had to evacuate in Raymond, Minnesota, last month after a BNSF train hauling ethanol and corn syrup derailed and caught fire. On Thursday, federal regulators warned railroads that the long trains they favor can cause all kinds of problems and contribute to derailments, so they want the railroads to ensure their training and operating procedures account for that. The Federal Railroad Administration stopped short of recommending in its latest safety advisory issued Thursday that railroads limit the size of their trains, which can routinely stretch more than 2 miles long. However, they did suggest a number of precautions including making sure engineers know how to handle them and that locomotives don't lose communication with devices at the end of trains that can help trigger the brakes in an emergency. Currently, there aren't any restrictions on train length but members of Congress and state lawmakers in at least six states have proposed establishing limits particularly in the wake the Ohio derailment. The Associated Press and Wisconsin State Journal reporter Anna Hansen contributed to this report. TWIN FALLS One more urgent care facility will open Monday, and its another step in the right direction when it comes to health care accessibility, an owner says. Idaho ranks low when it comes to health care, with one survey putting it as eighth-worst in the nation. A main reason is its mostly rural population and basically the access, said Kyle James, part owner of Urgent Care of Idaho. We just dont have much. But the brightly colored facility at 1309 Blue Lakes Blvd. N., formerly Tomatos Italian Grill, will open next week and is expected to take another bite out of the accessibility issues in Twin Falls and will reduce wait times for patients. Its one more location, one more access point, James said, adding that urgent care centers can help the large majority of people needing medical attention. James father, Dennis, was the driving force behind the clinics. He wasnt a doctor but an entrepreneur who saw a need. He died in 2015, but the family is carrying on his mission to help people, said his wife, Dee Ann, also a part owner of the business. I was living in Boise where urgent cares were common, James said, but we just didnt have them in southern Idaho. A building was available in Burley, and the first center, River View Urgent Care, opened in 2012. We found a lot of communities were in the same boat as Burley, James said. A hundred people gathered at the Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting Wednesday. James told them it was his father who suggested opening multiple facilities. We need to go to Jerome, James said his father told him. There is a huge need to fill, and soon after we came to Twin. Good medical teams were hired, and we handled the business side and let them handle the medicine side, James told the Times-News in a later interview. The first Twin Falls location opened on Addison Avenue in 2016. Sean Christensen, regional manager, puts it bluntly when he describes the purpose of urgent care centers. If you cut your hand and need some stitches, we can help you, Christensen said. If you cut your finger off, you need to go to an emergency room. The clinic is also expected to treat its share of sore throats and earaches. Urgent care centers arent meant to be primary care physicians, however, and cant manage a persons diabetes or high blood pressure, for example. Chest pain and deep lacerations are examples of maladies that need to be checked out in emergency rooms, but a survey shows that about 94% of medical problems can be treated at urgent care centers, Kyle said. And it will help take the edge off of wait times in Twin Falls. The goal is to get people in and out quickly, Christensen said. In addition, Urgent Care will offer occupational health, providing drug screening and physicals. It also has an X-ray machine. Open seven days a week, it will employ 12 people. The College of Southern Idaho is having an open house Saturday, and you might be on campus for a while if you want to see everything being offered. Its a way to celebrate the community and tell its members what CSI has to offer, said spokesperson Courtney Salmon, adding that planning has been going on for months. There are many events at CSI that people might not be aware of, including community education classes for both young and old. The open house will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and visitors are invited to pick up a map and passport guide at either the Falls Avenue or North College Road entrances, which will show visitors the activities to do around campus. People visiting all the places on their passport will be eligible to win prizes, including a big-screen television, Samsung tablet or Arts on Tour season tickets. There will be free hot dogs, french fries and ice cream ubiquitous to many open houses, and a lot more. A few of the free activities include a petting zoo and face painting, or, for the more adventurous, a zip line. The Herrett Center will be giving away free passes to the planetarium (two passes per family), and people can pick up a childs book at the library. And for the more scientific-minded, the Engineering, Physical, and Computer Science Department will display a magnetic DNA model and a demonstration to measure the speed of light. The event is part of Community College Month, being celebrated by more than 1,000 community colleges across the nation. Learn more at https://www.csi.edu/open-house. I am a federal government worker who has served the Canadian public in seven separate roles and three different departments for more than 25 years. Until March 18, 2020 (when government workers were sent home due to COVID-19 pandemic concerns), I reported to, and worked in, a government office. Suddenly I was at home with my laptop learning how to continue to support employers in my job with Service Canada. Despite some initial technical glitches, my co-workers and I established routines to make our work effective and efficient. Employers (for the most part) were on board with the convenience of providing documents by email (rather than snail mail), and video conferencing for interviews. It was a win-win all aroundless paper wasted, real-time case analysis, less carbon emissions driving to the office, reduced costs at leased and owned government offices and a better work-life balance that meant better productivity. As COVID-19 protocols were established to protect workers (and clients) government offices like Service Canada and Passport Canada began to open to the public in a limited capacity and eventually, in mid-2022, fully re-opened for business. Those employees who did not have work that required in-person attendance, were able to remain at home providing government services to all Canadians. In early 2022, government departments began making their own decisions about remote and hybrid work. But on Dec. 15 2022, without advance notice, Treasury Board President Mona Fortier mandated all government workers would be required to report to the office for at least two or three days, 40% to 60% of their regular work schedule, no later than March 31 2023. What a thoughtful Christmas present from our employer, one that created anxiety and even panic for so many who had restructured their lives, their living/housing situations, family care options and made financial decisions to accommodate and support the remote work lifestyle. The remote work option was (and continues to be) ideal. I, like many others, work only with internal clients and am often the only employee performing specific duties for their area and/or city. Fotier's statement to the media in December 2022 that in-person work better supports collaboration, team spirit, innovation and a culture of belonging" was to be inspiring, but fell flat as government workers had already developed successful networks to collaborate with co-workers. They found ways to inspire team spirit through other tech apps, created innovative ways to support and enhance services to Canadians through on-line services and our culture of belonging was, and is, the responsibility of each of us working with our teams through available modern tech options. Unexpectedly, my physical health declined during the pandemic, so a return to the office is not a reasonable option for me. I want to workI still have much to contributebut a forced return to the office could mean a forced retirement for me. A remote work opportunity in our tech world makes sense for many and supports the values of our current government that states: "Forward or backward. This is our choice. We believe in moving forward. For everyone." (Liberal Convention 2023) Remote work must be addressed during collective bargaining as our right to work. We deserve respect, consideration and accommodation to provide the best (service) to the Canadian public. Michele Sibson, Kelowna Im here because Donald Trump raped me, and when I wrote about it, he said it didnt happen. He lied and shattered my reputation, and Im here to try and get my life back, E. Jean Carroll testified Tuesday in a New York courtroom. Carroll is suing Trump for battery and defamation stemming from an incident some 27 years ago. When she was an advice columnist in her 50s, Carroll says, Trump raped her in a Manhattan department store dressing room. Trump denies her claim; his attorneys say she is motivated by money and politics. And theres no question that politics are at play here. New York changed its statute of limitation law last year and thats the only reason this case is in a courtroom. Over the years, a number of women have accused Trump of sexually assaulting them. Many of these women were highly credible. Carroll, not so much. Shes not even sure when the alleged incident occurred. Was it 1995 or 1996? Until recently, she claimed not to know. Tuesday, she said it was in the spring of 1996. No date. No date means her story cant be fact-checked. Heres what bugs me the most. If Carrolls accusation is true, she should have spoken out at the time and called the police instantly. Its possible authorities might have chosen not to prosecute because it was a he said/she said case, but there would be a record of a complaint, and the act itself would put Trump on notice. Also, there would be a date of the alleged attack. Later, out of civic-mindedness, Carroll could have spoken up when Trump ran for president. Instead, she waited until 2019 when she was hawking her memoir. If Carroll wins a settlement, she will have been rewarded for doing everything wrong. She didnt report the alleged incident when police could have collected evidence and talked to corroborating witnesses. She didnt report the incident within the criminal statute of limitations, thus shielding her alleged rapist from prosecution and incarceration which, if her story is true, he deserved. More to the point: The public deserved. New York lawmakers rewarded her failure to speak in 2022 when they passed the Adult Survivors Act that temporarily opened a window in the statute of limitations which allowed Carroll to sue Trump civilly. I have huge issues with Trump. He lied about losing the election and stoked uncivil behavior on Jan. 6. Hes a sore loser who used to brag that when he owned the Miss Universe contest, he walked through the dressing room where he saw naked and half-naked contestants. We know how he has treated women. But that doesnt mean New York should have reworked its statute of limitations or that news organizations should dispense with healthy skepticism about an unreliable witness hawking a moldy case steeped in partisan politics. In America, the burden of proof should be on the accuser, not the accused. Apparently that bedrock belief goes out the window for Trump. Infrastructure conglomerate Metro Pacific Investments Corp. is delisting from the Philippine Stock Exchange after a group of investors offered to buy out the shares held by minority investors. Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., the parent company of MPIC, said in disclosure to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange a consortium of bidders including local affiliate Metro Pacific Holdings Inc., Mit-Pacific and GT Capital Holdings Inc. would launch a tender offer to acquire the MPIC shares owned by the public at P4.63 apiece. Mit-Pacific is a joint venture of Japans Mitsui and JOIN which is a Japanese government-private sponsored infrastructure investment fund, while MIG is private company owned by MPIC chairman Manuel Pangilinan. The offer price represents a 22-percent premium over the 12-month volume-weighted average trading price of MPIC. First Pacific said the tender offer would allow minority shareholders to sell their shares at a premium and enable MPIC to bring in a strategic partner, Mitsui to create potential growth and expansion opportunities for the group through operational expertise in various sectors. ADVERTISEMENT Mitsuis leading capabilities and expertise in the global infrastructure business will further contribute to solidifying MPICs unparalleled offerings and position in the Philippines, First Pacific said. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. The Department of Energy granted PXP Energy Corp.s request to place Service Contract 74 under a technical moratorium until Sept. 13, 2024 to conduct more studies in the Linapacan field. PXP said in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange the moratorium would give the company more time for further studies and establish the appropriate technology to increase the production rate and recoverable reserves from the Linapacan B Field that will warrant an economically-viable production. PXP recently completed studies in SC 74 which indicated that the Linapacan A and B fields contain 43.16 and 27.43 million barrels of contingent oil resources respectively. The company also identified two leads, namely South Linapacan and Edapacan, located on the southwestern and northeastern parts of the Linapacan Fields, respectively. PXP completed the technical evaluation and resource assessment of the Linapacan A and B fields and South Linapacan Prospect last year. ADVERTISEMENT The appraisal/conceptual development strategy phase of the study focused on the Linapacan B Field as the results of the initial evaluation indicated that Linapacan A Field and South Linapacan Prospect are not viable to develop and produce with the present technology, the company said. PXP said the lowest cost option for developing the Linapacan B Field comprises two subsea completed wells and an 11-kilometer tie-back to a future West Linapacan floating production storage and offloading vessel. The study, however, showed that Linapacan B is uneconomic as the minimum economic field size required is 5.1 mmbbl. PXP said the SC 74 joint Venture remained optimistic on other development options that were not considered in the study that could improve the economics of either a standalone development of Linapacan B Field or a joint development with West Linapacan A and B fields. The joint venture decided to request a technical moratorium with the DOE to evaluate other development options for the Linapacan B Field. Each of PXP and Forum will continue to coordinate with the government on the resumption of activities in both SC 75 and SC 72. Meanwhile, the Group shall continue to pursue exploration work with respect to its other projects in the Philippines, including SC 40 and SC 74, PXP said. PXP reported a higher net loss at P5.3 million in the first quarter compared to P2.8-million loss in the same period last year. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Atlantic Gulf & Pacifics Philippines LNG on Thursday welcomed to its import terminal the countrys first liquefied natural gas cargo carrier. The 137,500-cubic-meter ISH floating storage unit is now berthed in Batangas Bay, according to AG&P. AG&P said in a statement the ADNOC Logistics & Services LNG carrier, ISH, began commissioning as FSU at PHLNG, the first operational LNG terminal in the Philippines and the first modular LNG terminal in the world. The LNG will be used to initially power San Miguel Corp.s 1,200-megawatt gas-fired power plant to serve Luzons power requirements. With the docking of the ISH at PHLNG for the next decade or longer, AG&P is proudly set to open the first LNG terminal in the Philippines called PHLNG, one with both floating and, shortly, almost equal onshore tank storage, providing near 100 percent availability, AG&P chairman and chief executive Joseph Sigelman said. ADVERTISEMENT PHLNG is seen as a landmark development that will kick-start the Philippines LNG importation and regasification ability, delivering gas to secure the countrys current and future energy demand. It is expected to accelerate industrialization, create jobs, lower pollution and trigger overall economic and social progress and improve the quality of life of thousands of Filipinos. As the first cargo of fuel originated in Abu Dhabi and with the long-term presence of the ISH, ADNOC L&S is playing a pivotal role alongside AG&P and San Miguel, our anchor customer, in bringing clean energy to the Philippines, Sigelman said. He said the PHLNG is a prime case study of good relationship between the UAE and the Philippines. AG&P subsidiary, GAS Entec, converted the ADNOC L&S Japan-built Moss-type ISH to the 137,500 cbm FSU in five months. GAS Entec executed key onshore and offshore components including full EPC of proprietary standard regasification modules for the PHLNG terminal, called the RegasTainers, suitable for plug-and-play operations. ADNOC L&S will undertake the supply, operations and maintenance of the FSU as part of its long-term chartered agreement with AG&P. AG&Ps fully-owned subsidiary, AG&P Industrial, specializing in project delivery, undertook the full spectrum of engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction, installation and commissioning of the PHLNG terminal and will be responsible for its operations and maintenance. AG&P Industrial operates a world-class manufacturing site in Batangas with deep-water access and 60,000 metric tons of annual module assembly capacity. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Early estimates put the environmental damage from the Oriental Mindoro oil spill at P7 billion, Environment Secretary Antonia Yulo Loyzaga said on Wednesday. In a TV interview, Loyzaga said the amount was based on the initial calculation by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of what could be exposed by way of coral reefs, seagrasses, mangroves and fisheries. The possible exposure area for us is P7 billion, Loyzaga said, referring to the initial estimated cost of the environmental damage caused by the oil spill from MT Princess Empress, which sank off the waters of Oriental Mindoro two months ago. She said the DENR would need to actually go underneath and verify the data once it is safe to dive in waters affected by the oil spill. Were not allowed to fish in the area. Were also not allowed to dive yet, but we want to do that immediately because we want to observe what the physical impacts are, Loyzaga said. ADVERTISEMENT What we have to do now is verify on the ground how much of these reefs have actually been touched, how many of the mangroves have actually been destroyed, and how many of the seagrasses have actually been affected, she added. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Thursday offered a lower figure, saying the oil spill did P3.88 billion worth of damage and affected 40,000 families. The estimated cost of damage included production losses among some 24,000 fishermen and farmers, the NDRRMC said in a report. Fishermen have been ordered to stay ashore in several areas while the oil spill cleanup is ongoing. Mimaropa accounted for the bulk of the cost of damage at around P3.75 billion, while the rest was recorded in Calabarzon and Western Visayas, the disaster agency said. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) earlier said thefisheries sector loses around P19 million daily as the oil spill damage drags on. The NDRRMC report also said 40,897 families or 193,436 individuals were affected by the oil spill caused by a tanker that went down in rough seas on Feb. 28. The government, local authorities and non-government organizations have provided P140 million worth of assistance to affected residents, the social welfare department said in a separate statement. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) earlier said that the oil leak fromMT Princess Empress was significantly controlled with cleanup efforts 74 percent to 80 percent complete. PCG said in a Facebook post that its incident management team has completed 74.82 percent of its cleanup efforts in Naujan town, while the cleanup at Pola town was 80.71 percent complete. The oil spill response team said they cleaned 28 out of 34 kilometers of affected shoreline in Pola and five out of seven kilometers in Naujan, the PCG said. Three barangays in Pola town were also declared 100 percent clean: Tiguihan, Zone 1, and Zone 2. Despite this, the PCG noted that some seven kilometers of shoreline in Pola and two kilometers in Naujan were still contaminated with oil. Charles Dantes and Rio Araja Other government agencies, meanwhile, continued cleaning up the affected shorelines by flushing, pressure washing on hard surfaces, pebble washing, and manual cleaning. The report came more than two months after the oil tanker MT Princess Empress sank off the coast of Oriental Mindoro while carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. ThreeFilipinos were killed while five others were hurt Tuesday in a fire that broke out in a food factory in Taiwan, the Manila Economic Cultural Office said Thursday. MECO chair Silvestre Bello III identified the fatalities as Renato Larua, 30, of Cavite; Nancy Revilla of Marinduque; and Aroma Miranda of Tarlac. Their families, he said, have been informed of the tragic incident. Bello said the three were killed after fire broke out at the second floor of Lian-Hwa Foods Corporation in Changhua County in central Taiwan at about 6 a.m. on Tuesday. My heart goes out to them in their hour of extreme sorrow, Bello said in a statement. The MECO chair assured the victims families of assistance both from the Philippine and Taiwanese governments. ADVERTISEMENT We are in close coordination with police authorities regarding the incident and investigation, and the swift repatriation of the remains of those who died, he said. Five other Filipino workersSheila May Abas, Jessie Boy Samson, Maricris Fernando, Rodel Uttao, and Santiago Suba Jr.were hospitalized following the fire. According to Bello, the injured Filipino workers are in stable condition, except for Fernando who is in the intensive care unit (ICU). They are still under observation in different hospitals. They suffered severe carbon monoxide poisoning and are currently undergoing hyperbaric oxygen therapy, said Bello, who visited the injured Filipinos in the hospital. Per an unidentified attending nurse, Bello said the feedback is four of them are already conscious, stable, and recovering well. On the other hand, there is still concern regarding the condition of OFW Fernando since she is still in ICU and has not yet regained consciousness. During our visit yesterday, she was undergoing dialysis. Bello, citing a report from an ICU nurse, said Fernandos urine discharge is very minimal, thus the need for dialysis. He said a representative of Lian-Hwa Foods Corporation also checked on Fernandos condition a day ago. Bellos office is also preparing to release P5,000 to the victims of the fire to help on their personal expenses, while the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) is also coordinating with Taiwanese authorities and the employers for the necessary documentary requirements for the available benefits. MECO Taichung, for its part, is also onboard for the shipment of remains, Bello said. In addition to the benefits due from the employer of the victims, Bello said the victims are also entitled to benefits from OWWA such as P200,000 death benefit, P20,000 burial benefit, education and livelihood assistance, training for members of the families, and compulsory insurance. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. The cost of renting a bus to evacuate people from war-torn Sudan and bring them to Egypt has gone up to as much as $30,000 or about P1.5 million, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday. We wont be tight-fisted, we will do everythingwhatever it takes to get the bus, said Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo Jose de Vega in a radio interview. Initially, it cost $8,000 to rent a bus, but the price has gone up because the capital Khartoum has become a war zone for two military factions struggling for power, said Department of Migrant Workers (DMA) Secretary Susan Ople. On Wednesday night, the Philippine government raised an Alert Level 3 status (voluntary repatriation and evacuation) for Filipinos in Sudan. The government has been struggling to evacuate Filipinos from Sudan not only because of the high cost but due to a scarcity of available buses. ADVERTISEMENT Nevertheless, more than 400 of the 700 registered Filipinos in Sudan were either already taken to or on their way to the border with Egypt. The big bulk of the evacuees will be arriving onboard the seven busesthat were newly contracted by the Philippine Embassy in Egypt. Once in Egypt, the evacuees will travel by land to the Egyptian city of Aswan before flying to the capital, Cairo, and then to the Philippines. Philippine Ambassador to Egypt Ezzedin Tago, who holds jurisdiction over Filipinos in Sudan, assisted the evacuees who arrived in Egypt to ensure their entry. He said the embassy asked the Egyptian authorities to allow Filipinos entry into their country despite not having the necessary visa, which he said was impossible to process in Khartoum. Filipino evacuees will be given assistance with or without the necessary visa; while those who do not have their passport or legal documents will have to wait a little longer, probably until Friday, to enter Egypt, the ambassador said. The embassy also sent Vice Consul Bojer Capati to Sudan to assistFilipinos at the border, especially those who could not afford the processing fee for their departure. The Palace on Thursday reported that 409 Filipinos have been evacuated from Sudan so far. Some 335 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) andfamily members left Khartoum on April 26 for Egypt through the Wadi Halfa Highway. Another 35 OFWs and 15 students were safely evacuated to Egypt with the help of Filipinos in Sudan as well as personnel from the DMW. Ople and Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac are currently in Cairo, Egypt, to assist in the governments evacuation efforts and lead thedistribution of welfare assistance to evacuate OFWs from the war-torn country. Senior Defense Undersecretary Carlito Galvez, officer-in-charge, said he has already coordinated with the DFA to have the Defense attaches from the United Arab Emirates and Israel help the Philippine Embassy in Cairo in the evacuation of Filipinos from Sudan. Since the violence broke out 11 days ago, 459 deaths and 4,072 injuries have been reported, with the World Health Organization (WHO) warning of huge biological risks to people as Sudans paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has taken over the National Public Health Laboratory in Khartoum. Galvez thanked the Malaysian government for sharing valuableinformation on the security situation in Sudan, which contributed to the Philippines repatriation efforts. With Macon Ramos-Araneta, Maricel V. Cruz and Charles Dantes In other developments: Senator Jinggoy Estrada urged the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and Department of Labor and Employment to give workers returning from Sudan alternative livelihood programs. The chairperson of the House of Representatives committee on overseas workers affairs expressed his deep concern on the safety of OFWs in Sudan. The civil war in Sudan has caused untold suffering and uncertainty for our fellow Filipinos working in the country, and we must act with urgency to bring them back to the Philippines, KabayanRep. Ron Salo said. With Macon Ramos-Araneta, Maricel V. Cruz and Charles Dantes Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Chinese Coast Guard ship cuts BRP Malapascua as it nears Ayungin Shoal By Cecil Morella A Chinese coast guard ship cut off a Philippine patrol vessel carrying journalists in the disputed South China Sea, causing a near-collision, an Agence France-Presse team on board another boat saw. The near-miss off the Spratly Islands on Sunday was the latest in a steady string of incidents between China and the Philippines in the contested waterway. AFP was one of several media outlets invited to join two Philippine Coast Guard boats on a 1,670-kilometre (1,040-mile) patrol of the South China Sea, visiting a dozen islands and reefs. The BRP Malapascua and BRP Malabrigo were shadowed by Chinese navy and coast guard ships and ordered to leave the waters several times during the six-day journey. ADVERTISEMENT We would have collided on the bow had I not cut the engine and thrown it in reverse, Malapascua commanding officer Rodel Hernandez told reporters of Sundays close call, describing it as an encounter between David and Goliath. The incident happened after the Philippine coast guard boats approached Second Thomas Shoal, where Philippine marines are stationed in a run-down navy ship grounded to assert Manilas territorial claim in the waters. NEAR COLLISION. This photo taken on April 23 shows the Philippine Coast Guard vessel BRP Malapascua (left) maneuvering as a Chinese Coast Guard ship cuts its path at Second Thomas (Ayungin) Shoal in the Spratly Islands in the disputed South China Sea. Inset shows Chinese Coast Guard personnel lowering a rigid hull inflatable boat from their ship to observe PCG personnel as they conduct a survey in the waters of Ayungin. AFP As the 44-meter (144-feet) Malapascua neared the shoal, a Chinese Coast Guard vessel more than twice its size sailed into its path. Hernandez said the Chinese ship came within 45 metres of his boat and only his quick actions avoided the steel-hulled vessels crashing into each other. AFP watched the incident from the Malabrigo, which was less than a kilometer away. A second Chinese coast guard vessel was seen nearby. Hernandez said Chinese boats routinely blocked his and other Philippine coast guard ships during their patrols near the shoal. However, Sunday was the closest he had seen vessels from the rival fleets come to a collision. We need to be there The Malapascua and Malabrigo had broadcast their intention to sail into the shoal to conduct a site survey and asked the Chinese vessels to stay clear from our passage. But the Chinese coast guard responded over the radio that thePhilippine boats were illegally sailing in Chinas territorial waters and told them to leave. Second Thomas Shoal is about 200 kilometres from the major Philippine island of Palawan and more than a thousand kilometres from Chinas nearest major landmass of Hainan island. Over the past decade, China has ripped up thousands of hectares ofreef in the Spratlys to create militarized islands with runways, ports, and radar systems. If we ceased our watch they would soon take over Ayungin (Shoal) aswell, so we need to be there always and challenge their harassment, Hernandez said, using the Philippine name for the shoal. Hundreds of vessels The incident came just a day after Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. hosted Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang for talks in Manila aimed at defusing tensions in the contested waterway. Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea,including the Spratly Islands, ignoring an international ruling that the assertion has no legal basis. To back Beijings claim, hundreds of Chinese coast guard and other vessels patrol the waters, swarming reefs and harassing and attacking fishing and other boats. On Saturday, the Philippine coast guard identified more than a hundredChinese vessels parked at Whitsun Reef, which the Philippines claims as part of its exclusive economic zone. The Philippine coast guard ordered the vessels to leave, but they were ignored. US pivot alarms China Since taking office last June, Marcos has insisted he will not letChina trample on the Philippines rights in the seain contrast to his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte who was reluctant to criticize Beijing. Marcos has meanwhile gravitated towards the Philippines traditional ally, the United States, as he seeks to strengthen their defense ties. This shift has alarmed China, which has accused Washington of trying to drive a wedge between Beijing and Manila. Manila this month announced the locations of four more military bases it is allowing the United States to use on top of the five agreed on under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, or EDCA. The four additional bases include sites near the South China Sea and another not far from self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory. China has warned the expanded EDCA could endanger regional peace and accused Washington of having a zero-sum mentality. The largest-ever war games between the Philippines and the United States, which end Friday, have also drawn Beijings ire. On Wednesday, Marcos watched US and Philippine troops fire rockets ata decommissioned warship representing an enemy vessel in the South China Sea, the first time the allies had held such an exercise. The annual Balikatan maneuvers followed a three-day Chinese military exercise that simulated targeted strikes and a blockade around Taiwan. Marcos said Monday he would discuss with US President Joe Biden at the White House next week the need to tone down the rhetoric over the South China Sea, Taiwan, and North Korea. The discussion is heating up, some harsh words are being exchanged and we are worried, Marcos told a Philippine broadcaster. Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard has been trying to draw international attention to Chinas activities in the South China Sea. But with only three patrol vessels to monitor the vast waters, it is a challenge, said Commodore Jay Tarriela, the Philippine Coast Guard spokesman for the West Philippine Sea. Out on the high seas, Malabrigos captain Commander Julio Colarina was defiant. The Philippines might be a small nation, but our country has a coast guard with a big heart that is willing to serve the Filipino people and an overwhelming loyalty and bravery to protect the republic, Colarina said. AFP Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. The Philippines is among the recipients of a P3.6-billion maritime program investments by Australia in the Indo-Pacific region, the Australian Embassy revealed. Australian Embassy Deputy Head of Mission Dr. Moya Collett made the disclosure during a forum entitled, Protecting the Seas: Preserving Biodiversity Through Marine Protection in the West Philippine Sea, organized by the think tank Stratbase ADR Institute. Australias relationship with the Philippines spans defense and security, development and education, trade and investment, and people to people links, Collett said. One area that is going from strength to strength is our maritime cooperation. Given the importance of maritime security and marine environmental protection to Australia, we are investing P3.6 billion in regional maritime programs and the Philippines is a significant beneficiary, Collett explained. The marine environment is under threat from pollution, climate change, and over exploitation. And it is more important than ever that we work together to protect it. And we are proud to support the Philippines in its efforts to preserve the marine environment and become more climate change and disaster resilient, she noted. ADVERTISEMENT Among the maritime programs being conducted by Australia in the Philippines is the funding of a number of coral restoration projects, including areas in Pangasinan, Verde Islands, and in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) in Palawan and Zambales. Australia highly values its maritime partnership with the Philippines, and we will continue to work together to protect maritime biodiversity, which is so important to the health and prosperity of our two nations, Collett stressed. Stratbase ADR Institute president Dindo Manhit reiterated the need for continued multilateral cooperation among like-minded states, arguing that the conservation and preservation of marine life is a shared responsibility. In all these endeavors, the efforts of the national and international community to secure biodiversity and promote tourism must complement and respect the Philippines 2016 arbitral victory, he said. Manhit noted that the 2016 arbitral ruling found that Chinas land reclamation and construction of artificial islands had caused irreparable harm to the coral reef ecosystem and permanently destroyed the evidence of the natural conditions of various reefs. These unlawful practices are being carried out until the present and continue to cause severe damage to the marine life and ecosystems that make the West Philippine Sea a critical fishing area for the countrys food and economic security, Manhit said. De La Salle University-Manila biology professor Dr. Ma. Carmen Ablan-Lagman echoed the importance of cooperation in ensuring the future of biodiversity in the West Philippine Sea. Engage with WPS stakeholders in resource monitoring and cooperation simple things that scientists can do to put their science into the hands of the locals. And then we have to look also to the development of the community of researchers. Very glad that Australia is here because they have some of the most innovative changes, Lagman said. We have to have spatially explicit plans that are open to all regarding the marine protection. We really need it. We do not want biodiversity to be out of the studies, but to have long-term buy-in and know that the benefits of these will take time because youre talking about living organisms. We need to have very spatially explicit priority driven designs which we can see coming on for the long term, she added. Similarly, University of the Philippines- Marine Science Institute Associate Professor Dr. Deo Florence Onda emphasized the need to invest more on science and research and development, especially in the West Philippine Sea. In order to protect the West Philippine Sea, we need to understand how it works and by understanding that we can come up with sustainable, long term, appropriate, management schemes and strategies to protect and intervene in its degradation, Onda explained. There is a need for long-term marine scientific research and research and design framework and roadmap in the West Philippine Sea, she said Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. When President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. goes to the United States for his second working visit in less than a year, he will do so hoping to further strengthen longstanding bilateral ties between the two countries. Mr. Marcos and US President Joe Biden met for the first time at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York City in September last year. That meeting produced an ironclad guarantee the US would come to the defense of the Philippines if attacked by a third party based on the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) they signed in 1951. Their second meeting comes at a time when the two countries have already agreed on expanding the number of sites for the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) from five to nine. The additional sites, three of them located in northern Luzon and another in Palawan province facing the South China Sea, have provoked an angry reaction from Beijing, which claims increased American military presence will undermine peace and stability in the region. ADVERTISEMENT The visit also comes on the heels of the annual Balikatan joint military exercises between the Philippines and US troops, said to be the largest with the participation of no less than 17,000 soldiers12,000 from the US and 5,000 from the Philippinesand 200 observers from Australia and Japan, two countries with keen interest in addressing the unstable security situation in the Indo-Pacific region. The US needs the Philippines as a reliable defense partner amid brewing tensions in the Taiwan Strait as Beijing ramps up not just aggressive rhetoric but also actual military drills involving jet fighters and naval forces obviously designed to let self-ruled Taiwan that it would not be allowed to declare independence. China has made no secret of its intention to reintegrate Taiwan, which it considers a renegade province, into the mainland, by force if necessary. Its not just the ongoing defense cooperation thats on the agenda of the two leaders. Theres also the economic partnership that needs to be revitalized with President Marcos expected to offer incentives to American investors to come to the Philippines and take part in infrastructure development, renewable energy and climate change initiatives, among others, as what he did during the first visit. We have no doubt that prospects for reinforced Philippine-American ties are bright for as long as the two sides are able to discuss issues and concerns based on mutual trust and mutual benefit, and that special relations forged over the decades based on shared interests and democratic principles have nowhere to go but become even better in the years ahead. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Photo: Rob Kruyt, BIV The government alleges that, from 1996, when the Purdue-related defendants first introduced and began to improperly market OxyContin in Canada to the present, the class members paid health-care, pharmaceutical, treatment and other costs related to opioids. A B.C. Supreme Court judge has ruled the province can sue opioid-distributing companies in that court as a putative class-action suit. The government brought the lawsuit under the Opioid Damages and Health Care Costs Recovery Act and the Class Proceedings Act. The plaintiff brings its claims to recover certain opioid-related health-care costs and damages from defendants who were involved in the manufacturing, marketing, distribution or sale of opioid drugs and products from 1996 to the present, Justice Michael Brundrett said in his April 25 decision. Generally, the plaintiffs claim against the manufacturer defendants is that they marketed and promoted opioids in Canada as less addictive than they knew them to be, and for conditions they knew the drugs were not effective in treating, Brundrett said. These misleading marketing and promotion efforts allegedly resulted in an increase in the prescription and use of all opioids. Named as defendants in the case are: Apotex Inc., Apotex Pharmaceutical Holdings, Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Paladin Labs, Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., Endo International PLC, Endo Ventures Ltd., Ethypharm Inc., Janssen Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Pharmascience Inc., Joddes Limited, Pro Doc Limitee, The Jean Coutu Group (PJC) Inc., Mylan Pharmaceuticals ULC, Purdue Pharma Inc., Purdue Pharma L.P., The Purdue Frederick Company Inc., Purdue Frederick Inc., Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc., Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Hikma Labs Inc., Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC, Roxane Laboratories Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd. / Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) LTEE., West-Ward Columbus Inc., Sanis Health Inc., Sandoz Canada Inc., Teva Canada Innovation G.P.-S.E.N.C., Teva Canada Limited, Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Actavis Pharma Company, Valeant Canada LP / Valeant Canada S.E.C., Bausch Health Companies Inc., Imperial Distributors Canada Inc., Amerisourcebergen Canada Corporation, Kohl & Frisch Limited, Kohl & Frisch Distribution Inc., McKesson Corporation, McKesson Canada Corporation, Nu-Quest Distribution Inc., United Pharmacists Manitoba Inc., Procurity Inc., Procurity Pharmacy Services Inc., Shoppers Drug Mart Inc., Unipharm Wholesale Drugs Ltd., LPG Inventory Solutions, and Noramco Inc. The government began the putative class proceeding in August 2018. Pro Doc and The Jean Coutu Group Inc. had brought an application to the court asserting B.C. was not the appropriate jurisdiction for the case to be heard. The government rebutted that there is a real and substantial connection between British Columbia and the claims against the defendants because they carried on business in B.C. and that there are issues of restitution arising as a result. The plaintiff submits that liability for compensation for health-care costs incurred by B.C. at issue in this proceeding constitutes both a tort and gives rise to restitutionary obligations, Brundrett said. The judge said the government alleges that, from 1996 when the Purdue-related defendants first introduced and began to improperly market OxyContin in Canada to the present, the class members paid health-care, pharmaceutical, treatment and other costs related to opioids. The plaintiff seeks to recover these costs, Brundrett said. The class action alleges public nuisance, unjust enrichment, negligent failure to warn, negligent design, negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent misrepresentation/deceit, breach of Competition Act and breach of the Food and Drugs Act. Pro Doc and The Jean Coutu Group Inc. submitted that they have no significant presence in British Columbia and no noteworthy involvement in the opioid market here. None of the allegations have been proven in court. Dr. Richard Nixon Gomez, a scientist, inventor and general manager of Bauertek Corporation, recently led members of the media and other visitors in touring the firms medical manufacturing facility in Guiguinto, Bulacan that will process medical cannabis or marijuana into medicine. The research, manufacturing and development company will process marijuana to treat various medical ailments, including depression, epilepsy, Alzheimers disease, sleep disorder, and anxiety, among others. Dr. Gomez said once the bill on medical cannabis is enacted into law, his facility is more than ready to process cannabis into medical tablets and oils. This, in turn, can be planted with other plants or herbs for food supplement, which are being manufactured by Bauertek Corp. since December 16, 2019, the facilitys date of establishment. Gomez said medical cannabis can be planted in different places in the Philippines. With the tour of the facility, the same was used as a studio for a live Media Health Forum and for Gomezs live radio program Kaibigan sa Kalusugan aired over various radio stations. His programs also offer free consultation with health lecture on symptoms, causes, complications and intervention of ailments or diseases. ADVERTISEMENT The public can listen to Dr. Gomezs radio programs on Radio Veritas 846 KHz on AM Radio, www.veritas846.ph Monday Friday 2:00pm -3:00 pm; DWWW 774 on AM Radio, www.774dwww.ph Monday Friday 6:00 pm 7:00 pm ; DZWT 540 KHz on AM Radio, www.dzwt540.com, Monday Thursday 7pm 8pm; J101.5 FM Big Radio www.J101FM.wix.com/BIGRADIO, Saturday, 8:00 am 9:00 am; DWZR 101.7 FMRadio, www.facebook.com/Birahee. In the Health Media Forum, other guests included Chuck Manansala, President, Masikhay Research; Lui Manansala, Co-Convenor of the Seniors for MedCan Philippines; and Lea Fullon, Program Director of the Haraya Policy Center. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. CEMEX Philippines (CHP) achieved a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions generated by its two cement subsidiaries, Solid Cement Corporation and APO Cement Corporation, from 1990-2022. Based on public declarations, this is the highest CO2 emissions reduction in the industry, establishing CEMEXs commitment to decarbonizing its operations through its Future in Action program. From 2020 to 2022 alone, CHP reduced 18% of its net CO2 emissions, representing 36% of the total CO2 reduction since 1990, demonstrating the companys accelerated efforts to further reduce its cement operations emissions. This milestone CO2 reduction was possible because of our teams high commitment to achieve net zero. We are on track to meet our ambition of less than 430kg of net CO2 per ton of cement by 2030 and deliver net-zero CO2 concrete by 2050, commented Luis Franco, CEMEX Philippines President, and CEO. We have implemented various projects to help us reach our 2030 and 2050 targets. We are challenged but confident that we can reach up to a 67% reduction by 2030 as we continue to increase the use of alternative fuels and decarbonated raw materials and reduce our clinker factor. We will also focus more on using clean energy in our cement operations and pay more attention to water usage in the cement production process, said Santiago Ortiz, CEMEX Philippines Vice President for Operations. The targets that our company has set are the most ambitious in the industry, but with close collaboration and commitment of all our teams, we will meet our targets. We will be a net-zero CO2 company by 2050 and will communicate to our stakeholders our progress towards becoming Net-Zero, said Atty. Christer Gaudiano, CEMEX Philippines Director for Sustainability, Risk Management, and Public Affairs. ADVERTISEMENT CEMEX Philippines has been making significant progress in reducing its carbon footprint with the investments made in Waste Heat Recovery facilities in Solid and APO Cement Plants that increased the use of clean energy in its operations. CEMEX Philippines is also leading the industry in the production of low-carbon cement products, such as APO and Rizal Portland and APO and Rizal High Strength, which are categorized as Vertua products with a CO2 footprint reduction of at least 25% for its Vertua Plus line and more than 40% for its Vertua Ultra category, making it the most sustainable cement in the Philippines. CEMEXs Future in Action program recognizes that the opportunity for reducing emissions is not limited to the production process but to the entire life cycle of our products and transforming the industrys value chain. Future in Action focuses on achieving sustainable excellence through climate action, circularity, and natural resource management with the primary objective of becoming a net-zero CO2 company. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. In 1971, the Philippines launched the Community Health Organization Program to classify health services into primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. As part of this initiative, barangay health stations were created to ensure that primary healthcare improves the overall health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities. Since then, these local health centers have played a crucial role in improving the health outcomes of Filipinos. They have not only provided general healthcare services but also served as agents during the COVID-19 pandemic and helped with the vaccination rollout. Additionally, they continue to promote healthy lifestyles and prevent diseases, particularly among vulnerable populations. Adequate facilities for improved healthcare SM Foundation (SMFI) has made it its mission to provide adequate facilities and upgraded equipment to boost health centers as they fulfill their mandate of delivering quality health care, even amid the pandemic. Pursuing its mission, SMFI and UNIQLO Philippines traveled to the cities of Tuguegarao and Cauayan in Cagayan Valley and upgraded two health facilities serving thousands of Filipinos. Beyond the new infrastructure, health workers see it as a chance to put forth the services they have always drawn from the heart. ADVERTISEMENT In Brgy. District 1, Cauayan, Midwife Tarita Ann Ballasteros has tended to patients from low-income households, who barely have money to spare for the fare going to the facility and to buy medicine. She would then give the best care she can offer to compensate for the limitations of their center. A resident of Cauayan City, Isabela undergoes a routine checkup in Brgy. District 1 Health Center Nakikita ko ang sitwasyon nila na ultimo pamasahe, wala sila. Iniisip ko, wala man lang akong maibigay na gamot sa kanila. Para sa akin, hindi ko man sila lubos na mapagaling, lalabas sila sa facility na magaan ang pakiram dahil sa tinatawag nating TLC (tender loving care), she said. Before, they had to use curtains as improvised medical partitions or lock the health centers door to provide comfort to women seeking reproductive health care or pregnant mothers coming in for prenatal checkups. It takes time to prepare and attend to the next patient. Kailangan pa namin takpan ng kumot o ilock ang pinto ng center para magkaroon ng privacy ang mga pasyente. Dahil dito, isa lang ang naaaccommodate namin. Minsan, hindi sila komportable dahil nakikita ng iba yung procedure na ginagawa namin sa kanila, she said. Through the upgrade, the Brgy. District 1 Health Center had its own room for maternal and child health services, equipped with necessary medical tools. It was also fitted with a breastfeeding area and a designated space for immunization. Health workers of Brgy. District 1 Health Center provides free prenatal checkups in the newly renovated health center The upgrade served as the boost they needed to complement the TLC they have always given their community. Malaki ang connection ng renovation ng center sa pagsasaayos ng kalusugan ng aming komunidad. Kaming mga health workers ay mas eager na sa pag-pasok sa trabaho at mas marami na kaming pasyenteng mabibigyan ng serbisyo at matutulungan, she said. Through the newly renovated health center, residents of Brgy. District 1 health center enjoy free medical checkups. Dahil maganda na at maaliwalas, nakakatulong ito para gumaan ang pakiramdam ng pasyente bago pa man sila gamutin, she added. A change for the better Sharing the same passion for health care service is Corazon Tanguilan, a Barangay Health Worker from Brgy. Cataggaman Pardo Health Center in Tuguegarao City. As a healthcare provider, hindi po namin gaano iniisip ang kalakihan ng aming health center. Ang importante po ay taos pusong pagbibigay ng serbisyo sa patients namin. Nasa kalooban po namin kung paano namin gagawing maayos pagpapatakbo ng aming operasyon, she said. Through their dedication, they strived to accommodate the healthcare needs of their patients despite unfortunate working conditionsfrom broken tiles, cracked wall paint, and damaged cabinets to limited electric fans for ventilation. Sira po ang aming mga tiles. Mahirap po ito dahil baka madulas o mapaano ang aming mga pasyente na kadalasan ay buntis at mga bata. Kaya nilagyan na lang po namin ito ng masking tape para makaiwas sa aksidente, she recalled. Due to the centers layout and space limitations, it became even more difficult for them during the pandemic. With sick children, pregnant women, and TB-DOTs patients, it felt like a weight was pressed against their chests as they hoped to safely accommodate all patients while implementing social distancing. Brgy. Cataggaman Pardo Health Center health workers cater to the general medical needs of its community in the newly renovated health center. During immunization days, may mga pregnant mothers na darating for prenatal check-up. Ine-entertain namin sila dahil hindi namin puwedeng pauwiin ulit at pabalikin pa. Mahalaga po ang sapat na espasyo para maisagawa ang infection prevention and control measures. Kaya mainam po ang ginawa ng SM Foundation na pagpapalawak ng health center namin para sa kaligtasan ng patients namin, she explained. As their center was rebuilt from the ground up, they felt relief and gained renewed optimism to improve their operations. Pregnant mothers from Cataggaman Pardo, Tuguegarao City can now get comfortable prenatal care in the newly refurbished health center. In addition to the installation of new equipment and facilities, complemented by cosmetic improvements such as fresh paint and tiles, the upgraded health centers now include designated rooms for maternal care, medical check-ups, and TB-DOTs treatment. The spacious and well-ventilated lobby provides a warm welcome to the people of Tuguegaraonos, encouraging them to pursue healthy living and become valuable contributors to the growth of their city. 27 years na po ako sa serbisyo at bihira po ang health center na naka-aircon at well-ventilated. Kaya ngayon pong naisaayos na po ito, tiyak po ako na mas maeengganyo ang constituents ng namin na pumunta sa aming Center, she said. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. For centuries, banking has been a staple service in every society globally because it helps people manage their finances. Eventually, banks embraced development as the world progressed toward modernity. Today, customers enjoy various banking innovations at the palm of their hands as they navigate through its features and conduct seamless transactions through e-banking. While nearly every Filipino uses and benefits from these banking innovations, the Overseas Filipino Worker community is among those who recognize the advantages of such improvements. They often use banking services to remit funds to their loved ones in the Philippines. Timeline on PH banking innovations The first revolutionary e-banking solution came to the Philippines in the 1980s through automated teller machines (ATMs). These allowed customers nationwide to access banking services like making cash withdrawals and deposits daily, thus eliminating time and geographical constraints that are eminent from going to physical banks. It marked the first of many banking innovations that would soon become prevalent in the Philippines. In 1999, the invention of smartphones and developments in the telecommunications industry introduced earlier versions of mobile banking. By the 2000s, the market learned about Internet banking, allowing them to accomplish basic transactions through their computers and the help of the Internet. ADVERTISEMENT Eventually, banks saw the demand for a more inclusive experience within their markets, prompting them to move away from the traditional banking framework and embrace a more modern approach that skillfully combines online and physical services. At present, Modern Filipinos are utilizing and enjoying financial technology (fintech) solutions that offer online payments, consumer lending, remittances, logistics and transportation, and investments, among other services. Its also beginning a new movement where banks partner with other companies, not necessarily merchants, to create new opportunities for their markets. Local and international banks now offer digital banking services for a more accessible consumer platform. It also has competitive rates and advantages, like enhanced security to prevent fraudulent transactions and other scams. In turn, banks require users to verify their identity and be wary of unusual activities and unwanted messages that could breach their banking privacy and acquire their accounts. Some security examples are requiring government-issued IDs and double-checking if an app requires a one-time pin (OTP), which should never be shared with others. Since the Philippines isnt one to fall back on technological improvements, OFWs and their families can utilize banking innovations that cater to their daily needs and increasing demand. Here are some licensed digital banks by the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) worth checking out: UnionDigital by UnionBank of the Philippines As one of the leading banks in the country, UnionBank made banking more accessible through UnionDigital, its digital banking arm. Some of its services include opening accounts, mobile banking, and cashless transactions, suitable for modern-day users who want to take advantage of these benefits without going the extra mile. One of the many reasons customers prefer using UnionDigital is its user-friendly interface, allowing those without much experience with technology to navigate and utilize the app effortlessly. Users can access their accounts online or through the app to perform transactions like transferring funds, paying bills, and more. The bank also offers competitive rates and fees to keep its clients from worrying about extra costs from sending funds to their loved ones. These developments promote inclusivity because it meets the demands of everyday Filipinos based inside and outside the country. In the meantime, UnionDigital also offers unique offers and promotions to its customers to make the most of their money. The bank also allows its users to apply for other products and services, like loans, credit cards, and insurance. UnionBank also makes the sign-up experience easy for OFWs and other users. Aside from having an existing account in UnionBank, they can register through www.online.unionbankph.com/online-banking/register. From there, they can follow the simple steps on how to register. One relevant tip to note is to prepare valid IDs and other government-issued documents. Upon completion and confirmation, users can now utilize the online banking services of UnionBank. Maya Bank by PayMaya Being one of the pioneers of the digital banking industry in the Philippines, PayMaya launched Maya Bank to provide more advanced financial services to the Filipino market. It eliminates the need to go to a physical bank to open an account or use its services, yet another milestone for the banking sector as Maya Bank only requires a smartphone to function efficiently and bring exciting opportunities. Customers can avail of Maya Banks virtual debit card for online shopping and other digital transactions or its mobile wallet to allow users to pay bills, transfer money, or purchase goods and services online or in-store. Yet Maya Banks digital remittance service excites OFWs and their families the most. Through it, customers can send money to their loved ones in the Philippines from abroad without a bank account. It also keeps them from going to remittance centers and falling in line to accomplish the task. In the meantime, Maya Bank doesnt require a maintaining balance for users to access its functions and features. It also collaborates with merchants and other companies to create a more exciting overall user experience. Overseas Filipino Bank (OFBank) From its name, the bank caters to OFWs and their families. Its key features include savings accounts, time deposits, loans, and remittance services, designed to meet the communitys demands. Through the OFBank app, OFWs can access its services from anywhere to ensure they can send funds to their families seamlessly and immediately. It also has strict security measures to prevent harmful activities from affecting its consumers and protect its finances. Besides its regular products and services, OFBank offers other benefits to OFWs. Among them is the opportunity for OFWs who opened a new account with the bank to avail of free life insurance coverage worth P100,000. Another advantage of using OFBank is its competitive exchange rates and lower transaction fees than other remittance channels, making it a practical and affordable option for its target market. The banking industry has much to offer its consumers locally and internationally. Their determination to adapt to modern technology made them preferable as platforms for daily banking operations and transactions. It now all boils down to whats accessible and user-friendly, depending on the users preferences. Other than that, the market is spoiled for choice. With their continuous bid for development, Filipinos, especially OFWs, can enjoy services that offer an inclusive experience where everyone can feel the banks benefits and more. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are modern-day heroes because of their sacrifices to provide for their families. Their efforts also boost the local economy through their foreign remittances, like exports sold to other countries to earn dollars. Remittances refer to the earnings OFWs send to their home country. Ultimately, OFWs need a reliable way to send their finances to their families here in the Philippines. Upon recognizing the demand for trusted money transfer platforms, numerous remittance companies in the Philippines began offering the necessary services to provide OFWs and ensure that the fruits of their hard work reach their families. Several money remittance services via local brands are available in nearly every city, with variations depending on the province or region. Here are some trusted brands that OFWs and their families can count on when it comes to remittances: Cebuana Lhuillier ADVERTISEMENT One prime example of a reliable remittance company in the Philippines is Cebuana Lhuillier. Over the years, it developed into one of the countrys most significant financial service companies nationwide. Since it opened its first branch, Agencia Cebuana, in Cebu, the brand continuously embraces breakthroughs and innovations to achieve its vision of becoming the best and providing equally top-quality service. They take pride in their money transfer service, dubbed Cebuana Lhuilliers Pera Padala service. Its known for being effortless, quick, and safe, allowing customers to send and receive funds inside and outside the Philippines. Cebuana has numerous remittance partners nationally and internationally. Each branch has the personnel and equipment to enact money remittance services to their customers. But before they can send or receive funds, Cebuana also implements strict security measures to ensure the privacy and safety of their customers, so they can send and receive money without worrying about it falling into the wrong hands. Western Union Another leading money transfer service company in the Philippines is Western Union. Because of its years and visibility, Filipinos inside and outside the country recognize the brands established credibility and performance in making financial services accessible to people everywhere. In a way, they aid in sending Filipinos affection to their loved ones from everywhere across the globe. The brand is known for creating and offering easy-to-use products and services that bridge the digital and physical, giving customers a choice, security, and reliability. From their humble beginnings, they used advanced technology to connect with their customers and stay focused on meeting their visions. During the previous year, Western Unions customers made 268 worldwide transfers in more than 200 countries and territories. Having been around for more than 145 years, Western Union boasts performing an average of 31 transfers per second, amounting to $80B annually. Besides conducting prompt and efficient money transfers, Western Union also provides an anti-fraud service to avoid scams that ultimately endanger customers. This level of concern makes the brand among the trusted ones in the country. ML Kwarta Padala In the Philippines and overseas, ML Kwarta Padala is one of the leading remittance service providers, serving millions of Filipinos to help meet their financial needs. Among the brands priorities is delivering excellence and achieving total customer satisfaction. It prides itself on easy procedures, convenient locations, and available cash in all branches. Its numerous remittance partners make it effective in sending money to and from the country. Some of its key features are the continuous expansion in the Philippines, strengthening partnerships across the globe, and embracing innovative technology-based services to ensure efficiency and security. The brands increased visibility makes it well-known among OFWs and their families. They also offer a user-friendly tracking service to keep their customers updated on their transactions, ultimately establishing a sense of trust and reliability. LBC With various technological advancements, people look forward to getting things done in a few seconds and a touch of a few buttons. And as the most extensive express courier, cargo, and money remittance service company in the Philippines, LBC offers just that through its Instant Peso Padala program. OFWs use their remittance funds for different purposes, often hoping that theyll reach their loved ones immediately. LBCs cash padala service allows families in the Philippines to receive the money and use it for allowances, bills, and emergencies without going through a lengthy and tedious process. Customers can effortlessly fill up a form and receive a tracking number in LBCs numerous branches to enjoy a hassle-free remittance service. Things to consider when sending money Since OFWs and their families depend significantly on remittance services to receive funds or finances, its not unusual to see customers be wary of brands. Whether remittance companies are new or old, others still have their guard up about their safety and efficiency to keep their efforts from going to waste. Before engaging with remittance service providers, one should research to determine if it would be a beneficial transaction in the long run. One of the first things to think about is the companys dependability. Aside from its history, customers need to know about the service providers track record and license to see if they accomplish their responsibilities accordingly. Moreover, customers should also inspect if companies have a responsive, courteous, and functioning customer service team they could contact when problems arise. Next comes accessibility. Sure, customers can visit branches in prominent locations like malls, among other establishments, but some appreciate having a remittance service provider available a stones throw away from their homes. Companies must also consider the customers convenience and how they can provide new opportunities. Lastly, theres the cost and speed of the transaction. While most companies can accomplish their tasks at almost the same rate, they sometimes differ in the fees they require from customers. Each service varies at some point, but its best to engage one that makes each cent worth it. Sending money from overseas to the Philippines and vice versa doesnt have to be complicated. With due diligence and the right brand carrying out the service, the countrys modern-day heroes can rest easy knowing the fruits of their labor can reach their families safely with love and good intentions. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Reliance Consumer Products stated a pan-India distribution collaboration with eB2B retail and kirana platform Udaan, for its Campa range of soft drinks. Campa, which competes with Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, will be available to over 50,000 retailers, and the distribution coverage is going to grow to over one lakh retailers or kirana stores in the next two months, the company said in a statement.The three Campa flavours on the Udaan platform will be available under multiple price points, including 200 ml, 500 ml and 2,000 ml family packs for in-home consumption, the statement said. To create awareness about the availability of the Campa range, Udaan will work on various retailer promotions to drive expansion and increase the buyer base on the platform, the retailer said.Udaan recently launched a rural programme called Project Vistaar, which it said is aimed at expanding FMCG and foods products. As part of the project, Udaan is servicing every rural market up to a population of 3,000. The company aims to expand its reach to over 10,000 towns and villages in the next 10-12 months, it said, adding that it viewed Project Vistaar as a strategic step towards to bridge the gap between urban and rural markets.Vinay Shrivastava, head - FMCG business at Udaan, said the partnership will enable deeper market penetration for the Campa range.The Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance, acquired Campa last year from Pure Drinks group for an estimated Rs 22 crore. It also acquired a 50% stake in Gujarat-headquartered Sosyo Hajoori Beverages and its mainstay beverage brand Sosyo in January this year. Besides Sosyo, Hajooris other brands include Kashmira, Lemee, Ginlim, Runner and Opener. Sosyo is a dominant player in Gujarat. For The Play That Goes Wrong the audience wont simply be watching the show theyll get to interact with the cast throughout the play. The unique show experience begins before the curtain goes up. It tells the story of The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society as they put on the production of the 1920s murder mystery Murder at Haversham Manor. The Play That Goes Wrong was created in 2012 by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields of Mischief Theatre Company. For this show the cast of TheatreWorks Community Players performers will experience a set that is incomplete, a murder with a moving body, props and actors disappearing and mayhem ensuing all around as they act out a play within a play. The star of the show is the set itself, Director Joanie McPeak said. Its the main antagonist. Patrick County native Sarah Foley, who plays Trevor, has been performing with TheatreWorks since 2006 in Children of Eden but has been performing overall since she was a young child in church productions. She has a bachelors degree in theater from Radford University. She listed some of her favorite shows as Tarzan, Steel Magnolias and August: Osage County. I love to escape and be someone else for a little while. I love the process of learning my character, bringing them to life. I like to bring art from a page to life, Foley said. Foley said she normally performs in musicals and this is the first play she has been a part of in a while. I forgot how much I missed it. Glad I decided to do it, Foley added. She had not heard of the play before, but auditioned at the recommendation of McPeak. I get to kind of make it my own, Foley said about her character. She has lines in the script but because of the reactive nature of the play she can improvise depending on how the show plays out. Robbie Hendrix-Wirt will play the character Max who actually plays two parts in the play-within-the-play. After performing in many shows throughout his life, this is his first show back after a 3-year hiatus due to the pandemic. Ive missed it so much, he said. Its like coming back home. You feel the warmth of the lights, you feel the warmth of the cast. Its just family, Hendrix-Wirt continued. I couldnt put my finger on it during COVID as far as what was missing from me, and that was it. British comedies are the best, he said. They have that comedic timing; you cant match it. So, trying to match that and be them and portray them and what they pictured has been challenging, he added. Without the stage, without our lighting designers, our set designers this show would not have been possible, Hendrix-Wirt said. Zoe Kirk, portraying the character Dennis, has been in theater since she was in sixth grade. She participated in high school theater, and after graduation she did community theater and improv. This will be her first show since the pandemic. She tried out, she said, because its a really, really funny play and I love a comedy. She has been in Beauty and the Beast, Annie and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, to name a few of her favorites. Hes [Dennis] the main reason most things are messing up, Kirk said. Hes going through a hard time but hes keeping it together. The most challenging part of the character for her was remembering the things she is supposed to do wrong. Its such a shift. Its something Im not used to, but Im happy to do, Kirk added. Emma Hutchins of Stuart will play the character Annie who begins as a crew member of the production of Murder at Haversham Manor and is forced to out act one of the other characters roles after the other actor is taken out of play. This character arch is insane. Its almost like playing three different characters, Hutchins added. She has been in a few shows while she was in elementary and middle school, but this is her first show with TheatreWorks. She has been in shorts and feature films but auditioned for the play because she was interested in regaining some creative control. Where before she was at the mercy of producers, with this show she was able to take some creative liberties and mold her character how she wanted. I saw the show on the website and I was thrilled, Hutchins added. Its very refreshing and very fun. Its kind of wonderful in a way because oftentimes I have to work against my nerves as a performer, but with this I really get to channel them and present them and as I get more comfortable on stage it gets to show, Hutchins said. Hutchins said going into this play she didnt know any of the other cast members but now its like having another family. I really would take a bullet for most of the people that Ive met, she said. Other cast members are: Corey Thompson as Chris, Louis Norton as Jonathan, Zach McPeak as Robert and Briana Tatum as Sandra. he stage director is Roslyn Simmons, tech and sound are by Mike Greco, and set design is by Steve McPeak and Tom Berry. Stage crew are Kym Tatum, Ethan Goins and Elisabet Minter. Averett University donated some set pieces for use. The show will run at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday, and next week at 7 p.m. May 5 and May 6 and at 2 p.m. May 7, at the Black Box Theatre, 44 Franklin St. Tickets are available for $15 online at twcp.net or at the door. Students and their guests heard remarks from Henry County native Dr. Valencia Eggleston-Clark. Eggleston-Clark is a graduate of Laurel Park High School, Duke University and The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. She decided to pursue a medical degree to provide health care to needy patients despite economic or insurance status, according to a press release. She is family medicine physician with Carilion Clinic in Martinsville. Eggleston-Clark emphasized to the students that they have the ability to change the world through their greatness. She challenged the typical indicators of greatness: position, power, wealth and even intellect. Instead, she focused on the greatness to be found in service to others. She reminded students that someone was serving them that evening so that they could in turn serve others. Her charge to them was to serve their community with passion, with position, with love, with joy, with mercy and grace. Photo: The Canadian Press FILE - Jordanians evacuated from Sudan arrive at a military airport in Amman, Jordan, Monday, April 24, 2023. Warring factions trying to seize control of the east African nation of Sudan have plunged the country into chaos, and thousands are fleeing the capital of Khartoum and nearby battle zones. Some countries, including the U.S., have shuttered their embassies and many are coordinating daring evacuations of their staffs and other residents in an array of convoys, flights and frantic getaway drives. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh, File) Armed fighters rampaged through a city in Sudans war-ravaged region of Darfur on Thursday, battling each other and looting shops and homes, residents said. The violence came despite the extension of a fragile truce between Sudan's two top generals, whose power struggle has killed hundreds. The mayhem in the Darfur city of Genena pointed to how the rival generals fight for control in the capital, Khartoum, was spiraling into violence in other parts of Sudan. The two sides accepted a 72-hour extension of the truce late Thursday. The agreement, brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia, has not stopped the fighting but created enough of a lull for tens of thousands of Sudanese to flee to safer areas and for foreign nations to evacuate thousands of their citizens by land, air and sea. The cease-fire has brought a significant easing of fighting in Khartoum and its neighboring city Omdurman for the first time since the military and a rival paramilitary force began clashing on April 15, turning residential neighborhoods into battlegrounds. Both the military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, said late Thursday that they accepted the extension of the truce. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has spoken repeatedly with both generals, had earlier acknowledged the limits of the truce while saying he was determined to extend it. Weve had a 72-hour cease-fire, which like most cease-fires is imperfect but nonetheless has reduced violence, he said. The White House meanwhile encouraged Americans to take advantage of any opportunity to leave Sudan in the next 24 to 48 hours, even as Washington has faced criticism for not mounting the kind of mass evacuation of its citizens already carried out by other nations. We are working continuously to create options for American citizens to leave Sudan, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. She warned that the situation could deteriorate at any moment. A U.S. defense official said the USS Truxtun, a U.S. Navy destroyer, is in the Red Sea off the coast of Sudan, and the USNS Brunswick, a fast transport ship, is expected to reach the coast later on Thursday. The USS Lewis B. Puller, an expeditionary ship, is further south in the Red Sea, heading north. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing military operations, said none of the ships have received orders as yet to pick up citizens or other personnel. British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly urged U.K. nationals who want to leave to get to an airfield north of Khartoum for evacuation flights. The situation could deteriorate over the coming days," he warned. Britain said it has evacuated 897 people on eight flights to Cyprus, with operations continuing. The fighting has continued in some parts of the capital despite the truce, and in the western region of Darfur, residents said the violence had escalated to its worst yet. Darfur has been a battleground between the military and the paramilitary RSF since the conflict began nearly two weeks ago. Residents said the fighting in Genena was now dragging in tribal militias, tapping into longtime hatreds between the regions two main communities one that identifies as Arab, the other as East or Central African. In the early 2000s, African tribes in Darfur that had long complained of discrimination rebelled against the Khartoum government, which responded with a military campaign that the International Criminal Court later said amounted to genocide. State-backed Arab militias known as the Janjaweed were accused of widespread killings, rapes and other atrocities. The Janjaweed later evolved into the RSF. Early Thursday, fighters who mostly wore RSF uniforms attacked several neighborhoods across Genena, driving many families from their homes. The violence spiraled as tribal fighters joining the fray in Genena, a city of around half a million people located near the border with Chad. The attacks come from all directions, said Amany, a Genena resident who asked to withhold her family name for her safety. All are fleeing. It was often unclear who was fighting whom, with a mix of RSF and tribal militias some allies of the RSF, some opponents all running rampant. The military has largely withdrawn to its barracks, staying out of the clashes, and residents were taking up arms to defend themselves, said Dr. Salah Tour, a board member of the Doctors Syndicate in the West Darfur province, of which Genena is the capital. The syndicate estimated that dozens of people were killed and hundreds wounded. Almost all of Genenas medical facilities, including its main hospital, have been out of service for days, and the sole functioning hospital is inaccessible because of the fighting. Criminal gangs looted the main hospital, stealing vehicles and equipment and destroying the hospitals blood bank, the syndicate said. Fighters, some on motorcycles, roamed the streets, destroying and ransacking offices, shops and homes, several residents said. Its a scorched earth war, said Adam Haroun, a political activist in West Darfur, speaking by telephone with the sound of gunfire at times drowning out his voice. Haroun and other residents said the city's main open-air market was completely destroyed. Government offices and aid agencies compounds were trashed and repeatedly burned, including U.N. premises and the headquarters of the Sudanese Red Crescent. Two major camps for displaced people have been burned down, their occupants mainly women and children from African tribes dispersed, said Abdel-Shafei Abdalla, a senior member of a local group that helps administer camps. Elsewhere in Darfur, there have been sporadic clashes, particularly in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur province, where thousands have fled their homes, Abdalla said. At least 512 people, including civilians and combatants, have been killed in Sudan since April 15, with another 4,200 wounded, according to the Sudanese Health Ministry. The Doctors Syndicate, which tracks civilian casualties, has recorded at least 303 civilians killed and 1,848 wounded. Meanwhile, in Khartoum, residents reported gunfire and explosions in some parts of the capital on Thursday. They said the militarys warplanes bombed RSF positions in the upscale neighborhood of Kafouri. The RSF confirmed its camp in the neighborhood was bombed. Many are struggling to obtain food and water, and electricity is cut off across much of Khartoum and other cities. Multiple aid agencies have had to suspend operations. Fearing that fighting will escalate once more, Sudanese and foreigners have been rushing to escape. Egypt has so far evacuated more than 5,300 Egyptians from Sudan and received more than 14,000 Sudanese fleeing the fighting, the Foreign Ministry said. Long lines of buses continue to form at the border, and tens of thousands more have gone to other neighboring countries or to the Red Sea city of Port Sudan, trying to get onto ferries to Saudi Arabia. Hassan Ali, a Dutch citizen who made it to the city of Larnaca in Cyprus on an evacuation flight, told The Associated Press he had spent days trapped at home in Khartoum. Most areas had no water and only intermittent electricity. Most of the time we (are) locked at home unless you go for something really emergency, food, medication. Thats it, he said. Many sought shelter in hospitals, even though "most of the hospitals get attacked as well, by both sides. People, they just left everything behind, he said of those leaving. "There is no cash, Theres no money. You just take your bag. Beginning May 1, qualifying government agencies and nonprofit organizations wanting to enhance, create and protect fish and wildlife habitats along the Catawba-Wateree River are encouraged to submit applications for grants provided by Duke Energys Catawba-Wateree Habitat Enhancement Program (CWHEP). Projects eligible for funding include a wide range of categories from planting native shoreline vegetation, constructing osprey platforms and wood duck boxes, and installing fish attractors to purchasing property and conservation easements along the Catawba-Wateree River that permanently preserve rare and unique habitats. For 2023, almost $1.9 million is available for enhancement projects in North Carolina. Funds totaling almost $1.3 million are available for projects in South Carolina. Individual project awards typically range from $10,000 to $50,000. Since 2007, the program has provided over $2.3 million in awards in the Carolinas for habitat enhancement projects. A panel of scientists, along with several private citizens, will select projects that will receive funding in 2023. CWHEP is a cooperative effort by Duke Energy, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR). The program is funded annually from a fee charged to individuals and residential marina developers seeking permits to build piers on the Catawba-Wateree lakes. The Foothills Community Foundation administers the funds. Those interested in seeking funds from CWHEP this year are encouraged to complete an application found at Catawba-Wateree Habitat Enhancement Program and submit it for consideration before July 31, 2023. How to apply CWHEP only accepts proposals for funding that are submitted from May 1 through July 31 of each year. Applicants must provide all requested information or their proposals will be returned without consideration. All properly completed and submitted proposals will be reviewed first by the Lakes Advisory Committee (LAC) in the applicable state. LACs recommendations will then be considered by that states Technical Review Committee (TRC) during their review and scoring process. All applicants will be notified of the TRCs decision, and successful applicants will be issued instructions regarding the dispersal of funds and reporting requirements. To submit an application for project funding: Download and complete the Catawba-Wateree Habitat Enhancement Program Funding Application Form. Save the document to your computer. Send an email to Michael.Abney@Duke-Energy.com and include your proposal as an attachment. Photos can be submitted along with your proposal as separate attachments to the same email. Please send photos in JPEG format. If you have any questions on the application process, contact Michael Abney at Michael.Abney@duke-energy.com or 980-373-0435. ATTENTION: Please email your church news to mcdowellchurchnews@gmail.com or call 828-527-3175 and leave a message. The deadline is noon on Wednesdays. Please note the change in deadline and phone number. Nebo First Baptist Church will have a hamburger, hot dog and bake sale on Saturday, May 6, starting at 11 a.m. Dine-in or take-out is available in the Fellowship Hall. The sale is a fundraiser for medical expenses. First United Methodist Church, across from Marion Elementary School, invites everyone looking for a church family to Sunday school at 9:45 a.m. and worship at 11 a.m. The United Methodist Men continue to sell their peanuts for $5 a jar. Peanuts are available in regular, light salt, no salt and Cajun. To order, contact the church office at 652-7010. FUMC also administers an Emergency Fund on the first and third Wednesdays of every month from 10-11:30 a.m. This fund assists with electricity and heating needs, water bills and rent. Clients must meet certain requirements, and funds are paid directly to providers. Clients should come to the upper parking lot and enter the door near the church van. Redeemed Freewill Baptist Church, of 5079 U.S. 221 S. hosts a youth program called The Sprouts from 7-8 p.m. every Wednesday until further notice. A meal and a Bible lesson will be provided. Parents are encouraged to bring their children to learn about the love of Jesus. St. Matthews Lutheran Church, of 241 W. Court St., Marion, invites the community to watch the global film phenomenon The Chosen. Experience the Bible as vividly real each Wednesday at 7 p.m. until further notice. There will be refreshments and door prizes. Chapel Hill Baptist Church, of U.S. 221 South, Marion, will have an all-you-can-eat breakfast on the second Saturday of each month from 7:30-10 a.m. for a donation. His Place Worship Center, 1423 U.S. 70 West in Marion, will host combined in-person and online meetings at 10 a.m. on the second Saturday of each month. Additional information about the Hickory Lighthouse, including links to the Zoom and Facebook Live meetings, are available at Hickory Aglows website and Facebook page: www.aglownet.org/hickorync and www.facebook.com/hickory.aglow. Interested persons may sign up on the website to receive a monthly email newsletter. Readers may receive related Facebook notifications by liking the Facebook page. The Sharing Food Pantry Ministry of Cross United Methodist Church needs donations of coats, sweaters and blankets for families in the community who may be in need. Donations can be dropped off at 85 W. Cross St., just past Blue Ridge Terrace Apartments in Marion. For more information, call 828-460-9257 or 828-559-4047 and leave a message. East Marion Baptist Church, of 660 Baldwin Ave., Marion, will host The Landing, a 12-step program for teens, every Wednesday from 6-7:30 p.m. For more information, email thelanding@embc.church. North Cove Church of God will have a breakfast sale on every third Saturday of the month. Living Waters Tabernacle of Old Fort is offering a worship service twice a month for college-aged adults called Encounter. The service will be the first and third Thursday of each month from 6:30-7:30 p.m. At each meeting, a new topic will be discussed with a guest speaker; live music will be played; and refreshments will be served. For more information, check out Living Waters Tabernacle of Old Fort on Facebook or email jakanjamison96@gmail.com. The church is at 344 Moffitt Hill Church Road in Old Fort. Cross Mill United Methodist Church has a sharing food pantry for the community. The tiny food pantry is outside the church fellowship building, and is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The nonperishable food items are available for anyone in need. If you would like to donate items to this ministry, you may drop them off at the pantry box or call 460-9257 or 442-8098. Greenlee Baptist Church, 5967 U.S. 70 W. in Old Fort, offers Kids on a Mission each Sunday from 6-8 p.m. Newborns to seniors in high school are invited to join. The church also has a deaf ministry available. Interpreters will be provided for the worship services every Sunday at 10:55 a.m. For information, call the church office at 668-6075 between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Cross Ties Cowboy Church meets every first Thursday at 2365 Bethlehem Road in Old Fort at 7 p.m. in the barn. For more information, call 828-925-2095. Landmark Independent Baptist Church will host a meeting on alcohol and addiction awareness by Gene Sigmon the third Friday of each month at 6:30 p.m. The church is at 225 Huskins Branch Road in Marion. For more information, contact Sigmon at soundmind16@yahoo.com. Apostolic Restoration Ministries is a new church to the area. If anyone is interested in attending, call Tim Eller at 828-443-2050. Peppers Creek Baptist Church will have a singing on the fourth Saturday of each month at 7 p.m. from January through October. McDowell Childrens Ministry, a ministry for children of the community interested in participating in a life-changing program, meets twice monthly. For more information, call Daniel at 659-0095 during the day or at 738-0733 in the evenings. Cross Mill Pentecostal Holiness Church has a soaking prayer and intercession meeting every Friday at 8 p.m. For information, call the Rev. Doug Beane-Hall at 442-6216. Vision Baptist Church, at 1841 Fairview Road, Marion, is offering Extreme Teens (Club 411) on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 10 a.m. Victorious Couples meet on Sundays at 10 a.m. Additional childrens and adult programs are also available. The deposed Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir is still in a hospital under the custody of the judicial police, the army announced on Wednesday, after one of his lieutenants, wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), announced that he had escaped with others. The army said that four other military accused for the June 30, the coup detat of al-Bashir in 1989, are also in the Alia hospital of the armed forces since before the beginning of the fighting on April 15 between the two generals in power in Khartoum. A former dictator in Sudan wanted for crimes against humanity announced that he had escaped from prison with other ex-collaborators in this country in the midst of chaos, raising fears of a new conflagration at a time when a ceasefire concluded under the auspices of the United States remains fragile. Ahmed Haroun was detained in Kober prison in the capital Khartoum, along with other senior officials of the former regime, including Omar al-Bashir, the deposed dictator in 2019 and the subject of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur. In an address recorded on Sudanese television Tuesday night, Haroun, who is also wanted by the ICC, said former officials of Bashirs regime were no longer in detention. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women and many women are being treated to prevent the cancer from returning, for example with adjuvant hormone therapy. This therapy is prescribed as a once-a-day pill for estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer patients (around 80% of all cases) for a duration of at least five years. Despite the fact that adjuvant hormone therapy benefits ER-positive breast cancer patients, many of them stop taking this medication before completing the recommended regimen, which can negatively impact their survival. Below, Erwei Zeng at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics discusses her doctoral thesis, in which she evaluated why this happens and how it affects patient outcomes in breast cancer patients diagnosed in the Stockholm-Gotland region of Sweden. What are the most important results in your thesis? One common side effect of adjuvant hormone therapy is hot flashes, which have been linked to better prognosis in a clinical trial, as these side effects suggest that the therapy is working for the patients. Our study showed that women with treatment-related hot flashes were more likely to have worse breast cancer prognoses, probably because they stopped taking the medication due to the negative side effects. Other reasons for stopping the medication prematurely included familial adversity, such as material deprivation, negative family dynamics, and bereavement. We also found that breast cancer patients who stopped taking the medication were more likely to stop taking their cardiovascular medications, which might increase their risk of dying from not only breast cancer but also cardiovascular disease. On a positive note, we found that women who extended their adjuvant hormone therapy beyond a duration of five years had a better chance of staying cancer-free. What do you think should be done for these women? Breast cancer patients need to adhere to their recommended plan for adjuvant hormone therapy to maximize the chances of a positive outcome. Based on my projects, we have a few suggestions; First, patients need to be aware of potential side effects and talk to their doctors if they have concerns. Second, patients experiencing familial adversity may need additional support to complete the therapy. Third, taking multiple medications is challenging for breast cancer patients, requiring clinicians attention to help patients manage them. Finally, if recommended by their doctors, patients should consider extending the adjuvant hormone therapy duration after initial five years to improve their long-term survival. More information: Adjuvant hormone therapy in breast cancer patients: a special focus on treatment discontinuation. openarchive.ki.se/xmlui/handle/10616/48585 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Insomnia affects up to half of people with schizophrenia and is thought to worsen the impact of their disease, including their risk of suicide. A new meta-analysis of the antipsychotics these patients take indicates those who take clozapine have significantly fewer problems with insomnia, investigators report. Insomnia and suicide risk have been linked in schizophrenia, and clozapine is the only antipsychotic with a Food and Drug Administration indicator for reducing suicide risk, says Brian Miller, MD, psychiatrist and schizophrenia expert at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. MCG investigators say it's plausible that clozapine's ability to essentially double patients' ability to sleep versus other antipsychotics helps explain the reduced suicide risk. Insomnia has been found to generally worsen schizophrenia symptoms and complications from obesity to depression. However, clozapine, which has a small risk of big side effects including inflammation of the heart muscle and an acute, severe drop in immune cells that can leave patients vulnerable to life-threating infections, is typically only used in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia, not as a first-line therapy, says Miller, who has dozens of these patients taking clozapine. The MCG investigators performed what appears to be the first systematic review of insomnia in patients with schizophrenia that looked at the impact of clozapine versus other antipsychotics. They reviewed information on 1,952 patients enrolled in eight clinical trials that included 922 people treated with clozapine and the remainder with other first-line antipsychotics, like risperidone and olanzapine. They found each of the other antipsychotics associated with increased odds of having insomnia compared to clozapine; overall a 2.2-fold increased risk. Their findings published in the journal Schizophrenia Research, support and extend previous work indicating clozapine can help combat insomnia in these individuals, says the study's senior author Vaughn McCall, MD, an expert in the trifecta of insomnia, depression and suicide who chairs the MCG Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior. While all the connections have not been made, there is no question that, bigger picture, the inability to sleep can make you desperate and become a recipe for disaster, McCall says. In fact, multiple studies by experts like McCall have associated insomnia and suicide outside of schizophrenia. Either way, a bottom line of the new study is that physicians need to be aggressive in assessing and treating insomnia in patients with schizophrenia, says corresponding author Miller. With close monitoring, clozapine may be an answer for some, they say. "This is a drug with dramatic upsides and dramatic downsides," McCall says. "It is not a trivial decision to use this drug." "But one of its tremendous upsides is the FDA's indication for suicide prevention," adds Miller, which again likely links back to the drug's efficacy in insomnia. Clozapine also has been associated with increased total sleep time and efficiency. One quarter to one half of patients with schizophrenia and related problems have ongoing issues with insomnia, Miller says, which may continue despite treatment with an antipsychotic. Clozapine is typically used in patients in whom two other antipsychotics have been tried and failed to control their schizophrenia. "We use it because it changes lives," Miller says. He notes some of his patients who have dropped out of college because of their illness, go back to school, get good jobs, some have even completed graduate school on clozapine. Miller noted a patient he met during his fellowship training at MCG and AU Health who had been hospitalized nine times in a single year. On clozapine, the patient was hospitalized once or twice in a decade, both times triggered by a urinary tract infection, Miller says. "I just think that when you are not sleeping well, whether it's because of symptoms of a psychiatric illness, or because you have a newborn child or for whatever reason you got a bad night's sleep, the world is just not the same the next day," Miller says. "If you have that start stacking on itself, cumulatively the effects could be substantial." The investigators write that clozapine's association with decreased suicide risk is likely "complex and multifactorial," that published reports are relatively few and a better understanding of the association with insomnia is needed. There are likely multiple factors including genetics at play plus the symptoms of the condition itself, they say. "If you are hearing voices that are unrelenting, if you are suspicious or paranoid that someone is out to harm you, it makes it really hard to sleep," Miller says. Patients also may self-medicate with caffeine to try to address often significant symptoms like attention problems. Miller says one theory about how clozapine may combat insomnia is it acts on multiple different receptors in the brain to change the message neurons send. He often uses the Goldilocks analogy that the combination of receptors where it acts is "just right." Variations in the receptor for melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle, have been associated with insomnia in schizophrenia. As with many of us, insomnia is associated with other negative health issues like night eating and obesity as well as higher blood levels of fat and cholesterol in people with schizophrenia. McCall and Miller theorize that the strong antihistamine effect of clozapine may contribute to its impact on both insomnia and suicide. Histamine is a chemical produced by the immune system in response to an invader such as an allergen like ragweed or cat dander. But too much histamine can also cause a host of problems from congestion to itchy skin to a runny nose and insomnia. There is evidence that histamine signals the brain to stay awake, one reason the antihistamines we take for a runny nose can also make us sleepy. Miller notes that while all antipsychotics block histamine, clozapine is the most potent. Clozapine's severe potential side effects include agranulocytosis, the condition which can leave you vulnerable to life-threatening infections; the heart muscle inflammation called myocarditis; seizures; a pulmonary embolism; and metabolic syndrome including significant weight gain. Miller referenced one of his patients who gained 30 pounds in just six weeks on clozapine. Miller notes that the actual risk of some of these serious side effects, like agranulocytosis, is low, about 1%, but real and requires a weekly blood test for the first six months of treatment and close follow up after that. The drug also has many benefits in addition to reducing suicide and insomnia risk, including a lower risk of the potentially irreversible movement disorder tardive dyskinesia than some other antipsychotics, improving cognition, which can be significantly impacted with schizophrenia, impairing the ability to work and live independently and fewer relapses. There are a very limited number of patients who can ultimately reduce how much clozapine they take and/or eventually stop taking other antipsychotics but overall their experience with weaning has not gone well, Miller says. McCall notes that the opportunity to "rescue" a patient a second time with antipsychotics is less than with their initial experience. However, when there are those catastrophic consequences like heart failure, you have to at least change the drug, McCall says. Oddly, they also found that quetiapine, an antipsychotic often given off label for insomnia, had the highest odds of insomnia risk compared to clozapine, they report. Also oddly, other trials have failed to show quetiapine's benefit on a good night's sleep other than in schizophrenia. Despite the associated concerns, McCall notes that insomnia is not included as a core symptom of schizophrenia, in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. McCall and Miller have been collaborating for about five years to learn and publish more about sleep and suicide in psychiatric and mood disorders. Objective clues to assess suicide risk could be beneficial, and their current pursuits include, much like an ophthalmologist might, seeing how the pupils respond to light to determine if a state of hyperarousal reflects these often related risks in patients with schizophrenia. More information: Brian J. Miller et al, Meta-analysis of clozapine and insomnia in schizophrenia, Schizophrenia Research (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2023.01.018 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A study of ChatGPT found the artificial intelligence tool answered less than half of the test questions correctly from a study resource commonly used by physicians when preparing for board certification in ophthalmology. The study, published in JAMA Ophthalmology and led by St. Michael's Hospital, a site of Unity Health Toronto, found ChatGPT correctly answered 46% of questions when the test was initially conducted in January 2023. When researchers conducted the same test one month later, ChatGPT scored more than 10% higher. The potential of AI in medicine and exam preparation has garnered excitement since ChatGPT became publicly available in Nov. 2022. It's also raising concern for the potential of incorrect information and cheating in academia. ChatGPT is free, available to anyone with an internet connection, and works in a conversational manner. "ChatGPT may have an increasing role in medical education and clinical practice over time, however it is important to stress the responsible use of such AI systems," said Dr. Rajeev H. Muni, principal investigator of the study and a researcher at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at St. Michael's. "ChatGPT as used in this investigation did not answer sufficient multiple choice questions correctly for it to provide substantial assistance in preparing for board certification at this time." Researchers used a dataset of practice multiple choice questions from the free trial of OphthoQuestions, a common resource for board certification exam preparation. To ensure ChatGPT's responses were not influenced by concurrent conversations, entries or conversations with ChatGPT were cleared prior to inputting each question and a new ChatGPT account was used. Questions that used images and videos were not included because ChatGPT only accepts text input. Of 125 text-based multiple-choice questions, ChatGPT answered 58 (46%) questions correctly when the study was first conducted in January 2023. Researchers repeated the analysis on ChatGPT in February 2023, and the performance improved to 58%. "ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence system that has tremendous promise in medical education. Though it provided incorrect answers to board certification questions in ophthalmology about half the time, we anticipate that ChatGPT's body of knowledge will rapidly evolve," said Dr. Marko Popovic, a co-author of the study and a resident physician in the Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences at the University of Toronto. ChatGPT closely matched how trainees answer questions, and selected the same multiple-choice response as the most common answer provided by ophthalmology trainees 44% of the time. ChatGPT selected the multiple-choice response that was least popular among ophthalmology trainees 11% of the time, second least popular 18% of the time, and second most popular 22% of the time. "ChatGPT performed most accurately on general medicine questions, answering 79% of them correctly. On the other hand, its accuracy was considerably lower on questions for ophthalmology subspecialties. For instance, the chatbot answered 20% of questions correctly on oculoplastics and 0% correctly from the subspecialty of retina. The accuracy of ChatGPT will likely improve most in niche subspecialties in the future," said Andrew Mihalache, lead author of the study and undergraduate student at Western University. More information: Andrew Mihalache et al, Performance of an Artificial Intelligence Chatbot in Ophthalmic Knowledge Assessment, JAMA Ophthalmology (2023). DOI: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2023.1144 , dx.doi.org/10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2023.1144 Journal information: JAMA Ophthalmology 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: Central Illustration. Credit: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2022.11.049 A long-term analysis designed by Christian Gerges and Irene Lang at the Department of Medicine II of the University Hospital Vienna and MedUni Vienna indicates that one third of patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) also have left heart disease. In the past, the possibility of overlap between these two conditions had not been considered in the diagnosis and treatment of CTEPH patients. The new findings were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The long-term analysis is based on the systematic examination of 611 patients diagnosed between 1993 and 2019 at the Division of Cardiology at the Department of Medicine II together with the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the University Hospital Vienna and MedUni Vienna. For this purpose, precise haemodynamic measurements by means of right and left heart catheters were evaluated, carried out at the Division of Cardiology in the cardiac catheterisation laboratory. The results show that left heart disease can occur simultaneously with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. Previously, this overlap had not been considered in diagnosis and treatment. "Until now, guidelines for the diagnosis of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension have required examination of the pulmonary circulation only. The possibility that CTEPH patients are also affected by left heart disease were not considered in the diagnostic process. The results of the long-term study now show that one third of CTEPH patients also have left heart disease," says Irene Lang, head of the study and head of the outpatient ward for pulmonary vascular diseases, Division of Cardiology, of the MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna. As is the case with left heart disease, a filling disease of the left ventricle, the most important chamber of the heart from which blood is supplied to the organs, this specific form of pulmonary hypertension aggravates breathing. Clinically, the two diseases are difficult to distinguish from each other. Both conditions occur primarily during middle to older age. "The results of the analysis provide evidence that the guidelines for CTEPH diagnosis should be expanded to include left heart catheterization, because CTEPH and left heart disease may coexist, which impacts prognosis," says Lang. The result of the analysis also bears out on drug treatment. Lang sees new challenges here, as drugs approved for pulmonary hypertension and CTEPH may be harmful in left heart disease. Building on the results of the long-term study, the task now is to work out the overlap between the two conditions in more detail and to find drugs that can treat both diseases. Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH): A rare disease Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a specific form of pulmonary hypertension and a severe complication of acute pulmonary embolism easily overlooked. With a prevalence of 50 per million, CTEPH is a rare disease. While the diagnosis was still associated with a poor prognosis in the 1980s, the prognosis for CTEPH patients has improved considerably during recent decades due to new treatment options. Today, in specialized pulmonary vascular disease centers such as the one at the University Hospital Vienna and MedUni Vienna, where multidisciplinary teams of cardiology, radiology, pulmonology and thoracic surgery work closely together and which is a member of the European Reference Network (ERN), patients have three independent treatment options at their disposal: targeted drug therapy, a surgical procedure and a percutaneous procedure. More information: Christian Gerges et al, Left Ventricular Filling Pressure in Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension, Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2022.11.049 Journal information: Journal of the American College of Cardiology 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: Advantage of electric vs. diesel school buses. Credit: CPCHE Health and environmental advocates today called on communities, school boards and governments at every level to accelerate the electrification of school buses, replacing tens of thousands of diesel-powered school buses spewing toxic fumes that can seriously harm child health and interfere with learning. Led by the Canadian Partnership for Children's Health and Environment (CPCHE), a coalition of 34 organizations made the goal of all-electric school bus fleets in Canada the central focus of this year's national Healthy Environments for Learning Day (April 27). The joint call for urgent action by relevant decision-makers nationwide closely follows the publication in January of new scientific evidence from British Columbia that even "brief diesel exhaust exposure acutely impairs functional brain connectivity." While adult subjects were studied, the new research raises further concerns about impaired brain function and learning ability of children breathing diesel fumes. Other research has warned that diesel exhaust may impede child neurodevelopment, spatial learning, attention and memory, and contributes to a myriad other physical and mental health problems (detailed below), as well as climate change. "Faced with the existential threat posed by climate change and mounting scientific evidence of the harm to children caused by traffic-related air pollution, including diesel exhaust, more comprehensive and urgent action is needed to bring electric school bus transportation to all communities across Canada," the declaration says. It underlines that "electric school buses are a viable solution that eliminates diesel bus emissions and exemplifies local action on climate change." The majority of Canada's 50,000 school buses use diesel fuel. Each year, school buses make 792 million trips to carry roughly 2.2 million children to and from school. Says CPCHE Executive Director Erica Phipps, "Buses operating close to schools mean that all children, not just those riding the buses, can be exposed to and affected by diesel exhaust." "The financial savings achieved over time by switching to cleaner, more sustainable school transportation more than make up for the initial cost of an electric bus. By switching to electric school buses, we can help our children thrive physically and intellectually while protecting the environment for generations to come with a tangible, visible action on climate change." CPCHE and its collaborators today called on all levels of government to: Accelerate the shift to all electric school bus fleets across Canada, through policy and funding measures that support electric bus procurement, operation and infrastructure Prioritize electric school bus adoption in communities facing disproportionate exposure to traffic-related air pollution Promote and celebrate the electric school bus as a way for children, families and communities to learn about and participate in climate action through the transition to zero-emission transportation in Canada Says Dr. Phipps, "Given what we know about the child health effects of diesel exhaust and the risks posed by climate change, switching to an all electric school bus fleet should be an obvious choice nationwide to protect the health of children, now and into the future." Along with the call for government action, the campaign is promoting videos and other educational resources to catalyze and inform local efforts to support the shift. "The iconic yellow school bus transitioning to electric is a symbol of active hope," Dr. Phipps says. "It is an opportunity for students, educators and local communities to learn about and engage in a tangible action to protect the health of our children and the planet." A litany of child health consequences The World Health Organization has recognized diesel exhaust as a human carcinogen. And Health Canada's Human Health Risk Assessment concludes that exposure to diesel exhaust causes lung cancer and is linked to bladder cancer. Health Canada has also documented a link between traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) and certain types of cancer including childhood leukemia and, in adults, breast cancer. Credit: CPCHE Acute and chronic exposures to diesel exhaust are linked to various harms including reduced lung function, inflammation of the airways, the risk of child asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, increased sensitivity to allergens, heart disease, arrhythmia, ischemia and myocardial infarction. Toxicological research on diesel exhaust has also shown potential links to reproductive and developmental effects, and altered hormone levels and gene expression. Today's declaration notes that children are more vulnerable than adults to the health effects of air pollution, including diesel exhaust, "because their bodies are growing, their lungs are developing and because they breathe in more air per kilogram of body weight." Furthermore, "while Canadian data are limited, research shows that children in Canada who experience poverty, racialization and other forms of marginalization are often at greater risk because of disproportionate exposure to traffic-related air pollution." Researchers have concluded that prenatal and early life exposures to traffic-related air pollution are likely implicated in autism spectrum disorder. Researchers have also found associations between TRAP and deficits in intelligence, memory, attention and behavior, as well as symptoms of anxiety and depression. Furthermore, children can experience indirect barriers to learning as an impact of diesel exhaust. Asthma, for example, is the leading cause of school absenteeism and diesel emissions contribute to thousands of asthma symptom days and child acute bronchitis episodes across Canada every year. Studies also show that substantial reductions in diesel emissions from school buses can contribute to decreases in childhood bronchitis and asthma cases, and lower diesel exposure may improve cognitive functioning. Electric vs. diesel-powered buses: While child health protection and climate action are clear benefits, initial challenges of shifting to electric school bus transportation can include the upfront costs of electric school bus models, the costs of charging stations and training for drivers and maintenance staff, and the shorter range of electric buses (though evolving battery technology is shrinking this difference with diesel vehicles). While reliable operation in extreme cold weather is an often-cited concern, leading manufacturers of electric school buses guarantee their vehicles for operation in such conditions. More information: Full call to action: drive.google.com/file/d/1_s1xF HSXb3582rca6L1A/view Provided by Canadian Partnership for Children's Health and Environment / Canadian Child Care Federation This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain The European Union's drug watchdog has recommended approval of pharmaceutical giant GSK's vaccine against the RSV respiratory virus for over-60s, the British firm said on Thursday. There are currently no authorised shots for the common virus, which causes cold-like symptoms in most cases but can be serious or even deadly in vulnerable older people. However, pharma firms including GSK, Pfizer and Moderna have all developed vaccines against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) that they are racing to get authorised. If approved, GSK's shot has "the potential to be the first vaccine available to help protect older adults from RSV disease," the company said in a statement. The European Medicines Agency said its committee for human medicines gave a positive assessment of the vaccine based on the results of a trial which included 25,000 participants in 17 countries. The results showed that the vaccine was 83 percent effective at protecting against RSV-related diseases in people aged 60 years or over, with generally mild side effects. The positive opinion will now be evaluated by the European Commission, which normally follows the EMA's recommendations to approve drugs. GSK said that a decision was expected by July. The vaccine uses an engineered protein and an adjuvant substance to promote antibodies and T cells that help fight off RSV infection. RSV causes 250,000 people over 60 to be hospitalised and 17,000 to die every year in Europe, according to the EMA. GSK said its vaccine is also being reviewed in the United States, Japan and other countries. Pfizer has said that it expects a decision from the US Food and Drug Administration in May for its own over-60s RSV vaccine. In January, Moderna said it hopes its RSV vaccine would be approved and available for the Northern Hemisphere's winter later this year. Last year, the EU approved a preventative treatment against RSV, developed British-Swedish pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca and France's Sanofi, which works similarly to a vaccine. 2023 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Students from Achievable Dream visit the Life-Guard helipad atop Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Achievable Dream gives students who are at risk of failure in school because of socioeconomic factors a chance to succeed. Exposing students to health care careers early on can foster a desire to pursue a path to medical school, residency, and beyond. Credit: Ryan Anderson for Virginia Tech. Leading national organizations focused on graduate medical education assert that losing the diversity gap is critical to ensure equity in medical education and health care quality. Nevertheless, evidence-based strategies and best practices to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the biomedical workforce remain poorly understood and underused. "We need to meet the needs of the people," said Jed Gonzalo, senior associate dean for medical education at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine (VTCSOM). "Diverse patient populations need diverse health care to help them meet their best outcomes." Gonzalo was one of eight medical professionals who recently took a deep dive into what 29 graduate medical education programs, also known as residency programs, are doing to increase their diversity. The group did a qualitative analysis of applications for the Barbara Ross-Lee, D.O., Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award over a two-year period. The award, supported by GME's governing body, recognizes exceptional DEI efforts in U.S. residency programs. Based on a content analysis of these exemplary programs, the researchers identified 33 themes and placed them in broad categories such as recruitment, intentionally integrating DEI into the residency interview process, retaining residents who are underrepresented in medicine as faculty, using affinity groups as mentors. "We have studies that show that minoritized individuals do better when they're being taken care of by clinicians who look like them, have similar experiences, or even an understanding of what life is like for them," said Azziza Bankole, professor of psychiatry and behavioral health, and chief diversity officer at VTCSOM. "Diverse learning environments help our trainees, our residents, our medical students, and students in other health professions as well." "The importance of diversity has to do with the quality of the learning environment," said Arthur Ollendorff, associate dean of VTCSOM's graduate medical education and professor of obstetrics and gynecology. "I believe that medical education is part of a social contract. It is our duty to train physicians who can meet the needs of their communities." As a physician for Carilion Clinic, Ollendorff is familiar with the health system's educational mission that includes training of residents. Being immersed in intense clinical learning, residents are following the examples of their attendings who are doctors who have completed their training and often play an active role in the education of interns, residents, and medical students. "The hope is that training in a setting that values diversity will make all trainees more in tune to the needs and best approaches to all the patients we serve," Ollendorff said. Recognizing the importance of DEI, VTCSOM has initiated numerous diversity programs in recent years, including MedDOCS, an after-school mentoring program for Roanoke high school students, Health Professions Enrichment Program, an educational outreach series for high-potential ninth and tenth grade students, the Diversity and Belonging series for students, faculty, and staff, and Mentoring Communities for faculty and students. In addition, the school partners with the Achievable Dream Academy, which gives students who are at risk of failure in school becuase of socioeconomic factors, a chance to succeed. The diversity, equity, and inclusion website has a complete listing. "A lot of great work is being done here at VTCSOM," Gonzalo said. "We hope programs and sponsoring institutions will look at the list of strategies in our study and say, 'We could do this or that,' which is great. We hope the study will spark ideas. What I think is critical is that implementing strategies should be done with a systematic and thoughtful approach so that they are deep-rooted and enduring." The strategies and best practices identified by the research group are intended to give graduate medical education programs ideas and starting points for developing their own DEI initiatives. Their report appears in JAMA Network Open. More information: Dowin Boatright et al, Strategies and Best Practices to Improve Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Among US Graduate Medical Education Programs, JAMA Network Open (2023). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.55110 Journal information: JAMA Network Open []B(200058):2022 20230427 13:53:37 : : B:2022 Stock code: 000058, 200058 Stock abbreviation: SHEN SEG, SHEN SEG B Notice No.: 2023-022 Shenzhen SEG Co., Ltd. Notice on the Correction of the "Abstract of 2022 Annual Report" The Company and all members of the Board of Directors guarantee that the information disclosed is true, accurate and complete, and there are no false records, misleading statements or material omissions. Shenzhen SEG Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "the Company") released the "Abstract of 2022 Annual Report" (Notice No.: 2023-009) on Juchao Website on April 27, 2023. After verification, it was found that, in the Company's "Abstract of 2022 Annual Report", some data in the "(1) Main Accounting Data and Financial Indexes in Recent Three Years" under the "3. Main Accounting Data and Financial Indexes in Recent Three Years" in the section of "II. Company Profile" are wrong and are hereby corrected as follows: (I)Before correction: (1) Main Accounting Data and Financial Indexes in Recent Three Years Are retrospective adjustments made to previous financial statements? Yes ? No Unit: RMB/yuan 2022 2021 Year-on-year increase/decrease 2020 Net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company after deduction of non-recurring profit and loss 31,661,979.02 14,502,483.78 -318.32% -23,361,507.86 (II) After correction: (1) Main Accounting Data and Financial Indexes in Recent Three Years Are retrospective adjustments made to previous financial statements? Yes ? No Unit: RMB/yuan 2022 2021 Year-on-year increase/decrease 2020 Net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company after deduction of non-recurring profit and loss -31,661,979.02 14,502,483.78 -318.32% -23,361,507.86 Except for the corrections above, other contents in the "Abstract of 2022 Annual Report" (Notice No.: 2023-009) remain the same. The Company apologizes for any inconvenience caused by the above corrections and appreciate the understanding of investors. Hereby notify. Board of Directors of Shenzhen SEG Co., Ltd. April 27, 2023 Stock code: 000058, 200058 Stock abbreviation: SHEN SEG, SHEN SEG B Notice No.: 2023-022Shenzhen SEG Co., Ltd.Notice on the Correction of the "Abstract of 2022 AnnualReport"The Company and all members of the Board of Directors guarantee that the information disclosed is true, accurate and complete, and there are no false records, misleading statements or material omissions.Shenzhen SEG Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "the Company") released the "Abstract of 2022 Annual Report" (Notice No.: 2023-009) on Juchao Website on April 27, 2023. After verification, it was found that, in the Company's "Abstract of 2022 Annual Report", some data in the "(1) Main Accounting Data and Financial Indexes in Recent Three Years" under the "3. Main Accounting Data and Financial Indexes in Recent Three Years" in the section of "II. Company Profile" are wrong and are hereby corrected as follows:(I)Before correction:(1) Main Accounting Data and Financial Indexes in Recent Three Years Are retrospective adjustments made to previous financial statements? Yes ? NoUnit: RMB/yuan(II) After correction:(1) Main Accounting Data and Financial Indexes in Recent Three Years Are retrospective adjustments made to previous financial statements? Yes ? NoUnit: RMB/yuanExcept for the corrections above, other contents in the "Abstract of 2022 Annual Report" (Notice No.: 2023-009) remain the same. The Company apologizes for any inconvenience caused by the above corrections and appreciate the understanding of investors.Hereby notify.Board of Directors of Shenzhen SEG Co., Ltd.April 27, 2023 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Clinicians in an intensive care unit need to make complex decisions quickly and precisely, monitoring critically ill or unstable patients around the clock. Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University's Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII) collaborated with physicians and researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC to determine if artificial intelligence could help in this decision-making process and if clinicians would even trust such assistance. The team gave 24 ICU physicians access to an AI-based tool designed to help make decisions and found that most incorporated the assistance into some of their decisions. "It feels like clinicians are excited about the potential for AI to help them, but they might not be familiar with how these AI tools would work. So it's really interesting to bring these systems to them," said Venkatesh Sivaraman, a Ph.D. student in the HCII and member of the research team. Using the AI Clinician model introduced in Nature by a group of researchers in 2018, the team designed an interactive clinical decision support (CDS) interfacecalled the AI Clinician Explorerthat provides recommendations for treating sepsis. The model was trained on a data set of more than 18,000 patients who met standard diagnostic criteria for sepsis at some point during their ICU stays. The system enables clinical experts to filter and search for patients in the data set, visualize their disease trajectories, and compare the model predictions to actual treatment decisions delivered at the bedside. "Clinicians are always entering a lot of data about the patients they see into these computer systems and electronic health records," Sivaraman said. "The idea is that maybe we can learn from some of that data so we can try to speed up some of their processes, make their lives a little bit easier and also maybe improve the consistency of care." The team put their system to the test via a think-aloud study with 24 clinicians who practice in the ICU and have experience treating sepsis. During the study, participants used a simplified AI Clinician Explorer interface to assess and make treatment decisions for four simulated patient cases. "We thought the clinicians would either let the AI make the decision entirely or ignore it completely and make their own decision," Sivaraman said. But the results were not so binary. The team identified four common behaviors among the clinicians: ignore, rely, consider and negotiate. The "ignore" group did not let the AI influence their decision and mostly made their decisions before even looking at the recommendation. By contrast, the "rely" group consistently accepted at least part of the AI's input in every decision. In the "consider" group, physicians thought about the AI recommendation in every case and then either accepted or rejected it. Most participants, however, fell into the "negotiate" group, which includes practitioners who accepted individual aspects of the recommendations in at least one of their decisions, but not all. The team was surprised by these results, which also provided insight on ways to improve the AI Clinician Explorer. Clinicians expressed concerns that the AI did not have access to more holistic data, such as the patient's general appearance, and were skeptical when the AI made recommendations contrary to what they were taught. "When the CDS deviates from what clinicians would normally do or consider to be best practice, there was not a good sense of why," Sivaraman said. "So right now, we're focusing on determining how to provide that data and validate these recommendations, which is a challenging problem that will require machine learning and AI." The team's research doesn't attempt to replace or replicate clinician decision-making, but instead hopes to use AI to reveal patterns that may have gone unnoticed in past patient outcomes. "There are a lot of diseases, like sepsis, that might present very differently for each patient, and the best course of action might be different depending on that," Sivaraman said. "It's impossible for any one human to amass all that knowledge to know how to do things best in every situation. So maybe AI can nudge them in a direction they hadn't considered or help validate what they consider the best course of action." Sivaraman's collaborators include Adam Perer, an assistant research professor in the HCII; Leigh Bukowski, a senior research manager at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Public Health; Joel Levin, a doctoral candidate in Pitt's Katz Graduate School of Business; and Jeremy Kahn, a physician in UPMC's Department of Critical Care Medicine and associate professor of critical care medicine and health policy in Pitt's School of Medicine and School of Public Health. Sivaraman presented the team's paper "Ignore, Trust or Negotiate: Understanding Clinician Acceptance of AI-Based Treatment Recommendations in Health Care" this month at the Association for Computing Machinery's Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2023) in Hamburg, Germany. The paper is published on the arXiv preprint server. More information: Conference: chi2023.acm.org/ Venkatesh Sivaraman et al, Ignore, Trust, or Negotiate: Understanding Clinician Acceptance of AI-Based Treatment Recommendations in Health Care, arXiv (2023). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2302.00096 Journal information: Nature , arXiv This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: CC0 Public Domain Families of those with serious mental health issues feel stigmatized and alone, say York University researchers in a new study. "We are avoided. When we told our family, they shut us out, I am so hurt, and so angry"62-year-old mom with an adult son with serious mental illness, as described to York researchers. It's well known that those who have serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia face a great deal of stigma in society, but what has been less understood is the concept of "stigma by association"the discrimination people close to them experience. A team of York researchers looked at just that in a recent study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, and found that one in three family members living with relatives who have serious mental illnesses experience stigma. Ahead of Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Mental Health Week, starting May 1, Joel Goldberg, lead author on the study describes this figure as "startling" and points to the need to do more outreach. "We wanted to reach out to a group of people who we think have been especially marginalized and one of the things that we noticed right away, is that this is a group of people who have really not been well studied. And that really speaks to how isolated they are," says Goldberg, a York Faculty of Health Professor with the Department of Psychology. "We found that family members were not receiving the social support they needed, even from other family members." Credit: York University The researchers, including York graduate researchers Suzanne McKeag, Alison Rose and Heather Lumsden-Ruegg and York Psychology Professor and Canada Research Chair Gordon Flett, reached out to groups like the Schizophrenia Society of Ontario, Reconnect Community Health Services, the CMHA and The Schizophrenia Society of York and were able to connect with 120 family members who were living with relatives with severe mental health challenges. In surveys, family members described chronic feelings of blame, failure and loneliness. Overall, the researchers found many felt stigmatized, unsupported, and that their lives don't matter. This last main finding builds on other work by Flett, who studies mattering, which is essentially the idea that all of us need to feel like we matter, and feeling like we don't, a concept Flett describes as anti-mattering, can lead to a host of problems. About one percent of the population is affected by schizophrenia, commonly characterized by auditory hallucinations ("hearing voices"), delusions, and disordered thinking that can affect daily functioning. "Unfortunately, it's a condition which has been really misrepresented in media portrayals. The few times when the public hears stories about people with schizophrenia, they hear about someone who hasn't been taking their medicine, or acts of violence," says Goldberg. "These ideas become the basis of the stigma, and families are then associated with it." Goldberg says that it is very probable that the numbers of family members facing stigma are actually much higher as the cohort they studied were people already connected to support groups. From a public-health perspective, the study points to the need to reach out to not only those who have the illness, but also their families, who he describes as "very marginalized." "If you're made to feel insignificant, if you are feeling like those around you treat you as if you're invisible, this can have really harmful effects on your sense of well-being," he says. "We're hoping with this Mental Health Week that this will give great attention to family members, and let them know that we do not see their lives as being insignificant, that we don't see them as being invisible, that their lives matter." More information: Joel O. Goldberg et al, Too Close for Comfort: Stigma by Association in Family Members Who Live with Relatives with Mental Illness, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2023). DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20065209 Journal information: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A national pilot program designed to improve outcomes for elderly surgical patients is scalable and can be implemented in a wide range of hospital typesfrom community hospitals to urban academic medical centers, according to a study published this week in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS). The study evaluated the implementation of standards developed by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Coalition for Quality in Geriatric Surgery (CQGS), a collective of 58 organizations across a variety of medical disciplines, including surgery, geriatrics, nursing, and pharmacy. This Coalition led to the development of the ACS Geriatric Surgery Verification Program (GSV), launched in July 2019. "We were able to demonstrate the feasibility of implementing these geriatric standards in eight different hospitals across the country that had variable sizes and geographic backgrounds and resources," said corresponding author Xane Peters, MD, a clinical scholar in the Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care with the ACS Geriatric Surgery Verification Program and a general surgery resident at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois. "This study highlights the value of a geriatric-oriented surgery quality program. The number of older adults in the United States is growing every year and a program like this is valuable because it targets a part of the population that's treated in the vast majority of hospitals across the U.S." The hospitals selected for the study ranged in size from about 160 beds to more than 1,000 beds. They represented every region of the U.S., and included university-associated programs, community hospitals, and government-affiliated centers. "Our goal was to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders that were interested in optimizing care for older adults," said senior author Marcia M. Russell, MD, FACS, vice chair of the ACS Committee on Geriatric Surgery and an associate professor of surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "The end goal was to identify the optimal standards for these patients and use those to develop a quality improvement program." In 2016, CQGS drafted 308 preliminary standards for geriatric surgery, winnowing that to 30 final standards for implementation at the pilot sites. In this study, researchers aimed to determine how well the selected standards could be implemented in pilot sites and to identify barriers and best practices in their implementation so that the standards could be further refined if needed. "Virtually every hospital will have to address how it cares for the growing older population in its community. The GSV program gives hospitals a roadmap about how to deliver the best surgical care for older patients to achieve their care goal," said Clifford Y. Ko, MD, MS, MSHS, FACS, FASCRS, Director of the ACS Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care. "This study shows that it is feasible for all hospitals to implement this program whether they are big or small, urban or rural. The GSV program not only leads to better outcomes for patients, but it also helps hospitals deliver optimal care more cost-effectively." A new article published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons describes how a national pilot program designed to improve outcomes for elderly patients who have surgery is scalable and can be implemented in a wide range of hospital types. In this video, Marcia M. Russell, MD, FACS, of the University of California, Los Angeles, and Xane Peters, MD, of Loyola University Medical Center describe the key findings of their study. Credit: American College of Surgeons Study details and results The study grouped the 30 standards into six different "chapters," or broad categories, and rated them in terms of compliance level at each hospital. The categories with the highest compliance were: Program Management Immediate Preoperative and Intraoperative Care Postoperative Clinical Care The categories with the lowest compliance were: Goals and Decision-Making Preoperative Optimization (practices for preparing patients for surgery) Transitions of Care The study identified barriers and challenges to the implementation of the quality standards, which helped in the development of the tools and resources available to hospitals participating in the ACS GSV Program to overcome these barriers. The most commonly cited barriers were workflow and staffing limitations, which the authors note may have become more challenging since the COVID-19 pandemic. "The ACS GSV program offers a lot of educational resources and best practices, some of which are shared between hospitals, so that institutions that are interested in implementing these programs can make use of things that have been done by other similar institutions so they're not reinventing the wheel," Dr. Peters said. Other barriers relate to educating providers about caring for geriatric patients, which led the CQGS to develop educational materials. "There are not enough geriatricians in the U.S. to care for all older adults," Dr. Russell said. "Our program identifies some ways to adapt. If you don't have a geriatrician at your hospital, you can still put these standards into place." "These findings provide evidence of real-life implementation by these eight very different hospitals and demonstrate that hospitals can put these geriatric standards into play," Dr. Russell added. "Hospitals were able to implement the standards in about six months, which is a pretty rapid timeline, and they had high levels of both full and partial compliance." More information: Meixi Ma et al, Multi-Site Implementation of an American College of Surgeons Geriatric Surgery Quality Improvement Initiative, Journal of the American College of Surgeons (2023). DOI: 10.1097/XCS.0000000000000723 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: The study found that mice treated with ethanol vapor are protected from lethal respiratory infections caused by the influenza A virus. Credit: Dr. Miho Tamai and Prof. Hiroki Ishikawa (OIST) Inhaling low concentrations of ethanol vapor can disable the influenza A virus in mice, without harmful side effects, says a new study by scientists at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST). The scientists believe it may also treat similar viruses such as the one that causes COVID-19. Prof. Tsumoru Shintake, who leads the Quantum Wave Microscopy Unit at OIST, first proposed the idea to use ethanol vapor to treat respiratory tract infections. He set out to test the approach with his colleague, Prof. Hiroki Ishikawa, leader of the Immune Signal Unit at OIST, and their team members. "Ethanol is an effective disinfectant for body surfaces, so we wanted to know whether ethanol could also be effective inside the body," said Dr. Miho Tamai, a scientist in Prof. Ishikawa's lab. Using a humidifier to produce ethanol vapor in a small container, they found that when mice infected with influenza A inhale the vapor for ten minutes, the virus is inactivated. The study is published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. Influenza A viruses accumulate in a thin fluid layer covering lung cells that protect the surface of the airway. The scientists think that the ethanol vapor must increase ethanol concentrations in the fluid to 20% to successfully treat the infection. This concentration is not toxic to lung cells the scientists created in the lab to mimic human cells. At body temperature, 20% ethanol can not only inactivate the influenza A virus outside of the cells in one minute, but also stop the virus from replicating inside these cells. The concentration of ethanol provided is important. If the concentration does not reach the right level to inactivate viruses, it will not be useful. Influenza A is a virus that has an outer membrane, called an envelope. "Ethanol vapor may also inactivate other enveloped viruses such as SARS-CoV-2," Prof. Ishikawa said, and so far, all viruses that have caused pandemics have been enveloped. "Once the next pandemic happens, maybe we can quickly apply the ethanol vapor inhalation therapy to prevent or cure the disease," he explained. Prof. Shintake agreed, noting that the effectiveness of this method does not depend on the variant of the virus. He explained that if designed carefully, an ethanol vapor inhalation method could possibly stop a pandemic in future. He and Prof. Ishikawa will continue to collaborate to optimize the therapy and to investigate its effects on other respiratory infectious diseases such as avian influenza viruses and SARS-CoV-2. The researchers believe that ethanol vapor inhalation treatment has great potential as a versatile and cost-effective new therapy against various respiratory infectious diseases. But Prof. Ishikawa cautioned that people should not try using ethanol as a therapy on their own. "That may lead to serious side-effects or explosion risks," he said. "The efficacy and safety of this new treatment on humans and other mammals should be carefully evaluated in the future." 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: Empathy can save lives. Credit: Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock A lack of empathy in healthcare can be disastrous. In the UK, between 2005 and 2009, hundreds of avoidable deaths occurred at the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust. The Francis report, which investigated the causes of the failings, concluded that a lack of empathy contributed to the catastrophe. More recently, dozens of tragic, unnecessary infant and maternal deaths occurred at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals. The Ockenden Report, which investigated the causes of these deaths, stated that lack of empathy exacerbated the problem. Meanwhile, research suggests empathy in doctors may even reduce premature death in patients with type 2 diabetes. Empathy is a core skill that medical students require. The General Medical Council, which sets the standards and outcomes for medical student education and training in the UK, says that empathy is central to their strategy. However, a "hidden curriculum" in medical school can reduce medical student empathy. A new study, published in BMC Medical Education, is the first to systematically demonstrate why empathy declines during medical training and raises important questions about the priorities of current medical education. Empathy is known to reduce patient pain and improve their satisfaction with care, and protects against doctor burnout. It's also cost-effective according to a study that compared longer, empathic consultations with standard consultations. Based on its importance, you might hope that empathy increases throughout medical school. Yet levels of empathy in medical students often decline as their training progresses. In a recently published systematic review, my colleagues and I analysed data from 16 qualitative studies and 771 medical students. Our review included any qualitative study that investigated why empathy might change during medical school. We found that when medical students transition from the first phase of medical school which is mostly lecture based, to the second phase of medical school which is more clinical and patient-facing, they are met with a "hidden" informal curriculum. This curriculum includes subtle, non-formal influences over students. For example, there is often an unbalanced focus on the biomedical model of disease, which focuses on the body as a machine, over the "biopsychosocial" model of disease, which includes biological, psychological and social factors. But also the way that the curriculum is structured to create a stressful workload, and to promote the influence of role models (who may show little empathy themselves) has an effect. Students, who are likely to have little experience of what being a patient is like, often adapt to this hidden curriculum by developing cynicism and becoming emotionally distanced and desensitised. This, in turn, lowers empathy. Like all studies, our review has some limitations. The studies included in the review were small, very few were from outside Europe or North America, and many were of limited quality. However, the remarkable consistency of the identified themes warrants rigorous efforts to reverse the empathy decline. How to fix the problem By bringing the cause of empathy decline to light, our study paves the way for educational programmes that foster, maintain and even enhance empathy in medical students. These interventions are described briefly below. Implementing these empathy interventions is difficult given the pressures on the tightly packed medical school curriculum. But it is possible. The Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare at the University of Leicester is currently developing and piloting all of them. Empathy benefits patients and practitioners, yet it declines throughout medical school. Now that we have identified the causes of its deterioration, medical schools can focus on curriculum interventions that enhance it. 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: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain New research has shown a lack of support available for family members and friends of people with gambling problems. The report recommends the introduction of specific support services for the millions of people in Britain affected by someone else's gambling. The report, by a team at the University of Bristol supported by the abrdn Financial Fairness Trust, comes ahead of the expected publication of the government's White Paper on gambling reforms. It is estimated that 11.8 million people in Britain may be negatively affected by someone who gambles. Family members and friends are often the unseen casualties of harmful gambling, experiencing a range of harms caused by someone else's gambling. The risk of harm is likely to be much higher for the estimated 3.6 million people who live with a 'problem gambler'. However, a key concern highlighted by the research was that although support services exist in Britain, provision is patchy, only serving certain geographical areas or groups, meaning access is limited despite high needs. The research included in-depth interviews with 45 people who had gambling problems or were affected by gambling. They highlighted a range of problems created by gambling including family conflict, relationship breakdown, financial losses, debt, and significant emotional impact. Speaking to someone from outside the family, such as a counselor, was identified by research participants as a good way to access emotional support. A workshop participant said, "Some counseling for the next generation like children in the family because sometimes what happens if they see their elders in the family doing it they might go into that cycle by themselves." As well as professional support, the concept of peer support was very popular. Researchers identified three main areas where family members and friends who are affected by someone else's gambling would value help and support: Understanding what's going on How to talk about what's going on Accessing specialist support and advice. In 2021/22, just 971 of the 7,072 clients who used Britain's National Gambling Treatment Service (NGTS) were affected othersequating to 14% of clients. Similarly, in a 2021 online survey of 18,038 GB adults, 70% of affected others said they had not sought advice or support on behalf of the person with the gambling problem, and they were even less likely to have done so for themselves (78% have not done so). The report calls for a major investment in services for those affected by someone else's gambling, including: The inclusion of specific services for affected others in strategic commissioning plans e.g. the NHS Long Term Plan and the National Gambling Treatment Service as well as increased funding for other types of provision. Regularly-run publicity and awareness-raising public health campaigns about the impact of gambling problems on family members and friends. Clear, targeted messaging about the existing services that can provide the types of help and support family members and friends want. Making sure there is 'no wrong door' for people who seek help, whether they are someone who gambles or an affected other, including a simple way to find information online about the range of help available. Professor Sharon Collard, Chair in Personal Finance and Co-Director of the Bristol Hub for Gambling Harms Research at the University of Bristol, said, "Our research highlights that harm from gambling extends well beyond the individuals who experience gambling problems themselves, to their family and social circles." "Personal relationship harms, financial harms and emotional harms from gambling problems compound each other in damaging ways within family and friendship networks; and can span several decades or generations. Existing and planned services must recognize and respond to this wide range of needs more effectively in order to reduce and prevent harm from gambling." Mubin Haq, CEO of abrdn Financial Fairness Trust, said, "The challenges experienced by friends and families of problem gamblers are often ignored and services which offer support are thin on the ground and underfunded. This research shines a light on what people who have experienced the issue say they need. The new gambling White Paper is an opportunity to increase investment to ensure we have the essential support many people affected by problem gambling need." This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A new pilot study has highlighted the potential of a music therapy technique to help children with severe acquired brain injuries (ABI) meet their walking rehabilitation goals. The first of its kind research project suggests rhythmic auditory stimulation could augment the physiotherapy ordinarily offered to children and young people who sustain a severe acquired brain injuryof whom there are believed to be around 350 each year in the UK. The practice aims to improve walking speed and quality of movement by using rhythms to provide cues for patients' stepping rate. In establishing neurological connections between the auditory prompts and physical movements, the technique has been shown to facilitate smoother and more coordinated walking patterns. While the potential of rhythmic auditory stimulation has never before been explored in the context of treating children with ABIs, the approach has been found to improve walking speed among people who have suffered a stroke, those living with Parkinson's disease and, more recently, children with cerebral palsy. All participants in the pilot study, published in the International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation and involving a music therapy expert from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), showed improvement as a result of rhythmic auditory stimulation being added to their rehabilitation program, with the most marked advances evident in walking quality. In light of these findings, the study's authors believe adding the technique to other interventions could help improve the outlook for children with ABIs. Dr. Jonathan Pool, Senior Research Fellow at Anglia Ruskin University's Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research and an author of the study, said, "This is the first study to look at rhythmic auditory stimulation for children and young people with acquired brain injury." "As a pilot study, it provides initial evidence of the effect of music on gait rehabilitation for this population and has revealed insights into some of the issues for researchers in this area." "While showing variation across participants in the benefits of rhythmic auditory stimulation, the study findings are encouraging and indicate that the detailed assessment of quality of movement should be considered alongside other tests when measuring functional gains in gait rehabilitation." More information: Gemma Kelly et al, Rhythmic auditory stimulation to improve gait rehabilitation outcomes for children with acquired brain injury: a pilot study, International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation (2023). DOI: 10.12968/ijtr.2022.0121 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain In a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a team of researchers has published an editorial calling for national governments to consider mandating real-time indoor air quality monitoring in at least all public buildings. Their editorial is published in the journal Building Simulation. The three-year-long COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has revealed that there is a global indoor-air crisis. Vaccination alone has not completely controlled the COVID-19 pandemic and the virus continues to threaten human health and life. Scientists now know most if not nearly all transmission occurs indoors in poorly ventilated spaces. The researchers note in their editorial that since more than 6.5 million people have been reported to die globally due to the SARS-CoV-2 infection and people continue to be infected, there is an urgent need to improve ventilation in buildings worldwide. The researchers observe that while two years have passed since it was officially recognized that airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 spreads the virus and some efforts have been made, there have been no significant improvements in building ventilation. Some governments have taken steps toward addressing the issue. The U.S. government issued its "Clean Air in Buildings Challenge" in March 2022, and the Hong Kong SAR government set a policy that requires six air changes per hour in 20,000 dine-in restaurants in the city. "In the absence of a worldwide effort to improve building ventilation, it is likely that poorly ventilated buildings will remain common, meaning that airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 will continue. Moreover, if another novel and highly contagious respiratory virus emerges in the future, another pandemic is likely to occur," said Yuguo Li, a professor at The University of Hong Kong. The researchers note that there are likely more than a billion indoor spaces in the world, and identifying those with poor ventilation remains a challenge. Understanding that SARS-CoV-2 is airborne is not enoughfor effective improvement, technologies are needed to identify where ventilation is insufficient. They also note that any improvements in ventilation must also take into consideration the buildings' energy efficiency. This is necessary because energy efficiency is needed to mitigate the effects of climate change. The two key components of building energy performance are thermal performance and ventilation performance. Humans can detect thermal conditions by using a thermometer to measure the temperature. But even though humans can detect odors, they cannot sense or predict a building's ventilation performance. So humans are not capable of detecting air pollutants, such as infection aerosols. This inability to detect most air pollutants contributes to the indoor air crisis, the researchers note. The researchers suggest that without governments establishing mandatory requirements for building ventilation performance, building owners will unlikely choose to monitor their buildings' ventilation performance. The researchers also note that monthly or annual data on building ventilation rates is not sufficient. Real-time hourly ventilation rates are needed to determine the ventilation performance of buildings. Taking into account the world's current population of seven billion people, the researchers suggest there are likely more than one billion homes globally. Along with that number, there are hundreds of millions of other indoor spaces, such as office buildings and movie theaters. It is an unrealistic goal at present to attempt to conduct real-time hourly monitoring for all those indoor spaces. Bringing the changes needed to improve building ventilation is highly challenging. If adequate ventilation data existed then a predictive tool could be used, at low cost, for many buildings. The Internet of Things technologies enable the collection of good quality real-time date in indoor spaces. Integrating predictive tools with Internet of Things, big data, and machine learning approaches would give scientists a way to assess the ventilation performance of buildings. "We remain optimistic that future innovation will result in advances in economic monitoring and predictive tools for determining ventilation performance in the billions of indoor spaces worldwide," said Li. More information: Yuguo Li et al, Predicting building ventilation performance in the era of an indoor air crisis, Building Simulation (2023). DOI: 10.1007/s12273-023-1019-z Provided by Tsinghua University Press 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: CDU Menzies School of Medicine clinical Professor David Mitchell said the study explored the psychological impact of supervised quarantine for COVID-19. Credit: Charles Darwin University The psychological distress of people in Northern Territory's COVID-19 quarantine facility was low because those in the facility realized its importance in controlling the pandemic, according to a Charles Darwin University (CDU) study. People housed in the Howard Springs facility (HSF) on the outskirts of Darwin had the low levels of psychological distress, with those arriving from Melbournewho had left tough restrictions in their home statehaving the lowest stress of all, the study found. "While there was no noticeable difference in stress levels between ages or genders there was lower levels of stress exhibited by people who came to quarantine from Melbourne," said lead author and CDU Menzies School of Medicine clinical Professor David Mitchell. Professor Mitchell, who is also a CDU adjunct associate professor, said the survey was done when Melbourne was going through the second wave of the pandemic in Victoria, when the government had in place far-reaching restrictions. "Possibly any inherent hardship in the HSF facility was mitigated in this group, whom whilst facing the restrictions of supervised quarantine had negotiated their way out of a lock-down in Victoria." COVID-19 restrictions gave health researchers and psychologists from Royal Darwin Hospital and CDU a unique opportunity to study the effects of health quarantine on residents. The results of the study, published in the Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, revealed that psychological distress was low. Professor Mitchell said despite low psychological distress there were triggers present that residents experienced, such as feeling a lack of control, and ideas of not being heard in communication protocols. "Despite any perceived adversity there was an overwhelming sense of quarantine being important and necessary," Professor Mitchell said. As part of the study, researchers analyzed a sample group of people quarantined at Howard Springs' facility in the Northern Territory for signs of psychological distress, along with semi-structured interviews with detainees and health works on site. Professor Mitchell said there were some limitations to the study as it only sampled a snapshot of life in quarantine and did not identify changes in attitudes over time. "A more rigorous method may have been to sample two or more points in time during the quarantine process to discern temporal changes in psychological distress," Professor Mitchell said. The research revealed that if residents had a sense of control, if there was open communication between residents and health professionals, and if there was peer support, then psychological distress was low. The research was a collaboration between CDU, National Critical Care and Trauma Response Center. Top End Mental Health, and Northern Territory Public Health Directorate. "Much of the success of Howard Springs comes down to the excellent leadership of Professor Di Stephens and Lisa Vermeulen and their collaboration with Public Health Directorate through Dr. Danielle Esler," Professor Mitchell said. More information: David Mitchell et al, The psychological wellbeing of people in a COVID 19 supervised quarantine facility: A mixed methods study, Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing (2023). DOI: 10.1111/jpm.12914 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A new study by investigators from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai suggests long COVID-19 might be caused by a dysfunction of the immune system. The study, published in BMC Infectious Diseases, found that after people with long COVID-19 received the COVID-19 vaccine, they produced antibodies against the virus that causes COVID-19 for months longer than expected. When a person has an infection, the immune system typically responds by making antibodies that block germs from entering cells. Vaccines imitate an infection so that the body's immune system knows to release certain antibodies when it comes across a virus. In both cases, the immune system eventually stops creating antibodies when the suspected infection is gone. "There's general consensus that some level of aberrant immune response happens in long COVID-19, and this study adds to the evidence to suggest this is true," said Catherine Le, MD, co-director of the Cedars-Sinai COVID-19 Recovery Program and a senior author of the study. Long COVID-19, a condition in which people experience COVID-19-related symptoms three months or more after initial infection with the virus that causes COVID-19, is estimated to affect 65 million people worldwide. Common symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, and cognitive dysfunction such as confusion and forgetfulness. Some symptoms can have debilitating effects. To study the immune response of people with long COVID-19, investigators analyzed blood samples from 245 people diagnosed with long COVID-19 and 86 people who had COVID-19 and fully recovered. All the study participants had received either one or two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine regimen. "We examined one part of the immune system response, the production of antibodies, which is mediated by immune cells called B-cells," Le explained. Specifically, the investigators looked at two types of antibodies that attack the virus that causes COVID-19. One of these is called the spike protein antibody, which attacks a protein on the exterior of the virus. The other is the nucleocapsid antibody, which attacks the part of the virus that allows it to replicate. The investigators found that people who were diagnosed with long COVID-19 produced higher levels of spike protein and nucleocapsid antibodies than people without long COVID-19. Eight weeks after receiving a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, antibody levels in people without long COVID-19 began to decrease, as was expected. People with long COVID-19, however, continued to have elevated antibody levels, especially of nucleocapsid antibodies. "What you would expect after getting a COVID-19 vaccination is a jump in your spike protein antibody levels, but you wouldn't expect a significant increase in nucleocapsid antibody levels," said Susan Cheng, MD, MPH, the Erika J. Glazer Chair in Women's Cardiovascular Health and Population Science, director of the Institute for Research on Healthy Aging in the Department of Cardiology at the Smidt Heart Institute, and a senior author of the study. "You would also expect these levels to eventually decrease and not persist for so long after vaccination." Although this study shows that long COVID-19 affects the immune system, it's too soon to draw firm conclusions from these findings, according to the study's authors. "Theoretically, the production of these antibodies could mean that people are more protected from infection," Le said. "We also need to investigate if the elevated immune response corresponds with severity or number of long COVID-19 symptoms." Investigators are continuing to study blood samples from people with long COVID-19. They are hoping to identify a measurable molecule that could be used to diagnose long COVID-19 and better understand the biological processes that cause it. More information: Sandy Joung et al, Serological response to vaccination in post-acute sequelae of COVID, BMC Infectious Diseases (2023). DOI: 10.1186/s12879-023-08060-y Journal information: BMC Infectious Diseases []B(200706):2022 20230427 20:59:44 : : B :2022 Stock code200706 Stock ID:Wazhou B Announcement No.2023-03 Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited 2022Annual Report Abstract 1. Important Notes This abstract was derived from the annual report, the annual report issued on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange web or other web appointed by and CSRC; details please refer to the whole annual report. All directors attended the Board meeting and discussed the report. Reminder of the qualified auditors opinions Inapplicable Preplan of Profit Distribution for Common Stock or Preplan for Capitalization of the Reserves in theReporting Period Reviewed by the Board Meeting Inapplicable (2) Brief Information of the listed company (i) Brief Information of the company Secretary of the Board Representative of StockA ffairs Name Sun Najuan Ke Xin Correspondence address No. 1 Beigongji Street, Wafangdian City, Liaoning Province, China. No. 1 Beigongji Street, Wafangdian City, Liaoning Province, China. Consulting telephone 0411-62198333 0411-62198333 Fax 0411-62198008 0411-62198236 E-mail zwz2308126.com zwz2308126.com (ii). Principal Businesses in the Reporting Period The scope of operation is: Licensed items: inspection and testing services, import and export of goods, import and export of technologies (for items subject to approval according to law, business activities can only be carried out after approval by relevant departments, and the specific business items shall be subject to the approval result)Bearing manufacturing, bearings, gears and transmission components manufacturing, high speed precision heavy-duty bearing sales, sales bearings, gears and transmission parts, bearing sales, general equipment manufacturing (excluding special equipment manufacturing), high-speed rail equipment, parts manufacturing, machinery and equipment sales, rail transportation equipment, key system and parts sales, sales of lubricating oil, high-speed rail equipment and accessories sales,Wind generators and spare parts sales, machinery parts, spare parts sales, railway locomotive vehicle accessories manufacturing, railway locomotive vehicle accessories sales, auto parts and accessories manufacturing, auto parts wholesale and retail auto parts, metal products repair, sales metal materials, metal products sales, metal surface treatment and heat treatment processing, quenching process,Machinery parts and spare parts processing, land use right leasing, housing leasing, non-residential real estate leasing, mechanical equipment leasing, computer and communication equipment leasing, transportation equipment leasing service, office equipment leasing service, storage equipment leasing service, special equipment leasing, labor services (excluding labor dispatch),Technology service, technology development, technology consultation, technology exchange, technology transfer, technology popularization (with the exception of the projects subject to approval according to law, independently carry out business activities according to law with the business license) (iii).Main accounting date (1) Main accounting date in the near three years Are there any retrospective adjustments or restatement of financial information of previous year due to change of accounting policies or correcting of accounting errors? [V]Yes [ ] No In RMB Yuan End to 2022 End To 2021 Compared with last year End to2020 Total Assets (RMB) 3,324,777,599.86 3,220,126,105.01 3.25% 3,133,942,842.94 Owners Equity Attributed to Shareholders of Listed Company(RMB) 470,302,993.46 608,267,282.47 -22.68% 814,004,967.89 2022 2021 Compared with last year 2020 Turnover(RMB) 2,348,330,561.57 2,318,704,350.35 1.28% 1,859,176,415.58 Net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company(Yuan) -139,897,498.87 -205,737,685.42 32.00% -380,228,430.56 Net profit attributable to the shareholders of the listed company after deducting of non- recurring gain/loss(RMB) -164,201,263.44 -218,739,881.32 24.93% -390,440,462.25 Net Cash flow generated by business operation(RMB) 84,265,549.90 77,678,162.48 8.48% 61,224,927.73 Basic earnings per share(Yuan/share) -0.3475 -0.5110 32.00% -0.9444 Diluted earnings per share(Yuan/share) -0.3475 -0.5110 32.00% -0.9444 Net return on equity(%) -25.99% -28.93% 2.94% -36.69% 2 1s Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Operating revenue 516,856,921.09 568,960,183.83 559,879,991.79 702,633,464.86 Net profit attributable to the Companys shareholders -31,201,728.45 -6,254,050.55 -24,070,073.10 -78,371,646.77 Net profit attributable to the Companys shareholders less the non-recurring profit and loss -36,234,334.17 -12,444,167.84 -28,439,011.58 -87,083,749.85 Net cash flows arising from operating activities -112,415,257.84 98,830,083.44 2,358,002.63 95,492,721.67 Whether the financial indicators or the total number of company has disclose quarterly reports, semi-annual report related financial indicators exist significant differences Inapplicable (iv) Shareholders and shares Total common shareholders in the reporting period 5,442 Total common shareholders atthe end of themonth beforebefore the date of disclosing the annual report 5,351 Total preference shareholders iththe voting owerre covered at theend of the reporting period (if any) 0 Total preferenceshareholder s withthe voting power not recovered at the end of the month before the day of disclosingthe annual report 0 10 Wafangdian Bearing Group Corporation State-owned shareholder 60.61% 244,000,00 0.00 AKTIEBOLAG ET SKF Foreign shareholder 19.70% 79,300,000 .00 China merchants securities Hong Kong limited State-owned shareholder 2.00% 8,047,491. 00 Huang Junyue Domestic shareholder 1.78% 7,165,668. 00 Hu Xiaofeng Domestic shareholder 0.47% 1,879,277. 00 GUOTAI JUNAN SECURITIES( HONGKONG) LIMITED Foreign shareholder 0.26% 1,037,311. 00 BOCI SECURITIE S LIMITED Foreign shareholder 0.33% 1,310,000. 00 Meng Qingliang Domestic shareholder 0.24% 966,048.00 Jin Yunhua Domestic shareholder 0.18% 727,900.00 MAN,KWAI WING Domestic shareholder 0.18% 713,101.00 About the fact that a strategic investor or ordinary corporate became one of the top ten shareholders due to placement of new shares (if any) (Refer to Note 3) There was no relationship and consistent activities between the first big shareholder and other shareholders or the top ten common stock holders; The relationship among other shareholders, top ten circulation shareholders, top ten circulation shareholders and other shareholders was not clear. Explanation on associated relationship or consistent action of the above shareholders 2 Total Preference Shareholders and the Shares Held by the Top 10 Preference Shareholders Inapplicable (3)Relationship of the property right and controlling between the Company and actual controller: v.Potential suspension and delisting Inapplicable 3.Important event No Stock code200706 Stock ID:Wazhou B Announcement No.2023-03Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited2022Annual Report Abstract1. Important NotesThis abstract was derived from the annual report, the annual report issued on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange web or other webappointed by and CSRC; details please refer to the whole annual report. All directors attended the Board meeting and discussed the report. Reminder of the qualified auditors opinionsInapplicablePreplan of Profit Distribution for Common Stock or Preplan for Capitalization of the Reserves in theReporting Period Reviewed by theBoard MeetingInapplicable(2) Brief Information of the listed company(i) Brief Information of the company(ii). Principal Businesses in the Reporting PeriodThe scope of operation is: Licensed items: inspection and testing services, import and export of goods, import and export of technologies (foritems subject to approval according to law, business activities can only be carried out after approval by relevant departments, and the specificbusiness items shall be subject to the approval result)Bearing manufacturing, bearings, gears and transmission components manufacturing, highspeed precision heavy-duty bearing sales, sales bearings, gears and transmission parts, bearing sales, general equipment manufacturing(excluding special equipment manufacturing), high-speed rail equipment, parts manufacturing, machinery and equipment sales, railtransportation equipment, key system and parts sales, sales of lubricating oil, high-speed rail equipment and accessories sales,Wind generatorsand spare parts sales, machinery parts, spare parts sales, railway locomotive vehicle accessories manufacturing, railway locomotive vehicleaccessories sales, auto parts and accessories manufacturing, auto parts wholesale and retail auto parts, metal products repair, sales metalmaterials, metal products sales, metal surface treatment and heat treatment processing, quenching process,Machinery parts and spare partsprocessing, land use right leasing, housing leasing, non-residential real estate leasing, mechanical equipment leasing, computer andcommunication equipment leasing, transportation equipment leasing service, office equipment leasing service, storage equipment leasingservice, special equipment leasing, labor services (excluding labor dispatch),Technology service, technology development, technologyconsultation, technology exchange, technology transfer, technology popularization (with the exception of the projects subject to approvalaccording to law, independently carry out business activities according to law with the business license)(iii).Main accounting date(1) Main accounting date in the near three yearsAre there any retrospective adjustments or restatement of financial information of previous year due to change of accounting policies orcorrecting of accounting errors?[V]Yes [ ] NoIn RMB Yuan2 Whether the financial indicators or the total number of company has disclose quarterly reports, semi-annual report related financial indicatorsexist significant differencesInapplicable(iv) Shareholders and shares2 Total Preference Shareholders and the Shares Held by the Top 10 Preference Shareholders Inapplicable(3)Relationship of the property right and controlling between the Company and actual controller:v.Potential suspension and delistingInapplicable3.Important eventNo 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: Forest plot of individual odds ratios (reference: WT/WT) for significant rsIDs (Table2). An rsID being significant (Table2) means that at least one pairwise comparison among the three groups (SNP/SNP, WT/SNP, and WT/WT) was statistically significant. This figure contains both significant and nonsignificant pairwise comparisons referent to the WT/WT group. CI, confidence interval; SNP, single nucleotide polymorphism; WT, wild type. New research out of the University of Cincinnati examines the association between genetics and the presence of opioid use disorder (OUD). The study identified six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) or genetic variants that are linked to OUD. The study was published in the journal Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics. "We are trying to identify some of the genetic variants that might play into OUD," says Caroline Freiermuth, MD, associate professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the UC College of Medicine and principal investigator for the study. "Patients received an oral swab that gets put inside their cheek, and those swabs were sent off for genetic testing looking for 180 single nucleotide polymorphisms." According to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection, more than 107,000 people in the U.S. died in 2021 from drug overdose, with overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids increasing 23% from the year before. The economic cost of OUD and opioid-related overdose mortality exceeds $1 trillion annually in the United States. The study enrolled about 1,300 patients within three large urban emergency departments in Ohio, which has ranked in the top five for opioid overdose deaths since 2014. "We wanted to determine for any random person who comes to the emergency department what their genetic link might be and do they now or did they ever have opioid use disorder in their life, and do we think their genetics have played a role in that," says Freiermuth. "We found that there were quite a few single nucleotide polymorphisms that seem to be associated with opioid use disorder." The study found that although genetics play a role in disease, there is also significant interaction from the environment. Freiermuth says further study is needed to highlight the true impact of the genetic variants and how external factors contribute to the development of OUD. Further exploration of biogeographical genetic ancestry groups and their association with OUD is warranted, the study concluded, "I think this is really exciting because it should help us try to figure out who is truly at risk when they are exposed to opioids and that could make it easier for us to decide who we can and can't prescribe opioids to," Freiermuth says. "This could help determine who might need further monitoring in the future instead of just blanket saying 'nobody should ever get more than a certain amount." More information: Caroline E. Freiermuth et al, Genetic Variants Associated With Opioid Use Disorder, Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2023). DOI: 10.1002/cpt.2864 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: The vast majority of thyroid nodules cause no symptoms and dont lead to cancer that needs treatment. Credit: Shutterstock The thyroid is a gland located at the base of the neck. It makes thyroid hormones, which control the way the body uses energy. A thyroid nodule is a solid or fluid-filled lump found within the thyroid. The majority of thyroid nodules are small, can't be felt by touch and do not cause symptoms. They are caused by an overgrowth of cells in the thyroid gland. In a few people, the nodules grow and cause symptoms such as pressure, difficulty swallowing or breathing. Thyroid nodules are very common, with more than half of people scanned show small nodules. So, they might never cause problems are only discovered incidentally. But when should you follow up and get treatment? Who gets them Nodules tend to be more commonly detected in women, at three times the rate seen in men. The incidence also increases with age. At age 30 it is estimated around 30% of women will have a nodule. By age 70, approximately 70% of women will have at least one. The risk of a thyroid nodule is also higher if you have other thyroid conditions such as Hashimoto's disease or have been exposed to radiation. However, only a very small proportion of the adult population will need treatment or review for nodules. People often find out that they have thyroid nodules during a routine check-up or when investigating another unrelated health issue. Thyroid nodules are readily seen on common imaging tests such as an ultrasound or CT scans. Because there is rapidly growing access to and use of clinical imaging, and also, we tend to visit the doctors a lot more as we age, the chances of incidentally finding thyroid nodules has increased. When should you worry? Understandably, people worry a thyroid nodule might mean cancer. But we now know around 10% of patients with thyroid nodules harbour cancerso approximately 90% of those detected don't pose a cancer risk. Generally, the risk is only increased with past radiation exposure, a family history of thyroid cancer, obesity, or if aged younger than 20 at the time of discovery of the nodule. Symptoms of concern are: an enlarging thyroid nodule, recent onset of hoarseness, difficult swallowing, neck pain or discomfort, large firm nodule or surrounding enlarged lymph nodes. Your medical history and any physical symptoms related to the thyroid should always been discussed with a doctor. They may recommend further investigation, or to watch for changes over time. The idea of observing may sound counter-intuitive, but it can be important because doing further investigations may not always be in your best interest. Treatment for thyroid nodules depends on whether the nodule is suspected of being a cancer or is causing symptoms, such as neck discomfort or an overproduction of thyroid hormones. Often, there will be no formal treatment required for thyroid nodules. When detection leads to poorer health There is an important problem that exists with "incidentally" found thyroid nodules. In recent decades, the dramatic increase in new cases of thyroid cancer has largely been driven by findings of small, low-risk thyroid cancers; found when investigating thyroid nodules. Strong evidence exists overdiagnosisthat is, a correct but unnecessary diagnosisaccounts for a large proportion of thyroid cancer cases. We know that despite a rapid increase in the diagnosis of thyroid cancer, the number of people who die from it (the mortality rate) has remained steady. This means most of these cancers are found unnecessarily. And finding them can cause worry and sometimes lead to treatments and financial costs that ultimately may not have been necessary at all. Overdiagnosis and subsequent overtreatment of this condition has been extensively documented. But working out how to avoid and address these issues remains difficult. The American Thyroid Association is a leading treatment group for the management of thyroid nodules. It recommends nodules smaller than 1 centimetre should not be routinely biopsied. In line with this, systems for ultrasound reporting have been introduced to reduce overtreatment of small thyroid nodules. In 2020, we conducted community research and found Australians were unaware of the harms of overdiagnosing low-risk thyroid cancers. They wanted more community education and supported the idea of clinical guidelines to minimise over-investigating and over-treating low-risk conditions. Take-home advice While there is a small proportion of thyroid nodules that cause harm, the large majority are found incidentally and are unlikely to cause further problems. Investigating and treating these nodules can lead to unwarranted physical, psychological and financial consequences including overdiagnosis, overtreatment, anxiety and out-of-pocket costs. It is important to be aware of the issues involved in finding a thyroid nodule, and ask questionsfor ourselves and our loved onesabout what this means and whether further investigation or treatment is really needed. 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: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain In the ongoing quest to discover which constituents of the immune system provide highly specified protection, scientists have found that a component of the innate immune system is endowed with the capability of guarding the lungs from pneumonia-induced injury. The innate immune system is the body's first line of defense against pathogenic invaders. The system is present at birth and functions throughout life as an explosive burst of protection. Natural killer cells are part of the innate immune system, so are certain antibodies and the cells known as macrophages, the big eaters, whose role is to swallow invading microbes whole then reduce them to useless debris. A key component of the innate immune system is yet another systemthe complement system, also known as the complement cascade. Its role is to enhancecomplementthe activity of antibodies and phagocytic cells (those that eat invaders) to rid the body of infiltrating microbes. The complement cascade, which has two pathways, increases inflammation, opsonizes pathogenslabels them for destructionand directly kills invaders through lysis, which means rupturing their cell membranes. All of these activities are aimed at aiding the innate immune system's assaults as it engages in all-out war against pathogenic invaders. To fully understand the complement system it's best viewed as a flowchart, which defines the role for each of its many components. Writing in Science Immunology, a team of researchers from the John T. Milliken Department of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in Missouri, explain that the complement cascade consists of a series of proteins, mostly manufactured in the liver, with each carrying out a specific task. They've also laid the foundation for a breakthrough understanding of the cascade, demonstrating in the laboratory that a single complement component dubbed C3 is adept at fighting bacteria, even lethal species, that invade the lungs. This component, the researchers say, has a unique specificity as a defender of lung epithelial tissue, particularly in the face of bacterial pneumonia. Sanjaya Sahu and Ayse Ozanturk, in collaboration of a large team of investigators, sought to fully delineate C3's antibacterial role. They say complement proteins in general are innate immune defense molecules that protect the host against pathogenic microorganisms. "The complement component C3 is a fundamental plasma protein for host defense, produced largely by the liver. However, recent work has demonstrated the critical importance of tissue-specific C3 expression in cell survival," Sahu, lead author of the new research wrote. "We analyzed the effects of local versus peripheral sources of C3 expression." The investigators found that cells in the lungs also produce C3 with distinct antibacterial capability, a discovery that challenges prevailing scientific wisdom regarding the role of this protein. The team provides evidence supporting their hypothesis that locally produced C3 is the weapon that battles bacteria when it's the source of pneumonia in the lungs. Indeed C3, according to the team, combats pneumonia most effectively when it is locally secreted by lung-epithelial cells. Until now, the value of lung-derived C3 and its role in fighting pneumonia had not been fully appreciated. To test their hypothesis that lung-produced C3 is crucial to epithelial cell protection during pneumonia, the team turned to a knockout mouse model. By infecting knockout mice with a particularly pathogenic strain of a pneumonia-causing bacteria called Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the St. Louis-based team was able to investigate the consequences of knocking out either all C3 or only local C3 from lung epithelial cells. Not surprising, results showed that a global absence of C3 caused notable susceptibility to infection. But the team didn't stop there. Investigators knocked out C3 production in the mice's lung epithelial cells in an eye-opening experiment that revealed something unexpected: elimination of lung-specific C3 significantly impaired the animals' ability to overcome pneumonia. This struggle to defeat the infection occurred despite the presence of circulating C3 at normal levels. These findings suggest lung epithelial cell-secreted C3 plays an important role in protection against pneumonia. It also suggests that engineering this protein for administration in pharmaceutical doses may one day provide a way to treat bacterial pneumonia, especially strains that are resistant to conventional antibiotics. "The effects of the complement system have historically been attributed to its presence in the circulation," Sahu and the other authors concluded. "We show that in addition to liver-derived C3, lung epithelial cell-derived C3 supports the host response to pneumonia by promoting both immune resistance and tissue resilience." More information: Sanjaya K. Sahu et al, Lung epithelial cellderived C3 protects against pneumonia-induced lung injury, Science Immunology (2023). DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abp9547 Journal information: Science Immunology 2023 Science X Network This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Graphical Abstract: Chemogenetic model of hippocampal aging. Left panel (blue): An engineered inhibitory receptor (hM4Di) that is activated by the antipsychotic agent clozapine is expressed in somatostatin-positive neurons in the dentate gyrus hilus of the hippocampus, which are shown stained by the mCherry fluorescent dye in red. Chronic administration of clozapine results in an increase in the time and path length required (after training) to find a hidden platform in the Morris water maze (A, A), a decrease in the number of neurons expressing somatostatin in the dentate gyrus hilus (arrow, B, B), a reduction in the density of dendritic spines (C, C), and in an increase in the size of the cell body of microglia (D, D). Credit: PNAS Nexus (2023). DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad134 In a paper recently published in PNAS Nexus, researchers from the Department of Comparative Biosciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign describe how they were able to inhibit the activity of a specific neuronal cell type in the hippocampus to induce cellular and behavioral changes associated with aging. Their study confirms a causal relationship between reduced function of certain interneurons in the brain and cognitive decline. In addition, their novel experimental model may be useful for studying age-related cognitive disorders. First author Jinrui Lyu, a graduate student in the Neuroscience Program and the Department of Comparative Biosciences, performed and analyzed the experiments for the study. Corresponding author Uwe Rudolph is professor and head of the Department of Comparative Biosciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine. These authors answered some questions about the design and significance of their study. What was the motivation for your study? Our lab is interested in why the aging brain is more susceptible than the younger brain for impairments of cognitive functions in response to surgery, which can last for several months and are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. We want to better understand what's happening at a cellular level so we and others can ultimately develop therapies to treat this clinical problem. In the present study, we wanted to test whether a reduction in functionality of a specific subset of neurons is responsible and sufficient for age-related cognitive decline, and to develop a new mouse model for aging in the hippocampus, a part of the brain that plays an important role for learning and memory. It was known that the number of somatostatin interneurons in a subregion of the hippocampus, the dentate gyrus hilus, is reduced in aged cognitively impaired rodents. We tested the relevance of this observation by using chemogenetic tools to inhibit just these neurons. If this chemogenetic inhibition would lead to cognitive decline, this would establish a causal relationship between a decrease in the functioning of these neurons and age-related changes in cognition. This hypothesis was confirmed. Because aging is a chronic process, we compared chronic inhibition of these somatostatin neurons (over at least 3 weeks) with more subtle intermittent inhibition, and in line with our expectations chronic inhibition had a much larger effect. What's unique about this mouse model for aging? In addition to cognitive impairments, we found several other changes that have been described in the aged brain. These include hyperactivity in the dentate gyrus, a reduction in the amount of somatostatin in the dentate gyrus (most likely due to the inhibited cells no longer expressing this marker), and increased microglial activation. Microglia are the resident immune cells of the brain and respond to changes in their environment. The demonstration that the modulation of just this small cell population is sufficient to induce changes seen with normal or chronological aging in a part of the brain is what is novel. Aging is certainly associated with a multitude of changes in the brainknown and unknownand it is striking that a minor change like the one we made is sufficient to explain several molecular and behavioral changes seen in aged mice. One could also say that we found a way to make young mice (at least their hippocampus) old in a matter of just a few weeks. That was actually our goal, as we are also studying cognitive dysfunction of the aging brain in response to surgery. Working with aged mice poses significant logistical challenges, and we and others can now study the effects of aging in the hippocampus in chronologically young adult mice. Can you explain what interneurons are? And what does 'chemogenetic' mean? Interneurons carry information between two other neurons, e.g., principal neurons. They inhibit and thus fine-tune and sculpt the activity of excitatory neurons. Interneurons likely play a role in all higher brain functions, including learning, memory, and planning. While estimates vary, both for different brain regions and also between species, it is widely assumed that in humans 20% to 30% of all neurons are interneurons, which can be classified into an almost countless number of subgroups, based largely on proteins they express, like somatostatin in the neurons that we were studying. Chemogenetics involves the use of genetically engineered receptors that respond to specific small molecules that ideally do not have other effects. These receptors are packaged into viral vectors which are stereotaxically injected in the brain region of interest, where they will be expressed only in defined cells. We chose a chemogenetic receptor that inhibits essential biochemical cellular pathways so that when we give a very low dose of the antipsychotic drug clozapine, only the cells expressing the chemogenetic receptorin our case the somatostatin interneurons in the dentate gyrus hilusare inhibited. While we have not done such experiments, one could also test whether aging-related changes induced by inhibition of these neurons are reversible, by stopping the administration of clozapine. How did you determine whether the changes you made in the mice affected their brain cells and their cognitive function? We for example determined the density of dendritic spines, which are small protrusions from a neuron's dendrite and which regulate the amount of excitatory neurotransmission and are thus of functional importance, e.g., for learning and memory. We also found that the cell body size of microglia was increased, consistent with microglia being activated. For behavioral analysis, we performed a variety of tests that provide information on different aspects of learning and memory. For example, we tested whether mice display the usual alternation behavior, i.e., enter into arms most recently not visited when they are allowed to freely move in a Y-shaped maze, or prefer to interact with a novel object over a familiar object. In the Morris water maze test, mice are trained to find a hidden platform, and when we move the platform to a new position, we are studying reversal learning, which has actually been linked to the dentate gyrus previously. Why is this study important? Aging is an inevitable, complex, and multifactorial process. Cognitive decline, such as memory loss, is one of the most prevalent concerns in the aging population. The hippocampus plays a vital role in learning and memory in the mammalian brain. Understanding the cellular mechanisms underlying aging is crucial to develop novel strategies to prevent or to reverse age-related cognitive dysfunction and to prevent or reverse postoperative cognitive deficits that occur primarily in aged patients. More information: Jinrui Lyu et al, Selective inhibition of somatostatin-positive dentate hilar interneurons induces age-related cellular changes and cognitive dysfunction, PNAS Nexus (2023). DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad134 Journal information: PNAS Nexus After spending 38 years in the Alabama prison system, one of the most violent and crowded in the nation, Larry Jordan felt lucky to live long enough to regain his freedom. The decorated Vietnam War veteran had survived prostate cancer and hepatitis C behind bars when a judge granted him early release late last year. I never gave up hope, said Jordan, 74, who lives in Alabama. I know a lot of people in prison who did. At least 6,182 people died in state and federal prisons in 2020, a 46% jump from the previous year, according to data recently released by researchers from the UCLA Law Behind Bars Data Project. During the pandemic, a lot of prison sentences became death sentences, said Wanda Bertram, a spokesperson for the Prison Policy Initiative, a nonprofit that conducts research and data analysis on the criminal justice system. Now, Jordan worries about his longevity. He struggles with pain in his legs and feet caused by a potentially life-threatening vascular blockage, and research suggests prison accelerates the aging process. Life expectancy fell in the United States in 2021 for the second year in a row, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That decline is linked to the devastating effect of covid-19 and a spike in drug overdoses. Some academic experts and activists said the trend also underscores the lasting health consequences of mass incarceration in a nation with roughly 2 million imprisoned or jailed people, one of the highest rates in the developed world. A Senate report last year found the U.S. Department of Justice failed to identify more than 900 deaths in prisons and local jails in fiscal year 2021. The report said the DOJs poor data collection and reporting undermined transparency and congressional oversight of deaths in custody. Thousands of people like Jordan are released from prisons and jails every year with conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and infectious diseases they developed while incarcerated. The issue hits hard in Alabama, Louisiana, and other Southeastern states, which have some of the highest incarceration rates in the nation. A major reason the U.S. trails other developed countries in life expectancy is because it has more people behind bars and keeps them there far longer, said Chris Wildeman, a Duke University sociology professor who has researched the link between criminal justice and life expectancy. Its a health strain on the population, Wildeman said. The worse the prison conditions, the more likely it is incarceration can be tied to excess mortality. Mass incarceration has a ripple effect across society. Incarcerated people may be more susceptible than the general population to infectious diseases such as covid and HIV that can spread to loved ones and other community members once they are released. The federal government has also failed to collect or release enough information about deaths in custody that could be used to identify disease patterns and prevent fatalities and illness inside and outside of institutions, researchers said. Over a 40-year span starting in the 1980s, the number of people in the nations prisons and jails more than quadrupled, fueled by tough-on-crime policies and the war on drugs. Federal lawmakers and states such as Alabama have passed reforms in recent years amid bipartisan agreement that prison costs have grown too high and that some people could be released without posing a risk to public safety. The changes have come too late and not gone far enough to curb the worst effects on health, some researchers and activists for reform said. Still, no one has proven that incarceration alone shortens life expectancy. But research from the early 2000s did show the death rate for people leaving prison was 3.5 times higher than for the rest of the population in the first few years after release. Experts found deaths from drug use, violence, and lapses in access to health care were especially high in the first two weeks after release. Another study found that currently or formerly incarcerated Black people suffered a 65% higher mortality rate than their non-Black peers. Black people also make up a disproportionately high percentage of state prison populations. The enactment in 2000 of the Death in Custody Reporting Act, and its reauthorization in 2014, required the DOJ to collect information about deaths in state and local jails and prisons. The information is supposed to include details on the time and location of a death, demographic data on the deceased, the agency involved, and the manner of death. But a recent report from the Government Accountability Office found that 70% of the records the DOJ received were missing at least one required data point. Federal officials also lacked a plan to take corrective action against states that didnt meet reporting requirements, the GAO found. The deficiency in data means the federal government cant definitively say how many people have died in prisons and jails since the covid-19 pandemic began, researchers said. Without data, we are operating in the dark, said Andrea Armstrong, a professor at the Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, who has testified before Congress on the issue. Armstrong said federal and state officials need the data to identify institutions failing to provide proper health care, nutritious food, or other services that can save lives. The DOJ did not make officials available for interviews to answer questions about the GAO report. In a written statement, agency officials said they were working with law enforcement and state officials to overcome barriers to full and accurate reporting. The Justice Department recognizes the profound importance of reducing deaths in custody, the statement said. Complete and accurate data are essential for drawing meaningful conclusions about factors that may contribute to unnecessary or premature deaths, and promising practices and policies that can reduce the number of deaths. Department officials said the agency is committed to enhancing its implementation of the Death in Custody Reporting Act and that it has ramped up its efforts to improve the quality and quantity of data that it collects. The DOJ has accused Alabama, where Jordan was incarcerated, of failing to adequately protect incarcerated people from violence, sexual abuse, and excessive force by prison staff, and of holding prisoners in unsanitary and unsafe conditions. Jordan served 38 years of a 40-year sentence for reckless murder stemming from a car accident, which his lawyer argued in his petition for early release was one of the longest sentences in Alabama history for the crime. A jury had found him guilty of being drunk while driving a vehicle that crashed with another, killing a man. If he were convicted today instead, he would be eligible to receive a sentence as short as 13 years behind bars, because he has no prior felony history, wrote Alabama Circuit Judge Stephen Wallace, who reviewed Jordans petition for early release. With legal help from Redemption Earned, an Alabama nonprofit headed by a former state Supreme Court chief justice, Jordan petitioned the court for early release. On Sept. 26, 2022, Wallace signed an order releasing Jordan from prison under a rule that allows Alabama courts to reconsider sentences. A few months later, Jordan said, he had surgery to treat a vascular blockage that was reducing blood flow to his left leg and left foot. A picture shows a long surgical scar stretching from his thigh to near his ankle. The Alabama Department of Corrections refused an interview request to answer questions about conditions in the states prisons. Jordan said his vascular condition was excruciating. He said he did not receive adequate treatment for it in prison: You could see my foot dying. KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFFan independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF. USE OUR CONTENT This story can be republished for free (details). THURSDAY, April 27, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) declined significantly during the pandemic and was slow to rebound to prepandemic levels, according to a study published in the April issue of AIDS Patient Care and STDs. Tyler N. Lescure, M.D., from Boston Medical Center, and colleagues assessed the impact of COVID-19 on STI/HIV testing at an urban safety-net hospital. Hospital-wide chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV testing volume and positivity rates were compared for the prepandemic (July 1, 2019, to Feb. 29, 2020), peak-pandemic (March 1, 2020, to May 31, 2020), and post-peak-pandemic (June 1, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2021) periods. The researchers found that STI and HIV test volume dropped sharply in March 2020, with STI testing during the peak-pandemic period only 42 percent of prepandemic baseline (mean, 1,145 versus 2,738 tests/month), reaching a low in April 2020 (766 tests/month). Similar trends were seen for peak-pandemic HIV testing, which was 43 percent of the prepandemic baseline (mean, 711 versus 1,635 tests/month), reaching a low in April 2020 of 438 tests/month. Most of these tests were concentrated in emergency department and inpatient settings. For a full year, STI and HIV testing rates did not return to baseline. Compared with the prepandemic baseline, STI and HIV test positivity rates were higher in the peak-pandemic period. "Given the precipitous decline in STI and HIV testing during the pandemic, safety-net settings should develop low-barrier alternatives to traditional office-based testing to mitigate testing gaps, high positivity rates, and associated morbidity," the authors write. THURSDAY, April 27, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- As more Americans try to get their hands on the prescription medication Wegovy while they try to shed significant amounts of weight, an even more powerful obesity drug is poised to enter the fray. On Thursday, drug maker Eli Lilly & Co. announced that its type 2 diabetes drug tirzepatide (Mounjaro) helped people with diabetes who were overweight or obese lose nearly 16% of their body weight, or more than 34 pounds, over 17 months. This late-stage study of the drug adds to earlier evidence published last summer in the New England Journal of Medicine that showed overweight or obese people without diabetes lost up to 22% of their body weight over that period with weekly injections of the drug. For a typical patient on the highest dose, that meant shedding more than 50 pounds. Results from both studies will now be part of the companys application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for fast-track approval of the drug for weight loss. We have not hit 15% in any other phase 3 trial for weight management in this type 2 diabetes population, Dr. Nadia Ahmad, an associate vice president at Eli Lilly and medical director of obesity clinical development for the company, told CNN. Importantly, this data has not yet been peer-reviewed or published in a medical journal. In the last year, [it] has been really exciting just to have more tools in the toolbox, so to speak. And tools that, you know, were seeing really achieving outcomes that patients for the longest time have been hoping to achieve, Dr. Kimberly Gudzune, medical director of the American Board of Obesity Medicine, told CNN. Tirzepatide works by stimulating the body to produce insulin after eating, lowering blood sugar while helping people feel full longer by slowing foods movement from the stomach, CNN reported. Side effects have included nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. These successes could make the drug a stiff competitor of semaglutide, sold as Ozempic for diabetes patients and Wegovy for those seeking weight loss who have at least one weight-related health issue. That drug is made by Novo Nordisk. When approved by the FDA last summer, trials showed Wegovy led to a 12.4% average weight loss in obese and overweight people who did not have diabetes. Eli Lilly now plans to pit Mounjaro against Wegovy in a study of 700 participants around the United States and Canada. Some of the excitement surrounding these powerful diabetes drugs has prompted off-label use of the medications and triggered shortages for type 2 diabetes patients who need the drugs for blood sugar control. I am aware of and Ive heard, you know, it [Mounjaro] being sort of used off-label for weight loss and individuals who do not have diabetes, Gudzune said. More information The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on obesity. SOURCE: CNN There are vaqueros and gauchos, the Mexican and Argentinian versions of Americas cowboys, but have you ever heard of the butteri, Italys horse-mounted cattle herders? Very few people know about the butteri, said Guy de Galard, a Buffalo, Wyoming-based photographer and writer. They dont think of Italy as a country that has cowboys. It was de Galard who connected California journalist turned photographer Gabrielle Saveri to Italys butteri. de Galard wrote and photographed a story on them in 2006 for Cowboys & Indians magazine. He unknowingly launched a passion project for Saveri. From that introduction 10 years ago, Saveri spent roughly eight years producing a photographic exhibit, Italys Legendary Cowboys of the Maremma, now showing in the John Bunker Sands Photography Gallery at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. The photographs will be on display in the Cody, Wyoming, gallery through Aug. 6. Horses For me, it was really about my love of horses, Saveri said. That was what drew me in initially. I love horses, and I love to ride. And then, Im Italian-American so as soon as I found out there were Italian cowboys I was like, Oh my god, I have to go. After visiting the Maremma region of western Italy where the butteri still live and work, Saveri said the journalist in her took control. Its become this big huge story, and now I seem to have become expert in everything buttero, she said, then backtracked saying shes not an expert but seems to continually find new angles to the story that has turned it into a project of love as well as a reason to repeatedly return to Italy. She even wrote a screenplay. Its wonderful that Gabrielle is trying to promote them, de Galard said. Here there is a cowboy culture, but over there it is such a small area and there are so few of them that they are basically an endangered species. Ancient The butteri claim to be the oldest horseback cattle herders in the western world, dating back to their ancestors, the Etruscans. Although Etruscan DNA has been traced back to Stone Age farmers living in Europe around 6,000 BCE, the culture in Italy peaked in the 6th century BCE, prior to the rise of the Roman Empire. Few artifacts of the Etruscan culture remain, although one ancient terracotta frieze plaque recovered from what was believed to have been a large palace or ceremonial site in Tuscany shows mounted riders racing. Also discovered at the site was the statue of a seated, bearded figure wearing a wide-brimmed hat similar to a cowboy hat. The statue was dubbed the Murlo cowboy. La Sfida Yet another link to history comes from Buffalo Bills Wild West show that toured Italy in 1890. According to Italian legend, Saveri said, William Cody lost a 1,000 lira bet (which he never paid) when a buttero was able to mount and ride a wild Italian maremmano horse. The William F. Cody Archive at the Center of the West contains news clippings from that visit that tell a different story. A March 5, 1890, New York Herald story headlined Roman Wild Horses Tamed by Cowboys! noted that, All Rome was excited yesterday over the trial of Buffalo Bills cowboys on wild horses furnished by Duke Sermoneta. The story goes on to claim the duke declared that no cowboy on earth could ride his wild horses from the Pontine marshes. The cowboys laughed at the boast and then lassoed, saddled, bridled and mounted the horses. Cody then dared any Roman to ride his bucking broncos. A March 11, 1890, New York Herald story reported that two Italian cowboys, belonging to Prince Ruspoli, came for the purpose of riding two of Buffalo Bill's bronchos. After struggling for half an hour the time given by Colonel Cody was ten minutes Jubilee was ridden, but the Italians found it impossible to even mount the second horse, and they had to give it up. One newspaper clipping in the Cody archives, of unknown origin but dated to 1890, editorialized: The accomplishments of the gladiator sink into insignificance when compared with the feats of the American cowboy. University of Wyoming professor of History Renee Laegreid, told the museums Points West magazine the Italians believe they won, and the incident has become a point of pride in the region. The occurrence even has its own proper noun, La Sfida, or the challenge. Life-changing Saveris first visit with the butteri turned into one of the most beautiful experiences of her life, as she joined them to herd horses over the Tuscany hillsides down to a salt flat. It kind of changed my whole life, she said. At that point Id go back every year and photograph something different. At the time, she was teaching journalism and taking photography classes. The butteri eventually became a magazine story and the subject of her class photography project. De Galard is not surprised the Italian cowboys captured Saveris imagination. He described her as driven, enthusiastic, passionate about her work and a good photographer. Part of the attraction, he said, was undoubtedly capturing the culture of the butteri before they die out, forever preserving a small portion of a long-held tradition. Its believed now there are only probably 30 authentic, working cowboys in the whole area of Maremma, Saveri said. They are desperately trying to hold on to this culture. Magical Saveri is also attracted to the butteris respect for the land, avoiding the use of pesticides as well as how they raise their animals as wild herds; every time she returns, she learns something new. There are so many interesting angles to this story, Saveri said. Theres the history, theres the horsemen, women for the first time are starting to come into the fold. Every time she goes something magical happens. During her second visit, she got to see a competition amongst the butteri. The Italians are so good at doing these events that everything was timed perfectly. So just as the sun was setting this wild herd of horses came galloping down a vast meadow. It was one of the most beautiful things Ive ever seen, especially for someone like me who loves Italy and loves horses. And after that I knew I had to keep coming back. Two of Missoula's top elected officials have sided with a Missoula state lawmaker in her clash with the Republican majority in the Montana House of Representatives as the issue continues to make national headlines. Rep. Zooey Zephyr, D-Missoula, is a transgender progressive who has been silenced by the GOP majority in the House after she made comments in opposition to a bill that would restrict gender-affirming care for minors. Missoula Mayor Jordan Hess and Missoula County Commissioner Josh Slotnick, both Democrats, responded to news on Wednesday that the House might censure or expel Zephyr. (Shortly after they spoke on the subject, the Montana House voted to ban Zephyr from the chamber.) "So I think this is a story of courage and cowardice," Slotnick said. "Imagine being in a room that large with a huge crowd full of people who don't believe you have a right to exist and still having the personal wherewithal to stand up and speak. It's a tremendous amount of courage and Rep. Zephyr's effort needs to be applauded for that." Slotnick doesn't believe what House Speaker Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, did (not allowing Zephyr to speak during subsequent sessions) took courage. "Now in that same context, go back to that room, that big crowd, the massive majority that won't let her speak," Slotnick said. "There's the cowardice. They have all the power, all the tools, all the numbers, all the everything, yet they're afraid of her words. That says it all." Slotnick said he doesn't believe Zephyr's original statement that led the House GOP to silence her warranted such a response. "If you vote yes on this bill, and yes on these amendments, I hope the next time there's an invocation when you bow your heads in prayer, you see the blood on your hands," Zephyr said. "No," Slotnick said when asked if those comments warranted being rebuked. "She was referencing data and studies that are well-known. When LGBTQ kids are not supported, their rates of suicidality are far greater than the general population. She was not shrill. She didn't scream, she didn't call names, she spoke the truth. I believe in decorum and I do not believe she was un-decorous." Slotnick also disagreed with the characterization by the House GOP majority leaders that Monday's protest at the Capitol was a "riot by far-left agitators." "No, the only violence I saw was from law enforcement," Slotnick said. "I mean, I wasn't there. I just saw a clip where people were yelling. I think a riot involves violence and the tools of violence and I saw people protesting, expressing dissent and that's essential to our democracy." Slotnick said the constituents of Zephyr's 100th House District, which he also represents, have now been effectively silenced. "They were silenced as well," Slotnick said. "Their representative was not allowed to speak; that means they are not allowed to speak. That is the essence of representative democracy. They elect someone to speak for them, in this case, this person has effectively been gagged." Mayor Hess said he's been disappointed at the GOP's actions. "I think it is just horrible," he said. "I think we need to realize our collective humanity and I think that this action is exactly the opposite. I think it is punitive. I think it is ignorant. I think it is short-sighted. "I think what we really need right now as a society and as a government, as government leaders, is to come together and build unity," Hess continued. "And I just think it's really the wrong thing to do." Hess said he's heard quite a bit from voters in Missoula on the issue. On Wednesday afternoon, Hess and Slotnick were joined by county commissioners Juanita Vero and Dave Strohmaier in putting out a joint statement in support of Rep. Zephyr. "In banning Rep. Zephyr from the House floor, lawmakers have silenced the voice of 11,000 of Missoula County's constituents," the statement read. "We are proud to follow Rep. Zephyr's lead in being courageous and having clarity of purpose in the face of devastating decisions that cause real harm to our constituents. We join her in standing up and fighting for members of our community who will face more difficulty, adversity and harm because of the policies this Legislature has passed. We see you and we support you." Hess said they've gotten a "lot of positive feedback" from another joint statement in support of Zephyr they put out earlier this week. He also agreed that Monday's events, when seven people were arrested but no injuries were reported, didn't meet his definition of a riot. "I think it was a protest," he said. "It certainly wasn't a riot. It goes back to this trend toward this incendiary language that certainly shouldn't have a place in our politics. And dissent is something we should celebrate. And interrupting a government body session notwithstanding, peaceful understanding and cultivating a difference of opinions and welcoming differences of opinions is important and it's the move to suppress that's what's really unsettling." Hess noted that during his time on city council, if he were to have his microphone shut off, the voices of his constituents would be shut off as well. "If I didn't have the ability to have a microphone to make their concerns, to elevate those concerns to the body, that would just be a huge disservice," he said. "And it would be completely outside the realm of how a representative democracy works." Hess also believes Zephyr's original comments didn't warrant such a response. "I think there's been some words like 'baby killers' and there have been strong words on the other side of the aisle at this session," Hess said. "And so I think there's some hypocrisy to take this approach now but not for some of the kinds of the terms that were really sensational or violent or whatnot on the other side of the aisle." Daniel Twining and Derek Mitchell rarely get to talk to a home crowd. The two top members of the National Endowment for Democracy travel and work in more than 100 nations around the world, offering bipartisan assistance to people wishing to emulate American values. On Tuesday, they took time during a visit to the University of Montanas Mansfield Center to talk to Hellgate High School students about international affairs and careers. Something we dont get to do enough of is talk to Americans, said Twining, whos previously been director of the German Marshall Funds Asia Program and adviser to six presidential campaigns. America needs to be engaged and leading in the world. Theres a lot of misunderstanding about democracy support work, added Mitchell, former ambassador to Myanmar (Burma) and U.S. Defense Department principal deputy assistant secretary for Asian and Pacific security affairs. Were not exporting or imposing democracy. Were not a policy arm of the United States government. Twining is president of the International Republican Institute, while Mitchell is president of the National Democratic Institute each a core part of the 40-year-old Democracy program. Although nominally aligned with the respective political parties and overseen by congressional members of those parties, the two men work together. On Tuesday, they gave a joint presentation on Bolstering Democracy: What Works Around the Globe, arranged by the Mansfield Center. Almost everyone else in the world wants what we have, Twining said. They want a place where the people have a voice and can choose their own leaders, and peacefully dispose of a leader if necessary. The worlds talent isnt flocking to Russia or China. Acknowledging that the United States currently faces deep political divisions, Twining and Mitchell explained that their mission goes beyond daily news. Mitchell called it a continual effort to become a thoughtful citizen and understand civic duties such as the search for compromise. We get asked how do you do what you do when America is in such bad shape? Mitchell said. We dont lecture. We know theyre looking for support for their own rights. They agreed their easiest selling points are the relative wealth, stability and opportunity available to Americans, compared with many other struggling parts of the world with more authoritarian governments. After talking with the Hellgate students about both world affairs and career opportunities in international relations, Twining and Mitchell took part in an evening dialogue with Judge Leslie Halligan and other guests at the Mansfield Center. Program officer Teigan Avery said the conversation would be made available on the centers YouTube channel. Its a good chance to catch up on international relations and domestic democracy issues, Avery said. Learning what works in other countries helps us get our democracy right here in the United States. []B(200706):2023 20230427 20:59:49 : : B :2023 Stock Code: 000706 Notice No.: 2023-14 Short Form of the Stock: Wazhou B Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited The First Quarterly Report of 2023 The Company and whole members of the Board guarantee that the information disclosed is true, accurate and complete and there are no fictitious records, misleading statements or material omissions carried in the Report.Important Note: 1. Board of Directors and the Supervisory Committee of Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited (hereinafter referred to as the Company) and its directors, supervisors and senior executives should guarantee the reality, accuracy and completion of the quarterly report, there are no any fictitious statements, misleading statements or important omissions carried in this report, and shall take legal responsibilities, individual and/or joint. 2. Person in charge of the Company, head of accounting and person in charger of accounting organ (accounting officer) hereby confirm that the financial information of this Quarterly Report is authentic, accurate and complete. 3. The first quarterly report audited or not Yes No I. Main financial data (i) Main accounting data and financial indexes Whether it has retroactive adjustment or re-statement on previous accounting data or not Yes No Current Period Same period of last year Changes of this period over same period of last year % Operating income (Yuan) 605,154,931.63 516,856,921.09 17.08% Net profit attributable to shareholders of listed company (Yuan) -22,736,404.65 -31,201,728.45 27.13% Net profit attributable to shareholders of listed companies after deducting non-recurring gains and losses (Yuan) -27,072,214.12 -36,234,334.17 25.29% Net cash flow from Operating activities (Yuan) -97,995,389.08 -112,415,257.84 12.83% Basic earnings per share (RMB/share) -0.0565 -0.0775 27.10% Diluted earnings per share (RMB/share) -0.0565 -0.0775 27.10% Weighted average return on equity -4.94% -5.26% 0.32% End of this period End of last period Changes of this period-end over same period-end of last year (%) Total assets (yuan) 3,261,756,772.87 3,324,777,599.86 -1.90% Owners' equity attributable to Shareholders of Listed companies (Yuan) 450,373,268.71 470,302,993.46 -4.24% (ii) Items of non-recurring gains and losses Applicable Not applicable Unit: RMB/CNY Item Current amount Note Gain or loss on disposal of non-current assets (including the write-off part of the asset impairment reserve accrued) 11,964.74 Government subsidies booked into current profit and loss (closely related to the company's normal business, except government subsidies in line with national policies and provisions, in accordance with a certain standard quota or quantitative) 2,389,419.56 Gains and losses on debt restructuring 2,497,803.62 Other non-operating income and expenses other than those mentioned above 296,608.90 Less: Income tax impact 859,987.35 total 4,335,809.47 Details of other gains/losses items that meet the definition of non-recurring gains/losses: Applicable Not applicable There are no other gains/losses items that meet the definition of non-recurring gains/losses in the Company. Explain the items defined as recurring profit (gain)/loss according to the lists of extraordinary profit (gain)/loss in Q&A Announcement No.1 on Information Disclosure for Companies Offering Their Securities to the Public --- Extraordinary Profit/loss Applicable Not applicable There are no items defined as recurring profit (gain)/loss according to the lists of extraordinary profit (gain)/loss in Q&A Announcement No.1 on Information Disclosure for Companies Offering Their Securities to the Public --- Extraordinary Profit/los (iii) Circumstances and reasons for changes in major accounting data and financial indicators Applicable Not applicable II. Shareholder information (i)The total number of ordinary shareholders, the number of preferred shareholders whose voting rights have been restored and a statement of the holdings of the top 10 shareholders Unit: share Total number of common shareholders at the end of report period 5,351 Total preference shareholders with voting rights recovered at end of reporting period (if applicable) 0 Top ten shareholders Shareholders name Nature of shareholder Proportion of shares held Amount of shares held Amount of non-tradabl e shares held Information of shares pledged, tagged or frozen State of share Amount Wafangdian State-owned 60.61% 244,000,000.0 0 244,000,00 0.00 Bearing Group Corp., Ltd. legal person AKTIEBOLAG ET SKF Foreign legal person 19.70% 79,300,000.00 China Merchants Securities Hong Kong Limited Overseas legal person 2.23% 8,962,695.00 Huang Junyue Domestic natural person 1.81% 7,302,709.00 Hu Xiaofeng Domestic natural person 0.47% 1,879,277.00 BOCI SECURITIES LIMITED Foreign legal person 0.33% 1,310,000.00 GUOTAI JUNAN SECURITIES HONG KONG LIMITED Foreign legal person 0.26% 1,037,311.00 Meng Qingliang Domestic natural person 0.24% 966,048.00 Jin Yunhua Domestic natural person 0.18% 727,900.00 MAN,KWAI WING Foreign natural person 0.18% 713,101.00 Top ten shareholders with tradable shares held Shareholders name Amount of listed shares held Type of shares Type Amount AKTIEBOLAGET SKF 79,300,000.00 Domestically listed foreign shares 79,300,000.00 China Merchants Securities Hong Kong Limited 8,962,695.00 Domestically listed foreign shares 8,962,695.00 Huang Junyue 7,302,709.00 Domestically listed foreign shares 7,302,709.00 Hu Xiaofeng 1,879,277.00 Domestically 1,879,277.00 listed foreign shares BOCI SECURITIES LIMITED 1,310,000.00 Domestically listed foreign shares 1,310,000.00 GUOTAI JUNAN SECURITIES HONG KONG LIMITED 1,037,311.00 Domestically listed foreign shares 1,037,311.00 Meng Qingliang 966,048.00 Domestically listed foreign shares 966,048.00 Jin Yunhua 727,900.00 Domestically listed foreign shares 727,900.00 MAN,KWAI WING 713,101.00 Domestically listed foreign shares 713,101.00 Jiang Guangsen 687,900.00 Domestically listed foreign shares 687,900.00 Explanation on associated relationship among the aforesaid shareholders Among the top ten shareholders, there is no affiliation or concerted action between the first majority shareholder and other shareholders or the top ten outstanding shareholders; Affiliation or concerted action among other shareholders, among the top ten outstanding shareholders, and between the top ten outstanding shareholders and other shareholders are not available. (ii) Total shareholders with preferred stock held and shares held by top ten shareholders with preferred stock held Applicable Not applicable III. Other important matters Applicable Not applicable IV. Quarterly financial statements (i) Financial statement 1. Consolidate Balance Sheet Prepared by Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited Unit: RMB/CNY Item Ending balance Opening balance Current assets: Monetary funds 234,897,275.04 330,746,706.88 Settlement of provisions Loan funds Trading financial assets 243,454.50 243,454.50 Derivative financial assets Notes receivable 425,352,973.87 469,784,593.61 Accounts receivable 1,184,130,234.43 1,136,295,329.59 Financing of receivables 49,123,224.48 30,996,930.63 prepayment 38,354,936.74 52,901,066.01 Premium receivable Reinsurance accounts receivable Reserves receivable for reinsurance contracts Other receivables 14,590,888.08 10,555,282.33 Among them: interest receivable Dividends receivable Buy and resell financial assets inventory 681,734,515.69 646,619,143.91 Contractual assets 0.00 601,375.84 Holding assets for sale Non-current assets due within one year Other current assets 13,995,360.29 15,681,599.83 Total current assets 2,642,422,863.12 2,694,425,483.13 Non-current assets: Make loans and advances Debt investment Other debt investments Long-term receivables Long-term equity investment Investment in other equity instruments 11,926,856.64 11,926,856.64 Other non-current financial assets Investment real estate 66,155,443.05 67,211,806.69 Fixed assets 390,310,556.53 391,769,315.64 Construction in progress 74,490,139.04 81,891,139.54 Productive biological assets Oil and gas assets Use right assets Intangible assets 76,353,492.57 77,438,618.71 Development expenditure goodwill Long-term deferred expenses 97,421.92 114,379.51 Deferred tax assets Other non-current assets Total non-current assets 619,333,909.75 630,352,116.73 Total assets 3,261,756,772.87 3,324,777,599.86 Current liabilities: Short-term loan 698,000,000.00 699,000,000.00 Borrow from the central bank Borrowed funds Trading financial liabilities Derivative financial liability Notes payable 459,220,268.41 462,446,562.00 Accounts payable 1,306,376,220.39 1,300,975,034.72 Advances received Contractual liability 25,796,380.38 30,449,983.07 Selling repurchase funds of financial assets Deposit-taking and interbank deposits Agent to buy and sell securities Agent underwrites securities Employee compensation payable 16,638,985.36 46,797,303.83 Taxes payable 14,241,606.00 26,467,193.95 Other payables 184,961,516.77 180,459,153.26 Among them: interest payable Dividends payable Commissions and commissions payable Reinsurance accounts payable Holding liabilities held for sale Non-current liabilities due within one year Other current liabilities 3,313,615.86 4,294,078.63 Total current liabilities 2,708,548,593.17 2,750,889,309.46 Non-current liabilities: Insurance contract reserve Long-term loan Bonds payable Among them: preferred stock Perpetual debt Lease liability Long-term payables 344,974.84 344,974.84 Long-term employee compensation payable Projected liability 54,613,759.15 54,288,933.94 Deferred income 47,249,267.98 48,324,479.14 Deferred income tax liabilities 626,909.02 626,909.02 Other non-current liabilities Total non-current liabilities 102,834,910.99 103,585,296.94 Total liabilities 2,811,383,504.16 2,854,474,606.40 Owner's equity: Capital stock 402,600,000.00 402,600,000.00 Other equity instruments Among them: preferred stock Perpetual debt Capital reserve 485,691,050.47 485,691,050.47 Minus: Treasury stocks Other comprehensive income Special reserve 4,739,889.76 1,933,209.86 Surplus reserve 136,770,391.01 136,770,391.01 General risk reserve Undistributed profit -579,428,062.53 -556,691,657.88 Total owner's equity attributable to parent company 450,373,268.71 470,302,993.46 Minority shareholders' interests Total owners' equity 450,373,268.71 470,302,993.46 Total liabilities and equity 3,261,756,772.87 3,324,777,599.86 Legal Representative: Liu Jun Person in charge of accounting works: Sun Najuan Person in charge of accounting institute: Sunxinyan 2. Consolidated Profit Statement Item Current period Last period I. Gross operating income 605,154,931.63 516,856,921.09 Among them: operating income 605,154,931.63 516,856,921.09 Interest income Earned premium Fee and commission income Ii. Total operating costs 635,097,646.10 554,178,164.52 Among them: operating cost 534,741,247.58 459,307,688.70 Interest expense Commission and commission expenses Surrender premium Net claims disbursement Net reserve for insurance liability Policy dividend payout Reinsurance expense Taxes and surcharges 3,581,778.42 3,153,559.66 Selling expense 33,750,240.40 30,842,565.48 Administrative expenses 25,626,399.66 22,857,415.49 Research and development expenses 27,498,431.76 27,056,371.11 Financial expense 9,899,548.28 10,960,564.08 Among them: interest expense 7,330,986.12 6,949,881.80 Interest income 224,610.52 236,982.31 Plus: Other earnings 2,389,419.56 1,303,954.41 Investment income (loss marked with "-") 4,497,803.62 1,212,992.08 Among them: income from investment in joint venture and joint venture Financial assets measured at amortized cost cease to recognize income Exchange gain (loss marked with "-") Net exposure hedge gain (loss marked with "-") Gain on changes in fair value (loss marked with "-") 0.00 -30,817.03 Credit impairment loss (loss marked with "-") 10,513.00 38,891.11 Asset impairment loss (marked with "-") 0.00 194,436.80 Gain on disposal of assets (loss marked with "-") 11,964.74 848,457.68 Iii. Operating profit (loss listed with "-") -23,033,013.55 -33,753,328.38 Plus: non-operating income 315,285.14 2,597,979.12 Less: non-operating expenses 18,676.24 46,379.19 Iv. Total Profit (total loss listed with "-") -22,736,404.65 -31,201,728.45 Less: Income tax expense V. Net profit (marked with "-" for net loss) -22,736,404.65 -31,201,728.45 (1) Classification by business continuity 1. Net profit from continuing operations (marked with "-" for net loss) -22,736,404.65 -31,201,728.45 2. Net profit of discontinued operations (marked with "-" for net loss) (2) Classification according to ownership 1. Net profit attributable to owners of the parent company -22,736,404.65 -31,201,728.45 2. Profit and loss of minority shareholders Vi. Net of other comprehensive income after tax Net of other comprehensive income attributable to the owner of the parent company after tax (1) Other comprehensive income that cannot be reclassified into profit or loss 1. Remeasure and set the variation of benefit plan 2. Other comprehensive income that cannot be transferred to profit or loss under the equity method 3. Changes in fair value of investments in other equity instruments 4. Changes in the fair value of the enterprise's own credit risk 5. Others (2) Other comprehensive income reclassified into profit or loss 1. Other comprehensive income that can be transferred to profit or loss under the equity method 2. Changes in the fair value of other creditor's rights investments 3. The amount of financial assets reclassified into other comprehensive income 4. Reserve for credit impairment of other creditor's rights investments 5. Cash flow hedge reserve 6. Difference in translation of foreign currency financial statements 7. Others Net of other comprehensive income attributable to minority shareholders after tax Vii. Total comprehensive income -22,736,404.65 -31,201,728.45 Total comprehensive income attributable to the owner of the parent company -22,736,404.65 -31,201,728.45 Total comprehensive income attributable to minority shareholders Viii. Earnings per Share: (1) Basic earnings per share -0.0565 -0.0775 (2) Diluted earnings per share -0.0565 -0.0775 Enterprise combine under the same control in the Period, the combined party realized net profit of 0.00 Yuan before combination, and realized 0.00 Yuan at last period for combined party. Legal Representative: Liu Jun Person in charge of accounting works: Sun Najuan Person in charge of accounting institute: Sunxinyan 3. Consolidated Cash Flow Statement Unit: RMB/CNY Item Current period Last period I. Cash flows generated from operating activities: Cash received from sales of goods and services provided 240,080,743.00 192,730,297.96 Net increase in customer deposits and interbank deposits Net increase in borrowing from the Central bank Net increase of funds borrowed from other financial institutions Cash from receipt of premiums from the original insurance contract Net cash received from reinsurance operations Net increase of depository and investment funds Cash for interest, charges and commissions Net increase in borrowed funds Net increase in repurchase funds Net cash received from agents buying and selling securities Tax refunds received 7,322,934.15 1,262,463.01 Other cash received in connection with operating activities 10,332,216.18 16,296,874.82 Subtotal of cash inflow from operating activities 257,735,893.33 210,289,635.79 Cash paid for goods purchased or services received 189,871,214.47 166,960,415.32 Net increase in customer loans and advances Net increase in central bank and interbank deposits Cash payable on the original insurance contract Net increase of funds sold out Cash to pay interest, fees and commissions Cash to pay dividends on policies Cash paid to and for employees 111,010,795.58 116,252,789.39 All taxes paid 26,583,512.45 11,722,385.77 Disburse other cash in connection with operating activities 28,265,759.91 27,769,303.15 Subtotal of cash outflow from operating activities 355,731,282.41 322,704,893.63 Net cash flow from operating activities -97,995,389.08 -112,415,257.84 Ii. Cash Flows generated from investment activities: Recovery of cash received from investment Cash received from investment income 2,000,000.00 Net cash recovered from disposal of fixed assets, intangible assets and other long-term assets 0.00 981,190.00 Net cash received on disposal of subsidiaries and other operating units Other cash received in connection with investment activities Subtotal of cash inflows from investing activities 2,000,000.00 981,190.00 Cash paid for the purchase and construction of fixed assets, intangible assets and other long-term assets 780,248.69 1,752,828.15 Cash paid by investment Net increase in pledged loans Obtain net cash paid by subsidiaries and other business units Disburse cash in connection with other investment activities Subtotal cash outflow from investment activities 780,248.69 1,752,828.15 Net cash flow from investing activities 1,219,751.31 -771,638.15 Iii. Cash Flows generated by financing Activities: Absorb cash received from investments Among them: subsidiaries absorb minority shareholders investment received cash Obtain cash received on loan 288,000,000.00 300,000,000.00 Other cash received in connection with fund-raising activities 98,486,638.89 73,348,314.77 Subtotal cash inflow from financing activities 386,486,638.89 373,348,314.77 Cash to pay off debts 289,000,000.00 145,000,000.00 Cash disbursed to distribute dividends, profits, or interest payments 8,044,286.12 7,825,440.39 Among them: dividends and profits paid by subsidiaries to minority shareholders Disburse cash in connection with other fundraising activities 90,400,000.00 82,000,000.00 Subtotal cash outflow from financing activities 387,444,286.12 234,825,440.39 Net cash flows from financing activities -957,647.23 138,522,874.38 4. The impact of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents -538,981.84 -687,990.74 5. Net increase in cash and cash equivalents -98,272,266.84 24,647,987.65 Plus: Starting cash and cash equivalents balance 227,357,291.37 209,847,896.42 Vi. Balance of cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period 129,085,024.53 234,495,884.07 (ii) Audit report st Whether the 1 quarterly report has been audited or not Yes No st The 1 quarterly report of the Company has not been audited. Board of Directors of Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited Stock Code: 000706 Notice No.: 2023-14 Short Form of the Stock: Wazhou B Wafangdian Bearing Company LimitedThe First Quarterly Report of 2023The Company and whole members of the Board guarantee that the information disclosed is true, accurate and complete and there are no fictitious records, misleading statements or material omissions carried in the Report.Important Note:1. Board of Directors and the Supervisory Committee of Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited (hereinafter referred to as the Company) and its directors, supervisors and senior executives shouldguarantee the reality, accuracy and completion of the quarterly report, there are no any fictitiousstatements, misleading statements or important omissions carried in this report, and shall take legalresponsibilities, individual and/or joint.2. Person in charge of the Company, head of accounting and person in charger of accounting organ (accounting officer) hereby confirm that the financial information of this Quarterly Report is authentic,accurate and complete.3. The first quarterly report audited or notYes NoI. Main financial data(i) Main accounting data and financial indexesWhether it has retroactive adjustment or re-statement on previous accounting data or not Yes No(ii) Items of non-recurring gains and losses Applicable Not applicableUnit: RMB/CNYDetails of other gains/losses items that meet the definition of non-recurring gains/losses: Applicable Not applicableThere are no other gains/losses items that meet the definition of non-recurring gains/losses in the Company.Explain the items defined as recurring profit (gain)/loss according to the lists of extraordinary profit (gain)/loss in Q&AAnnouncement No.1 on Information Disclosure for Companies Offering Their Securities to the Public --- ExtraordinaryProfit/loss Applicable Not applicableThere are no items defined as recurring profit (gain)/loss according to the lists of extraordinary profit (gain)/loss in Q&AAnnouncement No.1 on Information Disclosure for Companies Offering Their Securities to the Public --- ExtraordinaryProfit/los(iii) Circumstances and reasons for changes in major accounting data and financial indicators Applicable Not applicableII. Shareholder information(i)The total number of ordinary shareholders, the number of preferred shareholders whose voting rights have been restored and a statement of the holdings of the top 10 shareholders Unit: share(ii) Total shareholders with preferred stock held and shares held by top ten shareholders with preferred stock held Applicable Not applicableIII. Other important matters Applicable Not applicableIV. Quarterly financial statements(i) Financial statement1. Consolidate Balance SheetPrepared by Wafangdian Bearing Company LimitedUnit: RMB/CNYLegal Representative: Liu JunPerson in charge of accounting works: Sun NajuanPerson in charge of accounting institute: Sunxinyan2. Consolidated Profit StatementEnterprise combine under the same control in the Period, the combined party realized net profit of 0.00 Yuan beforecombination, and realized 0.00 Yuan at last period for combined party. Legal Representative: Liu JunPerson in charge of accounting works: Sun NajuanPerson in charge of accounting institute: Sunxinyan3. Consolidated Cash Flow StatementUnit: RMB/CNY(ii) Audit reportstWhether the 1 quarterly report has been audited or notYes NostThe 1 quarterly report of the Company has not been audited.Board of Directors ofWafangdian Bearing Company Limited Although they were born four decades apart, a father and son from the Crow Nation in south central Montana will graduate this spring together from Missoula College. Aaron Shane, 20, and his father, Robert Shane, 60, are both earning their two-year degrees in the diesel technology program at the college. Robert said he hopes his story will compel other nontraditional students to enroll in college to get degrees and realize their dreams, no matter their age. "I guess I hope I inspire somebody out there," he said. He actually enrolled the first time 30 years ago, but wasn't able to finish. "And I regretted it all these years," he explained. "I regretted not going back." When his son enrolled in Missoula College, he decided to check and see if the credits he had earned all those years ago were still good. Turns out, they were. So he joined his son and they've been working on projects together, like rebuilding a diesel engine for a semitruck. "I decided to come back and you know, graduate with him," Robert explained. "I thought that'd be pretty neat. I always wanted to work with him. It's been great." Aaron Shane said he wanted to get a diesel technology degree because he had worked on trucks with his dad and other members of the family when he was growing up. "I just knew that you can make a great career and get good pay," he said. "Especially growing up, watching him. If you put in the hours you can make a great living from it." He plans on going back to the company he interned for this past summer. "They took the time to teach me what I already didn't know," he said. "Everyone's pretty outgoing. We all try to help each other and learn from each other." Robert said the technology has changed quite a bit, but there's still an old motor he built sitting on the shop floor at Missoula College's west industrial technology campus near Fort Missoula. "I'm glad I came back because now I know I can diagnose better," he said. "Everything's electronic nowadays." They both agreed that Missoula College has the best diesel tech program in Montana, maybe in the entire region. "This is the best school in the state," Robert said. "The instructors are really good. You learn a lot from them and you get hands-on on everything. So I think it's the best school in the state, maybe even in a lot of states." In fact, he's planning on staying in Missoula because he believes the job market is strong here. He said he hopes people like him aren't ever afraid of going back to school. "I guess it ain't too late in life if you ever wanted to get a degree," Robert said. "It's up to them. One of my uncles was maybe 62 and he went back to get his master's. So he kind of inspired me." Jim Harris, the diesel instructor for second-year students at Missoula College, said it's been great having the Shanes around for the last two years. "It's a pretty unique situation with those guys," he said. But he knows that because of the hot job market for people with mechanical skills, they won't have to look far for jobs. "In fact, all of our students now have jobs," Harris said. Officials provided an update on Thursday on two separate missing persons cases out of Missoula, saying that while leads have dried up, investigators are still looking for information on the individuals. Nefataree Bartell, 26, was last seen on the early afternoon of Feb. 21 in the Gold Creek and Highway 200 area. According to Missoula Police spokesperson Whitney Bennett, searches temporarily paused due to weather but resumed this week in the Gold Creek and Highway 200 areas. A press release from the Missoula sheriffs office said their search and rescue team is now able to access to the Gold Creek area, which previously had limited access because of snowpack and weather conditions. Aerial searches have been done in the meantime, according to the press release. As weather has warmed up, Missoula County Search and Rescue begun a foot and canine search. Roughly 206 miles and 309 search hours have been logged. While the case is still active, detectives leads have run dry and they dont have any new information to investigate, Bennett said. According to her family and friends, Bartell was pregnant with her third child when she went missing. Bartell is a Black woman with brown eyes and black hair, according to the Montana Department of Justice Missing Persons Database. She is 5 feet, 1 inch tall and weighs about 110 pounds. Search and rescue has also decided to scale back efforts in finding Joseph Thompson, 18, who went missing on April 11. He was last seen four to five miles up Southside Road. Thompson is 6 feet tall and weighs 140 pounds. He has blue eyes and blonde hair. Detectives followed information on the events leading up to and after Thompsons disappearance. According to the press release, detectives believe no criminal activity is suspected in his disappearance. According to the press release, the countys search and rescue team, the sheriffs office and Seeley-Swan Search and Rescue have extensively searched both Southside Road and Deep Creek. Hikers, K-9s, ATVs and UTVs and drones have been employed to look for the 18-year-old. This includes checking cliff edges and areas below them and traversing the nearby Clark Fork River, the press release stated. About 310 miles and 371 search hours have gone into Thompsons case. Because of limited evidence to direct search efforts, the sheriffs office and search and rescue decided to reduce resources in finding Thompson. New evidence would narrow the area of focus and prompt additional search efforts, the release reads. Anyone with information on either Bartell or Thompson is asked to call 911 immediately. LOLO Travelers Rest State Park is hosting a temporary art exhibit, "Imprinting the West," through May 21. Visitors can see the free exhibit during regular visitor center hours. The exhibit features 44 hand-colored engravings and lithographs created by 19th century artists to depict and interpret the Wild West during the time of westward expansion in North America. Their artwork played an important role in the dissemination of information and interpretation about the West and its inhabitants. Visitors to Travelers Rest State Park can view the exhibit during regular visitor center hours, Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. from now through April 30 and seven days a week from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. after May 1. The park will also host two related printmaking activities on Saturday, May 20 that are free and open to the public. At 11 a.m., children and families can participate in a special program that is part of the Travelers Rest Connections Trekker Kids Saturday activity series. The family-friendly activity will feature cyanotype printmaking, which involves using the sun and natural artifacts to make images. Then, in partnership with Western Montana Creative Initiatives Open AIR program, Indigenous artist Stella Nall will offer a print-making workshop on May 20 at 1 p.m., demonstrating simple techniques and encouraging visitors to create their own prints inspired by Western landscapes. "Imprinting the West: Manifest Destiny, Real and Imagined" is toured by ExhibitsUSA, a national program of Mid-America Arts Alliance, and curated by Dr. Randall Griffey, associate curator of modern American art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. More information is available at eusa.org. Local sponsors of the exhibit include Farmers State Bank, First Security Bank, Jackson Contractor Group, Montana Public Radio, and Western Montana Lighting. Call the state park at 406-2734253 or visit fwp.mt.gov/stateparks/travelers-rest for more information. Local health officials are encouraging others to become organ donors and recruited the help of a family who knows well the impact organ donation can make. Kaytie Taormina, UNC Health Blue Ridges liaison from LifeShare Carolinas, spoke at an event April 20 about the importance of organ donation. She said her organization was able to save the lives of 529 people across the state, including with help from donors and their families at the local hospital. Every nine minutes, there is somebody new thats added to the transplant waiting list, Taormina said. That means every nine minutes, somebody new needs a life-saving organ. There are currently more than 3,400 people on the transplant list in North Carolina, a position Melanie Leitners daughter was in just a few years ago. Melanie and her daughter, Ella Kate, spoke at UNC Health Blue Ridge-Morganton about the importance of organ donation at the event, and raised a flag over the hospital celebrating National Donate Life Month. Ella Kate, now a vibrant 7-year-old who told reporters she loves to dance and play on her Nintendo Switch, was born in March 2016. Her parents expected a healthy baby after a normal pregnancy, but when she was born, her skin was dark gray. She didnt breathe for the first eight minutes of her life, what we thought then were the longest eight minutes of our lives, Melanie said. Little did we know the journey we were about to embark on. That night, Ella Kate took her first helicopter ride when she was airlifted from Lake Norman to Levine Childrens Hospital after her oxygen levels dropped again. Doctors there found a mass in her heart, one that took up 80% of the organ. Her parents were told she had no chance at survival. She was not expected to survive the weekend, Melanie said. We decided in that moment to make the most of every minute we had with her. I remember fighting over who was going to change the next dirty diaper. Melanie said there was no medical explanation for it, but Ella Kate survived the weekend. They spent about three months in the neonatal intensive care unit at Levines, and finally came home after 63 days. But Ella Kate still needed round-the-clock care. She needed lots of medicines, and despite trying everything under the sun to help treat the mass, it remained unchanged. At six months old, her parents were told Ella Kate would need a heart transplant to survive. Those were hard words for a mom to hear, but at the same time, it was the first chance we were given some hope that she might have a future, Melanie said. She was added to the heart transplant list in November when she was eight months old, and, thankfully, we were lucky enough to wait at home for her new heart. In the meantime, Ella Kate still couldnt eat on her own, and she wasnt able to play very much. But Melanie said that didnt keep her from smiling. She lit up the room, even as a baby, Melanie said. In January, Ella Kate started to decline. Her skin was ashen, she was gasping for her breath, she couldnt eat and she could only sit up on her own for about five minutes at a time before needing a break, Melanie said. On Jan. 29, 2017, the family set off for church the same way they had every Sunday. But this Sunday was different, she said. During worship, our pastor knew how bad she was, and how close we were to what we thought was going to happen, Melanie said. He stopped worship, our congregation laid their hands on her, and we begged God for a miracle. It was on the way home from church that Melanie got the call: There was a heart waiting for Ella Kate. I can feel those emotions right now, just as I did that day, Melanie said. I was excited because it was her first chance at a future. I was terrified because my little baby was about to go through this major surgery, and then the emotions came that I can only describe to you as a punch to the gut, and it literally took my breath away. As a transplant mom, you try really hard to not always think about the people on the other side of your story. Thats impossible to do. The minute transplant started to come into conversation for us, I began praying for the donor family. At the beginning of Ellas life, I feel like I got just a small glimpse of what that pain would feel like because we were so close to losing her. But I promised myself in that moment, when we had grabbed our bags and on our way to the hospital, that I would hold onto her just a little bit tighter because I was holding onto our donors angel as well. Her surgery started around 9:30 p.m. that night, and after a long eight hours, the doctors came out to tell the family she was stable. Stable was a word we had never heard before, Melanie said, turning to Ella Kate who was holding her hand at the podium. It means you were healthy. You were finally healthy. Surrounded by wires and machines, Melanie was able to see Ella Kate this time with a pink hue to her skin for the first time in her life. They came home from the hospital 11 days later. Organ transplant is truly a miracle in action, Melanie said. Ella Kate is now a thriving 7-year-old little girl who loves to dance, who loves to flip and who lights up a room wherever she goes. She brings joy to all of us. She is the best big sister to her 4-year-old twin brothers, and we have been blessed with the very best medical team that has turned into our family. She said she is thankful for the donor family every day when she watches Ella Kate wake up, and hopes someday shell be able to meet them. She told reporters she writes the family a letter every year on the anniversary of Ella Kates transplant. If you hadnt decided to be an organ donor, I hope seeing this little girl alive today helps you to make that decision, Melanie said. I hope that if youre going through something thats really hard, just remember not to give up. God is still in the miracle business, and shes living proof of that. You can register to become an organ donor at www.donatelife.net. The Young Democrats of North Carolina are hosting their 88th annual statewide convention in Morganton this weekend. This marks the 95th year of YDNCs continued operation. Elected officials, candidates, party leaders and future democratic leaders of all ages will be converging on the foothills of Western North Carolina, bringing with them renewed energy and an upsurge in youth involvement. North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton, NC Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, state Sen. Rachel Hunt, state Rep. Lindsey Prather and Morganton Mayor Ronnie Thompson will speak throughout the weekend to assembled delegates and guests. The convention will include learning and development sessions, YDNC leadership elections, official business, social functions and more. Were excited to bring this years YDNC Convention out west, said President Nathaniel Jacobs. Western NC in recent years has been integral to YDNCs strength, and we are looking forward to displaying that strength in Morganton. YDNC is coming off a midterm election year where the efforts of its members were integral in electing democrats across our state, including key state legislative races where democrats were able to briefly maintain Gov. Roy Coopers veto power. With the loss of Governor Cooper veto power in the last two weeks, its vital that YDNC refocuses its efforts to mobilizing young people to help win the races we narrowly lost in 2022, said Secretary Zach Finley. Burke County Democratic Party 1st Vice Chair said he was honored to see the convention come to Burke County. Im honored to bring YDNC home to Morganton, Palmer said. Our rural counties are important to building power for our communities across North Carolina. We cant ignore them anymore if we want to win. To learn more about YDNCs Convention, people may go to ydnc.org/Morganton to register to attend and view our public schedule. A woman says kissing and some initial sexual activity with a Butte man was consensual at first but he became aggressive, pulled her hair and raped her. Prosecutors allege that 27-year-old Seth Logan Leitheiser raped the woman vaginally, orally and anally so they charged him with three separate counts of sexual intercourse without consent and two counts of misdemeanor assault. Leitheiser pleaded not guilty to all five charges Wednesday, and District Judge Robert Whelan set the next hearing for May 24. Leitheiser appeared with his attorney, Jack Morris, and is free pending further court proceedings. Each felony rape charge carries a maximum of 20 years in prison and fine up to $50,000. The assault charges were based on Leitheiser allegedly pulling the womans hair during the assaults and are each punishable by up to six months in jail and fines up to $500. In recently filed charging documents, prosecutors provide more details on what they believe happened in the early morning hours of Saturday, March 4. The alleged victim said she and several friends were at Leitheisers residence in the 100 block of Porphyry Street that Friday night and Saturday morning, drinking alcohol and partying. She said in the morning hours she went into a bedroom and lay down on a bed where there was also another woman. She said Leitheiser came into the bedroom, lay on top of her and they began kissing. The other woman on the bed left but a third woman came in and lay down, prosecutors say. The alleged victim said Leitheiser put his hands down her pants and penetrated her with a finger but the interaction to that point was consensual. The third woman then left, came back but left again after Leitheiser started kissing her. The mood in the bedroom changed after that, the alleged victim said, and Leitheiser became physically aggressive. He rolled her onto her stomach with her face pushed into a pillow, and the sexual assaults began. The woman said she told him to stop several times but he refused, at one point saying, Its OK. You can be a good girl and take it for daddy, according to charging documents. At one point she tried to get out of the room but said Leitheiser pulled her to the floor by her hair and forced her to perform oral sex. She said the assaults continued until she said she was going to be sick, and Leitheiser allowed her to leave the room. The woman told a friend what happened, and they left the residence and went to St. James Healthcare, where a rape exam was conducted and police were called. Officers also went to Leitheisers residence and spoke with him. He told them he fell asleep before anyone had left and when he woke up that morning, Everyone was gone. Mr. Leitheiser denied having any sexual contact with (the woman) and stated she had never been in his bedroom, prosecutors said. The defendant then requested to speak to a lawyer before answering any further questions and the interview was stopped. Police applied for a search warrant for the residence, and Leitheiser was taken to the Butte jail. His clothing was confiscated and secured as evidence, and a search warrant was granted for police to obtain a DNA swab from Leitheiser. Some of the evidence, including the rape kit exam, was sent to the Montana State Crime Lab for analysis. DEER LODGE Longtime river watchdog Kathy Hadley asked what seemed to be the nights cut-to-the-chase question. She inquired Tuesday about a new approach proposed for Superfund remediation of the Clark Fork River, asking specifically if the plan will leave toxic contaminants in the rivers floodplain. Yes, it will, replied Kevin Stone, a spokesman for the Montana Department of Environmental Quality or DEQ. Doug Martin, restoration program chief for the states Natural Resource Damage Program, or NRDP, offered perspective. He noted that large-scale environmental remediation projects routinely leave some measure of wastes in place and cited the Milltown Dam cleanup as one example. The exchange occurred during a public meeting in Deer Lodge that included presentations about the Clark Fork River Operable Unit Strategic Plan and related questions. Nearly 60 people attended the gathering at the Powell County Community Center. One was Toni Chew. She said she came to ask about plans for Arrowstone Park, a popular Deer Lodge riverside park where contamination has begun to surface after a remediation completed years ago. I want to walk in a clean Arrowstone Park, Chew said. Katie Garcin-Forba, a bureau chief for DEQ, responded that discussion about the design for an Arrowstone-specific remedy is underway. Work there is scheduled to begin in 2025. Garcin-Forba and Molly Roby of EPA said they are working with Powell County to address concerns about the park. Amanda Cooley, the countys planning director, was at the meeting, as was Jordan Green, Deer Lodges chief administrative officer. After the meeting, Chew said she has observed children in Arrowstone Park playing in bare soil. Sites next to the river where vegetation is absent are often barren because of contamination. DEQ and NRDP collaborated to draft the Clark Fork Strategic Plan to guide remaining phases of cleanup work on the river between Galen and Garrison. One motivation for a new approach was the recognition that the money for cleanup was going to run out before the work was done. Hadley asked about that, too. Given that the agencies have spent about $106 million on remediating five phases and have about $105 million left to tackle 15 more, Hadley wondered how that was going to play out. One piece of the official answer is that the strategic plan approach generally will remove contaminated tailings along a narrower corridor adjacent to the river. DEQ has said research about the Clark Forks anticipated channel migration zone allows the agencies to prioritize removing contamination most vulnerable to the river channels migration. A catastrophic flood in 1908 deposited mining and smelting wastes from upstream along the Clark Fork Rivers floodplain. Major contaminants include arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead and zinc. Brian Bartkowiak, an environmental science specialist for NRDP, said the channel migration zone research should help guide cleanup that is effective and cost-effective. We dont want to run out of money before the cleanup is finished, Bartkowiak said, acknowledging that the strategic plan will remove less material from the floodplain. The Clark Fork River Operable Unit is part of an EPA Superfund site, and DEQ and NRDP are responsible, respectively, for remediating and restoring contaminated stretches of river. Funding for remediation and restoration was secured, through lawsuits and Superfund agreements, with Atlantic Richfield, which acquired the original polluter, Anaconda Co., in 1977. In 2008, Atlantic Richfield paid the state about $122 million for the Clark Fork work, with $95 million earmarked for DEQs cleanup and $27 million for the NRDPs role restoring and replacing damaged natural resources. The related consent decree made provisions for round robin funding if the money runs out. In this arrangement, the EPA, the state and Atlantic Richfield would share liability for additional costs. The river's operable unit meanders about 120 river miles from Warm Springs to Missoula. The remediation and restoration work focuses primarily on a 43-mile stretch from Warm Springs to Garrison. This Reach A was divided into 22 sections referred to as phases. Agency officials at Tuesday nights meeting repeatedly referenced the high costs of transporting excavated tailings by truck to a repository site in the Opportunity Ponds. Garcin-Forba suggested one potential cost-savings measure would be siting a repository closer to the work as it proceeds downstream toward Garrison. In 2017, a DEQ-funded study determined that Opportunity Ponds remained the most appropriate repository location for remaining phases upstream of Deer Lodge. DEQ said other locations might be investigated in the years to come on lands either owned by the state or downstream of Deer Lodge. Officials acknowledged that a few landowners along the river have not yet provided permission for cleanup work to proceed. Separately, Martin referenced recent fish census work by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks that found very few fish in the vicinity of Phase One. He said habitat in that area has recovered nicely since remedial work and said he does not believe the cleanup itself can be solely blamed for the decline in the fish population. This stretch of river at the headwaters of the Clark Fork once hosted large numbers of brown trout. Some observers have speculated that the removal of riparian cover and undercut banks have made this stretch of river less hospitable to trout. The strategic plan also emphasizes the need to keep the public informed and involved about cleanup and restoration decisions. At minimum, the state will hold two public meetings a year to discuss with the public what has been completed, what is planned and monitoring data that shows what is working and what needs to be changed, the plan prescribes. Cleanup and restoration work on the Clark Fork began in 2010. The latest target date for completion is 2038, with maintenance work and related costs to continue past that date. The state will accept comment on the draft Clark Fork River Operable Unit Strategic Plan until May 21. Comments can be submitted by mail or electronically. To view the strategic plan and executive summary or learn how to submit comments, visit bit.ly/41WdfoE. Republicans in Montanas House of Representatives voted Wednesday to ban a Democratic transgender lawmaker from the chamber, following her support for protesters who shut down the body's proceedings earlier in the week. Rep. Zooey Zephyr of Missoula will still be allowed to vote remotely, but will not be allowed to access the House chamber, anteroom or gallery under the party-line, 68-32 vote taken by the House. Democrats were united against the motion, while Republicans all voted in favor. The measure needed two-thirds of the chambers support to pass. Wednesday's vote appears to be without precedent in the Montana Legislature's modern era. In 1975, an attempt to censure a trio of Republican lawmakers failed to advance from a special committee set up for that purpose. Photos: Rep. Zooey Zephyr banned after arrests and protests at State Capitol Republicans in Montanas House of Representatives voted Wednesday to ban a Democratic transgender lawmaker from the chamber, following her sup Republicans have criticized Zephyrs actions during the protests on Monday, when activists filled the House gallery and interrupted proceedings on the floor with shouting and chanting in support of Zephyr, the first transgender woman elected to the state Legislature. Some protesters also threw red gloves from the gallery onto the House floor. Montana Speaker of the House Rep. Matt Regier, of Kalispell, attempted to gavel down the crowd, but quickly ordered the gallery cleared by law enforcement as the chants of Let her speak, and Whos house? Our house, continued. Republicans moved to the side of the chamber and later exited while police in riot gear cleared people from the gallery. Democrats remained on the other side of the chamber. During the protest, Zephyr stood at her desk on the House floor with her microphone raised and engaged with the crowd. The rally and subsequent protest were held in response to Republicans in the House preventing Zephyr from speaking on the House floor for several days, after comments she made last week. The freshman lawmaker had told representatives a week ago they should be ashamed for voting in favor of a bill that would ban some gender-affirming care for transgender minors. She also told them they would have blood on your hands for doing so. Republicans have advanced several bills affecting trans people this session. Regier had been adamant that Zephyr would again be recognized should she apologize something she declined to do. Regier made the motion to ban Zephyr under a provision of the Montana Constitution that allows each house to expel or punish a member for good cause shown with the concurrence of two-thirds of all its members. (On) Monday, this body witnessed one of its members participating in conduct that disrupted and disturbed the orderly proceedings of this body, said House Majority Leader Sue Vinton, a Billings Republican who brought the motion to bar Zephyr from the chamber. This member did not accede to the order of the speaker to come to order, and finally to clear the floor, and instead encouraged the continuation of the disruption of this body. Zephyr remained defiant, being permitted for the first time in a week to address the House floor as she spoke against the motion. She said she was contacted by the family of a transgender youth who attempted suicide while watching a hearing on one of the anti-trans bills. "When I rose up and said there is 'blood on your hands,' I was not being hyperbolic," she said. "I was speaking to the real consequences of the votes that we as legislators take in this body." Zephyr also said that the bill she had originally spoken against was one of many targeting the LGBTQ community in Montana. This Legislature has systematically attacked that community. Before the protests Monday, three Republican lawmakers had voted with Democrats against upholding the speakers decision. But two of them were among those who spoke Wednesday in favor of banning Zephyr Reps. Casey Knudsen and David Bedey. This house, this body, holds dear the right to self-protection, Casey said. We today are exercising this right, based on the inappropriate behavior on the House floor. ... This behavior violated the collective rights and safety of 99 other members of this body, our staff, our pages and the public. His comments echoed those by other Republicans, including Bedey, who said that Zephyr could have chosen to leave the floor, as other lawmakers did, during the protests, or to attempt to calm the crowd. Zephyr, however, defended the protesters actions as a response to her inability to speak for them. When I continued not to be recognized, what my constituents in my community did was came here and said, That is our voice in this body, let her speak, she said during her floor speech. She held her microphone in the air, she added, to amplify their voices. Democratic Rep. SJ Howell, a trans nonbinary legislator also from Missoula, spoke in support of Zephyr. I feel like I have a voice right now. And I feel like the actions that we saw today send a very clear message that at a certain point, if you don't use your voice the way we want, you're out. I think that is a deeply disturbing message, and there's no clear line and that's part of the problem, Howell said. Regier said during a press conference after the vote that the punishment was intended to ensure safety in the House while also allowing Zephyrs constituents to be represented by her votes on legislation. I did not know what was going to happen moving forward with that representative, if there was going to be more threats to just even safety of staff, he said. Law enforcement has said they were not aware of any violence or damage during the protests Monday. House Minority Leader Kim Abbott sharply countered the idea the protests posed a danger. We have a fundamental disagreement, the speaker and I, on what was required during that protest. That protest was peaceful, it was disruptive. Both of those things are true, Abbott said. The highway patrol was slowly moving people out of the gallery, and they could have continued to do that. There was no reason to escalate the situation with SWAT. Regier cited the presence of riot police in the House chamber when asked about his stated safety concerns. He said he felt law enforcement did a great job of responding to the situation. Zephyr said after the House adjourned Wednesday that the outcome was expected as she did not believe Republicans would have brought the motion without the votes to succeed. She planned to continue to prepare and vote on bills, as well as attend committee meetings if allowed, although she noted that committee work is winding down. I would never change standing up for my community and my constituents, she said. I will continue to represent my community as best I can in this body. Zephyrs barring from the House floor comes as the body prepares to consider several important bills in the next week. Its important to acknowledge that based on the actions today, every bill we debate for the rest of the session, there will be 11,000 Montanans whose voices arent heard, she said. That includes our budget, that includes housing bills. Zephyr said she would not change her actions if given another chance. When you shut out 11,000 Montanans from the democratic process, it is no surprise that those Montanans would come and show up and demand that their voices be heard, she said. And I stood up in solidarity with them, and I would do it every day, because when I do so, I stand up for democracy. Republican House Leadership said in a letter late Tuesday they planned disciplinary consequences against Zephyr after comments she made on the House floor last week. After Zephyr's initial statements, the Freedom Caucus, a group of legislators farther to the right than the rest of the GOP, called for her censure in a statement that misgendered Zephyr. Since last week Regier has refused to acknowledge Zephyr or let her speak on the floor. His decisions have been upheld by most of the supermajority Republicans in the chamber and Regier has said he will not acknowledge Zephyr until she apologizes. Zephyr had said she would not apologize. After Mondays protest in which seven were charged with misdemeanor criminal trespassing, Zephyr again said she would not back down. As an elected representative, I am devoted to supporting those who speak in defense of democracy, as it is my duty to ensure their voices are heard and respected, she said in a statement. On Tuesday Regier canceled the Houses floor session and refused to take questions from reporters about why. There are seven days left in the legislative session, and Abbott said Democrats will regroup after Wednesdays actions to discuss how the last week will go. I don't know that we have an appeal option. I think we need to regroup as a caucus. This obviously impacts more than 100 people in this building. It impacts 11,000 people in Missoula who will not have a representative at the table to freely debate on the floor to us. That's unacceptable, and we have to decide what to do, Abbott said. Abbott said the Democratic caucus has had conversations about how they feel the rules have been unevenly applied and to plan a different approach going forward into the next session. Maybe we need to not let as many things slide and really make a point every time we feel like the rules might have been violated or decorum violated, Abbott said, adding she also expects a change in approach over the next few weeks. Asked about his decision to cancel two days of floor debates, Regier laid the blame on Rep. Zephyr. He has consistently argued that the episode is a direct result of Zephyrs unwillingness to abide by decorum, or to apologize after the fact. If youre not going to operate within the House rules, as the other 99 (representatives) do, that is up to Representative Zephyr to remedy that and play within the rules that everyone has agreed on and voted on, Regier said. Regier also clarified during his press conference that Zephyrs ability to participate in committees will not be affected by Wednesdays vote. She sits on the House Judiciary and House Health and Human Services committees. Law enforcement had mobilized around the Capitol but no protest materialized Wednesday. While the gallery was closed Wednesday, legislative staff prepared a committee room so members of the public could view the proceedings. The 40-some people gathered there and together said the Pledge of Allegiance, and then the room was silent as the floor session played out. When the final vote was tallied to ban Zephyr from the House, several disheartened sighs gave out, and then they cleared the room. Joan Tubridy, a 69-year-old retired elementary school teacher from Helena, was crying when the hearing came to a close. Its tragic and its sad, Tubridy said in the hallway. A former student of hers, who is trans, committed suicide a couple weeks ago, she said. The intolerance and close-mindedness and fear toward the LGBT community has far-reaching consequences. Tubridy said she understands the national Republican politics driving anti-trans legislation and how state lawmakers get caught in that current. But this vote, to ban an elected lawmaker who represents not only 11,000 Montanans but the transgender community in Montana, should have been separate from all of that, she said. On the last day the Emergency Winter Shelter was open on April 10, 80 people slept in the facility, according to Missoula Mayor Jordan Hess. More than 100 people are currently on the waitlist for the Temporary Safe Outdoor Space as well. And nearly every night, the Poverello Center reaches capacity with 120 guests. In spite of an increasing number of urban campers in Missoula the city receives dozens of complaints daily the city and its partners dont plan on cracking down on public encampments. They have nowhere else to go, Hess said Wednesday morning at a press conference outside the Missoula County Courthouse. The reality is we do not have enough indoor shelter in our community for everybody. The collective decision results from Martin v. Boise, a 2018 verdict by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, which prohibits the criminalization of homelessness in places where there is insufficient shelter. Since we dont have shelter beds, we cannot remove someone from an encampment in a public space, Hess added. Because of the Martin ruling, the Missoula Police Department does not cite people strictly for camping in public spaces, although the police do respond to threats to public health and safety. Instead of ticketing people camped outside, MPD makes contact with individuals sleeping on streets and sidewalks, encouraging them to move frequently and keep their encampments clean, Captain Jake Rosling said. Were just trying to have respect for them as well as the business owners and the other residents in Missoula that are calling about this stuff, he said. Hess and his colleagues on Wednesday encouraged community members to use the citys website to report health and safety concerns from urban camping. Hess also urged concerned citizens to donate to supportive organizations like the Poverello Center, United Way and Hope Rescue Mission. He suggested reaching out to state and federal representatives as well. Hess also asked Missoulians to respect city staff and call 911 in the case of immediate danger. While he said the city finds itself in a really untenable position, the approach he outlined is part of a caring, compassionate response. We need to have places for people to be, County Commissioner Josh Slotnick added Wednesday. The service providers who operate shelters for the communitys unhoused population echoed Slotnick and Hess. One of the most pressing challenges we face is the lack of shelter beds, said Pov Executive Director Jill Bonny. The Johnson Street Shelter her organization oversaw this winter spent 132 consecutive nights with more than 100 guests, she said. In addition, according to Eran Pehan with the city, the shelter served 800 different people from October to April. It makes sense that were seeing an alarming increase in the number of people sleeping on our streets, Bonny went on. While the Pov hopes to implement a plan to accommodate more people, Bonny didnt offer specific details about that effort Wednesday. At the TSOS, 59 program participants have found housing and 190 people overall have been served. But the failure of the Crisis Services Levy in November 2022 meant the future funding source for that program is uncertain. Funding is a major issue that we work with, said Hope Rescue Missions Jim Hicks. We do what we can. Hess said the future of funding programs like the TSOS will likely be determined by voters. He pointed out the November levy passed within city precincts. April Seat, outreach director for Hope Rescue Mission, asked, As a community, what are we gonna do? CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) A Missouri judge on Wednesday temporarily halted enforcement of a first-of-its-kind rule that restricts access to gender-affirming health care for transgender kids and adults, just hours before it was set to take effect. The rule enstated by Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey places requirements on both minors and adults before they would be allowed to receive gender-affirming treatments, such as puberty blockers or hormones. It was set to take effect Thursday, but transgender Missourians and health care providers sued to stop it from being enforced. St. Louis County Circuit Judge Ellen Ribaudo said Wednesday that she would like more time to review the matter before deciding whether to issue a temporary restraining order. She delayed implementation of the rule until 5 p.m. Monday, saying she anticipates she will issue a ruling before then. Bailey has touted the rule as a way to shield minors from what he describes as experimental medical treatments, though puberty blockers and sex hormones have been prescribed for decades. But the lawsuit claims that Bailey sidestepped the GOP-led Legislature and acted beyond his authority in attempting to regulate gender-affirming health care under the states consumer-protection laws. Attorney Tony Rothert with the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri told Ribaudo at a court hearing Wednesday that the regulations "will cause immediate, severe and potentially irreparable harm for people who could lose access to medications that include puberty blockers and sex hormones. He and other attorneys said that transgender people who cant get gender-affirming care are at risk of suicide. Assistant Attorney General Joshua Divine argued that Baileys order does not ban gender-affirming care. The rule will require people to have experienced an intense pattern of documented gender dysphoria for three years and to have received at least 15 hourly sessions with a therapist over at least 18 months before receiving puberty blockers, hormones, surgery or other treatment. Patients also must first be screened for autism and social media addiction, and any psychiatric symptoms from mental health issues would have to be treated and resolved. Some people would be able to maintain their prescriptions while undergoing required assessments. Divine said the rule provides basic procedural guardrails. He cited studies showing that a high percentage of kids seeking to transition are dealing with mental health issues. He said that rather than transition they should undergo talk therapy. Those suing argue Bailey sidestepped the GOP-led Legislature and acted beyond his authority, We dont allow attorneys general to legislate, and we dont allow them to play doctor, Rothert said. Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, said that with the delay, transgender and non-binary Missourians will still be able to receive treatment on Thursday. And while this is temporary relief, our patients always deserve the highest standard of care, without the intervention of politicians who have no grasp of medicine, she said. A spokesperson for Bailey said the office will continue fighting for all patients to have access to adequate health care. Bailey issued the restrictions following an investigation he launched in February into the Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Childrens Hospital. The investigation was prompted by a former employee who alleged the center was providing children with gender-affirming care without informed consent, not enough individualized case review and wraparound mental health services. An internal review by the university found no misconduct and determined that the former employee's claims were unsubstantiated. Baileys efforts to crack down on gender-affirming health care come as Republican lawmakers across the country have proposed hundreds of laws aimed at transgender people. At least 13 states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for minors. The Food and Drug Administration approved puberty blockers 30 years ago to treat children with precocious puberty a condition that causes sexual development to begin much earlier than usual. Sex hormones synthetic forms of estrogen and testosterone were approved decades ago to treat hormone disorders or as birth control pills. The FDA has not approved the medications specifically to treat gender-questioning youth. But they have been used for many years for that purpose off label, a common and accepted practice for many medical conditions. Doctors who treat transgender patients say those decades of use mean the treatments are not experimental. Critics have raised concerns about children changing their minds. Yet the evidence suggests detransitioning is not as common as opponents of transgender medical treatment for youth contend, though few studies exist. Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade said Wednesday that she sent letters to President Joe Biden and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services earlier this week, asking for an executive order to extend coverage for Missourians who seek gender-affirming care in other states. She also sent letters to the governors of Kansas and Illinois, asking that their health care systems accept Missouri patients for such care. - Ballentine reported from Jefferson City, Missouri. - The name of the judge has been corrected. Human rights organizations are urging Thailand to improve conditions in its immigration detention facilities after a second asylum seeker from Chinas Muslim Uyghur minority died in custody within two months. Human Rights Watch called for an end to Thailands inhumane and counterproductive policy of indefinitely detaining people accused of violating immigration laws. Mattohti Mattursun died last Friday of suspected liver failure shortly after being taken to a hospital weeks after falling ill. Uyghur rights groups say Mattursun fled to Thailand from China in 2014 and had been detained for more than nine years. Thailand's Coalition for the Rights of Refugees and Stateless Persons says detainees lack adequate medical care and are confined in overcrowded and unsanitary cells. For the third year in a row, downtown Muscatine is expected to be the place to enjoy special drinks, shopping, socializing and fun for one night only. From 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, May 12, the Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GMCCI) will host its third annual Sip & Shop event. First starting in 2021, the event was originally seen as a way for participants unwind while still supporting local retail and smaller businesses that may have still been struggling because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the effects of the pandemic have mostly subsided, the team at GMCCI still hope to use this event to support downtown businesses as well as provide yet another enjoyable event for residents and visitors alike. I think the fact that Sip & Shop features a variety of shops who are open outside of their normal hours makes for a successful event, Dena Ferreira, director of marketing & events said. Im hoping to see record attendance and to get people who havent attended the event before and those from out of town sign up. For this years event, 15 local shops will be open with extended shopping hours, providing different wine samples as well as tasting notes that describe each wine. Weve added even more wines from Ardon Creek along with wines from other regions to offer even more of a variety to sample, Ferreira added. Attendees will also receive a commemorative gift item and a 21-and-over wristband, both of which can be picked up at GMCCI, 100 West 2nd St., alongside a map detailing all of the participating businesses. The list of 2023 Sip & Shop businesses includes Create DIY Craft Studio, Creations by Oz, Feather Your Nest Interiors, Flipped Out Furniture, Fluidsolution IV Wellness, Fresh Home and Lifestyle, Good Karma Creations, LivLeo Apparel, Meg's Vintage Collective, Missipi Brew, the National Pearl Button Museum at the History & Industry Center, Pearl City Popcorn, Proof Social, Red&Lee Vintage, Salon Incognito, the HallTree Boutique, the Merrill Soap Company and the Merrill Hotel. With the hotel specifically, it will offer a special overnight rate of $99 (plus tax) for out-of-town guests. As for those only interested in the event itself, tickets can be bought online for $25 each at https://sipandshopmuscatine2023.eventbrite.com. Guests are advised to sign up as soon as possible in order to guarantee that they receive the gift item. Several Muscatine FFA students had the chance to compete in teams this week at this years Envirothon, which was held at Jester Park in Polk County. Participating students included Madeline Wallace, Joe Fowler, Jenna Lovstad, Caleb Teed, Bob Carver, Leah Cortez, Camden Furnas, Madeline Fisher, Parker Green and Kat Carver. There were four main parts to the Envirothon competition: soils, forestry, wildlife and aquatics. Muscatine students also had to take a current-issues test and give an oral presentation going over how they would farm land while also adapting to climate change. After several events, Muscatine was eventually named the FFA state champions and had the seventh overall team. With this win, the team qualified to represent Iowa at the 2023 National FFA Convention, which will be held in October in Indiana. The team will have the option to compete in either National Forestry CDE or the National Environmental/National Resources CDE. Although some students shared that they werent 100% sure about participating in this years Envirothon, doing so only because it is part of the curriculum in their forestry tests, they still felt good about how well they managed to do despite some of them having never experienced the event before. It was pretty cool. The contest was pretty well ran and it was in a really nice state park. The buildings were super nice and there wasnt really a lot of confusion in it, Furnas said. Lovstad noted that the team was able to take a divide-and-conquer approach to the competition, allowing them to get further together than they would have if they were competing separately. Personally, for our teams biggest strength, a lot of us have competed together in different contests in the past, and so we have the familiarity with each other which was then able to push us further, Lovstad said. I dont think any of us have the same strength. We all have a different strength like, (Lovstad) is super good at soils, but I dont know anything about soils really so we kind of picked up where the other left off, Furnas added. Looking ahead to the Nationals competition in the fall, although he will have graduated and started college by then, Carver shared that he still felt it was worth returning and eventually competing at the big event. I think its very important to know whats going on in the environment around you, and Envirothon really allows you to see what points of interest we should really look at, Carver said, referring to the four main focuses of the competition. Without those four points, we wouldnt be the world we are today. Lovstad shared similar sentiments. I really think that this contest specifically really helps younger individuals that are the future of agriculture get the knowledge. Especially with this, where we were researching conservation so much, it just really helps our perspective of these world issues that were going to be dealing with in our future. JACKSON, Miss. (AP) The white woman who accused Black teenager Emmett Till of whistling at and accosting her in Mississippi in 1955 causing his lynching, which galvanized a generation of activists to rise up in the Civil Rights Movement has died at 88. Carolyn Bryant Donham died in hospice care Tuesday night in Westlake, Louisiana, according to a death report filed Thursday in the Calcasieu Parish Coroners Office. Her death marks the last chance for anyone to be held accountable for the kidnapping and murder that shocked the world. Till's mother, Mamie Till Mobley, insisted on an open-casket funeral in their hometown of Chicago so the world could see her 14-year-old son's mutilated body, which was pulled from a river in Mississippi. Jet magazine published photos. In August 1955, Till had traveled from Chicago to visit relatives in Mississippi. Donham then 21 and named Carolyn Bryant accused him of making improper advances on her at a grocery store where she was working in the small community of Money. The Rev. Wheeler Parker, a cousin of Till who was there, has said Till whistled at the woman, an act that flew in the face of Mississippis racist social codes of the era. Evidence indicates a woman identified Till to Donham's then-husband Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Milam, who killed the teenager. An all-white jury acquitted the two white men in the killing, but the men later confessed in an interview with Look magazine. When Till disappeared in Mississippi, Ollie Gordon one of Tills cousins was 7 years old and living in the Chicago home with Tills mother and family. Gordon told The Associated Press on Thursday that in the days after he went missing, the home was full of fear, because people knew there was a strong likelihood he had been killed. Gordon said she had mixed emotions about Donhams death. She was never tried in the court of man, Gordon said. But I think she was judged by God, and his wrath is more punitive than any judgment or penalty she could have gotten in a courtroom. I dont think she had a pleasant or happy life. Parker is the last living witness to Till's abduction. He has said in interviews and speeches that he heard Till whistle at the woman working behind the counter at Bryant's Grocery and Meat Market. Days later, Parker saw men kidnap Till in the dark of night from their uncle's home in Mississippi, where the teenagers were staying. Parker said Thursday that his heart goes out to Donham. As a person of faith for more than 60 years, I recognize that any loss of life is tragic and dont have any ill will or animosity toward her, Parker said in a statement. "Even though no one now will be held to account for the death of my cousin and best friend, it is up to all of us to be accountable to the challenges we still face in overcoming racial injustice. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that President Joe Biden was proud to sign the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act last year to make lynching a federal crime. The president is committed to ... dealing with racial hatred, Jean-Pierre said. In an unpublished memoir obtained by The AP in 2022, Donham said she was unaware of what would happen to Till. Historian and author Timothy Tyson of Durham, North Carolina, provided a copy of the 99-page manuscript, I Am More Than A Wolf Whistle, to AP. He said he received it from Donham while interviewing her in 2008. Tyson had placed the manuscript in an archive at the University of North Carolina with the agreement that it not be made public for decades, though he said he gave it to the FBI during an investigation the agency concluded in 2021. A campus spokesperson said Thursday that the university returned Tysons materials to him in 2022 because they did not agree on open access to the information. Tyson said in 2022 that he decided to release the memoir to news outlets after some of Till's relatives and other people doing research at the Leflore County, Mississippi, courthouse in June 2022 found an arrest warrant on kidnapping charges that was issued for Mrs. Roy Bryant in 1955 but never served. Tyson said in a statement Thursday that Donham's precise role in the killing of Till remains murky, but it's clear she was involved. It has comforted America to see this as merely a story of monsters, her among them," Tyson said. "What this narrative keeps us from seeing is the monstrous social order that cared nothing for the life of Emmett Till nor thousands more like him. Neither the federal government nor the government of Mississippi did anything to prevent or punish this murder. Condemning what Donham did is easier than confronting what America was and is. Joe Stidhum was born two years after Till, his cousin, was killed. Stidhum said that older family members protected him and his siblings, and didn't tell them about Till's lynching until they were teenagers. Stidhum said he wishes he knew how Donham reckoned with her own conscience. What did she take with her that no one would know, other than her and her maker? Stidhum told AP on Thursday. I just hope that no one ever has to go through the pain that our family has endured, mostly the elderly family" members who have died. In October, a bronze statue of Till was unveiled in Greenwood, Mississippi, just miles from his uncles home. Also last year, members of the New Black Panther Party and other activists began showing up at addresses associated with Donham, including in North Carolina and Kentucky. They were there to serve unofficial warrants for her arrest and trial. Weeks after the unserved arrest warrant was found, the office of Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said there was no new evidence to pursue a criminal case against Donham. In August, a district attorney said a Leflore County grand jury declined to indict Donham. Tills cousin, Priscilla Sterling, filed a federal lawsuit against the current Leflore County Sheriff, Ricky Banks, on Feb. 7, seeking to compel him to serve the 1955 warrant on Donham. In a response April 13, Banks' attorney said there was no point serving the warrant because the grand jury did not indict Donham last year. Malik Z. Shabazz, one of the attorneys in the lawsuit against Banks, said it's tragic that Mississippi never held Donham accountable. "Carolyn Bryants legacy will be one of dishonesty and injustice, Shabazz said. A legacy that verifies that Mississippi coddles and protects white supremacy. Associated Press writers Allen G. Breed in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and Colleen Long in Washington contributed to this report. SLATER Nick Helland's central Iowa farm looks much like every other nearby farm on this chilly March day, with corn stubble stretching from a gravel road up over a low hill to the northern horizon. But look closely, and you can see patches of muddy ground where a few months ago crews buried low-tech systems called bioreactors and streamside buffers that filter fertilizer-borne nitrates from water as it drains from Helland's field into nearby Big Creek and eventually the Des Moines River. The underground devices work. The question is whether one Iowa county's promising new approach to an old problem can be expanded enough to finally address nitrate pollution that, for years, has endangered drinking water, made more than half the state's waterways unfit for fish or humans, and fueled a giant dead zone nearly 1,000 miles away in the Gulf of Mexico. Polk County is doing it by making it painless for farmers handling all the logistics and arrangements for the systems and throwing in payments of $1,000 per site. Installations have exploded in the past two years, to 104, after only a handful were installed the eight years before that. "They paid me and they paid the cost of all the installation," Helland said. "That's sort of a no-brainer to me that with very little lift, very little time, I can have this installed on my farm and it will ensure better water quality for everyone else downstream." The big challenge now is encouraging counties to launch and fund similar efforts to reduce runoff from Iowa's 10 million acres of tile-drained farmland and combat the state's multi-billion dollar problem with nitrogen pollution. Nitrogen-based fertilizers and manure can lead to excessive nitrates in groundwater that can be toxic to livestock and humans. High levels have plagued waterways in Iowa and throughout the Midwest for decades from chemical fertilizers and animal manure sprayed on fields. Modern tractors let farmers assess their soil and apply only as much fertilizer as needed, but it's still common to overspray. It's easy to see why. Yields of corn the king crop in these parts, and planted on about 90 million acres nationwide are at least doubled by fertilizer, and farmers want to be sure their crops have enough nutrients. Adding to the problem are the quick drainage systems that lie beneath so many fields known as tiles, but actually plastic pipes that whoosh excess water away and into streams. Numerous studies have found the low-tech systems remove half the nitrate or more from runoff before it reaches waterways. In bioreactors, the water passes through a buried mound of wood chips that break down much of the nitrate. In the buffers, it moves through a grassy area parallel to a stream. Too much nitrate and phosphorous in rivers and streams makes great food for algae and other plant growth that cuts oxygen in the water and blocks sunlight. Combined with industrial farming practices that have altered waterways by straightening streams and removing wetlands, that's bad news for fish that need clear water and slower currents. It hurts humans, too. Nitrate-contaminated drinking water can cause blue baby syndrome where an infant's blood doesn't have enough oxygen. More than half of Iowa's rivers, streams and lakes are too polluted to properly support aquatic life or fishing and swimming, according to the state. Iowa is among the largest contributors of nitrate runoff that flows to the Gulf, leading to the so-called dead zone by depleting oxygen necessary for marine life across several thousand square miles. Pressure to reduce the dead zone led Iowa's agriculture and natural resources departments to join in 2008 with Iowa State University for a strategy to address the problem. The effort has focused on voluntary actions; Iowa's legislature has consistently rejected proposals to require farmers to reduce runoff. Fifteen years into the program, Iowa hasn't significantly reduced nitrogen runoff, according to a 2019 estimate. The problem in some ways has worsened as strong commodity prices encouraged farmers to plant corn and soybeans on more land. Meanwhile, Iowa's giant hog industry has grown to about 24 million pigs roughly triple the number in any other state which means more manure gets spread over farmland. In Polk County, exasperation with nitrate pollution came to a head in 2015, when the agency that provides drinking water to 600,000 people in the Des Moines area went to court over the millions of dollars it was being forced to spend to filter unsafe levels from drinking water taken from the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers. A judge ultimately dismissed the lawsuit against three northwest Iowa counties, ruling the issue was one for the Legislature to address. Without hope of state mandates, local officials in Polk County sought to work cooperatively with agricultural groups. Part of that was studying why so few farmers were installing bioreactors and streamside buffers. They found an inefficient system for installation that made it expensive and bothersome for farmers, who had to arrange contractors and then seek reimbursement. Polk County's solution: Handle all the arrangements to make it easy for farmers, and group projects together for economies of scale. Even with the $1,000 inducement to get farmers to sign on, they found the new process was about 15% cheaper less than $10,000 for a typical saturated buffer, and up to $15,000 for a bioreactor. "Our success came from realizing we had been doing it wrong for like six years," said John Swanson, Polk County's water resources supervisor. Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig, who has strongly opposed requiring farmers to filter runoff, has embraced Polk County's effort and encouraged it elsewhere. In March, he promoted bioreactors and buffers at an event in Story County, north of Des Moines, where conservation officials have adopted the new program. "We're making it easy for a landowner to say yes, and then we bring the resources," Naig said. "These are essentially 100% paid for. Either way, the work has to get done, and to have willing landowners and willing producers get involved, that will work much better." But clean water advocates note that Iowa needs thousands of the systems added each year, not hundreds, and question whether voluntary efforts can reach even a small percentage of the state's farms let alone those in other states. "There's a lot of people who are doing really good work," said Alicia Vasto, the water program director at the Iowa Environmental Council. "The fact of the matter is that it's just not at the pace and scale that's necessary to fix the problem." The projected cost of scaling up is staggering. To significantly reduce nitrogen and phosphate runoff, a 2017 analysis found that upfront costs could be as high as $4 billion. That would include more than 100,000 bioreactors to deal with runoff on two-thirds of tile-drained farmland, as well as other solutions, like cover crops. Swanson, the Polk County official, is now working with state officials to build more wetlands, which cost more and require more land but can filter much more runoff than the bioreactors and buffers. Helland wants such a wetland on his property and wants farmers to do more, but he thinks efforts should remain voluntary. Each farm is different, he said, and if governments try to require action, it could cause more problems and ultimately not be effective. Jerry Hill, who has farmed for 52 years, attended the Story County meeting with other farmers and is leaning toward installing a bioreactor along a creek that borders his property. He liked the idea of filtering the water at little cost to his bottom line. "We're going to have to do a better job of keeping things clean," Hill said. "From what I've heard, what they have going now is as good as it gets." Places in the US that don't have access to clean water Flint, Michigan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Navajo Nation East Chicago, Indiana Airway Heights, Washington Puerto Rico Brady, Texas Baltimore, Maryland Milwaukee, Wisconsin Las Vegas, Nevada Uniontown, Alabama New York City, New York Martin County, Kentucky Tacoma, Washington Pretty Prairie, Kansas Tallulah, Louisiana West Virginia KINGSTON, Jamaica The number of tourists flocking to Jamaica's sun-drenched beaches soared almost 100% in the first three months of the year, causing long lines and hours-long waits for arriving passengers at the island's main airport. Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett told The Associated Press that the problem stemmed from a shortage of airport staff to process the unexpected volume of people flying into Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay since the end of the pandemic. Bartlett told Parliament later that day that there were 1.18 million arrivals from January through March 94% more than the same period of 2022 and a record high for Jamaica's tourism high season. "The recovery has been stronger than anticipated and everybody all over the world is having difficulty with their airports because (many) of the workers have not come back," Bartlett said. He said authorities plan to spend more on technology as they strive to do away with paperwork at the airport, including ending a requirement for visitors to fill out a form upon arrival. Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the problems at Sangster underscore the need to push through the $70 million modernization and expansion project that already was underway. The work is scheduled to be completed by 2025, and Honess said the improvements at the Caribbean's largest and busiest airport "will make Jamaica more attractive and make Jamaica more competitive with other countries in the region, which have also invested heavily in improving their infrastructure." As part of the project, the runway is being lengthened at a cost of $34 million, work that is expected to be finished in June. "We are excited about the prospects of Sangster being able to accommodate these mega airlines that will be flying to Jamaica and the Caribbean," Bartlett said during the AP interview last week. He said the Tourism Ministry's growth plan aims to have the island draw 5 million visitors annually by 2025. That would be a 35% increase from Jamaica's peak of 3.7 million tourists in 2022. Bartlett said Asian and Middle Eastern countries are among new markets being targeted and the airport must be able to accommodate the larger aircraft that would be used on such long-haul flights. In 2019, before the pandemic, the airport processed 4.7 million passengers, including citizens and visitors. The number of tourists to Jamaica peaked at 3.7 million in 2022, 70% of whom used the Sangster gateway. Sangster is managed by MBJ Airports Ltd., a consortium 74.5% owned by a subsidiary of the Mexican airports operator Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico and the rest by Vantage Airport Group of Canada. The consortium, which has a 30-year concession that began in 2003, said it spent $287 million to improve the airport in the first 18 years of the deal. Among the improvements, the airport operator has expanded the immigration hall and departure lounge. The check-in area was recently outfitted with 60 self-service kiosks, with plans to install more, to reduce passenger processing and waiting times. Top 10 beaches in the US for 2023, according to Tripadvisor 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) House Republicans have narrowly passed a sweeping debt ceiling package as they try to push President Biden into negotiations on federal spending. It's the start of efforts to avoid a potentially catastrophic government debt default this summer. Biden has threatened to veto the bill over the budget limits that are attached. The president says he's happy to talk with Speaker Kevin McCarthy, but will not negotiate over America's legal debt obligations. The Republican plan would raise the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion in exchange for steep spending restrictions that Democrats oppose. The White House insists the debt ceiling must be lifted with no strings attached to ensure America pays its bills. Nyeri archbishop Antony Muheria wants the government to conduct a wealth audit of all religious leaders in Kenya. Speaking to the press on Wednesday, the clergyman said a lifestyle audit would weed out unscrupulous preachers. He raised concerns that most preachers have become careless by choosing the path to wealth instead of giving hope to their faithful. Archbishop Muheria said he would be on the front line should clergy members be required to declare their wealth. It is important that we audit the wealth of all religious leaders; all of us including myself should be able to declare what I have in my account. And it should be something public for all the Christians who follow my church. They should know how much I have and how much I own. That is the only way the congregation can be defended from the greed of any rogue religious leaders, he said. Muheria at the same time said the government should formulate laws to tame pseudo-religions. We insist that there must be laws to tame pseudo-religions, denominations and gatheringstheyre just human creations of a person who wants to deceive. I dont think it is called brainwashing, this is a deception of the highest order where very simple, gullible peoplebecause theyre poor and miserablethat we can cheat and enslave them where they give all their goods for the good of the religious leader. Archbishop Muheria also urged Kenyans to be cautious saying gullibility has pushed many to desperation occasioning loss of lives. We must be bold; this is not a question of doing a simple sanitization. Weve seen this is deep, it is evil, and should not be repeated. Highlights of Auto Shanghai 2023 Xinhua) 08:22, April 27, 2023 People visit the 20th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition in Shanghai, east China, April 25, 2023. The exhibition, also known as Auto Shanghai 2023, is the first A-class international auto show held in China since the country adjusted its COVID-19 response. With 13 indoor exhibition halls, it boasts an exhibition area of more than 360,000 square meters. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang) The Hycan ATELIER concept car is on display during the 20th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition in Shanghai, east China, April 25, 2023. The exhibition, also known as Auto Shanghai 2023, is the first A-class international auto show held in China since the country adjusted its COVID-19 response. With 13 indoor exhibition halls, it boasts an exhibition area of more than 360,000 square meters. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang) People look at an AITO M5 on display during the 20th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition in Shanghai, east China, April 25, 2023. The exhibition, also known as Auto Shanghai 2023, is the first A-class international auto show held in China since the country adjusted its COVID-19 response. With 13 indoor exhibition halls, it boasts an exhibition area of more than 360,000 square meters. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang) People look at a Nio ES6 on display during the 20th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition in Shanghai, east China, April 25, 2023. The exhibition, also known as Auto Shanghai 2023, is the first A-class international auto show held in China since the country adjusted its COVID-19 response. With 13 indoor exhibition halls, it boasts an exhibition area of more than 360,000 square meters. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang) A Yangwang U8 SUV is on display during the 20th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition in Shanghai, east China, April 25, 2023. The exhibition, also known as Auto Shanghai 2023, is the first A-class international auto show held in China since the country adjusted its COVID-19 response. With 13 indoor exhibition halls, it boasts an exhibition area of more than 360,000 square meters. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang) People visit the 20th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition in Shanghai, east China, April 25, 2023. The exhibition, also known as Auto Shanghai 2023, is the first A-class international auto show held in China since the country adjusted its COVID-19 response. With 13 indoor exhibition halls, it boasts an exhibition area of more than 360,000 square meters. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang) People look at a BMW concept car on display during the 20th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition in Shanghai, east China, April 25, 2023. The exhibition, also known as Auto Shanghai 2023, is the first A-class international auto show held in China since the country adjusted its COVID-19 response. With 13 indoor exhibition halls, it boasts an exhibition area of more than 360,000 square meters. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang) People look at a Lamborghini Revuelto supercar during the 20th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition in Shanghai, east China, April 25, 2023. The exhibition, also known as Auto Shanghai 2023, is the first A-class international auto show held in China since the country adjusted its COVID-19 response. With 13 indoor exhibition halls, it boasts an exhibition area of more than 360,000 square meters. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang) A Hongqi E001 electric car is on display during the 20th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition in Shanghai, east China, April 25, 2023. The exhibition, also known as Auto Shanghai 2023, is the first A-class international auto show held in China since the country adjusted its COVID-19 response. With 13 indoor exhibition halls, it boasts an exhibition area of more than 360,000 square meters. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang) People visit the 20th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition in Shanghai, east China, April 25, 2023. The exhibition, also known as Auto Shanghai 2023, is the first A-class international auto show held in China since the country adjusted its COVID-19 response. With 13 indoor exhibition halls, it boasts an exhibition area of more than 360,000 square meters. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang) People visit the exhibition area of Ora, a brand under Chinese automaker Great Wall Motors (GWM), during the 20th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition in Shanghai, east China, April 25, 2023. The exhibition, also known as Auto Shanghai 2023, is the first A-class international auto show held in China since the country adjusted its COVID-19 response. With 13 indoor exhibition halls, it boasts an exhibition area of more than 360,000 square meters. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang) People look at a Neta GT Speedster on display during the 20th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition in Shanghai, east China, April 25, 2023. The exhibition, also known as Auto Shanghai 2023, is the first A-class international auto show held in China since the country adjusted its COVID-19 response. With 13 indoor exhibition halls, it boasts an exhibition area of more than 360,000 square meters. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Foreign and Diaspora Affairs CS Dr. Alfred Mutua has encouraged Kenyans to apply for jobs in the United States of America (USA). Dr. Mutua said the US is setting up a framework to allow Kenyans to apply for jobs and to get work visas on time. The United States is working on modalities to speed up visa processing at the Nairobi embassy to reduce the long waiting times, he said. The CS is in Washington DC in the United States of America attending a bilateral session for negotiations on the Kenya-United States of America Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership accompanied by the Cabinet Secretary for Investment, Trade and Industry Moses Kuria and other senior government officials. He said the two countries have agreed to partner in the areas of trade and investment for job creation and visas for youth empowerment, health, food security, climate change, regional peace and security. In a press statement sent to newsrooms, Dr. Mutua said during the meeting, US committed to support Kenyas universal healthcare program with a focus on epidemic control and manufacturing of vaccine and pharmaceutical production, which he noted will create jobs for Kenyans and transfer technology. We agreed on the continuation of support for HIV/AIDS medication as we build capacity to produce our own within five years. We also hailed the deal with Moderna which will set a vaccine production factory in Kenya from this year, stated the CS. He at the same time revealed that US has also committed to facilitate Kenya on sustainable food production, instead of food aid through water harvesting programmes among them dams, value addition technology, and agribusiness technology to encourage youth to embrace farming. Regarding the Bottom Up, Hustler economic model, they discussed partnerships in supporting youth programs, empowering Kenyas Small and Medium Enterprises and growing wealth to boost the youth. He said the two countries discussed many security and defence partnerships, since United States is one of the valued partners on Kenyas efforts to stabilize the region for peace and security. Dr. Mutua said that United States has committed to support the upgrading of United Nations Office in Nairobi to international standards. He told the American government that Kenya is open for business and encouraged American investors to invest in the country, adding that with the Africa Continental Free Trade Area agreement, Kenya can be used as the hub for reaching the 1.3 plus billion African market. We explained to the US Commerce Department on the various Kenyan incentives that are second to none. We should expect an inflow of American firms opening up businesses in Kenya, he added. The CS who thanked the Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, the Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Molly Phee, US Ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman and their teams for the warm welcome, said the negotiation discussed partnership of over 50 specific issues. -KNA A family of a Kenyan woman who is serving a 17-year jail term in Saudi Arabia is appealing for help. Paulina Wanjiru Ndungu, 45, was reportedly sentenced in 2019 for attempted murder after being accused of trying to poison her employers food. However, her family says the details of the case are scanty and the circumstances in which Wanjiru was convicted of the crime are still unclear. Her sister Mary Wairimu mentioned that they heard that Ms Wanjiru was jailed for practicing black magic. Wairimu said her sister traveled to Saudi Arabia in December 2017 to work as a domestic worker. I had my reservations but my sister was adamant, she told Nation.Africa in an interview. The publication reports that Wanjiru made her first visit back to Kenya in 2019. She brought her family goodies and was looking forward to her continued stay in Saudi Arabia. But Wairimu still held reservations about her sister working in Gulf. She said Wanjiru told them her employer still owed her dues and assured them that all would be well. She argued that her employer owed her more than Sh500,000. I told my sister to look for ways of getting the cash without travelling back but she refused, Wairimu said. Eventually, Wanjiru flew back to Saudi before she was jailed in AlMalaz prison in Riyadh. The details about the case are scanty. As a family we have not been able to establish what exactly transpired. We are appealing to the Kenyan embassy to come to our rescue, Wairimu said. Adding: I dont know if we can get legal representation. We are in the dark. Another Kenyan woman who shared a cell with Wanjiru returned to the country recently. Susan Njoki Njoroge said she managed to secure her own release and was sent by Wanjiru to deliver a message to her mother and siblings. She is suffering mental anguish and just wants to return home, Njoki said adding that she also has High Blood Pressure. With legal representation, I am optimistic she may be able to secure release. I was able to read through her court papers and confirmed that she has actually been jailed for slightly more than 17 years. My humble appeal is for the Kenyan government to come to her aid, added Njoki. Wanjirus family said they are hoping to find Pro-Bono representation as they are not making progress in pursuing the case. They have also turned to social media platforms to highlight Wanjirus plight in hopes of getting help from a Good Samaritan. Content creator Timothy Kimani alias Njugush has opened up about his dream of working in radio despite turning down a job offer from Kiss FM. The comedian said the Radio Africa-owned station approached him with an offer last year but they could not reach an agreement that worked for him. There was that time in 2022 Kiss FM wanted to hire me but it didnt work out. There was that suggestion but the particular segment didnt work out because of a few issues. Majorly it was because of time, Njugush said as quoted by the Nairobi News. I love radio very much. The main problem is the time they wanted me for the show, he added, without revealing details of the show he was approached to host. Njugush explained that as a freelance content creator, he is sometimes required to travel for a week or more. If you are on radio, you will just let the opportunity pass yet those people wont understand that you are on radio. As freelancers, any job counts and they are not regular, he said. Njugush said he is not giving up on his dream. It could be in a big or even the smallest radio station but I will make it there. Soon, you might hear me on a radio near you. The Azimio la Umoja coalition will hold a major homecoming rally on Friday to welcome its leader Raila Odinga from abroad. Minority leader Opiyo Wandayi announced in a statement on Wednesday the Grand Welcome rally will set the precedence for anti-government protests planned for next week. Raila Odinga is expected to land at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) from his week-long visit to the United Arab Emirates and proceed to the Peoples Baraza at Kamukunji Grounds in Kibra Constituency, on the same day. Opiyo Wandayi said Raila will address the nation at the rally. The Kibra Peoples Baraza will also set the stage for the peaceful mass action that is set to resume in Nairobi on May 2, 2023, as earlier announced, he said. The Ugunja MP added that the coalition will provide more information about the upcoming May events in the coming days and at the Kibra rally. The blaze broke out in the 5700 block of Broadway Street (Highway 29), according to Laura Provencher, spokesperson for the American Canyon Fire Protection District. Photos shared by the department showed a tall, billowing column of black smoke visible from the highway at the north end of the city. ST. HELENA A proposed subdivision that would transform eastern St. Helena is headed to the City Council next Monday after 13 years of planning, environmental review and vehement criticism by local residents. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. The Hunter project would include 87 housing units on 16.9 acres behind the levee past the eastern terminus of Adams Street 51 single-family home lots, a parcel with 25 multi-family units in duplex and triplex configuration, and 11 accessory dwelling units on the single-family lots. The project comes before the council at a critical time when California is scrutinizing St. Helenas proposed Housing Element. Like other local governments around the state, St. Helena is under heavy pressure to allow housing projects to go forward. The Hunter project would account for about a third of St. Helenas housing target through 2031. On top of state pressure, developers and project opponents each seem poised to sue. Attorneys for the developers have said the citys proposed conditions of approval violate the states Housing Accountability Act. Attorneys for the opponents, who have banded together under the name St. Helena Citizens for a Sustainable Future, have called out alleged defects in the projects environmental impact report, which the council is being asked to certify along with approving the projects tentative map. Environmental effects The EIR concluded that all of the projects impacts could be mitigated to less than significant levels except for one significant and unavoidable effect: Vehicle Miles Traveled, a metric used to quantify traffic. In order to certify the environmental report, the council would need to adopt a Statement of Overriding Considerations explaining why the projects benefits outweigh its impact. Opposition to the project initially focused on traffic, the risk of flooding, and unanswered questions about how the project will comply with St. Helenas water-neutrality and affordable housing requirements. Twenty percent of the housing units must be affordable, but its unclear whether those units will be concentrated in one area or dispersed around the site. Even local affordable housing advocacy groups have balked at publicly supporting the project. The applicants have had 13 years to produce an affordable housing agreement, and they've refused over and over, said opponent John Milliken. "You can't do an EIR until you've nailed down affordable housing." After the wildfires of 2017 and 2020, opponents started emphasizing the projects effects on evacuation routes. Vineyard Valley Mobile Home Park uses the levee as an emergency exit, and opponents say adding a subdivision in the area could cause a traffic nightmare at a critical moment. The possible loss of life is the biggest concern that we have, said Maria Villegas, one of the leaders of St. Helena Citizens for a Sustainable Future. Fires and floods move fast. Milliken said public safety concerns should trump state pressure to build housing. "The state should not be ramming this down our throats just to fulfill unreachable housing numbers when it impacts the public safety of the community," Milliken said. The city issued a statement Friday addressing many of those criticisms. St. Helena Police, which has overseen two practice evacuations of Vineyard Valley, does not find that the Hunter project will make evacuations more difficult, the press release states. The news release says the developers will have to offset the projects water demand of 27.04 acre-feet per year before the first building permit is issued. The council will have to sign off on an affordable housing agreement before the projects final map is approved. St. Helena officials also offered their first public response to concerns about the citys potential liability for the loss of life and property if the levee fails. A six-page memo from City Attorney Ethan Walsh concludes that the city would not be liable for damages simply because a flood event occurred, or even simply based on the failure of the levee, were that to occur at some point in the future. Walsh said plaintiffs would have to prove that the city was responsible for flood damage due to unreasonable design, construction or maintenance of the levee. A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers inspection in February gave the levee straight As, except for a piece of plywood and some brush clippings near Vineyard Valley. Project history The projects 87 units are the minimum required by the propertys zoning, but the project has been dogged by criticism and litigation almost from its inception in 2010. Opposition to the project helped propel Ann Nevero to victory in that year's City Council election, as s standard-bearer for the anti-Hunter St. Helena Residents For Responsible Growth, known as SHRFRGs or Shur Frogs. Nevero recused herself from council discussions of the Hunter project because she lived nearby, but concerns about the proposal weighed heavily over much of the councils business, including the city's general plan update. On the advice of its attorneys, the council abandoned plans to rezone the Hunter property and impose new restrictions on development within the floodplain. The rezoning wouldnt have affected the Hunter project because city planners had already deemed the projects application complete in March 2011. That limited the amount of additional detail the city could ask the applicants for. It also meant the project had to be evaluated based in the zoning, development and General Plan standards that were in place as of March 2011. Property owner Dennis Hunter sued St. Helena in 2012 amid a dispute over a 2008 land swap in which the city secured a piece of his property it needed to build the levee. The lawsuit claimed the city had failed to create building pads on Hunters remaining property during construction of the levee. The city paid Hunter $325,000 to settle the suit and received smaller settlements from its own legal and engineering firms that had helped negotiate and design the complicated agreement. The Hunter project made halting progress over the next decade. Its first environmental study was developed at the applicants expense, released in 2012, and updated in 2013. The applicants asked for a delay on the eve of a major hearing in November 2013, and over the next few years city officials accused the applicants of stalling by not paying for additional environmental review. When things seemed to be back on track in 2017, the consultants whod compiled the 2012 EIR said they werent willing to do any more work on it. Much of the data was outdated by then, so the city hired another consultant to write a new EIR again at the applicants expense. The next draft environmental paper was released in 2021, followed by a final report last October that incorporated public comments and consultants responses to those comments. On Feb. 7, the city Planning Commission recommended that the council approve the tentative map and certify the EIR, setting the stage for Mondays council hearing. If you go St. Helena City Council meeting Monday, 6 p.m. Vintage Hall, St. Helena High School, 1401 Grayson Ave. Video: A livestream will be available on the city of St. Helena's YouTube page. There are more million-dollar homes in the U.S. than ever before. But can Americans afford them? There are more million-dollar homes in the U.S. than ever before. But can Americans afford them? A Growing Number of Million-Dollar Homes Where Are the Most Million-Dollar Homes? Who Can Afford a Million-Dollar Home? Discrepancies Between the Proportion of Million-Dollar Homes and High-Earning Households Expect the Share of Million-Dollar Homes to Continue Growing Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, seeks to tackle the statewide teacher and school staff shortage by doubling their salaries in the next seven years. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. Muratsuchi, who chairs the Assembly Education Committee, introduced Assembly Bill 938 on Wednesday. The bill would set annual targets for California's Local Control Funding Formula which determines how much money is allocated to districts and charter schools with a goal of reaching a 50% increase by 2030. Schools across the state are facing a work force shortage, with many teachers and school employees unable to afford to live in the communities they work in, said Muratsuchi in a news conference on Wednesday. I introduced AB 938 to not only pay them what they deserve, but also to get more young people to aspire to become educators. The bill comes with a strong recommendation but not a requirement that school districts spend this additional state funding on salaries. It is intentionally drafted as intent language rather than a mandate, in order to give districts flexibility to increase staff salaries, benefits, as well as pay for other essential school functions, explained Kerry Jacob, communications director for Muratsuchi. Jeff Freitas, president of the California Teachers Association, said there are two key aspects of the bill he believes will motivate school districts to voluntarily apply the funding to salaries. First, all districts must provide annual reports to the state on raises they give to teachers and staff. Second, legislators must decide annually how much they wish to increase the Local Control Funding Formula as they make their way toward the 50% goal. The intent language in the legislation tells the school districts what this funding is supposed to be for, said Freitas in a recent interview. If legislators dont see salaries go up as LCFF increases, legislators can take action and halt the increases. The Los Angeles Unified School District, California's largest, is already well on its way to meeting Muratsuchis 50% pay raise goal. The district recently agreed to a 21% raise for teachers and a 30% raise for all service workers, including bus drivers, custodians, food service workers and special education assistants. LAUSD has not taken a position on AB 938, as its Office of Government Relations is reviewing amendments to the bill, said a district spokesperson. But in the past the district has supported legislative efforts to increase the states per-pupil funding. Under its new contract agreement with United Teachers Los Angeles, which still needs to be ratified by teachers and the school board, the average LAUSD teacher salary will increase to $106,000 by 2025, with a starting salary of $69,000. However, pay rates at many other districts, particularly small districts that get significantly less state funding, lag behind. Average pay statewide for teachers in the 2021-22 school year was $88,508 and in some districts the starting salaries remain as low as $47,000. California has been grappling with a shortage of teachers for the past several years. A 2018 study by the Learning Policy Institute found that 80% of districts reported a shortage of qualified teachers. And a 2022 survey by UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools found that one in five teachers say they intend on leaving the profession in the next three years. Muratsuchi believes low pay is the root cause of recruitment and retention struggles. Theres evidence to back him up. A 2022 study from the Economic Policy Institute found that teachers on average earn 24% less than their comparably educated counterparts in other fields. And in a survey of high school students who are not interested in pursuing teaching, nearly two-thirds cited low pay as one of their top reasons. We need to close this wage gap to get more young people to aspire to become educators, said Muratsuchi. The bill has support from California Federation of Teachers, California Teachers Association and the California School Employees Association. However, other major education organizations are withholding comment for now, including the L.A. County Office of Education, the California School Boards Association and the Association of California School Administrators. PHOTOS: Napa County Ag Day 2023 LEMOORE, Calif. Ron Caetano is packed and ready to go. His family photos and valuables are in the trailer and he's put food in carry totes. He moved the rabbits and chickens and their automatic feeders to higher ground. He and his family and dogs could get out in less than an hour, they figure, should more heavy rain or hot weather melt so much mountain snow that gushing water overwhelms the rivers and channel that surround their tight-knit, rural Central California community and give it its name, the Island District. "The water is coming this way," said Caetano, who started a Facebook group to help organize his neighbors. "I am preparing for the worst and praying for the best and that's all we can do." After more than a dozen atmospheric rivers dumped epic rain and snowfall on California, a reservoir that stores water upstream is expected to receive three times its capacity in coming months. Caetano and his neighbors in the tree-lined Island District, about halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, could soon be marooned by rising rivers or flooded out. Water managers are concerned that the spring snowmelt in the Sierra Nevada will be so massive that the north fork of the Kings River won't be able to contain it and carry it toward the Pacific Ocean. Much of the water also is being channeled into the river's south fork, which winds through the area near the small city of Lemoore to fill a vast basin. More than a century ago, that basin was an enormous body of freshwater known as Tulare Lake, the largest west of the Mississippi River. It would grow in winter as snowmelt streamed down from the mountains. Over time, settlers dammed and diverted waterways to irrigate crops, and the lake went dry. Now, Tulare Lake reappears only during the rainiest years, like this one, covering what is now a vast swath of farmland with water. Today, paved roads vanish beneath the lake's lapping waves and utility poles and trees jut out above the water, vestiges of land-living put on hold. Fields that typically grow wheat, tomatoes, and other crops lie underneath. David Merritt, general manager for the Kings River Conservation District, said the Pine Flat Reservoir about 50 miles upstream can hold up to 1 million acre feet of water, but is expected to receive more than 3 million acre feet this spring from the melting snow. Officials have been forced to increase the flow of water out of the reservoir to make space for more, Merritt said. "Once we're at capacity, now you're putting a lot of stress on those conveyance channels," he said. "It's a very fast moving stream and it's very deep right now." Island District residents revived a decades-old network of neighbors for the first time since 1983 to assist one another in a crisis. The last time the Island Property Protection Association activated, there was no such thing as text messages or even emails to quickly spread the word, said Tony Oliveira, a former county supervisor and the network's administrator. In a week, more than 200 people volunteered to help neighbors through the network, and the group's website received more than 4,000 hits. California's parched cities and desperate growers, who have been grappling with intense drought for the past several years, welcomed the winter rains. The state long tended toward wet and dry periods, but scientists at University of California, San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography said they expect climate change will lead to drier dry years and wetter wet years. If temperatures remain cool, snow will melt slowly, with water gradually flowing from the mountains. A hot spell could send massive amounts of water churning through rivers that could potentially overflow, officials said. A beaver or a squirrel that tears a hole in a levee also could bring trouble. Rising temperatures have many residents on edge. Park officials announced plans to temporarily close part of Yosemite National Park starting Friday due to the threat of flooding. Reservations for campgrounds and lodging in eastern Yosemite Valley will automatically be canceled and refunded. Michael Anderson, California's state climatologist, said water inflows into some reservoirs are expected to double though he doesn't expect the warming trend to cause immediate flooding in residential areas. In the coming weeks and months, that could change. Gov. Gavin Newsom visited the reemerged lake Tuesday and said the worst is likely yet to come as more water reaches the basin. "Where we're standing likely will be underwater in a matter of weeks, if not months," he said. "That's very sobering." It isn't the first time Kings County, home to 150,000 people in the fertile San Joaquin Valley, has faced these challenges. Many longtime residents recall when Tulare Lake reappeared 40 years ago. Officials believe crops will remain under water much longer this time due to the massive snowpack, said Dusty Ference, executive director of the Kings County Farm Bureau. To date, more than 60,000 acres of farmland have flooded, he said. Near the lake, the city of Corcoran, which is home to 22,000 people including 8,000 state prisoners, began emergency construction to raise a levee that protects the community. The water behind the levee is already at 178 feet, just 10 feet below the top. Officials want to raise the levee another 3.5 feet, city officials said. "If that water rises above that amount, we will have water coming into our city and we will be in a critical situation," city manager Greg Gatzka said. How climate change is affecting America's national parks Historic flooding, extreme temperatures and more Rising temperatures Glacial retreat Sea level rise Animal life Wildfires Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan arrangements regarding Karabakh have no alternative, Peskov says Azerbaijan demands Armenian clergymens expulsion from Dadivank Monastery NO to the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh movement pitches tents on Stepanakert-Shushi motorway Armenia legislature speaker to head for Turkey Wednesday Yeghoyan: If there is sour word about Russia, should we vote with abstention if Russian peacekeepers are in Karabakh? Senators Menendez, Blackburn introduce bill to support Armenian Genocide education in US Armenia refinancing rate left unchanged at 10.75% Tatoyan Foundation: Azerbaijanis are laying mines, committing thefts in Armenia territory Ruling power lawmaker: Armenia does everything for Azerbaijan-Karabakh dialogue to take place Hurriyet: Turkey presidential election runoff probability is more than 50% Armenia ruling force MP: Everything will be done to reach agreement with Azerbaijan Optimar research center pre-election survey: Turkey's Erdogan to get 51.4%, Kilicdaroglu to garner 48.6% of votes Sisak Gabrielyan: There is interest from India, US to shoot film in Armenia Arman Yeghoyan: Armenia, Azerbaijan FMs meeting planned in Moscow also Zangezur corridor is part of Middle Corridor, Azerbaijan official says Armenia ambassador, Georgian official discuss cargo transportation via Georgia Israel damages Aleppo airport runway during its attack on city World oil prices are stable Gabriel Garcia Marquez's heirs to publish his unpublished novel in Spring 2024 Armenia can submit counterarguments to UN court regarding Azerbaijan lawsuit until August 21 Armenia parliament convenes regular sessions Blinken: Dialogue is key to reaching lasting peace in South Caucasus (PHOTOS) Patel: We believe that peace is possible between Armenia, Azerbaijan US State Department: Issue of unblocking Lachin corridor continues to be the case Natural gas leak causes explosion in Armenia, injured are taken to Yerevan burn center Newspaper: Azerbaijan to present gift to reelection of Turkeys Erdogan VOA: Armenia-Azerbaijan document being discussed is called Agreement on the Normalization of Relations Arlington hosts bilateral meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers The Mirzoyan-Blinken-Bayramov meeting ended in Washington Karabakh state minister: I have no direct communication with Armenias authorities President of Artsakh convenes Security Council session Mirzoyan-Blinken-Bayramov meeting starts in Washington Russia, Iran plan to jointly manufacture research satellite Mirzoyan-Blinken meeting discusses process of normalizing Armenia-Azerbaijan relations David Babayan: Karabakh society awaits answers from its authorities, Moscow, Yerevan, the West State minister: Meeting between Karabakh authorities, Russian peacekeeping troops new commander concluded Armenian language courses being conducted for repatriates in Armenia Aram Ananyan: Yerevan-Istanbul flight will take place Mirzoyan-Blinken meeting starts Head of Karabakhs Mets Shen village: We remain in complete blockade Iran embassy, consulate in Saudi Arabia to resume work Tbilisi mayor: EU did not grant Georgia candidate status due to its not joining sanctions on Russia Former human rights activist: Armenian side also set up checkpoint, this legitimizes Azerbaijani sides actions Azerbaijan preparing to organize rowing competition in occupied Mataghis village of Karabakh Murder with firearm in Yerevan, victim was Netherlands citizen Paraguay president-elect wants to restore diplomatic relations with Venezuela World gold prices going down US embassy in Armenia closed Monday Armenias Mirzoyan to meet with US Secretary of State Marina Kaljurand condemns Azerbaijan actions that endanger peace process Anti-Crisis Council head: Russian peacekeepers commander told Karabakh authorities he is going to Azerbaijan for talks Moldova opposition party vice-chair detained at Chisinau airport International Workers' Day marked in Greece with mass labor strikes, demonstrations It snows heavily in Armenia village in May Natural gas supply to Armenia temporarily stopped 6 dead after minibus falls into gorge in Tajikistan 18 dead after tourist bus falls into ravine in Mexico Switzerland heads UN Security Council by rotation shamhsyan.com: Man found dead with gunshot wounds after shooting in Yerevan 4 consecutive earthquakes recorded off Japan coast Turkey's Erdogan expresses hope for wheat deal extension Sudan army agrees to extend humanitarian truce for 72 hours Armenia PM: Only knowledge-based work can bring development, progress Karabakh state minister: Azerbaijanis, putting our citizens in desperate situation, force them to fulfill their demands Italy wants to build world's longest suspension bridge Blinken tells Aliyev deep US concern over Azerbaijans establishment of checkpoint on Lachin corridor Artsakh Information Center: Residents of Karabakh communities under siege are those in Azerbaijan media video Zelenskyy, Macron discuss prospects for development of situation on battlefront 10 killed after armed attack in Ecuador Information about Armenia soldier being wounded not true Iran dismisses industry minister Cuba cancels May Day parade Russian embassy in Poland ready for any decisions by Moscow Operation "Ring": 30 years later, Artsakh faces same existential threat CEC of Uzbekistan declares referendum valid French senator calls for sanctions against Azerbaijan US accuses Russian pilots of aggression in Syria Kyrgyz PM concerned over driverless taxis Artsakh President: No to ethnic cleansing of Artsakh Car falls into gorge in Ararat Province Paris-Yerevan flight arrives from Chisinau Blinken's promise to Armenian PM Pashinyan Stepantsminda-Lars road closed for trucks "Armenia" opposition members visit Gegharkunik Province Turkey closes airspace to FlyOne Armenia Armenian PMs call with Blinken An Armenian serviceman received a gunshot wound in the direction of Tegh Russia and Turkey to increase passenger air traffic "Endangered Christian Culture of Artsakh" conference held in Cologne Warring parties in Sudan more open to negotiations Seven RA citizens to return to Armenia from Sudan Lavrov: West's attempt to isolate Russia will fail "Old and new refugees of Azerbaijani aggression: past, present, future" forum participants adopt declaration "Murdered Citizens Day" rally near Parliament building Zelenskyy: Ukraine to take back Crimea 16 patients transported from Artsakh to Armenia with help of ICRC Mirzoyan and Bayramov to develop "road map" Azerbaijanis detain peacekeepers with humanitarian aid Ardshinbank has opened a new branch in Multi Magic Mall shopping center Ararat Mirzoyan will go on a working visit to Washington This is another blow to the document signed on November 9, 2020, and Azerbaijan is advancing its policy of ethnically cleansing Artsakh. Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Ghazaryan announced this during an Armenian TV interview program, commenting on the setting up of an Azerbaijani checkpoint at the Lachin corridor. The Artsakh FM said that with the establishment of this Azerbaijani checkpoint, the perception of the security environment is changing. According to him, Azerbaijan has adopted this policy a long time ago, putting forward various baseless accusations that as if arms and soldiers are being transferred from Armenia to Artsakh, and that is why it wants to install the checkpoint. "Clause 6 of the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020 stipulates that the security of the Lachin corridor shall be ensured by Russian peacekeepers; and it is the most important element of the tripartite statement," said Ghazaryan. And noting that the Artsakh side expects effective steps from the Russian side to ensure that clause, he added: "After the war [in 2020], our compatriots returned to Artsakh, seeing that the Russian peacekeeping contingent was stationed there. But now they have ended up in hostage status. We see that the Azerbaijani side is advancing by crossing the red lines of the Russian peacekeepers, and various representatives from the Russian side are declaring that their attention is elsewhere [i.e., Ukraine]. We want to know whether there is a finish line, a boundary line, whether the Russian side has a patience limit in this regard." Ghazaryan recalled that this was noted also in the statement of the Artsakh Security Council, where it was stated that the absence of active steps by the Russian side will enable the authorities and the people of Artsakh to decide what to do next. The Artsakh FM did not rule out that the aforesaid explains the replacement of the commander of the Russian peacekeeping force in Artsakh, General Andrey Volkov, by General Aleksandrr Lentsov. Gnel Sanosyan, the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia, received a delegation led by Jean-Pierre Barbier, Chairman of the Department of Isere of France, the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure informs Armenian News-NEWS.am. The minister welcomed the guests, and noted that the Armenian-French relations are very warm and developing at a rapid pace. He emphasized the work being carried out toward decentralized cooperation, in which the existing cooperation between the French Department of Isere and Armenias Gegharkunik Province has a unique role. Minister Sanosyan happily noted the fact of signing the new 2023-2027 cooperation agreement signed between the Department of Isere and Gegharkunik Province, and expressed his support for jointly implementing the points set in this document. Barbier, for his part, assured that they are ready to strengthen the existing cooperation within the framework of decentralization, and to further expand it by including other sectorsincluding health care. Also, the head of the French Department of Isere stressed the need to carry out as soon as possible the programs that are being jointly implemented. During the meeting, the progress of implementation of the programs specified in the agreement, and the possibilities of involving new programs were discussed. The prospects for the development of tourism in Gegharkunik, especially hiking tourism, promoting the teaching of French in the province, as well as the course of many other programs were also discussed. Azerbaijan is continuously aggravating the situation in the region; this time, placing an illegal check-passport point in the Lachin corridor connecting Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) to Armenia. This was announced Thursday by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the cabinet meeting of the Armenian government. "And if until now the Lachin corridor was closed under the pretext of a fake environmental action, now it has already been officially closed by Azerbaijan. This is a provocative step aimed not only at increasing the tension in the region, but also at deepening the humanitarian crisis established in Nagorno-Karabakh. This time, the international community gave a clear assessment to the installation of the Azerbaijani check-passport point in the Lachin corridor. But it is also important to record the real and deep purpose of this and a number of previous actions [by Azerbaijan]. That goal is to carry out the ethnic cleansing and genocide of the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians; and this should be the subject of attention of all of us, the international community," Pashinyan added. The issue, which is exacerbated by the installation of an Azerbaijani checkpoint in the Lachin corridor, is the following: To what extent does Azerbaijan feel obligated to fulfill its international commitments? This was stated Thursday by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the cabinet meeting of the Armenian government. "Setting up a checkpoint in the Lachin Corridor is a flagrant violation of point 6 of the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020. I had occasion to say that since November 9, 2020, Azerbaijan has violated all points of the tripartite statement. "Recording all this, however, should lead to concrete conclusions. I want to present our ideas about the overall regulation of the situation. The Russian peacekeeping contingent [in Nagorno-Karabakh] must keep the Lachin corridor under monitoring, thus ensuring the normal functioning of the corridor; that is, apart from the Russian Federation, no one should conduct monitoring at the Lachin corridor. And Azerbaijan should not obstruct the free movement through the corridor. This is exactly what is envisioned by the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020," said the Armenian PM. The rights and security of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians should become the subject of negotiations between Stepanakert and Baku within the framework of the international format. This was stated Thursday by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the cabinet meeting of the Armenian government. "As for the possible peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, it is obvious that it should have a comprehensible and effective system of implementation guarantees and dispute resolution mechanisms. The parameters of the [Armenian-Azerbaijani] border delimitation should be clearly recorded, and clear mechanisms to exclude any escalation [of tension] should be introduced," the Armenian premier noted. Pashinyan stated that specific and sincere efforts are required from Armenia and the international community in order to prevent further tension of the situation and to achieve a comprehensive settlement. "Armenia will continue to make all possible efforts in this regard. But in parallel with these efforts, a broader international presence in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin corridor becomes more and more necessary every day. Azerbaijan's efforts to turn Nagorno-Karabakh into a new place of execution for Armenians must be stopped, and the only reliable way to do this is the presence of representatives bearing a broad international mandate in Nagorno-Karabakh. As a first step [in this connection], it is necessary to send an urgent international fact-finding mission to the Lachin corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh," emphasized the Armenian PM. On April 5, five shots were fired from a combat position of the Azerbaijani armed forces in the direction of Robert Beglaryan, a resident of Khnapat village of the Askeran region of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), who was operating a tractor in a pomegranate field, Armenian News-NEWS.am has learned from the Artsakh Prosecutor's Office. However, the Azerbaijanis were unable to complete their objective due to Beglaryan hiding. A criminal caseon charges of attempted murderhas been opened in connection with the aforementioned incident. mHub is acquiring a three-story building at 240 N. Ashland Ave. on the Near West Side and will convert it into its new manufacturing innovation center. (Gensler) Chicago manufacturing innovation center mHub has purchased a century-old Near West Side factory, with plans to renovate the three-story building and relocate its operations there by fall. The publicly funded $50 million project, announced Thursday, will convert the vacant building at 240 N. Ashland Ave. into an 80,000-square-foot innovation space designed to accelerate the development of new products for hundreds of companies. The move will give six-year-old mHub more room to work than its current home in River West. Advertisement But the catalyst was an expiring lease, and perhaps the planned redevelopment of the Chicago Tribunes nearby Freedom Center printing plant as the proposed Ballys Chicago casino. The 30-acre industrial site has been rezoned to accommodate mixed-use development. Once the casino was sited about a half block from us, the landlord really wasnt interested in having mHub at the facility anymore, so we had to start looking, said Haven Allen, CEO and co-founder of mHUB. I imagine at some point, it will be a high rise. Advertisement Launched in 2017, mHub is a nonprofit technology innovation center focused on manufacturing. It set up shop in Motorola Mobilitys old space at 965 W. Chicago Ave. The 63,000-square-foot facility includes 10 production labs, equipment, open space and everything needed to create and manufacture a prototype product. Over the years, mHub has worked with more than 500 startups and 200 established manufacturers, launching more than 1,500 early-stage products in areas such as climate and energy tech, sustainable manufacturing and medical devices. The startups have generated more than $1.14 billion in revenue, raised nearly $1.5 billion in capital and created about 5,200 jobs, according to mHub. Last year, mHub created a $15 million venture fund, which has invested in 36 startups to date. The need to relocate its own facility accelerated a different kind of fundraising, and some innovative thinking. Set on 2 acres in the Kinzie Industrial Corridor west of Fulton Market, the red brick building at 240 N. Ashland Ave. features a distinctive clock tower and architectural pedigree. Designed by prolific Chicago architects Thielbar and Fugard, whose work includes the landmarked McGraw-Hill building on North Michigan Avenue, the factory was built in 1926 for the Cameron Can Machinery Co. The manufacturer was acquired by the Continental Can company in 1944. The building later became a Cook Brothers furniture warehouse store and most recently served as a photo and video production office for Northbrook-based Crate & Barrel. It has been vacant since 2019. The $50 million project includes the $32.5 million acquisition, which closed Thursday, and a projected $17.5 million in renovation costs. Work is expected to begin in the coming weeks, with plans to move into the new facility by fall. The cost is covered through public financing organized by mHUB, and includes $17.55 million in tax increment financing from the city of Chicago and a $15.52 million tax-exempt bond issued by the Illinois Finance Authority, among other sources. Advertisement The building is in a federally designated Opportunity Zone, which provides tax incentives for investments in economically distressed areas as part of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The location also dovetails with outgoing Mayor Lori Lightfoots signature Invest South/West initiative, providing accessibility to underserved communities. With this historic investment, mHUB is graduating from an economic development initiative to an essential economic development institution that will create positive impacts in our city for years to come, Lightfoot said in a news release. Despite the forced relocation, Allen said mHub will definitely be in a better place, once it completes the renovation and relocation. We go from a renter to a landowner, Allen said. Its an incredible location and incredible asset that will bridge east and west of the city, right between where manufacturing and the digital economy around Fulton Market meet. rchannick@chicagotribune.com The telephone conversation between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is an important step in the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang stated, according to the press service of the Chinese foreign ministry. Qin noted that the aforesaid talks between the two leaders once again show that Beijing is committed to peace, and supports the resumption of talks between Ukraine and Russia. "No matter how complicated the crisis is, it should be resolved through negotiations. No matter how complicated the conflict is, it should be resolved politically," the Chinese FM said. The diplomat added that China will continue contacts with Ukraine and Russia, as well as with Central Asian countries, in order to find a way out of the Ukrainian crisis. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy informed Wednesday that his telephone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping lasted for an hour. And Ukrainian presidential press secretary Serhii Nikiforov said that the restoration of the dialogue with Beijing is very important for Kyiv at the moment. Due to the blocking by Azerbaijan of the only road connecting Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) with Armenia, 12 patients from the Republican Medical Center of Artsakhand with pathologies requiring emergency surgical interventionshave been transported Thursday to specialized medical institutions of Armenia, with the mediation and escorting of the International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC). And six patients, who had been transferred to Armenia for medical treatment, returned to Artsakh together with accompanying persons, the Artsakh Ministry of Health informs Armenian News-NEWS.am. Five children remain in the neonatal and intensive care units of Arevik Medical Center. Seven patients remain in the intensive care unit of the Republican Medical Center, and two of them are in critical condition. A total of 365 patients have been transported so far from Artsakh to Armenia with the mediation and assistance of the ICRC. We consider it fundamentally important that Yerevan contributes to the search for mutually acceptable solutions. Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian foreign ministry, stated this at Thursdays ministry press briefing, commenting on the installation of an Azerbaijani checkpoint in the Lachin corridor, on the only road connecting Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh. "Russia has clearly expressed its position in the statement of the foreign ministry on April 24 of this year. Currently, both through the Russian peacekeeping contingent on the spot and at the political level, the necessary efforts are being made to settle the situation around the Lachin corridor and to return to the tripartite agreements of November 9, 2020," Zakharova added. The US and the European Union, particularly France, had a bid for the role of an honest mediator in the process of the normalizing of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations; judging by the situation that exists now, I believe that they have failed these bids. Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian foreign ministry, stated this at Thursdays ministry press briefing. "The attempts of the French and American partners to convince everyone that they are guided solely by the interests of achieving peace in the South Caucasus are being dismissed by their periodic anti-Russian attacks. Such announcements do not attest to an honest mediator or constructive work. Such expressions strengthen our sentiments that the real aspirations of Washington and Paris are conjunctural and politicized, and are aimed at undermining the positions of Russia, and caring about the fate of the peoples of the region is clearly not included in their plans," added the official representative of the Russian foreign ministry. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Armenia does not yet confirm that the meeting between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan will take place in Russia, but notes that there is an agreement of this ministerial meeting. "There are agreement and proposals. We will inform about the place and date of the meeting later," Armenian MFA spokesperson Ani Badalyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am. Earlier today, the official representative of the Russian foreign ministry, Maria Zakharova, announced that an agreement was reached regarding a meeting in Moscow between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The minister of foreign affairs of Azerbaijan stated that Armenia will soon return to the table of negotiations on the settlement in South Caucasus. "Unfortunately, no meetings have been held between the parties since November of last year. But thanks to the persistence of international partners and numerous appeals, it is expected that Armenia will return to the negotiating table in the near future," Jeyhun Bayramov said on Thursday at the press conference held after his talks with visiting French FM Catherine Colonna. Speaking about his expectations from the negotiation process, Bayramov emphasized that they should be realistic. "It is not an easy process. Conducting regular negotiations is a very important next phase and step in this process. Therefore, we [i.e., Azerbaijan] support and welcome this process, we will participate in it, and will do everything to advance the peace process," said the Azerbaijani FM. The establishment of a checkpoint on the border with Armenia is the sovereign right of Azerbaijan. This was stated by Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev, in his meeting with visiting French foreign minister Catherine Colonna on Thursday. "The establishment of a border checkpoint at the beginning of the Lachin-Khankendi [(Stepanakert)] road on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border is the sovereign right of the country and an expression of ensuring its territorial integrity," Aliyev said. Also, he accused Armenia of not fulfilling the obligations arising from the tripartite statement signed in November 2020. In this regard, Aliyev said that Armenia "does not allow the creation of a corridor with Nakhchivan, does not withdraw its troops from the territories [i.e., Nagorno-Karabakh] of Azerbaijan where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily stationed, and used the Lachin corridor to transport weapons, ammunition, and other military means to Karabakh." In turn, the French FM noted that her country "wants peace, economic and social development in Azerbaijan and the entire South Caucasus." Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) President Arayik Harutyunyan on Thursday received Colonel General Aleksandr Lentsov, the newly appointed commander of the Russian peacekeeping contingent deployed in Artsakh, the president's office informs Armenian News-NEWS.am. Welcoming the newly appointed commander, President Harutyunyan emphasized the role of the Russian peacekeeping troops in the current military and political situation, ensuring the security of the people of Artsakh and stability in the region. Both sides underscored the need for steady implementation of the provisions of the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020. The President of Artsakh conveyed the expectation of the Artsakh authorities from the Russian peacekeeping troops that in a short period of time, the removal of all obstacles to the bilateral communication between Artsakh and Armenia and security will be ensured, in accordance with the obligations assumed by the tripartite statement. The activities of the aforesaid Russian peacekeeping troops, the lifting of the Azerbaijani blockade of Artsakh, maintaining of the regime of the Lachin corridor, guaranteeing of the normal functioning of vital infrastructure, and several other matters also were discussed during the meeting. Tucker Carlson, host of "Tucker Carlson Tonight," poses for photos in a Fox News Channel studio on March 2, 2017, in New York. (Richard Drew/AP) NEW YORK Tucker Carlson emerged Wednesday, two days after Fox News fired him, with a two-minute, campaign-style monologue that didnt address why he suddenly became unemployed. He posted a video on Twitter shortly after 8 p.m. Eastern, the time his Fox show used to begin, that talked about a lack of honest political debate in the media. Advertisement Carlson said one of the things he noticed, when you step away from the noise for a few days, is how nice some people are, and how hilarious some are. The other thing you notice when you take a little time off is how unbelievably stupid most of the debates you see on television are, he said. Theyre completely irrelevant. They mean nothing. In five years we wont even remember we heard them. Trust me, as somebody who participated. Advertisement Fox fired its most popular personality on Monday without explanation, less than a week after settling a lawsuit concerning the spread of lies about the 2020 presidential election. The mystery about why Fox Corp. leadership, Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan, decided to suddenly dismiss Carlson lingered. The company has not explained it, although some media reports Wednesday centered on material uncovered during Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit but redacted from court papers. Private messages sent by Carlson with highly offensive and crude remarks were a catalyst in Foxs decision to cut him loose, according to The New York Times. Both The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post said one redacted message included a slur against a senior Fox executive. Each of the reports relied on sources that were not identified. Some of the Dominion evidence that was publicly revealed showed some offensive remarks by Carlson, including use of a vulgarity to refer to Sidney Powell, the Trump supporter who was pushing bogus election conspiracy theories on Fox and elsewhere. A Fox News representative did not comment on the reports or Carlsons reemergence, instead referring to Mondays statement where the company said, we thank him for his service. Carlson dressed in a suit and tie for his Twitter message. While he didnt mention Fox, it was reminiscent of the monologues he delivered on the network for the last six years, talking about the people in charge hurting the country. Debates on big topics like war, civil liberties, emerging science, demographic change and corporate power are not permitted by corporate media or political parties, he said. Where can you still find Americans saying true things? he said. There arent many places left but there are some and thats enough. As long as you can hear the words, there is hope. See you soon. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received a delegation headed by French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on April 27. Pashinian emphasized the special attitude and attention Armenia pays to Armenian-French relations, the press service of the Armenian government informed Armenian News-NEWS.am. "I am very pleased with the dynamics we have in our relations, which are at a high level and have the potential for growth. I would like to express special gratitude to the President of France, to you, and to the French government for the attention paid to the problems of our region, in particular, to the crisis around Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin corridor," the Armenian Prime Minister added. The French foreign minister mentioned that she was visiting Armenia for the first time and sent Macron's friendly greetings. "France is a friend of Armenia; we have a lot in common with Armenia. We support Armenia in the implementation of the ongoing reforms. We support you in the search for a just and lasting peace," the French minister said. Issues related to the further development and strengthening of cooperation between Armenia and France in various fields were discussed. The two sides touched upon the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of the situation around the Lachin corridor, as well as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Hraparak daily of Armenia writes: Although they have not yet officially announced that the commander of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)], Andrey Volkov, has been dismissed and 66-year-old Colonel General Aleksandr Lentsov, advisor to RF [(Russian Federation)] Defense Minister Shoigu, has been appointed in his place, but the latter [i.e., Lentsov] is in Artsakh for two days already. We learned from our sources that the negotiations started yesterday in the 3+2 format, with the participation of three representatives from the Russian side: Volkov, Lentsov, and the representative of the Russian PSB, and from the other side: two Azerbaijani officials. The Armenian side is missing. Some Artsakh sources claim that Lentsov came temporarily to assist, so to speak. If the situation is settled, he can return to Moscow, as the Russian army lacks such specialists today, and the need for the presence of such a specialist in Russia is very great in this period. During the negotiations, the Russian side will try to get the Azerbaijanis to remove the checkpoint [they have set up on the Hakari bridge at the entrance to the Lachin corridor] and install only X-ray scanner devices.; that is, trucks entering Artsakh will be inspected under the direct supervision of Russian peacekeepers, whereas the Azerbaijani side will monitor the process online. Emory College of Arts and Sciences is set to launch a new Center for Native American and Indigenous Studies this fall to advance and inspire research, scholarship, teaching and learning rooted in and related to Indigenous studies. Earlier this year, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation awarded Emory University and the College of the Muscogee Nation (CMN) in Oklahoma a $2.4 million grant to develop collaborative and independent programs advancing Native and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) and the preservation of the Mvskoke language in a unique partnership between the two schools. The new NAIS center will put into action the goals associated with the Mellon Foundation grant to build a strong partnership with CMN and support Emorys evolving relationship with the Muscogee Nation, which includes the universitys land acknowledgment that it was founded on Muscogee land. Malinda Maynor Lowery, Cahoon Family Professor of American History and a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, will lead the center with support from Emorys James Weldon Johnson Center for the Study of Race and Difference. The launch of the Center for Native and Indigenous Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences will further our partnership with the College of the Muscogee Nation, says Lowery. Emory has an incredible opportunity to learn from CMNs degree program in Native American studies as we develop a new approach for scholarship, teaching and collaboration that centers Indigenous knowledge and values. This approach will advance cutting-edge scholarship and pedagogy in ways that will also promote an education that heals the trauma of dispossession and forced assimilation. The initial work of the center will include welcoming Emory Colleges first Distinguished Fellow in Indigenous Knowledge, Laura Harjo, a Mvskoke scholar and an associate professor at the University of Oklahoma who teaches Indigenous planning, community development and Indigenous feminism. Harjo will work with Emory faculty to develop pedagogical approaches for the NAIS minor as well as facilitate a year-long faculty seminar focused on Indigeneity, including interdisciplinary scholars across both campuses. Building on Emorys existing Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative, the center ultimately aims to build a vibrant intellectual community for faculty that supports research and teaching, as well as opportunities for students to engage with NAIS and indigenous communities throughout their four years, says Carla Freeman, interim dean of Emory College. Working with professor Malinda Lowery and President Monte Randall of the College of the Muscogee Nation to launch this initiative is a profoundly meaningful collaboration, says Freeman. I have every expectation that Emorys new Center for Native and Indigenous Studies will deepen our collective understanding of our past, draw upon new modes of knowledge creation and aesthetic expression, and enhance the intellectual life of faculty and students across humanistic and scientific fields of inquiry. The establishment of the Center draws upon the passionate engagement by faculty, students, staff and community members past and present, Freeman continues. I am proud that Emory is taking an important step to recognize and contribute to this dynamic academic arena. Saluki Step Ahead partnership: Southern Illinois University Carbondale Chancellor Austin A. Lane holds a Saluki Step Ahead agreement with Sauk Valley Community College. In the bottom photo, Jon Mandrell, Sauk Valley Community College vice president of academics and student services looks on as David Hellmich, college president, signs the agreement. (SIU photo by Russell Bailey, bottom photo provided) SIU Carbondale inks agreement to improve access for Sauk Valley CC students CARBONDALE, Ill. Southern Illinois University Carbondale strengthened its commitment to students in northwest Illinois on April 26 with an agreement to bring the expertise of a doctoral research university to qualified community college students by providing the option to earn their bachelors degrees remotely and at a lower cost in 12 academic programs. SIU Chancellor Austin A. Lane and Sauk Valley Community College President David Hellmich signed an agreement for the Saluki Step Ahead program. Established in 2021, the program enables students who graduate with an associate degree from partnering community colleges to complete their SIU bachelors degrees online in accounting, business administration, criminology and criminal justice, early childhood, elementary education, health care management, history, industrial management and applied engineering, information technology, nursing (RN to BSN), psychology and radiologic sciences. We are pleased to collaborate with Sauk Valley Community College to provide another option for place-bound students in this region, Lane said. If these students cannot come to Carbondale to complete their education, we will bring the experience and resources of a doctoral research university to them. Lane added this Saluki Step Ahead agreement fits well with the universitys strategic plan, Imagine 2030, and its pillars of student success and partnerships. Established in 1965, Sauk Valley Community College serves approximately 2,000 students annually on campus in six counties in northwest Illinois, including its local K-12 districts, online offerings and throughout its industry base. The colleges offerings include 52 associate degrees and 29 certificates. The college serves Lee, Whiteside, Ogle, Bureau, Carroll and Henry counties. Southern Illinois is a superb university, and this partnership is another wonderful example of our institutions working together, Hellmich said. Saluki Step Ahead is all about affordability and accessibility. SVCC graduates in transfer programs will be able to apply to SIU early, secure a spot in their degree track and complete a bachelors degree all online, if they prefer at a low cost. The Sauk Valley Community College agreement brings SIU Carbondale to a total of 44 Saluki Step Ahead pacts that the university has with community colleges in Illinois, Missouri and Texas so far. Students in the Saluki Step Ahead program pay the community college rate for their first two years. In the third and fourth years, they receive an annual $4,000 scholarship. For more about Saluki Step Ahead, read the press release announcing the initiative. Continuing his discussions with large-scale Indian investors and corporate leaders, Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda met with IndiGo airline's co-founder and managing director Rahul Bhatia on Wednesday in New Delhi. This was a follow-up to the meeting that they had in December last year. The discussion between High Commissioner Moragoda and Bhatia was centred around the critical importance of enhancing air connectivity as an essential means of increasing tourism inflows to Sri Lanka. They agreed that tourism, particularly tourism inflows from India, is a key pillar in the economic recovery of Sri Lanka, and discussed ways and means to harness the potential of increased connectivity to enhance tourism, according to a statement from the High Commission of Sri Lanka. High Commissioner Moragoda also presented a copy of the publication "Geoffrey Bawa; Drawing from the Archives", which contains the drawings of Sri Lanka's iconic architect the late Geoffrey Bawa, to Bhatia. Founded in 2006 by Rahul Bhatia and Rakesh Gangwal, IndiGo is the largest airline in India by passengers carried and fleet size, with a 54.6 per cent domestic market share as of February 2023, the statement indicated. It is also the largest individual Asian low-cost carrier in terms of jet fleet size and passengers carried, and the fourth largest carrier in Asia. The airline carried over 300 million passengers last year. The airline operates about 1,600 daily flights to more than 100 destinations both domestic and international. (ANI) The North East Bankers' Conclave 2023 will be held in Delhi on April 28 to decide on actionable strategies to address issues at various levels, from policy planning to grass-roots level implementation, officials said on Wednesday. The Guwahati-based North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Limited (NEDFi), a public financial institution, will organise the conclave at the Constitution Club of India in the national capital with support from the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) and the State Bank of India. NEDFi CMD P.V.S.L.N. Murty said that the North East Bankers' Conclave is the first of its kind leadership event specifically organised to brainstorm the challenges faced by the banking sector in the northeast and come up with actionable strategies to address the same at various level, starting from policy planning up to grass-roots level implementation. The conclave will deliberate on the specific challenges being faced by the banking sector in the northeast, which include banking outreach and inclusive service delivery in the region, credit support to MSMEs and startups in northeast, implementation of central and state schemes by the banks and credit to agri and allied sectors, among others. DoNER and Tourism Minister G. Kishan Reddy, his deputy B.L. Verma, Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Kishana Karad, and other senior bureaucrats will address the conclave. The panel discussions and open forum will be participated by leaders across sectors such as commercial banks, development banks, startups, policy makers, think-tank organisations, micro-lending organisations, regulatory authorities and entrepreneurs. --IANS sc/arm ( 264 Words) 2023-04-26-23:24:03 (IANS) Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], April 27 (ANI/PRNewswire): Crusto Innovations is an award-winning FMCG brand known for its innovative and natural products. With so many patents to his name, Nirav Sharma, Founder and CEO of Crusto, saw it as an opportunity to take his quest international. Bankai Ventures invested in the brand to create a unique global brand with a joint venture between Crusto Innovations and Bankai Group. The FMCG industry is going through a paradigm shift, and the demand for natural products is increasing. Consumers are more cautious about their health, hygiene, housekeeping, and personal care products. "Consumers want to use chemical-free and natural products. They are more aware and selective. We have a decade of research to ensure we give truly natural products and bring consumers close to nature. The strategic partnership with Bankai will enable global distribution of our invention and scaling the current growth," said Nirav Sharma, Founder and CEO of Crusto Innovations. "We have always believed in the Indian FMCG growth story," said Bankim Brahmbhatt. "Crusto has ingenious products and a profitable business model. It is well-positioned to take advantage of the growing sector and emerge as a market leader. The strategic investment is focused towards building a unique brand for global expansion," explains Bankim Brahmbhatt, President and CEO of Bankai Ventures. Crusto Innovations is a private FMCG company that believes in bringing life to plant-based eco-friendly products. With truly ingenious products in hygiene, housekeeping, personal care, and cosmetics, Crusto is one of a kind. The group stands on the ideals of faith, ethics, and dignity from its products to its network of customers. Website - https://crustoinnovations.com/ Bankai Ventures is a venture capital firm and the investment arm of the Bankai Group. A fund focused on invention, new-age technology, and bold ideas. Headquartered in New York, the fund specializes in seed-stage, early-stage, and growth-stage investments in private companies across the globe. Bankai Ventures is a founder-first firm that invests in vision, grit, and audacious projects that reshape the present and future of the world. Website - https://www.bankaiventures.com/ This story has been provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PRNewswire) India was among the top requesting countries to remove content from Twitter last year, the popular microblogging platform said in a blog post. On Tuesday, Twitter shared data on its health and safety efforts and said it received approximately 53,000 legal requests to remove content from governments across the globe from January 1 to June 30, 2022. The top five requesting countries seeking account information were India, the US, France, Japan, and Germany. "Twitter continues to take action on content that violates our Rules and protects users' rights in response to government legal requests," the blog read. During the January-June 2022 period, Twitter required users to remove 6,586,109 pieces of content that violated its norms, an increase of 29 per cent from the second half of 2021. Twitter said it took enforcement action on 5,096,272 accounts during the period, a 20 per cent increase and 1,618,855 accounts were suspended for violating the rules, which is an increase of 28 per cent. The contents that were removed or accounts suspended relate to Abuse/Harassment, Child Sexual Exploitation, Hacked Materials, Hateful Conduct, Impersonation, Non-Consensual Nudity, Perpetrators of Violent Attacks, Private Information, Promoting Suicide or Self Harm, Sensitive Media, Terrorism/Violent Extremism, and Violence. "We intend to share more about our path forward for transparency reporting later this year," according to the blog post. (ANI) New Delhi [India], April 27 (ANI/PNN): The Northeastern region of India has a rich cultural heritage and is known for its unique traditions, customs, and natural resources. The region also has immense potential for economic growth and development. The Indian government has initiated various schemes and policies to promote entrepreneurship and startup culture in the country. In this context, Dr Punit Kumar Dwivedi, an (Professor & Group Director, Modern Group of Institutions, Indore) and National Mentor of SAVISHKAR, under the flagship of Y20 and Startup-20 visited several government educational institutions in Arunachal Pradesh and interacted with students and local entrepreneurs to promote startup opportunities in the region. National Convener Savishakar Me. Krantisagar More said, Dr Dwivedi's visit, highlights the challenges and opportunities for startups in Arunachal Pradesh, and provides recommendations for promoting entrepreneurship in the region which is the mission of Savishakar India. He also added Savishakar India has the tie-up with Y20 and Startup 20 for promoting entrepreneurship and Startups in the Indian startup ecosystem. The aforesaid three days visit coordinated by State Secretary Tatlom Tayeng in the state of Arunanchal. Arunachal Pradesh is a northeastern state of India that is known for its scenic beauty, diverse culture, and abundant natural resources. The state is also known for its strategic location bordering China, Bhutan, and Myanmar. According to the NITI Aayog report on the Startup India initiative, the northeastern region of India has immense potential for entrepreneurial growth and development. However, the region faces several challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, difficult terrain, and low levels of education and awareness about entrepreneurship. Startup Opportunities in Arunachal Pradesh: During his visit to Arunachal Pradesh, Dr Punit Dwivedi interacted with several local entrepreneurs and students and provided insights into various government schemes related to startups and entrepreneurship. He emphasized the importance of vocal for local and self-reliance in the region, as well as the potential for e-commerce and the best use of natural resources. He also promoted the startup ecosystem in the country and shared success stories of startups in various sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, and education. Challenges for Startups in Arunachal Pradesh: Despite the potential for startups in Arunachal Pradesh, the region faces several challenges. Some of the major challenges are as follows: 1. Inadequate Infrastructure: Due to the difficult terrain and lack of proper connectivity, startups face challenges in accessing markets, finance, and technology. 2. Low levels of Education and Awareness: There is a lack of awareness about entrepreneurship and startup culture in the region. This results in a shortage of skilled manpower and knowledge about business processes and regulations. 3. Limited access to Finance: Startups in Arunachal Pradesh face difficulties in accessing finance due to the lack of venture capital firms and angel investors. Recommendations for Promoting Entrepreneurship in Arunachal Pradesh: To address the challenges faced by startups in Arunachal Pradesh, the government, institutions, and stakeholders need to take collective action. Some of the recommendations are as follows: 1. Improving Infrastructure: The government should focus on improving connectivity, creating proper infrastructure for startups, and developing incubation centers. 2. Strengthening Education and Awareness Programs: The government should promote entrepreneurship education, create awareness campaigns, and provide mentoring and training to aspiring entrepreneurs. 3. Increasing access to Finance: The government should facilitate access to finance by creating venture capital funds, angel investor networks, and providing tax incentives. In conclusion, Arunachal Pradesh has immense potential for startups, and there is a need to promote entrepreneurship in the region. Dr. Punit Dwivedi's visit and interactions with local entrepreneurs and students has provided valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities for startups in the region. The recommendations presented in this article can help promote entrepreneurship culture and create a favorable environment for startups in Arunachal Pradesh. Dean, College of Horticulture & Forestry (Central Agricultural University, Imphal) Dr B.N. Hajarika, Mohonto Pangging Pao, Dr Temin Payum, Prof. Agin Taboh, Joya Tasung Moyong & other Renowned academicians and startup owners interacted with Dr Dwivedi during his visit to North-East. This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN) As President Barack Obama marks his final Martin Luther King Jr. Day in office on Monday, eight years after being elected the nation's first black president, local scholars argue that his presidency represented extraordinary progress for African Americans, even if it wasn't always quantifiable. "If we look at the hard metrics educational attainment, child mortality, incidence of teenage crime, incidence of drug use I don't know that there have been any great advances in the last eight years," said David Golland, an associate professor at Governor's State University, whose research interests include civil rights and public policy. "Getting away from the word metrics, there's just something about a generation of children growing up and seeing someone who looks like them in the White House that cannot be underestimated." Advertisement Obama, however, had policy achievements in the arena of race but that pales in comparison to the symbolic importance of his presidency for young men and women of all colors and creeds, said Vincent Jones, a former trial lawyer and professor of criminal justice at Governor's State. "America's perception of what an African-American, in particular an African-American male, can accomplish, I believe was changed dramatically by his election," Jones said of Obama. "Before his election, I think that if a young girl or a young minority boy said, 'I want to be president,' that would be like, 'Yes, that's nice,' pat you on the head, 'but it's going to take a while.' Advertisement "But if someone today says that from any ethnicity, there's no reason to discount it because President Obama has shown that yes, this is possible." Richard Darga, the dean of library and instruction services at Chicago State University and the co-chair of the school's Obama Library Committee, said that for some, just seeing Obama's face is inspirational. "It doesn't sound really remarkable, but it gives hope," said Darga, who views Obama as a peaceful change agent in the mold of King. "He symbolizes the fact that anybody can be president of the United States if they work hard enough, if they strive hard enough and they have the right message." As the country's first black president, Obama was thrust into a difficult position, scholars said. While his election offered hope for the advancement of black causes, it also generated critics eager to point out any missteps or perceived racial favoritism he exhibited. "There were forces on one side that wanted him to be the "black president" and champion only black causes, and there were forces on the other side that expected him to do that, and were ready to pounce if he appeared to be too overly biased toward his own ethnic group," Jones said. "So, what he had to do was find a middle ground where it was never a question that he was the president of all of America, not just parts of America. "In trying to straddle that fence, so to speak, I believe there were some issues that he hesitated on or did not come out as forcefully on for fear of undue criticism," added Jones, citing criminal justice reform and economic inequality. Golland agreed, saying he wished Obama had been more vocal on the merits of affirmative action and education reform, and acknowledged that a number of prominent black scholars have been disappointed that he was not more aggressive on race issues, but said he doesn't blame Obama for his reticence around race. "He had an incredible amount of weight on him, an incredible amount of responsibility as the first black president," Golland said. "One of the most important things he did, he ensured that he would not be the last [black president]. He was incredibly good at the job." Advertisement Obama's avoidance of any significant scandal over the course of his presidency and his ability to comport himself with dignity and decency in the face of harsh opposition and stinging personal attacks should pave the way for future black presidents in the years to come, local scholars believe. "I think whoever the next black president is, he or she will indeed have more freedom to discuss race candidly during the presidency, and to act in a way that is more conducive to supporting civil rights and true racial equality in this country because of the way President Obama conducted himself," Golland said. Jones took it a step further, envisioning a future where citizens don't expect a black president to be anything but pro-American. "I hope the next black president can just be the president of all people and that everyone doesn't see them as the "black president," but as the president of the United States who is working to make life better for everyone," he said. "I think that is part of the legacy for Barack Obama." While both Jones and Golland wish Obama had tackled issues of race a bit more aggressively during his time in office, they consider him to have been an extraordinarily effective president. Each said the black students, scholars and friends they know have a nearly universal pride in Obama and his presidential tenure. Advertisement "We would like to have our cake and eat it too," Jones said. "But realistically, we are ecstatic over his accomplishments, over what he's done. I am amazed at his poise and his aplomb and his ability to remain vigilant in the face of unprecedented opposition." Most impressive about Obama, Jones said he believes, is Obama's unwavering sense of morality, which he compares to that of King and former President Abraham Lincoln. "They have a moral compass that has stayed constant never vindictive, never vengeful, never seeking to do anything but what's best for everyone, not trying to punish those who were in opposition, but trying to understand, and being benevolent about it," he said. "That's what's going to mark him as one of the greatest presidents in American history." King's dream that children of color might grow up in a truly egalitarian society is still quite a ways off, even after eight years of a black president, but Jones believes Obama's tenure represents substantial progress. "I would compare the legacy of President Obama as just another link or another leg in a long race toward equality," he said. "And unlike a track relay where there's only four runners, this relay began at the inception of this country. "[Obama] could not have been in the position that he was in had the people who came before him not contributed their share of the race, so to speak," he continued. "The race is ongoing, the struggle is never secure. There will be times when the lead may change back and forth, but we're in the race and Obama has run his portion of the race very well." Advertisement zkoeske@tribpub.com Twitter @ZakKoeske New Delhi [India], April 27 (ANI/SRV): Filly Media Solutions Pvt. Ltd., the foremost performance marketing company, with special competence in affiliate marketing, is set to expand its operations around the globe, beyond its current robust presence in India and UAE (United Arab Emirates). Owing to the steady growth of the company, which began in a small co-working space in 2016, comes this ambitious international expansion plan. Filly Media Solutions offers a well-connected platform where brands could reach the publisher with their vast inventories to grab the attention of the companies, while publishers use the platform to onboard different brands. Given the one-stop shop for performance marketing, particularly affiliate marketing, that the company is, in less than a decade, Filly Media Solutions has established a strong network of affiliates and helped over 5000+ brands across the world to boost revenue and acquire customers. Versatile in its industry knowledge, the company has served clients from different sectors such as lifestyle, Software, Travel, Finance, Banking, Electronics and Gadgets, and others, and helped them to grow their businesses. About the expansion, Sourabh Sharma, the CEO and the Founder of Filly Media Solutions, on an enthusiastic note, shared, "We are delighted to announce the upcoming expansion of Filly Media Solutions, which will be based on the foundation of trust that merchants and affiliates associated with us have built together after years of hard work. We are also looking at proactively exploring new performance marketing methods along with the launch of a series of in-house products- all aimed at boosting the performance of the clients." Further, the entrepreneur added, "We are increasingly focusing on expanding the ambit of our work so that can be the pioneer of change in the sector, reckoning that the faster we bring a change in the market the more leverage we have in the ever-growing scape. After all, Affiliate Marketing is the need of all online businesses these days as it doesn't only help you to acquire new customers but also helps you to retain existing customers. " The affiliates, incentivized by the lucrative perks associated with strong sales, help a business acquire a wide customer base. Filly Media Solutions prides itself on grooming expert affiliates who understand the nitty-gritty of businesses as well as consumer engagement and cull their extensive experience in the domain to improve the performance of the brand by not only targeting the right target group but also by creating a need, of the services they are promoting, among the customers. Major brands, having benefited from the profits of the aggressive marketing campaigns that Filly Media Solutions affiliates have executed, have in turn boosted the company's sales via referrals and word-of-mouth publicity. Behind the company's long clientele list, lies the company's customer-centric servicing approach and the policy of being paid only after a solid performance delivery. Further, to achieve the degree of success that the affiliate marketing giant enjoys, it ensures tight quality control of its services, delivered through, an advanced tracking system, Anti-fraud tools, Competitive Commission rates, and excellent customer support. Consequently, the company maintains trust among both, affiliates: and the customer, essential for smooth business operations. The international expansion of the company's reach will be accompanied by novel efforts in emergent marketing. Expanding its repertoire of services, Filly Media Solutions is set to launch a set of new in-house products which will attract a fresh crop of clients, along with boosting the company's already steady revenue growth. For more information please visit: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sourabhsharma85 This story has been provided by SRV. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/SRV) Bangalore (Karnataka) [India], April 27 (ANI/NewsVoir): Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio has won the Oscar for the Best Animated Feature category at the 95th Academy Awards, adding another accolade to its already impressive list of honors. The stop-motion animated film, directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, acquired by and released exclusively on Netflix, was praised by critics and audiences alike for its unique visual style and storytelling. The film has also won several other awards for animation, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature, the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film, Critics' Choice Award for the Best Animated Feature and the Annie Award for Best Animated Independent Feature. These awards are a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire team behind Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio is a dark, adult retelling of the classic fairy tale, following the adventures of a wooden puppet who dreams of becoming a real boy. The film features the voices of Tilda Swinton, Ewan McGregor, Christoph Waltz, David Bradley, and Ron Perlman. One of the key contributors to the film's success, especially with the win at the Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards for Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature, was the Moving Picture Company (MPC) - the visual effects studio that created the film's animation and visual effects. MPC's team of talented animators and artists helped bring Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio's world to life with their intricate visual effects work to support the filmmaker's vision for the environment and match the stop-motion, adding depth and dimension. MPC's work on Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio extended to India, where the teams in Bangalore worked on the film's animation and visual effects, bringing their expertise and creativity to the project. "The continued accolades for Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio are an amazing recognition of the passion and creativity that our MPC team brought to this timeless tale of love, loss, family and morality in a moving world. We congratulate all the partners involved in creating this beautiful piece of art," said Biren Ghose, Country Head, Technicolor India. "The complex animation and visual effects work required the collaboration of our teams in both India and Canada, which is a testament to the strength of our global network and the quality of our talent." The MPC team's hard work and dedication continues to pay off as Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio's poignant story and stunning visuals has earned it various accredited awards including the 95th Academy Awards. These awards are a testament to both the film's quality and the strength of MPC's teams spread across the globe. "We are thrilled to have been a part of Pinocchio's immaculate success," said Jean-Paul Burge, Global President, MPC. "We are proud of the entire team in India and Canada for their dedication and hard work. We have a world-class team of animators and artists whose skill and creativity are key to bringing Guillermo del Toro's vision for Pinocchio to life." The year also saw Technicolor Creative Studios heading up several worldwide award-winning creatives for Netflix, Warner Brothers, Disney, and Universal. Our teams worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, creating game-changing visual effects and animation that have redefined the boundaries of creative storytelling. Projects such as HBO's House of The Dragon, which recently won the BAFTA Television Craft Awards for Best Special Visual & Graphic Effects and the Golden Globe for Best Television Series - Drama, VES Awards for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature for Amazon Prime's Thirteen Lives, and Best Visual Effects at the Cesars for Gaumont's Notre-Dame Brule. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio is now available to stream on Netflix, allowing audiences around the world to experience the magic and wonder of this award-winning animated film. Moving Picture Company (MPC) is a global creative studio with a single goal, to make any vision a reality. With decades of storytelling experience, MPC pushes the limits of what is technologically and artistically possible to tell visually stunning stories. MPC continues to lead in an ever-evolving industry, building authentic and long-lasting connections with audiences across all channels. www.mpcfilm.com Technicolor Creative Studios is a creative technology company providing world-class production expertise driven by one purpose: The realization of ambitious and extraordinary ideas. Home to a network of award-winning studios, MPC, The Mill, Mikros Animation and Technicolor Games, we inspire creative companies across the world to produce their most iconic work. Our global teams of artists and technologists' partner with the creative community across film, television, animation, gaming, brand experience and advertising to bring the universal art of storytelling to audiences everywhere. www.technicolorcreative.com. This story has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir) US India Business Council (USIBC) president Atul Keshap on Thursday said India's growth "is going to fuel America's prosperity in the 21st century". Addressing the US-India Summit on US-India Economic Relations, Keshap said, "As India grows, it is clear that it will help fuel not only India's prosperity, it's also going to fuel America's prosperity in the 21st century." "So, let's be more ambitious, let's demand more of our government and let's expect more liberalisation of trade and investment in both directions. The happiness of our people is at stake," he said. The USIBC president also said he had never seen anywhere growing as fast as India. Keshap said India's economic rise was going to be one of the happiest and greatest stories in the 21st century. "The United States will complement that rise because we have a demographic advantage. We have an immigration and entrepreneurship engine in our country and we have vision, hope and, I think, great commitment to the future happiness of the United States, making India will help complement that." He said, "And so, we'll make an America in a way it ensures that we have muscle and sinews and robust strength, to power the world. USIBC is committed to that, our numbers committed to that, US Chambers committed to that." On the Covid pandemic, he said, "The pandemic may have been a cruel master but it taught us -- democracies -- that however complicated and problematic in our process, at the end of the day democracies take care of their people and democracies can trust each other. He added, "The pandemic reinforced the bond of trust and affection between the American and the Indian people." The USIBC president said, "What we need to do is push the accelerator. US and India have to achieve that 'escape velocity'. That was a slogan given to me by a friend who is in the White House." (ANI) The total enrolment under Atal Pension Yojana (APY) crossed 5.20-crore mark as on March 31, 2023. The scheme enrolled more than 1.19 crore new subscribers in fiscal 2022-23 as compared to 99 lakh in the last financial year, depicting more than 20 per cent growth. As on date, the total assets under management (AUM) in APY is more than Rs 27,200 crore and the scheme has generated investment return of 8.69 per cent since the inception of the scheme, according to a statement from the ministry of finance. In the public sector banks (PSBs) category, nine banks achieved the annual target while Bank of India, State Bank of India, and Indian Bank sourced more than 100 APY accounts per branch. Under the regional rural banks (RRBs) category, 32 banks achieved the annual target while Jharkhand Rajya Gramin Bank, Vidharbha Konkan Gramin Bank, Tripura Gramin Bank and Baroda Uttar Pradesh Gramin Bank sourced more than 160 APY accounts per branch. Also, Tamilnad Mercantile Bank, Dhanlaxmi Bank and Airtel Payments Bank achieved annual target allocated by the ministry of finance. Further, 12 states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Uttarakhand also achieved their annual targets with the help and support of their respective state-level banker's committee (SLBCs). Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) conducted 47 APY outreach programmes and Town Hall meetings pan-India at various locations, in coordination with SLBCs and RRBs. Many initiatives were taken such as the launch of a digital onboarding facility using Aadhaar, the launch of revamped APY app, 17 podcasts for creating awareness on the benefits of APY, the launch of a chatbot facility for seeking basic information on APY, etc. Under APY, a subscriber would receive a lifelong minimum guaranteed pension of Rs 1,000-5,000 per month from the age of 60 years, depending on their contributions, which itself would vary based on the age of joining the APY, according to the statement. The same pension would be paid to the spouse of the subscriber after the demise of the subscriber and on the demise of both the subscriber and spouse, the pension wealth as accumulated till the age of 60 of the subscriber would be returned to the nominee. PFRDA is always committed to contributing towards pension saturation in the country and shall continuously undertake proactive initiatives for achieving it, according to the statement. (ANI) In anticipation of the milestone, the Gujarat unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has planned special events across 19 venues in the state, for which preparations have already begun. These events will focus on the topics and individuals highlighted by Modi in the previous 99 episodes. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will honour notable individuals and organisations as part of the celebrations. Celebratory events with reference to the 100th episode of 'Mann Ki Baat' also took place in Ahmedabad on Tuesday evening. A lecture was organised by the state BJP commemorating Lokmanya Tilak, and the establishment of the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. More such events and lectures will take place in the coming days. --IANS janvi/arm ( 152 Words) 2023-04-26-20:34:05 (IANS) Further, as part of the seven-day-long crackdown carried out with the objective of a 'Nasha Mukt Tripura' (drug-free Tripura), state police searched over 53,000 vehicles and organised 375 awareness campaigns. The drive against the drug menace ended on Tuesday. Sushanta Deb, officer-in-charge, NCC Police Station, Agartala, said, "To make a 'Shreshth Tripura', a zero-tolerance policy against the drug menace in the State was adopted. During the drive, we conducted many raids and seized a huge amount of contraband drugs along with cash and vehicles." He informed further that more than 1 crore of narcotics items were seized and will be disposed of safely. "We are confident of achieving our targets against drug abuse, for a Nasha Mukt Tripura," he said. The officer further said as part of the 'Anti Narcotics Special Drive', several public awareness programmes were conducted in schools and higher educational institutions. "We got the desired response from the public and they, too, stepped out to make our drive a success," the officer added. Paramita Pandey, sub-divisional police officer, NCC Subdivision, Agartala said the drive was conducted to make Tripura addiction-free. "The government initiated a drive to make Tripura an addiction-free state," she said. "In my subdivision, NCC, I have three police stations under my control -- Airport, NCC and Budhjung Nagar police stations. We carried out Naka Checking last week by putting barricades at areas such as Lichu Bagan, Airport and on the National Highway to check vehicles," she added. The SDPO added, "In sensitive areas, we launched a search operation and were successful in seizing and registering cases against perpetrators under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. We seized brown sugar, Yaba tablets, and other narcotic substances, strictly adhering to the zero-tolerance policy," Pandey said. "We will continue our raids and other activities as part of the government's Nashamukt Tripura drive. We will do everything possible to make Tripura drug-free," she said. (ANI) Ten security personnel of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and a civilian driver were killed as the mini van they were travelling reportedly came under an ambush attack by Maoists using Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on Wednesday. The incident occurred in the Aranpur area when the DRG team was returning to its district headquarters in Dantewada between 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. DRG is a special force of the Chhattisgarh police, which mostly involves local tribals, for carrying carry out anti-Maoist operations. As per official sources, DRG teams were carrying out anti-Maoist operations in the Aranpur area for the past few days. Wednesday's attack was the biggest carried out by Maoists on the security forces in the state since 2021, when 22 security personnel were killed in an ambush along the borders of Sukam and Bijapur districts. The latest attack has taken the toll of security personnel killed by Maoists in Chhattisgarh to 119 in the last five years. As per a report presented in the Rajya Sabha by the Union Home Ministry earlier this year, 22 security personnel were killed in Chhattisgarh in 2019, 36 in 2020, 45 in 2021, and six in 2022. Chhattisgarh has a long history of Maoists killing security forces personnel. In 2017, 36 CRPF personnel were killed by the Maoists, while in the 2013 Darbha valley attack, 27 people were killed, including former Congress minister Mahendra Karma, then state Congress President Nand Kumar Patel, and senior party leader Vidyacharan Shukla, who succumbed to his injuries a few days after the attack. As per the Home Ministry's report, the incidents of violent Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) attacks in Chhattisgarh dropped by 77 per cent in 2022, as compared to 2010. But Wednesday's attack has again brought the issue of Maoist ambush to the fore in Chhattisgarh, which is scheduled to go to the polls later this year. Some officials said that the Maoists were tracking the movement of the DRG teams ever since they launched anti-Maoist operation a few days back, adding that Wednesday's attack was a "planned" one. Inspector General of Police for Bastar range, Sundaraaj P., said, "The security personnel were returning to the Dantewada headquarters in a mini van. One of the vehicles was targetted by the Maoists, which was blown up using IED." Some sources said that the attack was carried out because the Maoists came to know that the security forces have become aware of their presence in the Aranpur area. According to experts, Maoists often carry out attacks on security forces between February and June, as the visibility in the dense forest areas is relatively high during this period. The previous Maoist attack in the state took place in end-February, in which one Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) jawan was killed in a pressure IED blast. Seven security personnel and an army soldier were also killed in an ambush in the same week. The experts also raised questions over using private vehicles for carrying security personnel despite knowing that a large movement of Maoists was seen in the area. Given that Wednesday's attack came barely six months before the Assembly elections in Chchattisgarh, it sends a strong message to the state government over the law and situation in the poll-bound state. There are at least 18 Assembly constituencies that fall in the Maoist-infested areas of Bastar, Kanker, Sukma, Bijapur, Dantewada, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Rajnandgaon districts. In 2018, a Maoist attack was reported when the first phase of voting was underway. --IANS pd/arm ( 603 Words) 2023-04-26-22:40:05 (IANS) Addressing a public rally in Daund tehsil, Raut levelled an allegation of misappropriation of Rs 500 crore funds against chairman Kul, directors and other authorised auditors of Bhima Sahakari Sugar Factory Limited at Madhukar Nagar at Patas in Taluka Daund, Pune district. Raut also wrote to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, demanding a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into his allegation against the BJP MLA. After Raut's claim that he was stopped from entering the mill, the police informed later that he was allowed inside the premises along with a couple of the mill's staffers. He paid floral tributes to the mill's founder, police informed further. (ANI) Mumbai actress Chrisann Pereira, who was jailed in Sharjah (UAE) in a 'drugs plant' case, has been released, her family announced via social media late on Wednesday. Her family posted a video showing them dancing, crying with disbelief, with a relieved but weeping Chrisann on the other side, all urging her to come back as early as possible. Chrisann, 27, was trapped last month in the 'drugs plant' case by a couple of Mumbai men, who have been arrested and have confessed to their crime. The accused duo had hidden the drugs in an award trophy which was detected in Sharjah following which the local police had arrested Chrisann. She had been in jail since April 1. Her distraught family in Mumbai had told IANS on Tuesday that Chrisann is innocent and they have planned to appeal to the PM and MEA for help to secure her early release. The Mumbai Police Crime Branch, which is probing the case, has nabbed the prime accused Anthony Paul (35), a baker in Borivali, and his associate Rajesh Bubhate (34) alias Ravi, a banker. They have confessed to handing three persons the award trophies with drugs concealed in them and two others with drugs-laced cakes before they flew to Dubai, ostensibly as vendetta against the Pereira family. While two, including Chrisann, unwittingly walked into the trap, three others managed to evade the authorities in Sharjah. Paul, said to be the brain behind the revenge con, apparently nursed an old grudge against the Pereira family, especially Premila (Chrisann's mother), and even got into fisticuffs with her son Kevin. The police have found that Paul had used the same modus operandi with some other wannabe actors, assuring them of plum roles in global webseries, though one person declined to carry the trophy, which Chrisann later agreed to take with her. An upcoming actress, Chrisann has featured in films like "Sadak 2", "Batla House", a webseries "Thinkistan", several stage plays. She lives in Borivali suburbs with her family. --IANS qn/arm ( 347 Words) 2023-04-26-23:14:02 (IANS) The Goa Police on Wednesday told the Bombay High Court that they are withdrawing a summon issued to AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in which he was asked to appear before them on April 27 for alleged defacement of public property during the 2022 Assembly elections in the coastal state. According to AAP Goa President Amit Palekar, the police had issued the notice suo motu to Kejriwal on April 13 under Section 41 (A) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which was challenged by the Delhi Chief Minister. "The case was heard by a division bench comprising Justices Mahesh Sonak and Valmiki Menezes of the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court on Wednesday, during which the police submitted that they are going to withdraw the summon issued to Kejriwal," Palekar said. Claiming that the BJP is trying to crush AAP, Palekar said, "Sadly, the courts now have to deal with petty politics because of the BJP." --IANS sbk/arm ( 178 Words) 2023-04-26-23:18:05 (IANS) A broad-billed hummingbird, which usually doesn't go beyond Mexico and southern Arizona and New Mexico, is spotted May 5, 2021, at LaBagh Woods in Chicago. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) An iridescent beetle, bright as an emerald. A coyote in a parking lot. A beaver at the beach. Advertisement A rare broad-billed hummingbird, touching down more than 1,500 miles from home. All of them were seen in the Chicago area during previous rounds of the International City Nature Challenge, which pits urban areas against each other in a race to document the most wildlife. And with the 2023 challenge starting Friday, local leaders are once again turning to the public for help. Advertisement [ Illinois largest rodents are in city lagoons, rivers and streams. Now, theyre on Instagram. ] Participants upload photos of wild plants and animals to iNaturalist, a free app and website that provides data to scientists and land managers at organizations worldwide, including the Forest Preserves of Cook County, the Chicago Park District, the Field Museum and Lincoln Park Zoo. People are looking for ways to make a meaningful impact and contribute to how we see wildlife, how we conserve wildlife, how we care for our planet as a whole, and this is a very clear and direct way to do that, said Chicago Ornithological Society President Edward Warden. But then theres the social side which is, its just fun, he added. Its basically just an advanced scavenger hunt, and who doesnt love the opportunity to have a target and be able to go out and hunt for it in the real world in real time? Last year 67,000 participants in more than 400 cities across the planet recorded 1.7 million wildlife sightings. The Chicago area had a 2022 total of 931 participants, 9,500 sightings and 1,300 species. The Ohio alliance of Cleveland, Akron, Canton and Toledo found 1,100 species. [ Chicagoans get another chance to break records and contribute to research in global nature challenge ] St. Louis found 1,300 species and New York 1,700. California, where the competition originated in 2016, traditionally has very strong showings, with last years San Francisco team reporting 3,000 species and Los Angeles reporting 2,600 species. Among the Chicago teams more impressive finds through the years: a broad-billed hummingbird very rare for this region which was spotted in 2021. Advertisement That was probably the most shocking one, Warden said. Its this bird that comes from Central America that was just hanging out at a forest preserve on the Northwest Side of Chicago. Asked if the Chicago team has any big rivals, Warden chuckled. It is a friendly competition. At the end of the day, were all sharing the same goal, which is encouraging people around the world to use this platform and deepen their connection to nature, he said. Still, Chicago keeps an eye on two or three regularly participating Midwestern cities, which Warden declined to name. It wouldnt hurt to beat them, he said. The City Nature Challenge is on the rise at a time when scientists across the globe are raising alarms about decreases in wildlife, including insects and songbirds. A 2019 report in the journal Science found that North America has 2.9 billion fewer breeding adult birds than it did in 1970, a 29% decrease. Advertisement Afternoon Briefing Daily Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy > The study cited threats to birds such as habitat loss, agricultural changes, coastal development and climate change. This weekends City Nature Challenge will run from 12:01 a.m. Friday to 11:59 p.m. Monday. The Chicagoland Region team will offer a range of organized events, including a virtual training session by experts at Lincoln Park Zoo, bird-watching at the citys Wild Mile eco-park, a childrens event in Darien, nature hikes in Chicago and Kane counties, and hikes and wildlife scavenger hunts in Indiana. Leaders of the Chicago-area team include the Chicago Park District, the Chicago Wilderness Alliance, Lincoln Park Zoo and the Chicago Ornithological Society. This year, the Chicago team is offering a new daily challenge to help people who like a little direction, but youre free to report on any wild plants, animals or fungi you may see. A lot of people say, I need to be on the lookout for something rare, and thats not the case, said Warden. Everything from a robin bouncing around in your backyard is important, because it paints a bigger picture of what life is like in our area. Advertisement nschoenberg@chicagotribune.com Amar Jyoti, through his Public Interest Litigation (PIL), alleged that the Nitish Kumar government tweaked the state's jail manual to "favour criminals". The order of the Bihar government has drawing ire from the Dalit community. Anand Mohan, a former gangster-turned-politician who was freed from jail on Tuesday, was convicted for the murder of former Gopalganj district magistrate G Krishnaiah, a Dalit IAS officer, in 1994. According to reports, Krishnaiah died after his car was attacked during the funeral procession of a gangster Chotan Shukla. Anand Mohan was part of the procession, and Muzaffarpur police had charge-sheeted him for provoking his supporters to commit the crime. Uma Krishnaiah, the widow of slain Dalit IAS officer, urged the Bihar government to withdraw the decision claiming it would set a bad precedent and have serious implications for the entire society. "We are not happy and feel it was a wrong decision. It shows how caste politics in Bihar influences such decisions. He is a Rajput and can help attract Rajput votes. why else would the government release a criminal? He will be given an election ticket so that he can attract Rajput votes," she said. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, too, strongly objected to the Bihar government's move to set Anand Mohan Singh free. (ANI) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday lashed out at the Congress in poll-bound Karnataka saying that corruption increased every time the grand old party came to power. Addressing a public rally in Belagavi, Singh said, "Corruption has increased every time Congress has come to power. Every time, when its govt is at the Centre, the party has been accused of corruption." Drawing a parallel between the Congress governments of the past and the BJP regime of the presrnt, he said, "Since the last nine years, the BJP has been in power at the Centre. Neither our Prime Minister nor any minister has a single allegation of corruption against them." Earlier in the day, speaking at a public rally in Dharwad, Singh said the BJP government will probe all the corrupt leaders irrespective of how prominent they are. "I want to ask you, should corruption end in this country or not? We will not spare anyone who is involved in corruption. In the last nine years, assets worth one lakh ten thousand crore rupees were seized under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The previous government of United Progressive Alliance (UPA), in their 10 years in power, seized assets worth only Rs 5,000 crore," he added. The 224-seat Assembly polls in Karnataka are slated to take place in a single phase on May 10 and results will be declared on May 13. (ANI) Gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh was released from Bihar's Saharsa jail early Thursday morning, a jail official confirmed. Singh's release was necessitated after the Bihar government recently amended the prison rules allowing the release of 27 convicts including him. He was serving a life sentence in the 1994 murder of then Gopalganj District Magistrate G Krishnaiah. After the Bihar Government amended the rules of the Jail manual, an official notification stated that 27 prisoners who have served 14 years or 20 years in jail have been ordered to be released. Posters welcoming the former MP Anand Mohan were put up at Veer Kunwar Singh Chowk in the district. The gangster-turned-politician was earlier on parole of 15 days to attend the engagement ceremony of his MLA son Chetan Anand. He had returned to Saharsa jail on April 26 following the end of his parole period. Earlier on Wednesday, the state prisons department had released nearly 14 convicts from various jails of the state. Singh was among eight others who could not be released yesterday. There has been a backlash regarding the former MP's release from jail by the opposition in the state. Responding to the uproar over his imminent release, Anand Mohan Singh on Tuesday took a dig at the BJP and said convicts in Bilkis Bano case were also released under Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's pressure. "In Gujarat also, some decision has been taken under the pressure of RJD and Nitish Kumar, go and see that. Some people have been released and garlanded. Yes, I am pointing out to that case (Bilkis Bano case) only," Singh told mediapersons. He said that he has "full sympathy" with the slain IAS officer's family. "I have full sympathy for G Krishnaiah's family. This episode ruined two families, that of Lovely Anand (his wife), and G Kishnaiah," the former MP added. Anand Mohan murdered Gopalganj District Magistrate G Krishnaiah on December 5, 1994, in Muzaffarpur. Krishnaiah was killed by a mob allegedly provoked by Anand Mohan Singh. He was dragged out of his official car and lynched. G Krishnaiah, a 1985-batch IAS officer who hailed from Mahbubnagar in present-day Telangana. Anand Mohan was sentenced to death by a trial court in 2007. A year later, the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by the Patna High Court. Mohan then challenged the verdict in Supreme Court but no relief has been granted yet and he has remained in Saharsa jail since 2007. His wife Lovely Anand has also been a Lok Sabha MP, while their son Chetan Anand is an RJD MLA from Bihar's Sheohar. (ANI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah hailed 'Mann Ki Baat', whose 100th episode is scheduled to be broadcast on April 30, and said that it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "unprecedented experiment" to empower the foundations of India's democracy. The Prime Minister had started the monthly radio programme after taking over office in 2014. Addressing the concluding session of the National Conclave on 'Mann Ki Baat', the Home Minister said, "Mann Ki Baat is an unprecedented experiment carried out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that empowered the foundations of India's democracy." "It is a very important event in which the leader appreciates the achievements of the people who are contributing to India's national growth in their own way," Shah said. He expressed his satisfaction over the Prime Minister's choice to use 'Akashvani' as a medium to reach out to the people through his monthly radio programme, and said that it is the "voice of the nation's soul". "I am glad that Modi ji chose 'Akashvani' to convey his message. Since my childhood, I have been an admirer of 'Akashvani'. I believe that it is the voice of the nation's soul. I heard about India's victory in Bangladesh in 'Akshvani' and also the defeat of a tyrant Indira Gandhi after an emergency in 'Akashvani'. I was a regular listener of Jaymala a program that entertained the armed force jawans by playing songs at their request. People forgot this medium but Modiji revived it and popularized it among the young generation," the Home Minister further said. He also said that the foundation of democracy becomes strong only through dialogue between the people and the leader. Mann Ki Baat played that role and strengthened India's foundation. "It is astonishing that a political leader conversed with people in 99 episodes but did not evoke a single political issue," Home Minister Shah added. The minister also said that the Prime Minister platformed the nation's creative power, innovative power and moral power in this programme. "The nation that cannot organize and appreciates these three forces cannot be a successful democracy. Modi ji executed this mantra in all the 99 episodes," he said. He added that Modiji unravelled many dimensions of India's democracy in the last 9 years. But one of his biggest contributions is, he liberated India's politics from the clutches of casteism, mysticism and appeasement. "As long as our thought is polluted by these three elements our opinions can never be free. He freed politics from them and made it performance-based. One who performs and serves better can remain in politics. He gave a new life and energy to our democracy," he said. Shah also said that as a perfect communicator, the prime minister showed how to speak with his conduct, thoughts and conversations without delivering any speech in Mann Ki Baat. The minister also used the Hindi proverb "Gagar mei sagar Bharna" to express how the Prime Minister included a wide range of subjects in a short event and that too in a myriad of languages. "Mann Ki Baat has always been pan-Indian in nature covering a vast expanse of India from Ladakh to Lakshwadeep and from the northeast to Punjab. It also covered a myriad of subjects from farmers to science from self-help groups to start-ups from cooperation to space," he said. Creating awareness about cleanliness, ecology protection, self-reliance, encouraging covid warriors and campaigning for clean India, fit india, beti bachao, beti padhao, water conservation, and vocal for local he gave all of them a new flight with Mann Ki Baat. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a PERFECT communicator he said that here P stands for campaigning for Peace, E for Empowerment, R stands for reflective, F stands for festive, E for economic development, C for caring and T for thoughtful," he added. "Modiji explained the meaning of festivals and their relation with our ecology sending across a message of Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat," he said. He further added, "We had forgotten Khadi. But Modiji said that it is not a fabric but a thought process. Modiji after Mahatma Gandhi was the first person to promote such vigour." Shah also said that after the prime minister's appeal in 'Mann Ki Baat' India increased its toy production cutting down imports by 70 per cent and increasing export from Rs 202 million to Rs 326 million. "Similarly export of musical instruments increased by 8 per cent due to these encouraging words in 'Mann Ki Baat'. The Prime Minister popularized traditional games like Kabaddi and Khokho which teach young generations to accept defeat as well as to stay motivated," Amit Shah added. (ANI) Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel will visit Dantewada on Thursday to pay homage to 10 jawans of District Reserve Guard (DRG) who were killed in a Naxal attack on Wednesday. Later, CM will hold a high-level meeting with senior officials of Bastar police and security forces. After the attack, Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to CM and took stock of the situation. In a telephonic conversation, the Home Minister also assured the Chhattisgarh CM that the Centre would give all possible help to the state government. On Wednesday after getting report of the Naxal attack, Baghel said that the fight with Naxals is in its last stage and Naxals won't be spared. "There is such information with us. It is very saddening. My condolences to the bereaved families. This fight is in its last stage. Naxals won't be spared, said CM. On the other hand, as per the police, the 10 slain DRG personnel have been identified as Joga Sodhi, Munna Ram Kadti, Santosh Tamo, Dulgo Mandavi, Lakhmu Markam, Joga Kavasi, Hariram Mandavi, Raju Ram Kartam, Jairam Podiyam, Jagdish Kavasi. In addition, the deceased driver has been identified as Dhaniram Yadav, the police added. The area where the blast took place is around 450 km from state capital Raipur. (ANI) Objecting to the release of Anand Mohan Singh from Bihar''s Saharsa jail, the widow of slain District Magistrate G Krishnaiah who was murdered by the gangster-turned-politician, on Thursday appealed to President Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and ask Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to send him to jail. This comes after Gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh walked free from Bihar''s Saharsa jail early Thursday morning, a move which was mandated following the amendment of the prison rules by the Bihar government allowing the release of 27 convicts including him. Speaking to ANI, Uma Devi, wife of late Gopalganj DM G Krishnaiah, said, "I appeal to the President and the PM to intervene in this matter and ask CM Nitish Kumar to send him (Anand Mohan) back to jail." She called the decision of the Bihar government to release the murder convict, who was initially given a death sentence by the trial court and was later commuted to a life sentence by the Patna High Court, "wrong" and said that the Chief Minister should not "encourage these types of things". She also called for the boycott of the gangster-turned-politician if he contests elections in the future. "The public will protest against the release of Anand Mohan, demanding to send him back to jail. Releasing him is a wrong decision. CM should not encourage these types of things. If he (Anand Mohan) will contest elections in the future the public should boycott him. I appeal to send him (Anand Mohan) back to jail," she said. The daughter of the deceased IAS officer, Padma asked the state government to reconsider its decision and urged Nitish Kumar to give his decision a second thought. "It''s disheartening for us that Anand Mohan Singh has been released from jail today. The government should reconsider this decision. I request Nitish Kumar ji to give a second thought to this decision. With this decision, his govt has set a wrong example," she said. Padma said that the family will appeal against the decision of the government. "It is unfair not just to a family but to the whole nation. We will appeal against this decision," she said. He was serving a life sentence in the 1994 murder of then Gopalganj District Magistrate G Krishnaiah. After the Bihar Government amended the rules of the Jail manual, an official notification stated that 27 prisoners who have served 14 years or 20 years in jail have been ordered to be released. Supporters of Anand Mohan Singh, welcomed his release from Saharsa jail in Bihar. The gangster-turned-politician was earlier on parole of 15 days to attend the engagement ceremony of his MLA son Chetan Anand. He had returned to Saharsa jail on April 26 following the end of his parole period. Earlier on Wednesday, the state prisons department had released nearly 14 convicts from various jails of the state. Singh was among eight others who could not be released yesterday. There has been a backlash regarding the former MP''s release from jail by the opposition in the state. Anand Mohan murdered Gopalganj District Magistrate G Krishnaiah on December 5, 1994, in Muzaffarpur. Krishnaiah was killed by a mob allegedly provoked by Anand Mohan Singh. He was dragged out of his official car and lynched. G Krishnaiah, a 1985-batch IAS officer who hailed from Mahbubnagar in present-day Telangana. Anand Mohan was sentenced to death by a trial court in 2007. A year later, the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by the Patna High Court. Mohan then challenged the verdict in Supreme Court but no relief has been granted yet and he has remained in Saharsa jail since 2007. His wife Lovely Anand has also been a Lok Sabha MP, while their son Chetan Anand is an RJD MLA from Bihar''s Sheohar. (ANI) The BSF troops recovered a black coloured Drone (Quadcopter, DJI Matrice 300 RTK) in partially broken condition during the initial search of the area, informed BSF Punjab Frontier. Among other materials recovered included a big packet wrapped with yellow adhesive tape containing two packets of suspected heroin and two small packets of Opium, one iron ring attached to the consignment, added the BSF. The Gross weight of the two packets of heroin was 2 kg and that of Opium is- 170 grams. Earlier on Wednesday, the Border Security Forces (BSF) on Wednesday intercepted a drone infiltrating from the Pakistan side by opening fire at it. "A rogue drone entering from the Pak side was intercepted with firing by alert BSF troops in Amritsar Sector. On being fired, the drone returned back to Pak side", BSF said in a statement. On March 28, BSF shot down a Pakistani drone in Amritsar soon after it entered Indian territory carrying a consignment of contraband items, the paramilitary force said. The drone was shot down in the Amritsar when the BSF troops heard the buzzing sound of the flying object. It was recovered the next day morning during a search operation conducted by the border guarding force. The drone entered Indian territory from Pakistan and it was detected in the area of Border Outpost Rajatal in the Amritsar Sector, said the BSF. Earlier, Border Security Force (BSF) troops shot down a Pakistani drone along the Indo-Pak border which intruded on the Amritsar sector in the intervening night of February 2 to February 3 at 2:30 AM. The drone entered the area of responsibility of the Border Observation Post (BOP) Rear Kakkar in the Amritsar sector of Punjab, said BSF. (ANI) "BJP President JP Nadda will reach Lambi, Sri Muktsar Sahib district of Punjab to pay last respects to Shiromani Akali Dal patron Parkash Singh Badal around 12 noon today," informed sources. The senior Punjab politician passed away at the age of 95 on Tuesday. He breathed his last at Fortis Hospital in Mohali. Earlier on Wednesday, the Punjab government announced a one-day holiday for all the state government offices in honour of the former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. "All government offices, departments, boards, corporations and educational institutions in Punjab will remain shut on Thursday (April 27)," the official order said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday arrived in Chandigarh and went to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)'s office to pay his last respects. In its official media bulletin, the Fortis Hospital stated, "S Parkash Singh Badal, Former Chief Minister of Punjab, was admitted at Fortis Hospital Mohali on April 16, 2023, with acute exacerbation of bronchial asthma. He was shifted to the medical ICU on 18th April as his respiratory condition worsened. He had been on NIV and HFNC support along with medical management". "He was being managed under Prof (Dr) Digambar Behera along with the Pulmonology and critical care team supported by Cardiology. Despite appropriate medical management S Parkash Singh Badal succumbed to his illness. Fortis Hospital Mohali deeply condoles the death of S Parkash Singh Badal," the statement added. According to the party, Badal was admitted to ICU on April 21, following complaints of breathing difficulties. Parkash Singh Badal served as the Chief Minister of Punjab multiple times. He was the CM from 1970-1971, from 1977-1980, from 1997-2002, and from 2007-2017. He was also the youngest CM to have ever held office in the state of Punjab. (ANI) The Supreme Court has granted anticipatory bail to Mirza Moziz Beg, an assistant professor at Indore's Government Law College, in relation to an FIR registered against him for allegedly promoting enmity and hatred after an alleged "Hinduphobic" book was found in the library. A bench of Justices AS Bopanna and Dipankar Datta granted anticipatory bail to Beg. On February 3, the apex court while issuing notice to the State of Madhya Pradesh on Beg's plea granted him interim protection against arrest. "Though the counsel for the respondent (State government) contends that the grant of anticipatory bail to the petitioner would not be justified, we are convinced that the petitioner is entitled to interim protection. Hence, the interim protection granted to the petitioner on February 3, 2023, is made absolute which shall ensure the benefit of the petitioner till the completion of the process. The petition is accordingly, disposed of," the bench stated in its order on April 26. Advocate Aljo K Joseph appeared for Beg. Beg had approached the top court challenging an order of the Madhya Pradesh High Court by which his application for anticipatory bail was rejected. He had denied all the charges levelled against him, saying that the book was bought into the college in 2014, long before he joined the college on a contractual basis or when he was engaged as a permanent member of the faculty. The book has been a part of the master's curriculum for more than 18 years and taught to all postgraduate students specialising in Criminal Law across the state of Madhya Pradesh, he added in his plea. "Academic freedom and a book published by someone in 2014 cannot be the basis of an FIR when the petitioner has no connection or remote knowledge of the book," Beg had contended. In December last year, the top court granted protection from arrest to Indore's Government New Law College Principal and professor Inamur Rahman in the same case. Bhawarkuwan police booked Rahman along with Beg, Farhat Khan author of the book 'Collective Violence and Criminal Justice System' and its publisher on December 2 based on a complaint for alleged objectionable content. The complaint stated that the content of the book titled "Collective Violence and Criminal Justice System", written by Farhat Khan and published by Amar Law Publication, is based upon false and baseless facts, anti-national, intended to harm the public peace, the integrity of the nation, and religious cordiality. Following the massive protests staged on campus Rahman, Beg and three others faced disciplinary action. Rahman was forced to resign from the post of principal. Rahman and Beg were suspended with immediate effect, besides terminating the services of the three other faculty members involved in the row. Earlier, when the Madhya Pradesh government's counsel informed the top court that the State intended to challenge the High Court order, Chief Justice DY Chandrachud had expressed surprise. CJI had then told the State's counsel, "State must do some more serious stuff. He is a College Principal. Why you are arresting him? A book is found in the library which is said to have some communal undertones. Therefore he is seeking to be arrested? The book was purchased in 2014. Are you serious?" (ANI) A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Guwahati has convicted five persons in the 2011 People's Liberation Army (PLA)-Naxal nexus case related to a criminal conspiracy to threaten the unity, integrity, security and sovereignty of India, the agency said on Thursday. Those convicted have been identified as PLA's-N. Dilip Singh of Manipur, Senjam Dhiren Singh of Assam, and Arnold Singh of Assam. The others are Indranil Chanda and Amit Bagchi-- both from West Bengal and have links with Naxals. The court, after extensive hearings, on Wednesday convicted the five accused in the case under charges of 121A of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 18, 18A and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967. The NIA had registered a suo moto case on July 1, 2011, on inputs that the PLA, a proscribed terrorist organization, had hatched a conspiracy to destabilize the country with the support of CPI (Maoist) or Naxals. "CPI (Maoist) leaders had agreed to recognize and support the separatist activities of PLA for the creation of the northeastern state of Manipur, as a separate nation. The PLA leadership, on its part, decided to support the continuing war of CPI (Maoist) for overthrowing the constitutionally elected Government of India," said the NIA. Investigations revealed that PLA had established a liaison office in Kolkata, where a meeting was held between PLA/RPF and CPI (Maoist) leaders, the agency said. Modalities were worked out at the meeting for taking unified action for waging a war against the Union of India, it said. "A bipartite meeting was also held between PLA/ RPF and CPI (Maoist) leadership in Jharkhand for imparting military training to cadres of CPI (Maoist) by PLA/RPF instructors." It further came to light during the investigations that the SS President of PLA/RPF had also complimented the General Secretary of CPI (Maoist) on carrying out an attack on the security forces on April 6, 2010, resulting in the killing of 76 CRPF personnel in Chhattisgarh, said the anti-terror agency. "Investigations also revealed that the PLA had provided logistics support to Maoist cadres and both groups were regularly communicating and exchanging e-mails. The accused persons had travelled to different places within and outside India, and created fake IDs and bank accounts under pseudonymous identities." Based on these findings, the NIA filed chargesheets in the case on May 21 and November 16 of 2012, as well as on July 31, 2014, in the NIA Special Court, Guwahati. (ANI) While Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson has many challenges ahead, Chicagoans have made clear that none are of greater importance than tackling public safety issues. Key to that is rebuilding the relationship between the Chicago Police Department and the communities the police serve, which for too long has been driven by fear and distrust. To repair that essential relationship, Johnson and the next City Council must act to prohibit white supremacists from joining and being members of CPD. Today, across the city, around 13 officers who are known associates of hate and extremist groups are patrolling the streets. One of those officers lied about his association with the Proud Boys, an allegation sustained by CPDs bureau of internal affairs (BIA). In another case, according to the Chicago inspector generals office, an officer told Police Department investigators about his membership in the Oath Keepers. Both officers remain on the force. Advertisement The problem of white supremacy in the department goes far beyond two officers, though, or 13. Without question, the majority of officers want to serve and protect Chicagoans. However, by not aggressively rooting out white supremacist activity and by disregarding processes of accountability despite established facts, CPD has reinforced the perception that a culture of impunity exists within the ranks. [ Editorial: Quiet quitting cannot be an option for Chicago police ] The Southern Poverty Law Center has decades of experience tracing connections between law enforcement and the organized white power movement. The subject matter experts of SPLCs Intelligence Project are focused on helping communities prevent and counter white supremacy and hate. Weve shared this research in a Jan. 5 letter to outgoing Mayor Lori Lightfoot and former Superintendent David Brown. But we have not received a response. Advertisement Despite the fact that the BIA sustained five charges against Officer Robert Bakker four regarding his ties to the Proud Boys and one for lying to investigators CPD did not remove him from the force. In addition, despite an admission to CPD investigators that he was an active member of the Oath Keepers for four years, CPD did not remove Officer Phillip Singto from his position of authority and power. Both groups have a history of instigating violence in attempts to achieve political goals. In 2015, the FBI warned that domestic terrorism investigations focused on militia extremists, white supremacist extremists, and sovereign citizen extremists often have identified active links to law enforcement officers. Groups such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers perceive large urban centers like Chicago as ground zero in their war against a long list of enemies who include Black and brown people, LGBTQ people, migrants, women, Jews, Muslims and white supporters of inclusive democracy. These groups seek to recruit people who hold positions of power over their perceived enemies or seek to put their own people in these positions including as police officers. There is a clear path forward for Johnson and new Police Department leadership. First, CPD must follow and enforce the consent decree put into place in 2019 following the murder of Laquan McDonald by a Chicago police officer. The consent decree requires CPD to enact reforms regarding discipline and supervision of officers. These reforms should include clear prohibitions against active participation with white supremacist extremist groups. [ Kathleen OToole and Charlie Beck: Chicagos consent decree can improve policing for everyone ] At the Public Safety Committee hearing in February, police officials provided some hopeful first steps, including a new rule that is more explicit in the type of groups with whom officers cannot associate. But if the recent past is any indicator, the real question is: Will CPD enforce this rule? If not, state Attorney General Kwame Raoul must act to enforce the terms of the consent decree. Second, Chicago needs a police superintendent who will be committed to preventing white supremacists from serving as CPD officers. The superintendent has the power to veto disciplinary agreements reached between BIA and officers charged with misconduct if they do not think the discipline matches the charges. Before Chicago appoints a new Police Department leader, the city needs to know how the superintendent would use his or her authority in these cases. Third, lawmakers must demand a strong social media policy from the Police Department, which is required by the consent decree. Proactive attention to misconduct activity online can prevent problems before they occur. Lawmakers in Chicago should learn from policymakers in Minnesota and Washington state who are confronting this issue now, enacting rule changes that explicitly prohibit officers from engaging in this extremist conduct. Clearly defining what it means to actively participate or support prohibited white supremacist groups is required. Advertisement Last, elected leaders must speak out on this issue and demand police accountability. Most public servants, including CPD officers, surely want to do good for the city. Some are prevented from doing so by a culture of impunity that sidelines those who would want to hold their colleagues accountable. Groups such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers often seek to use police departments and the entire profession for their own benefit. Strong action across the board will reduce distrust and build bridges with communities. We can work on this together. Jeff Tischauser, Ph.D., is a senior research analyst with the Southern Poverty Law Centers Intelligence Project. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed between Assam militant outfit Dimasa National Liberation Army (DNLA) and Government of Assam in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday evening here in the national capital, sources said. The MoU will be signed around 6.30 pm here at the office of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the presence of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and other senior officers of MHA and Assam Government. The DNLA earlier this month had announced extension of unilateral ceasefire. Juhthai, the chairman of the outfit, wrote to Assam Chief Minister informing DNLA's decision to extend the ceasefire by another six months. On September 2021, the DNLA in response to Assam Chief Minister's demand for peace had declared a unilateral ceasefire for a period of six months. The declaration came precisely two weeks after the DNLA was accused of opening fire on a convoy of seven trucks on August 26 in the Dima Hasao district, killing five people and injuring one. The DNLA was established in April 2019 to pursue Dimasa people's sovereignty through an armed campaign. The Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts, as well as some areas of the neighbouring Nagaland, are thought to be active DNLA hotspots. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August 2019 launched Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) with the aim of providing safe and adequate drinking water to all rural households in the country. The government stated, "At the time of the announcement of the Jal Jeevan Mission, only 3.23 crore (16.65 per cent) rural households had tap water connections but in a short span of fewer than four years, more than 8.60 Crore rural households have been provided with tap water connections. As on April 27, 2023, over 11.84 Crore (60.87 per cent) of rural households have a functional tap water supply in their homes." Further, Union Budget 2023-24 has allocated a massive Rs. 70,000 Crore for the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission," it further stated The mission has a transformative impact on the lives of millions of people in rural India by ensuring access to safe and adequate drinking water. It further stated regular tap water supply received in rural households through this mission has relieved people, especially women, from carrying heavy bucket loads of water to meet daily household needs, thereby removing the age-old drudgery. The mission aims to provide Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs) to every rural household in the country by 2024, the release stated. (ANI) Gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh's wife on Thursday welcomed the amendment of the Bihar Prisons manual which necessitated the release of his husband convicted in a murder case and thanked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for the move. Anand Mohan Singh, a convict in the then District Magistrate G Krishnaiah case, walked free from Saharsa jail before the break of dawn on Thursday. "God knows that he is innocent. We also thank the Chief Minister. Bihar government has amended the law and it should be welcomed," Lovely Anand, wife of former Bihar MP and murder convict Anand Mohan Singh said while speaking to ANI. However, the family of the slain District Magistrate G Krishnaiah has objected to the release of Singh and sought the intervention of President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Speaking to ANI, Uma Devi, wife of late Gopalganj DM G Krishnaiah, said, "I appeal to the President and the PM to intervene in this matter and ask CM Nitish Kumar to send him (Anand Mohan) back to jail." She called the decision of the Bihar government to release the murder convict, who was initially given a death sentence by the trial court and was later commuted to a life sentence by the Patna High Court, "wrong" and said that the Chief Minister should not "encourage these types of things". She also called for the boycott of the gangster-turned-politician if he contests elections in the future. "The public will protest against the release of Anand Mohan, demanding to send him back to jail. Releasing him is a wrong decision. CM should not encourage these types of things. If he (Anand Mohan) will contest elections in the future the public should boycott him. I appeal to send him (Anand Mohan) back to jail," she said. He was serving a life sentence in the 1994 murder of then Gopalganj District Magistrate G Krishnaiah. After the Bihar Government amended the rules of the Jail manual, an official notification stated that 27 prisoners who have served 14 years or 20 years in jail have been ordered to be released. Supporters of Anand Mohan Singh, welcomed his release from Saharsa jail in Bihar. The gangster-turned-politician was earlier on parole of 15 days to attend the engagement ceremony of his MLA son Chetan Anand. He had returned to Saharsa jail on April 26 following the end of his parole period. Earlier on Wednesday, the state prisons department had released nearly 14 convicts from various jails of the state. Singh was among eight others who could not be released yesterday. There has been a backlash regarding the former MP's release from jail by the opposition in the state. Anand Mohan murdered Gopalganj District Magistrate G Krishnaiah on December 5, 1994, in Muzaffarpur. Krishnaiah was killed by a mob allegedly provoked by Anand Mohan Singh. He was dragged out of his official car and lynched. G Krishnaiah, a 1985-batch IAS officer who hailed from Mahbubnagar in present-day Telangana. Anand Mohan was sentenced to death by a trial court in 2007. A year later, the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by the Patna High Court. Mohan then challenged the verdict in Supreme Court but no relief has been granted yet and he has remained in Saharsa jail since 2007. His wife Lovely Anand has also been a Lok Sabha MP, while their son Chetan Anand is an RJD MLA from Bihar's Sheohar. (ANI) The amendment of Bihar Prison Manual 2012, according to which the convicts who have served 14 or 20 years in jail could now be released, is "arbitrary and unreasonable", an advocate who filed a plea in the Patna High Court against the government's move said on Thursday. Alka Verma who filed the petition in the High Court on Wednesday told ANI that the amendment is not for the people's good and the court is expected to interfere on this ground. "The amendment is not in good faith because it is arbitrary and its usefulness is not understandable. If we try to understand its use, it means that you have benefitted the criminals. The amendment should be for the people's good. It is not for the good of the people. The government did not even consult the public servants. This is an arbitrary action. The amendment is arbitrary and unreasonable. I expect the inference of the court on this ground. I filed the plea yesterday," Verma said. The advocate's remarks came after gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh walked free from Bihar's Saharsa jail early Thursday morning, a move which was mandated following the amendment of the prison rules by the Bihar government allowing the release of 27 convicts including him. The gangster-turned-politician was earlier on parole of 15 days to attend the engagement ceremony of his MLA son Chetan Anand. He had returned to Saharsa jail on April 26 following the end of his parole period. Earlier on Wednesday, the state prisons department had released nearly 14 convicts from various jails of the state. Singh was among eight others who could not be released yesterday. There has been a backlash regarding the former MP's release from jail by the opposition in the state. Anand Mohan murdered Gopalganj District Magistrate G Krishnaiah on December 5, 1994, in Muzaffarpur. Krishnaiah was killed by a mob allegedly provoked by Anand Mohan Singh. He was dragged out of his official car and lynched. G Krishnaiah, a 1985-batch IAS officer who hailed from Mahbubnagar in present-day Telangana. Anand Mohan was sentenced to death by a trial court in 2007. A year later, the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by the Patna High Court. Mohan then challenged the verdict in Supreme Court but no relief has been granted yet and he has remained in Saharsa jail since 2007. His wife Lovely Anand has also been a Lok Sabha MP, while their son Chetan Anand is an RJD MLA from Bihar's Sheohar. (ANI) "The alleged accused who used to send morphed pornographic photos and videos to girls through fake Instagram accounts and used to demand money have been arrested on Wednesday," police said. The accused has been identified as a 23-year-old man named Vishal Kumar, a resident of Ghaziabad. The incident came to light when the complainant allegedly received various obscene messages and pornographic photos, police said. According to DCP Shahdara, Rohit Meena, "A dedicated team of Cyber PS analyzed the details of the alleged Instagram accounts and later the team succeeded in finding out the mobile number of an accused person through IP analysis." "A team with dedicated continuous efforts finally succeeded in arresting the accused person namely Vishal Kumar alias Kalu Resident of Rampark, Ghaziabad, UP," Shahdara DCP added. "A case under sections 354, 469, 385 IPC and 66C, 67A IT Act at Cyber Police Station Shahdara was registered on the complaint of the victim in which she alleged that some unidentified person was sending her morphed pornographic photos and videos of herself and the person was demanding Rs 20,000 through Instagram," DCP Meena added. During the investigation, it was revealed that Vishal wanted to defame and extort money from the complainant and used to threaten that he would circulate morphed images of the complainant over social media. Meanwhile, Vishal is previously found involved in four cases (two cases of Arms Act, one case of robbery and one case of Excise Act). Further investigation is underway. (ANI) A 26-year-old Bhopal businessman who was stuck in conflict-ridden Sudan, reached his home, Bhopal safely on Thursday. The businessman, Jayant Kewlani, a resident of Sant Hiradaram Nagar (Bairagarh) in the city, had gone to Sudan for a business meeting and he was stuck in the fight that began between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the capital Khartoum and its surroundings on April 15. As soon as Jayant reached his home, the family members became quite happy and welcomed him with a bouquet. The family members and Jayant extended their gratitude to the central government as well as to the state government. Speaking to ANI, Jayant said, "I had gone for work last month on March 4 and was scheduled to return on April 20. I used to live in the centre of Khartoum area in Sudan. There was a military camp right in front where the fighting was going on. I was imprisoned in the room itself due to the war." "After all, with the efforts of our government, I have come back to my home. I thank the central government, the state government, and the media for their support. I am very happy after coming back home," he added. Notably, Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's transitional government and declared a state of emergency in what political forces called a "coup." In a recent development, warring factions in Sudan have agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire on Monday after the US and Saudi Arabia mediated the truce while countries are engaged in evacuating their citizens from the country. India has launched 'Operation Kaveri' to bring back Indians stranded in conflict-hit Sudan. Earlier, the third IAF C-130J from Port Sudan arrived in Jeddah. V Muraleedharan tweeted, "Third IAF C-130J from Port Sudan arrives in Jeddah, glad to welcome 136 Indians who were on board. #OperationKaveri will continue till we rescue all Indians who want to come back home." (ANI) Augustine's wife Saibella and their daughter Marieta reached Kochi today at 10.00 am. The Ministry of External Affairs has arranged a vehicle for them to reach their native place in Kannur. On Wednesday late at night, they were received at Jeddah by MoS MEA V Muraleedharan. He tweeted after the meeting that, he "Arranged tickets immediately for the family to reach Kochi. Assured of all possible assistance to the family." The process of repatriating Albert's body is in progress, as per MoS MEA's office. Earlier Saibella had requested the Indian government's help when her husband's mortal remains could not be shifted from their flat 24 hours after his death. The body was moved to the hospital after a three-hour ceasefire was announced. Albert Augustine (48), an ex-serviceman from Kannur was killed during a clash between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF) to seize power in Sudan. Albert, who had been working as a security manager for a company for six months, was shot through the window of his flat. India has launched 'Operation Kaveri' to bring back Indians stranded in conflict-hit Sudan. Earlier on Wednesday, the first flight carrying Indian nationals evacuated from violence-hit Sudan landed in the national capital. As the Indian nationals arrived in Delhi from Sudan, 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', 'Indian Army Zindabad', and 'PM Narendra Modi Zindabad' slogans were chanted by them. Sudan is experiencing bloodshed as a result of clashes between the army and paramilitary forces. (ANI) The Calcutta High Court on Thursday handed over the probe to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the violence that broke out in Howrah and Dalkhola districts and other parts of West Bengal during Ram Navami celebrations. A Bench led by Acting Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam ordered State Police to hand over case papers to the Central government so that NIA can commence its probe. Following the development, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari called Calcutta High Court a "Guardian of the Constitution" which instilled confidence in the public. "The Guardian of the Constitution instilled confidence in the public once again by directing @NIA_India probe into the attacks and disturbances concerning the Ram Nabami processions in West Bengal. The Hon'ble High Court at Calcutta has once again pointed out the mischief of the State Government in their attempt to suppress facts for avoiding investigation by the NIA. I welcome the historic decision of the Hon'ble High Court at Calcutta. Let your faith be bigger than your fear," Adhikari tweeted. Earlier, Calcutta HC had observed that the violence in the Howrah district during Ram Navami festivities appears to have been pre-planned and that there was a failure of intelligence gathering by the West Bengal police. (ANI) A video purportedly showing the moments after the deadly Naxal attack on the District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada surfaced in which a Naxal was seen firing at the police. In the video, the jawan's bag was seen lying on the ground after the IED blast on DRG vehicle and a Naxal was seen crawling into the forest with a gun in his hand to take the position further for carrying out the attack. The sound of gunshots was also heard at the end of the video. As many as 10 personnel and one civilian were killed in the improvised explosive device (IED) blast by Naxalites in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh on Wednesday. The video surfaced pertaining to the attack has gone viral on social media but the source of which is unverified. https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1651476820955660288?s=20 Speaking to ANI, IG Bastar P Sundarraj said that the jawans were returning to Dantewada when Maoists targeted their vehicle on the Aranpur-Sameli route. "During a search operation in Dantewada on Wednesday, 10 District Reserve Guard personnel were killed in an IED blast carried out by Naxalites," Sundarraj said. Detailing the police action over a period of time in the region which he said was earlier much affected by Naxals, the IG said that the forces have achieved success in moving forward in the Naxal stronghold areas. "One vehicle was targeted by the Naxals through the IED blast in which 10 DRG personnel and one civilian were killed. That region was earlier very much Naxal affected. We had moved a lot forward in a long period of time. We have moved quite forward in the areas which are believed to be Naxal strongholds," he said. The IG said that the Naxal activity has nearly been controlled in the area through operations where the incident occurred yesterday. "It (the incident) is a matter of investigation," he said. The official informed that the forensic team has inspected the spot and a scientific analysis of the incident would be done. "The forensic team inspected the spot yesterday. The soil test has been conducted and the quantity of IED and nature will be tested. Scientific analysis is being done according to the crater size. Prima facie, it seems that they must have fitted the explosive under the road through tunnelling," he said. "In yesterday's incident, there were DRG personnel including fresh recruits, Naxal affected and also the Naxal surrendered cadres. It was a setback for us. We have to be offensive and eliminate the terror activities by Naxals as a tribute to the personnel who lost their lives in the attack," the IG added. As per the police, the 10 slain DRG personnel were identified as Joga Sodhi, Munna Ram Kadti, Santosh Tamo, Dulgo Mandavi, Lakhmu Markam, Joga Kavasi, Hariram Mandavi, Raju Ram Kartam, Jairam Podiyam, Jagdish Kavasi. In addition, the deceased driver has been identified as Dhaniram Yadav, the police added. Moreover, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, Governor Biswabhushan Harichandan and CM Bhupesh Baghel expressed their condolences. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday spoke to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and took stock of the Dantewada incident. In the telephone conversation, the Home Minister also assured the Chhattisgarh CM that the Centre would give all possible help to the state government. Taking to Twitter, Amit Shah stated, "Anguished by the cowardly attack on the Chhattisgarh police at Dantewada. Have spoken to Chhattisgarh's Chief Minister and assured all possible assistance to the state government. My condolences to the bereaved family members of the martyred Jawans". Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday gave shoulder, carried the mortal remains of a DRG jawan who lost his life in an IED attack by Naxals in Dantewada. "The sacrifice of our jawans will not go in vain. Action will be taken against the Naxals in the area. This incident will not affect our morale and we will continue our fight," he said. (ANI) Uttarakhand CM met the family members of Ram Das and expressed his condolences following his sudden demise. Ram Das who was Transport and Social Welfare Minister in the Uttarakhand government was admitted to Bageshewar District Hospital after he complained of chest pain, but could not survive, said Bageshewar's chief medical officer DP Joshi. Expressing shock, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Sing Dhami said his demise is an irreparable loss in the field of public service and politics. "Shocked by the news of the sudden demise of my senior colleague in the cabinet Chandan Ram Das ji. His death is an irreparable loss in the field of public service and politics. May God grant the pious soul a place at his holy feet and strength to his family and supporters to bear this immense suffering. Om Shanti," the chief minister had tweeted. Chandan Ram represented the Bageshwar constituency in the Uttarakhand assembly for four consecutive terms since 2007. Upon his demise, the State government declared three-day official mourning till April 28 and On Wednesday all government offices and Public sector banks are closed. (ANI) Inside the Millennium Suite at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on April 4, VIP supporters of Paul Vallas enjoyed specialty cocktails, a pianist and sprawling views of Millennium Park as they waited for the election results to roll in. Among those in attendance were some members of Chicagos City Council who endorsed Vallas and whose smiles faded as early returns favorable to Vallas dissipated and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson was elected the citys next mayor. Advertisement This is going to be Mayor Lightfoot 2.0, which is going to be twice as bad as what you just saw, Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th, vented to the Tribune shortly after Vallas conceded in a ballroom filled with teary-eyed supporters. The tax base is about to leave, the police are about to leave. So Im very concerned about the direction that the city is headed. Weeks later, Beale and his colleagues who backed Vallas find themselves in the unenviable position of having supported the loser in the mayors race and forced to build a new relationship with Johnson, who some aldermen had described as too progressive, too inexperienced or too lenient of crime. Advertisement While aldermen for years have had to work with a mayor they opposed in elections, the group of nearly 20 aldermen who will be part of the incoming City Council supported a candidate on the opposing end of the original nine-candidate field than the one who won. The heated runoff between Johnson and Vallas that Johnson won 52% to 48% created a polarizing dynamic that also was felt within the council as aldermen picked alliances between the more conservative, police union-backed Vallas and the progressive Johnson who had come up as an organizer with the Chicago Teachers Union. Vallas backers in the council will soon face a choice about how far theyll stretch themselves to work with the new mayor or how hard they will dig in their heels to fight him. The results werent what I hoped for on election night, but I think its important to know with the new mayor-elect that campaigning is different than governing, said one of the Vallas backers, Ald. Silvana Tabares, 23rd. Its my hope that we can work together to address the issues that are facing the city. Ald. Silvana Tabares, 23rd, speaks during a special meeting at City Hall on March 30, 2023. The idea of approving new council rules, to increase the number of council committees and give the body more independence was approved. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune) Even one of the councils most vocal members who backed Vallas, Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th, said while Johnsons policies are left of left definitely left of where I find myself politically, he was cautiously optimistic about the incoming Johnson administration. Still, the situation Johnson will face in the council remains unsettled. Even before the runoff, aldermen who supported Johnson and Vallas teamed up to reorganize their committee chairs and other rules. While the move was opposed by some including Lopez, Beale and another Vallas backer, Ald. David Moore, 17th, who likened it to a power grab supporters said it was a rare opportunity for the council to seize more independence after decades of mayors handpicking committee chairs and four years of strife under outgoing Mayor Lori Lightfoot. If Johnson moves to undo those changes, that could spark his first fight with aldermen, who would be reluctant to give up their authority to make way for the new mayors allies. Johnsons victory may help push the idea his progressive vision should guide the next era for Chicago but his proposals, from introducing new taxes or increasing existing ones to relying less on traditional policing, were shot down by Vallas supporters in the council during the campaign. Advertisement Just weeks after the election, Lopez also said he disliked the message the mayor-elect posted on Twitter in response to the chaos and criminal activity that broke out earlier this month when hundreds of mostly young people took to the streets in the Loop on a weekend night when the weather was unseasonably warm. Police arrested 16 people as some blocked traffic, jumped onto a CTA bus and attacked passersbys. Two teen boys were shot as they stood in the crowd. It is unacceptable and has no place in our city, Johnsons Tweet read. However, it is not constructive to demonize youth who have otherwise been starved of opportunities in their own communities. I think that gave a lot of us pause, both politically as well as in the business community, Lopez said. Because you cannot condone bad behavior, give any room for it to exist. Lopez hopes Johnson will lean on others to help craft messages that dont have unintended consequences. We know there are individuals who are looking for any excuse, any wiggle room, any sentiment that gives them the opportunity to act like depraved lunatics in this city, he continued. And we cannot have our leader giving them that opportunity. Moore was more supportive of Johnsons statement. Advertisement His thing was not (about) not holding them accountable, but about not demonizing them, Moore said. That I stick with and I agree with. Ald. David Moore, then-candidate for secretary of state, speaks at a candidates' forum held at the Union League Club on May 26, 2022. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune) As council members prepare for the new term, Lopez and a few of his colleagues are considering formally establishing what some familiar with the matter are calling a conservative caucus to be made up of a bloc of aldermen, many Vallas backers, that would meet to pursue common policy and political objectives.. Lopez said he prefers the label common sense caucus. As we are seeing the ethnic caucuses kind of splinter and not be as powerful as they used to be, we want to focus just on common sense policies and solutions to the problems in the city of Chicago, Lopez said. He said that could include legislation Lopez is pushing that would increase fines and fees on parents if their children are found to be violating the municipal code. Johnson also has some history on his side. Hes been in politics for a number of years, first as a community organizer and more recently as a Cook County commissioner, and has built relationships with some of the aldermen, , which Moore said gives him hope. Advertisement I consider him a friend, Moore said. I know his heart, thats first and foremost. And if a person has a good heart thats the best way you can start and you can get beyond the politics and all of that. The tough sledding might not just be on Johnsons side either. A few of the aldermen who backed Vallas represent wards that Johnson won, including receiving more than 78% of the vote in Beales 9th Ward and more than 80% of the vote in Moores 17th Ward. Sometimes your children believe that not going to school is best for them, Moore explained in a metaphor for his constituents. You have to do what is best for your residents, and thats what I did in supporting Paul Vallas. Not what was best for David Moore. Johnson also will have some help on the council as some of his fellow progressives were elected as aldermen, including Alderman-elects such as Desmon Yancy, 5th, William Hall, 6th, Ronnie Mosley, 21st, and Angela Clay, 46th. Despite this added success, the progressive caucus and the mayor will still have to work with their more moderate colleagues a relationship that most likely will take time to build. Advertisement We have to give Mayor-elect Johnson a chance to handle what hes walking into, Vallas endorser Ald. Nicole Lee, 11th, said. Its a lot, this is no small task. Chicago Tribunes Greg Pratt and Alice Yin contributed. hsanders@chicagotribune.com The 7th edition of joint military exercise "Ajeya Warrior-23" between India and the United Kingdom is being held at Salisbury Plains, United Kingdom. Starting from Thursday, the joint exercise will be held till May 11. Ajeya Warrior is a biennial training event with the United Kingdom which is conducted alternatively in the United Kingdom and India, the last edition was held at Chaubatia, Uttarakhand in October 2021. Soldiers of the 2 Royal Gorkha Rifles from the United Kingdom and Indian Army soldiers from the Bihar Regiment are participating in the exercise. The Indian Army contingent arrived at Brize Norton on April 26 by an Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft with indigenous weapons and equipment. According to Ministry of Defence, the aim of the exercise is to build positive military relations, imbibe each other's best practices and promote the ability to operate together while undertaking company-level sub-conventional operations in urban and semi-urban environments under UN mandate, in addition to developing inter-operability, bonhomie, camaraderie and friendship between the two armies. The scope of this exercise involves a Command Post Exercise (CPX) at the Battalion level and Company level Field Training Exercise (FTX). During the exercise, participants will engage in a variety of missions testing their operational acumen in various simulated situations; showcasing and refining their tactical drills, and learning from each other's operational experience. "Ajeya Warrior" is yet another significant milestone in defence cooperation between the Indian Army and British Army which will further foster the bilateral relations between the two countries, said the Defence Ministry statement. (ANI) Taking cognisance of the death of a minor girl in West Bengal's Kaliaganj, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has issued a notice to the IGP North Bengal, and the Superintendent and District Magistrate of North Dinajpur. The NCSC Vice Chairman, Arun Halder also accused the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government of "not cooperating" in the investigation, and also "shielding" the administration and one particular community behind the incident. Speaking to ANI, the NCSC Vice Chairman said, "The commission has taken cognizance of the alleged gang rape and murder of a minor Dalit girl in North Dinajpur district of West Bengal. A few days ago I took the initiative to meet the victim's family. During this, the DM and SP were also asked to be present so that first-hand information on the matter could be obtained. None of these officers came to meet me, it is a matter of great disappointment for the Commission". "I had to come back without inquiring about the incident from the district administration. It is also surprising that the Chief Minister has questioned the jurisdiction of the Commission in such matters. The commission has demanded action by sending notices to IGP North Bengal and SP North Dinajpur and DM North Dinajpur regarding this entire matter," the Vice Chairman of the body added. Halder further said that the Commission has all the rights to investigate and monitor all matters relating to the safeguards provided for the backward class. "In such a sensitive matter where a Dalit minor girl has allegedly been brutally gang-raped, the Chief Minister should show some sensitivity. The Chief Minister is further informed that the commission is vested with the constitutional right to call for the personal presence of any authority with necessary reports or documents for the purpose of discharge of its functions. From yesterday's words of the Chief Minister, it seems that she is completely unaware of the provisions made in the Constitution of India for the protection of Scheduled Castes," he said. The NCSC Vice Chairman further said that whenever the commission goes for a spot visit, it is the responsibility of the District Magistrate and the Superintendent of Police of the concerned district to present the information related to the case before the commission. "If any of these officers do not appear before the commission, then the commission has the right to give notice to the commission and ask them to appear. And if there is no response even after the notice, the commission issues a summon. Even then, if the officer disobeys, the commission can issue an order to arrest him. I respect all government institutions. I believe that all institutions should respect the rule of law and should not consider themselves above the law; And I suggest that if the local administration and the commission work together, then this arrangement will be beneficial for the whole society," he further said. Responding to the allegations of him being a "BJP person", Halder said that his commitment is towards the Constitution. "The Chief Minister said on Wednesday, that I am a person of BJP. I would like to tell them that after taking oath on the constitutional post, my allegiance is towards the constitution. I have written several letters to the CM for a meeting with the DGP and the Chief Secretary of Bengal. But, every time our request was denied. This clearly shows that she (Mamata Banerjee) has no interest in the upliftment of Dalit society," he added. The matter pertains to the death of a minor girl in Kaliaganj. On April 20, the victim's body was found floating in a canal in Kaliaganj. The locals alleged that the minor was raped and killed. This led to uproar and protests. People put road blockades, burned tyres and set several shops on fire. Some clashes also broke out between the locals and police. A video also went viral purportedly showing the police dragging what appeared to be the victim's body while taking it for a post-mortem. However, on Saturday, SP North Dinajpur said that the victim's post-mortem report given by doctors reveals that death was due to a poisonous substance. "Victim's post-mortem report given by doctors reveals that death was due to a poisonous substance. No major injury. We will again ask doctors to clarify if there's any sexual injury," he said. (ANI) Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Rajya Sabha member Om Prakash Mathur on Thursday paid homage to 10 jawans of District Reserve Guard (DRG) who were killed in a Naxal attack in Dantewada. Ten District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel and the driver of their vehicle were killed in an IED blast carried out by Naxals near Aranpur in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh on Wednesday. The BJP leader also said that the Centre and the state should come together to stop these incidents. Speaking to the reporters, Mathur said, "On behalf of my entire party, I pay homage to DRG jawans who have lost their lives. I will demand from the state government to improve the law and order situation in the state. The central and the state governments should come up with a system to stop these types of incidents". Earlier in the day, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel also paid homage to the 10 jawans. He also gave his shoulder while carrying the mortal remains of a DRG jawan who lost his life. "I express deep condolences over the death of 10 DRG jawans and one driver. Their sacrifice will not go in vain. Action will be taken against the Naxals involved in this. Those who want to surrender should surrender. Our jawans are continuously fighting the Naxals," he told the media persons here. On Wednesday after getting a report of the Naxal attack, Baghel said that the fight with Naxals is in its last stage and Naxals won't be spared. "There is such information with us. It is very saddening. My condolences to the bereaved families. This fight is in its last stage. Naxals won't be spared, said CM. After the attack, Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to CM and took stock of the situation. In a telephonic conversation, the Home Minister also assured the Chhattisgarh CM that the Centre would give all possible help to the state government. As per the police, the 10 slain DRG personnel have been identified as Joga Sodhi, Munna Ram Kadti, Santosh Tamo, Dulgo Mandavi, Lakhmu Markam, Joga Kavasi, Hariram Mandavi, Raju Ram Kartam, Jairam Podiyam, Jagdish Kavasi. In addition, the deceased driver has been identified as Dhaniram Yadav. The area where the blast took place is around 450 km from the state capital Raipur. (ANI) The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed Ansal Theaters and Clubotels Private Ltd to move the trial court for the de-sealing of Uphaar cinema hall where 59 movie-watchers had lost their lives in a blaze in 1997. A bench of Justices KM Joseph, BV Nagarathna and Ahsanuddin Amanullah asked the trial court to decide in accordance with law the plea, if moved by the firm, whose former directors were real estate barons Sushil Ansal and Gopal Ansal, within 10 weeks. "Trial court to take a decision in accordance with the law, as early as possible, within a period of ten weeks," the apex court said. The bench recorded the submissions of Delhi Police and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that they do not have any claim over the property. The counsel appearing for the Ansal brothers, said, "Now that the trial in the main case is over, the cinema hall, which was sealed nearly 17 years ago, should be de-sealed." Association of the Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) president Neelam Krishnamoorthy submitted before the bench that the Ansal brothers were asked to deposit Rs 60 crore for the construction of a trauma centre in Delhi. The counsel for the Ansal brothers said they have already deposited Rs 60 crore towards the construction of the trauma centre which is to come up at Dwarka. AVUT had opposed the release of the cinema hall saying it might lead to the loss of crucial evidence that extra seats had resulted in the closure of the gangway leading to the death of cinema-goers. On April 20, the apex court set aside the trial court proceedings against former IPS officer Amod Kanth in the 1997 Uphaar fire tragedy case over the lack of sanction for his prosecution. The top court, however, made it clear that its order will not stand in the way of the competent authority taking a decision in the matter and granting sanction against Kanth in accordance with the law. The top court on November 29, 2013, stayed the trial court proceedings against Kanth and sought the response of the CBI on the petition of the officer. Kanth, who has since retired, had challenged the 2010 trial court order summoning him for allowing extra seats in the Uphaar cinema hall where 59 movie-watchers died in a blaze in 1997. The trial court had summoned the IPS officer on a plea by the victims of the fire incident and their families. The Delhi High Court on October 3, 2013, had declined to quash the summons issued to Kanth and thereafter he approached the top court. 59 people died when a fire broke out during the screening of the Bollywood movie 'Border' in the Uphaar theatre in the Green Park area of South Delhi on June 13, 1997. Over 100 were injured in the subsequent stampede. The apex court on February 9, 2018, had asked Gopal Ansal to serve a one-year jail term in the fire tragedy case, while his elder brother Sushil Ansal's imprisonment was set off against the term he had already served in jail. The Delhi High Court had on December 19, 2008, awarded a one-year jail term to both Sushil and Gopal Ansal in the case while reducing the two-year sentence imposed on them by the trial court. (ANI) Union Minister for Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday slammed Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge for his "poisonous snake" remark on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that Kharge used the words to "appease his political masters". While talking to the media in Bengaluru, Dharmendra Pradhan said, "Kharge ji used such words to appease his political masters. He must have been under some compulsion." After calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "poisonous snake" during his election rally in Karnataka's Kalaburagi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge clarified his statement saying that it wasn't meant for PM Modi but directed at BJP's ideology. While addressing the election campaign, Kharge said, "PM Modi is like a 'poisonous snake', you might think it's poison or not. If you lick it, you're dead." However, Kharge later clarified that what he wanted to say is BJP's ideology is as dangerous as a snake and didn't mean to make a personal attack against PM Modi. Later, while talking to the media, Kharge clarified his earlier comment and said, "No no, I didn't mean it to Modi, what I meant was BJP ideology is like a snake. I never said personally to Modi, what I said was their ideology is like a snake and if you try to touch it, your death will certain." Meanwhile, Union Minister for State Home Affairs Nityanand Rai hit out at Kharge for his remarks and said that the Congress party is a habitual offender to defame the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and the PM. Speaking to ANI, Nityanand Rai said, "First, Rahul Gandhi spoke derogatory words for the backward society. Now Mallikarjun Kharge has used objectionable and indecent language like 'poisonous snake' for the Honorable Prime Minister." "Kharge ji, Congress party have sown poison. The poison of division in the society, the poison of partition of the country, the poison of corruption in governance, the poison of dynasty in politics - all these are the poisons sown by the Congress," Rai alleged. Launching a scathing attack on Congress, Rai said, "Now the public has rejected the poisonous politics of the Congress, so the Congress leaders have lost their temper and I want to say that the people of the country and particularly the people of Karnataka will never accept your language and show you the door in the state assembly election." This is not the first time that the Congress president took a jibe at PM Modi during an election rally. During the run-up to the Gujarat Assembly elections in 2022, Kharge compared PM Modi to the demon king Raavan. (ANI) The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued notice on St Stephen's College's plea against the decision of the Executive Council of Delhi University (DU) decision which insists on 100 per cent weightage for CUET 2023 score for admission to the minority quota in the petitioner college. The bench of Justice Satish Chander Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad on Thursday sought responses from Delhi University and the University Grants Commission (UGC) in the matter and listed it for May 24, 2023, for a detailed hearing. The plea stated that the impugned decision of the University denying the petitioner College its right to conduct interviews for admission to undergraduate courses in the minority category is contrary to the judgment of the Delhi High Court dated 12.09.2022, which recognized the petitioner's right to select students of minority category by conducting interviews. It stated that the impugned resolution of Delhi University suffers from total non-application of mind in that it did not advert the basic findings of this court which upheld the right of the petitioner to interview Christian candidates and allocate 15 per cent marks for the same and has acted contrary to the same which is, in fact, a willful disobedience of the judgment of this court and liable to be struck down. It further stated that the University could not take over the admission of the students under the 50 per cent minority quota, as the same would be and is a clear violation of Article 30 of the Constitution of India. The Supreme Court in St. Stephen's judgment held that the right to select and admit students is the core of the right under Article 30. Petitioner college prayed the court to quash the regulation/communication issued by UGC dated 6.4.2022 as ultra vires and unconstitutional to the extent it seeks to apply the same to minority quota seats for the academic year 2023-24 contrary to the judgement of this Court. Earlier, in its Judgement, Delhi High Court had directed the college administration to issue a fresh prospectus giving 100 per cent weightage to the CUET2022 score for admission to students belonging to the non-minority category applying to undergraduate courses for 2022-2023. Previously, the college gave 85 per cent weightage to Common University Entrance Test (CUET) score and 15 per cent to interviews, which is contrary to the new admission process announced by Delhi University. The Delhi High Court had examined two petitions, one was moved by Stephen College challenging the order of the Delhi University to grant admission in undergraduate courses through the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) and to withdraw the prospectus issued by the college and the second plea was moved by Monika Poddar, a law student, through a PIL challenging the college's decision to continue with interviews for admission to its general seats. (ANI) The Centre Government on Thursday notified the appointments of six Additional Judges as Permanent Judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The Union Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju stated that as per the provisions under the Constitution of India, six additional Judges are appointed as permanent Judges of Punjab and Haryana High Court. The Supreme Court collegium recently recommended their names for appointment as permanent judges. The Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud took the decision for recommending the additional judges of the High Court for a permanent judgeship on April 17. The additional judges are Justices Vikas Bahl, Vikas Suri, Sandeep Moudgil, Vinod Sharma (Bhardwaj), Pankaj Jain and Jasjit Singh Bedi. The collegium, which also includes Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and KM Joseph, said that since the current two-year term of one of the additional judges is due to expire on May 24, the recommendation may be processed expeditiously by the Centre. The Collegium of Punjab and Haryana High Court had on December 19, 2022, unanimously recommended that the additional judges be appointed as permanent judges of that High Court. The recommendation, which has the concurrence of the Chief Ministers and the Governors of the states of Punjab and Haryana, has been received from the Department of Justice on April 13, 2023, the Collegium of the top court read. The resolution of the Collegium stated that in terms of the Memorandum of Procedure, Judges of the Supreme Court who are conversant with the functioning of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana were consulted with a view to ascertaining the suitability of the above Judges for being appointed as Permanent Judges. "The committee constituted in terms of the resolution dated October 26, 2017, of the Supreme Court Collegium to evaluate the judgments of the above-named additional judges, has submitted its report. The Judgment Evaluation Committee consisting of two judges of the Supreme Court has noted the judgments of the candidates as 'very good' (serial nos. i, v and vi), 'good' (serial nos. ii & iii) and 'outstanding' (serial no. iv)," read the resolution. With a view to assess the merit and suitability of the above additional judges for appointment as permanent judges, we have scrutinised the material placed on record including the observations made by the Department of Justice and the complaints placed before us, it said. "On an overall consideration of the above proposal, the collegium is of the view that Shri Justices (i) Vikas Bahl, (ii) Vikas Suri, (iii) Sandeep Moudgil, (iv) Vinod Sharma (Bhardwaj), (v) Pankaj Jain, and (vi) Jasjit Singh Bedi, Additional Judges, are fit and suitable for being appointed as Permanent Judges," it said. Since the current two-year term of one of the additional judges is due to expire on May 24, 2023, the above recommendation may be processed expeditiously, the apex court Collegium added. (ANI) Sikkim is all set to host the Civil 20 (C20) India 2023 in the State capital on April 29 and 30. Civil 20 is a working group on sustainable and resilient communities - Climate, Environment and Net Zero targets. The event is anticipated to gather 200 attendees from 22 nations along with many more attendees from around the world joining the conclave via online mode. The inaugural ceremony on April 29 will be graced by Chief Minister Prem Singh Golay as the chief guest, along with Land Revenue Minister Kunga Nima Lepcha, Ambassador, Uganda, AmbJoyce Kikafunda, C20 Principal Coordinator, Amb. Vijay Nambiar, who will also address the gathering. President, Amrita University and Troika Member, C20, Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri, will be presenting the felicitations. The valedictory event on April 30 will be addressed by the Governor of Sikkim Lakshman Prasad Acharya. The event will also be graced by the Ambassador of Gambia to India, Amb. Mustafa Jawara, as the guest of honour, and Minister For Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Power, Agriculture, Science & Technology, Government of Manipur Thongam Biswajit Singh. The conclave is being organized by Amrita University (Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham), Kerala in collaboration with the Government of Sikkim. The Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) and the Land Revenue and Disaster Management Department are representing the State government as co-organisers for the conclave. C20 India Working Group Coordinator and Provost, Amrita University, Dr Maneesha Sudheer and Sikkim Land Revenue and Disaster Management department secretary Anil Raj Rai in a press conference at Gangtok on Thursday, said, "C20 India 2023 is one of the official Engagement Groups of the G20 that provides a platform for civil society organizations (CSO) around the world to voice the people's aspirations to the world leaders at the G20's 2023 Summit in India". The C20 India 2023 Working Group on Sustainable and Resilient Communities - Climate, Environment and Net Zero Targets is one of the 14 Working Groups that have been formed under C20 India 2023. The C20 conclave is a major event under India's G20 Presidency that aims to bring out extensive dialogue and engagement with Civil Society Organizations, policymakers, representatives from government and non-governmental agencies, and academicians from around the world to understand existing global policies related to the sustainability and resilient communities and to further identify gaps and come up with innovative solutions which will then be presented to the G20 nations at the summit in September 2023. Dr Sudheer expressed delight over the conference being held in Sikkim. She stated, "A state which is truly an example of sustainability and resilience, with the SSDMA on landslide early warning system since 2013. The conclave will provide an opportunity for people to see how Sikkim has adopted best practices and taken proactive steps to bring in climate resilience and disaster risk reduction". The conclave will provide an opportunity for the CSOs from all over the world to come to Sikkim and deliberate on the thematic areas of Climate Resilience & Social Justice, Environment Sustainability, Net-Zero Emission Management and Compassion Driven Approaches. The policy deliberations among a multitude of stakeholders will bring out the recommendations to be provided to the G20 leadership team, added the Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham representative. "The conclave would bring out dialogues and deliberations to bring out the voice of CSOs to G20 leadership to address the pressing challenges of the day and urged for support from multi-stakeholders to pave the way to develop scalable models that can be adapted to multiple countries", said Sudheer. Sikkim Land Revenue Secretary Anil Raj Rai in his address, extended gratitude to Chief Minister Prem Singh Golay and the State government for hosting the C20 conclave in the State and thanked the Amrita University for choosing the State capital Gangtok for the event. The conclave will open an opportunity for the State to showcase its sustainable and resilient practices on the G20 map. He further informed that the C20 conclave in the State capital would also feature training sessions on Sustainable Development & Climate Resilience and Energy Sustainability & Net Zero Targets, parallel to the plenary sessions at Chintan Bhawan, which will be largely participated by teachers and students from various schools and colleges at NB Bhandari Degree College, Tadong and Janta Bhawan, DPH. The event intends to give stakeholders from all over the world a forum to collaborate and exchange ideas, as well as to give academics, professionals, and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) a way to participate in the G20 policy discussions. Other notable dignitaries from the G20 nations will also attend the event. International and local speakers from the government and civic society will also be present. (ANI) Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday condemned Mallikarjun Kharge's "poisonous snake" remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that Kharge's statement reflected the mentality of the Congress party. While talking to ANI, Sitharaman said, "It shows the mentality of Congress. I condemn it." Targeting Congress over its hypocrisy, the Union Finance Minister said, "On one hand, Rahul Gandhi is doing 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' to open shops of love but on the other hand, his party president is using such words for PM. Mallikarjun Kharge should apologise." Meanwhile, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge expressed regret after a row erupted over his remark against PM Modi. In a tweet, Kharge said, "BJP's ideology is divisive, hostile and full of hatred and prejudice towards the poor and Dalits. I discussed the politics of hatred and malice. My statement was neither for PM Modi personally nor for any other person." "But for the ideology he represents. Our fight with PM Modi is not a personal fight. It is an ideological battle. My intention was not to hurt anyone's feelings and if knowingly or unknowingly someone's feelings were hurt, then it was never my intention," Kharge added. "Nor has it been the conduct of my long political life. I have always followed the norms and traditions of political correctness towards friends and opponents and will do so till the last breath of my life. I don't make fun of individuals and their problems like people in high positions," Kharge said in another tweet. "I have also seen and suffered the pain and suffering of the poor and downtrodden. For five decades, I have always been opposed to the divisive ideology of the BJP and RSS and their leaders. My political fight was, is and always will be against his politics," Kharge further remarked. Earlier in the day, while addressing an election rally in Karnataka's Kalaburagi, Kharge said, "PM Modi is like a 'poisonous snake', you might think it's poison or not. If you lick it, you're dead." (ANI) West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called for a 12-hour bandh on Friday in North Bengal to protest against alleged police brutality. "BJP has called for a 12-hour bandh tomorrow in North Bengal to protest against police brutality on common people," said West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar. The shutdown has been called following the death of BJP worker Mrityunjay Burman in Radhikapur near Kaliaganj in Uttar Dinajpur district. BJP alleged that Mrityunjay died in police firing. Meanwhile Calcutta High Court on Thursday sought a detailed report of the investigation conducted by Mekhilygunge Police in a case pertaining to the alleged rape and murder of a minor girl in Kaliaganj in West Bengal's North Dinajpur district. The bench of Justice Rajashekhar Mantha scheduled May 2 as the next day for the hearing. During the hearing, the court ask to preserve the videography of the post mortem as if required the court will look into it at a later date. Court also sought FIR and post-mortem reports and asked police to hand over a copy of the same to the family members of the victim and to the National Commission of Protection of Child Rights member as well. The matter pertains to the death of a minor girl in Kaliaganj. On April 20, the victim's body was found floating in a canal in Kaliaganj. Taking cognisance of the death of a minor girl in West Bengal's Kaliaganj, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has issued a notice to the IGP North Bengal, and the Superintendent and District Magistrate of North Dinajpur. The NCSC Vice Chairman, Arun Halder also accused the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government of "not cooperating" in the investigation, and also "shielding" the administration and one particular community behind the incident. On April 20, the victim's body was found floating in a canal in Kaliaganj. The locals alleged that the minor was raped and killed. This led to uproar and protests. People put road blockades, burned tyres and set several shops on fire. Some clashes also broke out between the locals and police. A video also went viral purportedly showing the police dragging what appeared to be the victim's body while taking it for a post-mortem. However, Uttar Dinajpur Superintendant of Police on Saturday said that the victim's post-mortem report given by doctors reveals that death was due to a poisonous substance. "Victim's post-mortem report given by doctors reveals that death was due to a poisonous substance. No major injury. We will again ask doctors to clarify if there's any sexual injury," he said. (ANI) SPRINGFIELD Illinois House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch on Wednesday vowed there wouldnt be another attempt to ask voters to approve a graduated-rate income tax, but did not rule out putting a proposed constitutional amendment codifying a womens right to abortion on the 2024 presidential election year ballot to drive Democratic turnout. House Republican Leader Tony McCombie, meanwhile, acknowledged that while her caucus does not have a single lawmaker who supports abortion, she would be open to supporting a suburban GOP candidate who supports the procedure. Republicans were once the dominant party in the suburbs but their hard-line positions on social issues, including opposition to abortion, has eroded the partys support. Advertisement Abortion was one of a number of issues discussed by the states top legislative leaders during a panel discussion in downtown Springfield hosted by the Illinois Manufacturers Association and the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, and moderated by Tribune political reporter Rick Pearson. Gov. J.B. Pritzkers proposed graduated-rate income tax amendment was overwhelmingly rejected by voters in 2020. But when Welch became House speaker in early 2021, he suggested the state make another attempt to put the question to voters, with the intention of helping to pay down Illinois massive pension debt. Advertisement On Wednesday, he conceded that such a proposal is off the table. One of the things Ive learned is you learn a lot from losses. You know, we got our butts kicked on that. And we had to find a different way to go, Welch said. Welch, a Democrat from Hillside, said the state is showing signs of financial stability, citing the recent series of credit upgrades and a projected surplus in the latest budget proposal. Illinois is on the right track, he said. Asked about a ballot question on adding abortion rights to the state constitution, Welch said a working group composed of Democratic abortion rights supporters has been looking at ways to continue to make Illinois a place that trusts women. In rattling off abortion rights legislation the Democratic-led legislature has passed in the last few years, including the 2019 Reproductive Health Act, Welch hinted that an abortion rights amendment could provide an extra jolt of motivation for the states Democratic voters in November 2024. We have done a really good job in Illinois at being the place that folks across the country know is a place where we value women, we trust women, he said. The issue is one that is pretty clear here, especially here in Illinois. If it is on the ballot, it could potentially help Democratic turnout. While the Reproductive Health Act made abortion a fundamental right in Illinois, the law could be repealed in the future if anti-abortion lawmakers assume majority status in the legislature. But repealing an amendment enshrined in the state constitution would be significantly more difficult, requiring another amendment. To pass, amendments enshrined in the state constitution require 60% of those voting on the question to vote yes, or more than 50% of all ballots cast to vote in favor of the question. Advertisement Last year, a few months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Pritzker told CNN that the right to choose should be put on every ballot across the country in 2024, especially where right-wing politicians are stripping those rights away. But after delivering keynote remarks at Wednesdays luncheon, Pritzker deferred to the General Assembly when asked about the chances of a proposed abortion amendment on the 2024 ballot. I do think its important for people to be able to weigh in on this subject and of course weve guaranteed it in the Reproductive Health Act in Illinois, a womans right to choose and reproductive rights. So well have to see what the legislature decides to do on it, the governor said. During the panel discussion, McCombie acknowledged that shed support a pro-choice Republican from the Chicago suburbs, but she also said some of the states recently enacted abortion laws are too much, particularly the repeal of parental notification requirements for minors getting the procedure. I know our caucus supports human rights, said McCombie, whos from Savanna in northwestern Illinois. For us, its about legislation going too far. Around the same time as Pritzkers keynote remarks, anti-abortion rights advocates gathered outside the Capitol to rally against legislation that would penalize so-called crisis pregnancy centers if theyre found to spread false information and interfere with patients access to abortions. Advertisement The measure passed through a House committee Tuesday by a 5-3, party line vote, and moves to the full House floor for consideration. Eric Scheidler, executive director of the Pro-Life Action League, accused Pritzker and his Democratic allies in the legislature of trying to silence pregnancy care centers. The only choice they want economically disadvantaged Illinois women to have is abortion, Scheidler said in a statement. If Illinois Democrats really believed in choice, theyd be subsidizing pregnancy care centers, not trying to shut them down. Pritzker told reporters that its inappropriate for women to be deprived of their reproductive rights, and the bill now before the House would guard against that. We need to prevent the kind of fraud that weve seen by folks who are taking out retail establishment locations next to Planned Parenthood, next to clinics where people seek their reproductive rights, and then trying to convince them to go in a different door where they wont be offered reproductive rights, where actually theyll be dissuaded from exercising those and wont be allowed to get them, Pritzker said. Thats improper. We want to protect women in this state. Chicago Tribunes Angie Leventis Lourgos contributed. Advertisement jgorner@chicagotribune.com The Patiala House Court has permitted Sukesh Chandrashekhar, who is facing several cases of money laundering and extortion, to purchase cake/pastry from the bakery shop of the Mandoli prison and it is further directed that said cake/pastry be handed over to under trial prisoner (UTP) Leena Paulose, (wife of Sukesh) on her birthday which is on April 28, 2023. The Additional Sessions Judge Shailender Malik in an order passed on April 25, stated that having considered the submissions the precise prayer appears to be more on human emotions than any legal aspect involved in the application. Be that as it may, the UTP needs to be given the confidence to be emotionally connected and attached to his family members and relatives. Therefore, I find no bar, more specifically when the concerned UTP Sukesh Chandrashekhar is seeking to purchase cake/pastry from the bakery of Mandoli Jail itself out of his prisoner fund and it is not that some article is being taken out of jail to be given to any of the UTP. Therefore, Superintendent is directed to permit accused Sukesh Chandrashekhar to purchase cake/pastry from the bakery shop of the prison and it is further directed that said cake/pastry be handed over to UTP Leena Paulose on 28.04.2023, said the Court. Incarcerated Conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar is a prime accused in the Rs 200 Crore money laundering case being investigated by Enforcement Directorate. He is facing several other cases too being investigated by ED, Delhi Police's Economic Offence Wing etc. The ED's case is based on an FIR filed by Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) against Sukesh Chandrasekhar who is accused of cheating and extorting Japna Singh and Aditi Singh, wife of former promoter of Religare Enterprises, who are in Judicial custody related to alleged misappropriation of funds at Religare Finvest Ltd. Both Chandrasekhar and his actor wife Leena Maria Paul were arrested by the Delhi Police for their alleged role in the duping case. Bollywood actors Jacqueline Fernandez Nora Fatehi and other several names surfaced during the investigation of the Economic Offence Wing of the Delhi Police and Enforcement Directorate. (ANI) Google announced that Google Meet will now support 1080p video calls but only for paid subscribers. According to a report by a tech portal, The Verge quoted the update by Google which stated, "It's bringing the upgrade to select Workspace and Google One users." In addition, only 1080p video chats are available on Google Meet's web-based platform, and that depends on whether your computer's webcam actually supports that resolution. Google also mentioned that sending 1080p video requires more bandwidth and that it will automatically change your resolution if bandwidth is "constrained." By clicking Turn on HD video after selecting the three dots in the top right corner of your video stream, you can enable the feature, which is off by default. It's great that we can now see our coworkers more clearly as Google Meet previously only supported resolutions of 720p or lower. Calls in 1080p are already supported by Zoom and Microsoft Teams, among other video conferencing programmes. According to Google, the following plans: Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Starter, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, Education Plus, Enterprise Essentials, and Frontline are all compatible with 1080p video calling for all users. Users with a Google One subscription that allows at least 2TB of storage can also use it. (ANI) The Indian Defence Minister and his Chinese counterpart Gen Li Shangfu met on Thursday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Defence Minister level meeting. During the bilateral meeting, the Defence Minister stated, "Violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation." "All issues at LAC need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and commitments," Rajnath Singh said after meeting the Chinese Defence Minister.The two ministers had frank discussions about the developments in the India-China border areas as well as bilateral relations. Singh categorically conveyed that the development of relations between India and China is premised on the prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the borders. He added that all issues at the LAC need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and commitments. He reiterated that violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation. According to sources, India remained adamant about its position at LAC during the meeting. China pretends the situation is normal at LAC but it is not. The Chinese Defence Minister is in Delhi to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' Meeting on Friday. (ANI) The family members of the arrested members of 'Waris Punjab De', lodged in Assam's Dibrugarh Central Jail, arrived here from Punjab on Thursday and met them in jail. A 10-member group comprising family members of eight 'Waris Punjab De' members, lodged in Dibrugarh jail, arrived here from Punjab on Thursday. The members of the group include kin of Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal, Varinder Singh Johal, Gurmeet Singh Bukkanwala, Harjit Singh, Bhagwant Singh Bajeke, Basant Singh, Gurinderpal Singh and Papalpreet Singh. The family members arrived to meet the jailed 'Waris Punjab De' members. The group was led by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee executive member and eminent lawyer Bhagwant Singh Sialka. Notably, 10 'Waris Punjab De' members including Amritpal Singh are lodged in Dibrugarh jail under National Security Act (NSA). After a chase of over a month, Khalistan sympathiser and 'Waris Punjab De' chief Amritpal Singh was arrested by Punjab Police in Moga on Sunday and later shifted to Dibrugarh jail in Assam. The self-styled preacher was evading Punjab Police since March 18. Nine of Amritpal's aides who were arrested earlier were also lodged in Dibrugarh jail. Earlier on Sunday, Amritpal was arrested from a Gurudwara in the Moga district of Punjab and reportedly also addressed a gathering before his arrest. According to the officials, the arrest was done by combined efforts of the Punjab Police and Central intelligence agencies. Earlier in March, pro-Khalistan supporters and associates of Amritpal Singh were shifted out of Punjab after Central Intelligence agencies raised concerns over possible jailbreak and repeat of the Ajnala incident. Earlier on Sunday, the Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) said that National Security Act (NSA) warrants were issued against Amritpal Singh and those warrants have been executed this morning. "NSA warrants were issued against Amritpal Singh and those warrants have been executed today morning...Amritpal Singh has been arrested by Punjab Police around 6.45 am today morning in the village Rode," said Sukhchain Singh Gill. He said that the Khalistan sympathiser and radical preacher was arrested in a joint operation by Punjab police and the intelligence wing. "Amritpal Singh has been sent to Dibrugarh, Assam and further action will be taken as per law and order in the case. A warning has been issued against those elements trying to jeopardise the peace and harmony of the state," he said. "...Amritpal Singh was arrested by Punjab Police at around 6.45 am today morning in village Rode. A joint operation was conducted by Amritsar Police and the Intelligence Wing of Punjab Police. He was located in village Rode based on operational inputs by Punjab Police. To maintain sanctity, the Police didn't enter Gurudwara Sahib. He has been taken to Dibrugarh under NSA...", the IGP said. Earlier, the radical leader had been declared a "fugitive" as he was on the run earlier in March.The crackdown came almost over three weeks after Amritpal's supporters stormed Ajnala police station in Amritsar on February 23, demanding the release of one of his aides, Lovepreet Toofan. (ANI) Assam governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Thursday attended the convocation of Mahapurusha Srimanta Sankaradeva Viswavidyalaya and said that the institution was established after the name and ideology of the great 15th-century saint and philosopher, which has been rendering yeoman service in promoting and broadening the life and philosophy of Srimanta Sankaradeva. Speaking at the convocation of the Viswavidyalaya at Rupnagar in Guwahati, Assam governor Kataria said that established in the year 2014, the university has become a powerful tool to facilitate social enrichment by spreading the teachings of Srimanta Sankardeva. Hailing the role of Mahapurusha Srimanta Sankaradeva Viswavidyalaya, the governor said, It is always an honour to attend the convocation of the University established in the name of the great man as the university is doing a commendable job of broadening the life and philosophy of the great man." The Assam governor moreover said that the degrees conferred on the students made them special. He, therefore, asked them to be worthy of their degrees and try their level best to bring about qualitative changes in society. He also asked them to be ambassadors and take the role of spreading the life and philosophy of Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva far and wide. On this occasion, he also lauded Srimanta Sankardeva Sangha for being instrumental in setting up the Viswavidyalaya which is unleashing cultural and academic enrichment in the state. He asked the Viswavidyalaya fraternity to make special efforts to take the philosophy and teachings of Shankardev to greater heights. The Governor also said that Assam is a state rich in natural resources. This holy land inspires everybody to stay connected with the environment along with education for centuries. He, therefore, appealed to the Viswavidyalaya fraternity to take steps to empower its students to manage the resources carefully and in a planned manner. Governor Kataria said that important events like convocations always produce positive results. He also asked the Viswavidyalaya fraternity to initiate efforts to leverage the positive results yielded by the convocation. He also said that the world today is full of new challenges. In view of this, the students who received degrees in the convocation should use their academic knowledge, skills and experiences to overcome these challenges. Congratulating the students, the Assam Governor appealed to the students that they must not forget that they have earned the degree from a university which has derived its name from Srimanta Sankaradeva. They must offer selfless services to society and help it to be an ideal place where humanity will be in full bloom. He also wished the degree holders a productive and meaningful career and also urged them to contribute to the welfare of the people and the development of the nation. The Governor presented degrees to 23 PhD scholars and 10 M. Phil scholars. Moreover, 452 students were conferred P.G. and U.G. diplomas in the convocation. Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Education Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh speaking on the occasion as the guest of honour said that the Viswavidyalaya has carved a distinct name among the universities of Northeast India by introducing post-graduate programmes in Yogic Science and Naturopathy etc. He said that the attempt of the university should be to synergise the knowledge and skills of the students by introducing add-on courses on Sankardeva so that in consonance with the NEP curriculum, the Viswavidyalaya can go on churning the human resources for a New India. Chancellor Mahapurusha Srimanta Sankaradeva Viswavidyalaya Bhabendra Nath Deka, Vice-Chancellor Mahapurusha Srimanta Sankaradeva Viswavidyalaya Prof. Mridul Hazarika, including a host of other dignitaries were also present in the convocation. (ANI) Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Manoj Pande on Thursday held a meeting with his Bangladesh counterpart General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed and discussed ways to strengthen the defence cooperation between the two nations. General Pande and General Ahmed also signed an implementing arrangement for the training of Peacekeepers deployed in the United Nations. Taking to its official Twitter handle, the Additional Directorate General of Public Information, IHQ of MoD (Army) stated, "General Manoj Pande #COAS extended a warm welcome to General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed #COAS, #Bangladesh Army and discussed ways to further strengthen the #DefenceCooperation between the two Armies." In another tweet, he said, "An Implementing Arrangement for training of Peacekeepers deployed in United Nations #Peacekeeping operations was also signed in presence of both the Chiefs." In another tweet, IHQ of MoD (Army) stated, "General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed, Chief of Army Staff #COAS, #BangladeshArmy, laid a wreath at National War Memorial #NWM & received a Guard of Honour at the #SouthBlock. The General Officer is on a three-day visit to #India." Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Bangladesh Army Chief General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed also held discussions on issues of bilateral and regional interest, as well as avenues to further build upon the historic defence ties between the armed forces of two countries. (ANI) Amid mammoth gathering and the sound of the slogan 'Shaheed Jawan Amar Rahe', residents of village Kasoli in Dantewada district bid an emotional adieu to their hero Lakhmu Markam, who sacrificed his life in the line of duty. Notably, 10 personnel of District Reserve Guards (DRG) and a civilian driver were killed after Naxals blasted a vehicle ferrying the security personnel on Wednesday in the Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh. As the mortal remains of Markam reached his village Kasoli, large numbers of villagers turned out to pay floral tributes to the courageous DRG constable. When the entire village was resonated with the slogans raised by villagers and everyone broke into tears, the inconsolably Markam's wife herself lay down on the funeral pyre so that her husband should not be made to lie on the pyre. With teary eyes, Markam's wife was seen saying that she cannot see her husband being burned in the fire. The villagers were trying to console the victim's wife as well as the children. The funeral procession of the DRG trooper marked the lighting of crackers and a beat of traditional musical instruments. While interacting with ANI, villagers said that the family of constable Markam was earlier residing at the naxal hotbed Abujhmad area and disappointed by the exploitation of insurgents, they migrated following which the family was rehabilitated at 'Salwa Judum Relief Camp'. Realising the dark side of Naxalism, Markam joined the force and actively participated in anti-naxal operations. Markam has been survived by a wife and four children. After joining the police department, Markam started working with DRG and he was very simple in nature, said a villager Chaitram Atami, elaborating that he stands by everyone in tough times. "After the Naxals pushed Markam's family as well as others out of their native village by branding them as police informers following which they migrated here," Atami said. "Certainly, we are sad by this incident but proud of him for sacrificing his life for the country," he added. Markam had joined the police department in 2007, said the jawan's brother-in-law Sannu Ram. (ANI) The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre to find a way to give same-sex couples basic social benefits, like joint bank accounts or nominating a partner in insurance policies, even without legal recognition of their marital status, as it appeared that the court could be agreeing that granting legal recognition to same-sex marriages falls within the domain of legislature. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India and comprising Justices S.K. Kaul, S. Ravindra Bhat, Hima Kohli, and P.S. Narasimha said: "Look at the profound nature of our culture, what happened that in 1857 and thereafter, you got the Indian Penal Code, we imposed as it as a code of Victorian morality... our culture was extraordinarily inclusive, very broad and it is possible one of the reasons why our religion survived even after foreign invasions because of inclusion, the profound nature of our culture." The bench told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre: "We understand our limitation as a court, no question about it. There are so many issues, of course you have made your argument on the legislative side, so many issues on the administrative side... we not have a model, it will not be appropriate to devise a model but we can certainly tell the government that look, how law has gone so far now..." Mehta said that class specific problems can be addressed. The Chief Justice said, "We take your point, look if the court were to go in the legislative arena, you have made a very powerful argument on that, look you will be legislating. This is not your remit, this is for Parliament or state legislatures... but short of that, our law has gone so far now." "Now what the government can do to ensure that these relationships based on cohabitation or associations, they must be recognised in terms creating conditions of security, social welfare, and while doing that, we also ensure for future that these relationships should ceased to be ostracised in the society." Mehta contended that while same-sex persons have the fundamental right to cohabit, choose a partner etc, the same cannot be given the label of marriage. The Chief Justice said: "Once you recognize the right to cohabit, homosexual relationships are not really one off incidents in the life of persons, they may also be symptomatic of a sustained emotional, social, and physical relationship. Once you recognise that right to cohabit is a fundamental right, then to say to you cannot seek any legal recognition at all... because once we accept the fact that same sex couples have a right to cohabit then there is a corresponding duty on the state to at least recognise that cohabitation must find recognition in the law... we are not going into marriage at all." "Cohabitating couples... can they not have a joint bank account, a nomination in the insurance policy." Mehta said these are all human concerns, "which I also share and also the government shares, and we must find a solution from that point of view". The bench said: "You may or may not call marriage, but some label is necessary." The Chief Justice said, "We want some element of broad sense of coalition, we are also conscious of the fact that so much which representative democracy must achieve in our the country... one of the couple of same sex relationship can adopt no bar at all. In such a situation, if a child goes to school, does the government want a situation where the child is treated as a single parent child... you do not have to go as far as marriage in this as well. Can the child not have the benefit of cohabitation between the two people in whose home the child resides." "There is a concern, then both have to be recognised." Mehta submitted that there is a more of a sociological problem, rearing of the child, development of the child, these are hypothetical situations. The bench observed that long cohabitation raises the presumption of marriage, because in old times where were the marriage certificates or registration. It said that when court says recognition it need not be recognition as marriage, it may mean recognition which entitles them to certain benefits, and the association of two people need not be equated to marriage and "not marriage but some label is needed". The top court asked Centre to come back on May 3, with its response on social benefits that same sex couples could be granted even without legal recognition of their marital status. The top court is hearing a batch of pleas seeking legal sanction for same-sex marriages. The Centre has told the Supreme Court that demand for same-sex marriage is a "mere urban elitist views for the purpose of social acceptance", and recognising the right of same sex marriage would mean a virtual judicial rewriting of an entire branch of law. --IANS ss/vd ( 835 Words) 2023-04-27-19:14:03 (IANS) The family of slain Dalit IAS officer G. Krishnaiah is shocked over the release of former RJD MP Anand Mohan Singh, a Bahubali leader who spent 15 years in a Bihar prison for instigating the bureaucrat's lynching in 1994. Following the release of the gangster-turned-politician on Thursday after the Bihar government tweaked the rules, Krishnaiah's family members said it was disheartening for them to see Anand Mohan walk out of jail. After Krishnaiah's wife Uma, his daughter Padma has now appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the matter to ensure that people like Anand Mohan do not come back into the society. Padma, the youngest of the two daughters of Krishnaiah, requested the Prime Minister to bring a law to check gangsters and mafias, so that government officers can discharge their duties honestly and without any fear. "It's very disheartening for us. We were hoping life imprisonment will continue," said Padma, who was just five when her father was lynched to death. Krishnaiah, an IAS officer of 1985 batch, was brutally killed on December 5, 1994. Then Gopalganj District Magistrate, Krishnaiah was lynched by a mob allegedly provoked by Anand Mohan. The mob, which was protesting with the body of Chhotan Shukla, a gangster-politician of Anand Mohan's party who was killed a day earlier, dragged Krishnaiah out of his car and lynched him. Anand Mohan was sentenced to death by a lower court in 2007, but the Patna High Court commuted the penalty to life imprisonment in 2008. He was in jail for 15 years. Padma also said that the family could consider legal remedies. She also claimed that majority of the people in Bihar are supporting her family. "There are very few who are supporting Anand Mohan," she said. Padma also said that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's decision to release Anand Mohan was not expected, as in the past he had supported his life imprisonment. She agreed with her mother that Nitish Kumar got him out to get the votes of the Rajput community. Padma revealed that Chirag Paswan was the first politician who reached out to them, adding that there are many political leaders who are supporting them. Earlier, Krishnaiah's wife Uma had urged the Prime Minister to intervene and make Nitish Kumar withdraw his decision, which will set a bad precedent and have serious repercussions for the entire society. "My husband was an IAS officer and it is the Centre's responsibility to ensure that justice is done," she said. She had also alleged that Nitish Kumar is releasing the killer of her husband for Rajputs votes, and to form government again. "He (Nitish) thinks that by releasing him, he will get votes of all the Rajputs and this will help him form the government again. That is wrong," said Uma, who lives in Hyderabad. "This goes on in Bihar, but this is not good. There should be good people in politics and not criminals like Anand Mohan," she said. The widow of the slain bureaucrat also said that she was not happy when Anand Mohan was awarded life imprisonment instead of the death penalty. Uma, 60, believes that the release of Mohan may endanger the lives of civil servants and government officials discharging their duties honestly as the criminals will think that they can take law into their hands and do whatever they want and then walk out of jail. After losing her husband, she had moved to Hyderabad with her two daughters, aged 7 and 5 then. The family was traumatised after what it had to go through. Uma took up the job of lecturer at a college in Hyderabad to look after the family. She was allotted a plot in Prashasan Nagar in Jubilee Hills, where she constructed her house. Uma, who retired in 2017, ensured good education for both the daughters, who are currently employed as a bank manager and a software engineer. --IANS ms/arm ( 668 Words) 2023-04-27-19:46:01 (IANS) Congress MP Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the protest was held against the BJP in this regard. While talking to ANI, Uttam Kumar Reddy said," Under the auspices of Rajiv Gandhi Panchayati Raj Sangathan we staged a protest against the undemocratic removal of former AICC President Rahul Gandhi as a Member of Parliament at Gandhi Bhavan. We protested against the political and personal harassment of Rahul Gandhi by the BJP government". "We staged this protest to enlighten the anti-democratic policies of the BJP. They forced Rahul Gandhi to vacate his house, whose family has sacrificed everything for this country has no house in Delhi," a Congress party worker said. Earlier, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi vacated his official bungalow in New Delhi after his disqualification as a Member of Parliament on April 22. The move to vacate the bungalow came a day after Surat Sessions Court decided to pronounce order on April 20 on his interim application for a stay on his conviction in the defamation case. The Lok Sabha Secretariat on March 27 gave notice to Rahul Gandhi to vacate the government bungalow following his disqualification as MP from Lok Sabha after he was convicted in a 2019 defamation case by the Surat court for a 'Modi surname' remark. Opposition parties had slammed the government over Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha. The Congress leader was elected to the House from Wayanad in the 2019 general elections. (ANI) The evacuees onboard the IAF C-17 aircraft from Jeddah arrived at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) at 3.14 pm. "Another #OperationKaveri flight comes to Mumbai. 246 more Indians come back to the motherland," Jaishankar tweeted on Thursday. Among the evacuees, Gujarat accounted for the most at 73, followed by Maharashtra at 36, Uttar Pradesh at 34, Bihar at 24, Tamil Nadu 17, Telangana 14, Odisha 9, Rajasthan at 8, Karnataka at 5, Uttarakhand and West Bengal at 3 each, Punjab at 2 and one each from Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, an official said. Around 300 pre-packed snack boxes and refreshments were distributed among the passengers upon arrival. Dedicated counters were arranged at immigration for processing and clearance. Thermal checks were carried by APHO officers. Dedicated XBIS machines were also made operational for customs screening, the official said. The 'Meeters and Greeters' area was made available as the assembly point and a state-wise segregated setup with signage was created. The passengers were welcomed and seated in the waiting area as per their respective states. The state government officials were also present at the airport to facilitate the passengers, the release stated. Sudan is experiencing bloodshed as a result of clashes between the army and paramilitary forces. Even though there is a 72-hour ceasefire, there have been allegations of violence. Fighting has erupted between soldiers loyal to Sudanese army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, paramilitary Rapid Support Soldiers (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. To ensure no Indian national is left behind in Sudan, India has launched 'Operation Kaveri' to bring back Indians stranded in conflict-hit Sudan and has deployed its military planes and warships in the war-torn country. (ANI) Following the release of gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh, Leader of Opposition in the Bihar assembly and BJP senior leader Vijay Kumar Sinha slammed the Nitish Kumar government for releasing criminals. "If Anand Mohan Singh has completed the prison term, why is the Nitish Kumar government in a hurry to release him? It is a matter for the court to release convicted persons as per the law. Why did the Nitish Kumar government amend the law to benefit him and other criminals," Sinha told IANS. "The Nitish Kumar government released Anand Mohan in the morning hours at 3 a.m. on Thursday. Why were they in a hurry? Why were they so desperate to release him?" Sinha asked. "The Bihar government has released 27 prisoners and plans to release 72 more. I am shocked with the moves of Nitish Kumar. Where does he want to take Bihar from here on?" Sinha said. Earlier in the day, Bihar chief secretary Aamir Subhani claimed that the release of Anand Mohan happened as per the law. He has served a jail term of more than 15 years and also completed the Parihar of 7 years. So, he has spent 22 years in jail including Parihar. "We have no objection to the release of any person but we are concerned about how criminals are being released. The Nitish Kumar government has released 26 more inmates apart from Anand Mohan and the majority of them are hard core criminals belonging to particular castes and communities. Nitish Kumar is working under the pressure of Lalu Prasad Yadav and releasing criminals in a bid to get benefits in the upcoming Lok Sabha election 2024," Sinha said. "The BJP believes in crime control at any cost and a campaign is currently underway in our neighbouring BJP ruled state of Uttar Pradesh. The Yogi Adityanath government is cracking down hard on criminals and Nitish Kumar is having a soft corner for criminals. Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav want to win the election on the basis of goondaism. The people of Bihar are watching everything and they will answer appropriately at the right time," Sinha added. --IANS ajk/bg ( 371 Words) 2023-04-27-20:04:02 (IANS) As many as 10 members of a family were hospitalised after they were attacked by a swarm of honey bees in the Pune district of Maharashtra, an official said on Thursday. The family members were attacked by bees on Thursday evening while they were visiting a temple on the Western side of Sinhagad Fortnhaga, the chief executive officer of the Zilla Parishad, Ayush Prasad, informed on Thursday, adding that the injured persons were being treated at a private hospital in Pune. "Several members of the family fell unconscious after the attack. We immediately rushed to their rescue after receiving word of the incident around 8 pm," the official added. "We are in touch with the hospital authorities. We have deployed two ambulances for them, in case they need to be shifted to other hospitals. The health officer of the taluka has also reached the spot and is monitoring the situation. We pray for their speedy recovery and also appeal to the people to take necessary precautions to ward off bees," Prasad said. Further details are awaited. (ANI) Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked BJP karyakartas (workers) in the poll-bound state to ensure victory at the "booth level". After attending PM Modi's interactive session with party workers on Thursday, ahead of the May 10 Assembly polls, CM Bommai said PM Modi held a long discussion with the party foot soldiers, exhorting them to ensure that the party stays strong and united to the lowest level. PM Modi also exhorted them to make sure the party registers wins at the booth level as the same would translate to victory in the Assembly polls, the CM informed further. "The double-engine government is committed to the development of the state. A lot of impetus has been given to development across sectors during our tenure. The PM gave his guidance on several other issues," Bommai said. He said the ruling party will go to the people, in line with PM Modi's advice, adding that he was confident that the BJP would storm back to power with a thumping majority in the May 10 Assembly elections. Reacting to Congress' poll slogan, seeking 150 seats for itself and saying that the BJP's tally would be reduced to 40, CM Bommai said the people will decide who to give 150 seats. Also lashing out at the Congress's state chief DK Shivakumar, the chief minister said the former wasn't "useful" to anyone. "We have full confidence in the people that they will bless us in the coming Assembly polls," Bommai added. The polls for the 224-seat assembly will take place on May 10 and the counting of votes will be held on May 13. (ANI) A day after a major Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada, leaving 10 security personnel and a civilian dead, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Thursday hit at Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government of the state. Mishra said that the situation in two neighbouring states are quite contrary in terms of action against Maoists. In Chhattisgarh, Maoists are killing police personnel, while in Madhya Pradesh, the situation is just opposite, and the police are attacking Maoists, he said, adding that one state is ruled by the Congress and the other by his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "The situation is very different in both these states. Take example of few days back in Madhya Pradesh and Wednesday's Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh," Mishra said. His reference was the gunning down of two Maoists, carrying a reward of Rs 14 lakh each, by Madhya Pradesh Police's 'Hawk Force' in Balaghat on Saturday. "In the past one and a half year, Madhya Pradesh Police have killed Maoists carrying awards of Rs 1.5 crore. Maoists' shelter and their route of hawala money have been destroyed in Madhya Pradesh. This is difference between the BJP and the Congress governments," he claimed. However, Chhattisgarh, which was separated from Madhya Pradesh in 2001 and was governed by the BJP from 2003 to 2018, had a majority of Maoist-affected areas from the undivided state. According to the Union Home Ministry's reports, Chhattisgarh has 14 districts which are highly affected by Maoist activities, while Madhya Pradesh has only three such districts - Balaghat, Dindori, and Mandla. Wednesday's attack was the biggest by Maoists on the security forces in Chhattisgarh since 2021, when 22 security personnel were killed in an ambush along the borders of Sukma and Bijapur districts. --IANS pd/vd ( 304 Words) 2023-04-27-21:14:03 (IANS) Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday retracted his remarks in which he compared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a poisonous snake, saying "there is no personal enmity with PM Modi, and it is a battle of ideologies". The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, hit back at the veteran Congress leader, with one top party leader saying "PM Modi is a poisonous snake for the corrupt". "BJP's ideology is divisive. It spreads hatred and the party will create enmity against Dalits. I had discussed the politics of hatred. I have not issued the statement against PM Modi or any particular individual," Kharge said, adding: "The statement was about the ideology he represents." Meanwhile, BJP leaders have criticised Kharge for his comments on PM Modi. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become a nightmare for traitors. The remarks on PM Modi show the culture of Congress," Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said. Reacting to Kharge's remarks at a press conference in Konanakere village in Shiggaon taluka on Thursday, Bommai said that "PM Modi has become a nightmare for traitors, anti-social elements, terrorists, anti-nationals, and peace breakers". "I did not know why Kharge felt like that. How far is it correct for him to talk in such a manner about PM Modi? The Congress party has reached its current stage today because of talking in that manner. The intoxication of power has not gone away yet. Karnataka is a land of culture and everyone is respected here. "We may differ with the ideology of Kharge, but he will be respected for his seniority. Unfortunately, such a senior person is talking in such a way," Bommai said. Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani, who is in Karnataka for the upcoming May 10 Assembly election campaigning, also slammed the Congress party. "I want to convey to Mallikarjun Kharge 'saheb', you are the president of a political party. That party's history is such that if a Dalit becomes leader, Rahul Gandhi will get his sandals (slippers) removed from him. "Congress is such a party that when an Adivasi woman is made candidate for the post of President, it humiliated her. It has made those who insult Hindu religion the party's star campaigners. Congress seeks support of SDPI, it talks of releasing PFI goons. Kharge saheb is older than me in age. This insecurity does not bring dignity to you," she said. "I will tell Kharge ji with all humility that you are going to lose elections in Karnataka and that is why you are talking about this. Everyone knows the fight between (Karnataka unit Congress president) D.K. Shivakumar and (former CM) Siddaramaiah in the state," Irani said. Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister for Education said that "PM Modi has great respect for Mallikarjun Kharge". "PM Modi commands respect in Karnataka, which is unbearable for Kharge. He has spoken like an uncivilised man about PM Modi. This will not be accepted by anyone," he added. BJP national general secretary C.T. Ravi said "PM Modi is truly a poisonous snake to the corrupt". "PM Modi will protect patriots and finish off the corrupt by becoming a poisonous snake," he said. --IANS mka/pgh ( 538 Words) 2023-04-27-21:46:02 (IANS) According to the police, the accused persons duped a 54-year-old local businessman by enticing him with high-quality fake currency notes. "They posed as a UP Minister, MLA and their support staff," an officer of Pune Police said. The racket was busted by the Wanovadi division of Pune police after the 54-year-old filed a complaint against the gang. The complainant said the gang showed him a demonstration of how to make counterfeit currency notes. "The accused offered to give the complainant, a businessman, three times the face value of the counterfeit notes in exchange for Rs 5 lakh," Balasaheb Pathare, the officer-in-charge, Wanovadi Police Station, said, adding that after receiving Rs 5 lakh from the businessman, they vanished. The officer further informed that of the gang of five members, three were arrested while a manhunt is underway for the other two members. A case against the gang members, identified as Rupali Raut, Sanjay Kumar Pandey, Vikas Kumar Rawat, Sameer alias Vishal and Ashok Patil, was registered, the police said. Further details are awaited. (ANI) India's Defence Attache to Saudi Arabia, Col GS Grewal, assured countrymen being evacuated from strife-torn Sudan through Saudi Arabia that they will be safely taken back to their homeland. In a viral video, Col Grewal is seen urging people to cooperate with the agencies involved in the evacuation process. Further, in the video, which is being widely circulated on social media, India's Defence Attache to Saudi Arabia is heard assuring fellow Indians, who fled the ongoing violence in the African nation, that they will be back home at the earliest. He further exhorted the evacuees "to work as a team with the agencies" involved in the rescue operation. "We have reached here (Jeddah) safely. We faced a very tough time, All of you are here safely with your families," Col GS Grewal says in the video. "Trust me, from this moment onwards, all of you will reach home safely. That is our job," he says further. "In this, I need your cooperation as well. Everybody will be taken out safely (from Sudan). Even after the last persons here is evacuated, we would stay here, don't worry. Ships and planes are lined up," he assured fellow Indians evacuated from Sudan. "Don't panic, let's just make a priority list from today, starting with women and children who are sick. You may be facing a shortage of food and water. Be assured that all your concerns will be addressed and everything will be sorted out. We will take care of everything," he added. "We are here. I am going to be here. We want to take you back to India at the earliest. This is our aim," Col GS Grewal said while assuring the people. Further, in the viral video, people can be heard thanking him again and again and his words of assurance were followed by chants of "Vande Mataram" from the crowd. As part of 'Operation Kaveri', the first flight carrying Indian nationals evacuated from violence-hit Sudan landed in the national capital on Wednesday. As the Indians arrived in Delhi, they raised slogans like 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', 'Indian Army Zindabad', and 'PM Narendra Modi Zindabad'. (ANI) The United States on Thursday banned the Governor of North Western Province in Sri Lanka, Wasantha Karannagoda and his family from entering the country over gross violation of Human Rights, the US State Department said in a release. "The United States is designating Wasantha Karannagoda, Governor of North Western Province in Sri Lanka, pursuant to Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2023, due to his involvement in a gross violation of human rights during his tenure as a Naval Commander," the US State Department said in a release. "The United States is designating Sri Lankan Governor and retired Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda for a gross violation of human rights. The United States continues to seek truth and justice for victims of the Sri Lankan civil war," State Secretary Antony Blinken tweeted. "As a result of today's action, Karannagoda and his wife, Srimathi Ashoka Karannagoda, are ineligible for entry into the United States," the release stated further. The US State Department release said, "The allegation that Wasantha Karannagoda committed a gross human rights violation, documented by NGOs and independent investigations, is serious and credible." By designating Wasantha Karannagoda, the United States reaffirms its commitment to upholding human rights, ending impunity for human rights violators, acknowledging the suffering of victims and survivors, and promoting accountability for perpetrators in Sri Lanka, the release read. The bilateral relationship between the United States and the Sri Lankan government is based on 75 years of shared history, values, and a commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, the release read further. "As we continue to build our bilateral relationship, we are committed to working with the Sri Lankan government on advancing justice, accountability, and reconciliation, including promoting security reform that maintains human rights at the forefront while ensuring Sri Lanka has the resources and training to properly address emerging security concerns," the release stated. (ANI) The two leaders also discussed the issue of Reformed Multilateralism and exchanged views on expanding bilateral cooperation in health, agriculture and digital domains. Global issues, including the Indo-Pacific, also figured in the discussions. "Met Foreign Minister @AlvaroLeyva of Colombia this morning. Exchanged views on expanding our bilateral cooperation, especially in health, agriculture and digital domains. Proposed greater exchanges and stronger collaboration, especially in capacity building. Also spoke about global issues, including the Indo-Pacific. Addressed the issue of Reformed Multilateralism. Signed the Cultural Exchange Program for 2023-26," Jaishankar tweeted. Jaishankar also met the second Vice President of the Senate of Colombia, Honorio Henriquez, and had conversations focused on health collaboration, energy and technology. "Met second vice President of Senate of Colombia @honohenriquez. Our conversation focused on health collaboration, energy and technology," EAM tweeted. The External Affairs Minister on Wednesday started his visit to Colombia by meeting the Indian community in Bogota, sharing with them the country's transformation into a "New India" and its global implications. "Started my visit to Colombia by meeting the Indian community in Bogota. Shared with them the transformation underway in India and its global implications. Underlined how the world is recognizing the capabilities and contributions of a New India," he tweeted. Jaishankar visited Guyana from April 21-23, Panama from April 24-25, Colombia from April 25-27 and Dominican Republic from April 27-29, as part of his official tour. This is his first visit to these countries as EAM. Jaishankar's Colombia visit marks the first Foreign Ministerial level visit from India to the Latin American country. The EAM's visit to these four countries; his bilateral engagements and interactions with counterparts of important regional groups: CARICOM and SICA, adds to the momentum of the India-Latin American countries' engagements. (ANI) Chinese premier stresses intrinsic development impetus for border regions, expanding poverty relief results Xinhua) 08:33, April 27, 2023 Chinese Premier Li Qiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, talks closely with households that have shaken off poverty, village cadres and other villagers in a village under Mengla County of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, April 26, 2023. Li made an inspection tour in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and southwest China's Yunnan Province from Monday to Wednesday. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin) KUNMING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang has called for efforts to strengthen the intrinsic development drive of regions along the border and enhance the success of poverty alleviation to achieve prosperity. Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during an inspection tour in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and southwest China's Yunnan Province from Monday to Wednesday. In Chongzuo City of Guangxi, Li inquired about the rise of income for local farmers and examined processing and breeding projects at Daling Village. He emphasized that industries should be developed based on local resources and with stronger technological support, so that more farmers can find work or start businesses near their homes. During his visit to industrial parks and an oversight center for goods of trade, Li urged work to improve amenities and facilities in the industrial parks and expedite the development of manufacturing, processing, trade and logistics. In a village under Mengla County of Yunnan, Li talked closely with households that had shaken off poverty, village cadres and other villagers. He underscored the development of village tourism and specialty industries featuring local agricultural brands to promote rural revitalization and boost the farmers' income. Li inspected the Mohan-Boten Economic Cooperation Zone where he encouraged efforts to foster industrial clusters and attain win-win results in cooperation amid further opening-up of border regions. During the inspection tour, Li also presided over a symposium and was briefed on industrial development and international cooperation of border regions in Yunnan Province. He urged promoting effective connection between efforts on consolidating achievements of poverty alleviation and advancing rural revitalization, tapping into the potential of increasing income, and strengthening vocational education and skills training. The key to revitalizing border areas and increasing people's income is to strengthen intrinsic development impetus, Li noted. Efforts should be made to enhance policy coordination and bring in quality projects to build a new highland for the opening-up of border regions, the premier said. Chinese Premier Li Qiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visits an industrial park in Pingxiang, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, April 25, 2023. Li made an inspection tour in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and southwest China's Yunnan Province from Monday to Wednesday. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) The counsellor for India's Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Pratik Mathur, addressed the 68th Plenary Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the "Use of Veto". A year has passed since the adoption of the 'veto initiative' by this August Assembly, and India's position on veto has been consistent and clear, he noted. "UNGA had unanimously agreed to vide decision 62/557 in 2008 that all five aspects of UNSC reform, including on the question of veto would be decided in a comprehensive manner and therefore no single cluster could be addressed in isolation. The veto resolution, though adopted by consensus, unfortunately, reflected a piecemeal approach to UNSC reform, thereby highlighting one aspect, ignoring the root cause of the problem," Counsellor Mathur said. Regarding the substantive aspect of the exercise of veto in the Security Council, Counsellor Mathur made several observations. All five permanent members have used the veto over the last 75 years to achieve their respective political ends, he argued. "In this regard, let me flag what our African Brothers have repeatedly stated in the IGN, 'The veto as a matter of principle should be abolished. However, as a matter of common justice, it should be extended to new permanent members so long as it continues to exist'," Counsellor Mathur said, quoting African nations. "The privilege of using the veto has been vested in only five member states. As rightly called out by our African brothers, it goes against the concept of sovereign equality of states and only perpetuates the mindset of the Second World War, to the victor belongs the spoils," he added. "Either all nations are treated equally in the context of voting rights or else the new permanent members must also be given the veto. Extension of veto to new members will have no adverse impact on the effectiveness of an enlarged Council," Counsellor Mathur said. Claiming that the "exercise of veto is driven by political considerations, not by moral obligations", he said, "As long as it exists, the member state or member states, who can exercise the veto, will do so, irrespective of the moral pressure, as we have seen in the recent past." "Therefore, we need to address all five aspects of UNSC reform, including the question of veto, in a comprehensive manner, through clearly defined timelines, in the IGN process. India has committed to supporting any initiative that genuinely furthers the objective of achieving meaningful and comprehensive reform of the key elements of the global multilateral architecture," he stated further in his address. He concluded his address by reiterating that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were, are and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India, and no amount of misinformation, rhetoric and propaganda from any country can deny this fact. (ANI) Defence Ministers of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan will participate in the meeting. India has invited Belarus and Iran, currently observers in SCO, to participate in the SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting. The Defence Minister of Pakistan would be participating virtually. The ministers will discuss matters related to regional peace and security, counter-terrorism efforts within SCO and effective multilateralism. Raksha Mantri will be holding bilateral meetings with the participating Defence ministers on April 27 and 28 where bilateral defence-related issues and other matters of mutual interest will be discussed. India has ancient civilisational, cultural and spiritual ties with the SCO member countries. India's membership of SCO in 2017, was, therefore, a reaffirmation of New Delhi's keenness to deepen these historic ties. India considers SCO as an important regional group to promote multilateral, political, security, economic and people-to-people interactions in the region. India continues to bring more ideas and initiatives to strengthen cooperation amongst SCO countries. Under its chairmanship, this year, India organised two defence-related activities to enhance interoperability amongst SCO member-states. The first was a workshop on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief and the second was a seminar on SCO countries' defence think-tanks on the issue of Armed Forces contributing to Military Medicine, Healthcare and Pandemics. India stands committed to taking forward the Agenda of SCO under its chairmanship. (ANI) The recent arrest of radical Sikh leader Amritpal Singh from Punjab's Moga district has once again bought the problem of Khalistan back to the fore. Amritpal Singh identifies himself as the chief of Waris Punjab De (literally translating to heirs of Punjab). Amritpal Singh is an open advocate of Khalistan, a separatist movement that seeks to create a homeland for the Sikhs by establishing an ethnoreligious state, The International Forum for Rights and Security (IFFRAS) wrote. The manner in which the supporters of Amritpal Singh attacked the Ajnala police station in Amritsar demanding the release of one of his aides Lovepreet Toofan, send shockwaves across India. Shocking visuals emerged of Amritpal and his supporters brandishing swords and guns and barging into the Ajnala police station. More shockingly, Amritpal wielded the Sikh holy book Guru Granth Sahib as a shield. Six police personnel, including a Superintendent of Police rank officer, were injured during the Ajnala clash. This action by Amritpal and his aides served as a reminder of the dark days when the Khalistan movement had cast its ugly sway over Punjab, IFFRAS wrote. Amritpal Singh identifies himself as a follower of the radical Sikh militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who used to give open calls for arms and violence against the Indian state. Bhindranwale had attracted a lot of followers among the youth of Punjab, especially those coming from the lower rungs of society, the report noted. By 1984, violence orchestrated by Bhindranwale supporters against the Hindus and government officers had become common in Punjab. Bhindranwale also moved into the Golden Temple of Amritsar and made his headquarters, IFFRAS wrote. Realising that Bhindranwale now posed a grave threat to national security, the then Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi gave her assent to flush out militants from the Golden Temple and thus Operation Blue Star was launched in 1984 which was successful in its objectives of freeing the Golden Temple from the clutches of the Sikh separatists. Bhindranwale was killed by the Indian army during Operation Bluestar. However, Indira Gandhi had to pay a heavy price for Operation Bluestar as she was assassinated by her own Sikh bodyguards in 1984. The virulent and violent nature of the Khalistani ideology that still permeates today among some sections can be gauged from the recent statements made by Amritpal Singh. In one of his statements, Amritpal Singh said that the Indian constitution was just a mode of perpetuating the slavery of the Sikhs. Further, in a viral video, Amritpal threatened that Union Home Minister Amit Shah would meet the same fate as former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi if he tried to stop the Khalistani movement, IFFRAS wrote. "Indira tried to deal with us in her own way; what happened? Now if Home Minister wants to fulfil his desire, let him try this," Amritpal said in the video. Amritpal calls Bhindranwale his inspiration and regards him as a hero, The International Forum for Rights and Security noted. The Khalistani ideology is nothing but terrorism using the pretext of religion as an excuse. Punjab has paid a heavy price in terms of life and property during the dark days of Khalistan terrorism. Khalistan terrorism also received support from the sinister Inter-Services Agency (ISI) of Pakistan, the report stated. Now, through Amritpal Singh, Pakistan's ISI once again wants to stoke tensions in Punjab. Indian intelligence sources have credibly found that Amritpal was radicalised by the ISI with the help of Khalistani supporters based outside India. The Khalistan movement invokes religion to fan separatist sentiments. The Khalistan ideology is the antithesis of secular principles and advocates a governing system based on religious laws. The Khalistan movement too does not believe in democratic traditions. Khalistan poses a grave threat to their respective societies by stoking the flames of separatism. It needs to be dealt with with an iron fist, the report noted. (ANI) China's Covid ambitions, to hide crucial data and avoid blame, could not have been accomplished without Western academics eagerly playing the useful idiot for Beijing, The New York Post has claimed in a report. The report stated "Chinese scientists have withheld data, withdrawn genetic sequences from public databases and altered crucial details in journal submissions" while "Western journal editors enabled those efforts", and the World Health Organization just let all of it happen. The New York Post wrote that two China-pushed narratives are at stake: that the virus did not escape from the Wuhan Institute of Virology and that China's murderous, totalitarian response to the pandemic was a model of success. The degree of complicity in pushing these among leading institutions outside China astounds. The guilty include major universities like Oxford and cutting-edge scientific journals, to say nothing of mega-powerful global nonprofits. The journal Clinical Infectious Diseases seemingly falsely amended a paper on possible paths for Covid mutation to suggest that the data it was based on were collected later than they actually were. The Lancet, arguably the most important academic journal, pulled a group letter from Chinese hospital workers begging for international aid. And WHO, the chief global health watchdog, played the role of a megaphone for China's claims about the virus' origin too many times to count, The New York Post wrote. Journals don't want to lose access to the lucrative Chinese market by offending the government; many universities rely on monies coming via various paths from China; Beijing plays hardball bureaucratic politics to dominate outfits like WHO. And elite institutions, especially in the academy, have been utterly captured by the left and have long sought some alternative to the evil, capitalistic hegemony of the United States and found it in Beijing's allegedly benevolent dictatorship. "It's beyond time for our elite to face facts and stop bending the knee to Beijing by pretending it's a state like any other," read the report in the New York Post. (ANI) As many as 128 Indian nationals, evacuated from conflict-ridden Sudan, arrived at Saudi Arabia's Jeddah under "Operation Kaveri" by the Indian Air Force aircraft C-130J flight, Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said on Thursday. Muraleedharan along with officials received the Indian nationals in Jeddah. Muraleedharan tweeted, "Another IAF C-130J flight under #OperationKaveri arrived at Jeddah with 128 Indians, the fourth aircraft from Sudan. Efforts are on to ensure that all Indians, who arrived in Jeddah will be sent to India at the earliest." Muraleedharan stated that efforts are being made to send Indian nationals who arrived in Jeddah to India at the earliest. He posted a video which showed Indian nationals deboarding from the aircraft in Jeddah. Earlier, Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted, "The 4th IAF C-130J flight takes off from Port Sudan for Jeddah with 128 passengers. This is the sixth batch of Indians to be evacuated from Sudan under #OperationKaveri, taking the total to nearly 1100 persons." India has launched 'Operation Kaveri' to bring back Indians stranded in conflict-hit Sudan.Earlier, the third IAF C-130J from Port Sudan arrived in Jeddah. V Muraleedharan tweeted, "Third IAF C-130J from Port Sudan arrives in Jeddah, glad to welcome 136 Indians who were on board. #OperationKaveri will continue till we rescue all Indians who want to come back home." Earlier on Wednesday, the first flight carrying Indian nationals evacuated from violence-hit Sudan landed in the national capital. As the Indian nationals arrived in Delhi from Sudan, 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', 'Indian Army Zindabad', and 'PM Narendra Modi Zindabad' slogans were chanted by them. The New Delhi-bound flight with 360 Indians onboard left Jeddah Airport earlier on Wednesday. V Muraleedharan tweeted, "Happy to see off 360 Indians at Jeddah Airport in a flight bound for New Delhi They will be reaching the motherland soon, reuniting with their families Under #OperationKaveri the Government is working relentlessly to evacuate Indian nationals from Sudan & bring them home safely." Sudan is experiencing bloodshed as a result of clashes between the army and paramilitary forces. Even though there is a 72-hour ceasefire, there have been allegations of violence, India has deployed its military planes and warships to rescue Indians from the North African country. Speaking to ANI, an Indian national who returned from Sudan, Surender Singh Yadav said, "I went there for an IT project and got stuck there. The embassy and the govt also helped a lot. Around 1000 people are present in Jeddah. Govt is doing fast evacuation." As the special flight carrying 360 Indian evacuees from Sudan, landed in Delhi from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the Indians expressed extreme happiness. "Indian govt supported us a lot. It's a big thing that we reached here safely as it was very dangerous. I thank PM Modi and Indian Govt," another Indian national, who returned from Sudan told ANI. (ANI) Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu arrived in New Delhi on Thursday to take part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' meeting scheduled to be held on Friday in the National Capital. Li Shangfu will also take part in the bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh. This is the first visit by the Chinese Defence Minister following the border transgression in Galwan. India and China recently held the 18th round of the India-China Corps Commander Level Meeting at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Chinese side. India, and China during the 18th round of Corps Commander Level Meeting, agreed to maintain security and stability on the ground in the Western Sector of the LAC. The meeting took place after a gap of five months. The last meeting between the two sides at the Corps Commander level was held in December last year. Meanwhile, the Indian Defence Minister is also likely to meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu. The Russian Defence Minister last visited India for the first India-Russia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in December 2021. Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organization established in 2001. The SCO members include Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan besides India. Apart from the member states, two observer countries Belarus and Iran will also be participating in the SCO Defence Ministers Meeting, said the Ministry of Defence statement. The Defence Ministers will discuss matters concerning regional peace and security, counter-terrorism efforts within SCO and effective multilateralism, the statement said. The theme of India's Chairmanship of SCO in 2023 is 'Secure-SCO'. India attaches special importance to SCO in promoting multilateral, political, security, economic and people-to-people interactions in the region. The ongoing engagement with SCO has helped India promote its relations with the countries in the region with which India has shared civilizational linkages, and is considered India's extended neighbourhood. SCO pursues its policy based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations, non-interference in internal affairs, equality of all member States and mutual understanding and respect for the opinions of each of them. (ANI) Abu Dhabi [UAE] April 27, (ANI/WAM): The Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi has announced a Mangrove Planting initiative to plant 65 mangrove trees on Al Reem Island, thus contributing to the Go Green 2023 environmental goals. The move is part of the university's Go Green 2023 initiative, which aims to raise awareness and cultivate initiatives that address climate change challenges to move towards a more sustainable future. The initiative focused on planting 65 mangrove trees on Al Reem Island, thus contributing to the Go Green 2023 environmental goals. The initiative, which took place in partnership with Nature for Environmental and Agricultural Solutions L.L.C, offered an opportunity for the University community to actively engage in offsetting the adverse effects of logging and use in paper production and involved 40 participants from students, faculty, and staff. Through this collaborative effort, the university was able to plant the exact number of trees that corresponded to the amount of paper consumed by the university annually to take a further step towards sustainability and creating a better world for everyone. The mangrove planting initiative participants gained profound insight into the importance of nature conservation, environmental protection, and the restoration of damaged or destroyed areas of the mangrove ecosystem. They were also able to enjoy the majestic beauty of Al Reem Island through kayaking during the planting initiative and to explore the rich natural habitat of the mangroves. Dr Stephane Desruelles, Head of the Geography and Planning Department, Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, emphasised the importance of the Go Green 2023 initiative, which encourages the whole university community to create projects and solutions to fight climate change and establish a sustainable future for generations to come. He added that this initiative exemplifies how individuals from different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can create meaningful, lasting change that positively impacts the environment and society. "With more collective initiatives like this, we can have a greater and more lasting impact on our communities and planet." Mangroves are critical coastal habitats, providing shelter and food for various marine life. They play a crucial role in regulating the carbon cycle by assimilating and fixing carbon in above- and below-ground biomass; moreover, they are a great source of protection from storm surges and flooding, helping to protect coastal communities from the impacts of climate change and sea level rise. (ANI/WAM) Abu Dhabi [UAE], April 27 (ANI/WAM): A local newspaper has said that the UAE has been at the forefront of the fight against malaria for over a decade. "In too many vulnerable parts of the world, with Africa being the worst-affected continent, a mosquito bite can bring on the symptoms of malaria: fever, nausea, muscle aches, persistent fatigue and breathing difficulties," The National said in an editorial on Thursday. In the worst cases, when left untreated, people who contract the disease could succumb to kidney failure and death within 24 hours. Despite the severeness and sobering statistics - of the 247 million cases in 2021, an estimated 619,000 people died of it - malaria is preventable and curable. To this end, and on World Malaria Day this week, President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan reiterated that helping people in need is a collective responsibility. The eradication of this disease - along with several other tropical ones such as polio, river blindness and guinea worm disease - has been an important mission for the UAE. For over a decade, the country has provided funds and worked closely with partner organisations. "In January alone, it delivered a USD 5 million boost to an international campaign to address the effects of climate change on efforts to eradicate malaria. And the Reaching the Last Mile initiative - a 10-year, $100 million fund launched by Sheikh Mohamed in 2017 with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to combat the world's deadliest diseases - will provide key investment until the year 2026," the paper said. With such consistent effort, measurable progress has been made. More than 1.8 billion cases have been prevented in the past two decades, and 11 million lives have been saved. The editorial added, "However, there can be little room for complacency when a goal as vital as disease eradication is being aimed for, one that safeguards lives and protects the most vulnerable sections of the population - pregnant women and infants. Climate events have further complicated efforts to get ahead of the disease in some regions." Last month, in Malawi, Cyclone Freddy reportedly caused six months' worth of rainfall in six days, leading to a sharp increase in malaria cases. People were affected by malaria last year, too, after the calamitous floods in Pakistan that left a third of the country under water. Mosquitoes breed in pools of stagnant water, and cases in the aftermath of the floods rose four-fold to 1.6 million, according to the World Health Organisation. While endangering and claiming lives, the disease is also putting huge pressure on global health systems. Erratic weather events, increasingly linked to climate change, cause setbacks to the progress in eradication efforts and underline the need to remain focused on the ultimate goal. Climate events have unleashed the disease beyond the tropics or Africa. At the Forecasting Healthy Futures summit in Abu Dhabi last month, experts warned that malaria was increasingly prevalent at higher altitudes in areas of Africa and Latin America, as well as in countries such as Greece, which were not previously viewed as hot spots. "Given the added challenges across the world, we must bear in mind that as significant as the achievements have been, the road to malaria elimination is not without obstacles. Equally though, and with collective effort, neither is it out of reach," the Abu Dhabi-based daily concluded. (ANI/WAM) In its flagship annual report State of Human Rights in 2022, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has expressed concern over the political and economic turmoil of last year, both of which have had a serious impact on the human rights situation. Both the incumbent and previous governments failed to respect the supremacy of Parliament, while tussles among the legislature, executive and judiciary undermined institutional credibility. The report notes that political victimisation continued throughout the year, with colonial-era sedition laws being weaponised to stifle dissent. Dozens of journalists and opposition politicians were arrested, with ensuing claims of custodial torture--ironically in the same year that the Parliament passed a bill criminalising the use of torture. The agitation that followed the successful vote of no-confidence against former prime minister Imran Khan saw law enforcement personnel clash with protesters in various parts of the country, with the right to freedom of assembly being violated but also abused. The year saw an alarming resurgence in terror attacks--the highest in five years, with 533 lives lost. Despite citizens' warnings that such developments were imminent, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the state continued to fumble in addressing militancy. HRCP also notes an uptick in enforced disappearances, particularly in Balochistan, with 2,210 reported cases remaining unresolved even as a bill criminalising the act was passed by the National Assembly.The report also notes that, as climate change-induced floods ravaged much of the country, relief and rehabilitation for over 33 million affected persons fell woefully short. This lacklustre response has underscored the need for empowered, well-resourced local governments in every province and territory. Escalating threats to freedom of religion or belief remained a grave concern. While the number of police reports on blasphemy charges fell, the incidence of mob lynching appears to have risen. The Ahmadiyya community came under particular threat, with several places of worship and over 90 graves desecrated, primarily in Punjab. Violence against women continued unabated, with at least 4,226 instances of rape and gang rape compounded by an abysmally low conviction rate for perpetrators. Additionally, the scale of violence and discrimination against trans persons--the theme of this edition of the report--was compounded by the conservative backlash against the hard-won Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act 2018. In a year that began to see the country's economic situation unravel, the report notes that the rights of workers and peasants were sorely neglected. Although the minimum wage was increased, the state has yet to acknowledge that this falls below the threshold of a living wage. Additionally, while around 1,200 bonded labourers were freed in Sindh, the district vigilance committees constituted in 2022 remained largely dysfunctional. The death toll in the country's mines also remained very high, at 90 workers. HRCP demands immediate action by the state on these issues if it is to move towards a pro-people approach to politics, law and governance. (ANI) As Operation Kaveri is underway, another batch of 297 Indians have been rescued from Sudan and have arrived at Jeddah by INS Teg, Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said on Thursday. Muraleedharan along with other officials of the Indian Navy received the rescued Indians at Jeddah. He tweeted, "#OperationKaveri continues in swift pace. Happy to receive 297 Indians at Jeddah carried by INS Teg. With this second ship and total six batches, around 1,100 Indians rescued from Sudan have arrived in Jeddah. Repatriation to India of those arriving today will commence shortly." After receiving Indian nationals at Jeddah harbour, Minister Muraleedharan also interacted with them and assured them of every possible help from the Government of India. He said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has especially sent me here to welcome you all. For the last three days, I am here and it is good to see you coming back from Sudan." "I am here to convey PM Modi's greetings to you all. He has said that wherever in the world, Indians are troubled, it is the responsibility of the Government of India to save them," he added. "You have undergone a lot of difficulties coming back from a strife-torn area but now the Indian navy has taken care of you," Muraleedharan told the Indian nationals. Vipin Harilal Mehta, who was among the rescued Indians, "We were stranded in the place where conflict had broken out. We reached Port Sudan by bus and as we reached there we came to know that under the leadership of PM Modi, Operation Kaveri is being carried out to save us." Thanking the Indian Navy, Mehta added, "The real heroes, Indian defence personnel saved us and we did not face any problems. We have now reached Jeddah, from where we will go to our home. We are grateful towards our Prime Minister." The auditorium, where the rescued Indians waited for further assistance, echoed with slogans praising Indian Navy. As ceasefires have been called in Sudan, the Government of India is carrying out Operation Kaveri to rescue the stranded Indians from the conflict-hit Northeast African country. A total of around 1,100 Indians have been rescued so far. (ANI) General Pande and General Ahmed also signed an implementing arrangement for the training of Peacekeepers deployed in the United Nations. Bangladesh Army Chief General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed is on a three-day visit to India. Taking to its official Twitter handle, the Additional Directorate General of Public Information, IHQ of MoD (Army) stated, "General Manoj Pande #COAS extended a warm welcome to General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed #COAS, #Bangladesh Army and discussed ways to further strengthen the #DefenceCooperation between the two Armies." In another tweet, he said, "An Implementing Arrangement for training of Peacekeepers deployed in United Nations #Peacekeeping operations was also signed in presence of both the Chiefs." Earlier in the day, Bangladesh Army Chief General Ahmed received a Guard of Honour at South Block lawns in Delhi. In another tweet, IHQ of MoD (Army) stated, "General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed, Chief of Army Staff #COAS, #BangladeshArmy, laid a wreath at National War Memorial #NWM & received a Guard of Honour at the #SouthBlock. The General Officer is on a three-day visit to #India." According to the Ministry of External Affairs, India and Bangladesh share bonds of history, language, culture, and a multitude of other commonalities. The ties between the two nations reflect an all-encompassing partnership based on sovereignty, equality, trust, and understanding that goes far beyond a strategic partnership. (ANI) The minister will hold a bilateral meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will likely meet on the sidelines of the SCO summit. Earlier, Sergei Shoigu visited India in December 2021 for the first India-Russia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. The Defence Ministers will discuss matters concerning regional peace and security, counter-terrorism efforts within SCO and effective multilateralism, said the Ministry of Defence in an official statement. The theme of India's Chairmanship of SCO in 2023 is 'Secure-SCO'. India attaches special importance to SCO in promoting multilateral, political, security, economic and people-to-people interactions in the region. Meanwhile, Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu also arrived in New Delhi on Thursday to take part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' meeting. Li Shangfu will also take part in the bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh. This is the first visit by the Chinese Defence Minister following the border transgression in Galwan. India and China recently held the 18th round of the India-China Corps Commander Level Meeting at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Chinese side. India, and China during the 18th round of Corps Commander Level Meeting, agreed to maintain security and stability on the ground in the Western Sector of the LAC. The meeting took place after a gap of five months. The last meeting between the two sides at the Corps Commander level was held in December last year. Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organization established in 2001. The SCO members include Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan besides India. Apart from the member states, two observer countries Belarus and Iran will also be participating in the SCO Defence Ministers Meeting. The ongoing engagement with SCO has helped India promote its relations with the countries in the region with which India has shared civilizational linkages, and is considered India's extended neighbourhood. (ANI) A retired diplomat from Pakistan by the name of Abdul Basit has recently justified the attack on Indian soldiers in Rajouri near Bhimber Gali on April 20, 2023 as being legitimate. Basit said in a video message that the attack was 'legitimate' as it targeted Indian soldiers and not civilians. Basit served as Pakistani High Commissioner in New Delhi. His statement proves that Pakistan-sponsored Jihadi terrorist organisations are seen as an extended arm of Pakistan's malicious militant campaign against the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Basit is of the opinion that 'although a number of people are referring to it (Rajouri attack) as terrorism however if it was conducted by a military of Mujahedeen (holy warriors) who have targeted a military entity, then it is a legitimate target.' Basit continued to say that 'it is a legitimate struggle and in this a legitimate target was hit and it is absolutely allowed by the international law.' The international law that Basit is referring to is the United Nations general assembly resolution number 45/130 and resolution 1514 (XV) ''concerning the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples,'' which addresses the right of peoples to self-determination/struggle by all available means. This resolution was adopted to support the independence movements in Africa, Asia and Latin American, continents which during the 1960 were rife with movements of self-determination against their European colonists. Basit's statement reveals two things. Firstly, how Pakistani diplomats are trained in the art of twisting UN resolutions and international treaties in order to manipulate international diplomatic as well as domestic public opinion. Secondly, it proves beyond doubt that it is the Pakistan military establishment who is playing an instrumental role in the resurgence of isolated acts of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. Let's us examine the first point that I have raised. The struggles of national liberation against European colonialism that rocked Africa and Latin America were, in larger perspective, the result of the weakening of British and other European powers after the Second World War. The result was that two contending world powers emerged in the post-war period, namely USA and the Soviet Union who were vying for gaining spheres of influence in the above-mentioned continents. That resulted in protracted bloody wars in Anglo, Rhodesia, Niger, Congo and other African countries and in Chile, Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua and various Latin American countries. Hence the emergence of Warsaw Pact and NATO military alliances. Having said that, there were, no doubt struggles of anti-colonial nature and were accepted as legitimate national liberation struggles by the UN. However, the terrorism that Pakistan has unleashed in Jammu and Kashmir, for seven decades, does not pass the criteria set by the UN to qualify as a 'national liberation' struggle. Why? Well it was Pakistan who conducted an unprovoked attack on the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir on October 22, 1947. The maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir Hari Singh decided to join the newly born Republic of India and signed an instrument of accession with the last governor general of India, Lord Mountbatten on October 26, 1947. This instrument of accession was sign just as 560 other princely states of British India had signed to join India and was in accordance with the Indian Independence Act 1947 passed by the British parliament after the Act received Royal Assent on July 18, 1947. Today, the only parts of the former state of Jammu and Kashmir that remain under the colonial occupation of Pakistan are known as so-called Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan. The UN resolutions have called Pakistan the aggressor, not India. On the contrary the UN have permitted India to keep a certain amount of military personal in Jammu and Kashmir to help maintain law and order and to prevent any military adventure that Pakistan might attempt. This proves that the attacks on the sovereign territory of India in Jammu and Kashmir conducted by Pakistan and its jihadi proxies were not a legitimate act but continuation of the following three practices that constitute War Crimes: 1) War of aggression, 2) Crime against peace, and, 3) Crime against humanity. For more details regarding War Crimes my reader can consult the Nuremberg and Tokyo war crime tribunal reports. It is therefore the General Headquarters of Pakistan army (GHQ) in Rawalpindi that is responsible for the planning, designating and the execution of criminal acts of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. Hence the 'legitimate' targets for attack should be GHQ and all the terrorist training camps and launch pads that are dedicated to the purpose of jihadi terrorism. The people of Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan are the one who are conducting a war of independence against Pakistan occupation and any act that contributes towards meeting that end is a legitimate act, and in accordance with the UN resolutions regarding movements for self-determination and National liberation. Dr Amjad Ayub Mirza is an author and a human rights activist from Mirpur in PoJK. He currently lives in exile in the UK. (ANI) Dubai [UAE], April 27 (ANI/WAM): Dubai will host the prestigious Annual World Congress of the International Confederation of Plastic Surgical Societies (ICOPLAST) from May 5-7, 2023. Organised in collaboration with the Arab Association of Surgical & Medical Aesthetics (AASMA) and the Emirates Plastic Surgery Society (EPSS), the global event will be held at the Dubai World Trade and Convention Centre for the first time in the Middle East. The world's largest gathering of plastic surgery societiesthe three-day Congress is expected to attract more than 1,500 delegates from over 60 international societies, and visitors from more than 112 countries. The event provides a platform for stakeholders from across the industry including plastic surgeons, aesthetic and anti-ageing medicine physicians, residents, medical students, nurses and representatives of industry leaders to share new knowledge and innovation in the field. The rich agenda of the Congress features workshops and talks on key current topics in plastic, aesthetic and reconstructive surgery. In addition, the Congress will see experts presenting peer-reviewed research papers highlighting the latest discoveries in the field. Dr. Jamal Jomah, President of AASMA, said: "The event caters to the immense demand from both start-ups and established national and international businesses in the sector for professional networking platforms and opportunities to interact with the public. The event will discuss the high calibre research being done by renowned plastic surgeons and leaders in plastic surgery and aesthetic medicine." Key topics that will be discussed at the Congress include surgical approaches to facial aesthetics, updates in breast surgery, state-of-the-art techniques in body contouring and advances in regenerative surgery and medicine. The event will also discuss recent updates in the treatment of breast implant illness (BII), innovative technologies in non-surgical face and body rejuvenation and minimally invasive techniques. Dr. Zuhair AlFardan, the President of EPSS said: "This event will attract over 150 exhibitors from all over the world, who will showcase the latest technologies and advances in the field of aesthetic and plastic surgery." The event will shed light on current trends in the global cosmetic surgery market that is projected to grow from $46.02 billion in 2021 to $58.78 billion in 2028, despite the global impact of COVID-19. The UAE has seen a significant rise in demand for cosmetic procedures in recent years. The aesthetics industry has emerged as one of the most important contributors to the growth of medical tourism in the UAE, driven by a significant increase in the number of international and regional patients and the expansion of the local pool of trained industry professionals with international qualifications. Currently, cosmetic surgery is one of the top five procedures sought by medical tourists to the emirate. (ANI/WAM) Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday, secured a vote of confidence, with 180 members expressing "full confidence" in his ability to rule from the National Assembly, Dawn reported. The surprising turn of events happened days after Marriyum Aurangzeb, the minister of information, fiercely denied rumours that the premier had chosen to ask Parliament for a vote of confidence. "The National Assembly of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan reposes its full confidence in the leadership of Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, as the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan," the resolution for the trust vote moved by Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari stated, as per Dawn. Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, the NA Speaker, then said that 180 members of the House had stood up in support of the resolution. According to the NA speaker, had he been present at today's session, the premier would have received 181 votes in favour of him. After the motion was approved, Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister, addressed the House. He expressed gratitude to the legislators for their trust in him and promised to never let them down. He called the 2018 elections "fraud elections" and said that the results were rigged. He added that the votes will not be counted and that the elections had been rigged in various ways. "And the [former chief justice of Pakistan] Saqib Nisar ruled that the votes will not be recounted," he stated. Shehbaz Sharif also bemoaned the lack of an investigation into the rigging claims to date in the National Assembly and requested an investigation. The premier added, in reference to a Supreme Court decision that prevented the government from enforcing a bill that would have reduced the CJP's authority after it was passed: "It is not possible that Parliament frames a law and the judiciary issues a stay order on it even before it is enforced," according to Dawn. (ANI) US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, India's Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal in a virtual meeting on Monday discussed the US, India shared interest in maximizing progress on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), according to a release by the US Department of Commerce. This comes as negotiators continue working towards achieving ambitious and high-standard outcomes ahead of the May round of negotiations, which will take place in Singapore. Secretary Raimondo thanked Minister Goyal and the Indian government for its ongoing contributions and strong support for IPEF, according to the release. Raimondo recently said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the most popular leader and is a visionary, adding that his commitment to the people of India is "indescribable". Addressing the Reception at India House, which was hosted by Indian Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Raimondo said, "I had an incredible opportunity to spend more than an hour and a half with Prime Minister Modi, who is I don't need to tell anyone here who he is. He is the most popular world leader for a reason. He is an unbelievable visionary. And his level of commitment to the people of India is just indescribable and deep and passionate and real and authentic." "And his desire to lift people out of poverty and move India forward as a global power is real and it is happening. But the best part of the meeting for me was this, anyone who knows Prime Minister Modi, all of you, knows he is a tech guy and he is deep into the details. So I found myself at his home at 7:30 on a Friday night, talking about the details of radio access networks and artificial intelligence. And it was just amazing," she added. (ANI) He held bilateral meetings with the defence ministers of Kazakhstan, Iran, Tajikistan and China. During the chaired meeting, bilateral defence-related issues and other matters of mutual interest were discussed by the ministers. The first bilateral meeting was held with the Defence Minister of Kazakhstan, Colonel General Ruslan Zhaksylykov followed by Iran's Defence Minister, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiyani, Tajikistan's Defence Minister Colonel General Sherali Mirzo and Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu. This is the first visit by the Chinese Defence Minister following the border transgression in Galwan. India and China recently held the 18th round of the India-China Corps Commander Level Meeting at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Chinese side. India, and China during the 18th round of Corps Commander Level Meeting, agreed to maintain security and stability on the ground in the Western Sector of the LAC. The meeting took place after a gap of five months. The last meeting between the two sides at the Corps Commander level was held in December last year. On Friday, Singh will likely meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu and Belarus and Uzbekistan Defence Ministers. The theme of India's Chairmanship of SCO in 2023 is 'Secure-SCO'. India attaches special importance to SCO in promoting multilateral, political, security, economic and people-to-people interactions in the region. Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organization established in 2001. The SCO members include Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan besides India. Apart from the member states, two observer countries Belarus and Iran will also be participating in the SCO Defence Ministers Meeting. (ANI) Responding to a controversial cartoon in a German magazine which drew sharp criticism from India, German ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann on Thursday hailed the Indian Railway infrastructure and said cartoonists should visit the Delhi Metro which is state of the art. A cartoon in Der Spiegel, was depicting an overcrowded Indian train with people sitting on top holding the tricolour, overtaking a modernised Chinese bullet train running on a parallel track with just two drivers inside. "In my personal opinion, the cartoon was neither funny nor appropriate. I would like to invite this cartoonist to come on a metro ride with me in Delhi. I think many metros in Germany are not as good as Delhi Metro and same for the train system. He should inquire a little more about India and know how state-of-the-art their railway system is," Germany Envoy told ANI. Union Minister of State for Entrepreneurship, Skill Development and Electronics & Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar tweeted, ''Dear Cartoonist at @derspiegel...Notwithstanding your attempt at mocking India... it's not smart to bet against India under PM @narendramodi ji....In a few years, India's economy will be bigger than Germany's.'' On similar lines, Baijayant Jay Panda, National Vice President of BJP said, ''In German, the name of the influential magazine Der Spiegel means The Mirror. But going by this derogatory, racist cartoon, it should change its name to Rassistischer Troll. and considering Germany's difficult history involving racism & the holocaust, Germans everywhere should force this race-baiting publication to hold a mirror to its conscience.'' (ANI) During the COVID pandemic, India truly established that it was the pharmacy of the world and it did so by supplying almost 100 countries with vaccines and at least 150 countries, including some from the developed world, with increased supply of relevant medicines, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday in Colombia. Recalling the struggles during the COVID pandemic period, he said that it has made everyone more health conscious. "The fact is that COVID has made us all much more health conscious, but also aware of supply chain vulnerabilities. Cost is also a relevant factor if we are looking at more sources, regionalized production and competitive pricing. I would suggest to our Colombian friends that the Indian industry is your natural partner," Jaishankar said while addressing the India-Colombia Business Forum. India also has a traditional medicine and wellness practice that could have strong business implications. Certainly. Therefore, these are areas worth exploring, he said further. Speaking on Trade between India and Colombia, Jaishankar said the nations naturally seek to expand their volumes, the decision before us is when, where and how much to invest, and that the pharmaceutical sector is particularly seized of this challenge. "Our endeavour is naturally to assess the comparative ease of doing business, among the countries of this region. We focus on market access issues, regulatory complexities and non-tariff barriers. The predictability of the business environment is also an important factor. To be honest, even the ease of getting business visas is a consideration. And not least, we assess how much the partner governments in question are invested in growing their relationship with India," the EAM said during his address. He added by saying that from the Colombian perspective, it is necessary that one is conversant with domains where India has made particular advances in recent years. "I would like our Colombian friends to also note that India's trade with Brazil currently, is around USD 17 billion and with Mexico around USD 8.5 billion. If nothing else, I hope it is a motivating factor. As Indian business approaches the region with a stronger desire to trade, invest, collaborate and execute projects, business events such as this one and visits like mine along with a business delegation, are helpful in taking decisions," he said. The External Affairs Minister, at present, is on a 4-nation trip to Latin American countries. Before his visit to Colombia, he went to Guyana and Panama. The EAM's visit to these four countries; his bilateral engagements and interactions with counterparts of important regional groups: CARICOM and SICA, adds to the momentum of the India-Latin American countries' engagements. Jaishankar's Colombia visit marks the first Foreign Ministerial level visit from India to the Latin American country. Earlier today, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Colombian counterpart, Alvaro Leyva Duran, on Thursday. Both leaders discussed several bilateral issues and signed the Cultural Exchange Program for 2023-26. The two leaders also discussed the issue of Reformed Multilateralism and exchanged views on expanding bilateral cooperation in health, agriculture and digital domains. Global issues, including the Indo-Pacific, also figured in the discussions. "Met Foreign Minister @AlvaroLeyva of Colombia this morning. Exchanged views on expanding our bilateral cooperation, especially in health, agriculture and digital domains. Proposed greater exchanges and stronger collaboration, especially in capacity building. Also spoke about global issues, including the Indo-Pacific. Addressed the issue of Reformed Multilateralism. Signed the Cultural Exchange Program for 2023-26," Jaishankar tweeted. Jaishankar also met the second Vice President of the Senate of Colombia, Honorio Henriquez, and had conversations focused on health collaboration, energy and technology. (ANI) "An IAF C-130J flight takes off from the Wadi Seidna Air Base under #OperationKaveri. This is the 8th batch of evacuees with 121 passengers enroute to Jeddah." Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted. Earlier, on Thursday, Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan received rescued Indians from Port Sudan at Jeddah under 'Operation Kaveri'. A total of 135 passengers were onboard the IAF C-130J aircraft that landed in Jeddah from Port Sudan. "Delighted to receive 7th batch of stranded Indians at Jeddah from Port Sudan, 135 passengers onboard IAF C-130J aircraft," MoS Muraleedharan tweeted. Informing of the evacuation of the stranded Indian nationals from Port Sudan, MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted on Thursday saying the Indians left for Jeddah on a flight. "7th batch of stranded Indians departs from Port Sudan. 135 passengers onboard IAF C-130J flight leave for Jeddah under #OperationKaveri," Bagchi tweeted. Continuing with the rapid mobilisation of naval and air assets for a quick and safe evacuation of Indian nationals from Sudan, INS Teg on Anti Piracy patrol was diverted to Port Sudan, to help with the evacuation process. INS Teg is the fourth Talwar-class frigate constructed for the Indian Navy. Sudan is experiencing bloodshed as a result of clashes between the army and paramilitary forces. Even though there is a 72-hour ceasefire, there have been allegations of violence. Fighting has erupted between soldiers loyal to Sudanese army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, paramilitary Rapid Support Soldiers (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. To ensure no Indian national is left behind in Sudan, India has deployed its military planes and warships in the war-torn country. (ANI) Taiwan and the US have signed two deals worth close to USD 420 million for maintaining fighter aircraft operated by the self-governing island that China considers its own territory, Voice of America (VOA) reported. Based on the agreement, around USD 323 million will be allocated for a parts contract that runs through March 2028, according to a local news report. The smaller deal, which runs through June 2027, covers nonstandard parts and aviation materials. The deals were signed on Sunday, VOA reported. Taiwan has relied on the US for air defence capability to secure its airspace and prepare for a possible Chinese invasion. China has been ramping up military pressure in recent years to force the island to accept integration with mainland China. Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on April 21 that Taiwan's return to China is an integral part of the international order after World War II. "Once China's land is recovered, it will never be lost again...anyone who plays with fire on the Taiwan issue will set himself on fire," he said. The Washington Post on April 15 quoted confidential documents leaked from the Pentagon that Taiwan is unlikely to thwart Chinese military air superiority in a cross-strait conflict as its airfields and radar positions are all within the range of Beijing's land-based missiles, VOA reported. According to the documents, just over half of Taiwan's aircraft are fully mission capable and Taiwanese officials doubt the ability of their air defences to "accurately detect missile launches." The documents also said Taiwan feared it could take days to move the planes to shelters, leaving them vulnerable to Chinese missiles. Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence on April 16 said that the documents' content did not conform to the facts, VOA reported. Phillip Saunders, director of the Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs, told VOA Mandarin that air defence is going to be a huge problem for Taiwan as its airfields and radar are all within range of China's land-based missiles. According to experts, one of the main challenges for Taiwan's Air Force is that airfields and early warning radar in western Taiwan are highly vulnerable to Chinese sabotage. Taiwan's air defence system, including various long-range radars, is still operating smoothly, and the effectiveness of the entire joint air defence is quite good. For example, when China launches a ballistic missile, Taiwan's early warning radar provides at least seven minutes of early warning to the relevant anti-missile units, VOA wrote quoting experts. China has more air power than Taiwan. According to Global Firepower and Forces, the Chinese military has over 3,000 aircraft and nearly 400,000 people in its air force. Taiwan has more than 700 aircraft and more than 30,000 Air Force troops. According to experts, the most significant air threats to Taiwan might come from large swarms of unmanned aerial vehicles or short-range ballistic missiles. In an email on April 20, he said in an invasion scenario, China could attempt to use mass firepower to suppress Taiwan's defenders, gain air superiority, and, thus, overcome the disadvantage of attacking into challenging terrain, VOA reported. Losing air supremacy would have severe consequences for Taiwan. Unless the United States and its allies can help Taiwan regain air supremacy, Taiwan may lose a Taiwan Strait war. The US could work with allies to provide Taiwan with more air defence systems and missiles, creating a multilayered, integrated air and missile defence system. The US needs to share early warning information to help Taiwan carry out fighter jet transfers and consider selling AGM-158C long-range anti-ship missiles to Taiwan to prevent Chinese aircraft from entering the waters east of Taiwan, as well as providing F-35 fighters to respond to China's attacks on airfields and runways. (ANI) Screenshot: British Lion Films You wouldnt want to be here on May Day, a character cautions Edward Woodwards rigidly Christian, notably prudish Sergeant Howie in folk-horror classic The Wicker Man. After he travels to the isolated Summerisle to investigate reports of a missing child, hes shockedshocked!to discover a community steeped in pagan beliefs. Famously, it doesnt end well for him. But for the rest of us, the movie contains a cornucopia of wisdom worth keeping in mind as we enter the exact time of year in which the 1973 film is set. Here are our favorite life lessons from Robin Hardys filmplus one from the wonderfully terrible 2006 Nicolas Cage remake, for good measure. Read more Shocks are so much better absorbed with the knees bent Screenshot: British Lion Films The islands leader, Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee), receives Howies visit to his lush estate with extreme bemusementa feeling that only escalates once he sees how horrified Howie is with the local way of life. So he invites the sputtering policeman to take a seat, with the bon mot quoted above. Its solid advice! One should always be open to the regenerative influences Screenshot: British Lion Films Lord Summerisle can get a little bit New Age with his pronouncements, but no hippie ever dressed this elegantly, flamboyantly dapper. Prosperity has its price Screenshot: British Lion Films All that lush produce that propels the economy of Summerisle comes due to a combination of factors: the agrarian risk-taking of Lord Summerisles adventurous grandfather, who ascertained the exact right crops that would thrive in the islands climate, and the understanding that nature must be appeased where necessary. Ahem. This one weird trick could cure your sore throat Screenshot: British Lion Films We see a mother instruct her small daughter to hold a tiny frog in her mouth for a few seconds, explaining Now, in he goes, and out he comes... hes got your horrid old sore throat now, hasnt he, poor creature! as it croaks its way out of the frame. Maybe... dont try this at home, actually. Story continues Respect the old gods Screenshot: British Lion Films Better them than the Christian God, whoas Summerisle explains to a sputtering Howieis dead: He cant complain. He had his chance, and in modern parlance, he blew it. And Summerisle has the receipts, too, showing Howie photos of the islands barren shores before its farming process became intertwined with some very old-school but newly revived religious beliefs. Express yourself musically Screenshot: British Lion Films Because its so stuffed with folk songswhich are both performed on-screen as part of the narrative, and heard setting the scene on the soundtrackWicker Man is practically a musical. Repress the primal sonic urges within, and youre likely to end up with a soul as vacuum-sealed as Sergeant Howie. Dont leave your only means of escape vulnerable to sabotage Screenshot: British Lion Films Rookie mistake, Howie. Play the Fool, thats what youre here for! Screenshot: British Lion Films Poor Howie doesnt realize how perfectly chosen his May Day disguise is. Future Summerisle infiltrators are advised to either pick a more low-key costume to steal, or at least try to play the part convincingly while theyre parading undercover. Never assume youre the smartest person in the room Screenshot: British Lion Films Howie is convinced hes figured out the villagers nefarious plan, and how it all ties into the missing-child allegations hes come to investigate. Hes secure in the idea that hes smarter than all these backwater heathen weirdos. That makes it even more delicious when he realizes hes been blind all along to whats really going on, and his woeful misreading of his surroundings costs him the ultimate price. One mans worst moment can become another mans best meme Not the Bees - Nic Cage in The Wicker Man You knew this was coming, didnt you? More from Gizmodo Sign up for Gizmodo's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. EAST LANSING Police said they found no conclusive motive for the man who shot eight people, three fatally, at Michigan State University Feb. 13. Anthony McRae, 43, who killed himself hours after the shootings when confronted by police in north Lansing, had both alcohol and THC in his system, the Michigan State University Department of Police and Public Safety said in a statement Thursday. McRae's blood alcohol content was 0.04%, police said. The drunken driving standard in Michigan is 0.08. He also tested positive for THC, police said. "McRae did not have any personal or professional connection to the University and did not apply to the University for employment in recent history," police said in the release. "Investigators have determined that the note found on McRae at the time of his death provides the most information about his state of mind at the time of the shooting." Police said they searched McRaes electronic devices and believe he acted alone, despite suggesting he was acting with others in a letter police found after the attack. Police also said they found two weapons on McRae after he died, including a Hi-Point C-9 9 mm handgun and a Taurus G3 9 mm handgun. Both were legally purchased but not registered. He bought ammunition used in the attack hours before the shooting. The south entrance of the MSU Union on the campus of Michigan State University, Monday, Feb. 20, 2023. Two students were killed at Berkey Hall, university Interim Deputy Police Chief Chris Rozman said after the attack. The gunman then moved to the MSU Union, where another was killed, he said. Police said McRae only used the Taurus handgun in the attack. Based on shell casings recovered, McRae fired at least 18 shots at Berkey Hall and the MSU Union. Fourteen casings were found in Berkey and three in the Union. Another casing was found outside of the Human Ecology Building. Investigators believe McRae fired one shot outside after leaving Berkey, according to the release. Apparently, no one was struck by that round, and police did not speculate about what McRae might have been firing at. Story continues Police said McRae's Taurus was loaded with 14 rounds at the time it was recovered. The Hi-Point was loaded with 10 rounds. One extra loaded magazine for the Taurus was recovered in the chest pocket of his coat and 10 extra magazines for the Hi-Point were recovered in his backpack. McRae also had 136 rounds of loose ammunition in his backpack. Where McRae went the night of the shooting MSU shooting map After the shootings at Berkey Hall and the MSU student Union, McRae walked away from campus. Police said they received numerous tips from community members and reviewed footage from surveillance cameras to create a map showing the nearly 5-mile route McRae walked from campus to North Lansing. "Please note that this map is our best attempt at determining the route based on various sources," police said in the release. "It does not depict any slight deviations that account for McRae evading law enforcement and first responders." MSU police said although the criminal investigation is ongoing, they were releasing the map showing McRae's whereabouts between the time he got off a bus at the Berkey Hall bus stop on Grand River Avenue in East Lansing at 7:19 p.m. and shot himself as police confronted him on Lake Lansing Road in north Lansing at 11:49 p.m. Police release updated timeline The department updated the timeline of events from Feb. 13. It is the most expansive timeline released to date. Times labeled with an asterisk were determined during the criminal investigation and were not known by police on the evening of the shooting. Monday, Feb. 13: *7:19 p.m. McRae exits bus at Grand River/Berkey Hall bus stop *7:24 p.m. McRae walks eastbound on Grand River Avenue in front of Broad Art Museum *7:26 p.m. McRae walks northeast across Grand River Avenue *8:12 p.m. McRae walks westbound in front of Broad Art Museum 8:18 p.m. First shots fired call at Berkey Hall received by Ingham County 911 8:19 p.m. Officers dispatched to Berkey Hall by Ingham County 911 *8:19 p.m. McRae is seen walking westbound along Grand River Avenue in front of Ramp 6 8:20 p.m. First officers arrive at Berkey Hall *8:23 p.m. McRae fires one shot while walking from Berkey to the Union *8:24 p.m. McRae enters the Union 8:26 p.m. First report of shooting at the Union *8:26 p.m. McRae exits the Union and leaves campus 8:27 p.m. Officers dispatched to the Union by Ingham County 911 8:27 p.m. Officers arrive at the Union 8:30 p.m. First MSU alert sent, instructions given to shelter-in-place 8:31 p.m. Second MSU Alert sent, instructions given to shelter-in-place *9:14 p.m. Person matching McRaes description is seen walking northbound on Harrison near Grand River Avenue 10:04 p.m. MSU alert sent, suspect description given 10:54 p.m. MSU alert sent, instructions to monitor alert.msu.edu for more information 11:02 p.m. First news conference takes place 11:18 p.m. Photo of McRae shared on MSU DPPS social media 11:33 p.m. MSU alert sent, more descriptive suspect description given 11:35 p.m. Ingham County 911 receives call of person matching the description walking on Lake Lansing Road near High Street in Lansing 11:49 p.m. Officers approach McRae, who fatally shoots himself Tuesday, Feb. 14: 12:20 a.m. MSU police confirm the deceased person matching description as McRae with the public 12:25 a.m. Second news conference takes place 12:27 a.m. MSU alert sent, shelter-in-place lifted 12:28 a.m. MSU DPPS posts to social media that shelter-in-place is lifted 1:07 a.m. MSU alert sent, bus service information for reunification center 1:35 a.m. Third news conference takes place 8:02 a.m. Fourth news conference takes place 12:12 p.m. News release disseminated How he obtained the firearms Police said McRae purchased the Hi-Point C-9 9mm handgun Sept. 7, 2021. The Taurus G3 9mm handgun was purchased Oct. 5, 2021. McRae used a Michigan ID card and a Social Security card to purchase the handguns. Police did not say where he purchased the weapons but said they were purchased legally, although never registered with officials. No other weapons were found at McRaes home, they said. The ammunition in all the magazines was consistent with 9mm ammunition purchased by McRae at 4:46 p.m. on Feb. 13. Police did not say where he purchased the ammunition. Tips pour in Thursday, March 23, 2023, during the March for Our Lives rally at the state Capitol. The event was organized by the MSU chapter, in wake of the campus shooting rampage that killed three and critically injured five. Police said community members provided 128 tips since Feb. 13 via email, phone, the media and other methods. MSU Public Safety the FBI, the Michigan Department of Attorney General, the East Lansing Police Department and the Michigan State Police participated in checking tips. Three dead, five wounded Students Arielle Anderson, Brian Fraser and Alexandria Verner were killed. Five students were critically injured, although all five have since been released from the hospital. Reaching out for help Police said they recognize the update may be difficult for those within the MSU community and beyond and provided a list of on-campus resources. "Its important to remember that the grief some individuals may be experiencing is normal and there are several ways in which individuals can seek support, including talking with friends, family and colleagues to process," police said in the release. MSU Student Health Services General info: 517-884-6526; Nurse on-call: 517-353-9165 MSU Employee Assistance Program EAP is a confidential, free counseling service for employees: 517-355-4506, eap@msu.edu. Counseling and psychiatry services CAPS is the place for students seeking help for a wide range of health concerns. MSU Department of Psychiatry Psychiatry Clinic: 517-353-3070 This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Police: MSU shooter Anthony McRae was intoxicated; no motive found The mystery of a 19-year-old womans disappearance in 1984 deepened when her skeletal remains were found in a shallow grave 11 years later in New Jersey. Donna Macho, of East Windsor, went missing from her familys home on Feb. 26, 1984, and was never seen again, according to officials. After her body was discovered on April 2, 1995, an autopsy showed she had what appeared to be a gunshot wound to her head, according to the New Jersey Attorney General. Despite investigative efforts, the case ultimately went cold until now, the attorney generals office announced in an April 26 news release. With the help of modern DNA technology, investigators identified Nathaniel Harvey, who used to live in East Windsor, as the suspect who killed Macho in 1984, according to officials. Hes also accused of sexually assaulting her. Harvey died in a state prison while serving a life sentence for a different homicide in the same county, officials said. According to prosecutors, he had a criminal history of breaking into homes and raping young women. Nearly 40 years have passed since the life of a 19-year-old was mercilessly stolen by a predator who discarded her remains in a shallow grave, leaving them unrecovered for more than 10 years, Col. Patrick J. Callahan, the superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, said in a statement. Time does not erase the quest for justice, and although this murderer was imprisoned for another killing and died in custody in 2020, it does not make this conclusion any less meaningful. How the cold case was solved In February 2022, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri directed authorities to revisit Machos cold case, according to officials. After Macho went missing, investigators found semen in her bedroom, but DNA technology at the time wasnt able to produce any leads or identify a suspect, officials said. When the case was reopened, all the evidence that was previously gathered, including that semen sample, was resubmitted to a state police laboratory, according to officials. Story continues Advanced DNA technology matched Harveys DNA to the DNA evidence found in Machos bedroom, identifying him as the suspect, officials said. Machos body had been found in the woods near a farm where Harvey worked in 1984, according to the release. Authorities found her car abandoned near a sewer plant close to Harveys home, officials said. In reexamining the case, Machos cause of death was determined to be evidence of homicidal violence and she died as the result of a head injury, according to the Middlesex Regional Medical Examiners Office. However, it was not conclusively a gunshot wound, the release said. Harvey was arrested in 1985 in the separate homicide case and remained in prison until he died in 2020, according to the release. After a comprehensive, cooperative investigation, cold case detectives were able to eliminate other potential suspects and are confident that Nathaniel Harvey is the perpetrator in the sexual assault and murder of Ms. Macho and the case is now closed, Onofri said in a statement. East Windsor is about 50 miles northeast of Philadelphia. Three moms were found dead in tight-knit NC town. Mystery lingers 6 years later Skeletal remains identified as Arizona man who disappeared in 2020, sheriff says Man was last seen leaving a bar 17 years ago. Now, human remains are found in his SUV Sheriff Grady Judd talks about arrests that were made in the March 26 shooting death of a dirt-bike rider in Bartow. Two people who were wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a dirt-bike rider in northeastern Bartow in March were arrested earlier this month in Delaware, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday. In a Tuesday news release and news conference, the Sheriff's Office said Wesley Vazquez Andino, 28, and Adriana Oyola Del Valle were found by Delaware State Police and arrested on Polk County warrants. They were brought back to Polk County on Monday and have been indicted by a grand jury. Vazquez Andino has been charged with first-degree murder, and Oyola Del Valle with accessory to a capital felony. Proposed hemp bill Polk hemp users and businesses worry about impact from proposed Florida hemp bill What's in its future RP Funding Center loses the Magic, Tropics and now its director Inspections 3 Polk restaurants closed temporarily by inspectors for insect activity The shooting took place March 26 in the Gordon Heights neighborhood just south of the Bartow airport. Sheriff's deputies responded to a call about a motorcycle accident and found Benjamin Mason III, 34, of Bartow at the scene with significant injuries. He was transported to an area hospital, where he later died. But staff at the hospital discovered a bullet wound. An autopsy later revealed a bullet had entered his lower back and passed through his kidney, diaphragm and lung. Judd said Mason was riding a dirt bike owned by family members when the shooting took place. Mason "was the ultimate victim in the wrong place at the wrong time and ran into some exceptionally evil people," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said at Tuesday's news conference. According to Judd, Oyola Del Valle told a PCSO detective that she tried to purchase a dirt bike on Facebook Marketplace and paid a $100 deposit to the sellers. But before she could complete the sale, Judd said she called the sellers back and said she no longer wanted to buy it and demanded her money back. He said the sellers, who were 15 and 19 years old, declined to return her deposit. Story continues "She kept calling them several times during the day, so they blocked her," Judd said. He said Oyola Del Valle and Vazquez Andino went to the neighborhood and saw Mason riding the dirt bike and mistakenly thought he was one of the sellers. Judd said they stopped him and told him they didn't want the bike and they wanted their $100, but Mason didn't know what they were talking about, so he rode off. When he did, Judd said Vazquez Andino jumped out of the car and fired one shot, then fled. Oyola Del Valle also said that her three children were in the Jeep at the time of the shooting, according to the Sheriff's Office. Witnesses described a blue Jeep and a short Hispanic male at the scene, the Sheriff's Office said. That information led detectives to the suspects shared residence on Chestnut Woods Drive in Lakeland, but the couple had left. The Sheriff's Office said the couple were tracked to a residence belonging to a relative of Oyola Del Valle in Wilmington, Delaware. This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Suspects in shooting of Bartow dirt-bike rider arrested in Delaware Two men accused of shooting a Covington man to death at a gas station in Gwinnett County have been arrested. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Marcus Bush, 39, was shot and killed at a Shell gas station on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard on April 23. Police said the shooting appeared to have stemmed from an argument at the gas pumps. TRENDING STORIES: On Thursday, Gwinnett police said that they learned the Audi SUV involved in the shooting had traveled to Illinois after the shooting. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Police said Keonte Anderson, 29, and Jones Albright-Gillis, 28, were the suspects inside the SUV. They are from Peachtree Corners and Doraville, respectively. Police in Illinois were notified and officers conducted a traffic stop hours later and arrested Anderson and Albright-Gillis. Both men are charged with felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of certain felonies. Albright-Gillis is also charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Police have not revealed what the men were arguing about before Bush was shot or if the men knew each other before the shooting. Two baby Amur leopard cubs were just born at the Pittsburgh Zoo. The cubs were born on March 18 and are being taken care of by their mother, Semba. The zoo says this is her first litter. Amur leopards are considered endangered. Officials from the zoo say there are roughly 100 individual cats living in Russia and China. Semba was born at the Pittsburgh Zoo herself and were so glad to see the next generation join us. Shes such a good mom, said Karen Vacco, assistant curator of mammals. Aside from digital monitoring of the denning area, were letting them bond. Theyre doing well, the babies are nursing and growing just like they should. The cubs will not be visible to the public until after they are vaccinated and can safely move about their outside habitat. The zoo expects this to be around June. Anyone who would like a chance to name the cubs can visit the Pittsburgh Zoos website. To enter the naming contest simply donate $5 to the zoo. The top names will be picked by the staff and go on for a final selection process. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: Jerry Springer, legendary talk show host, dies at 79 Several local cities named on list of worst commutes in Pennsylvania Washington County hairstylist facing charges for allegedly running prostitution business in salon VIDEO: Search continues for permanent solution to Allegheny County juvenile detention housing DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts BEIJING (AP) Chinas military has dispatched a pair of navy ships to take part in joint drills with Singapores navy and join in a regional maritime security exhibition. The exercises starting Friday in the Southeast Asian city state come amid Chinas growing presence in the South China Sea, which it claims sovereignty over virtually in its entirety. Concerns are especially pronounced in the U.S., which on Wednesday joined with forces from the Philippines in major exercises in Philippine waters facing the South China Sea that are likely to anger China. Beijing's more assertive stance comes as its relations with the U.S. and its allies have hit historic lows. State televisions military channel identified the ships being sent as the guided missile frigate Yulin and the minesweeper hunter Chibi. They will also be present for the May 3-5 IMDEX Asia National Defense and Maritime Security Show, which will feature 25 warships and attendees from 62 countries. Amid China's efforts to make inroads with countries that have traditionally leaned toward the U.S., Singapore has sought a balance between rivals Washington and Beijing, but remains officially unallied amid a struggle for military and economic influence. China also formally eschews military alliances, but has held an increasing number of drills with Russia, its chief partner in challenging Western dominance of international affairs. In February, the navies from China, Russia and South Africa came together for drills on the southern tip of the African continent. While those exercises were underway, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Chinas most senior foreign policy official at the Kremlin, underscoring Russias strengthening relationship with China and raising concerns in the West that Beijing might be ready to offer Moscow stronger support for its war in Ukraine. Chinese President Xi Jinping also visited Putin in Moscow last month, but China's Foreign Minister said this month that China would not sell weapons to either side in the Ukraine war. A 2-year-old girl died from non-accidental trauma and now her grandmother is charged with first-degree murder, officials said. Rubie Charlottelette Thomas also faces a charge of felony child abuse after her granddaughter was found with bruises and broken bones that had healed over, according to the Greensboro Police Department in North Carolina. Police didnt list attorney information for Thomas in an April 27 news release. The case dates to April 1, when officers were called to a home east of downtown Greensboro. While there, first responders reported finding a 2-year-old suffering from apparent cardiac arrest. Life-saving efforts were conducted on-scene, however, the child was declared deceased upon arrival to the local hospital, police wrote. At this time, medical staff and detectives noted signs of potential child abuse. During an investigation, officers determined the girl suffered intentional injuries April 1 while her grandmother was caring for her. Thomas is accused of seriously hurting the toddler during an assault. She caused multiple injuries, including rib fractures, over 50 contusions and bleeding on the brain, according to warrants obtained by WGHP. Thomas, 59, was arrested in Greensboro on April 26, records show. Grandmother is charged with murder after 8-year-old beaten to death, NC cops say Grandmas body found in NC over a year after relatives accused of concealing her death The LaGrange Police Department is investigating a fatal shooting involving a 2-year-old. Channel 2 Action News was on the scene during WSB Tonight at 11 p.m. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News App for alerts as news breaks] According to police, shortly after 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, officers responded to The Phoenix Apartments on Whitesville Street about a 2-year-old who had been shot. When they got to the apartment, they found a 2-year-old shot once in the face. The toddler was taken to the hospital, where he died from injuries. TRENDING STORIES: Police said they are trying to determine how the child got the gun. Its still completely under investigation right now as to how the child got the gun, where the gun was, if this was any foul play or if this was an accident, according to LPD. Police said two adults and three other kids were also at the apartment. IN OTHER NEWS: Four years after a deadly gas explosion ripped through half a city block in downtown Durham, killing two people and injuring 25 others, the site remains vacant. On the corner of Duke and Morgan streets, the lot is now a mass of concrete rubble and overgrown weeds cordoned off by a chain-link fence. Among the remains: a small stack of steps leading to nowhere, and some remnants of vintage black-and-white tiles that used to be part of the foyer for the Kaffeinate coffee shop one of two buildings destroyed in the blast. This month marks the explosions anniversary. While four lawsuits against eight companies accused of negligence currently work their way through the courts, redevelopment plans for the block are slowly taking shape. Heres a closer look: The site of the 2019 Durham gas explosion that killed two people and injured 25 others. The parcel, on North Duke Street, is now a vacant lot. What happened in the 2019 Durham gas explosion? On April 10, 2019, a gas explosion tore through 115 N. Duke St., destroying the coffee shop building and killing its owner, Kong Lee. A worker for the PSNC Energy company who responded to the scene, Jay Rambeaut, died two weeks later from injuries sustained in the blast, The News & Observer reported. The Durham Fire Department determined that the explosion and fire erupted after a contractor accidentally ruptured a natural gas line five feet from the Kaffeinate coffee shops door, and that gas flowed unabated for one hour. The fire department found no evidence that anyone from the contractors crew called 911. In 2021, state investigators released a report that mirrored that finding, stating the probable cause was a drilling device rupturing a gas line. That let gas escape into the interior, where it ignited. The blast and fire damaged 18 buildings, including two that had been condemned, having a total assessed tax value of about $108.6 million, it was reported at the time. The companies most affected by the blast were Kaffeinate and Prescient, a construction technology company that had moved to Durham from Denver two years prior. They shared a building at 115 N. Duke St. Kaffeinate is now permanently closed, while Prescient has an office in Charlotte. It had a manufacturing plant in Mebane that it closed in 2022. Story continues A second building, 111 N. Duke St., was also destroyed. Other buildings on the 100 block of North Duke Street that housed the Mexican restaurant Toreros and the upscale seafood restaurant Saint James also sustained damage. Both restaurants were closed for about a year after the explosion while repairs were made. Since then, Saint James has permanently closed. Toreros, meanwhile, is getting ready to reopen in a space in West Village Apartments. In June 2020, a Raleigh law firm filed four lawsuits related to the explosion: one for Lees family and three on behalf of people who were injured. The News & Observer reached out to attorney William Bystrynski, who is in charge of the lawsuits. He said there is no update on the case at this time. The site of the 2019 Durham gas explosion on North Duke Street (as shown in photo) is now a vacant lot. 115 N. Duke St. Now a vacant lot, 115 N. Duke St. used to be the address of a building constructed in 1928 that once housed a Studebaker dealership, according to Open Durhams website. It remained an auto venue through the 1980s, but over the years it also served as the base for several other businesses, including restaurants like the Weeping Radish and the advertising agency Ogilvy. Kaffeinate and Prescient were there from 2017 until the explosion. In 2021, Durham-based Austin Lawrence Partners (ALP), under the business name 115 Duke Property Partners LLC, purchased the parcel from West Coast real estate company, 2050 Bentley LLC, for $3.25 million, according to property records. The firm developed the Unscripted Hotel Durham, revamping one of the citys most iconic buildings the former Jack Tar Motel. Theyre also behind One City Center, its first residential high rise in downtown Durham with luxury condominiums, apartments, retail and offices. It is also building a glassy 27-story skyscraper called The Novus at 400 W. Main St. in Durhams Five Points District. On its website, the firm says the land at 115 N. Duke Street will serve as a base for a future high-density development. We bought the site to hold and then develop the site. That has not changed, Zach Prager, ALPs director of investments, told The N&O. At the moment we really dont have much to provide on future plans. Raleigh law firm sues 8 companies in deadly downtown Durham gas explosion 111 N. Duke St. 111 N. Duke is part of a larger parcel with an address on Main Street and is owned by Charlotte-based Asana Partners, which bought much of Durhams Brightleaf Square for $39 million in 2019. Last August, Asana filed plans to build a 461-space parking deck and a seven-story retail and office building on the site. The newly planned 250,000-square-foot development is L-shaped and will take up much of the block north of Main Street between Duke and Gregson streets, according to a site plan obtained by The News & Observer. Plans include demolishing the mid-1920s restaurant buildings that formerly housed Saint James and Toreros. Planning staff has reviewed the site plan and requested changes. They havent resubmitted yet, and its not yet approved, Durham senior planner Robin Schultze told The N&O. It may change prior to construction. Welch Liles, Asanas managing director, declined to give a timeline for the project. Were still in early design and planning for this site, he said. We dont have updates to share at this point. A 25-year-old New Hartford man being held at the Oneida County Correctional Facility has died following an apparent overdose, the Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol said in a statement. Milik Burnett was found to be in an altered state by a corrections officer just after 8 a.m. Thursday morning as the officer was performing a routine tour, Maciol said. A 25-year-old New Hartford man being held at the Oneida County Correctional Facility has died following an apparent overdose, the Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol said in a statement. Medical staff at the facility immediately responded, with the Oriskany Fire Department also being called. Corrections officers and jail medical staff administered Narcan along with other lifesaving efforts, Maciol said. Burnett was transported by C.O.C.V.A.C. Ambulance to St. Lukes Medical Center, where he died shortly before 11:30 a.m. The Onondaga County Medical Examiners Office will be performing an autopsy. Maciol said the sheriffs office is investigating the death along with subsequent independent investigations by the New York State Commission of Corrections and the New York State Attorney Generals Office. The Office of Special Investigations within the Attorney Generals Office requires an investigation into the death of anyone who is in the custody of a police or peace officer anywhere in New York. This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Oneida County jail death: 25-year-old New Hartford man died Thursday A $26 million workforce training center for the Technical College of the Lowcountrys New River Campus in Bluffton is starting to look like a reality. Its been in the works since 2016 with no state, local or private commitments to funding, but state legislators expect the center will start to receive money this year. The Arthur E. Brown Regional Workforce Training Center, which was first proposed in 2016, would expand capacity by 850 students. That would be a nearly 42% increase from the colleges most recent 2,042 student enrollment. At 50,000 square feet, the facility would be 19,000 square feet bigger than the current New River Campus building. The center would help prepare students for the jobs Beaufort Countys economy needs now and will need in the future, according to Mary Lee Carns, vice president for advancement and workforce development at TCL. Carns said they hope to secure all the funding and start construction by this time 2024, and want to have students in the building by 2028. We have no commitments to the funding right now, she said, though TCL is no stranger to partnering with the community to raise funds for projects like this. TCL is the bridge between students who are coming out of school and industries that are locating to the Lowcountry, state Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, said. Industries wont come into our area if they dont have a ready supply of employees that can meet their needs, he said. In the current state spending plan, which hasnt been approved yet, there isnt any money allotted to the center. However, Davis said the state Board of Economic Advisors updated revenue forecast, expected to be released next week, will give the budget the extra money to change that. The full House and Senate will have to approve the budget before they adjourn May 11 and send the budget to Gov. Henry McMaster. I fully expected at that time that there will be appropriations for [...] TCL, Davis said, although he didnt say how much. Story continues Carns said theyre asking for $10 million from the state for funding, and then hope to fund the rest through local government and private industry support. Beaufort County representatives have every intention of cooperating with TCL to make the project come to fruition, County Administrator Eric Greenway said. He said theyve already had some conversations, but theyre waiting on this years state budget to finalize plans to contribute locally. The Arthur E. Brown Regional Workforce Training Center rendering at Technical College of the Lowcountrys New River Campus in Bluffton The schools $15.3 million culinary institute was funded with $2.5 million from the Beaufort County School District, $8.2 million from Beaufort County, $500,000 from the Town of Bluffton, $3.5 million from the state of South Carolina, and $625,000 from private sources and donors. The culinary institute was proposed in 2015, broke ground in 2019 and opened for students in 2021. She said the cost of the workforce training center would be broken up into $20 million for construction costs and $6 million for new faculty and other administrative costs. There have been architectural rendering since 2016, which the college refined since then, according to Carns. Were hopeful that this may be the year there would be enough funding from the state of South Carolina that would give us the momentum [so] we can start conversations locally, Carns said. Theyve already worked locally with partner development organizations like the Beaufort County Economic Development Corporation to understand what programs they need to add and expand upon to keep up with the areas economy. Defense and hospitality and tourism are are terrific industries in this area, said John OToole, executive director for BCEDC. But the thought was is to have have all of your marbles in two baskets is like having only two stocks in your investment portfolio. The Arthur E. Brown Regional Workforce Training Center rendering at Technical College of the Lowcountrys New River Campus in Bluffton The center would allow the university to add four new programs: Precision manufacturing Electric vehicle technology Automated systems technology Supply chain/logistics And expand upon three existing programs: Cybersecurity Computer technology Business/accounting Have we partnered with the community and asked for significant funds in order for capital projects that directly benefit the community [before]? We have, Carns said. Its just [about] kind of hitting that sweet spot when things can come together. JACKSON, Miss. (AP) A man who escaped from a Mississippi jail last weekend and fled to Texas after allegedly stealing a public works vehicle has been arrested in Houston, authorities announced Thursday. Jerry Raynes was apprehended days after he and three other inmates escaped Saturday night from the Raymond Detention Center near Jackson, Mississippi's capital, Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said. Raynes is the second escaped prisoner to be found in a multi-agency hunt. Dylan Arrington died after barricading himself in a central Mississippi home and setting it on fire during an armed standoff with deputies Wednesday. He is suspected of killing a man and stealing his pickup truck after the escape. The other two, Casey Grayson and Corey Harrison, are still on the loose, and authorities had no updates Thursday on their possible whereabouts. The U.S. Marshals Service, Harris County Sheriffs Office and Spring Valley Police Department assisted with Raynes' capture. He will be held before facing extradition back to Mississippi, Jones said Thursday. Raynes had been incarcerated for auto theft and burglary. Investigators said Raynes fled to Texas after stealing a Hinds County Public Works vehicle, which was found Sunday under a freeway overpass near Houston. It was unknown whether Raynes traveled alone. Before his arrest, he was spotted on surveillance video at a Hedwig Village service station around 11 a.m. Sunday. Raynes was taken into custody at a Houston hospital before he could be discharged after seeking treatment for an unspecified medical condition, according to the U.S. Marshalls Service. With the relentless efforts of the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Fugitive Task Force and their partners one escapee from Mississippi was arrested, T. Michael OConnor, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Texas, said in a news release. Additionally, we would like to recognize the Houston media who covered the story. Due to their coverage, we received a credible tip as to the location of the escapee." Story continues The four men are believed to have escaped from the Raymond Detention Center through breaches in a cell and the roof. Jones said the men might have camped out on the roof before fleeing and going their separate ways. Raynes had previously escaped from custody, breaking out of a work center attached to the Raymond Detention Center in 2021 and fleeing in a stolen pickup, according to WAPT-TV. In July, U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves ordered a rare takeover of the Raymond jail after he said deficiencies in supervision and staffing led to a stunning array of assaults, as well as deaths. But before the appointed receiver was scheduled to assume control over the jail Jan. 1, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the lower courts order until it ruled on the countys motion for reconsideration. The problems at the Raymond facility date back years. The U.S. Justice Department sued Hinds County in 2016 after finding unconstitutional conditions at the jail, including violence among detainees and by staff against detainees. It also found problems with the treatment of juveniles and suicidal detainees. And, it said, there were cell doors that would not lock. The four escapees had been in custody for various felony charges, most involving theft. The man Arrington is suspected of killing was Anthony Watts, a 61-year-old church pastor who was shot and killed Monday around 7 p.m. on Interstate 55 in Jackson after he pulled over to help a man who matched Arrington's description. That man shot Watts several times and then stole his Red Dodge Ram, police said. Watts died at the scene. Arrington later broke into a home in Conway, Mississippi, where he shot a deputy, set the residence on fire and died. ___ Michael Goldberg 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 him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mikergoldberg. Three Richland School Board members knew they were violating state law they disagreed with when they chose last year to defy Washingtons indoor COVID mask mandate, ruled the state Supreme Court. The board also did not give proper notice to the public about their plan to vote on the issue, said the written opinion published Thursday. The opinion is the formal ruling following a Feb. 9 order from the high court that decided an effort to recall board members Kari Williams, Semi Bird and Audra Byrd could move forward. A group of voters are trying to recall the trio over the surprise vote they took last year to go mask optional in schools and defy the states mask law in effect at the time to deal with the COVID pandemic. The action put the school districts state resources and funding at risk, and ultimately led to the superintendent closing school for two full days until the action was reversed. The recall charges allege the groups actions violated the Open Public Meetings Act by taking final action on a matter not included on a published agenda, by violating the state law on masking at the time, by exceeding their powers and responsibilities as school board members by establishing public health policies and by violating district policies and procedures. The group is actively gathering signatures to put the issue on the ballot. Their hope is that Richland School District voters will decide in August whether or not the three should be removed from office. All nine state Supreme Court justices agreed the charges held merit and could be the basis of a recall vote. The court does not consider the truth of the charges, only their sufficiency to be voted on. When giving our families a mask choice option, I never had any intention to violate any laws and there is not evidence to prove otherwise, Williams told the Tri-City Herald on Thursday. This has always been about students and doing what is best for our communitys children. There is great work being done for our children in Richland schools and I am thrilled to be part of that positive change. Our students and their well being will continue to be my No. 1 priority. Story continues Byrd and Bird could not be reached Thursday morning by email about the written opinion. They have previously said that they stand by their vote. A Resist the Recall sign supporting three members of the Richland School Board facing a recall petition asking residents not to sign the petition is posted along George Washington Way near the Uptown Shopping area. Bob Brawdy/bbrawdy@tricityherald.com Illegal mask vote Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and the secretary of health were in the process of lifting many of the COVID restrictions in the early months of 2022. But the mask mandate in public buildings, including schools, was still in effect and would be until March. It was around that time that some on the Richland School Board began discussing options for removing the mask mandate from schools and public meetings. The board received advice during public meetings from several attorneys about whether mask rules could be lifted, and they were consistently advised that the answer was no, says Thursdays opinion. Byrd made a motion at the Feb. 8 school board meeting to remove the mask mandate in local schools, but no one else supported it so there was no vote on it. On Feb. 15, the board held a special meeting. The agenda listed only one topic: Resolution No. 940 Local Control, with no description of the measure. At the special session, Bird, who plans to run for governor in 2024, made a motion to go mask choice in the Richland School District to raving applause by a group of community members attending the meeting. The vote was 3-2. Unprepared for the change and fearing legal and insurance ramifications, district administrators closed Richland schools for the next two days. On Feb. 17, the board decided to modify its vote to remove the mask mandate and to align with the states timeline for masking changes. Richland School Board members Kari Williams, Audra Byrd and Semi Bird, from left, talk to their attorney Jerry Moberg before the start of a hearing in Benton County Superior Court. Bob Brawdy/bbrawdy@tricityherald.com The three school board members first contended their vote did not violate the law. Later, they argued they did not intend to break state law. Both are incorrect, the Supreme Court said. The decision to vote to remove the mask mandate was not within the boards discretionary power, the court wrote. Meeting minutes prior to the Feb. 15 meeting show school board members were discussing the mask mandate as a law. Several emails and letters by attorneys advised the board that the public cannot remove their masks at an in-person meeting. (School board member Rick) Jansons also provided a declaration stating the RSDB was advised by attorneys prior to the Feb. 15 vote that masks were required in Richland schools and the RSDB lacked the authority to overrule the governors proclamations and the secretary of healths orders, the opinion reads. Williams told the Herald that the board was not collectively advised about the legality of a mask-optional vote prior to the Feb. 15 meeting. It wasnt until they received advice from legal counsel on Feb. 17 that she changed her vote. The court also pointed out social media posts made public on Audra Byrds Facebook page after the Feb. 15 vote, which read in part, If laws are unethical or harmful, citizens have the moral responsibility to disobey and fight against such laws. Byrd compared the vote to driving 35 in a 30 mph zone. Is it illegal? Yes. Are you going to actually get in trouble? No, she wrote. The court said despite declarations saying they did not think that their vote violated the law, the evidence shows that RSDB members were aware that the mask mandate carried the force of the law and that they were knowingly defying a law with which they disagreed. Open meetings act violations The high court also wrote that the school board shouldnt have taken action since the resolution to go mask optional was vague and not properly noticed. The Open Public Meetings Act requires governments to specify what items the body plans to act on at public meetings. Here, the agenda item Local Control does not provide notice of the business to be transacted. Instead, it is vague and could be interpreted by a member of the public as applying to almost any issue, the court wrote. Text messages between then board President Jill Oldson and Williams before this meeting backs this, the court says. Oldson wrote to Williams: What is the plan with the resolution. Im a little confused on that. And board member Rick Jansons said after the vote that he felt ambushed. In other words, the agenda item was confusing even to the RSDB members it must certainly have been confusing to the members of the public who are entitled to notification, the court writes. Openness and notice form the heart of the OPMA, the court continued. The facts alleged show that the charged RSDB members took action on an agenda item that was not properly described in the agenda and then voted on that item after a dissenting RSDB member repeatedly stated that he lacked notice. The court also found that recall charges claiming the three violated the boards code of ethics were insufficient due to the subjective nature of language, but it upheld the charges on violating district policy, saying the board had a responsibility to assure the district was in compliance with law. Jonathan Cornejo, left, and Emily Gramajo are low-income students at West Adams Preparatory High School who are able to commit to their dream universities thanks to donor support. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) In the last 48 hours, Jonathan Cornejo achieved what had seemed impossible. He committed to UC San Diego. The 17-year-old senior at West Adams Preparatory High School had dreamed of attending the University of California campus ever since middle school, when he first saw brochures of the beautiful grounds and then learned about its strong science programs. He knew little about college preparation. His mother, a single parent from El Salvador, didn't know how to help him; she left high school after ninth grade. But she always encouraged him to work hard in school and pursue his dreams. So he did. As a freshman he bombed his first Advanced Placement class Spanish even though he speaks the language. But he steadily improved his grades, earning A's and Bs in honors English, algebra and chemistry as a sophomore. Then earning A's in more AP courses Spanish literature, biology, U.S. history, government and politics. His 4.0 GPA, earned while serving as student body president and yearbook editor in chief, helped him earn admission to the top-rated UC San Diego. But as the May 1 college commitment day approached, Jonathan was on the verge of declining the offer. He had decided to attend community college instead. Although his financial aid package offered $29,265 in grants a federal Pell Grant, a Cal Grant and a $10,368 institutional grant from UC San Diego he faced a $4,000 shortfall in covering the mandatory tuition, room and board expenses. His mother, who works from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. most days in two jobs as a low-wage restaurant cook, couldn't help him. His own income as a part-time Starbucks barista wouldn't be enough. They didn't want to take out loans that would financially squeeze them even more. He was disappointed even admitted to crying over his inability to afford his dream school, but told himself he would make the best of it. Then, everything changed. The Times wrote about his plight, which reflects the struggle of thousands of the state's poorest students who are admitted to UC, but instead choose community colleges or California State University in part because of financial shortfalls. The other public higher education systems are more cost-effective alternatives, with many top-notch instructors and rich educational programs, but have considerably lower completion rates than UC. Story continues Offers of aid poured in. The high school was deluged with calls. Times readers asked how they could help. "There is something about that perseverance and tenacity that is inspiring," one reader wrote. "With respect to Jonathan, he has worked tremendously hard in school, works at Starbucks, does not have a father in his life, and his mother holds two jobs. Despite the setbacks he pushes on and perseveres. He is the type of person you want to root for in life. That is what caused me (and I am sure many others) to donate to him, despite having never met him." Emily Gramajo, a student at West Adams Preparatory High School. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times) With so many offers of aid, Jonathan's school counselor, Jacqueline Villatoro, helped set up GoFundMe pages for him and his classmate, Emily Gramajo. Emily had also decided to attend a community college because she couldn't afford to accept her admission offer from her dream school, Cal State Northridge but committed to the university this week after donors stepped up. "Jonathan is someone who always wanted to do his best to take advantage of the sacrifices his mother made for him," Villatoro said. "But his story is not alone. A lot of our students at West Adams are in his situation. There are so many others who could use additional help." So far, donors have raised thousands of dollars for the two students. One nonprofit started by the late Episcopal Bishop Jon Bruno, Hands in Healing, has awarded Jonathan a $10,000 grant. In his interview this week with the scholarship committee, he described his passion for science and desire to help people as a doctor after a close relative died of cancer some years ago. When committee chair Mary Bruno announced they would award the grant and would consider renewing it if he kept up his academic progress Jonathan's face broke into a huge grin. "I am so grateful!" he said. UC President Michael V. Drake, asked about Jonathan and needy students like him at a state Senate committee hearing Thursday, said that UC was stepping up financial aid support and could usually find a way to help close affordability gaps. Sometimes, he said, it was a matter of university officials not initially making the right connections with students to let them know how they could afford to attend UC. He told committee members that UC San Diego officials had contacted Jonathan and he was able to commit to the campus. "Overwhelmingly, we can find an answer," Drake said. Jonathan said he is astonished that so many people he had never met were willing to help him finance his college education. Late Tuesday, he made his decision. He went to his UC San Diego applicant portal and accepted the admission offer. "I felt like all of these people were supporting me to go after my dream," Jonathan said. "I didn't want to let them down." This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The Benton Franklin Health District gave failing grades to four restaurants or other businesses that sell food and drinks in food safety inspections April 17-21. They included Pasco, Richland and Kennewick eateries. The districts food safety team gave passing grades on 20 inspections, nine of them with perfect scores. Those acing the inspection on the first try were a drive-thru coffee stand and a pizza restaurant. In the districts routine inspections, businesses or organizations that receive 35 points for the more serious red violations are required to have additional inspections and must meet a tougher standard on those. For followup inspections, they must have fewer than 25 red points and a limited number of repeat problems to pass. Red violations are those most likely to cause food-borne illnesses, such as improper temperature control of food, lack of handwashing or bare-hand contact with foods. Blue violations are low risk factors related to the cleanliness and physical condition of an establishment. No notice is given before the inspections. Inspection results are posted online so residents can look up the status and the details of any violations of individual restaurants. Go to bit.ly/BFHDinspections. Click on the business name and then on the date of the inspection on the right half of the next page. Look for the Violations tab. Call 509-460-4205 with questions or concerns. Failed inspections Dog Haus, 7425 Sandifur Parkway, Pasco, Routine April 18 (40 Red, 0 Blue) Notes: Food worker cards not 100%, improper hot holding (<130F), improper cold holding (>45F). Rancho Meat Market (Food Service), 8425 Chapel Hill Blvd., Pasco, Follow-up April 18 (40 Red, 0 Blue) Notes: Raw meat improperly stored, improper hot holding (<130F), lack of conformance with approved procedures. Sbarro, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd., Kennewick, Routine April 17 (50 Red, 3 Blue) Notes: Food worker cards not 100%, inadequate handwashing facilities, room temperature storage or improper use of time as a control, improper chemical use. Story continues Subway, 93 Gage Blvd., Richland, Routine April 18 (35 Red, 0 Blue) Notes: Improper hand washing, improper produce washing. Passed inspections Black Rock Coffee Bar, 300 N. Ely St., Kennewick, Routine April 20 (10 Red, 5 Blue) Brewd Awakening, 4727 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick, Routine April 20 (30 Red, 0 Blue) Cafenated, 507 Ninth St., Benton City, Routine April 20 (0 Red, 8 Blue) Country Mercantile (Kiosk/IceCream/Espresso), 5015 Ava Way, Richland, Follow-up April 20 (0 Red, 0 Blue) DQ Meadow Ridge Grill & Chill, 91 Gage Blvd., Richland, Routine April 18 (0 Red, 0 Blue) Dutch Bros, 4305 W. 27th Place, Kennewick, Routine April 20 (0 Red, 0 Blue) Farh Thai Restaurant, 5601 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick, Follow-up April 20 (0 Red, 0 Blue) IHop, 6511 W. Canal Drive, Kennewick, Routine April 20 (25 Red, 5 Blue) Jack in the Box, 4800 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick, Follow-up April 20 (0 Red, 0 Blue) MOD Super Fast Pizza, 5326 Road 68, Pasco, Routine April 18 (0 Red, 0 Blue) Outback Steakhouse, 6819 W. Canal Drive, Kennewick, Follow-up April 20 (5 Red, 0 Blue) Proof, 6627 Burden Blvd., Pasco, Follow-up April 18 (5 Red, 0 Blue) Somer Bakery (Grocery), 5601 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick, Follow-up April 20 (0 Red, 0 Blue) Starbucks Coffee Co., 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd., Kennewick, Follow-up April 17 (10 Red, 0 Blue) Sushi Mori, 1350 N. Louisiana St., Kennewick, Follow-up April 20 (0 Red, 0 Blue) The Pub, 7001 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick, Follow-up April 20 (5 Red, 0 Blue) The Village Bistro, 5215 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick, Follow-up April 20 (0 Red, 0 Blue) Tri-Teriyaki, 5431 W. Van Giesen St., West Richland, Routine April 20 (0 Red, 7 Blue) Tys Bar & Grill, 3880 W. Van Giesen St., West Richland, Routine April 20 (0 Red, 7 Blue) Yummie Pho, 7520 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick, Follow-up April 20 (0 Red, 0 Blue) In the male-dominated world of barbecue, its becoming more common to see women running the pits. The women who build fires and smoke meat in Fort Worth-area barbecue restaurants often get underestimated, overlooked and belittled, but their love of the craft remains what matters most to them. Ive been asked like literally Do you know what youre doing? Ive never seen anyone do it like that. And its like, dude, Im working at the number one barbecue restaurant in Texas, said Cecilia Guerrero, a pitmaster at Goldees Barbecue. Why are you even questioning how Im wrapping a rib or how Im loading a turkey? Ive had someone suggest that I start using different wood because thats what they prefer. And its like sir, get out of my smoke room, no one asked you. Pitmaster Cecilia Guerrero tends the fires of several smokers at Goldees Barbecue in Fort Worth on Saturday, April 22, 2023. Guerreros story as a woman working the fires in Fort Worths venerable barbecue pits is no longer a rarity. Here are five women who navigated the industry to rise to positions of their dreams. Cecilia Guerrero, 41 I know my skill. I know my craft. GOLDEES BARBECUE Three years ago, 41-year-old Cecilia Guerrero was laid off from her marketing and web design job, having done office work for 20 years. When she found out that a Fort Worth barbecue restaurant was hiring, she applied and got hired. Now her job is lighting fires and smoking meat. While working at the barbecue place made her realize she would not be working an office job again, it was a toxic male-dominated environment where women were discouraged from running the pits and instead relegated to cooking sides and tending to the cash register. Guerrero also was harassed and threatened by a drunk male employee and was told by the owner to just push through because they were short staffed, she said. That all changed at Goldees Barbecue, where Guerrero is doing things she never thought shed be doing, like participating in the Fort Worth Food and Wine Festival with fellow women in barbecue. Still, whenever shes working in the pit room, a man will peek his head in and mansplain barbecue to her, Guerrero said. Story continues Pitmaster Cecilia Guerrero tends the fire of the smoker at Goldees Barbecue in Fort Worth on Saturday, April 22, 2023. Goldees recently took thermostats off the smokers, so now Guerrero is cooking meat purely by intuition. I know what a fire is supposed to look like. I know what the meat is supposed to look like. I know that for a certain amount of time, the meat should already look like this. I know my skill. I know my craft. I know what Im supposed to be looking for, she says. Though shes been made to doubt herself in the past, like many women in barbecue, Guerrero has learned to trust herself and her abilities. Mackenzie Elkins I know what it takes to do this now SAMMIES BBQ Leaving an insurance job, Mackenzie Elkins, a pitmaster and general manager at Sammies BBQ for nearly two years, started out as a waitress at the restaurant for three months before starting to smoke meat. I was looking for something new and something more than just kind of sitting there making phone calls every day, Elkins says of her career move. Now she wants to stay in the barbecue restaurant business for as long as she can. The most rewarding part, for her, is serving people and seeing satisfied customers. Her day starts with barbecuing the chicken and pork chops. In the afternoons, Elkins seasons and cooks brisket. What sets Sammies apart from other barbecue restaurants, she said, is the traditional approach, the fresh ingredients they use and everything from dry rubs to sauces being made in-house. The East Belknap Street joint still uses recipes from the original 1946 restaurant, including the barbecue sauce, onion rings and coleslaw. Elkinss inspiration? Legendary Texas pitmaster Tootsie Tomanetz of Snows BBQ in Lexington, known as the Queen of Texas BBQ. Shes been doing this forever and that I think is amazing. I know what it takes to do this now and its not easy and it takes a lot of work, Elkins said. So shes a big inspiration to myself and obviously to a lot of other people as well. Amaris Montemayor, 22 Theyre boys, but I felt like I could do the same thing PANTHER CITY BBQ Growing up, 22-year-old Amaris Montemayor would watch her uncles and male cousins barbecue, and wanted to do the same thing. I mean, yeah, theyre boys, but I felt like I could do the same thing and so they would teach me how to do it and I just think its super cool knowing how to do everything that they can do too, she said. I just wanted to do what they were doing. Panther City BBQ pitmaster Amaris Montemayor, 22, poses for a portrait on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, in Fort Worth. Montemayor has been working at the food truck-turned-restaurant since she was 15. Montemayor started working at Panther City BBQ when she was 15 years old, helping out at the then-food truck whenever she wasnt in school. Throughout those years, she transitioned from cashier and food runner to setting plates to cutting meat and finally moved on to the pits. She learned how to trim, wrap and season brisket. Ribs, which take about eight hours, became her favorite meat to cook. We put a little twist into ours. We do barbecue sauce, we pull them out and put barbecue sauce on them again and just put them back in the rest of the time and then we put a little brown sugar on them, so I just enjoy doing that part and then wrapping them, she said. Now, Montemayors full-time job is a little different, working as a volunteer coordinator at the Center For ASD in Burleson. She still works part-time at Panther City every Saturday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. In her free time, she and her cousins attend barbecue competitions in cities like Lubbock, Lockhart and Austin. Panther City BBQ pitmaster Amaris Montemayor, 22, poses for a portrait on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, in Fort Worth. Montemayor has been working at the food truck-turned-restaurant since she was 15. Betty Turner, 31 I wasnt going to be overlooked JAMBOS BBQ At 6 a.m., 31-year-old Betty Turners workday starts by taking the brisket and pork out of the slow cooker after leaving them on overnight, putting ribs on the pit and cooking sausage and bologna for breakfast. On Wednesdays, shell also cook the chicken special. Turner will then make the sides of potatoes, beans, mac and cheese and green beans. We get a lot of customers that you can see the shock in their face when theyre like Oh my God, its so good, who cooked this? And then everyones pointing to the females in the kitchen. Turner says. Its a full female staff so theyre actually very shocked to find out that the females were the ones cooking. They dont expect it at all. Betty Turner has been a pitmaster at Jambos BBQ in Arlington since 2013. Turner is one of two female pitmasters at the restaurant. Since 2013, Turner has been working as a pitmaster at Jambos BBQ. That decade-long work has taught the longtime Arlington resident that it all comes down to how the meat is seasoned and cooked, which Jambos has been doing the same way since its opening by champion pitmaster Jamie Geer. Weve just always joked around about whose ribs are better and this and that and its always fun to make the ribs, said Turner, one of two female pitmasters at the Division Street restaurant. As for brisket, because they slow cook it overnight, the right temperature and timing is key. When she first started training, Turner had to overcome worries about being the only woman alongside older male pitmasters who had been in the field for a long time. Betty Turner has been a pitmaster at Jambos BBQ in Arlington since 2013. Turner is one of two female pitmasters at the restaurant. When I came into it, I had an opportunity that was given to me that I wasnt going to be overlooked because I was a female, so it didnt matter what the guys over there thought. Turner said. Had I not had that chance, I probably would have been a little nervous going into something that was more male dominated and thinking Im gonna get overlooked doing it. Her advice for women wanting to get into the barbecue game: just go for it. Dont be afraid because its mostly men doing it that youre gonna get shut down, shot down or looked at wrong, Turner said. None of that really matters if thats what you enjoy doing. Rita Olsen I am just incredibly passionate about it VAQUEROS TEXAS BAR-B-Q Last summer, Rita Olsen packed her bags and headed to Crockett to chase the barbecue dream. Her love of the culinary art stemmed from growing up with a cattle rancher father in West Texas and becoming interested in the processing and cooking of meat. Just being able to pay some respect to what we cook and the wide open world that is available to how we prepare these things, I am just incredibly passionate about it, Olsen said. Barbecuing at home and at a ranch she managed in San Antonio turned into catering for small events. After a brief stint at Mimsys Craft Barbecue to hone her craft, Olsen became a pitmaster at Vaqueros Texas Bar-B-Q in Grapevine, which adds a Mexican flair to classic Texas barbecue. Commitment to quality is what makes the restaurant stand out, according to Olsen, with everything made from scratch. Her workdays start at midnight, when shell maintain one fire, start a fire in another pit and do meat prep like trimming ribs and turkeys. Running two pits on her own, time management is paramount, as Olsen knows exactly when she needs to get every protein on the smoker so that it comes off in time to rest for service. Meanwhile, variables like the weather, wood quality, meat quality, inventory and delivery are ever-changing. That pressure to consistently put out the best product in the face of obstacles thrown in the way is what makes the job worthwhile to Olsen. But being a woman in the BBQ industry doesnt come without challenges, shes found. Like Turner, Olsen is often approached by customers who automatically assume shes the cashier, and some are surprised to find out that she runs the fires and cooks the meat by herself. She says people often dont expect women to be so involved in barbecue the way that they are now. The upside, however, is that makes female pitmasters stand out and be remembered. You just have to stay humble and also remember that we are embarking on some uncharted territory, at least less frequently traveled territory, with women, Olsen said. And there are a lot of women emerging in this business, more today than Ive ever seen, which is so exciting. Its important for female pitmasters to find a restaurant that treats its people well, Olsen says, otherwise they may be stuck at a toxic workplace. Stand up for yourself when others wont, and dont ask for permission to do things however you see fit, others urge. Brisket lays in the smoker before cooking at Goldees Barbecue in Fort Worth on Saturday, April 22, 2023. We have to know how to hold our own and also maintain our boundaries, she said. Its a really tough field, so you do have to have some thick skin and know what your goals are, know what you will and wont tolerate and dont waver from that. Let your work speak for itself because I believe that it will, and it does for those that are talented in this industry. Were seeing it over and over, so many women are just coming up the ranks and its amazing to watch it happen. When shes not up at 4:30 a.m. cooking for customers, Guerrero is cooking for her big family. Ever since the lifelong Fort Worth resident could reach a stove, she cooked traditional Mexican food in the kitchen with her mom, being the youngest of 10 siblings. Then, after her mom passed, she became in charge of Sunday family dinners. After three years of drought, this winter was met with record snowfall and rain. Now, Northern California waterfalls that were no more than a trickle are flowing again. There are several waterfalls in driving distance of Sacramento and the trek will take some planning. You can anticipate a short drive to the trail head and then a hike, with the reward worth the quest. The further into the Sierra foothills you go, the more waterfalls youll find and dont sleep on the East Bay, where there are more than a dozen trails where avid hikers have spotted them. Here are eight places to look for waterfalls within a 2-hour drive Sacramento this spring: Where: Auburn How long does it take to get there?: Depending on where you go, its about a 45 minute to an hour from downtown Sacramento. How difficult is the trail? According to AllTrails, there are at least 12 waterfalls throughout the recreation area, which has a parking fee in designated areas. The difficulty of the trails vary depending on where you go. Calcutta Falls, located along the Western States Trail, takes a 2.2-mile out and back hike, generally considered easy. Before you head out, be sure to check trail conditions and rules on the official state recreation area website. Visitors attend the groundbreaking ceremony visit the Hidden Falls at the site of Hidden Falls Regional Park in Placer County on Monday July 10, 2006. Sacramento Bee/ Randall Benton Where: Placer County How long does it take to get there?: About 1 hour from downtown Sacramento. A permit and fee is required in advance to park at the trail head. How difficult is the trail? The Hidden Falls Trail loop is 3.3 miles and considered a moderate hike. You may also spot California poppies on the trek. Before you head out, be sure to check trail conditions and rules on the Placer County website. Where: Butte County How long does it take to get there?: About 1 hour 30 minutes from downtown Sacramento. How difficult is the trail? There are two waterfalls along a 4-mile, out-and-back trail, considered a moderate. Waterproof hiking boots are recommended. Story continues Before you head out, be sure to check trail conditions and rules on the official North Table Mountain Ecological Preserve website. Where: Eldorado National Forest How long does it take to get there?: About 1 hour and 48 minutes from downtown Sacramento How difficult is the trail?: A 3.6-mile out-and-back trail takes you to Bassi Falls, passing by cascades and a swimming hole. Its considered a moderately difficult hike. Before you head out, be sure to check trail conditions and rules on the official national forest website. Heres why you shouldnt swim in Northern California rivers even as weather heats up Where: Spenceville Wildlife Area How long does it take to get there?: Roughly 1 hour 30 minutes from downtown Sacramento How difficult is the trail?: The approximately 5-mile trail is considered an easy hike. You may run into some cows, too. Before you heat out, be sure to check trail conditions and rules on the wildlife areas website. Waterfalls near Lake Tahoe With snow still in the Sierra, the following waterfalls may be difficult to get to and theyre a little further drive from Sacramento than the rest. Cascade Falls Where: Lake Tahoe Basin How long does it take to get there?: About 2 hours and 24 minutes from Sacramento How difficult is the trail?: The out-and-back trail is about 1.5 miles and considered easy, though the snow may complicate your hike. Make sure to check the official website before heading out, as trail conditions change and closures are possible. Palisades Creek Trail Where: Tahoe National Forest How long does it take to get there?: About an hour and 50 minutes from downtown Sacramento How difficult is the trail?: With more than 12 miles to cover, this is considered a hard trail Make sure to check the official website before heading out, as trail conditions change and closures are possible. Sly Park Waterfall Where: Pollock Pines How long does it take to get there?: About an hour and 10 minutes from Sacramento How difficult is the trail?: The 4.5-mile moderate trail will take you to a small waterfall, according to hiker reviews. Make sure to check surrounding conditions before you head out. 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. Summer is fast approaching. But before it gets here, there are plenty of fun events across Central Florida >>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<< See our top 9 events below. Pride Prom For the second time Come Out With Pride is hosting an adult-only (21+) Pride Prom at the Orlando Science Center. The event will take place on Friday, April 28 from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. Click here for more details. READ: Evolution is Inclusion: Pride prom set to transform the Orlando Science Center into Planet EVO O.A.R. at Hard Rock Live O.A.R. will perform Friday at 8 p.m. at Hard Rock Live Orlando. Click here for tickets. Steve Martin and Martin Short Comedy icons Steve Martin and Martin Short will appear together at Dr. Phillips Center Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Click here for tickets. READ: Shopping for Mothers Day? Discovery Cove offering 40% off day passes Harvey at Ritz Theater Sanford The Pulitzer-winning comedy Harvey by Mary Chase begins this weekend at The Ritz Theater in Sanford. Shows are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Click here for tickets. Island H2O Water Park Foam Party Island H2O in Kissimmee will host its adults-only Glow Foam Water Park Party Saturday from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Click here for tickets and information. The Spongebob Musical at Orlando Repertory Theatre The Orlando Repertory Theatre presents its final weekend of The Spongebob Musical. Click here for tickets. READ: Dates, details announced for this years Mickeys Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Malcolm X The Musical at Dr. Phillips Tommie Wofford Productions Presents Malcolm X The Musical Sunday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the Alexis and Jim Pugh Theater. Click here for tickets. Dapper Day Dapper Day Outings return to Walt Disney World, with the sharp-dressed event taking place at EPCOT Saturday and Magic Kingdom on Sunday. Martin Moreno Comedian Martin Moreno will perform at the Orlando Improv Sunday at 7 p.m. Click here for tickets. Story continues READ: Golden Gals Live! returns to Clermont in May 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. Singaporeans buying 2nd property to pay ABSD rate of 20%. It is doubled for foreigners. (PHOTO: Getty) SINGAPORE Singaporeans who are buying their second residential property will be subject to an Additional Buyers Stamp Duty (ABSD) rate of 20 per cent up from 17 per cent from Thursday (27 April). Those buying their third and subsequent property, as well as Singapore permanent residents (PRs) buying their second property, will have to pay an ABSD rate of 30 per cent. This is an increase from the previous 25 per cent. In a statement released before midnight Wednesday, the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of National Development and Monetary Authority of Singapore said that the increases are to "promote a sustainable property market" and "prioritise housing for owner-occupation". Despite property market measures implemented in December 2021 and September 2022, which have had some moderating effect, property prices "showed renewed signs of acceleration amid resilient demand" in the first quarter of 2023. "Demand from locals purchasing homes for owner-occupation has been especially strong, and there has also been renewed interest from local and foreign investors in our residential property market," the authorities said. "If left unchecked, prices could run ahead of economic fundamentals, with the risk of a sustained increase in prices relative to incomes." Additional rate changes are: Increase in ABSD rate from 30 per cent to 35 per cent for PRs purchasing their third and subsequent residential property. Increase in ABSD rate from 30 per cent to 60 per cent for foreigners purchasing any residential property. Increase in ABSD rate from 35 per cent to 65 per cent for entities or trusts purchasing any residential property, except for housing developers. Story continues Singaporeans who are buying their second private residential property will be subject to an Additional Buyers Stamp Duty (ABSD) rate of 20 per cent up from 17 per cent from Thursday (27 April). (PHOTO: MND) No change in rate for first property purchase Based on 2022 data, the authorities said, the current ABSD rate increases will affect some 10 per cent of residential property transactions. There will be no change to the ABSD rates for citizens (no ABSD) and PRs (five per cent) purchasing their first residential property. This group constitutes about 90 per cent of residential property transactions based on 2022 data. For acquisitions made jointly by two or more parties of different profiles, the highest applicable ABSD rate will apply. Those buying a HDB flat or executive condominium unit from housing developers with an upfront remission, are not currently affected by the ABSD, if any of the joint acquirers or purchasers is a Singapore citizen. The revised ABSD rates will apply to all residential properties acquired on or after 27 April 2023. There will be a transitional provision, where the ABSD rates on or before 26 April 2023 will apply for cases that meet all these conditions: The Option to Purchase (OTP) was granted by sellers to potential buyers on or before 26 April 2023. This OTP is exercised on or before 17 May 2023, or within the OTP validity period, whichever is earlier. This OTP has not been varied on or after 27 April 2023. Increase in housing supply The authorities said that they have "increased the supply of private housing on the Confirmed List to 4,100 units for the 1H2023 Government Land Sales (GLS) programme, from 3,500 units for 2H2022". In 2022, the authorities had put in a total of 6,300 units under the Confirmed List. "For public housing, we have launched more than 23,000 flats in 2022 and will launch up to 23,000 flats in 2023. We are also prepared to launch up to 100,000 new flats in total between 2021 to 2025." "The government will continue to adjust our policies as necessary to ensure that they remain relevant, and promote a sustainable property market," the authorities said. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Ahead of a possible fight over abortion rights, the GOP-controlled Missouri Senate on Thursday passed legislation that would make it harder for voters across the state to approve amendments to the state constitution. The constitutional amendment, which passed along a party-line vote of 24-10, would increase the number of votes required for a constitutional amendment to pass on the ballot from a simple majority of more than 50% of those who voted to either 57% of those who voted or at least 50% of the statewide vote and a majority of those who voted in at least five of the states eight congressional districts. The proposal has the potential to dilute the voting power of the states two most diverse and Democratic-leaning congressional districts, which include Kansas City and St. Louis. The legislation is less restrictive than the version passed by the Missouri House in February, which required at least 60% of voters to amend the constitution and would have killed marijuana legalization, which received 53% support statewide. Because of the changes, it will now head back to the House. If approved by both chambers, it would be placed in front of voters in the November 2024 election. The amendment would also apply the same threshold to lawmakers, requiring both chambers of the Missouri General Assembly to obtain 57% of the vote to put a question on the ballot. They were dead set on taking away the voice of the people because they dont like when people inject themselves into politics because they pass things that the Republican General Assembly doesnt like, Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo, an Independence Democrat, told reporters Thursday, referring to Senate Republicans. The proposal is part of an onslaught of GOP-led bills filed this year that would raise the threshold for voters to pass citizen-led ballot measures, called initiative petitions. It comes in the wake of Missouri voters approving several liberal-leaning policies through changes to the constitution a portion of which would likely not have passed under the proposed legislation. Story continues Rizzo on Thursday said that Medicaid expansion, approved by voters in 2020 with just more than 53% of the vote statewide, likely would not have passed under the proposal. The ones that were probably between that 50% to 52% wouldnt pass, he said. The proposed changes come just a month after a Missouri abortion rights group filed a flurry of petitions to restore abortion rights at the ballot box in Missouri. The procedure was almost entirely outlawed under a 2019 law that was triggered after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year. The prospect of an abortion-related initiative petition has bolstered Republican attempts to make it harder to get measures on the ballot. Since 2018, ballot initiatives in Missouri have led voters to legalize both medical and recreational marijuana, overturn a right-to-work law which would have prevented unions from requiring employees to pay union dues and expand eligibility for Medicaid. Senate Republicans this week argued that the Missouri Constitution has been too easy to change. Some have compared the states governing document to a thick book, inundated with policies that belong in state law, not the constitution. It should be harder to amend the constitution, Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, a Columbia Republican, told reporters Thursday. Its just the way it is. We want to incentivize people to put things in the right places. Defenders of the current ballot measure process have framed the legislation as an attack on democracy. They say it takes away voters ability to directly participate in the democratic process. This is a deceptive trick to end majority rule in Missouri, Kelli Kee, the spokesperson for liberal-leaning Progress Missouri, said in a statement Thursday. Voters arent as stupid as some politicians in Jefferson City think they are. Democrats and initiative petition defenders also excoriated Senate Republicans for the deceptive ballot language that would be placed in front of voters. The proposed ballot initiative would ask Missourians to Allow only U.S. citizens to vote on initiatives, despite the fact that Missouri law already requires voters to be U.S. citizens. Some politicians in Jefferson City are hoping they can trick voters with racist language while they rig the rules for this power grab, Caitlyn Adams, executive director of Missouri Jobs with Justice Voter Action, said in a statement. While Republicans say its been too easy to change the state constitution, data provided to The Star shows that voters have approved only 40.6% of the 69 citizen-driven initiative petitions placed on the ballot between 1910 and 2022. State Sen. Andrew Koenig, a Manchester Republican, on Wednesday defended the deceptive ballot question, saying the language is straight from the constitution, and reaffirms current law on who is allowed to vote in the state. However, state Sen. Barbara Washington, a Kansas City Democrat, said that language is ballot candy to draw in people to vote against their interests. It is a way to make people vote for this, because we have become so polarized that we have folks thinking that we really have non-eligible people voting in our elections, Washington said. Turkey's ailing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday re-emerged from a two-day absence and spoke by video link with Vladimir Putin at a virtual ceremony unveiling a Russian-built nuclear power plant. The 69-year-old leader suspended all campaigning for Turkey's pivotal May 14 election after getting sick while conducting a live TV interview on Tuesday evening. Erdogan said he had developed an upset stomach while hopping between five cities for rallies and public project launches at the start of the week. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Thursday that Erdogan had "infectious gastroenteritis" -- a short-term illness caused by the inflammation of the digestive tract. But the scare forced Erdogan to cancel events on Wednesday and then stay at home instead of travelling to the Mediterranean coast for Thursday's grand opening of Turkey's first nuclear power plant. The video appearance represented Erdogan's effort to project health and vigour at one of the more vulnerable moments of his two-decade rule. But he looked wan and visibly frail as he addressed Putin and the nation from behind his presidential desk. "Our country has risen to the league of nations with nuclear power, albeit after a 60-year delay," Erdogan said in prepared remarks. Putin praised Erdogan's leadership and said Moscow was "always ready to extend the hand of friendship" to Turkey. "I want to say it straight: you know how to set ambitious goals and are confidently moving towards their implementation," Putin added. - 'Disinformation' - Erdogan is known for his love of campaigning and penchant for political fights. Polls suggested either that he is running neck-and-neck or behind opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu in Turkey's most momentous election in decades. His Islamic-rooted party's control of parliament through an alliance with a far-right group is also under threat. Erdogan had used his rallies to launch fierce attacks at the opposition and portray himself as a man who gets the job done. Story continues That image has been shaken -- and his office is fighting back. The president's powerful media director Fahrettin Altun posted screenshots on Twitter of Chinese state media and some popular accounts speculating about Erdogan's condition being more serious than officially reported. "We categorically reject such baseless claims regarding President Erdogan's health," Altun wrote. "No amount of disinformation can dispute the fact that the Turkish people stand with their leader and Erdogan and his AK Party are set to win the May 14 elections." - Guarded secret - Rumours about Erdogan's health have been circulating since he underwent two gastrointestinal surgeries in 2011 and 2012. The operations left him with a slight hitch in his gait that appears to have fed some of the social media speculation. Turkey does not publicise the results of its leaders' health evaluations and it is illegal to "insult the president". Thousands of people have been prosecuted for the offence -- punishable by either a fine or a jail term of up to four years. Turkey's main opposition leaders all quickly tweeted messages wishing Erdogan a speedy recovery. Erdogan's video linkup with Putin unveiled a project that Russia began building during a chill in Ankara's relations with its Western allies in 2018. Construction of the Akkuyu plant was complicated by sanctions the West imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. "Yes, we have certain logistical problems," Akkuyu plant director Sergei Butskikh told reporters on the eve of the launch. "The transportation routes are getting longer. Not all of the shipping companies are able to work with us. So here yes, we feel the sanctions," he added. "But this has not affected the quality of the plant's construction." Erdogan has been one of the few world leaders to maintain good relations with Putin by refusing to sign up to Western sanctions on Russia and trying to mediate an end to the war. zak/jj The U.S. Air Force has suspended two commanders of the Massachusetts unit that included alleged Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira amid an investigation into the unauthorized release of classified documents. The Air Force confirmed to The Hill it suspended the commander of the 102nd Intelligence Support Squadron and a detachment commander responsible for overseeing administrative support for airmen within Teixeiras unit. This means that both the squadrons state Air National Guard operational commander and current federal orders administrative commander have been suspended, the Air Force said in a statement. The Air Force also temporarily removed the commanders access to classified systems and information. Both suspensions are temporary pending an internal investigation of the incident from the Air Force launched earlier this month. The military branch is also conducting a service-wide review of its security practices in the wake of the leak, separate from the Pentagons review of its internal procedures and rules regarding classified documents. Teixeira, 21, worked with the 102nd Intelligence Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard at Otis Air National Guard Base before he was arrested on April 14 for the illegal distribution of classified documents. Earlier this month, the Air Force removed the intelligence mission from the unit in Cape Cod and temporarily reassigned it to other organizations within the Air Force. Teixeira, who has a detention hearing in front of a judge on Thursday, allegedly leaked the documents detailing the affairs of U.S. allies and the war in Ukraine on the online chat forum site Discord for months before they spilled out across social media in March. The Justice Department has charged Teixeira under the espionage act, and he faces up to 15 years in prison. In Wednesday court filings, prosecutors said the young airman kept an arsenal of weapons, talked of violence and murder and referenced an assassination van on social media. Story continues Prosecutors are requesting the judge keep Teixeira in custody pending a trial, calling the airman a flight risk who has already done immense damage to U.S. national security. Teixeira served as a cyber transport systems specialist with the Air National Guard, essentially an IT worker who helped maintain the networks security. This granted him access to a high level of security clearance. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The people at Delta Air Lines have another reason to celebrate after it was named the best airline of 2023. Personal finance company WalletHub released a new study that compared the nine largest U.S. airlines, plus two regional carriers. Of all the airlines, Delta came out as the No. 1. overall. The worst Southwest. People involved in the study also said Delta was the most reliable airline, as well as one of the best for pets. During its study, WalletHub looked at 14 different metrics from cancellation and delay rates to baggage mishaps and in-flight comfort to come up with its list of airlines from best to worst. RELATED STORIES: The company said it also considered costs in relation to in-flight amenities. Some of the studys key finding shows Delta had the lowest rate of cancelations, delays, mishandled luggage, and denied boardings of all the airlines it looked at. JetBlue was picked as the most comfortable airline, while Spirit was listed as the most affordable. If youd like to read more about the study, CLICK HERE. RELATED NEWS: Divorce settlement house cut in half. Credit - Peter DazeleyGetty Images Of the almost 700,000 divorces in the United States each year, 70% of them are initiated by women. In 2021, one of us (Rebecca) became one of those women when she sought a divorce in her home state of North Carolina. But she was surprised to learn that before she could even file, she needed to wait a full year first, as North Carolina is one of a handful of states that mandates a separation period before couples are allowed to file for divorce. Although she was sure of her decision, Rebecca couldnt do anything but count down the days on the required clockand stay legally married. As a former state policy advisor and an investigative journalist, we teamed up to better understand the requirements that can prevent people from leaving unhappy marriages. Together, we researched state-by-state divorce policies and interviewed leaders in advocacy and law in an effort to make information more accessible in what is an intentionally complicated system. What we found was striking: Divorce in the U.S. is governed by an arbitrary constellation of policies that impede the freedom to end a marriage and have a disproportionately harmful impact on women. And as confusing and inconvenient as these laws were for Rebecca, the impact they can have on women in financially unstable or violent relationships is nothing short of devastating. Policies that make people wait to get divorced are paternalistic at best, and dangerous at worst. Rebecca lives in one of just seven states that require couples to live in separate households before a spouse can file for divorce. North Carolina and South Carolina each require mandatory separation periods of one year, while Delaware, Louisiana, Montana, Vermont, and Virginia mandate a period of six months. And those are just the states that impose pre-filing waiting periods: 35 states require a cooling-off period where couples must wait a minimum amount of time after filing for their divorce for it to be finalized. In states like Florida, West Virginia, and Wyoming, that wait can be as brief as 20 days. But if youre trying to get divorced in Massachusetts, you must wait at least 300 days from when you file for divorce. And, if youre really unlucky, you might live in a state that requires both a separation period and a cooling-off period. Story continues These required waiting periods can create dangerous situations for the people stuck in them. The longer it takes to get that court decree, the longer the couple is navigating around the system and having to resolve things for themselves, Amy Barasch, the Executive Director of Her Justice, a New York-based nonprofit that provides legal services to women in need, told us. Usually the person for whom thats the most challenging is the partner who has less power, less money, and is probably more involved in raising the children. In many heterosexual households, that partner is often the woman. Read More: The Gift I Gave Myself After My Divorce Divorce proceedings establish parameters for dividing joint marital assets and responsibilities, like co-parenting. But for couples divorcing in a state with a required separation period, they have six months to a year of marital limbo: while they are required to live apart but stay legally married, the couple is on their own during that time to navigate the ambiguity of finances and other roles that had been shared. This makes women, in particular, vulnerable to exploitation, as only 30% of wives in dual-income homes earn more than their husbands, and the earning penalty for mothers is about $16,000 each year. In states that require a separation period to divorce, there is nothing to stop, say, one spouse from draining a joint bank account or selling marital property amidst a hostile relationship breakdown, all while still legally married. These complicated laws are a holdover of a fraught American tradition: to make divorce as difficult as possible. Until the 1950s, divorce cases were tried in the traditional legal system that required one spouse to have wronged the other under a specific set of legitimate reasons to end the marriagelike adultery or extreme cruelty. The petitioning spouse had to prove fault, a burden that required presenting extensive and often gender-biased evidence to the court. As divorce proceedings began to shift to new, statewide systems of family courts, states enacted no-fault divorce policies wherein married couples could legally split without needing to demonstrate the fault of one spouse. Through the 1970s and onward, no-fault divorce became available nationwide and reduced prohibitive barriers to filing. A rapid rise in divorce rates followed, as, for the first time, individuals had a more accessible way to end unwanted marriages. Today, filing for no-fault divorce is the only option in 17 states, while couples in the other 33 can choose to file either by citing a fault or with no-fault. If you go the no-fault route, you might avoid the effort and resources it takes to prove your spouses wrongdoings in court. But because of separation and cooling-off period requirements, you still might need to wait monthsor more than a yearfor your divorce to be finalized. Waiting period laws function as a deterrent to divorce that is still reminiscent of the old fault system. But theres some hope for change. On April 13, 2023, Rep. Charles Smith, a state representative from North Carolinas 44th District, filed bipartisan House Bill 604 to help reform the states waiting period policy. When Smith spoke with family law experts for their insights as he drafted the bill, he asked whether North Carolinas one-year separation period came from an antiquated history. They didnt really have another reason, Smith shared with us. It was just that before deciding if you really want to get divorced, we need you to wait a year to figure out if youre ready to make that decision. Thats all they gave me. The new bill eliminates the required yearlong separation period specifically for victims of domestic violence, a parallel effort to the recently-filed, bipartisan Senate Bill 575. (Neither bill addresses the cooling-off period after filing.) Women make up 85% of domestic violence victims and face the highest risk of serious injury or death when they try to leave their abusers. But in some states, North Carolina included, victims of domestic violence must still complete mandatory waiting periods without exception prior to filing for divorce. Rep. Smith started his career as a district attorney specializing in domestic violence cases, where he saw the danger of drawn-out resolutions for victims. With how cyclical a [domestic violence] relationship is, having that immediate out is important to break the cycle, he said. The more time that goes [by], the more influence the abuser has. These joint bills in the North Carolina state legislature are a promising, renewed effort that follows a series of failed attempts across multiple states to reduce or eliminate divorce waiting periods. North Carolinas 2015 attempt to eliminate the yearlong waiting period in cases of one spouses felony conviction went nowhere, along with other stymied bills in 2019 and 2021. Last month, Virginia put forth a bill that died in committee. And because South Carolinas one-year separation period is written into its constitution, any changes would require voters to approve an amendmentan effort which has failed in the past. Each of these bills has attempted to chip away at outdated laws that put women at risk. But we need to consider how our society views divorce more broadly. Weve got federal policies that affirmatively encourage marriage, Amy Barasch told us. We make sure that if youre low income, the locality cant charge a fee to get your marriage license. We remove every possible barrier. But then should you choose to end that marriage, barriers pop up in all sorts of ways. While we found that 38 states have a mandatory waiting period of some kind for even the most straightforward divorces, ranging from 20 to 455 days, only 18 states require any wait to get marriedthe longest of which is five days. We need widespread divorce policy reform and the elimination of waiting periods in states that require them. But we also need to reckon with why divorce continues to be one of the most expensive, complicated, and stressful life experiences for American adults. The ability and time it takes to end an unhappy or unsafe marriage should not depend on whether you live in the Carolinas or California. We must make divorce accessible, safer, and more equitable for all. We see divorce as a social justice issue, Barasch said. Highlighting the impact of ludicrously complicated divorce laws is so important, especially for women. American Airlines has boosted one of its nonstop trans-Atlantic routes at Charlotte Douglas International Airport from summer seasonal service to a year-round offering. ALSO READ: CLT to open revamped airport overlook full of amenities in 2024 American Airlines Group Inc. said this week that its flight from CLT to Spains capital city of Madrid has been extended throughout the year. That route from Charlotte to MadridBarajas Airport will fly once daily. The nearly eight-hour flight leaves CLT at about 4:45 p.m. and arrives in Madrid at 6:40 a.m., according to Americans website. The nine-hour flight back to Charlotte departs the Madrid airport in late morning and arrives here in the afternoon. Read more here. VIDEO: Transportation secretary speaks about runway safety at Charlotte airport American Airlines reported record-breaking earnings in its quarterly earnings report Thursday. The Fort Worth-based airline generated more than $12.2 billion in revenue in the first quarter of 2023 and experienced first-quarter profits for the first time in four years. CEO Robert Isom said the airline is off to a fantastic start for the year on a conference call to discuss earnings results. This year, we remain focused on reliability, profitability, strengthening our balance sheet and holding ourselves accountable along the way, Isom said. Now more than three years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, airline travelers are returning in droves. American saw a 7.5% increase in average load factor, or the percentage of available seats sold, in comparison to the same quarter of last year. More than 476,000 flights took place in the first quarter, and flights were 80% full on average. CFO Devon May said the company expects to take delivery of 23 new aircraft this year and reactivate nine Boeing 737s. We have made significant investments in our fleet over the past decade and these investments are paying off, May told analysts. American made progress on previously outlined plans to pay off $15 billion in total debt by 2025. The airline reduced debt by more than $850 million in the first quarter. CEO Isom said the airline industry is in an excellent position after the pandemic as travel patterns have evolved. The industry also faces strong demand for travel this summer. Our industry has been through the biggest crisis in its history, and its now on the other side, Isom said. In anticipation of increased demand for summer travel, American announced expanded services to two new international destinations, Rome and Dublin, on Tuesday. The carrier will operate 19 international flight services this summer to cities in Europe, Asia and South America. Engagements have slowed after pandemic lockdowns, according to the largest jeweler in the US. Bryan Miguel/Getty Images Signet Jewelers said an "engagement gap" in the US is contributing to declining ring sales. Company president Jamie Singleton projected the company needs to grow sales 25% by 2026 to return to engagement levels before the pandemic, CNN reported. Other parts of the bridal industry are also feeling the effect David's Bridal just filed for bankruptcy for the second time in five years. As fewer Americans opt to tie the knot, jewelry companies are reporting a dip in engagement ring sales. According to Signet Jewelers the largest jewelry company in the US and owner of Kay Jewelers, Jared, and Zales retailers are suffering from an "engagement gap" that's been about three years in the making. Jamie Singleton, Signet Jewelers' president and chief consumer officer, acknowledged the sales slump at the company's investor day last week, attributing the decline to dating reluctance and relationship rifts caused by pandemic lockdowns in 2020. Per Signet data, on average, most couples get married about 3.25 years into a relationship. "So what's happened over the past couple of years is what we anticipated and what we planned for," she said, according to CNN. "Engagement jewelry sales were lackluster in fiscal 2023, and we expect them to remain so for the balance of fiscal 2024." Singleton said that the market would have to grow about 25% by 2026 to return to pre-pandemic levels, a turnaround that Signet may depend on as 50% of the company's merchandise sales are from engagement jewelry, per CNN. "We've been anticipating this coming tailwind," Signet CEO Virginia Drosos told investors. "We expect this to drive significant upside in our business over the coming years." Signet Jewelers did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Jewelers aren't the only companies feeling the bridal slump. In early April, wedding dress retailer David's Bridal filed for bankruptcy for the second time in the last five years. The move left many brides-to-be wondering about the status of their orders, as the uncertain future of the company looms. Story continues The company also announced it would layoff 9,000 employees despite a boom in weddings in 2022 thanks in part to rescheduled ceremonies from the pandemic, Insider's Avery Hartmans reported. Read the original article on Business Insider The husband of Ana Walshe, a missing Massachusetts woman, had his mother hire a private investigator to follow his wife days before she disappeared because he suspected she was having an affair, prosecutors alleged in court Thursday morning. Norfolk County Assistant District Attorney Greg Connor claimed that Brian Walshes mother hired a private investigator "with his input and direction" on Dec. 26 to follow Ana Walshe in Washington, D.C., where she lived during the week for her job at Tishman Speyer, a real estate company. That month, Walshe had been "routinely visiting the Instagram page of one of her male friends," Connor said. Walshes mother could not immediately be reached for comment by phone or email. Prosecutors also said Walshe was motivated to claim his wife's life insurance policy of more than $2.7 million, for which he was the sole beneficiary. Walshe's attorney, Tracy Miner, denied the allegation, saying that his client's mother is wealthy and that "theres no evidence he was in the least bit needing of money." Miner also said Walshe told his mother that she was "crazy" for hiring a private investigator and that he never suspected his wife was having an affair. The explosive allegations were among several new details prosecutors revealed after Walshe pleaded not guilty in Norfolk County Superior Court to charges of murdering his wife, misleading a police investigation/obstruction of justice and improper conveyance of a human body. Walshe shook his head as the charges were read out in court Thursday. He appeared handcuffed, with his hair cut short, and he was dressed in formal clothes. He said nothing other than good morning to the judge and not guilty when he entered his plea. A Norfolk County grand jury indicted Walshe on those charges last month, which moved the case to Norfolk County Superior Court after he was initially arraigned in Quincy District Court in January. Story continues Missing for months Ana Walshe was last seen by a family friend in the early morning hours of Jan. 1 at the family's home in Cohasset, a suburb about 27 miles southeast of Boston, Connor said. After her husband reported her missing to her colleagues Jan. 4, the company's head of security reported her missing to police. By that point, Connor alleged, Brian Walshe "had killed her, dismembered her and disposed of her body." Ana Walshe's body has not been recovered. Experts say it is possible for a defendant to be charged and convicted of murder without a body as long as there is enough circumstantial evidence for a jury to infer that the victim is dead and the defendant is guilty. Norfolk County Assistant District Attorney Lynn Beland has said investigators found the couples DNA along with a Covid vaccination card for Ana Walshe and some of her clothes, a hacksaw, cutting shears and a hatchet in trash bags in a dumpster at Brian Walshes mothers apartment complex in Swampscott, about 40 miles north of Cohasset. Investigators have also said they found blood and a damaged knife with blood on it in the basement of the Walshe home. Brian Walshe listens during his arraignment at Quincy District Court in Quincy, Mass. (Craig F. Walker / Boston Globe via Getty Images file) Connor added in court that investigators also found rugs from the family's living room and kitchen that bore red-brown stains and a piece of a Gucci necklace Ana Walshe used to wear in the dumpster. Brian Walshe's car also tested positive for the presumptive presence of blood throughout, Connor said. Miner sought to cast doubt on the prosecution evidence, appearing to imply that Ana Walshe may have voluntarily disappeared and arguing there was no proof she was dead. "It is easy for a single person to disappear if they want to disappear," Miner said. She added that one of the eight swabs investigators collected from the couple's basement that they thought contained blood came back negative for Brian Walshe's DNA and that blood believed to have been found on a Tyvek suit found in a dumpster tested positive for an unknown person and could not conclusively be traced to her client. Three searches of the home police conducted with blood-sniffing canines also came up with nothing, Miner added, as did a drain of the family pool. Miner also said Brian Walshe waited a few days to inquire about Ana Walshe's whereabouts because it had been common for her in the months before she disappeared not to communicate with him for days on end while she was working in Washington. More disturbing internet searches Connor said that the day after Brian Walshe's mother hired the private investigator, someone using his oldest son's iPad made Google searches including "best states to get divorced in" and "worst states to get divorced in." Those are among a litany of other previously reported disturbing internet searches including 10 ways to dispose of a dead body if you really need to and how to stop a body from decomposing that prosecutors accused Brian Walshe of making in relation to his wife's disappearance. Connor added that on Jan. 1, Brian Walshe also searched for "how long someone must go missing in order to collect" and visited a website for luxury watches. Early Jan. 2, Connor said, Brian Walshe used his oldest son's iPad to make additional, previously unreported searches about a company that cleans up crime scenes and how to remove blood from concrete, the surface of the couple's basement floor. After Brian Walshe handed over the devices on Jan. 6 and investigators downloaded their history and location data, "it had become clear that the defendant had not told the truth," Connor said. Miner conceded in court that the internet searches appeared "problematic" but claimed that they were among other searches Walshe also made, including "best places to go for family vacations." She added that Walshe voluntarily turned the devices over to investigators. On Dec. 28, Ana Walshe had dinner with a friend in Washington and became "uncharacteristically upset," Connor claimed, saying that she believed her husband was going to be incarcerated for charges he faces in a federal wire fraud case and that she was prepared to leave him and move her children to Washington. Two days later, on Dec. 30, Ana Walshe flew back to Massachusetts, where she expected to stay until Jan. 3. Miner asked the judge to set bail at $250,000 cash and claimed "it is not easy to disappear with three young children," alleging that Walshe was therefore not a flight risk. (A spokesperson for the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families previously told NBC News the three children are in state custody.) The judge rejected Miner's request and ordered that Walshe held without bail. He is next due in court Aug. 23 for a pretrial conference. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Ana Walshe, a 39-year-old Massachusetts mother of three, was last seen New Year's Day in her home in the wealthy Boston suburb of Cohasset, according to police, who have asked for the public's help in their search for her. Her husband, Brian Walshe, 47, was arrested and accused of misleading officials and lying about his whereabouts on Jan. 1 and 2. Prosecutors have said that officials found blood and a damaged, bloodstained knife in the couple's basement and that Brian Walshe is alleged to have spent $450 on cleaning supplies, mops, tape and other items the day after his wife was last seen. Brian Walshes attorney is not commenting. Her focus is on defending Mr. Walshe in court, an assistant for attorney Tracy Miner has said by email. A spokesperson for the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families said the Walshes three children are in state custody and declined to provide more information, citing state and federal privacy laws. On Monday, Ana Walshes sister told NBC Boston from Serbia that the family is trying to get to the U.S. and that relatives are concerned for the couples three children. Ana Walshe was born in Belgrade and holds dual citizenship in Serbia and the U.S., said Olgica Vlacic, Serbias acting consul general in New York. We are all joined in praying for Anas safe return, despite the latest grim developments indicating otherwise, Vlacic said. Our hearts go out to her family and especially to her young children, who deserve to be reunited with their mother. Ana Walshe. (via Cohasset Police) Key moments in the case: Jan. 1: Ana Walshe reportedly headed to airport Cohasset police say Ana Walshe was at her home on Chief Justice Cushing Highway shortly after midnight before she took a ride share to Bostons Logan Airport for a flight to Washington, D.C., to attend to a work emergency. It is unclear who reported the alleged details, and police have said they had not been able to independently confirm them although they had confirmed she had a Jan. 3 flight booked to Washington. Story continues She often traveled to Washington for work, police said; her LinkedIn page lists her title as regional general manager at the real estate company Tishman Speyer. Police did not specify who reported last seeing Ana Walshe at home that night, other than to say it was a family member. Officials have said her husband was sleeping at the time she was said to have left. A probable cause affidavit says Brian Walshe told police that the couple went to bed after a friend left around 1 a.m. and that Ana Walshe left for the airport between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. Brian Walshe also told police he spent New Year's afternoon doing errands for his mother at Whole Foods and CVS but he was not seen on security video from either store, according to the affidavit. Jan. 2: Police say husband bought cleaning items According to a police log, Ana Walshes phone connected to a cellphone tower for the last time at 3:14 a.m. Jan. 2, within a quarter-mile of the area of Reservoir Road, which is 0.7 miles from the family's home. Her phone was then turned off, the log says. Brian Walshe has told police that he visited a juice bar in the nearby town of Norwell early Jan. 2, officials have said. Police discovered video evidence that Brian Walshe visited Home Depot in Rockland, about 10 miles southwest of the home, on Jan. 2. He was wearing a surgical mask and gloves and bought $450 worth of goods, including cleaning supplies, mops and tape, according to prosecutors. Jan. 4: Employer asks for a well-being check The head of security for Ana Walshe's employer, Tishman Speyer, called Cohasset police around 11:45 a.m. Jan. 4 to request a well-being check, reporting that her car was in Washington, that she was last seen days earlier and that the company had contacted her husband, who had not filed a missing person report, according to the police log. The company's head of security told police the company knew nothing about Ana Walshe but had "no reason to think she is in danger or ill," the police log states. Police interviewed Brian Walshe at his home shortly after 6:30 p.m., according to the affidavit. He said his wife left for work in Washington at 6:30 a.m. New Year's Day "and he hasn't heard from her since," according to the police log. Jan. 5: Search for Ana Walshe goes public Police announced their search for Ana Walshe, urging the public to contact them if they have any information on her whereabouts. Jan. 6: Fire at former home At a news conference, Cohasset Police Chief William Quigley said Ana Walshe's husband, family and friends had been "fully cooperative" with the investigation. On Jan. 6, the Walshes' former residence, on Jerusalem Road, caught fire, according to the police log. Four occupants three adults and a young child escaped before first responders arrived and were uninjured, police said. Quigley characterized it as a crime scene, and state police arrived, the police log says. Police later characterized the blaze as a two-alarm fire whose cause was unknown, "though it does not appear to be suspicious." Jake Wark, the public information officer for the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, said that "state police, fire investigators and local officials identified the cause as some damage to piping that was connected to a natural gas fireplace insert and determined that it was accidental." Jan. 7: Ground search suspended Local and state police announced they were suspending their two-day ground search in the woods near the Walshe home. The search continues for missing person Ana Walshe in Cohasset. Police along with our state partners the @MassStatePolice are assisting. 2 other sectors are being searched with the help of police K-9s. Any information: tips@cohassetpolice.com #bringcohassetanahome pic.twitter.com/oor8eH7hwf Cohasset Police (@CohassetPolice) January 7, 2023 As news of Ana Walshe's disappearance roiled the small town of Cohasset which, according to Crime Grade, is safer than 98% of cities in the country and boasts a median home value of $875,000, according to Census Bureau data residents phoned in tips to police. A spokesperson for the district attorney's office said police were "aggressively following up" on all leads. Jan. 8: Brian Walshe arrested Police returned to the Walshe home on Chief Justice Cushing Highway to execute a search warrant just after 9:20 a.m., according to the police log. Authorities arrested Brian Walshe, saying he misled their investigation. An assistant to Miner, Brian Walshe's attorney, declined to comment on her behalf Thursday. Jan. 9: A court appearance, but not the first Brian Walshe was arraigned in Quincy District Court. He pleaded not guilty to a single charge and was ordered held on $500,000 bail. He is next due in court Feb. 9. Image: Brian Walshe, of Cohasset, Mass., faces a Quincy Court judge charged with impeding the investigation into his wife Ana' disappearance from their home, on Jan. 9, 2023. (Greg Derr / The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool) It was not Brian Walshe's first time in court: In 2021, he pleaded guilty in federal court to three counts, including wire fraud, after he stole Andy Warhol paintings from a college classmate and commissioned forgeries, Reuters reported. Court documents show that he was ordered to forfeit $225,000 and does not appear to have been sentenced to any prison time in that case. In a letter submitted to the judge in June, Ana Walshe wrote: "Brian has been working consistently on breaking the past habits of his family, and we are all looking forward to the new chapter of his life." Following the 2018 death of Brian Walshe's father, from whom he was estranged over allegations of missing money, there was a legal battle over his father's estate, according to court documents and NBC Boston. He was described as a violent liar in affidavits from relatives and friends. A nephew of Brian Walshe's father prevailed in the inheritance case, court documents show. Jan. 10: The search for evidence The Norfolk County District Attorneys Office said investigators removed "a number of items" for testing in a search north of Boston. The testing of the unspecified items will "determine if they are of evidentiary value" in Ana Walshe's disappearance, the DA's office said. NBC Boston reported that investigators spent hours Monday combing through trash at a transfer station in Peabody, a city 20 miles north of Boston, after they dug through a dumpster at the apartment complex where Brian Walshe's mother lives. Brian Walshe's mother could not be reached for comment. A spokesperson said Republic Services, the company that operates the Peabody waste transfer station, is cooperating with law enforcement. A spokesperson for Covanta, which operates a waste transfer station in West Wareham, a town about 65 miles south of Boston, confirmed that authorities also visited its facility Monday. Jan. 17: A murder warrant for Brian Walshe More than a week after Brian Walshe was first arrested, Norfolk County District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey announced his office issued a murder warrant in the case. Brian Walshe is accused of assaulting and beating his wife with the intent to murder her, as well as with moving her body or remains, according to the criminal complaint. Details on what led prosecutors to pursue a murder charge against Brian Walshe weren't outlined until Brian Walshe's arraignment the next day, where he entered a plea of not guilty. Investigators found more than a dozen disturbing Google searches allegedly made by Brian Walshe minutes before he had originally told police he last saw his wife. Searches included 10 ways to dispose of a dead body if you really need to and how to stop a body from decomposing," prosecutors said in court. On Jan. 2, Walshes Internet searches included hacksaw best tool to dismember, can you be charged with murder without a body and can you identify a body with broken teeth, prosecutors said. Defense attorney Tracy Miner requested the court release Brian Walshe from custody, but the judge ordered him to be held without bail pending indictment. The judge also issued a court order to seal the probable cause affidavit and arrest warrant until March 10. Impoundment prevents the public, but not the parties, from gaining access to the records. March 30: Brian Walshe is indicted A Norfolk County grand jury indicted Brian Walshe on charges of murder, improper conveyance of a human body and misleading a police investigation/obstruction of justice, Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrisseys office said in a news release. A first-degree murder conviction in Massachusetts carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. This is only a step in a long process, during which Brian Walshe enjoys the Constitutional presumption of innocence and all of the protections afforded him under the Constitution, Morrissey said. We are thankful to the detectives who have put so many hours into assembling the evidence in this matter and the witnesses who have assisted us in coming to this step. April 27: Brian Walshe pleads not guilty Weeks after the indictment, Brian Walshe pled not guilty to the charges in Norfolk Superior Court. During the proceeding, Norfolk Assistant District Attorney Greg Connor said that Brian Walshes mother hired a private investigator with his input and direction on Dec. 26 to follow Ana Walshe in Washington, D.C., where she lived during the week for her job at Tishman Speyer, a real estate company. He believed his wife was having an affair, according to the DA. That month, Brian Walshe had been routinely visiting the Instagram page of one of her male friends, Connor said. Prosecutors also said that Brian Walshe was motivated to claim his wifes more than $2.7 million life insurance policy, for which he was the sole beneficiary. Brian Walshes attorney, Tracy Miner, denied that charge, saying that his clients mother is wealthy and that theres no evidence he was in the least bit needing of money. Miner also said Brian Walshe told his mother she was crazy for hiring a private investigator and that he never suspected his wife was having an affair. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com By Josh Smith SEOUL (Reuters) - The United States granted South Korea a larger role in planning for a potential nuclear war with North Korea, but that will probably not ease doubts over U.S. defence commitments that have fuelled calls for a South Korean nuclear arsenal, experts said. Under a new "Washington Declaration" announced Wednesday, the United States will give Seoul detailed insights into, and a voice in, U.S. planning to deter and respond to a nuclear incident in the region. Seoul renewed a pledge not to pursue a nuclear bomb of its own. The document is in many ways a response to growing doubts in South Korea that the United States would risk its own cities - in range of North Korea's latest ballistic missiles - to defend its ally, as well as a sense that the South is a growing global power that should be among the nuclear-armed states. Some in South Korea's government also worry that if there is a new administration in the United States, Washington might provide less defence support. As a candidate, President Yoon Suk Yeol called for the return of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea, and in January he suggested that there may come a time when the country needs to develop its own arsenal. He has since walked back those comments, and one former senior U.S. official told Reuters that the Yoon administration's nuclear talk was most likely an effort to secure the type of planning and coordination role outlined in Wednesday's declaration. "South Korea joins a small club of countries who used the mere threat of acquiring atomic weapons to wrest concessions from the United States," Tristan Volpe of the Naval Postgraduate School in California said in a post on Twitter. "The concern I have is that leaders often find it difficult to put the nuclear genie back in the bottle," he added. "Domestic politics could distort the incentives South Korean leaders face when it comes to limiting their nuclear options over the long run." Story continues Yoon is far from alone among senior South Korean officials in raising the idea, and polls show a majority of the public would support having nuclear weapons. In an interview with Reuters in March, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said South Korea should build such weapons to bolster its defences against North Korea, even at the risk of international repercussions. "The Washington Declaration should snuff out the loose nuke talk by the Yoon administration," said Mason Richey, a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul. "But this is likely to be a hiatus on the debate, rather than a definitive end." 'NUCLEAR FOR NUCLEAR' Sue Mi Terry of the Wilson Center think tank said how the North Korean threat evolves will in large part determine whether the declaration will assuage South Korean concerns. "A seventh North Korean nuclear test will, no doubt, increase alarm in South Korea and support for its own nuclear arsenal - or at least for steps such as stationing U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea or reaching a 'nuclear sharing' agreement that notably were not part of the Washington Declaration," she said. Nuclear expert Siegfried Hecker warned in January there could be disastrous downsides to Seoul acquiring its own nuclear weapons. The North could build an even bigger arsenal in response, and breaking non-proliferation agreements would likely trigger devastating sanctions on South Korea's economy and threaten worldwide non-proliferation efforts. Fears over U.S. commitments are not new. The United States once stationed hundreds of tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea and has made other agreements to reassure Seoul. But concerns grew when former President Donald Trump questioned the value of the South Korean alliance and threatened to remove the roughly 28,500 U.S. troops stationed there if Seoul didn't pay billions of dollars more for their expenses. When President Joe Biden took office, he quickly resolved that dispute and moved to reassure Seoul. His decision to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan, however, drew new arguments from South Korean leaders who said it demonstrated the need for reducing reliance on Washington. The prospect that Trump or someone who shares his views could return to the White House in the 2024 elections will also stoke uncertainty, experts said. Choi Il, a retired South Korean submarine captain, told Reuters that South Korea's fundamental answer to the growing North Korean threat remains unchanged. "An eye for an eye, nuclear for nuclear," he said. "If you strike us with nuclear weapons, then we will strike back with our own." (Reporting by Josh Smith; Additional reporting by Ju-Min Park in Seoul and David Brunnstrom in Washington; Editing by Gerry Doyle) BEIJING (AP) Chinese leader Xi Jinping faces daunting obstacles if he is serious about trying to help end Russia's 14-month-old war in Ukraine. The biggest: Neither side is ready to stop fighting. Xis plan to send an envoy to Ukraine allows his government to deflect criticism of its support for Moscow and pursue a bigger role as a diplomatic force. His announcement Wednesday in a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prompted optimism Beijing might use its warm relations with Russia's Vladimir Putin to push for peace. That was followed by skeptical questions about whether Beijing is more focused on ending an invasion it refuses to criticize, or serving its own interests. China's starting point is a peace proposal issued in February that called for a ceasefire, negotiations and an end to sanctions against Russia. It offered few details, but repeated Russian accusations that Western governments were to blame for the invasion. China has good reasons to want to see the war ended. It jolted the Chinese economy by pushing up oil, wheat and other commodity prices. Beijing also warned Wednesday about the dangers of nuclear war, after Russia announced earlier it would move atomic weapons into neighboring Belarus. Chinas self-interest happens to align with ending the war, said John Delury, an international relations specialist at Yonsei University in Seoul. Beijing has no interest in seeing Russia humiliated, nor is it in Chinas interest for Russia to be triumphant, Delury said. The best option is a cease-fire and, with it, economic opportunities to participate in Ukraines post-war reconstruction. Wednesdays statement gave no indication how China might recommend addressing the questions the two countries are fighting over, including Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula seized by Moscow from Ukraine in 2014. PLAYING PEACEMAKER HELPS BEIJING IN EUROPE By playing peacemaker, Beijing might also be looking to separate European allies from the United States, which Xi accuses of trying to block China's economic and political rise. Story continues Beijing is trying to repair relations with Europe after an uproar over a Chinese ambassadors comment that former Soviet republics might not be sovereign countries. That group includes Ukraine, and European Union members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron have visited Beijing and appealed for help with Ukraine, highlighting the challenges faced by Washington in holding together allies to oppose Chinas assertive policies abroad. Trying to drive a wedge between the U.S. and European partners is an important goal, said Alexander Gabuev of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. For that, China needs to pretend that its an active force for peace. Xi's call with Zelenskyy might sustain European hopes that China can be persuaded to "wield its influence to help end the war" but is unlikely to change the Western assessment of Beijings stance as one of pro-Russian neutrality,' said Eurasia Group analysts in a report. XI SHOWS HE DOESN'T ALWAYS SUPPORT PUTIN The announcement gives Beijing a chance to show it doesn't always agree with Moscow, though the differences might be too subtle for Western critics. They complain China helps Putin resist Western sanctions by purchasing Russian oil and gas and provides political support. Xis government sees the Kremlin as a partner in opposing U.S. domination of global affairs. China has used its status as one of five permanent U.N. Security Council members to block efforts to censure Russia. Xi and Putin said in a joint statement before the February 2022 invasion their governments had a no limits friendship. Their navies held joint exercises with Iran in March. Despite that, the Chinese government says they have a non-alliance relationship. Beijing has promised not to supply armaments to either side in the Ukraine war. China has never taken one side, said Da Wei, an international relations specialist at Tsinghua University in Beijing and director of its Center for Strategic and Security Studies. Which Western leader has maintained communication with leaders of both parties directly involved in the crisis? said Da. I think this call is an indication of Chinas fair and impartial objective in promoting peace talks." A Chinese statement Wednesday also cited mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity as a foundation of relations with Ukraine. While Russia is trying to move borders by annexing portions of Ukraine, Beijing is intensely sensitive about respecting territorial sovereignty. It says borders must be respected and no country has a right to meddle in anothers affairs. BEIJING'S EFFORT TO RAISE GLOBAL PROFILE Positioning itself as a mediator also helps Beijing as it pursues a bigger role in managing global affairs as part of efforts to restore China to what the Communist Party sees as its rightful place as a political, economic and cultural leader. Beijing should actively participate in the reform and construction of the global governance system and promote global security initiatives, Xi said in March. A proposal for a Global Security Initiative issued in February said China is ready to conduct bilateral and multilateral security cooperation with all countries. Also in March, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced the end of a 7-year diplomatic split following Chinese-organized talks. This year, Xis government has also offered to mediate Israeli-Palestinian talks, set up a new Middle East security structure, and help African countries resolve disputes. If Beijing can organize peace talks, that backs up Xi Jinpings ambitions to being a global power, said Delury. China's diplomatic ambition is a reversal from decades of staying out of other countries disputes and most international affairs to focus on economic development. Its peacemaking initiatives are also at odds with confrontational Chinese behavior toward its neighbors in territorial disputes and threats to attack Taiwan, the self-ruled island democracy claimed by Beijing as part of its territory. DIM HOPES FOR PEACE TALKS Zelenskyys government said in a statement his conversation with Xi might lead toward possible interaction with the aim of establishing a just and sustainable peace for Ukraine. Zelenskyy said March 29 he had invited Xi to visit, but neither government has indicated whether that might happen. Despite that, political analysts see little chance for progress. Ukraine is believed to be preparing a new offensive to recapture Russian-occupied territory. A resolution is "maybe years, even decades, away, because the Russian and Ukrainian positions are still miles apart," said Gabuev. Shi Yinhong, an international relations specialist at Renmin University in Beijing, noted Russias Foreign Ministry has said peace talks are almost impossible," while Zelenskyy stressed to Xi the importance of recovering all captured territory. Neither side in the war materially echoed Chinas initiative, which fell far short of what they were striving for, said Shi. ___ Joe McDonald has reported from China for The Associated Press since 1997. ___ AP researcher Wanqing Chen in Beijing and AP writer Andrew Katell contributed. ___ Find more of APs Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific By Francesco Guarascio and Khanh Vu HANOI (Reuters) - Tighter U.S. rules to ban imports from China's Xinjiang are compounding pressure on Vietnam's apparel and footwear makers, hitting a sector that has already shed nearly 90,000 jobs since October in the global manufacturing hub as demand slowed. Among garment exporters, Vietnam has faced the worst hit from the the Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act (UFLPA), a Reuters review of official U.S. data showed. The law, in place since June, requires companies to prove that they do not use raw material or components produced with Xinjiang's forced labor. The U.S. clampdown hurts as it comes on top of a drop in clothing demand from richer nations that has already dented industrial output and exports from the Southeast Asian manufacturing powerhouse, a major supplier to big brands such as Gap, Nike and Adidas. Of the $15 million worth of apparel and footwear shipments held up for UFLPA checks more than 80% were from Vietnam, and only 13% of its cargoes were cleared for entry, U.S. customs data up to April 3 showed. Graphic: Frozen trade - https://www.reuters.com/graphics/VIETNAM-CHINA/akpeqxebepr/chart.png Many U.S. importers are still sanguine, but their supply chains could still be disrupted as Vietnam's apparel makers depend on China for about half of their input materials, according to the country's industry association. Vietnamese manufacturers, trade associations and the industry ministry did not reply to Reuters questions about the impact of UFLPA. The value of shipments from Vietnam that have been denied entry to the U.S. exceeded $2 million, three times more than those from China - with the sanctions having increased exponentially in the first months of this year. While U.S. controls have been far more frequent for the electronics industry, especially for solar panels which could be made with polysilicon from Xinjiang, only 1% of electronics cargoes checked were denied entry, as opposed to 43% of apparel and footwear shipments. Story continues In total, customs checked nearly 3,600 shipments worth more than $1 billion from a range of countries to ascertain they did not carry goods with input from forced labor in Xinjiang, U.S. customs data showed. XINJIANG LINKS While the halted shipments represent a tiny portion of the $27 billion worth of garments and footwear Vietnam exported to the U.S. last year, compliance risks may lead to more painful adjustments for Vietnam. That, in turn, will hit U.S. consumers as Vietnam is their main source of cotton apparel, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. "Vietnam's heavy reliance on cotton textile materials from China poses a significant risk of containing Xinjiang cotton, as the province produces over 90% of China's cotton," Sheng Lu, Director at the Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies at the University of Delaware, told Reuters. He said it was unlikely Vietnam could drastically reduce this dependence, also because many manufacturers there are owned by Chinese investors. An industry and a government official familiar with the matter confirmed that some Vietnamese suppliers may find it hard to comply with the new rules, either because they import cotton from Xinjiang or because they are unable to prove they do not. The Federal Maritime Commission, the U.S. agency responsible for international ocean transportation, warned earlier this month of potential supply chain disruptions caused by UFLPA checks. In a survey last year, nearly 60% of U.S. fashion industry managers said they were exploring countries outside Asia for their supplies as a reaction to the forced labor law. Sheng Lu said it would be hard for U.S. firms to rapidly find alternative suppliers, therefore more checks on Vietnamese cargoes are to be expected. Western companies should "make more significant efforts to map their supply chain, figure out where production at each stage happens and demonstrate adequate due diligence", he said. SHEDDING JOBS Weaker demand has forced the industry, Vietnam's biggest employer after agriculture, to shed nearly 3% of its 3.4 million workers since October, and contributed to an 11.9% drop in the country's exports and a 2.3% decline in output in the first quarter of this year from a year earlier, slowing growth. Roughly one in every three pairs of shoes that Nike and Adidas sell globally and 26% and 17% of their clothing, respectively, is made in Vietnam. However Nike has significantly reduced its output of apparel and footwear in Vietnam despite the country remaining its main manufacturing hub, according to its latest annual report updated to May 2022. It did not reply to questions about UFLPA. Adidas did not comment on UFLPA either, but said downsizing at its Vietnamese suppliers would respect local law. "Vietnam continues to be among our major sourcing countries," an Adidas spokesperson said. Gap said it had no shipments detained. Two officials from U.S. footwear and apparel industry trade associations said the new rules have had no major impact so far on Vietnam and blamed recent job cuts on lower global demand. Major job cuts in Vietnam were under way at Pou Chen, a major supplier to Nike and Adidas, Reuters reported in February, at a time when it is planning a big manufacturing investment in India. People were fired at a contractor of U.S. sportswear company Under Armour, and workers had their hours slashed at Regina Miracle International, a supplier of U.S. lingerie giant Victoria's Secret, workers and executives told Reuters. Those companies did not reply to Reuters' questions. "Normally, firms recruit new workers after Tet (Lunar New Year), but this year everything has gone the opposite," said Nguyen Thi Huong, 45, who worked for Pou Chen for ten years and recently lost her job. (Reporting by Khanh Vu and Francesco Guarascio; Additional reporting by Kate Masters, Casey Hall and Phuong Nguyen; Editing by Miyoung Kim and Sonali Paul) Uma Krishnaiah's husband was killed in 1994 It's been three decades but Uma Krishnaiah clearly remembers the last conversation she had with her husband, just hours before his murder. It was 5 December 1994 and the couple had woken up early as G Krishnaiah, a top civil servant in the northern Indian state of Bihar, had to leave home at 5am to travel to an important meeting in Hajipur, a town more than 130km (81 miles) away. "It was a freezing cold morning but he was walking on the lawns. I asked him to come inside because I was worried he would catch a cold," she told me. "But he told me not to worry. He said there are so many poor people who don't even have warm clothes. I'm wearing a sweater, I'm dressed warmly, nothing will happen to me." Hours later, Mrs Krishnaiah was standing in a hospital, looking at her husband's bloodied body. "He had so many injuries on his face and body," she said, her voice breaking with emotion. Krishnaiah - whom journalists and former colleagues remember as "an honest and upright officer" and "a good administrator" - was returning from the meeting when his car was stopped by a mob protesting against the killing a day earlier of Chhotan Shukla, a dreaded gangster-turned-politician. The mob, comprising thousands of Shukla's supporters, pelted the officer's car with stones, dragged him out and started beating him. "Krishnaiah, who was the district magistrate for Gopalganj, kept trying to tell the mob that he had nothing to do with the Shukla murder, which took place in an adjoining district," says Amarnath Tiwari, senior journalist in the state capital, Patna. "But the crowd lynched him and one man shot him in the head. Police later retrieved his bloodied body from the scene of the crime." Mrs Krishnaiah met her husband when they were in college together The murder turned Mrs Krishnaiah's life upside down. The brazenness of the crime and the brutality with which her husband was murdered also sent shockwaves through the country and made national headlines. Story continues Three decades later, the gruesome crime is back in the news after Anand Mohan Singh, who had been serving a life sentence for the civil servant's murder, walked out of prison this week. Singh, then a legislator in the state assembly, was charged in the murder case with inciting the crowd to attack and shoot the official. In 2007, a local court convicted him and gave him the death penalty. A year later, the Patna high court converted it into a life sentence, which was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2012. Until recently, Singh couldn't be freed because according to Bihar's jail manual, "those convicted for murdering a public servant on duty" were not entitled to early release. But earlier this month, the state government, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, dropped the clause from the manual and announced the release of 27 prisoners, including Singh. The decision has been criticised by some opposition politicians, activists and citizens, with many comparing Singh's release with last August's decision by the Gujarat government to set free convicts in the notorious gangrape of a Muslim woman and murder of her family during deadly 2002 religious riots. Gujarat officials said a state government panel had approved their release because the men had spent more than 14 years in jail and because of other factors such as their age. The association of civil servants has asked the Bihar government to reconsider its decision. "Such dilution leads to impunity, erosion of morale of public servants, undermines public order and makes a mockery of administration of justice," it said in a statement on Twitter. But the Bihar state government and Singh have defended the move, saying it isn't illegal. "He has served his sentence and is being released legally," Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav told reporters. However, Mr Tiwari says the decision is rooted in politics. "Singh commands influence among the upper-caste Rajput community which makes up 4% of the state's population. And the state's governing alliance, led by Mr Kumar and Mr Yadav, wants his support in next year's general elections," he told the BBC. Former MP Anand Mohan Singh, who had been serving a life sentence for murder, was freed on Thursday But away from the political ping pong, the decision has been greeted with dismay by the Krishnaiah family, for whom it has reopened old wounds. Mrs Krishnaiah told me she had met her husband, who was from a poor Dalit (formerly untouchable) family, at college in the southern city of Hyderabad in 1981. They fell in love and married five years later. At the time of his murder, they were raising two daughters who were four and five-and-a-half. A day after his death, she moved back with her children to Hyderabad where she took up a job as a college teacher to support the family. Singh's conviction and sentencing had brought her some solace, but to see him walk out of prison has left her heartbroken and distraught. "My husband was a government officer. He was killed while working. How can they set free his murderer? The government should reconsider the decision," she said. "This will send wrong signals to the society and encourage criminals. They will now think that even if they commit a heinous murder, they will go free." Mrs Krishnaiah said she had appealed to the prime minister and the president, seeking their intervention to send her husband's murderer back to prison. On Thursday morning, hours after Singh walked out of prison, her daughter Padma told news agency ANI that the family was "disheartened". "I request Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to give a second thought. His government has set a wrong example. It is unfair not just to a family but to the whole nation," she said, adding that they would appeal against the decision in court. 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: Angelina Jolie brought her son, Maddox Jolie-Pitt, to the White House state dinner. The actor and the 21-year-old were all glammed up for their mother-son outing on April 26. Jolie, 47, looked sophisticated in a beige gown with a matching jacket and gold heels, clutch and accessories. Jolie-Pitt, sporting long and shaggy hair, looked dapper in a black suit with a black coat. Angelina Jolie and son Maddox Jolie-Pitt arriving to the state dinner on April 26, 2023. (Bloomberg / Bloomberg via Getty Images) Held at the White House, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden hosted South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee. Jolie has a connection to the Asian country. She visited South Korea in 2019 when she dropped off her son for his freshman year of college at Yonsei University, where he planned to study biochemistry. President Biden Hosts South Korean President Yoon On Official State Visit (Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images) The young adult returned home a year later from South Korea amid the COVID-19 pandemic. I could not be happier about Mads choice of university. It is, of course, closed at the moment because of the pandemic. But hes not transferring school, hell be back as soon as things settle, Jolie told South Koreas DongA Daily in 2020. We are all so happy, as a family, that we will have the opportunity to get to know South Korea even better through Maddox, and with him, during his studies. Representatives for Pitt and Jolie-Pitt didn't immediately respond to TODAY.com's request for comment. Jolie-Pitt is the oldest of the activist's six children. She adopted him when he was seven months old from an orphanage in Cambodia. Jolie and ex-husband Brad Pitt are also parents to five other children: Pax, 19, Zahara, 18, Shiloh, 16, and 14-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne. The second state dinner of the Biden Administration was held to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-ROK alliance, which is critical to advancing peace, stability, and prosperity for our two countries, the Indo-Pacific, and around the world, according to a press release. Also in attendance were Chip and Joanna Gaines. Joanna Gaines' mother, Nan, is Korean and the family recently took a family vacation to Seoul. Story continues Chip and Joanna Gaines were also guests. (SARAH SILBIGER / Bloomberg via Getty Images) The Fixer Upper star documented the emotional trip in an Instagram reel posted on April 12. Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim was also in attendance, as was former LA Dodgers pitcher Chan Ho Park, who was the first South Korean born player in MLB history. Broadway stars Norm Lewis, Lea Salonga and Jessica Vosk also performed at the dinner. This article was originally published on TODAY.com On April 21, thousands of students throughout Florida walked out of their classrooms to protest Gov. Ron DeSantis education policies. Coming, coincidentally, two days after the state Board of Education approved expanding his Dont Say Gay law through 12th grade, the demonstration encompassed at least 300 high schools and 90% of the states colleges including all of its Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to the youth-led group Walkout 2 Learn. It was an incredibly powerful moment, says Zander Moricz, a recent Florida high school graduate who was a plaintiff in a suit challenging the law. We had thousands of students sign a pledge to vote and take a banned history lesson. The law, passed by the Florida Legislature last year, had outlawed classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in grades K-3 and required that any instruction in upper grades be age-appropriate. The recent extension to a wholesale ban in all grades was among a slate of resolutions passed by the board at the governors behest. It cannot go into effect until after a 30-day procedural notification period. Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter This was not the first time DeSantis has implemented measures targeting LGBTQ Floridians and people of color rather than wait for the legislature to act. Earlier this year, he directed the Florida Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine to ban gender-affirming health care for trans youth a move the legislature is now deliberating enshrining in law. DeSantis, widely believed to be laying the groundwork for a 2024 presidential bid, has said his election to the governorship proves he has a mandate to make unilateral policy decisions, which lawmakers can later affirm or highly unlikely in a GOP-dominated state overturn. Similar use of executive power by governors and attorneys general is taking place in numerous states. Story continues hundreds of schools. thousands of students. one message. rons time is up. #Walkout2Learn pic.twitter.com/vyUCrt7zvm zander moricz (@zandermoricz) April 22, 2023 He has also restricted instruction on topics involving race, outlawed Advanced Placement African American history classes and announced plans to rid Florida colleges and universities of diversity efforts and instruction involving critical race theory. While DeSantis and his backers had said the ban on early-grades discussions of LGBTQ topics was needed to protect young children from inappropriate materials, state officials said last weeks extension to all students was necessary to ensure that teachers do not stray from instruction that meets state academic standards. Young Floridians cant necessarily stop hateful and regressive bills from becoming law, @zandermoricz tells @racheljanfaza. But students can organize their own Black history courses + LGBTQ resources, register each other to vote + more.https://t.co/38ZCHJteiD Allegra Kirkland (@allegrakirkland) April 20, 2023 The protests, which were followed in some places by community rallies, had a twofold purpose, says Moricz, now a 19-year-old freshman at Harvard University. Young people, he says, needed to feel the power in taking action to defend free speech, while sending a message to elected officials that youth are watching and planning to vote. There is a culture of fear in Florida schools right now, and its hard for students to shake, he says. Floridas legislature is not listening to parents, teachers and students. This legislature is listening to Floridas governor. Students joining the noon walkout participated in 20 minutes of organized activities, including a five-minute version of a Black history lesson banned by DeSantis. The focus: censorship of historical Black and LGBTQ figures. Protesters also registered to vote and wrote letters to school board members and other officials promising to work to elect candidates who support students rights. Making sure the student demonstrators could realize immediate and tangible outcomes like taking the voting pledge and having the opportunity to enroll in an online, college-level Black history class created by Harvard faculty who had helped to develop the banned AP course was important to giving them a sense of their potential power, says Moricz. Young people in Florida are taking back the state strategically and intentionally, he says, and were protecting each other in the process. Moricz, a founder of the 2,000-member Social Equity Through Education Alliance, gained instant acclaim a year ago, when he was warned not to say gay in his commencement address at Pine View School for the Gifted in Osprey, Florida. Told his mic would be cut if he mentioned his role as plaintiff, Moricz, who is gay, gave a speech about coming out as curly-haired. I used to hate my curls, he said, doffing his mortarboard. I spent mornings and nights embarrassed of them, trying desperately to straighten this part of who I am. But the daily damage of trying to fix myself became too much to endure. So, while having curly hair in Florida is difficult due to the humidity I decided to be proud of who I was and started coming to school as my authentic self. After the speech went viral, Moricz was invited to appear on Good Morning America. Walkout 2 Learn tapped a number of youth-friendly technologies to organize students throughout the state. Participants were texted instructions on the day of the protest, for example, and will be kept up to date on the groups work via a Slack channel. Those who independently complete the online Black history class will earn a certification to put on college applications. Dont worry, its website advises, if your school threatens to punish you, we have lawyers and politicians who will support you. The second person injured in the morning explosion in the temporarily occupied Melitopol was a collaborator police officer Yurii Akimov. Source: Telegram channel RIA Melitopol Details: Akimov reportedly suffered very serious injuries to his lower extremities. The channel also posted a video of an alleged member of Melitopol resistance, who spoke about the morning assassination of the collaborator and warned that other traitors would face the same fate. In the video, a man is sitting in a building. His face is blurred, his voice is altered, and he is holding a gun. Quote from the man in the video: "Good morning, dear residents of Melitopol. Sorry for the loud noise in the morning, we were cleaning up the rubbish, namely eliminating Judas [traitor] Oleksandr Mishchenko. Once again, we warn all traitors to Ukraine who have no moral compass: Boys, like in a horror movie, you have only one destination the morgue. The rest will follow. Glory to Ukraine." : -, . Telegram- " " pic.twitter.com/mTw0R2780f (@ukrpravda_news) April 27, 2023 Background: Earlier, the mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, reported that a single explosion had occurred at dawn on 27 April in the centre of the temporarily occupied Melitopol. Later it became known that a collaborator who worked in law enforcement, Oleksandr Mishchenko, was killed in the morning explosion. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Leon County Schools The list of school officials targeted by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appears to be growing longer, with Leon County Superintendent Rocky Hanna revealing this week that hes the subject of a meritless probe to possibly strip him of his teaching certificate after he criticized the governor. Hanna claims the state isnt even trying to spin why theyre investigating him, saying plainly that hes under-the-gun in part for sharing his political views, according to a Florida Department of Education complaint. The superintendent, which oversees public schools in the state capital where DeSantis lives, said in a statement to The Daily Beast that he believes the probe stems from a letter sent to DeSantis last year from a right-wing Moms For Liberty executive who begged the governor to oust Hanna. That letter, penned by a Brandi Andrews and stamped with an all-caps Lets Go Brandon on the bottom, dissects an email Hanna sent to teachers at the start of the school year. In that email, Hanna said to ignore the increasing political pressure in the state, telling his instructors you do you and to continue to teach the standards just as you have always donesomething Andrews took issue with. In a letter of his own, Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr. wrote to Hanna that theres probable cause to justify sanctions against your Florida educator certificate because of his you do you statement. Diaz wrote that it may lead teachers to impose their own individual political and religious views on students and teachers failing to teach with fidelity the Florida standards. Hannas email to teachers goes on to tell them to not worry for one minute about naysayers, political or otherwise, and to ignore others who are trying to mislead people and control what you can and cannot say in your classroom. Its a sad day for democracy in Florida, and the First Amendment right to freedom of speech, when a state agency with unlimited power and resources can target a local elected official in such a biased fashion, Hanna said in his statement. Story continues If ousted, Hanna would join a growing list of officialslargely in educationwho have been pushed out in Florida. WUSF reports that of the 12 superintendents who fought DeSantis ban on mask mandates in 2021, just five, including Hanna, remain in office. Notable firings of superintendents with influence from DeSantis include school leaders from two of Floridas most progressive regions, including Alachuahome to the University of Floridaand deep-blue Broward County. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has targeted a number of officials who have opposed him. RONEN ZVULUN Former Alachua Superintendent Carlee Simon was ousted after a school board member, an appointee of DeSantis, made a motion to terminate her contract without cause last March. In Broward, a school board made up with a majority of DeSantis-appointees voted to fire Superintendent Vickie Cartwright in November, rehired her in December, and cut ties a second time in January after repeated clashes over bans on mask mandates and other political issues. Shocking dismissals havent been limited to local school boards. DeSantis has become infamous for targeting any official who speaks out against himdenouncing cancel culture while canceling any voice in Florida that opposes him. Other officials ousted by DeSantis included Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren, who was removed from his elected position for his stance on abortion; the entire board for Disneys self-governing Reedy Creek Improvement District, which were replaced with Republican donors; and the trustees to the New College of Florida, who promptly fired the universitys president and hired a DeSantis ally to replace himgiving the position a massive raise in the process. Moms for Liberty, the conservative parents rights advocacy group who championed Floridas Dont Say Gay bill and authoritarian book bans, has been at the forefront of flipping school boards conservative across the state, the Tallahassee Democrat reported. The close ties between the group and DeSantis was on full display in Andrews letter to the governor last year. In a copy obtained by The Daily Beast, Andrews wrote: It was an honor to take part (sic) filming a campaign ad for you the freest state in the nation! Hanna said state officials have tried to drum up old issues within his school district so the Moms for Liberty letter isnt the only reason hes probed. Some of those separate issueslike his opposition to DeSantis stance on mask mandateswere already investigated and he was found to have no wrong done, Hanna said. How this is being handled and the tactics the Florida Department of Education is using to create this investigation, are certainly a serious cause for concern not just for myself, Hanna said, but for any Superintendent or school employee in the State of Florida. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Two days after Anthony Edwards was charged with two counts of third-degree assault, his attorney challenged the charges on Thursday, calling them "baseless." Attorney Harvey Steinberg addressed the charges in a statement: "With the game over, Anthony's exit from the court was partially obstructed by a chair, which he moved and set down three steps later. As video of the incident confirms, Anthony did not swing the chair at anyone and of course did not intend to hurt anyone. "Despite these innocent facts, the Denver Police Department inexplicably chose to charge Anthony with two counts of misdemeanor assault. Anthony intends to vigorously defend against these baseless charges." The incident took place at Denver's Ball Arena in the immediate aftermath of Tuesday's Game 5 between the Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves. Edwards, a Timberwolves guard, missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have sent the game to a second overtime. The loss eliminated Minnesota from the playoffs. After the buzzer sounded, Edwards picked up and swung a folding chair from floor-level seats as he ran to the tunnel exiting the floor. He then discarded the chair on the pathway leading up to the tunnel. Multiple cameras recorded the incident from different angles, including NBA TV's broadcast camera. The video below shows Edwards' missed shot, then the chair incident at the 21-second mark. Anthony Edwards misses the game-tying 3 and running straight to the locker room, as the Minnesota Timberwolves are now officially eliminated from the NBA 2023 Playoffs. With replays. pic.twitter.com/Ei6ozbzjvc hoops bot (@hoops_bot) April 26, 2023 Here it is in slow motion: Another angle shows the incident from the perspective of a fan in the stands: Story continues Edwards appears to pick up the chair from its proper location inside a rope, then swing it before setting it down. A woman is seen ducking out of the way as Edwards swings the chair. It's not clear from the video if the chair made contact with anyone. Denver police reportedly held up the Timberwolves bus after the game to cite Edwards. DPD's Jay Casillas alleged in a statement to Denver Sports that Edwards struck two women who were working at the arena with the chair. Per the police, both women were injured, but not seriously. No other details of the alleged injuries are known publicly. Anthony Edwards faces two counts of misdemeanor assault. (Nick Wosika/Reuters) Police charged Edwards with two counts of third-degree assault. Each charge is a Class 1 misdemeanor carrying a maximum of 18 months in jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000. The Timberwolves addressed the charges in a statement on Wednesday: We are aware of the alleged incident regarding Anthony Edwards following Game 5 in Denver and are in the process of gathering more information. We have no further comment at this moment. Edwards has a court date in Denver scheduled for June 9. London Protests against the British monarchy have been planned around the United Kingdom for May 6, the day of King Charles III's coronation ceremony. The anti-monarchy group Republic, which wants the king replaced as the official head of state by an elected official, is either organizing or promoting rallies in England and Scotland to coincide with the coronation. King Charles III's coronation: What to know for the centuries-old ceremony "Hereditary public office goes against every democratic principle. And because we can't hold the King and his family to account at the ballot box, there's nothing to stop them abusing their privilege, misusing their influence or simply wasting our money," Republic says on its website. "A head of state that's chosen by us could really represent our hopes and aspirations and help us keep politicians in check." Protesters hold placards with the message The group is asking people to gather in central London wearing yellow on May 6, and to carry signs with slogans such as "not my king" and "abolish the monarchy." Another group, called Our Republic, is also organizing a protest in Edinburgh, Scotland, on coronation day. U.K. Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden has said the government received intelligence reports that some demonstrators could try to spook horses on the procession route by sounding rape alarms. Dowden told Britain's Times Radio that police would "use the full range of powers at their disposal to make sure that public order is maintained and that the ceremony is not disrupted." How popular is the royal family? Younger generations in Britain are less supportive of the monarchy than older ones, with a recent poll showing that 70% of people in the country between the ages of 18 and 35 are "not interested" in the royals. As part of that poll, CBS News' partner network BBC worked with polling organization YouGov to ask a representative sample of people whether Britain should "continue to have a monarchy, or if it should be replaced with an elected head of state?" Story continues Of respondents between 18 and 24 years old, 38% said the U.K. should have an elected head of state, 32% said it should continue to have a monarchy, and 30% said they didn't know. Support for the monarchy increased with people's ages: 48% of respondents between 25 and 49 years old said Britain should continue to have a monarchy, while 78% of people over 65 said the monarchy should continue. Does the royal family have any political power? The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy, meaning that while King Charles III is officially the head of state, the ability to pass legislation lies exclusively with an elected parliament. The British monarch's role is politically neutral by definition, but the sovereign can "advise and warn" his or her ministers including the country's prime minister if and when they deem it necessary, according to the royal family's own website. Buckingham Palace notes that while "the Sovereign no longer has a political or executive role, he or she continues to play an important part in the life of the nation." That part includes acting as a "focus for national identity, unity and pride," according to the palace. Get a unique look at King Charles, as close friends, confidantes and ex-lovers share stories on the man behind the crown. Stream the documentary, "King Charles: The Boy Who Walked Alone," starting Tuesday, May 2, exclusively on Paramount+. Rickie Lee Jones returns to her roots with new jazz album "Pieces of Treasure" James Corden bids farewell to "The Late Late Show" D.C. police combat record number of illegal guns and cheap conversion devices A federal appeals court has rejected former President Donald Trumps emergency bid to block his former vice president, Mike Pence, from testifying. A three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order late Wednesday denying the former presidents last-ditch effort to prevent or limit Pences testimony. Though the order remains sealed to protect grand jury secrecy, POLITICO had previously confirmed Trumps effort, which followed a district court judges order that required Pence to testify. Aides to the former vice president did not comment on the decision but had previously indicated Pence would follow the orders of the court. Its unclear if Trump who did not immediately respond to a request for comment intends to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court or the full bench of the D.C. Circuit. The ruling is a victory for Jack Smith, the special counsel probing Trumps bid to subvert the 2020 election. Smith subpoenaed Pence in February, prompting separate challenges by both Trump and Pence. While Trump argued that Pences testimony should be barred or limited by executive privilege, Pence took a different tack. He contended that his role presiding over Congress on Jan. 6, 2021 fulfilling his constitutional role as president of the Senate entitled him to immunity under the so-called speech or debate clause, which protects Congress from Executive Branch intrusion. Chief U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg rejected Trumps argument but agreed with Pence that the congressional immunity applied on certain topics a historic decision that for the first time found vice presidents enjoy a form of privilege. Although Boasbergs ruling was narrower than Pences attorney, Emmet Flood, had argued for, Pence opted not to appeal the decision. Trump earlier this month sought an emergency order from the court of appeals blocking Boasbergs ruling. But Wednesdays order a unanimous ruling by Judges Patricia Millett, Robert Wilkins and Gregory Katsas rejected that effort. Millett and Wilkins are Obama appointees, while Katsas is a Trump appointee. Its unclear when Pence will appear before the grand jury, but Trumps previous emergency appeals which have nearly all failed when it comes to similar sealed orders have occurred just days before witnesses were scheduled to appear. A federal court of appeals rejected a coalition of state attorneys generals push to revive an antitrust case against tech giant Meta, according to a Thursday decision. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals said the lawsuit, which focuses on Facebook parent company Metas acquisitions of WhatsApp and Instagram, is not only odd, but old. The court argued the states waited too long to bring the lawsuit, which was filed in 2020 and focused on the 2012 and 2014 acquisitions of WhatsApp and Instagram. Federal regulators at the time approved both acquisitions. The D.C. circuit court decision also questions the basis of the argument that Meta is violating antitrust laws. We note in particular that courts should proceed cautiously when asked to deem novel products or practices anticompetitive. Many innovations may seem anti-competitive at first but turn out to be the opposite, and the market often corrects even those that are anti-competitive, the decision stated. The circuit court decision essentially upholds a decision from the U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in June 2021. Meta, however, is still facing a challenge from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over similar allegations of anticompetitive practices based on the acquisitions. Boasberg last January said the FTCs case could proceed after the agency filed a revised version of its initial complaint. The Hill has reached out to the office of the New York attorney general for comment. New York Attorney General Letitia James led the multi-state lawsuit. A Meta spokesperson said in a statement the court rightly recognized the case fundamentally mischaracterized the vibrant competitive ecosystem in which we operate and pledged to continue to fight against the FTC case. Moving forward, Meta will defend itself vigorously against the FTCs distortion of antitrust laws and attacks on an American success story that are contrary to the interests of people and businesses who value our services, the spokesperson said. This story was updated at 2:13 pm ET with comments from Meta. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A federal appeals court Wednesday rejected Donald Trumps attempt to block former Vice President Mike Pence from testifying before a federal grand jury thats investigating the former presidents role in the Jan. 6 riot and efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington refused to block Pence's subpoena after Trump filed an appeal this month to halt a lower court decision ordering Pence to testify. The decision is under seal, but the denial of Trumps emergency motion was referenced in the court docket. Trump can still appeal to the Supreme Court but has not indicated whether he will. A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday night. In previous instances where the appeals court has said Trump's senior aides or his defense attorney Evan Corcoran must testify, his legal team has opted not to fight the decisions further and those witnesses have quickly appeared before a grand jury. Pence's subpoena was issued by special counsel Jack Smith, who was appointed in November by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee the Justice Departments investigations into Trumps role in Jan. 6 and his alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving office. Pence initially vowed to fight his subpoena, arguing that the speech or debate clause of the Constitution gave him immunity from testifying. A federal judge disagreed and handed down an order requiring Pence to testify. Trumps filing this month with the Circuit Court came days after a Pence adviser said the former vice president would not appeal the judge's order. Other subpoenas from Smith have been sent to top county elections officials in key swing states for any and all communications involving Trumps campaign, and 19 aides and allies who allegedly played a role in Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. In March, a federal judge ruled that Trumps former chief of staff Mark Meadows and other aides, including Dan Scavino and Stephen Miller, must provide testimony to the grand jury. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com MSNBCs Ari Melber called out Ted Cruz or, rather, let him call himself out as he compared audio of the Texas Republicans scheming in the lead-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection to his own past comments on Donald Trump. (See the video below.) Melbers show has has been airing recordings over the past week that feature the senators conversations with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo. The recordings were shared with MSNBC by ex-Fox News producer Abby Grossberg, who is suing her former employer. One recording from Nov. 7, 2020, featured Cruzs call for demonstrable facts that can be laid out with evidence in the wake of Trumps election fraud claims, while another recording from Jan. 2, 2021, featured Cruz discussing a plan for a commission to invalidate Trumps election loss. On Wednesday, Melber played those clips and then stacked them up against other comments from Cruz. It is no surprise that Donald is throwing yet another temper tantrum or, if you like, another Trumper tantrum. ... Donald finds it very hard to lose, Cruz said in one clip from February 2016. By contrast, Cruz said in the 2021 recording that a Joe Biden presidency would be bad, because it would mean half the country [would] believe that they stole the election and it was illegitimate. Melber compared another 2016 clip, this one of Cruz calling Trump a pathological liar, to a recording where he told Bartiromo that results from the commission would play a role in the 2021 presidential inauguration. After airing the clips Wednesday, Melber declared: This is Senator Cruz. These are his words, he said. I cant say theyre his truths because theyre not all consistent. If you know anything about truth, evidence or logic, you cant have two opposite things be true at the same time, but they are his Cruz-isms. Warning Trump was a liar, Melber added. Warning, after Trump lost in 2020, that you need actual facts and evidence. Ari Melber tonight played clips of Cruz blasting Trump in 2016 spliced with audio of him scheming to overturn Trump's loss less than five years later pic.twitter.com/Pw8HUTqAzF Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 26, 2023 Related... Cherokee Nation headquarters in Tahlequah, Okla. (Photo/Courtesy of the Cherokee Nation) Guest Opinion. Cherokee Nations history is rich, but the details of our story are not well-known even among our own citizens. We must be better informed. Our past informs our present in how we interact with each other, with other tribes, and even with the United States Government. In order to make informed decisions about where we are going, we must better understand where we came from. Knowledge is ultimately the best defense for preserving our Nations long and unique history, and protecting our reservation, treaty rights, and sovereignty. We cannot effectively educate others in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere on these issues or defend ourselves against false narratives unless we, ourselves, are fully educated and understand the complex truth of our historya history that is the basis for our sovereign powers and legal rights that define us as the Cherokee Nation. Never miss Indian Countrys biggest stories and breaking news. Click here to sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Most everyone knows Cherokee Nation, with more than 450,000 citizens, is the countrys largest federally recognized Indian tribe. About a third of these citizens live on our 7,000 square mile reservation in northeast Oklahoma. Cherokee Nation citizens are spread across the United Statesour citizens live in every state in the union, and there are significant populations of Cherokees in Texas, California, Arkansas, Kansas, and Missouri. The Cherokee Nation Constitutionfirst ratified in 1827 and most recently updated in 2003provides for a tripartite government with executive, legislative, and judicial branches. We maintain exclusive jurisdiction over the entirety of our land base, and govern from our capital city of Tahlequah, Oklahoma. What people dont know, unfortunately, are the details. And the details are paramount, because those who seek to steal our history and sovereignty often make false claims in order to misrepresent their rights and sew confusion. We need to know these facts, clearly understand their meaning, and be ready to push back when we come across fraudulent narratives. Story continues Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr. First and foremost, there is no historic Cherokee Nationthere is only Cherokee Nation. The Cherokee Nation of today is the Cherokee Nation of yesterday. Cherokee Nation in 2023 is the Cherokee Nation that was governing itself when Europeans discovered us. The whole framing of a historical Cherokee Nation is a construct that has no historical or legal basis. It is time to put it to rest, definitively. Our continuous government-to-government relationship with the United States predates the founding of the country. Cherokee Nation entered into its first treaty with the United States in 1785 (the Treaty of Hopewell), and over the next 81 years forged numerous treaties and agreements with its fellow sovereign. As the landmark McGirt and Vann decisions demonstrated, the United States and Cherokee Nation are still bound by the provisions of these treaties, which remain valid law and shape our legal rights and obligations. Our final treaty with the United States was signed in 1866. Originally, Cherokee Nations homelands consisted of a substantial portion of what is now the southeastern United States. Between May 1838 and March 1839, the U.S. Government forcibly removed thousands of our ancestors to a reservation in what is now Oklahoma. The boundaries of this reservation were defined and affirmed in a series of treaties, guaranteeing the Nations sovereign title to, and authority over, those lands. And in 2020, the U.S. Supreme Courts McGirt ruling made clear that the Cherokee Nations reservation and the treaty right tied to it are enduring. Our reservation is ours alone. The 1835 Treaty of New Echota was, of course, responsible for our removal. Following our removal, our people came together in the 1839 Act of Union. The Cherokee Nation reunited under a new constitution in Indian Territory. The Act preserved our rights and obligations under our treaties, as well as our exclusive jurisdiction over our reservation. Moreover, our ancestors efforts to reunite means that those treaties remain alive and well and exclusively in the hands of the Cherokee Nation. And weve continued to chart our own history. In 1971, we elected a principal chief for the first time since Oklahoma statehood. And in 1985, Wilma Mankiller became the first woman to serve as principal chief of our nation and the first woman elected to serve as principal chief of any tribal nation. In 2019, I nominated Kim Teehee to serve as our first-ever delegate to the U.S. Congress a seat that was promised to us in the Treaty of New Echota, the same treaty that led to our removal. In the nearly 200 years since that treaty was signed, Congress has failed to seat the delegate that we were promised. Its past time for that to change, and we are still working to get Kim seated. Our history matters. The truth matters. Other tribes -- such as the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians -- are entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to their own facts. And -- most importantly -- they are certainly not entitled to the treaty rights and the benefits that our ancestors fought to secure for the Cherokee Nation with our blood, sweat, and tears. The Cherokee Nation, our treaty rights, and reservation in the twenty-first century are the expressions and products of our remarkably difficult history and too, of our unbending will to persevere and thrive. Through it all, the Nation and its people survived intact. We must insist on and tell the truth to educate our citizens and protect our Nation and rich history. To do this successfully will require all of us. Our truth is the truth. We must know it and share it because what is at stake is too great. Chuck Hoskin, Jr. is the principal chief of the Cherokee Nation. Editors note: After this storys publication, Army personnel officials spoke with reporters about this issue, confirming Army Times reporting. This story has been updated with more information from that briefing. Officials from Army Human Resources Command recently alerted hundreds of active duty aviation officers that their service commitments are about three years longer than previously thought, Army Times has learned. The move, which shocked impacted pilots interviewed by Army Times, came due to a previously incorrect interpretation of branch of choice active duty service obligation contracts the officers signed during their pre-commissioning training at West Point or ROTC. We acknowledge that there were errors in the application of aviation officers active duty service obligation[s], said Lt. Gen. Douglas Stitt, chief of the services personnel directorate. We are fixing those errors. The chaos comes from the soldiers overlapping service obligations agreements controlling when an officer can leave the Army some of which are contract-based and some of which are set by federal law. Aviation officers have different requirements than those in other roles, adding to the confusion. Dozens of impacted officers signed a letter to members of Congress claiming that officials fed them inaccurate information about their contract lengths. Among its enclosures, which Army Times obtained from multiple sources, were briefing materials and messages from branch managers, the Armys official career advisors, that affirmed a shorter-length interpretation of their obligations. The officers described service regulations and documents as filled with contradicting statements, and argued that the Army shouldnt begin enforcing obligations that it didnt on their peers who departed before the error was realized. Maj. Gen. Tom Drew, Human Resources Commands top general, argued that the contract form clearly states the longer commitment. Story continues Regardless of who is to blame, over 600 Army aviators must now defer any post-service plans for as long as three years, and the additional time means theyll likely complete another assignment (and move) before theyre eligible to leave. As of Thursday, the Army is aware of less than 20 others who already had resignations incorrectly accepted despite owing more time, Stitt said. They wont be recalled to service. Compounding the problem, the letter said, the contracts were not uploaded to many officers personnel files until recent months, and automated personnel systems rarely provide accurate service obligation dates. Drew acknowledged the error in calculating dates, but pushed back on the officers assertion that they did not have access to copies of their contracts. Other than the handful with already approved resignations, pilots commissioned between 2015 and 2020 who signed such contracts must serve longer than expected due to the discovery. For those who were counting on a fast-approaching separation date and already made firm arrangements for civilian life, Drew said he would personally review and approve exception to policy requests waiving the additional years on a case-by-case basis. The uproar comes amid a major recruiting crisis for the service, which has it struggling to fill the ranks. The Army also suffers from recurrent pilot shortages, which led it to increase the contractual obligation for pilots trained after 2020 and add more flight training slots. A Black Hawk pilot commissioned in 2019, who requested anonymity due to the matters sensitivity, said she feels misled by the whole affair. Tangled timelines Not all pilots have branch of choice obligations, either. Under the system the Army used for the last decade to match cadets with career fields, prospective officers ranked their desired jobs and indicated whether theyd accept an additional three-year contractual service obligation if necessary for them to get a branch of their choice. Cadets signed the contracts, not knowing if the Army would even exercise them. Then the Army branch selection board would weigh a cadets ranking alongside their willingness to accept an extra three years, according to methodology documents. Top-ranked cadets often received their favored choices without owing more time, but for a competitive branch like aviation, the board often selected average cadets who elected the additional service obligation. For non-aviation officers, the math is simple. When their statutory commissioning service obligation ends, they serve their contractual three years. Non-aviation officers who incur any additional contractual obligations, such as one for military schooling, serve them concurrently after their commissioning obligation runs out. The officer can voluntarily resign after the completion of their longest-running contractual obligation. For example, an engineer officer from West Point with the following commitments can still resign at the end of their eighth year, because their two contractual obligations run simultaneously: Five-year statutory commissioning obligation. Three-year contractual branch of choice obligation. Two-year contractual military course obligation for beginning a specialized development program at the start of year six. Pilots, however, are the only Army officers who receive a second statutory obligation of six years when they finish flight school, thanks to a law passed during a late 1980s pilot shortage. A pilot with a contractual three-year branch of choice commitment thus cannot resign until at least three years after completing flight school, the Army has clarified. Under Human Resources Commands corrected application of laws and regulations, an ROTC scholarship aviation officer would not be able to resign until the end of their 11th year if they have the following commitments, assuming they graduate at the end of year two: Six-year statutory commissioning obligation. Six-year statutory flight school obligation that begins when the officer graduates at the end of their second year of service. Three-year contractual branch of choice obligation. Previously, officials with Army Human Resources Command treated the flight school commitment as a contractual obligation, the letter said. That policy allowed officers to simultaneously serve it alongside their three-year branch of choice obligation and thus immediately resign six years after receiving their pilots wings, if they wished. According to Drew, the reassessment came after officers commissioned in 2015 began to submit their resignations and his command realized their service obligation dates were incorrect. We went back and we did kind of audit all of those out there, he said. The general cautioned that the service is still refining the number of officers, estimated at a little over 600. They now cant leave immediately after finishing their flight school commitment. I didnt even really think twice Thats what the Black Hawk pilot thought she could do. As far as she knew, she only owed three active duty years from ROTC plus six years after her flight school graduation, since she didnt take scholarship money. The pilot said briefings she received at training events during the branch education process convinced her that opting for the branch of choice obligation was the only way she could fly. Officials also told her, she said, that under service policy the additional three years would pass before she finished her pilot training obligation anyways. So I didnt even really think twice about it, she recalled. I was like, Sure, Ill sign one if it helps me in some way, because it had no impact on my timeline. But the commands recent message to the aviation community clarified that the Army will apply the three-year obligation after the officers finish their six-year flight school commitment, ending the previous policy of treating flight school like any other training obligation. Both Stitt and Drew committed to improving how the service communicates such commitments, both before and during an officers career. For the Black Hawk pilot, its too late. The change means she cant leave the Army until 2030 rather than in 2027 and in retrospect, shes reconsidering her decisions. If my commitment to the Army was only three years, I could have been out last fall, she said, adding that she eagerly committed what she thought would be roughly eight years in order to fly. 11 years is not something I was envisioning at any point in this process, she said. That was not even on my radar. Army officials say the service is not expected to make additional changes to its Combat Fitness Test despite a congressional law built into last years defense authorization bill that would establish gender-neutral physical fitness standards. The 2023 defense authorization bill, which passed in December, directed the service to implement the same fitness standards for both men and women by June 2023. The new standards, according to the bill, would ensure soldiers can perform the duties of their respective military occupational specialties. But after updates to the Army Combat Fitness Test last October, the service is reportedly not expected to make any more alterations. The Office of the Chief of Public Affairs for the Army did not respond to request for comment on the matter. Military.com was the first to report on the decision. Last month, Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth told lawmakers during a Senate Armed Service Committee hearing that the Army had already set gender-neutral standards. Wormuth did not, however, specify what standards she was referring to. The language in the bill talks about gender-neutral standards for military combat occupational specialties, Wormuth said at the hearing. We have standards in [an Army policy pamphlet] that lays out the requirements for all the combat [jobs] that are gender-neutral. The gender-neutral test almost immediately ran into problems when the service conducted a beta launch in 2019. Internal Army figures first reported by Military.com showed that 44% of female soldiers were failing the test compared to 7% of men. The leg tuck portion of the test, which was later scrapped, was found to be the pitfall for many female service members. While the old physical fitness test only measured push-ups, sit-ups and a two-mile run, the new test consisted of a deadlift, hand-release push-ups, a plank and a two-mile run. Two other events included in the test involved a measured toss of a 10-pound medicine ball and a back-and-forth sprint, switching between carrying 40-pound kettlebells and dragging a 90-pound sled. In 2020, Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) passed an amendment to delay the tests implementation. Army Chief of Staff James McConville told lawmakers in 2021 that he was committed to implementing gender-neutral testing. Two Athens-Clarke County Sheriffs deputies were injured recently when they were attacked at the county jail off Lexington Road, according to the sheriffs office. The deputies were treated and released for injuries at Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center and have not been able to return to duty, according to a statement released late Thursday. The attack occurred at about 7:50 p.m. April 21, when the sheriffs office reported a sergeant entered a unit and was immediately attacked by a male" incarcerated on a third-degree arson charge. Wrong turn: Man fired upon, chased down after making a wrong turn in Oconee County Shooting: Dance class girls wounded by gunfire erupting in Athens parking lot Deputies reported the inmate had crafted an improvised weapon by molding several bars of soap and placing them inside a sock. The inmate hit the deputy repeatedly in the head and arms and tried to remove her stun gun, according to the report. Another detention officer came to assist and he was hit causing his stun gun to come out of his hand. Deputies said the prisoner took the stun gun and attempted to stun the officer, at which point the sergeant deployed her stun gun on the man without any effect. More deputies arrived and the man was restrained and placed in a restraint chair, according to the report. The matter is still under investigation. This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Two jail deputies were injured when attacked in Athens-Clarke jail Atlanta police are searching for a teen accused of murdering a man earlier this year. Jyquez Harvey is wanted for his role in the February 17 shooting death of Julian Kolb, according to Atlanta police. At around 4:40 p.m., Atlanta Police responded to a call of a person shot at a home on Allegheny St. in SW Atlanta. Upon their arrival, officers found Kolb outside suffering from gunshot wounds. Kolb was pronounced dead at the scene. While investigating, police determined that Harvey was involved in Kolbs murder. He has warrants out for murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Anyone with information on the case can submit a tip anonymously to the Crime Stoppers Atlanta tip line at 404-577-TIPS (8477), online www.StopCrimeATL.org, or by texting CSA and the tip to CRIMES (274637). You do not have to give their name or any identifying information to be eligible for the reward of up to $2,000. TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia proposed on Thursday overhauling its immigration system to speed up getting highly skilled workers into the country and smoothening the path to permanent residency. The federal Labor government said the current system used to select skilled migrants - the points test - will be modified to identify people with the correct skill sets the Australian economy needs going forward. "Our migration system ... is broken. It is failing our businesses, it is failing migrants themselves. And most importantly, it is failing Australians. That cannot continue," Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said in a speech at the National Press Club. Australia has been competing with comparable countries, like Canada and Germany, to lure more skilled migrants, with the surge in demand exacerbated by an ageing population. The government said the visa process for high-skilled professionals will be made quicker and easier, while steps would be taken to retain international students. Temporary skilled visa holders, who had been denied even the opportunity to apply for permanent residency, will be able to do that by the end of this year, O'Neil said. But it will not add to Australia's annual intake of permanent migrants, she said. In September, Australia raised its intake of permanent migrants to 195,000 this financial year, up by 35,000, to help businesses battling widespread staff shortages and pledged more staff and funds to speed up visa processing. From July 1, the government said it would raise the migrant wage threshold of temporary skilled workers to A$70,000 ($46,250) from A$53,900, stuck at the same level since 2013. Around 90% of all full-time jobs in Australia are now paid more than the current threshold, leading to the exploitation of migrant workers, the government said. ($1 = 1.5135 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan) A search is underway for an Australian passenger who fell off a cruise ship bound for Hawaii, according to the cruise line. The man went overboard Wednesday night from the Quantum of the Seas operated by Royal Caribbean Cruises south of the Hawaiian Islands. "While on its trans-pacific sailing, a guest onboard Quantum of the Seas went overboard," the cruise line said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "The ship's crew immediately launched a search and rescue operation and is working closely with local authorities." NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE REVEALS NEW ROUTES FOR 2024 AND 2025: 'ULTIMATE CRUISE VACATION' Royal Caribbean Internationals new ship, Wonder of the Seas. Another Royal Caribbean ship, the Quantum of the Seas, has a passenger go overboard, according to reports. Passengers were asked to go back to their rooms to make sure everyone was accounted for. The ship has been at sea for 15 days and is expected to dock in Honolulu on Friday. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP The ship departed Brisbane, Australia, on April 12 Police have finally caught Pasquale Bonavota A dangerous mafia gangster, nicknamed the baby boss, has been arrested while praying in a cathedral after spending years on the run. Pasquale Bonavota, one of Italys most wanted mafia fugitives, is a high-ranking member of the close-knit Ndrangheta mafia organisation from Calabria, located in the toe of the boot-shaped Italian peninsula. He had been on the run since 2018, when he fled an arrest warrant, which came after he was accused of murder and mafia association. Police finally caught the 49-year-old in the northern city of Genoa, where they found him praying in solitude in the citys duomo, or cathedral. He was carrying false identity documents, but Carabinieri officers had no doubt about his identity. Matteo Piantedosi, the interior minister, hailed the gangsters arrest as a huge success. Nicola Gratteri, a high-profile prosecutor who has devoted his career to taking on the Ndrangheta mafia, said: This investigation confirms the fact that wiretaps (of telephone conversations) are indispensable. Without them we would not have achieved the capture of Pasquale Bonavota. Nicknamed il boss bambino Bonavota earned the nickname of il boss bambino because he started carrying a pistol during his teens and became involved in his familys bloody vendettas. The Ndrangheta makes an estimated 60 billion euros a year, importing cocaine from South America into Europe. The mafia organisation is thought to have eclipsed Cosa Nostra in Sicily and Camorra of Naples for wealth and international reach, with operations in about 40 countries. It launders money through legitimate businesses, and Bonavota was allegedly involved in running the syndicates affairs in northwest Italy, from Genoa to Turin. Defendant in ongoing maxi-trial Bonavota is a defendant in a huge ongoing trial in Calabria, involving about 300 alleged Ndrangheta criminals. In his indictment, he is accused of having a leading role in the Ndranghetas drug-trafficking and gambling activities. Story continues The maxi-trial, which began two years ago, is being held in a converted call centre to accommodate the large number of defendants, prosecutors and defence lawyers. The Ndrangheta is divided into clans, with Bonavota alleged to be a key member of a clan based in the Calabrian town of Vibo Valentia. Other high-profile captures Bonavotas arrest comes three months after the capture of another high-profile mafia don. Matteo Messina Denaro, from Sicilys Cosa Nostra mafia, was arrested in January at a clinic in Palermo, where he was being treated for cancer. He had been on the run for 30 years, raising questions about who helped him evade capture and whether local authorities were complicit. In February, a convicted Ndrangheta killer, who had forged a new life in France, was arrested after being on the run for 17 years. Edgardo Greco was captured in the town of Saint-Etienne in France, where he had been working as a chef and pizzaiolo, or pizza-maker. The manhunt for Bam Margera is over, with the "Jackass" star surrendering to authorities on Thursday morning. Margera was arraigned by Judge Albert Iacocca in Chester County on one count of simple assault, harassment and four counts of terroristic threats, the Pennsylvania State Police and Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Court both confirmed to Fox News Digital. He was then processed at Avondale State Police Barracks. Margera's bail was set at $50,000 unsecured, meaning he did not have to post any monetary sum upfront. A preliminary court hearing is scheduled for May 25. Margera is to be supervised in his release, per court documents, as well as be assessed for drug and alcohol use, which could lead to recommendations for treatment. The actor is to have no contact with the victims or return to his residence. Ahead of his day in court, Margera will have weekly legal check-ins. BAM MARGERA'S MOM OPENS UP AS PENNSYLVANIA POLICE SEARCH FOR TROUBLED REALITY STAR: 'WE ALL LOVE HIM SO MUCH' Bam Margera turned himself into local Pennsylvania authorities on Thursday. An attorney for Margera shared with Fox News Digital that there is no comment at this time. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP On Monday morning, authorities were called to Margera's Pocopson Township residence in Chester County for a reported "domestic in progress." Margera allegedly punched his brother Jesse in the face before fleeing the scene. In a complaint obtained by Fox News Digital, Jesse claims Bam woke him up by allegedly "banging and kicking his locked bedroom door." Upon leaving his room, Jesse says he found a handwritten note from Bam that allegedly read, "If you even f---ing think of calling the police on me I will officially f--- you up." Jesse would find Bam in the kitchen, where he was reportedly "urinating in the sink." Becoming "aggressive," Bam allegedly started "punching him, striking him in the right eye/nose and left ear," and also grabbing his arm. Story continues Phil Margera, left, with son Bam and wife April, was listed as a victim in documents obtained by Fox News Digital. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER The documents indicate that Margera's father, Phil, was also a victim in the incident. Margera allegedly "fled the residence on foot to the rear of the property through a dense wooded area" when law enforcement arrived on the scene. In addition to being a reality star, Margera is known as a skateboarder and stuntman. Margera's mother, April, previously told Fox News Digital of her son, "We all love him so much, and we just want to help him, and we are not against him. We just want to try to get him help." Chelsea must beat Barcelona at the Nou Camp if they are to progress to the Womens Champions League final. Caroline Graham Hansens stunning goal at Stamford Bridge gave Barcelona the advantage heading into the second leg. But Chelsea hung on to remain in the tie, as Emma Hayes side look to get revenge for their 2021 Champions League final defeat to Barcelona. The Spanish side have won 18 home matches in a row in the Womens Champions League, with another bumper crowd at the Nou Camp expected. Heres everything you need to know ahead of the second leg. When is Barcelona vs Chelsea? The match will kick off at 5:45pm BST on Thursday 27 April at the Nou Camp, Barcelona. How can I watch it? Every game in this seasons Womens Champions League knockout stages is being broadcast live on streaming platform DAZN, and also on DAZNs YouTube channel. You can set reminders to receive a notification of when the stream goes live, which is 15 minutes before the start of each match You can sign up to DAZN where the matches will also be streamed for free across their digital platforms. The YouTube stream will also be embedded on Uefa.com and on Uefa.tv for all Womens Champions League games. Confirmed line-ups Barcelona: Panos; Torrejon, Paredes, Leon, Rolfo; Bonmati, Walsh, Guijarro; Graham Hansen, Caldentey, Oshoala Chelsea: Berger; Perisset, Mjelde, Eriksson, Carter, Charles; Cuthbert, Leupolz; Fleming, Kerr, Reiten What is the team news? Barcelona could welcome back the two-time Ballon dOr winner Alexia Putellas. The Spain star has not played for Barcelona since last seasons Champions League final defeat to Lyon after suffering an ACL injury on the eve of last summers Euros, but returned to training ahead of the second leg. England star Lucy Bronze is out for two weeks, however, after hurting her knee in the first leg at Stamford Bridge and undergoing minor surgery. Chelsea lined up with a back three in the first leg in a formation switch that saw Lauren James drop to the bench, but the Blues will need to be bolder as they look to overturn Barcelonas lead. Emma Hayes is without centre-backs Millie Bright and Kadeisha Buchanan, as well as Englands Fran Kirby, while Pernille Harder may again start on the bench as she works to regain full match fitness. For those that love a performance, perhaps no building style is more theatrical than Baroque architecture. The origins of the word Baroque are not entirely clear, but it is generally associated with irregularity in forms as well as opulence, says Laura Foster, an architectural historian and professor at John Cabot University whose research focuses on Baroque architecture. Born in Italy in the late 16th century and flourishing throughout certain parts of Europe, the style was characterized by grandeur and a distinct dramatic flair. In this guide from AD, learn just how Baroque architecture came to be, discover famous examples of the style, and study what exactly makes the look different from other ornamented aesthetics. What is Baroque architecture? Strictly speaking, Baroque architecture refers to an opulent architectural style born in Italy in the late 16th century. Its a very broad term used for European architecture of the 17th and early 18th centuries, Foster explains. As Merriam Webster defines it, the building style is marked generally by use of complex forms, bold ornamentation, and the juxtaposition of contrasting elements often conveying a sense of drama, movement, and tension. The architectural style is the structural manifestation of a larger movement in art and designcommonly called the Baroque periodwhich also included similarly elaborate and dramatic work in the visual arts and music. Cathedral Of Santiago De Compostela And Its Surroundings Photo: Cristian Leyva/NurPhoto/Getty Images Often, Baroque architects would employ elaborate motifs and decorations in their work with an emphasis on organic, curving lines and bright colors. The term Baroque was initially used as an epithet to describe buildings whose design strayed from the principles established during the Renaissance, Foster adds. The style spread primarily throughout the 17th century in Europe, with particular prominence in Germany, and even made its way to colonial South America. Late Baroque work, which emerged in the mid to late 18th century, is often referred to as Rococo styleor Churrigueresque in Spain and Spanish America. This iteration of the style was even more ornamented and elaborate. History of Baroque architecture Unlike other architectural styles, Baroque aesthetics didnt come to be just because of a change in cultural tastes or ideologies. Rather, the catalyst for the emergence of Baroque buildings was the ongoing tension between the Catholic Church and Protestant Reformers. The origins of Baroque architecture are often associated with religious conditions beginning in the late 16th century, Foster says. At this time, Protestant believers had rejected the authority of the Roman Pope and disavowed many Roman Catholic teachings. This was known as the Protestant Reformation. Known as the Counter-Reformation, Baroque architecture was part of the Churchs campaign to entice congregants back into Catholic worship. By constructing churches to inspire awe and emotion, Catholics believed they could attract parishioners back to them. The church commissioned architects to reimagine many of the elements of Renaissance architecturelike domes and colonnadesand make them grander and more dramatic. Inside, almost all design decisions were made to entice visitors to look up, with the goal to make worshipers feel as if they were looking into heaven. Quadratura or trompe-loeil paintings on the ceilings or winding columns that evoked upward movement were often employed as part of this. Religion Photo: Avalon/Universal Images Group/Getty Images Early Baroque architecture was largely contained to Rome, later spreading to more Italian cities before making its way across other European nations. Some of the earliest completed works in the Baroque period were the Church of Gesu, in 1584, and the facade of St. Peters Basilica, designed in 1612. As the style took hold, it wasnt just churches that were crafted in the aesthetic, but secular buildings too. One of the most famous examples of thiscommissioned by Louis XIV of Franceis the Palace of Versailles. The Baroque style overlapped with Neoclassicism in the 18th century, which largely replaced [Baroque architecture] by the end of the century, Foster says of the styles end. Its disappearance partly had to do with religious associations made with the Baroque style as well as identification of it with monarchy and absolutism. Defining elements and characteristics of Baroque architecture Versailles palace in Paris suburbs, France Photo: Vladislav Zolotov/Getty Images According to Foster, there are three main elements that define all Baroque buildings. First, there is a sense of monumentality even when the space is actually small, she says. This can be seen throughout many Baroque structures, though she says the facade of Francesco Borrominis Church of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane is a particularly good example. Next, Baroque design exemplifies a desire to create embodied experiences of architectural space. This was done by creating theatrical forms through the manipulation of the classical orders, curvature in walls and facades, and the dynamic sequencing of spaces, she explains, citing Gian Lorenzo Berninis Church of SantAndrea al Quirinale as a good example. Lastly, light plays a vital role in Baroque work. Its use is often through reflective or glimmering surfaces, such as the extensive use of gold in interior church and palace decoration, she says. What defines the Baroque style? To better understand the style of architecture, consider the elements and characteristics of Baroque architecture. Though not exhaustive, many Baroque buildings will make use of the following: Vaulted cupolas Twirling and swiveling colonnades Rough stone and smooth stucco used throughout walls and doorways Frescoes and ornately painted ceilings Trompe loeil paintingsFrench for deceives the eyeon the ceilings and walls. This style included hyperrealistic subjects, like painted windows, which would give the viewer the perception that windows actually existed Use of complex form and less focus on strict rigidity or order Gilding on the interior and exterior Elaborate and highly decorative interior design Famous Baroque architecture examples and architects Consider the following list of notable architects and buildings from the Baroque period: Church of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane by Francesco Borromini, Rome, Italy San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane church Photo: karambol/Getty Images Commissioned in 1634 and built between 1638 and 1646 (the facade was later added in 1677), this Roman church was designed by Francesco Borromini as a monastery for a small group of Spanish monks. Though it is constructed in a relatively small plot, its a prime example of the way Baroque architecture emphasizes the feeling of monumentality. The curved, undulating facade was also frequently referenced in later Baroque work. Jesuit Church Il Gesu by Giacomo da Vignola, Rome, Italy The Jesuit Church Il Gesu in Rome Photo: Christian Ender/Getty Images One of the most cited examples of Baroque architecture, Jesuit Church Il Gesu is the mother church for Jesuits. Featuring a single aisle, side chapels, and a large dome over the nave and the transepts, the layout became a standard for many Baroque churches. The fresco on the nave, The Triumph of the Name of Jesus by Giovanni Battista Gaulli, is considered one of the most pristine examples of Baroque art. Church of Santandrea al Quirinale by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Rome, Italy Rome - cupola of church Chiesa di Sant'Andrea al Quirinale Photo: sedmak/Getty Images Commissioned by Cardinal Camillo Francesco Maria Pamphili, Church of SantAndrea al Quirinale was the third Jesuit church in Rome. Gian Lorenzo Bernini was said to have been incredibly proud of the structure and considered it one of this best works. The heavily gilded dome is representative of the ways Baroque churches encouraged visitors to look upwards. St. Pauls Cathedral by Christopher Wren, London, England England, London, St.Paul's Cathedral, The Quire Photo: Prisma by Dukas/Getty Images As the seat of the Bishop of London, St. Pauls Cathedral is one of the most celebrated Baroque buildings in England. Its considered a more restrained version of the Baroque style, and the large dome of the cathedral remains one of the most recognizable parts of of the London skyline. Palace of Versailles by Louis Le Vau, Jules Hardouin-Mansart, and Robert de Cotte; Versailles, France FRANCE-MONUMENT-HERITAGE Photo: Alain Jocard/Getty Images Executed in the French Baroque style, the Palace of Versailles is often cited as one of the most notable royal residences in the world. Commissioned by Louis XIV, every element of the structure is designed to glorify the king. The highly extravagant Hall of Mirrors is likely the most famous room in the building. What is the importance of Baroque architecture? Like any aesthetic period, understanding Baroque architecture helps tell the human story. Not only does it serve as a lasting reminder of an important moment in history, but studying its impact explains the desires and ideals of Europeans at that time. It was also one of the first architectural styles to spread globally and a prime example of the way architecture is used to convey cultural messages. Additionally, the Baroque period has long represented a creative peak for Western civilization. As modernist architect Harry Seidler explained in a lecture at University of New South Wales in 1980 on the links between Baroque and modern architecture, the Baroque style was one of the last great examples of a truly new aesthetic. The Baroque has been called the last great creative and innovative period before our own; there have only been revival periods in between us, he said. The fact remains that both eras [modernism and baroque] were born of fresh thought. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest More Great Stories From AD Filmmakers Barry Jenkins and Lulu Wang have officially become New York City residentsat least part-time. The Hollywood directors have just scooped up digs in a Greenwich Village co-op building for $2.35 million, according to the New York Post. The listing was held by Robert Cain at Compass. Tamer Howard of the Corcoran Group represented the buyers. Barry Jenkins, whose screenplay Moonlight won the Oscar for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay in 2017, is a Miami native. Wang is Chinese-born but also Miami-raised, and is the writer-director behind critically acclaimed 2019 comedy-drama The Farewell, starring Awkwafina. The couples newly-acquired two-bedroom, one-and-a-half bathroom abode sits on the seventh floor of a 10-story pre-war building. Constructed in 1929, the co-op is situated just minutes away from Washington Square Park and Union Square. A welcoming foyer leads to the units all-white living room, which measures in at 25 feet long and boasts beamed ceilings and a wood-burning fireplace with original stone mantel. Its original oak floors have been maintained throughout. Street-facing casement windows frame a north facing view, with bench seating below. An eat-in kitchen will allow the filmmaking duo enough room for a four-person table. Whenever theyre not off in LA or busy working on what one can only assume is the next awards season contender, the couple can enjoy the buildings amenities, which include a meticulously landscaped rooftop terrace and access to fitness rooms. See the video. When asked where he keeps his Oscars, Jenkins told Vulture that the gold statuettes were sometimes stored on the wall of books in his LA home. No telling if the awards will end up in New York City too, but the smaller bedroom in their new home is currently set up as a library with built-in bookshelves, so they've got options. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest More Great Stories From AD A popular Denver bartender found dead under a tarp near his home with his pockets turned out had a huge heart, friends told news outlets. Police found Johnathan Douglas, 34, dead of blunt-force injuries just before 7 a.m. on April 18, the Denver District Attorneys Office said in a news release. Douglas had been mugged and police followed a trail of blood to his nearby home, where they found the front door open, KUSA reported. The home had been burglarized. They later found security camera video showing a man standing over Douglas on the sidewalk, the station said. The District Attorneys Office announced Wednesday, April 26, that Stig Strong, 33, has been charged with murder, robbery, assault and burglary, in the death, the release said. Officers who arrested Strong found a car key, house key and cash on him, KMGH reported. They found him by tracking Douglas missing phone, KDVR reported. Strong, whom police described as being homeless, told investigators that Douglas had told him to get off his lawn, sparking a confrontation. Friends described Douglas as an amazing person, according to KMGH. He was really kind. Had a huge heart, just out of nowhere thoughtful. Really caring. Very loyal, roommate Michelle Glancey told KDVR. Really like, if you needed him, no matter what, if you hadnt talked to him in days or months or years, he would be there. Passenger goes overboard and vanishes on cruise headed to Hawaii, Coast Guard says Remains found at Lake Mead identified as boater missing 25 years, Nevada officials say Man fights to save grandparents, brother from California fire. I feel like a failure LONDON Dropping days before this years Met Gala, where the legacy of the late fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld will be celebrated, the documentary The Mysterious Mr. Lagerfeld tried to figure out who will inherit the designers fortune, which is estimated to be 200 million euros, while offering a condensed overview of the extraordinary life of the polymathic designer at Chanel, Fendi and his namesake label. For that purpose, director Michael Waldman spoke to members of Lagerfelds inner circle: Sebastien Jondeau, his bodyguard; Baptiste Giabiconi, a model and friend; Brad Kroenig, a longtime muse; Francoise Cacote, the caretaker of Choupette, the designers pampered Burmese cat; Caroline Lebar, the late designers communication director, and Celine Degoulet, Lagerfelds lawyer, who has access to his will but declined to share the details, among others. More from WWD There were a few emotional moments, such as Kroenig, who is the subject of Lagerfelds book Metamorphoses of an American and now works as a real estate agent in Florida, sitting on a beach with his family while shedding tears about how Lagerfeld changed the trajectory of his life. But no vital information regarding the inheritance was extracted. Jamison Kroenig, Brad Kroenig and Hudson Kroenig. Its was reported in 2020 that there are seven beneficiaries to Lagerfelds estate. They are model Jake Davis, Lebar, Giabiconi, Jondeau, Cacote and Kroenig and his son Hudson, who is Lagerfelds godson. But since Lucien Frydlender, Lagerfelds main accountant for more than three decades, who is believed to be the only person with enough knowledge about the late designers assets to help with his succession, has relocated to Switzerland and was unable to be reached to answer any questions due to what was described as ill health, it leaves the presumed heirs in the dark about what they are going to receive. Story continues Degoulet, who also helped Lagerfeld broker collaboration deals, explained that, The situation left at the end was not very tidy. This kind of big succession can take 10 years, and the fact that his assets are split between France and Monaco means that the cost of processing the fortune, mostly taxes, will be enormous. Sebastien Jondeau and Karl Lagerfeld Inheritance talks aside, the documentary, which aired on BBC2, painted a picture of the designer that was largely in line with how he has always been known: he was a workaholic, a marketing genius, a vintage furniture addict, a generous friend, but at the same time a very distant and private person. It did offer some fresh insight into the life of the late designer, however. For example, it was revealed that Jondeau was the only one who knew about Lagerfelds final illness, which started in June 2015, and in order to shield this news from the press, all drugs issued to Lagerfeld were prescribed under Jondeaus name from the pharmacy. Jondeau, who had his first brush with the designer as a 15-year-old from a rough-and-tumble Paris neighborhood conscripted to move some 18th-century furniture for his father, said Lagerfeld helped him buy a house in St. Tropez, where he currently lives, and for better and for worse, completely changed his life. He gave me the chance to make new things and to arrive in a new world. I was on the top of this new world. Its like to live a lot of things and everything crashes.You dont really know who you are because at one point you are living in a different world. And its difficult to go back. You cannot go back to the old world. Its impossible. You prefer to die, said Jondeau. The documentary also touched base on the designers love life. Gilles Defour, a former colleague of Lagerfeld at Chanel, recalled introducing the designer to Jacques de Bascher, who Lagerfeld admitted was the love of his life, and with whom he got into a bitter love triangle with Yves Saint Laurent. Karl and Jacques was absolutely the perfect love story and the perfect impossible story. Karl has a problem with sex. He cant have sex. And Jacques was crazy about sex. Thats why he let Jacques, um, go everywhere, with many attractions for him, said Patrick Hourcade, an artist and close friend of the designer, who hid Lagerfelds mothers ashes for two years in his bedroom. Jacques de Bascher and Karl Lagerfeld in Paris in 1979. When I decide to divorce Karl, I gave back the ashesand he sent me back by fax nine pages, telling me that he will never be happy, and he was very disappointed about, you know, about our relationship. I kept the letter. It was between crying and nostalgia for the past, Hourcade said. With regard to Lagerfelds relationship with his muses, especially with Giabiconi, former Vogue Paris editor in chief Carine Roitfeld said that: We all figured that he had a crush on Baptiste. Thats for sure. Hes exceptionally beautiful, but personally, I never see any kissing. Nothing could be sexual or anything. People talk a lot. I never see anything. Giabiconi in the documentary described his relationship with Lagerfeld more like father and son. He added that, At one point, we had expressed a desire to one day maybe for Karl to adopt me. Thats what he wanted. He gave me a present, a set of luggage from Louis Vuitton. He ordered initials on the luggage. So he put BLG, Baptiste Lagerfeld Giabiconi. Baptiste Giabiconi and Karl Lagerfeld A little-known part of Lagerfeld that was revealed in the documentary was his relationship with his Connecticut-based niece Caroline Johnson, whom Lagerfeld met when he came to visit his sister Christiane in 1974. He later invited them to visit Paris and in 1992 offered to make his niece a wedding gown. The dress did not come until the day before the wedding. He put it on the Concorde. It has its own seat and it was delivered by a driver to my house in the middle of a snowstorm, recalled Johnson. Sebastien Frank, Francoise Cacote, Choupette and Dr. Mathias Wahrenberger pose during the LucyBalu Product Presentation at Paris Nord Villepinte in Paris. As for his beloved pet Choupette, which originally belonged to Giabiconi, she has moved on and become a full-time pet influencer with a raft of marketing appointments in her diary. Last year, Choupette launched a series of high-end cat furniture with LucyBalu. According to her manager Lucas Berullier, Choupette is an enormous diva. If she doesnt want, its her decision. We wont force her. Best of WWD Click here to read the full article. Residents of Kensington, Md., a tiny Beltway suburb, have a new and not particularly welcome neighbor: a bear. Residents spotted the ursine visitor early this week, wandering around a neighborhood of million-dollar homes. Surveillance video pictured the bear sniffing trash cans. The community sits about 8 miles from the White House. Its just been hanging around the neighborhood, said Ian Velinsky, a local real estate agent who lives on Culver Street. Ive been here for a while, and its definitely not something thats normal. Indeed, bear sightings are unusual in the inner suburbs of Washington. Fretful messages have flooded neighborhood forums. Dog owners are avoiding nocturnal walks. A local school has launched a bear watch. A spokesperson for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources told the local NBC affiliate the black bear probably arrived in Kensington via Rock Creek, presumably from a more sparsely populated location farther north in Montgomery County. He advised residents to bring in their bird feeders. Residents are surprised that no one from the county or state has swept in to usher the bear back to a more natural habitat, maybe up near Frederick, Md.: Theyre used to bears. The response has been, Best of luck to you, Velinsky said. Jonathan Trudeau, a black bear specialist with the natural resources department, explained that his agency was monitoring the Beltway bear but would step in only if the animal became stuck, trapped in a strip mall parking lot, or otherwise disconnected from the forest whence it came. We dont relocate bears, he said. Updated at 1:47 p.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The story of Orlandos latest wandering bear met a sad end on Thursday when the bear was hit and killed by a car. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials confirmed that the bear died after being hit by a car along Fairbanks Avenue between 11 p.m. Wednesday and 7 a.m. Thursday. For days Orlando residents have documented the bear roaming through several urban neighborhoods. FWC officials said attempts were made to try and trap the bear for relocation but, the bear continued to be on the move. Read: Please do not approach: Bear spotted roaming Orlando neighborhoods Each situation may be different, but generally it is best practice for bears to be given plenty of space so that they will move away on their own, wildlife officials said. Police said the bear was spotted in the area of Lake Ivanhoe Park on Monday and in a tree near Yale Street and Formosa Avenue in College Park. Read: Orlando bear watch: Police say bear is still roaming College Park Wildlife officials said black bears are reported in the downtown Orlando area each year, particularly during the spring when bears are more active and juvenile bears are starting to leave their mothers home range. Typically, these bears have moved along out of the city on their own and this is the first time that a dispersing bear has been hit by a car in the city of Orlando, based on reports to the FWC, officials said. Read: Bats, bears & manatees, oh my: How to enjoy, help conserve Florida wildlife this spring To learn more about bears and how to avoid conflicts with them, click here. MyFWC.com/Bear You can contact the FWCs Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922) if you feel threatened by a bear; observe a sick, injured, dead or orphaned bear; or to report someone who is either harming bears or intentionally feeding them. 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. China and Ukraine's leaders speaking this week raises the unflattering prospect of Kyiv and the West having to reject a Chinese proposal to end the Ukraine war, analysts say. The one-hour conversation between Xi Jinping and Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday was the first since Russia invaded its pro-Western neighbour more than a year ago. Xi, who has refused to condemn President Vladimir Putin's invasion and maintained cordial ties with Moscow, advocated peace negotiations. Beijing claims that Zelensky initiated the call, after China published a 12-point position paper on Ukraine in February and the Ukrainian leader said he would be open to dialogue with Xi. "Despite Russia's stumbling invasion, the status quo is untenable," said Can Kasapoglu of the US thinktank Hudson Institute. "Ukraine needs to attempt to fundamentally change the political and military dynamics of the conflict." Ukrainian forces have said they are preparing for a spring operation to further push back Russians in the east of the country. But "even if it conducts a successful counter-offensive that secures large swathes of land, Ukraine can only solidify the reacquisition of its occupied territories via diplomatic means," Kasapoglu said. - 'Decline in popular support' - Kyiv has relied heavily on Western weaponry to defend itself, and a high-ranking European official this month said Ukraine was "in dire need of munitions". The United States alone has spent billions in economic and military aid since the February 2022 invasion. But 26 percent of Americans think that aid to Ukraine has been excessive, according to a Pew Research Centre poll published in January. Marlene Laruelle of George Washington University said this trend would probably increase pressure for a diplomatic solution. "This decline in popular support for Ukraine is likely to become more pronounced in the coming months regardless of how the conflict evolves," she wrote recently. Story continues "If the Ukrainian counteroffensive is successful, calls for diplomatic negotiations will intensify, while if it fails, calls for concessions to achieve a ceasefire will grow." - 'What Ukrainian integrity?' - The timing of Wednesday's phone call could possibly signal a go-ahead from Putin, after Singaporean diplomat Chan Heng Chee last week said that no contact had been made between Xi and Zelensky until then because the Russian leader had likely told Xi he was "not ready to negotiate". Jean-Francois Di Meglio, a French researcher based in Taiwan, said China was hoping to position itself as a key mediator. "China is really entering the great diplomatic game, pursuing its agenda of a new global governance," he said. He said any peace negotiations were likely to follow Beijing's February 12-point plan. "Whatever Xi proposed cannot be very different," he said, and would include "territorial integrity". "But what does Ukrainian integrity mean for the Chinese? We have no idea," he said. "What will be the borders?" Moscow in 2014 invaded and annexed the Crimean Peninsula, after a referendum not accepted by Kyiv or the West. And since its full-scale invasion last year, it has annexed four regions of Ukraine -- Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia -- after staging local polls also dismissed by Kyiv and the West as a sham. - 'Trap' - Dan Baer, a researcher for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said last week there was "no way that China could be a credible mediator" in view of its support to Moscow. China would likely start by suggesting a ceasefire, said China expert Yawei Liu at the same Carnegie conference. But "that's not something Ukraine wants to see now because if you call a ceasefire, then Crimea, Donbas and other areas are still occupied," he said. Di Meglio said any Chinese-led negotiations risked casting Ukraine and its allies as hardliners bent on rejecting a peace proposal. "That's the huge trap," he said. Moscow said on Thursday it welcomed any attempt to end the Ukrainian conflict on its own terms. "We are ready to welcome anything that can bring forward the end of the conflict in Ukraine and the achievement of Russia's goals," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. White House national security spokesman John Kirby on Wednesday called the Xi-Zelensky phone call a "good thing". But "if there's going to be a negotiated peace, it's got to (be) when President Zelensky is ready for it... where he can do it from a position of strength," he said. bur-fz/ah/jh/giv Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland were outstanding as Manchester City overpowered Arsenal (Bradley Collyer/PA) (PA Wire) Bernardo Silva has described Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland as beasts after the destructive duo ran riot in Manchester Citys vital win over Arsenal. De Bruyne scored twice from Haaland assists and then made another for John Stones before the Norwegian got on the scoresheet in a 4-1 win at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday. The victory put the treble-chasing champions in firm control of the Premier League title race as they moved within two points of the leaders with two games in hand. Haaland has now scored a stunning 33 goals in the competition this season one short of the record and laid on seven assists while De Bruynes figures are seven and 16 respectively. City midfielder Silva said: We knew that they could come doing man-to-man and we tried to stretch them as much as possible because, if they do man-to-man against us, they have to deal with Kevin and Erling up front. Its never going to be easy in that spot. It was perfect for Kevin. They gave space for Kevin and to Erling to run. When you give them this kind of space, they are so difficult to defend. Two beasts running, their movements Kevin with the passes, Erling with the scoring this was the opposite. They did it perfectly, they created lots of chances. We could have scored even more. City now have a superb chance to emulate Manchester Uniteds 1999 achievement of winning all three of the remaining trophies on offer. As well as being in command of their title destiny they are through to the FA Cup final, where they will face United, and they take on Real Madrid in the last four of the Champions League next month. Manager Pep Guardiola has been reluctant to publicly discuss the prospect of winning the treble. Silva insists the subject is not off-limits but the focus is very much on taking one game at a time. The Portuguese said: No, he hasnt banned anything! Were big men and we talk about whatever we want. Story continues But these players know that the best way to achieve good things is to think just about the next one. If we dont beat Fulham on Sunday we put ourselves in a difficult position to win the Premier League. If we dont win the Premier League we arrive in the final of the FA Cup and in the semi-finals of the Champions League not in a good momentum. We want to try and stay in this good momentum to try and go as far as possible. The team is doing very well at the moment and were going to try and keep it that way. The best buy-to-let locations for landlords to invest 50,000 A series of punishing tax changes and higher borrowing costs have squeezed buy-to-let profits in the past year and triggered an exodus of landlords from the market. Landlords sold 35,000 more properties than they bought during 2022, the largest net loss in three years, according to analysis by estate agency Hamptons. It has left a void of rental properties to be filled a golden opportunity for investors who are prepared to take on the sectors challenges. National rents jumped by 4.9pc in the year to March, the biggest jump on record according to the Office for National Statistics, boosted by the fact that in every region, demand from tenants is still wildly out of kilter with supply. Buy-to-let specialists and advisers have reported a recent surge in investors looking to pounce on the opportunity for lucrative returns. With a budget of 50,000, landlords can tap into most regional markets and have a choice of investing in a flat or house. In this article, we take a look at the top locations with the highest yields for an investment of this size, all yielding an average of 8pc and above. If you are looking to break into the buy-to-let market with a smaller budget, click here for the best locations for an investment of 25,000. Where 50k will earn you the highest yields Isle of Anglesey Menai Suspension Bridge across the Menai Strait in Wales - Leonid Andronov/iStockphoto House price growth in Wales consistently outpaced all other regions during the pandemic boom, but property values remain relatively low in comparison. Rental yields are typically highest where house prices are lowest, so the country is popular with investors. Anglesey, just off the mainland's north-west coast, has the highest rental yield in England and Wales and is the only region with an average in the double figures, according to estate agency Hamptons. The region has an average gross yield of 10.1pc for investors with deeper pockets. A 50,000 budget would be enough to cover a 25pc deposit and stamp duty on a typical 142,500 flat or 161,920 terraced house on the island, according to Hamptons. An investor would need an upfront cash injection of 39,910 to cover a deposit and the tax bill on a flat and 45,340 on a small house. Story continues The average yield on a buy-to-let flat on the Isle of Anglesey is much higher than a terrace however. A landlord with a flat can expect a typical yield of 11.4pc with an annual gross rental income of 16,290. Meanwhile, a terraced house brings in a 9.6pc gross yield with 15,561 in annual gross income. Rhondda Cynon Taf Rhondda Cynon Taf - Matthew Horwood/Getty Images Europe The second-highest yielding location for an investor with 50,000 is also in Wales, in the southern region of Rhondda Cynon Taf. Investors here can buy a bigger property with cash left over for renovations or additional landlord costs. The average semi-detached house here costs 162,990, according to Hamptons, which is significantly cheaper than the average 204,200 price for the same type of property in Isle of Anglesey. Landlords would need 45,640 to cover a deposit and stamp duty on a semi-detached investment property in Rhondda, and would reap the benefits of growing tenant demand. The region has an average gross yield of 8.6pc, and landlords can expect rental income before expenses of 10,388 from an average terraced house and 13,358 from a semi-detached home. Gateshead Angel Of The North, Gateshead - View Pictures/Universal Images Group Editorial Investors in Gateshead, in the North East of England, received similar yields at an average of 8.3pc last year. An average 25pc deposit and stamp duty charges on a typical flat in the area costs 25,220 so there is potential to build a portfolio of buy-to-lets for serious investors. An average flat in Gateshead yields 9.3pc with gross rental income of 8,419. Upfront deposit and tax costs rise to 39,540 for a terraced house priced at an average of 141,210 and 46,660 on a semi-detached property with a typical price tag of 166,630. Houses in Gateshead yield an average of 7.9pc. 10 celebrity-approved sneakers for spring and summer 2023 (photos via Getty). While the rich and famous are known for their wildly expensive tastes in shoes (among other things), every now and again, they slip into a pair of sneakers that, shockingly, don't require a personal bankruptcy filing. Whether it's Kate Middleton and her Superga sneakers, Hailey Bieber sporting New Balance, or Kourtney Kardashian in Converse high-tops, we found ten affordable shoes that A-listers, and many others, swear by. Starting at less than $100, scroll down to check out what celeb-approved sneakers are worth buying this spring. Kate Middleton in Superga Cotu Classic sneakers (Photos via Getty & Nordstrom) Time and time again, Kate Middleton has proven to be a fan of classic white sneakers. The Princess of Wales' shoe of choice? The surprisingly affordable Superga Cotu Classic Sneakers. $94 CAD/$69 USD at Shopbop Meghan Markle wears Veja's sustainable V-10 sneakers (Photos via Getty & Anthropologie) Take a page out of Meghan Markle's style book and pick up a pair of Veja V-10 sneakers for your summer wardrobe (shop here in Canada and here in the U.S.). The stylish sneakers are sustainably made, using recycled fabric and wild Amazonian rubber. $245 CAD at Altitude Sports $195 USD at Anthropologie Hailey Bieber wearing New Balance 2002R sneakers (Getty & New Balance) Ever since Hailey Bieber stepped out in New Balance's modern "dad" sneaker the 2002R style we've had our eye set on the sporty style. Consider us influenced, HB. $180 CAD/$140 USD at New Balance Addison Rae in Asics Gel-Nimbus 9 sneakers (photos via Getty & Asics) If Addison Rae is any indication, these sporty dad sneakers will be the next big thing this spring. Featuring a mid-2000s aesthetic, the chunky sneakers have comfortable gel inserts in the heel and forefoot. $220 CAD/$170 USD at Asics Hailey Bieber in Nike Air Force 1 sneakers (Photo via Getty & Nike) Nike's Air Force 1 sneakers have become a footwear staple among the Hollywood crowd, with fans ranging from Hailey Bieber and Addison Rae to Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid. $170 CAD at Nike $110 USD at Nike Chrissy Teigen in APL TechLoom Bliss sneakers (Photos via Getty & APL) Chrissy Teigen has been spotted wearing APL's top-rated TechLoom Bliss sneakers on several occasions, including on a walk with husband John Legend (pictured above), and again while donning this Catwoman-like bodysuit. $314 CAD/$220 USD at APL Kaia Gerber in Vans Authentic Sneaker (Photos via Getty & Sport Chek) For laid-back summer style, model Kaia Gerber is the ultimate fashion inspiration. Take a cue from her simple yet comfortable wardrobe and pick up a pair of Vans Authentic sneakers (shop here in Canada, here in the U.S.). $70 CAD at Journeys $60 USD at Zappos Bella Hadid in Forum 84 Low Sneakers (Photos via Getty & Nordstrom) New kicks for summer? Take a note from supermodel Bella Hadid's book and grab a pair of blue and white Adidas Forum 84 Low Sneakers for a fresh look this season (shop here in Canada, here in U.S.). $140 CAD/$100 USD at Adidas Addison Rae and Kourtney Kardashian wearing Converse Chuck Taylor All Star sneakers (Photos via addisonraee/Instagram & Converse) A testament to the agelessness of Converse sneakers, the brand's high-top Chuck Taylor All Stars (shop here in Canada, here in the U.S.) have been spotted on a range of celebrities, including 20-something Addison Rae and 40-something Kourtney Kardashian. The unofficial shoe of Hollywood influencers, the Converse sneakers are available in a range of colours, including black, white, maroon and charcoal. $80 CAD at Little Burgundy Shoes $65 USD at Converse Elsa Hosk in New Balance Made in USA 993 Core sneakers (photos via Elsa Hosk/Instagram & New Balance) Verified cool girl Elsa Hosk was spotted in New Balance's MADE in USA 993 Core sneakers. The shoes are a favourite from the brand's legendary 990 series and feature ultra-responsive cushioning. $260 CAD/$200 USD at New Balance Let us know what you think by commenting below and tweeting @YahooStyleCA! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Lotay Tshering (left) meeting Indian's PM Narendra Modi in 2018 - the countries have historically close ties The Himalayan nation of Bhutan is nestled between two Asian giants, China and India. But that unique geographical position also comes with a price. Bhutan is one of the two countries with which China is yet to resolve its land border dispute. The other country is India, which has a long-running disagreement over its Himalayan frontier with China. China's global rise is putting pressure on Bhutan to reach a deal with Beijing, but any possible breakthrough will need the approval of its ally India. Thimphu and Delhi share a close relationship and India has been offering hundreds of millions of dollars of economic and military aid to Thimphu. Bhutan and China have disputes over territory in the north and in the west in the Himalayas. Among all the contentious places, the key issue is a strategic plateau called Doklam - situated close to the tri-junction between India, Bhutan and China. Bhutan and China claim the region and India supports Thimphu's position. India has its own reasons to back Thimphu. Experts say the Doklam plateau is of great security importance to India as any dominance of the region by the Chinese could pose a threat to Siliguri Corridor, known as the Chicken's Neck, a 22km (14-mile) stretch that connects the Indian mainland with its north-eastern states. A recent interview given by the Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering to a Belgian newspaper La Libre has only reminded the country about its limitations. "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," Mr Tshering was quoted as saying. He also expressed hope that Bhutan and China will be able to demarcate some of its boundaries in a meeting or two. The two countries have been holding border negotiations since 1984. Mr Tshering also said that there was no Chinese intrusion of its territory. Story continues The comments by Mr Tshering have triggered alarm bells in India, particularly in the media, with many commentators expressing concern over the possibility of any swap agreement with Bhutan and China involving the tri-junction. Some of them say Thimphu is not pressing hard enough over its claims on Doklam. Indian troops on the border with China "India is concerned that China is pressuring Bhutan to settle the boundary to harass New Delhi," said P Stobdan, a former senior Indian diplomat and an expert on Himalayan affairs. "Clearly, the Bhutanese are intending to speed up the process of resolving their differences and there have been some changes in the Bhutanese stance lately with regards to China's role in settling the dispute," Mr Stobdan said. Following the furore in the Indian media, Mr Tshering earlier this month clarified his comments. "I have said nothing new and there is no change in [Bhutan's] position," the prime minister told The Bhutanese weekly. While many Bhutanese were surprised by the reaction to Mr Tshering's comments in the Indian media, the view from China is that Thimphu will struggle to reach a deal without Delhi's backing. "India is the hurdle here. If China and Bhutan also resolve the border issue, only India will be left. I don't think India will let this happen," Liu Zongyi, a senior fellow at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, told the BBC. China and Bhutan were close to reaching a final agreement around 1996, but failed due to India's intervention, he said. The Bhutan-China border issues are also linked to the decades-old India-China tensions over the border. Map: Disputed border areas The two countries share a frontier that isn't fully demarcated, and have overlapping territorial claims. India says it is 3,488km long; China puts it at around 2,000km. The de-facto border starts from India's northern Ladakh region and runs all the way to the state of Arunachal Pradesh (which the Chinese call Southern Tibet) in the east. China's growing economic and military might is also being keenly watched by many Bhutanese who feel that settling for a deal with Beijing soon will be better for the country. "China is a reality. Does Bhutan have that option of not to have diplomatic relations with China? I don't think that it is a desirable arrangement," said a Bhutanese expert who didn't want to be identified. India and Bhutan signed a special treaty in 1949 that takes Delhi's security concerns into account. A revised treaty in 2007, gave Thimphu more freedom in areas of foreign policy and military purchases. Hundreds of Indian soldiers have been stationed inside Bhutan and officials say they offer training to Bhutanese troops. Its military headquarters is in the western town of Haa, about 20km from Doklam. Bhutanese commentators like Wangcha Sangey feel that Bhutan can achieve a border settlement with China, if it were not for Delhi's reported insistence that Bhutan retain Doklam. "How we make claims on Doklam? What we have now as part of Doklam is still with us. What we don't have, we cannot take it from China," he said. Analysts like Mr Sangey argue that as Bhutan currently banks on imports from India for most of its needs, particularly for oil, Thimphu should diversify its supplies by opening another route with its northern neighbour China. The Bhutanese PM's comments have elicited a cautious response from India's foreign ministry. "India and Bhutan remain in close touch, close co-ordination relating to our shared national interests including security interest," Vinay Mohan Kwatra, permanent secretary to the Indian External Affairs Ministry, told journalists in early April. "I would reiterate our earlier statements which explicitly and clearly bring out our position on the determination of the tri-junction [Doklam] boundary points," Mr Kwatra said. India doesn't want any major realignment around Doklam because of its great strategic importance. On the other hand, for a country like Bhutan it may be difficult to put pressure on Beijing to give up its claim. Bhutan may be in a great position sharing a border with two of the world's emerging economies at a time when people are talking about an Asian century. But with tensions between Delhi and Beijing persisting, Thimphu finds itself increasingly in a vulnerable situation. 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 Department of Justice filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Tennessees recently-signed law that bans gender-affirming care for minors, alleging the law violated the 14th Amendments equal protection clause. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed the bill banning the care last month, making it just one of a number of Republican-led states that have taken similar action. The Biden administration is challenging the law in federal court. The DOJ called the Tennessee measure a law that denies necessary medical care to youth based solely on who they are. The complaint alleges that SB 1s ban on providing certain medically necessary care to transgender minors violates the Fourteenth Amendments Equal Protection Clause, the DOJ said in a release on Wednesday. The DOJ argued the law violates the equal protection clause because it prohibits transgender youth from accessing some medically necessary care while allowing others access to the same or similar care. No person should be denied access to necessary medical care just because of their transgender status, said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the DOJs Civil Rights Division. Major medical associations agree that the type of care being targeted by a number of Republican-led states is appropriate for adults and kids who have gender dysmorphia, which is defined by the American Psychiatric Association as clinically significant distress or impairment related to gender incongruence At least 11 Republican-led states have total or partial bans on gender-affirming care for minors, according to an ABC News analysis. The law in Tennessee states that minors cannot be held accountable for receiving the care but parents and legal guardians could face legal action if violating the states ban. It also allows the states attorney general to fine healthcare providers for providing care. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The Biden administration is looking to shift the focus on migration from a border issue to a hemispheric one ahead of the end of pandemic-related border control measures. Administration officials have been preparing for the end of Title 42 for more than a year, fretting in public and private about how the policys end will affect border crossing numbers. Just like all extraordinary pandemic era measures, Title 42 is coming to an end because the national public health emergency is ending, in large part due to the efforts of this administration to provide Americans with the tools to protect themselves from COVID-19, an administration official told reporters Thursday. The end of Title 42 does not mean, however, that the border is open. Under Title 42, U.S. border officials have been able to quickly expel migrants encountered at the border without processing them for asylum. Immigrant advocates have largely decried the policy as a violation of asylum law. To replace the policy after its sunset, U.S. authorities are expected to rely heavily on expedited removal under Title 8, the regular border processing statute, though they worry news of the end of Title 42 could prompt more migrants to attempt to enter the United States by land. As part of the administrations new policy, officials are warning that migrants who are encountered and processed under expedited removal will be subject to a minimum five year bar on reentry to the United States under any circumstances and will be presumed ineligible for asylum in most cases. Under Title 42, migrants who were summarily expelled faced no long-term U.S. immigration consequences and many attempted multiple unauthorized border crossings. Unlike Title 42, in which migrants who were expelled could keep trying to come back to the country with no consequences, [Title 8] carries additional stiffer consequences for unlawful migration, which include at least a five year ban on reentry as well as potential criminal prosecutions for repeated attempts to cross unlawfully, an administration official said. Story continues While the Biden administration is sending a message of heightened consequences for unauthorized border crossings, it is also attempting to dissuade overland arrivals by offshoring migrant processing. Officials on Thursday announced a plan to create regional processing centers throughout the Western Hemisphere, starting with centers in Colombia and Guatemala, to help migrants determine whether they are eligible to enter the United States. By processing migrants at these centers, officials hope to cut traffic on the northbound migrant path, while allowing more people to benefit from existing legal pathways to enter the United States. U.S. criteria for refugee resettlement will not change. However, through this expanded effort, we expect to identify more eligible individuals, an administration official said. In addition to screening for viable refugee claims, the processing centers will also determine whether migrants are eligible for other avenues of entry, like work visas, officials said. Additionally, the plan calls for continued access for Haitians, Venezuelans, Nicaraguans and Cubans to a parole program that allows for 30,000 citizens of those countries to apply for entry to the United States. Like the parole program, the processing centers will use the U.S. Customs and Border Protection CBP One app to set appointments to determine eligibility. According to administration officials, the processing centers will also be able to place migrants in the Spanish and Canadian refugee and immigration systems, further expanding their reach. The measures that we are implementing today are really modeled on what we view as the success of the Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela processes that show that the application of a significant consequence at the border with the significant expansion of lawful pathways can significantly reduce irregular migration alter migratory patterns, not just to the U.S. but throughout the region, an official said. The new strategy will also include a crackdown on migrant smugglers, with special attention to the Darien Gap, a bottleneck between Colombia and Panama that until recently was viewed as impassable jungle, but now hosts footpaths carved by thousands of migrants. Still, Biden administration officials recognized many of the measures could be attacked in court, and they are operating with limited statutory authority. I would note, however, that we are fully cognizant that many of these measures are vulnerable to litigation. We are confident that we are operating within our statutory authority, but there is no lasting solution here that does not involve Congress, updating our hopelessly outdated immigration laws, an official said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. President Biden has yet again refused to acknowledge his son Hunter's estranged 4-year-old daughter while speaking about his grandchildren as an Arkansas paternity case involving the ordeal heats up. On Thursday, Biden spoke to his staffers' children on Take Our Kids to Work Day, saying he speaks to his six grandchildren daily and is "crazy" about them, a White House reporter tweeted. While the comments may seem mundane and innocuous, Biden ignored his seventh grandchild, Navy Joan Roberts, who Hunter had with ex-stripper Lunden Roberts a trend that has continued for some time. HUNTER BIDEN'S CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS DAD'S NEW CAMPAIGN CO-CHAIR REVEALED IN LAPTOP EMAILS President Biden watches a Christmas tree lighting ceremony with, from left, daughter-in-law Melissa Cohen, son Hunter Biden, grandson Beau and first lady Jill Biden in Nantucket, Massachusetts, on Nov. 25, 2022. Biden has repeatedly acted as if the child does not exist. December 2022 marked the second Christmas season in a row that the White House left Hunter's out-of-wedlock daughter out of a Christmas stocking display. And before that, in 2020, Biden said he and wife Jill Biden had five grandchildren, forgetting about a newborn Hunter had just had with his wife, Melissa Cohen. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP The stumble later forced a correction from the first lady, who said they have six grandchildren, leaving out Navy Joan. The Republican National Committee's deputy communications director Zach Parkinson reacted to the video by saying there are "only three options" that explain Biden repeatedly ignoring his granddaughter, adding, "none of which are good." Hunter Biden had long denied being Navy Joan's father, but a 2019 DNA test showed he was, in fact, her dad. He has since fought to lower child support payments. BLINKEN AND WIFE EMAILED FREQUENTLY WITH HUNTER BIDEN, RAISING QUESTIONS ABOUT ROLE IN LAPTOP COVER STORY President Biden, first lady Jill Biden, left, and granddaughters Finnegan Biden and Naomi Biden watch the fireworks display during a BBQ event to celebrate Independence Day at the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 4, 2021. Navy Joan was born in August 2018, and Roberts filed a paternity suit in May 2019. Both parties agreed to temporary child support following the DNA test results. Hunter Biden and Roberts reached an agreement to settle their paternity and child-support suit in March 2020, according to the Democrat-Gazette. The case was reopened after he asked for changes to the child support payments. Story continues Later, in December, Roberts' lawyers submitted a motion to change the girl's last name to Biden. "Hunter's ex-lover Lunden Roberts sought to have a surname change for her daughter to Biden," Jonathan Turley wrote in a Fox News Digital piece earlier this year. "Even after his long and abusive treatment of his daughter in court, Hunter Biden's opposition is breathtaking. He opposes his daughter using his name and says that, if she does, she will never have a 'peaceful existence.'" HUNTER BIDEN, FOREIGN AGENT PLOTTED INVESTMENT MEETING WITH SERBIAN PRESIDENT AND OLIGARCHS, EMAILS SHOW Hunter Biden is attempting to stall an in-person court appearance regarding child payments. "While living in a luxurious mansion in Malibu, Hunter continued to fight his obligations under child support and requested in September 2022 to have the payments lowered, bemoaning how his 'financial circumstances' were difficult for him," Turley wrote. "The public pays more for his security in his mansion than he does in monthly support for his daughter." Arkansas Judge Holly Meyer ordered Hunter to appear in court next week regarding his paternity case. Hunter, however, is attempting to stall his in-person appearance, the Daily Mail reported. On Wednesday, his lawyers requested a continuance to "properly prepare" for the hearing scheduled for Monday. Joe Biden is set to become the first sitting US president in at least a century to visit Papua New Guinea, Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko said Thursday, revealing plans for a brief but symbolic trip. Biden plans to stop at Port Moresby in May as he travels between a G7 summit in Japan and a Quad summit in Sydney, Australia, the foreign minister said. "He is coming on the 22nd, in the morning, and will be here for three hours only," Tkatchenko said, adding that talks were expected to focus on the economy, security and climate change. Biden's trip may put the finishing touches on a US-Papua New Guinea Defence Cooperation Agreement that would allow more joint training and the development of security infrastructure. The presidential trip is a nod toward Papua New Guinea's rapidly growing strategic importance, as the United States and its allies tussle with China for influence across the Asia-Pacific. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Port Moresby in 2018 to much fanfare, with Chinese flags hoisted across the capital and his motorcade whizzing past gathered crowds. The trip was seen as a major diplomatic coup for Beijing. US and Australian officials have been concerned by a rapid uptick in Chinese investment in the resource-rich Melanesian nation. There have also been concerns that China has been trying to establish a military outpost, prompting Washington to move toward establishing a joint naval facility at Lombrum on Manus Island. Construction started in mid-2020, according to Australia's Department of Defence, which is also taking part in the initiative. Four Guardian-class patrol boats are eventually expected to be based at the facility. - Diplomatic backwater - A series of US secretaries of state have visited in the past, including Hillary Clinton and then US vice president Mike Pence in 2018, who stepped in when president Donald Trump cancelled his attendance at a regional summit. According to State Department records, which date back to Theodore Roosevelt's administration in 1901, no sitting US president has visited Papua New Guinea. Story continues But the importance of the region has come more sharply into focus since China and the Solomon Islands agreed on a security pact in 2022. The details of the agreement have not been made public -- at Beijing's request -- but a draft, seen by AFP, has provisions that would allow China to deploy troops to the country. Washington and other capitals have expressed concern that Beijing could also establish a military outpost. In March, a state-backed Chinese company won a contract to develop the international port in the capital Honiara, a major victory in Beijing's quest to gain a strategic toe-hold in the South Pacific. The region could prove vital in any possible military conflagration over Taiwan. str-arb/djw/cwl WASHINGTON The Biden administration announced new sanctions Thursday against intelligence organizations in Russia and Iran to try to secure the release of wrongfully detained Americans held in both countries, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. The sanctions, expected to be the first of several aimed at bringing home Americans held overseas, target Russia's Federal Security Service and the Iran Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as well as four of its leaders. Both entities operate as intelligence organizations and are deemed responsible by the administration for the wrongful detention of U.S. nationals. The sanctions, which are also meant to deter future hostage-taking, will deny the entities' assets that are in possession or controlled by U.S. citizens, effectively blocking them from much of the global financial system, according to senior Biden administration officials who discussed the measures on the condition of anonymity. "Today and every day our message to Russia, Iran, and the world is holding hostage or wrongfully detaining Americans is unacceptable," Biden said in a statement. "Release them immediately." 'Totally illegal': Biden blasts Russian arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich More: WSJ 'demands' release of Evan Gershkovich after arrest by Russia for espionage Gershkovich, a 31-year-old Wall Street Journal Reporter, has been held in a Russian jail for three weeks after being charged with espionage. Russia's Federal Security Service accused him of spying. A Russian judge denied an appeal by Gershkovich last week. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is seen standing in a glass cage on a TV screen broadcasting hearing on his case from a courtroom at the Moscow City Court, in Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. The judge ruled that Gershkovich, who worked as a Russia correspondent for the Journal, is to stay in jail awaiting an investigation and trial. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years. Biden, who called Gershkovich's arrest "totally illegal," spoke to members of his family by phone earlier this month. Story continues While the Biden administration last year successfully negotiated the return of WNBA star Brittney Griner in a prisoner swap with Russia, former Marine Paul Whelan remains imprisoned in Russia over a 2020 espionage conviction. 'Still a hostage': Critics slam Biden over Griner prisoner swap that left Paul Whelan in Russia In Iran, Siamak Namazi has been held since 2015, when he was detained on a business trip for having "relations with a hostile nation," the U.S. Two other Americans, environmentalist Morad Tahb and businessman Emad Shargi, also remain detained in Iran following arrests in 2018. I remain deeply worried that the White House just doesnt appreciate how dire our situation has become, Siamak Namazi, speaking by phone, told CNN in March. The sanctions were made possible by an executive order Biden signed in July that provided expanded tools to the State Department to bring home hostages and detained Americans including the ability to sanction individuals and groups considered the culprits. 'Undersecretary for thugs': Bill Richardson's endless push to free Americans detained abroad Reach Joey Garrison on Twitter @joeygarrison. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden administration announces sanctions after Evan Gershkovich arrest By Kirsty Needham (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden will briefly visit Papua New Guinea (PNG) on May 22, officials from the Pacific island nation said on Thursday, as Washington seeks to counter growing Chinese influence in the strategically important region. The Biden stopover would be the first visit by a sitting U.S. president to the resource-rich but largely undeveloped country of 9.4 million people just north of Australia. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the nation in 2018. Biden will stop in the capital Port Moresby for three hours on his way to Australia to attend the Quad leaders summit, a spokesperson from the PNG Prime Minister's office told Reuters. A Pacific islands source told Reuters that Biden was also expected to meet with more than a dozen Pacific islands leaders during his May visit. Fourteen Pacific island leaders will meet in Port Moresby on May 22 with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and planning for Biden to also meet the region's leaders during his visit was underway but not confirmed, a spokesperson for PNG Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko said. The meeting would be a significant move in U.S. efforts to push back against Chinese inroads in the region, and follows Biden hosting Pacific island leaders at the White House in September. The Quad summit is being held in Sydney on May 24, with the leaders of India, Australia, Japan and the United States attending, Australia's government has said. Modi arrives in PNG on May 21 for a two-day visit en-route to Australia, the island nation's government has previously announced. The U.S. embassy in Canberra referred questions to the White House. The White House National Security Council did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. White House officials have been considering tagging on a Pacific islands stop to Biden's travel to the G7 in Japan and the Quad meeting in Australia, according to a person familiar with the matter. Story continues The United States last year stepped up its diplomacy and aid to the Pacific region after China struck a security deal with the Solomon Islands, and Beijing attempted but failed to forge a wider security and trade pact with 10 island nations. In a statement on Thursday, Fiji said its ministers for education, employment and women had met in Beijing with China's foreign minister Qin Gang, and he had "highlighted the need to formalise the China Pacific Island Countries relationship". (Reporting by Kirsty Needham in Sydney; additional reporting by David Brunnstrom and Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington; Editing by Alasdair Pal, Lincoln Feast and Jamie Freed) News of Boschs move buy a Roseville semi-conductor company, bringing $1.5 billion in investments, is good news for the booming Placer County city, a city official said Wednesday. Its a big deal for Roseville, Dominick Casey said, city manager for the city of Roseville. Bosch, a German conglomerate with more than 400,000 employees worldwide, announced Wednesday that it plans to acquire TSI Semiconductors, turning its foundry into a manufacturing facility for silicon carbide chips. Casey said in an interview Wednesday that Boschs decision to come to Roseville boded well for California and the citys quality of life. They have planned $1.5 billion of investment in Roseville, which is hugely influential for the city of Roseville not only as an economic engine for jobs, sales tax and revenue, but also quality of life, Casey said. Its great to have a high-quality employer in Roseville. The potential economic impact cannot be overstated, he said. TSI Semiconductors campus on Foothills Boulevard is made up of the companys headquarters, along with a manufacturing foundry that includes 150,000 square feet of cleanroom space. Founded in 1984, the company currently produces application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) but will be transformed to manufacture SiC chips. The campus is in a commercial area of west Roseville, neighboring an Amazon warehouse and a restaurant depot. One of the things that drove (Bosch) to Roseville is that it already had a site with trained workers, Casey said. Casey also credited the citys municipal utilities as another reason that made Roseville an attractive destination for business. Were a community of choice for investment, with an environment that fuels business growth, a skilled and educated workforce, vibrant quality of life, and some of the nations most reliable and low-cost municipal utilities. Roseville checks all the boxes, Mayor Bruce Houdesheldt said in a statement. Were excited for Bosch to get on the ground, Casey added. The colossal amount of snow in California's mountains from a winter of ferocious storms has started to melt, and an incoming heat wave is reigniting flooding concerns across the state. "The 'Big Melt' is now officially arriving," University of California, Los Angeles scientist Daniel Swain warned on Twitter a few days ago. "Flows on many rivers draining the central and southern Sierra will double or triple (with locally greater increases) as temperatures rise. Some rivers will exceed flood stage, and Tulare Basin flooding will worsen." A huge snowpack from record-smashing snowfalls may be a blessing for a region that had long been plagued by drought. But experts have warned it's also a potential disaster if it melts all at once. The state's vast wilderness, including Yosemite, and some critical agricultural communities are at particular risk for flooding. Forecasters are less concerned about the state's massive coastal cities. VIDEO: Parade of storms replenish California reservoirs PHOTOS: Before and after photos show California reservoirs replenished after historic rains The lingering effects from winter storms are already causing rising river and stream flow levels not seen in years, the California Department of Water Resources reported. Hot weather is in the forecast for California "We're going to see things warm up, and with that warmth will come more snowmelt," said Michael Anderson, the California state climatologist, at a media briefing earlier this week. How warm? With highs expected well above 90 degrees, "near-record maximum temperatures are expected in the San Joaquin Valley on Saturday," the National Weather Service in Hanford, California, said. PREVIOUSLY: Huge snowpack brings flooding fears to California, the West. Here's what to know. PHOTOS: California water sources are rising after dramatic wet winter: See Lake Shasta and Diamond Valley Lake grow Story continues The warmth won't only affect the valleys, it will also be unusually warm in the mountains, too, forecasters said, with highs expected mainly in the 60s and 70s. This heat wave will be relatively short-lived, UCLA's Swain said, noting that temperatures will cool to near- or even below-average levels across California by early next week. With the cooler temperatures, however, will also come the chance for an outbreak of showers and thunderstorms, he said. Partly because of the rain threat, "I expect high river flows will continue next week, despite cooler temperatures," Swain said on his Weather West blog. Yosemite National Park closures begin and may continue As the heat hits snow in the mountains, the water runs down through rivers toward the sea. Two of those rivers are the Tuolumne and the Merced, and both run through Yosemite National Park which has led officials to announce much of the eastern part of the park will close on Friday night and not reopen before Wednesday at the earliest. Already the Merced is at 8 feet, with 10 feet considered flood stage. Models predict the Merced could get as high as 12 to 13 feet on Saturday, said park spokesman Scott Gediman. There's already water on some roadways and meadows are beginning to fill up. As the waters rise, buildings could be cut off, sewage systems knocked out and roadways impassable. READ MORE: Yosemite closures start Friday and more are likely coming It's expected that the waters will recede by Wednesday but more hot weather could easily cause additional flooding in the coming months. "With this huge snowpack, we're looking at snow melt into June and maybe even July," he said. Tulare Lake reappears for the first time in years Shifting wet and dry years have been the norm for California for time immemorial. Several things have changed agriculture and towns have grown; and more intense weather events caused by climate change are occurring. Prior to the buildup of agriculture and towns, the great valleys of California routinely flooded during wet years. Today billions of dollars in agricultural products can be lost to flooding and the Central Valley region is home to 2 million people and their homes. Now when the land returns to its natural flooding patterns, the stakes are high. PREVIOUSLY: California's vast farms are soaked. There's nowhere to plant tomatoes, and that's just one problem. BACKGROUND: Massive reservoir Lake Powell hits historic low water level An example is Tulare Lake. More than a century ago this enormous body of freshwater in central California was the largest west of the Mississippi River, far larger than Lake Tahoe. It would grow in winter as snowmelt streamed down from the mountains. But over time, settlers dammed and diverted waterways to irrigate crops, and as of 1920, the lake has been dry. Now, Tulare Lake reappears only during the rainiest and snowiest years. The lake reappeared following wet winters in 1983 and on a smaller scale in 1997, said Nicholas Pinter, associate director of the University of California, Davis Center for Watershed Sciences. It's back with a vengeance this year, having overwhelmed the dams and dikes meant to contain it in March. More than 100 square miles are flooded and more are expected to flood. State officials worry it may not drain for a year or more given the sheer amount of water on the ground. Snowy egrets in a flooded pistachio orchard owned by California farmer Don Cameron on March 20. As the massive snows of the winter of 2022-2023 begin to melt, the north fork of the Kings River that runs alongside his farm is brimming. He is pumping 70,000 gallons of water a minute into his fields to flood them, allowing the water to soak deep into the earth and recharge the underground aquifers he relies on to irrigate in dry years. Letting floods recharge groundwater People in California downstream of the state's rivers that flow from the Sierra Nevada can look to the now snow-covered peaks with awe and concern. Statewide, snowpack is at 237% of average, equivalent to 61 inches of water. That is a lot of water hitting the state's parched rivers and streams water some are trying to put back where it belongs, in deep underground aquifers with levels that have dropped over years of drought and agricultural pumping. Near the tiny town of Helm, Don Cameron is actively flooding fields that would otherwise be growing tomatoes and onions at this time of year, part of a project he's been thinking about for 30 years to recharge the groundwater under the 9,000 acres he farms. The dry north fork of the Kings River is now raging, allowing Cameron to divert 70,000 gallons a minute into his fields, where its quickly soaking deep underground. Were just flooding the heck out of the fields, the owner of Terranova Ranch said. We want to rebuild our water supply. More flooding to come He and his neighbors are preparing for more flooding to come. Its supposed to be 97 degrees here on Sunday. That will trigger more snow melt, theres no question, he said. While flooding is a concern in Helm and the surrounding area, large swaths of northern California and western Nevada, including much of the central and northern Sierra, are under flood watches and warnings, the weather service said. The newly-drenched fields in Helm are attracting geese, birds and even a bald eagle, a reminder of how the landscape of Californias central valley has changed, said Cameron, who is president of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture. As he looks out on the gushing, lapping, rippling water he says the sight is amazing. You bring water and you bring life. You see what it would have looked like 100 years ago when this was a flood plain before dams were built. Water gushing from a pipe to flood a pistachio orchard owned by California farmer Don Cameron on March 18. As the massive snows of the winter of 2022-2023 begin to melt, the north fork of the Kings River that runs alongside his farm is brimming. He is pumping 70,000 gallons of water a minute into his fields to flood them, allowing the water to soak deep into the earth and recharge the underground aquifers he relies on to irrigate in dry years. Contributing: The Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: California weather forecast calls for heat, snow melt, flooding (Bloomberg) -- The region that produces North Americas cheapest power faces a threat that seemed impossible just a few years ago running short of electricity. Most Read from Bloomberg Quebec spent years working to convince US states to buy its abundant clean energy, only to realize now that it wont be able to produce enough electricity by harnessing the flow of moving water. That creates a conundrum for the Canadian province: build more dams that could reshape pristine rivers and slash swaths of forests an environmentally damaging process that would boost hydropower supply or temper economic policies that pin its prosperity on the resource. Its a dilemma mostly of Quebecs doing, after landing export deals such as the Champlain Hudson Power Express, Blackstone Inc.s $6-billion transmission line to feed New York City, and luring manufacturers to the province with low-priced power. Hydro-Quebec, a government-owned utility, estimates it needs more than 100 terawatt-hours of additional electricity more than half its annual generating capacity to reach the provinces goal of being carbon neutral by 2050. A terawatt-hour can power about 60,000 homes a year. We are the victims of our success, said Philippe Dunsky, president of Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors. I dont think that anyone knew just how quickly demand for clean power was going to pivot. Read More: Hydro-Quebec Posts Record Profit as US Export Sales Soared Quebec Premier Francois Legault has pitched the French-speaking province as the green battery of the northeastern region of North America, building on its reputation of supplying electricity to New England and New York for decades while wooing industry with cut-rate power. Story continues We sell cheap, reliable and renewable energy, said Hydro-Quebecs Dave Rheaume, who oversees risk management. However its precious and now everybody wants to come and have access to it but we dont have the ability to infinitely replicate these kinds of generation assets. Rheaume said Hydro-Quebec needs to refurbish power plants and add wind farms in the next decade to meet demand, while also considering building new dams and transmission lines. The utility this month identified its first potential dam site for Petit Mecatina River in a remote region of eastern Quebec. Hydropower is the top global source of renewable energy and supplies one-sixth of the worlds electricity, according to International Energy Agency estimates. Dams on rivers are often used to create hydroelectricity, with flowing water turning turbines to generate energy in power plants. Capacity of the resource is expected to grow this decade, though tough environmental requirements and challenging economics are slowing project developments in China, Latin America and Europe. The clean-energy source is an important pillar for Canadas largest province. Hydro-Quebec accounted for about 5% of government-generated revenues last year, adding C$6 billion ($4.4 billion) to provincial coffers. The push to link it to economic growth became a wedge between Legaults government and Hydro-Quebecs last CEO, Sophie Brochu, who balked at moves to turn the power provider into what she called the dollar store of electricity. Brochu departed this month, leaving an acting CEO in place until a successor is appointed. The next head will be tasked with solving a looming shortfall while navigating the turbulent waters of Quebec politics that dogged Brochu. Read More: Hydro-Quebec CEO Who Sealed New York Deal is Leaving Company Hydro-Quebecs future power commitments include long-term contracts to deliver an additional 20 terawatt-hours each year to the densely populated US northeast when the Champlain Hudson Power Express and another project, the New England Clean Energy Connect, get built. The export deals were a strategic mistake, said Jocelyn Allard, head of a Quebec lobbying group that represents industrial electricity consumers including Glencore Plc and Rio Tinto Group. Those contracts and a lack of added capacity could cause Hydro-Quebec to struggle to meet future demand, deterring new customers. It doesnt help companies to build business cases for projects. Quebec also attracted large-scale power users including General Motors Co. and Amazon.com Inc. Energy requests from such industrial and commercial consumers now represent as much as half of Hydro-Quebecs generating capacity, boosting tensions with residential users who are already being encouraged to conserve energy. Building more dams would help address Hydro-Quebecs anticipated shortfall, but such a move would draw criticism from environmentalists and Indigenous groups. Dam projects typically require flooding vast areas, which create significant methane emissions from decomposing trees and other organic material. We can put concrete everywhere if we want, said Pierre-Olivier Pineau, research chair in energy sector management at HEC Montreal business school. But it will not be economically profitable or socially acceptable. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. This article was originally published in Louisiana Illuminator. Teachers at Louisiana schools would be immune from criminal charges if a student gets hurt when they break up a fight, according to a proposal that advanced Monday from a state House committee. Rep. Valarie Hodges, R-Denham Springs, sponsored House Bill 86, which she calls the Protect Teachers Act. Current law already shields teachers, principals and school administrators from civil lawsuits if they act to end a student skirmish. Hodges bill would prevent the same employees from facing battery or aggravated battery charges unless the adults actions are malicious and willfully and deliberately intended to cause bodily harm, according to the legislation. The teachers are very reluctant to get involved because they dont want to get hurt, they dont want to hurt the students, Hodges said. If they do intervene and someone gets hurt, they can be prosecuted criminally. Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Teachers are in a no-win situation when it comes to fights, she added, attributing difficulties in recruiting and retaining teachers to the violence on campus. Asked whether there was any opposition to her proposal, Hodges said she had not received any. Mike Faulk, executive director of the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents, conveyed the groups support for the bill, she said. Committee member Rep. Larry Frieman, R-Abita Springs, said it was appalling that no one supposedly representing the states teacher unions was present to support Hodges proposal. According to committee Chairman Rep. Greg Miller, R-Norco, no one had filled out cards in opposition to House Bill 86. Reached by the Illuminator after the meeting, representatives with Louisianas two main teachers unions expressed support for the bill in concept but shared concerns with its current language. Cynthia Posey, legislative and political director for the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, said she had talked to Hodges before the weekend about concerns her organization had about unintended consequences of the bill. Namely, the LFT feared the proposal could be construed to compel school employees to intervene in a student fight, putting them at risk. Story continues You have to think, Do I want to step in and try to break this up? and possibly cause them to get hurt very, very badly, Posey said. We have teachers that actually have become disabled from breaking up fights. Posey said she connected with Hodges on the House floor Monday and received the representatives reassurances that she would amend the bill when it came up for a vote. Tia Mills, president of the Louisiana Association of Educators, said she wasnt successful reaching Hodges last week about changes her group wants to the bill. Her union wants all school employees added to ensure they are protected from criminal and civil liability if they intervene in a fight. We want to ensure that all employees are covered under this deal because there are instances where there may be an employee who is not a classroom teacher, who is not an administrator whod have to intervene in an altercation, Mills said. Louisiana Illuminator is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Greg LaRose for questions: info@lailluminator.com. Follow Louisiana Illuminator on Facebook and Twitter. Sen. Bob Menendez. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Sen. Bob Menendez and a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a new bill to expand PSLF. The bill would eliminate the requirement to be working in public service at the time of debt relief. It would ensure borrowers who make the required 120 qualifying payments will get loan forgiveness. A new bipartisan bill would make it easier for student-loan borrowers who worked in public service to get the debt relief they deserve. On Thursday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers Sens. Bob Menendez and Mike Braun, and Reps. Chrissy Houlahan and Brian Fitzpatrick reintroduced a bill called the PSLF Payment Completion Fairness Act, which would remove the requirement for borrowers to be working in public service at the time they apply for and receive debt relief. The Public Service Loan Forgiveness, or PSLF, program was created in 2007 to give government and nonprofit workers student-loan forgiveness after 10 years, or 120 qualifying payments. But, according to Federal Student Aid's website, borrowers "must be working for a qualifying employer at the time you submit the form for forgiveness and at the time the remaining balance on your loan is forgiven." That means that even if borrowers completed their ten years of qualifying payments, they would have to remain in their public-service job to actually get relief through the program. The lawmakers' bill would get rid of that provision, according to the press release. "Since its creation, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program has had persistent issues that have made it difficult for public-service employees to access student debt relief in exchange for their dedicated service to our nation," Menendez said in a statement. "This is a common-sense, bipartisan solution that will remove a needless provision in federal law that will transform the lives of law enforcement, firefighters, teachers, and other public-service employees by making it easier for them to receive relief under the PSLF program." Story continues Braun, who is a Republican, also said in a statement that he's hoping to "cut burdensome provisions in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program and ensure that whenever they go next, their service isn't forgotten." Over the past two years, President Joe Biden's Education Department has taken a number of steps to reform the PSLF process. In October 2021, the department implemented a limited-time waiver that allowed past payments even those previously deemed ineligible to count toward loan forgiveness. And, upon the waiver's expiration on October 31, 2022, the department announced permanent reforms to the program, including a one-time account adjustment to give borrowers one more chance to ensure their payments are up to date. But there are still a number of hurdles that could get in the way of implementing those changes. Due to a lack of congressional funding for the office of Federal Student Aid, the department pushed back the deadline for borrowers to see the impact of the account adjustment to 2024. The lack of funding could also present issues for the student-loan payment resumption expected to happen this fall, along with carrying out Biden's plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student debt for federal borrowers if the Supreme Court upholds that relief. Still, while it's unclear how the reforms will be implemented over the next year, recent data from the Education Department shows the waiver is continuing to work for borrowers. Through early February 2023, per the department, 453,000 borrowers have qualified for loan forgiveness due to the reforms and applications submitted before the October 31 deadline are still being processed. The bipartisan legislation would expand on those reforms and build on Menendez and his colleagues' past efforts to ensure PSLF works as intended. "Our public servants, like police officers and teachers, rightfully have access to student loan forgiveness after ten years of public service," Houlahan said in a statement. "However, due to the way the policy is currently written, borrowers must still be working in public service while their paperwork is processed for forgiveness, which can sometimes take several months. Fixing this oversight is necessary so public servants who've completed the ten years they need to qualify but have retired or moved on from their career can still receive these well-deserved benefits." Read the original article on Business Insider FIRST ON FOX: A bipartisan group of 12 senators penned a letter to President Biden, demanding that he direct his administration to seize Iranian oil and gas shipments under a Trump-era program. The lawmakers led by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and joined by five Republicans, four Democrats and an Independent said the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Office, a Department of Homeland Security subagency, hasn't seized any Iranian oil and gas shipments for nearly two years. Last year, meanwhile, Iranian oil exports increased 35% year-over-year. "When HSI seizes and processes Iranian oil, 75% of seizure revenues are allocated to the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund," the senators wrote to Biden. "It is unacceptable that a U.S. government program, which makes the United States and its allies safer, provides funds to remediate the victims of terrorism, and generates income for the United States in a cost-effective manner has been allowed to languish." "The failure to support HSIs Iranian oil seizure and disruption operations in FY22, despite available funds, is a policy choice that must be reversed," they continued. "United States sanctions should be enforced to the fullest extent of the law." BIDEN ADMIN DELIVERS BLOW TO FOSSIL FUEL PROJECT IN VICTORY FOR ECO GROUPS Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, speaks during a press conference in 2022. Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Steve Daines, R-Mont., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Joe Manchin, D-W.V., Jerry Moran, R-Kan., Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., signed onto the letter to Biden alongside Ernst and Blumenthal. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP According to the lawmakers, under a self-funded HSI seizure program formalized during the Trump administration, the agency is empowered to seize oil and gas shipments from Iran. BIDEN ADMIN APPROVES MASSIVE GAS PIPELINE PROJECT IN HUGE BLOW TO CLIMATE ACTIVISTS The program was designed to curb Iranian petrochemical sales which the Department of the Treasury said in 2020 remain a key revenue source for Iran to "finance the regimes destabilizing agenda of support to corrupt regimes and terrorist group." Story continues "As Iranian oil sales continue to rise, and the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] continues to target U.S. citizens and servicemembers, including inside the U.S., it is imperative that we use all available government assets to limit the activities of the Iranian regime," they continued. Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker Advantage Sweet, which, according to Refinitiv ship tracking data, is a Suezmax crude tanker which had been chartered by oil major Chevron and had last docked in Kuwait, sails at Marmara sea near Istanbul, Turkey, Jan. 10, 2023. Ernst, Blumenthal and the other senators sent their letter to the White House hours before the U.S. Navy announced the Iranian government seized an oil tanker that was en route to Houston from Kuwait. The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet said Thursday that the actions were "contrary to international law and disruptive to regional security and stability." "This morning, the Iranian regime seized yet another oil tanker while transiting international waters, ramping up its blatant aggression in the region," Ernst told Fox News Digital in a statement. "Meanwhile, a Trump-era, self-funded program to seize Iranian oil and gas shipments, which gives 75% of the seized profits to U.S. victims of terrorism, has languished for nearly two years," she continued. "This is appeasement at its height. I thank my colleagues for working with me in a bipartisan way to urge President Biden to limit the activities of the Iranian regime." In a bipartisan effort to protect kids from harm, an unlikely cohort of senators introduced a bill that would restrict minors' access to social media, as well as ban companies from using algorithms to recommend content to minors. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chris Murphy (D-Conn), Katie Britt (R-Ala) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark) introduced the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act on Wednesday. The bill would set a minimum age of 13 to use social media sites, and would require parental consent and age verification for users under 18. The growing evidence is clear: social media is making kids more depressed and wreaking havoc on their mental health. While kids are suffering, social media companies are profiting. This needs to stop, Schatz said in a press release. Our bill will help us stop the growing social media health crisis among kids by setting a minimum age and preventing companies from using algorithms to automatically feed them addictive content based on their personal information. While some social media companies, like TikTok and YouTube, have launched kid-friendly versions of their platforms with content limits and parental controls, age verification is largely based on an honor system. If the bill is signed into law, social media companies will be forbidden from using the personal data of any user to recommend content unless the platform knows or reasonably believes that the individual is age 18 or older according to the age verification process used by the platform, the bills text reads. Advertising to minors will still be allowed, as long as its solely based on context, and isnt targeted or recommended based on the personal data of the user. The bills language doesnt outline how algorithms will be regulated. A representative for Schatz did not immediately respond to request for comment. On Twitter, users have already raised concerns about the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act, and questioned whether the proposed regulations are even enforceable. Story continues Broadly speaking Id say this: yes, Big Tech companies are harming kids, Evan Greer, director of the digital rights nonprofit Fight for the Future, said in a tweet responding to Murphy. We stop that by forcing those companies to change their business practices, not by kicking kids off the internet or taking away kids rights. Alejandra Caraballo, a civil rights attorney and clinical instructor at Harvard Law Schools Cyberlaw Clinic, also responded to Murphy's tweet announcing the bill, in which he described prohibiting algorithms for kids. With all due respect Senator, but that is a terribly misinformed statement about social media technology. You might as well try saying you're banning javascript for teens, she said. Murphy decried social media companies as 100% committed to addicting our children to their screens in a press release. The alarm bells about social medias devastating impact on kids have been sounding for a long time, and yet time and time again, these companies have proven they care more about profit than preventing the well-documented harm they cause, he said. In particular, these algorithms are sending many down dangerous online rabbit holes, with little chance for parents to know what their kids are seeing online. Most social media policies already require users to be at least 13 years old, but enforcement is flimsy at best. Minors can easily fly under the radar by submitting a fake date of birth and checking off a box attesting to their supposed age. The bill would require social media platforms to take reasonable steps beyond merely requiring attestation, instead employing existing age verification technologies to ensure that users are the age they claim to be. The bills language forbids companies from storing and using any information collected during the verification process for any other purpose. It instead proposes a free Pilot Program, regulated by the Secretary of Commerce, that would provide secure digital identification credential to individuals who are citizens and lawful residents of the United States. The Pilot Program is supposed to meet or exceed the highest cybersecurity standards of consumer products, and the bill promises that only anonymized aggregate data will be stored. This isnt the first bipartisan effort to try and curb kids internet use. Last year, Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn) introduced the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which would require sites to provide more parental control tools and limit the content that users under 16 can access. Dozens of civil liberties organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Fight for the Future and GLAAD, opposed the bill. The Protecting Kids on Social Media Act follows a larger nationwide push for age verification online. This year, Louisiana, Mississippi, Virginia and Utah passed laws requiring users to submit a government-issued ID in order to view porn sites. Eleven more states have proposed similar laws. But digital privacy advocates have expressed concerns over how age verification data is stored and used. In the joint letter opposing KOSA, civil liberties organizations warned against age verification requirements. Age verification requirements may require users to provide platforms with personally identifiable information such as date of birth and government-issued identification documents, which can threaten users privacy, including through the risk of data breaches, and chill their willingness to access sensitive information online because they cannot do so anonymously, the letter said. Rather than age-gating privacy settings and safety tools to apply to only minors, Congress should focus on ensuring that all users, regardless of age, benefit from strong privacy protections by passing comprehensive privacy legislation. Eisa Osman was among those fearful for their friends and relatives People in Birmingham with family in Sudan are anxiously waiting for news of relatives after fighting broke out in the African nation. A ceasefire is holding in parts of the country however hundreds have been killed since the conflict started. Birmingham is home to an estimated 1,000 people from Sudan according to the Office for National Statistics. "I feel helpless," said Eisa Osman, from the Stratford Road area. "We can't do anything." However some people from the community are trying to do what they can. Dr Nawar Sourji, who has family in Sudan, has been trying to organise emergency psychological aid for people who have been traumatised by the fighting. "We've been trying to do some support virtually and online so we have some psychological aid that's being offered by psychologists outside Sudan," she said. Her colleague, Dr Ayman Osman, said his father had decided to remain in the country rather than flee to safety. "My father is a very proud man, he just feels like this is two generals who have nothing to do with him so he should stay here where he has lived all his life," he said. "So he is strongly against relocating to a safer country." Dr Fathi Jamil has lost two relatives who were unable to access healthcare The conflict in Sudan broke out on 15 April amid a power struggle between the leaders of Sudan's regular army and rival group the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The number of deaths is expected to rise due to disruption to health facilities, and the community in Birmingham has added its voice to calls for safe corridors for hospitals. Dr Fathi Jamil said he had lost two relatives in Sudan this week. They had kidney failure and had been unable to access dialysis treatment. "The rebels came and they asked them to move out of the house," he said. "Access to water, electricity, internet, food is a big problem," he added. Story continues On Wednesday, the first Sudan evacuation flight landed back in the UK. Many risked their lives to make the flights and said they were "grateful to be alive". Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk Senior CPC, CPV officials hold talks in Beijing Xinhua) 08:37, April 27, 2023 Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, holds talks with Truong Thi Mai, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, permanent member of the CPV Central Committee Secretariat and head of the Organization Commission of the CPV Central Committee, in Beijing, capital of China, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei) BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Cai Qi held talks with Truong Thi Mai, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, permanent member of the CPV Central Committee Secretariat and head of the Organization Commission of the CPV Central Committee, in Beijing on Wednesday. Cai, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, said in a meeting with Truong Thi Mai that, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, provided important guidance on promoting better development of relations between the two parties and countries and building a China-Vietnam community with a shared future committed to the cause of peace and progress of humanity, injecting new impetus into consolidating the development of China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. China and Vietnam should focus on implementing the important consensus reached by the general secretaries of the two parties, deepen political mutual trust, enhance exchanges and mutual learning, promote strategic synergy, and expand practical cooperation to consolidate the positive momentum of bilateral ties, said Cai. Noting the international community is now experiencing multiple risks and challenges, Cai said General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative to contribute Chinese wisdom to solving global problems and promoting global governance. China is willing to work with Vietnam to promote the implementation of the initiatives, strengthen coordination and cooperation in international and regional affairs, firmly support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests, jointly safeguard the common interests of developing countries, and uphold regional and global peace, stability, development and prosperity, Cai added. Truong Thi Mai said Vietnam supports the strong development of socialist China, which makes important contributions to world stability and development. Vietnam hopes to work with China to continuously enhance political mutual trust, promote cooperation in such fields as economy and trade, the Belt and Road Initiative, tourism, and agriculture, and strengthen cultural, youth, and local exchanges, said Truong Thi Mai. Vietnam firmly adheres to the one-China policy, supports China's great cause of reunification, and is willing to promote communication and cooperation in multilateral fields to advance regional and world peace and development, she added. Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, holds talks with Truong Thi Mai, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, permanent member of the CPV Central Committee Secretariat and head of the Organization Commission of the CPV Central Committee, in Beijing, capital of China, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, a Republican and candidate in the state's gubernatorial race, hit back at a local liberal newspaper Thursday after it published a cartoon depicting him in a racist manner and appearing to mock Christians. In the cartoon published earlier in the day by the Lexington Herald-Leader, Cameron, who is Black, is shown with noticeably lighter skin than in real life, is wearing what appears to be a "Make America Great Again" hat backwards, and is saying that he would let people die if he were governor during a pandemic. The scene is set inside a church with another figure appearing to play the role of Jesus Christ nailed to a cross in the background. "Tell me youre a race baiter, a hater of Christians, and a mocker of faith, all in one cartoon..I present Joel Pett, Herald Leader, as exhibit A. He is nothing but a mouthpiece for the Democrat party. Shame on him and the Herald Leader for allowing this filth," Cameron, who is Black, wrote on social media in response to the cartoon. KENTUCKY AG, GOVERNOR HOPEFUL REJECTS DEMOCRATS' TREATMENT OF MINORITY REPUBLICANS: A LOF OF GRIEF The author of the cartoon, Joel Pett, came under fire in 2019 for another highly scrutinized cartoon depicting former President Donald Trump wearing a Ku Klux Klan robe, with Cameron, again with lighter skin than in real life, holding the tail end of the robe. Trump endorsed Cameron that year in his race for attorney general, an election he ultimately won, leading to him becoming the first Black candidate independently elected to statewide office in Kentucky. Cameron also received an early endorsement from Trump last year in his bid for the governor's mansion. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Cameron released a statement later Thursday blasting the liberal media for targeting him as a Black conservative. "The Democrats and their allies in the leftist media are afraid of a black Christian conservative becoming Governor of Kentucky. They are desperate to keep their dynasty intact and will go to any length, including mocking our shared Christian faith to hold onto power," Cameron said. Story continues RISING GOP STAR VOWS TO STAND AGAINST EXCESS OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IN QUEST TO UNSEAT DEM GOV Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron speaks during a press conference to announce a grand jury's decision to indict one of three Louisville Metro Police Department officers involved in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor on September 23, 2020, in Frankfort, Kentucky. "As I've said before, I am not, and never have been, afraid of taking on the radical left and their agenda. That's why I fought to re-open churches when Andy Beshear shut them down, and it's why President Trump and countless law enforcement officials are endorsing my campaign," he added. Cameron is facing a crowded Republican primary field of a dozen candidates, which inludes former Trump administration U.N. Ambassador Kelly Craft and Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles. The primary election will be held Tuesday, May 16. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron talks with reporters before politicians give speeches during the 142nd annual St. Jeromes Fancy Farm Picnic in Fancy Farm, Kentucky, on Aug. 6, 2022. Fox News reached out to the Lexington Herald-Leader for comment but did not immediately receive a response. Cargo ships in the Black Sea The Azov and Black Seas will only be considered safe if Ukraine regains control over all its territories, the admiral told the Black Sea Security Forum in Bulgaria in an online speech. Read also: US, Russian defense ministers discuss Black Sea drone incident Neizhpapa recalled the attempt to capture Tuzla Island in 2003, the war in Georgia in 2008 that starred the since-destroyed Moskva missile cruiser, Russias illegal annexation of the Crimea in 2014, the occupation of the Sea of Azov in 2022, and the ongoing war in the Black Sea. Read also: One year ago today, Ukraine sunk the Russian flagship Moskva He emphasized that Russias imperial ambitions extend not only to the Black and Azov Seas, but also to the Baltic and North Seas and the Pacific Ocean. 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 Social media posts claim investment giant BlackRock has major holdings in both Fox Corp and Dominion Voting Systems, suggesting this is why the US television company fired host Tucker Carlson after it settled a defamation case with the election technology firm. This is partly false; BlackRock owns shares in the similarly named Dominion Energy -- not the voting business -- and a minority stake in the media group controlled by the Murdoch family. "BlackRock owns millions of shares in both Dominion and FoxCorp., meaning that BlackRock sued BlackRock, therefore Tucker Carlson was vilified as a result and got the boot," says an April 26, 2023 tweet. A similar claim on TikTok accumulated nearly 100,000 views. The video includes text saying: "BlackRock sued itself and fired Tucker Carlson as part of that lawsuit." Screenshot of a tweet taken April 26, 2023 Similar assertions circulated on Facebook and elsewhere on Twitter. The posts come on the heels of Carlson's ouster from Fox News days after the broadcaster agreed to a $787.5 million settlement in a defamation case. Dominion Voting Systems alleged the cable channel knowingly aired false claims about its voting machines after the 2020 US presidential election. Fox has provided scant details on the reason for Carlson's firing, simply saying: "Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways." But contrary to the claims online, BlackRock has no investment in Dominion Voting Systems, a privately held unit of Canada-based Dominion Voting. "BlackRock has no ownership stake in Dominion Voting Systems, and we are not involved in the hiring and firing of employees at public companies in which our clients are invested," BlackRock said in an April 26 tweet (archived here), which a spokesperson confirmed to AFP. "Dominion Voting Systems is owned by a private equity firm that is not affiliated with BlackRock." Dominion Voting also told AFP it has no financial ties to BlackRock. Story continues "Dominion Voting Systems is not owned by BlackRock," a spokesperson said. "It is owned by Staple Street Capital and its employees." Regulatory filings (archived here) show BlackRock does have a stake in Dominion Energy, a power company based in the US state of Virginia. The firm has no operations in voting technology. BlackRock's Fox investments Fox, part of the media empire controlled by Rupert Murdoch and his family, is among numerous firms with a dual-class share structure, which allows the public to own shares without diluting the founders' control. According to documents filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (archived here), Murdoch owns or controls nearly 39 percent of Fox's Class B shares. Those holdings have voting power, making it difficult for any outside shareholder to influence corporate decisions without Murdoch's buy-in. BlackRock on February 1 disclosed in a filing (archived here) a "passive investment" of some 45 million Class A shares in Fox, amounting to 15 percent of that class of stock. A BlackRock spokesperson said the company does not comment on individual investments. According to the Fox regulatory documents, Class A shareholders may only vote on matters related to dissolving or liquidating the company, selling or disposing of all its assets, or merging with another entity. Queried by AFP, a Fox spokesperson pointed to regulatory filings but offered no additional comment. Shadow and Act has an exclusive preview of this weeks episode of Blindspotting. In the episode Goblet of Cheese, Ashley, Trish, Janelle and Earl celebrate Halloween on Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Trish pretends to be blind to get a disabled pass to cut lines. Jacque introduces Cuddie to her Filipino family at the annual costume party. Season 2 sees Miles' loved ones trying to preserve as a family while trying to grapple with his incarceration. We arrive with Ashley on very high anxiety because this is nine months later from when the last time you saw them, Jasmine Cephas Jones told Shadow and Act her portrayal of Miles wife. And she has a lot of pent-up feelings that she has not dealt with. And at the same time, everybody is telling her that shes not fun. So she is trying to find a sense of self and who she is without Miles and thats really hard to do. According to showrunner Daveed Diggs, Season 2 will continue to shed light on the prison system has on families. Season 1 was really about the beginning of this process, it was about the shock of having a loved one removed from the family and being incarcerated, Diggs explained. This season is sort of about the continuation, its about the stasis. How do you persevere as a family? After weve sort of established that we are making the choice to persevere as a family, right? And so thats kind of where we meet them. Iit brings up a whole bunch of new, interesting, sort of smaller tidbits about how various people deal with that. Watch the exclusive clip below: Blindspotting Season 2 airs new episodes every Friday at 9 p.m on Starz. WASHINGTON Boeing reported a $245 million charge on the KC-46A Pegasus tanker in the first quarter of 2023, due to a suppliers quality issues. The penalty means the KC-46 has now racked up more than $7 billion in charges, and follow a $1.2 billion hit the company took on the Air Force tanker in the third quarter of 2022. The KC-46s charge brought Boeing Defense, Space and Security into the red for the quarter, with the unit reporting a loss of $212 million, the company said Wednesday. Boeing said ongoing labor and supply chain disruptions also hindered the companys results. However, the outlook for Boeings defense unit showed signs of improvement from the first quarter of 2022, when it reported a $929 million loss. Boeing defense also brought in $6.5 billion in revenues in this years first quarter, a more than $1 billion increase over 2022s first quarter. Boeing also trimmed its overall losses in the quarter by about $1 billion from the same period in 2022, while overall revenues grew to nearly $18 billion in the first three months of this year. Boeing said the charge was largely driven by a previously disclosed quality issue due to a supplier, but did not offer further details in a call with analysts. The aviation news website the Air Current reported in March a subcontractor had not followed proper painting and priming procedures on the center fuel tanks of some KC-46s and 767s, on which the KC-46 is based, which has held up deliveries. That quality issue could risk contamination of the aircrafts fuel systems, Air Current reported. Brian West, Boeings chief financial officer, confirmed the quality issue with the 767 center fuel tanks later that month at a Bank of America conference. David Calhoun, Boeings chief executive, said on Wednesdays call work is progressing on fixing that problem. But the company warned investors more losses on the KC-46 could come during the remainder of the year. Calhoun said the company is seeing bright spots in its defense business, with the Air Force possibly buying additional, modified KC-46s as an interim step until it can bring on a next-generation tanker. He also pointed to the up to $1.2 billion contract the Air Force awarded Boeing in February to start building the E-7A battle management aircraft, to replace the aging E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system, or AWACS, aircraft. Awards in the first quarter for 15 more KC-46s and 184 Apache helicopters for the Army also reflected strong demand, Calhoun said. On 26 April, Bohdan Bitik, a Ukrainian reporter for the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, was killed in a Russian attack on Kherson. He had been working with the newspaper's correspondent Corrado Zunino. Source: La Repubblica Quote from La Repubblica: "Our correspondent Corrado Zunino and his fixer Bohdan Bitik were ambushed, most likely by Russian snipers, in Kherson in Ukraine's south. Unfortunately, Bitik did not survive and was killed. He leaves a wife and son. Corrado, who was wounded in the shoulder, was taken to the Kherson civilian hospital." For reference: A fixer is a local hired guide or coordinator who assists foreign journalists, most often when covering wars or conflicts. They solve or "fix" issues related to logistics, finding sources, translation, accommodation and other everyday issues. Details: Zunino said that they passed three checkpoints; Bitik talked to the Ukrainian soldiers, and they let them through without any problems, as it was not a war zone. Then the journalists car was fired on. Zunino said that he heard a hissing sound and saw Bitik lying on the ground and not moving, so he began to crawl away from the firing line and then ran away. The journalist said he was wounded four times, but received medical assistance. Zunino also added that he tried to call Bitik several times, but he did not answer. La Repubblica reports that Bitik and Zunino clearly identified themselves as media representatives. They wore jackets with the word Press on them. Both had worked hard to cover the war in Ukraine. It is noted that the ambush took place near the Kherson Bridge. It is currently difficult to recover Bitik's body due to the presence of snipers. Background: On 26 April, it was reported that Corrado Zunino was injured at the entrance to Kherson after the car in which he was travelling with his camera was fired on. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! LA PAZ (Reuters) - Bolivia's government took control of one of the country's largest banks, Banco Fassil, a senior government financial official said on Wednesday, and police arrested several executives for alleged mismanagement. "Mismanagement, unhealthy practices have caused a crisis," the executive director of Bolivia's Financial System Supervision Authority (ASFI), Reynaldo Yujra, told reporters in the city of Santa Cruz. Dozens of police were stationed at Banco Fassil's 185 branches across Bolivia on Wednesday, authorities said. Banco Fassil President Ricardo Mertens, General Manager Jorge Arturo Chavez and another executive, Hernan Suarez, were arrested late Tuesday, while a fourth, Hermes Saucedo, turned himself in early Wednesday morning, according to the Santa Cruz attorney general's office. The executives were charged with financial crimes. Reuters was not immediately able to request comment from the detained executives, who are in Santa Cruz, or able to identify their lawyers. Yujra said the bank's troubles reflected an isolated incident. "The financial system in general is in good health. It is strong, robust and very reliable," said Yujra. In several cities, clients were seen crowding at bank branches demanding their savings. Client deposits total some $2.7 billion, according to data from Bolivia's economy ministry. Bolivian law protects some deposits in the event of a bank takeover and outlines a process for transferring Banco Fassil's assets and liabilities to other financial entities responsible for returning deposits and collecting credits. Wednesday's event comes weeks after some dollar shortages at currency exchanges sparked nationwide panic over falling reserves and a possible run on banks. (Reporting by Daniel Ramos; Editing by David Gregorio) As the Biden administration braces for what is expected to be a record surge in migration across the southern border when Covid restrictions officially end May 11, federal immigration authorities and local officials are already short on the money and space needed to handle migrants. On Sunday, about 18,000 migrants were in temporary Customs and Border Protection processing centers along the southern border, according to two officials of the Department of Homeland Security, already close to capacity under current budget levels. A DHS spokesman said the agency will be able to ramp up capacity to meet the needs of the expected increase in migration, citing a plan from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas that will seek to remove migrants who do not qualify for asylum from the country more quickly. But a DHS official speaking on the condition of anonymity said there is anxiety within the agency that under current funding and detention capacity levels, the agency will not be able to remove migrants quickly enough to prevent major bottlenecks along the southern border. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Troy Miller testified before Congress last week that he expects roughly 10,000 migrants to cross the border daily when the ban ends, doubling the current flow. Two DHS officials told NBC News the current immigration system at the U.S. border would be maxed out if numbers exceed 10,000, leaving Border Patrol and shelters without the capacity to take all undocumented migrants into temporary custody and process them. DHS has told the White House it needs more than $3 billion from Congress to increase its capacity to shelter, process and transport migrants along the border, according to two sources familiar with the request. Some of the needed funding can be reprogrammed from other parts of the agency, but the sources said DHS still needs Congress to approve a supplemental budget act to cover the deficit. More money from Congress seems unlikely, however, because Republicans have been unwilling to fund anything related to President Joe Bidens border agenda, arguing his administration promotes an open border policy. Story continues Immigrants gather outside a migrant shelter on Jan. 6, 2023 in El Paso, Texas. (John Moore / Getty Images file) The Covid restriction known as Title 42 has blocked migrants from crossing the U.S.-Mexico border to seek asylum more than 2.5 million times since it was put in place at the start of the pandemic. It is the third time the Biden administration has been preparing to lift Title 42. The previous attempts were blocked by courts, but this time a court challenge does not seem likely to prevent the ban from lifting on May 11. In El Paso, believed likely to become one of the centers of the surge, managers of local nonprofit groups that serve migrants estimate 1,000 are already sleeping on the streets. City officials say they need more funding from the federal government to cover expenses like transportation, staffing and city-run shelters when even larger crowds arrive. Right now, we are preparing for the worst case. I dont know if we in the community are ready for it, said John Martin, the deputy director of the Opportunity Center for the Homeless in El Paso. Right now, we are picking up the tab. Were digging into our own pocket. Local officials in El Paso say the federal government already owes them money for the ongoing local response to border crossings. Speaking with reporters Monday, Deputy City Manager Mario DAgostino said the city is awaiting a total of $25.8 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency out of the total $40.2 million requested for fiscal year 2023. He said the city already has $14.4 million of the requested funds. DAgostino said he has received estimates that as many as 35,000 migrants are waiting just across the border in Ciudad Juarez and that the number was only growing daily as more migrants made their way to the Mexican city. Nonprofit shelters in El Paso also say the government owes them money. Rescue Mission of El Paso estimates FEMA owes it $300,000, CEO Blake Barrow said. Migrants, many awaiting shelter, sit behind an alley outside the Opportunity Center for the Homeless in El Paso, Texas on April 26, 2023. (John Martin / Opportunity Center for the Homeless) On Wednesday, the Opportunity Center for the Homeless in El Paso had an estimated 150 migrants sleeping on the street outside the shelter because it was unable to accommodate all of those who needed beds, Martin said. Barrow said, The volume of people coming in is heavier than it was in December, referring to the last time Title 42 was expected to lift and migrants began sleeping on the streets in frigid temperatures outside shelters. In early January, days before Bidens visit to El Paso, the Border Patrol began arresting migrants sleeping on the street. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com $290,000 worth of counterfeit Apple products were seized at Washington Dulles Airport Photo by Robert Michael/picture alliance via Getty Images US Customs and Border Patrol officers detained four shipments of Apple products suspected to be fake. The products, Apple AirPods Pro and Apple Watches which came from China, were seized. The total retail value of the electronics was around $290,000. In mid-March, US Customs and Border Patrol officers suspected something was off when four shipments containing Apple products more specifically 1,000 Apple AirPods Pro and 50 Apple Watches arrived at the Washington Dulles Airport in Virginia from China, per a CBP press release. The suspicion proved to be warranted, as the shipments were determined to be filled with $289,500 worth of counterfeit Apple goods, as appraised by trade experts at the CBP's Machinery Centers of Excellence and Expertise. After detaining the shipments, officers submitted documentation of the cargo within and seized the load on March 29. So far, no one has been criminally charged for the bootlegging attempt. CBP did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Last year, officers seized nearly 25 million counterfeit items that, had they been genuine, would have had a retail value of $2.98 billion. Handbags and wallets were the most common items seized, accounting for 30.3% of all seizures, the agency reported. Seized watches and jewlery accounted for the highest percentage of the total value of counterfeit items last year, coming in 40% or $1.14 billion. Counterfeit Apple products are nothing new. In 2021, Apple confirmed to Insider that it had a team working with law enforcement and other stakeholders to monitor and remove counterfeit Apple products from social media sites. In 2020, Apple removed more than one million online listings for counterfeit products, with most of these sellers based in China. Read the original article on Business Insider By Daria Sito-Sucic SARAJEVO (Reuters) - Bosnia's international envoy amended the constitution on an interim basis on Thursday to help form a regional government after a prolonged deadlock, and gave its parliament one year to draft their own version of his constitutional amendments. The Bosniak-Croat Federation, an autonomous region, has been unable to form government since an election last October because the largest Bosniak party, the SDA, has blocked any proposals that do not include its ministers. Former German politician Christian Schmidt, who has vast powers as international High Representative in post-war Bosnia, amended the constitution so that only two out of three Federation presidency members need to support a proposed government to forward it to parliament, thus cutting out presidency member from SDA. "We have to state what we witness is a political stalemate, not a struggle between constituent peoples," Schmidt told a news conference. Schmidt, who has powers to change laws and sack officials seen as obstructing Bosnia's peace deal, was much criticised for changing the election law on election night last October, which was also aimed to remove blockades of the Federation government formation. Many politicians and analysts said he had violated democratic process. SDA and its allies lashed at Schmidt's decision, calling it a "scandalous suspension of the Federation constitution". Following its devastating war in the 1990s in which about 100,000 people died, Bosnia was split into two ethnically based autonomous regions, the Bosniak-Croat Federation and the Serb Republic, linked by a weak central government. While governments at state level and in the Serb Republic were quickly formed after the October election, SDA has blocked the Federation government after a new ruling coalition was formed from a number of Bosniak, Croat and multi-ethnic parties who did not want SDA. The Federation is presided by a Croat, with Bosniak and Serb vice-presidents, who before the amendment all needed to support a proposed government. Story continues Schmidt said he acted because the constitution did not solve such situations, adding that his decision will become effective unless the parliament amends the constitution to prevent future deadlocks in forming the Federation government within one year. Similar political bickering prevented a Federation government from forming after a 2018 election. Bosnia, marred by frequent ethnically based political fights and endemic corruption, has been experiencing political turmoil over the past years, with governments often blocked both at state and regional levels. (Reporting by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by Josie Kao) Energy giant BP faced down a shareholder revolt over its decision to slow its energy transition on Thursday, with activist investors trying to block the re-election of the head of the board of directors. Activists from Fossil Free London disrupted the speeches of board chairman Helge Lund and chief executive Bernard Looney, deriding changes to the energy major's plans to achieve carbon neutrality by mid-century. "2050 is far too late. You need to take action now. It's not good enough," one demonstrator shouted out as BP executives addressed the gathering. Another activist heckled: "As individuals you are responsible for the chaos you impose. Stop drilling for fossil fuels." Some of Britain's biggest pension funds had warned they would oppose the renewal of Lund's mandate at the annual general meeting (AGM) in London, but in the end they gathered only 9.57 percent of the votes. BP and many of its peers are seeking to pivot toward cleaner energy and away from fossil fuels. But BP's plans have sparked deep scepticism from environmental groups who accuse it of greenwashing and doing too little, too late -- while profiteering from soaring energy prices on Russia's war in Ukraine. Activist shareholders' group Follow This, which wants "Big Oil to go green", also put forward a resolution calling for BP to be more ambitious in its climate objectives. This received 16.75 percent of the votes. Chief executive Looney said: "We are delighted with the overwhelming support we received in the votes today." He acknowledged that not all investors agreed with their climate policy but "we respect that and their engagement and challenge make us better." Looney called Thursday's shareholder vote a mandate "to get on with the job of delivering the transformation strategy we have laid out". The London-listed giant in February announced that it expected to boost its profits between now and 2030 by investing more in both renewable energy and hydrocarbons, slowing the pace of its transition. Story continues BP nevertheless still holds to its 2050 net-zero target. Follow This founder Mark van Baal said BP is being "misleading to shareholders" in affirming its transformation plan is in line with the Paris climate agreement. The 2015 pact aims to limit global warming to below 2C and if possible 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. Follow This believes that BP won't meet net-zero by mid-century unless it takes more ambitious steps by 2030. Green pressure group Greenpeace, which only last year was calling BP "the most ambitious" of the global majors, criticised the plans and accused it of bowing down to investors and governments. Nest, one of the pension funds that said it will vote against Lund's re-election, said that "if BP continues on this path we have serious concerns about them reaching their net zero goal and the long-term success of the company". It said it wants to see BP "investing more in low-carbon solutions and renewables, instead of new oil and gas sites." ode-rl/lcm Protestors outside of BP's annual meeting Some of the UK's biggest pension funds have voted against reappointing BP's chairman over a decision to weaken its climate plans, but the majority of shareholders backed Helge Lund. It comes after the energy giant cut back its target to reduce emissions by the end of the decade. As well as the dissenting votes there were also disruptions during the annual meeting from climate protestors. BP said it valued "constructive challenge and engagement". The original target to reduce emissions was agreed by shareholders in 2022 and included a promise to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 35% to 40% by the end of this decade. But in February, BP announced it was now aiming for a 20% to 30% cut so it could produce more oil and gas and extend the life of existing fossil fuel projects. BP chief executive Bernard Looney said this was in response to increased concerns about energy security following the invasion of Ukraine. The five pension funds told the BBC that their vote against the company's chairman, Helge Lund, was a protest against the company's actions. The pension funds have 440m invested in BP, which represents less than 1% of the company's total shares. But they manage the pensions of more than a third of the UK's workers so are an influential voice. Mr Lund received a majority of more than 90% for re-election during the annual meeting on Thursday. Katharina Lindmeier, senior responsible investment manager at Nest, the government-backed pension fund, told the BBC: "Not only were we disappointed to see the company going back on the targets, but we were also really surprised not to have had any consultation." The five pension funds - Nest, the Universities Pension Scheme, LGPS Central, Brunel Pension Partnership and Border to Coast - are concerned that the new targets put BP financially at risk because the company's fossil fuel projects are likely to lose value as the world moves towards net zero emissions. Story continues Nest also told the BBC that there were concerns over BP's actions on reducing gas flaring, after seeing the BBC documentary Under Poisoned Skies. The BBC News investigation showed that BP was one of several major oil companies not declaring emissions from gas flaring at oil fields in Iraq, which produces cancer-linked pollutants. Ali Hussein Julood, who documented his life in Rumaila, Iraq for the documentary, suspected his childhood leukaemia was due to the flaring. He passed away on 21 April after his cancer returned. Ali's father told the board of his son's passing during the AGM, and how despite their efforts, there was still black smoke and gas flaring outside his front door. Mr Looney gave his condolences at the meeting to Ali's family and said: "We are continuing to reduce flaring at Rumaila. We are making progress and it must continue to be made". Gas flaring at oil fields near Basra, Iraq where BP is a major contractor The pension funds told the BBC they only found out about the change in BP's climate targets via media reports. They then approached BP to ask for a vote on the new targets but BP refused, arguing it was not a material change to the strategy. Patrick O'Hara, director of responsible investment at LGPS Central, told the BBC: "If you change the strategy you should really enter into a dialogue with those that supported you." He said he thought BP's decision was driven by short-term profit considerations rather than the long term sustainability of the company. "Are these strategies science-based if you can flex them based on what the oil and gas price is? We are long-term investors and we expect the company to take a long-term view", he said. The company's profits more than doubled to $27.7bn (23bn) in 2022, as energy prices soared after Russia invaded Ukraine. As well as protest voting, there were half a dozen green activists removed from BP's annual meeting of its board and shareholders on Thursday, as they demanded the company "stop drilling" for fossil fuels. The Dutch environmental organisation Follow This also put forward a resolution - supported by the five pension funds - which calls for more aggressive targets on what are known as scope 3 emissions - emissions from the use of its products. BP recommended that shareholders not support this resolution calling it "unclear", "simplistic" and "disruptive". ISS and Glass Lewis are the world's largest investor services and recommended to BP shareholders they advise to oppose the climate resolution. Courteney Keatinge, senior director for ESG research at Glass Lewis, said the company does not see BP's actions to reduce its climate targets as a financial risk because the world will continue to use oil and gas past 2050. "We are not operating under a net zero 2050 scenario, the demand is going to be there [in 2050], people will be flying planes and heating their homes", she said. The resolution only garnered 16.75% of the vote but that was up on 14.9% the same resolution received last year. Additional reporting by Darin Graham BBC iPlayer Under Poisoned Skies The deadly impact of the oil giants' toxic air pollution on children and the planet is revealed in this BBC News Arabic investigation from the front line of climate change in Iraq. The documentary is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer (UK only) and internationally on the BBC website. If you love Brandon Blackwood bags and Starbucksyoure in luck! The Starbucks Pink Drink and Starbucks Paradise Drink are two new bottled designs that will be on grocery store shelves this month. The bottle designs are inspired by the fans who love them and who have helped create the #PinkDrink recipe in 2016. The launch will not only be sold in stores nationwide, but it is in collaboration with fashion designer Brandon Blackwood, who has designed limited-edition sling bottle bags. Blavity spoke to Blackwood about the intricately designed bags, his brands future and more. The two originally designed Blackwood x Starbucks carry bags will be released and ready for purchase in one limited drop on Friday, April 28 at Starbuckssipandsling.com. Each bag will retail for $75. I always say that your customer ultimately molds and forms your brand. So, I think the same way Starbucks did fanmade and fan-inspired drinks, the Pink Drink and the Paradise Drink, he said. I think its really cool because we do the same thing [at Brandon Blackwood]. A lot of our colorways are on the site. If you go to the comments on the brand page, youll see fans requesting, like, I want orange [bags], and I give it, he added. Photo: Starbucks Photo: Starbucks Blackwood said his favorite feature of his latest design is the open front window cut-out, which shows the actual bottles artistry. Its completely, like, monochromatic with a little gradient look, so everything just matches up really well together, he said. And then we have a little pocket, and you can either wear it as a shoulder bag or handheldthen you throw in your phone, your wallet, your keys, and youre just ready to go, he said when listing all the bags classic features. The Blackwood x Starbucks collab is one of its own, as the designs serve as one of the first bags designed for a drink to be toted around. The iconic collab gave Blackwood free rein to create to his liking. I will say Starbucks has been like nothing but mega to partner with, because they were just like, Go for it,' he added. Story continues The Pink Drink started as a social media sensation in 2016 as a beverage created by a fan which turned into thousands of fans ordering that same recipe. It officially joined the Starbucks menu in 2017, followed by Paradise Drink Starbucks Refreshers beverage last summer. Were thrilled that the beloved Pink Drink is joining the Starbucks menu, just in time for the warmer spring months, Starbucks vice president, U.S. Retail Beverages, Vivienne Long said. in a previous statement. This delicious and refreshing drink is a celebration of our customers and baristas creativity and is just one of the 170,000 ways we craft beverages to meet each persons unique taste preferences. Blackwood notes he is a Pink Drink lover himself, along with the latest Pink Drink Refreshers which made the design even more special. For his own handbag line, Blackwood said to stay tuned as far as adding more ready-to-wear pieces to the line and possible brick & mortar options in the future. By Ana Mano (Reuters) -The Brazilian government is looking at ways to perform more effectively the challenging task of tracing the origins of cattle raised for slaughtering, Carlos Favaro, agriculture minister of the world's biggest beef exporter, said on Thursday. It is crucial for buyers such as meatpackers to know the exact origins of Brazil's cattle as the country's law makes it a crime to ranch cattle on illegally cleared woodland. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has promised to crack down on environmental crimes, and verifying cattle origins is key to ensure animals do not come from areas of deforestation in the Amazon or the Cerrado savannah. "The format and the model is up for discussion," Favaro told reporters on the sidelines of a beef industry event, referring to the proposals for verifying the origins of cattle. "It must be step by step," he said, citing obstacles such as lack of internet connectivity in certain remote areas where cattle is raised. "We cannot demand something from the farmers which they are not prepared for." Any system which is not verifiable would lack credibility and would amount to "greenwashing," Favaro said, adding it would not help Brazil to open up new markets for its meat. Brazilian Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin told the same event that land grabbers, not farmers, are guilty of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. (Reporting by Ana Mano; Editing by Leslie Adler and Muralikumar Anantharaman) Telegram might soon disappear from Brazilian app stores after a federal court in the country has issued a temporary ban against the messaging service. Judge Wellington Lopes da Silva has ordered Google and Apple to remove the app from their stores and for mobile carriers to block access to it for failing to hand over complete user data from two neo-Nazi group chats. Telegram will also have to pay a fine worth almost $200,000 a day until it's able to give authorities data from the groups believed to have been used to incite attacks on schools in Brazil. According to The New York Times, the group chats were found on the phone of a teenager accused of committing two school shootings in November, which left three dead and 13 people injured. Authorities said they saw murder tutorials, bomb-manufacturing instructions and violent videos in those group chats, in addition to Nazi content. Brazilian justice minister Flavio Dino said: "The so-called antisemitic movement is acting in these networks. And we know that this is at the base of violence against our children, our teens." Judge da Silva explained that Telegram only handed over information on the administrator of a channel named the "Brazilian Anti-Semitic Movement." It failed to give authorities information on members of that group and any data from another channel called "Anti-Semitic Front." The service reportedly said that the groups had been deleted and that it couldn't recover any information, but that wasn't enough to justify not complying with the court's subpoena to the judge The Brazilian Supreme Court previously banned Telegram for failing to freeze accounts spreading disinformation ahead of last year's presidential elections. However, the ban was reversed in just a couple of days, and Telegram blamed its noncompliance to lost emails. Photo Illustration by Luis Rendon/The Daily Beast/Apple TV+ Famed auteur Martin Scorsese spent last week gallivanting around New York City, on the arm of Timothee Chalamet, while the two shot a Chanel ad amidst throngs of adoring fans. While candids from that production mightve sent Twitter users hearts aflutter, its Scorsese's other project that fans are really going wild over. The directors next film, Killers of the Flower Moon, has been hotly anticipated since before its source material, the 2017 non-fiction crime book by David Grann, was even published. The books manuscript caused an industry bidding war, and Scorsese was attached to direct the film shortly after its publication. 2023s Most Hotly Anticipated Movies and TV Shows: From Barbie to Indiana Jones Over the last few years, Killers of the Flower Moon has become somewhat of a mythical work. The film, about a series of murders of residents of the Osage Nation in 1920, is due to be the first time that Scorsese pairs two of his muses, Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, together. De Niro and DiCaprio have amassed enormous fanbases. Combine the two stars legions of followers with those who (rightfully) consider Scorsese to be one of the greatest directors of all time, and the film has had its audience basically built in before production began. But such ravenous fanbases demand content. They will not be silenced until they are fed. Killers of the Flower Moon has had a glacially slow drip of promotional material; fans have been working with the same still of stars Lily Gladstone and DiCaprio almost two whole years. That image has become prolific on platforms like Twitter, becoming the calling card for any announcements about the film, upcoming movie previews, or release calendar changesto the point that its ubiquity became a meme. The thing I'm most looking forward to from Cannes in the near future? "Killers of the Flower Moon" publicity photo #2. Everyone's been reusing that same still for almost a year now. Garth Franklin (@darkhorizons) April 13, 2023 y'all keep resharing that same dinner table photo from KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON when we have THIS?? pic.twitter.com/v0BsMRR0SK Hannah Long (@HannahGraceLong) March 28, 2023 A second and third image from Killers of the Flower Moon has hit the towers https://t.co/cyh384HMk9 TGB (@twitersbadboy) April 27, 2023 In an unprecedented move, the films streaming distributor, Apple TV+, fired back at the jokesters with a winking response on Thursday, following the exclusive CinemaCon premiere of the films trailer Story continues Begging the team behind Killers of the Flower Moon to release just, like, ONE other still, journalist Scott Wampler tweeted, almost 10 days agoechoing the complaints of many other cinephiles. Looks like someone at Apple TV+ had Wamplers tweet bookmarked and ready to go for CinemaCon, because the brands account retweeted the sentiment Thursday with a new still attached. Heres one, it replied. The streamer then dropped two more images, for good measure, under its first tweet, mitigating any further online criticism about the same two stills being repeated over and over. Only having one available still from a film that is still very much in post-production is not exactly an unknown phenomenon. But in the digital age, when we want everything to be fresh, hot, new, and immediateand to have it pounded into our face with the force of a firehoseKillers of the Flower Moons secrecy has certainly been notable. Its even spoken to a new trend, where studios stay reluctant to release any proper promotional stills for a film until their official trailers are prepped and ready. The same thing happened with 2022s The Whale, which saw the same exact still of Brendan Fraser in his heinous fat suit inundating not just the Twittersphere, but the world at large. The anticipation surrounding both films has kept them in the cultural conversation, resulting in these photographs regurgitation in an endless cycle. And thus, they become memed just as much. The one frame from The Whale son or The one from Killers of The Flower Moon daughter? pic.twitter.com/rWTmE2FR2g Putruck (@BigPutruck) March 27, 2023 killers of the flower moon still is the new whale still and it makes me wanna set myself on fire yara. (@pobrecitayarita) April 19, 2023 Whether the growing number of keyboard clowns, jesters, and jokesters are actually excited for Killers of the Flower Moon, or just enjoy dunking on it, is another matter entirely. But theres no question that it has been great for grassroots marketing, especially now that the films trailerwhich is due to drop sometime before its premiere at Cannes Film Festival next monthis tangible proof that the movie exists. Martin Scorsese introduces the first trailer for KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON here at #CinemaCon Gorgeous imagery and production design. High energy. Lots of murder over oil. Massive scale. Unsurprisingly looks like the real deal. pic.twitter.com/Apj4ygiREA Daniel Howat (@howatdk) April 27, 2023 Incredible trailer for KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, which def. positions Leo as the lead. Plemons is the lawman who comes to investigate a series of Osage murders, shows up toward end of trailer. Looks epic. It's gonna be a hell of a year between this, Oppenheimer, and The Killer. Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) April 27, 2023 In retrospect, Killers of the Flower Moon managing to keep itself in the zeitgeist with only one measly photograph is a pretty impressive featScorsese or no Scorsese. A single image has managed to generate legitimate excitement, even if a good portion of it has been teasing. You can be sure no one is going to forget how they first heard about Scorseses next masterpiece, though. As film programmer Screen Slate tweeted, People who saw it, is The Still in the Killers of the Flower Moon trailer? Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Support local journalism. Unlock unlimited digital access to floridatoday.com Click here and subscribe today. Brevard's school board interviewed the three finalists for the superintendent position over the course of the day Thursday, starting at 9 a.m. Finalists Scott Schneider, Mark Rendell and Jason Wysong were each given about 90 minutes to speak to board members Matt Susin, Katye Campbell, Gene Trent, Megan Wright and Jennifer Jenkins in the district's board room. The meeting was streamed on YouTube and is also available to watch on FLORIDA TODAY. Brevard School Superintendent finalists Scott Schneider, Mark Rendell and Jason Wysong Interviews were initially set to end by 4:45 p.m., though that time was adjusted since finalist John Stratton dropped out of the pool of candidates Tuesday following a controversy with a teacher in Hernando County. Follow live updates below (manual refresh required): Community gathering offers chance to meet finalists Interested parents and members of the community attended to discern for themselves which of the finalists could best lead the school district down the road. After short speeches by candidates Scott Schneider, Jason Wysong and Mark Rendell, community members lined up to discuss with them the issues they felt most pressing to the district. Issues like school safety, discipline, busing and achievement gaps. Joseph McNeil Jr. has grandkids who attend Brevard schools and wanted to make sure his concerns were heard. He said he spoke to the candidates about racial achievement gaps and how they plan to close them. "I want to see that the playing field is leveled. I don't think at this point at time it is level. The educational gap is disproportionate still, even among students in VPK, especially from marginalized communities," McNeil said. "By the time they're in third or fourth grade, they're already behind." Jennifer Stratford, a mom of a Satellite High School student, said she appreciated the opportunity to talk to the candidates."I think the process is great and that they're having the community come in to meet the candidates," she said. Story continues "I think the finalists reflect what we're looking for here in Brevard County," Stratford added, declining to mention which of the three she might be leaning toward. She said she hopes the process is putting the school district on the right path toward smoothing over the tumultuous past few months. Rachele Jolley said she's been attending the community input forums leading up to choosing the finalists, saying she was concerned about disciplinary issues in the schools, worrying there would be a divide racially in how different students are punished. "All the data shows our Black and brown children are being disciplined more severely. I don't think SROs (school resource officers) should be involved in discipline at all," she added. Carole Miller said she was concerned largely about discipline and bullying in the schools. "If a kid comes in and tells their story and says they were bullied, will they look into it and go by the book and do what they're supposed to do?" she questioned. "The discipline is terrible. Teachers have to have more rights. Teachers shouldn't feel afraid to walk into the classroom and they are," she added. Miller said she spoke to each of the candidates about her concern and next she'll mull over their answers before going to the online portal to submit her feedback with the hopes that her voice will be part of the process in choosing the next leader of BPS. The new superintendent will be chosen at a board meeting on May 2. Wysong talks community, achievement gaps Wysong, who has worked for the Seminole County Public School district for about 16 years, has been a deputy superintendent in Seminole County since 2021. He has served in multiple capacities in Seminole County, including executive director of instructional excellence and system equity; executive director of education pathways and strategic partnerships; coordinator for the Race to the Top, differentiated accountability and response to interventions; and more. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Wysong praised Brevard's history of academic achievement and said he would focus on continuing it. Academic outcomes are why we are here," he said. "We can get a lot of things done as a school district, as a community lever, but we have to deliver on student learning first in order to do all of those things. In terms of what he would do first if he were to be chosen as superintendent, he said he would want to listen to the community and their needs. The first piece of anything is listening and getting out and really engaging with as many stakeholders as possible," he said. You (the board) have the existing community and business connections, you know the history of how things unfold, and a superintendent coming in from the outside is going to need that support to kind of say this is the lay of the land. Addressing achievement gaps was something Wysong said would involve taking a deep-dive look at what's working and what isn't by examining schools with large gaps to see what's going wrong there as compared to schools with smaller gaps. The key is not to start and stop," he said, adding that building a group of principals and assistant principals who can be resilient would vital. "Its a long game problem. Its not something that youre going to fix in one or two or three years. Wysong said he has been to Tallahassee twice to present to House subcommittees on education-related issues, though he did not specify what the specific issues were. Thats an incredible opportunity because you have legislators sitting on these education committees, he said. Its different when you have classroom teaching experience, and youre trying to communicate the complexity of different issues. Wysong interview begins 1:32 p.m. EDT The board reconvened and began Jason Wysong's interview. He is the final candidate to be interviewed. Rendell discusses organizational structure and recruitment 12:23 p.m. EDT Mark Rendell began his career in education within BPS, working as a teacher in 1993 and later as an assistant principal, then as an assistant principal at Titusville High in 2001. After leaving Brevard in 2006, he returned in 2019 as principal for Cocoa Beach Jr./Sr. High. In between, he worked at a high school in North Carolina and served as principal and later assistant and deputy superintendent in St. Lucie County. Rendell said one of his biggest priorities would be to address academic achievement. Based on the district's socioeconomic status, he said he believes the district should be ranked higher academically, adding that socioeconomic status and grades often correlate. "We're 13th from the top (in terms of socioeconomic status) ... and if you're looking at our performance, and you're saying that income level is often correlated to performance, then we should be in the top 13 in every category when compared to the other districts around the state," he said. "We need to start looking at the other districts and see how they're doing and why are we not doing as well as them." Another issue he said he would address were he to be chosen as superintendent would be BPS organizational structure, adding that it didnt seem effective from his position as a principal. Making necessary changes would help with the retention of teachers and other staff, he said. Lets find out what we can do to improve our working conditions to keep our people," he said. One of his strategies for recruitment included holding more career fairs, as well as talking to people in their current positions. Talking to people who enjoy their jobs and advertising that would be a good way to attract potential employees, he said. The board went into recess at about 12:22p.m. following Rendell's interview. They were scheduled to begin the final interview at 1:30 p.m. Mark Rendell interview begins 10:50 a.m. EDT The meeting resumed, with the board beginning Rendell's interview. Rendell is the principal at Cocoa Beach Jr./Sr. High School. Schneider talks teacher retention, CTE 10:22 a.m. EDT Schneider, a Florida native, has worked for Duval County Public Schools for about 12 years in various capacities, most recently taking the position of chief of schools in 2021. He has also served as principal of a high school and region superintendent. Much of Schneider's focus was on teacher recruitment and retention. He said the best way to improve the district would be to fill teacher vacancies. "You can have the best intentioned substitute (teacher) inside that classroom, but thats not going to deliver the same quality of instruction," he said. When it came to addressing achievement gaps, he again focused on the importance of teachers. "It's so important for academic excellence that we have the same excellent teachers, regardless of what school setting they're in," he said. "We must first and foremost recruit (and) retain those amazing teachers, but also we need to have professional development if there's something more that needs to be done and we feel like our teachers perhaps are not equipped to do the work." In addition to teacher recruitment and retention, his goals included creating a better sense of teacher safety by addressing student discipline, building stronger connections with the community and expanding upon career and technical education into middle and elementary schools. Its all about building hope for our children," Shneider said. "I think that CTE courses absolutely bring hope to our children that might not have normally had hope, because college was not an interest of theirs. Schneiders interview concluded at 10:20 a.m. Following his interview, the board took a short break. The next scheduled interview is with Rendell. Brevard's school board convened Thursday to interview the three finalists for the superintendent position. First candidate arrives 9:04 a.m. EDT Scott Schneider, chief of schools for Duval County, has arrived. Each member of the board is allocated 15 minutes within a 90-minute period to interview him. Meeting begins 9:02 a.m. EDT The board has gathered and is beginning the meeting. No candidates are present yet. A small gathering of about six members of the public are in the audience. Prepping for interviews 7:45 a.m. EDT Interviews are scheduled to begin in a little over an hour. The board has not convened yet. Finch Walker is the education reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at 321-290-4744 or fwalker@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @_finchwalker. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Live: Brevard Public Schools superintendent finalists talk achievement, retention Brian Walshe, the Cohasset man accused of murdering and dismembering his wife, will be back in court Thursday to face new charges in connection with the death of Ana Walshe. Prosecutor: Brian Walshe dismembered his wife, Ana Walshe, and disposed of her body Several details have yet to come out, including what was in the police search warrant. When Brian Walshe was initially arraigned, a lot of disturbing and gruesome details came out in courtincluding his alleged Google searches on how to dismember and dispose of a body. List of 21 Google searches Brian Walshe allegedly made before, after his wifes death Walshe initially entered a plea of not guilty back in January. Even though Anas body still has never been found, the Norfolk District Attorneys Office announced three more indictments against Walshe, including first-degree murder. DA: Brian Walshe indicted on murder charges of wife Ana Walshe 25 Investigates: Brian Walshes damaging digital footprint Brian Walshe appears at Quincy District Court on a charge of murdering his wife (inset),Ana Walshe, in Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S. on January 18, 2023. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Craig F. Walker/Pool via Reuters, Facebook) Brian Walshe escorted into court for murder arraignment Brian Walshe appears in court for allegedly misleading police The dumpsters taken away from Brian Walshe's mothers apartment. Taken to Peabody for investigation Brian Walshe spotted at juice bar day after wife disappears Authorities search North Shore dumpster station for evidence in disappearance of Ana Walshe Brian Walshe kisses his new bride, Ana Walshe, on their wedding day. (Facebook photo) Ana Walshe Ana Walshe Ana Walshe and her husband Brian Walshe Police investigating the area near Ana Walshe's home Police investigating the area near Ana Walshe's home Police investigating Ana Walshe's home Police investigating outside of Ana Walshe's Cohasset home Ana Walshe and her husband Brian Walshe Police investigating Ana Walshe's home Ana Walshe and her husband Brian Walshe Ana Walshe Ana Walshe The pool that was drained outside the Walshe home Brian Walshe, the husband of Ana Walshe The investigation uncovered several pieces of evidence, including a bloody knife in the basement and cleaning supplies. Boston 25 legal analyst Peter Elikann says we could find out more details about what was discovered inside the home. Prosecutor: Bloody knife found in Ana Walshes home, husband bought cleaning supplies at Home Depot We havent seen all the results of DNA, we havent even seen the search warrant here, we havent seen, theyve said that they found blood evidence in different places, we havent seen any testing or results of that, so there really is a lot of evidence, some of it will be scientific such as DNA and blood testing, so weve really only seen the opening gun, but there will be a lot more discovery to come out, said Elikann. 25 Investigates: Hacksaw, blood-soaked rug found in search for missing Cohasset mother Ana Walshe Brian Walshe is currently being held and will be brought to Norfolk County Superior Court in Dedham. New video captured ahead of his arraignment showed armed officers escorting him into court. His arraignment is scheduled for 10 a.m. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Elon Musk Elon Musk in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. Credit - Marlena SlossBloomberg/Getty Images This Tuesday marked one full year since Twitter accepted Elon Musks $44 billion offer to buy the social network. The 12 months that followed were marked by many memorable eventsbut one pattern, among all, stands out: the sheer regularity with which Musk says one thing and proceeds to do the complete opposite. This became most clear in recent days as the debacle over blue check verification came to a head and the company reversed course on labeling media organizations that receive public funding. Throughout his career, Musk has had an almost pathological need to promise grand visions and make himself the center of attention, says Jesse Lehrich, co-founder of Accountable Tech, an advocacy group. Hes very Trumpian in his need to capture media attention with constantly-shifting promises, which everyone in the media covers, and then it never happens. TIME has rounded up some of the best examples of Musk saying one thing and then doing another at Twitter. Twitters content moderation Shortly after completing his acquisition of Twitter in October 2022, Musk said he would establish a content moderation council to advise him on controversial decisions, such as whether to uphold former President Donald Trumps suspension from the platform. (Musk said he would not reinstate the former president without consulting this council.) But the council was never established and in November Musk unilaterally revoked Trumps suspension from the platform. He fired many members of Twitters platform safety team just days before the U.S. midterm elections. Under Musk, Twitter has also removed bans on dozens of accounts including Neo-Nazis, and disbanded the platforms already-existing Trust and Safety Council, which was populated by civil society groups. Suspension of ElonJet On Nov. 7, 2022, Musk tweeted that he would not ban an account that monitored the movements of his Gulfstream G700 private jet in real time. The account would often post tweets revealing short flightsthe 40 miles from San Jose to San Francisco, for examplethat hurt the electric vehicle billionaires environmentally-friendly image. My commitment to free speech extends even to not banning the account following my plane, even though that is a direct personal safety risk, Musk tweeted on Nov. 7. In December, Musk banned the account, claiming it had violated Twitters doxxing policy. Story continues Support for free speech Before his acquisition of Twitter, Musk said he would like to allow all legal speech to remain on the platform. I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means, he tweeted in April. By December, he had suspended at least nine prominent journalists from the platform, ostensibly for retweeting or publicizing ElonJets tweets about the location of his private jet. The journalists accounts were later reinstated. At around the same time, the Twitter account of rival social network Mastodon was suspended from the platform, and links to Mastodon servers were prevented from being posted on Twitter. The platform later reversed course on those decisions. Read More: Thousands Have Joined Mastodon Since Twitter Changed Hands. Its Founder Has a Vision for Democratizing Social Media Stepping down as CEO In late December 2022, Musk ran a Twitter poll asking whether he should step down as the head of Twitter. I will abide by the results of this poll, he wrote. More than 17.5 million votes were cast, and Yes won with a tally of 57.5%. More than four months on, Musk is yet to step down. I will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take the job! he tweeted on Dec. 21. Defeating spam Musk has overhauled Twitters verification program, whose blue checkmark was formerly a signal that a public figures account was owned by who it was claiming to be. Musk has replaced that invite-only system with Twitter Blue, an $8 per month subscription accessible to anybody. The billionaire said the change would be essential to defeat spam. But soon, some users began paying for verification in order to impersonate the accounts of famous brands. A fake (but verified) account pretending to be the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly tweeted We are excited to announce insulin is free now, forcing the company to proclaim that this was not true. Brands who had spent big on advertising on Twitter began deserting the platform, concerned about the risk of impersonation. Read More: Why Elon Musks Very Public Dismissal of a Disabled Employee Could Be Costly U-turning on blue checks Musks vision for Twitter Blue has taken many twists and turns. He announced in March that only accounts that subscribe to Twitter Blue would appear in Twitters main timeline, known as the For You page. [This] is the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over, Musk wrote. Days later he backtracked, saying he forgot to mention non-paying users tweets would appear as well. On April 20, the blue checkmarks of legacy verified accounts predating Musks tenure at Twitter disappeared, but then began reappearing on the accounts of several celebrities who had publicly stated they would never pay for the service, including LeBron James and William Shatner. Musk then tweeted that he was paying for several celebrities blue checkmarks personally, prompting some to observe that he could be exposed to legal risk for suggesting that celebrities were endorsing a paid service when in fact they were not. Read More: Why Your Twitter Feed Is Suddenly Full of People You Dont Follow Backpedaling on media labeling Musk received pushback from media organizations including NPR, PBS and the BBC after affixing state-funded media labels to their accounts without warning. The organizations said that the labels were misleading, as they suggested a lack of editorial independence from government and implied full reliance on government funds despite their commercial activities. NPR said it was leaving the platform due to the labeling. Musk later U-turned, removing the labels. In the process, he also removed similar labels affixed to Russian state propaganda outfit RT, and China Daily, which is affiliated to the Chinese Communist Party. Around the same time, it appears, Twitter also removed longstanding limits on the virality of posts from those accounts, leading to spikes in engagement, according to the Atlantic Councils Digital Forensic Research Lab. Concern for AI safety In March, Elon Musk signed an open letter warning of the severe risks of companies racing toward building ever-more powerful AIs. The letter called for a six month pause on training new AIs above a certain power threshold, and argued that companies were in an out-of-control race to beat one another was leading to dangerous corner-cutting. Days later, Insider reported that Musk was preparing to build his own powerful large language model AI system at Twitter, and had invested millions in computing power and recruiting engineers to do so. LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's ambassador in Sudan is speaking to the warring parties in the country to urge them to extend a 72-hour ceasefire that is due to expire tonight, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Thursday. "The British ambassador continues to speak to the warring parties in Sudan," the spokesperson told reporters. "As part of that, we are obviously supporting an extension to the ceasefire and are lobbying for that." (Reporting by Alistair Smout) A man stands in front of an electronic poster prior to a press screening of the movie "Guardian Code" in London, Britain, on April 26, 2023. A Chinese animated family movie will be on screens in over 300 cinemas across the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland on May 26. The English-dubbed movie "Guardian Code" is an installment of "Boonie Bears," which is an animated movie series widely recognized by children in China. (Xinhua/Li Ying) A Chinese animated family movie will be on screens in over 300 cinemas across the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland on May 26. The English-dubbed movie "Guardian Code" is an installment of "Boonie Bears," which is an animated movie series widely recognized by children in China. "I think it's fun, action-packed and pacy, and it's got a really good storyline to it. I think the best thing about the movie is that it applies to both boys and girls," said Emma Evans, brand licensing manager of the Media Pioneers, at the press screening of the film on Wednesday. She noted that the characters are very appealing and the film will appeal to a cross-section of people. In the computer-animated sci-fi comedy film, young bear cubs Briar and Bramble lose their mother in a forest fire, and many years later, they receive news of their mother in a robot research institute. The theme of the film is family, something that Chinese people value the most, said Liang Xiaobei, managing director of the Media Pioneers, adding that she hopes British audiences will enjoy the movie as much as audiences in China. The film, set to premiere in London on May 13, is presented by Fantawild Animation Inc. and distributed in the UK and Ireland by the Media Pioneers. Four staff members at Brownsburg Community Schools and an independent contractor are facing criminal charges for an incident in February, in which a seven-year-old special education student was told to eat and clean his own vomit, Brownsburg Police say. Brownsburg police identified the staff members as Brown Elementary teacher Sara Seymour and instructional aide Debra Kanipe. Police said the two were charged with neglect of a dependent and failure to report, following the incident that involved a student in Brownsburg's life skills program for students with disabilities. Two additional employees and a third-party contractor affiliated with Kids Count will also be charged for failing to report the incident, according to the release. A video, which the BPD has not released, shows staff members surrounding the student and watching the staff members' "mistreatment" of the boy as he ate lunch. The charges were filed by the Hendricks County Prosecutor Office Wednesday, Brownsburg Police Department Captain Jennifer Barrett told IndyStar. Seymour and Kanipe were booked into the Hendricks County Jail, she said. In the release, BPD describes how the video shows the victim sitting at a lunch table, eating his food until he stands and begins to choke on his food. He then proceeds to vomit, according to the release. "The victim was then provided a spoon by Kanipe and was compelled to eat some of his vomit," according to the release. In a statement released last week, Brownsburg Community Schools said staff learned about the incident on the evening of April 12 although the incident took place on February 16. Barrett said one of the employees charged with failing to report revealed this incident, leading to an investigation. Both Seymour and Kanipe were then immediately removed from contact with students and placed on administrative leave along with the three other staff members. All of the employees involved in the incident were terminated, Vicki Murphy, a spokeswoman for the district, said Thursday. Story continues What happened?: 2 dismissed, 3 on leave after 'mistreatment' of Brownsburg special education student Brownsburg Community Schools shared a statement with families Wednesday afternoon reiterating the district's commitment to student safety. "This horrendous action is not in line with the character of staff and teachers at Brownsburg Schools," the statement reads. "The shocking actions of a few does not define the care and concern that Brownsburg teachers and staff show every day." The student involved in this incident has since returned to school, the district previously shared. How to report child abuse and neglect in Indiana Indiana law requires any adult who suspects a child is being abused or neglected to contact the Department of Child Services or law enforcement. Anonymous reports can be made through the DCS hotline: 1-800-800-5556. For more information about the DCS Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline, go to www.in.gov/dcs/contact-us/child-abuse-and-neglect-hotline/. Rachel Fradette is a suburban education reporter at IndyStar. Contact her at rfradette@indystar.com or follow her on Twitter at @Rachel_Fradette. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Brownsburg Police charge special ed staff who made student eat vomit The Hialeah City Council was the scene of a verbal confrontation between Brownsville residents and city authorities over the proposal to incorporate the industrial area of the neighborhood. Will Hialeah annex a part of Brownsville? What the plan says and how people are reacting The Brownsville community, represented by more than 100 people, expressed their opposition to the plan, but before they could speak a man had to be escorted out of the premises by Hialeah police when he began to shout, There is no communism here! Go back to Cuba! Go back to Cuba! Brownsville neighborhood rejects Hialeahs plan to incorporate its industrial zone The event occurred when the president of the council, Monica Perez, announced that three people could speak in favor and three against. Later, she allowed anyone that wanted to speak the option, since it was not a point that warranted a vote. Twelve residents of Brownsville addressed the council members. Israelion Moor-7 Hebrew Bey, who claims to be an Aboriginal National, spoke during a tense council meeting to discuss a possible City of Hialeah incorporation of part of Brownsville, a historic African-American neighborhood in Miami-Dade County. , on Tuesday, April 25, 2023. Hialeah accused of gentrifying We came here to oppose the incorporation proposal, said Kenneth Kilpatrick, president of the Brownsville Neighborhood Civic Association (BNCA). Miami-Dade County for many decades has recognized the proposed industrial area as an economic recovery zone. Brownsville is opposed to any municipality taking advantage of any economic potential in the area before Brownsville does. Kilpatrick sees the annexing of the area as a threat to our history, a traditional African-American community. Further, Kilpatrick said he saw Hialeahs area of Seminola, which was primarily African-American, as an example in which it seems that this community has been gentrified. We ask that you re-examine your proposal carefully and take into consideration the potential harm that this addition would cause. Mayor Esteban Bovo Jr. assured el Nuevo Herald that Seminola is a neighborhood where people have bought, they have invested. The people who sold their houses were possibly African-American, but here there was no movement on Hialeahs government, that I know of, against that community. Story continues Previously, council member Jesus Tundidor, sponsor of the incorporation plan, explained we have good relations with Seminola....Hialeah is a very diverse place, I dont see why (the ethnic and racial issue) would be a problem. City of Hialeah councilman Jesus Tundidor speaks during a tense council meeting to discuss a possible annexation by Hialeah of part of Brownsville, a historic Black neighborhood in Miami-Dade County, on Tuesday April 25 2023. Change the area of annexation The presentation by Edward Ng of The Corradino Group, the engineering firm hired by Hialeah in April of 2022 for $23,500, showed a map modified from the initial plan, removing the single-family home zone and Brownsville Church of Christ (purple), which sit at the eastern end of NW 46th St and NW 33rd Ave., claiming it was a mistake to include it. The area in purple on the map was remove from the original plan of annexation, according to the director of The Corradino Group, Edward Ng, engineering firm hired for Hialeah to do the report, it wasnt suppose to be in the boundaries annex plan Tundidor said the single family homes area was never meant to be included in the review of this analysis, it was strictly the industrial so we do apologize. It was never our intent to break up any type of community or break up any type of historical preservation heritage, we understand what that means. Bovo told el Nuevo Herald, I think it was a mistake (include the residential area). From the beginning, there was not intention of taking possession of any land where people are living, that gets too complicated, because you have to hold a referendum. However, the mayor ruled out the removal of the mobile home area from the plan. It is very difficult because where they are located is in the middle of the limits, he said. Pastor Harrell L. Henton of Brownsville Church of Christ, which was originally included in the area of incorporation, said he appreciated that the city removed the church and the single-family housing area from the plan but explained, Brownsville needs all the financial gain it can get. Henton highlighted, We are here because we are tired of the idea that anyone can take advantage of our community, we are tired of us not being appreciated, we are numbers and not families, not churchgoers, not fathers, not loving mothers! Councilors we are tired! After they incorporate the industrial zone, what comes next? Former District 108 representative Roy Hardemon said, Brownsville is a 2.28 mile neighborhood, even though you took the houses out of the plan, taking the industrial area from us is like putting two chickens in a cage and not feeding them. Taking the economic zone out of the neighborhood will make us eat each other. I would like you to reconsider this proposal. If Hialeah wants to become a county, maybe we want to be part of you as a county and not Miami-Dade, because it has not shown us respect, but we reject this plan, Hardemon said. For her part, Jacqueline Culver Simpson, a Brownsville resident, highlighted in the presentation your talked about the voters in the area but not the property owners, nor did they talk about what the cost would be for Brownsville residents of this incorporation. Long term potential The Corradino Group director explained if Hialeah goes forward with the annexation plan, it will cost the city $4,000,000. Edward Ng, Interim Director with the Corroding Group, leads an annexation report presentation during a tense council meeting to discuss a possible annexation by the City of Hialeah of part of Brownsville, a historic Black neighborhood in Miami-Dade County, on Tuesday April 25 2023. Edward Robinson, a Brownsville resident who has relatives who live in the area where the incorporation is planned said, In the long term if you do this you are not going to lose money, you are going to earn it because businesses generate taxes and lower taxes on houses, thats why you dont want the houses, you want the part of the businesses. At the close of the session after the residents of Brownsville had already left, Bovo said, We have to focus on our mission, which is to provide services to the taxpayers of the city of Hialeah, as best as possible. For the mayor, the decision on incorporation should be based on mathematics and logic and less on emotions. There was a lot thrown at us today, but we shouldnt allow ourselves to be intimidated or threatened by anyone. State lawmakers weighed in on the debate over so-called granny flats this week, approving legislation that would allow the smaller housing units to be built across the state in areas zoned for single-family homes. Granny flats, also referred to as backyard cottages or accessory dwelling units (ADUs), are smaller, standalone houses people build on their properties that can be used as extra space where family members or guests can stay, or can be rented out for additional income. Its a great option for family members, college-aged kids, a lot of visiting professionals, said Rep. Vernetta Alston, a Durham Democrat. Its a good option that can often be naturally more affordable than a lot of other options in the market. The smaller houses have become more popular In North Carolina as cities grapple with the need for more affordable housing, but some local governments have blocked ADUs from being built. Local governments have been on the forefront of the issue and faced the political backlash when there has been widespread changes, said Scott Mooneyham, director of political communication and coordination for the North Carolina League of Municipalities, which opposes the legislation. If the legislature does not believe that they can suffer the political consequences of this as well, they are not paying attention, he said. This is the thing that gets people more riled up than anything. Its their homes. Its the most significant investment that most people will ever make. And when you go mess around with the rules that affect that, they get mad. And they get politically active. House Bill 409 won overwhelming approval Tuesday from the House with a vote of 106 to 7. It is sponsored by a bipartisan group of lawmakers including Republican Rep. Matthew Winslow, a home builder from Franklin County, and Alston, a developer and attorney. Alston said the bill would make it a bit easier and more viable for people across the state to build accessory dwelling units on their property. Story continues Fortunately, cities and counties still have the ability to, I think, manage a lot of how ADUs are constructed, what they look like, where theyre sited, to mitigate any of their concerns, she said. The league, along with the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, issued a report on the housing crisis in the state. The report surveyed 43 local governments on various housing topics and found that 26, or 65%, allow ADUs on single-family lots. What restrictions are in the bill? The bill prohibits local governments from requiring the owner of the ADU to live in the unit opening it up to be rented out either long term or through short-term rental sites like Airbnb and VRBO. The bill also prevents local governments from requiring a conditional zoning district or establishing parking minimums. Its highly likely that a huge number of those that would be built under this would be used as a part of the short-term rental market, Mooneyham said. And then that will create more conflict within these neighborhoods between people who dont want more density, dont want more people, dont want more traffic, and those that are that are then doing this to create an income stream. It doesnt affect properties within historic preservation districts or properties that are national historic landmarks. Nor does it apply to homes with restrictive covenants or homeowner associations that prohibit backyard cottages. ADUs vs. tiny homes While state and federal laws do not consider tiny homes built on a trailer or chassis to be permanent housing, small homes that meet the states building code for one- and two-family homes are allowed in most jurisdictions. How does this affect affordable housing? Alston said ADUs are one tool that could help address affordable housing. I think were in a place in North Carolina where we need to utilize as many tools as we can to address our needs for housing stock across the state, she said. The League of Municipalities is skeptical of how much effect the legislation would have on the affordable housing crisis. We think there should be a large conversation about housing affordability in North Carolina where all the different viewpoints and perspectives are pulled in and we have a discussion, Mooneyham said. Lets figure out what really works as opposed to this just piecemeal, here comes another legislative idea thrown at the wall. Local governments in North Carolina cant require that private landowners include affordable units in developments, regulation that is key to addressing the housing crisis, Durham Planning Commission Chair Austin Amandolia said. Its one of those things where its like, what is your argument for pushing for tiny homes? Is your argument that its going to create affordable housing? If so, I think theres a lot of debate, he said. If your argument is that it gives households a way to generate income and build wealth, like OK. He said the flexibility to incorporate affordability requirements in land-use decisions will be key to ensuring ADUs help craft the cities lawmakers say they want. Theyre not going to inherently create affordable housing. They may make housing cheaper to build, which is beneficial, but its not going to give affordable housing in the traditional sense, Amandolia said. Staff writers Anna Johnson, Tammy Grubb, Mary Helen Moore, Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi and Avi Bajpai contributed. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Alec Burleson and Paul DeJong homered, Miles Mikolas pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants 6-0 on Thursday to avoid a four-game sweep. Thats what Cardinal baseball is supposed to look like there, St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said. There are a lot of positive things that came out of today. Thats the style of baseball we need to play. Mikolas (1-1) scattered four hits and two walks, striking out six to end the Giants five-game winning streak. Thats a more normal outing for me, I feel," Mikolas said. "Just better fastball command, throwing strikes with all of my pitches and being aggressive in the zone. With one out in the top of the seventh, Burleson sent Logan Webbs 2-2 fastball over the right-field wall to break a scoreless tie. Later in the inning, Tommy Edman legged out an infield single to second base to drive in another run. Edman was initially ruled out at first but the call was overturned upon video review. Dylan Carlson added an RBI double in the eighth, followed by DeJongs two-run homer to left. Paul Goldschmidt made it 6-0 with an RBI fielders choice in the ninth. You kind of look at how weve gone offensively throughout the past couple of weeks, whenever somebody goes, we all go, Burleson said. So I think thats huge for us just to get that spark and then everybody kind of follows suit. Webb (1-5) allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts, suffering his MLB-leading fifth loss of the year. Giants manager Gabe Kapler called it a really good game. Totally in control. Nice, crisp rhythm. Lots of ground balls, strikeouts, low walks," Kapler said. "The one home run is really the only blemish. San Francisco had multiple opportunities to score but went 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base. The Giants best chance came in the fifth inning when they loaded the bases with one out. Thairo Estrada hit a dribbler in front of home plate but Cardinals catcher Andrew Knizner leapt out of his crouch to field it and made a diving tag on David Villar. Story continues Its hard to practice those types of plays because its just one of those things where you just try to let your instincts take over, Knizner said. And thats what my instinct told me to do. Joc Pederson lined out to right on the next pitch to end the threat. St. Louis has not been swept in a four-game series since June 3-6, 2021, against Cincinnati. TRAINERS ROOM Cardinals: After making two rehab starts for Double-A Springfield, RHP Adam Wainwright (groin strain) will make a rehab start Sunday for Triple-A Memphis. He is expected to throw approximately 90 pitches. Giants: OF Mike Yastrzemski returned to the lineup after missing Wednesdays game with left oblique tightness. ... C Joey Bart missed his third straight game with right groin tightness. Hes been trending in the right direction, Kapler said. We feel good about the fact that hes going to be ready to go full-force soon. UP NEXT Cardinals: RHP Jack Flaherty (2-2, 3.29 ERA), a Los Angeles native, returns home to open a three-game series against the Dodgers on Friday night. Flaherty has a 1.50 ERA in three career starts at Dodger Stadium. Giants: Following an off day Friday, LHP Sean Manaea (0-1, 6.61) starts the first of two games in Mexico City against the Padres. Manaea pitched for San Diego last season, going 8-9 with a 4.96 ERA. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports The California Air Resources Board (CARB) passed a first-in-the-nation rule on Thursday aimed at reducing the emissions diesel-fueled locomotive engines generate. Locomotives are a key part of Californias transportation network, and its time that they are part of the solution to tackle pollution and clean our air, CARB Chair Liane Randolph said in a statement. The new In-Use Locomotive Regulation would ban the operation of locomotives that are more than 23 years old by 2030, while prohibiting those with auto-shutdown features from idling for more than 30 minutes next year. The rule would also require operators to deposit funds into a spending account starting in 2024, based on the emissions they generate while in California. Companies would then be able to use those funds to upgrade their technology to cleaner alternatives. Switch, industrial and passenger locomotives built in or after 2030 would be required to operate in zero-emissions configurations while they are in California, while freight line haul would have to do so by 2035. With the new regulation, we are moving toward a future where all transportation operations in the state will be zero emissions, Randolph said. In order for California to advance this unprecedented regulation, the state will need to obtain approval from the Environmental Protection Ministry (EPA) because the rule would be more stringent than federal standards. The Golden State must apply to the EPA for a special waiver because the Clean Air Act includes a provision prohibiting states from implementing their own emissions standards. California has been receiving approvals on individual rules for decades a precedent that began in 1967, with the goal of combatting historic Los Angeles smog. If California receives the EPAs authorization on the locomotive regulation, other states would be able to follow suit. Similarly, when CARB voted to ban the sale of gas-powered cars by 2035 in August, other states quickly expressed their intentions to follow. Story continues Locomotives, which are fueled by diesel, emit multiple pollutants into the environment, including diesel particulate matter, greenhouse gases, nitrogen oxides and fine particulate matter, according to CARB. At the same time, these self-propelled vehicles push and pull rail-mounted cars through areas where people live and work, such as seaports and rail yards, the agency stressed. CARB estimated the resultant reduction in nitrogen oxide and diesel particulate matter of which there is no known safe level of exposure will create $32 billion in health savings by preventing about 3,200 premature deaths and 1,500 hospital visits. Environmental activists applauded the boards decision on Thursday, with Earthjustice attorney Yasmine Agelidis describing the rule as a nation-lead standard. The locomotive rule has the power to change the course of history for Californians who have suffered from train pollution for far too long, Agelidis said in a statement. It is my hope that our federal regulators follow Californias lead and bring much-needed relief to environmental justice communities living near rail yards across the nation, she added. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Teachers from a California middle school sued their school district and the state education board on Thursday over policies that they say require them to hide students intentions to change genders from their parents. The federal lawsuit filed by attorneys from the Thomas More Society alleges that administrators at the Escondido Union School District and California State Board of Education violated the First Amendment with a policy that would compel teachers to aid in a students transgender social transition. The litigation was prompted by Escondidos implementation of a series of new policies on the treatment of transgender or gender diverse students. Plaintiffs Elizabeth Mirabelli and Lori Ann West, who are devoutly Catholic and Christian, also allege that the districts policies infringe on their religious freedom, Paul Jonna, a lawyer representing the pair, said in a prepared statement. National Review has reached out to the school district and the education board for comment. Under the policies, teachers must refer to students by their preferred pronouns or gender-specific names during school hours but revert to biological pronouns and legal names when speaking with parents, the complaint states. At Escondido, once a teacher learns of a childs social transitioning, he or she has an obligation to ensure parents do not discover this, according to the lawsuit. The policy states that revealing a students transgender status to individuals who do not have a legitimate need for the information, without the students consent is prohibited. Regardless of the students age or circumstances, the policy says parents or caretakers are individuals who do not have a legitimate need for the information, according to the lawsuit. Under the policy, teachers will be trained to lie to a suspicious parent by dodging questions. They are told to tell concerned parents that the inquiry is outside of the scope of the intent of their interaction and that they can only discuss information regarding the students behavior as it relates to school, class rules, assignments, etc. When further probed by parents, teachers are instructed not to provide any more detail on the childs gender confusion. Story continues In an internal Q&A portal obtained by Thomas More called Rights of Gender Diverse Students Presentation for Mission Middle School, which is under EUSDs jurisdiction, a teacher asked: Is a parent allowed to override a students request for different pronouns/alternate names? The answer provided was: No, we shall use a students preferred name and pronoun based upon student request, and Teachers will use a students preferred pronouns and name here at school. But might need to use their original name and pronouns when contacting family because using the students school preferred name and pronouns might out the students to the parents. The districts own Professional Standards, found in the Board Policy Manual, say that Being dishonest with students, parents/guardians, staff, or members of the public constitutes Inappropriate Conduct, Thomas More uncovered. It boils down to the need for a basic trust in the institutions that we support with our tax dollars to protect and defend our children. Public schools should never hide information from or lie to parents about a childs mental health or personal circumstances, Jonna said. And schools should never compel teachers to perpetrate such a deception. More from National Review Cambodian leader Hun Sen on Thursday cancelled a law he created just two months ago to protect critically endangered Mekong dolphins as the mammals continue to die from illegal fishing activities. The population of Irrawaddy dolphins in the river Mekong has dwindled from 200, when the first census was taken in 1997, to just 89 in 2020 largely due to illegal fishing and habitat loss. Hun Sen issued a new decree in February creating protection zones in a 120-kilometre (75-mile) stretch of the Mekong, in which fishing is banned, following the death of three dolphins in a week. Conservationists have also stepped up efforts to protect the mammals -- small, shy creatures with domed foreheads and short beaks that once swam through much of the river, all the way to the delta in Vietnam. But two dolphins have since died, including a four-day-old calf found dead last week entangled in fishing nets. Hun Sen said Thursday he had decided to cancel the new decree because "dolphins keep dying and thousands of fishing families were affected". "We want to protect dolphins that are at risk of becoming extinct, but dolphins keep dying," he said at an event in Phnom Penh. "Dolphins keep entangling in gillnets despite the ban," he added, referring to nets strung across the river by fishermen. Hun Sen said the law also affected thousands of families who depend on fishing in the Mekong. "Shall we continue this? We must annul it and let people get benefits from the river," he said. Hun Sen asked authorities to implement old regulations to ban fishing in parts of the dolphin zones and to crack down on electrofishing. Eleven dolphins died in 2022, bringing the total number of dead dolphins to 29 in the last three years, according to the World Wildlife Fund. suy/pdw/mca By Ismail Shakil OTTAWA (Reuters) -Canada conducted its first evacuation operation in Sudan on Thursday, airlifting over 100 hundred people, including Canadians and other nationals, on two flights from the war-torn North African country, senior government officials said. About 180 Canadians were evacuated from the region earlier with the help of other countries, and the federal government had been working to set up its own operation to extract civilians. "I can confirm that a first Canadian evacuation flight from Sudan has taken place using an RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force) CC-130 Hercules aircraft," Defence Minister Anita Anand said at a news conference in Enfield, Nova Scotia. The first flight carried about 45 people from countries including Canada, the U.S. and Japan, while a second flight a few hours later had 73 people onboard, according to the Canadian foreign ministry. The Canadian armed forces were planning for future extractions in the days to come. The evacuees were taken to a third location, before they could return to their home countries. Governments globally have rushed to extract foreign diplomats and citizens from Sudan after a conflict between the Sudanese army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) killed hundreds of people, knocked out hospitals and turned residential areas into war zones. There are over 1,700 Canadians in Sudan, out of which about 800 have requested assistance from the Canadian government. Anand said a majority of Canadian citizens are in the Sudanese capital Khartoum and efforts to evacuate them by ground or by sea "significantly increase the time during which they would be exposed to risk." "Planning is occurring as we speak to ensure the maximum number of Canadians can be evacuated as soon as possible," Anand told reporters in Enfield. The Canadian defense ministry said on Wednesday it was deploying about 200 troops and positioning two C-130 Hercules aircraft to coordinate evacuations from Sudan. (Reporting by Ismail Shakil; Additional reporting by Steve Scherer in Ottawa; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Chris Reese and Cynthia Osterman) (Bloomberg) -- Canadas main opposition party called for the government to block Glencore Plcs proposed takeover of Teck Resources Ltd. Most Read from Bloomberg Thousands of jobs would be at risk if the Swiss commodities firm were to succeed in its unsolicited $23 billion bid for the Vancouver-based miner, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said in a statement Thursday. He warned it would also mark the loss of Canadas last remaining major diversified base-metals miner owned and headquartered in the country. Canada needs a government that is committed to creating and supporting Canadian jobs, Poilievre said. Glencores attempted hostile takeover will ship thousands of jobs out-of-country and threaten thousands more Canadians who work for Teck. The opposition leaders announcement ups the pressure on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to take a stand on the issue. His finance and natural resources ministers have said in recent weeks that the government is watching the deal closely. Teck is trying to fend off Glencores approach. But its plan to spin off its coal business suffered a major blow Wednesday when it withdrew the proposal for lack of support, hours before it was to be put to a shareholder vote. Shares of Teck rose 1.3% on Thursday to C$62.13 at 2:25 p.m. in Toronto, extending its gain this year to more than 22%. Glencore closed the day down 1.7% in London. The deal is quickly becoming a broader political issue. British Columbia Premier David Eby opposes it. And in a letter Monday to Vancouvers board of trade, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said the nation needs companies like Teck in Canada as it prepares for the future of mining critical minerals key to the energy transition. Story continues Any takeover of Teck would require the approval of the government. After a review, which could be lengthy, the final decision would mostly likely fall to Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, who signed Freelands letter alongside Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson. Canada blocked BHP Groups proposed takeover of Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan in 2010, when Stephen Harper was prime minister. Poilievre was a member of that government. --With assistance from Joe Deaux. (Updates with shares, additional background) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Canadian socialite Jasmine Hartin pleaded guilty to manslaughter by negligence on Tuesday in the fatal shooting of a Belize police officer, the Belizean government confirmed to CBS News. Hartin was raising twins with her former partner Andrew Ashcroft and the son of UK billionaire businessman Lord Michael Ashcroft when she was arrested two years ago for the deadly shooting of police superintendent Henry Jemmott. The shooting shocked the Central American nation and rumors of drugs and infidelity abounded. Hartin shared her story with "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant confiding the details of her decadent life and the hours that led up to the fatal shooting. After arriving on an island called Ambergris Caye in 2014, Hartin started to work as a realtor before meeting Ashcroft the following year, who she thought was "very clever, very funny, very witty." Hartin said she had "no money" and she wasn't attracted to the billionaire's son's wallet, she was more interested in building a life together. They got engaged and had twins in 2016, the same year Hartin met Jemmott, she told Van Sant. She said Ashcroft with whom her relationship was struggling and they were leading separate lives knew Jemmott. They were friends for years, Hartin said, adding that Jemmott, "Loved my cooking, often came to ho the house for dinner." In May 2021 after she was attacked at a party, she called Jemmott for help. He advised her to get a gun, Hartin said. A few days later Jemmott and Hartin were sitting drinking on a pier when Hartin said Jemmott "pulled out his 9mm Glock 17 and handed it to her." She said she was "trying to use the moonlight or whatever to see if I'm clicking the right button." And then the gun went off, killing Jemmott, she said. Hartin said the shooting was an accident, and Jemmott's family didn't buy her story. His sister, Cherry Jemmott, told "48 Hours" that her brother would never treat his firearm that way. Story continues "He is so skillful, and he is so careful," she said. Investigators have never publicly disclosed that Hartin had an intentional motive to kill Jemmott. In Belize, the maximum prison sentence for manslaughter for negligence can be up to five years. Her sentencing hearing has been set for May 31, a Belizean government spokesperson confirmed. Reporting contributed by Josh Yager and James Stolz Disney sues Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over "government retaliation" Stocks fall as First Republic Bank shares plummet British antitrust regulators block Microsoft purchase of Activision Blizzard Four new Peking Opera films from the second round of the "Peking Opera Film" project were released on Tuesday during the ongoing Beijing International Film Festival. Cast and crew, officials, and guests pose for a group photo at a launch event for four new Peking opera films at the China National Film Museum in Beijing on April 23, 2023. [Photo courtesy of China Film Co., Ltd.] The four films include director Xia Gang's "Cai Wenji Returns to Her Homeland" and "The You Sisters of the Red Chamber," as well as director Ma Chongjie's "Silang Visits His Mother" and "The Gathering of Heroes: Borrowing the East Wind." The films mark new cinematic entries that celebrate, promote, and document China's traditional opera arts. The "Peking Opera Film" project has strong support from the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, provincial and municipal publicity departments, and the Peking Opera and film industries. Founded in 2011, the project has grown and developed, with entities such as China Film Co., Ltd. investing tremendous efforts into production and promotion, achieving remarkable achievements. Ren Yue, deputy general manager of China Film Co., Ltd., at a launch event held at the China National Film Museum in Beijing, said: "In promoting the 'Peking Opera Film' project, Peking Opera artists and filmmakers in China have always upheld a high sense of responsibility and profound professionalism, successfully incubating a series of Peking opera films. In the future, China Film Co., Ltd. will continue to shoulder the mission of promoting traditional culture, disseminating opera art, and cultivating young audiences." Liu Tong, president of the Jingju Theater, said that the "Peking Opera Film" project, which started in 2011, is a crossover project that promotes the high integration of film and Peking opera arts. Such integration and crossover cooperation will help to jointly promote and witness the development of Chinese film and Peking opera in the new era. This time, four new Peking opera films were added to the collection at the China National Film Museum. Chen Ling, the museum's director, stated that the "Peking Opera Film" project has helped to leave many valuable artistic materials and legacies for future generations, enriched the history of operatic films, and made significant contributions to the creative transformation and innovative development of traditional Chinese culture. The filmmakers involved in the project's creation have a deep respect for Peking opera and have actively demonstrated their creativity. For example, renowned director Xia Gang shared many filming experiences at the premieres of his two films, saying, "Every Peking Opera film shoot is a great challenge for me. For example, the story of 'Cai Wenji Returns to Her Homeland' takes place in the grasslands, but it is difficult to show this scenery on the stage. Therefore, I even drove to the grasslands to study it myself and seek inspiration." Director Ma Chongjie also worked hard to refine his works to capture the charm of the Peking opera. He said, "During the creative process, we aim to maintain the authenticity of the play while presenting the narrative, creating the plot, shaping the characters, and making the visuals more vibrant and enjoyable. This transforms the experience of enjoying opera." The four posters from the Peking opera films released on April 25, 2023. [Image courtesy of China Film Co., Ltd.] All four Peking opera films enlisted the participation of some of the most renowned Peking opera masters as directors. "The Gathering of Heroes: Borrowing the East Wind" brought together senior Peking opera artists who delivered outstanding performances. Octogenarian Peking opera master Ye Shaolan expressed his eagerness for the new expression of Peking opera films at the premiere, saying they provide an opportunity to carry on and promote Peking opera, uphold tradition and innovation, and showcase successful cooperation between Peking opera and film. Another famous Peking opera performer, Zhu Qiang, also shared his touching filming experience, saying: "The main actors in the film have a combined age of over 500 years, but I can feel the enthusiasm that these older-generation artists have for the cause of Peking opera and their spirit of perseverance on the set. I was deeply moved and learned from them." The four films were released nationwide following their premiere at the Beijing International Film Festival. COVID-19 testing sites in the Capitol complex will close at the end of May, the Office of the Attending Physician told congressional offices in a notice on Thursday. Limited COVID-19 tests may still be made available for those testing for events in support of official duties or travel, according to the notice obtained by The Hill. The same-day, walk-in PCR testing sites for congressional staff, lawmakers and press were implemented in the Capitol in November 2020. Two testing sites, one in the Rayburn House Office Building and one in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, will be discontinued after May 31. Individuals or offices desiring to continue a surveillance testing program may seek out home testing kit options widely available in the community, the notice said. The closures mark one of the final changes for the Capitols return to pre-pandemic procedures, coming shortly after President Biden signed a Republican-led bill to end the COVID-19 national emergency earlier this month. The national emergency and public health emergency declarations end on May 11. Public access to Congress fully opened up at the start of this year after Republicans took power in the House, fulfilling a longtime GOP pledge. Pandemic-era proxy voting has also ended in the House. An Axios/Ipsos poll conducted earlier this month found that less than 10 percent of American adults view the coronavirus pandemic as a serious problem in the U.S. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. JACKSON, Miss. (AP) The white woman who accused Black teenager Emmett Till of whistling at and accosting her in Mississippi in 1955 causing his lynching, which galvanized a generation of activists to rise up in the Civil Rights Movement has died at 88. Carolyn Bryant Donham died in hospice care Tuesday night in Westlake, Louisiana, according to a death report filed Thursday in the Calcasieu Parish Coroners Office. Her death marks the last chance for anyone to be held accountable for the kidnapping and murder that shocked the world. Till's mother, Mamie Till Mobley, insisted on an open-casket funeral in their hometown of Chicago so the world could see her 14-year-old son's mutilated body, which was pulled from a river in Mississippi. Jet magazine published photos. In August 1955, Till had traveled from Chicago to visit relatives in Mississippi. Donham then 21 and named Carolyn Bryant accused him of making improper advances on her at a grocery store where she was working in the small community of Money. The Rev. Wheeler Parker, a cousin of Till who was there, has said Till whistled at the woman, an act that flew in the face of Mississippis racist social codes of the era. Evidence indicates a woman identified Till to Donham's then-husband Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Milam, who killed the teenager. An all-white jury acquitted the two white men in the killing, but the men later confessed in an interview with Look magazine. When Till disappeared in Mississippi, Ollie Gordon one of Tills cousins was 7 years old and living in the Chicago home with Tills mother and family. Gordon told The Associated Press on Thursday that in the days after he went missing, the home was full of fear, because people knew there was a strong likelihood he had been killed. Gordon said she had mixed emotions about Donhams death. She was never tried in the court of man, Gordon said. But I think she was judged by God, and his wrath is more punitive than any judgment or penalty she could have gotten in a courtroom. I dont think she had a pleasant or happy life. Story continues Parker is the last living witness to Till's abduction. He has said in interviews and speeches that he heard Till whistle at the woman working behind the counter at Bryant's Grocery and Meat Market. Days later, Parker saw men kidnap Till in the dark of night from their uncle's home in Mississippi, where the teenagers were staying. Parker said Thursday that his heart goes out to Donham. As a person of faith for more than 60 years, I recognize that any loss of life is tragic and dont have any ill will or animosity toward her, Parker said in a statement. "Even though no one now will be held to account for the death of my cousin and best friend, it is up to all of us to be accountable to the challenges we still face in overcoming racial injustice. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that President Joe Biden was proud to sign the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act last year to make lynching a federal crime. The president is committed to ... dealing with racial hatred, Jean-Pierre said. In an unpublished memoir obtained by The AP in 2022, Donham said she was unaware of what would happen to Till. Historian and author Timothy Tyson of Durham, North Carolina, provided a copy of the 99-page manuscript, I Am More Than A Wolf Whistle, to AP. He said he received it from Donham while interviewing her in 2008. Tyson had placed the manuscript in an archive at the University of North Carolina with the agreement that it not be made public for decades, though he said he gave it to the FBI during an investigation the agency concluded in 2021. A campus spokesperson said Thursday that the university returned Tysons materials to him in 2022 because they did not agree on open access to the information. Tyson said in 2022 that he decided to release the memoir to news outlets after some of Till's relatives and other people doing research at the Leflore County, Mississippi, courthouse in June 2022 found an arrest warrant on kidnapping charges that was issued for Mrs. Roy Bryant in 1955 but never served. Tyson said in a statement Thursday that Donham's precise role in the killing of Till remains murky, but it's clear she was involved. It has comforted America to see this as merely a story of monsters, her among them," Tyson said. "What this narrative keeps us from seeing is the monstrous social order that cared nothing for the life of Emmett Till nor thousands more like him. Neither the federal government nor the government of Mississippi did anything to prevent or punish this murder. Condemning what Donham did is easier than confronting what America was and is. Joe Stidhum was born two years after Till, his cousin, was killed. Stidhum said that older family members protected him and his siblings, and didn't tell them about Till's lynching until they were teenagers. Stidhum said he wishes he knew how Donham reckoned with her own conscience. What did she take with her that no one would know, other than her and her maker? Stidhum told AP on Thursday. I just hope that no one ever has to go through the pain that our family has endured, mostly the elderly family" members who have died. In October, a bronze statue of Till was unveiled in Greenwood, Mississippi, just miles from his uncles home. Also last year, members of the New Black Panther Party and other activists began showing up at addresses associated with Donham, including in North Carolina and Kentucky. They were there to serve unofficial warrants for her arrest and trial. Weeks after the unserved arrest warrant was found, the office of Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said there was no new evidence to pursue a criminal case against Donham. In August, a district attorney said a Leflore County grand jury declined to indict Donham. Tills cousin, Priscilla Sterling, filed a federal lawsuit against the current Leflore County Sheriff, Ricky Banks, on Feb. 7, seeking to compel him to serve the 1955 warrant on Donham. In a response April 13, Banks' attorney said there was no point serving the warrant because the grand jury did not indict Donham last year. Malik Z. Shabazz, one of the attorneys in the lawsuit against Banks, said it's tragic that Mississippi never held Donham accountable. "Carolyn Bryants legacy will be one of dishonesty and injustice, Shabazz said. A legacy that verifies that Mississippi coddles and protects white supremacy. ___ Associated Press writers Allen G. Breed in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and Colleen Long in Washington contributed to this report. Carolyn Bryant Donham, the White woman whose accusation set off Emmett Till's lynching, died on Tuesday, the coroner for the Parish of Calcasieu in Louisiana confirmed to CBS News. Donham, who lived in Westlake, Louisiana, died at 11:59 p.m. in her home, coroner Terry Welke confirmed in a fact-of-death letter. She was 88 years old, the coroner said. Known as a key figure in Emmett Till's lynching, Donham wrote in an unpublished manuscript obtained by the Associated Press she "tried to help the youth by denying it was him." Men brought the 14-year-old to her house in the middle of the night after she accused the teen of grabbing her while she worked alone in her family store in Money, Mississippi. Till was visiting relatives in Mississippi from Chicago when he was accused, abducted and lynched for this interaction. His disfigured body was found in a river days later. When his mother Mamie Till Mobley buried her son in Chicago, she decided to open the casket so the world could see, fueling the nascent civil rights movement. Till's cousin, the Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr., said in a statement to CBS News that even though no one would be held to account for his cousin's death "it is up to all of us to be accountable to the challenges we still face in overcoming racial injustice." In 2022, a grand jury in Mississippi declined to prosecute Donham for her role in the events that led to Till's lynching. The U.S. Justice Department announced the year before that it was ending its investigation into the case. Documentarian Keith A. Beauchamp, a producer of the Hollywood movie "Till" and "The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till" the film the Department of Justice said encouraged officials to open the department's 2004 investigation said in a statement to CBS News said he hopes "the State of Mississippi, local authorities and Federal government release all files on this case to the public, so we all can bear witness to this miscarriage of justice." Story continues House Speaker McCarthy's bill unlikely to advance in Senate Helene Yorke on Season 3 of "The Other Two" "48 Hours" investigates the wrongful conviction of Lamar Johnson Carolyn Bryant Donham, the White woman whose allegations of a sexual advance led to the 1955 kidnapping and lynching of Black teenager Emmett Till, has died. The Calcasieu Parish coroners office confirmed Donham's death to Fox News. She was 88. Mississippi Today reported that Donham was receiving end-of-life hospice care in Louisiana as she battled cancer. Till's abduction and shocking death was a flashpoint for the civil rights movement in America. The boy's mother insisted on an open-casket funeral in Chicago after his brutalized and bloated body was pulled from a river in Mississippi. It had been tied down with a cotton gin. Photographs published in Jet magazine sparked national outcry, and Till's story is taught in schools to this day. In the summer of 1955, 14-year-old Till traveled from Chicago to Mississippi to visit relatives. On the evening of Aug. 24, he encountered Donham, who was 21 and went by Carolyn Bryant, at Bryant's Grocery and Meat Market. Witnesses said that Till wolf-whistled at Donham. MISSISSIPPI SHERIFF DECLARES ARREST WARRANT FOR EMMETT TILL ACCUSER MOOT After their acquittal in the Emmett Till trial, defendant Roy Bryant, right, smokes a cigar as his wife happily embraces him and his half brother, J.W. Milam and his wife show jubilation. A jury cleared Bryant and Milam of having murdered Till, a 14-year-old Chicago boy. Not long after the trial, the pair admitted to murdering Till in an interview with a reporter, showing no remorse. Days later, in the early morning hours of Aug. 28, Till was abducted from his family's home, never to be seen alive again. Evidence indicates that a woman, possibly Donham, identified Till to her then-husband Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Milam, who killed the teenager. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Bryant and Milam were tried for Till's murder and acquitted by an all-White jury. Months later, the men confessed to beating Till and shooting him to death in a paid interview with Look magazine. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT CLOSES ITS INVESTIGATION INTO 1955 KILLING OF EMMETT TILL Emmett Till is shown lying on his bed. The killing was reported internationally and helped catalyze the civil rights movement. Till's death inspired Rosa Parks to refuse to give up her seat to a White man on a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Donham had long maintained her innocence in Till's death, claiming in an unpublished memoir reported by The Associated Press in 2022 that she was unaware of what would happen to Till. Story continues TILL RELATIVES SEEK ACCUSER'S PROSECUTION IN 1955 KIDNAPPING The contents of the 99-page manuscript, titled "I am More Than A Wolf Whistle," were first reported by the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting. Historian and author Timothy Tyson of Durham, who said he obtained a copy from Donham while interviewing her in 2008, provided a copy to the AP. Tyson had placed the manuscript in an archive at the University of North Carolina with the agreement that it not be made public for decades, though he said he gave it to the FBI during an investigation the agency concluded last year. He said he decided to make it public now following the recent discovery of an arrest warrant on kidnapping charges that was issued for Donham in 1955 but never served. Fox News' Mitch Picasso and The Associated Press contributed to this report. The Castello Pennisi di Floristella, in Acireale, Italy. Italy Sotheby's International Realty A 19th-century, 43,000-square-foot castle in Sicily, Italy, is on sale for $6.6 million. The property was originally built to be a museum, and later used for films like "The Godfather III." The castle has a private 2.5-acre park, chapel, wine cellar, and 22 bedrooms. Take a look inside. A 22-bedroom, 8-bathroom castle built in the 19th century is for sale in the town of Acireale in coastal Sicily, Italy, for 6 million, or about $6.6 million. The castle is located in eastern Sicily. Italy Sotheby's International Realty Source: Sotheby's The property was originally built in 1880 by Italian baron Agostino Pennisi to house his art collection, an agent for Italy Sotheby's International Realty told Insider. Instead, his family ended up living there for five generations. Five generations of the Pennisi family have lived in the castle. Italy Sotheby's International Realty Source: Mansion Global The castle might also seem familiar as it was a filming location for movies like "The Godfather III." According to Italy Sotheby's, a staircase and a few rooms on the first floor were featured in scenes in the film. A room in the castle. Italy Sotheby's International Realty The home's history extends beyond Hollywood, too. During World War II, the castle was used as a logistics base by the German army, according to Italy Sotheby's, and later was turned into a field hospital by the Allies. The reception hall on the first floor has many windows with views of the grounds. Italy Sotheby's International Realty After the war, the family returned to the castle and primarily used it during the autumn grape harvest season, according to Italy Sotheby's. The first floor in the castle. Italy Sotheby's International Realty Now, the property is listed for sale by one of the baron's descendants, who currently lives there. It's been on the market for three years, according to Italy Sotheby's. The property has been on the market for three years. Italy Sotheby's International Realty The 43,055-square-foot castle has neo-Gothic architecture and is framed by two towers. One of the castle's two towers. Italy Sotheby's International Realty Source: Sotheby's It also comes with a private 2.5-acre park with fountains and lush plants. The castle comes with a private 2.5 acre park. Italy Sotheby's International Realty Source: Sotheby's Palm trees surround the dramatic driveway to enter the home. The driveway is framed by century-old palm trees. Italy Sotheby's International Realty Inside, the main entrance opens to a grand hall with a marble staircase leading to the first floor. The marble staircase leading to the first floor. Italy Sotheby's International Realty On the first floor, there are two terraces that overlook the grounds, and a reception hall where a fireplace is engraved with the Pennisi family initials. Story continues The reception hall on the first floor. Italy Sotheby's International Realty The sunny terraces are large enough to fit tables and chairs, as seen in the listing photos. The first floor has two large terraces. Italy Sotheby's International Realty The 22 bedrooms are spread over two floors. One on the first floor has a wood-burning fireplace and floor-to-ceiling windows. The castle comes with 22 bedrooms. Italy Sotheby's International Realty Source: Sotheby's Throughout the house, many of the rooms are currently decorated with antique-looking furniture, ornate chandeliers, and artwork. A room in the castle. Italy Sotheby's International Realty And most of the castle's rooms have large, arched windows with views of the grounds. A room in the property. Italy Sotheby's International Realty In the castle's north tower, there's a small chapel with high ceilings decorated with fresco paintings, according to the listing. The chapel is decorated with frescoes by Italian painter Giuseppe Sciuti. Italy Sotheby's International Realty According to an email sent by Italy Sotheby's to Insider, the Pennisi family used the chapel to celebrate Christmas and Sunday masses. Since the 1970s, the chapel and park have also been used for private weddings and ceremonies. The chapel has high ceilings. Italy Sotheby's International Realty And for roughly $6.6 million, it can all be yours. The main entrance to the castle. Italy Sotheby's International Realty Read the original article on Insider The new CBI boss raised concerns over sexual harassment when she was in a senior role at the group, she has said. "Whenever I have seen sexual harassment, I have acted and I raised those issues," said Rain Newton-Smith. The revelation comes after the CBI admitted on Monday it hired "culturally toxic" staff and failed to fire people who sexually harassed colleagues. But Ms Newton-Smith, who has been appointed to save the group, said she did not feel there was a toxic culture. "That's not how it felt when I was here, but at the same time I, like everyone else, have read the stories of the survivors of rape in the papers from the outside, and I know that something has gone badly wrong," she told the BBC. The future of the CBI, which claims to represent 190,000 businesses employing some seven million people, is in the balance after a series of workplace misconduct, harassment and sexual assault problems, including two allegations of rape. The lobbying group, prior to the current crisis, was seen as the voice of business in the UK and a key player in discussing economic policies with the government. But dozens of firms including John Lewis and BMW have terminated their memberships, while others such as Tesco and Sainsbury's have suspended engagement with the group. Ms Newton-Smith admitted she had weeks to earn back the trust of businesses so that the organisation could survive. She started her new role on Wednesday, in a return to the CBI where she was previously for almost nine years, and was also on the CBI's executive committee during the time of the misconduct allegations. An investigation by the law firm Fox Williams, commissioned by the group following the emergence of claims, found a failure to act allowed a "very small minority" of staff to believe they could get away with harassment or violence against women. The embattled lobby group has said it dismissed a number of people. Story continues But in her first interview in the new role, Ms Newton-Smith, who said she would not speak about specific incidents, said when she had seen sexual harassment or if any staff member approached her she "acted". "When I did see things, I acted on them and I supported staff who needed to raise them, and I think that's critically, absolutely critically important," she added. "I wouldn't be coming back into this job if I thought there were things that I had done or hadn't done or hadn't acted thoroughly on it. So that's what's really important to me." Membership exodus The government has also suspended any activity with the lobby group, with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said there is "no point" engaging with the CBI when its own members had deserted them. Some have questioned whether the new director-general, being a former employee and executive committee member, is the right person to lead the organisation through the scandal. Baroness Morrissey, a well-known City fund manager who campaigns for female inclusion at companies, agreed the CBI was "finished". Asked how long she had to turn around the CBI, Ms Newton-Smith said that the group had set itself a deadline in "early June" to call back its remaining members for an emergency meeting and update them on the progress made. The CBI has suspended all of its policy and membership activities until that month. But the new boss warned: "I am not for a moment saying that the rebuild of our culture and our organisation is going to be complete by early June. "But what I need to do and show is that we have done enough to earn back trust from businesses. "People are hurting in this organisation and they also need time to heal. My plea to businesses is these things take time." Ms Newton-Smith told the Financial Times she was sure the organisation would be renamed as part of its efforts to reform. What is the CBI? The CBI - the Confederation of British Industry - is one of the UK's most prominent lobby groups and, according to its former president Paul Drechsler, was instrumental in protecting millions of jobs during the Covid pandemic by helping the rapid roll-out of the furlough scheme. The CBI campaigned against Brexit. Once the UK voted to leave the European Union, it lobbied the government to secure a trade and co-operation agreement. Another function of the CBI is to promote and share best practice among its members. Founded in 1965, today it employs around 300 people. Its director generals have been predominately male with the exception of Dame Carolyn Fairbairn, who led the group between 2015 and 2020 and now Ms Newton-Smith. Britain's King Charles III and Camilla, queen consort, walk with Princess Anne and Prince Andrew, duke of York as they arrive for the Easter service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle on April 9. WOOSTER For all of those anglophiles, Saturday, May 6 will be a day to remember. It will be the first time in 70 years a monarch of the United Kingdom will be crowned. The coronation of King Charles III will not just be celebrated in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Many around the world will take to the internet or television to watch history happen. Heartwarming: Wayne County man's 'heart of gold' melts for drivers stuck in his yard Some in Wooster aim to celebrate the crowning event across two events, both hosted by the nonprofit Connection Conference and Event Center at 1034 County Club Drive. These events will support West View, a faith-based continuous-care retirement community in Wooster by funding religious services, activities and more, according to a press release from the event center. A Dinner Fit for a King A Dinner Fit for a King is a five-course meal that will start at 6 p.m. Monday, May 1, at the event center. As the title implies, it aims to serve up a British meal fit for the king himself, according to the event press release. The meal will kick off with two British classics, a Welsh rarebit and Yorkshire pudding. The former dates back to the 1500s and consists of a heavy three-cheese sauce served over toast. The latter is called a popover in America. It's made with unsweetened egg batter and baked in the oven. 96 years later: Hillsdale time capsule offers glimpse of school life in 1927 Looking back seven decades to Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, the soup will be callaloo, the national soup of the former British colonies of Dominica and Trinidad and Tobago. It is made with leafy vegetables, coconut milk, salted meats, yams, onions, peppers, green bananas and flour and cornmeal dumplings. The entree might be the king's favorite dish, according to the press release. It is lamb with mushroom risotto, English asparagus and hollandaise sauce. For dessert is another of Charles' favorites, a light lemon creme. Story continues A cash bar will be available throughout an evening full of royal trivia. The event is part of Culinary Connections, a monthly event series that will feature future events like Dinner with the Vanderbilts, a Julia Child birthday celebration and a Goodfellas-inspired dinner. Tickets are $30 a person. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 330-264-9044 or emailing events@theconnectioninwooster.com. Coronation day tea The second event, Mommy & Me Princess Tea, will be held on the crowning day of Saturday, May 6. There are three tea times available for would-be princesses and their moms, according to the press release, at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. This event will feature tea and fine china with delicate finger sandwiches followed by formal princess training and a song and storytime with two Disney princesses. There will also be a craft and cookie decorating session before everyone gathers for the official "crowning," according to the release. The tea-inspired event is two-fold, said Tami Mosser, director of the event center. It is meant to celebrate Mother's Day a bit early this year while connecting those present with the coronation of the next king of the United Kingdom. We know how much a princess fantasy appeals to little girls, Mosser said in the press release. This popularity ranges from the likes of Frozen, Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella to Esmeralda, Moana and Tiana. Tickets are $40 for one adult and one child. It is $10 extra per each additional child. Tickets can be bought by calling 330-264-9044 or emailing events@theconnectioninwooster.com. This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Coronation day comes to Wooster: Dinner Fit for a King and tea party State Rep. Zooey Zephyr exits the House of Representatives at the Montana State Capitol in Helena, Mont., on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. | Tommy Martino, Associated Press After weeks of turmoil between lawmakers in Montanas House of Representatives, one lawmaker ended up being censured and barred from participating on House floor for the remainder of the legislative session. The lawmaker in question is Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr, who is a transgender woman the Legislatures first known transgender member. Why was Rep. Zooey Zephyr blocked from the Montana House? Tensions rose when Zephyr took the House floor during the April 18 session during debates about a bill that would prohibit certain medical and surgical treatments to treat minors with gender dysphoria. This body should be ashamed, Zephyr said, per The New York Times. If you vote yes on this bill and yes on these amendments I hope the next time theres an invocation, when you bow your heads in prayer, you see the blood on your hands. On Monday, a rally took place outside the Capitol, which led to protesters packing into the gallery and brought House proceedings to a halt while chanting Let her speak, The Associated Press reported. The incident galvanized both those demanding she be allowed to speak and those saying her actions constitute an unacceptable attack on civil discourse, per AP. In response to her speech and the protests, a group of conservative lawmakers, known as the Montana Freedom Caucus, wrote a joint letter calling for her to be censured for trying to shame the Montana legislative body and by using inappropriate and uncalled-for language during a floor debate. On Wednesday, the censure was brought to a vote in the Republican-controlled chamber and reached a 68 to 32 majority, per the Times. According to CBS News, Zephyr will be allowed to vote remotely for the remainder of the legislative session. House Majority Leader Sue Vinton supported the choice to bar Zephyr from the House floor and accused her of placing lawmakers and staff at risk of harm for her actions during protests in the chamber on Monday, CBS News reported. Freedom in this body involves obedience to all the rules of this body, including the rules of decorum, Vinton said, per CBS News. Zephyr told CNN, We have a week and a half left of the session, and well be covering important topics housing bills, the states budget and every bill that goes forward for the remainder of this session, there will be 11,000 Montanans whose representative is missing, whose voices cannot be heard on those bills. After two hours of comments, the Solvang City Council narrowly voted Monday night to allow Pride Month banners to be displayed on street lights for two weeks in June. However, later Monday night and after threats of pro-Second Amendment and Right to Life banners, the council voted to prohibit all non-city banners in the future after already-approved requests by Pride and Solvang Theaterfest are fulfilled this year. Council members voted 3-2 to allow the Pride banners on light poles. Mayor Mark Infanti joined council members Elizabeth Orona and Claudia Orona, who are not related, in voting in favor of the motion for eight banners. Voting against allowing the banners were council members Robert Clarke and David Brown. After getting rejected for its initial design and time span, Rainbow House Inc. reapplied seeking two weeks, not a month, to display the banners and adding the word Solvang to the banner. The selected proposal now reads, Solvang Pride and All Welcome, with a rainbow and a windmill. Elizabeth Orona said the banner design had been modified to align with others approved in the city. I want to acknowledge this is probably very uncomfortable for many people who dont understand this community, but that is the point, she said. We need to move forward and accept some change and accept some discomfort. The Solvang City Council will allow eight Pride Month-themed banners to hang for the last two weeks of June after revisiting the issue Monday, April 24, 2023. The banners will enhance the already approved Pride event, she said. To add eight banners out of a hundred is really pretty simple, she added. Noting that he approved last years Pride parade and festival, Clarke proclaimed that hes not a bad person and lashed out at the hate and vitriol directed toward him in recent weeks. In emails and texts, Clarke has referred to people in favor of the banners, including colleagues, with derogatory names. Whos next for an entire month of an agenda to hang banners in this town? he asked. I dont want it for anybody. The councils vote came after nearly two hours of public comments in the standing-room-only council chambers. Story continues Jeff Paaske said he attended last years Pride parade. I was hearing rumors that people thought we were going to take our clothes off and stuff. What a disappointment, Paaske said, prompting laughter from the audience before becoming serious. It was so well done. It is not political. Its a day of celebration, which is why its called Pride. Members from the LGBTQ community shared about struggles growing up in the Santa Ynez Valley. I didnt have representation because I lived in the Solvang snow globe, Laurel Shires added. Other residents spoke out against allowing the banners. The dogged pursuit of the matter by the applicants is fomenting divide in our community and the community supports Pride Month and the parade, Colleen Estrada said. Renee Condit, from a family with six generations of Solvang residents, also spoke against the banner request. To have someone, namely the sponsor of this proposal, stand up and say this special place is something other than a kind and welcoming town, thats just flat-out wrong. Thats just not true, Condit said. Near 11 p.m., the council revisited its banner policy and decided to allow only those from the city. That means other longtime banners for the Elverhoj Museum of History & Art and the Solvang Chamber of Commerces Music in the Park wont be allowed. Existing city banners include the Danish flag with a crown, which has proven popular for people taking pictures, interim city manager Brad Vidro said. That flag has been on those street poles a long time, Vidro said. The panel ultimately voted 4-1, with Clarke opposed. It sucks, but yes, Claudia Orona said as she cast her vote, adding, Just to clarify, its not the motion that sucks, its the fact that we are in this position. Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com . Breakfast dishes made in an air fryer can be a hit or miss. Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock; George Dolgikh/ Shutterstock Air fryers can be used to make great breakfast meals, but not every dish should be cooked in one. Chefs recommend making air-fried bacon and breakfast burritos. They suggest you do not try to make pancakes, frittatas, or omelets in the air fryer. Air fryers are handy countertop appliances that cook food with rapidly circulating hot air using little or no oil. They're a popular way to whip up snacks, but your air fryer can be used to make some tasty breakfasts. Keep reading for the best and worst breakfasts to make in an air fryer, according to chefs. The air fryer is great for breakfast burritos Breakfast Burrito Get crispy breakfast burritos in an air fryer.Brent Hofacker/ Shutterstock Professional restaurant and catering chef Christina Musgrave told Insider that an air fryer is perfect for making breakfast burritos. "The fryer will crisp the tortilla while warming the inside of the burrito, which results in great texture and flavor," said Musgrave. You can use the air fryer to cook burritos made from scratch or to reheat frozen ones. French toast can be pretty easy to make Yannick Tirbois, executive chef and culinary director at Le Cordon Bleu Shanghai, told Insider that he loves making French toast in an air fryer. "The key is to not completely soak the bread in eggs," said Tirbois. French toast that is too saturated with egg mixture won't cook properly. Air-fryer seasoned potatoes are tasty Air fryer seasoned potatoes Seasoned potatoes can be a tasty breakfast.leungchopan/ Shutterstock Chef Diana Manalang of Little Chef Little Cafe told Insider that you should skip the oven and make your breakfast potatoes right in the air fryer. "Seasoned potatoes made in an air fryer are super flavorful," said Manalang. "They're crispy on the outside and tender on the inside." If you have leftover fat from cooking bacon or sausages, you can use that to add extra flavor to your breakfast potatoes. Bacon is an ideal air-fryer breakfast You can get perfectly cooked bacon in minutes by using an air fryer. Story continues "I love to cook bacon in the air fryer because it eliminates splatter and smoke while still yielding deliciously crispy strips," said Musgrave. For the best result, Musgrave recommended using thick-cut bacon for more flavor and texture. You can make breakfast pastries in the air fryer Try making a breakfast pastry. Brent Hofacker/ Shutterstock If you love the kind of breakfast pastries that pop out of a toaster, it's easy to make your own with an air fryer. "Fill a square of pre-made, thawed puff pastry with cream cheese or fruit preserve and pop it in the air fryer until golden," Manalang told Insider. For an extra sweet twist, try using chocolate hazelnut spread for the pastry filling. You can achieve great texture for sausages Musgrave told Insider that sausages are best cooked in an air fryer. "Sausage links or patties develop a great texture in the air fryer, even if they start out frozen," said Musgrave. Be sure to add a tray or liner to your air fryer before cooking to catch any excess fat. Croissants are a quick air-fryer treat Air fryer croissants Air-fryer croissants are a quick and easy treat.Enjoy The Life/ Shutterstock Making croissants from scratch is labor-intensive, but you can use an air fryer to cook pre-made croissants to perfection. "You can use an air fryer to warm store-bought croissants or cook frozen, ready-made croissants," said Tirbois. Watch the croissants carefully as they cook to make sure they don't start to burn. On the other hand, omelets should stay out of the air fryer It's tough to get a fluffy omelet when using an air fryer. "An omelet needs a soft texture, but an air fryer will crisp the edges," said Musgrave. "This will give you something more like a fried egg." It may also be difficult to fully cook any omelet mix-ins, such as chopped vegetables. Pancakes are too messy Pancake stack Skip the air fryer when making pancakes.George Dolgikh/ Shutterstock If you're craving pancakes, you should probably stick to the stove. "Any food with wet batter, like pancakes, is going to be extremely difficult to air fry successfully and may make a mess out of your air fryer," said Musgrave. Though pancakes may be a no-go, it is possible to cook denser dough-based treats like scones and biscuits in the air fryer. Cake doughnuts shouldn't go in an air fryer Though it's possible to make traditional doughnuts in the air fryer, cooking cake doughnuts may not work as well. "Cake doughnuts are extremely dense and an air fryer won't give them the correct texture," said Musgrave. Skip the air fryer and use a traditional deep-frying method instead. Quiche and frittatas don't work well in the air fryer Frittata Frittatas should be made in the oven.Vladislav Noseek/ Shutterstock Avoid cooking a quiche or frittata in an air fryer, especially if they contain vegetables. "The air fryer can dry out the eggs and vegetables in these dishes, leaving you with an unappetizing breakfast," said Musgrave. They should be prepared in the oven to ensure even cooking and a light texture. Fried eggs are better made in a pan If you love a fried egg, you should stick with a traditional pan. "It's nearly impossible to get both a loose yolk and crispy edges on an air-fryer fried egg," Manalang told Insider. However, if you prefer your fried egg with a firmer yolk, air-frying may work well. Read the original article on Insider "Yesterday Once More," a new romantic film directed by Gavin Lin and starring Chen Feiyu and Zhou Ye, is set to be released during the five-day May Day holiday. Chen Feiyu and Zhou Ye, leading actors in the romantic film "Yesterday Once More," attend the film's premiere in Beijing on April 20, 2023. [Photo courtesy of Timely Media] The movie tells the story of Gu Yuxuan (Chen) and his childhood friend Han Shuyan (Zhou), whose friendship eventually blossoms into love. However, tragedy strikes when Han dies in a car accident. Grief-stricken, Gu wishes to travel back in time to the last day they met. During the premiere of "Yesterday Once More" held in Beijing on Thursday, the director expressed how deeply moved he was by the actors' performances, as they not only perfectly portrayed their characters' emotions but also pushed themselves to break through their limits in acting. A poster for "Yesterday Once More." [Image courtesy of Wanda Pictures] "Yesterday Once More" is set to be released on May Day and will be the only romantic film among the holiday releases. China is neither fuelling the war nor profiting from it, says Xi Jinping. Ekonomichna Pravda proves the opposite. "China will neither watch the fire from the other side, nor add fuel to the fire, let alone take advantage of the opportunity to make profits. Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable way out," Xi Jinping said following a telephone conversation with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. China's indifference to its own substantial economic losses in the first few months of Russia's invasion of Ukraine has surprised the world. "Surging commodity prices have imposed significant costs on China, the worlds largest energy and agricultural importer yet Beijing has never condemned the invasion, nor used its economic and political heft to pressure Moscow to the negotiating table", says Joseph Webster, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and editor of the China-Russia Report. Time has proven that China has adapted and benefited. Despite Beijing's traditionally peaceful statements, open trade data shows that China is the primary economic beneficiary of the Russo-Ukrainian war. How China profits Unlike developed countries that have imposed sanctions on Russia, China's exports of goods to Russia have gradually recovered. In fact, export volumes in December 2022 and in February 2023 reached record levels not seen since 2019, according to open data recently published by the think tank Bruegel. The export volume of goods supplied in each of the two months mentioned above was over US$9 billion, which is twice the monthly average over the past four years. China's exports to Russia have increased, as have reverse imports of cheap oil Energy imports from the Russian Federation to China are also setting records. While the European Union was shaking off its dependence on Russian energy and, together with the United States, imposing a price cap on Russian oil, China began taking in more of the toxic but cheap resource after a temporary logistical slump. Story continues Russian oil has been trading at a significant discount for several months. In particular, Urals, the traditional Russian brand, is 30% cheaper than Brent, the benchmark for the West. Monthly energy imports from Russia (oil, oil products and gas) have risen to US$7-8 billion since the summer of 2022, which is more than twice the average monthly figure over the past four years. This has enabled Russia to push Saudi Arabia off the top spot in the ranking of oil exporters. Bloomberg points out that the Russian Federation has also become the second largest source of coal supplies after Indonesia and the third largest supplier of liquefied natural gas after Australia and Qatar. Bloomberg's latest "supply ranking" does not include the volume of gas transported overland, which China stopped reporting in early 2022. How China is fuelling the war In addition to profiting from it, Beijing has been actively fuelling the conflict by indirectly helping the Kremlin produce weapons. This includes supplying some crucial components to Russia, particularly microcircuits, chips, and electronics. According to Bruegel (the latest data was published on 26 April 2023), in financial terms, supplies of the group of products which includes semiconductors are estimated at around US$500 million per month, which is several times higher than the average over the past four years. However, they have not reached the record high seen in one month in 2021 when Moscow, evidently preparing for its future attack on Ukraine, was ramping up imports and stockpiling for the future. Similar trends are observable in relation to telecommunications equipment, computers and other technology. However, the February data suggests a decline in trade between the two countries compared to previous months of rapid growth. Could it be that China, previously a strong supporter of Russia, has changed its mind? Russian imports from China of critical components needed to manufacture weapons However, China is not the only country that should be charged with providing economic and material support to the Putin regime. As Ekonomichna Pravda has previously analysed, the Kremlin has set up parallel channels for importing sanctioned goods from Western countries. For instance, Germany, which has officially reduced its direct electronics exports to Russia several times, increased its supplies to Armenia from US$0.5 million per month to US$4-6 million in 2022. These goods were then shipped to the Russian Federation, contributing to a hundredfold increase in the volume of electronics supplied from Armenia in 2022 to US$100 million. Data: Russian foreign trade tracker from Bruegel Translation: Artem Yakymyshyn Editing: Teresa Pearce Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the number of long-range anti-ship missiles Rep. Gallagher believes the U.S. will need. The amount is about 1,000 to 1,200. WASHINGTON The House committee dedicated to countering China is preparing bipartisan proposals for the fiscal 2024 defense authorization bill that would accelerate U.S. munitions production and arms transfers to Taiwan, its chairman told Defense News in an exclusive interview. The committee is drawing on lessons learned from the Taiwan tabletop wargame it held last week as it drafts its proposals, which aim to ramp up production of high-priority munitions, help clear the $19 billion arms sale backlog to Taipei and bolster Pentagon cybersecurity cooperation with the island nation. Were hoping to get consensus on a series of proposals that the committee can endorse that would be tailor-made for insertion into this years [National Defense Authorization Act], Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., said Thursday. Hes also using his position as a subcommittee chairman on the Armed Services Committee to introduce those Taiwan recommendations as amendments when the House marks up the FY24 NDAA in early June. Gallagher discussed lessons from the wargame on Wednesday with members of three external groups: retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Stacie Pettyjohn from the Center for a New American Security and Jimmy Goodrich from the Semiconductor Industry Association. In addition to shattering the global economy and potentially killing many people, the wargame found that a U.S.-China conflict over Taiwan would rapidly deplete long-range missile stockpiles. Beijing considers the island a rogue province, and has threatened to take it back by force. Whatever we do to deter the war has to happen before the war, Gallagher told Defense News. We need to jump-start industry now if we want to actually stockpile munitions that give us a chance of preserving the peace, which means in my opinion that you need multiyear appropriations for critical munitions like the long-range anti-ship missile. Story continues We need about 1,000 to 1,200 [long-range anti-ship missiles] if you believe the unclassified wargames, he added. Our inventory is less than 250, and were just not producing them at a rapid rate. I believe we can get up to above 200 a year. Other high-priority munitions Gallagher identified are the Naval Strike Missiles, which U.S. Marines are fielding in Japan and the Philippines as part of an expeditionary ship interdiction system; Joint Strike Missiles; Joint Direct Attack Munitions; and SM-6 missiles. A U.S. Navy ship launches an SM-6 during a live-fire test of the Aegis weapons system. (U.S. Navy) We need multiyear appropriations to make that happen, he said. Were talking about a relatively small amount of money compared to the overall defense budget. Multiyear procurement authorities historically have been used for big-ticket items like ships and aircraft, but the Pentagon and some lawmakers have recently expressed interest in using them for munitions acquisition to encourage defense companies to ramp up production amid concern about insufficient U.S. stockpiles. The FY23 NDAA sought to jump-start high-priority U.S. munitions production by authorizing multiyear procurement contracts for thousands of critical munitions. That includes 950 long-range anti-ship missiles, 1,250 Naval Strike Missiles and 1,500 SM-6 weapons, as well as thousands of other munitions some of which the U.S. is backfilling after sending some of its stocks to Ukraine. But appropriators did not fully fund the critical munitions authorization in the FY23 government funding bill. The spending bill allocated $687 million for the Army for two years to accelerate production of critical munitions to replace defense articles provided to Ukraine and its backers. Gallagher said that this funding level in the appropriations bill fell far short of what was authorized and that hes talking to appropriators to get to some sort of compromise. I understand why they usually resist multiyear authority and why they are skeptical about the way [the Defense Department] spends money, he said. Sometimes [the department] spends money in a stupid fashion. The Pentagon requested multiyear procurement authorities for munitions for the first time in March as part of its FY24 budget request, which asks Congress for $30.6 billion in missile and munition procurement. That includes the long-range anti-ship missile, the Naval Strike Missile and the SM-6. Arming Taiwan The FY23 NDAA also authorized up to $2 billion in annual Foreign Military Financing grants for arms to Taiwan and another $1 billion in presidential drawdown authority to give it weapons from existing U.S. stockpiles the same authority President Joe Biden has used to arm Ukraine. But like multiyear procurement authorities, the FY23 appropriations bill did not fund either Taiwan aid authorization. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told the Senate in March that the Pentagon is preparing a weapons drawdown package from U.S. stocks for Taiwan, but that hell need lawmakers to follow through with appropriations to backfill those munitions. Lawmakers gather for a tabletop wargame in the House Ways and Means Committee room on April 19, 2023. (Ellen Knickmeyer/AP) Additionally, industrial capacity issues have contributed to a $19 billion arms sale backlog to Taiwan something Gallagher also hopes to ameliorate. That will also require reforms to the Foreign Military Sales process. Montgomery, the retired Navy officer, told the Houses China committee that it can take more than 30 months from the announcement of a Taiwan arms sale until the Defense Department inks a contract for the weapon system. Once the sale is approved, theres nobody in [the Defense Department] that then rides herd on the contract to actually get it done, said Gallagher, noting that the Foreign Military Sales process exists in this weird no-mansland between the Pentagon and State Department. The chairman also wants to move Taiwan to the front of the line for certain arms sales, including Harpoon missiles. Saudi Arabia stands ahead of Taiwan in the queue for those anti-ship weapons, which Gallagher said makes no sense. An initial draft of last years Taiwan aid legislation in the Senate would have required defense manufacturers to prioritize and expedite weapons for Taiwan in their queues, but lawmakers dropped that provision when they added parts of the bill to the FY23 NDAA due to concerns it would violate U.S. contracting law. Lastly, Gallagher who chairs the Armed Services Committees cyber panel hopes to enhance the U.S.-Taiwan cybersecurity partnership to improve the islands resiliency and critical infrastructure. He has introduced a bill, the Taiwan Cybersecurity Resilience Act, which would require the Pentagon to work with the Asian nation to improve cooperation on military cyber operations. Shanghai skyline. US consultancy giant Bain & Company has confirmed that Chinese police have visited its office in Shanghai and questioned some staff. "We are cooperating as appropriate with the Chinese authorities," a spokesperson for the firm told the BBC. It comes as relations between Washington and Beijing have deteriorated in recent months. Last month, another US firm Mintz was raided in Beijing and five local employees were detained. "We can confirm that the Chinese authorities have questioned staff in our Shanghai office," Bain said. "At this time, we have no further comment," it added. The company's statement came after a media report that police made an unannounced visit to Bain's office in the Chinese financial hub two week ago. Officers took away computers and phones, according to the Financial Times, which cited people briefed on the matter. According to the company's website, Bain's Shanghai office was opened in the city's central business district in 2004. It also has offices in Beijing and Hong Kong. The global firm, which has its headquarters in Boston, provides advice to public, private, and non-profit organisations. As tensions have grown in recent months between the world's two largest economies, US businesses have become concerned about their prospects in China. "The Chinese government has continuously said it welcomes foreign investment. However, a flurry of recent actions taken against US enterprises in China has sent the opposite message," Michael Hart, president of American Chamber of Commerce in China told the BBC. "Our business community is spooked, and our members are asking, 'Who's next?' Irrespective of the government's intention, that's the message being received," he added. Tensions have been heightened since former President Donald Trump triggered a trade war between the US and China in 2018. In February, relations between the two countries were further frayed after the US shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon, which Beijing insisted was a weather monitoring device. Last month, TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew was grilled by US lawmakers for almost five hours about the app's data security and privacy practices, and its alleged ties to Beijing. Earlier this month, Taiwan's president Tsai Ing-wen's meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy also angered the Chinese government which staged military drills around Taiwan. (Bloomberg) -- Australias economic and diplomatic relations with China are in recovery mode, with tensions over issues ranging from foreign investment to security receding as Beijing tamps down its punitive efforts to bend one of its key commodity suppliers to its will. Most Read from Bloomberg In the strongest sign yet that years of frosty relations are warming again, more than a dozen companies including Rio Tinto Plc and Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. headed to China this week the first such trip since the pandemic. Trade Minister Don Farrell is expected to visit as soon as May. Its part of a broader shift by Beijing to improve relations with certain US allies as President Xi Jinping looks to shore up the worlds second-biggest economy and resist efforts by the Biden administration to isolate China on the global stage. On the Australian side, the election of a center-left Labor government has seen a change in tone from the more confrontational approach taken by its predecessor. Chinas re-opening comes at a time of renewed optimism for Australia and Chinas relations, said HSBC Australia head Antony Shaw, who is part of the delegation. As Australias relations with China reignite, there is huge opportunity to support our businesses. The deterioration in Australia-China ties first began in 2017, just two years after a free-trade agreement between the two nations had come into effect. The trigger was then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announcing legislation to crack down on foreign interference, which Beijing interpreted as targeting China. Shortly afterward, Australia became the first country in the world to ban Chinese technology giant Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. from its 5G network over what China said were unfounded security concerns. The US and UK soon followed. Story continues Relations ruptured when then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison in April 2020 called for an international investigation into the origins of Covid-19. China responded by targeting Australias exports of coal, wine, barley and lobsters and one if its diplomats issued a list of 14 grievances, including complaints that Australia was doing the bidding of the US. Needing the steady flow of iron ore to keep its steel mills supplied and its construction industry afloat, Australias biggest export was left untouched. Meantime, firms in affected industries scurried to find new markets, blunting the impact of the attempted economic coercion. In targeting these industries, China may have done Australian firms a favor by forcing them to seek out new opportunities, said James McIntyre, economist for Australia at Bloomberg Economics. Australias exporters were able to pivot in response to Chinas measures, and growth prospects look more favorable in other markets especially India, he said. The real benefit from Chinas trade restrictions may have been that it prompted Australian businesses to focus on brighter export opportunities. Throughout the dispute, China remained Australias biggest export market and helped fuel six years of trade surpluses. Thats bolstered Australias fiscal coffers and allowed Canberra to finance a defense expansion to counter Chinas regional military buildup, while reporting one of the best budget positions in the developed world. China resumed taking Australian coal in February and is undertaking a review thats expected to end sanctions on barley in coming months. Australian officials say theyre hopeful of a similar process for wine by years end. Then theres the key services of tourism and education that have been powered by Chinese visitors and students. Diana Mousina, deputy chief economist at AMP Capital Markets, reckons that by June Australia will see a lot more people arriving from China. When the tensions were the highest, there were reports in China that Australia was not the best place to study or live for Chinese, she said. So the thawing is definitely positive from the point of view of tourists wanting to visit. In the face of growing hawkishness from the US, China is also trying to improve ties with other Asian nations and making overtures to Europe to try and revive an investment treaty that was shelved. While theres been a shift on tone, Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hasnt undone or watered down any of his center-right predecessors key security policies. Australia remains committed to the Quad security partnership with the US, Japan and India and the Aukus agreement that will see Australia deploy nuclear submarines. Beijing has highlighted its desire for a relaxation of foreign investment restrictions, but theres been no change there either. Instead, Canberra announced this year it would knock back a China-linked investment offer in a strategically-significant domestic rare earths supplier. Another unresolved issue is Chinas detention of Australians Yang Hengjun and Cheng Lei, who were arrested in 2019 and 2020 respectively and are still being held. The 14 points highlighted the politicization and stigmatization of China-Australia relations and demanded Australia stop wanton interference on topics of human rights, including Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Since coming to office in May, Labor Foreign Minister Penny Wong has kept criticism of the Chinese government behind closed doors. The Australian business delegation in China this week was scheduled to visit Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Tianjin and Beijing, providing opportunities to reconnect with colleagues and friends, the organizers said. --With assistance from James Mayger. (Updates with details of continued detention of two Australians in China in third-last paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. China has drastically ramped up its foreign investments in Mexico in the private and government sectors over the last decade, which has prompted some concern as experts warn there is a financial and political upside for Beijing as U.S.-Mexico relations falter. In 2021, China's foreign direct investment (FDI) in Mexico reached a historical high despite restrictions Washington slapped on Beijing exports as the trade war kicked off. But Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Americas Society and the Council of the Americas, told Fox News Digital that "China increasingly sees opportunity in Mexico, and the investments are increasing." The economic development and trade expert explained that the spike in Chinese investment boils down to two main contributing factors: Beijings attempts to bypass Washingtons sanctions and deteriorating relations between the U.S. and Mexico. President Joe Biden, left, and Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Mexico's president, at Felipe Angeles International Airport in Zumpango de Ocampo, Mexico, on Jan. 8, 2023. SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT TO MEET WITH BIDEN, CONGRESS FOLLOWING CONCERNS OVER INTEL LEAK "It's convenient to try to circumvent sanctions by going to Mexico and then producing in Mexico and then trying to get into the U.S. market," Farnsworth said. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Despite the ongoing trade war, the U.S. market remains China's biggest single-nation exporter surpassed only by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which embodies 11 member states, and the European Union, which is made up by 27 nations. But Chinese companies eager not to lose out on any U.S. consumerism have increasingly set up shop just south of the U.S. border in the hopes of skirting U.S. trade restrictions and slapping a "Made in Mexico" sticker on their products instead. The strategy of "nearshoring" in Mexico is not new, and nations like Japan have been producing top commodities like automobiles out of the U.S.s southern neighbor for decades due to its immediate access to the States and its more affordable production rates. Story continues Though when looking at Chinas FDI in Mexico, it is not just private entities looking to play into the moment, Farnsworth said. "Chinas relationship with Mexico is not terribly strong, but the more the relationship between Mexico and the United States deteriorates China sees opportunity there," he said. The People's Republic of China has also made investments in Mexico, similar to initiatives it has launched in other parts of Latin America, particularly when it comes to telecommunication systems, digital infrastructure, energy and natural resources. Workers make lithium battery products for domestic and international markets in Nantong, China, on April 12, 2023. CHINA FUMES AS BIDEN PLOTS TO STARVE IT OF AI INVESTMENT: 'SCI-TECH BULLYING' Lithium, dubbed "white gold" for its skyrocketing global demand due to its use in everything from toasters to electric vehicles, has become a top commodity, and Mexico is one of the worlds top 10 lithium-rich nations. But Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has pushed his nation to nationalize lithium, which has left more questions than answers when it comes to investing in and exporting the natural resource. As of this week, both chambers of Mexicos government have approved a bill that would give a state-run agency complete control over its lithium mining and extraction. No such agency yet exists in Mexico, and it is unclear if the government even has the necessary technology to extract its lithium, which is largely trapped in heavy clay soil. Just one lithium mine in Mexico, operated by a Chinese firm, is even close to being able to extract the top natural resource, and it remains unclear if the Mexican government intends to seize this mine, Reuters reported this week. One security expert on Latin America and the executive director of the Center for a Secure Free Society, Joseph Humire, said that apart from hindering Chinas lithium ambitions in Mexico, he believes nationalizing the resource could open up the lithium market to corruption and even bolster Beijings reach. "The reason they want to nationalize all this stuff is they want to have state control over it, so they can facilitate a state-to-state contract with China," Humire said. Humire explained that the process of building out state-to-state contracts is "much easier" than holding open bidding processes through a private firm that overseas foreign capital. "The United States competes very well with foreign capital. We have some of the biggest companies in the world and major industries, including in the extraction industry," he continued. "But you limit that competition when you nationalize it." Humire said that state-to-state contracts are frequently based on "broader relationships" one nation shares with another, and though the U.S. has a long-standing trade partnership, China is able to offer incentives that private U.S. companies cannot. MEXICAN PRESIDENT BLASTS US FOR ALLEGEDLY SPYING ON IT AFTER CARTEL ARRESTS Lopez Obrador, Xi Jingping, and Biden in a three-way split China has long developed a reputation for overpaying for foreign assets in which it is interested in investing a strategy that not only pushes private companies dependent on a return of capital and shareholder interests out of the competition, it also buys foreign influence and sway. "Why are [Chinese companies] paying those [prices]? Because they're directed by the government, which is interested in those assets for strategic reasons," Farnsworth said. The development expert explained that Chinas varied investment interest, both in the private and government sectors, are essentially "one and the same." "It's almost universally government directed," he said. "The strategic investment decisions, where to go, how much to spend, what the benefits are to China, etc., are all driven by the central government." Though China has ramped up its FDI, loans and trade with Mexico in recent years, it is also doing so cautiously, and the U.S. still remains far and away Mexicos top investment partner, said Evan Ellis, a research professor of Latin American Studies at the U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute. According to Mexico's Ministry of Economy, China accounted for just 8% of its overall FDI, contributing less than $1 billion in 2021. Whereas the U.S. accounted for nearly 43% of all its foreign investments with $15 billion in FDI that year. "China has advanced relatively cautiously towards Mexico, historically recognizing that its a conservative, or at least previously conservative, country that is very close to the United States," he said. "And yet China recognizes Mexicos strategic value." "Mexico is in many ways kind of the strategic buffer between the U.S. and Chinese investment and influence and all the rest of the Americas," he added. Ellis, who is also a senior associate with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Chinas interest in Mexico is still concerning. "The danger is not Mexico doing business with China," he said. "The danger is an economically weakened Mexico, politically more fragile, less transparent [and with] more corrupted institutions, doing business with China in a way that allows China to advance in a predatory fashion and influence the political classes." This combination of file photos shows Chinas President Xi Jinping, taken in Bangkok, Thailand, on Nov. 19, 2022, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy taken outside Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 7, 2023. Xi talked Wednesday, April 26, 2023, with Zelenskyy by phone and appealed for negotiations in Russias war against his country. | Associated Press Chinese President Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke on the phone Wednesday in what is believed to be the first conversation between the two since Russia invaded Ukraine. The conversation occurred over a month after Xi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss Chinas proposal for an eventual ceasefire in Ukraine, as the Deseret News reported. What did Zelenskyy and Xi discuss? The two leaders discussed peace plans in Ukraine, with China announcing that it would send a peace envoy to Ukraine. China will send a special representative of the Chinese government on Eurasian affairs to Ukraine and other countries to conduct in-depth communication with all parties on the political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, a statement from Chinas government reads. Chinas official account of the conversation, however, fails to mention either Russia or the war, according to The New York Times. Xi also warned Zelenskyy about the danger of nuclear war, without mentioning Russia, the only side of the war that has nuclear weapons. There is no winner in a nuclear war, Chinese state TVs report of the conversation stated, per The Associated Press. All parties concerned should remain calm and restrained in dealing with the nuclear issue and truly look at the future and destiny of themselves and humanity as a whole and work together to manage the crisis. How did Zelenskyy respond to the phone call with Xi? In a tweet, Zelenskyy described the long and meaningful phone call as a potentially powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations. FBI Director Christopher Wray testified Thursday that bureau agents are outnumbered by "at least 50 to 1" when attempting to address the threat China poses to critical infrastructure through its cyber hacking practices, and said Beijing has stolen more personal and corporate data from the U.S. than any other nation. "Theyve got a bigger hacking program than every other major nation combined and have stolen more of our personal and corporate data than all other nations big or small combined," Wray said at a House Appropriations Committee hearing Thursday. "To give you a sense of what were up against, if each one of the FBIs cyber agents and intel analysts focused exclusively on the China threat on nothing but China Chinese hackers would still outnumber FBI cyber personnel by at least 50 to 1," Wray testified. "Todays cyber threats are more pervasive, hit a wider variety of victims, and carry the potential for greater damage than ever before," Wray said. "You can take China. A key part of the Chinese governments multi-pronged strategy to lie, to cheat and to steal their way to surpassing us as the global superpower in cyber." US INTEL COMMUNITY WARNS OF 'COMPLEX' THREATS FROM CHINA, RUSSIA, NORTH KOREA Wray testified that the scale of the Chinese cyber threat is "unparalleled," but he said China is "not the only challenge in cyberspace." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP "Not even close," he said. "Were investigating over a hundred different ransomware variants. Each variant with scores of victims, as well as a host of other novel threats posed by both cyber criminals and nation state actors." Wray said those threats also come from Russia, Iran and North Korea. GOP, DEM LAWMAKERS CALL FOR 'WORLD WAR II-STYLE' MILITARY INVESTMENTS TO DETER CHINA "It is getting more and more challenging to discern where the nation state threat ends and the cyber criminal threat begins," he said. Story continues Wray warned that cyberattacks are targeting critical infrastructure and services that "ordinary Americans rely on every day," like hospitals, schools and 911 call centers. Wray requested funding for nearly 200 more cyber positions at the FBI, a little over $63 million. "We will put those critical resources toward ensuring the FBI remains the worlds premier cyber investigative agency by taking the fight to our adversaries through joint-sequenced operations and rapid information sharing with the private sector," Wray said. CHINA POSES 'BIGGEST LONG-TERM THREAT TO ECONOMIC AND NATIONAL SECURITY,' FBI DIRECTOR WRAY WARNS Wrays warnings come after the intelligence communitys annual threat assessment stated that China represents the "broadest, most active, and persistent cyber espionage threat to U.S. Government and private-sector networks." Russia and China are major cybersecurity threats to the U.S., Wray testified. JORDAN SAYS FBI SHOULD BE KICKED OUT OF PROBES INTO US CITIZENS FLAGGED IN FISA INVESTIGATIONS Officials have warned that China is "capable of launching cyberattacks that could disrupt critical infrastructure services within the United States, including against oil and gas pipelines, and rail systems." As for Russia, intelligence officials assessed that the Kremlin will continue to employ military, security, malign influence, cyber and intelligence tools to "undermine the interests of the United States and its allies." Officials also have warned that Iran and North Korea represent a "major threat" to U.S. networks and data, due to its capabilities and willingness to conduct "aggressive cyber operations." Chinese authorities have questioned staff at Bain & Company's Shanghai office, the U.S. consultancy giant said Thursday. "We can confirm that the Chinese authorities have questioned staff in our Shanghai office. We are cooperating as appropriate with the Chinese authorities. At this time, we have no further comment," the company told CBS News in an emailed statement. The Financial Times, which first reported the news Wednesday, said that according to multiple sources, police made a surprise visit to the office two weeks ago. Phones and computers were taken away, but no one was detained, the newspaper said. A file photo shows the skyline of Shanghai, China, blanketed in thick fog as the sun rises. / Credit: Getty/iStockphoto The news will likely fuel concern among U.S. companies operating in China that Beijing might take retaliatory action against them for Washington's moves against Chinese firms. Last month, U.S. due diligence firm Mintz Group said Chinese police had arrested five of its local employees and shut down its Beijing office. Chinese authorities later said the company was being investigated for "illegal" activities. A few days later, China's top cybersecurity regulator said it was investigating leading U.S. computer chip maker Micron Technology and would review its products over "national security concerns." Tensions have escalated in recent months between Washington and Beijing. In February, the U.S. shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon. Beijing insisted the object was a benign weather monitoring device. In March, the chief executive of social media giant TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, was grilled by U.S. lawmakers about the app's data security and privacy practices amid concern in the U.S. that the company could share data with Chinese authorities. TikTok has insisted that it operates independently from China's government, but there is a growing belief in Washington that the platform represents a national security threat. Just last week, meanwhile, FBI agents arrested two people who have been accused of operating an illegal Chinese police station in New York City. The U.S. Justice Department has called the operation a bid to influence and intimidate dissidents critical of the Chinese government in the U.S. Story continues As U.S.-China relations have soured, U.S. businesses operating in the country believe they have already suffered from the fallout. "There certainly is a chill in the air," Michael Hart, who heads the American Chamber of Commerce in Beijing, told CBS News in March. "Companies feel like they're squeezed out of certain industries, and so there is a question mark that many U.S. companies have about, you know, are we really welcome?" What's next in debt ceiling debate after House passes McCarthy's plan? Exclusive discounts from CBS Mornings Deals Award-winning radio personality Angela Yee on new show "Way Up with Angela Yee" What an honor it was to be a part of tonights State Dinner to celebrate the 70 year alliance between the United States of America and my mother's home country of South Korea, Joanna said on Instagram Joanna Gaines Instagram Chip and Joanna Gaines know how to have a date night in style! On Wednesday, the Magnolia Network couple stepped out in black-tie style for a glam date night at the White House. They were guests at the state dinner, where President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden hosted South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee. Joanna wore a floor-length, asymmetrical off-the-shoulder dress, while Chip coordinated in a sleek black suit and tie. In an Instagram post, Joanna shared a glimpse of the evening through a series of photos, including some of the duo posing outside of the White House, along with selfies inside the dinner. Of course, the design expert also took snaps of the luxe flower arrangements on the tables. "What an honor it was to be a part of tonight's State Dinner to celebrate the 70 year alliance between the United States of America and my mother's home country of South Korea," she wrote in the caption. STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images Joanna then shared sentiments of pride for her heritage. "Coming off the heels of our incredible trip to Seoul, this evening was another reminder of just how proud I am to be a Korean American," she said. Earlier this month, the Gainses set off on a trip to South Korea, where Joanna was able to honor her Korean roots. Related:Joanna Gaines Breaks Down to Mom About Not Embracing Her Korean Heritage: 'I Always Wanted to Say I Was Sorry' The trip from her hometown of Waco, Texas, to the South Korean capital comes after Joanna, who is half Korean on her mom's side, opened up about her journey toward embracing her heritage last year. On her Instagram Story, the Fixer Upper: Welcome Home star shared a few snaps of herself sporting a red-and-gold hanbok, a type of traditional Korean outfit, alongside her 4-year-old son Crew who donned a light blue hanbok. Joanna and Chip also share four older children Drake, 18, Ella, 16, Duke, 14, and Emmie, 13 who also joined for the trip. Story continues Joanna Gaines Instagram She also shared a photo of Crew admiring his outfit, along with the caption, "He loves the bow," as well as one of her mom, Nan, smiling big as she showed off her multicolor hanbok. In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE in November, Joanna revealed she wasn't always enthusiastic about celebrating her heritage because she was bullied for it when she was younger. She recalled how her classmates would call her names and tease her for eating rice at lunch. "We were literally the only Asians in our entire school," she added, referring to her and her sisters. 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. Joanna Gaines Instagram Related:Joanna Gaines and Son Don Traditional Hanbok on Korea Trip After She Opened Up About Embracing Her Heritage "It was deeply personal because that was half of my story," she told PEOPLE. "I realized if this isn't accepted, maybe I need to hide it and play more into the other side of who I am." It wasn't until she traveled to New York City for a college internship that she says she realized her heritage is what makes her unique. "I saw more people that looked like me than ever before," she explained. "I left really understanding the beauty and uniqueness of Korean culture and for the first time I felt whole, like this is fully who I am and I'm proud of it." For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Michael Buckner - Getty Images Joanna Gaines has had a busy week. After making an appearance at High Point Market in North Carolinaand, yes, high-tailing it to Houston to attend Taylor Swift's Eras Tourthe Magnolia powerhouse joined husband Chip for a special date night in Washington, D.C. Last night, the Fixer Upper star posted a few images from the evening's state dinner, which celebrated the 70-year alliance between the United States and South Korea. "Coming off the heels of our incredible trip to Seoul, this evening was another reminder of just how proud I am to be a Korean American," Joanna wrote, adding that her mom is from South Korea. Jo's post featured plenty of Kodak moments she snapped throughout the night: a selfie of the dynamic duo, the gorgeous cherry blossom centerpieces, and a glam shot of the couple dressed to the nines. (She kept it simple with a black strapless dress, while he sported a three-piece suit.) With more than 4,200 comments on Instagram, it's safe to say that Fixer Upper fans have *a lot* of thoughts about the pair's night on the town. While there are droves of politically charged commentsyes, drovesmost commenters couldn't get over how awesome the couple looked. "You are slaying it," one commenter gushed. "Y'all are the PERFECT couple," another wrote. A third fan wrote, "You both look stunning!! And HAPPY!" Meanwhile, others were itching to get the design duo's thoughts on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. (Honestly, aren't we all?) One curious commenter asked: "Do you look around and think, 'Hmm...that should go there; and this should go here; they should really get rid of that and replace it with this'?" But perhaps our favorite comment is the simplest one: "Chip Gaines for President??" Now if you'll excuse us, we'll be spending the rest of the day imaging a White House installment of Fixer Upper.... You Might Also Like Shenzhen-based technology firm Timewaying, together with its global strategic partner Arts Alliance Media (AAM), hosted a HeyLED tech tour event at the Krikorian Premiere Theatres in California on April 21. During the event, they unveiled their latest LED cinema screen, the LA2K-10, the first-ever HeyLED 10-meter 2K DCI LED cinema screen in the United States. Timewaying CEO Andrew Chen (left), Krikorian Premiere Theatres Manager Tricia Macias (middle), and Timewaying Chief Technology Officer Kenny Chow pose for a photo together at Krikorian Premiere Theatres in California, U.S., on April 21, 2023. [Photo courtesy of Timewaying] The event, which began with a virtual scene created by Timewaying that amazed attendees with its realistic stage performance, showcased HeyLED's unique offerings. Industry professionals from around the world were particularly impressed with the technology's application for LED virtual scenes. "Our first Tech Tour was really to provide an opportunity for the industry to experience these technologies for themselves and understand how progressive PLF solutions, such as HeyLED, are shaping the future of cinema," explained David Ong, chief commercial officer at Arts Alliance Media. By examining China's Five-Year Plan and investigating the versatility of venues, Dale Miller, technology consultant at AAM, delved into the significance of LED technology in the current market, advanced visual capabilities, appeal to younger audiences, and the value it offers to early adopters. At the event, Kenny Chow, chief technology officer at Timewaying, delivered an overview of HeyLED's innovative technology. He compared the benefits to traditional projection, detailed the product's specifications, and discussed future plans. Chow also introduced the concept of the "upper-level balcony" and auditorium redesign, emphasizing the potential of elevating the back four rows of the auditorium to deliver an exclusive VIP viewing experience with LED. "Now, we have displayed the true potential of HeyLED," Chow said. "Our guests have not only discovered how LED can transform cinematic viewing through enhanced color, brightness, and contrast, but also experienced the superior quality in 3D and 2D depth perception when compared with projection." Timewaying CEO Andrew Chen explained the driving force behind their decision to develop LED cinema screens. "With the impact of new media on the film industry, the need for enhanced cinema technology has become a necessity to improve the movie-watching experience and differentiate it from watching movies on smart phones. Additionally, consumption upgrades have driven the demand for upgraded technology that meets high-quality standards demanded by the new generation of movie-goers." Established in 2011, Timewaying is a pioneering company specializing in cinema technology. The company has been a crucial player in transitioning 3D technology from active glasses to passive systems, offering various products, including the innovative Freedeo 3D system, the NAMOS nano screen, and the HeyLED DCI cinema screen. By adopting LED active emission display technology, Timewaying has taken a bold step towards further innovation and is now one of the leading players in the industry's digital exhibition technology product chain. Celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton and White Lotus star Lukas Gage have officially tied the knot -- and Kim Kardashian was the officiant of their ceremony. Gage, 27, took to Instagram on Wednesday to share photos from the event, which feature he and his now-husband wearing matching fur coats and leather pants. For their shirts, Appleton, 39, wore a satin blue button down, while Gage wore a grey leopard print button down. The post also included a shot of the ceremony where the couple appear to be exchanging their vows. Standing behind them is Appletons friend, Kardashian, who was acting as the officiant of the wedding. The final video in the post revealed that Shania Twain also attended the ceremony. In the footage, she performed her song Youre Still the One for the newlywed couple. In the caption, Gage celebrated his new milestone, writing: Ring finger where the rock is. Some of his famous friends then went to the comments to congratulate him. YAAAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYYY, Maude Apatow wrote, while Outer Banks star Madelyn Cline added: Omfg congratulations. Actor Timothy Granaderos commented: This is literally exactly how I imagined your wedding, congratulations!! Appleton also shared these photos on his own Instagram to announce the news. We did it, he wrote in the caption, along with a diamond ring emoji. Big thank you to @kimkardashian & @shaniatwain. Days before this ceremony, Kardashian praised her longtime stylist and his relationship during his acceptance speech at the Daily Front Rows Fashion Los Angeles Awards. As Appleton gave his speech at the event on Sunday, the Skims mogul stepped in and walked up to the microphone. Can I just say one thing really quick, she said. Im so happy hes in a relationship right now and that its, like, out there. After Appleton joked that his relationship was still a secret, Kardashian poked fun at how her peers have asked her about him. Im so tired of all my girlfriends and guy friends asking me if youre available and who my hot guy is who is always with me, she concluded, with Appleton confirming that he is a taken man. Story continues Earlier this week, TMZ first reported that Gage and Appleton got their marriage licence, according to Clark County Clerk records. In February, it was first reported that the actor and hairstylist were in a relationship. At the time, they posted their vacation photos with each other on Instagram and left some flirty messages in the comments. During an appearance on Today in March, Gage confirmed the dating rumours and explained how much he admires his partner. I feel very happy, very lucky and very much in love, Gage said. Hes a good looking man. He also looked at a photo, showcased by Today, of him and Appleton snowboarding, before adding: We have fun together. We go on adventures. Days before Gage made these remarks, Appleton also spoke about his relationship for the first time during an episode of The Drew Barrymore Show. Im very happy, very much in love, he said. And I feel very grateful to be able to share my time with someone very special. Love is a really special thing, and I think meeting someone that you really connect with is really, really special. UK nationals have to make their own way to an airstrip near Sudanese capital Khartoum to be evacuated This is a race against time, circumstances and numbers. And all three are bleak. Time is ticking down to the ceasefire ending. The circumstances are grim: unpredictable, volatile and dangerous. And the latest numbers published by the Foreign Office make it look, on the face of it, like it will be very difficult to get every Brit out in time before the fighting resumes. The Foreign Office have said 536 people have now been evacuated from Sudan on six UK flights as of 21:00 GMT on Wednesday evening. Estimates as to how many British passport holders there are in Sudan vary considerably, but it is widely expected to be a few thousand at least. And the Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, has candidly spelt out that the ceasefire ends on Thursday night and "we cannot guarantee how many further flights will depart once the ceasefire ends". But, having spoken to people across government, they feel things are going as well as could be hoped. A phrase I keep hearing is the "calibration of risk." Rolling risk assessments of what is possible. How to help, without jeopardising the safety of the rescuers or the rescued. It should not be a "race to get it wrong", as one figure put it. But being the last to get it right is not a prize anyone wants either. You can hear the exhaustion and sleep deprivation in the voices of those working on this. There is talk of people sleeping on sofas in between long stints in the Foreign Office's Crisis Centre. Sources tell me there is the capacity to increase the frequency of flights out of Khartoum, if needs be. There is also the option of taking people out by ship from Port Sudan. But the focus is on those flights, for now. Contingency planning is under way for what to do when the ceasefire ends. All this, as the government faces criticism from some that they have been too slow. Story continues Some of those flown out of Sudan have expressed gratitude at being rescued in their first sentence, and criticism at its lack of pace in their second. And there have been comparisons with how other countries have managed things. France, for instance, collected some of its people who wanted to leave, rather than asking them to make their own way to the airfield. One of their soldiers was seriously injured in the process. UK Special Forces were used to extract British diplomats. But the government argues it would be hugely dangerous to provide what would amount to an armed taxi service to take people to the airport, as it would risk drawing the UK into the conflict. And the numbers of citizens it is attempting to help is far greater than other comparable countries. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said the UK can not guarantee how many more flights will depart Sudan when the ceasefire ends Incidentally, as my colleague, the BBC Berlin correspondent Jenny Hill, has reported, there has been something of a spat between the German government and the UK government, with Berlin accusing London of delaying the evacuation of its own citizens by landing in Sudan without permission at the weekend. There is private shock here that Germany went public with this and a desire not to be drawn into a diplomatic tit for tat over it. The Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence are denying the allegation. It is worth mentioning too that there is not a domestic political row here at Westminster about how the government is handling things. Privately some Labour figures think it has been too slow. But they are not leaping to criticise ministers - perhaps conscious any critique would, by extension, be seen as undermining the armed forces, diplomats and others doing all they can in very difficult circumstances. The political argument may, of course, change, as that race against time, circumstances and numbers continues with the prospect it gets considerably more difficult. Watch on iPlayer banner The video has been recirculating on Twitter over the past few days and has gone viral. anyaberkut/Getty Images. A clip of two women playing music out loud on a flight has gone hugely viral on Twitter. Many users said they thought being loud on a busy flight is inconsiderate and "entitled" behavior. Videos about plane etiquette and controversial flight scenarios often go viral on social media. A video of two women loudly playing music on a TUI Airways flight has gone viral, sparking outrage on Twitter among users who say their actions were inconsiderate. In the clip, both women can be seen sitting in their seats and moving their heads to the music. Two passengers at the end of their row have their hands over their ears, and towards the end of the clip, one of the dancing women begins to speak over the music, saying she thinks the other passengers are gesturing that way to suggest they want the music turned off. The woman then put up her middle finger and said, "fuck off." It's unclear where the video originated, but the clip was reuploaded on Twitter by various users, where it has gone viral. One version of the video has received 13.5 million views, with a caption above the clip reading, "Women blast music on the plane as if they own it." Viewers responded with outrage and disapproval at the two women, calling them "entitled," and "rude." Some users weighed in with their thoughts about plane etiquette, saying they thought it is impolite to play music out loud on a flight. "People being loud on the plane is something I hate. I've seen people just talk really enthusiastically about literally nothing and just desperately try and keep the conversation going just to have something to talk about for an entire plane ride and it really pisses me off when i'm trying to get some shut-eye," one user wrote. Others said they did not think the actions in the video were particularly controversial. Some said that a solution would be for surrounding passengers to use noise-canceling headphones. Meanwhile, one user approached the situation in a more blase manner, urging others to "live a little," adding, "Turn up. Life is short." Story continues Some users questioned why there were no airline staff visible in the video, as they assumed that flight attendants would typically notice the loud music on a plane and ask the passengers to turn it off, based on policy and advice given by most airlines which suggests that passengers should use headphones when listening to audio. One user tagged TUI's Twitter account, which replied, "i can assure you staff will have taken the appropriate steps to resolve the matter ASAP." In a subsequent tweet, the representative also said that because the video is less than a minute long, staff might have taken action after the camera stopped rolling, as it would have taken them time to walk to the section of the plane where the music was playing. Representatives for the airline did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider. Discussion about the video went a step further with a reply from Tristan Tate, a kickboxer and the brother of the controversial social-media influencer Andrew Tate, both of whom are currently under house arrest in relation to an investigation by Romanian authorities into human trafficking. He tweeted in response to the video, "Don't fly economy." Tate's tweet sparked more controversy, as some users said they think it is only realistic to expect a peaceful flight if you pay for business or first class. Others pointed out that not everyone can afford more expensive seats, and there should still be an expectation of consideration for other passengers in economy class. Videos of controversial behavior on flights often go viral on social media, as users tend to weigh in with their opinions on the travel etiquette around the situation. In April, a man on a Southwest Airlines flight who shouted at airline staff about a crying baby divided TikTok over whether his actions were justified. For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here. Read the original article on Insider Demaro Brownlee, accused of killing a Springfield man outside a convenience store last May, was found guilty of first-degree murder Thursday following a three-day jury trial in Sangamon County Circuit Court. The jury convicted Brownlee of killing Jayvon Watson, 24, on May 24, 2022 outside Seven Brothers Grocery Store at the corner of Laurel and 11th streets. During the trial, prosecutors with the Sangamon County State's Attorney's Office said that the shooting stemmed from a dispute over lawn mowing debts between Watson and Terrence Washington, Jr., who accompanied Brownlee to Seven Brothers that evening. When Watson, Washington and Brownlee met up outside the store, Brownlee provided Washington with what turned out to be the murder weapon, but during an emotional testimony Tuesday, Washington said he never intended for Watson to be hurt. Washington gave it back to Brownlee, who shot Watson five times, including two times in the back. Watson was transported via his car to HSHS St. John's Hospital, where he died later that evening. Brownlee was arrested in East St. Louis the following week. Before rendering their verdict Thursday afternoon, jurors heard closing arguments in the case that morning, with prosecutors arguing that they should take the totality of the evidence heard during the three-day trial as proof of Brownlee's guilt. Assistant Sangamon County State's Attorneys Steven Perbix and Derek Dion argued that the evidence brought forth through the trial, including testimony from Springfield Police Department detectives, Illinois State Police investigators, witnesses at Seven Brothers Grocery on the night in question and cell phone records from the night and days after proved that Brownlee was responsible for killing Jayvon Watson on May 24, 2022 and leaving the area for the Metro East suburbs of St. Louis to get away. Brownlee's defense team, led by Springfield-based attorney Victoria Kerr, countered by saying none of the evidence provided by the state added up to their client's conviction. The team argued that the state didn't have enough to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Brownlee killed Watson, with Kerr stating that without any proof of his DNA or fingerprints on the murder weapon, there wasn't any proof that he did the crime. Story continues Perbix said that the evidence was all connected. From surveillance tape showing Brownlee at Seven Brothers with a gun when the incident occurred to the cell phone data showing his phone in the area and along an Amtrak route to St. Louis on the Lincoln Service one day after the incident. More: Calls to reform estate tax grow, Gov. Pritzker mum on the issue He said that Brownlee wasn't randomly selected to commit the crime; rather, it was dogged detective work from SPD that showed Brownlee was the prime suspect. Kerr noted that none of the witnesses in question identified Brownlee as Watson's killer on the stand and a few didn't see him in the courtroom during their testimony. She also believed SPD could have done a better job ruling out Washington as the one who pulled the trigger, saying that they didn't look at his hands, his clothes or a crossbody bag he was wearing the night of the incident. More: 'It's been a long, long road to get to this point.' Groundbreakings for firehouses slated Kerr contended that despite the video footage and photography provided by the state that purportedly showed Brownlee at the scene, he wasn't the one who killed Watson. She also said that the cell phone data shown to the jury could have been flawed, as it was only an estimate of where Brownlee was on the night of the incident. The jury, however, disagreed with Kerr's arguments of the case. Sangamon County State's Attorney Dan Wright said in a statement following the case that the members of the jury focused on the evidence to provide a conviction. "We are grateful to the members of the jury for focusing on the evidence and rendering a just verdict, despite strenuous efforts to distract them from the facts and the law," Wright said. "The defendant took a life with a firearm over a petty disagreement and has been held accountable for his actions." Brownlee is scheduled to be sentenced June 28 at 3 p.m. and is facing a maximum sentence of 45 years to life in prison. This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Brownlee found guilty of first-degree murder CNN anchors John King and Dana Bash at Childhelp's Annual Capitol Careaoke event. Bash made waves after addressing a headline in the Los Angeles Times on her new hosting role at CNN. CNN anchors John King and Dana Bash at Childhelp's Annual Capitol Careaoke event. Bash made waves after addressing a headline in the Los Angeles Times on her new hosting role at CNN. CNNsDana Bash got a new gig on Thursday as well as an age-old problem facing women in the workplace. The network announced that the 51-year-old veteran political correspondent would host the networks Inside Politics newscast. Bash will replace John King, who will lead a new reporting project where he tells stories about voters in key battleground states. As might be expected, many media reporters did pieces on the news, but Bash wasnt pleased by how the Los Angeles Times framed the story at least in the initial headline. Thats because the original headline, John King Exits CNNs Inside Politics for New Role. His Ex-Wife Dana Bash Will Succeed Him, focused on the fact that the two were once married, from 2008 to 2012, and had a son together and not her own substantial qualifications for the position. So Bash called out the paper on Twitter: Hey @latimes - yes John and I used to be married. We are now friends and share a wonderful son together. In this context I am not an ex wife, I am a veteran journalist with decades of experience who worked hard for this role. Do better please. Hey @latimes - yes John and I used to be married. We are now friends and share a wonderful son together. In this context I am not an ex wife, I am a veteran journalist with decades of experience who worked hard for this role. Do better please. pic.twitter.com/ZE1SjDEtBL Dana Bash (@DanaBashCNN) April 27, 2023 The newspaper took her criticisms to heart and removed the ex-wife reference from the headline, and she graciously responded, Thank you. Story continues Hillary Manning, the LA Times vice president of communications, told HuffPost by email that the headline on the story was updated after it was published. We agreed that including the reference to King and Bash having previously been a married couple in the headline could be misinterpreted, she said. Bash also congratulated King on his new gig as well. Congratulations to @JohnKingCNN on the new voter project you conceived of - it will add such unique context and depth to our 2024 reporting. Im excited to take the chair of @InsidePolitics - a storied brand that John and the IP team have made must-see political tv. Dana Bash (@DanaBashCNN) April 27, 2023 Still, many people were understandably bothered by the publications original headline, which came across to some as a reminder of outdated views that a womans worth is directly related to the men in their life. Glad that Dana Bash called this out -- and that the LA Times subsequently fixed their hed This is how change happens, slowly, over time, bit by bit, piece by piece https://t.co/yWKlyPReyW E.B. Boyd (Liza) (@ebboyd) April 27, 2023 TERRIBLE HEADLINE@DanaBashCNN is correct about thisbtwheadlines are often not written by the columnist so I bet @SteveBattaglio did not write this; Steve has always been respectful and I think someone else wrote this stupid headline for https://t.co/PaDoV7SRmc Greta Van Susteren (@greta) April 27, 2023 Congrats @DanaBashCNN and thanks for standing up for your integrity! https://t.co/bLjHtvduY1 Gretchen Carlson (@GretchenCarlson) April 27, 2023 No matter how you feel about @CNN or @DanaBashCNN She's correct about this. If we as women don't call out sexism & support each other, the cycle will be endless. @latimes corrected the headline. I hope they do better for ALL women, not just Dana Bash. https://t.co/YOXZegfexJ SUSAN (@ifudontlike2bad) April 27, 2023 I wonder how many people at the paper read this headline and thought, "Looks fine to me." https://t.co/eFSV5UchT5 Renee Graham (@reneeygraham) April 27, 2023 THIS! Subjects in stories are often boiled down to fundamentals that help us identify them and put them in context for readers/viewers. We have to do better and remember, they're often so much more than just the "ex-wife". https://t.co/w2htFbHc9B Kate Measer (@katemeas) April 27, 2023 Congratulations to @DanaBashCNN on the new show. And looking forward to seeing what her ex-husband does next! https://t.co/FmNhLB5Adg Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) April 27, 2023 Well said by a brilliant journalist! Ive known Dana for years and am always impressed by the way she puts in the work, seeks truth, and doesnt shy away from the tough questions. I know shell take this new role in a great direction. Congrats, @DanaBashCNN! https://t.co/EmMWhL0gAp Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) April 27, 2023 Related... Nicholas "Mitch" Karol-Chik, Zachary Kwak and Joseph Koenig. (Jefferson County Sheriffs Office) Three Colorado high school seniors who were arrested for an alleged rock-throwing spree that killed 20-year-old Alexa Bartell outside Denver turned around to take a photo of the fatal crash as a memento, according to an affidavit unsealed Thursday. The suspects Joseph Koenig, Nicholas "Mitch" Karol-Chik and Zachary Kwak, all 18-year-old high school seniors were taken into custody at their parents' homes in Arvada, Colo., the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday. All three were charged with first-degree murder with extreme indifference, the sheriff's office said. Heres everything we know about the case. What happened? Alexa Bartell. (Jefferson County Sheriffs Office) On the evening of April 19, according to police, the suspects drove around in a pickup truck and threw large landscaping rocks at at least six vehicles, including a minivan and an SUV, hitting their windshields and drivers side windows. Two of the drivers suffered minor injuries. Around 10:45 p.m., Bartell was driving along a road in Jefferson County when a large rock went through her front windshield, hitting and killing her, the sheriffs office said. [Friend finds Colorado woman dead after large rock was thrown at her car - NBC] A friend who was on the phone with her at around that time became concerned when the line dropped. The friend tracked her phone to a field, where Bartell was found. Its unclear which of the men threw the rock that killed Bartell, the sheriffs office added, but all three are suspected of throwing rocks during the hourlong spree. What led police to the suspects? Bartell's smashed windshield. (Jefferson County Sheriffs Office) The sheriff's office said mobile device forensics and information from the public helped lead to the arrests. According to the 10-page affidavit, authorities received a tip from a tire store worker who told police that a co-worker had recounted how he was with friends who loaded landscaping rocks from a Walmart parking lot into a pickup truck on April 19. The co-worker later told a detective that he asked his friends to take him home because he "did not want anything to do with what they were about to do," according to the affidavit. Story continues [Suspect in fatal Colorado rock-throwing reportedly had stupid ideas - KDVR-TV] The co-worker said that when they dropped him off, his friends were in Karol-Chik's black pickup truck and that Koenig was driving. He also told detectives that Koenig "frequently" participates in destructive behavior. When asked why, the co-worker responded: "He likes causing chaos." What else was revealed in the affidavit? According to the affidavit, Karol-Chik told investigators that when they hit Bartell's vehicle, Kwak said, "We have to go back and see it." They turned around and drove past Bartell's vehicle; Koenig slowed down so that Karol-Chik could take a photo of it. Karol-Chik said he felt a "hint of guilt" in doing so. In his interview with police, Kwak verified Karol-Chik's statements that they turned around and took a photo after Bartell's vehicle was struck. When asked why, he replied that he thought the other two "would want it as a memento," the affidavit says. [Teens accused in rock-throwing death took 'memento' photo - AP] He said that during the drive, Koenig and Karol-Chik talked about being "blood brothers" and that they could never speak of this incident." Kwak said the three met the next day and "tried to get their stories straight." Koenig declined to be interviewed, according to the affidavit. What's next? The suspects made an initial court appearance via video from jail on Thursday morning. All are being held without bail. They're due back in court on May 3. Columbus police use yellow tape to cordon off a crime scene. An off-duty Columbus police officer who Franklin County prosecutors say was under the influence of alcohol last year when he hit and killed a woman with his car had previously been found guilty seven years ago in another drunk-driving incident that led to a crash. Detective Demetris A. Ortega, 50, a 21-year veteran of the Columbus Division of Police, was indicted Wednesday by a Franklin County grand jury on two charges related to the fatal hit and run crash that killed 27-year-old Naimo Mahdi Abdirahman on April 20, 2022. Family reacts to indictment: Somali American woman's father lauds Columbus detective's indictment in fatal hit-run Ortega was charged with failure to stop after an accident, which is a felony, as well as a misdemeanor count of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse, or a combination of them. This is not the first case Ortega has faced for driving under the influence. He was temporarily relieved of duty by Columbus police in 2015, when he was found guilty for driving while drunk when he crashed into another car. At that time, he had a 0.134% blood alcohol content, according to personnel records obtained by The Dispatch through a public records request. He was found guilty and his driver's license was suspended for six months, court records show. Significantly, the charges brought against Ortega do not include aggravated vehicular homicide or vehicular homicide because investigating Columbus police detectives were unable to determine to any degree of certainty that Detective Ortega was at fault in causing the crash, according to a media release from the prosecutors office. According to Ohio law, the minimum sentence for a vehicular homicide is two years prison and a life-long license suspension, whereas the felony charge that Ortega faces for leaving the scene could be as little as nine months in prison and a temporary license suspension, if convicted. Story continues The indictment comes just over a year after a 2022 Kia Sorento reportedly registered to Ortega was identified as the vehicle that hit and killed Abdirahman as she was crossing Morse Road on the city's Northeast Side in the area of Walford Street. Columbus police had responded around 2:40 a.m. that morning when the crash was reported. Abdirahman was pronounced dead at the scene by medics at 2:48 a.m., police have said. The case was presented to the Franklin County grand jury, whose members heard testimony that detectives investigating the fatal crash were unable to locate witnesses, video or physical evidence that would help to conclusively identify Abdirahmans location as she crossed the street. In the days after the crash, Columbus police issued a media release stating that Ortega who was initially placed on "relieved of duty" status, or a paid suspension was believed to be a passenger in his vehicle, which an unidentified woman was driving at the time of the crash. In the media release, police claimed that witnesses had identified a distraught male passenger who got out to check on the condition of Abdirahman before returning to the passenger seat so the woman could drive off. However, Franklin County Prosecutor G. Gary Tyack's office said in a news release Wednesday that in fact, Ortega was driving and failed to stop after the crash. Through the investigation, prosecutors say it was determined that Ortega had been drinking and was under the influence of alcohol at the time the crash occurred. Ortega is scheduled to appear in court on May 10 for an arraignment, according to Franklin County Common Pleas Court records. Columbus defense attorney Mark Collins, who is representing Ortega, declined to comment when reached by The Dispatch on Wednesday, other than to say that Ortega will enter a plea of not guilty at the arraignment. A spokeswoman for the city Division of Police indicated Thursday that Ortega's employment status remains as paid suspension following the indictment. Brian Steel, executive vice president of Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge #9, said in a statement Thursday morning that the police union respects the grand jury's decision to bring charges. "This is a tragedy for all involved, and my sincere thoughts and prayers go out to Ms. Naimo Abdirahman, along with the family and friends she left behind," Steel wrote. Eric Lagatta is a reporter at The Columbus Dispatch covering public safety, with a focus on in-depth coverage of social justice issues and crime trends. elagatta@dispatch.com @EricLagatta This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus officer indicted in fatal crash had previous drunk-driving charge Trump and DeSantis Joe Raedle/Getty Images As the contest for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination takes shape, the leading candidates in polls continue to be former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). While DeSantis' standing in polls has slid and he has yet to launch his campaign, he is still widely expected to do so. DeSantis spent much of his first term as a reliable Trump ally, but as a presidential candidate, he would face the challenge of distinguishing himself from his former patron. Here are three significant issues where Trump and DeSantis either have some real policy differences, or claim to, and how they might impact the race. COVID-19 Perhaps the highest-profile difference between the two men is on COVID-19 policy and vaccines. Trump, of course, oversaw the Operation Warp Speed effort which helped deliver the miraculous mRNA vaccines in less than a year from the beginning of the U.S. outbreak. Even the former president's legions of critics credit him for making that investment and then encouraging Americans, including his ardent followers, to get vaccinated. After downplaying the threat throughout Feb. 2020, and asking his advisers if it would be possible to let COVID-19 "wash over us," Trump also declared a national emergency on March 13 and then asked people to work from home and limit travel on March 17. DeSantis, on the other hand, has emerged as one of the country's leading COVID vaccine skeptics. He expressed opposition to vaccinating infants and toddlers against the disease. In Dec. 2022, he asked the Florida Supreme Court to impanel a grand jury to look into wrongdoing associated with the vaccine rollout, including what he called misleading claims about the shots' safety and efficacy. While DeSantis locked Florida down early in the pandemic, he later became one of the first governors to return to business as usual, sending students back to school in person for fall 2020 and lifting all business restrictions in September of that year. He never issued a statewide mask mandate. The Republican base is clearly closer to DeSantis on these issues, and he will likely seek to tie Trump to the kinds of restrictive blue-state COVID policies that GOP voters opposed. Story continues Abortion There are also emerging differences over abortion, an issue that will likely play an enormous role in the 2024 presidential and congressional elections. Earlier this month, DeSantis signed a restrictive ban on all abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, a timeline that effectively eliminates access to the procedure for most people in the state of Florida. Nationally, that position is extremely unpopular, with just 35 percent of adults supporting a six-week ban in a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll. DeSantis has not revealed what actions he would take as president about abortion, but it is reasonable to assume that he would sign a six-week ban if one was forwarded to him by Congress. Trump, of course, is responsible for appointing three of the justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade last summer in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. And he recently boasted about his accomplishment, saying in Iowa that he had "delivered a landmark victory for protecting innocent life" by remaking the Supreme Court. Trump, however, maintains that the issue should be left to the states, which now has him at odds with conservative activists gunning for a national ban. Especially in the GOP primary, supporting a national ban would be a pretty obvious way for DeSantis to outflank Trump on the right. Entitlements As a candidate and as president, Trump consistently promised to protect Social Security and Medicare. And while he was never given the opportunity to sign cuts to the popular programs into law, he is still using his support for preserving them as a crucial element of his 2024 campaign. "Under no circumstances should Republicans vote to cut a single penny from Medicare or Social Security," he told House Republicans in a terse, two-minute video in January. DeSantis, as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, voted for a 2013 resolution that called for raising the retirement age to 70 and privatizing Medicare. As a member of the House Freedom Caucus, DeSantis stood with fiscal hardliners who sought a radical overhaul of these programs as well as other dramatic spending cuts. However, he now claims that becoming Florida's governor, with its enormous population of retirees, has opened his eyes to the importance of Social Security and Medicare and promises not to "mess with" them. Trump, however, will emphasize DeSantis' past remarks and positions, which are unpopular not just with general election voters but even with Republicans. You may also like Judge tosses Devin Nunes' libel suit, ruling it 'objectively true' his family farm used undocumented migrants Why Tucker Carlson was fired from Fox News Ted Cruz describes Jan. 6 plot on new tape released by ex-Tucker Carlson producer Citing the current state of the economy, some consulting firms are providing incentives to those willing to delay their start dates. Paul Souders/Getty Images New hires at popular consulting companies are being offered a unique situation accepting a job with a significantly delayed start date, combined with a one-time bonus to bridge the gap and allow for travel, adventure, and education. McKinsey and Bain, consulting firms both based in the United States, have been reaching out to some incoming employees to delay their start date in exchange for a sum of money as much as $40,000 to bridge the time, according to a recent report from the Australian Financial Review. Bain has said a $20,000 payment for the delayed workers could be used to take a safari, reported The Wall Street Journal. With popular safaris being offered for $10,995, these future employees should have no problem finding a unique opportunity to apply this one-time bonus. Future employees are also encouraged to use the funds to learn a new language, work at a non-profit, or even learn yoga. Travel + Leisure reached out to Bain for a comment, but had not received a reply at the time of publish. Companies have been delaying start dates and citing changing economic conditions. I was recently notified because of the economy and that work is slow, all new grad hires have to have their start dates delayed by 3 months, one person wrote in a Reddit forum, and asked for advice on whether it was a signal their job was in jeopardy of potential layoff before they started. The employee did not disclose which company they were joining. For the future McKinsey and Bain employees, the financial payment during the delayed period may be a signal of commitment that their jobs are safe. Providing funds for wellness has become a popular benefit in corporate work. For example, Adobe offers full-time employees $600 a year to use on wellness activities, which include yoga classes, CrossFit, dance classes, personal training, and more, as listed on the benefits site. Story continues Other companies have woven in travel and reimbursement to their benefits package to entice prospective employees to join, and current employees to stay. Instead of paid vacation time, these companies are actually paying for the vacation. For example, Airbnb touts that they offer employees an annual travel and experiences credit on their careers page. Evernote, a tech company focused on note-taking, provides an annual vacation stipend to encourage companies to take vacation. The stipend is $1,000 for breaks of over five days, according to their career site. For more Travel & Leisure news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Travel & Leisure. WASHINGTON (AP) South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol urged ever more strengthening of the U.S.-led security alliance against nuclear-armed North Korea on Thursday, drawing cheers from Congress as he saluted the great American heroes who helped preserve his country's democracy in the Korean War. Democratic and Republicans lawmakers rose to their feet again and again to applaud during Yoon's address to a joint meeting of the House and Senate, in a speech that stressed security cooperation at a time of increased tension with both North Korea and China. Yoon also cited U.S.-Korean high-tech trade ties creating thousands of jobs in the United States. Yoon praised the U.S.-South Korea security partnership since the Korean War seven decades ago as the linchpin safeguarding our freedom, peace and prosperity. Lawmakers roared with approval when the South Korean leader closed with, God bless our alliance. They flocked to him afterward on the House floor, pressing him to sign their written copies of his address. Yoon's visit to Washington has focused on efforts by both countries and other allies in the Indo-Pacific to make their forces stronger, more nimble, better positioned and more resilient in the event of any conflict in the region. On Wednesday, Yoon and President Joe Biden announced an agreement for intensified nuclear deterrence to counter any North Korean threat. Biden issued a blunt warning that a nuclear attack would result in the end of whatever regime took such action. North Korea over the past year has carried out a record number of ballistic missile launches, demonstrating its ability to strike targets near and far. The U.S.-South Korean deterrence effort announced this week calls for periodically docking U.S. nuclear-armed submarines in South Korea for the first time in decades and bolstering training between the two countries. The Biden administration's aim in improving the allies' military readiness in the region is not just to deter North Korea but to discourage and defend against any threats from China, which is also a growing security concern. That concern focuses at present on any possible move against the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which China claims as its territory. Story continues Still, China is an important market for South Koreas semiconductors and other advanced technology. Yoons remarks, while singling out North Korea as a threat to democracy and peace in his region, made no direct mention of China. Also from the Indo-Pacific, next week Biden will host Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for Oval Office talks. Yoon paid tribute Thursday to the nearly 40,000 American troops who died helping South Korea's democratic government fight back an attempted takeover by the communist north in the 1950s. Korea will never forget the great American heroes who fought with us to defend freedom, he said. He singled out the granddaughter of one such Korean veteran, Col. William Weber. Dayne Weber stood and waved from the House Gallery in response, placing her hand over her heart as lawmakers applauded. Col. Weber lost an arm and leg in 1951 defending Wonju, which is roughly 50 miles east of Seoul. He died last year, after successfully advocating for completion of the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington. Yoon, who charmed a White House state dinner the evening before by singing several stanzas of the 1970s pop song American Pie, also pointed to economic and cultural bonds forged between the two countries since the war. Those include a White House visit last year by a Korean pop group with an adoring global following. BTS beat me to the White House but I beat them to Capitol Hill! Yoon exclaimed. On trade, South Korea is concerned about its economy suffering collateral damage as the U.S. tries to wean its supply chains from dependence on Chinese imports, and considers additional sanctions if Beijing increases support for Russia after President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Individual lawmakers stood, smiled and applauded when Yoon referenced Korean companies with operations in their home states. Rep Michael McCaul, a Republican from Texas, received high-fives from his colleagues when Yoon mentioned a Samsung semiconductor plant in Austin. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met with Yoon at the Capitol before the joint meeting of Congress. McCarthy pointed out features in the Capitols Statuary Hall as they walked to a meeting with other congressional leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Yoon's address marked roughly the 120th time that the House and Senate have met jointly to hear from a foreign leader. It's a tradition that congressional researchers say dates back to 1874, starting with King Kalakaua of Hawaii, which was then a sovereign kingdom and not a state. Lawmakers extend the invitations as an honor to allies. Yoon's speech comes just weeks after the leaks of highly classified documents that have complicated relations with allies, including South Korea. The papers, viewed by The Associated Press, describe internal deliberations in which South Koreas National Security Council grappled with the U.S. in early March over an American request to provide artillery ammunition to Ukraine. The leaked documents, which cited a signals intelligence report, were a political embarrassment at home and abroad for Yoon and other allies cited in the leaks. You are here: Business An Indian businessman (R) shops at the Yiwu International Trade Market in Yiwu City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 2, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua] Yiwu, the world's leading small commodities market in east China's Zhejiang Province, saw both its imports and exports rise in the first quarter of this year. The city's total import and export value was 118.44 billion yuan (17.1 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three months of this year, a yearly rise of 11.4 percent, according to Yiwu Customs. Exports increased 11 percent to 107.09 billion yuan during the period, and imports grew 15.6 percent to 11.35 billion yuan, the customs office said. The average number of daily visits by foreign merchants have climbed 30.3 percent year on year, with local businesspeople saying the return of enthusiastic foreign buyers has contributed to the city's export boom. Cross-border e-commerce, the value of which jumped 111 percent on customs-monitored platforms in the first quarter, has also emerged as a key channel for local merchants to ink overseas deals. A Northern California police department at the center of an investigation surrounding racist text messages is once again being accused of misconduct after a couple filed a lawsuit alleging they were beaten during an unlawful arrest. Juan Laspada and his fiancee, Rebecca Rodriguez, said they were waiting for an Uber outside of their friend's apartment on Feb. 25, 2022, when Antioch police officers pulled up and asked if they were all right, a federal lawsuit filed on Saturday states. They told the officers they were fine and were waiting for their Uber, according to the suit. The officers, who were not named in the suit, asked to talk to Laspada, it says. He told them he did not want to talk and started to walk away. The lawsuit alleges that the officers then grabbed him, threw him to the ground, placed him in "a prone position on his stomach," punched him several times in the face, body and ear, and struck him with their knees. It says that Laspada was handcuffed and while on the ground, an officer placed his body weight on the man's back, "restricting his ability to breathe and causing him to scream out in pain." In an interview with San Francisco television station KRON, Laspada said that he told the officer he did not want to talk because the officer appeared mad. Juan Laspada is arrested by police on Feb. 25, 2022, as his fiancee, Rebecca Rodriguez, looks on at top right. (via Facebook) I told him, Im just going to go ahead and walk away because your veins are sticking out of your neck. Youre mad, and this is just going to turn into something bad. So Im going to walk away, he said. "When I went to go walk by, he slammed me on the ground ... and he kept punching me and punching me. When I was on the ground and they were punching me over and over, I was just like, 'When is it going to stop? When are you going to stop punching me?'" Laspada told KRON. Part of the incident was captured on cellphone video and obtained by the news station. In the footage, two officers appear to push Rodriguez. One of the officers is on top of Laspada while he is on the ground and appears to hit him. Story continues The lawsuit alleges that Rodriguez feared Laspada would be killed and begged the officers to stop. In response to her pleading, one of the officers "punched Rebecca Rodriguez in the face, knocking her to the ground," it says. The Antioch Police Department and the police union did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. Rodriguez was taken to the police station, cited and ordered to appear in court, according to the lawsuit, which says the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office declined to file charges. The DA's office could not immediately be reached. Laspada was taken to the hospital where he was evaluated and released from custody without charges, according to the suit, which says he had bruises on his body and bleeding in his inner ear. The filing also alleges that the officers went through his bookbag without a warrant or his consent. The couple, who identify as Latinx, said they believe the officers racially profiled them, according to the suit. The majority of the roughly 114,000 residents of Antioch, about 45 miles northeast of San Francisco, are minorities, according to U.S. census figures. The lawsuit says police did not have any reason to suspect Laspada of a crime and did not have probable cause to arrest him and his fiancee. "It is alleged under good faith belief that Plaintiff Juan Laspeda was grabbed, thrown to the ground and struck for exercising his right to discontinue his conversation and walk away from the officer(s)," the suit states. It further alleges that the officers conduct was in conscious and reckless disregard of the risk of injury and under the circumstances, there was no objectively reasonable basis for the defendants actions. Laspada, Rodriguez and their attorneys could not be reached. The lawsuit names the city of Antioch and several unnamed officers as defendants and alleges excessive force, unlawful detention, false arrest, illegal search and racial profiling. The suit is the latest claim of misconduct against the police department. Earlier this month, an investigative report compiled by the DA's office was released that showed more than a dozen officers were under investigation for allegedly using racial epithets and homophobic slurs, sharing racist images and casually discussing the use of "less lethal" weapons on people, including the citys mayor, who is Black. The report prompted the Antioch City Council to unanimously approve audits of the departments internal affairs unit, its hiring and promotional practices and of department culture. Antioch Police Chief Steve Ford issued a statement condemning the the racially abhorrent content and incomprehensible behavior being attributed to members of the Antioch Police Department in media reports. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Michigan Department of Corrections Cops at Michigan State University said Thursday they still have no clue what compelled 43-year-old Anthony McRae to go on a shooting rampage in February, killing three students he didnt know. The unsettling concession that they found no conclusive motive came in a sweeping update from authorities, who revealed for the first time that McRae purchased the ammo he used in the massacre just hours before. Cops say he rattled off 18 shots in total, mostly at unarmed students, before turning a gun on himself as officers closed in. Also revealed in Thursdays update was that McRae was intoxicated by alcohol and THC, the major psychoactive component in cannabis, when his body was recovered, but his blood-alcohol level.04 percentwouldnt have been enough to qualify for a DUI in Michigan. Cops also provided for the first time a minute-by-minute breakdown of the shooting. The summary revealed that McRae hopped off a bus and headed to the heart of Michigan States campus in East Lansing, Michigan, on the evening of Feb. 13, just hours before Valentines Day. He carried two handgunsboth purchased legally, but neither registered with the stateand over 150 rounds of ammunition. Anthony McRae was spotted on campus prior to the shooting. The first 911 call to report shots fired came at 8:18 p.m. The university blasted out an emergency message telling students to Run, Hide, Fight, sending the campus into chaos. Videos quickly spread on social media of a man, now known to be McRae, roaming the campus armed. Despite a quick lockdown, cops say McRae was able to walk from a classroom building to the universitys student union, where he fatally shot a third student. Those gunned down by McRae were identified as Alexandria Verner, Arielle Anderson and Brian Fraserall juniors or seniors. Five other students were injured with gunshot wounds. Chris Rozman, the chief of Michigan State University Police, said in Thursdays release that hes proud of his detectives whove been working tirelessly, despite coming up empty when trying to identify a motive. The best insight into what drove McRae to kill, cops said, was a rambling note recovered from the shooting scene. Story continues That note was all over the placewith McRae making mention of a warehouse he used to work at, his church, and two schools in Ewing, New Jersey, where he used to live. He also described himself as a loner and outcast. Im tired of being rejected, McRae wrote. Church-Going Michigan Shooting Suspect Grew Evil After Moms Death Cops confirmed Thursday that McRae had no connection to the university, despite previous rumors that hed snapped after he was rejected for a job at the university. McRaes dad, Michael McRae, told NBC News after the shooting that his son had grown increasingly bitter and isolated after his mom died of a stroke in 2020. He was grieving his mom. He wouldnt let it go, the elder McRae said. He got bitter, bitter and bitter. His mom died, and he just started getting evil and mean. He didnt care about anything anymore. Police said McRae suffered from mental health issues and was arrested for carrying a gun without a permit in 2019, but he pleaded guilty and received only a misdemeanor conviction, the Detroit News reported. With two months passed since the massacre and McRae dead, its unclear if the public will ever truly know what drove him to kill innocent students. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. King Charles will be under pressure to modernise the Royal Family as he tries to fill his mother Elizabeth's shoes. (PA) Queen Elizabeth II's death brought to an end an historic 70-year-reign, with much of the world mourning the loss of a devoted sovereign who provided a sense of continuity throughout the decades. She passed away at a time when the Royal Family faced multiple scandals, including feuds with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and Prince Andrew's legal battle but public perception of Elizabeth remained largely unscathed. The last poll taken before the death of Britain's longest-reigning monarch showed 81% of people held her in a positive regard, a rate she'd managed to hold for more than a decade. In light of Charles's coronation on 6 May, Yahoo News UK has launched a poll of its own, asking how he will fare compared to his late mother. Read more: King Charles's coronation: Day-by-day schedule The new King is widely expected to "slim down" the monarchy in a bid to bring it into the 21st century and to avoid public scrutiny over too many people living off the public purse. This could be necessary in order for the institution to survive, with a recent YouGov opinion poll suggesting only 32% of 18-24 year olds support keeping the monarchy. Read more: Duchess of Sussex reemerges in surprise public appearance Support remained high among over-65s, 78% of whom supported keeping things the way they are, but an apparent shift in attitude among the younger generations is still significant. While they may represent a minority view, anti-monarchist protesters showing up at the King's public appearances far more frequently than under Elizabeth, also suggests a change in the tide. Further polling suggests 51% of Britons don't think the coronation should by funded by the taxpayer a number that would be hard to imagine when Queen Elizabeth was crowned in 1953. Escaped state corrections inmate who fled Brevard captured in Volusia County, sheriff's agents report Volusia County sheriff's officials confirmed that their agency captured a 22-year-old Brevard County man sought after Brevard sheriff's agents said he escaped from a state work release camp last week. Nathan Barker's Florida Department of Corrections mug shot. Nathan Barker, a Florida Department of Corrections inmate serving a methamphetamine-related sentence, fled from the Cocoa Bridge Community Release Center on Camp Road. Brevard County sheriff's deputies conducted massive sweeps of the area shortly after Barker's disappearance. Volusia County sheriff's officials posted about the capture early Thursday. A Facebook post from the agency noted that Barker was tracked to a location in New Smyrna Beach by both the marshal's office and Volusia County deputies. The Cocoa Bridge release center is located just east of the Brevard County Jail Complex and is an 84-bed residential substance-abuse treatment program. Barker escaped just before sundown Friday, corrections officials reported. Barker was sentenced in July to 2-years in state prison. He was charged in Volusia County with possession of methamphetamine, fleeing and eluding law enforcement, possession of concealed handcuff key, and sale, manufacture or delivery of methamphetamine, Corrections records show. J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @JDGallop. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Volusia County sheriff's deputies locates inmate who fled Brevard l Four men have been convicted of sexual crimes against children since the beginning of 2023 in Sarasota, with three sentenced to life in prison and one to be sentenced in mid-May, according to a Sarasota Police Department news release. Clifton Renard Bean, John Martin Smith, Bicente Velasquez Morales and Juan Castanon Jr. were all convicted of sexual battery on a child under the age of 12, among other charges, according to the release. The arrests and convictions were possible because of partnerships between Sarasota Police Department detectives, the Child Protection Center, Department of Children and Family Services, victim advocates Jude Castro and Tonya DiSapio, and prosecutors with the State Attorney's Office, according to the news release. More court news: Sarasota County man sentenced to prison for role in 'We Build The Wall' scheme In Sarasota: Three fatal shooting cases heading to trial in Sarasota-Manatee: What you need to know More information about men convicted, sentenced Bean was convicted and sentenced to life in prison on Feb. 8 for two counts of sexual battery on a child younger than 12, two counts of lewd/lascivious molestation of a child under 12, one count of battery on a child between the age of 12 and 18 by a family member, and one count lewd/lascivious molestation on a child between 12 and 16 in 2009, according to the news release. An affidavit in Bean's case states that a sexual abuse report was filed with the Sarasota Police Department in February 2015 and that a week after the victim was interviewed at the Child Protection Center in March 2015, Bean was arrested and served five years in prison on drug charges. In 2021, detectives received the case for further investigation after Bean contacted the victim via text. The victim felt ready to talk to someone about what happened so as to prevent it from happening again to someone else, according to the affidavit. Smith was convicted of sexual battery of a child less than 12 years old and sentenced on April 6 to life in prison. Sarasota police first began investigating Smith in the summer of 2021 after an allegation of sexual battery was first made against Smith by his stepdaughter. A previous news release stated that the child had been staying with Smith on his sailboat home, and when she returned home, she told her father that Smith had inappropriately touched her. Story continues Morales, a former local pastor, was convicted and sentenced to life on April 19 for committing sexual battery upon a child and lewd/lascivious molestation upon a child less than 12 years of age. Previous Sarasota Herald-Tribune reporting stated detectives with Manatee County Sheriff's Office were notified by the child's mother that Morales sexually abused her daughter. The victim, who'd been taught which parts of her body shouldn't be touched by anyone other than a doctor, confided in her mother and brother that Morales had touched her inappropriately. Keep reading: Sarasota pastor sentenced to life in prison for sexually abusing 6-year-old child Castanon Jr. is currently awaiting his sentencing on May 16 after he was convicted on April 20 of two counts of sexual battery upon a child less than 12 years old, one count of lewd/lascivious molestation and battery upon a child less than 12 years of age, according to the news release. In the affidavit for Castanon Jr.'s case, the victim confided in someone she trusted, saying she had to get it off her chest in order to stop it from happening to someone else. 'Definition of bravery': victims step forward Each year, there are 4.3 million reports of child abuse nationally in the United States, according to the Child Protection Center of Sarasota. In Florida, a child is abused every 19 minutes. In Sarasota and DeSoto counties, there are more than 3,200 reports of child abuse each year, according to the organization. Officials with the Sarasota Police Department encourage families and community members to educate their children when it comes to their safety and health and provide them with a safe space so that if something does happen, they can step forward. In each of these cases, the victims who were and still are minors had the courage to come forward to a family member for help, which launched the investigations at the Sarasota Police Department, said Detective Maria Llovio. The victims then had the courage to stand and testify against their abusers. There are no words to describe the courage of these young people who had to relive their worst nightmare in that courtroom. This is the definition of bravery." The Child Welfare Information Gateway lists several ways to report if someone suspects a child is being abused, including calling the local child protective services office or law enforcement agency; calling or texting the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453; or reporting the information online at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Gabriela Szymanowska covers the legal system for the Herald-Tribune in partnership with Report for America. You can support her work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America. Contact Gabriela Szymanowska at gszymanowska@gannett.com, or on Twitter. This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Four Sarasota men convicted of sexual abuse against children in 2023 From right, Janet Willey, her mother, Alice Sahagian, Peggy Wilson and Rosa Hernandez watch as city leadership unveil a plaque to memorialize the lives of the 500 Worcester residents lost during the COVID-19 pandemic on March 29, 2022. Sahagian's husband, Harry Willey, Wilson's husband, Charlie Wilson, and Hernandez's son, Emilio Campos, all died due to COVID-19. WORCESTER A job well done is the overall message from city officials and community leaders as they assess the work over the past three years to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. Its an assessment that comes as the state and federal governments announced they will declare an end to the COVID-19 public-health emergency on May 11. Despite that development, COVID infections and deaths continue in Massachusetts, although at a much lower rate than during the pandemic's height. Some sources say theres still more work to do to bring the virus under control, while others believe there's a need for increased investment in Worcester's public health department in order to meet the next crisis that comes down the pike. 'Good job' I think we did good job with the pandemic, but it never ends. We continue to learn through the process, said Dr. Matilde Castiel, the citys commissioner of health and human services. Worcester Health Commissioner Dr. Matilde Castiel speaks at the city's weekly coronavirus press conference at City Hall on Dec. 11, 2020. Behind her is Dr. Michael P. Hirsh, the citys medical director. The learning continues as the COVID-19 public health emergency officially ends next month. That declaration doesnt mean COVID is gone. Worcester had 83 new cases of the virus over a two-week period that ended April 19, according to state public health data. There were also three deaths in Worcester County due to the virus in that period. The Worcester Public Schools reported 10 students and one staff member tested positive for COVID-19 for the week that ended April 13. More: Masking against COVID-19: Should it stay or go in health care facilities? Community partnerships Castiel mentioned the citys numerous partnerships with community organizations hospitals, churches, social service agencies that brought testing and vaccination to all neighborhoods. Never once did we not think of communities of color and not bring vaccination to them, said Castiel in reference to parts of Worcester that have historically received lower levels of public health resources. It's a sentiment shared by Maritza Cruz, a longtime activist who praised the city for making sure all areas of Worcester had equal access to the tools to fight the virus. Story continues Overall, I give the city credit for the work done, said Cruz. People mobilized and really pushed to ensure communities going to be the hardest hit were not forgotten and left behind. Disparity Despite those efforts, a disparity exists in vaccination rates when comparing Worcesters racial and ethnic populations in a city of more than 200,000 people, the second-largest city in Massachusetts, three times smaller than Boston, the state's largest city with 675,000 residents. A similar disparity exists in Springfield, a city with a population (155,000) smaller than Worcester's but still substantial as the third-largest city in the state. The Black and Hispanic/Latinx vaccination rates in Worcester for those having the first two primary shots against COVID-19 are 59% and 58%, respectively, compared to 64% white and 70% Asian, according to the latest figures from the states vaccine equity program. In Springfield, the two-dose vaccination rates are 60% Black, 50% Hispanic/Latinx, 72% white and 73% Asian. Bostons vaccination rates are higher than Worcesters and Springfields - 78% Black, 75% Hispanic/Latinx, 70% white and 81% Asian. As Cruz sees it, Worcesters vaccination disparity isn't alarming, because while the city and its partners worked hard to circulate testing and vaccinations, communities of color will always experience some level of public health disparity. No matter what, the gap is always going be there, as far as public health, or equal justice, actually, said Cruz. Mental health issues remain Eve Gilmore joined the chorus that believes the city came together in a collaborative way to tackle COVID-19. However, the landscape isnt perfect, noted Gilmore, who is chief executive officer at Edward Street Child Services, a nonprofit that raises awareness about the importance of early childhood education. Mental health challenges are a lingering consequence of COVID-19, she said. I worry that we assume May 11 comes and everything is fine. Across the community, for all families, there are mental health consequences of COVID-19 that have yet to finish playing out. Those consequences, said Gilmore, have many sources, including children whose parents died from COVID-19 and lost time in the classroom when schools were shut down for in-person learning. One potential source of funds to work on the mental health piece, noted Gilmore, is tapping into the $11.6 million in federal funds Worcester received from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. Additional challenges Besides mental health, other challenges exist that must be addressed if the city is going to effectively tackle the next public-health emergency, said Roberto Diaz, executive director of Worcester Interfaith, a group of more than a dozen congregations. Diaz praised Castiel and Dr. Michael Hirsh, the citys medical director, for daily information updates during the initial months of the pandemic. He also cited the citys partnership with cultural brokers in neighborhoods who took the message of the importance of testing and vaccination to the streets. Without those brokers, Diaz said the vaccination rates in Worcester would be much worse than they are today. He also noted misinformation from online sources that was an obstacle to educating the community about proven scientific benefits of COVID vaccines. As Diaz sees it, the citys health department and its community partners must continue to bring discussions directly into the neighborhoods to combat the misinformation. Other lessons learned from the pandemic, said Diaz, include the need for more testing sites; increased access to face masks, gloves and other means of personal protection that were in short supply in the pandemics early days; and better coordination with businesses to ensure shelves are stocked with food and other necessities, something Diaz said was lacking during the beginning stages of the pandemic. In addition, Diaz believes there needs to be a more robust supply of dependable technology for students to do their schoolwork remotely if the schools are forced to shut down again. Also, internet connections in some parts of the city are weak, hampering efforts to conduct remote meetings. Exhausting That is how MaryJo Marion described how emotionally and physically draining it was for small, grassroots neighborhood groups to take on the work of saving lives in Worcester. Marion, assistant vice president at the Latino Education Institute at Worcester State University, said the city needed those groups because the Worcester Public Health Department didnt have the resources to initially handle the pandemic. Worcester is not alone, Marion said, because many cities and towns have underfunded their public health departments for many years. Marion worries that with the waning number of COVID infections and deaths, the urgency to invest in public health will revert back to a low-priority status. A situation that she said is not sustainable. A lot of good has been done in Worcester (during the pandemic), said Marion But there was a lot of reliance on smaller organizations that is really draining. It's probably not the best long-term strategy moving forward. Language barrier In some Worcester neighborhoods, especially those with large number of immigrants, English is not the predominant language. Thats a problem when doing the work of explaining the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccinations, said the Rev. Thomas Ofori, head of the Good Shepherd Ghana Methodist Church. Ofori said some members in his congregation believed vaccinations were a premeditated plan to get rid of Black people. Others thought if they visited to a vaccination site, they could be deported. To hurdle these obstacles, the church partnered with the city to bring in speakers who delivered information in the native languages that Good Shepherd members would understand. The result was 50 vaccinations in the arms of church members. Ofori thinks the city needs to hire more multilingual public health staff to get the message out about the safety of vaccines and other public health measures. Speaking in the local language makes things a whole thing easier, said Ofori. Medical perspective Communication was the key to the citys work during the pandemic, said Dr. Pablo Hernandez, medical director at the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center. Dr. Pablo Hernandez Hernandez said Castiel asked him if he would provide medical care to homeless residents in a temporary shelter, serving residents who were in the high-risk category for COVID-19. I helped take care of those patients every week. It was the right thing to do, said Hernandez. Kennedy Healths central care center on Tacoma Street in Worcester reported 1,546 COVID-19 positive cases since the start of the pandemic, with almost half (735) coming in 2020. So far this year the numbers have fallen dramatically a total of 41 positive cases. One Kennedy staff member with preexisting health problems died from COVID-19 early in the pandemic, said Hernandez. Like Kennedy Health, COVID numbers at UMass Memorial have dropped significantly 29 COVID patients are currently in UMass Memorial hospitals, including four in the intensive care unit as of last Wednesday, according to state public health data. Since the start of the pandemic, UMass Memorial Health reports 66,363 COVID-19 infections, and 1,562 deaths. Dr. Richard Ellison, infectious diseases physician at UMass Memorial, cited serval hospital benchmarks during the pandemic, including an additional 55 ICU beds; a field hospital at the DCU Center that treated 780 patients; and several testing sites, including a drive-thru on Plantation Street. A field hospital at the convention hall of the DCU Center in December 2020. Another UMass Memorial milestone is a COVID-19 treatment center that started in a mobile home outside the health systems Hahnemann Campus that since moved indoors. It has treated over 13,000 high-risk patients, the largest outpatient COVID-19 treatment center in the U.S., said Ellison. It's funded by the state Department of Public Health to study emerging infectious diseases. COVID-19 also put a big dent in UMass Memorial's budget. The biggest issue said Ellison is the high cost of temporary travel staff hired to fill workforce shortages, partly due to burnout during the pandemic. UMass Memorial spent $200 million on temporary staff in fiscal 2022 that ended Sept. 30. The hospital system reported a $38.2 million operating loss in the fiscal year. Workforce is the No. 1 priority. We need to keep the health care budget in line, said Ellison. Technology is key One thing the COVID-19 pandemic reinforced in Worcester is the importance of technology to keeping the wheels of government running. The city rolled out a 311 phone number for nonemergency information during business hours and 24/7 access from a mobile application. Charles Goodwin, director of Worcester Regional Emergency Communication Center on Coppage Drive. Theres also a new community emergency response team, said Charles Goodwin, Worcesters director of emergency communications and management. Residents are trained by the citys emergency management division to assist with fires, building collapses and other emergencies. The team is needed, Goodwin said, because the American Red Cross that helps the city respond to emergencies has a shortage of volunteers. Worcester still receives services from the Red Cross, said Goodwin, including training in emergency response. Final thought Worcester learned a great deal from the pandemic, said Castiel. Community partnerships resulted in many services that ran the gamut, from vaccination clinics at churches to showing proof of vaccination at Table Talk Pies in exchange for a free 4-inch pie. Bottom line for Castiel, the city needs to continue to build on community partnerships developed during the pandemic in order to be ready for the next public health crisis. Its part of the public health we need do, to figure out how we are part of the community, she said. Contact Henry Schwan at henry.schwan@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @henrytelegram This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: COVID-19 pandemic: What did Worcester do well, and not so well? Mule deer feed on spring grass in the lower reaches of Sequoia National Park. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) California wildlife officials have confirmed the state's first case of COVID-19 in a wild animal, detected in a mule deer killed in 2021 in El Dorado County. The coronavirus has been confirmed in pets and zoo animals, but the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said this is the first case of COVID-19 confirmed in "free-ranging California wildlife," according to a news release from the agency. The infected deer was killed by a hunter in 2021 and sampled at that time for chronic wasting disease, a type of neurodegenerative disorder that affects deer, elk and moose. That disease has never been found in the state's deer or elk populations, but fish and wildlife department routinely monitors for it, the agency said. After recent media reports about COVID-19 in free-ranging deer in Canada and other states, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife decided to test archived deer samples for the coronavirus, finding the positive case in the deer from El Dorado County. We do not see SARS-CoV-2 as a threat to our deer populations but we continue to work with partners to better understand what, if any, significance SARS-CoV-2 infections in wildlife may pose to wildlife and people," Dr. Brandon Munk, a senior wildlife veterinarian with the state agency, said in a statement. He said other researchers have found that while deer can get infected and pass COVID-19 to other deer, they do not appear to get sick from the virus. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is continuing to monitor cases of COVID in animals, including deer. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife will collaborate with federal officials to sample and test more California deer for COVID-19, the agency said. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people can spread COVID-19 to animals, but the risk of animals spreading the virus to people is considered low. "This is certainly another reminder not to intentionally feed deer," Munk said. "Artificially congregating deer increases the likelihood of spreading disease and may be a source of SARS-CoV-2 exposure for deer. There is no evidence that people can contract COVID-19 by eating meat from an infected animal, but the fish and wildlife department encouraged hunters to "take appropriate precautions when handling and dressing game and practice good food hygiene when processing their animals." This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. A cow on the loose was seen running through an Illinois neighborhood after it escaped from students during their senior prank, police said. Officers were called to an area near Northridge Preparatory School at about 3 a.m. on Thursday, April 27, on a report of suspicious objects in the area, according to a news release from the Niles Police Department. The responding officers found Northridge Preparatory School students who were involved in the senior prank, authorities said. The prank involved bringing live animals to school. The prank went awry when a group of our seniors lost control of a cow they intended to put in a corral they built in front of the school, according to a statement from Northridge Preparatory School. A corral students built for a senior prank. Officers and other first responders partnered with Wagner Farms to catch it in a local neighborhood. WBBM Newsradio personality Roger Plummer captured a video of the chase as he was getting home. I arrive home tired from work at 5:45 a.m. and then I wonder if Im dreaming, he said on Facebook. In his video, the cow can be seen running past houses as people tried to catch up. I was standing by the truck, and it looked like a rodeo, Kurt Hejza told WLS. It was crazy between the police and the trappers, and then it was the cow (that) was coming in the crowd, so we all kinda like backed off a bit. But it was interesting. At about 9:40 a.m., someone with Wagner Farms secured the cow and was taking it to an appropriate facility, police said. The senior class is in the process of contacting the police department, city officials, and local residents to apologize for this incident, according to Northridge Preparatory School. We can share on behalf of our seniors that they have secured a safe and appropriate home for the animal. Northridge appreciates the work of Park Ridge, Morton Grove and Niles law enforcement and City officials in conjunction with Wagner Farms, the school continued. We apologize to the local community for any inconvenience this event may have caused and will work internally to find resolution and accountability. Story continues Niles is about 15 miles northwest of downtown Chicago. Goats running wild leave a trail of green poop to famed San Francisco attraction Spooked emu leaps over 7-foot fence. Watch Tennessee cops chase it through town Woman wrangles possum out of dance hall, Texas video shows. Not all heroes wear capes A crash on East Woodlawn Road near Scaleybark Road involving power lines cut power to hundreds of people in south Charlotte on Thursday morning. According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, the crash happened just after 2 a.m. The police have not released the cause of the crash or if there were any injuries. ALSO READ: CMPD motorcycle involved in crash; officer expected to be OK, police say A Channel 9 news crew live on the scene saw that East Woodlawn Road was closed in both directions as technicians continued to work to restore power. According to Duke Energys outage map, power should be fully restored by 11:30 a.m. Channel 9 reached out to MEDIC about injuries and transports, but they were canceled before arrival. Officials reopened the road around 7:45 a.m. This is a developing story; check back at wsoctv.com for updates. (WATCH BELOW: Tuckaseegee Road closed after crash involving power lines on Thursday morning) One person was killed and 23 were injured, including a child, after Russian forces on Thursday shelled the southern city of Mykolaiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The shelling comes amid reports of deaths in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia province, including the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol. Zelenskyy's office said at least seven civilians were killed and 33 wounded Wednesday and Thursday. The overnight attack in Mykolaiv involved four missiles that Zelenskyy said were aimed at private houses, a historic building and a high-rise building. Zelenskyy called the attack a "crime against humanity" in a statement Thursday. "We will find all the culprits," he said. "There will be accountability for everything." Meanwhile, two men died amid "chaotic shelling" in Orikhiv in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia province, the region's military administration said Thursday. Administration head Yurii Malashko said there were 83 Russian attacks in the region in the past day, 69 of them with artillery. In Melitopol, one police officer was killed and another was injured in an explosion at an apartment building Thursday, the Russian-backed city administration said. PREVIOUS UPDATES: Ukraine Zelenskyy, China's Xi have 'long' call; White House says chat 'a good thing' This photograph taken on April 9, 2023, shows a school destroyed by Russian shelling in the Ukrainian village of Zelenyi Hai in the Mykolaiv region. Developments: Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said he asked Pope Francis on Thursday to visit the country and help facilitate the return of children forcibly taken to Russia. Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Wednesday that he's facing new extremism and terrorism charges that could keep him behind bars for life, calling the extremism accusation "absurd'' and questioning how he could be conducting terror attacks while sitting in prison. More than 2,200 Ukrainians taken as prisoners by Russia have returned home in exchanges, Zelenskyy said in his nightly address. That includes a prisoner swap this week involving 44 Ukrainians and 40 Russians. Story continues The Ukrainian government on Wednesday launched a $2.7 million initiative dubbed BRAVE1 to promote innovation in developing drones and other technologies for the war. U.S. and European officials on Wednesday toured Ukraine's southern port of Izmail, which is vital in exporting Ukrainian grain to the world. After the tour, U.S. Ambassador Bridget Brink told reporters officials were exploring ways to increase exports from ports along the Danube River, including Izmail. Russians set up fighting positions atop reactor buildings at nuclear plant For the first time since taking control of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in March 2022, Russian forces have integrated reactor buildings into their defense planning, the British Defense Ministry said in its latest update. Satellite imagery provided by the ministry shows fighting positions made of sandbags have been established on the roofs of three of the six reactor buildings. "Russia has likely constructed these positions because it is increasingly concerned about the prospects of a major Ukrainian offensive,'' the ministry said. The International Atomic Energy Agency has been warning for months about the possibility of a nuclear accident caused by fighting in the area, and it has urged the establishment of a safety zone around what's Europe's largest nuclear plant. The ministry said the fighting positions increase the chances the plant's safety systems could be damaged in a confrontation nearby, although serious damage to the heavily fortified reactors is improbable if the clash involves infantry weapons. NATO countries send combat vehicles, ammunition to Ukraine NATO countries have delivered more than 98% of the combat vehicles promised to Ukraine, the alliance's head said Thursday as the Ukrainians prepare for a counteroffensive expected in the coming weeks. More than 1,550 armored vehicles, 230 tanks and other equipment and "vast amounts of ammunition" have been sent to Ukraine by member nations, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. Member nations also have trained and equipped more than nine new Ukrainian brigades made up of more than 30,000 troops. This will put Ukraine in a strong position to continue to retake occupied territory, Stoltenberg said at a news conference in Brussels. CHINA AFFIRMS UKRAINE'S SOVEREIGNTY: China disavows diplomat's claim after outcry, affirms Ukraine's sovereignty NATO chief notes China has not condemned Russian invasion Stoltenberg said he welcomes the call this week between Zelenskyy and China's President Xi Jinping but noted the country has not condemned Russia's invasion. "I think its important also that China gets a better understanding of Ukrainian perspectives," Stoltenberg said Thursday. "This doesnt change the fact that China has not been able to condemn Russias illegal war, illegal invasion of Ukraine." Zelenskyy and Xi spoke on the phone for an hour Wednesday, their first conversation since the Russian invasion, and China announced it would send a representative to Ukraine to hold talks with "all parties," according to Chinas Foreign Ministry. Zelenskyy described the call as "long and meaningful," saying he believes it will "give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations." US JOURNALIST DETAINED IN RUSSIA: WSJ 'demands' release of Evan Gershkovich after arrest by Russia for espionage Russia denies visit to American reporter Evan Gershkovich Russia's Foreign Ministry on Thursday denied a U.S. request for a consular visit to Evan Gershkovich, an American reporter who has been declared "wrongfully detained." The ministry said it rejected the request for a visit May 11 because the U.S. denied visas to Russian journalists who wanted to cover Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrovs trip to the United Nations. Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, has been jailed on espionage charges since his arrest March 29. His employer and the U.S. government have denied the allegations. Contributing: The Associated Press Contact Christine Fernando at cfernando@usatoday.com or follow her on Twitter at @christinetfern. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine Russia live updates: Shelling of Mykolaiv kills 1, injures 23 Sarwar Mohhamad, a merchant from Iraq, once again traveled to China this year to attend the China Import and Export Fair in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. Without hesitation, he ordered 2,000 gas stoves and range hoodsaltogether worth roughly 600,000 yuan ($87,085). The products are manufactured by Zhongshan Meilong Electronic Co. Ltd. based in Zhongshan, Guangdong. "Our company focuses on the production of gas stoves and range hoods. As of April 19, our last day at the fair, some 300 clients, old and new, had contacted and visited us," Shelia Zhong, who works in the company's sales department, told Beijing Review. The China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, takes place twice a year in Guangzhou. Its 133rd session kicked off on April 15 and will run until May 5 in three phases. Meilong Electronic was attending the event for its eighth consecutive year. After taking place largely online since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fair this year has again provided an on-site platform for Chinese manufacturers as well as international vendors and buyers to conduct exchanges. The first phase of the 133rd session, from April 15 to 19, comprised 20 exhibition areas for categories including household appliances, building materials and bathroom products. It attracted 12,911 companies to participate in the offline exhibition. Of these, 3,856 are new exhibitors. According to the organizers, 67,000 foreign visitors had signed up for the offline activities on the opening day alone. Trade growth The latest Canton Fair session offered a panoramic view of China's foreign trade, which is en route to recovering from the pandemic impacts. According to the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC), China's total goods imports and exports expanded 4.8 percent year on year to 9.89 trillion yuan ($1.4 trillion) in the first quarter (Q1) of 2023, up from a decline of 0.8 percent in the first two months of the year. In the first three months, China's exports improved 8.4 percent year on year to 5.65 trillion yuan ($819 billion), while imports went up 0.2 percent to 4.24 trillion yuan ($615 billion). The country's trade with its partners under the Belt and Road Initiative, which China first proposed in 2013 to boost connectivity along and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes, rose 16.8 percent year on year, while that with other members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) grew 7.3 percent in Q1. The RCEP is a free trade agreement between the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and five partnersAustralia, China, Japan, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea. During this period, the exports of green products, including photovoltaic cells, lithium-ion batteries and electric vehicles, rose 66.9 percent year on year. They contributed 2 percentage points to overall export growth. Exports of vehicles, home appliances and other electrical and mechanical products have rebounded. Wen Bin, chief economist at China Minsheng Bank, said the foreign trade performance in Q1 could be attributed to China's expansion of exports through the Belt and Road Initiative, and the RCEP. The exports of electronic products expanded courtesy of growing demand across Asian, African and Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries. "The diversity of Chinese exports, ranging from labor-intensive goods and raw materials to hi-tech products, is another reason for the [foreign trade sector's] strong resilience," he told Beijing Review. Hitting restart Established in 2019, Meilong Electronic focuses on overseas markets, including the LAC and Middle Eastern countries. Its location in Guangdong, a major manufacturing and foreign trade hub in China, has certainly helped it grow bigger faster. When factories in some other countries suspended all operations due to COVID-19, many manufacturers based in China started receiving more orders than ever before. As Zhong presented, over the past three years, the company's output actually doubleddespite pandemic impacts. In 2020-21, its annual export volume improved by around one third of the previous level, which stood at about 100 million yuan ($14.5 million). Zhong believes the LAC market has great potential and Mexico is home to the largest number of the company's clients. Mexican merchants have purchased around 150,000 gas stoves annually in recent years. "Our products are more convenient than what consumers in many countries used to have in their houses and they also give their kitchens a more stylish look," Zhong said. Panama and the Dominican Republic are next on the company's target list and it also intends to participate in international trade exhibitions in Brazil soon. "Meanwhile, we have also begun exploring the Russian market this year," Zhong said. The company has benefited from China's preferential tax policies for exporters. According to Zhong, Meilong Electronic receives a tax refund whenever exporting products. These refunds in turn cover some of the company's purchasing costs, e.g., those of materials and components. Last year, tax refunds and cuts for foreign trade companies in China totaled 285 billion yuan ($41.3 billion). The company's export orders dropped slightly in Q1 of this year from a year earlier. "But we are still confident business will improve this year. Prices of marine transportation have declined from the previous two years and clients will see lower logistic costs which will translate into more orders and more profits," she said. As more and more Chinese tech companies have firmly positioned themselves in the global market, foreign trade companies are embracing more and more advanced products. Guangdong Jaten Robot & Automation Co. Ltd. attended the Canton Fair for the first time this year. You Jianwen, the company's marketing director, told Xinhua News Agency that the company had been mainly producing a type of polymer composite material used in electronic products such as computers and mobile phones for the past two decades. Only in recent years has it upgraded its manufacturing chains and shifted to automated products. "As of April this year, the export orders of our companies had increased 15 percent year on year. We hope that by attending this fair, we can expand our global business," You said. What lies ahead In previous months, the empty shipping containers stacked up at Chinese ports attracted a lot of (inter)national coverage. As Yu Jianhua, Minister of the GACC, told a news conference on March 20 that this phenomenon was due to the overproduction of new containers during the pandemic. Low storage costs at domestic ports and the quick turnaround of empty containers due to eased pandemic restrictions worldwide were two more reasons. The large number of containers ready for use shows the global market's confidence in China's export capacity in the period to come, Yu said. According to Wen, China's exports of several technological products remain constrained due to some countries' so-called security concerns. The country's foreign trade also still faces uncertainty generated by banking turmoil in the U.S. and some European countries. "But the external pressure has driven the upgrading of China's industries. With industrial competitiveness and resilience, China is expected to see rising exports in the following months and external demand will likely contribute more to its economic growth than expected this year," Wen said. Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall on Thursday gives an update on the citys Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, while making a renewed call for gun owners to properly secure their weapons. | Ryan Sun, Deseret News On the heels of a tragic fatal shooting of a teen girl by her brother in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, city leaders continue to encourage parents to educate their children about guns and for gun owners to properly store their weapons so they don't end up in the hands of someone who shouldn't have them. On Thursday, Mayor Erin Mendenhall and police Chief Mike Brown stood with several federal law enforcement partners to give the public an update on the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative. Mendenhall said overall crime in Salt Lake City is down 15% year-to-date. Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall speaks during a Project Safe Neighborhoods community update at the Salt Lake City Public Safety Building in Salt Lake City on Thursday. | Ryan Sun, Deseret News Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide initiative started about 20 years ago by the U.S. Department of Justice. The goal is to bring local and federal police and prosecutors together, to get guns and drugs off city streets. Salt Lake City reinvigorated its partnership in January 2021, after experiencing a dramatic 20% jump in violent crime in 2020. On Thursday, Mendenhall said that since January 2021, nearly 300 violent criminals had been arrested due to the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, 343 guns taken off the street and about 10 kilograms of methamphetamine seized. Brown said his officers seized 12 guns that were illegally in the hands of others just last month. The mayor highlighted a recent bust by the police department's bike squad during which multiple guns were found in a vehicle belonging to a person restricted from having guns. "These types of weapons have no place in any community," she said. Despite the recent successes, Wednesday's fatal shooting of a teen girl in Salt Lake City was clearly on the minds of city leaders. Police say a teen boy shot and killed his sister in their home in the 1600 West block of Wright Circle (505 South). The brother was arrested and booked into Salt Lake Juvenile Detention for investigation of murder. Brown revealed Thursday that the girl was 13. "I cannot reiterate enough, on the heels of what we saw yesterday a 13-year-old girl being killed, why it is so important that gun owners ensure their firearms are secure and children cannot access either the firearm or ammunition," he said. Story continues Brown could not confirm whether the brother got ahold of an unsecured firearm, saying that information was part of an ongoing investigation. He said too many guns, not properly secured in the past couple of years, have made their way to the streets. "That's why, every time I stand at this podium, I tell people: 'Secure your guns.' Make sure they're safe. And the ammunition, as well. Talk to your parents, there has to be an education portion to this. Talk to your kids, educate them about gun safety," the chief said. Brown recalled an incident, years ago, when his son was in elementary school and came across a gun lying on the ground in their neighborhood. Because the boy had been taught by Brown not to touch an unsecured gun, he left it alone and told his father what he found. Brown admits he was skeptical at first about what his son had found. "We drove down our street and, he said, 'Right here, Dad.' And he went over and said, 'I put some leaves on top of it to make sure nobody would find it.' Still very skeptical, I brushed the leaves aside and sure enough, right there on the street, in my neighborhood, is a loaded 9mm gun. I couldn't be prouder that he listened to me," Brown said. Other speakers Thursday included Dustin Gillespie, assistant special agent-in-charge of the Salt Lake office of the Drug Enforcement Administration, who cautioned that "drug trafficking is a frequent and common partner to violent crime." And Brent Beavers, head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives office in Denver, which oversees Utah, estimated that, in the past year, his office had seen a 500% increase in conversion devices that turn semi-auto handguns into fully automatic guns. "They're dangerous not only to the public but they're also dangerous to law enforcement," he said. "They're dangerous all around." During the bust made by the bicycle squad that the mayor mentioned, one of the weapons seized was a handgun that had been modified to make it fully automatic. Mendenhall said a large part of the focus of the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative is finding people who should not have firearms. But the problem will only continue to escalate as long as gun owners don't properly store or lock up their weapons and those guns end up in the hands of people who shouldn't have them, including children. "This is about families. This is about kids. Kids in America today are more likely to die by shooting than any other cause of death. This is about our kids. Kids killing kids. Violence from kids. This is about families," Mendenhall continued. "This isn't just about the hardened criminals that the DEA and ATF are taking off the street." Martina Bednarzhova (left) Read also: Prague charges former Soviet soldier with espionage On April 5, 2022, the teacher assured eighth-grade students in a Prague school that "there is no conflict in Kyiv." "When you look at the cameras from the city of Kyiv... it seems that nothing is happening there," Bednarova said. When the children said they saw news reports of Ukrainian cities burning, she asked if they meant Czech television news and then explained that "you need to find information from several sources." "CT 1 (Czech TV channel) belongs to a media group associated with billionaire (George) Soros. And we know exactly who it belongs to," Bednarova added. Read also: Pro-Russian protesters detained in Prague after trying to take down Ukrainian flag One of the students recorded and published the teacher's remarks. According to the video, the teacher was telling the children other Russian propaganda talking points: about Ukraine "killing Russian population in Donbas" since 2014, and "Ukrainian Nazis" who "skinned people alive and killed children." Read also: Czech president calls for Prague to accept Russians fleeing mobilization Students recorded 18 minutes of the 45-minute-long class, with Bednarova later claiming her words were taken out of context. Once this became public, the school suspended and later fired the teacher. Bednarova appealed the firing, but the court ultimately said her dismissal was "completely justified." Read also: China benefits from prolonging the war in Ukraine, Czech president says On April 26, the Prague District Prosecutor's Office filed charges against the teacher for the crime of denial, approval, and justification of genocide. Bednarova faces six months to three years in prison if found guilty. 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 The Dallas Police Department identified a suspect vehicle wanted in connection to a fatal shooting from March in a video obtained by police. On 3/21/23 the highlighted vehicle was involved in the homicide on Winslow Ave. The vehicle is described as a 2018 Honda Accord. Anyone with info on this crime is asked to contact De Johnston at 214-671-3523 or timothy.johnston@dallaspolice.gov. pic.twitter.com/SQisjM0ZCs Dallas Police Dept (@DallasPD) April 26, 2023 The vehicle is described as a 2018 Honda Accord. On March 21 at about 12:10 a.m., Dallas police responded to a shooting call in the 5600 block of Winslow Avenue. The victim, identified as 30-year-old Nancy Aguilar, was shot while driving in the 5500 block of East RL Thornton Freeway Access Road, according to the investigation. When officers arrived, they found Aguilar in a vehicle with a single gunshot wound. Dallas Fire and Rescue responded. Aguilar died at the scene. Detectives further determined Aguilar was involved in an incident while driving, where words were exchanged with two unidentified men in another vehicle. As both vehicles traveled eastbound in the 5500 block of East RL Thornton Freeway, the suspects shot at Aguilars vehicle, hitting her. She then crashed into a retaining wall in the 5600 block of Winslow Avenue. A passenger in Aguilars car was not injured in the shooting or crash. This is an ongoing investigation and anyone with information on this crime is asked to contact Detective Timothy Johnston at 214-671-3523 or by email at timothy.johnston@dallaspolice.gov. A woman in Utah was arrested after being accused of stealing almost $300,000 from her ill father and used the money to pay for cosmetic surgeries and international flights, officials said. The 54-year-old Highland woman was arrested on April 25 after Adult Protective Services reported she was allegedly defrauding her elderly father, according to KTVX. When her fathers wife passed away she gained power of attorney over his finances. Beginning in January, the woman used her fathers funds for travel, Venmo transactions, plastic surgery, hotels and ATM withdrawals resulting in a sum of $275,492.68, KUTV reported citing Adult Protective Services. Officials said her father, who has dementia, was receiving $3,000 per month in Social Security, according to KSL. McClatchy News reached out to officials for additional information on April 27 and is awaiting a response. An arrest affidavit obtained by KSL states that in January 2021 the mans bank account had $60,000 in it. By April 2021, the account was left with $32,055. In May and June 2021, $8,000 was charged to the fathers account along with multiple transactions at ATMs in Las Vegas, according to KTVX. Later between June and August 2021, the account was charged 375 times totaling over $54,000, according to KUTV. Another charge of $13,000 was made at a plastic surgery clinic, officials said. The woman was arrested by South Jordan Police at the Salt Lake International Airport while returning from a trip to the Dominican Republic, KSL reported. She was booked on five counts of international financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult and five counts of theft and communications fraud. Highland is about 30 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. Woman leaves ill mom with $5 in savings after stealing $400,000, Oregon officials say Nursing home worker stole rings from residents fingers as they slept, Indiana cops say Woman steals $2.8M from Holocaust survivor and uses it for life of luxury, feds say The fledgling United States Marine Corps proved its dauntless courage with a "miracle" victory in the Battle of Derna on the shores of Tripoli in North Africa on this day in history, April 27, 1805. The successful attack against overwhelming numbers on the port city in present-day Libya, a stronghold of pirates who spent years attacking United States ships at sea, was the climactic battle of the First Barbary War (1801-05). The victory is immortalized in a patriotic American anthem. ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, APRIL 26, 1865, JOHN WILKES BOOTH IS KILLED BY UNION TROOPS FOR MURDERING LINCOLN "From the Halls of Montezuma/To the Shores of Tripoli/We fight our country's battles/In the air, on land and sea," proclaims the rousing opening lyrics of "The Marines' Hymn" (the original 19th-century opening line, pre-air power, was "on the land as on the sea"). Writes the Office of the Historian of the U.S. Department of State, "Prior to independence, American colonists had enjoyed the protection of the British Navy." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP August 1804: Tracers arc in the sky as ships of the U.S. Navy bombard Tripoli in an action against a ruler who supported the Tripolitan (Barbary) pirates. The pirates demanded protection money from all ships and the USA decided to go to war to release their hold on the area. "However, once the United States declared independence, British diplomats were quick to inform the Barbary States that U.S. ships were open to attack." The pirates demanded tribute from foreign nations for safe passage through the Mediterranean. American ships became a common target, inciting anger among U.S. citizens. President Thomas Jefferson sent a fleet to the Mediterranean to combat the pirates in 1801. Among other indignities, 297 crewmen of the U.S. frigate Philadelphia were captured and taken prisoner after the ship ran aground off Tripoli in 1803. The Battle of Derna ended with Marines raising the American flag over a captured foreign stronghold for the first time in their history an act of resolve for which the Corps would later be immortalized in a famous photograph during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. The victory at Derna forced Barbary pirate leaders to the negotiation table, ending the war two months later with the Treaty of Tripoli. Story continues GOLD COIN FROM 17TH CENTURY EXPECTED TO FETCH THOUSANDS AT AUCTION AFTER IT WAS INITIALLY THOUGHT A FAKE The battle followed one of the most incredible efforts in the history of American warfare. Marine Corps Lt. Presley O'Bannon, joined by former Army captain and consul William Eaton, led a small band of Marines and an international mercenary force on a 400-mile march from Alexandria, Egypt, to attack the pirate port. They were "able to assemble a mixed force of some 400 men, composed of 38 Greek mercenaries, 25 mostly European artillerists, 90 men 190 camels and their drivers, a small force of Arab cavalry, and eight U.S. Marines," writes the Naval History and Heritage Command in its official report of the battle. American General William Eaton (1764-1811), who took part in the Tripolitan War between the U.S. and the Barbary States. Original Publication: From a drawing, made from an old print, by D McN Stauffer. "This force began its march in Egypt on March 8, 1805, and after six weeks of mutiny, hunger, thirst, Arab intransigence and religious tension, arrived on April 25 before Derna, the easternmost fortified town under Tripolitan control." MEET THE AMERICAN WHO FIRST COMMANDED THE MARINES: REVOLUTIONARY WAR HERO SAMUEL NICHOLAS The march "with a mercenary army that continued to have serious threats of mutiny, lack of food, and no water was a miracle itself," Kater Miller, a curator for the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Virginia, told Fox News Digital. Another incredible feat followed. Derna was defended by a much larger force of 945 cavalry and 1,250 foot soldiers. But the Marine-led assault enjoyed the support of U.S. Navy warships offshore, in one of the first joint-force attacks in U.S. military history. 1799: A U.S. Navy warship captures an Algerian corsair in the war with Barbary (Tripolitan) pirates. The pirates demanded protection money from all ships and the USA decided to go to war to release their hold on the area. "Eaton called on Governor Mustapha Bey to surrender, a summons that was contemptuously rejected," states the Naval History and Heritage Command. ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, FEB. 23, 1945, US MARINES RAISE AMERICAN FLAG OVER IWO JIMA, CAPTURED IN HEROIC PHOTO "Assaulting a fortified coastal city, with a handful of Marines, bolstered by a mercenary army against numerically superior defenders was a tremendous gamble," said Miller. The high-stakes gamble yielded big rewards. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER The attack deposed longtime Tripolitania dynastic leader Yusuf Karamanliand and led to the Treaty of Tripoli in June. Among other outcomes, the crew of the Philadelphia was released. The attack also earned praise for the Marines from Karamanliand's own brother. Sword presented to Marine Corps officer Presley O'Bannon to celebrate success in Battle of Derna, on shores of Tripoli, during the Barbary Wars. "Lieutenant Presley O Bannon, commanding the Marines, performed so heroically in the battle that Hamet Karamanli presented him with an elaborately designed sword that now serves as the pattern for the swords carried by Marine officers," Miller said. The sword is housed at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Virginia today. "The Navy-Marine Corps team worked together to achieve their objective for the first time since the Corps' reconstitution (in 1798)," said Miller. "The assault was successful because of intrepid leadership, U.S. Navy support, and tenacity." Lawmakers grilled U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration chief Anne Milgram on Thursday over millions of dollars in no-bid contracts that are the subject of a watchdog probe into whether the agency improperly hired some of her past associates. Milgram faced a barrage of criticisms from mostly Republican members of the House Appropriations Committee over an Associated Press investigation that the DEA spent $4.7 million on strategic planning and communication and other no-bid contracts to hire people Milgram knew from her days as New Jersey's attorney general and as a New York University law professor at costs far exceeding pay for government officials. Milgram said she welcomes the scrutiny from the Justice Department's Office of Inspector General on some sole-source contracts signed since she took over the DEA nearly two years ago. Donald Trump vowed Thursday to "crush" Joe Biden in the 2024 election, warning in his first campaign stop since his successor entered the race that the United States will descend into "anarchy" if the Republican billionaire isn't returned to office. The defiant address at a hotel in Manchester, New Hampshire, came with the twice-impeached former president's legal woes multiplying, as a writer who accuses Trump of rape testified for a second day at a civil trial in New York. "The choice in this election is now between strength or weakness, between success or failure, between safety or anarchy, between peace or conflict, and prosperity or catastrophe," Trump told a relatively-modest crowd of around 1,500 supporters. "We are living in a catastrophe. With your vote on November 5, 2024, we are going to crush Joe Biden and the White House... at the ballot box, and we are going to settle our unfinished business." It was Trump's first appearance since January in the Granite State, which propelled him to victory in the 2016 Republican nominating contest after a shaky start in Iowa. Biden, 80, announced Tuesday he would seek a second term in 2024, warning that the next election, like the last, would be a "battle for the soul." Many top Republicans say Trump, 76, is positioning himself to lose again after leading Republicans to poor showings in the 2020 general election and in the last two midterm cycles. "Republicans want someone who can win in November of '24. Donald Trump is a loser," New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, who is said to be mulling a rival presidential bid, told NBC on Sunday. - 'Crashing and burning' - Nine Republicans in the US Senate have endorsed the billionaire, but others are warning that prosecutions enmeshing Trump might undermine their hopes of taking the upper chamber of Congress back from the Democrats next year. Story continues Trump is being sued for battery and defamation in civil proceedings in New York, accused of raping writer E Jean Carroll in 1996, and has been indicted over a 2016 hush money payment to a porn star in a criminal case likely to stretch well into election year. He also faces the possibility of charges from the Department of Justice and Georgia prosecutors in cases involving his attempts to overthrow the 2020 election and his hoarding of government documents. Yet Trump has consistently maintained double-digit leads in Republican primary polling, running far ahead of his nearest likely rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, whom he described in his New Hampshire speech as "crashing and burning." Trump, who denies all wrongdoing, angrily denounced the "endless witch hunts" against him, as he invariably does in public remarks. In a wide-ranging speech that included a rare Q&A and ran to more than 100 minutes, Trump revisited much of his favorite territory, from making false claims about fraud in the 2020 election to smearing his rivals. He told supporters he was retiring the "Crooked" nickname he uses for longtime foe Hillary Clinton and giving it to Biden instead. "With such a calamitous presidency, it's almost inconceivable that Biden would have even thought of running for reelection," Trump said. ft/tjj Top Democratic lawmakers are holding a big-ticket fundraiser with major weapons manufacturers on Thursday as Washington enters a budget battle in which concessions to the Pentagon and the defense industry could mean slashing welfare programs like food stamps. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.), his deputy Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) chair Rep. Suzan Delbene (D-Wash.) are listed as draws on an invitation to the event obtained by HuffPost. The downtown D.C. function dubbed a defense and national security dinner will raise funds for the committee, which is the campaign arm for House Democrats and is central to their hopes of winning back the lower chamber of Congress. The affair could net significant support for the DCCC: Host status costs $30,000 for a political action committee (PAC) or $41,300 for an individual, while the cheapest seats are $5,000 for a PAC and $2,500 for an individual. Dozens of representatives of Pentagon contractors like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems, SpaceX, Palantir and General Dynamics are participating, according to an attendee list viewed by HuffPost. The group includes figures who previously worked for congressional Democrats, such as Shana Chandler, a government relations director at General Dynamics. Chandler spent 15 years as the chief of staff for Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the chief Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee and another co-host of Thursdays event. The event provides a striking signal about House Democrats priorities as they prepare for the 2024 election cycle and a fight with Republicans demanding spending cuts in exchange for passing vital legislation. For those who want the party to champion social justice and progressive reform, its a depressing message. I dont ever make decisions based on contributions, and I never will, Smith told HuffPost in an emailed response to an inquiry about the fundraiser. Spokespersons for the DCCC, Jeffries, Aguilar, and Delbene, did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this story. Story continues But many observers urge greater resistance to undue influence. If our leaders really want to strengthen democracy and build trust in government, they should stop selling access to the wealthy interests and industries theyre supposed to be regulating, said Matt Duss, a national security analyst who worked on Capitol Hill for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) Stuff like this is why demagogues like [former President Donald] Trump have an audience when they say the system is rigged. A senior congressional aide told HuffPost the news of the fundraiser sparked alarm among staffers, calling the event a particularly egregious example of our most senior Democratic leaders saying one thing but doing another: Claiming to stand for reining in out-of-control defense spending and criticizing Republicans for serving Americas most powerful corporate interests while doing exactly that. In the coming months, Democratic legislators will make key decisions affecting the defense industry as they contend with the GOPs effort to shrink government spending. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) says he wants across-the-board cuts. But signals from influential Republicans and analyses by budget experts suggest that McCarthy will shield the Defense Department budget which could lead him to seek sharper trims elsewhere, such as in Social Security and housing assistance. Democrats could demand limits on Pentagon spending to protect other government institutions. Yet the defense industry will be aggressively lobbying to prevent such a development. This event is particularly well timed for the largest defense firms to press their legislative wishlists ahead of both [national defense authorization act] and appropriations season, the senior congressional aide said. Despite any claims to the contrary, this type of access and subservience skews our policy-making processes and undermines what Democrats should and claim to stand for responsible governance and choosing people over politics. Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) is listed as one of the fundraisers hosts. As the lead Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee panel overseeing the Defense Department, she has previously resisted efforts to sharply boost the agencys budget, warning last year: Overfunding the Pentagon while underfunding the State Department, USAID, and investments at home that strengthen our economy is a costly mistake. Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) co-hosted Thursday's Democratic fundraiser with defense industry representatives and has previously warned against excessive Pentagon spending. Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) co-hosted Thursday's Democratic fundraiser with defense industry representatives and has previously warned against excessive Pentagon spending. A spokeswoman for McCollum did not respond to requests for comment on her role in the event with the arms industry officials. Like Smith of the armed services committee, McCollum receives significant campaign donations from defense contractors. The sector was not a major contributor to the DCCC in the last few election cycles, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, but Democrats have been emphasizing national security more heavily in their campaign pitches since Trumps rise scrambled the GOPs traditional hawkish narrative. Over the past two years, when Democrats fully controlled Congress, lawmakers twice pushed President Joe Biden to approve more military spending than he had requested. This year, Bidens Defense Department budget request is even higher than last years final figure. Biden has overseen ballooning Pentagon funding while pledging to shift Americas resources away from costly foreign wars in an echo of his predecessor, Trump. Many progressives and some conservatives say the president and Congress should finally translate their rhetoric into change. On Thursday, Reps. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) introduced a bill to probe the Pentagon and launch automatic cuts at Defense Department offices that do not receive audits to ferret out suspected waste. Lee and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) are also pushing legislation to reallocate $100 billion from the Pentagon budget. Meanwhile, right-wing advocates are urging McCarthy and Republicans to pursue Defense Department cuts. Conservatives are ready to... confront the political establishment, unaccountable federal bureaucrats, and well-connected defense contractors all at once in order to keep the nation both solvent and secure, Kevin Roberts, the president of the Heritage Foundation, argued in an op-ed earlier this year. For firms that rely on a sizable and growing Pentagon budget, there is a clear imperative to maintain political influence even in ways that could be alarming to regular voters. Folks have the right to support candidates whose goals are going to align with their own, said Saurav Ghosh of the watchdog group Campaign Legal Center, noting that the defense industry advances its interests through employee PACs and contributions by well-paid executives. The broader question is: is there a conflict of interest between that giving and the policy-making happening in Congress? Ghosh continued. When folks see [fundraising] happening, there is a question that is created... are the folks that we elect making the best decisions for the public, or are they making the best decisions for those that are funding their reelection campaigns? That causes people to question and outright lose faith in our democratic process. When pressed about ethics concerns in drawing campaign contributions, lawmakers and political operatives often argue that it is inevitable that they receive attention from people working in the fields that they oversee. Its understandable that doesnt make it a good thing, Ghosh said. The obligation is on the folks in Congress to say, If I want to be impartial or appear impartial, I need to decline PAC donations from the industry that I regulate... I think most people would agree with that. Related... Democrats in Congress raised alarms Wednesday over a sweeping GOP border bill that they said goes beyond security's scope and would punish all noncitizens, including legal residents, trafficking victims and refugees. Republicans say the Border Reinforcement Act of 2023, introduced Monday, seeks to provide the tools needed to respond to the current border crisis. Among the concerns is a provision that would bar any nongovernmental organization that provides services to noncitizens from receiving federal funding through the Department of Homeland Security. "We've heard over and over from the Republicans on the other side that this is just a border security bill and nothing else," Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., said during the House committee hearing where the bill was being debated. "Now we see, front and center, that that's not true. We see now that this bill goes much further." "The bill would deny funding to organizations that have nothing to do with border security," he said. "It would deny it to the ones that are offering food, shelter and medical care to people whose lives are at risk." Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., introduced on Wednesday an amendment to remove that provision from the bill. The provision as written would defund organizations like Catholic Charities, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Episcopal Migration Services, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, he said. "If Episcopal Migration Services want to help Afghan refugees with housing and transportation to a job, they cannot ever get a grant from DHS, Garcia said. If Catholic Charities is giving support and shelter to a woman legally in the U.S. with a U visa, which is set aside for victims of certain crimes, "DHS would be prohibited from ever funding that group," Garcia said. The Border Reinforcement Act would resume the construction of the border wall; provide retention bonuses to border patrol agents; ensure that 22,000 agents are hired in full-time positions by 2025; and develop and upgrade technology used by Customs and Border Protection. It would also help designate Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and shut down the use of the CBP One app for asylum purposes, among other actions. Story continues Garcia's proposed amendment was rejected in a 15-12 committee vote. Rep. Mark E. Green, R-Tenn., who chairs the committee, said the GOP bill doesn't say these charities can't continue doing their work. But it does say they "aren't going to get taxpayer's dollars." The Rev. Mark J. Seitz of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops conveyed his opposition to the bill in a letter sent to the committee. If the provision stays as it is, lawmakers would be jeopardizing funds to assist human trafficking victims and disaster survivors, Seitz says in the letter. "This would be unacceptable if the provision merely barred an NGO from providing services to someone in the U.S. who is undocumented." This article was originally published on NBCNews.com The site of one of the explosions of the Nord Stream gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea Read also: West may by summer decide to send fighter jets to Ukraine, says acting Danish defense minister On Sept. 22, 2022, a Danish patrol boat, deployed to the east of the island of Bornholm, took 26 photos of Russian ship SS-750, according to the Danish military. Joakim von Braun, a Swedish intelligence analyst, states that SS-750 is a specialized underwater operations vessel, while a former employee of the Danish military intelligence agency, Jacob Kaarsbo, claims it is capable of carrying out explosive pipeline sabotage. Oliver Alexander, an OSINT analyst, researched the Russian Defense Ministry's reports on SS-750's movements and confirmed that none of the areas the ship was officially intended to be operating in were located near Bornholm. Read also: Russian military vessels spotted near Nord Stream pipelines prior to explosions, reports suggest Nord Stream and Nord Stream-2 (NS-1 and NS-2, respectively) were major supply routes of Russian natural gas to northern Europe chiefly Germany and the Netherlands. On Sept. 26, 2022, pressure in NS-2 pipes has rapidly declined, with the same happening in NS-1 a day later. Despite being out of operation at the time, both pipelines were filled with technical gas. The incident that damaged the pipelines occurred some 70 kilometers away from Danish Island of Bornholm in neutral waters, but within Denmarks exclusive economic zone. Read also: State actor likely behind Nord Stream sabotage, Sweden says The Kremlin denies any responsibility for the incident. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin claimed that Anglo-Saxons were behind the act of sabotage. The pipelines operator, Nord Stream AG, said its currently impossible to evaluate how long it could take to repair both NS-1 and NS-2. Read also: Western allies discussing supplying Ukraine with aircraft, Danish PM says German security services suggested both pipelines could remain inoperable indefinitely, according to a report by German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel. 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 The 14th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, widely known as "Summer Davos", will be held at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center in Tianjin from June 27 to 29. Themed as "Entrepreneurship: The Driving Force of the World Economy", this session of the annual meeting will be attended by 2,000 representatives from the political, business, academic, and media sectors, according to enorth.com.cn, a Tianjin-based news website. The official website of the World Economic Forum indicated that, to respond to current global economic trend, the WEF is returning to the tradition of "Summer Davos" and convening this year's Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Tianjin. The meeting will gather global leaders from business, government, civil society, international organizations as well as from among innovators and academics, according to the website of the WEF. The WEF was established in 1971 as a not-for-profit foundation and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The forum demonstrates entrepreneurship in the global public interest while upholding high standards of governance. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Thursday criticized the move by Disney, one of the most influential companies in the state, to sue the governor, arguing the suit has no merit and is politically motivated. I dont think the suit has merit; I think its political, DeSantis told reporters at a news conference in Israel. Disney filed its lawsuit against DeSantis earlier this week, continuing a long-standing dispute between the company and the governor. The suit, which alleges that DeSantis is harming its business operations, comes as a board the governor appointed to oversee Disney voted this week to void development contracts that the company made. The feud stems from Disneys public backlash to the Florida governors education policies, which included a law that prohibits gender and sexual orientation from being taught for certain grades in the state. A targeted campaign of government retaliation orchestrated at every step by Governor DeSantis as punishment for Disneys protected speech now threatens Disneys business operations, jeopardizes its economic future in the region, and violates its constitutional rights, the Disney lawsuit states. But DeSantis, on an international trip ahead of an expected announcement of a 2024 White House campaign, defended his actions targeting the company in Florida. DeSantis signed a bill earlier this year that ended special conditions that gave the company independence over the district where its park is located. They had no transparency, no accountability, none of that, and that arrangement was not good for the state of Florida, DeSantis said on Thursday. We did not think that should continue, so we now have brought accountability. Right before the DeSantis-appointed board was set to take over last month, members said the district had signed an agreement with Disney that gave it developmental authority over the park for the foreseeable future. The DeSantis-led board took action to declare the agreements as void. This government action was patently retaliatory, patently anti-business, and patently unconstitutional, Disneys complaint states. But the Governor and his allies have made clear that they do not care and will not stop. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke glowingly of Israel during a speech in Jerusalem on Thursday in celebration of the country's 75th anniversary of independence. The governor flaunted his pro-Israel political record during the "Celebrate the Faces of Israel" event at Israel's Museum of Tolerance. DeSantis called Israel a "beacon of freedom in a troubled region, an engine of economic growth and opportunity, and a center of innovation and technology that is the envy of the world." GOV. DESANTIS VISITS JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA, ISRAEL AND BRITAIN AHEAD OF POTENTIAL 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ANNOUNCEMENT Floridas Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a news conference at the Jerusalem Post Conference in Jerusalem on Thursday, April 27, 2023. "Israel is also one of America's most valued and trusted allies," DeSantis told the crowd. "Maintaining a strong U.S.-Israel relationship has been a priority for me during my time in elected office and I know it's been a priority for the majority of American people." DeSantis spoke highly of the Trump administration's record on Israeli issues such as moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and taking a more aggressive approach toward Iran. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP "During the previous administration the Trump administration Iran was on the ropes. Iran was in dire straits because there was an effort to hold them accountable," DeSantis said. 2024 GOP HOPEFUL GOES AFTER TRUMP, DESANTIS: 'NOT WHAT REPUBLICANISM IS ABOUT' Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to the press during a press conference at the Museum of Tolerance on April 27, 2023, in Jerusalem. At the same time, the governor lamented policy changes initiated under recent Democratic presidents such as the 2015 Iran Deal and Biden administration officials' comments on Israeli judicial reform. In his speech, DeSantis struck a tone of mutual cooperation and alluded to a policy of non-interference between the two countries' governments. "My view is that the United States should be a strong ally to Israel, but we should not butt into their internal affairs," DeSantis said. TRUMP CHIDES DESANTIS FOR LACK OF LOYALTY: 'YOU JUST DON'T DO WHAT HE DID' Story continues Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs bills for legislation to fight antisemitism during a press conference at the Museum of Tolerance on April 27, 2023, in Jerusalem. "The task before us as Americans is standing strongly and forthrightly with Israel and with the Jewish people," he later added. The visit is part of a four-country trade tour that also includes trips to Japan, South Korea and Britain. Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida, arrives for a news conference at the Jerusalem Post Conference in Jerusalem, on Thursday, April 27, 2023. DeSantis has maintained a strategic silence on whether he will run for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election. A presidential bid would put DeSantis in contest with several Republicans that have already declared campaigns for the presidency, including former President Trump, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott. Fox News' Lawrence Richard contributed to this report. By Emily Rose JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday brushed off legal action taken against him by Walt Disney Co, describing it as politically motivated and accusing the global entertainment giant of lacking accountability and transparency. Disney, in a lawsuit filed this week, accused the DeSantis administration of "weaponizing its power to inflict political punishment" in a dispute over special provisions for the Disney World theme park in central Florida. Disney is one of the state's largest employers and its amusement parks draw millions of visitors every year. "I don't think the suit has merit, I think it's political," DeSantis told reporters in Jerusalem, his latest stop on an international tour before an expected announcement of a presidential run that would pit him against former President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination. DeSantis is embroiled in a battle with Disney over a Florida measure banning classroom discussion of sexuality and gender identity with young children. Elected Republicans have increasingly attacked companies' social policies as businesses push to diversify their workforces, fund climate-related measures and support more LGBTQ+ rights. Florida passed legislation ending special conditions that gave Disney virtual autonomy in the Florida district where Disney World is located. "They had no transparency, no accountability, none of that, and that arrangement was not good for the state of Florida," DeSantis said. "We did not think that that should continue, so we now have brought accountability." Disney, which has criticised the Florida classroom measure, says the state government has illegally punished it for voicing an opinion that should be protected by free speech rights. Shares of the company's stock were up 1.4% on Thursday after falling on Wednesday. Initially, DeSantis won plaudits from supporters in Florida and the base of the Republican party, but he has of late been criticized for what has turned into a legal imbroglio. Story continues Trump has said DeSantis is being outwitted by the global entertainment giant, while fellow Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, suggested the company could move to her state. In a national Reuters/Ipsos poll taken this week, 44% of Republicans said they had a more favorable view of DeSantis because of the fight with Disney. But 73% - including 82% of Democrats and 63% of Republicans - said they were less likely to support a political candidate who backs laws designed to punish a company for its political or cultural stances. (Reporting by Emily Rose; additional reporting by Lisa Richwine and Dawn Chmielewski; Writing by James Mackenzie and David Gaffen; Editing by Robert Birsel and Alistair Bell) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told a conference in Jerusalem on Thursday that the United States should stay out of Israels debate over the future of its democracy, as the Jewish state faces a constitutional crisis over a government proposal to overhaul its judicial system. America must respect Israels right to make its own decisions about its own governance, DeSantis told the conference, hosted by The Jerusalem Post and Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem. Youre a smart country you figure it out. It shouldnt be for us to butt into these important issues. The Republican governor is widely expected to announce a run for the GOP presidential nomination in the coming weeks, and is on an international tour of Japan, South Korea, Israel and the United Kingdom on a trade mission organized by the states economic development agency touting his foreign policy credentials. If DeSantis runs, he will compete for the nomination against former President Donald Trump, who he suggested in his speech needed convincing in 2017 to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. When I was a U.S. congressman, I was an outspoken proponent and advocate of relocating our embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, DeSantis said. When we were trying to cajole the previous administration to do it, I actually launched a very small delegation over here. We looked at a bunch of different sites, announced this was going to happen. We were confident. Israel has been roiled by protests in recent months over a proposal by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to overhaul the countrys judiciary, including the selection of Supreme Court judges and the ability of the Israeli Knesset to overrule Supreme Court decisions. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has expressed concern that the Israeli proposal could compromise the countrys democratic character and has called for a compromise. Weve been, publicly and privately, pretty consistent and you heard from the President as well on our concerns about the recent developments in Israel. And weve been very clear about calling for a compromise before moving forward with these reforms, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at a press conference this week. Were going to continue to have those conversations, again, privately and be pretty vocal publicly. Story continues DeSantis position was expected by scholars of the region, who questioned whether he or Netanyahu would have benefited from the Republican governor taking a more forceful stance. He has several tightropes to walk on Israel the judicial overhaul is one and, to be honest, he doesnt need to take a position on it, said Mark Mellman, founder of Democratic Majority for Israel and a veteran pollster of the Jewish community for the Mellman Group. I dont think Netanyahu wants DeSantis to weigh in strongly its not in his personal or political interest, and certainly not in Israels national interest, said David Pollock, the Bernstein fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Netanyahu is at the point where, privately, he doesnt want to push this too hard, either, because he could see how divisive it is. DeSantis promoted popular bipartisan positions on Israel in the speech, advocating for continued defense assistance to the country, a joint front against Iran, enhancement of the Abraham Accords, opposition to efforts to boycott Israel and protection of the state against attacks at the United Nations. The governor was welcomed by a friendly crowd at the Jerusalem event, and was introduced as a figure whose next visit to Israel could come aboard Air Force One. Miriam Adelson, one of the largest donors in Republican politics and the widow of billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, was in attendance for the speech. A Detroit neurosurgeon found shot dead inside his home in the Boston-Edison Historic District on Sunday was an "amazing doctor," according to one of his former patients. Dr. Devon Hoover's death has rocked the Detroit medical community and mystified locals. "Dr. Hoover was an amazing neurosurgeon who literally made me whole again," his former patient, Sheryl Gibbs Leaver, told Fox News Digital. "He got me in right away because he saw how bad I was from my MRI. He took so much time explaining the surgery option and showing me how bad my spine was." Gibbs Leaver recalled crying when she told him she is a teacher and could not afford a three-month recovery. DETROIT NEUROSURGEON FOUND SHOT DEAD INSIDE HOME: REPORT Detroit Dr. Devon Hoover's death has rocked the Detroit medical community and mystified locals. "[H]e talked me through my options and it gave me such relief," she said. "He literally helped me to be able to walk again. So many people are writing testimonials about him being a caring and amazing doctor and all of it is so true. I am heartbroken by all of this and hope his killer is caught and brought to justice." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP DETROIT-AREA MAN PLEADS NO CONTEST TO KILLING NEWS ANCHOR The 53-year-old doctor's family shared a statement with Local 4 Detroit on Wednesday. "We, the family of Devon Hoover, wish to express our profound sadness at the loss of a beloved son, brother, and uncle," the statement reads. "We grieve his untimely death and will miss him greatly. We are so grateful for the many words of kindness and stories from people who were touched by his life. He was a gift from God and used his talents to bless many." MICHIGAN MAN REACHED 100 MPH IN ROAD RAGE INCIDENT BEFORE CRASHING INTO MOTORCYCLISTS Hoover's employer, Ascension Health, described the doctor as a "dedicated and well-respected member of the Ascension Michigan family" who will be "greatly missed," in a Wednesday statement to Fox News Digital. Story continues Detroit Police responded to Hoover's property on Sunday to conduct a well-being check. The Detroit Police Department Homicide Unit is investigating Hoover's shooting death, which could be linked to a domestic situation, according to FOX 2 Detroit. The doctor's body was found in the attic of his sprawling Boston-Edison home, wrapped in a sheet, and his car was found abandoned on the west side of Detroit, the outlet reported. The motive for the shooting also is unclear. As of Wednesday, no suspects publicly have been identified in the case. Fox News' Greg Norman contributed to this report. Martin Scorsese unveiled the first footage from his film "Killers of the Flower Moon" Thursday at CinemaCon, where his lead actor Leonardo DiCaprio and pop superstar Rihanna were among the surprise guests. Dark Western "Killers" is Scorsese's sixth movie with DiCaprio, and his tenth with Robert De Niro -- but the first time the legendary director has ever brought his go-to A-listers together. A true story of greed, love and murder set in the 1920s, when members of the newly oil-rich Osage Nation in Oklahoma began dying and disappearing in mysterious circumstances, the twisty crime drama hits theaters in October. Footage played at the movie industry summit in Las Vegas showed DiCaprio's Ernest Burkhart in a romantic relationship with a Native American woman (Lily Gladstone) while seemingly caught in the middle of brutal conflict between the Osage and encircling oil-hungry white capitalists. De Niro plays William Hale, who is seen conspiring with Burkhart, while Jesse Plemons appears as lawman Tom White, sent from the newly formed Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to investigate the murders. Originally, DiCaprio was set to play White, but after spending time with the Osage, he and Scorsese decided to make a "big change" to the script, and center the movie less on the FBI and instead on Burkhart. Scorsese said they were interested in exploring how "some of these people could have done what they did" to the Osage, and how they could rationalize violence -- even against those they loved -- by simply claiming: "It's civilization. One group comes in, and another goes out." DiCaprio, hosting a Q&A with Scorsese, described the movie's events as a "forgotten part of our past." - 'Do right' - The film was shot at the true, real-life locations where grisly events took place, and Scorsese said the script was reworked until the last day of shooting, as he spent time with the Osage people and was anxious to "do right by them." Story continues "It was about immersing ourselves in that world," said the New Yorker, despite the "110-degree heat" and the unsettling presence on the surrounding prairies of coyotes and wild horses. The film is adapted from David Grann's acclaimed 2017 non-fiction book of the same name, and will premiere at next month's Cannes film festival. "Killers" will be Apple's highest profile big-screen release yet, as the tech giant launches the film in theaters -- a splashy launch that it hopes can consequently drum up interest in its Apple TV+ streaming platform. "I'm really thrilled to have a wide theatrical release before it becomes available at home," said Scorsese, joking that small-screen viewing is only "ok" by comparison. Apple bought the film from Hollywood studio Paramount after the cost of the lavish, nearly three-and-a-half-hour production began to spiral to a reported $200 million, and the two companies struck a deal to distribute the film to theaters. - Rihanna - Scorsese, director of "Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull" and "Goodfellas," was awarded CinemaCon's inaugural "Legend of Cinema" award. DiCaprio said Scorsese's work "will be revered for centuries and generations to come," and that the 80-year-old director continues to "create vital cinematic experiences that are at the very pinnacle of artistic ambition and achievement." Scorsese used the occasion to call on owners of multiplexes to play "truly independent films" alongside more mainstream fare. Earlier Thursday, Paramount presented footage from other upcoming films, including "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning Part One" and "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts." Star Dominique Fishback told AFP the presence of more "Black and brown people" and voices in "Transformers" would open up the seven-movie, billions-grossing franchise to "more and more hearts and households." "It almost feels like we're starting the franchise over," said co-star Anthony Ramos. The presentation featured a surprise appearance from pop superstar Rihanna, who joked that her newly announced role in "The Smurf Movie" would earn her "cool points" with her children. The Barbados-born artist will voice the role of Smurfette, as well as write and sing original music and produce the film, out February 2025. "I tried to get the Papa Smurf part but it didn't work out," she joked on stage at Caesars Palace. Animation means "I get to show up in my pajamas in my third trimester and play a little boo badass," said Rihanna, who is pregnant with her second child. "I hope this gives me a little bit of cool points with my kids one day. I'm just hoping." amz/caw/lb sky view of Budapest - one of the best destination for European Summer tours Do you have plans to travel to Europe this summer? Thrifty Traveler, a budget travel website, has put together a list of European destinations that offer the lowest airfare for flights from the United States. This is particularly useful since international airfare has gone up over 30% compared to last year, and Europe is expected to have a very busy summer for tourism. The destinations on this list offer round-trip airfare as low as $400 to $600. By flying to one of these destinations first, you can potentially save a lot of money since airfare for flights within Europe is usually inexpensive. Ireland Photo Credit: Colin C. Murphy Dublin stands out as one of the most affordable destinations to fly to from the United States, with many U.S. cities offering round-trip flights for just $400 to $600. Both Aer Lingus, the national airline of Ireland, and various U.S. airlines provide reasonably priced flights to this enchanting destination. After spending a few days exploring Ireland, you can then catch a budget airline to your final European destination, as most cities across Europe are just a few hours away from Dublin. Scandinavia Photo Credit: Steffen Muldbjerg Despite its reputation as the most expensive region in Europe, Scandinavia surprisingly offers some of the most affordable flights from the U.S., with round-trip fares ranging from $500 to $600. To find the best deals, check out flights to the capital cities of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland from various U.S. departure points. However, be aware that prices are usually higher during the peak summer season, with the cheapest flights available during late spring and early fall. Spain Photo Credit: Jorge Fernandez Salas When it comes to finding inexpensive flight options, Spain stands out as one of the top destinations in Europe. Its location on the Iberian Peninsula in Western Europe makes it more accessible from the United States than destinations further east, with plenty of affordable flight options available. Moreover, Spain is an ideal starting point for taking budget flights to other popular European destinations like France, Italy, and Greece. As a summer destination in itself, Spain is a fantastic choice with great deals available in late August and early September for as low as $400 to $500. Story continues Portugal Photo Credit: Nick Karvounis Another Iberian Peninsula gem, Portugal, is famous for its reasonably priced flights from the U.S. via TAP Air Portugal, its national airline, as well as multiple U.S. airlines. With prices as low as $400 to $500 for a round-trip to Lisbon, Portugal, it is one of the most economical European destinations to visit. Much like Spain, Portugal is a perfect springboard for reaching other European locations, with various budget airlines to choose from. Moreover, this summer, Portugal makes an excellent holiday spot with its striking beaches, lively cities, and significantly lower prices compared to other Western European destinations. Iceland Photo Credit: Robert Lukeman Last but not least, Iceland is a top European destination for snagging low-cost flights from the United States. You can score flights to Reykjavik for just $400 to $600 through Icelandair and other airlines. Icelandair offers great stopover deals, giving you the chance to spend a few days in Iceland before heading off to your final European destination. While fares tend to be higher during the peak summer season, the best deals can be found during the shoulder season of late spring and early fall. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Mickey Mouse. (Justin Ide/Reuters, Frank Polich/Bloomberg via Getty Images) The ongoing feud between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Walt Disney Co. took another turn Wednesday when the company filed suit against DeSantis, alleging that he has waged a targeted campaign of government retaliation against it over protected speech. Heres everything we know about the dispute, culled from our original reporting and Yahoo News partner network, including the Associated Press, Miami Herald and Orlando Sentinel. How did DeSantiss fight with Disney begin? A supporter of a gay-friendly Walt Disney Co. in Orlando last summer. (Octavio Jones/Reuters) The long-running rift between DeSantis and the Walt Disney Co. started nearly two years ago when the company required on-site employees at its Orlando theme park to be vaccinated against COVID-19, the Miami Herald reports. DeSantis, in response, announced that he would impose fines on Disney and other companies with vaccine mandates. Things escalated last year when the governor took aim at Disney for publicly opposing legislation restricting schools from teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity, which critics called the states Dont Say Gay law. (The Florida Board of Education recently approved an expanded version of the law at the governors request.) DeSantis urged the Florida Legislature to retaliate by passing legislation that gives the governor control of Walt Disney Worlds Reedy Creek Improvement District and allows him to appoint a five-member board of supervisors. A 1967 Florida law created a special district that allows Disney to govern itself. Theres a new sheriff in town, DeSantis said in February when he signed the legislation. Last week, the governor and state lawmakers proposed legislation that would require state inspections of Disney World rides and prevent it from ever having another mask mandate, the Orlando Sentinel reported. DeSantis even floated the idea of building a state prison next to the theme park. I mean, I just think that the possibilities are endless," he said. How has Disney responded? Disney CEO Bob Iger. (Hannah McKay/Reuters) In February, before DeSantis took control, the company quietly stripped the incoming board of most powers before the new members could take their seats. DeSantis accused Disney of blindsiding him and ordered an investigation into its actions. Story continues Disney CEO Bob Iger defended the move at the companys annual shareholders meeting, calling the governors attempts at retaliation anti-business and anti-Florida. A company has a right to freedom of speech just like an individual does, Iger said, according to the Miami Herald. [DeSantis] retaliates against us in effect to punish a company for exercising its constitutional right. And that seems really wrong to me. Whats the latest in the dispute? DeSantis at a conference at Jerusalem's Museum of Tolerance on Thursday. (Maya Alleruzzo/Pool via Reuters) Disney sued DeSantis in federal court on Wednesday, claiming the company is a victim of the governors "targeted campaign of government retaliation" after it opposed the Dont Say Gay law. In its 77-page lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida in Tallahassee, Disney asked the court to intervene and order DeSantis to stop punishing the company for what it says is constitutionally protected free speech. According to the Associated Press, the suit was filed minutes after a Disney World oversight board appointed by DeSantis voted to void a deal that gave the company authority over design and construction decisions in its sprawling properties near Orlando. "Disney regrets that it has come to this," the company said. But having exhausted efforts to seek a resolution, the company is left with no choice but to file this lawsuit to protect its cast members, guests, and local development partners from a relentless campaign to weaponize government power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint unpopular with certain state officials. The governor, who is currently in Israel, responded to the lawsuit during an event in Jerusalem on Thursday. I dont think the suit has merit, he said. I think its political. DeSantis, a self-styled culture warrior and critic of so-called woke ideology, has used such clashes to leverage his national profile as he weighs a bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. What has been the response from other Republicans? Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley at the Conservative Political Action Conference on March 3. (Sarah Silbiger/Reuters) Nikki Haley, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and 2024 Republican presidential candidate, needled DeSantis, saying her home state of South Carolina would gladly take Disney should the company choose to move out of Florida. Hey @Disney, my home state will happily accept your 70,000+ jobs if you want to leave Florida, Haley tweeted. Weve got great weather, great people, and its always a great day in South Carolina! SCs not woke, but were not sanctimonious about it either. Former President Donald Trump called DeSantiss ongoing feud with Disney unnecessary and a political STUNT! During a livestreamed interview last week, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is considering jumping into the 2024 race, said that if DeSantis cant navigate a feud with Disney, he's not the guy I want sitting across from [Chinese] President Xi [Jinping] ... or sitting across from [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and trying to resolve whats happening in Ukraine. Christie added: I dont think Ron DeSantis is a conservative, based on his actions towards Disney. Its not good for Gov. DeSantis, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, another potential 2024 candidate, recently told CNN. I don't think its good for the Republican Party. Wait, didnt DeSantis get married at Disney World? Casey and Ron DeSantis at their 2009 wedding. (via Facebook) He did. Long before Disney became what he derides as a woke corporation, its sprawling theme park near Orlando was the venue where he once said his I Do's, Insider reported last fall. Heres how it described his nuptials: Dressed in his white, decorated Naval uniform, DeSantis exchanged wedding vows with Casey DeSantis, whose maiden name was Black, at the Grand Floridian's wedding pavilion, a chapel with arched windows overlooking Cinderella's Castle and the Seven Seas Lagoon. The reception was held at Epcot's Italy Isola, in a nod to the couple's Italian heritage. In a joint interview with Ron and Casey DeSantis on Sirius XM in February, the governor said his wife chose the venue, which, given the current feud, he admitted is kind of ironic. (Bloomberg) -- Walt Disney Co.s lawsuit against Ron DeSantis alleging political retaliation was assigned to a federal judge who has frequently ruled against the Florida governors conservative agenda. Most Read from Bloomberg US District Judge Mark Walker, who was appointed in 2012 by President Barack Obama, drew the case after Disney filed its complaint Wednesday in federal court in Tallahassee, Floridas state capital. Disney claims DeSantiss moves to strip the company of control over the jurisdiction in which its Florida theme parks sit are unlawful punishment for its opposition to a 2022 law limiting gender identity and sexual orientation instruction in public schools. The governor has seized upon the fight with Disney to depict himself as standing up to woke corporations. But Walker has previously shown little sympathy for DeSantiss policy objectives in the past. The judge ruled against Floridas ban on some workplace bias and diversity training, saying it violates employers free-speech rights. Walker also blocked part of a law restricting how race and gender can be taught in state universities. In March 2022, the judge struck down parts of a state voting law restricting absentee ballot drop boxes, third-party registration drives and other measures designed to make voting easier. In his ruling, Walker said the right to vote was under siege and said Florida lawmakers enacted the law with the intent to discriminate against Black voters. DeSantis called Walkers ruling performative partisanship that would fall on appeal. Positively Dystopian Walker has shown rhetorical flourishes in taking on DeSantis-backed laws. The judge began his November decision partially blocking restricting state university instruction on race and gender by quoting George Orwells 1984: It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. Walker went on to describe the new law as positively dystopian and said it likely violates the First Amendment. Story continues It wasnt the first time Walker invoked a dystopia in describing DeSantiss policies. In his August ruling on workplace diversity training, the judge suggested life under those policies would be akin to the grim monster-plagued Upside Down world in the Netflix series Stranger Things. All three rulings have been appealed to the 11th Circuit US Court of Appeals. Walker, a lifelong resident of the state, earned undergraduate and law degrees at University of Florida. A onetime public defender, he became a state circuit court judge in 2009 and presided over 135 trials. After Obama nominated him to the federal bench, Walker was confirmed by the US Senate in a 94-0 vote. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. One political statement led to an ongoing political chess game between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Walt Disney World. The yearlong Disney and DeSantis feud started back in March last year when Disneys then-CEO Bob Chapek spoke out against the proposed Parental Rights in Education bill, known by critics as the dont say gay bill. The legislation bars schools from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through the third grade. Heres a play-by-play of how that statement led to a political back-and-forth that culminated with Disney filing a federal lawsuit against DeSantis: Jan. 11, 2022: Members of the Florida House file HB1557, Parental Rights in Education. Feb. 24, 2022: Bill passes the Florida House 69-47. March 8, 2022: Florida Senate passes the bill 22-17. Read: Florida Senate passes controversial Parental Rights in Education bill March 9, 2022: Disney CEO Bob Chapek said in a shareholder call that he signed the Human Rights Campaigns statement opposing Floridas controversial Parental Rights in Education bill. Chapek said he would also donate $5 million to the organization following HB1557s passage. Chapek said he called DeSantis that morning to discuss the companys concerns. He said DeSantis agreed to meet with Chapek and LGBTQ members of the Disney team. Chapek said DeSantis told him the law would not be weaponized to target the LGBTQ community. Read: Disney CEO says he opposes Floridas controversial Parental Rights in Education bill March 11, 2022: DeSantis fires back at Disney. His office released a statement that read in part: Woke Disney is now echoing Democrat propaganda and falling for the corporate medias phony hysteria over a Florida bill that sensibly prohibits K through third graders from being indoctrinated with transgenderism and R-rated lessons about sexuality. Read: Gov. DeSantis fires back at woke Disney after CEO opposes Parental Rights in Education bill Story continues The same day, Chapek announced that Disney would be pausing all political donations in Florida in response to the passage of the Parental Rights in Education bill. Chapek also apologized to employees for taking so long to speak out against the bill. You needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let you down. I am sorry. Chapek said. Read: Disney CEO: Company to pause political donations in Florida following Parental Rights Bill response March 22, 2022: Disney cast members staged a full-day walkout in protest of what they called Chapeks lack of action over the bill. Read: Disney cast members to stage walkout over controversial Parental Rights in Education bill March 28, 2022: DeSantis signs Parental Rights in Education into law at the Classical Preparatory School in Spring Hill, about 46 miles north of Tampa. Read: DeSantis signs bill forbidding instruction on sexual orientation, gender identity in certain grades April 19, 2022: DeSantis announced that Florida legislators would consider whether to end special districts put into place before 1968, including the one that gives Walt Disney World Resort essentially its own government, during their special session. Since Disney moved to Florida in the 60s, the park has been able to operate its own government, providing its own services for things like fire, roads, and water. Read: DeSantis: Florida lawmakers to consider ending Disneys self-governing power during special session April 21, 2022: The Florida legislature voted to abolish Disneys Reedy Creek Improvement District two days after the governor added the decision to its special session. Its obvious that this is political retribution that is at play here and thats probably not the best solution, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said. Read: Political retribution: Demings denounces decision to strip Disneys self-governing power April 22, 2022: DeSantis signs the bill to dissolve Disneys Reedy Creek Improvement District. The law would dissolve the district as of June 2023. Read: DeSantis signs bill to dissolve Disneys self-governing power Nov. 20, 2022: The board of directors at Disney announced Sunday evening that Bob Iger would replace Bob Chapek as CEO effective immediately. Read: Bob Iger returns as Disney CEO, replacing Bob Chapek Jan. 31, 2023: DeSantis Press Secretary released a statement confirming the governor anticipates a special session next week on Reedy Creek and other items. Read: DeSantis: Special session on Disneys Reedy Creek expected next week Feb. 8, 2023: A State House committee passed changes to Disneys Reedy Creek Improvement District. The bill changes the name of the district to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. It also gives DeSantis authority to appoint a five-member Board of Supervisors that would direct the district. Read: A look at the bill that could dissolve Disneys Reedy Creek As the Florida House was passing legislation to give DeSantis his new power, Reedy Creeks board members signed a development agreement with the company that allowed Disney maximum developmental power over its territory for the next 30 years. Read: Power play: Disney handicapped new Reedy Creek board before handing over control Feb. 10, 2023: State lawmakers approved the bill shifting thecontrol of the Reedy Creek Improvement District away from Disney. Read: Bill to replace Disneys Reedy Creek district on Gov. DeSantis desk to sign Meanwhile, Walt Disney World said it does not plan to fight the changes being made to Reedy Creek Improvement District and will let Gov. Ron DeSantis take control of its Board of Supervisors. Read: Disney World does not plan to fight changes to Reedy Creek, president says Feb 27, 2023: DeSantis signed a law dissolving Disney Worlds Reedy Creek Improvement District putting it under state control. Today, the corporate kingdom finally comes to an end, DeSantis said. DeSantis appointed the following people to run the state-controlled board: Martin Garcia, an attorney from Tampa, as chairman Sarasota County School Board member Bridget Ziegler Clearwater attorney Brian Aungst Attorney Michael Sasso Chairman and CEO of The Gathering USA Ron Peri Read: DeSantis signs law dissolving Reedy Creek, putting Disneys improvement district under state control March 30, 2023: The new Central Florida Tourism Oversight board said in a meeting that they discovered that in their final days of controlling the Reedy Creek improvement districts board, Disney executives and attorneys found a way to poison the authority of the incoming members. Read: Power play: Disney handicapped new Reedy Creek board before handing over control March 31, 2023: Attorney General Ashley Moody waded into the fight between Disney and Reedy Creek over developmental control of the taxing district one day after officials revealed Disney stripped the new state-appointed board of its most important oversight powers before it handed over the keys. Moody demanded records from the district. Read: Attorney General Ashley Moody steps into Disney fight, demands Reedy Creek records April 3, 2023: DeSantis orders an investigation into the former board of the Reedy Creek Improvement District. Read: DeSantis calls for investigation into former Reedy Creek board April 17, 2023: DeSantis said there is legislation coming that will revoke a development agreement passed by the Reedy Creek board before the state took it over. Read: DeSantis: Legislature will revoke development agreement passed by former Reedy Creek board April 26, 2023: Disney files a lawsuit against DeSantis on Wednesday claiming the governor launched a targeted campaign of government retaliation against the company over differences of political opinion. Read: Disney sues DeSantis alleging targeted campaign of government retaliation May 1, 2023: The chairman of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board announced Monday that the board is suing Disney back in state court. Since Disney sued us, we have no choice now but to respond, Chairman Martin Garcia said. Read: After Disney sues DeSantis, Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board to sue back 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. People stand by a damaged building in Kiev, Ukraine, Dec. 31, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua] Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday that dialogue and negotiations are the only viable way out for the Ukraine crisis, and no one wins a nuclear war. He made the remarks while talking to his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, over phone. The two sides exchanged views on China-Ukraine relations and the Ukraine crisis. China will send a special representative of the Chinese government on Eurasian affairs to visit Ukraine and other countries to conduct in-depth communication with all parties on the political settlement of the crisis, he said. Xi pointed out that bilateral relations have gone through 31 years of development and reached the level of strategic partnership, which has boosted the respective development and revitalization of the two countries. Xi said he appreciated President Zelensky's repeated expression of emphasis on the development of China-Ukraine ties and cooperation with China, and thanked Ukraine for providing considerable assistance for the evacuation of Chinese citizens last year. Mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, said Xi, is the political foundation of the bilateral ties. He called on both sides to focus on the future, keep on viewing and making plans for bilateral relations from a long-term perspective, and extend the tradition of mutual respect and treating each other with sincerity, so as to propel the development of the China-Ukraine strategic partnership. China's willingness to develop its relations with Ukraine is consistent and clear, Xi said, adding that no matter how the international situation changes, China is willing to work with the country to push forward mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries. Xi pointed out that the Ukraine crisis is evolving in complex ways with major impacts on the international landscape. On the Ukraine crisis, China always stands on the side of peace, and its core stance is to facilitate talks for peace, he said. Xi noted his proposals of four points about what must be done, four things the international community must do together and three observations, saying that on this basis, China released its Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis. China did not create the Ukraine crisis, nor is it a party to the crisis, Xi said, adding that as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible major country, China would not sit idly by, nor would it add oil to the fire, still less exploit the situation for self gains. Everything China does is aboveboard, said the Chinese president. On the nuclear issue, all relevant parties must stay calm and exercise restraint, truly act in the interests of their own future and that of humanity, and jointly manage the crisis, he said, adding that with rational thinking and voices now on the rise, it is important to seize the opportunity and build up favorable conditions for the political settlement of the crisis. It is hoped that all parties would seriously reflect on the Ukraine crisis and jointly explore ways to bring lasting peace and security to Europe through dialogue, Xi said. China will continue to facilitate talks for peace and make its efforts for early ceasefire and restoration of peace, he added. China has sent multiple batches of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and will keep providing help to the best of its ability, Xi said. For his part, Zelensky congratulated President Xi on his re-election, commended China for its remarkable achievements, and expressed confidence that under the leadership of President Xi, China will successfully address various challenges and continue to move forward. China upholds the purposes and principles of the UN Charter in international affairs and has significant influence on the international stage, Zelensky said, adding that the Ukrainian side is committed to the one-China policy, and hopes to advance all-round cooperation with China, open up a new chapter in Ukraine-China relations, and jointly safeguard world peace and stability. Zelensky shared his views on the current state of the Ukraine crisis, thanked China for providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, and welcomed China's important role in restoring peace and seeking diplomatic solution to the crisis. (Bloomberg) -- A governor-appointed tourism board in Florida on Monday voted to sue the Walt Disney Co., just days after the company sued Ron DeSantis on the grounds that he engaged in a political effort to hurt its business. Its the latest escalation in a dispute that started more than a year ago.DeSantiss criticism of Disney over its perceived liberal agenda, like backing LGBTQ+ rights and other social issues, has struck a chord with conservative voices. Yet hes also faced criticism for taking things too far. Disney is one of Central Floridas top taxpayers, contributing more than $1.1 billion in state and local taxes last year, and its one of the largest employers in the state with tens of thousands of workers. Most Read from Bloomberg Here's a timeline of the fight:March 8, 2022: Floridas Senate passes legislation to limit instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation from kindergarten to third grade, enabling parents to more easily sue schools.March 9: Facing an internal uproar after not taking a stand on the controversial law, former Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Chapek says he opposes the legislation. He tells investors he had called DeSantis that morning to "to express our disappointment and concern. March 28: DeSantis signs the Parental Rights in Education bill into law. Shortly after, Disney issues a statement saying the bill should never have passed and should never have been signed into law.April 19: DeSantis asks the state's legislature to terminate long-standing special privileges granted to Walt Disney World and its associated theme parks in the area. For over 50 years, the Reedy Creek Improvement District, a local governing and special tax jurisdiction, gave Disney significant autonomy to manage daily operations. Within hours, bills were filed in the Florida House and Senate.April 22: DeSantis signs the law to strip Disney of its self-governance privileges starting June 1, 2023. If Disney wants to pick a fight, they chose the wrong guy.May 16: DeSantis says that control of Disneys special government district would likely go to the state.Dec. 3: A key Florida legislator reveals that lawmakers are considering how they may restore some but not all of the privileges that were previously revoked by Disney from the state. Jan. 12, 2023: DeSantis says he expects to gain more control over Disneys special district board. The corporate kingdom has come to an end, he says. You cannot have a corporation controlling its own government. That is not good governance.Feb. 6: Florida lawmakers file a new bill that would give DeSantis the power to appoint the five-member board of supervisors that runs Disneys special district. The new rules prevent anyone with ties to a theme park in the past three years from serving on the board. Story continues Feb. 8: In the final meeting before the DeSantis appointees take over, the board running the Disney district quietly signs contracts that would limit the powers of the new municipal authority that will govern its Florida theme parks for years. The changes went unnoticed until they were decried by the new board at the end of March.Feb. 10: Florida senators approve a bill that gives DeSantis control over the board. Under the new legislation, Reedy Creek would be renamed the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.Feb. 27: DeSantis signs the bill, ending Disneys special status and giving himself control over the board that oversees Disneys theme parks municipal services.March 29: The newly appointed board of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District says they don't have much ability to govern because of the changes introduced by the now-defunct Reedy Creek board. April 3: At Disneys annual meeting, Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger comes out swinging at DeSantis saying his policies for the theme-park giant have been not just anti-Florida, but anti-business. Iger adds that a company has a right to freedom of speech just like individuals do.April 17: DeSantis vows to undo the changes Disney made and further threatens the company, suggesting the state might impose taxes on nearby hotels, add tolls to roads leading to Disney properties and possibly build a prison near the companys theme parks. Who knows? I just think the possibilities are endless. April 26: Disney sues DeSantis, alleging hes threatening billions of dollars in business as retaliation for the company speaking against his policies. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Tallahassee. May 1: The oversight district board voted unanimously to sue Disney in a special meeting. The group said they would sue Disney in Floridas state court. (Updates first and last paragraph with details on plans by the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District to counter-sue Disney.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Christale Spain, one of three running for chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party, added another notable backer to her list of endorsements. Democratic National Committee Jaime Harrison, a former state party chairman who until Thursday remained out of the current chairs race, endorsed Spain two days before delegates choose the next leader of the state Democratic Party. Harrisons endorsement follows that of close ally Congressman Jim Clyburn, who endorsed Spain earlier this month. Harrisons endorsement could seal a victory for Spain, who is running against activist Catherine Fleming Bruce and Brandon Upson, chair of the partys Black caucus. On all levels folks need to be able to rely upon and trust the judgment of the state party chair, Harrison said in a two-minute and 40-second video released Thursday and first obtained by The State newspaper. Christale will always put the interests of South Carolina Democrats first. The party will meet Saturday in Columbia to elect a chair to succeed Trav Robertson, who opted not to seek another two-year term. The race has resembled that of a traditional election, with candidates trying to whip the estimated 1,600 delegates expected to vote. Whoever wins Saturday will be tasked with trying to right the ship of a party that has not won a statewide race since 2006 and lost a handful of State House seats over the last two election cycles. Democrats lost five seats in the State House in 2020, then eight more seats in 2022. Republicans also flipped the coastal 1st Congressional District in 2020, and last year won the governors race by nearly 18 points. Whoever wins chair also will sit in charge of the first in the nation Democratic presidential primary in 2024 and work to ensure the state party keeps that slot in the 2028 election. Harrison said Spain is the only candidate in the race who understands how state parties operate during a presidential election year and has the ability to oversee party conventions on county, state and national levels. Story continues The race kicked off in February, when Upson announced his candidacy. Upson is running with a slate of candidates seeking vice chair positions. Since entering the race, hes rolled out endorsements from Democratic state Reps. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, of Orangeburg, and John King, of York, and former state superintendent of education candidate Lisa Ellis, among others. Bruce has promoted endorsements from 14 former and current county party leaders. Currently, Spain works for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee as the senior advisor of Black engagement. Prior she was the state partys executive director and worked for Clyburn. Bruce and Spain are both seeking to become the first Black woman to lead the S.C. Democratic Party. Harrison ran the state party from 2013 to 2017. In 2020, he unsuccessfully challenged Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, raising $132 million. He lost by 10 percentage points. Spain has received $10,000 for her campaign from Clyburn, while Upson has raised money through an Act Blue account, a Democratic Party fundraising tool. Harrison in his video message, pointed to how Spain helped hold off large gains by Republicans in the 2022 midterm elections, winning 12 of the 13 races she worked on. She has the strategy to get South Carolina Democrats back on a winning track, Harrison said. The coronation of King Charles III takes place on Saturday, May 6, at Westminster Abbey in London. During the ceremony, Charles will be crowned King alongside his wife, Camilla, the Queen Consort. Before the big day, there are a few new documentaries to watch to bring you up to speed on Charles life. (Of course, if you want a fictionalized, dramatized version of royal life, its hard to beat The Crown, which is streaming on Netflix.) Well update this list as more specials are announced. April 28: Charles: In His Own Words (National Geographic / Hulu / Disney+) (*Programming note: This documentary premieres on the National Geographic channel at 10 p.m. on April 28, then streams on Hulu April 29 and on Disney+ May 5) Charles: In His Own Words is a history of one of the most scrutinized public figures in the world man some have called the Rebel Prince through a collection of rare archival material. The documentary explores his relationships with his current wife, Camilla, Queen Consort; and with his first wife, Diana, Princess of Wales. From National Geographic, the documentary offers a rare view into the real Charles, back to the beginning, revealing the formative events that have influenced the man, former Prince and the King he was destined to be. The film is from the creator of Diana: In Her Own Words, Peabody and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Tom Jennings. (Note: The two-hour film Diana: In Her Own Words airs Friday, April 28, at 8 p.m., just before the King Charles doc.) May 2: King Charles: The Boy Who Walked Alone (Paramount+) This new streaming documentary looks at the life of King Charles with interviews from former girlfriends, schoolmates, royal watchers and staff, with many speaking for the first time disclosing new details about the King. The doc is described as partly a coming-of-age tale, bringing to life an intimate portrait of Englands future king. New insights include a memory from King Charles former boarding schoolmate Johnny Stonborough, who recalls how Charles was the boy who walked alone, in response to ongoing bullying and isolation. Story continues There are also new details about his relationship with the late Princess Diana and how that may have impacted his relationship with his youngest son, Prince Harry. Among those interviewed: India Hicks, King Charles goddaughter; Mervyn Wycherley, former head chef to the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer; former classmate Johnny Stonborough; squadron leader Graham Laurien, who flew King Charles more than 760 times; and former girlfriends Janet Jenkins and Jane Ward. Some programming descriptions are provided by networks. Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty Fox News sudden firing of its highest-rated star Tucker Carlson sent the media industry into a frenzy, prompting questions over what prompted the shock move and what impact, if any, a series of major lawsuits against the network had on the ouster. A preponderance of reporting over the past few days has suggested to varying degrees that revelations from Dominions now-settled defamation lawsuit against the network and from former Tucker Carlson Tonight producer Abby Grossbergs suit alleging a hostile workplace contributed to Foxs decision to give Carlson the boot. And now, looking toward the future, that raises a bigger question for some: If the lawsuits played a role in Carlsons exit, why hasnt Fox also given the boot to other figuresmost especially Maria Bartiromowho loom large over the litigation? That point has not been lost on media observers, both left and right. I think this is a massive misjudgment of what their audience wants, former Fox host-turned-conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly said Monday on her show. If this is a reaction to the Dominion lawsuit, why is Maria Bartiromo there? Why is Jeanine Pirro still there? Why is Suzanne Scott still there? Fox News did not respond to a request for comment. Jaw-Dropping Filings Reveal Civil War Inside Fox News Bartiromo in particular has emerged as a central figure in Foxs ongoing woes. She was a key on-air booster of former President Donald Trumps 2020 election-fraud lies and, in internal documents made public last month in the Dominion case, she said she was depressed by Joe Bidens election win and texted Trump aides such as Steve Bannon that she simply refused to accept his victory. I want to see massive fraud exposed. Will [Trump] be able to turn this around, she asked Bannon on Nov. 10, three days after Fox projected Biden as the winner. I told my team were not allowed to say pres elect. Not in scripts. Not in banners on air. Until this moves through the courts. Story continues Bartiromo was also named as a defendant in a separate defamation lawsuit filed by another voting tech company, Smartmatic, and she was heard on tapes produced by Grossberg, the former Carlson and Bartiromo producer, who alleged the network coerced her into false statements during her Dominion deposition. In the audio recordings published by NBC News, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) pitched Bartiromo on a scheme to overthrow the election, elsewhere emphasizing to her that allegations of election fraud must include demonstrable facts that can be laid out with evidence. Pirro similarly played a major role in the Dominion case. Emails released in pretrial filings showed that her own producer found a planned Judge Jeanine opening monologue so ludicrousincluding false claims that Dominion was founded in Venezuela with Cuban funds and that it worked to steal the electionthat he tried to get Fox executives to shut it down. Its rife with conspiracy theories and BS and is yet another example why this woman should never be on live television, executive producer Jerry Andrews wrote to two executives. Andrews said the segment would go through Foxs brain room, its in-house fact-checking departmentthough their conclusions were ultimately ignored by Pirro. Fox even pulled Pirro off the air for an evening just after the election because they could not trust her to be honest, according to a Dominion filing. Both Bartiromo and Pirro, along with former Fox host Lou Dobbs, eventually aired the same pre-taped fact-check segment that disputed many of the claims they aired on their shows. And so, even though Carlson was swiftly given the boot, just days after Fox shelled out $787.5 million to Dominion, central figures like Bartiromo and Pirro remain with the network. They were way more out front in the Dominion lawsuit, noted Larry Stuelpnagel, an associate professor of journalism and a lecturer in political science at Northwestern University. They were also [more] out front than Tucker in the Dominion situation. Maybe theres some negotiations going on right now with their contractwho knows whats going to come out of that. Maybe when that next lawsuit comes, there will be more to learn. Tucker Carlsons ouster was a shock, but I do believe other personalities will be leaving in the months to come, said Vanity Fair special correspondent Brian Stelter, the author of Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth and the upcoming Network of Lies. I dont know how many others, and I dont know who exactly, but the fallout from the Dominion case is not over yet. Tom Clare, a lawyer for Dominion, declined to comment through a spokesperson. Smartmatic did not respond to a request for comment. Bartiromo Ran Kiss-Ass, Election-Denying Trump Interview Questions by White House First News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch acknowledged in his deposition that the two hosts, along with Dobbs, believed Trumps lies, though he tried to distance the network itself from their unhinged conspiracies. Fox later claimed that Bartiromo expressed uncertainty as time passed. Its Pirro and Bartiromos seeming loyalty and subservience to the network that perhaps sets them apart from Carlson, said Matthew Sheffield, a former conservative media personality who now hosts the podcast Theory of Change. Carlson thought of himself as being bigger than Murdochs media empire, an authoritarian political system, as Sheffield described it, which rankled the networks top brass. That was basically the last straw, he suggested. Its no different than, you know, they knew Bill OReilly was sexually harassing women. They knew Roger Ailes was creating his own sexual servant relationships for himself. Its ultimately when they became too troublesomethats when someone at Fox is usually let go. And ultimately, Bartiromo and Pirros fate at the network may be firmly tied to the outcome of pending litigation. Grossberg has claimed the network perpetuated a sexist and misogynistic environment where Fox execs allegedly used vulgar terms to deride Bartiromosomething that could become a larger issue if either she or Pirro, two female hosts, are axed too soon. Even Ted Cruz Warned Fox Host About False 2020 Election Claims I would suspect that thats coming in the future, a lawyer involved with Grossbergs case told The Daily Beast. I think its kind of strategically smart for them to let go Tucker first before any of the female anchors involved. Others suggested that parting ways with Bartiromo right now and then having to replace her may present a hefty challenge during an already-tumultuous time at the network. While Carlson hosted his own show five nights a week, along with a Fox Nation program, and Pirro serves as one of five anchors on The Five, Bartiromo leads three hours of the Fox Business Networks Mornings With Maria alongside her hourlong hosting duties on the mothership channel Sunday Morning Futures. The latter show has often rated higher in both the key demographic of viewers ages 25-54 and total viewers than its 10 a.m. time slot competitors on both CNN and MSNBC. If Fox makes a change involving Maria, theyre going to need to figure out a backup plan, Stelter said. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. The Department of Justice submitted a court filing Wednesday challenging a Tennessee law that prohibits transgender surgical procedures and hormonal treatments for minors, intervening in an ongoing federal lawsuit by asking the court to strike down the law before it takes effect on July 1. The law, which was signed by Tennessee governor Bill Lee in March, violates the Fourteenth Amendments equal protection clause, the DOJ argued. Left unchallenged, it would prohibit transgender children from receiving health care that their medical providers and their parents have determined to be medically necessary, Henry Leventis, a Middle District U.S. Attorney, said in a statement released Wednesday. In doing so, the law seeks to substitute the judgment of trained medical professionals and parents with that of elected officials and codifies discrimination against children who already face far too many obstacles. In late February, the Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill, HB1, which specifically barred the prescription of hormone or puberty blockers for gender dysphoric youth. The ACLU sued last week to block the law on behalf of three Tennessee families with transgender-identifying kids. Tennessee Equality Project, a group focused on LGBTQ issues, condemned the legislation, arguing that it endangered youth. The House took life-saving healthcare options away from trans youth and their families and ignored the 1st Amendment by passing HB1 and HB9. Almost 300 organizations, congregations, businesses have spoken out against them. Governor Lee should veto them, the group tweeted Thursday afternoon. The House took life-saving healthcare options away from trans youth and their families and ignored the 1st Amendment by passing HB1 and HB9. Almost 300 organizations, congregations, businesses have spoken out against them. Governor Lee should veto them. https://t.co/W9Z8l3yX1U TN Equality Project (@tnequality) February 23, 2023 The bill came after the Daily Wire revealed that senior figures at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center bragged that transgender surgical procedures for minors were a big money maker, which ultimately led the institution to temporarily suspend surgeries. Story continues Tennessees attorney general, Jonathan Skrmetti, has stood by the legislation despite the pushback. Mounting evidence has persuaded a growing number of countries that irreversible medical interventions are not appropriate for kids showing symptoms of gender dysphoria, Elizabeth Lane, a spokeswoman for Skrmetti said in a statement published last week. The Tennessee General Assembly passed a law to protect Tennessee children from the lifelong consequences of these interventions, and we will vigorously defend that law. The Department of Justice intervened and filed a similar lawsuit in April 2022 challenging a similar bill in Alabama. More from National Review Don Lemon has said he had no regrets and owns his actions after being fired from CNN following his 17-year stint with the network. Lemon announced his firing on Monday, saying he was stunned after being informed of the decision by his agent, and lamenting the lack of decency in the handling of the situation, which CNN rejected as inaccurate. Don will forever be a part of the CNN family, and we thank him for his contributions over the past 17 years, CNN said. We wish him well and will be cheering him on in his future endeavours. I live my life with no regrets. I did what I did and I own it, and so no, I dont look back and I dont want to change things in the past, Lemon said in an interview with Extra TV at the Time 100 Gala NYC. It came as Lemon had been mired in a string of controversies in recent months with accusations of making offensive on-air comments about women and of mistreating female coworkers off-camera. Lemon has denied the allegations. Key Points Don Lemon says he has no regrets after sexism claims: I own it Don Lemon fired from CNN after accusations of sexist comments and mistreatment of female colleagues What Lemon said about presidential candidate Nikki Haley Donald Trump rejoices in Lemons departure from CNN CNN co-anchors Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins respond to anchors dismissal California congressman defends Lemon over Ramaswamy interview Howard Stern brands Don Lemon lucky as his firing coincided with Tucker Carlsons 05:07 , Tom Murray While Don Lemon claimed his termination came without warning, Howard Stern has suggested theres some good in the timing of it all. The TV personality argued that because Lemons firing coincided with Fox News parting ways with Tucker Carlson, the controversial host would attract the most attention, leaving Lemon with less heated criticism. Read more: Howard Stern claims Don Lemon lucky to be fired at same time as Tucker Carlson Don Lemon says he has no regrets as he addresses CNN exit after sexism claims: I own it 05:06 , Shweta Sharma Story continues Don Lemon said he had no regrets and owns his actions after being fired from CNN following his 17-year stint with the network. Lemon announced his firing on Monday, saying he was stunned after being informed of the decision by his agent, and lamenting the lack of decency in the handling of the situation, which the CNN rejected as inaccurate. The news anchor hit the red carpet at the Time 100 Gala in New York City following his axing and spoke to Extra Tv about the channels decision. Don Lemon addresses CNN exit after sexism claims Don Lemons career timeline 04:08 , Tom Murray Before joining CNN 17 years ago, Lemon worked on NBCs Today and Nightly News programmes. The Independent has put together Lemons career timeline, from his first job in journalism to his dismissal from CNN. Timeline of fired CNN host Don Lemons career Don Lemon denies misogyny allegations calling them patently false 03:10 , Tom Murray This is what the presenter himself has had to say about the sexism accusations levelled against him. Don Lemon denies workplace misogyny accusations calling them patently false Nikki Haley celebrates Lemons dismissal with custom merchandise 02:12 , Tom Murray The former South Carolina governor and US ambassador to the UN, herself now a Republican presidential contender, took to Twitter yesterday to celebrate the downfall of the man who controversially suggested she was past her prime and wasted no time in turning the moment into a sales opportunity. A great day for women everywhere. Now, lets get men out of womens sports, she wrote before pitching a range of beer can koozies emblazened with her slogans. A great day for women everywhere. Now, let's get men out of womens sports. #StillInMyPrime https://t.co/u1KKBf4JRT pic.twitter.com/bLJXUSixkS Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) April 24, 2023 Rick Ross offers Don Lemon a job at Wingstop 01:19 , Tom Murray Rapper Rick Ross has responded to the news of Lemons firing from CNN by offering him a job at his fast food chain Wingstop. For some reason, I believe you know what youre doing with them lemon pepper wings, so man just send over your resume, Ross said. Seventeen years, damn. But Im going to make sure I get you in front of the right grill brother. Read more: Rick Ross offers Don Lemon a job at WingStop pic.twitter.com/77ZBmXiNm7 philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) April 25, 2023 Don Lemon denies misogyny allegations calling them patently false Thursday 27 April 2023 00:00 , Inga Parkel This is what the presenter himself has had to say about the sexism accusations levelled against him. TV CNN Don Lemon (2021 Invision) The CNN news anchor said story is based on 15-year-old anonymous gossip California congressman defends Lemon over Ramaswamy interview Wednesday 26 April 2023 23:00 , Inga Parkel As we mentioned earlier, The New York Times has reported that CNN executives were left exasperated by the heated interview Don Lemon carried out with entrepreneur and aspiring Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy last week, in which their pair sparred over the history of the civil rights movement as co-presenter Poppy Harlow squirmed awkwardly in her chair. However, California Democratic congressman Ro Khanna has leapt to the anchors defence, retweeting the clip and commenting: Don Lemon was right. As an Indian American, I was profoundly embarrassed by Vivek lecturing a Black man about Black history. The truth is that the Black civil rights movement paved the way for the 1965 immigration act so that Viveks family or mine could come to America. We owe a huge debt. Don Lemon was right. As an Indian American, I was profoundly embarrassed by Vivek lecturing a Black man about Black history. The truth is that the Black civil rights movement paved the way for the 1965 immigration act so that Viveks family or mine could come to America. We owe a https://t.co/oprlEsxHAI Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) April 25, 2023 Nikki Haley wastes no time in using Lemon dismissal to hawk merchandise Wednesday 26 April 2023 22:00 , Inga Parkel The former South Carolina governor and US ambassador to the UN, herself now a Republican presidential contender, took to Twitter yesterday to celebrate the downfall of the man who controversially suggested she was past her prime and wasted no time in turning the moment into a sales opportunity. A great day for women everywhere. Now, lets get men out of womens sports, she wrote before pitching a range of beer can koozies emblazoned with her slogans. A great day for women everywhere. Now, let's get men out of womens sports. #StillInMyPrime https://t.co/u1KKBf4JRT pic.twitter.com/bLJXUSixkS Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) April 24, 2023 Ousted CNN presenter previously claimed the White House hopeful was not in her prime What will happen to CNN This Morning? Wednesday 26 April 2023 21:00 , Inga Parkel During Lemons earlier leave, following his controversial comments about Nikki Haleys age, anchor Sara Sidner filled his spot beside co-host Poppy Harlow. However, at the moment, the network has yet to announce any plans for a permanent replacement. For now, Harlow and co-anchor Kaitlan Collins will continue hosting the show as usual. Co-anchors Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins react to Don Lemon's firing Wednesday 26 April 2023 20:00 , Inga Parkel The morning after CNN announced Lemons termination, CNN This Morning went along with business as usual with co-anchors Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins hosting the show. However, before jumping into the days news, the two gave Lemon a swift and upbeat send-off, wishing him well. Read more: Media-CNN-Lemon (2022 Invision) Lemon was fired on Monday after 17 years of broadcasting at CNN Howard Stern brands Don Lemon lucky as his firing coincided with Tucker Carlsons Wednesday 26 April 2023 19:00 , Inga Parkel While Don Lemon claimed his termination came without warning, Howard Stern has suggested theres some good in the timing of it all. The TV personality argued that because Lemons firing coincided with Fox News parting ways with Tucker Carlson, the controversial host would attract the most attention, leaving Lemon with less heated criticism. Read more: (Getty Images) CNNs Lemon and Foxs Carlson announced their departure on Monday (24 April) Michelle Yeohs dig at Don Lemon in Oscars acceptance speech revisited Wednesday 26 April 2023 18:00 , Joe Sommerlad Lemons sexist remark about Nikki Haley earned him a callout from the Best Actress winner at this years Academy Awards in Los Angeles just last month. Peony Hirwani looks back at an excruciating moment for the anchor as he was put to the sword by legendary action star Michelle Yeoh as she accepted her statuette for Everything Everywhere All At Once. Michelle Yeoh takes aim at CNNs Don Lemon with Oscars acceptance speech The Don Lemon scandal is not a scandal Wednesday 26 April 2023 17:15 , Joe Sommerlad For Indy Voices, Clemence Michallon offers this on Lemons past her prime scandal from earlier this year, which in retrospect appears to have marked the beginning of the end for him at CNN. The Don Lemon scandal is not a scandal | Voices Don Lemon career timeline Wednesday 26 April 2023 16:30 , Joe Sommerlad Inga Parkel has this look back at the fired CNN stars career in the media. Timeline of fired CNN host Don Lemons career How CNN reported Don Lemons departure Wednesday 26 April 2023 15:45 , Joe Sommerlad In case you missed it, this is how anchors Poppy Harlow and Kaitlin Collins covered the Lemon news on his former show on Tuesday morning, with both women sharing positive memories of his contribution and thanking viewers for tuning in. CNN's Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins address Don Lemon's termination at the top of the morning show. pic.twitter.com/U5RpXL8cEA The Recount (@therecount) April 25, 2023 Heres more from Ariana Baio. Don Lemon receives swift and upbeat send-off from CNN co-anchors Rick Ross offers Don Lemon a job at Wingstop Wednesday 26 April 2023 15:00 , Joe Sommerlad Rapper Rick Ross has responded to the news of Lemons firing from CNN by offering him a job at his fast food chain Wingstop. For some reason, I believe you know what youre doing with them lemon pepper wings, so man just send over your resume, Ross said. Seventeen years, damn. But Im going to make sure I get you in front of the right grill brother. Rick Ross offers Don Lemon a job at WingStop pic.twitter.com/77ZBmXiNm7 philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) April 25, 2023 Ross and his family own nearly 30 franchises of the popular fried chicken chain. Lemon lucky to be ousted same time as Carlson, says Howard Stern Wednesday 26 April 2023 14:15 , Joe Sommerlad The legendary radio shock jock has said that the ousted CNN anchor Don Lemon and fired NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell were lucky to lose their jobs at the same time as Foxs Tucker Carlson. Don Lemon got fired over at CNN and then some other guy at NBC, Jeff Shell, whos an executive, got fired, Stern said on Tuesdays episode of his SiriusXM radio show. And Im like, Jeff Shells so lucky, and so is Don Lemon, because Tucker Carlson getting fired on the same day you get fired you barely make news, like no one will even notice. Now is the time to get rid of everybody, cause no ones going to really make a big deal about it. Im not sure its played out like that in practice but heres Ellie Muir with more. Howard Stern claims Don Lemon lucky to be fired at same time as Tucker Carlson Nikki Haley wastes no time in using Lemon dismissal to hawk merchandise Wednesday 26 April 2023 13:30 , Joe Sommerlad The former South Carolina governor and US ambassador to the UN, herself now a Republican presidential contender, took to Twitter yesterday to celebrate the downfall of the man who controversially suggested she was past her prime and wasted no time in turning the moment into a sales opportunity. A great day for women everywhere. Now, lets get men out of womens sports, she wrote before pitching a range of beer can koozies emblazened with her slogans. A great day for women everywhere. Now, let's get men out of womens sports. #StillInMyPrime https://t.co/u1KKBf4JRT pic.twitter.com/bLJXUSixkS Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) April 24, 2023 Ariana Baio has more on this timeliest of grifts. Nikki Haley celebrates Don Lemon being ousted with custom koozies Don Lemon denies misogyny allegations calling them patently false Wednesday 26 April 2023 12:45 , Joe Sommerlad This is what the presenter himself has had to say about the sexism accusations levelled against him. Don Lemon denies workplace misogyny accusations calling them patently false The View host defends Lemon over misogyny accusations Wednesday 26 April 2023 12:00 , Joe Sommerlad Also speaking up for Lemon yesterday was The Views Sunny Hostin, who said: I dont believe, in my experience with him, that hes a misogynist. I think he loves women: he loves his mother, he loved his sister, he loves me, he loves Joy Behar. Ingal Parker has more. The Views Sunny Hostin defends friend Don Lemon after CNN firing California congressman defends Lemon over Ramaswamy interview Wednesday 26 April 2023 11:15 , Joe Sommerlad As we mentioned earlier, The New York Times has reported that CNN executives were left exasperated by the heated interview Don Lemon carried out with entrepreneur and aspiring Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy last week, in which their pair sparred over the history of the civil rights movement as co-presenter Poppy Harlow squirmed awkwardly in her chair. However, California Democratic congressman Ro Khanna has leapt to the anchors defence, retweeting the clip and commenting: Don Lemon was right. As an Indian American, I was profoundly embarrassed by Vivek lecturing a Black man about Black history. The truth is that the Black civil rights movement paved the way for the 1965 immigration act so that Viveks family or mine could come to America. We owe a huge debt. Don Lemon was right. As an Indian American, I was profoundly embarrassed by Vivek lecturing a Black man about Black history. The truth is that the Black civil rights movement paved the way for the 1965 immigration act so that Viveks family or mine could come to America. We owe a https://t.co/oprlEsxHAI Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) April 25, 2023 Sean Hannity gloats over dismissal of fake news enthusiast Don Lemon Wednesday 26 April 2023 10:45 , Joe Sommerlad Ironic applause and whistles broke out in the Fox News studio as Hannity covered the Lemon news last night an astonishingly hypocritical attack on a fellow professional given what the recent Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit revealed about what went on at Fox behind the scenes in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election. Hannity: Don Lemon is out at CNN Audience: *cheers* pic.twitter.com/nQhBDjEqCA Acyn (@Acyn) April 25, 2023 Why was Don Lemon fired from CNN? Wednesday 26 April 2023 10:00 , Joe Sommerlad While the precise reasoning behind Lemons dismissal from CNN is still not totally clear, one thing is certain: his exit from the network was involuntary. John Bowden has more on a suprise move that coincided with Tucker Carlsons bombshell ousting from conservative rival Fox. Why was Don Lemon fired from CNN? Lemon had heated exchange with Vivek Ramaswamy last week Wednesday 26 April 2023 07:59 , Tom Murray According to The New York Times, several CNN leaders were left exasperated by Lemons heated interview with Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy last week. Lemon and Ramaswarmy fiercely debated the Second Amendment right to bear arms and its role in Black history. At one point, Lemon removed his earpiece as he said he couldnt hear his subject while producers were talking in his ear. according to the NYT this interview that Don Lemon conducted last week with Vivek Ramaswamy played a role in his firing. Note co-host Poppy Harlow sitting silently while Lemon goes after Vivek. pic.twitter.com/Fjx5eX30wU Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 24, 2023 Don Lemons career timeline Wednesday 26 April 2023 07:01 , Tom Murray Before joining CNN 17 years ago, Lemon jumped between several other news anchor gigs after joining the profession surprisingly late. The Independent has put together Lemons career timeline, from his first job in journalism to his dismissal from CNN. Timeline of fired CNN host Don Lemons career Donald Trump reacts to Lemons firing Wednesday 26 April 2023 06:02 , Tom Murray Good News: The dumbest man on television, Don Lemon, has finally been fired from Fake News CNN, Donald Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social on Monday. He added, My only question is, WHAT TOOK THEM SO LONG? Lemon, who had been a host on CNN since 2014, was an outspoken critic of Trump. Read more. Trump celebrates Don Lemon ouster from CNN and mourns Tucker Carlsons Fox exit Latest on Tucker Carlson firing Wednesday 26 April 2023 05:00 , Tom Murray Lemons firing coincided with that of another US media giant: Tucker Carlson. Insiders say Carlson was blindsided by his removal from Fox News after eight years on the network. Heres the latest. Fox News Tucker Carlson was negotiating new contract when Murdoch fired him live Lemon previously came under fire for asking a female guest if she had mommy brain Wednesday 26 April 2023 04:01 , Tom Murray The Nikki Haley scandal was not Lemons first brush with controversy. He previously came under fire for asking political commentator SE Cupp if she was suffering from mommy brain. His comment was branded sexist by viewers. Read more: Sexist CNN host Don Lemon under fire for asking guest if she had mommy brain Voices: The Don Lemon scandal is not a scandal Wednesday 26 April 2023 02:59 , Tom Murray For The Independent, Clemence Michallon previously argued that the Don Lemon scandal over his infamous Nikki Haley comments was not a scandal at all. Find out her reasoning here: The Don Lemon scandal is not a scandal | Voices Before jurors heard testimony Wednesday morning in the trial of two men accused of shooting an Ocala man, Circuit Judge Peter Brigham first listened to the prosecution and the defense debate whether statements uttered by one of the defendants during a trial break on Tuesday could be admitted as evidence. At issue was Searron Nathaniel Brooks III's comments and behavior during one of the trial breaks on Tuesday. Brooks is accused of shooting Dishon Jechonias Barnes on Feb. 2, 2022. Patrick Rodriguez Emmanuel, the accused getaway driver, also is charged in the case and is standing trial. First day of trial: Who did it? Trial starts for two men charged in connection with 2022 shooting of Ocala man Brooks, 26, of Ocala, is charged with attempted murder and four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Emmanuel, 29, also of Ocala, is charged with principal to attempted murder and four counts of principal to aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony. Ocala defense lawyers Jack Maro and Laurie Hall are representing Brooks and Emmanuel, respectively. At the conclusion of Barnes' testimony on Tuesday, Brooks, who was free on bond, went outside the courtroom and apparently was upset, according to testimony later provided in court. He reportedly said that Barnes was not telling the truth on the stand, and that whoever shot him should have killed him. Brooks reportedly was not pleased with other issues and supposedly referred to someone as a snitch. The comments were reported to the judge, who revoked Brooks' bond. Brooks was taken to the Marion County Jail after court adjourned Tuesday. Lawyers speaking to each other and Circuit Judge Peter Brigham at trial Both Brooks and Emmanuel appeared in court Wednesday morning wearing jail uniforms before the trial started. After hearing from witnesses about Brooks' comments, the judge asked the lawyers for their arguments. Assistant State Attorney Janine Nixon said Brooks was trying to intimidate witnesses in an effort to change their testimony. Story continues Emmanuel's lawyer, Hall, said admitting the statements as evidence would be prejudicial against her client. Since Emmanuel is locked up at the jail, when it's time for a trial break, he's escorted to the back. Emmanuel was not outside the courtroom when Brooks allegedly made his comments. Maro said he doesn't think his client's remarks were threatening toward anyone. The judge eventually agreed with the defense, saying Brooks' comments would not be allowed as evidence. The state rests Jurors were brought to the courtroom shortly before 10:30 a.m. to hear testimony. The prosecutor called a Florida Department of Law Enforcement firearms official to the stand. The FDLE official told the court that shell casings from the scene matched a gun recovered by law enforcement officials from another individual involved in an unrelated incident. The official said the success rate of obtaining a fingerprint from a shell casing discharged from a weapon is low, due to heat. Assistant State Attorney Janine Nixon shows the defense a photo during trial on Wednesday. After the state rested its case, both defense lawyers asked the judge to consider a judgment of acquittal for their clients. The motions were denied. The defense puts on its case Emmanuel's girlfriend testified, saying she was with Emmanuel at his grandmother's residence at the time of the shooting. Maro is expected to call his witness/witnesses on Thursday. Once the defense is finished, if the state doesn't have any rebuttal witnesses, then closing arguments will begin and the jury will deliberate. Brooks already has stood trial in this case once, but it resulted in a hung jury and thus a mistrial. This is Emmanuel's first trial on these charges. Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Trial continues: Testimony inside, drama outside Ocala courtroom A new survey of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients is highlighting the policys significant positive economic impact on its beneficiaries. The survey was released by the U.S. Immigration Policy Center at the University of California, San Diego; United We Dream; the National Immigration Law Center; and the Center for American Progress (CAP). It found that DACA status led beneficiaries to markedly higher economic participation and increased earnings. According to the survey, which was conducted last year, 89.5 percent of respondents reported being employed or in school. This year, new data in this survey illustrates that DACA recipients persevere, building full lives in the United States despite fear for their livelihood and stability in the face of relentless attacks against their status as Americans, said Tom K. Wong, associate professor of political science and founding director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Center at the University of California, San Diego, and a senior fellow at CAP. DACA beneficiaries reported average hourly earnings of $28.27 and average yearly earnings of $68,000, compared to average hourly earnings of $11.22 and average yearly earnings of $24,131 before receiving DACA status. More than 40 percent of respondents said DACA led them to get their first job, switch to a job they were better suited for, increase their work earnings or get better benefits at work. And more than 65 percent of respondents reported that their DACA status helped them earn more money, allowing them financial independence. Respondents overwhelmingly said DACA status played a part in their use of formal banking 58.9 percent said theyd gotten their first credit card as a result of DACA, 47.2 percent said they opened a bank account, and 34.3 percent said they started a retirement account. More than half of respondents said their status had also helped them buy their first car, though only 17.7 percent said they had bought a first home as a result of DACA. Story continues All respondents in the survey had a GED or higher educational attainment, with 69 percent reporting at least a bachelors degree. But the survey also found that DACA recipients largely fear losing their status, with the program hanging by a thread amid court action against it. For more than 10 years, DACA has had a transformative impact on my life, allowing me to go to school, work, and build a life with my family and loved ones in the U.S., said Diana Pliego, policy associate at the National Immigration Law Center. And for more than 10 years, DACAs impermanence has kept me and hundreds of thousands of other immigrant youth like me on edge that the homes weve created here could be upended because of a politicized court ruling or politicians playing a game with our futures. Recipients cited a range of fears connected to potentially losing their status 76.7 percent said they feared for the physical safety of their families if they were deported to their home countries. To be eligible for DACA, recipients must have arrived in the United States as minors. The average age for the surveys respondents was 29, and their average age of arrival to the United States was 5. Survey respondents largely said they would pull back from civic life if they lost their DACA status. For instance, 75.4 percent said they would currently report a crime they witnessed to the police, but only 37.9 percent said they would do so if they lost their status. And 92.9 percent said they would currently provide their personal information for business purposes, including securing loans or opening bank accounts, but only 38.2 percent would do so without DACA. The survey was conducted among 817 DACA recipients out of the programs approximately 580,000 beneficiaries. According to the surveys authors, respondents were screened with multiple questions on their immigration status to ensure they were DACA recipients, and measures were taken to avoid a single respondent filling out the survey multiple times. However, the authors did not construct a margin of error for the survey, given the opt-in nature of the online questionnaire. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. ROTTERDAM (Reuters) - Millions of Dutch revellers took to the streets on Thursday to celebrate King's Day festivities, dressing in orange and enjoying open-air markets - even as trust in the man at the centre of the nationwide party sinks to a low ebb. King Willem-Alexander, whose 56th birthday is the official reason for the holiday, isn't nearly as popular as he once was, an annual poll by research company Ipsos showed this week, after vacationing in Greece during the pandemic and flouting social-distancing rules. Trust in the country's first king in more than 120 years, who succeeded his mother Queen Beatrix 10 years ago, has fallen to 46% this year, the poll showed, while support for the monarchy as a whole slipped to 55%. These numbers had held firm at around 75% until the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. But Willem-Alexander still drew tens of thousands of fans, dressed in orange in honour of the ruling House of Orange, to Rotterdam on Thursday as he attended celebrations with his more popular wife Queen Maxima and two of their three daughters. Elsewhere, people flocked to the traditional "free markets", where people build makeshift stalls or lay out carpets to sell all kinds of clothes, toys, furniture and other possessions they no longer want or need for a few cents or euros. The historic centres of Amsterdam, Utrecht and The Hague have been filled with thousands of people since late on Wednesday as King's Eve parties kicked off the festivities. Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Wednesday said the royal family's falling popularity did not worry him, as he praised their role in "unifying" the country. "Support will always vary, but that is no reason for concern", he said. "And an approval of 55%? Come on! I believe I'm at 20%." (Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Hugh Lawson) NEW YORK E. Jean Carroll dramatically rebuffed a lawyer for Donald Trump who questioned her behavior and memory as he cross-examined her on Thursday about her allegation that the former president raped her in the 1990s. Heres the thing: I was too much in a panic to scream, Carroll said when Trumps lawyer, Joe Tacopina, challenged her assertion that she didnt yell for help during the alleged assault in a department store dressing room. Im telling you: He raped me whether I screamed or not, Carroll said, raising her voice. Carroll, a magazine writer, testified for a second day in her civil lawsuit against the former president. She is suing him for battery and defamation. He has said the alleged incident never happened. The questioning got off to a terse start as Tacopina wished Carroll good morning twice before she would reply to him. There ya go, he said when she finally responded. Carroll has said that she believes the alleged attack at Bergdorf Goodman occurred in the evening on a day between the fall of 1995 and the spring of 1996, and under questioning from her own lawyer on Wednesday, she added that she believes it took place on a Thursday. A former Bergdorf employee testified that Thursdays were the only nights of the week the luxury department store stayed open late. But Carroll has repeatedly said she cant recall exactly what date it happened. On Thursday, Tacopina questioned why Carroll said only now that it was a Thursday and why neither she nor two friends she says she told contemporaneously can recall the date. I wish to heaven we could give you a date, Carroll said. I wish we could give you a date. Carroll testified that she always had a hunch the alleged attack occurred on a Thursday, but didnt identify the day of the week in a book she wrote or in interviews because she wasnt absolutely sure and I tried to stick to the facts. Tacopina also questioned Carroll about a 2017 email referencing Trump between her and her friend Carol Martin, in which Martin wrote: As soon as we are both well enuf to scheme, we must do our patriotic duty again Carroll responded: TOTALLY!!! I have something special for you when we meet. Story continues When Carroll testified, as she had also done Wednesday, that she couldnt recall what the email meant, Tacopina asked how she could remember details from the alleged rape from at least 27 years ago but couldnt recall anything about a six-year-old email. Those are facts that I could never forget, Carroll said of the alleged attack. This is an email among probably hundreds of emails between Carol and I that I have no recollection of. Tacopina also pressed Carroll on why she went public with her story when she did, in 2019. Though Tacopina suggested she was using the claim to try to attract a book publisher, Carroll disputed that, saying she was instead prompted by revelations about film producer Harvey Weinsteins sexual predation in The New York Times in 2017. When that happened, across the country women began telling their stories, and I was flummoxed [and thought], wait a minute, can we actually speak up and not be pummeled? Carroll testified. I thought, well this may be a way to change the culture of sexual violence. The light dawned. I thought, we can actually change things if we all tell our stories. And I thought by god, this may be the time. She continued: It caused me to realize that staying silent does not work. It doesnt work. If women speak up, we have a chance of limiting the harm that happens. Tacopina challenged Carroll on specific details of her account of the alleged rape. He pressed her on her recollection that she didnt see anyone in the department store as she and Trump rode the escalators to the sixth floor. I was not looking for other people, she said. I was in a very engaging conversation with Donald Trump. He questioned why, as she has testified, she would have suggested Trump, a relatively tall and heavyset man, try on a skimpy womens lace bodysuit they found on a counter in the lingerie department. It just struck me as very funny, she said. If a man tells me to put on some lingerie, my natural instinct is to tell him to go put on the lingerie. Tacopina asked how she could have fought back against Trump while wearing 4-inch-heels, as she has said. I can dance backwards and forwards in 4-inch-heels, she replied. And, in perhaps the most heated moment of the day, Tacopina questioned why she wouldnt have screamed if she were being sexually assaulted. Im not a screamer. You cant beat up on me for not screaming, she replied, growing agitated. Im not beating up on you. Im asking you questions, Tacopina said. Women dont come forward. One of the reasons they don't come forward is because theyre always asked, why didnt you scream? Carroll told the courtroom. Women are told, she said, You better have a good excuse if you didnt scream. At that point, Carroll raised her voice. Im telling you: He raped me whether I screamed or not, she exclaimed. Do you need a minute, Ms. Carroll? Tacopina asked. No, she replied. Go right on. I dont need an excuse for not screaming. The trial will not meet on Friday. Carroll is expected to continue her testimony on Monday. China expects travel spree during May Day holiday Xinhua) 08:48, April 27, 2023 This photo taken on Feb. 15, 2023 shows a view of the crowded Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station in east China's Shanghai. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang) BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- China is poised to see a boom in travel demand during the upcoming May Day holiday, as the world's second-largest economy regains vitality following a shift in COVID-19 response. Domestic travel bookings for the five-day holiday that starts on April 29 this year have seen a surge of over 700 percent from the same holiday last year, the latest data from online travel agency Trip.com Group showed. The agency also noted an explosive growth in the demand for tours abroad. "China's tourism market has embarked on a track of recovery this year. We will see a persistent 'travel frenzy' during the May Day holiday," said Li Huiqin, a tourism expert with the China University of Geosciences. Data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism showed that the country saw nearly 1.22 billion domestic tourist trips in the first quarter of 2023, up 46.5 percent year on year. Domestic tourism revenue increased 69.5 percent from the same period last year. "The pent-up travel demand will be greatly unleashed in the post-pandemic era," Li said, forecasting that the tourism market will fare better than in the same period of 2019. The latest data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China showed that flight bookings for the upcoming May Day holiday have already exceeded 6 million, generally equivalent to the level registered during the same holiday in 2019. The administration expected the total number of air passenger trips nationwide to hit 9 million during the holiday. Local tourism authorities are also tailoring region-specific measures to further drive up the burgeoning travel demand. A common approach is to make full use of local cultural resources. A case in point is Beijing, where traditional art forms and intangible cultural heritage are valuable assets of tourism. A total of 1,170 art shows have been scheduled at 147 venues across the metropolis during the holiday. Eyeing the new trend, market observers expect 2023 to be a year when culture merges deeper with tourism, and they forecast that the country's tourism sector will record a remarkable rebound. A recent report issued by the China Tourism Academy said that the number of domestic tourist trips will reach about 4.55 billion, a surge of 73 percent year on year. The total number of inbound and outbound tourist trips will surpass 90 million, doubling from a year ago. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) You are here: China This photo taken on March 18, 2023 shows a view of a job fair in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. [Photo/Xinhua] China will take multi-pronged and adjusted measures to expand employment and maintain its stability, per a new circular released by the General Office of the State Council. Adhering to an employment-first strategy, the country will create more jobs by extending employment-oriented subsidies to companies and sectors that hire recent graduates, as well as other key groups of job seekers, the circular said. It will also strengthen credit support for business startups and foster professional skills training. Companies are being encouraged to hire young employees, including college graduates, who can also find posts in primary-level institutions or start businesses in urban or rural communities, the document said. To help job seekers in difficulty, the country will issue one-time subsidies for eligible graduates, and provide insurance compensation and temporary allowances for the unemployed. E. Jean Carroll returned to the witness stand on Thursday in her federal battery and defamation lawsuit against former President Donald Trump. Defense attorney Joe Tacopina questioned Carroll's decision-making after Trump allegedly raped her. "You said you left Bergdorf Goodman without seeking any help from employees or security at that point?" Tacopina asked. "Yes," Carroll replied. Carroll said she left the store and called her friend Lisa Birnbach. "On a cell phone?" Tacopina asked. When Carroll affirmed that she used a cell phone, Tacopina asked: "On that cell phone, you could have just as easily called 911?" "Yes, I could have called 911," Carroll said. Tacopina questioned the depth of the friendship between Carroll and Birnbach, saying, "You can't name another personal matter of yours that you confided in her prior to this alleged incident?" Carroll said Birnbach "was exactly the person I needed to talk to," describing her as funny and "I would feel better if Lisa laughed." Instead, when Carroll told Birnbach about Trump allegedly pulling down her tights, she said Birnbach stopped her. "When I heard the words Lisa said, 'he raped you,' those are the words that brought the reality to my mind," Carroll said. "To hear Lisa Birnbach say the word rape. Even though I had just been, it's hard, when something horrible happens to you, it's hard to grasp what happened." Carroll said she told no doctor, saw no psychiatrist or psychologist, and had no medical records showing physical injury. Tacopina pointed out that Carroll, a writer who kept a diary, made no entry about the alleged encounter with Trump. "I always thought if I wrote something bad I'd have to think about it. If I write about it, I think about it," Carroll said. "But you wrote a book about the worst thing that ever happened to you," Tacopina said. Story continues "I thought it was time not to be silent," Carroll said. The judge abruptly ended testimony for the day when Tacopina asked Carroll about keeping the dress she wore the day she was allegedly raped. With the jury out, Tacopina assured the judge he was not going anywhere near DNA, a contentious pretrial issue that the judge did not allow at trial. Tacopina suggested earlier in the day that Carroll had political motives for filing her suit. He showed the jury an email that contained a draft excerpt from the book Carroll wrote. One chapter refers to her alleged rape by Trump. "He's poisoning my water, he's polluting my air, he's cooking my planet ... and as he stacks the courts, my rights over my body are being taken away state by state. I'm afraid my right to free speech will go next. So now I will tell you what happened," the message said. Carroll replied that the message contained a draft that was never published. Tacopina then questioned why Carroll could not pinpoint a date the alleged rape occurred. "I wish to heaven we could give you a date," Carroll said. Tacopina suggested Carroll only told her story about Trump to sell a book. "You thought including the story about Donald Trump while he was still president would help sell the book?" he asked. "I thought so but I was wrong," Carroll said. She had previously testified her book did not sell well. Tacopina then asked, "In two decades, you don't call the police, correct?" Carroll replied, "Correct." "In two decades you never revealed this story in your hundreds of your advice columns, correct?" Tacopina said. "Correct," Carroll said. "Only when you were trying to get a publisher and sell your book?" Tacopina asked, to which Carroll replied her story came out after The New York Times published its landmark story about Harvey Weinstein. "And when that happened, across the country, women began telling their stories. And I was flummoxed. Can we actually speak up and not be pummeled? I thought, well, this may be a way to change the culture of sexual violence. The light dawned. I thought we can actually change things if we actually tell our stories," Carroll said. "So it was Harvey Weinstein and all the women against him that caused you to leap into action?" Tacopina asked. Carroll answered, "It caused me to realize that staying silent does not work. We have a chance of limiting the harm that happens." Carroll also told the jury she was assaulted by then-CBS chairman Les Moonves after an interview. She said she and Moonves entered an elevator and then "he pushed me up against the wall." She did not sue Moonves, Carroll said, because "he did not defame me. He did not call me a liar." Carroll, however, sued Trump in November 2019 "because he called me a liar. Because he said I accused other men of rape. He said I was an operative or in a conspiracy with the Democratic Party ... and he said I was too ugly to rape. So I sued him." Carroll said no one told convinced her to sue, but she "had a conversation" with Republican lawyer and Trump critic George Conway, who Carroll said "does not like Donald Trump." After Trump's defense attorney claimed Carroll was out for money, she said she was not struggling financially when she filed her lawsuit and was not looking for a large payoff. "It's not about the money. It's about getting my name back," Carroll said, adding that she is constantly under threat. "This morning, for instance, I thought I would just take a peek at my Twitter. And there it was again, the onslaught of the lair, slut, ugly, old. It's not a great way to begin the day. But I could not be more proud to be here," she said. On Wednesday, Carroll described in sometimes graphic terms the pain of the alleged assault and the weight of Trump's body against her. "I remember him being -- he was very large and his whole weight came against my chest and held me up there, and he leaned down and pulled down my tights," Carroll, who testified for nearly three-and-a-half hours, said. Her testimony may have also given the defense an opening since Carroll conceded she "wasn't 100% certain" when the alleged attack occurred. "This question, the when, the when, the date has just been something that I am constantly trying to pin down. It's very difficult," Carroll said. PHOTO: E. Jean Carroll arrives for the third day of her civil trial against former President Donald Trump at Manhattan Federal Court on April 27, 2023 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) MORE: 'Trump raped me,' E. Jean Carroll testifies in battery, defamation case Carroll's attorneys asked her whether she had watched "The Apprentice," Trump's reality television show. When she said she had, her attorney, Michael Ferrara, asked why. "I love the premise of ambitious young businesspeople competing for a job. I thought that was really quite witty and it was different. It was so much better than, you know, the dating contests and the beauty contests and those -- this was a real contest where you could watch it and learn a thing or two. It was very -- it was beautifully produced," Carroll said. It remains unclear if Trump will testify himself. The judge demanded to know this week whether Trump will appear, telling the defense that it was time to "fish or cut bait." Trump has denied all allegations that he raped Carroll or defamed her. The trial is expected to last about five days. The nine-member jury of six men and three women is weighing Carroll's defamation and battery claims and deciding potential monetary damages. Trial does not sit on Fridays; Carroll's cross-examination will resume Monday. This week's trial is taking place as Trump seeks the White House for a third time while facing numerous legal challenges related to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, his handling of classified material after leaving the White House and possible attempts to interfere in Georgia's 2020 vote. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said Monday she would decide whether to file criminal charges against Trump or his allies this summer. Carroll's lawsuit is her second against Trump related to her rape allegation. E. Jean Carroll says Harvey Weinstein, #MeToo movement made her come forward about Trump originally appeared on abcnews.go.com I earn over 125k and its not enough In last years Autumn Statement, Jeremy Hunt announced that the threshold for the top rate of income tax was to be cut from 150,000 to 125,140. Since April 6, some 232,000 workers have found themselves paying the 45p rate for the first time. This week, Huw Pill, the Bank of Englands chief economist, has warned that rising prices have made the whole country poorer and that attempts to bid up wages were merely prolonging the agony. We spoke to three high earners to find out how all of this has impacted them and their families. When I saw the news that the point at which the 45p income tax rate kicks in is falling to 125,140, I had to laugh. By a whisker, it raises me into the lofty realms of the countrys wealthy elite which is a very long way indeed from how I feel. I may earn good money in my senior job in recruitment, but the moment it hits my account, that money immediately disappears. It certainly doesnt go on extravagances. I get my hair cut and coloured every three months, but my clothes are high street and our weekly shop is from Asda. We take one bucket-and-spade family holiday a year, last year it was in Tenerife lovely for the children, but hardly the Maldives. What devours my money at a terrifying rate is bills: mortgage, childcare, school fees, travel, gas and electricity the list goes on. Although we can just about pay them now, Im scared were one mortgage hike from living totally beyond our means. We moved out of London four years ago to buy our four-bedroom house in Surrey for 1.3 million, for which we borrowed 500,000. Our repayments are over 2,000 per month, which my husband and I split between us. He is a graphic designer who earns around 50,000, which means I pay the lions share of the rest of our outgoings. I dont resent him for earning less, as hes contributed far more than his share of nursery pick-ups and days when he cant work because one of the children is ill. But it means that our biggest bills, for our daughter and son, fall to me, and they are astronomical. Our five-year-old daughter is at a private school, which costs around 15,000 a year. All that buys is her education from 9.15am to 3.15pm during term-time if we need her to stay later, which we often do, its almost 10 extra per hour, with an additional 12.50 for dinner: this usually costs us well over 100 per week. Then there are holiday clubs, extra-curricular activities and school trips. Story continues It was me who wanted her to have a private education, like me, so I only have myself to blame for the cost. I often wonder whether were doing the right thing, because compared to most of her classmates parents, were positively poor. Theyre hedge fund managers with incredibly glamorous wives who dont work; when I meet them at school events, its clear we inhabit different worlds. I worry that in the long-run we might be taking a path which makes our children feel inferior. Whats absolutely not my fault, though, is the ludicrous sum I pay for my son to go to nursery full-time: around 1,800 per month, which is more than my daughters school fees. From September, after he turns three, well get 15 hours of nursery a week for free but only for 38 weeks of the year, as my salary means we dont qualify for 30. I understand why those who earn less should receive more help, but I admit that when I pay so much in tax and get so little back it feels like a kick in the teeth. The other bills stack up, too. I pay 800 per month into my pension; energy bills are now around 300 per month; council tax is 255. Travelling by train into London to go to the office two or three days a week costs hundreds more every month. With food prices that constantly go up, phone, broadband, subscriptions for Netflix and Disney+ I feel overwhelmed by it all. Recently, weve been looking for ways to economise because having nothing left at the end of the month makes me anxious and stressed. We gave up our cleaner last year to save 45 a week and now do the cleaning ourselves. I no longer have a gym membership. Were now considering moving up north, where Im originally from, in the hope that we could buy a less expensive house and enjoy a better lifestyle in return for all our hard work. Is 125k enough to live comfortably? Well, in London its definitely not. Im in banking, an industry famous for its generous salaries, and Im considered to be in the top 2 per cent of earners in this country but quite frankly, it rarely feels like that. The figures speak for themselves. If you earn a salary of 125k, you take home 75k. A quick Google search will tell you that 55 per cent of four-bed homes in London and Im talking greater London here, down to Croydon are 1m or above. So on a 1m house, stamp duty is 42k. If you have an 80 per cent mortgage, not only do you need a 200k deposit and whos got that hanging around? but your monthly payments will be, on the current rates, 4.5k a month, just over 50k a year. And then lets move to childcare. In my case, I have two small children in nursery; the youngest, who is one, is there three days a week and the oldest, three, is there four days a week. It costs us 2.5k a month so thats 30k a year on childcare thats not even full time. The rest is simple maths: if, say, my take home pay is 75k and my mortgage is 50k and my childcare bill is 30k - thats all my wages gone. Just wiped out. Thats before any other bills; council tax, energy, water, food, insurance, car expenses and any whisper of a holiday. So, yes, we are a dual income household: we have to be. My wife is an IT consultant and earns 65,000, which helps plug the gaps. Successive governments have created this trap where you need dual incomes to buy a house because theyre so ridiculously expensive but then you both have to keep on working full pelt to service the mortgage while one of your incomes just gets hoovered up by childcare. During the pandemic my wife was made redundant and she had to do contract work for a while. So when she got pregnant with our second child, she didnt get maternity leave pay. She was at home with our newborn and my wage didnt cover our costs. We had to eat into our savings just to get through the months before she could go back to work and we felt comfortable leaving the baby at nursery. And I understand that many would say were lucky to have savings, to have that safety net. I understand that we choose to live in London: of course we could move out to somewhere cheaper, but both my wife and I would be looking at a long and expensive commute. I never said my wage wasnt enough to live on but its sometimes hard to live comfortably. Its not like we spend 10k on clothes; were not wasting thousands on discretionary items that we could well live without, because if that were the case then we would be to blame. Im talking about core expenses here: the home we pay for so we have a secure place to live, the childcare we need so my wife can go to work which is her right and important and the bills we pay so we can have heating and light. In my mind, there is no sane reality where someone who earns 200k and gets a 10k bonus gets taxed less on that bonus than someone who earns 100k. But that is the truth of the matter. For someone earning 100k, the marginal rate of tax is 62 per cent. How is that right? The Government likes to squeeze the bracket of people who earn between 100k and 150k. Why? Well were rich enough for there to be little public sympathy but were not rich enough to be globally mobile and pay for dedicated tax advice, like the Rishi Sunaks of this world. In this country, we need to start distinguishing between earnings and wealth. Wealth assets or inheritance are not taxed at the level earnings are. And how can I accumulate wealth if Im being taxed so much? Lets be clear: if you went to state school and have no family wealth, but you worked hard to get a high-paying job, you may earn a lot but that does not necessarily equate to being wealthy. Id say I feel comfortable but Im not really wealthy; I feel lucky that I havent had to really rethink my spending in light of the current financial climate. But Ive only got myself to look after Im single and have no dependants; I dont have any responsibilities such as childcare, for instance, but if I did, I would undoubtedly be anxious to earn substantially more than I do now. And regardless of the latest tax bracket increase, I wouldnt want to drop back to under 100,000. I worked hard to get here and feel like my salary justifies the work Ive put in. I think its always good to be climbing and Im ambitious when it comes to my salary. But at the moment, life is good. My take-home pay is around 6,000 per month. I currently rent with another person for 1,000 per month and that means I end up with a fair amount of disposable income to spend how I see fit. I did own a home, which I sold 18 months ago as I wanted to move to another area. Then, my monthly mortgage payments were 1,800 so in regards to spendable cash, Im much better off now. The only sacrifice Ive had to make is renting off someone who, at first, I didnt know. When I was looking at places to live alone, anything for one person in good condition was 2.5k to 3k per month. It just wasnt possible to rent solo without really eating into my earnings so I made the decision to take the risk with a flatshare. It goes without saying that if I was renting on my own, my financial situation would be totally different. Im looking to buy my own place again, but even though my salary has gone up since I last sold, this time around I will definitely be squeezed in terms of what I can afford, with the rise in property prices and mortgage rates. I spend a lot of money on luxuries like holidays and restaurants Id say I eat out three times a week. I dont have a car, so theres no cash being used for petrol, tax or insurance. And because Im renting, my wages arent being sunk into an expensive house renovation or big ticket items like furniture. However, Im not really saving as much as I should; I am actively choosing to spend my salary on my lifestyle. And, yes, I know Im not making good long-term decisions. For example, I have a gym membership, which is about 50 a month, and another club membership just under 200 a month which is a very obvious example of luxury that I could easily cut back. But I dont feel guilty about my spending as a lot of my friends have salaries in a similar range, or they have partners with whom theyre splitting mortgages, so our spending is in sync. I dont want to have to say no to opportunities. As told to Lucy Foster, Polly Dunbar and Abigail Buchanan *All names have been changed Court records have revealed that prosecutors may exhibit hundreds of documents including maps, clothing, FBI photos and videos during the trial for an East Naples man accused of storming the U.S. Capitol more than two years ago. The list in the trial for Christopher Worrell, 52, names 346 items, records indicate. They include maps and aerial diagrams of the U.S. Capitol and nearby West Plaza; footage of the riot; a video compilation of congressional proceedings on the incident; audio recordings of Capitol police radio activity that day; photos of the FBI's search of Worrell's home; tactical hand gloves; and photos of clothing allegedly associated with the Proud Boys. The Proud Boys is a far-right, neo-fascist group that advocates for and participates in politically motivated violent events. Guardian dines at Mar-a-Lago: Collier man charged in Jan. 6 Capitol riot waives jury trial, guardian dines with Trump Video voyeurism: Target employee arrested on video voyeurism, petty theft charges, Collier Sheriff says The bench trial for Worrell before U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth began Wednesday in Washington, D.C. A video aired during the June 9 hearing of the U.S. House Select Committee, one of a number that have been aired, appeared to show Worrell and others accused of storming the building, attacking police officers, breaking building windows and wreaking other damage. Worrell is accused of attacking police officers with pepper spray gel during the Jan. 6 incident. Worrell pleaded not guilty to all the original charges. He faces 19 counts, with those in the original indictment including: Civil disorder Entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, Engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, Act of physical violence in the capitol building or grounds, and Assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon. Story continues Federal agents took Worrell into custody in March 2021. Worrell was placed on home detention after his release from a Washington, D.C. jail. He has a form of cancer and is undergoing treatment. His segment in the House committee's 11-minute-and-18-second video ran about 10 to 12 seconds. In the segment, a man identified as Worrell says, "We are on your side," "Don't make us go against you," and "These are our streets." Previous reports indicate that Worrell is a self-proclaimed member of The Proud Boys, a far-right, neo-fascist group that advocates for and participates in politically motivated violent events. As of mid-March, at least 975 people were charged with federal crimes for their roles in the riot 502 have pleaded guilty and 382 have been sentenced. Of those, at least 192 people have received prison sentences. Worrell is among at least 111 Florida residents charged in connection with the mob. 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 Naples Daily News: East Naples 'Proud Boy' Jan. 6 trial includes videos, maps, FBI photos NEW YORK (AP) In a packed New York courtroom, Ed Sheeran picked up his guitar Thursday and launched into a tune that has him locked in a copyright dispute over Marvin Gaye's soul classic Let's Get it On" as the only audience that mattered a jury looked on. Sheeran was an hour into testimony in Manhattan federal court when his lawyer, Ilene Farkas, pressed him to tell how he came to write Thinking Out Loud a decade ago. He reached back, grabbed his guitar from a rack behind the witness stand and explained that writing a song was second nature to him. He said he used his own version of phonetics to create songs so quickly that he could write up to nine in a day. Even last weekend, Sheeran claimed, he wrote 10 songs. Then he sang just a few words of the pivotal tune, bringing smiles to the faces of some of the spectators in the courtroom of Judge Louis L. Stanton. I'm singing out loud, he sang, loud enough to be heard but not raising decibels in the court. After he finished singing those words, he spoke a few too, saying and then words fall in as he tried to teach the jury his method of creating music. He said he collaborated on the song with a co-writer, Amy Wadge, who wrote the opening chords. Though he's performed with some of the world's great artists and become a regular at music award shows by age 32, he said from the witness stand with his chair tilted toward the jury: I'm not the world's most talented guitar player. And when he bumped his hand against the witness stand microphone, he said a quick sorry. Then he launched into the song that heirs of Ed Townsend, Gaye's co-writer on Let's Get It On," say has striking similarities and over common elements to the famed 1973 Gaye musical treasure. When your legs don't work like they used to, he sang earnestly, like he might go deeper into the song. Then, after just a few bars, he abruptly placed the guitar back in the rack behind him as his lawyer told the judge it was an appropriate spot to adjourn for the week. Story continues Two days earlier, he had been called to testify by attorneys for the plaintiffs and was adamant in telling jurors that he and Wadge came up with the song without copying anyone else's music. He had also said a video that showed he had segued on stage between Thinking Out Loud and Let's Get It On was not unusual, adding it was quite simple to weave in and out of songs that are in the same key. On Thursday, his lawyer posed friendly questions, eliciting from Sheeran how he became interested in music after joining a church choir with his mother when he was 4. Sheeran appeared self deprecating as he told his story, saying: I can't read music. I'm not classically trained in anything. He said he quit school at 17 so he could perform up to three times a night, playing anywhere that would have him, from bingo halls to restaurants to anywhere nobody was. Within a decade, he was performing with some of the biggest names in music, from Taylor Swift to the Rolling Stones, 50 Cent to Eric Clapton. Before long, he said, he was writing eight or nine songs a day, explaining: When inspiration hits, you get excited and it just comes out. Near the end of his testimony, Sheeran was asked by his lawyer why an expert called by the plaintiffs had tried to show how chords in Thinking Out Loud resemble Let's Get It On. He was saying that because it helps his argument, Sheeran said. The trial resumes Monday. Sitting alone on a bench, legs crossed, Albert Einstein enjoys the tranquillity of a public park in the Belgian coastal resort of De Haan. His bronze statue attracts excited tourists to the town where the famous 1921 Nobel physics laureate sojourned 90 years ago, despite a Nazi secret society putting a price to his head. He never returned to Europe again. It is a relatively unknown episode in the life of the American physicist of German Jewish origin, who was born in 1879 and died in 1955. When Adolf Hitler came to power in early 1933, Einstein, a native of the southern German city of Ulm, was already teaching his theory of relativity in the United States. Hitler's Nazi Germany swiftly hunted Jews, targeting Einstein's home near Berlin and confiscating his belongings. On his return to Europe from across the Atlantic, Einstein landed in Belgium in March 1933 with Elsa, his second wife, fearful that returning to Germany would be too dangerous. The physicist spent six months at De Haan under the careful watch of Belgian police. "My mother knew Einstein well when she was young. Every morning, he walked on the promenade or on the beach," said Brigitte Hochs, a 78-year-old Belgian guiding an AFP team in the scientist's footsteps. The Hochs family ran the Bellevue Hotel for decades, with a building in the Belle Epoque style. The Einsteins rented one of them, the Villa Savoyarde. - Playing violin with a queen - Einstein would have a coffee on the hotel's terrace after his walk in the fresh air. "It was his routine," said Hochs. She said another famous Albert, the Belgian king Albert I whose wife was a Bavarian duchess, played a large role in Einstein's short exile. "The king strongly advised Einstein not to return to Germany," said Hochs. Einstein knew the royal couple because he took part in congresses in Brussels. As well as the German language, he shared a love of the violin with queen Elisabeth. "They even played together," Hochs added. Story continues The physicist's "Flemish" adventure inspired a comic last year by Belgian screenwriter Rudi Miel, who described the short exile as "a thriller", noting that Einstein was under police watch because of "death threats". In the comic, "Le Coq-sur-Mer, 1933", referring to De Haan's French name Le Coq, Einstein, with his famously awry grey hair and thick moustache, appears as a hunted man in the drawings by Baudouin Deville. The author imagines a blonde spy in a trench coat, pistol in hand, sent by the Nazis to kidnap Einstein as part of the Third Reich's research on the atomic bomb. Einstein's discoveries on mass and energy from his famous equation E=mc2 laid the foundations for future nuclear fission, despite being him a pacifist all of his life. - 'A real jackpot' - In reality, there was never any kidnapping attempt while he was in Belgium. But the file devoted to him in the Belgian state archives shows the extent to which Einstein was threatened during his escapades on the shores of the North Sea. "The file is a real jackpot. Through the surveillance reports, we discover professor Einstein's personality," said archivist Filip Strubbe. "One of the reports says he liked to walk on the promenade at 2:00 am or 3:00 am without notifying police. This made his protection difficult." Two state security officials had to closely follow his every action because the Nazis put a price on his head. One Nazi magazine named Einstein as an "enemy of the regime" and put a $5,000 bounty (worth more than $110,000 today) on his head. When a Jewish researcher was shot dead in the Czech Republic in August 1933 on Nazi orders, Einstein understood he was no longer safe in Belgium. From the Belgian port city of Ostend, he went to London from where he emigrated to the United States. Einstein might have appreciated the many stories about his life. The statue in De Haan is accompanied by one of his most famous quotes: "Imagination is more important than knowledge." lob/mad/raz/rmb/ach Tesla CEO Elon Musk might be ordered to testify under oath in a lawsuit that blames Autopilot, Tesla's advanced driver assistance system, for a fatal crash in 2018. The tentative ruling, issued by a California judge Wednesday and first reported by Reuters, came in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Walter Huang against Tesla over a crash that killed the Apple engineer. The plaintiff attorneys want to bring Musk to court to testify on recorded statements the billionaire executive made about the capabilities of Autopilot. Musk had previously tweeted a 2016 promotional video for Autopilot as evidence that Tesla "drives itself" with "no human input at all." In January, Ashok Elluswamy, director of Autopilot software at Tesla, testified that the video was staged using 3D mapping on a predetermined route, rather than relying on cameras, sensors and onboard compute power to actually drive autonomously. Huang's family argue that the deceased over-relied on the partially automated driving software, which failed him in the end. Tesla claims that Huang was playing a video game on his phone before the crash and didn't pay attention to vehicle warnings. A hearing was set for Thursday on whether to depose Musk. Reuters reports that Musk will likely be questioned about a 2016 statement cited by plaintiffs in which he allegedly said: "A Model S and Model X, at this point, can drive autonomously with greater safety than a person. Right now. Tesla's lawyers have opposed the request in court filings. They said Musk can't recall the details of statements plaintiffs want to question him on, and that he is often the subject of "deepfake" videos, according to Reuters. Judge Evette Pennypacker of Santa Clara Superior Court said Tesla's arguments were "deeply troubling" because they imply that as a famous person, Musk is more of a target for deepfakes, which would make his public statements immune. The result would be that Musk and other famous people could in the future avoid taking ownership of what they say and do. Story continues TechCrunch could not get a comment from Tesla, which disbanded its press office in 2020. The lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial on July 31. It will add to the growing list of litigation and regulatory scrutiny into the automaker for its Autopilot system, which includes a criminal investigation from the U.S. Department of Justice. That said, Tesla last week had a big win in court over a similar case. A Tesla owner sued the company in 2020, saying that her Model S swerved into a curb while on Autopilot and an airbag deployed so violently as to cause medical damage. A jury in Los Angeles Superior Court ruled the Autopilot feature did not fail. Elon Musk visited Capitol Hill on Wednesday to meet with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for a discussion that focused on artificial intelligence. Democrats and Republicans are pushing for new regulations in the tech industry to address a growing array of issues, such as generative chatbots and concerns over deep fakes and voice phishing scams. Asked about the meeting, Musk said: It was good. We talked about the future. Pressed for specifics, he said they spoke about "AI and the economy." Schumer, D-N.Y., characterized it as a "good meeting." "We talked about Buffalo. Tesla has a large plant in Buffalo. And we talked about AI, Schumer told reporters. Schumer said this month that he had circulated a framework for rules to help the U.S. stay competitive with China on the regulatory front and put new restrictions on potentially harmful AI tools. In a statement at the time, Schumer said, I look forward to working across the aisle, across the industry and across the country and beyond to shape this proposal and refine legislation to make sure AI delivers on its promise to create a better world. It wasn't the first time Musk has met with lawmakers. In January, he tweeted about having met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. Schumer said Wednesday's meeting was the second time hes met with Musk, the first being about 10 years ago when he visited him with then Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., at SpaceX. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com When I tell anyone I'm interviewing Emily Henry, their jaws drop well, any woman approximately between the ages of 20 and 35, at least. Henry's readers are unflinchingly devoted to their love for the literary queen, whose rom-com-adjacent books strike a deep chord amongst young people looking for tales of love. Henry, who has been proclaimed to have "cracked the modern romance novel," has Gen Z and millennials entranced with her beachy vacation novels. The 32-year-old author has sold more than 2.5 million print copies of her books to date, according to a report Circana Bookscan provided to TODAY.com. I think that everything about me bleeds into my books a little bit, Henry tells TODAY.com. She doesn't mean that in a biographical sense. Rather than take inspiration from her own experiences, for her plots and characters, Henry mines conversations she's had, people she's met, places she's been and the TV and movies she's watched. Maybe that's why her books are so well loved: she grew up on the same pop culture diet as her readers. "Its not my life, its not me, the characters arent the people I know, she says. "But I think everything is coming from somewhere. And my views on love and family and life and career, all of that is coming from real life observations." How Henry 'tripped sideways' into romance Henry had her fair share of jobs before becoming a novelist, she tells TODAY.com. Rattling off a list that includes dog walking, babysitting, and working at Taco Bell, the YMCA, her college's tutoring center and a carwash, Henry eventually settled into a technical writing job after she graduated from Hope College. She says she would write in all of her time off, waking up at 5 a.m. before starting her job, plus Saturdays and Sundays. "My friends came to just expect that from me," she says with a laugh. Henry wrote three young adult novels before stumbling into romance. She says she was between projects and wanted to work on something "summery and nice and fun." She ended up with a draft of what would become her first romance novel, "Beach Read." Story continues Emily Henry (Courtesy Devyn Glista / St. Blanc Studios) "I started writing 'Beach Read' really, entirely for fun. There was no intention to try and publish it," she says. "I just wanted to be working on that kind of story." Publishing wasn't the goal of his project, she says, so she set the draft aside for years after finishing. When she started noticing what she called "the romance renaissance" of the late 2010s, she thought her draft was comparable to romance books she was seeing take off. Part of what Henry was seeing was the rise of hand-drawn, Instagrammable book covers encouraging readers to give romance a try. These trade paperbacks had novelized takes on cinematic rom-coms inside, like Jasmine Guillory's 2018 novel "The Wedding Date" and Helen Hoang's "The Kiss Quotient." Each rapidly rose on the bestseller charts. "But again, I hadn't been a tried and true romance reader, so I didn't really know where my books fit," she explains. Henry had one choice: Become a romance reader herself. In the process, she fell in love (with the genre). "I remember the joy of becoming a romance reader and the discovery of how many amazing books there are, and the pace at which your favorite romance authors tend to work and put out books," she says. "There's just so much to read. You'll just never run out of fantastic romance novels." When Henry's agent retired from publishing to work on her own writing, she connected Henry with an agent who works in the romance space. Henry sent a draft of "Beach Read" to that new agent, who Henry says sent her suggestions to strengthen the book, along with editors who she thought would be excited about it. "I tripped sideways into romance as both a writer and a reader, and I was just delighted to find out that I really love it as both a writer and a reader," Henry says. From 'Beach Read' to 'Book Lovers' Henry's first romance novel "Beach Read" was published in May 2020, with its bright yellow cover arriving in the hands of readers at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Beach Read" follows Augustus Everett and January Andrews, a literary fiction writer and a romance author who are staying in neighboring beach houses on Lake Michigan as they attempt to battle writer's block. The pair decides to switch genres to get each other out of their creative ruts, and go on adventures to teach the other about their world. "People We Meet on Vacation" came next in 2021 with a neon orange cover, and has sold more than 1 million print copies, according to Circana Bookscan. Henrys third romance novel, Book Lovers, followed in 2022. All three have since been picked up for movie adaptations. Emily Henry book covers Henry tells TODAY.com she doesn't feel defined by or boxed in by the genre at all, and that she thinks she has carved out a unique space for herself within romance. "There are romance readers who don't necessarily think that my books fit the true mold of romance, but I am very intentional about talking about them as romance because even though it's changed a lot thanks, I think, especially in Gen Z there is still a little bit of denigration of the genre as a whole and there's still a little bit of a stigma," she says. "I just want to be supportive of the genre and make it clear that like, Im not the only person doing this," she adds. "Basically, there are a lot of other people making great books like this that readers will enjoy if they enjoy mine." On her newest novel, 'Happy Place' With each romance novel, Henry has a chance to give her spin on a classic trope or plot device. In "Happy Place," her latest book out April 25, she takes on "fake dating." Rather than shirk from convention, Henry embraces tropes, believing they exist because "they do happen in real life." She sees traces of tropes in her own friends' love stories. Henry says she has friends who were childhood best friends and are now married, others who "really did not like each other" and are now together, plus ones who have broken up and gotten back together for a second chance at love. "Every time I see a trope thats a little bit more heightened reality like (fake dating), and I try to do it, I cannot help but ground it really firmly in what it would be like in real life," she says. Happy Place book cover So Henry started with Harriet and Wyn, two characters trying to convince their longtime friends on their annual trip to Knotts Harbor, Maine, that they're still together despite having been broken up for months. It ended up being "gut-wrenching," Henry says. "Fake dating provides opportunity for some hijinks, but it also is just forcing them to be in a state of emotional vulnerability that is kind of excruciating for their situation," Henry says. "Happy Place" is different than Henry's other books in that the meet cute is already in the rear view window for the central couple, and that it features their entire friend group. The timeline was so elaborate for the six characters that Henry told Vulture she ended up using a cork board with different colored string to plot everything out. The friend-group element of the book, plus Harriet and Wyn's previous relationship, seems to indicate Henry will continue to challenge classic tropes, though she says it wasn't intentional to move away from them. "It just naturally happens, and the harder I push myself to go deeper into the character's minds, the more it might veer off of what the pitch was," she says. ... but why only 'vacation vibes?' All of Henry's books are set in cozy (and mostly fictional) vacation towns, ranging from North Bear Shores on the shores of Lake Michigan to the North Carolina mountain town of Sunshine Falls. Henry says it just kind of happened that way for her first romance novel. "There was nothing I was setting out to do as far as making it a vacation-y book," she says. But for "People We Meet on Vacation," Henry says she initially struggled with ideas for the structure of the book. She says she decided to just pick a setting for the book, and after looking at places that she thought could be fun backdrops, she realized all of the cities were places she had only been to as a visitor nowhere she had lived as a local. "So that kind of clicked for me, when I was looking at those settings, that this could be the structure: it could be told across a vacation," she says. Henry says she feels like people were enjoying the "vacation vibe" of the books, at least in part because people were flocking to reading during the middle of a global pandemic, but also because she loves the "weird mashup of tension and vacation" herself. Henry says: I really love that as a reader, which is how most decisions get made for me as a writer asking, 'What do I enjoy?'" She shares she decided to stick with the vacation theme going forward after discussing with her editing team. "We were very intentional in thinking about the books as mini vacations," she says. "Part of that is just because it works and part of that is because I myself get that huge craving every summer. When it starts getting hot out, I want a book that feels really escapist," she says. She clarifies that every one of her books won't feature an excursion, but that channeling the feeling of being on vacation will be central to her work. "I think that feeling of 'anything could happen' is so much more extreme on vacation because theres just this little pocket universe that youre in almost your real life is outside of it," she says. "Everything is just a little bit different, and it brings up new parts of you." She says she's "hopeful for some international locations" in future books, too. Henry, however, doesn't live in Sunshine Falls or North Bear Shores; she calls a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio home, and says she plans to stay there. "I dont know if its the key to my success, but I think that it might be the key to my happiness," she says of her own real-life setting. She adds that she could see herself moving to Los Angeles for a stretch of time, especially as her book adaptations begin filming, but ultimately she loves the pace of a midwestern city. "In other cities you have to work really hard, and you have to just be willing to work really hard. Im really willing to work really hard at writing, but not much else," she says with a laugh. She shares she's remained "pretty much anonymous" where she lives her neighbors dont know who she is in the publishing space, though she did say there's one place where people sometimes realize it's her: "If I'm near a bookstore, then people might recognize me, which is a little bit funny. The context just does enough for people to recognize me." As for her her next book... Henry confirms to TODAY.com the next romance book she's drafting will, in fact, not be on a vacation. "It's set in a town that I think still feels very idyllic and vacation-like, but for the story, it made way more sense for it to be set in a person's hometown," she says. Vulture described the man in Henry's fifth book as the character most like her husband out of all of her romance books so far. Henry tells TODAY.com she agrees. "This character is just so kind. And it's funny because I think that's actually a challenge as a writer to, you know, like, make that interesting. In real life, it's always so interesting when you meet someone who's just really kind. But in a book, it doesn't create a ton of tension when someone is just like, actually, nice and curious about the people around them and warm," she says. "But it makes me really happy working on this book," she shares. "Like, often I'm just smiling to myself thinking, 'This person I made up is so nice.'" And Henry has many more leading men (and women) in the future, she says. Just as her characters make commitments to each other, the accidental romance novelist is saying "I do" to the romance genre. "Im really enjoying it. As long as the readers want them, Im happy to write them," she says. This article was originally published on TODAY.com Emmett Till; Carolyn Bryant Donham Bettmann/Getty Images; AP Photo/Gene Herrick, File The white woman whose accusations led to the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till has died. Carolyn Bryant Donham died Tuesday night in Westlake, Louisiana, at the age of 88. Till's cousin said that Donham's death doesn't bring the family any "closure or justice." Carolyn Bryant Donham, the white woman whose improper advances accusations about 14-year-old Emmett Till led to the Black boy's brutal 1955 lynching in Mississippi has died but her death doesn't bring the family any "closure or justice," a relative of the teen victim said. Donham died Tuesday night in hospice care aged 88 in Westlake, Louisiana, the Associated Press reported, citing a death report from the Calcasieu Parish Coroner's Office. "Carolyn's death does not bring my family closure or justice, because death can never provide justice owed," Till's cousin, Joshua Harris-Till, told The Black Wall Street Times. Harris-Till added, "Carolyn was simply evidence of the much bigger issue, now the only issue, which is the fact that the justice system is not just." "It didn't care about Emmett 68 years ago and with the release of so many officers who've killed unarmed Black and Brown people we're reminded that it doesn't care now," Till's cousin told the news outlet. The New York Times reported in 2017 that Donham had told a historian that her allegations about Till were false. In August 1955, Donham accused Till of making a sexually suggestive remark to her and grabbing her by the waist. Afterwards, Till was kidnapped, beaten, and shot in the head on August 28, 1955, in Jim Crow-era Money, Mississippi. The teen boy's mangled body was thrown in the Tallahatchie River, weighed down by a cotton-gin fan. When Till's body was pulled out, his face was unrecognizable. But his mother demanded an open casket funeral in Chicago to show the sheer brutality of what her son had endured. Story continues Donham's then-husband Roy Bryant and his half-brother, J.W. Milam, were arrested and charged with murder in connection with the lynching. The men were later acquitted in the killing by a white, all-male jury, but admitted to killing Till the next year in a Look magazine article. Decades of fighting for Till and the truth Till's murder was a watershed in the growing civil rights movement in the US in the 1950s and 1960s, ultimately contributing to the end of Jim Crow. In 2017, the Justice Department reopened the investigation into Till's murder after reports in a book that Donham recanted her account of the encounter with Till. The case quickly soured after the Justice Department said there was insufficient evidence for federal charges. When questioned directly, Donham adamantly denied that she had recanted her testimony to investigators. Despite the setback, family and advocates of Till refused to give up. "We cannot allow his death to be in vain," Deborah Watts, one of Till's cousins, told Insider in 2021. Bryant disappeared from the public eye. She came under renewed scrutiny in 2022, when a 1955 warrant calling for her arrest was discovered in the basement of a Mississippi courthouse. The discovery recatalyzed calls from Till's relatives for Donham's arrest, but a Grand Jury declined to indict her, again citing insufficient evidence. Read the original article on Insider One worker said he used ChatGPT to generate written content and compose messages to his manager. Reuters Several workers told Vice they were using ChatGPT to work multiple jobs. One worker, referred to as Ben, said he used the chatbot to apply for a second job. He said he used the bot to generate written content and compose messages to his manager. OpenAI's buzzy artificial-intelligence tool ChatGPT is reportedly helping people hold down multiple jobs while keeping employers in the dark. Vice's Motherboard interviewed several workers about how they were using ChatGPT in their daily work lives. The workers' experiences tie into the "overemployment" trend, sparked earlier in the pandemic when many workers capitalized on enforced remote work by taking on a secret second job. In the shift, white-collar workers took on multiple jobs to boost their income. Ben, whose name was changed by Vice to preserve his anonymity, said he applied for a second job only after realizing he could use the AI tool at work. From Toronto, Ben helps financial-technology companies market new products. He told Vice that ChatGPT had helped him do his job faster and more efficiently, which left him with more time. Earlier this year, Ben told Vice he landed a second job after using the chatbot to write his cover letters. He told the news outlet the release of GPT-4, an updated version of the AI model that underpins ChatGPT, had made the jobs even easier. "That's the only reason I got my job this year," Ben told Vice. "ChatGPT does, like, 80% of my job if I'm being honest." He added: "I can just tell it to create a story, and it just does it for me based on the context that I gave it." Ben told the outlet that he still needed to tweak the text at times. He said he even used the chatbot to write messages to his manager, prompting the bot to write them in lowercase letters so they appeared organic. Are you using ChatGPT to help you at work? Contact this reporter at bnolan@insider.com. Read the original article on Business Insider This photo taken on April 27, 2023 shows giant panda Ya Ya at a quarantine site in east China's Shanghai. [Photo/Xinhua] Female giant panda Ya Ya arrived in Shanghai from the United States at 4:26 p.m. (Beijing Time) on Thursday, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration. Accompanied by veterinarians and other related workers, Ya Ya is now heading to a special quarantine site set up by the Shanghai Zoo, where she will stay for a month. The zoo has prepared abundant bamboo and supplementary foods for the 23-year-old panda. An expert team from the Beijing Zoo will stay at the quarantine site to attend to her needs during the period. The team will provide nursing, health monitoring, diagnosis and treatment for the aging panda to help her adapt to life back home. Ya Ya was born at the Beijing Zoo on Aug. 3, 2000. She and fellow giant panda Le Le arrived at the Memphis Zoo in April 2003 as envoys of friendship, and they were warmly welcomed. Sadly, Le Le died of heart disease in February this year, ahead of the pair's scheduled return to China. The remains of the 25-year-old panda were repatriated on the same flight as Ya Ya today. To make preparations for Ya Ya's return, a veterinarian and a panda keeper from the Beijing Zoo arrived at the Memphis Zoo last month. They worked with experts from the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens who had arrived earlier to familiarize themselves with Ya Ya's habits and feeding conditions. If North Korea uses its nuclear weapons against the United States or its ally South Korea, it would be "the end" of Kim Jong Un's regime, Seoul and Washington announced this week. The stern threat comes as President Yoon Suk Yeol is on a six-day state visit to the United States, where he and his counterpart Joe Biden discussed ramping up the US security shield for South Korea in the face of the nuclear-armed North's increased missile tests. But how significant is the tough-sounding statement? AFP takes a look at what we know: - What is it? - The Washington Declaration boosts the US nuclear umbrella over South Korea. It includes the regular deployment of a US nuclear submarine to South Korea -- something that has not happened since the 1980s -- and other measures, including more information sharing in the event of a North Korean attack. But there are no plans to station US nuclear weapons in South Korea, and some analysts doubt the declaration's practical value. "It is questionable whether the North would be afraid of a strategic nuclear submarine equipped with an SLBM with a range of more than 7,400 kilometres (4,600 miles)," Cheong Seong-chang of the Center for North Korea Studies at the Sejong Institute told AFP. The "too long" range of the submarine's missiles mean it may not be able to hit North Korea if it were in South Korean waters, he said. - Is it significant? - The state visit undoubtedly "represents a new high-water mark for US-South Korea relations, with the breadth and depth of security, economic, and cultural cooperation on full display", Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, told AFP. US officials described the new arrangement as akin to moves last witnessed when Washington oversaw the defence of Europe against the Soviet Union. Yoon has been trying to reassure the South's increasingly nervous public about the US commitment to so-called "extended deterrence", where US assets -- including nuclear weapons -- serve to prevent attacks on allies. Story continues A majority of South Koreans now believe the country should develop its own nuclear weapons, surveys show. Yoon has previously hinted Seoul could pursue this option. - Will Seoul get nuclear weapons? - Absolutely not. And this could cause problems, experts said. "One thing was clear: there was an implied agreement that Seoul would not go nuclear," said Soo Kim, Policy Practice Area Lead at LMI Consulting and a former CIA analyst. "Seoul's nuclear ambitions have been capped." Gi-Wook Shin, a Korea expert and sociology professor at Stanford University, told AFP that the declaration was "a step forward". "I don't think this will be enough to appease a South Korean public that has increasingly demanded that Seoul develop nuclear weapons of its own," Shin said. - What will North Korea do? - Closer cooperation between its self-declared arch enemies, Washington and Seoul, is bound to concern Kim Jong Un's regime and there could be more missile launches to demonstrate this, experts say. In public, "North Korea will downplay the message of reassurance by the US regarding nuclear deterrence", Chun In-bum, a retired South Korean army general, told AFP. But behind closed doors "they will get the message: if they use nuclear weapons it will be the end of the regime", he said. Having spent decades -- and a huge chunk of the impoverished country's GDP -- on developing his banned nuclear weapons programmes, Kim is not going to change track, experts said. "It is unlikely that North Korea will give up its nuclear weapons by giving in to these threats," Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP. - What about Trump? - The major problem with the Washington Declaration is not the agreement itself, but US political dysfunction, which means it could be worthless after the next presidential election there, Karl Friedhoff at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs told AFP. The potential return to power of former US president Donald Trump is likely to trigger "very serious discussions" in Seoul, he said. For the US-South Korea relationship "the biggest challenge is something that the alliance doesn't really have any control over: US domestic politics", he said. "There is serious concern in Seoul about a return of the GOP -- especially Trump -- to the White House. If he wins the election in 2024, that could spark a very unpredictable turn of events in the relationship." cdl/ceb/aha Emirates Airbus A380 Emirates The Airbus A380 is the largest passenger airliner in the world, taking its first-ever flight on April 27, 2005. The European manufacturer wanted to create its own version of the popular Boeing 747 jumbo jet. Despite early success, Airbus stopped production of the plane at the end of 2021 due to low demand from carriers. The iconic Airbus A380 double-decker jet is the world's largest passenger plane. It flew for the first time ever on April 27, 2005 with six people onboard. The six people were A380 captains Claude Lelaie and Jacques Rosay, and Airbus engineers Fernando Alonso, Jacky Joyce, Manfred Birnfeld, and Gerard, Desbois. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Source: Airways Magazine The three-hour and 54-minute flight over France was the first in a series of test flights, with captain Jacques Rosay praising the jet's performance: "Within the first minutes of the flight, we were struck by the aircraft's ease of handling." Airbus A380 pilot Jacques Rosay sitting in the plane's cockpit at Le Bourget Airport near Paris on June 12, 2005. Pierre Verdy/AFP via Getty Images Source: Airways Magazine When the jet finally hit the market in October 2007 with Singapore Airlines, it was supposed to be a revolutionary addition to the aviation industry. An Emirates Airbus A380. Arnold Aaron/Shutterstock.com However, the plane's inefficient design and high operating costs forced airlines around the world to abandon the jet in favor of smaller, two-engine widebodies, like the Airbus A350 and the upcoming Boeing 777X. Boeing 777X at the Farnborough Air Show in England in July 2022. Taylor Rains/Insider See inside Boeing's first-ever 777X aircraft testing tech like the jet's revolutionary folding wingtips While there are a few global carriers that still operate the A380 like its biggest customer Emirates carrier loyalty has faded. Here is the full history of the superjumbo, from marvel to reject. Emirates CEO Tim Clark at 100th A380 delivery. Airbus Lufthansa announced its first post-pandemic Airbus A380 destination will be to the US. Here are the airlines that have resumed flying the plane since 2020. During the 1970s, Airbus' A300B was the new kid in the world of commercial airliners. Airbus It spent the decade trying to break into a market dominated by the Boeing 747 jumbo jet, which had an incredible size, performance, and efficiency that lowered operating costs to make air travel accessible for the masses. First Boeing 747 -/Getty Images No longer was air travel reserved for the rich and famous, and, in fact, the Boeing 747 had the lowest seat-mile cost in the industry at the time. But, Airbus was starting to catch up. Story continues Lufthansa Boeing 747-8i economy. Airlines can fit 10-abreast rows on the plane. Stephen Brashear/Getty Images Source: Deutsche Welle, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, More airlines are choosing single-aisle jets for flights from North America to Europe see the full evolution of jet-powered transatlantic flying By the early 1990s, Airbus was in a much different position. Its narrow-body A320 family, which helped pioneer civilian fly-by-wire technology, was well on its way to becoming the second-best-selling jetliner in history. The best-selling airliner in history is the Boeing 737. Airbus At the same time, the company unveiled its new A330... Reuters/Jean Philippe Arles ...and A340 family widebody jets. The two aircraft offered viable alternatives to Boeing's 767 and 777 widebodies. But Airbus has set its sights on a bigger target: Boeing 747-400. AP Airbus' goal was to produce an aircraft even bigger than Boeing's latest jumbo jet with lower operating costs. Boeing The result was a double-decker concept called the A3XX. Airbus/AP The A3XX would eventually morph into the A380 superjumbo. An Airbus A380. A. Doumenjou/Airbus Before Airbus ended its production in November 2021, the A380 was built in a 1.6-million-square-foot assembly plant at Airbus' headquarters in Toulouse, France. Reuters/Jean Philippe Arles At 239 feet long, 79 feet tall, and 262 feet from wingtip to wingtip, it's a big plane. REUTERS/Kieran Doherty Only the Boeing 747-8 is longer, at 250 feet and two inches but the A380 can carry many more passengers. Boeing According to Airbus, in a typical four-class seating arrangement, the superjumbo can carry as many as 544 passengers, with a range of more than 9,400 miles. REUTERS/Tobias Schwarz In a high-density configuration, the A380 is certified to carry as many as 853 passengers. No airline ever opted for this layout, though French carrier Air Austral almost went through with the idea in 2009. Singapore Airlines' A380 economy cabin. Taylor Rains/Insider Source: Simple Flying, Australian Aviation Power for the A380 comes from a quartet of engines from suppliers Rolls-Royce and Engine Alliance. Hollis Johnson The A380's flight crew operates from a state-of-the-art glass cockpit. Like all modern Airbus jets, the aircraft is flown using a side stick, with a fly-by-wire control system. Reuters / Nir Elias As an airliner, the A380 promised luxury and comfort on an unprecedented scale. Hollis Johnson And, the Airbus jumbo delivered, at least to airlines that wanted to take advantage of luxurious options. Premium features, such as walk-up bars... REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer ...private lounges... Hollis Johnson ...and bathrooms with showers set the A380 apart from its rivals. Emirates And then there are the beautiful first-class suites from carriers like Emirates... AP ...Singapore... Singapore Airlines Read about Singapore Airlines' new A380 suites ...and Etihad Airways. Etihad The UAE-based carrier's "The Residence" suite is essentially a 125-square-foot flying home, and it is returning to the skies in summer 2023 following a post-pandemic increase in demand. Etihad initially said it would be retiring the A380 during the pandemic. Hollis Johnson Source: Etihad Airways The allure of the A380 soon drew in dozens of orders from several other global carriers, like Thai Airways... Airbus ...Korean Air... A Heathrow spokesperson said the incident involved planes from Korean Air and Icelandair. Philip Pilosian/Shutterstock.com ...All Nippon Airways... Airbus The CEO of Japan's biggest airline says he has no plans to get rid of the world's largest airliner. See inside ANA's A380, which is painted to look like a sea turtle. ...Lufthansa... Lufthansa ...Qantas... Qantas ...British Airways... Airbus ...Malaysia Airlines... Malaysia Airlines/OneWorld ...Air France... Air France Airbus A380 roibu/Shutterstock ...Qatar Airways... HasanZaidi/Shutterstock.com ...Asiana Airlines .. Airbus ...and China Southern Airways. Airbus Despite a few years of success, the plane's popularity started to fall as the decade went on, especially as Airbus was reluctant to invest the kind of money needed to develop a new version of the A380. Airbus In 2017, Airbus did offer its customers a moderately updated version of the jet, called the "A380plus," with room for 80 more people and new winglets for better fuel economy. But, it never made it to production. Airbus A380plus. Airbus Source: Airbus While many carriers lost their love for the A380, one airline has never wavered Dubai-based Emirates, which accounts for 118 of the 274 total A380s ordered by airlines. Emirates CEO Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum and former Airbus CEO Tom Enders. Emirates Emirates is a predominantly long-haul international airline. Its business is built around funneling millions of passengers through its palatial central hub in Dubai and then on to destinations around the world. REUTERS/Jumana El Heloueh As a result, Emirates needs an aircraft that can carry a lot of passengers for very long distances a perfect job for the A380. REUTERS/Tobias Schwarz But few airlines use Emirates' strategy. These days, the trend in the industry is to offer direct flights using smaller long-range aircraft especially as travelers prefer nonstop routes rather than having a layover in a hub city. REUTERS/Phil Noble Because of the industry shift, most airlines have moved towards point-to-point flying. This has allowed smaller, more efficient twinjets like the Boeing 777... Boeing ...and the Airbus A330 to become the dominant forces in long-haul flying. Hawaiian Airlines Other next-generation composite widebodies like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner offer airlines more flexibility and less risk. According to Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, it costs less to operate two Dreamliners than it does to fly a single A380. Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider However, there was once a glimmer of hope for the A380 project thanks to Emirates, which ordered 20 additional jumbos in January 2018 that would have kept the production line moving for the next decade. Airbus But, that deal fell apart. In the end, even the A380's most loyal customer couldn't hold on any longer, with Emirates cutting 39 A380s from its original order of 162 planes and opting for smaller twin-engine Airbus A330neos and A350s instead. Emirates A330. InsectWorld/Shutterstock As a result, the A380 never developed into a true workhorse like the 747. Instead, it has been relegated to a niche aircraft economically feasible only on routes with heavy airport congestion. Qantas In 2017, Singapore Airlines became the first airline to retire an A380, the first of five to be taken out of service. Many were scrapped, with one going to Portuguese charter company Hi-Fly. HiFly Press Kit In November 2019, Air France became the second. The airline quietly took the plane out of service after a flight from Johannesburg to Paris despite the airline previously announcing it would retire its 10 A380s by 2022. DANIEL SLIM/AFP/Getty Images Through March and April 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic led to sharply reduced travel demand all around the world, numerous airlines grounded their A380 fleets. AP/Airbus, C. Brinkmann However, not all airlines were ready to say goodbye to the iconic double-decker just yet. China Southern only briefly grounded the jet between February 10 and March 24, 2020, according to Cirium data, and has continued to fly them. STR/AFP/Getty Images Source: Insider Meanwhile, Emirates unsurprisingly relaunched the jet early in the pandemic, flying it from London to Paris in July 2020. An Emirates Airbus A380 and an American Airlines A321. Philip Pilosian / Shutterstock.com About a year and a half later, the Dubai-based operator received the last-ever A380 to be produced, marking a significant milestone for the airline. The final Airbus A380 bound for Emirates. Airbus-Lutz Borck The final A380s have a 4-cabin configuration with Emirates' sophisticated Premium Economy section, complete with wide, spacious seats, a leg rest, and greater recline. Emirates A380 Premium Economy Emirates In addition to China Southern and Emirates, Korean Air has also decided to unretire the double-decker jet, flying it for the first time since the pandemic from Seoul to New York-JFK on June 27. David Slotnick/Business Insider Source: Insider Meanwhile, Qatar relaunched operations of the A380 in December 2021... Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto/Getty Source: Insider ...followed by Singapore Airlines, which relaunched the plane in November 2021... An Airbus A380-841 airplane of Singapore Airlines takes-off from Zurich airport Thomson Reuters Source: Insider ...Qantas in January 2022, with CEO Alan calling the A380 the "perfect vehicle" for high-demand cities like Heathrow and Los Angeles... A Qantas Airbus A380. TIM WIMBORNE/Reuters Source: Insider ...British Airways, flying overseas from London to places like Los Angeles and Dubai... Airbus Source: Insider ...and All Nippon Airways, which relaunched flights from Tokyo to Honolulu on July 1. An All Nippon Airways Airbus A380. Airbus Source: Insider Meanwhile, Germany-based Lufthansa announced in June that it was bringing the plane back in 2023. A Lufthansa Airbus A380. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Lufthansa is bringing back its beloved A380 jet next year, reversing a pandemic-era decision. Here are the airlines that have resumed flying the plane since 2020. So, even though the A380 program ended in 2021, and many have already been retired, the planes are expected to fly on for years to come. Airbus Previous versions of this story were written by Benjamin Zhang and David Slotnick. Read the original article on Business Insider The eldest daughter of reality TV star Erica Dixon and Lil Scrappy (whose real name is Darryl Kevin Richardson) is graduating from high school and headed to college. Now 18 years old, Emani grew up on the set of Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta, the show that contributed to her parents popularity. Im so grateful to my family who came together and made this day special for my baby, Erica Dixon wrote on Instagram. Its been a long time coming, but we are here by the grace of God. The last time all of us were in one place together Nevermind yall know the story, she said, referring to recent family drama. Emani, I cant express how proud of you I am. Youre such a beautiful, blossoming young lady. I see so much of me in you, and I couldnt be happier. Glow on, baby girl! Emani was photographed before heading to prom wearing a red-and-white roses corsage and a sparkly black bustier gown. Her father also took to social media to congratulate her on her graduation. Lil Scrappy shared a video montage of what appears to be a celebratory event at her high school. Grateful, Emanis father captioned the post. Im on a plane inna air, and my daughter Emani my young Queen, just signed her sig to her school she will be attending next which is .. you see the shirt. Emani was photographed wearing a shirt for Savannah State University, indicating she will be attending the HBCU next Fall. It is the oldest HBCU in Georgia. Im so proud of my baby man she has worked her, but off to get here; now we finna go to the next level, and thats young adulting, so Im ready; lets go, princess, he added. EMANI RICHARDSON IS HEADED TO SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY https://t.co/0mXobDGpBH pic.twitter.com/M65WjMgB46 BCK (@officialbck) April 25, 2023 Momma Dee, Emanis grandmother and Scrappys mother, commented on the post. Story continues Yes, my granddaughter is on the winning side; thank you, Jesus, for your many blessings, she wrote. She posted a few celebratory photographs on her own Instagram account. Congratulations to Emani! Rep. Randy Fine A state commission found probable cause that Rep. Randy Fine (R-Palm Bay) violated ethics rules last year when he allegedly threatened to veto funding to the city of West Melbourne over a dispute with school board member Jennifer Jenkins. The new report from the ethics committee overturns the findings of an advocate with the Florida Attorney General's office, which previously said there was not enough evidence to support the complaint, brought by Jenkins. School board member Jennifer Jenkins According to the Florida Commission on Ethics findings released Wednesday, members "found probable cause to believe that [Fine] abused his position to obtain a disproportionate benefit and that he misused his position by threatening to take away State funding over a personal feud with a Brevard County School Board member, and that he interfered in a council member's response to a public records request for communications related to thedispute."Fine responded to the commission's findings, issuing a statement via text message to FLORIDA TODAY Wednesday night. He called the commission a "kangaroo court" and said its findings were politically motivated. "It is clear to me, based on Jim Waldman's motion that the kangaroo court that is the Florida Commission on Ethics has a personal axe to grind with myself and my politics," Fine said of the body and one of its Democratic appointees. More: Port Canaveral planning to build another cruise terminal as revenue soars More: Baseball-sized hail, winds over 60 mph, isolated tornadoes possible across Central Florida What is the issue involving Fine about? Fine last April told West Melbourne City Councilman John Dittmore that state funding for the Special Olympics and a city flood risk reduction project was "at risk" because city police officials had invited Jenkins to participate in a Special Olympics fundraiser held by the West Melbourne Police Department, but failed to invite Fine, according to the series of texts obtained by FLORIDA TODAY. Story continues All five school board members had been invited but only Jenkins agreed to attend. "Jenkins just put your project and special Olympics funding on the veto list," Fine wrote. West Melbourne city councilmember John Dittmore Jenkins and FLORIDA TODAY filed public records requests after Dittmore posted to social media decrying Jenkins's participation in the event, going so far as to post an apology to Fine for her attendance. In his post, Dittmore said that Jenkins's opposition to Fine and other Republican politicians would unnecessarily politicize an event meant to be for charity. Dittmore said that Fine, in a follow-up phone call, objected to the release of the text messages as part of the records request, and wanted a city attorney overseeing the request fired. At the time of the alleged threat, Fine and Jenkins had been engaged in rancorous exchanges over a mask mandate at Brevard Public Schools, which Jenkins supported even though it ran afoul of a Gov. Ron DeSantis executive order. Fine at the time denied making threats and denied telling Dittmore he wanted city attorney Morris Richardson, who is now the Brevard County attorney, fired. But that is contradicted by Fine's own statements to the ethics commission. According to their findings, Fine acknowledged that he advised Dittmore that the city of West Melbourne should fire Richardson because he did not understand the requirements for disclosing public records information. Fine also has long noted that the $460,000 city project and about $1 million in various appropriations for the Special Olympics were included as part of the state budget, passed last year by the Florida Legislature. What happens now? Lynn Blais, spokesperson with the Florida Commission on Ethics, said the outcome of the case and possible consequences for Fine will still need to be determined. "Now it's in the hands of the commission advocate, which is an employee of the attorney general. There could either be a full evidentiary hearing before a judge or they could reach a stipulated agreement outside of that... about the violation and a penalty," Blais said. "Either way it would come back before the commission at some later date where they'd make a decision on a final action." Penalties for state legislators are outlined in Florida statute, which says complaints are referred to "the appropriate committee for investigation and action which shall be governed by the rules of its respective house." Findings by the ethics commission will be handed to the Florida House along with a recommended penalty. Members of the legislature would then be penalized by their respective house, in Fine's case the House of Representatives. John Dittmore said he feels vindicated by the commission's findings. "I worked closely with the previous city attorney who's now the county attorney. My previous statements hold true," he said. "When this came about, we followed the law and the city attorney was pretty specific about what was public record and what wasn't," Dittmore added. "We wanted to make sure that we did the right thing to avoid any appearances of impropriety on our part as far as public records and be completely transparent." "I did feel at the time that Fine's threat was credible and based on that I immediately shared it with the city attorney," he said. The commission considered a related complaint filed Dittmore but no probable cause was found. Tyler Vazquez is the Brevard County and North Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-917-7491 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @tyler_vazquez This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Ethics commission: probable cause against Randy Fine in West Melbourne dispute By Supantha Mukherjee, Foo Yun Chee and Martin Coulter (Reuters) - Companies deploying generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, will have to disclose any copyrighted material used to develop their systems, according to an early EU agreement that could pave the way for the world's first comprehensive laws governing the technology. The European Commission began drafting the AI Act nearly two years ago to regulate emerging artificial intelligence technology, which underwent a boom in investment and popularity following the release of OpenAI's AI-powered chatbot ChatGPT. Members of the European Parliament agreed to push the draft through to the next stage, the trilogue, during which EU lawmakers and member states will thrash out the final details of the bill. Under the proposals, AI tools will be classified according to their perceived risk level: from minimal through to limited, high, and unacceptable. Areas of concern could include biometric surveillance, spreading misinformation or discriminatory language. While high-risk tools will not be banned, those using them will need to be highly transparent in their operations. Companies deploying generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT or image generator Midjourney, will also have to disclose any copyrighted material used to develop their systems. This provision was a late addition drawn up within the past two weeks, according to a source familiar with discussions. Some committee members initially proposed banning copyrighted material being used to train generative AI models altogether, the source said, but this was abandoned in favour of a transparency requirement. "Against conservative wishes for more surveillance and leftist fantasies of over-regulation, parliament found a solid compromise that would regulate AI proportionately, protect citizens' rights, as well as foster innovation and boost the economy," said Svenja Hahn, a European Parliament deputy. Macquarie analyst Fred Havemeyer said the EU's proposal was "tactful" rather than a "ban first, and ask questions later" approach proposed by some. Story continues "The EU has been on the frontier of regulating AI technology," he told Reuters. RACE TO MARKET Microsoft-backed OpenAI provoked awe and anxiety around the world when it unveiled ChatGPT late last year. The chatbot became the fastest-growing consumer application in history, reaching 100 million monthly active users in a matter of weeks. The ensuing race among tech companies to bring generative AI products to market concerned some onlookers, with Twitter-owner Elon Musk backing a proposal to halt development of such systems for six months. Shortly after signing the letter, the Financial Times reported Musk was planning to launch his own startup to rival OpenAI. (Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Stockholm, Foo Yun Chee in Brussels and Martin Coulter in London; Editing by Alexandra Hudson, Sharon Singleton and Lisa Shumaker) (Bloomberg) -- The European Union is proposing a system that would allow the bloc to suspend patent protection under special circumstances to address shortages of critical drugs during public health crises. Most Read from Bloomberg The EUs executive arm said the new rules, which would be used to ensure access to critical products and technologies, would be used as a last resort in times of crisis. Drugmakers, including Novartis AG, have been critical of such plans, warning that they were unnecessary and could harm innovation. The European Commissions plan would establish strict criteria for the issuance of any compulsory licenses. They could only be granted after the EU has formally declared an emergency or crisis, the executive arm would need to consult with member states and key stakeholders and the move would be subject to a judicial review. Affected companies would also be entitled to adequate remuneration, the commission said. Those limits may not entirely ease the concerns of pharmaceutical companies. Even the threat of compulsory licensing will fundamentally damage the innovation ecosystem for pandemic response and emergency response, Novartis Chief Executive Officer Vas Narasimhan told reporters on Tuesday, responding to earlier reports on the plan. Its ultimately not going to help. Read more: EU Set to Propose Vouchers to Boost Antibiotic Development Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. The European Union will support upcoming peace talks between the Colombian government and dissident factions of the disarmed FARC guerrillas, the bloc's diplomacy chief said Wednesday. "I am impressed by what President (Gustavo) Petro wants to do with his 'total peace' project," said Josep Borrell, who arrived in Colombia Tuesday. "The European Union will accompany this process in every way we can, politically and economically." Petro has been pursuing negotiations in recent months with a swath of armed actors in Colombia -- many of them linked to drug trafficking -- including paramilitary groups, criminal gangs and dissident groups that split off from the Marxist FARC guerrilla movement when it signed a peace accord with the government in 2016. Negotiations are set to begin with the Central General Staff, one of the main FARC dissident groups, in May. "What worries me is that the process will require political energy, a commitment from Colombian society, enormous financial resources. And I can guarantee that the European Union will be at Colombia's side in building this peace," Borrell said. Borrell also visited projects aimed at helping the large numbers of migrants that have crossed into Colombia from neighboring Venezuela, in Bogota's Santa Fe neighborhood. He announced 10 million euros in aid to support migrant assistance projects, as well as 10 million dollars earmarked for deforestation prevention efforts. hba/lab/fjb/lv/atm-nro/dw BEIRUT (Reuters) - European investigators in Beirut questioned an assistant to Lebanon's central bank governor on Thursday as part of a probe into whether the governor embezzled and laundered hundreds of millions of dollars in public funds, local media and a judicial source said. Governor Riad Salameh is being investigated in Lebanon and in at least five European countries over allegedly taking more than $300 million from the central bank together with his brother over more than a decade. Marianne Houayek, 42 and a longtime assistant to the governor, was scheduled to be questioned as a suspect, according to a schedule for the European investigators seen by Reuters. A lawyer for Houayek did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday, and neither have replied to any such requests from media so far. The Salameh brothers have both denied wrongdoing. Riad Salameh says he is being made a scapegoat for Lebanon's financial crisis that erupted in 2019. A French court document seen by Reuters says up to $5 million euros from the central bank ultimately went to Houayek via accounts in Switzerland and Luxembourg. Houayek is also mentioned in a 2021 Swiss request for legal assistance from Lebanese authorities, in which Swiss authorities allege she was the beneficiary of funds that were diverted from the central bank to the detriment of the Lebanese state. The European investigators questioned the governor in Beirut in March and returned on Monday for further hearings. They were set to question the governor's brother Raja Salameh as part of the probe on both Tuesday and Wednesday, but he did not attend and his lawyer said he would be unavailable for one week due to health reasons. The governor, his brother and Houayek have been charged with financial crimes in two separate cases in Lebanon but have not yet been formally and publicly charged in the investigating European countries. The European investigators are also set to question caretaker finance minister Youssef el-Khalil, who still serves as the central bank's head of financial operations, as well as other top officials of the bank. (Reporting by Maya Gebeily; Editing by Hugh Lawson) The European Parliament's Committee on International Trade has decided to extend the suspension of EU import duties on Ukrainian exports for another year to support the Ukrainian economy. Source: European Parliaments press service on 27 April, as reported by European Pravda Details: Members of the International Trade Committee have approved a proposal to extend the suspension of import duties, anti-dumping duties, and safeguard measures on Ukrainian exports to the EU for another year amid Russia's aggressive war, limiting Ukraine's ability to trade with the rest of the world. The suspension of tariffs applies to fruits and vegetables subjected to the entry price system, as well as agricultural products and processed products subject to tariff quotas. Ukrainian industrial goods are not subject to duties from 1 January 2023 under the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, so they are not included in the new proposal. The European Commission states that the EU is Ukraine's largest trading partner. The EU accounted for 39.5% of Ukraine's trade in 2021. Ukraine is the EU's 15th largest trading partner, accounting for about 1.2% of the EU's total trade. Background: The permanent representatives of the European Union member states are expected to vote on the extension of duty-free imports of goods from Ukraine on 28 April. Last May, the EU Council decided to lift all duties and quotas on exports from Ukraine for a year in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion. The European Commission approved a formal proposal to extend Ukraine's autonomous trade measures for another year in February 2023. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Tucker Carlson speaks in Phoenix, Dec. 17, 2022. (Rebecca Noble/The New York Times) The day before Dominion Voting Systems defamation trial against Fox News was set to begin in a Delaware courthouse, the Fox board of directors and top executives made a startling discovery that helped lead to the breaking point between the network and Tucker Carlson, one of its top stars. Private messages sent by Carlson that had been redacted in legal filings showed him making highly offensive and crude remarks that went beyond the inflammatory, often racist comments of his prime-time show and anything disclosed in the lead-up to the trial. Despite the fact that Foxs trial lawyers had these messages for months, the board and some senior executives were now learning about their details for the first time, setting off a crisis at the highest level of the company, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times The discovery added pressure on Fox leadership as it sought to find a way to avoid a trial where Carlson not to mention so many others at the network would be questioned about the contents of the private messages they exchanged in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election. Two days after the boards discovery, Fox settled that case for $787.5 million, believed to be the highest for a defamation trial. Several people with knowledge of Foxs discussions said the redacted messages were a catalyst for one of the most momentous decisions that Fox and its leaders the father-son team of Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch had made in years: to sever ties with the host of their highest-rated and highly profitable prime-time program and a face of the network in the Trump era. The company dismissed him Monday, with a phone call from Suzanne Scott, the CEO of Fox News Media. In the end, according to one of the people with knowledge of the internal discussions, Lachlan Murdoch viewed forcing out Carlson as a business decision, just as he did the Dominion settlement. Story continues Fox had no comment beyond its initial statement announcing Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways. Carlson and Bryan Freedman, a lawyer representing him, did not respond to requests for comment. On Wednesday night, Carlson posted a video on Twitter, speaking publicly for the first time since getting pushed out. Carlson did not address his exit from Fox but railed against completely irrelevant debates on TV and said: Both political parties and their donors have reached consensus on what benefits them, and they actively collude to shut down any conversation about it. He added: When honest people say whats true, calmly and without embarrassment, they become powerful. At the same time, the liars who have been trying to silence them shrink. They become weaker. It is unclear why the Fox board and other executives did not know about the contents of the redacted messages until just before the trial, which was focused on whether Fox News had knowingly aired false claims about Dominion and its voting machines after the 2020 election. Unredacted portions of the documents, including some in which Carlson spoke derisively about former President Donald Trump, were widely reported on in the weeks before the trial. The board considered using an outside law firm to investigate the top-rated host, concerned about the harm Carlsons behavior might cause even beyond the Dominion case, the two people said. By the time the board did see the redacted material, Lachlan Murdoch was already moving to find an out-of-court accommodation with Dominion, having given his negotiators the go-ahead to increase Foxs offer to the company, according to one of the people briefed on the discussions. Company executives have indicated that a variety of factors fed into the decision to fire Carlson after Fox stood by him for years as he drew protests and advertiser boycotts for trafficking in conspiracy theories and narratives of white grievance. But they acknowledge that the discovery of what was in the redacted text messages was an important factor in his ultimate dismissal. The role that the messages produced in the Dominion discovery process played in helping to end Carlsons career at Fox demonstrates the severity of the damage the suit inflicted on the company. Fox was battered repeatedly by damaging disclosures as it proceeded to trial. If it had settled far earlier in the process, the company could have avoided having to hand over Carlsons messages and those of others, including from the personal accounts of both Murdochs. Over the past two years, the Murdochs patience began to wear thin, people familiar with their complaints said. Carlson emerged as an almost unaccountable figure who drew new headaches with conspiracy theory programming that included falsely portraying the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol as possibly orchestrated by the federal government. Then, as the Dominion case headed to trial, he told his audience last month that the rioting was, in fact, a peaceful exercise, using security footage that Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy had given to Carlson exclusively. Although statements made on his show represented only a small piece of the Dominion lawsuit, the disclosures related to his messages took on an outsize role and added to the companys public relations woes. It is notable that even when compared with the extreme rhetoric Carlson was allowed to use on air, the messages released publicly had the ability to shock. In one, he referred to lawyer Sidney Powell, a major proponent of the debunked theory that the Dominion machines switched votes, with a crude and misogynistic slur. Amid the cache of redacted messages was one in which he used a similar vulgarity to describe a senior Fox News executive, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. One person briefed on the contents of the redacted material said one of the messages was particularly offensive, adding to the concern at the top of the company. The New York Times has not seen the contents of the message. Dominion lawyers planned to press the judge about using the contents of the redacted messages in their questioning of Carlson. The lawyers prepped dozens of potential questions for the host, along with hypothetical rejoinders they thought Carlson might use to deflect the toughest of them. And they planned to pin him down on the ones that were most demeaning toward women. The two sides had different views of whether much or any of Carlsons unredacted messages would be seen in court a difference that, at trial, would have been sorted by the presiding judge, Eric M. Davis of Delaware Superior Court. The settlement of the Dominion case, however, has not ended the threat posed by the messages. The Times, The Associated Press and National Public Radio have challenged the redactions, meaning they could still become public. And Carlsons indiscretion has exposed him further. Given how polarizing he has been, both inside and outside Fox News, more evidence of embarrassing and inappropriate conduct could emerge. In video obtained by the Times, for instance, Carlson is shown off camera discussing his postmenopausal fans and whether they will approve of how he looks on the air. In another video, he is overheard describing a woman he finds yummy. His texts could also factor in a pending defamation suit that software company Smartmatic often paired with Dominion in the wildest versions of the stolen election conspiracy theory has brought against Fox, as well as in a suit brought by a former Carlson producer, Abby Grossberg, alleging a hostile and discriminatory work environment. All this was in the mix when the network finally cut Carlsons program this week, according to several people familiar with the internal discussions. And, the end of his run followed a pattern. His unceremonious departure made Carlson the latest in a list of prominent hosts and executives Fox has decided to show the door once the Murdochs concluded they were no longer worth the trouble: Glenn Beck (2011), Sarah Palin (2013), network co-founder Roger Ailes (2016) and Bill OReilly (2017). Despite the political clout he could exercise and the money his top-rated show brought in for the network, ultimately, Carlson learned that he served at the pleasure of the Murdochs. Their decision in the end was as swift and unsentimental as the two-paragraph statement the network sent in announcing his dismissal: We thank him for his service. c.2023 The New York Times Company READYVILLE, Tenn. An EF-2 tornado ripped through Readyville, Tennessee, in early April, and survivors are still struggling to pick up the pieces of their homes, businesses and lives. Located southeast of Nashville, the rural Tennessee town has a population of about 2,000 and only a few dozen businesses at its core. One of those businesses was the Readyville Mill, which was founded in 1812 by town founder Charles Ready, according to the Tennessee Home and Farm. CELEBRATION OF RECOVERY THIS EASTER FOR NASHVILLE CHURCH REBUILT AFTER TORNADO The more than 200-year-old mill and surrounding businesses were damaged when an EF-2 tornado struck Readyville during the early hours of April 1, reducing many of those businesses and homes to their foundations. Drone shot of tornado damage in Readyville, Tennessee. "It literally wiped out the entire community," said Lisa Kay, Rutherford County resident and one of the first responders who is trying to help in Readyville. "It's like a total loss," Kay added. "That's why whenever I talk about it, I have to just say it was a miracle nobody lost their lives because everything is gone. Everything is gone." HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER Several organizations have descended on Readyville to assist its residents. According to FOX Weather multimedia journalist Will Nunley, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is on the ground going from property to property, and the local Church of Christ has been feeding residents three meals a day for weeks. "The community's really pitching in, in any way they can, to try and support these neighbors in need," Nunley said. Tornadoes swept through many parts of the Southeast and Midwest in early April, with more than 100 twisters confirmed, at least 36 deaths and 150 injuries. Former Atlanta Falcons safety William Moore was arrested Sunday after he allegedly shot into a car with children sitting in the backseat. The incident allegedly occurred on April 23 in a park in Lawrenceville, Georgia, which is about 32 miles northwest of Atlanta. The woman whose car Moore allegedly shot into, who asked not to be identified, told WSB-TV Channel 2's Matt Johnson that Moore came up and yelled profane language at the woman's 9-year-old niece. He proceeds to say, your [expletive] niece slapped my daughter," the woman said. "And Im like, 'Well sir. I apologize. I didnt see that. I know that they were playing together." He then allegedly attempted to poke holes in the woman's car tires. When the woman tried to drive away, she said she accidentally hit Moore's car. He then allegedly started to shoot at her car. Moore faces five charges: two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of misdemeanor cruelty to children, one count of criminal damage to property and one count of possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of a crime, according to the Gwinnett County Sheriff's office. His bond was set at $21,700. Moore's attorney, Matthew D. Crosby, released a statement Friday claiming Moore's daughter was assaulted by an older, larger female child and that Moore only produced his gun after the woman pulled forward to crash into his parked car. Crosby said Moore only shot at the car in an attempt to disable the woman's vehicle. Crosby added Moore denies all charges against him. William Moore played seven years for the Falcons and made one Pro Bowl. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) The Falcons took Moore in the second round of the 2009 draft out of Missouri. He became a full-time starter in 2010 when he tallied five interceptions, eight defended passes and 71 combined tackles. Moore went to the Pro Bowl in 2012 after he recorded four interceptions, nine defended passes, one fumble recovery and 75 combined tackles. He signed a five-year, $32 million contract the following season. Atlanta released Moore after the 2015 season with two years left on his contract. He finished his career with 16 interceptions, 37 defended passes, 3.5 sacks and 364 combined tackles. Footage shows an unidentified man who defense lawyers say is Don Carmignani spraying bear mace in a sleeping homeless person's face. San Francisco Public Defender's Office A former fire commissioner is accused of approaching homeless people and spraying them with bear mace. Don Carmignani initially said he was attacked by a homeless man, Garrett Doty, with a lead pipe. Doty's lawyers now point to evidence they say links Carmignani to the spate of unprovoked attacks. A former San Francisco fire commissioner who says a homeless man attacked him is now accused of spraying bear mace on at least eight homeless people who were minding their own business. Don Carmignani, 53, initially said he was assaulted by Garret Doty, 24, on April 5 outside his mother's home. Footage of the attack appears to show Carmignani on the street being repeatedly struck by a man wielding a lead pipe. Doty was arrested in connection with the attack, and faces assault and battery charges brought by the San Francisco district attorney's office. But Doty's defense lawyers are now highlighting police reports and videos that they say link Carmignani to at least eight unprovoked attacks on homeless people in recent years. The lawyers said in a Wednesday press statement that it was Carmignani who instigated the confrontation with Doty and that the latter had acted in self-defense. Videos show shocking bear spray attacks One video dated April 5 shows a man dressed in a black coat attacking Doty with bear spray on the street. Doty's lawyers argued that the man in black was Carmignani, adding that a third-party witness told police she heard him threaten to stab and kill Doty. Another video from November 2021 shows an unidentified person spraying bear mace at a homeless person sleeping on the street. When the victim turns away, the assailant leans forward to continue spraying their face. Police reports describe eight other attacks Eight police reports also documented an unnamed person using bear spray to attack homeless people in the area, Doty's lawyers said. The reports were made between November 2022 and January 2023. Story continues While Carmignani was not named in any of these reports, Doty's lawyers said they contained physical descriptions that matched the former fire commissioner's appearance. Kleigh Hathaway, a public defender for Doty, said the most recent attack involved the assailant stealing a phone, earrings, and a wallet from a homeless woman and throwing her dog on the ground, according to The San Francisco Standard. The unnamed attacker told the woman and another homeless man to "get the fuck out of my town" and that they didn't "belong" there, Hathaway told the outlet. Carmignani says he wasn't the attacker According to Doty's defense team, the police reports and videos were turned over by the San Francisco district attorney's office. Hathaway's team says prosecutors "indicated" that the unnamed assailant might be Carmignani. "These eight separate acts of violence were perpetrated against people who are homeless. The district attorney and the police gave us, the defense, yesterday, these police reports because they believe these acts are related to Mr. Carmignani," Hathaway told reporters on Wednesday. Carmignani's lawyer, Nick Colla, told The Standard that his client wasn't the unnamed assailant. "Our client vehemently denies that he is the alleged individual who is committing these acts against homeless people," Colla said, per The Standard. The former fire commissioner told CBS himself that he wasn't looking for a fight when Doty attacked him. "I didn't go out there to fight anyone. I'm trying to get them down the road, go to the park," Carmignani told the outlet, saying doctors told him he would have died had been struck one more time on April 5. Confusion ensued on Wednesday when Hathaway's team said they were told by prosecutors that charges against Doty would be dropped. But District Attorney Brooke Jenkins later told reporters that her office still intends to proceed with the case, though a preliminary hearing has been delayed until Thursday, The Standard reported. Doty must be released from jail if the Thursday hearing doesn't happen, Jenkins told the outlet. In a statement to Insider, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins confirmed that her office still intends to pursue its case against Doty. However, the case would require Carmignani to testify, and he hasn't agreed to do so, Jenkins said. Colla and the San Francisco Public Defender's Office did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment sent outside regular business hours. April 28, 2023: This story was updated to reflect comment from the San Francisco District Attorney's office. Read the original article on Business Insider An Army colonel fired last year from his brigade command post will now face a court-martial for alleged sexual abuse, officials from 1st Cavalry Division confirmed to Army Times. Col. Jon Meredith is charged with two counts of abusive sexual contact and two counts of conduct unbecoming of an officer for his alleged actions, Lt. Col. Jennifer Bocanegra, a spokesperson for the division, told Army Times. The division commander, Maj. Gen. John Richardson, formally referred the charges on April 21 to a general court-martial, she said. Meredith was fired from his post at Fort Hood, Texas, in October 2022 due to loss of confidence, Army Times previously reported. Following a separate investigation, Merediths wife, Col. Ann Meredith, was also recently ousted from her leadership role as the commander of the 89th Military Police Brigade, also at Fort Hood. She was suspended and subsequently relieved due to a loss of confidence in her judgment, Lt. Col. Tania Donovan, III Corps spokesperson, previously told Army Times. Married colonels at Fort Hood fired after separate investigations Ann Meredith took command of the military police brigade on July 8, 2022. She previously held command and staff positions at the company, battalion and brigade levels, Army officials said. She also served as the Military Police Branch chief with U.S. Army Human Resources Command from 2018 to 2020. Meredith claimed on social media that she was fired because she sent a text message that was considered to be interfering in the investigation into her husband, Stars & Stripes first reported. It was an accident, and I immediately reported myself and took responsibility, she said in the post, which Army Times also obtained. I simply made a mistake while defending my family. Jon Meredith, who was born and raised in Montana and commissioned in 1996, assumed his role at 1st Brigade in May 2021 during a rotation to Europe. His predecessor, Col. Michael Schoenfeldt, was also relieved of his post. Story continues A court-martial of a colonel is relatively rare, according to an Army Times review of publicly-available trial results. Eight have faced trial since 2014, and one is scheduled for a domestic violence court-martial in September. How the Army quietly discharges soldiers charged with violent crimes III Corps did not comment further on the removal of Ann Meredith, citing a service policy that protects administrative information. The Merediths were unable to be reached for further comment. A former substitute teacher at Ocean Springs Middle School facing sex crimes charges had worked in security while also taking on a temporary spot in teaching, according to authorities. Keshawn T. Belcher, 21, was hired as a substitute teacher through a contract the Ocean Springs School District has with Kelly Services. This national workforce management company offers temporary staffing services to various companies worldwide. As part of that contract, the school district mandates that those selected by Kelly Services to work as a substitute teacher undergo a background check through a government agency to determine if the candidate has any prior criminal record for any sex offense, child abuse allegations, or otherwise. Most school districts in Mississippi also require that any substitute have an associates degree, though the individual school districts make that determination. In some cases, potential substitutes without a degree are required to take a test for competency before hiring, according to the policies. Suspect worked as security guard Belcher had no known criminal conviction when he went to work as a substitute teacher at Ocean Springs Middle School beginning on April 17 and ending on April 21, according to the records. However, he had been previously arrested in Pascagoula on a felony charge of credit card fraud, but that didnt prevent him from getting the job as a substitute teacher. He had worked off and on as a security guard for an agency that provided security at various functions in the state. After serving five days at the middle school, the Ocean Springs district began an investigation with campus police after a student reported Belcher had inappropriate sexual contact with her and sent her sexually-explicit messages via Snapchat, Ocean Springs Police Capt. Ryan LeMaire said. Snapchat messages center of investigation In addition, parents of other students reported Belcher had befriended other students on Snapchat, took pictures with the kids, and sent them inappropriate messages or videos as well. Story continues Belcher was arrested at his Pascagoula home Wednesday morning on one felony charge each of touching a child for lustful purposes and child exploitation. However, Ocean Springs police said they identified more than two alleged victims all students and that number could increase as the investigation progresses. Belcher is currently being held without bond at the Jackson County jail. A bond hearing initially planned for Wednesday evening in Ocean Springs Municipal Court was delayed because Belcher was under suicide watch, authorities said, and could not yet be transported. His $2,500 bond on the previous fraud charge has since been revoked. As the investigation continues, authorities are expected to obtain a warrant to do a forensic search of any electronic devices and collect other evidence through other means, typically including forensic interviews with any other potential victims. Police are asking anyone with information to call the Ocean Springs Police Department at 228-875-2211 or Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers at 877-787-5898. A screengrab of footage showing a man allegedly attacking homeless people with bear spray - San Francisco Public Defenders Offic A former San Francisco fire commissioner has been accused of carrying out a series of bear spray attacks on the citys homeless. Details of the alleged rampage by Don Carmignani emerged in a case in which a 24-year-old vagrant was accused of attacking him with a metal rod and leaving him with a fractured skull. The clash between 52-year-old Mr Carmignani and Garret Doty has highlighted the homelessness crisis and crime wave which has engulfed the city. The incident was triggered when Mr Carmignanis mother rang the police to complain that three homeless people were pitching camp outside her home in the citys upmarket Marina district on April 5. Mr Carmignani stepped in and was attacked by Mr Doty with the metal bar. Self-defence claim However, Mr Dotys defence lawyer argued the attack was instigated by Mr Carmignani and her client was acting in self-defence. A video of the incident showed Mr Carmignani approaching Mr Doty holding a canister of bear spray at the start of the confrontation. One witness told police that Mr Carmignani threatened to kill Mr Doty if he did not leave. Kleigh Hathaway, the public defender, has urged the prosecution to be dropped because of evidence linking Mr Carmignani to other attacks in the city. The District Attorney and police now have reason to believe that Mr Carmignani was involved in eight separate attacks of violence, she said. These eight separate acts of violence were perpetrated against people who were homeless. She continued: In all of them the victims are not housed. The victims are either asleep in their tents, sitting on a bench, minding their own business. Tents used by the homeless line a sidewalk on Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco - AP The assailant in all the incidents match Mr Carmignanis appearance and took place within a few blocks of his home. In one incident a man walks up to a homeless person sleeping on the pavement and sprays the victim for about five seconds. It had been reported that the charges against Mr Doty were to be dropped. But the District Attorneys office changed tack after two more videos emerged of the incident. Story continues Footage of homeless man attacking former fire chief One video showed Mr Doty pulling a metal rod out of a rubbish bin. And in another, which was taken by a bystander, Mr Doty is seen repeatedly swinging the bar at Mr Carmignani as he chased him down the street. At one point Mr Carmignani is cornered at a filling station, desperately trying to fend off the blows from Mr Doty. Eventually, Mr Carmignani sustained a puncture wound at the back of his skull and was rushed to hospital for emergency treatment. I didnt go out there to fight anyone. Im trying to get them down the road, go to the park, said Mr Carmignani. Its three-on-one. I know odds. Im 52 years old. I have two hip replacements. Im an old guy, I could have been a dead guy. He said he took the law into his own hands after the city failed to respond to his mothers emergency calls and the threats of violence she faced. Mr Carmignani is a cannabis entrepreneur holding at least 16 licences for medicinal marijuana dispensaries. He is also a friend of Gavin Newsom, the California governor. Mr Carmignanis lawyer, Nick Colla, said he was not responsible for the attacks. Our client vehemently denies that he is the alleged individual who is committing these acts against homeless people, he said. The former San Francisco fire commissioner who said a homeless man brutally attacked him with a metal pipe has been accused of initiating the April 5 altercation. Attorneys representing the homeless man, Garret Doty, said video evidence shows that former San Francisco Fire Commissioner Don Carmignani was the aggressor and that he doused Doty with bear spray. They further alleged that Carmignani may be involved in other incidents in which homeless people were sprayed in the Cow Hollow and Marina District neighborhoods. Carmignanis attorney, Nick Colla, said his client was "repeatedly beaten with a metal rod" by Doty as he retreated nearly two city blocks from the initial point of contact. He also denied that Carmignani was involved in any of the other alleged incidents. "Its unfortunate that the narrative has shifted to the victims alleged history while there has been no focus whatsoever on the well documented history of violence and harassing behavior of the defendant," Colla said in an emailed statement. Doty was arrested April 5 and charged with assault with a deadly weapon and battery causing serious bodily injury. The San Francisco Public Defenders Office said he was acting in self-defense and urged the district attorney's office to drop the charges. He has been held at the San Francisco County jail. A judge ordered his release Thursday after he failed to appear in court for a preliminary hearing. The district attorney's office said Carmignani could not testify in the case because of injuries he sustained in the alleged attack. The hearing was delayed until May 23. On Wednesday, the public defender's office released two videos it received from the district attorney's office. The video shows a man "who fits the physical description of Carmignani" approaching homeless people unprovoked, the public defender's office said in a news release. "Prosecutors turned over this evidence because they considered it relevant to the circumstances involving Doty," the release says. Story continues In a video from the April 5 incident involving Doty, a man appears to pull a can from his jacket pocket. It does not show Doty being sprayed or Carmignani being attacked with the pipe. Doty is seen in the video running away before he turns toward the man. In the video, Doty appears to walk away several times as the man follows him. Doty, left, appears to walk away as the man follows him. (San Francisco Public Defender's Office) Attorneys for Doty said Carmignani approached their client and bear-sprayed him. "An argument between the two men ensued. A third party witness told police that she heard Carmignani threaten to stab and kill Doty if he did not leave the area. Doty responded to Mr. Carmignani in self-defense," the public defender's office said. The second video, from Nov. 6, 2021, shows a man spraying a homeless person on Magnolia Street. The public defender's office said that the victim was sleeping and that the perpetrator took "extra steps to spray him intensely in the face." A person appears to spray a homeless person in San Francisco on Nov. 6, 2021. (San Francisco Public Defender's Office) The public defender's office accused Carmignani of being involved in seven other bear-spraying incidents, one of them on Nov. 11, in which the assailant unzipped the victim's tent, sprayed bear spray into it and told the victim to "get out of my town." In a Jan. 6 incident, the assailant sprayed a man and a woman, took the woman's wallet, cellphone and earrings and threw their dog to the ground, the public defender's office news release says. Carmignani's attorneys said he is not the man in the 2021 video, and they denied his involvement in the other incidents, NBC Bay Area reported. They also released four videos they said show Doty retrieving a long metal weapon from a trash can and striking Carmignani. In the videos, obtained by NBC News, a man is seen repeatedly swinging a metal object before hitting Carmignani twice. Another video shows the man armed with the metal object chasing after Carmignani. Carmignani told KPIX-TV of San Francisco on Tuesday that since the alleged beating, he has nightmares of someone attacking him. "I'm happy if I even get two hours of sleep a night," he said. He said he has two head wounds and had to have a plate put into his broken jaw. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com A former Warner Robins city employee pleaded guilty Thursday to stealing more than $45,000 from the a city bank account over the course of almost three years, officials said. Pamela Mullis, 54, was sentenced to 10 years with the first 90 to 120 days in prison by Houston County Superior Court Judge Kathrine Lumsden. Mullis pleaded guilty to felony theft by taking more than $25,000, according to a statement from the Houston County District Attorneys Office. The city noticed funds missing from the Warner Robins Mortgage Assistance Program account in January, the statement said. Mullis confessed when law enforcement got involved, providing receipts that showed she had stolen a total of $45,870.26 from the fund over 32 months. Theft from our citizens and violation of the publics trust is a serious matter. This was an ongoing and continuous theft over 32 months, not a one-time bad judgment call, Houston County District Attorney William Kendall said in the statement. I will continue to do my Constitutional duty as a public servant and do my part to hold offenders accountable for their actions. Mullis was sentenced to 90 to 120 days in prison after her testimony and cooperation with police during the investigation. Kendall sought for the first six years of her sentence to be spent behind bars. More than 200 exhausted Iraqis evacuated from Sudan flew back to Baghdad on Thursday, with one saying he hadn't seen the sun in 10 days because of the fighting. Among the 234 people who were flown to Baghdad International Airport from Port Sudan were 16 Syrians, the foreign ministry said. It was unclear whether they would stay in Iraq or return home. "Overnight the war happened," said 30-year-old Iraqi engineer Ahmed al-Baldawi, his eyes red with fatigue. "There was no food, no water and no electricity. For 10 days we didn't see the sun." Evacuees arrived Thursday with stuffed backpacks and heavy suitcases, and one woman in a dark abaya carried her white cat in a plastic crate. Another young woman burst into tears of relief as she left the airport. The fighting broke out in Sudan on April 15 between Sudan's army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commanded by his deputy turned rival, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. At least 512 people have been killed and 4,193 wounded, according to official figures in Sudan, although the real toll is likely to be much higher. Many countries have been taking advantage of a tenuos truce to evacuate their citizens by air, land and sea, even though fighting has continued with air strikes in the capital Khartoum. An evacuation of Iraqis organised in conjunction with the United Arab Emirates embassy in Khartoum had been due to take place on Sunday, Baldawi said. "We were happy and got ready, but then they told us it was only for Emiratis," Baldawi told AFP. "So we stayed stuck in our apartments. We were devastated." - ' It was catastrophic' - Robay Ahmed, 24, said he had returned to Iraq with his parents, brother and sister, 16 years after the family settled in Sudan. "It was catastrophic," he said. "We kept away from the windows and we stayed low. There was a lot of fear." Ahmed said he had just completed his medical studies to become a dentist. Story continues "I couldn't even get my diploma," he said. Before they could board their plane at Port Sudan, the evacuees had to travel nearly 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) by bus from Khartoum, a 12-hour journey on bumpy roads. "The road is exhausting, it's nickname is the 'road of death'," said Ibrahim Jomaa, the father of a young girl. "The bus was tossed from left to right -- we thought it was going to overturn." But Jomaa was still full of praise for the Iraqi authorities who had managed to arrange their transport to safety. He recalled that when the first shots rang out on April 15, "we thought the situation would calm down. People went to work and the kids went to school. "But then suddenly there was artillery and rocket fire, and warplanes overhead," he said. "We were the last to leave our building. It's empty now." vid-tgg/srm/pjm The claim: Video shows new Bud Light billboard An April 21 Facebook video shows what appears to be a Bud Light billboard that says, "lol CRYBABIES." The on-screen text says, "BUD LIGHT FIRES BACK." The post was shared more than 3,000 times in five days, while the original TikTok garnered more than 700,000 likes in that same time. Similar versions of the post have been shared on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks Our rating: Altered The billboard has been digitally fabricated, according to a Bud Light spokesperson and local sources. The real billboard advertises Disney+. Bud Light 'crybabies' billboard isn't real Anheuser-Busch, the company that owns Bud Light, faced conservative backlash following its recent partnership with transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Figures such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw and Kid Rock have called for a boycott of the brand. The company didn't create the viral billboard in response to the criticism, however. An Anheuser-Busch spokesperson told USA TODAY in an email that the billboard isn't an official Bud Light advertisement. Ali Satchu, vice president of marketing for Branded Cities, which has a logo in the bottom-right corner of the billboard in the Facebook video, also told USA TODAY the advertisement isn't legitimate. "I am formally clarifying that the billboard in question is manipulated and digitally rendered," Satchu said in an email. The billboard currently has a Disney+ advertisement on it, he said. Fact check: No changes at top of Anheuser-Busch amid social media blowback Toronto radio producer Joe Cristiano visited the supposed billboard's location in downtown Toronto and shared a picture on Twitter of the Disney+ billboard he saw in its place. "Saw this first photo circulating on Twitter," Cristiano said in his tweet. "I said, 'I know that intersection.' So went to look. Sigh. That would have been funny though" Story continues The video was created by TikTok user @.jamisonlightfoot, who regularly posts edited videos, such as him faking a vacation to Mexico and pretending to walk through various different climates at once. Lightfoot directed USA TODAY to an April 27 YouTube video in which he explained how he edited footage of the original Disney+ billboard to show the fake Bud Light advertisement. USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but didn't immediately receive a response. The claim has been debunked by Lead Stories, the Associated Press, Reuters and AFP as well. Our fact-check sources: Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: No, Bud Light didn't make 'crybabies' billboard Relatives of more than 60 young people who died of fentanyl overdoses have filed an expanded version of their lawsuit against Snap Inc., arguing that the popular messaging platform Snapchat is a defective product because its disappearing messaging feature facilitates the trade of illegal drugs. Snap and Snapchats role in illicit drug sales to teens was the foreseeable result of the designs, structures, and policies Snap chose to implement to increase its revenues, said the new complaint, filed at midnight Tuesday in state court in Los Angeles. Snapchat is the go-to means to distribute drugs to children, teens, and young adults through social media, and is involved in a far greater number of fentanyl poisoning deaths of U.S. teens than other social media apps," the complaint said. In a statement, Snap responded that the complaint is riddled with false claims about how the Snapchat app works and about the companys ongoing efforts to aggressively combat drug activity on our platform and shut down drug dealers. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and Drug Enforcement Administrator Anne Milgram met in April with Snap executives, a company spokeswoman acknowledged. Monaco told reporters the meeting was with a cross section of social media company representatives to discuss how they can how they must do more to stop the sale of fentanyl on their platforms. Snap said in a statement it welcomed the meeting. NBC News has previously reported that FBI agents have interviewed parents of children who overdosed after buying drugs using Snapchat, though there is no indication the company is the target of a criminal investigation. The 205-page complaint a newer version of a lawsuit filed state court in October 2022 portrays SNAP as having been born of a desire to conceal inappropriate behavior, noting that its co-founders, who were Stanford students at the time, have described disappearing photos and messages as key factors in their design. Story continues A motivation for Snapchats disappearing feature not just disappearing as between users but permanently destroyed on the back end as well was to provide cover for those engaged in illicit and illegal conduct, the lawsuit says. People protest illicit drug availability to children on Snapchat near the Snap, Inc. headquarters (Apu Gomes / AFP via Getty Images file) The lawsuit adds that Snapchat is uniquely hospitable to drug trafficking because of this feature, but it goes further to say the company has turned a blind eye, even when notified about specific accounts associated with drug sales. Snap frustrates law enforcements efforts to prosecute individuals who utilize Snapchat to sell illegal drugs in significant ways, the lawsuit says. First, Snap notifies drug dealers when they receive a subpoena or other legal requests for their account information, giving them time to alter their actions. Second, in some instances Snap takes months to respond to requests for account information, resulting in material evidence being inaccessible due to Snaps automatic deletion design. For example, the suit says, after 14-year-old Alexander Neville died in 2020 from a fentanyl-laced pill he bought through Snapchat, authorities subpoenaed the company for records relating to the account of the alleged drug dealer. It took nine months and multiple subpoenas to get an answer, the suit says, and even after being served the subpoena, Snap continued to let (the alleged dealer) sell drugs on Snap. They did not disable or block the Snapchat Dealer who sold Alexander counterfeit Oxycodone, despite knowledge that (the alleged dealer) was selling deadly fentanyl pills to minors via and because of its Snapchat product. The lawsuit says Snaps director of global safety operations told parents during an April 2021 Zoom meeting that the reason it had been taking so long to respond to subpoenas is because his department was understaffed. Snap disputes that he said that, but says it has beefed up staffing since then. Snap said in its statement that we already have zero tolerance for the sale of illicit drugs on Snapchat." "We deploy advanced technology to proactively detect and remove drug dealers from our platform, and we continue to strengthen our support for law enforcement investigations, including by continuing to make referrals to law enforcement with the aim of prompting an investigation, the statement said. The lawsuit includes two new families, including Sam Chapman and his wife, Laura Berman, of Santa Monica, Calif., who lost their 16-year-old son Sammy to an overdose in February 2021. Chapman joined the lawsuit against the company this week, telling NBC News that he has lost hope that Congress will rein in the company. Chapman is convinced that Snaps algorithm drives drug dealers to teenagers on the platform and says the company should do much more to stop it. They need to make it impossible, he said. The new amended complaint includes an email exchange Chapman had with Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel in which Chapman told Spiegel that after his son died, local law enforcement discouraged him from seeking information from Snap about the drug dealer. Our son was lying dead on the floor and the police told us not to expect to catch the dealer who poisoned him, because in their cases where Snapchat is involved, they dont get any help, Chapman wrote. The CEO responded, We do work with law enforcement, on a daily basis, to bring criminals to justice and to investigate abuse on our platform including in the case of your son. I understand that you feel we can do better and I agree. We will always work to improve our service. But I believe it is categorically untrue that working with us is a 'waste of time' for law enforcement." The Santa Monica Police Department said in a statement at the time that it had a collaborative relationship with Snap. Chapman says hes planning on attending a planned protest in front of Snapchat headquarters in Santa Monica on May 12 with families who will be holding pictures of their kids who have died from drugs they obtained on the Snap platform. Securities records show that Snapchat has 100 million users in North America. In 20 countries, the platform reaches 90% of the 13- to 24-year-old population, the company says. Worldwide, the total number of users has grown from 319 million in 2021 to 375 million in 2022, the company says. In October, Snap launched an informational campaign on the dangers of fentanyl. The companys most recent transparency report shows it took 107,851 unique enforcement actions against accounts for violations related to drugs from Jan. 1, 2022, through June 30, 2022, the most recent data available. It is devastating that the national fentanyl epidemic has taken the lives of so many people and we have great empathy for families who have suffered unimaginable losses, the company said in its statement. We remain deeply committed to doing our part to fight this urgent crisis, working with government officials, other tech platforms, families and safety experts. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Lawyers hired by the family of a maintenance man who was shot to death at a Fort Worth apartment building said they think the resident accused of killing him should have been evicted months ago. The attorneys and the family of the victim, 30-year-old Carlos Aybar, held a news conference Wednesday. I want justice, cried Aybars mother, Rachel Canelon, in Spanish in video of the news conference filmed by Star-Telegram partner WFAA-TV. Aybar was a maintenance man at The Marq on West 7th apartments at 701 Arch Adams Lane in the Monticello neighborhood near Fort Worths Cultural District. He also lived at The Marq. Fort Worth police responded to the shooting that killed him at around 5:40 p.m. Friday. A woman called 911 and reported that she was working in the front office of the apartment building and a man was arguing with her after being ordered to move out due to an animal control violation, according to a police report. The woman reported that an employee had been shot and told the dispatcher that she had locked herself in a restroom and the suspect was standing outside the door shooting. The suspect, 29-year-old Devin Deron Smith, was arrested Friday night and as of Thursday afternoon was being held on $150,000 bond at the Tarrant County Jail, according to police and jail records. He is being represented by Fort Worth attorney Kobby Warren, who did not immediately respond to a message requesting comment. His bail has been set at the ridiculous amount of $150,000, which means he only needs $15,000 to post bail, said Aybars aunt, Rebeca Canelon-Diaz, at the familys news conference. Its my position that they should have started the eviction process months ago, said James Trujillo, one of the attorneys representing Aybars family members. Trujillo said the family is considering legal action because hes found residents who had previously complained to the apartments management and police about Smiths conduct and about his dog, WFAA reported. Story continues Mr. Smith chased one of the tenants with the pit bull, a young female, Trujillo said, according to KXAS-TV. He also allowed the pit bull to bite one of the leasing agents in the building. Aybar was described as a devoted father, son, brother by his family members in a GoFundMe they organized. He died a hero protecting his coworker, his family wrote. The apartment buildings management sent a message to residents Tuesday regarding Aybar. Carlos was a beloved member of our team his positive attitude, kindness, and work ethic made a lasting impression on everyone who had the pleasure of working alongside him, including our residents. He will be deeply missed, apartment management wrote in the message. We have implemented additional measures to ensure the safety and well-being of our employees, residents, and guests. ... Armed foot patrol guards have been stationed at the property to monitor the premises around the clock. The company, CWS Apartments Homes, said in a a statement that, Our team is cooperating fully with law enforcement agencies and, unfortunately, cannot comment further on the ongoing investigation. The apartments office, where the shooting occurred, will remain closed until further notice. Fort Worth police released a statement on Monday with preliminary details of their investigation. Detectives found that the suspect came to the office of the apartment complex due to paperwork left on his door, a police spokesperson said in the emailed statement. A witness contacted the victim (Aybar) because the witness was afraid of the way the suspect (Smith) was acting towards the witness. The victim came into the office and was attempting to get the suspect to leave the office when the suspect shot the victim multiple times. Smith fled the office to his apartment and was detained by officers a short time later, police said. Homicide detectives prepared an arrest warrant and Smith was transported to jail after the warrant was signed. Smith also now faces a charge of deadly conduct/discharging a firearm in an April 6 incident in downtown Fort Worth, according to a police report. Jail records indicate that charge was added on Thursday. The incident apparently unrelated to the shooting of Aybar occurred in the 400 block of Houston Street. A police spokesperson said that no one was injured in the Houston Street incident but did not release further details. The Star-Telegram has requested records of any other complaints against Smith. Uber Eats driver Randal Cooke was killed by a member of MS-13 gang in Florida (Screengrab/ 10 Tampa Bay) The family members of a 59-year-old slain Uber Eats driver remembered him as the "most perfect man" who worked hard to support his familys dreams. Randall 'Randy' Cooke was making his last delivery on 19 April in Holiday, Florida, when police believe he was dragged inside and killed in an attempted robbery. Pasco County police said Cooke was yanked into the home of 30-year-old parolee Oscar Solis while completing his food delivery. Cooke's remains were found at the house in trash bags and a cooler, which also contained a receipt with Solis's name on it, according to a police affidavit. Solis, an alleged member of the MS-13 criminal gang, was charged with killing the driver, sheriff Chris Nocco said at a news conference. This was a horrific crime of passion, Sheriff Nocco told reporters. This was demonic. What he did was demonic. Kathy Cooke, the wife of the slain delivery driver described her husband as an "angel". Ms Cooke said she called her husband after 7pm and knew something was wrong when both his phones went straight to voicemail. "I knew something was wrong right then and there," she said. "If youre an Uber driver, you have two phones and a charger. I called the police." Ms Cooke said the last week has been a blur as she couldn't recall which day the police told her about her husband's death. "I came into the house and broke down on my hands and knees screaming at the top of my lungs," she told Fox News. "My mind circuited it out and wouldnt accept it. Cookes stepdaughter Melany Dzoba remembered him as the most perfect man and partner to her mother. [He was] such a happy guy. I mean, we all go through our ups and downs. Were all still human, but he just he was always just so happy and just trying to have fun and laugh all the time, she told WFTS. Ms Dzoba said Cooke met her mother in 2012, and eight years later, the perfect couple tied the knot in 2020. Story continues [It was] a relationship I could always hope for, she said. Just conjoined at the hip. Soulmates until the very end. "I still have a voicemail on my phone from last Monday of just his voice and him telling me how much he loves me and how much hes there for me," she said tearfully. Cookes other stepdaughter, Brittany Dzoba, shared that the retiree moved to Paso from Seminole County last year to be closer to the ocean in order to fulfill his family's dream of living near the ocean. He was a graphic designer by trade, but also carried out deliveries to bring in some extra income, Ms Dzoba said. He just had to do anything he could to make ends meet, you know, she said, adding that Randy just made everything better. Meanwhile, the suspect faces charges of murder while engaged in a robbery, failure to register as a convicted felon and a parole violation, jail records show. Solis was released from an Indiana prison in January after serving four years for an assault and burglary conviction, Nocco said. He moved to the Florida home about three months ago. A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help Cookes family deal with expenses. A South Florida woman suspected of being involved in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol will spend more than a year behind bars but not for her alleged role in the riot. Suzanne Ellen Kaye, was sentenced to 18 months in prison by a federal district judge in West Palm Beach on Monday. The 61-year-old was found guilty of making threats toward FBI agents in a 2022 jury trial. Kayes charges date back to January 2021, when the FBI called her up hoping to get an interview. The agents wanted to question Kaye about her whereabouts on Jan. 6 as the FBIs national threats operation center received an online tip that she may have been at the Capitol during the attack, court records say. Kaye, who told FBI agents she was retired and couldnt drive, agreed to meet in her Boca Raton home, according to court records. But before FBI agents showed up, she had posted three videos on her Facebook page, ANGRY Patriot Hippie. In the publicly available videos, one of which she captioned F*** the FBI, Kaye mentioned that agents wanted to meet with her, court records say. Then, she threatened to exercise her second amendment right to shoot your f****** a** if the FBI pulled up to her home. Agents learned of her social media posts in February 2021 through a second online tip, court records say. They then paid Kaye a visit more than a week later and arrested her. The FBI Miami Field Office and West Palm Beach Resident Agency investigated the case. CatholicVote and Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit against the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday, alleging that the agencies have failed to respond to a request for records related to the FBIs investigation of Catholics. The conservative nonprofits are seeking information regarding a memo from the bureaus Richmond, Va., field office that warned against radical traditionalist Catholic ideology, among other records. CatholicVote says it filed requests under the Freedom of Information Act on March 8, for any communications from high-level FBI officials and DOJ officials in the Office of the Attorney General dating back to March 1, 2022 that mention several key words, including Catholics, Latin Mass, Radical-Traditionalist Catholics, Church Militant, Catholic League, Southern Poverty Law Center, Pope Francis, Vatican II, and Rosary. The requests also asked for communications related to the removal of the memo from FBI systems, the FBIs review of the basis for the memo, and any official actions taken by the bureau pursuant to the memo. While FOIA requires agencies to respond to requests in 20 business days, or 30 business days under unusual circumstances, the group says more than a month has passed and neither agency has produced the requested records or offered any indication of whether they plan to respond to the requests. The lawsuit asks a judge to require the two agencies to produce the relevant records, as well as to allow the plaintiffs to recoup attorneys fees and other litigation costs. Our weaponized and corrupt government agencies have demonstrated a pattern of contempt for justice and the rule of law by prioritizing partisan ideology and agendas over the protection of the American people in particular those with whom they disagree politically, CatholicVote President Brian Burch said in a statement. We are demanding transparency from our government and are determined to uncover just how high up the anti-Catholic bigotry goes. Story continues The FBIs Richmond field office released an internal memo in January warning against radical traditionalist Catholic ideology, and claiming it almost certainly presents new mitigation opportunities. The FBI later retracted the memo, which was made public by a whistleblower, saying it failed to meet the bureaus standards. Kyle Seraphin, who was a special agent at the bureau for six years before he was indefinitely suspended without pay in June 2022, published the document, Interest of Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremists in Radical Traditionalist Catholic Ideology Almost Certainly Presents New Mitigation Opportunities, on UncoverDC.com. In making this assessment, FBI Richmond relied on the key assumption that [racially or ethnically motivated extremists] will continue to find [radical-traditionalist Catholic or RTC] ideology attractive and will continue to attempt to connect with RTC adherents, both virtually via social media and in-person at places of worship, the document from January 23 states. It adds that RTCs are typically categorized by the rejection of the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) as a valid church council; disdain for most of the popes elected since Vatican II, particularly Pope Francis and Pope John Paul II; and frequent adherence to anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ, and white supremacist ideology. Radical-traditionalist Catholics compose a small minority of overall Roman Catholic adherents and are separate and distinct from traditionalist Catholics who prefer the Traditional Latin Mass and pre-Vatican II teachings and traditions, without the more extremist ideological beliefs and violent rhetoric. The report relied upon information from the Southern Poverty Law Center, a legal-advocacy organization that has come under fire for including conservative nonprofits like the Alliance Defending Freedom and the American College of Pediatricians on its list of hate groups alongside groups like the Ku Klux Klan and the Nation of Islam. The FBI condemned the leaked memo in February, telling National Review in a statement: While our standard practice is to not comment on specific intelligence products, this particular field office product disseminated only within the FBI regarding racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism does not meet the exacting standards of the FBI. Upon learning of the document, FBI Headquarters quickly began taking action to remove the document from FBI systems and conduct a review of the basis for the document. The statement adds: The FBI is committed to sound analytic tradecraft and to investigating and preventing acts of violence and other crimes while upholding the constitutional rights of all Americans and will never conduct investigative activities or open an investigation based solely on First Amendment protected activity. This month, Representative Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) revealed that the FBI recruited at least one undercover employee to develop sources among the clergy and church leadership as part of its effort to identify extremists in the Catholic Church. We now know the FBI, relying on information derived from at least one undercover employee, sought to use local religious organizations as new avenues for tripwire and source development. Chilling. pic.twitter.com/X6Ksb9ryoM Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) April 10, 2023 Jordan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, issued a subpoena to FBI director Christopher Wray, demanding he testify and turn over more information to Congress about the bureaus intelligence-gathering efforts targeting Catholic Americans. Americans attend church to worship and congregate for their spiritual and personal betterment, Jordan wrote in a letter to Wray on April 10. They must be free to exercise their fundamental First Amendment rights without worrying that the FBI may have planted so-called tripwire sources or other informants in their houses of worship. The House weaponization committee, which Jordan also oversees, called on the FBI to turn over information related to its investigation of Catholics after the memo was leaked. Jordan wrote earlier this month that the FBI had not been sufficiently responsive to demands for more information. FBI documents obtained by the committee reveal the bureau sought to enlist Catholic houses of worship as potential sources to monitor and report on their parishioners, according to the letter. More from National Review Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell was fooled by a Russian duo pretending to be Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a fake interview broadcast on Russian television, the central bank confirmed Thursday after multiple media reports. The comedy duo of Vladimir Krasnov and Alexei Stolyarov, known colloquially as Vovan and Lexus, claims to have performed similar pranks on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Polish President Andrzej Duda, European Central Bank Chief Christine Lagarde and Elton John, the BBC reported Thursday. The clips of the interview with Powell could serve to undermine the Feds messaging around the economy, which can have a real economic impact. Video now circulating on the internet shows Mr. Powell describing a sharp slowdown in growth in the U.S., following the banks efforts to rein in price rises, the BBC reported, referencing its international media monitoring service. A Fed spokesperson said an interview took place in January under false pretenses. Chair Powell participated in a conversation in January with someone who misrepresented himself as the Ukrainian president, a Fed spokesperson told The Hill. It was a friendly conversation and took place in a context of our standing in support of the Ukrainian people in this challenging time. No sensitive or confidential information was discussed. The Fed said the video of the interview appeared to have been edited and could not confirm its accuracy. The incident has raised security concerns for the Fed because its bankers regularly deliver remarks that move markets and have a huge impact on the domestic and international economy. Scores of public and private-sector analysts pore over remarks made by Powell and members of the Federal Open Markets Committee to discern the direction of the economy and make business decisions that can affect hiring and wage levels. The matter has been referred to appropriate law enforcement, and out of respect for their efforts, we wont be commenting further, a Fed spokesperson told The Hill. Story continues The reports come as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited New York to chair the United Nations Security Council this week and take a high-level meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Guterres traveled to Washington on Wednesday to meet with top appropriators in the House and Senate, as well as members of the House Foreign Relations Committee. Guterres was scheduled to meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday. The flurry of diplomacy could have an impact on the war in Ukraine, which is now in its 14th month, though the conflict in the eastern part of the country extends further. The Chinese government said Wednesday that a call had taken place between President Xi Jinping of China and Zelensky, a point of contact that U.S. officials say they had been encouraging. A U.S. State Department spokesperson told The Hill the U.S. had been urging Xi to speak with Zelensky for some time now. Its good that it happened. It is important that the PRC [Peoples Republic of China] hear directly from Ukraine about why Ukraines security concerns and territorial integrity must be respected, the spokesperson said. There is a role for China and other countries in supporting diplomatically an outcome consistent with the basic principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, they added. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A federal appeals court on Wednesday rejected former President Trumps effort to block former Vice President Mike Pence from testifying to a grand jury probing the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to reports. The Washington Post reported that the reasoning behind the new order from a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals remains under seal. The former presidents legal team earlier this month appealed a judges order that Pence answer Justice Department questions about Trumps role in Jan. 6 and efforts to interrupt the transition of power during the 2020 election. Pence had initially argued that he was shielded from subpoena by the speech and debate clause given his role as then-president of the Senate, but the former vice presidents team later said he wouldnt appeal the judges order, which said Pence wouldnt have to testify about his role in Congress. NBC News reports Trump can appeal to the Supreme Court, though he has not said whether he intends to do so. Pence over the weekend said hell tell the truth and obey the law when he appears, as is expected, before the grand jury. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell spoke on the phone early this year with someone posing as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Fed confirmed an embarrassing episode for the central bank chief. An alleged video of Powells conversation was shown on Russian state television and reported by Bloomberg News. The Fed said the footage appears to have been edited and therefore could not confirm its accuracy. Chair Powell participated in a conversation in January with someone who misrepresented himself as the Ukrainian president, a Fed spokesperson said in a statement. It was a friendly conversation and took place in a context of our standing in support of the Ukrainian people in this challenging time. No sensitive or confidential information was discussed. The matter has been referred to law enforcement, according to the Fed. Bloomberg identified the pranksters as Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov, who secure interviews with high-profile dignitaries by impersonating other officials. Earlier this year, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde also fell victim to the Russian duo. U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia A bullhorn-wielding Pennsylvania woman breached the U.S. Capitol with her husband on Jan. 6, took selfies in Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosis office, then kicked a cop in the groin on her way out, according to a federal complaint unsealed Thursday. Jeanette Mangia, 44, and Joseph Pastucci, 49, were arrested by FBI agents in New Cumberland on Wednesday, more than two years after the failed pro-Trump insurrection. They each face nine criminal counts, court records show. The pair got into the building around 2:15 p.m. that day, just minutes after the first wave of Trump supporters smashed windows on either side of the Senate Wing Door, which they quickly unlocked, allowing the crowd to start flowing inside, the complaint states. Pastucci (red) and Mangia (yellow) in Rep. Nancy Pelosis office on Jan. 6. U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Once there, Pastucci, in a camouflage-print Veterans for Trump hat and a blue Yamaha jacket, and Mangia, who had on a blue Trump hat with a red-and-white megaphone in her hand, hung a left and began moving toward to Lower Senate Corridors, the complaint goes on. (It does not say whether or not Pastucci actually served.) Pastucci and Mangia entered the Speakers office suite shortly before 2:36 p.m., it says. Inside of the office Mangia took a seat in a chair and appeared to instruct Pastucci to take a photograph of her. Twelve minutes later, Mangia and Pastucci followed a band of rioters to the second-floor Senate Chamber, according to the complaint, which says the couple then allegedly walked up and down the aisle for several minutes before sitting down in seats assigned to Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota and then-Sen. Patrick Toomey of Pennsylvania, both Republicans. Pastucci pulled a phone out of his jacket pocket and appeared to type briefly on it, the complaint states. Pastucci (red) and Mangia (yellow) in the Senate Chamber on Jan. 6. U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Mangia and Pastucci, who was carrying an American flag, remained in the Senate Chamber for at least 13 minutes, according to the complaint.The pair headed back down to the ground floor at roughly 3:04 p.m., but refused to obey D.C. Metro cops and U.S. Capitol cops telling them to leave, the complaint says. Story continues An MPD officer had to physically push Pastucci out of the Capitol and through the Senate Carriage Door as Pastucci resisted the officers efforts the entire way out of the Capitol and through the Carriage Door, including grabbing a wooden table by a metal detector and pulling against it as the officer attempted to get him to leave the area, it continues. Mangia also refused to leave the Capitol after being instructed. Upon being instructed and as Pastucci was being removed, Mangia confronted the officers. USCP officers had to physically lift Mangia off the ground and carry her in the direction of the Carriage Door. Mangia (circled in yellow) seen kicking an officers groin on Jan. 6. U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Mangia then flailed in the officers arms, fell to the floor, and refused to get back up, according to the complaint, alleging that Mangia rolled onto her back and began kicking her legs at the officers dragging her out. Once officers were finally able [to] drag Mangia out of the Capitol, she kicked a USCP officer in the groin area, the complaint states. Pastucci then shoved him in the chest and shoulder area. After being ejected, Mangia and Pastucci rushed the building again at 3:21 p.m., and pushed their way back in, according to the complaint. Over the next two minutes, the feds say the couple maneuvered their way to head of this crowd as the line of officers gave way. As such, Pastucci and Mangia were the last two people to enter the Rotunda before officers were able to close the door and stop the flow of rioters, the complaint says.At 3:24 p.m., Pastuccinow back in the Capitol Rotundatold cops desperately trying to clear the area that he and his wife wanted to leave. They did so by 3:27 p.m., waving at cops on the way out. Pastucci (circled in red) seen fighting a police officer inside the Capitol. U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia A tipster identified Pastucci to the FBI in November 2022 based on Pastuccis profile on a dating website in which he appeared in photographs wearing the same distinctive blue, Yamaha-branded jacket that he wore on January 6, 2021, the complaint says.The FBI then determined Mangia and Pastucci were married, confirming their identities with local cops, whod had prior interactions with them. Neither one has a lawyer listed in court records. Calls to their cell phones by The Daily Beast on Thursday went directly to voicemail. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Coal extraction at Merthyr Tydfil's Ffos-y-Fran mine began in 2007 on a 15-year licence The Welsh first minister has welcomed the decision to close the UK's biggest opencast coalmine. Mark Drakeford said ending production at Ffos-y-Fran, near Merthyr Tydfil, was in line with government policy. "We should not be extracting finite resources from the globe in an era of climate change," he told BBC Wales. Merthyr Tydfil council said a decision notice will be issued on Thursday, following planning committee's refusal of the proposal. The operators of the mine wanted to keep up production until the end of March 2024 and push back the date for final restoration of the site to June 2026. But Merthyr Tydfil council rejected the proposal on Wednesday 26 April, after planning officials advised it did not fit with Welsh government policies on climate change. Mr Drakeford said ministers would work to ensure the land was restored so it could be "again used by that local community". "There will be a job of restoring the site and the companies that created the difficulty and extracted the wealth from that community have an obligation to play their part in doing so," he said, welcoming the local council's decision. The first minister said the "sad history of Wales" is one of companies "that have extracted wealth from communities walking away when it comes to restoring sites that they have taken things out of in the past". "Now, we face that anew in the Ffos-y-Fran context," he said. The Ffos-y-Fran land reclamation scheme won planning permission in 2005, with work beginning to excavate 11 million tonnes of coal two years later. The other aim was to restore the land back to green hillside for the community's benefit as work progressed. But Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd has admitted that "insufficient funds" had been set aside to complete the restoration of the land as envisaged then, and time was needed to put forward and consult on a revised plan. Merthyr Tydfil council said: "The council is currently reviewing appropriate enforcement action. "We remain open to any discussion with the mine operator for a revised restoration strategy of the site, in light of the insufficient funds reported in the planning application." Law enforcement officers from the Department of Homeland Security are part of the security effort at the federal courthouse in Worcester. WORCESTER Accused military leaker Jack Teixeira is a troubled and potentially violent person with a concerning interest in mass murder, prosecutors argued at his detention hearing in U.S. District Court in Worcester. The magistrate judge assigned to the case, David H. Hennessy, said at the end of the hearing Thursday afternoon that he would take the question of whether to release Teixeira under advisement. In an 18-page filing posted electronically Wednesday evening, government prosecutors wrote that Teixeira was suspended in high school when a classmate overheard him make remarks about weapons, including Molotov cocktails, guns at the school, and racial threats. Police in Dighton denied him an application for a firearms identification card in 2018, prosecutors wrote, due to the concerns officers had over his remarks at high school. Jack Michael Teixeira Sr. arrives for his son's detention hearing in federal court in Worcester on Thursday. More: Two commanders at Cape Cod base suspended after military document leak Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, right, appears in U.S. District Court in Boston earlier in April. He is scheduled to appear Thursday in federal court in Worcester. Teixeira who cited his position of trust with the government in later applications eventually obtained and slept close to multiple firearms, prosecutors wrote. A search of the defendants primary and secondary residences that of his mother and father (revealed) the existence of a virtual arsenal of weapons, including bolt-action rifles, rifles, AR-and AK-style weapons, and a bazooka, they wrote. Prosecutors alleged that Teixeira also made a number of concerning statements on social media, including stating in November 2022 that if he had his way, he would kill a [expletive] ton of people because it would be culling the weak minded." What we know: Here's what we found out about Jack Teixeira in Dighton the day after his arrest In 2023, he told a user he was tempted to turn a minivan into an assassination van, they charged, describing SUVs and crossover vehicles as mobile gun trucks and [o]ff-road and good assassination vehicles. In February 2023, the defendant sought advice from another user about what type of rifle would be easy to operate from the back of an SUV, prosecutors wrote. He describes how he would conduct the shooting in a crowded urban or suburban environment. Story continues Prosecutors argue in the documents that Teixeira, 21, should be held in federal custody prior to his trial, rather than being released to home detention with his father, as they say his lawyers intend to argue. During his first court appearance: Jack Teixeira, of Dighton, held without bail related to leaked Ukraine, Pentagon documents The prosecutors said Teixeira, in addition to expressing violent threats online that make him a danger to the community, continues to pose a grave risk to national security. The information to which the Defendant had access and did access far exceeds what has been publicly disclosed on the Internet to date, a fact the Defendant himself acknowledged in a social media chat record from December 2022, prosecutors wrote. With a net worth of less than $20,000, and a history of betraying his oath to the country, prosecutors alleged that Teixeira has every motive to further hurt the United States, suggesting he would be particularly susceptible to enticements from foreign governments. "It has already been widely reported that adversaries of the United States have commented on the information the defendant posted online, prosecutors wrote. Those same adversaries have every incentive to contact the defendant, to seek additional information he may have physical access to or knowledge of, and to provide him with the means to help him flee the country in return for that information. 102nd intelligence wing on Cape Cod: Could Air National Guard intelligence wing closure be permanent? Where Jack Teixeira is from: Dighton, Massachusetts, is in national spotlight. Here's what residents say about the town Prosecutors wrote the government is still investigating whether and where the defendant may have retained any physical or digital copies of stolen classified information, including information that has not surfaced publicly, and suggested he also might have damaging national security information in his memory. Teixeira's lawyers respond In a filing Thursday morning, Teixeira's lawyers pushed back on the government's arguments painting him as violent and dangerous. At one point, they accused the government of painting a "caricature" of a violent gun owner. Teixeira's high school suspension, the filing says, was "fully known and vetted by the Air National Guard prior to enlisting and also when he obtained his top-secret security clearance." On April 13, the day of his arrest, according to the filing, Teixeira "sat on his mothers porch reading a bible in his uniform-compliant undershirt, awaiting the arrival of law enforcement." The lawyers said the probation department has recommended Teixeira be released to his father, a former corrections officer whose guns have been removed from his home. Skepticism from judge In Teixeira's detention hearing, Magistrate Judge David Hennessy expressed skepticism of defense arguments that the government has not shown Teixeira ever intended leaked information to be widely disseminated. Somebody under the age of 30 has no idea that when they put something on the internet that it could end up anywhere in this world? the judge asked. Seriously? Teixeira entered his detention hearing in Worcester in orange prison garb, smiling at his father in the front row. His handcuffs were removed before he sat down. One possibility is that the judge could order Teixeira to be confined at his fathers home while awaiting trial, if not held in jail. Under questioning at the hearing, his father, Jack Michael Teixeira, said he was aware that if his son were to violate conditions of release or home confinement, hed have to report him. The elder Teixeira said he owns firearms but no longer has any in his home. "You have a young man before you who didnt flee, has nowhere to flee, said Brendan Kelley, the defendant's lawyer. He will answer the charges, he will be judged by his fellow citizens But Nadine Pellegrini, chief of national security division in the Massachusetts U.S. attorneys office, told the judge the information prosecutors submitted to the court about the defendant's threatening words and behavior is not speculation, it is not hyperbole, nor is it the creation of a caricature. It is based on what we know to date ... directly based upon the words and actions of this defendant. Air Force suspensions Late Wednesday, the Air Force announced it had suspended the commander of the 102nd Intelligence Support Squadron where Teixeira worked and the administrative commander overseeing the support for the unit mobilized under federal orders, pending further investigation. It also temporarily removed each leaders access to classified systems and information. Here are five things to know ahead of the hearing: Why is it being held in Worcester? While Teixeira made his initial appearance in Boston last week, the Thursday proceedings will be held in Worcester because the magistrate judge assigned to the case, David H. Hennessy, normally sits here. What is a magistrate judge, and who is Judge Hennessy? Magistrate judges, as the federal government notes, are appointed by federal judges to, among other things, conduct preliminary proceedings in criminal cases. Magistrate judges routinely handle pretrial matters in criminal cases that are eventually heard by a U.S. District Court judge as the cases get closer to resolution. Hennessy has acted as magistrate judge in Worcester for years, including as chief magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts from 2017 to 2020. Photo of room in North Dighton home where Jack D. Teixeira lived, entered into evidence by federal government in case against him. Photo of room in North Dighton home where Jack D. Teixeira lived, entered into evidence by federal government in case against him. Photo of room in North Dighton home where Jack D. Teixeira lived, entered into evidence by federal government in case against him. A defense attorney wrote that the guns at the bottom of the bed are "airsoft toys." Photo of room in North Dighton home where Jack D. Teixeira lived, entered into evidence by federal government in case against him. When is the detention hearing? What can city residents expect? The detention hearing is slated for 1 p.m., and media interest is expected to be high. An overflow courtroom has been designated for the proceedings, which will not be streamed online. Residents can expect to see camera crews and media members assembled outside the Harold D. Donohue Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse at 595 Main St. Taking photographs or videos is barred inside federal courthouses, so expect to see any live TV shots from the courthouse done from around the courthouse area. What charges does Teixeira face? Teixeira, of Dighton, faces charges of unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information, which holds a maximum sentence of 10 years, and removal and retention of classified documents, which holds a maximum of five years. What might happen Thursday? A detention hearing is a hearing in which lawyers for the government and Teixeira will argue about whether he should be granted pretrial release, and if so, under what conditions. Assuming the hearing goes off successfully sometimes lawyers request additional time Hennessy will hear from both sides before rendering a decision. A decision could be immediate, or the judge might ask for more information or time. Check telegram.com Thursday for coverage of Thursdays proceedings. For reports from in and around the courthouse, follow reporters Brad Petrishen and Craig Semon on Twitter. With reports from the Associated Press This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Filing: Airman Jack Teixeira has history of violent, racist statements A seven-year corruption scandal in the S.C. General Assembly came to an end Thursday, when a former prominent Richland County state senator was sentenced to a year of probation and a former Myrtle Beach House member was sentenced to non-custodial punishments. Judge Carmen Mullen sentenced former state Sen. John Courson, R-Richland, to one year of probation with 100 hours of community service to be served through a church or nonprofit. When those hours are completed, Mullen said Coursons probation will end Courson had earlier pleaded guilty, but his sentence was held in abeyance until the case of Richard Quinn, who orchestrated a secret empire of influence in the General Assembly, was disposed of. (Courson) misused his campaign account, and thats the bottom line, Coursons attorney, Rose Mary Parham, said Thursday at the Beaufort County Courthouse. Mr. Quinn managed his campaign, and he accepted money back from Mr. Quinn, and believed Mr. Quinn when he said that was a proper thing to do. They were like brothers. (Courson) trusted him. Before sentencing, Parham emphasized to Mullen that Courson, 78, had cooperated fully throughout the corruption investigation, including his testimony against Quinn. Hes not just cooperating against someone. Hes cooperating against his very best friend, Mr. Quinn, Parham said. Quinn, 78, pleaded guilty last week to perjury and obstruction of justice charges, and was given 18 months home detention, avoiding prison in large part because of his age and health issues. Richard Quinn Sr. hugs his son, Rick Quinn, after giving an Alford plea to four counts of perjury and two counts of obstruction of justice on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at the Richland County Courthouse in Columbia, S.C. Parham said Courson also should be treated favorably due to his several health problems, his cooperation and emotional suffering over the last six years. The former senators wife, Elizabeth Courson, addressed Mullen directly on behalf of her husband. The couple will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary this weekend, she said. That John has been a husband of 50 years less a few days says something, she said. The violation he committed ... is against everything I have ever known with him. He is hurt deeply by knowing that he hurt his children and hurt me. Story continues Courson also spoke to the court, highlighting his remorse and stating he thinks about this every day despite his extensive health struggles. The ethos of the United States Marine Corps is honor, courage, commitment, the former Marine Corps reservist said. I still live by that. Mullen, whose father was in the Marine Corps, said Coursons cooperation and demeanor throughout the case speaks volumes to his character. Mullen also took a guilty plea from former S.C. Rep. Tracy Edge, R-Myrtle Beach, for perjury after Edge failed to report a portion of his campaign finances to the State Ethics Commission. The 56-year-old was sentenced to six months in prison or a fine of $500. Edge accepted the fine, but gets 10 days to appeal the courts decision if he chooses. Edges attorney, Joe McCulloch, argued similarly to Parham that his clients cooperation with the state investigation warranted a favorable sentence. (Failure to report the finances) was not a purposeful deception, McCulloch said. It was the result of ignorance. Ignorance is not an excuse under the law. We accept that. Edge apologized for his conduct before the court. The last eight years have been filled with pain and anxiety, surgeries and medical issues, in part due to this situation, Edge said. Im very sorry for any failures on my part in this case and deeply regret them. Mullen said she recognized Edge, like Courson, was cooperative throughout the investigation before handing down her sentence. Their cooperation with investigators, she added, was helpful in allowing the state to pursue the other persons involved in the corruption scandal. The State House corruption saga began in 2014, after Attorney General Alan Wilson, a Republican, appointed Democrat and 1st Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe as the special prosecutor in an investigation involving then-House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston. Pascoe, who McCulloch called the grim reaper of the Legislature, secured a guilty plea from Harrell in October 2014. Harrell was forced to resign one of the most powerful positions in state government. At that point, Pascoe had uncovered more possible corruption in the General Assembly and wanted to extend his special-called job to go after more targets, a move opposed by Wilson, whose close political allies, including Quinn, were Pascoes potential targets. After a series of bruising court battles between Wilson and Pascoe, the South Carolina Supreme Court gave Pascoe permission to launch a state grand jury investigation into State House corruption that came to involve Quinns records, which included his non-disclosed payments to various legislators and his close relationship with Wilson. This is a developing story. It will be updated. (Bloomberg) -- Finland is closer to replacing a left-leaning cabinet with a coalition government that would bring together parties from the fiscally conservative end of the political spectrum, including a far-right force. Most Read from Bloomberg In a move mirroring a shift that took place last year in neighboring Sweden, the negotiations in Finland target a cabinet deal between election winner National Coalition Party, the anti-immigration Finns Party and two junior partners following a general election on April 2. The move was announced by National Coalition leader Petteri Orpo, the likely next prime minister, on Thursday in Helsinki. Formal negotiations will begin May 2, he said. Building the whole package of austerity measures will be the biggest challenge, Orpo told reporters. Doing so in a way that wont hamper economic growth or create an unreasonable burden for anyone, thats going to be hard. A right-of-center government would probably cut spending with the goal of reducing or ending a continued shortfall in budgets since 2009. The inability to generate surpluses has pushed up public debt to more than 70% of gross domestic product and inflamed anxiety over finances in the Nordic nation with a relatively elderly population. Taxes would more likely be reduced than increased should the four parties join forces. Longer out, if the next government manages to put Finnish public finances on a sustainable footing, as seems to be the priority among the parties participating in the formation talks, that should have positive consequences for the outlook for Finnish credit ratings and bonds, said Jan von Gerich, chief strategist at Nordea Bank Abp. Story continues Bringing the populist Finns Party into the government would align with countries such as Italy, where Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni heads the most right-wing government since World War II, and closely resemble last years outcome in Sweden, where the far-right Sweden Democrats agreed to prop up a center-right minority government of Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in parliament without actually taking part. A staple of the Finnish politics since 2011, a predecessor of the Finns Party had joined a coalition government in 2015. Yet that setup had only its more moderate elements holding cabinet seats, with the extremists corralled off from power. When the party splintered in 2017, the more far-right faction was delegated into the opposition. In Finland, there are no set political blocs and cabinets can even be formed by parties from opposite sides of the political spectrum if they manage to agree on a joint policy program. Shaping that program is the next step for Orpo, through formal talks with the Finns Party, led by Riikka Purra, and other potential coalition members, the Swedish Peoples Party and the Christian Democrats. We are committed to forging a majority coalition with a program that we can all stand behind, Purra said. We have not yet found differences so big that they could not be overcome. With the Finns, the election winner is broadly in agreement on economic policy, but strongly at loggerheads on immigration and climate policies. The National Coalition wants to lure more workers into Finland, a policy rejected by the anti-immigration party. On climate, the Finns Party has channeled the vote of those who think too much fuss is being made of reducing emissions, but Orpos group is unlikely to easily give into demands to reduce the ambition level on net zero targets. The outgoing Social Democrat-led government had set the aim of carbon neutrality by 2035, which would make it the worlds first fossil-free welfare society. Theres a risk that the talks to form a government may still face a dead-end or even fail altogether, which means, political uncertainty in Finland remains slightly elevated, Nordeas von Gerich said. The biggest question mark concerns tightening rules on immigration, where the Finns Party seeks to make major inroads. Such an agreement can be tough for Orpos party thats instead sought to boost immigration faced with the prospect of the population starting to shrink. This is an extremely important matter for us immigration that threatens security and the economy, Purra said. Yet, we dont oppose all immigration. Theres bound to be some scope for seeking agreement on some work-based immigration as well. (Adds analyst comments from sixth paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. HELSINKI (Reuters) -Finland's conservative National Coalition, winner of this month's parliamentary election, said on Thursday it hopes to form a majority government together with the eurosceptic, anti-immigration Finns Party and two smaller groups. The four parties will negotiate under the leadership of National Coalition Party (NCP) head Petteri Orpo, a fiscal conservative who is widely expected to replace left-wing leader Sanna Marin as Finland's next prime minister. "We really have big challenges ahead, we have to make difficult decisions, we have to make savings, we have to make reforms but I think they can be done and with this combination I think we can do it," Orpo told a news conference. The NCP won 48 seats in the April 2 election, ahead of the Finns with 46, while Marin's Social Democrats came third with 43 elected members of the 200-seat parliament. Its victory follows elections in Sweden, Finland's Nordic neighbour, last September which handed power to a right-wing bloc amid concern among voters over gang crime some link to immigration. That ballot also handed substantial influence over policy-making to the far-right Sweden Democrats, a grouping which Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson now relies on to stay in government. In addition to the NCP and the Finns, Orpo also aims to include the Swedish People's Party, which holds nine seats, and the Christian Democrats with five, bringing the total potential support to 108. But before he can take office, Orpo must find common ground with the nationalist Finns Party and its leader Riikka Purra, most notably on the contentious issue of immigration and asylum seekers. The Finns Party has seen its support rise on the back of concerns over the inflow of migrants into the Nordic state. While Purra has said her party would like to curb both humanitarian and work-based immigration from outside of Europe, Orpo has suggested he is ready to review asylum policy but wants to continue to welcome skilled workers to Finland. Story continues "Since I was elected party leader ... I have made it clear that immigration, which is a threat to both security and economy, is a very important issue to us," Purra said on Thursday. If the talks fail, Orpo can still attempt to negotiate with other parties. (Reporting by Essi Lehto, editing by Terje Solsvik) Conservative politician Petteri Orpo, who won Finland's April general election, said Thursday he plans to form a coalition government that includes the far-right runner-up Finns Party. The Finns inclusion in negotiations raises the possibility the anti-immigration party, which took just over 20 percent of the vote, could for the second time join a ruling coalition. Formal talks open on May 2 between Orpo's National Coalition Party, the Finns Party, the Swedish People's Party and the Christian Democrats, Orpo told reporters. The negotiations, which typically take around a month, are expected to be difficult, as the Finns Party's hard line on immigration and scepticism towards Finland's climate targets has caused friction among the right-wing parties. If Orpo succeeds in drafting a government programme supported by all four parties, the coalition would secure a majority of 108 seats out of 200 in parliament. In March, Swedish People's Party leader Anna-Maja Henriksson, said her party would not participate in a government that pursues the policies of the Finns Party, emphasising the importance of attracting labour migrants to Finland. While other political parties view immigration as a solution to Finland's ageing populace, the Finns Party has taken a more stringent stance. It attributes increasing juvenile crime to migrants and has actively campaigned against immigration. Finns Party leader Riikka Purra said Thursday that immigration was "a threat to both security and the economy," but the party was open to "negotiation". "There are certainly things we can agree on in the area of labour immigration," she told reporters. - Immigration in focus - The Finns Party served in a centre-right government with the National Coalition from 2015 to 2017 but that collaboration ended when the Finns Party split into two groups -- a moderate and a hard-line faction. Currently, only the hard-liners remain in parliament, having become the second-largest party in the 2019 election. Story continues The Finns Party's objectives include eventually exiting the EU and postponing Finland's aim of achieving carbon neutrality by 2035. Political scientist Mikko Majander from the Magma thinktank told AFP that "a heated debate is expected" in the negotiations to hammer out a government programme. "Purra must have a clear influence on immigration policy. In exchange for that, they can compromise on other issues," he said. However, he noted that "it is not set in stone that a government can be formed" with these four parties. Despite their differences, Orpo said he believed the parties could reach an agreement. "There are of course differences between the parties. But following (preliminary) negotiations we collectively feel that the issues can be resolved," he said. Orpo's alternative would have been cooperation with outgoing Prime Minister Sanna Marin's Social Democrats. A "blue-red" government with the Social Democrats and the National Coalition -- not uncommon in Finland -- would have also been easier for smaller parties to join. But Orpo said the former government partners' differences on economic policy were "so great that the parties now selected are much closer to each other." Analysts also noted that a blue-red government excluding the Finns could have raised democracy issues, given their strong election showing. - 'Unpredictable' - Orpo's election campaign focused primarily on calls for budget austerity, and he now appears willing to compromise in other areas to secure support for his six billion euro ($6.5 billion) savings plan. Marin had slammed his plan as "taking from the poor to give to the rich". While the Social Democrats would have been a "tried and tested" partner, the Finns Party could prove "unpredictable," Majander said. He noted that its voter base could have a hard time accepting budget austerity. Majander also predicted possible difficulties on EU affairs with the Finns Party in the coalition. "Especially in relation to the common debt. Finland in general does not want it, but the Finns have a harder line than the pro-EU National Coalition," he told AFP. In the April elections, the incumbent Social Democrats fell to third place with 43 seats, behind the National Coalition with 48 seats and the far-right with 46. ehu/po/fb A former fire captain in Colorado was arrested after being accused of sexually assaulting four women, officials said. Four women came forward with allegations that they were sexually assaulted by Kamron Barnaby, 30, while he was a captain at the Hygiene Fire Department in Longmont, according to an April 26 news release by the Boulder County Sheriffs Office. Two of those women were subordinate employees to Barnaby, officials said. Some of the alleged assaults occurred while he was on duty, officials said. Barnaby, currently employed by Mountain View Fire Rescue, was put on unpaid administrative leave during this ongoing investigation, according to a post on Twitter by the department. Barnaby was booked into the Boulder County Jail on April 26 on counts of sexual assault and unlawful sexual contact, officials said. He is being held without bond. Detectives believe there are more victims as well as witnesses to the assaults and ask anyone with information to call 303-441-4692. Longmont is about 40 miles north of Denver. If you have experienced sexual assault and need someone to talk to, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline for support at 1-800-656-4673 or visit the hotline's online chatroom. Jail staff blamed cute female officers for ongoing sexual harassment, lawsuit says Boy Scout leader sexually assaulted 12-year-old scout hundreds of times, DE cops say Sixth-grade teacher accused of sexually assaulting students for 15 years, CA cops say Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) rallied outside the Capitol on Wednesday with Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones (D-Nashville), in a call for gun control and an end to attacks on democracy. Were here today, to put it quite simply, because were young and fed up, Frost said to supporters and press outside the Capitol on Wednesday. Earlier this month, this nation watched in horror as innocent school children in Nashville were murdered in their classrooms. Then, he said, they remained focused on the southern state as a far-right fascist movement expelled Jones and his colleague Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) for protesting gun violence. We come with a message from the Tennessee capitol to the U.S. Capitol: that we are fed up with the attacks on our democracy and we are fed up with the endless cycle of mass shootings, said Jones. We are fed up with legislators and politicians who are trapped in the politics of racism. We are fed up, and when you are fed up, you got to rise up. Jones and his fellow State Reps. Justin Pearson and Gloria Johnson visited the White House on Monday to discuss gun control with President Biden. Like Jones, Pearson was expelled by the GOP-controlled state legislature for joining the protest on the House floor. Johnson, a white woman who joined the two young Black lawmakers, held on to her seat. The expulsion sparked outrage around the nation. Many, including the lawmakers who have become known as the Tennessee Three, pointed to the racial undertones of the expulsions. The three have since earned the praise of President Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Tennessee after their expulsion in a show of support. They tried to expel us, and in doing so they thought they could expel our movement, said Jones. But what they did was put energy and show the nation so overtly and blatantly what were up against. Frost told The Hill that when he heard Jones was coming to Washington D.C., he knew right away they needed to mobilize. Story continues I asked him and we said do we want to mobilize on gun violence, Black solidarity or youth and he said, All of them, Frost said. So we decided to go through that lens of being a person of color, being a young person and fearing gun violence in this country and the climate crisis and how all of this is all combined. I always joke around that the age of the single issue voter is quickly dying because young people in this country dont see one issue, they see everything combined and I think thats really important and the representative shows that in what he does, Frost added. Frost and Jones were joined by a host of fellow activists and political leaders, including Wisdom Cole, National Director of the NAACP Youth and College Division, and Democratic Reps. Summer Lee (Penn.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) and Steven Horsford (Nev.). Frost, who made history with his election by becoming the first Gen Z member of Congress and Congresss first Afro-Cuban member, has been an ardent supporter of gun control. He has called his generation the mass shooting generation, and has previously said it feels like he has been through more mass shooting drills than fire drills. What it means to be young in this country right now is to understand what gun violence means, its to understand the climate crisis, its to understand these issues of our time, Frost said Wednesday. Jones added its time for the White House to take action and called on Biden to do something out of the ordinary. We need our White House to use the power of executive orders to declare gun violence a public health emergency, Jones said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. (Bloomberg) -- Fired Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson emerged on Twitter Wednesday for the first time since he was ousted from Rupert Murdochs empire, with a two-minute broadside against US media and politics. Most Read from Bloomberg Alluding to his sudden termination at Fox News as taking a little time off, the former presenter castigated American media for not discussing important issues, saying one thing he had noticed in recent days was how unbelievably stupid most of the debates you see on television are. They are completely irrelevant. They mean nothing. Speculation is rising on the controversial anchors next move. Tirades against everything from climate change to M&Ms candies made him the most watched prime-time presenter on cable TV, but created an increasingly large headache for his former network. He regularly sparked outrage with his show segments, including one earlier this year in which he claimed the Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington DC, had been a peaceful protest. The last straw came when lawyers for Dominion Voting Systems Inc., which recently settled a defamation suit against Fox Corp. for a record $787.5 million, uncovered evidence that Carlson had insulted management, colleagues and guests. A still unresolved suit by former Fox producer Abby Grossberg also accuses the popular host of misogyny and contributing to a hostile workplace. In his Twitter diatribe, which steered away from any mention of Fox News or his ousting, Carlson said debate on big topics such as war, corporate power and natural resources was not permitted in American media thanks to political parties and their donors. Story continues Where can you still find Americans saying true things? There arent many places left but there are some, and thats enough, he said, without specifying where those may be. Conservative channels Newsmax and One America News Network are among names that have publicly indicated they are wooing him. --With assistance from Sohee Kim. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. ATAK-2 helicopter starts engine for the first time in Ankara A day after Turkey announced the maiden flight of its first domestically made military jet, the supersonic-capable Hurjet, a video has been released showing engine tests for the countrys new T929 attack helicopter, also providing our first good look at the almost-complete prototype. Officials have also announced that the rotorcraft, developed under the ATAK-2 program and which is powered by Ukrainian-made engines, is expected to be delivered to the Turkish Army beginning in 2025. Photos and video of the T929 prototype were released yesterday by Turkeys state-run Anadolu Agency news agency. The video sequence shows the aircraft running up its engines and rotors in a dedicated test facility in Ankara, although its unclear exactly when these tests took place. Previously, we had seen a mock-up of the T929 and the prototype in the early stage of production. The engine start-up was announced by Prof. Dr. Temel Kotil, the CEO of Turkish Aerospace Industries, or TAI, the T929s manufacturer. Prof. Dr. Kotil also said that the first three examples of the new helicopter will be delivered to our Land Forces Command in 2025. A side view of the prototype T929 attack helicopter, in Ankara, on April 24, 2023. Photo by Aytac Unal/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images The T929 is being developed under the ATAK-2 program as a follow-on to TAIs previous ATAK, which resulted in the T129 attack helicopter. T129s currently serve with the Turkish Land Forces Command, as well as the Turkish Gendarmerie, and the Turkish Police. While the design of the T129 is derived from the Italian-made Leonardo A129 Mangusta, as used by the Italian Army, the T929 is much more ambitious in size and scope and uses a much higher proportion of Turkish-made components and subsystems. A Turkish Army T129 attack helicopter. Photo by Emin Sansar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Work on the ATAK-2 project began officially in 2019 and it was only in August last year that production work on the prototype was confirmed to have started. All in all, its another example of the impressive pace being set by Turkeys military aerospace efforts. Story continues The heavy class attack helicopter project has been signed with TAI. The helicopter to be developed will have approximately two times take-off weight of ATAK helicopter as one of the world's top class attack helicopters. pic.twitter.com/u1bCuyJFFK SSB (@SSB_Eng) February 22, 2019 We had a very fast development process, Mehmet Yilmaz, the ATAK-2s Chief Product Engineer told the Anadolu Agency. We had a very fast design process. It was decided to fly early about two years ago. We also started and accelerated our work toward the early flight decision. We have been producing parts and supplying equipment for about a year. We have carried out the body assembly and final assembly of our helicopter over the last three to four months, he added. Although there is not a date set publicly for the first flight, Yilmaz said the prototype T929 can fly in the not-too-distant future. He added: If things go well, we will move faster. Mehmet Yilmaz, the ATAK-2s Chief Product Engineer, in front of the T929 first prototype. Photo by Aytac Unal/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there has been growing defense cooperation between Ankara and Kyiv, with highlights including plans to build Turkish drones at a new Ukrainian production facility, and construction of warships for the Ukrainian Navy in Turkish shipyards. For its part, the T929 is powered by a pair of TV3-117VMA-SBM1V-01T turboshaft engines, each developing around 2,500 horsepower, and produced by the Ukrainian Motor Sich company. An initial batch of 14 of these engines has been ordered, although the pressures of the war in Ukraine reportedly led to a four-month delay in the delivery to Turkey of the first two. These had originally been scheduled for delivery last September but arrived at the end of January. T-929 Heavy Atak-2 Update: Ukraine delivers first 2 TV3-117VMA-SBM1V-01T engines of ATAK-II Prototype to Turkey. Ukraine Motor Sich had contract for 14 engines for ATAK-II, Few months delay due to war Indigenous engine to follow.https://t.co/gWhVLXIqIJhttps://t.co/JB9or9M4jc pic.twitter.com/rfaf3q82ei AERIAL WARRIOR (@zspcl) March 18, 2023 Overall, the T929 is a larger and more capable machine than the T129 and is described as a heavy class attack helicopter, broadly in the same class as the U.S. AH-64 Apache and the Russian Ka-52, in contrast to its lighter predecessor. The new helicopter has a stated total weight of around 25,000 pounds, which includes 3,300 pounds of weapons and stores. In comparison, the T129 has a maximum takeoff weight of around 11,000 pounds. Meanwhile, the AH-64 tips the scales at around 23,000 pounds gross weight, with the Ka-52 weighing almost 25,000 pounds with a maximum load included. Engineers work on the T929 in the engine test facility in Ankara. Photo by Aytac Unal/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Avionics will be sourced and integrated locally, now a common feature of Turkish defense aerospace efforts. Continuing the pattern established by the T129, which features an Aselsan-developed avionics suite and indigenous mission computer. This computer helps to run all the aircraft systems, including the ASELFLIR-300T targeting and identification system, a helmet-mounted cueing and display system, VMFD-68 color multifunction displays, and the CDU-900Z central display unit. Turkey has also developed a millimetric-wavelength fire control radar, designated MilDaR, a version of which is expected to find its way onto the T929 in a mast-mounted installation. A photo of the cockpit of the prototype T929 reveals a digital wide-area display (WAD), also a feature of the new TAI Hurjet advanced jet trainer/light combat aircraft. An interior view of the T929, with its wide-area display. Photo by Aytac Unal/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images In terms of weapons, most if not all are also expected to come from Turkish manufacturers. This includes the UMTAS and L-UMTAS long-range anti-tank missiles and the Cirit 70mm guided rocket. While the T129 was fitted with a U.S.-developed 20mm M197 Chain Gun in the nose, the T929 introduces a locally developed cannon, the T-30H from the Aselsan company. Test-firing the Roketsan Long-Range Anti-Tank Missile System, or UMTAS: Similarly, the planned electronic warfare equipment is said to be all-Turkish, with a fully integrated suite that will include missile warning sensors, a radio-frequency jammer, and a directional infrared countermeasures (DIRCM) system to protect against infrared-guided threats. Initially, the T929 is planned to be delivered to the Land Forces Command (Turkeys army), and the Naval Forces Command. This suggests that it could be expected to form part of the air wing of the Turkish Navys new TCG Anadolu, an amphibious assault ship that Turkey has more recently said it wants to operate as a drone carrier. Its not immediately clear how the T929 will slot into the Land Forces Command inventory. Despite the introduction of the homegrown T129, the command still operates large numbers of the U.S.-made Cobra attack helicopter, with a mixture of older AH-1P/S models from U.S. Army stocks and newer, former U.S. Marines Corps AH-1W Whiskeys. Around 53 of the Cobras are still used, together with 57 T129s, with at least 30 more of these on order. The first AH-1s arrived back in 1990 and are now in need of replacement, especially as more modern and advanced AH-1Ws were transferred last year from the Land Forces Command to the Naval Forces Command. One option might be for the T929 to replace the last of the Cobras and operate in a mixed force with T129s. A Turkish Army AH-1 fires its gun during maneuvers in the Polatli district of Ankara, Turkey in 2017. Photo by Murat Kaynak/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images https://twitter.com/TayfunOzberk/status/1508495940809809926?s=20 Both the AH-1 and T129 have been heavily employed in operations against the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, where they have faced an increasing threat from man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), suffering some losses as a result. The T929 promises to be an altogether more capable attack helicopter, including as regards self-protection. Weapons confiscated from PKK in the last six months. Includes MANPADS, ATGM's and what not. The display does not show the ammunition for obvious reasons. https://t.co/41TZKjeDTs Arda Mevlutoglu (@orko_8) October 23, 2022 In terms of foreign sales, the T929 looks set to be more exportable than the T129, which has always been limited by U.S. export controls on its LHTEC CTS800 turboshaft engines, originally developed to power the U.S. Armys RAH-66 Comanche. The issue of engine supply was a stumbling block that led to delays in selling the T129 to the Philippines and was likely also a reason that Turkey failed to sell the same helicopter to Pakistan, too. Helicopteres turcs pour les Philippines First close look at Philippine Air Force's T129B ATAK attack helicopter. After Philippine's pilots training from May to September, Philippine Air Force will receive this month its first two of six T129 from Turkish Aerospace Industries pic.twitter.com/kYuyqJOHpL Harry Boone (@Harry_Boone) December 11, 2021 Export sales of the T929 will not require U.S. approval; since it will be free of components controlled by the U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), this promises to open up various new markets for the helicopter. On the other hand, the ability of Ukraine to deliver the required engines for the T929, at least as long as the war with Russia rages, is questionable and could lead to further delays or shortages that could impact the program. The Motor Sich plant in the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine has already been hit by Russian airstrikes, at least according to Moscow. As well as the T929 in the heavy class of attack helicopters, TAI is working on a mediumweight counterpart, the uncrewed T629, which will weigh around 13,000 pounds. Few details of the T629, which is supposed to be electric-powered, have been revealed, and a tentative first flight of an experimental demonstrator planned for 2021 was not realized. Turkey unveiled its unmanned attack helicopter T629. The 6-ton chopper is a niche between the light attack T129 ATAK and the heavy ATAK 2 pic.twitter.com/8aC6vsPc7K Kasm Ileri (@kasimileri_) February 25, 2021 But if TAI does perfect an unmanned attack helicopter, whatever the powerplant, it could be an interesting adjunct to operate alongside conventional attack helicopters like the T929, in a manned/unmanned teaming scenario. This is a concept that has begun to be explored in Turkey, with close cooperation established between the T129 and Bayraktar TB2 drones, including in coordinated attacks against PKK forces. With Russian attack helicopter sales likely to be hit by the generally poor performance of these aircraft in the war in Ukraine, it looks like the T929 will be aiming squarely to take sales from the AH-64. With a well-established and still growing operator pool, it seems unlikely that the Apache will face any serious challenge any time soon. On the other hand, by being free of export constraints, the T929 could well still find a niche with operators denied access to U.S. defense products, especially ones as lethal as the Apache. A head-on view of the T929 attack helicopter. Photo by Aytac Unal/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Moreover, the T929 will continue the Turkish militarys own modernization drive, with its multi-pronged approach that now encompasses the TF-X next-generation fighter, the Hurjet advanced jet trainer/light combat aircraft, the Anka-3 low-observable flying wing unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV), and the fighter-like Bayraktar Kizilelma drone, among others. For Turkey, the T929 should bring a new level of capabilities, while at the same time ensuring near complete control over the manufacturing and sustainment processes. All in all, the appearance of this new attack helicopter provides further evidence of the rapid progress made by Turkeys domestic defense industries. Now how long it will take to actually realize this progress in an operational form, that's another matter. Contact the author: thomas@thedrive.com JERUSALEM (AP) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday shrugged off Disney's lawsuit against him as politically motivated, and said that it was time for the iconic company to stop enjoying favorable treatment in his state. Disney sued DeSantis on Wednesday over the Republicans appointment of a board of supervisors in its self-governed theme park district, alleging the governor waged a targeted campaign of government retaliation after the company opposed a law critics call, Dont Say Gay. The legal filing is the latest salvo in a more than year-old feud between Disney and DeSantis that has engulfed the governor in criticism as he prepares to launch an expected 2024 presidential bid. Theyre upset because theyre having to live by the same rules as everybody else. They dont want to pay the same taxes as everybody else and they want to be able to control things without proper oversight," DeSantis said during a visit to Israel. The days of putting one company on a pedestal with no accountability are over in the state of Florida. DeSantis was speaking on the third leg of an international trip meant to burnish his foreign policy credentials ahead of a potential campaign for the Republican presidential nomination as a key rival to former President Donald Trump. DeSantis has dived headlong into the fray with Disney, a major driver of tourism and a font for employment in Florida, as business leaders and White House rivals have bashed his stance as a rejection of the small-government tenets of conservatism. The fight began last year after Disney, in the face of significant pressure, publicly opposed a state law that bans classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades, a policy critics call Dont Say Gay. DeSantis then took over Disney Worlds self-governing district and appointed a new board of supervisors to oversee municipal services in the sprawling theme parks. But before the new board came in, the company pushed though an 11th-hour agreement that stripped the new supervisors of much of their authority. Story continues The Disney lawsuit asks a federal judge to void the governors takeover of the theme park district, as well as the DeSantis oversight boards actions, on the grounds that they were violations of the companys free speech rights. In a speech to a conference at Jerusalem's Museum of Tolerance, DeSantis also spelled out his Middle East policy, speaking of the importance of the U.S.-Israel alliance. He said Israel was the only authority that could protect freedom of worship for all in combustible Jerusalem and that the U.S. embassy was rightfully moved to the city by the Trump administration, despite opposition from Palestinians. He repeated his opposition to the deal that aimed to rein in Iran's nuclear program, saying it empowered that country's rulers rather than held them back. The Iran nuclear deal passed under former President Barak Obama. His successor, Trump, revoked the U.S. agreement to it. In a critique of President Joe Biden, DeSantis also said that the U.S. shouldn't interfere in the way that Israel chooses to be governed. Biden voiced concerns last month about a contentious Israeli government plan to overhaul the country's judiciary. DeSantis began his multi-country trip in Japan and then traveled to South Korea. After Israel, he heads to Britain. ___ Goldenberg reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Wasting no time after Disney sued Gov. Ron DeSantis and chided legislators for being complicit in a targeted campaign of government retaliation, the Florida Senate passed a measure Wednesday to let the governors hand-picked board overseeing the corporations Central Florida real estate retroactively invalidate the 11th-hour contracts their predecessors signed with the company. The bill passed 27-13 on a mostly party-line vote just hours after the company filed a lawsuit in federal court calling the governors actions patently retaliatory, patently anti-business, and patently unconstitutional. Every Senate Democrat voted against the bill, as did one Republican, former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Joe Gruters, a Donald Trump ally. The vote was another signal that the Florida Legislature is willing to advance the governors political agenda even as the battle with Disney has come under increasing criticism from Republicans and, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, a majority of Americans now believe DeSantis is punishing Disney for exercising its right to free speech. The governor addressed the issue during a livestreamed press conference while visiting Israel on Thursday, calling the lawsuit political and without merit. I think they filed in Tallahassee for a reason, because theyre trying to generate some district-court decision, he said. But were very confident on the law. The bill is the third time in the last year in which legislators have passed a measure aimed at helping DeSantis target Disney after the company criticized the passage of the Parental Rights in Education Act, named by critics as the dont say gay bill. First, legislators passed a measure to repeal the special taxing district that allowed the company-controlled governing board to charge itself a higher tax rate to pay for infrastructure and services in the district. When that approach was going to require taxpayers to shoulder nearly $1 billion in taxes, instead of Walt Disney World, legislators repealed the law and instead voted to replace the district governing board of Disney employees who are residents of the district with a board appointed and controlled by DeSantis. Story continues But, before that law could take effect, Disney outmaneuvered the state by adopting a series of development agreements and restrictive covenants that undermined the authority of the DeSantis-appointed board. In response, DeSantis called on lawmakers to pass legislation that allows his board to invalidate those agreements. The measures, SB 1604 and HB 439, allow any special district to retroactively void development agreements executed by a previous board within the previous three months. The Senate vote came on the same day the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board of Supervisors voted to void the previous boards development agreements and restrictive covenants. But Democrats echoed the arguments presented by Disney in its complaint against previous legislation, alleging that if the bill becomes law it will be declared unconstitutional because it illegally singles out a private company and attempts to retaliate for speaking out against the law that limits classroom speech regarding gender and sexual identify. We keep coming back to change laws to fix the governors mistakes, said Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton. She and Sen. Jason Pizzo, D-Hollywood, attempted to ask the bill sponsor, Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, whether there were any other companies other than Disney that would be subject to the law. Ingoglia responded that he couldnt answer because of the pending lawsuit, a reply Democrats blasted as a weak excuse. Now theres another lawsuit and now the taxpayers are going to have to pay to defend this lawsuit on top of other lawsuits that are going on, because Disney expressed its First Amendment rights and you dont like the way they run the corporation, Polsky said. I just dont think we should govern by retribution. Pizzo accused the governor of having made a mockery of the Legislature for consistently stepping in to change the law to hurt Disney. This isnt your bill, this isnt your district, this isnt your fight, Pizzo told Ingoglia. When its the third time, its not working. He compared DeSantis attempt to take the property of a private company to the behavior of dictators in Venezuela and Cuba. This is what Chavez and Maduro do. This is what the Castros do. You cant say that were the Free State of Florida if you want to tell people what they can think, what they can read and what they can say, said Sen. Geraldine Thompson, D-Orlando. Sen. Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, said he supported the bill because the contracts attempted to tie the hands of the board into perpetuity and the bill attempts to end that by allowing the board to review and cancel a contract. This isnt some tit for tat, he said. Thats how the media likes to play it. This is pure governance. Thats all it is. The governors battle with Disney has increasingly exposed him to criticism from potential rivals in the growing field of GOP presidential hopefuls. Writing on his web site, Truth Social, Trump sided with the company, criticizing DeSantis actions. Disneys next move will be the announcement that no more money will be invested in Florida because of the Governor, he wrote. In fact, they could even announce a slow withdrawal or sale of certain properties, or the whole thing. Watch! That would be a killer. In the meantime, this is all so unnecessary, a political STUNT! Speaking on the Fox channel on Wednesday, Republican presidential candidate and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley urged Disney to relocate in the face of the challenge from DeSantis. If Disney would like to move their hundreds of thousands of jobs to South Carolina and bring the billions of dollars with them, Ill let them know Ill be happy to meet them in South Carolina and introduce them to the governor and the legislature, she said. Businesses were my partners, because if you take care of your businesses, you take care of your economy, your economy takes care of the people, and everyone wins. And so thats the way we dealt with it. Meanwhile, DeSantis major super PAC, Never Back Down, quickly released an online ad that juxtaposes Haleys Disney comments with what the PAC claims are clips of Disney officials advocating for trans and gay rights. Meanwhile, Disney has not shown any inclination to leave Florida. It not only owns the 39-square miles of theme parks and adjacent properties in Orlando, it also hosts a fleet of cruise ships and property in Vero Beach. In September, the company will be the host of the Out & Equal Workplace, which claims to be the largest LGBTQ+ conference in the world with an estimated attendance of about 5,000 people. And Disney CEO Bob Iger told Time magazine earlier this month: I do not view this as a going-to-mattresses situation for us. The Wall Street Journal editorial board chastised both the governor and Disney for escalating the feud. Nobody emerges from this looking good. Mr. DeSantis is escalating a feud with a business that risks alienating moderate and independent voters who otherwise support Floridas sex-education law and his good policies such as school-choice expansion, the board wrote. CEO Robert Iger risks further damage to Disneys Florida assets when its stock price is in the tank. Both would benefit from settling the dispute. According to the Reuters/Ipsos poll, the battle between DeSantis and Disney appears to be helping his image among 44% of Republicans while 37% of Republicans surveyed say they now have a less favorable opinion of him because of the clash. The poll also found that while 78% of Americans are aware of DeSantis recent efforts to revoke some of the companys legal privileges and Disneys objection to recent Florida laws banning the discussion of gender and sexuality in public schools, nearly half of Americans say they do not know who is winning the fight. Mary Ellen Klas can be reached at meklas@miamiherald.com and @MaryEllenKlas A major group of legal organisations is taking on the state of Florida over its rules governing when felons can have their voting rights restored, calling the rules discriminatory and overly confusing. The groups also say that state officials are not providing released Floridians with felony convictions enough information about how their right to vote can be restored, leading to cases where people who thought they had regained their right to vote found themselves under criminal indictment for voter fraud. The Brennan Center announced the lawsuit on Thursday in conjunction with the League of Women Voters, one of the oldest organisations in America dedicated to expanding access to the vote for women and a successor of the National American Women Suffrage Association. The goal of the lawsuit is to force Florida officials to provide more information on voter registration forms detailing how potential voters with felony convictions can see their rights restored under law. They cite requirements of the National Voter Registration Act, which specifies that voter registration forms shall specify state-specific information regarding the state's specific voter eligibility and registration requirements. Floridas voter registration website specifies that prospective voters must [n]ot be a person convicted of a felony without having your right to vote restored. However, the same section on the website (and the official registration forms) do not spell out how that process is completed. An accompanying FAQ section on the same website also does not explain the process. According to the Brennan Center, [t]he state adopted this antidemocratic system knowing there is no centralized database where potential voters can learn whether they even owe disqualifying court debts. At the same time, Florida has enacted laws that make it more difficult for nonpartisan civic engagement organizations like the League of Women Voters of Florida and Florida NAACP to register eligible voters with past convictions, reads the organisations statement. And of course it has started upending the lives of dozens of Floridians with past convictions, arresting and prosecuting them for registering and voting while ineligible even though they believed in good faith that they could vote. Florida officials have been roundly criticised by civil rights groups for efforts to restrict the rights of persons with felony convictions to vote after voters in the state decided via ballot measure to extend the right to vote to those who have served their sentences. Last year, the state arrested nearly two dozen people for voting in the states 2020 elections without completing the process to restore their rights under state law, which includes paying court fees and other requirements. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a strict abortion ban hours after it overwhelmingly passed the Republican-led legislature this month - yet whether the law can take effect hinges on a case before the state Supreme Court. At issue is a provision in the Florida Constitution intended to protect the right to privacy, added by voters decades ago and long interpreted as a safeguard against abortion restrictions in the third most populous state. Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. But while the state's high court has been transformed by DeSantis into a conservative stronghold, even the chief justice - whose nomination was cheered by antiabortion activists - has acknowledged that the privacy clause protects abortion. A paragraph in a little-noticed 2004 article by Chief Justice Carlos Muniz, then a private attorney, is now cited by abortion rights advocates in the case before the high court that will ultimately decide the fate of abortion access in the state. "One purpose of the privacy amendment clearly was to give the abortion right a textual foundation in our state constitution," Muniz wrote in the article for the Journal of the James Madison Institute. For decades, more-liberal justices that once dominated the Florida Supreme Court repeatedly interpreted the clause to protect the right to abortion. As other states in the South raced to make abortion more difficult to access, Florida's Supreme Court beat back antiabortion laws passed by the Republican-controlled legislature, including a 24-hour waiting period in 2017 and a law requiring minors seeking abortions to obtain their parents' consent in 1989. Those decisions and the precedent they set allowed Florida to maintain some of the most relaxed abortion laws of any Republican-led state. Florida previously permitted abortions later in pregnancy than surrounding states in the Southeast - and, until last spring, was the only state south of Virginia and east of New Mexico that did not require patients to schedule an initial consultation at least 24 hours before their procedure. Story continues The court was already weighing a 15-week abortion ban passed last year when lawmakers this month approved the stricter six-week ban, which will take effect only if justices sign off on the previous law or affirm that the constitution does not include a right to abortion. Planned Parenthood and its co-plaintiffs argue that the legislation is unconstitutional and "violates Florida's fundamental right to privacy," citing Muniz's 2004 statement about the privacy clause in their opening brief. "In fact, no Justice of this Court has ever openly questioned that the Privacy Clause encompasses abortion rights," the lawyers write, attributing the statement to Muniz's article, among other citations. The passage surprised leading antiabortion advocates in Florida, who have waited for this moment and a conservative court majority for decades. "It's a factually problematic statement and an uninformed statement," said attorney John Stemberger, president of the antiabortion Florida Family Policy Council. "He was shooting from the hip." But Adam Richardson, a West Palm Beach-based appellate lawyer and Democrat who read Muniz's essay while researching his own article about abortion in Florida, said the article reveals why the privacy clause has made it so difficult for antiabortion laws to find traction in the state and should give abortion rights advocates "some reason for optimism." "It's exactly the argument that Planned Parenthood is making at the Florida Supreme Court right now," Richardson said. "In one paragraph, that's the originalist thesis for why the privacy amendment protects abortion. It's a very confident sounding statement." Muniz, 53, declined to comment through a spokesman, saying that judicial rules forbid justices from discussing matters before the court. A review of his judicial application in 2018 shows he listed the James Madison Institute article, but the citation received no public notice at the time. Olivia Cappello, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the nationwide umbrella group, declined to comment on Muniz's article but said the facts of the law are clear. "Florida's constitution contains strong protections for the right to medical privacy," she said in a statement. "Those protections extend to abortion, as many legal scholars - including the author of this law review article - have acknowledged." The court's decision on abortion looms as the 2024 presidential race gets underway, the first since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and opened the floodgates to states seeking to curb abortion. DeSantis, a likely GOP contender, has tried to position himself as a champion of the antiabortion movement. The impetus for Muniz's 2004 article was a ballot initiative to add an amendment to the state constitution requiring minors to obtain parental notification before accessing abortion. While Muniz acknowledged that the right to abortion is generally protected by the privacy clause, he also wrote that protection does not necessarily extend to minors seeking to end pregnancies on their own. Muniz, who worked in the early 2000s as deputy counsel to Gov. Jeb Bush (R), added that the legislature also plays an important role in interpreting the constitution. "There are many sound reasons why the Constitution assigns to the legislature, rather than the courts, the power to make fundamental policy choices. Most importantly, the legislature is more directly accountable to the people," Muniz wrote. Post-Watergate concerns about civil liberties in part led to the 1980 constitutional privacy amendment - which was passed by about 60 percent of Florida voters - granting "the right to be let alone and free from governmental intrusion into the person's private life." Abortion rights advocates at the time viewed the amendment as an insurance policy in case Roe v. Wade someday fell. The clause has buttressed some of the strongest and wide-ranging privacy laws in the country. Florida's reputation as a haven for women seeking to terminate their pregnancies frustrated antiabortion advocates, who committed themselves to reshaping the state Supreme Court. Bush's gubernatorial election in 1998 ushered in an era of increasing Republican dominance of Florida government. The opportunity to flip the court finally arrived when DeSantis took office in 2019, as the three of the court's most liberal justices reached retirement age and were forced to step down. In his first two weeks in office, DeSantis appointed three justices, including Muniz, flipping the court from a 4-3 panel dominated by liberals to a 6-1 panel controlled by the new conservative wing. Among the other justices on the court today are Justice Jamie Grosshans, who omitted ties to antiabortion groups in her application, and Justice Charles Canady, a staunchly antiabortion former Republican U.S. House member whose wife is a Florida legislator who co-sponsored the six-week ban. Muniz was serving as general counsel to President Donald Trump's education secretary, Republican Betsy DeVos, when Muniz applied to the high court in 2018. He had previously worked as policy director for the Florida Republican Party and for Republican Pam Bondi when she served as state attorney general. His nomination by DeSantis was cheered by antiabortion groups such as Florida Family Action, which in a statement described his family as supporters of a Tallahassee clinic that steers pregnant people away from abortion. In his application to serve on the Florida Supreme Court, Muniz wrote: "I would decide cases based on a faithful, principled interpretation of the text, structure, and history of the constitutional provision or other law at issue. In doing so I would hope to give the people of Florida confidence in an impartial judiciary and in the rule of law." Trump put Muniz on a shortlist for the U.S. Supreme Court when he was running for reelection in 2020. As DeSantis campaigned for a second term last year, he signed the 15-week ban at a news conference at a church. Abortion providers quickly sued to challenge the law. But after Roe v. Wade was overturned, Florida Republicans decided to go further, energizing religious conservatives who play an outsize role in GOP primaries. DeSantis signed the six-week ban with less fanfare amid concerns that the law could turn off moderate voters in the 2024 general election. If it takes effect, the six-week ban will affect abortion access far beyond the state of Florida. More than 82,000 people got abortions in Florida in 2022, more than almost any other state. Floridians - along with patients from other states who had been traveling to Florida - will have to drive or fly hundreds of miles to get an abortion in Illinois or North Carolina, where clinics are already overwhelmed with out-of-state patients. "That is taking spots that Alabamians and Mississippians need right now," said Robin Marty, director of operations at the West Alabama Women's Center, a clinic that provided abortions before Roe was overturned. "That's a crisis that's going to ripple all across the entire country." Antiabortion advocates remain optimistic the Supreme Court will uphold the 15-week ban, allowing the six-week ban to take effect. "People's minds change and the legal landscape changes. The biggest change was Roe versus Wade's reversal," said Andrew Shirvell, executive director of the antiabortion group Florida Voice for the Unborn. "I feel fairly confident that they are going to rule the right way, but it's more complicated than it seems," said Stemberger of the antiabortion Florida Family Policy Council. "This court has shown it is willing to overturn bad precedent of previous courts, and this is surely bad precedent." - - - The Washington Post's Alice Crites and Ann Marimow contributed to this report. Related Content 'Do people have to die?' Why these Californians fear catastrophic floods. The new face of Alzheimer's: Early stage patients who refuse to surrender Former El Pasoan Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack's path toward becoming a food blogger and cookbook author started in her grandmother's kitchen. Marquez-Sharpnack grew up in the Lower Valley, attending Ysleta High School and often spending time at her grandmother Jesusita Soza's house eating wonderful homemade foods. Sometimes she would help or watch her make mole from scratch. "My mom was a single parent mom and we lived next door to my grandma. My grandma was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, and she came to the United States when she was 10 years old during the Mexican Revolution," she said. Marquez-Sharpnack said she loved hearing her grandma tell amazing stories of her family escaping close encounters with Pancho Villa and his soldiers while she cooked meals for her. Food blogger and cookbook author Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack is shown in a kitchen. She is returning to El Paso to sign copies of her new book. "I used to love being in the kitchen and she would tell me those stories. And I would help her in the kitchen, grate cheese when she would make enchiladas. And all those stories and memories of food were always near and dear to my heart," she said. That was the beginning of a career as a foodie influencer. She now is returning home for book signings of her latest cookbook, "Muy Bueno Fiestas." Her first cookbook, "Muy Bueno Cookbook," is named after her blog. Marquez-Sharpnack will have book signings Saturday at Barnes & Noble at the Fountains at Farah, and May 6 at the Foodies of El Paso TX & Surrounding Areas sixth anniversary event from 4 to 7 p.m. at Economy Wholesale Grocers, 411 N. Zaragoza Road. Initially, Marquez-Sharpnack went to an arts school for graphic arts in Arizona, but after some career changes, she eventually moved to Denver, where she has lived for 20 years. She says she had an "aha" moment when her grandmother died in 2004 at 98 years old. Former El Pasoan Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack is shown at 15 with her grandma, Jesusita Soza, who taught her about cooking in her kitchen in the Lower Valley. She said she realized "that one day I'm going to be a grandma, and I want my grandchildren to have those special memories of me in the kitchen and always cooking for family and friends." Story continues Marquez-Sharpnack said her daughter, who was 8 at the time, suggested she write a cookbook after seeing her cook with her mom and asking her for recipes. "My mom was visiting me a lot and giving me recipes, but there was never anything written down. They just cooked these dishes that we know and love, but nothing was written down," she said. Marquez-Sharpnack started writing down the recipes and a friend suggested she start a blog, which she did in 2010. Before she knew it, people were asking for a cookbook. That blog has more than 700,000 visits per month. "Everybody loves tamales. And I try to list frequently asked questions and little tips and tricks. The main recipe for tamales has how to make masa, and chile con carne with pork. It's super popular for the holidays or year-round," she said. Her first cookbook came out in 2012. She did a cocktail book later. And now Marquez-Sharpnack is celebrating the publishing of her latest cookbook, which focuses on foods for parties and holidays. Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack's new cookbook, "Muy Bueno Fiestas," has recipes for the holidays. The cookbook, "Muy Bueno Fiestas," takes readers through a year of holidays with Mexican and American cuisine, including heart-shaped cherry empanadas for Valentine's Day, and green chile cheese enchiladas for winter holidays. "This new cookbook is an evolution of my story with Mexican food and my family recipes," she said. "There are a lot of classics, but there are some new twists. There's a red chile and chicken tamales, and we also have some sweet tamales recipe and then there is a capirotada. It's not the traditional one ... it's a tres leches capirotada with a bourbon glaze." The blogger said her mom, who still lives in El Paso and helps her taste test recipes, was skeptical of her tinkering with a traditional Mexican capirotada but was won over. "She said she never thought a traditional family recipe could be beat, but she loved it," she said. While some people might hesitate to share a family recipe, Marquez-Sharpnack said it never was an issue for her or her family. "We never thought of not wanting to share these recipes. I have heard that a lot ... especially from people from El Paso. They don't want to let go of their recipes. But I feel like if you don't share them with the next generation, these recipes are going to get lost." More: Hallelujah BBQ opens April 5 in Central El Paso Maria Cortes Gonzalez may be reached at 915-546-6150, mcortes@elpasotimes.com and @EPTMaria on Twitter. Make plans for cookbook signings What: Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack's book signing When, where: 2 p.m. Saturday at Barnes & Noble, 8889 Gateway Blvd. W., No. 120; 4 to 7 p.m. May 6 at the Foodies of El Paso & Surrounding Areas sixth anniversary party, 411 N. Zaragoza Road. More information: Follow her at muybuenocookbook.com and on Instagram andTwitter @muybuenocooking. How to make Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack's Mexican coffee cake recipe Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack shared a recipe for Mexican coffee cake for those wanting to bake something for Mother's Day. El Paso food blogger and cookbook author Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack will be back in El Paso to sign copies of her book, "Muy Bueno Fiestas." Mexican coffee cake Cafecito y chisme coffee and gossip are a tradition in Mexico. When my mom and I sit down with a cafecito, we always catch up on all the family news. This cake is best served with a cup of coffee and some spicy gossip. 12 servings Ingredients: Nonstick baking spray with flour, for the pan 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons instant coffee powder 14 teaspoon ground cloves 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 4 large eggs, at room temperature 2 cups (450 g) sour cream, at room temperature 2 teaspoons instant coffee powder dissolved in 14 cup (60 ml) boiling water, then cooled Streusel 34 cup (155 g) packed dark brown sugar 34 cup (90 g) chopped walnuts or pecans 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon Coffee glaze 2 cups (225 g) confectioners sugar 23 tablespoons strong brewed coffee, at room temperature Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 10-inch (25-cm) tube pan with baking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, coffee powder and cloves. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light in color and fluffy, about 4 minutes. On low speed, add the vanilla and then add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture in three batches alternately with the sour cream in two batches, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and beating after each addition just until mixed. Add the cooled coffee and beat until combined. To make the streusel, in a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, nuts and cinnamon, mixing well. Spoon one-third of the batter into the prepared tube pan. Sprinkle one-third of the streusel over the batter. Repeat the batter and streusel layers twice. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, 60-65 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then, using a knife, loosen the cake sides from the pan (use a plastic knife to avoid scratching the pan), invert the pan onto a wire rack, and lift off the pan. Let the cake cool completely. To make the glaze, in a bowl, whisk together the confectioners sugar and 2 tablespoons of the coffee until smooth, adding additional coffee if needed for a good fluid glaze consistency. Set the cake still on the rack on a sheet pan to catch any drips and drizzle the glaze over the top, allowing it to drip down the sides. Let set for a few minutes before serving. This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Author Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack to sign 'Muy Bueno Fiestas' cookbook (Bloomberg) -- Former FTX executive Ryan Salames home was searched by FBI agents as part of the sweeping investigation into the cryptocurrency exchanges collapse and its attempts to exert political influence in Washington. Most Read from Bloomberg Federal Bureau of Investigation agents went to Salames Maryland home on Thursday morning, according to people familiar with the matter. It wasnt immediately clear what the agents were looking for. According to two people with knowledge of the investigation, Salames attorney had spoken with prosecutors on his behalf and handed over information relating to campaign finance activity prior to Thursdays search. Salame was a prolific political donor, shelling out $24 million, largely in support of Republican candidates. Jason Linder, a lawyer for Salame, didnt respond to a request for comment. Salame, the former co-chief executive officer of FTX Digital Markets, the once-thriving crypto empires Bahamian subsidiary, has not been accused of any crime. But Manhattan federal prosecutors have charged FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried with orchestrating a massive fraud. Though Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty, three other top executives at FTX and its affiliated hedge fund, Alameda Research, have pleaded guilty to fraud and are cooperating with authorities. The fraud charges largely stem from the alleged misuse of billions of dollars in FTX customer funds for Alameda trading or personal expenses. A superseding indictment unsealed by prosecutors on Feb. 23 also described a scheme to use political donations to illegally influence crypto regulations by Bankman-Fried and two unnamed co-conspirators. Story continues While not identified, FTX engineering chief Nishad Singh and Salame were among the largest political donors in the FTX universe. Singh pleaded guilty to fraud and campaign finance charges on Feb. 28. The focus on Salame after a relatively quiet public period in the FTX investigation suggests prosecutors are still bolstering their case around the political ties the company once home to one of the worlds biggest crypto exchanges forged in Washington. Salame worked at Ernst and Young before joining Alameda in 2019 and then FTX Digital Markets in 2021. The Massachusetts native also spent more than $6 million on five restaurants, including a dessert shop and food truck, in the small town of Lenox. The assets of executives and the donations they made to political campaigns and charities have been targeted by prosecutors and FTXs new management, which is shepherding the company through bankruptcy proceedings. Salame, a 2015 graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, lives in Maryland and is in a relationship with Michelle Bond, a crypto advocate and 2022 Republican congressional candidate. Among the candidates Salame supported was George Santos, then a little-known Long Island Republican who has since become a household name for lying about key parts of his background. Salame also helped introduce donors to Santos including his parents and other FTX executives, Bloomberg previously reported. As FTX began to fall apart in November, Salame tipped off regulators in the Bahamas that funds had been possibly co-mingled with Alameda Research to cover financial losses, according to filings in the bankruptcy case. Salame also alleged that only three executives Bankman-Fried, Singh and FTX co-founder Gary Wang had the ability to authorize such transfers. (Updates attempt to reach lawyer for comment, background) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. A former Georgia police and school resource officer has been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison for producing child sexual abuse materials. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Jonathan Eric Hancock, 32, of Hahira, was sentenced to serve 190 months in prison followed by 12 years of supervised release. He will also have to register as a sex offender. TRENDING STORIES: It is intolerable that an individual in a position of trust and with access to children would produce child sexual abuse material, said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. Law enforcement and school authorities moved quickly to ensure the protection of children and to help us hold the defendant accountable. According to the District Attorneys Office, Hanock worked as an officer for the Valdosta Police Department and served as an S.R.O. for Lomax Elementary School. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Parents and guardians of children who might have encountered Hancock and have concerns related to this investigation can contact the Lowndes County Sheriffs Office at (229) 671-2950. Former Hinds County Interim Sheriff, and current candidate for the job, Marshand Crisler pleaded not guilty in federal court Thursday after a grand jury in Jackson returned an indictment charging him with soliciting bribes and providing ammunition to a convicted felon. Crisler, 54, of Jackson, is charged with having solicited and accepted thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for agreeing to pass information concerning criminal investigations to the person who paid the bribes, according to court documents. Crisler, who entered the courtroom in a blue tracksuit and handcuffs, was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge LaKeysha Greer Isaac in U.S. District Court in Jackson and issued a $10,000 bond. Greer Isaac indicated that a "confidential human source" had led to the indictment, and instructed Crisler not to communicate with that source as conditions of his bond. His next court date is 9 a.m. June 12 court before Senior Judge Tom S. Lee. Crisler also allegedly agreed to protect a jailed family member of that person and agreed to award employment with the Hinds County Sheriffs Office to that person, according to a press release from U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Interim Hinds County Sheriff Marshand Crisler seen in this 2021 file photo. "These actions are alleged to have taken place during Crislers previous unsuccessful campaign for Hinds County Sheriff in 2021," the press release states. "The indictment also alleges that Crisler gave ammunition to a person he knew to be a convicted felon. It is against federal law for a public official to solicit or accept bribes. It is also against federal law to provide firearm ammunition to a known convicted felon." Each of the two counts Crisler was indicted with carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Crisler has retained well-known local defense attorney John Colette, who appeared with him in court Thursday and presented the not-guilty plea. Story continues Crisler ran against current sheriff Tyree Jones in 2021, after having been appointed months earlier to replace former Sheriff Lee Vance following his death. Jones ultimately defeated Crisler by about 20% of the vote. Crisler is again running against Jones, each this time seeking to serve the first full term, as the winner of the previous election finished out the remainder of Vance's final term. Crisler was later appointed interim executive director of the Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center. He is still listed in that role on the juvenile detention center's website. A longtime fixture of Jackson politics, Crisler served on the City Council from 2001 to 2009 and unsuccessfully ran for mayor and state Senate, among other offices. This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Hinds County MS sheriff candidate indicted for soliciting bribes A former JPMorgan Chase executive accused of having a "profound friendship" with Jeffrey Epstein has asked a federal judge to dismiss the banks lawsuit against him over his ties with the Epstein, a convicted sex offender. The bank sued Jes Staley in March saying he should be held liable for any financial penalties it faces from lawsuits alleging the bank facilitated Epsteins sex-trafficking enterprise. The suits which were brought by the U.S. Virgin Islands and a woman identified as Jane Doe 1 claim the financial institution turned a blind eye toward Epsteins conduct, adding that it didnt comply with federal laws for years while providing services to him and benefiting from Epsteins business. It is alleged that human trafficking was the principal business of the accounts Epstein maintained at JP Morgan, according to the U.S. Virgin Islands complaint. The two suits seek money damages. JPMorgan has denied liability. In court filings, Staley said the Wall Street giant is using him as a public relations shield in its legal battle over working with Epstein and trying to deflect blame from its failures. Staley, according to court documents, said he didnt have any decision-making authority over Epsteins accounts, adding that the bank has failed to state viable claims against him. Whether or not JPMorgan is liable to Doe and the USVI remains to be seen. What is certain is that the bank cannot treat Mr. Staley as its public relations shield by asserting claims that lack any legal (or factual) basis, court documents state. Staley called on the court to dismiss the suit because the bank waited over 10 years to file these claims and it falls outside the statute of limitations. After all, numerous JPMorgan employees knew that Mr. Staley had a relationship with Epstein, and the bank had access to Mr. Staleys communications from his tenure that JPMorgan now alleges reflect that relationship, court documents allege. Story continues JPMorgan Chase Banks attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Epstein was convicted in 2008 of procuring a child for prostitution and died by suicide in 2019 at a Manhattan correctional center where he was being held on federal sex-trafficking charges. Staley has previously expressed regret for his relationship with Epstein. Staley spent more than 30 years with JPMorgan Chase Bank and later went on to work at Barclays; he stepped down as Barclays CEO in 2021 after an investigation into his relationship with Epstein. In February, unredacted parts of the lawsuit brought by the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Epstein had a home, showed that Staley and Epstein exchanged an estimated 1,200 emails from 2008 to 2012. These communications show a close personal relationship and profound friendship between the two men and even suggest that Staley may have been involved in Epsteins sex-trafficking operation, the U.S. Virgin Islands said in court documents in February. In one instance, Staley emailed Epstein in July 2010: Maybe theyre tracking u? That was fun. Say hi to Snow White. Epstein responded by asking what character would you like next? which Staley followed up with Beauty and the Beast. Epstein then replied, well one side is available. When JPMorgan Chase Bank sued Staley in March, it said he was the powerful financial executive who sexually assaulted Jane Doe 1. The unnamed woman alleged in her suit against the bank that one of Epsteins friends used aggressive force in his sexual assault of her and informed Jane Doe 1 that he had Epsteins permission to do what he wanted to her but hadnt named the executive out of fear. Staley called the accusations baseless in court filings this week. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Red Bluff Police Department logo A former Red Bluff police lieutenant has been charged with burglary, stalking, resisting arrest and related charges in connection with an incident involving his ex-wife last year in Anderson. Daniel Wayne Flowerdew is scheduled to appear in Shasta County Superior Court on Monday on an arrest warrant that was issued after he was charged March 27, 2023, according to court records. Flowerdew is charged with felony residential burglary and felony stalking in connection to an incident on May 13, 2022, according to charges filed in court. He is also charged with five misdemeanors, including vandalism, possessing burglary tools and three counts of resisting arrest. While Flowerdew was initially arrested in May 2022, it took more than 10 months for charges to be filed against him. The incident began around 12:30 a.m. on May 13, 2022, when a woman called 911 to report something shattered the window of her home in the 2500 block of Jason Court, according to an Anderson Police Department report. The woman told emergency dispatchers that the person responsible might be Flowerdew. The woman, who is not being identified, said another woman who was visiting her had recently filed for divorce from Flowerdew. When officer Beau Hamilton arrived at the home on Jason Court, he saw a white GMC Yukon parked nearby on the street that was registered to Flowerdew. As Hamilton was checking out the vehicle, he heard a rustling in nearby bushes, the report says. He asked the person to come out, but he did not get a reply. By this time, two more officers had arrived. The person in the bushes continued to make rustling noises but would not emerge despite the officers orders to come out, the report says. One officer walked around to get another look into the bushes and Hamilton heard that officer yell, show me your hands! the report says. Daniel Wayne Flowerdew The officers found Flowerdew down on all fours trying to hide in the bushes. He still did not come out, even though the officers had him at gunpoint and ordered him out of the bushes. Story continues He eventually crawled out of the bushes on all fours. Hamilton wrote in the report that he saw a pair of handcuffs hanging from Flowerdews rear waistband. The officers told him to lie flat on the ground, but he did not comply, so all three officers used their body weight to push him down and handcuff him. When officers searched Flowerdew they found a cell phone, car keys, the handcuffs and a can of pepper spray. After he was placed in a patrol car, police searched his vehicle and found a black leather case containing lock picking tools. Officers also found paperwork with Flowerdews name on them and three pieces of retired Red Bluff police identification cards. The complaint filed by the district attorneys office said Flowerdew had numerous burglary tools on him, including a picklock, crowbar, screwdriver, vice grip pliers, water pump pliers, a slidehammer, Slim Jim tool, a bump key, master key and a floor safe door puller. When officers conducted a background check, they found that Flowerdew had an emergency protective order filed against him the day before, on May 12, 2022. When police asked whether he knew about the order, he told them he was drunk when he received notice of the court documents, the report says. A domestic violence-related restraining order was filed May 17, 2022, against Flowerdew in Alameda County, according to court records there. When officers asked him why he was outside the home on Jason Court, Flowerdew told them the woman who lived there was having problems with a pedophile, the report says. He also told Hamilton that he did not break the window at the victims home. I asked him what was going to happen when I received camera footage of him at the house and he stated, Its not me. Flowerdew went on to tell me how he was contacted by Emeryville Police regarding the EPO (emergency protective order) and felt it was f--king bull----, Hamilton said in his report. In an interview with the Record Searchlight, the woman who lived at the home disputed Flowerdews account that he was in the area watching for a pedophile. She said she felt Flowerdew threw a boulder through her window to get at his ex-wife, who was staying there at the time. Flowerdew could not be reached for comment. An Anderson police official said he could not comment on the case, but said more information would be forthcoming next week. The police report says a window to the residence was broken and there was broken glass littered across the floor of the home, near where the window had been broken. There was also a large chunk of concrete in an open dresser drawer in the living room, and was most likely what was used to break the window, the report says. Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on Twitter at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today! This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Ex-police lieutenant charged with stalking, burglary, resisting arrest Former Biden chief of staff Ron Klain sounded off on why he thinks Vice President Harris has faced so much criticism in her first term as vice president, saying sexism and racism are part of the problem. I think she was not as well known in national politics before she became vice president, Klain said in an interview on the podcast On with Kara Swisher released Thursday. She hasnt gotten the credit for all that shes done; shes done a lot of very hard work. Klain, who left the Biden administration earlier this year after serving as Bidens top aide since the start of his presidency, was seen as one of the top allies to Harris. But Harriss tenure as vice president has been rocky in terms of public perception. She has an approval rating that has teetered between the low-to-mid 40s and high 30s for most of the Biden administration, according to polling aggregation by FiveThirtyEight. Biden also reportedly vented frustration about Harris during his presidency, calling her a work in progress, according to author Chris Whipples book about the administration released early this year. But Klain poured cold water on the idea that there was a rift between Biden and Harris when asked who the biggest booster of Harris was in the administration. I think the president has always been her biggest booster and remains that, Klain said. I know that my successor, Jeff Zients, works with her very closely. I think Vice President Harris has done an excellent job. And as the 2024 campaign approaches, with Biden formally announcing his reelection bid this week, Klain said he is hopeful Harris can shine on the campaign trail. Hopefully, during the campaign season, the American people get more of a chance to see her on the stump and get to know her a little better, Klain said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Flash China urges the UK to be prudent in its words and actions, stop making groundless accusations against China and interfering in the country's internal affairs, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Wednesday. According to reports, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said in his speech on foreign policy and the position on China on April 25 that it would be a betrayal of national interest to declare some kind of new Cold War or to isolate China. This Government will engage robustly and constructively with China, and at the same time, steadfastly defend the UK's security and values. He said, China should fulfill its obligations in the Sino-British Joint Declaration. The UK is entitled to say so and act. China should not see the UK's remarks on Xinjiang as interference in its internal affairs. He also said the UK hopes to see a peaceful settlement of the Taiwan question, and it is essential that no party takes unilateral action to change the status quo. "In today's deeply interconnected world, the multiple challenges facing humanity require joint responses. Bloc politics and the Cold War mentality are against the trend of history and do not serve the interests of the UK or any other party in the world," spokesperson Mao Ning told a daily news briefing when answering a relevant query. Mao said that China has grown its relations with the UK in the spirit of equality and mutual respect. However, the UK has not kept up with the times and has been repeating old lines from an outdated playbook, which will only keep the UK itself further and further away from the advancement of our times. Regarding the Hong Kong issue, Mao said that all provisions concerning the UK under the Sino-British Joint Declaration have been fulfilled, adding that the UK has no sovereignty, no jurisdiction or right of "supervision" over Hong Kong and no so-called "rights" or "responsibilities" concerning Hong Kong. As for the circumstance of Xinjiang, Mao pointed out that Xinjiang enjoys economic development, social stability, religious harmony and cultural prosperity and people there lead a happy life. "These are facts for all to see, yet the UK side chooses to be oblivious to this and has deliberately smeared and slandered China," she said. The status quo of the Taiwan Strait is that both sides of the Strait belong to one and the same China, Mao said, adding that the biggest threat to peace in the Taiwan Strait comes from the "Taiwan independence" separatist activities and the U.S. connivance at and support for them. If the UK side wants sustained peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, it needs to strictly abide by the one-China principle and stand firmly against the "Taiwan independence" separatist activities. Mao reiterated that the Taiwan question and issues concerning Hong Kong and Xinjiang are purely China's internal affairs which brook no external interference. "We urge the UK to be prudent in its words and actions, stop making groundless accusations against China and interfering in China's internal affairs, and do more things that are conducive to the development of China-UK relations and world peace and stability," said Mao. A Fort Smith man who authorities say had thousands of pills containing the deadly narcotic fentanyl, as well as methamphetamine, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison on a federal charge of conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of meth. Jesus Corral, 40, was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas in Fort Smith, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice. Investigators from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Postal Inspection Service said that in March and April of 2022, a package with about 871 grams of meth, 2,918 pills containing fentanyl analog, and 3,637 fentanyl pills had been intercepted. Authorities alleged Corral was the intended recipient of the fentanyl pills and meth and that he intended to distribute the narcotics. Corral was indicted by a grand jury in July and he pleaded guilty in December. According to the release, he will serve his sentence without the possibility of parole. Judge P.K. Holmes III presided over the sentencing hearing Wednesday. Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon Still prosecuted the case. The 12th/21st Judicial Drug Task Force, the Sebastian County Sheriff's deputies and Fort Smith police and the Arkansas National Guard assisted in the case. This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: A Fort Smith man was sentenced to 15 years in a meth and fentanyl case When it comes to celebrating history, Washington state is unique. Not in a good way. Fort Steilacoom in Lakewood was founded by the U.S. Army as the first military fort in Puget Sound on Aug. 22, 1849. The fort will celebrate its 175th anniversary in 2024. Four buildings survive. You can walk through them today. The ownership of these historic buildings is what makes them unique. For instance, Wyomings Fort Laramie is administered by the National Park Service. In Texas, Fort Croghan is administered by The Burnet County Historical Commission and the Burnet County Heritage Society. In Nevada, Fort Churchill is governed by the Nevada Division of State Parks. I could go on, but you get the idea. Everywhere else, early forts are administered by groups experienced in operating parks and museums. So, who do you think owns some of the most historic ground in Washington? A psychiatric hospital specifically, Western State Hospital and its parent, the state Department of Social and Human Services (DSHS). Thats pretty unique. The Historic Fort Steilacoom Association is not aware of many U.S. military sites of nationwide significance governed by a psychiatric hospital. So whats wrong with being unique? Hospitals and museums are different things. Now, I want to make it clear that this is no insult to Western State Hospital or DSHS. Hospitals do what they do. Museums do what they do. Thank heavens Western State is doing what it does. But its not a museum. It might seem a little silly to be saying, Hospitals and museums are different things out loud, because most of us would consider that pretty obvious. But I must. Weve normalized a strange relationship in Washington, where a behavioral health facility has responsibility for a historic U.S. Army site. The reason is complex. Fort Steilacoom was decommissioned in 1868. Its buildings housed the states first behavioral health facilities. The hospital eventually moved into nearby newer buildings. But the fort buildings remain on the front lawn - the old military parade grounds - of Western State. Story continues In the 1970s, DSHS was perfectly happy to let the aging fort buildings cave in. Thats reasonable, because DSHS is not a museum. Instead, the four historic buildings were restored several decades ago at the expense of volunteers. However, the grounds and buildings still belong to Western State. What this means in practical terms is that few resources and little expertise are going into telling the story of Washington Territory. Does that matter? The answer depends on whether you think we learn anything from history. The history of Fort Steilacoom is challenging. On its face, Fort Steilacoom is part of U.S. Army history, including disputes like a border face-off with Great Britain. But parts of the forts history can be hard to tell. Fort Steilacooms forces were part of the war on Indigenous tribes. Later on, the Army would protect Native Americans from vigilante civilian militias, but not at first. Fort Steilacoom housed Chief Leschi during his civilian trials so he would not be murdered in a civilian jail. As it turned out, civilian authorities staged a trial to hang Leschi even though Army officers knew he was innocent of the charges he faced. This is a complicated, emotional story to tell. We are grateful for support from Tribal members on our museum board, but this is a story that should involve the community. We need expertise in telling stories like this, because there are lessons to be learned. In the meantime, Fort Steilacooms officers would go on to fight in the U.S. Civil War. The connection is the reason many people visit our museum today. You can walk on the same floor that George Pickett walked. Pickett later became a major general in the Confederate Army. We all know that parts of the Civil War are still being fought today. Again, the Civil War is a complicated, emotional story. Today, maybe we dont want to think about the Treaty War. Maybe we dont want to think about the Civil War. And if thats the case, then the current situation makes sense. If you dont want to confront and share these stories, sidelining Fort Steilacoom with a parent state agency without expertise in museums, education and history is perfectly reasonable.. But if we do think history can teach us something, then it makes sense to look for a new parent for Historic Fort Steilacoom. Why? Because hospitals and museums are different things. Walter Neary is president of the board of the all-volunteer Historic Fort Steilacoom Association, which leases the four historic buildings from Western State Hospital. Stew Leonard Sr., the founder of Stew Leonard's, a regional supermarket chain with its most recent branch in Paramus, died Wednesday after a short illness. He was 93. A graduate of the University of Connecticut's School of Agriculture, Leonard began his career by working at his family's dairy in Norwalk. In 1969, he built a state-of-the-art dairy store in town that Ripley's Believe It or Not deemed the world's largest, at 17,000 square feet. The store delivered milk in trucks fronted by plastic cows that mooed for the neighborhood children. This whimsical, family-friendly item may not surprise Stew Leonard's many customers; mechanized singing cows are a signature feature of its stores. The Norwalk location was the first of the seven Stew Leonard's supermarkets that today can be found in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey. The 80,000-square-foot outpost at Paramus Park mall opened in 2019. Stew Leonard Sr. has died at age 93. Stew Leonard's, currently a $600 million family-owned business that employs more than 2,500 people, was once dubbed the Disneyland of dairy stores by The New York Times. It is famous for its animatronics. Besides its singing cows, at the Paramus store you can find a singing parrot with a top hat above the mayonnaise aisle and a man in a hot air balloon playing an accordion hanging from the ceiling above the deli. In a few of its stores, you also will find a petting zoo. Stew Leonard's was named one of Fortune magazines 100 Best Companies to Work For 10 years in a row. In 1986, Leonard was presented with the Presidential Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence by President Ronald Reagan, and in 2002 he was named one of the top 50 visionaries by Supermarket News. Best of Bergen results: These are the top places for shopping and services in 2023 His top role in the company ended in 1993, however, when he was convicted of having committed tax fraud. He served 44 months in prison. Stew Leonard Jr., the president & CEO of Stew Leonard's and Martha Stewart pose for photos in front of the store's sign during a VIP & Media Reception at Stew Leonard's at Paramus Park Mall on 09/16/19. His son, Stew Leonard, Jr., 68, has been running the business since then, with help from his siblings Tom Leonard, Beth Leonard Hollis and Jill Leonard Tavello. Five of his 13 grandchildren have also joined the business. Story continues Nevertheless, the senior Leonard, an award-winning water-skier, would often show up at the stores to greet customers and say hello to employees. He knew many of the workers by name. "My dad was a legend in the food industry," Leonard Jr. said. "He always had a positive outlook on things. He was inspirational, not only to his family, but the thousands of people who worked in our company. He treated everybody the same, from the guy who pushed carts to company officers." He added: "I was lucky to have had 68 great years with him." This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Stew Leonard Sr. dies, founder of Stew Leonard's grocery chain The Lehigh University student was allegedly walking home with two friends early Saturday when the suspects drove past and yelled racist epithets at him. The men eventually followed him to his dormitory. Authorities in Pennsylvania arrested four men this week for allegedly yelling racial epithets at a Black college student before chasing and assaulting him in his dormitory. Northampton County District Attorney Terry Houck announced charges Tuesday against Brandon John, Cameron Graf and Nabil Jameel, all 22, and Michael Rosta, 21. According to ABC News, Rosta faces charges of burglary and simple assault; John and Graf are being charged with simple assault and harassment; and Jameel is charged with simple assault. Houck did not identify the victim, citing a bid to protect his privacy. The unnamed Lehigh University student reportedly was walking home early Saturday with two friends when the occupants of a car that drove by yelled racist epithets at him. The victim said he chased after the automobile and banged on its trunk. He told authorities he reached into one of the car windows but could only briefly touch one of its occupants before he moved away and walked to his residence hall. Four men have been arrested after allegedly yelling racial slurs and physically attacking a Black student in his residence hall at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. (Photo: Adobe Stock) The victim claimed that after the automobile turned around and parked, several men got out and started chasing him and his companions before catching up and surrounding them. One of the males struck the victim before he was able to get away and run back to his residence hall on campus, Houck shared in a news release, according to ABC. After arriving in the dorm, the victim said, he first visited a friend before entering a restroom. Houck said when he exited, the accused men who are neither current nor former Lehigh University students were waiting for him and started their assault. According to the authorities, the victim escaped and took refuge inside a friends dorm room. Houck said the witness who allowed the suspects into the building claimed one of them was carrying a handgun. Story continues Police identified the vehicle and John as its driver using security camera footage. While being questioned by police, he allegedly admitted to an altercation with the victim and named those who were with him. Graf, Jameel and Rosta subsequently acknowledged their participation in the incident, Houck said, according to ABC. Lehigh University expressed gratitude to its police force and local district attorneys office for handling the deplorable hate crime and removing the suspects from the community. It noted in a statement that it was most troubling that one of the suspects allegedly flashed a weapon during the pursuit and assault of their student. We stand united in working together as a campus to eradicate hate and violence, the statement said, ABC reported. Northampton County has zero tolerance for this type of lawless behavior, and the defendants will absolutely face the consequences for their senseless actions, Houck added, according to ABC. Students have a right to feel safe when they are on or around campus. TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today! The post Four arrested for allegedly yelling slurs at student, chasing and assaulting him appeared first on TheGrio. Fox News has agreed to provide additional documents and legal materials from the recent case it settled with Dominion Voting Systems to Smartmatic, a second voting systems company that is suing the network for defamation. We will produce the materials as quickly as we are able to, Fox lawyer Winn Allen said during a hearing in New York, CNN reported. Smartmatic is seeking more than $2 billion from Fox, accusing it of maliciously giving Trump lawyers Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani a platform to air false claims about the 2020 presidential election and its software. Fox last week agreed to pay $787.5 million to settle the defamation case brought by Dominion, one of the largest payouts by a media company to a plaintiff ever. A trial in the Smartmatic case is likely months or years away, but Fox lost its first bid to toss the companys suit, allowing it to move onto discovery. We will be ready to defend this case surrounding extremely newsworthy events when it goes to trial, likely in 2025, a spokesperson for the network said in its most recent statement about the case. As a report prepared by our financial expert shows, Smartmatics damages claims are implausible, disconnected from reality, and on its face intended to chill First Amendment freedoms, they added. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Fox News Fox News has had a rough couple of weeks, so that could have been weighing on anchor Harris Faulkner on Thursday when she snapped at one of her guests for suggesting shes a far-right advocate for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Im a journalist, Faulkner lashed out after Democratic politician Desiree Tims said you guysi.e., Fox Newswant DeSantis to beat Donald Trump in the 2024 GOP presidential primary. During her morning news program The Faulkner Focus, the so-called straight news anchor moderated a debate between Tims and GOP strategist David Avella on President Joe Bidens reelection campaign. At one point, Faulkner brought up that fringe Democratic candidates Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Marianne Williamson collectively have 28 percent support among Democrats in a recent Fox News poll. There are also polls that came out recently that show President Biden absolutely crushing former President Donald Trump, Tims noted. Look, the reality is were gonna have another match-up in 2024 between likely President Biden and President Donald Trump and I think the results are gonna be the same. Fox Straight News Anchor Echoes Tuckers Poorer and Dirtier Line About Migrants Faulkner quickly interjected, snarking, I know you want it to be [Trump]. I know you guys on the far right really want Ron DeSantis to be the nominee, Tims shot back, adding that she doesnt think DeSantis has the personality to take down entertainer-in-chief Trump. I dont know who you are talking to in terms of You guys, a miffed Faulkner groused. I know that wasnt meant for me. Im a journalist! After Tims wrapped up her remarks, Faulkner circled back once again to verify that her guest was clear about her supposed journalistic bonafides. Im sure you heard what I said, Faulkner declared. While Faulkner often presents herself as a beacon of hard-nosed, objective journalism on the right-wing cable giant, she has long openly carried the GOPs water while diving headlong into touting conservative culture-war grievances du jour. Shes also shown a tendency to berate and lecture guests and colleagues who question her motivations on air. Story continues Fox Straight News Anchor Stunned to Learn Biden Actually Runs the White House Besides recently complaining that Lego and M&Ms are going woke, Faulkner has literally broken fake news during an interview with Trump, credulously claimed Biden hates at least half of Americans, and chastised colleagues for citing Foxs own polling that reflected poorly on Republicans. Other goofy ways shes sounded more like a conservative radio host than a straight news anchor: Shes refused to accept that Hillary Clinton, Foxs top bogeywoman, is not somehow scheming to be president; shes pushed the unfounded right-wing theory that Biden is a puppet who doesnt actually control his office; and she fully freaked out over an artists depiction of a trashed Oval Office upon Trumps exit, exclaiming that picture isnt real! But what most undercuts Faulkners claim to the mantle of straight news journalism is her repeated willingness to parrot some of her primetime colleagues most extreme positions. Specifically, last fall, she echoed Tucker Carlsons infamous dirtier and poorer attack on immigrants by saying migrants make our country look like what they left. Carlson was fired by Fox News this week, prompting a MAGA freakout that has resulted in plunging ratings for the network. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Tucker Carlson was fired on Monday, a stunning move that sent shockwaves through the TV news industry and made global headlines. (Janos Kummer / Getty Images) Fox News is feeling the effects of life without Tucker Carlson. "Fox News Tonight" the program temporarily filling the slot long occupied by Carlson pulled in 1.7 million viewers with "Fox & Friends" host Brian Kilmeade, according to Nielsen data. The number is 47% below what "Tucker Carlson Tonight" delivered in the 8 p.m. Eastern hour a week earlier on April 16. Carlson averaged 3.2 million viewers in the first quarter of 2023. Carlson was fired on Monday, a stunning move that sent shockwaves through the TV news industry and made global headlines. Rupert Murdoch's conservative network gave no reason for the departure, but it's believed to be related to the mounting legal problems facing the organization. Last week, Fox News paid $787.5 million to settle a defamation suit with Dominion Voting Systems, which claims it was smeared during coverage of false allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 election. Fox News also faces a lawsuit from former producer Abby Grossberg, who alleges she endured a hostile work environment while employed on Carlson's program. Fox News now is faced with replacing a top-rated prime-time star, a situation it has dealt with successfully in the past. But in the short term, the network may be in for a rocky ride from a ratings standpoint. "Fox News Tonight" managed to top cable news competitors CNN and MSNBC in total audience. But the channel, typically a ratings powerhouse, suffered a rare loss in the hour among the advertiser-coveted demographic of viewers age 25 to 54. CNN's Anderson Cooper won the hour in the demo with 163,000 viewers, with MSNBC's "All in With Chris Hayes" close behind at 162,000. Kilmeade scored 149,000 in the category. The ratings indicate Kilmeade won't be giving up the morning shift anytime soon. Without the tentpole that Carlson's program provided, the ratings for other Fox News shows were down as well. "Hannity" averaged 2 million viewers, a decline of 20% from the previous week. "The Ingraham Angle" scored 1.56 million, down 12%. Story continues Newsmax appeared to be the beneficiary of Carlson fans looking for an alternative. "Eric Bolling The Balance" pulled in 562,000 viewers in the 8 p.m. Eastern hour, a fivefold increase over last Tuesday when Carlson was his competition (with guest Elon Musk). Bolling is a former Fox News host. The rest of the Newsmax lineup saw a lift as well, with the audiences for "Rob Schmitt Tonight," "Prime News" and "Greg Kelly Reports" all doubling in size from a week ago. A representative for Newsmax said the network also is seeing a boost in viewing on its streaming platforms. The channel is available as a free streaming app. The last time Newsmax saw a major ratings lift was after Fox News called the state of Arizona for President Biden in the 2020 election, putting him on the path to the White House. Private communications among Fox News talent and executives that became public in the Dominion case showed that the network was concerned about the upstart competitor in the weeks after that call. Many viewers who sampled Newsmax after the 2020 election eventually returned to Fox News. Dominion's lawsuit said Fox News promoted former President Trump's false voter-fraud allegations because it was worried about viewers defecting to Newsmax, which was far more sympathetic to Trump's claims. Fox News will be tested again, as the sharp decline in Tuesday's ratings is a clear sign that the audience is upset. One possible fix is moving Fox News fan favorite Jesse Watters into Carlson's time slot while auditioning hosts an hour earlier. Watters is currently on paternity leave. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. During the UN conference, the head of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine concluded an agreement with his French colleague Recently, while participating in a UN conference, I met with my colleague from France, he said while visiting the exclusion zone. Read also: Scientists say stray dogs around Chornobyl show amazing genetic diversity We agreed that France would help develop a scientific hub in the exclusion zone. Because Im sure that right now, right during the war and right at the time when there is a fact of violation of a peaceful atom that has been resting for many years, we can conduct research that cant be done anywhere else in the world. Read also: Ukraines security service accuses Russia of conducting nuclear terrorism during their occupation of Chornobyl Russias invasion gave the impetus to study the peaceful atom and transform the Chornobyl exclusion zone into a scientific hub. I invite everyone to come here and understand that this is a zone where we can build the future, the Ukrainian minister said. I wish that the exclusion zone really had a scientific hub. This is the task I set a year ago, and today a lot of work is being done on it. 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 Wizz Air airplane During negotiations in Kyiv, Ukraine and France agreed to expand their cooperation in the field of civil aviation. Read also: Kyiv could negotiate on Crimea when Ukrainian army reaches border of peninsula, senior official says - UPDATED "We're talking about civil aviation; I discussed cooperation in this area in Kyiv, and we have a request from Ukraine", said Beaune. The minister emphasized that if pilots do not practice constantly, they will not be qualified to resume flying once Ukraine reopens its airspace. Read also: Ryanair hiring Ukrainian pilots and flight attendants This is a very important matter; I hope that the moment when civil aviation flights resume over Ukraine will come soon, he adds. But if aviators do not have practice, they will not have the right to resume work immediately due to safety regulations. That's why we are helping Ukraine to prepare for the moment when your airspace will be fully or partially open. According to Beaune, Ukraine already has some considerations regarding the reopening of the airspace, but safety remains the main issue. Read also: Ukraines intelligence refuses to comment on alleged planned attack on Moscow It has been reported that Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair plans to return to Ukraine two weeks after the end of the war. The company has hired 60 Ukrainian pilots and 80 flight attendants, who are mainly stationed at Ryanair facilities in Poland, waiting for the conflict to end. 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 man holding signs outside of White Settlement ISD schools has sparked outrage among parents concerned for the safety of their students. For the last two years, White Settlement resident Scott Evans said hes protested the school district for allegedly violating his freedom of speech after he publicly protested against a school district employee in 2021. From all the things theyve done to me, violating my freedom of speech, obviously they dont like it, he said. And Im going to let the world know they dont like it. Evans is careful to not stand anywhere he is not supposed to be. He has also been active in local politics, previously filing to run for White Settlement City Council in 2020, according to candidate filing records. The signs have ranged from political messaging against bonds to one of his latest signs which reads White Settlement ISD Hates Freedom of Speech with images of women in small bikinis at the beach and men in swim briefs kissing. The latest signs have created a stir among White Settlement community groups on Facebook and parents have confronted Evans, the school district and White Settlement ISD police department about the protests. One parent, Carmen Deleon, said parents main concern is for the safety of their students. My main concern is my child going to school and we dont know what state of mind hes in and, with everything else going around, we dont know what this guys capable of, she said. Deleon said she and other parents have a plan to keep their students out of school on a day hes staged outside of a school. Another parent, Casey Harmon, said the images on Evans latest signs could encourage bullying in the schools. In early April, she took one of Evans signs and spray painted it black with the words Ignore Haters, Stay Kind in white. Harmon later staged a lone counter protest holding out the redone sign. Im sure its having an affect on the kids and thats my beef with it, is just how its negatively affecting their mentality and their self-esteem, Harmon said. Story continues Casey Harmon repainted one of Evanss signs and staged a counter-protest. Although parents have taken their issues with Evans to the school district and police, Evans does not stage his protest on school property or in roadways and is within his First Amendment rights. Harmon said Evans, who tends to stage a 30 minute protest around drop off time, does not seem to have a particular pattern for which campuses he stages his protests from. He parks his car to the side and sticks to the sidewalk by the drop off line, Harmon said. It seems like he knows exactly what to do to stay just under the radar, she said. In a statement from White Settlement ISD, a spokesperson said the district received multiple calls and concerns from parents regarding Evans. [White Settlement ISD] police officers are closely monitoring and responding to every situation. Because the individual is not on school property and not violating the law, the district is unable to take enforcement action, the spokesperson said in the statement. Our school police and campus staff have safety plans and protocols in place, and the WSISD Police Department continues to work with the Fort Worth and White Settlement Police Departments to prioritize the safety of our students, staff and families. Evans said he stages his lone protest outside of White Settlement ISD schools to bring the fight to the institution he has an issue with the school district. If youre going to have a political sign that says that These people dont like freedom of speech then you go to where those people are, he said. You dont go to somewhere else to hold a sign. For his latest posters and banners, Evans said he pulled images off the Internet and does not know the people in the photos. He said the purpose of the images is to draw attention to his signs messages. Evans said his protest is about the school district restricting his freedom of speech and for allegedly ignoring his complaints against a security guard who he said damaged his vehicle after an altercation. The end goal of his protests is for the school district to leave him alone, Evans said. In April, he said he filed a lawsuit against the school district for violating his First Amendment rights. Evans said the results of the lawsuit will give him the closure he needs, potentially bringing an end to the protests. Flash Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, meets with Truong Thi Mai, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, permanent member of the CPV Central Committee Secretariat and head of the Organization Commission of the CPV Central Committee, in Beijing, capital of China, April 26, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua] Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, met with Truong Thi Mai, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, permanent member of the CPV Central Committee Secretariat and head of the Organization Commission of the CPV Central Committee, in Beijing on Wednesday. Xi asked Truong Thi Mai to convey his sincere greetings to Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the CPV Central Committee, and Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong. He noted that this year marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. Since General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's visit to China last year, China and Vietnam have attached great importance to implementing the consensus reached by the two general secretaries, and taken measures to push for a sound momentum of China-Vietnam exchanges and cooperation, Xi said, adding that he would like to maintain close exchanges with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to strengthen political and strategic guidance for China-Vietnam relations. Given the volatile international environment and tasks of reform, development and stability in the two countries, China and Vietnam should follow the policy of long-term stability, forward-thinking, good neighborliness and comprehensive cooperation, and the spirit of being good neighbors, friends, comrades, and partners, Xi said. He called on the two sides to consolidate political mutual trust, strengthen solidarity and cooperation, properly manage differences, jointly address risks and challenges, and build a China-Vietnam community with a shared future to contribute to human peace and progress. Xi said both countries should continue to be armed with the scientific theory of Marxism and work together to advance the cause of socialism. China and Vietnam need to put people first, improve the synergy of development strategies and projects, advance infrastructure connectivity and people-to-people exchanges, and enhance people's understanding of traditional friendship to consolidate public support for the long-term growth of bilateral relations, Xi said. Xi said the utmost effort should be made to consolidate the rule of the two parties, safeguard national stability and development, stay committed to human peace and progress, strengthen solidarity and cooperation in international affairs, firmly oppose hegemonism and bloc confrontation, safeguard the dividends of regional peace and development, and work together to build a community with a shared future for humanity. Truong Thi Mai conveyed the greetings of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong to General Secretary Xi Jinping. She extended congratulations on the success of the 20th CPC National Congress and China's "two sessions," and on General Secretary Xi Jinping's reelection as President of China and chairman of the Central Military Commission. She expressed confidence that the Chinese people will surely complete all the goals set out at the 20th CPC National Congress and build a modern socialist country in an all-round way under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong paid a successful visit to China shortly after the conclusion of the 20th CPC National Congress, injecting strong impetus into the comprehensive strategic cooperation between the two countries. Vietnam has always given top priority to developing friendly cooperation with China, adhered to the one-China policy and firmly supported China's reunification, Truong Thi Mai said. She said Vietnam is willing to enhance high-level exchanges between the two parties and promote the synergy of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Vietnam's "Two Corridors and One Economic Circle" plan to contribute to the ties between the two parties and the two countries and the cause of socialism. Vietnam firmly supports the major global initiatives proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping, supports China to host the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation and hopes to strengthen regional and international cooperation with China to promote regional and world peace and development, Truong Thi Mai said. (Bloomberg) -- French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said the government will propose a law in the coming weeks to encourage the sharing of corporate profits more widely among employees. Most Read from Bloomberg The proposal will also apply to windfall income, she said in an interview on France 2 television on Thursday. Borne said there are no plans under consideration to lower social charges for companies The government is putting pressure on food manufacturers to pass on lower commodity prices to their products We need to see this in supermarkets as soon as possible, she said, calling for lower prices by the end of June The prime minister also confirmed an increase in the minimum wage on May 1, when unions have planned demonstrations across the country Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. The Fresno County District Attorney on Wednesday filed felony charges against a Fresno Sheriffs Deputy accused of contacting a minor with the intent to commit a sex crime. The deputy was identified as Francisco Frank Perez, who is also accused of the misdemeanor crime of annoying a minor. Sheriffs spokesman Tony Botti investigators received a report of a possible crime involving the 42-year-old Perez on March 30, launched an immediate investigation and placed him on paid administrative leave. Perez was then booked into Fresno County Jail with a bail of $20,000. Botti said allegations involving a female younger than 18 were made against Perez in late 2022. Specific details wont be disclosed because of the sensitive nature of the case, he added. But he said there is no evidence of a physical relationship. Said Sheriff John Zanoni: Our office has a zero-tolerance policy for misconduct and any allegations of it are treated as a top priority. As promised, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors has filed a lawsuit against California as part of their latest effort to preserve the name of a foothill community now called Yokuts Valley. In the lawsuit, Fresno County alleges that a new state law violates the communitys right to free speech. Some Fresno County and Yokuts Valley residents criticized as frivolous. At the heart of the conflict is a new state law that removes the term squaw from over 100 geographic features and place names in the state because its widely considered a racist and sexist slur. The community, which had been called Squaw Valley for over 150 years, had its name formally changed to Yokuts Valley by the federal government in January. In 2021, the U.S. Department of the Interior declared the term as derogatory. The lawsuit, filed earlier this month in Fresno County Superior Court, also alleges the state has no authority to order the name change. Its unclear whether the lawsuit could potentially change the Yokuts Valley name. Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig on Wednesday said he believed it was a possibility, but the ACLU disagreed. In an interview with The Bee/Fresnoland, Magsig said he thinks its a free speech issue. Does the state have the right to ...rename an unincorporated community? Yokuts Valley resident Ken Hudson was among the group gathered in downtown Fresno on Tuesday calling on Fresno County Board of Supervisors to drop the lawsuit against the state of California on April 11, 2023. In an interview with The Bee/Fresnoland last month, Supervisor Nathan Magsig, who represents the foothill community, said the board decided to sue the state, rather than the federal government, due to the specific requirements the state law places on counties. The law requires local agencies and governing bodies to ensure that map updates and sign replacements use the new name. The Board of Supervisors has criticized how the federal government handled the process, arguing that local voices and decision-making were largely left out of the process. The lawsuit references an informal survey of community members that Magsig conducted last year, which found that most residents were opposed to a name change. Story continues Some advocates and Yokuts Valley residents are criticizing the decision as racist and question whether it will hold up in court. Bayard Taylor, a Yokuts Valley resident who was part of the name change coalition, called the lawsuit a colossal waste of time and money in service of a racist agenda in a text message to The Bee/Fresnoland. 4-11-23 Fresno County lawsuit against state of California - 23CECG01368 by Melissa Montalvo on Scribd The Board of Supervisors wants to add to their anti-woke credentials by pandering to the most ignorant and poorly informed elements of our community, Linda Tubach said in an interview with The Bee/Fresnoland on Tuesday. I hope the state fights this vigorously. Tubach also wondered how much the county is spending on the litigation. In a text message to The Bee/Fresnoland, Fresno County spokesperson Sonja Dosti confirmed that the county is paying outside counsel, Brian Leighton, an hourly rate of $275 per hour to work on the case. William Freeman, senior counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, called the lawsuit frivolous and political theater. Any dollar in the county of Fresno spent on this lawsuit is one dollar too much, he said Wednesday in an interview with The Bee/Fresnoland. The county is seeking declaratory and injunctive relief and wants the court to weigh in on their rights and obligations under the state law, as well as its legality. A case management conference is scheduled for Aug. 10. Could the lawsuit impact town name? Its unlikely that the lawsuit will change the name of Yokuts Valley, according to Freeman of the ACLU. But beyond that, Freeman doesnt think the county has legal grounds to sue. Counties, he said, dont have first amendment rights against state because theyre subdivisions of the state ... and answerable to the state. Magsig, however, is more optimistic. He said the new law is new territory for both the state and the county. If successful, the lawsuit could lead to a new name selected by local residents, such as Bear Mountain. Fresno County also alleges that the state doesnt have the authority to rename a community that is not on public or state land and alleges the state law has no limits on what the California Advisory Committee on Geographic Names a state committee that makes recommendations on California names to the federal naming board alleging that the law placed no limits on the committee and what it considers offensive. Its up to the courts, Magsig said Wednesday. ACLU considers legal action against Fresno County So far, Fresno County officials appear to be defying the name change, raising concerns and threats of litigation by community advocates. In a Feb. 27 official Fresno County news release about a temporary shelter during the winter storms, the county used the old name Squaw Valley. Separately, Magsig, is pushing to preserve to former town name. In a Feb. 7 Facebook video, Magsig acknowledged concerns about how the Welcome to Squaw Valley sign in front of the Fresno County Bear Mountain Branch Library was taken down. He said county trucks came out and removed the sign under direction of the county librarian who wanted to preserve the sign. Magsig said he had asked for that sign to be placed back. Some Yokuts Valley residents say the county should not be involved in preserving official or unofficial town signs. The Community is not associated with, nor has ever been associated with the name Yokuts Valley, according to the countys lawsuit. According to the state law, which goes into full effect in 2025, no geographic feature or place should have a name that includes the slur. Public agencies like the county, under the state law, are to replace any sign or marker or printed material with the old term. But some say reinstating the librarys sign was unlawful and are calling for legal action against the county. What I would actually like to see is a counter suit (against the) county for (restoring) the old Welcome to Squaw Valley sign in front of the library, Tubach said. At least one group has indicated they might sue Fresno County. We are definitely considering legal action, Freeman said, and were in the process of determining what would be the best form of action that we can take. In an April 4 letter to the Board of Supervisors, the ACLU of Northern California said replacing the sign was an unlawful violation of the new state law, urged the board to remove the illegal sign immediately, in addition to urging the county to drop its lawsuit. The Bibb County school board must soon decide whether to increase taxes and take major cost-cutting measures or risk a financial deficit in 2027. We know we cannot allow that to happen, Bibb Schools Chief Financial Officer Sharon Roberts said about the potential deficit to the board in April at its second budget work session. The third and final budget work session is slated for May 16. We need to look at the rezoning options to reduce facility cost, Roberts said. We need to look at reducing personnel at school and the system level. School closures, reducing the number of teachers and district employees and tax increases are once again options as the board hears proposals and weighs considerations for how it can maintain fiscal stability amid declining enrollment. Should the board take no action to reduce expenses or increase revenue, Roberts said the district would have a fund balance below 8%, the states minimum, in 2026 and a negative fund balance in 2027. An infusion of federal dollars related to the global pandemic have helped public school districts, including Bibb, maintain financial stability in recent years, but many of those grants require that money to be spent by 2025. The Georgia Department of Education funds schools based on the number of students enrolled in March and October each year. The district reported enrollment of 21,312 students in March, about 80 fewer than October 2022 when enrollment numbers hit a 5-year high, according to the districts reports to the state. About half of Bibb County Schools are expected to have enrollment numbers below the minimum required for the state to fund positions like media specialists, according to Roberts projections. The states base-size enrollment is 450 for elementary schools, 624 for middle schools and 970 for high schools. The district anticipates 11 of its 21 elementary schools will have too few students. Four of the six high schools and two of six middle schools also are expected to be under-enrolled per the state rule. Story continues Under-enrolled schools cost the district more to operate in part because the state does not pay for key positions such as media specialists and secretaries. The district pays salaries for those positions with local money. The latest budget presentation shows the district anticipates about 100 fewer students each year. The district uses about half of its school building space and is paying a premium in local dollars to staff and operate the schools, which require costs such as utilities, transportation, nutrition, counselors and more. Roberts presented a budget projection estimating the financial state the district might be in should the school board choose not to raise taxes or cut expenses. Bibb Schools Chief Financial Officer Sharon Roberts presented a budget projection estimating the financial state the district might be in should the school board choose not to raise taxes or cut expenses. Potential school closures were introduced as an option during a called meeting last May when Superintendent Curtis Jones told the board he didnt see a way around future closures. In the meeting on May 24, 2022, the board voted to create a committee that would spend the next year studying potential school closures, according to The Macon Newsrooms recording of the meeting. Jones commended the board for its decision to begin studying the issue because, he said, it would show respect for taxpayers by saying youre doing all you can to be fiscally sound. However, the topic of school closures has not been broached in board meetings since. Bibb Schools spokesperson Stephanie Hartley said discussions have been held internally with cabinet-level staff and some directors regarding building usage compared to student enrollment. Planning possible school closures will be a multi-year process with community engagement throughout, she said. Cannot tax our way out The board has heard a number of possibilities for how it might cut costs and increase revenue, but Superintendent Dan Sims has not yet indicated a preference for any options or direction. I dont want anybody to walk away with any thoughts that were leaning in any direction, that were closing anybodys school, that were raising anybodys taxes, Sims said after the April 10 budget work session. But we are looking at every scenario that exists on the spectrum of increasing revenues and decreasing costs. A plan for Bibb Schools to save $9 million includes closing two schools in coming years and reducing the number of teachers, according to this slide presented to the school board at its April 10, 2023, budget work session. One option Roberts presented at that budget work session would save the district $9 million. The plan includes closing two schools one in 2026 and another in 2028 eliminating 48 teaching positions and 10 district jobs plus reducing consultants and travel expenses. Another way to save the district money is to maintain the millage rate at 16.72 in 2024, then increase it to 17.22 mills in 2025 and 19.22 mills in 2026. Roberts said Bibb has rolled back its millage rate for six straight years, which has resulted in the district forgoing millions in local tax dollars. Should the board vote to maintain the millage rate instead of approving a roll back rate, it could mean an extra $900k each year for the district. A mill is valued at $4,853,647, Roberts said. The maximum millage rate for Georgia public school districts is 20 mills. Board member Daryl Morton said Roberts made it clear that we cannot tax our way out of this problem. No, sir. We cannot, Roberts said. Nor do we necessarily want to. Spending and Saving In addition to raising taxes, upping revenue and cutting expenses, the board also must decide whether it will implement results from a salary study it hired a consultant to conduct. The study showed Bibb Schools is behind compared to surrounding public school districts when it comes to salaries for certified employees. Another option for cutting costs is to limit the certification level for pre-k teachers so they are paid only what the district receives from the Georgia Department of Early Childcare, DECAL, and Learning. At present, Bibb Schools pre-k teachers are paid on the same salary schedule as other teachers. The district pays the difference between what the teacher makes based on their certification level and what it receives from DECAL. Last year, that amounted to more than $500,000. Should the board choose to limit the certification level for pre-k teachers and move those teachers to grade-level classes, it would receive more money from the Georgia Department of Education to cover their salaries. Outstanding information needed to firm up financial projections includes the county tax digest and the amount it will receive from the Georgia Department of Education to educate each student. The state recently increased equalization funding for Bibb County by $7.3 million. Equalization money is extra funding the state provides to less wealthy districts to help them reach the wealthiest districts funding levels. Other changes to affect the budget include: A 2% raise for classified staff (locally funded) A 5.1% raise for bus drivers and monitors (partially funded by state) A $2,000 salary increase for most certified staff (funded by state) A $1,000 salary increase for custodians (funded by the state) An increase in state health insurance costs for certified staff by $7,620 per employee yearly (funded by the state for earned positions) An increase in state health insurance costs for classified staff by $1,500 per person yearly (locally funded) The budget for fiscal year 2023-24 is set for tentative adoption May 23. Two public hearings are slated for June 6 and June 13 with a final vote to adopt set for June 16. A man was arrested for blocking a school bus full of children with his truck after he said a child on the bus flipped off his family. According to an incident report from the Catoosa County Sheriffs Office, on April 24, 2023, at around 4:30 p.m., Roger ONeal Barrett, 55, was moving cattle across a road when he said a child on a school bus flipped off his wife and 13-year-old child as the bus passed them by. Barrett stopped the bus with his truck and wanted to wait for a deputy to arrive to get the juveniles information. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] A deputy told dispatch to call Barrett back and let him know that he can not stop the bus and that he needed to meet the deputy back at the location where the gesture occurred. Once the bus was stopped by Barrett, the children on the bus began calling their parents to let them know what was happening. Dispatch was unable to make contact with Barrett. The bus driver told deputies that Barrett told her The police were already called and they are on the way and that he wanted a deputy to talk to the student. TRENDING STORIES: According to the incident report, there was a heated verbal altercation between Barrett and parents that arrived at the scene of the stopped bus. The bus driver spoke with the Director of Transportation for the school district, who allowed the students to be released to their parents who were there at the scene. The director told a deputy that the school is going to investigate the incident and take disciplinary action against the student who was accused of flipping the family off as they see fit. On April 25, Barrett turned himself in at the Catoosa County Detention Center. Barrett was charged with disruption or interference with the operation of public schools. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: In this April 26, 2018, file photo, a man lies on the sidewalk beside a trash recycling bin in San Francisco. California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday, April 21, 2023, that the state highway patrol and National Guard will provide additional personnel and resources to help San Francisco battle its worsening fentanyl drug crisis. | Ben Margot, Associated Press California Gov. Gavin Newsom said hell send his states National Guard and the California Highway Patrol to fight fentanyl trafficking in San Francisco. Newsom, who served as San Francisco mayor from 2004 to 2010, said the agencies would work with the San Francisco Police Department and District Attorneys Office to take on large-scale drug trafficking operations. Through this new collaborative partnership, we are providing more law enforcement resources and personnel to crack down on crime linked to the fentanyl crisis, holding the poison peddlers accountable, and increasing law enforcement presence to improve public safety and public confidence in San Francisco, Newsom said in a statement. Newsoms office said the partnership with law enforcement will focus on targeting drug suppliers and traffickers and not criminalize those who struggle with substance abuse. In 2021 there were 5,722 deaths in California related to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, according to the California Department of Public Health, and state lawmakers are debating the best way to combat the opioid crisis. The San Francisco Department of Health said drug overdoses from fentanyl began to increase in 2015 because it was found in illicit drugs, and San Francisco has seen a more than 40% increase in overdose deaths between January and March 2023, according to the governors office. Newsom was sensitive to San Franciscos reputation for crime in announcing the program. Two truths can co-exist at the same time: San Franciscos violent crime rate is below comparably sized cities like Jacksonville and Fort Worth and there is also more we must do to address public safety concerns, especially the fentanyl crisis, he said. Newsom has the support of San Francisco police chief Bill Scott, who said in a statement his department welcomes the support of our state partners because when we work together we can make a significant difference to make our city safer. But not all public officials are on board. Story continues Supervisor Dean Preston called the program a publicity stunt, according to ABC 7, and said Newsom vetoed legislation for overdose prevention sites he believes led to increased public drug use and overdoses. In a letter to Newsom, the California Assembly Republican Caucus asked the governor to support four pieces of legislation targeting fentanyl. ART police officer Eric Hofstein displays the Fentanyl he confiscated while patrolling the Civic Center Station BART platform in San Francisco, Calif. Friday, Nov. 20, 2020. California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday, April 21, 2023, that the state highway patrol and state national guard will provide additional personnel and resources to help San Francisco battle its worsening fentanyl drug crisis. The announcement highlights a serious concern in the city where Newsom was once mayor. | Jessica Christian, San Francisco Chronicle via Associated Press Related The fentanyl crisis is not a partisan issue, Republican lawmakers wrote. Regardless of our political differences, leaders in both parties believe action is needed now. Republicans and many Democrats in the Legislature want to see these proposals advance. The four bills would enhance sentencing and increase penalties for some dealers, including those with large quantities of fentanyl, and increase penalties for those who sell it on social media or possess it while carrying a loaded, operable firearm. You have shown a willingness to engage in the legislative process when it comes to pressing issues such as mental health, homelessness and climate policy, Republicans wrote. We are asking for this same level of engagement with the bipartisan effort to address Californias fentanyl crisis. If you or a loved one is struggling with substance abuse, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration operates a free, confidential helpline thats available 24/7 in English and Spanish at 1-800-622-HELP (4357). Gayle King has shown her support for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex following Prince Harrys confirmation he will be attending the coronation of his father, King Charles III. The CBS Mornings host attended the Time100 Gala in New York City on Wednesday 26 April. While speaking to Us Weekly on the red carpet, King commended the royal couple on their decision for Prince Harry to attend the coronation while Meghan stays behind in California with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. I think Meghan and Harry should do whats best for them, the 68-year-old journalist said. Clearly they know whats going on in their family life. They know whats going on over there. While King previously defended the couple after the release of their six-part Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, King maintained that she doesnt offer the duke and duchess any unwanted advice about their relationship with the royal family. They consult me about nothing when it comes to that or anything for that matter, she explained. I think they make the decision thats best for them. But I think, as [far as] his dad, Im glad hes going. On 12 April, Buckingham Palace confirmed Prince Harry will attend the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey in London on 6 May. However, his wife Meghan will stay at home in California, as the date also marks the fourth birthday of the couples son. Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that the Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on 6 May, the Palace said in a statement. The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. The news comes following months of speculation over whether Prince Harry would attend the ceremony, after he made several bombshell claims about the royal family in his memoir, Spare, which hit bookshelves last January. The couple also laid bare their grievances with the royal family in their Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan. Story continues However, King revealed that Harry and Meghan are in a really good place despite their tensions with the royal family/ Youve seen the two of them together and I know what they have is really true blue, and its good to see the happiness that they give each other, she added. In December 2022, King defended Prince Harry and Meghan Markle once again following the release of their Netflix documentary. King, who met the couple through her friend Oprah Winfrey, stressed that Harry & Meghan was anything but a reality show. The American journalist isnt the couples only famous friend to weigh in on Harry and Meghans current relationship with the royal family. Earlier this month, author Deepak Chopra offered a different take on their current state of mind amidst their rift with the royal family. Theyre struggling right now, the Indian-American mindfulness expert told the DailyMail. I hope they get through it light-hearted, he said. I think theres too much drama around them. People should mind their own business. The best-selling author also shared some words of wisdom for Harry ahead of his first meeting with the royal family since the release of Spare. My advice is to ignore it because if you react youll just aggravate the situation, Chopra said. If you ignore it, people cant say anything, then theyll stop. It was previously reported that Harry was seeking an apology from his father, Charles, and his brother, the Prince of Wales, before he made any commitment to the ceremony. Harry had also said in an interview that the door is always open for reconciliation. The coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla takes place on Saturday 6 May at Westminster Abbey in London. The complex process of reassessing Georgians eligibility for Medicaid has started. COVID-era Medicaid regulations prevented anyone enrolled in Medicaid from being disenrolled during the public health emergency. But those pandemic-era regulations ended at the start of this month, and Georgia will now have to determine which Medicaid members remain eligible for coverage. In Georgia, children from low-income families as well as pregnant women are eligible for Medicaid. The state also provides Medicaid to new mothers for up to 12 months after delivery. Some very low-income adults as well as aged, blind and certain disabled populations are also eligible. Prior to the pandemic, Georgians enrolled in Medicaid had their eligibility checked yearly. But all of those eligibility checks were put on pause for several years. That meant that teenagers who typically would have aged out of the program or new mothers whose pregnancy-related Medicaid would have expired remained on the rolls. The state estimates that about half a million Georgians were newly enrolled in Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids during the pandemic. The total number of Medicaid enrollees is now about 2.7 million, about one-fourth of the states population. Each of those members will need to have their eligibility redetermined, a heavy lift for the state. The Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH), which oversees the state Medicaid program, is partnering with the Department of Human Services (DHS) to manage the process. With the redetermination process expected to take more than a year, the fiscal 2023 mid-year budget includes funding to hire 450 case managers to manage the process at DHS. The agency has also installed self-service kiosks in more than 400 public library locations. The state has developed a marketing campaign represented by the George A. Peach mascot -- to help Georgians learn more about the new process. Materials are currently available in Spanish, Burmese, Korean, Nepali, Portuguese, and Vietnamese as well as English. Story continues I have seen the state agencies, both DCH and DHS, come forward with really good faith efforts to plan as best they can, said Laura Colbert, executive director of Georgians for a Healthy Future. The trickiest part of this seems to be maybe staffing for both DHS and DCH hiring enough Medicaid eligibility workers. Making sure they are trained properly and prepared to do that job over the next 12 to 14 months is going to be very difficult in this work and labor environment. State budget hearings earlier this year highlighted the labor shortages and high turnover rates most state agencies face. Many adults will lose coverage because Georgia is one of 10 states that have not fully expanded Medicaid, Colbert said. Some children also may lose coverage because of the complexity of the bureaucratic process, she added. Some folks are going to be ineligible for Medicaid and not eligible for anything else, Colbert said. We will see very large coverage losses. Other adults who lose coverage may be able to enroll in Affordable Care Act plans available on the Healthcare.gov marketplace. Those who lose coverage will be able to apply for Healthcare.gov plans as early as 60 days before their Medicaid/PeachCare coverage ends and up until July 31, 2024. However, only those Georgians who earn 100% or more of the federal poverty level ($13,590 for a single person) will qualify. Those who earn less than the federal poverty level will be able to seek coverage through a new Georgia program, called Georgia Pathways, that launches on July 1. Under that program, Georgians who work, volunteer, or enroll in educational programs for at least 80 hours per week can also qualify for the state Medicaid program. Estimates of how many people will be eligible for that program vary. There may be upwards of 200,000 members already on Medicaid that would qualify for [Pathways], DCH Commissioner Caylee Noggle told lawmakers in January. They will be transitioned to that [program] during their eligibility redetermination if theyre eligible. But the number could be much lower, said Colbert of Georgians for a Healthy Future. Its likely then that fewer than 100,000 folks are going to gain coverage because of really difficult bureaucratic work requirements and premiums that are not standard for the Medicaid program, Colbert said this week. Officials recommend several steps for Georgians who are enrolled in Medicaid or PeachCare for Kids. They should ensure that their contact information is up to date using the states online Gateway portal, in person at local offices or by phone at 1-877-GA-DHS-GO. That way, people will be sure to receive redetermination notices. Next, Georgians should keep their eyes open for a redetermination notice. People will receive the notices either by email or traditional mail about 45 days before their deadline. The notices will include instructions for submitting updated income information (including pay stubs) and other details. People concerned they will lose Medicaid coverage can start familiarizing themselves with the plans offered on Healthcare.gov to help ensure a smooth transition. Those who are determined to be ineligible for Medicaid will have 30 days to appeal that decision. Colbert noted that the process has only been underway for less than a month, so its difficult to pinpoint trouble spots. We are hearing some people think that its disinformation or that its a scam, that its an effort for some unknown actor to try to get peoples personal information, Colbert said. Its more important than ever that Georgians really understand the importance and the impact of Medicaid. This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation. (Bloomberg) -- Germany is in talks to limit the export of chemicals to China that are used to manufacture semiconductors as Berlin steps up efforts to reduce its economic exposure to the Asian nation. Most Read from Bloomberg The proposal is part of a package of measures that Chancellor Olaf Scholzs government is discussing that would cut off Chinas access to goods and services needed for the production of advanced semiconductors, according to people familiar with the matter. If implemented, such a step would limit German companies like Merck KGaA and BASF SE from selling some of their semiconductor chemicals to China, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. Scholz has been taking a more hawkish approach to Beijing as the chancellor tries to strike a balance between supporting Germanys massive economic interests in China with national security and human rights concerns. But relations between Europe and China have been fraying, particularly after President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a no limits friendship weeks before Moscow invaded Ukraine. A spokesperson from the German economy ministry declined to comment. BASF shares fell back to session lows following the news to trade down 4.3% at 12:37 p.m. in Frankfurt. Merck KGaA was little changed. Spokespeople from the two companies declined to comment. Scholz and Economy Minister Robert Habeck are liaising closely on the matter with European allies and the US, which is pushing for a global blockade of Chinas access to key technologies, including semiconductors. Officials in Berlin said theres no pressure from Washington on the matter but rather a strong desire to work together and to close ranks on China. Story continues Semiconductors are a key part of the global supply chain, found in everything from cars and smartphones to refrigerators, and the materials and machines needed for their production are often difficult to obtain. Choking off an already limited supply line could thwart Chinas ability to advance its own industry. Talks within the ruling coalition on such export controls are still at an early stage and officials are aware that any such decision could damage business ties with China, which has become Germanys largest trading partner, the people said. Dual-Use Goods Habeck, who is also the vice chancellor, has advised officials in his department to work on a tool box of measures to strengthen Germanys economic resilience in certain areas and reduce one-sided dependencies on China. The idea of imposing export controls on chip chemicals is part of these deliberations, the people said. The quickest and most practical way to implement such export controls would be to put the respective goods and services on Germanys national dual-use list, one of the people said, adding that other approaches via international lists and treaties would probably take too long. Export controls restrict trade in goods which can be used in both a civilian and military context. The aim of such dual-use lists is to prevent the development and proliferation of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons as well as the hidden production of conventional military weapons. Earlier this month, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock traded barbs with her Chinese counterpart Qin Gang during a visit to Beijing, saying Taiwans destabilization would be a horror scenario. Baerbock and Habeck are helping Scholz shape a new security strategy that is meant to reduce reliance on China and shield critical infrastructure from hybrid attacks. The Netherlands last month agreed to join the US effort to limit exports of chip technology to China. The new measures will rein in exports of ASMLs immersion DUV lithography products, adding to restrictions that already exist for the most cutting-edge lithography machines, which are critical to producing the worlds most advanced chips. The rules are expected to be published before the summer. While Germany does not have advanced chip-making technologies, Merck and BASF provide firms around the world with critical chemicals required for making semiconductors. Mercks products or services are found in almost every single chip in the world, while BASF is a market leader in Europe and Asia, home to the worlds most important contract chipmakers including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Without supplies from Merck and BASF, China could face more challenges in developing advanced chip technologies and even its capabilities to make semiconductors could be affected. Xi has evoked a Soviet-style whole nation system to encourage state-owned enterprises, research institutes and private companies to create technologies that can replace foreign imports amid US efforts to curb Chinas technological rise, but the countrys chip industry is still lagging years behind TSMC and Samsung Electronics Co. Even as Scholz considers these restrictions, he is also seeking to maintain open relations with Beijing. The chancellor has invited Chinese Premier Li Qiang for talks in Berlin on June 20 in his latest bid to ease tensions between Europe and the government in Beijing, Bloomberg reported earlier this week. In the talks, Scholz wants to gauge Chinas readiness to be a constructive partner on challenges including promoting global peace and tackling climate change while setting out red lines to any changes to the status quo in Taiwan, according to people familiar with the plans. Germany is determined to reduce its footprint in China with Berlin still struggling with the consequences of its over-reliance on Russian energy following Putins decision to invade Ukraine. Scholz has argued against an economic decoupling from China overnight and instead is advocating a policy of derisking which means actively reducing Germanys exposure to the Chinese market over the coming years. --With assistance from Debby Wu, Ian King, William Wilkes and Elisabeth Behrmann. (Updates with companies declining to comment in the sixth paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Both the government and the defense rested their cases on Thursday, the ninth day of the public corruption trial of Andrew Gillum and Sharon Lettman-Hicks. Gillum, former Tallahassee mayor and Democratic nominee for Florida governor, and Lettman-Hicks, his longtime mentor and owner of P&P Communications, are charged with illegally soliciting campaign donations and routing them to their own accounts. Gillum also is charged with lying to the FBI about the New York trip. Here are the latest developments in the trial. While cameras and electronics are not allowed in the courtroom, stay tuned to tallahassee.com for daily updates from longtime investigative reporter Jeff Burlew (@JeffBurlew on Twitter). Andrew Gillum trial: Chronicling the case Federal prosecutors rest their case Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Milligan II announced today that the governments case has concluded. That followed more direct testimony and cross-examination of Wiederspahn, who took the stand Wednesday for the second time in the trial. The government will rest its case in chief, Milligan said. The defense is expected to call only a few witnesses, including former state Rep. Alan Williams, who was waiting in the wings at the federal courthouse this morning. Story continues Gillum and Lettman-Hicks lawyers are expected to need only a few hours to present their case today. That timing suggests that Gillum will not take the stand to testify. If the current schedule holds, jurors could hear closing arguments and jury instructions on Friday before starting their deliberations. Its theoretically possible, though perhaps unlikely, that a verdict will come on Friday. Before jurors come back, the defense is expected to argue that the first count in the indictment, accusing Gillum of lying to the FBI, should be dismissed. In a court filing Thursday, the defense argued that Gillums statements to the FBI in June 2017, namely that he wasnt offered and didnt accept gifts from the agents in a 2016 New York trip, was literally true. Even if Mayor Gillum falsely said Southern Pines representatives never gave or offered him anything and falsely said he stopped communicating with (them), those statements would be literally true given that Southern Pines Development did not offer or give anything to Gillum, the FBI did, his lawyers wrote in the motion for acquittal. Andrew Gillum listens to testimony during his corruption trial in Tallahassee. Undercover agents in the case posed as developers from Southern Pines Development, which turned out to be an FBI front. Former agent Wiederspahn testified that financial records of the National Black Justice Coalition, which served as fiscal agent for Gillum's Campaign to Defend Local Solutions, were "confusing." Prosecutors allege Gillum and Lettman-Hicks syphoned off donations to CDLS to pay themselves. Milligan asked about that but had to rephrase his questions after U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor sustained defense objections. "Is it confusing ... sometimes when fraud happens because the books are confusing?" Milligan asked. "Yes," Wiederspahn replied. Milligan also asked whether people engaged in fraud enlist individuals close to them "because it's easier to manipulate them." "Yes," Wiederspahn replied. Prosecutors allege that Gillum and Lettman-Hicks caused John Grayson, an accountant for Lettman-Hicks' firm, P&P Communications and the NBJC who'd done personal work for her for years, to falsely record disbursement of CDLS expenses in the coalition's books. Gillum's defense rests without calling a single witness; Alan Williams takes the stand In a surprise move, Gillums defense rested Thursday afternoon without calling a single witness. The former mayors lead attorneys are David Markus and Margot Moss of Miami. Both Gillum and Lettman-Hicks indicated earlier in the day that neither of them planned to take the stand in their own defense. Lettman-Hicks lawyers, Alex Morris and Mutaqee Akbar of Tallahassee, called only three witnesses, most notably former state Rep. Alan Williams, a longtime friend of the defendants. Williams, now a deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, testified that he joined Gillums gubernatorial campaign after the primary, though he worked through the state Democratic Party. He testified that the campaigns get-out-the-vote campaign was very successful and that Lettman-Hicks was actively involved in it. Sharon Lettman-Hicks listens to testimony during trial. The campaign spent $130,000 on GOTV in Leon and Gadsden counties, an amount at least one defense witness said was on the high side. Prosecutors allege $60,000 of it was illegally routed to Lettman-Hicks firm, P&P Communications, and ultimately to her and Gillum. Williams testified that the GOTV budget was probably not enough and that paying an experienced person $60,000 for GOTV was reasonable. However, he said he was referring to get-out-the-vote efforts in 36 North Florida counties, a broader area than what prosecutors say is at issue in the case. Williams, asked about Lettman-Hicks campaign experience, recalled the Arrive with Five initiative she launched with People for the American Way in 2000 to get voters to bring others to the polls. Akbar also asked whether it takes a person with skills and knowledge to carry out a successful GOTV campaign. If they dont, youre probably looking at a loser, he replied. Williams said Lettman-Hicks had a reputation for being very truthful and very honest. During questioning by Markus, he also indicated Gillum was honest. Id trust my childrens lives with Andrew Gillum, Williams said. What it looks like early in the morning as attorneys arrive for the Andrew Gillum corruption trial in the federal courthouse in Tallahassee. Margot Moss and David Markus, both defense attorneys for Gillum, lead the way as Alex Morris, a defense attorney for co-defendant Sharon Lettman-Hicks, follows. Her lawyers also called Alexandria Currie, president of the FAMU Federal Credit Union, and John Grayson, an accountant who worked for P&P and the NBJC, where Lettman-Hicks was CEO. Currie testified that Lettman-Hicks opened accounts in March 2017, with total deposits of $250,000, including $150,000 that was put in investment CDs. Under questioning by Morris, she also said that $150,000 was withdrawn on Dec. 28, 2017. That amount is close to the cost of expenses of Gillums local solutions campaign, which Lettman-Hicks P&P firm was responsible for paying. The defense also called Grayson, who testified earlier for the government. Grayson, who had worked with Lettman-Hicks since the early 2000s, said he didnt know her net worth. But he said she owned Lettman Square, her office building on Melvin Street, and rental property in Virginia. He remembered her saying on one occasion, Oh, Im a millionaire. Gavel to gavel coverage While cameras and electronics are not allowed in the courtroom, stay tuned to tallahassee.com for daily updates from longtime investigative reporter Jeff Burlew (@JeffBurlew on Twitter). This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Andrew Gillum corruption trial Day 9: Updates from the courtroom Flanked by two pint-sized "Secret Service agents," President Joe Biden took to the South Lawn on Thursday afternoon to greet kids at the White House for "Take Your Child to Work Day" and answered various questions from children of the press and White House staff. Kid "reporters" inquired about his favorite color and ice cream, what he had for breakfast (bacon, egg and cheese on a croissant) and his accomplishments during his administration, to name a few. PHOTO: Children dressed as Secret Service agents keep watch as President Joe Biden speaks at a 'Take Your Child to Work Day' event at the White House, April 27, 2023. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) At one point, though, the president seemed to have some trouble answering what was the last country he visited -- which was his beloved Ireland less than two weeks ago. "I'm trying to think where the last place I was. It's hard to keep track," he said, noting he's met with 89 heads of state so far. A child shouted, "Ireland!" to remind him, to which Biden replied, "Yeah, you're right, Ireland." MORE: Biden travels to Ireland and UK to celebrate 25 years of peace -- and his family ties PHOTO: President Joe Biden takes a question from a child during a 'Take Your Child to Work Day' event at the White House, April 27, 2023. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) Still, Biden appeared to enjoy the event, walking across the crowd to take questions from all sides. Asked what it's like being president, Biden said, "It's probably the greatest honor anyone in America can have bestowed on them," and said the best parts of the job are meeting different people and living in the White House. About his favorite ice cream, Biden said he "may be among the dullest presidents of the world because I'm known for two things: My Ray-Ban sunglasses and chocolate chip ice cream." PHOTO: President Joe Biden speaks while children dressed as Secret Service agents 'guard' the stage on Take Your Child To Work Day, April 27, 2023, at the White House. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) Asked who were his biggest inspirations, Biden said politically it was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. but for personal inspiration, his parents. He said his favorite movie of the year was "Top Gun: Maverick." MORE: Biden took 'hard look' at his age, would run even if Trump wasn't Biden wasn't the only one at the White House facing questions from a flurry of kids. PHOTO: President Joe Biden speaks while children dressed as Secret Service agents 'guard' the stage on Take Your Child To Work Day, April 27, 2023, at the White House. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre held a briefing for children of the White House press corps earlier in the day, where she took questions on a wide range of topics from artificial intelligence and climate change to some of Biden's favorite things. Story continues PHOTO: Children of members of the White House press corps raise their hands to ask questions during a 'mock briefing' with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, April 27, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) Matthew Anderson, son of ABC News White House Correspondent Karen Travers, asked Jean-Pierre what the U.S. is doing to support Ukraine in its war with Russia. "For the past year, we have been one of the leading countries, the US, in sending Ukraine security assistance, whether it's ammunition, whatever is needed for them to fight this war that they're dealing with in UkraineAlso economic assistance and humanitarian assistance," she said. "What we're seeing in Ukraine are the Ukrainian people really fighting very bravely. And so we are incredibly proud of them." Matthew, the 7-year-old son of @ABC's @KarenTravers, presses White House press sec. Karine Jean-Pierre about aid for Ukraine during "kids briefing." "What we're seeing in Ukraine are the Ukrainian people really fighting very bravely," she says. https://t.co/1SlS2LIyjK pic.twitter.com/hU3sHhyREp ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) April 27, 2023 Following up, Anderson pushed Jean-Pierre on how long Biden wants to continue supporting Ukraine like this. "As long as it takes. But we don't know, we don't have a time on when the war is going to end. We always say the war can end today, easily, if Russia decides to move on out and stop the war that they started, this aggression that they started," she said. "Seriously, Russia can end this today." PHOTO: President Joe Biden arrives to welcome children to the White House for 'Take Your Child to Work Day,' April 27, 2023. (Evan Vucci/AP) MORE: Joe Biden announces he is running for president again, setting up possible Trump rematch Later on the South Lawn, Biden thanked all the children for skipping school to make the trip, offering a special thanks to the mini-Secret Service agents for leading him outside. "Take Our Kids to Work Day" is sponsored by the Take Our Daughters And Sons to Work Foundation. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the annual event, held on the fourth Thursday in April, intended to encourage learning and help children explore what is possible in their futures. Kid 'Secret Service agents' steal show at White House 'Take Your Child to Work Day' originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Massachusetts man Brian Walshe pleaded not guilty on Thursday to killing his wife, mother of three Ana Walshe, who has been missing since New Year's Day. Brian Walshe was indicted by a grand jury last month for murder, misleading a police investigation/obstruction of justice and improper conveyance of a human body. Prosecutors said in court on Thursday that Brian Walshe suspected his wife was having an affair in December 2022, and Brian Walshe's mother, with her son's "input and direction," hired a private investigator to surveil Ana Walshe. Brian Walshe's attorney, however, said in court that her client didn't support his mother's hiring of a private investigator. PHOTO: Massachusetts man Brian Walshe pleaded not guilty to killing his wife, Ana Walshe, at a court appearance on April 27, 2023. (WCVB/POOL) On Dec. 28, 2022, Ana Walshe told a friend she believed Brian Walshe would be incarcerated as a result of the federal case he was facing for art fraud, and she was prepared to leave him, prosecutors said. Ana Walshe hasn't been seen since the early hours of Jan. 1. Brian Walshe told their babysitter that Ana Walshe had returned to Washington, D.C., for a work emergency, according to prosecutors. PHOTO: In this image posted to her FaceBook account, Ana Walshe is shown. (Ana Walshe/FaceBook) MORE: Husband accused of killing, dismembering wife allegedly Googled '10 ways to dispose of a dead body' On Jan. 1, Brian Walshe was seen on surveillance video at Lowe's buying items including: five 5-gallon buckets, a hacksaw, towels, a framing hammer, a Tyvek full coverage suit, shoe guards, a mop, trash bags and other cleaning products, according to prosecutors. He was seen on surveillance video later that day buying hydrogen peroxide and jugs of ammonia, prosecutors said. The next day, Brian Walshe was seen on surveillance video at Home Depot buying three more 5-gallon buckets, a hatchet, plastic sheeting, 24 pounds of baking soda, and another Tyvek suit, prosecutors said. PHOTO: FILE - Brian Walshe listens during his arraignment on Jan. 18, 2023, at Quincy District Court in Quincy, Mass. (Craig F. Walker/AP) Prosecutors believe Brian Walshe made a series of Google searches including: "10 ways to dispose of a dead body if you really need to"; "how long before a body starts to smell"; "how to stop a body from decomposing"; "how to embalm a body"; and "what's the best state to divorce." He also allegedly Googled "dismemberment" and "what happens when you put body parts in ammonia," according to prosecutors. There were more Google searches for "hacksaw best tool to dismember" and "can you be charged with murder without a body," according to prosecutors. Story continues Brian Walshe told police on Jan. 5 that the couple had no problems in their marriage other than his pending criminal case, according to prosecutors. PHOTO: Brian Walshe, husband of Ana Walshe who has been missing since New Year's Day, appears in the Quincy District Court for his arraignment, in Quincy, Mass., Jan. 18, 2023. (ABC) MORE: 'Anger, revenge, resentment': A deeper look at what drives some husbands to kill their wives Brian Walshe told police his wife had left home with her Prada bag and Hunter boots, which authorities later recovered from a dumpster along with Ana Walshe's COVID-19 vaccination card, prosecutors said. The dumpster also had several of the items Brian Walshe was seen on video buying, including a hatchet, a hacksaw, a hammer and a Tyvek suit, according to prosecutors. Brian Walshe's attorney said in court Thursday that he had agreed to give his phones and iPads to police and allowed his home to be searched, stressing, "He's been nothing but cooperative in this." The defense asked for bail, arguing that Brian Walshe is his children's primary caretaker, but he was ordered held without bail. Brian Walshe is set to return to court in August. Massachusetts man accused of killing missing wife allegedly thought she was having an affair originally appeared on abcnews.go.com By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In 1925, a handsome male sled dog named Balto led a 13-dog team that braved blizzard conditions during the grueling final 53-mile (85-km) leg of a 674-mile (1,088-km) dogsled relay, bringing lifesaving medicine to the Alaskan city of Nome during a diphtheria outbreak. Balto was feted as a hero, the subject of books and movies, and the dog's taxidermy mount still stands on display at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. But that was not the end of Balto's magnificent deeds. Scientists have extracted DNA from a piece of Balto's underbelly skin from the well-preserved museum mount and sequenced the dog's genome as part of an ambitious comparative mammalian genomic research project called Zoonomia. Balto's genome, the scientists found, possessed certain gene variants that may have helped the dog thrive in the extreme Alaskan environment and endure what is now called the Serum Run. Balto, belonging to a population of working sled dogs in Alaska, also was found to have possessed greater genetic diversity and genetic health than modern canine breeds. "Balto personifies the strength of the bond between human and dog, and what that bond is capable of," said Katie Moon, a postdoctoral paleogenomics researcher at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and co-lead author of the study published in the journal Science. "Dogs not only offer comfort, support and friendship to humans, but many are actively bred or trained to provide vital services. That bond between human and dog remains strong, 100 years after Balto's job was done," Moon added. As diphtheria - a serious and sometimes fatal bacterial infection - spread among Nome's people, its port was icebound, meaning antitoxin would have to be delivered overland. Sled dogs were the only viable option. Balto was among about 150 dogs in a relay lasting 127 hours through temperatures of minus-50 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-45 degrees Celsius). Story continues The researchers examined Balto's genome as part of a dataset of 682 genomes from modern dogs and wolves and a larger assemblage of 240 mammalian genomes, including humans. Balto's genome showed lower rates of inbreeding and a lower burden of rare and potentially damaging genetic variation than almost all modern breed dogs. Balto was found to share ancestry with modern Siberian huskies and Alaskan sled dogs as well as Greenland sled dogs, Vietnamese village dogs and Tibetan mastiffs, with no discernible wolf ancestry. Born in 1919, Balto was part of a population of sled dogs imported from Siberia, dubbed Siberian huskies - though the study showed that these dogs differed substantially from modern Siberian huskies. Balto had a body built for strength and not speed, disappointing the breeder, who had the dog neutered. Balto's life after the Serum Run was a complicated one involving human exploitation and later salvation. Balto toured the United States for two years on the vaudeville circuit, then ended up on display with other dogs from the sled team in a Los Angeles dime museum - a low-brow exhibition - and was mistreated. A visiting Cleveland businessman saw Balto's plight and arranged to buy the dogs for $1,500. The money subsequently was raised by the local community in Cleveland. In 1927, Balto and canine cohorts Alaska Slim, Billy, Fox, Old Moctoc, Sye and Tillie were feted in Cleveland with a downtown parade, then spent the remainder of their lives cared for at the local Brookside Zoo. After Balto died of natural causes in 1933, the dog's mount was placed at the museum. "His story really highlights how working dogs become functionally heroes," said study co-lead author Kathleen Morrill, a senior scientist in genome analysis at biotech company Colossal Biosciences. "These specialized dogs don't know that what they do has such gravity in people's lives, but their genetic adaptations set them up to be the best animals for the job." (Reporting by Will Dunham, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien) FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are rolling out legislation to stop a new Biden administration regulation that, if implemented, would force lower-risk mortgage borrowers to help subsidize lower rates for high-risk borrowers. Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., vice chair of the Republican Main Street Caucus, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that President Biden was enabling a "culture of dependency" and blasted the White House for levying new regulations while skirting Congress to do so. "Whether its student loan forgiveness or their mortgage rule, through the power of the pen, Biden and his executive agencies are attempting to bypass Congress and fundamentally change how our country operates," Bice said. "We should not punish individuals who have made sound financial decisions or have the government incentivize lowering credit scores." Her bill, the Free Market Mortgage Act of 2023, would repeal a new policy that the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) intends to enact next month. BIDEN RULE WILL REDISTRIBUTE HIGH-RISK LOAN COSTS TO HOMEOWNERS WITH GOOD CREDIT Experts have said that under the rule, people with credit scores in the neighborhood of 680 might pay another $40 more per month on a $400,000 loan to subsidize higher-risk mortgages. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP "Due to reckless spending and high inflation, interest rates have already increased significantly, and the last thing we should do is add more fees for homebuyers. We cannot continue a culture of dependency. My legislation prevents the Biden administration from implementing this senseless rule," Bice said. Her bill is co-sponsored by at least six other Republican lawmakers. US REAL ESTATE MARKET IN BIG TROUBLE,' EXPERT WARNS President Biden speaks about the economy at the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 77 facility in Accokeek, Maryland, on April 19, 2023. The new mortgage policy has faced broad opposition from the GOP, and has even been criticized by members of Bidens own party. President Obamas former Federal Housing Administration commissioner, David Stevens, told Fox News, "We can do better programs to help more minorities get into homeownership. This is not the way to do it." Story continues The legislative push follows a letter by House Financial Services Committee Chair Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., and Housing and Insurance Subcommittee Chair Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, sent to FHFA Director Sandra Thompson on Tuesday threatening action if the policy was not repealed. U.S. REAL ESTATE HAS MONUMENTAL OPPORTUNITY TO SOLVE HOUSING CRISIS IN 2023: EXPERT "There is no doubt that lenders will pass on these new costs to borrowers, which will result in higher mortgage rates and reduced access to credit," the lawmakers wrote. "This new tax also fails the basic test of fairness by punishing borrowers who act responsibly, and will in turn incentivize homebuyers to reduce their down payments and carry additional debt." Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, listens during a House Financial Services Committee hearing on oversight of the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve coronavirus pandemic response on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 30, 2021. Davidson panned the new policy as "socialist" in a statement to Fox News Digital on Wednesday. "The Biden administration's new mortgage rule penalizes fiscally responsible home buyers by forcing them to subsidize those who arent. Its a socialist redistribution of wealth," he said. "If the FHFA doesnt reverse this rule, Congress must." Fox News Digital has asked Davidson and McHenry if they intend to support Bices bill but did not immediately hear back. Presidential campaigns often are waged on whether or not the country is ready to turn the page. President Joe Biden wants his reelection bid to hinge on whether or not there is a page to turn. The presidents team has made the issue of book banning a surprisingly central element of his campaigns opening salvos. He referred to GOP efforts to restrict curriculum Toni Morrisons The Bluest Eye was the third most banned title in America last year in his first two campaign videos. He presents himself in each video as the defender of the countrys core values, a bulwark against an extreme Republican Party rolling back Americas freedoms. The campaigns first TV ad, a 90-second spot running in seven states over the next two weeks as part of a seven-figure buy, warns Republicans seek to overturn elections, ban books and eliminate a womans right to choose. Biden followed up with a tweet hitting MAGA extremists telling you what books should be in your kids schools. That followed the explicit reference to book bans in Bidens launch announcement video Tuesday. The early focus on book banning is part of the campaigns attempt to reinforce a broader message, said one Democratic adviser involved in the effort: Biden is the only one standing between the American people and a Republican Party determined to roll back rights and limit freedoms. People just dont understand why we should ban books from libraries, said the adviser, who spoke with candor about the campaigns strategy on the condition of anonymity. So its a measure of extremism and another thing [Republicans] are trying to take away. Bidens message is based on mounds of research by Democratic pollsters over the last several months, as the presidents advisers and the Democratic National Committee have expanded the constellation of pollsters and data analysts tracking voter attitudes and the effectiveness of certain messages. The potency of book bans, along with issues like abortion and gun safety, is quite clear, according to multiple people familiar with the campaigns data. Story continues Book banning tests off the charts, said Celinda Lake, one of the Democratic pollsters who tested the issue for Democrats. People are adamantly opposed to it and, unlike some other issues that are newer, voters already have an adopted schema around book banning. They associate it with really authoritarian regimes, Nazi Germany. The campaigns private research aligns with public polling on the issue. A CBS News/YouGov poll in February found that more than 8 in 10 Americans opposed GOP efforts to ban books that focus on slavery, the civil rights movement and an unsanitized version of American history. And a Fox News survey this week found that 60 percent of Americans including 48 percent of Republicans find book bans problematic. Republicans led by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who appears likely to run for president, have leaned into the culture wars by leading efforts to bar those books, and others about LGBTQ topics. Theyve framed the push as an effort to protect social indoctrination via school curriculum. Lake sees it as a political gift to Biden. Youll see Democrats up and down the ticket running on this, she said. But book bans dont just rankle parents of children under 18, who account for just less than 30 percent of the electorate. Some of the strongest responses in focus groups to GOP book bans came from Baby Boomers. The Biden campaign has leaned hard into the contrast of more freedom or less freedom, as the president put it in his announcement video, co-opting a quintessentially American idea and a political theme more traditionally emphasized by Republicans. In the TV spot pushed out Wednesday, Biden pointed to GOP restrictions in many areas abortion rights, voting rights election denialism and the partys inaction on gun safety all under the umbrella of freedom. But polling and focus group research found that the messaging around book bans appealed in particular to moderates and swing voters who may have nuanced views on gender and identity but are far more clear-eyed about being told what books they can or cant read. Those voters which include moderate Republicans, suburban voters and college-educated white people are among the demographics that Bidens team believes will be critical to win. They are also more likely to live in areas where conservatives have sought to impose restrictions on libraries and school boards. Americans have a libertarian streak about them, and this is an absolute affront to that tendency, the adviser said. This is much more about reassembling the coalition from 2020. Sarah Longwell, a Republican strategist prominent within her partys more outspoken cadre of Never Trump activists, said that book bans have occasionally come up in her focus groups with voters. When we talk about them, usually in the context of DeSantis, these are the things that play very poorly with educated suburban voters, she said, surmising that the campaigns emphasis on book bans is at least partly about laying the groundwork for a general election match-up with DeSantis. They are positioning themselves to take on any candidate and to fight for those swing voters who put them over the top in 2020 and who are uncomfortable with some of the more extreme positions DeSantis and others are embracing, Longwell said. Republican Senator Ron Johnson says he is looking forward to the civilization-shifting impacts of the climate crisis because he is from Wisconsin, and it is cold there. Mr Johnson made his comments during a Senate Budget Committee meeting on Wednesday. During the meeting, Mr Johnson questioned Dr Michael Greenstone, a professor of economics at the University of Chicago, about the conclusions drawn in one of his recently co-authored studies. After reviewing the study, Mr Johnson concluded that Americans should "take comfort" in global warming. The study was published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics, and focused on the economic impact that the climate crisis is poised to have across the globe. That includes a projected 85 excess global deaths per 100,000 people every year by 2100. In the US, the country would "incur adaptation costs" that would result in 10 death equivalents per 100,000 people, ultimately there would be 0.2 fewer overall US deaths per 100,000 people by 2100. In other words, the US will not be hit as hard by the climate crisis as other parts of the world, despite its role in helping to drive the effect. Mr Johnson initially said he did not "put any stock" in the projections laid out in the study, and then praised the fact that the climate crisis looked "pretty good" for Americans, noting that it would make his home state of Wisconsin warmer. "In terms of excess deaths, a warming globe's actually beneficial," the senator said. "In my own state, your study shows that we would have a reduction in mortality of somewhere between 54 and 56 people per, I guess, it's 100,000. Why wouldn't we take comfort in that?" Mr Greenstone noted that the effects of the climate crisis were going to be "very unequal" some areas will experience significantly more hardship than others. "Absolutely, [in] Wisconsin, Chicago, where I live, the reduction in cold days, the benefits from that will outweigh the damages from the hot days," Mr Greenstone said. "But if you look more carefully at that, there's large swatches of the country where the damages will be much larger." Story continues Mr Johnson cut him off before he could continue, and brought up an unrelated study and argued that global heating would help prevent excess deaths. "In terms of global health, in terms of excess death, we're actually in a better position to prevent death by having the climate increase in temperature a little bit," he said. Mr Greenstone said the senator's characterisation of his study was "incorrect," to which Mr Johnson again insisted the climate crisis would be "very favourable to my state." Commenters on social media were blown away by Mr Johnsons seeming inability to grasp the point the professor was trying to make. Republican Senator Ron Johnson just suggested that since more people die from 'cold weather' than 'warm weather', climate change puts us in a better position and that it is "very favorable to my state [Wisconsin]". Johnson asked: "In terms of excess death we are actually in a pic.twitter.com/liwZUX7nak Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) April 26, 2023 Some people really shouldn't be in Congress. I can't believe Wisconsin doesn't have any better candidates. Tunde (@RozsaNiki) April 26, 2023 That last 20 seconds, summed up The black place, not so good. But the white places, good. Right? (And Im a white guy and I know what he said) Lets go to everything else about global warming here. Wildly erratic and repeatedly devastating climate eventsyou know, the big Vox Populi (@ChrisGoebel10) April 26, 2023 The professor again tried to explain why discussions around the climate crisis had to involve more than just Wisconsin having a more mild winter. "Wisconsin will benefit in terms of mortality," Mr Greenstone replied. "There are 49 other states in the United States. Many of them will suffer. Many of them will suffer more than Wisconsin will gain. And that is the nature of climate change, it's very unequal." Mr Johnson again insisted that the Us would be "in pretty good shape," and that people who like "in the really hot region of Africa" would be the ones that should be concerned. While the study did note the unequal application of stress across the world, it determined that the climate crisis would result in approximately 6.8 million more annual deaths. Sen. Tommy Tubervilles (R-Ala.) prolonged hold on the promotions of Pentagon officials is rattling fellow Republicans, who worry the potential cost to national security is starting to outweigh whatever political points Tuberville may be scoring against the Biden administration. Tuberville on Tuesday blocked an effort to advance 184 military promotions and vowed not to back down anytime soon. The Alabama senator began holding up military promotions in February to protest the Department of Defenses policy to give service members up to three weeks of leave to obtain abortions or undergo fertility treatments and reimburse their travel costs. Some Republicans thought Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) might intervene in the standoff upon his return to the Senate, but he hasnt shown any inclination to do so. Senators usually only put blanket holds on nominees to make a point and then withdraw them after a short while. But Tuberville has frozen promotions at the Pentagon for weeks, and some Republicans worry he is injecting politics into promotions of nonpolitical career military officials. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the senior Republican on the Senates Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, said she is concerned about Tuberville blocking the advancement of nonpartisan military officials instead of holding up President Bidens politically appointees, which is a more usual form of Senate protest. I would prefer that Sen. Tuberville focus his holds on political appointees. Theyre the ones who make the policy. I think that would be an equally effective and better approach, but obviously, the approach he chooses is up to him, she said Wednesday. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) arrives for an all-Senators briefing on Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.(Greg Nash) Other Senate Republicans privately voiced their misgivings about Tubervilles controversial strategy, which has stalled the promotions and pay raises for scores of military officials. Story continues One Republican senator warned the freezing of military promotions across the board could undermine military readiness at a time when the nation faces serious security threats from China. Our country faces significant challenges, we have a significant adversary that is threatening our countrys national security and well-being, and we need a full team in place, the lawmaker said. The circumstances we find ourselves in is a real threat to the future of our country. Its not a time for us to be divided; its also not a time to not have all of our players on the field. The senator argued that promoting officers to new positions is critical to the nations defense because people are a huge component of how well we perform at anything, certainly in national security. A second Republican senator complained that Tuberville doesnt appear to have an exit strategy because the Biden administration doesnt appear inclined to reverse the Pentagons abortion policy, and Democrats think the Alabama senator will have to capitulate at some point and allow the promotions to go through. Hes taken a hostage that you cant shoot, the senator said of Tubervilles hold. Asked what can be done to persuade Tuberville to release his hold, the GOP lawmaker said: I do not know, but Im told hes very comfortable with where hes at. Tuberville stuck fast to his hold on Tuesday when he blocked a series of requests by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) to move all 184 stalled promotions. [Defense] Secretary [Lloyd] Austin could end the policy today, and I would lift my hold. Secretary Austin has chosen not to do that, he said on the Senate floor Tuesday while objecting to Warrens request. This is the fourth time the Democrats have come to the floor to try to break this hold. Ill come down here as many times as it takes, he declared. Warren later expressed her frustration over the floor exchange. Sen. Tubervilles blanket hold on all military promotions is unlike anything that has ever happened in U.S. history. Hes holding up people who have already qualified for a promotion, a pay increase and new post, and hes preventing all of that. It is insulting to our military, she told The Hill. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) leaves an all-Senators briefing on Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Greg Nash) Tuberville told The Hill on Wednesday that he would be willing to relent if given a vote on the Senate floor on a proposal to strictly bar the Defense Department from spending any taxpayer money to help service members obtain abortions. Thats what were waiting on, he said. Either put it in the [National Defense Authorization Act] or do a standalone [bill]. As long as theres no money spent by the taxpayers [for abortions], he added. Other Republican senators expressed concern over the stalemate and urged Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to negotiate with Tuberville to break the deadlock. I think that Sen. Tuberville should get the vote hes requesting, and that will allow everyone to be on record and for us to move on, said Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.). Young said he doesnt think the delayed promotions are having much of an impact on military readiness at this time, but he advised that it certainly needs to get resolved so it doesnt linger too much longer. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), another pro-defense Republican, said he was initially concerned by Tubervilles hold on promotions, but he then felt somewhat reassured when he found out his colleague might drop his opposition in exchange for a vote. At first, I was concerned, but now all he wants is a vote. I cant believe theyre denying him a vote, he said of Senate Democrats. But Schumer on Wednesday said hes not inclined to give Tuberville a vote because it would set a bad precedent and likely incentivize other senators to put blanket holds on department nominees to win political concessions. What Tommy Tuberville is doing is reckless holding up the lives and the progress of men and women who have served in our military for a very, very long time. This is unique, what he is doing. If he does it and then everyone else does it, its going to lead to total chaos with the military and damage our national security, and we wont stand for it, he said. One Democratic aide pointed out that Tuberville got a vote this month on a resolution to reverse the policy adopted by the Veterans Affairs Department to provide abortion-related care to veterans in the wake of the Supreme Courts decision overturning Roe v. Wade and still kept his hold on military promotions. It failed by a vote of 48 to 51. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Gough Island is a dependency of Tristan da Cunha - itself a remote British territory in the south Atlantic A British wildlife group is looking for someone to work on one of the remotest islands in the world for 13 months. Gough Island, a British territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean, has no permanent population. It is around 1,500 miles (2,400km) from the African mainland - and, with no airport, reaching Gough involves a seven-day boat ride from South Africa. It is a journey already completed by Rebekah Goodwill and Lucy Dorman, who currently work on Gough. They are among the seven full-time employees - and eight million birds - who call Gough home. Lucy and Rebekah in Gough The pair work for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). Before moving to Gough, Lucy worked in Antarctica while Rebekah worked for the RSPB in Scotland. Rebekah's year on the island will end in September, so the RSPB is looking for a new field officer, with a salary of between 25,000 and 27,000. The job involves "frequent long days" tracking seabird species, and requires candidates to adapt well to living in a "challenging and remote sub-Antarctic environment". Candidates should also have "a science degree or equivalent experience in a relevant subject", as well as "wild bird/animal handling and monitoring experience in the field". And Rebekah and Lucy warn potential employees they will have to brave tough weather - and put up with no fresh food for a year. "I think Bekah and I, being British, thought we were used to rain," Lucy says. "But there's a lot of rain." She adds: "We are on the edge of the roaring forties, we are just a small rock in the middle of the south Atlantic, so we do have some pretty extreme weather." The roaring forties describes the area between the latitudes 40 and 50 south of the equator - notorious for strong winds. A woman walks along the cliffs in Gough island So what do you eat when you're more than a thousand miles from the nearest country? Get ready for meals to come packaged - or frozen. "It was definitely one thing they stressed for us before we came - that for many people... the lack of fresh food is significant," Lucy says. Story continues "The main thing I certainly miss is just like a crunchy carrot, or being able to bite into a nice apple. Just some crunch, but apart from that - I don't feel like I'm really missing much." Fresh fruit and vegetables pose too much of a biosecurity risk of germinating and spreading across the island. Instead, food is mainly sourced from two walk-in freezers, stocked once a year. "One's full of frozen vegetables and the other's basically full of frozen meat and then we've got lots of tinned frozen fruit and veg," Rebekah says. "They give us a year's worth of supply of food during that two-week takeover time, and we live off it for the rest of the year." The takeover time refers to the period once a year, in September, when some employees on Gough pack up and return home, and new workers take over. Lucy Dorman works near an albatross and its chick And as for social isolation? "In an odd sort of way I kind of feel like I'm more connected to my friends and family here than I probably was when I worked up in Scotland," says Rebekah. The pair say with internet on the base, staying in touch is as easy as ever - and the support of the small team makes up for challenging moments. "It's a very nice community here so we're able to share stories, and learn from each other and support each other when you can't be at a wedding or a funeral," adds Rebekah. As part of the RSPB International Conservation Science Team, Lucy and Rebekah track the movements of various endangered birds, such as the Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross, Atlantic petrel and MacGillivray's prion. During the day, they brave the weather and head into the field - usually equipped with waterproof jackets and trousers, and wellington boots - to locate the birds. They are collecting data on chicks on the island, and their fight against mice, an invasive species, that have been eating them. "They [the mice] did start to eat the seabirds," Lucy says. "They don't have any predators, the mice on the island, and so they were having a massive impact, particularly on the small chicks." In 2017-18 the mice became so detrimental to chicks that just 21% of Tristan albatross chicks survived to fledge. In one critically endangered petrel species that nests in burrows - the MacGillivray's prion - not a single chick survived. The RSPB suspects the mice were introduced onto Gough by sailors in the 19th Century, and the group has been working to eradicate them. The eradication has significantly reduced the population - but the RSPB has not yet been able to completely rid the island of mice. So, for those interested in a year on Gough - birds, mice, frozen food, and spectacular remoteness included - the deadline to apply is the end of Sunday. On Thursday, Gov. Jay Inslee signed several bills aimed at protecting gender-affirming care and abortion rights. It was a direct response to a wave of legislation in several states that are trying to curtail or ban both. Inslee has made it clear that Washington will protect what it sees as individual rights. At least one bill shields abortion and gender-affirming care patients and providers from prosecution by out-of-state authorities and prevents cooperation with investigations. Another bill protects healthcare providers in Washington from disciplinary action for providing legal abortion and gender-affirming care in the state. The bills were signed into law as Montana forced a Democratic state lawmaker out of the state House. Zooey Zephyr is Montanas first openly transgender lawmaker and will have to legislate away from the house floor. Zephyr has criticized a GOP-backed bill banning gender-affirming care for minors. Republicans have insisted that Zephyr is being disciplined for not following House rules. The governor of Idaho also signed laws restricting gender-affirming care for transgender minors. Next January, it will be a felony to provide hormones, puberty blockers or other gender-affirming care to people under 18. Inslee signed off on the bills in Seattle while flanked by lawmakers and the attorney general, and praised the legislation that was introduced in Washington. We know, unfortunately, there are states across the country that are and will be attempting to put (their) tentacles into the state of Washington. We will not allow that, said Inslee. Inslee also signed bills protecting abortion rights by eliminating copays and deductibles for the procedure, while also protecting access to the abortion pill Mifepristone. Inslee singled out Idaho at one point, saying healthcare providers are closing there. He invited them to come operate in Washington. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is performing for a national audience these days. (Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel via Getty Images) While the lawsuit brought by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Inc. against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his handpicked oversight board came as a surprise to many, the defendants apparently saw it coming. Back in March, that board the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District supervisors reportedly lawyered up. Then in a shareholders meeting this month, Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger reiterated that the company has a right to freedom of speech just like individuals do. A point, mind you, that Republicans applauded back in 2010 after the disastrous Citizens United ruling by the Supreme Court that gave us increased spending in politics and corporations are people too. Now Disney has filed a lawsuit staking a claim for its rights, and were about to learn a lot about DeSantis. Whether he directs the state to settle this case before it escalates further will tell us just how much DeSantis is willing to step on the backs of Floridians in his attempt to reach the White House. Thats what this Disney thing is all about. Not the dont say gay bill that led Disney to speak out against the governor last year. Its not about parental rights or drag queens reading at libraries. This is about DeSantis trying to become the Brutus to Donald Trumps Julius Caesar. If DeSantis does announce a 2024 bid, his war with The Magic Kingdom of Woke Corporatism (his words, not mine) is going to be part of his campaign. Are Floridians OK with that? After all, theyre going to foot the bill for it. Thats going to cost us money, Martin Garcia of the oversight board said recently of squabbling with Disney. Were going to have to raise taxes to pay for that. All because Disney said it disagreed with the states new anti-LGBTQ+ law? No. That's DeSantis' contention, but the timeline tells a different story. It wasnt that long ago when DeSantis was reaching out to Floridas LGBTQ+ community being a governor for all Floridians. In June 2019, DeSantis and his wife appeared at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando to mark the anniversary of the deadly 2016 shooting rampage there. They were approached by a state representative who expressed disappointment that the DeSantises proclamation about Pulse Remembrance Day hadnt specifically mentioned the queer or Hispanic communities. And you know what the governor did? He corrected the omission , later tweeting : today Casey DeSantis and I joined the LGBTQ and Hispanic communities in Orlando to pay our respects as our state and nation mourn and honor the precious lives that were lost. Story continues In 2018, during a Republican primary forum as he sought the governorship, DeSantis was asked about transgender people and the restroom debate in many states, and he said: Getting into the bathroom wars, I dont think thats a good use of our time. Indeed. What changed? His ambitions. And they changed on Sept. 20, 2019. Thats when then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi initiated impeachment proceedings against Trump, and suddenly DeSantis saw a path to the White House opening ahead of him. The governor we see today is a product of that new ambition. So is his war on LGBTQ+ people and his fixation with Disney as their defender. I wonder whether Floridians, who reelected DeSantis less than a year ago, are hungry for tax dollars to be spent fighting the biggest single-site employer in the country. (Incidentally, the parent company of Walt Disney Resorts is also the parent of ABC, where I am a contributor and podcast host.) Floridians might be especially wary of financing this because their governor is apparently auditioning for his next job in Washington. Thats the real head-scratcher in all of this. Whether DeSantis decides to run for the White House in 2024 or not, hes not eligible to run for a third consecutive term as governor. That means he wont have to immediately answer to voters for the ramifications of his fight with Mickey Mouse. If Disney wants to pick a fight, they chose the wrong guy, DeSantis wrote in a fundraising email. He cant run for governor anytime soon, so what is his fundraising for, I wonder? We know what its not for: legal fees in the Disney lawsuit. That bill will land on the taxpayers of Florida. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. ATLANTA (AP) Vaughn Grissom didn't have the chance to open the season in Atlanta as he hoped. Now that he's back in the majors, the shortstop is proving he can fit in the Braves' productive lineup. Grissom had two hits, including a single to drive in the go-ahead run in Atlanta's four-run eighth inning, and the Braves rallied to overcome a strong start by Miami's Sandy Alcantara and beat the Marlins 6-4 on Wednesday night. Dylan Floro (1-1) blew a 4-2 lead in the eighth, which began with Matt Olsons seventh homer. Grissom's single to right field drove in Eddie Rosario, who tripled, for a 5-4 lead. Marcell Ozuna's grounder was fielded by Floro in front of the mound, but Floro's wild throw past catcher Jacob Stallings for an error allowed Ozzie Albies to score. You see it all forming in front of you and you see it all about to happen, said Grissom of his key at-bat. I just had to have a good plan and try to execute and put the barrel on it. Thats all you can do these days. Grissoms single rolled past second baseman Luis Arraez, who was playing toward the bag. Put the ball in play, good things can happen, thats for sure, Braves manager Brian Snitker said. Grissom began the season at Triple-A Gwinnett to work on his defense but was recalled on April 14 when Orlando Arcia was placed on the injured list with a fractured left wrist. He's hitting .293 to support expectations that his bat was ready for the majors. He hit .291 in 2022, when most of his playing time came in a fill-in role at second base. Now I feel like I belong, Grissom said. I was just kind of surviving last year. This year I feel I can do some damage and be part of it. Alcantara was sharp in his return after missing one start with right biceps tendinitis, allowing two runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings. Alcantara, the 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner, faded in the sixth, when he allowed both runs. Miami's Jesus Sanchez blasted a 437-foot homer off Bryce Elder over the second-deck restaurant in right field in the second inning. Jazz Chisholm Jr. added a 428-foot homer to the second level of seats in left field in the third, and Avisail Garcia homered to open the fourth. Story continues Ronald Acuna Jr. led off the sixth with a line-drive homer to left-center for Atlanta's first run off Alcantara, who couldn't make it through the inning. Rosario said the homer gave us new life, new momentum. Austin Riley doubled before Alcantara walked Rosario and Albies to load the bases. Grissom's single to left field off Huascar Brazoban drove in Riley, but Garcia threw out Rosario, who was trying to score from second, at the plate. Michael Tonkin (2-1) threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings in relief of Elder. A.J. Minter pitched the ninth for his fifth save in eight chances. ELDER GIVES UP HOMERS Elder had not allowed a homer in 23 2/3 innings over his first four starts before allowing a season-high four runs on five hits, including three homers, in 5 1/3 innings as his ERA rose to 2.17. It's going to happen, Snitker said. He's still been really, really good. That happens. You're not going to be perfect all the time. MARLINS SLUMPING Miami (12-13) has lost four straight games to fall below .500 for the first time since April 12, when it was 6-7. TRAINER'S ROOM Marlins: 2B Luis Arraez (bruised left knee) was held without a hit as he returned as the cleanup hitter after missing three games. Schumaker said he wanted the left-handed hitting Arraez to fit between two righties, Jorge Soler and Garcia, in the lineup. ... IF Joey Wendle (strained right intercostal) is set to begin a rehab assignment on Thursday with Triple-A Jacksonville. Braves: RHP Joe Jimenez was placed on the paternity list. LHP Danny Young was recalled only two days after being optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett. ... OF Michael Harris II (strained lower back) had one hit and one walk in three at-bats and stole a base in his first injury rehab game with Gwinnett on Wednesday night. He has been on the injured list since April 7. UP NEXT Marlins LHP Braxton Garrett (1-0, 2.84 ERA) will face Braves RHP Kyle Wright (0-1, 5.93) on Thursday as the four-game series concludes. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido said that before he was put on a plane bound for Miami this week he was threatened by Colombian authorities with deportation and being turned over to the Nicolas Maduro regime, which would have imprisoned him. It is only thanks to the intervention of the United States that I am here with you, Guaido said Thursday morning at a press conference in Miami. When I was in Colombia, I received threats of deportation and of being turned into the hands of Maduro, who has already threatened my life, threatened my freedom and who has already assassinated political leaders, and tortured our family and team members. In Colombia, I also felt threatened and persecuted, he said, adding that he was told that if he wanted to avoid being handed to the Maduro government he had to leave Colombia immediately. Guaido said he did so with the help of the United States. The Biden administration confirmed this week that it helped Guaido leave Colombia. Guaido had crossed the border into Colombia over the weekend to talk with delegations arriving in Bogota to participate in a forum organized by Colombian President Gustavo Petro to discuss the Venezuela crisis. Even though until recently Guaido was recognized by Colombia, the United States and about 50 more nations as the legitimate president of Venezuela, he was not given access to the conference and was forced to leave the country. Guaido, who arrived in Miami early Tuesday morning, said that for now he plans to travel to Washington and meet with senators and U.S. officials to lobby in favor of the Venezuelan cause but said he has no plans of staying and that he aims to return to his country once conditions for his safety are met. Guaido said Colombias president has clearly shown that he has picked a side in the prolonged confrontation between the Maduro regime and those seeking to establish the nations democracy. He is siding with the dictatorship, he said. Story continues Guaido said Colombian Foreign Minister Alvaro Leyva lied when he said Guaido was planning to travel to the United States all along because he already had airline tickets for Miami. He said that the only tickets that he had were for a flight from the Colombia-Venezuela border town of Cucuta to Bogota, and that he was not able to use them because officials at the Cucuta airport did not allow him to board the plane. In the end, he traveled by car to Bogota. Colombian government officials said Tuesday that Guaido was deported because he had entered the country illegally and that a high-ranking U.S. official had told them of his whereabouts. We knew he was here because of all the noise he was making, that he was going to stage a protest. ... Naturally, immigration set out to find out what had happened. Finally, it came to be known from a high-ranking U.S. official where he was, which allowed immigration to reach him, Leyva told reporters. Leyvas comments were different from the account by Petro, who hours earlier had denied that Guaido had been forced to leave Colombia. Mr. Guaido was not expelled, Petro said on Twitter. It is better that lies do not appear in politics. Mr. Guaido had an agreement to travel to the US. We allow it for humanitarian reasons despite the illegal entry into the country. Until Petros election last year, Colombia was one of Guaidos closest supporters. Guaido said he decided to go to Colombia because Petro and Leyva previously had openly invited opposition members to travel to Bogota to participate in the discussions. Pickens County is welcoming a new firearms manufacturer the same one that Richland County recently declined to give tax incentives to in light of nationwide gun violence. FN America, a longstanding firearms maker headquartered in Virginia, will build a $33 million plant in the Upstates Pickens County as it expands its line of available weapons. The news comes a week after Richland County balked at offering incentives to expand the companys existing Richland County facility. The issue came down to gun control and using public funds to incentivize the sale of firearms, several Richland County Council members said after the vote. FN America broke ground on its Richland County manufacturing plant in 1979 and has grown significantly in the decades since. The facility has been FN Americas primary manufacturer and has produced more than 1 million small arms under contract with the U.S. Department of Defense, according to a news release from the company. The company had planned to expand its Richland County site and was on track to receive tax incentives from the County Council to do so. Earlier this month, the county voted 7-3 to approve an incentive equaling a 60% tax break for 12 years in exchange for a $16.5 million investment and the creation of 100 new jobs. But at the final vote on April 18, several council members changed their votes, killing the deal in a 5-5 vote, with one member abstaining. I have no problems if that company wants to sell guns, then its fine, but do not use taxpayer dollars, Councilmember Yvonne McBride said during the meeting. This is not about gun control. This is about using taxpayer dollars to incentivize the sale of guns. Another Councilmember, Allison Terracio, shared similar concerns. It is very clear that there is a direct line from these manufacturers to the epidemic of gun violence that we have today, Terracio previously told The State. Richland County Council members Derrek Pugh (District 2), Yvonne McBride (District 3), Allison Terracio (District 5), Cheryl English (District 10) and Chakisse Newton (District 11) voted no to the tax break for FN America. Story continues Council members Jason Branham (District 1), Paul Livingston (District 4), Don Weaver (District 6), Gretchen Barron (District 7) and Overture Walker (District 8) voted in favor of the tax break. Jesica Mackey (District 9), who represents the area where FN Americas facility is located, recused herself from the vote due to a conflict of interest with the business. A new factory The new Pickens County facility appears to be larger than the proposed expansion planned in Richland County and has also been in the works for some time. Pickens County Council had already tentatively approved incentives for the project, dubbed Sierra Foxtrot, on second reading April 3. The County Council gave final approval Wednesday in a 5-1 vote, with Councilmember Claiborne Linvill as the sole no vote. Giving tax breaks to the gun industry was going to be a controversial issue for many of my constituents, so I proposed that the county ask the company to offer safety or training programs as part of their deal, Linvill told The State in an emailed statement. My request went unanswered until the week of the third reading, when I learned no such programs would be negotiated. Therefore, I voted no, having felt like the county missed an opportunity to make this deal better for all our community. Pickens County is notably more conservative than Richland County. In the 2020 presidential election, 68% of Richland County voters cast a ballot for President Joe Biden, while nearly 75% of Pickens County voters opted for former President Donald Trump. While the Richland County deal promised a $16.5 million investment and the creation of 100 jobs to expand an existing facility, the Pickens County deal is for a $33 million investment and the creation of 176 jobs at an entirely new, as-yet unconstructed facility in Liberty. Pickens Countys incentives for the project include giving the company land for the factory, a $1.5 million grant to go toward preparing the site for construction, and a 20-year tax break, according to an ordinance passed Wednesday. The Liberty factory will be 100,000-square feet or more, according to an announcement of the deal by Gov. Henry McMasters office. The company plans to break ground in 2024 and finish construction in 2025. The State has contacted FN America for more information on the companys plans for both the Richland and Pickens county sites. The company has yet to respond to those requests. McMaster is touting the FN America deal as another success for South Carolinas growing manufacturing economy. FN America is one of South Carolinas finest employers, and we are proud to see them establish new operations in Pickens County. We are grateful for their commitment to South Carolina and look forward to watching them continue to succeed in the years to come, he said in a statement Wednesday. At its roots, the company was founded as a military arms dealer, first providing small arms for the Belgian military in the last 1800s, according to reporting from firearms trade publications. FN America is a subsidiary of the international FN Herstal brand. The American branch was founded in 1979. The company still provides weapons for the military and law enforcement, as well as civilians. The governors office made the announcement Wednesday. The State has not been able to reach any representatives from FN America, but the companys president and CEO Mark Cherpes made a statement as part of the governors announcement: FN America has experienced significant growth over the last several years and demand for our products continues to increase in all market segments that we serve. Our new facility in Liberty, South Carolina will allow us to expand our manufacturing capabilities and grow our highly skilled workforce to meet that new demand, Cherpes said. A Flowery Branch man is behind bars after investigators charged him with more than 1,200 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. The Hall County Sheriffs Office said it executed a search warrant on Joshua Rivers home Wednesday morning where they seized 15 different electronic devices. On them, deputies said they found hundreds of images of child pornography saved. Investigators said Rivers had obtained the images during an eight-month period beginning in September 2022. TRENDING STORIES: Deputies said their investigation started after receiving a time from National Center for Missing and Exploited Children two weeks ago. Following Wednesdays search of the home, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit processed electronics seized from his residence, the sheriffs office said in a news release. Rivers was arrested following an interview at the sheriffs office headquarters Wednesday. He is currently being held in the Hall County Jail without bond. IN OTHER NEWS: MANCHESTER, N.H. In New York, the woman who accused Donald Trump of raping her decades ago sat on the stand for a second day. In Washington, former Vice President Mike Pence testified before a federal grand jury, part of the special counsel investigation into the former presidents efforts to overturn the 2020 election. But here in Manchester, hundreds of miles away, those legal troubles were far from the focus as Trump spent more than an hour on Thursday riling up his faithful over the economy, international trade tariffs and his newly nicknamed adversary Crooked Joe Biden in a key early state ahead of next years presidential election. For almost any other candidate in any other campaign, a criminal indictment and a civil trial over a rape accusation would sound a death knell. For Trump, its barely a blip. The former presidents polling lead over his 2024 Republican rivals has grown as his legal morass deepens. A recurring joke he made again Thursday about being served a subpoena if he so much as flies over a Democratic-leaning state drew laughs and applause from those attending. Trump supporters at his campaign rally in downtown Manchester were unfazed by the latest developments in his legal woes, accusing Democrats of weaponizing the judicial system against the former president and dismissing as more noise the civil defamation lawsuit in which Trump is accused of rape. Its just a lot of distraction, said Bert Sooner, a 60-year-old Republican and Trump supporter from Gilmanton, N.H. If anything, Trumps legal troubles just seem to propel him, Sooner added. Trump returned to New Hampshire on Thursday for the first time since his legal drama deepened and since Biden launched his reelection campaign. The former president made no direct mention of the lawsuit brought by E. Jean Carroll, a magazine columnist who alleges Trump sexually assaulted her in the dressing room of a luxury department store in the 1990s, that began Tuesday in Manhattan federal court. Trump has denied Carrolls account, saying the episode never happened. He was admonished by the judge overseeing the proceedings on Wednesday over a social media post in which he called the lawsuit a made up SCAM." Story continues Instead, he used a speech on economic policy to hurl insults at Biden including slapping the crooked label hes long affixed to Hillary Clintons name to Biden instead. Trump repeatedly attacked Biden, calling him a hopeless person and a threat to democracy who doesnt have a clue. And he touted his record on the economy, saying that he left Biden with a booming economy but that the president blew it to shreds. Ammar Moussa, a spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee, pushed back immediately. Trumps lies wont change the fact he holds the worst jobs record of any president since the Great Depression and rigged the economy for the ultra-wealthy and biggest corporations, Moussa said in a statement. Trumps stewardship of the economy was an abject disaster, in stark contrast to the over 12 million jobs the Biden-Harris administration has helped deliver for America in just two years. Trump also laid into his potential Republican rivals, citing polling that shows him with double-digit leads to rib Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Ron DeSanctus former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, whose name drew immediate and loud boos from the crowd in his home state. A Fox News poll out Wednesday showed Trump with a 32-point lead over DeSantis. Trump leaned on his polling leads to revive his threats to skip a presidential primary debate. The former president and his advisers have privately raised concerns about the debate slated for August, saying its too far in advance of the first nominating contests, according to two people familiar with the conversations. Nixon and Reagan and Bush no, they didnt debate in the primaries, Trump said on Thursday. Seriously, you look at the boards and youre looking at these numbers. Why would you do that? But I do look forward to the debate with Joe Crooked Joe, he added. Trumps legal problems extend beyond the two that bubbled up behind the scenes on Thursday. The former president faces 34 felony charges in New York related to an alleged scheme to bury allegations of extramarital affairs ahead of the 2016 presidential election. And on Monday, the Atlanta-area district attorney, Fani Willis, indicated that more charges might be on the horizon for Trump this summer in a case related to efforts by him and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state. But in New Hampshire, the former president did not back down. I won a second time by far more votes, but it was a rigged election, he told the crowd to cheers, calling for tighter restrictions on voting, including all-paper ballots, voter ID laws and strictly same-day voting. I dont even care if you help me campaign you dont have to help me, he told the crowd. I just want help on making sure the vote is cast and counted fairly. Later, at the Red Arrow Diner up the street, Trump praised a woman convicted in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot. More concerned about border security and the economy than Trumps legal troubles, rally-goers who in some cases drove five hours to see the former president erupted at his claims about the 2020 election, unburdened by concerns about what could be contained in the former vice presidents ongoing testimony. It doesnt play at all, New Hampshire state Rep. John Leavitt, a Republican who endorsed Trump on Thursday and joined him onstage, said of the various investigations and court proceedings surrounding Trump. Its in the past. Clad in their bright red Make America Great Again baseball caps and draped in American flags and denim jackets with Trumps face plastered across them, voter after voter brushed aside the various legal proceedings against Trump as the latest in a long line of attacks that havent stuck. I think its all B.S., said Christine Smith, a Republican from Derry, N.H. Trump hasnt held a campaign rally in New Hampshire since 2020 and hasnt been in the state since late January, when he addressed GOP insiders at the partys state committee meeting. On Thursday, he packed The Armory function hall at the downtown DoubleTree hotel to its 750-person capacity, according to security, rallying hundreds of his stalwarts in the same room where DeSantis wowed Republican activists just two weeks ago with a burst of unexpected retail politicking after headlining a party fundraising dinner. Trump aides said the choice of location was a coincidence. Even in a smaller venue than Trump supporters in this state are accustomed to the former president typically favors the arena down the street his supporters were enraptured by his return. They cheered and jeered in all the right places of his speech, which stretched over an hour and a half. Even as the crowd thinned slightly toward the end, dozens of people rushed the stage barriers when Trump began to work the rope line, signing hats and saluting his fans. Jeffrey Duran, a Republican wearing a black T-shirt with a fake Trump mugshot on it and a hat with the former presidents John Hancock scrawled across the rim, stood toward the back of the fawning crowd and blasted the legal proceedings against Trump as political persecution. The justice system is being weaponized and used against the American people. If they can do it to him, silence the [former] president, they could do it to anybody. Its totally un-American, said Duran, who drove up from New York City to attend the rally. It backfires on them, on the people who are pointing the fingers at him. Lisa Kashinsky reported from Manchester, and Kelly Garrity from Washington Fighting has erupted in Sudans capital city Khartoum and across the country this month as powerful rival military factions battle for control of the African nation and its future. The sudden slide into violence between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary group called Rapid Support Forces (RSF) stranded thousands of foreigners, including diplomats and aid workers in the country, with the UK, US, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states among those closing embassies and racing to evacuate their nationals. Follow our live blog for latest updates More than 450 people have been killed in the conflict and another 4,000 wounded so far, according to the World Health Organisation. A brief 72-hour ceasefire has been declared to allow for the evacuations to take place, with negotiations currently underway to extend its duration. British families caught up in the fighting had initially accused the UK government of abandoning them, despite reassurances from prime minister Rishi Sunak and the Foreign Office that talks were underway to bring them home. After the truce was agreed between the two factions, the UK was able to airlift 536 citizens to safety, with foreign secretary James Cleverly now urging British nationals who may be hesitant or weighing up their options to make their way to Wadi Seidna, where there are planes and capacity in place to get people out. Alicia Kearns, chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, told BBC Radio 4s Today programme that the number of British people hoping to be evacuated could total 3,000, 4,000 plus, adding that those on the ground were living in abject fear, had little food and water left and even been reduced to killing their pets in some cases because theyre worried theyre going to starve. Whats going on in Sudan? Tension had been building for months between Sudans army and the RSF, which together toppled a civilian government in an October 2021 coup. Story continues The friction was brought to a head by an internationally-backed plan to launch a new transition with civilian parties. A final deal was due to be signed earlier in April, on the fourth anniversary of the overthrow of long-ruling autocrat Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising. Both the army and the RSF were required to cede power under the plan and two issues proved particularly contentious: one was the timetable for the RSF to be integrated into the regular armed forces, the second was when the army would be formally placed under civilian oversight. When fighting broke out on 15 April, both sides blamed the other for provoking the violence. The army accused the RSF of illegal mobilisation in preceding days and the RSF, as it moved on key strategic sites in Khartoum, said the army had tried to seize full power in a plot with Bashir loyalists. Who is fighting who? The protagonists in the power struggle are General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the army and leader of Sudans ruling council since 2019 and his deputy on the council, RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti. As the plan for a new transition developed, Hemedti alligned himself more closely with civilian parties from a coalition, the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), that shared power with the military between Bashirs overthrow and the 2021 coup. Smoke clouds the sky over Khartoum (Maheen S/AP) Diplomats and analysts said this was part of a strategy by Hemedti to transform himself into a statesman. Both the FFC and Hemedti, who grew wealthy through gold mining and other ventures, stressed the need to sideline Islamist-leaning Bashir loyalists and veterans who had regained a foothold following the coup and have deep roots in the army. Along with some pro-army rebel factions that benefited from a 2020 peace deal, the Bashir loyalists opposed the deal for a new transition. Whats at stake? The popular uprising had raised hopes that Sudan and its population of 46 million could emerge from decades of autocracy, internal conflict and economic isolation under Bashir. Conflict could not only destroy those hopes but destabilise a volatile region bordering the Sahel, the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa. It could also play into competition for influence in the region between Russia and the United States and between regional powers who have courted different actors in Sudan. What about other countries? Western powers including the US and the UK had swung behind a transition towards democratic elections following Bashirs overthrow. They suspended financial support following the coup, then backed the plan for a new transition and a civilian government. Energy-rich powers Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have also sought to shape events in Sudan, seeing the transition away from Bashirs rule as a way to roll back Islamist influence and bolster stability in the region. Gulf states have pursued investments in sectors including agriculture, where Sudan holds vast potential and ports on Sudans Red Sea coast. British nationals remain trapped in Sudan as fighting continues (Marwan Ali/AP) Russia has been seeking to build a naval base on the Red Sea, while several UAE companies have been signing up to invest, with one UAE consortium inking a preliminary deal to build and operate a port and another UAE-based airline agreeing with a Sudanese partner to create a new low-cost carrier based in Khartoum. Burhan and Hemedti both developed close ties to Saudi Arabia after sending troops to participate in the Saudi-led operation in Yemen. Hemedti has struck up relations with other foreign powers including the UAE and Russia. Egypt, itself ruled by military man President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi who overthrew his Islamist predecessor, has deep ties to Burhan and the army and recently promoted a parallel track of political negotiations through parties with stronger links to the army and to Bashirs former government. What could happen? International parties have called for a ceasefire and a return to dialogue but there has been little sign of compromise from the warring factions. The army has branded the RSF as a rebel force and demanded its dissolution, while Hemedti has called Burhan a criminal and blamed him for visiting destruction on the country. Though Sudans army has superior resources including air power and the RSF expanded into a force estimated at 100,000 men that had deployed across Khartoum and its neighbouring cities as well as in other regions, raising the spectre of protracted conflict on top of a long-running economic crisis and existing, large-scale humanitarian needs. The RSF can also draw on support and tribal ties in the western region of Darfur, where it emerged from the militias that fought alongside government forces to crush rebels in a brutal war that escalated after 2003. Additional reporting by Reuters Natalie Behring/Getty The body of doomsday mom Lori Vallows murdered teenage daughter had been hacked with a bladed tool and doused in gasoline before her remains were buried on an Idaho farm, a jury heard on Thursday. Those were among the gut-retching details several expert witnesses revealed in Vallows murder trial in Ada County Court, including that 16-year-old Tylee Ryans DNA was found on a handle of a pickaxe and shovel discovered at Chad Daybells home. I found several presumptive positive blood stains on the tools and on several of the tools I found what could be charred flesh, Katie Dace, a forensic biologist with the Idaho State Police, said about the 18 hand tools seized from the Daybell property, according to EastIdahoNews. Prosecutors say that Tylee Ryan and her 7-year-old brother, Joshua JJ Vallow, were murdered in September 2019 by Vallow and Daybell, her new husband, before their bodies were eventually found about nine months later. Pathologist Reveals How Doomsday Mom Lori Vallows Kids Died Authorities say that JJ was fatally strangled and found buried in a pet cemetery with a plastic bag over his head and duct tape over his mouth. Tara Martinez, who works for the Idaho State Lab on latent fingerprints, revealed Thursday that finger and palm prints found on a garbage bag that JJs body was wrapped in matched Lori Vallows brother, Alex Cox. Cox died in December 2019 from a blood clot, months after shooting Vallows ex-husband, purportedly in self-defense. JJs older sister, who was found dismembered and buried in a fire pit nearby, died by unspecified means, a forensic pathologist said. Vallow has pleaded not guilty to several charges in connection with her childrens murder and the October 2019 asphyxiation death of Daybells first wife, Tammy. But while there are few details about how Tylee died, mostly because of the state of her remains when authorities found her, expert witnesses were able to piece together what happened to her body after her death. Story continues Douglas Halepaska, who works for the FBI lab in the firearms and tool marks division, testified that he examined several sharp trauma areas on Tylees bones. In those areas, Halepaska said, he found marks believed to be caused by blows made by a chopping-type action from a serrated, bladed tool. Halepaska, however, said he could not determine the exact tools used to dismember Tyleebut believed the markings could have been made by a hatchet, machete, or cleaver. A retired Idaho State Police analytical chemist also described to jurors how he tested a can of Tylees decomposing flesh and other debris found on Daybells Idaho property. That can contained gasoline, David Sincerbeaux said about Tylees remains. The conclusion mirrored that of Dr. Garth Warren, who works for the Ada County Coroners Office and conducted the autopsies on Tylee and JJ. Warren testified on Wednesday that Tylees remains had been so badly burned that they were found melted in two different places in the backyardin a fire pit and inside a buried melted green bucket. There werent nice clean bones. These were bones that had significant artifacts secondary to the fire, Warren said. They were blackened and charred. Lori Vallows Sister Takes the Stand: She Lied to Me Dace also detailed to jurors how she examined swabs from JJs autopsy, as well as over a dozen tools from Daybells property and plastic from the burial site. She also analyzed the duct tape that was found on JJs ankles, hands, mouth, and around the plastic bag that was wrapped around his head. According to EastIdahoNews, Dace noted that most of the tape and plastic had apparent blood and decomposition fluid present. I tested all the items for blood, which was positive. She added that she noticed irregular edges on the tape that looked like someone tore off the tape with their mouths and could have left saliva behind. Analyzing tools found on Daybells property, Dace said, she found several presumptive positive blood stains and what could be charred flesh. She added that DNA analysis on one shovel and a handle of a pickaxe matched with Tylee. The center of the pickaxe, Dace said, had an oily texture and a dark, greasy ring around it. Read more at The Daily Beast. Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Sen. Josh Hawley on Thursday threw cold water on rumors that he would be a potential vice presidential candidate for former President Donald Trump in 2024. Though Hawley said he believes former President Donald Trump will likely be his partys nominee in 2024, the Missouri Republican said he has no interest in serving as vice president and would turn down the offer if he was asked. Nobody wants to be vice president, Hawley said. A report in the conservative outlet the Daily Caller earlier this month said a Republican consultant close with Trump said not enough people were talking about Hawley as a potential vice presidential nominee. When The Star pointed out that it worked for Theodore Roosevelt a president Hawley studied and wrote a book about Hawley brought up Vice President Kamala Harris, a former senator who has faced scrutiny during her term as vice president. Good argument, Hawley said. I thought you were going to say Kamala Harris. How has that worked out? There is a long history of former vice presidents ascending to the presidency, stretching from the first vice president, John Adams, to President Joe Biden. In total, 15 former vice presidents have later become president. Eight of them took office after the president died, while one, Gerald Ford, became president after former President Richard Nixon resigned. Hawley has long been rumored to harbor presidential ambitions, but has passed on a 2024 presidential bid to run for reelection to the Senate in Missouri. That hasnt stopped other candidates looking to challenge Trump. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has formally announced her campaign and Sen. Tim Scott, a South Carolina Republican, has launched an exploratory committee. Both former Vice President Mike Pence and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are also expected to launch their own campaigns. While Hawley has not endorsed in the race, he appeared skeptical that any of the candidates would be able to defeat Trump for the nomination. Im just listening to what people say at home and what voters say, Hawley said. I just think after the Manhattan DA went after him the way he did, I just think hes gonna be the nominee. I dont think theres any question about it. NEW CASTLE, Ind. A Henry County woman has been arrested over her alleged distribution of an "intimate image" of a female acquaintance. Ashley Marie Thompson, 26, Spiceland, is charged, in Henry Circuit Court 3, with a Class A misdemeanor carrying up to a year in jail. Thompson is accused of circulating online nude photos and a video of another Henry County woman, reported to be the girlfriend of Thompson's boyfriend's best friend. New Castle police, who investigated the case, said the images were posted on Facebook, "without (the victim's) permission," on March 12. A friend of the victim also told investigators Thompson had sent her a message on Facebook concerning the images. That woman also reportedly received one or more of the images, from Thompson, via Snapchat. More: Muncie man convicted in drug deal that led to fatal overdose A police officer interviewed Thompson on March 16, and said it was "obvious Ashley was experiencing a lot of emotional pain from the incidents leading up to the allegations." The Spiceland woman also "expressed her embarrassment for reacting so quickly out of hurt," the officer reported. The misdemeanor count, filed against Thompson on Monday, alleged the "person depicted in the intimate image did not consent to (its) distribution." Thompson was apparently released after posting bond at the Henry County jail. An initial hearing in the case is set for May 16. In other crime news: Guilty plea: A jury trial for a Muncie man facing domestic violence allegations ended abruptly when he entered into a plea agreement. Shermein S. Cooper, 20, pleaded guilty to intimidation, a Level 5 felony carrying up to six years in prison. If Delaware Circuit Court 1 Judge Judi Calhoun accepts the terms of the plea bargain, Cooper will be sentenced on May 24. The deal apparently calls for dismissal of two charges, criminal confinement and domestic battery with a deadly weapon. Story continues Cooper was arrested in January after he allegedly held a knife to a woman's neck. Douglas Walker is a news reporter for The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Distribution of 'intimate image' leads to Henry County woman's arrest A middle school student is being referred to as a hero after coming to the rescue when his bus driver passed out. The bus driver transporting Carter Middle School students became lightheaded and lost consciousness while operating the bus Wednesday, April 26. But a quick-thinking seventh grader, identified as Dillon Reeves, came to the rescue. Warren Consolidated Schools said Dillon stepped to the front of the bus and helped bring it to a stop without incident. The bus driver was treated by first responders, and the students were loaded onto a separate bus, the district said. No one was hurt. The actions of the student who helped stop the bus made all the difference today, and I could not be prouder of his efforts, district superintendent Robert Livernois said in a statement. The Warren Police Department will present Dillon with an award, WXYZ reported. He was lauded as a hero by many Facebook commenters. One woman, who said two of her children were on the bus, thanked the brave young man for keeping her kids safe. My daughter was on that bus. She called me in panic, another parent said. It was very scary for the kids! Thank goodness for the brave student to bring the bus to a stop!! But for Dillon, according to his mom, its just another day. He has no idea the amount of people who are so proud of him today, Ireta Reeves said. Warren is about 20 miles north of Detroit. Hero bus driver saves student from being hit by passing car, Ohio video shows Fifth grader rushes to hit school bus brake after driver passes out in Ohio. I had to China writes new chapter in space exploration 08:52, April 27, 2023 By Feng Hua, Liu Shiyao ( People's Daily The China National Space Administration (CNSA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences on April 24 jointly released a series of global images of Mars obtained during China's first Mars exploration mission. These color images are based on 14,757 image data acquired by a remote-sensing camera on the Tianwen-1 orbiter. Scientists identified a large number of geographical entities near the landing site from high-resolution images of Mars. Photo shows the orthographic projection of the eastern and western hemispheres of Mars obtained during China's first Mars exploration mission. (Photo from the website of the China National Space Administration) The International Astronomical Union has named, according to relevant rules, 22 of the geographical entities after the historical and cultural villages and towns in China with a population of less than 100,000. The scientific exploration data obtained by the Tianwen-1 mission will make a contribution to human's in-depth knowledge of Mars. In 2022, China set a new record with 64 rocket launches, achieving remarkable results in its major aerospace projects. The country has completed the construction of its Tiangong space station, and for the first time discovered the Changesite-(Y), a kind of colorless transparent columnar crystal, on the moon. It completed the space-segment construction of its Gaofen project, the backbone network of its high-resolution Earth observation system, and a comprehensive solar observation network has been formed following the launches of the Xihe and Kuafu-1 satellites. Besides, the country has launched a terrestrial ecosystem carbon monitoring satellite for its carbon peaking and neutralization efforts. These remarkable achievements record China's unremitting pursuit of the aerospace dream. Exploring the universe is a dream of the Chinese people and a common pursuit of all mankind. Zhang Kejian, head of the CNSA, noted that China, following the principle of equality, mutual benefit, peaceful utilization, and inclusive development, has initially built a model of international cooperation in the space industry with cooperation agreements as the guide, cooperation mechanisms as the backbone and cooperation outlines as the focus. A model of the Tianwen-1 probe is exhibited in the China Science and Technology Museum, Beijing, April 12, 2023. (People's Daily Online/Du Jianpo) The model has formed a good situation with government guidance and the participation of all parties, Zhang added. Over the past 30 years since the CNSA was established, China has signed 136 cooperation documents with 43 countries or regions and 6 international organizations. It has inked space cooperation outlines with 9 national space agencies, and established 17 space cooperation mechanisms. China has actively worked with international scientists to analyze data on lunar and Mars explorations in the new era. China's Long March rockets have completed 52 commercial launches for 22 countries, regions and international satellite organizations, sending some 70 satellites of various types into orbits. The CNSA-led China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellites program, Double Star space mission, China-France ocean-observing satellite and astronomical satellite programs, as well as China-Italy seismo-electromagnetic satellite project have become highlights of international aerospace cooperation. China will strive for steadier and greater progress in space exploration. According to Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration program, the fourth phase of China's lunar exploration program, including the Chang'e-6, Chang'e-7, and Chang'e-8 missions, is in progress. Wu said that China plans to launch the Chang'e-6 probe around 2024 in an attempt to collect some 2,000 grams of lunar samples from the far side of the moon and return them to Earth. Besides, the Chang'e-7 probe is expected to be launched around 2026, which is intended to land on the moon's south pole and conduct detailed surveys to explore traces of water. Citizens visit an aerospace exhibition hall in Yuncheng, north China's Shanxi province, April 24, 2023. (People's Daily Online/Jiang Hua) Wu noted that China will work to make breakthroughs in key technologies of the Chang'e-8 mission, and jointly promote the establishment of the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) with relevant countries, international organizations and partners. The Chang'e-8 mission, which is expected to be launched around 2028, will complete the basic structure for the ILRS on the moon's south pole together with the Chang'e-7 mission. There would be a lunar orbiter, lander and rover as well as a range of scientific detection devices, Wu added. This year, the Tiangong space station has officially entered a phase of application and development, where Chinese astronauts will be on permanent duty according to the mission. It is reported that China will launch the Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft and Shenzhou-16 manned spaceship this May, and the Shenzhou-17 is expected to take off in October. During the two manned space missions, astronauts will conduct extravehicular activities and carry out science and technology experiments in space, popularize science education and carry out other space activities. China will make steadier steps in its future space exploration. The country's heavy-lift carrier rocket mission, the Tianwen-3 mission that plans to return samples from Mars, and the development of a defense system against near-Earth asteroids are all in progress. It plans to launch the Tianwen-2 mission around 2025. In terms of planetary exploration, the country is steadily working to advance missions to collect samples from a near-Earth asteroid and explore a comet. Before 2035, China will establish a comprehensive national system for positioning, navigation and timing services that is more integrated and intelligent based on the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, which is expected to lay a solid foundation for intelligent and unmanned development in the future. (Web editor: Chang Sha, Du Mingming) Fox News executives and board members were stunned after the companys lawyers shared details of private messages from Tucker Carlson that featured deeply offensive, crude remarks, The New York Times reported Wednesday. Fox lawyers uncovered the messages while preparing for the companys defense against Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuit, but the top brass only learned of them a day before the trial was set to begin. The Times said the messages, which sources described but didnt share with the newspaper, set off a crisis at Fox and went beyond Carlsons already-offensive comments on his prime-time show. Fox settled the case with Dominion for $787.5 million, two days after executives learned of the messages. One person briefed on the contents of the redacted material said one of the messages was particularly offensive, adding to the concern at the top of the company, the Times reported. The messages have been redacted in legal filings. Its unclear why Fox executives were not aware of them until earlier this month. Citing people familiar with Foxs discussions at the time, the Times added that the messages were key in the decision to dismiss Carlson, who for years had served as a near-untouchable standard-bearer of the networks evening lineup. The Dominion suit was primed to be an embarrassing and even more expensive endeavor than it was. Lawyers for the voting machine company were expected to call Fox News hosts including Carlson to testify, as well as Fox Corporation Chair Rupert Murdoch. Before the trial, other text messages from Carlson surfaced in which he mocked those spreading then-President Donald Trumps lies about election fraud during the 2020 race. Yet Carlson went on to be one of the biggest supporters of those myths. The media world was stunned Monday after Fox News said Carlson would leave the network immediately, declaring last Fridays show his final appearance and thanking him for his service. Carlson had given no indication that it was his last program, saying he would be back on Monday. The Wall Street Journal later reported he was told of his firing about 10 minutes before the news went public. Story continues Carlson addressed his departure in a brief video posted to Twitter Wednesday, thanking his supporters for reaching out without mentioning his firing or former employer. Several media outlets have asked that the redacted messages be made public, so they could still pose problems for Carlson and Fox News even after his departure. Other defamation suits are also making their way through the courts, including a separate $2.7 billion defamation suit filed by Smartmatic and another by a former Fox News producer who worked on Carlsons show. Related... Patrick McMullan/Getty The Jay Kos clothing store in the SoHo section of Manhattan is designed not just for the ultra-rich, but for members of the privileged elite who like to marinate in their wealth. The trucker hats sell for $150, the green alligator skin sneakers cost $8,500, and customers are allowed inside only after submitting a formal request and receiving sign-off from the proprietor. What could be more elegant than jogging in the skin of Americas largest reptile? And yet, even such temples to opulence are apparently not immune from petty squabbling. A lawsuit filed in New York Supreme Court on Thursday accuses Jay Kos and its owner, Jay Koslowsky, of refusing to honor a barter agreement with a lawyer who had discussed being paid with free clothes. Among plaintiff Robert Werths many complaints: He physically couldnt try on the merchandise. Yet another thing he never mentioned, Werth wrote in the filing, referring to Koslowsky, was that for my body type, which is not exactly trim, I do not fit into virtually any of his in stock clothing. According to the lawsuit, Koslowsky and Werth live in the same building and have known each other for more than a decade. In 2021, Koslowsky allegedly asked Werth whether he would represent Jay Kos as it negotiated for a new commercial lease. Werth acknowledged in the lawsuit that he never signed a formal contract. But he trusted Koslowsky, he wrote, adding that I received a lot of dont worry about it, well take good care of you, youre golden sort of verbiage. Still, when discussing details of the possible trade, Koslowsky wouldnt tell Werth what various items might cost, the filing claimed, making it hard for the lawyer to measure his potential compensation. Werth says they still havent resolved the issue, nearly two years since he wrapped up his work. At this point, I wouldnt trust a word Kos stated to me about his costs were I even able to fit into the stores offerings, Werth wrote. He claims that he did nearly 50 hours of work for Jay Kos, which he values at $31,125, at a rate of $625 per hour. Story continues This is the second time in 32 years of practicing law that I have been constrained to file suit against a former client. I do not do this lightly and it [is] in fact sad to me, he wrote. In interviews with The Daily Beast, Werth and Koslowskys former business partner, Tom Rabolliwho is also listed as a defendantoffered competing sets of facts. (Koslowsky declined to comment; reached by phone Thursday morning, he wasnt yet aware he had been sued.) Rabolli questioned the notion that Werth couldnt fit into any of the stores clothing, noting that items could be altered or made in larger sizes. (Could you always alter things, I suppose so, but that wasnt discussed, Werth said in reply.) Furthermore, Rabolli depicted Werth as a longtime customer who had purchased merchandise many times before. If he gained weight, he gained weight. We can make things in bigger sizes, he said. (Thats not true, Werth retorted. I shopped there one time.) Rabolli insisted he had few interactions with Werth and that Koslowsky handled 99% of the discussions. (Werths reply: Thats actually absolutely false... I winded up having the majority of business interactions with Tom.) Rabolli called his old partner a brilliant designer who has always been a very nice person to me. (In Werths view, his neighbor has been invariably rude and cantankerous.) Did they have an established agreement? Rabolli: We were willing to honor our deal for store credit, [but] all of a sudden he wanted cash. (Werth: I wouldnt describe it that way at allI was willing to accept some merchandise in exchange for lowering the bill, but he refused to give me pricing on it.) Rabolli ultimately deferred to Koslowsky on most issues, saying he didnt know details about the beef between the former acquaintances. To Werth, the issue is clear cut. They left me no choice, he said, then singled Koslowsky. This is a man that sells $150,000 real fur, real animal materials, which I personally found disgusting. In the end, the court may need to weigh in. As for prospective Jay Kos shoppers who dont make it through the vetting process, dont give up hope. If you knock on the door, Rabolli said, hell probably let you in. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. A building in Istanbul undergoes demolition on the day a family from an adjacent block moved from the apartment they owned into a rented home. (Rena Effendi / For The Times) From his second-story apartment on the western edge of Istanbul, Ismail Ciftsuren watched workers file past his window toward the building next door. Demolition was about to start at the Cinar Residence, a complex of 13 apartment buildings, each six stories tall. His building his family's home for three decades was set to be knocked down in late March, leaving just over a month to find somewhere else to live. The life here is finished, Ciftsuren, 74, declared. His family was caught in a double crisis: Istanbul, much like Los Angeles, is facing a severe housing shortage and extreme earthquake risk. Ismail Ciftsuren helps pack up the apartment he and his family have called home for 27 years. Their building failed an earthquake endurance test and was designated for demolition in March. (Rena Effendi / For The Times) The family worried about living in a building deemed unsafe in temblors. But the more immediate fear was of being forced to find a new home in a city where population growth and lack of land for building have sent real estate prices and rents soaring. They and many of their neighbors had opposed a private developers plan to replace their complex with luxury high-rises, continuing to resist even after a massive earthquake killed tens of thousands of people on the other side of the country. But they lost. The sky was gray and it was drizzling as bulldozers arrived, the conclusion of a nearly yearlong legal battle. Ciftsuren paced from room to room as the sounds of demolition from the building next door rolled through his floorboards and rattled his wifes keepsakes on the mantel. Some neighbors were already packing up, dragging suitcases over walkways littered with broken glass. But with nowhere else to go, Ciftsuren and his family had little choice but to stay put as long as they could. If we could, we would be out of here tomorrow, he said. The Cinar Residence, a condemned complex of 13 apartment buildings where the Ciftsurens had lived. (Rena Effendi / For The Times) The population of Istanbul was 8 million in 1996, the year Ciftsuren and his wife, Bediye, arrived from their impoverished hometown of Mardin, 680 miles to the east, and moved into their airy two-bedroom corner apartment. It was a green area, calm, said Ciftsuren, who toiled for decades in manual labor jobs and spent his entire savings to buy the apartment for just over $14,000. Story continues Today 16 million people live in the city, and the neighborhood, perched on the eastern shore of Lake Kucukcekmece, is rapidly gentrifying as older buildings are torn down and replaced with gleaming new ones. The Ciftsurens' apartment complex was built on land reclaimed from Lake Kucukcekmece. Developers promised lake views in the new apartments that would be built. (Rena Effendi / For The Times) Now Ciftsuren and his wife, also 74, scrape by on his government pension while thanking God for having made them homeowners long ago. Ciftsuren first heard that developers were circling Cinar Residence seven years ago, but the apartment owners repeatedly voted against their offers. Then in May last year, the complex failed an earthquake test requested by one of its residents. Under the disaster zoning law, that meant the buildings either had to be fortified or torn down. With little financing for retrofitting, the owners began considering offers from developers, including Sega Construction, a local firm that proposed replacing the complex with five 15-floor towers holding more than 500 units. When the project was complete, each of the 240 displaced owners would receive a new apartment, and Sega would make its money by selling the rest. A total of 200 homeowners voted in favor of the plan well above the two-thirds required by law for the project to proceed. Some of the holdouts took the developer to court, claiming that the earthquake test was bogus and that the company was in cahoots with some of their neighbors. The court halted the plans so it could examine the claims. The Ciftsurens did not join the lawsuit they didnt have the money to contribute for the lawyer but they opposed redevelopment. Ismail and Bediye Ciftsuren at home with their family. (Rena Effendi / For The Times) Though they would receive a new apartment, the monthly fees would be far beyond what they could afford. More importantly, redevelopment would permanently displace renters, including two of their children, who lived in separate apartments upstairs with their own families. These buildings are strong! Ciftsuren said. One time a handyman said he couldnt drill into the wall, it is so strong. I have no idea why the engineers have decided its dangerous. Everyone in the complex was awaiting a court ruling in early February when a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck southern Turkey and northern Syria, leveling cities and killing more than 50,000 people. The epicenter was 600 miles from Istanbul, which suffered no damage. But the scenes of devastation set off a panic. The city sits on a major fault line, and with many buildings constructed to subpar standards, more than a quarter of residents are thought to be at risk of sustaining severe damage to their homes in a major quake. The city has since received more than 100,000 requests for inspections. Scores of buildings have already been condemned as residents scramble for new places to live and developers angle for opportunities to build. Television news crews soon arrived at Cinar Residence, reporting that the complex was an example of the scores of death-trap buildings across the city. One of the Ciftsurens daughters, Nesime, who lived in another complex nearby, accused the pro-redevelopment neighbors of calling the media. They used it as propaganda, she said. A week later, on Feb. 23, the court ruled that the demolition should proceed, concluding from an expert witness report that the earthquake test had been valid. That was the day the bulldozers arrived. Over the last two years, average rents in Istanbul have more than quintupled amid competition from newly arrived exiles from Syria and Afghanistan and more recently from Russia and Ukraine. Now thousands of people displaced by the Feb. 6 earthquake were pouring into the city. Sega was offering each apartment owner at Cinar Residence $115 a month to cover rental costs during construction. But when Ciftsuren searched online for places nearby, the cheapest he could find was $310 his entire pension. The developer offered to buy him out for $100,000, but that was far too little for an apartment anywhere in Istanbul. Ciftsuren and his wife considered returning to Mardin, where houses were far cheaper, but Bediye could not bear the thought of leaving her family. As the clock ticked, the demolition crew stripped the windows and doors from other buildings. The complex was now mostly deserted. A handwritten sign warned off thieves. On March 20, the Ciftsurens learned that demolition of their building would begin in seven days. Ciftsuren packed their rugs into huge plastic sacks and his wife folded their clothes into suitcases. They told us not to remove the doors, she said. But these doors are ours, and theyre good. I want to take them with me. The head of the complexs management committee, Semsi Acik, was perplexed as to why some residents were still holding out. They must be stupid; why are they still refusing? he told a foreman who had swung by his office to take a break. Soon the Ciftsurens and their children were the only ones left in their building. Bediye managed to distract herself with a visit from her grandchildren until she looked out the window. Everything is gone, everything destroyed, she cried. Then four days before the scheduled demolition of his building, Ciftsuren found a new listing online: a two-bedroom house just down the road. It was $520 a month, but it was big enough that he figured his daughter Elif and her husband who were being displaced from the Cinar Residence could move in and help share the rent. Theres a lot of interest, the landlord told him. I dont know. Ive got a family from Kahramanmaras a city leveled in the earthquake asking about it too. The landlord appeared to be holding out for more money, but after some back and forth, he said the Ciftsurens could have the house. On Sunday, March 26, they woke up before dawn. Bediye wept as she watched her lifes possessions emptying from their home. All of it looked so small when it was packed up, while her home seemed huge and cold. They could not take the doors, Ciftsuren told her gently. They had nowhere to store them. Members of the Ciftsuren family help unpack belongings in a newly rented home that is walking distance from their old building. (Rena Effendi / For The Times) Several other buildings in the area had also been condemned, and local moving companies had hiked their rates. The Ciftsurens gathered their extended family and moved everything themselves, the men and their furniture navigating a bend in the flight of stairs while the women pulled suitcases. They struggled down the narrow road, back and forth four times to their new home less than a quarter of a mile away. By lunchtime their old apartment was empty, and Bediye closed the door for the last time. Ciftsuren took a last look around the place where he had spent a third of his life. I wont be back here again, he said. His plan was to sell the new apartment they would receive and use the money to buy somewhere else in the city. Their children were being priced out everywhere in Istanbul and were considering cheaper cities. For now, the family had little choice but to try to settle into the rental. Bediye Ciftsuren figures she could serve tea in her new home once the kitchen is cleaned. The house has a small frontyard where her grandchildren could play. (Rena Effendi / For The Times) The old two-story house was one of the last of its kind in the neighborhood, sandwiched between new towers with signs advertising units for sale. The wallpaper was peeling and cracks in the walls were caked with dirt. With some care it could be brought to life, Bediye thought. She could serve tea once the kitchen was cleaned, and there was a small frontyard where her grandchildren could play. "When it is finished, it will be like a different place," she said. She did her best to put aside another worry. The previous tenants had moved out and left Istanbul after the February quake because they feared this house was also unsafe. The Ciftsurens knew that it was also likely to fail a building test and that if that happened, they would have to leave again. Smith is a special correspondent. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Horse racings new antidoping program wont get underway until after the Kentucky Derby and Preakness in mid-May, according to an order issued Thursday by the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC, which oversees the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, pushed back the new Anti-Doping and Medication Control program by three weeks until May 22. HISA had planned to re-launch the program on May 1, the start of Kentucky Derby week, after a judge's ruling in early April delayed the start until then. I share the concerns that the FTC articulated in their order, Lisa Lazarus, CEO of HISA, told The Associated Press by phone. If the program had started on May 1, pre-race drug testing for the Kentucky Derby would have been conducted under Kentucky Horse Racing Commission rules and state laboratory standards, while post-race testing would have been done under HISA's new rules. To break it up like that is very unfair to horsemen, especially considering it's the most high-profile race of the year, Lazarus told the AP. Its more important that the critical thinking be put into the right time to bring it back. The Derby will be run May 6 in Louisville. The Preakness is May 20 in Baltimore. HISA first began the ADMC program, which covers rules for drug testing, drug sampling, out-of-competition testing, rulings, and penalties, on March 27. The very first week of March 27 was very successful and went smoothly, Lazarus said. But a few days later a judge ruled that the program could not be implemented without a 30-day waiting period in a decision that was a victory for the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, which has pushed back against HISA. The HBPA and other groups have filed multiple lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of HISA. The FTC ruling said the May 22 re-start would avoid the chaos and confusion that could occur if the anti-doping rule became effective on May 1, during the lead-up to the Triple Crown races scheduled during May. It also said the delay would ensure that the horseracing industry has sufficient time to prepare for the anti-doping rule to be effective. Story continues Lazarus said: I would have felt a little uncomfortable with the May 1 start with two different rules in place. HISA had sought the quick rollout, which would have had the antidoping rules in place for five weeks before the Kentucky Derby. The delay means the state racing commissions will remain in charge of their drug-testing programs through May 21. As a result, if a horse tests positive in the Derby or the Preakness, racing officials in Kentucky and Maryland will hear the case, decide on punishment and handle any appeals under their existing rules. The Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown, will be run June 10 in New York under HISA's rules. ___ AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sport Representative Judy Chu (D., Calif.) argued during a Wednesday speech that Asian Americans will be assaulted and even murdered at higher rates if Americans use harsh language to advocate an aggressive posture toward China even in the context of economic competition. Already, Asian Americans have been suffering three years of anti-Asian hate due to Trump calling Covid-19 China virus and kung flu, the California representative said during a speech celebrating the opening of the Vincent Chin Institute. But now, the rhetoric and tension about the U.S.-China relationship comes on top of that, potentially escalating that violence. Today, the focus has shifted to extremists engaging in racial profiling of Chinese Americans. The organization is named after a Chinese American man murdered in 1982 by auto workers who blamed Asians for job sector layoffs. Today, over 40 years later, what we learned is that the rhetoric used around economic competition with Asian countries can result in harm and even murder of Asian Americans here at home, Chu added. Chu, the first Chinese American elected to Congress and chair of the Asian Pacific American Caucus, has been vocal in her condemnation of House Republicans, arguing that their rhetoric on China has contributed to violence against Asian American communities. Her argument echoes other liberal voices who have called on the United States to soften its criticism of China in order to combat anti-Asian violence. Even I have been accused by extremist right-wing Republican congressmen, in particular this one from Texas, of being a spy for China, Chu added. The comment is a reference to Representative Lance Gooden (R., Texas) who criticized Chu for defending Dominic Ng, who Biden appointed to lead the Business Advisory Council of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). Reporting in the Daily Caller in early February revealed that Ng was linked to a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) front group that served the countrys intelligence agency. However, Chu denounced the allegations against Ng as racial profiling. Story continues Chus response led Gooden to question whether the California representative should have access to classified materials. I question her either loyalty or competence, the Texas representative told Fox News in February. If she doesnt realize whats going on then shes totally out of touch with one of her core constituencies. The statements ignited a firestorm amongst Democrats, leading Chu to reiterate that the revealtions surrounding Ng were based on false information spread by an extreme, right-wing website. Furthermore, it is racist. I very much doubt that he would be spreading these lies were I not of Chinese American descent. Fellow House Republicans including Mike Gallagher (R., Wis.) joined the chorus condemning Goodens statements. We should not question anybodys loyalty to the United States. I think that is out of bounds. Its beyond the pale, Gallagher argued. However, Gooden has since doubled down calling out Chus ties with China. Democrat @RepJudyChu: Voted AGAINST committee to investigate China. Named Honorary Chairwoman of CCP front group. Its not xenophobic to question where her loyalty lies, Gooden tweeted shortly after. Democrat @RepJudyChu: Voted AGAINST committee to investigate China. Named 'Honorary Chairwoman' of CCP front group. It's not 'xenophobic' to question where her loyalty lies.https://t.co/Pu8bQKzFJQ Lance Gooden (@Lancegooden) February 27, 2023 Gooden endorsed Donald Trump in mid April, claiming that the former president bravely stood up to the dangerous socialists agenda propagated by the radical left. More from National Review House Republicans on Wednesday delivered Speaker Kevin McCarthy the biggest win of his tenure leading the chamber so far by passing his bill to raise the debt limit and slash spending, a bill that serves as the GOP's position on how to avoid a debt crisis in the coming weeks. The bill passed in a narrow 217-215 vote. Every Democrat voted against it, as expected, along with four Republicans: Andy Biggs of Arizona, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Ken Buck of Colorado and Matt Gaetz of Florida. Republicans cast the vote as a win that puts them in the driver's seat in negotiations they hope can happen with President Biden in the coming weeks. Biden has refused to entertain anything other than a clean increase in the debt ceiling, while Republicans insist he should agree to some trimming in the federal budget as a condition of raising the government's borrowing limit. "We have lifted the debt ceiling, so nobody could worry about whether the debt ceiling is going to get lifted, we did it. The Democrats have not. The president wants to make sure the debt ceiling is going to be lifted? Sign this bill," McCarthy said in a press conference after the vote. BIDEN THREATENS TO VETO HOUSE GOP PLAN TO ADDRESS DEBT LIMIT Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., scored the biggest win of his tenure leading the chamber so far with the passage of the debt ceiling bill on Wednesday. In a call with reporters after the vote, House GOP leaders made clear that the ball is now in Biden's court. Fox News Digital asked House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Majority Whip Tom Emmer about how they plan to convince their members to vote for a version of the bill again after Biden and McCarthy speak, assuming Democrats foist some changes onto the legislation. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP "We are the only chamber that has done our job," Stefanik, R-N.Y., said. "[Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer] needs to get the negotiating table, as does President Joe Biden." Scalise, R-La., said, "The negotiations need to happen on the Democrat side in the Senate in the White House not in the Republican-led House, because we had those negotiations, and came up with a bill that saves taxpayers money and grows the economy. At the end of the day, it's President Biden who can no longer sit on the sidelines." Story continues Without some agreement to raise the debt ceiling, the federal government is at risk of not being able to pay its bills sometime around early June. The House vote came after several dissenting GOP lawmakers gradually fell in line behind McCarthy on Wednesday after spending hours in the speakers office the day before. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-N.C., for example, who told reporters she was unhappy with the legislation and how leaders went about cobbling it together on Wednesday morning, emerged from McCarthys office later that afternoon singing a different tune. "We had a very productive meeting, it was very good. I feel like our voice has been heard, and that were going to work on this together going forward," said Mace. All four members of the Iowa House delegation all Republicans released a joint statement hours before the vote announcing their intent to support the bill. They were part of a group of about seven or eight lawmakers from the Corn Belt who were concerned about the initial bills repeal of tax credits that would impede ethanol production in their state. HOUSE LEADERS 'CONFIDENT' DEBT CEILING BILL WILL PASS DESPITE SOME GOP HESITANCE "Having successfully amended the bill to protect funding for these tax credits, our delegation will vote for this legislation, which is a starting point to avoid a default and cut wasteful spending," the statement read. GOP leaders tweaked the bill overnight to assuage concerns from key Republican factions who appeared ready to oppose it on Tuesday. The changes soften their repeal of the biofuel tax credits and move the legislations planned activation of work requirements for federal benefits up from 2025 to 2024. It was also enough to win over Reps. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., and George Santos, R-N.Y., who both announced they were solid "yes" votes on the bill. JEAN-PIERRE GETS DEFENSIVE ON BIDEN DEBT CEILING STRATEGY, SHIFTS BLAME TO MCCARTHY The Limit, Save, Grow Act aims to raise the debt limit by $1.5 trillion or through the end of March 2024, whichever benchmark is hit first. It also caps spending increases to 1% for the next decade. Meanwhile, in addition to the aforementioned cost-saving measures, it also caps discretionary spending at fiscal 2022 levels. The legislation faces an uphill battle in the Senate, however, where Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has criticized House Republicans for trying to pair spending cuts with raising the debt limit. Similarly, President Biden threatened to veto the bill if it comes to his desk, and on Wednesday refused again to negotiate spending cuts in conjunction with a debt limit increase. That position was backed up by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who accused Republicans on the House floor of presiding over "exploding deficits" and going down "a dangerous path" with their legislation. WASHINGTON The House on Thursday voted 101-321 against withdrawing U.S. troops in Somalia even as Africa Command asks Congress for more funds to establish a persistent presence in the war-torn country. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., used expedited measures laid out in the War Powers Act to force a floor vote on his resolution, which would have directed President Joe Biden to remove all U.S. troops from Somalia except for those assigned to protect the embassy within a year. The future of Somalia must be determined by Somalia, Gaetz said on the House floor ahead of the vote. I would argue that the African Union is far better positioned to build a stronger sense of national identity and national unity among clans that have been warring in Somalia for generations than U.S. troops. Biden has reintroduced troops into Somalia to help local forces fight al-Shabaab an al-Qaeda affiliate after Trump withdrew from the country following his 2020 election defeat and placed them in neighboring countries such as Kenya and Djbouti. Gaetz said the U.S. currently has approximately 900 troops stationed in Somalia. The White House has said that it deployed less than 500 to the country, but it did not disclose Somalia troop levels in the unclassified portion of the war powers report it submitted to Congress in March. Defense News in March obtained an unfunded priorities request from AFRICOM Commander Gen. Michael Langley, who asked Congress for $152 million to carry out a three-month assessment on U.S. troop levels in Somalia. That amount includes $42 million for airfield improvements, $43 million for life support area improvements and $11 million for communications improvements. Funding is required to establish a Somalian persistent presence to further ensure strategic access, confine violent extremist organizations, secure sea lines of communication and limit competitor military expansion, Langley wrote. More precisely, a lodgment in Somalia will serve to degrade the growing threat from Al Shabaab, assure freedom of navigation through the Bab Al Mandab sea-lane chokepoint and monitor the expanding Chinese presence in Djibouti. Story continues Rep. John James, R-Mich., also pointed to Chinas Djbouti base and expanding military presence in the Horn of Africa when arguing against the Gaetz amendment, arguing that Beijing will rush to fill the void in the region. Langley noted the funding request for the review was not included in the Pentagons fiscal 2024 base budget request due to the emergent nature of the Somalia mission since Bidens 2021 decision to reintroduce troops there. He also wrote that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin further endorsed this adjustment to increase the effectiveness, efficiency and safety of U.S. Special Forces. The U.S. conducted 15 airstrikes on al-Shabaab forces in Somalia in 2022, a 30% increase over the previous year, killing 107. U.S. Special Forces also killed Islamic State leader Bilal Al Sudani and 10 of his associates in a January raid this year. War powers U.S. troops are stationed in Somalia under a 2001 military authorization, which Congress passed in the wake of the 9/11 attacks to target al-Qaida in Afghanistan. Four presidents have since used the 2001 military authorization to justify at least 41 military operations in at least 19 countries across the globe. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., joined in the opposition to the Gaetz resolution, arguing that our forces on the ground in Somalia are there to provide security training and intelligence support and said the legislation did not address the issue of over-the-horizon strikes on Al Shabaab after the withdrawal. Meeks instead argued in favor of his bill to repeal and replace the 2001 military authorization with a narrower authority. The Meeks bill would take away the legal basis for stationing U.S. soldiers in Somalia by limiting the mission to al-Qaida and the Islamic State in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. His bill does not currently have any Republican cosponsors. Its unclear whether the Gaetz resolution would force Bidens hand on Somalia even if Congress had passed it. The lawmaker introduced the legislation as concurrent resolution instead of a joint resolution, meaning the president would not have the opportunity to veto it. A Congressional Research Service report notes that a 1983 Supreme Court decision ruled that concurrent resolutions arent binding, but it caveats that this ruling may not apply to war powers resolutions. While we should not mistake this poorly crafted resolution for an honest assessment of U.S. policy on Somalia, it is important that we support the question before us, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn, a Somali-American refugee, said before voting in favor of the bill. But she added that there should be a broader debate over the expansive use of the 2001 military authorization as well as a clear-eyed analysis of U.S. counterterrorism policies, including airstrikes and drones and the consistent problem of civilian casualties. Despite the tepid support from even some of the bills backers, Gaetz remains undeterred. He previously forced a war powers vote in March to withdraw 900 U.S. troops from Syria, which the House voted down 103-321. He also hinted on Thursday that he would next force a war powers vote on withdrawing U.S. soldiers from Niger. Hugh Grant will appear in court today (27 April) amid his latest phone hacking lawsuit. The Notting Hill star has brought a claim against Rupert Murdochs News Group Newspapers (NGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering at The Sun. Grant previously settled a phone hacking claim with the News of the World also previously owned by NGN in 2012, donating his substantial damage payout to press reform campaign Hacked Off. The 62-year-old is now also part of a larger claim brought against the publisher by Prince Harry, giving evidence alongside Elton John and Sadie Fox. NGN has called for both to be thrown out, arguing they have been brought too late. Grant, who has previously said that he was shown evidence by police that his phone had been hacked, is a vocal supporter of press regulation. Grant was a victim of phone hacking, and in 2011 wrote a piece for the New Statesman titled: The Bugger, Bugged. Hugh Grant arrives at the High Court on Thursday (PA) In it, Grant described a chance encounter with former News of the World journalist and photographer Paul McMullan in remotest Kent the previous December, which led to another meeting between the pair that Grant secretly recorded. In the conversation, McMullan confirmed that Grants phone had been hacked and alleged that editors at the Daily Mail and News of the World had ordered journalists to engage in illegal phone tapping. The article was widely publicised, with Grant becoming an unofficial spokesperson for the campaign against Murdochs company. He spoke about the subject on Newsnight in July 2011 and gave testimony in the Leveson iniquity that year. Following the phone hacking scandal, Grant has been heavily involved in the Hacked Off campaign, which campaigns for a free and accountable press. The actor joined its board of directors in 2012 and still posts on Twitter under the username @HackedOffHugh. In February 2018, the publisher of the Daily Mirror agreed to settle a lawsuit brought against them by Grant. They apologised for taking part in unlawful information-gathering on Grant and other celebrities. Story continues Speaking outside the court, Grant said: This case was not just about what they did to my phone and those close to me This litigation has made clear that phone hacking and other unlawful information-gathering took place on an industrial scale at the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People. Once again, he donated the large payout he received to Hacked Off. In his current lawsuit against NGN, Grant is joined by 7/7 London bombings survivor John Tulloch, the jockey Kieren Fallon, and David Beckhams father, Ted. Hugh Grant - PA Actor Hugh Grant believes private investigators carried out burglaries to order for The Sun newspaper, a court has heard. The actor, 62, attended the final day of a hearing at the High Court, at which News Group Newspapers (NGN) is attempting to have claims by him and the Duke of Sussex thrown out. He arrived with his wife Anna Eberstein and his legal team and greeted gathered journalists as he entered the Rolls Building, in London. Grant, who settled a claim against NGN relating to unlawful information gathering at the News Of The World in 2012, is now bringing a similar legal action in relation to The Sun. NGN denies any unlawful activity took place at The Sun. In a witness statement, the actor said: My claim concerns unlawful acts committed by The Sun, including burglaries to order, the breaking and entering of private property in order to obtain private information through bugging, landline tapping, phone hacking, and the use of private investigators to do all these and other illegal things against me. He referred in the statement to evidence he gave to the Leveson Inquiry into press standards and ethics in 2011, in which he spoke about a break-in at his London flat, where the front door was forced off its hinges while a story appeared shortly afterwards in The Sun that detailed the interior. He said: I had no evidence that this burglary was carried out or commissioned on the instruction of the press, let alone The Sun. The actor added that he had been told by a private investigator in early 2022, which prompted him to launch his claim. Actor 'only aware he was targeted recently' NGNs lawyers argue that Grant, a prominent campaigner on press ethics as a member of the Hacked Off group, should have been aware he had a claim in relation to The Sun much earlier, and had left it too late to bring the latest legal action. The actor's lawyers argue he has only become aware more recently, following disclosure in the ongoing litigation over phone hacking, that there is evidence he was targeted by journalists and private investigators working for The Sun. Story continues NGN has previously settled a number of claims since the phone-hacking scandal broke in relation to The News Of The World, which closed in 2011, but has consistently denied that any unlawful information gathering took place at The Sun. Anthony Hudson KC, for NGN, told the court on Tuesday that Harry and Mr Grant had been front and centre of claims against the publisher over hacking and therefore could not possibly have failed to realise they had a potential damages claim much sooner. The hearing concluded on Thursday and Mr Justice Fancourt will determine whether the claims will progress to a trial, which would be heard in January next year. The judge is expected to give his ruling at a later date. Habitat loss has driven Asian elephants, like these foraging at a garbage dump in Sri Lanka, into human areas. Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFP via Getty Images Despite their iconic status and long association with humans, Asian elephants are one of the most endangered large mammals. Believed to number between 45,000 and 50,000 individuals worldwide, they are at risk throughout Asia due to human activities such as deforestation, mining, dam building and road construction, which have damaged numerous ecosystems. My colleagues and I wanted to know when human actions started to fragment wildlife habitats and populations to the degree seen today. We quantified these impacts by considering them through the needs of this species. In a newly published study, we examined the centuries-long history of Asian landscapes that once were suitable elephant habitat and often were managed by local communities prior to the colonial era. In our view, understanding this history and restoring some of these relationships may be the key to living with elephants and other large wild animals in the future. Although elephants can cross roads and other infrastructure, elephant habitats across Asia are increasingly hemmed in, with firm boundaries between human and wildlife spaces. These elephants are in Sri Lanka. Shermin de Silva, CC BY-ND How have humans affected wildlife? It isnt easy to measure human impacts on wildlife across a region as large and diverse as Asia and more than a century ago. Historical data for many species is sparse. Museums, for instance, only contain specimens collected from certain locations. Many animals also have very specific ecological requirements, and there often isnt sufficient data on these features at a fine scale going far into the past. For instance, a species might prefer particular microclimates or vegetation types that occur only at particular elevations. For nearly two decades Ive been studying Asian elephants. As a species, these animals are breathtakingly adaptable: They can live in seasonally dry forests, grasslands or the densest of rain forests. If we could match the habitat requirements of elephants to data sets showing how these habitats changed over time, we knew that we could understand how land-use changes have affected elephants and other wildlife in these environments. Defining elephant ecosystems The home-range sizes of Asian elephants can vary anywhere from a few hundred square miles to a few thousand. But since we couldnt know exactly where elephants would have been centuries ago, we had to model the possibilities based on where they occur today. Story continues By identifying the environmental features that correspond to locations where wild elephants live now, we can distinguish places where they could potentially have lived in the past. In principle, this should represent good habitat. Today many scientists are using this kind of model to identify particular species climatic requirements and predict how areas suitable for those species might shift under future climate change scenarios. We applied the same logic retrospectively, using land-use and land-cover types instead of climate change projections. We drew this information from the Land-Use Harmonization (LUH2) data set, released by a research group at the University of Maryland. The group mapped historical land-use categories by type, starting in the year 850 long before the advent of nations as we know them today, with fewer large population centers and extending up to 2015. Asian elephants live in countries with large human populations, and their range has been shrunk and fragmented. Their future depends on human attitudes toward elephants and their conservation. Hedges et al., 2008, via Trunks & Leaves, CC BY-ND My co-authors and I first compiled records of where Asian elephants have been observed in the recent past. We limited our study to the 13 countries that today still contain wild elephants: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. We excluded areas where elephant populations are prone to clashing with people, such as intensively farmed landscapes and plantations, in order to avoid classifying these zones as good elephant habitat. We included areas with lighter human influence, such as selectively logged forests, because they actually contain great food for elephants. Next, we used a machine-learning algorithm to determine what types of land use and land cover existed at our remaining locations. This allowed us to map out where elephants could potentially live as of the year 2000. By applying our model to earlier and later years, we were able to generate maps of areas that contained suitable habitat for elephants and to see how those areas had changed over the centuries. Some human-made features, like this reservoir in Sri Lanka, can also be resources for wildlife. Shermin de Silva, CC BY-ND Dramatic declines Land-use patterns changed significantly on every continent starting with the Industrial Revolution in the 1700s and extending through the colonial era into the mid-20th century. Asia was no exception. For most areas, we found that suitable elephant habitat took a steep dive around this time. We estimated that from 1700 through 2015 the total amount of suitable habitat decreased by 64%. More than 1.2 million square miles (3 million square kilometers) of land were converted for plantations, industry and urban development. With respect to potential elephant habitat, most of the change occurred in India and China, each of which saw conversion in more than 80% of these landscapes. In other areas of Southeast Asia such as a large hot spot of elephant habitat in central Thailand, which was never colonized habitat loss happened more recently, in the mid-20th century. This timing corresponds to logging concurrent with the so-called Green Revolution, which introduced industrial agriculture to many parts of the world. Could the past be the key to the future? Looking back at land-use change over centuries makes it clear just how drastically human actions have reduced habitat for Asian elephants. The losses that we measured greatly exceed estimates of catastrophic human impacts on so-called wilderness or forests within recent decades. Our analysis shows that if you were an elephant in the 1700s, you might have been able to range across 40% of the available habitat in Asia with no problem, because it was one large, contiguous area that contained many ecosystems where you could live. This enabled gene flow among many elephant populations. But by 2015, human activities had so drastically fragmented the total suitable area for elephants that the largest patch of good habitat represented less than 7% of it. Sri Lanka and peninsular Malaysia have a disproportionately high share of Asias wild elephant population, relative to available elephant habitat area. Thailand and Myanmar have smaller populations relative to area. Interestingly, the latter are countries known for their large captive or semi-captive elephant populations. Less than half of the areas that contain wild elephants today have adequate habitat for them. Elephants resulting use of increasingly human-dominated landscapes leads to confrontations that are harmful for both elephants and people. However, this long view of history reminds us that protected areas alone are not the answer, since they simply cannot be large enough to support elephant populations. Indeed, human societies have shaped these very landscapes for millennia. Today there is a pressing challenge to balance human subsistence and livelihood requirements with the needs of wildlife. Restoring traditional forms of land management and local stewardship of these landscapes can be an essential part of protecting and recovering ecosystems that serve both people and wildlife in the future. This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. The Conversation has a variety of fascinating free newsletters. It was written by: Shermin de Silva, University of California, San Diego. Read more: Shermin de Silva receives funding from the US Fish & Wildlife Asian Elephant Conservation Funds. She is president and founder of Trunks & Leaves Inc. a non-profit organization that works to facilitate evidence-based conservation of Asian elephants and their habitats. de Silva also directs the Udawalawe Elephant Research Project in Sri Lanka, which she initiated in 2005, and is a member of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission. As Pope Francis gears up to visit Hungary for the second time in less than two years on Friday, he is being awaited by the country's Catholics and its nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Yet, the self-styled "defender of Christian Europe" has frequently diverged from the pope's messages -- on topics from migration to LGBTQ rights -- in a bid to reintroduce religion in the largely secular nation while trumpeting his political agenda. "Such indoctrination has little to do with true Christianity," theology professor Rita Perintfalvi of the Austrian University of Graz told AFP. Orban has been eager to revive what he calls the "Christian civilisation" suppressed during the four-decade communist era. Soon after coming to power in 2010, the nationalist premier oversaw a new constitution laden with references to God, Christianity and traditional family values, with later amendments stating that marriage is only possible between a man and a woman. But unlike neighbouring Slovakia and nearby Poland, Hungary remains predominantly secular. - 'Indoctrination' - Coming from a Calvinist background and claiming to be non-religious before forging closer ties with the Catholic Church in recent years, Orban has spearheaded the so-called re-Christianisation of Hungary's schools. Before the communist era, about 20 percent of schools were Catholic. But that figure dropped to just five percent by the early 2000s. It has since rebounded, claiming 17 percent of primary and 25 percent of secondary schools. Such actions, including the renovation of places of worship, "may have been viewed favourably by the Holy See", Perintfalvi said. But "this is precisely where the contradictions come in", she added. "The state expects unconditional support" from local churches, she explained, in return for all the money and resources being poured into religious institutions and education. Story continues In a sign of the political influence, most Hungarian clerics did not heed the pope's call to welcome refugees during the 2015 migration crisis, with which Orban was at odds. Hungarian clerics have also refrained from addressing Orban's anti-LGBTQ policies, which the European Commission and international organisations have denounced. - Outreach vs. exclusion - In contrast, Francis has stirred controversy with his relatively liberal attitude towards sexual orientation and gender identity, which clashes with the beliefs of many Catholic conservatives. But the Argentine Jesuit has also frustrated modernisers by sticking firmly to Catholic teaching that marriage is the union between a man and a woman. In a documentary released on the Disney+ streaming platform in early April, the 86-year-old pope said "every person is a child of God". "I don't have the right to kick anybody out of the Church," he said in the documentary, which captured a meeting in Rome last year with 10 young Spanish speakers from around the globe. In January, Francis said people who criminalise homosexuality are "wrong", adding that homosexuality was "not a crime" but "a sin". While Orban has erected razor-wire fences on Hungary's borders to keep out migrants, the pope -- himself from a family of Italian immigrants to Argentina -- has urged tolerance for those fleeing war and poverty. The pontiff has also denounced the cruelty of Russia's troops in Ukraine, regularly calling for peace for "martyred Ukraine", in stark contrast to the ambiguous path Orban's government has trod. - 'Not so far apart' - But on the eve of the visit, Orban supporters were keen to emphasise what the two men have in common. "The Holy Father's thinking and Orban's are not so far apart," expert Mark Aurel Erszegi, a former employee of the Hungarian embassy to the Vatican, told AFP, highlighting their calls for peace in Ukraine and shared views on family policies. Critics such as Perintfalvi hold a different view. The pope's quick return to Hungary can be attributed to his wish, she said, to "save it from the moral decay that has taken place in the last 13 years". During his brief visit to Budapest in September 2021, the spiritual leader of the estimated 1.3 billion Catholics worldwide called on Hungarians to be "open" to all. "He is not coming to celebrate Orban's showcase Christian democracy, but because our society is sick," said Balazs Gulyas, a practising Catholic, who runs the website Gulyasagyu Media. "Our Christian faith is in danger, our churches are empty, and most of our politicians only profess to be Christians, but do not practise it." burs-anb/kym/giv/leg FIRST ON FOX: Hunter Biden served as an outside adviser to President Bidens newly announced campaign co-chair, Democratic Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, and was instrumental in helping Coons fundraise for his successful 2010 Senate bid using his network of in-state and out-of-state business associates to contribute to Coons' campaign. Sen. Coons, who sits in Biden's old Senate seat and is a member of the Foreign Relations and Judiciary Committees, has been one of Biden's most influential global emissaries for many years and "has no problem telling reporters or anyone who will listen that he has the presidents ear," according to a recent report from Politico. Prior to Coons winning in 2010, Hunter Biden and Eric Schwerin, the then-president of his since-dissolved investment fund Rosemont Seneca Partners, were in close contact with Coons and his campaign finance director Tracey Buckman, helping with his fundraising efforts. According to emails from Hunters abandoned laptop, which have been verified by Fox News Digital, Coons met with Hunter and Schwerin in June 2010, just weeks before Hunter started hosting fundraising events for the future senator. On June 26, 2010, Coons emailed Hunter thanking him for their meeting earlier in the week. On June 26, 2010, Chris Coons emailed Hunter Biden thanking him for their meeting earlier in the week. BLINKEN AND WIFE EMAILED FREQUENTLY WITH HUNTER BIDEN, RAISING QUESTIONS ABOUT ROLE IN LAPTOP COVER STORY "Thank you for your encouragement and strong offers of support in our meeting Thursday," Coons wrote. "I'm grateful for your help!" READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Two days later, Coons emailed Schwerin saying it was "great meeting with you." "Thank you for making the time to meet with me last week, and for your concrete offers of help," Coons wrote. "I look forward to working together!" It is not clear whether Coons met with Hunter and Schwerin together or separately. On July 6, 2010, less than two weeks after Coons meeting with Hunter and Schwerin, Buckman reached out to Hunter and Schwerin to thank them for meeting with her and Coons. Story continues "Thank you, again, for taking the time to meet with Chris Coons and me in DC!" Buckman wrote. "We appreciate all of the support, and interest in ways that you can help Chris win this Senate race." On July 6, 2010, less than two weeks after Chris Coons meeting with Hunter Biden and Eric Schwerin, Coons campaign national finance director reached out to Hunter and Schwerin to thank them for meeting with them. Buckman mentioned an upcoming breakfast for Coons in Chicago that Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., was hosting. She noted that Hunter mentioned that he could probably reach out to his Chicago network about donating and she mentioned Mark Doyle as one of the names Hunter mentioned. "We are getting as many pledges as possible for those who can write and raise at the $10,000 and $4,800 level," Buckman wrote. "But, of course, support is welcome at any level listed on the invitation. Hunter, you mentioned that you might be able to get this out to your list of Chicago folks. That would be terrific. And, if there are any key names that you want to call, that is welcome. I think you mentioned that you would want to contact Michael Sachs, Mark Doyle and Donnie Sterano (so sorry if I am misspelling those names). Please feel free to call them." HUNTER BIDEN, FOREIGN AGENT PLOTTED INVESTMENT MEETING WITH SERBIAN PRESIDENT AND OLIGARCHS, EMAILS SHOW Sen. Chris Coons defended President Biden's recent attacks on "MAGA Republicans" as a threat to democracy Tuesday in response to a question from Fox News Digital. Doyle, who formerly served as a senior adviser to then-Sen. Joe Biden and the national finance director of Bidens unsuccessful presidential run in 2008, donated $500 to Coons on July 29. Fox News Digital previously reported that Doyle, who was a registered Serbian foreign agent months earlier, was coordinating the scheduling of an investment meeting with Serbias president and Serbian "high net worth individuals" in email exchanges with Hunter Biden and the Serbian Ambassador to the United States. Buckman followed up later that day in an email thanking Hunter for lending his name to be on the host committee for a Coons campaign event in Washington, D.C. "Hunter, thanks for your offer to lend your name and serve on a Host Committee that we can build for a Washington, DC event for Chris Coons," Buckman wrote. "We have a good group of folks that I can ask to help, and I am sure that you guys will have key ideas for folks that we can add." On July 6, 2010, Tracey Buckman thanked Hunter Biden for lending his name to be on the host committee for a Chris Coons campaign event in Washington, D.C. Two days later, on July 8, 2010, Buckman sent an email with the subject line "Vancouver list" to Hunter and Schwerin, saying the list is "top secret" and telling them to "just use it for our Chris Coons project of introduction and brainstorming." "This can be a really good resource for straight money calls and event host ideas, once we get through this weekend," she added. On July 8, 2010, Tracey Buckman sent an email with the subject line "Vancouver list" to Hunter Biden and Eric Schwerin, saying the list is "top secret" and telling them to "just use it for our Chris Coons project of introduction and brainstorming." The next day, on July 9, 2010, Schwerin informed Buckman that Hunter approved his name being included on the invitation to the Coons event in Chicago that Durbin was hosting. "Hunter is fine with you using his name for the Chicago event of course," Schwerin wrote. "Do you want to send us a version with his name on it for us to use?" One day later, Buckman sent the updated invitation for the Coons event in Chicago with Hunters name attached. HUNTER BIDEN'S BUSINESS PARTNERS, ASSISTANTS VISITED WHITE HOUSE OVER 80 TIMES WHEN BIDEN WAS VP On July 10, 2010, Tracey Buckman sent Eric Schwerin and Hunter Biden updated invitation for Chicago event and one-week reminder the Chris Coons event. On July 15, 2010, Buckman asked whether Hunter had "connected with Sam Latham yet, regarding the AFL endorsement votes this weekend" and asked about any updates on campaign pledges from Hunters network. "I wanted to know if Hunter connected with Sam Latham yet, regarding the AFL endorsement votes this weekend. I would like to let Chris know if a message was left, or if you were able to have a chat with him," she wrote. "Second, I am getting onto an update call with our Chicago folks who are organizing the Durbin breakfast in Chicago on July 26. So wanted to be able to give them any pledges or ask them to follow-up on any folks that you may want them to contact." "Hunter has been traveling most of the day today so I haven't been able to get the latest update from him but I know he was focused on it," Schwerin responded to Buckman. "One of us will get back to you tomorrow with an update on Sam. Also, I know Hunter sent out the invite to his Chicago list and we'll follow up with them in the next day or two and see what kind of response we are getting." On July 15, 2010, Tracey Buckman asked whether Hunter Biden had "connected with Sam Latham yet, regarding the AFL endorsement votes this weekend" and asks about any updates on campaign pledges from Hunters network. BIDEN KICKED OFF RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN WITH UNION BOSS WHO USED HUNTER BIDEN TO GET WH ACCESS The next day, on July 16, 2010, Schwerin emailed Hunter asking what he should tell Buckman about Latham. "Need to get back to Coons/Tracey Buckman on Sam Latham. What do I say?" he asked. Five days later Schwerin informed Hunter that Latham endorsed Coons over the weekend and credited Hunter for coordinating with his brother, Beau, to talk with Latham. On July 19, 2010, Buckman sent Schwerin and Hunter an updated invitation for Chicago event and one-week reminder for event. "Here is the most current invitation for the Chris Coons and Dick Durbin breakfast," she wrote. "We are one week out, so that is terrific if you can email this out to your IL list again today, if possible. I think that folks have been on vacations, so it may help to put this back out there. In addition, please give me any updates on pledges that you are getting from folks to raise and to write. We can ADD any other names, if you think there is someone we should add to the invitation." The Chicago event apparently took place on July 26, 2010. Several weeks later, on Aug. 20, 2010, Buckman sent an email to Hunter and Schwerin saying it was "good to see" them both at an Aug. 3 event for Coons and also briefed them on a new event that September. "Thanks again, for all of the help!" she wrote. "We are working hard to make this new event on Wed, Sept 28, a big success. Please review and share it with others." On Aug. 20, 2010, Tracey Buckman emailed Hunter Biden and Eric Schwerin saying it was "good to see" them both at an Aug. 3 event for Chris Coons and also briefing them on a new event that September. As one of President Bidens top campaign surrogates, Coons will likely be pressed on multiple Hunter Biden scandals, including foreign business dealings, putting him in a potentially tough position given the critical role of Hunter Biden and his business network in helping Coons with fundraising for his 2010 Senate victory and later serving on the advisory committee for him. During the 2020 campaign, Coons was very defensive of Hunter, calling then-President Trumps attacks on Hunter "baseless" and "smears." During a Fox News interview in late October 2020, he also defended Hunter, saying the interview with former Hunter Biden business partner Tony Bobulinski "smacks of desperation" and provided "flimsy" evidence. He added, "Joe Biden is a man of compassion and character who I've known for 30 years and who is capable of leading our country forward with a positive vision for how to bring us together and get us out of this pandemic and recession." Coons expressed confidence in Attorney General Merrick Garlands conduct overseeing the federal investigation into Hunter Biden on Sunday, saying, "I am confident that Merrick Garland has conducted himself appropriately here," in response to reports on an IRS agent and prospective whistleblower claiming Hunter was getting "preferential treatment." The agents attorney Mark Lytle recently revealed his client wanted to provide evidence that would "contradict sworn testimony to Congress by a senior political appointee," who was later identified as Garland. In addition to a few other emails in the weeks before the 2010 election, Buckman sent Hunter Biden an email in November 2011, a little over a year after Coons won his election and said she would like to "catch up" with him and suggested, "Maybe we should get a lunch with you and Eric, Todd Webster and me? Just a thought, to compare notes on our various Chris Coons projects." "Thank you for your support of Senator Chris Coons! It is hard to believe that a year has passed since Chris Coons was elected and sworn into the United States Senate. Thanks again, for being a part of that successful effort," Buckman continued. "In case lunch with Todd does not work on your schedule, I want to highlight three events on our calendar, as the 2011 calendar year concludes. If you have any additional support budgeted for 2011, please consider supporting one of these events (actual invitations attached)." Hunter said he called her and left a message, adding that he would be traveling the next day. It is unclear whether the luncheon ended up happening. Months earlier on July 19, 2011, Todd Webster, Coons chief of staff, tried to schedule a lunch meeting with Hunter, writing, "I was wondering if you had time for lunch in the next couple of weeks. Look forward to meeting you." Its unclear if the meeting took place. On Dec. 13, 2012, Webster sent one of what would be several emails over the course of a few years to a small group of business-related leaders, which included Hunter Biden, that was called Coons "Delaware Advisory Group." "FYI. Chris has become the Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee's vice chair for Business Outreach. It is a great opportunity for him to increase his reach and profile," Webster said. "We will try to get a breakfast meeting scheduled in early January to get our advisory group back together again." Less than 40 minutes after announcing that Sen. Coons would be vice chair for business outreach, Webster tried to arrange a meeting between Hunter and Coons at the senators request, writing, "Chris wanted me to ask if you could make time for lunch in the coming weeks to catch up with him. Preferably on the Hill. Thanks for considering and hope you have a Merry Christmas." "Thanks, Todd," Hunter replied. "I am out of the office on travel but am copying my assistant Katie. Of course, I am always happy to make time for the Senator. It may be after the New Year given my schedule if that is OK?" On Dec 13, 2012, Todd Webster tried to arrange a meeting between Hunter Biden and Chris Coons at the senators request, writing, "Chris wanted me to ask if you could make time for lunch in the coming weeks to catch up with him. Preferably on the Hill. Thanks for considering and hope you have a Merry Christmas." "Thanks, Todd," Hunter Biden replied to Webster on Dec. 13, 2012. "I am out of the office on travel but am copying my assistant Katie. Of course, I am always happy to make time for the Senator. It may be after the New Year given my schedule if that is OK?" It is not clear if that meeting took place. Fox News Digitals inquiries to the Biden campaign, Coons office, Hunters lawyer, Buckman, and Webster were not returned. Coons was recently announced this week as a co-chair of Bidens reelection campaign, along with Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Hollywood mogul and China apologist Jeffrey Katzenberg, among others. Fox News' Haley Chi-Sing contributed to this report. A 24-year-old husband was shot point-blank in the head when a group of men known for carrying out armed robberies invaded his home in the middle of the night in 2006, according to federal prosecutors. Edwin Cortorreal, 36, also known as Crazy Ed, was extradited from the Dominican Republic and brought to the U.S. in 2020, about 14 years after fatally shooting Kelly Diaz in Manhattan, New York, where he lived with his wife, officials said. Cortorreal has been found guilty of one count of murder in aid of racketeering, one count of the use of a firearm resulting in death and one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York announced in an April 26 news release. Edwin Cortorreal conducted a terrifying, gunpoint home invasion robbery in Washington Heights, during which he shot Kelly Diaz in the head, killing him in front of his wife, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement. We hope todays verdict will bring some solace to the victims family. Attorney Benjamin Silverman, who represents Cortorreal, told McClatchy News in a statement on April 27 that they plan on filing an appeal. The prosecution was built on testimony by a man who state authorities did not believe when they deported Edwin in 2010, without charging him with murder, and outmoded DNA testing that should never have been allowed into evidence, Silverman said. More on the armed robbery and fatal shooting of Diaz Cortorreal belonged to the Hot Boys, described by prosecutors as a violent robbery crew that sold narcotics in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan from at least 2006 through 2013. The group targeted locations where they believed items of value were inside, such as drugs or illegal gambling money, and used firearms and hydraulic pumps to conduct break-ins, according to an indictment. On the evening of Oct. 27, 2006, Cortorreal and four others broke into the apartment of Diaz and his wife in Washington Heights by using a hydraulic pump to open their door, prosecutors said. Story continues At the time, Cortorreal helped duct-tape Diaz to a chair as the group threw his wife down on the ground, according to prosecutors. When the group went to ultimately leave the apartment, Cortorreal turned back, officials said. He walked up to Diaz, pointed a gun at his head and fatally shot him as his wife looked on, according to prosecutors. Less than a year later, Cortorreal planned to commit another armed robbery, during which he plotted to kill the victims to avoid leaving behind any witnesses, the release said. In the years after Diazs death, the New York City Police Department and FBI officers pursued Diaz, whom they located in the Dominican Republic, according to a Feb. 3, 2020, news release. The mandatory sentence for the charge of murder in aid of racketeering is life in prison, prosecutors said. 24-year-old gas station clerk shot and killed days before finishing masters, cops say 11-year-old shot in head while playing game with family inside Ohio apartment, cops say Man brags about killing cellmate at Florida prison, then tries changing story, feds say Hyundai's e-Corner system lets a car drive horizontally into a parking spot. Hyundai Mobis Hyundai showed off a new technology called e-Corner in a recent video. The system lets all four wheels swivel up to 90 degrees, resulting in some cool tricks. With e-Corner, a car can drive horizontally into a parking space or spin in place. You ever pull up to a parking spot and seemingly lose all ability to parallel park? Sometimes, no matter how many times you swerve in and out, you always end up crooked or on the curb. If this doesn't apply to you, congratulations. For the rest of us, Hyundai has a solution. Maybe. Someday. Hyundai Mobis, the carmaker's parts division, released a new video of a technology it's developing called e-Corner. The system enables all four of a car's wheels to swivel up to 90 degrees either together or independently resulting in some pretty awe-inspiring capabilities. The tech also enables a car to spin in place instead of doing a regular U-turn. Hyundai Mobis One application is parking. The clip shows a Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric vehicle pull up directly beside an open parking spot, turn all four wheels perpendicular to the curb, and just scoot right on in. There's no backing up, and no turning the steering wheel this way and that. Hyundai calls this "crab driving." EV technology makes this all possible. Most EVs have a motor mounted to one or both of their axles, but motors can also go inside the wheels like you'd see on an electric kick scooter or bike. It's a rare setup in the auto business; Lordstown Motors, an electric-pickup startup, may be the only company selling a vehicle in the US with so-called hub motors. But as Hyundai Mobis demonstrates, this kind of system allows for some outlandish maneuvers you couldn't accomplish in a regular vehicle. Hyundai also showcased a "zero turn," which is basically a U-turn without the U. Once again, the Ioniq 5 swivels its wheels outward, but this time the front and rear wheels spin in opposite directions, making the Ioniq 5 spin in place. Sounds like it could come in handy in a tight parking lot. Story continues Later in the video, the Ioniq 5 does a "pivot turn," where the front-right wheel stays in place while the back of the vehicle swings outward. Interestingly enough, this isn't a totally new concept. Automakers experimented with contraptions that could swing the rear of a car into a parking space since at least the 1930s: The tech also allows for diagonal driving, accomplished by angling all four wheels 45 degrees. (That's something the GMC Hummer EV pickup can do as well.) But out of all the tech displayed in the clip, the parallel parking and 180-degree pirouette seem to be the most useful out in the real world. Hyundai hasn't said whether e-Corner will ever make it to market. Read the original article on Business Insider A forensic pathologist testified that Idaho mom Lori Vallow Daybell's young son had traces of alcohol and the chemical GHB, commonly known as a date rape drug, in his system when authorities discovered his body three years ago. Dr. Garth Warren of the Ada County Coroner's office said Wednesday during Vallow Daybell's triple-murder trial 7-year-old Joshua "JJ" Vallow died from "asphyxia by plastic bag to the head and duct tape over the mouth," in June 2020. But Warren said the boy's toxicology report showed low levels of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid in his liver samples, known as GHB, alcohol, caffeine and theobromine that can usually be found in cocoa and tea, according to East Idaho News. Despite the disturbing revelation, Warren testified that couldn't tell how GHB, also known as the party and date rape drug "G" got into JJ Vallow's system. "Theres really no way for me to tell for sure whether this is just a naturally occurring product in the body that was there or if JJ was given GHB," Warren said. "I cant say one way or another based on the levels." Warren also did not say how alcohol got into the boy's body. Vallow's trial has been the subject of national fascination. The former all-American mom and Mrs. Texas beauty pageant winner was the subject of a Netflix documentary that depicted her downfall after better days, such as winning $17,500 in 2004 on the "Wheel of Fortune." 'You threw kids away like garbage!': Idaho mom Lori Vallow Daybell's older sister testifies in murder trial: 'Kids were thrown away like garbage' "You murdered my siblings!': Idaho mom Lori Vallow Daybell's eldest son testifies, hears jail call: 'You murdered my siblings' Doctor reveals more gruesome details in deaths of Lori Vallow Daybell's kids Vallow Daybell and her husband, Chad Daybell, are accused of murder in connection with the deaths of JJ, her youngest son, and her daughter, Tylee Ryan, 16, who was last seen a few days before her 17th birthday in 2019. Story continues Prosecutors allege that Vallow Daybell and her husband practiced apocalyptic and doomsday-driven religious beliefs as part of a plan to kill the kids and Tammy Daybell, Chad Daybell's former wife. On Wednesday, some in the Boise courtroom saw some images of Vallow Daybell's kids' remains. But Warren provided gruesome details about the kids' death that were far more graphic than Rexburg (Idaho) Police Det. Ray Hermosillo testified about discovering their bodies two weeks ago. Authorities in Idaho began investigating Vallow Daybell and her husband after other family members said they hadn't heard from the couple's kids in months and reported them missing in November 2019. Police said the kids were last seen in Rexburg, Idaho, on Sept. 23, 2019. The pair soon left Idaho and fled to Hawaii in December 2019, authorities said. They found the couple in Kaua'i, Hawaii, in January 2020, without the kids. The couple was eventually extradited to Idaho. Authorities found the kids' decomposed bodies in Chad Daybell's eastern Idaho backyard in June 2020. On Wednesday, Warren testified that JJ Vallow had a white plastic bag over the head wrapped multiple times with duct tape with "some light brown and red hemorrhages and abrasions that are most consistent with scratching are on the left side of his neck and jaw," according to KTVB-TV. With the "scratch-like abrasions" on his neck, the pathologist testified he wondered at times, "Was JJ trying to get the bag off his head? It could be scratch marks of him trying to get it off his head." Warren said JJ Vallow also suffered bruised and hemorrhaging forearms as ankles were also wrapped in tape, East Idaho News reported. 'Pieces of bone, charred flesh': Idaho mom Lori Vallow Daybell's missing kids were a gruesome discovery in makeshift cemetery, detective testifies 'Money, power and sex': Idaho mom Lori Vallow Daybell used 'money, power and sex,' prosecutors say in her murder trial Lori Vallow Daybell's defense team takes aim at pathologist's findings During a testy cross-examination, Vallow Daybell's defense attorney John Thomas asked Warren how can the pathologist come to the conclusion that JJ Vallow was suffocated with a plastic bag. Warren said that based on everything he ruled out, and that there was a plastic bag over his head, "it was reasonable to conclude that was the cause of death," KTVB-TV reported. Thomas then pressed Warren on how he could have definitively known a suffocation was due to the plastic bag if Warren didn't do other procedures during an autopsy, such as swab JJ Vallow's nasal cavity. Warren told Thomas he wouldn't do that in this circumstance. "Well I'm just basing this off of what I've seen in movies," Thomas told the pathologist. "That's scary," Warren replied. "Why is that scary? What are you basing this off of," Thomas questioned Warren about the pathologist's practices. "My knowledge," Warren said. Did Idaho mom think kids were 'zombies'?: Idaho mom Lori Vallow Daybell believed her kids were 'zombies,' ex-best friend testifies Death of Lori Vallow Daybell's daughter is ruled an 'unspecified homicide' Also during his testimony, Warren determined that the cause of death of Vallow Daybell's only daughter, Tylee Ryan, was "homicide by unspecified means." But I just cant pinpoint exactly what that was," Warren testified, according to East Idaho News. "We were looking for anything. Bullets, a portion of a knife, any other foreign debris that we could collect as evidence," Warren testified. "Essentially what we saw was a collection of bones along with other debris. A lot of mud and dirt." Warren testified Wednesday that when he typically performs an autopsy, he gets a whole body. Instead, Warren said "essentially received Tylees remains in multiple different bags," when he started performing the teen's autopsy. Lori Vallow Daybell's daughter's 'organs burned away or were never found' At times, Warren's testimony sounded similar to Hermosillo, the Idaho police detective who previously testified that Tylees body had been burned and destroyed a mass of blood and tissue placed in a partially melted plastic bucket and buried in a part of the yard the Daybell family called the "pet cemetery." On Wednesday, Warren testified that he was able to identify portions of Tylee's skull, including the area where her eyeball would be, and portions where her teeth would have been, East Idaho News reported. The pathologist also found Tylees heart connected to her right and left lung, a kidney, a portion of a liver and some fragments of brain matter. "These organs had severe decomposition, significant burning artifacts, they were charred and shrunken," Warren testified. "Presumably, the rest of (her) organs burned away or were never found." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lori Vallow Daybell's dead son had GHB in his body when he died, doc testifies A surviving roommate of the Moscow, Idaho home where four people were killed in November 2022 has agreed to an interview with suspect Bryan Kohberger's defense counsel, according to a court filing. Kohberger, a former criminology Ph.D. candidate at Washington State University, is accused of entering a home near the University of Idaho campus on Nov. 13 at around 4 a.m. and stabbing four people inside. Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both 21, along with Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, both 20, were killed. According to a police affidavit, one of the two survivors in the house heard a commotion and saw a masked man leave the house through a rear sliding door. The second roommate, who lives in Nevada, was named in a Washoe County court filing on Monday. According to the court filing made by Richard Bitonti, an investigator working for Kohberger's court-appointed attorney Anne Taylor, the second roommate allegedly heard or saw things that might clear the suspect. IDAHO STUDENT MURDERS: BRYAN KOHBERGER DEFENSE CLAIMS SURVIVING ROOMMATE HAS 'EXCULPATORY' EVIDENCE Bryan Kohberger enters a courtroom in Moscow, Idaho January 12, 2023 for a status hearing. The accused murderer waived his right to a quick preliminary hearing and will appear in court again on June 26. In a Wednesday court filing, the law firm representing the roommate in Nevada said that she has agreed to an interview with Kohberger's defense counsel in Reno, Nevada, instead of being forced into appearing in Idaho. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP The roommate's lawyer and Kohberger's defense counsel both asked in the filing for the initial subpoena to be dismissed. The initial subpoena demanded the roommates' appearance at a preliminary hearing on June 28. It also warns that she could face a $500 fine or 25 days in jail if she doesn't comply. IDAHO MURDER SUSPECT BRYAN KOHBERGER'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS DISCLOSURE UNLIKELY TIED TO STUDENT STABBINGS: EXPERTS Front view of the house where four Idaho students were killed in November 2022. It is just steps away from the University of Idaho campus. "During the course of my investigation, it became known to me that [she] has information material to the charges against Mr. Kohberger," Bitonti wrote in the affidavit in support of the subpoena. Story continues Some of the information, Bitonti contends, "is exculpatory to the defendant." IDAHO MURDERS: BRYAN KOHBERGER LEAKS HUGE ISSUE WITH POTENTIAL TO COMPROMISE PROSECUTION, LAWYER WARNS Bryan Kohberger, with small cuts visible on his face, listens during a status hearing in Moscow, Idaho January 12. The accused murderer waived his right to a quick preliminary hearing and will appear in court again on June 26. Kelli Anne Viloria, the lawyer representing the second roommate in Nevada, initially argued that the Idaho subpoena wasn't properly filed and said that "there is no authority for an Idaho criminal defendant to summon a Nevada witness to Idaho for preliminary hearing." Bryan Kohberger arrives at Monroe County Courthouse in Pennsylvania in advance of highly anticipated extradition hearing. He's charged with the murders of four University of Idaho students. "There is also no authority for an Idaho criminal defendant to summon a Nevada witness to an Idaho matter without a hearing and there is no authority to summon a Nevada witness to an Idaho matter without a Nevada judge making a finding of materiality, necessity and the lack of undue hardship," she wrote. Fox News' Michael Ruiz contributed to this report. Dozens of nonprofits and school districts have to give the Idaho attorney generals office records related to federal child care grants they received, a court ruled Thursday. Attorney General Raul Labrador is investigating whether Community Partner Grants federal COVID-19 relief funds directed to youth centers, school districts and counseling services for child care were distributed in violation of the Idaho Legislatures mandates. The grants, disbursed by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, were meant to address learning losses related to the pandemic. Last month, the attorney generals office served dozens of grant recipients with investigative demands seeking a slew of information related to the grants. Many of the recipients filed a complaint that asked Ada Countys 4th Judicial District to intervene, calling the attorney generals demands and 20-day deadline unreasonable. 4th District Judge Lynn Norton ruled Thursday that the groups must supply records related to the grant by May 17. Norton denied requests for relief from 15 groups, including five branches of the United Way and five school districts. The groups failed to show they should be relieved from responding to the demands, the judges decision said. The ruling affirmed the attorney generals authority to issue investigative demands to collect information about the grants. This is a simple power the Office of the Attorney General has, to issue (civil investigative demands) in cases where we think that there might have been some malfeasance or something that may have happened wrong, Labrador told the Idaho Statesman. The court clearly stated that the attorney generals office has this authority. Nonprofit leader disappointed in decision The court partially granted relief to 19 organizations, including four school districts, after the attorney generals office failed to show sufficient evidence that they may have violated the law. However, the court said the attorney generals office can draft new requests asking the organizations to hand over information they were required to keep as part of the grant program, including grant applications, receipts, invoices, staff payroll information and other information directly related to the grants. Story continues Lincoln Davis Wilson, chief of Labradors Civil and Constitutional Defense Division, who litigated the case, said the courts decision narrowing the information that the attorney generals office could demand wont hinder its investigation. They are, in my view, substantially the materials that we were looking to get to begin with, Wilson told the Statesman. Katie Francis, a board member for grant recipient Idaho Resilience Project, which helps children work through trauma, told the Statesman by phone that her organization is pretty disappointed overall that there wasnt a better outcome. Idaho Resilience Project was one of the 19 organizations that will only be required to provide grant-related information if the attorney generals office drafts new civil investigative demands. Francis said Idaho Resilience project will move forward with its mission. We want our time and our energy to be focused on doing the work with our kids and our community, she said. The Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children is part of Labradors investigation, and its executive director, Beth Oppenheimer, also received a civil investigative demand from the attorney generals office. Oppenheimer previously told the Statesman she would need to hire a forensic information technology expert to fulfill the civil investigative demands, which sought information that included personal emails, social media posts and charitable donation records from current and past employees. Norton said the attorney generals office will need to file civil investigative demands on individual employees to obtain that information. The Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children must only search its servers and computers belonging to employees for the information requested in the civil investigative demand. Oppenheimer told the Statesman her organization is still navigating the decision but appreciates Norton narrowing the scope of the investigative demands. I think this whole case is unfortunate, Oppenheimer said. At the end of the day, were just trying to help some kids and families, and its unfortunate there are those in this state who make that difficult. Why Labrador is investigating grant funds When legislators approved the $72 million in federal funds in 2021 and 2022, they wrote in legislation that the funds shall be used for serving school-aged participants 5 to 13 years old, as allowable by federal guidelines. Federal guidelines included children 13 or younger. The Department of Health and Welfare advertised the grants as eligible for programs that serve Idaho children ages 5-13. The guidelines also noted that its allowable to serve other ages of children within the program, but you must at least serve children in this age range and funding may not be used for children over 13. Some grant recipients used funding for programs that includes students younger than 5. The recipients said in their complaint that they were unaware of any misuse of the funds, arguing that they used the federal money on programs they described in their applications. In the Thursday decision, Norton said the attorney general could still believe individuals are about to engage in unlawful acts, even if they deny knowledge of wrongdoing. Were going to do what the Legislature asked us to do, Labrador told the Statesman, figure out how it was that these groups and organizations and agencies did not follow the law as was dictated by the Legislature. Legislation that would tighten anti-bullying protocols in Illinois schools will head to the full state Senate after unanimously passing out of committee this week. House Bill 3425 particularly targets cyberbullying, requiring that schools make diligent efforts to notify the parents or guardians of students involved in a bullying incident within 24 hours of the administration being made aware of it. The measure passed the House 78-25 on March 24. Cyberbullying cases are not necessarily relegated to the schoolyard, theyre not relegated to the confines of your school, Rep. Margaret Croke, the lead House sponsor on the bill, said in an interview. So you could have a child whos just receiving messages constantly, incessantly, from the time they wake up to the time they go to bed and theres no break. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, suicide is the third leading cause of death among Illinoisans between the ages of 10 and 19. Children who experience some type of violence such as being bullied or feeling unsafe at school are five times more likely to attempt suicide than those who dont. I think the suicide rate and cyberbullying and bullying really needs to be connected, Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, a Democrat from Chicago and the Senate sponsor on the bill, said in committee. There should be a sense of urgency and a handoff of notification immediately or within 24 hours. Opponents raised concerns that a 24-hour notification policy creates an unnecessary burden for school administrators. We all monitor our emails and our voicemails at all times, even if were not on the clock, Alison Maley, government and public relations director at the Illinois Principals Association, said. We are concerned about what that would mean for an administrator if they happen to see an email at four oclock on a Saturday. If they are out of town, if theyre on vacation. According to Khadine Bennett, director of advocacy and intergovernmental affairs with ACLU of Illinois, school districts would be able to develop their own policy around notification. This could include who within the school administration would be responsible for notifying a parent or guardian and what the process would be if the administration becomes aware of an incident during break. Story continues On top of the 24-hour notification policy, the bill expands the definition of bullying from the original law to include physical appearance, socioeconomic status, academic status, pregnancy, parenting status and homelessness. The Illinois State Board of Education would also have to create and share a template for model bullying prevention policy by Jan. 1, 2024. Additionally, ISBE would collect data regarding bullying allegations within school districts, charter schools and private elementary or secondary schools, although this would not apply to religious schools. The data may then be available to parents or guardians of children enrolled at these schools if requested. Croke said the data collection would help form a better understanding of the types of incidents that occur over a six-year period. Schools would be required to share data beginning in the 2024-2025 school year and ending in the 2030-2031 school year. We want to know how many bullying incidents are occurring at the schools and what type of bullying incidents, Croke said. Are they mainly cyberbullying? Are they mainly children who are LGBTQ? Are they mainly for children of a certain background or socioeconomic status? The measure also creates the Illinois Bullying and Cyberbullying Prevention Fund. The fund, subject to appropriation, would allow the State Superintendent of Education to provide a grant to a school district or school to support its anti-bullying programming. Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of newspapers, radio and TV stations statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association. Charlie Sperring - ITV Im a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! spoilers follow. Tonight's (April 26) instalment of I'm a Celebrity: South Africa saw new contestant Georgia 'Toff' Toffolo forced to banish one of her new campmates in a surprise trial twist. Toff was joined by fellow All-Stars Andy Whyment and Myleene Klass as the trio set out on their South African journey together, arriving at temporary camp and ultrabasic camp Savannah Scrub. It wasn't long before the newcomers learnt that they'd each have to earn their place in camp, with the decision down to their fellow campmates. The group selected Toff to join the camp following a tense debate and a game of rock, paper, scissors in order to decide. Charlie Sperring - ITV Related: I'm a Celebrity's Gillian McKeith explains the reasons behind her braids Arriving at the trial clearing, Toff found herself forced to crawl through various creatures in a dingy underground space for the 'Dreaded Drain' trial. "I'm really freaking out, its really claustrophobic down here," she told hosts Ant and Dec, adding that remaining calm was easier said than done when under pressure. Despite having to deal with snakes, rats and enclosed spaces, Toff was able to collect an impressive eight stars for the main camp, giving her a strong start to the series. "I'm really impressed... guys I'm so happy," she said. Charlie Sperring - ITV Related: I'm a Celeb star on upcoming "hell" all-star show However, there was still another twist left to come. Ant and Dec revealed that in order to join the main camp, Toff would have to choose someone to send to Savannah Scrub in her place and the Made in Chelsea star was forbidden from discussing the decision with anyone. "I've got to bin someone off to the other camp, but who on earth do I bump off?" Toff reflected after meeting her new campmates. With the result set to be revealed tomorrow, Toff's decision means that one unlucky contestant will be left swapping the luxuries of the main camp for eating rice and beans. Story continues I'm a Celebrity South Africa airs on Mondays-Fridays at 9pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX. You Might Also Like An image of a traditional Turkish beehive house has been shared hundreds of times in social media posts that falsely claim it shows a house that was once inhabited by the Prophet Mohammed's daughter, Fatima. However, the Christian minister who took the picture told AFP it shows a house in a southern Turkish town, where experts said there is no historical record of the prophet or his daughter ever having lived or visited. The photo was shared here on Facebook on April 12, 2023 alongside a Bengali-language caption that translates as: "The house of Fatima, the beloved daughter of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) and the leader of women in heaven." The image also has a text overlay that reads: "House of Mother Fatima, say Ameen if you see it for the first time." A screengrab of the misleading post. Qadaruddin SHISHIR According to historical records, the Prophet Mohammed was born in 570 AD in the holy city of Mecca, part of modern-day Saudi Arabia (archived link). His only daughter Fatima is revered by Muslims as the "leader of women in heaven" (archived link). The photo has been also shared here and here with a similar claim. However, the photo was taken in Turkey, and experts said there is no historical evidence that the prophet or his daughter ever lived or visited the country. Turkish beehive house Reverse image and keyword searches in Google found a flipped and larger version of the photo on the website of the Church of Christ in Zion in the United States (archived link). David Padfield, a minister at the church, told AFP he took the photo in Haran -- a town in southern Turkey -- in 2007. "It is an area associated with Abraham in both the Christian Bible and the Koran," he said. Below is a screenshot comparison of the photo in the misleading Facebook posts flipped by AFP (left) and the photo posted on the church's website (right): A screenshot comparison of the photo in the misleading Facebook posts flipped by AFP (left) and the photo posted on the church's website (right) Padfield published multiple other photos from the same town on his website (archived link), some of which show other angles of the same group of traditional houses. Story continues Scholars in Islamic studies told AFP there is no evidence that the prophet or his daughter visited or resided in Turkey. Abdul Kalam Azad, a professor of Islamic History and Culture at Dhaka University, said: "There are no historical records of the Prophet Mohammed or his daughter's physical presence or them having any residence in Turkey." Ataur Rahman Miazi, vice chancellor of America Bangladesh University and a scholar of Islamic history, also told AFP that there is no credible record of the Prophet Mohammed or his daughter visiting Turkey. "I did not come across anything like this in my life from any credible sources." (Bloomberg) -- Indian banks have stayed resilient and bad loans have fallen substantially, according to Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das. Most Read from Bloomberg The gross non-performing assets ratio of banks have fallen to 4.41% at end-2022, Das said Thursday at a conference on global financial resilience. This is the lowest since March 2015 and compares with 5.8% in end-March 2022 and 7.3% as of March 31, 2021. The capital adequacy ratio of banks stood at 16.1% at the end of December, well above the regulatory requirement. Macro stress test for credit risk imply that Indian banks would be able to comply with the minimum capital requirement even under severe stress situation, Das added in the web-streamed address. Indian banks have remained resilient and not been affected by the recent sparks of financial instability seen in some advanced economies. Nevertheless, the recent banking crises in US and Europe suggest that risks could crop up in banks even when they are considered relatively stable, the central bank chief said. Hence, we expect the management and the board of directors of each bank to continually assess the financial risk and focus on building up adequate risk and capital buffers even beyond the minimum regulatory requirement. The RBI is now focusing more on business models adapted by banks, Das said. Banking liquidity is monitored very closely by the central bank and while it does not interfere in banks businesses, the regulator expects prompt remedial actions whenever it points out loopholes that need fixing. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. (This story has been corrected to say that recall was by Taipei's health department, not Taiwan, in paragraphs 1, 2 and the headline) JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's food regulator on Thursday said a popular product from one of the world's biggest instant noodle brands was safe for consumption in the country, despite its recall in Malaysia and in Taiwan's capital over concerns about a possible carcinogenic ingredient. The Taipei city health department on Monday recalled "special chicken" flavour Indomie, a popular Indonesian instant noodle variety produced by Indofood CBP's, saying traces had been found of the carcinogenic ethylene oxide, which can elevate cancer risks. Malaysia on Wednesday ordered checks on the same product at all entry points and asked Indofood to recall it. But Indonesia's food and drugs agency (BPOM) said the product available in Indonesia was safe for consumption as it met its safety standards. It urged Indofood CBP to ensure its products did not contain high levels of ethylene oxide. Earlier, Indonesia's consumer watchdog and a senior lawmaker on the parliamentary health committee urged BPOM to examine the product. Indofood CBP, a packaged food producing unit of Indofood Sukses Makmur, has more than 20 production facilities globally and its noodles are available in more than 100 countries. Overseas sales last year of Indofood CBP products, which also include dairy items and snacks, contributed to 29% of its total sales of 64.8 trillion rupiah ($4.41 billion), the company said. Indofood CBP declined to comment on Thursday, while its parent did not respond to request for comment. Indofood was earlier quoted by local media as saying the product abided by regulator standards, both locally and in importing countries. Budi Santoso, an Indonesian trade ministry official, told reporters that Indomie in Indonesia was safe and that Taiwan's regulations "are very sensitive, different with us." Story continues Ethylene oxide is a toxic, colourless, odourless gas mainly used to sterilise medical equipment and spices. Alendra Sakitama Ramadhan, 19, a resident of the capital Jakarta, described news of recalls of Indomie as "terrifying". "I hope the reports aren't true. Because many Indonesians are Indomie lovers," he said. ($1 = 14,705.0000 rupiah) (Reporting by Stanley Widianto, Stefanno Sulaiman, Bernadette Christina and Zahra Matarani in Jakarta, Mei Mei Chu in Kuala Lumpur and Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Editing by Martin Petty) Corrado Zunino, a journalist for Italian media outlet La Repubblica who was injured while working in Kherson Oblast, ignored the warnings of Ukrainian troops. Source: Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security (CSCIS) Quote: "Zunino failed to inform the responsible press officers that he was working in the city of Kherson. While in Kherson, he ignored the warnings of Ukrainian soldiers about the danger and their shouts [in English] of Danger, sir!" Details: Zunino and his assistant, Ukrainian journalist Bohdan Bitik, were the victims of an ambush, most likely by Russian snipers. Zunino also broke the safety rules for journalists working in an area of combat action. As the group leader, he was obliged to make sure not only that the members of his group wore vests labelled PRESS, but that the vests were bulletproof. Background: On 26 April, it was reported that Corrado Zunino, a correspondent for La Repubblica, had been injured at the entrance to the city of Kherson after the vehicle he was travelling in with his fixer was attacked by Russian forces. Later it was revealed that Bohdan Bitik, a Ukrainian fixer for La Repubblica who worked with Zunino, died in the Russian attack. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! A batch of artillery rounds at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Pennsylvania, destined for Ukraine. Credit - Vincent Tullo for TIME Squinting at his computer screen through wire-rimmed glasses, Greg Hartl monitors an unmarked 18-wheeler as it cuts through the American heartland. Data from the trucks satellite tracking devices stream into his windowless command center at Scott Air Force Base, about 20 miles east of St. Louis, showing Hartl each stop the driver makes and the weather and road conditions ahead. Most important, as the driver navigates rush-hour traffic and stretches of interstate alongside unknowing travelers, Hartl can track the condition of the volatile cargo: hundreds of high-explosive 155-mm artillery shells bound for Ukraine. The race to supply Ukraine with the weapons it needs to win the war against Russia unfolds on Hartls glowing screen at U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) headquarters. As a branch chief with the Armys Defense Transportation Tracking System, he watches each day as scores of trucks crisscross American highways, hauling antitank missiles, rocket launchers, air-defense systems, and artillery shells to air and naval bases. If a truck deviates from its route, or a bathroom break runs suspiciously long, Hartl is notified within seconds. We have all sorts of alerts built in for high-risk shipments, he says, stroking a graying, chest-length beard. If theyre stationary for too long, well get an alert. If the trailers become untethered, well get an alert. If the trailer door opens, and its not supposed to, well get an alert. Nothing quite like this ever has taken place before. For the first time, a country thats outmanned and outgunned by a much larger invading foe is being openly armed and trained almost entirely by its allies. The Pentagon says the Ukraine supply mission is the largest authorized transfer of arms in history from the U.S. military to a foreign nation. More than 1,400 trucks, 230 planes, and 11 cargo ships ferried arms to Ukraine in the first four months of this year alone. Story continues Brig Gen Gerald Donohue, Chief, Global Operations Center (U.S. Transportation Command) Lyndon French for TIME To understand how the U.S. and its allies are delivering this arsenal, TIME spent months speaking with dozens of people in the U.S. and Europe involved in planning, manufacturing, and distributing military aid for Ukraine. Those conversations, as well as visits to three states and three countries to observe different elements of the effort, revealed an operation that has overcome many of the challenges posed by supply-chain issues, diminished manufacturing capabilities, and international logistics to get Ukraine what it needs. But it remains an open question whether the mission can be executed quickly enough to ensure success on the battlefield. Drawn-out decisionmaking processes in Washington and European capitals have slowed supplies. U.S. intelligence assessments released among the hundreds of classified documents leaked in April describe alarming shortcomings in Ukraines weapon stockpiles. Interceptors for some air-defense systems are due to run out by May, while the Ukrainian armys position in the besieged eastern city of Bakhmut was deemed catastrophic amid Russian artillery bombardment. The disclosures confirm much of what President Volodymyr Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials have said for more than a year: their forces need more of everything, and fast. The price tag for delivering it is staggeringly high. U.S. taxpayers have spent $35.4 billion on security aid for Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, 2022more than $3 million per hour. Some Republicans are asking how long that spending can continue. Strategic costs cant be ignored, either. U.S. supply missions to the Pacific, the Middle East, or other parts of the globe are sometimes rescheduled because of the priority given to Ukraine, the military admits. Whats challenging right now is just the volume of requirements, including the surge of requirements in Ukraine, says Major General Laura Lenderman, director of TRANSCOMs operations. Well sustain the effort. But there is risk. More from TIME The supply mission is now at a critical moment. After blunting a Russian push over the winter, the Ukrainian military is on the cusp of launching a counteroffensive against occupying forces. The American-made arsenal must reach the Ukrainians hands well in advance. If Ukraine can reclaim Russian-held territory, then its army could try to sever Russias land bridge to Crimea, setting optimal conditions for cease-fire negotiations. But if the counteroffensive sputters, opposition to indefinitely supporting the Ukrainians could intensify. The Biden Administration believes what happens in the coming months could shape the outcome of the war, and potentially the future of Europe itself. Inside TRANSCOMs Global Operations Center, six large flat screens display real-time information and maps showing the status of the days deliveries. It has the air of an immense theater with contractors, civilian analysts, and uniformed service members seated in rows. Information funneling nonstop into the encrypted computer network emerges as flowcharts, logistics models, and statistics for leaders to scrutinize. Decisions made in this room often have a domino effect on supply movements across the world. Each evaluation depends on a range of information: inventories, supply systems, dates of deliveries, and consumption rates. The U.S. has deep and wide-ranging knowledge about the state of Ukraines military through daily information sharing. An internal Defense Department application, dubbed ADVANA, contains algorithms that map out logistics and calculate munitions rates, so the U.S. and allies can stay ahead of Ukraines needs. And among the most pressing issues throughout the war has been artillery supplies. The U.S. spent the past two decades fighting wars with weapons enabled via information-age technologysatellites, sensors, and computer chips. The conflict in Ukraine more closely resembles the grinding trench warfare along the western front in World War I. It is fought largely in artillery duels, each side pounding the other with shells over long distances. Ukrainian artillery units face a deep disadvantage as the number of 152-mm shells for its aging Soviet-era artillery pieces has dwindled. The U.S. and European allies have provided Ukraine with newer 155-mm guns and shells, but it still isnt enough. The Ukrainians have so few artillery shells that theyre rationing them, according to a letter Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov wrote to European Union members in March. Reznikovs forces fire around 3,000 rounds a day, he said, while the Russians fire four times as many. GEN Jacqueline Van Ovost, Commander, U.S. Transportation Command Headquarters Lyndon French for TIME Even so, Kyivs artillery consumption rate far outstrips American manufacturing capacity. The U.S. military has raided existing artillery stocks in Germany, South Korea, and Israel to keep up with Ukrainian demand. In all, the Biden Administration has already sent more than 1 million of the shells to Ukraine. Were about at the end of our stock of what we can send, a senior U.S. defense official tells TIME. Allies in Europe have leaped to Ukraines defense as well. Two weeks after Reznikovs letter, the E.U. announced a $2 billion deal to loot its own arsenals and send 1 million artillery shells over the next 12 months. At the same time, the U.S. is revitalizing Cold Warera industrial facilities to produce weapons. We havent seen production numbers like this in decades, says Mark Cancian, a retired Marine colonel whos now a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Changes like this have long-lasting effects. Biden has invoked authorities under the Defense Production Act four times to mobilize U.S. private-production capacity for ammunition, missiles, and drones, while $2 billion is being set aside to help expand and modernize manufacturing facilities. Read More: Inside the U.S. Army Plant Making Shells For Ukraine. The Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Pennsylvania finds itself at the center of this transformation. The Army acquired the facility in 1951 after it had been abandoned for several years, and converted it to manufacture artillery shells during the Korean War. Back then, the U.S. had 86 military ammunition plants as part of an industrial mobilization designed to meet wartime needs. Now it has just five. Roughly 300 employees work around the clock, five days a week, across the 15-acre complex of red brick buildings, where steam locomotives were repaired a century ago. I AM A BOMB TECHNICIAN, reads a black T-shirt on a machine operators chair. IF YOU SEE ME RUNNING TRY TO KEEP UP. Batches of artillery rounds destined for the Ukrainian battlefield twist their way down a serpentine production line, through house-size furnaces heated to 2,000F and industrial machinery that bends, stretches, and shapes the red-hot steel. Dont touch it, warns Richard Hansen, who oversees manufacturing operations at the Scranton plant. It wont just burn your hand. It will take it offbone and everything. Inundated by demand, the Pentagon doubled its production rate for 155-mm howitzer shells over the past year, from around 14,000 per month to 24,000 by year-end. It plans to hit 85,000 by 2028. Speed is key, Hansen says. Transforming a steel rod into an artillery shell takes about three days. But in peacetime, it could take several weeks before theyre loaded onto pallets and driven 10 hours away on a big rig to a plant in Iowa, where theyre filled with explosives and affixed with fusingeffectively converting them into oversize exploding bullets, ready to be fired from a howitzer. In the race to get arms to Ukraine in time for the counteroffensive, every minute counts. Before the Russian invasion, it took four months for an approved $60 million arms package to reach Ukraine because of the bureaucratic and logistic hurdles. Deliveries on a deal like that can now take just four weeks or less. To speed things up, Congress has relaxed constraints on how the Pentagon buys arms, while the U.S. military has come up with new ways to package and supply them. Simple alterations have gone a long way. Air Force personnel have rebuilt pallets to allow for more artillery rounds and rearranged howitzers to squeeze a few more inside a C-17s cargo hull, saving flights and time in the process. Workers at the ammunition plant have manufactured more than 28.8 million projectiles in the past six decades. Vincent Tullo for TIME For three weeks last spring, the military compelled trucking companies to prioritize artillery deliveries rather than hauling commercial goods to their destinations. It created safe havens at bases throughout the Midwest where truckers could drop their trailers loaded with consumer goods like televisions, sofas, and household cleaners in favor of those filled with artillery shells drawn from seven military depots around the country. At Delawares Dover Air Force Base, trucks were backed up for miles onto a nearby highway, waiting to be off-loaded. Local law enforcement had to guide commuter traffic around snarls of delivery trucks. Inside the base, troops work around the clock loading idling cargo planes. The cargo, stacked on pallets, bore stickers with a European destinationoften in Germany or Polandwhere its later off-loaded and driven to the Ukrainian border. Getting supplies to Ukraine wasnt always so challenging. For years, the U.S. flew weapons and equipment into Kyiv directly. But when the capital was besieged, and Russian missiles were falling across Ukraine, the military arranged to deliver arms through European allies. Within days, dozens of cargo planes were landing on airfields near the Ukrainian border, packed to the brim with weapons. The hulking, four-engine C-17 jets are the quickest way to get weapons to Ukraine, but theyre costly and take resources from other missions around the globe. So once the first set of deliveries was done, contractors took over. Since then, about two-thirds of TRANSCOMs 1,177 flights for Ukraine have been handled by seven commercial cargo carriers that fly into nearby European countries, at a total cost of around $600 million. For deliveries that arent as time-sensitive, the arms are sent on cargo ships for a two-week trip from East Coast military terminals to seaports across the European continent. Once in Europe, a whole new set of logistical challenges kick in as the U.S. arms-supply effort merges with those of scores of other countries. Arriving at airfields and seaports, freight is off-loaded and put on trains or trucks by local stevedores. Deliveries are vulnerable to weather delays, along with factors unrelated to the battlefield. In July, a German dockworkers strike impacted the handling of container and cargo vessels in ports. In March, train stations across Germany came to a standstill when tens of thousands of rail workers held a 24-hour walkout. Fortunately, I wasnt affected by it, says U.S. General Jacqueline Van Ovost, who at the time of the initial Russian invasion was barely four months into her role as TRANSCOM commander. Specific routes into Ukraine change often and are kept secret out of fear of Russian attack; Western officials say the main supply lines run through Slovakia, Romania, and Poland, requiring substantial coordination with allies. We need to make sure that its smooth, like a ballet, says Van Ovost. Using a so-called presidential drawdown authority, Biden can transfer weapons and equipment from U.S. stocks without congressional approval, which speeds deliveries. Van Ovost has embedded members of her command inside the Pentagon and European headquarters to anticipate what will be on the Presidents delivery list before its announced or signed. Now I know about four weeks out what theyre thinking, she says. Initially, I was about 12 hours out. Read More: Why NATO Is Giving Ukraine Air Defense, Not Fighter Jets. Coordinating the 54 nations in the Ukraine Defense Contact Group is its own challenge. The U.S. convenes a planning meeting every month or so to determine what weapons each country can provide. In November, the military set up a headquarters wholly dedicated to supporting Ukraine at Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. Theres a daily dialogue between the U.S. team and the Ukrainian team on the ground, says Laura Cooper, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russian, Ukrainian, and Eurasian affairs, who has emerged as a point person on the military-aid mission, working with a small team inside the Pentagon. An Airman checks the paperwork of pallets of ammunition, weapons and other equipment bound for Ukraine at a storage bunker at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware on Wednesday, October 12, 2022. The artillery ammunition cargo is bound for Ukraine via a commercial plane. Demetrius FreemanThe Washington Post/Getty Speaking to TIME on the sidelines of meetings between Defense Ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels in February, Cooper described the work of the 54-country military-supply effort. Atop her agenda: a priority list based on the Ukrainian forces battlefield needs and the potentially available weapons systems from the West. The top three items on the list were artillery, armor, and air defense. Under each of those was an itemized set of weapons that would meet Ukraines needs. We make sure that we are fielding [weapons] in time for the Ukrainians to make use of them on the battlefield in the coming months, Cooper says. Not every artillery shell from foreign stocks will be used on the battlefield in Ukraines coming counteroffensive. For months, Ukrainian forces have been firing them as part of their training for that assault. Russian forces hold some 20% of the country in the south and east, and have built three layers of defensive lines and antitank barriers running about 75 miles through eastern Zaporizhzhia province, British defense intelligence reported in April. Moscow expects a push on Melitopol, a key city thats vital to Russias land bridge and critical supply lines stretching from the occupied regions of Donbas and Crimea. The U.S. and its allies have played a central role in preparing Ukraines forces. About 4,600 Ukrainian soldiers have completed combat training, including two brigades equipped with American-made Bradley and Stryker vehicles. Ukrainian crews are in Germany learning to operate donated Leopard 2 tanks, and in Britain training on donated Challenger tanks. Ukraine has nine brigades made up of thousands of troops outfitted with new Western equipment, including 200 tanks, 152 artillery pieces, and 867 armored personnel carriers and fighting vehicles, according to one U.S. military assessment leaked online. All this hardware requires new tactics for Ukraine, which has followed Soviet-style sequential operationsbarraging the enemy with artillery fire, then proceeding with a ground advance. Read More: What To Expect From Ukraines Counteroffensive. The new units are being trained in combined-arms techniques that synchronize artillery, armor, and infantry movements. Western artillery, rockets, missiles, drones, and other aid proved decisive in Kyivs prior counteroffensive last August, when Russian forces were pushed from the northeastern Kharkiv region and parts of Kherson in the south. The achievement raised hopes that perhaps the Ukrainians could defeat the Russians altogether. In the months since, however, the conflict has devolved into a stalemate, with blood-soaked battles that yield casualties measured in the thousands. In February, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin walked among the new weapons and troops at Germanys sprawling Grafenwoehr base, the former site of Nazi training grounds, as the first class of 635 Ukrainian fighters drilled on artillery pieces and armored vehicles. The Ukrainians were two weeks into a five-week course, and Austin looked on as concussive, earth-shuddering blasts emanated from a M109 Paladin self-propelled howitzer. Ukrainian crewmen yanked olive-colored shells off the rack, loaded them into the firing chamber, and listened for the radio to crackle with another round of coordinates from a spotter miles away. Smoke billowed out of the barrel and drifted over the surrounding pine trees as the artillery shells whistled downrange toward the target area. With each shot, the blasts inched closer to the bulls-eye. The team fired again. Then again. In the days ahead, this arsenal and these hard-earned skills may prove decisive in the counteroffensive. And when that battle begins on the eastern front, the fate of more than Ukraine may hang in the balance.With reporting by Julia Zorthian Gov. Jay Inslee signed five new pieces of legislation into law on Thursday aimed at protecting reproductive health-care rights in the state of Washington. We are here to proclaim very vocally and very forcefully that we will not allow any state, or any Trump-appointed judge, to jeopardize a womans right of choice in the state of Washington, Inslee said. We know, when it comes to a womans freedom of choice, the Evergreen State is ever-vigilant in protecting this freedom right. Democratic Washington lawmakers announced early in the 2023 session that bills protecting reproductive and gender-affirming care would be one of the biggest priorities. Here are the bills signed Thursday: House Bill 1155: Sponsored by Rep. Vandana Slatter, D-Bellevue, and known as the My Health, My Data Act, this law allows consumers in Washington the ability to access, delete, and withdraw consent from the collection, sharing, or selling of their consumer health data. If violated, penalties of up to $7,500 can be handed down from the Washington Attorney General to any companies that break the law. Companies must now have consent to share or sell as well as collect the data. The law will go into effect on July 23. House Bill 1469: This law is aimed at preventing other states from interfering with their residents who seek reproductive or gender-affirming care in Washington. Washington courts and law enforcement agencies will be restricted from complying with warrants, subpoenas, extradition or other court orders pertaining to those seeking reproductive or gender-affirming care in the state. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Drew Hansen, D-Bainbridge Island, and went into effect immediately when Inslee signed the bill Thursday. Senate Bill 5242: This law will prohibit cost-sharing for abortions, and requires health plans that are renewed on or after Jan. 1, 2024 to provide coverage for the service. The legislation was sponsored by Sen. Annette Cleveland, D-Vancouver. Story continues Senate Bill 5768: In early April, the state purchased a 3-year supply 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. While a decision on that ruling is still making its way through federal courts, this legislation creates a mechanism for distributing those doses of mifepristone to private and public health-care providers for their patients. Sponsored by Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, the bill went into effect immediately after Inslee signed it Thursday. House Bill 1340: Under this piece of legislation, medical providers who offer reproductive and gender-affirming care in the state would be protected from disciplinary actions for providing care, even if a person from another state where the care is not allowed comes to Washington for treatment. The legislation was sponsored by Rep. Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane. Lawmakers also tried to pass legislation this year that would have codified reproductive rights in the state constitution, but that measure failed to clear the Legislature. The bill signing was done in Seattle, and the governor was joined by the state Attorney General Bob Ferguson and the lawmakers who sponsored the bills. Inslee also signed three new gun bills into law on Tuesday. Those bills include a ban on assault-style weapons in Washington, a mandatory 10-day waiting period on all firearms purchased in the state, and a legislation that will add more liability for gun manufacturers and dealers. The governor is next scheduled to sign bills on May 1. The governor has signed 188 bills from the 2023 legislative session into law so far. Here are some of the other bills that Inslee has signed: Advisory votes Signed last week, this law will eliminate non-binding advisory votes from Washington ballots. Advisory votes were created to gauge voter opinion on tax increases that already have passed the Legislature. Anti-tax activist Tim Eyman sponsored the initiative in 2007 that first required advisory votes to be placed on Washington ballots. The bill will go into effect on July 23. Death penalty written out of statute While the last execution by the state was in 2010 and the Washington Supreme Court ruled the practice unconstitutional in 2018, the death penalty had not been removed from state statute. The new law signed by Inslee last week removes any of the old language in statute related to the death penalty. Missing, Murdered Indigenous Women and People cold case unit Under this new legislation, a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People cold case unit is formed within the state AGs Office to help solve cases. Jurisdictions that do not have the funding to investigate such cases must be prioritized by the cold case unit. This legislation follows moves by lawmakers last year to establish the nations first MMIWP alert system for Washington state, similar to Amber Alerts. Safe staffing While attempts to get similar legislation passed last year were unsuccessful, the governor signed a bill last week that would require safe staffing in Washington hospitals. Under the bill signed into law, staffing committees will be established in hospitals by Jan. 1, 2024. Those staffing committees must be made up of 50% non-managerial nursing staff, and 50% hospital administration including the hospitals Chief Financial Officer. The staffing committee will be responsible for creating safe-staffing plans and submitting them to the Washington Department of Health by 2025. The legislation also requires more oversight from the Department of Labor & Industries and the DOH, which could issue corrective measures or penalties starting in 2027 if hospitals are less than 80% compliant with the safe-staffing plans. Commissary deductions Previously when incarcerated individuals received funds from family members or friends for their commissary, nearly 95% of that money could be taken by the DOC. This bill signed into law last week would change that, prohibiting DOC from taxing those commissary funds provided by outside sources. It also specifies that the money may be used only for commissary items. The bill passed the Senate unanimously, and had less support in the House with a 71-27 vote. The law will go into effect July 23. Robocalling Washingtonians received nearly 260 million scam robocalls in 2021, according to the AGs Office, and under this new law signed by the governor last week, Washington will be more aligned with federal laws in prohibiting robocallers from contacting people on the Do Not Call list. The law also gives the state AG the ability to enforce the prohibition in Washington courts. Victims compensation Passed unanimously by both chambers of the Legislature, this law signed last week would authorize more than 12 counseling sessions for immediate family members of homicide victims through the Crime Victims Compensation Program. Currently family members are only entitled to 12 sessions. The new law goes into effect on July 23. Wildfire mitigation This law signed last week would require the Department of Natural Resources and the Energy Resilience and Emergency Management Office to establish an electric utility wildfire mitigation plan. Each electric utility must be reviewed, and the plan revised and adopted by Oct. 31, 2024 and every three years after. Additionally, the Utility Wildland Fire Prevention Advisory Committee is directed to meet twice a year to develop recommendations for strengthening state agency coordination of wildland fire risk reduction, prevention, and suppression and provide updates on required tasks. St. Johns County has the No. 1 rated school district in the state, bringing thousands of families to Northeast Florida, but some parents say its not making the grade due to the number of fights and brawls at Fruit Cove Middle School. Action News Jax Ben Becker obtained a dozen videos from parents with children going to FCMS on Race Track Road in Julington Creek. The videos show fights inside the school and off the property as well. Action News Jax blurred the faces of the children to protect their privacy. I want to throw up, said FCMS parent Trish McNulty, whose daughter Brianna is a sixth grader at the school. McNulty said her child is a victim of bullying. She posted screenshots of social media messages that she said are from an eighth-grade boy. The messages contain vulgar language and even a threat. It reads, IK high schoolers thatll kill yo bf and u with one phone call. INVESTIGATES: New documents reveal former Douglas Anderson teacher had several complaints prior to recent arrest McNulty also sent Becker Ring doorbell video of the bullies approaching her front door to pick a fight. What made you reach out to me? asked Becker. You are the only person who has cared enough to reach back out and ask, What is going on here? when you saw my post, McNulty said. READ: Sources: DeSantis ally killed self amid JSO probe asking teen to undress for Taylor Swift tickets Becker took McNultys concerns to the St. Johns County School District and Paul Abbatinozzi, Senior Director for School Services. Would you send your kids to Fruit Cove? Becker asked. 100 percent, Abbatinozzi said. Action News Jax first reported last August that bullying incidents reported to the state by the district, including FCMS, increased from a total of 39 before the pandemic during the 2018/19 school year to 66 in the 2021/22 school year -- so is COVID to blame? [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Im seeing some normalization now that we are back, Abbatinozzi said. Story continues But the McNultys tell Becker a lot of the fights are happening off-campus including at nearby Plantation Park, so they are not reported by the school. According to the St. Johns County Sheriffs Office, since 2019 there have been 13 calls for service to the park for whats termed juvenile problems, but its unclear how many are tied to FCMS. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Im not going to stand here and say every day is perfect, but I will tell you we will address situations, Abbatinozzi said. As for McNulty, she has a message for the St. Johns County School District. To school administrators, Id say, Wake up and go find another job. Some FCMS parents plan to attend the school districts next board meeting on May 9th with the message, The fights have to stop. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. Iranian forces on Thursday seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker that was bound for Texas, according to the U.S. Navy. The Navys 5th Fleet said the oil tanker Advantage Sweet was seized by Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the Gulf of Oman, which lies between the Arabian Sea and the Strait of Hormuz. The American naval fleet said the merchant ship issued a distress call, and the U.S. is monitoring the situation. Irans actions are contrary to international law and disruptive to regional security and stability, the 5th Fleet said in a statement. The Iranian government should immediately release the oil tanker. It was not immediately clear why the IRGC seized the vessel, but the U.S. says Iran has seized five commercial vessels in the Middle East in the past two years. The Gulf of Oman lies in the backyard waters of Iran. Tensions between the U.S. and Iran have escalated after indirect talks over reviving a deal to halt Tehrans nuclear buildup have largely failed. Washington has also accused Iran of supplying explosive drones to Russia for use in the war against Ukraine. The U.S. deploys boats and forces in the Middle East region to protect oil tankers and other traffic. Lately, those deployments have also included unmanned vessels, or drone boats. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. BEIRUT (AP) Irans foreign minister said Thursday that Tehran wants Lebanon's rivals to reach an agreement to elect a new president in the crisis-hit country that has been without a head of state since October. Hossein Amirabdollahian made his comments during his first visit to Lebanon since Iran and Saudi Arabia reached an agreement in China last month to re-establish diplomatic relations and reopen embassies after seven years of tensions that had major repercussions in the tiny Mediterranean country. The agreement negotiated with China lowers the chance of armed conflict between the Mideast rivals both directly and in proxy conflicts around the region. The effects of the agreement include eased tensions and an exchange of prisoners between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Iran-backed rebels, as well as improved relations between Saudi Arabia and Syrian President Bashar Assad. Lebanese groups are deeply divided between an Iran-backed coalition led by the powerful Hezbollah group and a Western and Saudi-backed alliance. The deep divisions in Lebanon have left the country without a president since the term of President Michel Aoun ended in late October. Speaking during a joint news conference with Amirabdollahian, Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bouhabib told reporters, I am optimistic that every regional agreement and any deal between regional countries is good for Lebanon. The agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia is important for peace in the region, Bouhabib said. He did not elaborate. Amirabdollahian said Iran encourages all sides in Lebanon to speed up the elections process. We will back any election and any agreement that is reached between parties in Lebanon regarding the electing of a president, Amirabdollahian said before heading to a meeting with caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati. Hezbollahs ally Sleiman Frangieh and army commander Gen. Joseph Aoun, are the top candidates for president. Lebanons parliament held about a dozen sessions over the past months but failed to elect a head of state amid deep divisions. The largest Christian blocs in parliament have rejected the election of Frangieh and there have been reports in local media that Saudi Arabia is opposed to him becoming president. On Wednesday, Frangieh gave a long TV interview in which he said that if he is elected president, he will work for better relations between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. Frangieh also added that his close relations with Hezbollah and Assad could be used for the good of Lebanon. Fusion is the process that powers the Sun From the outside it looks like an ordinary warehouse. But inside this unassuming building, in Hod Hasharon central Israel, is one of the most ambitious energy projects in the Middle East, Researchers at NT-Tao have joined an elite group of around 35 private start-ups that are trying to build a commercial fusion reactor. Nuclear fusion is the reaction that powers our Sun and the other stars in the universe. It's the process of fusing two hydrogen atoms together which produces immense amounts of energy. If it can be harnessed here on Earth, then it promises abundant, cheap and emission-free electricity. Late last year researchers at the US National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California made a breakthrough. Scientists conducted the first controlled fusion experiment to produce more energy from the reaction than that supplied by the lasers which sparked it. Despite that success, there are still many challenges to overcome before a fusion reactor is producing electricity for your home. Researchers are using different approaches to overcome those hurdles. One way of achieving fusion is to heat hydrogen isotopes to hundreds of millions of degrees, until they become so energetic they break apart into a whirling state of matter called plasma. That plasma can then be contained by powerful magnetic fields - an approach known as magnetic confinement fusion. There are different ways to arrange the magnetic field. In a device known as a tokamak the plasma is confined by magnets that form a doughnut-like shape. In a stellarator the plasma is sent on a twisting path through the machine. At NT-Tao, the approach involves combining those two approaches, the tokamak and stellarator. "Without giving away our secret power, what we can say at this point is that NT-Tao is taking the best of existing tokamak technology and the best of existing stellarator technology," says chief executive Oded Gour-Lavie, who founded NT-Tao in 2016 with Boaz and Doron Weinfeld. Story continues "We are refining those technologies to make a new design that will operate at significantly higher plasma density, giving us the ability to generate a fusion reaction with a much smaller footprint than most of the other solutions under development," he adds. So NT-Tao is betting that by using denser plasma, its reactor core can be smaller and so can all the other engineering around it. The goal is for the company's Modular Fusion Reactor to be the size of a shipping container. That would be radically smaller than other fusion projects. For example, in the UK a government-backed prototype fusion plant is being planned for a site spanning 300 hectares (740 acres) that currently hosts a coal-fired power station. Oded Gour-Lavie hopes to build compact fusion reactors He sees NT-Tao reactors providing electricity in places that might not have access to the grid, powering desalination plants, mines, or charging electric cars. "The shipping containers can be stacked or manoeuvred to bring clean energy to any area that requires it," says Mr Gour-Lavie. Building any kind of working fusion reactor is incredibly challenging, but to make a compact version adds an extra layer of difficulty. Despite the magnitude of the hurdles, NT-Tao has attracted high-profile investors. Last year NT-Tao made headlines when Honda invested in the company - making Honda the first car company to invest in fusion energy. Including the funding from Honda, NT-Tao received over $28m (23m). Honda is betting that NT-Tao's plan for a relatively small reactor will allow it to build test reactors more quickly. "Honda has high expectations for the future of NT-Tao, a company with advanced fusion energy technology," said Shinji Aoyama, director and senior managing executive officer of Honda, in a press release in February. "Honda believes that fusion energy technology will be a breakthrough technology for affordable, stable, clean energy, and we envision this technology will become increasingly important as electrified vehicles become more popular," he said. Money has been flooding into fusion projects in recent years. A 2022 report by the Fusion Industry Association says fusion companies have declared over $4.7bn of private funding to date, plus an additional $117m in grants and other funding from governments. Some of the start-ups say they are confident they can get the power going by the end of the decade. But many remain cautious about the prospects for fusion technology. Fusion reactors will be much safer than current fission plants, says Arthur Turrell Arthur Turrell, author of The Star Builders: Nuclear Fusion and the Race to Power the Planet, says that existing nuclear power plants that split atoms in a process known as fission are the best bets for now. "Nuclear fission is currently the safest large-scale source of energy on the planet and competitive with the best renewables. You don't need much fuel, you don't need that many people to run it once it's built, and you only need a relatively small site. "Of course there have been rare meltdowns in reactors and it's understandable people are worried about that," he says, referring to disasters such as Fukushima and Chernobyl. The safety issue is one of the attractions of fusion technology. "It's really safe," says Mr Turrell. "There is no chance of a meltdown in nuclear fusion as it works in a completely different way. I have done a tour in a lot of these facilities and the worst thing people are worried about is falling off ladders." More technology of business: Bracha Halaf, the former chief scientist at the Israeli Ministry of Energy, is cautious. "There's still a long way to go, and numerous challenges in order to stabilise, control and configure the prototypes that can demonstrate a continuous small fusion reactor," she says. As you might expect, Andrew Holland, chief executive of the Fusion Industry Association, is more optimistic that someone will clear the hurdles to building a fusion power plant. "Fusion will change the world. It is the ultimate energy source. Not all companies will be successful in commercialising fusion, but the industry itself is both inevitable and game changing." MILAN (Reuters) - An Italian judge agreed on Thursday to drop a case in which a former adviser to League leader Matteo Salvini and two other people were being investigated for alleged illicit party funding from Russia, according to a court document. The League is part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing coalition government. Milan prosecutors had in January asked the judge to dismiss the case in a statement explaining that they had failed to gather sufficient evidence to pursue the investigation after Moscow failed to respond to requests for assistance submitted by the Italian judicial authority. In the court document reviewed by Reuters, the office of Milan judge Stefania Donadeo notified the lawyers of the three suspects that a decree of dismissal had been filed on Thursday. Salvini, who serves as both deputy prime minister and transport minister, welcomed the judge's decision on Twitter, saying he now expects an apology from many people and is preparing to sue others over the affair. The Milan prosecutor's office opened an investigation in 2019 alleging the crime of international bribery after media reports that Salvini's former adviser Gianluca Savoini had held talks in Moscow in October 2018 with Russian businessmen about a possible oil deal that would enable funds to be siphoned to the League. Savoini denied the allegations at the time and Salvini denied that his party received any money from Moscow. Salvini had been a strong supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin before last year's invasion of Ukraine. (Reporting by Emilio Parodi; Editing by Keith Weir) Ivanka Trump in Cleveland, on September 29, 2020. Scott Olson/Getty Images Ivanka Trump hired her own lawyer to represent her in an upcoming $250 million lawsuit, per Forbes. She ditched the attorneys representing her brothers, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. Ivanka has distanced herself from her family by declining to help her father's 2024 campaign. Ivanka Trump has distanced herself from her family, notably her brothers Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, by ditching their attorneys and hiring her own to represent her in an upcoming civil lawsuit, Forbes reported. Former President Donald Trump, his three eldest children, and the Trump Organization are named in a $250 million fraud civil lawsuit, in which New York Attorney General Letitia James is also seeking to permanently bar the Trumps from officiating or directing any businesses in New York. The Trumps, their real-estate company, and its top executives are accused of inflating the value of properties to secure cheaper loans. The defendants dispute the allegations. Shortly after the lawsuit was filed in September, the Trump brothers hired attorneys Clifford Robert and Michael Farina to represent them. The following month, Ivanka Trump also retained the attorneys to work alongside two Washington, DC, lawyers, Reid Figel and Michael Kellogg, whom she had hired separately, per Forbes. But last week, Kellogg and Figel withdrew from the case, and Ivanka Trump brought on Bennet Moskowitz, who formerly represented Jeffrey Epstein's estate, as her sole legal counsel, Forbes reported. Newsweek reported that while breaking off from a family's legal representation isn't unusual, as defendants might seek to have their own interests best represented, the timing is. Michael McAuliffe, a former federal prosecutor, told the news outlet that the lawsuit's discovery period is nearing an end, with the trial set to begin in October, which means that the evidence in the case is already "largely identified and developed." McAuliffe said that "it might well be that Ivanka Trump is looking ahead to the trial in the fall and wants a separate advocate who is free to point out the disparity in the evidence against the various defendants." Story continues He added: "A lawyer representing all or several of the defendants can't realistically or effectively make that argument." This isn't the first time the former president's eldest daughter has tried to distance herself from the family. She said in November 2022 that her time in politics was over and that she wouldn't help her father's 2024 presidential campaign. And she was noticeably absent from his campaign launch. Insider contacted Robert, Farina, Figel, Kellogg, Moskowitz, and the Trump Organization for comment but did not immediately receive responses. Read the original article on Business Insider A US airman suspected of leaking dozens of classified files had a history of making violent threats and researched mass shootings, prosecutors allege. Jack Teixeira wrote on social media that he wanted to kill a "ton of people" as a way of "culling the weak minded", according to a court filing. The 18-page document also claimed the 21-year-old kept a bazooka and other weapons close to his bed. On Thursday, prosecutors will argue he should remain in jail until his trial. Mr Teixeira will appear at the detention hearing in a Massachusetts federal court. His legal team have not commented on the case but are expected to argue he should not be detained. The filing from US justice department prosecutors on Wednesday outlined their case for keeping Mr Teixeira behind bars until his trial. It claims the IT specialist, who served in the 102nd Intelligence Support Squadron in Massachusetts, poses a threat to Americans and US national security. According to the prosecutors, he posted repeatedly about "troubling" violent acts including a potential mass shooting. He allegedly described building an "assassination van" and driving around shooting people in a "crowded urban or suburban environment". He also allegedly searched for multiple recent mass shootings on his government computer, including Uvalde and the Las Vegas shooting. The filing also said a search of Mr Teixeira's home had uncovered "a virtual arsenal of weapons, including bolt-action rifles, rifles, AR and AK-style weapons, and a bazooka". The defendant kept his gun locker with multiple weapons approximately two feet from his bed, according to the court filing. It added that he was suspended from high school when a classmate overheard him making threats and discussing Molotov cocktails as well as other weapons. He discussed violence and murder online and was prone to making "racial threats", prosecutors wrote. Story continues They also said that, after his arrest, the FBI found a tablet, a laptop and an Xbox gaming console at his home that had been smashed and placed in a dumpster. Prosecutors released a series of images showing weapons in Jack Teixeira's home Photo evidence collected during the investigation into U.S. Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira Investigators are still working to determine how Mr Teixeira allegedly leaked dozens of classified files. They are also investigating whether he kept any physical or digital copies. The documents, which first appeared in the online chat room Discord, included sensitive information about US allies and the war in Ukraine. The filing said he "may still have access to a trove of classified information" and poses a "serious flight risk" as hostile nations could potentially give him safe haven. "There simply is no condition or combination of conditions that can ensure the defendant will not further disclose additional information still in his knowledge or possession," prosecutors wrote. "The damage the defendant has already caused to the US national security is immense. The damage the defendant is still capable of causing is extraordinary." More US leaks coverage: Meanwhile, two commanders at Mr Teixeira's unit, the 102nd Intelligence Support Squadron in Massachusetts, have been put on leave pending an investigation. They have temporarily lost access to classified systems and information, the US Air Force said in a statement. Their names have not been released. The Air Force told the BBC's US news partner CBS that more members of Mr Teixeira's unit could face suspension or removal as the investigation into the leaked documents continued. The unit was relieved of its intelligence-gathering duties earlier this month. The leaked intelligence material first appeared in a Discord chat room, which Mr Teixeira is said to have helped administer. The documents were then shared outside the chat room by some of its members. The FBI earlier said Mr Teixeira held "top secret" security clearance since 2021, and that he would have "signed a lifetime binding non-disclosure agreement" to take on his role in the US Air Force. Mr Teixeira faces up to 25 years in prison over charges of unauthorised transmission of defence information. He is also charged with the unauthorised removal and retention of classified documents. Jack Teixeira's bedroom - Reuters The 21-year-old member of the US air force who was behind the Pentagon leaks expressed a desire to kill a ton of people and had Russian military pendants hanging on the wall of his camouflage-decorated bedroom, court documents have revealed. Jack Teixeira, a former Massachusetts Air National Guardsman, has been arrested on suspicion of leaking classified information when a trove of documents relating to US intelligence on the war in Ukraine and other international matters was discovered on Discord, an online social media platform especially popular among gamers. Court documents have revealed that Mr Teixeira regularly made comments about violence and murder, including stating that he would kill a [expletive] ton of people because it would be culling the weak minded. He faces 25 years in prison and potentially far more, according to the document from prosecutors appealing for his pre-trial detention. Mr Teixeira is considered a continued danger to national security, and the document expressed concern that hostile nation states could offer him safe harbour and facilitate his escape from the United States. The nature of the materials that the Defendant accessed, not all of which have publicly surfaced, have the capacity to cause additional, exceptionally grave damage to the US national security if disclosed, the document read. Part of the evidence submitted to the court are shocking photographs of Mr Teixeiras bedroom, which has camouflage wallpaper and netting draped across one wall. Mr Teixeira had pinned a pendant of the Russian armed forces to his noticeboard, and human silhouettes used as targets pierced with several bullet holes decorated the walls. Other photos of Mr Teixeira's home show miscellaneous objects including a model plane and another target practice poster - Jacobs, Garrett (USAMA) According to the document, the Defendant kept his gun locker approximately two feet from his bed which held multiple weapons, including handguns, bolt-action rifles, shotguns, an AK-style high-capacity weapon, and a gas mask. FBI agents also found ammunition and tactical pouches on his dresser and what appeared to be a silencer-style accessory in his desk drawer. Story continues The shocking revelations raise questions as to how Mr Teixeira was admitted into the Air Force and had obtained such high security clearance. Evidence obtained from a social media platform indicated that Mr Teixeira regularly made comments about violence and murder. In November 2022, the Defendant stated that if he had his way, he would kill a [expletive] ton of people because it would be culling the weak minded, the motion read. Another of Mr Teixeira's rooms - Jacobs, Garrett (USAMA) In February 2023, Mr Teixeira sought advice from another user about what type of rifle would be easy to operate from the back of an SUV. He describes how he would conduct the shooting in a crowded urban or suburban environment. In the same month, the Defendant told a user that he was tempted to make a specific type of minivan into an assassination van. Mr Teixeira applied for a Firearms Identification Card on three separate occasions, first in 2018 when he was still a teenager. However, he was denied due to the concerns of the local police department over the Defendants remarks at his high school. Army helmet and flak jacket - Department of Justice/Reuters The documents state that Mr Teixeira had been suspended from high school after a classmate overheard his remarks about weapons, including Molotov cocktails, guns at the school and racial threats. When questioned, he said that the comments were a reference to a video game. Two officers in command of the former guardsman have been temporarily suspended and had their access to classified systems and information temporarily suspended, a spokesman for the US Air Force told Fox News on Wednesday. The detachment commander overseeing administrative support for the airmen at the unit was also suspended. Commanders are taking appropriate action as information becomes available. All suspensions are temporary pending further investigation, said Ann Stefanek, of the US Air Force. Jack Douglas Teixeira, a U.S. Air Force National Guard airman accused of leaking highly classified military intelligence records online, appears wearing an orange jumpsuit US prosecutors have argued that releasing an airman suspected of leaking classified files would pose a "threat" to national security. Jack Teixeira, 21, appeared in a Massachusetts federal court for a pretrial detention hearing on Thursday. The judge said he needed more time to make a ruling on whether Mr Teixeira would be released on bail. The airman is charged with unauthorised transmission and retention of defence materials. He has been in custody since his arrest on 14 April. Speaking before Judge David Hennessy on Thursday, prosecutors said the IT specialist, who served in the 102nd Intelligence Support Squadron in Massachusetts, would pose a "grave threat to the US national security" if he were to be released from custody pending his trial. According to the prosecutors, he has a history of making violent threats and researching mass shootings and they allege he kept a cache of weapons in his home. Prosecutors argued they feared he would attempt to flee or obstruct justice if he was released. "He had constantly and consistently put himself before all else," they said. Mr Teixeira's defence lawyer responded that Judge Hennessy should allow him to be released with restrictions, staying in his home in the presence of either relatives, Air Force personnel, or attorneys. He denied his client posed a serious flight risk, and said suggestions by prosecutors that foreign adversaries would seek to take advantage of Mr Teixeira's release are rooted in "speculation". "He remains a 21-year-old kid living in the only community he has known his whole life," said Brendan Kelley. The judge challenged that statement, saying he was not sure that the government's concern "is entirely imaginative". "Information about the Russia-Ukraine war is extremely relevant, and perhaps valuable It sounds like a legitimate concern," he said. Investigators are still working to determine how Mr Teixeira allegedly leaked dozens of classified files. The documents, which first appeared on Discord, included sensitive information about US allies and the war in Ukraine. Story continues The defence also argued that Mr Teixeira did not intend for classified documents to be distributed beyond the small Discord chat room where he first shared the files - an argument that Judge Hennessey met with skepticism. "Somebody under the age of 30 has no idea that when they put something on the internet that it could end up anywhere in this world?" he asked. "Seriously?" Both of Mr Teixeira's parents were present at the hearing. His mother sat in the front row and broke out in tears as her son walked in wearing orange prison garb, according to reporters inside the courtroom. US justice department court filings released on Wednesday alleged that Mr Teixeira had a troubling history, including a suspension from high school for making violent threats and a social media post where he wrote that he wanted to kill a "ton of people". The government filing alleged Mr Teixeira kept an "arsenal" of weapons, including a bazooka and other firearms close to his bed. His defence lawyer said on Thursday that some of the firearms photographed by investigators were airsoft guns - replica guns that shoot small plastic rounds - and argued that Mr Teixiera would not have access to weapons if he were released. Judge Hennessy declined to say when he would release his decision. Bam Margera turned himself in to the police and surrendered to charges of assault and harassment following an altercation at his Pennsylvania residence. The Jackass star, stunt performer, and professional skateboarder, whose full name is Brandon "Bam" Margera, attended a preliminary arraignment Thursday morning to face charges of simple assault, terroristic threats with intent to terrorize another, and harassment after he allegedly attacked his brother, Jesse Margera, and threatened to kill his family. His bail is set at $50,000 unsecured, and Margera is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on May 25 at the Chester County Court of Common Pleas, Chester County authorities confirmed. Margera's attorneys declined to comment to EW on the charges. Bam Margera in 2010 Francois Durand/Getty Images Bam Margera in 2010 Police were dispatched to Margera's residence on April 23 for a physical altercation between the brothers. Jesse Margera alleged that he awoke at 8 a.m. to Bam Margera "banging and kicking his locked bedroom door," per the criminal complaint reviewed by EW. When he opened the door, Jesse said he found a handwritten note that read, "If you even f---ing think of calling the police on me I will officially f--- you up." Jesse said that he later went to the kitchen and found Bam "urinating in the sink." Bam began "screaming at him" and became aggressive, according to the complaint. He then allegedly punched Jesse in his right eye, nose, and left ear. When the quarrel ended, Bam allegedly stated that he would "kill" and "put a bullet in" Jesse's head. He also allegedly threatened to kill his family in the residence. Police issued a warrant for Bam's arrest after he allegedly fled to a wooded area nearby following the incident. Margera, who has been vocal about his longtime struggles with addiction and substance abuse, was arrested in March on suspicion of domestic violence in San Diego, and again that same month for public intoxication in Burbank. He also made headlines when he sued his Jackass costars in 2021 for wrongful termination from Jackass Forever, but he dropped the lawsuit after reaching a settlement last year. Story continues Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite...stars, and more. Related content: An investigator gestures at the remnants of a burned out house near Conway, Mississippi, where Dylan Arrington is believed to have died (AP) Four inmates escaped from the Raymond Detention Center over the weekend, with guards only discovering the prisoners were missing during a Sunday headcount. One of the escaped fugitives died in a house fire after killing a Good Samaritan pastor and wounding a police officer after a Mississippi jailbreak. As of Wednesday 26 April, the three others remained on the run. Here is what we know about the escape and the hunt for the prisoners. Who are the suspects on the run? The suspects on the run have been identified as Dylan Arrington, 22, Casey Grayson, 24, Corey Harrison, 22, and Jerry Raynes, 51. From left: Jerry Raynes, Casey Grayson, Corey Harrison and Dylan Arrington (Hinds County Sheriffs Office) Pastor killed after stopping to help one prisoner Police say that Dylan Arrington fatally shot 61-year-old pastor Anthony Watts on Monday night after the victim pulled over to help the fugitive, who had wrecked a motorcycle he had previously stolen. Arrington then allegedly stole Watts Dodge Ram and fled the scene. On Wednesday morning, authorities in Leake County said in a statement that a suspect believed to be Arrington was barricaded inside a home on Conway Road. The house became engulfed in flames and the man fired shots from inside the residence, striking a law enforcement official in the leg. The suspect was located at the residence on 2511 Conway Rd early Wednesday morning. At around 7.10am the suspect shot from within his location in the home striking Investigator Horn in the lower right leg, said Leake County Sheriffs Office. Horn was transported to Leake Baptist where he was stabilized. The situation continued for roughly two hours before it was resolved. Deputy Horn was the only officer from any agency injured in the incident and is currently stable. Arrington fired at police, wounding one investigator, after being cornered (Jackson Police Department) The suspect died in the incident according to WJTV, while the officer is recovering from his injuries. Fugitive spotted at Texas service station Meanwhile, surveillance video showed fugitive Jerry Raynes at a service station in Spring Valley, Texas, on Sunday, 23 April at 11am, say officials. Story continues A stolen Hinds County maintenance truck was also recovered in Spring Valley on Sunday. It is not known if the other three remaining fugitives are with him. Raynes spotted at service station in Spring Valley, Texas (HCSO) I am not sure of (if) its because of ties in the area of if theyre trying to get across the border at some point, the sheriff said. Hinds County deputies are also still searching for Casey Grayson and Corey Harrison, who escaped with Raynes and Arrington. Alexei Navalny, President Vladimir Putins best-known critic in Russia, told a Moscow courtroom Wednesday that he is facing extremism charges that could keep him in prison for 30 years, according to the Associated Press. In the hearing, he fought for time to review the charges he is facing. It is a cynical insult, in this process investigators are trying to make it so that I cant even see the materials of my case, Navalny said in remarks tweeted out by his teams Twitter account and translated from Russian. Now, theyre probably slightly ashamed that they will discuss an obvious thing. There are 195 volumes in my case and they are not giving me the chance to study it. It signifies the continuation of a trend that has seen critics of Putin and his regime subject to ever harsher prison sentences amid the escalation of Russias war in Ukraine. Navalny is serving an 11 year prison term. In February 2021, he was sentenced to two years and eight months for violating the terms of probation from an earlier sentence. An additional nine years were tacked on in March 2022 for what critics say are trumped up charges of fraud and contempt of court. Hes long been a thorn in the side of Putin and the Russian ruling elite. He ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Moscow in 2013 and president of Russia in 2017, the latter campaign ended when the countrys Central Election Commission barred him from challenging Putin due to a fraud conviction he called politically motivated. And his 2021 film, "Putins Palace," released with Navalny already behind bars, garnered 93 million views within a week of its arrival on YouTube. As Putin has continued Russias war in Ukraine, Navalny and allies that have spoken out against it have run afoul of new laws criminalizing dissent. Fellow activist Vladimir Kara-Murza was earlier this month sentenced to 25 years in a strict regime penal colony for a cocktail of charges including discrediting the armed forces and treason. It is likely the longest sentence doled out by Russian authorities for political activities since the collapse of the Soviet Union, according to Leon Aron in POLITICO. Story continues Fellow opposition leader Ilya Yashin was handed an 8 year prison term in December 2022 for posts he made denouncing the treatment of Ukrainians by Russian troops in May. Also on Wednesday, a court in Yekaterinburg convened a trial of the citys former Mayor, Yevgeny Roizman, who faces charges for critiquing the countrys invasion. Navalny has languished in Russian prisons since shortly after he returned to the country from Germany in January 2021 after recovering from an assassination attempt he attributed to the Putin regime. His daughter, Daria, told CNN that authorities are now depriving him of food. And he faces an additional trial on terrorism charges in connection with an April bombing in St. Petersburg that killed pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, according to the Associated Press. Navalny was behind bars at the time of the attack. For this criminal case, the military court will try me separately, Navalny said in remarks reposted on his own Twitter account and translated from Russian. James Corden has said that he felt deeply unprepared to talk about mass shootings and terrorist attacks on The Late Late Show. The British comedian has hosted the US talk show since 2015, with his tenure coming to an end as his last ever show is broadcast on Thursday (27 April) night. You can find out everything you need to know about his final episode here. While the chat show was known for its light-hearted segments, such as Carpool Karaoke and Spill Your Guts, the episode would often open with Corden discussing the biggest headlines of the day. Speaking ahead of the final show, the Gavin and Stacey creator admitted that having to speak on such heavy topics was one thing he struggled with throughout his eight years on the show. When talking about those moments when theres a mass shooting or a national disaster or any of those things, what Ive tried to do, is just be as honest as I can and in some way offer comfort and perspective, the 44-year-old told People. Its really hard. Its hard sometimes to find the words to say. I really, really wont miss doing that. One such moment came in 2017, when the Manchester Arena was the subject of a terrorist attack following an Ariana Grande concert. 23 people were killed, including the bomber. The episode began with Corden delivering an emotional monologue to the empty studio, saying: It shocks me every time we hear this sort of news. That attacks like this can happen, but especially when there will be so many children at this concert tonight. Discussing speaking about the Manchester bombing, Corden said: If Im honest, its something I was deeply unprepared for. It never occurred to me that when I was hosting the show, that we would have to talk about these things and these moments and youre reactive to the days news. During his final episode of Carpool Karaoke, which aired earlier this week and featured Adele, Corden opened up about leaving The Late Late Show. Admitting he was excited and scared in equal measure to be leaving the show and returning to London, he added: Its been a crazy eight years. James Corden gave himself a Hollywood ending Wednesday in the final Crosswalk the Musical albeit a tragicomic one. (Watch the video below.) The curtain goes down Thursday on Cordens eight-year run as host of The Late Late Show, so he went all-in on his last chance to ham it up in the streets. With the help of actors Josh Gad and Jane Krakowski plus copious amounts of champagne Corden led numbers celebrating Hollywood musicals, including Theres No Business Like Show Business and Singin In the Rain. Corden and Co. performed to the usual mix of bored and delighted commuters, but Corden wanted an encore. Solo. Thats when the asphalt theater took a dark turn. Dont honk at me. I am a star! he yelled after running into the intersection. One driver apparently disagreed, plowing into Corden. In his faux dying breaths, the comedian asked Gad and Krakowski if theyd saved the theater. You saved the theater, James, Gad said. You and Lin-Manuel Miranda, Krakowski added. The camera rose to show the chat host sprawled out on the street, just waiting for his police chalk-line silhouette. Perhaps it was a fitting theatrical end for Corden, whose jolly persona has been killed off recently by claims that hes the collaborator and diner from hell. Related... (Bloomberg) -- A senior executive in Japans ruling party said hell seek to pass a law promoting understanding of the LGBTQ community before the country hosts the Group of Seven summit in less than a month. Most Read from Bloomberg Toshiaki Endo, who heads the Liberal Democratic Partys general affairs council, said hes willing to have the ruling coalition submit a bill without opposition backing if no agreement can be reached. Endo, a lower house lawmaker, was speaking in an interview in Tokyo on Wednesday. Japan is alone among the G-7 wealthy democracies in not having laws to ban discrimination against LGBTQ people or give legal recognition to same-sex unions. Thats despite Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last year signing up to the groups communique, which laid out a commitment to protecting the community from discrimination. As the ruling party, its important for us to take responsibility and submit the bill, Endo said. Even if the opposition resists it, the LDP and Komeito will put it forward, he said, referring to the junior coalition party. The comments from Endo signal a possible shift in the conservative LDP, which has been criticized by one of its prominent members for dragging its feet on the bill. Other G-7 members have pressed Kishidas government to take steps to protect sexual minorities prior to the summit as a show of unity with other democracies. A sticking point is how far the bill goes in addressing unfair practices. Some conservative forces have balked at a clause that says discrimination will not be tolerated, which the opposition have sought to include. Endo said he would try to seek consensus by using expressions like unfair discrimination will not be tolerated. Story continues While the issue is controversial within the LDP, opinion polls show a majority of the public agrees on the need for the law and is in favor of allowing same-sex marriage. Business lobbies complain that the lack of legal rights for sexual minorities hampers efforts to attract global talent. Kishida was forced to fire an aide who made discriminatory remarks about the LGBTQ community earlier this year, prompting the LDP to seek to move ahead with the long-delayed bill promoting understanding of LGBTQ issues. While it doesnt enable same-sex marriage, the law would potentially allow local governments to devote resources to the matter. With only weeks to go before the summit in Kishidas hometown of Hiroshima, discussions restarted in the LDP this week. Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi also pressed the prime minister in a Tuesday meeting to have the ruling coalition submit the bill and pass it ahead of the summit, according to the partys website. --With assistance from Isabel Reynolds and Emi Urabe. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. wind farm A Japanese company is to build a large factory in the Highlands to make sub-sea high-voltage cables. Sumitomo Electric manufactures the cables, used to connect hundreds of offshore wind turbines, which are now being planned for Scottish waters and elsewhere in Europe. The announcement was made on a visit to Japan by Economy Secretary Neil Gray. The firm's Osaka factory has already manufactured and installed sub-sea links between England and Belgium. It also carries orders for linking the UK to Ireland and projects in Germany. The location, scale and the number of jobs required for the Highland plant have not yet been revealed. It is not clear the level of Scottish government support to attract the investment. But it said it was working closely with Scottish Development International and Highlands and Islands Enterprise to advance Sumitomo's presence in Scotland. The energy secretary is currently on a three-day trade mission to develop relationship with companies across the renewables and supply chain sectors, and build new inward investment opportunities. Mr Gray also met Scotland's first and longest-standing inward investor, Terasaki Electric, to mark its 50th year of investment in Scotland. Mr Gray said: "Today's announcement from Sumitomo demonstrates the strength of confidence investors have in our vision for a net zero economy. "The company has a proven track record in high-voltage underground cables which will be invaluable to supporting Scotland's rapidly expanding offshore wind sector. "The Scottish government will continue to work alongside Scottish Development International and Highlands and Islands Enterprise will continue to work closely with Sumitomo to foster this important partnership." 'Green society' He said it was clear that there was enormous interest for investment in Scotland's renewables "revolution". Story continues "We have a world-beating pipeline of offshore wind projects and this visit has demonstrated the important role played by Scotland's international network and the value of growing and developing our partnership with our trusted Japanese partners, both old and new," he said. Sumitomo's president, Osamu Inoue said: "We are delighted to work with Cabinet Secretary to build a state-of-the art submarine cable factory in Scotland. "Sumitomo Electric has the technologies necessary for the development of a green society and will work with the Scottish and UK governments and other stakeholders on future offshore wind power and interconnector projects in the region." Jerry Springer has died at the age of 79. (AP Photo) Jerry Springer once revealed that he was actually born on the London Underground. The US talk show host who has died at the age of 79 was born at the Highgate Tube station in 1944. The station was being used as a shelter from the bombs during the Second World War. Read more: Jerry Springer says his talk show 'ruined culture' Springers family were German-Jewish refugees and lived in East Finchley at the time, after arriving in Britain in 1939. His mother Margot was spending the night in the shelter when she went into labour, and delivered Springer there. The TV star was born at Highgate Underground station. (In Pictures via Getty Images) Speaking in 2012, Springer said that his birth was a little bit out of the ordinary. During the war women who were in their ninth month would often spend the night at the subway stations because those were the bomb shelters, he explained to the BBC. The TV star, who was born Gerald Norman Springer, also shared that when he was a child he was obsessed with London buses and would watch them out of the window. Springer was only in London until he was four, when he and his family moved to America. They settled in the Queens area of New York. Jerry Springer was known for his talk show. (Universal TV/courtesy Everett Collection) He went on to serve as the Mayor of Cincinnati and hosted the Jerry Springer show, which was known for its outrageous guests and topics, from 1991 to 2018. Read more: Jerry Springer got real about his infamous talk show, and hey, props for honesty TMZ reported that Springer passed away peacefully at his home in Chicago on Thursday (27 April) after a brief illness. The site reported that sources said the star had recently been diagnosed with cancer. Watch: Jerry Springer Would Vote For A Ham Sandwich Before Donald Trump Longtime TV personality Jerry Springer, who helped pioneer the high-energy, often-profane genre of confrontational daytime television, died Thursday after a bout with cancer, his representatives said. He was 79. Springer, the former mayor of Cincinnati, died in suburban Chicago, publicist Linda Shafran said. He died from pancreatic cancer, family spokesperson and longtime friend Jean Galvin said. Jerrys ability to connect with people was at the heart of his success in everything he tried, whether that was politics, broadcasting or just joking with people on the street who wanted a photo or a word, Galvin said. Hes irreplaceable, and his loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart and humor will live on. The Jerry Springer Show ran from 1991 to 2018 and was known for its profanity-prone guests who often had to be restrained by on-set security guards as audience members wildly cheered, "Jerry, Jerry, Jerry!" Talk show host Jerry Springer. (Ralf-Finn Hestoft / Corbis via Getty Images file) The show's 1990s popularity made it a ratings rival of its daytime polar opposite, "The Oprah Winfrey Show, and Springer had no regrets about the high-energy, low-brow material he aired on afternoon TV. I dont watch the show, but its not aimed at 66-year-old men, Springer said in a 2010 interview. If I were in college, I would watch. I enjoy doing it. Its a lot of fun. Former Education Secretary William Bennett in 1995 famously called Springer and other shows of the era perpetrators of cultural rot. "Springer" was such a success that the words "Jerry Springer" became a synonym for anything outrageous or ridiculous on TV. After Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at last year's Oscars, Alec Baldwin bemoaned how the ceremony had "turned into the Jerry Springer show." At the end of each episode of the confrontational and occasionally violent show, a seemingly sincere Springer would appeal to his viewers' better angels. He'd sign off each "Springer" episode with a catchphrase he had developed in his days in television news: Take care of yourself and each other. Story continues Fellow 1990s daytime talk show host Maury Povich mourned Springer's passing, calling him "a unique showman." I am shocked and saddened by the passing of Jerry. He was not only a colleague but a friend," he said in a statement. "We worked for the same company for decades. He was joyful, smart and, in his own way, a unique showman. I will miss him. Steve Wilkos, the on-set security supervisor for Springer's show, who eventually became a talk show host himself, said none of his success would have been possible without Springer. Other than my father, Jerry was the most influential man in my life, Wilkos said in a statement. Everything I have today I owe to Jerry. He was the smartest, most generous, kindest person Ive ever known. My wife and I are devastated. We will miss him terribly. Gerald Norman Springer was born Feb. 13, 1944, in a London subway station that was being used as a bomb shelter against German air raids. His Jewish parents Margo and Richard Springer had fled Nazi Germany before the start of World War II. The family moved to the U.S., and Springer grew up in New York City, where he graduated from Forest Hills High School in Queens. Springer studied political science at Tulane University and received a law degree from Northwestern Law School. He joined the ill-fated presidential campaign of Robert Kennedy in 1968 and participated in the massive anti-war protests at that year's Democratic National Convention in Chicago. He settled in Cincinnati and soon took an active role in politics, eventually becoming mayor in a City Hall career that easily could have been the topic of a Springer show. He won election to the City Council in 1971, but he resigned in 1974 after he admitted having used the services of prostitutes, some of whom he paid with checks. The scandal didn't sink Springer, and his openness about the affair is largely cited for his political comeback. He won election back to the council in 1975 and served as mayor for a year beginning in 1977. Springer took one more shot at politics in 1982, running for governor of Ohio. He finished third in the Democratic primary, winning 20.4% of the vote in finishing third to the eventual general election winner, Dick Celeste. Springer then turned his attention to television, as a political reporter and anchor on WLWT, the NBC affiliate in Cincinnati, where his "Final Thought" commentaries became an audience favorite. "I cannot think about my life or talk about my life without talking about Cincinnati and the role Channel 5 played. Channel 5 gave me my career so that's everything," he told WLWT this month. "It's in my blood. It really is. I'm not trying to be corny about it. I love this place. I love this station. I owe it everything." Even after he stopped making "Springer," he remained a fixture in pop culture. He finished in fifth place on "Dancing with the Stars" in 2006 in a competition won by former Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith. Springer's family didn't immediately name a charity for fans to donate to in his name. Instead, they said: "To remember Jerry, the family asks that in lieu of flowers you consider following his spirit and make a donation or commit to an act of kindness to someone in need or a worthy advocacy organization. As he always said, 'Take care of yourself, and each other.' This article was originally published on NBCNews.com (Getty Images) TV chat show host Jerry Springer has died, aged 79. For 27 years, from 1991 to 2018, the star presented The Jerry Springer Show, which was known for its outrageous guests who would often fight with one another as the audience chanted Jerry! Jerry! Family spokesperson Jene Galvin said that Springer, real name Gerald, was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. He died at his home in Chicago. Springer was also know for hosting Americas Got Talent from 2007 to 2008, and, more recently, fronted the show, Judge Jerry. Before his TV career, Springer served as the 56th Mayor of Cincinnati from 1977 to 1978. Galvin told local Cincinnati news: Jerrys ability to connect with people was at the heart of his success in everything he tried whether that was politics, broadcasting or just joking with people on the street who wanted a photo or a word. Hes irreplaceable and his loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart and humor will live on. Springer was born in the London tube station of Highgate while it was being used as a shelter during the Second World War. He grew up in East Finchley. His parents moved the family to the US in 1949, when he was four, and emnabrked on a political career in the 1970s. He considered running for the United States Senate in 2000 and 2004, but backed down each time due to negative associations with The Jerry SpringerShow. More to follow By Brendan O'Brien (Reuters) -Television personality Jerry Springer, known for a long-running talk show that featured raucous audiences, controversial topics and fist-fighting guests and who briefly served as Cincinnati mayor, died at age 79 on Thursday, his family said. Springer died peacefully after a brief illness at his home in suburban Chicago, his family said in a statement. The cause of death was not specified. Jerrys ability to connect with people was at the heart of his success in everything he tried whether that was politics, broadcasting or just joking with people on the street who wanted a photo or a word, lifelong friend and family spokesman Jene Galvin said in the statement. Springer was born in London on Feb. 13, 1944, and immigrated to New York City when he was 4 years old. In 1965, Springer graduated from Tulane University and then went to Northwestern University where he got a law degree, before serving in the United States Army Reserves. He moved to Ohio, where he served on the city council and then as the city's 56th mayor in 1977. Five years later, he ran for the Democratic nomination for Ohio governor, but lost. Springer then worked as a news anchor at WLWT 5, an NBC Cincinnati affiliate. In 1991, Springer landed his own television program, a syndicated talk show broadcast across the United States until 2018. The daytime program, known as "The Jerry Springer Show," was initially a politically oriented show but later featured everyday people discussing sensationalistic topics, often related to unconventional sexuality. On his Twitter page, Springer described himself as a "talk show host, ringmaster of civilizations end." His show was the subject of a British musical known as "Jerry Springer: The Opera" which was performed in London, Las Vegas and New York City between 2001 and 2019. In 2006, Springer enjoyed a long run on the popular "Dancing With the Stars" TV show. He also hosted several TV shows, including "America's Got Talent" and pageants such as the 2008 Miss Universe contest. (Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar and Farouq Suleiman; Editing by Howard Goller) Jerry Springer, the former Cincinnati mayor and talk show host, has died at 79 after a brief illness, according to his family. The story below was written in 2020, after Springer's appearance on the That's So Cincinnati podcast. Hear what the former Cincinnati mayor thought about Donald Trump, and the idea of running for Ohio governor. Springer's interview begins at the 20-minute mark in the episode embedded above. Jerry Springer dead at 79: Jerry Springer, talk show host and former Cincinnati mayor, dead at 79 Story from 2020: Jerry Springer knew television and politics and the proud liberal couldn't stand Donald Trump. So how do you get "Judge Jerry" fired up? Ask Springer whether the networks should be airing Trump's daily coronavirus press conferences. "There is no excuse now that we know what they're like for just turning on the cameras," Springer told The Enquirer's That's So Cincinnati podcast. "The reporters should be there, and then write their reports or report it on the news that night. But to just turn the cameras on Trump for an hour and a half that's not journalism. That's technology. I blame the journalists for this now. I could see the first couple of days or maybe even weeks doing it." Springer, the former Cincinnati mayor and one-time Channel 5 anchor, continued: "But now that we see what the routine is that Trump gets up there and spews his stuff and then finally the doctors get up there and basically refute what he's saying the public is not being helped." Jerry Springer Stuck at home in Sarasota, Florida, Springer is waiting to return to the NBCUniversal studios in Connecticut to record more episodes of "Judge Jerry," a syndicated, reality court show that debuted last fall. Springer, 76 at the time, also continued to record his weekly Jerry Springer Podcast with Greater Cincinnatians Jene Galvin and Maria Carelli via conference call. Story continues In a wide-ranging interview on That's So Cincinnati, Springer didn't mince words in criticizing Trump and Trump supporters. Springer also discussed: About flirting with running for Ohio governor in 2018 In 2017, Springer told The Enquirer "I could be Trump without the racism" amid rumors swirling about him running for governor. He opened up more about considering that race. "I was pretty close (to running) because there were people in the party who were very supportive," Springer said. "I hadn't thought about it in years, and all of a sudden, they send me a poll. I could see why I was in the discussion, simply because I'm well known." He added: "It wasn't that easy a decision. I'm pretty glib about it now. I had to think: Do I really have the energy? The adrenaline can keep going when you're in a race. But then what if I had won? And now at this age, when I take naps in the afternoon ... I have to be honest: I think I would have the energy, but I don't know that for sure." Tale of two Republican governors Ohio's Mike DeWine has been lauded worldwide for his proactive and cautious approach to handling the coronavirus. On the other hand, few governors have been more criticized than Florida's Ron DeSantis, who was reluctant to shutdown beaches and was late to issue stay-at-home orders. Springer offered his assessment of the governors in his former state and current state. On DeWine: "I may disagree with a lot of his politics, but he's not a crazy person. He's a bright person and he's responding to what is obvious: If we don't have social distancing. If we don't do what the doctors and the scientists are telling us, this thing is going to come back again and destroy the economy for another five years. Yeah, he's Republican but he's a common-sense kind of person. He's going to get a lot of credit and frankly he deserves." On DeSantis: "Well, you know, he's horrible. He was going to be Trump's boy. Those were his (campaign) commercials. He was going to do whatever Trump said. So what he's doing is not surprising and it's dangerous." Still loves Cincinnati politics Springer has long maintained relationships with a handful of Cincinnati Democrats, including City Councilman David Mann and former local party Chairman Tim Burke. He's continued to donate to local candidates in recent years. Springer and Mann served on City Council in the 1970s. In recent months, Mann has been considering a run for mayor in 2021 and he reached out to Springer for advice. "I would support David Mann for whatever he ran for because there's no conceivable way David Mann would make an irrational decision," Springer said. "He is like if you ran to your father for advice. Add to his demeanor and his rationality, his intelligence and knowledge and, you know, that's pretty tough to beat. "My text (to Mann) was, I think I said: "Hell yes!" iHeart Radio Springer's interview begins at the 20-minute mark in the episode. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Jerry Springer dead at 79: Hear what he said in 2020 about politics West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) filed paperwork Thursday to run for the states Senate seat with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) up for reelection in 2024. The move puts the West Virginia Republican one step closer toward officially launching a Senate campaign for Manchins seat. Justice is expected to officially launch his campaign for Senate later Thursday following months of speculation. Justice, 72, is looking to flip Manchins seat in the Senate, jeopardizing the Democrats already slim majority in the upper chamber. Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Campaign and Election News newsletter Manchin has yet to announce whether he will seek reelection to his Senate seat. Hes also not completely ruled out a White House run. Justice has served as the governor of West Virginia since 2017 and will join Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.) in the GOP primary. Mooney launched his Senate campaign last year. A third candidate, Chris Rose a Trump-aligned fourth generation coal miner has also launched a bid in the GOP primary. Mooney told the MetroNews Talkline show earlier this week that he is the only conservative in the race and that Justice is a RINO, meaning Republican in Name Only. Mooney might be alluding to the fact that Justice switched his party affiliation in 2017 from Democrat to Republican. Manchin, 75, is one of the most vulnerable Democrats up for reelection in 2024 as one of three incumbents situated in states that former President Trump won in 2020. Sens. Jon Tester (R-Mont.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) are also up for reelection in states Trump won in the last presidential election. Manchin has held his seat since 2010, following six years in the governors office. At times hes been a thorn in the side of his party hes bucked Democrats on issues like climate change, President Bidens Build Back Better legislation and opposing reforming the filibuster. Story continues Polling commissioned by the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), suggested that Justice was best positioned among several hypothetical primary challengers, including Mooney and state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R) to win against Manchin. Since the release of the polling, Morrisey announced a run for governor. A recent Morning Consult survey found that more West Virginians 66 percent approve of Justice over Manchin, who received 38 percent support. Justice is expected to make his campaign announcement at The Greenbrier, a resort in West Virginia owned by the governor. The livestream link for his announcement is connected to a YouTube Channel for Jim Justice for U.S. Senate. The title of the livestream is called Gov. Justice and Babydog make Special Announcement. Babydog is the name of Justices pet bulldog. Updated: 11:16 a.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Gov. Jim Justice (R) announced on Thursday that hes running for Sen. Joe Manchins (D-W.Va.) seat next year, capping off months of speculation. I want to tell you that tonight I am officially announcing my candidacy for United States Senate, Justice told supporters on Thursday evening. His remarks were preceded by appearances from Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). And I absolutely will promise you to God above that I will do the job. And I will do the job that will make you proud. Justices entry into the race makes him the third Republican running in the GOP primary to take Manchins seat. Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.) launched a bid for the West Virginia Senate seat shortly after winning reelection; Chris Rose a Trump-aligned, fourth generation coal miner has also announced a bid for the seat. The West Virginia race is anticipated to be one of the most closely watched Senate races in 2024 as Manchin is among three Democratic incumbents situated in states that former President Trump won in 2020. Manchins race in particular will attract much attention among the Democratic incumbents, too, given his notoriety for bucking his party at pivotal moments, including initially tanking the White House and his partys efforts to pass a social spending bill in December 2021. By the following July, Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) had announced they had reached a deal. What remains unclear is whether Manchin will run for reelection. In an interview last month with CBSs Face the Nation, the West Virginia Democrat said he would make my political decision in December, whatever it may be. At the same time, hes encouraged speculation that he could launch a presidential bid. Ahead of Justices announcement, Manchin released a statement projecting confidence that he would win any race I enter while remaining mum on his reelection. Story continues I am laser focused on doing the job West Virginians elected me to do lowering healthcare costs, protecting Social Security and Medicare, shoring up American energy security and getting our fiscal house in order. But make no mistake, I will win any race I enter, he said. Should Manchin run for reelection and Justice be the GOP nominee, it would offer an interesting match between two elected officials who both at one point served as a Democratic governor to the state. Justice switched his party affiliation while governor to Republican in 2017. Polling commissioned by the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), suggested that Justice was best positioned among several hypothetical primary challengers, including Mooney and state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R) to win against Manchin. Since the release of the polling, Morrisey announced a run for governor. A recent Morning Consult survey found that more West Virginians 66 percent approve of Justice over Manchin, who received 38 percent support. Updated at 6:04 p.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. When President Joe Biden wants to watch TV in the Oval Office, he turns on a tiny, hidden TV that is encapsulated in a gold frame to appear like a picture, according to reports. Mr Biden reportedly keeps the inconspicuous TV on a small desk behind the Resolute Desk lined up with other (real) picture frames according to Politico. The monitor is meant to blend in with the other decor which is why its in a gold frame. The report from Politico, which delves into Mr Bidens consumption of media, says that the president will turn on the 10 - 12 television when press or dignitaries are not around. More often than not, he will supposedly turn the television to CNN. Other TVs, located outside of the Oval Office and on Air Force One, are also usually turned to CNN per the report. And when less formal meetings are occurring in the Oval Office, the president will supposedly keep the small TV on and react to coverage. In an interview with Kal Penn, Mr Biden gave a tour of the Oval Office, the small TV set appears to be in the background at 0:48. The apparent TV in a gold frame that President Biden is said to watch in the Oval Office (The Daily Show / The Independent) Mr Bidens media consumption is starkly different from Mr Trump, who was known to stay up late watching the news and often live-tweeted while shows were airing. The president prefers to read the news rather than watch it and receives print editions of The New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. White House aides also gather individual clips from local publications across the US. According to the report, some of Mr Bidens favorite journalists are from The New York Times and the New Yorker. Occasionally, when he thinks a journalist has got coverage of something right, he will call them to thank them or sometimes ask for feedback and advice. But when he doesnt like coverage, he privately confides in people about his disapproval. Volusia County Proud Boys leader Joseph Biggs in a screenshot from video evidence presented by the congressional Jan. 6 committee. It was 2020, a month or so before the presidential election. "Proud Boy" Joseph Randall Biggs was speaking with a News-Journal reporter and reflecting on how he would react if then-President Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden. In the interview, Biggs, now 39, said there were things he liked about Trump and things he didn't like. "If he loses, then so be it," he said. "I'm not gonna be out there (expletive) flipping out and acting like a child." He lost. And today the former Volusia County resident faces more than 20 years in federal prison as he awaits a jury verdict in a trial where he is charged with seditious conspiracy and other crimes for his role in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riots. Who is Joe Biggs? As jurors deliberate the fate of Biggs and four codefendants, here are some things the otherwise outspoken Army veteran has said about his life, the Proud Boys, and the 2020 election. A North Carolina native, Biggs joined the Army Reserve in 2004 and served on active duty from 2007 until 2012, according to a U.S. Army spokesperson. (Biggs disputes having served in the reserves.) He served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, leaving service as a staff sergeant. He received several honors. Prior to the 2020 election, Joe Biggs, a Proud Boy, spoke with The News-Journal in Daytona Beach. He told the News-Journal that he earned a Purple Heart for "getting blown up" during his service. Seditious conspiracy charged: Jury selection begins in trial of Volusia Proud Boys leader in Capitol attack Capitol breach: Prosecutors charge Volusia County's Joe Biggs, 4 others with seditious conspiracy in Jan. 6 attack Capitol riot charges: Self-described Palm Coast militia member among 5 arrested in January 6 attack, release says He said his transition to civilian life was rough; injuries to his foot and knee required rehabilitation. In a YouTube video, Biggs described himself in the 2012 time frame: "I'm freshly coming out of the Army. I was depressed. I was drinking heavily, all day every day. I was suicidal and I was out of my mind." Story continues Alex Jones 'saved my life' While Biggs was in the Army, he met the late journalist Michael Hastings, who helped him get his start in media. Alex Jones, the conspiracy theorist whose website and program Infowars got millions of monthly visits, saw Biggs on TV and invited him to appear on his show. "I would come on and talk with (Jones) and eventually him and I became friends and he asked me to come to Austin and he kept offering me a job," Biggs told The News-Journal, "and I didn't really want to do it and eventually I said, '(expletive) it. Nobody wants to hire military guys anymore and this guy's willing to pay me.'" He was with Infowars for nine years and three months, according to his still-accessible LinkedIn profile. He listed his job as an "investigative journalist." In the YouTube video, Biggs said the Infowars job was a life-changing event. "When Alex Jones hired me at Infowars, it saved my life," he said. "I turned my life around and picked my ass up and went out and started doing something. I saw that I had a reason to live." Jones' was sued for making defamatory statements about the Sandy Hook shooting and plaintiffs were awarded $1.5 billion in damages. On December 2, 2022, he filed for personal bankruptcy. On joining the Proud Boys After he left Infowars, Biggs moved to a home co-owned by his mother in unincorporated Volusia County with an Ormond Beach mailing address. He was married and had a daughter, got divorced, and joined the Proud Boys, whose founder, Gavin MacInnes, hired Biggs to host his own show on the website Censored.TV. Originally claiming the Proud Boys were a "drinking club" interested in "Western chauvinism," the group morphed into something more political and violent. The Proud Boys intervened in Black Lives Matter and gay-pride rallies around the country in 2020. Biggs responded to a News-Journal question about whether he's a white nationalist or that the Proud Boys are racist. "I'm a nationalist, yes, as far as I have pride in my country," he said. "But the white thing, no, I don't give a (expletive) --- what your color is." Biggs compared his time in the Army to the Proud Boys. "It's just like when you're in the military. You have a brotherhood. You have a bunch of guys you can depend on that will have your back and it's kind of nice having that." Coming to Washington Journalist Brandi Buchman, who covered the entire seditious conspiracy trial, reported in Emptywheel.net that Biggs shared text messages with co-defendant and Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio in December 2020. It was the height of Trump's "Stop the Steal" conspiracy theory claims that led many Americans to believe the 2020 election was rigged. Lets get radical and get real men, Biggs wrote to Tarrio on Dec. 19, the same day Trump urged supporters to come to a rally in Washington D.C. on Jan. 6, promising it "Will be wild." Later, Biggs wrote: "No one looks at us from our side and sees a drinking club. They see men who stand up and fight. We need to portray a more masculine vibe. The following day, Biggs bought airline tickets to be in Washington from Jan. 5 to Jan. 7, Buchman reported. Joe Biggs celebrates following the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, where Congress was voting to certify the 2020 election. On Jan. 6, Trump spoke at a large rally of supporters on the Ellipse urging them to march on the Capitol as Congress was certifying the results of November's presidential election. Biggs and a large contingent of Proud Boys had been moving toward the Capitol. According to a federal indictment, Biggs, a co-defendant, and others in the crowd tore down a black metal fence between the crowd and police. Biggs and many others who had been led by Biggs and as well as a co-defendant then went past the trampled barrier and into the Capitol grounds west plaza. Co-defendant Dominic Pezzola, of Philadelphia, used a riot shield he took from a police officer to smash the window in the Capitol and people started to enter. Biggs entered at 2:14 p.m. through an adjacent door with other Proud Boys. After later exiting the Capitol, Biggs and several other Proud Boys members posed for a picture on the steps on the east side of the Capitol. Biggs took a video in which he said Weve taken the Capitol. In the jury's hands Indicted on seditious conspiracy charges were Biggs, Tarrio, of Miami, the groups former national chairman, Ethan Nordean, of Auburn, Washington, Zachary Rehl, of Philadelphia, and Pezzola. The seditious conspiracy charge alone could result in 20-year prison sentences for the men. They were also hit with a number of charges including conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of an official proceeding, destruction of government property, and assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers. Pezzola is also charged with robbery for taking the shield. After a more than three-month trial, prosecutors, in closing arguments, said the Proud Boys wanted to be "Donald Trump's army" and were "thirsting for violence and organizing for action ahead of the Jan. 6 attack, according to news reports. Biggs' lawyer, according to an NBC News report, said the defendants came to Washington because of Trump's tweet. Be there, its going to be wild, the commander-in-chief said. And so they did, Norm Pattis told jurors, adding that their commander-in-chief sold them a lie. The fate of Biggs and the others is now in the hands of a jury. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: What Proud Boy and seditious conspiracy defendant Joe Biggs has said Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty Early in Baby J, John Mulaneys first stand-up special in five years, released on Netflix this Tuesday, the comedian addresses his long absence from the industry in sing-song. Nearly three years after a very public stint in rehab and subsequent divorce, he croons, now [my] reputation isdifferent! He riffs that former fans have already switched allegiances to less problematic comedians like Bo Burnham, and he finishes with a flourish: Likability is a jail! That line hangs over the rest of the show, because hes right: Celebrities endure massive pressure to maintain their public image while navigating private problems, and it is an undoubtedly burdensome task. And yet the success of Mulaneys comeback special depends deeply on his likability. More bluntly, it depends on his respectability, his status as someone who can be trusted to reenter society. If likability is a jail, its not one Mulaney is ready to leave behind quite yet; its one he must burrow further into in order to reclaim his cultural cachet. Throughout Baby J, as he walks audiences through challenging subject matterthe night of his intervention in December 2020, his first week of getting sober, and his various convoluted plots to obtain drugs, among other thingsMulaney brings an attitude of, Aw shucks, wasnt I being crazy? Recalling the night of his intervention, when he decided to get a haircut from the stylists at Saturday Night Live, he jokes about how they accommodated his unreasonable ask: You know when a junkie walks into your office and asks for a haircut, and youre like, Eh, itd be faster to cut the hair? John Mulaney Gets Very Real in First Post-Rehab Special Its his most comfortable mode throughout the special: chuckling affably about the poor judgment he once exhibited. The show culminates in Mulaneys dramatic reading of a GQ interview he gave three days before his intervention, which he has absolutely no memory of giving. He plays the GQ interviewer as a bewildered professional, and himself as a raging lunatic, braying out unrelated sentences while holding the mic stand askew. His past self is more like a character than a memory, portrayed in goofy voices and exaggerated body language, thoroughly distanced from Mulaneys sober, present self. Story continues Its a smart move. Mulaney is reasserting control over his image by redefining the most tumultuous period of his public life as a distant past that is as shocking to him as it is to anyone else. He is putting an end to voyeuristic speculation about the state of his health by offering a definitive final word: Yes, he made mistakes, but hes better now, and look how lucid he is! Its all incredibly smooth and thoroughly crafted; watch his extended interview with Seth Meyers from 2021, and youll see how long many of these jokes have been in the works. Because Mulaney is indeed so likable, its tempting to attribute the success of Baby J to his precisely honed craft and obvious intelligence as a comedian. Yet very few famous people are afforded such a gracious opportunity to bounce back from a public reckoning with substance abuse. Watching Mulaney, its hard not to think of the famous women whose public breakdowns no one has let them forget, especially those raised into adolescent stardom: Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and Amanda Bynes come to mind, among other women whose early collisions with fame resulted in combustive media spectacles and heavy scrutiny of their substance use and mental health. Public perception of an individuals substance use, like almost everything else, depends greatly on that individuals demographic markers: race and class especially. Rich white people doing coke to sustain their hard-partying lifestyle has always been the most socially acceptable way to do drugs. Skim the Twitter reactions to The Cuts recent history of New York It girls, and youll find plenty of people joking that the list is just skinny white girls who do coke. Mulaney, a Georgetown-educated, SNL-bred millionaire son of a professor and an attorney, is exactly the kind of person who could return from rehab and keep scaling his career up. Historically, designer drug use tends not to detract from a rich persons respectability. When he dubs himself a junkie, hes relying on a potent dramatic irony. Dressed in an expensive suit, presiding over the storied stage of Bostons Symphony Hall, he exists at a safe remove from the threatening, unlikable connotations of drug use: poverty, violence. The title of the special comes from a running gag, in which he says, They call me Baby J out on these streets. Again, the bit relies on the irony of his status: Of course this prim white guy grew up far removed from the worlds of gangs and cartels. Even his most obnoxious story, a saga about buying and pawning a $12,000 Rolex watch, is a reminder that Mulaneys class status is aspirational, that he participated in the drug economy as a privileged consumer, never a dealer, never grimily entangled in the intergenerational cycles of poverty that pressure people into seeking the lucrative opportunity of selling drugs. GQ Writer Thought John Mulaney Seemed Fine During Drugged-Out Interview But even among rich white celebrities, age and gender change the way we perceive and respond to peoples histories of substance use and abuse. Famous womens public struggles with addiction and mental health are both more likely to be treated as jokes and less likely to fade from their reputation. The 2007 incident when Britney Spears shaved her head has been preserved in memes, shirts, and other souvenirs ever since; this precarious personal moment for the pop star made her into a public figure people felt free to make fun of. More than a decade after the incident, her off-kilter Instagram posts became fodder for parody and speculation about her mental health. Even after robust reporting on her entry into a conservatorship controlled by her father, and a monthslong push by #FreeBritney fans to reinstate the pop stars autonomy, she hasnt been able to reestablish herself in the public eye as an able adult whose life has been shaped and challenged by mega fame. Instead, she remains fair game for cheap laughs. Part of the problem is that Spearslike other famous women in similar positionshad her public breakdown thoroughly photographed. Its hard to combat the power of a photograph, and the privacy of famous women has always come second to the possibility of profiting off of their image. Spears half-shaved head, Lindsay Lohans mugshots, Amanda Bynes in a rumpled blonde wig at her courthouse appearance, Amy Winehouse stumbling on stage, Cara Delevigne barefoot at the airport: All of these images have fueled public fascination with the respective stars substance use, puncturing the celebrities reputations more gravely than a piece of tabloid gossip ever could. Will We Ever Leave Britney Spears Alone? Photographic evidence of Mulaneys erratic behavior has never circulatedwhether that is because none exists or because he has a diligent publicity team, its hard to sayand that has certainly made it easier for him to hold his substance use at a clear remove from his current life. But compromising photos of famous men have never been as sought-after as compromising photos of famous women. From leaked nudes to pornographic deep fakes, people seek to possess and control images of famous women, to deprive them of privacy and dignity; whereas even famous mens mugshotsRobert Downey Jr., Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, Shia Labeouf all have mugshots from arrests on drug or alcohol chargestend to be treated more like fun facts than reputation ruiners. The tabloid fixation with photographing women in their most exposed moments of grappling with substance use is a natural extension of more deeply rooted impulses to treat womens images as commodities and their looks as metrics of their worth. That Mulaneys recovery has been unmarred by the distribution of cruel photographs is a lucky gift, but its not really a coincidence. He gets to stage a successful comeback because he is exactly the kind of celebrity to whom audiences are most likely to extend forgiveness: a mild-mannered rich white guy, well-groomed and seemingly trustworthy. Hes also a gifted comedian, and it makes Baby J a funny, compelling watch. But in some ways, that hardly seems to matter. Spears is a fantastic pop star, and Lohan and Bynes have always been deft actors. Their far less compassionate treatment in the public eye is not a function of their talent but their vulnerability as young women, all too readily judged for losing control. For more, listen and subscribe to The Last Laugh podcast. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. A crater left by a Russian missile strike in Mykolaiv, Ukraine on Thursday (REUTERS) The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group said he had been joking when he offered to suspend artillery fire on Ukrainian forces in besieged Bakhmut. Wagner has been spearheading Russia's assault on the Ukrainian city since last summer in the longest and bloodiest battle of the war, but Ukrainian forces have so far thwarted its attempts to take full control. Yevgeny Prigozhin said in an audio message: A decision has been taken to suspend artillery fire so that American journalists can safely film Bakhmut and go home. However, he later added: Guys, this is military humour. Humour, and nothing more... It was a joke. At least 4,000 civilians have been killed in the fighting in Bakhmut, according to estimates from Kyiv, and thousands more soldiers from both sides. Elsewhere, a civilian was killed and 23 others wounded including a child when four Russian Kalibr cruise missiles hit the southern city of Mykolaiv. It came as Russia has installed a Devils Teeth anti-tank defence barricade further along the front line head of a planned counter-offensive by Ukraine in the spring. Anti-tank ditches near Ukraines occupied southeastern town of Polohy stretch for 19 miles. Behind are rows of the concrete barricades. Behind that are defensive trenches where Russias troops will be positioned. The defences are visible in satellite imagery that shows Russian fortifications sweeping down from western Russia through eastern Ukraine and on to Crimea built in readiness for a major Ukrainian attack. Nato said its allies and partner countries have now delivered more than 98% of the combat vehicles promised to Ukraine to fight Russia's invasion. Along with more than 1,550 armoured vehicles, 230 tanks and other equipment, Ukraine's allies have sent vast amounts of ammunition and trained and equipped more than nine new Ukrainian brigades, secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said. More than 30,000 troops are estimated to make up the new brigades. Some Nato partner countries such as Sweden and Australia have also provided armoured vehicles. Story continues This will put Ukraine in a strong position to continue to retake occupied territory, Mr Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels. His comments came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping had a long and meaningful phone call in their first known contact since Russia's full-scale invasion more than a year ago. Mr Putin on Thursday hailed burgeoning economic ties with Turkey in a virtual ceremony inaugurating Turkey's first nuclear power plant, which was built by Russias state nuclear energy firm, Rosatom. Turkey is a NATO member but Erdogan has managed to maintain cordial relations with Putin despite the war in Ukraine. Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report. Jonathan Majors A new development in Jonathan Majors assault case: the alleged victim has been granted a restraining order against the actor. IndieWire reports that the alleged victim has been granted a full order of protection against Majors by a judge in New York ahead of the May 8 date Majors is set to appear in court. IndieWire received a statement from the Manhattan District Attorneys Office press secretary Doug Jones, who said, Today, a judge granted a Full Temporary Order of Protection for the victim, per the Peoples request and with the consent of defense counsel. (At the time of arraignment, a Limited Temporary Order of Protection was granted). The next date in the case is May 9 in Part D (4th floor of 100 Centre Street). The actor was arrested March 25 at his home in New York City after police came to investigate a domestic dispute with a 33-year-old woman. The woman was described as having minor injuries to her head and neck and was taken to the hospital. Majors was charged with harassment, assault and strangulation, however his counsel has claimed that Majors was actually the victim in the case and was innocent regarding domestic abuse charges. His defense attorney told IndieWire at the time of Majors arrest that they are quickly gathering and presenting evidence to the District Attorney with the expectation that all charges will be dropped imminently. They claim that they have video footage, eyewitness accounts, and two written statements by the woman herself recanting her allegations. However, their argument might be undercut by the fact of the womans restraining order. Also undercutting their argument is the previous report by Variety claiming that multiple victims have come forward to work with the Manhattan District Attorneys Office. Since the allegations, Majors has been dropped from several film projects. Hes also been dropped by his management and PR agent. Jack Teixeira, the National Guard airman accused of leaking U.S. intelligence documents online, on Thursday asked a magistrate judge to release him from pretrial detention, though the judge has not yet made a decision on the request. Magistrate Judge David Hennessy said he would consider arguments and later issue a ruling on whether the 21-year-old will stay in jail while he awaits trial for allegedly posting classified documents to a group on Discord. Teixeira entered the courtroom in handcuffs, an orange jumpsuit and rosary beads, with one woman in an area reserved for his friends and family audibly sobbing as he walked in, according to reporters in attendance. Justice Department lawyers said freeing Teixeira could threaten national security as he may still possess further secretive information that could be of value to adversary nations. They also argue that he is a serious flight risk and has a troubling history of making racist and violent remarks, doubling down on comments made in a memo filed late Wednesday. What is past may not only be prologue, but in this case, it is a very good indication that the defendant will either try to flee this jurisdiction or continue in the steps that he has already taken to obstruct this investigation, prosecutor Nadine Pellegrini argued during the hearing, according to CNN. Pellegrini also said that Teixeira shouldnt be trusted to follow court rules, pointing to agreements he signed when joining the military pledging to properly handle classified documents. He broke that pledge time and time again, she argued. Teixeiras attorneys, meanwhile, have denied he poses a flight risk, said he doesnt have access to classified documents any longer, and accused prosecutors of exaggerating national security claims. There is no allegation in the affidavit that Mr. Teixeira had any intent for these documents to become widely available on the internet or desired to disrupt the geopolitical affairs of the United States, Teixeiras lawyers wrote in a filing Thursday morning arguing for his release. Story continues But Hennessy challenged the defenses argument that Teixeira didnt expect the sensitive intelligence to be further spread online after he posted it to a private Discord group. Someone under the age of 30 has no idea that if they put something on the internet that it could end up anywhere in this world? Hennessy asked lawyer Teixeiras lawyer Brendan Kelley. Seriously? I find it a little incredible that the defendant could not foresee that possibility. In their filing, defense lawyers also claimed that nothing in the governments exhaustive searches of his parents houses, his vehicle, nor its interviews to date, support its speculation that an undiscovered trove of documents exists. But Hennessy also pushed back on that argument, suggesting Teixeira could remember details from the classified materials he read and later copied. Im not so sure that the governments concern is entirely imaginative. Information about the Russia-Ukraine war is extremely relevant and perhaps valuable, Hennessy said. It sounds like a legitimate concern. In their argument, the defense suggested that Teixeira be released into the custody of his father, and he could be barred from the internet and under location monitoring. Teixeiras father, also named Jack Teixeira, told Hennessy he would report his son to the court if he were to break his conditions of release. My son is well aware of the fact that if he is released and does anything against probation, I will report it to his probation officer or anyone else, he said. Teixeira, who has not yet entered a formal plea, has been charged under the Espionage Act with unauthorized detention and transmission of national defense information and unauthorized removal of classified information and defense materials. The document leaks have shaken the U.S. defense and intelligence community, with classified information on the war in Ukraine as well as on American allies and adversaries spread across the internet. The leak is one of the most high-profile such incidents in recent U.S. history. Updated at 6:09 p.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A judge on Wednesday temporarily halted the implementation of Missouri Attorney General Andrew Baileys restrictions on transgender care a day before they were set to take effect, allowing Missourians to continue accessing gender-affirming care until May 1. St. Louis Circuit Court Judge Ellen H. Ribaudo, appointed by former Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon in 2015, in a written order Wednesday said she would rule on a proposed temporary restraining order against the restrictions on that date. She wrote that Baileys office graciously invited her to enter a stay on the restrictions so she had more time to review the case. The regulations, which include requiring 15 separate hourly therapy sessions over 18 months before a person can start transgender care, would make Missouri the first state to severely restrict gender-affirming care for adults, in addition to children. The rule has divided Republicans, with Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and others questioning whether it will hold up in court. Ribaudo made the ruling after hearing arguments in a lawsuit against the restrictions. Baileys office earlier on Wednesday had tried unsuccessfully to move the case out of St. Louis County Circuit Court and into U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. The lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri and LGBTQ civil rights group Lambda Legal, alleges the regulations violate state law and the Missouri Constitution. While attorneys for the plaintiffs were in the courtroom, Missouri Solicitor General Josh Divine, who represented Baileys office, streamed into the hearing from Jefferson City. Madeline Sieren, a spokesperson for Baileys office, downplayed the judges ruling in a statement to The Star on Wednesday. This order merely stays the implementation of our rule so the Court can review the briefing, the statement said. We will continue fighting for all patients to have access to adequate health care. Story continues The ACLU of Missouri and Lambda Legal in a joint statement Wednesday said they were grateful for the decision. No less than the health and wellbeing of thousands of transgender Missourians is at stake, the statement said in part. Gender-affirming care is supported by overwhelming scientific data, decades of clinical experience, and the medical consensus of major medical organizations in the United States...While we welcome this temporary relief, we look forward to the judge ultimately preventing this rule from going into effect. St. Louis Circuit Court Judge Kristine Kerr, also appointed by Nixon, was initially scheduled to hear the case, but Baileys office asked for a last-second change before the hearing. During Wednesdays hearing, Tony Rothert, an ACLU attorney, compared Baileys medical restrictions to Frankenstein, taking scraps of out-of-context quotes and non-peer reviewed articles to make his rule. Rothert spent much of the hearing detailing how the restrictions would severely restrict Missourians from receiving necessary health care This rule is a monster, Rothert said. Its terrifying thousands of Missourians today and will cause serious harm, potentially even death. Divine, in his arguments, countered that Baileys rules were necessary, painting gender-affirming care as experimental. In one of his points, Divine touted talk therapy as a replacement to gender-affirming care. The solicitor general also argued that Wednesdays hearing over the emergency rule that his office filed was rushed, contributing to why attorneys from Baileys office did not attend. He pointed to a grandfather clause in Baileys rule, claiming that the transgender plaintiffs in the case which include the families of two minor transgender girls would be grandfathered in and not affected by the restrictions. Nothing prevents them from continuing the intervention that theyre already doing, he said. Advocates for transgender health care responded to the order with cautious optimism on Wednesday. Yamelsie Rodriguez, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, which is also suing Baileys office for investigating gender-affirming care that it provides, said the stay would provide relief to patients as they wait on a full ruling. We are optimistic the court will permanently strike down these harmful restrictions and send a message to the attorney general that he has no business regulating peoples health care, Rodriguez said in a statement. Judy Blume has written books for (almost) all ages. Her storied publishing career began in 1969 with her childrens book, The One in the Middle is a Green Kangaroo, and she went on to break barriers with middle grade and young adult novels and explore the complexities of life in her adult literature. Now, at age 85, would the author ever consider penning a story geared toward older adults? While walking the red carpet at the TIME100 gala in New York City on April 26, she told TODAY.com and it didn't take her long to answer. No, she said of writing a book geared toward old adults, then pointing to herself with a smile and saying, That would be me. She said she's done with writing, aligning with a recent The Atlantic interview that her 2015 adult novel In an Unlikely Event may be the last book published by Blume. But, it certainly isn't her last project. 2023 Time100 Gala (Taylor Hill / FilmMagic) In 2018, Deadline reported that Judy Blume had officially sold the screen rights to "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" to be adapted into a film, and nearly five years later, the film debuted in movie theaters across the country. "It happened just after I said to my agent, 'Margaret's' off the table, I'm not selling 'Margaret,' no, tell everybody out there in Hollywood land, no 'Margaret," Blume said on TODAY Jan. 12 of making her novel into a film. "But then I got this letter a remarkable, and a passionate, and a funny, intimate letter from Kelly Fremon Craig, the writer (and) director, and she was very persuasive." Blume went on to say that she feels "wonderful" about the movie released on April 19, 2023, because she loves how the film turned out even more than her own book. "How many authors of the book can say, 'I think the movie is better than the book?'" Blume said. During the same TODAY appearance, Blume also discussed how "Margaret" was banned from library shelves in the '80s. When Hoda asked what explanation she was given as to why parents didn't want their children to read her books, Blume exhaustedly said, "Menstruation?" Story continues "But today, it's even worse, because we got over the '80s and we said, 'That's it,'" Blume continued. "And now, book banning is back in a huge way, and a really frightening and destructive way, because it's uber political." Just two months after her TODAY interview, Floridas Martin County School District removed her young adult novel "Forever" from its shelves. While Blume is no stranger to book bans, the push for censorship never ceases to disturb her. Theyre trying to pass laws about what we can think, what our kids can think, what they can know, what they can talk about, Blume said in a recent interview with NPR. Theres legislation going on right now that says that girls in elementary school are not allowed to speak about menstruation ... I mean, where are we? What country is this? But nothing can stop the influence her books has on future past, present and future generations. "It's not just a certain generation ... it's all the generations," Blume said during her time on TODAY in January. "I didn't know what I was doing when I wrote the book, believe me, I had no idea what I was doing, and so it just came out spontaneously and ... I never dreamed that it would reach so many people or that it would mean so much." This article was originally published on TODAY.com A Dallas County jury has found a real estate developer negligent after a crane collapsed on an apartment building in 2019, and awarded the victims including the parents of a woman who was killed over $800 million in damages. Closing arguments were made Tuesday and the jury returned the $860 million verdict Wednesday in the trial over a lawsuit following the crane collapse in Old East Dallas. The Dallas jury spent hours on Wednesday deliberating if a multi-billion dollar real estate developer, Greystar, or a crane company, Bigge Crane and Rigging, were negligent, according to a report from KDFW-TV. Jurors found only Greystar at fault for the accident. The crane collapsed on the apartments where 29-year-old Kiersten Smith and other plaintiffs lived at Elan City Lights on June 9, 2019, causing serious injuries and killing Kiersten Smith, the lawsuit states. Smiths parents, Michele Williams and James Kirkwood, sued Greystar, which owned the Elan apartments and another complex that was under construction called The Gabriella. The lawsuit named 17 plaintiffs, all of whom were residents of the Elan City Lights apartment community. The lawsuit also named Bigge Crane and Rigging, the company that leased the crane and operator to Greystar, as a defendant. It was not caused by anything that Bigge did, and again Bigge of course extends its total condolences to the family, said Darrell Barger, lead attorney for the crane company, according to KXAS-TV. The suit claimed Greystar and Bigge failed to properly test and inspect the crane, did not monitor weather conditions at the work site, and failed to weathervane the crane the process of adjusting the crane so that it rotates with the natural direction of the wind. The suit also stated Greystar violated OSHA regulations and standards due to a Greystar sign that was on top of the crane, a contributing factor to the collapse, Williams attorney, Jason Itkin, said. What you decided is important for Kierstens memory, Itkin said, explaining that the verdict could affect future construction safety measures, according to KXAS-TV. Story continues In his closing argument, Itkin talked about an inspection report that had expired and how an updated inspection could have identified potential issues, KXAS reported. He also said the companies did not follow protocol to prepare the crane for bad weather. The operator of the crane, Robert Hilty, testified last week that he did take steps to weathervane the crane the day before of the accident, according to KXAS. Greystar argued it was an operator error on behalf. Attorneys for Bigge Crane and Rigging argued the operator was Greystars responsibility because the developer leased the equipment and operator. Reuters/Mike Segar On the first day of trial testimony Wednesday, E. Jean Carroll took the witness stand and provided unvarnished testimony that she was raped by Donald Trump in the 1990s. She testified: Im here because Donald Trump raped me, and when I wrote about it, he said it did not happen. She testified that she and Trump went together to the lingerie department on the sixth floor of Bergdorf Goodman, flirting. When they got there, Trump followed her into the dressing room and pushed her against the wall, knocking her head and disorienting her. He also pulled down her tights, stuck his fingers inside of her vaginacausing her great painand stuck his penis inside of her vagina, for a period of time, while she struggled against him. This testimony is the key to the case. If the jury believes it, they will find Trump liable for the rape of E. Jean Carroll, and likely award her significant damages. If the jury does not believe it, they will return a verdict in favor of the former president. Based upon more than 25 years of experience as a trial attorney, including service as an Assistant United States Attorney prosecuting sex crimes, I believe that it is highly likely that the jurors have already made up their minds about whether Carroll is telling the truthbefore she has completed her direct testimony and long before Donald Trumps attorneys have the opportunity to cross-examine her. This case wont be a he said, she said casebecause Trump is unlikely to testify. In fact, Trump has not attended the trial at all so far. During opening statements, his attorney, Joe Tacopina, appeared to indicate that the trend would continue, saying that Trumps testimony would only occur in deposition excerpts. Trumps witness list consists of only two people, Donald Trump and Dr. Edgar Nace, a psychiatric expert witness. E. Jean Carroll exits the Manhattan Federal Court in New York Wednesday after testifying in her civil rape case against former President Donald Trump. Reuters//Eduardo Munoz Trump also is not presenting any exhibits, other than excerpts from depositions. If he does not testify, the only way he will get facts into evidence will be through cross-examination of Ms. Carrolls witnesses. Story continues Ms. Carroll, on the other hand, will present a number of corroborating witnesses: Lisa Birnbaum: The bestselling author will testify that Carroll told her immediately after the incident what Trump had done to her. She will also testify that she told Carroll that she had been raped. Carol Martin: The first African-American anchor on local news in New York City (for over two decade) will likewise testify that Carroll told her immediately of the rape by Trump. Martin will testify that she told Carroll not to pursue the case, because he had "200 lawyers and would destroy her. Jessica Leeds: Another of Trumps alleged victims, she will testify that she was sexually assaulted by Donald Trump when she sat next to him on a flight in the 1970s, when he attempted to place his fingers inside of her vagina. Natasha Stoynoff: Then a reporter for People magazine, she will testify that Donald Trump sexually assaulted her when she was at Mar-A-Lago in the early 2000s, working on a story. Carroll is also set to present the infamous Access Hollywood video, in which Donald Trump bragged that he could grab women by the pussy without consent, because he was a star. Perhaps even more importantly, Carroll already addressed most of the points that Trumps attorneys wanted to make on cross-examination. Former President Donald Trumps lawyer Joe Tacopina makes opening statements during a civil trial where E. Jean Carroll accuses him of raping her in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. Reuters/Jane Rosenberg When I was trained as an AUSA, I was taught to use the BOBS (Bring Out the Bad Stuff) to blunt the effectiveness of cross-examination of my witnesses. A skilled trial attorney will raise every point that they expect the defense to make on cross-examination (1), in order to build credibility with the jury and give the witness the opportunity to explain before facing closed-end (yes or no) questions from opposing counsel. Carrolls attorney used BOBS masterfully during her testimony today. She explained that: She was flirting with Donald Trump prior to the sexual assault. The door to the dressing room was open while she was assaulted, but she was trapped by Trump, who weighed at least 100 pounds more than her. She did not scream during the attacksaying Wednesday, Im a fighter, not a screamer. She did not write down anything about the attack in her diary. She added that she never puts negative things into her diary. She did not file a police report (saying that she was convinced by Carol Martin that she would be destroyed by Trump if she did). She could not recall the precise date, week, month or year of the attack (although she claimed it likely occurred in late 1995 or early 1996). She is a registered Democrat. Her book that described the attack had virtually no sales. These were most of the points that Tacopina made during his opening argument. While I would imagine that he will return to these points during his cross-examination, the jurors may consider these points old news. Another snafu for the Trump team happened just as the trial was starting this morning, when Donald Trump posted two messages on his social media platform, Truth Social, about this case. Both messages used Trumps favorite phrasewitch huntto describe the proceedings. He accused Carrolls lead attorney, Roberta Kaplan, of being a political operative, financed by a big political donor. In one message, he wrote, Does anybody believe that I would take a then almost 60-year-old woman (2) that I didnt know from the front door of a very crowded department store and have sex with her. He also attacked the Court for denying his 11th hour attempt to introduce DNA evidence that he had previously refused to provide to the Plaintiff. When plaintiffs counsel brought these social media posts to the attention of Judge Lewis Kaplan, the judge made it clear to Trumps lawyers he was not amused. E. Jean Carroll departs the Manhattan federal courthouse in New York City. Reuters/Brendan McDermid He also stated that Trump was creating additional potential liability for himself. He noted that he had specifically forbidden the parties from raising to the jury the issue of third party funding for Carrolls attorneys. He also said that it appeared Trump was attempting to influence his supporters, or the jury (or both) with his posts. When Judge Kaplan was later informed that Eric Trump had made additional social media posts about the trial, he warned that there were laws against such actions (likely describing 18 USC Section 1504, which makes it a crime to create a writing designed to influence a juror in a pending trial). Trumps attorney stated that he would take action to avoid a repeat of these social media posts (3). Judge Kaplan, in a comment that seemed to indicate that he doubted whether Mr. Tacopina would be successful in getting his client to stop, made it clear that continued statements could have dire consequences for Donald and/or Eric Trump. But despite all the hoopla, when the jurors left the courtroom today, each of them likely had a strong belief whether the testimony they just had heard from E. Jean Carroll was the truth or a lie. If they believe she told the truth, I doubt there is anything that will come out in the rest of the trial that will cause them to change their minds. If they believe she lied (in graphic detail), I also doubt anything else at trial will cause them to change their minds. Which is it? Only time will tell. 1: One of the best examples of BOBS was in the movie 8 Mile, where Eminem won the final rap battle by reciting all of the ugly facts that he thought his opponent (Clarence) would use. After that, Clarence had nothing left to say and just gave up. 2: Carroll was, in fact, 52 years old at the time of the alleged rape. 3: Tacopina also cried foul about press accounts that Carroll had conducted two trials in front of mock juries and that each time the verdict came out in her favor. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Here are area restaurants with seven or more priority or critical health code violations, with highlighted links to some original public record reports. Restaurants correct most violations at the time of the original inspection or shortly thereafter. Links to the follow-up inspections show how each establishment has corrected or is working to correct any remaining violations. If an inspection or follow-up report needs clarification, restaurant and grocery store owners can call Joyce Smith at 816-234-4692 or email her at jsmith@kcstar.com. The Star will post appropriate responses in the same online locations as the original report. The Kansas Department of Agriculture cited these operations for seven or more priority health code violations (direct links to the reports are not available). Sushi Uni, 12841 W. 87th St. Parkway, Lenexa, had 12 priority violations during an April 20 follow-up inspection. Shinju Sushi & Hibachi, The Shops of Prairie Village, 3935 W. 69th Terrace, Prairie Village, had 10 priority violations during an April 20 follow-up inspection. Carrabbas Italian Grill, 10586 Metcalf Lane, Overland Park, had eight priority violations during an April 24 routine inspection. Casa Amigos, 16521 W. 159th Terrace, Olathe, had eight priority violations during an April 25 routine inspection. Cicis Pizza, 4990 Roe Blvd., Roeland Park, had eight priority violations during an April 25 inspection following a complaint. Aspens Restaurant & Lounge, 6995 W. 151st St., Overland Park, had seven priority violations during an April 25 inspection following a complaint. Oishi Sushi Japanese Cuisine & Bar, 12220 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Shawnee, had seven priority violations during an April 18 inspection following a complaint. Pan-Asia Supermarket, 11940 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, had seven priority violations during an April 18 inspection following a complaint. Price Chopper, 12010 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Overland Park, had seven priority violations during an April 25 routine inspection. Story continues For complete Kansas health inspections, click here. The Kansas City Health Department cited these operations for seven or more critical violations: Chef J BBQ, West Bottoms, 1401 W. 13th St., Suite G, had 12 critical violations during an April 21 routine inspection. Mesob Restaurant & Rhum Bar, 3601 Broadway, had 10 critical violations during an April 21 routine inspection. Thai House, 9938 Holmes Road, had 10 critical violations during an April 24 routine inspection. Cupcake A La Mode, Country Club Plaza, 4639 Wornall Road, had eight critical violations during an April 21 routine inspection. It had no critical violations during an April 25 follow-up inspection. La Fuente Mexican Street Food, Crown Center, 2450 Grand Blvd., had eight critical violations during an April 19 routine inspection. It had two critical violations during an April 26 follow-up inspection. Brookside Barrio Mexican Kitchen + Bar, 6227 Brookside Plaza, had seven critical violations during an April 22 routine inspection. Jalapenos Mexican Restaurant, 6318 Brookside Plaza, had seven critical violations during an April 25 routine inspection. For complete Kansas City-area reports, click here. Update: Family members on Thursday identified the man killed in the shooting as Amareeya Henderson of Kansas City and said they did not believe he was armed when he was killed. That story is here. A man was fatally shot by a Kansas City, Kansas police officer on Wednesday night. The shooting happened around 8:30 p.m. near the 12th Street bridge that crosses the Kansas River. An officer pulled over a vehicle in the 1100 block of Metropolitan Avenue for a traffic violation, said Officer Donna Drake with the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department, which is handling the deadly use of force investigation. During the traffic stop, Drake said a confrontation ensued that ended with the police officer fatally shooting the driver. Drake said homicide detectives were in the beginning stages of their investigation. Among the witnesses to be interviewed was a passenger in the car at the time of the traffic stop, Drake said. A man was fatally shot Wednesday night by a Kansas City, Kansas police officer during a traffic stop in the 1100 block of Metropolitan Avenue. Standing behind the police tape Wednesday night was a group of people who said they were family members or knew the man who was killed. Pauletta Johnson said she had just been notified by the police chaplain that her son had been killed. She said her son was doing a food delivery in the area that night with his girlfriend when they were pulled over. As they were on the phone, she said, she heard gunshots. She said she rushed there by tracking their phones. She acknowledged her sons vehicle may have had expired tags, but said he had fallen on hard times financially after being laid off. She questioned why he was pulled over in the first place, and why the police officer shot him. They killed my baby. My only son, she said, visibly distraught. Drake said the Kansas City, Kansas officer had minor injuries and was also taken to the hospital for treatment. It was unclear how the officer was injured. Since late 2022, Kansas City, Missouri police have led investigations of shootings involving Kansas City, Kansas police officers as part of an agreement between the two agencies. Story continues Once the investigation is complete, Drake said findings would be forwarded to the Wyandotte County District Attorneys Office. The district attorney will decide whether the use of force was justified under Kansas law. The shooting Wednesday marks the third involving Kansas City, Kansas police so far in 2023. One other was fatal. On Feb. 4, Kansas City, Kansas police shot and killed a man in the 5400 block of Haskell Avenue after he allegedly fled on a bicycle from a house where two people had recently overdosed on fentanyl. Police said a gun was found at that scene. On April 5, Kansas City, Kansas police were involved in a daytime shootout after an undercover drug bust went awry. Three tactical officers and three suspects were wounded by gunfire, and all suffered injuries that were not life-threatening. Update: Police said Thursday night that the 12-year-old was found safe. Kansas City police were asking the public for help Thursday to locate a 12-year-old boy missing from the citys Loma Vista neighborhood. The child, Isaiah Barnard, did not return home from Smith-Hale Middle School at 9010 Old Santa Fe Road in south Kansas City on Thursday, police said. Barnard stands 5-foot-4 and weighs about 120 pounds, according to police. He was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt with a logo of a bear and the word Republic. He also was wearing blue jeans. Police were asking anyone who sees Barnard to call 911 immediately. Dave Trabert Grover Norquist It was clear from the very beginning. Despite winning reelection on a message of "Axing Your Taxes," Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, was never planning to support meaningful tax relief for the people of Kansas. Kelly laid bare her tax-and-spend agenda by vetoing SB 169. A crowning achievement of the 2023 legislative session, this tax relief package would put nearly $500 million back into the pockets of hardworking Kansans every year, moving Kansas to a single-rate tax while delivering on Kellys own goal of accelerating the phase-out of the sales tax on food. As this is written, its unknown whether the Legislature will try again to override Kellys veto. But overriding the veto is the right thing to do for taxpayers and the states economy. Kellys excuse is that a flat tax will break the budget, but it wont. Kansas Legislative Research predicts a $3 billion surplus at the end of next year, and that is after the first year SB 169 is implemented. Spending can continue to grow at the same pace as tax receipts and still have a balanced budget. This a much different circumstance than Gov. Sam Brownbacks tax plan that was reversed in 2017. Everyone knew the tax bill signed in 2012 would break the budget within two years without relatively minor spending reductions, yet Brownback, the Democrats and some Republicans declined opportunities to cut waste, and instead, they spent even more. Kelly also says a flat tax isnt fair and that it mostly benefits "the wealthy." Its true that people with higher incomes save more money, but thats because they pay most of the taxes. The most recent data from the Kansas Department of Revenue shows that people with adjusted gross income above $100,000 paid 70% of the total income tax with only 61% of total AGI, while those with less than $50,000 AGI had 17% of total income but paid only 9% of total state income tax. What is not "fair" about that? Kansas is in its fifth straight decade of economic stagnation, and its getting worse. The Sunflower State had the ninth-worst increase in private nonfarm earnings over the past three years and the seventh-worst increase in private-sector jobs since 1998. Story continues Lowering income tax rates is a powerful way to spur population growth for years to come. The states without an income tax gained 7.4 million people from domestic migration this century while the income-taxing states lost 7.4 million, and that isnt a weather thing. No one moves to South Dakota, New Hampshire or Wyoming for the warm winters. Kansas is horribly uncompetitive on taxes. Its income tax rates are well above the national average; it has the ninth-highest sales taxes, the worst effective tax rate on mature businesses, and is the third-worst state for taxes on retirees. On top of all that, Kansan homeowners pay some of the highest property tax rates in the nation. SB 169 provides relief in each of these areas. It would consolidate Kansas three tiers into a single bracket with a flat rate of 5.15% in a way that ensures all taxpayers get a break.While the original version of the bill cleared the Senate with an even lower 4.75% rate, this compromise package received overwhelming support in both chambers, including a vote of approval from Democratic Rep. Marvin Robinson. SB 169 also provides direct relief to thousands of small businesses, which file their taxes on the personal side of the code. And by simultaneously cutting the normal corporate income tax rate from 4% to 3%, SB 169 helps Kansas attract more investment from larger businesses, without the need for more carveouts and special exemptions. The past few years have seen a record number of states move to streamline their income taxes to a flat rate and put them on the path to zero. In the 2021 and 2022 legislative sessions, five states Idaho, Georgia, Mississippi, Arizona and Iowa exchanged their progressive income tax system for a single-rate tax. That brought the total number of flat tax states to 13. Eight states don't impose individual income taxes on earnings. This trend is picking up steam. More than a dozen states including North Carolina, Mississippi, Iowa, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Kentucky are jockeying to be the next state added to the no income tax list. Doing nothing causes Kansas to fall farther behind. Grover Norquist is president of Americans for Tax Reform. Dave Trabert is CEO of Kansas Policy Institute. This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Flat tax in Senate Bill 169 is good for Kansas taxpayers Health care providers in Kansas will now face criminal penalties over the care they provide to a baby delivered during an abortion procedure, after Kansas Republicans and a few Democrats voted to override the veto of Gov. Laura Kelly (D) on Wednesday. The new law, which will take effect in July, requires providers to exercise the same degree of professional skill, care and diligence when caring for an infant delivered during an abortion as a provider would during any other live birth. Violation of the law will be punishable by a felony. It is the first anti-abortion bill in the state since Kansas voters rejected an amendment last year, which would have banned the procedure in the state, by a margin of 59 percent to 41 percent. Yet anti-abortion groups advocated for this bill as a reasonable check on abortion rights in the state. But abortion rights groups and providers have knocked so-called born alive bills, arguing they are simply messaging legislation that seeks to further demonize the practice of abortion. They point to the fact that medical professionals already are obligated to provide care to infants. The Kansas House voted 87-37 to override the veto, while the Senate voted by a margin of 31-9. Because Kansas already bans most abortions past 22 weeks, abortion proponents say the new law will likely be mostly symbolic, with providers saying the type of abortion the law seeks to cover rarely ever happens in the state. The move by GOP lawmakers in Kansas to overturn Kellys veto comes as a wave of Republican-led states have started to place restrictions on abortions, following the fall of Roe v. Wade last year. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Kansas Republican-controlled Legislature overrode a veto by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday to create the crime of human smuggling, dismissing concerns about a rushed process. Kelly had vetoed the measure to create the crime over worries that it could have unintended consequences. She warned about the possibility the new crime, which is intended to target those who smuggle undocumented immigrants, could be used against residents who give people rides or paramedics who transport individuals to the emergency room. The Senate voted 30-9 to override the veto Thursday after the House voted to override 85-39 the day before. The bottom line is that if anyone, no matter who you are, knowingly transports, receives something in return for transporting, or knows the person they transport will be exploited, the smuggler deserves to be held accountable, House Republican leadership said in a statement. Defense attorneys voiced concerns the bill could trample due process rights for individuals who have been allegedly smuggled. In order to prosecute smugglers, Kansas courts will have to find that those who have been smuggled are in the country illegally a decision typically made by federal immigration courts. The bill doesnt define what it means to be in the country illegally. It includes no instructions on how to determine whether someone is present illegally, such as consulting federal immigration court decisions or U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. Anyone who likes to enjoy a sunny, 70-degree day listening to live music and shopping in an idyllic Kansas setting will want to check out a new event on Sunday at Prairie Hill Vineyard in Colwich. The event, called Rootstock, is a celebration of love, peace and potted plants, says its founder and Prairie Hill Vineyard owner Daniel Stockemer. It will take over part of his sprawling, scenic farm and vineyard, which will be filled with art, woodwork and plant vendors. Visitors can take hayrack rides and fly kites, and kids can get balloons. Food trucks will dot the grounds. All the while, attendees will be serenaded by music from a long list of local musical acts, including American Idol star Phil Stacey and headliners Pretend Friend and the Haymakers. Rootstock also will include presentations by plant experts throughout the day, who will speak on topics ranging from Using Native Plants to Growing Grapes in Kansas. Its really designed to have people bring lawn chairs and a blanket and sit out and enjoy the music, Stockemer said. And its supposed to be a beautiful afternoon. The Stockemer family farm, which started in Colwich in 1907, has had cows and crops and, now, events as Prairie Hill Vineyard at Stockemer Farm. Stockemer has long used his 20-acre property, which sits about 20 miles northwest of Wichita, as a wedding venue, and its booked nearly every weekend. In 2021, he completed construction on a 12,000-square-foot event center, which has bride and groom changing suites and a hall big enough to hold 500. (Thats where the American Institute of Wine and Food put on its Decant ICT wine event last year.) The property has several structures on it, including a cozy cottage Stockemer lists on Airbnb. Stockemer lived much of his young life on the property but eventually moved to Sonoma County, California, where he lived for 11 years. He came back later in his life and planted a vineyard at the farm to make it look like Sonoma County, he said. He became friends with Dave and Natalie Sollo, the owners of Grace Hill Winery, and now, Stockemer sells his fruit to Grace Hill. Story continues Several years ago, Stockemer started staging events that were open to the public. For the past three Octobers, hes put on a Fall Harvest Festival with pumpkins, face painting, vendors and more. He wants to put on more events that will draw the public out to enjoy the grounds, and he hopes Rootstock whose name was inspired by the famous 1970s concert Woodstock will become an annual event. When people see the property, they always say, Its such an amazing place. How come I didnt know about it? Stockemer said. We just have to get the word out. When: 1 to 8 p.m. Sunday Where: Prairie Hill Vineyard, 3660 N. 215th St. West, Colwich Admission: $10 if tickets are purchased in advance at prairiehillvineyard.com, $15 at the gate. Children 10 and under will be admitted free. Band lineup: 1:30 p.m., Meads Ghosts 3 p.m. Phil Stacey 3:30 p.m. Sometimes on Sunday 5 p.m. Pretend Friend 6:30 p.m. Haymakers After-show at 8 p.m.: Three of Us Rootstock schedule of events Kansas City police have identified the victim in a fatal shooting Wednesday night. Anthony Garcia, 22, was declared dead at the scene around the 800 block of Prospect Avenue, according to Officer Donna Drake, a spokeswoman for the department. Detectives were called to the area just before 10 p.m. and discovered Garcia suffering from gunshot wounds. Emergency medical personnel provided treatment, but shortly after, the 22-year-old succumbed to his injuries. The killing marks Kansas Citys 55th so far in 2023, according to data maintained by The Star. In 2022, the second-deadliest on record, there were 171 homicides. The homicide was also the second fatal shooting police responded to that night in the metro area. Before 8:30 p.m. police were called to an officer-involved shooting where a Kansas City, Kansas police officer shot and killed a food delivery driver identified by family as 25-year-old Amareeya Henderson, in the 1100 block of Metropolitan Avenue, near the 12th Street bridge that crosses the Kansas river. Hendersons family told The Star that the 25-year-old was not armed and had been finishing his final Door Dash delivery of the night, when an officer pulled him over for an alleged traffic violation. Kansas City police are investigating both shootings. Anyone with information is asked to contact homicide detectives at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline anonymously at 816-474-TIPS. The Stars Bill Lukitsch contributed to this report. Pastor Odero (L) has not responded to the allegations Kenyan police have arrested a popular televangelist and closed his church on the country's Indian Ocean coast following reports of mass deaths. The move comes as investigations go on into a religious cult linked to the deaths of nearly 100 people. Police have not formally connected the two cases. Pastor Ezekiel Odero, famed for drawing huge crowds at his functions, was held hours after police inspected a funeral home near his church. The police said morgue attendants had been collecting bodies at the New Life International Church premises, in Kilifi county. "This morning we have arrested Pastor Ezekiel Odero on allegations of the deaths that have been occurring at his premises," Coast regional commissioner Rhoda Onyancha told reporters. Kenyan Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki said police had evacuated more than 100 people who were holed up at the church, and that they would be required to make statements. The preacher has not responded to the allegations. He will appear in court on Friday. Police are also investigating his alleged relationship to the controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie Nthenge, who is said to have told followers to starve themselves in order to "meet Jesus". Kenyan authorities have already recovered 95 bodies of people suspected to have died of starvation and buried in shallow graves, at a 800-acre forest near his church in the same part of Kenya as Mr Odero's church. Many of the victims were children. Mr Mthenge, who was arrested on 15 April and remains in custody, has denied wrongdoing. He insists that he shut down his church in 2019. Kenya is a religious country and there have been previous cases of people being lured into dangerous, unregulated churches or cults. But President William Ruto pledged earlier this week to crack down on religious leaders who violated the law. An innocent man who was sentenced to death following the 2011 murder of a British tourist has had his conviction overturned at the Kenyan High Court. Ali Kololo was convicted of robbery with violence in 2013, after David Tebbutt was shot dead by suspected pirates. His sentence, later commuted to life imprisonment, has now been quashed. Mr Tebbutt's wife, Jude - who has supported Mr Kololo's fight for justice - said she was "overjoyed". Father-of-two Ali Kololo was a honey gatherer and woodcutter Mr Tebbutt and his wife Jude were staying at a secluded beachside resort on the Kenyan coast in 2011, when they came under attack by pirates. Mr Tebbutt was killed and Mrs Tebbutt was held hostage in nearby Somalia for six months. She was only released after her adult son, Olly, negotiated a ransom deal. Following Ali Kololo's exoneration, Mrs Tebbutt - who has always maintained that he was not part of the gang that murdered her husband and campaigned for his release - said barely a day had gone by over the past decade when she had not thought of him. "I'm not able to tell him face to face, but if I could, I would like to say: 'Ali I am so sorry that this happened to you and that you, your family and children have suffered so much. "'What happened to you was not right and [was] unfair, but I hope that over time you can all make a life for yourselves and find peace,'" Mrs Tebbutt said. Mr Kololo's release comes after a ten-year campaign by human rights group, Reprieve. Distinctive footwear he was allegedly wearing had been presented as crucial evidence at his 2013 trial and used to link him to the scene. But in February 2023, at an appeal supported by Reprieve, Kenya's director of public prosecutions decided his conviction had been based on hearsay evidence about him wearing the shoes, and presented to the court without disclosure of where the information had come from. Mr Kololo was then freed from Mombasa's Shimo La Tewa maximum security prison where he had been held for 11 years, pending today's judgment, which formally quashed his conviction. Story continues In 2022 the BBC also revealed that a senior Metropolitan police officer who assisted the Kenyan investigation "omitted key forensic evidence" in Mr Kololo's trial. The UK's Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which had been investigating Det Ch Insp Neil Hibberd's role in the case since June 2018, had concluded that "had the officer still been serving, he would have had a case to answer for gross misconduct". The IOPC had not made public its findings. Neil Hibberd, who retired in 2017, "absolutely disagrees with the [IOPC] findings", his lawyer told the BBC at the time. However, speaking following Mr Kololo's exoneration, Mrs Tebbutt said she was "very concerned that the British police have been deeply implicated in this travesty of justice." Neil Hibberd in Kenya At his trial, Mr Kololo did not have a lawyer until after the prosecution had set out its case and, despite speaking no English, had to cross-examine prosecution witnesses, including Neil Hibberd. He was later represented by pro bono lawyer, Alfred Olaba, who said the pleasure of seeing Mr Kololo reunited with his family was mixed with sadness. "It is hard to talk of justice when an innocent young man has lost 11 years of his life to a rigged investigation and unfair trial," Mr Olaba said. "But today, Kenyan courts finally began to right this terrible wrong." Maya Foa, director of Reprieve, said it was "a tragedy that it took so long to reach this point", adding: "Ali Kololo's trial was one of the most unfair imaginable. "The imbalance of power in the courtroom was staggering, between the senior Metropolitan Police detective testifying for the prosecution and the illiterate defendant, being tried in a language he did not understand, without the aid of a lawyer for most of the trial." Lives Less Ordinary logo (Bloomberg) -- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol staked enormous political capital on drawing closer to the US, only to see the White House unveil policies that hurt some of his countrys biggest companies. Now hes finally got something concrete to show for it. Most Read from Bloomberg Yoon was rewarded with a greater say in how America deploys its nuclear umbrella and assurances it would be used to retaliate against a North Korean strike in the deal he struck with President Joe Biden at the White House on a state visit Wednesday. The agreement could serve as a much-needed win for the South Korean leader, who has been trying to turn around an economy that came close to recession at the start of the year. His support rate recently fell to its lowest level in about six months, dragged down by his response to leaked documents purportedly showing the US spied on its South Korean ally. Read: North Korean Nuclear Attack Would End Kim Regime, Biden Says The pact also comes with risks, with North Korea almost certain to step up its threats against South Korea. Questions are likely to be asked about how effective the deals new South Korea-US Nuclear Consultative Group would be at coordinating a response to Pyongyang. Biden, who stressed that a North Korean nuclear attack on the US and its allies would be the end of Kim Jong Uns regime, was able to receive assurances that South Korea wont embark on its own nuclear weapons program. On substance, we really need to pause and assess what concrete deliverables each side walked away with, said Soo Kim, a former Korea analyst at the US Central Intelligence Agency, who now works at US-based management consulting firm LMI. Story continues Here are a few takeaways from the summit: Nuclear Sharing While Yoon won a commitment from the Biden administration to strengthen its deterrence against North Korea, the ultimate decision on the use of nuclear weapon still remains with the US. The so-called Washington Declaration that grew out the summit involves South Korea more in strategic planning for nuclear contingencies. But there will be no deployment of US nuclear arms in the country. Allies such as Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy and Turkey host US nuclear weapons on their soil, according to the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. This may not be enough to placate some of the right-wing elements in Yoons camp who were pushing for a nuclear arms program and swing voters who want South Korea to be able to decide if nuclear weapons are detonated on the peninsula. It is essential to include practical operating conditions that involve Korea in the actual decision-making process, to address national demands among the Korean people over the nuclear sharing, said Cheon Seong-whun, a former security strategy secretary in South Koreas presidential Blue House. Economics The public statements from Yoon and Biden did little to address economic concerns seen by Seoul. Yoon has been looking to protect the biggest players in his countrys export-driven economy from moves by the White House to subsidize US-made electric vehicles and curb the sale of advanced chip equipment to China. The US moves are part of a wider strategy to deprive the worlds second-biggest economy of cutting-edge technologies that could threaten Americas status as a preeminent power. Read: US, Allies Must Coordinate Chips Plans to Curb Crunch, Czar Says Submarines The declaration includes more regular deployments of nuclear-armed US submarines to protect South Korea. Having a sub off the coast can reduce the time it takes for a nuclear response to North Korea to a matter of a few minutes from about the 30 minutes or more it might take to send the weapons from other parts of Asia. The move is certain to raise the ire of North Korea, which has demanded the removal of all atomic assets and has almost no defenses against US submarines operating in international waters. Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced a potential deployment that could bring American weapons closer its shores, saying it undermines the global nuclear nonproliferation regime. What the US has done smacks of Cold War mentality and provokes bloc confrontation, spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters during a regular news briefing in Beijing. Read: Kim Jong Un Tests Undersea Drone, Warns of Radioactive Tsunami Ukraine The two leaders in their public statements avoided comments about military aid to Ukraine. This could have stoked further embarrassment about the leaked documents that dented Yoons support as his government tried to play down the allegations of spying and US pressure to supply artillery to Kyiv. Yoon had indicated prior to the trip that he may be open to changing policy about providing lethal aid to Ukraine under certain conditions. Read: Russias War Puts Focus on Huge Korean Artillery Stockpiles North Korea The hard-line comments on North Korea indicated Yoon and Biden may be moving away from the long-stated policy of seeking the complete, verifiable and irreversible end of Pyongyangs atomic arsenal and instead warned any use by Kims regime would be suicidal. Yoon and Biden have voiced concern about the rapprochement of their predecessors that resulted in direct talks between Kim and former President Donald Trump. The discussions produced no steps to wind down Kims nuclear arsenal, which only grew larger as the talks sputtered. Read: North Korea Tells G-7 That It Will Never Give Up Nuclear Weapons Taiwan South Korea made its strongest statement yet on the Taiwan Strait by expressing strong opposition to any unilateral actions in the region. The comments indirectly targeted China, which sees the democratically run island as part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring it into its fold. The declaration marked the first time South Korea agreed to include the phrase opposing any changes of the status quo by force in a joint statement from the bilateral summit regarding Taiwan. --With assistance from Colum Murphy. (Updates with comment from Chinas foreign ministry) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Staff at the ministry ran from the building in panic when gunfire erupted in the minister's office A man who killed the Dominican Republic Environment Minister Orlando Jorge Mera has been sentenced to 30 years in jail. Miguel Cruz opened fire on Orlando Jorge Mera in the office of the latter on 6 June 2022. The two men were childhood friends who had fallen out over the failure of the minister to grant environmental permits to Cruz. After the shooting, Cruz went to a church and confessed to a priest, to whom he also handed the murder weapon. The judges said they had sentenced Cruz to the maximum jail term because the murder had been premeditated. As he was a personal friend of Orlando Jorge Mera, Cruz was able to enter the minister's office without any security checks on the morning of 6 June 2022. Staff at the ministry said that they had heard raised voices coming from the office before Cruz opened fire. The burst of gunfire caused panic among the staff, who ran from the building. Prosecutors said Cruz shot the minister 13 times, while the shooter maintained that he had only fired six shots. In a hand-written letter, Cruz also claimed that he had argued with Orlando Jorge Mera over $3m (2.4m) that he said he had lent the minister. But prosecutors argued that Cruz, who owned a construction company and a gun import business, had gone to his friend's office with the plan to kill him. The prosecution maintained that Cruz was out for revenge after the environment minister had denied his childhood friend environmental permits Cruz's company had requested in order to export thousands of tonnes of used batteries. The murder of the minister, who was the son of former president Salvador Jorge Blanco, shocked the Dominican Republic, where killings of politicians are rare. Kim Kardashian has confirmed she will be attending the Met Gala 2023 by sharing a sweet selfie with none other than Karl Lagerfelds cat, Choupette. The 42-year-old reality TV star took to Instagram on 26 April to announce shell be going to this years Met Gala, which takes place on 1 May at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. In honour of this years theme, Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, Kardashian had a date with the legendary designers beloved cat, Choupette. Had a date with @choupetteofficiel in Paris, she captioned the post, which featured photos and video of Kardashian with Lagerfelds famous feline. We then spent some time at @karllagerfelds office to get a little inspiration for the Met. Many photos in the Instagram post also showed Kardashian preparing for her Met Gala look, which is likely to be inspired by Lagerfelds archival looks from his time as creative director of Fendi or Chanel. In one picture, Kardashian was seen dressed in a vinyl black coat as she combed through design sketches and magazine cutouts. Another image saw the SKIMS founder lounging with Choupette on an elaborate gold bed. Not only was Karl Lagerfeld known for his contributions to fashion, his cat is almost as much of an icon in the fashion industry. Following his death in 2019, Choupette was set to inherit Lagerfelds 150m fortune. Kim Kardashians confirmation at the Met Gala comes after much speculation over whether the famous Kardashian-Jenner family will be invited to the annual fashion event, which takes place every first Monday in May. Last March, a source told Page Six that the reality stars have not received an invitation to the 2023 Met Gala due to Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour allegedly cracking down on the exclusive guest list. However, a report on 13 April said that Kim Kardashian will indeed attend the Met Gala. Its likely that her supermodel sister, Kendall Jenner, will also walk the Met steps next Monday, given that she was recently featured on the cover of Vogues May 2023 issue. Story continues Kim Kardashian has been a mainstay at the Met Gala after she first attended with then-husband Kanye West in 2013. Since then, The Kardashians star has turned heads with her show-stopping Met Gala fashion. She attended the 2019 Met Gala in a custom nude Thierry Mugler dress designed with crystal droplets, to look as though she had stepped out of the ocean. At the 2021 Met Gala, Kardashian famously wore an all-black Balenciaga outfit that covered her face. Last year, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians alum underwent a 14-hour transformation before stepping out at the Met Gala red carpet in Marilyn Monroes iconic sheer beige floor-length gown, which was previously worn by Monroe in 1962 when she serenaded President John F Kennedy on his 45th birthday. Next Monday, fashion-forward celebrities will arrive at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York city to honour the late Karl Lagerfeld. In September 2022, Vogue announced that the theme of the 2023 event will be Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, which will examine the life of the late designers fashion legacy. The dress code of this years event asks attendees to wear clothing in honour of Karl such as looks from his fashion label or more modern-day looks by Chanel or Fendi. Along with Vogues editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, there will be four co-chairs of the event: Dua Lipa, Michaela Coel, Penelope Cruz, and Roger Federer, as announced by the publication on 18 January. Fashion lovers can tune in to the Met Gala red carpet livestream on Monday 1 May at 6.30 pm ET on the Vogue website or its social media platforms. TOPSHOT-BRITAIN-ROYALS-KING Britain's King Charles III speaks during a meeting of the Accession Council inside St James's Palace in London on September 10, 2022, to proclaim Charles as the new King. Credit - POOL/AFP via Getty Images That King Charles descends from rulers who waged wars, built empires, and extracted wealth from colonies has long been part of the historical record. But according to new archival research published by the Guardian, it now appears that the monarchs direct ancestors were slave owners too. According to historical documents unearthed by researcher Desiree Baptiste, whose investigation into the Church of Englands links to the slave trade is the subject of her play Incidents in the Life of an Anglican Slave, Written By Herself, King Charles is the direct descendent of Edward Porteus, a 17th century tobacco plantation owner in Virginia who in 1686 received a shipment of at least 200 enslaved people from the Royal African Company. Other resources that TIME studied provide further details. According to SlaveVoyages, an online research database that tracks the records of ships involved in the transatlantic slave trade, these slaves were taken from present-day Gambia and transported to Porteus and two other men in Maryland via a Royal African Company ship called the Speedwell. Of the 217 slaves who were taken onto the ship, 192 disembarked. While the vast majority of these slaves were men, there were also women and children. (Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to a request for comment.) More from TIME Porteuss son Robert, who moved his family to England in 1720, inherited his fathers estate, including a number of slaves, according to the Guardian. One such slave, referred to in Edward Porteuss will as my negroe girl Cumbo, was left to Roberts mother, Margaret. It was Roberts great-great-great-granddaughter, Frances Smith, who married the British aristocrat Claude Bowes-Lyon. The granddaughter of Smith and Bowes-Lyon was the late queen mother, who is the grandmother of King Charles. Story continues Baptiste tells TIME that she had been researching Porteus for a year before realizing his connection to the royal familyone that ultimately inspired the idea for her play. The lead character in my play, who is, in the plays fiction, the daughter of Cumbo, asks the King to apologize, she says. Baptiste created the storyline to pay homage to Cumbo as a symbol of the many millions of the enslaved of our Empire whose strangled voices remain unheard. This is hardly the first time the British monarchy has been linked to the slave trade. The institutions ties to slavery date back to the 16th century, when the English naval commander Sir John Hawkins, who kidnapped slaves from what is now Guinea and Sierra Leone, began trading them in the Spanish West Indiesvoyages that were approved and funded by Queen Elizabeth I. (It was only in 2020 that a public square dedicated to Hawkins in the port city of Plymouth was renamed in light of his legacy as Englands first slave trader.) Under subsequent monarchs, the slave trade became a state-sponored enterprise, with the monarchs even going so far as to found and invest in slave-trading companies. Before abolishing the slave trade in 1807, its estimated that British ships transported more than 3 million Africans across the Atlantic as slaves. These connections go back hundreds of years, says Brooke Newman, a historian at Virginia Commonwealth University whose own archival research unearthed proof of King William IIIs personal investment in the transatlantic slave trade. Her forthcoming book, The Queens Silence, will document the British monarchys historical role in the expansion of the slave trade as well as the modern institutions failures to fully acknowledge that history. As important as it is for history to acknowledge the role of the royal familys ancestors in the slave trade, Newman says, what they did as an institution was far worse and had a much greater impact in the long run by creating the Royal African Company, by investing in this company, profiting from this company, and continuing to support slavery and its expansion in the British Empire. This history isnt classified. Indeed, Newman says that troves of this kind of evidence is readily available in the historical archives for researchers such as her and Baptiste to find. And she predicts that, as interest in this topic grows, more such revelations will likely come out. If so, King Charles will undoubtedly come under greater pressure to address this history, and perhaps offer an apology for it. King Charles has shown a willingness to engage with the issue. In a statement to the Guardian last month, Buckingham Palace expressed its support for further research into the monarchys involvement in the slave trade as an issue that His Majesty takes profoundly seriously. On a visit to Rwanda last year as Prince of Wales, Charles spoke of his personal sorrow at the suffering caused throughout Britains history, as well as his efforts to deepen his own understanding of slaverys enduring impact. As welcome as the Palaces position is, Newman says that King Charles can be far more proactive. He could, for example, create an independent commission into the monarchy and its links to slavery. He could even go further and hold a summit involving members of the Commonwealth and other U.K. stakeholders to address the countrys history and the issue of reparations. Newman says involving all of the communities impacted by this history, including descendants of slaves, is important. You cant have any form of reckoning that actually serves as a form of accountability unless you are acknowledging the continued impacts of colonialism and slavery today, she adds. Britain would not be the first country to undergo this kind of historical reckoning. Last year, the Dutch government issued its own apology for the centuries in which the country had facilitated, stimulated, preserved, and profited from slavery, and announced the establishment of a 200 million ($220 million) educational fund. The response was mixed: While some campaigners said that the apology should come from Dutch King Willem-Alexander, others pointed to the lack of consultation with descendants groups as evidence of the colonial attitudes that still exist in the country. The royal family is hardly the only British family with roots in the slave trade. Indeed, former Prime Minister David Cameron and the novelist George Orwell are among the Britons who are also descended from slave owners. Some of these descendants such as Laura Trevelyan, a former BBC journalist and co-founder of the Heirs of Slavery campaign group, are calling on those whose ancestors profited from the transatlantic slave trade to make formal apologies and seek reparative justice, including King Charles. Weve apologizedwhy cant the King? Trevelyan told the Times of London earlier this month. Reckoning is coming. On this, Baptiste agrees. For our country, and the Commonwealth which he heads, he should apologize on behalf of the British State and the royal family. A new subvariant of the coronavirus has been gaining steam in recent weeks, and it has spread to several countries, including the United States. The XBB.1.16 subvariant, a member of the omicron variants lineage that has been nicknamed Arcturus, has become increasingly common in the U.S. recently, making up almost 10 percent of all cases last week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Only the XBB.1.5 subvariant, which made up almost three-quarters of cases last week, is more common. The subvariant was first reported in January, and the World Health Organization (WHO) in March declared it a variant under monitoring a variant with genetic changes that are suspected to alter its characteristics and give it an advantage over other existing variants. It has been seen in other countries, including Singapore, Australia and Canada. WHO designated it to be a variant of interest, which is a variant with genetic changes that are predicted or known to affect its characteristics and identified to have an advantage over other existing variants, on April 17. The characteristics could include transmissibility and virulence. Despite the increasing categorization for the subvariant, WHO does not believe Arcturus has an additional public health risk compared to XBB.1.5 and other omicron descendants. The organization said in its initial risk assessment after the subvariant was declared a variant of interest that its global risk assessment is low, based on available evidence. Officials have observed some properties of Arcturus being more effective at escaping an immune response than others, but no changes in the severity of the virus have been reported in the countries where it has been spreading. India, where the subvariant is most prominent, and Indonesia have experienced a slight increase in hospital bed occupancy, but the levels are notably lower than during previous waves. But WHO warned Arcturus could become dominant in some countries and present more cases because of its growth advantage and ability to escape immune responses. Story continues This subvariant might also feature a symptom previously not commonly seen as connected to COVID-19 conjunctivitis, better known as pinkeye. Some patients have reported experiencing pinkeye along with being infected with Arcturus, but doctors are unsure whether the symptom is tied to the virus. The Washington Post reported anecdotal evidence has pointed to Arcturus causing fever and pinkeye, especially in children. Pinkeye can be caused by a bacterial or viral infection or by allergies. The Arizona Republic reported that the American Academy of Ophthalmology said about 1 percent to 3 percent of patients with COVID-19 have said they have pinkeye. Although the symptom has been observed in some patients, experts have cautioned against conclusions. Monica Gandhi, a professor of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco, told the Post that careful study is needed before declaring a new symptom is linked to a variant. Neha Narula, a clinical associate professor of medicine at Stanford University, told CBS News that pinkeye had been seen in earlier variants but was rare. So if you havent been protected with the vaccines or boosters, go ahead and get those. But if you are having some of these symptoms, watery eyes, red itchy eyes, or other cold symptoms, especially now with this new subvariant circulating, dont write it off as allergies, go ahead and take that COVID test and talk with your health care provider so they can give you further guidance in terms of treatment, Narula said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Emily Crawford holds her 4-month-old baby Sage Crawford's hand in their home. Emily has had to navigate finding a new health plan while caring for Sage through multiple heart surgeries. The Medicaid that previously covered Sage through Anthem does not cover treatment at Nationwide Children's Hospital. With a deadline to change Medicaid plans just days away, Nationwide Children's Hospital remains out of network for thousands of Columbus-area kids covered by Anthem Anthem has extended another offer to Nationwide Children's, both the hospital and insurer have confirmed. But a deal has yet to be reached to cover care for some 5,600 kids in central and southeast Ohio who are on Anthem's Medicaid plan at Nationwide Children's. Nationwide Children's has encouraged Ohioans to try to switch Medicaid plans by May 1 if they have children that are insured by Anthem. Ohioans were given 90 days or until May 1 to change their Medicaid plans after the state rolled out changes to its Medicaid program on Feb. 1. Read More: Anthem Medicaid dispute with Nationwide Children's jeopardizes healthcare access for thousands The lack of a deal caught the attention of local politicians in the days after a Dispatch story reported that negotiations between the hospital and health insurer had stalled. " I call on Anthem Medicaid to return to negotiations today," Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther said in a prepared statement this week. "Lives of our children are literally at stake. Medicaid is the government insurance program that covers people with limited income and those on disability, according to the Ohio Children's Hospital Association. There are roughly 1.3 million children on Medicaid in Ohio. Ginther wasn't the only area leader to speak out about the contract negotiations. Franklin County Commissioner Erica Crawley expressed her frustrations with the status of talks. She said the lack of a deal creates a "a troubling level of uncertainty" and she feared the fallout could potentially be "disastrous" if a solution wasn't reached soon. It is unacceptable that Anthem is using vulnerable children as a bargaining chip," Crawley said. "Due to their inability to reach an agreement with Nationwide Childrens, as every other Medicaid insurer in Ohio has done, the health and wellbeing of thousands of children is at risk." Story continues Although a contract hasn't been reached, an Anthem spokesperson said it is working diligently to reach one with Nationwide Children's. Read More: Lyme disease cases skyrocket across Ohio. Here's what you need to know now Anthem's latest offer to the hospital is one that keeps fiscal responsibility and the sustainability of the state's Medicaid program in mind, said Buddy Castellano, an Anthem spokesman. The insurer already has entered contracts with a Toledo location of Nationwide Children's and other pediatric hospitals in Dayton, Cincinnati and Akron, Castellano said. Anthem has more than 800 pediatricians in the greater Columbus area in its Medicaid network, meaning families have options besides traveling out of town for care, Castellano said. Anthem, he said, is also willing to cover the cost of any needed emergency care, regardless of whether a hospital is in-network or not. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Ohio is the only Medicaid plan in Ohio that currently considers care at Nationwide Children's to be out-of-network, according to the hospital. Ohio's six other Medicaid insurers consider the hospital to be in-network, meaning they'll cover the cost of care. Those plans include AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio, Buckeye Health Plan, CareSource Ohio, Humana Healthy Horizons, Molina HealthCare of Ohio and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Ohio, according to the hospital. Nationwide Children's has continued to care for kids on Anthem's Medicaid plan for now, in anticipation that a deal may be reached at some point. But continuing to do so indefinitely is unsustainable for the hospital, which could eventually be forced to send kids covered by Anthem elsewhere for care, said Dr. Rustin Morse, chief medical officer at Nationwide Children's. "We are committed to uninterrupted care as long as possible," a prepared statement from the hospital said. "We only seek an agreement that is equitable to the model and structure we maintain with all of Ohios six other Medicaid managed care plans." mfilby@dispatch.com @MaxFilby This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Thousands of kids on Medicaid not covered at Nationwide Children's A new Covid variant is spreading in the U.S., but will it cause a surge in cases? XBB.1.16 dubbed Arcturus on social media is another descendant of omicron. It was first detected in early January and the majority of cases have been seen in India so far. Its been steadily rising in the U.S. in recent weeks, although it still made up slightly less than 10% of new confirmed Covid cases as of Saturday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last week, the World Health Organization deemed XBB.1.16 a variant of interest as it continues to spread and outcompete other variants. Ali Mokdad, a professor of global health at the University of Washington, said its still too early to predict what XBB.1.16 will do. But what hes seen so far has been reassuring. We havent seen an increase in hospitalizations, we havent seen an increase in any of the indicators that make us worry, Mokdad said. Is XBB.1.16 more contagious? Mokdad said that XBB.1.16 is gaining ground on the previously dominant strain in the U.S., called XBB.1.5. That increased transmissibility appears to be due to the subvariants ability to avoid immune detection in the body. It cant be spreading so fast unless it has some immune escape, Mokdad said. The virus has two ways of surviving, Mokdad said. One way is to be more infectious and evade immunity from previous infections or vaccinations, which this one is doing, he said. The other one is to become really deadly. We havent seen that yet. Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, a professor of infectious disease at the University of California, San Francisco, said that aside from the increase in transmissibility, so far XBB.1.16 is not too different from XBB.1.5. That means that hopefully, its not going to be too different in terms of how sick it makes people and how well the vaccines work. What are the symptoms of XBB.1.16? XBB.1.16 doesnt appear to be making people sicker than earlier omicron strains, according to Dr. Mike Ryan, the executive director of the WHOs health emergencies program. Story continues To my knowledge, were not seeing a different spectrum of symptoms or severity associated with this variant of interest, Ryan said during a media briefing last week. Some news reports have mentioned that XBB.1.16 infection causes a new symptom conjunctivitis, or pink eye though the WHO noted that this symptom was already known to be associated with Covid. As early as the spring of 2020 there were reports of itchy, sore eyes in Covid patients. In May 2020, the American Academy of Ophthalmologists noted that mild conjunctivitis could be a symptom of Covid. "It's not a new symptom," but it may be more common than previously thought, Chin-Hong said. Do vaccines work against XBB.1.16? Mokdad said that labs havent yet determined how well the Covid vaccines work against XBB.1.16. Chin-Hong said he wasn't particularly concerned about the vaccines. "Because it's so similar to XBB.1.5, we think that vaccines will be fine," he said. Last week, the Food and Drug Administration and the CDC said that older adults and immunocompromised individuals could get a second dose of the updated booster shot, which protects against an earlier omicron subvariant. Why are there always new variants? XBB.1.16 certainly wont be the last new variant that emerges. The subvariant is yet another offshoot of the growing omicron family tree. XBB.1.16 is a descendant of the XBB subvariant, which itself formed when two strains of omicron subvariant BA.2 combined, according to the WHO. Already, two other XBB strains, XBB.1.9.1 and XBB.1.9.2 are also rising in the U.S. Together, the two strains account for about 11% of new cases, according to the CDC. On Wednesday, the WHO's technical lead for Covid-19, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, said the XBB.1.9 strains are likely similar to whats been seen with previous XBBs. This just indicates to us that the virus continues to evolve and it will continue to evolve because the virus is circulating pretty much unchecked, Van Kerkhove said. Follow NBC HEALTH on Twitter & Facebook. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Two former leaders of We Build the Wall, where Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach was the top lawyer, have been sentenced to prison for defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors to the non-profit effort to build strips of privately-funded wall along the southern border. A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced Brian Kolfage, the groups founder, to 51 months in prison and Andrew Badolato to 36 months in prison. The sentence was the latest in a long-running quest by federal and New York state prosecutors to hold We Build the Wall and its leaders accountable for what they say was a scheme to divert donations for personal uses. Steve Bannon, a former adviser to former President Donald Trump who was involved with the group, has been charged by New York prosecutors and is awaiting trial after Trump pardoned him before leaving office, shielding Bannon from the federal charges he faced at the time. Bannon has pleaded not guilty. We Build the Wall itself has also been charged in state court. Spokespeople for Kobach didnt respond to request for comments Wednesday and Thursday. In addition to serving as We Build the Walls general counsel, Kobach was also on its board of directors. He resigned in early September, after New York prosecutors indicted Bannon and the organization. Florida business records at the time Kobach left showed he was on the board with Kolfage and Amanda Shea, the wife of Timothy Shea. At the time, Kobach said he remained on the board to assist with an orderly shut down of the organization. Kobach has not been accused of wrongdoing. But the sentences against Kolfage and Badolato underscore the number of people formerly in the orbit of the Kansas attorney general, the states top law enforcement officer, who have been either charged with or convicted of crimes. In addition to Kolfage and Badolato, federal prosecutors have also secured a conviction of Timothy Shea, a former partner of Kolfage. And Trump, who Kobach has said he advised on immigration, has been indicted in New York on allegations of falsifying business records related to hush money to a porn star, and remains under investigation over his efforts related to overturning the 2020 presidential election and his handling of classified documents after leaving office. Story continues We Build the Wall formed in late 2018 after Kolfage, a U.S. Air Force veteran of Iraq, initially raised money for a wall through a GoFundMe page. Kolfage was charged federally with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Kolfage pleaded guilty in April. Federal prosecutors alleged Kolfage covertly used more than $350,000 in donations for his personal use. Bannon was also accused of using We Build the Wall funds to cover personal expenses. The two men, along with Badolato and Shea, were accused of concealing payments to Kolfage by routing them through a nonprofit and shell company controlled by Shea. Sheas first trial ended in a mistrial in June but he was later convicted of obstruction of justice last fall. Kobach has previously said he was on the witness list for both the prosecution and defense in Sheas mistrial. A surviving roommate in the University of Idaho student killings will avoid traveling to Moscow for defendant Bryan Kohbergers preliminary hearing this summer after agreeing to an interview in Nevada with his defense team. The two sides struck a compromise Wednesday that eliminated the demand that Bethany Funke come to North Idaho from her home state, according to court records obtained by the Idaho Statesman. The deal vacated a subpoena served to her at the request of Kohbergers attorneys earlier this month. Kohbergers defense asserted last month in a court filing that Funke, one of two roommates who went unharmed in the November knife attack, has information that could show he is not guilty. Their client is charged with with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary in the slayings at an off-campus rental home of Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20. Kohberger could face the death penalty if convicted. Anne Taylor, Kohbergers public defender, sought Funkes testimony at a pretrial hearing scheduled to start June 26. 2nd District Judge Megan Marshall, who is overseeing the case in Latah County, approved the legal demand. Public defender Anne Taylor, right, speaks on behalf of her client, Moscow homicides suspect Bryan Kohberger, at a hearing in January. The former Washington State University graduate student faces four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. Funkes Reno-based attorney argued in a legal filing earlier this month that the witness subpoena was improper. Nevadas law does not permit such an action from an out-of-state defendant, and a preliminary hearing is not the right setting for her client to testify, wrote attorney Kelli Anne Viloria. Funke, through her attorney, has agreed to an interview with Idaho defense counsel in Reno, Nevada, in lieu of proceeding forward with the subpoena, read Vilorias filing Wednesday in 2nd Judicial District Court in Washoe County, Nevada. A gag order that Marshall issued in January restricts attorneys for victims or witnesses from commenting about the Kohberger case outside of court filings. It is unclear what the defense believes Funke may know that could pertain to Kohberger. A criminal investigator hired by Taylor wrote in a March legal filing that he learned that details she possesses are exculpatory, meaning they negate his guilt. Story continues Portions of information Ms. Funke has is exculpatory to the defendant, Richard Bitonti, the criminal investigator, wrote to help justify the out-of-state subpoena. Ms. Funkes information is unique to her experiences and cannot be provided by another witness. Judge Barry Breslow of Nevadas 2nd Judicial District Court signed off Wednesday on an order dropping the subpoena, and the case is expected to be closed, Alica Lerud, the district courts administrator and clerk of court, told the Statesman by phone. Marshall has blocked off the last week of June for Kohbergers preliminary hearing if the case requires it. The Kremlin has commented on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's telephone conversation with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on 26 April. Source: Kremlin-aligned news agencies Interfax (Russia) and RBC, citing Dmitry Peskov, Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, during a briefing Quote: "We are ready to welcome anything that can bring the end of the conflict in Ukraine and Russia's own achievement of its goals closer. As for communication, this is a sovereign matter for these countries and a matter of their bilateral dialogue." Details: Asked whether Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping discussed returning Ukraine's 1991 borders during Xi's last visit to Moscow, Peskov replied: "This was not discussed." Following his conversation with Xi Jinping, Zelenskyy stressed that there can be no peace through territorial compromises and that Ukraine must recover its territories within the 1991 borders. In addition, Peskov was asked whether he was aware of the "common ground" that Zelenskyy said had been found after his conversation with Xi. He replied that it was "a known fact", as this information "has been repeatedly presented by both Zelenskyy and the Chinese partners, who publicly announced all the main features of these plans". Peskov added that no new contacts between Putin and Xi are planned for now. Background: On the afternoon of 26 April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly had a telephone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping. This is the first conversation between the two leaders since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. China will send Li Hui, former Chinese ambassador to Russia, as a special envoy to Ukraine and other countries to communicate on the settlement of the "Ukrainian crisis" [war ed.]. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! MOSCOW (Reuters) -The Kremlin said on Thursday it welcomed anything that could bring the end of the Ukraine conflict closer when asked what it thought of a phone call a day earlier between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. But the Kremlin said it still needed to achieve the aims of what it calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine. The Chinese and Ukrainian leaders on Wednesday spoke for the first time since Russia sent its troops into Ukraine in February last year, fulfilling a longstanding goal of Kyiv which had publicly sought such talks for months. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was familiar with the details of what the two leaders had discussed and said their stances on the conflict were well known. "We are ready to welcome anything that could hasten the end of the conflict in Ukraine and Russia achieving all the goals it has set itself," Peskov said of their phone call. "As for the fact that they communicated - that is a sovereign matter for each of these countries and a question of their bilateral dialogue." Asked if Russia and China had discussed restoring Ukraine to its 1991 borders during a recent visit to Moscow by the Chinese leader, Peskov said: "There was no discussion of that." (Reporting by ReutersEditing by Andrew Osborn) Beginning in July, Kansas providers will be required to tell patients the effects mifepristone, the first of two pills taken in a medication abortion, are reversible even though that isnt proven. Kansas lawmakers successfully overrode Democratic Gov. Laura Kellys veto of the policy Thursday, three years after they failed to override her on the same policy by just one vote. The Kansas Senate voted 29 to 11 to override Kellys veto Thursday. The House voted 84 to 40 the previous day, meeting the two-thirds majority needed for an override. In addition to requiring notification that mifepristone can be reversed, the bill redefines abortion in Kansas statute to specifically exclude contraceptives, miscarriage care and ectopic pregnancy care. The procedure to reverse a medication abortion is based upon limited studies that have been criticized as insufficient to prove the procedure works and is safe. The procedure involves providing a woman who has taken the first pill in a medication abortion with progesterone, which is often used to prevent miscarriage. Proponents of the bill argued any abortion patient should know this is an option if they come to regret their decision before taking the second medication. By denying her that information the abortion industry is essentially forcing her to complete an abortion she no longer wants, Jeanne Gawdun, a lobbyist for Kansans for Life, said. The bill only applies to abortions with mifepristone, which is currently the subject of a federal lawsuit seeking to remove its FDA approval. The notice would not be necessary if providers only use the second medication, misoprostol. Advocates for the bill cited a case study from an anti-abortion doctor in California that found the progesterone worked to halt abortions for about two-thirds of women. But the study lacked a control group so its unclear if the progesterone was needed or if the abortion would have been halted if the patient just didnt take the second pill. Story continues Anamarie Rebori-Simmons, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes, said the policy would hurt Kansans. Now, doctors will be forced to lie to patients about dangerous claims of so-called abortion pill reversal that defy evidence-based medicine, she said in a statement. Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat, said the continued push of anti-abortion policies proved the Legislature had not heard Kansans when they voted to preserve abortion rights last year. Overwhelmingly women and men Republicans, independents, Democrats said legislators do not belong in my doctors office, Sykes said. Continuing to take that attack because they feel they know better than the average Kansan how to deal with their day to day issues. In addition to the pill reversal bill, the House and Senate also successfully overrode Kelly Wednesday on another anti-abortion bill requiring care for infants born alive in an abortion. The Senate sustained Kellys veto on a bill making it harder for providers to access liability insurance. The House and Senate also overrode Kellys line-item veto of $2 million in the state budget for anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers. The Senate voted Thursday to send a tax package to Kellys desk that includes tax credits for anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers alongside a wide range of other small tax items. Correction: A previous version of this story misstated how the bill redefines abortion. It will exclude contraceptives, miscarriage care and ectopic pregnancy care. An ethics complaint has been filed against Attorney General Daniel Cameron, citing an alleged conflict of interest in a legal challenge involving gray machines, by a Northern Kentucky attorney who is also backing Kelly Craft in the increasingly ugly GOP primary to be Kentuckys next governor. Steven Megerle filed the complaint against Cameron, the apparent frontrunner in the heated Republican gubernatorial primary, with the Executive Branch Ethics Commission in Frankfort Wednesday. In the complaint, Megerle argues Cameron is incapable of objectively discharging the duties of his office because of donations given backing his effort to become Kentuckys next governor. The Herald-Leader reported last week that a political action committee supporting Camerons quest for governor received $100,000 in donations from Pace-o-Matic and its executives, and thousands more was given directly to Camerons campaign itself. Pace-o-Matic is currently suing the state over the ban enacted by the 2023 General Assembly, and the Office of the Attorney General is responsible for defending state laws in court. Craft and Camerons campaigns and PACs backing each of them have been lobbing attacks at one another for weeks leading up to the expensive May 16 primary. Additionally, candidate Eric Deters has said he plans to file a challenge to Crafts eligibility to run for governor, arguing she doesnt meet the residency requirements. The PAC supporting Cameron has also called Craft an Oklahoma resident and launched a website called OklahomaKelly.com. (Crafts husband, billionaire Joe Craft, is CEO of Alliance Coal based in Tulsa.) Megerle, too, has a dog in this political fight; Kentucky Registry of Election Finance records show he has given Crafts campaign two donations of $250 each. Krista Buckel, spokesperson for the attorney general, said Cameron recused himself from any decision making involving the case on March 31. To accuse Attorney General Cameron or the Office of the Attorney General of any impropriety, in this case, is wholly without basis and patently untrue, Buckel said in a statement. General Cameron and his Office have always and will continue to defend the laws the General Assembly passes without fear or favor. While General Cameron has personally recused himself from taking any action in this case and did so before any filing was made by the Office, experienced attorneys in the Office of the Attorney General are defending the constitutionality of the legislation challenged by the plaintiffs and will continue to do so until the case is won and the challenge is defeated. Story continues In addition to the $100,000 given to the Bluegrass Freedom Action PAC, Megerle also identified a total of $33,610 donations to Camerons campaign by gray machine industry employees, their families and/or those directly benefiting from the gray machine industry. The donations were all made in advance of the lawsuit being filed March 28, he says. Around $29,000 of industry-linked donations came on March 27, just one day prior. Megerle alleges Cameron had a significant financial incentive which directly and tangibly benefits the personal political interest of the Attorney General, who is using his influence in the matter by failing to recuse himself and his office. Additionally, Megerle says Cameron knowingly secured advantages for himself in and his political campaign by accepting tens of thousands of dollars in contributions from interested parties in a lawsuit the very day before those same parties filed suit against him. Megerle argued Cameron could have sought an advisory ethics opinion, appoint a special attorney general from outside his office to handle the lawsuit, return the donations in question and/or issue a statement asking the PAC to return the donations. Megerle said the commission has 10 days to initiate an investigation. Pace-O-Matic attempted to include Cameron to the lawsuit by naming his office as a defendant, but Cameron won an appellate court ruling allowing his office to be excused, according to WDRB. Further, in 2021 the Kentucky Lottery Corporation and several other businesses and organizations including the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, big names in the horse industry, convenience store and lodge proprietors sought an opinion from Cameron on the legality of the machines. The Herald-Leader has asked Camerons office for their response at the time. Herald-Leader politics reporter Austin Horn contributed to this report. Holly Barlow-Austin died in 2019 after being denied medical care in a Texas jail. Holly Barlow-Austin died in 2019 after being denied medical care in a Texas jail. The family of 47-year-old Holly Barlow-Austin, who died after being denied medical care in a for-profit Texas jail, received $7 million to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit. It is the largest known jail death settlement in Texas history and among the largest nationwide, Erik Heipt, the lead attorney who represented Barlow-Austins family, said on Thursday in a statement announcing the settlement. We hope that this result sends a powerful message to every single jail and prison in America that this type of blatant disregard for human life will not be tolerated, Heipt wrote. In particular, this outcome should serve as a wake-up call to all private jail and prison operatorsnot just in Texas, but everywhere: If youre going to cut corners and put profits over peoples lives, there will be a steep price to pay. Barlow-Austin died in June 2019 after being held at the Bi-State Justice Center, a jail on the Texas-Arkansas border run by LaSalle Corrections. The following year, her family sued jail staffers, Bowie County and LaSalle a company that has been neglecting and abusing inmates, disregarding their fundamental constitutional rights, and engaging in other cruel and inhumane acts and practices, according to the lawsuit. The settlement came after two and a half years of litigation. Although the $7 million payment is public, the specific amount paid by each defendant remains confidential. LaSalle did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and it was not clear if it had admitted fault as part of the settlement. What happened to her was inexcusable. No one deserves to be treated the way they treated her. We wanted justice. We wanted to show that Hollys life mattered. And we wanted those responsible for mistreating her to be held accountable, Barlow-Austins mother and husband said in a joint statement. We hope and pray that it will lead to changes in how our jails treat people in their custody and will save some lives in the future. Because thats what Holly wouldve wanted. Story continues Holly was a kind, compassionate person with a generous spiritsomeone who always wanted to help people in need, even strangers. She made the world a better place, the joint statement continued. Barlow-Austin was arrested for a misdemeanor probation violation and taken to the Bi-State jail in April 2019. At the time, she was on medication to manage her HIV and mental health. Once she was in jail, staff denied her access to her medications, the lawsuit alleged, and she developed an infection that left her blind and unable to walk. Barlow-Austin went long periods of time without eating or drinking because she was unable to see the food and water in her cell, according to the lawsuit. She spent the last week of her confinement in a so-called medical observation cellisolated and alone, in constant pain, blindly crawling around her cell, dehydrated and malnourished, living in filthy and inhumane conditions, decompensatingwith no medical help, Heipt wrote in the Thursday statement. Videofootageof Barlow-Austins last 48 hours in the jail shows her struggling to move, using her hands to feel her way around the cell. By the time she was taken to a hospital on June 11, it was too late to save her life, according to the lawsuit. She died on June 17 of fungemia/sepsis due to fungus, cryptococcal meningitis, HIV/AIDS, and accelerated hypertension, the lawsuit said. LaSalle avoided a criminal investigation by discharging Barlow-Austin before she died, local news station WFAA reported in 2019. Her death was caused by LaSalle agents and employees who failed to provide her prescription medication, failed to manage her chronic medical condition, failed to monitor her medical needs, failed to conduct face-to-face checks on her, failed to address her high blood pressure, failed to have her evaluated by a medical doctor, failed to take her to the hospital in a timely fashion, and otherwise failed to house her in humane conditions of confinement, the lawsuit alleged. Shortly after Barlow-Austins death, Bowie County renewed its contract with LaSalle to run the Bi-State jail. Under the contract, LaSalle would be paid $57.17 per jailed person per day. The less the company spent on care, the more money it would make. LaSalle terminated the contract a few months after the lawsuit was filed. Barlow-Austin is one of several people who died after being held in the Bi-State jail when it was run by LaSalle. In 2017, a judge approved a $200,000 settlement against LaSalle over the death of 20-year-old Morgan Angerbauer, who died of diabetic ketoacidosis after being denied treatment. In 2019, an undisclosed settlement was reached in the case of Michael Sabbie, a 35-year-old who told guards at least 19 times I cant breathe before being thrown into the cell where he would die. Jail staff accused both Barlow-Austin and Sabbie of feigning their symptoms before they died. LaSalle has a corporate culture of treating all inmates as fakers, Heipt told HuffPost in 2020. If the assumption is that everyones faking it, then less people get medical treatment and care less people getting medical treatment and care means fewer costs and higher corporate profits. A Las Vegas man who pleaded guilty in March to killing a 24-year-old model whose body was discovered in a "concrete and wooden structure" in the desert in October 2019 was sentenced Tuesday to 10 to 25 years in prison. Christopher Prestipino was accused of killing Esmeralda Gonzalez, who was 24 when she was reported missing in May 2019. Several months later, on Oct. 8, homicide detectives recovered a body in the desert area just north of Las Vegas. Police said the body was discovered completely encased in "concrete and in a wooden structure." LAS VEGAS MAN PLEADS NOT GUILTY IN DEATH OF WOMAN FOUND IN CONCRETE Days later, Prestipino and Lisa Mort were arrested in connection with the discovered body. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said at the time that investigators believed the victim had been inside Prestipinos residence and was held against her will. Subsequently, police said, she was "murdered." Esmerelda Gonzalez was reported missing in May 2019, and her body was later discovered encased in concrete. Mort, police said, had knowledge of the alleged homicide and "assisted" Prestipino, though police did not say to what extent at the time. MISSING NEVADA WOMAN'S BODY FOUND IN DESERT NEAR LAS VEGAS, 2 ARRESTED, POLICE SAY Prestipino was charged with open murder, kidnapping in the first degree resulting in substantial bodily harm and conspiracy murder. Mort was also booked on harboring, concealing and aiding a felony offender. FOX 5 Las Vegas reported Prestipino pleaded guilty to murder and felony kidnapping via an Alford plea, which is a "no contest" plea that allows the court to treat Prestipino as guilty without him admitting guilt. CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP Mort and another woman, Cassandra Garret, were also charged in the death of Gonzalez, with Mort pleading guilty to being an accessory to murder in February 2020, and Garret pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in February 2021. The similarities are inescapable. A far-right figure with a deep distrust of the federal government and a high degree of moral and religious certainty feels hes being wrongly persecuted by the state and refuses to participate in court proceedings against him. Ammon Bundy shouting at police officers, Stay the hell off my property, has eerie echoes of Randy Weavers response to a U.S. marshal during the Ruby Ridge standoff in 1991: Stay off my mountain. The cases are different. Weaver was charged with violating federal gun laws and faced criminal charges. Bundy, no stranger to criminal charges, is embroiled in a civil matter this time, being sued by St. Lukes for defamation. In the Ruby Ridge case, federal authorities, including the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service, were after Weaver. In Bundys case, only the Gem County Sheriffs Office has been involved in trying to serve papers to Bundy because he has refused to respond to the lawsuit. But the similarities and possibility of escalation are enough to raise concerns. Ammon Bundy. Bundys Peoples Rights Network, consisting of tens of thousands of followers, this week sent out an alert that Bundys property in Emmett was being surrounded by law enforcement. It wasnt. This came after Bundy had a confrontation with Gem County sheriffs deputies who were on his property legally to serve him with court papers. Bundy is being sued by St. Lukes for defamation because Bundy leveled preposterous accusations against the health system in connection with a state welfare intervention on behalf of a malnourished baby who is the grandson of Bundys friend and co-provocateur Diego Rodriguez. In newly published bodycam footage from the 4/6 Bundy process servicing incident, Ammon exposes his violent temper and inadvertently reveals who actually owns the property. Bundy repeatedly calls it "my property" and shouts, "I bought the place, not you!" pic.twitter.com/uX9wXmXvIC Devin Burghart (@dburghart) April 22, 2023 Dozens of Bundy supporters showed up at Bundys invitation for a barbecue at his property, and one supporter in attendance is recorded as saying they need to take shifts protecting Bundy from government action. Story continues Its unclear what the next steps are for the sheriffs office in this case, but its clear Bundy is surrounding himself with his followers to deter being legally served with court papers. In an interview in December, Bundy said that he would meet em on the front door with my friends and a shotgun. When Gem County sheriffs deputies once served papers on an angry, aggressively yelling Bundy, they beat a hasty retreat, expressing deference and politeness. Some have criticized the deputies for that, but they played their cards right, de-escalating what could have been a more serious situation. Law enforcement hopefully learned the lessons of Ruby Ridge, in which Weaver refused to appear in court in 1991 on a gun charge in Idaho. That led to an 11-day standoff with federal officials. Federal agents used military tactics and surveillance to surround Weavers mountaintop home and were given orders to shoot on sight any armed male on the property. It led to the deaths of three people: Weavers wife and son, and a marshal. It also led to the wounding of another man. As it turned out, once Weaver finally faced the gun charges, he was acquitted on the grounds of entrapment. The justice system, of which Weaver was so suspicious, worked in his favor. Four years after Ruby Ridge, Randy Weaver testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing about the standoff, how it happened and how government agencies failed. At one point during the hearing, Weaver had an interesting exchange with then-Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wisconsin. You finally did go to court, you were basically acquitted and exonerated, the laws of justice rolled on, and just in terms of what you were hauled into court for, you did all right by the American system of justice on that, didnt you? Kohl asked Weaver. Absolutely, Weaver responded. You have some new feelings about our system of justice today? It worked for us very well, Weaver said. Do you perhaps wish that you had allowed it to work earlier? Oh, yes. Oh, yeah. If I could change, believe me, I would. Id give my life to have my son and wife back. Had you allowed that system to roll on earlier as most Americans do and are obligated to do then justice would have been done by you. Is that a fair statement? Yes, sir, Weaver said. Bundy believes himself to be above the law, above the rules that the rest of us follow. He believes St. Lukes did something wrong, and it was within his authority to do something about it. Now that hes being held to account for his actions, he is avoiding accountability. Perhaps Bundy should listen to the words of Weaver after Weaver had time to reflect on the situation. In his opening statement, Weaver offered what could be taken as a wise piece of advice for Ammon Bundy. If I had it to do over again, knowing what I know now, I would make different choices, Weaver said. Id come down from the mountain for the court appearance. Ammon should come down from his mountain. Statesman editorials are the unsigned opinion of the Idaho Statesmans editorial board. Board members are opinion editor Scott McIntosh, opinion writer Bryan Clark, editor Chadd Cripe and newsroom editors Dana Oland and Jim Keyser. House Judiciary lawmakers sparred Wednesday over a Republican proposal that would empower law enforcement officials to quickly send unaccompanied immigrant children back across the border. Republicans argued their proposal, part of a larger GOP immigration package the House Judiciary Committee advanced last week, would remove incentives for children to come in the first place. Democrats, however, said the harsh immigration policy could only put children in further danger. The debate over how America should deal with unaccompanied minors has been in the spotlight after reports that a majority of the tens of thousands of children who cross the border without a guardian each year end up working as child laborers. At a hearing of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety, lawmakers disagreed on how best to respond to the problem. On a border trip last year, I asked a CBP [Customs and Border Protection] officer how to stop the trafficking of children into this country, Chair Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) said. His answer was immediate: get them safely home. He said the cartels charge thousands of dollars to traffic these children, and they dont give refunds, McClintock added. The moment children are returned home, their business will dry up. The GOP bill would allow for expedited removal of an unaccompanied minor if an initial screening by the Department of Homeland Security determines they arent a trafficking victim and dont have a credible fear of returning to their home country. Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) said this would put children in danger. That legislation would leave these unaccompanied children with the right merely to cursory screenings by law enforcement personnel, lacking child welfare expertise, screenings that would largely fail to identify signs of trafficking and exploitation, Nadler said. This would lead to the summary return of too many children with valid protection claims to the same dangers they fled. Story continues Subcommittee Ranking Member Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said there are better ways to protect migrant children. She said the government should go after the companies that hire child laborers. And she said Congress should provide more funding to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) and other agencies to ensure the safety of migrant children, including more money for post-release services and for providing children with attorneys. Improvement in both of these areas will help protect children from mistreatment, exploitation and trafficking, Jayapal said. Following New York Times reporting earlier this year revealing the extent of child labor among unaccompanied minors, the ORR has announced several steps its taking to better protect immigrant children and increase vetting of the adults, often family members, they are sent to live with. Republicans at the hearing attacked ORR, accusing it of prioritizing releasing children as quickly as possible over ensuring their safety. Multiple Republicans said the agency had lost around 85,000, a characterization that Democrats and the Biden administration have disputed. At a hearing last week, ORR Director Robin Dunn Marcos testified that the office doesnt track children after they are released. Thirty days after a child is released to a sponsor, ORR conducts a follow-up phone call. The 85,000 figure refers to the number of minors whose sponsor did not answer a follow-up call in the past two years. I believe that failure to respond to a follow-up phone call from an unknown phone number does not constitute being lost, said the Democrats witness at Wednesdays hearing, former ORR Director Bob Carey. But fellow witness Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies for the conservative Center for Immigration Studies, said a phone call isnt good enough. A phone call is not sufficient to detect whether the child is in a safe environment, Vaughan said. A phone call is not enough to know if a child is being abused. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A civil lawsuit filed Thursday accuses Talawanda School District officials of failing to fire a middle school teacher accused of groping a 12-year-old girl during class in 2021, even though a Title IX investigation found he had a history of sexually assaulting students as far back as 2014. The teacher resigned for "personal reasons" a year and a half later. The lawsuit, filed by a student and her parents, demands a trial by jury. Talawanda Middle School The teacher, Paul Stiver, was sued at the state level in December for the same incident and a settlement is in the works, according to Butler County court records. Students raised several concerns about Stiver over the years. Incidents listed in the federal complaint from other minors include Stiver giving students unsolicited gifts, making inappropriate jokes, rubbing girls' backs and shoulders, touching girls' chests and telling one student to not wear low-cut tops or bend over in front of him. Read the complaint at the end of this story or here. The Talawanda Board of Education, as an entity, and its individual board members Patrick Meade, Rebecca Howard, Chad Otto, Kathleen Knight-Abowitz and David Bothast were named in the federal complaint along with Superintendent Ed Theroux, Talawanda Middle School Principal Michael Malone and Vice Principal Stephanie Aerni. The student is identified by initials; her parents are identified by first name and last name initial. The school district declined to comment as of Thursday afternoon. The complaint says Stiver was teaching a business fundamentals class Dec. 1, 2021 when the incident occurred. While students were playing a computer game, he approached the girl's desk, placed his hand on her shoulder and upper back and slid his hand down the front of her chest to grope her breast. Another student witnessed the assault. The assaulted student texted her older sister afterward. She wrote: "Umm... Mr. Stiver just touch my shoulder and slide his hand down to my chest," according to the complaint. She also expressed fear of reporting the incident, even though her classmate that saw it happen urged her to go to the school administration. Story continues The girl told her parents, who rushed to meet her at the school. That's when the student reported the incident to another teacher and then to administrators. The school resource officer also received the report and a criminal complaint against Stiver was filed with Oxford Police. While the incident was widely covered by media at the time, the complaint says the community was not particularly surprised because residents claimed "it was common misbehavior for Stiver." School administrators Malone and Aerni told investigators there had been recent prior allegations of harassment made against Stiver. But those previous allegations were not properly investigated, and they did not get added Stiver's personnel file, the complaint reads. The student who was assaulted in December 2021 received a lot of support from her peers after she reported Stiver, but the complaint says she was also bullied. The harassment that came in the aftermath of her reporting Stiver to authorities was never investigated, either. "I hope he touches your sister too," one prank caller told her, according to the complaint. The incident with Stiver and everything that followed contributed to a steep decline in the girl's mental health, the complaint says. She eventually left Talawanda and was homeschooled. She began self-harming and has had suicidal ideation. The last place a student should be subjected to sexual predation is in the classroom, attorney Austin LiPuma of Freking Myers & Reul said in a Thursday news release. Talawanda School District has continuously failed its students. This will not be tolerated by the community. LiPuma and other attorneys representing the student are encouraging other survivors to reach out to 513-721-1975. Talawanda complaint by Madeline Mitchell on Scribd This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Federal lawsuit claims Talawanda teacher groped several students By Laila Bassam BEIRUT (Reuters) - As Lebanese businessman Ahmad Shams sheltered in the hotel he ran in Khartoum from the gunfire and shelling that erupted there this month, it brought back flashbacks of the civil war that had shattered Lebanon's capital in his youth. "It's the same picture there are militias, there are international interests. War is just as intense in Sudan as it was in Lebanon for us," he said after returning to Beirut. Shams, 59, who lived in Sudan for 17 years, had set up a hotel and restaurant in a prime location near Khartoum's main airport and ministries. When fighting flared between Sudan's army and a paramilitary force on April 15, those sites became targets. He fled with his wife, 10-year-old son - even their cat - alongside other Lebanese, but he said they had to rely on evacuation help from the Saudi Arabian authorities not those of his native Lebanon, a nation facing its deepest economic and political crisis since its 1975-1990 civil war. Returning to a country with its own crisis has not felt like a homecoming after so many years abroad. "We've returned to a country that's already collapsing. If there had been a choice to go somewhere else, I would not have come to Lebanon," he said. More than 60 Lebanese have been evacuated so far from Sudan, including some there briefly for business and others who had made Sudan their home. "Now that I'm in Lebanon, I feel like I'm travelling to another country, like I'm in exile," Shams said. (Reporting by Laila Bassam; Writing by Maya Gebeily; Editing by Edmund Blair) Cute lesbian couple smiling Wednesday is Lesbian Visibility Day, falling in the middle of Lesbian Visibility Week, organized by DIVA Media Group, Europes largest LGBTQ+ media company and publisher of Diva magazine. Our aim is BOTH TO celebrate lesbians and show solidarity with all LGBTQI women and non binary people in our community. We believe in unity, and lifting up those who are most marginalised, says the official Lesbian Visibility Week website. It is essential that Lesbian Visibility Week is a voice for unity and lifts up ALL women, especially those who come from marginalised communities, the site continues. Recent research (Pride Matters survey, conducted by Pride In London 2018) has shown that gay women are almost twice as unlikely to be out in the workplace as gay male colleagues. Lesbian Visibility Day originated in the United Kingdom and has been observed since 2008. Its 24 hours where our community comes together to celebrate and commemorate the achievements of a group of people which has for so long been marginalised, Diva publisher Linda Riley wrote in 2021 on the website for British LGBTQ+ group Stonewall. Two years earlier, I came to the conclusion that a single day for lesbian visibility was simply insufficient, she went on. We needed, and deserved, more time to shine a light on some of the amazing women in our community, and to celebrate who we are without fear of prejudice, harassment or vilification. Since the observances expansion to a week, it has become an unmissable event in the LGBTQI calendar, she noted. Lesbian Visibility Day and Week have supporters worldwide, including GLAAD, UK Black Pride, LGBT Foundation, the Peter Tatchell Foundation, and more. These organisations all agree that lesbians need to be given space to be visible and shown to the world on our own terms, Riley wrote. For too long, we have been fetishised by the heterosexual male gaze, as little more than the stuff of fantasy. At the same time, a small number of cis lesbians, whose opposition to the rights of our trans siblings has become ever louder and more toxic, have led some to believe that the lesbian community is not an inclusive space. I can assure you that for the vast majority of us, this is not the case. Thats why I am so committed to celebrating all under the LGBTQI umbrella. Story continues In a 2022 piece for The Advocate, Riley further explained, "I had noticed that more and more, the L in LGBTQ+ was becoming particularly marginalized. I am a proud cis lesbian and a proud trans ally. But many in the LGBTQ+ community were beginning to equate cis lesbians with transphobes, which is fundamentally untrue. I wanted to help create a narrative that shows once and for all that the vast majority of cis lesbians are inclusive. We are intersectional. We want to remove any negative connotations associated with that word. So this is why during Lesbian Visibility Week we celebrate and center all lesbians, both cis and trans, while also showing solidarity with all LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary people." In an article for the U.K.s National Health Service, Julie Scanlon challenged those who question the need for the observance. Various studies indicate that many women do not feel comfortable or engage with activities targeted at LGBT+ umbrella communities, she wrote. Many lesbians are uncomfortable being out at work or suffer harassment there, she added. Celebrating lesbian visibility day is one way to recognise the contributions that lesbians make, to foster understanding between different groups and to acknowledge that more needs to be done, Scanlon explained. Beyond this day, there is a need to understand whether or not lesbians are feeling included, valued and engaged or what might improve this. So, she concluded, I leave you with a small challenge what is one action that you can take this week to support lesbian visibility? Go ahead and do it! By Elizabeth Piper and Vitalii Hnidyi VYSHNEVA, Ukraine (Reuters) - Doctor Oleg Marchenko never knows what he will find when he visits villages retaken by Ukrainian forces in the east of the country last autumn. Mines lie scattered around and often there are no medical facilities left. He can be certain of one thing, however: many patients he meets will be suffering from high blood pressure after living for months under Russian occupation near the frontlines. Marchenko, 54, operates a mobile clinic that provides a lifeline for people in villages who remained, or were unable to leave, when the Russians came following the full-scale invasion that began in February, 2022. Some were too old or sick to move. The health of some others who stayed is now deteriorating. Many no longer have access to a local doctor and a large number of hospitals and clinics have been destroyed by Russian shelling and air strikes. The damage is worst in areas Russia controlled before fleeing last September, when Ukraine's military launched a lightning counteroffensive in the east. Fighting reduced whole towns to ruins, littered with mines left by retreating forces. Marchenko's work offers insight into the dire state of healthcare provision in Ukraine after 14 months of war, and how volunteers are stepping in to do what the state is unable to. "There were no medicines (during the Russian occupation of villages), there were no doctors who could offer help, plus the level of stress worsened everything," Marchenko said after seeing dozens of patients in the once-occupied village of Vyshneva not far from Kharkiv, Ukraine's second biggest city. "Patients who we chat to say there was a considerable number of deaths because of the lack of medical help." Moscow says it does not deliberately target civilians in its "special military operation" in Ukraine. Missile and drone strikes continue to damage infrastructure and homes while the civilian death toll mounts. Story continues Ukraine's health ministry said during the full-scale invasion, Russia had destroyed 174 medical facilities and significantly damaged another 1,106, with Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kherson and Mykolaiv regions the worst affected. "If we divide this figure by the number of days of war, it turns out that Russia strikes at least three medical institutions every day," Health Minister Viktor Liashko said. In the past 12 months, 186 medical facilities have been fully restored, the ministry added. The World Health Organization estimates that the overall damage to the system could cost more than $15 billion to repair. With the World Bank still some way from raising its target of $500 million for its health project in Ukraine, volunteers such as Marchenko and his co-workers at the International Rescue Committee aid group have stepped in to help. But as more people return to liberated areas, a skeleton staff buttressed by volunteers will struggle to meet needs. "It makes my head spin," said Yuliia Rodzynska, who heads a makeshift emergency care centre that was set up in the eastern Ukrainian town of Izium close to the burnt-out ruins of an outpatient hospital. She said only 11 doctors have come back to work to serve a population of around 22,000. General practitioners simply cannot cope with the large numbers of people asking for consultations, she told Reuters. QUEUES OF PATIENTS Marchenko abandoned his home in Mariupol after the southeastern city was besieged by Russian forces, and started a new life "from nothing", first in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia and then in Kharkiv. In Vyshneva, about 80 km (50 miles) southeast of Kharkiv, a crowd squeezed into the village hall to see Marchenko for a range of illnesses ranging from high blood pressure to cancer. Most were elderly women. Tetiana Cherednichenko, a 69-year-old grandmother who looks older than her years, accused the Russians of taking medicines for themselves. They would only hand them out to those villagers who welcomed them, she said. She wept as she described having to send her disabled granddaughter away so that she could study somewhere that had electricity. "Among them (the Russians) there were even good male nurses and I asked them for help for my granddaughter. I even asked the commander for medicines, and they never gave us any," she said. Russia's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. For Vladimir Kushnir, 57, Russia's occupation meant he could not attend his yearly check-up at a Kharkiv hospital to monitor his recovery from cancer of the oesophagus. He was part of the team that helped tackle the fire at the Chornobyl nuclear plant during the world's worst nuclear accident in 1986 and was exposed to high radiation levels. "After the occupation began, the medicine which we had at home was soon used up... There might have been doctors (among the Russians) but I didn't try to find out ... I just didn't want to see them ... But then my health got worse and I went to (the southeastern) Dnipropetrovsk region," he said. "Three days later, they liberated the village and I returned." RESTORATION Marchenko, 54, patiently listens to his new patients as he takes their blood pressure and measures the blood sugar levels of those with diabetes. It is a world away from his former job at a hospice in Mariupol, but he hopes that he and his team of a male nurse, security adviser, driver and sometimes a psychologist, can help revive Ukraine's health system. It's an uphill battle. The WHO said in January that the situation was "particularly dire" in areas close to the frontline or retaken areas and the people who stayed behind have "complex needs." Michelle Bachelet, the top UN human rights official, said last month that Russia may have committed war crimes by killing civilians and destroying hospitals in its pounding of Ukrainian cities. Russia denies its forces have committed war crimes. (Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Mike Collett-White and Alexandra Hudson) The efforts of a Tacoma Catholic church to stay viable continue 10 months after its parish and three others were merged into one by the Seattle Archdiocese. On Sunday, the doors will swing open once again at 101-year-old St. Rita of Cascia on Tacomas Hilltop for a special anniversary Mass. The Mass will have an unusual feature: A vintage life-sized photograph of the Shroud of Turin. The photo could be a key to keeping the church building open, say a group of former parishioners. Its appearance is yet another twist in the fate of the church dedicated to the saint of improbable causes. Staying together Now part of Pope St. John XXIII parish, the St. Rita group wants to restore their parish or at least keep their church as a chapel or shrine. Their appeal is under review by the Vatican. Seattle Archbishop Paul Etienne consolidated the parishes to counter a combination of issues, including dwindling congregants, a lack of priests and financial issues. Etiennes plan wasnt embraced at St. Rita. It made the core people want to stick it out and fight it, congregant Marla Grassi said Wednesday. He really launched a sort of a revival in our own midst of dedication to our church and our parish. Fellow congregant Fran Jordan secured legal help for the congregations appeal. The churchs appeal, which requires translation services in Rome, is being financed by their private foundation. The first step in the appeal is to continue as a parish, Jordan said. If that fails, theyll appeal to become a chapel or shrine. The Archdiocese says that the Dicastery for the Clergy upheld Etiennes 2022 decree of extinctive union which created Pope St. John XXIII Parish. The Dicastery deals with all matters relating to priests and deacons of the diocesan clergy. Prayers After St. Rita closed its doors to regular Sunday Masses in 2022, some of its former congregants many of whom are descendants of the Italian immigrant families which built it would meet for prayer on the churchs steps below a colorful mural of an Italian village. Story continues Since December, the new parishs pastor, Father Tuan Nguyen, has allowed the congregants to use the interior of the church for their prayer service, most often led by Grassi. Some of the former congregants now attend services elsewhere. Funeral masses are still held at the church, but Sundays Mass featuring the shroud photograph will be its first since June. Because the church is still consecrated, two masses are allowed to be held there per year, Jordan and Grassi said. In addition to Sundays mass, a mass will be held on May 22 for St. Ritas Feast Day. The Archdiocese says Masses can be held in the building any time per the desires of Nguyen. The display of the shroud photograph on Sunday isnt random its owner and the church members hope that St. Rita could become a shrine that would house the photograph. The shroud The Shroud of Turin is a holy relic that believers say is the burial cloth of Jesus of Nazareth. It contains the image of a man, wearing a crown of thorns and inflicted with wounds from a crucifixion. The documented history of the shroud dates to at least 1354. Radiocarbon dating pegs the linen cloth as being produced around 1300. Some believe its evidence of a miracle while others, even in the 1300s, have called it a fake. In 2013, Pope Francis urged his congregants to contemplate the shroud with awe but did not make a statement as to its authenticity. For the faithful, the shroud is the real thing, and even a photograph of it has caused viewers to faint. Thats what happened when the photos owner put it on display in a church near his Arizona home. I didnt realize how powerful it was until these people were trying to put rosaries against it, former Tacoma pediatrician Ron Gallucci said Wednesday in a phone interview. They asked me if they could touch me. Its very, very powerful. Gallucci grew up attending St. Rita. Now, hes donated the photograph to the St. Rita of Cascia Society of Tacoma, the foundation behind St. Rita which is not under the control of the archdiocese. Photographic history Giuseppe Enrie was a portrait photographer in Turin, Italy when he was commissioned to photograph the shroud in 1931. His careful photographic studies brought new insight and controversy to the relic. When Gallucci was attending Bellarmine Preparatory School in 1957, his grandparents, John and Josephine Gallucci, traveled to Turin, Italy where the shroud is kept in the Chapel of the Holy Shroud. There, they purchased the 4-foot by 12-foot photo and returned with it to Washington. They brought it to Tacoma in a big cardboard tube, Gallucci said Wednesday. They traveled to other countries and it almost got confiscated every time they crossed a border, because they thought it was stolen. Galluccis grandparents never revealed what they paid for the photograph. A roughly 10-inch by 12-inch 1931 photo by Enrie showing only the face of the shroud is in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The Galluccis gave the photograph to a Catholic priest at Bellarmine who, years later, ended up at Gonzaga University in Spokane. When the priest died, his belongings were put into storage. Because the priest had made a statement that the photograph belonged to the Gallucci family, Ron was able to recover it in 2008. He framed the folded photograph in a glass case so that it now stands 6-feet-high and shows both the front and back of the shroud. Earlier this year, the photograph was picked up by Stan and Fran Jordan and transported back to Tacoma in their RV. Its now housed in an undisclosed location. The public is welcomed to attend the noon mass on Sunday which celebrates the 1924 consecration of St. Rita of Cascia Church at 1403 South Ainsworth Street and see the shroud photograph from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Its for everyone to see, Jordan said. This is a breaking news story. Check back to idahostatesman.com for updates. To sign up for breaking news alerts, click here. An 18-person jury including six alternates continued listening to testimony Thursday regarding the autopsy results of Lori Vallow Daybells children. At the end of the roughly eight-week trial, the 12 remaining jurors are expected to decide whether the 49-year-old Rexburg mother is guilty of first-degree murder in the deaths of two of her children: 7-year-old Joshua Jaxon JJ Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan. To be convicted of those charges, the jury will need to conclude that she killed, encouraged or commanded someone else to kill her children. Chief Forensic Pathologist Garth Warren during his testimony Wednesday said JJ died from asphyxiation, while his sister, Tylee, was killed, but hes not sure how. This was the first time that the autopsy results were publicized. This is a homicide, Warren had said Tuesday, regarding Tylees death. I just cant tell you why. Warren, who works for the Ada County Coroners Office, said that Tylees death was ruled a homicide by unspecified means. Vallow Daybell and her husband, Chad Daybell, are both charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of JJ and Tylee, and also face three counts of conspiracy to commit murder. READ MORE: Lori Vallow Daybells case spans 3 states, 4 deaths. Here are all the key people involved. The Daybells, who had a months-long affair before getting married, are being tried separately. Lori Daybells trial began early this month and could last another four weeks. Lori Daybell is accused of conspiring to kill Chad Daybells then-wife, Tammy Daybell. Chad Daybell who has a hearing scheduled for May 4 faces a first-degree murder charge in Tammy Daybells death. Chad and Lori got married on a Hawaii beach two weeks after Tammy Daybells body was buried in a Utah cemetery, according to witnesses throughout the trial. Authorities said they believe Vallow Daybells brother Alex Cox also conspired to kill JJ, Tylee and Tammy Daybell, according to the indictment filed by prosecution teams from Madison and Fremont counties. Cox died of natural causes in 2019. Story continues Vallow Daybell also faces a felony charge for allegedly conspiring to kill her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, with her brother. FBI forensic anthropologist Angi Christensen who examined Tylees skeletal remains said Tylees bones had sharp trauma to five areas in her pelvic region. Check this story for live updates on Vallow Daybells trial. 3:30 p.m. Victims sister takes the stand In the final and most emotional testimony of the day, Samantha Gwilliam, sister of Tammy Daybell, took the stand Thursday afternoon. She choked up as she described Tammy as an introvert who loved animals and her family. Before moving to Idaho, Tammy worked as a special education secretary at a school in Utah and lived just two blocks from her sister. They saw each other every day, Gwilliam said. She loved people, Gwilliam said. She loved taking care of them. Gwilliam liked Chad Daybell and hadnt known about his affair with Lori Vallow Daybell. But in July 2019, she noticed the Daybells acting really weird when they stopped by to give Gwilliam a birthday present. They arrived unexpectedly, stayed only for about 20 minutes and Chad Daybell never got out of the car. Tammy, who rarely visited alone, went to Utah to spend time with her family shortly before her death. Tammy told her sister that Chad had told her to go, Gwilliam said. Gwilliam then told the courtroom that Chad Daybell called on Oct. 19, 2019, to say that Tammy had died hed been awakened by her dead body rolling out of the bed. Chad Daybell said Tammy had a coughing fit around midnight, before falling back to sleep, according to Gwilliam. Gwilliam did not get through many questions before the court was adjourned at 3:20 p.m. The court is expected to resume her testimony on Friday. 3 p.m. Detective says image shows dark spot where Tylee was buried Chuck Kunsaitis, Rexburg detective, testified about satellite images taken of the Daybell property in September 2019. Two weeks after the childrens bodies were found, KSL.com published a story containing those satellite images. Kunsaitis said a news article inspired him to to contact Colorado-based satellite-imaging reseller Apollo Mapping to get his own copies. The detective purchased four satellite images of Chad Daybells home in Salem, Idaho, for $1,500 from the company. Images dated Sept. 2, 2019 and Sept. 9, 2019 were shown in court. Thats the day we believe Tylee was killed and buried on the property, Kunsaitis said of the Sept. 9 image. Using a laser pointer, Kunsaitis pointed to a dark patch by the pet cemetery in the later image that was not present in the earlier image. He said the dark area was significant because it matches the location where Tylees remains were found on June 9, 2020. Defense attorney Jim Archibald asked if there was any indication of smoke or fire in the photos. Kunsaitis said there was not and he didnt want to speculate about where Tylee was burned. 2.:30 p.m. Fingerprint experts found match for Lori Daybells brother Tara Martinez, an Idaho State Police forensic scientist who specializes in latent fingerprints, was called to testify about her role in the investigation. Latent prints are those that are not easily visible, usually left when a persons sweat or oil transfers onto an objects surface, according to the FBI. Martinez looked for prints on the tape and plastic found on J.J. She was called to collect fingerprints from J.J., Lori Daybell and Chad Daybell to compare with prints on the evidence. She received Coxs fingerprints from Arizona law enforcement. Many of the prints she developed did not turn out to be usable or comparisons proved inconclusive. Two of the prints that were successfully collected, however, turned out to be a match for Cox, according to Martinez. 1:30 p.m. DNA found on pickax and shovel Katherine Dace, a forensic biologist for the Idaho State Police, tested a number of objects related to the case for forensic evidence. Dace examined the tape found around J.J.s hands, ankle and mouth, as well as the tape and plastic bag around his head. She collected hair from the tape. She also tested nail swabs, hand swabs and teeth. Dace said she was given 18 hand tools from the Daybell property. She tested multiple shovels, and on some she found what looked like ash or dirt, blood and flesh. She was only able to pull a DNA profile from one shovel, found on the shovels back. Tests revealed the DNA to have a high likelihood of belonging to Tylee. The courtroom was then shown a photo of a pickax. Dace said she found DNA on its handle and eye, which is the center of the pickaxs head. Test results showed that these samples too were unlikely to belong to anyone other than Tylee. Noon DNA tests confirmed identities of remains The prosecution next called Rylene Nowlin, Idaho State Police Forensic Services laboratory manager, to testify. Nowlin conducted DNA testing on molar teeth and rib parts taken from both sets of remains found on Daybells property to find out whether they belonged to Tylee and J.J. She tested one set against a DNA sample taken from Vallow Daybell. The results showed a strong match, with Vallow Daybell being two billion times more likely to be the mother of the person whose remains were tested than the average randomly selected woman. Because the Vallows adopted J.J., Nowlin tested the other set against DNA from J.J.s biological father. It also came back as a strong match. Nowlin noted that J.J.s remains contained something she had never seen before. Unlike what one would expect from a dead body, there were plump blood vessels still present inside the tooth, she said. 11:30 a.m. Chemist found gasoline on Tylees remains David Sincerbeaux, a recently retired Idaho State Police analytical chemist specializing in fire debris, began testifying late Thursday morning. He said he tested a pint-sized can about three-quarters full with Tylees flesh and other debris collected at Daybells property. The flesh came back positive for gasoline, according to Sincerbeaux. On Wednesday, Warren testified that Tylees remains were found burned, melted and in pieces in two different places in Chad Daybells backyard a fire pit and buried underground inside a melted green bucket. 10:30 a.m. Expert believes tool could have been cleaver, machete or hatchet Professional tool mark examiner Douglas Halepaska, who works in the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, testified that he examined the sharp trauma areas of Tylees bones found by Christensen. Halepaska said he believed the marks were caused by forceful blows made through a chopping-type action from a bladed, serrated tool. The examiner explained this while several photos of Tylees damaged bones were shown in court. Some blows pierced through the hard layer of the bone. One section of Tylees hip bone showed an impression that Halepaska said was caused by impressive force. Another photo showed a mark that went through the bone to the outside, which Halepaska said was caused by a stabbing-type action. The examiner said he was unable to identify exactly what kind of tool caused the damage, but believed it would be something like a cleaver, machete or hatchet. 9:15 a.m. FBI says damage to Tylees bones was caused by sharp object The trial picked back up Thursday by resuming Christensens testimony. Sitting in the courtroom were Tammys sister, Samantha Gwilliam, and her husband, Jason Gwilliam, as well as J.J.s grandparents, Kay and Larry Woodcock. On Wednesday, Christensen told the court that she observed five areas in Tylees pelvic region that had damage. Christensen said three bones had sharp trauma from an unidentified tool. Christensen couldnt identify the tool but said it was something with a bevel or a point. Evidence also showed that a carnivore had bitten Tylees femur bone, she said. On Thursday, she went on to show those trauma areas in photos. She affirmed again that the locations of these alterations to Tylees pelvic bones were inconsistent with dismemberment. Christensen had previously explained that typically when someone is dismembered, remains are removed at the joints. But in Tylees case, that isnt what happened. Instead, she said, all of these sharp traumas are in the pelvic region. On cross-examination, she declined to answer what tool she believed had caused the trauma, saying that question would be better for the tool expert. Despite not knowing the tool, Christensen said she knew Tylees bone alterations came from a sharp object because they showed a smaller, more precise area of trauma. If a blunt object had inflicted them, there would have been a wider area of trauma. Christensen told the defense that she had examined less than 10 dismemberment cases in her career. Reporter Alex Brizee contributed. Miami developer David Martin agreed to pay $1.2 billion for the largest piece of undeveloped waterfront in downtown Miami, purchasing the former Miami Herald site from a casino operator that failed to build a planned resort there. Very proud of longtime Miamian David Martin for successfully purchasing what I consider to be the most valuable piece of property in America, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said in a post on Twitter. I cant wait to see whats in store for our city. Genting, the Malaysian casino operator, purchased the 15.5-acre bayfront site of the former newspaper offices and printing presses for $236 million. The sale was announced in 2011 and closed in 2014. The land has sat undeveloped since then after a failed effort by Genting and other casino companies to loosen Floridas gambling laws. The official purchaser is Smart City Miami, an entity formed earlier this month and owned by Martin and his father, Terra Group co-founder Pedro Martin, according to a regulatory disclosure form Genting filed this week. The filing said Smart City has 60 days to conduct due diligence research on the property, then up to another 60 days to close. The former Herald site is the largest piece of undeveloped waterfront in downtown Miami, sitting north of the MacArthur Causeway, south of the Venetian Causeway and across the street from the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. Genting had proposed a mix of high-rise residential buildings, retail and a waterfront casino. SEE PHOTOS: What the land used to look like Terras purchase includes assuming the development lease of a county-owned site around the Omni Metromover station, which Genting had been planning to redevelop into a new hotel complex and modernized bus terminal under a 2017 deal with Miami-Dade. Genting still owns the property to the north, including the Omni parking garage and office complex, and the adjoining Hilton Miami Downtown Hotel. Those buildings arent part of the pending sale. Story continues The scale and location of this site offers the opportunity to do something spectacular, something that all Miamians can take pride in, and we will deliver nothing short of that, Martin, the chief executive officer of Terra, best known for its luxury condo developments across Miami, said in a statement. Over time, we will arrive at a plan that elevates Downtown Miami, improves access to the waterfront, and is welcomed by our community. Through a spokesperson, Martin declined to comment further on the deal until the closing. Peter Zalewski, founder of the consultancy firm Condo Vultures, calls the deal a risky one. Developers building today face rising interest rates and tightening financial markets. Banks are choosing carefully which projects to support. Delivering a project sooner rather than later seems unwise, he said. If theyre able to hold out for 10 years they will be touted as geniuses. The question is does he and his investors have the financial wherewithal to stomach what is coming? Zalewski said. Although development plans have yet to be revealed, Zalewski said he believes the site merits a development mixing residential, office, hospitality and retail space. Genting was on the right path, some sort of mixed use with conference space and gambling, Zalewski said. Gentings vision for the site was good. Its just they were too early in the market and they didnt know how to navigate the locals. David might be able to navigate the locals. Genting proved they werent able to do that. Martin, a reliable donor in county political races, could find himself at the center of Miami-Dades transit future. The administration of Mayor Daniella Levine Cava is pursuing a Metromover extension along the old monorail route, though with a blueprint that bypasses the former Herald site in favor of using existing Metromover stations connecting to a new Miami Beach line. Martin is a partner with Russell Galbut in a new project being built on the beach side of the proposed Metromover route, the Five Park condo complex. Miami-Dade must approve transferring the deal to Smart City or Genting must drop that one-acre parcel from the sales agreement. Boat show and art festivals Since the Herald building was torn down, the property has been home to a portion of the Miami International Boat Show, using a mix of tents and temporary floating dock, and other special events. Art lovers would be familiar with the site. Every winter since 2017, Art Miami has hosted its annual festivals Art Miami and Context Art Miami there. The week-long event draws over 100 art galleries to exhibit and sell artwork from across the globe. One Herald Plaza was also the planned site for a new transit station for Miami-Dade County built around a monorail system Genting and partners wanted to run. The project was scrapped by the county after the price tag topped $1 billion. A University of Florida graduate, Martin has business in his blood. Born in Gainesville and raised in Miami by Cuban-born parents, Martin is the grandson of Bernardo Garcia, the operator of three South Florida funeral homes. After graduating from law school, Martin at 23 years old co-launched Terra in 2001 alongside his father Pedro, a partner at Greenberg Traurig at the time. Since then, Terra has become one of the best known developers in South Florida. Terra has transformed iconic spots in some of Miami-Dades most notable neighborhoods with the help of star architects, including its Glass condo by prominent Miami architect Rene Gonzalez in the exclusive South of Fifth neighborhood in Miami Beach, the twisting twin residential towers Grove at Grand Bay designed by Danish superstar Bjarke Ingels in Coconut Grove and Eighty Seven Park in North Beach, envisioned by Italian Pritzker Prize-winner Renzo Piano. Terra is also part of the development team behind the mixed-use complex going up at the countys Coconut Grove Metrorail station. Terras development of Eighty Seven Park, just south of the Champlain Towers South condominium that collapsed in June 2021, came under scrutiny in the investigation into the building failure that killed 98 people. Some Champlain owners and victims family members claimed foundation drilling at the Terra project may have contributed to the collapse by weakening the older condos deteriorated structural supports. Insurers of Terra and its general contractor contributed to the $1 billion settlement that was reached in the aftermath. Terras first big project in 2005 provoked a public outcry when after buying the iconic Freedom Tower in downtown Miami, it proposed tearing down the back of the historic building, which served as a service center for Cuban refugees in the 1960s, to make room for a massive condo tower complex. Critics said the new tower would overwhelm the historic building. Terra won approval for the project after hiring a famed Italian architect to redesign the condo and spare the Freedom Tower, but never built it. The Martins eventually donated the Freedom Tower to Miami Dade College. David Martin later said the experience taught him the value of hiring top-notch architects, heeding community wishes and tailoring projects to fit their surroundings. Terra, based in Coconut Grove, has since steadily expanded its reach to include not just its marquee condo towers but also several sprawling single-family subdivisions in Doral and some notable public projects, such as the planned new hotel at the Miami Beach Convention Center. In February, the David and Christina Martin Family Foundation announced a $100,000 donation to the Heralds Impact Journalism Fund to support coverage of climate change and resiliency in South Florida. NASHVILLE, Tenn. The Army on Thursday awarded Lockheed Martin a $4.8 billion deal for Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, which the U.S. has sent in large numbers to Ukraine. The U.S. has been providing GMLRS, along with the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System launchers used to fire them, to Ukraine since last summer to help it fend off Russias invasion. (The Pentagon has not disclosed the number of GMLRS sent to the country.) The service plans to ramp up GMLRS production from 6,000 rockets a year to 14,000 and expects to sign a multiyear deal for them in fiscal 2024, thanks to a new congressional authority. Multiyear contracts, usually reserved for expensive and large programs, provide longer-term certainty that can lower the cost. Work on the contract announced Wednesday is expected to be completed by Oct. 30, 2026, according to the Pentagon notification. How the war in Ukraine is driving growth in Arkansas Jay Price, vice president of Lockheeds Missiles and Fire Control business, said in a statement the company is working closely with our Army customer and supply chain partners, who are moving with unprecedented speed, to ramp production capacity supporting the urgent need for this highly-reliable, combat-proven rocket. In addition to a boosting GMLRS production, Lockheed is also working on an extended range version of the rocket and plans to conduct another flight test of the upgraded system later this year, Becky Withrow, senior business development manager at Lockheeds missiles business, told Defense News on Thursday at the Army Aviation Association of Americas annual conference here. Lockheed is hoping the Army will make a decision in 2024 on whether to move the extended range version into the production line, Withrow added. LODI The Board of Education on Wednesday night accepted the resignation of an employee who was unnamed but widely known throughout the district to be Douglas Petty, the former schools superintendent who was arrested last year on an assault charge. A resolution added late to the agenda, calling for the board to accept the "Sept. 30, 2022 resignation of employee 5106 and related settlement agreement, passed 5-1, with three trustees Jocelyn Anderson, board President Nancy Cardone and Vice President Sharon Salvacion recusing themselves. The decision was met with applause from the crowd of students, parents and teachers at Thomas Jefferson Middle School, where the meeting was held. Several board members joined the cheers with loud claps from the dais. No school official would confirm that the unnamed employee was Petty. After the vote, trustee Yadiria Jimenez read aloud a letter she said was given to each board member that night in the packets. Welcome to Lodi sign. The letter, from an anonymous writer who signed it parent, concerned citizen and domestic violence survivor, referred to the arrest of Petty, who was superintendent at the time of the incident. Petty was arrested and charged with simple assault in August after allegedly punching a woman in Seaside Heights. An affidavit of probable cause obtained by The Record and NorthJersey.com said Petty, who was hired by Lodi in 2019 after working as a principal in Newark, was charged with assault by purposely, knowingly or recklessly causing bodily injury ... by striking the victim with a closed fist in the head. Weeks later, in September, the board placed an unnamed employee on administrative leave and appointed Lodi High School Principal Frank D'Amico as acting superintendent. Petty was found guilty on April 11 in Seaside Heights Municipal Court of an amended public nuisance offense, court records show. He was ordered to pay a $750 fine and $33 in court costs and is required to complete a 26-week batterer's intervention program. Story continues More: Lodi moves school elections back to April. Here's what it means for voters As a parent of a child in the district, I find it unnerving that there is a possibility of giving this man a second chance, Jimenez read from the letter. Think of the message youre sending the community and please reconsider Douglas Pettys resignation. After reading the letter, Jimenez thanked the people who came out to the meeting. Your presence has made an impact, she said. When you unite, you can make a difference. The Lodi Education Association, in a statement put out before the vote, asked community members to email trustees urging them to accept Petty's resignation. "This behavior has no place coming from someone hired to oversee our schools, let alone one who is in a profession that is predominantly occupied by females," the statement read. "It's clear he's not what's best for Lodi." Trustee Alfonso Mastrofilipo, who voted against accepting the resignation, said he did not have enough information to make a decision. More: Immaculate Conception High School in Lodi to close for good at end of June I just found out again theres more information as a board member Ive never seen, he said. So my vote is no because Ive never been given any information from this board, so Im not going to determine someones career off of that. On Thursday, Mastrofilipo, who said he was speaking for himself and not on behalf of the board, said the previous night's decision was a revisit of an April 3 vote at a special meeting, in which the board blocked the resignation in a split vote. Mastrofilipo said he could not disclose the persons identity because by doing that I would be violating the confidentiality of that employee. He said he wasn't informed of the details of the settlement agreement with the employee. "I wasnt told any monetary value," he said. "You can't just throw things at people to make decisions with no facts in front of you." Calls and emails to other board members and to Pettys attorney, Raymond Raya, seeking comment were not returned. During the same meeting, Salvacion stepped down as board vice president and nominated trustee Laura Cima, who will take over the role. Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect the court's decision in the case. This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Lodi NJ school board accepts superintendent's resignation WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS GRAPHIC CONTENT A recorded 2020 jailhouse phone call between so-called "cult mom" Lori Vallow and her sister, Summer Shiftlet, was played aloud in court on Wednesday as Shiflet took the stand in Vallow's murder trial. Vallow and her husband, Chad Daybell, are charged with killing two of Vallow's children , J.J. Vallow and Tylee Ryan, around September 2019, and Tammy Daybell in October 2019. Prosecutors in Vallow's murder trial revealed on April 10 that Tammy died of asphyxiation. "Either explain it, or don't expect me to believe it. I'm not okay," Shiflet can be heard saying in the phone call obtained by FOX 10 Salt Lake City, which she made in the summer of 2020 after Idaho investigators found J.J. and Tylee's remains on Daybell's property that June. "I loved them with my whole heart. I would have taken J.J. and Tylee in a heartbeat, and everyone else would have, too. You know that." A sobbing Shiflet questioned her sister's denial of her alleged involvement in J.J. and Tylee's murders during the phone call. LORI VALLOW TRIAL: IDAHO CORONER REVEALS JJ VALLOW AND TYLEE RYAN'S CAUSES OF DEATH READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Lori Vallow is accused of killing her two children, J.J. Vallow and Tylee Ryan; her husband's ex-wife, Tammy Daybell; and her ex-husband, Charles Vallow. "Lori, if you let this happen to them and put them in the ground like a piece of trash, I don't know you," Shiflet said, adding that she could have "taken" the children into her care instead. LORI VALLOW TRIAL: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT CULT MOM ACCUSED OF KILLING 2 KIDS, HUSBAND'S FIRST WIFE J.J. and Tylee went missing in September 2019 around the time investigators believe they were murdered on Chad Daybell's Idaho property. Lori and Chad Daybell are accused of killing 17-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old J.J. Vallow in 2019. In November 2019, Vallow married Daybell in Hawaii. Photos show the newlyweds, who were bound by their shared apocalyptic religious beliefs, smiling and wearing leis on a beach while Vallow's children were still considered missing. LORI VALLOW TRIAL: IDAHO INVESTIGATOR DETAILS GRUESOME FINDINGS AT BURAL SITE WHERE CHILDREN'S BODIES WERE FOUND Story continues "Lori, you were dancing on the beach in Hawaii taking wedding photos," Shiflet says during the call. Authorities eventually found Tylee and J.J.'s remains buried on Daybell's property in June 2020. LORI VALLOW CASE: JJ VALLOW'S GRANDMOTHER DOESN'T RECOGNIZE SO-CALLED CULT MOM SMILING OUTSIDE COURT Ada County coroner Dr. Gareth Warren testified Wednesday that J.J. died of asphyxiation by a plastic bag around his head, and Tylee died of homicide by unspecified means, according to East Idaho News reporter Nate Eaton. It was the first time the public had heard the children's exact causes of death. J.J. had GHB an illegal substance commonly known as the "date rape drug" in his body. It can occur naturally, and Warren said he was unable to determine whether GHB did occur naturally in J.J.'s body or whether he was given the drug, Eaton reported from the Ada County courtroom on Wednesday. "[T]here's really no way for me to tell for sure whether this is just a naturally occurring product in the body that was there or if JJ was given GHB," Warren said. Tylee had six sharp trauma impressions on her pelvis, FBI forensic anthropologist Angi Christensen testified on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, according to Eaton. "The purpose of dismemberment is to break the body into smaller pieces. In this case, all of the sharp traumas are in the area of the pelvic region," Christensen said. LORI VALLOW TRIAL: CULT MOM ALLEGEDLY RESEARCHED WEDDING DRESSES ON SAME DAY HUSBAND'S FIRST WIFE BURIED Vallow and Daybell allegedly collected J.J.'s and Tylee's Social Security benefits between Oct. 1, 2019, and Jan. 22, 2020, after their murder . Kay Woodcock, murder victim J.J. Vallow's grandmother, says she doesn't "recognize" Lori Vallow anymore. Authorities arrested Vallow in February 2020 and Daybell in June 2020. The trial of doomsday cult mom Lori Vallow is underway in Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, where the mother-of-three is accused of killing her two youngest children and her new husband Chad Daybells first wife. The 49-year-old 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 Mr Daybells first wife Tammy, 49. Tylee and JJ were last seen alive in September 2019. In June 2020, their remains were found buried on the Daybell property. Tammy died one month after their disappearance in October 2019. There is huge interest in the cases string of mysterious deaths and murders, and the related bizarre cult beliefs of those involved. Ms Vallow allegedly also conspired to murder her fourth husband Charles Vallow and is charged separately in a case in Arizona. On Wednesday, jurors heard details of JJ and Tylees autopsies and their causes of death he had been suffocated with a plastic bag, and she had been murdered by unspecified means. GHB, known as a date rape drug, was also found in JJs system. Key points 20:45 , Oliver O'Connell Defence attorney John Thomas begins cross-examination with questions about Ms Daces experience and training. Moving on to the hair found on the duct tape, Thomas asks how it was delivered to her. She replies that it came inside an autopsy bag. Asked if the fair could have been floating around the body and become attached to the tape, she admits it is a possibility. 20:36 , Oliver O'Connell Trace evidence from the duct tape used to bind JJ was sent to another lab for testing. There were hairs collected from the samples. Story continues No further questions from the prosecution. 20:28 , Oliver O'Connell Photographs of the tools are shown to the court with Ms Dace explaining what each is and whether she was able to get a viable DNA sample. DNA found on a shovel matched Tylee. When investigating material found at the end of a pick axe was also tested and returned a partial DNA profile. The DNA was female and Tylee was a potential contributor. Two parts of the handle of the pick axe tested positive for blood. The DNA matched Tylee. 20:11 , Oliver O'Connell When it came to testing the tools from the Daybell property, Ms Dace testifies: [I] found several presumptive positive blood stains on the tools and on several of the tools I found what could be charred flesh. They were photographed and samples were taken for DNA testing. New witness: Katie Dace, Idaho State Police 20:08 , Oliver O'Connell Court resumes with a scheduling note from Judge Steven Boyce that proceedings need to finish 10 minutes early today (at 3.20pm MT) and will end early tomorrow at 1.30pm MT. The next witness on the stand is Katie Dace, a forensic biologist with the Idaho State Police. She received swabs from JJs autopsy as well as swabs from the townhome in Rexburg. She was sent the chain and pendant and 18 tools from the Daybell property to analyse. Ms Dace also did testing on the duct tape from JJs body in case whoever put the tape on him tore off the tape with their mouth and left DNA traces. Decomposition fluid was all over the surface of the tape and plastic. They did not test it since they were trying to find DNA from a perpetrator. The chain and pendant tested negative for blood. There was a swab from a knife at the Rexburg townhome which was also negative, and blood on the wall of the townhome was a weak positive. Court hears how killer tried to chop up Tylees body 19:49 , Oliver O'Connell Lori Vallows daughters killer tried to chop up her body with a hatchet or cleaver before burying her burned bones and organs on Chad Daybells property, according to disturbing courtroom testimony. FBI Agent Douglas Halepaska, a forensic examiner in the firearms and tool marks division, testified at the doomsday cult moms murder trial on Thursday morning about the injuries found on 16-year-old Tylee Ryans skeletal remains. He described how Tylees hip bones and sacrum (the bone at the base of the spine) had injuries and fractures caused by a chopping-type action. Rachel Sharp reports. Lori Vallow trial hears killer tried to chop up Tylees body with hatchet, cleaver Lori Vallow has become different person, says family 19:30 , Oliver O'Connell Lori Vallows cousin has said that she has become a totally different person to the woman she grew up with. Christie Lott told East Idaho News that she has lots of happy memories growing up with Ms Vallow but now sees her in a totally different light as she attends her triple-murder trial. We are getting our own answers and we are getting to see that Lori is a totally different person, she said. Its hard because we love her but I feel like Im saying goodbye to her. I dont have to think about her anymore. Its like a funeral for Lori. However, she said the family is thankful for all the support they from the public. Im very grateful for all the people going through the process that have to see these things and are willing to talk about it in the trial, she said. I hope justice is served to the best of its ability. I dont think Lori should be out on the street with normal people. Its going to be up to God what happens to her and I think that will be more satisfying to us than anything that can happen here at the courthouse. 18:50 , Oliver O'Connell Judge Boyce calls lunch. The trial will resume at 1pm MT. 18:50 , Oliver O'Connell Tests confirm with 99.9999% certainty that Dennis Trahan is the father of JJ Vallow based on a sample from his molar, which still had plump vessels inside. No further questions and no cross-examination. 18:47 , Oliver O'Connell Tests confirm with 99.9999% certainty that Lori Vallow is the mother of Tylee Ryan based on a sample from her molar. 18:44 , Oliver O'Connell Ms Nowlin explains the process of collecting DNA and how controls are built into the system. She says she was given samples from both Tylee and JJ molars and a section of rib. I was also given biological samples from Joshua J. Vallow - which also consisted of a molar and section of rib. I was also given known samples from Dennis Trehan as well as Ms. Vallow." Nate Eaton (@NateNewsNow) April 27, 2023 *Dennis Trahan is JJs biological father. New witness: Rylene Nowlin, Idaho State Police 18:35 , Oliver O'Connell The next witness is Rylene Nowlin, lab manager of the Idaho State Polices forensics department. Prosecution attorney Rob Wood is questioning her. She says she has testified approximately 85 times in the past regarding DNA analysis over the course of 20 years and has tested thousands of DNA samples. 18:32 , Oliver O'Connell In cross-examination, John Thomas asks if Mr Sincerbeaux looked for evidence of other ignitable liquids and how full the pint-sized can was he answers that he doesnt recall but they are usually about three-quarters full and the composition was approximately 50 per cent flesh and 50 per cent other debris. New witness: David Sincerbeaux, Idaho State Police 18:22 , Oliver O'Connell The next witness for the prosecution is David Sinberbeaux of the Idaho State Police, now retired. He worked as an analytical chemist analysing fire debris and drugs. Mr Sincerbeaux explains how to look for evidence of gasoline and says he was given a pint-sized paint can containing decomposing flesh and other debris from Tylees grave site. The contents tested positive for gasoline. 18:07 , Oliver O'Connell Agent Halepaska reiterates that the marks were created with a consistent tool but he does not know what. Thomas asks, "Is it true you don't know what caused these marks, you just know it was something?" He responds, "All I know is the marks were generated by some tool that is consistent in generating those marks but I don't know what was used." Nate Eaton (@NateNewsNow) April 27, 2023 18:00 , Oliver O'Connell Cross-examination of Agent Halepaska resumes. He tells defence attorney John Thomas that examinations like this are infrequent but he has done five or six of them in his career. Asked about what kind of reference tools he used in the case of the marks found on Tylees bones, Agent Halepaska says he looked at a machete, a hatchet, machetes, and other bladed tools which are consistent with the marks. The court hears that none of the tools found on Chad Daybells property were used in the testing as only the bones were submitted to him as evidence. He adds it would have been helpful to have the tools to analyse. JJ had date rape drug in his system as shocking cause of death revealed 17:34 , Oliver O'Connell Lori Vallows seven-year-old son JJ Vallow had the date rape drug GHB in his system when he was smothered to death with plastic bags around his head, according to harrowing testimony from a pathologist. Shocking details about JJ and his sister Tylee Ryans causes of death were revealed for the first time on Wednesday in Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, where their mother is on trial for their murders. Forensic pathologist Garth Warren, who conducted the autopsies on the two children, revealed that JJ died by asphyxiation with multiple layers of plastic bags wrapped around the little boys head and duct tape over his mouth. JJ, who had autism, also had scratch marks on his neck suggesting he was awake and fought for his life to get the bag off his head. Thats a red flag, Dr Warren testified about the scratches. Read more: Lori Vallow trial told JJ had date rape drug GHB in system as cause of death revealed 17:22 , Oliver O'Connell Cross-examination of Agent Halepaska begins with John Thomas asking questions for Lori Vallows defence team. He begins by asking him about his education and experience. Judge Boyce calls a twenty-minute break. 17:14 , Oliver O'Connell More hip bone injuries are shown to the court. One particularly large defect is pictured from a chopping-type action with the force coming from left to right and kind of coming upward. Theres fracturing around the main defect that went all the way through. A composite photo of all of the injuries to the hip bones is displayed connecting them to the sacrum and the spine. Agent Halepaska says he determined that a consistent tool was used to make the five chopping actions and the one stabbing action. Likely a knife, hatchet, cleaver, something with serrated teeth marks, a machete or other tools Photo of the totality of the tool marks. The bones have been put together in their proper place. He was never able to get to the microscopic part of the exam. He had to outline tools that were consistent with the injuries. #lorivallow @LawCrimeNetwork Pretty Lies & Alibis (@PrettyLiesAlibi) April 27, 2023 17:01 , Oliver O'Connell More photos are shown, including an intact portion of Tylees spine attached to the sacrum (the bone at the base of the spine). There is evidence of more chopping-type action that pierced the hard layer of bone. I was unable to find any tool marks but it does appear some type of force was applied to it perpendicular driving it downward but it was still attached to the bone. Agent Halepaska is unsure of what tool was used to make these marks. 16:54 , Oliver O'Connell Another tool mark looks to have had a serrated edge and the teeth marks from the tool are visible on the bone. This was a chopping motion and came from left to right, Mr Halepaska says. On the reverse-angle photo, the damage came from the front side of the bone that carried bone fragments through the bone to the opposite side. I believe it was some type of bladed tool like a knife however I couldnt preclude other tools that might have some type of pointed edge. 16:50 , Oliver O'Connell Agent Halepaska was unable to identify any characteristics of the tool that caused the damage. Another image of the hip bone is shown with more damage and fractures, again caused by a chopping action. It didnt drive all the way through the hard layer of the bone but you can see basically part of the bone of the damaged area. Again he was unable to identify the characteristics of the tool. He suspects the injuries came from a bladed tool such as a machete or hatchet. Another photo shows a crack in the bone that cut through the hard layer and transferred to the other side of the bone. "It indicates to me there may have been some type of serrated edge on the blade," Halepaska says, adding that it came from a chopping-type action. Nate Eaton (@NateNewsNow) April 27, 2023 16:41 , Oliver O'Connell Agent Halepaska explains that a deeper examination is undertaken involving a comparison microscope so he can look at two separate samples simultaneously. A series of photos are shown to the court with markers pointing out damage to Tylees hip bone. Mr Halepaska describes this as signs of stabbing or chopping-type actions. You can actually see some of the bone here has begun to fracture and the force of the impact came down at a perpendicular angle. This fracturing thats occurring has been driven to the bone. The bone has a hard layer and a hallowed layer inside. This penetrated the hard layer into the hallow layer and there was damage that occurred on the other side of the bone. The casts taken as part of the examination can be used to try and identify the weapon used. 16:31 , Oliver O'Connell Agent Halepaska was sent Tylees remains by the Ada County Coroners Office. He explains that he opens up any packages of evidence sent to him and reviews the contents for tool marks, documenting his findings in handwritten notes and photographs. To clarify what he is looking for, it is a mark left when two objects come in contact with each other. The harder of the two objects is called the tool, the softer of the objects is called the tool mark. He then takes casts of the items in evidence. In the case of Tylees remains, he took five casts using a silicon-based compound that is administered as a thick liquid and then dries as a rubberised material. New witness: Douglas Halepaska 16:15 , Rachel Sharp The next witness has been called to the stand. Douglas Halepaska is an FBI forensic examiner in the firearms and tool marks division. He explains his background and qualifications in tool marks and firearms. NOTE: He seems to have instantly answered Lori Vallows attorneys call for a tool mark expert... Lori Vallows attorney grills expert on tools used on Tylees body 16:10 , Rachel Sharp Lori Vallows attorney is grilling Dr Christensen on what her examination revealed about the tools used on Tylees body. She says that is not her expertise but would be down to a tool expert to determine. Mr Thomas questions how she can know the injuries were caused by sharp trauma without knowing what tool caused them. Dr Christensen says she can tell because the wounds from sharp trauma and blunt trauma are different. Testimony concludes and she steps down from the stand. Cross-examination begins 16:05 , Rachel Sharp After briefly pointing out an X-ray of Tylees sacrum bone ( the bone at the bottom of the spinal column) and four vertebrae, the state rests and Lori Vallows attorney John Thomas begins cross-examination. Mr Thomas asks about Dr Christensens experience on dismemberment cases. The forensic anthropologist says she has worked a handful of cases but also constantly reads reports and case studies on the topic. During direct testimony, Dr Christensen had told jurors that her examination of Tylees remains were inconsistent with dismemberment . Tylees pelvic bones not consistent with dismemberment 15:55 , Rachel Sharp Jurors are shown images of Tylees pelvis bones or hip bone. On the left hip bone, Dr Christensen points out five areas of sharp impact while there are six areas of sharp alterations on the right hip bone. The forensic anthropologist says that the locations of the injuries on the bones are inconsistent with dismemberment. Day 17 begins: Dr Angi Christensen returns to stand 15:47 , Rachel Sharp Dr Angi Christensen has returned to the stand to continue to give testimony for the state. The forensic anthropologist carried out an in-depth examination of Tylees remains, analysing 100 bones belonging to the 16-year-old which were found on charred, burned and dispersed on Chad Daybells property. Day 17: Lori Vallow enters courtroom 15:43 , Rachel Sharp Lori Vallow has entered the courtroom for day 17 of her murder trial. She is dressed in a zebra-ish white and black patterned pants, a black top and a black jacket, according to East Idaho News Nate Eaton. Tammy Daybells sister Samantha Gwilliam and Chad Daybells attorney are also in court. Chad and Tammy Daybell were married nearly 30 years before she died. This is the first time Samantha Gwilliam has seen Chad's new wife, Lori Vallow Daybell, in person. Nate Eaton (@NateNewsNow) April 27, 2023 Lori Vallows cousin says seeing JJ and Tylees autopsy photos was horrific' 15:40 , Rachel Sharp Lori Vallows cousin has spoken out about how horrific it was to see JJ and Tylees autopsy photos. Christie Lott told East Idaho News that she and her sister met with prosecutors this week to see the graphic images of her niece and nephews remains. I wanted to do it to see for sure that it was them and theyre gone. You would do that at a funeral, she said. You want to say goodbye to a body and I dont know if we will get that chance any time soon. However, she said she was glad that only the family and jurors were able to see the images and not the public gallery. Im really glad they didnt show those pictures to the public. People shouldnt have to see them, she said. Napping in court, three words and typing too loudly: Bizarre moments from Lori Vallows murder trial 15:21 , Rachel Sharp New harrowing and bizarre details about the cult beliefs which allegedly drove or excused the 49-year-old to kill continue to come to light during her murder trial in Ada County Courthouse. But, beyond the trial testimony, theres also been some bizarre happenings taking place inside the courtroom. Read more here: Bizarre moments from Lori Vallows murder trial Day 17: Whats going to happen in court today? 15:03 , Rachel Sharp Lori Vallows trial will resume at 8.30am local time in Ada County Courthouse. First up, Dr Angi Christensen will return to the stand to continue to give testimony for the state. The forensic anthropologist carried out an in-depth examination of Tylees remains, She looked at around 100 bones belonging to the 16-year-old. Tammy Daybells sister Samantha Gwilliam and her husband have also arrived in Boise, according to East Idaho News Nate Eaton suggesting that jurors could also hear from the murder victims sibling today. Key revelations from Lori Vallows murder trial so far 14:32 , Rachel Sharp Cult mom Lori Vallow is currently on trial in a case that has shocked the nation with its bizarre doomsday cult ties and the tragic deaths of almost everyone close to the mother-of-three and her new husband Chad Daybell. The 49-year-old is charged with the murders of her children Joshua JJ Vallow, seven, and Tylee Ryan, 16, and conspiracy to murder Mr Daybells first wife Tammy Daybell. JJ and Tylee vanished without a trace back in September 2019, with their mother refusing to reveal their whereabouts to authorities for many months. One month after they were last seen alive, Tammy an otherwise healthy 49-year-old died suddenly and Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell soon jetted off to Hawaii to get married on the beach. In June 2020, the remains of JJ and Tylee were found buried on the grounds of Mr Daybells property in Rexburg, Idaho, and the doomsday cult couple were eventually charged with murder. Prosecutors allege that Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell conspired with Ms Vallows brother Alex Cox to murder Tammy, JJ and Tylee as part of their bizarre cult beliefs but also for financial purposes so that they could collect Tammys life insurance money and the childrens social security and survivor benefits. After lengthy delays due to the pandemic and Ms Vallows admission into a mental health facility her trial is finally under way in a courtroom in Boise, Idaho. Here are the key revelations from the trial so far: Cult beliefs and charred remains: Key revelations from Lori Vallows murder trial LISTEN: Lori Vallows distressing jailhouse phone call with sister 13:55 , Rachel Sharp GHB found in JJs system 13:35 , Rachel Sharp JJ Vallow had alcohol and the date rape drug GHB in his system when he was suffocated to death with a plastic bag over his head, jurors heard in court on Wednesday. Forensic pathologist Garth Warren, who carried out the autopsies on JJ and Tylee, revealed the childrens cause of death for the first time. He said liver samples showed that JJ had ethanol alcohol, caffeine, theobromine and gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB). GHB is a sedative that can be used to treat epilepsy but is commonly referred to as the date rape drug. Despite its presence in the seven-year-olds body, Mr Warren said he could not say for sure if the boy had been drugged prior to his death. He told the court that GHB can also appear naturally in the body and so there was no way for me to tell for sure whether this is naturally occurring product or if JJ had been given GHB. Did Lori Vallow accidentally make a key confession? 13:15 , Oliver O'Connell Rachel Sharp looks at what she told her sister in a jailhouse phone call. Did Lori Vallow make a key confession about childrens deaths in a jail call? Vallow trial hears devastating call with sister 12:30 , Oliver O'Connell The trial of doomsday cult mom Lori Vallow has been played a devastating jailhouse call in which her sister accused her of throwing her murdered children away like garbage. An Idaho court heard Summer Shiflet sobbing uncontrollably in audio of a video call she made with her sister as she sat behind bars on 24 June 2020. In the call, Ms Shiflet told her sister that Tylee and JJs bodies had been found in Ms Vallows backyard, with Tylees being discovered in a pet cemetery. Graeme Massie reports. Vallow trial hears devastating call with sister after discovery of childrens bodies What new information have we found out during the trial? 11:30 , Oliver O'Connell Rachel Sharp explains the most crucial moments so far in her high-profile trial. Cult beliefs and charred remains: Key revelations from Lori Vallows murder trial Who is doomsday cult mom Lori Vallow? 10:30 , Oliver O'Connell Rachel Sharp profiles, Lori Vallow, the mother-of-three, former game show contestant, Mrs Texas Beauty Pageant contender and cult follower. But is she also a killer? Lori Vallow: Who is the cult mom on trial for her childrens murders? Who are the key players in the Lori Vallow trial? 09:30 , Oliver O'Connell Its a tangled web of people and incidents that spans more than three states. Heres a whos who of the main characters. Who are the key players in Lori Vallows trial? You ripped my heart out 08:30 , Oliver O'Connell The Lori Vallow trial heard a recording of an emotional prison call with surviving son Colby Ryan after the discovery of the bodies of his siblings. Lori Vallow trial hears gut-wrenching prison call with surviving son Colby Ryan Vallows chilling internet searches and trove of burner phones revealed 07:30 , Oliver O'Connell Chilling internet searches have revealed that doomsday cult mom Lori Vallow shopped for life insurance policies for her children two months before they were murdered and buried on her new lover Chad Daybells property. Rachel Sharp has the details. Cult mom Lori Vallows chilling internet searches revealed Everything we know about the Lori Vallow Daybell doomsday cult murder trial 05:30 , Oliver O'Connell Rachel Sharp delves into the deeply disturbing tale of suspected murders, unexplained deaths and apocalyptic cult beliefs about killing zombies which surrounds Lori Vallow and her doomsday author husband Chad Daybell. What we know about the Lori Vallow Daybell doomsday cult murder trial Vallows cousin reveals haunting fear about Tylee and JJ's murders 03:30 , Oliver O'Connell Lori Vallows estranged cousin has revealed one of her most haunting fears about the murders for which the so-called cult mom is currently on trial. Megan Eyden, whose father is Ms Vallows uncle, spoke out about the bombshell case in an interview with NewsNations Ashleigh Banfield aired Friday night. Megan Sheets has the story. Lori Vallows cousin reveals haunting fear about childrens murders Vallows chilling response to question about missing daughter 01:30 , Oliver O'Connell A former friend of Lori Vallow has revealed the cult moms chilling response after being confronted about her missing teen daughter. Andrea Blanco reports on what she said. Lori Vallows chilling response to question about missing Tylee revealed Timeline of doomsday cult moms mystery case Wednesday 26 April 2023 23:30 , Oliver O'Connell Rachel Sharp compiled a timeline of this complex case. Timeline of the Lori Vallow Daybell case Court adjourns for the day Wednesday 26 April 2023 22:34 , Oliver O'Connell Judge Boyce adjourns court for the day. Dr Christiansens testimony will resume tomorrow morning when the trial resumes at 8.30am MT. Wednesday 26 April 2023 22:33 , Oliver O'Connell The locations of the sharp trauma injuries are centered around Tylees pelvis with one right above the public region. This is especially inconsistent with dismemberment. Wednesday 26 April 2023 22:26 , Oliver O'Connell Dr Christensen explains bone trauma, saying there is blunt trauma, sharp trauma, and high-velocity trauma. She identified sharp trauma on three of Tylees bones, on the left and right hip bones, and the back of her pelvis. The tool that caused this trauma would have a small service area with a beveled edge or point. Dr Christiansen says sharp traumas from dismemberments occur around joints, but these traumas are not from dismemberment. Wednesday 26 April 2023 22:21 , Oliver O'Connell Photographs, images, and scans taken from the examination of Tylees bones are submitted into evidence and displayed to the court. Dr Christiansen says she found evidence of carnivore activity on the back of Tylees femur. The first photo is shown on the big screen. It shows portions of Tylee's left and right femur. On the backside of these bones is where Christensen found the carnivore activity. Nate Eaton (@NateNewsNow) April 26, 2023 Wednesday 26 April 2023 22:12 , Oliver O'Connell Dr Christensen says her report shows at least one bone was bent at or around the time of death and there was extensive thermal damage. Christensen says thermal damage was apparent on the bones, making them more brittle. The bones she examined were tanned and dark, evidence of burns. Some parts of the skeleton had more burn damage than others. Alex Caprariello (@alcaprari23) April 26, 2023 New witness: Dr Angi Christensen, FBI forensic anthropologist Wednesday 26 April 2023 22:06 , Oliver O'Connell The next witness for the prosecution is Dr Angi Christensen, a forensic anthropologist for the FBI who works in Quantico, Virginia. She can give an in-depth examination of a skeleton but cannot determine the cause and manner of death of an individual. She would begin with a visual examination of the bones before progressing to the use of a microscope or X-rays. The Ada County Coroner requested help from Dr Christensen. SHe did the initial visual assessment, measured the bones, looked at some items with a microscope, and did a CT scan of the bones. Dr Christensen examined around 100 bones belonging to Tylee Ryan, representing all the major parts of the skeleton. They were fragmented and burned. Three bones had sharp edges as if impacted with a tool, others were bent. Wednesday 26 April 2023 21:31 , Oliver O'Connell Dr Warren is asked about the bruising on JJs arms and confirms that the bruises would have been inflicted either at or in the hours before death. A healing bruise from days before would be a different colour. Thomas has no further questions for Dr Warren. He is dismissed but kept under subpoena in case he is needed again. The court goes on its afternoon break. Wednesday 26 April 2023 21:29 , Oliver O'Connell There is a bizarre exchange in which Thomas says the theories he is putting forward are based on what he sees in movies... Thomas is throwing out all kinds of theories. None of them make much sense with what we have seen. He tells the medical examiner they'll have to disagree. The witness says I guess we will. #lorivallow @LawCrimeNetwork Pretty Lies & Alibis (@PrettyLiesAlibi) April 26, 2023 Wednesday 26 April 2023 21:25 , Oliver O'Connell Talking about JJs cause of death (asphyxia), Dr Warren is asked if he swabbed JJs sinuses, to which he says no; or his throat, to which he says yes. Thomas asks if there were traces of microplastics and is told that they would not have found that. He asks how he concluded that JJS wss strangled with a plastic bag. Dr Warren explains that here was evidence of struggle and the bag was duct-taped, but adds that it is possible. Asked if the bag could have been put on after death, he concedes that it is possible, however, he says if you have a person with a plastic bag taped over his head and the autopsy shows nothing else, you would assume it was asphyxia. Wednesday 26 April 2023 21:17 , Oliver O'Connell Thomas as Dr Warren about his training and expertise in the field of forensic pathology before asking more specific questions about evidence collection. Dr Warren says he was trained on getting nail swabs, fingernail clippings, and getting clothes off bodies, but he was not trained in collecting trace evidence such as a strand of hair. He explains that while it is law enforcements responsibility to collect evidence at the scene of a crime, it is his to collect evidence off of the body itself. He explains that other law enforcement officials and coroners are present at the autopsy, and its a team effort. Wednesday 26 April 2023 21:05 , Oliver O'Connell After the photos have been shown and described in court, Wood has no further questions for Dr Warren. Defence attorney John Thomas will now cross-examine the pathologist. Wednesday 26 April 2023 20:58 , Oliver O'Connell As photos of Tylees remains are displayed, Lori appears to be avoiding looking at the screen. Lori has her neck bent down - almost chin to chest. We are on Tylee's photos. I can't see if she is writing or not #lorivallow @LawCrimeNetwork Pretty Lies & Alibis (@PrettyLiesAlibi) April 26, 2023 Wednesday 26 April 2023 20:37 , Oliver O'Connell Unlike the photos of JJs autopsy, some of Tylees photos will be shown on the big screen in court. But there are some photographs in here, not all of them, in order to minimize the inflammatory effect should not be shown on the large projector screen, Boyce says. Wednesday 26 April 2023 20:31 , Oliver O'Connell The court is reminded that Tylees remains came for autopsy in three separate bags. In bag two was a single strand of hair along with the melted green bucket. Multiple pieces of soft tissue, skeletal muscle, the liver, and other organs were sent off for potential DNA analysis along with the hair. The state submits 30 photos of Tylees autopsy as evidence. Wednesday 26 April 2023 20:28 , Oliver O'Connell Wood begins by asking Dr Warren what the criteria are for a death to be ruled a homicide by unspecified means. There are specific guidelines and criteria used dealing with the cause of death. Number one: It has to be objectively suspicious circumstances - dismembered body, body is burned, body is buried out of site - and others. This case clearly fits number one. Number two: No findings at autopsy to explain the death. Dr Warren adds that he found no drugs or other substances in the toxicology report to explain Tylees death. Therefore her case met all of the qualifications to say she died by homicide by unspecified means. This is a homicide, I just cant tell you exactly why, he says. Asked if there is anything in her medical records that could indicate a reason for her death, he responds: No. Court resumes after lunch Wednesday 26 April 2023 20:23 , Oliver O'Connell Court is back in session after lunch with Judge Boyce back on the bench and the jury back in their seats. Prosecutor Wood will continue to question forensic pathologist Dr Gareth Warren. As a recap, Alex Caprariello of News Nation tweets: We adjourned after Warren revealed his two conclusions related to their causes of death: JJ died by asphyxia from a bag placed over his head & duct tape over his mouth. Tylee died by homicide by unspecified means. Her body & bones were found dismembered & badly burned. Did Lori Vallow accidentally make a key confession about Tylee and JJs deaths in jail call? Wednesday 26 April 2023 19:41 , Oliver O'Connell Lori Vallows high-profile trial took an unexpected turn this week when jurors heard a dramatic jailhouse phone call in which the doomsday cult mom appeared to make a key confession about her childrens murders. The distressing call between the accused killer and her sister Summer Shiflet on 20 June 2020 was played in Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, on Tuesday, where Ms Vallow is on trial for the murders of her daughter Tylee Ryan, son JJ Vallow and new husband Chad Daybells first wife Tammy. In the call, an inconsolable Ms Shiflet is heard confronting her sister about JJ and Tylees deaths just days after the childrens remains were discovered in a shallow grave on Mr Daybells property in Salem, Idaho. Read more... Did Lori Vallow make a key confession about childrens deaths in a jail call? Wednesday 26 April 2023 19:07 , Oliver O'Connell Court adjourns for lunch and will resume at 1pm MT. Wednesday 26 April 2023 19:05 , Oliver O'Connell WARNING: Graphic description Due to the state of the remains, the autopsy took a lot longer as there is an extended process identifying which bones and soft tissue are present. Everything is x-rayed for foreign objects (e.g. pieces of a weapon or projectiles). Skeletal muscle samples allowed for a toxicology sample to be taken and analysed. The toxicology results were positive for ibuprofen (a common decomposition product), carbon monoxide, (Carboxyhemoglobin saturation level) and iron. The carbon monoxide level was extremely low indicating that Tylee was already dead when burned. There is no evidence to support that Tylee was alive when she was burned, says Dr Warren. A number of Tylees organs were found including her heart, connected to her right and left lung, one kidney, and portions of her bowel, liver, and brain. These organs had severe decomposition, significant burning artifacts, they were charred and shrunken. Presumably the rest of hte organs burned away or were never found, he says. As for her skeleton, they found her pelvis with the first portion of the femur attached, portions of skull (superior portion of eye orbit), fragments of skull, jawbone with some teeth still intact, multiple vertebrae, both clavicles, tibia and fibula, radius and ulna, part of her sternum, and multiple rib fragments. TRIGGER WARNING: They found her pelvis with 1st portion of the femur attached, portions of skull (superior portion of eye orbit), fragments of skull, jawbone, some teeth still intact, multiple vertebrae, both clavicles, tibia and fibula, radius and ulna, part of sternum, Pretty Lies & Alibis (@PrettyLiesAlibi) April 26, 2023 They were blackened and charred by the fire and damaged during dismemberment. Tylees cause of death designated as homicide by unspecified means. Wednesday 26 April 2023 18:57 , Oliver O'Connell WARNING: Graphic description Questioning moves on to the autopsy of Tylee. This autopsy was different. The vast majority of the time when I perform an autopsy I get an entire body and theres a process we go through. Tylees case was different. Her remains were received in three separate sealed bags. Two of the bags were black body bags and the third was a large brown paper bag that was sealed. Within that contacted five other paper bags within it. So I essentially received Tylees remains in multiple different bags, Warren says. Wednesday 26 April 2023 18:55 , Oliver O'Connell There is a heavy feeling in the courtroom Nate Eaton of East Idaho News reports. Dr Warren is asked about whether the bruises on JJs body came pre- or post-death. He answers that they came before JJ died. Wood asks Warren if the bruises on JJ's body were from before or after he died. Warren says they were premortem because when someone dies, there is no circulation so bodies can't bruise. Nate Eaton (@NateNewsNow) April 26, 2023 Wednesday 26 April 2023 18:42 , Oliver O'Connell Gigi McKelvey of Law & Crime believes Lori is now looking at the defence teams monitor. I think Lori is looking at the photos on the defense monitor. She is crying and grabbing tissues. Pretty Lies & Alibis (@PrettyLiesAlibi) April 26, 2023 Wednesday 26 April 2023 18:36 , Oliver O'Connell Alex Caprariello of News Nation tweets: Looking over at Lori and she is now crying and wiping her eyes. She is not looking at the screen but is clearly emotionally drained from this presentation and the things shes hearing. Wednesday 26 April 2023 18:30 , Oliver O'Connell The descriptions of the pictures coming from the courtroom are extremely graphic. Some jurors are grimacing and one is looking away towards the witness, prosecutors or ceiling. Lori is not looking at the screen in front of her. There is a large amount of duct tape used to bind JJs face and body. A Luke Combs fan in North Carolina couldnt believe his eyes when he saw a jackpot prize on his lottery ticket. Emmanuel Glover was sitting in his car with his wife when he scratched off his Living Lucky with Luke Combs ticket, he told lottery officials in an April 27 news release. He won the top prize of $200,000. I had to blink a couple times to see if it was real, Glover told lottery officials. Then, we went about our day trying to hold it in. The Fayetteville resident now also gets a chance to win a private Luke Combs concert in Nashville because he won a prize, lottery officials said. Living Lucky with Luke Combs winners can enter two second-chance drawings to win a trip to Nashville for a private concert and a chance to win $500,000, according to the North Carolina Education Lottery. I love to venture out and try new things, Glover said. If I win, Ill enjoy the trip down there. In the meantime, Glover took home $142,501 after taxes, according to lottery officials. Glover bought his lucky ticket at an Antioch Food Mart in Oxford, he told lottery officials. Oxford is about 50 miles north of Raleigh. Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families. If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website. Lottery players love of country singer Luke Combs inspires big win in North Carolina Woman gets 35 lottery wins with the same four numbers. My heart started racing Man wins huge Powerball prize but doesnt realize it until three months later Lottery player in CA wins big Mega Millions prize but narrowly misses $26M jackpot Northern District Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley speaks about the board securing a $300 million settlement with Entergy Mississippi on Thursday, June 23, 2022, in Jackson, Miss. A fundraiser for Democrat gubernatorial hopeful Brandon Presley will be held Thursday in Mississippi's only neighboring state with a Democratic governor Louisiana. Expected to attend the New Orleans event, according to invitations obtained by the Clarion Ledger, is Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a man Presley wants to soon join on a relatively short list of recent Democrats to win in the Deep South. A spokesperson for the Presley campaign declined to comment on fundraising events and would not say whether Presley will attend in person. According to the invitation, admission to the St. Charles Avenue event will set attendees back anywhere from $250 to $5,000. Listed alongside Edwards as hosts are attorney Gladstone Jones and his wife Amanda and famed Louisiana-based political strategist James Carville. Among Southern states, only three currently have Democratic governors. Two of those have statewide elections this year. In Louisiana, where Edwards is term limited, two Democrats and a number of Republicans are lining up hoping to take the job back. In Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear is seeking a second term, with at least a dozen Republicans facing off in their primary. In North Carolina, where elections are not until next year, Gov. Roy Cooper is in the midst of his second term. And then there's Mississippi, which has not had a Democrat in the governor's mansion since Ronnie Musgrove was defeated by Haley Barbour in the 2003 statewide elections. Presley, a lifelong Democrat and second cousin of Elvis, who has represented a relatively conservative area on the Public Service Commission since 2008, hopes to change that. Michael Beyer, communications director for Presley's campaign, said while there are lessons to be learned from other states, Presley is his own unique candidate. "Brandon Presley is running as his own man and that man is northeast Mississippi hill country through and through," Beyer said. "Brandon is proud of his rural roots, he's known to sing to a little bluegrass music from time to time, grew up with a single mother, and has never forgotten where he comes from, which is why he's fighting to clean up corruption, provide healthcare to 220,000 working Mississippians and keep our hospitals open, improve our public schools, and make sure state government works for the people, not famous celebrities and well-connected lobbyists." Story continues That said, Presley is notably surrounding himself with veterans from the successful campaigns of Edwards, Beshear and Cooper. Beyer previously worked at the Ohio Democratic Party, but before that he was a staffer at the Democratic Governors Association, where he worked with Edward's 2019 reelection campaign and Beshear's first run, both of which brought Democratic leadership to traditionally Republican states. In January, Presley hired Cooper's former campaign manager, Trey Nix, as a consultant. And then there's Carville, who rose to national prominence as lead strategist for the 1992 Clinton presidential campaign. The so-called "Ragin' Cajun" also helped raise money for Edwards and Beshear. In addition to local staff, including his own sister, Presley has brought in more nationally and regionally experienced staffers than any Mississippi Democrat in recent history. There are also high-level staffers who came from unsuccessful campaigns in the South, like his digital director Jake Laves, who worked on Stacey Abrams' gubernatorial campaign in Georgia. The campaign manager, Ron Owens, was political director for a successful Democratic run outside of the South, helping Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer secure reelection last year. Former Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, who came about 45,000 votes short of defeating Republican Tate Reeves in the previous gubernatorial race, ran a campaign primarily with trusted staff from his past runs for office. That margin, about 5% of voters, was far closer than the roughly 17% that Republican Donald Trump won the state by in both 2016 and 2020. Hood faced one potential barrier that Presley will not. In 2020, Mississippi voters approved a constitutional amendment removing requirements that statewide candidates must win not just a majority of votes, but also a majority of districts of the state House of Representatives. If no candidate were to meet those requirements, the winner would be picked by the House. Those requirements were added during the post-Reconstruction Era as a number of Jim Crow voting policies made their way into the new 1890 state constitution. If Hood were to have gained those additional 45,000 votes, he still likely would not have won over a majority of House districts, leaving the choice between him and Reeves to the Republican super-majority chamber. Presley campaign staff and those within the state Democratic Party say they hope the removal of this barrier will give likely Presley voters more confidence that their decisions to show up on election day can't be thwarted by the GOP-controlled legislature. This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Will Brandon Presley join small list of Deep South Democrats who win? How police reacted in Louisville, Kentucky bank shooting on April 10, 2023. Luke Sharrett/Getty Images The Louisville gunman's parents told the "Today" show he shouldn't have been able to purchase a gun. They said their son had been struggling with his mental health in the year before the attack. He was able to buy a gun in under an hour just days before he opened fire at a bank, they said. The parents of the Louisville gunman who killed five people at a bank earlier this month said their son should have never been able to purchase the AR-15 he got "in 40 minutes" just days before the shooting. In an interview with Savannah Guthrie, Todd and Lisa Sturgeon, parents of the 25-year-old shooter, said their son had been in treatment for mental health issues in the weeks leading up to the incident. They said, because of his mental state, he should not have been able to purchase a gun with such ease. "We know that Connor was seeing two mental health professionals and that he was able to walk in," Todd Sturgeon said on the "Today" show. "From what we have been told is that he walked in ... and walked out with a weapon and ammunition in 40 minutes." "Because of his mental condition, he should not have been able to purchase the gun," Lisa Sturgeon added. "If there had been a delay or something of that nature, that would have been helpful." The Sturgeons told Guthrie their son had been struggling with his mental health for the last year and had experienced panic attacks, and anxiety, and had attempted suicide. They said he had been seeing a psychiatrist, and a counselor, and was taking medication for his condition. They told Guthrie things seemed to have "settled," but six days before the shooting, he called his mother to tell her he had a panic attack, didn't know the cause, and wanted to take off work for a while. His mother said she set up an appointment with the psychiatrist. She added that the fact that he could have been suicidal was "inconceivable" to her because he was so willing to talk to her about what he was going through. Story continues "We thought he was coming out of the crisis," Lisa Sturgeon told Guthrie. Research shows that "the large majority of people with serious mental illnesses are never violent" and that gun violence issues in America are not necessarily caused by people with mental illnesses. Rather, studies have shown that access to guns is the "primary culprit" of gun violence. Anyone over the age of 18 can buy an AR-15 in Kentucky The Sturgeons last saw their son on Easter Sunday and said that everything seemed normal that day. They said they had no idea he had purchased a gun five days earlier. Lisa Sturgeon said she was "stunned" when she got a phone call from her son's roommate the following day telling her what was going on. "Where did he get a gun? We don't have guns," she told Guthrie she recalled thinking. Police said the 25-year-old was able to purchase the gun legally, according to CBS, and The New York Times reported that he purchased the weapon at a local dealership. His parents told Guthrie he was able to purchase a gun and ammunition that day for $600. In Kentucky, anyone over the age of 21 can legally purchase a gun, and anyone who is at least 18 can buy an AR-15, local ABC outlet WHAS 11 reported. The Sturgeons believe something should be done about access to guns in America and that in their case, the issue of guns and mental health are intrinsically linked. They admitted they have no idea what the cause for their son's actions was. "It would have been bad enough if we had just lost our son. But for him to take others with him is just, it's beyond what we taught him, the way we live," Lisa Sturgeon told Guthrie. "We are always saying 'do no harm.' He didn't do that." To the families of those who were killed, she offered a message: "We are so sorry. We are heartbroken. We wish we could undo it, but we know we can't." The family of victim Joshua Barrick told the "Today" show that "he did nothing to deserve this, he simply went to work one day just like all of us do. The fact that anyone can walk in and buy a semiautomatic weapon, its only purpose being to kill many in seconds, is simply wrong." Their statement continued: "Enough is enough. Inaction is not an option. We deserve to be safe in our communities whether that be at the bank, the grocery store, our schools, or anywhere else. We are simply heartbroken, this didn't have to happen." Read the original article on Insider 'Love and Death' Elizabeth Olsen stars as Candy Montgomery in 'Love and Death' Credit - Courtesy of HBO Nobody was supposed to get hurt. This is the irony that drives Love & Death, creator David E. Kelleys empathetic HBO Max docudrama based on the true tragedy that befell two young, churchgoing couples raising families in small-town Texas in the late 1970s. When starry-eyed Candy Montgomery (Elizabeth Olsen) talks pragmatic Allan Gore (Jesse Plemons) into having an affair with her, over the course of many anxious strategy sessions, the lovers-to-be agree: neither of their spouses, especially Allans psychologically fragile wife Betty (Lily Rabe), can ever find out about them. They set up rules, meeting only on weekdays, at an out-of-town motel. Candy packs them a meal to share, in order to conserve time on Allans lunch breaks. As adultery goes, its all kind of adorableuntil it really isnt. If you followed the media-magnet case as it unfolded, or watched last years Hulu miniseries on the same subject, Candy, which contains many of the same dramatized scenes, then you already know that Betty Gore died on June 13, 1980, and that Candy stood trial for her murder. Considering how much exposure this story has already gotten, it makes sense that Kelley, in his best show since Big Little Lies, shows little interest in the investigative aspects of the story. In a corrective to rampant true-crime sensationalism, Love & Death paints a portrait of regular, unmalicious people trapped in a terrible predicament that they set into motion but do not, perhaps, deserve. Olsens Candy is a complicated woman. Beloved in her community and active in her church, the extroverted stay-at-home mom is languishing in her marriage, to quiet engineer Pat (Patrick Fugit). Her only outlet, aside from frank conversations with her dear friend and pastor, Jackie (Elizabeth Marvel), is a writing workshop. So when Allandorky, doughy Allanaccidentally knocks her down, then gently helps her up, at a church volleyball game, Candy spins herself a fantasy. He smelled like sex, she tells a friend. Disarmingly confident in her desire, she approaches Allan with a no-nonsense proposal: Would you be interested in having an affair? Story continues Read more: The 47 Most Anticipated Shows of 2023 Elizabeth Olsen, Patrick Fugit, Lily Rabe, and Jesse Plemons Courtesy of HBO It takes her a while to get him, a constitutionally nervous guy whos worried about his oddball wife, to yes. Part of the calculation is that their arrangement must be about sex and adventure, not love, which each is adamant on reserving for their respective spouse. Candy sees the fact that Allan doesnt exactly resemble her dream date as a safeguard against catching feelings. But feelings dont always behave the way we expect. Tenderness creeps into their rendezvous. At first, Allan is too shy to shower with Candy after they sleep together. She has to teach him how to French-kiss. Its moving, but also stressful, to watch their intimacy grow. Im getting in too deep, Candy realizes one day. I dont want to fall in love with you. Of course, by then its already too late. These early episodes, in which Candy and Allan find themselves falling for each other and struggle to navigate the emotional tumult theyve created, are the most absorbing of the series. Maybe thats surprising, given that the blood, cops, and courtroom theatrics are still to come. But weve seen all of that stuff before, in other true-crime procedurals if not in Candy. Aside from a layered performance by Olsen that easily surpasses the wig-forward acting of Candys miscast Jessica Biel, what sets Love & Death apart from its predecessor, and so many other superficial, ripped-from-the-headlines murder shows (DahmerMonster, The Thing About Pam, The Serpent), is Kelleys refusal to reduce real people to cartoon killers or weirdos or fools. Its a welcome course correction from the prolific creator, whose postBig Little Lies litany of rich-lady thrillers, from The Undoing to Nine Perfect Strangers to Anatomy of a Scandal, has suffered from similarly broad characterizations. After immersing us in the secret idyll that two utterly distinctive lovers create in a generic Texas motel room, Kelley, who wrote every episode, illuminates the people around them. We observe Bettys brittleness, Pats unarticulated devotion, the hair-trigger temper of a hometown lawyer (Tom Pelphrey) trying his hand at criminal defense for the first time, the desperation of a young pastor (Keir Gilchrist) whose priggishness keeps losing his church congregants. Read more: The 16 Best True Crime Books of All Time Olsen as Montgomery Courtesy of HBO Candy and Allan gain new dimensions, in turn, under public scrutiny. Her fixation on the way other people perceive her comes to the fore. He seems caught between his ex-girlfriend and his dead wife, palpably guilty but allergic to self-reflection. While the local Methodist church functions as a default third space for this communityand just about everyone seems spiritually lost when Gilchrists Ron replaces JackieKelley takes pains to avoid representing their lives as some fundamentalist freak show. Adapted from John Bloom and Jim Atkinsons 1983 nonfiction book Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs and a collection of Texas Monthly articles by the same authors, Love & Death can sometimes get bogged down in mundane details. Amid so many other nuanced supporting characters, its puzzling to see the wonderfully spiky Krysten Ritter wasted in a one-note role as Candys most loyal confidant. And like most streaming docudramas, it couldve been significantly shorter. Still, what makes Kelleys potentially redundant retelling of a well-worn story worth watching is the human heart at its core. For once, the love resonates as profoundly as the death. Xi: Special envoy will visit Ukraine 08:57, April 27, 2023 By CAO DESHENG ( Chinadaily.com.cn In phone call with Zelensky, president reiterates need for political settlement China will send a special representative on Eurasian affairs to visit Ukraine and other countries to conduct in-depth communications with all parties on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday, reiterating that dialogue and negotiations are the only viable way out of the crisis. Xi made the remarks in a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Both leaders exchanged views on bilateral ties and the Ukraine crisis. Xi said that the complex evolution of the Ukraine crisis has had a major impact on the international landscape. Regarding the crisis, China has always stood on the side of peace, and its core position is to promote peace through talks, he said. China did not create the Ukraine crisis, nor is it a party to the crisis, Xi said. As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and a responsible major country, China would not sit idly by, add oil to the fire or exploit the situation for self-gain, he said. Everything China does is aboveboard, Xi told Zelensky. Noting that there would be no winner in a nuclear war, Xi said that all parties must stay calm and exercise restraint, truly act in the interests of their own future and that of humanity, and jointly manage the crisis. With rational thinking and voices now on the rise, Xi stressed the need to seize the opportunity to build up favorable conditions for political settlement of the crisis. Xi reiterated that China remains committed to facilitating peace talks and will make efforts for an early cease-fire and restoration of peace. China has sent multiple shipments of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and will continue providing help to the best of its ability, he added. China issued a position paper on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis in February. Xi has emphasized facilitating peace talks to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine on many occasions, including during his meetings with foreign leaders who have visited China in recent months, including French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. On bilateral ties, Xi said that China-Ukraine relations, after 31 years of development, have reached a level of strategic partnership, boosting development and revitalization of the two countries. Xi commended Zelensky for stating, on multiple occasions, the importance the Ukrainian leader attaches to developing the bilateral relationship and advancing cooperation with China, and he thanked the Ukrainian side for its strong assistance in the evacuation of Chinese nationals last year. Mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity is the political foundation of China-Ukraine relations, he said. No matter how the international situation evolves, China will work with Ukraine to advance mutually beneficial cooperation, Xi said. Zelensky said that China upholds the purposes and principles of the UN Charter in international affairs and has significant influence on the international stage. Ukraine is committed to the one-China policy and hopes to advance all-around bilateral cooperation with China, open a new chapter in Ukraine-China relations and jointly safeguard world peace and stability, he said. Zelensky thanked China for providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and welcomed China's important role in restoring peace. Shortly after the phone conversation, Zelensky tweeted: "I had a long and meaningful phone call with President Xi Jinping. I believe that this call, as well as the appointment of Ukraine's ambassador to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations." Zelensky named a former Cabinet minister as Ukraine's new ambassador to Beijing, Reuters reported on Wednesday. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) State Sen. Scott Wiener stands in front of a mural at Oasis, a drag club he helped the owners launch in San Francisco. (Josh Edelson / For The Times) Long before Scott Wiener became California's leading housing iconoclast or a regular target for scathing Fox News diatribes, he was an introverted New Jersey teen with enviable choices for college. Two options, Columbia University in New York and the University of Chicago, seemed tailor-made for Wiener, the kind of places where a studious closeted Jewish kid would blend in. Instead, some inexplicable impulse "the energetic forces of the world," he surmised on a recent Sunday walking through the Castro, his longtime San Francisco neighborhood drew him to Duke University in North Carolina, precisely because it wasn't a natural fit. "I realized I was meant to go to Duke because, I mean, it's a good school, but it was also really social," he explained. Somewhere in his subconscious, he wanted to force himself to be social too. Consciously or not, Wiener is most comfortable seeking out the path of most resistance. His 13-year career in elected office can be viewed as a one-man experiment: How far can a politician go when he pushes all the boundaries at once? The typical politician starting his career in local government would probably not take on reforming the city's nudity law, particularly if his last name lends itself to cringeworthy puns. Or decide hours after barely winning a state Senate seat to take on a sacrosanct tenet of California housing policy in his first bill. Or, in the face of an onslaught of death threats, continue to spar online with right-wing combatants such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Donald Trump Jr. Now, he's angling for a promotion to be the first openly gay person to represent San Francisco in Congress. But his path depends on former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has yet to say if she will seek reelection. Meanwhile, Wiener is simultaneously carrying another load of legislative heavy lifts that would, among other things, lay the groundwork for single-payer healthcare in California, extend his highly contentious law to streamline new housing developments and decriminalize "magic mushrooms" and most other psychedelics. Story continues Wiener seems to gravitate to campaigns with a high degree of difficulty, even back in his days at Duke. The self-described introvert had joined a fraternity and was eyeing a bid to be its president. But first he decided to tell the other members he was gay. "I had thought that coming out to the fraternity would end my chances of being elected president," Wiener said. He was wrong. Several months later, Wiener won. The archetype of the retail politician is of an outgoing back-slapper, someone who can glide frictionlessly among crowds and always fit in. Wiener is not that. He speaks in a deep monotone that can verge on a drone. He is personable but not particularly gregarious. And at 6'7", he always sticks out. Yet Wiener, 52, has mastered his own style of retail politics that relies less on natural charisma and more on sheer ubiquity. Even in the settings where he seems most incongruous at an iconic gay bar wearing a button-down and khakis in a crowd of bar-goers wearing leather fetish gear, for example he is constantly recognized and greeted warmly. On a recent walk through the Castro in San Francisco, Wiener was approached by constituents roughly every five minutes. (Josh Edelson / For The Times) In the Castro, he is stopped roughly every five minutes for a quick hello or a longer exchange about a bill he wrote or the frustrations of business owners over the city's homelessness crisis. At a Lunar New Year celebration in Chinatown, the time he spends circulating the banquet hall shaking hands lasts longer than his official remarks. When his schedule is free of hard commitments, he'll find more community events to attend to fill the time. Wiener moved to San Francisco in 1997, soon after graduating from Harvard Law School, assuming he'd eventually move back to the Philadelphia area, where his parents still live. He's stayed since, doing stints in private practice and in the city attorney's office and building a network through Democratic party and LGBTQ+ activism. He ran for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 2010, although he began knocking on doors in the district at least a year and a half early. His favorite time to go door-to-door, according to friends, was in the pouring rain, since he knew his willingness to brave the elements would stick in residents' minds. His first brush with national attention was for his clash with the Naked Guys, a small but dedicated group of public nudists in the Castro. At first, he simply proposed requiring someone to place a towel or some other barrier under their naked behind while they sat at a restaurant or a public bench. Later, he pushed to tighten nudity laws altogether, though, he'll note, the rules are still among the nation's most permissive. Of all the issues he's tackled in his career, it's the one he remembers least fondly. The nudists held a grudge, heckling him at public appearances for years afterward. Still, he's reminded of that chapter whenever he's in his Sacramento office, where a framed "Butt Guardian" flyer from the local alternative weekly hangs on the wall. The nudity bill sparked a kind of spectacle that could singularly define a career, but in Wiener's case, it has been quickly subsumed by the avalanche of headline-grabbing proposals he has championed over the years. For many, Wiener is best-known for his work on housing. A patron saint of the YIMBY ("Yes In My Backyard") movement to maximize building housing, his first bill after being elected to the state Senate in 2016 focused on streamlining new development by wresting away some power from local governments. Wiener's subsequent big swings to spur more development brought him national attention and a swell of pushback. Local governments chafe at losing control over planning. Homeowners oppose any new development that would change the character of their neighborhoods. Tenants' rights and equity groups fear that gentrification will lead to displacement of low-income residents. The powerful construction workers union, a onetime ally, now accuses Wiener of undercutting pay and labor standards. And groups such as the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, run by Wiener's longtime political foe Michael Weinstein, have cast him as a shill for the real estate groups that have funded his campaigns. Wiener shrugs off such critiques, noting he supports rent control and has sponsored bills aimed to boost affordable housing. And while some of his buzziest bills failed to pass, they succeeded in reshaping the housing debate in Sacramento. "Scott was the first to call the question on these big topics," said San Francisco City Atty. David Chiu, who similarly championed housing in his tenure in the state Assembly. "For anything that significant in politics, you need that person who is the first, who lays it out, makes the case, and sees where it goes." Simultaneously, Wiener emerged as the go-to lawmaker to carry some of the most difficult legislation for LGBTQ+ rights. One measure eliminated laws that criminalized knowingly transmitting HIV, which imposed harsher penalties than similar laws for other serious communicable diseases. Another gave judges discretion on whether certain people engaging in consensual anal or oral sex with a minor age 14 or older must register as sex offender. State law already allowed such discretion in cases of consensual penile-vaginal sex. Wiener said the bill's purpose would simply ensure that LGBTQ+ teenagers and young adults were treated equally as their straight counterparts. But few public figures would relish their names to be anywhere near the phrase "sex offender registry," and Wiener's colleagues openly grappled with the political ramifications of voting for such a bill, particularly in a time when "groomer" has become a popular epithet on the far-right. "Everyone wants the 'mom and apple pie' bill and to be flying gay flags in parades," said Assemblyman Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Los Angeles) the former head of the advocacy group Equality California. "When you get to the really hard social justice bills, many legislators walk away from those. Sen. Wiener never does that." Meanwhile, he has waded into nearly every other policy area that attracts attention in Sacramento. His abridged list of successes includes laws to require health insurers to cover mental healthcare at parity with physical health; repeal loitering laws regarding prostitution; enshrine state net neutrality standards and increase access to HIV-prevention medications. His bills that have come up short include those that would have enabled safe injection sites for supervised drug consumption; allowed cities to keep bars open until 4 a.m.; required large corporations to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions; and decriminalized psychedelics. (He's reintroduced versions of the latter two this year.) "Sen. Wiener is one of those folks that a lot of people hate and also a lot of people really like," said Mahdi Manji, an advocate for low-income housing with the Inner City Law Center in Los Angeles. "And sometimes it's the same people, just because he's taken strong positions on so many issues." The work is so all-consuming that some allies worry that Wiener, who is not married, has let his job supersede his social life. Still, he has a tight-knit circle of friends who describe him as loyal and slyly funny, a fantasy novel aficionado and Kylie Minogue super fan. A lot of times I read stuff about him and it makes him seem like a robot, said Adam Cohn, a friend since law school. He does let his hair down. He can be a lot of fun. In Sacramento, there's a phenomenon known as "Wiener fatigue." Its main symptom is a reflexive sigh of exasperation every time the senator introduces another bill that will invariably cause political headaches, accompanied usually with begrudging respect for his relentless lobbying for the measure. Even Wiener knows he can come across as irritating "in a loving way!" he insists every time he asks a colleague for a vote that may not play well in places less liberal than San Francisco (i.e. almost everywhere else in the state), and he makes a point to express admiration for those who take on those political risks. "You're asking your colleagues for a lot," he said, copping to sometimes taking on too many tough bills. "Guilty as charged." The everything everywhere all-at-once approach to politics invariably means some constituency (or several) will be battling Wiener at any given point. But he seems unfazed by conflict after surviving the gantlet of local San Francisco politics, famously described as akin to "a knife fight in a phone booth" a vicious battle between various shades of blue. In Sacramento, he is among the furthest left members in a Democrat-dominated legislature. But by San Francisco standards, Wiener is a moderate. His alliances with Big Tech and real estate interests make him suspect among economic progressives, who accuse him of backing "trickle-down housing" and other policies that have perpetuated the city's stark divide between the rich and poor. Tom Ammiano, a longtime progressive politician and contemporary of gay rights icon Harvey Milk, said Wiener embodies the new generation of Democrats who have put less emphasis on class issues. "We're not seeing AOC [Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]. We're seeing Scott Wiener," Ammiano said, adding he is frustrated almost in a parental way at the current ascendance of the moderate wing. "I want to be supportive, I want to be protective, and then at the same time, I'm really pissed," Ammiano said. Wiener credits San Francisco's bare-knuckled political world with toughening his hide and teaching him not to hold grudges. Sal Rosselli, president of the National Union of Healthcare Workers, said Wiener has become his go-to for tough healthcare bills, even though his union strongly backed his opponent Jane Kim in 2016. "He's never held it against us," Rosselli said. "It's more the norm in politics that people are resentful, they retaliate or they dismiss you. One of Scott's virtues, from my perspective, is he's the opposite." Others say Wiener is more thin-skinned than he admits. Kim Tavaglione, who leads the San Francisco Labor Council, recalled meeting with Wiener shortly after he won his supervisor's race, despite many labor unions running a campaign against him. "One of the first things I had to do was go to a meeting with him where he let us know how angry he was...I basically got chewed out for 20 or 30 minutes," she said, adding that, in her view, he hasn't changed much since. The standard-issue hardball politics among Democrats is one thing. But a few years ago, Wiener began facing backlash of a different, more menacing variety. His bill to change the sex offender registry became fodder for believers of QAnon, an amorphous conspiracy that stoked unfounded accusations that Democrats were sexually grooming and trafficking children. By fall of 2020, he was at the center of a maelstrom. Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz tweeted that "Todays CA Dems believe we need more adults having sex with children," while Donald Trump Jr. wrote the bill would "normalize" pedophilia. Within three months, he received several thousand death threats. Since then, Wiener has been become a regular target for right-wing firebrands such as Greene, who called him a "communist groomer," and Tucker Carlson bashed a number of Wiener's bills on his now-canceled Fox News program. "Would you trust this guy within 500 yards of a child?" Carlson said in one segment, while onscreen flashed a photo of Wiener at the Folsom Street Fair, San Francisco's famous leather festival. "Probably not." Wiener sits in front of the shop that was formerly home to Harvey Milk's camera store, which Wiener called a "sacred building" in the Castro. (Josh Edelson / For The Times) In public and on social media, Wiener is defiant. He also speaks publicly about the threats on his life and how his home was searched for bombs twice last year. But he admits he has been rattled. When Paul Pelosi, husband of the then-House Speaker, was attacked in his home by a conspiracy theorist who was looking for his wife, the reality of this dangerous moment suddenly felt more real. "I'll tell you, after that happened, there were times when I would wake up in the middle of the night...if I'd hear something at my door. Which had never happened before," Wiener said The vitriol from the far right has some political upside in San Francisco. Wiener has sent out fundraising missives around Carlson's attacks and his vocal defense of transgender people has helped heal some though not all rifts that Wiener has with San Francisco progressives, especially LGBTQ+ voters. "There's not going to be a big schism in the community. I think Scott is going to do very well in this race," said Bevan Dufty, a progressive and former supervisor. He quickly amended his statement to add "at the time when the Speaker Emerita is no longer pursuing election." Those caveats abound when talking about Wiener's next move. Last month, he formed an exploratory committee to raise money for a congressional run, emphasizing he would only do so if Pelosi decides to step down. Allies cast the preparations as a practical matter. If Pelosi announced her decision later this year, there would little time to build a campaign for the primary election in March. He especially does not want to be flat-footed on fundraising given rumors that Pelosi's daughter Christine might run to succeed her mother and tap into the former Speaker's expansive donor network. (Christine Pelosi did not respond to a text message seeking comment.) The move struck some as a distasteful attempt to push Pelosi toward the door. "All these other old white guys get to stick around as long as they want before people start planting stories," said Rudy Gonzalez, the secretary-treasurer of the San Francisco Building Trades union. "Somehow the standard is different for Nancy Pelosi." The observation was a pointed reminder of another challenge facing Wiener: following in the footsteps of a San Francisco icon. Yet again, Wiener is choosing the toughest possible path. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Belarusian oppositionist and former election rival Viktar Babaryka was beaten in prison and later hospitalised. Source: Belarusian service of Radio Liberty; Nasha Niva, Rabochy Rukh Telegram channel Details: On 26 April, Rabochy Rukh reported that Babaryka was hospitalised with "multiple bodily injuries". On 27 April, the Novopolotsk Central City Hospital confirmed this. "Babaryka is in the surgical [ward]," they stated without further explanation. Background: In July 2021, Viktar Babaryka was sentenced to 14 years in prison. He was considered the main rival of Alexander Lukashenko in the presidential election, but he was not allowed to participate in the election . The Central Election Commission of Belarus stated that Babaryka had illegally used foreign financial assistance during the campaign, the resources of Belgazprombank, which he had previously managed and was 99% owned by Russian companies. On 18 June 2020, Belarusian law enforcement officials stated that Babaryka, who announced his intention to run for president, was the leader of a criminal group. In the morning of the same day, he and his son Eduard were detained. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! I have been the proud father of a transgender daughter for about three years now. When she first came out to us as transgender, my wife and I were scared and worried about her, as any parent would be. What is amazing to me, three years after that day, is how much Jennas confidence has grown. She has always been a very smart and compassionate person, but she has not always been as outgoing as she is now. She has a very supportive group of friends from both her high school and her college. While there have been huge changes in her self-confidence, Jenna has not changed when we spend time together as a family. She still teases her brother relentlessly and even goes after my wife and me with a little good-natured ribbing from time to time. While it is hard to fully wrap my head around everything that has happened over these three years, it occurs to me that maybe she is now comfortable with who she is. At the same time I see my daughter thriving as never before, I am astounded that politicians would try to step between parents and medical doctors. Politicians seem to be basing discriminatory legislation on testimony from a tiny number of individuals flown by activists from state to state to tell their stories of regret over their own transitions, while completely ignoring the room full of young transgender adults from Kansas who are flourishing. Having supported our daughter closely as shes gone through the process of transitioning, I can tell you that despite what some in the Legislature would have you believe, these medical treatments are not done out of a tent in a back lot. The doctors involved in this process take the time to explain the options, risks and benefits. These professionals are also very up-front that surgery is not provided to minors. Any medical treatment be it surgery or a prescription drug carries risks. Unfortunately, people do sometimes experience bad results from all types of procedures. If we choose to fly people unhappy about their care around the country to convince lawmakers to ban necessary treatments for everyone, it is possible that many forms of medical care could be at risk. It would not be acceptable to stop all knee surgeries over one patients problems with the procedure. Likewise, it should not be acceptable to stop transgender care based on a few peoples bad outcomes. Story continues After three years with my daughter, and one year fighting for my right to care for her as I see fit, I think it is important for all of us as human beings not to get hung up on labels. Instead, focus on individuals character and what we think they will do for society. I can tell you that through my life, I have interacted with many transgender people. They have some things in common: They are all extremely smart. They are all very creative. They are all good people who will have a positive effect on the world and they are fearless. I have watched these young people stand up for themselves against officials in our state government, many of whom seem to have nothing but hate for them, all the while knowing good and well that resisting these people may subject them to backlash from others. I could not be more proud of my daughter and the joy that she continues to bring into our lives. It would be a mistake to allow Kansas and Missouri to become places where good people are not welcomed and supported. Fred Bellemere IV grew up and continues to live in Kansas. He works in project management and spends his free time volunteering in the Lawrence community and with his family. Travelers at Fresno Yosemite International Airport will see new food, beverage and retail options coming to the terminal under two new contracts approved Thursday by the Fresno City Council. The new 15-year agreements with concessionaires will bring newcomers to the airport including a Mad Duck Craft Brewery restaurant already in business in Fresno and Clovis; Baby Duck, a grab-and-go version of the Mad Duck concept; Peets Coffee; Ikes Sandwiches; Einstein Bros. Bagels; and lifestyle retail brand Brookstone. It will also mean the departure of established airport outlets including Starbucks and the John Muir Tavern. For more than 20 years, Maryland-based HMSHost has been the sole concessionaire for food and beverage services at Fresnos airport, while Hudson Group of New Jersey has operated the airports newsstands and gift shops. But the most recent agreements with both companies ended in December 2022 and have been in a hold-over pattern for the past few months as airport officials from Fresno, Sacramento and Phoenix analyzed new proposals and prepared a recommendation for City Council members. SSP America would replace HMSHost as Fresno airport concessionaire The bid-evaluation committee recommended awarding a contract for almost $5.8 million to Virginia-based SSP America for food and beverage services, and a $2.8 million agreement with Hudson Group to continue operating the news/convenience concessions throughout the airport terminal. The process for building out and changing over the existing food locations is expected to take about 12 months, said Vikkie Calderon, a spokesperson for the airport. SSP proposes well-known, local food programs that will provide FATs passengers with healthy and diverse options throughout the day and night, Fresno airports director Henry Thompson and airport properties manager Melissa Garza-Perry wrote in a staff report to the City Council. Hudsons proposed lineup of national and local products are expected to offer passengers reputable brands related to new, convenience, retail, gift and travel essentials, Thompson and Garza-Perry added. They described both SSP and Hudson proposals as top tier for Fresno passengers. Story continues Airport staff estimates that the two contracts together could generate almost $1.3 million in revenue per year for the airport, or more than $19.4 million over the 15-year terms of the contracts. Both contracts include two separate phases as the city undertakes an ambitious $127 million expansion of the terminal building to be completed in late 2025. The first phase of each contract covers the concession programs in the existing terminal, and a second phase would include new locations within the expansion footprint. Starbucks gone, with Peets Coffee in its place SSP operates food and beverage concessions at about 30 airports across the U.S. and a dozen more in Canada, Bermuda and Brazil. Within California, the company is at airports in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, San Diego and Sacramento. In addition to Mad Duck to be operated under a licensing agreement with the local company SSP proposes to work with TNT Concessions, a woman-owned business in Oakland, to operate grab-and-go eateries including Baby Duck, Peets Coffee and Ikes Sandwiches. Peets, founded in Berkeley in the 1960s, has about 240 coffee bar locations in California. Peets has several counters inside Fresno businesses, such as The Post, at Bullard and West avenues, but no standalone coffee shops. Other Peets locations are in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C. Ikes Sandwiches has stores in about 60 cities in California including Fresno, as well as locations in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Texas and Utah. The airports current food offerings include a pair of Starbucks coffee locations, one in the lobby, the other in the corridor leading to the boarding concourse; and the John Muir Tavern in the boarding concourse. Hudson News has stores in the lobby, in the corridor and on the concourse. Calderon told The Fresno Bee that one more food location is being planned on the concourse near the lower boarding gates to provide more food options for travelers. Pop-up options would give opportunity to smaller vendors In addition, she said, the airport is considering a pop-up program in the terminal that would allow for additional local businesses to apply for a six-month operating permit for either food/beverage or retail service, to be overseen by the airports staff and separate from the concession contractors. The purpose of the (pop-up) program is to allow smaller local vendors the opportunity to operate within the terminal without committing to a 24/7 operation that is needed at the airport, Calderon said via email. Hudson Group, operator of Hudson News stores at Fresno Yosemite International Airport, has more than 1,000 stores at airports across the U.S. In Fresno, it is proposing to add a Brookstone store, described as a lifestyle and technology retail concept. The Brookstone location will be operated for Hudson by Martinez-Niebla LLC Hudson Group also plans to open an Einstein Bros. Bagels shop in the airport lobby to offer coffee and grab-and-go food options before passengers reach the Transportation Security Administrations security screening area, according to the bid-evaluation committees report. Einsteins Bagels has about 30 stores throughout California; the nearest location to Fresno is in San Luis Obispo. The company also has locations in 43 other states. Bee reporter Bethany Clough contributed to this report. Authorities in Minnesota are seeking additional information from specific property owners in the search for Madeline Kingsbury, a 26-year-old mother of two who has not been seen or heard from since March 31. The Winona Police Department and the county's emergency manager requested on Wednesday that property owners in Winona and Fillmore counties report old wells from before 1925, old homesteads, old windmills or windmill bases and sinkholes that are accessible by car. Police said the above information could lead to new searches since those details are not included in available records, adding that the request is part of "ongoing efforts to find Maddi and bring her home." Kingsbury disappeared in the morning on Friday, March 31, after she dropped her two kids off at daycare with their father around 8 a.m. She reportedly sent her sister, Megan, a "goofy" text around 8:15 a.m. and has not been heard from since. SEARCH FOR MADELINE KINGSBURY DRAWS THOUSANDS OF VOLUNTEERS: WE ARE NOT GIVING UP' Minnesota mom Madeline Kingsbury, 26, was last seen dropping her children off at daycare around 8 a.m. on March 31. In addition to Wednesday's request for information, Winona police asked property owners in Winona, Fillmore and Houston counties who consent to a property search to display a blue check mark in an easily-visible location. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP "Volunteers will only be looking for Maddi, signs of a disturbance or something out of the ordinary," a statement read. Police said volunteers searching the properties will not enter homes or structures, and will follow all property postings and state and local laws. Volunteers will also confirm with the property owner that the search can take place. Once the search is complete, a blue ribbon will be tied around the mailbox or a property post to signify the area has been checked. Property owners who have already consented to searches but have not received a ribbon may place the blue ribbon on display themselves. MINNESOTA MOM MADELINE KINGSBURY SINGS TO BABY IN 2021 VIDEO AS MILITARY BROTHER RETURNS FROM OVERSEAS Story continues Minnesota mom Madeline Kingsbury, 26, has been missing since the morning of Fridayy, March 31. Volunteers are allowed to participate in the search for Kingsbury as they please, but police stated to make safety the top priority. "Please do not search alone, don't search dangerous areas and don't enter the water," Winona PD wrote. "We don't want anyone to get lost or hurt, which would also pull resources from our search for Maddi." The community in and around Winona has come out in droves to search for Madeline, and their coordinated efforts continue through Facebook groups like Finding Madeline Kingsbury , which has over 18,000 followers. "The community surrounding our family, from the volunteer searchers on ground and event organizers to the offered prayer, has been indescribable, humbling and awe-inspiring," said Stephen Kingsbury, Madeline's brother. "It's hard to imagine how it could ever be reciprocated. Our gratitude for all involved in our efforts to bring our sister/daughter/mother home will never fade." Law enforcement and first responders in and around Winona, Minnesota, continue their search for Madeline Kingsbury. MADELINE KINGSBURY: COURT DOCS, MINNESOTA POLICE CONTRADICT CLAIMS FROM FATHER OF MISSING WOMAN'S KIDS In an earlier Fox News Digital report, Winona Police Chief Tom Williams said Kingsbury's disappearance is "suspicious" and "involuntary," but details on a potential suspect have not yet been released. As of Wednesday, authorities said the investigation is active and ongoing, and police are "not prepared to identify a suspect or person of interest at this time." Adam Fravel, the father of Madeline's two young children, was the last person who saw her alive. Fravel was noticeably absent from a news conference on her case and remained silent on her disappearance until 12 days later when he released a prepared statement through his lawyer. Missing mother of two Madeline Kingsbury (left) and the father of her children Adam Fravel (right). "Over the course of the last 12 days my family and I have been subject to a myriad of accusations regarding the disappearance of the mother of my children," Fravel said. "I did not have anything to do with Maddis disappearance." On April 4, Fravel was described as "non-cooperative" during an alleged standoff with social workers and police, who attempted to take custody of the children because he doesn't have custodial rights, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital. "At one point, (Fravel) took the younger child into the residence and locked the door despite being told that the children were in the care and custody of Winona County," a petition by Winona County Health and Human Services alleges. A social worker also reported hearing Fravel shout expletives while he was inside the home. Winona police also reiterated a $50,000 reward is available for information leading to Kingsbury's whereabouts. Tips can be sent to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or online at crimestoppersmn.org. Property owners with any information to report can send details to search@co.winona.mn.us. Fox News Digital's Chris Eberhart contributed to this report. Editor's note: This story has been updated. There have been three cases of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death filed in the 8th Judicial District as of May 1. An Evans man has been arrested on accusations that he sold a Larimer County woman the illegal drugs that led to her overdose death. Larimer County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a home in the 5900 block of Palmer Court in the Ptarmigan neighborhood southeast of Fort Collins on Nov. 11 after an adult female was found dead in her home by one of her family members, according to a news release. Investigators found no signs of foul play, but they did find multiple substances they later determined were fentanyl pills and cocaine, according to the sheriff's office. Investigators say they believe some of the fentanyl pills were sold to the woman as oxycodone but were actually counterfeit drugs, according to the news release. Investigators say they identified Rodolfo Dominguez, 56 of Evans, as the man who allegedly sold the drugs to the woman. Dominguez was arrested last week and booked into the Larimer County Jail on the following charges: Distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, a Class 1 drug felony; distribution of cocaine and distribution of oxycodone, both Class 3 drug felonies. Dominguez remains in the Larimer County Jail as of Thursday afternoon on a $750,000 bond. He is next scheduled to appear in court May 2. Anyone with information on this case can contact investigator Tyler Thomas at 970-498-5167 or share information anonymously by contacting Crime Stoppers of Larimer County at 970-221-6868 or stopcriminals.org. More: New Colorado law gives Larimer County law enforcement tool to combat fentanyl crisis This is the third case in which the 8th Judicial District Attorney's Office has charged a person suspected of supplying fentanyl in an overdose death. A Fort Collins woman, 40-year-old Andrea Branco, was arrested in September on a charge of distribution resulting in death, a new criminal charge created by the Colorado legislature with the intention of strengthening the possible penalties for people distributing fentanyl. Story continues Branco's case is ongoing, and she remains in the Larimer County Jail on a $500,000 bond. Her next court appearance is scheduled for May 25. A Loveland man was arrested in January for allegedly supplying the fentanyl that killed a 15-year-old in July. The man, 30-year-old Samuel Strait, remains in the Larimer County Jail on a $750,000 bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for May 12. 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. More: As fentanyl deaths spike in Larimer County, leaders seek balance of treatment, punishment Where can I get naloxone? CO-SLAW naloxone mailing program: Larimer and Weld county residents can request to have naloxone mailed to them for free by visiting northcoloradohealthalliance.org/naloxone. CO-SLAW stands for Colorado Opioid Synergy for Larimer and Weld counties. Pharmacies may also have naloxone available, and you'd have to pay your insurance's co-pay. How to get help with substance use and addiction treatment The variety of substance-use and addiction treatment options can be hard to navigate. For those looking for more guidance, reach out for free to a care coordinator through the CO-SLAW program 24/7 at 1-844-944-7529. Learn more about CO-SLAW at northcoloradohealthalliance.org/addictionresponseteam. This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Evans man arrested in Larimer County woman's overdose death A Scotts Hill man was charged after a hit-and-run incident in the 2400 block of Carolina Beach Road. A Scotts Hill man charged with allegedly pushing a woman out of a moving vehicle has turned himself in to authorities. According to the Wilmington Police Department, Eric Thompson, 42, was charged with assault inflicting bodily injury and felony hit-and-run. About 7 p.m. Sunday, April 23, a police officer saw a woman lying in the road in the 2400 block of Carolina Beach Road. Investigators said Thompson allegedly pushed the woman out of a moving truck after an argument. She was taken to Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center with severe injuries. Detectives issued a warrant for Thompsons arrest before he turned himself in to the New Hanover County Courthouse on Thursday, April 27. He received a $50,000 secured bond. This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington police charge man for pushing woman out of a truck A 72-year-old Oxford man came to Watkinsville recently and decided to visit the historic Elder Mill Covered Bridge. Instead, he encountered a hostile gunman. I go to Watkinsville once a month to see the doctor and then have lunch and oftentimes I go back home. I had heard about the bridge. It was a beautiful day. I just had my car tuned up and I was enjoying myself, he said Wednesday. He traveled south on Georgia Highway 15 that afternoon of April 12 to find the bridge, but mistakenly turned onto Piney Woods Lane, which was the wrong road to reach the bridge. I went down the dirt road and it looked like it was going nowhere. I didnt see an outlet, he said. Oconee Blotter: Man reports assailant fractures his eye socket Bulldog scam: Jackson County woman scammed out of thousands trying to purchase English bulldog The retired mechanic and newspaper delivery man, who asked his name not be used, said he stopped and backed into a driveway to leave. As I was pulling out, he shot, the man recalled about hearing the gunfire. At that point, the man said he quickly drove back to Highway 15, and made a right turn. Then realized he was going the wrong way, so he turned around to go back north. The suspect in the shooting then drove out the side road and blocked him on the highway, he said. The man said he drove around the offender, but the man pursued again and blocked him again on the highway. Then the Oxford man said he drove around him again then pulled onto Cedar Road, not realizing it was a dead-end road. He came to a stop. The offender came sliding in there. He jumped out hollering and cussing, said the man, who uses a wheelchair. He was totally consumed like a rabid dog. He was hollering and red faced, the man recalled. Think about it, he blocked me three times on a state highway in traffic. "He was cussing and he said, 'You stop (expletive) when I say stop,'" the victim recalled. Im glad I wasnt armed, the man said. But I am armed when I leave the house today. I wont go no further with that. Story continues The suspect for some reason stopped his irate behavior and drove off, but the man said he then called for help. Four Oconee County sheriffs deputies responded. I felt safe, he said about their arrival. I cant say enough how nice the (deputies) were. Deputies arrested the 68-year-old suspect on a charge of reckless conduct. The suspect told the deputies he shot his gun into the ground, according to the report. The reason I pressed charges, I wasnt worried about me, I was thinking of other folks. This guy needs to be separated from his weapons," the victim said. A sheriffs deputy also noted in the incident report that the suspect was arrested for a similar crime in 2020, where he fired a gun due to someone turning around on his property. The crimes are an echo of two other shooting cases that have attracted national attention this month. In early April, a 20-year-old woman was killed in upstate New York when she and her friends took a wrong turn onto a mans property. The property owner shot at the car and killed the young woman, according to the Associated Press. Then on April 15, a Fort Lauderdale, Florida man fired a gun at a vehicle in a rural area where a teenager and his girlfriend made a wrong turn onto the mans property. Neither teen was hit by the gunfire, although their car was hit twice, according to the AP reports. The victim in the Oconee County case said this incident shows an important issue in gun ownership. Ive always owned guns, he said. I dont know the answer, but there are people out there who legally own guns and damn sure shouldnt have them. This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: A search for a covered bridge in Oconee County leads to trouble Security officers patrol the MacArthur station in Los Angeles on March 29. A passenger who was slashed by a machete-wielding man at a Chatsworth Metro train station has filed a claim against the city of Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) A man who was attacked on his way to the Chatsworth Metro Station by a machete-wielding assailant has filed a claim against the city of Los Angeles, saying that unsafe conditions are to blame. Brent Meldeau, 53, was walking to the station March 2 when, he said, he heard someone approaching me, and I see this guy with his hand in the air. Then he hit me across the face with a machete. I was in shock," he said. "I dropped my phone. As I was running away, he asked me if I wanted some more. Meldeau said the blow nearly knocked him unconscious. The attack left him with a large cut across his face. The claim asks for monetary damages. His attorney, Cyrus Shahriari, said in a statement that lack of security and adequate lighting at the Chatsworth Metro Station not only puts public safety at risk but also undermines the communitys sense of security and well-being." The Citys negligent maintenance of the premises increased the likelihood that this type of criminal incident could occur, he said. Shahriari also blamed "unmonitored homeless encampments located in darkened areas. He and his client claim the attacker was unhoused. Representatives for the Los Angeles City Attorney's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Safety issues have plagued Los Angeles' public transit systems, causing authorities to consider additional security. As illicit drug use and crime have gone up, ridership has struggled to recover from pre-pandemic levels. Train boardings were under two-thirds of pre-pandemic levels as of late February. Reports of serious crimes were up 24% in 2022 versus 2021, according to data presented by Gina Osborn, the top safety officer of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, to the Metro executive board. I have a false sense of security because its the town I grew up in, but its not the same town," Meldeau said of Chatsworth. The crime is out of hand down in that area. I dont want anyone else to have to go through what happened to me. Times staff writer Rachel Uranga contributed to this report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The cries and pleas of her son still echo in Pauletta Johnsons mind, hours after she received a heart-wrenching phone call from him, moments away from being shot and killed by a Kansas City, Kansas, police officer Wednesday night. Johnson identified her 25-year-old son, Amareeya Henderson of Kansas City, as the man killed by a police officer during a traffic stop near the 12th Street bridge that crosses the Kansas River. Henderson had completed his final DoorDash delivery for the evening in the Argentine section of Kansas City, Kansas, and was on his way home with his girlfriend when he was pulled over, Johnson said. Hendersons girlfriend, Shakira Hill, called Johnson using the FaceTime app on her cellphone. Through the FaceTime call, Johnson was able to get an impression of what happened during the traffic stop and the shooting. Henderson, anxious about the traffic stop, pleaded for his mother to help him, asking for her to drive to where he was pulled over. I fear for my life, can you get here. It doesnt feel right, he said, as Johnson told The Star early Thursday. He was scared for his life. He told me to come because he was scared for his life. According to Johnson, the officer did not tell Henderson why he was being pulled over. Instead, the officer instructed Henderson to hand over his license and registration. A man was fatally shot Wednesday night by a Kansas City, Kansas police officer during a traffic stop in the 1100 block of Metropolitan Avenue. Bill Lukitsch When the officer called for another officer to assist him, Henderson may have tried to drive away, Johnson said. The officer shot Henderson and he collided with another vehicle. He was scared for his life. In life, you fight, flight or freeze, Johnson said. He got so scared that he tried to go where he could be safe, be seen and not be harmed and he still was harmed. You heard the gunshots and the phone shut off, Johnson said. Few details from police The Kansas City Police Department, which is investigating the shooting as an outside agency from the Missouri side of the state line, has provided little information about what happened. Story continues Officer Donna Drake, a police department spokeswoman, said Wednesday night that the shooting happened about 8:30 p.m. after an officer pulled over a vehicle in the 1100 block of Metropolitan Avenue for a traffic violation. Drake said a confrontation ensued during the traffic stop that ended with the police officer fatally shooting the driver. Homicide detectives were in the beginning stages of their investigation, she said. Among the witnesses to be interviewed was a passenger in the car. Drake said the Kansas City, Kansas, officer had minor injuries and was taken to a hospital. It was unclear how the officer was injured. On Thursday morning, Drake declined to provide any more details about the shooting. She did not respond to questions about whether the man killed was armed or not. Later Thursday, the police department confirmed the identity of Henderson as the man killing in the shooting. Amareeya Henderson is pictured with his girlfriend Shakira Hill. Henderson was delivering for DoorDash when he was pulled over by a Kansas City, Kansas, police officer and then shot and killed during the encounter. Photo courtesy of Paulette Johnson Since late 2022, Kansas City, Missouri, police have led investigations of shootings involving Kansas City, Kansas, police officers as part of an agreement between the two agencies. Once the investigation is complete, Drake said, findings would be forwarded to the Wyandotte County District Attorneys Office. The district attorney will decide whether the use of force was justified under Kansas law. Scared for his life Johnson said her son had lost a job and fell on hard times. He was making deliveries for DoorDash to make ends meet. My baby, hes not a killer. Hes not a drug dealer, Johnson said. Hes not harmful. He was scared for his life. Johnson noted that Henderson had experienced a bad run-in with police in 2016, when police accused him of walking through, or too close to, a crime scene and handcuffed him. Henderson was a teenager at the time it was the same year he graduated from Central High School. Hes been hurt before by the police, he was scared, Johnson said. Hendersons younger sister, Paulina Johnson, joined their mother in saying that Henderson would not have been carrying a weapon. My brother wasnt a menace to society, Paulina Johnson said. He wasnt a drug dealer. He wasnt any of the things that society will try to label us as. For him to be gunned down like that and murdered from a traffic stop and he did everything that they said was crazy. Amareeya Henderson is pictured with his sister Paulina Johnson. Henderson was identified by his mother as the man shot and killed by a Kansas City, Kansas, police officer during a traffic stop Wednesday night. Photo courtesy of Paulette Johnson Lora McDonald, executive director of MORE2, a social activist organization that monitors law enforcement in Kansas City, Kansas, said the group is recommending that the Kansas Bureau of Investigation review the shooting and all further investigations. We dont know much about the circumstances of the shooting, and the lack of transparency from KCKPD is nothing new, McDonald said. She questioned the value of having Kansas City, Missouri, police investigate as an outside agency since a former member of that department, Karl Oakman, is now the police chief for the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department. There could be conflicts, McDonald said. She also noted that the Kansas City Police Department has a history of refusing to provide charging documents to prosecutors in cases that ultimately led to its own officers being convicted of violent crimes against Black people. Nikki Richardson, executive director and co-founder of Justice for Wyandotte, said her group has been monitoring police shootings in Kansas City, Kansas. All of the cases have been different, but theyre either linked to a substance abuse call or what appears to be a mental health concern and then this most recent one was a traffic stop. Scenarios which shouldnt lead to a fatality when youre being involved with an officer but in these cases, they all have been, Richardson said. Richardson, who also is a member of the law enforcement advisory board for the United Government of Wyandotte County, said Justice for Wyandotte has requested video footage captured on the officers body cameras. The shooting Wednesday marks the third involving Kansas City, Kansas, police so far in 2023. One other was fatal. On Feb. 4, Kansas City, Kansas, police shot and killed a man in the 5400 block of Haskell Avenue after he allegedly fled on a bicycle from a house where two people had recently overdosed on fentanyl. Police said a gun was found at that scene. On April 5, Kansas City, Kansas, police were involved in a daytime shootout after an undercover drug bust went awry. Three tactical officers and three suspects were wounded by gunfire, and all were expected to survive. Star reporters Bill Lukitsch, Robert A. Cronkleton and Anna Spoerre contributed. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 A Texas man is accused of fatally shooting a fake parking attendant while on a date in Houston, according to police. Erick Aguirre, 29, went to downtown Houston on April 11 to meet with a woman. They arrived in separate vehicles before 8 p.m., and shortly after they parked, they were approached by a man claiming to be a parking attendant, according to a criminal complaint filed April 14 in Harris County. The man, Elliott Nix, told them it would cost $20 per vehicle to park, but that they could get their money back at the end of the night if they showed him a receipt from the restaurant, the documents said. Aguirre gave the man $40 and walked to the restaurant with his date. But moments later, surveillance camera video captures Aguirre sprinting out of the restaurant and grabbing something from inside his vehicle after an employee told him Nix was a scammer, documents said. A witness told investigators he saw Aguirre chasing after Nix with a handgun. They disappeared from view but the witness heard a gunshot, then saw Aguirre nonchalantly walking back to his car, putting the pistol away and heading back to the restaurant, documents said. Aguirre left Nix wounded and lying in the street while he resumed his date, according to the complaint. A driver passing by spotted Nix on the ground, in the right lane, with his head on the curb and a gunshot wound to the torso, documents said. First responders arrived, and Nix was taken to a hospital. He was pronounced dead at 8:43 p.m. The woman Aguirre was with reached out to investigators through an attorney April 13, two days after the date, documents said. She told investigators she didnt hear any gunshots, and Aguirre told her he had just scared the guy and everything was fine. She shared photos from their date in which Aguirre is wearing clothing that matches the man seen in surveillance video. Based on the times the photos were taken, their date went on for several hours after the shooting. Story continues Aguirre was arrested April 15 and is facing a charge of murder, according to court documents. 22-year-old lures two men to their deaths after meeting on dating app, Texas cops say Man on first date dies when speeding driver barrels into him, Texas police say Man shoots three after food order is delivered to wrong house, Michigan officials say Truck carrying $750,000 in dimes robbed in Walmart parking lot, Pennsylvania cops say SHEBOYGAN - Three Sheboygan County criminal cases closed in the past few months as judges sentenced men to prison for reckless homicide, kidnapping and possession of child pornography. Prosecutors also amended child abuse charges against a 25-year-old Plymouth man to reckless homicide after the infant died. Here's what to know about those four cases. The exterior of the Sheboygan County Courthouse as seen, Friday, May 13, 2022, in Sheboygan, Wis. Man sentenced to 23 years in prison for delivering drugs to woman who died of a fentanyl overdose In January, a jury found Dwayne Cannon, 32, guilty of first-degree reckless homicide for delivering drugs to the victim of an overdose. This month, Judge Daniel Borowski sentenced Cannon, of Cudahy, to 23 years in prison and 10 years of extended supervision, as well as restitution. Thats after prosecutors recommended a 20-year sentence in prison and Cannons attorney recommended a five-year sentence. Cannon along with Amanda Miller, if convicted of the same crime must also pay more than $21,600 in restitution requested by family of the woman who died, as well as nearly $5,000 in court costs. Miller plead not guilty to the crime and her case is still open. Miller told police she and Cannon delivered heroin to the victim the night of the victim's death in October 2021. A doctor said a fentanyl overdose caused the victims death. At the time, Cannon was on supervision for being party to a crime of second-degree reckless injury while using a dangerous weapon in Milwaukee in 2013. In that case, he was sentenced to seven years in prison and three years of extended supervision. Man sentenced to 28 years in prison for kidnapping In February, Judge Rebecca Persick sentenced 60-year-old Dean Hoffmann, of Grafton, to 28 years in prison and 18 years of extended supervision. A jury last August found Hoffmann guilty of kidnapping, suffocating, harming and intimidating a woman in her Waldo home in 2018. The jury also found Hoffmann guilty of conspiring to and soliciting someone to intimidate the woman from being a witness in court in 2019. Story continues The victim of the kidnapping testified that Hoffmann walked into her home and forcibly kept her there for five or six hours, until a pizza delivery driver called law enforcement when he saw her mouthing help me as he delivered an order to the address. The kidnapping occurred about a month after the victim, who had been dating Hoffmann, broke off the relationship, she said in court. Hoffmann must also pay more than $1,750 in court costs. More: Former Kettle Moraine corrections officer charged for relationship with inmate enters plea deal More: Teen charged in 2021 shooting near Sheboygan bus station avoids mandatory life sentence under plea agreement Sheboygan man sentenced to 8 years in prison for possessing child pornography In March, Judge Borowski sentenced Eric Giesen, 64, to eight years in prison and eight years of extended supervision. Giesen was charged with 25 counts of possession of child pornography in 2019 after police received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, a nonprofit organization, and found 25 pornographic images of children on a tablet and computer in Giesens home, according to a criminal complaint. Giesen accepted a plea deal late last year, eventually pleading no contest to two counts, with the other counts dismissed but read in. That means Borowski considered the charges when determining Giesens sentence. In Wisconsin, a conviction of possession of child pornography carries a minimum sentence of three years in prison for each count. Concerns about Giesens competency or ability to understand court proceedings and assist in his own defense delayed the case. Then-Judge Kent Hoffmann originally found Giesen incompetent to stand trial but likely to regain competency in a state psychiatric facility. Hoffmann and Borowski later found Giesen competent, and Giesens attorney agreed with the finding. Plymouth man now charged with reckless homicide for babys death In late 2021, Sheboygan County prosecutors charged Michael Dinkin, 25, with child abuse for causing great harm to his baby. Last fall, prosecutors increased the charges to first-degree reckless homicide after the baby died. Dinkins had called police saying his 3-month-old baby was struggling to breath. Hospital staff later told police the baby had a fractured skull, severe injury to his brain, hemorrhages and bleeding to his spine, fractures to both of his legs and bruising to his kidneys, according to the criminal complaint. Dinkins told police the baby fell off a couch onto his head and hit his head during a bath. A doctor told police the babys injuries were typical for physical abuse, according to court documents. A status conference in the case is scheduled for May. This report is part of the Sheboygan Press's mission to follow criminal cases to their conclusion. More: Sheboygan voters elect two new judges to Sheboygan County Circuit Courts Reach Maya Hilty at 920-400-7485 or MHilty@sheboygan.gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Man sent to prison after Sheboygan woman dies of fentanyl overdose A man suspected in a Gaston County shooting has been extradited from Florida back to North Carolina and will make an appearance in court on Tuesday. Robert Singletary is accused of shooting a father and hurting his 6-year-old daughter in Gaston County. Police said he headed to Tampa before turning himself in. Just after 6:15 a.m. Sunday, the Gaston County Sheriffs Office traveled to the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office in Tampa, Florida to take Singletary into custody and extradite him back to North Carolina. Shortly after 6 p.m., he was booked at the Gaston County Jail, where he will be held without bond. EXCLUSIVE: This is the moment Robert Singletary was brought to the Gaston County Jail, police confirm. Singletary turned around and looked at the camera moments before being booked. Singletary is expected to appear in court Tuesday. @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/FBCWZD0eq2 Coleman J. Montgomery (@colemanreports) May 1, 2023 Singletary has been charged with four counts of first-degree attempted murder, two accounts of felonious assault with a deadly weapon with the intent to kill or inflict serious injuries, one count of possession of a firearm by a felon, and one count of interference with an electric monitoring device. He is expected to receive a first appearance Tuesday, May 2nd, at 9:30 a.m. in Gaston County Superior Court. PREVIOUS STORY: Channel 9s Ken Lemon spoke to childs grandmother about the case. The family said they will be in attendance the first time Robert Singletary faces a judge in Gaston County on his charges of attempted murder. But waiting for answers from the hearing Thursday, which was 8 hours and 511 miles away, was nerve-wracking for them. Story continues Carolynn Hilderbrand wanted to be there Thursday to deliver a message to the judge. Please dont let him loose, she said. Let him have the justice he deserves for everything he has done. She worries because in December, Singletary was in jail in Gaston County charged with a violent assault. He got an unsecured bond for that charge. Then last week, police said he pulled a gun and twice chased neighbors just off April Drive, shooting with children nearby. A man accused of injuring a 6-year-old girl and her parents in a shooting in Gaston County turned himself into authorities in Tampa, Florida, authorities said. The shooting happened in Hilderbrands front yard. One shot went through her son-in-laws back, and fragments from that bullet went into her 6-year-old granddaughters cheek. It still goes through my mind a lot and it probably always will, Hilderbrand said. Probably never will forget that. No one was killed in the shooting, but Hilderbrand said things wont ever be the same. Ill probably never have no peace, she said. Ill probably be looking over my shoulders. Police arrested Singletary in the Tampa Bay area after his family members begged him to turn himself in. Hilderbrand was happy to hear that Singletarys hearing lasted just long enough to affirm a time for transport back to North Carolina. He needs to face what he done, Hilderbrand said. Gaston County police have until May 8 to arrange transport for Singletary. They are working on efforts get him back and in front of a judge here. (PREVIOUS: Police look for gunman after double-shooting in Gaston County neighborhood) Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Thursday boasted that I will win any race I enter ahead of an expected announcement that West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) will be entering the race for Manchins seat. I am laser focused on doing the job West Virginians elected me to do lowering healthcare costs, protecting Social Security and Medicare, shoring up American energy security and getting our fiscal house in order. But make no mistake, I will win any race I enter, Manchin said in a statement. Manchin is up for reelection in 2024, though he has stayed mum on whether hell run again. The senator has also encouraged speculation he could run for president in 2024. The West Virginia Democrats statement comes as Justice is expected to formally launch a Senate campaign later on Thursday. The governor filed the necessary paperwork Thursday morning. Manchin is among three Democratic incumbents situated in states that former President Trump won in 2020, and the West Virginia Senate race is expected to be one of the most closely watched elections for the upper chamber. Justices expected entry into the race would make him the third Republican seeking the GOP Senate nomination. Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.) announced a Senate bid shortly after the November midterms while Chris Rose, a Trump-aligned fourth generation coal miner, has also announced his own bid. Politicos will be watching whether the Senate GOP campaign arm wades into the Republican primary between Mooney and Justice. The Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), released polling in February suggesting that Justice was best positioned to take on Manchin should he run again. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Police are looking for a Marelle Sturrock's fiance David Yates after she was found dead in her flat on Tuesday. The devastated family of pregnant teacher Marelle Sturrock, who was found dead in her flat in Glasgow, have issued a plea for people to stop sharing information about the case that hasn't come directly from the police. Authorities have launched a murder investigation over the 35-year-old's death and have been seen searching the nearby Mugdock Country Park for a missing man, thought to be her fiance David Yates, since her body was discovered on Tuesday. Police Scotland said in a statement: Her partner David Yates is wanted in connection with Marelles death. Police divers have been involved in the search and large areas of the reservoir are cordoned off with police tape, with officers standing guard. Police searched a nearby area for a missing man, thought to be Sturrock's fiance David Yates (PA). Marelle's sister, Sarah Sturrock, wrote in a public post on Facebook: "Can people please stop sharing any press information about my little sister, this is so wrong it was all over Facebook before my mum & dad were even notified a picture of her house!!!! its horrendous to have to deal with without seeing it plastered everywhere!! "They are hounding us & turning up at peoples doors for information on us up here, if anyone gets them please close the door, I know they need information thats there job but they should just wait to be told the correct details its heartbreaking. The beloved teacher was found in her flat on Tuesday "If anyone feels the need to share her information please only share Police Scotland Glasgow report as they have the truth!!! "There are no words how utterly devastating this is for us as a family & how we are going to cope without her How this could of happened to her I will never get my head around this." It is believed Sturrock was discovered after colleagues at the Sandwood Primary School alerted authorities when she did not turn up for work or answer her phone. Officers are searching Mugdock Country Park and Mugdock reservoir, just outside the city in East Dunbartonshire. (PA) The popular teacher lived with Yates, and pupils and staff at the school have been notified of her death. Headteacher Fiona Donnelly told PA the "school community is devastated. Story continues Marelle has been a much-loved member of our school community since her probationary year more than six years ago and has taught many year groups throughout her time at the school," she said. "We will all miss her so much. She was a lovely, kind, diligent and considerate person who loved and made time for everyone. Marelle used her artistic talents across the school and was our music champion who has been a key player in the success of our school choirs, with one of her classes going to see her on stage at The Kings (Theatre) in one of her many acting roles outside of school. "We are a school community in mourning and are devasted by the tragic news of her death and pass on our deepest condolences to her family and friends as we all come to terms with our loss. Staff and students at the school where Marelle Sturrock taught have been notified of her death. The authorities have appealed to anyone with information to contact Police Scotland. Detective Chief Inspector Cheryl Kelly said: Our thoughts are with Marelles family and friends, as well as everyone affected by this tragic incident. We are providing her family with support at this incredibly difficult time as our investigation to establish the full circumstances continues. A visible police presence will remain at both locations as our work continues. There is not believed to be any risk to the wider public but I would urge anyone with information or concerns to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident 0904 of April 25 or speak to any of our officers. A 20-year-old U.S. Marine was killed during an active-duty training exercise in California when a gun reportedly discharged in a truck filled with other service members. Lance Cpl. Jackson J. Forringer, with the 2nd Marine Regiment based in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, died on April 20 "while conducting training during Integrated Training Exercise 3-23 at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California," 2nd Lt. Olivia Giarrizzo, a spokesperson for the 2nd Marine Division, said in an email to Fox News Digital on Wednesday. "The incident is currently under investigation by NCIS. No other injuries were reported," Giarrizzo added. The spokesperson cited an active investigation by the NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) and declined to go into further detail. SECOND AMERICAN DEAD IN SUDAN, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL SPOX JOHN KIRBY CONFIRMS Marine veteran Trey Smith-Tatham, who previously served with Forringer, said Forringer was killed "by an inadvertent gun discharge while he was with other Marines in the back of a Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement, or 7-ton truck," according to Corps Marine Times. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Smith-Tatham, 21, told the outlet that Forringer, an infantryman, arrived with his unit in Twentynine Palms for pre-deployment training in late March. U.S. Marines with the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, fire at targets at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, on Oct. 13, 2022. A member of the same unit died during a training exercise in California on April 20, 2023. Smith-Tatham, who said he was discharged in 2022 due to drug use but kept in touch with members of his former unit daily, told the outlet he learned that Marines from Forringers platoon had been ordered into the back of the truck. He said they had been told to set their service rifles at "condition one," meaning with a loaded magazine and a round in the chamber. It's unclear how Forringer was shot, but Smith-Tatham said he believes someone in the vehicle, which was not moving at the time, had their weapon's safety off. Smith-Tatham said he lost a close friend, Pfc. Zachary Riffle, who was killed along with a second Marine in a seven-ton truck rollover at Camp Lejeune in January 2022, and he recalled Forringer as a friendly and positive person who invited him along on gym workouts after Riffle's passing to show moral support. Story continues "He was just a really good dude," Smith-Tatham said of Forringer. MARINE CORPS INVESTIGATING AFTER RECRUIT, 21, DIES DURING PHYSICAL FITNESS TEST Lance Cpl. Jackson J. Forringer, 20, died during a training exercise in Twentynine Palms, California. Forringer died just weeks after three Camp Lejeune Marines were injured in a separate all-terrain vehicle crash at Twentynine Palms. The Marine who had been driving the vehicle during the rollover crash that killed Riffle was acquitted on charges that included manslaughter and negligent homicide earlier this month. Marines train in a simulated Iraqi village at the Twentynine Palms Marine base on Nov. 14, 2005, in California. Lance Cpl. Jackson J. Forringer died during a training exercise at the same base. "Its hard to be this age and lose as many friends as we have when we all joined when we were, like, 19 years old," Smith-Tatham said. "We shouldnt be losing friends this young without any clarity or reason behind it." Forringer, of Chesnee, South Carolina, was honored in an obituary shared online by his parents, saying he "met Jesus" in an "active-duty training" at Twentynine Palms. The Twentynine Palms Marine base is seen on Nov. 14, 2005. Lance Cpl. Jackson J. Forringer died during a training exercise at the same base. "Born April 9, 2003 in Anderson, SC. he was a son of Todd A. Forringer and Andrea L. Forringer of Chesnee, SC. Jackson was a 2021 graduate of Chesnee High School and was actively serving in the United States Marine Corps, a lifelong dream. He never met a stranger and was one of the humblest, kind-spirited individuals you could meet. He loved to give back and help others," the obituary shared on the Harris-Nadeau Mortuary website reads. "Jackson loved his family and his friends unconditionally and had an extra special bond with his cousin Kate." In May 2021, the family was featured in a Mother's Day piece by the Spartanburg Herald-Journal celebrating Forringer's formal adoption narrowly made official before his 18th birthday. Jackson Forringer had come to live with the family as a teenager after having entered the foster care system at age 5 and having lived in nearly two dozen other homes. "Jackson was just part of the family from day one," Todd Forringer told the paper at the time. Marjorie Taylor Greene caused yet another stir at a hearing on Capitol Hill this week, drawing an angry response from a Democratic member of Congress. The latest incident occurred during a hearing of the House Committee on Homeland Security, where lawmakers were discussing an unofficial challenge coin being passed around by members of US Customs and Border Protection which appears to glorify a now-infamous image of a mounted border agent striking a fleeing migrant with the back of a horse whip. The image shocked and disgusted average Americans when it was first publicised, but apparently has been taken as a kind of sinister moment of pride by some in the agencys ranks where a right-wing culture is thought to be prevalent. At one moment during the Wednesday evening hearing, Ms Greene was spotted chuckling by a member of the committee, Donald Payne Jr, who called her out. "It was shocking to depict someone on a horse, with a whip, whipping a human being. And that's funny? That engenders giggles? That's funny people being whipped. Wow," he admonished the Georgia congresswoman, according to Newsweek. But Ms Greene denied that she had been laughing about the matter being discussed, and attacked Mr Payne for suggesting otherwise. "There's no one on this committee who thinks whipping is a laughing matter...I was laughing about something completely unrelated. And it's extremely poor behaviour of people on this committee to continue to attack my character for political points, likely for campaign ads, she responded. Its just the most recent example of Ms Greene and her far-right colleagues in the House clashing or being drawn in to very personal arguments with their Democratic rivals a far cry from the kind of collegial atmosphere that exists in the Senate and even in the lower chamber some time ago. She was barred from participating in a previous hearing of the same committee after she went on an abusive tirade against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, accusing him of lying. The GOP chair of the panel reprimanded her and cut her mic, resulting in her turning her criticism on her own party after the incident occurred. Mark Bryant, executive director of Gun Violence Archive Mark Bryant counts shootings for a living. It's an around-the-clock job in the US - where more than two people died from guns every hour last year. He's been doing it for nearly a decade, serving as the executive director of the Gun Violence Archive, a tiny non-profit that attempts to track every incident of US gun violence in real time. For Mr Bryant, years of counting the dead have come at a cost. "When we first started this, I would see a child killed and I could remember her name. I could remember the age, what city she was in and the circumstances of that shooting. Now, I cannot do that," Mr Bryant says. "It just doesn't stick anymore." Mr Bryant spoke with BBC News earlier this month, the day after five people were killed in a mass shooting at a Kentucky bank, and two weeks after six people were killed in a mass shooting at a Tennessee elementary school. During the interview, Mr Bryant's phone beeped with the notification of yet another mass shooting. This one was at a funeral home in Washington DC - 20 minutes after a service had ended for another man shot and killed in March, police later said. There have been at least 170 mass shootings in the US in 2023 - defined by the Gun Violence Archive as four or more people shot, minus the gunman - in which at least 233 people died, including the shooters themselves. It's a sign of how many such incidents there are in the US that this figure will likely already be out of date by the time this story is published. But mass shootings are only a small blip on the radar compared to the everyday horror of the totality of gun violence incidents in the US. As of 26 April, 13,386 people died in gun violence incidents this year. This includes the 20-year-old woman who was shot after entering the wrong driveway. Thousands more have been injured, like the 16-year-old boy who was shot after knocking on the wrong door. Mr Bryant, a self-described data nerd, started the Gun Violence Archive in 2013, having spotted a "big gap" in the availability and accuracy of up-to-date statistics. He sought to do something about it. Story continues "When we got this thing started we thought this was going to just be five years, but we just kept growing and kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger," Mr Bryant says. So did American gun violence. Nearly 6,000 more people died from guns in 2021 than in 2016, according to the Gun Violence Archive Between 2016 and 2021, the number of deaths from gun violence increased by 6,000, or almost 40%; the number of teens killed or injured by guns was up 47%; the number of children killed or injured by guns, was up 60%. Tracking these gruesome statistics has taken a toll on Mr Bryant, who says he sleeps about six hours a night, going to bed at 05:00 and waking up at 11:00. "I've gained weight since I've started doing this job I'm not taking as good care of myself as I should," he says. "My wife came in the other day and literally I was asleep[at the computer]. I had my hand on the mouse and the other hand on the keyboard." Mr Bryant keeps watch over the grim toll of US gun violence from his home in Kentucky. The organisation's other 24 contracted employees also work remotely and are spread across the country. To provide what effectively amounts to a 24-hour ticker of gun violence data, Mr Bryant said he and his team go through 3,000 to 4,000 sources daily: law enforcement websites, local news, social media and blogs. "It's not hard physically, it's hard mentally," he says. "I've gotten callous. Nothing surprises me anymore." "If I got a beep right now that said there's a mass shooting with 42 people shot, I'd be like, OK, there's the rest of my day." For some of his staff, however, it's not that easy. "We've had other employees, other folks, one too many babies got killed and they just could not handle it anymore," Mr Bryant says. "I'm constantly hunting for new people." Fatal mass shootings, like the one at a bank in Louisville this month, count for just a fraction of US gun violence deaths One might think that being so acutely aware of the harm caused by guns - the number one cause of death for teens and children in the US - would make Mr Bryant anti-gun. It does not. He fired his first gun when he was five years old; he learned to shoot from the dads of eastern Kentucky who would gather after church on Sundays and take aim at the rats running along the garbage dump. "I own handguns, target pistols, revolvers," he says, most of them inherited. "An uncle would die, and his wife would go 'here, take this' so I ended up with this weird collection." "I'm not against guns," Mr Bryant says. "Somebody has made the assumption that I'm doing this project that I must be against guns but lo and behold, I own guns." "One thing I don't do, I don't have rifles. I don't hunt," he says. "I don't have an interest in an AR-15. I don't have an interest in assault weapons." The more the American gun violence epidemic has grown, the more demand there has been for clearly sourced, reliable statistics. And Mr Bryant's work shows no sign of slowing. "I don't understand what makes people that way," Mr Bryant says. "There's a lot of anger and hate." The archive began as a project for the website Slate and formally launched with financial help from a businessman with an interest in enhancing transparency. It has become a go-to source for BBC News and most major US media outlets, lawmakers and even the Supreme Court - those looking to make sense of American gun violence. Although the FBI and Centers for Disease Control both collect similar data, their information generally isn't released until months - or years - after the fact. Comparatively, Mr Bryant said the archive adds most shootings to its website within roughly 72 hours. "There's a level of irresponsibility in guns that needs to be solved so people don't die," he says. "I want to stop the violence." The very act of assembling statistics on a fraught, politically and emotionally divisive topic like gun violence, however, has brought pressure and scrutiny. "I sometimes tick off people on the gun violence prevention side and I certainly sometimes tick off people on the gun rights side, but my best day was when I published a piece of information and both of them were angry with me," he says. "That told me I was doing my job correctly." "We are statistics only. We literally just plot along numbers," Mr Bryant says. "Just keep on counting. That's what we do - just keep on counting." Maryland State Police are asking the public for assistance to locate a man wanted for a shooting earlier this month in Wicomico County. An arrest warrant has been issued for Timothy Lee Whaley Jr., 45, of Salisbury on attempted murder charges, police said in a release. Whaley is described as a Black male, 6-feet tall and weighs about 190 pounds. He is known to frequent the areas of Keene Avenue and Jersey Road in Salisbury. At about 6 p.m. on Sunday, April 16, 2023, troopers from the Maryland State Police Salisbury Barrack responded to the 500 block of Swan Road for a report of a shooting, the release said. According to a preliminary investigation, Whaley was a passenger of a black Volkswagen and approached a residence on Swan Road before firing at a woman who was standing in the front yard of the home. The suspects fled the scene in the vehicle. No injuries were reported in this case. The driver of the Volkswagen, identified as Crystal E. Hutt, 48, of Salisbury was arrested on April 17. She is charged with attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony/crime of violence. She was released after posting $25,000 bail. SIGN THEFT: Police quickly foil plot to steal Poor Girls Open sign from Ocean City's Fish Tales FIRE FEE: Salisbury backtracks on 'fire fee' after public outcry at council meeting Whaley should be considered armed and dangerous, police said. Investigators urge anyone with information pertaining to the location of Whaley to contact the Maryland State Police Salisbury Barrack at 410-749-3101 or the Criminal Enforcement Division Eastern Region 443-669-3208. Callers will remain anonymous. Olivia Minzola covers communities on the Lower Shore. Contact her with tips and story ideas at ominzola@delmarvanow.com. This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: MSP seeks public's help in manhunt for Salisbury shooting suspect A Florida man is under arrest after falling asleep at the wheel of his car and hitting a Hingham teen who was on vacation with his family, authorities say. 19-year-old Mason Wright is charged with driving without a license and causing serious injury with a motor vehicle. The Nassau County Sheriffs Office says they responded to 1st Coast Highway in Fernandina Beach around 2:16 p.m. on April 17 for a report of a bicyclist hit by a car. Arriving officers found 13-year-old Michael Lane had sustained significant injuries and transported him to a nearby hospital. The victims injuries are considered serious but not life threatening, according to officials. Investigators say Wright fell asleep traveling north on Florida A1A and 1st Coast Highway near the Buccaneer Trail when he swerved left into oncoming traffic. He only awoke after hitting the victim, Lane, who was riding his bike in the crosswalk at the time of the crash, according to a police report. Officers say Wright didnt have a valid drivers license and was subsequently arrested. The Hingham teen has a long road to recovery ahead of him, as his injuries include a long bone fracture, a broken clavicle, a punctured lung, a broken nose, and a meniscus tear, in addition to multiple lacerations. A family friend tells Boston 25 News had Lane not been wearing his helmet, he may not have survived. The family has set up a GoFundMe page to help alleviate some of the medical costs, but also plan to set up a charity. If the funds that are donated exceed our expectations our hope is we can give back by starting this charity that will positively impact the safety of kids on the island and beyond by supplying safety gear that played a role in saving Michaels life, Lanes parents wrote in the GoFundMe. We cant tell you enough how much we appreciate the prayers of friends and family, and the love and support this island has given us. The charity would be called Michaels Miracle Bike Helmet Charity, and will help serve as a reminder of the importance of bike safety. Story continues Lane is currently in stable condition. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW An online video gaming dispute possibly resulted in a home invasion in Massachusetts. Police in the Boston suburb of Braintree responded to a home on Brickford Road just after 7:30 p.m. where they found two results outside. One had facial injuries. SHOTS FIRED DURING ARMED ROBBERY ON UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER CAMPUS One of three suspects involved in a Massachusetts home invasion and assault, police said. "A motive for the crime is being investigated, however, it may be related to online video gaming and other online activity," a police statement said. The victim said he was assaulted by three men who entered his home. He said the suspects knocked and he was "immediately assaulted," authorities said. The victim and the other resident said one of the suspects was armed with a pistol in his waistband, police said. The suspects allegedly referred to the victim by name. They fled the scene in a sedan, possibly a BMW. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP A second suspect allegedly involved in a home invasion in Massachusetts that possibly stemmed from an online gaming dispute. CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP They were described as "tall" Black males in their late teens or early 20s. Weve seen the rise of this right-wing movement that is dangerous and targeting marginalized communities because they dont have solutions, said U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-FL. Democratic leaders are fired up and fed up with Republican-led attacks against marginalized communities. U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-FL, held a press conference on Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol titled, On the Frontlines of Democracy: Young & Fed Up, where the freshman congressman addressed issues impacting Black and brown Americans. U.S. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) participates in a meeting of the House Oversight and Reform Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on January 31, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) Weve seen the rise of this right-wing movement that is dangerous and targeting marginalized communities because they dont have solutions to the affordable housing crisis to ending gun violence and no solution to the existential climate crisis, said the 26-year-old Generation Z lawmaker. He said of Republican politicians: What they want to do instead is pick marginalized communities LGBTQ class folks, trans folks, Black people, Black history books, immigrants, and target them instead. At the press conference, Frost told theGrio he believes the United States has seen an uptick in right-wing attacks lobbied against marginalized communities because time is not on the GOPs side. In the last election, over 70% of Gen Z and young millennials voted for Democrats who are going to focus on the climate crisis, gun violence the issues of our time, he argued. Frost continued, Thats why were seeing the rise in horrible gerrymandering. Thats why were seeing people talk about raising the voting age. Thats why were seeing all these attacks on education they want to change the way our generation thinks. But what they dont understand is theyre just pissing us off to go work even harder. Frost also discussed the nations gun violence epidemic in the aftermath of the Mar. 27 mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, where a lone gunman fatally shot three children and three adults. The shooting sparked outrage and further ignited calls for gun reform, including Tennessee State Reps. Justin Jones, Justin J. Pearson and Gloria Johnson. The lawmakers known as the Tennessee Three faced expulsions by their Republican colleagues in the House of Representative after joining thousands of protesters against gun violence in the state capitol building. Story continues Tennessee State Representative Justin Jones calls on his colleagues to pass gun control legislation from the well of the House Chambers during the legislative session at the State Capitol Thursday, March 30, 2023 in Nashville, Tenn. (George Walker IV /The Tennessean via AP) Congressman Frost said the Tennessee Three sprung into action to fight for common sense gun reform [and] a world where we dont have to fear our lives in schools. Instead of Republican legislatures standing with Jones, Johnson and Pearson, the Democratic lawmaker said, We saw a right-wing GOP controlled legislature lash out against [them] for doing their jobs. Jones, who was present at the press conference led by Frost, said he and countless others are fed up with the endless cycle of mass shootings and of legislatures and politicians who traffic in the politics of racism. We must challenge the systems of authoritarianism and fascism that are seeking to take us backward in this nation, added Jones. The Tennessee state representative, who was reinstated after he was expelled, told theGrio that his Republican colleagues continue to try to silence him. We know their attempt to expel us was really an attempt to expel the movements we represent which are movements challenging this proliferation of guns [and] challenging systemic racism, said Jones. Jones argued that attempts to remove him and his fellow Democratic lawmakers were meant to silence us. He said he sees it as confirmation that we are a threat to their power system and that we are on the right side of history. U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, also attended Wednesdays press conference and told reporters that Republicans are losing the war she said is being waged against Black and brown communities. U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY. Credit: Getty This is what fascism does when it is on its hind heelswe are winning and that is why they are fighting harder than theyve ever fought before, said Ocasio-Cortez. The progressive lawmaker said the Jan. 6 insurrection was a dress rehearsal for incidents like when state Republicans attempted to expel Jones in Tennessee. Because Republicans could not block a duly elected official, President Joe Biden, from from taking office, said Ocasio-Cortez, legislatures across the country looked at that and [said], you know what, lets try to get Representative Jones out from officebecause we cannot beat them. U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-PA, joined her colleagues on Wednesday, telling reporters, We should be ashamed of what we are seeing our country become. The fascism that were seeing from the right wing isnt an illusion we see every day the steps that they are willing to take to take power in this country, said Congresswoman Lee. She continued: We know who were up against when we see how many Republican legislators are OK with babies in body bags. We know what were up against when we see the climate crisis for what it is and we see people turn around as if it doesnt matter. Lee told reporters that all Americans have a role to play to ensure democracy is protected. At the conclusion of the press conference, Frost assured that he will fight alongside his colleagues on behalf of all Americans. UNITED STATES JANUARY 31: Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., participates in the House Oversight and Accountability Committee organizing meeting in the Rayburn House Office Building on Tuesday, January 31, 2023. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) We are here to challenge power. We are here to reclaim power. And we are here to build power not just for communities, but with them, he declared. We want reproductive freedom. We want health care for all people. We want better paying jobs and common-sense gun reform. TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today! The post Maxwell Frost and Justin Jones are fired up, fed up with GOP-led attacks appeared first on TheGrio. [Source] McDonalds Singapore has brought back its popular Jjang! Jjang! Burgers and this time, they have special BT21 packaging. The sweet and spicy burgers, which were released on Thursday, come in two versions. The Jjang Jjang! Chicken Burger has a unique Korean sauce that is coated over a crispy, juicy chicken patty, while the Jjang! Jjang! Beef Burger has a beef patty spiced with kimchi. Both burgers cost 8.30 Singapore dollars (approximately $6.21). More from NextShark: Michelle Yeoh recalls her confusion over being labeled a minority in Hollywood More from NextShark: Mike Cabellon claims a third of Asian American roles he auditioned for went to white actors To complement the burgers, McDonald's Singapore is offering its popular Crisscut Fries starting from 4.90 Singapore dollars (approximately $3.67), as well as a new drink called the Lychee Oolong Frappe starting from 5.55 Singapore dollars (approximately $4.15). More from NextShark: Indonesian singer-songwriter Niki remembers her first love in new single High School in Jakarta The limited-time menu items all have packaging that feature different BT21 characters. The cartoon characters, a collaborative project between BTS and Line Friends, include Koya, RJ, Shooky, Mang, Chimmy, Tata, Cooky and Van. In addition to the special menu items, McDonalds Singapore will also be releasing a BT21 collection on Wednesday. In February, McDonald's South Korea released a BT21 figurine set. Details about McDonalds Singapores upcoming merchandise, however, have yet to be revealed. The remains of an unidentified military object were found in a forest near Bydgoszcz in northern Poland, the country's defense ministry reported on April 27. According to Polish radio station RMF FM, those are debris of an air-to-surface missile possibly belonging to the Polish army. The police, military, and sappers are investigating the site, the defense ministry said, adding that the situation does not threaten the residents' safety. The alleged missile, "several meters long" and missing a warhead, was found on April 24, but it's unclear when it had fallen and whether it had exploded, the RMF FM wrote. Inscriptions in Russian were found on the wreckage, the journalists added. However, it doesn't necessarily mean that the military object is Russian as Poland has many post-Soviet weapons with Cyrillic inscriptions in its stocks, General Roman Polko, former commander of GROM Polish special forces, told the radio station. "It did not necessarily come from Russia or the front line (in Ukraine). It should be remembered that we have MiG-29 (fighter jets) equipped with missiles," said Polko. He suggested that a Polish or Ukrainian pilot could miss when firing at an object on a training ground or a rocket could fall off. Poland to gradually supply MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine Polish President Andrzej Duda said during a press conference on April 14 that Poland will transfer MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine gradually while Poland waits for their own air fleet to be replenished by NATO aircraft. Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk Polko called it "highly unlikely" that the missile was fired over Poland's eastern border. Polish prosecutors are investigating the case. Bydgoszcz is located more than 500 kilometers from the Polish-Ukrainian border and over 200 kilometers from the Russian Kaliningrad region. In November last year, during a massive nationwide Russian attack against Ukraine, an explosion killed two people in the Polish village of Przewodow, about six kilometers west of the Ukrainian border. Story continues According to Jakub Kumoch, head of the Polish president's International Policy Bureau, the Polish-American investigation team found evidence it had been a Ukrainian air defense missile, which was used to shoot down a Russian rocket but missed the target and fell in Przewodow. MEDWAY Medway High School was put on lockdown after someone called the school Wednesday and made threats against it, officials said. The Medway Police Department is investigating the incident. According to a joint release from the Police Department and Medway Public Schools, the high school received two phone calls from an unknown person making threats against student safety. The calls came in just before 1 p.m. "This is different than the last one that one was swatting, this one was a direct threat against the school," Police Chief WIlliam Kingsbury said. "This was specifically against the school facility." Kingsbury was referring to an incident last month in which several schools throughout the region, were subjected to call-in threats. Earlier: Swatting incidents reported at several schools in MetroWest, Greater Milford Kingsbury said the school immediately followed protocols and went into lockdown. "The building was immediately put into lockdown in accordance with preestablished policies and procedures," according to the release. "Students and staff were contained in their classrooms and no individuals or vehicles were allowed to enter or exit the school grounds." Medway police, along with Massachusetts State Police, responded to the school and searched the building and school grounds. The search briefly delayed afternoon dismissal. According to the release, police deemed the school safe just before 3 p.m. and students were released to be picked up by buses and parents. "At this time, all students and staff are safe and have been dismissed, and officials do not currently have reason to believe that the threats are credible," according to the release. Other schools were not affected by the incident. The School Department did cancel all afternoon activities at the high school as a precaution. School will go on as scheduled on Thursday. "While there is no indication of any ongoing threat to the school community, Medway Police will have an additional presence at the high school Thursday as a precautionary measure," according to the release. Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow Norman Miller on Twitter @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime. This article originally appeared on The Milford Daily News: Medway High School locked down as police investigate threat Wednesday 1. United States More than half a million acres of public land sacred to 12 Native American tribes have been set aside as the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument. Avi Kwa Ame or Spirit Mountain at Nevadas southern tip is considered to be the center of creation by Yuman tribes like the Fort Mojave. The revered surrounding area is home to a Joshua tree forest and provides key habitats for the desert bighorn sheep, desert tortoise, and Gila monster. Creating a safe migratory path for animals, the national monument will link otherwise fragmented preserves the Mojave Desert to the west and Lake Mead area to the east. Last month, President Joe Biden also designated the Castner Range National Monument, in El Paso, Texas, which is home to desert wildlife and more than 40 archaeological sites. The governor of Nevada raised concerns about potential rare-earth mining and economic development projects blocked by the conservation designation. But for years, there has been growing tribal support for protecting Avi Kwa Ame. I really see this as a template for the future, said Taylor Patterson, executive director of Native Voters Alliance Nevada. Not often do we have outdoor recreation people working with tribes. Its symbolic of what all land designation in the future should be like. Sources: The New York Times, Reuters 2. Liberia Public health interventions halved teen pregnancy rates in southern Liberia. After establishing programs such as youth-specific health care at existing facilities and peer-led education at school clubs, teen pregnancy rates, at 57.9% in 2013, had dropped to 27.2% by 2020. Youth-oriented spaces, officials say, have helped teenage girls and boys feel less embarrassed when they seek family planning services and education, or treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. In 2017, the United Nations Population Fund, backed by the Swedish government, began expanded efforts in southern Liberian counties where the teen pregnancy rate of 49% was 1 1/2 times the national average. Story continues In addition to being dangerous for the mothers health, teen pregnancies are a leading cause of girls dropping out of school, and many of those pregnancies are the result of rape. Some 47% of teenage girls with no education in Liberia have children. Sources: FrontPage Africa, United Nations Population Fund 3. Tunisia Solar energy has empowered a struggling boarding school in ways it hopes can be replicated for others. Photovoltaic panels at the Makthar preparatory school arent just powering the campus in this ancient northern Tunisian town. Excess electricity also helps three nearby schools, with more sold back to the national grid for about $1,915 a year. Students now have access to warm rooms during the winter, hot showers, and lights to help them study after dark. This is a far cry from where the school was a decade ago, when it lacked heat, clean drinking water, and electricity. But as the country struggles economically and politically, poor school conditions across the country are part of the reason thousands of students drop out. I hope the successful experience of this school as a social enterprise can help save the deteriorating public school sector across Tunisia, said Lotfi Hamadi, a Tunisian entrepreneur who raised funds for the solar panels. A 20-acre farm attached to the school also provides fresh veggies for children and jobs for six previously unemployed parents. Source: Context 4. England The first TV game show specially designed for users of British Sign Language (BSL) is being produced with deaf contestants, host, and crew. Traditional game shows dont translate well for deaf people, where audio clues and the mainstream culture of the hearing world favor people who can hear. Each Sign2Win episode draws on questions based around deaf history and deaf culture. Questions can involve spelling in sign language and picture-based clues. When asked why they wanted to be on the show, some contestants welled up, saying theyd watched gameshows all their life and loved them but could never apply, said Olivia van der Werff, a broadcasting consultant who worked on the show. Finally, Sign2Win has given them the opportunity to make their dream of being on a gameshow come true. Sign2Win was commissioned by the British Sign Language Broadcasting Trust, which helps broadcasters meet regulatory requirements for programming that includes BSL. Sources: Positive.News, Broadcast 5. India India is upgrading its infrastructure, leading to faster transportation routes for goods and people in the 1.3 million-square-mile country. Eight locally designed, semi-high-speed train lines have been inaugurated in the last six months, after the first Vande Bharat Express was opened in 2019. Some 500 more are planned over the next three years, along with a high-speed line between Mumbai and Ahmedabad that will cut travel time from six hours to two. Its so much more comfortable! said passenger M. Afzal, a cloth dealer on a Vande Bharat train from Varanasi to Kanpur. But the main thing is the saving of time. Two new electric freight train corridors are expected to be fully running next year. Four more are planned. Meanwhile, the rural road network has nearly doubled since 2014 to 453,000 miles, and the number of airports in the country has doubled. The country is slated to spend 1.7% of its GDP $122 billion on transportation infrastructure this year. With deep investments in its digital, transport, and energy networks, the central government hopes to spread economic development and prosperity more widely across the country. Source: The Economist Related stories Read this story at csmonitor.com Become a part of the Monitor community The Duchess of Sussex attends the 2022 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Gala on Dec. 6, 2022, in New York City. The Duchess of Sussex attends the 2022 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Gala on Dec. 6, 2022, in New York City. Meghan Markle is making moves in Hollywood. The former Suits actor has signed with powerhouse agency William Morris Endeavor (WME), Variety reported exclusively on Thursday. The outlet revealed that the team representing the Duchess of Sussex will include none other than famed agent Ari Emanuel, perhaps best known outside of the Hollywood bubble as the inspiration behind Jeremy Pivens Entourage character, Ari Gold. In addition to Emanuel, Meghan will also be repped by agents Brad Slater and Jill Smoller. WME will also take over the representation of the content arm of the Duke and Duchess of Sussexs Archewell organization. Given the duchess extensive Hollywood resume, one would think this could pave the way for Meghans return to acting. But for now, the partnership will mainly focus on film and television production, brand partnerships, and overall business-building, according to Variety. So while we might not see, say, a royal cameo on White Lotus next season, perhaps this will pave the way for the duchess to front a fashion campaign, among other things. The timing of Meghans announcement is sure to raise eyebrows, as King Charles and Queen Camillas coronation is just days away. While the duchess will not make the trip, as it is Prince Archies 4th birthday, Prince Harry is slated to return for his fathers Westminster Abbey ceremony. Both Harry and Meghan have been busy making deals since the two stepped back as senior working members of the royal family in 2020. The couple notably signed with Spotify, Netflix and Penguin Random House, producing content like the duchess Archetypes podcast, their docuseries Harry & Meghan and the dukes record-breaking memoir, Spare. Related... (Bloomberg) -- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Melonis government will make a second attempt to win authorization for extra deficit spending on Friday after its initial try suffered an embarrassing defeat in Parliament. Most Read from Bloomberg A hastily assembled cabinet meeting on Thursday evening in Rome agreed to submit a fresh request for funds without changing the existing plan for 2023. Ministers agreed on a new report accompanying the proposal in order to seek another vote by lawmakers. The budgets earlier defeat in the Chamber of Deputies cast an uncomfortable light on the authority of Melonis six-month-old right-wing coalition, prompting the opposition politicians to question the governments legitimacy. The loss was arguably self-inflicted as too few coalition lawmakers were present to pass the bill. It needed 201 votes and got only 195. Abstentions totaled 105, while 19 opposed it. Meloni herself was out of town on a visit to London to meet UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Its been a bad tumble, but there is no political problem, Ansa news wire reported the premier as saying to reporters in London. The vote in the Chamber earlier on Thursday was followed by a stunned silence and then applause from opposition MPs. While the surprise defeat was downplayed by government officials, it is a setback, slowing down both the approval of the countrys budget and a series of measures that the coalition was counting on to help citizens starting in May, including tax breaks on salaries. The defeat adds pressure on Meloni at a time of tensions over her governments ability to obtain the third installment of European Union Recovery Fund cash. Story continues Such hiccups also arent helpful when the Italian economy needs tax breaks and extra investments to help it return to growth this year. Moodys Investors Service will pronounce within weeks whether Italy should get to keep its investment-grade rating. The governing coalition evidently doesnt believe in its own budget, Debora Serracchiani, a member of the opposition Democratic Party told Ansa. This goes a long way toward showing the level of division within the right. --With assistance from Alberto Brambilla, Flavia Rotondi and Chiara Albanese. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. A bald eagle found injured and unable to fly after the April 19 tornadoes in Chase County is getting another chance at life. The eagle is recovering from a three-hour surgery this week to fix a fractured ulna and radius in his right wing. The hope is that the eagle, named Twister by the nonprofit helping him in recovery, will be released back into the wild this summer, Operation Wildlife executive director Diane Johnson said. In the meantime, hes going to be with us for a while, Johnson said, adding that he is on antibiotics for an infection and is doing OK. The hope is to do another X-ray in a few weeks and then another roughly 6 weeks of physical therapy after that. A property manager cleaning up after the tornadoes found the bald eagle on the ground Saturday in an open field near Strong City. He was unable to fly, meaning he could not escape predators or hunt for food and would eventually die. The person called the sheriffs office, which contacted the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks. A parks official helped capture the bald eagle, who was taken to Operation Wildlife on Sunday. He came and had lost a lot of blood while he was on the ground, Johnson said. Pictures from Operation Wildlife show an X-ray of the fractures, the injuries and Twister recovering with bandages around his right wing. Hes a bit groggy but coming around pretty good, Operation Wildlife said in a Facebook post on Wednesday. Thank you to everyone that contributed to his surgery and care! Eight tornadoes, between an EF-0 and EF-2, touched down in Chase County after 8 p.m. April 19. Two people had minor injuries. The tornadoes damaged and destroyed outbuildings and agriculture buildings. Parks department Capt. Larry Hastings said its likely other birds were injured as well. When you have eight tornadoes, its kind of hard for something to fly away and miss everything, he said. Operation Wildlife, based in Linwood in Leavenworth County, is an animal rescue service that has been caring for injured and orphaned wild animals since 1989, according to the organizations website Contributing: Michael Stavola of The Wichita Eagle (Bloomberg) -- Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said in a video that hes fine and working amid his third positive Covid-19 diagnosis, in his first public appearance since Sunday. Most Read from Bloomberg AMLO, as the president is known, said in the 18-minute video recorded at the National Palace in Mexico City that after an intense travel schedule during the weekend, he briefly fainted in a transitory way while in a meeting with military generals, but that he did not lose consciousness. The video is likely to ease speculation about the presidents health after several days in which local reports published that he had fainted and his heart health was compromised. Officials had previously rejected those reports. There was no effect to the heart, to the brain, nothing, AMLO added in the video as he walked around the Palace, recalling historical events. I was left for dead several times. In politics, it has helped me a lot. (Tweet translation: A conversation about my health, for friends and foes) Read More: Mexicos AMLO Gets Covid Third Time Saying Case Isnt Serious Its the third time the Mexican president, who received the AstraZeneca vaccine, has contracted the illness, with the previous time in January 2022. Lopez Obrador, 69, suffered a heart attack in 2013. The president announced the positive diagnosis on Sunday, and since then has delegated his daily news pressers to Interior Minister Adan Augusto Lopez. (Updates with additional details from third paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. The New Mexico Legislature and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham delivered major victories for children and families during its 2023 meeting. We are reversing trends that pushed New Mexico towards the bottom of key national rankings for decades, and we have more work to do. New tax measures add more than 200,000 modest- and low-income families who now will be able to claim a larger credit of up to $600 per child, benefiting 350,000 children. The Governors priority of ensuring all students in our public schools be offered a healthy breakfast and lunch free of charge will lessen child food insecurity. Rebates to taxpayers of $500 for single and $1,000 for married individuals will be a boost for children in the lowest earning families. Substantial funding increases for childcare assistance, free pre-K education for 3- and 4-year-olds, and home visiting for families who are pregnant or have kids under age five all will improve overall child well-being across our state. Amidst the flurry of genuine legislative accomplishments during this remarkable session, one piece of good news for youngsters and families that slipped under the radar was the legislatures historic appropriation of $20 million in funds to support new learning opportunities for youth through afterschool, summer learning, and tutoring programs. For comparison, previous years funding was $10 million for the 21st Century Learning Centers. It is no exaggeration to say that this dedicated, recurring state support for out-of-school-time education is a game-changer. It promises 20,000 New Mexico children access to learning at afterschool programs in public schools, charter schools, libraries, universities and at trusted community-based locations such as Boys & Girls Clubs. These are learning opportunities that can be life-changing, and peace of mind for hard-working families in need of support. The new funding comes at a critical time. Far too many of our children and youth are struggling today with serious issues impacting their mental health, learning, and futures. Young people are experiencing high rates of anxiety and depression. Despite the heroic efforts of educators across our state, many students are still struggling after the pandemic, and continue to be chronically absent from school. Story continues With strong support from afterschool and summer learning, we can now deliver innovative solutions that engage students in powerful and new ways. Using this moment of fiscal strength to build a stronger, sustainable system of support for children and families will benefit generations to come. The new investment will serve more children and youth in afterschool programs at public schools, charter schools, libraries, universities and at community-based locations such as local museums, 4-H clubs and YMCA. Children and youth in programs are exposed to different perspectives and experiences they may not otherwise encounter, be it music, art and dance, coding, growing food, or building robots, which help them gain confidence and realize their full potential. They have time to socialize, build relationships with peers and mentors, have a tutor, explore careers, and gain workforce skills like teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. The positive outcomes of quality afterschool and summer learning programs are undeniable. New Mexico State Universitys SOAR Evaluation and Policy Center partnered with the state Public Education Department (PED) 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) recently to conduct a statewide evaluation of almost nearly 8,000 students in programs. In both math and English/ reading, the average grades of students increased. The data also shows 89% of all students like their program, and 90% of the K-12 students agree that afterschool teachers care about them. Participants also appreciated the program for providing opportunities for engagement in a safe environment. An independent report in 2019 supported by the respected Wallace Foundation showed afterschool and summer learning programs across the country improved a whole range of student outcomes, including student attendance, achievement in math and English, grades, graduation rates, and overall health and fitness. Still, too many children, especially in rural in New Mexico, have been left out for too long. Thanks to the work done during this years legislative session, thats going to change. A stable, consistent investment in our children who are the future, and the caring out-of-school-time educators who help these children attain that future, means moving New Mexico in the right direction. This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: New Mexico will see big progress for afterschool and summer learning By Sarah Morland MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - More than nine in 10 Haitians seeking asylum in Mexico lack the resources to cover basic necessities such as food, shelter and medical care, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) aid group said on Thursday. Tens of thousands of Haitians have been displaced in recent months as heavily armed gangs have expanded their control over the country, where there are frequent reports of kidnappings, sexual violence and violent turf wars. This month, the head of Mexican refugee agency COMAR told Reuters that asylum claims by Haitians were on track to surpass the record 52,000 recorded in 2021. However, the IRC found through interviews with household leaders representing about 450 people that more than 90% lacked a steady income to cover essential needs. More than seven in 10 said they struggled to access reliable information in Haitian Creole, particularly about legal pathways to migration and their rights in Mexico. Language barriers, as discrimination and lack of space made accessing shelters difficult, the IRC said, causing many migrants to live on the streets or in makeshift camps. Nearly half said they needed help to afford enough food. Food and medical needs were among the top priorities for migrants, the IRC said, especially as one in five households said they were traveling with a pregnant person. IRC Mexico director Rafael Velasquez noted that Mexico played a key role as migrants crossed the country in the hopes of reaching the United States. Although migrants generally consider areas in south and central Mexico relatively safe, this was not the case at the country's northern border, Velasquez added. "The protection systems are over-stretched," he said, calling for more support and funding from the international community. The U.S. is expected to announce measures aimed at curbing the number of migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border, after it expanded restrictions in January to quickly expel Haitians, Cubans and Nicaraguans who cross the border back to Mexico. (Reporting by Sarah Morland; Editing by Gerry Doyle) MEXICO CITY (AP) Mexicos president acknowledged Wednesday he did briefly faint over the weekend before he was diagnosed with COVID-19, something his spokesman had previously denied. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said his doctors had been concerned enough to administer a liter of rehydration fluids. He said in a videotaped chat from the National Palace in Mexico City where he lives and is isolating that doctors wanted to fly him back to the capital in a stretcher. Lopez Obrador had been on a working tour of the Yucatan peninsula Sunday when he tested positive for the coronavirus, his third bout of COVID-19. But he wrote in his social media accounts Sunday that it isnt serious. Reports in the local press that day said Lopez Obrador had felt faint Sunday morning and had to cancel his tour, something his presidential spokesman denied at the time. But on Wednesday, the president acknowledged that it had become complicated ... I had a crisis, because my blood pressure suddenly went down during a meeting with military engineers working on his pet project, a tourist train on the Yucatan peninsula. It was like I fell asleep, he said. I didn't lose consciousness, but I did briefly faint, because of the low blood pressure. The president said he was flown back to Mexico City aboard an air ambulance, but specified he was not carried in a stretcher. Lopez Obrador, 69, who has acknowledged a history of heart problems, said his heart was "not at all affected." On Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar, who frequently meets with Lopez Obrador, said he too had tested positive for COVID-19. He wrote in his Twitter account that I am well. Lopez Obrador caught COVID-19 in early 2021 and was ill, but recovered after receiving what he described at the time as an experimental treatment. In January 2022, he announced he had come down with COVID-19 a second time, amid a spike in coronavirus infections in Mexico. Story continues Lopez Obrador declined to enact mandatory mask mandates and he refused to wear a mask even at the peak of the pandemic unless it was absolutely necessary, as on airline flights. He famously refused to use Mexicos presidential jet, which he recently announced had been sold to Tajikistan. While Lopez Obrador remains in isolation he said he has spent the time working on speeches Interior Secretary Adan Augusto Lopez has been filling in at the daily presidential morning news briefings. That could provide a boost for the interior secretarys flagging campaign to win the presidential nomination of Lopez Obradors Morena party for the 2024 elections. Lopez, who is not related to the president, currently trails Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum in most polls of the primary race. An illustration of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador surrounded by YouTube logos. The Mexican governments press conference from the Palacio Nacional on Wednesday looked like it was part of a late-night comedy skit. Standing behind a podium with the government seal, an official proudly announced that President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had been named the top streamer in Mexico in the first quarter of 2023. The announcement wasnt a joke, though. Lopez Obrador shocked the streaming world this week when he suddenly popped up in sixth place on a list of the top 10 list for the most-watched Hispanic streamers for the first quarter of 2023. With 13.2 million hours watched on his YouTube channel, according to streaming data provider Streams Charts, Lopez Obrador beat out Mexican Twitch megastar ElMariana (who ranked eighth with 9.43 million hours watched), Colombian Twitch streamer Juan Guarnizo (ranked ninth with 9.18 million hours watched), and Spanish streamer elxokas (ranked tenth with 8.57 million hours watched). He was the only politician who earned a place in Streams Charts rankings, and he wants you to know it. Read more During the governments Wednesday morning press conference, Mexican government official Elizabeth Garcia Vilchis spoke excitedly about Lopez Obradors new streaming credentials and projected the Streams Charts rankings, circling the presidents channel for those watching in-person and online. Streams Charts ranking of the most-watched Hispanic streamers of 2023. The Mexican presidents YouTube channel has 3.72 million subscribers and has become very active in recent months. It livestreams the governments daily morning press conferences as well as Lopez Obradors activities and policy updates. In the first quarter of the year, the Mexican presidents channel live streamed for 208 hours and 10 minutes. Were so proud to see that so many Mexicans are experiencing success on social media, including Juan Guarnizo [Guarnizo is Colombian but resides in Monterrey, Mexico], ElMariana, and of course, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Garcia Vilchis said. Story continues A screenshot of the livestreamed press conference from the Mexican government on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. Mexican government officials presented Streams Charts rankings at their daily press conference on Wednesday. The other top Spanish-speaking streamers of the first quarter, none of whom presides over a country, appeared to be both flabbergasted and amused that Lopez Obrador was being considered a top streamer. Spanish Twitch streamer Ibai Llanos, one of most famous Spanish-speaking streamers who ranked first on the top 10 list with 21.48 million hours watched, on Tuesday responded to Streams Charts on Twitter and expressed his disbelief over the Mexican presidents ranking. He later suggested that Lopez Obrador could win an award for his streaming prowess. If the Mexican president wins an ESLAND award someones going to have to explain it to me, Llanos tweeted on Wednesday, referring to the biggest streamer awards for the Spanish-speaking community hosted by TheGrefg. Lo de que el presidente de Mexico vaya a ganar un Esland a mi me lo van a tener que explicar pic.twitter.com/qJQ3CwAkcn Ibai (@IbaiLlanos) April 26, 2023 El Rubius, who was ranked seventh after Lopez Obrador with 9.70 million hours watched, also responded to the Mexican presidents ranking on Wednesday. The streamer referred to Lopez Obrador by his nickname, AMLO. I knew that going to Japan for a month was going to cost me, but I didnt know it would be so much, Rubius said on Twitter. Sabia que lo de irme a Japon durante 1 mes iba a pasarme factura pero no tanto https://t.co/yqc46bBK11 pic.twitter.com/voCxExkK41 elrubius (@Rubiu5) April 26, 2023 Nazar Babenko, a product manager for Streams Charts, told Gizmodo in an email on Thursday that while Lopez Obradors appearance in the rankings was unique, it wasnt the first time a politician had infiltrated streamer territory. Babenko explained that in October 2020, Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York made headlines when she streamed herself while playing Among Us. Nearly 439,000 people watched Ocasio-Cortezs stream simultaneously, and she currently holds the record for the female streamer with the highest peak number of viewers. The Streams Charts product manager also highlighted the YouTube channel of Indian President Droupadi Murmu, which topped the charts of most popular YouTube Live channels at the end of January. On Jan. 26, Murmus live broadcast of the military parade for Republic Day, a national holiday that celebrates the enactment of the Indian constitution, drew more than 242,600 simultaneous viewers. Babenko said that although Streams Charts ratings had always been very popular, the platform never expected a response like this. He added that streaming gives politicians an opportunity to be closer to their voters, and that they should have fun. I would like to see more game streams rather than news info broadcasts. Just imagine if the president of the country is playing Fortnite with top streamers? the product manager stated. Or if he [was watching] another season of the Kings League? Im sure politicians will come around in the future, as it opens up new opportunities to interact with audiences between 18 and 34 years old. More from Gizmodo Sign up for Gizmodo's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. It started out as a routine sentencing of a Colombian cocaine smuggler and wound up as a messy and very Miami legal drama. Youve got a local jeweler who deals in high-end watches claiming hes been stiffed on a quarter-million loan to the smugglers friend, who bankrolled his legal defense. Youve got an attorney hired by the jeweler to collect the debt making his claim in a criminal case, something that just never happens in by-the-book federal court. And youre got a doozy of a motion by the jewelers attorney, arguing the drug trafficker should get punished hard because his pal who took out the loan hasnt paid up, that the FBI fell down on the job of investigating the unpaid debt, and that the defense attorney for the smuggler ought to be sanctioned for any number of reasons. That defense attorney, David M. Fernandez, was not a happy camper, calling it a tactic to coerce him and his client into dealing with an unpaid loan that neither had agreed to or were responsible for. This is an attempt at extortion, Fernandez, a licensed lawyer since 2005 with no Florida Bar complaints, told the Miami Herald Tuesday. It was all a shock to me. This is the most bizarre case in my entire history of practicing law. The plot of this story is winding. The jewelers lawyer, Simon T. Steckel, filed a motion on the eve of the smugglers sentencing hearing in mid-April, urging the judge to give convicted coke smuggler Juan Jose Valencia Zuluaga more time behind bars because of an unpaid $250,000 loan that paid his legal fees. Steckels client, Joel Vigo, whose family has been in the Miami jewelry business for years, accused the borrower Zuluagas friend, Manuel Gil of trying to swindle him, according to Steckels motion. The filing also implied that the coke smuggler and his defense attorney were complicit because the loan had paid for the defense legal bill. Hence, this ultimate theft of money from Vigo was used to benefit them, Steckel wrote in the filing. Story continues Steckel, a veteran defense attorney who acknowledged in his filing that his tactic was unusual, also accused the FBI and federal prosecutors of failing to investigate the jewelers allegations about an unpaid loan before the sentencing hearing this month. Fernandez argued Steckel had no business interfering in a federal criminal case to collect a debt. And at Zuluagas sentencing, U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles agreed, telling the jewelers attorney that his client should seek to resolve his loan dispute in another arena, namely state circuit court. He then sentenced Zuluaga to 14 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute more than five kilos of cocaine. The punishment was at the low end of the sentencing guidelines and recommended by federal prosecutor Ellen DAngelo. But the judge, for reasons not explained, also allowed Steckels filing to remain in the court record, despite Fernandezs request to strike the irrelevant and inflammatory assertions. The judge did not address Steckels additional motion seeking sanctions against Fernandez. Meanwhile, the FBI, which had looked into the jewelers allegations, directed questions to the U.S. Attorneys Office for comment. That office declined to comment. But DAngelo, the prosecutor, said in an email cited in Steckels filing that the FBI had found no direct link between the jeweler Vigo and the cocaine smuggler and no basis to investigate the loan agreement. Gil had first arranged the $250,000 loan from Vigo after Zuluagas arrest last year in order to pay the defendants legal fees, according to Steckels filing. Gil agreed to repay Vigo right away suggesting that he could have the funds back to Vigo within 24 hours from Zuluaga, Steckel wrote in his filing. Vigo agreed, as long as there was a paper trail to Fernandez showing the actual payment of purported legal fees directly to him. ... Fernandez was aware of this arrangement and instantly accepted the money from Vigo without objection. Fernandez said he knew Gil had made arrangements to pay his friends legal fees but did not know Gil had borrowed the money from the jeweler. Absolutely not, Fernandez said. Legal experts said such arrangements are common in South Florida, especially in a drug-trafficking case where the accused may have trouble finding available money that is untainted by criminal activity. Experts also noted the uncommon turn of events in the cocaine smugglers case. Jon Sale, a prominent criminal defense attorney in South Florida, said he has never seen a third party try to intervene in a federal sentencing in order to settle a financial dispute. Sale said the decision whether to investigate an allegation is strictly left to the executive branch, the FBI and the U.S. Attorneys Office, as a matter of separation of powers. Theres even more to the story: it also turned out that Vigo and Gil have had past differences. They knew each other because they had done jewelry transactions, mainly buying and selling fancy watches, over the past decade. But their business relationship is apparently strained. In March, Gil sought a temporary restraining order against Vigo in Miami-Dades family court. It was granted, but a full hearing on the stay-away order is set for June, court records show. Vigos lawyer in that case also is Steckel. Gils attorney Tony A. Haber did not respond to a request for comment. Dozens of cities and counties across Florida have passed bills of rights for tenants, setting standards around rent increases, applications and evictions. State lawmakers are looking to undo all of them. On Wednesday, the House passed HB 1417 on a vote of 81-33, largely along party lines, and the Senate is preparing to take up its companion, SB 1586, on Friday. The bills would prohibit local governments from governing the relationships between tenants and landlords, like the ones created by Pinellas and Miami-Dade counties last year. Instead, landlords and renters would have to follow the states Florida Landlord and Tenant Act, which is less robust than local ordinances. Republican lawmakers said the bills are meant to eliminate the patchwork of regulations that vary from city to city and, they say, drive up rents. This bill protects tenants, this bill protects property owners and this bill protects capitalism, said Rep. Tiffany Esposito, R-Fort Myers, the sponsor of the House bill. READ MORE: What Miami-Dade Countys new Tenant Bill of Rights means for renters and landlords Democratic lawmakers say they see the legislation as a giveaway to landlords, and they said the state law doesnt go far enough to protect struggling renters. I cannot believe that proponents of this bill are labeling it a tenants bill of rights, said Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Jacksonville. This bill is designed to help corporate landlords at the expense of tenants, many of which are already struggling to stay in their homes. A political divide The legislation underscores the philosophical divide between Republicans and Democrats and state and local government on how to respond to the states affordable housing crisis. During the pandemic, many cities and counties adopted a bill of rights establishing guidelines around the tenant-landlord relationship. Miami-Dades Tenant Bill of Rights ordinance, for example, bans landlords from asking about past evictions on rental applications and requires landlords to notify tenants of new owners. Pinellas County and St. Petersburg have both passed ordinances requiring landlords to provide more notice before raising fees or rents. Story continues Landlords have pushed back against the ordinances, and they have found a sympathetic ear in Tallahassee, where lawmakers have touted a free-market approach to the crisis. Real estate agents and property managers have come out in support of the measures. The Legislature last month passed a sweeping affordable housing measure that invested more than $700 million to spur new development but also prohibited local governments from adopting rent controls. Lawmakers did change the law last year to require landlords of apartment complexes to perform background checks on employees, after a young Orlando woman was killed by her apartment complexs maintenance worker. Its a scary reality that local governments are making it impossible for developers to provide housing for tenants, said Rep. David Borrero, R-Sweetwater, who works for a construction company. Provisions for both landlords and tenants If HB 1417 and SB 1586 pass, tenants and landlords across the state would be bound by state law known as the Florida Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. The law includes requirements for both landlords and tenants to maintain the premises, sets guidelines about landlords making unannounced visits and requires landlords and tenants to give a certain amount of notice before canceling a lease. The bills would make changes to the law in different ways. Before canceling a month-to-month lease, both bills would require landlords to give 30 days notice instead of the current 15. Rental agreements for longer leases would require at least 30 to 60 days notice, instead of the current requirement of not more than 60 days, under the House bill. The Senate bill would require such agreements to have 60-day notices. The Senate bill has another benefit: A landlord who wants to raise rent by 5% or more would have to give the tenant at least 60 days notice. Several communities, including Miami-Dade County, also created new offices to enforce their new tenant-landlord rules. Those offices could still exist under the bill, Esposito said, but they could no longer enforce local tenant ordinances. Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, said the current state law, Chapter 83, doesnt include simple protections such as requiring landlords to offer rental agreements in the renters language and prohibiting landlords from rejecting prospective tenants who rely on government assistance for one-time move-in expenses. Chapter 83 is not only the bare minimum, Chapter 83 is designed to benefit the landlord, period, Eskamani said. Students and community members ask questions to the attorneys after oral arguments to the Michigan Supreme Court during its Community Connections Program Wednesday, April 26, 2023, at the Cheboygan Opera House. CHEBOYGAN Students in Northern Michigan got an exclusive look into how the Michigan Supreme Court process works Wednesday morning at the Cheboygan Opera House. The Michigan Supreme Court sat on stage for a hearing as a part of the Court Community Connections program. Students from throughout Northern Michigan were able to see a real court case discussed live. This is the 27th time the Supreme Court has left the Michigan Hall of Justice for the program. Since the Court Community Connection program's start in 2007, the court has had hearings in Sault Ste. Marie, Petoskey, Traverse City, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and more. Students from Bishop Baraga Catholic School, Cheboygan High School, Cornerstone Christian School, Inland Lakes Secondary School, Inverness Academy, Gaylord High School, LaSalle High School, Mackinaw City High School, Northern Michigan Christian Academy, Onaway High School, Pellston Middle/High School, Presque Isle Academy, Rogers City High School, Traverse City West Senior High School, Vanderbilt Area School and Wolverine Community School were invited to the event. Some homeschooled children were at the hearing as well. On Wednesday morning, the justices heard The People vs. Candace Guyton. Guyton pled guilty to armed robbery and was charged as a third habitual defender. In accepting her plea deal, the judge dismissed a separate case against her. However, she actually only had one prior felony, therefore should have been charged as a second habitual offender. The defendant's argument was that Guyton did not know about the mistake in the charge. The defendants motion was denied in the court of appeals, and the Supreme Court ordered an oral argument to address whether or not Guytons plea was not understanding, accurate and voluntary. The event started with a welcome from Owen Goslin, executive director of the Cheboygan Area Arts Council. This was followed by the posting of the colors from the Cheboygan County Veteran Services Color Guard. Michael Donovan was also introduced as the Cheboygan Hometown Hero. Story continues Chief Judge Aaron Gauthier of the 53rd Circuit Court also gave introductory remarks before the court took the stage. Six members of the Supreme Court were in attendance, with Justice Richard Bernstein absent. Bernstein is taking a break from some court duties while seeking mental health care out of state. More: Michigan Supreme Court Justice Bernstein to temporarily step away for mental health care Chief Justice Elizabeth Clement listens as oral arguments are given during the court's trip to Cheboygan for its Community Connections Program Wednesday, April 26, 2023, at the Cheboygan Opera House. The program aims to educate on the state's judicial system by inviting the public to witness arguments and Q&A afterward. Before hearing the arguments, Chief Justice Elizabeth T. Clement addressed the crowd to explain the Court Community Connections program, thank the hosts, and explain why hearings like these are important for the court to make a decision. Oral argument is a key part of the appellate decision-making process because it helps determine the outcome for the parties in the case and may affect the outcome of future cases that lower courts are having to follow, she said. She explained that at the time of the oral arguments, the court is well versed on the case, having read the briefs from each party, as well as the lower courts record, and having studied the legal issues and implications. "The questions we ask for an oral argument and counsels answers do help us reach a decision, she said. "But more importantly, they can help us if we decide to render an opinion in the case to craft an accurate and clear statement of the law. Justice David Viviano listens as oral arguments are given during the court's trip to Cheboygan for its Community Connections Program Wednesday, April 26, 2023, at the Cheboygan Opera House. Having the hearing allows the court to ask the prosecution and defense questions that may help the court reach a decision. Before the case began, she said she hoped the students in the audience left with a better understanding of the law and its role. Our goal is to leave you better informed about rule of law and its role in our constitutional republic. My hope is that as a citizen of your community, you'll remember this experience, Clement said. "Our form of government can only survive if citizens stay informed and involved. The students got to watch a mini oral argument on application, where the court asks to review the case. Conducting a hearing this way allows the court to review the case with additional information from the attorneys before voting on the event. Students and community members listen as arguments are made in front of the Michigan Supreme Court as the court holds a session at the Cheboygan Opera during its Community Connections Program Wednesday, April 26, 2023, at the Cheboygan Opera House. In these hearings, no witnesses are called to the stand and arguments are timed with lights on the podium. In addition, no clients are present at the table and neither party is allowed to object. Each party got 15 minutes to state their case. After the hearing has concluded, the justices discuss the cases and register their tentative votes. One of the justices in the majority would then be assigned the job of writing the majority opinion. After the opinion is shared, majority justices can write concurrences, agreeing and adding additional points, or those opposed can dissent, explaining why they disagree with the majority opinion. Subscribe: Check out our latest subscription offers and get unlimited access to all our local coverage Inland Lakes student Austin Campeau asks a question during a Q&A session after oral arguments were given in front of the Michigan Supreme Court Wednesday, April 26, 2023, at the Cheboygan Opera House. The court has traveled Up North as part of its Community Connections Program to educate students and the community on the state's judicial system. Following the event, a question-and-answer session was held with the case attorneys, defense attorney Maya Menlo, prosecuting attorney Katherine Wendt and Michigan Supreme Court Chief Commissioner Daniel Brubaker. Students asked questions about the original hearing, whether or not attorneys feared the outcome could end up clogging up the court system with appeals, and more. Some students asked for clarification on certain charges that were included and situations that impacted the charges. Mackinaw City student Jeffery Siebigeroth asks a question during a Q&A session after oral arguments were given in front of the Michigan Supreme Court Wednesday, April 26, 2023, at the Cheboygan Opera House. Students also asked about what would happen if there was a tie, when Brubaker clarified that he thinks Bernstein will vote on the case, meaning the court would not result in a tie no matter what, but that if there was a tie for some reason, a denial by an equal division would be issued. After the question-and-answer session, students were able to pose for photo opportunities with the Michigan Supreme Court Justices. For more information on the Court Community Connections program, visit courts.michigan.gov. Contact education reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KarlyGrahamJRN. This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Michigan Supreme Court hears case at Cheboygan Opera House A statue of Walt Disney and Micky Mouse stands in front of the Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Jan. 9, 2019. | John Raoux, Associated Press Disney filed a lawsuit Wednesday, taking its long-lasting feud with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to court. In the 77-page lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Disney accused the DeSantis administration of launching a targeted campaign of government retaliation, which, they said, not only goes against protected speech but threatens the companys business operations and its economic future. Having exhausted efforts to seek a resolution, the Company is left with no choice but to file this lawsuit to protect its cast members, guests, and local development partners from a relentless campaign to weaponize government power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint unpopular with certain State officials, the legal complaint says, according to the Orlando Sentinel. There is no room for disagreement about what happened here: Disney expressed its opinion on state legislation and was then punished by the state for doing so, the lawsuit states. Earlier in the day, a DeSantis-appointed board, which oversees municipal services where Disney is located, voted to reverse an agreement that would have allowed Disney to keep control over the 24,000 acre property in central Florida for 30 years and prevented the board from making big decisions without Disneys approval. Related In February, DeSantis had stripped the Reedy Creek Improvement District, a special tax district that Disney had operated as a self-governing system for over 50 years, of power by replacing the board members with his own picks and renaming it the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. But days before this change, Disney-appointed board members negotiated a contract with the company to render the new board powerless, as Deseret News reported. Story continues DeSantis ramped up his attacks on Disney in a press conference last week, accusing the media giant of making special deals with a board they controlled. Its basically a legal fiction that they negotiated it with themselves to give themselves the ability to maintain their self-governing status, he said. He also proposed a number of ways to take action against Disney, one of them being developments near the theme parks. Maybe create a state park. Maybe try to do more amusement parks. Someone even said, like, maybe you need another state prison. Who knows? I mean, I just think that the possibilities are endless, he said. The suit alleges that the board's latest actions were patently retaliatory, patently anti-business, and patently unconstitutional. Meanwhile, DeSantis spokesperson Taryn Fenske said that the administration is not aware of any legal right that a company has to operate its own government or maintain special privileges not held by other businesses in the state, per CNN. This lawsuit is yet another unfortunate example of their hope to undermine the will of the Florida voters and operate outside the bounds of the law, Fenske added. Related This latest development comes a year after Disney, which employs roughly 70,000 Floridians and attracts tens of millions of visitors, criticized the states Dont Say Gay bill that prohibits the teaching of gender and sexual identity to children in kindergarten through third grade. DeSantis, who is speculated to run for president in 2024, has touted the legislation as an accomplishment. Former Florida Supreme Court Justice Alan Lawson, who was hired by the new board, said that former board members did not have the legal authority to approve the agreement in question. Everyone must play by the same rules, Lawson told Politico. Disney was openly and legally granted unique and special privilege, that privilege of running its own local government for a time. That era has ended. Lawsuit aside, Disney and six Florida theme parks continue functioning as usual, with the average guest mostly unaffected by this feud, as Matt Roseboom, the editor and publisher of a Disney-centered magazine, told The Washington Post. Disneys top chief, Robert Iger, has previously labeled DeSantis as anti-business and anti-Florida, and says he has put the possibility of future investments in the sunshine state at risk. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who is campaigning for president in 2024, took the opportunity to invite Disney, and their thousands of jobs, to her state. Weve got great weather, great people, and its always a great day in South Carolina! she said on Twitter, adding, SCs not woke, but were not sanctimonious about it either. Today, Microsoft Designer, Microsoft's AI-powered design tool, launched in public preview with an expanded set of features. Announced in October, Designer is a Canva-like web app that can generate designs for presentations, posters, digital postcards, invitations, graphics and more to share on social media and other channels. It leverages user-created content and DALL-E 2, OpenAI's text-to-image AI, to ideate designs, with drop-downs and text boxes for further customization and personalization. "Since October, the AI models have steadily improved, and weve worked to weave these powerful capabilities throughout the Designer canvas in even more delightful ways while keeping you in control," Bryan Rognier, GM at Microsoft's 365 Consumer division, wrote in a blog post published today. Now Designer can generate written captions and hashtags relevant for social media posts, offering several suggestions users can choose from. It can also create animated visuals, complete with backgrounds and text transitions, powered by AI. Microsoft Designer New features coming to Microsoft's AI-powered Designer tool. Image Credits: Microsoft In the future, Designer will gain additional editing features, Microsoft says, including the ability to place an object in a specific spot in a graphic and automatically fill in the rest of a picture. Forthcoming "erase" and "replace background" options, meanwhile, will let users brush over objects, people or backdrops they didn't intend to be in a graphic. Designer will remain free during the preview period, Microsoft says -- it's available via the Designer website and in Microsoft's Edge browser through the sidebar. Once the Designer app is generally available, itll be included in Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscriptions and have "some" functionality free to use for non-subscribers, though Microsoft didnt elaborate. Addressing some of the legal questions thatve sprung up recently around AI-powered image-generation systems, Microsoft says that users will have "full" usage rights to commercialize the images they create with Designer and Image Creator. It's unclear whether that might change in the future, though, given the ongoing court battles involving OpenAI and other startups commercializing generative AI tools. This is a good water year an exceptionally good one by recent standards. Snowpacks are well above normal around the state, and a cold spring has delayed the melt. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, most of Idaho is officially out of drought conditions, and the areas that remain under drought are in the least severe category. But, according to an order issued Friday by the Idaho Department of Water Resources, about 700,000 acres of eastern Idaho farmland about one of every five irrigated acres in the state could have its water cut off this year, if not for a series of mitigation plans. Thats the frustration to everybody, said Steve Taggart, an attorney for the Bonneville-Jefferson Groundwater District in eastern Idaho. We have areas in our state that are 300 and 200 percent of normal. Everywhere is substantially above normal. If there is such a severe pinch on irrigation water this year, what will things look like when the drought returns? Old water fight returns The underlying issue is the connection between the vast East Snake Plain Aquifer and the Snake River. Surface water users in the Magic Valley around Twin Falls have some of the most senior water rights in the state. Upstream in eastern Idaho, most farms rely on groundwater from the aquifer. Eastern Idaho farmers used to and to some extent still do rely on a large system of canals to divert surface water from the Snake River to irrigate fields by flooding them. Years of doing this artificially enlarged the aquifer, which reached peak levels in the early 1950s. When groundwater pumps became widely available, many of these farms converted to more water-efficient center-pivot sprinkler systems, and pumping groundwater began in earnest. The aquifer began to shrink. That decline has meant less water leaking back from the aquifer into the Snake River (referred to as reach gains) which has meant less water for surface water irrigators and fish farms in the Magic Valley. In the early 2000s, the Surface Water Coalition, which represents downstream surface water irrigators, issued a delivery call that required upstream irrigators to deliver them more water. Story continues In 2015, after a protracted series of court cases and negotiations, then-House Speaker Scott Bedke negotiated an agreement between eastern Idaho and the Magic Valley. Eastern Idaho agreed to take a series of steps, including purchasing water in reservoirs and leaving some ground dry, in exchange for the assurance that they would be safe from curtailment orders. But last year, that agreement came under stress as there was disagreement about whether eastern Idaho had fulfilled its obligations under the mitigation plan. And now a new methodology for calculating how much water eastern Idaho owes has deepened the controversy. The issue will come to a head in early June when both sides will be able to make arguments to the Idaho Department of Water Resources about how the water debt calculation should be handled. The new method The Idaho Department of Water Resources announced last week that it will change the way it calculates the amount of water eastern Idaho owes the Magic Valley. The old version of the model calculated it using a steady state system, meaning that if the senior water user was owed 5,000 acre-feet, it was enough for 5,000 acre-feet of water to be freed up somewhere upstream, even if it might take years for that water to reach the Magic Valley. The new version is time sensitive, so the senior water user has to be assured theyll get the water theyre due this year. Under this new methodology, the so-called priority date (water rights issued after this date are at risk of being curtailed) will be Dec. 30, 1953. Relatively few groundwater rights in eastern Idaho were issued before that, including not only farmers but most cities. That has eastern Idaho irrigators, who feel the Magic Valley has avoided measures that would let them farm with better water efficiency, in an uproar. Its easy to see how unfair the system is, Taggart said, when you look at what would happen if no mitigation plans were in place. The injury of 75,200 acre-feet about one-seventh the total capacity of Anderson Ranch Reservoir is enough to fill Magic Valley surface water rights for less than two weeks. Providing that water, under the new methodology, would require shutting down most irrigated agriculture in eastern Idaho. IDWR Deputy Director Mat Weaver emphasized that this is only what would happen in the absence of mitigation plans, which cover all but about 900 water users. The actual curtailment, when and if it comes, will affect a much smaller amount of ground, he said. Weaver emphasized that, though this is a good water year, its full impact isnt yet been felt in the water system. Were still feeling the memory or the impacts of that drought, he said. Taggart countered that its been proving harder and harder to meet the terms of these mitigation plans. Agreements usually involve some combination of purchasing excess water in reservoirs (which is increasingly scarce) and reducing irrigated acreage (which means less crop production). Currently, seven of the 10 mitigation plans in the state have been found to be in violation, Taggart said. I dont think those (mitigation agreements) are a safe harbor, he said. Short- and long-term solutions Aquifer recharge has long been seen as an important part of the way out of this continuous fight over water. Recharge projects redirect heavy water flows, as are expected this year, to locations at strategic points where the water can sink into the ground to replenish the aquifer. When it turns warm in eastern Idaho, the melt will release large amounts of water. If it could be diverted into the aquifer in good years like this one, it would be there to help in bad years when drought returns. But at present, there isnt enough recharge infrastructure to capture the amount of excess water thats expected. Both Taggart and Weaver agreed that recharge will be enormously valuable in the long term. And earlier this month, the Idaho Water Resources Board approved $1.7 million for a new project near Idaho Falls. The problem is that those recharge projects dont do anything in the short term. Dump excess water into the aquifer now, and it might return to the Snake River in months, years or decades. Farmers in eastern Idaho are sweating about the near-term viability of their farms, not what might be possible a decade or two from now. And this is just the beginning of a problem that will likely worsen over time. The climate is changing, which is expected to increase the severity of droughts. The long-run viability of Idahos enormous agricultural sector depends on responding to this problem. In my view, it is highly unlikely that the first in time, first in right system of water rights, which treats water as private property rather than a publicly managed resource and was originally created to deal with water for primitive mining operations, will be capable of responding to this challenge. Bryan Clark is an opinion writer for the Idaho Statesman based in eastern Idaho. WASHINGTON Former Vice President Mike Pence testified Thursday to the federal grand jury investigating ex-president Donald Trump and his role in the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021, said a person familiar with the appearance. Pence spent at least seven hours at the courthouse, the person said. Pence and his aides have not commented on the investigation, but the former vice president who is considering a presidential bid in 2024 told CBS News: "Well obey the law, well tell the truth." Pence had challenged his subpoena in federal court, but opted not to appeal an adverse ruling. His lawyers and prosecutors have spent recent weeks working our arrangements for his appearance. Prosecutors want to talk to Pence about his interactions with Trump before Congress met on Jan. 6, 2021, to certify electoral votes from the 2020 presidential election. Trump wanted Pence, in his role as president of the Senate, to throw out some of Biden's electoral votes, essentially handing the election to the then-incumbent. Pence refused, saying he lacked the legal authority to take such action, earning rebukes from Trump and his supporters that are ongoing. Pence and the grand jury:Former VP Pence must testify about conversations with Trump before Jan. 6, federal judge says Trump tries to block Pence:Donald Trump attempting to stop Mike Pence from testifying about Jan. 6 Capitol riot Is Mike Pence running for president? As he considers a bid for the presidency, Pence has promoted his actions on Jan. 6 and denounced Trump's behavior. "President Trump was wrong," Pence at a journalist dinner in March. "I had no right to overturn the election. And his reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day, and I know history will hold Donald Trump accountable." Pence and aides said they expect to make an announcement about a 2024 run by late June. In this file photo taken on September 28, 2020, US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence arrive in the Rose Garden to speak on Covid-19 testing at the White House in Washington, DC. Trump tried to block Pence's testimony Pence had called his grand jury subpoena unprecedented and unconstitutional, but he didnt appeal a federal judges ordering him to testify. The sealed decision recognized he could refuse to answer some questions dealing with his role as president of the Senate, according to Pence. Story continues Trump, meanwhile, tried to block Pence's testimony by appealing to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. A three-judge panel denied his appeal Wednesday. The case is sealed, so the reasoning isnt available from Judges Patricia Millett, Robert Wilkins and Gregory Katsas. Millett and Wilkins were appointed by Barack Obama and Katsas was appointed by Trump. Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung had said the Justice Department is stepping outside its standard norms in violation of executive privilege to keep communications with the president confidential. The congressional investigation:The Jan. 6 committee got a boost from a ruling on a confidential memo. What's next? Witnesses:Ketchup, regrets, blood and anger: A guide to the Jan. 6 hearings' witnesses and testimony Pences testimony is considered crucial because he was at the heart of Trumps strategy to reject Electoral College votes from states he lost. The strategy mapped out by Trump lawyer John Eastman called for Pence, in his role as president of the Senate, to reject electors from seven contested states that President Joe Biden won. Pence could then either accept alternate electors who supported Trump or send the contest to the House, where a majority of state delegations supported Trump. Pence refused to participate. He fled the Senate chamber ahead of a mob that erected a gallows outside the Capitol and chanted, Hang Mike Pence. In testimony before the House committee that investigated the attack, Pence aides described how Trump pressured and scolded his vice president. Greg Jacob, Pences general counsel, testified that Trump called Pence the morning of Jan. 6 in a heated exchange. Jacob said Pence took the call privately but returned looking steely, determined, grim. After evacuating the Senate chamber, Pence refused to get in a Secret Service car in an underground parking garage because he worried it would carry him away from the Capitol rather than finish the Electoral College vote count that night. Pence didnt wanted to take the chance the world would see the vice president of the United States fleeing the Capitol, Jacob said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mike Pence talks to federal grand jury about Donald Trump and Jan. 6 MILFORD The town has been granted an extension until the middle of next month to respond to a lawsuit involving the wrongful conviction of a Taunton man. In November, Gary Ciffizari filed a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Worcester against the town of Milford, the Milford Police Department and several retired police officers. Cifizzari, along with his late brother, Michael, was convicted in 1984 of murder in connection with the death of his 75-year-old aunt, Concetta Schiappa, who was found dead in her Milford home in 1979. Cifizzari was exonerated in 2019 of the charges after new DNA testing that was not available at the time of the trial showed he was not a match to the semen and saliva found on Schiappa's nightgown. Gary Cifizzari, center, was released from prison in July 2019 after his sentence for murder was stayed. The new DNA evidence granted Cifizzari a new trial but the Worcester District Attorney's Office dropped its charges against him. Michael Cifizzari died in prison after being convicted of second-degree murder. On March 23, the town of Milford asked for an extension to answer the complaint filed by Cifizzari and his lawyer, William Smith. The order was granted the following day. 'A murder he did not commit': Man wrongly convicted in 1979 Milford slaying files federal lawsuit Neither Smith nor Brian Murray, the town's attorney, could be reached for comment. Milford Town Administrator Richard Villani said the town does not comment on ongoing litigation. Thirty-five years in prison 'ruined' Cifizzari's life "How does a person who was falsely and repeatedly labeled, 'murderer,' for some 35 years of his life on Earth obtain justice?" reads Smith's opening statement in the complaint. Cifizzari was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 1984, almost five years after Schiappa's body was found on her living room floor. Schiappa was found with bruising on her lower stomach and upper thigh, which was determined to be human bite marks. Story continues New DNA evidence: DA drops murder charge against man who served 35 years for Milford slaying In 1981, Cifizzari's brother, Michael, who suffered from mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and acute psychosis, according to the complaint, confessed to police that he had killed Schiappa. The complaint notes that none of the versions of Michael Cifizzari's purported confession mentioned his brother. Both Cifizzari brothers submitted dental impressions that were a match to the bite marks, according to a dental expert, who later recanted his testimony. "The case for guilt against Mr. Cifizzari consisted entirely of this 'bitemark comparison evidence' in the form of expert testimoney, which is now recognized as scientifically unreliable," the complaint states. "The Commonwealth heavily relied on this throughout the criminal trial." Gary Cifizzari was found guilty of first-degree murder in 1984 and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He appealed in 1986, but the Supreme Judicial Court ruled in the state's favor. New evidence, testing granted Cifizzari new trial Cifizzari maintained his innocence throughout his imprisonment. The New England Innocence Project, a foundation that provides free DNA testing and legal counsel to wrongfully convicted people, joined his case. In May 2019, the Massachusetts State Police Laboratory notified police that DNA from semen from the crime scene that was found on Schiappa's nightgown excluded Gary Cifizzari. Instead, it matched the profile of Michael Giroux, the original suspect in the 1979 investigation. Giroux died in Rhode Island in 2014. Cifizzari's sentence was stayed in 2019, with a new trial being granted. The Worcester District Attorney's Office dropped its charges against Cifizzari later that year. "This admission came, however, some 35 years too late," the complaint reads. "Cifizzari was incarcerated in Massachusetts State Prisons, suffering daily, hourly, by the minute, and by each agonizing second, for every one of those 35 years." Lawsuit seeks damages from wrongful convction The complaint alleges Cifizzari has suffered physical suffering and emotional distress, caused by the defendants' misconduct. The 10 counts in the complaint include violations of the 14th Amendment (right to due process); one count of failure to investigate; one count of malicious prosecution; supervisor liability; conspiracy and civil rights violations. Ciffizarri is seeking compensatory and punitive damages against the defendants. The town of Milford and other defendants have until May 19 to respond to the complaint. This article originally appeared on The Milford Daily News: Sued for a wrongful conviction, Milford has a few weeks to respond Dr. Ben Weston, Milwaukee County's chief health policy advisor. Milwaukee County is investing millions of dollars in housing to improve health outcomes, with funds going toward emergency rent assistance, affordable housing development and homeownership programs. Calling housing "critical to the promotion for health and equity in our county," Milwaukee County Chief Health Policy Advisor Benjamin Weston was joined by Milwaukee County Housing Administrator James Mathy in a virtual media brief Tuesday. Mathy said the county is using $8 million from the second round of federal COVID-19 funding for emergency rental assistance through Community Advocates and nearly $10 million for affordable housing development across the county. As Weston noted, housing instability has also been linked to higher rates of asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, kidney disease and among children, developmental delays, chronic illnesses and diminished academic performance. He said the new investments are a reflection of the county's focus on housing as a social determinant of health. RELATED: What if doctors could write prescriptions for adequate housing? More than anything else, it might improve a person's overall health. Here are three takeaways from their media brief: Reducing evictions can help reduce county's stark health and housing disparities Unsurprisingly, Milwaukee's racial divide in wealth and homeownership extends to health. According to Weston, "A Black person from Milwaukee County lives on average 13 years less than a white person." People who are homeless, he continued, are twice as likely to have a heart attack, four times more likely to substance abuse and die 12 years sooner than the general population. One big cause for homelessness is evictions. Evictions are far more likely to impact communities of color and often lead to direct homelessness, where people are living in shelters, or hidden homelessness, more colloquially known as couch-surfing or temporarily living with others. There is a strong body of research, including this recent study in 2022, that identifies evictions as a key factor in mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. Story continues RELATED: A new study says Eviction Free MKE is underutilized but benefits people. Here are some of the highlights Mathy pointed to one of the county's recent success stories as evidence of how housing policy can indirectly improve community health. The Right to Counsel initiative recently underwent an analysis that found it helped the majority of families avoid eviction and even saved the county money. Milwaukee County is investing in affordable housing in the suburbs Mathy announced the county has awarded $9.8 million for four different affordable housing developments for rental housing. One will be located in South Milwaukee, one in Brown Deer and two in Wauwatosa. RELATED: Three affordable apartment developments planned for suburban Milwaukee getting $7 million The developments are part of an effort to increase affordable housing options in suburban areas, Mathy said. The projects are projected to result in more than 200 new affordable housing units. He said the county executive and county board gave housing services $3 million to rehabilitate foreclosed homes in suburban communities and so far, have rehabbed roughly 18 homes the county plans to sell to first-time homebuyers. Milwaukee County received millions to support increased homeownership rates The Marcia P. Coggs Human Services Center received a $7.5 million grant from the state, Mathy announced. He said 1.5 million of it will go toward renovating King Park and $6 million will go toward building 120 homes in underserved neighborhoods. Mathy said they plan to sell the homes for roughly $100,000 and offer homebuyer counseling to engage with first-time homebuyers and protect properties from being absorbed by out-of-state investors. "We're able to ensure that any Milwaukee tax foreclosure is kept in-house and sold to an actual local homeowner," he said. Need more help with housing questions? The Milwaukee Resource Guide is here to help. Have something you want answered? Submit a question. Talis Shelbourne is an investigative solutions reporter covering the issues of affordable housing and lead poisoning. Have a tip? You can reach Talis at (414) 403-6651 or tshelbourn@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @talisseer and message her on Facebook at @talisseer. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee County spends $17 million to improve heatlh through housing Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed a trio of bills into law on Thursday, effectively making the state a sanctuary for abortion and gender-transition surgeries. Two new laws, HF366 and HF146, create legal protections for people traveling to Minnesota for abortion or gender-transition care from other states where the procedures are outlawed. The legislation would shield individuals from extradition orders from other states. However, the governors office told the Star Tribune it had not received any such subpoenas or requests for extradition orders for abortion patients. The new abortion law would also make patient data private. The legislation codifies recent executive orders from the Democratic governor. A Republican state senator, Paul Utke, spoke out against the abortion bill, arguing Minnesota should not protect medical professionals who have purposely violated the abortion laws of other states. A third law, HF16, bans LGBT conversion therapy in the state. I just signed three bills into law that: Protect people seeking or providing abortions in Minnesota Ban the harmful practice of conversion therapy Protect access to gender-affirming health care In Minnesota, were protecting rights not taking them away. Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) April 27, 2023 That march of bigotry and hate stops at Minnesotas borders, Walz said Thursday before signing the bills into law. Freedom is on the march in Minnesota, decency is on the march in Minnesota, compassion is on the march in Minnesota. Abortion and gender-transition treatment providers in Minnesota have reported a rise in patients traveling from out-of-state. Nearby, South Dakota and Wisconsin have banned most abortions since the overturn of Roe v. Wade. North Dakota, which recently passed legislation prohibiting nearly all abortions, also passed a law making it a felony to provide gender-transition treatment services to minors. Story continues The passage of the three bills is the latest result of a Democratic takeover in the state; Democrats currently hold the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature. Washington governor Jay Inslee signed similar legislation into law on Thursday, making the Evergreen State a sanctuary for abortion and gender-transition operations. Freedom of choice is a health care issue. We are protecting access to health care, Inslee said. Washington state Representative Jim Walsh, a Republican, called the new laws anti-family and warned of the potential consequences of not complying with other states laws. If we dont honor the actions of courts, of law enforcement agencies from other states, we run the risk of other states not honoring ours, Walsh said during the debate on the bill, adding concern about creating an abortion tourism industry in the state. Abortion facilities in the state have reportedly performed 138 more abortions per month since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. More from National Review A Minnesota teenager was arrested and charged with murder after allegedly stealing a vehicle, listening to a song about murder, and hitting and killing a 70-year-old man. St. Cloud, Minnesota police responded to a report of a vehicle versus pedestrian just after 8 p.m. April 21, near the 1700 block of 6th Avenue North. According to court documents, 16-year-old Israel Muyaya Madimba called 911 and admitted he ran a person over with his vehicle. MINNESOTA MAN ACCUSED OF ATTACKING EX-FOOTBALL PLAYER CUT OFF ANKLE MONITOR, LED POLICE ON CHASE When officers arrived, they located a 70-year-old man who was unresponsive. Emergency crews transported the man to the St. Cloud Hospital, where he later died. Police said Madimba was Mirandized before he admitted to stealing a vehicle he was driving at the time of the crash, after finding the vehicles key in a locker at the St. Cloud YMCA. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Police caution tape at a crime scene. Madimba, court documents state, admitted that he saw the victim walking on the sidewalk and "decided to run him over." EX-MINNESOTA POLICE OFFICER KIM POTTER, WHO KILLED DAUNTE WRIGHT, FREED MONDAY FROM PRISON After making the decision, he told police, Madimba turned onto the sidewalk and started driving slowly behind the victim, but then accelerated the vehicle and struck him. "The defendant admitted listening to a song about murder and then striking the unsuspecting victim," court documents read. Inside a courtroom with gavel in view. Police said Madimbas admissions allegedly match what was observed by witnesses. Madimba appeared before a judge on the matter for the first time and the judge set his bail at $2 million without conditions and $1 million with conditions, the Stearns County Prosecutors office said in a press release Monday. He was charged with premeditated first-degree murder and intentional second-degree murder. The judge also ordered that the teenager undergo a mental evaluation to ensure he is fit to stand trial. Until the mental evaluation is completed, all criminal proceedings are suspended and bail remains in place, the prosecutors office noted. A Charlotte mother recently expressed in a Charlotte Observer opinion piece worry for her transgender child amid North Carolina lawmakers attemptingto pass legislation targeting LGBTQ youth. Each time our legislators propose laws targeting our LGBTQ+ community, they hurt our family and thousands of other families, Sarah Eyssen wrote. These bills communicate to everyone that its okay to treat members of the LGBTQ+ community differently. Its okay to discriminate, even against a child. Among those proposed bills is the Youth Health Protection Act, sponsored by Republican House Reps. George Cleveland, Keith Kidwell, Bill Ward and Steve Tyson would ban gender-affirming care for transgender kids. If signed into law, the legislation would make it illegal for doctors to provide hormone treatments, puberty blockers or any other procedure that facilitates a minors desire to present or appear in a manner that is inconsistent with the minors sex, according to the bill. The bill carries a $1,000 fine and a license revocation for doctors who provide this care to people younger than 18. Is gender-affirming care for transgender youth legal in NC? There are currently no laws on the books in North Carolina that restrict transgender youth from accessing gender-affirming care. This year, at least 14 states have passed legislation banning gender-affirming care for minors, according to the U.S. News & World Report. Arizona and Alabama passed similar laws prior to this year. How would gender-affirming care bans impact transgender youth? Bans on gender-affirming care would limit transgender youths access to potentially life-saving treatments and have a negative effect on their overall mental health, according to Dr. Deanna Adkins, the director of Duke Universitys Child and Adolescent Gender Care Clinic. The kids have a number of risk factors we are really able to help a lot with, with the care we are providing, Adkins said. Even in some cases they decrease their suicidality to the level of their peers. In this group of adolescents, its the second or third leading cause of death suicide. If we can reduce that in this group, we really are attacking an important part of what is taking the lives of our young people. Story continues Two in three transgender or non-binary youth report symptoms of depression, and one in five have attempted suicide in the last 12 months, according to Adkins. When we look at treating these individuals with gender-affirming care we find that the rates of suicide are cut in half, the rates of depression reach, oftentimes, the rates of their peers who are not transgender, there is an 80 percent risk reduction in suicidal ideation, said Adkins. And when we have parent support and educator support we improve resilience and have much better mental health outcomes. One of four inmates who escaped from a Mississippi detention center over the weekend was arrested near Houston, Texas, Thursday after a multi-state manhunt. The Hinds County Sheriffs Office of Mississippi confirmed that Jerry Raynes, 52, was taken into custody in Spring Valley, Texas about 10 miles west of Houston. Escaped inmate Jerry Raynes, 52, arrested Thursday in Spring Valley, Texas. The announcement from Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones, came a day after Raynes was caught on surveillance footage at a Spring Valley service station. Surveillance footage of escapee, Jerry Raynes, in a Houston-area service station. Jones said Raynes is facing extradition back to Mississippi and an investigation is still ongoing. The U.S. Marshals Service, the Harris County Sheriffs Office, and Spring Valley Police Department assisted with Raynes capture. CALIFORNIA SHERIFF'S DETECTIVE SAVES ASPIRATING BABY'S LIFE WITH CPR: VIDEO Raynes was among three other men Casey Grayson, Corey Harrison, and Dylan Arrington who escaped from the Raymond Detention Center in Raymond, Mississippi, on Sunday. All four had been incarcerated for a range of felony charges, most involving theft. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Escaped Missouri inmates (L to R): Jerry Raynes, Casey Grayson, Corey Harrison and Dylan Arrington Sheriff Jones confirmed that Arrington died Wednesday after barricading himself in a central Mississippi home and setting it on fire during an armed standoff with deputies. Grayson and Harrison remain on the loose. One of four prisoners who escaped over the weekend from a Mississippi jail was spotted Wednesday morning at a Houston-area gas station, authorities said. An image from surveillance footage shared by Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones in Mississippi shows 51-year-old Jerry Raynes in a service station in Spring Valley, Texas, about 10 miles west of Houston. Surveillance footage of escapee, Jerry Raynes, in a Houston-area service station. Jones said a stolen Hinds County maintenance truck was also recovered. It was not clear whether Raynes traveled to Texas alone. CONSULTANTS RECOMMEND NEW LOCATION FOR NEW HAMPSHIRE YOUTH DETENTION CENTER The sighting came hours after one of the other escaped inmates, 22-year-old Dylan Arrington, is believed to have been killed after barricading himself in a home and setting it on fire during an armed standoff with deputies. Mississippi law enforcement respond Wednesday, April 26, 2023, to the scene of a house fire where escaped inmate Dylan Arrington was believed to have died. Investigators believe Arrington perished inside the home, setting it ablaze after shooting a deputy in the leg. He is suspected of killing Pastor Anthony Watts, 61, of Simpson County and stealing his red pickup truck. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP LAS VEGAS MAN SENTENCED FOR DEATH OF MODEL FOUND IN CONCRETE AND WOODEN STRUCTURE Raynes and Arrington were among two other men who broke out over the weekend from the Raymond Detention Center in Raymond, Mississippi. The two other men were Casey Grayson and Corey Harrison. The four men had been incarcerated for a range of felony charges, most involving theft. Escaped Missouri inmates (L to R): Jerry Raynes, Casey Grayson, Corey Harrison and Dylan Arrington Raynes has a previous history of escape and multiple individuals some who were recently brought in to the Raymond Detention Center have ties to the area. A search remains underway for Raynes, Casey, and Grayson. Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.S. Marshals Service and the Hinds County Sheriff Office for updates in the case. Fox News Julia Musto and The Associated Press contributed to this report. CONWAY, Miss. A man who escaped from a Mississippi jail and is suspected in a Monday night killing died after barricading himself in a home and setting it on fire during an armed standoff with deputies, authorities said Wednesday. Plumes of smoke emanated from the charred remains of the home in Conway, hours after a body was recovered. Dylan Arrington, 22, perished inside the home, setting it ablaze after shooting a deputy in the leg, Leake County Sheriff Randy Atkinson told The Associated Press. He inflicted that kind of terror after escaping from jail, killing people and shooting law enforcement. But that guy wont be killing anyone else, Atkinson said. Update: 2nd Mississippi jail escapee found; arrested near Houston, Texas More: Escaped inmates from Mississippi: What to know about Dylan Arrington, Hinds County manhunt In a statement posted online in the evening, Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said the remains had been positively identified as Arrington. The cause of death was under investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. Authorities have been pursuing Arrington and three other inmates who broke out over the weekend from a Mississippi jail under federal scrutiny. Arrington is suspected of killing a man and stealing his pickup truck after the escape. The owner of the torched Conway home said he saw someone matching Arringtons description hiding inside a trailer behind his house on Tuesday evening. He notified the sheriffs office and fled with his family. Investigators searched the property, but there was no trace of Arrington. They continued the search through the night with drones and a helicopter. This booking photo provided Jackson, Miss., Police Department Dylan Arrington, one of four Mississippi prisoners who escaped from the Raymon Detention Center over the weekend. He is now a suspect in the Monday night, April 24, 2023, murder and carjacking of Anthony Watts, 61, in Jackson, Miss. Around 7 a.m. Wednesday, Atkinson and a deputy returned to the property with the homeowner. After a short meeting, the homeowner discovered Arrington inside. He sprinted outside and alerted the officers, who were standing in the driveway. Arrington then exchanged gunfire with them through a window, striking the deputy in the leg, Atkinson said. Story continues Within a two-hour period, the house was set ablaze from within, he said. Investigators waited until the fire was out before they approached the home and found a body. The injured deputy was transported to a hospital where he was stabilized. Multiple law enforcement agencies continued searching parts of the state, after the Leake County Sheriff's Office told residents to please keep your doors locked and have no keys or weapons in your vehicles." The U.S. Marshals Service and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation are among the agencies assisting in the search. Police said Anthony Watts, a 61-year-old church pastor, was shot and killed Monday around 7 p.m. on Interstate 55 in Jackson after he pulled over to help a man who had wrecked a motorcycle. That man shot Watts several times and then stole his Red Dodge Ram, police said. Watts died at the scene. The suspect in that shooting fit the description of Arrington, Jackson Police Chief James E. Davis said. Manhunt Casey Grayson, Corey Harrison and Jerry Raynes are the other three prisoners who escaped Saturday night from the Raymond Detention Center, a facility near Jackson, through breaches in a cell and the roof. Jones said the men might have camped out on the roof before fleeing and going their separate ways. Raynes was spotted on surveillance footage at a service station in Spring Valley, a suburb of Houston, at 11 a.m. Sunday, Jones said Wednesday in a statement. Investigators believe he fled to Texas after stealing a Hinds County Public Works vehicle, which was recovered in Spring Valley. It was unknown whether Raynes traveled alone. Update: Surveillance footage of escapee, Jerry Raynes, in a service station in Spring Valley, TX on Sunday morning at 11am. The stolen Hinds County maintenance truck was also recovered in Spring Valley, TX on Sunday. It is still unconfirmed if Raynes traveled to Texas alone. pic.twitter.com/yFZjH7G0yj TyreeJonesSheriff (@TyreeSheriff) April 26, 2023 The four escapee had been in custody for various felony charges, most involving theft. Arrington had charges of auto theft and illegal possession of a firearm, WAPT-TV reported. Watts' stolen Red Dodge Ram, which has tan trim and Cowboys stickers on the front and the back, was last seen heading south on I-55 in Terry, Mississippi, police said. Investigators also believe a stolen Chevy Silverado is connected to the escape. Raynes, Grayson and Harrison remained at large. Hinds County jail takeover In July, U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves ordered a rare takeover of the Raymond jail after he said deficiencies in supervision and staffing led to a stunning array of assaults, as well as deaths. But before the appointed receiver was scheduled to assume control over the jail Jan. 1, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the lower courts order until it ruled on the countys motion for reconsideration. This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Dylan Arrington body positively identified after fire, standoff A huge manhunt is underway to track down the three surviving fugitives still on the run following the Mississippi jail break over the weekend. Inmates Dylan Arrington, 22, Casey Grayson, 24, Corey Harrison, 22, and Jerry Raynes, 51, escaped from the troubled Raymond Detention Center on Sunday and have been on the run ever since. One of the escapees Arrington allegedly shot and killed 61-year-old pastor Anthony Watts on Monday night after the victim pulled over to help him. Arrington then fled in Watts Dodge Ram. He was tracked down to a home in Leake County on Wednesday morning where he opened fire on law enforcement, shooting an officer in the leg. The house then went up in flames and Arrington died in the fire, the Hinds County sheriff said. The other three suspects are still at large, with police releasing a surveillance image still of Raynes at a service station in Spring Valley, Texas, at around 11am on Sunday morning. It is unconfirmed if Raynes traveled to Texas alone. Key points Four inmates escape from Mississippi jail Pastor shot dead by fugitive inmate One inmate dead after firing at officers from burning house Surveillance footage captures one escapee in Texas Police say one of fugitives has been arrested 21:49 , Graeme Massie The Hinds County Sheriff says that one of the fugitives who escaped a Mississippi prison sparking a massive manhunt has been captured while on the run in Texas. Prisoner Jerry Raynes was taken into custody in Spring Valley View, in Northwest Harris County on Thursday, according to a tweet from the agency. Raynes is now being evaluated at Memorial Hermann Greater Heights Hospital. The Mississippi jails chequered past 21:29 , Graeme Massie Raymond Detention Center had a chequered past long before four inmates escaped over the weekend. Last summer, deficiencies in supervision and staffing, and a stunning array of assaults, as well as deaths prompted a judge to order a takeover of the detention centre, according to the Associated Press. Story continues Seven people died last year while detained at the jail, according to US District Judge Carlton Reeves said. Judge Reeves wrote in his ruling that cell doors did not lock and a lack of lighting in cells made life miserable for the detainees who live there and prevents guards from adequately surveilling detainees. He also said guards sometimes slept instead of monitoring the cameras in the control room. But before an appointed receiver was scheduled to assume control over the jail this year, a court of appeals halted the lower courts order until it ruled on the countys motion for reconsideration. Slain pastor always wanted to help people, say friends 20:46 , Graeme Massie The Good Samaritan pastor who was shot dead for trying to help one of the escaped inmates always wanted to help people, according to his friends. Pastor Anthony Watts, 61, was killed on Monday night when he pulled over to help Dylan Arrington, after the inmate got into a motorcycle wreck during his time on the run. Arrington then stole Watts Dodge Ram and fled. Close friends of Watts who was the lead pastor at St Mary Missionary Baptist Church in DLo, Mississippi paid tribute to him as someone who always wanted to look out for others. That was the type of person he was. He always wanted to help. Always wanted to know what he can do whatever the circumstance may be, Karen Fairley told WAPT. He always told you he loved you and his spirit was so sincere, so kind, and so loving to just everyone he came in contact with. She said she can understand why he stopped to help the escaped inmate as that was who he was. The action that happened, we could understand why he did it, because that was just in his nature, said Ms Fairley, whose father is an associate minister at the church. Fugitive Jerry Raynes spotted by surveillance video in Houston-area gas station 15:41 , Graig Graziosi Jerry Raynes, one of the three surviving fugitives who escaped a prison in Mississippi, was reportedly caught on camera in the Houston area. The Hinds County Sheriff said Raynes was at a gas station convenience store around 11am on Sunday morning. Deputies also found an abandoned truck under an overpass they belong may have some connection to Raynes. Update: Surveillance footage of escapee, Jerry Raynes, in a service station in Spring Valley, TX on Sunday morning at 11am. The stolen Hinds County maintenance truck was also recovered in Spring Valley, TX on Sunday. It is still unconfirmed if Raynes traveled to Texas alone. pic.twitter.com/yFZjH7G0yj TyreeJonesSheriff (@TyreeSheriff) April 26, 2023 What charges did fugitives face? 15:01 , Graeme Massie Dylan Arrington is suspected of murder and was charged with auto theft and being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to KTRK. Corey Harrison was charged with receiving stolen property. Casey Grayson was charged with grand larceny and sale of a controlled substance, and Jerry Raynes was charged with auto theft and burglary of a business. The Hinds County Sheriffs Office is now conducting an administrative and criminal investigation into the escape, Sheriff Jones said. Once they are recaptured the inmates will face additional charges of escape and also possibly auto theft. PICTURED: Fugitives on the run 14:13 , Rachel Sharp (Hinds County Sheriffs Office) Stolen vehicles used in getaways 13:20 , Rachel Sharp The escaped inmates have so far used a number of stolen vehicles in their getaways. Authorities have said that a truck a red Chevy Silverado was stolen from close to the jail at around 2.30am on Sunday morning with a witness spotting two men inside the vehicle. Investigators believe this is connected to the jail break. Another vehicle a Hinds County Public Works vehicle was found abandoned in Spring Valley Village, Texas, after at least one of the fugitives is believed to have used it in his escape. Surveillance footage has captured Jerry Raynes at a service station in Spring Valley, Texas, at around 11am on Sunday morning. A red Dodge Ram 1500 truck was also stolen when Dylan Arrington allegedly shot pastor Anthony Watts dead and made off in his vehicle. Investigators search burned home where fugitive died in Mississippi 13:04 , Graeme Massie An investigator gestures at the remnants of a burned out house where authorities believe a man who escaped from a Mississippi jail over the weekend with three others, and is suspected of killing a pastor, is believed to be dead after a shootout with authorities and barricaded himself inside a burning home near Conway, Mississippi, Wednesday morning, April 26, 2023 (AP) Investigators inspect search around the remnants of a burned out house where authorities believe a man who escaped from a Mississippi jail over the weekend with three others, and is suspected of killing a pastor, is believed to be dead after a shootout with authorities and barricaded himself inside a burning home near Conway, Mississippi, Wednesday morning, April 26, 2023 (AP) Candlelight vigil held for slain pastor 12:40 , Rachel Sharp A candlelight vigil was held for Anthony Watts on Tuesday night at the church where he has been the lead pastor for the last six years. Anthony Watts, the 61-year-old pastor of St Mary Missionary Baptist Church in DLo, Mississippi, was killed on Monday night when he pulled over to help Dylan Arrington, after the inmate got into a motorcycle wreck during his time on the run. Arrington then stole Watts Dodge Ram and fled. St Mary Missionary Baptist Churchs Pastor Anthony Watts (St Mary Missionary Baptist Church) How the standoff with Dylan Arrington unfolded 12:20 , Rachel Sharp In a video update on Wednesday, Leake County Sheriff Randy Atkinson outlined what happened during the encounter with fugitive Dylan Arrington. The sheriff said that officers went to a home where they believed the suspect had been at around 7am that morning. When they arrived, the homeowner was home and they spoke with him briefly. The homeowner then entered the residence before running out and saying the suspect was in the house. Arrington then started shooting at the officers from inside the home, with a bullet striking an officer in the leg, said the sheriff. More units responded to the address and the suspect allegedly continued to fire on them. The sheriff said that the home then went up in flames. Arringtons body was later confirmed to be found inside. Fugitives to face additional charges over prison break 12:00 , Rachel Sharp The three fugitives still on the run will face additional charges over the prison break once they are captured. Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said that the men now face additional charges of escape and possibly auto theft. This is on top of the charge they were already behind bars for. They were in custody at Raymond Detention Center on a variety of charges including theft, firearm and auto theft charges. Investigations launched into Mississippi jail break 11:00 , Rachel Sharp Investigations have been launched into the Mississippi jail break which has now culminated in two deaths one of an innocent Good Samaritan and the second of one of the four inmates. Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said that both an administrative and criminal investigation is underway as authorities seek to determine how the inmates were able to break free from the facility. How the prison break unfolded 10:40 , Rachel Sharp Details are still emerging about how the four inmates managed to escape from Raymond Detention Center on Sunday. Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said in a press conference on Monday that two breaches had been found inside the jail one inside a cell and the other in the roof. The four escapees are believed to have managed to climb onto the roof at around 8.30pm on Saturday night and camped up there, before leaving the facility at different times. The jail break was discovered at around 12.30am on Sunday morning during a routine head count and the facility was instantly plunged into lockdown. PICTURED: Good Samaritan pastor shot dead for trying to help escaped inmate 10:20 , Rachel Sharp The Good Samaritan pastor shot dead for trying to help one of the escaped inmates has been pictured. Pastor Anthony Watts, 61, was killed on Monday night when he pulled over to help Dylan Arrington, after the inmate got into a motorcycle wreck during his time on the run. Arrington then stole Watts Dodge Ram and fled. St Mary Missionary Baptist Churchs Pastor Anthony Watts (St Mary Missionary Baptist Church) Leake County Sheriffs Office gives details of shooting 10:00 , Graeme Massie Fugitive who escaped jail with three other inmates and killed good Samaritan believed dead 09:01 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar Police said Dylan Arrington, 22, fatally shot Anthony Watts, 61, on Monday night and injured an officer during a standoff with law enforcement on Wednesday. Fugitive who killed good Samaritan and injured officer believed dead, police say Sheriff says one fugitive believed to be in Texas 08:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said one of the escaped detainees has been spotted in Spring Valley, Texas. Sheriff Jones said surveillance video showed Jerry Raynes at a service station on Sunday, 23 April at 11.00am. A stolen Hinds County maintenance truck was also recovered in Spring Valley on Sunday. It is not known if the other fugitives are with him. I am not sure of (if) its because of ties in the area of if theyre trying to get across the border at some point, the sheriff said. (HCSO) 07:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar (Hinds County Sheriffs Office) Suspects were named by officials as Dylan Arrington, 22, Casey Grayson, 24, Corey Harrison, 22, and Jerry Raynes, 51. Arrington is reportedly dead after a confrontation with law enforcement. Leake County residents asked to be extremely cautious 06:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar Leake County authorities asked residents to be extremely cautious, keep their doors locked and avoid having keys or weapons in parked vehicles. If you have suspicions of a trespasser on your property, please notify the Sheriffs Office, appose to taking matters into your own hands. If you hear noises, see something/someone, please notify us, the Leake County Sheriffs Office said. Sheriffs Office yet to confirm presence of others inside the burning house 05:47 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar Authorities are yet to specify whether there were others in the Conway Road home that was engulfed in flames during a shootout with the deputies. The structure was engulfed in flames and an individual inside of the structure started firing shots at law enforcement on the exterior, Hinds County sheriff Tyree Jones told a local news station. I believe (the person inside the home) did not intend to leave here alive today. Fugitives remains identified from burning house 04:59 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar The remains recovered in the burned structure in Carthage, Mississippi, have been identified as one of the escapees, the Hinds County Sheriffs Office confirmed last evening. Dylan Arrington, 22, fatally shot 61-year-old pastor Anthony Watts on Monday night after the victim pulled over to help the fugitive, who had wrecked a motorcycle he had previously stolen. The suspect then barricaded inside a home on Conway Road and set it on fire during an armed standoff with deputies, authorities said. The cause of death is under investigation, the Sheriffs Office said. Pictures from scene of confrontation with armed fugitive 04:04 , Graeme Massie Leake County Sheriff Randy Atkinson points to the site of a fire ravaged house where authorities believe one of the four Hinds County jail escapees is thought to be dead, after engaging in a shootout and barricading himself inside a burning home in Conway, Miss., Wednesday morning, April 26, 2023. (AP) (AP) (AP) (AP) What charges did fugitives face? 02:10 , Graeme Massie Dylan Arrington is suspected of murder and was charged with auto theft and being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to KTRK. Corey Harrison was charged with receiving stolen property. Casey Grayson was charged with grand larceny and sale of a controlled substance, and Jerry Raynes was charged with auto theft and burglary of a business. The Hinds County Sheriffs Office is now conducting an administrative and criminal investigation into the escape, Sheriff Jones said. Once they are recaptured the inmates will face additional charges of escape and also possibly auto theft. (Hinds County Sheriffs Office) A jailbreak, a murder and a shoot-out with police: What we know about hunt for Mississippi fugitives 01:05 , Graeme Massie Four prisoners went missing from the Raymond Detention Center at the weekend one is dead but three remain on the run, while a Good Samaritan who stopped to help one of them was shot and killed. What we know about hunt for escaped Mississippi prisoners Fugitive seen in Houston area Thursday 27 April 2023 00:03 , Graeme Massie Wednesday 26 April 2023 21:45 , Graeme Massie Police said Dylan Arrington, 22, fatally shot Anthony Watts, 61, on Monday night and injured an officer during a standoff with law enforcement on Wednesday. Mississippi Jail Escape (Jackson Police Department) Mississippi prison escape blog Wednesday 26 April 2023 21:00 , Graeme Massie This is a live blog covering the Mississippi jail break that has seen one fugitive killed and three still on the loose. Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, holds talks with Truong Thi Mai, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, permanent member of the CPV Central Committee Secretariat and head of the Organization Commission of the CPV Central Committee, in Beijing, capital of China, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei) BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Cai Qi held talks with Truong Thi Mai, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, permanent member of the CPV Central Committee Secretariat and head of the Organization Commission of the CPV Central Committee, in Beijing on Wednesday. Cai, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, said in a meeting with Truong Thi Mai that, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, provided important guidance on promoting better development of relations between the two parties and countries and building a China-Vietnam community with a shared future committed to the cause of peace and progress of humanity, injecting new impetus into consolidating the development of China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. China and Vietnam should focus on implementing the important consensus reached by the general secretaries of the two parties, deepen political mutual trust, enhance exchanges and mutual learning, promote strategic synergy, and expand practical cooperation to consolidate the positive momentum of bilateral ties, said Cai. Noting the international community is now experiencing multiple risks and challenges, Cai said General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative to contribute Chinese wisdom to solving global problems and promoting global governance. China is willing to work with Vietnam to promote the implementation of the initiatives, strengthen coordination and cooperation in international and regional affairs, firmly support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests, jointly safeguard the common interests of developing countries, and uphold regional and global peace, stability, development and prosperity, Cai added. Truong Thi Mai said Vietnam supports the strong development of socialist China, which makes important contributions to world stability and development. Vietnam hopes to work with China to continuously enhance political mutual trust, promote cooperation in such fields as economy and trade, the Belt and Road Initiative, tourism, and agriculture, and strengthen cultural, youth, and local exchanges, said Truong Thi Mai. Vietnam firmly adheres to the one-China policy, supports China's great cause of reunification, and is willing to promote communication and cooperation in multilateral fields to advance regional and world peace and development, she added. Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, holds talks with Truong Thi Mai, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, permanent member of the CPV Central Committee Secretariat and head of the Organization Commission of the CPV Central Committee, in Beijing, capital of China, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei) A 33-year-old sex offender with prior convictions was charged with the assault after new details emerged of his alleged rape of a student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the laundry room of her sorority house. MIT police say that the unidentified female student was attacked by 33-year-old Nahom T. Getaneh at around 11:45 p.m. on Saturday, April 22 in a public alley by the back entrance of her Delta Phi Epsilon sorority house on Beacon Street near Massachusetts Avenue on Boston's Back Bay. According to police, Getaneh allegedly approached the student on a bicycle and asked for food. As the female student complied, Getaneh groped her from behind and followed her into her residence. Nahom T. Getaneh, 33, was arraigned in Roxbury Municipal Court on charges of assault with intent to rape and indecent assault and battery in connection with the alleged attack. Getaneh allegedly continued to assault the student in the laundry room and threatened her by asking, "Do you want to die?" police said. Police said the victim was eventually able to fight off her attacker and lock herself in a nearby bedroom before calling 911. PRISON CHAPLAIN USED RELIGION TO MANIPULATE INMATES TO HAVE SEX WITH HIM READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP "The victim/survivor fought off the perpetrator and called 911. The perpetrator fled on a bicycle," MIT police said in a statement. Authorities found the rapist three days later in Boston's South End and arrested him. At the time of the arrest, he was wanted on two outstanding warrants on drug charges and failing to register as a sex offender. MASSACHUSETTS HOME INVASION, ASSAULT MAY STEM FROM ONLINE GAMING DISPUTE, POLICE SAY According to court documents, Getaneh is a previous offender with sex crimes dating back to 2007, when he was a minor. In 2007, Getaneh was charged for indecent assault and battery on a person aged 14 or older, according to the states Sex Offender Registry Board. He is listed as a Level 3 sexual offender, classified "as a high risk for repeating the offense in the future." Under Massachusetts' state law, Level 3 offenders must re-register annually, however, Getaneh failed to do so. Story continues In 2007, Nahom Getaneh was convicted of indecent assault and battery on a person aged 14 or older and was later deemed a Level 3 sex offender who was likely to reoffend, according to the Sex Offender Registry Board. CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Getaneh is charged with assault to rape and indecent assault and battery, according to the Suffolk District Attorney's Office. He was arraigned Wednesday, April 26 in Roxbury Municipal Court and ordered to be held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing on Monday. He also has a bail hearing scheduled for Monday for failing to register as a sex offender. "I am grateful this serial sex offender has been apprehended and will be held accountable," Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a press release. The Atlanta Braves big hat celebrations are over. Major League Baseball informed the Braves that they have to stop using the oversized hat when celebrating home runs due to complaints the league received from New Era, according to ESPNs Joon Lee. The incredible celebration became a huge hit in recent weeks. The hat originally came from local sports memorabilia collector More than Sports and was gifted to several players during opening weekend, per ESPN. Every time the Braves hit a home run, the player would toss the hat on and start celebrating in the dugout. The busiest Brave at the ballpark tonight is the homer hat.#ForTheA pic.twitter.com/aLYjGd7Sv2 Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 15, 2023 The big hat, however, isnt made by New Era, MLBs official hat manufacturer. Its unclear when the company complained to the league, but the celebration has quietly died down in recent days. As fun as they were, the big cap days are over in Atlanta. The Braves entered Thursdays game against the Marlins with a 17-8 record and a three-game win streak over Miami. The Braves have 40 home runs, which is third in the league behind only the Tampa Bay Rays (48) and Los Angeles Dodgers (45). Second baseman Ozzie Albies and first baseman Matt Olson lead Atlanta with seven home runs each this season. Catcher Sean Murphy has six, and third baseman Austin Riley has five. Dodgers star Max Muncy leads the league with 11. Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) is being lobbied by one of his children, who identifies as gay and nonbinary, not to sign legislation that would ban gender-affirming care for minors in the state, among other anti-transgender bills moving through the states Legislature. David Gianforte, who uses he and they pronouns, says they met with their father late last month to urge him against supporting measures they called immoral, unjust, and frankly a violation of human rights. I felt somewhat of an obligation to speak with him about it. Otherwise, I would regret the missed opportunity, David said in an interview with the Montana Free Press published on Wednesday. David, a 32-year-old Bozeman resident, said they initially reached out to their father via email, asking as your constituent and your son that he veto the bills including one that defines sex as strictly binary in state law. After making an appointment to meet in the governors office, the younger Gianforte said they read their father an official statement, which they provided to the Free Press. Hey Dad. Thanks for setting aside time to meet with me, it means a lot to me, David said. There are a lot of important issues passing through the legislature right now. For my own sake Ive chosen to focus primarily on transgender rights, as that would significantly directly affect a number of my friends. The governors office told the Free Press that it would not discuss private conversations that Gianforte had with his family. The governor loves his family and values their thoughts, ideas, and perspectives, his office said. The anti-trans bills in Montana made national headlines this week after state Rep. Zooey Zephyr, one of the states first openly transgender lawmakers, was censured this week for criticizing Republicans who voted for the health care ban. Zephyr was barred from the House floor for the rest of the session. Story continues There are many more eyes on Montana now, she said in an interview with The Associated Press. But you do the same thing youve always done. You stand up in defense of your community and you stand for the principles that they elected you to stand for. I stand in support of @ZoAndBehold and the entire LGBTQ+ community of Montana, which includes myself and many of my friends, David Gianforte posted on Twitter last week. I have worked to oppose bills in the current MT Legislative session including SB 99 and SB 458. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The University of Mississippi Medical Centers TEAM Clinic has long been one of the few medical spaces in Mississippi that aims to serve the LGBTQ community. Its co-founder, Dr. Scott Rodgers, has described the Trustworthy, Evidence-Based, Affirming, and Multidisciplinary clinics mission in passionate terms: The clinic, its presence and its openness, sends a powerful message that we are here for you. But last fall, UMMC leadership made a drastic decision. TEAM Clinic would no longer provide gender-affirming medical care meaning puberty blockers and hormone therapy to trans minors. The move in mid-October 2022 came months before lawmakers banned gender-affirming care for trans youth, and was implemented as quietly as possible. Parents received phone calls instead of letters and were supposed to be told only that unforeseen clinical circumstances necessitated the change. The news swiftly spread through Mississippis small LGBTQ+ community, but the reasons for it havent been reported until now. Emails obtained through a public records request show UMMCs decision to stop providing gender-affirming care to trans youth was a reaction to lawmakers who were seemingly angered that the public hospital was helping trans kids transition at all. In late August, a legislative committee had begun formally probing for information, like how much state funding supported gender transition at the clinic, part of UMMCs Center for Gender and Sexual Minority Health. While our one pager clearly outlines what the Center is and does and much of it is not objectionable, it seems that the overarching issue of concern is our providing hormone therapy and reassignment is most alarming to Members, coupled with their feeling caught off guard that we do this at all, Kristy Simms wrote in a Sept. 12 email to Dr. LouAnn Woodward, the vice chancellor, and other executive leadership. Simms, UMMCs point person with elected officials at the state and federal level, had a proposal. Story continues Its looking more and more like we have two options: Pause or shutter some/all of the work of the Center or be told to do so by the legislature in January. University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, April 28, 2022. Credit: UMMC abandoned patients, trans teen says UMMCs decision echoes those made by hospitals in other conservative states. In Texas, a well-known gender clinic closed after receiving an information request from Gov. Greg Abbott. A similar clinic at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee paused gender-affirming care for minors last October following pressure from Republican lawmakers. UMMC said it had no comment for this story. The emails do not show UMMC officials taking into account the impact that suddenly rescinding care would have on trans youth, but it is unclear what leadership discussed in person. Among the handful of trans teenagers affected was 17-year-old Raymond Walker, who received puberty blockers and a testosterone prescription through the clinic. That care which Walker had waited months to get starting in 2020 was the only thing that relieved the intense gender dysphoria that came with female puberty. It was also a comforting environment. His mother, Katie Rives, recalled that the pediatric endocrinologist treated Ray like everybody should treat Ray but not everybody does. Then one day in early November, Walker learned he could no longer go to TEAM Clinic when Rives picked him up from school. His dad had received a call that the clinic was no longer offering hormone therapy but wasnt told why. It was just a few days before Walkers appointment and he was running out of testosterone. Because it was such a welcoming environment, I couldnt believe that they had just dropped patients like that, Walker said. I was just completely blindsided. Walker said he felt like UMMC abandoned trans kids. I dont know how they could have a clean conscience about this, he said. They stripped away health care from children. It was an important resource that they just took away. Though lawmakers had asked about TEAM Clinic in the past, its work hadnt come under fire. In fact, it was thriving. The pioneering clinic, founded in 2015, was booked the first Friday of every month. The staff a roster of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, physicians and plastic surgeons often saw more than 50 patients in a day, some of whom had traveled across state lines to be there. But this time, lawmakers inquiries came amid a nationwide panic over gender-affirming care. Across the country, conservative politicians were likening gender-affirming care, the medically recommended treatment for gender dysphoria, to child abuse. By early September, emails show that UMMC had already received about a dozen inquiries from lawmakers. Simms responded by creating a one-pager. She asked leadership if she should send lawmakers a press release that humanizes the mission of the clinic and shows that it is doing much more than gender reassignment and hormone therapy. When we transmit this to legislators, we will be sure to reiterate that state funds support our education mission ONLY, she wrote on Sept. 9. Three days later, Simms had an urgent update. She had received even more calls. We have been contacted by chairmen we rely on, friendly legislators and leadership staff, she wrote on Sept. 12. Today I got a call from Sam Mims who was very frustrated and indicated that he had been talking with the Speaker about this and he is not happy. I would characterize the conversation as hostile and slightly threatening. Its unclear what Mims, chair of the House Public Health and Human Services Committee, said because he did not return inquiries from Mississippi Today. But things moved quickly after that. Simms suggested leadership discuss the future of TEAM Clinic, and Woodward emailed Brian Rutledge, her chief of staff, to coordinate. Rutledge then suggested Rodgers, the clinics co-founder, be included, noting he will likely have some feelings. Among leadership, Rodgers was in a unique position. A tenured professor, his scholarly work has looked at the mental health of LGBTQ+ youth. That research inspired him to help start TEAM Clinic. It has also enabled him to rise through UMMCs ranks, where last year he became associate vice chancellor for academic affairs. What do the emails say? The emails dont include details about a meeting, so its unclear what leadership discussed or how Rodgers perspective was factored into the decision. But later that week, Woodward sent Rodgers an email, urging him to focus on what we can do for UMMC that is feasible and good. I know this is not fully possible but to the degree that you can do so please dont let the current challenges and issues get you down, she wrote on Sept. 14. There is nothing about the situation that is your fault. We likely will have to make some adjustments. And I can not predict what the legislature will do. Rodgers replied that night. He asked Woodward about an idea she would likely consider high risk. He wrote that he had traveled the country giving successful talks on TEAM Clinic. Perhaps he could convince the Institutions of Higher Learning or lawmakers of the clinics value. I am confident that I wont be able to win over everyone, but if my track record is any indicator, I will likely make some inroads into changing hearts and minds, he wrote. It was either that, Rodgers continued, or sit back, hope this dies down, and begin dismantling TEAM clinic, which is likely the safer approach to take, but it sure doesnt feel right to me. Woodward didnt reply in writing, and its not clear if she ever OKd Rodgers request. Rodgers didnt respond to a request for comment. I am not intimidated by the politicians and the Board, and I would treat them with great respect throughout, just as I treat each and every family that Ive ever worked with, he assured Woodward. I also wouldnt make it political at all. In the following month, emails show that leadership monitored the growing coverage about the clinic and expressed surprise that it had been targeted at all. For example, the recent bru ha ha created about our TEAM clinic (clinic for LGBTQ) not expected, Woodward wrote in an Oct. 13 email to Tom Duff, the IHL board president. The clinic has been in place in some form since 2015 and in its current form since 2017 who knew it would be a hot topic in September of 2022? A plan to end TEAM Clinics services for trans youth, created by the co-directors of UMMCs Center for Gender and Sexuality Minority Health, Alex Mills and Seth Kalin, was dated for the next day. It was printed and hand-delivered to leadership. Employees at the TEAM clinic had been told not to use email to communicate about the transition period. According to a copy obtained by Mississippi Today, the goal was to move all trans youth patients away from the clinic by Nov. 4. Though the plan was specific to TEAM Clinic, it impacted services across UMMC. Minors who had gone to TEAM Clinic for counseling would be moved to another UMMC center. Those being seen for gender-affirming care were to be given a list of LGBTQ+ friendly health services all outside of UMMC. The only providers outside of Mississippi were two websites: getplume.com and queermed.com. If parents wanted information about a UMMC-specific provider, the plan says they were supposed to be told to call TEAM clinic. We need to ensure a safe and adequate transfer of care and on emergent bases may need to have patients seen during the November TEAM clinic, Mills and Kalin wrote. These potential cases can be reviewed by UMMC leadership should they wish. It didnt always work out that way in practice at least not for Walker, the teen whose testosterone prescription was running out. His dad left three calls for his pediatric endocrinologist, but ultimately, his parents found a new provider on their own. They ended up at Spectrum: The Other Clinic in Hattiesburg, an hour and a half drive from the Jackson metro area. This is insanity. Stacie Pace, Spectrums co-owner, received a flurry of calls from other scared parents. A passionate advocate for trans health care, she was furious to hear of UMMCs decision. Its pitiful to me that the leadership in an organization as large as UMMC that has its own medical school, that produces its own research is being forced to bend to political whims, she told Mississippi Today. This is insanity. This is a page from Hitlers book on how to erase people. The emails obtained by Mississippi Today do not show whether leadership appeared to consider the impact that ending gender-affirming care would have on trans youth patients, who have high rates of mental illness and suicidality. That would have been crucial to consider, noted Arthur Caplan, a medical ethicist at New York University. He said that neither the plan, nor the way it was implemented in Walkers case, was sufficient, because patients need to be fully apprised of their options for care both in state and out. You cant say, Were done, call this 1-800 number of this website, good luck. Thats not adequate, he said. Youve gotta do much better than saying goodbye, heres a website. Nurse practitioner Stacie Pace opened the Other Clinic, a telemedicine clinic with an office in Hattiesburg, in November. The Coast natives clinic is the only facility in the state to exclusively offer hormone therapy exclusively for transgender and nonbinary individuals. Per Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure policies, physicians wanting to end a patient relationship should give written notice and agree to continue providing care for at least 30 days. Kalin couldnt be reached. Mills, who spoke to Mississippi Today on his behalf and not UMMCs, said he was demoralized by the failure of health care leaders in Mississippi to stand up for trans kids. He apologized for what happened. I dont know how to summarize it other than just saying Im sorry to the community, to these families, he said. If there was something that I could do, or if I could just say the right thing to the right person in power to defend the right to health care and life, I wish I knew what it was. And I wish I could have said it before September. Walker said he could see how UMMC leadership may have felt like they were picking the lesser of two evils, that perhaps if they stopped treating trans kids at the clinic, lawmakers might not pass House Bill 1125. But he still felt there was a better way to do it. They could have stayed and fought for their patients and maybe fought the lawmakers or say hey we swore an oath as medical providers, we cant just stop, Walker said. I want to know what they were thinking. They swore an oath as medical providers to do no harm. Every person who helped in making this decision has broken that oath. Read all the emails here and the transition plan here. PORTSMOUTH Mark Brighton recently received a bill for the more than 24 hours he spent on a gurney in a hospital emergency room hallway. The bill totaled $14,692, according to Brighton. I was shocked, Brighton said this week about the size of the bill, especially because he spent most of the time during his stay at Portsmouth Regional Hospital in a hallway, rather than a patients room. Portsmouth resident Mark Brighton, seen Thursday, March 9, 2023, has dealt with having diabetes for 60 years and has seen many changes in technology to help treat it over that time. Brighton recently spent over 24 hours in the emergency room at Portsmouth Regional Hospital. Brighton was pleasantly surprised, however, by how relatively little he had to pay out of pocket. My portion is $111. I have Medicare and I have excellent supplemental Medicare coverage, Brighton said. I recommend everyone whos on Medicare to make sure they get good supplemental coverage. Brighton, who gets his supplemental Medicare coverage through Aetna, says theres no doubt in my mind I would have been paying an 80/20 split without it. More local news: 1870 Portsmouth home to be demolished as part of new housing development Hospital responds to questions about billing A Portsmouth Regional Hospital spokesperson said Brighton owes nothing to the hospital for his services there, not even $111. Ellen Miller, the hospitals senior director of marketing and communications, issued a general statement about hospital billing. The amount patients actually pay for hospital services has more to do with the type of insurance coverage they have than amounts on the chargemaster. Government programs like Medicare and Medicaid determine how much they reimburse hospitals, and insurance plans negotiate rates, according to the statement. Uninsured patients are eligible for free care through our charity care program or they receive our uninsured discounts, which are similar to the discounts a private insurance plan gets, the hospital's statement says. In 2017, we expanded our discounts to help more patients, including those who are uninsured or underinsured, who may have trouble paying for hospital services by capping bills for eligible patients who earn up to 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. Story continues Previous story: Portsmouth man recounts 24 hours on emergency room gurney. Hospitals face high demand. Brighton, who is a Type 1 diabetic, initially spoke out about his long stay in the emergency room hallway during an interview in March. Brighton said every inch of space in the emergency room had a gurney. They called it a bed, but it was a gurney, Brighton said in an interview and a narrative he shared with Seacoast Media Group about his experience at the time. He ended up leaving with his wife after spending more than a day on the ER gurney. Oh my God, I cant describe how frustrating it was, Brighton said. If someone had come and talked to me about what was going on, that would have helped. But that didnt happen. Leaders at Portsmouth Regional Hospital and hospitals around the Seacoast and New Hampshire have previously acknowledged that patients have been dealing with long emergency room wait times. Locally and nationally, hospitals have cited issues with staffing, patients ending up in the ER after having difficulty getting primary care appointments and numerous other factors creating a logjam. Brightons experience began on Thursday, Feb. 16. By Friday, Feb, 17, Brighton unhooked his monitors and checked himself out of the hospital, he said. Miller issued a statement in March related to Brightons emergency room experience. We have been in touch with Mr. Brighton on his concerns and apologize to him for falling short of his expectations, according to the statement. We understand that long waits in an emergency room, even when a patient has been initially evaluated and are in a bed, are frustrating as patients wait for answers, hospital officials added in the statement. The statement also pointed out hospitals across the country are facing staffing shortages in all areas, and emergency departments and inpatient units are hit especially hard. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Patient: Portsmouth NH hospital bills $14K for 24 hours in ER hallway An artist impression of a moon base (Nasa) Scientists at Nasa have figured out how to extract oxygen from lunar soil in a major boost for the US space agencys plans to build human bases on the Moon. A team from Nasas Johnson Space Center in Houston successfully removed oxygen from simulated lunar soil within a vacuum environment for the first ever time by using a high-powered laser to create a carbothermal reaction. The Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration (CaRD) experiment could prove vital for producing oxygen for breathing, as well as for propellant for transportation. Our team proved the CaRD reactor would survive the lunar surface and successfully extract oxygen, said Nasa engineer Anastasia Ford. This is a big step for developing the architecture to build sustainable human bases on other planets. Establishing a permanent human presence on the Moon is one of the long-term goals of Nasas Artemis mission, which will see the first astronauts return to the lunar surface as early as 2025. The success of the latest experiment means the oxygen harvesting technology is now at a readiness level of six, meaning it is ready to be tested in space. The technology has the potential to produce several times its own weight in oxygen per year on the lunar surface, which will enable a sustained human presence and lunar economy, said Aaron Paz, a senior engineer at Nasa. Earlier this month, Nasa announced the four astronauts that will venture around the Moon on the Artemis II mission, which will be the first crewed space flight of the programme. The 10-day flight test will see the astronauts travel in the Orion spacecraft, launched aboard Nasas huge Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. They will be the first astronauts to fly within the vicinity of the Moon in more than 50 years. The US space agency has already completed an uncrewed test flight of the Orion craft, which saw it fly around the Moon and return to Earth in November 2022. A study looking at criminal homicides during the first quarter of the past three years has put Durham sixth in the nation for killings. Durhams 4.66 homicides per 100,000 people in the first three months of this year and how that number compared to the first quarter during the previous two years placed it at No. 6 on the list of 45 cities, data from the U.S. Census Bureau and local crime statistics show. Durham ranked just below Detroit and above Dallas, according to the rankings published Wednesday by personal finance website WalletHub, which bills itself as providing honest and straightforward data-based reviews for consumers. Durhams homicide ranking was based on: 4.66 homicides per 100,000 people in the first quarter of 2023. Durham ranked 14th on this figure alone. An increase of 1.79 homicides per 100,000 since the first quarter of 2022 and also since 2021. Durham ranked third and fourth on these figures alone, respectively. In comparison, Raleigh ranked 41st for its comparatively low 0,87 first quarter homicide rate, combined with its decrease in homicides from the first quarters of the previous two years. Overall reported violent crime in Durham, however, fell 10% last year, Durham Police Chief Patrice Andrews recently told the City Council. Last year, there were: 45 homicides (down 8%) 135 rapes (up 11%) 574 robberies (up 8%) 1,171 aggravated assaults (down 18%) Fewer people being shot in Durham There have been 16 homicides, including 15 fatal shootings, in Durham this year (as of April 15), according to Durham Police Department crime statistics published online. There were 45 homicides in the city in 2022 and a possible record 50 homicides in 2021. Fewer people have been shot so far this year: 55 as of April 15, compared to 76 and 63 by the same date during the previous two years, respectively. Arrests have been made in more than three-quarters, or 76%, of all Durham homicides as of March 31 this year, according to data requested by The News & Observer. Mary Helen Moore contributed to this report. Source: WalletHub North Carolina legislators are considering a bill that would prohibit the states public universities and community colleges from asking applicants for employment or academic admission about their views on matters of contemporary political debate or social action. The language in House Bill 607, Prohibit Compelled Speech/Higher Ed, closely mirrors that of a policy passed by the UNC System Board of Governors in February. If passed, the bill would cement in law the prohibition of compelled speech for the states public universities and extend it to the states 58 community colleges by requiring the State Board of Community Colleges to adopt a policy in accordance with the bills provisions. This bill does not change anything that exists in policy now with the University of North Carolina System, said Rep. Steve Tyson, a New Bern Republican, at Thursdays committee meeting. It does extend that same policy to the community colleges. Nathan Hardin, executive director of communications for the state community college system, declined to comment on the bill when contacted by The News & Observer Wednesday, but Tyson said at Thursdays committee meeting that government relations personnel with the system had not shared with him any opposition at this time. Tyson, who is one of HB 607s primary sponsors, said the purpose of including UNC System schools in the bill was to ensure the systems policy will remain in place if the system has a different Board of Governors at a later time, which we all know they will. Bill does not specify prohibited topics HB 607 would prohibit colleges and universities from asking or requiring applicants to endorse, opine or commit to sharing their personal views, beliefs or opinions as well as any action they have taken in support of or in opposition to those beliefs on matters of contemporary political debate or social action as a condition of employment, admission or promotion. Story continues Like the UNC System policy, the bill does not outline specific topics that may be considered matters of contemporary political debate or social action, but it could apply to hiring and application questions about topics related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), which some universities have previously included in applications for admission or employment. At N.C. State University, for example, beginning with the 2021 application cycle, the schools application for undergraduate admission included a question asking applicants how they would contribute to a more diverse and inclusive environment at the university. That question drew criticism from Carolina Partnership for Reform, a group that describes itself as advocates for a freedom and prosperity agenda and that had singled out N.C. State as the only school in the UNC system requiring a DEI statement. The question will not be required of applicants in the future, The N&O previously reported. Tyson and another primary bill sponsor, Rep. Destin Hall, a Republican from Granite Falls, said during Thursdays committee meeting that the bill would allow politically conservative applicants to feel more comfortable in the hiring and admissions processes. The truth is, the problem that the UNC board was after, the problem this board is after, is conservatives who are applying to jobs, professors and the folks who are applying to these schools, feeling like theyre getting the shorter end of the stick, because theyre having to make basically compelled speech about something, Hall said. Rep. Tim Longest, a Raleigh Democrat, said in the meeting he worries the bills language may sweep too broadly and limit schools abilities to question applicants about their support or opposition of issues such as white supremacy. I would like the universities to have the power to investigate to determine whether thats the case, Longest said. Hall said he was not aware of any university that has on their application whether someones a white supremacist. Bill would not ban prohibited topics from campuses Another bill being considered this legislative session, Senate Bill 364, includes similar language to HB 607, but applies it to the hiring and workplaces of state employees and, in its current version, includes specific concepts that shall not be promoted in state government workplaces. The 13 listed and banned concepts in SB 364 include that: One race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex Any individual, solely by virtue of his or her race or sex, should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress All Americans are not created equal and are not endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness HB 607 would not prevent applicants from voluntarily talking about their beliefs, nor prevent hiring or admissions managers from asking about the content of their resume or professional work. The bill also does not prohibit the banned topics from being discussed on campus or in classrooms. The students at the university can talk about anything they want to, Tyson said. They can come up with crazy ideas just like I did when I was a young man, and thats fine. Thats part of the education process. But, you know, its really meant for more toward the employer and the applicant students. Employees of colleges and universities who violate HB 607s provisions would be subject to disciplinary procedures as determined by the schools system-level governing boards. The bill includes appeals processes for schools to be granted the ability to ask applicants about the banned topics on a case-by-case basis. The appeals would require the approval of either the president of the UNC System or the state community college system. Nearly $4 million in federal funds have been awarded to improve local area airports. >>RELATED: Dayton International Airport unveils master plan to public, wants your feedback Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown announced airports in Clark, Darke, Greene, and Butler Counties will each get funding to enhance safety and operations, according to his spokesperson. Springfield/Beckley Municipal Airport will get at least $3 million to rehabilitate the structural integrity of runway pavement and a runway lighting system to enhance safe airfield operations during low visibility conditions. They will also install replacement runway identifier lights to make the airport accessible by improving approaches to the runway. The Darke County Airport in Versailles will receive over $330,000 to reconstruct the terminal building to allow for the efficient movement of passengers and baggage. Greene County/Lewis A Jackson Regional Airport will get at least $216,000 to seal existing taxiway surface, perform crack sealing to existing runway and rehabilitate the existing terminal building passenger waiting area to meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards. Butler County- Miami University Airport in Oxford will receive nearly $140,000 in funding to perform sealing and joint filling for the existing terminal tarmac surface and taxiway. Ohio airports are vital infrastructure, supporting travel and commerce in our state, said Brown. These investments will enhance safety and operations at Southwest Ohio airports and improve travel for area residents and businesses. Cincinnati West Airport in Harrison will also receive over $200,000 in funding to install a new taxiway lighting to enhance safe airfield operations during low visibility conditions. [Source] Four years after the premiere of its fifth season, Netflixs hit anthology series Black Mirror is set to return. The streaming giant released an official teaser for Season 6, touted as its "most unpredictable" yet, of Black Mirror on Wednesday. The teaser, which features an eerie rendition of the song I Dont Want to Set the World on Fire, includes different clips taken from Season 6s various episodes. Some of the clips include a room on fire, a woman smashing another persons head on a glass counter and a cheerleader crashing a wedding. Youve been wondering. Youve been waiting. Youve been warned. The sixth season of Charlie Brookers Black Mirror is back, Netflix wrote in the videos description, also calling the upcoming installment the most unpredictable, unclassifiable and unexpected season yet. More from NextShark: Crunchyroll drops Demon Slayer spinoff series Junior High and High School!! Kimetsu Academy Story Showrunner and writer Charlie Brooker told Tudum that Black Mirror should be a series that cant be easily defined, and can keep reinventing itself. Partly as a challenge, and partly to keep things fresh for both me and the viewer, I began this season [Season 6] by deliberately upending some of my own core assumptions about what to expect, he shared. Consequently, this time, alongside some of the more familiar Black Mirror tropes weve also got a few new elements, including some Ive previously sworn blind the show would never do The stories are all still tonally Black Mirror through-and-through but with some crazy swings and more variety than ever before. More from NextShark: Michelle Yeoh dedicates Indie Spirit's first gender-neutral Best Lead Performance award to all mothers Filming for Black Mirror Season 6 reportedly started in June 2022, one month after it was greenlit by Netflix. In addition to Brooker, Jessica Rhoades, Annabel Jones and Bisha K. Ali serve as executive producers. Ali is notably the creator of the Disney+ series Ms. Marvel, which stars Iman Vellani. Story continues Season 6s star-studded cast includes Himesh Patel, Anjana Vasan, Salma Hayek Pinault, Aaron Paul, Annie Murphy, Auden Thornton, Ben Barnes, Clara Rugaard, Daniel Portman, Danny Ramirez, David Shields, Himesh Patel, John Hannah, Josh Hartnett, Kate Mara, Michael Cera, Monica Dolan, Myhala Herrold, Paapa Essiedu, Rob Delaney, Rory Culkin, Samuel Blenkin and Zazie Beetz. More from NextShark: 'Personally, Im happy to keep going': Park Solomon on 'All of Us Are Dead kiss scene that took 17 takes Black Mirror, whose first season premiered on the British TV's Channel 4 in 2011, moved to Netflix in 2016. The anthology series heavily explores technology in relation to contemporary social issues. Since 2011, the show has won an Art Directors Guild Award, a BAFTA Television Craft Award, a Broadcast Award, a Cinema Audio Society Award, a Producers Guild of America Award and several Emmy Awards, among other accolades. Black Mirror Season 6 premieres on Netflix in June. Watch its official teaser below: More from NextShark: Don't call her an icon: Constance Wu shows her range in 'wildly different' role on The Terminal List Members of the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) attending a Chinese language training program tailor-made for KDF are pictured at a classroom in Nairobi, Kenya, April 26, 2023. The inaugural Chinese language training program tailor-made for the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) was launched Wednesday in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, marking a significant milestone in efforts to enhance Sino-Kenyan cultural ties. (Xinhua/Han Xu) NAIROBI, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The inaugural Chinese language training program tailor-made for the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) was launched Wednesday in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, marking a significant milestone in efforts to enhance Sino-Kenyan cultural ties. Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Zhou Pingjian said the launch of the first Chinese language training program for disciplined forces was a giant step toward strengthening bonds of friendship and mutual understanding between Chinese and Kenyan citizens. Zhou added that by embracing the Chinese language, Kenya's disciplined forces will act as a bridge for promoting people-to-people exchanges while injecting vitality into the existing bilateral cooperation. Conceived in March through a partnership between the University of Nairobi's Confucius Institute and Kenya Defense Forces School of Education and Languages, the inaugural Chinese language training program has already enlisted 26 soldiers drawn from diverse cadres. The year-long course aims to improve Chinese language proficiency among Kenya's disciplined forces, expose them to the Asian nation's culture and place them at the heart of efforts to foster cultural diplomacy. Besides undertaking the one-year intensive Chinese language course from Monday to Friday, the 26 military soldiers will be visiting the University of Nairobi's Confucius Institute on a weekly basis to experience Chinese culture, including opera, calligraphy and martial arts. Currently, the soldiers are finalizing the level one syllabus of the Chinese language proficiency course, and will soon enroll for level two by December. They are expected to take the new Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK 3) and those who excel will be eligible for further studies in China. Fredrick Leuria, the assistant chief of the KDF in charge of Operations, Planning, Doctrine and Training, hailed the launch of the first Chinese language training program for the disciplined forces, adding that it will elevate China-Kenya diplomatic ties to a new level. Leuria urged men and women in uniform to strive for proficiency in spoken and written Mandarin since it will improve their competence in a rapidly globalizing workplace. The launch was attended by senior Kenyan military officials, cadets and tutors. Zhou Pingjian (R), Chinese Ambassador to Kenya, and Fredrick Leuria, the assistant chief of the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) in charge of Operations, Planning, Doctrine and Training attend the launching ceremony of the inaugural Chinese language training program tailor-made for KDF in Nairobi, Kenya, April 26, 2023. The inaugural Chinese language training program tailor-made for the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) was launched Wednesday in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, marking a significant milestone in efforts to enhance Sino-Kenyan cultural ties. (Xinhua/Han Xu) Zhou Pingjian, Chinese Ambassador to Kenya, delivers a speech at the launching ceremony of the inaugural Chinese language training program tailor-made for Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) in Nairobi, Kenya, April 26, 2023. The inaugural Chinese language training program tailor-made for the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) was launched Wednesday in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, marking a significant milestone in efforts to enhance Sino-Kenyan cultural ties. (Xinhua/Han Xu) Foster care youth advocates are hoping Gov. Gavin Newsom does not reduce a $60 million dollar commitment as the state deals with its projected billion dollar budget deficit. The proposed move comes as the administration tries to pull back on spending on a range of measures that were previously enacted. But some advocates and lawmakers are urging the governor to reconsider, citing the benefits and need for funding of the Court Appointed Special Advocates program, better known as CASA. The program, which began in 1977, enlists volunteers across the nation to help and advocate for foster youth navigating the judicial and child welfare system. In California, CASA operates 44 centers and consists of more than 11,000 volunteers. Volunteer Sharon Holgerson was shocked and disappointed when she saw Newsoms January budget proposal to scale back CASA funding by two-thirds. What are you thinking? asked Holgerson.Youre hurting our youth. Why would you take it back after youve already allocated and made a budget? Holgerson is referring to last year when CASA was granted $60 million over the next three years to assist with recruiting, training and fundraising. The program received the first $20 million in December. The remaining funding is crucial to completing CASAs 10-year Serve Every Child vision, said Sharon Lawrence, chief executive for the California CASA Association. Currently, the program helps roughly 13,000 youth, which is about 16% of the states foster population. California has approximately 78,000 foster youth, the most in the country. By 2023, CASA hoped the funding would go toward servingl 50,000 of those youth. As of now, CASA receives $2.7 million in state grants, while also fundraising another $58 million that mostly stems from private donations. $40 million is such a small part of our billions and billions of dollars budgetIts so small and theres other places that I think that we can cut the budget other than child welfare, said Lawrence. Story continues Bipartisan opposition to cuts A request for comment from the governors office resulted in a referral to H.D. Palmer, spokesperson for the Department of Finance. Pulling back future funding for the CASA program is a proposal, like many others, that would not have been put forward were it not for the necessity of closing the shortfall, said Palmer. Both Republican and Democrat lawmakers have stated their opposition to the cuts, citing the vital role of advocates to the foster care system. These advocates can play a pivotal role in the outcomes of foster children and can change the trajectory of whether these young people enter our justice system or become homeless or whether they go on to living healthy, thriving lives, said Assemblymember Phil Ting, D-San Francisco. Assemblymember Joe Patterson, R-Rocklin concurred, saying that the funding should remain despite the budget situation. Everybody knew that this budget year was going to be different, but you cant pull the rug out from underneath them after just making the commitment a few months ago, he said. Patterson pointed out that research highlights how advocates help mitigate or eliminate negative outcomes for foster youth, who are disproportionately represented in prisons and homelessness. More than 24% of 21-year-olds who had recently left the foster care system went on to experience homelessness, according to a 2019 study from the USC Homelessness Policy Research Institute. Patterson also expressed optimism that the funding would be restored given the bi-partisan blowback. Adjustments to Newsoms budget will be released in May. If the funding is not put back, Patterson plans to advocate for it through the budget committee. There is plenty of money to have this $40 million put back in there, Patterson said. It really comes down to priorities. And this funding should be a priority. Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley. (Patrick Semansky/AP) Doubling down on her view that both President Biden and former President Donald Trump are too old to be given a second term, Republican candidate Nikki Haley said Wednesday that it was not implausible that Biden would die in office if reelected. He announced that hes running again in 2024, and I think that we can all be very clear and say with a matter of fact that if you vote for Joe Biden, you really are counting on a President Harris, because the idea that he would make it until 86 years old is not something that I think is likely, Haley said during an interview on Fox News. When she announced her own presidential bid in February, Haley, 51, brought the issue of age front and center. In the America I see, the permanent politician will finally retire, she said in a speech in Charleston, S.C., kicking off her campaign. Well have term limits for Congress and mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75 years old. During the first few months of her campaign, Haley has often stressed the need to move beyond the stale ideas and faded names of the past. If you're tired of losing, put your trust in a new generation, she said in a March speech at the Conservative Political Action Committee conference, And if you want to win not just as a party, but as a country, then stand with me. While she has struggled to distinguish her candidacy in terms of policy (a Morning Consult tracking poll of Republican voters released this week shows her with 3% support compared to 58% for Trump), polls show that her assertions on the age of the two frontrunners are shared by a large swath of Americans. President Biden accepting cheers from members of a building trades union, in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. (Andrew Harnik/AP) Sixty-eight percent of U.S. adults surveyed in a Yahoo News/YouGov poll released in February said Biden, who will turn 82 shortly after the 2024 election, is "too old for another term as president." Forty-five percent said the same about Trump, who, if victorious in 2024, would turn 79 seven months into the term. Story continues The belief Biden could die in office if reelected is also shared by other Republicans. Earlier this month, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has yet to announce his own 2024 plans, made a similar prediction by way of attacking what he sees as former President Donald Trumps inherent weakness in a general election. A vote for Donald Trump is a vote for Kamala Harris, Christie said at an April event in New Hampshire. Yet predicting when someone might die or assessing their mental competency in the absence of medical data is folly, experts say. I would never diagnose anybody that I see on TV, that would be a mistake, Dr. Arthur Kramer, director of the Center for Cognitive and Brain Health and professor of psychology at Northeastern University, told Yahoo News. Its hard to tell how well Biden functions, but he seems to function pretty well to me. And while both Trump and Biden are already older than the average U.S. male life expectancy of 74.5 years, that figure includes all early deaths due to accidents, disease and other causes. Haleys focus on age also comes at a time when Americans are working later into life. According to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the percentage of U.S. workers 75 years of age and older who will remain in the labor force is expected to rise from 8.9% in 2020 to 11.7% in 2030. Moreover, advanced age is far from a guarantee of diminished performance. There are 90-year-olds who can do things that 60-year-olds cant, Dr. Claudia Kawas, a professor of clinical neurology at the University of California, Irvine, told Yahoo News. There are 60-year-olds who have dementia. Ive diagnosed Alzheimers disease in 39-year-olds. Nikki Haley said it's unlikely Joe Biden will live to the age of 86. STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Nikki Haley took a swipe at President Joe Biden's age, suggesting he won't live past 86. She told Fox that Biden will likely die before he reaches the end of a second term. While Biden is the oldest sitting US president in history, his physician says he's healthy. GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley took aim at President Joe Biden's age in a bid to undermine his campaign on Wednesday, predicting that he won't live until the end of a second term. "I think we can all be very clear and say with a matter of fact that if you vote for Joe Biden, you really are counting on a President Harris," Haley said in an interview on the Fox News show "America Reports." "Because the idea that he would make it until 86 years old is not something that I think is likely," she told hosts Sandra Smith and John Roberts. Biden, who turns 81 in November, would be 86 by 2028 the end of his second term, if he's reelected. The president announced his reelection bid with Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday, just one day before Haley commented on Fox about his age. Biden is the oldest sitting president in US history. A February memo from the White House physician states that Biden is being treated for acid reflux, spinal arthritis, atrial fibrillation, and high cholesterol. Biden's health condition is stable, per the memo, which declared him a "healthy, vigorous, 80-year-old male" who exercises at least five days a week. Haley, 51, previously called for mandatory "mental competency tests" for politicians older than 75, also taking a swipe at former President Donald Trump's age. Trump, who is also running for president, would be 78 if he clinches the White House in 2024. In Washington, US political leadership is becoming more advanced in age across the board. Insider's 2022 "Red, White, and Gray" series investigates the costs, benefits, and dangers of an America helmed by older politicians who must govern on issues central to the future of the country's youth. Representatives for Haley and the White House did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment sent outside regular business hours. Read the original article on Business Insider A 35-year-old woman was killed and her 6-year-old daughter critically injured in a traffic crash at Colgate Avenue and Ogden Drive near Hancock Park Elementary School in Los Angeles on Tuesday. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) A medical emergency may have been responsible for the "tragic accident" that occurred Tuesday morning when a pickup truck plowed into a mother and daughter, killing the mom near Hancock Park Elementary School, according to police. Police had been investigating the driver and suggested Tuesday that "drugs or alcohol" were possible contributors to the crash that killed the 35-year-old woman, whose name was not immediately released. The 6-year-old daughter was hospitalized in critical condition Monday and police did not provide an update on her status. But on Wednesday police walked back their assessment of the crash, saying it seemed to be an accident. "At this time based on the totality of the circumstances, this appears to be a tragic accident that possibly resulted from a medical emergency," said the department in a news release. The department said that they had identified the driver of the pickup and that he was not in custody. "There is a potential that charges may be filed at a later date," the department added. The driver was allegedly speeding when he crashed into the mother and daughter, who were walking in a crosswalk near the school around 8 a.m. in Mid-Wilshire. After hitting them, he drove into a two-story apartment building on the 6200 block of Colgate Avenue, according to police. The woman died at the scene. Her daughter and the driver of the truck were hospitalized, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The man was in "moderate condition." A woman who came out of a home immediately after the crash said she held the little girl in her arms before an ambulance came to take the child to a hospital, according to NBC. "Baby girl, you are not alone. Im here, baby. Hear my voice, the woman, Cassandra, said to the girl, according to the report. Cassandra heard the girl moan and saw her mother, who was clearly dead. I want the family, if anyone is listening, to know that in those moments, she was not alone. She was not alone. I did not let go of her hand, Cassandra said. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Gabby Giffords Takes Part In Protest Against Gun Violence At Michigan State Capitol Former Rep. Gabby Giffords, left, who survived being shot during a 2011 mass shooting, is assisted to the podium by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to speak to a large crowd demanding action on gun safety at the Michigan State Capitol on March 15, 2023 in Lansing Credit - Chris duMondGetty Images This article is part of The D.C. Brief, TIMEs politics newsletter. Sign up here to get stories like this sent to your inbox. Gabby Giffords black SUV rolled through the security blockade and right to the southern entrance of the U.S. Capitol, to be greeted by a former colleague and a half-dozen current and former staffers. After quick hugs and hellos, Giffords leaned on the cane in her left hand, made her way up the slight ramp and then down through the labyrinth of back halls and passages and elevators toward a basement conference room. It was a homecoming of sorts for the ex-Congresswoman and survivor of an assassination attempt. But she wasnt there on Wednesday to reminisce. She was there to make the same case she has been making for the last ten years. Im Gabby Giffords. Im from Tucson, Ariz. Jan. 8, 2011, changed my life forever. I was a Congresswoman. I was shot in my head while meeting with my constituents, Giffords said as she sat down at a roundtable of current and former lawmakers to discuss the next steps in their work to curb gun violence. After the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, I said enough is enough. I founded a group called Giffords. We are on a mission to end gun violence now. The idea of lobbying Congress on gun safety in 2023 might seem like the definition of insanity, after a seemingly never-ending string of heart-breaking mass shootings have failed to move enough lawmakers to advance meaningful measures over the last two decades. Yet few advocates on the issue survived an assassination attempt at point-blank range, or have the unique mixture of warmth and confidence that so clearly came through from Giffords as TIME spent two days with exclusive access to her advocacy. Story continues Six people died in the 2011 attack at a grocery store parking lot where the Congresswoman was having an informal meet-and-greet with constituents. The room where Giffords sat Wednesday afternoon is named in honor of Gabe Zimmerman, Giffords aide and the only congressional staffer ever killed in the line of service. Familiar faces greet her with You look great! and I miss you! She put her cane aside to fist bump first-term Rep. Greg Landsman, an Ohio Democrat. Giffords has the gravitas befitting a former member of Congress, a personal story that fewalthough too manycan match, and a manner that makes saying no to her near impossible. It would be folly to mistake her slow walk for weakness, her sometimes halting speech for confusion about the tasks at hand. From the outside, it would appear she is struggling, but its clear in conversations with her and her coterie that shes never been more clear about the mission. And amid the bleak state of gun violence in America, the former Congresswoman has a string of successes to point at to give those on her side hope. Giffords, the organization she founded in the wake of the shooting, is a quiet powerhouse that operates well beyond Washington, and has had a hand in passing hundreds of laws at the state level restricting access to firearms. All told, Giffords staffers and volunteers have spent 50,000 hours lobbying in D.C. and 30 states. Yet neither the group, nor its founder, has given up on convincing Congress to act. Anyone that knows Gabby Giffordscertainly anyone that knows Gabby Giffords wellisnt the least bit surprised that after a decade with her sunny, incredibly sunny disposition, the glass-is-half-full approach to life and to any problem, that Giffords has had the success that its had, says Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a self-avowed bestie to Giffords. I watched Gabby pass legislation and win over the coldest hearts. Gabby Giffords M.O. was melting the frozen hearts of her potential opponents. People who think they dont want to do what Gabby wants them to do are very quickly relieved of that belief. While so many other advocacy groups are constantly scrambling for cash, Giffords seems to never be in a public-facing fundraising mode despite a $150 million pipeline of donors, and can occasionally cajole Republicans to at least consider a review of their stances on firearms. So effective are her efforts that more than $1 billion in community safety gun grants can trace at least some fingerprints to her groups lobbying. They secured $75 million in federal research on gun violence, once an unthinkable area of study. More than a half-million individual donors have opened their checkbooks to back the Giffords cause, and the 50-person staff is showing no signs of retreat. Read more: States Are Banning Assault Weapons. Courts Could Stop Them In short, Gabby Giffords is not someone who backs down, is someone who refuses to be silenced, and has no plans on stopping her advocacy for safer communitieswith responsible gun limits on the books to stop the maddening cycle of violence that claimed her as yet another statistic. Behind her are 100,000 gun owners who signed up for her Giffords Gun Owners for Safety Coalition: enough is enough, even if there are some disagreements about whether to chase background checks, red-flag laws, or limits on ammunition first. In the context of social movements in this country, its still just a blink of an eye, says Peter Ambler, the executive director of Giffords and a longtime adviser. So, on Wednesday, as Giffords herself settled into the subterranean room in a conference center attached to the Capitolthe place prepared after the Sept. 11 attacks as a doomsday bunker but publicly described as a visitors centerall eyes were on the former Congresswoman. Quietly, in measured and practiced phrases, she said that while plenty of work remains, it is important not to lose sight of their accomplishments. Youre just the epitome. Youre the beacon for the gun safety movement as a survivor, Rep. Lucy McBath, a Missouri Democrat, told Giffords. McBath joined the House in 2018, six years after her son was shot and killed. You truly understand what this moment requires. For her former colleagues and current friends, theres no one quite like Gabby Giffords. As a lawmaker, she insisted that she wouldnt introduce any legislation that lacked a Republican co-sponsor, which drew her into some unlikely partnerships with people like Rep. Ted Poe, a hard-right Republican. In short, if any gun violence prevention is going to become law, its going to be in large measure because Giffords shoulders them through by appealing to gun owners and gun haters alike. It might not ring pure for ideologues, but its a practical way to get things done. Its also an ambitious undertaking, for sure. But thats what it means to be Giffords. Giffords on election night on November 2, 2010 in Tucson, months before her shooting. Tom WillettGetty Images A day before Giffords returned to the Capitol, we sat down at her organizations headquarters in Washington, a corporate-tinged space a block north of the fabled lobbying K Street corridor. A professional as always, Giffords was ready to make the case that gun laws were getting stricter, lives were being saved, and hope was in the offing during an exclusive interview with TIME. Despite a landscape that seems bleak for anyone who supports limiting the ability to buy and sell guns in this country, Giffords and its allies have been able to pass 525 state-level laws restricting access to firearms over the last decadenothing to sneeze at in the least. Her youth-organizing program just turned five and has about 75 alumni who continue to work in their local communities. And 460 Giffords-backed candidates have been elected to state or federal office, according to the groups accounting. Inch by inch. Capitals, capitals, capitals, Giffords says in describing the incremental and far-flung set of goals. But the reality of her own journey is never far from the minds of those on the receiving end of her advocacy. I know the darkest of days, days of pain and uncertain recovery. But confronted by despair, confronted by paralysis, aphasia, I responded with grit and determination, she tells me with confidence and humility all at once on Tuesday. I put one foot in from the other. I found one word, and then I found another, she continues. My recovery is a daily fight, but it makes me stronger. Words once came easily, today I struggle to speak, but Ive not lost my voice. America needs all of us to speak out, even when you have to fight to find the words. She then mentions the other reason we are sitting here: Im also in a second fight, the fight to stop gun violence. Its also a fight forged by tragedy and pain. A fight that can change lives. Her work seems to never lose its sense of urgency. Since the start of this year, at least 13,000 people have been killed by guns; more than half have been suicides, accoding to the Gun Violence Archive. All told, there have been 172 separate mass shootings in this country in the first 115 days of this year, including last months rampage at a private school in Nashville that left six people dead. We need more champions who understand this issue firsthand, says Rep. Maxwell Frost, who met with Giffords on Wednesday and came to politics as an activist in the March for Our Lives movement that rose from the 2017 Parkland shooting. We are Generation Lockdown. We are going through more active-shooter drills than fire drills. Read more: The Education of David Hogg Giffords influence has seldom been greater, even as the work has never been more important. The year 2023 is on pace to be the deadliest yet. Fear of the NRAs political influence is at such a low that Congress last year was able to pass the first gun control measure in 30 years, a modest change but still a symbolic victory that anti-gun violence advocates will embrace. The cultural shift has been hard to miss. Even outside of politics, anti-gun violence efforts are no longer viewed as toxic. Giffords threw out the first pitch at a Boston Red Sox game last year and later that day was honored at center-court at a Celtics game where the players donned orange in support for curbing gun violence. When we started this, those sorts of institutions would have never raised their hand and said, We want to lift up the issue of gun violence and bring to the fore the most prominent advocate for preventing gun violence. That wouldve never happened, Ambler says. But now, it is happening. Her party has also grown more emboldened on the issue since her time in office. The Biden-Harris ticket in 2020 was the most explicitly hostile to free-for-all gun rights that the Democratic Party had ever nominated, and there are no signs it will retreat from that posture in 2024. There are a couple outliers, but for the most part, this is an issue that unites the Democratic Party and divides, to a certain extent, Republican voters, Ambler says. For Giffords and her team, its been a rough decade-plus. Immediately after the attack, Washington heard the crushing report that she hadnt survived. The attacker had shot 19 people and killed six, including a federal judge, a 9-year-old girl, and a Giffords staffer. (The shooter eventually was sentenced to life in prison.) Within an hour of the shooting, Giffords was in the operating room, where doctors removed part of her skull to prevent further damage from the swelling. Years of therapy have followed, and Giffords is still on the upswing. Her physical appearance is still coming back from the hellish first years after the shooting. She does not have the use of her right arm, but she can still summon plenty of strength with her left for hugs. She walks with a limp and speaks in quick bursts, the result of working diligently with speech therapiststhe same one since 2013to help her find her voice again. She finds time to ride her bike, practice yoga, study Spanish, and play the French horn. She still has flashes of impatiencemostly with herselfduring those other moments where its clear she knows what she wants to say, its just going to take a minute to get there because of the aphasia. Its been quite a turn for Giffords, once a rising star in the Democratic Party who was being groomed for a bigger platform than her border district in the southeast corner of Arizona. The shooting, of course, changed this. She says she has no plans to run for office again. Her husband, Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, holds the Senate seat that had once upon a time been assumed to be hers when the time came. Together, they became the reluctant leaders of this project, and even their biggest critics know better than to call them anti-gun activists. After all, before the assassination attempt, she had bought herself a Glock in the wake of two home robberies. The family still has guns, and Kelly, a former combat pilot and astronaut, is among the most fluent in firearms in the Democratic Party. He has also seen what guns in the wrong hands can do. As we sat in her organizations D.C. office, I asked how she could keep taking herself back to Capitol Hill, an area so fraught with difficult emotionsone that must constantly remind her of the role that led to the moment that derailed the trajectory of her life 12 years ago in a grocery store parking lot. She responds with her trademark Giffords enthusiasm. I love it. I love it. So exciting, she says. Servant, servant, servant. Grit. Grit. Back at the Capitol a day later, Giffords makes her way to her next task as if she never stopped showing up to her first-floor office in Longworth. Giffords is as clear as ever about the work ahead, both for herself and for the movement to which she became the unexpected mother. She is, even among her political opposites, a beloved survivorperhaps the countrys best-known one. As she walked into the Capitol on Wednesday, people stood aside to make sure she had complete command of the narrower hallways. Longtime apolitical support staffers made a polite nod to her and aides who worked with her on the Hill. And Capitol Police took their time to make sure she wasnt rushed through the security checkpoints. None of this is going to be easy. The Republican-led House, while holding affection for the former colleague, is still holding onto some of the vestiges of the my-cold-dead-hands opposition to most limits on gun safety. In the Senate, on the north end of the Capitol campus, there arent 10 Republicans who would cross party lines to work with Democrats on most issues, let alone anything that even hints at gun control, and its not entirely clear if Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona or Joe Manchin of West Virginia would work with Democrats, either. Still, Giffords is not going to sit idly by. She has been through too much to turn away from the debate, to retreat to Arizona and leave the work for other people. If she can make a recovery that has been anything but easy, lawmakers can at least hear her out. As we wrap our interview in her office, I ask how she keeps coming back to a challenge so deeply ingrained in politics. She pauses for 12 pregnant seconds. No more guns, she says. Ambler, her aide and adviser, tries to clarify that she means no more gun violence, but Giffords is clear about what shes saying. No, no, no, she says. Lord, no. She pauses another 32 seconds. Guns, guns, guns. No more guns. Gone. An aide clarifies that shes talking about Australia, where gun sales were outlawed after a mass shooting and existing weapons were purchased by the government. Giffords nods in the affirmative. Its an idealistic goal, for sure, and one perhaps mismatched for the moment in this country. But Giffords has an answer for that: Legislation, legislation, legislation. Its ambitious. But thats the whole point of working inside Giffords orbit. And she is never going to apologize for her fight on something so personal. Make sense of what matters in Washington. Sign up for the D.C. Brief newsletter. On the cusp of his supervised release from juvenile detention, the former student who opened fire at a Noblesville middle school in 2018 will be kept in custody after a corrections employee said he fist-bumped her breast. The former student, who was 13 at the time of the shooting, had been in detention since shortly after he opened fire at Noblesville West Middle School on May 25, 2018. He shot a seventh-grade science teacher and another 13-year-old student. The teacher, Jason Seaman, cut the shooting short when he tackled the shooter and pinned him to the ground. Seaman was shot three times, and the student, Ella Whistler, was shot seven times. No one was killed. More: What we know now about Noblesville school shooting Following his 18th birthday the shooter was scheduled to be released on home detention with GPS monitoring until he turned 21, the shooter's attorney Ben Jaffe said in court Thursday. But after the corrections employee testified about the fist bump incident, the shooter will now be remanded to the Hamilton County Juvenile Detention Center. He's also awaiting a psychological assessment. It does cause me much more concern today about the safety of the public and the community," Hamilton Circuit Judge Paul A. Felix said Thursday, adding that the shooter showed a "lack of maturity and a lack of understanding of all of the things that I'd hoped that you would learn." At the hearing, the Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility employee said the shooter fist-bumped her breast twice while he was in her office asking about commissary. She said she didnt believe it was a sexual act, but she did think it was inappropriate and risked disrupting the balance of authority between corrections staff and detainees. "Violated, the employee said when asked by prosecutors how the incident made her feel. More: Jason Seaman's mom: 'I fear not only for Jason, but also his wife and children' after ruling Story continues Jaffe made the argument that his client's actions were definitely inappropriate and definitely undermined her position, but he compared it to goofing off. He asked for leniency from Felix, saying that more time in detention could end up having a detrimental effect on his chances of reassimilating to society. Theres always going to be this lens on him, Jaffe said. Prosecutors argued that the shooter showed a lack of empathy after his actions. That lack of empathy, they said, suggested he's still a cause for concern. Was this an accident? Hamilton County Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Barb Trathen asked the court. Not even close. Once his psychological assessment is completed, the court will reassess the shooter's future with the criminal justice system. Call IndyStar courts reporter Johnny Magdaleno at 317-273-3188 or email him at jmagdaleno@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @IndyStarJohnny This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Noblesville school shooter will remain in custody, judge orders A 13-year-old girl in North Carolina was arrested for allegedly attacking a firefighter with a knife and trying to slash other firefighters and police officers at the scene. The Gastonia Police Department (GPD) said in a Facebook post that officers arrested and charged a 13-year-old female Tuesday evening after she used a knife to cut one Gastonia Fire Department (GFD) firefighter and then attempted to assault another firefighter. The juvenile also assaulted responding police officers, the department said Wednesday. The firefighter who was cut was treated for minor injuries. MARINE LANCE CORPORAL REPORTEDLY KILLED BY GUN DISCHARGE IN TRUCK IN CALIFORNIA A Gastonia, North Carolina, firefighter was attacked by a 13-year-old with a knife, police said. At approximately 9 p.m. Tuesday, GPD officers responded to the 3200 block of Pikes Peak Drive after GFD personnel "reported that one of their firefighters was just assaulted by a juvenile armed with a knife," the police press release said. "When officers arrived, they saw firefighters restraining the combative juvenile." The juvenile then allegedly assaulted the officers who were trying to get her into custody. GPD officers contacted personnel from the Department of Juvenile Justice. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP NORTH CAROLINA MAN ALLEGEDLY PARTICIPATED IN SEX ACTS WITH DOG, SHARED VIDEO ON SOCIAL MEDIA: DEPUTIES Gastonia, North Carolina, firefighters seen responding to an unrelated blaze last year. Gastonia police said a firefighter was recently assaulted on the job by a teenage girl. The juvenile, whose name has not been released, was charged with aggravated assault and assault charges and ordered to be held in a secure juvenile detention facility in Concord. It is not clear why Gastonia firefighters had initially responded to that address in the Crowder's View community, about 5 miles from downtown, before the alleged assault unfolded. Gastonia police said a 13-year-old girl was arrested for allegedly assaulting a firefighter with a knife. Fox News Digital reached out to both Gaston County Chief of Police Joseph D. Ramey and Social Services Director Angela Karchmer for comment regarding the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council. Gastonia, with a population of about 81,000 people, is considered the second-largest satellite city in the Charlotte, North Carolina, metropolitan area, behind Concord. When these abortion bans happen, it becomes a matter of life or death for all people but especially Black women, says Alencia Johnson, founder and chief impact officer at 1063 West Broad. After another Republican-led state passed an anti-abortion bill, opponents and reproductive rights advocates say Black lives are in jeopardy. North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum on Monday signed one of the countrys strictest anti-abortion statutes into law, which opponents and advocates say will disproportionately threaten the lives of Black pregnant women and people. Demonstrators hold signs during a rally to defend abortion access and codify Roe v Wade into law, in Foley Square in New York City on October 8, 2022. (Photo by Bryan R. Smith / AFP) (Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images) The conservative governor passed Senate Bill 2150, which only permits abortions up to six weeks gestation for pregnant women experiencing medical emergencies, or who are victims of incest or rape. Once the six weeks gestation period has passed, doctors can only legally perform abortions for pregnant women experiencing a medical emergency. Governor Burgum said in a statement, This bill clarifies and refines existing state law and reaffirms North Dakota as a pro-life state. Political strategist Alencia Johnson, a former public engagement director at Planned Parenthood, told theGrio, When these abortion bans happen, it becomes a matter of life or death for all people but especially Black women. The United States is the wealthiest nation in the world, and yet, Black women continue to die at higher rates in childbirth than any other race, no matter their socioeconomic status or their education level, said Johnson, who is founder and Chief Impact Officer of the social impact agency, 1063 West Broad. The U.S. healthcare system, Johnson points out, has failed Black women. She said African-American women are subjected to inadequate health care and the inability to manage their pregnancies. Black women are not afforded the privilege of having an abundance of resources to assist in rearing a child, said Johnson. There are less opportunities for [Black women] to have childcare. We tend to be the caregiver for our entire family, she explained. Story continues Johnson argued that significant socioeconomic and educational barriers including living in food and climate deserts further burden Black women when governments limit their chance to choose whether to have an abortion. The current abortion ban in North Dakota comes after the states highest court put a stop to a previous ban that the governor signed into law in 2022 following the Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade. The U.S. Supreme Court is seen at sunset, March 27, 2019, in Washington. Dance Laboratories is asking the Supreme Court to preserve access to its abortion pill free from restrictions imposed by lower court rulings, while a legal fight continues. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) According to the Associated Press, last month, the states Supreme Court upheld a ban on a law enacted by Governor Burgum that only permitted abortions if a pregnant woman or person was either a victim of rape or incest, or if she was experiencing life-threatening complications. Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, told theGrio that 18 states have partial or near-total abortion bans that will impact marginalized communities. They are adding on layers of restrictions that are really horrificmy concern is for the people who are driving upwards of 16 hours one way just to get access to abortion care out of their state, she said. The reproductive rights leader said she is also concerned Black women will be more criminalized because they are brown bodies crossing those state lines, going into different counties and being interrogated and stopped by police who have the ability to pull them over. This latest near-total ban takes effect immediately after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a similar restrictive abortion ban into law earlier this month, as theGrio previously reported. TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today! The post North Dakota abortion ban threatens Black lives, advocates say appeared first on TheGrio. A New Jersey doctor pleaded guilty Wednesday to defrauding Amtrak of almost $1.4 million by submitting phony bills for procedures that were never provided or were medically unnecessary, prosecutors said. For more than five years, Dr. Muhammad Mirza and a group of conspirators charged Amtrak's health plan for the bogus treatments by recruiting employees of the rail service and paying them to use their patient and insurance information to submit fraudulent claims. Mirza, 50, of Cedar Grove, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, via videoconference with U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo. In court documents, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Mirza conspired with podiatrist Michael Denicola and others to bribe Amtrak employees to use their information to submit false claims. Charged for services never provided Mirza paid health care workers, including a nurse practitioner, to work part-time at other doctors' offices. He would then use those doctors' National Provider Identifier numbers without their knowledge to submit phony claims. Mirza would routinely bill the Amtrak health care plan for services such as nerve conduction studies and arthrocentesis procedures that were never done. He also billed Amtrak for phony procedures on dates when the nurse practitioner wasn't working and even once when she was out of the country on vacation. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 13, 2023. This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ doctor defrauded Amtrak of $1.4M using bogus bills WASHINGTON After House Republicans narrowly passed their debt limit plan, the White House reminded them why the celebration should be short lived. The bill, which would raise the debt limit into May 2024 and slash spending, is "dead on arrival" in the Senate, according to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and President Joe Biden has said he would veto it. Despite the pats on the back in the House chamber Wednesday evening, lawmakers are no closer to increasing the government's borrowing power and preventing the U.S. from defaulting on its debt. White House: 'We pay our bills' President Joe Biden smiles during a news conference with South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol in the Rose Garden of the White House on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in Washington. In a statement after the vote, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called on House Republicans to "act immediately" to avoid default. Republicans have said they will not raise the debt limit without getting spending cuts in return, and Biden wants them to raise the debt limit and negotiate federal spending separately. If lawmakers do not raise the debt limit, the federal government could run out of money to pay its bills in early June, according to recent projections. Plan passes: House passes GOP debt limit plan with deep cuts. Pelosi says Republicans are 'playing with fire.' Debt limit bill: As McCarthy tries to get House votes, U.S. default now projected in early June If those projections are true, and Republicans don't lift the debt limit during the 15 days they are in session between now and then, a default would hit all Americans. It would mean higher home and auto loan rates and credit card payments, officials have warned, and could stop payments on government programs such as Social Security. Bondholders would also not be paid what they're owed on time, and a domino effect could trigger a recession and stock market crash, economists have said. "We are not a deadbeat nation," Jean-Pierre said. She recalled the words of former President Ronald Reagan, a Republican, who said the U.S. had a "well-earned reputation for reliability and credibility" that set the country apart on a global stage. Story continues "We pay our bills," Jean-Pierre said. "Congressional Republicans must do that again now and act to avoid default." She criticized the bill for cutting spending on veterans' health care, education, public safety and more while extending tax cuts for wealthy corporations. "The president has made clear this bill has no chance of becoming law," Jean-Pierre said. Hit to education: McCarthy budget would slash 60,000 teachers, 'undermine education,' Biden administration says 'End this madness': GOP calls on Biden to negotiate House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks to reporters following a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans as Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., struggles to round up the votes for his sweeping debt ceiling package, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, April 26, 2023. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise acknowledged in his comments on the chamber floor that the debt ceiling needs to be addressed, but government spending also needs to be addressed, he said. Americans are "paying more for everything when they go to the grocery store, the gas pump, anywhere else, because Washington has spent trillions of dollars that this country doesn't have," Scalise said. He called on Biden to get "off the sidelines" and get "to the negotiating table" with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy "so we can solve this problem and put America on a stronger financial footing that will benefit all Americans. It's time to end this madness." Candy Woodall is a politics editor for USA TODAY. She can be reached at cwoodall@usatoday.com or on Twitter at @candynotcandace. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: White House calls on GOP to raise debt limit: 'We pay our bills' UNITED NATIONS, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Amid grim conditions in Sudan, the United Nations and partners scramble to aid both those remaining and those fleeing the fighting, a UN spokesman said on Wednesday. "The humanitarian situation in Sudan remains dire," said Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "The World Health Organization says that nearly one-third of health facilities are completely closed due to attacks, some having been converted to military bases." Haq said that while agencies and partners attempt to aid those in need in-country during a 72-hour cease-fire, the world organization prepares for refugee influxes across the region, including the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates some 270,000 people could flee into South Sudan and Chad alone. "In South Sudan, our humanitarian partners are scaling up their presence in key response areas to help the most vulnerable people," and in Chad, the UNHCR is working with the government to assess the needs of arriving evacuees, said Haq. The UNHCR appeals to all countries neighboring Sudan to keep their borders open to people seeking safety and protection. The UN secretary-general's special representative for children and armed conflict, Virginia Gamba, and the special representative on violence against children, Najat Maalla M'jid, issued a joint statement on the conflict. They were alarmed at the reported numbers of civilians killed or maimed in hostilities, including children, and at attacks on hospitals and the denial of life-saving humanitarian aid to a population already in dire need of food, water and other essential supplies. The secretary-general's special representative for Sudan, Volker Perthes, said he continues regular contact with the opposing leaders of the fighting, urging them to cease hostilities and allow for humanitarian pauses. Before the temporary cease-fire began on midnight Monday, the United Nations and many aid partners fled the capital of Khartoum for Port Sudan on the Red Sea. Some international UN staff who could work remotely were temporarily assigned posts outside Sudan. The UN Mission in South Sudan has supported the successful evacuation of 17 humanitarian workers from UN agencies, funds, programs and international nongovernmental organizations by air from Darfur into South Sudan, and will continue to liaise with all partners to assist evacuation efforts, where necessary, Haq said. FIRST ON FOX: The National Republican Senate Committee (NRSC) released a scathing new ad slamming Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., for signing a hush agreement to engage in off-the-record discussions about a Chinese-backed project. The NRSC ad, first shared with Fox News Digital, argued that voters shouldn't trust Slotkin who announced in February that she would run to replace outgoing Sen. Debbie Stabenow in 2024 due to the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) she entered into involving Gotion, a subsidiary of the Hefei, China-based Gotion High-Tech. "Can we trust a politician who makes secret business deals with companies backed by the Chinese Communist Party? Of course not," the NRSC ad states. "But that's what Elissa Slotkin did." "Here are the facts," it continued. "Slotkin secretly tried to help a controversial Chinese company secure a business deal. Then, she signed a contract to conceal her involvement. What's Slotkin hiding? She won't say. Tell Elissa Slotkin it's time to come clean. Stop covering up deals with Communist China." DEM CONGRESSWOMAN SILENT ON WHY SHE SIGNED HUSH AGREEMENT INVOLVING CHINESE TECH COMPANY Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., signed a non-disclosure agreement to engage in discussions about the Chinese-backed project despite it not being located in her district. Earlier this month, a spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital that Slotkin and a high-level staffer signed an NDA with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) allowing them to be privy to negotiations about Gotion's proposed electric vehicle factory in Big Rapids, Michigan. The Gotion factory would be located outside of Slotkin's congressional district. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP The project which has been enthusiastically supported by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, MEDC and other state agencies has faced increasing scrutiny as a result of Gotion's ties to the Chinese Communist Party. According to its corporate bylaws, Gotion High-Tech is required to "carry out Party activities in accordance with the Constitution of the Communist Party of China." Story continues CHINESE TECH COMPANIES ARE EXPLOITING US GREEN ENERGY GOALS, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS WARN Critics have also scrutinized how the Whitmer administration has required stakeholders to sign NDAs to discuss the project, effectively keeping much of the details about it out of public view. "Elissa Slotkin needs to explain to Michigan voters why she signed a non-disclosure agreement with a company connected to the Chinese Communist Party," NRSC spokesperson Maggie Abboud said in a statement. Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has touted the Gotion project for its forecasted economic impact. And, on April 4, two former U.S. ambassadors with the Michigan-China Economic and Security Review Group asked the Department of Justice to open a federal investigation into potential violations of the Foreign Agents Registration (FARA) related to the five-year NDAs signed as part of the Gotion negotiations. They argued officials may need to register under FARA "on account of their direct agreements and engagements" with Gotion. "The State of Michigan, the MEDC, The Right Place and others advocating for Gotion have said they do not know anything about national security when it comes to this project," one of the ambassadors, Joseph Cella, told Fox News Digital on April 20. "Congresswoman Slotkin is a former CIA analyst and Defense Department official who knows that state and local officials were warned by our intelligence agencies not to sign deals with PRC-based companies with ties to the CCP." "It is shocking that rather than helping educate the Whitmer Administration and other parties why to end their support of this project because of its national security threat, Congresswoman Slotkin signed a non-disclosure agreement and looked the other way," Cella added. Meanwhile, despite widespread criticism of Gotion's proposal, in a slim 10-9 vote last week, the Michigan state Senate Appropriations Committee gave the final stamp of approval for granting Gotion $175 million in direct taxpayer funding to help build the facility. The vote only received support from Democratic lawmakers on the panel and three Democrats voted against it alongside every Republican committee member. WASHINGTON At the White House state dinner held in his honor on Wednesday night, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol took the microphone from President Biden and sang the opening lines of Don McLeans classic song American Pie. The following morning, Yoon addressed both chambers of Congress, invoking the bond between the Republic of Korea and the United States that was forged 70 years during the Korean War. Sons and daughters of America sacrificed their lives to defend a country they never knew and people they never met, he said. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, with Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at the State Department on Thursday. (Jemal Countess/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images) Yoon also met with Netflix co-chief executive Ted Sarandos, who committed to investing $2.5 billion in South Korea. And he is to speak at Harvard before returning home. If the scope of the visit is a sign of the deepening cultural, economic and political bonds between the two nations, it also comes during a fraught moment for both Biden and Yoon, as they struggle to reconcile ambitions and concerns that are not always entirely aligned. An embarrassing revelation Yoon at a joint meeting of Congress on Thursday. (Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images) Yoons visit came two weeks after a trove of Pentagon documents that had been illegally posted online revealed that the United States has been wiretapping his government. The 62-year-old conservative arrived in Washington with a 27% approval rating from South Koreans, a pervasive discontent stemming in good part from his foreign policy, which has been perceived as overly deferential to the United States. He has recently been criticized for improving relations with Japan, a neighboring country that many Koreans continue to view with profound hostility because of wrongs committed by Japan during its colonial occupation of Korea, which lasted until the end of World War II and included both sexual violence and forced labor. Yoons administration dismissed the wiretapping story as absurd lies, but his efforts to deny and downplay the news only reinforced the notion for many in his country that he is too eager to please Washington, which had also pushed for South Korea's reconciliation with Japan as a means to contain China. Story continues This might be a real big disaster for both Korea and U.S., foreign policy expert Yang Uk of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies told the radio program "The World" ahead of the state dinner. During a press conference with Biden on Wednesday, Yoon again tried to downplay the controversy, in seeming hopes that public attention will soon move on. We need time to wait for the investigation results by the United States, and we plan to continue to communicate on the matter, he said. The Washington Declaration President Biden and Yoon in the Oval Office on Wednesday. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images) On Wednesday, Biden and Yoon signed an agreement, which the White House calls the Washington Declaration, that commits the two nations to develop an ever-stronger mutual defense relationship. In keeping with the new agreement, U.S. Ohio-class nuclear submarines will visit South Korea in an effort at deterring North Korea. South Korea committed in 1975 not to develop nuclear weapons of its own. But the idea of nuclear self-defense is gaining traction in the South, and Yoon himself only recently expressed interest in the idea. The United States does not want Seoul to develop its own nuclear arsenal, and the Washington Declaration calls for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The new declaration is meant to reassure South Korea that it need not worry under the vast nuclear umbrella of the United States. At the press conference following the two leaders Oval Office meeting, Biden had unstinting words for Pyongyang, which tested a solid-fuel ballistic missile earlier this month. A nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its allies or partners is not acceptable and will result in the end of whatever regime that would take such an action, he said. But the declaration could have had another target: China. Although Biden has repeatedly said he does not seek an armed conflict with Beijing, he has also tried to curb Chinese geopolitical ambitions through a series of strategic alliances in the Indo-Pacific region. China clearly understood that it was as much the audience for Wednesdays declaration as North Korea was. The U.S. behavior is a result of its Cold War mentality, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a Thursday briefing. What the U.S. has done stokes bloc confrontation, undermines the nuclear nonproliferation system and hurts the strategic interest of other countries. Chips and China Biden signs the CHIPS and Science Act into law at the White House on Aug. 9, 2022. (Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo) Last year, Biden signed the CHIPS Act, a $50 billion investment in the nations virtually nonexistent semiconductor industry. The funds are intended to act as seed capital for private manufacturers, provided that recipients do not build certain facilities in China, according to the language of the law. That could pose a problem for South Korea, which produces 19% of the worlds semiconductors, which are tiny but crucial components of electronic devices and of sophisticated weapons. Two of South Koreas and the worlds biggest makers of memory chips (a type of semiconductor), Samsung and SK Hynix, have factories in China, meaning they could run afoul of the CHIPS Act and see themselves shut out of the American market. At Wednesdays press conference with Yoon, Biden was asked by a reporter if the CHIPS Act would hurt South Koreas economy. My desire to increase U.S. manufacturing and jobs in America is not about China. I'm not concerned about China, he said without exactly answering the question directly. Remember, America invented the semiconductor. As the East Asia analyst James Park recently wrote, the zero-sum notion of choosing American or Chinese markets has met whole-of-society resistance from the South Korean business community, government, parliament, and public, and could further contribute to Yoons deepening unpopularity. A 71-year-old nursing home resident died after eating a contaminated sandwich served to him by staff, a California lawsuit says. His family has accused the facility of elder abuse and medical negligence, according to the complaint, which was filed in Santa Clara Superior Court on April 18. Richard Truong was admitted to Vasona Creek Healthcare Center in December 2021 to recover from surgery, according to the lawsuit. On Dec. 22, 2021, he ate the contaminated sandwich and became sick with gastrointestinal symptoms, the complaint says. He began having seizures the following morning. When the seizures started, nursing home staff called his son but not paramedics, according to the lawsuit. His daughter then went to the facility, which is located in Los Gatos, about 50 miles southeast of San Francisco, and saw her father vomiting and experiencing severe seizures with bodily convulsions, the complaint says. At one point, Truong bit his tongue and started bleeding. While he was seizing, nurses argued about how to position his body, according to the lawsuit. He then went into cardiac arrest, and paramedics responded, the lawsuit says. He had a second cardiac arrest and was taken to an emergency room at a hospital. Hospital staff resuscitated him, but he had suffered brain damage and was placed on life support, according to the lawsuit. Dan Kramer, a spokesperson for Vasona Creek Healthcare Center, denied the allegations in the lawsuit and said in a statement that facility staff looked forward to an opportunity to defend ourselves and resolve the allegations in court. Our facilitys principal objective is, and will continue to be, providing the best care for our patients and their families; the health and safety of our residents remain our top priority, the statement says. Vasona Creek Healthcare Center and its staff work hard to provide quality care to the residents they serve. Lawyers for the Truong family did not respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News. Story continues Truong developed sepsis and septic shock as a result of deplorable, unsanitary conditions and lack of care by (Vasona Creek Healthcare Centers) employees and agents, the lawsuit says. After he was taken to the emergency room, lab testing revealed he had E. coli in his lungs, according to the lawsuit. He died on Jan. 22, 2022. Staff at Vasona Creek Healthcare Center failed to provide Truong with adequate care and intentionally and/or recklessly put his health in danger by not having properly-trained staff that could recognize and respond to his worsening conditions, the lawsuit says. Their negligence led to a deterioration in Truongs overall health and his untimely death, the lawsuit says. Truongs family is seeking an unspecified amount of damages, including medical expenses, compensation for pain and suffering and attorneys fees. Highly allergic patient dies after hospital serves peanut butter sandwich, suit says Hospital released violent patient, then he attacked woman with rock, OR lawsuit says 12-year-old is now an amputee after a 10-hour wait in the ER, New Mexico lawsuit says Senegal Imagine growing up Black in America and being able to visit Africa before you turn 18 years old. A group of students from New York City were able to have this magical experience that transformed their lives. Through the schools Global Citizens Program, students from the Bronx Preparatory High School were able to spend one week in Senegal, West Africa. The all-expense paid experience was designed to help mold the students into future leaders. Less than 20 students were selected to attend the immersive expedition. The competitive selection process had over 400 applicants. After returning home, students described their time in Senegal as life-changing and impactful. Theyre much more appreciative of their school, of being in the Bronx, of their own families, Principal Cassius Gil told News 12 The Bronx. Their time was spent engulfed in Senegalese culture; experiencing the language, food, and aura of the locals that live there. For many of them, it was their first time leaving the country. One student, Fouday Singhateh, described the trip as a homecoming and his first chance to visit the country where his ancestors were from. My background is Senegalese, and I never had a moment to go to Africa for the first time, he said. The students from the high-performing charter school visited numerous attractions, sites, and landmarks while in the West African country. One of the most transformative moments during the trip was tracing slave roots on Goree Island. At the Door Of No Return in Dakar, students were able to walk the same path many slaves walked before watching Africa fade away into the horizon forever. They got to a place called Goree Island, which is traditionally a launching point for slave ships that have then traveled west, and thats always a poignant and emotional part of the trip for them, Gil said. CEO of Democracy Prep Public Schools, Natasha Trivers, fully supports the schools Global Citizens Program. She believes that its difficult to convince future leaders they can change the world when they havent seen it. Story continues All young people, but especially those from historically underserved communities, should travel internationally because the world is literally theirs, she said. They need to sit in their power and know that they belong in any arena in any country they might find themselves in. They also need to connect with people from different countries, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds so they can learn about these differences and show deep respect for these communities but also get grounded in our shared humanity. The students trip to Senegal will not be their last. The school is sending them to Maine this summer and overseas again in 2024. Test scores are great, strong discipline is great but what are you doing to feed the whole child and I think travel is a huge part of that, George says. Check out this video highlighting the students enriching experience under the Senegalese sun. A bill was introduced to the New York City Council Thursday that would make parking fines proportional to income. The bill was introduced by Brooklyn Councilman Justin Brannan and would launch a pilot program to create means-based financial penalties for civil transgressions. "Instead of bankrupting working people while winking at the rich by setting the same fines for everyone, fines should be high enough to discourage people from breaking laws that endanger or inconvenience our neighbors but low enough that they dont arbitrarily upend anyones life," Brannan said, according to the Daily News. NEW YORK CITY PARKING GARAGE COLLAPSES, LEAVING MULTIPLE PEOPLE INJURED, 1 DEAD An orange New York City parking ticket under the windshield wiper of a vehicle in Manhattan. Though Brannan specifically offered double-parking as an example of the types of violations most suitable to the hypothetical program, a comprehensive list has not been offered. A car boot locked to a tire of a car with outstanding parking tickets in Queens, N.Y. CALIFORNIA POLICE ARREST MAN FOR CREATING, ISSUING 'BOGUS' PARKING CITATIONS AT BEACH READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP If successfully passed, the New York City Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings would be responsible for determining the application of the sliding-scale fines. A traffic officer writes a parking ticket to Melania Trump's driver at the "Good Afternoon America" taping at the ABC Times Square Studios Aug. 29, 2012, in New York City. "Why should the guy who double-parked his 1988 Toyota pay the same as the guy with the 2024 Bentley?" Brannan told the Daily News. Russian officials want to "quietly" recruit more than 400,000 Russians to the war with Ukraine in 2023. Mostly at the expense of contractors from low-income families. Source: The Washington Post Quote: "Separate from the goal of enlisting 400,000 men for the war this year, the CIA update said that Russian Defense Ministry officials reported a Putin-supported plan to recruit over 415,000 contract troops in 2023. The update did not provide context for this goal, but the number is likely a part of a publicly announced plan by Defense Minister Sergei Shoiguto expand the Armed Forces to 1.5 million from 1.15 million by 2026. According to the plan, contract soldiers should make up nearly half of total personnel." Details: This was stated in the leaked documents of the American intelligence, which the journalists of the Washington Post have at their disposal. It is reported that in mid-February, President Vladimir Putin "reportedly backed" his militarys proposal to "quietly recruit" 400,000 additional troops throughout 2023 for the war in Ukraine. The document, categorised as a CIA daily intelligence update, indicates the information was based on a "signals intelligence report", meaning it was acquired by intercepting or eavesdropping on communications of Russian military officials. The need for additional troops risks alienating the Russian public, and therefore, the Kremlin decided to attract regional governors to draft campaigns and continue to attract men from Russian prisons. In addition, it is noted that the internal Russian special services, even among themselves, do not report reliable information about the losses of the Russian side. In one of the documents it is said that the FSB questioned the internal military assessments in late February, claiming that they do not take into account the deaths of soldiers who fought within irregular formations. Story continues The document says that according to the FSB, "the actual number of Russians wounded and killed in action was closer to 110,000". Russias near-term goal appears to be to enlist 415,000 contract soldiers, of whom "300,000 would serve as reserves and 115,000 would form new units or replenish undermanned units based on current estimates that Russian forces in Ukraine had deficits of 50,000 combat troops and 40,000 reserve troops," the document stated. The document noted that the plan was opposed by some Russian economic officials, who were worried about the potential effects it would have on the civilian workforce. Western intelligence estimates that Russia began its invasion in February 2022 with about 150,000 troops. During the "partial mobilisation" last fall, more than 300,000 were conscripted, and another 50,000 were believed to be fighting in Ukraine as part of the Wagner mercenary group, including convicts recruited from prison. There is also an unknown number of men forcibly conscripted in the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk Peoples Republics to fight alongside pro-Russian separatists, and smaller volunteer units. According to the leaked documents, the United States estimates that Russia has suffered 189,500 to 223,000 casualties, with up to 43,000 killed. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! If you happened to be passing by Norfolk Southern's rail yard in Bellevue, Ohio, recently you might have come across something very unusual. Two flatbed railcars were spotted there carrying what looks to be exactly like Russian-made S-300 and Tor-M1 surface-to-air missile systems, but are very likely extremely high-fidelity mockups of them. Joseph Zadeh, a trainspotter who goes by @aboveaverage.joe on Instagram, was kind enough to share pictures he took of these railcars and their cargo with us. There are four vehicles in total seen, two each on the pair of commercial flatbed cars. The exact owners and/or operators of the railcars or their cargo are not currently known. Joseph Zadeh / @aboveaverage.joe At first glance, one car has what looks to be a Tor-M1 along with a 5P85S transporter-erector-launcher (TEL), which is associated with multiple versions of the S-300 system. The other has what appears to be a variant of a mobile tracking and missile guidance radar known variously as the 5N63 and 30N6, as well as by the NATO reporting name Flap Lid, also a component of a number of variants of the S-300, along with another Tor-M1. A view of the rail car with what appears to be a 5P85S transporter-erector-launcher (TEL), at left, and a Tor-M1, at right. Joseph Zadeh / @aboveaverage.joe The other railcar with the Tor-M1 and the 5N63/30N6 radar vehicle, or what could be very well-made surrogates, to the left and right, respectively. Joseph Zadeh / @aboveaverage.joe The S-300 system is a long-range surface-to-air missile system that is also capable of engaging certain threats at very high altitudes. The system also has an obscure secondary surface-to-surface strike capability, which Russian forces have actively employed in the course of the war in Ukraine. Tor-M1 is a tracked self-contained surface-to-air missile system designed to provide short-range defense against fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and cruise missiles. The vehicle has two radars, one for target acquisition and another for tracking and engagement, and can be loaded with up to eight command-guided missiles at a time. Story continues The S-300 and Tor series were both developed in the Soviet Union and versions continue to be produced in Russia today. A Tor-M1 with its radars in their deployed positions. The ones seen on the train cars in Ohio have their radars in the stowed positions. Vitaly Kuzmin The S-300 system is a larger multi-part surface-to-air missile system, the components of which vary to some degree from variant to variant. The S-300PS system and subsequent variants based on that version have components mounted on 8x8 MAZ truck chassis, like the 5P85S TEL and the 5N63/30N6 Flap Lid radar vehicle. The 5P85S is readily identifiable by the equipment shelter immediately behind its cab, which houses systems necessary to act as a control node for other 5P85-series TELs within a single firing battery. A 5P85S transport-erector-launcher. Vitaly Kuzmin A 30N6E2 Flap Lid radar. Vitaly Kuzmin Closer inspection of the vehicles on the railcars seen in the yard in Ohio strongly suggests that the 5P85S TEL and the 5N63/30N6 Flap Lid radar vehicle, at least, are very good quality mockups. The two 'trucks,' which have no tires on their wheels, are clearly on trailers. In addition, they have what appear to be fixed supports not found on actual examples of either vehicle. A close-up of the trailer and supports underneath the apparent Flip Lid radar vehicle mockup. Joseph Zadeh / @aboveaverage.joe A closer look at the apparent 5P85S TEL mockup with the trailer and supports underneath. Joseph Zadeh / @aboveaverage.joe Beyond all this, they look very similar to pictures of known mock 5P85S TELs that were included in U.S. Air Force contracting documents posted online four years ago. At the time, the service was expressly looking to buy two high-fidelity facsimiles of TELs associated with the PMU-1 and -2 variants of the S-300, and included the images as examples of what it wanted to buy. A known 5P85S TEL mockup that looks similar in many respects to the ones recently seen on train cars in Ohio. USAF A mockup of an S-300 TEL is seen in its firing position. USAF It's unclear whether the Air Force ultimately completed any acquisition of faux S-300 TELs, or whether the service had any at the time already or has purchased others since. The 2019 contracting notice was put out by Air Force Materiel Command, by way of the Ogden Air Logistics Complex (OO-ALC) at Hill Air Force Base in Utah. The War Zone has reached out for more information. Whether the Tor-M1s are real or not is a bit less clear, although they seem to be mockups as well. The U.S. Air Force is known to have these units in its possession, including at least one example of the more modern Tor-M2E, which it uses for various test and training activities. The same can be said for the S-300 system. The U.S. military, as a whole, has a variety of Soviet-designed surface-to-air missile systems, as well as other foreign materiel, that it has acquired over the years for reverse engineering, general intelligence-gathering, research and development, test and evaluation, and training purposes. A real Tor-M2E arrives at the U.S. Air Force's Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska for an exercise in 2011. USAF There are some key visual indications that point to these being mockups, such as differences in the construction of their tracking radars compared to known real examples, what looks to be an odd green color to their tracks, and what may be evidence of them riding on top of trailers like the apparent S-300-related mockups, among smaller details. A close-up of the tracking radar on one of the Tor-M1s spotted in Ohio. The separate black circular section is unlike the construction of the radar on known real examples of this vehicle. Joseph Zadeh / @aboveaverage.joe What appear to be unusual green-colored tracks on one of the Tor-M1s. Joseph Zadeh / @aboveaverage.joe Evidence of what might be a trailer underneath one of the Tor-M1s. Joseph Zadeh / @aboveaverage.joe At least one private company, the California-based OPFOR Solutions, makes mockups of the Tor series, among other things, that it says are suitable for military test and training purposes, as well as for use as decoys or even as movie props. A picture of one of the company's faux Tors shows that it also has green-colored tracks, but it appears to be far less realistic than the ones seen in the Norfolk Southern rail yard. Its tracking radar is also emblazoned with the company logo, which might indicate that it is a lower-quality example used for marketing purposes. A mock Tor-series vehicle made by OPFOR Solutions. OPFOR Solutions The War Zone has also reached out to OPFOR Solutions for more information. If the S-300-related vehicles are not real, this would further point to the rest of the cargo on the railcars being mockups, as well. The railcars are also owned by a commercial company, TTX, rather than being from the U.S. military's own fleet of rolling stock. However, while it might also seem odd that real military equipment would be transported on commercial railcars, we do know that the U.S. military uses commercial transportation companies to move very real military hardware around the country. Just recently, a Russian-made T-90A tank, captured in Ukraine and shipped to the United States, appeared on a trailer at a truck stop in Louisiana on its way to the Aberdeen Test Center (ATC) at the U.S. Army's Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. The War Zone was the first to report on the circumstances surrounding that vehicle, which you can read more about here. A very real Russian-made T-90A tank bound for the U.S. Army's Aberdeen Test Center (ATC) on a commercial flatbed trailer at a truck stop in Louisiana in April 2023. Courtesy of Reddit user Mutantlight If the rail cargo that Joseph Zadeh spotted in Ohio does belong to the U.S. military, or contractors working on its behalf, it could be useful in a number of contexts. Depending on how exactly they are configured they could be employed for testing and evaluating new systems, such as aircraft-mounted sensors, weapon seekers, or self-protection systems. Even above these uses, high-fidelity mockups like these can offer critical advantages and are useful alternatives to the real thing when it comes to training. This includes adding important realism during large-scale exercises. Having representative surrogates that can look just as the real thing would on radar and optical sensors, as well as the human eye, is becoming even more important for air combat training as sensor technology and automated detection and classification of various vehicles quickly evolves. Good quality mockups can be paired with purpose-built systems designed to mimic various air defense threats to make up for a lack of built-in capabilities, too. The Air Force said that this was the plan for the S-300 TEL mockups it was interested in buying four years ago. "New advancements in technology require these surrogates to be signature accurate to assist in training," the Air Force's 2019 contracting announcement about the planned purchase of S-300 mockups had explained. The notice further stipulated that the faux TELs had to have a radar cross section similar, if not identical to the real thing, as well as representative signatures when viewed through electro-optical and infrared sensors. An AN/VPQ-1 Tactical Radar Threat Generator sits next to what appears to be a mockup of a Soviet-designed 9K33 Osa surface-to-air missile system at the Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center in Mississippi during Exercise Southern Strike 17. USAF Another view of the apparent 9K33 Osa mockup employed during Southern Strike 17. USAF Mockups can, of course, just be cheaper and easier to acquire, transported around to where they are needed, and used for various purposes. The U.S. military, among others, routinely uses real and mock dissimilar systems in training to help acclimate personnel to relatively basic tasks like rapidly discerning whether vehicles seen at a distance are friend or foe. "High-fidelity surrogates are necessary to provide training of cognitive skills to live air crews," the Air Force said back in 2019 regarding its plans to buy the faux S-300 TELs. Whatever the case, Joseph Zadeh definitely stumbled across some interesting and unusual items at the Norfolk Southern yard in Bellevue, Ohio. We will certainly keep readers appraised of whatever we learn going forward. Contact the author: joe@thedrive.com (Bloomberg) -- A pair of corporate crises has given populist Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown a timely platform to blame big corporations for putting profits over people as he tries to overcome a Republican tide in Ohio and win his toughest reelection yet. Most Read from Bloomberg First there was the Norfolk Southern Corp. derailment in February that forced residents in eastern Ohio to flee a fireball of toxic smoke. Then SVB Financial Group collapsed, the biggest bank failure since 2008, followed by Signature Bank. Brown led the Senate reaction to both, negotiating a bipartisan rail safety bill and using his position as chairman of the Banking Committee to push the Federal Reserve to strengthen regulations on lenders. The battles, coming as the 2024 campaign season gets underway, were a natural fit for Brown, who blames the disasters on Wall Street pressure and corporate lobbying to weaken regulations. Thats the business model now for a lot of these companies, Brown, 70, said in Columbus as trains rattled by after a press conference for the rail safety bill. Its far from clear, though, if Browns populist pitch will be enough next year in a race crucial to Senate control. Hes in for the fight of his political life this time given simply the fact that Ohio has changed so much, said former Democratic Governor Ted Strickland. Having Joe Biden, who lost Ohio in 2020 and announced his reelection bid on Tuesday, at the top of the ticket may not help. Ohio voted twice for Barack Obama but has since swung hard to the GOP. Donald Trump won here twice by 8 percentage points and Republican JD Vance won an open Senate seat by a 6-point margin. Republicans have swept control of state government. Story continues Both Trump and Vance took aim at the economic dislocation suffered in Ohio, where hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs evaporated in the early 2000s. Industrial cities such as Youngstown still bear the rusty scars of a lost era. But Browns long-standing opposition to deregulation is resonating with some voters in ways it may not have just months ago. The rail and the banking the kind of issues that have popped up over the past three months certainly put him in a good position, John S. Esterly, a Teamsters rail union leader in Ohio who joined Brown at the Columbus event, said. Its difficult to not come from a position of I told you so. Earlier story: EPA Vows to Hold Norfolk Southern Accountable for Ohio Disaster The number of jobs in the state has yet to recover to pre-Covid levels and overall population has dipped in the last year, according to the latest census figures. But there are signs of an economic turnaround including a 3.8% unemployment rate that matches an all-time low that further benefit Brown. Manufacturing is reviving and employers are complaining of labor shortages as they compete for workers with a thriving logistics industry led by Amazon.com Inc. Companies are bringing back some jobs they shifted to other countries to shore up supply chains after pandemic disruptions. Construction employment has been a bright spot, buoyed by mega-projects like a $20 billion Intel Corp. chip-making hub going up near Columbus. Related: $52 Billion Plan to Make Chips in the US Faces a Labor Shortage Outside of the I-71 corridor, parts of the state continue to struggle, and thats where key battles in the 2024 election will be waged. Mahoning County is home to Youngstown and was long a Democratic bastion, but it has lost population along with steel mills and factories. Average incomes in the region badly trail the national average and dollar stores have flourished. Brown won the county with 60.5% in 2018, but Vance edged Democrat Tim Ryan there last year. Vance, who is working with Brown on rail safety, said he'll support the Republican nominee robustly but thinks Brown will be tougher to beat than more corporate-friendly Democrats. He pointed to blue-collar voters in places like Northeast Ohio. "One of the things that we have to wake up to is these voters don't instinctively believe corporate America cares about them," he said. Browns challenge comes from voters like Don and Betty Baun, registered Republicans who view themselves as independent from Richland County in central Ohio. Both said they previously voted for him, attracted by his message of sticking by working people and supporting unions. They even like his views on regulating railroads and banks. But they said hes become too liberal and has lost their vote. He also voted for the impeachment of President Trump, Don Baun said, standing outside a Walmart. He was totally wrong in doing that because he wasnt following what his constituents I think as a whole wanted. Unlike many lawmakers in battleground states, Brown has repeatedly resisted advice to moderate his positions. I do well in elections in this state because people know that Im authentic, that I do this because I believe it and Ill always fight for it, he said. Brown credits his long-held position on trade for his crossover appeal with Trump voters, helping him win a 7-point victory in the 2018 midterms. The two even penned notes on the issue to each other days after Trumps 2016 win. Brown insisted on revamping the deal with Canada and Mexico with tougher labor and enforcement provisions, at one point holding up an agreement for months until he was satisfied. Brown wont discuss the political impact of the recent rail and banking disasters and emphasized hes not against business, just businesses behaving badly. I want companies to grow, I want more jobs, I want more corporations, I just want them to treat their workers and the public well, he said. Im fine with Norfolk Southern being in the state but theyve got to pay more attention to public safety. Republicans will pound away at Brown for a record thats more liberal than the state, said Bob Paduchik, a former Ohio GOP chairman who was Trumps state director in 2016. Hes out of touch with Ohio, he said. Two candidates have filed to seek the Republican nomination: state Senator Matt Dolan and businessman Bernie Moreno. Others considering the race include Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and US Representative Warren Davidson. Melissa Smith of East Palestine, a Democrat who lives on a farm less than a mile from the Norfolk Southern derailment, praised Brown, who has visited the town repeatedly including at a roundtable she hosted, for focusing on the cleanup and rail safety. Earlier: Norfolk Southern CEO Chided in Senate Hours After New Derailment As long as he sticks to that, hes got my vote, Smith said. Shes back in her home after evacuating and her fragrant-candle shop is open for business, though residents have longer-term concerns. There is a large population out here that feels like no ones hearing them and look down on them, Smith said. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Two national nonprofits dedicated to providing housing for homeless veterans are partnering on plans to build a new community in Bradenton. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which has opened similar affordable housing developments in Arizona and California, sent a letter of intent to Manatee County officials in September. The offer comes after local leaders committed $15 million to renovate the former jail to create housing for veterans. According to Stephen Peck, Tunnel to Towers president and CEO, the nonprofit aims to build 122 units south of Cortez Road where the countys Utilities Department is based. The housing would be a combination of 38 comfort tiny homes that are 500 square feet as well as an 84-unit apartment complex. This is a great opportunity and a great location, said Commissioner George Kruse. This expresses to everybody here that we stand behind our word that we care about our veterans, we care about our homeless veterans. The Manatee Board of County Commissioners previously voted to spend $15 million to begin revamping the inside of the former jail that is connected to the Manatee County Judicial Center in downtown Bradenton, but that plan has been abandoned. Last week, commissioners voted to demolish the old jail instead, pointing to the high costs associated with converting the building into housing and a support center for veterans. Board members say they hope Tunnel to Towers proposed village will fill that void. The Utilities Department already has plans to exit the building at 4530 66th St. W., Bradenton, but a new location has not been determined yet. Housing for veterans in Bradenton Tunnel to Towers is working with U.S. VETS, another large nonprofit that provides support to veterans, to offer wraparound services on the property. The organizations say addiction resources, therapists, employment programs and other support systems will be available. The complex will also have 24/7 on-site security. Story continues We all suffer an indignity when our women and men are sleeping on the same streets that he or she was once asked to defend. Our job is to make sure that never happens again, said Darryl Vincent, chief operating officer of U.S. VETS. Whatever their need is, we triage them through that. The property at 4530 66th Street West, currently housing the Manatee County Utilities complex, was proposed to be donated to be a Veterans village during the Board of Commissioners meeting on April 25, 2023. In a presentation to the board, Gavin Naples, vice president of Tunnel to Towers, said the organization has conducted research that shows there are about 200 homeless veterans in and around Manatee County. We want to maximize the utilization of the site and provide housing for as many individuals as we can, said Naples. The planned community in Bradenton would offer permanent housing to local veterans. Naples said the organization would prioritize Manatee County-based veterans and select a mix of veterans in different age groups and other demographics. Support for homeless veterans When it opens, the facility will be able to provide fully furnished units for 122 veterans. Children and significant others will not be able to live there, Naples said. Rent payments will work on a sliding scale to keep it affordable for veterans working to get back on their feet. The veteran is expected to pay 30% of their income, whether thats $20 a month or $700 a month, said Naples, noting that the foundation will provide housing for people without an income while also helping them apply for housing vouchers. According to Vincent, U.S. VETS maintains a 97% percent retention rate for veterans who take advantage of the permanent housing program. Board members said they were impressed by the presentation, but several commissioners said they had concerns about the proposed complex. Officials debated the facility for over an hour before voting unanimously in support of moving forward. Commissioner Jason Bearden, a Marine Corps. veteran, was the most vocal. He pointed to testimonials from friends who had turned to U.S. VETS for help in the past. I could see how this program would be good, but I dont see it as a fix to a specific issue, Bearden said. Our homelessness could increase because of this. Commissioner Jason Bearden during the Board of Commissioners meeting on April 25, 2023. Commissioner Amanda Ballard also asked about how the organizations will handle situations where a veteran has to be removed from the facility. Naples explained that U.S. VETS does not send veterans back into homelessness. In cases where a resident has to be relocated, the organization will connect the veteran with family, pay for housing elsewhere or seek another solution, he said. Were not going to kick someone out of the program and have them on the street. We will find a place for them based on their needs, Naples said. Help during hard times Acting County Administrator Lee Washington, who is also a Marine Corps. veteran, weighed in on the conversation as well. The county made a commitment to do something for our homeless veterans here in Manatee County. To think that this would be any different than any other affordable housing project that weve approved in Manatee County would be incorrect, said Washington, who highlighted the importance of the on-site support services. Were not a bunch of drunks with mental health issues running around Manatee County or the nation. Some of us have just run into hard times. Speaking during public comment, two local residents urged commissioners to support the proposal. This should have been approved an hour ago, said Glen Gibellina, an outspoken advocate for veteran housing initiatives. I cant believe were having this conversation. Theyve earned our respect and a place to get their lives back on track. As a community, the only answer is yes, Stacy Jesse added. Darryl Vincent, chief operating officer of U.S. VETS, a nationwide nonprofit that provides support services for veterans listens to a speaker. Property at 4530 66th Street West, currently housing the Manatee County Utilities complex, was proposed to be donated to be a Veterans village during the Board of Commissioners meeting on April 25, 2023. In the end, commissioners voted to have staff continue negotiating a deal with Tunnel to Towers and U.S. VETS. County staff plan to visit one of the existing veteran housing communities in the coming weeks. Bearden also said he hopes to visit one of the sites to speak with fellow service members. I think I might feel a little bit better if I could get permission to go out to Riverside and check out the facility, said Bearden, referring to an existing community in California. Id like to physically see it and ask questions with the people to see if theyre truly getting services. Tunnel to Towers and U.S. VETS said they hope to open the veteran housing community by the end of 2024. Interim County Administrator Lee Washington during the Board of Commissioners meeting on April 25, 2023. Graza CEO Andrew Benin recently accused another olive oil company, Brightland, of copying his company's squeeze bottle design, and later apologized. Brightland (Left), Graza (Right) The CEO of olive oil startup Graza issued a public apology after a recent LinkedIn post garnered criticism. Andrew Benin accused Brightland, another food startup, of copying Graza's squeeze bottle design on Tuesday. Many commenters criticized his claim, saying squeeze bottles have existed long before Graza started using them. A spat between two olive oil startups has gone viral on social media, after one founder took to LinkedIn to accuse the other of copying his squeeze bottle design. Andrew Benin, founder and CEO of olive oil startup Graza, wrote in a LinkedIn post on Tuesday that rival oil and vinegar brand Brightland copied his design, after the company announced its own squeeze bottle olive oil product designed to be drizzled on pizzas. In the post, Benin calls out Brightland CEO Aishwarya Iyer on claims her company participated in "copycat culture," which he wrote is "an incessant part of our entrepreneurial landscape." "Brightland and Aishwarya Iyer, while friendly competition was always welcome, I do view this as a blatant disrespect and am choosing to voice my discontent," Benin said, who in the post also accused squeeze bottle brand Goldi and an unnamed "fine foods" brand in New Jersey of copying Graza's design. The post, which was edited to include a subsequent apology later that same day, stirred up debate on LinkedIn and beyond over use of the squeeze bottle. The more than 120 comments on Benin's post and across social media were divided, with some users supporting his accusation and expressing support for Graza, while others said it was silly to lay claim to the concept of a squeeze bottle, which has long been used in the food industry. "Andrew, with all due respect, you did not create the squeeze bottle," Alison Kayne, founder of Haven's Kitchen, commented on Benin's post. "Chefs and home cooks have been using it for decades." "It's frustrating for an entrepreneur to see this happen, but it always does," John Foraker, CEO and founder at Once Upon a Farm, commented. "Been there many, many, times." Story continues In an updated version of the post, Benin apologized to Iyer for the accusation, and called the post "out of character." "I want to apologize for letting my emotions get the best of me," Benin wrote in the updated post. "I was heated, and reacted poorly, and have learned from the variety of comments that everyone has left today. Thank you to everyone for your candor, and for showing me that there was clearly a better way to address all of this." Benin did not immediately respond to Insider's request to comment, and a spokesperson for Brightland declined to comment. The Brightland incident is not the first time Benin has issued a public apology in recent months. The Graza CEO emailed thousands of customers during the company's first holiday season to apologize for issues like shipping delays and dented bottles. Benin told the Wall Street Journal that apology which was reportedly written by him within a few hours without proofreaders before it was sent to more than 35,000 people was well received by Graza's customers, adding he believes people respond well when an executive apologizes like a person, and not like a business. Read the original article on Business Insider BEIJING, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Thursday morning talked over phone with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Noting China and Pakistan are good neighbors, friends, partners and brothers, Li said that both sides should maintain high-level exchanges, strengthen strategic communication, promote greater progress in bilateral relations and cooperation in various fields, and jointly promote the building of a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era. Li underlined that this year marks the 10th anniversary of Chinese President Xi Jinping's proposal of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the 10th anniversary of the launch of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), indicating that both sides should work together to improve the quality of the CPEC cooperation, making it a high-quality demonstration project of the Belt and Road cooperation. China is willing to continuously import more quality agricultural and livestock products from Pakistan and advance industrial cooperation with Pakistan, Li said, adding that the two sides should accelerate expanding the cooperation in fields regarding agriculture, minerals, science and technology, and information technology. Li noted that China supports Pakistan in maintaining financial stability, and hopes that Pakistan will continue to create a favorable environment so as to guarantee the safety of Chinese institutions and personnel in Pakistan. China will, as always, firmly support Pakistan in defending national independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and firmly support Pakistan in fighting terrorism, maintaining unity and stability, and achieving revitalization and development, said Li. He also expressed that the two sides should support each other in multilateral field, uphold international fairness and justice, safeguard the common interests of both countries and other developing countries, defend regional peace and security, and promote common development. For his part, Sharif said that Pakistan and China are "iron-clad brothers" and the destinies of the two countries are closely linked. Pakistan is always a reliable partner of China in maintaining peace, promoting development and addressing common challenges, he said, adding that Pakistan adheres to the one-China policy and firmly supports China on all issues concerning the latter's core interests. Sharif noted that Pakistan thanks China for its firm support and selfless help to Pakistan in safeguarding national independence and sovereignty and promoting national development. He expressed Pakistan's willingness to work with China to promote high-quality development of the CPEC, deepen cooperation in infrastructure, industry, agriculture, economy and trade, and push forward the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries. Pakistan will make every effort to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel, institutions and projects in Pakistan, Sharif added. One of the four inmates who escaped from a jail in Mississippi over the weekend is in custody in Texas, authorities said Thursday, and two of the escapees are still at large. Jerry Raynes. (Hinds County Sheriff's Office / via Facebook) Jerry Raynes, 51, was captured in Spring Valley, Texas, said the Hinds County Sheriffs Office, which posted a picture on Facebook of Raynes with his hands behind his back as he appears to be frisked by an officer. Multiple law enforcement agencies assisted with the capture, the sheriffs office said. Raynes will be jailed and faces extradition back to Mississippi, the sheriff's office said. Authorities said Raynes was captured on security video in a service station in Spring Valley on Sunday. A stolen Hinds County maintenance truck was also recovered in the city that same day. It was unknown whether Raynes traveled to Texas by himself, the sheriff's office said. Authorities said Wednesday they believed Dylan Arrington, 22, who also escaped from the Raymond Detention Center on Saturday night, was killed after he barricaded himself in a home in Leake County, Mississippi. Arrington exchanged gunfire with police. The home caught fire during the gunfight, and a deputy was wounded, officials said. Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones, whose department manages the detention center the inmates escaped from, told WAPT-TV of Jackson that Arrington was the suspect involved in a shootout with police and that his body was in the home. There was an individual barricaded inside the residence that was believed to be Dylan Arrington, Jones said. Leake County Coroner Earl Adams said Thursday that the body found in the home Wednesday was badly burned and that dental and possibly DNA tests might have to be done to confirm the identity. Results could take weeks, he said. The Leake County Sheriff's Office said in a statement Wednesday the "suspect shot from within his location in the home," striking a deputy in the lower right leg. The deputy was treated at a hospital, where he was stabilized, the sheriff's office said. Story continues Leake County in central Mississippi is about 80 miles northeast of Hinds County, where the inmates escaped from jail. Arrington, Raynes, Casey Grayson and Corey Harrison escaped from the jail near Jackson through breaches in a cell and the roof, Jones said. They might have camped out on the roof before they fled and went their separate ways, Jones said. Arrington was suspected in the slaying of the Rev. Anthony Watts, 62. Watts was shot and killed around 7 p.m. Monday on Interstate 55 after he pulled over to help a man, suspected of being Arrington, who had wrecked a motorcycle. Police say the man shot Watts several times and stole his red Dodge Ram. Watts died at the scene. Based on information gathered from investigators, the suspect ... fit the description of 22-year-old Dylan Arrington, Jackson Police Chief James E. Davis said this week. Watts was the head pastor of St. Mary Missionary Baptist Church in DLo, Mississippi, the Rev. Carl Burton, an assistant pastor, told NBC affiliate WLBT of Jackson on Tuesday. "He was a good man, willing to do anything for anybody. And he showed that every day of his life, Burton told the station. Kristin Watts, Watts daughter, said in a statement Wednesday that her dad meant everything to her. She affectionately called him Paw, while his loving nickname for her was Boo. Not only was he my dad, but he was also my pastor, and he knew how to balance both well. ... Many times us PKs [preachers kids] are under a radar of perfection. He used to always tell me, You are not the preacher, and you need to live your life, but you know how to act, as well. Me and your mama raised you, but what you do with that is on you, she said. I didnt have to act like a saint, because he knew I was human. He instilled so much into me: my faith, my love for my family and my work ethic to work and never wait for a handout. I will miss him, and I know the days to come will seem very empty, but I know without a doubt where he is. Before the escape, Raynes was in jail on charges of auto theft, business burglary and having previously been an escapee, Jones said. Arrington was in jail on charges of auto theft and being a convicted felon with a firearm. Grayson was in the detention center on possessing and selling a controlled substance, grand larceny and being a convicted felon with a firearm, Jones said. Harrison, Jones said, was in jail on charges of receiving stolen property. The whereabouts of Grayson and Harrison remain unknown. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Twitter Chief Executive Elon Musk speaks at a marketing conference in Miami Beach, Fla., on April 18, 2023. (Chandan Khanna / AFP/Getty Images) In October, polarizing billionaire and Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk purchased the polarizing social media platform Twitter for $44 billion, promising to change how the site operated. In various statements, most of them tweets, Musk made allusions to decreased moderation on the platform, pledging to make the site a bastion of "free speech." In the months that followed, he implemented several new initiatives at the company and the site, including firing hundreds of employees, reinstating hundreds of previously banned accounts, stripping badges of verification from most users who did not pay $8 per month for a Twitter Blue subscription, and pledging to address the site's bot problem. But new research shows that the site also underwent another change after Musk took over it became more hateful. According to data collected by researchers from USC, UCLA, UC Merced and Oregon State University, daily use of hate speech by those who previously posted hateful tweets nearly doubled after Musk finalized the sale. And the overall volume of hate speech also doubled sitewide. The research was conducted by Keith Burghardt, Matheus Schmitz and Goran Muric of USC, UCLA's Daniel Fessler, Daniel Hickey of Oregon State and Paul Smaldino of UC Merced. The group studied the tweets of users who had made hateful postings a month before and after Twitter was sold and also collected a sampling from the general user pool. The researchers first developed a "hate lexicon" of 49 racist, antisemitic and homophobic and transphobic terms. Then, they examined the pre- and post-sale postings using an artificial intelligence tool that scanned for the hateful terms and their frequency, weeding out "non-toxic," or non-hateful, uses of the terms. We first had to create a set of words that we could determine as being hateful," Burghardt, a computer scientist with the Information Sciences Institute at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, said in a news release. "Our aim was to find words that were relatively high precision, meaning that if people are using these words, its unlikely theyre being used in a non-hateful manner." Story continues The volume of hate speech posted by hateful users surged after the sale was finalized, although researchers noted that hate speech on Twitter was on the rise even before Musk bought it. At the outset of their project, the researchers hypothesized that, with Musk nodding toward less restrictive policies, hate speech would increase. But they were unsure by just how much. "I didn't have any expectations one way or the other," Fessler, who is director of the UCLA Bedari Kindness Institute, said in an interview with The Times, "because it's very difficult to gauge in advance. You don't know what the population of users potentially producing such content is, you don't know what the size of the population is or what their frequency of tweeting and retweeting is." But the results shocked Burghardt. "What was surprising was ... that this stuff had increased so dramatically," he told The Times. "We had not expected that hate users would actually be using more hate words after Elon Musk joined Twitter." Fessler noted that expressions of intolerance had been on the rise since the start of Donald Trump's presidential campaign and that Musk "winked at those sentiments often enough that a population of active or potential Twitter users who shared those views recognized the opportunity they were being given." "From a kind of 30,000-foot level," Fessler said, "the Twitter effect is really reflective of larger trends in society." Researchers noted that they could not "prove a causal relationship between Musk's takeover and hate speech." The CEO's changes to moderation are "poorly documented," they said. The research is an important step in identifying how and why people can become radicalized online by what has been termed stochastic terrorism, in which hate speech is used to incite violent acts, Burghardt said. Social media could play a role in that radicalization, he said, but more research is needed. Once users join these hate groups, even on social media sites that are not traditionally hateful, Burghardt said, they're immediately more hateful and more antagonistic. "We expect that, once they join these sites, they become more likely to advocate violence," he said, "and then some small proportion actually commit these acts." But despite the documented increase in hate speech, Fessler noted that it was coming from a small population. "This is in no way a majority view," he said. "And society as a whole is ... increasingly tolerant of difference and increasingly diverse." Twitter has substantial influence despite its relatively small size, so Fessler is concerned that it's apparently subject to the whims of one person Musk. "It is worrisome when a platform with the reach of Twitter can be purchased by one individual and even modest attempts to turn it to more socially constructive ends ... are deconstructed and removed," Fessler said. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. KYIV (Reuters) - One person was killed and 23 people, including a child, were wounded in a Russian missile strike on an apartment block and houses in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv in the early hours of Thursday, officials said. "At night, Russia bombarded Mykolaiv with four Kalibr missiles launched from the Black Sea," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on the Telegram app. "The high-precision weapons were aimed at private houses, a historic building, and a high-rise building. For now, we know about one dead and 23 wounded, including a child." A video posted by Zelenskiy showed badly damaged buildings with smashed windows and smoke rising above the roofs. Regional governor Vitaliy Kim said the emergency services put out several fires caused by the missile debris and that they were clearing the rubble. Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians in its full-scale invasion that has killed thousands of people, uprooted millions and destroyed towns. Mykolaiv, a shipbuilding centre and port, had a population of about 470,000 people before the war. The city has suffered heavy Russian bombardments throughout the war. (Reporting by Olena Harmash, editing by Elizabeth Piper) Vitaly Kim commented on the Russian attack on Mykolayev Read also: Russia attacks Mykolaiv with Kalibr missiles: one person killed, at least 23 wounded "This was the 113th day without a strike in Mykolaiv," the governor stated. There have been no attacks since December 31... There was a slight panic among people. This is a blindside by Russians on civilians, there are no military facilities there... But it was an unusual attack, we did not react, we did not see, so it was like a bolt from the blue. Read also: Russia targeting Ukrainian air defense systems, says Mykolaiv governor One Russian missile hit a tree, damaging the surrounding buildings. It is believed that four Kalibr missiles were launched at the southern Ukrainian city from the Black Sea. Initial reports said the Russian strike sent 23 civilians to the hospital, with three in serious condition. Two children were among the injured, said the regional governors press secretary, Viktoriya Oliynyk. One person was later pronounced dead, while another was found injured. "The enemy attacked Mykolaiv with Kalibr high-precision missiles taking into account terrain features, passing below the radar waves that could detect [them]" she added. A five-story residential building and civilian residences in a detached housing neighborhood were the hardest hit, said Kim. Read also: GRU agent sentenced for guiding Russian missiles to schools in Mykolaiv Oblast A factory, technical school, and court were also damaged in the Russian attack. 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 One person was fatally shot Wednesday night in Kansas Citys Independence Plaza neighborhood. Officer Donna Drake, a spokeswoman for Kansas City police, said officers were dispatched shortly before 10 p.m. to the 800 block of Prospect Avenue on a reported shooting. Responding officers located a male gunshot victim, whose age was not immediately known. He was declared dead at the scene. Homicide detectives and crime scene personnel were called to investigate, Drake said. Police had no suspect information Wednesday night. One person was fatally shot around 10 p.m. Wednesday night in the 800 block of Prospect Avenue in Kansas City, according to police. The killing marks Kansas Citys 55th so far in 2023, according to data maintained by The Star. In 2022, the second-deadliest on record, there were 171 homicides. Kansas City police were asking that anyone with information about the investigation contact homicide detectives at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline anonymously at 816-474-TIPS. The ceramic dagger was detected by TSA in a traveler's bag and then in his waistband a few moments later. Airport security at two Hawaii airports detected multiple prohibited items on travelers during routine screenings in the past two weeks, according to the Transportation Security Administration. At Kahului International Airport on Maui, a double-edge ceramic knife was detected in a traveler's "cluttered" carry-on bag on April 18, a news release from the TSA said. The passenger, who was flying to San Francisco International Airport, agreed to check the knife in with the airline. He returned to airport security to be rescreened a few minutes later, and the knife was rediscovered in his waistband during a "targeted pat-down" after alarms were triggered, according to the TSA. TSA firearm detections are on the rise: Here's what we saw at one of the airports with the most cases Get a hold of yourselves: Why air rage on airplanes is every traveler's problem TSA Pacific said a butterfly knife was found taped to a traveler's leg in Honolulu. On April 13, another traveler tried to get through airport security in Honolulu with a butterfly knife taped to his leg. His carry-on also was found to have a collapsible baton and, upon rescreening, a knife concealed in a comb, the TSA said. "One traveler, multiple prohibited items," TSA Pacific tweeted Tuesday. "Traveler had a knife concealed in a comb, a collapsible baton & a butterfly knife taped to his leg." TSA officers discovered the items during a routine screening at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, according to the agency. Sharp knives may not be taken on planes. Only plastic knives and rounded butter knives are allowed on board. Other knives and other sharp objects must be packed in checked baggage and "should be sheathed or securely wrapped to prevent injury to baggage handlers and inspectors," according to the TSA. TSA Pacific said this knife was concealed in a comb. "I am proud of the TSA officers throughout Hawaii and the Pacific who take their screening duties seriously, remain focused on their security mission and protect the traveling public every day. Let these two incidents serve as a reminder that TSA is on the lookout for prohibited items that travelers may choose to conceal," said Nanea Vasta, the TSA's federal security director for Hawaii and the Pacific, in a statement. Story continues The TSA said it will review both incidents and charge the appropriate civil fines against the two travelers. Penalties for carrying prohibited items can include civil fines and arrest. "Before leaving home, remember to check your baggage to ensure you are not carrying any prohibited items to avoid a possible arrest and/or civil penalties," the TSA reminds travelers on its website. The site also lists what travelers can and can't bring on planes. 'Ranting and raving': 3 TSA officers injured by a female traveler after her juice was confiscated TSA Pacific said this baton was also discovered on the traveler in Honolulu. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: TSA officers find knife in comb, other taped to Hawaii traveler's leg One of the world's oldest newspapers still in print, Austria's Wiener Zeitung, will primarily move online, after a decision Thursday by the country's parliament. The development marks the final step in a years-long dispute between the Austrian government and the newspaper about the future of the state-owned daily. Founded in 1703 under the name Wiennerisches Diarium, and later renamed Wiener Zeitung in 1780, the formerly private bi-weekly paper was nationalised by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria in 1857, becoming the country's official gazette. "It is adopted with a majority," Norbert Hofer, the third president of the parliament, said of a new law to primarily move the publication online from July 1. The paper will maintain a minimum of ten print publications per year, depending on the funds available. The Wiener Zeitung was in 2004 ranked as one of the oldest newspapers still in circulation, the World Association of News Publishers told AFP. The newspaper's role as official gazette, it's main source of revenue, will move to a separate state-owned online platform. The government argued that this was in line with a European directive to centralise and publish official information online. Meanwhile, the Wiener Zeitung will establish a media hub, a content agency, and a training centre for journalists. "Some fear that the government just wants to keep the Wiener Zeitung brand with its 320-year-old history, while nobody knows what the future publication will look like -- whether it will still be serious journalism," its vice managing editor Mathias Ziegler told AFP. Almost half of the newspaper's over 200 employees -- 40 of whom are journalists -- could be laid off, according to its trade union. The Wiener Zeitung has a circulation of about 20,000 on weekdays and about twice as much on weekends. EU Commission Vice-President Vera Jourova told Austrian news agency APA that she was "not happy with the situation". Story continues "I think the Wiener Zeitung played a good role in informing people over the years". Several hundred people took to the streets in Vienna on Tuesday to protest the government's move. kym/jza/fb Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee will be leaving the department, officials announced Wednesday evening, and has been tapped to join the FBI. Contee, who has served as chief since January of 2021, and with the department since 1989, will be departing, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed. Sources told CBS News that Contee will be joining the FBI as assistant director of the Office of Partner Engagement. The news comes just one day after Contee spent several hours with CBS News in an effort to understand the crime challenges facing American cities. "There are a lot more guns are in communities now, a lot more guns than what we experienced over the course of my time here in the police department," Contee told CBS News Tuesday. Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee at a news conference about the spike in crime in Washington, D.C., on March 6, 2023. / Credit: Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images Contee said he has been facing a shortage of officers, with D.C. police staffing at a half-century low. "Whether it's D.C., New York, L.A., Detroit, Chicago, it doesn't matter, like, everybody is having this struggle when it comes to recruiting and retaining police officers," Contee said. He explained that the funding infrastructure is in place to add more officers, but "the challenge right now is really making sure that we have an environment that's supportive of our police officers to make people want to be police officers." On April 21, eight people were wounded in shootings in the neighborhood of Southeast D.C., including a 12-year-old girl. None of the injuries were life-threatening, police said at the time. According to the latest city statistics, overall crime in the nation's capital so far this year is up 25% compared to 2022. Homicides are up 20% and motor vehicle theft is up 106%, the numbers show. Contee said that, often, violent crime can be linked to illegal firearms. "When you talk specifically about the violent crime, early in this year, we had a couple of cases where we saw individuals just shooting people, shooting each other for no reason," Contee said. "Individuals who are unable to resolve disputes, simple arguments that turned into homicides. Why? Because people have access to illegal firearms. And when they have access to illegal firearms, they use them, unfortunately." Story continues He also argues that there has been a lack of prosecutions. Last year, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia declined to prosecute about two-thirds of people arrested by Metropolitan police. "When police officers enforce the law, that's only one part of that criminal justice ecosystem," Contee said. "It's only one part of it, because that case, then again, has to be prosecuted. Like, people would assume that, yeah, bad guy got robbed somebody, bad guy goes to jail, bad guy is not back out in the community. That's not necessarily the case." In a statement, the U.S. Attorney's Office for D.C. told CBS News that it "prosecutes violent crime, including gun violence, as aggressively as we ever have, charging over 90% of our most violent felonies, and prosecuting every firearms offense we believe we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt." It went on to note that "with firearms offenses and non-violent felonies, our ability to prosecute has been hampered by recent changes in the law and the shutdown of the city's forensics lab." Disney sues Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over "government retaliation" Stocks fall as First Republic Bank shares plummet British antitrust regulators block Microsoft purchase of Activision Blizzard An Overland Park firm is expanding in Wichita in a couple of big ways. Brungardt Honomichl & Co., a civil engineering firm that is going into its 31st year, entered the Wichita market a year ago with one employee. Weve grown quite a bit, said Matthew Tucker, a lifelong Wichitan who is BHCs Wichita regional manager. The firm quickly grew to six employees and now has acquired the Savoy Co. for an additional 15 employees across Savoys Wichita, El Dorado and Kensington offices. We are still expecting to grow even more by the end of the year, said Teresa Hinrichs-Perrin, BHCs corporate growth and strategy director. BHC, which has been in space at the FireWorx co-working building downtown, is temporarily moving into Savoys Wichita space at 433 S. Hydraulic on its way to getting its own new space at Occidental Managements Ice House at 165 S. Rock Island Ave. Alloy Architecture, which will be BHCs neighbor in the Ice House, is designing the firms new space. BHC, which also has an office in Kansas City, Kan., now has 175 employees across all of its offices. Tucker said the firm considered a few places when it looked at expanding. It already had customers here and had been doing business with them for some time, so Wichita was natural. Hinrichs-Perrin said the firm does work across the country and had options of where to grow. She said one plus in Wichitas favor is that Wichita State University is here, which just gives a talent and vibrancy to the market. Hinrichs-Perrin said that locating downtown makes sense for BHC because the company likes to be involved in the communities in which it locates. It seems like to us thats where a lot of things start, she said. This gave us . . . a core. Also, she said it will be nice for employees to be able to walk to lunch. Tucker said BHC got involved with community and trade organizations immediately upon entering Wichita. We jumped right on that, he said. Youve got to be active and involved to stay relevant. Story continues Occidental president Chad Stafford and broker Nick Flores handled the deal for the BHC space. The move will happen by late summer if not a bit earlier, Tucker said. I cant wait to move in over there. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has recognised the deportation and forcible transfers of Ukrainian children to the territory of the Russian Federation as genocide. Source: European Pravda, referring to a corresponding resolution adopted at the plenary session on Thursday Details: The resolution titled "Deportations and forcible transfers of Ukrainian children and other civilians to Russian Federation or to Ukrainian territories temporarily occupied: create conditions for their safe return, stop these crimes and punish the perpetrators" was adopted in Strasbourg. "The Assembly underscores that the forcible transfer of children from one group to another group, with the intention to destroy, totally or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group is considered as a crime of genocide under Article 2 paragraph (e) of the 1948 Genocide Convention, which matches with the documented evidence of deportation and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children to the Russian Federation or territories temporarily under Russian occupation," the resolution states. The document reports that the illegal deportation of Ukrainians to the Russian Federation from the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts started before the beginning of the full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine, when children from orphanages and disabled children were deported. The PACE called upon the International Criminal Court (ICC) to consider the possibility of criminal responsibility for this crime. "The Assembly also supports the need for thorough recording, gathering and assessment of evidence of the crime of genocide as provided by both the Rome Statute and the Genocide Convention. The Assembly supports the investigation and prosecution of the State policy of forcible transfers and deportation of Ukrainian children by the Russian Federation, and Ukraines potential actions before the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice," the document states. Background: The Senate of France, the upper chamber of the French Parliament, called upon the institutions and member states of the EU to collect evidence of the forcible displacement of the Ukrainian children to Russia and impose sanctions against the Russian officials, responsible for these crimes. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! RAMALLAH, April 27 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian foreign ministry on Thursday condemned the remarks of the European Commission president on Israel's 75th Independence Day. The ministry said in a statement that it rejects "the inappropriate, false, and discriminatory remarks by Ursula von der Leyen on Israel's 75th anniversary." In a congratulatory video message published on Wednesday, von der Leyen lauded Israel for having "made the desert bloom," sparking the Palestinian ministry to slam it as an "anti-Palestinian racist trope." "Such propagandist discourse dehumanizes and erases the Palestinian people and falsifies their rich history and civilization," said the statement. "Likewise, such narrative perpetuates the continued and racist denial of the Nakba and whitewashes Israel's illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories and apartheid regime," it added. The foreign ministry also said that "such adoption of anti-Palestinian rhetoric undermines the European Union's standing and casts serious doubts on its declared commitment to international law and human rights. "Her remarks are also a betrayal to European citizens who do not endorse such racist erasure of the Palestinian people," said the statement, which called von der Leyen "to apologize to the European citizens and the Palestinian people for her remarks." Von der Leyen'remarks have sparked an unusual diplomatic spat between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the European Union (EU), its main donor. Voting in PACE for a resolution on the deportation of Ukrainian children by the Russian occupiers, April 27, 2023 Another delegate, Oleksiy Honcharenko, noted in his Telegram channel that the word "genocide" regarding Russia's actions in Ukraine was mentioned for the first time in an official document at this level. Read also: Ukraine expects PACE resolution on abducted children Kravchuk clarified that the resolution asserts that forcibly relocating Ukrainian children to Russia is in breach of the 1948 UN Genocide Convention. Additionally, the document welcomes international efforts to hold Russian leadership and perpetrators accountable for the crimes of genocide committed against the Ukrainian people. Read also: Russias FSB, soldiers looting homes of deported Kherson residents, says Zelenskyys advisor The head of the Ukrainian delegation, Maria Mezentseva, added on Facebook that the PACE calls on member countries to help Ukraine create a mechanism for identifying and repatriating those who were deported back to Ukraine or a safe third country. Honcharenko also wrote that the resolution was amended to say that Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko shares responsibility for deporting Ukrainians from their own country. Read also: PACE could soon urge banning Russian athletes from Olympic Games As of April 2023, 19,384 children were considered to have been deported from Ukraine. The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on March 17 for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Russias childrens ombudsman, Maria Lvova-Belova, for their involvement in unlawful removal of children from Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. 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 One woman is speaking out and providing additional details following a racist encounter she had on a train in Italy. On April 24, Mahnoor Euceph (@mahnooreu), a Pakistani American filmmaker, posted a viral TikTok in which three Italian women are seen whispering and giggling indiscreetly, presumably at Euceph and her party, while on a train from Lake Como to Milan. Euceph was accompanied by her half Chinese boyfriend, his Chinese mom, and his white dad. One of the women proceeds to loudly and repeatedly say ni hao, while the other two laugh hysterically. At one point, it seems as though the women even make eye contact with Euceph, who is recording this encounter. After some extensive sleuthing, TikTok users discovered the identities of these three women. One of them even reached out to Euceph via Instagram in an effort to clear her name. Margherita, the girl with the headband, sent two messages to clarify what it was Euceph perceived to have happened. I understand that you were offended by our laughter and Im here to assure you we had no intention of making fun of you, let alone your ethnicity or nationality. My friends and I were just laughing with each other in a way that werealizing just now might have been offensive in your regards, read an excerpt of the message. I assure you that we repudiate racism just as much as you do and I think that all the tags and the comments were receiving are just carrying it forward rather than opposing it, Margherita continued. Rather than accept the alleged apology, Euceph stood up for herself and her family. My boyfriends Chinese mom is in her 60s. She has seen a lot of hate towards Asians in her life, and at her age, she does not deserve this, Euceph wrote. You ARE the real racists, and you have a lot of work do on yourself. I hope you will learn from this and take responsibility for how you acted. Euceph then took the time to thank audiences for their support and urged them to avoid bullying the women. Story continues I also wanna say, you know, we dont need to bully them or stoop to their level or make comments about their appearances. You know, women have enough body image issues as it is, she said. I think, lets just stick to the topic at hand, which is their racist behavior, and lets try to make them take accountability for that. It felt at least like a little bit of justice to get the support from the global community, and a lot of really nice Italian people have reached out and apologized for these girls behavior, she added. The way she looked you DEAD in the eye with no shame saying NI HAO and how u caught that on camera there is NO WAY she can back out of this Euceph isnt the only one who feels as though the apology was disingenuous. TikTok users have taken to the comments to discuss their exchange, and many have commended Euceph for how eloquently she stood her ground and called out Margheritas racist behavior. that was such a bs apology sorry if us staring at you and laughing was interpreted as offensive, @gabbithecrafter wrote. Theyre only sorry they were caught and now the world knows, @itsmiaquattlebaum said. You can literally hear them say Ni Hao multiple times, @canyoumeetmeinjannah added. The gaslighting is crazy lmao, @jsteelcity laughed. The way she looked you DEAD in the eye with no shame saying NI HAO and how u caught that on camera there is NO WAY she can back out of this, @smitholve3 replied. In 2022, a study conducted by Erin T. Jacques, PhD reviewed 100 videos on TikTok that used the hashtag #StopAsianHate in an effort to raise awareness regarding the increased incidences of racism, xenophobia, and violence toward Asians and Asian Americans following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jacques found that the sharing and documenting of collective experiences via social media not only promotes activism in online communities, but it helps facilitate offline communities to take action, build community, and engage in norm formation which was demonstrated by the global support Euceph received after she shared her initial TikTok documenting the incident, which has more than 19.2 million views and 2.4 million likes as of reporting. Social media, to that end, is viable as a tool for political engagement, online activism, and a forum to raise consciousness about social injustices for other marginalized groups. While the motivation for Margherita and the two other women to engage in racist rhetoric isnt exactly known, per Jacquess study, it isnt out of the realm of possibility that they were emboldened by the growing, concerning normalization of Asian hate and pandemic scapegoating in America and beyond. In The Know by Yahoo is now available on Apple News follow us here! The post Pakistani American woman exposes three racist Italian women she encounters, and one of them reaches out: I assure you that we repudiate racism just as much as you do appeared first on In The Know. More from In The Know: Amazon shoppers are obsessed with this $38 seamless shaping bodysuit: 'Move over SKIMS' I tried the new Glossier G Suit lipstick, and I have thoughts Who is Clara Pierce? Fans think Miley Cyrus uploaded music under a fake name American Genocide podcast shares how Indigenous youth are helping to inspire a Native boarding school reckoning By Sam Tobin LONDON (Reuters) -Queen Elizabeth knew that Rupert Murdoch's UK newspaper arm had been spying on her family and their friends, and authorised her staff to "draw a line" under the issue, according to an email released on Thursday in a lawsuit by her grandson Prince Harry. Harry is suing Murdoch's News Group Newspapers for hacking into mobile phones and other unlawful acts he says were committed against him on behalf of its tabloids, the Sun and the now-defunct News of the World, from the mid-1990s until 2016. News Group, which has settled more than 1,000 phone-hacking cases over the past decade, is trying this week to strike out Harry's claim and a similar case brought by British actor Hugh Grant, arguing they should have taken action sooner. Clive Goodman, the News of the World's then royal reporter, was jailed in 2007 for illegally intercepting royal household phone messages. Harry, estranged from his father King Charles, says he did not bring a lawsuit earlier because of a "secret agreement" between Buckingham Palace and Murdoch's executives to protect the royal family from embarrassment. News Group denies any such agreement, while the palace has not commented. A 2017 email from the palace, submitted to the court by Harry's legal team and released on Thursday, appears to show that royal staff tried to put the phone hacking claims to rest, with the backing of the then-queen, who died last year. It was time to "draw a line" under the dispute, the director of royal communications, Sally Osman, wrote to News Corp Chief Executive Robert Thomson. "The fact that we can have this conversation, with the queen's full authority and knowledge of the scale and effect of hacking and surveillance on her family, their staff, associates, friends and family, is important with a view to resolution in the near future," Osman wrote. In another email in early 2018, Osman told Thomson and Rebekah Brooks, head of Murdoch's UK subsidiary, of "an increasing sense of frustration here at the lack of response or willingness to engage in finding a resolution". Story continues Osman told Brooks in a separate 2018 email that there was an "institutional appetite" within the royal family to resolve Harrys phone-hacking case. "We are still very much of the mind that we dont want this to become embroiled in legal negotiation but it would clearly assist if our lawyers now spoke to yours," Osman wrote. Harry ultimately filed his lawsuit in 2019. Harry has said NGN settled a phone hacking claim from his brother William "for a huge sum of money in 2020... without any of the public being told, and seemingly with some favourable deal in return for him going 'quietly' so to speak". Buckingham Palace has not commented and William's office said it could not comment on ongoing legal proceedings. News Group has disputed the existence of a "secret agreement" but declined to comment on whether it settled with William. The case is one of four Harry is currently pursuing against British publishers, following claims in his Netflix documentary and memoir "Spare" accusing tabloids of widespread unlawful activity and his family of colluding with them. The preliminary hearing is expected to conclude on Thursday, with a trial due in January if the judge lets it go ahead. Harry, who now lives in California with his family, was not in court, but is following the proceedings by video link. Grant attended court in person on Thursday. (Reporting by Sam TobinEditing by Peter Graff and Frances Kerry) PANAMA CITY Thanks to a partnership between Panama City and the Florida Department of Transportation, stormwater improvements are around the corner for the St. Andrew Community. Panama City commissioners on Tuesday approved for the city to spend $335,000 to purchase more than half an acre at 1400 Beck Ave. In exchange of the purchase, FDOT has agreed to fund the construction of a stormwater facility and pond on the property, with hopes it will drastically improve reoccurring flooding in the area. Panama City commissioners on Tuesday approved for the city to spend $335,000 to purchase a vacant lot off Beck Avenue that will be used by the Florida Department of Transportation to build a new stormwater facility. "We've got areas of the city that are what we call repetitive loss areas," Commissioner Josh Street said. "To get that designation, it means that there's either homes or businesses that are consistently flooding inside of those buildings." Helping residents: Panama City encourages residents to participate in second voluntary home buyout program Possible future ordinance: Panama City to possibly create downtown social district to allow alcoholic drinks He added the region near the property is among those loss areas. Along with nearby buildings, surrounding Beck Avenue also often floods. The new stormwater facility should help fix both issues. It will serve as a stormwater treatment center for about 26 acres of the St. Andrew Community. "For decades there's been flooding right there at that corner intersection," Street said of Beck Avenue and West 14th Street. "This is the solution to eliminating that flooded area. ... This is part of us trying to make consistent efforts step by step at solving some of the most difficult issues there are to solve in the city. "Flooding is one of those that doesn't fix itself overnight. It's a mixture of maintaining the system that we have now well, but also putting in needed infrastructure like the stormwater pond to alleviate the problems that have existed." Ian Satter, spokesperson for FDOT, said the next step is for Panama City to transfer the property deed to the department once it is purchased. FDOT will then begin a project development and environment study to determine how it will need to construct the stormwater facility for it to be effective. Story continues Satter noted there currently is no timeline for when construction of the facility might begin or end. FDOT does not yet have any funding set aside for the project. "Now that the property will be deeded over to FDOT, we can actually start the study process to place a stormwater pond there," he said. "Right now, there is just no funding for design or construction. We will just be starting the study to put a pond at that location." . This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City, FDOT working to reduce flooding in St. Andrew Community Russians are not running away from Melitopol yet, Ivan Fedorov said Units from Ramzan Kadyrovs Akhmat regiment moved into a central hotel the Zaporizhzhya Oblast regional center on April 26, he said. "We also see military equipment moving through temporarily occupied Melitopol from the south every day, which moves on to the Zaporizhzhya front line," the mayor stated. Read also: Russia likely shelled Zaporizhzhya with Tornado-S MLRS, Air Force says Occupation officials are indeed panicking in the city, Fedorov confirmed, but no one is leaving Melitopol at this stage. Read also: Zaporizhzhya NPP can no longer be protected, says IAEA head "Unfortunately, we see a tendency that the enemy is panicking and does not know what will happen tomorrow, what commands will come tomorrow," he stressed. It's still too early to say that they are fleeing temporarily occupied Melitopol. Russian occupation authorities may be preparing to evacuate civilians from the temporarily occupied territories, Fedorov reported on April 20. 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 The parents of the 25-year-old gunman who killed five people at a bank in downtown Louisville this month have a message for the families of their sons victims. We are so sorry. We are heartbroken, Lisa Sturgeon, Connor Sturgeons mother, told NBC News Savannah Guthrie in an exclusive TODAY show interview. We wish we could undo it, but we know we cant. Read more on this story at NBCNews.com and watch the full interview Thursday on TODAY at 7 a.m. ET/6 a.m. CT Connor Sturgeon was an employee at Old National Bank on East Main Street, where he opened fire with an AR-15-style rifle during a board meeting on April 10, killing five people including a friend of Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and injuring eight others. Todd and Liza Sturgeon, parents of 25-year-old shooter Connor Sturgeon, speak with Savannah Gutherie on NBC News' Authorities identified the five who were killed as Josh Barrick, 40; Deana Eckert, 57; Tommy Elliott, 63; Juliana Farmer, 45; and Jim Tutt, 64. Two of the eight people who were injured were police officers among them Nikolas Wilt, who is still recovering from a gunshot wound to the head. Police officers arrived in three minutes, exchanged gunfire with Connor Sturgeon and killed him, interim Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said. The violence sent shock waves through Louisville and across the U.S., where mass shootings in everyday places have become sickeningly commonplace. The bloodshed in Louisville took place just 14 days after a 28-year-old shot and killed six people at a Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee. In a statement released the day after the bank shooting, the Sturgeon family said Connor had mental health challenges they were working to address. But he showed no signs of violence, they said. From top left, James Tutt, Juliana Farmer and Deana Eckert. From bottom left, Tommy Elliott and Joshua Barrick. (via Facebook; via LinkedIn) Louisville authorities have released several 911 calls including one from Lisa Sturgeon. She said her son had a gun and was on his way to the bank. She had gotten a phone call from her sons roommate, who was concerned. I need your help, Lisa Sturgeon told the 911 operator. But by the time Lisa Sturgeon placed the call, Connor Sturgeon was already at the bank. Story continues If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com The parents of a gunman who shot and killed five people at a Louisville bank earlier this month spoke out about the incident in a new interview, calling for gun reform. We are so sorry. We are heartbroken, Lisa Sturgeon, the mother of Connor Sturgeon, told NBC Newss Savannah Guthrie in a TODAY show interview that aired Thursday morning. We wish we could undo it, but we know we cant. Connor Sturgeon, a 25-year-old employee at Old National Bank in Louisville, Ky., opened fire in a work meeting, killing four people at the scene and injuring an additional eight. Sturgeon died after exchanging gunfire with law enforcement that day, and a fifth person died from their injuries the following day as a result of the shooting. Police said Sturgeon had legally purchased a rifle a week before the shooting, a move his parents said should not have been allowed. Sturgeons parents said their sons mental condition, which they said he was seeing professionals for, should have prevented him from purchasing a gun. We know that Connor was seeing two mental health professionals and that he was able to walk in, Todd Sturgeon, his father, said of his son purchasing a rifle. How many mass shootings have there been this calendar year already? It has been happening to other people like us, and were continuing to let it happen, and we have to fix that, Sturgeons mother added. Sturgeons mother called police on the day of the shooting, warning them that her son was on his way to the bank and might have a gun. Recordings of the 911 calls were released by police earlier this month, in which she could be heard saying her son had never hurt anyone. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Actress and model Paris Hilton speaks at a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol Building on April 27, 2023 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Paris Hilton joined lawmakers Thursday to announce a bill aimed at the troubled teen industry. Hilton spoked about her personal experiences of abuse at residential treatment centers in her teens. Sen. Jeff Merkley told Insider the bill would help bring transparency and oversight to the industry. Paris Hilton joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers at the Capitol on Thursday to announce the introduction of a new bill aimed at ending abuse in the "troubled teen" industry. Sens. Jeff Merkley, John Cornyn, and Tommy Tuberville along with Reps. Ro Khanna and Buddy Carter said at a press conference they were introducing the "Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act." Hilton, who has spoken openly about the abuse she said experienced at such programs as a teen, appeared alongside the lawmakers. "From the ages of 16 to 18, I was sent to four troubled teen industry facilities, each one more horrific than the last. I witnessed and experienced sexual abuse from adult staff, as well as endured verbal and emotional abuse," Hilton said, continuing: "When I attempted to tell my parents about the abuse on the phone, the staff would immediately hang up the phone and punish me. On top of this, we had no access to the outside doors, no sunlight, no fresh air." "What I went through will haunt me for the rest of my life," Hilton, now 42, added. The "troubled teen" industry refers to a range of residential treatment centers nationwide that are aimed at kids struggling with emotional or behavioral issues. Programs have been accused of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, and teens have died while attending such facilities. Critics say the programs continue to operate without sufficient consequences and too little government oversight, allowing abusive centers to remain open and profit off of the abuse of kids. According to the lawmakers, the bill introduced Thursday would "provide greater oversight and data transparency for institutional youth treatment programs, begin implementing urgent recommendations to develop robust information sharing systems among states, and promote dissemination of best practices for identifying and preventing institutional child abuse." Story continues "Institutional care, without oversight, all too often becomes institutional abuse," Merkley said in a statement. "Reforming our residential care system would improve the lives of thousands of children across our country, and it merits our urgent attention." Merkley told Insider that the bill would help gather information on the programs, including where these programs are, how many people they employ, how many youths they treat, what therapeutic practices they use, and what kind of oversight, if any, they currently have. He said that when lawmakers first started looking into the troubled teen industry, they found they "didn't know what sort of oversight and regulation are appropriate, or even what already exists within different states, and therefore didn't have the ability to create the momentum for a coherent framework to provide that oversight." With the information that would be gathered as a result of the new bill, Merkley said they can come back and determine the best strategies for oversight and monitoring the programs. "I think just the passage of this bill will educate so many legislators about the issue and will kind of lay the grounds for regulating this industry," he said. "There's just a huge amount to learn," Merkley added. "These things have really been hiding out of sight until Paris led the effort to shine a light on them." Have a news tip or a story to share about residential treatment centers? Contact this reporter at kvlamis@insider.com. Read the original article on Business Insider A passenger aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship travelling from Australia to Hawaii is missing after falling overboard, Royal Caribbean International confirmed to The Independent. The passenger, a person from Australia, went overboard on Tuesday, 25 April, around 11 pm Hawaii-Aleutian standard time while sailing on the Royal Caribbeans Quantum of the Seas. The incident occurred just hours after another passenger allegedly died, according to a report from a local news outlet, 7News. The ship departed from Brisbane, Australia on 12 April and is expected to arrive in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Friday, 28 April. But approximately 500 nautical miles south of Kailua Kona, Big Island, the passenger somehow went overboard leading the ship to spend two hours searching for the missing person, according to a press release from the US Coast Guard. The ships crew immediately launched a search and rescue operation and is working closely with local authorities, Royal Caribbean International said. On Facebook, a passenger aboard the ship named Joshua Reynolds, posted a photo of the ships crew deploying a lifeboat and said there were three medical emergencies before the passenger fell overboard. Three medical emergencies and now a man overboard. We have slowed down and are now turning around. Hope they are found, Mr Reynolds wrote. Royal Caribbean did not confirm the details of the other medical emergencies, or the other passengers death, but one man claimed the passenger who died was the partner of the person who went overboard according to The Sydney Morning Herald. Royal Caribbean told The Sydney Morning Herald that was not the case. The Independent has reached out to Royal Caribbean regarding the alleged death. According to the US Coast Guard, the crew on Quantum of the Seas contacted the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Honolulu to assist in the search and rescue. After two hours of searching, the ship ceased searches and handed it over to the Coast Guard. Story continues Mr Reynolds wrote on Facebook: It was pitch black. They had tossed half a dozen life vests in the water with the automatic beacons. Nothing. The seas werent very pleasant. One of the guys on the 15 ft rescue boat looked like he got sick. The Coast Guard said they spent six hours searching for the missing passenger but did not find them. They said their search was to continue at first light Thursday morning. It is unclear how the man fell overboard. A passenger who plunged from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship heading to Hawaii remains missing, the U.S. Coast Guard reported. The Australian man went overboard at about 11 p.m. Tuesday, April 25, from the Quantum of the Seas about 500 miles south of Hawaii, the Coast Guard said in a news release. The ship had been at sea 15 days on a cruise to Honolulu, where it is expected to arrive Friday, April 28, the release said. The ship remained on scene for two hours to look for the man and the crew deployed six life rings, according to the release. A U.S. Coast Guard C-130 Hercules searched for the missing passenger for six hours on Wednesday, April 26, and will resume its search Thursday, April 27, the release said. The 16-deck Quantum of the Seas, launched in 2014, has 2,094 staterooms and carries up to 4,905 passengers, according to Royal Caribbean. The current voyage departed from Brisbane, CNN reported. Royal Caribbean told the network the crew is working with local authorities in the search. Remains found at Lake Mead identified as boater missing 25 years, Nevada officials say 12-year-old clings to tree on cliff after fall that killed his dad, Oregon sheriff says Help me. Tow truck driver loses eye when hes hit by flying metal, Utah family says India should be wary of the West's trap of "China vs. India" narrative Global Times) 09:01, April 27, 2023 With an undisguised glee, Uncle Sam is nudging India into further spats with China. Illustration: GT The United Nations said on Monday that India is about to surpass China to become the world's most populous nation - a status long held by China - by the end of this week. However, some Western media outlets have already taken this opportunity to exaggerate the contrast between China and India, trying to provoke new strife between the two. What has really attracted the most attention in the past two days is a cartoon from the German magazine Der Spiegel. The cartoon shows two different trains standing side by side: One is old and crammed with people all around it, with one of them holding the Indian flag; the other is an advanced bullet train with the Chinese flag on its body, seemingly falling behind the first train. The cartoon quickly sparked huge controversy among Indian people. Many Indian netizens and even politicians criticized the cartoon as "racist." Although Der Spiegel may want to show that China is technologically advanced compared to India, undoubtedly it also clearly harbors malicious intentions that some Western forces have demonstrated constantly in comparing China and India. The world will now pay more attention to India as it becomes the most populous country in the world. At the same time, everything New Delhi does will inevitably be compared to Beijing. In particular, some Western forces that don't want to see China and India develop will certainly bash India for what China does better, and vice versa. People from both countries must be mentally prepared for this. At such a historical moment of demographic change, the path before both China and India is not easy. India will have to find a way to benefit from its new found position. Instead of being distracted by Western hype and focusing too much on the "China-India comparison," both countries should focus more on tackling their pressures at home. They need to develop their own economies and improve people's livelihoods, which will make them stronger and better capable to deal with future challenges. Long Xingchun, a professor at the School of International Relations at Sichuan International Studies University, told the Global Times that with an enormous population of similar size, China and India should enhance bilateral cooperation on the basis of such common ground. They should be more empathetic to each other and regard development as the most crucial issue. At the same time, with such a similarity, Beijing and New Delhi can create more opportunities to cooperate in the international arena. As the world's two biggest developing countries, they can stand up more firmly and proactively for the interests of the Global South, particularly in the face of developed countries, if the two nations can join hands. The combined population of China and India is nearly 3 billion, accounting for more than 30 percent of the world's population. The cooperation between the two is the one between two giants. If both countries can feed these 3 billion people and lead them eventually to a well-off life, it will be a great pillar for world peace and stability. India should hold a more broad-minded perspective as it surpasses China in terms of population. It needs to understand that falling into West's trap of the "China vs. India" narrative will only cause unnecessary strife that may hinder the prospect of win-win cooperation and common development. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) KAMPALA, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Uganda on Wednesday unveiled a four-day tourism expo with the aim of boosting tourists arrivals following two years of stagnation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dubbed the Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE), the event is running under the theme -- "Explore Uganda the Pearl of Africa," and has attracted sector players from Asia, Europe, the United States and the African continent. While opening the expo on Wednesday, Tourism Minister Tom Butime said the government was not satisfied with the number of visitors who came to tour Uganda last year. He said at least 1.5 million tourists came to Uganda for mostly business and leisure tourism, adding that "the country can still attract more visitors. We are aiming at doubling the number in the next few years." "This expo is one of the measures the government is taking to ensure that more visitors come to enjoy our different tourism packages," he added. The minister said the government had also tightened supervision of the sector to ensure the safety of tourists as well as the quality of service. Lilly Ajarova, CEO of the Uganda Tourism Board, said the country was ready to host more tourists than it did in the pre-pandemic period. "While the World Tourism and Travel Council projects that the global tourism sector is at 65 percent of the pre-pandemic arrivals, full recovery of the sector is expected in 2023 and beyond. Therefore, this year's expo will not point to our recovery, but also highlight our readiness to host the tourism community once again," she said. "The expo has now grown to become a signature event for Uganda's tourism. That way, Uganda will receive more travelers and its associated benefits including increased tourism revenue and employment," Ajarova said. She noted that Uganda was targeting sustainable and responsible tourism as a new trend. Sustainable tourism has been defined by the World Tourism Organization as tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities, she said. "We will promote the use of recyclable materials, reduction of waste but also promote the conservation of the environment while respecting the host communities," Ajarova added. POATE 2023 has attracted at least 150 exhibitors from the East African region and more than 100 African tour operators. Uganda used to earn over 1.6 billion U.S. dollars annually from the tourism sector, but the country's tourism earnings dropped by 73 percent in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Tourism Ministry. The Dempsey Center founder spoke with PEOPLE about his dedication to cancer care at a presentation hosted by SurvivorNet CEO Steve Alperin during the PHM HealthFront in N.Y.C. PHM/Scott Clark Photo Patrick Dempsey has been dedicated to helping people affected by cancer ever since his late mother Amanda's diagnosis in 1997. On Wednesday, the actor spoke exclusively with PEOPLE about his dedication to cancer patients in honor of his mother, at a presentation hosted by SurvivorNet. "She's a real inspiration behind it because there was nothing in the community that would be supporting her like we do," The Dempsey Center founder, 57, tells PEOPLE at the PHM HealthFront in New York City. "This is the purpose for living, building this out and building awareness." The Maine native is now celebrating 15 years since opening the doors of their first location in 2008. "We're treating the person, we're not treating the cancer. So we treat everybody. We treat the whole family," Dempsey explains of the personalized and comprehensive cancer care provided at no cost. "So whatever we can do, we simply ask, you know, 'what can we do to make your life better?' And then wait for the response and then try to go from there," he says. Related:'Chicago Med' Star Marlyne Barrett Reveals She Has Uterine and Ovarian Cancer: 'I'm Holding Onto Faith' PHM/Scott Clark Photo SurvivorNet CEO Steve Alperin hosts a one-on-one talk with Patrick Dempsey, actor and founder of The Dempsey Center, during the PMH HealthFront on Wednesday, April 26 at Chelsea Industrial in New York City - PHM/Scott Clark Photo SurvivorNet CEO and co-founder Steve Alperin praised Dempsey's contribution to cancer care, also noting the importance of people sharing personal stories, which is the health media site's focus. "The story of triumph, the story of loss, the story of perseverance, helps someone be more receptive to clinical information," Alperin tells PEOPLE, noting that teaming up with someone like the Grey's Anatomy alum has the power to reach and affect more people. "People need information. There are a lot of mental health gaps. And he's been dealing with cancer since 1998," Alperin tells PEOPLE of Dempsey's background as a caregiver and "hands-on" work ethic. Story continues "SurvivorNet, The Dempsey Center. We fill in gaps. 50 percent of people diagnosed with cancer say they don't understand their options. I try to make a business to help people help themselves." Adds Publicis Health Media president Andrea Palmer to PEOPLE, "The reason we built this is because to me, health really has a bit of a higher order. And the things that we're doing from a partnership perspective, from brand leadership, from how we connect our brands and our clients with the community, really does a lot of impact." PHM/Scott Clark Photo SurvivorNet CEO Steve Alperin, The Dempsey Center founder and actor Patrick Dempsey, and Publicis Health Media president Andrea Palmer pose for a photo at the PHM HealthFront on Wednesday, April 26 at Chelsea Industrial in New York City - PHM/Scott Clark Photo Among The Dempsey Center's impactful services intended to treat the "body and soul," including "yoga, nutrition, reiki, acupuncture, and support groups," Dempsey continues to PEOPLE, "We have a kids' program called The Healing Tree. That's just for the children, and for them and how they've been impacted with their peer group." "And that's the important thing is to be in control of your own destiny to empower someone with compassion, empathy, and clarity is really important," the father of three adds. "So this impact that we've had with cancer made a big difference in a positive way." Fortunately, Amanda, who fought a 17-year battle with ovarian cancer, was able to witness what her son and daughters were building until her death in 2014 at 79 years old. And Amanda was even able to participate, which Dempsey says gave her a purpose to continue her fight. As for what Amanda was best at? "Really the one-on-ones," Dempsey says fondly. "She didn't like to be on stage and be the center of attention. But she was really good if she would meet someone who was recently diagnosed, she would go off and talk to them one-on-one. And that was her real strength. And I think for her it gave her a better understanding of why she survived for so long." Related:Women Should Consider Removing Fallopian Tubes to Prevent Ovarian Cancer, Experts Say PHM/Scott Clark Photo SurvivorNet CEO Steve Alperin hosts a one-on-one talk with Patrick Dempsey, actor and founder of The Dempsey Center, during the PMH HealthFront on Wednesday, April 26 at Chelsea Industrial in New York City - PHM/Scott Clark Photo "Many people that she went through treatment with didn't make it," he continues. "And why did she? So she and we find this to be true with a lot of our survivors who come back in and do the mentor program, that they're giving back with their experience. And that was what she took away from it. And she was very proud. Of the family and the community." Stating that she should never have survived that long and how grateful he is that she did, Dempsey says he feels he had enough time with his mom, "where we always had a good conversation, cleared the air, and when she left it was, it was time for her to go and she was ready." As for whether or not he feels he had enough closure. "I do," he responds. "There were a couple surgeries, we weren't sure that she was gonna make it. And we had some of our best conversations where everything was on the table. She was very open and very clear and forthright with what she was feeling. And so for me, yes, but not all of my siblings. My siblings did not have that closure and are still paying the price of that," he says. Related:Anderson Cooper Opens Up About Coping with Immense Grief: 'You Have to Face It at Some Point' "It can rip people apart," he adds, which is why a prime focus at The Dempsey Center is to get families "on the same page." "Being able to communicate, be able to open up and to let go of those emotions or be able to communicate the fears or anxieties in a safe environment. Then everybody can kind of understand, oh, 'now I know where you're coming from.'" For Dempsey, the grieving process thankfully made him become a better husband and father. He has been married to celebrity makeup artist and beauty CEO Jillian Dempsey for 24 years. They share a daughter Talula, 21, and twin sons Darby and Sullivan, 16. "You really do prioritize your family and your children," he says. "The family unit I think is really important and makes me appreciate that more." Related:Patrick Dempsey's 3 Kids: Everything to Know Pascal Le Segretain/Getty As for his personal bond with his wife, Jillian, "we have a great relationship we're at the best place we've ever been in our relationship," Dempsey says. "We really take time to support each other in our endeavors. And I think that's the key. Longevity. I think we're gonna be 24 years this year, and you know, it's really taking the time to support each other and to hear each other. So it's nice." Though he is primarily focused on his family, his career, and helping others, Dempsey says he still is able to make time for racing and will be making an announcement on an upcoming racing program in June. "It's very exciting," the Disenchanted star says of his longtime passion. "It's a partnership between Tag Heuer and Porsche." Karwai Tang/WireImage 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. Then on September 23, The Dempsey Center has The Dempsey Challenge lined up, which is an annual run, walk and bike ride near the Lewiston, Maine location. "And that allows us to raise money so that all of our services are absolutely no cost." For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Sir Patrick Stewart stars as Jean-Luc Picard in "Star Trek: Picard" Paramount+ Patrick Stewart told "The Late Late Show" that he didn't think he would be in "Star Trek" for long. He said his agent told him that "Star Trek: The Next Generation" would only last six months. Instead, the series lasted seven seasons, and Stewart has appeared in his own spinoff show. The "Star Trek" legend Sir Patrick Stewart said that he originally thought he would be playing Jean-Luc Picard for six months when he took on the role. Stewart has played the character in numerous series and movies across 35 years, beginning with the 1987 series "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Since 2020, the 82-year-old actor has starred in his own spinoff show featuring a much older Picard, which just aired its third and final season. Stewart told "The Late Late Show with James Corden" on Wednesday that he was reluctant to star in "The Next Generation" because he had to sign a six-year contract. "I couldn't accept what it was I'd taken on," Stewart said. "I had one or two connections in TV and I said, 'What should I do? I just learned that I had to sign a six-year contract.' There was a list of plays I had to do. Shakespeare lined up and I said, 'I can't do this.'" The English actor continued: "My agent said, 'Look, you know you cannot revive an iconic show. You cannot. It's not going to work, so just come over here. Do a dozen episodes, maybe less, and make some money for the first time in your life and go home.' That was the prediction for me six months, no more." During an appearance on "The Graham Norton Show" in 2020, the "X-Men" star said that he was going to turn down the opportunity to reprise his role in "Picard" because he had publicly said he wouldn't return as the character. "I took the meeting with four very, very distinguished people, and I didn't want to just say, 'No, pass.' I don't do that anymore. So I went to the meeting in order to explain to them face-to-face why I couldn't do it... and then," Stewart said, implying that they were able to persuade him to change his mind. Story continues On "The Late Late Show," Stewart said that real-life plane captains began inviting him into the cockpit on flights after he became famous for playing a spaceship captain. "At the beginning, I was continually being invited onto the flight deck once the plane was in the air and flying," Stewart said. "It happened once that I was at the controls and you're not going to believe this I was on the flight deck of Concorde and what I did was press the two middle buttons of the four buttons that activated the engines into supersonic." The British Airways Concorde is a Franco-British supersonic plane from the 20th century. All three seasons of "Star Trek: Picard" are available to stream on Paramount+. Read the original article on Insider Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke embark on a steamy yet turbulent romance in the upcoming film, Strange Way of Life. The trailer for the short drama film released on Wednesday, in which Hawke and Pascal star as two former lovers who have been reunited after decades. In the minute-long first-look, Silva (Pascal) passionately yells at Jake (Hawke), telling him, You never loved me you never loved anyone in your life! Jake replies by whipping out a gun, pointing it at his face and ominously whispering, Dont say that. After the trailer dropped, Twitter users flooded the app with praise for the Hollywood duos upcoming project. if youre excited for pedro pascal and ethan hawkes queer western short film: strange way of life, make some noise! me: pic.twitter.com/Q5CVIg9dQj kit/katie | misses din (@leia_romanova) April 26, 2023 me pretending that i dont care about seeing pedro pascal and ethan hawke be angsty gay cowboys so that a strange way of life gets released sooner: pic.twitter.com/tHCbLgOeYH pink pascal! (@lgbtspascals) April 26, 2023 gay old men: yes!!! gay old men who are cowboys: YES!!!!! gay old men who are cowboys played by pedro pascal and ethan hawke: YYEEESSSSSSSSS pic.twitter.com/2hTtDwQpdI aquila (@belllmonts) April 26, 2023 pedro pascal and ethan hawke playing gay cowboys im in pic.twitter.com/9lChzkn9T3 Jill Krajewski (@JillKrajewski) April 26, 2023 A man [Pascal] rides a horse across the desert that separates him from Bitter Creek. He comes to visit Sheriff Jake [Hawke], the movies writer and director, Pedro Almodovar, explained of its plot in a statement shared by the Festival de Cannes. Story continues Twenty-five years earlier, both the sheriff and Silva, the rancher who rides out to meet him, worked together as hired gunmen, his synopsis of the 30-minute film set in a grizzly Western realm continues. Almodovar added, Silva visits him with the excuse of reuniting with his friend from his youth, and they do indeed celebrate their meeting, but the next morning Sheriff Jake tells him that the reason for his trip is not to go down the memory lane of their old friendship. In a conversation with IndieWire last June, the Spanish director called the pairs relationship animalistic when comparing it to 2005s hit romance drama Brokeback Mountain, which also tells the story of two men who maintain a tortured love affair over the course of decades. Alongside Hawke and Pascal, the gay western film also stars Pedro Casablanc, Manu Rios, George Steane, Jose Condessa, Jason Fernandez, Sara Salamo, Ohiana Cueto and Daniela Medina. Strange Way of Life is slated to debut at the Cannes Film Festival next month. Related... Former Vice President Mike Pence appeared for over seven hours before the grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, according to sources with knowledge of his testimony. Federal prosecutors were interested in questioning the former vice president about the events surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Pence testified before the grand jury at the D.C. District Court. Grand jury testimony and related proceedings happen in secret and are shielded from the public by federal law. On Wednesday night, a three-judge panel on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected former President Donald Trump's argument that Pence should be shielded from testifying about his interactions with Trump in the last weeks of his administration. Special counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing the Justice Department's criminal investigations into whether any entity "unlawfully interfered" with the certification of the Electoral College on Jan. 6 and the transfer of power, subpoenaed Pence in February. Smith is also in charge of the investigation into another case involving Trump, the alleged mishandling of documents with classified markings which ended up at Trump's Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago. The former vice president initially tried to resist the subpoena, arguing he was protected from questioning under the Constitution's "speech or debate" clause because of his role as president of the Senate. In early April, a federal judge ruled that Pence was required to provide testimony about any involvement Trump had in efforts to alter the 2020 election. But D.C. District Chief Judge James Boasberg also ruled that the "speech or debate clause" afforded Pence some protection from providing testimony on congressional matters related to his role as president of the Senate on Jan. 6, 2021, but he had to testify about any illegal acts by Trump. Story continues The former president has consistently denied wrongdoing and labeled Smith's investigation as politically motivated. In Manchester, New Hampshire, Trump, asked by NBC News about Pence's testimony, responded, "I don't know what he said, but I have a lot of confidence in him." Pilot fulfills childhood dream of flying his family Preview: Bruce Springsteen on his search for meaning in his life Out of Thin Air | Sunday on 60 Minutes Former US vice president Mike Pence testified Thursday in the federal investigation examining his ex-boss Donald Trump's role in the 2021 assault on the Capitol, US media reported. Pence appeared before a grand jury in Washington that could be weighing whether to prosecute the ex-president and his advisors over the January 6, 2021 effort to forcibly block Joe Biden from becoming president. Trump's attorneys had sought to block Pence's testimony, arguing that executive privilege from his time as president meant he could block Pence from speaking about internal White House matters. On Wednesday a federal appeals court rejected Trump's appeal, and the former president appeared not to exercise his options of appealing the issue to the Supreme Court. Pence was the centerpiece of the January 6 uprising: on that day he was to preside over the full US Congress to formally certify Biden as the victor in the November 2020 president election. Using unproven claims of massive voter fraud and ungrounded legal justifications, Trump had strongly and repeatedly urged Pence to not carry out the certification. He also urged thousands of followers to protest that day in Washington, a protest that turned into the mob that violently battled its way into the Capitol, forcing a halt to the certification. A number of those directly involved in the Capitol assault have been tried and convicted of seditious conspiracy, and Trump is being investigated by Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith to see if his role violated criminal laws. Pence's testimony came as he weighs running against his former boss for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. Democrat Biden on Tuesday announced he would seek reelection, and Trump currently is the front-runner for the Republican choice, possibly setting up a rematch of 2020. Trump faces numerous probes, and on March 30 he became the first US president ever indicted on criminal charges, in a case involving making hush money payments to a porn star. He is under investigation in Georgia for election interference, and on Tuesday a civil trial over allegations he raped a prominent journalist three decades ago got underway in New York. pmh/tjj Jack Teixeira, the Massachusetts airman accused of leaking highly classified U.S. intelligence documents, is asking a magistrate judge to release him from pretrial detention, though prosecutors allege the 21-year-old is a flight risk and, if released on bail, say he could "further disseminate classified information" and "take refuge with a foreign adversary." Teixeira walked into the courtroom for his Thursday detention hearing handcuffed, wearing a long rosary necklace and an orange jumpsuit. The 21-year-old looked at his family members sitting in the first two rows, and one woman in the front row began to cry. The federal magistrate judge, David Hennessy, heard arguments Thursday about whether Teixeira should be kept in federal custody ahead of his trial, but Hennessy said he needed more time to review before making a decision. Federal prosecutors argued in a Wednesday court filing that Teixeira "poses a serious flight risk" and it would be "all too easy" for him, if released on bail, "to further disseminate classified information" and "take refuge with a foreign adversary." Prosecutors also claimed that Teixeira took "a series of obstructive steps" intended to prevent investigators from understanding the scope of what he allegedly did and they outlined in detail the reasons they believe he poses a danger to the public if allowed to be released from detention, pointing to the "virtual arsenal of weapons" he possessed at residences he occupied that are owned by his mother and father. Prosecutors argued Thursday that Teixeira is both a flight and national security risk. They said evidence showed he had performed hundreds of searches on the classified network, accessing it almost daily, including at times from inside his mother's home. They pointed out he'd accessed far more classified information that he had ever posted, and suggested that information would drive foreign adversaries to potentially contact or help him, and given his untrustworthy nature, he would be likely to flee, comparing him directly to Edward Snowden. Story continues Teixeira's public defender argued in a new filing that even if Hennessy finds Teixeira poses a risk of flight or obstruction, the Massachusetts Air National Guard member should still be permitted to remain out of pretrial detention in the custody of his father or confined to a home with the presence of either his father, mother, stepfather, Air Force personnel or his lawyers. PHOTO: An undated photo shows Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, who is accused of leaking of highly classified U.S. intelligence documents, posing for a selfie at an unidentified location. (Social Media Website via Reuters) Teixeira's lawyer, Allen Franco, suggested that Teixeira could have restrictions imposed on him like location monitoring, barring him from accessing the internet or contacting any potential witnesses in the case and bond that could be secured by both his parents' homes. Teixeira's father testified Thursday that he was prepared to serve as a third-party custodian pending his son's release. His father testified that all of his guns have been removed from his home and he indicated he'd be prepared to report his son to the authorities should the 21-year-old violate the terms of his release. Teixeira's dad said he doesn't have any computers in his house, and that he'd remove his password-protected tablet if his son were to be released. He also was willing to remove his internet-connected television from the house. Teixeira's lawyer further disputed that he'd be a flight risk by pointing to how, when Teixeira became aware of his impending arrest, he sat on his mother's porch and read a Bible as he waited for law enforcement to arrive. MORE: Prosecutors say classified docs leak suspect Jack Teixeira a flight risk ahead of hearing Thursday Franco in his filing also addressed the government's detailing of Texeira's suspension during his sophomore year in high school over allegations he made violent and racist threats. The incident "was thoroughly investigated" at the time, Franco wrote, and Teixeira was allowed to return to school after a "handful" of days following a psychiatric evaluation. Franco revealed that the incident was also "fully known and vetted by the Air National Guard prior to enlisting and also when he obtained his top-secret security clearance." Teixeira's attorney also argued that the government has offered "no evidence" that his client ever intended for information shared within the Discord server "to be widely disseminated." "There is no allegation in the affidavit that Mr. Teixeira had any intent for these documents to become widely available on the internet or desired to disrupt the geopolitical affairs of the United States," his attorney wrote. "Thus, there is no reason to suggest that, if released, Mr. Teixeira has any motivation, desire, or current ability to commit any actions like those alleged in the complaint affidavit or in the government's supplemental motion for detention." MORE: Jack Teixeira: What we know about document leak suspect Teixeira, a native of Dighton, Massachusetts, has been charged with unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information as well as willful retention of classified documents, which collectively carry a maximum of 15 years in prison. He has yet to enter a plea. The FBI-Boston tactical team arrested Teixeira on April 13 and he made an initial appearance in federal court in Boston the following day. The criminal complaint alleges that Teixeira "improperly and unlawfully retained and transmitted national defense information to people not authorized to receive it." The leaked documents apparently contain top-secret information about Russia's war in Ukraine and other parts of the world. Teixeira allegedly accessed a government document on Feb. 23 and posted it online the following day, according to the complaint. It's the disclosure of that one document that forms the basis of the initial charges. ABC News' Meredith Deliso, Aaron Katersky, Luis Martinez and Emily Shapiro contributed to this report. Prosecutors allege Pentagon leak suspect Jack Teixeira could flee, compare him to Edward Snowden originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Photos show Jack Teixeira's army-themed bedroom, according to court documents. Department of Justice Jack Teixeira, 21, was charged with leaking secret military information earlier this month. In new court documents, prosecutors said he had a history of making violent and "racist" threats. Teixeira had a gun locker two feet from his bed filled with an "arsenal" of weapons, they said. Pentagon leak suspect Jack Teixeira had a stash of guns in his army-themed bedroom and talked about mass shootings, legal documents show. Teixeira, a 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guard member, was arrested earlier this month in connection with the leak of more than 100 top-secret military documents about the war in Ukraine and other national security issues. An 18-page court filing submitted by federal prosecutors on Wednesday said that Teixeira had a gun locker two feet from his bed filled with an "arsenal" of weapons. "In the gun locker were multiple weapons, including handguns, bolt-action rifles, shotguns, an AK-style high-capacity weapon, and a gas mask," the prosecutors said. "FBI special agents also found ammunition and tactical pouches on his dresser and what appeared to be a silencer-style accessory in his desk drawer," they added. When agents searched the house, they also found a "military-style helmet with a mounting bracket" in a dumpster outside, the documents said. Photos released alongside the documents appear to show multiple guns lying around Teixeira's room. He also appears to have camo wallpaper and a large camo net hanging over his bed. Other photos show a target shooting poster hanging on one wall with visible bullet holes in it as well as a sketch of a truck with weapons strapped to the top of it. Teixeira lived with his mother and stepfather in North Dighton, Massachusetts. Jack Teixeira's bedroom. A target shooting poster can been seen hanging on one wall with visible bullet holes in it. Department of Justice The 21-year-old was obsessed with weapons and had a history of making violent and "racist" threats, the documents said, citing accounts of former classmates and people he spoke to on the online messaging platform Discord. Story continues In the Discord posts spanning from 2022-2023, Teixeira discussed wanting to kill a "ton of people" as a way of "culling the weak-minded," the document said. He also told one Discord user that he was tempted to turn a minivan into an "assassination van" and sought advice about what type of rifle would be easy to operate from the back of an SUV, prosecutors added. Prosecutors are arguing that Teixeira should remain in jail before the trial because he may still have access to classified material and could cause "extraordinary" damage to national security. He also poses a "serious flight risk" and faces 25 years in prison, they added. Jack Teixeira's bedroom, according to court documents. Department of Justice Some of the documents Teixeira is accused of leaking included details about Russia's spy agencies' activities, details about aid to Ukraine, and information about casualties on both sides. Teixeira joined the Air National Guard in September 2019 and in 2021 was given "Top Secret" security clearance, which gave him access to the classified documents leaked online, according to a criminal complaint. At the time of writing, Teixeira's lawyers have not yet commented on the case. They did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider The Pentagon leak is being traced to a man on Discord who sent around two dozen young gamers hundreds of secrets over months. Glowimages/Getty Images The Pentagon leak suspect allegedly boasted on social media that he was untraceable and had thought of everything. But FBI investigators found him by asking Discord for the subscriber info connected to his username. Teixeira is suspected of leaking hundreds of classified documents and faces 25 years in prison. Suspected Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira bragged online that he'd thought of everything and that no one would link the leak of hundreds of classified military intelligence documents to him, an FBI investigator revealed in newly released court documents. But he was caught easily and now faces over two decades in prison. Teixeira, a 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman who had top secret clearance and served in an intelligence wing, is suspected of purposefully leaking documents containing highly sensitive military secrets and intelligence on the war in Ukraine, US allies and adversaries, and more, on the social media platform Discord. In new court documents filed late Wednesday evening, an FBI investigator, special agent Luke Church, revealed a number of incriminating text exchanges between Teixeira and other users on the platform. In one exchange on November 2022, an unidentified user, apparently referencing the leaked materials, asked, "isn't that shit classified?" Teixeira responded "everything that ive been telling u guys up to this point has been lol." The other user then says, "You rly trust everyone here then." And, according to the messages presented by the FBI investigator, Teixeira responded with a series of messages arguing that he is untraceable, saying things like "i have plausible deniability and non of them know anything incriminating about me," "no one has a point of contact to my work," "no one knows where i work," "and no one knows how to identify me," and finally, "dw ive thought of that." But Teixeira was not quite as untraceable as he thought the FBI investigator says in his report that he tracked down Teixeira's full name and billing address by asking the social media platform for the subscriber information associated with Teixeira's username. Story continues According to a criminal complaint, this happened around April 12 just a few days after the leaks first became public knowledge on April 6, highlighting how quickly officials were able to find Teixeira. Teixeira was arrested on April 13 at his home in southeastern Massachusetts, and was charged the next day with the unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information and unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or material. He now faces 25 years in prison, though it could be more. Insider reached out to Teixeira's attorneys for comment on the allegations against him but did not receive a response. Prosecutors argued in the court documents that Teixeira should remain behind bars which a judge will decide on later Thursday because he still poses a risk to US national security and could even flee the country. They also suggest that Teixeira tried to deceive and obstruct the government's efforts to uncover the full scope of the leaks by smashing his Xbox console, laptop, and a tablet. The trove of leaked top secret Pentagon documents circulated around social media for months before becoming the center of a federal investigation earlier in April. The documents, dozens of which were obtained and reviewed by Insider, contain highly sensitive information about US allies and adversaries, as well as Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine. Because the documents detail the depths of US intelligence gathering, their public disclosure triggered significant alarm in Washington and within foreign governments whose domestic affairs were among the leaked information. "The damage the Defendant has already caused to the US national security is immense," prosecutors wrote in the new court documents. Read the original article on Business Insider A US airman accused of leaking top-secret documents had a history of making "violent" statements and owned numerous weapons, federal prosecutors alleged as a judge heard his request for bail Thursday. The Justice Department also said that 21-year-old Jack Teixeira might still have access to classified documents and that "hostile" nations could aid his escape if he is released from prison. They argued during a detention hearing in Worcester, Massachusetts that Teixeira poses "an ongoing risk" to America's national security and that he should remain in jail until his trial. Teixeira's defense team said their client no longer had access to classified documents and claimed the government was exaggerating his threat to national security. The Massachusetts judge hearing the case said he would rule on Teixeira's request to be released pending trial at a later date. The IT specialist with the US Air National Guard is accused of orchestrating the most damaging leak of US classified documents in a decade. The documents posted online unveiled US concern over Ukraine's military capacity against invading Russian forces, and showed Washington had apparently spied on allies Israel and South Korea. Teixeira was arrested earlier this month following a week-long probe and charged with two counts that carry maximum prison sentences of 10 years and five years. He wrote on social media in November that he wanted to "kill a ton of people" because it would be "culling the weak minded," the prosecution wrote in a court document filed late Wednesday. Prosecutors also claimed that the airman sought advice from another user about what type of rifle would be easy to operate from the back of an SUV, and that he searched mass shootings online. They added that Teixeira owned "a virtual arsenal of weapons, including bolt-action rifles, rifles, AR and AK-style weapons, and a bazooka," with some of the firearms "just feet from his bed." Story continues The document said that Teixeira was suspended from school in March 2018 after a classmate "overheard him make remarks about weapons, including Molotov cocktails, guns at the school, and racial threats." Teixeira poses "a serious flight risk," the prosecutors argued. "He accessed and may still have access to a trove of classified information that would be of tremendous value to hostile nation states that could offer him safe harbor and attempt to facilitate his escape from the United States," the filing said. Teixeira, who has not yet entered a plea, is accused of the "unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information" and the "unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or material." His lawyers argued that Teixeira should be released into his father's custody pending trial. The prosecution "engages in hyperbolic judgements and provides little more than speculation that a foreign adversary will seduce Mr Teixeira and orchestrate his clandestine escape from the United States," the defense said in submissions. pdh/caw Reported sexual assaults in the U.S. military climbed by about 1 percent from last year, a slight jump attributed to a major decline in such reports within the Army but an increase across the other services, according to the Pentagons annual account on the issue. The Defense Departments Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military for fiscal 2022, released Thursday, found reports for such assaults in the ranks rose far less than the 13 percent increase in 2021 from the previous year. The Army, the militarys largest branch, had a 9 percent drop in reported sexual assaults last year. The figure is a significant decline when compared to the nearly 26 percent jump in reports the service experienced from fiscal 2020 to fiscal 2021, and one that helped keep the militarys overall increase low. But a 13 percent increase in the Air Force, a 9 percent jump in the Navy and a 4 percent rise in the Marine Corps offset the Armys decrease in reports. Overall, there were 8,942 sexual assault reports filed from Oct. 1, 2021, to Sept. 30, 2022, up 1 percent from the 8,866 reports filed the previous year. The release also included data on sexual harassment in the military, with the Pentagon finding a 7 percent increase in formal complaints of unwanted sexual contact in 2022 with women making up more than 70 percent of those filing the complaints. Its unknown whether the increase in reports is due to sexual assault becoming more prevalent in the military or because more people are willing to come forward due to more confidence in the reporting system. But the figures are a reminder that despite Pentagon efforts to address the long-standing problem including new initiatives implemented in the past year sexual assault and harassment in the military is still a major issue. In a memo to Pentagon leaders released ahead of the report, Gil Cisneros, under secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, acknowledged sexual assault and harassment remain a persistent and corrosive problem across the military. Story continues He highlighted a number of actions the Pentagon has undertaken in the past year to improve accountability, prevention, culture and climate, and victim care and support, requiring leaders commitment to the changes. Among those changes is the shift in using independent lawyers to review and prosecute sexual assault cases in the military as opposed to unit commanders, expected to come in December. Congress had long pressed for such a shift, arguing that commanders could be biased in deciding whether to prosecute or punish their troops for sexual assault. Lawmakers forced the Pentagons hand when it included the change in the annual defense policy bill signed last year. Other initiatives include more Pentagon hires to address sexual assault and better safety and treatment of those who come forward to report an attack. Thats on top of the 80 recommendations an Independent Review Commission gave DOD in 2021, all of which the Pentagon adopted into a plan to combat sexual assault and harassment in the ranks. To be crystal clear, the departments most senior leaders remain sharply focused on solving the scourge of sexual assault and sexual harassment, Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters later on Thursday. Well continue to work very hard to make sustained progress to bolster warfighter confidence and leadership, assist sexual assault survivors with recovery and hold offenders accountable. Sexual violence will not be tolerated, condoned or ignored within our ranks. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. ADDIS ABABA, April 27 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian government on Wednesday called for massive foreign investment inflows to all sectors in the wake of the peaceful resolution of the two-year conflict in the northern part of the country. The call came at the opening of a three-day annual investment forum, which kicked off on Wednesday under the theme "Invest Ethiopia 2023" in the country's capital Addis Ababa. Addressing the gathering, Ethiopian Finance Minister Ahmed Shide called on investors to use the vast investment opportunities across the country and play their part in the government's efforts to put the nation on a better growth trajectory. More than 600 business leaders and investors from all over the world attended the opening ceremony. The annual investment forum aims to showcase different investment opportunities available in the East African country. By unofficial count, there are six bronze statues memorializing the greatest racehorse who ever lived on display across this great land of ours except for the one location that absolutely, positively deserves to have its own Secretariat statue. That would be Paris, Kentucky. And that omission will be officially rectified come November. Thats because the Central Kentucky town where Secretariat spent his post-racing career from 1973 until his death in 1989 at internationally known Claiborne Farm, is deep into into its master plan to construct Secretariat Park, which will feature a larger-than-life mural and a life-size bronze sculpture of the great Thoroughbred right there at 525 Main Street. The mural is already completed. Painted by equine artist Jaime Corum, the impressive likeness of Secretariats 1973 Kentucky Derby triumph spans three stories on the side of the old Baldwin Hotel building near the corner of Main and Sixth streets in downtown Paris, where the park will be located. Later this year, the bronze statue will be on its way to Paris. It is being created by sculptor Jocelyn Russell of Friday Harbor, Wash., who also sculpted the Secretariat statue located at the traffic circle at Alexandria Drive and Old Frankfort Pike in Lexington. That statue portrays Secretariat in full stride as he won the Kentucky Derby. The Paris statue will portray Secretariat at Claiborne Farm. The idea came when photographer Bobby Shiflet, owner of the Frames on Main Gallery in Paris, spoke with Russell at the unveiling of the Lexington statue. A few months later, Russell called Shiflet about a photo from the collection of the late equine photographer Tony Leonard. Shiflet is a part owner of the collection. Russell asked if she could use a Leonard photograph of Secretariat in his paddock at Claiborne for a sculpture. I said, Im sure we could work something out, Jocelyn, but theres probably at least one stipulation, Shiflet said. She said, Whats that? I said, Its home would have to be in Paris. Story continues Equine artist Jaime Corum has painted this larger-than-life mural depicting Secretariats victory in the 1973 Kentucky Derby. Its located at 525 Main Street in Paris. Secretariat Park, which will feature a larger-than-life mural and a life-size bronze sculpture of the great Thoroughbred among other features, is scheduled to open this fall in Paris. That was February of 2020, just as the COVID pandemic was starting. The two continued talking about the project through 2021 until June of 2022 when the non-profit Secretariat Park Foundation held its first meeting and decided it would proceed with the park project, with a budget of $400,000. We had probably close to $100,000 (promised) in that first meeting, said Shiflet, who is president of the foundation. This is all done with private money. Theres no public money at all. After plans for the park were announced, donations have arrived from all over. Blue Grass Federal in Paris announced it will donate $25,000 to the project and match other donors up to an additional $25,000. Those who contribute $100 or more will be recognized at the park. There are also different levels of giving. Weve got a P.O. Box (8) and we have checks come in almost every day, Shiflet said. Theres a lady in Georgia who sent us, I think originally, a money order for $9. She sent a note that she was going to give I think it was $200 or maybe $100. We get them from everywhere. The statues installation date is scheduled for Nov. 11, which will be the 50th anniversary of when Secretariat arrived at Claiborne Farm. A parade will be held. Presentations will be made. There are numerous other Secretariat exhibits, including one that recently opened at the Kentucky Derby Museum at Churchill Downs to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Secretariat winning the Triple Crown. Secretariats owner, Penny Chenery, left, posed with the Secretariat team of jockey Ron Turcotte, seated, and exercise riders Charlie Davis and Jim Gaffney, right, at the dedication of a bronze statue of the horse at the Kentucky Horse Park in 2006. As for Paris, the expectation is that the park will draw Secretariat fans to the town to see the statue, which will join the two at the Kentucky Horse Park, one at Belmont Park in New York, one at the National Racing Hall of Fame at Saratoga, one slated for Ashland, Virginia, as well as the one in Lexington. We first started (seeing) about five years ago that Claiborne Farm was getting 10,000 tourists annually, said Lauren Biddle, executive director of the Paris-Bourbon County Chamber of Commerce. We were asking, How can we capture these tourists in the downtown district to get that economic impact? Were so excited because people truly wanted to see this park happen. As a business owner, the park has already started yielding returns, said Margaret Layton of Loch Lea Antiques in Paris. Jaime Corum did a fantabulous job on the mural. It is truly a big piece of art. The unveiling of that last November was a big day. People came. And people are coming. They see it on social media and even though we dont have the bronze yet or the landscape, people are so excited. Secretariat is the Elvis of the horse world, he really is, Shiflet said. I tell people me and my wife were in Nevada and Arizona and Utah and people in conversation ask what I do and Ill say, Im from a little town in Central Kentucky, outside of Lexington, Paris, Kentucky. Its kind of the heart of the Thoroughbred industry. Do you know anything about Thoroughbreds? And theyll say, No, not really. And Ill say, Have you ever heard of Secretariat? And theyll say, Oh, yeah. For a Secretariat Park, what better place than Paris. On the 50th anniversary of his Triple Crown, why Secretariat still resonates today Did Secretariat change the sport of horse racing? See how much is different since 1973. Is there a potential Triple Crown winner in this years Kentucky Derby field? Get to know the horses who have joined Secretariat in winning the Triple Crown Watch: Secretariats record-setting Triple Crown races still induce chills 50 years later Stephanie Melgoza of Farmington was sentenced to 14 years in prison Thursday, April 27, 2023 at the Tazewell County Courthouse for the DUI-related deaths of Andrea Rosewicz, 43, and Paul Prowant, 55, on April 10, 2022 on North Main Street in East Peoria. At right is her attorney Kevin Sullivan. A 10th Circuit Court judge has sentenced a Farmington woman who pleaded guilty to killing two pedestrians while driving drunk last April to 14 years in prison. Our system is based on punishment and rehabilitation," said Judge Tim Cusack on Thursday as he sentenced Stephanie Melgoza, 24, on two counts of aggravated DUI and two counts of aggravated reckless driving. I have to balance those two. What is the appropriate punishment, in order to deter other people; and what is the rehabilitative quality of the person thats being sentenced? Melgoza pleaded guilty in February to the four felony charges. Four lesser charges were dismissed in exchange for the guilty plea. According to reports from the East Peoria Police Department, Melgoza struck and killed Andrea Rosewicz, 43, of Avon, Ohio, and Paul Prowant, 55, of Seattle near the Full Throttle bar in East Peoria. During Thursdays hearing, Melgoza expressed deep remorse over her decision to drink and drive and the fatal results of that decision. Im so sorry for everything, and I will never, ever commit anything like that again, she said. I have not drank since that day. I do not plan on drinking ever again. I want to try to do something positive to make a difference, speak out about this and warn others about the dangers that come with drinking. Sherri Hutchison holds a picture of her sister Andrea Rosewicz as she reads a statement to Stephanie Melgoza during her sentencing hearing Thursday, April 27, 2023 at the Tazewell County Courthouse. Melgoza was sentenced to 14 years for the DUI-related deaths of Rosewicz and Paul Prowant on April 10, 2022 in East Peoria. Melgoza faced up to 28 years in prison for the charges. During impact statements from friends and family of the victims, Rosewiczs sister, Sherri Hutchison, asked Cusack to hand down the maximum penalty. There are no words that can even remotely come close to inflicting pain and suffering on you that you have inflicted on me, our families, and Andreas friends, Hutchison told Melgoza. The magnitude is unimaginable. This article originally appeared on Pekin Daily Times: Peoria-area woman receives 14-year prison sentence for fatal DUI crash Anti-government protesters hold Pepe the frog while forming a human chain at a protest in Hong Kong, China. Photo: Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters Cryptocurrency Pepe Coin, experienced a staggering 900% increase in value within just two days of its debut, and its market capitalisation went from zero to nearly $100m (80m) in a week. Yahoo Finance looks at the frenzy behind the memecoin's meteoric rise, as prominent cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and ethereum have backtracked after last week's rally. On April 17, Pepe Coin made its debut, and within two days of its launch, the coin witnessed an impressive surge, achieving $30m in trading volumes on the Uniswap decentralised exchange. Read more: Philip Hammond warns of 'real risk' to London financial services from EU crypto bill Currently, Pepe Coin is a storm of hype, the coin has no particular use, its only notable attribute is that it features the well-known internet meme character Pepe the Frog as its mascot. On April 18 an investor exchanged 0.125 ether (ETH-USD), around 200, for a staggering 5.9 trillion Pepe Coin tokens. As the memecoin's value surged to nearly $1.8m by April 19, 2023, the potential return was about 4,500 times the initial investment, drawing in numerous other investors. However, selling such a large number of Pepe Coin tokens at the current price could be challenging due to the memecoin's relatively low liquidity pool. The official Twitter account for Pepe Coin describes the token as the most memeable memecoin in existence, and says the dogs have had their day," alluding to a prior generation of memecoins, such as dogecoin (DOGE-USD) and shiba inu (SHIB-USD). Pepe Coin's debut was held with minimal pomp and circumstance. A notable facet of the coin's subversive credentials is that its circulating supply amounts to 420m, which is a cannabis reference. The term "4/20" refers to April 20th, which is an informal holiday for marijuana enthusiasts around the world. On this day, people gather to consume cannabis, advocate for its legalisation, and celebrate its perceived benefits. Story continues Pepe the Frog Pepe's story begins with its creation by cartoonist Matt Furie in 2005 and its rise to popularity as a meme on fringe internet social media forums such as 4chan. However, Pepe became controversial when it was appropriated by the alt-right during Donald Trump's presidential campaign, leading to its branding as a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League. Read more: Crypto live prices Despite this, Pepe remains a symbol of internet culture, making it a natural fit for the memecoin community. Pepe Coin has no official affiliation with Furie or the original cartoon character, much like other tokens founded on the Pepe the Frog concept. What are Memecoins? Memecoins are a distinct category of cryptocurrency which inspired by the internet phenomena known as memes, such as dogecoin's Shiba Inu dog. They often serve as a more playful alternative to more established cryptocurrencies like bitcoin (BTC-USD) or ethereum. While some memecoins have gained significant popularity and value, they are often considered more volatile and risky as investments due to their speculative nature and frequent association with social media-driven hype. Watch: The Crypto Mile episode 1 The Power and Potential of Cryptocurrencies Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android. Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn are seen leaving the British Vogue and Tiffany & Co. BAFTA Awards after party held on Feb. 11, 2019, in Mayfair, London, England. The two have reportedly split after six years together. | Associated Press In the breakup heard round the world, Taylor Swift is reportedly on her own again after her split in March from British actor Joe Alwyn. The couples six-year romance has been explored in Swifts music, including her new album, Midnights, which hinted that the end of their romance was near. But the prospects for Swift and Alwyn seemed brighter a few years ago when it was widely reported that they had moved in together in London. The pop superstar seemed to celebrate the couples decision to live together in her 2019 ballad, Lover, in which she sang: This is our place, we make the rules, and Take me out and take me home. The song concluded with wedding-like vows: Ladies and gentlemen, will you please stand? With every guitar string scar on my hand I take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover. While rumors of a secret engagement followed the couple over the years, in the end, like most cohabiting couples, making their own rules did not work out quite the way Swift may have anticipated when she and Alwyn first moved in together. The Swift-and-Alwyn saga follows a script that the majority of todays adults, including many Christians, follow: meet, date, fall in love, and sort of drift into living together as the next step in your romance without clear intentions to marry. In fact, an estimated 70% of couples today will cohabit before tying the knot. Pew Research found that 58% of white evangelicals believe that cohabitation is morally acceptable if a couple plans to marry. A 2012 General Social Survey found that 41% of Christians believe living together is acceptable even without marriage plans. The popularity of cohabitation flows partly from the fact that many young people believe the myth that living together before marriage is not only acceptable but beneficial for their eventual marriage even though research continues to link cohabitation to lower quality and less stable unions. The research tells us, for instance, that most cohabitating couples today end up like Swift and Alwyn, not even making it to the altar. One recent study found that 54% of first-time cohabiting couples saw their relationship end in a breakup within six years of moving in together, whereas only 33% had tied the knot in the same time frame. Story continues And for those who manage to marry, a new Institute for Family Studies report confirms long-standing research showing that cohabiting before marriage is still associated with a higher risk of divorce in the United States. Specifically, this report by psychologists Scott Stanley and Galena Rhoades found that 25% of couples who cohabited before marrying in the years 2010 to 2019 ended up divorcing, compared to 20% of those who did not. Living together outside of marriage puts couples at risk for divorce (if they even marry) for a number of reasons. First, having a low-commitment option available means that many couples move in too quickly, without establishing the kind of jointly committed love that is the foundation of a good marriage. Likewise, this option also means that people can live together for reasons of utility its more convenient, it allows you to save money on rent, and so forth. That ends up being a bad basis for moving onto marriage later; in fact, men and women who moved in together for such reasons are more likely to land in divorce court than those who do so in order to spend more time together. Second, cohabitation itself increases the odds that cohabiting partners adopt a less committed view of marriage, one which makes them more accepting of divorce. This low-commitment mentality makes them more vulnerable to marital dissolution when times get tough. Third, because so many cohabitations today do not lead to marriage, young men and women often end up accumulating multiple cohabiting partners before they do tie the knot. A study of women from Stanford University found that serial cohabitations put them at an especially high risk of later divorce when they do marry. New research from the Wheatley Institute by family scholars Brian Willoughby and Jason Carroll finds that both men and women with multiple sexual relationships like these are not only less happy but also less sexually satisfied in their marriages. Finally, when couples just slide into cohabitation, rather than decide to be together, they risk getting locked into a relationship and possibly a marriage with someone who is not the best fit for them what Stanley and Rhoades describe as a pathway into marriage driven by inertia. About 64% of recently married Americans who lived together before marriage acknowledged this was indeed their path into cohabitation before entering marriage. In fact, according to this new IFS report, the risk of marital failure is especially high today for married men and women who moved in together without an engagement. Those who slid into cohabitation before getting engaged were markedly more likely to end up divorced or separated. Thirty-four percent of those who cohabited prior to an engagement ended up seeing their marriage end, compared to just 23% of those who did not move in together until after an engagement or the wedding. This new research by Stanley and Rhoades also provides additional evidence that accumulating cohabiting partners prior to marriage is a risky proposition. Specifically, men and women who cohabited with two or more partners prior to marriage were about 60% more likely to end up seeing their marriage end in divorce or separation, compared to those who did not cohabit before marriage. Its for these reasons that Stanley and Rhoades conclude that young men and women who want a lasting marriage should not believe the hype that living together before marriage will improve your odds. In fact, they note: There is virtually no evidence to support the belief that living together before marriage can improve the odds of marital stability. All this may help explain why another figure very much in the public eye, comedian Steve Harvey, took a rather different view of cohabitation than Taylor Swift did in her song Lover. Because cohabitation did not work out well for him (hes been married three times) or for many of his friends and colleagues, Harvey spotlighted the harms of living together outside of marriage on his talk show. Related On the show, the musician Ledisi shared about the many years she spent waiting for her live-in boyfriend to commit to marriage. I was with someone for a long time and living with them and thinking it would grow into something where wed finally get married, she said, and it didnt happen. Co-host Diane Valentine agreed, adding: When you are cohabiting with someone, you are basically playing the role of the wife for free. Why get married? Based on experiences like theirs, Harvey emphasized: Now, even though Ive lived with someone (outside of marriage), I wouldnt let my daughters Let me tell you the saying Ive taught all my daughters: You have to let a man see what he can get, but you have to make him imagine what he can have. Thats when you lock a man in Unlike Taylor Swift, then, who had high hopes when she took Joe Alwyn home, Harvey advises women to wait until marriage to make a home with a man: Stop giving yourself away; you are the prize. Wise words for young women and men today who desire a happy and lasting marriage and a stable family life for their future children. Brad Wilcox is director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia. Alysse ElHage is editor of Family Studies. Peru's president decreed a state of emergency at the South American country's borders Wednesday and ordered the deployment of troops to reinforce checkpoints and block undocumented migrants making their way north from Chile. Hundreds of migrants, who the United Nations says are mainly from Haiti and Venezuela but had been living in Chile, have been blocked for weeks at the border between the Peruvian city of Tacna and Arica in northern Chile. Many say they are seeking a way home or plan to continue further north to the United States. On Wednesday, President Dina Boluarte said extra soldiers will be deployed to support police at border crossings with Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador and Colombia. "The national police will maintain control of internal order with the support of the armed forces," Boluarte told a press conference. The state of emergency is due to take effect on Thursday, but the government did not say what it would entail, or how long it would remain in place. Pointing to press reports claiming that "those who commit daily assaults, robberies and other criminal acts are foreigners," Boluarte said her decision was aimed at combating threats to security. "That is why we have to speak almost in unison of migration and citizen insecurity," she added. Hundreds of migrants have been crowded for weeks in improvised camps at the border crossing between Peru and Chile, stuck in limbo between the two countries. The majority are from Haiti and Venezuela, according to the UN's refugee agency. Many migrants claim they intend to cross through Peru to get to their countries of origin, or to the United States, in order to reunite with their families. "We are between a rock and a hard place. We are doing this because we have our needs, but waiting here for a week, two weeks... nobody would want to do that," Venezuelan Yosier Canelon told AFP. Boluarte also announced that those who have entered Peru in recent years "will have a period of six months to go to the Peruvian authorities to regularize their situation." Story continues There are an estimated 1.3 million Venezuelans in Peru, accounting for nearly nine out of 10 foreigners in the country, and one third do not have a permit to stay, according to Peru's National Institute of Statistics and Information. The UN refugee agency is advocating for a humanitarian solution to their plight. It said in a statement Wednesday that it was important to have channels for migrants to access Peru if they are seeking international protection, family reunification or have other humanitarian issues. But the agency welcomed some of the measures announced by Lima, including an amnesty in fines that will allow 100,000 refugees and migrants in Peru to normalize their status. bur-vel/dga/ag/dhw/axn Peru is now the world's largest exporter of blueberries "I arrived at this farm without knowing what a blueberry plant was," says Aurelio Ortiz. A farming supervisor, Mr Ortiz is speaking as he oversees the harvest at Sunberries Field, a blueberry plantation in the south of Peru. This blueberry farm is one of many that have cropped up along the South American country's flat, hot coastal region. It has been an agricultural boom that has taken Peru from having virtually zero blueberry plantations to becoming the world's largest exporter in only a decade. It is a sunny day, and six labourers are spread across the field collecting the last of the blueberries that still crown the bushes. The workers are defying the heat with long sleeves, hats and headscarves to protect their skin from the blazing sun. Most of them were not familiar with blueberries until a few years ago, when the fruit started replacing more traditional crops like grapes, cotton and asparagus. "Ten years ago we saw blueberries as something impossible to grow here," says Alvaro Espinoza, an agricultural engineer and the owner of Sunberries Field. Alvaro Espinoza is one of the first producers who started growing blueberries in Peru Back then he had tried to secure investment from Peruvian businesspeople, but they declined, saying it was not possible to grow blueberries in Peru's coastal heat. This is because the plants typically require a certain number of days per year with cold temperatures. "They said, 'Alvaro, you're out of focus... do something else.' But I didn't," says Mr Espinoza. A decade later, Peru is the world's third largest producer, behind only China and the US, and the top exporter with more than $1.36bn (1.09bn) worth of blueberries sold overseas last year. Small producers like Mr Espinoza have made accommodations to help the plant grow. "In Peru, the soil is not right for blueberries," he says, as he kneels to show one of the hundreds of terracotta pots lined up in rows across his field. Story continues Blueberry bushes are grown inside them, taking root in coco coir - a coconut-based compost - imported from Sri Lanka. "If we want good quality blueberries we need a place where roots can grow with oxygen and no stress. Coco coir allows us to produce good quality roots," explains Mr Espinoza. But pots and imported coco coir on their own did not solve the challenge of introducing a northern hemisphere fruit into Peru's hot and arid coastal region. Blueberry plants typically need some cold weather - which you get in the Peruvian Highlands, up in the Andes mountains, but not in the coastal region. The latter is, however, the area favoured by agricultural exporters because of its closeness to ports, and a flat geography that is easier to manage than the rugged Andes. Peru exported more than $1.3bn worth of blueberries in 2022 Mr Espinoza tried to set up a nursery to develop new blueberry varietals that can cope with hotter year-round weather, but failed. "So I decided to leave the breeding to the experts and I focused on publicising blueberries." Those experts were led by Carlos Gereda, founder and chief executive of Inka's Berries. After hearing from his father that blueberries had become a very profitable crop in Chile, Mr Gereda began searching for a variety that could grow on Peru's coast. It took him two years of trials with 14 different kinds of blueberries to find the right one - Biloxi. Mr Gereda has since partnered with the University of Georgia in the US to start a breeding programme that has developed new Peruvian varieties, all named after his family - Salvador (his son), Matias (his nephew), Abril (his niece), and Blue Dan (after his wife, Daniela). The $300 he used to found the company has paid off - Inka's Berries now has an annual turnover of $3m. The firm sells blueberry plants to both small producers like Mr Espinoza, and to the largest agricultural exporter in the country, Camposol. In only a few years, blueberries have become Camposol's main product, overtaking former best-selling crops mandarins, grapes, mangos and avocados. Jose Antonio Gomez, the company's chief executive, says he has never seen a product progress so quickly in his industry. Camposol now farms 3,000 hectares of blueberries that bring in a bit more than half of the firm's entire revenue. "We harvested last year about 50,000 tonnes," says Mr Gomez. "In Peru, we had a previous expansion on grapes. It was fast and furious but not as fast as blueberries." Global Trade More from the BBC's series taking an international perspective on trade. Mr Gomez explains why betting on developing Peruvian blueberries looked so lucrative - he and others noticed a gap in the global market. He says that if you go back to 2010, blueberry production in the world took place mainly in the US and Canada, with some 300,000 tonnes of berries harvested across the two countries every August, mostly for their own domestic markets. Outside of North America, the main producer and exporter was Chile, which harvested around 76,000 tonnes in December. So there was a big gap from September to November that - at the time - was only very partially being filled by 15,000 tonnes of blueberries from Argentina and Uruguay combined. Due to the historic global scarcity at that time of the year, producers in those two countries could get $15 per kilo, compared with $3 to $4 for US blueberries in August. So Peruvian blueberry farmers decided - successfully - to also focus production on those three months. "There was a huge economic incentive for Peru to take that window," says Mr Gomez. Peruvian farmers use pots with coco coir imported from Asia because Peruvian soil isn't always right for blueberries Peru now exports around 270,000 tonnes of blueberries a year. With so many additional berries entering the market, Peruvian producers are now only getting around $5 per kilo, but they have reacted by extending their harvesting season. The relatively stable weather of the Peruvian coast has allowed some of them to harvest all year round. Mr Gomez adds that "the incredible thing" is that global demand for blueberries has almost doubled in just over a decade. Back at Sunberries Field, Mr Espinoza says that despite 2022's strong exports, it was a tough year because costs were up to 40% higher. This included higher prices for fertiliser as a result of the war in Ukraine, and increased global shipment fees. He is hopeful for an easier 2023. (Bloomberg) -- Peruvian President Dina Boluarte said on Wednesday she will seek to deploy the military permanently to the countrys borders, amid an influx of Venezuelan migrants coming from nearby Chile. Most Read from Bloomberg The move comes as Chile has imposed significant restrictions on its own undocumented Venezuelan migrant population, declaring that anyone found in the country without papers would be detained. That has prompted some migrants to try to leave Chile and enter Peru through the border the two countries share near the Pacific Ocean. Boluarte said she had declared a state of emergency in all of Perus border regions in response, allowing the military to step in. In addition, she said she would seek to amend the countrys constitution in order to allow a permanent military presence in border areas. She added Peru will also give amnesty to any migrant who entered the country irregularly, as long as they register with immigration authorities. About 7 million Venezuelans have left their country due to a longstanding economic crisis, according to the International Monetary Fund. Peru has received the second-largest share, after Colombia, with 1.5 million migrants according to the countrys immigration agency. --With assistance from Valentina Fuentes. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. LIMA (Reuters) - Peruvian archaeologist Cecilia Camargo isn't your usual tomb-finder hunting for lost ruins: she works for the local gas firm. While installing gas pipes under roads and buildings, gas distributor Calidda has unearthed some 1,700 archaeological remains, including mummies, textiles and ceramics dating back hundreds or thousands of years. On Wednesday, the firm unearthed a 600-year-old funeral bundle with the remains of an ancient settler, found during excavations in a neighborhood of capital Lima. The cloth-covered bundle - which archaeologists separated with fine tweezers - dates back to the pre-Hispanic Chancay culture that developed in Peru's central coastal region some 800 years ago, said Camargo, who looks after Calidda's warehouse of cultural remains. "By building out the gas distribution network, we have excavated almost all the streets of Lima," she told Reuters. "We are unearthing little by little the thousand-year history of the capital." Finding ruins and remains in construction sites is common in Peru, home to dozens of pre-Hispanic cultures along the coast and in the Andes. Metropolitan Lima, with some 10 million inhabitants, has some 400 'huacas' or archaeological ruins. Camargo said that in almost a decade of work, the firm has uncovered multiple ancient burial sites and other archaeological finds, including a rare and little studied example of a 2,000-year-old ceramic with a style called "white on red." "Around 1,700 times our archaeologists have had to stop the work to recover archaeological evidence," she said. "And we are finding things every day, under the roads, sidewalks and homes." The most important archaeological regions in Peru are the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu in mountain forest near Cusco, and the mysterious Nazca lines, drawn in a coastal desert more than 1,500 years ago, in the Ica region. (Reporting by Anthony Marina and Alfredo Galarza; Writing by Marco Aquino; Editing by Adam Jourdan and Rosalba O'Brien) Alexander Molony as Peter Pan, Ever Anderson as Wendy, Joshua Pickering as John Darling and Jacobi Jupe as Michael Darling in Peter Pan & Wendy. (Disney) New Disney+ film Peter Pan & Wendy once again reimagines this well-worn tale of the boy who refuses to grow up, his adventures in Neverland and long-running battles with the evil pirate Captain Hook. Released in 1953, Disneys animated Peter Pan is one of the most fondly remembered features of the studios original golden age and the latest to get the live-action treatment. Not only does this sleek new feature promise to bring J.M Barries timeless tale into a modern era complete with more considered depictions of some key characters compared to its outdated animated sibling it also promises to focus just as much of its time on Wendy Darling as its titular, tights-wearing hero. Read more: All the live-action Disney remakes in development Before you watch Peter Pan & Wendy, heres everything you need to know. Peter Pan & Wendy reviews Peter Pan & Wendy is available to stream on Disney+ from today (Friday, 28 April). So far, the film has received a relatively warm response from critics, earning a 75% rating on Rotten Tomatoes: Peter Pan & Wendy plot Ever Anderson as Wendy in Disney's live-action Peter Pan & Wendy. (Disney) Peter Pan & Wendy is directed by David Lowery, the same filmmaker who has spent years keeping audiences guessing with his considered and immaculately-crafted filmography. From helming a previous live-action Disney adaptation in 2016s Petes Dragon to giving us 2018s sombre death tale A Ghost Story and 2021s fantasy epic The Green Night, Lowery is a filmmaker that seems unafraid to shake things up when it comes to viewer expectations. Story continues As a result, his take on Disneys Peter Pan will no doubt be different to many of the other adaptations that have come before and theres been quite a few of them. A scene still from Disney's live-action Peter Pan & Wendy. (Credit: Disney 2023 Disney Enterprises) From Steven Spielbergs Hook, released in 1991 and starring Robin Williams as an all-grown-up Pan, to 2003s Peter Pan which placed Jason Isaacs in the role of Captain Hook and 2015s character origin story Pan cinema certainly has had no shortage of trips to Never-Never Land over the years. While retaining much of the iconography of Disneys animated original (as seen in the films ship-battle poster below), Peter Pan & Wendy shifts the focus onto Wendy Darling, a young woman who doesnt want to grow up. Luckily, she soon meets a young boy who promises to whisk her away to a time-free land while kick-starting a colourful adventure. Peter Pan & Wendy (Credit: Disney) Upon arrival in Neverland, Peter Pan introduces Wendy and her siblings to Tinkerbell, the Lost Boys and the other inhabitants of this magical realm, before the group is forced into battle with the one-handed Captain Hook. Peter Pan & Wendy cast Jude Law as Captain Hook in Disney's live-action Peter Pan & Wendy. (Disney) Newcomer Alexander Molony makes his feature film debut as Peter Pan, with Wendy played by Ever Anderson, a star who you may recognise from Black Widow as a young Natasha Romanoff. Meanwhile, Jude Law commandeers the most feared ship in Neverland as Captain James Hook, a pirate who lost his hand to a hungry crocodile. Black-ish actor Yara Shahidi stars as Pans loyal friend Tinkerbell, with comedian Jim Gaffigan playing Hooks right-hand man Mr. Smee. Fellow newcomers Joshua Pickering and Jacobi Jupe play Wendys younger brothers John and Michael, respectively, with Molly Parker and Alan Tudyk portraying the familys parents, Mary and George Darling. Alyssa Wapanatahk as Tiger Lily in Disney's live-action Peter Pan & Wendy. (Disney) Another batch of young actors makes their feature debut as the Lost Boys, with Cree actress Alyssa Wapanatahk bringing authenticity to the role of Tiger Lily, the warrior daughter of Neverlands indigenous tribe. Peter Pan & Wendy trailer Following a brief glimpse at the movie in a Disney+ sizzle reel showcasing their upcoming slate of 2023 projects, we got our first proper look at Peter Pan & Wendy via a teaser trailer released in late February. In it, we got to witness to scope and stunning visuals of Lowerys Neverland. Not long afterwards, the first full trailer for the movie appeared on YouTube, doubling down on the promise of astonishing attention to detail and plenty of nostalgic hits. Peter Pan & Wendy is streaming on Disney+ now. The largest ever military exercises between the United States and the Philippines are drawing to a close. They began just days after China's military rehearsed a blockade of Taiwan - a display the US called disproportionate. With tensions high in the region, a handful of people on a few small islands find themselves caught between two superpowers. Short presentational grey line Life is fragile in Itbayat. The steep limestone cliffs and rolling hills that make up this tiny island on the northern edge of the Philippines rise out of the Luzon Strait. Even on a good day, strong waves on the azure seas toss around tiny fishing boats hoping to hook some of the islanders' favourite flying fish. Nearly 3,000 native Ivatans, fishermen and farmers, have survived here in the face of earthquakes, typhoons and drought. But now they face a new and different threat. Their island home risks being caught in a conflict between the United States and China as the two militaries skirt ever closer to each other to gain the upper hand in the South China Sea. At the heart of the issue is Taiwan. China's claims over the self-governing island are growing louder even as the US' commitment to defend it appears to be deepening. And these islands - Itbayat and Basco - that make up the far-flung Philippine archipelago of Batanes are in the line of crossfire. They appear as mere dots in the ocean that surrounds them. But their proximity to Taiwan - it's just 156km (96 miles) from Itbayat - has made them both strategic allies and vulnerable foes. Analysts often talk of rising tensions between the two superpowers, but what is it like to live in the biggest flashpoint between Beijing and Washington? Map showing where Batanes Islands is located Itbayat can often be cut off for weeks. It certainly looks impenetrable. Small ports are carved out of the cliffs and getting to a boat involves clambering down steep steps cut into the rock face. The colour of the water hugging the land is a deep turquoise - and so clear you can watch small fish play amongst the coral. Itbayat feels untouched by man, other than the indigenous community who've made it their home. Story continues Few here have televisions. A network of relayed messages from house to house, or through the church congregation is often more reliable than the patchy phone signal. But they don't need TV news or social media to tell them about the turbulent relationship between the US and China which threatens their shores. It's closer than it has ever been. Who rules the waves? Crouched down, eyes fixed through the viewfinders of their weapons and head to toe in camouflage are the members of the US Army's 25th Infantry Division training on the island of Basco. They were practising to defend the island from potential aggressors. The exercise was part of the largest combat drills ever held between the US and the Philippines. Out at sea, the mission was controlled from the USS Miguel Keith, a naval ship, while V-22 Osprey aircraft hovered over the island, much to the amazement of locals who grabbed their mobile phones to film. The simulation even involved rocket launchers being shipped to the beaches using amphibious landing craft. "The goal of our campaign in this region is to deter conflict from ever occurring," says Major General Joseph Ryan, the commanding general of the 25th Infantry Division. "We don't want a war with the PRC [People's Republic of China]. We do not want that, we do not desire that and we are not provoking that. A war with the PRC is good for nobody." But, he admits, the two forces are sending a message. "The message sent is we're ready, we're capable, we're prepared. We've got a great partnership here. And we mean business." The two sides are certainly arming themselves; as is the whole of Asia. China is still the region's biggest spender on new military hardware, with this year's defence budget the highest it's ever been, around $224bn. The US, in turn, has been keen to show off its capabilities, holding ever more military drills with allies throughout the region, including Japan, South Korea and Australia. For Washington this is not just about a display of shiny new arms. It is also about shoring up alliances - the White House has been dispatching envoys more often than usual to Asia, hoping to stitch together a sturdy coalition to counter China. And that includes the Philippines, whose location is an asset. Maps showing Philippine bases the US has access to "The situation is heating up," admitted Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos in a recent interview with a local radio station ahead of his visit to Washington this week. He has decided to take a more assertive approach to China than his predecessor and that includes ordering more patrols by the Navy and the Coastguard. Fishermen on the frontlines But what would be largely uneventful patrols elsewhere have the potential to turn into a conflict in the South China Sea, where even fishing could ignite a geopolitical crisis. Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea - a strategic waterway through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually - despite an international court ruling that the assertion has no legal basis. "The Chinese fishermen used to harass us," says 59-year-old Cyrus Malupa, as he casts a single wire line with a metal hook into the sea. "But when we reported that to the government, it placed a military base on Mavulis Island to the north. Now we have Philippine Marines there on duty," he adds. In March, the Navy started a month-long mission on the uninhabited island, described it as the country's "first line of defence" and raised the Filipino flag on its highest peak. A small but bold act of sovereignty. For Cyrus and others who live in tiny boats for days in the hope of catching enough tuna to sell at the local market, the geopolitical dispute is personal. It's about feeding their families. Hundreds of Filipino fishermen have reported incidents of being driven away from their traditional fishing grounds in the South China Sea for more than a decade - particularly in the contested seas near the Spratly Islands. "We don't have that much catch because the poachers have more advanced technology," Cyrus says as the tiny boat bounces over the white horses now forming on the water. "Us locals use the old way of fishing like lines and smaller nets. But the poachers have more advanced technology so they can catch as much as they can." Fishermen in Itbayat: (L-R) Antonio Villa, Daniel De Guzman and Cyrus Malupa Manila has filed nearly 200 diplomatic protests against Beijing's actions in the South China Sea - where Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping territorial claims. It's natural to be worried because any conflict will affect our lives," said 51-year-old Victor Gonzales. "First, we are afraid for our lives and then there is the possible exodus of people coming here from Taiwan as we have limited resources." Like most on Itbayat, Victor farms when the sea is rough and goes out to fish when it is fair. Crops are raised by hand, with no help from machinery or fertilisers. Instead, farmers rotate sweet potato, rice, corn, garlic and onions. A single farm can feed around 25 families. "We need to protect our resources because it's how we live, and we don't have any alternative. We want to have something to pass onto the next generation," Victor says. The concern runs deep enough that leaders of local governments in the Batanes islands announced to reporters last December that they would secure food supplies to prepare for a possible conflict. Arms and allies The restricted signs around the Camilo Osias naval base on the beaches of Santa Ana are hand-painted and difficult to make out - almost obscured by the dozens of green fishing boats moored along the sand. It's Sunday and a few of the men who would usually be at sea are getting tipsy in the shade on a Filipino brand of gin. A handful of water buffalo wallow in the shallows flicking off the birds that come to rest on their backs with their tails. Nearby, women are doing the weekly washing in huge tubs - the suds spilling over the sides. Santa Ana is a sleepy town on the northern tip of the main island of Luzon. There is little activity around the tiny Filipino naval base which is so tucked away on a corner of the beach that you would barely know it was there - unless you spotted the "restricted" signs. Crucially it has an airstrip that will give the US access to the Taiwan Strait. "It's not really a base. I would say it is more like a Boy Scout camp," exclaims Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba. Remote and idyllic islands like Basco have become strategically important because of their proximity to Taiwan This is one of the four new bases in the Philippines that US troops can access as the two countries boost their military alliance. Two of the new locations are in the northern province of Cagayan and face Taiwan. "This is not my call or the call of our people. It's the call of our national leaders. We will abide by it. We may disagree with it, but really it's all because we don't want war," says Mr Mamba. "We are poor, and we have our local problems too. That is why any cause of uncertainty will be a bigger problem for all of us." Mr Mamba is worried that having two US bases in his province will make it a target. He had hoped to bring Chinese tourists to the region, or build a new international airport. Now he fears that Beijing may snub the Philippines when it needs their business more than ever. "It is hard for us to choose between the two of them. Between a neighbour who has never been our enemy and an ally who has stood by us through so many difficulties. If they could be together, if only they could talk, if only there was middle ground for them to meet." Governor Mamba's comments reflect a growing anxiety across parts of Asia. Will they be forced to choose between a long standing ally, the US, and their largest trade partner, China? Back in Basco, in the capital of the tiny Philippine province of the Batanes islands, 21-year-old Ave Marie Garcia is helping travellers get flights to and from her home island of Itbayat. She doesn't keep an eye on the news - but she couldn't fail to notice or hear about the latest military exercises. Ave Marie Garcia says she hopes the growing alliance with the US doesn't change her home "I don't think the US is going to cause war with these military exercises. It's just the US is trying to help the Philippine military to protect this island and to let the Chinese know that this region is protected," she says as she jumps on her scooter to show us her favourite views and beaches. Ave is one of 11 children and like many in the Philippines, her mother works abroad to send money back to the family. Their ancestral home, a traditional stone cottage which has stood through the centuries, lies in ruins after an earthquake in 2019 - a reminder that life is fragile here. Ave and her siblings were brought up by what she describes as her strict grandmother. But in Ave there are small signs of rebellion. Her long dark hair is dip-dyed blonde at the ends. And yet, she is an Ivatan at heart. Her hope is to preserve her ancestors' way of life, even if that means saying no to the United States. She believes there should be limits. "I am worried about the future - for our future. I hope they won't build structures here for the U.S military, I just want to leave it as it is. They are allowed to visit this place but they are not allowed to build something here that will cause anyone to invade us. For me it's scary." The people here feel miles away from the politics and the bellicose rhetoric, and they try not to dwell on what could be, and enjoy what they have. "An island life is a simple life," Ave says. Each day, she and her family pray it will stay that way. HANOI, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam is promoting sustainable agricultural trade and production to reduce deforestation and land degradation, the Vietnam News reported on Thursday. As Vietnam's economic growth heavily depends on the production and export of agroforestry products, the consumer-driven trend toward eco-friendly products in the world has forced the Southeast Asian country to either get ready for the shift or risk losing its market share, said experts at the fourth Global Conference of the Planet Network's Sustainable Food Systems Program held in Hanoi. Vietnam is advised not to expand land area for agriculture development, instead, the country should focus on improving the quality and value of farming products as well as enhancing the livelihoods of farmers, said Tran Quang Bao, deputy director of the Vietnam Administration of Forestry under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Vietnam's major markets, including the European Union, have increasingly tightened the import of products linked to deforestation, requiring companies to produce a due diligence statement showing that their supply chains are not contributing to the destruction of forests before they sell goods into the bloc. Commodities such as coffee, rubber and wood, will be greatly affected by such regulations, said Rui Ludovino, the first counselor for Climate Action, Environment, Employment, and Social Policies at the Delegation of the European Union in Vietnam, stressing the new rules are scheduled to take effect at the beginning of 2025 with a six-month delay for small and medium-sized enterprises. Even though Vietnam is not at too high risk of deforestation due to sound forest protection policies, the country needs to strengthen supply chains to expand the market share of its agricultural products in the European Union, said Ludovino. Vietnam has signed an agreement with the World Bank, investing up to 51.5 million U.S. dollars to reduce 10.3 million tons of carbon emissions from six northern-central provinces between 2020 and 2025. It has also launched a project with a total budget of 5 million euros to protect 25,000 hectares of natural forest and reduce carbon emissions by 3 million tons in central highland provinces. A wedding photographer has blamed a Karen for ruining a couples perfect wedding shot, but social media users seem to disagree. Duminciuc Bogdan, a wedding photographer and videographer, went viral on TikTok when he shared a video of a bystander walking into what wouldve been a picture-perfect shot. In the video, which has nearly 27 million views, a bride and groom are seen posing for a photoshoot on a pier in Corfu, Greece. As Bogdan snapped photos of the married couple, an airplane flew above their heads and the photographer attempted to take a picture of the unexpected moment. He instructed the couple to kiss just as the plane was in the frame, but just then a woman walking her dog photobombed the special moment. I was trying to get a shot with the couple and the airplane and Karen here decided to ruin our shot, he wrote over the clip. The photographer can also be heard complaining about the woman interrupting their shot in the background, saying: Oh, come on. Come on. The video received 26.8m since it was posted, but many people in the comments section were divided over whether the bystander actually ruined the couples wedding shot. Many TikTok users agreed that the woman shouldve waited until the photographer was able to capture the photo before continuing to walk her dog. My anger issues could NEVER, commented one user. Doesnt matter if its a wedding or just a tourist. You can wait one second for a photo to be taken, another user said. The rage that filled my body after watching this, said someone else. However, others suggested that the so-called Karen may not have noticed they were taking the photo, or believed that they would pause the photoshoot for the plane passing by. At first glance I would assume that a plane would ruin a shot anyway so Id rush through when its in the frame, said one user. Story continues I bet she was waiting for a while and had enough, someone else wrote. Its public space. Respect goes both ways and as you see there is no other route for her. Maybe she had been waiting for a while and figured it was good time to pass thinking they wouldnt want an EasyJet plane in their wedding pic, a third user commented. Recently, another wedding photographer went viral on TikTok when she revealed that a bride had asked if she would photograph her destination wedding free of charge in exchange for travel and lodging for their Mexico nuptials. In the video, the photographer shared a screenshot of the email that she received from the bride saying she was looking for someone willing to exchange services of photography/videography for flight/resort/transportation. To photograph and film the wedding, in exchange for travel and lodging at the resort, the email continued, with the bride explaining that ideally, she would like to cover just the hotel, which includes all-inclusive drinks and food, in exchange for the photography services. Many viewers were horrified by the brides request and pointed out her audacity for asking the photographer to cover the expenses of their own services. Thats an offer you give to a cousin or something, not a professional vendor, one person commented, while another said: The audacity of people always astonishes me Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal met Pope Francis in the Vatican on April 27, handing him a photo album about Russian war crimes in Ukraine. Shmyhal said that he had also invited the pontiff to Ukraine, hoping the Vatican would join the efforts to implement the peace formula proposed by President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian PM thanked Pope Francis for humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, particularly for treating injured Ukrainian children in the Vatican hospital. According to Ukraine's embassy to the Holy See, this is Shmyhal's second visit to Pope Francis' residency. Pope Francis said in a Feb. 5 interview with Corriere della Sera that he was open to meeting both Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky. The Pope has repeatedly condemned Russia's war in Ukraine and called for peace, though not always clearly stating the aggressor. The pontiff regularly referred to Ukraine and its people as "martyred" since Russia invaded Ukraine. However, during the Holy Cross rite on April 8, the Vatican decided to read both the testimonies of a Ukrainian and a Russian teenager together, apparently equating them. The Vatican had already been under the fire of critics from Ukraine after a Ukrainian and a Russian woman carried a cross together in April 2022. The text they were supposed to read about reconciliation at the Good Friday service, deemed offensive for some Ukrainians, had been scrapped after Ukraine's protestations. Chaos erupted at a York Region school board meeting in Aurora, Ont., on Tuesday over a debate about raising the rainbow flag for Pride month in June. Police were called at a York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB) meeting at the Catholic Education Centre after the discussion about the Pride flag became heated, with security pushing people out and attendees arguing against the flag spilling into the hallway. TCDSB teacher Paolo De Buono was set to speak in favour of raising the flag at the meeting. However, he claims he received an email from the board that his delegation will not be heard. In a video uploaded on Twitter by De Buono, he was swarmed by parents as they can be heard calling him a "devil incarnate," "radical teacher," and even a "pedophile." I was surrounded in the lobby by York Catholic parents against flying the Pride flag, & I told them: I am not afraid. (And then a York Region superintendent escorted me back into the board room.) pic.twitter.com/XAguY5UkMd Paolo De Buono, #BLM, MSc, JD, OCT (@misterdebuono) April 26, 2023 De Buono uploaded his delegation speaking notes on Twitter and wrote that he was ashamed to be a York Catholic parent because York Catholic is the only Catholic board in the GTA "not flying the Pride flag." "I am deeply concerned that York Catholic's obstinance in not flying the Pride flag is a red flag about how its 2SLGBTQI+ students are being treated in York Catholic schools and that 2SLGBTQI+ students do not feel safe within York Catholic schools," he wrote. "Flying the Pride flag at York Catholic schools has everything to do with learning. Students cannot learn when they do not feel safe at school," he added. This was my 4-page delegation as submitted in time. Its not offensive or hurtful. Its on point. And this has been my point. A board like York Catholic, using the Fully Alive textbook, effectively believes & teaches what Myles said at 2:27 & after in his delegation. 2/2 pic.twitter.com/ieJ6LXUaMb Paolo De Buono, #BLM, MSc, JD, OCT (@misterdebuono) April 26, 2023 According to City News Toronto reporter Michelle Mackey, many 2SLGBTQ+ students were left in "tears" during the meeting. Story continues "Some 2SLGBTQ+ students who were still in the meeting were in tears," she wrote on Twitter. "A trustee made a speech about keeping kids safe and denouncing hate. When students in the room asked how exactly they were going to do that, there was no response and the meeting continued. Some 2SLGBTQ+ students who were still in the meeting were in tears. A trustee then made a speech about keeping kids safe and denouncing hate. When students in the room asked how exactly they were going to do that, there was no response and the meeting continued. Michelle Mackey (@michellemackey) April 26, 2023 De Buono also tweeted that as the situation became worse with parents shouting, he could see many students sitting scared in the board room and crying. I saw students crying, in fear, in the boardroom, as they heard York Catholic community members shouting angrily from the lobby. How can such a simple but important form of recognition, a Pride flag, cause so many in York Region to become so angry? De Buono wrote in a tweet. I saw students crying, in fear, in the board room, as they heard York Catholic community members shouting angrily from the lobby. How can such a simple but important form of recognition, a Pride flag, cause so many in York Region to become so angry?https://t.co/RpsKESUJAP Paolo De Buono, #BLM, MSc, JD, OCT (@misterdebuono) April 26, 2023 As a response to the event, PFLAG Canada, a national non-profit organization, officially designated York Catholic School Board as "Unsafe for the LGBTQ2IA+ Community of York Region." YCDSB to receive designation as "Unsafe for the LGBTQ2IA+ Community of York Region" in the absence of meaningful action. - https://t.co/WRTw4XEO65 Pflag York Region (@PflagYorkRegion) April 26, 2023 "Last night's meeting was deeply disturbing on a number of levels," wrote President of Pflag Canada York Region Tristan Coolman. "This incident, along with the treatment of the students, parents and allies in attendance today has proven this Board lacks the decision quality and expertise to create a truly inclusive, equitable, and safe public space for these meetings," he added. 'York Region is our very own Florida': People react, many show support The students being directly impacted are too young to have to deal with this level of hate from adults. As a former York Region student I stand with the teachers, students and parents advocating for YCDSB to raise the Pride flag and recognize June as Pride Month. https://t.co/YEqSXEJAa3 Megan Stangl (@MegaStang) April 26, 2023 You need to watch this to understand that hatred of people like me is on the rise and that school boards have become Ground Zero for homophobia and transphobia. Keep showing up for queer and trans kids. They need us. https://t.co/68EaN2P2OK ArielTroster (she/her) (@ArielTroster) April 26, 2023 @misterdebuono keep raising flags that support inclusivity, this behaviour is another reason why visual support is important now. Well done @GardaWorld for assisting the staff, your calm and awareness was important. ScarfyTV (@ScarfyTV) April 26, 2023 York Region is our very own Florida. https://t.co/ZTcZ95NfzZ Radheyan Simonpillai (@JustSayRad) April 26, 2023 This video is absolutely disgusting. Chris Jancelewicz (@CJancelewicz) April 26, 2023 These parents are freaking out about a simple Pride flag? Its 2023. Wait until they find out what their own kids are upto on TikTok. KC (@kci2013) April 26, 2023 Defund the Ontario catholic board. This hate and behaviour doesnt deserve any public money. Shame on them. Yassified to Maintain Anonymity (@its_skellie) April 26, 2023 Admire @misterdebuonos bravery. Truly heroic effort in standing up for marginalized and vulnerable students. Thank you! Norm Di Pasquale (@normsworld) April 26, 2023 De Buono thanked everyone for their strong support after the delegation. "It is challenging for me personally, [because] what I saw triggered my memory of issues I raised in my May 2021 application to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, which still has not processed it," he wrote. Surveillance video shows a man walking into a south Charlotte restaurant moments before police say he robbed the cashier at gunpoint. It happened Wednesday night at La Preferida Mexican Restaurant, which is on South Boulevard south of Archdale Road. Channel 9s Hunter Saenz spoke with the victim as police searched for the robber. It was a terrifying ordeal for the cashier, who said that man made his move after she took his order. ALSO READ: Young girl remains in hospital after being shot while sleeping in northwest Charlotte home We are alive due to a miracle, Argelia Rodriguez said. Rodriguez said she took the mans to-go order and, when he asked for change for a dollar, she opened the register and he pulled out a gun. When I went to get the cash, he pointed the gun at me and told me to give him all the money, Rodriguez said. That moment, everything changed. A million things pass through your mind, she added. Terrified, Rodriguez said she handed over more than $2,000. She said the man also stole two phones. He told us not to call the cops, she said. The surveillance video shows that suspect leaving. ALSO READ: Police investigating possible armed robbery at Carolina Place Mall He left calmly, Rodriguez said. In the video, you can see workers rushing out after him from the kitchen door. They called police, who are now investigating, but Rodriguez is still in disbelief and angry. The biggest thing Im scared about is a fatal accident at the store, Rodriguez said. Its painful and frustrating, because I cant believe people from our community are doing this to our community, she added. She describes the suspect as a tall, Hispanic man with facial hair, but she said he put on a mask before robbing the restaurant. If you have any information about this case, youre asked to call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600. You can also reach out by clicking here. (WATCH BELOW: Video shows person rob Gastonia gas station clerk at knifepoint) A Miami-Dade Schools police officer was airlifted to the hospital after a crash Thursday afternoon in Hialeah. The crash occurred at West Okeechobee Road and 18th Avenue. The injured officer was taken to Westland Hialeah Senior High School and was then airlifted to Ryder Trauma Center, according to Miami Herald news partner CBS News Miami. A Miami-Dade Schools Police spokesperson said the officer was responding to a medical emergency at a nearby school and he is in stable condition. A law enforcement source told the Miami Herald that the officers injuries arent serious. Video from WSVNs helicopter shows a white Dodge Hellcat near the driver side of the officers cruiser. The video also showed the officer unconscious on a gurney as he was taken into an ambulance, where he was treated while awaiting air transport. The driver of the other vehicle involved in the crash was treated on the scene, CBS News Miami reported. Hialeah police has not yet responded to the Miami Herald with more details on the crash. This report will be updated An Emmet County Sheriff's vehicle sits outside Alanson Public School on Thursday, April 27, 2023 after a student reported seeing a gun in the school. Emmet County Undersheriff Matt Leirstein said no firearm was found. ALANSON Students at Alanson Public Schools are being bused to the Alanson Fire Department to be reunited with families following an event at the school on Thursday morning. Emmet County Undersheriff Matt Leirstein said law enforcement responded to a situation at the school where a young student around the age of 4 or 5 told a teacher they thought they saw an older student carrying a gun in their pocket. The school reviewed the footage and narrowed down the students the child may have been talking with and conducted interviews with those students. The deputies on the scene contacted and interviewed the students and are "very confident there was no firearm," Leirstein said. The police also assisted the school in a locker search afterwards. No firearms were found in the school. The sheriff's department recommended the school close early so officers could conduct a more thorough search to ensure there are no weapons in the school. "We're just being precautious and we just want to make sure that we've searched every inch of the school before we're able to say that we're confident that there was no weapon involved," he said. The CCE Central Dispatch 911, serving Charlevoix, Cheboygan and Emmet counties, posted on Facebook saying the schools are being released and students that take busses will be sent home shortly. Families can pick up students from the fire station. Students were bused from Alanson Public School to the fire station to be reunited with their families after a student reported seeing a gun on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Families reuniting at the fire station described the fear and uncertainty they felt as they waited for news and direction from officials. Alanson preschool teacher Whitney Rota was home with her sick child today but came to the fire station as soon as she heard the news. With two other kids in the school, a fourth grader and eighth grader, she was terrified, Rota said. Knowing that my other two children were here, plus my students, (I was) terrified, she said. Rota said she didnt hear about the incident from school officials, but from her assistant teacher. Story continues Cars line up at the Alanson Fire Station so families can be reunited with their students after a report of a firearm was made at the Alanson Public School on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Abby Blaskowski, who has children in the school, said she first heard about the incident because she is a director at the health center and they were alerted patients may be coming. One of my colleague's husband works for Emmet County, and she called me and was like, Your preschoolers in a shed in the playground, she said. Blaskowski said the text notifying families came in an hour and a half after the original 911 call. Both Rota and Blaskowski said they wish there had been more effective communication with families, so speculation on social media didn't take over. I think the text was amazing, but it should have went out sooner, Rota said. The scanner page the fact that theyre putting it on there and parents dont know yet youre causing mass chaos, Blaskowski added. Subscribe: Get unlimited access to local breaking news coverage First responders from the Michigan State Police, Cheboygan County Sheriff's Office, Tuscarora Police Department, Petoskey Department of Public Safety, Harbor Springs Police Department, Alanson Fire Department, Emmet County Emergency Medical Services, Michigan DNR and tribal police all responded to the scene. "The response to this incident was overwhelming," Leirstein said. "We're very thankful for all of our law enforcement partner agencies for their assistance." Thursday afternoon, Leirstein confirmed that the secondary search had concluded and no weapons were found on the premises. Two K-9s that specialize in article searches were in Grayling for training and were able to make it to the scene to assist officers in the search. "We are clearing the scene and it appears the report of a firearm may have been mistakenly made and it may have been something else," Leirstein said. Previously, Leirstein said it was suspected the young student may have seen a cell phone or similar item in the older student's back pocket and thought that may have been a gun. This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Police respond to reported firearm at Alanson Public School A teen boy was shot to death Wednesday afternoon in a trailer park just outside the city limits of Miami. Barry Ellis III was 15. Barry Michael Ellis III A pair of 911 calls brought both Miami police and Miami-Dade police to 8050 NW Miami Ct. around 4:35 p.m. When they got there, they learned a boy had been shot and was being driven to a hospital. Miami Fire Rescue got to Ellis and took him to Jackson Memorial Hospitals Ryder Trauma Center, where he later died. Barry, an eighth-grader at Horace Mann Middle School, had big dreams and loved to play video games with his friends, mother Latasha Goldwire told Miami Herald news partner CBS News Miami. Goldwire said she was always worried about getting Barry home safe. She now dreads her birthday, which she shares with her son. This was the last thing I would have thought would have happened, she told CBS News Miami. He meant so much to me. In an emotional plea, Goldwire begged whoever is responsible for Barrys killing or knows the culprit to come forward. This ripped me apart from outside to my inside, she told CBS News Miami. I just cant think. Its like my heart is inside my stomach right now. We owe this family a little bit of peace, a little bit of closure, Miami-Dade police Detective Angel Rodriguez said at the scene. Anyone who knows anything about this shooting can reach out to Miami-Dade police or Crime Stoppers of Miami-Dade and the Florida Keys either online or at 305-471-8477 (TIPS). The teacher's death is being treated as suspicious - UNPIXS Police are searching for a man at a country park in Scotland after a pregnant teacher was found dead nine miles away. Marelle Sturrock, 35, was discovered at 8.40am on Tuesday in a property in Jura Street, Glasgow. Police Scotland said her death is being treated as suspicious. Officers later descended on Mugdock Country Park, just outside the city in East Dunbartonshire, where they are searching for a man. Detective Chief Inspector Cheryl Kelly said: "A visible police presence will remain at both locations as our work continues. Officers have been carrying out extensive searches of Mugdock country park in relation to a missing person in the area. This is being treated as linked to the death at Jura Street and inquiries remain ongoing. Marelle Sturrock who was found dead on Tuesday Ms Sturrock worked at Sandwood Primary School in Glasgow and on Wednesday parents were told of her death. Headteacher Fiona Donnelly said in a letter: "It is with deep sorrow that I must inform you about the sudden death of Ms Sturrock who is a beloved member of our teaching staff. "I know that this will come as a shock to our school community, and we will do all that we can to support children, staff and families through what will be a difficult and challenging time. "We have had support in school today from our educational psychologists who will be here over the next few days to offer help and advice. "I hope that you will understand that there are no other details that I can share at this time but wanted to let our families know the tragic news from the school." Ms Sturrock's death has rocked the community - UNPIXS Ms Sturrock was from the Scottish Highlands, but moved to Glasgow when she was 17 to pursue a career in the performing arts. She later became a primary school teacher after completing her postgraduate diploma in education. Ms Kelly said: "Our thoughts are with Marelle's family and friends, as well as everyone affected by this tragic incident. "We are providing her family with support at this incredibly difficult time as our investigation to establish the full circumstances continues." She added there was "not believed to be any risk to the wider public" but anyone with information or concerns should contact police on 101. Columbus police have identified a third person of interest in connection with a fight that led to one man being fatally shot and another wounded on Friday, April 21, at the intersection of North High Street and East 12th Avenue near the Ohio State Universitys campus. Columbus police have identified a third person of interest in connection with a shooting last week that left one person dead and another injured on North High Street near Ohio State Universitys campus. Columbus police and Ohio State police both received reports of gun shots around 2:40 a.m. Friday, April 21, at the intersection of North High Street and East 12th Avenue. The gunfire reportedly erupted after a fight, police said. When officers arrived at the scene, Columbus police said they found two men with gunshot wounds, both of whom were transported to separate hospitals. Deijon Bedgood, 25, died at OSU Wexner Medical Center, while another 27-year-old man who was wounded survived, according to a police media release. Police initially identified two men who were believed to have drawn handguns and fired them during the fight. Raymond Ladd, 26, has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with the shooting. A second man, 25-year-old Shemar Franklin, has also been charged with murder, as well as felonious assault, but remained at-large as of earl Thursday afternoon. Shemar Franklin, 25, is wanted by Columbus police on charges of murder and felonious assault in connection with the April 21 fatal shooting of Deijon Bedgood, 25, and the wounding of a 27-year-old man at North High Street and East 12th Avenue near the Ohio State University campus. Now, homicide detectives have released the photo of a third unidentified man whom they say was involved in the fight that led to the shooting and is a person of interest in their investigation. Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Franklin or the third man is asked to call the Columbus Division of Police's homicide bureau at 614-774-7810 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-8477. Eric Lagatta is a reporter at The Columbus Dispatch covering public safety, with a focus on in-depth coverage of social justice issues and crime trends. elagatta@dispatch.com @EricLagatta This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Third person sought by police in fatal shooting near Ohio State campus Law enforcers exposed a Russian accomplice from Berdiansk, who "administered justice" in Poltava Oblast: a notice of suspicion of treason was supplied on the judge. Source: Security Service of Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia Oblast Prosecutor's Office, Ukrainska Pravdas source in law enforcement. Details: Deputy Prosecutor General has notified the head of one of the district courts of Poltava Oblasts of the suspicion of treason. According to the source of UP, the judge in question is Larisa Bohomolova, who has been heading the Poltava District Court since July 2022. According to the investigation, in the spring of 2022, after the Russian military occupation of the city of Berdiansk (Zaporizhzhia Oblast), a local judge, ignoring the oath to the Ukrainian people, began to actively cooperate with the special services and representatives of the aggressor country. To fulfil the task of her curators, the woman provided the Russians with information about pro-Ukrainian justice workers, and formed a positive attitude towards the occupation authorities among the staff of the Berdiansk City District Court. She collected and transmitted information on the movement of the Ukrainian military in Donetsk Oblast. According to the Security Service of Ukraine, at the end of March 2022, she shared with the invaders information about the movement of three soldiers of Special Forces Detachment Azov from Mariupol to the area of the settlement of Mangush. Then, with the help of her "tip", the invaders tried to identify the whereabouts of the Ukrainian military. Also, the woman assisted the invaders in the formation of the staff of the so-called "Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations", illegally formed in Berdiansk. After some time, the suspect left Berdiansk for the territory controlled by Ukraine and headed one of the district courts in Poltava Oblast. The officers of the Security Service of Ukraine exposed the criminal and gradually documented criminal actions. Story continues Currently, the issues of removing the defendant from office and choosing a preventive measure (detention) are being discussed. Investigative actions are ongoing to establish all the circumstances of the crime. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! ISLAMABAD, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Six policemen were killed and two others injured in a clash with miscreants in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province, the provincial home minister confirmed. The incident happened in Jaffarabad district on Wednesday where an exchange of firing took place between the policemen and the miscreants, the home minister Mir Ziaullah Langove told media. He said that the miscreants remained involved in robberies and other heinous crimes in the province and were wanted by the police. The miscreants fled the scene after the shoot, and a search operation is underway to nab them, he said. The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital. Police have cordoned off the incident site for further investigation. Berner, the Bay Area rapper who founded cannabis brand Cookies, is targeted in a pair of lawsuits. (Scott Dudelson / Getty Images) The San Francisco-area rapper who founded Cookies is being accused of using strong-arm and bullying tactics to run the popular cannabis brand, and forcing other companies to pay him and top executives millions of dollars in kickbacks to do business. Those who refuse to pay up, according to a pair of lawsuits that were filed in Los Angeles County court, face threats of physical violence or "slanderous blasts on social media," as well as the inability to do business with Cookies, which has sprung up more than 30 stores across the U.S. "Defendants' pervasive wrongdoing has caused their own pockets to be lined while causing massive losses to Cookies and its shareholders," lawyers for a group of investors allege in a lawsuit filed Feb. 8. In one example, Berner, whose real name is Gilbert Milam Jr., took diamond jewelry valued at more than $1 million as a kickback from a third party in order for the company to do business with Cookies, according to the lawsuit. The second lawsuit was filed in January by Cookies Retail Products. The company had alleged, among other things, that it was "shoehorned" into using Cookies' suppliers and pressured by executives to repeatedly increase the number of orders despite manufacturing delays, defects and other problems. But on Friday, in a sudden turn of events just days after news of the lawsuits became public, Cookies Retail Products announced it was withdrawing its suit and issued a statement walking back its allegations against the company and Berner. In a statement, Cookies Retail Products CEO Paul Rock said "certain third parties influenced us to file suit based upon allegations that we learned were not true." Prior to the January suit's withdrawal, Milam denied all allegations, and said in an Instagram post addressing the lawsuits that a group of "predatory investors" were attempting to remove him and other top leadership from Cookies, which has quickly grown to a half-billion-dollar company, according to Forbes. Story continues "These guys have made extremely false, damaging claims about myself that are completely just untrue, and I really look forward to the day in court that we can prove that these claims are false," Milam said in the video. "They're trying to remove me [and] current leadership from Cookies." Cookies Retail Products, or CRP, had filed its suit against Milam's company over a 2021 agreement for CRP to sell Cookies-branded products containing CBD, a non-psychoactive compound in cannabis. CRP claimed at the time that it was pressured by Cookies to increase orders and to use its suppliers and affiliates. After investing millions of dollars in the deal, CRP learned executives at Cookies "had been collecting 'kickbacks' and other additional 'fees' that were passed through as inflated costs to CRP," according to the lawsuit. "[Cookies] employees did not want to lose their kickbacks by operation of CRP using alternative suppliers," the lawsuit claimed. But in a statement issued Friday, CRP's chief executive issued a statement announcing the company was dismissing the lawsuit, and that he had "the utmost confidence in Parker, Berner, and the Cookies leadership team and their partners." "We at CRP consider this mischaracterization of our own closed legal action to be shameful and opportunistic," Rock said. "We continue to do business with Cookies." A second lawsuit filed Feb. 8 also contained allegations that executives were receiving kickbacks for deals, including diamond jewelry, housing and cash that Milam allegedly accepted to fund a "lavish lifestyle," even when the deals weren't profitable for the company. Investors also alleged Milam used company resources for personal reasons, such as using Cookies resources to promote his music career and using the company's bus for personal travel. Cookies President Parker Berling also used company resources for other ventures and promised contracts with Cookies in exchange for investments in his other companies, the lawsuit alleges. "Often, third parties that refused were threatened," the suit says. "In some instances, Defendants even threatened to, or did, cause property and bodily injury." The lawsuits did not provide specific examples of physical threats made by top executives but alleged the threats were used to steal cannabis strains and other intellectual property from third-party companies. Investors asked Cookies to launch an investigation, including full disclosures of financial interests of top executives such as Milam and Berling, but no investigation has been launched so far, according to the suit. The lawsuit alleges breach of fiduciary duty. Attorneys for Cookies, Milam and Berling responded in court Wednesday to the February lawsuit, saying the investors had no legal right to sue on most of the claims, and that the suit was a legal tactic to circumvent a similar complaint that plaintiffs had already filed with the American Arbitration Assn. in December. The investors' concerns, attorneys for Cookies argued, should be handled with the arbitrator instead of in a lawsuit. Attorneys for the cannabis company in court records claimed that, despite allegations of "fraud" and "self-dealing," the investors' group declined to provide evidence to its board or arbitrators. According to court records, Cookies told the group that it would respond to the investors' concerns "consistent with its legal obligation" but that it would not conduct an investigation into the financial dealings of its top executives without proof. Lawyers called the allegations "vague" and said an investigation "would have required an undue use of company resources and been prohibitively expensive." Cookies also claimed that it had found "ample evidence" during its review that undermined the investors' credibility, "including documents that appeared to disprove certain material allegations." A spokesperson for Cookies declined to comment for this article and referred to Wednesday's court records filed by the company. In his Instagram video, Milam said the investors were using the lawsuits as a means to take control of his company. The rapper alleged they tried to take advantage last year, when he was being treated for stage 3 colon cancer. "I was literally fighting for my life," Milam said in the video. "What made that fight a lot more difficult and challenging was the fact that I was forced to fight for my business at the same time." Milam did not address allegations of kickbacks in the video but said he planned to fight the lawsuits in court. "These guys are throwing a fit and trying to put me and my company in a corner and starve us out," he said. "Well, that's not going to happen." This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Getty Images/ Alex Cochran, Deseret News Its hard to miss the new Raising Canes at the crowded intersection of Fort Union Boulevard and 7200 South in Midvale, partly because its salmon pink and glows at night, and partly because it has Post Malones face and giant replicas of his tattoos all over it. The Raising Canes restaurant, personally designed by Post Malone and located at 890 Fort Union Blvd. in Midvale, is pictured in this handout photo released to the media Tuesday, April 11, 2023. | Raising Canes Malone, a popular rapper who lives a few minutes from the restaurant, designed the location himself and the motif he chose for the interior is ... eclectic. Theres a full suit of armor in a corner. The bathrooms are medieval-themed, labeled Men and Women in a gothic font. Along one wall are three shadow boxes, each containing a performance outfit, including the look Malone wore on the cover of Billboard magazine in 2022, and three different pairs of black, buckled shoes that I suspect were stolen from a small pilgrim or a large leprechaun. Post Malone and Raising Canes founder Todd Graves show media around a remodeled Raising Canes Restaurant, designed by the singer, in Midvale on Thursday, April 13, 2023. Outfits that Post Malone wore on tour hang on the wall. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News On another wall, pink pingpong balls shoot through an elaborate tube system that would exhaust even the most clever hamster, and on another are three of Malones guitars because I guess he doesnt need them anymore. The rate at which rock stars burn through guitars feels wasteful to me. Like, I know successful musicians have a robust income, but guitars are not cheap. Every time someone smashes a guitar on stage, Im trying to do the math in my head whats the cost of smashing a guitar every night of a tour? If theres any lesson to be learned from the many episodes of VH1s Behind The Music I watched on Saturday afternoons as a tween, sustained success is not a guarantee. I just think Malone would be wise to put some of that guitar money into a Roth IRA or a standard CD. But I digress. Overall the Post Malone Raising Canes feels very pink, very young and very much like a celebrity was given carte blanche power to design a fast-food franchise location in suburban Utah. As for the food, I mean, its fried chicken and French fries. One would have to try, aggressively, to mess that up. The fry sauce has black pepper in it, which seems to be the main differentiator between Canes and the gazillion other places where one can procure chicken fingers. Story continues But the food doesnt actually matter. Or at least its not what will keep me coming back. What will keep me coming back, and driving past two other Raising Canes locations when I do, is the opportunity to feel like Im sharing something special with Post Malone. The logical part of my brain knows his involvement ends with this Raising Canes unique design and a special combo meal The Box Combo (The Posty Way) which includes four chicken fingers, fries, two Canes sauces, two pieces of Texas toast, extra salt and pepper packets, and half unsweetened tea and half lemonade served in a collectors cup that you will someday pull out of your cupboard in a moment of panic when you realize you invited six people over for dinner and only have five matching glasses. But the illogical, nay, the dreamer part of my brain wants to believe Malone stands in the kitchen, all day every day, gently kissing every chicken finger before its served, perhaps serenading the Texas toast with acoustic renditions of his chart-topping hits. Maybe he even takes a turn manning the fryer. I half-expected (half-hoped) that he would show up while I was there, at noon, on a Monday. I figured he might just want to check in to see if the pingpong balls were still flying through the tubes correctly and the chicken was being served piping hot. The Raising Canes restaurant, personally designed by Post Malone and located at 890 Fort Union Blvd. in Midvale, is pictured in this handout photo released to the media Tuesday, April 11, 2023. | Raising Canes He didnt, of course, because hes one of the worlds biggest stars and has other things to do on a Monday at noon. But there was something so thrilling about knowing that if Post Malone suddenly found himself hungry for lunch on a Monday at noon and happened to be in the area, he was more likely to go to this Raising Canes than anywhere else. What would I do if he did actually walk in? Gawk, probably. Act like a star-stuck idiot. And then write a column about it. Like most things, its the mere possibility of the thing happening thats more thrilling than the thing actually happening. I finished my meal without a sighting, but I wasnt disappointed. I was excited for the meals at the Post Malone Raising Canes and potential sightings to come. Which is, I believe, what they call in the biz, a successful marketing campaign. When I got in my car to leave and turned on the radio, Wrapped Around Your Finger in Post Malones signature warble blared from the speakers. Successful marketing indeed. Post Malone greets fans before hosting the grand opening celebration of a Raising Canes Restaurant, designed by the singer, in Midvale on Thursday, April 13, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News A medieval-themed restroom is shown at Raising Canes Restaurant, designed by Post Malone, in Midvale on Thursday, April 13, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Post Malone holds one of four Post Malone Collectors Cups during the grand opening of a Raising Canes Restaurant, designed by the singer, in Midvale on Thursday, April 13, 2023. Customers can get a collectors cup either by ordering the Post Way Combo Meal or purchasing a cup upgrade on any Canes Combo. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Raising Canes founder Todd Graves and Post Malone get ready to cut the ribbon during the grand opening ribbon-cutting for a Raising Canes Restaurant, designed by the singer, in Midvale on Thursday, April 13, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Raising Canes founder Todd Graves and Post Malone host a grand opening celebration of a Raising Canes Restaurant, designed by the singer, in Midvale on Thursday, April 13, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Fans take selfies with Post Malone during the grand opening celebration of a Raising Canes Restaurant, designed by the singer, in Midvale on Thursday, April 13, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Post Malone shows media around a remodeled Raising Canes Restaurant, designed by the singer, in Midvale on Thursday, April 13, 2023. Some of his guitars hang on the wall behind him. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Fans take a selfie with Post Malone during the grand opening celebration of a Raising Canes Restaurant, designed by the singer, in Midvale on Thursday, April 13, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News A crowd waits for Raising Canes founder Todd Graves and Post Malone to host the grand opening celebration of a Raising Canes Restaurant, designed by the singer, in Midvale on Thursday, April 13, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News There have been four Triple Crown winners since Secretariat snapped a 25-year drought in 1973. Seattle Slew and Affirmed were back-to-back Triple Crown winners in 1977 and 1978, respectively. After a 37-year gap, American Pharoah won the Triple Crown in 2015, followed by Justify in 2018. During that nearly four decades without a Triple Crown winner, plenty of skeptics voiced the belief we would never see another Triple Crown winner. Claiborne Farms Seth Hancock, who led the $6 million breeding syndication of Secretariat in 1973, was not one of them. Never got to that point, Hancock said. And since I lived it, the last part of the first gap between Citation and Secretariat, I always said, yeah, I know all about it. And everybody said the races are too close and therell never be another one. I said not only will there be another one, there will be three or four in a 12- or 15-year span. Sure enough, weve had two of them and Id bet you over the next 10 years well have a couple of more. Are there any potential Triple Crown winners in the field for the 149th Kentucky Derby on May 6 at Churchill Downs? Possibly. Here are five Derby horses who appear capable of becoming the 14th to sweep the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes: Trained by Todd Pletcher and owned by Mike Repole and Vinnie Viola of St. Elias Stables, Forte won the Eclipse Award for 2-year-old champion after winning the Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga and the Breeders Futurity and Breeders Cup Juvenile, both at Keeneland. As a 3-year-old, Forte has won the Fountain of Youth and Florida Derby, bringing his lifetime record to six victories in seven starts. His sire is Grade 1 winner Violence. And Pletcher has two Derby victories to his credit with Super Saver in 2010 and Always Dreaming in 2017. Violas St. Elias Stable was a part owner of Always Dreaming. Fortes Florida Derby performance was particularly impressive considering the colt was forced to rally and use a five-wide move to win the race by a length. I thought it was spectacular, Pletcher said afterward. Story continues The Santa Anita Derby winner is just 4-of-7 lifetime but has recorded two impressive wins as a 3-year-old. After winning the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity last December, the son of multiple Grade 1 winner Practical Joke won the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes on March 4 at Santa Anita before his triumph in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby. Practical Move is trained by Tim Yakteen, who had a pair of Kentucky Derby horses last year in Taiba and Messier. Both had been trained by Bob Baffert, who remains banned from Churchill Downs. Practical Move has been in Yakteens care throughout his career. Trained by Brad Cox, Angel of Empire is coming off wins in the Grade 2 Risen Star at Fair Grounds and the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn. Hes won four of his six career starts, with a runner-up finish in the Smarty Jones at Oaklawn on New Years Day. Hes a son of Arkansas Derby winner Classic Empire, who finished fourth in the 2017 Kentucky Derby. Cox won the 2021 Kentucky Derby when runner-up Mandaloun was declared the winner after Medina Spirit was disqualified. Cox had four winners in the 2020 Breeders Cup at Keeneland, catapulting him to the Eclipse Award for top trainer. He was the repeat winner in 2021. Also trained by Pletcher, Tapit Trice has won four straight races, including the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby on March 11 and the Blue Grass Stakes on April 8. He is 4-of-5 lifetime with his lone loss being a third-place finish in his career debut Nov. 6 at Aqueduct. A son of leading sire Tapit, Tapit Trice was purchased for $1.3 million by Amanda Popes Whisper Hill Farm at the 2021 Keeneland September Sale. Pope owns the colt in a partnership with Antony Becks Gainesway Stable. She deserves all the success that shes getting, Pletcher said of Pope, who has a history of paying top dollar at equine sales. Shes a big fan of the industry and shes developed a great broodmare band with a lot of quality horses. The winner of the UAE Derby in impressive fashion, Derma Sotogake is a Japanese-bred and raced colt owned by Hiroyuki Asanuma and trained by Hidetaka Otonashi. His sire, Mind Your Biscuits, won the Grade 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen in 2018 but finished 11th in the Breeders Cup Classic. Still, Derma Sotogake is considered a top Kentucky Derby contender after posting wins in four of his last five races. After a pair of Japanese horses posted wins in the 2021 Breeders Cup at Del Mar, it could be only a matter of time before a colt from Japan wins the Kentucky Derby. And more. On the 50th anniversary of his Triple Crown, why Secretariat still resonates today People are coming. Secretariats Paris home honoring him with park, mural and sculpture. Did Secretariat change the sport of horse racing? See how much is different since 1973. Get to know the horses who have joined Secretariat in winning the Triple Crown Watch: Secretariats record-setting Triple Crown races still induce chills 50 years later A screenshot of Alexander Sheppard, 23, of Powell, recording a video of himself in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 is included in court documents. A Powell man who was convicted for his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and who continued to spread misinformation about that day and the 2020 election to his more than 67,000 Twitter followers is now facing federal prison. Alexander Sheppard, 23, was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in Washington to seven months in prison. Federal prosecutors had asked for 15 months. U.S. District Judge John D. Bates also ordered Sheppard to pay $500 in restitution. Bates moved forward with the sentencing despite Sheppards request on Wednesday to postpone sentencing while he files a request for a new trial. In January, a federal jury convicted Sheppard of five criminal counts, including obstruction of an official proceeding and disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building. The jury found Sheppard not guilty of remaining on the floor of Congress. Bates called the events on Jan. 6 an extremely disturbing assault on the country's democratic values and the peaceful transition of power. On Jan. 6, 2021 a mob of former President Donald Trumps supporters overran security at the U.S. Capitol, injured law enforcement officers, caused more than $2.5 million in damages, and disrupted Congress certification of President Joe Bidens election victory. While Sheppard was only in the Capitol building for about 10 minutes and there is no evidence he engaged in violence, he helped rile up the crowd by leading chants and shouting encouragements to others to "keep fighting," according to federal prosecutors. Related: Whitehall man who wore painting business jacket to Capitol Jan. 6 gets 5 months in prison Investigators included this picture, taken during the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, in court filings outlining charges against Alexander Sheppard, of Powell, circled to the right. During the sentencing, Bates said Sheppard continues to show no remorse and lied while testifying at trial. Sheppard continued to spread misinformation about the 2020 election online even after his conviction. In March, according to court documents, Sheppard tweeted [w]e proved with audits across the Country that the 2020 Presidential Election was STOLEN, and instead of being rewarded with the rightful reinstatement of the victor, we were kicked off social media by Federal Law Enforcement. People have now lost ALL trust in the FBI and DOJ! Story continues Lawsuits and claims of widespread election fraud have been debunked; President Joe Biden won the election by more than 7 million votes. Sheppard has also done multiple recorded interviews posted online since the violent insurrection at the Capitol, including one posted in March, in which he downplayed what happened that day. Federal prosecutors also said Sheppard has not always complied with pretrial services, and he was arrested in December in Franklin County for driving under the influence and didnt tell the federal court as required. At his sentencing hearing Thursday, Sheppard said only this: "Your honor, I just want you to know I fully accept responsibility for my actions." In court documents requesting a lenient sentence, federal public defenders said Sheppard did not commit or witness violence on Jan. 6, 2021 and pointed out Sheppard was only 21 at the time. "Mr. Sheppard was extremely impressionable to influences around him and was reiterating the same propaganda," said Assistant Federal Public Defender Maria N. Jacob. More for subscribers: Some Ohioans sentenced for Jan. 6 insurrection blame actions on extremist media jlaird@dispatch.com @LairdWrites This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Powell man convicted in Jan. 6 insurrection gets 7-month sentence The electricity disappeared in the village of Klimovo, Bryansk Oblast, Russia, on the night of 26-27 April; the local authorities said it was a shelling and blamed the Ukrainian troops. Source: Aleksandr Bogomaz, the governor of Bryansk Oblast Quote: "Ukrainian nationalists fired on the territory of the village of Klimovo. There were no casualties. As a result of the attack, the power supply was disrupted; there is no electricity in the village." Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! (Bloomberg) -- Opposition presidential candidate Efrain Alegre says Paraguay needs a judiciary overhaul to regain its status as an economic outperformer and finally win a much-desired investment grade status. Most Read from Bloomberg Abundant natural resources and a young workforce alone wont guarantee sustainable development unless Paraguay cleans up its opaque system for appointing judges through fresh legislation or changing the selection process rules, Alegre said in an interview ahead of general elections April 30. While the land-locked South American country has built a reputation among investors since first issuing international bonds in 2013, credit rating companies have long flagged weak institutions as a barrier to investment grade. Paraguay frequently ranks among the worst Latin American countries in Transparency Internationals annual corruption perceptions index. What we need today is the rule of law, Alegre, 60, said in a telephone interview from Asuncion. If we can obtain investment grade, we know that we can make a great leap forward. He says winning investment grade could benefit the economy with as much as $2.5 billion in additional investment. Paraguay received just $122 million in foreign direct investment in 2021, according to the UNs Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. Recent polls show a tight race between Alegre, a career politician leading a coalition of conservatives and leftists, and the ruling Colorado Partys candidate, Santiago Pena, ahead of the election. Penas staff declined an interview request. A win by the opposition candidate would not only further a recent trend of incumbent parties losing office in Latin America, but also unseat the Colorados from power for just the second time since the end of the Alfredo Stroessner dictatorship in 1989. Story continues Paraguay, a country of 7.5 million people about the size of California, is set to become the worlds third-largest exporter of soybeans this year after a deep drought curtailed production in neighboring Argentina. Its also a major exporter of beef and renewable energy from hydroelectric dams. Still, about a quarter of the population lives in poverty and growth averaged just over 1% in the last five years after an average expansion of 4.3% in the decade through 2019, one of the best performances in the Americas. The $43 billion economy is expected to bounce back and grow 4.5% this year, according to the International Monetary Fund. The countrys bonds are rated BB at Standard & Poors, two levels below investment grade, while Moodys and Fitch have them one notch higher. Renewables, Taiwan Alegre, a member of the conservative Authentic Radical Liberal Party since his youth, doesnt fall into the mold of leftists leaders who in recent years won office in Latin American countries from Colombia to Chile. In fact, he has pledged to cut the fiscal deficit, promote foreign investment and keep taxes low. He pitches his Concertacion coalition as a stabilizing force and agent of change amid US sanctions against senior Colorado leaders and says improving the selection system for the judiciary is key to fight corruption and illegality. We have to establish a process that guarantees the selection of the best and most capable judges, he said during the interview. Read More: US Sanctions Two of Paraguays Political Elite Ahead of Vote Alegre also wants to create more manufacturing jobs by tendering renewable energy contracts to industrial firms. Paraguays cheap electricity and close proximity to Brazil and Argentina have nurtured a growing manufacture for export industry that shipped more than $1 billion in goods last year. Fulfilling his vision of an industrial revolution underpinned by clean energy will demand considerable political and diplomatic skills. Alegre has promised to renegotiate a pact with Argentina governing the Yacyreta dam on the Parana River. He also plans to negotiate a new power distribution and rate agreement with Brazil for Itaipu, one of the worlds largest hydroelectric dams, early in his government. Itaipu provided almost 86% of Paraguays power in 2021. The fact that Lula is president again will facilitate this conversation, Alegre said referring to Brazils Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Yet his most controversial foreign policy proposal is his long-standing pledge to review Paraguays alliance with Taiwan if he wins office. The nation, which has held diplomatic relations with Taiwan since 1957, cant directly sell its farm goods to China because of its ties with the island that Beijing views as a renegade province. Alegre says that strategy means Paraguayan companies lose business opportunities, adding that he is in conversations with the Taiwanese government ahead of the vote. We are talking with Taiwan, with its ambassador. We havent taken a position. We have a critical view of how the relationship between Paraguay and Taiwan has been managed, said Alegre, adding that his team currently isnt negotiating with China. --With assistance from Tarso Veloso Ribeiro and Maria Elena Vizcaino. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is facing growing pressure to strike back harder against Donald Trump amid recent political setbacks and near-constant attacks from the former president and his allies. Yet how and when to best do that has confounded the governor, who is expected to announce a bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination sometime in May or June. Hes made a few thinly veiled attempts to counter Trumps punches, but his battle with the former president has largely remained an uneven one. Now, some Republicans and DeSantis allies are pushing for a more direct approach to Trump, worrying that the former presidents attacks may be taking a toll on DeSantiss prospects. Dan Eberhart, a Republican donor whos backing DeSantis, said that the governor and his team would tie themselves into knots trying to respond to every one of Trumps attacks; he noted that DeSantis has pros around him with a strategy, and they are executing it. Still, he added, theres a need for DeSantis to fight back. I would like to see DeSantis counterpunch, but thats clearly not the DeSantis strategy right now, Eberhart said. I expect that will change next month when the legislative session wraps up. But for now, hes governor DeSantis. Eberhart said that the Trump teams offensive against DeSantis stems from genuine concern that the governor could threaten Trumps hopes of returning to the White House in 2024. Thats why Trumps team is trying to knock DeSantis out of the race now, he said. And its working. DeSantis supporters are showing signs of nervousness given all the bad press over the past month, Eberhart said. Lots of DeSantis supporters freaked out that DeSantis needs to enter ASAP, he needs to hit back, hes not going to recover, etc. One Republican strategist who supports DeSantis for the 2024 nomination said that the governor faces a difficult dilemma in dealing with Trump: Attacking the former president too aggressively could turn off voters weary from Trumps combative political style, as well as base voters who still like the former president. Story continues Either way, its a gamble, the strategist said. But when it all comes down to it, he cant let Donald Trump define him. Hes taking punches right now, and that needs to change. So far, most of the heavy hitting has come from Never Back Down, the deep-pocketed super PAC backing DeSantiss presidential ambitions. The group has run a spate of ads seeking to undermine Trump and question his conservative credentials. One spot highlighted Trumps past comments raising the possibility of slashing funding for entitlement programs, while another dubbed the former president a gun-grabber, pointing to remarks he made in 2018 in support of new gun laws. Another accuses him of being more focused on attacking fellow Republicans than fighting back against Democrats. Over the weekend, after Trumps campaign issued a lengthy statement saying that Florida had become one of the worst states to live, work, raise a family and retire under DeSantiss leadership, Never Back Downs CEO said that the group would help pay for Trump, who is a Florida resident, to move to California so he can be close to his good buddy [Gov.] Gavin Newsom. In a statement, Erin Perrine, the communications director for Never Back Down, attributed Trumps attacks to fear that DeSantis would supplant him at the helm of the GOP and accused him of turning to Democratic strategies in an effort to undercut the Florida governor. Donald Trump is scared of Ron DeSantis and has every reason to be, Perrine said. Governor DeSantis has never lost an election and is the winning team the Never Back Down movement wants to be president. He is unafraid to take the right position even when the liberal media and Donald Trump use Democrat talking points to attack Americas most successful governor. DeSantis kept Florida open when Trump and Fauci demanded he close the state. DeSantis record vs. the Lockdown Trump-Fauci duo? Easy to see why Trump is running plays from the Democrat playbook. Still, the groups counterpunches havent stemmed all the bleeding. Trump is still well ahead of DeSantis and every other declared or potential GOP candidate in early polling, and more than half of Floridas Republican congressional delegation has come out in support of Trumps presidential bid. Only one Florida Republican member of Congress, Rep. Laurel Lee, has endorsed DeSantis. Meanwhile, Trumps attacks have only continued to ramp up. Even now, as hes traveling on a multi-country international trade mission, DeSantis hasnt been able to escape Trumps criticism. The former president on Monday mocked DeSantiss trip as an emergency Round the World Tour, casting it as an effort to up his game and see if he can remove the stain from his failing campaign. Of course, even if DeSantis launches a counteroffensive against Trump, its unclear how much itll help, given how influential Trump remains among the GOPs conservative voter base. Doug Heye, a Republican strategist, said that despite DeSantiss recent struggles on the national stage, he still has plenty of time to make up any lost ground. He said that the true test of whether he can effectively counter Trump wont come until later this year when Republican presidential candidates take the debate stage. No blows will really land until somebody takes on Donald Trump standing next to him on a debate platform, Heye said. And if we dont have debates, then that will require different strategies and tactics. Trump is a balloon that you have to pop, he added. And a vicious web ad isnt going to do it. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), one of three members of Congress who have endorsed DeSantis for the GOPs 2024 nod, acknowledged that the governor is under constraints that prevent him from being too forthright about his ambitions. Regardless, Massie said, its clear that his competition is Trump. I would be concerned if there were someone in third place right now in the polls, Massie said. Everybody understands that this race is going to be between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis. Even though Ron DeSantis isnt in the race, everyone understands that. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Lady Victoria Hervey (right) said Prince Andrew was not media-trained at the time of his disastrous Newsnight interview (Getty/Good Morning Britain) Lady Victoria Hervey has claimed that her ex-boyfriend, the Duke of York, had not been media-trained at the time he gave his disastrous BBC Newsnight interview over his links to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The model and socialite, who is the eldest child of Victor Hervey, the 6th Marquess of Bristol, appeared on Good Morning Britain on Thursday (27 April) to discuss the forthcoming Channel 4 documentary about Prince Andrew that will air on Monday (1 May). The two-part documentary, titled Andrew: The Problem Prince, features interviews with Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis and producer Sam McAlister. Maitlis revealed that Andrew brought his daughter Princess Beatrice to final negotiations about the interview, which aired in 2019. Appearing alongside royal biographer Ingrid Seward, Hervey said that the duke had been living in a bubble and had nothing to hide. He was grilled about sexual abuse allegations brought against him by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre in the programme and denied ever meeting her. Asked by GMB host Kate Garraway if Andrew had been clueless about what the interview would entail, Hervey claimed: He hadnt been media-trained and I think the fact he had Beatrice with him, he had nothing to hide. In his eyes, hes never met that girl [Giuffre]. Seward added that, in Andrews eyes, he was innocent. Hervey said: So why not bring your daughter as moral support? Youre not hiding anything from her, you havent done anything, so he doesnt care if theyre going to talk about some sexual assault, because it didnt happen. Hervey has previously defended Andrew against Giuffres allegations and claimed that a photograph of Giuffre and the duke that was taken in 2001, at Epstein collaborator Ghislaine Maxwells London apartment, was fake. During the segment, Seward also described Andrew as pretty clueless, but said: That doesnt mean hes a bad person. She continued: For 20 years, he was second in line to the throne, hes been thoroughly spoiled as a child I dont think hes really lived in the real world. Prince Andrew was so spoiled as a child because suddenly, he was the most gorgeous, bouncy, chirpy baby. He was everything that dear Prince Charles wasnt. Story continues Prince Andrew allegedly asked the Queen for permission over the Newsnight interview, TV presenter Emily Maitlis has claimed in a new two-part Channel 4 documentary. The documentary also claims Prince Andrew brought Princess Beatrice to the interview. Ingrid Seward and Lady pic.twitter.com/F6gEIhX58x Good Morning Britain (@GMB) April 27, 2023 In the aftermath of Andrews now-infamous interview, he stepped down from public duties and has remained largely away from the public eye. He was stripped of his military titles and royal patronages, as well as his HRH style, last year. He has vehemently denied all allegations of sexual abuse and said he had no recollection of ever meeting Giuffre. In February 2022, he reached a multi-million-pound settlement with Giuffre to stop her case against him from proceeding to trial. In a joint statement confirming the settlement, Andrew said he regretted his association with Epstein and acknowledged that the late financier trafficked countless young girls over many years. The new Channel 4 documentary will reveal how the late Queen Elizabeth II realised his Newsnight interview was a mistake before her second son did. Andrew: The Problem Prince will air at 9pm on Channel 4 on Monday 1 May. Hugh Grant has accused The Sun of ordering burglaries of his home in addition to other unlawful acts including landline and phone bugging. The actor, 62, attended the final day of a hearing at the High Court, at which News Group Newspapers (NGN) is bringing a bid to have claims by him and the Duke of Sussex thrown out. Mr Grant, who settled a claim against NGN relating to unlawful information gathering at the News Of The World in 2012, is now bringing a similar legal action in relation to The Sun. In a witness statement, the Mr Grant said: My claim concerns unlawful acts committed by The Sun, including burglaries to order, the breaking and entering of private property in order to obtain private information through bugging, landline tapping, phone hacking, and the use of private investigators to do all these and other illegal things against me. Mr Grant said a private investigator informed him of the alleged unlawful activity in early 2022. NGN denies any unlawful activity took place at The Sun. Royals news latest updates Hugh Grant claims The Sun ordered burglaries of his home, court hears Prince Harry kept out of the loop on alleged phone-hacking King tried to stop Harry taking legal action' Prince Harry says tabloid press was always third party in his relationships Murdoch firm secretly paid Prince William phone-hacking settlement, court hears Hugh Grant attends court for final day of hearing Hugh Grant claims The Sun ordered burglaries of his home, court hears 14:03 , Thomas Kingsley Hugh Grant has accused The Sun of ordering burglaries of his home. The actor, 62, attended the final day of a hearing at the High Court, at which News Group Newspapers (NGN) is bringing a bid to have claims by him and the Duke of Sussex thrown out. Mr Grant, who settled a claim against NGN relating to unlawful information gathering at the News Of The World in 2012, is now bringing a similar legal action in relation to The Sun. In a witness statement, the Mr Grant said: My claim concerns unlawful acts committed by The Sun, including burglaries to order, the breaking and entering of private property in order to obtain private information through bugging, landline tapping, phone hacking, and the use of private investigators to do all these and other illegal things against me. Story continues Piers Morgan responds to Prince Harry hacking trial as duke claims he encouraged Diana phone tapping 13:51 , Matt Mathers Piers Morgan has commented on Prince Harrys phone hacking preliminary hearing after the royal claimed Morgan knew about and encouraged the illegal hacking of Princess Diana. Isobel Lewis reports: Piers Morgan responds to Prince Harry hacking trial claims Hearing pauses for lunch 13:04 , Thomas Kingsley The hearing has paused for lunch and will return in an hour. Hugh Grant has also returned to court. Hugh Grants phone hacking history as actor appears in court in News Group lawsuit 13:00 , Thomas Kingsley The Notting Hill star has brought a claim against Rupert Murdochs News Group Newspapers (NGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering at The Sun. Grant previously settled a phone hacking claim with the News of the World also previously owned by NGN in 2012, donating his substantial damage payout to press reform campaign Hacked Off. The 62-year-old is now also part of a larger claim brought against the publisher by Prince Harry, giving evidence alongside Elton John and Sadie Fox. NGN has called for both to be thrown out, arguing they have been brought too late. Read the full history below: Hugh Grants phone hacking history as actor appears in court in News Group lawsuit Dukes lawyers accuse NGN of cover ups of phone hacking 12:40 , Thomas Kingsley Mr Sherborne is listing different alleged lies and concealment by NGN staff and executives over phone hacking dating back more than 20 years which he argues prove the Duke of Sussex and others couldn't have come forward earlier. Mr Sherborne pointed to the 2006 phone hacking case involving News of the World where the now defunct paper's royal editor was arrested - he highlights lies staff told to cover up tracks even after arrests were made. Hearing resumes after break 12:18 , Thomas Kingsley Proceedings have resumed following a short break and Mr Sherborne KC continues his argument that NGN made efforts to cover up their alleged phone hacking which restricted the Duke from knowing whether he had a worthwhile case and therefore bringing one forward. Hugh Grant and his wife Anna Eberstein, however, have not returned to the court room following the break. Enough for the day, perhaps? (PA) Highlights from three-day hearing 12:00 , Matt Mathers As the hearing breaks for a few minutes, here are the highlights from this three-day hearing: On day one, there was the shock allegation that Prince William reached a deal over phone hacking with NGN for a "very large sum" in 2020. Prince Harry also claimed in his witness statement that there was a secret agreement between the royal family and NGN which he was only informed of in 2012. Lawyers for the Duke claimed this alleged secret agreement kept Harry from bringing his own claim earlier. However, judge Mr Justice Fancourt questioned "factual inconistencies" in the Dukes witness statement and said it contradicted his original argument that he did not know about phone hacking on him until 2019. The judge ordered Prince Harrys lawyers to put in a formal application to amend their claim giving the defence an opportunity to consider it and gather evidence Today David Sherborne, for Prince Harry is again arguing why the case should be taken to trial giving a legal analysis of previous similar cases. 11:41 , Matt Mathers Mr Sherborne KC is now going into detailed legal analysis on the final day of this hearing as Hugh Grant looks on from the back of the packed courtroom, Thomas Kingsley reports. With all the details that have come out of these hearings from alleged secret agreements to claims Buckingham Palace "withheld" information about hacking, much of this case comes down to whether the judge deems this case is worthwhile and should go on to trial. Mr Sherborne has until this afternoon to convince the court the case should go to trial. 11:30 , Matt Mathers For the last few minutes the Dukes lawyers have been arguing a legal point over whether the claimants had the relevant information to bring their allegations forward earlier. Mr Justice Fancourt was seeking clarification on their legal anaylsis before Mr Sherborne KC moved on to his next point. 11:15 , Matt Mathers Mr Justice Fancourt has ruled that the Dukes lawyers cannot argue the case for the amendment today, until the defence is given an opportunity to go through it and produce relevant evidence against the existence of an alleged "secret agreement" between the royal family and NGN. Mr Sherborne has agreed and returned to his argument from yesterday responding to the defences claims that the Duke and Hugh Grant knew about the hacking scandal and could have brought their case forward much earlier. Very late' 11:00 , Matt Mathers Mr Justice Fancourt has ruled that the amendment to the application will be dealt with a later time to avoid "absorbing a lot of time." He added that the application is "very late" and the defence should be given time to produce evidence mentioned. Mr Sherborne has now been granted two minutes to deal with Mr Hudsons objections and argue for the amendment to be dealt with imminently. Duke was not stopped from brining claim earlier - palace source 10:43 , Matt Mathers Persisting on the point that the amendment to the application has been brought too late, Mr Hudson KC said his team "wants a proper opportunity to consider whether there is further evidence we can produce on if this has a reasonable chance of success." Citing a news story responding to the claim of a secret agreement, Mr Hudson used an example of a palace source insisting there was no secret agreement. "The duke was not stopped from brining his claim forward earlier and both the duke and the prince were very much kept in the loop of legal proceedings," the palace source said. Secret agreement' 10:19 , Matt Mathers The gloves are off early as Anthony Hudson KC, leading the NGNs legal team has hit out at the claimants opposing the amendment to their application as a "hijacking" of their own application for the claim to be thrown out. "We do not believe the application has a reasonable chance of success," Mr Hudson told Mr Justice Fancourt. The ammendment is to include details of the alleged "secret agreement" made by the royal family that Dukes lawyers say stopped him from coming forward earlier. It was only in Harrys witness statement Prince Harry says tabloids hoped for him to undergo a total and very public breakdown' 10:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar Prince Harry claimed that the tabloids hoped for him to undergo a total and very public breakdown. In court documents revealed on Tuesday, Harry said he always tried to be the best partner he could be, but every woman has her limit. Harry claimed that the tabloid press cast him as a thicko and a cheat, and that he ended up playing up to the headlines they wrote about him. As a teenager and in my early twenties, I ended up feeling as though I was playing up to a lot of the headlines and stereotypes that they wanted to place upon me, he said. It was a downward spiral, whereby the tabloids would constantly try and coax me, a damaged young man, into doing something stupid that would make a good story and sell lots of newspapers. Looking back on it now, such behaviour on their part is utterly vile. He said that the tabloids hoped for him to undergo a total and very public breakdown. Despite them all knowing about what I was dealing with throughout the years, they kept on doubling down their efforts rather than letting up, he said. That is grotesque and sadistic - and no doubt they were hoping for a total and very public breakdown. Hearing enters final day 10:15 , Matt Mathers The hearing is under in its final day, David Sherborne, leading Harrys legal team is arguing for an amendment to the Dukes application including details of the alleged "secret agreement" made by the royal family, which Mr Sherborne argues stopped the Duke from coming forward earlier. Hugh Grant arrives at court 10:13 , Matt Mathers Hugh Grant has arrived in court with his wife Anna Eberstein for the final day of the three-day hearing involving NGN and a group of high-profile claimants led by the Duke of Sussex. The Dukes lawyers will again argue why the claim should not be thrown out on the NGNs basis that claimants took too long to bring allegations forward. (PA) ICYMI: Prince William paid very large sum by Murdoch firm over phone-hacking 10:00 , Matt Mathers Prince William was paid a very large sum of money by Rupert Murdochs UK newspaper business to settle a phone-hacking claim, the High Court has heard. The Prince of Wales allegedly received the secret payment after bringing a case against News Group Newspapers (NGN), the owners of The Sun and the now defunct News of the World. Joe Middleton reports: Prince William paid very large sum by Murdoch firm over phone-hacking ICYMI: Prince Harry says tabloid press was always third party in his relationships 09:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar The Duke of Sussex has said he felt like the tabloid press was a third party in all of his relationships. In court documents revealed on Tuesday, Harry said he always tried to be the best partner he could be, but every woman has her limit. He said that the tabloid press always became involved in his relationships, and tried to ruin them. Whenever I have been in a relationship, I have always tried to be the best partner that I possibly could, but every woman has her limit, he said in a witness statement. Unfortunately, they are not just in a relationship with me but with the entire tabloid press as a third party. At no point did I have a girlfriend or a relationship with anyone without the tabloids getting involved and ultimately ruining it, or trying to ruin it, using whatever unlawful means at their disposal. He claimed that the tabloid press felt like it owned him, despite him only being 5 per cent funded by the taxpayer while he was a working royal. Despite the common misconception, I was no more than 5 per cent funded by the taxpayer while I was a working royal in the UK, yet it felt as though the tabloid press thought that they owned me absolutely, and deserved to know everything there is to know about me, my life, my movements and the lives of those people who came into my orbit, he said. ICYMI: Duke of Sussex hacking claim against tabloid publisher laid bare at High Court 09:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar In a 31-page witness statement prepared by the duke for the hearing, which began just 11 days before his fathers coronation, Harry made a series of allegations, including that: The Prince of Wales settled a claim with NGN over hacking claims in 2020. He could not bring his own claim sooner than 2019 because of the secret agreement between the royal institution and senior NGN executives. The late Queen supported Harrys bid for an apology from NGN proprietor Rupert Murdoch, but his efforts were blocked by Charles staff. He was subjected to high levels of intrusion and harassment by NGN, which affected every area of his life. His mother Diana would probably still be alive today had she agreed to have police protection after her divorce from the now-King, but unlawful activity including phone tapping/hacking made her distrust her protection officers as she thought they were leaking private information about her. Duke of Sussex hacking claim against tabloid publisher laid bare at High Court Watch: Four things weve learnt so far from Prince Harrys High Court trial with The Suns publishers 08:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar The Duke of Sussex is currently involved in a legal battle with Rupert Murdochs News Group Newspapers (NGN), the publisher of The Sun. Prince Harry alleges that the billionaires titles engaged in overwhelming press intrusion, including phone hacking. Among the revelations that have emerged from the court filings is that the Prince of Wales received a secret settlement payment from NGN over phone hacking, and that the late Queen was allegedly aware and had signed off these payments. It was also revealed that Harry tried to block journalists from attending his and Meghan Markles wedding. Four things weve learnt in Prince Harrys trial with The Suns publishers Prince Harrys shining Buckingham Palace balcony moment resurfaces amid coronation 08:24 , Matt Mathers A video capturing Prince Harrys charming debut on the Buckingham Palace balcony has resurfaced amidst news that only working royals will appear on the Palace balcony for King Charles IIIs coronation. In 1987, a two-year-old Prince Harry warmed hearts when he made his first-ever appearance on the balcony at Buckingham Palace during Trooping the Colour celebrations. Now, a TikTok video of the archival footage has gone viral with more than two million views since it was posted last week. Meredith Clark reports: Prince Harrys shining Buckingham Palace balcony moment resurfaces amid coronation Queen supported Harrys bid for apology from Rupert Murdoch, High Court hears 08:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar The late Queen backed the Duke of Sussexs bid for an apology from media mogul Rupert Murdoch, but his efforts were blocked by Charles staff, the High Court has heard. Harry is suing News Group Newspapers (NGN), publisher of The Sun and the now-defunct News Of The World, over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles. However, NGN is asking Mr Justice Fancourt to throw out his claim along with a claim brought by actor Hugh Grant arguing they have been brought too late. While NGN has settled numerous hacking claims in relation to the News Of The World, the publisher denies illegal activity at The Sun. In a witness statement made public on Tuesday, Harry described how in late 2017, he wanted to push for a resolution over alleged phone hacking and get an apology from News Corp owner Mr Murdoch before his wedding to the Duchess of Sussex. Queen backed Harrys bid for apology from Rupert Murdoch, High Court hears Harry kept out of the loop on phone hacking claims as Hugh Grant to appear in court 07:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar Prince Harry was kept out of the loop over alleged phone hacking by tabloids in relation to the royal household, the High Court has heard. The Duke of Sussex is suing News Group Newspapers (NGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering at two of its titles, The Sun and the now-defunct News Of The World claiming that his private information was unlawfully accessed. NGN is bringing a bid to have Harrys case thrown out, along with a similar claim by actor Hugh Grant, at a three-day hearing in London which started on Tuesday, arguing they have been brought too late. But, responding to the publishers strike out application, Harrys lawyers said it is an attempt to go behind a secret agreement between the royal family as an institution and NGN, which the duke was informed of in 2012. David Sherborne, representing Harry, told the court on Wednesday that, before 2012, the duke believed there was only one voicemail which his brother the Prince of Wales left for him that had been intercepted. Harry kept out of the loop on phone hacking claims as Hugh Grant to appear in court Piers Morgan knew about illegal targeting of Princess Diana and encouraged it - Harry 07:35 , Matt Mathers Piers Morgan knew about, encouraged and concealed the illegal targeting of Dianna, Princess of Wales while he was editor at The News of the World, Prince Harry has claimed. The Duke of Sussex made the claim in court documents submitted to the High Court in London in his alleged phone-hacking case against Rupert Murdochs News Group Newspapers. Actor Hugh Grant is due to attend a hearing on Thursday. Who are the alleged victims of phone hacking and what payouts did they receive? 06:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar The allegation that a secret agreement was reached between the royal family and the publisher of The Sun to prevent William and Harry from bringing phone hacking claims has shone a spotlight on an unsavoury chapter in British media history. The claim was made at the High Court by the Duke of Sussex, who is suing News Group Newspapers (NGN), the owners of The Sun and now defunct News of the World, over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles. On Tuesday, NGN made a bid for a judge to throw out the case, as well as a similar claim brought by actor Hugh Grant. Harrys lawyers said the bid is an attempt to go behind a secret agreement between the royal family as an institution and NGN or its parent companies News UK and News Corp which the duke was informed of in 2012. NGN denies there was an agreement. Read the full story here: Who are the victims of phone hacking and what payouts did they receive? Harry kept out of the loop on phone hacking claims 06:15 , Liam James Prince Harry was kept out of the loop over alleged phone hacking by tabloids in relation to the royal household, the High Court has heard (Thomas Kingsley writes). The Duke of Sussex is suing News Group Newspapers (NGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering at two of its titles, The Sun and the now-defunct News Of The World claiming that his private information was unlawfully accessed. NGN is bringing a bid to have Harrys case thrown out, along with a similar claim by actor Hugh Grant, at a three-day hearing in London which started on Tuesday, arguing they have been brought too late. Click here for the full report on yesterdays proceedings: Harry kept out of the loop on phone hacking claims as Hugh Grant to appear in court From her naughty ex-husband to trusted companions whos who in Camillas inner circle? 05:45 , Liam James Charles and Camilla have long-surrounded themselves with a tight-knit social set, but now, more than ever, she will be relying on her most trusted confidantes ahead of the ceremony on Saturday 6 May. Charlotte Cripps gets familiar with the court of Queen Camilla: Whos who in Camillas inner circle? Queen supported Harrys bid for apology from Rupert Murdoch, court hears 05:15 , Liam James The late Queen backed the Duke of Sussexs bid for an apology from media mogul Rupert Murdoch, but his efforts were blocked by Charles staff, the High Court has heard. In a witness statement made public on Tuesday, Harry described how in late 2017, he wanted to push for a resolution over alleged phone hacking and get an apology from News Corp owner Mr Murdoch before his wedding to the Duchess of Sussex. Click here for the full story: Queen backed Harrys bid for apology from Rupert Murdoch, High Court hears Princess Dianas former butler claims Harry will receive icy reception at coronation 04:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar Princess Dianas former butler Paul Burrell said Prince Harry will be seated 10 rows back at King Charles IIIs coronation and wont even see Charles or his brother Prince William during the event. Hes coming to show face, Mr Burrell told GB News. Hes coming to put his foot in the door. Hes coming because his father wants him to be there. Mr Burrell continued, His father would be delighted that both his sons witnessed this incredible day of his life. But hes not going to hang around because, lets face it, hes pushed his family under the bus, and he doesnt want to spend much time around them. So I dont think theres any chance of a reconciliation anytime soon, he added. I honestly think that hes going to get a very icy reception from the Windsors in Westminster Abbey. Hes going to be sitting 10 rows back. Hes not even going to see his brother or his father during that time, Mr Burrell claimed. He will be literally in and out in a flash. And dont forget, he did the same to our dear late queen. At the Platinum Jubilee, he was in and out in a flash. She didnt even know he had gone. ICYMI: Prince William paid very large sum by Murdoch firm over phone-hacking 04:16 , Maroosha Muzaffar Prince William was paid a very large sum of money by Rupert Murdochs UK newspaper business to settle a phone-hacking claim, the High Court has heard. The Prince of Wales allegedly received the secret payment after bringing a case against News Group Newspapers (NGN), the owners of The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World. Details of the settlement, which William allegedly received in 2020, were revealed on Tuesday in court documents submitted by Williams brother, Prince Harry, who is suing NGN over alleged unlawful information-gathering at its titles. David Sherborne, representing Harry, also disclosed that there had been an earlier secret agreement, approved by the Queen, that the royal family would not pursue claims against the publisher until the conclusion of a series of phone-hacking cases. Prince Harry wants to reform the press, but he should focus on the monarchy | Voices 04:00 , Liam James Sean OGradys take on Prince Harrys latest media circus: For a man who prefers the media to keep out of his life, Prince Harry certainly seems to be doing a poor job of keeping his head down. He is, if you havent noticed, conducting a campaign to reform the British press; and he is inevitably going to fail. Indeed, his current legal cases against the respective publishers of the Sun, Mail and Mirror only serve to furnish them with more material, more headlines, more dramatic pictures and more sensationalism. He is in fact a walking, talking story generator. Who needs hacking when Harrys ready to reveal the most intimate of secrets? Full piece can be found here: Harry wants to reform the press, but he should focus on the monarchy | Sean OGrady Allegations of suspicious articles in Duke of Sussex statement 02:00 , Liam James The Duke of Sussex put forward a number of suspicious articles in The Sun in a witness statement made as part of his claim against the newspapers publisher News Group Newspapers (NGN) over allegations of hacking. He said in the statement: Given that NGN still to this day denies that unlawful activity ever took place at The Sun, I just wanted to highlight several articles published in The Sun that I feel particularly strongly about and which demonstrate the kind of unlawful activities which I have only discovered through being able to pursue my own claim. He said these included 17 allegedly suspicious articles concerning his mother Diana, Princess of Wales and claimed private pager messages between her and art dealer Oliver Hoare were accessed by The Sun, as well as references to trips and holidays she would be going on with him and William. Full details can be found here: Allegations of suspicious articles in Duke of Sussex statement Prince Harry not criticising late Queen over secret agreement' 01:00 , Liam James Prince Harry is not criticising his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth, over a secret agreement with Rupert Murdochs UK newspaper arm, his lawyer told Londons High Court on Wednesday. The duke has countered claims by the media moguls News Groups Newspapers (NGN) that he had waited too long to bring a case by arguing he did not bring a lawsuit earlier because an agreement was struck between Buckingham Palace and senior figures at NGN to avoid embarrassment. In a witness statement which was made public on Tuesday, Harry said his attempts to progress the case, with the backing of the queen, were stonewalled by NGN and royal aides. The dukes lawyer David Sherborne said Harry was told more about phone hacking in 2012, when Harry says in his witness statement that he was told his voicemails had been intercepted, but that was essentially dealt with by his family ... and their solicitor. This is no criticism of the queen or his family, Mr Sherborne said. That is how it was done and he accepts it. As he explains, he had to. King Charles tried to stop Harry taking legal action Thursday 27 April 2023 00:00 , Liam James King Charles tried to stop his son Prince Harry taking legal action against the publisher of The Sun, according to court documents. I was summoned to Buckingham Palace and specifically told to drop the legal actions because they have an effect on all the family, the duke said. This was a direct request (or rather demand) from my father, Edward Young and my fathers private secretary, Clive Alderton. Hugh Grant to give evidence tomorrow Wednesday 26 April 2023 23:00 , Liam James Hugh Grant will appear in court tomorrow to give evidence for his phone-hacking claim against News Group Newspapers (NGN), the High Court heard. The actor alleges that journalists at The Sun illegally accessed his personal information. He previously settled with the papers parent company over a phone-hacking claim against The Suns former sister paper the News of the World but unlike many hacking complainants against NGN, he did not agree to waive any future claims againstThe Sun as part of his settlement. Grant at a premiere in LA last month (Reuters) Rebekah Brooks and other Murdoch favourites would have to play in trial, says lawyer Wednesday 26 April 2023 22:00 , Liam James Major players in Rupert Murdochs media empire will need to give evidence if Prince Harrys phone-hacking claims go to trial, a lawyer for the Duke of Sussex said. Harry said in his witness statement that royal staff were in communication with Rebekah Brooks now chief executive of Murdochs British arm News UK and News Corp chief executive Robert Thomson about his lawsuit. David Sherborne said that, if the case goes to trial, there will need to be evidence from Ms Brooks and Mr Thomson about the secret agreement. Ms Brooks was editor of The Sun from 2003-2009, when phone-hacking is alleged to have taken place. She has always denied knowledge of phone-hacking and was found not guilty in 2014 of involvement following a criminal trial. Mr Thomson has been CEO of News Corp since 2013. Diana targeted by News Group phone hackers too, claims lawyer Wednesday 26 April 2023 20:37 , Liam James Prince Harrys lawyer also alleged that the dukes mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, had her calls and messages intercepted by News Group Newspapers, publisher of The Sun. He claimed that articles taken from 1994 and 1995 demonstrated that NGN journalists and paparazzi working on their behalf had inside knowledge of where Diana was going to be. The barrister continued: The claimant will rely on the fact that the defendants newspapers described his late mothers concerns as paranoid delusions when the true position was that she was under close surveillance and her calls were being unlawfully intercepted by the defendant, which was known about by its editors and senior executives. Diana in Paris, 1992 (AFP/Getty) Charles and Camilla were victims of Sun phone-hacking, court hears Wednesday 26 April 2023 19:30 , Liam James The phone calls of the King and Queen Consort were intercepted by the publisher of The Sun in the 1990s, the Duke of Sussex has alleged in his High Court claim against News Group Newspapers (NGN). In documents made public on Wednesday, barrister David Sherborne, for Harry, alleged that NGN was intercepting phone calls and messages, as well as obtaining itemised phone bills of Charles and Camilla. Mr Sherborne said: The claimant will rely on these instances in support of the contention that the inevitable and/or intended consequence of these interceptions is that his own private information will have been intercepted as a result since his father was communicating or receiving private information about the claimants education, health and welfare. Articles allegedly published as a result between 1994 and 1995 include stories in The Sun from August 1995 with the headline Heir to the Phone and The Midnight Caller. Who are the alleged victims of phone hacking and what payouts did they receive? Wednesday 26 April 2023 18:20 , Liam James Steve Coogan, Paul Gascoine, Sienna Miller, Sadie Frost and more were all given money by Rupert Murdochs News Group Newspapers over phone-hacking claims. Click here to learn more about what happened in their cases: Who are the victims of phone hacking and what payouts did they receive? Recap: Prince Williams secret settlement with Murdoch firm Wednesday 26 April 2023 17:11 , Liam James The Prince of Wales allegedly reached a settlement with publisher News Group Newspapers over phone-hacking claims, the High Court was told on the first day of a hearing of the Duke of Sussexs illegal information gathering case against Rupert Murdochs firm. Details of the settlement, which William allegedly received in 2020, were revealed on Tuesday in court documents submitted by Harry. David Sherborne, representing Harry, also disclosed that there had been an earlier secret agreement, approved by the Queen, that the royal family would not pursue claims against the publisher until the conclusion of a series of phone-hacking cases. Mr Sherborne said in written arguments that the agreement meant that the claimant could not bring a claim against NGN for phone hacking at that time. He added: It was agreed directly between these parties, as opposed to their lawyers ... that at the conclusion of the Mobile Telephone Voicemail Interception Litigation (MTVIL) News would admit or settle such a claim with an apology. In 2017, the claimant and the institution began to push for the outstanding claim to be resolved. However, News filibustered in relation to this until, in 2019, the claimant had enough and issued his claim. Mr Sherborne said William has recently settled his claim against NGN behind the scenes. Joe Middleton covered the first day of the hearing in full: Prince William paid very large sum by Murdoch firm over phone-hacking Prince Harry kept out of the loop on alleged phone-hacking Wednesday 26 April 2023 15:48 , Liam James The Duke of Sussex was kept out of the loop regarding alleged unlawful information gathering by tabloid newspapers in relation to the royal household, the High Court has heard. David Sherborne, representing Harry, told the court on Wednesday that, before 2012, the duke believed there was only one voicemail which his brother left for him that had been intercepted. The barrister said Harry thought the tabloid press wouldnt have been stupid enough to go after his messages, given the security services involvement, and that there were members of royal staff who he was aware believed they had been hacked but he was kept out of the loop. He was told more in 2012 but that was essentially dealt with by his family, the institution as he described it. That is no criticism of the [late] Queen or his family, that is how it was done and he accepted it. One also has to remember at the times he was on active service in Afghanistan. Lawyers for the publisher claim there is no hard evidence against the paper but only general pleas of voicemail interception and phone tapping by Sun journalists. William and Harry in June 2012 (Getty) Hearing resumes Wednesday 26 April 2023 14:30 , Matt Mathers The hearing has resumed after lunch and Prince Harrys legal team led by David Sherborne, is now bringing a counter argument against claims Hugh Grant knew of phone hacking claims but failed to bring the claim forward earlier. Hugh Grant to appear in court tomorrrow Wednesday 26 April 2023 13:14 , Matt Mathers The lawyer representing Prince Harry and fellow claimants, David Sherborne, is now arguing why he believes The Suns application to have the claims thrown out should be denied, Thomas Kingsley reports. He said that Hugh Grant is watching along by live link and will be in court tomorrow (Thursday). He added that the Duke of Sussex extended his apologies for not attending but is also following by live link. Hugh Grant (CBS) ICYMI: Piers Morgan criticises Harry for attending King Charles coronation: The brass neck Wednesday 26 April 2023 12:30 , Matt Mathers Piers Morgan has hit out at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their decision over King Charles IIIs coronation on 6 May. The Piers Morgan Uncensored host, who previously branded the couple shameless grifters, took aim once again after Buckingham Palace confirmed Prince Harry would attend the coronation but Meghan Markle would not. Kate Ng reports: Piers Morgan criticises Harry for attending King Charles coronation Prince William has no interest in speaking to Prince Harry before Kings coronation Wednesday 26 April 2023 12:03 , Matt Mathers Prince William reportedly has no interest in speaking to Prince Harry before King Charles and Camillas coronation next month. The Duke of Sussex wrote about their fraught relationship in his memoir Spare, which was released in January this year. Harry alleged that William once knocked me to the floor during an argument about Meghan in 2019. Prince William has no interest in speaking to Prince Harry before Kings coronation No hard evidence of phone-hacking - defenence Wednesday 26 April 2023 10:57 , Matt Mathers The court is still going through claims against The Sun, Thomas Kingsley reports. Lawyers for the publisher claim there is no hard evidence against the paper but only general pleas of voicemail interception and phone tapping by Sun journalists. Lawyers claim the allegations brought the Duke of Sussex and the other claimants may point to illegal activity on the part of private investigators but not The Sun newspaper, with the defence denying any commissioning of investigators. Hearing underway Wednesday 26 April 2023 10:40 , Matt Mathers The hearing is underway, the legal team representing The Sun have begun this morning with a recap of the Dukes claims against the publisher, Thomas Kingsley reports. Yesterday the court heard of Prince Williams private settlement with The Sun in 2020 in addition to Prince Harrys efforts to block journalists from attending his wedding in 2018. King tried to stop Harry taking legal action Wednesday 26 April 2023 09:54 , Matt Mathers King Charles tried to stop his son Prince Harry taking legal action against the publisher of The Sun, according to court documents. "I was summoned to Buckingham Palace and specifically told to drop the legal actions because they have an effect on all the family," Prince Harry said. "This was a direct request (or rather demand) from my father, Edward Young and my fathers private secretary, Clive Alderton." King Charles Harry makes Meghan giggle as couple appear on Jumborton at Lakers game Wednesday 26 April 2023 07:35 , Matt Mathers The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were spotted on a date night in Los Angeles on Monday night, as Prince Harry prepares to attend his fathers coronation in less than two weeks. Harry and Meghan Markle were broadcast on the Crypto.com Arenas Jumbotron during the Los Angeles Lakers game against the Memphis Grizzlies. A clip of the couple shared on social media showed Meghan giggling as Harry appears to lean towards her for a kiss. Kate Ng reports: Meghan appears to dodge Harrys advances as couple appear on Jumbotron at Lakers game Queen backed my bid to seek apology from Rupert Murdoch, says Prince Harry Wednesday 26 April 2023 06:58 , PA The High Court has been told that the late Queen backed the Duke of Sussexs bid for an apology from media mogul Rupert Murdoch but were blocked by Charles staff, reports Jess Glass. Prince Harry is suing News Group Newspapers (NGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles. In his written statement, the duke said he was angry about appalling treatment his wife had faced from Murdoch-owned newspapers and was frustrated about a lack of progress on phone hacking. Harry said his brother, the Prince of Wales, was very understanding and supportive and agreed that we needed to do it and suggested that I seek permission from granny - the late Queen. The duke continued: I spoke to her shortly afterwards and said something along the lines of: Are you happy for me to push this forward, do I have your permission? And she said: Yes. Harry said the Queens then-director of communications Sally Osman was then given the green light to approach senior executives at NGN on behalf of the institution, Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, William and me, to broker a resolution and an apology from Mr Murdoch. However, Harry claimed that there was very little support from the Queens private secretary, as well as staff from Buckingham Palace and Clarence House despite my grandmother having given her consent. Who is in line for the British throne? Wednesday 26 April 2023 05:49 , Andy Gregory When Queen Elizabeth II died last year, Britain bid goodbye to its longest-reigning monarch. In Elizabeths 70 years on the throne, the British line of succession has seen many changes and following the Queens death, her son King Charles III was the next royal to ascend to the throne. The royal line of succession has decided who will be the next king or queen of Great Britain for hundreds of years, and now with new generation of royals, there is a now long list of people who could be our next monarch. Furvah Shah takes a look in this explainer: Who is in line for the British throne? Full report: Prince William paid very large sum by Murdoch firm over phone-hacking Wednesday 26 April 2023 04:38 , Andy Gregory Prince William was paid a very large sum of money by Rupert Murdochs UK newspaper business to settle a phone-hacking claim, the High Court has heard. The Prince of Wales allegedly received the secret payment after bringing a case against News Group Newspapers (NGN), the owners of The Sun and the now defunct News of the World. My colleague Joe Middleton has the full report here: Prince William paid very large sum by Murdoch firm over phone-hacking Watch: The Kings Troop rehearse ahead of coronation on 6 May Wednesday 26 April 2023 03:29 , Andy Gregory What other legal action is Prince Harry taking? Wednesday 26 April 2023 02:21 , Andy Gregory The claim against the Sun publisher is one of a number of legal actions currently being brought by Prince Harry, who appeared in person at the High Court last month for a preliminary hearing against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail On Sunday. He is also expected to give evidence at a trial over allegations of unlawful information against tabloid publisher Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), due to begin next month, with Harry due to appear in court in June. What is the purpose of this weeks hearing? Wednesday 26 April 2023 01:06 , Andy Gregory This weeks hearing in the case against Sun publisher News Group Newspapers is expected to last three days. The judge is determining whether the claims by Prince Harry and actor Hugh Grant should progress to a trial. If it goes ahead, the trial is due to be heard in January next year. Who are the key players at King Charles coronation? Tuesday 25 April 2023 23:58 , Andy Gregory I almost missed the email to bake Harry and Meghans wedding cake Tuesday 25 April 2023 22:49 , Andy Gregory Baker Claire Ptak has told The Independent of how she nearly missed out on the biggest job of her career: making the Duke and Duchess of Sussexs wedding cake. Prudence Wade has the interview here: I almost missed the email to bake Harry and Meghans wedding cake Four things weve learnt so far from Prince Harrys court battle with Sun publisher Tuesday 25 April 2023 21:41 , Andy Gregory Move to America was in large part due to British press, says Prince Harry Tuesday 25 April 2023 20:36 , Andy Gregory Prince Harry has said he and his wife Meghan Markles decision to move to America was in large part due to intrusion by the British press. In a wide-ranging 31-page witness statement, Harry made a number of serious allegations against journalists and senior executives at News Group Newspapers, as well as against the wider UK tabloid industry. His move to the US was in large part ... due to the constant intrusion, inciting of hatred and harassment by the UK tabloid press into every aspect of our private lives, he said, adding that the impact on their mental health and wellbeing had been devastating. We were also very concerned for the security and safety of our son, as well as ourselves, said the duke. It is no secret that I have had, and continue to have, a very difficult relationship with the tabloid press in the UK. Why is Harry suing the Sun publisher? Tuesday 25 April 2023 19:31 , Andy Gregory Harry, 38, is suing the publisher over alleged unlawful information gathering at The Sun and the now-defunct News Of The World, claiming that his private information was unlawfully accessed from as early as 1994 to as late as 2016. While News Group Newspapers has settled numerous hacking claims in relation to the News Of The World, the publisher denies illegal activity at The Sun. Lawyers for the publisher have launched a bid to have Harrys claim thrown out, along with a similar claim by actor Hugh Grant, on the basis that they have been brought too late. Harry wanted to block journalists from wedding to force an apology from Murdoch Tuesday 25 April 2023 18:35 , Andy Gregory Prince Harry wanted to force an apology from [Rupert] Murdoch for phone-hacking by blocking journalists from his wedding to Meghan Markle, according to his court submissions. The Duke of Sussex claims a secret agreement was struck between the Royal Family and Sun publisher News Group Newspapers in 2012, blocking him from pursuing a legal claim until all other Royal litigation against the company was over, at which point the claims would be admitted or settled with an apology. Three months before his wedding in 2018, the duke asked an official for the latest on the phone hacking, adding: They are running out of time. According to the Evening Standard, he told the official in a second message: The institution is supposed to be leading on this and is being made to look ineffective and weak. I cant begin to tell you what it will say about the institution if this isnt resolved before the baby arrival and wedding. If it isnt resolved, should the Queen be allowing them to Windsor on May 19th? They have NO excuse for not getting this sorted. We all want to draw a line under this but judging by their behaviour thus far, they will pay whatever they can to keep this out of court when it comes to other victims. There needs to be an ultimatum otherwise this institution and everything it stands for becomes a laughing stock. Prince Harry says he is much more interesting to tabloids when he is single Tuesday 25 April 2023 17:21 , Andy Gregory Describing the press as a third party in all of his relationships, Prince Harry said he felt the tabloids wanted him to remain single as he was much more interesting to them, and said their reporting more recently has been even more sinister and dangerous because of race. Whilst they would, of course, report on my successes in life, it seemed to me that they took far greater pleasure in knocking me down, time and time again. This extended to my relationships, he said in court documents. I always felt as if the tabloids wanted me to be single, as I was much more interesting to them and sold more newspapers. Whenever I got into a relationship, they were very keen to report the details but would then, very quickly, seek to try and break it up by putting as much strain on it and creating as much distrust as humanly possible. This twisted objective is still pursued to this day, even though Im now married. The methods relied on of late being even more sinister and dangerous because of race. Prince Harry saw James Murdoch as kindred spirit of sorts Tuesday 25 April 2023 16:18 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain Prince Harrys witness statement in the British royals legal battle with Rupert Murdochs UK newspaper arm News Group Newspapers (NGN) contains broadsides against the tabloid press and revelations about his family. The younger son of King Charles is suing the newspaper group at the High Court in London for multiple unlawful acts allegedly committed on behalf of its tabloids, the Sun and now-defunct News of the World, from the mid-1990s until 2016. NGN is seeking to strike out the claims by arguing the prince should have taken action sooner. It also denies anyone from the Sun was involved in any unlawful activity. Below are the key points in Harrys witness statement, which was released to the media on Tuesday: The Queen Harry said that he spoke to his brother Prince William in 2017 about pursuing their phone-hacking claims against NGN to try and force an apology from Murdoch. William was very understanding and supportive and agreed that we needed to do it, Harry said. He therefore suggested that I seek permission from granny. I spoke to (the late Queen Elizabeth) shortly afterwards and said something along the lines of are you happy for me to push this forward, do I have your permission? and she said yes. King Charles III Harry said that royal staff did not support his efforts and that, after he sued NGN and fellow newspaper publisher Mirror Group Newspaper in 2019, he was summoned to Buckingham Palace and specifically told to drop the legal actions. He said the demand to abandon the lawsuits came from his father King Charles and senior royal staff. Prince William Harry claimed that his brother Prince William - who he said settled his claim against NGN for a huge sum of money in 2020, seemingly for going quietly - appeared to know an awful lot more than I did on the subject of phone hacking. Meghan Markle Harry said Meghan, whom he married in 2018, suffered a huge amount of harassment, intimidation and racist and sexist abuse at the hands of the tabloid press from early in their relationship. He spoke of his anger that the main culprits of this abuse were to be invited to their wedding, and told William he wanted a formal apology from Murdoch before any of his people are allowed anywhere near the wedding. Harry also said he brought his own lawsuits in part so Meghan was not on her own while she was suing publisher Associated Newspapers in a separate case. James Murdoch Harry revealed that he spoke to James Murdoch, Ruperts youngest son, after suing NGN and that having broken away from the cult that is the Murdoch dynasty, he was starting to show signs that he wanted to do things differently. Given that he had broken away from his familys history, and I was about to do the same with mine, I felt that we were kindred spirits of sorts, he added. The Press Harry described the tabloid press as the mothership of online trolling, saying he was exposing alleged media wrongdoing to save journalism as a profession. Describing allegations of widespread phone hacking and its concealment, Harry said: This makes them criminals, not journalists, and the Fourth Estate is too important and rightly powerful to have criminals masquerading as journalists running the show. They have lied under oath, perjured themselves in the process and have proven theyaAAre above the law. Everyone seems to be scared of them, especially politicians. Prince Harry says tabloid press was always third party in his relationships Tuesday 25 April 2023 15:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain The Duke of Sussex has said he felt like the tabloid press was a third party in all of his relationships. In court documents revealed on Tuesday, Harry said he always tried to be the best partner he could be, but every woman has her limit. He said that the tabloid press always became involved in his relationships, and tried to ruin them. Whenever I have been in a relationship, I have always tried to be the best partner that I possibly could, but every woman has her limit, he said in a witness statement. Unfortunately, they are not just in a relationship with me but with the entire tabloid press as a third party. At no point did I have a girlfriend or a relationship with anyone without the tabloids getting involved and ultimately ruining it, or trying to ruin it, using whatever unlawful means at their disposal. He claimed that the tabloid press felt like it owned him, despite him only being 5% funded by the taxpayer while he was a working royal. Despite the common misconception, I was no more than 5% funded by the taxpayer while I was a working royal in the UK, yet it felt as though the tabloid press thought that they owned me absolutely, and deserved to know everything there is to know about me, my life, my movements and the lives of those people who came into my orbit, he said. Harry claimed that the tabloid press cast him as a thicko and a cheat, and that he ended up playing up to the headlines they wrote about him. As a teenager and in my early twenties, I ended up feeling as though I was playing up to a lot of the headlines and stereotypes that they wanted to place upon me, he said. It was a downward spiral, whereby the tabloids would constantly try and coax me, a damaged young man, into doing something stupid that would make a good story and sell lots of newspapers. Looking back on it now, such behaviour on their part is utterly vile. He said that the tabloids hoped for him to undergo a total and very public breakdown. Despite them all knowing about what I was dealing with throughout the years, they kept on doubling down their efforts rather than letting up, he said. That is grotesque and sadistic - and no doubt they were hoping for a total and very public breakdown. A video capturing Prince Harrys charming debut on the Buckingham Palace balcony has resurfaced amidst news that only working royals will appear on the Palace balcony for King Charles IIIs coronation. In 1987, a two-year-old Prince Harry warmed hearts when he made his first-ever appearance on the balcony at Buckingham Palace during Trooping the Colour celebrations. Now, a TikTok video of the archival footage has gone viral with more than two million views since it was posted last week. In the clip, which was posted by @lady_frances1997, the royal family can be seen making their annual appearance on the balcony, where they celebrate Trooping the Colour each June. The video shows members of the royal family including the late Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, the then-Prince of Wales and Princess Margaret waving to the crowds from the balcony before returning inside the Palace. At the foreground of the balcony is Princess Diana, dressed in a white suit jacket with a matching skirt and white hat, alongside a toddler Harry, whose face can barely be seen above the balcony. The mother of two then picks up her youngest son and asks him to wave to the crowd. The two-year-old, wearing a white collared shirt and baby blue shorts, gives a big wave to the audience which prompts loud cheers from the audience. Little prince charming, the TikTok user captioned the viral clip. Little prince Harry delighted the crowd as he waved to them. Stealing the show, another user pointed out in the comments. So sweet, said someone else. And now hes not allowed up there, a third person wrote. Story continues The Duke of Sussex would go on to steal the show at Trooping the Colour the following year, when a three-year-old Prince Harry stuck out his tongue. More than 35 years later, the royal family will stand on the Buckingham Palace balcony once again to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on Saturday 6 May. In the past, the royal balcony appearances have featured the late Queen Elizabeth II surrounded by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. However, King Charles coronation ceremony is expected to be a slimmed-down service with a much smaller number of royals standing on the balcony. Britain Platinum Jubilee The Balcony (AP1988) Prior to the Duke of Sussex confirming his attendance at his fathers coronation, it was reported that only working members of the royal family will appear on the balcony on the day of the coronation. According to The Mirror, the King has chosen 15 of his closest and most loyal family members to appear on the balcony with him. The Prince and Princess of Wales are expected to stand beside Charles and Camilla, alongside their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. In addition, the Princess Royal and her husband, Sir Tim Laurence, will likely appear alongside the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. A source told the publication that there is little room for sentiment on the balcony, and several members of the royal family have not been invited to appear, including the Duke and Duchess of Sussex who stepped down as senior working royals in 2020. The King has been very clear who he wants to represent the monarchy, the source said. There is little room for sentiment, this is a state occasion, not a family occasion and it is right that only the working members of the family are there at the big public moment. Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Prince William and Kate Middleton watch the RAF 100th anniversary flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace in July 2018 (Getty Images) On 12 April, it was announced that the Duke of Sussex will attend King Charles IIIs coronation at Westminster Abbey on 6 May without his wife Meghan Markle, who will stay in California with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that the Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on 6 May, the Palace said in a statement. The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. The news comes after months of speculation over whether Prince Harry would attend the ceremony after the release of his tell-all memoir, Spare, in January. It was previously reported that Harry was seeking an apology from his father, Charles, and his brother, the Prince of Wales, before he made any commitment to the ceremony. Harry had also said in an interview that the door is always open for reconciliation. PHNOM PENH, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said on Thursday that six Cambodians studying in Sudan's capital Khartoum, ravaged by armed conflicts since mid-April, have been safely evacuated to Saudi Arabia. "They had been evacuated from Sudan by ship and had arrived in Saudi Arabia, with the help of Malaysia," Hun Sen said in a speech during the graduation ceremony of students at the Royal School of Administration in Phnom Penh. He said the six students, two of them women, arrived in Saudi Arabia at 9 p.m. local time on Wednesday night. "I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the government and officials of Malaysia for helping evacuate Cambodian students from Sudan, and thank the government and officials of Saudi Arabia for allowing our students to stay there for a short time," he said. Sudan has been witnessing deadly armed clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum and other areas since April 15. Both sides have accused each other of initiating the conflict. Photo Illustration by Kelly Caminero / The Daily Beast / Getty Prince William will never trust Harry again, a friend has told The Daily Beast, after Prince Harry revealed details of a very large phone hacking settlement William got from News Group Newspapers (NGN), and accused his brother of being party to a secret deal made by his family with his media tormentors. Harry made the revelation that William had got the secret payout, said to be in excess of $1million, in a witness statement supporting his own legal action against the Murdoch family-owned publisher of U.K. papers the Sun and The Times for phone hacking. A friend of Prince Williams told The Daily Beast: Just when you think it cant get any worse, it does. This is scorched earth stuff from Harry. By revealing these secrets, he is burning everything to the ground. He is making it very clear that he considers his relationship with William is over. Prince William Hates Harry and Meghan, Feels Utterly Betrayed, Friend Says Asked how William was reacting to Harrys statement, of which he had no foreknowledge or warning, the friend said: William will never trust Harry again. How could he? The truth is William absolutely hates Harry now and will never forgive him for the damage he has done to the family. The brothers were so close when they were younger that it is just incredible to those of us who knew them back then that they have reached a stage where Harry is revealing his brothers confidential legal settlements. The Daily Beast understands that Prince William, and indeed the wider royal family, had no idea what was in Harrys witness statement until the document was unsealed at the High Court. A friend of King Charles told The Daily Beast that his default position will always be to try and keep the door open to his younger son, despite the fact that he believes his actions to be misguided. Charles has been through an enormous amount himself, and he does have a deep sympathy for Harry, who he adores, the friend said. Story continues While Charles seems determined to continue to ignore the provocations of Harry, William appears to have had enough, and the astonishingly inflammatory paragraph in Harrys witness statement looks like it could be the final straw. In the paragraph, Harry wrote: My brother appeared to know an awful lot more than I did on the subject of phone hacking although he did not tell me if that was the case. However, NGN still settled his claim for a huge sum of money in 2020 without subjecting him to a similar strike out application, without any of the public being told, and seemingly with some favorable deal in return for him going quietly so to speak. This goes to prove the existence of this secret agreement between the institution and senior executives at NGNif it wasnt in place then why on earth did William wait until 2019 to bring his claim in circumstances where our two private secretaries brought and settled claims back in 2012, and where he knew far more about the matter back then than I did, and also why didnt NGN test its limitation argument against him? This is precisely the reason why I didnt bring a phone hacking claim against NGN until 2019if Id been allowed to put in a claim earlier and hold NGN properly to account then of course I would have, especially given my antipathy towards NGN and the tabloid press in general, as described above. Prince Harry and Meghan, left, Duchess of Sussex, Prince William, second right, and Kate, Princess of Wales leave Westminster Hall in London, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. Nariman El-Mofty/Pool via REUTERS The alleged deal, which was approved by the late queen following pressure from Charles, Harry saiddespite her initial reservationssaw the royals agree to a request by NGN not to bring their own cases until other litigation had been settled. The suggestion is that NGN hoped to thereby avoid implicating the Sun in the hacking scandal, apportioning all claims to the shuttered News of the World. NGN denies any illegality took place at the Sun. Some commentators have suggested that Williams settlement with NGN was fairly standard practice, and certainly speaking to Williams friends one gets the feeling that many of them believe Harry has revealed the settlement, at least partly, out of spite aimed at his brother. But media lawyer Mark Stephens, a partner at leading law firm Howard Kennedy, told The Daily Beast that Harrys decision to reveal his brothers settlement, far from being an act of mere vindictiveness, made good legal sense. NGN is essentially arguing that Harry is out of time, but Harry is making the argument that he delayed proceedings because of the secret deal, and the payment to his brother is part of the evidence that such a deal existed. The payment is important. It is a crucial piece of the picture which Harry and his lawyers are building which is that William and the other royals were cozying up to Murdoch while Harry was kept out of the loop because they suspected he would see it see it as his duty to fight. Outcomes of legal arguments are notoriously hard to predict, but it seems highly possible Harry could get his day in court. If the case goes ahead, it is scheduled to take place in January 2024. Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace declined to comment. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Nathan Barker, 20, escaped from the Florida Department of Corrections Work Release Camp in Sharpes Friday evening and was rearrested in New Smyrna Beach. An Edgewater man who escaped from a prison work release program in Brevard County was rearrested in New Smyrna Beach on Wednesday night, officials said. Nathan Barker, 20, escaped from the Florida Department of Corrections Work Release Camp in Sharpes Friday evening. "Yep thats right, Barker literally escaped from a place where he was allowed to come and go from, for work purposes, so that he could catch another felony charge and go back to prison where he will be locked behind bars!!" wrote Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey in a Facebook post. Brevard County sheriff's officials believe Barker discarded his GPS ankle monitor device and disappeared from the work site. Escaped convict traveling with child Girlfriend, 3-year-old boy thought to be with convict Inmate walks out of jail Volusia jail inmate is captured out of walking out of jail, officials say According to a Volusia County Sheriff's Office warrant report, Barker was arrested at 11:50 p.m. at 2515 North Dixie Highway. The address listed shows it's for Slavia Vacation Rentals and Homes. Barker was arrested on a warrant charging him with escape, tampering with an electronic monitoring device, and misdemeanor battery. He was locked up in the Volusia County Branch Jail on Thursday on $31,000 bail. Florida Department of Corrections records show Barker was serving a 2-1/2-year prison sentence for possession of methamphetamine, fleeing and eluding, possession of a handcuff key, and sale, manufacture, and delivery of methamphetamine. Barker was rearrested with the help of members of the Volusia County Sheriffs Office and the U.S. Marshalls Task Force, according to Ivey. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Prison escapee rearrested in New Smyrna Beach. Priyanka Chopra Jonas spent 110 days in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) with her daughter, Malti, after the baby was born prematurely in January 2022. While speaking with Hoda Kotb for TODAYs digital cover story, Priyanka, 40, recalls driving to the hospital with her husband, Nick Jonas, to meet their little girl, who was born with help of a surrogate. I remember he just held me by my shoulders, and I said, Just tell me what to do, because I dont know what to do. And hes like, Just get into the car with me, Priyanka tells Hoda. She was born, and from the moment she took her first breath to now, shes never been without one of us, ever. Priyanka Chopra Jonas at TODAY cover photoshoot (Phylicia J. L. Munn for TODAY) See the full TODAY digital cover story with Priyanka Chopra Jonas. In those early days, Malti needed around-the-clock care in the NICU. I realized very, very early that I did not have the luxury to be scared or to be weak, because she was scared and weak. And I had to be her strength as her mom. I needed to make her feel at every given moment that shes not alone that weve got her, Priyanka explains. Malti, who is now 15 months old, was discharged from the hospital in May 2022, just in time for Mothers Day. Priyanka felt both excited and scared to bring Malti home to the Los Angeles home she shares with Nick. What if something went wrong? I couldnt sleep for days, because now suddenly she was home without a monitor. I used to put my ear on her chest. I would wake up every couple of minutes just to see if she was OK, Priyanka says. For weeks, this went on. She's since exhaled. Earlier this month, Priyanka shared on Instagram photos of Maltis first trip to India. During Malti's inaugural visit to her mother's home country, she visited a Hindu temple and experimented with spicy Indian food. Shes like, eating it with both her hand as if shes eating ice cream! Priyanka jokes. Malti is also a fan of Hindi lullabies the same the songs that Priyanka sang to her in the NICU, soothe her to this day. Additional reporting from the TODAY digital cover story on Priyanka Chopra Jonas, written by Kavita Varma-White. This article was originally published on TODAY.com Brian Walshe, the Cohasset man accused of murdering and dismembering his wife, believed she was having an affair and hired a private investigator to prove her infidelity prior to her gruesome death, prosecutors said Thursday. Walshe was arraigned in Dedham District Court, where the Norfolk District Attorneys Office announced three more indictments against Walshe, including first-degree murder, misleading police, and improper conveyance of a body in the death of Ana Walshe. Brian, who was led into court in handcuffs, pleaded not guilty to the charges. During the hearing, prosecutors revealed a slew of new details about alleged happenings in the days leading up to and following Anas death, including the fact that Brian was the sole beneficiary of a nearly $3 million life insurance policy that Ana had purchased. In December 2022, Mr. Walshe suspected Ana was having an affair. During this time, he would repeatedly access the Instagram page of one of Anas male friends from Washington D.C., Assistant District Attorney Gregory Connor said as he read from a six-page statement that detailed the alleged motive in the case. Starting when she was hired in early 2022, Ana would routinely travel to Washington D.C., where she worked for international property management company Tishman Spyer. On Dec. 26, 2022, Brian Walshes mother, under his input and direction, hired a private investigator in D.C. to conduct surveillance on Ana for the purpose of proving infidelity, Connor said. Two days later, during a night out with a friend in the nations capital, Ana is said to have revealed plans to leave Brian and relocate her children to D.C. over fears he was going to be incarcerated on federal fraud charges. Ana flew home to Boston on Dec. 30, leaving her car in D.C. with no plans to travel back south until Jan. 3, 2023, according to Connor. On Jan. 4, Brian first reported Ana missing to Tishman Spyer and that she was last seen leaving their Cohasset home on the morning of Jan. 1 for a work emergency. Story continues She was last seen alive around 1:30 a.m. on New Years Day at their Cohasset home by a friend who had joined the couple to celebrate the holiday. After allegedly murdering Ana, Brian used his childs iPad to make 21 Google searches on how to dismember and dispose of a body during the early morning hours of Jan. 1, according to investigators. That same iPad continued making similar searches from 4:50 a.m. through 2 p.m. Some of those searches were as follows, according to investigators: 4:55 a.m. -- How long before a body starts to smell? 4:58 a.m. -- How to stop a body from decomposing? 5:20 a.m. -- How to embalm a body? 5:47 a.m. -- 10 ways to dispose of a dead body if you really need to 6:25 a.m. -- How long for someone to be missing to inherit? 6:34 a.m. -- Can you throw away body parts? List of 21 Google searches Brian Walshe allegedly made before, after his wifes death A babysitter was hired to look after the couples three children in the days after Anas disappearance. That babysitter is said to have told police that Brian replaced all of the downstairs rugs in their house, as well as a trash can. He had also placed a lock on the basement door. Because Brian left home with a phone that belonged to his oldest child, investigators were able to track him to a Lowes in Danvers on Jan. 1, where they say he purchased a handful of five-gallon buckets, a high-tension hacksaw, a 48-pack of terrycloth towel, a framing hammer, a Tyvek suit, shoe guards, and 200 disposable rags. On Jan. 2, surveillance video from a Home Goods store in Norwell showed Brian purchasing three area rugs and scented candles, Connor said. Brian was also seen on video that same day at the Home Depot in Rockland wearing a black surgical mask, and blue surgical gloves making a cash transaction. Surveillance photos revealed in court appear to show Brian in the process of purchasing buckets, mops, and a slew of other cleaning supplies. He is said to have purchased a tarp, mops, tape, more buckets, a second Tyvek suit, and 24 pounds of baking soda. The iPad in question later searched, How long does Lowes maintain securing videos, as well as numerous articles on dismembering bodies and a visit to Aftermath.com (a crime scene cleaning service company), court documents indicated. The missing person investigation surrounding Ana quickly shifted to a suspicious disappearance investigation after a blood-covered knife was found in the basement of their home. There were also many blood stains found in Brians Volvo SUV. DA: Brian Walshe indicted on murder charges of wife Ana Walshe 25 Investigates: Brian Walshes damaging digital footprint Brian Walshe appears at Quincy District Court on a charge of murdering his wife (inset),Ana Walshe, in Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S. on January 18, 2023. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Craig F. Walker/Pool via Reuters, Facebook) Brian Walshe escorted into court for murder arraignment Brian Walshe appears in court for allegedly misleading police The dumpsters taken away from Brian Walshe's mothers apartment. Taken to Peabody for investigation Brian Walshe spotted at juice bar day after wife disappears Authorities search North Shore dumpster station for evidence in disappearance of Ana Walshe Brian Walshe kisses his new bride, Ana Walshe, on their wedding day. (Facebook photo) Ana Walshe Ana Walshe Ana Walshe and her husband Brian Walshe Police investigating the area near Ana Walshe's home Police investigating the area near Ana Walshe's home Police investigating Ana Walshe's home Police investigating outside of Ana Walshe's Cohasset home Ana Walshe and her husband Brian Walshe Police investigating Ana Walshe's home Ana Walshe and her husband Brian Walshe Ana Walshe Ana Walshe The pool that was drained outside the Walshe home Brian Walshe, the husband of Ana Walshe Subsequent clues uncovered by investigators led them to the North Shore, where a hacksaw was found at a transfer station in Peabody. While some trash bags that Brian dumped were incinerated before being found, other bags that were located contained bloody rugs, a COVID-19 vaccine card with Anas name, a hatchet, and the hacksaw, according to investigators. Other evidence pointed investigators to Swampscott, where Brian allegedly dumped Anas clothes and other items in a dumpster near his mothers home. He is said to have also dumped Anas remains in dumpsters at apartment complexes in Abington and Brockton. Her body hasnt been found. A bone fragment pulled from the hacksaw and stains on tools and in the Volvo are being tested for Anas DNA, investigators said. On. Jan 5, Cohasset police established that Ana never flew to D.C. and launched a search for her with the assistance of Massachusetts State Police. Walshe was ultimately taken into custody after authorities executed a search warrant at his home, seized all digital devices, and uncovered blood. During the court hearing, Brians defense attorney argued that there is no proof Ana is dead and that the couple had a good marriage. Brian remains held without bail. Walshe defense attorney said there is no proof Ana Walshe is dead. Said Brian and Ana had a good marriage, and that it was Brians mother who hired PI. She is asking for $250k bail. @boston25 pic.twitter.com/QpSaOQ8rbU Bob Ward Boston 25 (@Bward3) April 27, 2023 In Dedham Superior Court where Brian Walshe will be arraigned at 10AM for murder of his wife Ana Walshe. In filing, prosecutors allege Walshe suspected Ana was having an affair, and hired PI. Search of Cohasset home and his Volvo revealed presence of blood. @boston25 pic.twitter.com/Xqlk299PxJ Bob Ward Boston 25 (@Bward3) April 27, 2023 This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Protesters painted the display case containing Edgar Degass famed Little Dancer Aged Fourteen sculpture at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, as video circulating online shows. It is the latest in a string of similar protests targeting art to bring attention to the climate crisis. In footage shared by The Washington Post, two protesters smeared red and black paint over the sculptures case and pedestal. They were both wearing dark clothing. We need our leaders to take serious action, to tell us the truth about what is happening with the climate, one of the protesters said in the clip as the pair sat cross-legged, paint-covered hands up, in front of the artwork, adding as authorities arrived that we are parents and our first job is to protect our children. We are adults. We should be at home working, the other protester said in the video. I have a job that requires health and safety, but I cant do my job unless I have a government that does their job in looking out for the health and safety of our children. The Degas, which had been displayed in a plexiglass case, was taken out of view and will undergo damage assessment from the museums conservation team, National Gallery of Art Director Kaywin Feldman told The Hill. The gallery that housed the artwork is closed until further notice, and the FBI is assisting in an active investigation. We unequivocally denounce this physical attack on one of our works of art and will continue to share information as it becomes available, Feldman said. Climate activists last year splashed pea soup onto a Vincent van Gogh painting in Rome and threw tomato soup onto van Goghs iconic Sunflowers in Londons National Gallery. In Australia, activitsts graffittied and glued themselves to art by Andy Warhol and in The Hague, activitsts glued themselves to Johannes Vermeers Girl with a Pearl Earring painting. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A mural depicting Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in Cologne, Germany According to the document, published on April 27 on the Kremlins website, residents of the areas Moscow claims it has annexed will be considered foreigners if they refuse to receive a Russian passport. Putin's regime can then potentially deport these people if they pose a perceived "threat to national security." Read also: Four unidentified drones found near Moscow in 48 hours. What does it mean for the Kremlin? The document mandates that residents of occupied territories receive Russian passports by September 30, 2023, with exceptions made for those who refuse. These individuals can remain in their place of residence without obtaining a passport until July 1, 2024. Read also: Zelenskyy visits frontline soldiers in Avdiyivka, Donetsk Oblast The new "decree" has been criticized by many, including Amnesty International Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Denis Krivosheev, who stated it violates human rights and could be considered a war crime. Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine Hanna Maliar has further alleged that Russia is attempting to change the ethnic composition of the population in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Earlier on April 27, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution recognizing the forced displacement of Ukrainian children to Russia as genocide. On March 17, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Russias childrens ombudsman, Maria Lvova-Belova, for their involvement in unlawful removal of children from Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. Read also: Single child left in Avdiyivka, Donetsk Oblast, hidden by parents head of Military Administration On Sept. 30, 2022, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin signed a treaty that claims Russia has formally annexed Ukraines Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts. 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 Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has signed into law a decree allowing residents of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine who had not obtained Russian citizenship to be deported. Source: Ukrinform, citing a decree on Russian Federations official internet-portal of legal information Details: Putins decree stipulates that citizens of Ukraine or holders of passports issued by Russian-controlled puppet "republics", Donetsk Peoples Republic and Luhansk Peoples Republic, must either become Russian citizens or declare that they do not wish to do so. Those who choose the latter will be considered foreigners from 1 July 2024 and may be deported. A separate clause of the decree concerns the deportation of those who allegedly pose a threat to Russia's national security. Residents of the temporarily occupied territories advocating for "forcible change of the foundations of the constitutional order" in Russia (and therefore in the territories it has seized), financing "terrorist and extremist activities", or participating in "unauthorised" actions will be deported and banned from entering the Russian Federation. Background: On 17 March 2023, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children's Affairs, in relation to the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine since February 2022 or earlier. On 27 April 2023, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) recognised the deportation and forcible transfers of Ukrainian children to the territory of the Russian Federation as genocide. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) is once again becoming a chief concern for defense officials as Russian forces have begun fortifying its nuclear reactors in apparent preparation for a looming Ukrainian counteroffensive, the U.K. defense ministry said Thursday. Russian troops have created "sandbag fighting positions" on the roofs of "several" of the six nuclear reactors. "Russia has controlled ZNPP since March 2022," the ministry said in its daily intelligence update. "However, this is the first indication of the actual reactor buildings being integrated in tactical defense planning." A member of the International Atomic Energy Agency expert mission tours the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict outside Enerhodar in the Zaporizhzhia region, Russian-controlled Ukraine, March 29, 2023. UKRAINE READIES SPRING OFFENSIVE EXPECTED TO BE LARGEST MOBILIZATION SINCE WAR WITH RUSSIA BEGAN The ministry assessed that Russian forces have likely constructed these fortifications because they are "increasingly concerned" of another "major" Ukrainian counteroffensive similar to campaigns seen in Kharkiv and Kherson last September and November respectively. "The move highly likely increases the chances of damage to ZNPP safety systems if fighting takes place around ZNPP," the ministry warned. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP The daily brief also noted that "direct catastrophic damage" to the nuclear reactors was "unlikely" if an assault is carried out with infantry weaponry because the structures are "heavily reinforced." Rumblings that a significant Ukrainian counteroffensive was imminent this spring have surfaced for months, and top strategists and defense officials appear convinced it could happen at any moment, though details on where and how Ukraine will choose to launch its offensive this time remain nil. A Ukrainian serviceman checks a machine gun of a tank after loading an ammunition during a military training near a frontline, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia Region, Ukraine March 29, 2023. However, the power plant is not the only Russian-occupied site to see an emphasis on Moscows defensive posture as Ukraine looks to retake its territory. According to a Reuters report Thursday, the heaviest fortifications have been erected in the southern Zaporizhzhia region which sits along the strategically vital Sea of Azov and in between the Kherson and Donetsk regions. Story continues UKRAINE'S GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES INITIATIVE TO STREAMLINE DEVELOPMENT OF DRONES, OTHER TECHNOLOGIES USED IN WAR Fox News Digital spoke with a geospatial expert from the Institute for the Study of War earlier this month who detailed the most strategically vital area Ukraine will need to retake if Kyiv wants to begin pushing Russian forces out of its eastern flank a key region which sits in south-central Zaporizhzhia. Russian forces have heavily fortified areas surrounding the three cities that make up a triangle region, which includes the urban areas of Melitopol, Tokmak and Mykhailivka. "If they can take this triangle, they will have effectively interdicted the key roads and key highways that are necessary for supporting everything west of this position thats everything currently occupied in Kherson as well as everything in Crimea," George Barros, a Russia analyst and leader of the Geospatial Intelligence Team at the Institute said. "And thats going to cause a major logistical problem for the tens of thousands of Russian troops that are in this territory." If Ukraine is able to oust Russian forces from this area, they could also have greater success in securing the Black Sea and the trade routes, which have once again become a chief problem for not only Kyiv, but the global community. Military chaplain Yurii looks on in a trench after an Orthodox Easter service for Ukrainian servicemen at their position, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine April 15, 2023. Russias defense fortifications have not only been erected in the south of Ukraine following Kyiv's successful fall campaigns, but across Ukraines entire eastern flank, reported Reuters Thursday. Ukrainian troops have been training with Western forces for months in preparation of its looming offensive, though these Russian fortifications, which include trenches, tank traps, dragon's teeth, concrete pillboxes and other field fortifications, are expected to make the battlefields that much more grueling and likely difficult for Ukrainian forces to make swift advances. At four in the morning outside a Yangon monastery, Shwe Lei and her team were wrestling 30 writhing pythons into old rice sacks and loading them into a van. It was just another day in the life of Myanmar's premier snake removal squad, prising pythons and cajoling cobras from dangerous entanglements with the human world before returning them to their natural habitat. Stuffed into the sacks were three months' worth of work, rescued from homes and apartments around Yangon and cared for at the monastery until they are fit for release to the wild. "I love snakes because they are not deceitful," Shwe Lei told AFP at the snake shelter run by the group, a python entwined around her body. "If you acknowledge their nature, they are lovely." Her mentor Ko Toe Aung, a burly 40-year-old who said he has been hospitalised seven times since he started catching snakes in 2016, was more prosaic. Anyone in the snake-catching game has to be "fast and agile", he said. "Wherever we catch a venomous snake, it is 90/10... It's a 90 percent chance the snake will bite me." Their team -- called Shwe Metta, or "Golden Love" in Burmese -- has around a dozen members and rescued around 200 snakes last year from around Yangon. Social media videos of the pair pulling snakes out of sink plugholes and extricating them from roof eaves have earned them the moniker "prince and princess of snakes" from local media. - On the scent - The team all have day-jobs and rely on donations for everything from their protective gear to petrol to run their purple-coloured snake "ambulance". They mostly catch Burmese pythons -- non-venomous snakes that typically grow to around five metres (16 feet) long and squeeze their prey of rats and other small mammals to death. Cobras and banded krait also make homes in Yangon's apartments and are a trickier prospect -- their venom can be fatal. More than 15,000 people were bitten by snakes in Myanmar in 2014, according to the latest available figures from the World Health Organization. Story continues Of those, 1,250 died, a fatality rate higher than many other countries, largely due to Myanmar's creaking healthcare system and patchy access to antivenoms. It is a danger never far from the team's work. In March, they spent two days trying to remove several cobras nesting underneath a Yangon house. Tunnelling into the foundations as neighbours watched, their digging was frequently interrupted by the snakes inside spitting venom towards them. "It stinks," said Ko Ye Min, 31, a tattooed member of the team, as he took a break from trying to reach the nest. Recognising exactly which kind of stink is another skill a snake-catcher must hone, according to Ko Toe Aung. "We have to be familiar with their smells... to identify the species of snakes before removing them," he said. Cobras smell "rotten", he said. "But the smell of a python is much stronger. Sometimes we even vomit when we bring it into the ambulance." - 'Compassion' - Through their online videos and growing fame, the Shwe Metta team hope to encourage people to be more compassionate towards the slithering reptiles -- especially if one turns up in their house. "In the past people... used to kill snakes whenever they found them," said Shwe Lei. "But they have more knowledge and they know we can release snakes back into the wild. So they call us to capture and remove them." The rescued snakes are kept under observation in a nearby monastery until there are enough of them to justify a journey into the bush to release them. In late March, the team walked into the sweltering backwoods of the Bago Yoma hills, 150 kilometres (90 miles) north of Yangon, on such a journey. Each member carried a python in a bag slung over their shoulder until they reached a suitable spot to release it. A few of the dazed reptiles needed gentle prods to get going, but after weeks in a cage and a five-hour car journey, Shwe Lei sympathised. "Nobody likes the feeling of being locked up," she said after the last one had slithered off -- hopefully not to return to the human world for a long time. "I feel happy releasing the snakes... from the point of view of compassion for each other, it is satisfying." lmg-lpk-rma/pdw/mca/aha An Etowah County man pleaded guilty on Tuesday in a multimillion-dollar kickback and health care fraud case, according to a news release from Prim Escalona, the U.S. Attorney for Alabamas Northern District. David Lyle Shehi, 42, of Rainbow City entered the plea before Chief U.S. District Judge L. Scott Coogler on charges of conspiracy to pay kickbacks and commit health care fraud. The maximum penalty for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and receive kickbacks is five years in prison. According to the plea agreement in the case, the news release reported, Shehi conspired with others to commit health care fraud and receive kickbacks in exchange for his pain management clinic in Rainbow City, Etowah Pain, ordering items that would be billed to Medicare and other health insurers. Among those services was electro-diagnostic testing provided by QBR, or Diagnostic Referral Community, based in Huntsville. Shehi in his plea agreement admitted to receiving a per-patient fee for tests ordered by QBR and subsequently reimbursed by insurance. Those payments were disguised as hourly payments for the ordering physicians time and their staffs time. Dr. Eric Beck, 64, of Huntsville was sentenced by Coogler on Wednesday to 15 months in prison. He pleaded guilty last year to health care fraud consipracy for his involvement in the QBR scheme. And John Alan Robson, 40, of Trussville, was indicted in February in a related case for health care fraud conspiracy, kickback conspiracy, and kickbacks. All those cases were related to several other cases that have produced convictions, according to the news release. John Hornbuckle, 53, of Huntsville, QBRs former chief executive officer, pleaded guilty to health care fraud and kickback conspiracy for orchestrating the fraud. Hes been sentenced to 80 months in prison. James Ewing Ray, 52, of Gadsden, pleaded guilty to health care fraud and kickback conspiracy. As a sales representative, he marketed QBRs scheme to Shehi and other medical practices and received kickbacks for each test ordered. Hes awaiting sentencing. Story continues A jury in March 2022 convicted Dr. Mark Murphy, 66, and his wife Jennifer Murphy, 66, both of Lewisburg, Tennessee, on drug distribution, fraud and kickback charges. They were each sentenced to 20 years in prison. The Murphys operated North Alabama Pain Services, according to the news release, which closed its Decatur and Madison offices in 2017. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, they took kickbacks from QBR totaling more than $1 million, in return for Dr. Murphy ordering electro-diagnostic tests from QBR for his patients, regardless of the need. He also pre-signed prescriptions for expensive specialty topical creams, sprays and patches, which patients then received whether they wanted them or not. The Murphys co-defendant, Brian Bowman, 42, of Gadsden, pleaded guilty before their trial to health care fraud conspiracy. He admitted marketing QBRs electro-diagnostic testing to medical providers and receiving a fee from the company for each test they ordered, netting nearly $1 million. Bowman also admitted marketed high-reimbursing specialty prescription drugs to the Murphys and other providers, and receiving payments for the prescriptions he generated. He is awaiting sentencing. The FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys J.B. Ward and Don Long prosecuted it. This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Rainbow City man enters guilty plea in kickback, fraud case This photo taken with mobile phone shows a burnt train in Sukkur, south Pakistan, April 27, 2023. Two people were killed and four others went missing after a passenger train caught fire in Pakistan's southern Sindh province in the wee hours of Thursday morning, the Pakistan Railways said in a statement. (Str/Xinhua) ISLAMABAD, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Two people were killed and four others went missing after a passenger train caught fire in Pakistan's southern Sindh province in the wee hours of Thursday morning, the Pakistan Railways said in a statement. The fire erupted in the business class bogey of the Karachi Express, which was heading towards Sindh's provincial capital Karachi from east Punjab province, at 12:30 a.m. local time and the driver immediately pulled it over near a village, the statement said. One of the passengers, a 40-year-old woman, jumped off the train to escape the fire and received fatal wounds, while the other deceased has not been identified yet, the Pakistan Railways said. Four people went missing after the blaze and they are being searched in the bogey. It took firefighters 40 minutes to douse the fire, and the train resumed its journey at 6:45 a.m. after the removal of the affected bogey, the statement added. An investigation into the incident has been launched, and a special team from Pakistan Railways' headquarters in Islamabad has left for the site to probe the cause of the accident, said the statement. Fight the fear Besides the fact that it should never have happened and we feel sorry for Ralph Yarl, and think his shooter should be punished, the bottom line is that the accused man appears to be afraid of Black people. This is the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about. I imagine the mans family probably moved to Clay County to get away from Kansas City, like a lot of folks did in the 1960s and 70s. We cant fix this problem until we change this perception of fear. You have the ear of the people. Do what you can. I was raised in Kansas City, but Im not as proud of it as I once was. - Kirk Tucker, Macks Creek, Missouri Missed opportunity Stacey Graves, Kansas Citys new police chief, blew a chance to build community trust when she issued a nonsense reason for delaying charges in the Ralph Yarl shooting: Police had to wait for a statement from the victim. (April 22, 1A, Parson accuses Biden of politicizing Yarl shooting) Really? How does that work in cases when the victim is dead? - Ken Nelson, Kansas City For children The child tax credit should be expanded to make a difference in the lives of young single mothers. Many of them work two jobs to make ends meet but still struggle to meet basic needs. Notwithstanding their best efforts, they must decide which expenses to prioritize monthly. These moms, like many working-class Americans, are between a rock and a hard place in managing resources to support their children. These families could benefit from an expanded CTC. While the current CTC has helped keep many Americans above the poverty line, millions of families are still in the cold. In Missouri, 34% of children living in rural areas are ineligible for the full CTC, compared with 27% of children statewide. Therefore, I urge members of Congress, including Sens. Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt, to work across the aisle in expanding the child tax credit to support working-class families and reduce child poverty. - Kolawole Arowoogun, Rolla Story continues Legalizing hate If operatives with the Independent Womens Forum the outside organization meddling in Kansas politics to pass draconian anti-transgender legislation truly cared about which restrooms people use, they would include legal protections for the men and women who would be forced to use facilities for the gender opposite from how they live and present themselves. There are proportionally far more sexual assaults on trans people than on cisgender people in any setting. And when transgender and gender-nonbinary teens are prevented from using restrooms that match their gender identities, they are at even greater risk of sexual assault. The legislation that Gov. Laura Kelly rightly vetoed would force the tiny minority of transgender Kansans to choose between complying with the law and placing themselves at physical risk. This must fail. The ironically named womens bill of rights is nothing more than hate with a PR budget. - Tepring Crocker, Overland Park Keep perspective In the last few weeks, The Kansas City Star has covered a 15-year-old who killed another teenager in a middle school bathroom, a man shot and killed while traveling on Interstate 70 near Oak Grove, and now a teen shot after going to the wrong home. Another story last fall concerned a firefighter shot in the back by the girlfriend of a convicted felon who pulled a gun. It is worth remembering that criminal charges and plea deals are at the discretion of a prosecutor, not the victims family. If charges are filed, they are accusations, not evidence of a crime. And the accused, no matter who they are, have a right to counsel and a presumption of innocence until proved guilty. In my view, it is also worth remembering that the court of public opinion, while essential, must not become the court of law. - Clyde Waltermate, Raytown If you are a survivor of sexual assault, RAINN offers support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE & online.rainn.org). E. Jean Carroll reiterated Thursday her allegation that Donald Trump raped her even as she faced cross-examination by Trump's attorney. When attorney Joseph Tacopina at one point used the word "supposedly," Carroll responded: Not supposedly. I was raped." The cross-examination over an alleged 1996 incident dominated the third day of the defamation trial against Trump. The trial:A New York jury considers whether Donald Trump raped and defamed E. Jean Carroll The allegation:'I'm here because Donald Trump raped me': E. Jean Carroll testifies; Trump attacks The case could go to the jury next week. 'That's your version' Tacopina spent the day challenging Carroll's credibility, stressing that she waited decades before making these allegations in a 2019 memoir. He suggested book money and electoral politics as motives for Carroll's claims against the former president. Thats your version, Ms. Carroll, that you were raped, Tacopina said at one point. Who is E. Jean Carroll? Trump's accuser was a trailblazing journalist before her defamation trial against the former president. 'Those are the facts' Carroll stuck to her testimony from Wednesday, when she told the court that she filed the lawsuit "because Donald Trump raped me, and when I wrote about it, he said it didnt happen. A professional writer known in New York social circles, Carroll said Trump forced himself upon her when a flirty conversation turned violent following a chance meeting at a Midtown department store. Magazine Columnist E. Jean Carroll arrives for the third day of her civil trial against former President Donald Trump at Manhattan Federal Court on April 27, 2023 in New York City. Carroll said she remained silent about the attack for years because she feared retribution from the celebrity businessman with high-powered friends. When Tacopina noted that Carroll admitted to not screaming during the attack, she replied: "Im telling you, he raped me whether I screamed or not." Story continues Responding to the attorney's jibe about her "version," Carroll replied: "Those are the facts." Defamation Carroll filed a civil suit against Trump for defamation, claiming he defamed her by lying about their encounter. The plaintiff's attorneys are expected to call friends of Carroll who spoke with her after the 1996 encounter with Trump. Trump is not expected to attend the trial, which is expected to extend into next week. No comment from Trump The former president did not comment on the Carroll trial Thursday, either online or at a 2024 campaign event in New Hampshire. On Wednesday, he criticized Carroll and the trial itself in social media posts that drew an admonition from the judge. Trump's attorneys said they would speak with their client about not commenting on the trial. In this courtroom sketch, in Federal Court, in New York, Thursday, April 27, 2023, E. Jean Carroll, center, testifies on the witness stand as a photo of her and Donald Trump, along with his wife Ivana and Carroll's former husband, is shown on a screen. The photo was taken prior to the alleged assault. The jury is in the foreground. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rape accuser E. Jean Carroll cross-examined by Donald Trump's lawyer Rapper MoneySign Suede was fatally stabbed in a California prison, authorities announced Wednesday. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in a statement that the artist, whose real name is Jaime Brugada Valdez, was not accounted for when Correctional Training Facility officers checked his cell during a nighttime count on Tuesday. The 22-year-old was found unresponsive in another area of the housing unit "with injuries consistent with a homicide," authorities said. Staff attempted to revive him, but he died at the prison medical facility. Authorities did not reveal his injuries in the statement. Authorities say Jaime Brugada Valdez, also known as rapper MoneySign Suede, was killed in prison. / Credit: The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation However, his attorney Nicholas Rosenberg told the Los Angeles Times that officials said his death was "a stabbing to the neck." Rosenberg also said the rapper was previously attacked before Tuesday's incident. His death is under investigation. Last December, Valdez was sentenced in Riverside County to serve two years and eight months for possession/owning firearm by felon or addict as a second-striker, according to officals. He was also serving a one-year, four-month sentence for possession/owning firearm with conviction of a violent felony, that was being served concurrently with his first conviction. The rapper signed with Atlantic Records in 2021, according to the Los Angeles Times. Valdez, who is from Huntington Park, California, had more than 230,000 followers on Instagram and had more than 230,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. He released his most recent album "Parkside Baby" last year. Woman whose claims led to Emmett Till's lynching dies at 88 Active shooter incidents decreased in 2022, FBI says U.S. to develop new processing centers for migrants in Latin America Jerry Springer, a former reality TV celebrity, Cincinnati mayor and lawyer, has died at 79. Widely known for his syndicated talk show, The Jerry Springer Show, he captivated daytime television viewers for 26 years. Springer has owned a home in Sarasotas Bird Key since 2000, when he and his wife were looking to leave Cincinnati for somewhere near the water. When she hit upon Sarasota, she said, Oh my gosh, its beautiful here! She picked out 10 houses, and I flew down to spend the day looking at her choices. The 10th house was the one, and we loved it. Weve been here for 17 years now, and we thoroughly love it were right on the water, and its great, Springer said in a 2015 interview with Premier Sothebys Realty. He also said the house is their primary residence, and they enjoyed going to St. Armands Circle, downtown restaurants and the opera. His favorite beach was Lido, where he said he enjoyed walking along the sand rather than sunbathing. Springer said then that he spends a lot of time between Sarasota and Chicago because his daughter and grandson still live there, but said, Sarasota is our home. Springer died in Chicago on Thursday following a brief illness, according to People magazine. Need a laugh? The first Red Bank Comedy Festival takes place Thursday to Saturday at four venues around town. The festival is headlined by renowned comedians Bonnie McFarlane, Shuli Egar and Aaron Berg. McFarlane has performed on late-night talk shows as well as HBO and Comedy Central. Her biography, "You're Better Than Me," will soon be a television series. She has a podcast with her husband, Rich Vos, titled "My Wife Hates Me." Egar is a writer, producer, and on-air correspondent for "The Howard Stern Show." Shuli released a double album in 2019 called Shulogy. Bergs documentary about stand-up comedy in New York City, 25 Sets," is available on Amazon. He has appeared on Comedy Central and the DC comics feature film "The Kitchen." Other featured comics are: JL Cauvin, Tyler Morrison, Ken Krantz, Chris Clarke, Jason Andors, Chris Covert, Dino Vigo, Dave Lester, KP Burke, Grady Pruitt, Mike Keegan, Mike Sicoli, Mike Hunt, Jess Alaimo, Jay Nog, Kunal C. Arora and John Moses. The Red Bank Comedy Festival runs Thursday to Saturday. The festival will also feature live podcasts and after-parties. An all-access pass is $50, which includes access to all five shows, two live podcasts, and admission to any after-parties. Go: Red Bank Comedy Festival, Thursday, April 27, to Saturday, April 29, various venues, Red Bank; tickets and more information available at 732-413-5529, RedBankComedyFest.com. Broadway comes to Congregation Bnai Israel in Toms River Congregation Bnai Israel in Toms River is hosting Bimah to Broadway at 2 p.m. Sunday, a concert featuring showtunes with Jewish roots. Among the songs are Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better) from Annie Get Your Gun, written by Irving Berlin; and Suddenly Seymour from Little Shop of Horrors, composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by Howard Ashman. ongregation Bnai Israel in Toms River is hosting Bimah to Broadway at 2 p.m. Sunday, a concert featuring showtunes with Jewish roots. CBIs Cantor Jake Greenberg will perform. CBIs Cantor Jake Greenberg will perform, along with guest cantors Daniella Risman of the Emanuel Synagogue, West Hartford, Connecticut; and Mira Davis of the Park Avenue Synagogue in New York City. They will be joined by Cantor Daniel Green and Cantor Ruth Katz Green, as well as members of the synagogue and students. Story continues The annual event will benefit the Cantor Daniel Green Ramah-Youth Scholarship Fund, which assists CBIs children and teens in pursuing summer Jewish experiences, including camps. Tickets are $18, free for children up to age 18. Go: "Bimah to Broadway," 2 p.m. Sunday, April 30, Congregation B'nai Israel, 1488 Old Freehold Road, Toms River, $18, free for 18 and younger; 732-349-1244. 'Be YourSELF' at Bell Works "Be YourSELF" takes place Friday at Bell Works. On Friday night, more than 150 middle- and high-school teens from throughout Monmouth County will gather at Bell Works in Holmdel for "Be YourSELF." A gathering of young artists, musicians and creative minds, this night of encouragement, appreciation, and uniting "heARTs" will feature "SELF Stations" (including photo booth, T-shirt designing, makeovers and more), along with SELF Expression musical performances that allow teens to showcase their skills on stage. Refreshments and swag bags will be provided. Families are welcome to attend. This free event is made possible by a suicide prevention grant from the Monmouth County Department of Human Services awarded to the Mental Health Association of Monmouth County, the YMCA of Greater Monmouth County, and the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide. Go: "Be YourSELF," 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, April 28, Bell Works, Crawfords Corner Road, Holmdel, free; 732-542-6422, mentalhealthmonmouth.org. Crawfish Friday at the R Bar This warm weather marks the start of crawfish season for the folks over at the beloved R Bar in Asbury Park. Every Friday, the bar is boiling up some crawfish (or crawdads) from 3 p.m. until whenever they're gone. Happy Hour takes place from 3 to 6 p.m., with $3 mini martinis, $3 Narragansett and Guinness, $5 Tito's Vodka drinks and $5 select wine glasses. Go: 1114 Main St, Asbury Park; 732-776-7463, itsrbar.com. Artists with disabilities featured at Monmouth Museum Gibson-Les Paul Sunburst by Chris Palmer, part of "For Art's Sake" at Monmouth Museum. Chris Palmer of Hillsborough has an amazing memory for pop culture and history. Palmer paints and draws, and his inspiration can come from music, comic book heroes, or movie and television characters. Jasmine Oliver of New Brunswick pulls her inspiration from the worlds of fashion, cartoon characters and music. She likes to mix colors and has an eye for detail, especially when it comes to drawing her favorite cartoons. Palmer and Oliver are two of 20 visual artists whose work will be shown at For Arts Sake, an exhibit of acrylic paintings and drawings on display at the Monmouth Museum in Lincroft from Friday through June 4. A free reception takes place from 1 to 3 p.m. on Sunday. The artists are participants in the Matheny Medical and Educational Centers Arts Access Program, which provides individuals with disabilities the freedom to create in the visual, literary and performing arts. Go: "For Art's Sake," Friday, April 28, through Sunday, June 4, Monmouth Museum, 765 Newman Springs Road, Brookdale Community College, Lincroft; artsaccessprogram.org or monmouthmuseum.org/nilsongallery. Reception takes place at the museum from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, April 30. For more information about Arts Access, contact Julia Halsey at 908-234-0011, ext. 1765, or julia@artsaccessprogram.org. The HillBenders present 'WhoGrass' at Grunin Center The HillBenders present a bluegrass take on The Who Friday at Grunin Center for the Arts. Award-winning bluegrass meets classic rock as the HillBenders present "WhoGrass" at 8 p.m. Friday at Grunin Center for the Arts in Toms River. WhoGrass is a chronological journey of The Whos legendary catalog through the wood and wire of bluegrass instrumentation. A follow-up to "TOMMY: A Bluegrass Opry," The HillBenders critically acclaimed 2015 acoustic interpretation of The Whos Tommy, WhoGrass gives the audience a career-spanning twist on one of rock and rolls greatest bands. Tickets are $35. Go: "WhoGrass," 8 p.m. Friday, April 28, Grunin Center for the Arts, 1 College Drive, $35; 732-255-0500, grunincenter.org. 'Legally Blonde' in New Brunswick "Legally Blonde - The Musical" comes to the State Theatre in New Brunswick this weekend. Things are groovy for Elle Woods, but suddenly her life is turned upside down when her boyfriend dumps her so he can start getting more serious about his life and attend Harvard Law. Determined to get him back, Elle uses her brain and ingenuity to also get admitted to Harvard. School begins with endless struggles, but with the help of her new friends, Elle quickly realizes her potential and her strengths, as she sets out to change the narrative. "Legally Blonde The Musical" comes to the State Theatre in New Brunswick this weekend. Based on the iconic movie, the show follows the transformation of Elle (played by New Jersey's Hannah Bonnet) as she tackles stereotypes, sexism, snobbery and scandal in pursuit of her dreams. Tickets range from $40 to $98. Go: "Legally Blonde - The Musical," 8 p.m. Friday, April 28, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, April 29, and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 30, State Theatre New Jersey, 15 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick, $40 to $98; 732-246-7469, stnj.org. BTS solo tour Members of BTS ( V (from left), Jungkook, Jimin, RM, Jin, J-Hope, and Suga) join White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre during the daily briefing at the White House May 31, 2022, in Washington D.C. Whos Suga and why is he so popular? Hes a member of the K-Pop breakout band BTS who raps and produces. Hes also the first member of the group to venture forth on a solo tour, which comes to Prudential Center in Newark on Saturday. Suga has just released his first solo album, D-Day, under his Agust D alias. Go: Suga, 8 p.m. Saturday, April 29, Prudential Center, 25 Lafayette St., Newark, tickets start at $200 on secondary market; prucenter.com. This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jersey Shore events include Red Bank Comedy Festival, concert The remains of a Medal of Honor recipient killed during the Korean War have been identified, the United States and South Korea announced in a joint statement Wednesday. Army Corporal Luther H. Story of Buena Vista, Georgia, was declared missing after a battle on Sept. 1, 1950 around Pusan and Yeongsan, South Korea, where he displayed conspicuous bravery during intense combat." "The supreme sacrifice and heroism of Corporal Luther Story is illustrative of the freedom, security, and prosperity the South Korean people have today," the statement said. Corporal Story was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the nations highest award, in 1951 for his heroic actions during the battle. When last seen he was firing every weapon available and fighting off another hostile assault, U.S. officials said. President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden, South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee visit the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. In June 2021, scientists began inspecting the remains of 652 people killed in the Korean War. The scientists used dental, anthropological and DNA analysis to identify Story's remains. Both countries will continue to identify service members who are missing. About 54,000 Americans died in the war. President Joe Biden welcomed South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to the White House Wednesday to mark the 70th anniversary of the alliance between the two countries. More coverage from USA TODAY This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Remains of Korean War Medal of Honor recipient ID'd after 73 years Law enforcement officers arrived at the scene of the incident The remains of the military object were found near the town of Zamosc, about 15 km from Bydgoszcz. "The situation does not threaten the safety of residents," the statement reads. Police officers, military officers, and sappers are investigating the site. News outlet RMF FM, citing sources, reported that it was probably an air-to-ground missile. Read also: Poland uncovers covert Russian cyber intelligence program The object was discovered on April 25, but it probably fell some time ago. The wreckage reportedly has inscriptions in Russian, which may indicate a Soviet-made weapon. It is also allegedly missing a warhead and lacks a combat unit. Polands MiG-29s use Soviet missiles, and a missile potentially fired during an exercise could have gone off course for some reason, said General Roman Polko. Read also: IRC in Poland launches new social campaign for Ukrainian refugees There is no reason to believe, at this time, that the missile was fired from the East. A missile killed two Polish civilians near the Polish border town of Przewodow in the Lublin Voivodeship on Nov. 15, during a massive Russian air attack on Ukraines civilian infrastructure. More than 90 Russian missiles were fired at Ukraine's critical infrastructure that day. At the time, Polish President Andrzej Duda said that the incident showed no signs of a deliberate attack, and that the missile could have belonged to Ukrainian air defense units. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asserted that, according to the Ukrainian military, the missile that fell in Poland was not Ukrainian. Ukrainian experts were admitted to the crash site on Nov. 17. The international community blamed Russia for the incident. 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 Fort Lee, an Army base in Virginia named after a Confederate general, was renamed on Thursday as Fort Gregg-Adams to honor Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams, two Black officers who served in the U.S. Army. At 94 years old, Gregg is the only living person in the Armys history to have a base named after him, according to the U.S. Army. Gregg gave more than three decades of his life to the military and became a three-star general during his service. Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams. (Photo illustration: Jack Forbes/Yahoo News; photos: U.S. Army [2], Bettmann Collection via Getty Images) Im grateful to all. I hope that this community will look with pride on the name Fort Gregg-Adams and that the name will instill pride in every soldier entering our mighty gates, Gregg said during the redesignation ceremony on Thursday. The base will be jointly named for Adams, who was the first Black officer in the Womens Army Auxiliary Corps (later the Womens Army Corps). Adams, in foreground, and Capt. Abbie N. Campbell inspect a contingent of the Women's Army Corps shortly after their arrival in England on Feb. 15, 1945. (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration) We are deeply honored to have Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams as the new namesakes for our installation, Maj. Gen. Mark Simerly, senior commander of Fort Lee, said in a statement. The fort is one of nine Army installations that will be renamed this year. Right now, some of these names represent people who dont represent American values and people who fought to preserve the institution of slavery, Raff Donelson, an associate professor at the Chicago-Kent College of Law, told Yahoo News. In 2021, Congress created the Naming Commission under the National Defense Authorization Act, following the civil unrest after the murder of George Floyd. Then-President Donald Trump initially vetoed the legislation. The act includes provisions that fail to respect our veterans and our militarys history, Trump said in a veto message to Congress in December 2020. From these facilities, we have won two World Wars. I have been clear in my opposition to politically motivated attempts like this to wash away history and to dishonor the immense progress our country has fought for in realizing our founding principles. Story continues Despite Trumps opposition, Congress overrode his veto and created a commission of eight individuals who were tasked with recommending the removal of all Defense Department property that commemorated people who fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War. Gregg at Fort Lee in February. (T. Anthony Bell/U.S. Army) Kori Schake, a member of the naming commission and the director of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, told Yahoo News that the commission found over 10,000 items that fit the requirements for removal. Its the legacy of slavery, Schake said. Defense Department swimming pools, apartment buildings, streets and other properties named for people who voluntarily served in the Confederacy. However, Schake says the commission couldnt prioritize all 10,000 items because it was on a strict deadline of about 18 months to complete its recommendations. We focused on the Army bases and two Navy ships, and then also released a report explaining our findings and a list of about 100 particularly well-qualified and vetted people that we would recommend that they consider [as replacements], Schake said. The final report recommended name changes that were estimated to cost over $60 million, including the renaming of the nine Army installations, which was estimated to cost $21 million. Adams in 1943. (United States Army/Heritage Images via Getty Images) But recently, the cost to rename the nine Army bases has increased to $39 million. The Army is trying to solve the funding piece, and were trying to solve it internally, Lt. Gen. Kevin Vereen told a House Appropriations Committee at a budget hearing, American Military News reported. Well take the funds from the [Defense] Department. Though the cost has raised some concerns, experts say these changes are invaluable. It may cost $40 million to do the renaming just of the bases and things related to the bases, [but] that is a drop in the bucket of the Department of Defenses budget, Donelson said. While $40 million may seem like a lot, $40 million out of the $842 billion that the Department of Defense recently requested for its budget is far less than 1%. Its far less than a half percent. Its only 1,000th of a percent. The nine bases that will receive new names are Forts A.P. Hill, Bragg, Benning, Gordon, Hood, Lee, Pickett, Polk and Rucker. Many of the bases were named after traitors, Confederate military leaders who betrayed our country, betrayed the Constitution and had no right to have any military base named after them, Domingo Garcia, national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, told Yahoo News. A sign marks an entrance to Fort Lee in 2021. (Steve Helber/AP) Now experts say the bases will be named after American heroes. The naming commission held hearings across the country for the public to recommend new names for the bases. I addressed the commission and pushed for the renaming of Fort Hood for Gen. Cavazos, the first four-star Latino general, a hero of the Korean War, decorated veteran, and who had served as a commander at Fort Hood, Garcia said. The commission accepted the recommendation, and Fort Hood will be renamed on May 9. As buildings and monuments across the country lose their ties to the Confederacy, experts say the military is one step closer to reflecting an America that includes the rich diversity of the people who serve in our armies and our military, and those who have fought and served this country in the past, Garcia said. But according to a 2020 Washington Post poll, 52% of Americans are against removing public statues that honor Confederate generals. Similarly, a Morning Consult/Politico poll of registered voters in July 2021 found that 51% of voters believe such statues should not be removed. Yet the American landscape is changing; 48 Confederate symbols were removed, renamed or relocated in 2022, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). In addition, three Army bases Forts Lee and Pickett in Virginia and Fort Rucker in Alabama have been renamed. The main gate at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2013. (Tony Gutierrez/AP Photo) It is embarrassing that our country ever had military bases named after men who waged war against the United States to maintain slavery and white supremacy, Rivka Maizlish, senior research analyst for the SPLCs Intelligence Project, told Yahoo News. Service men and women of color should not have to endure these racist symbols, and no American should be asked to serve a country that celebrates treason, slavery and white supremacy. The naming commission has set a January 2024 deadline for the military to remove all recommended items that commemorate the Confederacy. Why must it take so long to do whats right? There is no cause for further delay. The time for swift action is now, Maizlish said. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., spoke about the connection between anti-China rhetoric and anti-Asian violence at a launch event Wednesday for a new institute dedicated to the late Vincent Chin. Already, Asian Americans have been suffering three years of anti-Asian hate due to Trump calling Covid-19 China virus and kung flu, she said. But now, the rhetoric and tension about the U.S.-China relationship comes on top of that, potentially escalating that violence. Today, the focus has shifted to extremists engaging in racial profiling of Chinese Americans. The Vincent Chin Institute aims to end anti-Asian hate in the U.S. and advance education on Asian American issues. Its named after a Chinese American man murdered in 1982 by two white auto workers who blamed Asians for layoffs in the industry. Advocates say his death the spurred a movement that became a watershed moment in the history of Asian American civil rights. Today, over 40 years later, what we learned is that the rhetoric used around economic competition with Asian countries can result in harm and even murder of Asian Americans here at home, Chu said. Portrait photo of Vincent Chin (Bettmann Archive / Getty Images) Chu, the first Chinese American elected to Congress and the chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, addressed racist vitriol she has experienced from her colleagues in the House of Representatives. Even I have been accused by extremist right-wing Republican congressmen, in particular this one from Texas, of being a spy for China, she said. Earlier this year, GOP Rep. Lance Gooden of Texas publicly questioned Chus loyalty to the U.S., saying, Im really disappointed and shocked that someone like Judy Chu would have a security clearance. At the launch event, the congresswoman from California cited this experience as an example of why organizations like the Vincent Chin Institute are necessary. With education materials available in several Asian languages, she foresees it making an impact. Ill never forget learning about Vincent Chin, Chu said. Im beyond confident that the legacy of the Vincent Chin Institute will be extensive. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com El Paso will play a prominent role in President Joe Biden's 2024 reelection campaign with U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar on his team. Biden on Tuesday announced plans to run for reelection and Escobar, D-El Paso, will be among those leading his campaign as a national co-chair on the president's reelection committee. Escobar said Wednesday that Biden called her over the weekend to discuss his campaign, but she never guessed he would call to offer her a top position on the team. "I was floored," Escobar said, "but obviously honored, thrilled and excited when the president called me on Sunday. I had no idea I was even being considered." In addition to Escobar, the Biden campaigns national co-chairs are U.S. Reps. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., and Jim Clyburn, D-S.C.; U.S. Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del., and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.; Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Jeffrey Katzenberg, the former CEO of DreamWorks. Julie Chavez Rodriguez will be campaign manager, The Hill reported. U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, speaks at Jaime Esparza's swearing-in ceremony as the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas on April 21 at the Albert Armendariz Sr. U.S. Courthouse in El Paso. "I feel incredibly privileged to be among this group," Escobar said, noting her job like that of her colleagues will mirror any other campaign for public office: raise money, talk to voters and devise the campaign's messaging and strategy, which will likely lean hard on hallmark issues for Democrats such as gun control, climate change and women's reproductive rights. Border issues, Hispanic voters and Biden's top priorities Escobar's prominent placement on Biden's reelection team creates a valuable opportunity for the priorities of Hispanic voters to be front and center in his campaign, but the congresswoman believes the president will discuss much more along the campaign trail. "I think for certain I will be a key voice on the border and border issues and immigration," Escobar said. "But many of the conversations I've had with President Biden have involved much more than just the border and immigration." Story continues What is Title 42, when does it expire? How does it impact border? What to know In those discussions, Escobar said the conversation often veered toward environmental issues, such as stemming the threat of climate change and preserving public lands. "He knows my passion for preserving open spaces and addressing climate issues," Escobar said, noting the recent designation of Castner Range as a national monument. Another topic of conversation has often been the rising tide of gun violence across the country and how to prevent it, the rollback of women's reproductive rights and, key to El Paso, innovation, trade and the economy. "El Paso is a key economic artery for our country," Escobar said. "We are innovating around aerospace engineering and ... manufacturing. I hope when the president thinks about El Paso and my work ... that he thinks about that multifaceted aspect of what our community really is." More: UTEP-led coalition wins $40M grant to grow aerospace, defense manufacturing in region "I have always talked about the need to ensure Latino voters are considered," she continued, noting that Hispanic voters will be a key demographic to the president's reelection bid. "But our issues are not just immigration issues; they are wide ranging." Beating back primary challengers and a possible rematch of 2020 A handful of primary challengers already have emerged to challenge Biden for the Democratic Party's nomination self-help author Marianne Williamson, who first ran in 2020, and attorney Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have both announced bids for the nomination but Escobar said she is "not at all worried" about the prospects of a contender unseating Biden. "I think, while he has primary opponents, the president also has an incredible record to run on that is unrivaled," Escobar said, adding that Biden has pushed bipartisan legislation across the finish line that will be "transformative for our country in the most positive way." The real work starts once the president has secured his party's nomination, Escobar said. "Then we will take on whatever extremist the Republican Party decides to put on the ballot," she said, noting that among the already announced candidates up for the Republican Party's nomination is former President Donald Trump, which sets up the possibility of a rematch of the 2020 political battle between Biden and the ousted Republican. "Whether it is Donald Trump or a generic version of Donald Trump, Trumpism will probably prevail through the nomination process." President Joe Biden is followed by U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, after landing Jan. 8 at the El Paso International Airport aboard Air Force One. Contrast between two political parties' agendas "While I would love a reasonable Republican Party because I think that's important for the betterment of our country ... the current Republican Party is controlled by extremists," Escobar continued. "That's certainly true in Congress and it's certainly true for the nominees." Escobar blasted Republicans for putting the National Rifle Association and gun owners ahead of children, for seeking a national abortion ban even in cases of rape, incest or when the mother's life is at risk, and for seeking to defund the FBI. But those extreme positions, she said, create an avenue for Democrats to draw stark contrast between the two parties' agendas. "They could not be more radical or extreme," Escobar said. "I know that as soon as they've chosen their nominee, we will do everything possible to draw the distinction between their extremism and the dangers and risks they pose to our safety and democracy versus the experience, compassion and strategic leadership of President Biden." 'Let's finish the job': President Joe Biden announces much awaited 2024 reelection bid Escobar has no plans to seek higher office While Escobar's post as a national co-chair to an incumbent president's reelection campaign will inevitably raise her profile as a key figure in American politics, the two-term congresswoman has no intentions of running for a higher position, either in the U.S. Senate or the Texas governor's office. "I am single-mindedly focused on President Biden's reelection and my own reelection to the House of Representatives," Escobar said. Still, she understands that her dual mission will be a rigid needle to thread while traveling with Biden and then acting as a surrogate for his campaign when not traveling alongside the president. "I'm definitely planning on being on the ballot in March and hope to win the Democratic nomination in El Paso and hope to be on the ballot in November," Escobar said. "I have never taken my election for granted." Escobar said she plans to do what she's always done: launch robust outreach, get-out-the-vote efforts, and listen to the community she serves. "Nothing is going to change that," she said. "This just means I'm going to need to do a lot more balancing." This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: President Biden adds US Rep. Veronica Escobar to 2024 reelection team MANILA, April 27 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Thursday that 74 Filipino citizens caught in the fierce fighting in Sudan have crossed the border and are now in Egypt. "More buses of Filipino evacuees are expected," spokeswoman Teresita Daza said in a statement, without elaborating. Daza said that Philippine Ambassador to Egypt Ezzedin Tago welcomed the first batch of 51 Filipino evacuees at Egypt's Argeen border. Aside from the 51 Filipinos at the border, Foreign Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said in a television interview that 23 other Filipinos also left Sudan's capital Khartoum and reached another Sudan-Egypt border. The official said they were still working for the exit of more Filipinos who want to leave Sudan. "We hope that the ceasefire will be extended so we can evacuate them safely," he added. The DFA said there are at least 740 Filipinos in Sudan, and the majority are professionals. CAIRO (AP) Armed fighters rampaged through a city in Sudans war-ravaged region of Darfur on Thursday, battling each other and looting shops and homes, residents said. The violence came despite the extension of a fragile truce between Sudan's two top generals, whose power struggle has killed hundreds. The mayhem in the Darfur city of Genena pointed to how the rival generals fight for control in the capital, Khartoum, was spiraling into violence in other parts of Sudan. The two sides accepted a 72-hour extension of the truce late Thursday. The cease-fire has not stopped the fighting but created enough of a lull for tens of thousands of Sudanese to flee to safer areas and for foreign nations to evacuate thousands of their citizens by land, air and sea. The cease-fire has brought a significant easing of fighting in Khartoum and its neighboring city Omdurman for the first time since the military and a rival paramilitary force began clashing on April 15, turning residential neighborhoods into battlegrounds. Both the military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, said that they accepted the extension of the truce. But explosions and heavy gunfire could be heard in at least one Khartoum neighborhood late Thursday. The U.S. State Department released a statement welcoming the cease-fire and the two sides' readiness to engage in dialogue toward establishing a more durable cessation of hostilities and ensuring unimpeded humanitarian access. The joint statement named a wide array of mediators, including the African Union, an eight-nation East Africa bloc, the U.N., Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the U.K. and the U.S. It highlighted the breadth of international peace efforts, which have thus far failed to end the fighting. The White House meanwhile encouraged Americans to take advantage of any opportunity to leave Sudan in the next 24 to 48 hours, even as Washington has faced criticism for not mounting the kind of mass evacuation of its citizens already carried out by other nations. Story continues We are working continuously to create options for American citizens to leave Sudan, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, warning that the situation could deteriorate at any moment. A U.S. defense official said three U.S. Navy vessels were approaching the Sudanese coast but none had received orders as yet to pick up citizens or other personnel. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing military operations. British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly urged U.K. nationals who want to leave to get to an airfield north of Khartoum for evacuation flights. The situation could deteriorate over the coming days," he warned. Britain said it has evacuated 897 people on eight flights to Cyprus, with operations continuing. The fighting has continued in some parts of the capital despite the truce, and in the western region of Darfur, residents said the violence had escalated to its worst yet. Darfur has been a battleground between the military and the paramilitary RSF since the conflict began nearly two weeks ago. Residents said the fighting in Genena was now dragging in tribal militias, tapping into longtime hatreds between the regions two main communities one that identifies as Arab, the other as East or Central African. In the early 2000s, African tribes in Darfur that had long complained of discrimination rebelled against the Khartoum government, which responded with a military campaign that the International Criminal Court later said amounted to genocide. State-backed Arab militias known as the Janjaweed were accused of widespread killings, rapes and other atrocities. The Janjaweed later evolved into the RSF. Early Thursday, fighters who mostly wore RSF uniforms attacked several neighborhoods across Genena, driving many families from their homes. The violence spiraled as tribal fighters joining the fray in Genena, a city of around half a million people located near the border with Chad. The attacks come from all directions, said Amany, a Genena resident who asked to withhold her family name for her safety. All are fleeing. It was often unclear who was fighting whom, with a mix of RSF and tribal militias some allies of the RSF, some opponents all running rampant. The military has largely withdrawn to its barracks, staying out of the clashes, and residents were taking up arms to defend themselves, said Dr. Salah Tour, a board member of the Doctors Syndicate in the West Darfur province, of which Genena is the capital. The syndicate estimated that dozens of people were killed and hundreds wounded. Almost all of Genenas medical facilities, including its main hospital, have been out of service for days, and the sole functioning hospital is inaccessible because of the fighting. Criminal gangs looted the main hospital, stealing vehicles and equipment and destroying the hospitals blood bank, the syndicate said. Its a scorched earth war, said Adam Haroun, a political activist in West Darfur, speaking by telephone with the sound of gunfire at times drowning out his voice. Haroun and other residents said the city's main open-air market was completely destroyed. Government offices and aid agencies compounds were trashed and repeatedly burned, including U.N. premises and the headquarters of the Sudanese Red Crescent. Two major camps for displaced people have been burned down, their occupants mainly women and children from African tribes dispersed, said Abdel-Shafei Abdalla, a senior member of a local group that helps administer camps. Elsewhere in Darfur, there have been sporadic clashes, particularly in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur province, where thousands have fled their homes, Abdalla said. At least 512 people, including civilians and combatants, have been killed in Sudan since April 15, with another 4,200 wounded, according to the Sudanese Health Ministry. The Doctors Syndicate, which tracks civilian casualties, has recorded at least 303 civilians killed and 1,848 wounded. Meanwhile, in Khartoum, residents reported heavy explosions and gunfire in the upscale neighborhood of Kafouri after the truce extension was announced. The military had earlier used warplanes to bomb RSF positions in the area. Many are struggling to obtain food and water, and electricity is cut off across much of Khartoum and other cities. Multiple aid agencies have had to suspend operations. Fearing that fighting will escalate once more, Sudanese and foreigners have been rushing to escape. Egypt has so far evacuated more than 5,300 Egyptians from Sudan and received more than 14,000 Sudanese fleeing the fighting, the Foreign Ministry said. Long lines of buses continue to form at the border, and tens of thousands more have gone to other neighboring countries or to the Red Sea city of Port Sudan, trying to get onto ferries to Saudi Arabia. Hassan Ali, a Dutch citizen who made it to the city of Larnaca in Cyprus on an evacuation flight, told The Associated Press he had spent days trapped at home in Khartoum. Most areas had no water and only intermittent electricity. Most of the time we (are) locked at home unless you go for something really emergency, food, medication. Thats it, he said. Many sought shelter in hospitals, even though "most of the hospitals get attacked as well, by both sides. People, they just left everything behind, he said of those leaving. "There is no cash, Theres no money. You just take your bag. ___ Associated Press writers Menelaos Hadjicostis in Larnaca, Cyprus; Jill Lawless in London; Christopher Megerian, Lolita C. Baldor and Matthew Lee in Washington, and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed this report. WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice announced on Thursday that he is running for the Senate, challenging Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin in what will likely be one of the most hotly contested and closely watched Senate contests in the country. "The nation needs us as Republicans to win," said Justice. Justice is a well-liked and wealthy coal magnate who is an ally to former President Donald Trump, and Republicans believe his campaign kickoff goes a long way toward retaking the Senate next year. Trump won the state by 39 percentage points in 2020, and the Mitch McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund recently commissioned a poll showing Justice is the strongest candidate against Manchin. Jim Justice is a proven winner whose record of creating jobs, cutting taxes, and fighting for conservative values has made him one of the most popular governors in the country, said Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Justice made his remarks this evening at The Greenbrier, his luxury resort in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. The ballroom where Justice gave his speech was plastered with black-and-white signs that his campaign put up advertising his talking points: "Conservative Values." "Rock Solid Behind Second Amendment." "Most Pro-Life Governor EVER." "Charter Schools." "Home School." In a campaign video played at the event, Justices team touted his support of Trump and painted him as a rock-ribbed conservative. Joe probably wont run if Im running, Justice said to a smaller crowd outside the ballroom following the announcement. But he said that if Justice isnt the GOP nominee, then Manchin will run and win. Manchin has said he will not decide whether he will run for reelection until the end of the year. He has also left the door open to a presidential bid. "I am laser focused on doing the job West Virginians elected me to do lowering healthcare costs, protecting Social Security and Medicare, shoring up American energy security and getting our fiscal house in order," Manchin said in a statement released Thursday. "But make no mistake, I will win any race I enter." Story continues The National Republican Senatorial Committee played an active role in recruiting Justice. With a 64 percent approval rating, Justice is the fifth-most popular governor in the country, according to a survey conducted last year by Morning Consult. During his speech, Justice fed up red meat to the GOP base, bashing the slogan "defund the police," denouncing abortion, and painting President Joe Biden as senile. He did not criticize Manchin. Alongside him the whole time was his famous bulldog "Babydog." There was a show of support at the announcement from Justices friends in the Senate. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) was a featured speaker at the event, where she talked positively about Justice but declined to critique her fellow West Virginia senator. This is about taking back the majority in the United States Senate, she said. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) also appeared at The Greenbrier, pointing to the 2022 midterms that were disappointing for the GOP. Were down one in West Virginia, he told the crowd of a few hundred. We need help in Washington. We need a winner. We need somebody who can win in a general election. Before taking on Manchin, Justice must face GOP Rep. Alex Mooney in the Republican primary. The conservative group Club for Growth has vowed to spend at least $10 million on the race, and has already reported spending from its super PAC this week. Mooneys campaign said in a statement that Republican primary voters will soon see that [Justice] is nothing but a Democrat in sheep's clothing. The congressman is launching an TV ad on Thursday that bashes Justice as a liberal. Justice was previously registered as a Democrat and switched parties in 2017. "Simply put, Alex Mooney is the only proven conservative in this race and the only candidate that can beat Joe Manchin next November," said John Findlay, Mooney's campaign manager. Both candidates would benefit greatly from Trump's endorsement and are angling for that support. Mooney flew down to Florida for a congressional fundraiser on Friday and also chatted up Trump at the event. Mooney's campaign wants Trump to at least stay neutral if he won't endorse the conservative congressman, according to a person briefed on the event. In a brief interview after the campaign kickoff, Graham declined to predict whether Trump would endorse Justice. I know he really likes the governor, he said. They had a terrific relationship. Democrats seem eager to see a messy primary. West Virginias GOP Senate primary is going to be a nasty, messy and expensive fight, said Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson Amanda Sherman Baity, and whichever candidate manages to hobble out of their intraparty battle will be damaged and out of step with the voters who will decide the general election. POLITICO previously reported that Justice planned to launch his campaign on Thursday. Burgess Everett, Ally Mutnick and Meridith McGraw contributed to this report. Montana House Republicans voted Wednesday to censure Rep. Zooey Zephyr, a Democrat and Montana's first transgender state legislator. The vote came roughly a week after Zephyr told lawmakers they would have blood on their hands if they supported a measure to restrict gender-affirming care for minors and two days after she was accused of inciting protesters in the chamber. The House voted 68-32 along party lines to censure Zephyr. She will keep her position but will be barred from physically participating on the House floor. She will be able to vote and attend sessions only remotely for the rest of the legislative session, which ends May 5. Zephyr was allowed to speak ahead of the censure vote. She defended the comments made last Tuesday during the debate on a bill to restrict transition-related care for minors, when she said, I hope the next time theres an invocation, when you bow your heads in prayer, you see the blood on your hands. On Wednesday she said that the Legislature has systematically attacked the LGBTQ community and that she was speaking in its defense last week. I have had friends who have taken their lives because of these bills, she told the House. I have fielded calls from families in Montana, including one family whose trans teenager attempted to take her life while watching a hearing on one of the anti-trans bills. So, Zephyr added, she was not being hyperbolic when she said there is blood on your hands. I was speaking to the real consequences of the votes that we as legislators take in this body, she said. When the speaker asks me to apologize on behalf of decorum, what hes really asking me to do is be silent when my community is facing bills that get us killed. Hes asking me to be complicit in this Legislatures eradication of our community, and I refuse to do so. She added, If you use decorum to silence people who hold you accountable, then all youre doing is using decorum as a tool of oppression. Story continues As I left the House chambers, I pressed my light to speaka reminder that this legislature is removing 11,000 Montanans from discussion on every bill going forward. I will always stand on behalf of my constituents, my community, and democracy itself. pic.twitter.com/H3CLZufy6E Rep. Zooey Zephyr (@ZoAndBehold) April 26, 2023 Rep. David Bedey, a Republican, blamed Zephyr for the actions of protesters on Monday, when they shouted from the gallery after Republicans voted to block her from speaking. Its an irrefutable fact that the representative in question did indeed actively support and arguably incite the disruptive antics of demonstrators who had gathered in the House gallery, Bedey said. He said Zephyr could have joined other legislators in leaving the House floor as the speaker directed that day, or she could have tried to calm the crowd, but he said she did neither, which he said forced lawmakers to suspend the session. This is an assault on our representative democracy, he said. Spirited debate and the free expression of ideas cannot flourish in an atmosphere of turmoil and incivility. Zephyrs remarks Wednesday marked the first time she was allowed to speak on the House floor since last week, when on Tuesday lawmakers voted to block her from speaking on any legislation due the blood on your hands comment. Two days later, on Thursday, House Speaker Rep. Matt Regier refused to recognize Zephyr and would not permit her to speak on any legislation. Then, on Monday, supporters of Zephyr gathered outside of the Capitol with banners that read, Democracy dies here. Later that afternoon, when the House voted again to continue to block Zephyr from speaking, protesters who were sitting in the gallery chanted, Let her speak! while the lawmaker held her microphone in the air. Seven people were arrested for criminal trespass, the sheriff said. Regiers office shared a statement Monday night describing the events as a riot. The Montana Freedom Caucus, a group of 21 Montana Republicans, has led the charge to censure Zephyr and released multiple statements on social media that misgender her by using male pronouns to describe her. In a statement following the protest, the caucus said Zephyr encouraged an insurrection by holding her microphone in the air. Regier canceled Tuesdays floor session with no explanation, and that evening Zephyr shared on social media a letter from Regiers office that said the House would consider a motion Wednesday on whether to discipline her and, if so, by censure or expulsion. The vote follows similar events in Nashville, Tennessee, earlier this month, when Republican legislators voted to expel Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, two Black Democrats, over their protests on the chamber floor against gun violence. The House fell short of the two-thirds majority vote needed to expel Rep. Gloria Johnson, a white legislator who also participated in the protests. Days later, officials in Nashville and Memphis, the respective cities that Jones and Pearson represent, voted to reinstate them. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Archaeologists have identified three undiscovered Roman fortified camps across northern Arabia. The University of Oxford school of archaeology made the discovery in a remote sensing survey, using satellite imagery. It said it could be evidence of an "undocumented military campaign" across south east Jordan into Saudi Arabia. Dr Michael Fradley, who led the research, said: "We are almost certain they were built by the Roman army." In the report, published in the journal Antiquity, he explained his conclusion was based on the "typical playing card shape of the enclosures with opposing entrances along each side". Dr Fradley added that the westernmost camp was significantly larger than the two camps to the east. The research team believes they may have been part of a previously undiscovered Roman military campaign "linked to the Roman takeover of the Nabataean Kingdom in 106 AD, a civilisation centred on the world-famous city of Petra, located in Jordan". The university's Dr Mike Bishop, an expert on Roman military, said the camps were a "spectacular new find" and an important new insight into Roman campaigning in Arabia. "Roman forts and fortresses show how Rome held a province but temporary camps reveal how they acquired it in the first place," he explained. Dr Fradley added that preservation of the camps was "remarkable", particularly as they may have only been used for a matter of days or weeks. Archaeologists still need to confirm the date of the camps through investigation on the ground, the researchers said. The camps were identified by the university's Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa project and were later photographed by the Aerial Archaeology in Jordan project. Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk. In the third installment of this four-part series, our DIY newbie astutely shops Facebook Marketplace and learns how to reglaze a cast-iron tub. When Regan Wood stepped backward in flip flops into a bucket of expensive stain, it didnt exactly feel like the end of the renovation was in sight. However, the project has turned a corner. Back in December she was in the thick of her former hunting cabins transformation and felt like the project was moving at a glacial pace. Five months later, shes seen a significant amount of progress, including the completion of the windows and the painting of all the beadboard. Photo: Regan Wood There have been several unique mishaps in recent months, including the stain incident. But learning how to be their own interior designers proved to be another challenge for Wood and her partner in the renovation, Tara Cox, and that came to a head during the bathroom renovation. Originally it had a claw-foot tub in one corner, as well as an old vinyl shower. It was like a 70s vinyl shower, says Wood. And those totally skeeve me out. The shower was torn out to make space for a washer/dryer, which the duo was determined to have so cleaners could wash sheets when flipping the property for renters. It seemed like a perfect space to just slide the washer/dryer in, since the plumbing was already there, says Wood, who, coming from a New York City apartment, admitted that the house seemed so spacious. She had never owned a washer/dryer and assumed it would fit into the space. But when she first saw it installed, she realized just how large it was. I was like, Oh, wow, its really big. Its basically like, right now feels like a laundry room that happens to have a toilet, she noted. It never occurred to me to map out the size of the washer and dryer in the room. Im sure a designer would have said, Lets measure this out. Wood realized that the room would have been much more spacious if they had gone for the walk-in shower instead of the cast-iron tub, as Cox suggested. Looking back, she wonders if she made the right decision. Tara and I have gotten along and been on the same page with most things. But there were a few things where we disagreed, and she really wanted to tear out the tub and put in a walk-in shower, adds Wood. Story continues Ultimately Woods wish to restore the tub, which had sat in the living room for about nine months while it was being used for storage, won out. While it was in good shape, the tub was really dirty looking. First, Wood used abrasive scrubbing products like Bon Ami or Comet to clean the tub repeatedly. After about six runs scrubbing it, Wood was ready to use the Bathworks Refinishing Kit she spotted when it popped up in an ad as she watched another restoration video on YouTube. Photo: Regan Wood Using protective gloves and eyewear, she prepared to apply the etching powder, which serves as an industrial-strength cleaner for the tub. She applied the Easy Etch, rinsed it, and let it dry. While the box suggested you use a hair dryer to make sure its bone dry, Wood chose to use a space heater instead, closing the door and pointing the space heater directly at the tub, which worked really well. Photo: Regan Wood Next, she took the tack rag and ran it over every inch of the tub to remove every speck of dust, sand, or cat hair. She taped off the drain and hardware with painters tape. Because Wood chose the kit with the nonslip additive, she mixed the paint and the hardener, and applied it to the tub using the foam brush and foam roller that came with the kit. The coating had to set for 24 hours before Wood could remove the tape. Now its done, and Wood says it looks pretty great. She admitted she kind of regrets using the gritty nonslip additive, since some of it was pulled up onto the side of the tub. Luckily its barely visible. The bottom is a little bit scratchy, but Wood would rather have it be safe for people crawling in and out. To furnish the property, Wood has found herself traveling far and wide to pick up items shes spotted on Facebook Marketplace. Second to Reddit, my favorite source is Facebook Marketplace, says Wood, who admitted she went down rabbit holes for hours searching items that were up for sale. Its been a gold mine! Everything is just so affordable because its a lot of people who are just trying to clear things out, she notes. In a one-day whirlwind road trip, she completed 13 hours of driving, heading down to Pennsylvania and back up to the Catskills to pick up items, ranging from upholstery to farmhouse tools. While its been incredibly time consuming, shes hoping that translates to a space that has got a lot of soul and feels layered and interesting. Now the property is close to being done. The duo is waiting on the electrician, since rules now state that properties considered to be more than a 60% gut renovation must have a smoke and carbon monoxide detector hardwired outside every room. But first, they have to pass their upcoming bank inspection. See what happens in the upcoming final installment of a Catskills cabin reno DIY Diary, where this DIY newbie reveals the final result of her massive renovation project. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest More Great Stories From AD Its the $96,000 question. Do the math: Is $8,000 a month enough to support yourself and two kids in the Magic City? Because thats the amount a judge awarded Real Housewives of Miami star Lisa Hochstein in her ongoing bitter divorce. READ MORE: Lisa Hochstein talks about Lennys emotional affair Page Six first reported the details of the temporary financial settlement to help pay for her the 39 year old bon vivants lifestyle as well as that of their two children, Logan, 7, and Elle, 3, in the ruling that was made last week. The Miami Herald viewed the Dade County court documents; a May 26 hearing is set for the husbands motion to enforce a prenuptial agreement dating as far back as Oct. 15, 2009. The exes wed in Miami just nine days after signing that document, on Oct. 24 of that year. The payments to maintain the status quo are reportedly set to start May 1, with the plastic surgeon known as Boob God, 56, also shelling out for his childrens school, health insurance, camp, and other extracurricular activities. READ MORE: Lisa Hochstein stuns in a bathing suit Though their bitter split seems far from being finalized, at least one party in this mess is free: Lennys model girlfriend Katharina Mazepa just had her uncontested divorce granted on Monday from Shilo Mazepa, who is reportedly a diplomat. No kids were produced in the three year union and that case is closed. The Austrian influencer, 27, also legally dropped her exs last name, and now goes by Katharina Nahlik, as evidenced by her Instagram. Pop the champagne! she announced to her 1.7 million followers wearing lingerie. Im taking back my maiden name! Tucker Carlson along with Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham was one of Foxs star opinion hosts (Getty Images) In what would turn out to be his final show on Fox News on Friday, Tucker Carlson interviewed a pizza delivery guy who had gone viral for helping police catch a would-be thief. Laughing hysterically as he ate from pizza boxes spread out on the set, Carlson signed off with the words: Well be back on Monday. He would not. Just after 11am on Monday, Fox News said in a statement it had agreed to part ways with the right-wing extremist effective immediately. Reports in the Los Angeles Times suggest that Fox Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch had personally decided to pull the trigger on his top-rating prime-time host, with input from the board and senior executives. He was reportedly informed on Monday morning. It came six days after the network settled its defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5m over its embrace and promotion of lies that the 2020 presidential election was rigged. Some had smelled blood in the water at Fox after Dominions lawsuit had revealed its hosts contempt for their audience by platforming guests that they privately disparaged. Murdochs son Lachlan, the Fox Corporation CEO, had been Carlsons staunchest defender at the network, according to insider accounts, as advertisers fled from his show. Its not yet known what brought about the departure, and if and when that comes to light, it could have a bearing on Carlsons next move. The Washington Post suggested it was due to unflattering statements he had made about Foxs executives that emerged during discovery in the Dominion lawsuit. Tucker Carlson and Fox agreed to part ways, but questions remain about what led to the stunning development (Getty Images) Sources told The LA Times it was connected to a separate lawsuit filed by Carlsons former producer Abby Grossberg. Ms Grossbergs attorney Tanvir Rahman said in a statement that his removal was in part, an admission of the systemic lying, bullying, and conspiracy-mongering claimed by our client. Carlson is still named as an individual defendant in that suit. With the abrupt departure from Fox, Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson has now been fired from all three major cable news channels. Story continues His axing brought waves of schadenfreude from his many critics on social media. Pundits openly pondered where the right-wing firebrand who gained a loyal following of millions while espousing racist, anti-immigrant, homophobic and transphobic beliefs might end up after his dismissal. Carlson is yet to directly address his departure, but he has already received at least one job offer. RT, the Russian state-controlled television network often described as a propaganda channel for Vladimir Putins government, tweeted to him on Tuesday: Hey Tucker Carlson, you can always question more with RT. Fox exiles On Monday, Carlson began teasing news of his next move on his website, asking people to provide their email address and phone number to become a tuckercarlson.com insider to find out what Tuckers up to next. If he decides to remain in media, the fates of a few other Fox exiles may offer a blueprint for his next role. With his millions of loyal fans, Carlson may decide to launch his own streaming, podcast or radio show. He has form as a media entrepreneur, having founded the Washington DC-based right-wing news and opinion website the Daily Caller in 2010. The new ventures success would depend on how many of his Fox audience followed him. The Washington Posts Philip Bump wrote on Tuesday that Glenn Beck was perhaps the most obvious parallel to Carlson. Each host had a show in prime time that he used to push the envelope on what was acceptable in cable news. Each built massive audiences as a result, earning status as the de facto voice of the American right wing. In 2017, Bill OReilly was forced out over claims of sexual harassment by female staff at the network. The company had previously stood by the top-rating host while paying out around $13m to five women who accused OReilly of inappropriate behaviour, the New York Times revealed. But an internal investigation uncovered further allegations of abuse, and he was fired. OReilly, who did not respond to a request for comment for this article, formed his No Spin News podcast and radio show in 2020. But after years as an influential cable news host, he has largely remained in the media wilderness since leaving Fox. Another former Fox host, Megyn Kelly, who departed in 2017, was hired by NBC to host a daytime television show. The show was cancelled just over a year later after a controversial blackface discussion on the show. Kelly now hosts a talkshow and podcast on SiriusXM. Other options would be a move to Foxs much smaller rivals on the right, Newsmax and One America News. Newsmax hired another former Fox host, Eric Bolling. Those networks would give Carlson the editorial freedom to continue his crusades against Big Tech, the Deep State and social media censorship. But he may have less clout and influence. Carlson, as an heir to a frozen fish empire, is also independently wealthy. Plus, he was earning $10m a year at Fox in 2020, according to former CNN media correspondent Brian Stelter. In 2021, Carlson signed a new multiyear deal with Fox News to produce shows for the networks streaming service Fox Nation under the title Tucker Carlson Originals. No further information was revealed about how long he had left on his contract, or whether he will receive a severance from Fox. Carlson has also reinvented himself as something of a lifestyle brand. Next to a picture of him wearing a plaid shirt and carrying a rifle, he sells his own personally-branded clothing, gold accessories and camo-coloured beverage coolers. Canvas travel bags with his name embroidered in are available for $165, a set of playing cards costs $15, while a Lord Fauci Patron Saint of Wuhan coffee mug goes for $15. Tucker goes to Iowa Last July, Tucker Carlson raised eyebrows when he gave the keynote address at the Family Leadership Summit in Iowa. The conservative conference is an important staging post for prospective presidential candidates, given Iowas position as the first state in the nation to hold a Republican Party caucus. He promoted the appearance on Twitter with Tucker goes to Iowa presidential-style buttons. Tucker Carlson released Tucker goes to Iowa presidential-style buttons when he appeared at a conservative conference in 2022 (Tucker Carlson / Twitter) During the 40-minute speech, broadcast on Foxs streaming service Fox Nation, Carlson argued that todays politicians were simple organisms who promoted the idea that your family is worthless compared to loyalty to your employer and a political party. Could it be that Tucker Carlson will be the man to unite Americans under a platform of data, common sense and their own voices? asked the Daily Caller. Maybe. Either that, or its an epic troll. While Carlson is yet to comment on his future, he has not done anything to tamp down rumours of his political ambitions, and is listed as a guest moderator at the 2023 edition of the Family Leadership Summit to be held in July. Since selling his home in Washington DC when it was targeted by protesters in 2018, Carlson has split his time between his primary residence in Palm Beach, Florida, and a second home in Maine. The many faces of Tucker Carlson The 53-year-old hosted Crossfire on CNN for four years from 2001, before a memorable run-in with comedian Jon Stewart led the then-CNN president Jonathan Klein to cancel the show in 2005. Carlson briefly hosted Tucker Carlson: Unfiltered on PBS from 2004 to 2005. That year he announced he was moving to MSNBC to front an early evening show The Situation With Tucker Carlson. This was nixed by the left-leaning network in March 2008 due to poor ratings, it said at the time. In 2009, he was hired as a Fox News contributor where he made regular appearances on Sean Hannity and Greg Gutfields shows, and filled in for Hannity as a host. Carlson then began hosting his 8pm Fox News show Tucker Carlson Tonight in November 2016, after OReilly was forced out. The Riverside Police Department is asking for help identifying persons of interest in a recent break-in. According to a spokesperson for the police department, on April 24 police took a report of a break-in at TForce Freight located at 3730 Valley Street. >> Jerry Springer, legendary talk show host, dies at 79 The estimated total loss of freight is exceeding $240,000, the spokesperson said. Anyone with information please call 233-1801 Det. Sullivan or email police@riversideoh.gov. Requesting the public's help to identify the two person's of interest below. Anyone with information please call 233-1801 Det. Sullivan or email police@riversideoh.gov. Thank you Posted by Riverside Ohio Police Department on Thursday, April 27, 2023 A South Carolina woman has been sentenced to 35 years in prison after pleading guilty to driving the wrong way while drunk on Interstate 77, which led to a crash that killed four people. One of the four casualties was her own daughter. Rolesha Spears, 31, of Rock Hill, drove the wrong way for at least five miles on I-77 in York County before she smashed into another car around midnight in October 2021, 16th Circuit senior assistant solicitor Matt Shelton said Thursday in York County criminal court. Rylee Pate, 5, identified in court as Spears daughter, was a passenger in Spears car. Rylee was not restrained by a seat belt or car seat at the time of the crash, Shelton said in court. Jasmine Givens, 27, and sisters, Briasia Moore, 20, and Nykiera Moore, 17, were in the car that was struck, Shelton said in court. Givens was driving, Shelton said. Spears blood alcohol concentration was recorded at .258 after the crash, Shelton said. The legal limit in South Carolina is .08. Spears pleaded guilty in York County criminal court to four counts of felony DUI with death and one count of child endangerment and faced more than 100 years in prison if the sentences were run consecutively. Each felony DUI carries up to 25 years. Judge Eugene Griffith sentenced Spears to 35 years on all the charges. The sentence included 25 years for the four DUI charges and an additional 10 years for the child endangerment, Griffith said. No sentence I can give can bring back a child or a family member, Griffith said. This ranks very high on the worst I have ever seen. Spears asks for chance to redeem herself Spears apologized in court. She also asked for a chance to redeem herself by helping others avoid making the same poor decision she made. It is so sad that one horrible mistake can change a life in the blink of an eye, Spears said. I believe God spared my life so I could save someone else going down the path. Spears relatives said in court she was a good mother and a person who, before the crash, was a productive member of society. Story continues Ryan Newkirk, Spears defense attorney from the 16th Circuit Public Defender office, said Spears has always been remorseful. She lived a God-fearing, productive life before this, Newkirk said. Theres no indication this ever happened prior to the night it occurred. She had no criminal history. Newkirk asked for mercy in sentencing based on Spears lack of a prior record and lack of intent in the deaths. The crash Shelton and a S.C. Highway patrol trooper said in court it was the worst DUI case they had seen in decades of handling such cases. Rolesha Spears chose to drive drunk, Shelton said. The victims didnt choose. Sixteenth Circuit Solicitor Kevin Brackett said in court the consequences of Spears selfish, thoughtless behavior caused four deaths, and he called for a harsh sentence. Brackett said Spears sentence can stand as a stark warning to anyone who hits drinks and puts the key in the ignition to drive. She was so drunk for miles down the interstate, Brackett said. What a horror she brought. Victims families ask for long sentence Family members of the victims, including Rylees father, Frank Pate, said in court that Spears drunk driving and indifference to others left his daughter among four dead. The victims were beautiful people who had their lives snatched from them by Spears drunk driving, Pate said. If given freedom, she will cause harm and death to somebody else, Pate said. Bertha Stroud, aunt of Givens and related to the Moore sisters, said the three adult female victims left behind children and grieving families. I ask that you show no mercy, she should get the maximum sentence that she can get, Stroud said. Florence Moore, grandmother of the Moore sisters, said Spears drunk driving was senseless and didnt have to happen. She killed four people, she should get four life sentences. She should never walk the street again, Moore said. Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Three teenagers accused of hurling huge rocks at passing cars and killing a 20-year-old woman last week allegedly took a photo of the crash scene as a memento. Thats according to an affidavit from the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office cited by The Denver Post on Thursday. The suspectsJoseph Koenig, Nicholas Mitch Karol-Chik, and Zachary Kwak, all aged 18face charges of first-degree murder with extreme indifference for the alleged rock-throwing spree last week. Alexa Bartells vehicle was the last one to be hit on a road outside of Denver by what police described as a large landscaping rock on April 19. She was speaking to a friend on the phone at the time of the incident, police said, and her friend was the one who discovered her body. Alexas friend tracked her phone and drove to the location on Indiana St. She found Alexa fatally wounded inside her car, which was off the roadway in a field, the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office said at the time. One of the suspects told police he felt a hint of guilt over the deadly rock-throwing, according to the Post, telling investigators that he and one other man had spent at least 10 other days since February throwing rocks at passing cars. It remains unclear which suspect allegedly threw the rock that killed Bartell; Koenig has reportedly refused to talk to investigators, while the other two tried to pass the blame. One of the suspects told investigators the group had wanted to inspect the damage theyd caused afterwards, all three of them stopping so that Kwak could snap a photo. They then met up the next day to get their stories straight, the affidavit notes. Kwak is said to have claimed that the two others were talking about them now being blood brothers and that they could never talk about the incident. A makeshift memorial has been set up for Bartell near the site where she was killed. She was a very powerful person. And all we have are her memories, and I will cherish those to the day I pass, Bartells friend Samantha Motisi told local outlet KMGH. Story continues She was a very big personality. Everybody loved her. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. VIENTIANE, April 27 (Xinhua) -- The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is partnering with the Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to facilitate safer cattle trade between Laos and China with the key objective of increasing cattle export to China. Through the FAO-China South-South Cooperation Project on Transboundary Animal Disease Control in the Greater Mekong Sub-region, FAO's Emergency Center for Transboundary Animal Diseases has provided the Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry with disinfectant, disinfectant sprayers and vaccines for foot-and-mouth disease and goat pox for cattle, Lao News Agency reported on Wednesday. Technical experts provided technical know-how and training courses on animal quarantine management to Lao animal quarantine and health officers, farmers, livestock traders, and village veterinary workers in Sing district of Luang Namtha province, a border area between Laos and China. At least 40,000 cattle will be protected against threatening livestock diseases through the vaccination campaigns in all five districts of Luang Namtha province, according to the FAO. The Waymo car parked outside the salon. Taylor Rains/Insider Autonomous car operator Waymo offers ride-hailing services in Phoenix and San Francisco. The robotaxis use sensors and cameras to safely navigate city streets with no input from a human driver. I tried Waymo's self-driving Chrysler minivan service and the onboard safety monitor helped me feel secure. Autonomous driving company Waymo formerly known as the Google self-driving car project has launched a fleet of vehicles in Phoenix and San Francisco. The company has been mapping Los Angeles and is launching operations there soon. REUTERS/Peter DaSilva Source: Waymo Dubbed Waymo One, the driverless cars are the world's first autonomous ride-hailing service and work like e-hailing an Uber or Lyft car. Waymo has billions of miles of simulation rides. Waymo Source: Waymo According to the company, the autonomous technology is extremely safe. In its first one million miles of driving, Waymo said it had no reported injuries and only two collisions that required a car to be towed. 18 other collisions were minor impact with no required police report. Google Source: Waymo Of all of the vehicle-to-vehicle incidents, the cause was due to "one or more road rule violations and/or dangerous behaviors on the part of the other vehicle's operator," per Waymo. This information was published in February in a detailed report of the company's collisions and safety data, which it is using the justify its approach to safe autonomous driving. Waymo Source: Waymo, NBC News Still, the perception of autonomous robotaxis may be concerning because there isn't a driver to take the wheel if there is an emergency. Waymo has roadside assistance available to help if the car breaks down or gets stuck. Waymo But, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, human error "caused or contributed to" 93% of investigated accidents so taking the human out of the scenario might actually be the answer, according to Waymo. Waymo has remote operators to instruct the cars, but they cannot directly control if there is a severe problem. fabphoto/Gett Source: Waymo, NHTSA "The Waymo Driver is our autonomous driving technology that never gets drunk, tired, or distracted," the company said, emphasizing its robocars will reduce the risk of accidents, injuries, and death on US roadways. Getty Images Source: Waymo Given its safety record and confidence, I decided to try Waymo's autonomous car on a recent trip to Phoenix. For transparency, I am one of those people who has a fear of being in accidents, so I am more comfortable in the driver's seat. I get anxious sitting in the passenger seat no matter the case, so my fiance has gotten used to being a passenger. Taylor Rains/Insider So, I was definitely very nervous trying out a driverless car with no feeling of control, but I was surprisingly calm by the end of it. Here's what it was like. Story continues The pamphlets in the seatback pocket. Taylor Rains/Insider Waymo One is in Phoenix, but only in certain outlined areas, including in the city's downtown and in the East Valley. The outlined areas in blue are the Waymo service areas. Waymo Source: Waymo My hotel was outside of the service area, so I drove 10 minutes to Mesa and picked up a car at a local salon. I was already realizing that Waymo One is really only realistic if you start and end within one of the two zones. Mesa is in the East Valley service area. Taylor Rains/Insider Using the mobile app, I set my pickup as SalonCentric and the destination as Marlborough Mesa Park about 2.5 miles away. I was able to select roundtrip and be dropped back off at my starting point. The app made it easy to change my pickup or drop off locations before the car arrived. Taylor Rains/Insider According to the app, the entire journey would cover about five miles and last 20 minutes for $11 total, but I was shocked to see a 39-minute wait for a car. A screenshot of the Waymo app. Taylor Rains/Insider I don't see myself waiting that long for a ride if I was in a time crunch. When I checked Uber, the same roundtrip ride would also cost $11 and a car was available within eight minutes though that price didn't include tip, which isn't required on Waymo since there's nobody to tip. A screenshot of the Uber app with the same route. Taylor Rains/Insider A Waymo spokesperson told Insider the "longer-than-usual wait time" is due to its fleet transition in the East Valley. Currently, there are fewer Chrysler Pacifica vans in the area because they are being replaced with the Jaguar I-PACE EV. Jaguar I-PACE. Mark Matousek / Business Insider There are more Jaguar I-PACEs in Downtown Phoenix, so wait times would have likely been shorter there, the spokesperson said. Downtown Phoenix. Dszc/Getty Images After patiently waiting near 40 minutes, the autonomous vehicle finally pulled right up to where I was standing I didn't have to go searching for it. The app showed me exactly where the car was as it made its way to the pickup spot. Taylor Rains/Insider The car was a white Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan with sensors and cameras all over it, giving it a 360 view of its surroundings. Waymo has also had modified Toyota Priuses, Lexus SUVs, a custom-built prototype vehicle (nicknamed "Firefly"), and Jaguar I-PACEs in its autonomous fleet. Taylor Rains/Insider Source: Waymo On the front of the car were my initials "TR" for Taylor Rains. I set this in the app to identify the van, but I could also change the letters or color of the display. I could change the color to purple, white, or gold, according to the app. Taylor Rains/Insider I hopped into the back seat of the car and it felt strange not being greeted by a human driver. But, there was music and an automated voice that welcomed me on my ride. I had driver-free car, but sometimes there will be a "safety driver" onboard to monitor the robotaxi. Taylor Rains/Insider Before setting off, I explored the car a bit to get my bearings. There were four seats total, including one with a child seat. According to Waymo, up to three passengers can ride at a time. Taylor Rains/Insider Source: Waymo There were also buttons that allowed me to control the temperature Riding in an autonomous Waymo car. Taylor Rains/Insider as well as pull the car over. I could also lock or unlock the vehicle or call for assistance. Having the option to stop the car when needed gave me a sense of relief. Taylor Rains/Insider I thought the car was clean and well-maintained with plush seats, USB ports, cupholders, and plenty of space. Riding in an autonomous Waymo car. Taylor Rains/Insider I could even play music using the Google Assistant App to connect the car to my phone. There were instructions on the screen that helped me connect. Taylor Rains/Insider Once I was ready to go, I tapped "start ride" on the screen in front of my seat. I could also initiate the drive from the app or a button on the ceiling. It was strange seeing the wheel move with no input from a human. Taylor Rains/Insider The car slowly started navigating its way out of the parking lot and onto the main road. The car knew exactly which lane to use to go straight through the light, successfully avoiding the turn-only lane. I've been cut off by drivers in the wrong lane at a red light several times, but the Waymo car knew the correct lane to be in. Taylor Rains/Insider Stopped at the light, I realized the screen displayed my planned route. As we started moving forward, the screen indicated the movement of the cars around us, including which ones turned and how far away the one behind us was. My Waymo minivan was white and the other vehicles were blue. Taylor Rains/Insider This gave me a great sense of comfort and I started feeling less nervous. I could see all of the safety measures in place and hoped its awareness could avoid reckless drivers. The outside of the Waymo car. Taylor Rains/Insider The car continued on its route to the local park, easily switching lanes when necessary. It only drove on back roads and main streets no freeways or interstates. The route was automatically created when I requested the ride. Taylor Rains/Insider Granted, more accidents per mile happen on city streets than on freeways, but the higher speeds can increase the severity of the accident, according to Forbes. Waymo does not drive on freeways or at high speeds, per Forbes. John Bazemore/AP Source: Forbes Fortunately, I didn't experience any threats or evasive maneuvers on my ride. The car didn't accelerate too quickly, maintained the legal speed, and fully stopped at all red lights and stop signs. The empty driver's seat in the Waymo car. Taylor Rains/Insider Overall, the forward movements and turns were smooth, but I noticed the car could be a tad hard on the brakes at times nothing too severe though. The screen saying I've arrived at the park. Taylor Rains/Insider Once I arrived at Marlborough Mesa Park, the voice announced the ride was complete and to exit the vehicle. But, since I requested a roundtrip ride, the voice said the car would remain nearby when I was ready to return. The car was parked next to the sidewalk and out of the way. Taylor Rains/Insider I hopped out of the car, walked around for a few minutes, and then jumped back in. Waymo didn't lie the car waited right where I left it. According to Waymo, there could be a change of cars during a stop, but it shouldn't impact the wait or ride time. Taylor Rains/Insider I hit "start ride" again and the same welcome message came over the speakers and the car started driving. After a successful ride to the park, the second leg was less stressful because I trusted the technology. The map in the app showing me the status of my ride. Taylor Rains/Insider For example, on a three-lane road, the Waymo vehicle waited for the center lane to be clear before it pulled into the right lane negating any possible threat. The screen displaying the cars around me definitely helped settle my nerves. Taylor Rains/Insider The ride back to the salon took about 10 minutes and the drop-off was easy. Overall, I would use Waymo again because it felt like I was able to see and understand everything the car was doing. I could rate my ride after arriving back at the salon. Taylor Rains/Insider I appreciate that the company is transparent about its safety data and that there are systems and indicators in the car to give passengers peace of mind. The car stopped at a stop sign. Taylor Rains/Insider Plus, I didn't have to awkwardly talk to a human driver like with Uber or Lyft. I could play my own music or simply enjoy the peace and quiet. The USB in the Waymo car. Taylor Rains/Insider Read the original article on Business Insider Ron DeSantis angrily chastised a reporter on Thursday as he spoke in Jerusalem, and denied that the had been present for force-feedings during his service at the US military prison at Guanatanamo Bay. The moment occurred as Mr DeSantis gave a press conference at the Museum of Tolerance, a cultural centre in the Israeli territory of West Jerusalem. His visit to the Middle East comes as the Florida governor is thought to be preparing a bid for the Republican nomination against Donald Trump and others in 2024. At the press conference, Mr DeSantis was questioned about claims from a former Guantanamo detainee who was held without being charged for more than a decade at the notorious military prison accused him of being present for episodes where he was force-fed by guards to break a hunger strike. Mansoor Adayfi, a Yemeni citizen who was held for 14 years at Gitmo, told The Independent in March that he was brutally force-fed by camp staff during a hunger strike in 2006, and that Mr DeSantis was present for at least one of those sessions. Force-feeding is designated as torture by the United Nations Do you honestly believe thats credible? Its ... 2006, Im a junior officer, do you honestly think that they wouldve remembered me? Mr DeSantis shot back angrily. DeSantis wrecks a journalist when the hack starts citing claims made by Guantanamo Bay terrorists. pic.twitter.com/JiNphfq9m5 Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) April 27, 2023 Mr Adayfi was released in 2016 (without ever being accused of a crime) and first came forward with the charge that Mr DeSantis had been in attendance for the force-feedings last November. Another detainee has also accused Mr DeSantis of being present; an investigation from The Independent confirmed that Mr DeSantiss role as an attorney was to field complaints of illegal treatment from detainees. Story continues I dont remember exactly when DeSantis came because we had no watch, no calendar, nothing, Mr Adayfi told The Independent. He came to talk to us along [with] others medical staff and interpreters. And we explained to him why we were on hunger strike. And he told us, Im here to ensure that you get treated humanely and properly. We were talking about our problems with the brothers, the torture, the abuses, the no healthcare. The treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay is hardly a partisan issue in Washington. Members of both parties have worked to keep the controversial prison open, and even though Barack Obama famously pledged to close the prison during his presidency he ultimately failed to do so and even found himself defending the concept of these force-feedings to journalists. I dont want these individuals to die, he said in 2013. The prison at Guantanamo Bay has faced global criticism as detainees have been held for years without charges, in some cases with very thin or no evidence at all of detainees supposed links to terror groups. Some of treatment of prisoners at the facility has also been described as torture, including the force-feedings and waterboarding. In his recent book, The Courage to be Free, Mr DeSantis wrote that part of the reason he enlisted in the military was to lead the prosecution of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, explaining that it seemed like a good opportunity to make an impact. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is poised to jump into the presidential fray as soon as mid-May, four GOP operatives familiar with the conversations told NBC News. One of the sources emphasized that it would be an exploratory committee, with the official launch coming soon after. Some of his backers are urging him to declare as early as May 11, to counter the creeping national narrative that former President Donald Trump is the overwhelming front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination. Others in the governors orbit, however, have argued that that date would be too soon, according to two of those sources. All emphasized, however, that mid-May is the target. DeSantis, long viewed as Trumps strongest Republican challenger in 2024, has traveled far outside Florida in recent weeks to raise his profile. But some of DeSantis allies have started to question his readiness as his poll numbers have lagged and he has fell victim to a series of self-inflicted wounds. An imminent launch would help alleviate the compounding anxiety among supporters over DeSantis taking too long to jump into the fray and risking missing his moment. In a clear sign of movement on the campaign front, national political vendors descended on Tallahassee this week, vying for work on DeSantis forthcoming campaign. There has been an influx of national firms in town over the last few days, said one of the Florida Republican operatives familiar with the meetings. It feels like a team that is staffing up, not scaling down. A second operative said the meetings signal a likely presidential launch sooner than some expect, even as DeSantis has increasingly faced headwinds and fledgling poll numbers in recent months. Large campaigns require in-house planning, and this has been vendors: assemble week in Tallahassee, said a third source familiar with the meetings. The meetings come at a precarious national moment for DeSantis. He rose quickly through the conservative national ranks by taking a hands-off approach to the pandemic and placing Florida on the vanguard of conservatives biggest culture war fights. He has, however, seen his political ascent bogged down in recent weeks as Trump has hit him with at times near-daily attacks, most of which DeSantis has not responded to. Story continues DeSantis political team did not reply to a request seeking comment, but at a news conference in Israel on Thursday morning, he responded to NBC News' reporting. "Theres not been any thing set," he said. "Ive been focused on this mission that weve been doing. Were going to end up making it pretty much around the world by the time were done. And if theres any announcements, you know, those will come at the appropriate time, but its not if anyones telling you that somehow they know this or they know that, thats just inaccurate, because theres not been any decisions." A launch in mid-May would help alleviate growing frustrations among potential supporters who are concerned that DeSantis risks squandering the momentum that had made him so attractive as a Trump alternative in the first place. A good politician knows when their moment is and they seize the opportunity; theres no question that the door is swinging against DeSantis, said Dennis Lennox, a Michigan-based Republican strategist who wants to support DeSantis in 2024. Gov. DeSantis is the only Republican who can beat Trump. He is the only Republican who can beat Joe Biden. But hes starting to look like a Scott Walker in 2015, Newt Gingrich in 2012 and Fred Thompson in 2008 maybe even a Chris Christie, who ended up not getting into the race. With little response, the Trump attacks have helped redefine DeSantis with Trumps intense political base, of which DeSantis will have to erode to be viable in a 2024 Republican presidential primary. A Morning Consult poll out Tuesday had Trump with a 37 percentage-point lead on DeSantis, his biggest margin to date. Thats a reversal of fortune for DeSantis, who over the past year has generally been competitive with Trump in one-on-one Republican primary polls. DeSantis has brushed off questions about his 2024 aspirations, often in an awkward fashion, which has amplified the idea he might not be ready for the presidential spotlight. The most recent was while on an international trade mission in Japan this week. Reporters asked DeSantis about his lagging poll numbers. In a moment that went viral, DeSantis was visibly unnerved by the questions and seemed unable to respond in a way that appeared prepared. Im not a candidate, so well see if and when that changes, DeSantis said, openly annoyed by the question. It also comes amid the backdrop of his continued fight with Walt Disney World, one of the states largest employers, which angered the governor last year by opposing legislation aimed at banning the discussion of gender identity or sexual orientation up to the third grade. Opponents dubbed it the Dont Say Gay bill. On Wednesday, a DeSantis-appointed board voted to invalidate a Disney-friendly agreement, a move that prompted Walt Disney World to file a federal lawsuit accusing the DeSantis administration of engaging in a targeted campaign of government relation. The vote has flummoxed even some of DeSantis closest Republican supporters, who say a focus on things like Walt Disney World are hurting him in the polls and with prospective supporters. Most notably, Trump has racked up endorsements from more than 50 members of Congress, including 11 from Floridas delegation, to DeSantis three. Trump is fighting Democrats, DeSantis is fighting a mouse, said a member of the Florida GOPs state executive committee who supports DeSantis running for president. Members of Congress and voters are choosing the fight they think is more important. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Comedian Roy Wood Jr. has come a long way from his childhood in Birmingham, Alabama, to becoming a prominent figure in the world of comedy. Now, he's having a breakout moment. This Saturday, he'll stand before President Biden and other politicians as the entertainer at the White House Correspondents' dinner a testament to his talent and impact. "It's an honor to speak and crack jokes on top of that, you know, next to the president," he told CBS News. "But I think it's an even bigger responsibility to be able to talk directly to the people in the room that are pushing against a lot of the things that keep America from moving forward. Because I think the job of comedian is to be the voice of the regular person." Wood was born in New York City, but he calls Birmingham, Alabama, home. He grew up in a neighborhood affected by the struggles of the 1980s, including gang violence and the crack epidemic. Wood kept on the right path with the help of his mother, Joyce, who worked as a school administrator, and his father, Roy Wood Sr., a renowned journalist and the founder of the first national radio network owned by Black Americans. Wood credits his father for teaching him the importance of authenticity and storytelling. Wood's life took a tragic turn when his father passed away during his senior year of high school. With his father's untimely death, Wood faced the challenge of finishing school and helping support his family. "He was, for the most part, a significant part of the income in the house," said Wood. "So, I got a job. I started working at Baskin-Robbins. I was working at Subway. ... I was working 30-35 hours a week." Wood pursued a journalism degree at Florida A&M University, then was suspended for a year over stealing. Woods said that moment was exactly what he needed, and he recognizes that the university may have believed in him more than he did himself. Story continues "Black children are told from an early age that they are disposable," he said. "And I think it is important ... to be in a place where there's people around you who remind you that your life isn't disposable because a lot of those people were probably almost disposed themselves." The setback led him to discover his true passion for comedy. During his suspension, he started performing stand-up, finding solace and an outlet for his emotions during that challenging period. Wood's dedication to comedy paid off. He honed his skills and in 2006, he made his national television debut on "The Late Show with David Letterman," which opened doors to further opportunities. He also gained recognition as a finalist on NBC's "Last Comic Standing" in 2008 and secured stand-up gigs on Comedy Central. Now, 25 years into his career, Wood is in his prime. He's a father to 6-year-old Henry and a correspondent on "The Daily Show," which he guest-hosted earlier this month after Trevor Noah's sign-off in December. He's currently vying for the host position. "If I'm offered an opportunity to have a direct line to Americans every night, four nights a week, you can't say no to that offer," he said. Wood believes his father would be proud of his accomplishments. "I think my father would be proud, but I think he'd be even prouder if I go up there and make sure that I'm talking about something real. Because when you have the microphone, you better have something to say. You may not get it again," said Wood. What's next in debt ceiling debate after House passes McCarthy's plan? Exclusive discounts from CBS Mornings Deals Award-winning radio personality Angela Yee on new show "Way Up with Angela Yee" A passenger on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship went overboard during a trip from Australia to Hawaii, a company spokesperson confirmed Wednesday to CBS News. A Royal Caribbean spokesperson said the ship's crew is working with local authorities on search and rescue operations. Quantum of the Seas left Brisbane on April 12, and was scheduled to arrive in Honolulu on April 28. A passenger on Royal Caribbean cruise ship Quantum of the Seas went overboard. / Credit: Joshua Reynolds/Facebook The cruise line has not specified when or where the ship was when the guest went overboard. However, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson told CBS News Wednesday night that at about 11 p.m. Hawaii-Aleutian standard time on Tuesday night, it received a report of a man who had gone overboard approximately 500 nautical miles south of Hawaii's Big Island. The Coast Guard responded and conducted five searches in the course of about six hours, the spokesperson said, but the man was not located. Another search effort would be conducted at first light on Thursday, the Coast Guard spokesperson said. A passenger aboard the Quantum of the Seas posted about the incident on social media early on Wednesday. "Three medical emergencies and now a man overboard," passenger Joshua Reynolds wrote on Facebook. "We have slowed down and are now turning around. Hope they are found." CBS News has also reached out to Australian officials. In December, a cruise passenger died after falling from the MSC Meraviglia, about 18 miles off the coast of Port Canaveral, Florida. Disney sues Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over "government retaliation" Stocks fall as First Republic Bank shares plummet British antitrust regulators block Microsoft purchase of Activision Blizzard A flag for King Charles III's coronation. Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images After criticism for its handling of Taylor Swift and Drake's tours, Ticketmaster is under fire again. Fans were told they had won tickets for King Charles' coronation concert in the final ballot. But they went quickly on a "first-come first-served basis" amid confusing instructions. Ticketmaster has come under scrutiny after people hoping to attend King Charles III's coronation concert were left ticketless due to confusing instructions, CNN first reported. Some fans were told that they had won tickets for the landmark concert on May 7 headlined by Katy Perry and Lionel Richie but then discovered there were none left. Screenshots of Ticketmaster emails shared on Twitter say: "you have been successful in the ballot" but the tickets were also being offered on a "first-come first-served basis." There was more uncertainty because the email said fans had until midday Thursday to claim the tickets, but they all went within minutes. "If you do not claim your tickets by this date, then they will be reallocated," it added. This was the third and final ballot for a total of 10,000 concert tickets. It was made up of those tickets left unclaimed from the previous two ballots, a Ticketmaster spokesperson said in a statement emailed to Insider. A February press release for the concert from the Royal Household said that tickets would be allocated based on the geographical spread of the UK population and not on a first-come first-served basis. The Ticketmaster spokesperson said that Tuesday's tickets were "released on a first-come, first-served basis to those who had previously applied to the ballot (and were unsuccessful). These inevitably went very quickly." In the first two ballots, tickets were "guaranteed" so long as they were claimed within three weeks, the spokesperson said. Story continues Those who missed out on the tickets described Ticketmaster's process as "incredibly misleading" and "a total shambles" on Twitter. Ticketmaster previously faced criticism over its handling of Taylor Swift and Drake's tours. Fans of the Canadian rapper filed a class-action lawsuit, alleging that one customer bought $790 tickets before a second show was added the following day with the same seats that cost nearly $400 less. High demand during the presale of tickets to Taylor Swift's concert caused the site to crash Ticketmaster said "millions" had signed up but it also suffered from "bot attacks." The general sale two days later was then canceled, citing "insufficient ticket inventory." Lina Khan, who chairs the Federal Trade Commission, said in February that Ticketmaster's role in Swift's tour "ended up converting more Gen Zers into anti-monopolists overnight than anything I could have done." The BBC, which is organizing the Coronation concert, did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider The Prince and Princess of Wales share a kiss on Buckingham Palace balcony (PA) The Prince and Princess of Wales married 12 years ago, on 29 April, 2011. Prince William and Kate Middleton tied the knot in Westminster Abbey in front of 26.3m viewers in the UK alone. More than a decade later, William, 40, and Kate, 41, have three children and are an integral part of the Royal Family, carrying out countless engagements and representing hundreds of charities. Following the Queen's death in September last year, the pair's titles were changed from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to the Prince and Princess of Wales to reflect William's new position as the first in line to the throne. Read more: Princess of Wales' wardrobe: Kate's favourite and most affordable fashion brands Looking back to their wedding day, more than 5,000 street parties were held and one million people lined the route the couple took from the Abbey to Buckingham Palace. The pair met when they were students at the University of St Andrews in Scotland in 2001 and began dating a couple of years later. After a long courtship, which was somewhat off and on, William proposed to Kate with his mother Princess Dianas diamond sapphire engagement ring during a trip to Kenya in 2010. For the big day, Kate wore a satin and lace wedding dress, designed by Sarah Burton, creative director of Alexander McQueen. She borrowed the Cartier halo tiara from the Queens jewellery collection, which was made in 1936 for the Queen Mother. Read more: 49 pictures of Prince Louis' sweetest and most hilarious moments to celebrate his fifth birthday The bride chose her sister Pippa Middleton as her maid of honour, who also wore a cowl-neck dress by Sarah Burton. There were four bridesmaids Lady Louise Windsor, then seven, Margarita Armstrong-Jones, then eight, Grace van Cutsem, then three, Eliza Lopes, then three. The two page boys were William Lowther-Pinkerton, then ten, and Tom Pettifer, then eight. William wore his red Irish Guards uniform, while best man and brother Prince Harry wore the uniform of a captain of the Blues and Royals. Story continues William and Kate are now parents to Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, five. Here, relive the pomp, romance and sheer glamour of the day with these glorious wedding photos. Originally published on 14 May 2018. During a podcast with former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon and failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani admitted to using a dirty trick that kept down the Hispanic vote in New York City during his 1993 mayoral campaign. Bannon and Lake laughed along awkwardly as Giuliani described the tactic, which he said spurred a Justice Department investigation and would likely be subject to prosecution today. The discussion occurred on Giulianis Americas Mayor Live program on Tuesday night. (Video below.) After complaining, as he has for years, that hed been cheated when he lost New York Citys 1989 mayoral race, Giuliani recalled spending $2 million on a Voter Integrity Committee for his next campaign in 1993. He ultimately beat then-incumbent Mayor David Dinkins by around 53,000 votes. When Giuliani first raised the scheme, Bannon sarcastically replied, A dirty trick in New York City? Im so shocked. Giuliani enthusiastically cut him off. No, played by Republicans! he said before explaining more. Republicans dont do dirty tricks, Bannon protested before Giuliani continued, Well, how about this one? So they went through East Harlem, which is all Hispanic, and they gave out little cards, and the card said, If you come to vote, make sure you have your green card because INS are picking up illegals. So they spread it all over the Hispanic... Giuliani trailed off after Lake exclaimed, Oh my gosh. INS, or the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, was the immigration enforcement agency precursor to various agencies now housed within the Department of Homeland Security. Giuliani then described how hed heard from his attorney that the Justice Department, then run by Attorney General Janet Reno, was investigating the scheme for potential civil rights violations. Giuliani said he told his lawyer, Dennison Young, not to worry because What civil rights do we violate? They dont have civil rights! All we did is prevent people who cant vote from voting. Maybe we tricked them, but tricking is not a crime. Story continues Nowadays, the former Trump lawyer and New York City mayor acknowledged, he might face prosecution for the suppression tactic. And thats the way we kept down the Hispanic vote, he concluded. At that point, Lake butted in to clarify: Not the legal vote, the illegal vote. Of course! Giuliani replied. The Hispanic illegal vote, which takes away the Hispanic legal vote. Giuliani said Randy Levine, now president of the Yankees, and John Sweeney, a former U.S. congressman, led his Voter Integrity Committee. Sweeney told HuffPost Giulianis claims were nonsense and said he and Levine ran a legitimate operation. Levine, in a phone call Thursday, acknowledged that he and Sweeney ran Giulianis voter integrity team, describing it as focused on getting poll watchers and attorneys when there was a dispute. However, he said, he had no knowledge of the scheme Giuliani described on the podcast and that the voter integrity unit had nothing to do with it. My only knowledge was what was in the news back then and shortly after 1993, Levine said. I was never contacted by the Justice Department on this investigation because it was clear it did not come out of our operation. News reports and a government press release from the time roughly line up with Giulianis claims. The New York Times, announcing Giulianis election win, noted that Dinkins had called a noon news conference on Election Day to accuse his opponent of voter intimidation and dirty tricks, including the charge that pro-Dinkins posters in English and Spanish were put up in Washington Heights and the Bronx. According to the article, the posters suggested that illegal immigrants would be arrested at the polls and deported if they tried to vote. Giuliani said at the time the allegation had nothing to do with my campaign, the Times reported. New York City Mayor David Dinkins gives his concession speech on Nov. 3, 1993, after narrowly losing to Rudy Giuliani. New York City Mayor David Dinkins gives his concession speech on Nov. 3, 1993, after narrowly losing to Rudy Giuliani. A press release from that Election Day from James P. Turner, then the acting assistant attorney general for civil rights in the Clinton administration Justice Department, said the department was aware of posters placed throughout New York City misinforming voters about the role of Federal officials in todays elections. The release encouraged voters to ignore the posters and stressed that no immigration officials were at polling places and that federal observers are not there to enforce immigration laws, but rather, to protect the rights of minority voters. The release also stated that the department would be investigating the posters and allegations that individuals are intimidating and harassing voters at polling places. A few days after Election Day, The Washington Post reported that the Justice Department was probing complaints about efforts to suppress the vote in Democratic-leaning minority neighborhoods in New York City. The report (authored by Thomas Edsall and Malcolm Gladwell), described various complaints about election incidents including signs warning that federal authorities and immigration officials will be at all election sites Immigration officials will be at locations to arrest and deport undocumented illegal voters. Then-Mayor Dinkins campaign recorded the license plate of a car carrying men that allegedly put up the signs, and police traced it to the wife of a policeman living in Rockland County, New York, according to the report. A separate incident reportedly involved multiple men disrupting a polling place in Bedford-Stuyvesant, a Black and Latino neighborhood in Brooklyn. Another incident reported by The Washington Post matches Giulianis claim even more closely. The article states: In East Harlem, Debra Wilson, a voter, said Giuliani workers sought to intimidate prospective voters by asking for their green immigration cards. Giuliani celebrates as a supporter holds a newspaper with a headline declaring him the city's new mayor on Nov. 3, 1993. Giuliani celebrates as a supporter holds a newspaper with a headline declaring him the city's new mayor on Nov. 3, 1993. Writing in the socialist journal Against The Current shortly after the election, activist Andy Pollack noted, Cops put up phony Dinkins posters in mostly Dominican Washington Heights, saying the INS would be checking voters documents at the polls. In some cases police themselves asked Latino voters for their passports. Finally, the journalist Wayne Barrett reported multiple times on the Giuliani campaigns tactics. In 1998, five years after the election, Barrett wrote that Giulianis Election Day operation flooded polling places with lawyers and off-duty cops and firemen to try to prevent a repeat of 1989. Three years later, Barrett noted of the 1993 race, Giulianis election-day operation featured thousands of white off-duty cops, firemen, and corrections officers, assigned to monitor black districts by Giuliani, which Dinkins denounced as an outrageous campaign of voter intimidation and dirty tricks. The hubbub over these ads and tactics was forgotten overnight. Its true that noncitizen migrants cant vote in New York City elections despite a change to the law passed by the city council in 2021, which was struck down by a Staten Island judge. But voting rights activists have long said that voter suppression efforts aimed at that community, such as proof-of-citizenship requirements, can also suppress the votes of legal U.S. citizens of Latino descent. In 1982, the Justice Department reached a consent decree with the Republican Party after a series of voter suppression efforts in New Jersey in the early 80s, including off-duty law enforcement officers stationed at polling places in Black and Latino neighborhoods with National Ballot Security Task Force armbands. The consent decree was lifted in 2018. Related... Three-quarters of countryside homes are off the grid compared to less than one in 10 in suburban areas A rural premium is forcing countryside residents to pay up to 20 per cent more on the cost of living, a report has found. Agricultural communities can suffer the most as a result of current economic pressures as a result of weaker energy security and worse infrastructure than their urban counterparts. The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Rural Business took evidence from industry bodies, campaign groups and businesses as part of an inquiry leading up to the publication of its findings. It found that people in rural areas are typically needing to spend between 10 and 20 per cent more on everyday requirements than those living in cities and built-up towns, despite average wages being some 7.5 per cent lower. Three-quarters of countryside homes are off the grid, the report stated, compared to less than one in 10 in suburban areas. This has made these households more vulnerable to soaring prices amid global supply chain shocks and the invasion of Ukraine. People in rural areas spend between 10 and 20 per cent more on everyday requirements than those living in cities - iStockphoto An evidence submission by the charity Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) warned one in seven (14 per cent) of village halls are considering closure in the next six months because of their energy bills, noting the closures were simply because they dont feel like they are going to be able to afford to heat their buildings. The disparity between rural and urban areas also extends to fuel, with rural households spending almost 800 a year more on fuel than those living in urban areas, according to the Countryside Alliance, with an average car trip taking 49 per cent longer for those in villages. ACRE also told the inquiry that rural areas have less good access to the lowest cost food, while there were warnings elsewhere in the report that some communities risk resembling a food desert. Village shops are struggling to compete with larger retailers on the price of their product, the report added, as villagers visit less regularly amid the cost of living crisis and only buying three items on average. Story continues Meanwhile, three in 10 rural businesses are struggling to hire staff because of their remote location and a lack of convenient transport, compared to just four per cent of firms based in cities. Another difficulty for these businesses came in the finding that less than half receive serviceable 4G network coverage, which was described as likely to restrict the mitigating responses and options for many firms. The report calls for ministers to draw up an economic blueprint for countryside businesses, more ambitious housing plans, funding for warm community centres and an extension of the Rural Fuel Duty Relief scheme. Vulnerability of the rural economy Julian Sturdy, the Tory MP for York Outer and the co-chairman of the inquiry, said: This report shows without question that those living and working in rural areas have been left at a serious disadvantage. This advantage worsens further in difficult economic circumstances. Government needs to now show it is ambitious for the rural economy, and work across departments to develop a serious set of policies that will grow the economy, create good jobs and stronger communities in all parts of the country. Mark Tufnell, president of the Country Land and Business Association, accused successive Labour and Conservative administrations of having turned a blind eye to the vulnerability of the rural economy. We desperately need a robust and ambitious plan for the rural economy; not only to protect these communities from economic shocks, but to unlock their enormous potential, Mr Tufnell said. Unless we stop treating the countryside like an afterthought, people will continue to suffer, and so will our economy. Less than half of all farmers are planning to vote for the Conservatives at the next general election, polling for Farmers Weekly found in December. Support for Labour has risen significantly in the countryside since 2020, while YouGov analysis earlier this month showed Reform UK is also in the ascendancy and could plunder the Rural Right at the next general election. The number of wounded in Mykolaiv increased to 23 Russia fired four missiles from the Black Sea "using terrain features and trajectory changes to complicate detection," he said. Read also: Russian attack on Mykolaiv Oblast kills two people, three more injured Read also: Russia fires rockets at Mykolaiv Oblast, houses hit in Ochakiv, mother, child injured "Given the fact that these are high-precision weapons that work according to targeting coordinates, it is an obvious fact of terror against civilians," Nazarov stressed. In addition to the human toll, one civilian house was destroyed, another damaged, and a residential high-rise and historic building suffered heavy damage. The resulting fires were promptly extinguished, and the sites are being dismantled. Eegional governor Vitalij Kim initially reported on the attack, saying that one person was killed and 15 wounded. 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 MANILA, April 27 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' foreign investments yielded net outflows of 70 million U.S. dollars in March, resulting from the 1.33 billion dollars in gross outflows and 1.26 billion dollars in gross inflows for the month, the Philippine central bank said Thursday. "This is smaller compared to the 531 million U.S. dollars net outflows recorded in February 2023 and 305 million U.S. dollars in March 2022," the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said. The BSP said the 1.26 billion dollars registered investments for March are higher by 84.7 percent or 576 million dollars compared to the 680 million dollars recorded in February. Investments for the month mostly came from the United Kingdom, the United States, Singapore, Luxembourg, and Norway, with a combined share of 86.4 percent. The BSP said that the 1.33 billion dollars gross outflows for March are 9.5 percent larger (or by 115 million U.S. dollars) than those recorded in February 2023 (1.2 billion dollars). The United States received 67.2 percent of total outward remittances. Year-on-year, the BSP said that registered investments in March 2023 are 1.7 percent lower than the 1.28 billion dollars recorded in March 2022 (or by 22 million dollars), while gross outflows are lower by 16.2 percent (or by 257 million dollars) vis-a-vis the gross outflows recorded for March 2022 (1.6 billion dollars). The January 1 to March 31, 2023 transactions for foreign investments registered with the BSP yielded net outflows of 309 million dollars which are larger compared to the 16 million dollars net outflows noted for the same period in 2022, the BSP added. Mikhail Mizintsev This is not the only high-profile dismissal in the Russian Defense Ministry and there is an untimely escalation of the struggle within the military and security wing, wrote Russian propagandist Alexander Sladkov. Read also: Putin fires army logistics chief Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on Mizintsev's dismissal, according to propaganda outlets. Mizintsev oversaw the razing Mariupol and the deaths of tens of thousands of the citys civilian population. Read also: Russia already lost over 20 generals in war against Ukraine, believes Japanese intelligence It was under Mizintsevs orders that a local maternity hospital, a childrens hospital, civilian homes, and Mariupols ill-fated Drama Theater were bombed. Serhiy Bratchuk, a spokesman for the emergency operations center of Odesa Oblasts Military Administration, said that Mizintsev had given orders to bomb a local maternity hospital, a children's hospital, Mariupols ill-fated drama theater, and civilian homes. It was these ruthless decisions that earned him the moniker Butcher of Mariupol. Read also: Conflict between Russian MoD and Wagners Prigozhin reaching climax In September 2022, he was appointed Deputy Defense Minister of logistics for the occupying armed forces. 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 MOSCOW (Reuters) - Only its full implementation can save the Black Sea grain deal from collapse, Russia's foreign ministry said on Thursday, reaffirming Moscow's dissatisfaction with an accord that aims to prevent a global food crisis. The deal, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey last July, allows Ukrainian grain trapped by the conflict to be safely exported from the country's Black Sea ports. But Russia has repeatedly said it will not allow the deal to be extended beyond May 18 unless the West removes obstacles to Russian grain and fertiliser exports. "(The deal) is not a buffet you can pick and choose from," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a regular news conference in Moscow, adding that implementation of the deal so far had been unsatisfactory. Russia and Ukraine are major grain producers, but Moscow says parts of the deal that are meant to allow it to export its own agricultural goods via the Black Sea are not being honoured. Although Russia's agricultural exports have not been explicitly targeted by Western sanctions, Moscow says restrictions on its payments, logistics and insurance industries - imposed over its military actions in Ukraine - have created a barrier to the export of its grains and fertilisers. One of Russia's main demands in negotiations is the reconnection of the Russian Agricultural Bank (Rosselkhozbank) to the SWIFT payments system. (Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Andrew Osborn and Gareth Jones) Russia has denied a request from the United States for a consular visit to jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained last month on charges of espionage. The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it rejected a U.S. request for a May 11 visit in response to the U.S. not granting visas to Russian journalists who wanted to join Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to the United Nations. The U.S. Embassy was informed in this connection that its request for consular access to U.S. citizen Gershkovich, detained on suspicion of espionage, on May 11 was declined, the ministry said. Gershkovich was detained at the end of March after officials alleged that he was trying to gain access to classified information. The Russian Federal Security Service accused him of acting on orders from the U.S. government to conduct spying. U.S. officials and the Journal have rejected the accusations and demanded his release. The State Department declared him to be wrongfully detained earlier this month. Gershkovich has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The Journal denounced the arrest as a vicious affront to a free press. The U.S. has been pushing for Russia to allow a consular visit with Gershkovich, but Lavrov said after the visas were denied that the Russian government will not forget and will not forgive. The U.S. responded by saying Russias U.S. mission members had been reminded to submit applications early and its visa processing capacity has been hampered by Russias actions against the U.S. embassy in Russia. Eileen OReilly, president of the National Press Club, and Gil Klein, president of the National Press Club Journalism Institute, condemned Russias denial of the request to visit Gershkovich in a joint statement. Denying these visits amounts to torture, they said. The UN Convention on Torture defines solitary confinement of more than 15 days as torture. Evan has been held twice that long. His only relief is during consular visits. They are essential and must be continued on a regular basis. Story continues OReilly and Klein also criticized Russia for acting in retaliation for the denial of the visas, arguing that they are not suffering in any way as Gershkovich is because of the rejection. Creating an equivalence between their situation and Evans is false and immoral, they said. Punishing Evan because of the visa policy of his government is cruel. The Associated Press contributed to this report. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. MOSCOW (AP) Russias Foreign Ministry on Thursday denied a U.S request for a consular visit to Evan Gershkovich, an American reporter for The Wall Street Journal who is jailed on espionage charges. The ministry said it rejected the request for the May 11 visit in retaliation for the U.S. refusing to grant visas to Russian journalists who planned to accompany Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on a trip to the United Nations. Gershkovich has been in custody since his March 29 arrest by Russias security service on espionage charges that he, his employer and the U.S. government have denied. Gershkovich is the first U.S. correspondent since the Cold War to be detained in Russia on spying charges, and his arrest rattled journalists in the country and drew outrage in the West. The United States has declared Gershkovich to be wrongfully detained and demanded his immediate release. The Russian denial of the U.S. request for a consular visit to Gershkovich followed Lavrov warning that Moscow will not forget and will not forgive the denial of the visas to Russian journalists. The Foreign Ministry said Friday it was also considering other retaliatory measures. A protest note was presented in connection with the provocative conduct of the U.S. diplomatic mission, which thwarted the issuing of visas to mass media representatives from the press pool of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who were supposed to accompany him on his trip to New York as part of Russias presidency of the U.N. Security Council, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The U.S. Embassy was informed in this connection that its request for consular access to U.S. citizen Gershkovich, detained on suspicion of espionage, on May 11 was declined," the ministry statement said. "Other possible retaliatory measures, about which the U.S. side will be duly notified, are being considered. By Tom Balmforth (Reuters) - The anti-tank ditches near Ukraine's occupied southeastern town of Polohy stretch for 30 km (19 miles). Behind are rows of concrete "dragon's teeth" barricades. Further back are defensive trenches where Russia's troops will be positioned. The defences visible in satellite imagery taken by Capella Space are part of a vast network of Russian fortifications sweeping down from western Russia through eastern Ukraine and on to Crimea built in readiness for a major Ukrainian attack. Thousands of Ukrainian troops have been training in the West to use different military assets on the battlefield in a combined way ahead of a counteroffensive Ukrainian officials say will come when its forces are ready. Reuters has reviewed satellite images of thousands of defensive positions inside both Russia and along Ukrainian front lines that show it is most heavily defended in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and the gateway to the Crimean Peninsula. Six military experts said the defences, mostly built in the wake of Ukraine's rapid autumn advances, could make it harder for Ukraine this time and that progress would hinge on its ability to carry out complex, combined operations effectively. "It's not the numbers for the Ukrainians. It's can they do this kind of warfare, combined arms operations?" said Neil Melvin, an analyst at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). "The Russians have shown they can't do it and they've gone back to their old Soviet method of attrition." A Ukrainian counteroffensive could change the dynamics of a war that has slowed into a bloody battle of attrition and military experts say the length of the front could stretch Russia's defences. If Kyiv can wrest back control of the south, it could regain unimpeded access to its Black Sea export routes at a time when Russia has signalled it may slam the grain corridor shut. Ukraine may not receive another large injection of armoured hardware from the West any time soon, which is putting pressure on Kyiv to retake as much land as possible in case military support begins to wane, military experts say. Story continues "We've cleaned out most of the stocks in the West," said Melvin. "It's going to take some years to rebuild. I think this is (Ukraine's) big opportunity to press on." Ukraine's Defence Ministry did not respond to a written response for comment about any counteroffensive. LAND CORRIDOR Ukraine has vowed to take back all the territory occupied by Russia, an area roughly the size of Bulgaria, but officials are reluctant to disclose any information that could help Moscow. The West has sent scores of modern battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles to serve as the vanguard of an assault, along with bridging equipment and mine clearance vehicles. That's why Russia has been digging extensive, layered fortifications to ensure its troops will be far more entrenched than when they were chased out of Ukraine's northeast and Kherson city, the satellite images show. The pictures analysed by Reuters show much of the Russian construction occurred after November, when its forces pulled back from Kherson city in the south and both sides looked to consolidate positions during the winter months. Stretching hundreds of kilometres, the military experts say the defences mark areas where Russia expects to be attacked, or sees strategic significance in holding onto territory. Russia's defence ministry did not respond to questions about the defences and its ability to repel a counteroffensive. According to the satellite images, Russia's positions are most concentrated near the front lines in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, in the east and across the narrow strip of land connecting the Crimean Peninsula to the rest of Ukraine. The military experts all expected the main thrust of a counteroffensive to be in the south, even though the heaviest fighting in recent months has been concentrated in the east, and in particular around the city of Bakhmut. Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a rare trip to the Kherson region in what some observers saw as a signal of its strategic importance. Oleksandr Musiyenko, a military analyst in Kyiv, said the south was strategically vital for Ukraine. Besides disrupting the land corridor from Russia to occupied Crimea, making deep inroads into the south could bring the peninsula into artillery range, he said. The diamond-shaped peninsula seized from Ukraine in 2014 is home to the Black Sea Fleet which Russia uses to project power into the Middle East and Mediterranean and - over the last 14 months - rain down cruise missiles on Ukraine. The south is also home to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, which has been occupied since March last year and idle since September. It used to supply a fifth of Ukraine's electricity needs. HUGE DIGGING EFFORT The town of Polohy pictured in Capella Space's satellite images, lies in the Zaporizhzhia region, a key gateway for Ukraine to bear down on the largely flat south. The rest of the south lies beyond the Dnipro River, a huge natural barrier for Ukrainian forces to overcome. "I traced ditches and trenches running from the eastern bank of the Dnipro south of Vasylivka all the way to Fedorivka, which is to say they run across Zaporizhzhia (Region)," said John Ford, research associate at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. He estimated that defensive section alone stretched for 120 km. The anti-tank ditches are deep and wide enough to obstruct advancing tanks and armoured vehicles. Then come concrete "dragon's teeth" that serve as pyramid-shaped barricades. The manned trenches lie about a kilometre behind the ditches. Besides the ditches, barricades and zig-zag trenches, Russia's defensive lines will also include minefields, razor wire and camouflaged weapons positions. And in the case of Polohy, Russia has constructed two distinct defensive lines, one to the north and one to the south. Overheads of the Zaporizhzhia area seen by Reuters show some towns, such as Tokmak and Bilmak, have been encircled by fortifications. Trenches have been dug along roads, outside other settlements and at the city airports of Melitopol and Berdiansk. The north of Crimea has also been fortified. Brady Africk, an open-source intelligence researcher and analyst at the American Enterprise Institute, said he had mapped fortifications from western Russia to Crimea, with construction starting in earnest after Russian troops abandoned Kherson city. "That spurred a huge digging effort, especially across southern Ukraine, where the ground is quite flat," he said. BATTLEFIELD OBSTACLES Despite the web of defences, four experts said Russia would be stretched by the length of the front, a vulnerability Kyiv would seek to exploit with feints, distractions, surprise and operational speed. Musiyenko said Ukraine could use Western-supplied vessels to launch assaults on the Kherson region from across the Dnipro that would serve as decoys - or full-fledged attacks. That could force Russia to divert troops from elsewhere. "Battlefield obstacles are only obstacles so long as they are guarded by capable troops," said Middlebury's Ford. Musiyenko estimated that Ukraine would have a force of between 100,000-110,000 for an attack, including eight assault brigades with a total of 40,000 troops. Russia has not said how many troops it has in Ukraine, or within its borders ready to deploy. Ukrainian and Russian officials have reported on Telegram messenger a series of explosions over the last month in Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia region's main occupied city. Musiyenko said Ukraine was targeting logistics nodes as it did before recapturing Kherson city. Wrecking Russian supply lines would render its trenches weak, he said: "Fortified positions are effective if you have ammunition, rounds, weapons that you can defend with." A leaked U.S. intelligence document dated Feb. 28 seen by Reuters said the West had committed 200 tanks to Ukraine. Army chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said in December he needed 300 to defeat Russia, along with other vehicles and artillery. Those same documents also said Ukraine faced acute shortages of air defences, which could become a problem if Kyiv's forces advance rapidly and need protection from aerial bombardments. (Additional reporting by Idrees Ali and Jonathan Landay in Washington and Gerry Doyle in Singapore; Editing by Mike Collett-White and David Clarke) Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks with Crimean leader Sergei Aksyonov in November 2016. Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP Satellite photos obtained by CNN show that Russia has emptied out a military base in Crimea. Ukraine is planning a counteroffensive, and the head of the region indicated it could be a target. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, and Ukraine says one of its goals is to get it back. Russia has taken weaponry and equipment out of a military base in Crimea, according to satellite images obtained by CNN, as a Russian official warns that Ukraine may be gearing up to try to take back the region. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, claiming it as part of Russia in a move that has not been recognized internationally. CNN compared satellite images of the base taken on January 21, February 11, and March 27 by the EU's Sentinel 2 satellite and by Maxar Technologies. The January image of the base, located close to the village of Medvedivka and near the border with Kherson, shows a lot of Russian equipment at the site, while the February image shows "dozens of armoured vehicles, including tanks and artillery pieces," CNN reported. But in the March image, much of that weaponry is gone. It is not clear why Russia would move the equipment, but a local official warned that Ukraine appears poised to target the region when it launches its expected counteroffensive. Sergei Aksyonov, the Russia-appointed governor of Crimea, said earlier this month that Russia was building defensive structures in and around Crimea, indicating that Russia expects a Ukrainian attack. He said that they "had to prepare for any scenario," per CNN's translation. The governor of Crimea's largest city said earlier this week that Ukrainian drones had targeted Russia's main naval base there. And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly stated that he wants to take Crimea back. The location of Crimea compared to Russia and Ukraine. Thomson Reuters Ukraine has been gearing up for a long-awaited counteroffensive, including by getting more advanced training and weapons from its allies. But it isn't clear when it will begin. Story continues Crimea has a strategic military importance: Russia uses it to support its troops in Ukraine's south, and it is home to multiple military bases and airports, as well as Russia's Black Sea Fleet. The region also served as a launchpad for Russia when it began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. And it has symbolic value: Russia's President Vladimir Putin has called it a "holy land" for his country. Insider's John Halitwagner reported in January that Crimea could become the next big battlefield, and one that could decide the outcome of the war. Read the original article on Business Insider Russian private military company Wagner Group is looking to insert itself into the ongoing conflict in Sudan as part of its expanding operations across Africa that experts say are helping to fund its bloody role in Ukraine. The founder of the mercenary group, Kremlin-linked oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, seeks to wedge Wagner into the fight for control of Sudan, offering weapons to the warring paramilitaries and looking to exploit the connections to the gain of Moscow. While there are yet no confirmed reports of Wagner personnel directly involved in the fighting, the groups moves have alarmed the United States and its allies, who are watching the situation unfold with trepidation. The United States has made clear that we vehemently oppose any outside influences perpetuating the conflict, Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Monday. Secretary of State Antony Blinken the same day warned that Wagner risked aggravating the conflict. We do have deep concern about the engagement of the Prigozhin group, the Wagner Group, in Sudan, Blinken told reporters. Its in so many different countries in Africa an element that, when its engaged, simply brings more death and destruction with it. He added: Its very important that we not see its further engagement in Sudan. Wagner is no stranger to African countries, with the group in less than a decade establishing footholds in the Central Africa Republic, Libya, Mozambique and Mali, and seeking inroads into Burkina Faso. In exchange for providing mercenaries to different governments or running destabilizing social media disinformation campaigns, Wagner has gained access to valuable gold mines, arms deals and offers of satellite locations for Moscow. The agreements also mean a gain for Russia, which uses Wagner to further its own interests in Africa. The group now seems to have its eyes firmly on Sudan, with Prigozhin last week issuing a statement offering to help mediate the fight between rival Sudanese generals. Story continues The conflict centers around Gen. Mohamed Hamdan, the leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of Sudans military and de facto head of state, with fighting centered in the capital of Khartoum. Hamdan and Burhan initially teamed up for a 2021 coup to topple the government, but arguments over power sharing soured the relationship. The fighting between the two sides, which began only weeks ago, has killed more than 450 civilians and fighters and wounded over 4,000, according to the U.N. health agency. The conflict has proved a prime opportunity for Wagner to interject. The group previously entered the country in 2017, giving equipment and training to the security forces of former authoritarian President Omar al-Bashir. The Russian contractor also conducted information operations and deployed some 500 men to put down local uprisings in exchange for exclusive rights to gold mining in Sudan, channeled through [Prigozhins] M-Invest company, according to the Brookings Institution. Before he was ousted in 2019, Bashir also offered Moscow a naval base on the Red Sea. Wagner is now reportedly offering weapons including surface-to-air missiles to Hamdans RSF, though the group has denied any link to Wagner, The New York Times reported. If reports are true, Wagner has gone beyond the playbook, possibly instigating the conflict or at a minimum prepositioning material/weapon in advance of the civil conflict, said Jason Blazakis, the director of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism. While time will tell what the true scope of Wagners involvement is in the current civil conflict, Blazakis said the group is right now unequivocally destabilizing Sudan. The situation could also give Wagner another possible revenue stream for its brutal military campaign in Ukraine on behalf of Russia. While there isnt a financial trail equivalent to a smoking gun that traces Wagner assets acquired directly in Africa to the fighting in Ukraine, analytically speaking there can be little doubt that the money Wagner makes in Africa is benefiting the group in several ways, Blazakis told The Hill. Such funding could be used for recruitment efforts in the Ukraine-Russia war, paying troops salaries, and the purchase of weapons and ammo for Wagner fighters on the front lines in Ukraine, he added. Making the conflict in Sudan all the more dire to Washington, thousands of Western citizens remain in Sudan, with a second American killed there as of Wednesday amid a three-day, U.S.-brokered cease-fire, according to the White House. About 100 American employees at the U.S. embassy in the Sudanese capital were evacuated as part of a coordinated effort between the Pentagon and State Department late last week. About 16,000 Americans remain in Sudan, most of them dual nationals, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday. We still have military forces prepositioned in the region ready to respond if need be, Kirby said. But right now, its not very safe to try to run some larger evacuation. As of last week, at least 500 American citizens had contacted the embassy, with about 55 asking for direct U.S. assistance to leave Khartoum, a congressional source told The Hill. On Wednesday, reports emerged that the State Department was planning to send a consular team to the Port of Sudan to help U.S. citizens evacuate. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Russia will be able to finance the war against Ukraine for at least another year, despite the sanctions. Source: The Washington Post citing leaked documents of US intelligence posted on Discord Details: The media specified that this information was stated in the documents of "the highest level of classification" labelled top secret. According to them, American intelligence believes that Russia can fund war in Ukraine for another year despite sanctions. While not all of Russias economic elites agree with the course of action taken in Ukraine, and their business suffered because of sanctions, they are "unlikely to withdraw support" for Russian President Vladimir Putin, an assessment presumably made in early March reads. Quote from the intelligence: "Moscow is relying on increased corporate taxes, its sovereign wealth fund, increased imports and businesses adaptability to help mitigate economic pressures." More details: WP emphasises that the document does not take into account the impact of newly imposed sanctions, nor the long-term consequences of oil price ceilings being established in Europe. The assessment does not address other factors possibly affecting Russias ability to fight, such as munitions costs and the need to recruit or conscript new soldiers. The Treasury Department declined to comment on the documents in question, the news outlet writes. The White House did not respond to questions about them. Apart from that, WP states that leaked documents also provide a window into the consternation they have caused among some of their intended targets. Quote from WP: "While the documents do not include in-depth discussion of their sources, they are marked with a code indicating the data was gleaned from intercepted communications. That suggests that the United States has gained access to the channels where Russian figures privately discuss how to limit the impact of sanctions." Story continues More details: According to US intelligence, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov had drafted a letter to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in early March with a request to support the plans for possible emergencies, meant to help "avoid a potentially embarrassing collapse of Russian state-controlled entities such as the International Investment Bank, the International Bank for Economic Cooperation and the Eurasian Investment Bank, because of sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies". According to another document, US intelligence found that Russias top intelligence officials from the Federal Security Service (FSB) were concerned about the insufficient amount of foreign currency held by domestic Russian banks, the Washington Post writes. Quote from WP: "The previously unreported documents provide a rare glimpse into Washingtons understanding of the effectiveness of its own economic measures, and of the tenor of the response they have met in Russia, where U.S. intelligence finds that senior officials, agencies and the staff of oligarchs are fretting over the painful disruptions and adapting to them." Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov has emphasised that Russia is "running round the market" and has enough assets to buy ammunition. They have not run out of supplies yet: they still have plenty. Source: Reznikov in an interview with RBC-Ukraine Quote: "We have information that they are running all around the [ammunition] market asking for shells, thinking ahead. Of course, they have a crazy amount of resources, and I cant give you the good news that theyve run out of shells and well win tomorrow. No, unfortunately, they have a lot." Details: Reznikov added that the Russians "shoot without thinking", using the rolling barrage tactics in particular. The minister said that Russia has been looking for shells in North Korea and Iran. When asked whether the Russian invaders can provide for themselves in terms of shells, Reznikov replied: "They already realise they can't." Background: Back in September last year, Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, said that Russia was forced to turn to other countries for weapons. US intelligence reported that Russia bought millions of artillery shells and short-range missiles from North Korea. In early November 2022, the United States accused North Korea of secretly supplying Russia with a significant number of artillery shells for use in the war in Ukraine and attempting to conceal these supplies. According to intelligence reports, the munitions were allegedly being sent to the Middle East or North Africa but were actually destined for Russia. In addition, the United States believes that Iran has sent artillery and tank shells to Russia, and in response, Russia may provide Iran with fighter jets. In December, Eryl Gaines, US Director of National Intelligence, said that the rate at which the Russian army is using up ammunition in Ukraine exceeds Russia's ability to produce it. At the same time, in April, Lithuanian military intelligence stated that Russia has the assets to continue waging an intensive war for another two years; although the quality of the resources is not in question, and the old equipment still causes much damage. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia does not intend to take the path of nuclear escalation in its standoff with the West over Ukraine but others should not test its patience, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday. Her comments follow a flurry of warnings by senior Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, that Western military support for Ukraine is increasing the risks of a catastrophic nuclear conflict. "We will do everything to prevent the development of events according to the worst scenario, but not at the cost of infringing on our vital interests," Zakharova told a regular news conference. "I do not recommend that anybody doubt our determination and put it to the test in practice," she added. Russia has strongly criticised the supply of Western arms to Ukraine and the expansion of the NATO military alliance closer to its borders. Finland, which shares a long border with Russia, this month became the 31st member of NATO, while Ukraine itself also wishes to join, though it faces opposition from some countries. "They (the United States) continue to deliberately infringe on our fundamental interests, deliberately generate risks and raise the stakes in the confrontation with Russia...," said Zakharova. Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, a close Putin ally, said earlier this week that the world was "quite probably on the verge of a new world war". Putin casts the 14-month war in Ukraine - something he calls a "special military operation" - as an existential battle with an aggressive and arrogant West, and has said that Russia will use all available means to protect itself against any aggressor. The United States and its allies have condemned Russia's war in Ukraine as an imperial land grab. Ukraine has vowed to fight until all Russian troops withdraw from its territory, and says Russian rhetoric on nuclear war is intended to intimidate the West into curbing military aid. (Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Gareth Jones; Editing by Andrew Osborn) JAKARTA, April 27 (Xinhua) -- A passenger speed boat carrying about 80 people capsized in the waters off Riau province in western Indonesia on Thursday, leaving at least 5 people dead and several others trapped inside the sunken boat, an official said. The speed boat, SB Evelyn Calisca 01, sank in the waters off Pulau Burung of Indragiri Hilir district at about 16:00 p.m. Jakarta time (0900 GMT), Kukuh Widodo, press officer at the provincial search and rescue office, told Xinhua via phone. "So far five bodies have been found and several passengers are still trapped inside the boat," he said. Rescuers are attempting to remove the victims from the boat, saying that several people have been rescued safely from the fatal incident, Widodo said. 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 just seized some assets belonging to Finland's Fortum and Germany's Uniper. The move is a retaliation against western nations, which have blocked or seized assets from Russian firms. Sanctions have battered Russia's economy, with experts saying Russia is de-industrializing. Russia seized assets this week at two European state-owned energy firms and the Kremlin could take control of more in retaliation against "unfriendly nations," it warned. Russian assets of the Finland-owned Fortum and the German-owned Uniper were seized after President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Tuesday, Reuters reported. According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, the decree is a retaliation against moves from Western nations, which blocked or seized $58 billion of assets controlled by Russia, and have floated banning nearly all trade exports to the nation amid its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The move comes just days after Russia's state-owned bank VTB suggested the country should manage the assets of foreign companies, and return them only if western sanctions were canceled. "The decree adopted is a response to the aggressive actions of unfriendly countries," Peskov said in a statement, adding that Russia was merely managing the assets, and not taking them away from the owners. "The main purpose of the decree is to form a compensation fund for the possible application of reciprocal measures in response to the illegal expropriation of Russian assets abroad," he added. Fortum and Uniper have said they would look into the matter, with Fortum adding in a statement that it was unclear how the asset seizure would impact company operations. Both firms have been trying to exit Russia for months, Reuters reported, moves that are expected to be complicated by the Kremlin's recent play. Russia has weathered western sanctions since beginning its "special military operation" in Ukraine early last year, with some experts claiming trade restrictions have majorly hurt its economy. Despite more positive stats that are touted by the Kremlin, Russia's economy is actually "imploding," two Yale researchers said, and one think tank said it believe the nation could become a failed state in 10 years as sanctions bite into economic growth. Read the original article on Business Insider A guard with a Russian flag on his uniform near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in August 4. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko Ukraine's nuclear power plants were a central part of Russia's plan to force Kyiv's capitulation. Moscow hoped to seize the plants and use them as leverage against Ukraine and Western countries. To pull that off, Russian spies began targeting power-plant workers months before the invasion. Ukraine has one of the largest nuclear power plant systems in the world. So when Russia started planning its invasion, Ukraine's nuclear energy infrastructure was a top target. The objective of the Russian intelligence services was to gain control of those plants and then use them as leverage against the Ukrainian government. As part of a broader effort to destabilize Ukrainian institutions, Russian spies began recruiting agents in Ukraine long before Russian troops crossed into Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Ukrainian intelligence assessed that Andriy Derkach, a former member of Ukraine's parliament and head of Energoatom, Ukraine's state nuclear company, had been working with the Russian intelligence services for at least six years before the full-scale invasion. According to a recent report by the Royal United Services Institute, a British think tank, on Russia's unconventional operations in Ukraine before and during the war, Ukraine's intelligence agencies believe that "the main direction of Derkach's pro-Russian activities" in the years before 2022 was to influence Ukraine's nuclear energy industry "in the interests of Russia." According to Ukraine's State Security Service, Derkach was being handled by Russia's military intelligence agency, known as the GRU, and receiving millions of dollars every month to facilitate the fall of Ukraine. Russian military vehicles drive through the gates of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in May 2022. ANDREY BORODULIN/AFP via Getty Images "Derkach is alleged to have been tasked with the establishment of a network of private security firms which would assist in maintaining control in a number of towns by pathfinding and assisting Russian forces upon their arrival," the RUSI report says. Story continues According to the RUSI report, Ukraine's nuclear energy infrastructure "played a significant role" in Russia's invasion plan and in the Kremlin's public narratives about the conflict. Moscow accused Ukraine of having plans to use the plants to develop nuclear weapons and leaders in the Kremlin made plans to seize the plants as part of the invasion. "To prepare for these operations, the Russian special services recruited employees of nuclear facilities, including from units responsible for the physical security of the facilities," the report says. Russia's FSB, the main successor agency to the Soviet-era KGB, "was deeply involved in the planning and execution of the invasion," according to the report. FSB operatives may not have necessarily run agents in Ukraine directly, but either they or their agents in Ukraine likely tried to bribe, blackmail, or flatter personnel at the plants, as those are most common means by which people are recruited to spy. To further complicate matters, it seems likely that reports about the limited success of the destabilization effort were distorted as they were relayed to the Kremlin or ignored once they got there. This resulted in Russian leaders having a poor understanding of the situation on the ground before the invasion. Moscow's big plan Russian military personnel at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in May 2022. ANDREY BORODULIN/AFP via Getty Images According to another RUSI report on the first five months of the war, Russia had big plans for Ukraine's nuclear power plants, intending to use them to advance its objectives in three ways. First, Moscow planned to use the power plants as bases for troops and equipment so that Ukrainian forces couldn't target them out of fear of causing a nuclear disaster. Second, the Kremlin wanted to take control of Ukraine's energy grid 60% of Ukraine's electricity comes from nuclear power plants in order to gain influence over country's population and economy. Finally, Moscow wanted to leverage the nuclear sites to blackmail the US and European countries, using the threat of radiation and nuclear pollution to prevent them from getting involved, directly or indirectly, in support of Ukraine. Overall, the Kremlin wanted to denuclearize Ukraine in the hopes of leaving the country weaker and more reliant on Russia. However, within the first few weeks of the conflict, it was clear that plan had failed. Although Russian forces still control the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, that has not won the Kremlin any leverage over Kyiv. Indeed, instead of welcoming Russian forces with open arms, Ukrainians protested and fought back. More than 14 months later, it's ordinary Russian troops who are suffering because of this intelligence failure. Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate. He is working toward a master's degree in strategy and cybersecurity at Johns Hopkins' School of Advanced International Studies. Read the original article on Business Insider Russia's flotilla in the Black Sea consists of 14 vessels, but the number of missile carriers has been reduced. Source: Operational Command Pivden (South) Quote: "The enemy flotilla in the Black Sea is represented by 14 units, but the number of missile carriers has been reduced." Details: The command has noted that the Russian submarines have returned to their base points to replenish their supplies after several days of duty. Two surface missile carriers remain on combat duty, with a total round of up to 16 Kalibr cruise missiles. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! In the last 24 hours, Russian attacks were reported in nine Ukrainian oblasts Sumy, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Luhansk, and Donetsk. According to local authorities, seven civilians were killed, and at least 32 were injured. Russia struck a total of 147 settlements using mortars, small arms, tanks, artillery, multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), anti-aircraft missile systems, drones, cruise missiles, and tactical aviation, Ukraine's Defense Ministry media center said on April 27. According to the report, 94 infrastructure facilities have been hit. Russian attacks killed three civilians and wounded four more in eastern Donetsk Oblast, reported Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko. Russia hit at least ten settlements in the region, damaging over 40 houses, three high-rises, an infrastructure facility, and a school, said Kyrylenko. Russian forces struck Kherson Oblast 65 times, killing one civilian and injuring three more, the regional administration said. The attacks reportedly targeted a critical infrastructure facility in Beryslav and damaged an administrative building, a post office, and a pharmacy in the village of Stanislav. Russian troops hit the southern city of Mykolaiv overnight with four Kalibr missiles, damaging two houses, an apartment building, and a historic building, according to Ukraine's Southern Command. As of 6:38 a.m. local time, one civilian was killed and 23 more injured, including a child, the military said.Zaporizhzhia Oblast was targeted 83 times over the past 24 hours, according to the regional administration. Two men were reportedly killed in the Russian attacks. On April 26, Russian forces shelled Ukraine's northeastern Sumy Oblast, wounding two civilians in the Yunakivka community, Sumy Oblast Military Administration wrote on Facebook. Russian troops have switched to defence on the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson fronts. Source: Ukrinform news agency, citing Colonel Mykola Urshalovych, Deputy Chief of the Application Department of the Main Directorate of the National Guard of Ukraine, during a briefing. Quote from Urshalovych: "The enemy has switched to defence on the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson fronts, where the National Guard is performing combat missions. The invaders continue to bombard our positions with no achievements on the battlefield." Details: He also added that Russia's barbaric missile attacks on civilian targets and populated areas endanger the lives of Ukraine's civilian population. According to Urshalovych, last week, an aerial reconnaissance group of the 27th Pechersk Brigade, together with Ukrainian Artillery units, spotted and destroyed 4 self-propelled artillery systems, 2 howitzers, 6 armoured fighting vehicles, 2 special tracked vehicles and 12 Russian motor vehicles on the Lyman, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia fronts. Ukrainian Defence Forces also carried out 460 firing missions over the course of the week. Russian forces lost 80 soldiers, three 120-calibre mortars with crews and two vehicles in the Ukrainian attacks. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Maria Zakharova, the press secretary for Russias Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has mentioned the Ukrainian president's grandfather and imagined him talking to his grandson. Source: a briefing by Zakharova Quote: "Zelenskyy's grandfather fought against the brown plague [the Nazis ed.]. I'm scared to imagine what he would say to his grandson if he saw what is happening now." Details: In Germany in the 1930s, national socialism was spreading. Its supporters wore brown shirts. This is the origin of the expression "brown plague", which symbolises Nazism, and "brownshirts", meaning the Nazis. In 2020, the President of Ukraine told Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, the story of his family. Quote from Zelenskyy: "This is the story of a family where there were four brothers. Three of them, as well as their parents and families, were victims of the Holocaust. They were shot by the German occupiers who invaded Ukraine. The fourth brother survived. Then he went to the front [to fight]. He came back alive. He went through the Second World War, contributing to the victory over Nazism and its hateful ideology. Two years after the war, he had a son. And 31 years later, he had a grandson. After 40 years, the grandson became president. And today, he stands before you." Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! The Russian National Guard cannot establish full control over all the occupied territories of Ukraine due to the lack of military personnel. Source: Radio Liberty citing leaked classified document of US Defence Ministry Quote: "From the document dated at the end of February 2023, it follows that in August 2022 there were at least 27,500 soldiers of the National Guard of the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territory. Since then, as stated in the document, these troops have suffered significant losses." Details: The message emphasises that the Russian National Guard has taken on numerous additional tasks to maintain the captured territories behind the front line, which has further aggravated the lack of personnel. In August, Viktor Zolotov, Director of the National Guard of Russia, reported to Vladimir Putin that his troops "ensure security and law and order in Russian-controlled settlements, fight against saboteurs and protect particularly important targets." At the same time, there are regular attacks on the Russian military, officials, and collaborators in the occupied Ukrainian territories. At the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, units of the riot police, which were part of the Russian Guard, who were meant to help maintain order in the occupied territories of Ukraine, suffered significant losses near the cities of Kyiv and Kharkiv. Background: On 9 April, UK Defence Intelligence said in its report that the Kremlin is trying to present the situation in the annexed territories of Ukraine as being normalised, despite active hostilities. In reality, much of the area remains an active combat zone, subject to attacks from the resistance, and with extremely limited access to basic services for many citizens. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! 23 people were injured and 1 was killed in a Russian night attack on Mykolaiv with Kalibr cruise missiles. Source: Nataliia Humeniuk, Head of the Joint Press Centre for Operational Command Pivden (South), on air during the 24/7 national joint newscast; Vladyslav Nazarov, the spokesperson for the Operational Command Pivden (South), on Telegram Quote from Humeniuk: "The attack was carried out with Kalibr cruise missiles. Unfortunately, we have information about 1 dead and 23 injured. And search and rescue operations are still ongoing, although the fires have been put down already." Quote from Nazarov: "At night, the enemy attacked Mykolaiv with Kalibr missiles from the Black Sea. Four missiles were launched using specifics of the area and trajectory changes to complicate its detection." Background: It was reported that Russian forces fired missiles at Mykolaiv at night and hit a multi-storey building and a private house, killing one person and wounding more. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! A mine detonation near the village of Tokarivka in Kharkiv Oblast injured employees of the local energy distribution company, killing one. Source: Oleh Siniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram; Prosecutors Office in Kharkiv Oblast; Dmytro Chubenko, spokesperson for Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutors Office in a commentary to UP Details: First, the head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration reported that the Russians fired at the village of Tokarivka, Kharkiv Oblast. Employees of Kharkivoblenergo who were working on the restoration of power lines were injured. Quote: "Unfortunately, one person died, another four were injured. Currently, doctors are providing all necessary support to the victims." Later, Dmytro Chubenko, spokesperson for the Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor's Office, clarified to Ukrainska Pravda that power engineers near the village of Tokarivka were injured not as a result of shelling but they triggered a Russian mine. As the Prosecutor's Office states, the driver was killed, and four employees of the power company were injured with varying degrees of severity. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Zaporizhzhya NPP UK intelligence noted that while Russia has controlled ZNPP since March 2022, this is the first indication that the actual reactor buildings are being integrated into tactical defense planning. Read also: Russia preparing evacuation plan for Rosatom employees from occupied Zaporizhzhya NPP Russia has likely constructed these positions because it is increasingly concerned about the prospects of a major Ukrainian offensive. The move highly likely increases the chances of damage to ZNPP safety systems if fighting takes place around ZNPP, the ministry said in its daily summary. Read also: Over 30 countries call on Russia to return full control over Zaporizhzhya NPP to Ukraine However, direct catastrophic damage to the reactors is unlikely under most plausible scenarios involving infantry weapons because the structures are very heavily reinforced. The largest nuclear power plant in Europe the Zaporizhzhya NPP was captured by Russian invasion forces after fighting in the town of Enerhodar on March 4, 2022. ZNPP buildings were damaged by Russian shelling in several places, and the plants employees were taken captive. Firing positions have been set up by Russian invasion forces at ZNPP, and they use the site to launch artillery attacks on Ukrainian cities across the Dnipro River, especially Nikopol and the nearby town of Marhanets, government controlled Zaporizhzhya Oblast. Read also: Zaporizhzhya NPP can no longer be protected, says IAEA head Ukrainian forces are unable to return fire to ensure the safety of the plants six nuclear reactors. In late 2022, Russian invaders blocked the passes to ZNPP workers who had refused to sign contracts with occupation authorities. Earlier, Russian occupiers had compelled 3,000 ZNPP workers to obtain Russian passports. 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 Hong Kong: Ingrid Yeung begins Beijing visit Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung began her visit in Beijing today by calling on the State Councils Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office Director Xia Baolong. Mr Xia said that he fully recognised the work of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Governments civil servants and encouraged the civil service to continue to fully support the Chief Executive in the Hong Kong SAR administration. While giving Mr Xia an overview of the latest situation of civil service matters in the Hong Kong SAR Government, Mrs Yeung described the civil service as the backbone of the Hong Kong SAR Government. She stressed that the Civil Service Bureau will enhance civil service management and strengthen relevant training, with a view to implementing the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" and fully, faithfully and resolutely upholding the "one country, two systems" principle. In the afternoon, Mrs Yeung met Chinese Association of Hong Kong & Macao Studies President Deng Zhonghua to update him on the latest developments of the Civil Service College and explore room for mutual collaboration. Apart from briefing him about training for the Hong Kong SAR civil servants on the Constitution, the Basic Law, the National Security Law and national affairs, they also exchanged views on enhancing training. In the evening, Mrs Yeung met Hong Kong students studying in the higher education institutions in the capital in Wangfujing to learn more about their lives in Beijing and future career aspirations. During their conversation, she also introduced to the students the civil service recruitment in Hong Kong and welcomed those who aspired to serve the public to apply for civil service posts after graduation. Moreover, she encouraged the students to continue their proactive learning path on the Mainland and contribute their best to meet the needs of society in time. This story has been published on: 2023-04-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Women innovators shine with IP progress Xinhua) 09:20, April 27, 2023 Members of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), pose for selfies after attending the second plenary meeting of the fourth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Xin) BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- China's remarkable progress in independent innovation has been characterized by the growing participation of women in the intellectual property (IP) industry. More Chinese women have utilized their innovative potential to target the science frontiers, serve the economy, and benefit people's livelihoods. Chinese women innovators have come under the spotlight as the theme of this year's World IP Day, marked on April 26, focusing on "Women and Intellectual Property: Accelerating Innovation and Creativity." Their stories are also a great interpretation of China's rise in innovation around the globe. Staff members pose for a photo with their family at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province, Nov. 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng) FOR SCI-TECH SELF-RELIANCE "Women prop up half the sky." The famous Chairman Mao quote applies to modern China's space exploration. Li Wenjing, at the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, is one of the women scientists contributing wisdom to the country's innovation. The Long March-5 is a Chinese carrier rocket tasked with vital missions such as launching the Mars probe, lunar rover, and modules of the space station. In the developmental stages, one problem Li handled was a large amount of heat generated by engine gas pipelines that damaged interior electronic components. It necessitated scientists to figure out a method of preventing overheating conditions. Li's team came up with a high-efficiency heat-resistant material, but she found it very demanding. No previous studies applied for reference after reading a range of research papers at home and abroad. "We had to make it from scratch," Li said. Thanks to their unremitting efforts, Li and her colleagues created a thermal insulation material and a preparation method to make it. The inventions won China's gold patent award in 2018. The success was repeated in creating materials for the Tianwen-1 Mars lander. Like most career women, Li strives to balance family and work. She often regrets spending so little time with her children due to work. But responding to the country's calls for tech self-reliance, the woman scientist is determined to contribute to developing more and more thinner and lighter materials for spacecraft. Dong Mingzhu, chairperson of the board and president of Gree Electric Appliances,Inc. of Zhuhai, speaks at the session of "The Future of Production" during the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2018 in Boao, south China's Hainan Province, April 9, 2018. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli) FOR STRONG COMPETITION Gree is a Chinese electric appliances giant with thousands of patent applications. Its chairwoman is Dong Mingzhu, who values and rewards innovation. She said women are the backbone of the company's innovative achievements, as female inventors accounted for more than 55 percent of Gree's patent applications. She annually rewards employees for sci-tech contributions, and over 65 percent of winners are women. Dong's company has also actively joined the global competition through persistent R&D. Her company has filed nearly 5,000 patents in 35 countries and regions, such as Europe, the United States, and Japan, bringing a host of international accolades. Dubbed "Iron Lady" in business circles, the 68-year-old entrepreneur is a national lawmaker, too. She has put forward many suggestions for IP protection, including stepping up efforts to crack down on patent trolls and malicious trademark filings. "Stricter IP protection boosts Gree's confidence in innovation. It is also an effective way to enhance the core competencies of Chinese manufacturers," Dong said in an interview. "We demand protection of proprietary technologies because it facilitates healthy competition in the industry and provides a solid foundation for iteration, upgrading, and breakthrough in technology. In other words, strict IP protection can encourage us to challenge ourselves to become more inventive and maintain our lead in technology R&D." She is always ready to accept new challenges. The entrepreneur jumped on the live-streaming bandwagon when the company's offline sales were hampered by COVID-19. She promoted a range of product sales, including air purifiers and disinfectant generators, to help consumers keep their houses healthy. A child watches a livestreamer selling local products in Beichuan County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Nov. 14, 2020.(Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) FOR IMPROVING LIVELIHOODS Like Dong, Liang Qianjuan is also an excellent live-streamer on E-commerce platforms. A farmer from Gansu Province, Liang is not a patent holder and did not make any significant inventions. But she has used IP to raise incomes of her own and others in her hometown. Liang opened an online shop and promoted local agricultural products with geographical indications (GIs). GI is a type of trademark to show a product has a specific geographical origin and possesses qualities or a reputation due to that origin. It is a quality guarantee, distinguishing them from their competitors. Benefits of GIs include standardized processes, increased production, and more employment for locals. Liang's hometown is a remote village in Longnan with rich GI resources, such as green tea, olive oil, and apples. Local government has spent efforts in obtaining GIs in recent years. More farmers are now involved in the production and marketing of GI products. After a local olive oil was listed as a protected product of a national geographical trademark, the olive trees are now planted on over 34,000 hectares, benefiting over 210,000 local farmers. The output value reached 1.86 billion yuan (about 268.6 million U.S. dollars). The GI also allows salespersons to share the brand benefits. The annual sales of Liang's online shop have climbed from tens of thousands of yuan to more than 4 million yuan over the past ten years. Due to the expansion of her online sales, she now has 300 local farmers supplying products. Her success has also encouraged others, and there are now thousands of live-streaming hosts selling local products online in her hometown. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) HELSINKI, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Finland's conservative National Coalition Party leader Petteri Orpo announced on Thursday that he will begin talks next week to form a government consisting of four parties. The National Coalition Party, the right wing Finns Party, the Swedish People's Party and the Christian Democrats Party will take part in the talks. If they are successful, the cabinet would have 109 seats, giving it a slight majority in the 200-member parliament. Orpo acknowledged at a press conference on Thursday that the parties differ on many issues, but said he believes these differences can be overcome. A cabinet could be formed in early June, he added. Local commentators have said immigration and carbon neutrality will require the most negotiations. Meanwhile, Orpo noted that planning public spending in a way that will not hamper economic growth will be a challenge. Finns chair Riikka Purra said there are major disagreements, but these can be negotiated. Purra said her party had not made any commitments on specific issues during the initial consultations. In the April parliamentary election, the National Coalition Party emerged as the largest party with 48 seats, followed by the Finns with 46 seats. The Social Democratic Party (SDP), the leading party in the current Finnish coalition chaired by Prime Minister Sanna Marin, won 43 seats. Orpo said at the press conference that the views of the SDP were too far apart in the initial consultations for the party to participate in subsequent talks. Social Democratic Party leader Sanna Marin said after Orpo's announcement that Finland will likely have a right-wing government. Marin said her party's views differed with Orpo's, especially on the essentials of the welfare state. However, Finnish national broadcaster Yle said that if the talks about a right-wing government fail, the alternative of a conservative-social democratic cooperation will be raised. Ukrainian soldiers ride a tank on the road to the town of Chasiv Yar Read also: Russias General Staff spread disinformation about winter offensive on Kyiv Pentagon leaks This is preparation; not only are information resources being prepared, but also the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, said Svitlan. They are already starting to move (personnel), removing from certain positions generals who can be held accountable for failures and, possibly, war crimes." Svitlan adds that Russia is bracing for a major breach of its defensive lines in Ukraine. At least two fronts will implode; and it needs to be somehow covered up, redirected, and obscured from the media space, he said. Read also: Dmytro Syryk, Suspilne radio host, killed at front The only way to cover it is to be overtaken by a more significant problem. This is a standard technique of information warfare. According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, citing data from the Pentagon, Russia does not have enough personnel to maintain full control over all temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Read also: Fighter jets ranked 8th on Ukraines list of military needs, Pentagon says Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces could launch a major counter-offensive in May, according to recent reports in Western media. 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 military cadet stands in front of a billboard promoting contract army service in Saint Petersburg on October 5, 2022. OLGA MALTSEVA/AFP via Getty Images Russia is desperately selling military service as a "worthy future" to prospective recruits. Mobile recruitment spots are advertising the benefits of enrollment, even as thousands die in Ukraine. The Washington Post reported that much of Russia's recruitment is happening regionally. As Russia hopes to ramp up its recruitment process for new troops, authorities have begun advertising military career benefits, including social status and a monetary allowance, The Washington Post reported, citing social media ads and army brochures. The move comes as thousands have and continue to die in bloody fighting in Ukraine. According to The Washington Post, regional authorities have been issuing statements VKontakte, Russian's Facebook-style social media site, detailing the rewards of enlisting in the military. "Contract service allows one to obtain a high social status and a decent standard of living," one statement said, the Post reported. "Servicemen note that among this career's advantages are: provision of social housing, the open choice of where to serve, provision of uniforms and equipment, additional benefits and high monetary allowance." Mobile pop-up stands in major cities such as Moscow and Perm have also appeared, distributing military enrollment information to passersby and advertising contact information for local enlistment offices, the Post reported. Some of the army brochures say that "Contract service is a worthy future," the Post reported. Two volunteers operate a mobile army recruitment spot set up on a crowded path near a train stop in Moscow, Russia. Vlad Karkov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images In recent months, Russian authorities have also increasingly sensationalized military enrollment in television ads. Insider previously reported that one such ad, which told viewers to be "a real man" and sign up to fight in Ukraine, featured men donning military gear in civilian settings, such as the grocery store. The digital propaganda is Russia's latest move to bolster recruitment ahead of Ukraine's long-anticipated counteroffensive. And although Russian President Vladimir Putin originally resisted calls for a mobilization drive at the beginning of the war, his partial mobilization last September sparked widespread panic. Story continues Russia's push for more troops and glamorization of military enrollment comes as the country's casualties continue to climb. In late February, estimates suggested between 60,000 and 70,000 Russian soldiers had died on the battlefield in Ukraine. Even the lower figure is still greater than all the Russian soldiers that were killed in wars since World War II. Read the original article on Business Insider Jessica Wimbleys hair has a story to tell. Wimbley, who lives in midtown with her husband and fellow artist Chris Christion, has a piece in the stairwell near Crocker Art Museums main entry entitled, The True Story of Edges. Anyone who heads from the first floor to galleries on the second and third floor will see two back-to-back videos of Wimbley that highlight the edges of her hairline. Thats used a lot within the African-American community to denote what your hair texture is, Wimbley said. And within this particular video, Im using my hair as a space for storytelling. Different images interweave with Wimbleys Afro in the video. For Wimbley, the story shes telling is both personal and reflective of the protest movement thats seen a resurgence in America in recent years, highlighted by the response to George Floyds 2020 murder. Its only the latest work from Wimbley or her husband, artists who moved together to Sacramento in 2018 and are making names for themselves in both Sacramento and beyond. The thing I like about Jessica and Chris is that they take what they do really seriously and theyre really invested in it, said Liv Moe, founder of Verge Center for the Arts, a gallery and creative space near Southside Park. Getting to Sacramento Before they were husband and wife, a collaborative team and Sacramento residents, Wimbley and Christion were artists. Each began studying painting as undergraduates in the 1990s, with both later earning MFAs in the 2000s. Wimbley is now 43, while Christion is roughly five years older. Christions professor and mentor during his undergraduate days at University of Oklahoma was Edgar Heap of Birds, whose last name reflects his Cheyenne heritage. Heap of Birds remembered his student working often with tactile fabric to make small sculptures. It was always making his own kind of world that was really provocative, Heap of Birds said. Christion grew up the son of a pastor and comes across shy, self-effacing and unfailingly polite. Longtime friend Crystal Z Campbell, who also studied at University of Oklahoma, said she met Christion when Heap of Birds invited them both to dinner. Story continues I think both of us are very soft-spoken, Campbell said of Christion. So I remember having a difficult time hearing him and it was honestly the same. Wimbley presents as more extraverted than Christion. Mollie Oblinger, an associate professor of arts at Ripon College in Wisconsin, became friends with Wimbley while they were each pursuing an MFA at UC Davis. Oblinger recalled attending a wedding around this time and bringing Wimbley as her plus one. We ended the wedding by taking all of the little disposable cameras, Oblinger said. We shot all the rest of the pictures with us and the bartenders that we drug onto the dance floor as I recall. Wimbley and Christion met in 2008 at the LA Art Show which bills itself as Americas most comprehensive international show, at more than 120 galleries, nonprofits, and museums when they were both living in Southern California. They married in 2012 and moved to Sacramento in 2018 for Wimbley to take a role as director of education at UC Davis Manetti Shrem Museum of Art. Wimbley left the UC Davis job in late 2019, though she and Christion have remained in the Sacramento area. Since then, they have experienced more success in their artistic careers, in part by starting to collaborate with one another. Working together Since their days in Southern California, Wimbley and Christion had been working together as curators, putting together exhibitions around an idea coined by the late poet Audre Lorde known as biomythography. This idea, which combines historical and mythological themes, is close to their hearts. Christion even created a course on it at UC Berkeley, where he teaches. It gives you a way to speak across disciplines, across communities, said Christion, who also commutes to teach at Stanford. Wimbley and Christion are each Black, with Christion having Louisiana Creole heritage and Wimbley being of mixed German heritage. The two began making art together during the pandemic, creating work rooted in historical themes. They draw attention to areas like Folsom Lakes Black Miners Bar where African-Americans discovered gold or the practice of mortgage redlining that for decades restricted where Black people could own homes. One thing thats clear: Theres an audience for this work. Married artists Chris Christion and Jessica Wimbley have been working together as curators for years, putting together exhibitions that been shown at many venues, including Sacramentos Crocker Art Museum. An eight-minute video that Christion and Wimbley created, The Unauthorized Histography of California Vol. 2: Fieldnotes, 2022 is on display through May 28 at The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum in that Southern California city. The center, which opened last year, is dedicated to Mexican-American artists and to work that celebrates that culture. Marin, the 76-year-old comedy legend and veteran character actor said in a phone interview that he sees a shared heritage between Black, Native American and Mexican-American people. Its an outsiders point of view, people who have been kind of not allowed into the news or sheltered from the museums, Marin said. Its a tough road, because theres no math behind you to push it into the limelight. Local success Marin created his Riverside center in part to showcase works from his personal collection that hed been accumulating since the 1980s. Locally, efforts to showcase more artists of color since Floyds murder in 2020 could be creating opportunities for artists like Christion and Wimbley. Christion and Wimbley collaborated on a 2 minute, 34 second video in 2021, Fieldnotes: Califia that went on display in the lobby of the California Natural Resource Agency in downtown Sacramento. In recent months, Wimbley sold her piece to the Crocker, which had made an agreement two years ago with the Kingsley Art Club to find $10,000 a year for five years to support the BIPOC community, said William Ishmael, a member of the latter club. Wimbley declined to say how much she received for this sale. Scott Shields, the Ted and Melza Barr chief curator and associate director at the Crocker, said that the Kingsley Art Club, a local organization that has existed since 1892, hadnt previously done acquisition work but saw what was happening and thought that they needed to help. Shields added that the club hasnt been alone in these efforts. Weve had some some other really great supporters recently, especially in the wake of George Floyd that stepped up and said, We really want to help you in this, which is great, because weve never had a lot of money to spend, we always rely on donations to make acquisitions, Shields said. Chris Christion and Jessica Wimbley have many of their pieces on display in their midtown art studio. Wimbley was the fourth artist to receive an award through the agreement between the Crocker and Kingsley. She has a message, Ishmael said. But its a message that doesnt beat you over the head. Franceca Wilmott, who began as an associate curator with the Crocker in January, had become familiar with Wimbleys piece during an exhibition last year. I think for me, the most interesting thing about this work and her work in general, is this layering of different narratives, Wilmott said. And so shes really kind of deconstructing this idea that race is a social construction and identity is as well. More opportunities could emerge for artists like Wimbley and Christion that tackle social issues. Melissa Cirone, arts program manager for the city of Sacramento, said she was working on a grant application for the local region of the California Creative Corps. Artists could receive grants through this program to do work on issues like social justice and climate mitigation. Already, though, Wimbley said Sacramento has been an amazing place for her and her husband. Its been a really warm and welcoming community, Wimbley said. So it feels for us like this is a place that you can live and make and have support. The Oregon DHS building. Update: This article has been updated to include a statement from Ashley Carson Cottingham. A transgender state employee is suing the Oregon Department of Human Services claiming that he was demoted and denied multiple opportunities to advance within the department due to his gender identity despite multiple meetings with supervisors about his qualifications and experience. The lawsuit filed April 17 and seeking $650,000 was first reported by the Oregon Capital Chronicle. Alex Pelusi moved from Illinois to Oregon in 2016 to join the Aging and People with Disabilities Program within DHS as an "Executive Support Specialist," a role he was "overqualified for," according to the lawsuit, but one he took after Ashley Carson Cottingham promised to "start his career with the State." Carson Cottingham is the former director of the Aging and People with Disabilities Program and a member of the Salem-Keizer School District Board of Directors. She was elected in 2021. Carson Cottingham said in an emailed statement that she would not comment on pending employment litigation as a current state employee but wanted to "publicly reaffirm my support and allyship for the LGBTQIA2S+ community." "My values are clear, and my record and actions are consistent and strong, in support of our LGBTQIA2S+ friends, colleagues, students, educators and community. My actions have always been consistent with my strongly held values in support of LGBTQIA2S+ people," she said in the statement. Pelusi said he was interviewed by Carson Cottingham "pre-visible transition" and when he still appeared feminine. Pelusi's transition became visibly apparent shortly after joining the department, the complaint added. "When it did, Cottinghams once friendly behavior took a turn," the lawsuit said. Pelusi claims Carson Cottingham became hostile and belittling and at one point she said I dont even know what to call you anymore!" The alleged behavior culminated in a one-on-one meeting where Carson Cottingham gave Pelusi the option of being demoted or fired immediately, according to the lawsuit. Story continues After being demoted, Pelusi met with other managers to discuss opportunities within the department, the lawsuit said. Multiple reports to multiple people about the "hostile work environment" and failure to promote or move forward were fruitless and panic attacks related to his experience began, according to the complaint. Pelusi took leave due to the panic attacks and to receive gender confirmation surgery, the lawsuit added. After the surgery and in the summer of 2020, Pelusi met with Mike McCormick, the interim director of the Aging and People with Disabilities Program, to discuss Pelusi's career track and was told for "several months" to "stay tuned," the lawsuit said. McCormick left state service in July 2022, according to ODHS. After his experience with McCormick, Pelusi said in the lawsuit, he went to multiple people within Human Resources which similarly failed to result in action. Pelusi filed a tort claim notice to DHS in 2021. Several people are named in the lawsuit, but ODHS is listed as the only defendant. ODHS would not comment on pending litigation but confirmed Pelusi is still employed within the department. Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Reach her at dlugo@statesmanjournal.com or on Twitter @DianneLugo. This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Demoted transgender employee sues Oregon Department of Human Services More than 10 years after a Knox County jury found Micah Ross Johnson guilty of the brutal murder of Carrie Daugherty, he is back in a Knox County courtroom this week, facing the same prosecutor on the exact same charges. The death of the 24-year-old Barley's Taproom employee rocked the community in 2008. Legal twists and turns over the past decade included the state Court of Criminal Appeals overturning Johnson's 2012 conviction and granting him a new trial. The appeals court ruled last year that Johnson's attorney was ineffective because he damaged Johnson's ability to use an insanity defense. So this week, at age 36, Johnson is once again being tried for first-degree premeditated and intentional murder, first-degree felony murder, especially aggravated kidnapping and especially aggravated robbery. "This is a case ... about a young lady who loved life, who was outgoing, who was energetic, who loved her family, who loved her friends," said Assistant District Attorney General TaKisha Fitzgerald in her opening statement April 26. Johnson's attorney, Gregory Isaacs, said the jury would hear clear and convincing evidence that his client "had a mental illness that was severe, that was serious, that was devastating, that was producing delusional behavior." Defendant Micah Johnson is being retried in Knox County in the murder of Carrie Daugherty. Isaacs told the jury that problems started long before the murder when the star student began exhibiting signs of mental illness his sophomore year at UT. Johnson had a serious psychotic break in late 2007 and was committed to inpatient treatment. After Johnson was discharged against medical advice, Isaacs argued, he hid his illness. But Fitzgerald, the prosecutor, told the jury they shouldn't buy the defendant's insanity defense and should stick to the facts of the case. Carrie Daugherty Photo by Bryan Campbell/Special to the News Sentinel What happened to Carrie Daugherty? Daugherty, a former University of Tennessee student, was originally from the Chattanooga area. She knew Johnson, who was 21 at the time and also a former UT student, because he was dating her roommate. He had been expelled after he was charged with aggravated assault related to the beating of a fellow student. Story continues On March 18, 2008, Johnson spent time with the two women at their home until he left to get ready for work. Daugherty left later that day to work the closing shift at Barley's. Around 12:30 a.m. March 19, Daugherty got off work. A little over an hour later, a neighbor called 911 to say she saw a woman pull up in an SUV, then she saw a man hit the woman in the head with a rock and drag her across the yard while continuing to strike her. At Johnson's first trial, investigators testified that after he hit Daugherty in the head with a brick, he grabbed a shovel and stabbed her with it. He then strangled her with a rope in the attack, which lasted over 10 minutes. After killing Daugherty, prosecutors said Johnson returned to the house where he lived with his father to shower, change clothes and put his bloody clothes in a bag. He then left the house through a window, carrying the bag, and pulled $500 in cash from an ATM. He fled to Georgia but later returned to Tennessee. At trial, credibility of expert witness damaged, insanity defense discounted Johnsons first trial got underway in November 2011. It had been more than a decade since a jury was asked to consider insanity as a defense in a Knox County case, a reporter covering the trial noted. It was never in dispute that Johnson killed Daugherty. What was at issue was his insanity defense. In Tennessee, attorneys must provide clear and convincing evidence the defendant, as a result of a severe mental disease or defect, was unable to appreciate the wrongfulness of his acts. The prosecution maintained Johnsons actions after the murder showed he knew he had done something wrong. A defense witness, psychiatrist Dr. Keith Caruso, was critically questioned about the initial draft of his evaluation where Johnson presented a version of the crime that was different from previous versions. It showed he knew who he was attacking and why. Johnson then recanted that story and told Caruso he was trying to appear less crazy. How that revelation was handled by Johnsons defense ended up winning him a new trial this year. After the confusion over Caruso's report, the jury found Johnson guilty on all counts of first-degree murder, robbery and kidnapping. He was sentenced in February 2012 to life plus 50 years. After the trial, Isaacs took over representing Johnson and eventually won a reversal of his conviction, with the appeals court noting, Lead counsel maintained that he forgot about Dr. Carusos draft report. The information contained in the May 2009 report was damaging to the petitioner's defense, and trial counsel did nothing in advance of trial to mitigate that damage. Johnson has been out of custody on a $1 million bond since he was released last June. Liz Kellar is a public safety reporter. Email lkellar@knoxnews.com. Twitter @LizKellar. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe. This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Retrial begins for man convicted of killing Knoxville bartender in 2008 Violent crime in San Francisco continues to climb in 2023, led by steadily increasing robberies and after homicides jumped during each of the first three months of the year, city police statistics show. Homicides were up by 83% , with 11 in 2023 compared to six last year through March 31, the most recent full-month data available. Through the first three weeks of April, the killings have begun leveling off, with 14 total through April 23 compared to 15 last year. In February, homicides had climbed 33%, after they jumped 67% in January. Overall, violent crime is up 4%, and robberies, a bellwether indicator of public safety, rose by 11% in January, 18% in February and 15% in March. Through the April 23 window, they are up by 11.4% overall. SAN FRANCISCO DA SLAMS ELON MUSK DURING ARREST ANNOUNCEMENT IN CASH APP FOUNDER MURDER "City Hall officialsare trying to paint too-rosy a picture of San Francisco by cherry-picking the data as if only homicides matter, and yet we here know the truth and feel the sentiment on a daily basis," said Richie Greenberg, an activist and commentator who spearheaded the recall effort against former District Attorney Chesa Boudin. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP In a news briefing earlier this month following the arrest of Bay Area tech entrepreneur Nima Momeni, 38, in the stabbing murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee, 43, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins sought to reassure the public about safety in the city. She came into office after voters ousted the far-left Boudin. A woman appears to be defecating in a bus shelter on the streets of San Francisco on Friday, April 14, 2023. Homelessness and crime continue to plague the citys Tenderloin District. FORMER SAN FRANCISCO FIRE COMMISSIONER SLASHED AND BEATEN WITH PIPE DAYS AFTER BOB LEE STABBING "Its not just a lack of feeling safe from being killed, its being injured, our property taken at gunpoint, our cars being broken in to anywhere in town, our stores and pharmacies looted and tourists targeted," Greenberg told Fox News Digital. The violence comes in the wake of a shocking home invasion hammer attack on the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in their San Francisco mansion last fall and as the city reels from Lee's murder in early March and a pipe assault on a former fire commissioner. Portions of all three incidents were caught on video. Story continues "Since taking office last July, I've worked tirelessly to ensure that San Franciscans not only feel safer, but actually are safer," she said. "Even one murder is too many, regardless of the facts." However, she also veered off-topic and blasted Tesla founder Elon Musk for a tweet suggesting crime was out of control. People inhabit encampments on the streets of San Francisco on Saturday, April 15, 2023. Homelessness and crime continue to plague the citys Mission District. "Many people I know have been severely assaulted," Musk wrote in response to a tweet about Lee's murder. "Violent crime in SF is horrific and even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately." Jenkins singled out Musk's tweet as "reckless and irresponsible." "I've dedicated the last eight years of my career to holding some of our city's most violent offenders accountable," she said. "And as your district attorney, I promise that my office will continue the fight to enhance public safety and to hold Mr. Lee's killer, as we do all others, accountable." A day after Lee's murder in the ritzy Rincon Hill neighborhood, a former city official, Don Carmignani, 53, was hospitalized after a pipe attack in the Marina District. Police quickly arrested a 24-year-old homeless man, Garret Doty, on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and battery causing serious injury. However, Carmignani's lawyers earlier this week claimed they were told the DA's office plans to drop charges against Doty, deeming the brutal attack, which fractured Carmignani's skull and was captured on video, came in self-defense. Doty appeared in court Wednesday morning and the charges were not dropped. He is scheduled to return to court Thursday at 9 a.m. A man is doubled-over in a doorway in San Francisco on Saturday, April 15, 2023. Homelessness and crime continue to plague the citys Tenderloin District. In a statement released on Twitter Wednesday evening, Jenkins' office blamed the delay on Carmignani, saying he had avoided requests for an interview and that prosecutors wanted him present for the preliminary hearing "so we can move forward with holding Doty accountable for this violent attack." If he did not show up at Thursday's hearing, the statement warned, Doty would be released without bail under state law, SAN FRANCISCO CRIME PROBLEM RUNS DEEPER THAN ROSY STATISTICS FROM CITY, EXPERT SAYS However, Jenkins' office has not responded to inquiries about the Doty case from Fox News Digital. Carmignani's attorneys did not respond to a request for comment either. In a statement Wednesday evening, the city's Public Defender's Office, which is representing the suspect, said additional surveillance video of the altercation shows Carmignani approaching Doty with a can of pepper spray before the violence. Don Carmignani says this image shows his suspected attackers camped out in front of his mother's house on the morning of his assault. "A third party witness told police that she heard Carmignani threaten to stab and kill Doty if he did not leave the area," said Jessie Seyfer, a defense spokesperson. "Doty responded to Mr. Carmignani in self-defense." Carmignani previously told Fox News Digital that a group of "known criminals" who are homeless set up an encampment outside his mother's front door in San Francisco's Marina District. He said his mother called the police, and so did he. However, the group continued to bother his mother and girlfriend throughout the day while allegedly using drugs in public and harassing passersby. Carmignani arrived that evening and asked them to leave, he said. Then a fight broke out. The ensuing altercation was captured on video by surveillance cameras and bystanders with cellphones. Carmignani is struck in the head and face multiple times, even after he tries running away and has his back to the attacker with the final blow from behind puncturing his skull, according to his lawyers. Fox News' Haley Chi-Sing contributed to this report. John AM Doe is one of hundreds of victims who were sexually abused as minors while attending Santa Monica's Police Activities League. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Santa Monica police allowed a civilian employee to volunteer in a youth program where he went on to molest more than 200 children despite a 1991 background check that revealed he was arrested as a teen for molesting a toddler he baby-sat, according to a report reviewed by The Times. Beginning in the late 1980s, Eric Uller preyed on the most vulnerable children in the predominantly Latino neighborhoods of Santa Monica, often traveling in an unmarked police vehicle or his personal SUV, which was outfitted with police equipment, according to court records. It took decades for Uller to be exposed before he was ultimately arrested and charged in 2018. This week, the Santa Monica City Council approved a $122.5-million payout to settle hundreds of claims against the city's top systems analyst, who died by suicide before his first court appearance. The total settlements now top $229 million the most costly single-perpetrator sexual disbursement for any municipality. Revelations that police knew of the teenage arrest heighten growing concerns about why Santa Monica police missed repeated warnings that Uller was a predator. News of the report was especially unsettling for John AM Doe, one of hundreds of former Police Activities League youths who sued the city over sexual abuse claims. He said he was 12 when Uller began molesting him about the same time the previous arrest was uncovered. This is a perfect example of institutional racism," said John AM Doe, who was identified in court documents by a pseudonym and is not being identified by The Times, which generally does not name the victims of sexual assault. "If it was a person of color ... it wouldve never went this far. Mayor Gleam Davis called the abuse "a sad chapter of the citys history." But in announcing the settlement, neither she nor other officials revealed that a 1991 background check uncovered that Uller, then a new police dispatcher, had been accused of sexual abuse as a 14-year-old. Story continues According to the report, conducted by a background investigator for the Santa Monica Police Department, Uller revealed that he had been arrested as a juvenile. He told the investigator he was accused of molesting a 4-year-old boy he was baby-sitting. Uller told the investigator he saw a counselor, and he was never charged. An interdepartmental memo detailing the investigator's findings was sent to a police sergeant overseeing personnel and training on Nov. 12, 1991 nine months after Uller formally became a dispatcher. At the time, Uller had already worked for two years as a staff assistant at the Police Activities League. He went on to volunteer for the PAL program for at least a decade. In fact, according to numerous lawsuits filed against the city, Uller was already grooming, sexually abusing and raping dozens of boys in the program. He bribed some and threatened others particularly those who'd had scrapes with the law or whose families' immigration status made them vulnerable according to witness statements. "I couldn't say nothing because my family would go to jail," said John AM Doe, adding that he was abused by Uller for two years. "It was as if he could get away with whatever he wanted." The investigator who conducted Uller's background check also reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department's Pacific Division, which shows a 1983 juvenile booking record for Uller on suspicion of child molestation. After his arrest, he was released to his parents. According to documents reviewed by The Times, Uller, then 23, was asked to explain his arrest. He told the investigator that the boy's mother accused him of molestation because of the way "he touched the child or something." Uller said it was a long time ago and it was difficult to remember, "as nothing happened." Uller's father, a prominent doctor in Santa Monica, supported his son in an interview with the investigator. Robert Uller described the boy in question as the son of a business partner. In the report, he said that after his son was arrested, they hired a psychologist, who said no molestation had occurred and "Eric was fine, however, a little immature." Uller's stepmother, however, told the investigator she was concerned about what had happened and didn't know whether Uller had done anything, but she hoped "it was an adolescent phase and he had grown out of it." The investigator said in the report that he did not reach out to the family of the boy, who was 12 at the time. But after learning from the LAPD crime report that the "incident described was more than a touching molest, as described by Eric," the investigator interviewed the young dispatcher again. Uller "seemed very concerned that the charges made against him were so serious, even though not true," the investigator wrote. He noted that Uller's references spoke highly of him, and city staff described him as a good worker with extensive computer knowledge. Attorney Brian Claypool represented more than 80 victims in a sex abuse settlement with Santa Monica. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Attorney Brian Claypool, who represented more than 80 victims in the lawsuits, said he's never seen a case like this. "The Police Department and the city had repeated warnings," he said. "We need a new state law to make government officials more culpable when they repeatedly overlook reports of child sexual abuse. These are mandated reporters, and law as it stands isn't enough." Santa Monica officials did not respond to repeated requests for comment on the revelation of the background report, which was the first of many warnings that were repeatedly ignored before Uller was arrested and then took his own life. A Santa Monica police sergeant became suspicious of Uller's behavior with a boy between 1991 and 1993 and launched an investigation, according to a 2018 Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department report reviewed by The Times. A decade later, retired Santa Monica police Lt. Greg Slaughter who headed the department's communications center where Uller was the lead systems analyst said a supervisor turned on a computer for work early one morning and child pornography popped up on the screen. Slaughter told sheriff's investigators he immediately ordered an investigation, which led to Uller, but he was never interviewed regarding the allegations. The Santa Monica police had so many opportunities to put an end to Eric Ullers reign of terror against boys, and they failed on an epic, incredibly tragic scale, said attorney David Ring, who negotiated the first two settlements. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The scene of Myles Sanderson's capture in Rosthern, Saskatchewan Two brothers spent days drinking, dealing drugs and stealing cars before one of them killed 11 people in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan last September, police said. On Thursday, police shared new details about the deadly stabbing spree that stunned a small indigenous community. The spree ended with the capture of suspect Myles Sanderson after a days-long manhunt. His brother, Damien, was the first victim to be killed. Myles died in police custody shortly after he was captured. There was no evidence anyone else was involved in the murders, police said. The stabbing spree, which unfolded in the early hours of 4 September, took place on the James Smith Cree Nation and in the nearby small community of Weldon. Ten people were killed in the indigenous community, including Sanderson's brother Damien. One person was killed in Weldon, a nearby farming town of about 200 people. Seventeen people were injured in the attacks. Some seven months after the murders, victims and family members were briefed by police on a detailed timeline that covers both the attacks and the days leading up to them. Police said they combed through 42 different crime scenes and interviewed more than 250 witnesses in connection with the investigation. But authorities said they would not reveal any further information about Sanderson's parole status, the police response to the attacks, or his cause of death, until inquests scheduled for next year. Parole documents show Sanderson has 59 prior convictions and was released in February 2022 while serving a four-year sentence. Saskatoon police had been searching for him since May, when he stopped meeting with his assigned caseworker and was classified as "unlawfully at large" at the time of the rampage. Drinking and stealing vehicles Saskatchewan Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) say Myles Sanderson, 32, and Damien, 31, drove around selling drugs and getting involved in a series of assaults and altercations in the days leading up to the killings on 4 September 2022. Story continues They stole vehicles and visited bars around the James Smith Cree Nation. In the period before the rampage, Damien told a woman at a bar the brothers had "a mission to do" and "people will hear about it". On 3 September, police responded to reports of Damien Sanderson stealing a car. They recovered the vehicle and encountered Damien in a house, but he gave them a false name and was not arrested by the officers. In the early hours of 4 September, witnesses told police they saw the brothers "guzzling booze" and seeming to be getting ready for something. Police said the attacks began in the early morning hours, just before 05:00 local time, shortly after the pair stole a Dodge Caravan. The two entered a home and Myles Sanderson attacked a man with scissors and stole a knife. RCMP superintendent Joshua Graham, head of the major crimes division, said police rushed to the house after receiving an emergency call. Clockwise from top left: Gloria Burns, Carol Burns, Bonnie Burns and Earl Burns Sr Police said they believe the brothers got into an argument shortly after that first incident, and Myles killed Damien. Myles then went to another home, where he killed Robert Sanderson, his second victim. Over the next few hours, Myles Sanderson travelled both by foot and stolen vehicles around the community, breaking into a series of homes. In one, he killed Gregory Burns and attacked his mother Bonnie Burns. He later returned to that residence and killed Bonnie Burns, along with Gloria Burns, a former first responder who had arrived on the scene to help. His other victims in James Smith Cree Nation were Thomas Burns, Carol Burns, Earl Burns, Lana Head, and Christian Head. After an hours-long series of attacks, Myles Sanderson then drove to nearby Weldon, where he killed Wesley Petterson, the oldest of the victims at age 78. A frantic manhunt came to an end on 7 September. Sanderson died shortly after his dramatic arrest on a provincial motorway following a high-speed chase. It remains unclear how he died, though Canadian media have widely reported it was from a suspected overdose. Police did not give any details on the cause of death on Thursday, instead saying it would be addressed by the provincial coroner, who is holding two inquests early next year into the stabbings as well as Myles Sanderson's death. Ibrahim Ali Ibrahim, 37, had travelled to Sudan to visit family for the first time in nearly a decade A Birmingham businessman has recalled the terrifying ordeal of hiding in basements without food or water to avoid warfare in Sudan. Ibrahim Ali Ibrahim, 37, travelled to Khartoum in February to visit family, but got stuck when fighting broke out between military and militia forces this month. For three days, he hid in abandoned buildings and moved only at night to avoid detection as he tried to escape. By Wednesday, he managed to reach an airstrip in hope of evacuation. Homes have been destroyed following clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in South Khartoum locality The security firm owner had left his wife and four children at home in Birmingham for the trip - his first in nearly a decade. On the day the conflict broke out, he had been on his way to buy a return plane ticket from a travel agency in the centre of the Sudanese capital. "Suddenly everybody was running," he said from an airbase near Khartoum. He added: "I saw a lot of people get shot and dying in front of my eyes, people getting injured - it was really terrible." While trying to escape, he hid in the basements and covered himself with sheets of carboard or plywood. "I was hiding for three days with no food, no water," he said. "You go to the wrong road, you're going to get shot. One way you've got the army, the other you've got militia. A military operation to evacuate British nationals from Sudan took place on Sunday "I couldn't tell what day it is. Everywhere there is guns shooting, tanks and bombing." His phone battery had gone flat throughout the ordeal meaning he couldn't contact his loved ones in the UK to let them know he was still alive. The father-of-four added: "I worried a lot about not seeing my children and my wife again. "My family was worrying and tried to call me but my battery's dead. Everybody I know was trying to call me to help me to escape." After three days on the run, he knocked on the door of a family who took him in, gave him food and water and allowed him to charge his mobile phone. Having contacted the British Foreign Office, Mr Ibrahim travelled to an airstrip on the outskirts of Khartoum with hopes of being flown home to the UK. Story continues Birmingham is home to an estimated 1,000 people from Sudan according to the Office for National Statistics. On Wednesday, the first Sudan evacuation flight landed back in the UK. The business owner said: "I've seen a lot of bad things. I've seen injured people crying and nobody knows how to help them. "I've seen people die in the street and nobody picks up the bodies. You could smell it everywhere." Evacuees, believed to be British nationals, arrive at Stansted Airport on Wednesday following evacuation from Sudan He added: "I miss my wife and children a lot. I miss everybody back home in the UK and I hope my family in Sudan are all safe. I hope the war stops soon as possible." In the early hours of Thursday morning he confirmed he is still awaiting evacuation. The conflict in Sudan broke out on 15 April amid a power struggle between the leaders of Sudan's regular army and rival group the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The UK has now airlifted 536 people from the east African country. However, that is a fraction of the thousands of British nationals thought to be in the country. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk According to the SBU, at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, it contacted the FSB on its own initiative According to the report, while working as a judge in a court in Berdyansk, Zaporizhzhya Oblast, she leaked information about Ukrainian forces in Mariupol to her Russian handlers. Read also: Berdyansk school director suspected of high treason The SBU alleges she approached the FSB voluntarily and agreed to collaborate with the invading country. After Berdyansk was captured, she stayed voluntarily in the occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Read also: Russia attacks Kyiv, Poltava, and Vinnytsia oblasts with suicide Shahed drones The SBU says she passed information to the occupiers about the movement of at least three Ukrainian fighters from Mariupol to Mangush, Donetsk Oblast. She also urged other court officials to support the Russian army and cooperate. If they objected, she reported them to Russian law enforcement agencies. Read also: SBU has discovered over 300 traitors during wartime SBU head She later joined the Poltava District Court after traveling to the territory controlled by Ukraine. Ukrainian law enforcement officials have charged her with treason. While the investigation is ongoing, the courts will now decide if she is to remain in custody until her trial. 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 Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 27) The rate of people testing positive for COVID-19 in Metro Manila increased in the past week, a member of the independent OCTA Research group said on Thursday. According to Guido David, the capital region recorded a positivity rate of 13.4% as of April 26, up from last week's 8.4%. "This is expected to increase further, perhaps up to 20%," David warned. The positivity rate refers to the percentage of tested people with positive results. The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a positivity rate benchmark of below 5%. A new Omicron sublineage dubbed "Arcturus" is now found in over 30 countries nationwide and has been tagged by the WHO as a "variant of interest." The Philippines on Wednesday listed its first known case of Arcturus or the Omicron XBB.1.16 from Iloilo province. The patient had no symptoms and has already recovered, according to health officials. Despite the rise in active cases, David earlier said OCTA Research saw no reason to be concerned about hospitals filling, as patients show no signs of critical symptoms. As of April 27, the country has tallied 4.09 million confirmed cases with nearly 5,000 active infections. At least 4.01 million recovered while over 66,000 succumbed to COVID-19. A proposal that would ban nearly all abortions in South Carolina has failed in the state Senate for the second time in less than a year. The finale Thursday after a three-day debate and filibuster came as no surprise after the chambers Republican leader repeatedly expressed that the Senate lacked the votes necessary to move the House-backed legislation, H. 3774, forward. Six Republican senators joined Democrats to vote 22-21 Thursday to continue the bill, meaning senators cant debate the restrictive ban for the rest of the session, which ends May 11. Instead, Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey urged the House to pass the Senates so-called fetal heartbeat six-week bill that would ban abortions once fetal cardiac activity is detected, which critics argue is before many people realize they are pregnant. Earlier this year, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled the states previously passed six-week ban unconstitutional, saying it violated the states constitutional right to privacy. But with a newly all-male Supreme Court after the retirement of the benchs only female justice, Kaye Hearn, some legislators have hoped to pass a new abortion law for the court to consider. Im disappointed, but Im not surprised, Massey, an Edgefield Republican, told reporters after the vote Thursday. I think we all knew this is kind of where we were headed. But, look, we wanted to give it a best shot. We gave it our best shot, and my hope, now, is that the House will understand the vote and that they will take up the heartbeat bill so that we can try and save as many lives as we possibly can. Sen. Katrina Shealy, R-Lexington walks through the senate chamber on Wednesday April 26, 2023 in the South Carolina State House. The vote marks the second time in less than a year Republican lawmakers have failed to reach a consensus over abortion limits. It has been said that doing the same thing while expecting different results is the definition of insanity, said state Sen. Katrina Shealy, R-Lexington, one of five female senators. And here we are again, doing the same thing. Story continues Both chambers proposed abortion bans included narrow exceptions for rape, incest, fatal fetal anomalies and the mothers life. But Democrats and some Republicans criticized the House bill as a step too far, saying it left no room for the rights of the mother. I cant support a bill that is predicated upon the assumption that the state has a compelling interest, a duty to protect a life as defined as when the sperm fertilizes the egg, said state Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort. That makes me very uncomfortable to arm the government with that kind of power. A similar scenario occurred last fall, when state lawmakers met in a special session after the U.S. Supreme Courts Dobbs decision, overruling the 1973 landmark case Roe v. Wade. Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort has a discussion with Sen. Sandy Senn, R-Charleston about the ban on abortions on Wednesday April 26, 2023 in the South Carolina State House. Both chambers passed dueling abortion bans, ultimately unable to agree on how restrictive an abortion ban should be. To be blunt, the majority (in this Senate body) has no frame of reference, since only five of us in this body have actually given birth, said Richland County Sen. Mia McLeod, an Independent. Yet, they still try to speak with authority, since they cant speak from experience. Without a consensus, and with the state Supreme Courts block of the six-week ban, the states previous 20-week ban is in effect. As other states, including Georgia and Florida, have passed laws banning abortions past six weeks, the number of abortions performed in South Carolina has steadily risen, driven in large part by out-of-state visitors, according to new data from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. Its up to the House now, right? Massey said. They have the ability to prevent thousands of abortions in South Carolina. Both chambers, however, have a time problem. Six days remain on the legislative calendar, and House GOP leaders, similar to the Senate, say they have other top priorities they want to finish before 5 o clock strikes on May 11. Time is not our friend right now, House Majority Leader Davey Hiott, R-Pickens, told The State. Weve got other things weve got to get done. Time is not on our side right now. Well just have to talk about it. Well bring it to (the House Republican) caucus on Tuesday. Hiott said Thursday he plans to speak with House Speaker Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, and state Rep. John McCravy, R-Greenwood, who has remained adamant that he cannot support a six-week ban. McCravy could not be immediately reached for comment. Hiott said a House vote on the Senates six-week bill, S. 474, would be close based on past experience. Weve taken up abortion bans, every abortion bill that comes through here, he said. Well take a look at it. Maybe take it up. This is not part of our last two-week agenda. Obviously (it) will be now. Sen. Richard Cash, R-Anderson speaks on Wednesday April 26, 2023 in the South Carolina State House. The Legislatures debate over a restrictive abortion ban comes amid a national debate about abortion restrictions, with the issue grabbing headlines in the 2024 Republican presidential race. Republican presidential candidate and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley recently announced support for national abortion restrictions, saying the federal government should have some role in regulating the procedure. She also called for consensus, acknowledging that a federal ban may not ever go as far as anti-abortion advocates want. South Carolina Republican U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, who launched a 2024 exploratory committee, has waffled on the issue of national restrictions, first declining to say hed back U.S. Sen. Lindsey Grahams proposed 15-week federal ban, then saying he supports federal restrictions and would sign a 20-week ban if elected president. If a near-total ban is proposed in the State House again in 2024, Massey told reporters Thursday that he believes it would have the same result yet again: failure in the Senate. Im shocked to this day that we could not pass the House bill last September, said state Sen. Richard Cash, R-Anderson, arguably the Senates most vocal anti-abortion member. We talk about being pro-life. We talk about, in the Republican Party, how we value the life of that baby in the womb, but we get a little agitated when people want to talk about that too much, Cash continued. Would we be agitated if there was a school shooting and 46 people were killed today? Sen. Sandy Senn, R-Charleston has a discussion with Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort about the ban on abortions on Wednesday April 26, 2023 in the South Carolina State House. As majority leader, Massey faced heavy criticism, particularly from Charleston Republican Sen. Sandy Senn, over the decision to have the debate at all, knowing where the votes stood. Senn likened some of her Republican colleagues to a herd of 1,500 sheep jumping off a cliff to their death. Sheep learn to follow the leader, and when the leader jumps, the rest follow, Senn said. Human beings should not be hardwired like that. Massey defended his decision to give the bill priority status, saying Thursday it was important to try and break the impasse. My response to Sen. Senn will be in 2024, Massey said, declining to elaborate. Editor Maayan Schechter contributed to this report. A local non-profit that helps grant wishes to children in need, is the latest victim of scammers. Jamies Dream Team has granted more than 10,000 wishes since they started back in 2005. This week they have five families in Disney World. One of those families is of a 7-year-old boy who is fighting lung and brain cancer. They arrived yesterday, only to discover their new Visa gift cards had a $0 balance. They have a little boy who has cancer and they called me and said, hey our gift cards arent working. We jumped online checked the balance and it said the gift card was used. Jamie took her frustrations to Facebook where she heard from more people saying they bought new Visa gift cards that had a $0 balance when they went to use them for the first time. She showed Channel 11 a printout of the websites used by the gift card. She said the is the second time this happened to one of their families recently, and it happened with several of their gift cards at Christmas. This is not the first time this has happened. This has been happening for months with gift cards, and what we do is we hurry up and Venmo or Zelle whatever the case may be for the family to continue their trip, Jamie said. We call Visa and say, hey listen, this is what is happening, we are out of money again and get no response. The FBI says this sounds like a scam where thieves often peel off the sticker on the back, get activation and pin numbers, put the sticker back on and hang it back up on the rack. Once they see the card is activated, they quickly spend the money. Frustrating to hear for Jamie who is still trying to get refunded, and working to help more families simultaneously. We have 25 families going to Disney next week, and they all have gift cards! Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: Jerry Springer, legendary talk show host, dies at 79 Several local cities named on list of worst commutes in Pennsylvania Washington County hairstylist facing charges for allegedly running prostitution business in salon VIDEO: Search continues for permanent solution to Allegheny County juvenile detention housing DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts Scams demanding payment for goods that never materialise, such as parcels purportedly being held at the Post Office, are increasing - Matthew Horwood/Getty Images More than 450,000 scams demanding payment for goods that never materialise, such as parcels purportedly being held at the Post Office, have been reported. The number of scams has risen by 654 per cent over the past three years, according to police data revealed by the Office for National Statistics. There were 454,000 such offences in the year to last December, compared with 60,000 in the year to March 2020. Experts attributed the rise to sophisticated criminal gangs taking advantage of customers online shopping habits, with the trend continuing from the Covid pandemic. Overall, police-recorded fraud increased by 25 per cent to 1.1 million offences in the year ending last December. William Christopher, a civil fraud partner at Kingsley Napley, a law firm, said: Scammers demand an up-front payment for goods or services that never materialise, via fake ads for loans, concert tickets or rental properties, for example, or even targeting victims by text pretending to be a delivery company. The reason this type of fraud is rising at such an alarming rate is that fraudsters believe they can get away with it the criminal justice system just isnt keeping up. It comes ahead of the Governments new fraud strategy, which will reclassify fraud as a threat to national security, elevating it to the same status as terrorism. Chief constables will be mandated to increase resources and combine capabilities to fight it. Action Fraud, the central police reporting body for the crime, is being overhauled with a new super brain computer system to analyse and join the dots on all fraud in the UK. Burglaries solved dip below four per cent The data also showed that violent crime has surged by a fifth, to a record 2.1 million offences, as the total number of crimes logged by police hit 6.6 million in a year for the first time. Sexual offences, including rape, were up by 19 per cent to nearly 190,000 a record high and a 19 per cent increase on 2020. Story continues The number of burglaries solved has fallen below four per cent for the first time, while the number of thefts from a person including pickpocketing has dropped to 0.8 per cent, meaning fewer than one in 100 results in a charge. Of 192,336 domestic burglaries last year, just 7,507 3.9 per cent resulted in a charge, down from 6.7 per cent in 2014. That represents 456 home burglaries closed every day without an outcome, despite a pledge by the 43 police forces in England and Wales to send an officer to the scene of every break-in. Earlier this month, The Telegraph revealed that this is compounded by alleged soft justice in the courts, where burglars have been convicted of up to 27 break-ins before being jailed. Public will expect improvement Harvey Redgrave, a former Number 10 adviser and chief executive of Crest Advisory, crime consultancy, said: The public will rightly expect an improvement in the proportion of such crimes being solved and offenders being brought to justice, particularly at a time when the Government is claiming credit for meeting their pledge to recruit more police officers. The data show that some forces are solving fewer than one in 50 burglaries, including Gloucestershire (1.6 per cent) and Hampshire (1.8 per cent), followed by Hertfordshire, South Yorkshire and West Mercia (all on 2.3 per cent). At the top was South Wales with 8.9 per cent, followed by Durham on 8.5 per cent and Cambridgeshire 6.9 per cent. Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: As thousands of burglars get off scot-free, our communities are being failed and victims are being let down. Yvette Cooper, Labours home affairs spokesman, said the Conservatives have no grip on law and order. However, the Conservatives pointed to separate data from the British crime survey, which records peoples actual experience of crime, which showed overall crime down by 52 per cent, robbery down by 70 per cent, burglary down by 51 per cent and violence down by 41 per cent since 2010. Chris Philp, the policing minister, said: We continue to make progress to reduce crime overall, recruiting an additional 20,000 police officers, but more still needs to be done to tackle rape and deliver justice for victims. Operation Soteria is critical to transforming rape investigations and ensuring perpetrators see justice. School district officials in Newport News, Virginia, are seeking the dismissal of a $40 million lawsuit filed by the elementary school teacher who was shot by her 6-year-old student during class in January. The motion, filed Wednesday in the Newport News Circuit Court, argues that the injuries suffered by first-grade teacher Abigail Zwerner should be remedied as a workers' compensation claim, and that state law "exists for the benefit of employees for the purpose of providing coverage for workplace injuries without having to prove negligence on the part of the employer." Zwerner's negligence complaint said she incurred "physical pain and mental anguish" as a result of the Jan. 6 shooting in which the unnamed student, identified as John Doe, brought a 9 mm handgun to school and discharged it, even though staff and other students allegedly gave multiple warnings to administrators that he posed an imminent danger. An attorney for Zwerner told NBC News after her negligence lawsuit was filed on April 3 that he disagreed with the notion that her complaint should be filed as a workers' compensation claim under Virginia law since, theoretically, workers can't sue their own employers. The shooting is "an exception," lawyer Jeffrey Breit said, because "no 6-year-old student is going to be a risk of shooting their teacher." For teachers, he added, "it's not part of their job" and they are "not a night 7-Eleven worker." Virginia elementary school teacher Abigail Zwerner poses for a portrait at an undisclosed location in Virginia on March 20, 2023. (Carlos Bernate for NBC News) But in a response filed on behalf of three of the four defendants the Newport News School Board, former Superintendent George Parker III and former Richneck Elementary School Principal Briana Foster Newton they contend that there is an "unfortunate reality" of violence in schools and "this problem extends to elementary school teachers." The response also cites national surveys in which teachers have reported verbal or threatening behavior against them by students. Story continues "Unfortunately, Newport News Public Schools experience similar incidents of threats and attacks by students as illustrated by [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] reports which show numerous assaults on teachers by elementary school students across the school district resulting in injuries, restricted duty, and days away from work," the response says. The law firm representing three of the defendants said in a statement that the shooting falls under a workplace injury because it "undisputedly occurred at school, in the classroom, during the school day, and at the hands of one of her students." "The fact that the student used a gun as opposed to stabbing with a pair of scissors or throwing a textbook at a teacher's head does not change this basic fact," lawyer Anne Lahren of the law firm Pender & Coward said. "We are asking the Court to hold that since Ms. Zwerner suffered a workplace injury, this case falls under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Workers' Compensation Commission and not the Newport News Circuit Court." A fourth defendant named in Zwerner's lawsuit, former Richneck Assistant Principal Ebony Parker, who resigned following the shooting, has not yet responded to the complaint through her attorney. Zwerner, 25, is seeking a jury trial. In the wake of the shooting, Newport News police had praised her for escorting her class of about 20 students to safety even after she was seriously injured in her left hand and chest. Her lawsuit alleges that Richneck administrators were aware of the student's alleged pattern of troubling behavior and that leadership on the day of the shooting knew of at least three separate warnings that the boy was believed to have a gun and some other students reported seeing it. On April 10, Newport News prosecutors announced charges against the boy's mother, Deja Taylor, who faces a count of felony child neglect and a misdemeanor count of recklessly leaving a loaded firearm so as to endanger a child. The felony count carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, while the misdemeanor charge could result in up to one year in prison. Taylor's lawyer, James Ellenson, said this month that the allegations in Zwerner's complaint involving the 6-year-old "should be taken with a large grain of salt." Virginia elementary school teacher Abigail Zwerner poses for a portrait at an undisclosed location in Virginia on March 20, 2023. (Carlos Bernate for NBC News) "We of course continue to pray for Ms. Zwerner's complete recovery," he said. Prosecutors have also requested a special grand jury to investigate potential security lapses that may have led to the shooting. "If the special grand jury determines that additional persons are criminally responsible under the law, it can return additional indictments," Newport News Commonwealth's Attorney Howard Gwynn said. The boy's family said in a previous statement that the weapon was "secured" in the home and that they have "always been committed to responsible gun ownership and keeping firearms out of the reach of children." The family also said the boy has an acute disability and was receiving the "treatment he needs" under court-ordered temporary detention at a medical facility. Newport News police have said his mother legally purchased the gun he used, but they have not indicated how he obtained it or whether it was safely secured, as the family has claimed. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com The Newport News School District filed a motion Wednesday arguing that the teacher who sustained injuries after being shot by a 6-year-old student earlier this year cannot file a $40 million lawsuit in the circuit court, saying her injuries are covered by the states workers compensation law. Abigail Zwerner, 25, was shot in the hand and chest early this year while teaching at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, and she needed tone hospitalized for two weeks. Plaintiff is not without remedy; her remedy is dictated by the Virginia Workers Compensation Act and the provisions contained therein, reads the motion. The Newport News Circuit Court does not have jurisdiction to hear workers compensation claims. Lawyers for the school district said in a statement to The Hill that Zwerners case is the definition of a workplace injury. In a perfect world, no teacher would ever be injured by one of their students at school or anywhere, they wrote. However, unruly students and bad behavior are all too common in schools across the country, and Newport News is sadly not immune to this. Zwerners lawyers said in a statement to The Hill that no teacher should expect to risk being shot by one of their students, adding that the school boards position is not backed up by the law. No one believes that a first grade teacher should expect that one of the risks of teaching first grade is that you might get shot by a six-year-old, attorneys Diane Toscano and Jeffrey Breit said in a statement. The school boards position is contrary to how every citizen in Newport News thinks teachers should be treated, and the law does not support the boards position. Teachers across the district will be alarmed to learn their employer sees this as part of the job description, they added. The mother of the child who shot the teacher was arrested earlier this month and charged with felony child neglect and misdemeanor for recklessly leaving a loaded firearm to endanger a child, police said. Story continues Zwerner filed a $40 million lawsuit earlier this month against school officials, alleging they were negligent in heeding warning signs that could have prevented the shooting. Her legal team said at the time that the school officials failed to address multiple warning signs on the day of the shooting that could have prevented this tragedy from happening. Updated Thursday at 4:44 p.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. By Jacqueline Thomsen (Reuters) - Top U.S. Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer on Thursday warned the chief judge of a Texas federal court in a letter that Congress could intervene unless he agrees "to reform the method of assigning cases to judges" in the district. Schumer told U.S. Chief District Judge David Godbey of the Northern District of Texas, where plaintiffs have frequently sued to challenge Biden administration policies, that they have taken advantage of the rules "to hand-pick individual district judges seen as particularly sympathetic to their claims." Godbey did not immediately return a request for comment. Schumer pointed to the court's rules assigning civil cases filed in certain court divisions to one judge. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, appointed by Republican former U.S. President Donald Trump, is one such judge: Any cases filed in his Amarillo division are automatically assigned to him. That includes the recent legal challenge to the Biden administration's approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. Kacsmaryk earlier this month ruled to suspend approval of the medication, but the U.S. Supreme Court last week blocked those restrictions, leaving the pill accessible for now. A federal statute allows individual district courts to determine how their cases are assigned. Schumer's letter said other courts have rules to randomly assign district judges to cases across divisions. If plaintiffs are allowed to "hand-pick their preferred judges and effectively guarantee their preferred outcomes, Congress will consider more prescriptive requirements," Schumer wrote. Complaints of "judge shopping" have grown since Kacsmaryk's ruling in the abortion pill case and other cases related to Biden's policy agenda. Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono on Wednesday introduced legislation that would require lawsuits affecting national policies to be relegated to the federal trial court in Washington, citing such concerns. Story continues The Biden administration has accused Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton of judge shopping, including in a lawsuit challenging last year's $1.7 trillion federal government funding law. Paxton's office is fighting an effort to transfer the case from the Northern District of Texas to Washington or Austin, the state's capital. The judge in that case has not yet ruled on the motion. (Reporting by Jacqueline Thomsen) [Source] Science has proven that traditional clay jars (onggi) are the best tool for fermenting kimchi. A traditional staple of Korean cuisine, kimchi is a fermented spicy cabbage that has become a must-have for health-conscious foodies around the world. However, when comparing the many ways of preparing kimchi, science has proven onggi-produced kimchi is the most efficient. Published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, Ph.D. student Soohwan Kim and Georgia Tech professor David L. Hu found that the porous structure of onggi is similar to that of loose soil, where lactic acid bacteria, which is necessary for the fermentation process, are found. More from NextShark: World's 50 richest cities list: Singapore now has more millionaires than Hong Kong These micro-pores, which are absent in glassware, allow for the exhalation of carbon dioxide, which aids the fermentations signature process and creates an ideal environment for lactic acid bacteria. Glassware often prevents the gradual release of carbon dioxide, resulting in the gas suffocating the beneficial lactic acid bacteria. The consistent outflow of carbon dioxide also creates a positive pressure within the onggi, preventing external contamination from entering its walls. More from NextShark: Malaysian founder of noodle snack Mamee Monster dies at 92 The study answers questions regarding the secret to onggi kimchis beneficial qualities of greater acidity, higher amounts of lactic acid bacteria and quick fermentation process. We wanted to find the secret sauce for how onggi make kimchi taste so good, Hu explained in the experimental study. So, we measured how the gases evolved while kimchi fermented inside the onggi something no one had done before. To find the secret sauce, Kim traveled to his hometown in South Koreas Jeju-do island, where onggi continue to be crafted. Purchasing a jar, the mechanical engineer Ph.D. student brought it home to carry out the experiment. Story continues More from NextShark: Watch This Video If You Think Coronavirus is an Excuse to Be Racist Towards Asians Kim shared his amazement at the capabilities of onggi in a statement. Onggi were designed without modern knowledge of chemistry, microbiology, or fluid mechanics, but they work remarkably well. Its very interesting to get new insights into ancient technology through the lens of fluid dynamics [...] Its amazing that, for thousands of years, people have been building these special containers out of dirt, but in many ways, they are very high tech. More from NextShark: TAAF, Panda Express invest over $500,000 into AAPI artists The two researchers stated that their goal for the study was to draw attention to this traditional artisan work and inspire energy-efficient methods for fermenting and storing foods. The sled dog Balto with his owner, Gunnar Kaasen. Balto the sled dog is famous for being part of a sled team that delivered medicine from Fairbanks, Alaska, to Nome, Alaska, through harrowing blizzard conditions in 1925. Now, a team of scientists has sequenced the dogs genome using DNA found in his taxidermied remains. The researchers compared Baltos genome to 682 genomes from modern dogs and wolves; their research is published today in the journal Science. Read more Baltos fame and the fact that he was taxidermied gave us this cool opportunity 100 years later to see what that population of sled dogs would have looked like genetically and to compare him to modern dogs, said Katherine Moon, a postdoctoral researcher at UC Santa Cruz and the studys lead author, in a university release. Balto was born in 1919 and was named after Samuel Balto, a Sami explorer who was part of the team to first cross the Greenland ice cap. Balto became famous after schlepping a diphtheria antitoxin to Nome in 1925; the dog teams and human drivers, including Gunnar Kaasen, endured lashing winds and temperatures as low as -50 degrees Fahrenheit on their trek. Balto and his canine compatriots were shipped to Cleveland, Ohio, in March 1927, where they were given a parade and brought to the Brookside Zoo. Balto was framed in the media as the lead doga controversial claim todayand was honored with awards and even a statue in Manhattans Central Park. Balto died in 1933, and his body was preserved and mounted at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, where it resides to this day. Enter the geneticists, who plucked tissue from the 90-year-old remains, extracted DNA, and used that DNA to sequence the dogs genome. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the team found that Balto was a more genetically diverse animal than modern huskies. But he is also genetically divergent from modern sled dogs. Balto had genes that suggest he was better able to digest starch than wolves and the genetically distinct Greenland sled dogs, though worse at it than modern dogs. Story continues Balto with his owner, Gunnar Kasson. Balto with his owner, Gunnar Kaasen. Baltos genome also improves our understanding of the dogs build and coat color (photos of Balto in life are in black-and-white, and taxidermied creatures dont always well represent how they looked in life.) Though sled dogs have a long history of genetic continuity, Baltos genome included variants that may have helped him and his ilk endure the harsh conditions of the subarctic. Balto had variants in genes related to things like weight, coordination, joint formation, and skin thickness, which you would expect for a dog bred to run in that environment, Moon said. The Balto research was done as part of the Zoonomia Consortiums comprehensive work on 240 mammalian genomes, also published today in Science. The interrogation of Baltos genome, along with those of 682 other dogs and wolves, vastly expands scientists understanding of canid diversity over time. When domesticated dogs emerged and when they arrived in North America are longstanding questions of paleogenomics, and the Zoonomia project is helping chart those waters. More: An Ancient Dog Bone Could Be Evidence of the Route Humans Took to North America More from Gizmodo Sign up for Gizmodo's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. The U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday it has suspended its search for a cruise ship passenger from Australia who went overboard a few hundred miles off the coast of Hawaii. The incident occurred at approximately 11:03 p.m. Tuesday night, when the Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu received a report from the Quantum of the Seas cruise ship that a man had gone overboard about 500 miles south of Kailua Kona, Big Island, according to the Coast Guard. MORE: FBI investigating 'suspicious death' of woman on Carnival cruise ship The cruise ship's crew searched for approximately two hours, deploying six life rings, the Coast Guard said. A Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point C-130 Hercules aircrew launched at 7 a.m. on Wednesday morning and arrived on the scene at approximately 9 a.m. but did not have any luck finding the missing man after completing five searches. The search resumed Thursday morning, before the Coast Guard announced it has suspended the active search later that day. "After reviewing all relevant information of the case and discussing with our Australian consulate counterparts as well as with the next of kin, the Coast Guard has made the difficult decision to suspend the active search for the passenger aboard the Quantum of the Seas," Kevin Cooper, a search and rescue mission coordinator for the Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu, said in a statement. MORE: Fisherman missing after going overboard while hooking 'huge' tuna on fishing trip Quantum of the Seas departed from Brisbane, Australia, on April 12 and is scheduled to arrive in Honolulu on April 28. Royal Caribbean -- who operates Quantum of the Seas -- also released a statement on Wednesday confirming the missing passenger. MORE: 9-year-old boy missing after falling off pontoon boat, being hit by propeller "While on its trans-pacific sailing, a guest onboard Quantum of the Seas went overboard," Royal Caribbean said. "The ship's crew immediately launched a search and rescue operation and is working closely with local authorities." Story continues Authorities did not give any further details on how the man may have ended up going overboard. ABC News' Clara McMichael contributed to this report. Search suspended for man overboard on cruise ship hundreds of miles away from Hawaii originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Five search warrant affidavits unsealed Thursday reveal that billionaire banker T. Denny Sanford was believed to have obtained 36 images depicting child pornography in the summer of 2019. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a tip on July 9, 2019 about the images reported from an AOL account owned by Sanford, the documents show. The NCMEC then reported the tip to the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force on Aug. 14, 2019. The South Dakota Department of Criminal Investigation then started its investigation into Sanford relating to possession and distribution of child pornography. The 83-page document dump, which shows what evidence law enforcement may have had to execute the search warrants, comes after a two-year legal battle between Sanford, the Argus Leader and ProPublica, an investigative news non-profit. The South Dakota Supreme Court ruled on April 6 the affidavits, which explain why the search warrants were executed in 2019 and 2020, must be unsealed under the public's right to know and that a Minnehaha County judge had the right to redact personal information as he saw fit. The court's ruling is included in the document. The Argus Leader had first learned about the investigation into Sanford, a nationally recognized philanthropist and billionaire who has pledged to 'die broke' and namesake of the Sanford Health system in Sioux Falls and the surrounding region, in 2019, but was under a gag order by a judge not to speak about the matter when the issue to get access to records first went to court. Sanford was only identified as the "Implicated Individual" in arguments and court hearings later on. Sanford, the founder of First Premier Bank, is no longer being investigated for child pornography in South Dakota. It's unclear why Sanford wasn't indicted, but the Argus Leader is actively asking that question. In January 2022, Sanford's legal team alleged he had been hacked. Story continues A forensic examination of the very email account and relevant timeframe that is the subject of the search warrant in this case has uncovered the specific name of an individual other than the Implicated Individual having gained access to that very account, his attorney Marty Jackley wrote at the time. Further exonerating evidence includes corroborating evidence of hacking into the Implicated Individuals various accounts, unknown to the Implicated Individual until a forensic examination was performed that sought to uncover the truth in this matter. The South Dakota Attorney General's office concluded an investigation in May 2022 into Sanford, determining that "there are no prosecutable offenses within the jurisdiction of the state of South Dakota," according to a notice by the office. It remains unclear, though, if similar investigations into Sanford in other jurisdictions remain open. The AG's office released the following statement Thursday in regard to the question of why he wasn't charged or indicted: "In 2019, the Division of Criminal Investigation began investigating whether T. Denny Sanford had possessed child pornography. Search warrants were issued. That investigative file was then forwarded to the United States Attorney office in South Dakota, which forwarded it to the Department of Justice. The file was also forwarded to the authorities in Arizona and California. To date, none of those authorities have lodged charges against Sanford. In 2022, after Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg was impeached and suspended, his administration issued a statement that it did not find probable cause for criminal charges in the state of South Dakota." More: What happened during the child porn investigation tied to T. Denny Sanford in South Dakota The office then re-directed the Argus Leader to the notice by Deputy Attorney General Brent Kempem, signed May 27, 2022, that states the investigation had been completed. No other information was provided. The current AG was the initial attorney representing Sanford when this investigation started, but he was not AG at the time the investigation began or ended. Here's what the new documents show. What's in the first search warrant affdavit? The first affidavit, filed in December 2019, requests Oath Inc., which owns AOL, to turn over account information that was likely believed to be owned by Sanford. The AOL account was suspected of containing 36 images depicting child porn and child erotica. The images appear to be three unique photos, showing young girls between the ages of 8 and 15 years old, nude, facing a camera and with genitalia visible. The three photos are then repeated multiple times. A Verizon phone number was also attached to the AOL account. The DCI agent conducting the investigation found that the account was registered to Premier BankCard LLC. On Nov. 20, the DCI agent was told by an employee of Premier Bank that first, the number was not associated with anyone at the bank. The employee then said the number was used by Sanford. The same day, the DCI agent received a call from Jackley that Sanford would be cooperating with law enforcement but all communication related to the case go through Jackley. Jackley currently serves as the South Dakota Attorney General. He was elected in November 2022. More: What to know about the South Dakota Supreme Court ruling against T. Denny Sanford What did affidavit No. 2 reveal? The second search warrant affidavit, filed on March 12, 2020, was executed to MidCo for the cable and internet company to turn over all documents, PDF and text files from a computer that was accessed on June 27, 2019 with an IP address registered to their company in Sioux Falls. The affidavit was presented on "December 9th, 2020... in support of a search warrant for Oath Inc records and content of the email," redacted by the judge. "The search warrant was presented to the Honorable Judge James Power of the 2nd Circuit in Sioux Falls, SD who later signed the warrant." Records were received "January 10, 2020... including emails from Oath Inc." from a redacted address. The December 9, 2020 date may be an error and refer to December 9, 2019. Eight emails were collected from the search warrant with dates of May 28, 2019, May 29, 2019 and June 27, 2019. Two emails were sent from a Verizon Samsung Galaxy Smartphone. Each email had an image of a young nude girl attached, according to the documents. There were five unique images, three of which were repeated several times in the emails. T. Denny Sanford, center, sits on a golf cart during the opening ceremonies of the Sanford International golf tournament on Friday, September 17, 2021, at the Minnehaha Country Club in Sioux Falls. Third search warrant affidavit examines Verizon cell phone The third search warrant affidavit, filed March 12, 2020, requested Verizon wireless records for a cell phone used on June 27, 2019. The cell phone number was used by Sanford at the time, according to the documents. Two of the emails that contained child porn in May 2019 had signature lines identifying they had been sent from a Verizon Samsung Galaxy Smart phone, according to the documents. There were also 14 additional outgoing emails sent between May 28 and May 29 in the same timeframe as the outgoing messages that had the child porn attachments. One email containing a graphic image of a young girl had a naming convention "that possibly identifies a date and a time that the image was taken and is a common naming convention for Android devices," the DCI agent, who wrote the affidavit and had experience with cell phone image naming conventions, said. Three IP addresses not registered in South Dakota were also noted in the affidavit. They include Oregon, Arizona and California. Geolocation information pinged addresses in Sioux Falls, Scottsdale, Arizona and La Jolla, California, all where Sanford owns homes. But, the DCI agent wrote he was unable to accurately locate the location of the individual because all three locations were pinged on the two dates in May and date in June. "The most reliable way to positively identify the individual who was using the email account on that date and the reliable way to accurately determine the location of that individual is by obtaining records and information from Verizon Wireless regarding the cell phone number of [redacted]," according to the search warrant affidavit. "Specifically, subscriber information, device information, call detail records, IP address information and historical location information from Verizon Wireless can be necessary and essential in order to make those determinations." Fourth and fifth affidavits request rest of cell phone usage The fourth and fifth search warrant affidavits filed requested the cell phone number records used on May 28 and May 29, 2019. The affidavits contain the same information as the third affidavit requesting the cell phone records used on June 27, 2019, along with the three different IP addresses recorded. What else is contained in the documents? The warrants note that a review of the emails from one of the relevant email accounts (though exactly which one is redacted from the documents) included identifiers, like a photograph of Sanfords drivers license, a hotel receipt for a 2019 stay in California, several photographs of a person believed to be Sanford, and a letter from the Dalai Lama thanking Sanford for his support of the University of California San Diego T. Denny Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion. What has the reaction been? In a statement, Sanford Health's Media Relations Manager Paul Heinert said We took this matter seriously and trust law enforcements process with regard to their investigation, including their determination last year that there were no chargeable offenses. Sanford Health was not contacted by law enforcement or involved in the investigation. More: Child pornography investigation involving T. Denny Sanford still ongoing; lawyer argues emails hacked In a statement Thursday, Stacy Hegge, Sanford's lawyer, said her client appreciated that after a thorough investigation, there were no prosecutable offenses and that the records released by the court were only allegations. "These preliminary allegations were provided to law enforcement prior to law enforcements exhaustive investigation and its realization that various individuals had documented access to the electronic devices at issue, including signs of hacking," Hegge wrote. "While some claim releasing affidavits that reiterate these allegations constitute transparency, releasing preliminary allegations made prior to completing the full investigation only misinforms people and obscures the investigations conclusions that no prosecutable offense occurred. It's been two years. What else has happened? After the conclusion of the case, according to state law and James Power, the Minnehaha County judge, the search warrant affidavits were supposed to be unsealed. However, intervention by Sanford's legal team kept the records sealed until now. The five search warrants themselves had been unsealed in 2021 after a ruling from the South Dakota Supreme Court found some material inside the documents were of a public nature. Typically, search warrants and their affidavits are public record, according to state law. This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Sanford affidavits reveal police found 36 images of child porn on his phone Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 27) -- The Anti-Terrorism Councils technical working group will convene in the next few days to receive evidence regarding the governments intention to designate suspended Negros Oriental Representative Arnie Teves as a terrorist. Justice Secretary Boying Remulla said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) would be presenting the documents. Ang NBI kasi ang may hawak talaga ng criminal investigation, hindi naman kami. We are more of the prosecuting arm, he said in an interview. [Translation: The NBI is the one handling the criminal investigation. We are more of the prosecuting arm.] We are trying here to be objective about what we do. Impartiality is not an issue because we are partially in favor of the Filipino people," Remulla added. Teves has been tagged as the mastermind in the assassination of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo. The suspended lawmaker has yet to return to the country after his travel authority lapsed. Remulla said they are expecting complaints to be filed against Teves next week. Were looking at next week as the time for the filing of cases ng NBI dito sa DOJ para madadalhan na natin ng notice si Congressman Teves sa last known address, he explained. [Translation: Were looking at next week as the time for the filing of cases by the NBI here at the DOJ, so that we can deliver the notice to Congressman Teves at his last known address.] Remulla said Teves would be facing murder, multiple murder, and multiple frustrated murder complaints. The law enforcement saying, See something, say something, played out over the weekend on Hilton Head after a resident saw something amiss in the Walmart parking lot and called police. When people are diligent like this, its exactly what we ask people to do, said Maj. Angela Viens with the Beaufort County Sheriffs Office. Sometimes, a delay in doing that [reporting incidents to police] lets someone get away. Officers were called out to the store parking lot on Pembroke Drive Saturday just before 1 p.m. after a shopper walking into the store spotted a suspicious man he suspected of shoplifting, according to a Beaufort County Sheriffs report. The shopper told deputies they had left with a large amount of items from the store. The shoplifters had already taken a cart full of merchandise from the Hilton Head Walmart and police suspect they were going back in for more, Viens said. The couple left the Walmart parking lot before police arrived. The two were found pumping gas at a nearby gas station and questioned about the merchandise in their car, police said in the report. The two told deputies they were visiting the island for its beaches and had gone shopping at Walmart to buy gifts for a party they planned to attend soon in Orangeburg, South Carolina. When police asked, the two could not provide receipts for the merchandise. Drugs were found inside the car, according to the report. The suspicious man had allegedly taken a cart full of merchandise and was likely going back inside for more when he was spotted by the shopper who called police, Viens said. The items he stole clothing, diapers, food and electronics totaled about $1,300. The man, Stephen Luner, 33, of Orangeburg, South Carolina, was charged with shoplifting, giving false information to police and drug charges. Misty OBrien, 47, of Orangeburg, South Carolina, was charged with drug possession. As of Thursday, Luner is still in custody at the Beaufort County Detention Center. OBrien was released Monday. Police in Wisconsin are being hailed as heroes after pulling an 84-year-old man to safety when the minivan he drove burst into flames this week. According to the Kenosha Police Department, the rescue took place just after 9 p.m. on Tuesday along Sheridan Road, a major north-south street leading from Diversey Parkway in Chicago north to the Illinois-Wisconsin border. Police dash cam video released by the department shows a minivan driving with a flat tire with sparks coming from the wheel. Officers saw the bright sparks coming from the van and tried to stop the vehicle, police said, but the driver kept going and the minivan soon erupted in flames. Footage shows the van coming to a stop as it is engulfed in flames. Officers are then seen running toward the vehicle and pulling the man to safety. No one else was in the vehicle. "The minivan stopped and with selfless public service KPD officers ran towards the flames and pulled the driver to safety," the department wrote on Facebook. Florida jet ski rescue: Bodycam shows 13-year-old girl and father rescued after jet ski sinks in FL lake Police rescue elderly man from burning car No one was seriously injured, Police Lieutenant Joseph Nosalik told USA TODAY Thursday. "The man sustained some minor burns that did not require hospitalization," Nosalik said, adding some of the responding officers had some singed hair and suffered "very minor burns." Leaking gasoline The sparks ignited what police believe to be gasoline leaking from the van, Nosalik said. "This could have been so much worse," Nosalik said, adding the van could have exploded with the victim inside. "The man was not intoxicated, nor did he exhibit any overt signs of diminished mental capacity; however, his decisions are questionable and we did refer him to the (Wisconsin) Department of Motor Vehicles for a re-evaluation on his driving abilities," Nosalik said. "He just wanted to make it home." Story continues Video of near tragic crash: Container truck barely misses cars when it overturns while making a turn in China 'You ARE heroes' The officers reaction drew praise from members of the community. "Thank you officers for saving this man's life," Facebook user Dawn Lee posted. "You ARE heroes." Sherry Jay, another user wrote, "Commendations to the officer! Oh, and it's not just old people that get in to these situations!" Natalie Neysa Alund covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Video: Kenosha police pull man to safety after van bursts into flames Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter Thursday to Chief Justice John Roberts asking him to answer questions related to the Supreme Courts ethics policies. The letter, signed by all 11 Democrats on the Judiciary Committee, comes on the heels of Roberts rejection of Durbins request that the chief justice appear, or designate another justice to appear, before the committee for a hearing about how the court polices conflicts of interest and other ethics issues. The court is currently roiled by ethical controversies after ProPublica wrote about how Justice Clarence Thomas failed to report hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts from billionaire conservative donor Harlan Crow, along with the sale of property to Crow. In addition, despite an insistence by Crow and Thomas that Crow never had business before the court, reports show that the court did decide whether to hear a case brought against one of his companies while his financial interests were relevant to cases before the court. Justice Neil Gorsuch also failed to list the purchaser of a sale of more than $1 million in property to the chief executive of a law firm that routinely has business before the court, according to a report by Politico. In rejecting the committees request to appear or to send a justice to appear for a hearing, Roberts attached a Statement of Ethics Principles and Practices to which all of the current Members of the Supreme Court subscribe. The statement of principles raises more questions than it resolves, and we request that you respond to several key questions, according to the response from Durbin and the Judiciary Committee Democrats. The court does not have a binding code of conduct, as the lower federal courts do, and is opaque in handling ethics issues when they arise. Durbins letter probes into the courts lack of transparency. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts refused to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee to answer questions about recent ethics controversies involving the justices. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts refused to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee to answer questions about recent ethics controversies involving the justices. Story continues Where the courts Statement of Ethics Principles and Practices states that Justices, like other federal judges, consult a wide variety of authorities to address specific ethical issues, Durbin asks, What guidance do Justices receive on which authorities to consult, and how is this consultation process and any final decision on a particular matter documented? The Judicial Conference, the body overseeing the lower courts, reviews Supreme Court financial disclosures and may contact a justice to provide an opportunity for them to correct any discrepancies or oversights, according to the statement. What is the consequence, if any, for a sitting Justice who does not respond as appropriate to such a letter of inquiry? Durbins letter asks. The letter then asks whether there has ever been any censure, reprimand, admonition, sanction, or other penalty imposed on a Justice for failure to abide by any of the principles and practices now contained in the Statement on Ethics Principles and Practices? If so, what types of penalties have been, or may be, imposed? Is there a process by which the public may file, and the Supreme Court may receive, complaints that a Justice has failed to abide by these principles? the letter continues. Durbin and the Judiciary Democrats also requested Roberts inform them when the courts nine justices subscribed to any previous ethics statement prior to the Statement on Ethics Principles and Practices sent in the chief justices letter. They also asked if the justices must unanimously agree to adopt any ethics statement or abide by an ethics policy. The courts recent ethical lapses are not limited to Thomas or Gorsuchs failure to report gifts and sales of properties. Thomas has repeatedly failed to file financial disclosures properly. For example, in 2011, it was reported that he failed to disclose the income his wife, Virginia (Ginni) Thomas, received from a host of conservative think tanks, political groups and educational entities over 13 years. Also, Thomas did not recuse himself from a case related to disclosing some of former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows emails and text messages to the House Jan. 6 committee. While not included in the batch of Meadows communications before the court, other communications revealed that Ginni Thomas frequently texted Meadows to share conspiracy theories and express her fervent hope that Meadows and Donald Trump would succeed in stealing the 2020 election from Joe Biden. Thomas was the lone vote on the court to deny further disclosures of Meadows emails. Durbin gave Roberts a deadline of May 1 to respond to the questions posed by Judiciary Committee Democrats. The committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on Supreme Court ethics on May 2. Read Durbins letter to Roberts below: Related... Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert! SENATE DEMOCRATS CALL FOR CORPORATE TAX INCREASE Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, on Wednesday called for a tax increase on major corporations, such as Coca Cola and Walmart, in order to fund middle- and lower-income tax cuts as well as critical infrastructure projects in the 2023-24 budget. The chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee unveiled Senate Democrats budget priorities, which is intended to be a starting point for negotiations with the Assembly and Gov. Gavin Newsoms office. The Senate Democrats proposal includes $26 billion in solutions to close the $16.6 billion budget gap that Newsoms office identified in January, and calls for a regular budget reserve of $5.1 billion and total reserves of $38.1 billion. It also calls for rejecting Newsoms proposed cuts to infrastructure spending, including mass transit, with Skinner saying our intention is not to abandon transit at this time during a Wednesday press conference. In order to generate more revenue to close the budget gap without raising taxes on middle-class Californians, Skinners proposal calls for partially undoing the federal tax cuts for major corporations that President Donald Trump shepherded through Congress by increasing state taxes to make up the difference. The tax increase would affect about 2,500 businesses, Skinner said. Revenue from that tax increase would pay for tax cuts for small businesses, renters, low-income Californians and union members, as well as creating targeted ongoing spending of $1 billion each for schools, child care and homelessness reduction. Budget actions we take can either harm our economy or help economic conditions, Skinner said. The California Chamber of Commerce wasnt a fan of the proposed tax increase, with CalChamber President Jennifer Barrera saying in a statement that it is unnecessary because the state has built up its rainy day fund. Increasing taxes, she said, will send the wrong signals to job creators and investors in the states economy. Now is not the time to test Californias ability to withstand the impact of an economic downturn or a recession by placing our economic success at risk. Story continues Others, including Chris Hoene, executive director of the California Budget & Policy Center, praised the proposal. The Senates plan for a graduated corporate tax will help ensure that large profitable corporations fairly contribute to Californias tax revenues and support the services we all benefit from., Hoene said. This is exactly the kind of policy solution California needs to better support communities across the state. BILL TO LET LEGISLATIVE STAFFERS UNIONIZE PASSES FIRST COMMITTEE VOTE California legislative staffers are one step closer to being able to unionize, after the Assembly Public Employment and Retirement Committee on Wednesday voted 6-1 to approve AB 1. Assemblyman Vince Fong, R-Central Valley, was the lone no vote. Recall that last year, a similar biill AB 1577 was very nearly blocked from receiving a vote by then-committee Chair Jim Cooper, D-Elk Grove; though Cooper later relented and let it go up for a vote, that bill failed, 2-4. What changed? For starters, that committee is now chaired by AB 1 author Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor, D-Inglewood. For another, though committee Vice-Chair Tom Lackey, R-Palmdale, lamented that the bill didnt include everything he asked for, it did include a provision that minority party (i.e. Republican) staffers will be permitted to form collective bargaining units without worrying about being excluded on the basis of their politics. Minority party staffers have been treated inequitably in this institution for many years, with unequal pay for the same titles, and ability to participate in certain legislative-sanctioned caucuses and equal access to committee consultants, Lackey said during Wednesdays hearing. That was enough to get Lackeys vote. Assemblyman Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, said that last years bill failed due to shenanigans. I think its quite poetic that its AB 1, because we know that nothing happens in this building without our staff. And so if there were not our staff to do the incredible work that they do, there would be no ABs after this, Haney said. In her closing remarks, McKinnor said were setting an example for the rest of the country by working together, both Democrats and Republicans, to come up with a comprehensive solution for our employees to collective bargain for wages, benefits and workplace conditions. You know what they say, As California goes, so goes the nation,McKinnor concluded. Several dozen lobbyists, advocates and legislative staffers spoke out Wednesday in support of the bill, while no one spoke in opposition to it. AB 1 now moves to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. QUOTE OF THE DAY Fresh off TN Republicans expelling two Black men from the Legislature, MT Republicans have now banned the states only trans legislator from the legislative chamber. This is what segregation looks like. This is what fascism looks like. This is a train wreck for our democracy. - Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, via Twitter. Best of The Bee: On 25 April, Russia attacked the Kupiansk Museum of Local History in Kharkiv Oblast. Museum director Iryna Osadcha and employee Olena Vodopianova were killed in their workplace. The tragic news was reported by the Department of Culture and Tourism of the Oblast State Administration and the oblast military administration. "Iryna Anatoliivna did everything possible to make the museum one of the best in Kharkiv Oblast during her tenure as director. After the liberation of Kupiansk, she continued to work to save our cultural heritage. She took care of the museum and its staff until her last moments," they said of the director. Iryna Osadcha worked as the museums director for more than 10 years. Photos from social media Colleagues from the museum have been honouring her memory by sharing stories on social media. Nataliia Buinova, an expert at the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, described how Iryna Osadcha helped save artefacts during the occupation of Kharkiv Oblast. "During the occupation, she hid valuable artefacts, old Ukrainian [traditional] shirts, with the help of different people. You can only imagine this horror and the level of risk: negotiating the safety of display pieces around the city. I believe that she is an example of heroism in the field of cultural heritage, museum work, and just as a citizen," Nataliia wrote. According to Nataliia, Iryna died in her workplace she was in her office when the missile struck. "Your mother was, without exaggeration, an incredible person!" Nataliia told the daughter of the deceased. Kupiansk Museum of Local History after the attack. Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine Iryna Osadcha worked as the museum director for more than 10 years. "Under her leadership, the museum was one of the best in Kharkiv Oblast, the centre of Kupiansk's cultural life. The team was engaged in project management and, thanks to the funding it secured, was actively developing," recalled Olha Soshnykova, a museum worker from Kharkiv. Story continues During the full-scale invasion, Kupiansk was almost immediately occupied by the Russians up until the counteroffensive by the Defence Forces and liberation in September 2022. "Iryna Anatoliivna did everything possible to save museum items. After the liberation [of Kupiansk], she continued this vital work to preserve our cultural heritage. Until her last moments, like a real director, she cared about her employees lives. May Mrs Iryna rest in peace. We will always cherish her memory. Condolences to her family, friends and the entire Museum Society of Ukraine," Olha wrote. On 25 April, Russia destroyed a building at the Kupiansk Museum of Local History with a S-300 missile. Two women aged 54 and 57 were killed in the strike. Ten people were injured and four of them were hospitalised. At that time, at least 17 settlements in the Kharkiv, Kupiansk and Chuhuiv districts of Kharkiv Oblast were also under Russian fire. During the state's defence, Rostyslav Yanchyshen, a ballet soloist at the Odesa opera house, was killed. Kostiantyn Starovytskyi, a Ukrainian musician and conductor, was also killed at the front. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! FARMINGTON A Shiprock woman faces charges over her alleged involvement in a 2022 auto crash that left the driver of the other vehicle dead and a passenger injured. Courtney Frank, 19, was charged in connection with the Sept. 28, 2022 incident in which she allegedly was driving drunk, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of New Mexico. Frank allegedly crashed her car head-on into another car, killing the driver, a mother. The passenger in the second vehicle, the drivers son, was injured. Frank was charged with involuntary manslaughter and assault resulting in serious bodily injury during her initial appearance in federal court, according to the release. She was expected to remain in custody pending a preliminary and detention hearing scheduled for April 27. Frank faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted, the release states. Support local journalism with a digital subscription: http://bit.ly/2I6TU0e. This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: Shiprock woman allegedly was driving drunk in 2022 fatal crash A well-known teacher at Clovis East High School will face a jury trial on charges he inappropriately touched a student while in his classroom, a judge ruled Wednesday. Judge Michael Idiart found there was enough evidence presented during the preliminary hearing to proceed with the case against Kenneth Kong Lee, a Hmong language teacher. Lee, who is currently on leave from his job, is facing one felony count of lewd act upon a child, age 14 or 15, and a misdemeanor count of annoying, molesting any child under 18 years old. If convicted, Lee would have to register as a sex offender and would be barred from teaching, an occupation hes had for more than 20 years, said one of his attorneys Kathy Bird. Bird along with co-counsel Margarita Martinez-Baly were joined in the courtroom by nearly 40 supporters, including several students. The alleged victim, who is now 20 years old, accused Lee of touching her inappropriately on her butt and her breasts. The former student was in Lees Hmong language class as a freshman in the fall of 2018. She testified that Lee groped her at least 10 times during her freshman and sophomore years, and all while in his classroom and with students present. He would do this side hug and then he would put his hands on my back and slide it to the middle of my butt, she testified. Kristin S. Maxwell, senior deputy district attorney, asked the former student how the inappropriate touching made her feel. It made me feel uncomfortable, she said. A teacher should not be doing that to a student. The former student also alleges Lee touched her breasts. She said she was at his desk when he surprised her with a hug. As they stood face to face, he used both hands to touch her shoulders. His right arm then slid onto her chest and he pinched her breast, she testified. Maxwell asked her why she hugged him back. I didnt want to be disrespectful in any way, she said. Under cross examination by Martinez-Baly, the former student admitted that no one in the classroom saw Lee touch her inappropriately. She also misspoke when talking with a Clovis police officer about the alleged assault. At first she said she was wearing two jackets over a long-sleeved shirt when Lee allegedly pinched her breast, but later said she remembers taking off one of the jackets. Bird also questioned the police officer about whether she interviewed any of the students in the class where the alleged assault took place or anyone else who might have seen something. The officer said she did not interview any of the students in Lees class, who might have corroborated the former students story. Lees next court appearance is May 11 for a held to answer arraignment in Dept. 31. A swamp on the Georgia-Florida border has been named one of Americas Most Endangered Rivers of 2023. Nonprofit organization American Rivers placed the Okefenokee Swamp at No. 10 on the list, saying the wetland is being threatened due to the proposed building of a titanium mine by Twin Pines. Some places are simply too special and should be off-limits to pollution and harmful development. The Okefenokee Swamp is one of those places. The state of Georgia must do the right thing and stop the mine that would devastate the clean water and wildlife habitat of this national treasure, Ben Emanuel, Southeast Conservation Director, American Rivers said on the organizations website. The Georgia River Network nominated the Okefenokee for inclusion on this years list. The Okefenokee was also on the 2020 list, when the mine was first proposed. Inclusion in this inauspicious list only confirms what we already knew, Rena Peck, Executive Director of Georgia River Network, said in a news release. People across the state and nation dont want to see the swamp threatened by this mine. Hundreds of thousands, including Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, have called on Georgias leaders to stop this mine. The Okefenokee is an irreplaceable and one-of-a-kind wilderness; it should not be risked to obtain common minerals that can be more safely secured elsewhere. RELATED: Rodman Dam named by American Rivers as one of its 25 Dams to Watch in 2022 Action News Jax told you in February that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service noted that hydrologic models in the Mining Plan are incapable of appropriately evaluating the impacts of the project on water levels in the Okefenokee Swamp and fail to consider seasonal and annual hydrologic variations that will affect mining operations. The Okefenokee Swamp is a unique and irreplaceable natural resource. Damage to the swamp will irrevocably harm the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, the State of Georgia, and Georgias tourism economy, Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff wrote in February. With great respect, I submit to you that the risk of severe damage to this ecosystem is unacceptable. I, therefore, urge EPD (Georgia Environmental Protection Division) to reject Twin Pines application. Story continues American Rivers offered a proposed solution: The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) must deny all permits that would enable the proposed mine to be built. Georgia EPD should heed the warnings of University of Georgia experts and federal agencies, taking all critical information into account in assessing the proposed mines impacts on the Okefenokees hydrology and ecology. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Georgia River Network said the Okefenokee Swamp is a unique wetland nearly half a million acres in size and home to alligators, carnivorous plants, an abundance of birds, several threatened and endangered species, and the Florida black bear. The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, which is the largest national wildlife refuge in the eastern United States, receives an average of 600,000 visits annually, Georgia River Network said. The organization said in addition to more than $50 million in local spending annually, Okefenokee Swamp tourism supports an estimated 826 jobs and $17.5 million in employment income. Swamp tourism is a major economic driver for communities in Charlton, Clinch and Ware counties, Peck said in the Georgia River Network news release. Unlike the mine which will impact the economy for the short term, swamp tourism is sustainable and will support the area generations to come. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] American Rivers 10 Most Endangered Rivers list for 2023 includes: 1) Colorado River, Grand Canyon (Arizona) 2) Ohio River (Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois) 3) Pearl River (Louisiana, Mississippi) 4) Snake River (Idaho, Oregon, Washington) 5) Clark Fork River (Montana) 6) Eel River (California) 7) Lehigh River (Pennsylvania) 8) Chilkat and Klehini rivers (Alaska) 9) Rio Gallinas (New Mexico) 10) Okefenokee Swamp (Georgia, Florida) Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. Image of a document with calculations and the phrase "tax evasion" with a circular inset of a pair of handcuffs, to illustrate a story on a Singapore Airlines pilot evading tax. SINGAPORE A Singapore Airlines (SIA) pilot has been sentenced to six months' jail after he pleaded guilty to four charges under the Income Tax Act. In a press release on 21 April, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) said that Andrew Soo Cheng Ai, 51, will also have to pay penalties totalling S$181,996. Soo failed to declare rental income from two properties in Balestier Road and Kim Yam Road. He failed to declare rental income of S$89,715 received from these properties this resulted in S$15,354 in taxes undercharged. Investigations revealed that he made false entries in his Form B1 Income Tax return for Year of Assessment (YA) 2014 with the wilful intent to evade tax. Furthermore, Soo also gave false replies in response to IRAS' request for details of his rental properties during audit. His false information, if accepted by IRAS, would have resulted in S$35,310 in taxes undercharged. The pilot also created and submitted multiple fictitious invoices and documents to IRAS, to support his inflated claims for expenses for his rental properties for YA2013 and YA2014. "These invoices and documents were found to be fictitious upon IRAS' investigations and, if had been accepted by IRAS, would have resulted in $7,500 in taxes undercharged," IRAS said. "IRAS takes a serious view of non-compliance and tax evasion. There will be severe penalties for those who wilfully evade tax. The authority will not hesitate to bring offenders to court. Offenders may face a penalty of up to four times the amount of tax evaded. Jail terms may also be imposed," IRAS warned in the statement. The authority reminded all business and individuals to provide full cooperation during the course of IRAS' audits and investigations. Story continues Offenders found guilty of evading tax by IRAS will face a penalty of three times the amount of tax undercharged, and be liable to a fine not exceeding S$10,000 and/or imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Sleep divorce, when couples sleep in separate beds or separate bedrooms, has been in the social media spotlight, with over 350,000 videos about it on TikTok. | Adobe.com Couples who struggle getting rest may find a solution in the internets newest sleep fascination: sleep divorce. Sleep divorce, meaning when couples sleep in separate beds or separate bedrooms, has been in the social media spotlight lately, with more than 350,000 videos about it on TikTok, according to the New York Post. CBS News said reasons couples sleep in separate beds or bedrooms include disturbed sleep from snoring, different wake-up times or different nighttime preferences, like temperature or amount of light in the room. Related Is sleep divorce common? The New York Times reported 1 in 5 couples sleep in separate bedrooms, with about two-thirds of those couples doing so every night, according to a survey of 2,200 Americans conducted by the International Housewares Association. Online sleep news outlet Sleepolis published a report on sleep divorce, noting over 1,000 tweets on the subject, 61.4% of those tweets positive. Sleepolist reported that Utah ranked No. 35 in terms of most tweets about sleep divorce and sentiments about it. About half were positive on the topic. Related What are the benefits of sleep divorce? Experts and couples told The New York Times some benefits of sleeping in different beds or bedrooms include better sleep quality, more freedom in personal agendas and better expressed individuality. Erin Flynn-Evans, a consultant to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, told CBS News that studies show when one companion has a sleep disorder, it can impact the other sleeper negatively. Similarly, when bed partners differ in chronotype, like when one is a night owl and the other is an early bird, these differing sleep preferences can negatively impact both partners sleep, Flynn-Evans said. The New York Times reported the opinions of different couples who sleep in separate beds or rooms. One said that having her own physical space helped her rediscover her individuality in hobbies or personal interests. Story continues Related A caution from experts CBS News said, On the other hand, sleeping with your partner can help in detecting any conditions you may have been unaware of, Flynn-Evans said, as sleep clinicians use reports from bed partners to help identify patients with sleep disorders. Flynn-Evans told CBS News if a companion is having sleep troubles, sleeping separately should not be the solution. Couples should always seek treatment from a professional to identify sleep disorders. This is the only way to make sure both partners will obtain the best sleep they can, no matter where they end up sleeping. Katherine Hertlein, a professor in the couple and family therapy program at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, told The New York Times she has doubts about sleeping divorce. What are you pretending not to know? Hertlein said. I have people say things like, I moved to that other bedroom because of my back, and Im like, Did you? Did you? Cheryl Fraser, a clinical psychologist, told The New York Times that she called the sleeping arrangement a mild pink flag, noting that what couples consider healthy solitude could turn into a little bit of distance. The New York Times said in a survey conducted by the International Housewares Association, 50% of couples sleeping separately reported the sleeping arrangement had either no impact on the relationship or positive impact, and the other 50% did not see the set up in such a positive light. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 27) The Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court has issued a hold departure order (HDO) on former Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag and former deputy security officer Ricardo Zulueta. The two have been tagged in the murders of veteran journalist Percy Lapid and Jun Villamor, an alleged middleman in the radio anchor's killing. The order will prevent them from leaving the country. "To reiterate, the issuance of the hold departure order is for the court to maintain the effectiveness of its jurisdiction over the person of the accused in this case," the HDO dated April 25 read. "In order not to frustrate the ends of justice, it is imperative that a hold departure order be issued to prevent accused from leaving the country during the pendency of the instant case," it added. The Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group earlier launched a manhunt against Bantag and Zulueta following the issuance of arrest warrants by the Muntinlupa City court and another in Las Pinas. Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said last week that Bantag has offered to surrender. Naimo Mahdi Abdirahman, 27, was fatally struck by a vehicle in a hit-and-run crash early April 20, 2022 while walking across Morse Road on Columbus' Northeast Side. The father of a Somali American woman killed by a hit-and-run vehicle on Columbus' Northeast Side a little more than a year ago welcomed the indictment Wednesday of an off-duty city police detective in connection with her death. I am thrilled today and I trust the prosecutors and investigators, and I believe justice will prevail, Mahdi Jama, 52, the father of the victim, 27-year-old Naimo Mahdi Abdirahman, told The Dispatch in Somali through a translator. Abdirahman was reported hit while crossing Morse Road in the area of Walford Street around 2:40 a.m. on April 20, 2022. She was pronounced dead at the scene by medics at 2:48 a.m. Columbus police Detective Demetris A. Ortega, 50, of the city's Northeast Side, was indicted Wednesday by a Franklin County grand jury on two charges stemming from the crash, which occurred while he was off-duty. He is charged with failure to stop after an accident, which is a felony, as well as a misdemeanor count of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse, or a combination of them. "I am happy. I am very happy," Mahdi Jama, of Gahanna, repeated after the news that Columbus police Detective Demetris A. Ortega, 50, was indicted Wednesday by a Franklin County grand jury on two charges stemming from a hit-and-run crash on April 20, 2022 along Morse Road that killed Jama's daughter, 27-year-old Naimo Mahdi Abdirahman. Abdirahmans father, who lives in Gahanna, said his daughter was born in a Somali refugee camp in Kenya in January 1995. She came to the U.S. as a child and became an American citizen. A graduate of Columbus City Schools' Centennial High School on the Northwest Side, she had attended Columbus State Community College. Abdirahman had one son, now 2 years old, and was living with family at the time she was killed, Jama said. He and other family members have said they do not know why she was crossing Morse Road at the time of the fatal crash. Hassan Omar, president/executive director of the Columbus-based Somali Community Association of Ohio. Hassan Omar, president/executive director of the nonprofit Somali Community Association of Ohio in Columbus, said that Abdirahman had worked as a receptionist for his organization several years ago. She was wonderful. She was somebody with ambition she was dreaming to become a nurse practitioner, Omar said. Ortega is scheduled to appear in court on May 10 for an arraignment, according to Franklin County Common Pleas Court records. Story continues Members of Abdirahman's family had previously expressed to The Dispatch frustration with the lack of transparency from Columbus police during the investigation and with how slowly the investigation progressed. Still, Jama said he is glad that some charges have finally been brought in connection with his daughters death. I never slept without remembering. I was worried about what's gonna happen if this person who killed my daughter gets away without punishment, he said. Addressing the long period of time it took to bring charges, he said, I do believe that everything takes a process. And I knew that this has been under investigation. As an immigrant, I feel today included. I am joyful. I will get enough sleep tonight. Dispatch reporters Eric Lagatta, Jordan Laird and Cole Behrens contributed to this report. Peter Gill covers immigration, New American communities and religion for the Dispatch in partnership with Report for America. You can support work like his with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America at: bit.ly/3fNsGaZ. pgill@dispatch.com @pitaarji This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Somali father 'thrilled' Columbus detective charged in daughter's death If your kid struggles with ear pain on a flight, doctors say there are a few things you can do. If your kid struggles with ear pain on a flight, doctors say there are a few things you can do. Whether youre a parent or not, you know that when a plane starts to descend, it means one thing: screaming kids. Most of us have experienced the sensation of clogged or even painful ears during air travel, but no one seems to have it worse than little kids. Many of them often seem to be in full-blown, excruciating pain as the plane gets further from or closer to the ground. If youve ever wondered if kids actually experience more ear pain on planes than adults (versus just being really dramatic), the answer is yes, according to Dr. Katie Lockwood, a primary care pediatrician at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. Kids experience more ear pain than adults during plane rides, particularly takeoff and landing, due to their ear anatomy being different than adults, she said. The eustachian tubes, which connect the middle ear to the back of the throat, are smaller and do not equalize the pressure as well as adult ears. Dr. Charles Hannum, a general pediatrician at Tufts Medical Center and assistant professor of pediatrics at Tufts University School of Medicine, adds that kids have more horizontal eustachian tubes than adults do, making drainage more difficult. When kids are younger, more fluid can stay in the ear because it isnt really traveling down to the throat, he said. Unfortunately, for some kids, because they either have an acute illness, uncontrolled allergies or really big adenoid tissue, there are lots of ways that tubes can get blocked, and its harder and harder for fluid to escape. Plus, Lockwood said, young kids are less able to comply with some of the maneuvers that help ears equalize pressure, such as yawning. Hannum pointed out that the old hold your nose and blow trick that adults often use to release pressure from their ears isnt exactly easy to explain to kids. Pack child-safe medication in case the ear pain becomes too much for your kid. Pack child-safe medication in case the ear pain becomes too much for your kid. Story continues What parents can do to ease kids ears on planes Now you know why kids are so prone to ear pain on planes, but what can you do about it? Heres what Lockwood and Hannum suggest: Try to avoid traveling with sick kids An annoying suggestion? Yes because we all know that its pretty hard to control when kids get sick, and they get sick a lot but sickness or even a recent illness (especially an ear infection) can worsen ear pain. Try to avoid traveling while sick or with uncontrolled seasonal allergies, as these issues will impact how well ears can adapt to pressure changes, Lockwood said. Try a saline spray if kids are stuffy Using a saline spray can help mobilize fluid secretion, according to Hannum. For sick kids, a saline spray plus keeping them well hydrated, can help move mucus around. This movement can help lessen ear pain, he explained. And regardless of whether theyre sick, keeping your child well hydrated prior to and during the flight is key. The air on airplanes tends to be pretty dry, making it harder for the mucus to go away, Hannum said. Use Tylenol or ibuprofen Once in a while, taking preventive measures with child-safe Tylenol or ibuprofen is a good idea and air travel is one of those times. A little bit of Tylenol or ibuprofen is safe if you know your child is prone to have these issues, Hannum said. Trying to time the dosing to about 30 minutes before the plane is landing is ideal. A one-time dose to help with that is totally fine, especially for kids who have had [ear pain on planes] in the past. Make sure theyre drinking something or yawning Both Lockwood and Hannum say the acts of swallowing and sucking can be helpful in relieving pressure and pain, so if youre traveling with a baby, encourage them to drink during plane pressure changes. For infants, encourage them to nurse, drink from a bottle or use a pacifier. For toddlers, Lockwood said it can be helpful to have them suck on a lollipop, drink through a straw, or have them yawn by making silly faces or playing a game of mimicry with you. Older children can chew gum or a chewy snack, she said. Dont let them sleep through takeoff or landing, and let them cry These both might seem counterintuitive. But Lockwood emphasized that keeping your child awake during takeoff and landing can reduce ear pain. Children should not sleep through takeoff and landing, as they may have a harder time trying to equalize the pressure when they wake up, she said. Hannum echoed this, noting that kids are typically swallowing less when theyre sleeping, making it harder for them to keep fluid moving around. Finally, if your child is crying, you should probably do the thing the other passengers dont want you to do and let them keep going. The crying is kind of like yawning; it stimulates the swallowing, sucking, chewing motion, Hannum said. While ear pain on planes is one of the downsides of traveling with kids, in the grand scheme of things its a small part of your trip and theres quite a bit you can do to ease it. So arm yourself with Tylenol and snacks, and enjoy your flight. Related... (Bloomberg) -- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol offered tax breaks and manpower support if Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk invests to build a new factory in the country. Most Read from Bloomberg Yoon met Wednesday with Musk, who is also the chief executive officer of SpaceX, as part of the South Korean leaders visit to Washington, according to Yoons office. Earlier in the day, he held a summit at the White House with President Joe Biden to tighten economic and security cooperation. Musk told Yoon that South Korea remains among the top candidates to host a new Tesla factory and he anticipates a chance to visit. Musk also said the country is an interesting target of investment for Teslas gigafactory, according to Yoons office. The two had a virtual meeting in November last year when Musk said he would make any investment decision after a comprehensive review of conditions, including around manpower and technology. Read: Teslas Musk Sees South Korea as a Top Investment Candidate Yoon also expressed hope to Musk that South Korean businesses would expand cooperation with SpaceX for space exploration, his office said. Yoon is pushing to bolster the nations participation in the space race. Read: South Korea Maps Out Plan to Become Major Space Player by 2045 South Korea is home to two of the worlds biggest automakers, Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp., as well as other battery makers such as SK On Co. and Samsung SDI Co. The nation sees electric vehicles, rechargeable batteries and spacecraft as key growth drivers of its economy. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol spoke before the U.S. Congress Thursday, evoking a famous speech by former President Reagan. North Korea, South Korea's northern neighbor born out of the communist side of the Korean War, was a central topic of Yoon's address "But even as we walked in unison for freedom for 70 years, there is one regime determined to pursue a wrong path. That is North Korea," Yoon told Congress. "The difference is strong between Seoul that chose freedom and democracy and a Pyongyang that chose dictatorship and communism. North Korea has abandoned freedom and prosperity and dismissed peace. CHINA, UKRAINE ON MAIN STAGE AS SOUTH KOREA'S PRESIDENT VISITS BIDEN, ADDRESSES CONGRESS FOR 1ST TIME IN DECADE The trip by South Korea's president comes amid escalating tensions with North Korea , which claimed Thursday that U.S.-South Korea military drills are "pushing the security situation of the Korean peninsula to the brink of a nuclear war." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT TO MEET WITH BIDEN, CONGRESS FOLLOWING CONCERNS OVER INTEL LEAK (L-R) Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., listen as South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol addresses a joint meeting of Congress in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., April 27, 2023. "North Korea's nuclear program and missile provocations pose a serious threat to the peace on the Korean Peninsula and beyond," Yoon said Thursday. "To deter [North Korea's] behavior, the alliance must stand united with determination." Yoon evoked former President Reagan in his remarks, quoting the leader's famous "A Time for Choosing" speech. RUSSIAS MEDVEDEV THREATENS TO ARM NORTH KOREA IF SOUTH KOREA ARMS UKRAINE South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers remarks to a joint meeting of Congress in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol April 27, 2023, in Washington, D.C. "As President Reagan once said, There is a price we will not pay. There is a point beyond which they must not advance," Yoon said. "We must make his words clear to North Korea." South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy and Vice President Kamala Harris after he delivered remarks to a joint meeting of Congress in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol April 27, 2023, in Washington, D.C. Yoon, who first entered politics two years ago to run for president of the Republic of Korea, and first lady Kim Keon Hee joined President Biden and first lady Jill Biden for a state dinner Wednesday to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-South Korea alliance. Fox News' Danielle Wallace and Caitlin McFall contributed to this report. Cornwall Council said it hoped Spaceport Cornwall would create a new cornerstone for the local economy Spaceport Cornwall has officially opened a new centre for businesses involved in satellite launch and development. The Space Systems Operations Facility (SSOF) opening comes after the unsuccessful launch of satellites by a plane from the spaceport in January. The SSOF will enable businesses to build and launch satellites from Cornwall, Spaceport Cornwall said. It will also be a centre for research and development. The jumbo and its rocket were pictured leaving the Spaceport base near Newquay in January Matt Archer of the UK Space Agency said the Virgin Orbit satellite mission in January "was not the outcome that we wanted". But he said it "proves that they have the capability and the resilience and the ability to position themselves as a long-term spaceport". The January satellite mission, the first from UK soil, ended in failure after a rocket fuel filter became dislodged. Virgin Orbit has since filed for bankruptcy. Councillor Louis Gardner from Spaceport owner Cornwall Council, said: "When we set out on this journey eight years ago it was all about creating a cluster of space related businesses here in Cornwall and creating a new part of the Cornish economy. "And this building is a symbol that we have done just that. "It is not just about launch, it's about everything that we can bring to the party all related to space." Dr Heidi Thiemann, director of training and recruitment firm Space Skills Alliance, said: "Everyone here (at Spaceport) cares about providing good, high quality jobs, providing skills of people locally and nationally, and being part of that cluster of people with the same mindset is absolutely brilliant." Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk. An unusually early heatwave in drought-hit Spain is set to peak on Thursday and Friday with temperatures expected to break April records in the south of the country. Since Monday, Spain has been enveloped by a mass of warm, dry air from North Africa that has driven up temperatures to "levels normally seen in summer and exceptionally high for this time of year," said Spain's state weather agency AEMET. "It's highly likely (the heatwave) will peak on Thursday and Friday," it added, acknowledging many temperature records had already been beaten on Wednesday. Scorching temperatures have prompted warnings about the "high risk" of wildfires in a nation that has already seen fire ravage 54,000 hectares (133,400 acres) of land so far this year, compared with 17,000 hectares in the same period last year. Experts say parts of Spain are the driest in a thousand years, with a prolonged drought depleting reservoirs to half of their normal capacity, figures show. On Thursday, the mercury was expected to rise above 34 degrees Celcius (93 degrees Fahrenheit) in most of the southern Andalusia region, hitting 37C in the Guadalquivir valley, it said after lowering earlier predictions of 40C. On Wednesday, at least three areas around Seville and Huelva recorded temperatures of 37 Celcius. The heatwave follows an abnormally warm and dry spring, spelling catastrophe for the agriculture sector in Spain, which is the world's biggest exporter of olive oil and a key source of Europe's fruit and veg. The situation is so bad that some farmers have opted not to plant crops, with the COAG farmers' union warning that 60 percent of farmland was "suffocating" from lack of rainfall. Madrid on Tuesday urged Brussels to activate the bloc's agriculture crisis reserve to help farmers cope with the exceptional drought, while also announcing a series of tax breaks. Last year, Spain experienced its hottest year since began, with UN figures suggesting nearly 75 percent of its land is susceptible to desertification due to climate change. Portugal was also feeling the heat with temperatures "10-15 degrees Celsius higher than normal" that could hit 37C on Thursday, the weather institute said, a day after the mercury touched 35.4 in the south. mg/hmw/fb Spanish lawmakers vote Thursday on a housing bill aimed at capping soaring rents and addressing dire social housing shortages as the government seeks to bolster the right to affordable housing. The bill would cap rent hikes, increase help in high-demand areas, offer more protection for those facing eviction and punish serial property investors who keep housing stock empty, ministers say. Spain's left-wing government is hoping to fast-track the bill into law before regional and local polls on May 28, seen as a sounding board ahead of a general election expected to be tight. Flagged by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez as the "first-ever housing law" since Spain's return to democracy in 1975, the bill is part of a reform promised to Brussels in exchange for EU recovery funds. The government says the legislation aims to meet the needs of those struggling to afford housing while limiting property speculation. "Spain has a huge, very serious problem with housing," Sanchez told lawmakers last week, saying average rents had risen 45 percent between 2014 and 2021, making housing "unobtainable for many people, especially youngsters". Soaring rents have sparked bitter debate in a country traumatised by the collapse of its housing sector following the 2008 financial crisis, when thousands of families were evicted after being unable to pay their mortgages. Ahead of Thursday's vote, Sanchez unveiled plans to add 113,000 homes to Spain's depleted social housing stock. But the move was rubbished by the right-wing opposition Popular Party (PP) claiming it failed to address long-term housing problems and the issue of squatting. "A fantastic opportunity for squatters," the PP said, denouncing the bill as making the eviction process "harder and slower", claiming squatting had "risen by 50 percent in recent years" without any government response. - Rental caps risks - Under the proposal, rental rises will be decoupled from the consumer price index and permanently capped at 3 percent in 2024, with a new index due to be set by 2025. Story continues It will allow regional authorities to designate as "stressed areas" neighbourhoods where particularly high prices are driving out tenants and cap rental prices. The text also penalises landlords for leaving homes empty if they own more than 10 properties -- or five in stressed areas. It also obliges them to inform those facing eviction of the exact date and time they must leave and lengthens the grace period for vulnerable tenants. But Spain's Exceltur tourism association warned that capping rents in high-demand areas could backfire, pushing landlords to use their properties as short-term lets for tourists where such restrictions would not apply. "It could end up further aggravating the problem, giving a strong incentive to transfer properties from the residential market to the tourist rentals where there are no ceilings," it said. - 'Shameful' shortages - Although the government has made affordable housing one of its priorities, Sanchez admitted more was needed to address the crisis in a country with one of the smallest percentages of social housing in the EU. "We know this law is not enough, which is why we need to increase the supply of public housing from the shameful 3 percent of total housing stock to the 20 percent of the most advanced countries," he said. Experts agree more social housing is urgently needed. hmw/mg/gw The Special Operations Forces have released a video showing Brigadier General Viktor Khorenko's visit to Bakhmut. Source: the press service of the Special Operations Forces Details: The day before, the Special Operations Forces reported that Khorenko, the SOF commander, had visited the city where the fiercest battles with the occupiers are taking place, and now the Ukrainian fighters have shared some footage from a GoPro camera. The exact time of the visit is not disclosed (the first shots were taken in the daylight, the last ones were taken through a night vision device ed.). As can be understood from the video, Khorenko and his team broke through to Bakhmut, as the defenders of the fortress city do every day, along the road that is constantly under Russian fire. As the press service of the Special Operations Forces explained to Ukrainska Pravda, Khorenko visited the positions of his soldiers to assess the situation with his own eyes. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! By Mica Rosenberg, Joshua Schneyer and Kristina Cooke MONTGOMERY, Alabama (Reuters) - On Nov 22, a team of state and federal labor officials conducted a surprise inspection and noticed a young-looking worker at a warehouse operated here by the logistics unit of Korean automaking giant Hyundai Motor Group. The inspectors, according to an Alabama Department of Labor field report reviewed by Reuters, had received a complaint from an unspecified tipster about "under-age children working" at the facility. During their visit to Hyundai Glovis Co Ltd, the report notes, the boy "was manually restacking large metal castings." Inspectors approached the boy, named in company paperwork as "Fernando Ramos," and questioned him about his age and schooling. Answering in Spanish, the boy said he was 18 years old and had attended a Montgomery middle school. But the documents in his personnel file, inspectors determined later, identified "Fernando Ramos" as a 34-year-old man from Tennessee. Nothing but the name of the middle school proved to be true. Inspectors learned the boy, a migrant from Mexico, had just turned 16. And the credentials in his file a forged Tennessee ID and a phony social security card didn't look remotely legitimate. The state ID featured another person's picture. The name and number on the social security card were printed in two different, inauthentic fonts. Investigators concluded the boy had been using them since he was 14. The boy had been hired by a labor recruiter, a staffing agency of the kind that fills many manufacturing jobs in Alabama and across the United States. Although some warehouse and factory jobs can be performed legally by 16-year-olds, investigators allege that labor recruiters had employed the boy repeatedly even before he turned that age. Staffing agencies, they soon alleged, had hired him for work in at least three other Alabama auto-parts makers for Hyundai, the largest factory employer in the state and the third-largest U.S. automaker by sales. "Wages being reported for F. RAMOS," the field report noted, "for numerous companies." Story continues The finding led the Alabama Department of Labor in February to fine three local staffing agencies, alleging they had illegally hired the boy for factory work. None of the agencies disputed the allegation, and each paid penalties of $5,050, the maximum state levy for a child labor violation. It isn't clear whether the recruiters will face federal penalties. An Alabama Department of Labor spokesperson declined to make inspectors involved in the investigation available for interviews. The probe is part of "a continuing investigation into minors working in the Hyundai supply chain," department records reviewed by Reuters show. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Labor, which had officials present at the visit, also declined to allow inspectors to comment. The spokesperson said the department's Wage and Hour Division has open investigations into Hyundai Glovis and Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama LLC, the carmaker's assembly unit in Montgomery. That unit builds about half the vehicles the Korean company sells in the United States. The federal probes and the details of the state fines against the three labor recruiters haven't previously been reported. The U.S. and Alabama investigations began after a Reuters report last July first exposed the use of child labor at Hyundai parts makers in the state. In a statement, Hyundai said it has since audited suppliers and "strongly discouraged" the use of third-party labor recruiters. Last month in Montgomery, it added, the company held a training seminar on "illegal child labor prevention" attended by over 500 people from across its U.S. supply chain. "Regardless of the involvement of third-party staffing agencies," the statement read, "Hyundai recognizes and fully embraces its responsibility to make sure all suppliers understand and meet our high global workforce standards." Hyundai didn't answer specific questions from Reuters about the boy found working at Hyundai Glovis. In a separate statement, Hyundai Glovis said it has cooperated with investigators. Although its own in-house policy stipulates that workers must be at least 18, the company said it hasn't been cited for any legal infractions. The boy was hired by an agency, the statement said, and "the job of that individual was packing boxes, which is permitted for that age." Hyundai Glovis didn't identify the agency that employed the boy or comment further on the tasks he was performing at the warehouse. The ease with which the phony paperwork secured employment for a migrant minor at a major manufacturer illustrates the difficulties regulators face amid a surge in illegal child labor in the United States. That boom has been driven by adult labor shortages since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and state and federal enforcement agencies say they need more resources to better combat it. The U.S. Department of Labor said in February the number of child labor violations in 2022 had soared by nearly 70% compared with the tally recorded in 2018. Last year, Reuters revealed the use of child labor in hazardous factories across Alabama, reporting in February 2022 about teens from Guatemala illegally hired to work in chicken processing plants. Reuters also revealed the widespread and illegal employment of migrant children as young as 12 in Alabama factories supplying both Hyundai and sister-brand Kia. In addition to leading to the probes by law enforcement and regulators, the coverage was followed by other media examinations of the problem of child labor in the United States. The news agency's reporting helped prompt the rescue of several children from one factory floor and spurred at least 10 ongoing state or federal investigations. It also has been cited by members of Congress who are drafting legislation that would increase penalties, at present considered paltry by labor experts, for employers illegally hiring children. Hyundai, for its part, announced it would divest its majority stake in a parts maker where Reuters first reported the employment of child workers. Many of the child laborers found by Reuters worked under fake identities, often provided by staffing agencies or by brokers who specialize in forged documents. The United States has federal laws and systems meant to ensure the eligibility of prospective employees. But phony credentials are commonly used by undocumented adult immigrants to get around those curbs. And bogus IDs also have enabled third-party labor recruiters to place kids in plants where it is illegal for children to work. Those recruiters, in turn, can shield large manufacturers, like Hyundai, from the obligation to ensure their workforces comply with labor laws. "Our laws enable the lead corporations to avoid responsibility and use intermediaries to insulate themselves," said Terri Gerstein, director of the state and local enforcement project at Harvard Law School's Labor and Worklife Program. To understand how phony credentials channeled a child to industrial job sites in one of the world's most developed economies, Reuters reviewed field notes, penalty letters, copies of false identity documents and employment records. Reporters this month obtained many of the Alabama Department of Labor documents through a state public records request. Reuters also spoke with more than half a dozen people familiar with the probes into Hyundai's supply chain. They said false documentation, even shoddy credentials like those filed by the boy's employers, makes child labor laws difficult to enforce. Unless authorities find children at work, confirm their real identities, and figure out who hired them, investigators can struggle to prove wrongdoing. After Reuters' initial stories about child labor in Alabama, workers in the area told reporters that agencies laid off many young-looking employees from at least five factories. An Alabama labor department spokesperson told Reuters the agency is still working to determine who exactly hired the child to work at Hyundai Glovis. The boy had been "filtered," one of the state records notes, "through several layers of employment services." Reporters determined the child's true identity through documents and interviews. Because he remains a minor, Reuters is choosing not to identify him. The father confirmed the family's history in a phone interview. The man said he still lives with his son in the Montgomery area and that no government officials have been to their house since the boy left Hyundai Glovis. State records make no mention of investigators interacting with the boy since the surprise inspection. Reuters also reached the real Fernando Ramos. He lives in Texas and expressed surprise to learn in a brief exchange, via Facebook, that his identity was being used in auto plants in Alabama. "What the hell," he messaged. "THEY'VE GONE TO WORK SOMEWHERE" The Mexican boy, then aged 12, arrived in the United States in 2019, according to a person familiar with his immigration history and the Alabama records. Part of a still-growing spike in unaccompanied minors entering the United States, he turned himself in to immigration authorities at the Arizona border. Officials soon released him to the custody of his father, who was already living in Alabama. When he arrived in Montgomery, the father told Reuters, the boy struggled with English, tired of school, and instead decided to work. The father said he was unaware at the time that the boy took the factory jobs. After receiving the tip about Hyundai Glovis, Alabama and federal labor officials organized the November inspection of the warehouse, where parts are stored and prepared for later assembly by Hyundai. During the inspection, investigators saw the boy lifting the castings big metal parts of the sort often used in vehicle assembly. A federal official took a photo of the boy, the field report shows. A week later, a state inspector took the photo to Southlawn Middle School, where the boy told them he had studied. At the school, two staff members and a student helped identify him. He last attended in September 2021, according to school records. One teacher, who taught English for non-native speakers, remembered him as a soft-spoken but truant teen. His mother tongue wasn't Spanish, but a Mixtec indigenous language spoken in parts of Mexico and Central America. "He would be there for a few weeks and then he would leave," Rick Bevel, the teacher, told Reuters. As with other migrant students who often disappeared, he added, "I assume they've gone to work somewhere." It isn't clear how the Ramos ID documents became associated with the boy or when he may have first worked in the Alabama auto industry. Reuters couldn't independently confirm that he was employed by the staffing agencies cited and fined by Alabama regulators. But as investigators began researching, they concluded the bogus Ramos credentials had been used since at least 2021, when the boy was 14. Many jobs are available to minors in the United States, such as waiting tables or clerking in clothing stores. But Alabama and federal law forbid the hiring of anyone under 16 in industrial plants, where machinery, heavy cargo and other risks can pose deadly hazards. The most dangerous jobs, including many in the automotive sector, are prohibited for anyone under 18. Through on-site interviews at Hyundai Glovis and reviews of state wage records, investigators sought to identify who had hired the boy. The wage records linked to the phony credentials showed that at least three staffing agencies had used the documents: Ace Industry Co, of Dadeville, Alabama; Issac USA Inc, of Lanett, Alabama; and Job Supply System LLC, also of Montgomery. It was enough for the Alabama labor department to fine those three recruiters. In penalty letters to each, the department cited the boy's genuine name and birthdate, alleged he had worked for them using the falsified documents, and fined them $5050. David Martin, Issac USA's Montgomery-based attorney, in a statement told Reuters the company "has cooperated" with investigators and declined to comment further. The news agency was unable to reach Ace Industry or Job Supply System for comment. The auto-parts plants where the boy allegedly worked haven't been accused of wrongdoing. In addition to Hyundai Glovis, those companies included three Korean-owned suppliers of interior components for Hyundai and Kia vehicles: Sejin America Inc, DAS North America Inc, and Daehan Solution Alabama LLC. In statements to Reuters provided by a public relations firm, all three companies said they have adopted strict measures in recent months to ensure workers are legally eligible for employment. Sejin and DAS didn't answer questions about the boy, his employment or the identity documents. Daehan, in its statement, said it has "no knowledge of the case referenced in your questions." To determine if a prospective employee is authorized for work, Alabama and many other states require companies to enter identification details into a federal vetting system known as E-verify. The program, operated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS, can determine whether a social security number is valid, but can't check whether the number actually belongs to the person for whom it is submitted. The Ramos credentials, according to E-verify documents included in the Alabama records, cleared the system repeatedly. USCIS in a statement said it has been working to improve E-verify. A spokesperson for the federal agency declined to comment on the use of the Ramos documents or the boy's case. After the surprise inspection, the boy didn't return to work at the warehouse, according to a person familiar with the investigations. His father told Reuters the boy informed him of the inspection shortly after it happened. The father said he has tried unsuccessfully to get the boy to go back to school. "When I brought him from Mexico, it was to study," he said. "I tell him to go to school but he doesn't want to." Fernando Ramos, Reuters found, is a real person whose social security number and date of birth match those of the phony credentials used in the Alabama plants. Using public records and social media, reporters tracked him down in south Texas, about a thousand miles from the automotive facilities where his identity has been used. In his online exchange with a reporter, Ramos said he had no idea how his details could have been obtained by the staffing agencies. Reuters sent him a copy of the false Tennessee ID bearing his name. "That picture," he responded, "it's not me." (Additional reporting by Hyunjoo Jin in San Francisco. Editing by Paulo Prada.) A Cambridge live music venue is awaiting notification of a one-day suspension for its handling of a drugged drink allegation last year. The Cambridge License Commission voted on Tuesday night to issue the suspension to the Sinclair in Harvard Square at a later date. The Board said the establishment failed to call an ambulance or police after a patron alleged to have been drugged on the premises. Ilana Katz Katz, the woman who alleges her drink was spiked, told Boston 25 News that she hopes it will send a clear message to other venues. If I say Ive been drugged in a venue, its not the venues fault, said Katz Katz. But it is illegal to involuntarily drug someone, and they need to take every instance seriously. Katz Katz said she went to the ER on that night back on September 30th. Her husband filed a report with police the following day, and an investigation has since concluded with nobody charged with a crime. I said I had been drugged. They should have called the police immediately, she said. I believe theres a good chance somebody wanted to drug me and take me and possibly sexually assault me. From her point of view, theres no question that the establishment should have handled things differently right then and there. I was throwing up and screaming for more than an hour, she recalled. I know it wasnt a result of drinking alcohol. The Cambridge License Commission has been reviewing the allegations for nearly seven months now. Its determined that staff was not prepared on how to handle non-consensual drugging cases. The testimony provided by the establishment contradicted itself. One person stated there was a policy on how to deal with non-consensual drugging cases. The other stated that there was none, said Nicole Murati Ferrer, chair of Cambridge License Commission at Tuesdays meeting. The date of suspension is expected to be announced once the Board adopts the statement of reasons in a few weeks. It is unconscionable that after so many notifications, what is out there, what is known, the meeting and visit from the city that employees on the floor were not trained on how to handle this matter, said Ferrer. Story continues A spokesperson for the Sinclair released the following statement to Boston 25 News: We have not received notification of the decision so any comment would be premature at this time. We are aware of the ongoing citywide incidents and have implemented security measures at the venue. Our goal, as always, is to provide a safe and enjoyable evening for all of our patrons. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 27) Illegal buy-bust operations launched by some officers of the Philippine National Police (PNP) are "most likely proliferating" across the Philippines, according to Santa Rosa Lone District Rep. Dan Fernandez. Fernandez, who chairs the House Committee on Public Order and Safety, expressed alarm over recent reports from relatives of those arrested by police in Calabarzon. "This is not the only case being addressed to us. Most likely, this is proliferating in the whole country, Fernandez said during the second hearing on alleged irregularities in law enforcement operations on Thursday. The probe was launched after Rep. Romeo Acopa former police officerfiled a resolution revealing one of the cases of supposed abductions by authorities. Acop said the relatives of those detained claimed they were not actually arrested "but abducted." In the resolution filed in February, Acop said a certain Christian Joenelle Babagay was arrested in a buy-bust operation in San Isidro, Antipolo City. However, Acop recounted Babagay's statement claiming police officers "tortured him physically by covering his head with a plastic bag, and warned that a case will be filed against him if he will not admit to selling and possessing marijuana." After the probe started on March 22, the two lawmakers saw a "pattern" of alleged abductions of individuals by some policemen who conduct drug busts as they received more reports. "After nakita o naipalabas sa Facebook yung hearing na yun, my office has received a call from a citizen, resident of the province of Bulacan, under the jurisdiction of Cong. Boy Cruz, sinasabi na ganon din ang nangyari sa kanilang kamag-anak. I received a call from somebody from Tagaytay, sinasabi rin na ganon ang nangyari sa kanila. And one from Makati, kinuha sila sa Makati, sa Paranaque nangyari yung buy bust," he said. [Translation: After the hearing was shown on Facebook, my office received a call from a citizen, resident of the province of Bulacan, under the jurisdiction of Cong. Boy Cruz, saying that the same thing happened to their relative. I received a call from somebody from Tagaytay, also saying that's what happened to them. And one from Makati, they were taken in Makati, but the buy-bust happened in Paranaque.] A friend of drug suspect Babagay also claimed to have been abducted by policemen, and held inside a vehicle for about an hour. While he asked the PNP, Acop said the agency maintained that the "operation was in order." "I told them if I can find any evidence that their operation was not in order, I will be the one to conduct an investigation. If I find out that the operation was not in accordance with the protocols provided by the manuals of the PNP, I will file a resolution to open a legislative inquiry which we're doing now," Acop added. Fernandez said the committee would release its report on the issue after the last hearing. He also expects the PNP to submit its plan of action. "It boils down to the problem of implementation. You need to secure the rights of each and everybody, and at the same time protect our own men in the PNP because our image is being tarnished because of wrongdoings of a few others," Fernandez said. CNN Philippines is still trying to get a statement from the PNP. CNN Philippines Correspondent Xianne Arcangel contributed to this report. An internal Washington University in St. Louis investigation released last Friday found that a former employees allegations that a Missouri gender-affirming clinic in its purview neglected to assess minors were unfounded. Jamie Reed, a case worker at the facility between 2018 and late 2022, had alleged in a lengthy affidavit that children were often given puberty blockers or hormones without acquiring appropriate or accurate mental health assessments during her time. According to Reed, the centers providers regularly refer minors for gender transition surgery, even though they have consistently told the state Legislature that minors are not candidates for the procedure. Reed published her accusations in an op-ed by The Free Press, a news site launched by former New York Times op-ed writer Bari Weiss. Weiss and the website have a history of anti-transgender bias. For example, the site was recently criticized for publishing a story about a young transgender teen. According to the child, the story misrepresented everything about the minors situation. As part of his investigation of St. Louis Childrens Hospitals Transgender Center, Republican attorney general Andrew Bailey initiated an ongoing investigation in February. The Childrens Hospitals parent organization, Washington University in St. Louis, said it was alarmed by Reeds allegations and would examine them thoroughly. After an internal investigation that lasted two months, officials have found the allegations unsubstantiated, but some center practices will be modified. Washington University physicians and staff at the Center follow appropriate policies and procedures and treat patients according to the currently accepted standard of care, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other nationally recognized organizations, according to the summary of conclusions in the internal review document. One of Reeds claims was that kids were often prescribed drugs without informed parental consent and that officials failed to review custody agreements of divorced couples to secure all legal parties consent. Story continues Previously, only verbal consent was required for medication prescriptions much like any other time one gets a drug from ones doctor and only before medical intervention in cases where decision-making authority was in question did officials seek written custody agreements previously. Regardless, according to the summary, these details were consistently documented in patient medical records. As of late 2018, the university prohibited surgical referrals to patients under 18. According to the university, families were given names of surgeons (including Washington University physicians) who performed such surgeries, and the centers providers offered summaries of their care to patients who needed surgery. The hospital said its surgeons had performed only six top surgeries for teens transitioning to male since 2018. It was either outside physicians or the patients themselves who referred these cases. Chest masculinization surgery for minors is within acceptable care standards, according to the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. For adolescents to be eligible for surgery, WPATHs latest guidelines, updated last year, state that they must meet many requirements. The university reported that nearly half of the patients treated at the center received no medication prescriptions as part of their care. MILFORD At least 11 Stacy Middle School students and staff members were sent to the hospital on Wednesday after a student sprayed mace in the lobby, authorities said, adding it's likely that multiple students will face charges. Superintendent of Schools Kevin McIntyre wrote in a Facebook post that the individuals were taken to the hospital after the incident as a precaution. The fire alarm had gone off during the last period of the day and the school had been evacuated after the incident because the substance was not known. "At the time of the incident, we were not certain what the substance was and the Milford police, fire and emergency vehicles were dispatched to the school," McIntyre wrote. "The school was evacuated as a precautionary measure." Family members retrieved students from the Stacy Middle School in Milford following a hazmat incident, April 26, 2023. Superintendent of Schools Kevin McIntyre reported that a student sprayed mace inside the school lobby. The Police and Fire Departments from Milford and surrounding towns, including Upton and Mendon, responded to the school, as did a hazmat team, after a report of an unknown substance in the mezzanine area of the school. Students were evacuated to the Memorial School play area. On Thursday, Deputy Police Chief Robert Tusino said there was more than one student involved and there would likely be charges for multiple students. In addition, he said, police are trying to find out how the student obtained the mace. "We also have concerns and questions about how the student was able to get the mace," Tusino said. "That's something we're aggressively looking into how it was procured and there will likely be charges against an adult who was involved." Police vehicles outside the Stacy Middle School in Milford following a hazmat incident, April 26, 2023. Tusino said nine people were taken to the hospital by ambulance after the incident and two others went there on their own. He said several people had gone to the hospital later in the day but he did not know how many. McIntyre said all afternoon activities were canceled and students were not allowed to return to the school to gather their belongings. He said students would be able to retrieve their belongings on Thursday once the school is cleared. Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on Twitter @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime. This article originally appeared on The Milford Daily News: At least 11 treated after Milford middle school student sprays mace Some public notices last month raised questions in disclosing that Bronco Wine Co. in Stanislaus County is doing business as Death Row Records. Bronco has been known for wine production throughout its 50-year history. So its a mystery why the fictitious business name notices in March connected Bronco with the legendary music label that featured hip-hop stars Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. People are pretty serious about wine today, but Broncos association with the music label is on the more jocular side of the wine business. Snoop Dogg, whose first album was released in Death Rows glory days in 1993, acquired what remained of Death Row Records last year. According to an article in Variety, the music label went into bankruptcy protection in 2006 and had several owners in subsequent years. Snoop worked with Treasury Americas to release a Death Row Records limited edition wine in October. The red wine in dark bottles bearing the Death Row label sold online for $24.99 a bottle. A spokesperson for Treasury Americas said Bronco is involved with additional plans for the Death Row wine. Death Row Records Wine sold out its limited production in February and fans are loving it, Treasury spokesperson Ellie Farrell wrote in an April 20 email. The brand has some exciting things coming up later this year and we are working with Bronco on bottling. Daniel Leonard, president and chief executive officer of Bronco, said Thursday the public notice was filed on behalf of a customer. Bronco has a contract to bottle the wine and has no other relationship with Death Row Records, he said. No further details were released on whats next for Death Row Records wine. Snoop is a partner-in-wine with Treasurys parent company, based in Australia. His Cali Red Blend is featured under the 19 Crimes brand of Treasury Wine Estates, a global leader in brand marketing and wine sales. Martha Stewart joined the brand last year with a California chardonnay that sold well, according to a Treasury Estates financial statement in February. Story continues The 19 Crimes brand pays tribute to British rogues who were sent on ships to colonize the continent between 1788 and 1868. Customers can read about the 19 misdeeds, 18 of them printed on collectible corks, that could get a person banished to Australia, things like clandestine marriage, stealing fish from a pond, counterfeiting a copper coin and impersonating an Egyptian. Bronco has often been in the top 10 of wine production in the United States. The Ceres winery received Stanislaus County approval in 2017 for expansion of warehouses and other facilities and was approved for another expansion in 2021. Bronco Wine Company in Ceres, Calif., Saturday, April 22, 2023. Stark sheriff star CANTON TWP. The Stark County Sheriff's Office is trying to identify a woman whose body was found in a lot Wednesday evening. Deputies were called just before 4 p.m. after a passerby found the body on private property described as a scrap yard in the 3700 block of Georgetown Road NE. The lot is littered with abandoned cars, boats and other vehicles. It is just a few hundred feet from the Republic Steel Canton Plant. The body was described as a white female with reddish-brown hair in her mid-30s. Michaela Thomas, a spokesperson for the Sheriff's Office, said the body is at the coroner's office where an autopsy will be performed. It is unclear how the woman died. Investigators are trying to determine the woman's identity and ask anyone who might have a loved one that fits the description and they have not heard from them to call the sheriff. The Sheriff's Office does not have any missing persons matching the woman's description, she added. Body found: Canton police find dead body along Lincoln Avenue NW while on patrol Anyone with information, including the possible identity of the woman, is asked to call the Sheriffs Office at 330-451-1328. Tips can also be sent through the Sheriffs Office mobile app, which can be downloaded for free on any smartphone by searching "Stark Sheriff Ohio" in the app store. Reach Amy at 330-775-1135 or amy.knapp@indeonline.com On Twitter: @aknappINDE This article originally appeared on The Independent: Stark sheriff, coroner trying to identify body found in Canton Twp. MADISON - The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled against a former Green Bay Police detective who claimed the city's then-police chief improperly demoted him for leaking records about a sexual assault of a high school student. The justices ruled 7-0 against Andrew Weiss, who now-retired chief Andrew Smith demoted to patrol officer because Weiss gave a 2017 confidential report on the assault of a Preble High School student to an acquaintance who then served on the City Council. Smith demoted the detective because Weiss accessed a confidential report that was part of an investigation that was open at the time. The demotion cost Weiss a loss in rank; Weiss also lost an $80 monthly clothing allowance that the department provides to detectives, who work in plainclothes. Weiss' salary remained unchanged. The 2017 assault case involved allegations by a teenage girl who attended Preble that an older male student had twice forced improper sexual contact with her once inside a common area of the school and once in a vehicle the boy had driven to a nearby parking lot. The suspect was eventually convicted of false imprisonment, but not sexual assault. RELATED: Green Bay police detective improperly shared info about sex-assault case with citizen Arbitrator James Daley ruled in Smith and the city's favor in 2019. "Weiss demonstrated a lack of discretion and placed doubt in GBPD's mind as to his ability to be trusted with confidential information," Daley wrote in July 2019. In July 2020, Brown County Judge Kendall Kelley agreed with Daley's ruling. The state Court of Appeals affirmed the decision in September 2021. Weiss' attorney then took the case to the state Supreme Court. Judges hearing ensuing cases have agreed that Smith had the right to demote Weiss for leaking records of an open investigation of the Preble assault. That discipline occurred as Smith worked to make sure the city's police force met a range of standards, from treating all people with respect and dignity, to safeguarding information that's supposed to remain confidential, to adhering closely to the letter of the law in documentation. Story continues Attorney John Cermele, representing Weiss and the police department's union, Green Bay Professional Police Association, asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to rule in favor of Weiss, who has since retired from the police force. The police union asked at the Supreme Court a number of questions about a labor issue commonly known as "Loudermill" something required in disciplinary cases against public employees being considered by their employer for termination or other serious discipline. Green Bay police policy prohibits detectives from accessing files on open cases unless theyve been assigned to the case. The department accused Weiss of improperly accessing the Preble file, then using his girlfriends phone to convey information about the case to the acquaintance who was then a member of the City Council, Andy Nicholson, who had provided Weiss with the suspect's name, records show. Nicholson is currently a member of the Brown County Board. Weiss' attorney asked the court to consider several procedural questions, the most serious of which is "did an arbitrator who ruled in the city's favor ... manifestly disregard the law" as conveyed in Loudermill? Weiss' filing also raised the question of whether adequate notice was given that he had been the subject of a Loudermill letter, and did the information in the letter carry sufficient detail. Email Doug Schneider at DSchneid@Gannett.com, call him at (920) 265-2070 and follow him on Twitter @PGDougSchneider This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Wisconsin Supreme Court rules against former Green Bay police officer Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/AP/Reuters Right-wing shock jock Steven Crowder tossed a grenade into the conservative webshow world this week when he accused fellow pundit Candace Owens of trying to extort him with details of his divorcea separation he blamed on his wife. Days later, Crowder is now on the back foot, with Crowders attorney reportedly rebuffing a cease-and-desist letter from Owens, and with Crowders ex-wifes family releasing a statement accusing Crowder of emotional abuse. Crowder, the host of the show Louder With Crowder, has been in divorce proceedings since 2021, he announced on his show on Tuesday. Crowder claimed he made the announcement in response to veiled threats from rivals on the rightnamely Candace Owens, who hosts her own show on The Daily Wire. Crowder played clips from a January episode of Owens show, in which Owens attributed a feud between Crowder and The Daily Wire to unspecified personal issues in Crowders life. Crowder suggested that those comments, plus alleged behind-the-scenes attacks, amounted to extortion, and that Owens was threatening to leak information about his divorce. Ben Shapiro Shreds Despicable Steven Crowder in Right-Wing Feud Gone Wild If youre familiar with the idea of extortion, then you know the feeling well, Crowder told his audience, going on to claim that some other issues or inferences have been more pernicious behind the scenes with demands and threats to use this information, which they believe would be so publicly embarrassing to me and my wife in a difficult time that it could be used, knowingly putting my children in harms way. Owens has denied the extortion allegations, and told The Daily Beast she sent Crowder a cease-and-desist. On Thursday, she said, she received a response from his lawyer stating that she did not have grounds for a defamation lawsuit. I sent him a cease and desist based off his claims, which made it very clear that he was accusing me of extortion and heavily insinuating that something happened behind the scenes where I somehow threatened him and his child, Owens told The Daily Beast. His lawyer came back and basically said that my claims were not actionable because he was using the term extortion as a feeling. Story continues The attorneys letter states that Mr. Crowders opinions fall far short of any defamation. At most, he has merely opined comparatively the feeling of certain misconduct to his own present state of being [...] Again, at most they are simply reminiscent in Mr. Crowders personal opinion of the specifically referenced type of misconduct. A Crowder spokesperson did not return The Daily Beasts request for comment. So essentially he [Crowder] knew he was lying, Owens alleged. He knew what people would discern from it, but now he's backtracking it privately by trying to make it seem like [my] video made him feel like it could have been extortion. Which is obviously bullshit, but this is what Steven Crowder does. He lies for a living. Owens theorized that Crowder made his announcement now, after his once-ally Owen Benjamin leaked news of Crowders divorce this week. She also speculated that the announcement was meant to distract from a recent interview in which a former Crowder employee accused Crowder of censoring him. Crowder and Owens feud dates back to January, when Crowder went public with a job offer hed received from Owens employer, The Daily Wire. Crowder slammed the $50 million deal as a slave contract that would subject him to Big Tech censorship, namely because The Daily Wire reserved the right to dock Crowders pay if his channel (which frequently promotes racist, sexist, and anti-LGBT material) got demonetized or suspended. Crowder released a recorded phone call with The Daily Wires CEO, leading to a counteroffensive from Daily Wire personalities like Owens. In the clip from Owens January show, she described Crowders actions as the possible result of personal distress. Steven has a lot going on, I guess is the best way to say it. He has a lot going on and that should be clear because people dont do stuff like this if theres not a lot going on in their life, Owens said in the clip. She later added that I am unsure at this moment if it is my place to say more than that. Maybe if I feel, in further defense, something should be said, or maybe if I feel that the public has a right to understand certain circumstances. Right-Wing YouTuber Steven Crowder Slammed for Disgusting Attack on Asian Newscaster On Thursday, Crowders ex-wife Hilarys family released a statement and video footage to writer Yashar Ali, accusing Crowder of emotional abuse. The truth is that Hilary spent years hiding Steven's mentally and emotionally abusive behavior from her friends and family while she attempted to save their marriage. She was the one who was asking to work on their relationship to keep the marriage intact for their unborn children, the statement read. The family went on to accuse Crowder of choosing not to be present at the birth of the couples twins in 2021. The family also alleged that Crowder had effectively ended the relationship, buying a townhouse, moving out of the couples home, cutting Hilary off financially, and hiring a divorce attorney without her knowledge. The family also released home surveillance footage of Crowder berating his ex-wife while she was heavily pregnant. In the video, Crowder forbids his wife from using their car because you refuse to do wifely things. The only way out of this is discipline and respect, he tells her. Later in the footage, Hilary states I love you, but your abuse is sick. Watch it. Watch it. Fucking watch it, he replies. When she states that she needs space but that she loves him, Crowder replies I dont love you. Thats the big problem. Ive never received love from you. In his Tuesday video, Crowder repeatedly states that the divorce was his wifes decision. In the video, he laments that Texas law allows no-fault divorce. This was not my choice. My then-wife decided that she did not want to be married anymore, and in the state of Texas, that is completely permitted, he says. Read more at The Daily Beast. Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. TAVARES More than one month later, Zachery Waldo, 36, is still on the loose after skipping out on his trial. Waldo was on trial for DUI manslaughter, accused of killing three members of a family and seriously injuring another in a Christmas Eve 2019 vehicle crash at East Dixie Avenue and Dozier Circle. Christopher D. Smith, 44, of Eustis, and his wife Jessica Rose Carpenter, 35, were killed that evening. Their daughter, Hailey Jaden Smith, 13, died the next day. Hunter Smith, 11, was injured. Here's what we know about Waldo's disappearance: Earlier coverage: Man charged in fatal Christmas Eve crash Earlier coverage: Man charged in fatal Christmas Eve crash When did Waldo go missing? Waldo did not return from a lunch break at his trial. That was on March 14. He was out of jail on $140,000 bond. He cut off his ankle monitor and has been considered a fugitive ever since. Has a reward been offered? Yes. There is a $10,000 reward for his capture. Anyone with information can call Crimeline anonymously at 1-800-423-TIPS. Did the DUI manslaughter case continue in his absence? Yes. He was found guilty at trial. And on April 20, Circuit Judge Heidi Davis sentenced Waldo, again in absentia, to life in prison for three counts of DUI manslaughter. He was sentenced to two years, 11 months and 26 days behind bars for DUI with serious injury. Three other counts have been severed for now: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of cannabis with intent to sell, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He also still faces charges stemming from his initial arrest: aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude, and aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer. Have police had any leads? They thought so. On March 21, police surrounded his girlfriends home in Leesburg at 404 East St., thinking Waldo was hiding inside. But he was not. U.S. Marshals, Leesburg Police, and the Lake Sheriffs Office are looking for him. They later arrested his girlfriend, Melinesia Jones, 32, on charges of accessory after the fact, giving false information to law enforcement and principal to fail to appear in court. Story continues What is the status of her case? Jones has pleaded not guilty. Her arrest affidavit is sealed. In a court filing, the State Attorney's Office said information contained in the affidavit could compromise the safety of law enforcement, as well as the community." The filing also said the affidavit contains "confidential information protected by Florida statutes. County Judge Carla Pepperman granted the state's request to seal. This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Lake authorities continue searching for man who skipped out on trial A university student has sparked a debate about college expectations after tearfully revealing her professor gave her a zero on her six-page philosophy essay. Erika Schafrick, 22, who goes by the username @erikaschafrickk on TikTok, shared her dismay over the grade in a video posted to the platform on Monday, where she began by acknowledging that the paper she had submitted wasnt that good, but that all shed needed to pass the course was 17 or 18 per cent. I wrote an entire six-page paper and, like, I get that the paper wasnt that good, and it was for a philosophy class, so theres so many ways that whats being said and the text can be interpreted, Schafrick said, before adding: And so I wrote this entire paper, and all I needed on it was a 17 or 18 per cent to pass the course. The professor gave me a zero. As she became emotional, the college student revealed that shed initially thought the grade was a mistake, so shed reached out to her professor with proof that shed submitted the paper. And Im literally sitting here thinking it was a mistake so I sent him my submission receipt and he was like: No, its not a mistake, heres your feedback, the TikToker continued. According to Schafrick, her professor claimed in the feedback that what shed written misrepresented the text the class had been writing about. However, she alleged that the work could be interpreted in so many different ways. In the video, Schafrick then suggested that the grade was unfair because shed actually tried to interpret the ideas herself, and because she hadnt used AI like some of her classmates allegedly had. Like sorry I didnt f***ing cheat and use ChatGPT just like everyone else in the f***ing course probably did who passed, she continued. I actually tried to do it myself and use my own ideas. But thats what I get right. Thats what I f***ing get. In her follow-up video, Schafrick claimed there was no reason her essay deserved a zero, as it wasnt that bad and it was six pages of work that took [her] two days to write that was related to the prompt. Story continues Theres just no f***ing way that it was that f***ing bad, she continued, adding that the only critiques were identical comments from her professor claiming that shed misinterpreted what the text was saying. Not why it misrepresents it, not why its wrong, not how its wrong, just that its wrong, she said. And philosophy is not that objective. Its subjective. When you are reading a book, you interpret it how you interpret it when youre not allowed to use outside sources. The original TikTok, which has been viewed more than 2 million times, has since sparked a debate among users, with some arguing that Schafrick deserved at least some credit for completing the assignment and submitting it. Although she has since disabled comments on her initial TikTok, the debate has continued in the comments of her follow-up videos. Ive never ever ever seen someone get a zero on an essay that they actually completed and handed in, one person commented, while another said: Philosophy major here, its not subjective but even if everything in your paper was wrong you should still get marks for an attempt that follows the rubric. According to someone else, who said that theyve been enrolled in university for five years, its a struggle to get a zero on an assignment. I would love to see him make a very itemised review on EVERY REASON why you got that, they added. A zero should only be given if simply nothing was submitted, another person argued. The worst essay in the world still deserves literally any number above zero. Others defended the TikTokers emotional reaction on the basis that they would also be upset if they received the failing grade, while many viewers encouraged Schafrick to contest the grade with her professor or university. You need to contest the grade, one person wrote, while another said: Book an appointment or go see him in office hours in a few days once you can keep composed and challenge it, hell probably budge. In another follow-up video, Schafrick said she felt like she was being gaslit by her professor, and that, after reading it over, she believes her essay, which was based on the book Existence and Existent by French philosopher Emmanuel Levinas, deserved a grade of at least 50 per cent. Schafrick also addressed her previous comments about her fellow classmates relying on ChatGPT, with the TikToker claiming that she hadnt meant to bash the students or imply that they had been cheating. @erikaschafrickk Replying to @lea so ya i more so meant like it may have been all wrong but at least you know it has integrity. So apologies xo luv ya original sound - Erika Schafrick Im not trying to bash my classmates or really accuse anyone of cheating at all. Im just saying, how amazing do these other essays have to be for him to read mine and be like: This is absolute dog s**t and deserves a zero. After reiterating that she wasnt trying to accuse her classmates of cheating, the TikToker admitted that it could be that she just doesnt know how to write philosophy. In the comments, viewers continued to side with Schafrick, with many alleging that her failing grade is a reflection on the professors teaching. Its the professors job to teach so you explain the lecture properly.. so its a reflection on your prof!! Not you, one person wrote, while another said: I really hope this gets appealed, Id be so upset if this happened to me. I cant imagine what youre feeling. In a comment posted in the comment section of her most recent video, Schafrick said she would be meeting with her student accessibility advisor, and that she would be fighting the grade. The Independent has contacted Schafrick for comment. Napping during the middle of the day has the potential to affect sleep quality, cognitive function, and metabolic processes, according to a new study. Researchers at Brigham and Womens Hospital found that people who take midday naps had higher body mass indexes and were more likely to have metabolic syndrome than those who did not take siestas, according to results published in Obesity. The hospital says it analyzed more than 3,000 adults from a Mediterranean population, examining the relationship of siestas and siesta duration with obesity and metabolic syndrome. Data from the findings showed that those who took naps of 30 minutes or longer were more likely to have a higher body mass index, higher blood pressure, and a cluster of other conditions associated with heart disease and diabetes compared to those without siestas, researchers said. Not all siestas are the same. The length of time, the position of sleep, and other specific factors can affect the health outcomes of a nap, said senior author Marta Garaulet, PhD, a visiting professor in the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Brigham and Womens Hospital. A previous study that we conducted in a large study population in the UK found that siestas were associated with an increased risk of obesity. We wanted to determine whether this would hold true in a country where siestas are more culturally embedded, in this case, Spain, as well as how the length of time for siestas is related to metabolic health. In contrast, short nap-takers were less likely to have elevated systolic blood pressure than those who took no siestas. The researchers also found that long naps were associated with later nightly sleep timing and food timing, with increased energy intake at lunch and cigarette smoking, and with the location of siestas (a bed vs. a sofa), which may explain the higher risks associated with longer duration siestas. This study shows the importance of considering siesta length and raises the question of whether short naps may offer unique benefits. Many institutions are realizing the benefits of short naps, mostly for work productivity, but also increasingly for general health, said co-author Frank Scheer, PhD, a senior neuroscientist and professor in the Medical Chronobiology Program in the Brighams Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders. Story continues The word siesta comes from the Latin base sexta, which means sixth and refers to the sixth hour, or sexta hora, of daylight. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Retail giant ALDI has confirmed it is trialling the installation of fridge doors as a possible standard feature in its Aussie stores, with the potential changemade in a bid to reduce energy consumptionwidely praised by shoppers as a positive step towards sustainability. The trial comes amid ongoing efforts by the big three retailers, Coles, Woolworths, and ALDI, to decrease plastic packaging and lower carbon emissions. Some customers have already noticed recent modifications at selected ALDI stores, with one shopper taking to social media to share images of her local Sydney North Rocks store, showcasing the newly installed glass doors in the refrigerated section. The majority of ALDI stores in Australia currently have fridges without doors. Photo: REUTERS/Peter Summers Great! So glad to see stores putting doors back on fridges, so much energy is wasted without doors, replied one member of the Aldi Mums Facebook page. Another added, Well done ALDI! Much more energy efficient! Some customers also shared their positive experiences from overseas supermarkets, highlighting the benefits of closed fridge doors. One shopper wrote, "About time. Coming from Europe, the freezing temperatures in Australian supermarkets due to the open fridges were kind of a culture shock from an energy efficiency perspective. Several other ALDI fans went on to comment they had also noticed similar changes in the chilled food aisles of their own local stores. The move to install fridge doors in ALDI stores has been widely praised by shoppers for its energy efficiency and impact on in-store temperatures. Credit: Aldi Mums/Facebook ALDI change an effort to reduce carbon footprint According to an ALDI spokesperson the supermarket is currently trialling the installation of fridge doors in selected stores across NSW as part of their efforts to reduce their energy footprint. "International trials have proven how installing doors in our chiller sections has the potential to cut energy consumption considerably." The change sees ALDI poised to save the equivalent of over 2,000 tonnes of carbon emissions a year with the installation of fridge doors, with UK trials seeing a reduction of each stores energy consumption by approximately 20%, according to the retailer. Story continues Introducing fridge doors in Aussie stores is part of ALDI's broader commitment to environmental sustainability, with the retail giant already becoming the first Australian supermarket to be powered by 100% renewable electricity in June 2021. "We are continuously looking for ways to reduce emissions and our impact on the climate," the spokesperson continued, "its one of the many ways were working to make a good difference in our operations." Opinions divided among ALDI customers Despite the positive response from many shoppers, not all customers have welcomed ALDI's decision to try out fridge doors in their stores, with concerns also raised about aisle congestion and the impact on customers with mobility issues. One member of the social media group said, "Our ALDI is like this too (Penrith) but its a nightmare if you have accessibility issues. I use a cane and cant hold the door open and grab products easily at the same time." Another person agreed, responding, "Absolutely a horrible idea. Not suitable for people with mobility issues or arthritic hands. Makes it an absolute nightmare." A third customer simply stated, "Not a fan at all." What are Coles and Woolworths doing? ALDI's sustainability initiatives align with similar efforts by the other major retailers who are also striving to reduce their carbon footprint and environmental impact. A Woolworths spokesperson said the company has already reduced its carbon emissions by 31 per cent, and by 2025 all stores will be run on renewable electricity. Further, the Group aims to have a broad positive future impact by reaching net positive emissions no later than 2050. "Supermarkets are energy intensive to run, and the large number of fridges needed to keep food in top condition accounts for a significant amount of our energy use," the spokesperson said. "Since 2015, weve been trialling doors on our fridges to help reduce emissions. We know this simple act alone can cut electricity consumption by up to 30 per cent. Weve also replaced fluorescent lighting with LED lights in more than 1,000 stores, increasing energy efficiency by 35 per cent. "Every Woolworths supermarket is digitally connected to our Energy Management Centre. Its like a control centre, which tracks electricity use in real-time, allowing our team to identify patterns and pinpoint issues immediately when they notice energy consumption spike. Its helped cut energy use by as much as 10 per cent in some stores." The Together to Zero initiative sets out Coles ambition to reduce its impact on the environment, outlining its aspiration towards zero emissions, zero waste and zero hunger. In March 2021, Coles Group committed to being powered by 100% renewable electricity by the end of June 2025 and confirmed their commitment to delivering net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 27) The Philippine National Police (PNP) is "fast-tracking" its probe into possible privacy violations arising from an alleged breach of its recruitment application portal. "As an immediate response to the said report by the National Privacy Commission, the Anti-Cyber Crime Group (ACG) of the PNP is currently exerting efforts in fast-tracking its internal investigation to determine if there are possible violations of provisions of Republic Act 10173 (Data Privacy Act of 2012)," the PNP said in a statement on Thursday. "Likewise, the Directorate for Information and Communication Technology (DICTM) is currently conducting an assessment of the systems to determine possible violations or lapses in protocols and procedures," it added. The "data leak" was reported on April 18 by expert Jeremiah Fowler on cybersecurity research company vpnMentor, which supposedly involved more than 1.2 million records relating to affairs of law enforcement agencies. The National Privacy Commission (NPC) on Tuesday told CNN Philippines that the PNP database is the focus of the investigation. READ: NPC: Data leak probe focuses on PNP database NPC Commissioner John Henry Naga said two cases may be filed against those found responsible for violation of the Data Privacy Act of 2012. The PNP said it is actively coordinating with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) for a parallel probe. A British-Sudanese man who fled Khartoum has criticised the UK government's response in evacuating citizens from the country. Sami Hikmet, from Surrey, said the British took "too long" to start evacuating. In contrast, he described the French and German embassies as "outstanding". A government spokesperson said British nationals in Sudan continued to be their "utmost priority". Following violent clashes, Mr Hikmet managed to escape Khartoum on Sunday by taking a flight on a French military plane to Djibouti. The day after, he got a flight to London via Dubai. "I actually cried in Terminal Three at Heathrow when I came in," he said. "I just broke down." Now home in Beacon Hill, he has criticised the UK government's evacuation response - particularly their communication. "There was no communication from the British to us. They only posted on Twitter on the seventh day to go and register your location," he said. Sami Hikmet got a flight out of Khartoum on a French military plane on the second day of the ceasefire Mr Hikmet said British nationals were having to make their way through "dangerous war-torn areas". He also questioned why the UK had not sent convoys. He said: What is the point of asking people their locations if they are not going to try and get to them? "They say on one hand that they advise people to stay indoors and on the other to make their own way to the airstrip. They dont want to take the responsibility if something bad happening to them." Mr Hikmet still has family and a girlfriend back in Sudan A UK government spokesperson said: Our evacuation of British nationals has already brought more than 300 people to safety, with more flights planned. "British nationals in Sudan continue to be our utmost priority and we urge everyone to continue to follow our travel advice. Home Secretary Suella Braverman - who described the situation as "fast-moving and complex" - said the government was focused on supporting British nationals and their dependents. Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk. A man who fled Sudan and is now safely back home in Londonderry has said he is thankful to be alive. Brian McDaid sheltered in a basement with his family in Khartoum as gunfire and shelling was heard in the capital. However, a Sudanese woman who is an obstetrician in Belfast has pleaded for help to rescue her family from the war-torn country. Fighting erupted because of a vicious power struggle within Sudan's military leadership. The clashes are between the regular army and a paramilitary force called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Dr Sarah Ahmed said her parents have biometric residence permits for the UK and could potentially board a British military plane out of Sudan. Dr Sarah Ahmed is worried about her family But they are faced with an impossible decision - of leaving her siblings and their small children behind. "I don't have any political interest in this - all I need is my family safe," Dr Ahmed said. "My parents at the moment are trying to leave but they are in a situation where they have to choose between leaving their kids there and come, or just stay there and die all together." The capital city of Khartoum, where Dr Ahmed's family lives, has been left devastated in parts by gunfire and blasts. Her sister's home was hit and is no longer safe to live in. The whole family has fled to the outskirts of the city in the hope of being evacuated. 'Someone's wife, someone's sister or brother' Dr Ahmed moved to Ireland more than 15 years ago. She has been living in Belfast since 2017 where she has two children. Her parents are hoping to get her two sisters and their children, and her brother and his pregnant wife on a plane with them out of Sudan. Dr Ahmed said: "For me just to sit here and just be expected to accept this I think - just from a human to a human - this is someone's wife, someone's sister, someone's brother, someone's niece and nephew. She said there are people on the ground with no access to food, water or money - because the bank system is down. Story continues "It's not safe. I don't have any political interest in this, all I need is my family safe." Dr Ahmed said she last spoke to her mother on Wednesday. "Worry is an understatement. I don't know what to do. I just feel helpless," she said. Brian McDaid says time was everything as he tried to flee the country with his family Mr McDaid, who was a teacher at an international school in Sudan, was flown out of the country via neighbouring Djibouti with his family by the Spanish military. Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle's The North West Today, Mr McDaid said when fighting broke out his family took refuge in their basement. "The fighting started to spill out from the main areas," he said. He was worried somebody could come into the home. "I know that has happened to a lot of people and heard stories of soldiers coming into houses to get civilian clothes so that they could blend in and sneak away. "There are some stories that just don't bear thinking about and as soon as that became a real threat we realised we had to go." Mr McDaid said that being non-Sudanese, he became "very self-conscious" that there could be some resentment towards him from rival forces. He said there were perceptions of foreign involvement from both sides in the conflict and he knew "it could get a lot more uncomfortable". As an Irish passport holder, Mr McDaid said he got a call from Irish officials on Sunday morning advising him to go to the Spanish ambassador's residence in Khartoum. He said his family had to make a split-second decision and decided that where they were hiding was no longer safe. The Derry native said their initial journey to the airstrip was aborted because of heavy bombing but eventually they had a window to travel. "Before we left our neighbourhood I thought 'this can't be happening' - there was a little mortar that dropped and fell maybe three metres from one of the cars," he said. "That was one of the most stressful journeys I have ever made. "I did see one or two corpses on the way, one of them was covered up and another was just pushed to the side. "There was also a heavy RSF presence there, and there were a lot of checkpoints on the way and you don't know if they are who they say they are. "It was nerve-racking stuff. The airstrip was only a 20=minute drive from where we were, but it took more than two hours." Around 530 people have been airlifted by the UK from Sudan British nationals who want to leave Sudan have been told "now is the time to move" by the foreign secretary. The UK government has warned thousands of British nationals still in the country that it cannot guarantee further evacuation flights once the ceasefire ends on Thursday. More than 530 people have been airlifted to safety on six flights, while warring factions of the Sudanese military mostly observe a three-day truce. A further 16 Irish citizens and their family members were evacuated from Sudan since Wednesday. This brings the total number of Irish nationals brought to safety with the assistance of other countries to 88. People have used the relative lull in fighting to go outside their homes Rival factions of Sudan's military agreed to renew a three-day ceasefire, shortly before it was due to expire. The extension - for another 72 hours - follows intensive diplomatic efforts by neighbouring countries, as well as the US, UK and UN. But there are continuing reports of heavy fighting in the capital Khartoum. The previous truce allowed thousands of people to attempt to flee to safety, while dozens of countries have tried to evacuate their citizens. Almost two weeks of fighting between the army and a rival paramilitary group have left hundreds dead. The ceasefire had been expected to end at midnight local time (22:00 GMT on Thursday). Early on Thursday evening the Sudanese regular army agreed to an extension, and its rival the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) followed suit hours later. South Sudan has offered to host peace talks, and the army has agreed to send representatives to the talks. Despite the bitter past and years of conflict that led to South Sudan's separating from Sudan in 2011, the two nations now enjoy cordial relations. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington was "very actively working" to extend the truce, adding that while imperfect it had reduced violence. But White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre later said the situation could worsen at any moment. Abiy Ahmed, prime minister of neighbouring Ethiopia where the Africa Union is headquartered, tweeted that he had called up both of the rival generals to urge them to settle their differences amicably. On Friday, a Turkish military plane on an evacuation mission was shot at as it was landing at an airport outside Khartoum. No-one was injured and the RSF denied accusations by the army that it was involved. Meanwhile the RSF and eyewitnesses said the army had been pounding its positions in Khartoum. Story continues The foreign minister in the former civilian government, Maryam al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, told the BBC from her home in Khartoum that despite the ceasefire, civilians were still living in fear. "What they call a truce has nothing to do with what is happening," she told BBC Radio Four's World Tonight programme. "The bombardment by the aeroplanes is taking place almost all day and night." Fighting has also been reported in the western Darfur region and other provinces. At least 512 people have been killed in the fighting and almost 4,200 injured, although the real number of deaths could be much higher. The World Health Organization said it expected there to be "many more" deaths due to outbreaks of disease and a lack of services. Health officials say most hospitals in conflict areas are not functioning, and more than 60% of health facilities in Khartoum are inactive. David Miliband, the head of the International Rescue Committee and former British foreign secretary, said the international community was in danger of neglecting the wider crisis in Sudan in the rush to evacuate foreign nationals. "The fact that for the last 10 days pretty much all the media coverage and the vast bulk of political attention has been on getting out thousands of people and not on the need to tend to millions of people really sticks in the gullet," he told the BBC. "Of course the lives of the thousands who need to evacuate are important, but what about the 45 million who are left? "Sudan's population has 15 million people in humanitarian need and I think part of our call today as the International Rescue Committee is to say let's not fall into that trap of thinking that once thousands are evacuated the problem is solved." An army statement quoted by Reuters new agency said it had taken control of most of Sudan's regions but "the situation is a bit complicated in some parts of the capital". It has not been possible for the BBC to verify the army's claims. Foreign nations, including the UK, have been urging their citizens to leave the country as soon as possible. Speaking on Thursday evening, Ms Jean-Pierre urged Americans to depart within the next 24 hours. Evacuations are continuing, but many foreigners are still stuck in Sudan. Some have struggled to get to the airstrip used for evacuations. Local civilians are continuing to flee the capital, where there are problems with supplies of food, water and fuel. The number of Sudanese fleeing the fighting in Darfur have outnumbered Chadian residents in the village of Koufroun on the other side of the border, the UN children's charity says. Chad would not be able to sustain the influx of refugees if the situation worsened in Sudan, Unicef's Donaig Le Du told BBC Newsday. The fighting broke out on 15 April as the result of a bitter power struggle between the regular army and RSF. Army commander Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF chief Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, disagree about the country's proposed move to civilian rule, and in particular about the timeframe of the 100,000 strong RSF's inclusion into the army. Both factions fear losing power in Sudan because on both sides there are men who could end up at the International Criminal Court for war crimes committed in Darfur almost 20 years ago. A military helicopter landing at a RSF base in Darfur, Sudan - archive shot Despite the tentative ceasefire and lull in fighting in Sudan, few believe this is the end of the conflict and there are questions about how things could unfold in the next few weeks and months. The BBC has been speaking to some Sudan analysts to look at the possible scenarios. 1) A swift military victory This seems unlikely as both sides have advantages that favour them in different phases of conflict. It is a military junta that has split in two - with the rivals both claiming early victories. The army is led by Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the junta's president The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is headed by Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, the junta's vice-president. It appears, from testimony from those leaving the capital, Khartoum, that the RSF have the slight upper hand in the city. It is a mobile, guerrilla force that can adapt more quickly than their more conventional opponents. This capability has favoured them in the running battles in Khartoum's city centre. But the army is thought to have access to far greater firepower, be it tanks, artillery or dominance in the air. With diplomats and foreigners leaving the city, it is feared this may soon be turned on Khartoum. "In large parts of the city the RSF is swarming residential areas with fighters who are occupying homes," says Alan Boswell from the International Crisis Group (ICG) think-tank. "They are essentially daring the army to destroy its own city. One would presume [the army doesn't] want to destroy Khartoum, but for them this is an existential fight." Both sides can also call on help from external backers, which could help prolong the fighting, according to independent Sudan analyst Jonas Horner. The army is thought to have the full backing of regional powerhouse Egypt - though officially the northern neighbour has remained neutral. The RSF, meanwhile, has the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Russia's Wagner mercenary group and other regional militias on its side. Story continues 2) A prolonged conflict There are many ways this conflict could evolve, none of them good for the people of Sudan. "It definitely has all the elements in becoming a prolonged civil war," thinks the BBC's Mohanad Hashim, who is himself Sudanese. "There has been a lot of agitation from those loyal to the former regime of Omar al-Bashir and his National Congress Party, who hold an Islamist ideology." Bashir was ousted from power by the army in 2019 after mass street protests. During his 30-year rule, many well-armed ethnic militias emerged. "Bashir worked very assiduously to create these divisions between these different ethnic groups, which then created militias," says Mr Horner. "The security vacuum created [by his ousting] has meant that there has been a re-opening of militias because they've had to manage their own security." Were the militias to take sides, this conflict may evolve into something even more dangerous which could "widen this conflict and make it much harder to put it back in the box", Mr Horner believes. The potential ethnic element has many observers genuinely worried. It is also something both generals have sought to turn to their advantage. "Before the war started, we saw both Hemedti and Gen Burhan stoking ethnic divisions, addressing their own constituencies," says Hashim. Map "We could see a scenario where the RSF, having recruited in marginalised parts of the country, tries to present itself as a figure to unify the rural areas," says Ahmed Soliman of the Chatham House think-tank. This could split the country with the RSF moving "to its Darfur heartlands to try and re-supply and mobilise more fighters". 3) A peace deal Diplomats are trying to get the two generals to agree to extend the ceasefire but when it comes to starting peace talks, no-one thinks they are likely to start any time soon. There is also the question of what could be acceptable to ordinary Sudanese. Hashim was in Khartoum during the revolution of 2019 and has watched the generals repeatedly fail to hand over power to civilians, culminating in the 2021 coup. "They have had a year and a half after the coup where they failed to run the country. What sort of deal could these two men reach that could be palatable to the Sudanese?" he asks. Everyone seems to agree that a deal will only come from external pressure. "The idea we'd be able to get a full cessation of hostilities without significant leverage, political pressure, economic pressure being applied by regional allies, such as Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, is difficult to imagine," says Mr Boswell. A prolonged conflict could affect a lot of infrastructure in Khartoum The problem is that there are too many competing interests, many of them mutually exclusive. Mr Horner believes that the "regional powers have some preference for a military or powerful individual to come out on top of this. This is bad news for civil society." However, there is a fear that if peace talks do not start soon - as are being proposed in neighbouring South Sudan - the conflict could fragment making it harder to find a resolution. "There is still a window for peace talks. The challenge is that there isn't a willingness to de-escalate on either side. And unfortunately the short-term diplomatic focus remains on engaging with what the two generals want, at the expense of civilian democratic ambitions," says Mr Soliman of Chatham House. The problem is that what both men want is directly at odds not just with the other, but more importantly with the wishes of the Sudanese people. This is a war about power, control and wealth, one which both sides increasingly see as existential. There is a heavy price to be paid for the ambitions of two men, and it is the people of Sudan who will pay it. UK military personnel unloading stores for British nationals on Tuesday British attempts to evacuate its embassy staff from Sudan at the weekend delayed efforts by other countries to rescue their own citizens, senior German political sources have told the BBC. They allege British forces landed in Sudan without the Sudanese army's permission - as other European nations were hoping to airlift citizens to safety. The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) described that as "complete nonsense". Germany, among others, had planned to use the airfield north of Khartoum from which subsequent evacuation operations have been conducted. But, the sources say, the "unannounced British military presence" so angered the Sudanese army that they refused access to the facility. According to one source, having landed without permission, the British had to pay the army before leaving. And negotiations to use the airfield meant that German rescuers "lost at least half a day" during what was, at the time, considered to be a very small window of opportunity. The MoD denied that it was responsible for any delay. In a statement, it said: "It is not accurate to suggest that Britain's efforts to evacuate embassy staff from Sudan last weekend slowed-down Germany's plans. "Operating in such complex circumstances will always come with challenges, but we have worked extremely closely with our French, US and particularly German partners who have facilitated access to the airfield throughout this week, and of course we remain grateful to the Sudanese Armed Forces." Later, an MoD spokesperson said it was "complete nonsense to claim that we landed in Sudan without permission from the Sudanese army. We had permission". Germany has now ended its rescue mission, after airlifting more than 700 people to safety on six flights from the airfield north of Khartoum which the UK is now using for its evacuation operation. Story continues Around 200 of those taken to safety were German nationals and the rest were from 30 other nations, including the UK. The relief and elation in Berlin that its operation concluded relatively successfully has assuaged the anger of defence officials, but military leaders are still said to be "not amused". Even Defence Minister Boris Pistorius couldn't resist a barb. When asked why the UK had managed to get its embassy staff out on Saturday, while German flights only started on Sunday, Mr Pistorius said: "How shall I put it diplomatically? They ignored what the Sudanese had stipulated." And, in Berlin, there are lingering traces of disdain for the UK government's initial handling of the crisis. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock may not have mentioned the UK by name but launched a thinly disguised attack on countries that, she implied, had abandoned their citizens and focused their rescue efforts only on diplomatic staff. "It was important to us that the [German] evacuation, unlike other countries, didn't just involve our diplomatic personnel but all Germans on the ground and their partners." Wafaa Salim said she should have been allowed to bring her young relatives on a flight out of Sudan A British woman fleeing conflict-hit Sudan has spoken of her nieces and nephews "crying" and "clinging" to her as she was evacuated from the country. Wafaa Salim spoke to the BBC at Larnaca Airport in Cyprus, where British evacuation flights are arriving from Sudan before onward journeys to the UK. She was not allowed to bring the children with her due to rules on who the UK is evacuating. "I had to give them back to their dad. It was so horrible," she said. "They are vulnerable immediate family members and they should have been allowed onto the aeroplane. "They were telling me because numbers are limited, only British citizens who hold passports are allowed. And I was begging him, this is immediate family." Downing Street has said eligibility requirements had been set out "very clearly" and had not changed, but there was "an element of discretion" for those working on the ground in Sudan. The Foreign Office said eight flights had airlifted 897 people from the east African country to Cyprus on Thursday. However, this is a fraction of the thousands of British nationals thought to be in Sudan. Ms Salim, a planner with Amersham Town Council in Buckinghamshire, arrived at the airfield north of the capital Khartoum, where she said people were being assisted by the Red Cross and the Sudanese army. She had been in Sudan with her 12-year-old son Hasan, visiting family for Eid during the Easter break. They had been due to return to the UK a week ago, but this was delayed after fighting broke out. 'It was so horrible' She had been able to pass some checkpoints and make it to the airport with her son and her brother, along with his five children who are aged between three and 10. It was after speaking to a British official her brother and his children "were rejected". "In the regulations or the guidance, they said British citizens and immediate family," she said. Story continues "Those are vulnerable kids, allow them to come with me. My brother can stay, but allow the kids to come. They refused that." She said her brother and his family now plan to try and escape through Egypt, adding the journey would have been easier if he did not have to bring his children. Currently, British passport holders and immediate family members with existing UK entry clearance are being told they are eligible for evacuation. Speaking earlier, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said Sudanese nationals without travel documents were being blocked at checkpoints by the Sudanese army. "Where we have families where a British national has a Sudanese national as a spouse or extended family, it makes the extraction more complicated," he said. "We have given advice as to the status or the prioritisation of the people that we are able to withdraw. We have said it's British nationals and Sudanese with travel documents." He has advised British citizens that it is unclear what would happen once a ceasefire between the warring sides ends on Thursday at midnight local time (22:00 GMT). The 72-hour truce, agreed by Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has been in place since Tuesday. Downing Street said the British ambassador was continuing to speak to the warring parties to lobby for an extension to the ceasefire. Speaking in the House of Commons, shadow foreign secretary David Lammy called on the government to allow the Sudanese families of British nationals to be allowed to also leave the country. "It is not right that British nationals are unable to leave because their close Sudanese family members are being excluded from safe passage, especially as we know that planes have left the airfield without being full," he said. An RAF aircraft has been taking British nationals from Sudan to Cyprus on Wednesday and Thursday Alicia Kearns, the Tory chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, has called for elderly people dependent on children who are British citizens to also be accepted. Accompanying Ms Salim at the airport was her 12-year-old son Hasan, who had struggled to sleep during the past week with the sound of bombs and shooting. He said it was "really disappointing" to leave his cousins behind, and he was expecting to "get home and see them happy, at our house". BBC News was later told Ms Salim had been taken to hospital after becoming unwell during the flight to the UK. People have boarded the first truck which has now set off. A South Sudanese man is crowdfunding to evacuate his compatriots trapped in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. Akoc Manhiem, 41, is paying lorry drivers to make the 450km journey to the border between the two countries. The first truck, carrying around 100 people, left Khartoum for the town of Renk in South Sudan on Thursday. Thousands of people have been making perilous journeys out of Sudan in the last two weeks amid fighting in the capital and other parts of the country. Mr Manhiem, 41, who is co-ordinating efforts from Juba, said: "Our people are in really dire need. They are trapped. A bottle of water in Khartoum has become so expensive, so imagine how much food is." He hopes to rescue South Sudanese citizens, including those with Sudanese dual citizenship, as well as refugees who fled to Khartoum during the 2013 South Sudan civil war. "For those on refugee status, they went to Sudan to run away from danger. Now they're running back to South Sudan. We are trying to help them, these are poor people," Mr Manhiem said. He aims to crowdfund $100,000 (80,144) which he said will pay for 10 trucks, each with enough space for 100-160 people. "The US came all the way to pick up their own citizens, the UK did, Kenya did. So we are here to give a signal of generosity and care to help our people stranded," he said. Without crowdfunded efforts like this one, it's an expensive task to leave Sudan. Large numbers of South Sudanese people are trying to make the same journey out of Khartoum to South Sudan's capital Juba, a 1,600km (990 mile) route with very few decent roads. The BBC understands some people have been quoted $500 or more for a bus ticket. Those who have already made the journey say they received a warm welcome from residents of South Sudanese towns along the route, who try to feed and look after the evacuees. It is difficult to confirm exactly how many South Sudanese citizens are currently in Sudan and how many are trying to escape. Story continues According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) there are more than 800,000 South Sudanese refugees there, a quarter of whom are in Khartoum. The South Sudan government says it is doing "everything within its power to receive South Sudanese citizens who are returning to their country". It reported nearly 10,000 people arrived in Renk in the 24 hours leading to Monday, but this figure included "nationals of some neighbouring countries". Hundreds of others have crossed the border elsewhere, the government says. South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after a 2005 agreement that ended Africa's longest-running civil war. Despite the peace agreement, the country continues to grapple with sporadic violence and is suffering "a major humanitarian crisis", according to the UNHCR. It may be impossible to evacuate British citizens from Sudan once the war-torn countrys fragile ceasefire ends, the foreign secretary has warned. James Cleverly said that the UK government could not predict what would happen once intense fighting resumed. He urged British nationals who may be hesitant or weighing up their options to make their way to Wadi Seidna, where there were planes and capacity to get people out. Fighting flared in Sudan yesterday as its armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) battled on Khartoums outskirts, undermining a truce in their 11-day conflict. The fighting came as the army agreed to extending the ceasefire that is in force till today. The army said last night its leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, gave initial approval to a plan to extend the truce for another 72 hours and send an army envoy to the South Sudan capital, Juba, for talks, reported Reuters. There was no immediate response from the RSF to the proposal. Key Points Fighting flares as military approves ceasefire extension Paramilitary forces yet to respond to ceasefire proposal Blinken and African Union Commission chairperson discuss ending Sudan fighting Six UK flights evacuate 536 people from Sudan Sudan evacuations for Britons can continue even if ceasefire breaks Potentially impossible to evacuate Britons once ceasefire ends - Cleverly 07:54 , Matt Mathers It may be impossible to evacuate British citizens from Sudan once the war-torn countrys fragile ceasefire ends, the foreign secretary has warned. James Cleverly said that the UK government could not predict what would happen once intense fighting resumed. He urged British nationals who may be hesitant or weighing up their options to make their way to the extraction point, where there were planes and capacity to get people out. End of ceasefire could result in humanitarian catastrophe - minister 09:26 , Matt Mathers Africa minister Andrew Mitchell warned that an end to the ceasefire could result in a humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan. Story continues He told the foreign affairs think tank Chatham House: "It is essential that a ceasefire is maintained and that a political process is secured. "If not, the humanitarian consequences will be incalculable. "The UK will continue to work tirelessly to help bring an end to the violence and provide vital humanitarian relief." File photo: Andrew Mitchell (PA Wire) Cleverly avoids questions on safe and legal routes for Sudan 09:10 , Matt Mathers James Cleverly has refused to get into details about the possibility of safe and legal routes for those fleeing Sudan to get to the UK. The foreign secretary said: "There is war and conflict all over the world. There are literally millions upon millions of people who are in countries plagued by war. We recognise that we cannot host everybody who is in a country plagued by war. "Sudan is not the only country suffering from conflict and so picking out Sudan because it happens to be in the news, I think, diminishes the suffering of other people around the world firstly, and, secondly, we have to remember there are millions upon millions of people who are fleeing conflict or who are fleeing economic privations." Mapped The map below shows Sudans location in North Africa. Khartoum, the capital, is where the most intense fighting is taking place. (Datawrapper) WHO fears more deaths in Sudan due to outbreaks, collapse of services 08:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta The World Health Organisation (WHO) expects many more deaths in Sudan. The world health agency said yesterday that there could be many more deaths due to outbreaks of disease and a lack of essential services amid fighting between Sudans army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary, reported Reuters. Since mid April, the ongoing fighting has killed at least 459 people and injured more than 4,000, according to the WHO. (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) Cleverly - were pushing for ceasefire extension 08:14 , Matt Mathers The UK is pushing for an extension to the ceasefire in Sudan, the foreign secretary has said - Archie Mitchell reports. Speaking to Sky News, James Cleverly said: We pushed for the original ceasefire, we are pushing to have the ceasefire extended, we are pushing with our international partners and leaders in the region, to have a permanent peace settlement. But the point Im making is I cant guarantee any of those things. If they happen, thats great, thats what were pushing for.My worry is if people are having to make difficult decisions, and of course they are, if they are basing those decisions on a belief that this ceasefire will continue, and then it doesnt, they put themselves in a more dangerous situation. So my strong advice is to err on the side of caution, take advantage of what we know, which is the ceasefire is currently holding, even though we dont know whether itll hold for the full duration, rather than relying on what might not happen, which is an extension of the ceasefire, which of course we are pushing for. Foreign secretary James Cleverly (Hannah McKay/PA) (PA Wire) ICYMI: Dodging bullets and paying thousands: How these British families escaped wartorn Sudan 08:00 , Sravasti Dasgupta British families fleeing Sudan have described dodging heavy gunfire and bombing in their bids to escape the wartorn country after the Foreign Office failed to secure safe routes out. Many have spent thousands to escape the country safely. Bel Trew and Tara Cobham report: Dodging bullets and paying thousands: How these families escaped wartorn Sudan ICYMI: Wounded British doctors agonising choice risk deadly infection or leave mother in Sudan war zone 07:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta A British doctor is facing an agonising choice of either risking a deadly infection from his gunshot wound or leaving his vulnerable elderly mother to fend for herself in a war zone in Sudan. Tara Cobham reports: Wounded British doctor faces agonising decision in Sudan Over 500 Britons brought to safety from Sudan with more flights to come 07:00 , Sravasti Dasgupta The British evacuation mission from Sudan has lifted 536 people to safety on six flights as the military races against time to rescue citizens while a fragile ceasefire holds. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said in a fast-moving situation these were the figures at 9pm on Wednesday with further flights to come. Read more: UK brings more than 500 people to safety from Sudan with more flights to come Sudan evacuations can continue even if ceasefire breaks 06:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta Air evacuations from Sudan can continue even if a fragile ceasefire breaks, military chiefs said yesterday, as the first flight carrying British nationals arrived back in Britain. Brigadier Dan Reeve, Britains chief of joint force operations, said that up to 500 people a day can be flown out of Wadi Saeedna, an airfield just north of Khartoum, with transport planes available to increase that number if necessary. The ceasefire itself was not a condition for us launching this operation, although of course it helped and was a useful window, he said. Kim Sengupta, Rebecca Thomas and Kate Devlin report: Sudan evacuations can continue even if ceasefire breaks How Putins chef and his Wagner Group are cashing in on Sudan 06:00 , Martha Mchardy Theyve drawn most attention in eastern Ukraine, but it seems wherever war breaks out from Syria to Sudan this group of mercenaries can be found profiting from bloodshed, writes World Affairs Editor Kim Sengupta. How Putins chef and his Wagner Group are cashing in on Sudan Blinken and African Union Commission chairperson discuss ending Sudan fighting 05:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta US secretary of state Antony Blinken and African Union Commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat discussed working together to create a sustainable end to the fighting in Sudan, the State Department said in a statement yesterday. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the two spoke about a collaboration to create a sustainable cessation of hostilities and end the fighting in Sudan. Secretary Blinken and chairperson Faki agreed that the AUs continued leadership remains essential in pressing the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to immediately cease military operations and allow unhindered humanitarian access, the statement said. I spoke with @AUC_MoussaFaki today to continue the United States close collaboration with the @_AfricanUnion to end the fighting in Sudan, and to secure unhindered humanitarian access for the Sudanese people. https://t.co/8sQVgkAuC5 Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) April 27, 2023 What could happen in Sudan? 05:00 , Martha Mchardy International parties have called for a ceasefire and a return to dialogue but there has been little sign of compromise from the warring factions. The army has branded the RSF as a rebel force and demanded its dissolution, while Hemedti has called Burhan a criminal and blamed him for visiting destruction on the country. Though Sudans army has superior resources including air power and the RSF expanded into a force estimated at 100,000 men that had deployed across Khartoum and its neighbouring cities as well as in other regions, raising the spectre of protracted conflict on top of a long-running economic crisis and existing, large-scale humanitarian needs. The RSF can also draw on support and tribal ties in the western region of Darfur, where it emerged from the militias that fought alongside government forces to crush rebels in a brutal war that escalated after 2003. Fighting flares as military approves ceasefire extension 04:48 , Sravasti Dasgupta Fighting flared in Sudan yesterday as Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) battled on Khartoums outskirts, undermining a truce in their 11-day conflict. The fighting came as the army agreed to extending the ceasefire that is in force till today. The army late last night said its leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, gave initial approval to a plan to extend the truce for another 72 hours and send an army envoy to the South Sudan capital, Juba, for talks, reported Reuters. There was no immediate response from the RSF to the proposal from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional bloc. The military said the presidents of South Sudan, Kenya and Djibouti worked on a proposal that includes extending the truce and talks between the two forces. Burhan thanked the IGAD and expressed an initial approval to that, the army statement said. (Rapid Support Forces (RSF)/AFP) Which countries are evacuating citizens from Sudan? 04:00 , Martha Mchardy The conflict between Sudans army and a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has triggered a rush to extract foreign diplomats and citizens. Several countries have evacuated nationals by air, while some have gone via Port Sudan on the Red Sea, about 500 miles (800 km) by road from Khartoum. UK Britain is beginning a large-scale evacuation of its citizens, with priority given to families with children, the elderly and the infirm. Foreign minister James Cleverly said the UK is working closely with its international partners. The government estimates there are around 4,000 Britons in Sudan. It evacuated its diplomats and their families on Saturday. Japan All Japanese people who wished to leave have been evacuated, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said. Forty-five left on Monday night on a Japanese military flight, and eight others left with the help of France and other groups, he said. Germany As of Tuesday morning, a German evacuation mission had brought a total of 500 people from more than 30 countries to safety, including Belgian, British, Dutch, Jordanian and US citizens as well as Germans. The countrys foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, said efforts were under way to get the remaining Germans out, but did not say how many were left. France France has evacuated more than 500 people from Sudan, comprising more than 200 French citizens as well as Americans, Britons and others, President Emmanuel Macron told his government. Paris has also sent a warship to Port Sudan to help pick up evacuees, two diplomatic sources said. Italy Italian military planes flying from Djibouti evacuated 83 Italians and 13 others overnight, including children and the Italian ambassador. The countrys foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said some Italian NGO workers and missionaries had decided to stay in Sudan, while 19 others had been taken to Egypt two days ago. Cyprus Cyprus said on Tuesday it had activated a humanitarian rescue mechanism to allow third countries to use its facilities to evacuate foreign citizens from Sudan. China Most Chinese nationals have been safely evacuated in groups to neighbouring countries, Chinas Foreign Ministry said. United States of America US forces evacuated American and some foreign diplomats on Saturday. Washington said on Monday that several dozen Americans were travelling overland in a UN-led convoy to Port Sudan, and that dozens more had expressed an interest in leaving. It said it was positioning naval assets to assist evacuations if necessary. Ukraine Kyiv said it had rescued of its 87 citizens - most of them pilots, aircraft technicians and their families - among a total of 138 civilians, who also included citizens of Georgia and Peru. South Africa Officials said it expected the last 12 of its nationals known to be in Sudan to have left on Tuesday. Egypt On Monday, Egypt said it had evacuated 436 of its nationals out of about 10,000 in neighbouring Sudan. It said one of its diplomats had been wounded by gunfire, without giving details. About 800 Sudanese and 100 foreigners had passed through the Egyptian border with Sudan, two Egyptian security sources said, as Egypt loosened restrictions on those allowed in. Saudi Arabia and Gulf Arab states Saudi Arabia took 91 Saudis and about 66 people from other countries out from Port Sudan by naval ship to Jeddah on Saturday. Kuwait said all citizens wishing to return home had arrived in Jeddah. Qatar said Saudi Arabia had helped evacuate Qatari citizens. Sudans army accused the RSF of attacking and looting a Qatari embassy convoy heading to Port Sudan. It was not clear if it was the same group that left for Saudi Arabia. The RSF and Qatar have not commented. Russia Moscows ambassador in Khartoum said 140 of about 300 Russians in Sudan had said they wanted to leave, but said evacuation plans could not yet be implemented because they involved crossing front lines. He said there were about 15 people, including a woman and child, stuck in a Russian Orthodox church close to heavy fighting in Khartoum. Whats going on in Sudan? 03:00 , Martha Mchardy Fighting has erupted in Sudans capital city Khartoum and other sites across the country this month as powerful rival military factions battle for control of the African nation and its future. So far, over 420 people, including 264 civilians, have been killed in the conflict and over 3,700 wounded. Tension had been building for months between Sudans army and the RSF, which together toppled a civilian government in an October 2021 coup. (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) The friction was brought to a head by an internationally-backed plan to launch a new transition with civilian parties. A final deal was due to be signed earlier in April, on the fourth anniversary of the overthrow of long-ruling autocrat Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising. Both the army and the RSF were required to cede power under the plan and two issues proved particularly contentious: one was the timetable for the RSF to be integrated into the regular armed forces, the second was when the army would be formally placed under civilian oversight. When fighting broke out on 15 April, both sides blamed the other for provoking the violence. The army accused the RSF of illegal mobilisation in preceding days and the RSF, as it moved on key strategic sites in Khartoum, said the army had tried to seize full power in a plot with Bashir loyalists. Watch: Moment plane carrying British nationals escaping Sudan lands at Stansted Airport 02:00 , Martha Mchardy Braverman rebuked over claim Sudanese refugees can seek asylum in UK 01:00 , Martha Mchardy Suella Braverman has been rebuked by the UNs refugee agency for falsely claiming Sudanese asylum seekers have various legal ways to reach the UK. The Home Secretary said there was no good reason for those fleeing Sudan to cross the English Channel in small boats and instead urged asylum seekers to contact the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. If you are fleeing Sudan for humanitarian reasons, there are various mechanisms you can use, the UNHCR is present in the region and they are the right mechanism by which people should apply if they do want to seek asylum in the UK, Ms Braverman said. But the UNHCR quickly responded, saying it was aware of the statement and wished to clarify that there is no mechanism for refugees to seek asylum in the UK through the organisation. There is no asylum visa or queue for the United Kingdom, it said. The UNHCR added that an overwhelming majority of refugees have no access to safe and legal routes to the UK, noting that only a very small number seek asylum here. Archie Mitchell reports: Braverman rebuked for claim Sudanese asylum seekers have various ways to come to UK Britons among thousands queuing for days without food and water amid chaos at Egypt-Sudan border Thursday 27 April 2023 00:00 , Martha Mchardy A British medical student and NHS doctor with her children are among thousands stuck in chaotic scenes at Sudans border with Egypt, in what is rapidly deteriorating into a humanitarian crisis. The Britons became trapped in Khartoum when ferocious fighting between Sudans top generals erupted and they were forced to make the treacherous journey to the border where dire conditions awaited them. Dr Lina Badr, 42, an NHS gynaecologist based in Birmingham, and her three children have been waiting in the queue for two days. She described chaos as thousands of desperate people wait to cross into Egypt in the heat with no way of securing food or water. Tara Cobham and Bel Trew report: Britons among thousands queuing without food and water in chaos at Egypt-Sudan border Father told children it was like hide-and-seek amid gunfight near Sudan home Wednesday 26 April 2023 23:00 , Martha Mchardy A British-Sudanese father of three has said he told his children it was like a hide-and-seek game when his home was caught in the middle of a gunfight in Sudan. Munzir Salman was at home in Khartoum with his three children when Sudanese armed forces soldiers were ambushed by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) officers outside his block of flats. The 37-year-old, who has dual citizenship, spoke to the PA news agency while he and his children waited to fly to the UK via Larnaca, Cyprus. He said: What happened was some army soldiers were coming through and they were ambushed by the RSF. They then ran behind my house, and they were shooting at each other, I was in the middle. It was horrendous and, unfortunately, its not the first time Ive had gunshots around me. Im a single father of three kids so I had to stay calm for them. I had to tell them it was like a game and told them it was like a hide-and-seek game. It was an experience they had never been through before, it was very scary but I tried to make it a game for them. I explained the danger before trying to make it like Tom and Jerry where the people outside were Tom and we were Jerry. Ben Roberts-Haslam reports: Father told children it was like hide-and-seek amid gunfight near Sudan home Watch: Thousands wait for days in dire conditions at Egypt-Sudan border Wednesday 26 April 2023 22:00 , Martha Mchardy Six UK flights have evacuated 536 people from Sudan Wednesday 26 April 2023 21:48 , Martha Mchardy Six UK flights have evacuated 536 people from war-torn Sudan, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said. British-Sudanese woman 'takes matters into her own hands' to flee Sudan Wednesday 26 April 2023 21:00 , Martha Mchardy Caught up in a conflict that flared during what was meant to be a brief trip to Khartoum, British-Sudanese author Rozan Ahmed spent days calling the UK embassy for advice until she finally took matters into her own hands and boarded a bus for Egypt. The scenes she filmed on her phone as she left give an insight into the violence sweeping through the Sudanese capital since a power struggle between the army and the RSF paramilitary group escalated into all out conflict on April 15. The clashes have killed at least 512 people. I contacted the British embassy. I would say all day, every day for a week to see when we would be able to be evacuated, she told Reuters from Cairo. No solid plan was given to us a week later, which is when I decided to take matters into my own hands because I ran out of water, she said, describing cowering at home with dwindling provisions as gunfire, shelling and air strikes raged outside. Britain, with an estimated 4,000 nationals in Sudan, began airlift evacuations on Tuesday to Cyprus. It has been criticised for lagging other European countries in flying out citizens. Ahmed said she and others mobilised to plan their escape, after hearing some people were heading north by bus to Egypt. We hired a bus. There were about 50 of us, she said. Moving through the war zone was the most frightening part. On a number of occasions we drove past tanks and heavily armed humans. That just terrified us because we had heard reports of buses being stopped and robbed and people being shot... That left me truly shaken. But we didnt have a choice. Although feeling absolutely petrified, externally she was remarkably composed and calm, Ahmed said. I suppose you know what they say - God takes the wheel. Her journey from Khartoum to the Egyptian border took 12 hours but then it took another day and a half to enter Egypt because of the queues. She plans on leaving Egypt after taking a few days to recover from her ordeal. My heart is still in Sudan. I cant stop thinking about the people that are stuck there, who dont have the means to get out. I really hope and pray that evacuations are now in order. That there is support, that there is assistance. Sudan's Burhan gives initial approval to proposed trade extension Wednesday 26 April 2023 20:56 , Martha Mchardy Sudans army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, gave initial approval to the regional African bloc Intergovernmental Authority on Developments (IGAD) proposal to extend a truce for 72 hours and send an army envoy to the south Sudan capital, Juba, for talks, an army statement said on Wednesday. The proposal suggests sending both an army and Rapid Support Forces envoys to Juba to discuss the details. Diplomat says 15 Syrians killed amid clashes in Sudan Wednesday 26 April 2023 20:47 , Martha Mchardy Fifteen Syrians were killed as a result of running clashes in Sudan, Sham FM, a radio and TV station, cited the charge daffaires of the Syrian Embassy in Sudan as saying on Wednesday. No injuries were reported among Syrian expats, said the diplomat, adding that all members of the diplomatic missions there are alright. Wounded British doctors agonising choice in Sudan Wednesday 26 April 2023 20:30 , Martha Mchardy A British doctor is facing an agonising choice between risking a deadly infection from his gunshot wound and leaving his vulnerable elderly mother to fend for herself in a war zone in Sudan. The doctor, who retired recently after working in the NHS for over 30 years, was visiting his family in Khartoum for Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr when fierce clashes between forces loyal to the countrys two top generals erupted in the city on 15 April. He was shot in the leg when he risked his life moving his daughter and 87-year-old mother, who requires constant care, to a safer place in Khartoum. Tara Cobham reports: Wounded British doctor faces agonising decision in Sudan Watch: Sunak asked if UK will provide safe route for children fleeing Sudan Wednesday 26 April 2023 20:00 , Martha Mchardy Canadian aircraft positioned for evacuations once conditions permit in Sudan - Defence minister Wednesday 26 April 2023 19:48 , Martha Mchardy Canada has positioned two C-130 Hercules aircraft near Sudan to evacuate Canadians from the North African country once conditions on the ground permit, defence minister Anita Anand said on Wednesday. There are conditions that we are monitoring very closely, one of which is the space at the airport, another is to ensure that Canadians are able to get to the airport in a secure manner, Ms Anand told reporters in Ottawa. Evacuees from Sudan land in Paris Wednesday 26 April 2023 19:45 , Martha Mchardy Some 245 evacuees from Sudan, including 195 French nationals, landed in Paris on Wednesday, expressing relief at escaping the heavy fighting and chaos. Sudan erupted in warfare on April 15, derailing a transition to civilian rule, since when the paramilitaries have embedded themselves in residential districts and the army has sought to target them from the air. The fighting has turned residential areas into battlefields. Air strikes and artillery have killed more than 500 people, wounded more than 4,000, destroyed hospitals and limited food distribution in a nation where a third of the 46 million people rely on food aid. The past few weeks, we felt a rise in inter-community tensions with looting, carjacks, shootings between communities, humanitarian worker Charline Petitejean told Reuters at the Paris headquarters of her NGO Solidaritas International. The 27-year-old had been working for three months in Sudan but arrived back in Paris Wednesday morning. When the decision was made to evacuate, there were so many things that needed to be done that there was no time for fear, she said, adding that now she was in France she was worried for her Sudanese colleagues who stayed and for the Sudanese people as the humanitarian context worsens. She said she would like to return to Dafur as soon as possible. Several countries have evacuated nationals by air, while some have gone via Port Sudan on the Red Sea, about 800 km (500 miles) by road from Khartoum. I felt completely paralysed, said 28-year-old PhD student Leila Oulkebous, another evacuee. Oulkebous was out doing thesis interviews when fighting broke out nearby. I didnt know how to get out..., she said. Im very, very relieved. (...) I will continue to have nightmares about it. Franck Haaser, cooperation councillor at the French Embassy in Sudan, was relieved that there were no deaths among those evacuated. We lived through a week of chaos ... it was very difficult, he said. The shooting was all across the city. We didnt directly see the shooting, but with the intensity of the fighting, there were stray bullets everywhere, broken windows in all buildings, it was chaos. Chaos. British nationals face dangerous journeys to Sudan evacuation site Wednesday 26 April 2023 19:30 , Martha Mchardy British nationals in Khartoum are facing dangerous journeys to the Wadi Saeedna airstrip in the hope of boarding an evacuation flight out of Sudan. One Sudanese-British citizen said some people are too scared to make the trip as another described complete chaos on the streets. Eight flights were expected to have left by the end of Wednesday to lift people to safety as the military races against time to rescue citizens while a fragile ceasefire holds. Harry Stedman reports: British nationals face dangerous journeys to Sudan evacuation site Braverman appears to rule out safe and legal routes for refugees from Sudan Wednesday 26 April 2023 19:00 , Martha Mchardy Suella Braverman has appeared to rule out introducing safe and legal routes to the UK for refugees trying to escape the conflict in Sudan. The Home Secretary confirmed on Tuesday the Government has no plans to consider making provisions for civilians from the war-torn country to access Britain. During a visit to Northamptonshire, Ms Braverman was asked about the prospect of turning efforts towards helping those trying to flee Khartoum once the evacuation of British nationals has been completed. Nina Lloyd reports: Braverman appears to rule out safe and legal routes for refugees from Sudan Sudanese crowd at borders to escape amid shaky truce Wednesday 26 April 2023 18:30 , Martha Mchardy Sudanese families were massing at a border crossing with Egypt and at a main port on Wednesday, desperately trying to escape their countrys violence and sometimes waiting for days with little food or shelter, witnesses said. In the capital, Khartoum, the intensity of fighting eased on the second day of a three-day truce. Taking advantage of relative calm, many residents in Khartoum and the neighbouring city of Omdurman emerged from their homes to seek food and water, lining up at bakeries or grocery stores, after days of being trapped inside by the fighting between the army and a rival paramilitary group. Some inspected shops or homes that had been destroyed or looted.There is a sense of calm in my area and neighbourhoods, said Mahasen Ali, a tea vendor who lives in Khartoums southern neighbourhood of May. But all are afraid of whats next. Still, gunfire and explosions could be heard in the city, though residents said clashes were in more limited pockets, mainly around the militarys headquarters and the Republican Palace in central Khartoum and around bases in Omdurman across the Nile River. British military assures Sudan evacuations can continue even if ceasefire breaks Wednesday 26 April 2023 18:00 , Martha Mchardy Air evacuations of British nationals from an airfield near Sudans capital can continue even if the fragile ceasefire breaks, military chiefs have assured. More than 300 people have been airlifted from Wadi Saeedna airstrip near Khartoum since the pause in fierce fighting was agreed but thousands more may need help fleeing. Brigadier Dan Reeve, chief of joint force operations, the RAF can move 500 people per day on five aircrafts but that could be increased by calling on more, or larger, planes. Sam Blewett reports: British military assures Sudan evacuations can continue even if ceasefire breaks In pictures: First British nationals arrive in UK from Sudan Wednesday 26 April 2023 17:30 , Martha Mchardy Evacuees, believed to be British nationals, arrive at Stansted Airport following evacuation from Sudan (REUTERS) (REUTERS) Wahied and Fatima Hassan, evacuees from Halfaya near Khartoum, Sudan, pose for a picture (REUTERS) (REUTERS) (REUTERS) (PA) (PA) UN warns of immense suffering for years as first Britons land back in UK Wednesday 26 April 2023 16:58 , Martha Mchardy The UN has warned of immense suffering for years in Sudan as the first Britons land back in UK. The UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres warned prolonged fighting in Sudan could cause years of immense suffering, and that the conflict could not be resolved on the battlefield. The comments come as more than 300 Britons have been evacuated from Sudan as the military races against time to bring people to safety before a 72-hour ceasefire ends. The first plane landed at Stansted Airport at around 2.30pm from Lanarca, Cyprus. There were children on the flight, a Foreign Office spokesperson said. However, No.10 has confirmed only British passport holders and their dependents are being evacuated - meaning some NHS doctors stranded in Sudan who are non-British and visa holders will not be able to seek safety. The warring factions in Sudan have agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire starting on Tuesday, while Western, Arab and Asian nations raced to evacuate their citizens from the country. The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) said the US and Saudi Arabia mediated the truce. The UK has said it will pursue all avenues to help British citizens still trapped in Khartoum. With around 4,000 UK citizens possibly stranded amid deadly street fighting and a shortage of food, water and electricity, the government is pursuing all diplomatic avenues in removing British nationals from Sudan, Downing Street said. Sudan crisis exposes governments Refugee Ban Bill as inhumane, says Choose Love CEO Wednesday 26 April 2023 16:08 , Martha Mchardy The Sudan crisis exposes the governments Refugee Ban Bill as inhumane, the Choose Love CEO has said. Josie Naughton said: The Sudan crisis exposes the governments Refugee Ban Bill for what it is: an inhumane piece of legislation belonging to a different era. As the world rises to the challenge of mass displacement from Sudan, the UK is turning its back on the global principles required to maintain refugees rights to protection. Instead, this Bill will rip families apart, re-traumatise survivors of conflict and persecution, and most shamefully of all, it will criminalise and detain unaccompanied children. The worlds displaced population will grow exponentially in the coming decades, international cooperation, compassion and integration is our only solution. WHO fears more deaths in Sudan due to outbreaks and collapse of services Wednesday 26 April 2023 16:00 , Martha Mchardy The World Health Organisation (WHO) expects many more deaths in Sudan due to outbreaks of disease and a lack of essential services amid fighting, its director general said on Wednesday. Battles between Sudans army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary since mid-April has killed at least 459 people and injured more than 4,000, according to the WHO. On top of the number of deaths and injuries caused by the conflict itself, the WHO expects there will be many more deaths due to outbreaks, lack of access to food and water and disruptions to essential health services, including immunization, WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. Mr Tedros added that only 16 per cent of health facilities were functioning in the Sudanese capital. WHO estimates that one quarter of the lives lost so far could have been saved with access to basic haemorrhage control. But paramedics, nurses and doctors are unable to access injured civilians, and civilians are unable to access services. The U.N. health body was carrying out a risk assessment to determine whether the seizure of a laboratory in Khartoum housing pathogens represented a risk to public health. When lab workers are forced to leave a laboratory and untrained people enter that laboratory, there are always risks, but the risks are primarily to those individuals first and foremost to accidentally expose themselves to the pathogens, said Mike Ryan, head of WHOs health emergencies programme. However, the absence of clean water and vaccines, as well as other sanitation issues, represented the main risk to Sudanese, he added. Sudan Doctors Union warn of hospitals taken out of service due to fighting Wednesday 26 April 2023 15:50 , Martha Mchardy The Sudan Doctors Union in the UK published a letter on Monday warning major hospitals and healthcare facilities had been taken out of service due to structural damage from direct hits or/and an inability to safely provide healthcare personnel. It said there are serious shortages in all sorts of medical supplies and life-saving medicines, along with the lack of water, electricity, and fuel which is complicating the healthcare response on the ground. We urge the UK and US Governments and the European Union to put the escalating humanitarian crisis in Sudan at the top of their agenda so we can save lives. Current efforts should focus on an immediate and permanent cessation of all military activity in Sudan and the provision of safe passage for civilians to and from healthcare facilities. The provision of life-saving drugs and intravenous solutions is urgent as well as restoring blood bank services, the letter said. Fighting flared in Sudan yesterday as its armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) battled on Khartoums outskirts, undermining a truce in their 11-day conflict. The fighting came as the army agreed to extending the ceasefire that is in force till today. The army said last night its leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, gave initial approval to a plan to extend the truce for another 72 hours and send an army envoy to the South Sudan capital, Juba, for talks, reported Reuters. There was no immediate response from the RSF to the proposal. Also yesterday, US secretary of state Antony Blinken and African Union Commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat discussed working together to create a sustainable end to the fighting in Sudan. UN secretary general Antonio Guterres warned that prolonged fighting in Sudan could cause years of immense suffering, and that the conflict could not be resolved on the battlefield. Meanwhile six UK flights have evacuated 536 people from Sudan since the pause in fierce fighting was agreed, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said yesterday, but thousands more may need help fleeing. Key Points Fighting flares as military approves ceasefire extension Paramilitary forces yet to respond to ceasefire proposal Blinken and African Union Commission chairperson discuss ending Sudan fighting Six UK flights evacuate 536 people from Sudan Sudan evacuations for Britons can continue even if ceasefire breaks Fighting flares as military approves ceasefire extension 04:48 , Sravasti Dasgupta Fighting flared in Sudan yesterday as Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) battled on Khartoums outskirts, undermining a truce in their 11-day conflict. The fighting came as the army agreed to extending the ceasefire that is in force till today. The army late last night said its leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, gave initial approval to a plan to extend the truce for another 72 hours and send an army envoy to the South Sudan capital, Juba, for talks, reported Reuters. Story continues There was no immediate response from the RSF to the proposal from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional bloc. The military said the presidents of South Sudan, Kenya and Djibouti worked on a proposal that includes extending the truce and talks between the two forces. Burhan thanked the IGAD and expressed an initial approval to that, the army statement said. (Rapid Support Forces (RSF)/AFP) How Putins chef and his Wagner Group are cashing in on Sudan 06:00 , Martha Mchardy Theyve drawn most attention in eastern Ukraine, but it seems wherever war breaks out from Syria to Sudan this group of mercenaries can be found profiting from bloodshed, writes World Affairs Editor Kim Sengupta. How Putins chef and his Wagner Group are cashing in on Sudan Blinken and African Union Commission chairperson discuss ending Sudan fighting 05:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta US secretary of state Antony Blinken and African Union Commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat discussed working together to create a sustainable end to the fighting in Sudan, the State Department said in a statement yesterday. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the two spoke about a collaboration to create a sustainable cessation of hostilities and end the fighting in Sudan. Secretary Blinken and chairperson Faki agreed that the AUs continued leadership remains essential in pressing the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to immediately cease military operations and allow unhindered humanitarian access, the statement said. I spoke with @AUC_MoussaFaki today to continue the United States close collaboration with the @_AfricanUnion to end the fighting in Sudan, and to secure unhindered humanitarian access for the Sudanese people. https://t.co/8sQVgkAuC5 Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) April 27, 2023 What could happen in Sudan? 05:00 , Martha Mchardy International parties have called for a ceasefire and a return to dialogue but there has been little sign of compromise from the warring factions. The army has branded the RSF as a rebel force and demanded its dissolution, while Hemedti has called Burhan a criminal and blamed him for visiting destruction on the country. Though Sudans army has superior resources including air power and the RSF expanded into a force estimated at 100,000 men that had deployed across Khartoum and its neighbouring cities as well as in other regions, raising the spectre of protracted conflict on top of a long-running economic crisis and existing, large-scale humanitarian needs. The RSF can also draw on support and tribal ties in the western region of Darfur, where it emerged from the militias that fought alongside government forces to crush rebels in a brutal war that escalated after 2003. Which countries are evacuating citizens from Sudan? 04:00 , Martha Mchardy The conflict between Sudans army and a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has triggered a rush to extract foreign diplomats and citizens. Several countries have evacuated nationals by air, while some have gone via Port Sudan on the Red Sea, about 500 miles (800 km) by road from Khartoum. UK Britain is beginning a large-scale evacuation of its citizens, with priority given to families with children, the elderly and the infirm. Foreign minister James Cleverly said the UK is working closely with its international partners. The government estimates there are around 4,000 Britons in Sudan. It evacuated its diplomats and their families on Saturday. Japan All Japanese people who wished to leave have been evacuated, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said. Forty-five left on Monday night on a Japanese military flight, and eight others left with the help of France and other groups, he said. Germany As of Tuesday morning, a German evacuation mission had brought a total of 500 people from more than 30 countries to safety, including Belgian, British, Dutch, Jordanian and US citizens as well as Germans. The countrys foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, said efforts were under way to get the remaining Germans out, but did not say how many were left. France France has evacuated more than 500 people from Sudan, comprising more than 200 French citizens as well as Americans, Britons and others, President Emmanuel Macron told his government. Paris has also sent a warship to Port Sudan to help pick up evacuees, two diplomatic sources said. Italy Italian military planes flying from Djibouti evacuated 83 Italians and 13 others overnight, including children and the Italian ambassador. The countrys foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said some Italian NGO workers and missionaries had decided to stay in Sudan, while 19 others had been taken to Egypt two days ago. Cyprus Cyprus said on Tuesday it had activated a humanitarian rescue mechanism to allow third countries to use its facilities to evacuate foreign citizens from Sudan. China Most Chinese nationals have been safely evacuated in groups to neighbouring countries, Chinas Foreign Ministry said. United States of America US forces evacuated American and some foreign diplomats on Saturday. Washington said on Monday that several dozen Americans were travelling overland in a UN-led convoy to Port Sudan, and that dozens more had expressed an interest in leaving. It said it was positioning naval assets to assist evacuations if necessary. Ukraine Kyiv said it had rescued of its 87 citizens - most of them pilots, aircraft technicians and their families - among a total of 138 civilians, who also included citizens of Georgia and Peru. South Africa Officials said it expected the last 12 of its nationals known to be in Sudan to have left on Tuesday. Egypt On Monday, Egypt said it had evacuated 436 of its nationals out of about 10,000 in neighbouring Sudan. It said one of its diplomats had been wounded by gunfire, without giving details. About 800 Sudanese and 100 foreigners had passed through the Egyptian border with Sudan, two Egyptian security sources said, as Egypt loosened restrictions on those allowed in. Saudi Arabia and Gulf Arab states Saudi Arabia took 91 Saudis and about 66 people from other countries out from Port Sudan by naval ship to Jeddah on Saturday. Kuwait said all citizens wishing to return home had arrived in Jeddah. Qatar said Saudi Arabia had helped evacuate Qatari citizens. Sudans army accused the RSF of attacking and looting a Qatari embassy convoy heading to Port Sudan. It was not clear if it was the same group that left for Saudi Arabia. The RSF and Qatar have not commented. Russia Moscows ambassador in Khartoum said 140 of about 300 Russians in Sudan had said they wanted to leave, but said evacuation plans could not yet be implemented because they involved crossing front lines. He said there were about 15 people, including a woman and child, stuck in a Russian Orthodox church close to heavy fighting in Khartoum. Whats going on in Sudan? 03:00 , Martha Mchardy Fighting has erupted in Sudans capital city Khartoum and other sites across the country this month as powerful rival military factions battle for control of the African nation and its future. So far, over 420 people, including 264 civilians, have been killed in the conflict and over 3,700 wounded. Tension had been building for months between Sudans army and the RSF, which together toppled a civilian government in an October 2021 coup. (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) The friction was brought to a head by an internationally-backed plan to launch a new transition with civilian parties. A final deal was due to be signed earlier in April, on the fourth anniversary of the overthrow of long-ruling autocrat Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising. Both the army and the RSF were required to cede power under the plan and two issues proved particularly contentious: one was the timetable for the RSF to be integrated into the regular armed forces, the second was when the army would be formally placed under civilian oversight. When fighting broke out on 15 April, both sides blamed the other for provoking the violence. The army accused the RSF of illegal mobilisation in preceding days and the RSF, as it moved on key strategic sites in Khartoum, said the army had tried to seize full power in a plot with Bashir loyalists. Watch: Moment plane carrying British nationals escaping Sudan lands at Stansted Airport 02:00 , Martha Mchardy Braverman rebuked over claim Sudanese refugees can seek asylum in UK 01:00 , Martha Mchardy Suella Braverman has been rebuked by the UNs refugee agency for falsely claiming Sudanese asylum seekers have various legal ways to reach the UK. The Home Secretary said there was no good reason for those fleeing Sudan to cross the English Channel in small boats and instead urged asylum seekers to contact the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. If you are fleeing Sudan for humanitarian reasons, there are various mechanisms you can use, the UNHCR is present in the region and they are the right mechanism by which people should apply if they do want to seek asylum in the UK, Ms Braverman said. But the UNHCR quickly responded, saying it was aware of the statement and wished to clarify that there is no mechanism for refugees to seek asylum in the UK through the organisation. There is no asylum visa or queue for the United Kingdom, it said. The UNHCR added that an overwhelming majority of refugees have no access to safe and legal routes to the UK, noting that only a very small number seek asylum here. Archie Mitchell reports: Braverman rebuked for claim Sudanese asylum seekers have various ways to come to UK Britons among thousands queuing for days without food and water amid chaos at Egypt-Sudan border Thursday 27 April 2023 00:00 , Martha Mchardy A British medical student and NHS doctor with her children are among thousands stuck in chaotic scenes at Sudans border with Egypt, in what is rapidly deteriorating into a humanitarian crisis. The Britons became trapped in Khartoum when ferocious fighting between Sudans top generals erupted and they were forced to make the treacherous journey to the border where dire conditions awaited them. Dr Lina Badr, 42, an NHS gynaecologist based in Birmingham, and her three children have been waiting in the queue for two days. She described chaos as thousands of desperate people wait to cross into Egypt in the heat with no way of securing food or water. Tara Cobham and Bel Trew report: Britons among thousands queuing without food and water in chaos at Egypt-Sudan border Father told children it was like hide-and-seek amid gunfight near Sudan home Wednesday 26 April 2023 23:00 , Martha Mchardy A British-Sudanese father of three has said he told his children it was like a hide-and-seek game when his home was caught in the middle of a gunfight in Sudan. Munzir Salman was at home in Khartoum with his three children when Sudanese armed forces soldiers were ambushed by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) officers outside his block of flats. The 37-year-old, who has dual citizenship, spoke to the PA news agency while he and his children waited to fly to the UK via Larnaca, Cyprus. He said: What happened was some army soldiers were coming through and they were ambushed by the RSF. They then ran behind my house, and they were shooting at each other, I was in the middle. It was horrendous and, unfortunately, its not the first time Ive had gunshots around me. Im a single father of three kids so I had to stay calm for them. I had to tell them it was like a game and told them it was like a hide-and-seek game. It was an experience they had never been through before, it was very scary but I tried to make it a game for them. I explained the danger before trying to make it like Tom and Jerry where the people outside were Tom and we were Jerry. Ben Roberts-Haslam reports: Father told children it was like hide-and-seek amid gunfight near Sudan home Watch: Thousands wait for days in dire conditions at Egypt-Sudan border Wednesday 26 April 2023 22:00 , Martha Mchardy Six UK flights have evacuated 536 people from Sudan Wednesday 26 April 2023 21:48 , Martha Mchardy Six UK flights have evacuated 536 people from war-torn Sudan, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said. British-Sudanese woman 'takes matters into her own hands' to flee Sudan Wednesday 26 April 2023 21:00 , Martha Mchardy Caught up in a conflict that flared during what was meant to be a brief trip to Khartoum, British-Sudanese author Rozan Ahmed spent days calling the UK embassy for advice until she finally took matters into her own hands and boarded a bus for Egypt. The scenes she filmed on her phone as she left give an insight into the violence sweeping through the Sudanese capital since a power struggle between the army and the RSF paramilitary group escalated into all out conflict on April 15. The clashes have killed at least 512 people. I contacted the British embassy. I would say all day, every day for a week to see when we would be able to be evacuated, she told Reuters from Cairo. No solid plan was given to us a week later, which is when I decided to take matters into my own hands because I ran out of water, she said, describing cowering at home with dwindling provisions as gunfire, shelling and air strikes raged outside. Britain, with an estimated 4,000 nationals in Sudan, began airlift evacuations on Tuesday to Cyprus. It has been criticised for lagging other European countries in flying out citizens. Ahmed said she and others mobilised to plan their escape, after hearing some people were heading north by bus to Egypt. We hired a bus. There were about 50 of us, she said. Moving through the war zone was the most frightening part. On a number of occasions we drove past tanks and heavily armed humans. That just terrified us because we had heard reports of buses being stopped and robbed and people being shot... That left me truly shaken. But we didnt have a choice. Although feeling absolutely petrified, externally she was remarkably composed and calm, Ahmed said. I suppose you know what they say - God takes the wheel. Her journey from Khartoum to the Egyptian border took 12 hours but then it took another day and a half to enter Egypt because of the queues. She plans on leaving Egypt after taking a few days to recover from her ordeal. My heart is still in Sudan. I cant stop thinking about the people that are stuck there, who dont have the means to get out. I really hope and pray that evacuations are now in order. That there is support, that there is assistance. Sudan's Burhan gives initial approval to proposed trade extension Wednesday 26 April 2023 20:56 , Martha Mchardy Sudans army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, gave initial approval to the regional African bloc Intergovernmental Authority on Developments (IGAD) proposal to extend a truce for 72 hours and send an army envoy to the south Sudan capital, Juba, for talks, an army statement said on Wednesday. The proposal suggests sending both an army and Rapid Support Forces envoys to Juba to discuss the details. Diplomat says 15 Syrians killed amid clashes in Sudan Wednesday 26 April 2023 20:47 , Martha Mchardy Fifteen Syrians were killed as a result of running clashes in Sudan, Sham FM, a radio and TV station, cited the charge daffaires of the Syrian Embassy in Sudan as saying on Wednesday. No injuries were reported among Syrian expats, said the diplomat, adding that all members of the diplomatic missions there are alright. Wounded British doctors agonising choice in Sudan Wednesday 26 April 2023 20:30 , Martha Mchardy A British doctor is facing an agonising choice between risking a deadly infection from his gunshot wound and leaving his vulnerable elderly mother to fend for herself in a war zone in Sudan. The doctor, who retired recently after working in the NHS for over 30 years, was visiting his family in Khartoum for Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr when fierce clashes between forces loyal to the countrys two top generals erupted in the city on 15 April. He was shot in the leg when he risked his life moving his daughter and 87-year-old mother, who requires constant care, to a safer place in Khartoum. Tara Cobham reports: Wounded British doctor faces agonising decision in Sudan Watch: Sunak asked if UK will provide safe route for children fleeing Sudan Wednesday 26 April 2023 20:00 , Martha Mchardy Canadian aircraft positioned for evacuations once conditions permit in Sudan - Defence minister Wednesday 26 April 2023 19:48 , Martha Mchardy Canada has positioned two C-130 Hercules aircraft near Sudan to evacuate Canadians from the North African country once conditions on the ground permit, defence minister Anita Anand said on Wednesday. There are conditions that we are monitoring very closely, one of which is the space at the airport, another is to ensure that Canadians are able to get to the airport in a secure manner, Ms Anand told reporters in Ottawa. Evacuees from Sudan land in Paris Wednesday 26 April 2023 19:45 , Martha Mchardy Some 245 evacuees from Sudan, including 195 French nationals, landed in Paris on Wednesday, expressing relief at escaping the heavy fighting and chaos. Sudan erupted in warfare on April 15, derailing a transition to civilian rule, since when the paramilitaries have embedded themselves in residential districts and the army has sought to target them from the air. The fighting has turned residential areas into battlefields. Air strikes and artillery have killed more than 500 people, wounded more than 4,000, destroyed hospitals and limited food distribution in a nation where a third of the 46 million people rely on food aid. The past few weeks, we felt a rise in inter-community tensions with looting, carjacks, shootings between communities, humanitarian worker Charline Petitejean told Reuters at the Paris headquarters of her NGO Solidaritas International. The 27-year-old had been working for three months in Sudan but arrived back in Paris Wednesday morning. When the decision was made to evacuate, there were so many things that needed to be done that there was no time for fear, she said, adding that now she was in France she was worried for her Sudanese colleagues who stayed and for the Sudanese people as the humanitarian context worsens. She said she would like to return to Dafur as soon as possible. Several countries have evacuated nationals by air, while some have gone via Port Sudan on the Red Sea, about 800 km (500 miles) by road from Khartoum. I felt completely paralysed, said 28-year-old PhD student Leila Oulkebous, another evacuee. Oulkebous was out doing thesis interviews when fighting broke out nearby. I didnt know how to get out..., she said. Im very, very relieved. (...) I will continue to have nightmares about it. Franck Haaser, cooperation councillor at the French Embassy in Sudan, was relieved that there were no deaths among those evacuated. We lived through a week of chaos ... it was very difficult, he said. The shooting was all across the city. We didnt directly see the shooting, but with the intensity of the fighting, there were stray bullets everywhere, broken windows in all buildings, it was chaos. Chaos. British nationals face dangerous journeys to Sudan evacuation site Wednesday 26 April 2023 19:30 , Martha Mchardy British nationals in Khartoum are facing dangerous journeys to the Wadi Saeedna airstrip in the hope of boarding an evacuation flight out of Sudan. One Sudanese-British citizen said some people are too scared to make the trip as another described complete chaos on the streets. Eight flights were expected to have left by the end of Wednesday to lift people to safety as the military races against time to rescue citizens while a fragile ceasefire holds. Harry Stedman reports: British nationals face dangerous journeys to Sudan evacuation site Braverman appears to rule out safe and legal routes for refugees from Sudan Wednesday 26 April 2023 19:00 , Martha Mchardy Suella Braverman has appeared to rule out introducing safe and legal routes to the UK for refugees trying to escape the conflict in Sudan. The Home Secretary confirmed on Tuesday the Government has no plans to consider making provisions for civilians from the war-torn country to access Britain. During a visit to Northamptonshire, Ms Braverman was asked about the prospect of turning efforts towards helping those trying to flee Khartoum once the evacuation of British nationals has been completed. Nina Lloyd reports: Braverman appears to rule out safe and legal routes for refugees from Sudan Sudanese crowd at borders to escape amid shaky truce Wednesday 26 April 2023 18:30 , Martha Mchardy Sudanese families were massing at a border crossing with Egypt and at a main port on Wednesday, desperately trying to escape their countrys violence and sometimes waiting for days with little food or shelter, witnesses said. In the capital, Khartoum, the intensity of fighting eased on the second day of a three-day truce. Taking advantage of relative calm, many residents in Khartoum and the neighbouring city of Omdurman emerged from their homes to seek food and water, lining up at bakeries or grocery stores, after days of being trapped inside by the fighting between the army and a rival paramilitary group. Some inspected shops or homes that had been destroyed or looted.There is a sense of calm in my area and neighbourhoods, said Mahasen Ali, a tea vendor who lives in Khartoums southern neighbourhood of May. But all are afraid of whats next. Still, gunfire and explosions could be heard in the city, though residents said clashes were in more limited pockets, mainly around the militarys headquarters and the Republican Palace in central Khartoum and around bases in Omdurman across the Nile River. British military assures Sudan evacuations can continue even if ceasefire breaks Wednesday 26 April 2023 18:00 , Martha Mchardy Air evacuations of British nationals from an airfield near Sudans capital can continue even if the fragile ceasefire breaks, military chiefs have assured. More than 300 people have been airlifted from Wadi Saeedna airstrip near Khartoum since the pause in fierce fighting was agreed but thousands more may need help fleeing. Brigadier Dan Reeve, chief of joint force operations, the RAF can move 500 people per day on five aircrafts but that could be increased by calling on more, or larger, planes. Sam Blewett reports: British military assures Sudan evacuations can continue even if ceasefire breaks In pictures: First British nationals arrive in UK from Sudan Wednesday 26 April 2023 17:30 , Martha Mchardy Evacuees, believed to be British nationals, arrive at Stansted Airport following evacuation from Sudan (REUTERS) (REUTERS) Wahied and Fatima Hassan, evacuees from Halfaya near Khartoum, Sudan, pose for a picture (REUTERS) (REUTERS) (REUTERS) (PA) (PA) UN warns of immense suffering for years as first Britons land back in UK Wednesday 26 April 2023 16:58 , Martha Mchardy The UN has warned of immense suffering for years in Sudan as the first Britons land back in UK. The UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres warned prolonged fighting in Sudan could cause years of immense suffering, and that the conflict could not be resolved on the battlefield. The comments come as more than 300 Britons have been evacuated from Sudan as the military races against time to bring people to safety before a 72-hour ceasefire ends. The first plane landed at Stansted Airport at around 2.30pm from Lanarca, Cyprus. There were children on the flight, a Foreign Office spokesperson said. However, No.10 has confirmed only British passport holders and their dependents are being evacuated - meaning some NHS doctors stranded in Sudan who are non-British and visa holders will not be able to seek safety. The warring factions in Sudan have agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire starting on Tuesday, while Western, Arab and Asian nations raced to evacuate their citizens from the country. The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) said the US and Saudi Arabia mediated the truce. The UK has said it will pursue all avenues to help British citizens still trapped in Khartoum. With around 4,000 UK citizens possibly stranded amid deadly street fighting and a shortage of food, water and electricity, the government is pursuing all diplomatic avenues in removing British nationals from Sudan, Downing Street said. Sudan crisis exposes governments Refugee Ban Bill as inhumane, says Choose Love CEO Wednesday 26 April 2023 16:08 , Martha Mchardy The Sudan crisis exposes the governments Refugee Ban Bill as inhumane, the Choose Love CEO has said. Josie Naughton said: The Sudan crisis exposes the governments Refugee Ban Bill for what it is: an inhumane piece of legislation belonging to a different era. As the world rises to the challenge of mass displacement from Sudan, the UK is turning its back on the global principles required to maintain refugees rights to protection. Instead, this Bill will rip families apart, re-traumatise survivors of conflict and persecution, and most shamefully of all, it will criminalise and detain unaccompanied children. The worlds displaced population will grow exponentially in the coming decades, international cooperation, compassion and integration is our only solution. WHO fears more deaths in Sudan due to outbreaks and collapse of services Wednesday 26 April 2023 16:00 , Martha Mchardy The World Health Organisation (WHO) expects many more deaths in Sudan due to outbreaks of disease and a lack of essential services amid fighting, its director general said on Wednesday. Battles between Sudans army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary since mid-April has killed at least 459 people and injured more than 4,000, according to the WHO. On top of the number of deaths and injuries caused by the conflict itself, the WHO expects there will be many more deaths due to outbreaks, lack of access to food and water and disruptions to essential health services, including immunization, WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. Mr Tedros added that only 16 per cent of health facilities were functioning in the Sudanese capital. WHO estimates that one quarter of the lives lost so far could have been saved with access to basic haemorrhage control. But paramedics, nurses and doctors are unable to access injured civilians, and civilians are unable to access services. The U.N. health body was carrying out a risk assessment to determine whether the seizure of a laboratory in Khartoum housing pathogens represented a risk to public health. When lab workers are forced to leave a laboratory and untrained people enter that laboratory, there are always risks, but the risks are primarily to those individuals first and foremost to accidentally expose themselves to the pathogens, said Mike Ryan, head of WHOs health emergencies programme. However, the absence of clean water and vaccines, as well as other sanitation issues, represented the main risk to Sudanese, he added. Sudan Doctors Union warn of hospitals taken out of service due to fighting Wednesday 26 April 2023 15:50 , Martha Mchardy The Sudan Doctors Union in the UK published a letter on Monday warning major hospitals and healthcare facilities had been taken out of service due to structural damage from direct hits or/and an inability to safely provide healthcare personnel. It said there are serious shortages in all sorts of medical supplies and life-saving medicines, along with the lack of water, electricity, and fuel which is complicating the healthcare response on the ground. We urge the UK and US Governments and the European Union to put the escalating humanitarian crisis in Sudan at the top of their agenda so we can save lives. Current efforts should focus on an immediate and permanent cessation of all military activity in Sudan and the provision of safe passage for civilians to and from healthcare facilities. The provision of life-saving drugs and intravenous solutions is urgent as well as restoring blood bank services, the letter said. NHS doctors stuck in Sudan after evacuation, union warns Wednesday 26 April 2023 15:41 , Martha Mchardy NHS doctors are still stranded in Sudan after British nationals were evacuated, it has been warned. The Government is evacuating British nationals, but this does not include NHS doctors in Sudan who are non-British and visa holders, the British Medical Association said. No.10 has confirmed only British passport holders and their dependents are being evacuated - meaning some of the stranded NHS doctors will not be able to seek safety. A spokesperson for No.10 said the government was keeping the criteria under review and that there was an element of discretion open to those on the ground. Dr Latifa Patel, Representative Body Chair, for the British Medical Association, said: In response to the escalating violence in Sudan, we understand that the UK Government is evacuating British nationals, but this does not include NHS doctors in Sudan who are non-British and visa holders within the UK. We are calling on the Government to ensure that these doctors, who are invaluable to the UKs health service, are able to get to safety. The situation in Sudan is fluid and as such we do not know exact numbers, but our colleagues at the Sudanese Junior Doctors Association UK estimate that approximately 74 NHS doctors are trapped in Sudan. The Government has a duty of care to ensure the safety of these NHS doctors who work hard to care for patients in the UK NHS doctors who are not British passport holders must not be left behind. It is not clear how many of the 74 NHS doctors in Sudan are not British Nationals however, The Independent has been told of some who were evacuated after they took their chances and arrived at the evacuation points with visa documents. Rebecca Thomas and Kate Devlin report: NHS doctors stuck in Sudan after evacuation, union warns Foreigners fleeing Sudan describe horrible scenes as second American dies Wednesday 26 April 2023 15:36 , Martha Mchardy Foreigners fleeing Khartoum have described bodies littering streets, buildings on fire, residential areas turned into battlefields and youths roaming with large knives. The White House said a second American had died there. It was horrible, said Thanassis Pagoulatos, the 80-year old Greek owner of the Acropole hotel in Khartoum, after arriving in Athens to the embrace of emotional relatives. It has been more than 10 days without any electricity, without water, and five days nearly without food, he added, describing shooting and bombing. Really, the people are suffering, the Sudanese people. Watch: First plane evacuating Britons from Sudan touches down on UK soil Wednesday 26 April 2023 14:49 , Matt Mathers Turks evacuated from Sudan arrive in Istanbul Wednesday 26 April 2023 14:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar The first Turkish civilians evacuated from Sudan returned to Turkey on Wednesday, with more than 100 people arriving by plane at Istanbul Airport, Reuters footage showed. The Turks came from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, where they had arrived overland from the Sudanese capital Khartoum. Several more flights were expected later on Wednesday to evacuate the remaining Turkish citizens crossing to Ethiopia from Sudan. Fighting flared anew in Sudan late on Tuesday despite a ceasefire declaration by the warring factions as more people fled Khartoum and former officials, including one facing international war crimes charges, left prison. Turkeys President Tayyip Erdogan has called on both sides in Sudan to end the conflict and return to negotiations. Reuters First plane from Sudan touches down in UK Wednesday 26 April 2023 14:38 , Matt Mathers The first plane bringing UK nationals from Sudan has landed at Stansted Airport. It arrived at around 2.30pm from Lanarca, Cyprus. There were children on the flight, a Foreign Office spokesperson said. Well have more on this developing story as it comes in. Which countries are evacuating citizens from Sudan? Wednesday 26 April 2023 14:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar Hundreds of foreign nationals have been safely evacuated from Sudan where continued fighting threatens to plunge the African country deeper into chaos Which countries are evacuating citizens from Sudan? Sudan war in pictures - 26/04/2023 Wednesday 26 April 2023 14:11 , Matt Mathers Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Khartoum (Rapid Support Forces (RSF)/AFP v) (Rapid Support Forces (RSF)/AFP v) (Rapid Support Forces (RSF)/AFP v) Government to hold another Cobra meeting on Sudan - No 10 Wednesday 26 April 2023 14:00 , Matt Mathers The UK government will hold another emergency Cobra meeting to discuss the situation in Sudan, No 10 has said. Prime minister Rishi Sunaks official spokesman said the talks would be charied by Oliver Dowden, the deputy PM. Mr Dowden led a Cobra meeting on the crisis yesterday in which officials discussed plans to evacuate British citizens from the war-torn country. Oliver Dowden (right) at a meeting with former PM Boris Johnson (Downing Street) Bashir-era official wanted by ICC escapes jail after reports of prison break Wednesday 26 April 2023 13:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar Ahmed Haroun, a former Sudanese official who served under Omar al-Bashir and is wanted by the International Criminal Court, said that he and other former officials of Bashirs government had left Kober prison and would take responsibility for their own protection Mr Haroun also said they were ready to appear in front of the judiciary whenever it was functioning, in a statement aired on Sudans Tayba TV on Tuesday. The statement comes after reports that prisoners at Kober prison, which held Bashir and other top deputies, had staged a break earlier this week. It was not immediately clear if Bashir, who has spent extended periods in a military hospital, was at the prison. Fighting ramps up again following brief lull Wednesday 26 April 2023 13:36 , Matt Mathers Sudans capital resounded with gunfire and explosions on the western outskirts on Wednesday, eroding a truce amid collapsing basic services, dwindling food supplies and the opening of a prison that let out allies of a jailed former autocrat. With the conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) showing no sign of easing, the army said former president Omar al-Bashir had been transferred to a military hospital before hostilities started on 15 April. The renewed battles were in Omdurman, one of Khartoums twin cities, where the army was fighting reinforcements to the RSF brought in from other regions of Sudan, a Reuters reporter said. A projectile hit Al-Roumi medical centre in Omdurman on Tuesday and exploded inside, wounding 13 people, a hospital official said. The army has accused the RSF of using a three-day truce to reinforce itself with men and weapons. The truce was due to end on Thursday evening. (Rapid Support Forces (RSF)/AFP v) Woman trapped near Sudan army base pleads for evacuation: Please save me and my son Wednesday 26 April 2023 13:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar A Sudanese woman married to an Indian man has issued a desperate appeal to be evacuated having been left stranded along with her 21-month-old son by the fighting in the country. Please help me and my son, Baraah Abaker, 23, says as countries, including India, scramble to evacuate their citizens. Fighting began earlier this month between forces loyal to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of Sudans army, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. Abaker was in her final year at Bahri University when her husband Abdul Haseeb left for India in October last year for work. He left their Indian passport-holding son with her. A veterinary doctor in her final year, Abaker was to take her exams before returning to her husband in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad. More than 300 Britons evacuated as first flights on way to UK Wednesday 26 April 2023 13:08 , Emily Atkinson More than 300 Britons have been evacuated from Sudan as the military races against time to bring people to safety before a ceasefire ends. Over four flights have departed Khartoum so far, a total that will rise to eight on Wednesday, Downing Street has said. Were calling everyone forward and we have no issue with capacity, and people are being processed smoothly, the prime ministers official spokesman said. By the end of today we should have eight flights (in total). The majority of the people on the planes are British nationals but some will be allies citizens, he said. Desperate British nationals walk four hours to reach evacuation flights from Sudan Wednesday 26 April 2023 12:54 , Emily Atkinson A British national in Khartoum plans to walk for four hours from his location to the Wadi Saeedna airstrip, despite the threat of being shot and cashless, in the hope of boarding an evacuation flight to the UK. Tarig Babikir, 42, who used to live in Coventry, told the PA news agency: Im going to go through national army checkpoints and paramilitary checkpoints, and most likely Im going to encounter some armed gangs as well. Im carrying no cash as you can get robbed on the streets, and Im going to hide my cell phone. (PA) Mr Babikirs Ukrainian mother and Sudanese father both have expired UK visas, so he will have to leave them behind with other relatives. My dad is recovering from a stroke, but the best option right now is to leave and I will probably come back in a months time, he said. He added he has been told by the UK Government that two evacuation flights are due to leave Wadi Saeedna on Wednesday evening, and he would be staying with a friend in Kent upon arriving back in the UK, adding: Its complete anarchy right now, complete chaos. Anyone can rob you, anyone can shoot you. Child soldiers, death and despair: We must secure peace in Sudan Wednesday 26 April 2023 12:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar It is always much harder to enforce peace than it is to start a war, writes the chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee Alicia Kearns: Opinion: Child soldiers, death and despair: We must secure peace in Sudan At least 240 Britons land in Cyprus in Sudan evacuation Wednesday 26 April 2023 12:36 , Matt Mathers Now to the latest update from Reuters on the ground: Britain ramped up an airlift of its citizens out of war-torn Sudan to Cyprus on Wednesday, racing to evacuate as many as possible in a 72-hour ceasefire window. Britain began the large-scale evacuation on Tuesday, following other nations in pulling people out of Sudan where clashes between the army and the RSF paramilitary group have killed at least 459 people since April 15. At least 240 Britons arrived from Sudan to Larnaca in Cyprus overnight to early Wednesday. Diplomats said that about 170 individuals who had arrived overnight to the east Mediterranean island had already been placed on a repatriation flight to the UK. Another 150 people were due on an early afternoon flight, diplomats said, and more flights were expected during the day. (PA) The British government has estimated that around 4,000 Britons were stuck in Sudan. The effort is for a smooth operation for people arriving, then leaving as soon as possible, said Theodoros Gotsis, a spokesperson for Cypruss Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has turned residential areas into battlefields and destroyed hospitals. Both parties agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire beginning on Tuesday after negotiations mediated by the United States and Saudi Arabia. Flynn doubles down on questions over Sudanese refugees coming to UK Wednesday 26 April 2023 12:30 , Emily Atkinson Mr Sunak is continuing to bat away questions over Sudanese refugees. The SNP Westminster leader has asked the PM to outline a safe and legal route available to a child refugee seeking to flee Sudan to arrive in the UK. Stephen Flynn told the Commons: Can I ask the prime minister to outline the safe and legal route available to a child refugee seeking to flee Sudan and come to the United Kingdom? Rishi Sunak replied: As outlined earlier, our priority in Sudan, first and foremost, was to evacuate our diplomats and their families, which Im very pleased we were one of the first countries to be able to do. (PA) Since yesterday, we have been conducting a large-scale evacuation of British nationals. We have some of the largest numbers of British nationals on the ground and rightly - and I am sure the whole House will agree with me - that it is reasonable, legal, and fair to prioritise those most vulnerable families, particularly those with elderly people in them, medical conditions, but also children. Thats what we are in the process of doing and I pay tribute to all those who are making it possible. Sunak dodges questions of Sudanese refugees Wednesday 26 April 2023 12:26 , Emily Atkinson Rishi Sunak has defended the UKs migration system after the SNP Commons leader called for more humanity in the debate over small boats. Stephen Flynn was grilling the prime minister over whether a child refugee fleeing Sudan for the UK would be able to seek asylum under the governments rules. Mr Flynn hit out at the Conservative and Labour parties, as he accused Mr Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer of rac[ing] to the bottom. He asked the PM to confirm to the Commons that it would be his governments intention to detain and deport a child refugee who flees from Sudan and comes to the United Kingdom. Mr Sunak avoided the question and instead pointed to the governments work to evacuate diplomats and British nationals from Sudan. Starmer pays tribute to personnel involved in Sudan evacuation Wednesday 26 April 2023 12:19 , Emily Atkinson Speaking at Prime Ministers Questions, Sir Keir Starmer paid tribute to personnel involved in the evacuation effort from Sudan, adding: The government must do everything in its power to urgently evacuate UK nationals still trapped in Sudan. Sudan will experience a humanitarian catastrophe, Africa minister says Wednesday 26 April 2023 12:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar Sudan will experience a humanitarian catastrophe, the Africa minister has said. Andrew Mitchell told the Foreign Affairs Committee that the position in terms of food and the lack of humanitarian relief workers will lead to such a crisis. He said most humanitarian workers are leaving and will not be able to come back until there is a ceasefire. This isnt an ideological battle, this is a battle between two generals for power. He added: Five of them have already been murdered. Mr Mitchell denied that the government should have seen the conflict in Sudan coming. This isnt an ideological battle, this is a battle between two generals for power, he said. There is no ideology involved in this, its raw power being fought over. One might have hoped that this would never happen given the appalling humanitarian jeopardy it has placed so many people in. Press Association Sunak promises to continue work to end bloodshed in Sudan Wednesday 26 April 2023 12:10 , Emily Atkinson Rishi Sunak has promised to continue to work to end the bloodshed in Sudan as the UK races against time to bring British nationals to safety. Addressing the Commons, the prime minister said: The UK will continue to work to end the bloodshed in Sudan and support a democratic government. (Parliament Live) We have begun a large-scale evacuation of British nationals and I pay tribute to all those carrying out this complex operation. Dodging bullets and paying thousands: How these British families escaped wartorn Sudan Wednesday 26 April 2023 12:01 , Matt Mathers Families watched as fighter jets roared overhead and bombs landed just a few kilometres from them as they were forced to hide, Bel Trew and Tara Cobham report. Read the full story here: Dodging bullets and paying thousands: How these families escaped wartorn Sudan Massachusetts mother and baby daughter escape Sudan after terrifying week sheltering from war Wednesday 26 April 2023 11:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar A Massachusetts mother and her 18-month-old daughter have safely crossed the border out of Sudan after spending a terrifying week stranded in the war-torn country. Trillian Clifford, a teacher at Khartoum International American School, and her daughter Alma were among thousands of American citizens trapped in Sudan as a violent civil war unfolds between the North African countrys two most powerful generals. Her family in Massachusetts announced on Tuesday that Ms Clifford, her daughter, and all American teachers employed by the school have been able to safely leave Sudan. Their whereabouts will not be shared for security reasons, but it will be several days before Ms Clifford and baby Alma reach American soil. The escape was organised by Ms Cliffords school and was also possible thanks to the help of Senator Elizabeth Warren and Governor Maura Healey, Ms Cliffords family said. While we are relieved that Trillian is finally making progress on her journey back home, we want to acknowledge there are millions of people still suffering through this conflict in Sudan and many foreign nationals still trying to evacuate, Ms Cliffords sister-in-law told The Independent in a statement. We extend our deepest concern for the innocent citizens of Sudan, including Trillians young students. Ms Winter said Ms Clifford had been in touch with her on Tuesday and wanted to thank the public for all the support she has received. Sudan evacuees flying back to UK Wednesday 26 April 2023 11:40 , Matt Mathers The first flight of evacuees from Sudan is on its way back to Britain as the military races against time to lift people to safety during a fragile ceasefire. RAF flights from near the capital of Khartoum were continuing throughout Wednesday after hundreds of UK nationals were brought to safety in Cyprus. A chartered jet was taking a first group back to London Stansted left Larnaca in the morning, with officials working to rescue more than 2,000 citizens who have registered in Sudan. File: RAF transport plane (REUTERS) No sign Sudan warring parties ready to negotiate, UN says Wednesday 26 April 2023 11:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar A US-brokered ceasefire in Sudan appears to be partially holding but there is no sign the warring parties are ready to seriously negotiate, the UN special envoy on Sudan said yesterday. This suggested that both think that securing a military victory over the other is possible, envoy Volker Perthes told the UN Security Council. This is a miscalculation. Fighting broke out between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on 15 April. Both parties agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire beginning on Tuesday after negotiations mediated by the United States and Saudi Arabia. It seems to be holding in some parts so far. However, we also hear continuing reports of fighting and movement of troops, said Perthes, who spoke via video from Port Sudan. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the violence and chaos in Sudan as heartbreaking. The power struggle puts Sudans future at risk and could cause suffering for years and set back development for decades, Mr Guterres said. The United Nations has moved hundreds of staff and family members to Port Sudan from Khartoum. The United Nations plans to establish a hub in Port Sudan to continue working in the country where, even before the violence broke out, nearly 16 million people - one-third of the population - were in need of humanitarian aid. Reuters Fighting eases slightly - residents Wednesday 26 April 2023 11:00 , Matt Mathers Sudanese people living in the capital Khartoum and the neighbouring city of Omdurman have reported sporadic clashes early on Wednesday between the military and a rival paramilitary force but said the intensity of fighting had dwindled on the second day of a three-day truce. Many residents of the capital emerged from their homes to seek food and water, lining up at bakeries or grocery shops, witnesses said. Some inspected stores or homes that had been destroyed or looted during the fighting. Others joined the tens of thousands who have been streaming out of the city in recent days."There is a sense of calm in my area and neighbourhoods," said Mahasen Ali, a tea vendor who lives in a southern neighbourhood of Khartoum. "But all are afraid of whats next." People flee the fighting (Reuters) Jailed strongman's whereabouts unknown amid Sudan chaos Wednesday 26 April 2023 10:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar An attack on the prison holding deposed Sudanese strongman Omar al-Bashir has raised questions about his whereabouts, with one of the warring sides saying he is being held in a secure location and the other alleging he has been released. Al-Bashir, who ruled Sudan for three decades despite wars and sanctions, was overthrown during a popular uprising in 2019. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court for genocide and other crimes committed during the conflict in Sudans western Darfur region in the 2000s. He and other former top officials accused of atrocities have been held in Kober prison in Khartoum for the last four years, as authorities have declined ICC requests that they be handed over. The Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which together had removed al-Bashir from power during mass protests, are now battling one another across the capital. The fighting reached the prison over the weekend, with conflicting reports about what transpired. Military officials told The Associated Press that al-Bashir, as well as Abdel-Rahim Muhammad Hussein and Ahmed Haroun who held senior security positions during the Darfur crisis had been moved to a military-run medical facility in Khartoum under tight security for their own safety. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter with the media. The army later accused the RSF of donning military uniforms and attacking the prison, saying they released inmates and looted the facility. The RSF, led by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, denied the allegations and claimed that the military forcibly evacuated the facility as part of a plan to restore al-Bashir to power. Local media meanwhile aired a purported audio statement from Haroun in which he said that he and other former officials were left in the prison complex guarded by a small number of security forces, and were later allowed to walk free. He said they left the prison for their own safety because of the fighting and a lack of food or water. He did not mention al-Bashir or say where he and the other officials were. Associated Press Airlift continues as ministers defend response Wednesday 26 April 2023 10:25 , Matt Mathers Hundreds of Britons have been evacuated from Sudan as the military races against time to bring people to safety before a ceasefire ends. Flights began landing in Cyprus on Tuesday evening and continued through the night, with more planned on Wednesday. Home secretary Suella Braverman said on Wednesday morning that 200 to 300 people had been brought out so far. Sophie Wingate reports: Sudan airlift continues as ministers defend UK response to the crisis Sudan fighting eclipses new truce as aid groups raise alarm Wednesday 26 April 2023 10:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar Sudanese and foreigners streamed out of the capital of Khartoum and other battle zones, as fighting Tuesday shook a new three-day truce brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia. Aid agencies raised increasing alarm over the crumbling humanitarian situation in a country reliant on outside help. A series of short cease-fires the past week have either failed outright or brought only intermittent lulls in the fighting that has raged between forces loyal to the countrys two top generals since April 15. The lulls have been enough for dramatic evacuations of hundreds of foreigners by air and land, which continued Tuesday. But they have brought no relief to millions of Sudanese caught in the crossfire, struggling to find food, shelter and medical care as explosions, gunfire and looters wreck their neighbourhoods. In a country where a third of the population of 46 million already needed humanitarian assistance, multiple aid agencies have had to suspend operations and dozens of hospitals have been forced to shut down. The UN refugee agency said it was gearing up for potentially tens of thousands of people fleeing into neighbouring countries. Calls for negotiations to end the crisis in Africas third-largest nation have been ignored. For many Sudanese, the departure of diplomats, aid workers and other foreigners and the closure of embassies are terrifying signs that international powers expect the mayhem to only worsen. Associated Press Ousted former president being held in military hospital under police custody - report Wednesday 26 April 2023 10:06 , Matt Mathers Sudans army on Wednesday said ousted former president Omar Hassan Al-Bashir is being held in a military hospital under police custody. Formerly jailed Bashir and around 30 others were moved to the hospital on the recommendation of medical staff in Kober prison before fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) broke out, the statement said. Police said the raid on Kober led to the killing and injury of several prison officials, adding that the RSF released all who were held there. The prison break-ins took place between April 21-24, the ministry said. Sudan's former president Omar Hassan al-Bashir smiles as he is seen inside a cage at the courthouse where he is facing corruption charges, in Khartoum (REUTERS) UK troops to take over Sudan airfield as evacuation flights gather pace Wednesday 26 April 2023 09:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar The first evacuation flights carrying British nationals have taken off from Sudan as UK troops prepare to take over the running of the airfield. Three planes were due to have left conflict-torn Khartoum for Cyprus by Wednesday morning, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledging many more would follow as he warned of a critical 24 hours. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the UK would take charge of the Wadi Saeedna airstrip near the capital from German forces, after Berlin said its final evacuation flight would leave on Tuesday night. He said 120 British troops have already been supporting the operation there. Around 260 people were expected to be flown out overnight on three flights, the first landing on Tuesday evening at Larnaca airport on Tuesday evening with around 40 people on board. British nationals have been told to make their own way to the site with some fearing they will not make it due to a petrol shortage. Scottish Government expresses deep concern over Sudan conflict Wednesday 26 April 2023 09:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar Scotlands External Affairs Secretary has written to the Foreign Secretary to express the Scottish Governments deep concern over the current conflict in Sudan. Angus Robertson said a number of Scots and family members have been in touch with the Scottish Government and he thanked all those in the armed forces and UK Government currently working on evacuation efforts. He urged the UK Government to do everything possible to work with international partners to address the humanitarian situation and to offer protection for those fleeing the violence. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that many more flights carrying British nationals will leave Sudan into Wednesday, after the first plane took off from the conflict-torn nation on Tuesday. The Prime Minister said over a thousand UK citizens in Sudan have been contacted about evacuation plans, with officials from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) having spoken to hundreds directly already. How is the UK evacuating people from Sudan? Wednesday 26 April 2023 08:55 , Matt Mathers The first British nationals were evacuated from conflict-torn Sudan on Tuesday. A 72-hour ceasefire between warring factions has provided a window for foreign nationals to escape a dangerous, volatile and unpredictable situation, according to the prime minister Rishi Sunak. Several previous ceasefires declared since 15 April outbreak of fighting were not observed, the Associated Press reports. Here is a look at what we know about the evacuation plans, so far. Jacob Phillips reports: How is the UK evacuating people from Sudan? A British doctor was shot saving his family in Sudan. Now, hes trapped and supplies are dwindling Wednesday 26 April 2023 08:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar A British doctor trapped in Sudan has been shot in the leg as he risked his life to rescue his elderly mother, his daughter has revealed. The doctor, who retired recently after working in the NHS for over 30 years, was visiting his family in Khartoum for Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr when fierce clashes between the countrys two top generals erupted in the city on 15 April. His daughter and mother, who requires constant care, had been without water and electricity for five days at his brothers house close to the airport when he felt he had to move them to a safer place. Speaking to The Independent, his daughter a British doctor based in London told how her father drove to the house at dusk last Thursday through the streets of the capital, past bodies strewn across the roads. Calling herself Dr A to protect family in Sudan, she said: They started shooting at the car first. My father kept going, but then he stopped because the shooting was coming from all directions. Tara Cobham reports: British doctor shot in leg as he rescued mother and daughter in Sudan Suella Braverman says Sudanese refugees who come to UK on small boats will face deportation Wednesday 26 April 2023 08:39 , Matt Mathers Sudanese refugees who arrive in the UK on small boats will have come here illegally and face deportation, Suella Braverman has confirmed. The Home Secretary said those fleeing the conflict in Sudan would be detained and could be removed to Rwanda under the governments Illegal Migration Bill. There is no good reason for anybody to get into a small boat and cross the channel in search of a life in the UK, Ms Braverman said when asked what will happen to Sudanese asylum seekers arriving in the country. Archie Mitchell reports: Braverman says Sudanese refugees who come to UK on small boats will face deportation UK has evacuated up to 300 people from Sudan - Braverman Wednesday 26 April 2023 08:35 , Matt Mathers Home secretary Suella Braverman said 200 to 300 people had been evacuated from Sudan so far as part of the airlift. She told Sky News: We commenced an evacuation mission in the last 24-48 hours and we expect there to be approximately 200 to 300 people who have been relocated from Sudan in the last few flights. We are now commencing an extensive operation, working with over 1,000 personnel from the RAF and the armed forces. She defended the UKs response, saying the government had to cope with a larger cohort of British nationals in Sudan compared to many other countries. UK troops to take over Sudan airfield as evacuation flights gather pace Wednesday 26 April 2023 08:30 , Matt Mathers The first evacuation flights carrying British nationals have taken off from Sudan as UK troops prepare to take over the running of the airfield. Two Royal Air Force planes have landed at Larnaca Airport in Cyprus as of 6.30am on Wednesday, with the first charter flight back to London set to depart later in the day. Families with young children were among those on the first flights that landed in Cyprus with a British man telling the BBC that his sister, who left Sudan overnight, felt an overwhelming sense of relief. Three planes were due to have left conflict-torn Khartoum for Cyprus by Wednesday morning, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledging many more would follow as he warned of a critical 24 hours. Defence secretary Ben Wallace said the UK would take charge of the Wadi Saeedna airstrip near the capital from German forces, after Berlin said its final evacuation flight would leave on Tuesday night. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace giving evidence to the Defence Select Committee at the House of Commons (House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA) (PA Wire) Not inevitable Sudanese people will arrive in UK on small boats - Braverman Wednesday 26 April 2023 08:16 , Matt Mathers There is no good reason for anybody to cross the Channel in search of a new life in the UK, home secretary Suella Braverman has said as she faced questions on the Sudan crisis. Speaking to Sky News, Ms Braverman also said it was not inevitable that Sudanese people would try to flee to Britain as their country collapses amid an ongoing conflict. Nearly 4,000 Sudanese have arrived in the UK by small boat since 2018, according to official figures. Further comments from the home secretary below: "There is no good reason for anybody to get into a small boat to cross the Channel in search of a new life in the UK."@SuellaBraverman is asked what will happen if people fleeing the war in Sudan attempt to cross the Channel. More: https://t.co/oLwydfQf16 Sky 501 pic.twitter.com/4kMNAXM8yk Sky News (@SkyNews) April 26, 2023 Terrified pregnant British woman stranded in war-torn Sudan could give birth at any moment Wednesday 26 April 2023 08:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar A terrified pregnant British woman stranded in war-torn Sudan with her family fears she could give birth at any moment as they battle to flee the country. The womans older sister Saryah Elwasila, 29, said the family of five, who were in the country visiting family for Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr when fierce clashes erupted, had been forced to flee Khartoum to the city of Wad Madani in the neighbouring state of Gezira, without food, power, fuel, very little water and money. There is also no functioning hospital nearby if the woman goes into labour after many were bombed and doctors fled. The family has been robbed twice by looters who are raiding abandoned areas, leaving them with only their passports, a small amount of money and the clothes they were wearing. The British government announced on Tuesday morning that it would begin evacuation flights for UK nationals from Sudan following an agreed 72-hour ceasefire but Elwasila said her family had heard nothing from British authorities. Without fuel, they fear they have now lost their last slim chance of escape. Which countries are evacuating citizens from Sudan? Wednesday 26 April 2023 07:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar Hundreds of foreign nationals have been safely evacuated from Sudan where continued fighting threatens to plunge the African country deeper into chaos Which countries are evacuating citizens from Sudan? Very limited contact from Foreign Office Wednesday 26 April 2023 07:24 , Matt Mathers The son of a British citizen trying to escape Sudan has said his family have had "very limited" contact from the Home Office. Saleh El-Khalifa, whose mother is attempting to flee Sudan with her elderly father, said the Home Office advice to stay indoors had not been a "viable option". His mother was forced to make a journey to Port Sudan with her 86-year-old father, who suffers from a terminal illness, and is trying to cross the border into Saudi Arabia, he said. Mr Khalifa told BBC Breakfast the journey was "beyond challenging" and that information from the Home Office had been "very limited", adding: "It could be points that Im not able to speak to her for a day or two. "The first few days me and my sister tried to contact (the Home Office). The advice was the same, to stay in doors and not move. That wasnt a viable option as there was no guarantee of their safety by staying in one location. "That is why the majority of people have had to move to ensure their own life and safety, which is a situation no-one should have to be put in. "It is at the point now where my mum might be trying to get into Saudi Arabia as she believes it would be a safer route back to the UK as opposed to being told at the last moment where these flights are taking off. "We heard about one of the first flights yesterday that it was only on the ground for less than half an hour and the location was being shared very minimally. "Even if my mum had been told of the right time, the timeframe she would have had to get there would have been almost impossible." Bashir-era official wanted by ICC escapes jail after reports of prison break Wednesday 26 April 2023 07:15 , Andy Gregory Ahmed Haroun, a former Sudanese official who served under Omar al-Bashir and is wanted by the International Criminal Court, said that he and other former officials of Bashirs government had left Kober prison and would take responsibility for their own protection Mr Haroun also said they were ready to appear in front of the judiciary whenever it was functioning, in a statement aired on Sudans Tayba TV on Tuesday. The statement comes after reports that prisoners at Kober prison, which held Bashir and other top deputies, had staged a break earlier this week. It was not immediately clear if Bashir, who has spent extended periods in a military hospital, was at the prison. Second flight carrying Britons from Sudan lands in Cyprus Wednesday 26 April 2023 06:54 , Maroosha Muzaffar The second flight carrying British nationals from Sudan landed in Cyprus this morning, reports said. Trapped British nationals were told to make their own way to an airstrip near the Sudanese capital Khartoum, where an RAF military plane picked them up and flew them to Larnarca International Airport. Three planes were due to have left conflict-torn Khartoum for Cyprus by this morning, with prime minister Rishi Sunak pledging many more would follow as he warned of a critical 24 hours. Sudanese refugees face deportation from UK as government fails to set up safe and legal routes Wednesday 26 April 2023 06:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar Sudanese refugees face being criminalised and deported from the UK because there are no safe and legal routes for most people fleeing the conflict. The British government is not planning to set up a bespoke scheme for the country like those used for Ukraine and Afghanistan, The Independent understands and is only evacuating British citizens and embassy staff. Almost 4,000 Sudanese small-boat migrants have crossed the English Channel since 2020, and they are already the eighth-highest nationality using the route. When questioned at an event in central London on Tuesday, immigration minister Robert Jenrick suggested he expected a rise in Sudanese small boat crossings, saying it was likely that, in time, there will be migratory effects of the crisis. Mr Jenrick insisted that the government did have safe and legal routes, more broadly, but maintained its position that those in peril should seek sanctuary in the first safe country they reach. More from Lizzie Dearden,Bel Trew: UK fails to set up safe and legal route for refugees fleeing Sudan It was right to evacuate diplomats first, says Sunak Wednesday 26 April 2023 06:15 , Andy Gregory Rishi Sunak has defended the UKs decision to evacuate British diplomats before helping ordinary citizens leave Sudan. Asked on Tuesday about accusations that the government is not doing enough to help citizens Khartoum, the PM said: Im pleased that we were actually one of the first countries to safely evacuate our diplomats and our families. And it was right that we prioritised them because they were being targeted. The security situation on the ground in Sudan is complicated, it is volatile and we wanted to make sure we could put in place processes that are going to work for people, that are going to be safe and effective. Turks evacuated from Sudan arrive in Istanbul Wednesday 26 April 2023 06:06 , Maroosha Muzaffar The first Turkish civilians evacuated from Sudan returned to Turkey on Wednesday, with more than 100 people arriving by plane at Istanbul Airport, Reuters footage showed. The Turks came from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, where they had arrived overland from the Sudanese capital Khartoum. Several more flights were expected later on Wednesday to evacuate the remaining Turkish citizens crossing to Ethiopia from Sudan. Fighting flared anew in Sudan late on Tuesday despite a ceasefire declaration by the warring factions as more people fled Khartoum and former officials, including one facing international war crimes charges, left prison. Turkeys President Tayyip Erdogan has called on both sides in Sudan to end the conflict and return to negotiations. Reuters Woman trapped near Sudan army base pleads for evacuation: Please save me and my son Wednesday 26 April 2023 05:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar A Sudanese woman married to an Indian man has issued a desperate appeal to be evacuated having been left stranded along with her 21-month-old son by the fighting in the country. Please help me and my son, Baraah Abaker, 23, says as countries, including India, scramble to evacuate their citizens. Fighting began earlier this month between forces loyal to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of Sudans army, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. Abaker was in her final year at Bahri University when her husband Abdul Haseeb left for India in October last year for work. He left their Indian passport-holding son with her. A veterinary doctor in her final year, Abaker was to take her exams before returning to her husband in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad. More by Namita Singh here: Woman trapped in Sudan pleads for evacuation: Please save me and my son Rishi Sunak pledges many more Sudan evacuation flights as he warns next 24 hour is critical Wednesday 26 April 2023 05:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar Rishi Sunak has pledged many more evacuation flights in what will be a critical 24 hours as ministers scramble to rescue Britons from war-torn Sudan. The prime minister said more than 1,000 people had been contacted, of an estimated 4,000 in the country, and many were making their way to an airfield outside Khartoum. But the government was forced to defend the timing and handling of the evacuation effort amid claims it had taken its eye off the ball. Ministers denied Britons should have been evacuated earlier after Germany announced it would complete its operation overnight. It came as Alicia Kearns, chair of the foreign affairs select committee, urged the government to commit as many resources as quickly as possible to the rescue because there is a very real danger fighting will return. No sign Sudan warring parties ready to negotiate, UN says Wednesday 26 April 2023 04:44 , Maroosha Muzaffar A US-brokered ceasefire in Sudan appears to be partially holding but there is no sign the warring parties are ready to seriously negotiate, the UN special envoy on Sudan said yesterday. This suggested that both think that securing a military victory over the other is possible, envoy Volker Perthes told the UN Security Council. This is a miscalculation. Fighting broke out between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on 15 April. Both parties agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire beginning on Tuesday after negotiations mediated by the United States and Saudi Arabia. It seems to be holding in some parts so far. However, we also hear continuing reports of fighting and movement of troops, said Perthes, who spoke via video from Port Sudan. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the violence and chaos in Sudan as heartbreaking. The power struggle puts Sudans future at risk and could cause suffering for years and set back development for decades, Mr Guterres said. The United Nations has moved hundreds of staff and family members to Port Sudan from Khartoum. The United Nations plans to establish a hub in Port Sudan to continue working in the country where, even before the violence broke out, nearly 16 million people - one-third of the population - were in need of humanitarian aid. Reuters Britons experiencing fuel shortages must still make own way to airport, says minister Wednesday 26 April 2023 04:42 , Andy Gregory British citizens in Sudan who are experiencing fuel shortages must still make their own way to the Wadi Saeedna airstrip in Khartoum to be evacuated, the UKs Africa minister Andrew Mitchell has said. Travel within Sudan is conducted at British nationals own risk and plans may change depending on the security situation, he told MPs, adding that he has enormous sympathy for British citizens facing travel difficulties within Sudan. People who have registered with the Foreign Office should receive contact from the department at least once a day, he said, in what appeared to be a reference to automated messages. Mr Mitchell added: The atmospherics in Khartoum hinder that sort of communication. Yesterday there was 2 per cent internet that does make communicating extremely difficult but in principle that has been what we have tried to achieve. The system is working but it is spasmodic. ICYMI: Dodging bullets and paying thousands: How these British families escaped war torn Sudan Wednesday 26 April 2023 04:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar Families watched as fighter jets roared overhead and bombs landed just a few kilometres from them as they were forced to hide, Bel Trew and Tara Cobham report: Dodging bullets and paying thousands: How these families escaped wartorn Sudan Sudan conflict explained: Whats happening in Khartoum? Wednesday 26 April 2023 04:04 , Maroosha Muzaffar Fighting has erupted in Sudans capital city Khartoum and other sites across the country this month as powerful rival military factions battle for control of the African nation and its future. So far, over 420 people, including 264 civilians, have been killed in the conflict and over 3,700 wounded. The sudden slide into violence between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary group called Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has stranded thousands of foreigners, including diplomats and aid workers in the country, with the UK, US, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states among those closing their embassies and working to evacuate their nationals. Read the full story here: What is happening in Sudan? The conflict crisis explained Washington is talking to leaders on both sides of conflict, says White House Wednesday 26 April 2023 03:31 , Andy Gregory United States president Joe Bidens national security team is continuing to talk to military leaders from both sides of the Sudan conflict to support a durable end to the conflict, the White House has said. The US is working with partners and Sudanese civilian groups to work toward a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian arrangements, spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday. Battle in Sudan's capital risks awakening war in Darfur Wednesday 26 April 2023 01:20 , Reuters Darfur inhabitants fear battles between Sudans rival military leaders could reawaken war in the vast and largely desert region already scarred by a two-decade-old conflict. The Darfur conflict originated around 2003-2004, pitting rebels against government forces backed by horse-riding militia known as Janjaweed in violence that killed some 300,000 people and uprooted millions from their homes. Despite repeated peace deals, the conflict has simmered ever since, with violence rising in the past two years. Now the conflict which began in Khartoum between Sudans army and RSF paramilitary, who had been ruling together during a political transition, has quickly spread to Darfur. Residents and sources have reported pillaging, ethnic reprisal attacks, and clashes between the two military factions in various population centres around the farming and nomadic region that is roughly the size of France. Local mediation has helped cool the strife in the main cities of Nyala and al-Fashir, but shelling and looting have continued in the town of Genena, leaving Darfuris fearing another major explosion of warfare. If this continues, if we get the killing of military commanders that are a part of influential tribes, then itll be anarchy. There will be tribal mobilisation, said Ahmed Gouja, a journalist and rights activist in Nyala. For Sudans warring leaders, Darfur is as familiar as it is strategically important. Army chief Abdel-Fattah Burhan rose through the army ranks while fighting in Darfur. RSF chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo got his start as a leader of one of the militias which did much of the government sides fighting during the Darfur conflict, inflicting an outsize proportion of the violence. As the army now tries to push his RSF fighters from positions across Khartoum, the group could fall back on its roots in Darfur to try to regroup and raise reinforcements. UK to assume control of airfield from Germany, says Ben Wallace Wednesday 26 April 2023 00:13 , Andy Gregory The UK will take over from German forces running the Wadi Saeedna airfield on Wednesday, defence secretary Ben Wallace has said. The Germans are leaving tomorrow, and we will take over the facilitation at the airfield, he told LBC. And the reason the Germans are leaving is people have stopped coming in large numbers. Only one nation can facilitate the airfield at a time, Mr Wallace said, adding: If the Spanish or the Italians or anyone else wants to fly, well be the ones giving permissions effectively. The minister also said that 99 per cent of the British nationals who have registered with the Foreign Office did so in Khartoum. Hundreds of British nationals expected to be evacuated overnight Tuesday 25 April 2023 23:01 , Andy Gregory Some 260 people in total are expected to be evacuated on three British flights tonight, with the first plane to land in Cyprus having carried 39 people, according to the BBC. The Independent understands the overnight figure to be in line with official estimates. UK can take who turns up at evacuation area, says Wallace Tuesday 25 April 2023 22:07 , Andy Gregory The British military is ready to take who turns up at the evacuation area in Sudan and the situation is not like Kabul, defence secretary Ben Wallace has said. We have got two plane loads that will go out tonight. We can take really who turns up at the moment, he told Channel 4 News earlier. What weve learned from both seeing the German and the French evacuation is, this is first of all, not like Kabul, not thousands at the gate and people are making their way, theyre being processed. We have a Border Force and Foreign Office team on the ground, and then were loading them up. I think there is some risk that some of the planes are not full. Weve seen that in the German planes and theyve then resorted, understandably, to take some other fellow foreign personnel there if theres room. Mr Wallace added: As Im giving this interview right now one of the planes is loading, and therell be another one tonight and then therell be a number of planes tomorrow as well. UK government could not have predicted battle for raw power in Sudan, minister insists Tuesday 25 April 2023 21:15 , Andy Gregory The UKs minister for Africa has denied that the government should have seen the conflict in Sudan coming. This isnt an ideological battle, this is a battle between two generals for power, Andrew Mitchell told MPs on the Commons foreign affairs committee. There is no ideology involved in this, its raw power being fought over. One might have hoped that this would never happen given the appalling humanitarian jeopardy it has placed so many people in. The minister added: We would not have expected that these two generals would have slugged it out in this way on a totally non-ideological issue, let alone deploy heavy weapons in built-up areas. Questioned on next steps, Mr Mitchell went on: What is urgently required is a ceasefire, for the combatants to lay down their arms and return to barracks and for the political process, which was moving forward significantly before the second week of April, for that to reassert itself. Andrew Mitchell told MPs there was no ideology involved in the Sudan conflict (PA) Sudan will experience a humanitarian catastrophe, MPs told Tuesday 25 April 2023 21:08 , Andy Gregory Sudan will experience a humanitarian catastrophe, the UKs minister for Africa has said. Andrew Mitchell told the Foreign Affairs Committee that the lack of food supplies and humanitarian relief workers will lead to such a crisis, with most humanitarian staff living with little prospect of returning without a ceasefire. Five of them have already been murdered, he said. First UK evacuation flight lands in Cyprus, carrying 39 people Tuesday 25 April 2023 20:23 , Andy Gregory The first flight evacuating UK civilians from Sudan has landed at Larnaca airport in Cyprus, with 39 people on board, the BBC has reported, citing British officials. Around 260 people in total are expected to be flown out of the war-torn nation overnight on three separate flights, according to the broadcaster. UK evacuees should ideally be pre-cleared when they reach airfield, says minister Tuesday 25 April 2023 20:05 , Andy Gregory The UKs Africa minister Andrew Mitchell has told MPs that people seeking evacuation from Sudan should ideally be pre-cleared before they arrive at the airstrip having been in touch with the Foreign Office. Otherwise we are expecting them to have a British passport and so far Im not aware of any problems in that process, he said. Those stuck in Sudan have been grappling with internet outages and several have criticised a lack of personal contact from the embassy and Foreign Office prior to today, prompting some to seek to escape the country themselves. Dr Lina Badr, 42, an NHS gynaecologist who has hired a $20,000 bus along with several fellow Britons in a bid for the Egyptian border, told The Independent of the frantic nature of their departure, having at one point been forced to escape heavy gunfire, saying: Some of us were not able to bring passports, some have passports which are expired. British grandfather, 85, stuck in Sudan without food or water despite living next to embassy Tuesday 25 April 2023 19:32 , Andy Gregory Azhar Sholgami, a researcher at Cornell University in the US has told The Independent that her British grandfather, aged 85, has been left trapped on the frontline without water or food despite living directly opposite the British Embassy. The RSF raided and looted his home, they took water and food they had. There is no electricity or phone connection so we have no contact with him, she said of her grandfather, Abdalla Sholgami, a retired businessman. We have called different people in the embassy to help for the last eight or nine days, said Ms Sholgami, adding: My grandfather always said he is happy to live next to the British Embassy because if anythinggoes wrong they are just next door. Its super disappointing. The least they could have done is knock on the door and given him a single bottle of water when they left but they didnt even do that, she said. German minister appears to make dig at UK evacuation of embassy staff Tuesday 25 April 2023 18:58 , Andy Gregory Germanys foreign minister appeared to take a dig at the UK governments decision to first evacuate embassy staff as she announced that Berlins final evacuation flight would depart Khartoum this evening, with German citizens still stranded in Sudan to be evacuated by other nations. Annalena Baerbock told reporters: It was important to us that, unlike in other countries, an evacuation not only applies to our embassy staff but to all local Germans and our partners. Almost 500 people from 30 countries were flown out of Khartoum thanks to our support that is a huge achievement. The fact that our citizens abroad can also rely on not being left to their own devices in an emergency is not a bureaucratic matter of course. It is the result of courage, teamwork and tireless dedication on the part of many hundreds of people involved in the German armed forces, the federal police and the Foreign Office. Praising three officials who flew to Khartoum to help the evacuation for their impressive willingness to enter such a crisis situation voluntarily as civilians, she added that Berlin was continuing to work on ways to rescue remaining citizens there, be it with flights from partners, by land or by sea. Dodging bullets and paying thousands: How these British families escaped war-torn Sudan Tuesday 25 April 2023 18:27 , Andy Gregory British families fleeing Sudan have told The Indepenent of dodging heavy gunfire and bombing in their bids to escape the war-torn country after the Foreign Office failed to secure safe routes out. Many have spent thousands to escape the country themselves, having given up on the Foreign Office after days without any communication bar automatic emails telling them to shelter in place. I completely lost hope in the system. Until this morning, I have not received anything about a solid evacuation plan. Just advice to stay indoors and call for any psychological support, said NHS gynaecologist and Dr Lina Bahr, from the Egyptian border, where she hoped to cross to safety. With no connection we had to make a decision. We took the risk, said the mother of three, who hired a bus with other Britons for $20,000 in order to escape after stray bullets ripped through her familys living room, food and supplies ran out and her two-year-old became sick. While more than 2,000 people have registered themselves with the Foreign Office for help, Dr Bahrs husband Ousama Suliman, also an NHS doctor, said: Everyone I know has pretty much made the journey by road to Egypt. Most of the people who have registered with Foreign Office are not going to be there to evacuate. When the hotline numbers dont work, when you cant get through to anyone and then you hear the diplomats, the embassy has been evacuated, you panic. Our international correspondent Bel Trew and reporter Tara Cobham have the full report: Dodging bullets and paying thousands: How these families escaped war-torn Sudan Approximately 530 people have been airlifted from Sudan by the UK Hundreds of British nationals have been evacuated from the fighting in Sudan. But when she was asked whether the UK was going to "start looking at safe routes for refugees from Sudan [who are not British nationals]", Home Secretary Suella Braverman replied: "We have no plans to do that." The prime minister confirmed the government's current priority was getting British nationals out. Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick was later asked in Parliament what "safe and legal" routes to the UK would be available to a young person wanting to flee the conflict in Sudan. He said: "The United Nations is operating in most, if not all, of the countries surrounding Sudan," adding that "the best advice clearly would be for individuals to present to the UNHCR. We already operate safe and legal routes with them." The UNHCR is the UN's refugee agency. But the SNP's Alison Thewliss pointed out that the UNHCR had earlier issued a statement saying: "There is no mechanism through which refugees can approach UNHCR with the intention of seeking asylum in the UK." Mr Jenrick rejected her comments: "Whatever the honourable lady may be quoting from her iPhone, I would prefer to take at face value what I have heard in discussion with the assistant commissioner [of the UNHCR]." 'Lifesaving mechanism' Mr Jenrick and Ms Thewliss were both referring to the UNHCR's resettlement scheme. Under this, the UNHCR identifies refugees who are considered to be "particularly at risk" in the countries to which they have initially fled. These are people who cannot integrate in the country where they have initially sought refuge but also cannot return home. These "refugees at heightened risk" are then resettled in partner countries such as the UK, but it is UNHCR officials who recommend where they should go. That route is only available to about 1% of refugees worldwide. Story continues "Although a critical and lifesaving mechanism, resettlement is not a solution for most refugees, and does not replace the right to seek asylum itself," the UNHCR said. Seeking asylum generally involves going to a country and claiming asylum once you are there. Resettlement involves moving people from the first country where they sought refuge to another country that is more suitable. Refugees generally have to be registered with the UNHCR to be considered for resettlement. But the UNHCR told the BBC that the UK is only currently accepting Afghan nationals for resettlement. This means that registering with the UNHCR would not provide a route for anyone else to come to the UK. So Mr Jenrick's suggestion that people in Sudan wanting to escape to the UK should "present to the UNHCR" was not correct. We asked the Home Office about the UNHCR statement and the government's current position on safe and legal routes from Sudan. We were pointed towards the comment from Ms Braverman quoted above, and told there was no further comment at this point. According to UK statistics, last year 218 people from Sudan came to the UK under the UNHCR resettlement scheme, but almost all of those came from pre-pandemic applications. Reality Check branding What claims do you want BBC Reality Check to investigate? Get in touch Read more from Reality Check Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 27) --- The Supreme Court (SC) has reiterated its 2021 decision perpetually banning former Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero Pichay Jr. from holding any position in government over the unlawful investment of Local Water Utilities Administration (LWU) to a thrift bank in 2009 amounting to 780 million. In its briefer, the SC Public Information Office said the Court declared as moot and academic the petition filed by Mary Elizabeth Ortiga-Ty to declare as immediately executory the accessory penalty of perpetual disqualification imposed on Pichay. In 2001, the SC found Pichay liable under Section 52-A, Rule IV of the Uniform Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service, and imposing upon him the penalty of dismissal and the accessory penalties of forfeiture of all benefits, except leave credits, and perpetual disqualification to hold any public office. Justice Maria Filomena Singh wrote the decision. The case stemmed from LWUAs decision to purchase 60% of shares of the Express Savings Bank Inc. (ESBI) for 80 million without prior approval of the Monetary Board (MB). LWUA, then under Pichay, also deposited 300 million in ESBI after it was designated as its depository bank, as well as transferred 400 million in capital infusion, also without prior approval from MB. This led to the filing of criminal and administrative complaints against Pichay and several officials of LWUA. The SC said LWUAs ESBI transaction resulted in 780M loss on the part of government. The undue injury to the government was also the basis for the SCs ruling that the Sandiganbayan had probable cause to charge Pichay of graft. In August 2022, the Sandiganbayan also upheld its conviction of Pichay, sentencing him to 10 years imprisonment for each of the three counts of graft charges. Pichay was also perpetually disqualified from public office in connection with the anomalous deal. Abdallalateif Eltayeb Fighting is raging in Sudan's West Darfur region, despite the ceasefire, with Arab militias targeting warehouses, markets and homes. A senior policeman has been killed and a Sudanese aid worker has told the BBC he has been hiding under his bed because of the violence. "I cannot even go to the bathroom," Abdallalateif Eltayeb said over the phone from the city of El Geneina. The conflict has inflamed already fraught ethnic tensions, he says. Darfur has been in turmoil for years with violence between its various African and Arab communities. When non-Arabs took up arms against the government in 2003, complaining about discrimination, the government retaliated by mobilising mostly Arab militias who went on to be accused of widespread atrocities. To this day, many Darfuri African groups live in camps for their own safety. Now Arab militias - linked to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary group that is fighting the army - appear to be taking advantage of the security vacuum. "The clashes started four days ago," says Mr Eltayeb, who is a 26-year-old humanitarian consultant originally from Sudan's capital, Khartoum. "Militias are attacking markets, warehouses, offices, organisations, hospitals and now they're targeting homes. I'm just waiting for my turn. "There's a lot of shooting in the front yard, close to where the bathroom is. Every time I want to go to the bathroom I have to wait five to 10 minutes to see if there's any shooting and then I can go." Heavy fighting has been reported in West Darfur all week. On Wednesday, the Deputy Police Director of West Darfur State, Brigadier General Abdel-Baqi Al-Hassan Mohamed, was reportedly shot and killed. This shooting took place a day after civilians stormed the West Darfur state police station, seizing weapons. "Arab militias have been attacking internally displaced people," explains Mr Eltayeb. "They've burned all the IDP camps. Story continues "The IDPs then went to the police HQ and now they're armed. They tried to defend themselves on Tuesday but they couldn't. There are a lot of dead people." When Mr Eltayeb briefly tried to leave his house to charge his phone because he had not had any electricity in five days, he was faced with the horrific reality of the violence. "I saw pick-up trucks full of dead people and armed Arab militias were looking at us with angry eyes. "After that I just went back home and I've been using my power bank but the battery is almost drained. I might not have any battery left by the end of the day." He is desperate to get out. "My colleagues and I have talked about trying to escape but there's no chance, zero chance." The view from Abdallalateif Eltayeb's bedroom window in El Geneina War Child, the charity he consults for, says it is working with the UN to relocate their Sudanese staff that are not from the region, but are facing huge challenges. "We're doing everything we can to support our staff, but right now in El Geneina the violence has escalated to the point that even for the UN to try and do any kind of relocation, it's going to be incredibly challenging," Dara Mcleod, executive director of War Child Canada, told the BBC. UN special envoy to Sudan Volker Perthes agreed that groups in Darfur were "exploiting the situation and pursuing their own conflicts". "This is made worse by the fact that the actors that are supposed to provide security for the people in the country, in Darfur and other regions, are actively involved in the fighting themselves," he told the BBC. When the war began in Darfur two decades ago, the Arab militias armed by former President Omar al-Bashir's regime were infamously known as the Janjaweed. They went on the rampage killing hundreds of thousands as villages were burnt and pillaged. It has been described as the first genocide of the 21st Century. The RSF is made up of former members of the Janjaweed and there are fears that they are stirring up old tensions in the region for their own gain. The news that Bashir associates involved in Janjaweed atrocities have escaped from prison in Khartoum could potentially complicate the already volatile situation there. Among them is Ahmed Haroun, a former interior minister wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes committed in Darfur. West Darfur is not the only area that has been affected. Journalist and rights monitor Ahmed Gouja said that militiamen have been terrorising civilians in the city of Nyala in South Darfur. "They are looting, stealing, destroying people's property and killing," he told the BBC's Newsday programme. Mr Eltayeb just wants the fighting to end so he can leave. "I want to see my family in Khartoum. If not I'll go to Port Sudan: I have relatives there. Or the Chadian border is very close to us so I'd go to Chad and wait there until the situation is calmer then go to Khartoum to see my family." But given the ceasefire has not held in Darfur, it is not clear when he will be able to see his loved ones. LONDON (AP) Prime Minister Rishi Sunak declared that Britain and Italy are very aligned in values as he welcomed far-right Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni on Thursday for talks focused on migration, defense and the war in Ukraine. While Sunak meets leaders of all political stripes from around the world, he had notably warm words as he greeted Meloni at 10 Downing St., the British leaders official residence. The Conservative prime minister praised Melonis very careful handling of the Italian economy. I think the values between our two countries are very aligned, which is why we can work so well together on shared challenges, whether its responding to Putins illegal invasion in Ukraine, where again I pay tribute to your leadership, but also tackling illegal migration, which is something that is common to both of us, Sunak said. The two governments share an interest in stopping migrants reaching their countries by boat. Sunaks administration is passing a bill through Parliament that will deny the right to asylum to anyone who arrives in the U.K. without permission. The legislation has been condemned by refugee groups and the United Nations human rights body. The government also plans to send migrants who arrive by boat on a one-way trip to Rwanda, an equally controversial plan that is being blocked by legal challenges. Meloni, whose far-right Brothers of Italy party leads Italys right-wing coalition government, has led a crackdown on people-smugglers and on rescue ships operated by charities that she says encourage migrants to risk dangerous voyages from north Africa across the Mediterranean. Meloni told Sunak that tackling traffickers and illegal migration is something that your government is doing very well. Im following your work and I absolutely agree with your work and I think there are many things that we can do together. Meloni said there is much more that we can do on many topics on which we are on the same side defense, Ukraine. Story continues Unlike some far-right populists in the West, Meloni has taken a strongly pro-NATO, pro-European position on Russias war in Ukraine. After their meeting the two leaders were due to have a private tour of Westminster Abbey, where King Charles III will be crowned on May 6. A group of protesters gathered outside the gates of Downing Street as the leaders met, holding signs that read No to fascist Meloni and chanting: Refugees in, Meloni out. The sudden arrest last week in a 20-year-old Orange County murder case took two unusual turns Wednesday, when the suspect was released from custody and a special prosecutor was appointed to handle the case. Edward Holley, 42, left the Orange County Correctional Facility in Goshen a day earlier than expected, freed until a grand jury indicts him in a case that police brought before prosecutors were ready. Holley was being held in the jail on unrelated drug charges when New York State Police charged him with the 2003 killing of 20-year-old Megan McDonald. Megan McDonald's family listens as New York State Police hold a press conference announcing an arrest in her 2003 murder on April 20, 2023. Edward Holley is being charged for the 2003 murder of Megan McDonald. An outside prosecutor has now been assigned. Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler announced that he recused himself because of a potential conflict of interest stemming from his work as a defense attorney more than a decade ago. He said he had represented a now-deceased client in negotiations with the District Attorney's Office about providing information related to the McDonald killing. The Holley case will instead be handled by Julia Cornachio, a defense attorney who worked as a prosecutor in the Bronx and Westchester County for more than 30 years and handled "numerous homicide cases," Hoovler said. Appointed to assist her is Laura Murphy, another former prosecutor who oversaw cold cases in Westchester. Long search: After 20 years, an arrest in Megan McDonald's murder: Inside the hunt for a killer The arrest: Megan McDonald murder: Police make arrest in 20-year-old cold case Cold case: Megan McDonald: FBI goes inside the criminal mind of her suspected killer A long-awaited development in 20-year-old Megan McDonald case Holley lives in Wawayanda and is confined to a wheelchair, his legs paralyzed from a 2007 car accident. He denied killing Megan in remarks to reporters as police wheeled him outside after his arrest. Police charged him with second-degree murder on April 20, alleging he was the killer whose identity had long eluded authorities. McDonald, a 2000 graduate of John S. Burke Catholic High School in Goshen, was bludgeoned to death in March 2003, her body found shortly afterward in a field in the town of Wallkill. Story continues Under state law, authorities could hold Holley for up to six days after his arrest until a grand jury indicted him. But Hoovler's office was caught by surprise by the arrest and hadn't prepared a case to present to a jury. It declined to take part in a scheduled preliminary hearing on the police charge in Wallkill Court on Wednesday. The statement from Hoovler's office Wednesday said it was impossible to present a case of "this size and complexity" and obtain an indictment within six days. Chris McKenna covers government and politics for the Journal News and USA Today Network. Reach him at cmckenna@gannett.com. Edward Holley is wheeled out of the Middletown NYS police barracks on April 20, 2023. This article originally appeared on New York State Team: Megan McDonald case: Suspect leaves jail, special prosecutor named Deputies are investigating after reports of shots fired at a Harrison Township apartment complex Thursday. >> PHOTOS: Large law enforcement investigation underway at Harrison Twp. apartment building Crews were dispatched to the Brookview Place Apartment Complex in the 4000 block of North Main Street in reference to a shots fired call shortly after 11 a.m., according to the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office. Investigation showed an unknown suspect wearing a ski mask fired at least one shot with a handgun toward the apartment building, the sheriffs office said. This suspect then walked inside the building to an unknown location. The Montgomery County Sheriffs Office Regional SWAT team along with the Dayton SWAT team searched the building, but the suspect was not located. No injuries were reported during this incident. We will continue updating this story as we learn more. Mike Campbell/Staff Mike Campbell/Staff Mike Campbell/Staff Deputies took a man into custody while searching for a shooting suspect inside a Harrison Twp. apartment complex. Deputies were not able to confirm his involvement in the incident or if he's facing any charges. Mike Campbell/Staff Mike Campbell/Staff Mike Campbell/Staff Mike Campbell/Staff Mike Campbell/Staff Deputies took a man into custody while searching for a shooting suspect inside a Harrison Twp. apartment complex. Deputies were not able to confirm his involvement in the incident or if he's facing any charges. Mike Campbell/Staff Mike Campbell/Staff Mike Campbell/Staff Mike Campbell/Staff Mike Campbell/Staff Mike Campbell/Staff Mike Campbell/Staff Mike Campbell/Staff Mike Campbell/Staff Mike Campbell/Staff Mike Campbell/Staff Adam Barron/Staff Adam Barron/Staff Adam Barron/Staff Adam Barron/Staff Adam Barron/Staff Adam Barron/Staff Adam Barron/Staff Mike Campbell/Staff INITIAL REPORT: A large law enforcement investigation is underway outside of a Harrison Township apartment building. Multiple police cruisers, SWAT and medics are responding to the Brookview Place Apartments located on North Main Street after reports of possible shots fired, according to initial emergency scanner traffic. North Main Street is currently shut down, initial reports indicated. News Center 7 is working to learn more and we will continue updating this story. Actors Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeneys playful banter at CinemaCon this week bodes well for their upcoming rom-com Anyone But You but it also fueled rumors that the two werent acting and that their apparent chemistry spurred Powells breakup with his ex Gigi Paris. The two stars appeared to be Mondays main attraction at CinemaCon as Sweeney playfully cut Powell off mid-presentation and exclaimed, Oh, please, Top Gun, according to People. I love when she calls me that, the Top Gun: Maverick star replied. Anyway, as you could probably guess, this movies about two people that hate each other. Sydney plays a character [who is] a real nightmare, Powell added before Sweeney cut in to say his character was a real asshole, People reported. Speculation is running rampant on social media that the actors became romantically involved while they were filming in Australia, which began in March and only recently wrapped. A source told Page Six that Paris and Powell broke up in early April but ET cited a source who said that Sweeney is still engaged to Jonathan Davino. Glen Powell, left, recently broke up with his ex-girlfriend Gigi Paris, who unfollowed Sydney Sweeney, right, on social media. Glen Powell, left, recently broke up with his ex-girlfriend Gigi Paris, who unfollowed Sydney Sweeney, right, on social media. Another source told People that Powell and Paris had broken up several times and have been on the rocks since Maverick came out. Paris was allegedly unhappy about Powell filming in Australia, spurring an April visit when both decided to break up for good. Sweeney and Davino reportedly got engaged just over a year ago, while Powell and Paris went Instagram-official in 2021. Paris, a professional model, hinted at their breakup in an Instagram video on Wednesday that showed her strutting down the street. Know your worth & onto the next, she wrote in the caption. Paris also recently unfollowed Sweeney on social media. A source told People that she only did this because Sydney never followed her back, however. Story continues As for Sweeney and Powells well-documented chemistry, the insider told the outlet, Its just their job. Related... FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., are unleashing an effort to eliminate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The lawmakers are introducing a bill Thursday to repeal the Consumer Financial Protection Act that created the agency and restore federal laws "as if the act had not been enacted," according to a copy of the bill obtained by Fox News Digital. Since it was established in 2010, Republican lawmakers and financial groups have criticized the CFPB as an unnecessary agency. "The CFPB is an utter and complete waste of government spending and should be eliminated," Cruz, who is the ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, told Fox News Digital in a statement. "It is entirely ineffective and does very little to protect consumers." "The only purpose of this sham, Obama-mandated organization is to stifle economic growth by enforcing burdensome, unnecessary economic regulations," he continued. "The last thing our economy needs under Bidenflation is further hindrance by government bureaucrats. Ending the CFPB will spur economic growth at a time when Texans and Americans sorely need it." SUPREME COURT TO HEAR ARGUMENTS ON CONSTITUTIONALITY OF ELIZABETH WARRENS BABY THE CFPB Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on March 1, 2023. The CFPB was founded after the Great Recession of 2008 and designed to serve as a financial sector watchdog. According to its website, the CFPB was created, in part, to "increase accountability in government by consolidating consumer financial protection authorities that had existed across seven different federal agencies into one." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP "Consumer financial protection had not been the primary focus of any federal agency, and no agency had effective tools to set the rules for and oversee the whole market," the CFPB states. "The result was a system without effective rules or consistent enforcement. The results can be seen, both in the 2008 financial crisis and in its aftermath." Story continues CONSUMER ADVOCATE GROUPS URGE CFPB TO REGULATE BNPL PRODUCTS LIKE CREDIT CARDS, CITE 'CAUSE FOR CONCERN' Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is often credited with establishing the agency. She first proposed it in 2007 when she was a Harvard Law School professor, and former President Barack Obama later appointed her to serve as a White House adviser with the task of overseeing the CFPB's formation in late 2010. Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., joined Cruz in introducing the Repeal CFPB Act on Thursday. Cruz first attempted to repeal the CFPB in 2015 and has since led several similar efforts. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., introduced companion legislation of Cruz's Repeal CFPB Act in the House. "Look no further than the CFPB for the epitome of the Washington Swamp: an unconstitutional, unaccountable, and overreaching government agency with no Congressional oversight," Donalds told Fox News Digital in a statement. "In addition to the drain of federal resources, the CFPB hinders economic prosperity by imposing burdensome and unnecessary regulations on American consumers. "Its high time to eliminate the CFPB once and for all and ease the overarching financial restraints established by Dodd-Frank that permitted unfettered power to unelected activists and the obstruction of fiscal ingenuity and growth." Meanwhile, the Supreme Court agreed in February to hear arguments in a case involving the constitutionality of the CFPB. Last year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruled that the agency's funding structure was unconstitutional since Congress delegates its appropriations power to the CFPB, thereby violating the Constitution's separation of powers clause. Oral arguments for the case are expected to take place in the fall and a decision is expected in 2024. When an 18-year-old nonbinary high school senior was refused entry to prom for wearing a suit, a local small business stepped in to help. (Photos: Mary Craven; B Hayes/Instagram) Things didnt go as planned when B Hayes, a senior at a Nashville, Tenn. private Christian school, showed up at their senior prom, ready to celebrate. Instead, the teen was denied entry for wearing a suit instead of a dress something the school insists goes against established dress requirements laid out in a handbook that all students must sign at the start of each year. On April 23, Hayes, who identifies as nonbinary, took to Instagram to share a photo of themselves standing outside of the prom venue, holding a sign that read: They wouldnt let me in because Im in a suit. My name is B Hayes, reads the caption, which shows the teen wearing the fitted black suit at the center of the issue. Im 18 years old and Ive been attending Nashville Christian School for 13 years. My senior prom was today and I wasnt allowed in the doors because I was wearing a suit. They continued: I should not have to conform to femininity to attend my senior prom. I will not compromise who I am to fit in a box. Who are you to tell us what it means to be a woman? Within a matter of days, the post garnered more than 24,000 likes and upwards of 2,000 comments from supporters around the country, many of whom offered words of encouragement to the student, plus advice on how to handle similar challenges in life. For Hayes, the response has been humbling. "Its been amazing to see so many people share, like and comment on my post," they tell Yahoo Life in an email statement offered through a public relations representative. "I never imagined it would get this amount of attention." As the post gained steam, it eventually got the attention of Nashville business owner Marcie Allen Van Mol, who, alongside her husband Derek, owns AB Hillsboro Village, a live music and event space in town. When Van Mol learned about what happened to Hayes, she says she "was immediately sick to my stomach." Story continues "I am a stepmother to two teen girls, and the thought that they wouldn't be able to attend their senior prom because they are more comfortable in pants seemed absolutely ludicrous," she tells Yahoo Life. That's when Marcie Allen and her husband Derek decided to help. Alongside Allison Halley, who owns a local home goods store called Apple & Oak, they started making plans to throw Hayes and their friends an "all-inclusive" prom where they can "feel safe to express themselves." To fund those efforts, the trio launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for the event. Within 48 hours, Marcie Allen says they were overwhelmed with an "outpouring of love and support" from other business owners, families and good Samaritans who wanted to donate to the cause. To date, they've raised nearly $32,000 of their $40,000 goal. "No one should miss prom," says Marcie Allen. "These children have enough to worry about their clothes and self-expression should not be one of them. Support them, and love them as you would anyone else. They are deserving, wonderful people." The special night will be held at Marcie Allen and Derek's event space on May 6th, with a performance by local R&B artist Tone Stith. Any leftover funds raised will be split equally for donation to Hayes's charities of choice: queer youth organizations Inclusion Tennessee and Oasis Center. "Knowing that not only the Nashville community is behind me but people all over the country are supporting the issue is incredible to see," Hayes says in their statement. "I hope the awareness can bring about positive change and that more students in the future feel strong enough to stand up for freedom of expression. The experience has been an emotional one for Marcie Allen. "B was a complete stranger three days ago," she explains. "Getting to them through this process and seeing what a difference we can help make in this 18-year-old's life has been life-changing. We have received thousands of messages and emails from across the globe from other parents and students who have been in similar situations." Marcie Allen and Derek Van Mol in front of their AB Hillsboro Village event space, where they will soon be hosting an "all-inclusive" prom for an 18-year-old nonbinary student who was refused entry at their prom. (Credit: Mary Craven Photography) Regarding Hayes's post, the Nashville Christian School stresses to Yahoo Life through a statement that all students and their families are expected to follow specific guidelines when it comes to the dress code for "daily school attendance" and "special events." The Nashville Christian School's handbook, when explaining rules around "ladies" and "gentlemen" dress codes, has no mention of pantsuits at special events (though it does say "khaki twill pants" are appropriate for "ladies" to wear during the day). "The intent of the uniform/dress code is to train our children to realize that although many types of clothing are acceptable for us to wear, some are more appropriate for specific activities than others," the handbook reads. "Students are expected to yield to the given authority of any faculty member or administrator on any dress code related issue." The school statement shared with Yahoo Life echoes those sentiments, stressing that "all students and families are aware of and sign an agreement to these guidelines when they enroll." It continues: "The school's expectations regarding appropriate prom attire were communicated to this student and the student's family in advance of the prom. While we certainly respect a student's right to disagree, all of our students know from our school handbook that when they do not follow such expectations at school-sponsored events, they may be asked to leave." As for Marcie Allen, providing an opportunity to allow kids to "feel safe" and "feel seen" is something she hopes other adults can strive for not just in Nashville, but everywhere. "We all need to do our part to help where we can," she says. Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Life's newsletter. Sign up here. A 16-year-old Minnesota boy has been charged as police say he intentionally ran over and killed a 70-year-old pedestrian while listening to a song about murder. Israel Muyaya Madimba was charged with first- and second-degree murder in connection with the fatal attack last Friday in St. Cloud, about 65 miles northwest of Minneapolis, the Stearns County Attorney's Office announced. St. Cloud police officers responded to a call of a car striking a pedestrian just after 8 p.m. and found the 70-year-old man unresponsive, police said in a news release. Lifesaving measures were performed on the victim, identified as Norbert John Olmscheid, of St. Cloud. He was taken to a hospital, where he died from his wounds, police said. Olmscheid had been walking on a walking path prior to being struck by a vehicle driven by a 16-year-old male from Sauk Rapids, police said. The driver ran but was later taken into custody. An investigation found that Madimba was alleged to have stolen a vehicle from the St. Cloud YMCA blocks away the crash site and shortly after that saw the victim on the walking path between 9th Avenue and 6th Avenue North, authorities said. The suspect admitted he drove on the walking path and intentionally struck the victim, police said. The criminal complaint revealed that the suspect told officers he turned onto the sidewalk and accelerated behind the victim. The defendant admitted listening to a song about murder and then striking the unsuspecting victim, the criminal complaint said. His account was corroborated by witnesses, the filing said. An exact motive is still under investigation, officials said. Madimba was taken to the Stearns County jail and later to a secure juvenile detention center. Madimba appeared in district court Monday after he was charged with first-degree and second-degree murder, the Stearns County Attorneys Office said. He was ordered to be held on $2 million unconditional or $1 million conditional bail. The judge also ordered he undergo a competency examination. Story continues It's not immediately clear whether Madimba has a lawyer. The first-degree murder count carries a life sentence, the county attorney's office said. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Salt Lake police investigate a shooting near 1600 West and 500 South in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. A female juvenile died in the shooting, according to police. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News A teenage girl was shot and killed Wednesday by her teen brother, police said. Salt Lake police received a call at 12:04 p.m. about a shooting in the 1600 West block of Wright Circle (505 South) in the Poplar Grove neighborhood and learned that a teenage girl had been shot inside a home and was critically injured. Lifesaving efforts were attempted by officers and paramedics but the girl was pronounced dead at the scene, police said in a statement. Police say the shooter, her brother, had left the house before officers arrived. Officers, including members of the department's Police Community Response Team, began searching for the boy. A person matching his description was seen boarding a Utah Transit Authority bus and the teen was subsequently arrested on a bus near 1455 West and 400 South. "The circumstances leading up to the shooting remain under investigation," the statement said. Salt Lake police have not identified the sister or the brother. She has only been identified as a "teenage girl" and he has only been identified as being "under the age of 18." He was expected to be booked into the Salt Lake County Juvenile Detention Center. Police said the gun used in the shooting was recovered, but they provided no information about how it was recovered. Edison Elementary and Parkview Elementary schools went into a short "lockout" protocol while police initially investigated the incident, meaning school continued as normal but no one was allowed in or out of the buildings for a while. The leasing agreement that one Indiana woman signed specifically said she could not sublease the home to anybody else. But this didnt stop her from fraudulently trying to rent the property to at least three other people, according to the Fishers Police Department. In an affidavit for probable cause filed on April 25, the 25-year-old woman is accused of scamming prospective renters out of security deposits and rent payments while she was a tenant herself. One of those renters lost $1,800 a security deposit and the first months rent while another paid $1,700 for the security deposit and rent payment. The third victim paid a $600 security deposit before realizing she might have been tricked. Authorities began investigating the scam on Dec. 13, 2021, after two different people reported fraud and theft involving the same residence in Fishers. The first report A man reported he had posted on Facebook that he was looking for a place to rent on Nov. 11. The suspect responded to his post with information about a home she claimed to be renting. The man said he met her at the home for a walk-through on Nov. 18 and decided to move forward with leasing, according to court records. He signed a lease agreement, paid $1,800 and his move-in was scheduled for Dec. 7. Two days before his move-in date, he messaged the woman asking when he could get the key, police said. She said her movers were not available until Dec. 6, so he could get the key after that. But on Dec. 6, she told him she was involved in an accident and needed surgery so she was not available to meet him, police said. Then on Dec. 7, she said her dad was in the ICU and again could not turn over the key. A few days later, the man asked for a refund but she refused, according to authorities. She also would not amend the lease agreement with a new date for move in. The second report On Dec. 13, a woman reported she too posted on Facebook seeking a place to rent. The same suspect responded to say she was moving out of her home and wanted to rent it out, authorities said. Story continues The woman and her fiance did a walk-through and noticed the woman seemingly had items packed as though she was moving out, police said. She signed a one-year lease on Nov. 19 and was told she could move in on Dec. 1. Authorities said she transferred $1,700 in payments as part of the agreement. But before her move in date, the suspect contacted her to say she was in a car accident and needed extra time to move, police said. A new date was scheduled for Dec. 10. Then the suspect asked for an additional two weeks, authorities said. (The victim) stated she then searched online and found several posts warning potential victims about being defrauded by (the woman) via similar rental schemes, police said. (She) stated she subsequently conducted a search and determined that (the woman) was not the property owner, who she implied to be, and was only a tenant. A third report On Dec. 30, authorities said they received one more report regarding fraud involving the same home for rent. After learning of the home for rent via Facebook, a woman said she walked through the home and agreed to rent the property. She paid a $600 security deposit and signed a lease. She was supposed to send ... an additional $1,100.00 in exchange for the key to the residence, but she became suspicious of their agreement and never sent it, police said. ... (S)he subsequently learned about one of the other victims ... and after having conversations with him, she discovered she was being scammed. An apartment for rent In investigating the three reports, a detective recalled a similar case from September 2021, according to court records. The same woman fraudulently tried subleasing an apartment and scammed another woman out of $1,700, police said. After continuing to postpone the move-in dates, the suspect eventually refunded the prospective renter and no charges were filed. Eviction The actual landlord of the home mentioned in the first three reports told police he knew his tenant defrauded several people, police said. He was in the process of evicting her for attempting to sublease his rental property to several different people fraudulently. The woman faces charges of theft, fraud and corrupt business influence, according to court records. Authorities have received a warrant for her arrest, records show. Fishers is part of the Indianapolis metropolitan area. Wolf of Airbnb sublet out 18 apartments but didnt pay NY landlords, feds say Real estate agent stole landlords identity while getting evicted from home, feds say Woman got $267K in pandemic rental aid and paid for vacations, real estate, feds say (CNN) China has broadened the scope of its already sweeping counter-espionage law in a move that analysts warn could create further legal risks or uncertainty for foreign companies, journalists and academics. The changes expand the definition of espionage from covering state secrets and intelligence to any "documents, data, materials or items related to national security and interests," without specifying specific parameters for how these terms are defined. Cyber attacks targeting China's key information infrastructure in connection with spy agencies are also categorized as espionage under the new version of the law, which goes into effect on July 1. The amendment, approved by China's top legislative body Wednesday, comes amid an increasing emphasis on national security under Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the country's most assertive leader in a generation. Xi has overseen a raft of new measures to crack down on perceived threats within and outside China and sought to control the flow of information outside the country during his 10 years in power. The original version of the law, passed in 2014, was already "very ambiguous and very powerful," said Yasuhiro Matsuda, an international relations professor at the University of Tokyo. "But China thinks it's not enough," he said. The broadened counter-espionage law comes just months after China lifted its pandemic-era border restrictions following three years of self-imposed Covid isolation -- measures which had kept most foreign businesspeople and researchers away. "China is opening up, and that makes it much more vulnerable" in the eyes of Chinese leaders, Matsuda said. The revision is likely to heighten concerns of foreign individuals, such as academic researchers or journalists, and businesses about visiting or operating in China. The new language in the amendment suggests "any organization and anyone can be suspect ... and anything can be counted as a threat to national security" in the arbitrary application of the law, Matsuda said. "This will definitely cause a chilling effect," he said. Heightened risks The lack of clarity around what kind of documents, data or materials could be considered relevant to national security will pose major legal risks to academics and businesses trying to gain a better understanding of China. According to analysts, topics such as the origin of Covid, China's real pandemic death toll, and authentic data on the Chinese economy could all fall within the crosshairs of the law. "Before (some activities) used to be normal engagement, but now they could be espionage," said Alfred Wu, an associate professor in Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at National University of Singapore. "Something like a local government budget you could broadly define as relating to national security, or even food security," he said. "Researchers definitely need to be careful." China says its laws related to national security and espionage are meant to safeguard the country. Concerns about application of the law have been compounded by a series of arrests of foreign nationals on espionage charges in recent years. Foreign governments have described the cases as being politically motivated and accused Beijing of violating due process, such as denying access to counsel and holding close-door trials. In one high-profile example, two Canadians -- former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor -- were detained by China for nearly three years. Their arrest on espionage charges in late 2018 came shortly after Canada arrested Chinese businesswoman and Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a US warrant related to the company's business dealings in Iran. Beijing repeatedly denied that their cases were a political retaliation, but the two men were released on the same day Meng was allowed by Canada to return to China. Businesses on edge In recent weeks, Japan has called for the release of one of its nationals employed by Astellas Pharma, who was detained in China last month on espionage charges. At least 17 Japanese nationals have been detained in China on suspicion of spying and other activities since 2015, according to Japanese state broadcaster NHK. These circumstances have already had an impact on personnel traveling to China from Japan, according to Kawashima Shin, a professor of international relations at the University of Tokyo. "It is so difficult -- so many Japanese scholars have already decided not to go China," said Kawashima. Japanese companies also note the definition of espionage under the law is "vague," so they also "hesitate to send businesspeople" to China, he said. "It's a big problem." One issue is that in past detentions details of the court cases have not been open, so it becomes difficult for companies or individuals to make risk assessments and judge at what point an activity may be crossing a legal line, Kawashima said. "Even with this amendment we still don't understand what kind of document constitutes a national security issue," he added. "China can decide case by case." Western businesses are also on edge. Last month, Chinese authorities closed the Beijing office of Mintz Group, an American corporate due diligence firm, and detained five local staff. And on Thursday, US consultancy Bain & Company said Chinese police have questioned staff at its Shanghai office. Chinese authorities did not offer details about both cases, including the reason for the crackdown, but analysts say the move is likely to further spook foreign businesses operating in China. "The Chinese government has continuously said it welcomes foreign investment. However, a flurry of recent actions taken against US enterprises in China has sent the opposite message," said Michael Hart, President of AmCham China. "Our business community is spooked, and our members are asking, 'Who's next?.' Irrespective of the government's intention, that's the message being received." This story was first published on CNN.com, "China has widened its already sweeping counter-espionage law. Experts say foreign businesses should be worried." Electric cars are by their nature incredibly quick, but these five vehicles stand out as the most fun in my experience. TangentVector I've driven more than two-dozen electric vehicles. Five stand out as the most fun to drive. The electric Hummer, Porsche Taycan, Rivian R1T, and Pininfarina Battista are each a blast for different reasons. I've tested more than two-dozen electric vehicles of all different shapes, sizes, and price points. But a few stand out as being the most fun to drive. To be sure, "fun" as a concept is broad and subjective. The tea-drinking crossword puzzler has a different definition than the all-night raver. And the same goes for cars. These four vehicles put a smile on my face, got my heart racing, or all of the above. Kia EV6 GT The 2023 Kia EV6 GT. The 2023 Kia EV6 GT.Tim Levin/Insider Warn your passengers to brace themselves before pinning it in Kia's new EV6 GT. And maybe double check they don't have any pre-existing neck problems. Because this isn't your ordinary Kia. The new-for-2023 version of the EV6 SUV packs a serious punch in the form of 576 horsepower and 545 pound-feet of torque. The result: instantaneous, gut-punching acceleration when you put the pedal to the metal. Kia says the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive hatchback zips to 60 mph in a brisk 3.4 seconds. The 2023 Kia EV6 GT. Tim Levin/Insider On top of the jaw-dropping quickness, there's something extra enjoyable about doing it all not in a Porsche or a BMW, but in a Kia. Interested? The EV6 GT is priced from around $63,000. Pininfarina Battista The Pininfarina Battista. Tim Levin/Insider When you take the oomph of the EV6 GT and more than triple it, you get the certifiably outrageous Pininfarina Battista. The $2 million supercar packs an astonishing 1,900 horsepower from four motors one driving each wheel. In its own testing, Pininfarina says it achieved a 0-60-mph time of 1.79 seconds, faster than any other street-legal car. The Pininfarina Battista. TangentVector A number is one thing experiencing it is something else entirely. Flooring the Battista in its most ferocious driving setting, Furiosa, feels like breaking the laws of physics. It takes off like a rocket and gives you the sneaking suspicion that you're a blink away from vanishing into some other dimension. Story continues Fun? Yes. Terrifying? You bet. Rivian R1T The Rivian R1T. Tim Levin/Insider And now for something completely different: the Rivian R1T pickup truck. I got behind the wheel of California startup Rivian's first model back in 2021 and had an absolute blast tackling trails in the Colorado mountains. The rugged R1T amounts to something like a cheat code for off-roading. I came in with zero off-pavement experience and in no time found myself gleefully crawling over beachball-sized boulders, fording streams, and zooming up gravelly hills. On steep descents, the R1T slows to a manageable crawl, recapturing energy for its battery pack. The Rivian R1T. Tim Levin/Insider The truck's adjustable-height suspension and quad-motor all-wheel-drive system mean basically all you have to do is steer toward some scary obstacle and hit the right pedal. Rivian's R1S SUV offers similar capabilities, but I didn't get to test it on such challenging terrain, so the R1T stands out. Porsche Taycan The 2022 Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo Turbo S. Tim Levin/Insider Porsches are renowned for their superior driving dynamics. After taking a spin in the brand's Taycan Cross Turismo Turbo S, I can see why. I didn't take the electric station wagon to the track or anything, but even on public roads it felt unlike any other car I've driven. Through every turn, the Taycan felt stable and almost glued to the road. And thanks to its tight steering, I felt remarkably connected to it. I could place it precisely where I wanted to with the slightest tweak of the wheel. The 2021 Porsche Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo. Tim Levin/Insider Moreover, the Cross Turismo Turbo S I drove had 750 horsepower and a 60-mph sprint of just 2.7 seconds, according to Porsche. With power like that at your disposal, it's tough not to have a thrilling time. GMC Hummer EV The GMC Hummer EV Edition 1. Tim Levin/Insider GMC's gargantuan electric pickup is a nightmare to drive on city streets. And even on the highway, I constantly feared I was about to demolish some tiny Honda Civic. Still, the Hummer EV is a joy when you have a bit more space to roam. The six-figure truck feels like a supersized, incredibly expensive toy. It has removable glass panels for a roof and quickness that makes absolutely no sense for a 9,000-pound vehicle. It can turn all four wheels the same direction and drive diagonally. When you switch between drive modes, video-game animations pop up on the Hummer's screen showing the truck trundling across quirky environments, like the Moon or Mars. The 2022 GMC Hummer EV Edition 1. Tim Levin/Insider It's all so over the top, so ostentatious, so unnecessarily large, that you can't help but laugh at the Hummer's sheer absurdity when you're behind the wheel. Read the original article on Business Insider This article was originally published in The Texas Tribune. The Texas House on Tuesday gave final approval to legislation that is calling for significant investments to beef up schools safety, including hiring at least one armed security officer at every campus, providing incentives for school employees to get certified to carry a weapon and installing silent panic alert buttons in every classroom. House Bill 3, authored by Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, passed 119-25. It now heads to the Senate. The proposal would also require regular safety inspections of school buildings and would give grants to students who want to attend another school district if their current one is not complying with safety standards. In addition, the bill was amended to give schools $100 for each student who regularly attends classes, plus an additional $15,000 each year, to upgrade their security. The change would raise the cost of the bill from $300 million to about $1.6 billion. Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter HD Chambers, executive director of the Texas School Alliance, said the state must strike the right balance between making schools safer and not creating environments where children are afraid to go to school. Access to mental health services is as important as any effort to harden campuses, he said. Ultimately, each school district is unique and needs the resources and flexibility to enact solutions that work for its community. School safety is a priority for both chambers this session after the Uvalde shooting left 19 children and two teachers dead last year. The House voted on HB 3 and two other school safety bills less than a week after the Senate passed a proposal to make sure that hundreds of Texas school districts without active-shooter plans get up to speed. The Senates school safety bill also includes many of the provisions in the House bills passed Monday. In their budget proposals for the next two years, the House has allocated $1.6 billion for school security while the Senate calls for a nearly $1.3 billion investment. Members from both chambers will meet behind closed doors to negotiate what will make it into the final budget. Story continues But while both chambers have passed bills on school security in response to Uvalde, it is unclear whether lawmakers will listen to Uvalde families who want to raise the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic guns from 18 to 21. The bill that would do that had a hearing at the House last week, but it faces stiff opposition from Republicans. Under HB 3, armed security officers would be hired to be present at every campus during school hours. The Texas School Safety Center a Texas State University think tank that has been reviewing schools safety protocols since the 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting would be required to conduct checks of a school districts buildings at least once every five years to make sure they are following the states safety standards. The Texas Education Agency could withhold any grant money from a district until the agency finds that it is in compliance. In the Uvalde shooting, the gunman entered Robb Elementary through a back door that failed to properly lock. During the floor debate on Monday, Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos, D-Richardson, brought an amendment that would bar teachers from being armed on campus. Under the current language of the bill, a school district could arm a teacher to meet the requirements of having an armed officer at every campus. The amendment failed. Robin Breed, the Austin legislative lead for Moms Demand Action, a group that advocates for public safety policies to protect people from gun violence, said she was disappointed that the amendment wasnt approved. Law enforcement officers like those that were at Uvalde have enormous training requirements, she said. We know that even with those training requirements, those officers at Uvalde were unable or unwilling to stop that shooter. So, asking a teacher to be able to perform better than the officers is ridiculous. The House also approved House Bill 13, authored by Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian. It passed with a 125-21 vote and now heads to the Senate. The bill would give district employees a $25,000 incentive for each year theyre certified as so-called school guardians, or staff who can carry a gun in school. School employees have been reluctant to get armed. About a month after the Uvalde shooting, a survey showed that Texas teachers do not want to take a gun to school. HB 13 would also require law enforcement to do regular walk-throughs of school buildings and require district employees who regularly interact with kids to attend a mental health and first-aid training program. It would set up grants of up to $250 million for schools to upgrade their security and allocate $100 for each student who regularly attends classes. In addition, the House passed Senate Bill 838, authored by Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, with a 145-0 vote. The proposal, which now heads to the Senate, would require districts to use part of their school safety budget to place silent panic alert buttons in each classroom. The buttons would immediately alert law enforcement agencies during emergencies. The proposal appears to be in response to the police radio failures inside Robb Elementary during the Uvalde shooting. Creightons bill was the companion to House Bill 669, authored by Rep. Shawn Thierry, D-Houston, an identical piece of legislation that was part of the Houses school safety package. Erin Douglas contributed to this story. This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune, a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org. Citizens of countries that pose a national security threat to the U.S. would be banned from owning certain types of land in Texas under a bill that passed the state Senate on Wednesday. The legislation targets any nation that has been named on the Director of National Intelligence's National Threat Assessment for three years in a row. Four nations currently meet that criteria China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The original bill specifically named those four countries, but the final draft allowed for a country to be removed from the list in case they fall off the National Threat Assessment due to regime change or for any other reason. Lawful permanent residents and dual citizens will also still be allowed to buy land under the final version of the bill. "Senate Bill 147 strikes the balance of national security and the state is vital to our national security while also allowing those that are seeking freedom, seeking asylum, fleeing these authoritarian regimes, to come here and live their lives and live the American dream," Republican Texas Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, who introduced the bill, told Fox News Digital on Thursday. State Senator Lois Kolkhorst, a Republican from Texas, speaks during a Texas Senate Committee hearing in Marshall, Texas. The bill specifies that only land where foreign ownership would pose a threat is off-limits, such as agriculture, oil, timber, and mineral-bearing areas. "Food security is national security. Oil and gas, our rare earth materials, timber we need to be protecting that," Kolkhorst said. "This is a national security issue. So that's why I linked the prohibitions back to the national threat assessment." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP CHINA FUMES AS BIDEN PLOTS TO STARVE IT OF AI INVESTMENT: 'SCI-TECH BULLYING' Kolkhorst narrowed the bill down after hearing input from constituents and colleagues in the state legislature, but some lawmakers still contest that it goes too far. "Even with the amendments offered, this legislation still takes away the rights of an entire class of people without due process and solely on the basis of their national origin," Texas state Rep. Gene Wu, a Democrat who represents parts of Houston, said in a statement on Wednesday. "National security is a serious issue, but if we are concerned about the actions of foreign governments, then legislation should only affect foreign governments and their agents." Story continues Other states have taken up similar legislation to stop hostile foreign governments from gaining a foothold in the U.S. by purchasing land. The North Carolina House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill on Wednesday that would ban China, Russia, and other hostile foreign government from buying farmland or property near military bases. Multiple bills are currently being considered in the Florida legislature that would similarly ban the purchase of farmland by hostile foreign entities. At the national level, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., introduced a bill last month that would ban the Chinese citizens from purchasing farmland and real estate in the U.S., unless they were granted asylum as a refugee or were lawfully admitted for permanent residence. "For decades, the Chinese Communist Party has been gobbling up American farmland and real estate," Cotton told Fox News Digital in March. "At best, this submits American land and resources to China's best interests, not America's at worst, these purchases serve as outposts for Chinese espionage campaigns against American businesses and military bases." Amanda Zurawski tore into GOP Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn of Texas at a Senate hearing on Wednesday over the states abortion ban, saying she nearly died on their watch after being denied care in a pregnancy crisis. (Watch the video below.) I wanted to address my senators, Cruz and Cornyn, neither of whom, regrettably, are in the room right now. But I would like for them to know that what happened to me its a direct result of the policies that they support, Zurawski said. I nearly died on their watch and furthermore, as a result of what happened to me, I may have been robbed of the opportunity to have children in the future. Zurawski is suing Texas for withholding an abortion as her pregnancy complications became more dire. She said she had been told her baby would not survive, but doctors said they could not offer more care because fetal cardiac activity could still be detected, according to her suit. Zurawski eventually developed sepsis, and doctors induced labor. She gave birth and the baby died. I wasnt permitted to have an abortion and the trauma and the PTSD and the depression that I have dealt with in the eight months since this happened to me is paralyzing, Zurawski said at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. On top of that, I am still struggling to have children. Both Texas senators attended the hearing, but were not present when Zurawski spoke, The Hill reported. HuffPost did not immediately hear back from either senator. In 2021, Texas adopted a six-week abortion ban. Most abortions are now prohibited in 14 states, following the Supreme Courts repeal of Roe v. Wade, The New York Times reported this week. I wanted to address my senators, Cruz and Cornyn.. I would like for them to know that what happened to me is a direct result of the policies they support. I nearly died on their watch and I may have been robbed of the opportunity to have children in the future pic.twitter.com/rq8Rt0lmSa Acyn (@Acyn) April 26, 2023 Related... Thomas Parry has been jailed after he brutally attacked girlfriend Jessica Davies. (Wales News) WARNING: Article contains graphic images A woman has described how she felt broken and worthless after her controlling boyfriend launched a brutal attack on her, covering her body in bruises. Thomas Parry punched, choked, stamped on and humiliated girlfriend Jessica Davies, while their two-year-old son slept in the next room. Davies, 23, met factory worker Parry when she was 15 and believed he was a gentle giant who would look after her. But she was subjected to eight years of controlling behaviour, leaving Davies believing he was going to kill me. She was just a schoolgirl when she started dating 23-stone Parry who, at 6ft, towered over her 5ft 3 inch frame. Jessica Davies was subject to a horrific attack by boyfriend Thomas Parry. (Wales News) But far from being the love of her life, Davies said Parry, then 21, started controlling her every move over the next eight years before a horrifying attack that left police shocked. Davies said: "I felt physically and emotionally powerless and I thought the only way out was death. "Either he was going to kill me or I'd take my own life." After violently attacking Davies, Parry told her that things could get way, way, way worse. Injury pictures show Davies legs, arms and back covered in bruises, leaving barely any skin visible on her left limb. Parry smashed her face and stamped on her body as their toddler son lay sick with chickenpox in a nearby bedroom. Davies, now 23, claims she was so terrified of her partner, now 29, that she set up a fake email account to write a letter saying goodbye to their son after the assault. Jessica Davies was left covered in bruises following the attack. (Wales News) She said: I really believed he was going to kill me. He was a hulk of a man. He was absolutely savage. "He tried to dehumanise me in every way he could. He told me nobody could stop him. He spat on me and tipped a tin of talcom powder all over me. "I was in so much pain for his beating and I begged him to let me sleep in our bed but he wouldn't allow and made me sleep on the floor like an animal. He then kept me in the house for two weeks so nobody could see my bruises and forced me to tell my family I had COVID so they couldnt visit and see my injuries. Story continues Parry carried out his attack in August 2022, shortly after the pair had reconciled after a brief split where Davies had started dating someone new. Jessica Davies said she was left in absolute agony following the attack. (Wales News) Davies said Parry attacked her after quizzing her about the man she was dating during their split. Recalling the attack, Davies said: The pain was so horrific my body went numb. I was in so much pain I couldn't feel it anymore. "My body was black and blue all over from the bruises. He hit me so hard in the face there was blood everywhere from my nose and it went all over the walls as he forced me into the shower to wash the blood away. "When I saw myself in the mirror I barely recognised myself. I could barely walk and I hurt so badly. I was in absolute agony. Thomas Parry was jailed for four years at Cardiff Crown Court. (Alamy) Davies eventually fled her home in Porthcawl, South Wales, before telling the police about the abuse she was subjected to. Parry was jailed for four years in March, with half the sentence to be served on licence. Cardiff Crown Court heard he had 14 previous convictions for offences including common assault. Davies is now hoping she can help inspire other women to leave abusive relationships. For help and advice on domestic abuse, you can contact organisations including Womens Aid and Refuge. You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247. Domestic violence against women: the facts Evening Briefing logo Good evening. Just one in five EU laws are set to be scrapped in Rishi Sunaks so-called Brexit bonfire, according to a briefing given by Kemi Badenoch, despite pledges to scrub more than 4,000 from the statute book. And scroll down for the latest foreign news, as Vladimir Putin sacked his deputy defence minister. Tories to scrap just one in five redundant EU laws The Prime Minister gave his public backing in January to the Retained EU Law Bill which will abolish more than 4,000 EU laws by the end of this year. However, Christopher Hope reports that in a briefing to senior Tory Eurosceptic MPs on Monday, Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said that only 20 per cent of those laws - just 800 - were likely to be scrapped by December 31. Conservative MPs told The Telegraph they are furious at the apparent hollowing out of the legislation, which they see as a surrender to civil servants who are unwilling to strip away EU red tape. 'Incompetent' nurses' strike quashed in High Court The Health Secretary has successfully quashed an upcoming strike by nurses after his lawyers argued that the union had been incompetent in looking at its timetable. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) had planned a 48-hour strike from 8pm on Sunday, ending on May 2 at 8pm. However, a High Court judge has now ruled the planned strike action by the RCN on May 2 would be unlawful as it falls beyond its legal mandate. Lizzie Roberts and Max Stephens have the full story here. Germany accuses UK of delaying its Sudan evacuations Germany has accused the UK of delaying its efforts to evacuate people from Sudan after causing a temporary blockade at an airfield. Senior German political sources told the BBC that British forces angered the Sudanese army by landing in the country without permission. James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, insisted he did not "recognise the reporting". It came as Mr Cleverly said he did not mind Foreign Office civil servants working from home during the Sudan crisis as long as theyre working. Story continues Evening Briefing: Today's essential headlines Jerry Springer | One of the most influential and controversial figures in American TV history has died aged 79. Read his Telegraph obituary here. Comment and analysis World news: Putin sacks deputy defence minister in sign of frustration The Kremlin has sacked its deputy defence minister, in a sign of Vladimir Putins continued frustration with the Russian armys performance since it invaded Ukraine, reports James Kilner. Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev is one of the highest-ranking Russian military commanders to be fired in the 14-month-long war. You can get up to speed with all today's developments on the ground in Ukraine on our live blog. Long read of the day How a terrifying hike in Norway inspired my next novel Stepping out of her comfort zone, Lucy Clarke headed to the Norwegian wilderness for inspiration and found that not all stories go to plan Read the piece Business news: Elon Musk ordered to stop using deepfake excuse in fatal Tesla crash case Elon Musk has been ordered to give a deposition in a lawsuit blaming Tesla's driverless technology for a fatal crash, after the carmaker suggested his public statements about autopilot could have been deepfaked. Chris Price has the full story here. Editor's choice Travel | Italys last great undiscovered city Health | How a wave of lockdown depression is driving Britains 40bn sickness timebomb Strikes | The 'crucial, highly valuable' perk that striking teachers are keeping quiet about Sport news: Train drivers to strike on FA Cup final day Train drivers are set to strike on the day of the FA Cup final and the Epsom Derby after their union rejected a new pay deal from rail firms. Jack Simpson has more details on when the strikes will be. Three things for you And finally... for this evening's downtime The perfect Greek island holiday | How do you experience the best Greece has to offer in an 11-day trip? By following the ultimate itinerary created by our expert. A 22-year-old man who died in a two-vehicle collision on Interstate 5 near Tumwater on Wednesday has been identified. Leonilo Lumapas from Beaverton, Oregon died at the scene of the collision, Thurston County Coroner Gary Warnock told The Olympian on Thursday. His official cause of death has not been determined, he said. The collision occurred at 12:11 a.m. on I-5 north of 93rd Avenue Southwest and south of Tumwater Boulevard, according to a press memo from Washington State Patrol. Troopers blocked the freeway for six hours and 30 minutes following the incident. Lumapas reportedly was traveling north in a Honda Civic in lane two of three. Trooper Robert Reyer previously said the Honda struck a disabled semi-truck in that same lane. Both vehicles came to a rest in a ditch on the right side of the freeway. A 30-year-old Fresno man drove the semi-truck; he was wearing a seat belt and did not suffer any injuries, according to the memo. Lumapas reportedly did not wear a seat belt. The collision totaled the Honda and the semi-truck, the memo says. TikTokers have suggested a "hack" to get a Kia or Hyundai car started without the key. @negasi_enterprise999/@sophiestumbles/@roos_4_ever/TikTok Soaring thefts of Kias and Hyundais by joyriding teens could cost over a half-billion dollars. The cars lack an inexpensive security feature, and TikTok videos showed how to steal them. Owners and car insurers are suing, and the overall cost estimate came from the insurers. In cities across the country, thefts of Hyundai and Kia vehicles have skyrocketed. In some cases, the culprits are joyriding teens who post about their exploits on TikTok. Now some drivers are trying to get Kia and Hyundai to pay the tab, saying the security features were illegally lax. And recently, auto insurers made a preliminary estimate of the total cost: $500 million to $600 million. The number, which was included in a court filing earlier this month, appears to be the first time anyone has publicly put a price tag on the destructive trend, which has led auto thefts to spike from Seattle to New York City. Hyundai and Kia "are just looking at, 'how much could this cost us?' and they have hard numbers on that," said Marianne Jennings, who teaches business students at Arizona State University. Many Kias and Hyundais don't have a common security feature While the most commonly stolen vehicles in America are Chevrolet and Ford pickup trucks, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, thefts of Kia and Hyundai vehicles have been on the rise. Some cities have been especially hard-hit; last year, more than half of the 8,096 cars stolen in Milwaukee were Hyundais and Kias, WTMJ-TV reported. The rate of auto theft has generally fallen over the past 30 years, according to data gathered by the FBI from thousands of police departments. But last year, the number of vehicles stolen in the US hit a 15-year high. The spread of technology like immobilizers, which prevent a car from starting unless a driver uses a chipped key, has played a role in the decline. But in many Kia and Hyundai models, which lack immobilizers, thieves have found it easy to rip the cover off a steering column and turn a switch to start the engine. Story continues "This is a nationwide problem that cries out for a solution, and we're working actively to try to move that forward in whatever ways we can get Hyundai and Kia to participate," said Ken McClain, a lawyer who represents drivers who are suing the two automakers. The trend started in 2021, when a TikTok user posted a video showing how a thief could bring a Kia's engine to life by turning an internal switch with a simple tool like a USB cable. On TikTok, the thieves often called themselves "Kia Boys" or used the hashtag #kiaboyz. Since then, TikTok and YouTube have removed some how-to videos for car thieves, but it hasn't made the problem go away. Kia and Hyundai have rolled out software updates that are meant to make the affected cars harder to steal. But actually installing the updates in a reported 3.8 million Kias and 4.5 million Hyundais is another story, and state regulators have urged the carmakers to recall the impacted vehicles. The automakers have insisted that they're not at fault, and that their cars comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, which include anti-theft requirements. Kia called the insurance companies' complaint "without merit," and a Hyundai spokesman said the company made immobilizers standard on all its cars starting in November 2021. But insurers and drivers are pressing forward with their cases. Kia and Hyundai drivers could seek even more money Steve Berman, a Seattle lawyer who is working with McClain, said total damages could be even higher than the insurers estimated, perhaps in the $700 million to $850 million range. The figure of up to $600 million is "just for the amounts paid by insurance companies," Berman said in an email. "Keep in mind this doesn't include amounts paid by uninsured or those who don't have theft insurance, about 30 percent of the driving population." Carmakers are no strangers to crises, and how they respond can be decisive. After allegations arose about Audis and Toyotas suddenly accelerating, Jennings, at Arizona State, said the hit they took to their reputations came on top of legal costs and regulatory scrutiny. She said Hyundai and Kia should move quickly to get a handle on the case and win back public trust. "This one's moving more rapidly, I think, than the other ones," she said. Read the original article on Business Insider Air superiority involves protecting friendly forces from aerial attack, while concurrently empowering offensive power projection by suppressing enemy defenses. The former is key to not losing a war. The latter is what brings victory. Joint combat power is not viable without control of the sky. Investment in a capable, sufficiently sized fighter enterprise is the down payment required for successful joint force operations. Given this stark reality, it is crucial that Congress block the Air Forces budget-driven request to retire 32 of its F-22s, while also providing the resources necessary for tomorrows air superiority mission. The Air Forces fighter inventory stands at less than half of what it was in 1990. Does anyone think the world is any safer today? Russias invasion of Ukraine and Chinese aggression in the Pacific, combined with Irans and North Koreas aggressive nuclear ambitions, suggest otherwise. These aircraft average nearly three decades in age. They were flown hard in nonstop combat deployments that began with 1991s Operation Desert Storm and have never stopped. That has exacted an extreme toll on their physical condition. Old, small and worn is a recipe for disaster when facing a burgeoning set of global security demands but that is an accurate description of todays Air Force. Focusing on Air Force fighters is important; while the Navy and Marine Corps have fighters, they largely exist to support organic functions like carrier battle group defense and Marine Air-Ground Task Force support. Even if these objectives are met, these fighter inventories are too small to meet large-scale combatant command requirements. The same holds true for allied air forces; U.S. Air Force fighters stand alone in the ability to directly meet combatant command demands as job No. 1 in large volume. Air Force leaders have long known these realities, and that is why they made plans in the 1980s and 1990s to replace F-15s, F-16s and A-10s with a new generation of fighters in the form of the F-22 and F-35. However, post-Cold War cuts, compounded by a subsequent focus on combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, saw these plans go by the wayside. Story continues The requirement for 781 F-22s was cut numerous times, with 187 aircraft ultimately procured before production was canceled in 2009, representing less than half the stated military requirement. F-35s were supposed to be acquired in high volume with Defense Secretary Robert Gates committing to the Air Force procuring 80 F-35s per year from 2015 through the 2020s, with the final Air Force F-35As procured in 2034. That did not happen with every annual request far below that figure. That is why the current fighter force is in a freefall, with aircraft retiring without new backfills (note the F-15s withdrawn from Kadena Air Force Base last year without a direct replacement). Bottom line: The nation has assumed tremendous risk in its fighter modernization portfolio; the legacy fighter backstop is out of life while demand is surging. That is why Congress must stop further erosion in the Air Forces fighter inventory and block the request to retire 32 F-22s. Service leaders are arguing that the F-22s in question are early production examples that do not meet combat deployment standards. This is partially true, but even these versions can defeat any fourth-generation enemy fighter. US Air Force warns of aging fighters, poor purchasing efforts Regardless, even in their present form they are sufficient to meet training requirements. That is a crucial contribution, for absent that capacity, the more modern versions would have to pick up the training load, effectively decreasing the size of F-22 combat force. Not only would this increase fatigue, but it would reduce F-22 availability to combatant commands where they are in high demand; that is more than a squadrons worth of the worlds most advanced air superiority aircraft. That is taking excessive risk given combatant commands demands far outstrip supply. These circumstances reveal the Air Forces precarious fiscal position. Service leaders openly acknowledge the issue is money. They are forced to cut the F-22 program due to insufficient funding to invest in both F-22 sustainment and the Next Generation Air Dominance effort the eventual F-22 replacement. While there is no question that NGAD is crucial, the most optimistic forecasts suggest it will not be fielded until 2030. That is an aggressive target, and reality suggests it will slip. Hope should not be confused for a viable set of combat capabilities in adequate numbers. The real answer demands resourcing the Air Force to retain and adequately fund its full F-22 inventory, while also providing adequate resources for NGAD. Build rates for types in production, like the F-35, should also be boosted to fund current capacity gaps. Given that the Air Force has received less money than the Army and Navy for the past 31 years in a row, it is no wonder why its resources are strained. It is older and smaller than its ever been in its history. This Air Force fighter resourcing decision portends massive implications for joint force operations. That this problem exists in the context of the war in Ukraine a conflict where the inability to secure air superiority highlights the criticality of this mission in the starkest possible terms makes it even more concerning. Congress needs to do the right thing: Fund the Air Force sufficiently so it can secure air superiority today and tomorrow. If leaders think this expense is too great to bear, they need to consider the alternative. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley recently testified, the only thing more expensive than fighting a war is losing a war. Douglas A. Birkey is the executive director for the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. Dustin Lance Black and Tom Daley married in 2017 - David M. Benett/Getty Images Europe Tom Daley stepped in to stop a fight in a central London gay bar when his husband threw a drink over a television presenter, a court heard. Dustin Lance Black, 48, was charged with assault after he allegedly threw a drink over Teddy Edwardes, 32, at Freedom Bar in Soho on Aug 18 last year. Mr Black, an Academy Award-winning screenwriter, was out with Mr Daley, 28, when he was involved in a confrontation with Ms Edwardes, who presents The Big Proud Party Agency on BBC3. Mr Daley was said to have attempted to defuse the situation. He appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court via video link from his Los Angeles home and spoke to confirm his name, date of birth and address. A statement said Mr Black was charged with common assault on Feb 17. He appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday April 27, where he pleaded not guilty, it said. He will next appear at the same court on Tuesday, Aug 8. Mr Black indicated a plea of not guilty to one charge of assault by beating following the brief hearing on Thursday. He is said to have called police himself to claim that Ms Edwardes had punched him. Teddy Edwardes accused Dustin Lance Black of throwing a drink over her - James Gillham/Shutterstock District Judge John Law said Mr Black would remain on unconditional bail until the trial. He added: Mr Black, youre due for trial at this court on August 8 at 10 oclock, unconditional bail to attend on that date. Thank you, you can go. Mr Black, an American who grew up in a Mormon household, won an Academy Award for his 2008 film Milk, based on the life of the politician and gay rights activist Harvey Milk. He married Mr Daley in 2017. A spokesman said: Of course Mr Black will respect the process, and in the meantime will continue to focus on being a loving father and husband. (CNN) The unrelenting drought that has devastated the Horn of Africa and left more than 20 million people facing acute food insecurity would not have been possible without climate change, a new analysis has found. Since October 2020, this part of East Africa, one of the world's most impoverished regions, has been gripped by its worst drought in 40 years as an unprecedented five consecutive rainy seasons have failed. The drought has brought catastrophic impacts to large areas of Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia: Tens of thousands have died, crops have shriveled, livestock have starved and chronic hunger and water insecurity are widespread and growing. In a world without human-caused climate change, this devastating drought would not have happened. That's the conclusion of a rapid attribution study released on Thursday by the World Weather Attribution initiative. The organization is made up of a team of international scientists who, in the immediate aftermath of extreme weather events, analyze data and climate models to establish what role climate change played. In the Horn of Africa, they found that planet-heating pollution caused by burning fossil fuels has made the region's ongoing agricultural drought 100 times more likely and that's a conservative estimate, they said. Higher temperatures have significantly increased the amount of water evaporating from plants and soils, according to the study, causing crop losses, livestock death and water shortages. The planet's average temperature is now around 1.2 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial levels of the late 1800s. Without that warming, the region would not have experienced this severe agricultural drought, the report found. The scientists also looked at whether climate change was to blame for the lack of rain, but concluded there was no overall impact. The report found that while climate change makes low rainfall twice as likely during the region's "long rains" season, which runs from March to May, it actually makes the "short rains," between October and December, wetter. The reason this wetter trend has been absent in the Horn of Africa over the last few years is because of the influence of La Nina, a natural climate phenomenon that brings dryer conditions to the region during the short rains period. Human-caused global heating is making droughts across the world longer and more extreme. The blistering drought that affected the Northern Hemisphere last summer, including large parts of the US, Europe and China, was made 20 times more likely by the climate crisis, according to an October analysis from the the World Weather Attribution group. Scientists say droughts will only become more severe if the world continues to burn fossil fuels. Regions that are already vulnerable face the worst impacts. The climate change-fueled disaster in the Horn of Africa has brought devastation to a region already suffering from a slew of problems, including global price hikes following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and deadly internal conflicts. Much of the population are farmers that rely on rainfall for crops and livestock. They have been plunged even further into poverty as the rains failed. At least 8 million farm animals are estimated to have died during the drought. "This has actually forced people to migrate to other regions in search of either water or pasture for their crops, or also just food for their families," said Phoebe Wafubwa, an adviser at the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent in Kenya. Around 1.7 million people in Ethiopia and Somalia have had to leave their homes because of the impacts of the drought, according to the report, and hunger levels are sky-high. More than 20 million people in the Horn of Africa have been pushed into crisis levels of food insecurity, or worse, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. In Somalia, which has been teetering on the edge of famine, more than 43,000 people are estimated to have been killed by the drought, half of whom were children under five years old. "Almost half of country's population is affected, over 3 million people are displaced," Mamunur Rahman Malik, the Somalia representative for the World Health Organization, told CNN. "The country continues to pay the price of global warming and climate change," he added. "The findings of this study show that frequent multi-year droughts compounded with heat extremes, in the main rainy season, will severely impact food security and human health in the Horn of Africa as the climate continues to warm," Joyce Kimutai, principal meteorologist and climate scientist at the Kenya Meteorological Department, said in a statement. The region is seeing some relief during the current rainy season, although it has brought flash flooding to parts of Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia. "The expectation is that the drought is coming to a close," Chris Funk, director of the Climate Hazards Center at UC Santa Barbara, told CNN. But it will be a very long road to recovery. The current rains are "not substantial enough" to see a significant improvement to food security, Kimutai explained on a call with reporters. And the region can expect more extreme dry conditions in the future. As the world continues to warm, "we expect to see the combined effect of low precipitation with (high) temperatures causing really exceptional droughts in this part of the world," she said. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Catastrophic drought that's pushed millions into crisis made 100 times more likely by climate change, analysis finds." Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Bravo Youve got to hand it to Bravo (and TMZ) for making Vanderpump Rules fans think the jaw-dropping Scandoval came out of nowhere when, in fact, it seems to be a major plot point this season. Presumably, Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss secret love affair wont be revealed in the initial footage for the shows ongoing 10th season. (The Bravo series went back into production after the scandal broke.) However, theres enough suspicion from certain cast membersspecifically, Katie Maloney, Lala Kent, and Ally Lewberabout something brewing between the two that its officially become a point of contention. So much so that during tonights new episode, a producer asks Sandoval in a confessional if anything physical has ever happened between him and Leviss. No, the TomTom co-owner laughs. Nothing has ever happened between Raquel and I. Like, nothing. After stuttering a bit, he adds this unnecessary qualifier about him not being friendlier with Leviss than others: That wouldnt happen between me and Katie. Cue another nervous chuckle. Katie Maloney Suspects Scandoval Affair in Jaw-Dropping Vanderpump Rules Episode This whole episode, titled Beach, Dont Kill my Vibe, is really just a horror movie about midlife crises. Not that this psychological phenomenon excuses or even rationalizes Sandovals or the equally loathsome Tom Schwartzs behavior this season; as Lara Parker pointed out in a recent Buzzfeed article, Scwhartz has always been particularly awful. Still, its truly frightening what some men are capable of when they reach 40 and start wearing charm necklaces. (l-r) James Kennedy and Tom Sandoval. Casey Durkin/Bravo By now, viewers know that Sandoval and Leviss have at least kissed at this point, thanks to the Howie Mandel interview from hell. And according to comments from the cast, the two may have had some sort of rendezvous at Scheana Shays wedding in Mexico. This adds some important context to Sandoval seemingly soft-launching his eventual split from Ariana Madix on the show, or at least trying to make her look like a bad partner. In this latest episode, his anti-Madix agenda is on full display. Story continues In an early scene, Sandoval and Schwartz complain about their sad personal lives over sandwiches. Sandoval, of course, uses the opportunity to rant about Madix always disagreeing with him and making [him] feel dumb. As I said in last weeks recap, Madix, a notably sardonic woman, has also been honest with Sandoval; in fact, last week we saw her defending Maloney against him in a polite, measured fashion. Plus, the couple already had a discussion about this last week, so why are we bringing it up again? This self-victimizing strategy of his isnt fooling anyone. l-r) Tom Sandoval and Scheana Shay. Casey Durkin/Bravo Its also interesting that Sandovals issues with Madix are the same problems Maloney has voiced about her marriage to Schwartzyet he never showed her any compassion during that relationship, nor does he later on in this episode. More later on Sandovals weird disdain for Maloney! Luckily for us, Lewber hasnt let go of the crucial intel about Sandoval and Leviss hanging out at The Abbey at 1 a.m. She also mentions that Maloney implied that Sandoval and Madix have an open relationship. Its hilarious watching James Kennedy make nothing of the situation, considering how much he loathes Leviss. He tells Lewber that she should tell Shay about seeing them out together since shes Madixs best friend. Meanwhile, Maloney talks to Kent about it, but they both still seem doubtful of an affair actually happening. Lewber later does tell Shay, whos offended on her besties behalf but is always tired of the group trying to accuse Leviss of being a homewrecker. Unfortunately, Madixs grandmother just passed away, so she doesnt want to unload the news on her, but she does tell Sandoval about it later at a beach gathering. He denies the rumor as awkwardly as he denies hooking up with Leviss. (l-r) Peter Madrigal, Kristina Kelly, Tom Schwartz and Raquel Leviss. Casey Durkin/Bravo This initially chill beach day, planned by Kennedy, becomes increasingly chaotic in the best way. First, Kennedy throws a drink in Schwartzs face after he makes jokes about his and Leviss former engagement. Then the cast goes to a nearby restaurant, where Kent eviscerates Schwartz for generally being awful. Then Kennedy gets 151 in his eye. THEN, Leviss tries to talk to Maloney about her makeout with Schwartz. Finally, Sandoval confronts Maloney about implying that he messed around with Leviss and that he has an open relationship. Howie Mandel Cant Handle Scandoval Maloney tries to backpedal, but she cant get a word in edgewise because Sandoval is screaming at her from the other side of the room about her own breakup. This man has been weirdly anti-Maloney throughout her divorce, as if she and Schwartz not being together isnt a much healthier outcome for both parties. He calls Maloneys choice to divorce Schwartz heartbreaking and claims that she never apologizes for anything. At this point, his tangent starts to sound very personal. You shouldnt be with someone because of who you want them to be, he says. You should be with them because of who they fucking are! Clearly, Sandoval thinks a woman should just accept a mans terrible behavior, no questions askedjust like he thinks Madix should blindly agree with everything he says. Hence, why hes secretly hooking up with a woman who nods and smiles at everything he does. Its all coming together! Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Top mafia boss arrested by Italian police after 5 years on the run Italian authorities on Thursday announced the arrest of a top boss of the 'Ndrangheta mafia after almost five years on the run. He had been featured on the police's list of most dangerous criminals. Pasquale Bonavota, 49, was wanted since November 2018, after escaping an arrest warrant for homicide and mafia association issued by a magistrate in Calabria, in southern Italy. He was arrested Thursday morning in the northern port city of Genoa, Italy's carabinieri police said in a statement. Local media said he had been leaving the city's cathedral when he was arrested and was carrying a fake ID. Pasquale Bonavota / Credit: Italian Interior Ministry Bonavota is considered the brains of the 'Ndrangheta's Bonavota clan, which includes his two brothers and is based in the Sant'Onofrio area of the Calabrian province of Vibo Valentia. The clan also operates around Rome, and in the northern regions of Piedmont and Liguria, which includes Genoa. Long-ignored "Fourth Mafia" emerges as most violent in Italy The 'Ndrangheta is Italy's most powerful and wealthy mafia, controlling the bulk of cocaine flowing into Europe. It operates in more than 40 countries around the world. It has successfully expanded well beyond its traditional domains of drug trafficking and loan sharking, now using shell companies and frontmen to reinvest illegal gains in the legitimate economy. Bonavota went on the run just after being sentenced by a lower court to life in prison for two murders committed in 2014 and 2004, of a lower-ranking member of his own clan, and a rival boss of a nearby clan. That sentence was overturned in 2021 by an appeals court, while he was on the run. However, Bonavota was the last remaining fugitive suspect implicated in the massive case against the Vibo Valentia 'Ndrangheta that led to the 2021 maxi-trial against more than 300 alleged mafia members and their helpers. The trial is still ongoing. In that indictment, Bonavota is described as being a leader who "took the most important decisions" along with other top 'Ndrangheta bosses, and "looked after the interests of the association in the Rome area and in the gambling sectors and drug trafficking." Story continues The arrest of Bonavota comes less than three months after Edgardo Greco, an Italian fugitive and convicted murderer suspected of being a 'Ndrangheta member, was busted after more than 16 years on the run, including years spent working at a pizza restaurant in France, the Interpol international police agency said. In January, Italian authorities captured Sicilian mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, the Cosa Nostra boss who had been a fugitive for 30 years. Italian media reported that Messina Denaro was being treated for colon cancer at the private hospital "La Maddalena" for the last year under the false name "Andrea Buonafede." According to eyewitnesses, when passers-by realized that security forces had apprehended the notorious crime figure, people cheered and applauded the police. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hailed that arrest as "a great victory for the state that shows it never gives up in the face of the mafia." Republican debt ceiling bill dead on arrival in Democratic-controlled Senate Jury deliberates for second day in Proud Boys seditious conspiracy case U.S. economic growth slows in first three months of 2023, GDP report shows badenoch - Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg Just one in five European Union laws is set to be scrapped in Rishi Sunaks so-called Brexit bonfire, despite pledges to scrub more than 4,000 from the statute book. The Prime Minister gave his public backing in January to the Retained EU Law Bill, which will abolish more than 4,000 EU laws by the end of this year. However, in a briefing to senior Tory Eurosceptic MPs on Monday, Kemi Badenoch, the Trade Secretary, said that only 20 per cent of those laws - just 800 - were likely to be scrapped by Dec 31. The number that Mrs Badenoch is proposing to remove is smaller than the 1,400 EU laws which were found in the National Archive as part of a Whitehall hunt for needless EU laws. Mrs Badenoch reportedly told the MPs that civil servants had told her that it was impossible to remove the 4,000 EU laws, the vast bulk of which sit in the environment department. The hope now is that the remaining EU laws might be removed over time, however, that risks a future Labour government reversing the plans. Conservative MPs told The Telegraph they were furious at the apparent hollowing out of the legislation which they see as a surrender to civil servants who they see as being unwilling to strip away EU red tape. Mrs Badenoch is understood to have drawn up a list of the 800 EU laws she wants to drop. One Tory MP said: She wants to persuade Rishi to reverse and keep the vast bulk of EU law. This blows her leadership chances The meeting with the ERGs grandees on Monday soon descended into acrimony. One MP told the Telegraph: It was a really bad meeting. A second Conservative MP pinned the blame on Mrs Badenoch personally, saying: You need a tough minister but she is a lame minister who is having rings run around her by Remainer officials. We needed a tough minister. Kemi is proving to be a huge disappointment. A third Conservative MP confirmed that the Bill was being watered down before it returns to the House of Lords on May 15, after the Coronation. Story continues Mrs Badenoch is one to watch should there be a Conservative leadership contest if the Tories lose the next election and Mr Sunak quits as leader. But one of the MPs said that watering down the REUL Bill would be a problem for MPs and party members who might have supported her. The MP said: This blows her leadership chances. She will lose a third of the party. The situation is being seen by the ERG as another betrayal after the Prime Minister pushed ahead with the Windsor Framework. Brexiteer Tory MPs insist that Mr Sunak had suggested that he would proceed with the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill - currently in the House of Lords - to resolve the power-sharing impasse in Northern Ireland. In January, the Prime Minister told ministers that work on scrapping EU laws could be a collective effort across Cabinet that had the potential to drive growth and improve peoples everyday lives, according to a readout circulated by Downing Street. Conservatives were unsure whether No 10 had been briefed on Mrs Badenochs plans for the REUL Bill. Rishi will be livid, said one of the MPs. No 10 declined to comment when approached by The Telegraph on Thursday. Mrs Badenoch declined to comment. However, her team did not deny that the vast bulk - 80 per cent - of the EU laws earmarked for removal will now remain in place under the new plans. Shes a doer and not a talker One source said that the Government was looking at concessions, which is standard practice for any Bill at this stage of parliamentary passage". They added: We remain committed to ensuring the Retained EU Law Bill receives Royal Assent and that unnecessary and burdensome EU laws are removed by the end of this year. A government source took aim at previous Conservative business secretaries, telling the Telegraph: Kemi inherited a mess in REUL when she became Business Secretary, with the Bill sinking under technicalities and legalese. She is a true Brexiteer, she delivered CPTPP to show the country a brave future outside of the EU, and shes now got a grip of the process. Shes a doer and not a talker. This Government will pass the REUL bill and end the supremacy of EU law in the UK, and if Brexiteers want delivery they should get behind what shes doing. The source added: We have already repealed hundreds of EU laws, as can be seen on the REUL Dashboard on gov.uk. This will continue with the powers under the Bill. The Bill will also fully take back control of our laws by ending the supremacy of EU law and the application of EU legal principles to retained EU law. This article was first published in The Telegraphs Chopper's Politics newsletter. Sign up here to get exclusive political insight delivered directly to your inbox every weekday Realtors say the notion of a typical starter home for young Canadians has changed, especially in the country's biggest housing markets. For many young homebuyers, the days of being able to follow in their parents' footsteps and buy a traditional, detached starter home have largely come to an end in Canada's big cities, according to realtors. "In most cases, I would say the traditional idea of the starter home is completely dead," Rhiannon Foster, the owner of the Opportunity Homes Collective under Century 21 In Town Realty in Vancouver, told Yahoo Finance Canada in a phone interview. "Traditionally, starter homes used to be about 2,000 square feet and that was where families laid their roots down. And it's just not possible these days with the actual cost associated with larger cities." Now, a starter home for many young Canadians is more likely to be a condo, she says. That's the same trend that Cailey Heaps, a Toronto-based realtor and chief executive of The Heaps Estrin Team, says she's seeing, as the price of single-family homes has soared in recent years. "It's remarkable to think about a starter home being north of a million dollars. That just seems wild to me, but in reality, that's what it is in Toronto unless you're in a condominium," she said. The latest March data from the Toronto and Vancouver regional real estate boards show the average price of a detached house hovered around the $1.8 million mark in each of the cities, while a condo averaged roughly $740,000. Condos typically now constitute as a starter home for many young Canadians, realtors say. (Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images) Another trend Heaps is seeing is some young buyers skipping over what would typically be thought of as their starter home and moving straight into their 'forever' home, a move that usually involves some form of inheritance money. "A number of buyers, I think, are getting living inheritances from family so they can skip the starter home and get into a more permanent home," she said. "I think a lot of that is the generation of parents who are now in their 60's, 70's or 80's that have accumulated so much wealth from their real estate. Although they never viewed it as an investment, it has turned out to be a very solid investment for them. And they want the same for their children." Story continues Kyrsten and Ciaran Nicoll, who are both 29 years old and work full time, are in the process of closing on their first home, a one-bedroom plus den condo in a low-rise building in Vancouver. They have lived in their current rental unit in the city for a couple of years. Kyrsten and Ciaran bought a suite in this multi-unit building in the Vancouver area Part of the reason they are able to buy a home now is because of a financial windfall from Ciaran's grandfather that comprised most of the couple's downpayment. They knew when they started house hunting that they likely weren't going to get a detached property and certainly not in the city of Vancouver. "We knew we weren't putting a downpayment on a house. We figured we would be lucky if we were able to find a townhome but it was looking to be more smaller condos, which we were both comfortable with as long as it was bigger than the space we currently have," Kyrsten said via phone. "It was kind of stressful and disheartening when you see all the costs and how high the market is right now, especially in Vancouver. We had to cross Vancouver completely off the list because there was nothing that we would have liked here within our budget." They ultimately decided on a condo in New Westminster that came in under their maximum budget of $500,000. Kyrsten says she'd be fine with staying in the condo for the next several years but isn't sure what their next step up in the property ladder might look like. She says she'd prefer to stay in the Lower Mainland but might have to look further out to Surrey, Abbotsford or beyond if they want to get into a detached home. Impact of shrinking starter homes The impact of shrinking starter homes is twofold, according to Foster. The first being that some couples are having to delay starting a family because it's "difficult to fathom how you would build a family" in a small one-bedroom condo. The other issue is young people leaving B.C. altogether and heading to provinces with more affordable housing, such as Alberta, she says, a trend that's also seen in Ontario. Both Foster and Heaps want to see more "missing middle" housing being built. Canada's biggest urban regions, including Greater Vancouver, suffer from a lack of so-called missing middle housing. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck In the real estate world, the missing middle refers to the lack of mid-sized housing developments that bridge the gap between single-family homes and condo towers. "The big issue in housing is how do we address that missing middle? How do we keep our talent in the city so our nurses, our teachers, our healthcare workers all of those people at some point are going to want to put roots down for their family. If they can't afford to do that in Toronto, we will lose them to periphery markets," Heaps said. Michelle Zadikian is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow her on Twitter @m_zadikian. Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android. A freight train derailed Thursday in Wisconsin near the Mississippi River, injuring one person and sending two railcars into the water. The BNSF Railway train derailment occurred near DeSoto around 12:15 p.m. local time, the railroad company told Fox News Digital. Two railcars ended up in the river, but washed ashore. Hazardous materials believed to be batteries were on board, but have been contained and dont pose a threat to the public, officials said. "Two of the three locomotives and an unknown number of cars carrying freight of all kinds are reported to be derailed on the bluff side of the Mississippi River," a BNSF statement said. "The main track is blocked in both directions and an estimated time for reopening the track is not available." BIDEN'S NIGHTMARE LABOR NOMINEE UNDER FIRE FROM SMALL BUSINESSES, CONTRACT WORKERS A sign on the Mississippi River. A train reportedly derailed in Wisconsin near the Mississippi River, according to news reports. All crew members were accounted for, with one receiving a medical evaluation, the company said. Local first responders were also on-site. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP BNSF said company personnel were en route to the scene and the cause of the incident is under investigation. Video of the wreckage filmed by a bystander appears to show cargo boxes along the railway and the river. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers tweeted that he was monitoring the situation and was getting regular updates from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, the Department of Natural Resources, and state emergency management officials. U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wisconsin, who sits on the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, released a statement on the matter. "My staff was just made aware of a train derailment in our District south of the Lansing Bridge in Ferryville," his office tweeted. "We have begun to coordinate with BNSF, FEMA, Wisconsin Emergency Management, the state and national Departments of Transportation, Crawford County officials, and Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (IA-2), whose District may also be impacted, to get answers on what occurred." He added that his staff was traveling to the derailment site and will continue to monitor the situation. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Transgender Kansans will be barred from single-sex spaces inconsistent with their sex assigned at birth after Kansas became the first state in the nation to pass a sweeping new law over Kansas Gov. Laura Kellys veto. The Republican-controlled Kansas House, mostly along party lines, voted Thursday to override the Democratic governor by a vote of 84 to 41 to enact the womens bill of rights. The Senate, also under GOP control, voted to override Kelly 28-12 the previous day. The new law, which takes effect in July, will impact a wide array of services for transgender and nonbinary Kansans. For example, people will no longer be able to change their drivers license to align with their gender identity. Some opponents of the law emphasized that transgender residents can still seek new documents for the next two months, but suggested the new restrictions will face a legal challenge. The bill, which Lenexa Democratic Rep. Brandon Woodard called the most extreme anti-trans legislation in the country, defines man and woman in state statute based solely upon reproductive capability and explains the state has an interest in protecting spaces designated for women. Kansans arent crazy, and yet here we are with the most extreme bill in the entire country, he said. The bill has been pushed by the Independent Womens Law Center and comes amid a national wave of bills regulating the rights and lives of transgender Americans. The center and its allies have said the bill is aimed at preventing judges from forcing single-sex spaces to be abolished or to admit people who were not assigned that gender at birth. With the passage of the law, the Kansas City area now occupies a new national epicenter in the push to regulate the lives of transgender individuals. Republicans across the country have sought to advance measures aimed at transgender rights, but the Kansas City metro straddles two states where those efforts are particularly aggressive and advanced. Story continues On one side of the state line, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is attempting to effectively ban gender-affirming care for children and adults through an emergency rule. The regulation is on pause until at least Monday while a judge considers whether to block the rule. On the other side, transgender Kansans say they believe the new law is designed to functionally erase their identities in society. The fact that someone even had the balls to say this is something we should try to pass is big enough, said Lane Rozin, a 19-year-old transgender man who attends the University of Kansas. It shows that there are people in our government system that are trying to erase our identities. The ability to change a drivers license identifier and access healthcare, he said, is lifesaving. Proponents of the policy said it was important to preserving spaces that were created for women. A woman, a grandchild, should be able to walk into a restroom and know theyre in there with other females, Rep Brenda Landwehr, a Wichita Republican, said during a meeting of the House GOP caucus. If more gender-neutral bathrooms need to be built to accommodate, then fine. Speaking to reporters after honoring the University of Kansas womens basketball team for winning the Womens National Invitational Tournament, Kelly rejected the concept that the bill would do anything to protect those athletes. I think its incredibly discriminatory. I think its divisive. And I think its likely unconstitutional, she said. Were taking freedom and liberties away from folks. I think its very wrong. Possible risk to federal funding Rep. Jesse Borjon, a Topeka Republican, cast the decisive vote to override the veto. He initially voted no, but changed his vote during a call of the House, a procedural move that extends the vote and allows legislative leaders to find missing lawmakers or exert pressure on others. Borjon said he arrived at his vote after listening to constituents. The overwhelming response was that folks wanted this, Borjon told reporters. Personally, Im not onboard with the bill 100% but its not about what I want, its about what my constituents in my district want. Kellys administration warned that the bill could result in the loss of federal funds for Kansas state agencies because compliance with the bill would violate non-discrimination policies. The states Coalition against Sexual and Domestic Violence had said state agencies serving victims could lose $14 million in federal funds. Were at risk of losing a ton of federal funding for domestic violence centers, said Taryn Jones, a lobbyist for the LGBTQ advocacy organization Equality Kansas. The governors office has said that among the state programs that could be affected are substance abuse programs administered by the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services, and state mental health hospitals, which must comply with federal guidelines on gender identity. The Kansas Department for Children and Families also has youth residential centers and groups homes that could be affected. Federal guidance surrounding foster care funds also supports affirming a childs gender identity, Kellys office said. Kansas could also get less federal grant funding for criminal justice programs because the new law will require Kansas to violate the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act. The veto override immediately raised the prospect that the new law will face a legal challenge. ACLU of Kansas director Micah Kubic said in a statement that the measure tries to codify into law a right to exclude trans people from athletics, restrooms, domestic violence shelters and other spaces, but didnt announce a lawsuit. The White House didnt immediately comment on the veto override. At a press briefing last week, White House press secretary Karine Jean Pierre, said the Biden administration will do all it can to protect LGBTQ people who are under attack. Thats what weve been seeing across the country, especially in statehouses, Jean Pierre said. And so were going to fight alongside them to protect their rights. They should be allowed to be who they are, who they want to be. And they should be able to speak out against, and we should be able to speak out, and others should be able to speak out against hate and discrimination. During debate Thursday opponents of the bill expressed broad fear that the bill will create a chilling effect discouraging policies that seek to include gender non-conforming Kansans and that it would in fact promote violence against anyone who does not appear to match conventional gender norms. This bill is really about making people feel easy about this, feel comfortable about this. It doesnt matter what its going to do to the children and adults its going to affect, said Rep. Susan Ruiz, a Lenexa Democrat. We are going to see much more harassment going on. Ruiz, the first openly lesbian woman to serve in the House, said she already faced harassment from men when she used a womens bathroom because of her appearance Ruiz has short hair and dresses in a more masculine style. This is going to make it much worse, she said. Bathroom access Former Rep. Stephanie Byers, a Wichita Democrat who was the first transgender state legislator in Kansas, said that, contrary to the aims of proponents, the law would effectively turn single-sex restrooms across the state into uni-sex facilities. When this becomes law, trans men bearded, balding people will now be going into the womens restroom because legally that is where they are required to go, Byers said. Rep. Heather Meyer, an Overland Park Democrat and mother to a transgender child, said the bill would place transgender children under greater scrutiny as they sought to live their lives. She said it would open transgender women to assault when they are forced to use spaces designated for men. These are just folks trying to live their lives. Theres no reason to do this and as we continue to say this doesnt protect women at all, Meyer said. GOP leadership celebrated the override as a major victory. Speaking to House Republicans after the vote Wednesday, House Speaker Dan Hawkins said he was giddy over the caucus success in overriding a number of Kellys vetoes. Getting that womens bill of rights was truly the icing on the cake, said Hawkins, Wichita Republican. Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, said he was proud to see Kansas be the first state to enact the policy. He said he expected transgender individuals could still use their preferred restroom under the policy as long as they were discrete. But he said that if someone is open about that identity theyd have to use the proper restroom. Im actually proud to be in a state of science, Masterson said. The world seems to be struggling with how to define a woman and we do not have that struggle. Lawmakers overrode Kellys veto with the help of freshman Rep. Marvin Robinson, a Kansas City Democrat, who also supported a successful veto override of a bill banning transgender athletes from girls sports. Byers expressed particular frustration with Robinsons vote. Had the elections resulted in individuals who actually hold to the Democratic Partys principles, then this would have not happened, Byers said. The bill was one of four policies regulating the lives of transgender Kansans that Kelly vetoed last week. Speaking to reporters in the Capitol Tuesday, Kelly referenced gender-neutral bathrooms in Kansas Citys new airport as she urged more inclusive solutions. There are ways to solve problems and I think it would be good if people put on their thinking caps and looked around to see if there are solutions to problems that might work for everybody, Kelly said. Brittany Jones, a lobbyist for Kansas Family Voice, a conservative Christian organization, applauded the successful override. Activist courts will not be able to misconstrue the word woman to fit their agenda, she said. Republicans successfully overrode Kelly on a bill requiring county jails to separate inmates by sex assigned at birth and appear poised to override Kelly on a bill requiring schools to separate students by sex assigned at birth on overnight field trips. Lawmakers fell short of overriding the governor on a bill banning hormone therapy and gender transition surgery for minors by punishing its providers. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle rejected the bill, arguing it unnecessarily infringed on medical decisions. But its advocates have pledged to try again in future years. The Stars Jenna Barackman and Daniel Desrochers contributed to this report. On Wednesday, Montana house Republicans barred transgender lawmaker Zooey Zephyr from the house floor for the rest of the 2023 session for rebuking other lawmakers and participating in protests against legislation that regulates the treatment for non-adult gender transitioners. Zephyr protested the Montana legislature after it voted to send a bill to the governor banning gender-transition medications and surgeries for children. The lawmaker will still be able to vote remotely under the terms of the punishment but is unable to discuss proposals and amendments under consideration with other Montana lawmakers. The only thing I will say is if you vote yes on this bill and yes on these amendments, I hope the next time theres an invocation when you bow your heads in prayer, you see the blood on your hands, Zephyr said last week. GOP house members stopped Zephyr from speaking on a number of occasions until the lawmaker apologized for the indecorous remarks. Zephyr refused. Media outlets widely reported that Zephyr was silenced, but Republicans countered that they were defending the dignity and integrity of the house, as Speaker Matt Regier put it. The feud spilled over into this weeks house sessions when Zephyr, not recognized to speak on another transgender proposal, hoisted a microphone in the air and encouraged protesters in the gallery to disrupt proceedings. The protesters chanted, Whose house? Our house! Some were then arrested. According to the Associated Press, Zephyr refused a request from the sergeant-at-arms to settle things down and traveled to the county jail to visit some of the protesters who had been arrested. Republicans called the incident a riot and an insurrection. After being barred, Zephyr released a statement that cast the events in a different light. According to Zephyr, when Speaker Regier was gaveling down the protesters, what he was really doing was driving a nail into the coffin of democracy. Story continues Zephyr added, Though the Republican supermajority has voted to strip me of my ability to partake in debate, I remain steadfast in my commitment to my community. Republicans, on the other hand, thought they were in the right. Freedom in this body involves obedience to all the rules of this body, including the rules of decorum, the house majority leader, Sue Vinton, said on the floor. The controversy comes after the Tennessee house voted earlier this month to expel two of three representatives who interrupted proceedings with a bullhorn and encouraged protesters in the gallery. Both representatives were sent back to the house after votes from the local bodies where their districts are located. These bodies in Tennessee are allowed to appoint an interim successor to fill the seat of a house member who has been expelled. The appointee may hold that seat until an election is held. As with the Montana protests, many media sources alleged that the Tennessee representatives were being silenced. They also repeated speculation that the only reason the third representative hadnt been expelled was that she was white. GOP representatives in Tennessee clarified that she was the only one of the three protesting house members who hadnt used the bullhorn, and, for that reason, she was not expelled. Zephyr told the Associated Press, My community and the Democratic Party in Missoula would send me back here in a heartbeat because I represent them, and I represent their values by standing up for democracy. However, Zephyr will have no recourse against the houses action. More from National Review CORAL participants link up to form a human support network CORAL participants (and the authorright, middle) link up to form a human support network Credit - Benjamin Rasmussen for TIME Ive been in dance therapy for all of 90 seconds when I embarrass myself. The group is doing a follow-the-leader exercise, with one person picking a dance move that everyone else must mimic. When my name is called, I panic and launch into an extremely uncool move that could be generously described as disco-inspired, my cheeks flaming as a group of strangers mirror it back at me. Id traveled to the University of Colorados School of Medicine to take this humiliating stab at vulnerability in the name of science (and my own sanity). The Colorado Resiliency Arts Lab (CORAL), an ongoing research project at the school, aims to help people who are burned out from their jobs build resilience and improve their mental well-being. For three months, participants meet weekly for 90-minute sessions that weave together therapy, community, and art to provide an outlet for the stressors of working in health care. But this week, the group includes one participant who doesnt work in health care: me, a health journalist with a personal interest in whether CORALs program really works. After writing about the pandemic for three years, I had started seeing in myself some of the warning signs of burnout, as compiled by Christina Maslach, who has researched burnout for four decades: emotional and mental exhaustion, feeling negative or cynical about work, and believing your work doesnt matter or your efforts arent enough. Tick, tick, and tick. Toward the end of 2022, I experienced significant writers block for the first time. The quiet quitting trenddoing the bare minimum at workspoke to me more than it should have. And as the world forgot about COVID-19, I sometimes wondered if there was any point in continuing to cover it. More from TIME I genuinely love my job, so I wanted to fix those issues before they got worse. But when I asked Dr. Google how to cure burnout, I couldnt find much. Thats because its not totally up to me, Maslach says. Fixing burnout is truly possible only when employers eliminate the conditions that produce it in the first place and pare down workloads, support and listen to employees, and give people control over their work and time, Maslach told me. Story continues Its not that coping is not important, she says. But if we see it as the solution, were blaming workers and not actually changing the stressors themselves. Read More: Ambition Is Out But what if the stressors dont change, no matter how much we want them to? In an ideal world, sure, every boss would want to eliminate burnout. But businesses are driven by profits, employees are often told to do more with less, and too many people scrape by on minimum wage and no benefits. Leaving workers responsible for their own burnout may not be the answer, but in many cases, waiting for work to change feels like an equally hopeless path. Is there anything Iand the 42% of office workers who said they felt burned out in a late-2022 surveycould do to make an imperfect situation better? Journaling about everyday emotions is part of CORALs burnout-busting toolkit Benjamin Rasmussen for TIME I turned to the scientific literature for answers. Plenty of researchers have looked for ways that individuals can ease their burnout, but many dont seem to work. A 2022 research review analyzed 30 previous studies on burnout interventions for doctors. Many of the programsfree food, subsidized gym memberships, weekly meetings with a psychologistdidnt yield significant results. Nearly all of those that did involved a group element, like wellness classes or mentorship programs. That makes sense, even though its harder to DIY; other research also suggests social support can improve mental health and protect against burnout. But some individual interventions make a difference. Studies suggest physical activity, a proven mood booster and stress reducer, can decrease burnout. Mindfulness practices such as meditation and yoga have been shown in some, but not all, studies to help, apparently by building resilience and improving emotional regulation. Creativity practices may also chip away at burnout by reigniting passions and facilitating flow, or being engrossed in a task. So: socializing, exercise, meditation, and arts and crafts. Not exactly groundbreaking stuff. The first three are foundational aspects of good health, recommended by nearly every expert Ive ever interviewed. Despite how familiar they felt, I used them as the protocol for my highly unscientific burnout-busting experiment: Id work out at least three times a week and do yoga at least once a week, meditate daily, and complete a daily creativity exercise. (I chose to doodle my emotions.) Since my experiment coincided with TIMEs return-to-office plansmandating my presence in the office three days a weekI figured Id get my workplace social-interaction fix whether I liked it or not. As a longtime gymgoer, I also found my exercise quota manageable. The idea of meditating and doodling, however, filled me with dread. The most in touch Ive ever been with my artsy side was when I started painting by numbers during the desperate boredom of lockdown. And you know how mindfulness experts often say theres no wrong way to meditate? Theyve never been inside my anxious brain as it ping-pongs from what to make for dinner to whether I forgot to feed the cat to an awkward thing I said six years ago. Butat least at the beginningI was committed. Read More: Long Waits, Short Appointments, Huge Bills: U.S. Health Care Is Causing Patient Burnout Socializing at work was by far the easiest part. I found it energizing and soul-nourishing to see co-workers face-to-face, even if we mostly chatted about bad Keurig coffee and reality television. I also felt virtuous about taking leisurely lunch breaks with colleagues. However, adding in a long commute made every other element of my plan harder. Exercising four times a week became a scheduling headache. Meditating and drawing fell even lower down my priority list. Sometimes I listened to a guided meditation during my subway ride home, which was futile. And on more than one occasion, I actually said the words Ugh, I still have to doodle, out loud to my fiance at the end of the day. Exercise, at least, reliably lifted my mood and eased my stress when I managed to squeeze it in. But meditating often felt more boring than centering, and I frequently stared down at a blank page in my notebook, wondering what the heck my emotions looked like. Katina Bajaj, a clinical psychology researcher who launched a startup aimed at using creativity to bust burnout, was the one who suggested my daily doodling. The instructions she sent recommended starting by drawing repetitive lines, dots, shapes or blocks, and notic[ing] how your mind begins to create more space. I triedI really did. But doodling and deep breathing didnt cancel out the drains of deadline pressures, rude emails, and constant bad news. If anything, my regimen made it clear that adding to my to-do list made my stress worse. My experiment had failed. Which brought me to the dance circle at the University of Colorado. The burnout study there had the extreme misfortune of trying to launch in March 2020, just as the U.S. was shutting down. Dr. Marc Moss, a critical-care physician and CORALs principal investigator, had intended to study burnout reduction among intensive-care providers. But by the time COVID-19 was controlled enough in Colorado to get the program up and running in -September 2020, the whole world was stressed out, Moss says. He and his colleagues decided to open the first few study sessions to any patientfacing health care workers, then broadened the eligibility criteria over time. Now in its sixth round, CORAL welcomes anyone in the Denver area who works in the health care field, from researchers and lab technicians to foodservice workers and case managers. When people sign up for CORAL, theyre assigned to a group focusing on visual arts, writing, dance, or music. For 12 weeks, facilitators use creative exercises to help people express their identity and values, channel negative emotions, build resilience, and develop self-care routines. To build community, participants are also encouraged to share experiences from their lives and jobs and take part in a group project, such as contributing a work of art to an album or performing a dance. Dr. Marc Moss, CORALs principal investigator Benjamin Rasmussen for TIME Were building resilience more than curing burnout, says Katherine Reed, an art therapist who runs CORALs visual-arts group. But the data suggest one leads to the other: for almost 150 health care providers who joined the study from September 2020 to July 2021, the approach led to small but significant decreases in anxiety, depression, and burnout, according to a 2022 study published in the American Journal of Medicine. If the framework proves effective for people in a wider swath of health care jobs, Moss says CORALs approach could feasibly be adopted by burned-out workers in any industry. Thats what made me want to try the program. Burnout has been studied extensively among health care workers, but few researchers have looked at interventions for the general public. During my visit in March, I dropped in on the music, writing, and dance groups. (I missed visual art because of a flight delay, because apparently the universe wanted my baseline state to be as stressed as possible.) For three days, I used all of my senses to describe how humor looks, sounds, feels, smells, and tastes; wrote about my emotions as if they were characters in a short story; and practiced vulnerability by dancing in front of strangers. I listened as members of the study talked about frustrating moments in their days, applauding along with everyone else when people described emotional breakthroughs with their bosses or co-workers. Even as an aggressively uncrafty, professionally skeptical person, I felt calm and happy during my time with CORALa combination, probably, of getting away from my daily routine, paying attention to my emotions, and trying something new. I was encouraged. But when I asked Moss and his team if the CORAL curriculum could be distilled into something I, or any individual, could do on my own, I was met with a resounding no. The programs magic, its facilitators said, is in bringing people together to feel the solidarity and community so often lacking in modern life. People can draw or dance or write or sing on their own, but it likely wont have the same transformative effect without a human connection. Read More: How to Find Your New Favorite Hobby Thats what Dr. Colin West, who researches physician well-being at the Mayo Clinic, found in 2021, when he published a study on what happened when physicians met up for group discussions over meals. Their burnout symptoms improved, but it wasnt necessarily the food that made the differenceit was support. We have so many shared experiences and so many stressors that are in common, and yet physicians will often feel like, Well, I cant talk to anybody about this, West says. Bringing people together to share their experiences can help. West believes there are other reasons the program worked: it was easy for people to join, since they had to eat anyway, and the hospital made meals free for study participants. The individual needs to contribute something, and the organization needs to contribute something, West says. That two-sided approach helps people feel supported and valued by their organization, which can go a long way toward easing some of the bitterness and cynicism that accompany burnout. Since my solo study didnt work, and I couldnt take off 12 weeks to join CORAL for real, I felt resigned to the relief Id gained from exercise and my in-person days at the office. But over time, something changed at work. My editortipped off to my burnout when I pitched the story youre readingencouraged me to take a step back from the COVID-19 news cycle and pursue other topics. As I settled into my less-COVID-centric routine, it felt easier to get excited about pitching ideas and writing stories, and to show up each day feeling more engaged and energized. In a way, my experiment proved that burnout expert Maslach was right all along: the self-care tactics I used on my own were less effective than workplace adjustments. But after visiting CORAL, I believe the solution to burnout isnt just to sit back and hope employers make the right changes. Moss, the research lead for CORAL, thinks about it like this: a hospital could make administrative tweaks to lighten doctors workloads, but it cant protect them from the death and sadness they see every day. We see things that are not normal, and we see a lot of tragedy, Moss says. I cant work in an intensive-care unit and not have that happen. The stressors baked into other industries might be different or less intense, but theyre present in some form, no matter the job. Maybe its obnoxious customers, or exhausting overnight shifts, or bureaucratic red tape; theres always something. When done right, interventions like the ones used in CORAL can provide communal outlets for the stressors that wont ever go away. Im hoping happier health news lands on my desk soon. But in the meantime, Im pursuing better ways to manage stress and searching for people willing to join me. So long, solo doodling. Im thinking of joining a book club insteador maybe a dance class. Duck liver parfait: beautifully presented, cold and bland (Kate Ng) How do Hollywoods elite dine? Usually, celebrities in London can be spotted in flashy venues with big names Isabel, Soho House, Annabels and Nobu are all places to see and be seen. But I always imagined that a true A-lister would prefer a more low-key spot, hidden away from prying eyes. Perhaps someone with the mystery and debonair of, say, Idris Elba could show me the way. Conveniently, the Luther star has his own wine bar and restaurant that fits the bill. Porte Noire, located at the bottom of one of the striking gasholders in Kings Cross, can hardly be called a hidden gem, but it feels suitably tucked away because it faces the canal instead of the thronging crowds in Coal Drops Yards. Opened by Elba and David Faber, the founder of Connaught Wine Cellars, the venue is an extension of the pairs wine and champagne brand of the same name. A word of advice: if you, like me, rely on Citymapper to get you around the city dont. It took me in completely the wrong direction and landed me in front of random empty shoplots on the edge of the Yard. Instead, Google Maps is your friend and actually knows where the gasholders are. It took me an additional 10 minutes to find the restaurant after getting thoroughly lost on a blustery day, which meant I arrived on its doorstep harried and windswept. But my stress over being late for my reservation was put to rest as I entered the serene bar and was greeted warmly by the maitre d. After composing myself at my table, I realised I was surrounded by tech and finance bros, all bro-mancing one another over glasses of wine and charcuterie boards under low lighting. A feature wall spanning nearly the entire length of one side of the restaurant is covered in a dark, swirly texture, which resembles quicksand and seems a bit ominous in what is an otherwise cosy place. Porte Noire boasts a collection of 800 wines that are available for diners to enjoy (Supplied) Despite my imaginings that a Hollywood star would have the good sense to have good taste in food, the meals at Porte Noire are somewhat disappointing. The waiter tells me most dishes are for sharing, but the moules marinieres and leg of guinea fowl with sauce forestiere (a French creamy mushroom sauce) were definitely single portions. Story continues The duck liver parfait, while presented rather beautifully, is so cold and surprisingly bland. Most things are just OK. I am disappointed, given Elbas lyrical waxings about food in the past. He has spoken about his love for African and Caribbean food, which are characterised with spices and strong flavours. The actor named sweet potato leaf stew cooked by his mother as his absolute favourite, as well as escovitch fish (spiced, fried fish with vegetables) and festivals (Jamaican deep-fried sweetened bread). I expected a man with such vibrant taste in food to ensure his restaurant would also serve up some delicious morsels but was left wanting in this department. The sharing moules marinieres and leg of guinea fowl with sauce forestiere are definitely single portions (Kate Ng) However, I will certainly commend the wines. Porte Noire boasts a collection of 800 wines that are available for diners to enjoy. As someone whose only rule about wine is if its put in front of me, Ill drink it, I tend to rely on the sommeliers expertise for a good glass. In this regard, Porte Noire delivered their expert sommelier was thoughtful with his selections, placing several different glasses of wine in front of me and hitting the mark each time. It was genuinely delightful to watch a master at work. While I would personally not be back the food except maybe for a cheese board next time the wine menu is stunning and worthy of a return trip. By London standards, the prices were not outrageous, with the cheapest glass of bubbly setting you back 15. Cocktails are a little more spenny at an average of 14.50 each. But if I was in the area and gasping for a nice glass of wine in a relatively quiet spot, I would come here. Maybe Ill see Elba next time and I can ask him to zhush up the menu, once I get over being starstruck. Porte Noire, Gasholder 10, Unit A, 1 Lewis Cubitt Square, N1C 4BY, London | 020 3479 1914 | portenoire.co.uk The advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion is looking to be taken to a new level under a new acquisition. On April 27, True, the premier global platform of innovative talent management products and services, announced that it has acquired Jopwell, according to a press release. Launched in 2014 as the first and leading diversity and inclusion technology company, Jopwell is now a part of True Search and True Platforms sister organization, AboveBoard. As Jopwell works to support Black, Latinx, and Native American students and professionals, the acquisition is set to support the underrepresented groups careers on a wider scale. This partnership with Trues global reach and resources expands the value we deliver to our partners and community members, said Jopwell CEO Ryan Williams in a press statement. Were aligned from our technology roots to our shared visions for disrupting the talent industry for the better of all people. Porter Braswell, Jopwell executive chairman, chimed in, The truth is that you cant improve diversity at the executive level by working at the executive level alone. Starting with interns, Jopwell empowers our partners to recruit, hire and retain underrepresented talent and develop those high-potential employees to be the leaders of tomorrow. While Jopwell is newly acquired, Williams and Braswell will continue to lead the company as a business unit within True Platform, the outlet details. The duo started the company because they wanted to aid in closing the gap between underrepresented talent and top employers. Since then, Jopwell has built a community of 130,000 members, who have been connected to its partners such as Google, Deloitte, American Express, and more. Now, with the backing of True, the company will create even more pathways to increase the number of people of color in leadership roles. Jopwell and True share three significant goalsto empower underrepresented talent in the workforce; to help companies meet their goals for diversifying leadership; and to bring the most innovative talent solutions to market, said True co-CEO and co-founder Brad Stadler. We couldnt be more excited about the impact we can make together, especially under Jopwells continued leadership of co-founders Ryan Williams and Porter Braswell. (CNN) Haitis crime rate has more than doubled since last year, as the Caribbean island nation faces widespread insecurity and gang violence, new data has revealed. More than 1,600 incidents including homicide, rape, kidnapping, and lynchings were reported in the first quarter of 2023, up from 692 during the same period last year, according to data collected by the Haitian National Police and the UN. Last month was the highest incidence rate since 2005. The UNs Special Representative for Haiti, Maria Isabel Salvador, warned of increasingly violent armed gangs vying for control of neighborhoods in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and added that many residents have taken matters into their own hands. More than a dozen people were lynched by a crowd in Haitian capital Port-au-Prince on Monday, on suspicion of being gang members, according to authorities. Video from Reuters and AFP showed burning and charred bodies with tires around them, and crowds forming near the area. Residents who spoke to Reuters and AFP on camera said they believed the victims were gang members. Before the killing, Haitian National Police had stopped and searched the victims in a minibus in the neighborhood of Canape-Vert, seizing weapons and other equipment, according to a statement from the Haitian National Police. More than a dozen individuals riding on board this vehicle were unfortunately lynched by members of the population, the statement said. Gangs control wide swathes of Port-Au-Prince, plaguing residents with extreme violence as Haitians also grapple with extreme poverty and a humanitarian crisis. The Caribbean nation has been thrown into chaos over the past year by relentless anti-government protests, rampant kidnappings and a recent resurgence of deadly cholera. Salvador warned that children are suffering the consequences of the countrys instability, adding that over the last three months, school children have been hit by bullets while sitting in their classrooms and kidnapped while being dropped off at school. Last October, Haitis government and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the international community to consider deploying forces to Haiti to address growing humanitarian and security crises in the country. On Wednesday, Salvador emphasized the urgent need for international specialized forces to deploy, warning that instability in Haiti could spill over to other countries in the region. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Haitis crime rate more than doubles in a year" Former President Donald Trump made no public acknowledgement of his wifes birthday as the former first lady had a smaller celebration with friends at Mar-a-Lago for her 53rd birthday. People magazine reported that people with knowledge of the situation said Mr Trump would attend the party if he happened to be at home at the time, but they didnt say whether the former president was actually there. Mr Trump posted 15 times on Truth Social on the day of his wifes birthday, 26 April, including attacks on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and posts about the civil rape trial in New York prompted by the claim made by writer E Jean Carroll that Mr Trump raped her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s. He said that the case is a made up SCAM and that her lawyer is a political operative, which prompted criticism from Judge Lewis Kaplan, who implored the Trump legal team to get their client to stop posting about the case. On his wifes last birthday during their time in the White House in 2020, Mr Trump took to Twitter to praise our great First Lady! Its Melanias birthday. Im sure he will get around to that when the staff reminds him, and he will have flowers sent over to her chambers. pic.twitter.com/Uk1UYBfuHt Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) April 26, 2023 In a piece published Wednesday, a source told People that Melania likes a low-key celebration with family and that I believe is her plan for this years birthday. If Donald is here, he will be joining the family to celebrate his wifes birthday. Despite what you hear, the Trumps are a close family, the person said. Dont be fooled by the former presidents outspoken manner and dominant influence on those around him. He respects and admires his wife, another individual told the magazine. He wants to make Melania happy, they said, and added that, They have a more than suitable partners arrangement. Story continues The celebration comes amid a litany of legal problems for Mr Trump as he continues his 2024 campaign to regain the White House. Earlier this month, he was indicted on 34 charges of business fraud in connection to a hush money payment made to adult actor Stormy Daniels in the lead-up to the 2016 election for her to remain silent about her allegation that they had an affair about a decade previously. Mr Trump is also being investigated at the federal level for the January 6 insurrection and his handling of classified documents after leaving office. On the state level, a Georgia prosecutor is reviewing his attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state after President Joe Biden became the first Democrat to win there since Bill Clinton in 1992. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri Donald Trumps lawyers gave their best indication yet Thursday of how exactly theyll attack journalist E. Jean Carroll. The former presidents lawyers cross-examined Carroll on Thursday, and they mirrored his claims that the accusation is merely a scam. The word seems to be a conscious decision, as Trumps lawyers repeatedly went after Carroll for an odd email to a friend where they discussed the need to stop Trumpand said they had a scheme in mind. Following hours of emotional testimony where Carroll described what she called Trumps violent attack at a department store nearly three decades ago, defense lawyer Joe Tacopina began to cross-examine her with questions meant to poke holes in her story. Jury Has Likely Decided Trumps Fate in Rape Case Already While asking about how Carroll developed her book, which marked the first time she made that startling accusation, Trumps lead defense attorney pointed out an exchange she had with a close friend, the fellow journalist Carol Martin. This has to stop, Martin suggested in a Sept. 23, 2017 email about Trump. As soon as were both well enough to scheme, we must do our patriotic duty again. TOTALLY!!! I have something special for you when we meet, Carroll responded. Two weeks later, Carroll started a cross-country road trip to gather material for an upcoming book in 2019 about nasty menone that ultimately included a bombshell account of Trump allegedly raping Carroll in the dressing room of Bergdorf Goodman. Tacopinawho is known for his hostile bravado and hulking frame underneath his closely cut suitsvisibly held back his aggression as he interrogated Carroll about the word scheme. Noting that she is a longtime author, he asked her to define the word. On the witness stand, Carroll downplayed her friends use of the word scheme with an immediate caveat that it had no evil connotations. Carroll countered that she initially had no intention of including Trump in her book, What Do We Need Men For?: A Modest Proposal, which included a list of the most hideous men in my life. She testified that her decision only came five weeks after starting to write the book in October 2017. She said the pivotal realization happened when she read the groundbreaking New York Times story documenting the way Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein abused his power to sexually assault women, which inspired her to do the same. Story continues E. Jean Carroll Testifies About Extremely Painful Trump Rape The light dawned. I thought we could actually change things if we tell our story, she said, recalling how she asked herself, Wait a minute, can we actually speak up and not be pummeled? But she was pummeledby Trump from the White House. When an excerpt of her book detailing the alleged rape ran in June 2019, Trump denied it ever happened. He has since described it as a political ploy to fabricate an event thats meant to stop his aspirations to reassume the presidency. Those comments led Carroll to sue him for defamation and battery, civil charges that a New York jury will consider when deciding whether Trump should pay her for damages. The way that Weinstein was held accountableand inspired the #MeToo movementplayed a pivotal role in Carrolls testimony. But the Trump legal teams strategy against his accuser on Thursday also hit all of the notes that sexual assault survivors typically find deeply offensive. In the afternoon, Tacopina repeatedly asked Carroll why she didnt do more during and after the alleged attack. When Carroll described the way she called her journalist friend Lisa Birnbach after fleeing Bergdorf Goodman, Tacopina asked why she didnt use her cell phone to call 9-1-1. As his questioning progressed, he stood like a charging bull, with his left foot forward in a fighting stance and arms straight while he gripped the wooden lectern. He noted that in the following days, Carroll never called her family, reported the matter to police, asked to pull security video from the store, checked her alleged head wound with a doctor, or sought help from a therapist or psychologist. I was afraid Donald Trump would retaliate, she responded, noting that the real estate tycoon did just that when she later spoke out. As the conversation grew heated, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan increasingly intervened on Carrolls behalf, calling out Tacopina for being argumentative and at one point halting him from asking any more questions about why Carroll didnt reach out to the police. The tension reached a peak when Tacopina showed the jury a network news interview Carroll did with MSNBC host Lawrence ODonnell where the writer said she would not sue Trump because it would seem disrespectful compared to the experience of migrant women whod been sexually assaulted at the U.S.-Mexico border while seeking refuge. Tacopina tried to ask why Carroll decided to sue anyway, and the judge halted him immediately. Move on, he warned in a raised voice. Move on. The day came to a sudden end when Tacopina brought up how Carroll never wrote down the experience in her diarybecause, in her words, she didnt want to be reminded of the horrific assaultbut kept the black coat dress she wore that day. Kaplan called it quits for the day and sent the jury home for the weekend. Editors Note: This story has been updated to reflect that the email Carroll sent was to Carol Martin, not Lisa Birnbach. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. (Bloomberg) -- Lawyers for former President Donald Trump said Congress should bar the US Justice Department from handling classified documents and transfer that responsibility to intelligence agencies. Most Read from Bloomberg The lawyers, in a 10-page letter to Representative Mike Turner, chairman of the Intelligence Committee, accused the department of bungling the inquiry that led to FBI agents confiscating classified records from Trumps Mara-Lago resort last summer. A legislative solution by Congress is required to prevent the DOJ from continuing to conduct ham-handed criminal investigations of matters that are inherently not criminal, the lawyers said in the letter, which was released on Wednesday. They said the department had applied a double standard, giving far greater consideration to President Joe Biden when classified materials were discovered at his Delaware home and at an office he had used than in Trumps case. The lawyers added that Trump was given little time or assistance to go through records at the White House after his defeat in the 2020 election, and aides and General Service Administration employees quickly packed everything into boxes and shipped them to Florida. We have seen absolutely no indication that President Trump knowingly possessed any of the marked documents or willfully broke any laws, the lawyers, Timothy Parlatore, John Rowley, James Trusty and Lindsey Halligan, wrote to Turner, whose panel has been looking into the mishandling of classified records. The FBI said it found 11 sets of documents bearing classified markings at Mar-a-Lago, a number of which were marked top secret. Trump has denied any wrongdoing. Story continues A spokesman for Turner, an Ohio Republican, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday night. A spokeswoman for Representative Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the panel, declined to comment. The office of Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is investigating Trumps handling of the classified documents and other matters, also did not respond. Another Republican-led House Committee has already entered into a Trump legal battle. Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio in March began an investigation of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg as he prepared a criminal case against the former president. Since Trumps indictment on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, Jordan and other committee Republicans also have been among his most visible defenders. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges. --With assistance from Zoe Tillman. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. President Trumps legal team again turned to Congress in an ongoing criminal investigation, penning a letter to the House Intelligence Committee asking it to formalize procedures for investigations that would make such matters civil rather than criminal cases. The 10-page letter to Chair Mike Turner (R-Ohio) obtained by The Hill suggests the investigation into Trump should not face criminal charges in connection with the case; it lays out three pathways for committee involvement in the matter and asks for a legislative solution. DOJ should be ordered to stand down, and the intelligence community should instead conduct an appropriate investigation and provide a full report to this Committee, as well as your counterparts in the Senate, Trump attorneys Timothy Parlatore, John Rowley, Jim Trusty and Lindsey Halligan wrote in the letter. A legislative solution by Congress is required to prevent the DOJ from continuing to conduct ham-handed criminal investigations of matters that are inherently not criminal. The contents of the letter were first reported by CNN, and the correspondence was also sent to congressional leaders and other leaders of the intelligence committees in both chambers. The letter focuses mainly on Trumps actions ahead of the return of some 15 boxes of White House records. While those boxes contained 184 classified documents, it was the back-and-forth with Trump and his legal team after they were turned over that spurred DOJ to issue a subpoena and eventually secure a warrant to search the property. While that warrant did list the Espionage Act as a possible charge that could result from retaining the documents, it also noted the potential for obstruction of justice charges stemming from the search, a nod to the months-long battle and the difficulty of recovering the documents once Trump was notified. Trumps legal team largely blames the National Archives (NARA) and the Government Services Administration (GSA) for removing documents from the White House and sending them to Florida, arguing that while Trumps predecessors had over four years to prepare for their departure upon completion of their second term, President Trump had a much shorter time to wind up his administration. Story continues The letter says GSA and other staffers who packed the boxes are responsible for a stark change from past processes. NARA contested that description later Thursday, saying its support was logistical in nature and did not involve providing records management guidance, and noted they provided Trump the same services as past presidents. Trumps team went on to say the former president planned to personally review the boxes before they were sent to NARA but due to other demands on his time, President Trump subsequently directed his staff to ship the boxes to NARA without any review by him or his staff. The letter does not mention other reported steps Trump took in the saga, including those detailed in an article from The Washington Post indicating the former president himself packed the first 15 boxes handed over to the Archives and that he directed an attorney to say all requested materials had been returned a request the attorney Alex Cannon declined. According to Trumps legal team, the first batch of files given to NARA included all manner of documents from the White House. While the classified documents themselves had been removed, the placeholder inserts refer to briefings for phone calls with foreign leaders that were located near the schedule for those calls. The letter to House Intelligence comes after congressional leaders scored a victory with the Justice Department, with leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee becoming increasingly vocal about the need to review the documents and intelligence recovered from both Trump and President Bidens homes. Trumps team casts the letter as a way to provide the committee with information that we suspect DOJ has not disclosed. The letter takes numerous shots at DOJ and NARA, accusing both of politicization and arguing the Justice Department rushed its process with Trumps legal team. DOJ chose not to work cooperatively [with] President Trumps team and instead chose to fuel the animosity though [sic] the inappropriate use of criminal investigative tools such as a grand jury subpoena on May 11 and a search warrant on August 8, Trumps attorneys state. The Aug. 8, 2022, search came more than a year and a half after Trump left office. In an interview with The Hill, Parlatore said the request for standardizing investigations into document spillage is needed after several former executives were found to have left office with some classified records. However, no other situation appears close to having the 300 documents found among Trumps belongings. He said the Office of the Director of National Intelligence should take charge in such instances, calling the packout procedure during a transition flawed across administrations. Im saying the legislative solution is fix White House document handling procedures and fix the Presidential Records Act procedures so that this never happens again, Parlatore said, adding that anything specific to the investigation into Trump led by special counsel Jack Smith would be a step too far. During an appearance on Fox News on Thursday morning, Turner noted the panel has spoken with Archives about the handling of records. Our committee has already been looking at this issue on the misuse of classified documents. We had the archivists into our committee to testify, and they actually testified that every administration since Reagan has delivered to them boxes of a mixture of classified and declassified documents unclassified documents that were mixed together, he told the networks Maria Bartiromo. Theres been mishandling with a history that goes all the way back to the Reagan Administration. Were looking at how do we change the laws, how do we change the rules, and how do we address this so it doesnt affect future administrations, and it certainly shouldnt affect these two. This story was updated at 5:24 pm ET. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Donald Trump has lost an appeal to block former Vice President Mike Pence from testifying in the special counsel probe into efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, CNN reported on Wednesday. Earlier this month, Trump lawyers filed the appeal after a ruling related to the Justice Department investigation of efforts to undermine the election that Trump, a Republican, lost to Democrat Joe Biden. However, Pence disclosed that he would not appeal a judge's ruling that requires him to testify to a federal grand jury about conversations he had with Trump leading up to the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The unanimous decision, from the judges Patricia Millett, Robert Wilkins and Greg Katsas on the DC circuit Court of Appeals, came in a sealed case on Wednesday night, CNN said. A representative for Pence had no comment. A representative for Trump did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. (Reporting by Sheena K Thomas in Bengaluru; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan) Former President Trump maintained his double-digit lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in a new Fox News poll of current and potential GOP presidential candidates. The poll released Wednesday showed Trump with a clear lead with 53 percent of respondents supporting him, followed by DeSantis with 21 percent. Trumps 32-point lead from this month is about the same as the 30-point lead he had over DeSantis in last months poll and an improvement from the 15-point lead he had in February. In the most recent poll, former Vice President Mike Pence came in third with 6 percent and former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley came in fourth with 4 percent. The other names included received 3 percent or less. Trump and Haley have officially announced their candidacies for president, while DeSantis and Pence have not but have been widely speculated to be potential candidates. Trump held a majority of voters who said they supported him in 2020, with 57 percent saying they would back him again in 2024. About 20 percent of those voters said they support DeSantis, while 6 percent support Pence. Pollsters also found President Biden with a large lead over his two declared Democratic challengers self-help author Marianne Williamson and environmental attorney and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Biden had support from 62 percent of Democratic primary voters polled, while Kennedy had 19 percent and Williamson had 9 percent. Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts the Fox News poll with Democrat Chris Anderson, said Trumps position in the GOP primary is only marginally worse than Bidens in the Democratic primary. Thats likely to change, but it underscores the reticence of partisans on either side to risk moving away from the frontrunner, Shaw said. The poll found Biden and Trumps favorability rating is similar, with 44 percent of respondents overall having a favorable rating of Biden and 43 percent having a favorable rating of Trump. The poll was conducted from April 21 to 24 among 1,004 registered voters. The margin of error for all registered voters was 3 points, the margin for GOP primary voters was 4.5 points and the margin for Democratic primary voters was 5 points. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Donald Trump and John McCain. Darren Hauck/Getty Images; Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images) Donald Trump again mocked John McCain in his new book, per an excerpt the New York Post published. Trump said McCain had "the world's longest funeral" back in 2018. "Much like his wars, it never ended," Trump wrote, per the New York Post's published excerpt. In his new book, "Letters to Trump," President Donald Trump mocked the late Sen. John McCain and said the late senator got the "world's longest funeral." The New York Post published a paragraph from "Letters to Trump" on Wednesday. The book is selling for $399 for a signed copy, and $99 for a regular version. Trump claimed that he, as president, granted McCain "the world's longest funeral," erroneously claiming that the mourning lasted 11 days, per The New York Post's published excerpt. "Much like his wars, it never ended," Trump wrote, according to the excerpt. Trump's claim that he gave permission for McCain's funeral also does not hold water. The venue, Washington National Cathedral, shot down that claim he had a role, per a CBS report, clarifying that only state funerals for former presidents need government approval. Trump did approve a military flight to transfer his remains from Arizona to DC, the BBC reported. "I never warmed to him," Trump added in the book, writing that he "never felt good about anybody having anything to do with John McCain and never will." Following his death from brain cancer in August 2018, McCain was honored in a series of ceremonies held over five days. He lay in state at both the Arizona Capitol building and the US Capitol before his burial at the US Naval Academy Cemetery. Trump, who was president at the time, was not invited to McCain's memorial events. Instead, two former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush gave eulogies to McCain. Trump's comments in his book are the latest in his numerous statements disparaging McCain and members of his family. Story continues In 2015, when Trump was running for president, he claimed McCain was not a war hero. "He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured," Trump said in 2015. This comment from Trump disparaged McCain's past as a prisoner of war. McCain's fighter plane was shot down over Hanoi during the Vietnam War. He survived torture and imprisonment in Vietnam before his release in 1973. While he was president, Trump also re-tweeted news articles that called McCain a "loser." Trump has also slammed McCain's daughter, Meghan McCain. In 2021, he labeled Meghan McCain a "bully" and a "lowlife." This was after she called Trump's daughter Ivanka and his son-in-law Jared Kushner "funeral crashers" for showing up at John McCain's memorial service. "They should never have come, they had no business being there, I remember seeing them and seeing her specifically," Meghan McCain said of Ivanka Trump and Kushner in 2021. "They had no goddamn business being there and it's something that still angers me, clearly." Representatives for Trump and the McCain Institute did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment sent outside regular business hours. Read the original article on Business Insider Former President Trump swiped at former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) during a speech in New Hampshire on Thursday, saying hes got a big mouth thats all hes got. Trump highlighted his large leads in most hypothetical Republican primary polls, noting that his top current and potential competitors like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence and former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley are far behind. He also said Christie, whom he called sloppy Chris Christie, has polled around 1 percent in most polls. Which by the way is substantially better than he did seven years ago on the same stage against me right here in New Hampshire, Trump said, referring to Christies presidential run in 2016, when Trump was elected. Got a big mouth thats all hes got, he added. Christie was formerly an ally of Trump and helped prepare him ahead of the 2020 presidential election debates with President Biden. But Christie has become a critic of Trump since the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, blaming his false claims of voter fraud in the election as the impetus for the attack. Christie has said that he is considering a presidential run against Trump in 2024. He said at the end of last month that he would decide in the next 60 days whether to run. Christie has also criticized other current and potential Republican candidates for being afraid to attack Trump, saying at a town hall in New Hampshire last week that he does not believe other Republicans would be harmed by going after Trump. I dont believe that Republican voters penalize people who criticize Trump, he said. If you think youre a better person to be president than Donald Trump, then you better make that case. Trump also went after New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R), another potential Republican presidential candidate, calling him a nasty guy. He criticized Sununu for deciding against running for Senate in the state against Sen. Maggie Hassan (D) in the 2022 midterm elections. Story continues He couldve really made an impact. He couldve run for the Senate. He probably wouldve easily won because of the family name, wouldve won. And that would have been a tremendous thing. Instead, he wants to play games with running for president, Trump said. Sununu said in February that a potential 2024 presidential run would be an opportunity to change things and bring a little better attitude to Washington, D.C. He said on Sunday that Trump is putting himself in a position to be a four-time loser in 2024, pointing to Republican losses in congressional races in 2018 and 2022 and Trumps reelection defeat in 2020. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Former President Trump returned to his criticism of former Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who died in 2018, poking fun at the longtime lawmakers funeral in a new book, saying much like his wars, it never ended. I never warmed to him, never felt good about anybody having anything to do with John McCain and never will, even despite the fact that at their request, I gave him the worlds longest funeral, 11 days, Trump wrote in his new $95 book Letters to Trump, excerpts of which were published by the New York Post. Trump very publicly clashed with McCain in the run-up to the 2016 election. Then-candidate Trumps most infamous jab at McCain, a former Navy officer who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam, was when he made fun of the senators image as a war hero. Hes not a war hero, Trump said at an event in Iowa in 2015. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who werent captured. The two also had an acrimonious relationship once Trump took office, with Trump regularly assailing McCain over his vote against Republican efforts to repeal ObamaCare. When McCain died of cancer in 2018, he received funeral and memorial services that lasted five days, not the 11 that Trump claimed in his new book. The memorial services included lying in state at the Arizona Capitol and the U.S. Capitol and burial in Annapolis, Md. McCain had said before he passed away that he did not want Trump at his funeral. Former President Obama, future President Biden and then-Vice President Mike Pence all attended the funeral, with Obama and Biden both speaking at services for McCain. The new book, released this week, includes letters to Trump from the likes of King Charles and President Nixon. A signed copy can be purchased for $399. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Former President Donald Trump jabs at Sen. John McCain for having the worlds longest funeral in a continuation of his yearslong feud with the lawmaker who died almost five years ago. Trump, who once claimed McCain was not a war hero because he was captured, used his Letters to Trump book to revive his attacks on the late senator, who was a Trump critic. I never warmed to him, wrote Trump, according to a description of the book in the New York Post. Never felt good about anybody having anything to do with John McCain and never will, even despite the fact that at their request, I gave him the worlds longest funeral, 11 days. Much like his wars, it never ended. Trump famously skipped McCains 2018 funeral, at the request of the family. Trump faced criticism from two veterans groups after the White House flew the U.S. flag at half-staff before raising it again two days after McCains death. Trump later ordered the flags back to half-staff until McCains funeral. FILE - Cindy McCain follows the casket out of the funeral service for her late husband Sen. John McCain at the National Cathedral in 2018. Trump used his new Letters to Trump book to slam the late senator. FILE - Cindy McCain follows the casket out of the funeral service for her late husband Sen. John McCain at the National Cathedral in 2018. Trump used his new Letters to Trump book to slam the late senator. McCain, who died at the age of 81 from brain cancer, has continued to be the subject of Trumps attacks even after his death. In 2019, Trump said he was never a fan of McCain, who withdrew his support for Trumps 2016 candidacy after the Access Hollywood scandal and later refused to go along with the GOPs failed attempts to repeal Obamacare. Trump made the comment after McCains daughter, Meghan McCain, bashed Trump on The View for obsessing over great men such as her father. Related... Pentagon leak exposes true colors of 'global spy master' 09:24, April 27, 2023 By Mehmood Ul Hassan Khan ( China Daily This photo taken on Dec 8, 2022 shows the US Capitol building in Washington, DC, the United States. [Photo/Xinhua] The recent leak of Pentagon documents has opened a Pandora's box at the international level. The leaked US intelligence documents contain a grab bag of national security secrets including about the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the US' success in penetrating the Russian military, insights into the maneuverings of Israel and the Republic of Korea and other US allies, and a previously unknown satellite surveillance technology. As a result, the global partners and allies of the United States are raising questions on the status of international law on privacy, digital copyright and the sanctity of sovereignty. The US, it seems, is caught in a trap, as the Pentagon leak has damaged the US' bilateral relations with France and Germany, which will have multiplier socioeconomic, geopolitical and geostrategic spillover repercussions. Both France and Germany have strongly condemned the US for its massive espionage ring and spying on other countries and their leaders. US doesn't spare even allies in terms of spying The leaked documents have also triggered a hot debate among prominent regional and global security experts on the timing, cause, objective and end goal of the digitalized madness which has no end in sight and spares no country. Many are criticizing the illegal act of stealing crucial official information from confidential meetings and conversations, telephone calls and documents of various US allies including the ROK, Israel, France, Germany and Ukraine. The US has also been spying on Russia and China. Apparently, there is a clear division among the security experts. Some have termed the document leak a failure or total collapse of the US security apparatus, enabling someone to purloin and post the documents on freeform internet sites. Others are of the view that the leak, since it is the work of an insider in the US military, is an attempt to derail the diplomatic relations with its allies. Only a few independent international relations experts, however, have highlighted the alleged involvement of the US government and military in sabotaging China's track-two diplomacy aimed at helping end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. While the latest intelligence leak, one of the biggest in the past decade, has upset many US allies, it has also revealed the US' increasing worries about the rise of China in global governance and international relations. On their part, the US administration and the country's military establishment have said they are taking the leak "very seriously" and shared with the media the news that the culprit has been arrested. Indeed, the leak has exposed the vulnerability of the US deep state, and data insecurity in the Defense Department as well as non-defense departments, and intelligence agencies of the "global spy master". The recent leak has raised serious questions on the US' capacity building mechanism, too, and its ability to properly handle issues related to privacy and secrecy and manage big data at different government levels. Time and again it has been proved that the US never follows international law, or respects other countries' sovereignty and territorial integrity and, instead, it has always tried to bulldoze them with its fraudulent, fake, fictional and fabricated propaganda campaigns as well as espionage in which so-called honeymoon spells of friendship, strategic partnerships, regional ally mechanisms and even close military agreements have been ruined. The leak, in fact, exposes the US' double standard in international relations and diplomacy and its China-containment policy. Ironically, some of the documents, which some US officials said are authentic, have revealed the extent of US eavesdropping on key regional partners and global allies. The leaked documents also have details about the Ukrainian battlefield, the use of US weapons by Ukraine and the training of Ukrainian troops, which could affect Ukraine's military response, field preparedness and tactical operations. The Pentagon leak is a serious setback to Ukraine's war strategy, air defense capability, combat plans and counter-offensive measures, as well as a threat to its national security because the leaked documents have extensive details about its munitions, training and air defense system. Or, it could be a mild warning to the Ukrainian government to stay away from China's diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. US losing grip on global issues One thing is clear, however, that the US is losing its grip on global issues and even its allies are taking alternative measures to further strengthen ties with Russia, China and other emerging economies around the globe. These alternative measures, along with middle players and middle corridors, are damaging the US' credibility and undermining its military power. On the other hand, the leaked documents have spread panic in many countries, prompting their governments to fix their security fault lines and repair their widening diplomatic fractures. Yet distrust, disharmony and disinformation are spreading like wildfire. Unfortunately, the US has been using its technological advantages to spy on its allies and partners which is not only an illegal act but also an act of betrayal. The ROK, too, has been affected by the Pentagon leak because the leaked documents contain internal discussions among top ROK security officials. The leaked documents have already triggered storms in Seoul, Tel Aviv and Kyiv alike. In conclusion, the leaks are potentially damaging and could undermine the trust between the US and its allies, not least because the US has been seriously violating even the basic concept of international law, international relations, diplomacy, not to speak of morality. The leaks have also exposed the geographical advantages of the US military global outreach due to its intense spying and espionage activities around the globe. It's time the US stopped using its high-tech advantage as a tool to interfere in the domestic affairs of other countries and spy on other countries and their leaders. The US' surveillance and espionage activities are anti-human and anti-peace. The author is the executive director of the Center for South Asia and International Studies. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) E. Jean Carroll and former President Donald Trump Eva Deitch for The Washington Post/Getty Images, Scott Olson/Getty Images Former President Donald Trump has already been indicted over an alleged hush money payout to porn star Stormy Daniels, but his legal problems are far from over; Trump is also at the center of a trial from E. Jean Carroll, a writer who accused the former president of sexual assault. What are the facts of the trial? Despite the crux of the case being about an alleged rape, Trump is not actually being sued criminally for assault. Rather, Carroll is suing Trump for defamation in civil court related to comments he made after her accusations came to light. The case circulates around Carroll's claim that Trump raped her in a department store dressing room in Manhattan in the 1990s. Carroll, a former magazine columnist, first made the accusation in a 2019 memoir. She claims that she ran into Trump at the luxury store Bergdorf Goodman. Trump allegedly asked Carroll for help picking out a gift for a woman, so "she eventually accompanied him to the lingerie department where, she contends, he maneuvered her into a dressing room and raped her," The New York Times reports. Trump has called Carroll's accusation "a con job," a "hoax" and "a complete scam," according to NBC News, at one point even claiming it was unconstitutional. Trump also said Carroll was "not my type," despite reportedly misidentifying a picture of her as his ex-wife Marla Maples. His words led Carroll to sue the former president for defamation. Caroll's lawsuit alleges that Trump's actions have caused significant damage to her personal and professional life, and she is also suing him for battery related to alleged psychological trauma he caused her. "As a result of the pain and suffering caused by Trump's sexual assault, Carroll has not been able to sustain a romantic relationship since the day Trump raped her," Carroll's lawsuit reads, per NPR. The trial, much like Trump's ongoing hush money indictment, is expected to be a high-profile one. The judge even ordered that jurors in the case be kept anonymous for their own safety, writing in a filing that this was necessary because Trump "repeatedly has attacked courts, judges, various law enforcement officials, and other public officials, and even individual jurors in other matters." Story continues Despite the fact that the allegations are beyond the statute of limitations, Carroll was able to file the suit because of a new law in New York called the Adult Survivors Act. Passed in May 2022, this law allows victims of abuse a one-time chance to file a civil lawsuit, even if the statute of limitations has passed. Carroll filed her suit on the first day the act was passed, the Times reports. This is actually the second time that Carroll has sued Trump, with her original defamation lawsuit coming in 2019. Unlike this current suit, though, NPR notes that that case was tied up due to Trump being the sitting president at the time, and has still never gone to trial. What outcome can we expect from the trial? Carroll recounted her version of the alleged assault under oath at the trial. "I'm here because Donald Trump raped me and when I wrote about it, he said it didn't happen," Carroll said upon taking the witness stand. "He lied and shattered my reputation, and I'm here to try and get my life back." She then recounted the alleged assault, later breaking into tears. "To be able to get my day in court, finally, is everything to me," she said, per the Times. "I'm crying because I'm happy I got to tell my story in court." Two other women who were allegedly assaulted by Trump are also expected to testify, per The Associated Press. Trump himself, though, is unlikely to appear in the courtroom, his lawyers told CNN, unless he is subpoenaed to testify. Carroll is seeking monetary damages from the former president, as well as a retraction of his previous words denying her allegations. The jury will ultimately decide if Trump should be held accountable, however, because this is a civil lawsuit, the former president would not face any jail time if found guilty. The jury's decision, though, is perhaps the most important matter in this case, as a win for Carroll "could ultimately send a strong message about Trump's history of alleged sexual assault and highlight the impact of [the Adult Survivors Act]," Vox writes. This is especially true for rape victims who were previously unaware of this new law. If Trump is found guilty, it could also compound his legal troubles, which continue to pile up. Beyond this trial and his Stormy Daniels-related indictment, Trump is also facing a probe in Georgia related to possible election interference in 2020. Decisions on any charges in that investigation will be released this coming summer. How will this affect Trump's presidential run? Trump has had issues getting women to support him following a long history of misconduct allegations, and a potential guilty verdict in this case likely won't help his prospects. CNN exit polls following the 2020 presidential election showed that out of 15,590 female respondents, 57 percent voted for President Biden while just 42 percent went for Trump. A 2017 CNN poll also found that 61 percent of people believed the claims of sexual misconduct against Trump. Will this hurt Trump if he winds up being the Republican nominee, as polls show is more likely than not? It's hard to say, and it could depend a lot on the outcome of the case. An NBC News poll of 292 Republican voters found that 70 percent would back Trump despite his legal troubles. However, if nothing else, Carroll's lawsuit could wind up "giving ammunition to his opponents who've suggested he has too much baggage to run successfully," Vox notes. You may also like Judge tosses Devin Nunes' libel suit, ruling it 'objectively true' his family farm used undocumented migrants Why Tucker Carlson was fired from Fox News Ted Cruz describes Jan. 6 plot on new tape released by ex-Tucker Carlson producer Tucker Carlson has broken his silence after his departure from Fox News in a video lashing out at "liars trying to silence" honest people. The short video was posted on Twitter two days after his exit. He did not share the reason for his departure or speak about his future plans. Fox News has said it and Carlson had agreed to "part ways". His exit came days after Fox settled a defamation lawsuit over its reporting of the 2020 presidential election. Carlson made his first public comments since he left Fox News in a two-minute clip posted to Twitter on Wednesday, saying he was addressing "things you notice when you take a little time off", including "how unbelievably stupid most of the debates you see on television are". But "when honest people say what's true, calmly and without embarrassment, they become powerful," he adds. "At the same time, the liars who have been trying to silence them shrink, and they become weaker." He ends with "where can you still find Americans saying true things? There aren't many places left, but there are some". The 53-year-old Carlson was not just a popular presenter on Fox News but also a hugely influential one, with an average of three million Americans tuning in to his programme every night. Within two hours of being posted, his Twitter message had received over five million views. The sudden announcement of Carlson's departure came shortly after Fox News paid $787m (631m) to settle a defamation suit brought by voting machine company Dominion. In the suit, Dominion argued its business was harmed by Fox spreading false claims that its machines were rigged against former President Donald Trump.The case prompted disclosures of text messages that publicly aired Carlson's private views about Mr Trump and his colleagues at Fox. The Wall Street Journal - owned by News Corp, which also owns Fox News - reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources, that a decision to dismiss Carlson was made in part due to messages in which he used vulgar language about colleagues and Fox management. His exit came as another prominent US cable TV host was also ousted. CNN's Don Lemon, announced on Monday that he had been "terminated" after 17 years at the network. Both Lemon and Carlson have reportedly hired top Hollywood lawyer Bryan Freedman, who also represented former CNN host Chris Cuomo and ex-NBC and Fox host Megyn Kelly. By Dan Whitcomb (Reuters) - Former Fox News star Tucker Carlson surfaced publicly on Wednesday for the first time since abruptly leaving the network this week, releasing a videotaped statement in which he criticized the state of public discourse on U.S. television. Carlson in the videotaped statement did not directly address his departure from Fox, where he hosted the highest-rated cable news program in the key age demographic on the most-watched U.S. cable news network. Instead, he took aim at American media and the U.S. political system. "Both political parties and their donors have reached consensus on what benefits them and they actively collude to shut down any conversation about it," Carlson said. "Suddenly the United States looks very much like a one-party state. That's a depressing realization, but its not permanent," he said. "Where can you still find Americans saying true things?," Carlson asked. "There arent many places left, but there are some." Despite signing off the roughly two-minute clip with the words "see you soon," Carlson did not give any hints of his next move. Carlson and Fox parted ways less than a week after parent company Fox Corp settled for $787.5 million a defamation lawsuit in which Carlson played a starring role. The New York Times reported on Wednesday that a tipping point for Fox executives may have been private messages containing what the paper called "highly offensive and crude remarks" by Carlson. The Wall Street Journal reported that Carlson called a senior executive the "c-word." Dominion Voting Systems said in its lawsuit that Carlson allowed debunked election-fraud claims about the voting-technology firm to air on his show, while casting doubts on the plausibility of those claims in some of the private messages. Carlson is also key to additional legal battles facing Fox, including a lawsuit filed by his former head of booking, Abby Grossberg, who said Fox coerced her testimony in the Dominion case. Grossberg last month accused network lawyers of pressuring her to provide misleading testimony and said Fox exposed her and others to rampant sexism and misogyny. Fox fired Grossberg, saying her legal claims were "riddled with false allegations against Fox and our employees." (Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Heather Timmons and Gerry Doyle) Each spring, the City of Rehoboth holds an auction of unwanted municipal equipment, tools and vehicles, as well as unclaimed personal effects (if you know what I mean) left on the beaches and in other public areas. This is not some run-of-the-mill garage sale; indeed, the city has never succumbed to the idea of a downtown garage. Rather, it is a major event that occupies not only the convention center but spills out onto the surrounding area as well. Among the items up for auction this year were old beach signs, emblazoned with the injunction: For your safety, please swim in front of the lifeguard. A command that undoubtedly put a crimp in the style of those swimmers who prefer to frolic behind the lifeguard, in the manner of fiddler crabs. These old lifeguard signs will be up for bid at the April 22 Rehoboth Beach auction. And, if you were looking for an appropriate place to display your sign purchase, there were two lifeguard stands for sale. You could also take this retro beach look a step further by purchasing one of the iconic boardwalk benches that were available. The auctioneers warned that the benches were in varying conditions (of disrepair probably should have followed). However, they noted that one of them featured the desirable swing back. So, if you tire of admiring the sign and stand you bought, you can turn your back on it just dont let the lifeguard see you do that. Tulips in bloom bring big celebration to Lewes Another rite of spring is the Tulip Celebration that takes place annually in neighboring Lewes. This year, some 32,000 tulip and spring bulbs were planted in the First Town in the First State, linking it several thousand times over to its Dutch heritage. The celebration has traditionally been scheduled for the first two weeks of April to coincide with the blossoming of the flowers. However, tulips seem to have a mind of their own, and bloom when the spirit or, more likely, the weather suits them. Residents and visitors had the advantage of a Tiptoe To The Tulips map, which indicated more than 20 locations where bulbs had been planted last fall. Story continues These free maps are not to be confused with an old VHS tape of Tiny Tims 1968 rendition of "Tiptoe Through The Tulips," which is priceless. From A to Z, or rather from Agave (Restaurant) to Zwaanendael (Museum), attendees were promised a floral display of bold red-, white-, pink-, orange-, and yellow-colored tulips. One could happily escape the tensions of red vs. blue politics by viewing this rainbow of color. Given our designation as the Culinary Coast, it should also be noted that tulip petals are edible. However, they have been remarkably absent from the menus of most local restaurants even as a garnish during the Tulip Celebration. That was true even when the late, lamented Lewes TWO-LIPS Culinary Week coincided with the celebration. Kite festival is grounded, but will soar anew Far older than the tulip extravaganza is the annual Great Delaware Kite Festival. The 55th edition of this spring event was scheduled for Cape Henlopen State Park early in April. Unfortunately, it had to be canceled because the Division of Parks and Recreation (DPR), in its infinite wisdom, decided to schedule the repaving of the beach boathouse parking lot for that same month. That just happens to be the location where most of the festival attendees leave their cars. The DPR is a division of the DNREC. Earlier this year, the latter thought it was a good idea to open a full-service restaurant in the park, apparently believing that such facilities were an endangered species on the coast. Talk about first being tarred and then feathered. While on hold for this year, it is worth noting that the kite festival is one of the oldest in the nation. It was first held in 1969, when the Maharajah of Bharatpur in India challenged the Governor of Delaware to a kite-flying contest. Why he should do that, and why the governor should accept, is lost in the smokey historical haze of the 1960s. The nature of the 1969 contest was not quite as innocent as one might imagine. According to Betsy Reamer, sand was glued about 15 inches down the kite strings. Each contestant tried to use his sand-covered line to cut his opponents kite string, thus creating an aerial duel of sorts. Today, the simple act of flying ones kite is enough to garner laurels in such categories as Open Individual Ballet (dont ask), and awards are given to the Most Senior Flyer, Youngest Flyer, and Flyer Furthest from Home. Contrary to popular belief, no prize is bestowed upon the best decorated Radio Flyer. The festivals top award, so to speak, goes to the kite that flies the highest. Given the story of the Maharajah and the Governor, there should be a caveat that only a kite still under the control of its owner can win this award. Mike Berger is a freelance writer and retired university administrator with a home in Lewes. Contact him at edadvice@comcast.net. MORE: Assateague Island announces big changes with new speed limit, two trail reopenings BEACH PARKING: Beach season is near. Here's your guide to parking at the Delaware beaches for 2023. This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Tulips, kites and more: The rites (and wrongs) of spring at the beaches (Bloomberg) -- Turkmenistan, the central Asian state thats one of the worlds biggest sources of planet-warming methane leaks, is facing growing international pressure to clean up its pollution.The sparsely populated nation, led by reclusive dictator Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, sits atop the worlds fourth-largest natural gas reserves. Aging infrastructure used to tap that fuel, run by an opaque state-run energy sector, spews more methane per unit of oil and gas output than any other major supplier. So far, other countries have said little publicly to engage the regime and push for change. Most Read from Bloomberg Thats starting to change as diplomatic efforts accelerate ahead of the annual United Nations climate conference, COP28, hosted by the United Arab Emirates later this year. Officials want to work with Turkmenistan to rein in its leaks, Saamir Elshihabi, the head of energy transition for COP28, said during a speech at Turkmenistans International Investment Forum in Dubai on Wednesday. We see this as a huge opportunity for Turkmenistan, Elshihabi said, while emphasizing the role that fossil fuels will play at this years summit with a major oil producer leading the talks. Historically, oil and gas has not been part of the COP conversation, he said. This year, we take this responsibility very seriously in the UAE. Read More: Asia's Secretive Gas Dictatorship Hides a Climate Catastrophe The US has also broached the topic. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed opportunities for methane emissions reduction from the oil and gas sector with Turkmenistan Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov when the two met in Washington this month, according to a readout from the State Department. Story continues Many of the fixes required to curb Turkmenistans methane leaks are relatively simple. For instance, scientists using satellite data last year estimated that repairing just 29 pieces of equipment could halt methane leaks that have a similar global warming impact as the annual emissions from all the cars in Alabama. The largest foreign energy company in Turkmenistan is China National Petroleum Corp., which primarily operates in Turkmenistans southeastern gas fields, piping the output for consumption in China. Overall, energy production is dominated by two state-owned companies, Turkmengaz and Turkmenneft, both controlled by Berdymukhamedov and his allies. Read More: A Kingdom Built on Oil Now Controls the Worlds Climate Progress Commercial and diplomatic ties between the United Arab Emirates and Turkmenistan appear to be growing. Berdymukhamedov, who was succeeded by his son as president last year but assumed the title of Chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan, visited UAE President Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in February. If Turkmenistan decides to capture methane rather than just burn it off or release it, its companies could benefit with more gas to sell. Turkmenistan and the UAE in March announced a preliminary agreement to work together on the next stage of the super-giant gas Galkynysh field in eastern Turkmenistan. If the project proceeds, state-run companies Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. and Turkmengaz will collaborate on it, according to a UAE statement. However, theres little evidence that Turkmenistan has agreed to take any concrete steps to curb methane leaks. Adnoc isn't currently working on any gas or methane projects in Turkmenistan beyond knowledge-sharing activities, Mohamed Al Aryani, executive vice president of Adnoc International, told reporters at the same event on Wednesday. "We're not looking specifically at upstream investments in Turkmenistan for the time being," Aryani said. "I wouldn't say there's a plan. There are broader discussions about collaboration but specifically in upstream collaboration in Turkmenistan, nothing." Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Sener Sargut is from Turkey but has lived in Germany for over six decades, is married to a German woman and speaks the local language fluently. Yet the 80-year-old does not hold German nationality, as taking up citizenship of his adopted homeland would mean giving up his Turkish passport. But that could be set to change. Reforms under consideration could end Germany's restrictive nationality laws and open the door for people from more countries to become dual citizens, including those from the large Turkish community. "I often thought about getting German citizenship but then I always held off because I would have to give up Turkish citizenship," Sargut told AFP from his home in Frankfurt. "I did not want to do that." The pensioner, a founder of TGD, a non-profit group that advocates for Germany's Turkish community, says he is "outraged" that change has been so slow -- but is optimistic it could finally happen. "It would be a good step, not just for us, but for the country itself," said the father of two, who spent years as head of department at an education centre. German's coalition government is engaged in talks over the plans and there have been positive signals that an agreement could soon be reached. - 'Guest worker' influx - Sargut arrived in Frankfurt in 1959 from Istanbul to study, two years before an agreement was signed paving the way for a huge number of Turks to move to work in Germany. Germany was still getting back on its feet after World War II and desperately needed labour in many areas - to rebuild devastated cities, work in shipyards, steelworks and car plants. As well as Turkey, Berlin struck deals with other countries to bring in so-called "guest workers" on a temporary basis, including Italy, Tunisia and Greece. About 870,000 Turks went to Germany under the agreement, which ran until 1973. Hundreds of thousands ended up staying, ushering in major social and demographic changes in Europe's most populous country. Story continues The newcomers had few rights in the early days and faced poor treatment, according to Sargut, who got heavily involved in fighting to improve the lot of his compatriots. The situation improved over the years and many brought family to Germany, but the route to citizenship remained tough. They had to learn German to a good standard, prove they had integrated into society -- and, crucially, give up their Turkish nationality, heart-wrenching for many who still had strong ties to their homeland. Former chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives have for decades been sceptical about lifting barriers on citizenship, arguing that lax rules would not bring about the integration of newcomers into society. - 'Modern citizenship law' - But Germany's coalition government -- which took power in 2021 and comprises the left-wing SPD, the Greens and the liberal FDP -- has pledged to forge a new "modern citizenship law". A draft bill under consideration would open up a path for most foreigners to become dual nationals, generally limited to EU and Swiss citizens at present. The planned reforms also include lowering the number of years of residency needed for naturalisation to five from eight currently -- and even three in some cases. To help integrate those from the "guest worker" generation, language requirements -- a stumbling block for some older immigrants who mixed little outside their communities -- would be eased. The impact on the Turkish community could be potentially huge, affecting up to one million people, according to TGD. Germany, with a population of around 84 million, is home to some 2.8 million people with a Turkish background, according to statistics. The planned citizenship overhaul was mentioned in a sweeping agreement signed when the coalition government was formed. The changes, it said, are aimed at better reflecting the social make-up of modern Germany -- a "diverse, immigrant society". There are also economic considerations. Europe's biggest economy is trying to attract foreign workers to plug acute labour shortages, and is keen to make itself a more attractive destination. The FDP had initially expressed reservations about the plans but recently there have been signs of progress. In a recent interview with RND media group, Justice Minister Marco Buschmann of the FDP outlined some of his party's demands -- but also said he was "optimistic" a deal could be agreed soon. bur-sr/hmn/gw/ach Darlings work The shortlist for this years Turner Prize has been announced. On Thursday (27 April), the four nominees were named for the contemporary art prize, which is awarded to a British artist for an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work. Among them is artist Jesse Darling, who bent a full-sized roller coaster into the skeletal form of a woolly mammoth. Darlings exhibitions No Medals, No Ribbons at Modern Art Oxford and Enclosures at Camden Art Centre were praised for using a series of consumer goods, construction materials, fictional characters and mythical symbols to evoke the vulnerability of the human body. The 41-year-old, who lives in Berlin, also used plastic bags and mobility aids bent into different shapes and scattered on the floor to highlight the precariousness of power structures and express the messy reality of life. His work was praised for exposing the worlds underlying fragility and refusing to make oneself appear legible and functioning to others. Alex Farquharson, director of Tate Britain and chairman of the Turner Prize jury, told the Press Association: [Jessie] is really pushing the boundaries of that kind of sculptural practice that involves materials and materials becoming images, the use of space which is much more conceptual but nevertheless produces this almost unexpected sense of subordinate humanity, social systems, and particularly as embodied in gallery structures. This years shortlist also includes Stockholm-born Ghislaine Leung, 42, who is nominated for her exhibition Fountains at Simian, Copenhagen. The work involved water pouring into the exhibition space through an opening in the ceiling. JUST IN: 2023's #TurnerPrize nominees! Jesse Darling Ghislaine Leung Rory Pilgrim Barbara Walker An exhibition of the four artists' work will open on 28 September 2023 at the iconic @TownerGallery in Eastbourne. Read more: https://t.co/XF0GJxBh6O #TurnerPrize2023 pic.twitter.com/dC8BF1fPKq Tate (@Tate) April 27, 2023 Leungs work takes the form of scores which are sets of instructions that test the boundaries of the gallery space. A baby monitor, child safety gates, inflatable structures and toys were also used as part of the exhibition to challenge the way art is produced and circulated. Story continues Meanwhile Rory Pilgrim has been nominated for their commission titled RAFTS at Serpentine and Barking Town Hall, and a live performance of the work at Cadogan Hall in London. The 35-year-old collaborated with local communities in the borough of Barking and Dagenham to reflect on times of change and struggle during the pandemic, with the work praised as a standout example of social practice. The shortlist is completed by Barbara Walker, 58, for her presentation titled Burden Of Proof at Sharjah Biennial 15. The work brings attention to the families affected by the Windrush Scandal and features large-scale charcoal portraits drawn directly on to the gallery wall, along with eight framed works on paper of people impacted by the scandal layered over hand-drawn reproductions of identity papers, which are used as evidence of their right to remain in the UK. Birmingham-born Walker was praised for her ability to use portraits of monumental scale to tell stories of a similarly monumental nature, while maintaining a profound tenderness and intimacy across the full scope of her work. The winner of the contemporary art prize, which is named after painter JMW Turner, will be awarded 25,000 at the award ceremony in December. All shortlisted artists will receive 10,000. An exhibition of the shortlisted artists work will be held from 28 September at Towner Eastbourne until 14 April 2024 as the centrepiece of the gallerys centenary programme. It forms part of Towner 100, the gallerys year-long centenary celebration of arts and culture across Eastbourne. Additional reporting by Press Association. Silo Apple TV+ The summer movie season is kicking off this month at your local multiplex, but for those inclined to stay home and stream, there are no shortage of options. From Pete Davidson and Arnold Schwarzenegger to the Muppets and an Everything Everywhere All at Once reunion, these are all the new shows to watch in May. Bupkis (May 4) Live from Peacock, it's Pete Davidson's very own Curb Your Enthusiasm. The Saturday Night Live alum stars in this comedy as a fictionalized version of himself, a la Larry David in Curb. He "attempts to work through unique family dynamics and the complexities of fame to form meaningful relationships" in the "raw, semi-autobiographical" show, per the streamer. Edie Falco plays his mom, and Joe Pesci stars as his grandfather. Yes, Davidson has coaxed Pesci to come out of retirement, a feat only Martin Scorsese has accomplished in recent years. SNL creator Lorne Michaels produced the show, which according to the trailer will feature appearances by Charlie Day, John Mulaney and Al Gore? It looks like Davidson truly does have BDE big (Larry) David energy. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (May 4) The Bridgerton Cinematic Universe is expanding. This new spinoff is a prequel to the hit Netflix series and focuses on a young Queen Charlotte, played by India Amarteifio. "Centered on Queen Charlotte's rise to prominence and power, this Bridgerton prequel tells the story of how the young queen's 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," according to Netflix's synopsis. The series will also "give fans a peek into the present-day lives of the Bridgerton coterie," according to Netflix's Tudum, and Adjoa Andoh, Ruth Gemmell and Golda Rosheuvel are returning from the original show. Game of Thrones alum Michelle Fairley also stars. Shonda Rhimes serves as creator, extending her successful Netflix reign. Story continues Silo (May 5) What if Snowpiercer took place underground instead of on a train? It might look something like Silo, Apple's new sci-fi series set in a dystopian world where the last people on Earth live in a giant silo, apparently because the outside world is toxic. "However, no one knows when or why the silo was built, and any who try to find out face fatal consequences," according to Apple. Common, Rebecca Ferguson, Iain Glen, Rashida Jones, David Oyelowo and Tim Robbins star in the series, which comes from the showrunner of Justified. It's "instantly one of Apple TV+'s must-watch series," says The Playlist's Max Covill, while Empire's John Nugent calls it a "riveting puzzle-box mystery of a series." The show is based on the novels by Hugh Howey starting with Wool, so if you'd like to smugly know the answers to the mysteries before your friends, visit your local bookstore. The Muppets Mayhem (May 10) It's time to play the music. Disney has been doing surprisingly little with the Muppets in recent years, give or take a Halloween special and the seemingly abandoned series Muppets Now. But our felt friends, at least some of them, are returning with the new Disney+ show The Muppets Mayhem. Reminiscent of This Is Spinal Tap, it revolves around the band Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, which features Animal on the drums, as they embark "on an epic musical journey to finally record their first studio album" with help from "a driven young music exec," played by Lilly Singh. Expect tons of musical cameos, and the trailer teases appearances by Paula Abdul, Charlamagne Tha God, Deadmau5, Lil Nas X, "Weird Al" Yankovic and, not to mention, Rachel Bloom, Ben Schwartz and Kevin Smith. That's all well and good, but where's our feature length sci-fi epic Pigs in Space movie, Disney? Class of '09 (May 10) Just in time for our collective existential crisis about the rise of artificial intelligence, we have our second major TV series about AI within the past few weeks. Last month there was Mrs. Davis, and now comes the FX on Hulu thriller Class of '09. "Set in three distinct points in time," it centers on a class of FBI agents "who grapple with immense changes as the U.S. criminal justice system is altered by artificial intelligence," according to FX. "Spanning multiple decades and told across interweaving timelines, the series examines the nature of justice, humanity and the choices we make that ultimately define our lives and legacy." Coming off his Oscar nomination for Causeway, Brian Tyree Henry stars alongside Kate Mara, and the series was created by Tom Rob Smith, who brought us The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. Enjoy watching a show that wasn't written by ChatGPT while you still can. City on Fire (May 12) In 2013, author Garth Risk Hallberg reportedly received an advance of almost $2 million for his book City on Fire after a bidding war, which The New York Times noted was "highly unusual for a debut novel." A decade later, Apple TV+ subscribers can see what all the fuss was about, as the streamer is bringing the novel to the small screen. The crime drama centers on the investigation into the murder of a college student, who is shot in Central Park on the Fourth of July in 2003. "As the crime against Samantha is investigated, she's revealed to be the crucial connection between a series of mysterious citywide fires, the downtown music scene and a wealthy uptown real estate family fraying under the strain of the many secrets they keep," per Apple. Xavier Clyde, Jemima Kirke, Wyatt Oleff and Chase Sui Wonders star in the show, which was created by the producers of Gossip Girl. XO, Kitty (May 18) To all the boys and girls who loved To All the Boys I've Loved Before, Netflix has the show for you. A spinoff of the hugely popular teen romance films, this new series focuses on Anna Cathcart's Kitty, the sister of Lana Condor's character who appeared in all three films. "A new love story unfolds when teen matchmaker Kitty reunites with her long-distance boyfriend at the same Seoul high school attended by her late mother," according to the streamer. Jenny Han, the author of the books the movies were based on, is serving as the show's creator and co-showrunner. "We're all excited to see Anna [Cathcart] really pick up the mantle and continue Kitty's story," she tells Netflix's Tudum. Clearly, this is one Netflix franchise with nine lives. American Born Chinese (May 24) Not even three months after the Oscars, Disney+ is getting the Everything Everywhere All at Once band back together. Based on the graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang, this new streaming series American Born Chinese revolves around an average teenager, played by Ben Wang, who's "unwittingly entangled in a battle of Chinese mythological gods," per Disney. He soon meets Guanyin, the goddess of mercy played by Michelle Yeoh, and joining her in the cast are her Everything Everywhere co-stars James Hong, Stephanie Hsu and Ke Huy Quan. Kelvin Yu, an actor you might recognize as Brian Chang on Master of None, created the show. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' Destin Daniel Cretton is also directing and producing, but how much laundry and/or taxes the series will feature is still TBD. Platonic (May 24) In an age where barely anyone is making comedies for movie theaters anymore, simply turn your studio comedy pitch into a 10-episode streaming series and you're good to go. Neighbors co-stars Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen are reuniting in Apple's Platonic as a "pair of former best friends who met in their youth" and "reconnect as adults and try to mend the rift that led to their falling out," per the stream. "As their friendship becomes more consuming, it destabilizes their lives and causes them to reevaluate their choices." Nick Stoller, the director of the Neighbors films, created the series along with his wife, Friends from College co-creator Francesca Delbanco. Will they or won't they turn the title into a lie by the end? Fubar (May 25) He said he'd be back, and he wasn't kidding. Arnold Schwarzenegger leads this new comedic spy series from Netflix, in which a "father and daughter discover they both secretly work for the CIA," so "an already dicey undercover mission turns into a dysfunctional family affair," per the streamer. Monica Barbaro, aka Phoenix from Top Gun: Maverick, plays the daughter character, and Jay Baruchel and Gabriel Luna also star. The series comes from Nick Santora, who recently worked on Amazon's new Jack Reacher show, Reacher. It's also the first lead TV role in Schwarzenegger's career, not counting The New Celebrity Apprentice. "Everywhere I go, people ask me when I'm going to do another big action comedy like 'True Lies," says the actor. "Well, here it is. Fubar will kick your a-- and make you laugh and not just for two hours. You get a whole season." Put that cookie down and pick that remote up. I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (May 30) We're all trying to find the guy who will bring us more I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson. The sketch comedy series that has birthed countless memes since its debut in 2019 from "I don't even want to be around anymore" to "oh, my god, he admit it!" is finally back for its third season on May 30. Created by and starring Tim Robinson, the show consists of a series of largely unconnected, absurd standalone sketches, which often exaggerate an embarassing social situation to the extreme. Not much has been announced about the third season, but with season 2, Netflix promised Robinson and co-creator Zach Kanin would once again "bring their distinct comedy style and observational humor to the forefront, continuing to poke fun at life's most bizarre and mundane situations." Look for it on Netflix and/or Corncob TV. You may also like Judge tosses Devin Nunes' libel suit, ruling it 'objectively true' his family farm used undocumented migrants Why Tucker Carlson was fired from Fox News Ted Cruz describes Jan. 6 plot on new tape released by ex-Tucker Carlson producer Two commanders in the Massachusetts Air National Guard were temporarily suspended last week in connection with a federal investigation into alleged classified intelligence leaker Jack Teixeira, the Air Force confirmed Thursday. Col. Sean Riley, commander of the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base on Cape Cod, suspended the head of the subordinate 102nd Intelligence Support Squadron where Teixeira worked. The commander in charge of supporting airmen like Teixeira, who are mobilized on full-time, active-duty Title 10 orders, was suspended as well, according to Air Force spokesperson Rose Riley. In addition to temporarily removing the commanders from their jobs, the Department of the Air Force has also revoked their access to classified networks and information, Riley told Air Force Times. Reuters first reported the development on Wednesday. Air National Guardsman's age not key in Pentagon leaks, Austin says The Air Force did not provide the commanders names or list a specific reason for the suspensions. Leaders at the Massachusetts Air Guard are taking appropriate action as information becomes available, service spokesperson Ann Stefanek said. The decision comes amid an ongoing Air Force inspector general investigation into the circumstances of the leak, in which Teixeira is accused of spreading hundreds of classified documents detailing U.S. assessments of the war in Ukraine, conditions on the ground in Afghanistan and other national security issues on the social media site Discord. Teixeira, 21, faces federal charges under the Espionage Act of unauthorized retention and transmission of classified national defense information, which could land him in prison for up to 10 years. He has not yet entered a plea and is detained pending trial. Teixeira joined the Air National Guard in 2019 and worked as an IT specialist on the networks used to disseminate military intelligence products. He held the rank of airman first class the third-lowest enlisted rank at the time of his arrest on April 13. Story continues The Air Force launched its own internal investigation earlier this month in parallel with the broader prosecution led by the Justice Department. The services probe is looking into potential failures to comply with the policy, procedures and standards intended to keep classified information safe within the 102nd Intelligence Wing, as well as breakdowns in the parts of the security clearance process that belong to the Air Force. Deputy defense secretary to troops: Don't share classified information On April 18, the top civilian and uniformed leaders in the Air Force and Space Force directed all units to review their own internal security within 30 days. The focus of the standdown will be to reassess our security posture and procedures, validate the need to know for each persons access, and emphasize to all airmen and guardians the responsibility we are entrusted with to safeguard this information and to enforce and improve our security requirements, the service said. The Air Force has reassigned the intelligence support mission of Teixeiras unit within the 102nd Intelligence Wing to other organizations while the IG investigation is underway. LANCASTER -- Two men are in custody after the South-Central Ohio Major Crimes Unit searched two homes on Wednesday. Gerald Tyrone Estep, 38 of 120 Welsh Ave., and Jason M. Smith 40 of 313 Harrison Ave W, were booked into the Fairfield County jail on outstanding warrants for possession of and trafficking in drugs, according to a news release. Search warrants were executed at Esteps home on Welsh Avenue, and at another residence located at 543 E. Walnut St. Detectives recovered additional drugs and evidence of drug trafficking at the Welsh Ave residence, according to the Major Crimes Unit. During Esteps arrest yesterday and Smiths arrest in March more than 140 grams of methamphetamine, 10 grams of fentanyl, marijuana, $4,400, a Springfield .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun and a Ruger .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun were seized. A co-conspirator of Esteps was arrested on March 30 after a search of his residence. The South-Central Ohio Major Crimes Unit was working in conjunction with Lancaster Police Department, Fairfield County Sheriffs Office, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Ohio National Guard Counterdrug Program and the Ohio Department of Public Safety Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center. It was part of a drug trafficking investigation that lasted several months. Estep, Smith and any additional co-conspirators are expected to face additional charges stemming from the investigation, the news release states. This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Two in custody after homes searched in drug investigation By Khaled Abdelaziz and Nafisa Eltahir KHARTOUM (Reuters) -Sudan's two warring factions said on Thursday they would prolong a ceasefire agreement by 72 hours, but violence again rocked the capital Khartoum and the western region of Darfur as the U.S. said ceasefire violations were worrying. Hundreds have died and tens of thousands of people have fled for their lives in two weeks of conflict between the army and its rival, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Together, they toppled a civilian government in an October 2021 coup but are now locked in a power struggle that has derailed an internationally backed transition to democracy and is threatening to destabilise a fragile region. The army on Wednesday said it agreed to a new three-day ceasefire through Sunday following one due to expire on Thursday night. On Thursday, the military reiterated it would extend the truce and said it would honour it unilaterally. Responding for the first time, the RSF said on Thursday it too approved another 72-hour truce starting Friday. The news was welcomed by the United Nations, the African Union, African trade bloc IGAD and the so-called quad countries of the U.S., U.K., Saudi Arabia and UAE. "We also welcome their readiness to engage in dialogue toward establishing a more durable cessation of hostilities and ensuring unimpeded humanitarian access," they said in a joint statement. The army said it controls most of Sudan's regions and is defeating a large RSF deployment in Khartoum where some residential areas have turned into war zones. Despite a partial lull in fighting since the first 72-hour ceasefire started, air strikes and anti-aircraft fire could be heard on Thursday in the capital and the nearby cities of Omdurman and Bahri, witnesses and Reuters journalists said. The White House said it was deeply concerned by the ceasefire violations. It said the situation could worsen at any moment and urged U.S. citizens to leave within 24 to 48 hours. Story continues BATTLES IN DARFUR Fighting has spread to the vast Darfur region, where conflict has simmered ever since civil war erupted two decades ago. The Darfur Bar Association, a rights group, said at least 52 people had died in attacks by well-armed "militias" on residential neighbourhoods in the city of El Geneina, as well as its main hospital, main market, government buildings and several shelters for internally displaced people. Militiamen from nomadic Arab tribes entered El Geneina as the fighting between the RSF and army created a security vacuum in recent days, said one resident, who asked to withhold his name due to fear of retribution. They were met with armed members of the Masalit tribe, with clashes extending across the city, causing a new wave of displacement. El Geneina, Sudan's western-most city, has been the site of repeated tribal conflicts in recent years, leading to people being pushed out of their homes multiple times. "In the past, it would be in one neighbourhood and the authorities would get involved," the resident said. "But because of what's going on, there's been no intervention." At least 512 people have been killed and close to 4,200 wounded by the fighting since April 15. FOOD SCARCE The conflict has limited food distribution in the vast nation, Africa's third largest, where a third of the 46 million people were already reliant on humanitarian aid. The top U.N. aid official in Sudan, Abdou Dieng, said "very little can be done" in terms of humanitarian assistance. "We're extremely worried about food supply," Dieng told reporters in New York via phone from Port Sudan where most senior U.N. staff had relocated. The Sudan Doctors' Union said 60 of 86 hospitals in conflict zones had stopped operating. Many foreigners remain stuck in Sudan despite the evacuation of thousands. Sudanese civilians, who have been struggling to find food, water and fuel, were streaming out of Khartoum. Some 16,000 people have entered Egypt from Sudan including 14,000 Sudanese citizens, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said. The U.N. says some 20,000 refugees have already gone to Chad. At International University of Africa in Khartoum, where thousands of students waited to leave, food is running out, there is no water for toilets and showers and the power has gone, said Nigerian law student Umar Yusuf Yaru, 24. "Even as we sit here, almost everywhere you can hear gunshots. We are not safe here," Yaru said via Zoom, as some students could be heard crying in the background. Frictions had been building for months between Sudan's army and the RSF, whose 2021 coup came two years after a popular uprising toppled long-ruling Islamist autocrat Omar al-Bashir. (Reporting by Khaled Abdelaziz, Eltayeb Siddig in Khartoum, Mariana Sandoval in London, Nafisa Eltahir in Cairo, Tala Ramadan in Dubai, Jehad Abu Shalbak and Muath Freij from Amman, MacDonald Dzirutwe in Lagos, Denis Elamu in Juba, Michelle Nichols in New York; Writing by William Maclean, Andrew Cawthorne and Cynthia Osterman; Editing by Alexandra Hudson, Alistair Bell and Grant McCool) By Josh Smith and Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) - For the first time since the 1980s a U.S. Navy nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) will visit South Korea to help demonstrate Washington's resolve to protect the country from a North Korean attack. The visit was announced in a joint declaration during a summit between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington on Wednesday. Because U.S. SSBNs rely on secrecy and stealth to ensure their survival and preserve their ability to launch nuclear missiles during a war, they rarely make public stops in foreign ports. "That could be a huge pressure on North Korea, because usually they dont share where those submarines are," said Moon Keun-sik, a retired South Korean submarine captain and squadron leader. The United States has pledged to deploy more so-called "strategic assets" such as aircraft carriers, submarines, and long-range bombers to South Korea to deter North Korea, which has developed increasingly powerful missiles that can hit targets from South Korea to the mainland United States. The submarine visit is also seen as a way to reassure South Korea and quell talk in Seoul of developing homegrown nuclear weapons. "If a U.S. SSBN visits and docks in South Korea, that is very unusual and symbolic ... the U.S. wants to show it is going for stronger deterrence in a visible way and to calm South Koreans' concerns," Choi Il, another retired South Korean submarine captain, told Reuters. Pyongyang has condemned the recent deployment of U.S. aircraft carriers and joint South Korea-U.S. military drills as proof of the allies' hostile intent. The U.S. Navy fields 14 SSBNs, often referred to as "boomers". Each of the Ohio-class submarines carry 20 Trident II D5 missiles, each of which can deliver up to eight nuclear warheads to targets as far as 12,000 kilometres (7,500 miles) away. There were regular SSBN visits to South Korea in the 1970s, during another period when South Korea was debating the strength of U.S. commitments and the need for its own nuclear arsenal, according a report by the Federation of American Scientists. Story continues "For a few years the boomers arrived at a steady rate, almost every month, sometimes 2-3 visits per month," wrote the report's author, Hans Kristensen. "Then, in 1981, the visits stopped and the boomers havent been back since." No further details were provided about the South Korea visit but it the declaration said it would be evidence of the United States' commitment to "further enhance the regular visibility of strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula". A senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters that the visit would be part of more frequent trips to the peninsula by strategic assets, but that there is "no vision for any regular stationing or basing of those assets and certainly not nuclear weapons" in South Korea. (Reporting by Josh Smith and Ju-min Park; Writing by Josh Smith. Editing by Gerry Doyle) A U.S. Postal Service mail carrier was robbed at gunpoint on Milwaukee's far northwest side, police say. According to police, the incident took place Wednesday shortly before 1 p.m. on the 8800 block of West Chambers Street. The suspect, who was armed, approached the mail carrier before demanding and obtaining property, police said. Police do not have anyone in custody. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Milwaukee police at (414) 935-7360 or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at (414) 224-Tips or by using the P3 Tips app. In December, Milwaukee mail carrier Aundre Cross was shot and killed while delivering mail on the city's north side. Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal. DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: U.S. Postal Service mail carrier robbed at gunpoint in Milwaukee Washington The U.S. government has asked Brazil to extradite a suspected Russian spy who was in the U.S. allegedly gathering information on the war in Ukraine before his cover was blown, the Brazilian government said Thursday. The country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the U.S. made the request to extradite Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov on Tuesday, and it was being forwarded to the Brazilian Ministry of Justice and Public Security. Russia is also seeking his extradition, claiming he is not a spy and is instead wanted in Russia for narcotics trafficking. The Washington Post first reported the extradition request. The State Department declined to confirm the request and instead referred questions to the Justice Department, which also declined to comment. An attorney for Cherkasov in Brazil could not immediately be reached. Cherkasov, who lived under the alias Victor Muller Ferreira, was charged by the Justice Department in March with acting as an illegal agent of a Russian intelligence service while he attended graduate school for two years in Washington. He also faces several fraud charges. He has been imprisoned in Brazil since he was arrested for fraud there a year ago. The extradition request comes as tensions between the U.S. and Russia continue to escalate amid the war in Ukraine, and following Russia's arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on espionage charges, which the U.S. has denounced as fabricated. Still photos from a 2017 video showing Sergey Cherkasov in the Moscow Airport. / Credit: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia court documents More than a decade ago, Cherkasov created a false identity in Brazil after obtaining a fraudulent birth certificate, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court. He was allegedly part of the Russian "illegals" program, in which spies spend years developing cover stories and are not protected by diplomatic immunity. Using his Brazilian identity, Cherkasov was admitted into Johns Hopkins' School of Advanced International Studies in Washington and received a U.S. visa. Story continues "There is no better and more prestigious place for us to be," he allegedly wrote to his handlers. "Now we are in the big-boys league." Near the end of 2021, Cherkasov was allegedly sending messages about U.S. policy on Russia's potential invasion of Ukraine to his handlers. The messages included details on his conversations with experts and information he had gleaned from online forums or reports about Russia's military buildup near Ukraine's border and how the U.S. might respond, court documents said. Cherkasov incorrectly assessed that the U.S. would do little to help Ukraine. In early 2022, he was set to begin an internship with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague in the Netherlands. The Justice Department said the ICC was of "particular interest" to Russia as it faced numerous accusations of human rights violations during its invasion of Ukraine. But Cherkasov was refused entry by Dutch authorities as he arrived and was arrested days later in Brazil for fraud. The criminal complaint does not say how Dutch intelligence was tipped off to Cherkasov's alleged espionage. It does say FBI special agents met in person with him in 2022, though it does not detail under what circumstances. Investigators were able to recover electronic devices that had documents that the Justice Department says he used to remember his fictitious life story, locations of "dead drops" that he used to covertly pass information, records of his travels and messages with his Russian handlers. Brazilian authorities also gave the FBI covert communications equipment recovered from remote locations in Brazil that Cherkasov had allegedly hidden before his departure to The Hague. Robert Legare contributed to this report. Colorblind 10-year-old brought to tears by gift Preview: Michael J. Fox on Parkinson's: "Every day it gets tougher" Pilot fulfills childhood dream of flying his family Migrants seeking asylum enter the U.S. in Tijuana. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press) The United States will establish regional processing centers for migrants in Colombia and Guatemala in an effort to reduce arrivals at the southern border after a pandemic-era policy ends next month, Biden administration officials announced Thursday. The administration is also in talks with additional Latin American countries about the possibility of establishing more processing centers, said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas. Several thousand migrants will be screened at the centers each month for eligibility under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and other humanitarian and labor pathways. At a news conference with Mayorkas, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said he expects many more people to stay near the regional centers and wait for their chance to seek legal protections. Blinken said Spain and Canada will accept referrals from the regional centers. "Migration is the definition of a challenge that no country can solve alone," he said. The announcement comes two weeks ahead of the expected end of Title 42 orders, which were implemented amid the COVID-19 pandemic and prevented migrants from requesting asylum, allowing border agents to return many of them swiftly back to Mexico. Migrants have been expelled from the U.S. nearly 2.8 million times under Title 42 since March 2020. When Title 42 orders are lifted May 11, immigration agents will return to processing people under the long-standing authority of Title 8. Deportations under Title 8 carry stiffer consequences, including potential criminal prosecution and a ban on reentry for at least five years. The Department of Homeland Security will significantly expand the use of expedited removal to process migrants' claims for relief and deport those who don't qualify within days or a few weeks, Mayorkas said. Asylum officers and immigration judges are being sent to the border to speed up proceedings. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has added phone booths and privacy booths to border facilities to aid attorney calls and asylum screenings, a practice first implemented by then-President Trump and suspended by President Biden. Migrants can be held in CBP custody for only three days and screenings currently take place within weeks after they leave. Story continues Deportation flights will double or triple for certain countries, officials said. That includes flights to Cuba, which resumed this week after a pause since 2020. Homeland Security officials said the Cuban government agreed to not retaliate against deportees and that embassy officials in Havana are monitoring for compliance. Mayorkas said the agency has expanded detention capacity for single adults and will use digital monitoring methods for other adults and families, including GPS ankle monitors, curfews and check-ins. This week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said they said are piloting a new form of GPS monitoring a wristwatch that will be tested on 50 migrants in Denver for the next month before officials decide whether to expand its use. About 255,000 of the 5 million people in deportation proceedings are monitored through the agency's Alternatives to Detention program. A representative of BI Inc., a subsidiary of the private prison company GEO Group, demonstrates a new GPS monitoring wrist device being tested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (Andrea Castillo / Los Angeles Times) The Department of Homeland Security has given $135 million to border communities for shelter, food and transportation of migrants this fiscal year and will award an additional $290 million in the coming weeks, officials said. The agency expects a rise in arrivals, with projections showing as many as 13,000 apprehensions of migrants per day after May 11. Mexico will continue accepting up to 30,000 deported migrants after the use of Title 42 ends, Mayorkas said. His department will also establish a family reunification program for people from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Colombia, Mayorkas said, as well as update existing reunification programs for people from Cuba and Haiti. Those programs allow people with family-based green card petitions to enter the U.S. under temporary humanitarian parole while they wait for those applications to be processed and immigrant visas to become available. Officials said the migrant processing centers in Guatemala and Colombia will be run by "international partners" aided by U.S. personnel. Migrants will be able to make an appointment by phone to visit the nearest center before traveling. Administration officials are working to finalize by May 11 a new rule that would make migrants ineligible for asylum if they enter the U.S. without permission and fail to apply for protection in another country on the way. Under the plan, some could still request asylum at an official port of entry but would largely be required to do so using CBP One, a phone application that migrants complain has been riddled with technical glitches and offers limited appointments that fill up within minutes. Mayorkas said his department will expand available appointments through CBP One after the Title 42 policy expires. "Let me be clear: Our border is not open and will not open after May 11," he said. Citizens of Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua and Cuba can apply for temporary lawful entry to the U.S. if they have a financial sponsor as long as they do not cross the Panama, Mexico or U.S. land borders without authorization. Mayorkas said Thursday that migrants from those countries who are interdicted at sea will become ineligible for the lawful entry program. Federal officials say the measures offset record arrivals of migrants at the southern border, pointing to a 95% decline in encounters of people from those four countries between ports of entry. But 20 Republican-led states asked a federal judge to strike down the sponsorship program, arguing that the Department of Homeland Security exceeded its authority. Immigrant advocates expressed support for the migrant processing centers and family reunification programs but criticized the fast-tracked asylum interviews, which they said would fuel wrongful deportations. Human Rights First has tracked more than 13,480 reports of violent attacks on migrants languishing in or expelled to Mexico, including killings, kidnappings and rapes, since Biden took office. The International Refugee Assistance Project pointed to steep backlogs and long processing times for refugee admissions. "Expanding family reunification parole pathways and refugee processing for displaced people in the Americas is long overdue, but we cannot ignore that the Biden administration is proposing a Faustian bargain by simultaneously seeking to implement a Trump-era asylum ban at the U.S-Mexico border, effectively slamming the door shut on countless others in need, the project's policy director Sunil Varghese said in a statement. Homeland Security officials have been planning for the end of Title 42 orders for the last year. The agency has 24,000 agents along the border and plans to hire 300 more. Last week the U.S., along with the governments of Panama and Colombia, launched a 60-day campaign to halt migration through the dangerous Darien Gap, a dense jungle controlled by gangs that nearly 90,000 migrants have traveled through in the first three months of this year alone. Times staff writer Tracy Wilkinson contributed to this report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The United States will launch regional processing centers in Central and South America to help alleviate demand from asylum seekers at the U.S. southern border ahead of the end of Title 42, the pandemic-era rule, Biden administration officials said Thursday. Initially, processing centers will be set up in Guatemala and Colombia in partnership with international organizations, and could expand to more permanent U.S. facilities later on. The new centers will assess whether individuals are eligible for a legal pathway to entry into the United States, Canada or Spain, U.S. officials said. The United States will use regional processing centers to expedite prescreening of individuals for lawful pathways to the United States, one senior administration official told reporters on a call. These new centers will be implemented by international organization partners. Individuals will speak to specialists, be screened, and if eligible, will be referred for refugee resettlement or other lawful pathways, such as parole programs, family reunification or existing labor pathways. Officials said the new program was part of a larger plan to prepare for the end of Title 42, a public-health rule that restricted migration during the COVID-19 pandemic. While significantly expanding legal pathways to migration, U.S. officials said they are also preparing to expand the use of expedited removal proceedings for individuals who attempt to cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally. A program introduced earlier this year that allows Venezuelans, Haitians, Cubans and Nicaraguans to apply for parole on a U.S. government app, called CBP One, will continue after Title 42 ends, the officials said. Individuals from those countries who attempt to cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally will continue to be removed to Mexico and be presumed ineligible for asylum for a five-year period. The measures that we are implementing today are really modeled on what we view as the success of the Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela processes, which show that the application of a significant consequence at the border, with the significant expansion of lawful pathways, can significantly reduce irregular migration and alter migratory patterns, a second official said. We are also announcing today that we will continue the Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela process once Title 42 ends, the official added, and that will include both the parole processes and our intention to return individuals to Mexico who do not establish a legal basis to remain in the U.S. KAMPALA (Reuters) - Police in Uganda detained 11 female members of parliament on Thursday who they accused of staging of an unlawful protest, with some of the lawmakers sustaining injuries during their arrest. The lawmakers were detained just outside the parliament buildings in the capital Kampala as they prepared to march to the Ministry of Internal Affairs where they intended to handover a protest note to the minister. They were protesting what they said was police brutality and use of excessive force to disperse various functions organised by female lawmakers in their local constituencies in recent weeks. "I strongly condemn the manner in which police this morning arrested the 11 women members of parliament who were peaceful and unarmed. Some are bleeding and for some, the clothes were torn. It was as if they were arresting terrorists," parliament's deputy speaker Thomas Tayebwa said on Twitter. "Their arrest was shamelessly done at the gates of Parliament. So I don't know if really we are safe if people can be deployed at the gates of parliament just to beat harmless citizens." Videos of the scuffle that circulated on social media showed police officers struggling to shove the lawmakers, who were all dressed in black attire, into a van. Police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire denied that officers had used excessive force. He accused the lawmakers of resisting arrest and injuring some police officers. He said they were arrested for engaging in an illegal protest and said they had been released on a police bond. Over the years Uganda's security personnel have frequently been accused of brutality especially against opponents of veteran leader Yoweri Museveni. (Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by George Obulutsa and Toby Chopra) The University of Kentucky is planning a massive expansion of its health care system in the coming years, university officials announced Thursday. The expansion includes adding an additional 300 hospital beds to the Chandler Hospital campus with a new hospital tower and four new outpatient locations in and around Lexington. The university is also focusing on growing its health education programs and expanding its health care workforce. In total, university officials estimated the expansions, which are part of UK HealthCares refreshed strategic plan, could total $2.4 billion. The plan was presented at the university health care committee retreat Thursday, and and was approved by the full board on Friday. More details and specifics about the expansion will come as the university enters into the design phase, which was part of the board approval. We will remain focused on the mission we established more than 15 years ago that no matter who you are or where you live in Kentucky, there is a place close to home to meet your advanced care needs. ... But that also means recognizing and responding to the growing primary and ambulatory care needs of our people and those who dont have access to the care we provide, said Britt Brockman, chair of the UK boards health care committee. This plan is the next step for UK HealthCare achieving a goal it set years ago: that no Kentuckian has to leave the state for the health care they need, said Eric Monday, acting co-executive vice president for health affairs. What this plan allows us to do is to continue to achieve that and achieve it at a higher level, Monday said. The expansion is made possible by UK HealthCares revenue it has made in recent years. For fiscal year 2023, UK HealthCare has nearly $352 million excess revenues over expenses, with an operating margin of 11%, meaning the system is in good financial standing and able to focus on expansion. New outpatient treatment options UK plans to open four new outpatient locations across the Lexington area, in Hamburg, Madison County, Frankfort and one under-served area of Lexington. Opening those locations, and others in progress, will include an additional 29 primary care providers within UK HealthCare by the end of fiscal year 2025. Story continues An analysis of data from UK hospitals done by Vizient found that certain zip codes in Lexington have a longer live expectancy of 11 years. Those living in the 40513 zip code, which includes Beaumont and Palomar, have the longest life expectancy of nearly 84 years old. But for people who live in 40505, which includes Bryan Station, the life expectancy is just under 73 years old. Zip code 40508, encompassing most of the downtown area, has a similar life expectancy of slightly below 73 years. The life expectancy in the United States is 76.1 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The life expectancy in Kentucky is 73.5 years, according to the CDC. The goal for UK HealthCare is to take that data and open an outpatient location in one of the zip codes that needs it most, said Robert DiPaola, acting co-executive vice president for health affairs. Monday said the goal is to open those clinics as soon as possible, with some of the locations opening next year if major construction is not needed. Last year, the board approved plans for the new medical campus in Hamburg, which includes a regional hospital, medical office building and other clinical facilities. Thursdays approval means UK can move forward with the design phase of the Hamburg medical office. Expansion of hospitals Chandler Hospital and Kentucky Childrens Hospital need to expand in several areas, Monday said, including the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), acute care, behavioral health, and emergency and urgent care. One issue the health care system is facing is being able to accept transfers to UK because of the hospitals capacity. By expanding, Monday said the goal is to not have to turn any patient away because of capacity concerns. To add additional space, the hospital needs approval from the state, which it has already applied for. An additional 300 beds will also mean additional staff will need to be hired, a challenge as the state and hospital are already facing staff shortages. Monday said in the coming years, UK HealthCare will need to hire an additional 4,800 employees. UK plans to open the 12th floor of Pavillion A at Chandler next year, which was originally built as a shell floor. That will mean a need for an additional 340 full-time employees. To address staffing shortages, the university and health care system are working on building partnerships to educate the next generation of health employees, DiPaola said. There is a shortage of physicians and nurses, and in many of the different health sciences as well, DiPaola said. One of the things were doing is paying attention to each of those colleges that educate students who become physicians, nurses and health sciences individuals and workforce, to do better if we bring those together. Additionally, the board approved $82 million of renovation plans for several existing areas of Chandler. Renovations include mother baby and labor delivery units, creating new space for advanced endoscopy services, creating an observational unit and expanding operating rooms in Pavillion A. Health education at UK To meet the expanding needs of the UK HealthCare campus, UK is also looking to partner with the academic side of the university. The university is constructing a health education building, which will bring together four health-related colleges: the College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Health Sciences and the College of Public Health. The building is scheduled to open in 2026, located between UKs main campus and the hospital campus. By bringing the different programs under one roof, DiPaola said there will be more opportunities for collaboration and to address the health care needs of the state. Its an opportunity to bring those colleges together on a regular basis to sort out and coordinate on how we increase the workforce for Kentucky, DiPaola said. Migrants standing in a queue waiting to be processed in Kent. The Illegal Migration Bill has been approved by MPs in the House of Commons. The bill is part of the government's plan to tackle small boat crossings after record numbers arrived in the UK this way in 2022. What is the government's main plan to tackle migrants? Under the Illegal Migration Bill, published at the beginning of March: the home secretary has a duty to detain and remove those arriving in the UK illegally, either to Rwanda or another "safe" third country migrants would not be granted bail or able to seek judicial review for the first 28 days of detention under-18s, those medically unfit to fly or at risk of serious harm in the country they are being removed to would be able to delay departure people removed from the UK would be blocked from returning, or seeking British citizenship in future there is a cap on the number of refugees the UK will settle through "safe and legal routes" The law will apply retrospectively, with anyone arriving illegally from Tuesday 7 March at risk of deportation. What changes have been made to the Illegal Migration Bill in parliament? Pressure from some MPs led to changes being made to the bill, known as "amendments". Some Conservative MPs wanted to limit how long unaccompanied migrant children could be detained. But this change was put aside after ministers pledged to work on a "new timescale" instead. Another change requires the government to produce a report looking at the existing so-called "safe and legal" routes to the UK, and the possibility of expanding them. Suella Braverman said the new bill was a response to the "waves of illegal migrants breaching our borders" One amendment gives Home Secretary Suella Braverman the power - in certain circumstances - to ignore orders from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) that halt deportation flights. Although the Bill passed through the Commons, it still has to be approved by the House of Lords, where it is expected to face further challege. Story continues What are the "safe and legal" routes to claim asylum in the UK? The Home Office insists there are a number of "safe and legal" routes to the UK. However, some are only available to people from specific countries such as Afghanistan and Ukraine. Other asylum routes only accept a limited number of refugees: UK Resettlement Scheme - prioritises those from regions in conflict. In 2022, 887 grants were made under this scheme Community Sponsorship Scheme - for local community groups to provide accommodation and support for refugees. In 2022, 272 grants were made Refugee Family Reunion - for partners and children under 18 of those already granted protection in the UK. In 2022, 4,473 people were granted visas Mandate Resettlement Scheme - to resettle refugees who have a close family member in the UK who can offer a home. The scheme has resettled about 430 refugees since 2004, but just four people in 2022 On 26 April, Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick was asked in Parliament what safe and legal routes to the UK would be available for a young person wanting to flee the conflict in Sudan. He replied that "the best advice clearly would be for individuals to present to the UNHCR [UN Refugee Agency]. We already operate safe and legal routes with them." But earlier that day the UNHCR issued a statement to say: "There is no mechanism through which refugees can approach UNHCR with the intention of seeking asylum in the UK." It said it identifies the small minority of refugees who are "particularly at risk", and resettles them, but that "new resettlement opportunities to the UK are minimal". What does international law say about refugees? Critics of the government's asylum proposals, such as the Refugee Council, say they risk breaking international law. The 1951 Refugee Convention is an international agreement outlining the rights of refugees around the world. The main principle of the Refugee Convention states that refugees should not be returned to a country where they faced threats to life or freedom. The government argues that its plan to send migrants to Rwanda for their asylum cases to be heard is in line with international law because it is "a safe third country". Critics disagree. The Nationality and Borders Act changed the law so that asylum seekers in the UK could be rejected if it can be shown they passed through a safe third country before reaching the UK. But this has no basis in the Refugee Convention. What has the government said about migrant accommodation? In March 2023, the government said that three ex-military sites in Essex, Lincolnshire and East Sussex would be used to house several thousand migrants. It hopes the move will deter asylum seekers from coming to the UK, and reduce the amount of money spent on accommodation. But these plans have faced legal challenges from local councils. Braintree district council in North Essex tried to block the home office from moving migrants to a nearby military base - but the High Court ruled in the government's favour. A local council in Lincolnshire has also taken legal action to try and block the government's plans. What else has the government said it will do about small boats? The UK has agreed to give France 500m over three years which will go towards more patrol officers and a new detention centre. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak previously announced a new Small Boats Command Centre bringing together the military and National Crime Agency (NCA). The government has promised better cooperation between the agencies responsible for immigration Clarification 2 December: This article has been amended to make clear that the government's "safe and legal" routes are only available to certain groups of people who have already been recognised as refugees, or family members of refugees already in the UK. (Bloomberg) -- The UK government has signaled it will break its pledge to carry out a bonfire of legislation dating from Britains membership of the European Union, risking the fury of Conservative Brexit supporters. Most Read from Bloomberg Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch told a private meeting of Euroskeptic Conservative MPs on Monday that it would not be possible to remove the laws which number around 4,000 pieces of legislation by that deadline, according to a person present at the meeting. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has repeatedly promised that he would review or remove all EU laws from the British statute book by the end of 2023, arguing that doing so would be a tangible benefit of Brexit. Instead, Badenoch suggested the government would focus on removing a smaller number of EU laws, estimated at around 800, the person said. Badenochs spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. The Telegraph first reported the comments. Bloomberg reported in November that Sunak had received requests from senior civil servants to delay the Dec. 31, 2023 deadline because it was considered unachievable. Delivering the plan would require thousands of civil servants to work full-time to meet the deadline, the officials had warned. Staff tasked with reviewing each EU law were given 25 detailed questions to answer on each one, and one official estimated the responses combined would run to about 20 million words. Despite the reported difficulties with removing the laws, Sunaks administration had continued to vow that it would stick to its pledge. The revelation that this now seems unlikely will likely anger Conservative Brexiteer backbenchers who had already opposed Sunaks Windsor deal with the EU on Northern Ireland trading arrangements. It is another blow to Brexit supporters hoping to show positive results from leaving the European Union in time for the next general election, likely in 2024. Story continues Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. LONDON (Reuters) - Britain may not be able to continue evacuating its nationals in Sudan when a ceasefire ends - something due to happen later on Thursday - and they should try to reach British flights out of the country immediately, foreign minister James Cleverly said. "Now is the time to move because when the ceasefire ends, my ability to give the kind of limited assurance I can give now might go and we might not be able to evacuate," Cleverly told Sky News television. (Reporting by Muvija M and Farouq Suleiman; Writing by William Schomberg; editing by Sarah Young) ROME (AP) Ukraines prime minister said he asked Pope Francis during a private Vatican audience Thursday to help facilitate the return of Ukrainian children who were forcibly taken to Russia. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, briefing reporters on his half-hour audience with the pontiff, said he also invited Francis to come to Ukraine. I asked the Vatican and the Holy Father for help in getting back children taken by force by Russia, the prime minister said. The Vatican's brief statement on the audience did not go into particular points of the talks. It noted that Shmyhal met with the Holy See's secretary of state and foreign minister after his meeting with Francis. During the cordial discussions, which took place in the Secretariat of State, various matters connected to the war in Ukraine were highlighted, with particular attention to the humanitarian aspects and efforts to restore peace," the Vatican said. Francis has repeatedly decried the war in Ukraine, which began 14 months ago with Russia's invasion of its neighbor. He has expressed a desire to visit both Ukraine and Russia in the context of his hopes of improving the prospects for peace. The International Criminal Court last month issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia's children's commissioner, accusing them of war crimes for abducting children from Ukraine. Russia has denied any wrongdoing, contending the children were moved for their safety. Speaking to reporters at the Foreign Press Association in Rome, Shmyhal said that in his talks at the Vatican he also discussed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's multi-point proposal for peace and the steps the Vatican could take in helping that plan become reality. He gave no specifics. The prime minister also declined to venture what might next develop in Ukrainian-Chinese relations. Zelenskyy said Wednesday that he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping had a long and meaningful phone call. Story continues During their conversation, which was the first known contact between the two presidents since the war began in February 2022, Xi said Beijing would send an envoy to Ukraine to discuss a possible political settlement to the conflict. The envoy is a former a former Chinese ambassador to Russia. The hour-long call came two months after Beijing, which has long been aligned with Russia, said it wanted to act as a mediator and a month after Xi visited Moscow. Shmyhal described the phone call as very productive and said it marked a new stage in Ukrainian-Chinese relations. "I'm convinced it is a good beginning for our relations in the future,'' the prime minister said. ___ Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine Oleksii Reznikov A military operation implies that no one should know when it begins, he told the news agency. The longer the enemy doesnt know, the more likely it (military operation) will be successful, he said. Read also: Ukrainian counteroffensive could begin in summer, PM says Reznikov agreed that the expectations from the military operation are overheated, but they are unlikely to be affected. It will be possible to understand from the updates that the very long-awaited counter-offensive has begun. Read also: Shape of Ukraines counteroffensive to be decided just before it begins, official says There is nothing to hide anymore thanks to various resources, like (Twitter channel) deepstate_ua, which are engaged in OSINT (open-source intelligence ed.), Reznikov said. In addition, our guys are socially and media active. Entering another liberated village, they immediately take selfies or short streams. And everyone understands everything. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on April 24 that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are preparing for a counteroffensive. Earlier, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said that Ukrainian defenders were already conducting counteroffensive actions in Eastern Ukraine. Reznikov previously stated that Ukraines counteroffensive would likely begin in April-May, across several fronts. 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 One of the prototypes of the underwater UAV was presented at the Brave1 exhibition One Toloka prototype was already presented at the Brave1 military exhibition in April. Read also: Video evidence points to successful Ukrainian sea drone attack on target in Sevastopol Three versions are under development: TLK 150 (2.5 meters) 100 km range, can carry 20-50 kg of explosives TLK 400 (4-6 meters) 1,200 km range, 500 kg of explosives TLK 1000 (4-12 meters) 2,000 km range, up to 5,000 kg of explosives. The drones are equipped with ultrasonic and 3D sonars, hydrophones, cameras, and GPS navigation. They can chart mine clearance maps, as well as identifying underwater and surface objects. Read also: Black Sea wont be safe for at least 20 years due to Russias actions, top admiral says The torpedo works using an inertial navigation system, underwater or during signal jamming. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy initiated a fundraising campaign in Nov. 2022 for a new fleet of naval drones. The government hoped to raise enough to purchase 100 torpedoes. Lithuania assisted in raising funds for three naval drones for Ukraine. 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 (Bloomberg) -- Russia unleashed a fresh wave of aerial attacks across Ukraine early Friday morning, killing at least five people and destroying several buildings. Explosions were heard in the capital, Kyiv, marking the first assault there in more than a month. Most Read from Bloomberg Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his talk with Chinese leader Xi Jinping was an opportunity to give new energy to relations with Beijing. But for Xi, the hard work to make China into a credible and neutral broker for Russias war in Ukraine is still to come. Ukraines central bank held interest rates unchanged at 25%, as expected, and increased its outlook for economic growth by more than six-fold at its meeting on Thursday to 2% from an earlier 0.3%. Russia rejected a US Embassy request to visit jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich after the US declined to issue visas to Russian journalists for Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrovs visit to the United Nations this week. Key Developments The Hard Part for Xi Starts Now After Finally Calling Zelenskiy Ukraine Holds Rates as Improved Outlook Points to Easing Russia Doesnt See Need for More OPEC+ Cuts, Interfax Says Ukraine War Aid Faces New Hurdle as Slovak Leader Eyes Return Russia Bars US Embassy Visit to Jailed Reporter in Visa Backlash (All times CET) At Least 5 People Killed in Aerial Assault (7 a.m.) The Friday morning assault assault involved Tu-95 strategic aircraft coming from the Caspian Sea region as well as drones, Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said on Telegram. Ukrainian air defenses destroyed 21 out of 23 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles, as well as two drones, according to Zaluzhnyi. Story continues Explosions were also heard in a number of regions including Kremenchuk, Dnipro, Mykolayiv, Poltava and Cherkasy, according to Ukrainian TV channel TSN. A woman and a child were killed in Dnipro. At least three people were killed in Uman, a town in the Cherkasy region, and another eight were injured, according to Interior Affairs Minister Ihor Klymenko. missile struck a multi-story house. Russia Launches Strikes, Explosions Heard (4:15 a.m.) Russia launched new strikes on Ukraine early Friday. Several explosions were heard in the capital, Kyiv, marking the first such assaults there in more than a month. Officials in Kyiv said that air defense systems were working. Explosions were also heard in Kremenchuk, Dnipro, Mykolayiv, Poltava and Cherkassy regions, Tass reports, citing Ukrainian TV channel TCH. Russia Signals Rosneft Will Manage Seized Uniper, Fortum Units (6:16 p.m.) Russian oil giant Rosneft PJSC may get control of local utilities owned by Germanys Uniper SE and Finlands Fortum Oyj after the government announced it will transfer the management of seized international assets to domestic companies that have been hit by sanctions. Top managers from Rosneft were appointed to head the Fortum and Uniper units, the companies announced Wednesday, after a presidential order allowed state control of such assets in certain conditions. The management will be carried out by a company that has suffered from unfriendly countries, Russian Deputy Finance Minister Aleksey Moiseev said Thursday, according to Interfax news service. Russia Denies Consular Visit to Jailed WSJ Reporter in Visa Row (2:30 p.m.) Russia said its decision to reject a request by the US embassy in Moscow to visit jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich came in retaliation for a failure to issue visas to its journalists for Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrovs visit to New York. The ministry said it protested to a senior US diplomat for provocative actions that prevented visa processing for Russian media. Lavrov this week chaired sessions of the UN Security Council under Russias rotating presidency. Gershkovich, 31, is being held in Moscows Lefortovo prison on allegations of espionage after he was arrested in March while on a reporting trip to the city of Yekaterinburg in Russias Urals region. Feds Powell Tricked by Russian Pranksters Posing as Zelenskiy (2:06 p.m.) Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell held a call with a pair of Russian pranksters posing as Zelenskiy, according to video shown on Russian state television. Apparently thinking he was speaking to Zelenskiy, the video shows Powell answering questions on topics from the outlook for inflation to the Russian central bank. There were several clips lasting about 15 minutes, and its unclear if the footage was altered. Ukraine Holds Rates Steady, Raises Growth Forecast (1:30 p.m.) Ukraines central bank held interest rates unchanged and increased its outlook for economic growth by more than sixfold, indicating it may begin reversing wartime monetary tightening earlier than expected. Policy makers raised their 2023 economic growth outlook to 2%, from 0.3% earlier, and cut the end-year inflation forecast to 14.8% from 18.7%. Hard Part for Xi Starts Now After Zelenskiy Call (1 p.m.) After finally speaking with Ukraines president, Chinese leader Xi Jinping faces harder challenges in his push to end Russias war in Ukraine, which this week entered its 15th month. Xis quest to portray China as a neutral broker was already undermined by his tight relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and got another setback from an uproar caused by a Chinese diplomat who last week questioned the sovereignty of ex-Soviet states. Chinese officials have so far sidestepped or ignored questions about when a Chinese envoy may visit Ukraine, and whether Beijing would support any effort by Russia to keep seized territory. Russia Doesnt See Need for More OPEC+ Cuts: Interfax (12 p.m.) Theres no need for additional oil output cuts beyond what key producers have already agreed, as the global crude market has achieved balance, Interfax reported, citing Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak. We took this decision only a month ago, and it will come in force from May for the countries that joined the cuts voluntarily, Novak said in Moscow, referring to OPEC+ curbs, according to the news agency. The voluntary output reductions will be supportive for the market in case of an imbalance, he added. Prime Minister Asks Italy, Vatican to Help With Grain Export Deal Renewal (12:20 p.m.) Ukraine needs help from all of its partners including Italy and Pope Francis to pressure Russia to continue the operation of the grains deal corridor after May 18 without additional restrictions, Premier Denys Shmyhal said in Rome. Russia must be urged not to block Ukrainian grains export as it is doing now, he said. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Thursday invited Pope Francis to visit his country, during a meeting at the Vatican, where he also asked for help to return children forcibly taken to Russia. "I invited His Holiness to visit Ukraine in person," Shmyhal told reporters at the Foreign Press Association in Rome a few hours after the papal audience. He said he had discussed with the 86-year-old pope the peace plan proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to end the war sparked by Russia's invasion last year. This included "discussing in a little more detail the different steps the Vatican could take" to help Kyiv achieve its goals, the prime minister said, speaking through an Italian translator. "For example, I asked for the participation, the assistance from the Vatican, from His Holiness, for the return to Ukraine of children, some of whom were orphaned, who were taken away by force, mainly to Russia." More than 16,000 Ukrainian children have been deported to Russia since the February 2022 invasion, according to Kyiv, with many allegedly placed in institutions and foster homes. Russia denies the allegations, saying instead it has saved Ukrainian children from the horrors of the war. In March, the International Criminal Court in The Hague announced an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war crime accusation of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children. Shmyhal also met two of the pope's top officials at the Vatican, Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and the de facto foreign minister, Paul Gallagher. "During the cordial discussions, which took place in the Secretariat of State, various matters connected to the war in Ukraine were highlighted, with particular attention to the humanitarian aspects and efforts to restore peace," a Vatican statement said. "In the same context, several issues regarding the life and activity of the Church in the country were raised." Story continues Francis has repeatedly called for peace in Ukraine, although the Vatican's attempts to mediate in the conflict have yet to yield any results. The Ukrainian government said that during his visit Shmyhal gave the pope a ceramic rooster that has become a symbol of the Ukrainian resistance during the war, and a photography book of atrocities allegedly committed by Russia in various Ukrainian cities, including Bucha. Shmyhal was in Rome for a conference Wednesday on how Italian businesses could help with the reconstruction of Ukraine, when he also met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. ar/ams/fb/pvh Clement Beaune, French Transport Minister, has said that Ukraine is "working hard" to open its airspace for civil aircraft. Source: Beaune in an interview with European Pravda Details: The French minister said this when speaking about cooperation with Ukraine in training Ukrainian civil aviation pilots and air traffic controllers. Beaune states that Ukrainians have been practising using training simulators in France, and during the talks in Kyiv, the two countries agreed to expand this cooperation. Quote: "This is actually a crucial thing. I hope the moment when civil aviation flights resume over Ukraine will come as soon as possible. And if the pilots have no practice, they will not be allowed to resume work immediately due to safety rules. That is why we are helping Ukraine to prepare for the moment when your airspace will be fully or partially opened," said the French government member. Details: Beaune stressed that it is not up to him to decide when this would happen. However, he said that Ukrainian officials are now preparing to open the airspace to civil aviation. "As I understand it, Ukraine already has certain considerations for this event, and Kyiv is working hard on it. However, of course, the main issue is still security," the minister said. Ukraine completely closed its airspace to civilian aircraft on 24 February 2022, the day Russia's full-scale invasion began. The European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) has suggested that flights over Ukraine will be restricted until 2029. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Harvesting in the Kyiv region at the beginning of August 2022 According to Nikolaichuk, the regulator has factored in the trade restrictions and reduced its Q2 forecast of agricultural exports by approximately $200 million. Read also: EU Commission may ban import of five Ukrainian agricultural products for rest of 2023 While the losses of exports to neighboring countries which have introduced the corresponding restrictions will be greater, NBU also considered the possibility of reorientation to other countries. According to Nikolaychuk, the NBU did not include any additional losses in its Q3 and Q4 estimates, assuming normal grain exports would resume this summer. Read also: EU to take preventive steps against Ukrainian agricultural products On April 26, Russia blocked the operation of the Black Sea grain deal. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba appealed to the UN to help in restoring the flow of Ukrainian grain through the corridor established by the 2022 agreement. Read also: NBU wins second consecutive Central Banking Award Previous media reports suggested the European Commission intends to propose a ban on imports of five agricultural products from Ukraine by the end of the year. 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 The Moldovan authorities have decided to join the group that will set up a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. Source: Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraines Minister of Foreign Affairs, after a meeting with Nicu Popescu, Moldovas Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, in Chisinau Quote: "He [Nicu Popescu] informed me of Moldovas decision to join the Core Group on the creation of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. 35 states now," Kuleba tweeted. Kuleba also added that the steps needed to open EU accession talks in 2023 were discussed at the meeting. Background: On Thursday, Kuleba met with Maia Sandu, the President of Moldova. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas is insisting that a special tribunal, not a "hybrid", must be established to hold Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Russian leaders to account for the crime of aggression. A hybrid tribunal could combine the national jurisdiction of Ukraine and a trial based on international law with judges from different countries. Kyiv does not support the hybrid tribunal for Putin that the West is promoting. Anton Korynevych, ambassador-at-large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in an interview with European Pravda that the decision on what the tribunal for the Russian crime of aggression will look like is yet to be made. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Taras Barshchovsky, founder of T.B. Fruit Read also: Ukrainian PM visits Rome, focused on EU integration and financial aid According to him, while accessing EUs Single Market would present Ukrainian businesses with vast expansion opportunities, they will also have to make substantial changes to how they operate. The first seven years will be like manna from heaven cheap loans, simpler business rules, deregulation, help from the EU, but at the same time, the screws will be tightened, said Barshchovsky. Businesses must take care of the environment, pay official salaries, and properly employ staff. This is a plus for the country and for people. And Ukrainian business is accustomed to living differently. Read also: Ukraines FM urges EU ministers to speed up supply of weapons to Ukraine He explained his point with a household example, suggesting many Ukrainians dont consider paying taxes to be their civic duty. At one of our family gatherings, when we gathered to celebrate a birthday, everyone started talking about how patriotic they were, Barshchovsky said. Read also: EU announces another EUR 1.5 billion of aid to Ukraine And I asked (one of my family members) how much taxes they paid in a year, for example. They don't understand the word 'taxes.' So, patriotism in Ukraine is a national costume. People don't understand that the pavement in villages was bought with their (tax) money. When they realize this, they will start controlling the government and demanding that it fulfills its duty." According to the entrepreneur, it will take another 20-30 years for these mental transformations to take place. I think EU accession will be painful for 50% of businesses, he concludes. Read also: EU Commission may ban import of five Ukrainian agricultural products for rest of 2023 There will be a requirement, for example, that we have five years to install water filters in boiler rooms. And entrepreneurs won't do this, hoping everything will work as before. But it won't. And there will be millions of such requirements. Ecology will be the most challenging. Nobody pays attention to it now. 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 Russia has already lost 188,920 soldiers, 7,178 armoured combat vehicles, 2,461 UAVs and 3,694 tanks in the war against Ukraine. Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook Details: Total combat losses of the Russian forces between 24 February and 27 April 2023 are estimated to be as follows [figures in parentheses represent the latest losses ed.]: 188,920 (+500) military personnel 3,694 (+2) tanks 7,178 (+16) armoured combat vehicles 2,887 (+10) artillery systems 542 (+3) multiple-launch rocket systems 293 (+1) air defence systems 308 (+0) aircraft 294 (+0) helicopters 2,461 (+21) operational-tactical UAVs 911 (+0) cruise missiles 18 (+0) ships/boats 5,805 (+13) vehicles and tankers 352 (+0) special vehicles The data is being ascertained. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Oleksandr Bondarenko Read also: Russian court refuses to release WSJ journalist Evan Gershkovich from custody Bondarenko was an accomplished journalist and worked with to the communications consultancy firm RMA. Known for his determination, he volunteered to defend his country on the first day of the Russian invasion. RMA colleague Vasil Samokhvalov paid tribute to Bondarenko on Facebook, describing him as our great mind, our sense of humor. Bondarenko worked as a radio host at an FM radio station in Luhansk, as well as for BBC Ukraine and TRK Ukraine before pivoting to communications. He graduated as a linguist from the University of Luhansk. Read also: Its becoming more difficult for Russians to evade mobilization, journalist says Fellow journalist Maxim Savanevskiy shared his condolences on social media, describing Bondarenko as a very bright and sincere person with a smile that made every meeting wonderful. His uncompromising nature was captivating, and his refined sense of humor hilarious. Sasha was loved by all. He was a gift to Luhansk, and the war has taken him away. Thank you for everything, Savanevskiy said in a Facebook post. Read also: How does Russian propaganda end up in Western media? Presidential advisor has answers According to Ukrainian media outlet Babael, in 2021 Bondarenko was considered for the position of President Volodymyr Zelenskyys press secretary. 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 The Russian occupiers are trying to deceive the Ukrainian air defense system "The Russian tactic to deceive Ukrainian air defense is to calculate the logic of air defense and try to make the means of destruction (of the missile) as invisible as possible to air defense," she noted. That is why the submarines were on duty for a long time. Read also: Russia tries new tactics to get past Ukraines air defense in Odesa Oblast Russian troops are also using missile maneuvering, she said. "That is, repeated changes in trajectory using the features of the landscape and the altitude of the launches as far as it is possible," she explained. Read also: Russian invaders changing tactics in missile attacks, says NSDC head They try to adjust to the fact that our air defense systems are not able to detect the very fact of launching and approaching missiles. The Russian army attacked Mykolaiv in the early hours of April 27 with four Kalibr missiles from the Black Sea. The Southern Command noted they were sent along a complex trajectory. Read also: GRU agent sentenced for guiding Russian missiles to schools in Mykolaiv Oblast Regional governor Vitalij Kim called the latest Russian missile attack "unusual". 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 Deaths from hunger are on the rise in Africa because of droughts worsened by climate change and conflict, UN officials and non-governmental organisations said Thursday. Their warning is the latest in a series of statements from campaigners and experts warning that Africa is facing an unprecedented food crisis. There is a death by starvation every 36 seconds on average in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, the UN's children's organisation UNICEF and NGOs Care and Oxfam told a joint news conference in Paris. Close to 20 million people in the Sahel region are living in food insecurity, they added. In Burkina Faso, a country destabilised by a jihadist rebellion, three times as many children were killed between January and September 2022 as in the same period a year earlier. The number of minors treated for severe malnutrition rose by half, UNICEF said. In Niger, recurring droughts and disastrous floods combined with ongoing conflicts led to a near-40 percent drop in cereal production as harvesting became increasingly difficult, said Louis-Nicolas Jandeaux at Oxfam France. Some 430,000 children in Niger suffer from serious malnutrition, according to Lucile Grosjean, a spokeswoman for UNICEF. This year, the number of malnourished pregnant or breastfeeding women is projected to rise to 154,000 from 64,000 in 2022, she added. - 'Catastrophic situation' - In the Horn of Africa, five straight rainy seasons producing too little rain killed millions of cattle and destroyed harvests, according to the UN. That put 22 million people at threat of starvation in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia with the latter -- a country of 17 million -- also in the throes of an Islamist insurgency. "We forecast that between April and June, more than a third of Somalia's population will be in a state of food crisis, with projections of a famine," said Mathilde Casper at Care. Jandeaux, for Oxfam, argued that the food crisis was the result of an "injustice", accusing wealthy countries of "permanent inaction". Story continues Last year, only about 62 percent of humanitarian financing needs were met, he said. In an interview with French daily Le Monde, former World Food Programme director David Beasley called on western governments to step up aid, saying Africa was facing the worst food and humanitarian crisis since World War II. In a separate statement, also published Thursday, the Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) NGO said an unprecedented number of undernourished children had been registered by its teams in the Maiduguri, north-eastern Nigeria. "Last year was terrible, but this year could be worse if this trend continues," said Htet Aung Kyi, the organisation's medical coordinator, warning of a "catastrophic situation" once food stocks from last year's harvests have been used up. Also Thursday, an international group of climate scientists said the devastating drought that has struck the Horn of Africa could not have occurred without global warming. "Human-caused climate change has made agricultural drought in the Horn of Africa about 100 times more likely," said the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group in a new report. jf/jj/bp Check those tickets! The Washington Lottery is asking players to doublecheck their Powerball tickets, as a $1 million unclaimed prize is set to expire on May 6. The ticket was purchased last November in Airway Heights in Eastern Washington just outside of Spokane. A $10,000 Match 4 prize is also set to expire in a few weeks. According to the Washington Lottery, in total, there are more than $2.1 million in unclaimed prizes. A full list of unclaimed prizes can be found here. A Kentucky school district this week announced it removed a health test question about sexual orientation from its virtual learning platform following passage of a new anti-LGBTQ law. Grayson County Superintendent Doug Robinson confirmed Wednesday that the question from a virtual learning platform, which went viral on Twitter earlier in the week, said: Julie is a girl that is sexually attracted to other girls. She was assigned male at birth and Julies pronouns are she/her. Which gender does Julie best identify with: cisgender, intersex, transgender, asexual? Robinson provided the Herald-Leader with a statement on the districts website that explained the decision to remove the test question. Earlier today, a screenshot of an online High School health test question was posted by a third party on Twitter. The screenshot referenced is NOT from a class being taught in our district by one of our teachers. It is from the Edgenuity software program, a virtual learning platform used for credit recovery and early graduation, both within our district and by districts throughout the state and country, the post said. We quickly researched and found this particular question on our version, and while our district is accepting of all individuals, we have removed the question which does not align with standards. We are already conducting a complete review of the Edgenuity platform and will take further action if necessary to ensure alignment with state and district standards, it said. Senate Bill 150, passed in the 2023 General Assembly, was one of the most extreme and controversial pieces of legislation in recent Kentucky history. In addition to banning puberty-blockers, hormones and surgeries for kids under 18, SB 150 also bans lessons on gender identity and sexual orientation, prevents transgender students from using the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity and stops school districts from requiring teachers use a students pronouns if they dont align with their sex assigned at birth. Story continues A new course was released for Kentucky students that aligns with SB 150, Edgenuity said in a statement posted by the Grayson County school district Thursday. Edgenuity, the largest digital curriculum provider in the US, offers several courses to meet state and district requirements for high school health education across the country, the statement said. The screenshot in question is from our national high school Contemporary Health course, which covers more sensitive topics. The company also offers Healthy Living, which does not address those topics, said the statement. As of this morning the new Healthy Living Kentucky course has been provided for all our Kentucky Imagine Edgenuity libraries. It is tailored to the Kentucky standards specifically, and also fully aligns with the new provisions in SB 150, the statement said. School districts are now required under the law to ensure any child, regardless of grade level, enrolled in the district does not receive any instruction or presentation that has a purpose of students studying or exploring gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation. Districts will need to review current courses, programming, instructional resources and learning experiences to ensure they comply, the new guidance said. Districts will have to review health education curriculum, Advanced Placement courses, dual credit courses and extracurricular activities to make sure that students arent getting instruction on gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation. There was plenty of good news when the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions released March unemployment data on April 21, with joblessness falling statewide and in all four metropolitan areas. New Mexicos unemployment rate for March was 3.5%, down from 3.6% in February. That figure also matched the national unemployment rate of 3.5% and was tied for 28th in the country, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. South Dakota had the lowest jobless rate in the country at 1.9%, while Nevada was highest at 5.5%. The jobless rate fell more sharply in the states population centers. The Farmington Metropolitan Statistical Area saw the biggest decline, from 4.6% to 3.6%. The unemployment rate a year ago in the Farmington area was 5.2%. That 3.6% rate in the Farmington MSA was only marginally higher than the 3.4% rate the area posted in December 2022. That was the lowest jobless rate in the area since at least January 2016, according to Department of Workforce Solutions data a period of more than seven years. The Santa Fe MSA had the lowest jobless rate among the states four MSAs at 2.7%, down from 3.4% in February. Albuquerque was next at 2.8%, a decline from Marchs 2.6%. The Las Cruces area had the highest unemployment rate of the states four MSAs, registering 3.9% in March, down from 4.7% in February. Luna County once again registered the highest jobless rate in New Mexico in March, coming in at 11.8%, although that was down from 13.4% in February. Adjoining Sierra County was the only other county in the state with an unemployment rate of more than 5%, as it posted a rate of 6.3%. At the other end of the spectrum, Los Alamos again had the lowest rate in the state at 1.4% and was one of 13 counties in the state with a rate of less than 3%. Eddy and Union counties were next at 2.1%, while Curry County was next at 2.2%. Hidalgo followed at 2.6%, as did Santa Fe and Roosevelt counties at 2.7%. Colfax, Lea, Bernalillo, Sandoval and De Baca counties all came in at 2.8%, while Lincoln County was at 2.9%. Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 or measterling@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription: http://bit.ly/2I6TU0e. This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: Farmington MSA sees unemployment rate plunge to near seven-year low People gather in support of sexual and domestic violence awareness during a prior year's Take Back the Night Rally at the University of Oregon. The rally is put on by the Women's Center. Take Back the Night is returning for its 45th annual event at the University of Oregon Thursday evening to recognize and support survivors of sexual assault, abuse and violence. Hosted by the UO Women's Center, the three-part event will include a rally, a two-mile march and a speak-out, intended to symbolize reclaiming peoples safety on public streets at night. Fatima Roohi Pervaiz, director of the Women's Center, said the evening will offer a safe space and education for survivors and interested community members. "We do this event to support survivors of sexual and domestic violence and child abuse, as well as to educate the community in order to help prevent future harm," Roohi Pervaiz said. "Folks aren't aware of what the spectrum of violence is, they may not even be aware that they are harming someone or folks may not be aware that they have been harmed until this event, which allows survivors to put words with their experience, and then determine if they are a survivor and begin their healing journey to take their power back." The event is typically widely attended, with 300-500 attendees each year, according to Roohi Pervaiz. Centering marginalized groups The rally will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Erb Memorial Union at UO, featuring several speakers, including representatives from the Black community, the Latino community, the Native American and Indigenous community, the Asian community, the LGBTQ community and international voices. They will provide personal testimonies as well as statistics and resources. The march will start at the EMU at 7 p.m., leaving the UO campus and walking through the streets of Eugene, eventually returning to UO at the Knight Library South Lawn where the speak-out event will begin at 8 p.m. The night ends with a student-led speak-out where trained Women's Center Student facilitators will guide discussions. Attendees can share and listen. No UO-affiliated professional staff or media will be present for that event to protect the people who choose to share. Non-UO licensed mental health professionals will be available in a nearby tent for additional assistance. Story continues The focus of this year's Take Back the Night will center on the prison industry and mass incarceration as well as marginalized groups. Maggie Bertrand, a sexual violence prevention education coordinator at the UO Women's Center and a sociology student at UO, said she wanted to focus on voices that often go unheard. Roohi Pervaiz added that these groups are regularly left out of the conversation. "There is a huge role of the culture of silence and how people are meant to feel guilt or shame towards their experiences," Bertrand said. "Within the prison industrial complex, there are so many people that are experiencing forms of abuse and violence that are behind closed doors." There will be presentations with detailed information about the connections between incarceration and abuse, including the experience of giving birth in prison and birthing trauma. Roohi Pervaiz said each speaker will end their speech with a call to action. She said often the act of spreading the word and keeping the conversation alive can make a change. She said there will also be outreach tables and community organizations at the event with brochures, cards, pamphlets and other resources for attendees. "Maya Angelou said 'You did then what you knew how to do, and when you knew better, you did better,'" Roohi Pervaiz said. "Hopefully, if somebody learns one thing from this evening and tells somebody, maybe that will inspire their academic trajectory, or their career trajectory to go on to work in a nonprofit organization that helps to prevent this kind of violence and harm globally or in the United States." Data on sexual violence at UO According to the UO Police Department's 2022 reports, there were five reported cases of rape in 2021, nine in 2020 and six in 2019, either on campus or in residential facilities. There were seven reported instances of fondling in 2021, three in 2020 and 17 in 2019. Roohi Pervaiz said it's difficult or impossible to determine the true number of survivors. Many never file official police reports. Roohi Pervaiz said that based on UO's size and student population, research has indicated that, statistically, about 3,250 students will be affected by sexual violence during the school year. "Because of the culture of silence, and because of shame and stigma and victim blaming, there's a lot of apprehension about reporting," Roohi Pervaiz said. UOPD offers self-defense classes that are scheduled year-round by request. Most of these courses are free, but there is a cost for classes taken for credit, according to Angela Seydel of UO Communications. "The university is committed to creating a campus culture where we take care of each other and are actively engaged in addressing issues related to all forms of sexualized violence," Seydel stated. "Resources for prevention, self-care and support to those impacted are available to all." Creating a safe space Roohi Pervaiz said creating a safe space is a key aspect of the Take Back the Night events. The Women's Center prepares for most of the year, ensuring the event is a safe space. For the 22-person team, Roohi Pervaiz said all members of the 22-person team have extensive trauma-informed training. Roohi Pervaiz also sets firm guidelines for attendees. The event will not tolerate anything that is not survivor-focused. "All of my students also are living breathing safe spaces and ambassadors with this kind of education and training to spread to the campus community and they're known as, as easily recognizable safe people who work at the Women's Center who can share resources for sexual and domestic violence, safer sex supplies, menstrual supplies, etc.," she said. Bertrand added that the staff at the Women's Center also can act as just listeners. Sometimes, people need a safe space to vent, which is one of the most widely used resources the center offers. "There's nothing worse than feeling alone and like you have no nowhere to go, or no community," Roohi Pervaiz said. "That's what Take Back the Night is. It's a community of people who support you, no matter where you are in your journey." Resources for survivors: UO Womens Center, 541-346-4095, dos.uoregon.edu/women UO Care and Advocacy Program (CAP), 541-346-3216 CAHOOTS mobile crisis intervention, Eugene: 541-682-5111 or Springfield: 541-726-3714 National sexual assault helpline, 1-800-656-4673 National domestic violence hotline, 800-799-7233 Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her on Twitter @mirandabcyr. This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: UO's Take Back the Night Women's March offers safe space Alex Chalk, the new Justice Secretary, visits HMP Isis, in South East London - Paul Grover for The Telegraph The new Justice Secretary has pledged to demand very high standards of civil servants and expects no let-up in tempo despite the enforced resignation of Dominic Raab, his predecessor. In his first interview, Alex Chalk, a successful prosecutor who jailed rapists, extremists and fraudsters, said the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) was too critical a department to lower the standards expected of civil servants. He said Mr Raab did the right thing by resigning after the independent inquiry into bullying allegations, paying tribute to his huge intellect and industry. But he said: There will be no let-up in the tempo of work and indeed the high expectations that I have of these talented public servants. I would call my approach robust but fair. This is a critically important department to uphold confidence in the rule of law and to preserve the principles that we stand by as a nation, that means that we need very high standards in the department. He was speaking on the first prison visit of his tenure to HMP Isis, a jail for men aged 18 to 27 next to Belmarsh, the high security jail in south-east London housing some of the most dangerous terrorists and criminals in Britain. Alex Chalk is in his second stint at the Ministry of Justice - Paul Grover for the Telegraph He announced that every prison officer in England and Wales will have a body-worn video camera to counter prison violence. The MoJ has doubled the number available to staff to 13,000, meaning every officer will have access to one when on duty. They are seen as vital to provide incontrovertible evidence of any violence by prisoners but also de-escalate crises because inmates know that, once they are switched on, they cannot fib, as one HMP Isis officer put it. Mr Chalk said: It dials down incidents which might otherwise spin out of control. Crucially, if prisoners do misbehave and put [officers] at risk, then the evidence will be very strong and its overwhelmingly likely therell be consequences. Frankly, if prisoners misbehave, they will be bang to rights. Story continues It is Mr Chalks second stint at the MoJ. As prisons and probation minister, he masterminded the policy of community payback for criminals in high-viz jackets to clean up graffiti and criminal damage and restore derelict land, described by Boris Johnson as chain gangs. He said he would press policing chiefs to provide clean-up projects on their patches for local criminals so there was a pipeline of jobs that courts could have confidence to use for offenders as a potential alternative to jail. However, he emphasised that those who betrayed trust, destroyed lives and robbed innocence would not escape prison. Mr Chalk said he had three motivations that the guilty are convicted, the innocent walk free and the public are protected and they would be the prism through which he would decide whether to go ahead with Mr Raabs parole reforms, giving ministers powers to veto parole board decisions to free the most violent criminals or terrorists. One of his priorities, he said, would be to boost the capacity of courts to reduce delays through extra sitting time for judges, additional Nightingale courts and independent advisers to support victims of sexual assaults and domestic violence into court so fewer dropped out because of long waits. The really important things that I want to see preserved and enhanced are access to justice and the rule of law. Those arent just quaint traditional principles, he said. Those are the reasons why, if you have prosecuted, as I have, five people for rape, you want to ensure that they have a fair trial so that the victims dont have to suffer the appalling ordeal of people being released on appeal as a result. So its about ensuring that the system has the capacity to deliver justice for victims to protect the public, and to ensure that justice is done. U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Ryan Haden, 74th Fighter Squadron commander, lands an A-10C Thunderbolt II in the sand Dec. 3, 2014 US Air Force The US Air Force has been trying for years to retire its aging fleet of A-10 Warthog planes. During a Thursday hearing, the service secretary said the aircraft "doesn't scare China." "It still has some limited utility, but we have to get on with things," Frank Kendall told Congress. The US Air Force has long butted heads with Congress over plans for the retirement of its aging A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft flying cannons also known as Warthogs, and on Thursday, service leadership stressed to legislators that it's time to move on because the warplane is less useful than it was 40 years ago and simply "doesn't scare" China. The Department of the Air Force Posture Statement about the 2024 fiscal year budget outlines specific divestments that the service branch wants to undertake so it can continue to modernize and adapt to relevant threats. The document requests that Congress allow for the retirement of 42 A-10 Warthogs because the aircraft "does not deter or survive against our pacing challenge, and we need to move forward." Frank Kendall, the secretary of the Air Force, reiterated this Thursday afternoon during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the service's budget request when ranking member Rep. Adam Smith asked Kendall if he could outline some of the programs that the Air Force plans to divest and why it is important that Congress avoids getting in the way. "I'll start with the A-10," Kendall said in his response. "It's over 40 years old. It was, in its time, a great aircraft it served us well. I was an advocate for that program for a long time, but it doesn't scare China." "It still has some limited utility," the secretary added, "but we have to get on with things which are going to be more capable relative to the threat." US Air Force maintainers work on an A-10 Warthog at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan, September 2, 2011. US Air Force/Senior Airman Corey Hook Thursday's hearing was not the first time that Kendall has pushed for the retirement of the A-10 among other aircraft because it doesn't scare China. In December 2021, the Air Force secretary lauded the Warthog, C-130 transport aircraft, and MQ-9 Reaper drone for their past effectiveness. He said that although they had their uses, "none of these things scare China." Story continues The A-10 is a ground-attack aircraft that has been in service since the late 1970s and has seen combat experience in conflicts in the Middle East. Equipped with a GAU-8 Avenger 30-mm rotary cannon that can fire 3,900 rounds per minute, the twin-engine plane is built to conduct close-air-support missions and execute attacks against ground units, including enemy tanks and armored vehicles. Each unit costs just under $10 million, according to an Air Force fact sheet. DVIDS For years, Congress has blocked the Air Force's attempts to retire the A-10, but in late 2022, lawmakers finally allowed 21 Warthogs to be retired and sent to a boneyard. The retirements will curb the fleet of A-10s to 260, a number that could plummet even more with the service's latest request. Given the aircraft's reputation as a tank killer, there was talk last year about the possibility of sending the A-10s to Ukraine, but the conclusion was that they likely wouldn't survive the high-intensity fight in which neither side has air superiority. A Ukrainian defense adviser said last July that the decades-old planes are "slow" and "vulnerable to the enemy's air defenses," but Ukraine made a request anyway months later. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin shut down the idea though, arguing that it "made no sense" and that the old planes would be a "squeaky target." Military predictions about what a US war with China might look like often argue that American forces would likely not enjoy the same freedom to conduct air operations that the US had in its wars in the Middle East, potentially making assets like the A-10 less valuable in a possible future fight. Read the original article on Business Insider WASHINGTON The U.S. Army is shaking up its approach to a long-range electronic warfare, signals intelligence and cyber system, after considering how fights across many different environments may play out. The Terrestrial Layer System-Echelons Above Brigade, or TLS-EAB, is envisioned for use by larger Army formations including divisions and corps with thousands upon thousands of troops and extensive firepower. The system is considered a key part of the services deep-sensing playbook, or the ability to identify, monitor, target and strike opponents from farther distances and with greater precision. Mark Kitz, the leader of the Program Executive Office for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors, or PEO IEW&S, said the Army is evolving our acquisition approach, specifically for flexibility. Targets and topography in the Indo-Pacific, where the U.S. could come to blows with China, and Europe, where it could clash with Russia, are radically different, for example. I dont think were going to get to production with an EAB capability, Kitz said during the virtual C4ISRNET Conference on April 26. I think were going to build tailored solutions to the combatant commands were going to operate in, and iterate that over and over and over again, so that we build, sort of, a specific solution for the different type of contested and congested environments well see. The TLS-EAB might not be well-suited for the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles in the Indo-Pacific, Kitz said. In Europe, where far less island-hopping is required, the heavy-duty trucks might be the best option. Testing of electronic warfare package for Armys AMPV expected in 2024 INDOPACOM looks very different than Africa, looks very different than anywhere, he said. We cant just cookie cutter a solution thats going to marginally work in that combatant command. Defense officials consider China and Russia to be serious national security threats. Both have invested in military science and technology, and are thought capable of hampering or withstanding U.S. military communications, targeting and attacks. Story continues The Army in August inked separate deals with Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics Mission Systems for TLS-EAB concepts and demonstrations. The first phase was valued at $15 million over 11 months. Lockheed and General Dynamics are among the top five largest defense contractors in the world when ranked by revenue, according to Defense News analysis. Kitz said much opportunity exists for both industry and government partnership as TLS-EAB is roughed out and realized. Were keeping an open mind, he said, and trying to come up with the right acquisition approach that gets the right capability for our commanders in each of those combatant commands. Climate activists attacked a famous Degas sculpture in a Washington museum Thursday, smearing its Plexiglas enclosure with paint. The French artist's wax sculpture of 'La petite danseuse de quatorze ans' was attacked with stripes of red and black paint, the National Gallery of Art reported. The incident was one of the first of its kind in North America. The gallery said in a statement to AFP that the work "of inestimable value" was removed from the exhibition halls to assess possible damage. "We categorically denounce this physical attack on one of our works of art," the gallery said, adding that the FBI was taking part in the investigation. Activists said the assault is about global warming. "We need our leaders to take serious action to tell the truth about what is happening to the climate," says an activist in her 50s sitting at the foot of the small statue, her hands covered in the red paint used on the glass and the base of the work of Edgar Degas, in a video published by The Washington Post. "Today, through nonviolent rebellion, we temporarily defiled a work of art to evoke the very real children whose suffering is certain if deadly fossil fuel companies continue to mine coal, oil and gas from the soil", the group which claimed the action, which called itself Declare Emergency, wrote on Instagram. It urged President Joe Biden to declare a state of climate emergency. The group is unknown to the general public. It said one of its activists was detained but released by the authorities shortly afterward. In the fall of 2022, mainly in Europe, environmental activists stepped up actions targeting works of art to seek more public awareness about global warming. For example, they glued their hands to a painting by Goya in Madrid, threw tomato soup on Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" in London and smeared mashed potatoes on a masterpiece by Claude Monet in Potsdam, near Berlin. ube/mdl/dw Russian military vehicles on April 28 at a rehearsal of the Victory Day military parade in Moscow. Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Russia's ground forces are bigger than they were when they invaded Ukraine, a top US general said. Despite massive losses, Russia is well equipped with airpower and ships, he said. "Much of the Russian military has not been affected negatively by this conflict," the general said. A top US general has issued a warning that despite significant losses in Ukraine, Russia's ground forces are bigger than they were at the start of the 2022 invasion, a sobering assessment of the country's military capabilities. "The Russian ground force has been degenerated somewhat by this conflict, although it is bigger today than it was at the beginning of the conflict," Gen. Christopher Cavoli, the commander of US European Command, told the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday. "The air force has lost very little. They've lost 80 planes they have another 1,000 fighters and fighter-bombers. The Navy has lost one ship," he added. Earlier in the hearing, Cavoli said: "Much of the Russian military has not been affected negatively by this conflict." He added that its undersea forces were increasingly emboldened in the Atlantic. Russia has also continued to combine this military power with cyberattacks and manipulation of the global energy supply, Cavoli said. Estimates in a US military-intelligence leak earlier this month indicated that more than twice as many Russians had been killed in the conflict as Ukrainians up to 43,000, compared with up to 17,500. The date of that assessment is unclear, and Insider is unable to confirm the accuracy of the numbers, which are lower than previous assessments by the Center for Strategic and International Studies and UK military intelligence. A February assessment by the International Institute for Strategic Studies said Russia had lost about 40% of its prewar stock of battle tanks, while a report in The Economist suggested that its demand for tanks was outstripping its ability to replenish them by a factor of 10. Story continues Cavoli also told US lawmakers that "staying the course" in terms of support for Ukraine was "very important," adding that the US had delivered enough weapons for an anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive to be carried out. In December, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu signaled that he wanted to grow the Russian armed forces to 1.5 million personnel in 2023, including 695,000 contract soldiers, the Russian news outlet RBC reported. Since the start of this year, the Kremlin has moved to make conscription less easy to avoid, with many Russians awaiting an expected second mobilization. Read the original article on Business Insider A US-South Korean agreement on strengthening deterrence against Pyongyang will discourage Seoul from seeking nuclear weapons, but also highlights the near absence of viable ways to remove the threat of North Korea's arsenal. For years, the United States and the international community have unsuccessfully pushed for North Korea to give up its weapons, which pose a long-running danger that has encouraged many in the South to believe Seoul needs its own nuclear arms. Seeking to head off such a move, Washington agreed on Wednesday to deeper cooperation with Seoul on nuclear issues and the regular deployment of strategic assets to South Korea. President Yoon Suk Yeol, on a state visit to the United States, in turn reaffirmed his country's commitment to non-proliferation. As a result of the joint agreement, "South Korea is going to be more involved in conversations about the nuclear part of deterrence, not just conventional deterrence," said Naoko Aoki, associate political scientist at the RAND Corporation. This is "a reflection of the increased concerns and tensions resulting from North Korea's nuclear and missile development," Aoki said, noting that "the geopolitical environment and North Korea's ongoing military modernization plan, among other issues, make it unlikely that North Korea will come to the negotiating table soon." North Korea has defied years of punishing sanctions to continue work on its banned nuclear and missiles programs, and has shown no signs that it is willing to consider giving up weapons it views as insurance against regime change. Pyongyang conducted a record-breaking string of sanctions-defying launches this year, including test-firing the country's first solid-fuel ballistic missile -- a key technical breakthrough for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's military. - 'Run out of nuclear goodies' - Surveys show that a majority of South Koreans believe the country should develop its own nuclear weapons -- an option Yoon had previously hinted Seoul could pursue. Story continues The new agreement "is first and foremost about assuring South Korea and proving to Seoul that the US nuclear umbrella is credible," said Kelsey Hartigan, deputy director of the Project on Nuclear Issues at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, referring to the US commitment to defend its conventionally armed ally. "The prospects for a breakthrough on denuclearization have always been slim," she said. "The question is not whether North Korea is going to give up its nuclear weapons, it's whether South Korea is going to develop its own in response." The United States' long-held goal has been the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, and that is unlikely to change. "I don't see the United States formally walking away from its broader policy position on denuclearization anytime soon," Hartigan said. Frank Aum, senior expert on Northeast Asia at the US Institute of Peace, warned of a possible North Korean response to the new agreement. "If we're showing power right now, then it's very likely that North Korea's going to come back and respond with its own demonstration of power. It could be a satellite launch or a seventh nuclear test," Aum said. "Then South Korea will want to respond again to show that it's responding and at some point we're going to run out of nuclear goodies to give to South Korea." wd/caw The US government will impose sanctions on officials from Russias Federal Security Service commonly known as the FSB and Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Intelligence Organisation as part of the Biden administrations effort to crack down on unlawful detentions of US nationals by both countries, senior White House officials said on Thursday. These actors in Russia and Iran have tried to use Americans for political leverage or to seek concessions from the United States. These actions threaten the stability and integrity of the international political system also threaten the safety of US Nationals and other persons abroad, said a senior official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity. The official said both agencies are responsible for or complicit in, directly or indirectly engaged in or responsible for ordering, controlling or otherwise directing the wrongful detention of US national abroad, and with respect to the FSB, which is the successor agency to the Soviet-era KGB, noted that Russias state-controlled media has repeatedly acknowledged that agencys role in the arrest and wrongful detention of Americans. Today's sanctions are one of a series of efforts some public like this some private to secure the release of US Nationals wrongfully held overseas to promote accountability for the culprits. And by doing so, to prevent and deter the next set of cases from arising in the first place. We as an administration, as a White House, as a State Department, as a government, remain committed to reuniting Americans held hostage are wrongfully detained with their families, the official said. A second official pointed out that the new sanctions are the first set to be imposed under authority granted to the executive branch under Executive Order 14078, which President Joe Biden signed in July 2022. That order, which was issued in the wake of Russias wrongful detention of WNBA star Brittney Griner, provided expanded tools to deter and disrupt hostage taking and wrongful detentions, including the ability to issue sanctions. Story continues Today, we are using this authority ... to promote accountability for those responsible for wrongfully detaining US nationals abroad. Our action is a warning those around the world who would wrongfully detain US nationals of the potential consequences of their actions, they said. Quoting Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the official said the US would continue our relentless efforts to secure the lease of US nationals who are held hostage or wrongfully detained and reunite them with their loved ones. Today's actions are one tool in that cause, and we will continue to use all authorities at our disposal to bring US nationals home, they added. The new sanctions come just weeks after Russian authorities arrested Wall Street Journal Evan Gershkovich, a veteran reporter in the newspapers Moscow bureau, on espionage charges. Russia also continues to detain Paul Whelan, a former US Marine who was arrested and accused of spying in December 2018, and declined US efforts to release him as part of a prisoner swap when Ms Griner was released earlier this year. Both Mr Whelan and Mr Gershkovich have been classified as wrongly detained by the US State Department. Asked whether the sanctions on FSB officials would hamper efforts to secure the release of Mr Whelan and Mr Gershkovich, a senior administration official said sanctions have their role as part of comprehensive toolboxes to deal with hard challenges, and stressed that some of the individuals covered in todays announcement are already subject to US sanctions under other authorities. We think ... in the Human Rights context and the corruption context, in the contributing to war and instability context, that sanctions are a piece of holding accountable bad actors for their role in perpetrating appalling activity in the world. To have one's assets frozen, to be essentially denied the ability to move such assets through global financial system or at least the key parts of it that enforce sanctions like this that is a real detriment to actors in the world and we think it's important to issue sanctions like this, they said, adding later that the administration does not believe ongoing efforts to resolve the cases of Mr Whelan or Mr Gershkovich will be impacted. We think it is important to show that there is accountability ... in addition to resolving particular individual cases as best we can as fast as we can, we are also showing that one cannot engage in this sort of awful behaviour of using human beings as as pawns, as bargaining chips, without paying consequences, they said. The bad actors in question here have demonstrated they need some consequences. The official added that there would be more sets of similar sanctions unveiled in the coming weeks and months. By Katharine Jackson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Thursday fell short of the votes needed to enshrine equal rights for women in the Constitution, a century after a guarantee of gender equality was proposed in Congress. With a 51-47 vote in favor, Senate Democrats and supporters were nine votes shy of the 60 needed for a resolution to clear the 100-member chamber's filibuster hurdle. The resolution would have removed a 1982 deadline for state ratification that prevented the Equal Rights Amendment from going into effect. Three states -- Nevada, Illinois and Virginia -- approved it after 1982. Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said the ERA was more important since the Supreme Court last year overturned the national right to abortion. "To the horror of hundreds of millions of American people, women in America have far fewer rights today than they did even a year ago," Schumer said prior to Thursday's vote. Groups opposed to abortion have argued the ERA could provide an avenue to making abortion a constitutional right, and the amendment's failure is likely to increase attention on women's rights in the 2024 White House campaign. Passage of Thursday's resolution would have required the support of nine Republicans in the Senate, where Democrats hold a narrow 51-49 majority. Only two Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, joined Democrats in voting for the measure. The ERA was proposed in 1923 but did not pass Congress until 1972. Under U.S. law, amendments to the Constitution must be ratified by three-fourths, or 38 of the 50, state legislatures and do not require presidential approval. A U.S. District Court ruled in 2021 that ratifications after the deadline "came too late to count." And a federal appeals court in February rejected calls from Illinois and Nevada for the ERA to be adopted. The Trump administration argued that ERA ratification needed to start over. The Biden administration has not formally changed that position but voiced support for the resolution on Thursday. Story continues "It is long past time to definitively enshrine the principle of gender equality in the Constitution," the White House said. Proponents of the amendment say it would ensure women get equal pay and secure their rights in legal matters, while opponents argue it could subject women to a military draft if it were reinstated. (Reporting by Katharine Jackson; Editing by Scott Malone, Jonathan Oatis and Cynthia Osterman) South Korea's Yoon Suk Yeol is only the second leader to travel to the U.S. for a state visit during the Biden administration. AP Photo/Evan Vucci The United States and South Korea have unveiled an agreement under which leaders in Seoul will be handed an enhanced role in planning any nuclear response to a strike in the region by North Korea. Announced at a state visit to Washington by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on April 26, 2023, the so-called Washington Declaration will see U.S. deployments of strategic assets around the Korean Peninsula, including an upcoming visit by a nuclear submarine. The last time the U.S. had nuclear weapons in South Korea was 1991 The Conversation asked Sung-Yoon Lee, an expert on U.S.-Korean relations at Tufts University, to explain what the decision to revamp nuclear relations means and why it has come now. What is in the Washington Declaration? Well, theres strong language. Whereas the U.S. has repeatedly reaffirmed its commitment in the past to the defense of South Korea, the wording in the Washington Declaration is more robust. It builds on the language contained in the joint statement released during Bidens visit to Seoul soon after Yoon assumed office in May 2022. On that occasion, the U.S. pledged its extended deterrence commitment to the (Republic of Korea) using the full range of U.S. defense capabilities, including nuclear, conventional and missile defense capabilities. This time, lest there be doubt, that affirmation is made in the strongest words possible. But what does that mean in real terms? First, the U.S. commits to make every effort to consult with the (Republic of Korea) on any possible nuclear weapons employment on the Korean Peninsula. More substantively, the two sides commit to engage in deeper, cooperative decision-making on nuclear deterrence, including through enhanced dialogue and information sharing regarding growing nuclear threats to South Korea. It will come as a welcome development to decision-makers in South Korea, although it raises questions about just how much intel on North Koreas threat and capabilities the U.S. and Japan, with its advanced signal intelligence systems did not share with previous administrations in Seoul. Story continues Second, the two allies will establish a new nuclear consultative group to strengthen extended deterrence, discuss nuclear and strategic planning and manage the growing threat posed by Pyongyang. This means Seoul now will have a seat at the table when it comes to planning any nuclear response strategy and in readying its conventional support to U.S. nuclear operations in a contingency. In sum, Seoul will now have a much greater say in intel-sharing and planning for a joint long-term nuclear strategy, with a focus on its own role in any future flare-up in the Korean Peninsula. It is a big step forward. Why are the US and South Korea announcing this now? The international security environment has drastically changed over the past year, necessitating credible countermeasures from the two allies, in cooperation with Japan. North Korea has fired well over 100 missiles since January 2022. Meanwhile, Russias invasion of Ukraine and its many alleged war crimes have only pulled China and North Korea closer into its sphere. And China has gone beyond its usual wolf-warrior diplomacy rhetoric by conducting threatening military drills around Taiwan last August and, again, this April. The Washington Declaration comes on the 70th anniversary of the alliance between Washington and Seoul. The timing serves as an opportunity to reflect on and reassess the relationship. But, no doubt, the main drivers in this strongly worded reaffirmation of the alliance are the recent actions taken by the governments in Pyongyang, Moscow and Beijing. How has South Koreas position on nuclear options evolved? The Korean Peninsula has been through two periods of actual denuclearization since the 1953 armistice that ended combat during the Korean War. The first was in the 1970s when the U.S., catching wind of South Koreas secret nuclear weapons program, threatened to withdraw all U.S. troops from the South unless Seoul completely dismantled the program. And, so, the government abandoned its nuclear ambitions. The second came in 1991 when the U.S. and South Korea perhaps anticipating the coming collapse of the Soviet empire and a severely debilitated North Korea agreed to withdraw all U.S. tactical nuclear weapons from the South, even as the North was working on its own nuclear program while vigorously talking denuclearization. But in recent years, public opinion in South Korea has strongly shifted toward self-nuclearization rather than rely on the U.S. stockpile off South Koreas shores. North Koreas relentless pursuit of more powerful nuclear and missile capabilities, starting with the resumption of ballistic missiles tests in May 2019 after an 18-month lull, has stiffened views in the South. President Yoon himself floated the idea of self-nuclearization earlier this year. But the Washington Declaration appears to have tempered down such sentiment. In it, Yoon reaffirmed the (Republic of Koreas) longstanding commitment to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which would prevent the country from building up its own nuclear weapons stockpile. How will the declaration affect regional tensions? A staple of North Korean propaganda is that its arms program is a response to U.S. hostile policy which Pyongyang defines as anything from Washington raising concerns about its egregious human rights record to the stationing of U.S. troops in South Korea and joint U.S.-South Korea military drills. North Korea has launched more than 100 missiles since the beginning of 2022. Jung Yeon-je/AFP via Getty Images As such, it is reasonable to assume that Pyongyang will respond with a threatening act or two in the coming days. Using the Washington Declaration as cover, expect North Korea to embark on another brazen act of defiance. Last December, Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leaders sister and deputy, threatened an intercontinental ballistic missile test on a normal trajectory, rather than the steep angle launches that avoid threatening nearby countries. And in 2017, North Koreas former foreign minister Ri Yong Ho suggested that Kim Jong Un was considering testing a hydrogen bomb test over the Pacific. Either would represent a ratcheting up of North Koreas provocations. China, meanwhile, is likely to fall back on its decades-old mantra that issues on the Korean Peninsula need to be resolved through dialogue a position that not only fails to penalize Pyongyang but indirectly empowers the isolationist state. This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. If you found it interesting, you could subscribe to our weekly newsletter. It was written by: Sung-Yoon Lee, Tufts University. Read more: Sung-Yoon Lee does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. A US Army Special Operations MH-47G Block II Chinook. Boeing The Chinook has been the US Army's workhorse transport helicopter for decades. US special operators rely on their variant, the MH-47, for missions at night and behind enemy lines. The Pentagon recently awarded a contract to replace aging parts on the newest version, the MH-47G. The Chinook has been the US Army's workhorse transport helicopter for decades, and US special operators have long relied on their variant, the MH-47, for nighttime raids and missions far behind enemy lines. The Chinook was a mainstay of the counterterrorism and counterinsurgency campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past two decades. The MH-47G, the latest version, could also be valuable in a conventional conflict with near-peer adversaries, like China and Russia. As such, the US special-operations community's workhorse helicopter is getting upgrades to replace parts that are nearly 50 years old. Modernization A US Army CH-47 carries a fighter plane over Vietnam in 1965. PhotoQuest/Getty Images The Chinook isn't a young helicopter. Designed and built by Boeing, it entered service in the 1960s, and its first variants saw action in the Vietnam War. By the mid-1990s, the Army's CH-47A, B, and C models had been upgraded to the CH-47D version. US Army Special Operations Command has used Chinooks for several decades. Early versions had modifications for special operations. In 2020, Brig. Gen. Phil Ryan, commander of US Army Special Operations Aviation Command, said the unit's oldest Chinook arrived in 1966 and was still in the air with 11,000 flight hours. The MH-47 variant has been used by the Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment since at least the 1980s, when the MH-47D was delivered. It was followed by the MH-47E, the first prototype of which was built in 1991. Although the fleet has been modernized, the components of several aircraft are aging, including on the newer MH-47Gs, which have been delivered over the past several years. The MH-47Gs have upgrades that include digital avionics, allowing for better communications and navigation, including during low-level nighttime flying. Story continues A 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment MH-47 at Fort Campbell in Kentucky in September 2016. US Army/Staff Sgt. Reed Knutson Two decades of combat in the Middle East have added to the natural wear and tear on the Chinooks. To address this issue, the Pentagon in March awarded Boeing a contract worth nearly $18.75 million to replace aging parts on the MH-47G. According to the Department of Defense, the contract is for procurement of "the long lead components and parts" for MH-47Gs and "supports a requirement for replacement of the aging fleet of remanufactured MH-47G aircraft that has airframe components dating back more than 45 years." The upgrades are also intended to "maximize commonality" with the CH-47F Block II, the newest version of the conventional Chinook, which will make maintenance easier for the Army. The Army also recently introduced the Block II upgrade package for the MH-47G. The package includes a lighter but more rigid airframe and improved rotor blades that can produce more lift. The MH-47G Chinook US Air Force pararescuemen conduct fast-rope insertion/extraction training with an MH-47 in Poland in September 2010. US Army/Sgt. Eric Glassey The MH-47G Chinook was widely used in both Iraq and Afghanistan, though it was in the latter conflict that the heavy-lift helicopter really shone. Most of the combat in Iraq took place in urban centers, requiring small and agile helicopters, such as the MH-6 Little Bird and MH-60 Blackhawk. But Afghanistan's vast expanses and mountainous terrain were ideal for the MH-47. Indeed, the special-operations helicopter is one of the few that was able to fly effectively at the high altitudes found in much of Afghanistan. The MH-47 Chinook's main role is to stealthily insert and exfiltrate special operators over long ranges. It can carry over 40 commandos and their gear to the target, making it an essential platform for large-scale operations. Powered by two powerful Honeywell T-55-GA-714A engines that can crank up more than 9,300 horsepower or about 62 times the horsepower of an average car the MH-47G can reach speeds of just under 200 mph. It has a maximum operational range of about 390 miles. A 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) soldier exits an MH-47G Chinook during fast-rope insertion training in September 2010. US Army/Sgt. 1st Class Jason Cauley As a helicopter designed for assault missions, or to put special operators as close to the target as possible, the MH-47G Chinook packs quite a punch, including M240 machine guns and M-134 mini-guns that can fire thousands of rounds in less than a minute. The MH-47G also carries the potent AN/AAQ-24 LAIRCM countermeasures system to defend against heat-seeking missiles. The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, nicknamed "the Night Stalkers," is the cream of the crop when it comes to US military aviation. The unit was created after the failed attempt to rescue American diplomats held hostage in Tehran in 1980. Since then, Night Stalkers have distinguished themselves in every US military campaign they've fought in, including operations in Panama, Iraq, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Syria. Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate. He is working toward a master's degree in strategy and cybersecurity at Johns Hopkins' School of Advanced International Studies. Read the original article on Business Insider South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol sings Don McLeans American Pie to the delight of US President Joe Biden - Susan Walsh/AP The United States has pledged to share with South Korea more details about its nuclear planning as the two countries signed a landmark pact amid anxiety over North Korea's growing arsenal of missiles and bombs. The "Washington Declaration" would also see American ballistic-armed submarines periodically dock in South Korea in a show of support in the face of Pyongyang's threats. US President Joe Biden stressed that US nuclear weapons would not be stationed on South Korean territory. "I have absolute authority as commander in chief and the sole authority to use a nuclear weapon, but what the declaration means is that we're going to make every effort to consult with our allies when it's appropriate, if any action is so called for," Mr Biden said. He added: "A nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its allies and partners is unacceptable, and will result in the end of whatever regime were to take such an action." Following talks at the White House, Mr Biden and South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol celebrated their agreements at a glittering dinner attended by Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie. Actress Angelina Jolie and her son Maddox attended the black-tie dinner at the White House - Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images In a surprise performance that was met with cheers and applause from the dining room full of high-profile guests, Mr Yoon sang American Pie. He was gifted a guitar signed by Don McLean, the song's original artist. Biden and Yoon - Reuters "Our two countries have agreed to immediate bilateral presidential consultations in the event of North Korea's nuclear attack and promised to respond swiftly, overwhelmingly and decisively using the full force of the alliance, including the United States' nuclear weapons," Mr Yoon said at a press conference prior to the dinner. Olympic snowboard champion Chloe Kim wears a flowing grey dress to the state dinner - Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images The US will in future give Seoul more detailed insights into, and a voice in, US contingency planning to deter and respond to any nuclear threat in the region through a newly formed Nuclear Consultative Group, Washington officials said. Story continues Fixer Upper stars Joanna and Chip Gaines at the White House state dinner. Joanna Gaines' mother is Korean. - Sarah Silbiger/Bloomberg North Korea's rapidly advancing weapons programs have raised questions about whether the US would really use its nuclear weapons to defend South Korea under what it calls "extended deterrence". Kim Jong-uns regime has in the past year tested an unprecedented volley of missiles including weapons which have enough range to impact US cities. Opinion polls in South Korea show a majority of citizens want their government to acquire its own nuclear bombs, a step Washington opposes. The Chicago Council on Global Affairs last year found 71 percent of survey participants were in favour of South Korea developing its own arsenal, reflecting similar polling by local newspapers. Mr Yoon this week vowed Seoul would not build nuclear weapons. The white woman who accused Emmett Till of flirting with her in 1955, leading to the shocking lynching of the Black teenager that helped inspire the sweeping US civil rights movement, has died, officials said Thursday. Carolyn Bryant Donham died Tuesday at her home in Louisiana, a letter from the local coroner's office sent to AFP said. It did not give a reason for the 88-year-old's death. Till, 14, was visiting relatives in rural Mississippi in the summer of 1955 when he was kidnapped, beaten and shot dead by racist vigilantes after being accused of chatting up Donham at a grocery store. He and some other local children had visited the store where Donham, then 21, was working alone. She said at the time he had propositioned her and touched her on the arm, hand and waist. His disfigured body was found a few days later in a river. The decision by his mother Mamie to have the body displayed at the funeral in an open casket brought home the horrors of lynchings and discrimination in the South. Minister and activist Jesse Jackson would later call Till's killing the "big bang" of the civil rights movement. An exhibit dedicated to Till at the Smithsonian's popular National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington is often marked by long queues of visitors. Donham's husband Roy Bryant, whose family owned the grocery store, and his half-brother J.W. Milam were arrested and acquitted on murder charges by an all-white jury Donham was never taken into custody. The men later admitted in a magazine interview that they had killed the boy. Last year, US media reported that an unpublished memoir written by Donham claimed she was unaware that Till would be tortured and murdered. In her account, she said the men brought the boy to her in the middle of the night and she denied it was him, but that he himself admitted it. In 2004, the Justice Department had reopened the investigation, but was unable to press any charges due to the statute of limitations. Story continues In 2017, the author of a book on the case said Donham confessed that Till had never made any advances. The Justice Department reopened the file again, but investigators failed to determine whether she had invented the incident or not, and the investigation was closed again in December 2021. A grand jury in Mississippi declined to indict Donham last year. After decades of activism on the subject, a new law named after Till came into effect in 2022 making racist lynchings a federal crime with a punishment of up to 30 years in prison. Twitter lit up with comments on the death of Bonham, with many people expressing outrage that while Till was brutally lynched as a boy, she lived into old age. "She got to live a long life. #EmmettTill did not -- because of her lies," said a post from a US actress and comedian Yvette Nicole Brown. "May her soul eternally reside in the place her duplicity and hatred earned for her," this post added. bur-seb-st/dw/caw Utah Transit Authority Executive Director Jay Fox, second from left, and other UTA and UDOT officials with two parked FrontRunner trains at Salt Lake Central Station on Wednesday. UTA celebrated FrontRunners 15th anniversary. | Carter Williams, KSL.com Jay Fox stood close to a FrontRunner platform as a pair of commuter trains locked in place behind him, replicating a modern form of the famous "Wedding of the Rails" photo at Promontory Summit taken nearly 154 years ago. While FrontRunner service came about 139 years after the completion of the transcontinental railroad, its origin is connected to the famous moment in U.S. history through the lines these two trains are on. The line dates back to Brigham Young, who approved a railroad line from Salt Lake City to Ogden in 1870 so that the newly-formed Utah Central Railroad could link up to the much larger transcontinental service. "That's this railroad," says Fox, executive director of the Utah Transit Authority, looking back at the parked trains. The line ended up in Union Pacific's hands in 1878 and remained a piece of its freight corridor for over a century before the company sold the right-of-way to UTA, which became a pivotal moment that paved the way for FrontRunner to begin. The commuter rail service officially turned 15 Wednesday, prompting Fox and UTA employees to celebrate the start of a system that continues to grow in popularity along the Wasatch Front. The agency also outlined its future plans for the system, which include service frequency increases, Sunday service and expansion to more cities in the not-so-distant future. "We are FrontRunner, tied through history to a railroad envisioned by Brigham Young, built by Utahns of the past, connecting us to today, and creating a dynamic and exciting tomorrow for our region and our state," Fox said. How FrontRunner came to be FrontRunner's story began well before UTA ran its first commuter train. UTA first tested a locomotive on the rails in 1998, as the agency began to outline a 30-year long-range transportation plan that included commuter rail service, said Carlton Christensen, the chairman of the UTA board of trustees. Salt Lake, Davis and Weber counties all passed a sales tax measure to help finance transit projects two years later. Story continues "This was a wise move and an extraordinary community investment," he recalls. Two years after that, UTA acquired about 175 miles of railroad right of way from Union Pacific for $185 million, the line originally created by the Utah Central Railroad. The purchase allowed for a future commuter rail, light-rail expansion and a trail system between Payson and Brigham City, the Deseret News reported at the time. FrontRunner began collecting riders six years later, using a portion of the possible route. The first trains ran from Salt Lake City to Ogden, with five additional stops along the route. Service from Salt Lake City to Provo began a little more than four years later, helping expand the current route to 83 miles. Its popularity continues to rise as Utah grows. On average, more than 12,000 people rode the train every weekday last year, and the total FrontRunner ridership since 2008 is expected to surpass 50 million this year, according to UTA. "It's become a really critical part of our transportation system," said Teri Newell, deputy director of planning and investment for the Utah Department of Transportation. This is just "FrontRunner 1.0," though, Christensen says. The wheels are in motion to make major improvements in the future, which will ultimately create what he calls "FrontRunner 2.0." Looking at 'FrontRunner 2.0' Double-tracking is the next step in FrontRunner's future. The Utah Legislature approved $300 million toward laying down tracks next to the existing line, while another $316 million for double-tracking is included in President Joe Biden's proposed 2023 budget. UTA officials say they are currently working with UDOT to analyze the "potential locations of these double track segments" throughout the system, doubling the amount of double-tracking that currently exists. It may sound small but they say it has the ability to unlock 15-minute service, faster commute times and allow UTA to run FrontRunner on Sundays on a regular basis. The agency is currently unable to run trains faster or have frequencies less than 30-minute service because 75% of the service line is single-tracked, meaning trains are sharing the same line in both directions. This is also why trains don't run on Sundays, aside from special occasions. Fox explains that there isn't enough space for trains to get past maintenance workers at the moment, so the agency holds off all its maintenance to be conducted on Sundays. "So when we get to 50% double-tracked, it means that we're going to be able to maintain (rails) during the week, which means that we'll be able to do service on Sunday," he said. "Sort of the untold story of the effort to double-track is the fact that we will be able to do Sunday service, which is really exciting for us." But don't expect those changes overnight. He told KSL.com that if all goes as planned, the massive $966 million double-tracking project may be completed as early as 2028 or 2029. Part of the project also involves purchasing more locomotives and cars for expanded service. Meanwhile, UTA is also looking into extending FrontRunner farther south and farther north than its current route, utilizing more of the right of way that it acquired in 2002. Future plans call for service to Payson and Brigham City by 2040, though the timeline is less clear for either expansion. Fox said the agency is still working with Union Pacific to clear up the final hurdles before FrontRunner can reach Utah County communities south of Provo. The agency is also acquiring property north of Ogden so it can eventually reach Brigham City without any constraints. At the same time, UTA is also looking at alternative fuels to power future FrontRunner trains, including electric or hydrogen engines. "It'll all be (figured out) in the next couple years," Fox said, "as we dig in with UDOT and decide with what's best for us ... in the future." A national animal rights organization said Wednesday that the University of Washington admitted to making mistakes while testing animals in a primate lab, causing brain damage to a monkey. Its not the first time the UW primate lab has come under scrutiny. Last year, courts ruled that the UW had to pay animal rights group PETA $540,000 after the school was found to have destroyed public records while under federal investigation. On Wednesday, animal rights organization Stop Animal Exploitation NOW (SAEN) accused the UW of damaging a monkeys brain during an experiment. SAEN says the university admitted in its own report that one nonhuman primate sustained an injury to the cerebral tissue during placement of a recording device In this incident, the guide cannula was extended too far and caused trauma to the underlying tissue as the device was placed. According to SAEN, the school has been brutally abusing primates for years. The organization has filed a federal complaint against the UW and is calling for a fine of $12,272 for each violation. KIRO 7 reached out to the UW for a statement, which reads: The University of Washington takes the welfare of animals in our care very seriously. The UW reports any such incidents itself to the appropriate agencies, and this unfortunate incident was reported publicly at the March 16 meeting of the UWs Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). A full review of the incident has taken place and changes to training protocols have already been put in place to avoid such an accident occurring in the future. The animal is doing well and is back in social housing. An old gas station across from Olympias San Francisco Street Bakery thats been vacant for decades and collecting layers of graffiti has finally been razed. The Olympia Northeast Neighborhood Alliance (ONNA) says its been a long time coming. The dilapidated structure at the corner of Bethel and San Francisco streets was torn down Wednesday to make way for the communitys future, ONNA announced earlier this week. The ONNA is comprised of the East Bay Drive, Northeast, Bigelow Highlands, Bigelow and former Upper Eastside neighborhood associations. The neighborhood association plans to use the lot as a space for community gatherings. This is the first step toward transforming this public safety hazard, graffiti magnet, and hideous eyesore into a vital and vibrant space for neighbors to gather and get connected, the ONNA stated on its Facebook page. What do the ONNA and other neighborhood leaders have in store for this newly available lot? Heres what we know. Demolishing the vacant shop The city of Olympia has long wanted to transform the vacant shack at 1400 Bethel Street NE, at one point a business known as Jacks Auto Repair, into a hub for community gatherings and small businesses. But its taken years for the city to integrate its ideas into action. In 2016, the ONNA completed a sub-area plan aimed at converting the tattered gas station into something more, according to Olympias Planning and Development Department. After years of meetings and forming a collective vision of the space, the city of Olympia issued a demolition permit on April 12, which was carried out Wednesday, finally toppling the eyesore of Olympia. Olympia is now designating the space as a neighborhood center under its Comprehensive Plan and City zoning. A private party currently owns the space. Future of the Bethel Street space ONNA wants to nurture a strong community presence where the graffiti gas station once stood. To do that, the organization is looking for funding. Story continues The organization has applied for a $8,000 Neighborhood Matching Grant with the city of Olympia. The grant would allow the neighborhood association to purchase seating and fencing and hire landscapers to maintain the new community hub. The organization also wants to welcome pop-up food trucks to set up business at its property, the organization stated Wednesday. The five surrounding neighborhood associations have been working together to see something positive here for over 10 years, stated Mike Dexel, ONNA chairperson, in the citys news release. Im eager to see the site become a neighborhood asset where the community can relax and gather. The site is awaiting cleanup from the Washington Department of Ecology. The department has confirmed several toxic chemicals in the locations soil and groundwater. The neighborhood alliance plans to release more information about the spaces development in the coming weeks. Correction: The original version of this story stated that ONNA owned the lot. A private party owns it. The story has also been updated to clarify that site is awaiting cleanup. An empty alfalfa field in west Turlock soon will be transformed into a high-tech facility that turns food waste into renewable fuel. State and local dignitaries gathered on West Main Street for the groundbreaking of the newest Divert food waste recovery plant. The company turns unsold food from supermarkets, retailers, restaurants and manufacturers into natural gas that can be used to power homes and businesses. Facility construction is set to begin on an 18-acre parcel of land just south of the Valley Milk plant near the intersection of Main and Washington Road. Work to finish the 65,000-square-foot plant is expected to take about a year, with plans for a summer 2024 opening. Future site of the Divert energy facility on West Main Street in Turlock, Calif., Wednesday, April 26, 2023. Valley Milk is on the right. Divert CEO and co-founder Ryan Begin spoke to a small crowd of city municipal and business leaders and said the company is working to tackle the 30% to 40% of food produced nationally that winds up in landfills. Once fully operational, the Turlock plant should process some 100,000 tons of wasted food each year. Its not just taking wasted food and getting it out of the landfill. Its what do you do with that food? We have to do something more intelligent, something better, Begin said. Thats really the approach weve taken here as a facility. Thats the approach we take with our customers. Turlocks will be the largest plant to date built by Divert, a Massachusetts-based company founded in 2007 that currently has 10 processing sites across the country. The new plant will replace Turlocks existing Divert operation, a smaller food analytics and packaging removal facility on Soderquist Road that opened in 2020. Divert Facility The new plant will incorporate the companys food analytics, waste processing and energy conversion divisions. Divert processes and analyzes organic food waste for companies and organizations, donates usable items and then liquefies the rest to be converted into renewable natural gas. The company has partnered with PG&E, and once up and running, the Turlock plant should make enough natural gas to fuel about 3,000 homes per year. It currently has contracts with several major grocery and retail chains including Safeway, Albertsons, CVS, Target, Midwest grocery giant Kroger and international supermarket supplier Ahold Delhaize. Story continues State Treasurer Fiona Ma attended the groundbreaking ceremony and emphasized how Divert fits into the states climate goals and new organic waste legislation like AB 1826 and SB 1383, which are meant to reduce greenhouse gas emission that contribute to climate change. Future site of the Divert energy facility on West Main Street in Turlock, Calif., Wednesday, April 26, 2023. Ma also said the opening of the Turlock plant could have a ripple affect across the Valley. Whenever any company, especially a tech innovative company (like Divert), comes to a city or a county, it really does change the community in terms of high-quality jobs, which then necessitates housing and better schools and stores and in this case better food access in the partnership with the food bank, Ma said. This is really a great partnership here in this community and I see big things happening. The Turlock facility will focus on handling contaminated food waste and packaging. The company also has partnered with the Second Harvest food bank in Manteca, which serves the Central Valley and is part of the larger Feeding America nonprofit. The groundbreaking ceremony included a donation of about 600 pounds of food, largely donated from Safeway and CVS, to Second Harvest. Boxes used by Divert in their food waste recovery operation. The company broke ground for a new facility on West Main Street and Washington Road in Turlock, Calif., Wednesday, April 26, 2023. Diverts Begin said the phenomenal relationship between the company and Turlock has helped make the decision to expand in the city an easy one. He said the new plants location nestled amid the regions powerhouse ag businesses like Blue Diamond, Foster Farms and Valley Milk also opens up opportunities for more partnerships with Valley producers and manufacturers. Turlock Mayor Amy Bublak also praised the potential synergies at work between Divert and Valley food producers. It is an honor as the city of Turlock to be at the forefront of what were doing here, Bublak said. We are part of a team here with Divert that is going to show the rest of the world how this is done. This is synergy. Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss' castmates begin to question just how close the two really are in the latest installment of Vanderpump Rules. Titled Beach, Dont Kill My Vibe, the 12th episode of Season 10 centers around the pair's budding friendship and highlights a rumor that spreads after a revelation Ally Lewber made in last weeks episode. Tom Sandoval / Raquel Leviss (Getty Images ) In case you missed it, Lewber (who is James Kennedy's girlfriend) spotted Sandoval and Leviss dancing at 1 a.m. while Sandovals girlfriend Ariana Madix was nowhere in sight. This week, Lewber tells Kennedy that Katie Maloney didn't seem phased when she heard that her friend's boyfriend was out with another woman. "She said something about them not having a lot of rules. Dont know what that means or what she was implying by that, she says. Kennedy thinks he knows what Maloney means. It sounds to me that Katie is saying that Tom and Ariana are in an open relationship, he suggests. Meanwhile, Maloney shares her thoughts in a confessional interview. I dont want to say that Sandoval would ever cheat on Ariana cause I would have to kill him, but what grabbed my attention the most was just that Tom and Raquel were alone. Ive been friends with Sandoval for years and Ive never gone out with him alone dancing at 1 a.m.," she says. Sandoval and Leviss have been embroiled in a scandal called "Scandoval" over the past months since Sandoval was accused of cheating on his girlfriend of nine years, Madix, with his co-star. Both Sandoval and Leviss have since apologized. During a recent episode of Watch What Happens Live, Sandoval's friend Tom Schwartz told Andy Cohen that he learned that Leviss and Sandoval had a one-night stand in August 2022, the same month that Shay got married in Mexico. Shays wedding occurred in Episode Nine of "Vanderpump Rules." Now, three episodes later, questions are raised about the nature of Sandoval and Leviss' friendship. Per Kennedy's suggestion, Lewber brings the issue up with Scheana Shay, who refutes the budding rumor that Madix and Sandoval are in an open relationship. Story continues "Theyre two of my best friends and this would be the first Im hearing of it, and I dont believe it whatsoever. The fact that Katie said that and she put that out there is disgusting, Shay says. She goes so far as to say she'd trust her husband, Brock Davies, in bed with Leviss and suggests that she's harmless. Everyone just wants to find something wrong with Raquel she says in a confessional. At a beach outing, Shay warns Sandoval about the rumors that are starting to spread, and he denies that anything inappropriate happened, explaining that he went out dancing with a group of people that simply included Leviss. "Its not a place where I would take a secret f------ rendezvous, he says. In a confessional, Sandoval says the suggestion that he's in an open relationship is the most f------ ridiculous f------ thing ever. After the beach, he confronts Maloney and says Madix isn't pleased that she would imply that. In a confessional, a producer asks Sandoval outright if anything physical has happened between him and Leviss, and he denies it. No. nothing has happened between Raquel and I, like nothing that wouldnt happen between, you know, like, me and Katie," he says. In her own confessional, Maloney says she was just trying to say that Sandoval and Madix are trusting of each other, not that they have an open relationship. If Tom and Ariana do have an open relationship, Ariana knows nothing about it, she says. At another point during the episode, Sandoval questions his relationship with Madix while talking to Schwartz and explaining that he's going to fertilize Madix's eggs in case they decide they want to have children one day. He says that talking to his girlfriend of nine years has been "frustrating" lately since she thinks he's "dumb or annoying." "It definitely pulls into question whether Ariana and I are right for each other, he says. This article was originally published on TODAY.com Noel Rodriguez-Alvarezs mother and stepfather planned their escape from the U.S. months before authorities even knew the 6-year-old boy was missing, police announced at a news conference Tuesday. As police in North Texas continue looking for evidence of Noels body, searching more than 500 acres, more details about the mother and stepfather have come to light, along with a more in-depth timeline of what happened surrounding the boys disappearance. Noels mother and stepfather, who police say fled the country three days before an Amber Alert was issued in March, are facing charges including endangerment or abandonment of a child, a second-degree felony. That flight out of the country was more than a month ago. Police and federal authorities are currently working to get the mother and stepfather extradited back to the U.S. to face those charges. Noel is presumed dead, according to police, but his remains have not been found and no one has been charged with causing his death. Everman police continue to search for the remains of 6-year-old Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez, who hasnt been seen since November and is presumed dead. Noels mother, Cindy Rodriguez-Singh, went with six of her children to apply for passports on Nov. 1, shortly after the birth of her twin daughters and after Noel was last seen. The stepfather, Arshdeep Singh, stole $10,000 in cash from his workplace to fund their trip and bought plane tickets to India via a connecting flight in Istanbul, Turkey, according to Everman police, who are leading the investigation. Singh used his credit card to purchase the plane tickets, according to police. According to public records, 37-year-old Rodriguez-Singh graduated high school in Fort Worth in 2003. There was no information immediately available on where she lived before that, but property records indicate she has lived in Tarrant County since her high school graduation. About 10 years ago, Rodriguez-Singh moved into the home of Charles Parson, an elderly man in Everman, according to Parson. He said she was sleeping in a car outside his house with her children and he invited them to use his two spare bedrooms. Its not clear whether Rodriguez-Singh was employed. Story continues Rodriguez-Singh had 10 children in total, and the oldest three live with her mother. Rodriguez-Singhs mother said last month that she wants her daughter to return to the U.S. and tell authorities where to find Noels body, adding that if shed known he was being mistreated or that his mother couldnt care for him, she would have taken him in. U.S. authorities are trying to extradite Arshdeep and Cindy Singh from India back to Texas on charges of abandoning and endangering Cindys 6-year-old son, Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez. Noel is presumed dead and investigators in Everman, Texas, are looking for his remains. In 2020, Rodriguez-Singh lost custody of at least some of her children and was put on probation after an incident in which she was drunk and driving a vehicle with her kids in the car, according to court records. Noel was sent to live with foster parent Patricia Parris, who described Noel as a caring, fun and lovable child. But based on interviews with witnesses, investigators said Rodriguez-Singh didnt see him that way. In 2021, Rodriguez-Singh was able to reacquire custody of all her children living with her. According to police, Noels mother told people she thought he was evil, demon possessed and jealous of her newborn twin daughters. She feared Noel, who was physically and developmentally disabled, would hurt the newborns, according to a search warrant affidavit. Relatives told investigators she abused the 6-year-old boy and would refuse to feed Noel or give him anything to drink because she didnt want to change his diapers. After she married Singh about two years ago, the family built a shed in Parsons back yard to expand living space. The shed, essentially one room with curtains to divide part of it, had electricity and air conditioning but no plumbing, so the family still used some rooms in Parsons house. Singh, 35, was born in India. Its unclear exactly when he moved to the U.S. Parson said Singh always gave the impression of a father figure who wanted to spoil his children. Singh bought them an outdoor play set and trampoline and always made sure they had more clothes than they needed, Parson said. But police said that appearance wasnt the whole story. The family lived in squalor, Everman Police Chief Craig Spencer said at an April 25 news conference. Authorities now believe Singh conspired with Noels mother after the 6-year-old boy went missing, stealing money from his employer to pay for their escape from the country. Singh worked at a convenience store chain, AGHA Enterprises, and had access to the companys financial records and even safes in stores. His employer, Mohammed Khan, told the Star-Telegram that Singh was hired about two and a half years ago to manage purchasing merchandise for stores and help with banking. Like Parson, Khan never would have imagined Singh would be involved in anything criminal. He described Singh as a happy person, and a hard worker who would do anything he could to help the business succeed. Even in the months since Noel went missing, Khan said he hadnt noticed or been told about any changes in Singhs behavior or personality. Its shocking, Khan said. I still feel like its a Hollywood movie or a bad dream. Khan said the actions of Singh, who police have accused of stealing money from the Azle Food Mart location of the business and then falsifying records to cover his tracks, have left his employees in a state of shock, too. Its scary, Khan said, to think that someone like Singh would steal money from his employer or be involved in any way with the disappearance of a child. Its left him feeling like he can never be 100% certain of who someone truly is. He didnt even know Singh had left the country until he heard about it in the news. In total, police said Singh stole $10,000 from Khans business, and deposited $8,000 of that into his personal bank account. Police said they believe Singh stole that cash so that the family would have money to leave the country. Hes facing second-degree felony theft charges. Investigators discovered Arshdeep Singh, the stepfather of missing 6-year-old Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez, stole $10,000 from his employer before fleeing the country, according to Everman police. He deposited $8,000 of the stolen money into a personal account, investigators found in financial records. The couple also paid $5,000 to have a new patio put in the back yard of Parsons home in Everman, according to a search warrant for the property. Rodriguez-Singh changed what she wanted several times, telling the contractor at one point she wanted the concrete thicker on one side because it would allow for the family to put a gym there. Police said Rodriguez-Singh used the familys full income tax return to pay for the project in February. Investigators last month tore the concrete up in a search for Noels remains but found no body there. Authorities believe, though, based on the reaction of cadaver dogs, that Noels body might have been kept in a shed that was sitting in the area before the porch was installed. Police said a carpet Singh disposed of before the couple fled the country was also alerted to by the cadaver dogs. Singh took the carpet to a dumpster outside one of the convenience stores where he worked, according to one of the search warrants. Police conducted a welfare check at the familys home in March after Child Protective Services received a tip that Noel was missing. At that time, Rodriguez-Singh lied and said the boy was with his father in Mexico, investigators have said. Police said they have also disproved other stories Cindy told to explain Noels disappearance, including that she had sold him to someone in a Fiesta Market grocery store parking lot. CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's ruling party-controlled National Assembly on Thursday approved a law allowing the government to seize assets linked to corruption cases, as it investigates irregularities at state oil company PDVSA and other state companies. According to the law, the government would sell these assets to finance public services, infrastructure and social programs. It is a "very important law in the fight against corruption ... so that impunity is not the currency of common use," National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said after the law was passed. Since March, the prosecutor's office has arrested 61 people, including officials and businessmen, for corruption in PDVSA and state-owned steel, iron and aluminum companies, as well as a state-owned cardboard manufacturer. Sources have told Reuters the crackdown was in part motivated by the need for dollars to maintain exchange rate policy and increase spending ahead of the 2024 elections. (Reporting by Vivian Sequera; Writing by Sarah Morland and Oliver Griffin; Editing by Bill Berkrot) Max Verstappen has reiterated a threat to walk away from Formula 1 if it continues to put what he considers to be business priorities ahead of sport. This weekends Azerbaijan Grand Prix is the first of six sprint rounds this season but the first run to an altered format, with the shortened Saturday race getting its own qualifying session and standing alone from the main event on Sunday. Verstappen stirred controversy at the Australian Grand Prix when asked about the changes, telling Portuguese TV that he wont be around for too long if the sport continues tinkering with its weekend format and increasing the number of events in a season. Asked in Baku whether his quit threat was serious, Verstappen pointed out that hes always intended for his F1 career to be short. I always said that anyway, even if there wont be any more sprint races or whatever, he said. But yeah, I do feel that if its getting at one point too much, its time for a change. More Formula 1! Baku opens its gates to a divided F1 paddock Alonso enjoying newfound social media disruptor role AlphaTauri drivers rolling with the teams changes Verstappen has described changes to the format as antithetical to the sports DNA, and this week he said thats because F1 was taking a commercial-led approach to the weekend rather than one led by competition. I look at it from a racing point of view, and probably F1 looks at it from a business point of view, he said. Of course I understand. These sprint races, they probably add a bit more excitement. But I look at it from the racing point of view. Normally when you then do the sprint races, thats exciting few shunts in there, damage, blah, blah, blah, safety car, a bit more excitement but throughout the race you get quite a clear picture of what is happening, who is quickest, so you also have quite a clear view on what is going to happen on the next day. That probably takes a bit the shine away from the main event, which I think always should be the special event. Story continues Sprint races might increase the action, but Verstappen worries they detract from the Grand Prix proper. Andy Hone/Motorsport Images Verstappen also used the opportunity to speak candidly about his future more broadly, admitting that his motivation to compete through an expanded calendar was something he was constantly assessing to prevent himself from burning out. I do like racing, I do like winning. I know that [with] the salary and everything, you have a good life. But is it actually a good life? he said. If we keep expanding the calendar and the whole weekend is that long, at one point you question yourself: Is it worth it? I think you always have to be talking to yourself, looking to yourself. Are you still motivated, fully motivated, and do you love what you do? At the moment that is definitely the case. There will for sure be a point where you want to do maybe other stuff as well. Sometimes it sounds very weird for people from the outside because theyre saying, Ah, youre in Formula 1, youre winning, and probably I would have said the same when I was in their position. But once youre in it, its not always how it looks like or how people think your life is. Yes, its great its amazing, you can do a lot of things, very independent but there is always a limit. The Dutchman said he wasnt the only one thinking critically about the workload of a growing calendar, with other drivers and team members at risk of walking away as the sport encroaches further into the private lives of its participants. I think every person is a bit different, he said. It also depends what you want out of your life. Some people just love racing, and thats the only thing they know or the only thing they want to do. Im probably a bit more in the middle. I do love racing, but I also want to do other kinds of racing, and then you cant combine the two or set up other kinds of stuff. I think when you do that amount of races, not only the drivers but also staff and the team, its a lot of people who will struggle with that. Story originally appeared on Racer The jurors who convicted Paul Flores for the murder of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart were forbidden to talk about the case with anyone not even each other for more than three months. That was the hardest part, four of Paul Flores jurors told The Tribune. The jurors spoke on the condition on anonymity to protect their privacy around the high-profile case but agreed to be identified by their juror numbers. Its very traumatizing to go through something like that, Juror 273 told The Tribune. Having nightmares, experiencing something, and not be able to tell each other, This is what were going through. This is what Im feeling. This is what Im thinking. Is this normal? The jurors convicted Flores on Oct. 18, more than two decades after Smart disappeared when she left an off-campus party. A separate jury acquitted Flores father, Ruben Flores, of helping his son conceal the crime. Coping with the horrors of the case and the pressure of their decision completely alone, the jurors said, affected nearly every aspect of their lives. It also created friendships that outlasted the length of the three-month trial. The jurors said they talked about literally anything and everything else outside of the case and continue to keep their groupchat alive despite not spending eight hours in court together anymore. Food was a passion many of the jurors shared, as were their kids and families. We just learned a lot about each other, Juror 209 said. Nearly 1,500 people screened for Kristin Smart jury When Juror 86 arrived at jury selection in July, she didnt think much of it. She had served jury duty two times before, and the number of people in her selection time seemed typical. She didnt realize at the time there were several rounds of jury selection. In total, nearly 1,500 Monterey County residents were screened as potential jurors. Juror 174 said she and her husband were both called into jury duty for the case. Curiously, they were asked to arrive in different rounds. Story continues I knew that there was something weird, Juror 174 said. Two of the jurors who spoke to The Tribune work for local governments, and the other two are self-employed, which they said allowed them to serve for three months without a great financial burden. Juror 174 said she had remembered hearing something about the case when Smart first went missing but didnt recall any details about it before the trial started. The other jurors The Tribune spoke with hadnt heard about the case. Smarts murder has haunted San Luis Obispo County since 1996, when she first went missing. Flores has been the prime suspect in the case for just as long but wasnt arrested until April 2021. The jurors said they realized the significance of the case as soon as the trial started in Monterey County Superior Court on July 18. There were two defendants with separate attorneys and two juries. Also, they hadnt expected the family or several members of the media to attend the trial every day. As it was starting, I feel scared, Juror 86 said. I felt like, Im going to have a big job. I didnt think it was going to be this big. The jurors said they all remained open and neutral as they absorbed the evidence throughout the trial. Some scribbled notes. Others sketched witnesses and courtroom moments. And the rest didnt take notes at all. Deputy District Attorney Chris Peurvelle speaks during closing arguments in the Kristin Smart murder trial on Monday, Oct. 3, 2022. Robert Sanger, Paul Flores defense attorney, listens as the Flores sits nearby. Hes guilty as sin! Peuvrelle said of Flores. How jurors coped with trauma of case It was difficult to cope with the facts of the case, the jurors said. They werent allowed to talk about what they were going through feelings included with anyone. There was no way to process the trauma they were hearing and how it was affecting them. It strained family relationships greatly, the jurors said, especially marriages. Juror 174, who said she and her husband had been struggling previously, came home from court one day to find a divorce petition in her email. She said the trial became a sort of escape for her at that point, but the feelings all compounded outside the courtroom. The other three jurors, who are also married, said their relationships became strained because the emotions inside the courtroom would affect their mood outside of it. Worse, when their husbands, family or friends would ask them whats wrong, they couldnt talk about it. One day, Juror 86 said, her daughter came home from school. She was excited to tell her mom about what she learned in class the Smart case. I just walked away, the juror said. And got out of the house. Juror 273 spent a lot of time with her animals as an outlet, while Juror 209 said she did a lot of walking. Despite the emotional toll it took to not talk about the case and how it affected them, the jurors said they were never tempted. I never had any desire to talk to somebody outside of court because I felt like such a huge responsibility to the family of the victim that this took 26 years to get court, Juror 174 said. I dont want to be the reason they screw this up. Juror 273 believes there needs to be a court-appointed counselor for jurors in order to help them process their emotions and manage their mental health during traumatic cases. But according to the Judicial Council of California, all cases must be decided only on the evidence presented in the courtroom. Discussing the case with anyone outside of it could influence a jurors decision-making. Paul Flores appears in Monterey County Superior Court in Salinas on Aug. 25, 2022, during the Kristin Smart murder trial. He is accused of killing Smart. Some unsure of Paul Flores guilt on first day of deliberations When the jurors entered the deliberation room on Oct. 4 after a 12-week trial, Juror 209 said it was a feeling of relief. It was just a big sigh of, We could finally talk about it. One by one, the jurors shared their thoughts about the case and the different pieces of evidence presented by the defense and prosecution. At the end of the first day of deliberations, nine jurors wanted to convict Flores of Smarts murder. Three others were on the fence. There was limited physical evidence and, most notably, no body. Juror 174 said this annoyed her because one of the questions she and other potential jurors were asked during jury selection was if they would be able to convict someone without a body. I really was sick inside, Juror 174 said of the stress of deliberations. Its a lot of pressure, and the pressure for me was that we had to come with the right decision. And three people dont agree with us. What are we going to do? Juror 273 was one of the three people on the fence. She said she remained neutral throughout the trial even when she cried out loud in reaction to a soil stain found at Ruben Flores home that prosecutors said was a result of Smarts body being buried there. A photo of the stain found underneath Ruben Flores house outlined by archaeologist Christine Arrington, who specializes in human remains, is shown to jurors overseeing the Kristin Smart murder trial at Monterey County Superior Court on Sept. 1, 2022. The reaction prompted the court to take a recess, and the defense unsuccessfully attempted to remove her from the jury. Juror 273 said that was the first evidence she saw that made her think Flores could be guilty. That said, she didnt make up her mind in that moment. Her mind still wasnt made up at first in the deliberation room. Juror 273, and the other two jurors on the fence, had to make sure there was enough circumstantial evidence to outweigh not having a body. Thats what they went over during four days of deliberations. The jurors said they went through every witness in the trial more than 50 people and pinpointed parts of testimony that stuck out. Jurors said they also constantly referred to the jury instructions Monterey County Superior Court Judge Jennifer OKeefe gave them. We all wanted to make sure that whatever decision we came to, we all agreed on, Juror 273 said. We all did it personally on our own. According to the jurors, the most important pieces of evidence were the testimonies of the two women who said Flores raped them following Smarts disappearance, and the soil evidence found at Ruben Flores home. The jurors said the women who testified that Flores raped them established a pattern and made them believe Flores attempted to rape or raped Smart before her death. Monterey County Superior Court Judge Jennifer J. OKeefe hands the verdict envelope to the courtroom clerk for safe keeping until the jury in the Paul Flores case reaches a verdict. (Laura Dickinson/The Tribune San Luis Obispo) Jurors describe verdict day: A whole different vibe The morning of Oct. 18, the jurors knew they were reaching a verdict. But walking into the courtroom that day for the verdict reading, Juror 209 said, was a whole different vibe. I was nervous, Juror 209 said. It just felt like the tension was so thick in that building. And I dont know if it was just because of me and the way I was feeling with having to sit in the same courtroom as somebody we just convicted of first-degree murder, or if everyone knew that the verdict was out so everybody was anxious to hear it. Juror 174 said she was anxious about how the verdict would play out in court, but it was gratifying walking to her car after it was read. I think we were just like running to just get out of there, Juror 174 said, because it was just too much. The verdict reading was exciting, Juror 86 said, but as soon as she left court for the last time, she felt jittery and overwhelmed. I got home and I sat down in my bed and I wanted to cry, Juror 86 said, But I couldnt. Thats when her husband came in, and they could finally talk about what shes endured for the past three months. So was he guilty? Juror 86s husband asked her. Definitely. He then asked, Was it the Kristin Smart case? To which Juror 86 responded, Yes. I knew it, her husband said. Thats why you were so stressed out. It was such a relief to be able to talk to him about it, Juror 86 said. Defense attorney Robert Sanger, left, and his client, Paul Flores, react after a jury found Flores guilty of murdering Cal Poly student Kristin Smart. The jurys verdict was read in Monterey County Superior Court on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022, following a trial. News coverage and podcast solidified decision, jurors say Juror 209 said she looked up the Your Own Backyard podcast, which was mentioned several times throughout the trial for the part it played in cracking the Smart case, as soon as she sat in her car after the verdict. She then began reading news articles from the trial, and started listening to the podcast, hosted by Chris Lambert, the next day. It just solidified how accurate my decision and how I felt so strongly that my decision was a correct decision with the verdict that we gave, Juror 209 said. Jurors shared news articles and their thoughts on Your Own Backyard in their group chat, all taking in information at their own pace. Juror 174 said she already believed the jurys verdict was correct, but listening to the podcast and reading news articles about Flores conduct that werent shown in court made it clear there was no reason to feel remorse in any direction for this guy. I started to actually get mad at the whole justice system, Juror 174 said, feeling like were better off a defendant than a victim. The fact Flores was free for 26 years despite being the only suspect in the case, which allegedly allowed him to rape several women, makes Juror 273 feel really unsafe. It does not make any sense to me that somebody like that can be able to get away with so many things, Juror 273 said. If somebody like that can, how many other people are out here doing that? She said she found more reassurance with the jurys decision as she learned more information about the case. It did give us peace of mind to be able to hear and to know actually the facts and the truth, news and the podcast, Juror 273. Jurors who convicted Paul Flores visited a small memorial on Cal Polys campus during a tour with podcaster Chris Lambert after the verdict. Jurors continue to seek justice for Kristin Smart A group of jurors, including the four The Tribune spoke with, attended the sentencing on March 10. They wanted to see the impact of their decision through to the end and be reassured the defenses motion for a new trial didnt succeed. Juror 209 said they also were there to confirm the past three months of their lives werent a waste. She said witnessing the sentencing provided a much-needed sense of closure. Juror 86 was curious if Flores would have a reaction to the sentencing he didnt and also wanted to reconnect with her fellow jurors. The group of jurors have met with Lambert, the Your Own Backyard podcast host, multiple times. They decided to reach out after listening to his podcast because of the substantial work he did for the case. In one of their meetings, Lambert led them on the walk from the party house where Smart was last seen to her dorm, and visited a small memorial on campus. The jurors said the walk reconnected them to the case, and to Smart. Some were parents whose kids are getting ready to leave for college. They hoped visiting the campus would give them closure. Instead, it put them in the shoes of Smarts family, who have said there wont be true justice for their daughter until her body is found. The jurors feel the same, and said they will do anything they can to help find Smart. Veterans are blasting the debt ceiling legislation passed by the Republican-controlled House this week, warning it will cut key programs and services for the nations retired service members. The House passed the Limit, Save, Grow Act largely along party lines in a 217-215 vote Wednesday night despite the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) warning of a drastic 22 percent cut to the departments budget under the bill. The legislation, which is unlikely to pass a Democrat-controlled Senate and is opposed by President Biden, caps all new spending at fiscal 2022 levels, amounting to a $130 billion cut to non-defense spending across federal agencies, which would include the VA. According to a VA press release, that would mean 81,000 jobs lost in the departments health services, 30 million fewer outpatient visits for veterans and an increase of disability backlogs by 134,000 claims, among a range of other concerns. Sarah Streyder, the executive director of the nonpartisan group Secure Families Initiative which represents active-duty families but coordinates closely with the VA for client services said there are already backlogs and waitlists at the VA that would be further exacerbated by the GOP budget proposal. Streyder said whether the bill passes or not, the harm is already being done and the legislation is a huge ding in morale for the military, service members and veterans. Its becoming politicized in a way that is so counterproductive and discouraging, she said. When the U.S. government sends servicemembers to war, it comes with a promise that theyll be taken care of on the other side. Going against that promise is not only wrong, but it does harm the morale of actively serving families, Streyder added. Republicans have denied that VA services will be impacted, but without making clear how a non-defense discretionary cap wouldnt impact the department. Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.), the chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said Democrats have spread false claims about the budget. Story continues Republicans have always prioritized veterans in our spending to ensure veterans have access to the care, benefits, and services they have earned, Bost said in a statement last week. Anyone who questions our commitment to the men and women who have served should find new talking points. Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) introduced the Limit, Save, Grow Act this month amid a battle with Biden over the nations debt ceiling and what he calls out-of-control government spending. The McCarthy proposal is a counter to the presidents $6 trillion spending plan for 2024 released last month, which Biden says would also reduce the national deficit by trillions of dollars through new taxes. Looming over the budget fight is the debt ceiling. The U.S. has about $31 trillion in national debt owed to a variety of creditors, including foreign investors. House GOP lawmakers are refusing to raise the ceiling again to authorize more borrowing, a move that economists worry could badly damage the economy. In addition to non-defense cuts, McCarthys bill would also raise the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion or through the end of next March, whichever happens first, and cap annual spending increases to 1 percent. McCarthys office in a statement to The Hill defended the GOP proposal and called on Biden to sit down for negotiations over the debt limit, which the president has thus far refused to do. Americans should expect that we prioritize meeting our veterans needs instead of trying to leverage their benefits for unrelated spending, it said. More than 20 veterans groups sent a letter to Congress this week protesting McCarthys budget, saying it would leave many veteran resources open to cuts, potentially undoing years of progress VA has made. Our nations veterans, caregivers, and survivors have already sacrificed too much, the letter reads. Our country must keep our promises and provide them with the best healthcare and benefits possible. The Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023 does not spell out the necessary protections and puts these benefits at risk. House Democrats joined veterans group VoteVets outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday ahead of the vote, highlighting the impact cuts would have on veterans. Rick Hegdahl, a national outreach director with VoteVets, said he served in the Iraq war and relies on the VA for much of my healthcare, including medications and doctors visits. The cuts to veteran healthcare that Kevin McCarthy and extreme Republicans are proposing will be devastating to veterans like myself, he said. Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs who sponsored legislation last year that expanded benefits for veterans exposed to toxins, said the House budget proposal fails to honor that legislation. Takano accused House Republicans of holding veterans benefits hostage in the budget fight. Despite their patriotic platitudes, their cliche expressions thanking veterans for their service, and purporting to care so much for veterans, they have failed to produce a budget that puts their money where their mouth is, he said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Democratic lawmakers are warning that Republican leaders debt limit plan will severely hurt veterans by slashing their programming budget. GOP lawmakers are dismissing their Democratic counterparts for fear mongering and politicizing veterans care. Veterans advocates, caught in the middle, just want to know if their programs will be funded next year. As budget fights mount in Congress, spending on veterans support has become a flashpoint for the two sides, with party leaders both insisting the other is exploiting one of the last refuges of bipartisan consensus on Capitol Hill for some short-term political points. No money to pay troops if debt ceiling deal doesnt happen, defense secretary warns On Wednesday, House Democrats led by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., held a rally decrying the Republican Limit-Save-Grow Act, passed just a few minutes later along party lines. The measure would set next years non-defense federal spending at fiscal 2022 levels, about 20% below what President Joe Biden requested in his budget plan released earlier this spring. It does not specify a target for Veterans Affairs funding next year, but Democrats say it will inevitably lead to reductions in the departments budget. Theyre seeking to balance the budget on the backs of veterans, no matter what the consequences, said Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif. and ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, in front of a crowd of cheering supporters. The rally was the latest in weeks of attacks by Democratic leaders concerning the spending plan. Earlier in the day, the White House released a letter from 23 veterans organizations not to pass this legislation unless it includes protections for VA funding. Veterans Affairs leaders last week asserted the plan would mean 30 million fewer veteran outpatient visits and 81,000 jobs lost across the Veterans Health Administration. MAGA House Republicans would make cuts to VA health care so that the super-wealthy can cheat on taxes. That's not how we honor veterans service and sacrifice. President Biden (@POTUS) April 25, 2023 In March, during a House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing on the state of VA operations, the repeated chorus of Democrats mentioning devastating Republican budget cut plans prompted glares and shouts from multiple GOP members, who insisted they have no plans to cut back veterans spending. Story continues Similar sniping has occurred at subsequent hearings. On the House floor Wednesday, Committee Chairman Mike Bost, R-Ill., called the criticism false and dangerous rhetoric from the Democrats. With no regard for the impact of their words, they continue to spread malarkey about House Republicans cutting veterans benefits, he said. Simply put, they are playing politics with our veterans. Veterans are not political pawns to advance a political agenda. Democrats continue to spread false claims that the Limit, Save, Grow Act will impact the delivery of VA healthcare and cut veterans benefits. Dont believe them. From one veteran to another: you have Chairman @RepBosts word. pic.twitter.com/31dENQGDZ2 House Committee on Veterans' Affairs (@HouseVetAffairs) April 26, 2023 House Republican leaders have said the Limit-Save-Grow Act which would also raise the countrys debt limit, avoiding a historic and fiscally damaging default on the countrys debt will help bring runaway federal spending under control. But they have also publicly pledged that items programs Social Security, Medicare and veterans benefits will be fully funded. That begs the question of where the Republicans federal agency cuts will come from. Biden has proposed a $325 billion budget for VA next fiscal year, more than $50 billion than the target set in the fiscal 2022 budget. Part of that total includes money to carry out the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act (better known as the PACT Act) passed last summer, which promises new disability benefits and health care to millions of veterans, including those affected by toxic burn pits. If the GOP budget bill were to become law, it would require deep cuts for non-defense agencies in order to preserve veterans program money. That plan is not specifically outlined in the legislation. The uncertainty surrounding the situation prompted officials from the Veterans of Foreign Wars to send a letter to Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., asking for amendments to the GOP budget bill, which would provide explicit assurances on how Congress will continue to properly invest in VA programming. Passing the measure without those caveats would be unacceptable, VFW leaders said. Similarly, leaders from Paralyzed Veterans of America said in a statement that while they appreciate Republican leaders public assurances that veterans funding will not be cut, the pending legislation provides no specific protections for veterans with catastrophic disabilities, specifically the services and supports they and their families depend on. White House officials have already said the GOP spending plan is a non-starter for multiple reasons, calling into question whether the specific debate over veterans funding is more for shaping public opinion than public policy. But advocates say that regardless of the motivation, support for veterans is now squarely in the center of the fight. They want both sides to promise that veterans care and benefits wont be held hostage by these political squabbles. Congress has championed monumental advancements in veteran care and benefits in the past few years, VFW Executive Director Ryan Gallucci wrote in the groups letter to McCarthy. We believe we need to continue pushing forward instead of taking steps backward in serving our veterans. By Tim Kelly TOKYO (Reuters) - Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin did not rule out a run for president in 2024, saying on Thursday that he was "humbled" by the question of whether he would seek the Republican nomination. "I am humbled by your question to think that you would ask it of me when 40 years ago I was washing dishes and taking out trash at the diner in Virginia Beach where I grew up," Youngkin said when asked if he would be a candidate at a press briefing in Tokyo hosted by U.S. Ambassador Rahm Emanuel. Youngkin was in Japan as part of an Asian trip, including stops in Taiwan and South Korea, to promote his state. In Tokyo, he met Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who on Monday sat down with would-be presidential candidate Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis. "This trip is solely focused on progressing Virginias economic relationships. I have often reminded everyone that the election is a long way off," Youngkin added. In contrast to Youngkin, who coordinated his trip with U.S. embassy officials, DeSantis did not appear in public with Emanuel, a former chief of staff to President Barack Obama and one-time mayor of Chicago picked by President Joe Biden to manage Washington's relationship with its key Asian ally. Biden, 80, on Tuesday said he will seek re-election in 2024 in a contest that could once again pit him against leading Republican candidate former President Donald Trump. In a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Monday, 44% of Democrats said Biden was too old to run. Reuters/Ipsos polling also indicated that DeSantis had won some Republican backing for his clash with Walt Disney Co but that in doing so he risked turning off a swathe of American voters uncomfortable with companies being targeted for their political or cultural positions. (Reporting by Tim Kelly, Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan) Ancient spear points can now be counted among the things tourists may find on popular North Carolina beaches. Cape Lookout National Seashore reports a stone projectile point predating the birth of Christ was recovered by the National Park Service after being illegally taken by a park visitor. On April 16th, some visitors found this projectile point on the beach and took it with them. Rangers ultimately tracked these visitors down and educated them on ... the Archaeological Resource Protection Act, the park reported April 27 on Facebook. Violations of ARPA, such as the collection of archaeological items, can be a felony. Investigators did not report if the visitors face charges. An archaeologist has identified the recovered artifact as a Kirk Corner-Notched Point that is 8,000 to 10,000 years old. Kirk Corner-Notched Points are triangular, 1.5 inches to 4 inches in length and found by collectors throughout the Southeastern United States. Indigenous hunters created the blades by flaking and grinding the edges of small stones, historians say. They are considered one of the most common dart point types from the Early Archaic period of eastern North America. However, the points arent commonly found on sandy beaches. It may never be known whether the point washed ashore or appeared through erosion, since it was moved by the tourists, the park says. Given that it was found out on the islands, it was presumed that the point may have been used as a fishing spear, according to Nate Toering, chief of Interpretation & Education at Cape Lookout. Its currently being held by law enforcement until the investigation is closed. Ultimately, it may end up on public display. We currently have a similar projectile point on display in the Harkers Island Visitor Center in a temporary display cabinet. So, while it is quite rare to find them, it does happen from time to time. The point could be included in a park exhibit on pre-colonial life for Native Americans in the Southern Outer Banks, Toering said. Story continues Visitors who find cultural artifacts in National Parks should leave them in place and alert park officials to the location. Experts will then investigate, including collecting data on the context. This includes parts of shipwrecks, which frequently appear in the sand at Cape Lookout. Only unoccupied seashells, pine cones, and driftwood can be removed from Cape Lookout National Seashore, and no more than five gallons per person can be removed per day, officials said. Future is uncertain for 125-year-old lifesaving station on North Carolina Outer Banks Shoreline turns orange at Cape Lookout. Its for a good reason, Outer Banks park says Monstrosity pushed ashore by 2018s Hurricane Florence hauled off Outer Banks beach The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife says European green crabs are continuing to cause problems, despite significant efforts by the federal government to stop the invasive species. Across 28,000 miles of Washington shoreline, all those participating in the European green crab emergency response are busy preparing for the spring through fall field season. To kick off the 2023 season, U.S. Senator Patty Murray and Congressman Derek Kilmer visited Sequim Bay on April 5 to learn more about the threat. Murray made it clear that she will be working to secure dedicated federal resources and better coordination in future spending bills to support state and local efforts to protect Washington states local ecosystems from the European green crab. The invasive species of crabs are harmful to local ecosystems because it preys on clams, oysters, mussels, and even younger red crabs. European green crab poses a serious threat to the entire Puget Sound ecosystem threatening local shellfish populations, hurting salmon and orca recovery efforts, and threatening to undermine our Tribal treaty obligations, said Murray in a prepared statement. Kilmer toured the southern end of Sequim Bay with leaders from the Jamestown SKlallam Tribe to trap invasive European green crabs and hear directly from local leaders about their on-the-ground efforts to address the threat posed by the invasive species. Theres a lot of good work happening here in the state and locally to protect our environment and ecosystem, Murray continued. And I appreciate that the federal agencies involved have been coordinating with the state on this, but so far beyond staff time they have not directed any federal dollars to support our efforts to beat back the European green crab. Green crabs are considered one of the most invasive species in the marine environment, according to NOAA Fisheries, due to having few predators and their tendency to aggressively hunt prey while also destroying seagrass. As a result, green crabs outcompete local species for both food and habitat. Story continues It has been documented, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), that green crabs devour juvenile king crabs in addition to juvenile salmon, but wildlife managers said increased trapping has them hopeful European green crabs might be kept under control in Washington. European green crabs are one of the worst invasive species, Brian Turner with WDFW told KIRO Newsradio. They can survive in colder and warmer temperatures, and they also reproduce very quickly. A female green crab can release nearly 200,000 eggs in one cycle. Officials want residents to send photos to WDFW with locations if they spot the invasive crab. Possessing or transporting live European green crabs is illegal in Washington. Green crabs are not always green but have five spines on either side of their eyes. They are usually four inches wide or less. They generally eat marine plants, baby crabs, oysters, and clams. They also burrow under areas where salmon lay their eggs. Last spring, an invasive green crab was found in Hood Canal for the first time. State wildlife managers also said a male European green crab was found in Nicks Lagoon near Seabeck the southernmost sighting of the crabs in Washington. While federal agencies have coordinated with Washington state in its European green crab response and contributed staff time, none have dedicated federal dollars specifically to the response effort. As Senate Appropriations Chair, Senator Murray is seeking federal funding and improved coordination for European green crab response efforts through the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Last year, Governor Inslee issued an emergency order to increase green crab tracking and eradication. The order directs the Department of Ecology to identify European green crab management as a high priority on their state-owned aquatic lands and to facilitate implementing emergency measures. With at least 1,000 traps ready to be deployed across the state by 25 staff members, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, co-managers, partners, and tribes are ready for a busy green crab field season. If you see a green crab along the coastline or just off the coast, youre asked to report it to the states wildlife department through their website. Emily Grason, a marine ecologist at Washington Sea Grant, said that more volunteers scouting the shoreline mean a quicker trapping response when green crabs are detected. If we dont find new populations until they are already abundant and widespread, we miss the best and maybe the only chance we might get to protect local habitats, species, and economies, Grason said. Green crab control is about early detection, finding populations within the first generations of their arrival at a new site, and aggressively trapping down populations even if they are still small and hard to find. Crab identification guides and resources are available here. We know state legislators are glad to finally be home, but they ended the 105-day session without finishing the job. They need to get back to it as soon as possible because the loose end theyve left dangling will unravel a major piece of the criminal justice system if they dont soon tie it up. Lawmakers knew at the start that one of their top priorities would be fixing a stop-gap drug possession law set to expire July 1, but they unfortunately let the issue go until the final hours of the legislative session Sunday night. In the end, the House couldnt agree to the negotiated Senate version and time ran out. A legislative fix cannot wait until next year when lawmakers gather again. It is imperative that Gov. Jay Inslee call a special session so legislators can set things right. Otherwise, Washington state will be left with an unworkable and confusing patchwork of drug laws that are different in every city and county. Kennewick Police Chief Chris Guerrero told the Tri-City Herald that he and other law enforcement officers encourage a special session. Without a statewide drug possession law, there are too many questions including how the state would fund treatment for addicts. We need something on the books, he said. This situation began two years ago when the state Supreme Courts Blake decision ruled that Washingtons strict drug possession law was unconstitutional. At the time, citizens could be convicted even if they didnt know they were carrying drugs. It was a landmark ruling that essentially legalized simple drug possession regardless of the type of drug or the amount. Since that extreme was unacceptable, the Legislature approved a short-term measure that required law enforcement to refer people to treatment the first two times they were caught with drugs. After that, they could be arrested and charged with a misdemeanor. While the idea of getting people into treatment instead of jail is admirable, most addicts arent going to get help on their own with just a talking-to. Story continues Its often the harsher consequences that lead them to recovery. In addition, not all law enforcement agencies use the same software system so tracking who has been given a referral in one city doesnt necessarily show up in another. That means someone could be encouraged multiple times to seek treatment before getting arrested if they move from town to town. To combat this ineffective approach, many communities throughout the state including Kennewick and Richland adopted their own, tougher drug possession law because the state stop-gap law wasnt working. These local laws allow police to charge people right away with a misdemeanor if they get caught with drugs. Pasco city officials had decided to wait and see what the Legislature did this year. Now, however, they are considering following Kennewick and Richland and passing their own drug possession law. Chief Guerrero said he felt that the Senate bill was balanced and a good compromise. The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) also is on the record supporting the Senate version. But then the bill went to the House, which added amendments to ESSB 5536 that WASPC could not support. The concern with the Houses version is that the bill reduces incentives for treatment, reduces accountability for those who refuse treatment, and preempts local responses to paraphernalia and public use. We are concerned that people may opt for a few days in jail rather than complete the required treatment. There were 15 progressive Democrats in the House who didnt agree that drug possession should be bumped up to a gross misdemeanor, and the 40-member Republican House caucus didnt like that the bill wouldnt make sure people finish treatment. Caucus leaders need to get a proposal that will be acceptable to a majority of legislators so when they return to discuss the issue they can vote quickly and return home. Adjourning without fixing this one, critical drug possession law doesnt have to be a failure. Theres time still to pass a workable and acceptable version before July 1. Walmart is using AI to negotiate deals with equipment suppliers. AP Walmart is using technology from Pactum AI to negotiate with suppliers, per a Bloomberg report. The retailer tells the AI chatbot its budget, and the chatbot communicates with a human vendor. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retail giant has embraced artificial intelligence a lot recently. If you're a Walmart supplier, you may not be hammering out deals with a human employee of the retail giant. Walmart is using a chatbot to conduct negotiations with equipment vendors, according to a recent report from Bloomberg. The chatbot, which is similar to the rapidly growing and popular ChatGPT, was developed by Pactum AI, an artificial intelligence technology company based out of Mountain View, California. Per Bloomberg, here's how it works: The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer tells the software its budget and priorities. Then, the chatbot will negotiate with human vendors to finish deals. And a majority of suppliers three out of four actually like dealing with the robot more than a Walmart negotiator, the retailer told Bloomberg. Walmart was Pactum's first customer, the news outlet reported. "Some really like it and are like, 'This is the best way to do it,'" Darren Carithers, Walmart's senior vice president for international operations, told Bloomberg. "But I would relate that to people using self-checkout in stores. Some customers love it, but guess what: Some customers want to go to a manned checkout and see a person." Pactum AI's chatbot is able to negotiate about discounts, payment terms, and prices for individual products, as well as compare current vendor deal offers to historical ones and what other companies are paying. Walmart told Bloomberg that the artificial intelligence has helped the company close deals in days instead of weeks or months when only humans were involved. Walmart's shopping app also uses AI technology This is not the first time Walmart has embraced artificial intelligence. The company rolled out a new text-to-shop tool in December 2022 that allows customers to communicate with a robot and to text the retailer the names of products they want to purchase. And more than 50 million customers are using a chatbot that provides information to shoppers online and through the app, Walmart CEO and President Doug McMillon wrote in an annual letter to shareholders this month. Story continues But the retailer still has shown some concerns regarding AI chatbot technology. Walmart Global Tech, the retailer's technology and software engineering arm, sent out an internal memo in February telling all employees not to share any confidential information about Walmart with ChatGPT. "Putting Walmart information into these tools risks exposure of the company's information, may breach confidentiality, and may significantly impact our rights in any code, product, information, or content," per the memo. "Every associate is responsible for the appropriate use and protection of Walmart data." Have any thoughts on Walmart's usage of AI? Contact reporter Ben Tobin over email at btobin@insider.com. Read the original article on Business Insider Have you ever dreamed about living on your own private island? You can now make that a reality at a price less than the average American house. Barlocco Island is a 25-acre, uninhabited location off the coast of Scotland that boasts stunning scenery and outstanding views, according to a Galbraith listing. The westernmost of Scotlands Isles of Fleet can be all yours at a minimum asking price of about $186,000. Its accessible by boat or at low tide on foot or by tractor or quad bike. It also has a pebble beach on the western side where a boat can be anchored or beached. There are no services or natural water supplies except the flood pond. There is a catch though that interested buyers need to be aware of. Building on the vacant wilderness may prove difficult because there are environmental protections that prevent owners from easily installing any permanent structures, the New York Times reported. Galbraith agent David Corrie told the Times that Barlocco is perfect for someone wishing to reconnect with the land because the nearest town is six miles away and about two hours from Glasgow, which is Scotlands most populous city. A closing date will be set in the coming days, according to Corrie. 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 Washington Park police officer has been charged with using excessive force on a 19-year-old man with ``severe or profound intellectual disability by striking him and using a stun gun on him while strapped to an ambulance gurney, according to Illinois State Police. Justin D. Gaither, 32, is charged with two counts of official misconduct and four counts of aggravated battery. Gaither turned himself into authorities on Tuesday, when the charges were issued. He was released pending trial, the state police release states. The incident that led to the charges happened at a home near 45th Street and Bunkum Road in Washington Park on March 19, the release states. Later that day, the Washington Park Police Department asked the state polices Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 6 to conduct an excessive force investigation. Gaither had gone to the home in response for a call for service, according to the release. While in the home, Gaither reportedly became involved in a physical altercation with a 19-year-old male resident, the release states. An ambulance responded to treat the injuries of the 19-year-old victim. Gaither is alleged to have used excessive force on the victim by striking him in the face and tasering him while he was strapped to an ambulance gurney. Gaither was purported to have performed these acts upon the victim when he knew the person to be of severe or profound intellectual disability. The 19-year-old was taken to the hospital for treatment of his injuries. State police referred questions about Gaithers current status to the Washington Park Police Department. Washington Park police officials could not immediately be reached for content. A mother duck and her babies waddled down an elementary school hall for the second year in a row, a Virginia school shared on Twitter. Ashburn Elementary School shared a video of the duck and her ducklings pattering across the tile floor of the school as children guided them down the hall. Today (our) staff and their children were able to help this momma duck and her ducklings safely exit our courtyard (and) make their way to the pond up the road, the school said in the caption. Make Way for Ducklings! Today are staff and their children were able to help this momma duck and her ducklings safely exit our courtyard at make their way to the pond up the road pic.twitter.com/jSusW1Xeht Ashburn Elementary (@ASHElementary1) April 25, 2023 Its not the first time this has happened, the school told media outlets. Last year, a mother duck laid eggs in the same courtyard and the school helped the family through the school out to a nearby pond, WTOP reported. This year the ducks guided tour out of the school to the pond took nearly an hour and although no one knows for sure, some staff members told WTOP they believe that its the same mama duck as last year. Ashburn is about 45 miles northwest of Washington, D.C. Baby bat-eared foxes are born at zoo and may be the cutest thing you see all week Watch bear family bounce and play on womans backyard trampoline. We are very similar Rare mythological creature an abandoned pet rescued from Welsh countryside Owners cat Remi vanished a year ago in Idaho. Then came a heartwarming reunion Australia's media watchdog has rapped the climate coverage on Rupert Murdoch's Sky News, finding multiple inaccurate and unfair statements that led to breaches of broadcasting rules. The Australian Communications and Media Authority said Wednesday that the sister channel of Murdoch's US-based Fox News aired inaccurate statements in segments of its Sunday "Outsiders" programme. The watchdog reviewed 80 allegations across 10 Outsiders episodes and identified code-breaching incidents in items on Antarctic ice cores, heat pumps in the United Kingdom, Great Barrier Reef corals and Japanese temperature data. The show features three commentators with conservative viewpoints who address the news of the week. "The program has an obligation to its audience to clearly separate fact from comment," said watchdog chair Nerida O'Loughlin. "Across a number of its episodes Outsiders failed to do so and did not present news content either accurately or fairly." Sky News acknowledged the finding in a statement, but said the complaints were lodged by former Labor prime minister and now Australian ambassador to the United States, Kevin Rudd. Rudd has campaigned for a public inquiry into Murdoch's media ownership in Australia -- which includes a string of newspapers that have long-supported conservative politicians and causes. Sky News noted the majority of Rudd's 80 complaints were rejected. "'Outsiders' is a Sunday morning commentary and discussion program which by virtue of its name sheds light on alternative perspectives on current events," the company said. The watchdog said that as a result of the complaints, cable operator Foxtel, which is majority owned by Murdoch's News Corp Australia, would tighten controls over third-party content on its platform. "Broadcast licensees are ultimately responsible for what goes to air, including content that is supplied or purchased from another provider," the watchdog said. Story continues Foxtel was also found to have breached broadcasting standards by airing programmes from US faith-based channel Daystar Television, which promoted ivermectin as an alternative Covid-19 treatment. Daystar also made inaccurate statements that Covid-19 vaccines cause infertility and miscarriage. kta/arb/djw/qan Wayne Burgess was convicted of murder his girlfriends 1-year-old daughter, Nakeavia Rivers, in August 1997. Edward Bowles of Kentucky is not the first offender to challenge a conviction based on the testimony of Tennessee's discredited former chief medical examiner, Dr. Charles Harlan. Wayne Burgess of Tennessee was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison in the death of his girlfriends 1-year-old daughter, Nakeavia Rivers, who died Aug. 8, 1997, after being rushed to a hospital in critical condition. Harlan testified the infant died of a blow to the abdomen shortly before being brought to the hospital. More: Gun used in Louisville Old National Bank shooting likely won't be resold at auction But 24 years after Burgess was convicted, a Tennessee judge vacated his sentence on April 13. He concluded that Harlan got it wrong and Burgess was innocent. In contrast, the Kentucky Court of Appeals last month affirmed a lower court order refusing to vacate Bowles' conviction and life sentence for a 1994 murder in Christian County. Citing a recent opinion from a retained expert witness, former Kentucky Chief Medical Examiner Dr. George Nichols, Bowles claimed Harlan got it wrong when he concluded the victim of that crime died of asphyxiation. But a Christian Circuit Court judge and the Court of Appeals said there was other evidence supporting Bowles' conviction. The momentous decision in Burgess' case came after three expert witnesses including Tennessee's current chief medical examiner, Dr. Adele Lewis testified in a hearing this month that Nakeavia could not have died the way Harlan said she did that it was medically impossible. The amount of blood and fluid found in her abdomen during an autopsy would have taken hours or days to gather, the experts said. But Burgess was only alone with the infant for minutes before she was brought to the hospital. Mr. Burgess could not have committed the crime and is innocent of the offense, Circuit Judge David L. Green wrote in an order. For subscribers Woman sues PNC, claims bank says it has no record of her $79K in CDs Story continues Unlike in Bowles case in Kentucky, the judge held the testimony of the three experts was new scientific evidence not presented or available to the jury that convicted Burgess. The state of Tennessee has 30 days to appeal, and for now, Burgess is still locked up in Tennessees Hardeman County Correctional Facility. Dr. Charles Harlan, former Tennessee medical examiner, testifies in a hearing before the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners in a Thursday, July 15, 2004, file photo in Nashville, Tenn. Officials say Harlan mishandled autopsies and destroyed evidence. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Wayne Burgess' conviction in Nakeavia Rivers' murder vacated Arts Walk is back. Olympias twice-yearly celebration of the arts continued through much of the pandemic in a spread-out and socially distanced form, but this Arts Walk, like those of yore, will be a weekend-long street party/gallery walk. We wanted to bring a burst of energy back to the celebration, event organizer Angel Nava said. Theres a buzz. People are really excited to be in creative spaces and to be connecting. Among those feeling the Arts Walk love is Aimee Schrieber, whose mixed-media painting Unfold, is featured on the cover of the Arts Walk map. In a video interview made by the city of Olympia, Schrieber recalls the first time she attended the event, in fall 2015. My husband and I were walking around, and we felt like we were in heaven just seeing all the artwork and all the excitement about it, she said. Id never lived in a place that had so much support and enthusiasm for local art. Unfold, by Aimee Schrieber, is the original artwork featured on the cover the spring Arts Walk map. The numbers tell the story, too. There are 98 businesses and non-profit organizations hosting artists for the festival two more than in spring 2019, before the pandemic. (Fall Arts Walk is generally smaller; October 2019s had 70 locations.) Thats really powerful, Nava said. The intersection of Washington Street and Fifth Avenue will be closed, creating space for performances. There will be activities, including skateboarding, a scavenger hunt and an opportunity to contribute to a mosaic mural. Gallery Boom is co-hosting an arts market. But those looking for the Procession of the Species will be disappointed. The colorful, primal celebration of Earths elements and creatures happened in conjunction with spring Arts Walk for 25 years before COVID halted it. The Luminary Procession, though, will happen as usual on Friday, April 28, bringing lighted lanterns, festivity and music by Artesian Rumble Arkestra and Samba Olywa to downtown Olympia. Participants make their way along the route of the first Luminary Procession in 2018. Recent luminary workshops drew some people who hadnt seen past luminary parades, said Joyce Mercuri of Earthbound Productions. Story continues If thats any indication, I think we will get a lot of newbies watching the event, she told The Olympian. The procession will feature both old favorites and new lanterns, including jellyfish, salmon, an anteater, chameleons, hummingbirds and even vegetables. This event is for honoring and celebrating the natural world and Earth Day, Mercuri said. On Saturday, April 29, one more species will appear: Samba Olywa will perform at 4 p.m. at the corner of Fifth and Washington, wearing the ladybug costumes that they had intended to debut in 2020. Carol Riley, who coordinates costumes for the drum-and-dance group, began researching designs and buying materials in late 2019. After five years, I am super excited to see and feel the creativity that costume-making brings to so many, Riley told The Olympian. Even though we will not have Procession of the Species this year, seeing the Samba Olywa ladybugs come alive feels like closure on the pandemic and time to move forward. Also back this spring are the citys Innovation Awards, which honor projects that aim to engage the community in the arts. The awards, launched in 2019, were last awarded for Arts Month in October 2020 before taking a break. Among the winners are OlyFilm and OlyActing, which will collaborate to make a 10-minute film, Scene Study, during the 10 hours of Arts Walk. said filmmaker Janice Liu, who will work on the film with writer/director Becca Hopson and other members of the nonprofit OlyFilm as well as volunteers. The filming will be done at the Olympia Ballroom Lounge, 513 Washington St. SE, Olympia. Also at the ballroom will be Ten, a mother-daughter exhibit of Lius photographs including portraits of the films young actors and paintings, doodles and comics by her daughter Cerilene Dula, 10, in fifth grade at Black Lake Elementary. The theme Ten does refer to her age, Liu said. At this age, there is nothing but potential, and kids can explore all kinds of media. This exhibit is meant to present something of a slice of life of a kid who cant stop creating. Other Innovation winners are: Arbutus Folk School, 610 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia, which will host a demonstration by fiber artists Wendy Clark and Liz Fry. The artists will take wool from sheep (well, almost the sheep wont be on site), Clark will card and spin wool; those attending are welcome to try it, too. Fry will weave it on a loom. The demo will happen from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, April 28 and from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 29. Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace & Justice and Art Forces, which are honoring the 20th anniversary of Corries death by adding to the Olympia-Rafah Solidarity Mural Project at 181 Capitol Way N., Olympia, and launching a walking tour of the mural and surrounding areas. Corrie was crushed to death by an Israeli armored bulldozer in the Gaza Strip. Thurston County Museum of Fine Arts, 509 Fourth Ave. E., a return of the pop-up museum that debuted in October. The organizers of the museum will again transform a vacant space into a museum-like setting that will display work by local artists. Window Seat Media, 209 Fourth Ave. E., #209, which will contribute to Olympias oral history by inviting visitors to tell their stories and have them retold in action by members of Brave Practice Playback Theatre Collective. The storytelling project will happen from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 28. Arts Walk What: The free twice-yearly event showcases visual and performing arts at 98 businesses and other locations in downtown Olympia. When: 5-10 p.m. Friday, April 28, and noon-5 p.m. Saturday, April 29 Where: Throughout downtown Olympia Maps: Find maps featuring Unfold, a mixed-media painting by Aimee Schrieber at participating businesses. More information: http://artswalkoly.com Luminary Procession What: Illuminated lanterns, including large and elaborate ones, are the centerpiece of this procession, organized by Earthbound Productions. When: 8:30 p.m. Friday, April 28 Where: Begins at Fourth Avenue and Washington Street, Olympia Weather: The event is weather-dependent, because the luminary art cant withstand heavy rain. But the forecast is for sunny skies and a high of 77 degrees on Friday. Get involved: All are invited to participate in the procession. If youd like to carry a paper luminary, meet at 8 p.m. at Lamplighters, 211 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia. More volunteers are needed, too. More information (including the route): https://artswalkoly.com/events/2023/luminary-procession Bed Bath & Beyond said it wouldn't accept coupons on April 26, but some locations did anyway. Dominick Reuter/Insider Bed Bath & Beyond filed for bankruptcy on Sunday, April 23, surprising some employees and customers. The company said it will pursue "an orderly wind down" of its business to shutter its remaining stores. Insider visited a location in Wisconsin that had managed to stay off the closing list before now. It didn't look ready to close. Bed Bath & Beyond filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Sunday, April 23, following a long battle to stay financially afloat. Dominick Reuter/Insider The move meant that stores that were expected to remain open, like this one in Wisconsin, would begin winding down and prepare to close. Dominick Reuter/Insider The bankruptcy announcement caught many shoppers and employees by surprise. The company said it would begin store-closing sales on April 26. Dominick Reuter/Insider This location posted notices at the entrance telling shoppers that coupons and Welcome Rewards would no longer be accepted, as well as informing customers that all sales are final on items bought during the store closing. Dominick Reuter/Insider Insider arrived at the store shortly after opening on the morning the sale began. Dominick Reuter/Insider The shelves were generally well-stocked and organized, and didn't indicate the trouble the company is in. Dominick Reuter/Insider Many items, like these Dyson vacuums, had sale tags when the store opened but it soon became clear that those deals were no longer valid when employees started taking them down. Dominick Reuter/Insider The clearance section was moderately full, with seasonal items from Valentines Day, Christmas, and Halloween. Dominick Reuter/Insider A note reminded shoppers that certain price codes meant additional discounts would not be available on some items. Dominick Reuter/Insider A SodaStream display informed customers that the store would no longer exchange empty CO2 canisters. Dominick Reuter/Insider The store was busier than normal for a Wednesday morning, and the number of shoppers continued to increase. Dominick Reuter/Insider One employee said Monday and Tuesday, the first two days after the bankruptcy announcement, had been exceptionally busy. Dominick Reuter/Insider An early sign of trouble for the company was reported last week: a sharp decline in wedding registries for 2023. The company says customers with outstanding registries will have their orders fulfilled by a third-party platform. Story continues Dominick Reuter/Insider About an hour after opening, employees were pulling red sale tags off of shelves and displays as shoppers browsed the aisles. Dominick Reuter/Insider For a moment, almost nothing in the store had a discount posted an odd thing to see for any BB&B regular. Dominick Reuter/Insider As soon as the old sale signs were removed, new 10% off signs were taped all around the store. Dominick Reuter/Insider Some customers had arrived with the customary stacks of coupons, but they soon learned they were a day late to use them at this location. Dominick Reuter/Insider One shopper came in with a stack she said she had been saving "for years" and began handing out coupons to anyone she saw. Bed Bath & Beyond said it wouldn't accept coupons on April 26, but some locations did anyway. Dominick Reuter/Insider But since the coupons were now unusable at that store, many ended up in a stack in a chair near the front door. They're not completely useless, though. Big Lots and The Container Store have said they will honor them. Dominick Reuter/Insider Source: Insider It's not just coupons this Bed Bath & Beyond store is not accepting job applications either. Dominick Reuter/Insider Additionally, the company's Welcome Rewards membership is no longer eligible for discounts or points, and the membership fee is not refundable. Dominick Reuter/Insider Source: Bed Bath & Beyond Shoppers were given unbranded plastic bags for their purchases, but the large reusable shopping bags could become a memento for collectors of corporate memorabilia. Dominick Reuter/Insider Some shoppers told Insider they had expected more significant discounts than the 10% offered, and noted that prices for some items were actually higher Wednesday than the day before. Dominick Reuter/Insider Others said they felt bad for the employees, who were expecting their store to remain open. Dominick Reuter/Insider When a shopper asked about the liquidation plan, one employee said: "We'd be the last to know." The worker said to another shopper: "We'd like to know too. They haven't told us yet." Dominick Reuter/Insider Many visitors left the store empty-handed, while others bought just a few items, apparently holding off on some purchases until prices are cut further. Dominick Reuter/Insider Ultimately this store did not look like one of the hundreds of Bed Bath & Beyond locations that have gone through liquidation in recent months, with empty shelves and disorganized merchandise. Dominick Reuter/Insider Source: Insider It looked like a store that was ready to stay in business and do well, but as it happens, the problems facing the company are simply too large. Dominick Reuter/Insider Read the original article on Business Insider BMW Wes Anderson is one of the few filmmakers with a style thats distinctive. He doesnt make movies about superheroes or films that depend on CGI manipulation. He comes by his weird by putting the quirk in quirky. Now TikTok users are taking Andersons oddball perspective and applying it to their daily lives. It was inevitable that this would spread to the car-obsessed segment of the video platform. And it has. There is a BMW involved. First, a Wes Anderson primer. With films like The Royal Tennenbaums, Rushmore, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and The French Dispatch, he often seems to elevate the aesthetic above conventional, linear storytelling. And seems to prefer deadpan acting instead of flamboyant emotionalism. A Wes Anderson film is, above all, cinematic, explained Nicole LaJeunesse of VideoMaker.com in January. The writer/directors love and understanding of film as a creative medium shines through his work in every frame. That includes, continues LaJeunesse, symmetrically composed shots, considered tableaus, precise use of color, and long takes without editing. It often plays as visual commentary that doesnt need narration or dialog to express a viewpoint. And a lot of his characters wear berets. Here's some weirdness from The French Dispatch for flavor. Jesus Jimenez at The New York Times noted the emerging TikTok/Anderson trend in a story published April 24. The short videos, often the products of meticulous editing, have drawn tens of thousands of views each, he reported. In some cases, theyve drawn millions. Ava Williams, 26, a photographer from Brooklyn, made a TikTok video of a train ride from Connecticut to New York this month. Since she posted it on April 8, her early morning journey on the Shore Line East has been viewed more than 12 million times. It all comes together as an elevation of the mundane through the craft of mini-movie making. That brings up an M3 that is frustrating its owner, Avery Carter. Carter has been posting about his E46 maintenance adventures across social media Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and maybe JibJab, DoorSnore, CyberArk, and of course, SnotRocket upped his creative game with this Wes Anderson transmission removal and clutch diagnostic. Story continues The Wes Anderson thing will go on maybe a few more weeks. Its fun, its kind of innocent, and it helps a lot if youve seen his movies. This one has an MGB-GT in it. So, here. You Might Also Like West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) announced his campaign for Senate on Thursday, officially joining the race to oust incumbent Joe Manchin, a conservative Democrat. The West Virginia Senate race is one of the GOPs best opportunities to flip a seat as Republicans seek to win a majority in the upper chamber. Manchin is viewed as one of the most vulnerable Democrats in a red state that voted heavily for former President Donald Trump. I am officially announcing my candidacy for the United States Senate, and I absolutely will promise you to God above that I will do the job, and I will do the job that will make you proud, Justice said in his announcement. The 72-year-old billionaire coal magnate switched from the Democratic Party to the GOP a few months after taking office in 2017 and declared his support for Trump. Hes since seen high approval ratings, topping those of Manchin. The two-term governor is expected to make his announcement Thursday at the posh Greenbriar Resort he owns, accompanied by his bulldog, Babydog, and several GOP senators. Before taking on Manchin, however, Justice would have to defeat Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.), who has the support of various allies of Trump, as well as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and the conservative group Club for Growth. Mooney has already accused Justice of being a RINO, or Republican in name only, in a signal of what is likely to be a contentious primary. Manchin hasnt said yet whether he will run for reelection, but hes tacked to the right in recent months, blasting the Biden administration over its climate policies, voting with Republicans to overturn key regulations, and blocking the confirmation of some of President Joe Bidens top executive nominees. Hes even threatened to support the repeal of the Democrats major health and climate law which he helped write due to the way the Biden administration is implementing it. But Manchin has dismissed the notion that politics have anything to do with his recent attacks on the Biden administration. Story continues Not at all, Manchin told reporters this week. Ive run for a long time. Ive been in state office for a long time. I lost one race in 1996. I made a vow that Id never lose another race. On Thursday, ahead of Justices announcement, Manchin issued a defiant statement vowing to win any race he decides to run. I am laser-focused on doing the job West Virginians elected me to do lowering healthcare costs, protecting Social Security and Medicare, shoring up American energy security and getting our fiscal house in order. But make no mistake, I will win any race I enter, Manchin said. Related... Live in Wichita and want to get a pet? This Forbes ranking might convince you. According to the report, Wichita is one of the most affordable cities in the U.S. to own a pet. With a score of 91.46 out of 100, Wichita ranked the No. 4 best place for pet owners, right above Cincinnati and right below Nashville. The rankings were done by measuring the cost of veterinarian visits, spay/neuter surgeries, vaccinations, the amount of pet stores, vet clinics and more. Overall, Wichita was ranked the second best city for dog and cat veterinary costs. Heres the average of pet costs in Wichita, according to the Forbes ranking: Dog spay/neuter surgeries: $420.55 Cat spay/neuter surgeries: $260.70 Dog and cat vet clinic visits: $54.95 Dog vaccinations: $192.07 Cat vaccinations: $83.75 Dog and cat dental cleanings: $334.95 Forbes also reports Wichita has the second highest concentration of pet stores in the country and the 13th highest for veterinarian clinics. In order to own a dog in Wichita, one must get a dog license renewed every year for any dog older than 5 months. The fee for the license can reach $46, but the amount can be reduced if the dog is spayed or neutered, microchipped or lives on a fenced property. All dogs in Wichita are required to receive the rabies vaccine at least every three years. According to Forbes, 66% of households in the U.S. have pets, a 10% increase from 1988. The three most popular pets in the nation are dogs, cats and freshwater fish. Here are Forbes 10 best cities for pet owners: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Thursday said it was undemocratic for the Montana statehouse to move to censure state Rep. Zooey Zephyr (D) over her remarks about gender-affirming care for minors. When you see these types of things, silencing an elected representative, in an attempt to suppress their message is a denial of democratic values. It is undemocratic, Jean-Pierre said, adding that the Biden administration stands with transgender and LGBTQ leaders. All House Republicans in Montana voted to censure Zephyr one of the states first openly transgender lawmakers which bars her from the House floor for the rest of the legislative session. The vote came after she claimed her colleagues who voted for a bill to ban gender-affirming care for minors would have blood on your hands. Were seeing devastating pieces of legislation across the country, in state houses, aimed at taking away freedoms, Jean-Pierre said, referring to the bill that passed in the Montana state House. The move to restrict Zephyrs voice in Montana made national headlines. Zephyr said in an interview with The Associated Press that the move by state House Republicans to censure her has brought many more eyes. All 68 House Republicans in the state voted to censure Zephyr, while all 32 Democrats voted against it. Though banned from the House floor and gallery, Zephyr has the option to participate remotely, but only for votes. President Biden also called the censuring of the Tennessee Three over a gun violence protest earlier this month undemocratic. Biden on Tuesday hosted state Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, the two Tennessee lawmakers who were once expelled from the states legislature, and Rep. Gloria Johnson, who was subject to expulsion, at the White House to discuss their recent protest to call for gun control. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The White House on Thursday denied that President Biden was given questions in advance of a press conference with the South Korean president after a photo showed him holding a card with information about a reporter and the outline of a question about semiconductor manufacturing. A photo that went viral on Thursday showed a close up of the card, featuring the name and photo of a Los Angeles Times reporter who was first to ask Biden a question. The card also gave an outline of a question, reading: How are YOU squaring YOUR domestic priorities like reshoring semiconductors manufacturing with alliance-based foreign policy? The question, asked by White House correspondent Courtney Submaranian, was not word-for-word the same as what was printed on the card. She asked if rules against expanding chip manufacturing in China was damaging a key ally in the competition with China to help your domestic politics ahead of the election. Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, asked Thursday about the image, said its entirely normal for the president to be briefed ahead of time on which reporters will be asking a question and issues we expect they might ask about. But she denied that Biden had advanced knowledge of the specific question. We do not have specific questions in advance. Thats not something we do, Jean-Pierre said. And in fact, I would point out that the question that was asked was different than what was on the card that you all saw. And again, look, we have these press conferences, the president takes you questions. Our job is to get a sense of what you all want to ask him so that we are all, not just him, we are all prepared to take that seriously, Jean-Pierre continued. In addition to The Los Angeles Times, a correspondent for ABC News was given the opportunity to ask a question on Wednesday. Biden also responded to a shouted question from a Fox News reporter as he and the South Korean president were preparing to go back inside the White House. Story continues It is not uncommon for presidents to have notes in front of them during press conferences or other events, and former President Trump frequently had his notes photographed and analyzed for the hand-written annotations he made on the papers. Bidens use of such notations has drawn particular scrutiny from conservatives who have already questioned whether he has the mental acuity to do the job. Biden, who is 80, was the oldest president to be sworn-in when he took the oath of office in January 2021. He announced this week he will seek a second term. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The White House said on Thursday that it was entirely normal for a president to be briefed about the journalists who would ask questions at news conferences, a day after President Joe Biden was seen holding a paper with what appeared to be a reporters question. Its entirely normal for a president to be briefed on reporters who will be asking questions at a press conference and issues we expect they might ask about, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing on Thursday. The comments come after Biden was seen on Wednesday holding a note card titled "question 1" regarding a Los Angeles Times reporters information during a joint news conference with President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea. Jean-Pierre said the information on the card was different from the question that was asked. We do not have specific questions in advance. Thats not something that we do, she said. Jean-Pierre also said the White House reaches out beforehand to a number of reporters who will be at a news conference and tries to pick those who havent been called on for a while. The press secretary said the White House talks with Biden before a news conference about an array of topics that could potentially come up. We are mindful on who we pick and who we want to communicate out to, Jean-Pierre said. President Joe Biden spent four months challenging Republicans to do one simple thing when it came to the debt ceiling: Show a plan. Now, House Republicans narrow Wednesday passage of a debt limit bill packed with spending cuts and conservative priorities is forcing Biden to shift tactics. That vote is kicking off a new phase in the high-stakes standoff that will test Democrats ability to stay united and follow through on their threats to make vulnerable GOP lawmakers pay for supporting a politically toxic plan. The White House and congressional Democrats are preparing to ramp up attacks on House Republicans over the bill, targeting swing-district members for endorsing policies that would strip investments in their home districts and gut funding for popular programs. Bidens party insists its feeling little pressure to now deliver on House Speaker Kevin McCarthys biggest ask a true negotiation over the debt ceiling. "If you reward hostage taking, it simply repeats," said Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), a close Biden ally. "I don't expect the president to now say, 'Oh my gosh, you passed a bill with two votes that imposes draconian cuts across programs that most Americans would never support. Now I have to come and give you whatever you want.'" Biden is refusing to budge from his demand that Congress pass an unconditional increase to the debt ceiling, betting that he still holds the stronger hand in the face of an economic catastrophe. And while a smattering of moderate Democrats have begun urging the president to actually negotiate with Republicans, the majority of the party seems content with showcasing a GOP bill they see as a self-inflicted wound in swing seats. But Democrats public confidence that theyre winning the messaging war masks private concerns over how this all ultimately ends and what damage the standoff may do to a fragile, recovering economy thats critical to Bidens case for re-election. Story continues Biden allies had expected McCarthys bid to pass a sweeping debt ceiling bill to fail, especially after watching him struggle to win the speakership and quickly abandon his plan to construct a full budget proposal. Even the Republicans understood the skepticism directed at them with the thin majority. Nobody thought we would have this. Nobody thought we could get together and get anything to [the Senate], Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) said in an interview Thursday. If they want to say it's not good enough, then I'm sorry that theyre doing that to the country. But once it became clear that McCarthy lacked the influence to wrangle his conference, Biden's team reasoned, Republicans would lose most of their leverage and eventually soften their demand for concessions. The White House had harbored doubts about the bills chances of success even after McCarthy announced plans for a vote, privately questioning whether he could win over the last handful of conservatives trying to push the bill further to the right. The speaker only had room to lose a handful of members. Maybe he'll eventually get it, but boy, who knows what theyll have to put in it, one adviser close to the White House said on Wednesday morning, as McCarthy raced to lock down the votes he needed. Yet after the speaker pulled it off, notably winning broad support from his conservative wing, the dynamics shifted. An emboldened McCarthy vowed to make the next several months far more complicated for the White House than aides had initially hoped. No clean debt ceiling is going to pass the House, McCarthy said to reporters on Wednesday as he did a victory lap. In the aftermath of the vote, Biden allies and advisers privately acknowledged that there's no clear endgame to the debt ceiling standoff and that McCarthy's victory makes it more difficult to convince moderate Republicans to back a clean debt ceiling increase for fear of economic disaster. The White House signaled that Biden would now be willing to meet with McCarthy for the first time since early February while sticking to their longstanding position that any negotiations be over the broader federal budget, and not the debt ceiling. "I don't think that it should be a debt ceiling negotiation, I think that it should be a budget negotiation," said Robert Wolf, a prominent Democratic fundraiser and former Obama-era economic adviser, characterizing it as a "thread the needle" challenge for the White House to draw the distinction. GOP leaders, meanwhile, were left livid that the White House had once again brushed aside their opening bid still refusing to meet with McCarthy on the debt limit. I think its absolutely tone deaf, said Rep. Garret Graves (R-Ga.), a McCarthy deputy who helped craft the partys debt limit. I could not believe he made such an arrogant statement. Well continue to reach out to the White House, Graves said. But, he added with his eye on the opposite chamber: Obviously, its the Senates ball at this point. A White House official said that Biden has consistently challenged Republicans over their various proposals, including criticizing an early blueprint from the Freedom Caucus at several points, and maintained from the outset that he was open to negotiating the budget but not the debt ceiling. White House officials have kept in close touch with Senate leaders over their plans to maintain Bidens no-negotiation posture, believing they can still grind enough Republicans down over time especially as pressure and political attacks on swing-district lawmakers begin to mount. Despite McCarthys victory on Wednesday, Biden allies noted that he still lost four members on what was effectively a messaging bill and needed Rep. George Santos to vote yes and bail him out of potential embarrassment. Still, there is recognition that the bills passage means Biden's "show us your plan" dismissals will no longer cut it. Aides downplayed the idea that a meeting with Biden represents a direct reward for passing his bill, and stressed that any sitdown would include other congressional leaders. Biden is also unlikely to meet with Republicans on the issue until May at the earliest, with the House leaving Friday for recess until May 8. (McCarthy allies, though, had said hes willing to fly back to D.C. for such an occasion.) For now, though, most Democrats seem comfortable with Bidens position. Most Americans want Republicans to take action to avoid default. They dont want the price of that to be throwing a million people off Meals on Wheels, said Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), who endorsed Biden early in the 2020 primary. After thats done, on a bill that should be about [the debt ceiling] and nothing else, you can have lots of discussions about appropriations level. Those kinds of Democratic attacks targeting the GOPs proposed cuts to popular social programs will likely make up much of Bidens messaging going forward. Though White House officials remain nervous about how and when the standoff will end, Biden's more politically minded advisers see the House bill as an early gift to a re-election campaign that will rely heavily on contrasting Biden's agenda with the goals of the GOP's conservative wing, two people familiar with the campaign planning said. Still, battleground Republicans argue that its Democrats, not their own party, that will face backlash if they keep sitting idle. Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.), who won a seat that swung towards Biden in 2020, said he is looking for a president that actually shows up to the table. But he also acknowledges that what Republicans passed was the first salvo in what is expected to be a tense standoff even if other members of the right wing disagree. McCarthy has been very clear: This is the first step to change, right? But you got to be in a negotiation, Garcia said Tuesday. You have to have another party at the table to negotiate with, so we will not negotiate with ourselves anymore. By Andrea Shalal and Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The situation in Sudan could worsen at any moment and Americans should leave within the next 24 to 48 hours, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said on Thursday. The administration was deeply concerned by an increase in ceasefire violations in Sudan on Wednesday, and the U.S. State Department has deployed additional consular staff, Jean-Pierre said. "The situation could deteriorate at any moment," she told a news briefing. "We are working continuously to create options for American citizens to leave Sudan." Jean-Pierre said the United States had deployed U.S. intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets to support air and land evacuation routes, which Americans were using. The U.S. was also moving naval assets within the region, positioning them to provide any necessary support along the Sudanese coast, she added. "This is a dynamic environment, and any option entails a degree of risk. But because the situation is unlikely to improve, we encourage Americans who want to leave to take advantage of the options that are available to them in the next 24 to 48 hours." Jean-Pierre spoke shortly before Sudan's Rapid Support Forces paramilitary force agreed to extend a truce for 72 hours following battles with Sudan's army in Khartoum on Thursday. The conflict has turned residential areas into war zones and sent tens of thousands of people fleeing for their lives. Hundreds of people have been killed in nearly two weeks of conflict between the army and RSF, which are locked in a power struggle threatening to destabilize the wider region. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Steve Holland; Writing by Moira Warburton; Editing by Tim Ahmann and David Gregorio) The Biden administration on Thursday threw its support behind a Senate vote on the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) planned for this week, 100 years after the measure was first introduced. In the United States of America, no ones rights should be denied on account of their sex, the White House said in a statement of administration policy. It is long past time to definitively enshrine the principle of gender equality in the Constitution. Gender equality is not only a moral issue: the full participation of women and girls across all aspects of our society is essential to our economic prosperity, our security, and the health of our democracy. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Monday that the Senate would hold a vote on the ERA this week, citing a slew of recent developments threatening womens rights, such as the Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and an ongoing court fight over access to abortion medication. The ERA would guarantee equal rights under the law regardless of sex. The measure was first introduced in 1923. In 1972, it was passed by both chambers of Congress and sent to the states for ratification. However, Congress set a deadline that the amendment be ratified by the necessary three-fourths or 38 of the states by 1979. It voted to extend the deadline until 1982, but only 35 states ultimately ratified the amendment. After Nevada and Illinois ratified the ERA in 2017 and 2018, Virginia became the 38th state to approve the amendment in 2020. The bill heading to the Senate floor this week would remove the original deadline for ratification of the ERA and recognize it as valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. London King Charles III's coronation ceremony on May 6 will be a historic event watched by millions of people around the world but witnessed in person by only a number of handpicked guests. While the final coronation guest list has not yet been made public by the U.K. government, some of the most recognizable guests have been confirmed. King Charles III's coronation: When it is and what to know The ceremony at London's ancient Westminster Abbey will be attended by members of the royal family, foreign dignitaries, politicians and even some members of the public. At the last coronation of a British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II's in 1953, about 8,000 people crowded into the abbey to witness the ceremony. The late queen's son King Charles will have a significantly reduced guest list of around 2,000 people. So, who got an invitation and who has been left out? Pretty much all of Britain's royal family have been invited to the coronation ceremony. That includes, of course, the king's eldest son and next in the royal line of succession, William, the Prince of Wales. His wife Katherine, Princess of Wales, will also be there, as will the couple's children. William and Kate's oldest child, Prince George of Wales, will not only be there, but will be the youngest future king he's next in line to the throne after his father to play an official role in the coronation ceremony as a page. He will help usher the long train of his grandfather's robe down the aisle of Westminster Abbey during the proceedings. William's younger brother Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry to attend King Charles' coronation without Meghanconfirmed in April that he would attend the coronation, after weeks of speculation. His wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, will not make the trip from their home in California, however, and will instead remain with the couple's children Archie and Lilibet. Story continues King Charles' siblings, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, are also all expected to be at the coronation ceremony, though British media have said Andrew, who lost his role as a "working royal" after settling a sexual assault case out of court with an American accuser, will not play a prominent role in the events of the day. Prince Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has confirmed publicly that she will not be attending the coronation ceremony. While "Fergie" and her ex-husband remain on good terms, she said on Britain's ITV earlier this year that as the coronation is a formal state occasion, "being divorced, I don't think that you can have it both ways." Members of other royal families from across Europe and the rest of the world are also believed to have been invited, which breaks with the tradition of previous coronations, when the British royals were pretty much the only royals in attendance. Some British politicians are also expected to attend, but due to the reduced number of guests, only a small number have been invited. Current U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to be there, along with at least some of his cabinet ministers, and places have reportedly been guaranteed for former prime ministers, too. This photo released by Buckingham Palace shows an example of a blank official invitation to King Charles III's coronation. / Credit: Buckingham Palace Foreign heads of state, particularly those of key British allies and members of the British Commonwealth, have also been invited, including leaders from Europe and U.S. President Biden. Mr. Biden will not make the trip, however, having been in the U.K. recently. First lady Jill Biden will attend instead, and Mr. Biden told King Charles in a phone call in April that he hoped to meet with the monarch in the U.K. at a later date. In a break from tradition, King Charles also wanted to invite members of the public who have distinguished themselves by serving their communities through volunteering or contributing to charitable work. Julian Payne, who served as communications director for the then-Prince Charles, told CBS News that people tuning in to watch the coronation "will be looking at less of the aristocracy and more of the meritocracy, as those people who are serving the country are brought to the fore." More than 1,250 volunteers and young people have been invited to either attend the coronation service or surrounding events. Buckingham Palace has also confirmed that 450 "COVID heroes," who helped the U.K. navigate the pandemic, have been invited to attend the service in person at Westminster Abbey. "For the king, this is about duty and service, and those people who provide that role for the country should be there with him on the day," said Payne. Get a unique look at King Charles, as close friends, confidantes and ex-lovers share stories on the man behind the crown. Stream the documentary, "King Charles: The Boy Who Walked Alone," starting Tuesday, May 2, exclusively on Paramount+. Pence testifies before federal grand jury investigating Trump Senators push for cameras inside Supreme Court An American Down Under | Sunday on 60 Minutes BEDFORD, N.H. Presidential hopeful and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley spent part of her campaign stop in New Hampshire Wednesday evening taking a jab at former CNN host Don Lemon, who recently said he was terminated by the network. Do you feel that its possible that Don Lemon was fired because he was beyond his prime? an attendee at Haley's town hall in Bedford asked, referencing Lemons remarks in February when he suggested Haley was too old to be in her prime as a woman. Haley is so far the only woman in the 2024 Republican presidential field. God bless Don Lemon, Haley said to chuckles from the packed crowd in a local taproom. All Ill say is, Whos in their prime now? That was a gift to every woman in America, Haley said of Lemons termination. Stay in the conversation on politics: Sign up for the OnPolitics newsletter Republican presidential candidate and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley speaks at a town hall event in New Hampshire on April 26, 2023 in Bedford, New Hampshire. What did Don Lemon say about Nikki Haley? After Haleys formal campaign announcement in February, Lemon commented on "CNN This Morning" about her calls for mental competency tests for politicians over the age of 75 and questioned the 51-year-old candidate's own ability to serve. "She says people, politicians are not in their prime," Lemon said. "Nikki Haley is not in her prime, sorry. A woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s, 30s and maybe her 40s." His co-host, Poppy Harlow, challenged his comments, to which Lemon doubled down. "Dont shoot the messenger, Im just saying what the facts are," Lemon said. Lemon later apologized on Twitter, calling the comments "irrelevant" and that "a womans age doesnt define her either personally or professionally." Lemon was off the show for a few days after the comments but soon returned as a host. Haley responded, tweeting the exchange and saying "its always the liberals who are the most sexist." Haleys campaign later promoted beer koozies as fundraising merchandise, branded with the phrase, "Past my prime? Hold my beer." Story continues Lemon said in a statement he was terminated Monday, as CNN wrote in a story on its website that the network and longtime anchor had "parted ways." Nikki Haley not 'in her prime'?: Don Lemon's comments spotlight a political reality for women candidates Republican presidential candidate and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley speaks at a town hall event in New Hampshire on April 26, 2023 in Bedford, New Hampshire. Haley makes third trip to early voting state of New Hampshire Haleys stop in Bedford was part of a third trip to the important first-in-the-nation primary state of New Hampshire. In her stump speech, Haley campaigned on her achievements as governor of South Carolina and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. She went through a list of campaign priorities, including addressing the national debt and the migrant crisis at the southern border. Haley is scheduled to stop in Henniker on Thursday and Laconia on Friday. Go deeper: New Hampshire Republicans don't want to lose again. GOP voters want 'new blood' in 2024 Republican presidential candidate and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley speaks at a town hall event in New Hampshire on April 26, 2023 in Bedford, New Hampshire. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nikki Haley jabs at Don Lemon CNN firing: 'Who's in their prime now?' Republicans hoping to make a splash in the 2024 presidential nomination process may have a shorter runway than usual to launch a campaign that can draw national support making Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses an even more critical early benchmark of success. For former President Donald Trump, a big win in Iowa could cement his hold on the party and help him build traction with voters in later states while a loss could indicate debilitating vulnerabilities. And the growing cadre of Republicans challenging him are expected to face increased pressure from national donors hoping to avoid the kind of fractured field that helped elevate Trump to the nomination in 2016. Those donors are unlikely to tolerate candidates who fail to amass serious support by Caucus Day. I think Iowas more important than ever this cycle, said Bob Vander Plaats, president of the influential Christian conservative group The Family Leader. If Trump were to win and win big in Iowa, I think he runs the table to the nomination. If Trump is halted in Iowa and say a (Ron) DeSantis or a (Mike) Pompeo or a Nikki Haley wins the Iowa caucuses, I think it's now game on to the nomination. More: Iowa Poll: Donald Trumps Republican support erodes in Iowa, even as many remain committed Iowas caucuses have long played the role of winnowing a large field to a group of candidates who have proven they are viable. This is a cycle where we certainly will need to winnow out who's a pretender and who's a contender," said Republican political consultant Eric Woolson, a veteran of six presidential campaigns in Iowa. With outside pressure on candidates to drop out of the race and help the party coalesce behind a Trump alternative, Vander Plaats said, that winnowing process becomes even more critical and may need to happen faster than in other years. I think what will happen in Iowa is that quickly the party and America will see who are the two or three or maybe even just one viable candidate going up against the former president, he said. That's why I think there's going to then be a call on the other candidates to begin a coalescing and a narrowing of the field. Story continues More: Iowa's 50 Most Wanted: These Republicans will help shape the 2024 presidential caucuses Pressure expected to mount for underperforming presidential candidates Republicans saw a historically large field of candidates in 2016, with 17 Republicans competing in Iowa. A dozen made it to Caucus Day, and three more dropped out shortly after. Still, five candidates remained in the race on Super Tuesday in March, and Trump did not become the presumptive nominee until May when he trounced U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in the Indiana primary. In retrospect, some Republicans fretted that the big field widened Trumps path to the nomination as candidates such as Cruz, then-Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and former Ohio Gov. John Kasich split the not Trump vote. Some major donor groups are already signaling they want to avoid a similar scenario in 2024. Among them is the Charles Koch-backed Americans For Prosperity, which has a strong presence in Iowa. The group issued a memo in February indicating it plans to get involved in primaries far sooner than in the past, arguing the country needs a president who represents a new chapter. More: Iowa sees a surge of presidential caucus activity after slower start to 2024 An AFP official confirmed to the Des Moines Register the group intends to endorse a candidate other than Donald Trump. The official said in a statement that the group will invest in states with early primaries and key Senate races, using that work to help inform which presidential candidate it will support in Iowas caucuses. Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who had been weighing a potential run, announced Sunday he would step aside rather than risk "being part of another multicar pileup that could potentially help Mr. Trump recapture the nomination." In an interview on Face the Nation, he said there are a lot of potential challengers to Trump polling in the single digits, "and the more of them you have, the less chance you have of somebody rising up." A Real Clear Politics rolling average of presidential primary polls shows Trump leading the prospective field with about 45% of the vote a strong plurality, though he fails to reach a majority. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has emerged in the early stages of the race as Trumps chief rival, garners about 29%, while every other candidate tested is in single digits. Matt Dailer, a Republican political consultant who was Iowa U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassleys 2022 campaign manager, said if candidates running against Trump are serious about taking the country in a new direction, as theyve already suggested on the stump in Iowa, then theyll need to heed calls to step aside early if theyre not attracting support. Once the writing's on the wall that they arent getting the traction they need to pull it off, we need to see these candidates drop out and endorse someone else who is getting traction, he said. Trump himself has seemed to acknowledge the personal benefit of a crowded primary race. The more the merrier, he told Fox News in a February interview when Haley, his former U.N. ambassador, announced her entry into the race. Haley announced her presidential campaign last month, has already traveled to Iowa once and plans a second trip in March. U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, former Vice President Mike Pence, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Michigan businessman Perry Johnson also made Iowa appearances in February. A Trump campaign spokesperson said that if more candidates want to enter the race, thats their prerogative. Trump recently announced he would make his first Iowa trip of the 2024 cycle March 13 in Davenport. In an interview with WHO radio's Simon Conway on Feb. 28, he said he plans to come back at least a couple of times before the election. In his 2016 caucus campaign, Trump tallied 48 events in Iowa, according to Des Moines Register data. He ran an unconventional caucus campaign, mostly flying in and out of the state for large rallies that drew hundreds of people, rather than participating in the kinds of retail politics that other candidates embraced. He placed second that year behind Cruz, who participated in 148 Iowa events. More: Nikki Haley is carving a lane in the Iowa caucuses as Donald Trump looms. Here's how: Trump continued to travel to the state regularly as president, and he has maintained strong ties to a number of activists and elected officials, whom he endorsed and campaigned for in the 2020 and 2022 elections. Republican political operatives expect him to retain significant support, even as many Iowans consider other contenders. In Iowa, Trump appears to be on a collision course with DeSantis, the only other potential or declared candidate currently polling in double digits. DeSantis is scheduled to make his Iowa debut with events in Davenport and Des Moines March 10. Still, Woolson said, its healthy to see additional candidates competing in Iowa even if the party works to winnow the field more aggressively than it has in past cycles. Caucusgoers have seen highly touted contenders flop once their campaigns are put to the test, he said, while unknowns have risen to victory. If the Republican Party has put all its eggs in the basket of Ron DeSantis going head-to-head with Donald Trump and then DeSantis decides for whatever reason not to run or if he drops out, where are we then? Woolson said. So I welcome seeing Gov. Haley. I'd like to see Vice President Pence and other folks come to Iowa to have us test them out and see what happens. More: Mike Pence rails in Iowa against 'radical gender ideology' as caucuses start to simmer In Iowa, key activists could help caucusgoers coalesce Candidates need money to run robust national campaigns, so the whims of national donors are important. But Iowas caucuses are driven more by grassroots organizing, and candidates like former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee both earned caucus night victories on shoestring operations. So in Iowa, key endorsers can play a bigger role in helping to coalesce support around candidates ahead of Caucus Day. Vander Plaats, who is a key envoy to Iowas evangelical voters and has typically endorsed candidates ahead of Caucus Day, said he may do so again in an effort to unite that base of caucusgoers. My role is to have an open and fair playing field for all the candidates who want to be introduced to our base, said. And then as the process goes on, you know, to have the pulse of our base, but also to really see you know, who's got the traction? Who has our shared beliefs and values? And maybe to help give direction at some point if I believe that's needed. More: Iowa's 50 Most Wanted: These Republicans will help shape the 2024 presidential caucuses Some of Iowas top Republican elected officials, such as Gov. Kim Reynolds and U.S. Sens. Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley, have said they dont plan to endorse this cycle. But others may choose to wade in. U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, who represents the critically important 4th Congressional District, said he hasnt ruled it out. It's always on the table, Feenstra told the Register. I'll have to see through the process and how it goes, but if there's a right candidate, absolutely. Republicans who want to win Iowa will need to make inroads in the 4th District, which covers 36 counties in the northwest corner of the state and includes some of the most conservative pockets of Iowa, where support for Trump soared in 2020. In Sioux and Lyon counties, Trump defeated Democrat Joe Biden with about 82% of the vote. Still, Feenstra said he thinks theres space for other Republicans to compete. I just think there's room, he said. And being an ambassador to the state, that's what I'm excited about is to just bring everybody here. He said he thinks the right candidate is someone who can help the party look forward. I ran a campaign about delivering results, he said. And I think that's got to be the bottom line for presidential candidates coming in here is how can we deliver results for rural Iowa? Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Why the 2024 Iowa Republican caucuses are more important than ever If youre wondering how far the drive is from West Sacramento to Ocean City, Maryland, its about 3,073 miles, according to a mileage sign at the intersection of U.S. Highway 50 East and Interstate 80. The sign is cemented in the regions lore as a mystery and a mecca. In 2002, even, tourists from Baltimore, Maryland, made the trek to take a photo with the sign for their honeymoon. For others, its a reminder of home. In the same year when the sign was stolen a Bay Area resident told The Sacramento Bee it was a memory of her childhood near the East Coast city. When shed drive to Sacramento, she could smell the salty air and sunscreen. I anticipate that sign, Suzanne Mitchell told The Bee in 2002. It makes the ride shorter. The sign was replaced (again it had been stolen before). And now, more than 20 years later it still sparks curiosity among passersby. Nicole Thomas recently asked Bee Curious, a community-driven series where we answer questions about the Sacramento region: Why does our freeway show where Ocean City Maryland is by West Sacramento? Heres your answer, Nicole: Why is it here? Simply put: It connects the West Coast to the East Coast. U.S. Highway 50 connects both coasts and each location references each other, said Dennis Keaton, a spokesperson with the California Department of Transportation. More than 3,000 miles to the east, a similar sign is posted on U.S. Highway 50 in Ocean City, Maryland. On a green banner, it states: Sacramento Ca 3073. You can take Highway 50 known as the Loneliest Road in America all the way. An atlas will be your friend, as the GPS tries to lead you to more traveled routes. On the quickest route about 40 hours without traffic youll just need to follow I-80 East straight to U.S. 50 East/Ocean Gateway in Queen Annes County. Then youll take U.S. 50 East and Ocean Gateway to Caroline Street in Ocean City. Youll hit tolls, too. Whose idea was it to put the signs up? The sign in Maryland first went up in 1974, according to the June 2002 Bee report. Story continues In the 1980s, John R. Cooper who led highway maintenance at Caltrans, spotted the sign in Ocean City and decided to put one up in Sacramento, CapRadio reported in 2016. Due to their novelty, the signs in the two cities have been swiped by thieves and replaced multiple times. It got to a point where Maryland highway officials had to hang the sign above the freeway instead of mounting it into the ground so that it would be harder to steal. From 1999 to 2002, the sign in West Sacramento had been stolen twice. For the replacement, Caltrans wanted to make it harder and less appealing for thieves to carry off. The agency made it bigger and included distances to Placerville and South Lake Tahoe. Rarely has one road sign been the source of so much aggravation, The Bee article stated, reporting how the sign manufacturing company responsible for making the sign replacement made a typo. It printed that the distance to Ocean City was 3,037, not 3,073. At the time, replacing the sign again would take more than $1,000 nearly $1,800 in 2023. Caltrans decided to glue over the numbers for $10. The sign hasnt been stolen recently, said Keaton from Caltrans. But the cost to replace a sign today would be about $5,000. A hospital in Texas reported 30 infant deaths in the past year due to co-sleeping or unsafe bedding. | Adobe Stock In the 15-month period between January 2022 and early April 2023, a childrens hospital in Forth Worth, Texas, recorded 30 infant deaths due to co-sleeping or unsafe bedding more than the combined total of deaths caused by drownings and gunshot wounds in the same period. Most of the infant deaths pronounced at Cook Childrens Medical Center came from sleeping with one or more parents or caregivers, according to a press release from the hospital and The Dallas Morning News. Hospital records show that numerous other conditions led to respiratory failure or cardiac arrest, resulting in infants deaths, including babies placed on a pillow with a propped bottle, in the crib with a blanket or pillow, in a recliner or on the couch next to a sleeping adult, or wearing a loose T-shirt that covered their face. The spike in deaths was the highest the hospital has seen in the last decade and a half, according to Cooks Childrens Medical Center trauma injury prevention coordinator Sharon Evans. More than half of the 30 infants who died were Black boys between the ages of 2 months and 6 months, according to hospitals data. Well-meaning parents sometimes keep babies close to them during naps or at night because they think its safer, according to a video about safe sleep habits from Cook Childrens Medical Center. Also, breastfeeding mothers and exhausted parents sometimes share their bed because it seems easier or more efficient or they lie down next to a snoozing baby and accidentally drift off to sleep themselves. Nobody intentionally does it, Evans said. I dont think any of the parents who are co-sleeping feel like theres any danger. Related Some families could be disproportionately impacted because of the inability to afford a separate sleep space for infants, like cribs or bassinets, and overcrowding in households that means everyone sleeps in the same bed, according to Candle Johnson, a nurse practitioner at Cook Childrens Renaissance Neighborhood Clinic in south Forth Worth. Story continues Cooks Children Hospital is using the spate of tragic deaths to sound the alarm about the risks of co-sleeping with infants and to educate the public about safe sleeping practices. But from birth to 12 months, parents should follow a number of guidelines to prevent suffocation deaths, experts say. Caregivers or parents should sleep in the same room but not the same bed as the baby the idea is room sharing without bed sharing. Infants should be placed in a bassinet or crib that is free of crib bumpers, bedding or toys. The sheet should fit tightly loose bedding can end up wrapped around a babys neck or face, leading to suffocation and the mattress should be firm and flat. Babies should always be put down to sleep on their backs, not on their stomachs or sides. Similarly, parents or caregivers should not use a wedge to prop babies up or to keep them on their sides. If parents are concerned about keeping babies warm, they should dress them in footed pajamas or sleep sacks. Experts also now warn against the common practice of swaddling infants, saying that it can lead to overheating, hip dysplasia and respiratory infections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that approximately 3,400 sleep-related deaths occur among American infants every year. In 1970, the first Earth Day celebration was held. That first year, millions of Americans gathered within their neighborhoods and communities on April 22 and conducted cleanups, demonstrations, and other activitiesmany of which are still held annually to honor the day. But that first Earth Day also marked a rising American awareness regarding our planets fragility. People could see clearly then what some seemingly struggle to see (or willingly acknowledge) today: all of the modern-day advancements, triumphs and booming industrial growth that has benefited the country financially has come with a cost. And that cost, or bounty as famed CBS anchor Walter Cronkite once said, has deadly by-products including fouled skies, filthy waters and littered earth. Cronkites remarks came during a special broadcast about that inaugural Earth Day. Dozens of people gather at 909 Centre Road, Greenville, on Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022, for the last day of the weeklong Occupy Biden event, where attendees camped out near President Joe Biden's home demanding action on climate change. The rising amount of carbon dioxide easily attributed to human activity, as our average atmospheric CO2 concentration now above 410 parts per million compared to 325 in 1970, and 280 before the industrial revolution. Its time to address this crisis, as the impacts of carbon dioxide to our environment and the resulting changes to the planets climate know no geographic boundary, and all Delawareans should appreciate our unique vulnerability. Our states location and low elevation provide the perfect place for sea-level rise to manifest with devastation. Weve worked with Sen. Stephanie Hansen to sponsor the Climate Solutions Act, which would set net emissions reduction targets for Delaware by 2030 (50%) and 2050 (100%) and codify a planning process to guide Delaware in meeting those goals. The CSA will serve as a plan for state agencies to follow, directing the agencies to consider greenhouse gas emissions and prescribing what actions any state agency should take to reduce emissions. The science is clear. We must reduce our emissions by this amount if we want to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Story continues Our wonderous planet is able to remove greenhouse gases naturally, recovering from damage and injury to its environment. However, the more gasses that are added, the bigger and longer that recovery effort becomes. The planets ability to heal itself is just as wonderous as our human ability to heal from a break, strain or other injury. Our injured Earth needs our help. Just as we might aid the bodys natural healing process by reducing or limiting activity detrimental in recovery, so too must we reduce and/or limit mankinds activity proven to be detrimental to the planet. To take it further, in some cases, medication is prescribed to mitigate an injurys lasting impact. For Delaware, the Climate Solutions Act provides medication if you will. These additional and actionable steps are realistic, responsible, achievable and, most importantly tangible. The CSA isnt a mandate for individuals or businesses in Delaware. It is the states prescribed plan to require our state agencies to consider climate change in decision-making, rulemaking, and procurement. In other words, these are statutory targets, everything done at a state level would be in a done in a way that would be proactive in aiding our environment with its own healing. These changes to what we do and how we do things at a state level will ultimately assist in balancing the scales, building on not only our past environmental progress, but also reaffirming our responsibility and continuing commitment to a positive path forward. Action-based changes to our fragile environment wont come quickly, but we mustnt be swayed from making them, as history has proven. Take for example lead-based gasoline. During the mid-20th century leaded gas was identified as one of the primary sources of airborne lead pollution. Regulation aimed at reducing the nations growing smog problem involved phasing out lead from gasoline production in the 1970s. As a result, airborne lead levels plummeted. The CSA is Delawares prescription for doing our part to assist our injured planet. Not only will the CSA provide the path for shrinking the states carbon footprint, but it will also ensure were creating a sustainable future; creating jobs, cleaning the air, improving public health and building our economy. Debra Heffernan represents the 6th District in the House of Representatives and serves as chair of the House Natural Resources & Energy Committee. Sophie Phillips represents the 18th District in the House of Representatives and serves as vice-chair of the House Natural Resources & Energy Committee. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware climate solutions WASHINGTON (AP) Warring factions trying to seize control of the east African nation of Sudan have plunged the country into chaos, and thousands are fleeing the capital of Khartoum and nearby battle zones. Some countries, including the U.S., have shuttered their embassies and many are coordinating daring evacuations of their staffs and other residents in an array of convoys, flights and frantic getaway drives. But over the past week there have been dramatically different responses by various governments as they try to get their citizens and embassy personnel to safety. The U.S. has come under scrutiny for evacuating roughly 70 embassy staff in a helicopter mission by elite SEAL commandos over the weekend, while warning thousands of private American citizens in Sudan there would be no similar evacuation for them. The State Department, which has advised U.S. citizens for years not to travel to Sudan, continues to advise Americans to shelter in place. Most of the estimated 16,000 Americans believed to be in Sudan right now are dual U.S.-Sudanese nationals and only a fraction of them have expressed a desire to leave. But at least some of those who want to leave have managed to get to Port Sudan where they can take a ferry to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, or have gotten seats on flights operated by other countries. A look at the situation: ___ WHATS HAPPENING IN SUDAN It all boils down to a struggle for power between two powerful generals and their armies: Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, who leads the Sudanese armed forces, and Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the head of a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces. Four years ago, a popular uprising in Sudan helped depose long-time autocrat Omar al-Bashir. But in 2021, the two generals Burhan and Dagalo jointly orchestrated a coup that derailed efforts to develop a civilian government. Both men have a history of human rights abuses, and their forces have cracked down on pro-democracy activists. Story continues Under international pressure, Burhan and Dagalo recently agreed to a framework agreement with political parties and pro-democracy groups. But the signing was repeatedly delayed as tensions rose over the integration of the RSF into the armed forces and the future chain of command. Tensions exploded into violence on April 15. Each side has tens of thousands of troops in and around Khartoum and the city of Omdurman on the opposite bank of the Nile River. On Wednesday, the second day of the latest fragile ceasefire, sporadic fighting continued. ___ HOW THE US GOT EMBASSY STAFF OUT As security conditions worsened late last week, including damage to the civilian airport and an attack on a U.S. diplomatic convoy in Khartoum, the State Department concluded that the only way we could do this safely for all of our diplomatic personnel was to rely on the capabilities of our military colleagues, said Ambassador John Bass, State Department undersecretary for management. On Saturday, the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum suspended its operations and ordered staff to leave the country. The Department of Defense had begun moving resources to Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti to prepare for a possible evacuation. On Saturday, three MH-47 Chinook helicopters carrying elite SEAL commandos took off from Djibouti enroute to Ethiopia, where they refueled and then made the three-hour flight to Khartoum. The operation was fast and clean, with service members spending less than an hour on the ground in Khartoum, said Lt. Gen D.A. Sims, director of operations at the Joint Staff. The helicopters flew in and out of Khartoum without taking any fire. ___ AMERICANS STILL IN SUDAN While embassy staff was airlifted out, there were no plans to provide similar evacuations for potentially thousands of Americans still in Sudan. In a security alert Tuesday, the State Department reiterated that due to the uncertain security situation in Khartoum and closure of the airport, it is not currently safe to undertake a U.S. government-coordinated evacuation of private U.S. citizens. Instead, it provided details on border crossings that are available and the requirements needed at each location. It cautioned that fighting continues and that many routes are dangerous and unpredictable. American citizens who get to Port Sudan overland and can take a ferry to Jeddah will be assisted by the U.S. consulate there. Right now, the U.S. assistance for Americans is largely limited to phone and virtual help. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that while the U.S. is helping other countries coordinate aerial rescue efforts, the administration believes the best and safest way for people to get out is overland. We are working to establish a process that would enable people to move overland to a place where they can more easily exit the country, in all likelihood Port Sudan, Blinken told reporters in Washington. Thats under very active development. The U.S. could send Navy vessels to Port Sudan to ferry Americans to Jeddah or another location where they could get transportation back to the United States. However, officials say this would depend on the security situation and whether it is safe for ships to dock. The U.S. has developed other options, such as opening a temporary consulate in Port Sudan, beefing up its consulate in Jeddah to assist Americans as they arrive, or using a nearby airfield that other European countries have used to fly citizens out. U.S. officials believe the security situation in Port Sudan is better than in the capital, but remain concerned about the potential for an escalation of violence. ___ WHAT OTHER COUNTRIES ARE DOING While the U.S. says it's too dangerous to get its citizens out, other countries are proceeding with evacuations of their nationals. France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, Holland, Turkey, Japan, South Korea, Jordan, South Africa, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are among the countries that have evacuated their citizens and those of other countries. Germanys defense ministry said in a tweet Tuesday it had ended its evacuation flights after flying more than 700 people out of Sudan including 200 Germans and hundreds more from more than 20 other nations. France said it had evacuated more than 500 people from 41 countries, and would keep a Navy frigate at Sudans main Red Sea port to continue assisting rescue operations for foreigners. The United Kingdom was continuing its military evacuations of civilians from an airport outside Khartoum. Brig. Dan Reeve told reporters Wednesday the situation was calm and that Sudans armed forces were maintaining good security around the airport. Saudi Arabias state run news service said Tuesday it had evacuated about 2,150 people by ship from Sudan, including 114 Saudi citizens and more than 2,000 evacuees from 62 other nations. And Egypt, which had evacuated more than 1,500 of its citizens, said its diplomatic mission wont leave Sudan until it ensures the evacuation of all those who want to leave. An administrator with the Egyptian embassy in Khartoum was shot dead Monday, the Foreign Ministry said. ___ IS THE US RESPONSE UNUSUAL? While many Americans may recall the dramatic 2021 evacuation of diplomats and private citizens alike from Afghanistan, those circumstances were far different. In most cases, the U.S. does not evacuate private citizens when it closes an embassy. The situation in Afghanistan was different because the U.S. was ending a 20-year military presence in the country. It was trying to extricate the residual American presence there, much of which was directly tied to Washingtons role in propping up the Afghan government. No such situation existed or exists in Sudan. More typical has been the practice in places like Yemen, Syria and Venezuela, where the U.S. suspended diplomatic operations and removed personnel because of turmoil, but did not evacuate private citizens. The U.S. also briefly shuttered the embassy in Kyiv because of the Russia invasion, but there was no military evacuation for either diplomats or private citizens, and the embassy has since re-opened. In contrast with the situation in Afghanistan, the U.S. was not involved militarily in the Sudan conflict and had no military presence on the ground apart from the small number of Marine guards at the Khartoum embassy. Also, the U.S. has warned Americans for several years not to travel to Sudan and told them that consular assistance at the embassy was extremely limited. ___ Associated Press writers Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington, Jill Lawless in London and Sam Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report. Winthrop Universitys ties run deep in the Rock Hill region. And thats especially true in The Heralds newsroom. The pipeline that carries talented editors, reporters and photographers from Winthrop University into our newsroom has been active for decades. If you look in our newroom, or that of The Charlotte Observer, you wont get far before you encounter a Winthrop University graduate. Our business at The Herald is built on providing local news for this regions readers. And its a badge of honor that we can claim home-grown talent -- with emphasis on talent and requisite skills -- as members of our staff. Thats also why it was a special privilege earlier this month to award gifts from The Herald to students who won Winthrop Universitys journalism competition. The winners are selected by the schools Department of Mass Communication. The schools awards are named in honor of Terry Plumb and Virginia Wilcox. Both are distinguished former leaders at The Herald. Terry Plumb was gracious enough to spend the better part of a day almost seven years ago showing me around the region after I became executive editor. And now, here are this years winners. The Herald Terry Plumb Journalism Awards General News: 144 graves of enslaved Africans found on a Winthrop alumnus newly purchased property: Samantha Hyatt Feature: Roddey Hall to lose its kitchens, and students will be assigned roommates despite having signed up for private rooms Ainsley McCarthy Photography/video: Winthrop honors the ballroom scene: Its not a dance Its a ball! Mari Pressley The Virginia Wilcox Design Award: For her work as a page designer for Arts, Culture & Tech page in The Johnsonian: Mari Pressley. Mari Pressley also will be a part of a contingent of summer interns this year working at The Charlotte Observer. The Heralds intern this summer is Kaylen Pritchard of Fort Mill. Best wishes to a true professional and journalist In my years at The Herald, Ive had the honor of working closely with Guy Reel. Weve worked to get professional-level writing opportunities for students. And he has shepherded countless students from school into newsrooms across the state. Story continues Reel is a former reporter and editor. And now hes retiring. Ive heard countless students call his name over the years. Theyve all said good things about him. And hes leaving a highly-respected department. I wish him much success in the future. He gets to have the last word in this spot. This is what he had to say: Being at Winthrop has been the best professional experience of my life, including my work as a newspaper reporter and editor. Training the next generation of media professionals is extremely important business, and I know our students at Winthrop are on the right track for professionalism, objectivity and success. 3 more pats on the back Early in this column I mentioned the importance of local news. Its appropriate in this space that I tell you members of The Herald staff are among the best. Earlier this spring, staff reporters Andrew Dys and John Marks, and photographer Tracy Kimball, all were honored for their stellar work by The South Carolina Press Association. If you spend much time roaming the streets of this region, dont be surprised if you encounter any of the three, or even me. The only way to write local news is to know the locale. We work every day to do that. Congratulations to Andrew, John and Tracy. Yui Mok/Pool via Reuters Prince Andrew was so delighted with what he thought was his brilliant performance in the Newsnight interview that ended his royal career, he invited the interviewer, Emily Maitlis, to stay on and attend a movie night at Buckingham Palace once taping had finished. The queen, however, knew as soon as she read a transcript of the interview, several hours before it was broadcast, that it was a disaster and summoned Andrew to her presence to discuss it. The new revelations are made in a Channel 4 documentary about Andrew, entitled Andrew: The Problem Prince, which is being screened on the traditionally anti-establishment British network Channel 4 as part of its counter-coronation programming. In the documentary, according to a report in the London Times, Maitlis said: This is how I know that Prince Andrew is happy with the interview because he stayed chatting. He seemed very jolly. Her producer Sam McAlister said: It should have been that we, the journalists, were euphoric and he was depressed and downfallen. But it was the opposite. He looked euphoric because he thought it had gone really well. Maitlis said: A whole load of people came in and I said, Whats going on? They said, OK, Thursday evenings we have the cinema night at the palace. You can stay if you want. And at that point, I just thought, Ive got to get away from here. I needed the space to work out what just happened. Maitlis added: It was only on the Saturday when the queen had reportedly read the whole transcript that he had received a tap on the shoulder by his security detail. And they had said, I think, Sir, you might have to come with us. It was after the queen had seen what the interview contained that I think it dawned on her. Prince Andrew Rues the Day He Settled With Virginia Giuffre, Friend Says There is evidence in the two-part documentary that Andrew, who has a reputation for arrogance, refused to listen to advisers who tried to deter him from doing the interview. Story continues Paul Tweed, an attorney and a friend of Andrew, said he told Andrew, when the idea of the interview was floated, Look, that would not be a good idea, Sir. However he subsequently received a phone call from Amanda Thirsk, the dukes private secretary: Amanda called me... She would have been very loyal, very protective of Prince Andrew. She was the gatekeeper in many ways. I believe he depended on her quite a bit. She just said, Im just letting you know the duke has decided to do the Newsnight interview. I said, Is he mad? Absolutely no way, no, no, no. Thats a bad idea. You should not do it. And Amanda just said, Look, Paul, Ive got to go. Ill call you later. And the phone was put down abruptly and that was it. So obviously the duke, for better or worse, had made his mind up, he was going to do it. McAlister also revealed Andrew took his daughter Princess Beatrice with him to the final negotiations with the BBC over the ground the interview would cover. Can you imagine being in Buckingham Palace, about to talk to a member of the royal family about sexual offenses? Thats pretty trickyand now Ive got to do it in front of his daughter, she said. In the documentary, various legal commentators say that had he not done the interview, it is unlikely the lawsuit brought against him by Virginia Giuffre would have turned out the way it did. Andrew settled Giuffres sex abuse claim for a figure reputedly running to millions of dollars. He denies any wrongdoing. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. A man facing life in prison after a Lee County jury convicted him April 12 of fatally shooting a Fort Myers Police officer seeks a new trial. Lee Hollander, who remained standby counsel for Wisner Desmaret, 34, during his capital murder trial, filed the motion. He's now Desmaret's attorney for appellate purposes, Hollander confirmed during a phone interview Thursday afternoon. Desmaret was convicted April 12 of fatally shooting officer Adam Jobbers-Miller, 29, on July 21, 2018. Jobbers-Miller had responded to a report of a stolen cellphone. Desmaret ran as Jobbers-Miller pursued him. After a scuffle, Desmaret him twice in the head with Jobbers-Miller's gun. He faces sentencing on June 5. Prior: Lee jury recommends life without parole for Wisner Desmaret, convicted of killing FMP officer Lawsuit filed: Naples father sues woman accused in drunken driving death of Charlotte County deputy. The motion, filed Wednesday, claims the court made a mistake by finding Desmaret competent to stand trial on two occasions Jan. 22, 2020, and Feb. 16, 2021; allowing Desmaret to represent himself despite admitting on record during trial he was hearing and listening to 'voices;' and denying Desmaret's pretrial motion for change of venue filed Aug. 16, 2022. Desmaret had sought to move his trial out of Southwest Florida, citing media coverage in the case. Hollander now requests either a new trial or a judgment of acquittal on the charges. A Lee County jury recommended April 14 life in prison without the possibility of parole for Desmaret, convicted in the 2018 murder of Fort Myers police officer Adam Jobbers-Miller. Desmaret had represented himself in the trial. He briefly looked down and turned to look at his family before questioning Lee Circuit Judge Robert R. Branning about what would happen. After jurors were dismissed in the case, Desmaret continued to express fear of being framed. The same jury had found Desmaret guilty on eight counts in the slaying: first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer; resisting an officer with violence; robbery; depriving an officer of their means of protection or communication; attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer; aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer; burglary of a conveyance; grand theft; and aggravated assault on an officer, firefighter or EMT. Story continues Desmaret said he was only searching for a firearm he feared three men had in their car. Desmaret said his mind told him to stop the gun. He claimed the men from the car told Jobbers-Miller to kill him and claimed he was the target. "I never planned to kill nobody that day," Desmaret has said. 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: Wisner Desmaret wants new trial, acquittal in Fort Myers officer death WNBA superstar Brittney Griner vowed never to play basketball overseas again on Thursday in an emotional first press conference since being released by Russia as part of a prisoner swap last year. Speaking in Arizona as she prepares to resume her career with the Phoenix Mercury, Griner pledged to keep fighting on behalf of people wrongfully detained around the world. Asked what her message would be for Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and US citizen Paul Whelan, both held in Russia, Griner replied: "I would say to everyone that's wrongfully detained right across the world: 'Stay strong, keep fighting, don't give up'. "Just keep pushing. Because we're not going to stop. We're not going to stop fighting. We're not going to stop bringing awareness to everyone that's left behind right now." Griner teared up as she took questions about her ordeal, saying that the lessons learned during her basketball career had helped forge resilience during a spell behind bars that included time in a Russian penal colony. "You know, I'm no stranger to hard times," she said, her voice cracking with emotion. "Just digging deep. You're going to be faced with adversities throughout your life. And this was a pretty big one. "But I just kind of relied on my hard work and getting through it. I know this sounds so small, but dying in practice, and hard workouts, you find a way to grind it out, just put your head down and keep going, keep moving forward." - Pay gap dilemma - A two-time Olympic gold medalist, WNBA champion and LGBTQ trailblazer, Griner was arrested on drug charges at a Moscow airport in February 2022, against a backdrop of soaring tensions over Ukraine. At the time of her arrest, Griner had been playing for a professional team in Russia, as a number of WNBA players do in the off-season. She was accused of possessing vape cartridges with a small quantity of cannabis oil and sentenced in August to nine years in prison. Story continues She pleaded guilty to the charges, but said she did not intend to break the law or use the banned substance in Russia. Griner was eventually released as part of a deal that saw her swapped for notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout -- known as the "Merchant of Death" -- in December. She defended cash-strapped players who look to supplement their salaries with overseas contracts during the WNBA's off-season. But the 32-year-old said she would never play basketball abroad following her imprisonment. "I can say for me that I'm never going overseas to play again unless I'm representing my country at the Olympics," Griner said. "If I make that team, that would be the only time I would leave US soil -- to represent the USA. "The whole reason a lot of us go over is the pay gap. A lot of us go over there for the income, to support our families. So I don't knock any player that wants to go overseas and make a little bit extra money." Griner meanwhile said that the knowledge that efforts were under way to secure her release during her incarceration had helped her during her time in Russia. "Just knowing that and being aware of that, when you don't know anything... those times when I was able to see what was going on, it definitely made me a little bit more comfortable," she said. "It made me have hope, which is a hard thing to have, a dangerous thing to have, because when it doesn't work, it's so crushing." Griner's remarks on Thursday came as the US government added new sanctions on Russia's FSB intelligence agency and Iran's Revolutionary Guard for taking "hostage" Americans like journalist Gershkovich, who has been charged with spying by Russia. "The United States will never stop working to secure the release of US nationals who are wrongfully detained or held hostage and reunite them with their loved ones," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. rcw/sst Florida is all about being free these days, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis. He cant say it often enough, it seems. He wrote a book he called The Courage to be Free. Hes called the state a citadel of freedom. His budget is called a framework of freedom. His inauguration speech used the word freedom 12 times and the speech was only about 16 minutes long. But his words run counter to a lot of his actions and the actions of the state Legislature as they hand him as many wins as possible before he officially declares hes running for president. Theyre imposing all sorts of restrictions on freedom in Florida. From abortion and free speech just ask Disney to whats taught in public schools, DeSantis and the Republicans running the state are intent on curtailing some rights to favor others. The so-called Parental Rights in Education Act, for example, elevates the rights of some parents those who fear or are angered by the idea of teachers discussing sexual orientation or gender identity in schools over all others. The bill nicknamed by critics as Dont say gay started as a restriction on whats taught in kindergarten through third grade and most recently has been imposed via a Department of Education rule, rather than legislation on students all the way through 12th grade. And public records exemptions in Florida continue to grow. DeSantis wants to keep his travel a secret from his own constituents by blowing a plane-sized hole in the public records law. The ostensible reason is his safety but he also wants to extend that change retroactively to all records dealing with his use of the state plane. In the past, the public has been able to see whether a governor or top official had misused state resources. Under this bill, well never know and the governor will get a virtual open checkbook for travel on our dime. The freedom hes defending in that case is his own, to do whatever he wants without public scrutiny. Story continues The way things are going, it may be time to drop our Sunshine State nickname. Lawmakers are making a mockery of Floridas Government-in-the-Sunshine law. DeSantis has recently run into headwinds nationally, as his positions become more widely vetted in preparation for a potential White House run. His freedom pitch may sound good in speeches but, on closer inspection, it falls apart. Woke Wars, a weekly opinion podcast by the Miami Herald Editorial Board, explores the culture wars that are dominating the Florida Legislature. Listen to new episodes every Thursday on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple, Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. Have a question? Want to share some feedback? Email heralded@miamiherald.com with the subject line WOKE WARS. A woman has reignited a debate about wedding guest etiquette after accusing two women of being disrespectful by wearing white, bridal-like gowns to her friends nuptials. Isabella Santos Giha, who goes by the username @isabellasg3 on TikTok, uploaded a video from the wedding on Wednesday. In the clip, which she captioned: Two girls wore WHITE at my friends wedding, she filmed two guests who appeared to be wearing white dresses to the party. The first guest could be seen wearing a floor-length lace gown which appeared to be a pale peach or off-white colour, while the second guest, who was filmed from behind as she sat at a table, appeared to be wearing a white off-the-shoulder gown with a white lace overlay. This one wore a legit WEDDING DRESS, the TikToker continued as she showed the second guests outfit. In the TikTok, Giha then shared the brides reaction to the outfits, with the video showing the newlywed, who was wearing a white sequin ball gown and a tiara, looking disappointed. The bride got sad, the TikToker wrote in a text caption on the video. In the caption of the TikTok, which has since been viewed more than 19 million times, Giha issued a plea to never wear white at someones wedding. Please never wear WHITE at someones wedding. It is sad and [disrespectful], she wrote, before tagging the brides username @sisilozada. In the comments under the video, many viewers expressed their shock over the dresses worn by the guests in question, with one person writing: I cant believe the audacity some people have, while another said: Omg the first one couldve just been a poor decision, but the second one!! Oh my god I thought it was going to be the bride at first. Please tell me they got kicked out!! someone else wrote. Others shared their own similar experiences, with one person revealing: My husbands cousin wore white on mine too, while someone else said that the same thing happened at their wedding and the guest in question was blacklisted as a result. What are they thinking? they added. Story continues Another person said that, despite the generally well known wedding etiquette rule that white is reserved for the bride, they took extra steps to prevent guests from wearing white or off-white by requesting it specifically in the FAQ section of their wedding site. I put no white or off-white dresses for guests in the wedding site FAQ and that they would be asked to leave if they did wear one, they wrote. Although the majority of viewers said they would be upset by the guest outfits, others defended the women on the basis that the wedding etiquette rule is only common in some cultures. Laughs in Nigerian culture. I recently realised this was a thing. Been to a wedding where the guests were asked to wear white, one person wrote, while another asked: Is this an American thing? Someone else questioned why people were angry over the outfits, as they claimed its not like people arent going to know who is getting married or whose wedding they are at. According to Diane Gottsman, a national etiquette expert and founder of The Protocol School of Texas, who previously spoke to The Independent, the rule still applies for most weddings, as she noted that white is still reserved for the bride and that guests should select another colour when choosing an outfit. She also said the no-white rule should be followed by guests of all genders. As for why guests should avoid white for a wedding, wedding dress designer Madeline Gardner told The Knot that it comes down to the most important thing to keep in mind, not upstaging the bride. When youre a guest at a wedding, the most important thing to keep in mind is not to upstage or upset the bride, she said, adding: Its safe to stay away from any outfits that are predominantly white, cream or ivory. On the brides TikTok, where she has posted videos from her wedding, viewers have taken to the comments to share reassuring messages, with one person writing. You looked so much better than the girls who wore white. The Independent has contacted Giha and the bride for comment. A woman was in dire need of help and hospitalization while in a medical observation cell, but the pretrial detainee was neglected by guards and staff in a Texas jail, according to a federal lawsuit. Help came too late for Holly Barlow-Austin, who died on June 17, 2019, after spending two months at Bi-State Justice Center in Texarkana, Texas, the lawsuit says. Jail staff is accused of causing her death. Barlow-Austin, who entered jail at 46 with HIV, was denied her prescription medications, rapidly deteriorated and went blind, and begged staff for water while detained in deplorable and inhumane conditions, an amended complaint filed in federal court says. Now, Barlow-Austins family has been awarded $7 million in a historic lawsuit settlement, before the case was set to go to trial, according to an April 27 news release from civil rights law firm Budge & Heipt PLLC based in Seattle. The firms attorneys Erik Heipt and Edwin Budge and Texarkana attorney David Carter represented Barlow-Austins mother and husband in the case. This is the largest known settlement over a jail-related death in state history, according to the attorneys. The settlement comes more than three years after Barlow-Austins severe suffering during her final week in jail when she was isolated and alone, in constant pain, blindly crawling around her cell, dehydrated and malnourished, living in filthy and inhumane conditions, the release said. McClatchy News contacted attorneys representing defendant LaSalle Southwest Corrections, which ran Bi-State Justice Center during Barlow-Austins detainment, for comment on April 27 and didnt immediately receive a response. The parties will file legal papers to dismiss claims against LaSalle, according to the release. Holly was a kind, compassionate person with a generous spirit someone who always wanted to help people in need, even strangers. What happened to her was inexcusable Barlow-Austins mother and husband said in a joint statement. Story continues While no amount of money could bring our beloved Holly back, this victory will help give us some closure as we move forward, they said. And we hope and pray that it will lead to changes in how our jails treat people in their custody and will save some lives in the future. LaSalle Corrections runs 18 correctional facilities in Louisiana, Texas and Georgia. It no longer runs Bi-State Justice Center, according to KTAL News. Lead attorney Heipt said that the law firm hopes the settlement sends a powerful message to every single jail and prison in America that this type of blatant disregard for human life will not be tolerated. More on the case The case stems from when Barlow-Austin was jailed after her arrest on accusations of violating probation on April 5, 2019, according to the complaint. For nearly two months in jail, Barlow-Austin complained of concerning symptoms, such as severe headaches, nausea, neck pain and a large knot in her neck, according to the complaint. She also complained of blurred vision,which eventually worsened to total blindness, as well as numbness in her legs before she could no longer walk and was seen crawling in her cell, the complaint says. Despite her alarming and progressively worsening symptoms, LaSalle never arranged to have her evaluated by a medical doctor, according to the complaint. Her husband repeatedly tried advocating on her behalf, the complaint says. When he repeatedly raised concerns about his wifes condition between May 22 and May 28, his worries were dismissed by the jails nursing staff, the complaint says. During her final 48 hours in jail, Barlow-Austin was emaciated, starving and dehydrated and in obvious pain, the complaint says. Despite this, a nurse checked her vitals only once during this time, on the evening of June 10, when she was experiencing a heart rate over 100 beats per minute, having a hypertensive emergency and blind, mentally confused, disoriented, shaky, unsteady, according to the complaint. She wouldnt be taken to a hospital until 10 hours later, the complaint says. Meanwhile, jail surveillance footage recorded her final hours suffering in jail, the release said. Barlow-Austin died of fungemia/sepsis due to fungus, cryptococcal meningitis, HIV/AIDS and accelerated hypertension at a hospital on June 17, according to the complaint. She was 47. When LaSalle Corrections ran Bi-State Justice Center, other inmates died from neglect before Barlow-Austin, according to Budge & Heipt. The cases outcome should serve as a wake-up call to all private jail and prison operatorsnot just in Texas, but everywhere: If youre going to cut corners and put profits over peoples lives, there will be a steep price to pay, Heipt said. Man eaten alive by bed bugs and insects dies in Georgia jail, family attorney says Man dies after losing 45 pounds in jail over 20 days, lawsuit says. He needed help Dad of 2 dies in jail from neglect after wife begs staff to check on him, lawsuit says A woman will spend decades in prison for her role in a crash that took the lives of four people. Investigators said Rolesha Spears drove the wrong way on Interstate 77 in York County on Oct. 10, 2021. They said she slammed head-on into another car with Jasmine Givens behind the wheel. Givens, along with with her cousins Briasia and Nykiera Moore, died from their injuries. Spears 5-year-old daughter, Rylee Pate, also died in the collision. Rylees father said his daughter wasnt wearing a seatbelt. PREVIOUS: Small victory: Families of 4 killed in wrong-way crash still coping; suspect denied bond Her actions have not only hurt me but my family as well. I never thought Id bury my 5-year-old child, her father said in February 2022. Last year, the cousins family said they are focusing on the legacy their loved ones left behind because thats whats getting them through the ordeal. The love that we have, the love that we share has been so great and thats the most important thing for us. And if we can keep that together I think Jasmine, Briasia and Nykiera would love that. Spears pleaded guilty in court Thursday to four counts of felony driving under the influence resulting in death and one count of child endangerment, the South Carolina Solicitors Office said. She will spend 35 years in prison. (WATCH PREVIOUS: 4 people, including 5-year-old, killed in wrong-way crash on I-77 in York County, officials say) A woman has shared the amusing email that artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT created for her after she asked for help crafting a professional letter to her boss about quitting her job. Mari, who goes by the username @sillyyerba on TikTok, uploaded a video about the ChatGPT response this week, in which she laughed as she read out a line from the AI-generated note that read: I cannot be sad and poor for another month. In the clip, Mari began by explaining that shed recently submitted her two-weeks notice letter to her boss informing her that shed be quitting her job. However, according to the TikToker, her boss had asked Mari to continue working until 8 June. In response to the request, Mari said she planned to ask ChatGPT for help creating a response pretty much saying I cant be sad and poor for another month but in a professional way. So Im gonna have ChatGPT write an email response of me pretty much saying I cant be sad and poor for another month in a professional way, she said. So I put in the prompt: Write a professional email saying I cant be sad and poor for another month replying to this email and then in quotes I put in my managers email and this is what it gave me. Mari then read out the response she received from the chatbot, which began: Thank you for your email and for providing notice of my final working day being Saturday 6 May. After expressing her appreciation for the opportunity to work with the team, the email then said Mari regrettably could not extend [her] time beyond this date. The email continued in a professional manner, with the AI including a line in which Mari acknowledged her boss would be open to a longer transition time, but that, due to personal circumstances, Mari would be unable to continue working beyond 6 May. I hope you can understand my position, the chatbot wrote. Story continues As she began to laugh hysterically, Mari then read out the next sentence of the email, which read: As much as I value my time here, I cannot be sad and poor for another month. ChatGPT then transitioned back into a professional tone, with the AI expressing Maris hope that this does not cause any inconvenience to the team and that we can end things on a positive note. Thank you again for your understanding and support during my time here, the message concluded. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to ensure a smooth transition. After reading out the candid email suggestion, Mari jokingly asked: Should I send that as is? In the caption of the video, Mari added: Lifes too short to be sad and poor. The video, which has been viewed more than eight million times, has been met with amusement from viewers, with many joking that the chatbot could not come up with a better way of phrasing the sentiment. ChatGPT: Theres literally no other way to say that, sorry, one person wrote, while another said: Even ChatGPT is like: Im just gonna tell them. Ill put fluff around it. But Im gonna be blunt. You indeed cant be sad and poor another month. Its perfect, someone else jokingly claimed. Others encouraged Mari to send the letter without removing the sentence, with one viewer writing: Send that email exactly word for word. Its perfect. Please send it,another person wrote along with a laughing face emoji. In a follow-up TikTok, Mari revealed that she didnt send the original email created by ChatGPT, and instead directed the AI to make the email sound more human. She also confirmed that she removed the line about being sad and poor. The Independent has contacted Mari for comment. (Reuters) -The World Bank has approved a $150 million loan to support sustainable growth and climate resilience in Panama, the lender said in a statement on Thursday. The Development Policy Loan (DPL) represents the first of two operations in the Central American country, it added, which are designed to support the energy transition, socially-inclusive growth and sustain capital for resilient growth. Policy reforms implemented under the program should generate results by 2025, the lender said, adding that this should improve access to energy and internet in remote regions and help control deforestation of the country's mangroves. The project is also expected to help Panama decarbonize its land transportation, protect its ocean, conserve forests and implement more energy efficient policies, it said. "This financial operation will enhance Panama's efforts in establishing the policy foundations to foster the country's sustainable economic growth, low emissions and resilience to climate change," Panama's economy and finance minister, Hector Alexander, said in the statement. (Reporting by Sarah Morland; Editing by Anthony Esposito and Brendan O'Boyle) In the forest near the town of Bydgoszcz, northern Poland, wreckage of a military object was found; journalists learned that it could be an air-to-ground missile. Source: European Pravda, reported by RMF24. The very fact of finding a military object has been officially confirmed. "The remains of an unidentified military target were found. The situation does not threaten the safety of residents," the official Twitter account of the Ministry of Defence said in the morning. W okolicach miejscowosci Zamosc ok. 15 km od Bydgoszczy znaleziono szczatki niezidentyfikowanego obiektu wojskowego. Sytuacja nie zagraza bezpieczenstwu mieszkancow. Miejsce znaleziska badaja funkcjonariusze Policji, Zandarmerii Wojskowej oraz saperzy. Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej (@MON_GOV_PL) April 27, 2023 "The Military Department of the District Prosecutor's Office in Gdansk, under the supervision of the National Prosecutor's office, has launched an investigation into the remains of a military aerial target found in a forest about a dozen kilometres from Bydgoszcz. In addition to prosecutors, military experts, police, and gendarmerie are working on the site," Prosecutor General Zbigniew Zebro wrote on Twitter. Wydzia Wojskowy Prokuratury Okregowej w Gdansku, pod nadzorem Prokuratury Krajowej, wszcza postepowanie w sprawie szczatkow powietrznego obiektu wojskowego znalezionego w lesie kilkanascie kilometrow od Bydgoszczy. Miejsce zdarzenia oprocz prokuratorow badaja wojskowi eksperci, Zbigniew Ziobro | SP (@ZiobroPL) April 27, 2023 RMF FM journalists learned from their sources that it was probably an air-to-ground rocket, and it was found on Tuesday, but it seems to have fallen some time ago. The wreckage allegedly has inscriptions in Russian on it, which may indicate Soviet-made weapons, and there is ostensibly no warhead. The Gdansk Prosecutor's Office declined to comment on the allegations. From residents' comments to the Polish media, there were suggestions that a rocket or drone fell there. The area is located about 500 km away from the border of Ukraine, more than 400 km away from the border with Belarus and about 240 km away from Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Washington's chip grab is sociopathic 09:28, April 27, 2023 By China Daily editorial ( Chinadaily.com.cn Washington shows it has no moral scruples in its urging of the Republic of Korea to involve its chipmakers in the struggle against China. Washington calling on the ROK to urge its chipmakers not to fill any market gap in China if Beijing bans Idaho-based Micron from selling chips is not just a gratuitous insult to the ROK but also tells the world how selfish and despotic the United States is as far as its relations with its allies and global development are concerned. How low can Washington sink? Given the timing of the request, when ROK President Yoon Suk-yeol is visiting Washington, it can be considered a kind of coercion. Washington has put Yoon in a very difficult situation. It would be impossible for him not to feel that he is being given an ultimatum by Washington. If he acts on the request of the White House, it is not just Yoon as president of the ROK but also his country that will lose dignity. If anything, what Yoon has said about the Taiwan question and the possibility of the ROK providing military equipment to Ukraine under pressure from Washington have already made him a target of derision domestically and called into question his judgment internationally. The US unveiled sweeping chip-related export controls on China last October in order to stymie China's development of semiconductors. Washington's weaponizing of economic activities in the name of national security has already seriously disrupted the global supply chains. The world is watching how far Washington will go in perverting the normal operation of global supply chains and that of the global industry chains in its attempts to suppress China's development. It has twisted its relations with its allies to such a degree that it shows no concern for the debilitating effects of its actions on its allies, and is placing its allies in an embarrassing and humiliating position. How can such relations be sustainable? It has done such damage to global supply chains by imposing discriminate sanctions that its own technology companies are suffering and so are the American people. Even if Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix do as Washington has requested under the pressure of the ROK government, the two companies will suffer tremendously, and global supply chains will be further disrupted. As a result, US technology companies will have an even worse time. Meanwhile, China will step up its efforts to realize self-reliance in the core technologies of key fields. Washington's self-serving bullying in the field of technology will not be well-received as it is harmful to all countries. The practice only further reinforces that it is a rogue outlier in the international community. It will end up eating itself with its insatiable hunger for dominance. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) NEW YORK (AP) Donald Trump's lawyer sought Thursday to pick apart a decades-old rape claim against the former president, questioning why accuser E. Jean Carroll did not scream or seek help when Trump allegedly attacked her in a department store. But Carroll, a writer and former advice columnist, rebuffed the suggestion that rape victims are supposed to act a certain way, saying such thinking deters women from coming forward. Im telling you, he raped me, whether I screamed or not," Carroll said, her voice rising and breaking, at the federal civil trial in New York. Carroll, who is suing Trump over the alleged assault, claims he raped her in a dressing room at the posh Manhattan store in 1996. She did not go to police and said she only told two close friends at the time. Trump lawyer Joseph Tacopina suggested her claims strained credulity, contending that she only came forward in 2019 midway through Trump's presidency because of her disdain for his politics and because she wanted to sell copies of her book. Trump, 76, says the encounter never happened, that he doesnt know Carroll and that shes not his type" comments that are at the heart of the defamation claims in Carroll's lawsuit. The complaint seeks unspecified damages and a retraction of the comments. Trump did not mention the trial during a campaign event Thursday in Manchester, New Hampshire. He's not expected in court, though his lawyers have not entirely ruled it out. Jurors are expected to see parts of a videotaped deposition he gave in the case. On Wednesday, Trump launched a counterattack against the trial on social media, telling followers on his Truth Social platform that the case was a made up SCAM and alluding to a DNA issue that Judge Lewis A. Kaplan has barred from the trial. The outburst drew a rebuke and a warning from Kaplan, who called it entirely inappropriate. Consistent and unruffled in her second day of testimony, Carroll grew frustrated as Tacopina zeroed in on how she says she behaved during the alleged assault. She says it happened after a chance run-in with Trump at luxury retailer Bergdorf Goodman in spring 1996. Story continues You cant beat up on me because I didnt scream, Carroll forcefully told Tacopina. She had explained in earlier testimony that she was not a screamer I'm a fighter. Carroll, 79, said that if she were lying about the assault, she wouldve told people she had screamed because more people would have believed me. But, she emphasized, I don't need an excuse for not screaming. When Tacopina used the word supposedly to cast doubt on her claim, she immediately and sternly rebuked him. Not supposedly. I was raped, she said. Thats your version, Ms. Carroll, that you were raped, Tacopina said. Those are the facts, she replied. She did, however, concede that some details of her story including the lack of witnesses in a department store were difficult to conceive of. Seeking to make that point, Tacopina questioned Carroll about her testimony that she eventually fought Trump off while wearing 4-inch (10 cm) heels and without letting go of her purse. The lawyer underscored, through his questions, that she didn't seek help from anyone in the store as she allegedly fled by riding six flights down an escalator, didn't ask about security video and didn't seek medical attention or call police. Carroll said she initially felt charmed by Trump as he asked for her help finding a women's gift, exchanged jokes with her about trying on a see-through garment and led her into a dressing room. Even when he slammed the door and shoved her into the wall, she said, she couldnt help but laugh and think there had been some mistake or misunderstanding. I was trying to figure out what the hell was going on, Carroll testified as jurors listened attentively. Then he put his mouth against mine, she said, and I understood. Carroll said Trump yanked down her tights and raped her before she kneed him and fled. She said she would have kept the accusation secret forever if not for the the #MeToo movement, which gained prominence in 2017. The Associated Press typically does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, as Carroll has done. Carroll sued in November after New York state enacted a law allowing lawsuits over long-ago claims of sexual assault. Carroll said Thursday that a look at social media once the trial started revealed fresh insults against her as people labeled her a liar, slut, ugly, old. But I couldnt be more proud to be here, she testified. ___ Associated Press Writer Larry Neumeister contributed to this story. Devyn Trampe was about to start a new job and he and his wife had just bought a new home to share with their two children in St. Jacob. They moved in Halloween day, said his mother, Kelly Trampe, of Troy. But on Nov. 14, the young familys bright future was halted when the retired U.S. Army military police officer was critically injured in a crash allegedly caused by a St. Louis man fleeing Granite City police. Trampe, 31, is still recovering from severe brain injuries he suffered that November morning when Ronnell L. Welch allegedly drove a stolen pickup truck up to 85 mph in an attempt to elude a Granite City police officer and crashed into Trampes pickup truck, according to federal and state court records. The crash occurred on Illinois 3 at the intersection with Rock Road. Trampe had just pulled out of a nearby oil terminal where he expected to get a job and was awaiting a start date, his mother said. Authorities investigating the crash that incapacitated Trampe filed charges against Welch last week in Madison County. Welch, 39, is charged with four counts: Aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer for allegedly fleeing from a Granite City police officer who had given Welch visual and audible signals to stop, according to the charging documents. Police spotted Welch on Illinois 3 after receiving a report of a stolen vehicle and burglary. When police attempted to stop the offender, his speed began to accelerate attempting to flee from law enforcement. Police paced Welch driving approximately 85 miles per hour in a zone that had a 55 mile per hour speed limit, according to a petition filed in federal court in St. Louis by a federal probation officer who was citing a Granite City police report. Trampes red Dodge Ram was struck by the red 2001 Chevrolet Silverado driven by Welch and Trampe was ejected from his truck. Welch was handcuffed and moved away from his vehicle when the truck caught on fire. Aggravated reckless driving for allegedly fleeing from police at high rate of speed and entering the Illinois 3 and Rock Road intersection without yielding to oncoming traffic and causing great bodily harm to Trampe, the charging documents state. Story continues Offenses relating to motor vehicles for allegedly possessing the Silverado when not entitled to it. Residential burglary for allegedly entering a womans home in the 3000 block of Myrtle Avenue in Granite City with the intent to commit a theft, according to the charging documents. Granite City police had been called to the home for the report of a stolen pickup that just occurred on Nov. 14, according to the federal petition. The owner of the truck told police that Welch was an old friend who had spent the night. She saw him on her surveillance camera enter her residence and her Silverado pickup truck. The woman told police that she believes he had taken keys to the home the night before. The burglary victim also stated that a jar full of about $200 in coins and a Bulova watch worth about $371 was stolen. These items were recovered from the crash scene, the records state. Welch gave police a false name at the crash scene but officers determined he was lying and Welch admitted his identity, according to the federal report. Welch is in federal custody after federal probation officers accused him of violating the terms of his supervised release. He had been sentenced to 42 months in prison sentence in 2019 after pleading guilty to felon in possession of a firearm. He was considered an absconder from supervision for allegedly violating terms of his probation. Welch left his place of employment in July and did not report this to the federal probation office and he did not return to a halfway house in St. Louis as required on July 23, federal court records allege. Illinois State Police investigated the crash. Major Nick Novacich, spokesman for the Granite City Police Department, has not returned calls to the Belleville News-Democrat. Reaction to the charges For Kelly Trampe, the Madison County charges bring some solace to the family. Its a small piece of comfort, she said. We are elated that the suspect will be charged and will face a judge and jury at some point. Welchs bond was set at $500,000 in Madison County and he is being represented by the public defenders office. Mary Copeland, the public defender in Madison County, did not return a call from the BND. Attempting to flee from police is always a bad choice, and in Madison County, that choice will result in additional charges, Madison County States Attorney Tom Haine said in a statement after the charges were filed. We pray for the recovery of the victim, Devyn Trampe, and were thankful that he has a loving, caring family beside him. As far as waiting until April to file charges, the states attorneys office said it was aware the Welch was being held in federal custody and prosecutors were monitoring Devyn Trampes condition. Devyn Trampes recovery To keep family and friends updated on Devyn Trampes condition, the family started a page on the CaringBridge website. He was discharged from the hospital and returned home in March after being injured in November. Kelly Trampe said her daughter-in-law, Amanda, and her grandchildren, Jonathan, 12, and Lillie, 3, are coping well with taking care of Devyn Trampe. Theyre doing very well. Its a learning curve, she said. Lillie remains an active little girl, she added. She just runs into the room and says, Calm down Dad. Calm down Dad, Kelly Trampe said of Lillie. Devyn Trampe, who served six years in the U.S. Army, including a tour in South Korea, suffered two types of brain injuries in the crash. He has the blunt force trauma brain injury and he has whats called an anoxic brain injury where his brain was without oxygen for several minutes, Kelly Trampe said. Devyn Trampe, who was airlifted to St. Louis University Hospital after the crash, is being treated for whats known as a disorder of consciousness. Hes still unable to communicate, his mother said. His eyes are open. He does look around. Doctors measure a patients condition on a scale of recovery from brain injuries. Hes about midrange in that but he is slowly progressing, said Kelly Trampe, who is supervisor in a radiology department at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. As long as were able to see progress, we know that were still winning a battle. Any progress is good. Devyn Trampe suffered other injuries in the crash, including broken ribs and a punctured lung, but his mother said he has recovered for those. To help the family, Lacey Bobowski, a longtime friend of Devyn Trampe, has started a GoFundMe page. Bobowski, who lives in Louisville, Kentucky, has known Devyn since they were in the first grade in Troy. She left Troy in the sixth grade but has maintained a friendship with Devyn through the years. The No. 1 thing that I use to describe him is that if you know him, you love him, Bobowski said. There is not a single soul on this Earth that doesnt love him. He is an extremely caring, loving person. Something so horrible shouldnt have happened to someone so good. Its really heartbreaking. TOKYO (AP) Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, in a bid to lure more Japanese chip makers to invest in his state, said Thursday he hopes to forge trusted supply chain relationships with U.S. allies and friends to create supply chains that are not China-dependent. Youngkin, considered a potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate, is making his first trip to Asia as governor, having earlier stopped in Taiwan. He will also travel to South Korea. "We can lead the charge in forging this trusted supply chain relationship with nations that will contribute to the longstanding great relationship that we have, but add to our growth together in a world where we need to do more with our friends, he said at a news conference with Micron Executive Vice President Manish Bhatia and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel. They planned to meet later in the day with Japanese semiconductor executives Youngkin hopes to attract more chip makers to the state. Micron, a leading semiconductor maker, is in the midst of a $3 billion expansion of a computer chips factory in Manassas, Virginia. It also has a factory in Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishidas electoral constituency of Hiroshima and is the largest foreign direct investor in Japan, said Microns Bhatia. Youngkin has adopted 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. Youngkin said Virginia is home to more than 130 Japanese companies already and he hoped to forge new partnerships particularly in semiconductors and other critical sectors where our supply chains have to be built with trusted partners. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris also met with Japanese semiconductor companies during a visit in September. Story continues Hopefully, todays meeting will conclude more agreements and therefore benefit not only the state of Virginia people but our people, our two nations and our security that is so critical to this semiconductor space, Emanuel said. Youngkin said he also met with leaders in other industries such as pharmaceuticals and automakers. The governor, a former CEO of the Carlyle Group, sidestepped questions about a presidential run, saying My focus is making sure we advance Virginias economic interests and can forge these most trusted supply chains with our friends and allies around the world. East Asia has become a popular destination for U.S. politicians angling for investments and foreign policy experience. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was in Japan earlier in the week to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other officials as part of his four-nation trade mission seen as an attempt by the expected Republican presidential candidate to improve his diplomatic profile. Emanuel noted a series of visits to Japan by U.S. governors in the last year looking for investment and stronger supply chains following the disruptions brought on by the pandemic. Such trips can help ensure "that your state has trusted investors and partners that will be part of that future. So youre not caught off guard again, he said. The visits by leaders of both parties dovetail with the Biden administration's push to build supply chains among allied countries and reduce dependence on China. ___ Associated Press video journalist Haruka Nuga contributed to this report. WASHINGTON Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, on a four-nation international trip aimed at burnishing his foreign policy credentials, told the U.S. it needs to butt out of Israeli's internal political spats. Americans must "respect Israels right to make its own decisions about its own governance, DeSantis told reporters after a speech in Jerusalem marking Israel's 75th anniversary. ''Youre a smart country, you figure it out. It shouldnt be for us to butt into these important issues." The trip comes as DeSantis, expected to announce a 2024 presidential bid next month, is facing steady attacks from former President Donald Trump, who has pulled far ahead of him in polls of GOP presidential hopefuls. Apparently immune to political fallout from his recent indictment in New York, Trump has suggested that DeSantis sit out the 2024 race. He has also mocked DeSantis' "emergency Round the World tour" as an effort to "remove the stain from his failing campaign." Staking out his position on U.S.-Israel relations, DeSantis avoided comment on the civil unrest that followed the proposal by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to change Israel's judicial system. Instead DeSantis implicitly criticized Democratic presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama over the Iran nuclear deal and friction with Israel and Saudi Arabia. DeSantis and Israel: Ron DeSantis' stop in Israel highlights appeal to religious voters: Jewish and evangelical DeSantis' foreign tour:'A heck of an ally': DeSantis begins world tour by praising Japan, bristling at Trump rivalry Surrounded by state legislators and Jewish leaders, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, center, holds up two bills that he signed, Monday, June 14, 2021, at the Shul of Bal Harbour, a Jewish community center in Surfside, Fla. DeSantis visited the South Florida temple to denounce anti-Semitism and stand with Israel, while signing a bill into law that would require public schools in his state to set aside moments of silence for children to meditate or pray. DeSantis speaks in Israel DeSantis spoke at "Celebrate the Faces of Israel," a conference sponsored by the Jerusalem Post and Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem. The Post reported that, while attending the event, the Florida governor signed an anti-hate bill targeting anti-Semitism in his state. Story continues In his public remarks, DeSantis criticized international movements to divest from Israel over its treatment of the Palestinians. DeSantis also praised the Trump administration's decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. DeSantis is a long-time supporter of that move, though some U.S. lawmakers denounced it as needlessly provocative to Arab countries. Dig deeper: Fox News poll: Donald Trump up on Ron DeSantis; RFK Jr. has 19% support against President Joe Biden DeSantis and Disney DeSantis' trip to Japan, South Korea, Israel, and the United Kingdom comes while he is under political attack back home by Trump and Florida's most prominent employer, Disney. Disney on Wednesday sued DeSantis and a five-member board that oversees government services at Disney World. The company said the state is trying to away tax benefits as "government retaliation" for Disney's opposition to a DeSantis education policy. Last year, Disney criticized a law that limited classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity, a policy that opponents dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill. DeSantis and aides said Disney is seeking special treatment. "We are unaware of any legal right that a company has to operate its own government or maintain special privileges not held by other businesses in the state," said Taryn Fenske, the governor's communications director. Overseas politics Trump and allies have criticized DeSantis throughout his trip, saying in part that he is using his job as governor to run for president. DeSantis and aides said they are on a trade mission designed to drum up international business deals for Floridians. DeSantis has referenced American politics throughout his trip, such as his comments about Biden and the Middle East. In Japan, he talked about the crime rate in Chicago and how many people have been "voting very consistently with their feet" by moving out of Democratic-run areas and into places like Florida. When asked by a reporter about 2024, DeSantis said: Im not a candidate, so well see if and when that changes." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ron DeSantis on Israel: US should 'not butt into' internal affairs President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that he heard Chinese leader Xi Jinping express support for Ukraine's Black Sea Grain Initiative and the Grain from Ukraine program. Source: Zelenskyys evening speech on 26 April Quote: "It is very important that China shares our view of freedom of navigation and trade. I briefed Mr. Xi Jinping on our efforts to restore seaborne food exports. And I heard words of support for our Black Sea Grain Initiative and its extension, as well as support for our humanitarian efforts, in particular, the Grain from Ukraine program." Details: Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine and China, like the vast majority of the world, are equally interested in the strength of the sovereignty of nations and territorial integrity, in compliance with the main security rules, in particular, the inadmissibility of threats with nuclear weapons and the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the world. The President has stressed that Ukraine and China are equally interested in ensuring that the situation around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is finally fully secured and that nuclear power plants are never used for military purposes again. Zelenskyy and Xi have devoted a significant part of the conversation to the issue of a just peace and agreed to continue these communications. According to the Ukrainian president, the conversation was "long and quite rational" and "is opening up opportunities". Background: On 26 April 2023, Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a phone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping. This is the first conversation between the two leaders since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Li Hui, a special representative of the People's Republic of China who is a former Chinese ambassador to Russia, is to be sent to Ukraine and other countries for talks on regulating the "Ukrainian crisis" [the war ed.]. In addition, during a conversation with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Chinese President Xi Jinping outlined his vision of the steps that should be taken to end the war in Ukraine. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europes (PACE) decision to recognise the deportation of Ukrainian children to the Russian Federation as genocide will help hold Russia and its leaders accountable for their genocidal politics against Ukraine. Source: President Zelenskyys video address Quote from Zelenskyy: "Today, an important political milestone was reached in Strasbourg at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe session. A resolution was adopted recognising Russia's deportation of Ukrainian children as genocide. This is the first time this has been recognised at the level of an international organisation uniting the states on our continent. Practically speaking, this decision will significantly help our global efforts to bring Russia and its officials, including the head of the terrorist state, to justice for genocide and genocidal policies against Ukraine. The deportation of Ukrainian children is one of the fully premeditated elements of Russia's attempt to erase the identity of our people and destroy the very essence of Ukrainians. This is a deliberate crime of genocide committed by Russian officials. This is how it should be qualified both politically and legally." Details: Zelenskyy mentioned that the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, addressed PACE, touching specifically on the issue of children and families. The president also said that members of the Ukrainian parliament and Ukrainian diplomats "have done a good job". Quote from Zelenskyy: "At every level formal and informal, with state leaders, and at the parliamentary, governmental, and law enforcement levels, in the legal community and in international and inter-parliamentary organisations we will keep working to bring back all deported Ukrainian children and to punish Russia. We know for sure the names of nearly 20,000 children who were taken away and sent to different regions of the evil state. But it is obvious that this is only a part of a much larger criminal undertaking. There may be many more such children." Story continues Details: Zelenskyy added that Europe and the rest of the world have witnessed many deportations and efforts to exterminate entire people, and that Russias example "will show all other potential sources of the same evil that there will never be impunity". "There will be sentences for [crimes of] genocide, just like for all the other crimes Russia has committed against Ukraine and its people," the Ukrainian President said. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported the tragic aftermath of Russias latest attacks on the Ukrainian cities of Mykolaiv and Kostiantynivka. Source: President Zelenskyys video address Quote from Zelenskyy: "In Mykolaiv, the debris has been cleared from the site of last nights missile strike. More than 20 people were wounded and one person was killed... My condolences to their families and friends. The missiles damaged dozens of ordinary houses and two educational establishments." Details: A school, a college, and a residential building have been damaged. The Ukrainian President said that Russian forces also carried out a missile strike on Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast on the evening of Thursday, 27 April. "A school, a hospital, and several residential buildings have been damaged. Unfortunately, there are civilian casualties," Zelenskyy said. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! On 27 April, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, thanked warriors from five brigades - the defenders of Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Marinka in Donetsk Oblast, Kreminna in Luhansk Oblast, and military personnel from the Zaporizhzhia front. Source: the President's evening address Quote: "Avdiivka the 35th Separate Marine Brigade. Marinka our glorious Seventy-ninth [the 79th Air Assault Brigade]... The whole of the Donetsk front the 55th Separate Artillery Brigade... Thank you, warriors, for your constant effectiveness! [On the] Zaporizhzhia front today, as always, we have a lot to thank the warriors of our 44th Separate Artillery Brigade for. Well done! Today I sent a written thank-you to the warriors and commander of the 95th Air Assault Brigade, who are fighting vigorously near Kreminna in Luhansk Oblast. And separately, I want to thank absolutely everyone who is defending Bakhmut and destroying the enemy there on a scale that the occupier deserves." Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Kyiv Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described his Wednesday telephone conversation with China's leader Xi Jinping as "long and mostly reasonable." Their chat, and Xi's promise to send an envoy to Kyiv to discuss a "political solution," has raised the prospect of China acting as a potential peacemaker in Russia's war on Ukraine. Alluding to China's unique leverage over Vladimir Putin's isolated regime, as the Russians' most valuable trading partner and the only global military superpower yet to condemn the Ukraine invasion, Zelenskyy said there was "an opportunity to use China's political power to reinforce the principles and rules that peace should be built upon." Ukraine and China are "equally interested in the strength of the sovereignty of nations and territorial integrity, and in observing key security rules, particularly in terms of the inadmissibility of threats of the use of nuclear weapons," Zelenskyy said. A readout on the same phone call, quoted by China's state-run media, said Xi had also noted the two countries' "mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity," calling it "the political foundation of China-Ukraine relations." This combination of file photos shows China's President Xi Jinping in Bangkok, Thailand, on Nov. 19, 2022, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outside Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 7, 2023. / Credit: AP The statement stressed China's long-held stance that it is a neutral party to war in Ukraine, adding that it would "neither watch the fire from afar, nor pour fuel on the fire, nor do we take advantage of the opportunity to make profits." The last remark appeared to be a direct jab at the U.S. and other nations that have provided hundreds of millions of dollars of weaponry to Ukraine. "What China has done is above board," the statement said, adding that "dialogue and negotiation are the only viable way out. There are no winners in a nuclear war." The Ukrainian leader spoke with Xi as his commanders remain locked in a brutal battle to hold onto the eastern city of Bakhmut, which Russian forces have fought to capture for months. Story continues Battle for "territorial integrity" in Bakhmut New video from the front lines shows Ukrainian soldiers taking cover under constant bombardment and gunfire amid the rubble and ruins of the city. There's not much of it left to fight over. The most prolonged battle of the war has been costly for both sides a bloody artillery shootout with tens of thousands of casualties. "A large amount of [Russia's] most combat-ready units have been deployed around Bakhmut," said the deputy commander of the 2nd Rifle Battalion of Ukraine's 93rd Brigade, who goes by the callsign Philosopher. "We are holding them here, and they cannot move to other directions." "The situation is tense now," acknowledged the commander, but he said Russia's forces had "failed to succeed in encircling the city." Instead, he said they were hammering Bakhmut with artillery, day and night. Smoke rises from a building in Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, amid a brutal battle between Ukrainian forces and Russia's invading troops, April 26, 2023. / Credit: Libkos/AP Russian and Ukrainian forces appear intent on inflicting as much damage as possible on the other side ahead of a long-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive. Ukraine's military has been showing off some of its U.S.-supplied weapons ahead of that offensive, including newly-arrived Patriot missile air defense systems and Bradley fighting vehicles. Russia, meanwhile, has launched its largest recruitment drive since the war began, with ad campaigns urging people to enlist with slogans like "Defend the motherland," and "You are a man. Be it." In a conflict that has already come at an horrific human cost, including thousands of civilian lives, both sides appear to be bracing for what's to come. Despite China's offer to help, few expect that to be an easing of the bloodshed. If there are new offensives or counteroffensives, Matilda Bogner, head of the United Nations human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine told CBS News, "it will mean more civilian casualties... it will also be more displacement." Bogner said there were concerns not only for civilian lives, but also for captured forces amid unconfirmed reports that troops on both sides may have been issued orders to kill prisoners of war if they come under overwhelming pressure on the battlefield. Pointing to the grim discoveries made in liberated Ukrainian cities like Kherson, the U.N. envoy said if Russian forces are forced to pull back from more territory they currently hold, it could reveal new atrocities. "Unfortunately, it will probably mean that we will again be documenting more serious violations of international human rights, or summary executions, conflict related sexual violence, enforced disappearances and so on," she told CBS News. "Fat Ham" actor shares personal connection with his role in Broadway production Jerry Springer, TV show host and onetime mayor of Cincinnati, dies at 79 Carolina Panthers on the clock with first pick in 2023 NFL draft Applications are still open and no, you don't need to provide your own bird costume. Paula Holden/ICG. Strategic Marketing Agency/Blackpool Zoo A zoo in England is hiring a seagull deterrent worker to wear a giant bird costume and scare gulls. Blackpool Zoo said the application has "broken the internet," receiving hundreds of candidates. The job requires an outgoing person who is also "an excellent flapper," the zoo told Insider. Seagulls, beware there's a new big bird in town. After a British zoo posted a seagull deterrent job that requires workers to wear a giant bird costume to scare gulls away, the application went viral, receiving hundreds of enthusiastic candidates. Blackpool Zoo's publicity agency told Insider the position has "broken the internet," leading to over 200 applications and still counting from around the world. Now, they're moving forward in the hiring process and hoping to welcome new members to the team in the next few weeks. The position requires an engaging and friendly disposition, the zoo said. "They must be outgoing as, if this week is anything to go by, they will be approached for pictures by a lot of people. Lively, energetic, fun, and, most importantly, an excellent flapper, will be top of the essentials list during interviews," the zoo added. Blackpool Zoo, located less than three miles from the coast of the Irish Sea, created the seagull deterrent position after it faced continual problems with seagulls stealing food from visitors and certain fish-loving animals, such as penguins, pelicans, and sea lions. The zoo tried eagle-shaped kites and "large statues of various birds of prey" to scare gulls away but to no avail. One season, Blackpool even used the zoo's trained birds of prey to scare away the seagulls, during which they "patrolled the skies around the zoo trying to discourage them." Now, they're hoping the seagull deterrent team can do the job. "The costume is something the seagulls won't have seen before, and as intelligent birds, they will naturally not like it," the zoo said. "The costume also makes a sound when the person is moving, which is something else the seagulls don't like." Applications are still open, but it sounds like there's a lot of competition for the job. Bird enthusiasts are encouraged to apply. Read the original article on Insider The Council Bluffs Community School District Board of Education will hold a hearing on an amended budget for the current year on May 23. This is an annual process that we go through each year, Superintendent Vickie Murillo said. Iowa state law is if were going to, by any function code, exceed the budgeted amount, we have to do an amended budget, said Dean Wilson, chief financial officer. Its really a compliance issue. The board voted to move summer meetings from the second Tuesday of the month to the fourth Tuesday its usual schedule during the summer, when it only meets once a month. In other business, the board: Approved agreements with Green Hills Area Education Agency for a school-based interventionist program and other services for the 2023-24 school year. Voted to purchase Chromebooks from CDW-G at a cost of $455,070. Approved the purchase of 6-12 World Language instructional materials from Wayside Publishing at a cost of $236,827.29. Approved preschool agreements with community partners St. Albert Catholic School and the Charles E. Lakin YMCA. Approved an agreement with West Central Community Action to provide Head Start services to 60 eligible children with reimbursement from WCCA through a Head Start grant. Approved special education contracts with outside providers. Approved the appointment of six teachers and the resignation or retirement of 32 certified staff. Last week, Iowa lawmakers passed legislation that would, among other things, ban books depicting or describing sex acts from school libraries, and require schools to post a list of books in their libraries online, as well as a process to challenge books. In March, the Iowa Library Association issued a press release calling on concerned Iowans to contact their representatives to voice their opposition to this legislation, which it says will harmfully impact the vital work of librarians and educators, as well as the pursuits of every student, library patron, and life-long learner in our state. In a statement sent to The Daily Nonpareil Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh cautioned the state legislature against what he calls the treacherous slide down the proverbial slippery slope. A difficult obstacle when crafting effective legislation is to not create laws that contain obviously contradictory components, he said. The Iowa legislature is considering enacting new legislation rooted in an effort to expand parental involvement in their childrens access to information. The contradictory shortcoming is that this law will allow a small group of Iowa citizens, acting on their own personal belief system, to make final decisions as to what is considered appropriate written content for every other Iowan. If the content is deemed inappropriate in a single Iowa community, it must subsequently be pulled from library shelves across the entire State of Iowa. We are all Iowans, but your beliefs certainly wont always synchronize with my beliefs and vice versa. Legislation should not support capricious restrictions on citizens rights to access legal information. Council Bluffs Public Library Director Antonia Krupicka-Smith echoed the mayors concerns, and said the proposed legislation could limit access throughout the community due to opinions not supported by our residents. The Council Bluffs Public Library has been a pillar in the community for over 140 years. As one of the very first free and publicly funded libraries in the State of Iowa, we pride ourselves on providing resources to our community that are accessible to all, she said. Our library is locally controlled by active community members and we partner proudly with the schools to support the learning and growth of the youth in our community. With the recent proposed legislature, the access to resources not only in our schools, but throughout the community could be restricted due to opinions not supported by our residents and because of reduced funding to our city. We stand for intellectual freedom, the freedom to know and to discover and the right to access resources to learn and grow. Without these freedoms and with restrictions to access and local control of how we provide resources and engage with our community, the public library and what we stand for could be very different than what it is today. Members of Altrusa International of Council Bluffs, Inc. Club recently gathered to celebrate the clubs 100th anniversary in regular meeting, and included history information and reading the congratulations Office of the Mayor Proclamation and Altrusa International, Inc. Executive Director, President and District Seven Governor letters recognizing Altrusas contributions to the community. Altrusa is an international nonprofit organization that strives to make local communities better through leadership, partnership and service. Members of Altrusa are civic-minded people that dedicate their time and talents to serve their communities in the spirit of altruism, from which the groups name is derived. Altrusa International was founded in April 1917 in Nashville, Tennessee and now with the headquarters currently located in Chicago, Illinois. There are currently 282 Altrusa clubs located throughout the U.S. and internationally, totaling nearly 6,700 members worldwide. Altrusa of Council Bluffs was organized on April 9, 1922, and officially received its charter from the International headquarters on April 28, 1923. The charter members were Essie Cox (Coons), Cora Hendee, Cecilla Jeffrey, Adele Keeline (Pfaff), Charlotte McCluskey, Ellen Nelson, Helen Tyler, Jane McIntire, Mary ONeill, Frieda Ehrenstein, Aurella Tinley, Hollyce Brown, Dora Ellis, Catherine Tyler, Emma Wilcox, Louise Beno, Bess Battey, Dr. Erickson-Hill, Dr. Mary Tinley, Maude McAneney, Martha Hardegen and Margaret Flickinger. Helen Tyler was the first president of Altrusa of Council Bluffs from 1922-1923. Altrusa of Council Bluffs club is included in Altrusa International District Seven, Inc. (states Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Upper Peninsula of Michigan) and two members in our club have been District Seven Governors: Sue Feight (1998-2000) and Bev Harbold (2013-2015 & 2019-2021). Over the past several decades, Altrusa of Council Bluffs members have participated in a variety of service projects that have benefited the community. Altrusa has a rich history of service in the Council Bluffs community, said Lucy Burgan, President of Altrusa of Council Bluffs. I am honored to be an Altrusan and my fellow club members have been like family to me. I joined in 2003, and serving the community alongside them has been a wonderful experience. Altrusa of Council Bluffs members have sponsored and participated many literacy programs and projects with Childrens Square, Head Start, Make a Difference Day, Community Book Collections and others. Members also participated in projects with National Adoption Day, Bethany Lutheran Home, Lakin Campus Back-to-School Extravaganza, Wings of Hope, Ministry for Mentally Handicapped, International projects and many others. From 2015 through 2022, Altrusa of Council Bluffs has provided books and hand-crafted blankets for approximately 120 former foster children who were adopted into their forever families during the annual adoption day celebration each November, said Kathleen Kilnoski, who has been a member with Altrusa since 2012. Our club has also donated hundreds of books about adoption to children who were adopted at other times throughout these years. Altrusa also offers opportunities to engage youth through their ASTRA program. ASTRA stands for Ability, Service, Training, Responsibility and Achievement. The purpose of ASTRA is to provide youth with opportunities for personal growth, leadership training and citizenship development. There are ASTRA clubs currently active at Iowa School for the Deaf and Tri-Center Community High School in Neola. In the past, there were ASTRA clubs at Abraham Lincoln High School, Kirn Junior High School, St. Albert High School and Thomas Jefferson High School. ASTRA clubs are supported by Altrusa and do require a sponsor within the school. It is our hope to be able to establish ASTRA clubs within all the local high schools and middle schools, Lucy Burgan said. It is a wonderful opportunity for local youth to become active members of the community, which will help them to become future leaders. Through the ASTRA program, youth also have access for Altrusa International and Altrusa Council Bluffs club provides $2,000 each year for scholarships and other resources that will help prepare them for their future. For more than 45 years, Altrusa of Council Bluffs has utilized their annual fundraiser to sponsor many of their service and literacy projects. Every fall, the club sells a variety of packaged nuts and chocolates to raise money to support their community efforts. As a result, Altrusa of Council Bluffs provides $3,000 each year for scholarships for nontraditional college and graduate students who want to embark on new careers or to resume an interrupted education. Many of our scholarship recipients are single parents or the primary earners in their families. Some have come from abroad to seek new opportunities. All have been grateful for the support our club has provided on their journey to stable careers that benefit our community. Altrusa scholarships can be obtained from local college financial aid offices or by contacting Altrusa of Council Bluffs. Member Shirley Urich was in ASTRA six years, in Kirn Junior High School and Abraham Lincoln High School, and has spent 15 years in Altrusa Clubs. It gave me valuable skills in leadership and knowledge of how my community works and how I can help my community through volunteerism, she said. The leadership skills and knowledge I have gained have been valuable in the career I have chosen. I am a community development specialist for West Central Community Actions Child Care Resource and Referral. I also love that as an adult I can be a part of Altrusa. I grew up in Council Bluffs, moved away for 10 years and belonged to Altrusa in Red Oak, Iowa club where we lived and now, after moving back to Council Bluffs, in the Council Bluffs Altrusa club. I have served in many different roles such as President, Vice President, communication person. I also serve on our Altrusa District Seven board as a Communications Chair. Im so thankful for a prior Altrusan Katie Wenstrand for her service as our ASTRA advisor years ago. She made such an important effect on my life and others. Altrusa of Council Bluffs, Inc. meets the second Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. at Gethsemane Presbyterian Church, 224 Wallace Ave., in the community room. For more information about Altrusa or its programs, or to join the club, contact altrusa.cb@gmail.com. Learn more about Altrusa International at altrusa.org or see visit Altrusa International of Council Bluffs, IA, Inc. on Facebook. A 2000 Ford F-150 pickup was northbound on Carter Lake Shore Drive at about 8:09 p.m. when it left the roadway and rolled, according to a press release from the Omaha Police Department. A passenger, Tiffany Brayman, 37, was thrown from the vehicle and was transported to Nebraska Medicine by Omaha Fire Department medics. The driver, who was not identified, fled on foot. Weather Alert ...FREEZE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 AM CDT THIS MORNING... * WHAT...Sub-freezing temperatures as low as 31 expected. * WHERE...Knox, Antelope, Pierce, Boone, Madison and Platte Counties. * WHEN...Until 8 AM CDT this morning. * IMPACTS...Frost and freeze conditions will kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold. To prevent freezing and possible bursting of outdoor water pipes they should be wrapped, drained, or allowed to drip slowly. Those that have in-ground sprinkler systems should drain them and cover above- ground pipes to protect them from freezing. && Morocco and Germany announced on Wednesday in Geneva a joint financial contribution for the Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). By joining their efforts, the two countries confirm their commitment made during the Intergovernmental Conference to Adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration organized by the UN in Marrakech in 2018. Moroccos Permanent Representative in Geneva, Omar Zniber, said that Morocco backs the MPTF and the Global Compact for Migration encouraging the migration approaches that benefit communities of origin, transit, and destination, as well as migrants. The diplomat highlighted in this regard Moroccos national migration strategy which is based on humanitarian approach, respect of the rights of migrants and asylum seekers, affirming that this strategy is in line with international agenda on migration. He also reiterated Moroccos commitment to the Marrakech Global Pact on Migration and the African migration agenda, saying the adherence of the North African Kingdom to these landmark international initiatives reflects its attachment to multilateralism. Managing international migration challenges requires the cooperation at all level by all actors. Recognizing this reality, UN member States called for the creation of a fund to support efforts to implement the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM). Following this call, the United Nations established the Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund, a pooled funding instrument in migration. The Fund promotes fact-based and data-driven studies on migration, protects the rights of migrants and addresses irregular migration issues through better borders management and countering transnational crimes including human trafficking. Italian oil and gas major Eni started drilling new exploration well off the coast of Mozambique, while the countrys authorities have green-lighted the resumption of the $20 billion Cabo Delgado gas project, in which TotalEnergies owns an operating stake of 26.5%, The Italian oil and gas giant Eni is drilling its first exploration well in about eight years off the coast of Mozambique that joined the ranks of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporters in 2022. The West Capella vessel has carried out initial drilling at the Raia-1 well that will explore what could be a new oil and gas basin off Mozambiques coast, according to Instituto Nacional de Petroleo, the countrys oil and gas regulator. The target is near Angoche, about 604km south of the Rovuma basin where the Eni began producing liquefied natural gas (LNG) last year. While its far from certain that the Roma-based company will discover economic deposits of oil and gas off Angoche, the drilling could be the start of a new round of investments in Mozambiques hydrocarbon industry. Anadarko Petroleum completed Mozambiques last offshore exploration well in mid-2015, the countrys oil and gas regulator, said on Monday (24 April). Meanwhile, Mozambiques authorities have decided to resume the $20 billion Cabo Delgado LNG export project resulting from that exploration that has been on hold for more than two years because of mounting insecurity due to Islamic State-linked insurgency in the region. In 2019, TotalEnergies bought Anadarko Petroleums operating stake of 26,5% in this project for $3.9 billion. Speaking at a mining and energy conference in Maputo on Wednesday (26 April), Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi has said it is now safe to restart the Cabo Delgado LNG project, adding that the southeast African country wanted to take advantage of the current high prices of LNG and the global shift towards cleaner sources of energy. TotalEnergies spokesperson Stephanie Platat said a decision to restart the project depended on assurances of security and human rights in the region and a clear vision of the costs of the project after an interruption of more than two years which must be maintained and not increase. Nearly 13 million children in Africa missed one or more vaccinations and 8.7 million didnt receive a single dose of any vaccine between 2019 and 2021, after Covid-19 caused service disruption, strained health systems, diverted scarce resources, while conflicts, climate change have driven this decline on the continent, a new report from United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) has warned. UNICEFs report titled The State of the Worlds Children 2023: For Every Child, Vaccination says that the disruptive impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has left the continent vulnerable to even more outbreaks of disease and facing a child survival crisis. Amid a global backslide in childhood immunization over those three years, which UNICEF said is the worst regression for childhood vaccinations in 30 years, Africa is the region with the highest number of unvaccinated and under-vaccinated children. According to the report, Africa accounts for half of the 20 countries in the world with the largest number of children without any vaccinations referred to as zero-dose children. Nigeria and Ethiopia, for example, have 2.2 million and 1.1 million children respectively who have never received a vaccination against any disease. UNICEFs report comes as Africa, but also other parts of the world, report disease outbreaks on a scale not seen in years. More than 1,000 people died in a cholera outbreak in early 2023 in Malawi, the worst outbreak in the southeastern African country in two decades. In Zimbabwe, where children were unvaccinated against measles, nearly 700 children died in the disease outbreak last year. UNICEF said the intense demands on health systems, the diversions of immunization resources to Covid-19 vaccination, health worker shortages and stay-at-home measures all contributed to missed vaccinations across the world. So did conflicts, climate change and vaccine hesitancy. But in Africa, the pandemic exposed and exacerbated the lack of resilience and persistent weaknesses in health systems and primary health care, UNICEF said. Therefore, the UNICEF report is urging governments to urgently identify and reach all children, especially those who missed vaccinations during the Covid-19 pandemic; prioritize funding to immunization services and primary health care; build resilient health systems through investment in female health workers, innovation and local manufacturing; and strengthen demand for vaccines, including by building confidence. Immunizations have saved millions of lives and protected communities from deadly disease outbreaks, said UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell. Not all Africans are poor this could arguably be the main message from the 2023 edition of the annual Africa Wealth Report by London-based Henley & Partners that reveals that the Big 5 wealth markets in Africa South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, and Morocco together account for a significant 56% of Africas high-net-worth individuals and over 90% of the continents billionaires. The report, which provides a comprehensive review of private wealth in Africa, thus confirms the validity of the counter-cliche that Africa is not poor but impoverished. The annual ranking of African cities and nations, based on the number of wealthy residents living in them, is the definitive guide to Africas wealth and luxury sector, published by Henley & Partners in partnership with wealth intelligence firm New World Wealth. But the 2023 edition also points out that the dominance of the Big 5 wealth markets in Africa is far from assured, as they could soon be challenged by the likes of Mauritius and Rwanda, which are fast gaining ground. Namibias new residence by investment offering positions it as a future potential rival as well. While South Africa tops the list of countries with 37,800 millionaires, Egypt ranks second in the country rankings, with 16,100 millionaires, Nigeria comes third with 9,800 millionaires in dollars. Kenya and Morocco are the fourth and fifth-wealthiest, with 7,700 and 5,800 millionaires respectively. Four of Africas Top 10 wealthiest cities are in South Africa Johannesburg, with the most millionaires in Africa, Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria. Africas other wealthiest cities are Cairo, Lagos, Nairobi, Casablanca, Accra and Luanda. The total private wealth currently held on the African continent is $2.4 trillion and its millionaire population is expected to rise by 42% over the next 10 years, says the Africa Wealth Report. Ultimately, it also points out that private wealth in Africa is constantly evolving, with persistent growth prospects, though not everyone by far is so lucky. As the World Bank reminds us, seven of the 10 most unequal countries in the world are located in Africa. Egypt and Greece have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to launch a periodic dialogue between their ministries of Finance in order to exchange views on financial policy issues and topics, mechanisms of developing technical cooperation, the Egyptian Finance Ministry said in a statement. Mohammed Moait, Egypts Finance Minister signed the deal with his hosting Greek counterpart. The agreement is in line with the depth of bilateral relations in various spheres, and the mutual aspiration of both countries to strengthen them. Greece is a portal for exporting green energy from Egypt to Europe, the statement said. Moait indicated that Egypt is keen to strengthen cooperation with the European country in various spheres, in light of promising projects for electricity connection between the two countries, as the North African country intends to expand clean energy production into that of green hydrogen. We are looking forward to launching the Sustainable Debt Alliance in Egypt, next September, supporting green growth, contributing to addressing environmental challenges, and encouraging a flow of additional green investments, Moait added. We look forward to strengthening the role of the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action in building a more resilient global economic system capable of green recovery, to avoid health, economic and environmental shocks, especially in the wake of subsequent global crises, which have exacerbated the financial pressures on emerging economies. Greece also welcomed the initiative to create a Sustainable Debt Alliance launched on the Funding Day at the Sharm El Sheikh climate conference, and its aspiration to strengthen the role of the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action in accelerating the green recovery. Egypt hosted last year the COP27, the UN gathering on climate change. Moroccos Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) arrested 13 ISIS-affiliated suspects on Thursday in several Moroccan provinces. The arrests, conducted in coordination with national police, took place in the cities of Casablanca, Beni Mellal, Mohammedia, Khenifra, Temara, Tiflet, Ksar el Kebir, Rissani and Berkane, the BCIJ said in a statement. The searches conducted in the homes of the individuals arrested have allowed the seizure of several materials and digital media that will be submitted to the necessary technical expertise, written publications containing extremist thought theories, and leaflets authorizing suicide operations and inciting violence. Early investigations showed that the suspects carried out extensive research to learn how to manufacture explosives, and were also able to connect with terrorist groups outside Morocco, with the aim of joining ISIS, especially in the Sahel and Sahara regions. The BCIJ statement said that the suspects aged between 19 and 49 were involved in preparing terror attacks targeting sensitive departments and locations across the country, including security elements and institutions in the context of operations of individual terrorism. The arrested persons were placed in custody for the judicial investigation conducted by the BCIJ under the supervision of the competent prosecutors office, in order to identify their terrorist plans and projects and to elucidate their possible regional and international ramifications with terrorist organizations outside Morocco. These latest arrests are part of Moroccos efforts to address security threats including extremism and terrorism. Moroccos counterterrorism approach and vigilance against security threats have been highlighted by several international reports, the latest being the annual Country Terrorism Report from the US Department of State, which described Moroccos counterterrorism mechanism as comprehensive. Last Monday, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Dana Stroul underlined the strength of Moroccos counterterrorism approach, stressing that Morocco is a critical partner of the U.S. in countering violent extremism and terror threat in the Sahel and across Africa. The assessment of the security situation at the regional level and the challenges arising from the growing terrorist threat were at the focus of a meeting held Wednesday in Rabat between Director General of Territorial Surveillance, Abdellatif Hammouchi, and Director of the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Thomas Haldenwang, who as accompanied by his senior deputies in this intelligence department. Talks also covered ways to strengthen security cooperation between the two countries on solid foundations of credibility, trust and common interest, said a statement from the Directorate General of Territorial Surveillance (DGST). This meeting comes to reiterate both parties shared willingness to strengthen security cooperation and consolidate the coordination of intelligence in the fight against threats to the security of the two countries, in light of major changes that characterize the terrorist threat and organized crime, said the statement. The Morocco-UAE Joint Economic Commission held its first ministerial session In Rabat this Thursday, under the chairmanship of Minister of Economy and Finance Nadia Fettah and her Emirati counterpart Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri. In an address at the opening of the session, Mrs. Fettah welcomed the level of distinguished relations between the two brotherly countries and peoples, praising, in this context, the pioneering contribution of the UAE Government and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development in supporting structuring development projects in various vital sectors in the Kingdom. The minister also reviewed the major economic reforms undertaken by Morocco to improve the business climate, reforms, she said, that have contributed to consolidating its position as a privileged destination for investors and strengthening its attractiveness and economic projection at the regional and international levels. She expressed Moroccos continued willingness to develop joint action mechanisms with the UAE and establish fruitful economic cooperation in various areas of common interest, calling on Emirati investors to take advantage of the promising investment opportunities in the Kingdom and establish partnerships with the Moroccan private sector in priority areas. Echoing her, Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri hailed the strength of fraternal and cooperative relations between the UAE and the Kingdom of Morocco, expressing his countrys keenness to develop bilateral relations and prospects for economic cooperation. He also stressed that the holding of the first session of the Morocco-United Arab Emirates Joint Economic Commission is a new starting point for strengthening economic and trade partnerships between the two countries, developing cooperation mechanisms and establishing a new partnership plan in more sectors and trade and investment activities. The Emirati official affirmed, moreover, that this meeting of decision-makers, investors and business representatives of the two countries reflects the success of joint efforts and paves the way for exploring new avenues of economic cooperation between Morocco and the UAE. This meeting, marked by the participation of senior officials from the two ministries and some public and private sector institutions, was preceded by a bilateral meeting between the two ministers which was crowned by the signing of a memorandum of understanding on economic and technical cooperation between the two parties. The objective is to establish a cooperation framework contributing to the development, reinforcement, and diversification of the fields of economic and technical cooperation between the two countries through the establishment of the Morocco-UAE Joint Economic Commission. As its $75 million transformation nears the two-year mark, District 177 is set to make its debut as a living and shopping community. The first residential tenants of the four-story Heartland Flats building will start moving in this weekend, Rev Development LLC development director Rachel Glock said Thursday. During a tour of one of the 96-unit complexs two-bedroom apartments, Glock also announced the first retail tenant for the 51-year-old main malls north side when its conversion to front-facing store bays is completed. Five Below, a specialty discount store chain catering to tweens and teenagers, will occupy a relatively narrow 10,805-square-foot space roughly just south of the former Herbergers area of The Mall. Glock described Five Below as a new-concept value store, with interesting things but generally priced at $5 or less. Toys and games, technology, beauty and style items, arts and crafts, pet supplies and squishmallows are among the main item categories on the chains homepage at fivebelow.com. North Platte will be Five Belows 10th Nebraska store. It has three stores in Omaha and two in Lincoln, with others located in Bellevue, Papillion, Grand Island and Kearney. Glock said Rev hopes to announce a second big box retailer for the main malls north half in the next 30 days. Announcement of a third will lag a bit, she said. Meanwhile, demolition of the north halfs old retail spaces north of Famous Footwear has begun even with Five Belows neighbors not yet finalized. We are making some really serious plans as it relates to construction plans and moving forward according to who we expect will be taking those places, Glock said. It just takes time to work through lease negotiations with national retailers. Site preparation for Heartland Flats, the new centerpiece of the former Platte River Mall, began the day after city officials finalized their $16.63 million assistance package for the malls transformation on June 1, 2021. Studio and one- and two-bedroom apartments occupy the buildings top three floors. Monthly rents range from $864 to $1,325, with a joint $250-a-month utility service package including electricity, natural gas, basic cable TV, high-speed internet, water and trash service. Furniture can be rented also. Glock said second-floor apartments on Heartland Flats south side will be the first ones occupied starting this weekend. People who want available units there will get their first months rent free, she said. North-side apartments are still being finished, but third- and fourth-floor units on the south side can be occupied once elevators to those floors are certified for operation, she said. Rev has a long list of people who are interested, Glock said. But we found a lot of people are interested in (the) third and fourth (floors and) are waiting to see when those can be occupied. The top-scale Willow apartment plan Glock presented for a press tour Thursday covers 1,087 square feet, with one full bathroom near the entrance and a walk-in closet and second bathroom with a walk-in shower off the larger of the two bedrooms. Stainless steel appliances and granite countertops grace the kitchen area of the main room, with modern lighting, colors and finishes throughout, Glock said. Tenants will find a modest-range unit with some finishes and surfaces that arent typical to the market at Heartland Flats rates, she said. Thirty-two garages available for rent behind the first-floor retail spaces will open into interior hallways leading to the apartments, she said. Apartments and garages will be locked electronically, with the ability to share unlocking credentials with family members or friends. We see that as allowing us to provide some modern technology with these units, Glock said. Its really wonderful. A common area for outdoor grilling and socializing is yet to come, she said. Rev also plans to provide a fitness center and community room for Heartland Flats residents inside the longtime main entrance to the 1972 mall, which will remain in place. I think anyone who was here a year ago would be amazed at how much has changed, Glock said. Well see even more changes over the next 12 months. Elsewhere around District 177 as the second anniversary of its transformation approaches: Glock said the remaining unsided areas on Heartland Flats west and east sides should be enclosed in four to six weeks. Siding on the west side couldnt be finished while the former Nebraskaland Tire & Service building, demolished in early January, still stood. Bath & Body Works, which closed in the main mall in mid-January, will be the first ground-floor retailer to open on Heartland Flats north side in the next 30 days. Itll take the westernmost bay there. Maurices and Famous Footwear are expected to leave the main mall in mid-summer, Glock said. Famous Footwear will take the last open south-side space near the Buckle, Bling Glamour by Nicole and GNC. Maurices will be next to Bath & Body Works, with first-time store Glicks on its other side. One north-side retail space remains unclaimed. Walls should start rising soon on the new building in front of Heartland Flats that will hold Riddles Jewelry which will be last to leave the main mall and anchored by Rib & Chop House. A single retail space remains available there, too, Glock said. Back in the main mall, planned east-opening retail spaces are being marketed in approximately the backs of the former J.C. Penney Co. and Herbergers spaces. Theyre 22,075 and 13,108 square feet respectively. Glock said Rev also is marketing four smaller retail spaces near the 1972 main mall entrance. Construction of the new Freddys Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, fronting South Dewey Street, is on track to permit a summer opening. Additional lots for potential restaurants remain available south of Arbys and between Freddys and Verizon Wireless, Glock said. Finally, the long-vacant south end of the mall property fronting East Francis Street seems increasingly likely to eventually hold another apartment-retail complex. Glock said itll be last to be developed. Cleveland-Cliffs has reached a tentative labor deal with workers at a steel mill in southwest Ohio. The Cleveland-based company, one of the biggest steelmakers along the lakefront in Northwest Indiana, has come to a tentative four-year agreement with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 1943 at its Middletown Works between Dayton and Cincinnati. The tentative agreement would cover about 2,100 hourly workers at the plant if it goes into effect on May 15. It first must be ratified by workers. The exact terms of the deal were not disclosed, pending ratification. The new labor agreement with our valued IAM employees at Middletown represents another win-win for Cliffs and our union partners," Cleveland-Cliffs Chairman, President and CEO Lourenco Goncalves said. "We have a strong and loyal workforce as a result of these great relationships. Continued healthy partnerships like this one are the backbone of our future success, and we look forward to accomplishing our shared goals together. Middletown Works is an integrated steel mill that does carbon steel melting, casting, hot rolling, cold rolling and finishing operations in Middletown, Ohio. It produces a variety of carbon and stainless steels for industries, including the automotive sector that Cleveland-Cliffs focuses on. Cleveland-Cliffs acquired the plant from AK Steel in late 2020 when it also bought ArcelorMittal USA, turning it from a longtime iron ore supplier to the largest flat-rolled steel producer in North America. The company also employs more than 7,500 workers in Northwest Indiana, where it has operations in Burns Harbor, East Chicago and Gary. The city of Valparaiso is getting five extra alcohol-sales permits for downtown restaurants after all. A House-approved plan for additional Valparaiso liquor licensees that died earlier this month in the Senate was revived Thursday as part of House Enrolled Act 1200 and immediately endorsed by both chambers sending the proposal to the governor to be signed into law. Since 2005, Valparaiso has benefited from special legislation granting 10 extra permits for on-premises consumption of beer, wine or liquor in restaurants within a designated historic district centered on the Porter County Courthouse. Mayor Matt Murphy told lawmakers in February the permits helped turn around downtown Valparaiso, which he said once had a 50% vacancy rate. The legislation seeks to build on that success by allowing the new permits to be deployed at properties up to 1,500 feet outside the historic district, instead of the 700-foot maximum in current law. Murphy said expanding the area where the additional permits can be used will spur development and bring additional restaurants to downtown streets a few blocks away from Lincolnway. The measure also raises the initial $6,000 fee for each permit to $25,000. PHOTOS: Valparaiso 2023 Progress Edition Progress: Valparaiso Progress: Valparaiso Progress: Valparaiso Progress: Valparaiso Progress: Valparaiso Progress: Valparaiso Progress: Valparaiso Progress: Valparaiso Progress: Valparaiso Progress: Valparaiso Progress: Valparaiso Journeyman Progress: Valparaiso Progress: Valparaiso The mystery of whodunit will soon be solved. The Lubeznik Center for the Arts in downtown Michigan City will soon host two mystery writers who will reveal some of their latest work. Read Between the Crimes: An Evening with Two Mystery Writers will take place between 5 and 8 p.m. on Friday, May 7 at 101 W. 2nd Street. The local writers Nancy Nau Sullivan and Sandra L. Young will read from their latest books starting at 5:45 p.m. They also will answer questions and sign books at the First Friday event. "Sullivan invented the life and times of Blanche Murninghan in her four-part mystery series, which debuted with Saving Tuna Street in 2020," the Lubeznik said in a press release. "Sullivans other titles in this series include Trouble Down Mexico Way, Mission Improbable: Vietnam and A Deadly Irish Secret, which will be released on July 11 from Light Messages/Torchflame. A former newspaper journalist, Sullivan taught English in Argentina, in the Peace Corps in Mexico and at a boys prison in Florida. Sullivan lives in Northwest Indiana." Her books will be available for purchase at the Lubeznik, as will Young's. "Young is a first-time author sharing her passion for vintage clothing with her mystery novel, Divine Vintage," the Lubeznik said in a press release. "The novel follows vintage boutique owner, Tess Burton, when modeling an Edwardian trousseau gown opens her mind to witness a century-old murder, especially as her version disputes local lore. Young also lives in Northwest Indiana." The event is free and open to the public. People can also check out the new "Citizen" exhibition. For more information, visit lubeznikcenter.org or call 219.874.4900. The Art Barn School of Art is now exhibiting its 29th annual Juried Art Exhibition, which features the work of artists from far and wide. A total of 174 aspiring and established artists from Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, North Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin submitted 422 entries for consideration for the juried group exhibition. Art Barn, at 695 N 400 E in Valparaiso, is displaying 88 pieces a juror selected. People can see drawings, paintings, pastels, printmaking, mixed media, photography, glass, textiles and ceramic art on display at the art school in rural Porter County. We are proud to continue the longstanding tradition and dream of our late founder Jan Sullivan and congratulate those who were selected to be included in this year's exhibition, said Amy Davis Navardauskas, Art Barn executive director. Their work was among the 22% of selected pieces and among 85 of the 174 artists selected to participate. Due to a record number of submissions, competition was high this year." Artist and Valparaiso University professor Aimee Tomasek served as the juror. She is a documentary photographer whose work seeks to "address the social and cultural relationships between industry and regionalism along with more personal institutions such as faith, ethnic foundations and a sense of community." The Art Barn will distribute $5,800 in purchase and merit awards to support working artists in the Region. All proceeds from sales will go toward Art Barn's educational programming and exhibitions. An artists' reception will take place between 5 and 8 p.m. on April 28. There will be light refreshments, a cash bar, a chance to mingle with the artists and an award presentation at 6:30 p.m. Check out these top stories and more in The Times and nwi.com. Plan for appointed Gary school board headed to governor's desk: https://bit.ly/3LtBSCT PNW chancellor will leave position next spring; search for replacement to begin soon: https://bit.ly/3L8Ksqm Opponents assured they still have time to challenge controversial VU art sale: https://bit.ly/3VaGFNC Stay connected with all your Region News at www.nwi.com. Video provided in partnership with The Times, JEDtv and WJOB. Sponsored by Strack & Van Til. PORTAGE A 28-year-old Portage woman accused of shooting and injuring her husband in February faces an additional charge of invasion of privacy. Rachael Trinidad is accused of having another person place a birthday card in the mailbox of an unidentified victim in the case in violation of a protective order. The incident occurred April 10 at a Portage home, records show. The alleged victim reportedly saw the person delivering the card. Porter Superior Court Judge Mike Fish set bond on the new charge at $1,000 cash and placed Trinidad on pretrial release, records show. The judge agreed to hear arguments at a later date in favor of modifying the no-contact order. A status hearing is scheduled for Monday on the initial and latest charges. Trinidad's husband reportedly told police at the time of the shooting that Trinidad had been experiencing a break from reality and began firing a gun after being told she could not leave home with their 5-month-old daughter. He stated that she then chased him to the master bedroom and shot him in the back of his shoulder, Portage police said. Police said they found 13 spent rounds from an AR-15 rifle in the bedroom and adjoining bathroom, and two spent 9 mm rounds. The bathroom door bore approximately fourteen (14) bullet holes, a charging document says. There were ten (10) holes entering and exiting the bathtub. Several bullets appeared to have skimmed and entered the wall behind the bathroom door. Trinidad is charged in the shooting with felony counts of domestic battery with a deadly weapon and battery causing serious bodily injury, records show. Each of the charges carries a potential prison term of one to six years. The shooting victim was treated at the scene, then taken to Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus in Gary, police said. Gallery: Recent arrests booked into the Porter County Jail Mark Thomas Jr. Kiaris Williams Jeremy Schiesser Tyler Smith Debra Montoya Zachary Budde Rena Hardt Michael Johnson Jr. Mersadis Schroder Matthew Potocki John Garcia Brandi Gonzales Adrian Lacy Connor Ahearn Shayli Chambers Dylan Evans Joyce Stokes Jessica Thompson Amber Levin Lucas Richards Sharod Marberry Jason Pollock Alphonso Smith Lavareoina Berry Michael Correa Bradley Geistwhite Michael Ward Gregory Wleklinski Jr. Kennel Martinez-Serrano Joshua Strickland Adam Thomas Vincent Fischer Kevin King Brandon Alexander Terrance Burgos Rachel Samis Daniel Souvigny Andres Verduzco Codie McMahon Jeremy Peterson Madelynn Rohder PORTAGE A 43-year-old Hebron woman, who drove her vehicle off the roadway and rolled it in a wooded area with her daughter inside, was driving intoxicated, Porter County police said. Debra Montoya, who was found during a portable breath test to be twice the legal limit for drinking and driving, was taken to the Porter County jail and faces charges of operating while intoxicated with a passenger under the age of 18, OWI endangering others and driving without ever receiving a license, according to the arrest report. County police said they were called out around 9:44 p.m. Wednesday to the area of Ind. 2 and County Road 600 North where Montoya told them she was driving south on the highway when she attempted to avoid a dead animal in the roadway. "Avoiding the deceased animal, caused Debra to run off the roadway and overturn the vehicle," police said. Neither Montoya nor her daughter accepted medical care at the scene, police said. While speaking to Montoya, police said they smelled alcohol on her breath and noticed her speech was slurred, eyes were glassy and that she was unsteady on her feet. She reportedly admitted to have been drinking alcohol before the crash. Montoya's daughter was released to another family member and the case was reported to Indiana Child Protective Services, police said. Gallery: Recent arrests booked into the Porter County Jail Mark Thomas Jr. Kiaris Williams Jeremy Schiesser Tyler Smith Debra Montoya Zachary Budde Rena Hardt Michael Johnson Jr. Mersadis Schroder Matthew Potocki John Garcia Brandi Gonzales Adrian Lacy Connor Ahearn Shayli Chambers Dylan Evans Joyce Stokes Jessica Thompson Amber Levin Lucas Richards Sharod Marberry Jason Pollock Alphonso Smith Lavareoina Berry Michael Correa Bradley Geistwhite Michael Ward Gregory Wleklinski Jr. Kennel Martinez-Serrano Joshua Strickland Adam Thomas Vincent Fischer Kevin King Brandon Alexander Terrance Burgos Rachel Samis Daniel Souvigny Andres Verduzco Codie McMahon Jeremy Peterson Madelynn Rohder HAMMOND A sign may not seem like much. But for a child entering a school for the first time from a different country, a different culture, that sign might mean the world. Irving Elementary and the School City of Hammond on Thursday unveiled signs reflecting the school's Dual Language Immersion Program. In addition to the large unveiled letters outside, 200 signs inside Irving are now in English, Spanish, and Braille. This is a great opportunity for our children to learn two languages, said Fabiola Gonzalez, the mother of one child in DLI. She came to this country from Mexico. Irving becomes the first school in the largest school district in Northwest Indiana to display multilingual signage throughout the building, but Superintendent Scott Miller would like to see similar signage system-wide. "This is an act of love from us to you, Miller said, adding that the signs were a really great idea and easy to approve. The school system established the first DLIP in Lake County at Irvings kindergarten and first grade during the 2019-20 school year. Each year, as the program grows, another grade level is added, with two fifth-grade classrooms to be added next year. For newcomers to this country and the English language, Miller said, the signage really goes a long way. We want to be a welcoming school to our families. We want you to feel welcome. With 11,000 students, Miller said 48% are Hispanic, 32% African-American and 12% Caucasian. The superintendent noted that Hispanic students represent the largest growing ethnicity is the school system. DLIP is designed to develop high linguistic and academic proficiency in both English and Spanish. Irving is Hammonds largest elementary school with 767 students, 65% of whom, Principal Sarah Kilander reported, are Hispanic. This two-way immersion program combines two groups of students, each with different home languages. About half begin DLIP as English-only speakers; the other half as Spanish-only speakers. As Ana Verduzco, Hammond DLIP director, explained, while the teacher is teaching Spanish, native Spanish speakers support the English speakers. When the teacher is working in English, native English speakers support the native Spanish-speaking students. Verduzco said she would like to see the program reach the high school level. The programs overall goal is to improve student performance for both our English learners and native English speakers, the program director said. We firmly believe that by implementing a solid DLI two-way program, it will help in closing the achievement gap for our students who are identified as at risk. Anhtony Salinas, director of elementary education for the school system, added that in addition to students acquiring a bilingual base, they are learning another way to think. As noted in a press release, DLIP seeks to ensure that all students reach high levels of academic achievement; develop biliteracy and bilingualism; and cultivate global competency in order to thrive in a multicultural society become cross-cultural ambassadors for school, community, and society. Verduzco said the signage sends a message that the School City of Hammond is bilingual and bicultural. Cortina Nelson, an African-American mother of one child in the program, called DLIP quite an experience quite an honor, and encouraged other parents to give it a try. Stephanie Vargas, the schools physical education instructor, has two sons in DLIP. A native English speaker, Vargas called the immersion a wonderful program that challenges students. Vargas added that she has not seen any decline in her sons English. Kids get so much more, the mother said, and it means so much more to them. WHITING Construction is expected to start this year on 10 single-family homes to be built on the 1600 and 1700 blocks of Center Street. Mayor Steve Spebar said a contract has been approved with Sand and Shores Development, LLC, to construct the homes on land that had been acquired by the city. Dependable Services, LLC, will serve as the general contractor. Both are Munster-based groups. The plan had been to have two developers each build five homes, but Spebar said another developer backed out. Spebar said the citys Redevelopment Commission has also approved a request for proposals for four city-owned lots on Schrage Avenue between 121st Street and Steiber Street. They will be marketed for ranch homes, Spebar said. The mayor said people commonly ask about the possibility of building ranch homes in the city. I think this is an excellent opportunity to provide land for this, Spebar said. Those particular lots are narrow but theyre also some of the deepest in town. In other city news: * Spebar said work on revetment (the rocks along the shoreline used to break wave action) started in mid-April and is expected to conclude by the end of May. There will be restrictions on walking on the boardwalk during that time, Spebar said. The mayor said the project is being paid for through funds received by the city from a lawsuit for work improperly done at the site. It protects our shoreline for years to come, Spebar said. * The Whiting Hispanic Heritage Organization (WHHO) will hold a Cinco De Mayo Celebration from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on May 5 at the Mascot Hall of Fame, 1851 Front St. The cost for the fundraiser is $30 and includes Mariachi music, a buffet-style dinner featuring Mexican food and a cash bar. Tickets can be purchased at Rebecas Hair Salon, 1544 119th. St., or by emailing WhitingHHO@gmail.com. The mission of WHHO is to serve the Hispanic/Latino community by organizing cultural events and facilitating resources. WHHO plans to award its first scholarship at the May 5 event. An application deadline of Friday has been set for Whiting students of Hispanic origin to be eligible for the $10,000 scholarship to help attend a college or trade school. Jim Justice and his ubiquitous English bulldog, Babydog. Photo: AP Photo/Leah Willingham/AP The heaviest of low-hanging fruit for Republicans seeking to flip control of the U.S. Senate in 2024 is Joe Manchins seat in West Virginia, a state that has trended massively toward the GOP as the moderate-to-conservative Democrat has held on by his fingernails. Manchin hasnt announced another Senate bid, but if he does, the road to reelection just got steeper. Senate Republicans have gotten their prize recruit for the race against Manchin; popular two-term governor Jim Justice is announcing his candidacy on Thursday at the Greenbrier resort his very wealthy family owns. Hell be accompanied by his pet and mascot, an English bulldog named Babydog, who has become a regular prop in all of the governors big moments (during his televised 2022 State of the State Address, he held up the dogs rear end and told his and his states detractors they could kiss Babydogs heinie). High jinks aside, Justice is a shrewd politician who definitely has some history with Manchin. The senator reportedly talked the crazy-rich coal operator Justice into running for governor in 2016 as a Democrat, continuing a tradition of right-leaning Democratic governors that included Manchin himself. But soon after he won the office, Justice switched parties at a Donald Trump rally in West Virginia, and later added insult to injury by firing Manchins wife Gayle, who was in the appointed office of secretary of Education and Arts. At the moment, Justice is a lot more popular in West Virginia than the Democratic incumbent. Indeed, a recent battery of Morning Consult polls showed Justice (with an overall job-approval ratio of 66-31) as more popular than Manchin (who is underwater among all voters at 38-55) among Democrats in the state. Justice can also self-fund a campaign to an almost limitless degree. Right now, Manchins best hope for survival if he does run for reelection is that Justice will be taken down or severely damaged by primary opponent Alex Mooney, a five-term U.S. House member. Mooney is best known for wielding a Donald Trump endorsement to survive a 2022 primary against House colleague David McKinley after West Virginia lost a House district in reapportionment. Now Mooney is being backed by the Club for Growth, which is sure to go after Justice as an ex-Democratic RINO. In some ways, the Senate primary may become a surrogate battle between the Club and Mitch McConnells Senate Leadership Fund, which will back Justice to the hilt as the more likely Manchin-slayer. Mooney is also praying for another Trump endorsement, but since the former president also has ties to Justice, that seems unlikely at a time when Trump is focused on his own campaign. If, as the betting odds would indicate, Justice and Manchin do face off in a general-election grudge match (in the shadow of a presidential election in which Republicans are sure to carry West Virginia by 30 to 40 points), it will represent another sign of the gerontocracy ruling the Senate in particular and U.S. politics generally. Justice has chosen to announce his Senate candidacy on his 73rd birthday. Manchin is currently 75 (for what its worth, Mooney is a relatively youthful 51). But the state is used to being represented by old folks: Manchins Senate predecessor was Robert Byrd, who died in office at the age of 92; Byrds longtime Senate colleague Jennings Randolph retired at the age of 82. Babydog Justice, on the other hand, is only three years old. WWE, Vince McMahon & other executives are facing a new lawsuit. As they allegedly discriminated and retaliated against a Black female writer for objecting to offensively racist and stereotypical jargon used in the scripts of Black wrestlers including Bianca Belair & Apollo pic.twitter.com/RK3WeJqoZw Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) April 26, 2023 The WWE and Vince McMahon are facing yet another lawsuit, this one from Britney Abrahams, a Black female former writer, who alleges she was discriminated and retaliated against when she objected to racist plotlines and language. Abrahams began working for WWE in 2020 and she complained of racial and gender stereotypes in scripts. When she brought some of these to the attention of vice president Christine Lubrano, Lubrano allegedly responded by saying "Wacky things are said in the writers room all the time!" and "I know but look at the waves were making in the company. 4 years ago, no woman worked on the writers team!"Abrahams said she was fired in 2022 by WWE citing that she had taken home a Wrestlemania branded chair. Abrahams said that this was a common practice and that she had never seen her white male counterparts be fired for it. She believes she was fired in retaliation for speaking out against these storylines. She is seeking reinstatement, damages, declaratory judgment, and an injunction restraining defendants from engaging in such unlawful conduct.WWE has had a history of racism in the past, including a bit where McMahon himself used the n-word during an exchange with John Cena. While McMahon wasn't directly involved in these allegations there is some evidence to show that he and his daughter Stephanie McMahon who was Chief Brand Officer at the time were aware of what was happening.- They wanted a black female wrestler (Bianca Belair) to say "Uh-Uh! Don't make me take off my earrings and beat your ass!" They wanted her character to be more ghetto and use stereotypical and harmful language as they claimed they didn't know what to do with her. (Bianca is currently the RAW Women's Champion and is considered by many to be one of the best women's wrestlers currently working).- They wanted a black wrestler (Apollo Crews) to speak with an overly exaggerated Nigerian accent despite him being born in America (this is very similar to when they had Kofi Kingston speak in a Jamaican accent despite the fact he was born in Ghana and grew up in Boston, Kofi infamously dropped the accent during a segment and soon after it was forgotten entirely).- They wanted a black male wrestler to dress in drag because it would be "funny," this was only dropped when a white writer said it could be harmful.- They wanted a Muslim wrestler (Mansoor) to have a plotline that would reveal that he was responsible for 9/11. Mansoor was only 6 at the time of the attack. (It is speculated on Twitter that this storyline was being proposed around the end 2021 and was one of the factors that led to another Muslim wrestler, Mustafa Ali publically demanding to be released from his contract, McMahon denied him).- They wanted a female Arab-Canadian wrestler (Aliyah)'s only personality to be that she was "super hot" and be stuck in a love triangle with Mansoor and Angel Garaza where both men were kind of evil and she had no agency at all.- There would be a plotline that involved a white male wrestler purposely hunting black wrestlers for fun. National COSH Announces 2023 'Dirty Dozen' Employers Amazon, FedEx and Tesla, Inc. are among the 12 employers on National Council for Occupational Safety and Healths list. Yesterday, the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (COSH) announced this years dirty dozen employers. According to a news release, 12 employers are selected by National COSH from nominations provided by COSH affiliates; Criteria include the severity of risks to workers; repeat and serious violations of safety standards and applicable laws; the position of a company within its industry and the economy and its ability to influence broader workplace standards, and the presence of a campaign by workers and/or allies to correct health and safety problems. In alphabetical order, the dirty dozen employers are: Amazon FedEx Hanover Company, Lithko Contracting, Friends Masonry Construction Norfolk Southern and Class One Freight Railroads: BNSF, CSX, Kansas City Southern, Union Pacific, Canadian Pacific, Canadian National Railway Occidental Chemical, Westlake Chemical Packer Sanitation Service Inc. (PSSI), JBS Foods, Cargill, Tyson Sonoma WISE Swissport International AG Companies Tenet Healthcare Corporation Tesla, Inc Trulieve Cannabis Corp Twin Peaks Restaurant This is Amazons fourth time on the list. In 2022, multiple employees died while working at warehouses, including one who lost their life after a forklift crash and one who died after suffering a cardiac arrest on Prime Day, the report said. Workers at other employers on this list also suffered fatalities. At Teslas Texas GigaFactory located in Austin, a construction worker died while working in temperatures of 98 degrees Fahrenheit. The worker, employed by a contractor, had an internal body temperature of 106.4 degrees Fahrenheit upon their death. At Trulieve Cannabis Corp., a 27-year-old named Lorna McMurrey had an asthma attack after breathing in cannabis dust and later died. Lorna had no pre-existing condition, and Trulieve took away the personal protective equipment (PPE) that she and other workers needed, said Lornas cousin Alisha Bounds in a news release. We want to do all we can to improve conditions in this industry, so no other family has to suffer this kind of tragic and preventable loss. Bounds was one of the four featured speakers during National COSHs media briefing on the dirty dozen on April 26. Three employees of Friends Masonry Construction died after scaffolding collapsed, causing them to fall 70 feet. The eldest of the three Latino workers, at age 45, was only weeks away from retirement. Per the report, Hanover Company, based in Texas, owns the project. Lithko Contracting, based in Ohio, is the construction contractor. A worker at FedEx was driving a forklift on what Tennessee OSHA said was a defective ramp when the vehicle flipped over. The worker was fatally crushed after the forklift landed on them. National COSH, which is composed of 26 grassroots worker groups, according to its website, announced the dirty dozen during Workers Memorial Week, a week to remember those who lost their lives on the job, and two days before Workers Memorial Day. To learn more about the employers on this list, read the Dirty Dozen 2023 report. Plan Now for National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction Take time out of the work day to discuss fall prevention and hazards during this week, which runs from May 1 to 5, 2023. Injuries and deaths from fallsand falls themselvesare preventable. According to OSHA, in the construction industry, 38 percent of all deaths in 2021 were from falls from elevation. Thats a total of 378 workers who lost their lives from falls that year. From May 1 to 5, 2023, National Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction will focus on preventing falls in the workplace through education. According to OSHA, employers are encouraged to halt work to discuss preventing falls and fall hazards with their employees. But this week extends beyond the construction industry; any employer can spend time talking about hazards with their employees. We encourage employers of all sizes to participate in the Stand-Down, said Chris Trahan Cain, executive director of CPWRThe Center for Construction Research and Training in a press release. Our website has all of the free ideas and resources needed for employers to plan activities and show employees how to prevent falls in any situation. In addition to CPWRs resourceswhich include webinars, infographics, toolbox talks and moreOSHA provides videos, posters links to more information about fall prevention and a list of events across the country, some in-person and some online. Its been 10 years for the National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction and the message is the same but bears repeating again and againworkers should never have to risk their lives to make a living, said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Douglas Parker in the press release. For more information on National Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction, visit The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Scott Sheffield, chief executive of Pioneer Natural Resources, is set to retire at the end of the year. Pioneer recently made the news with a report from Wall Street Journal that said Exxon was considering a takeover bid for the company. Reuters now notes that the news about Sheffield could reignite such talk, which appears to be a regular occurrence on Wall Street. The news outlet reported earlier this month Exxon was in informal talks with Pioneer to acquire it in order to boost its position in the U.S. shale patch. It has said for years that the Permian basin would be its key priority area for investments and growing production in the coming years. Pioneer has in recent years climbed to the top in the shale patch through organic growth and acquisitions, the most recent of Parsley Energy in 2020 and of DoublePoint Energy a year later. The Financial Times recalls that Scott Sheffield already retired once, in 2016, but three years later returned to take the helm of the company. It was during this time that Sheffield steered Pioneer to the new business model that has quickly gained popularity in the oil industry. The model focuses on shareholders and capital discipline, and it has helped U.S. oil drillers weather the effects of the pandemic on their performance and, more recently, maximize shareholder returns from oil price jumps. The Pioneer chief executive has also been among the louder voices of caution about the future prospects of U.S. shale. Sheffield has not shied away from talking about lower-than-expected well productivity and the shrinking of top drilling spots, while others touted shales still massive untapped potential. Sheffield will be succeeded by Richard Dealy, who is currently chief operating officer of the shale industry major, the company said. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com ADVERTISEMENT More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: As Tesla announces a new Megapack battery factory in Shanghai, the question arises about which country or region will dominate electric vehicle (EV) production in the coming decades. Tesla also recently announced a major factory in Mexico, and other EV firms have been looking to diversify their manufacturing locations, finally signaling greater competition in a market overwhelmingly dominated by China. China has gradually been rising as an EV giant over the last decade, supporting government efforts to lead the green energy revolution. China now has around 300 commercially available EV models and is home to four of the worlds 10 largest battery manufacturers. And sales of EVs are also high in China, as the median price of an electric car is around 10 percent higher than a conventional car, compared to between 45 and 50 percent higher in other major markets. EV sales in China have increased from 1.3 million to 6.8 million over the last two years, compared to just 800,000 in the U.S. Previous EV forecasts for China have repeatedly been too low, with the Asian giant growing at a rate that far exceeds industry predictions. And, for many, this dramatic growth seems to have come out of nowhere. But thats not quite true, as China has been steadily developing its EV manufacturing potential and sales market for several years. Despite having an extremely strong manufacturing industry and producing a large number of conventional cars for export, there were previously no internationally well-known Chinese car brands. This is when China spotted the potential to become an EV powerhouse. The Chinese government invested in wholly battery-powered vehicles at the nascent stage of technology development when EVs were seen as experimental, and their commercial potential was a distant reality. This went hand in hand with Chinas aims to dominate the global green energy market and at the same time decrease its dependence on foreign energy sources as well as reduce air pollution. The Chinese government has poured huge amounts of funding into the EV market over the last decade, providing big subsidies and tax breaks for EV producers. China now dominates many of the industries supporting EV manufacturing, including lithium mining producing around 60 percent of the worlds lithium as well as battery and semiconductor manufacturing, producing 75 percent of all lithium-ion batteries. Related: Wisconsin's Only Oil Refinery Reopens 5 Years After Explosion Yet, despite Chinas dominance in EV manufacturing and sales, some other countries are gradually developing their EV potential. While this will likely be at a smaller scale than in China, the development of new powerful EV markets could provide production hubs in other parts of the world to decrease dependency on China for the future of transportation. Mexico is quickly showing significant potential in the North and Latin American markets, having attracted significant investments from several well-known car makers. Companies such as Ford, GM, Audi, and BMW are investing in EV assembly facilities, and Tesla recently announced the development of a $5 billion Gigafactory in the north of the country. Mexico is attractive for investors looking to develop North American supply chains, particularly thanks to the USMCA free trade agreement with the U.S. and Canada. And around 80 percent of the components required for EV manufacturing are made domestically, reducing reliance on international supply chains. EV production in Mexico is expected to reach 142,000 cars this year, compared to 78,000 in 2022, suggesting the scale of the growth. And while Mexicos EV sales market is small at present, it is expected to grow rapidly over the next decade to see sales of 72,655 EVs nationally by 2030, up 2,000 percent from today. As well as Mexico, other regional EV manufacturing hubs are emerging around the globe, as seen in the case of South Africa. Revenue from South Africas EV market is expected to reach $27.68 million in 2023 and grow at a CAGR of almost 30 percent between 2023 and 2027 to reach $79 million. In addition to increasing its EV sales, South Africa is expected to expand its manufacturing industry to include EV production. In 2020, the countrys automotive sector contributed around 4.9 percent of South Africas GDP and 27.6 percent of manufacturing output, with 2019 revenues totaling $35.6 billion, demonstrating the potential for expansion into the EV market. The National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa has identified EVs as having major export potential and warns that South Africa could lose out on billions if it does not develop its EV manufacturing capacity. However, to date, the South African government has not established any subsidies or incentives to encourage EV manufacturing, which could deter companies from investing in the industry. Thanks to its well-established trade links with Africa and Europe, as well as its strong automaking industry, South Africa, could become a major EV production hub if the government creates policies to support market growth. While China will almost certainly continue to dominate global EV production, following years of investment and development, several other countries are gradually developing their EV manufacturing potential. As countries worldwide look to establish more regional supply chains, to ensure the future of their energy security and support a green transition, countries such as Mexico and South Africa could benefit from the trend and become major EV production hubs. By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com ADVERTISEMENT More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: ExxonMobil is holding discussions with the Colombian government to potentially recover some of its investments in projects as Colombia prepares to ban fracking in the coming months, sources close to the talks have told Reuters. Colombia's leftist president Gustavo Petro, who took office on August 7, 2022, campaigned on a platform of ending hydrocarbon exploration, hiking taxes and banning hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking. The Colombian Senate has already approved a ban on unconventional oil and gas exploration and projects, including fracking, and the Congress in the country is expected to vote on the bill later this year. Exxon had a contract for a pilot fracking project, Platero, with investment planned at $53 million. But all eight of Exxon's exploration and production contracts in Colombia, including the pilot fracking project, have been suspended or terminated, Colombia's industry regulator, the National Hydrocarbon Agency (ANH), told Reuters. "We will continue to have constructive dialogue with the Colombian government on a comprehensive assessment of our unconventional investments," Exxon spokesperson Michelle Gray told Reuters. The regulator, ANH, is currently looking into the process of Exxon's withdrawal. Earlier this month, the partner in a venture with ExxonMobil said that the U.S. supermajor had decided to withdraw as of May 31 from the joint venture operating agreement for an oil and gas field in Colombia. Sintana Energy said that ExxonMobil had sent its subsidiary Patriot Energy Oil and Gas a notice stating that, based on the terms of the Joint Operating Agreement between ExxonMobil and Patriot, the U.S. supermajor had decided to withdraw from the agreement as of May 31, 2023. ADVERTISEMENT The notice also says that Exxon will withdraw from the Contract with the Colombian regulator ANH, effective after obtaining required Government approvals. Both the JOA and Contract pertain to 43,158 acres of property known as the VMM-37 block in Colombia's Middle Magdalena Valley Basin. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: A tanker carrying crude oil destined for Chevron has been seized by the Iranian Navy, the United States Navy said on Thursday. The tanker had reportedly been involved in a collision with an Iranian vessel in the Gulf of Oman. Iran's Navy seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker, Advantage Sweet, in the Gulf of Oman shortly after the tanker hit another Iranian vessel, Iran's Navy said on Thursday. The oil tanker had departed the Mina Saud Port in Kuwait and was destined for Houston, Texas, after being commissioned by U.S. oil giant Chevron. The crude oil tanker is Turkish owned and operated. The U.S. Navy has demanded that the vessel be released, asserting that the vessel had been seized in international waters, halfway between Iran and the Omani coast. Ship tracking data confirms the location of the vessel at the time of seizure. The Iranian Navy said it was taking the Suezmax crude oil tanker back to Iran for investigation. The manager of the vessel is listed as Turkey-based Genel Denizcilik Nakliyati AS. The U.S. Navy has accused Iran of interfering with navigational rights in international waters. "Iran's continued harassment of vessels and interference with navigational rights in regional waters are a threat to maritime security and the global economy," the U.S. Navy said in a statement, adding that Iran had seized at least five commercial vessels in the Middle East over the last two years. The vessel had left a port in Kuwait and traversed the narrow Strait of Hormuza dangerous waterway that is fraught with piracy and seizures. The collision reportedly happened in the Gulf of Oman, on the other side of the Strait of Hormuz. Maritime security company Dryad has indicated that the vessel could have been detained for "leverage or signaling". ADVERTISEMENT "The working hypothesis at the moment is that it could either be an arbitrary detention of a vessel by Iran in response to the U.S. sailing its first unmanned vessel through the region last week -- as a show of force," Dryad founding partner Munro Anderson said. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Valero Energy (NYSE: VLO) beat analyst expectations as it reported on Thursday that first-quarter earnings more than tripled from a year ago as refining margins remained strong and the cost of crude dropped. Valero on Thursday reported an adjusted net income of $3.1 billion, or $8.27 per share, for the first quarter of 2023, compared to $944 million, or $2.31 per share, for the first quarter of 2022. The EPS for the first quarter beat the analyst consensus estimate of $7.23 per-share profit compiled by The Wall Street Journal. Valero was the first U.S. refiner to report earnings for the first quarter, and it looks like it has been another good quarter for refiners with demand recovering, margins staying strong, and the cost of crude for processing much lower than in the first quarter of 2022. Valeros average cost of Brent crude oil for refining was $82.20 per barrel for Q1 2023, compared to $97.34 a barrel for Q1 in 2022. Valeros refining division reported operating income of $4.1 billion for the first quarter of 2023, sharply higher compared to $1.5 billion for the first quarter of 2022. The refining margin per barrel of throughput averaged $22.37 for the first quarter this year, nearly double the $12.74 per-barrel margin for Q1 2022. Our refineries operated at a 93 percent capacity utilization rate in the first quarter, despite planned maintenance at several of our facilities, illustrating the benefits from our long-standing commitment to operational excellence, Valeros chairman and chief executive officer Joe Gorder said. At the end of last year, Valeros refineries were operating at 97% capacity utilization in a favorable refining margin environment, Gorder said in January on the earnings call for the Q4 results. The Q4 utilization was the highest refinery utilization for the companys refining system since 2018. Refiners in the U.S. started booking bumper profits last year amid high refining margins and reduced operational capacity in America, more than recovering the hefty losses from 2020, when the pandemic hit fuel demand. ADVERTISEMENT By Michael Kern for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Kim Miller has been through a lot since she was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer nearly 18 years ago. Treatments have included surgery and radiation, all of which have come with side effects. About three years ago, she started oral chemotherapy. But nothing slowed her down like the blood clots that were detected in all lobes of both lungs soon afterward. She had become really short of breath. Anticoagulants, or blood thinners, helped, but she still had trouble breathing while walking and doing other normal activities. A cardiologist at the Nebraska Medical Center did a series of tests that found Miller, 47, had residual clots and scarring, resulting in a condition called chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, or CTEPH, for short. In it, clots and scarring obstruct the flow of blood through the lungs and result in elevated blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries, which can lead to right-sided heart failure. Miller took medication, which helped, but she still got short of breath during exercise. And that was a problem for the Council Bluffs resident, who is manager of Nebraska Medicines blood and marrow transplantation and CAR-T program. Her family likes to be active. She and her husband are planning to hike Scotlands 96-mile West Highland Way over seven days in September to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary. We go hiking a lot, and I felt like a burden to them, because I had to stop and rest, Miller said. I would look at this hill and feel like it was insurmountable. And Im stubborn enough that I would do it, and Im glad that I did it, but it really just wasnt enjoyable to me any longer. So the cardiologist sent her to Dr. Karen Deffenbacher, an interventional cardiologist who joined Nebraska Medicine last summer. Deffenbacher had trained in a procedure called pulmonary balloon angioplasty. Its similar to the balloon procedure used to open clogged heart arteries and involves the same wires and balloons. Deffenbacher said the procedure is one of the new pieces of Nebraska Medicines Pulmonary Embolism Response Team, or PERT, program, which launched in February. The multidisciplinary teams, which include a variety of specialists, are being formed in a growing number of hospitals nationwide to rapidly diagnose and treat patients with lung clots, or pulmonary embolisms, similar to the stroke teams in many hospitals. The teams are part of efforts in recent decades to address pulmonary embolisms, which are caused by clots that form elsewhere in the body and then break off and travel to the pulmonary arteries the ones that carry oxygen-spent blood coming in from the veins to the lungs to pick up oxygen. Small clots may break down without causing any problems. But some can be larger, and deadly. Pulmonary embolism is the third most common cause of death from cardiovascular disease, after heart attack and stroke, Deffenbacher said. For the larger ones, there are a number of potential interventions. Doctors can give clot-busting drugs, either intravenously so they go throughout the system or by using catheters to drip it inside clots. Others include clot-sucking devices and surgery. Methodist Health System, which has had a PERT program since about 2015, is involved in an international trial comparing clot-busting drugs alone with a combination of drugs and ultrasound therapy, said Dr. Anjan Talukdar, a vascular surgeon with Methodist Physicians Clinic. The Methodist team also can perform pulmonary balloon angioplasty in patients with CTEPH. Lincolns Bryan Health also has a formal PERT program. CHI Health doesnt have a formal team but has a process in place to assess patients and determine the best intervention 24/7, said Dr. Patrick Harty, an interventional radiologist with the health system. Deffenbacher said the residual clots that cause CTEPH, on the other hand, can be treated by opening the chest to clear the arteries. Thats done if most of the residual clot lies in the main pulmonary arteries. The balloon technique, by comparison, can reach the small peripheral vessels that surgery cant, said Deffenbacher, who grew up in Omaha and completed a dual M.D./Ph.D. program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. It also can be used to clear leftover, outlying clots in patients where drug therapy or surgery has successfully resolved a large, central clot. Miller underwent the procedure twice, first in February and again early this month. Previously, she might have been referred to a hospital in another state. Depending on the amount of clot remaining, patients may require two to six separate procedures. The balloon technique doesnt apply to large numbers of patients. CTEPH affects between 5% and 12% of people with symptomatic pulmonary embolisms, Deffenbacher said, but the number likely is higher and may change as diagnostics improve. During her last year of training at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, doctors performed about 50 such procedures. The procedure differs from the balloon angioplasty long used to open heart arteries in that doctors navigate veins instead of arteries, starting with one in the groin, to reach the pulmonary arteries. Those arteries are thin-walled like veins, rather than muscular like other arteries. Pulmonary arteries dont require stents to keep them open. Opening pulmonary arteries involves simply pushing the clot out of the way, Deffenbacher said. But the process comes with a bit of a learning curve. The team only works on one lung at a time and usually clears two to three segments of vessel at a time. Patients who travel for it often have to stay several weeks to complete the series. Miller was glad she could stay close to home. Her daughter, who was less than a year old when Miller was diagnosed with cancer, is busy with activities and soon will graduate from high school. She plans to attend college in Colorado next year, and the family already is planning lots of visits and hikes. Miller said she noticed improvement after her first procedure cleared some clots in a lower lung. After the second, she realized how much the condition had been impacting her energy level and daily activities. She felt euphoric out walking her dog. I cant even tell you how good I feel, Miller said. It feels so good to feel so good. And, shes looking forward to training for and going on her Scottish trek. Its still going to be a challenge because of the distance, she said, but Im going to be starting in a much better place. Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of April 2023 Omaha Public Schools Superintendent Cheryl Logan will move to a higher-education position following her resignation from Nebraskas largest school district. The University of Pennsylvania announced Thursday that Logan will be executive director of the new McGraw Center for Educational Leadership in its Graduate School of Education. The center, which was announced last fall, is part of a gift from the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Family Foundation and will focus on fostering education leaders, according to a press release. We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Cheryl Logan as the founding executive director of the McGraw Center for Educational Leadership, said Pam Grossman, dean of the universitys Graduate School of Education. With her wealth of experience and expertise in the field of education, Dr. Logan is poised to play an instrumental role in the development of the next generation of education leaders. We believe that her innovative and visionary approach will help shape the direction of our center and ensure that the center becomes a driving force for positive change in the field of education. Logan announced her resignation from OPS in September after five years in the superintendent role. She said in previous interviews that shes homesick and wants to be closer to her family, who reside on the East Coast. Last fall, Logan also received the 2022 Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education from the same foundation for her district leadership during the pandemic. She also received a doctorate in education from the graduate school in 2017 before her time as chief academic officer at the School District of Philadelphia. As executive director of the new McGraw Center, Logan will develop programs and convene gatherings that benefit multiple constituents, according to the university. She will also work with the graduate schools leadership programs in K-12, higher education and corporate and adult learning to build bridges across sectors, equipping leaders to develop visionary approaches to complex challenges in education. She will start in the position in July following her last day at OPS, which is June 30. Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of April 2023 LINCOLN A controversial bill that would ban gender-affirming care for Nebraskans under 19 might be amended to include an exemption for people already undergoing such care. But few other major changes are likely to emerge from discussions by a group of eight state lawmakers who have been talking about changes to Legislative Bill 574. The senators met four times over the course of two weeks. Based on those conversations, the bills introducer, State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha, said she hopes to have an amendment ready to release Thursday. Kauth said one of the main components of the amendment will include a grandfather clause that will exempt patients who were receiving puberty blockers and hormone therapy as of March 1. Other than that, she said the amendment will clarify that treatments such as talk therapy and counseling remain legal, as well as some minor technical changes. The group of lawmakers represented both supporters and opponents of LB 574, including Speaker of the Legislature John Arch and Sens. John Cavanaugh, John Fredrickson, Lynne Walz, Ben Hansen, Tom Briese and Teresa Ibach. Members had proposed a range of other changes, including adding more mental health protections and conducting an interim study. After meeting Wednesday, several team members were unsure whether they would meet again. Arch said he didnt believe the group had reached a conclusion. I wouldnt characterize it that way, Arch said. But Kauth said Wednesdays meeting was the final one, saying she feared that additional discussions could result in her bill losing support. LB 574 narrowly survived two rounds of floor debate, receiving just enough votes in each round to overcome filibusters. The bill still faces a third round of floor debate and a final vote. Kauth previously proposed an amendment that would have banned only gender-affirming surgeries, but when given the opportunity to vote on that amendment during the second round, she asked lawmakers to vote it down. She said any new amendment will retain the ban on puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgeries. Kauth spurred criticism from LB 574 opponents this week for describing the group meetings as a listening exercise rather than negotiations. Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha, who launched a session-long filibuster in protest against the bill, said Kauths words were disrespectful. Kauth clarified Wednesday that she considered the meetings to be an effort to make her bill better. Photos: 2023 Nebraska legislative session LINCOLN The Greater Omaha Chamber is urging Nebraska lawmakers to shift their priorities from divisive policies that have held up the session to bills focused more on economic and workforce development. The best of Nebraska is not demonstrated by divisive ongoing political fighting on a national stage, the chamber said in a statement issued Wednesday. The best of Nebraska is demonstrated by a healthy discussion where all voices are heard and which strives toward a consensus decision to move us forward. Much of the Nebraska Legislatures current session has seen lawmakers embroiled in contentious debate over subjects such as abortion rights, gun access and tax incentives to support private schools. At the center of it all is Legislative Bill 574, which would ban gender-affirming care for individuals under 19 and has spurred a session-long filibuster by opponents. Although the statement doesnt take a position on any specific bills, many have interpreted the statement as targeting LB 574. One of the leading lawmakers against the bill, State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha, thanked the chamber in a tweet Wednesday for standing against bills that discriminate against Nebraskans. The statement asserted the chambers commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, particularly in reference to health care decisions between parents and their children. The chamber contends that inclusivity is good for business and Nebraskas overall economy, and implied that proposed legislation could make the state less welcoming. We ask our elected officials to focus their work on being part of the long-term solution on the policy matters of the highest importance to Nebraskans and position our state as the best that it can be, particularly on issues that work against and threaten Nebraska as the warm and welcoming state we know it to be, the statement read. LB 574 needs to make it through just one more round of debate before it goes to Gov. Jim Pillens desk to be signed. Sen. John Fredrickson of Omaha, who was part of a team of lawmakers who discussed a potential amendment to the bill, said he was unsure if the chambers statement will have any effect on the fate of the bill. Read the full statement here. Photos: 2023 Nebraska legislative session LINCOLN Several lawmakers Wednesday denounced a complaint filed by an Omaha attorney against State Sen. Megan Hunt alleging she could benefit financially if a bill banning gender-affirming care for minors fails in the Legislature. Senators from either side of the political aisle condemned a complaint submitted to the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission by David Begley as frivolous and malicious. Others called it a deliberate attempt to intimidate and harass a lawmaker and her family. Begley lodged the complaint March 24, a day after 33 senators voted to shut off debate and advance Omaha Sen. Kathleen Kauths priority bill, Legislative Bill 574. The bill would prohibit Nebraskans under the age of 19 from obtaining puberty blockers, hormone therapy or gender-affirming surgeries. Although Nebraskas Medicaid policy explicitly excludes gender-affirming care, Begley alleges in his complaint Hunt and her child have a slightly more than average chance of obtaining Nebraska Medicaid coverage by filing a lawsuit should LB 574 not pass. The bill was advanced to the third and final round of consideration April 13 but hasnt been scheduled for debate. If LB 574 does not become law, then Senator Hunts immediate family member could receive a financial benefit with Medicaid paying for the medical services necessary to transition genders, the complaint states. After receiving Begleys complaint, the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission initiated a preliminary investigation March 28. The commission notified Hunt of the investigation and the steps that would be taken Wednesday. Hunt, who has been an outspoken opponent of LB 574 and has joined in an effort to grind the progress of the Legislature to a halt until it is defeated, said the complaint was only part of what she has faced in a difficult session. The harassment is the point, Hunt said. Early Wednesday afternoon, Lincoln Sen. Danielle Conrad called the complaint a hateful attack and urged other senators to draw a hard line, referring to a previous instance where senators from either political party stood up against personal attacks made against a sitting lawmaker. Of course we all recognize and understand that people have a right to be as hateful as they want to be in their speech, Conrad said. But we have a free speech right and an obligation to meet hateful speech with more speech and to set a tone as leaders in this state to say this will not be tolerated. Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Bennington called the allegations made in Begleys complaint tenuous, and said if taken seriously, could require lawmakers to file conflict of interest reports on nearly all matters that come before them. That income tax bill we had the other day? I voted on that, DeBoer said. Im not yet in that higher tax bracket, but if we lower that middle tax bracket, that could affect me, so I guess I failed to disclose that. DeBoer added all senators who own real property have benefited by property tax cuts passed by the Legislature in recent years, and noted senators have recently voiced support for certain bills based on their personal experiences as farmers or business owners. Building on that point, Lincoln Sen. George Dungan pointed out the state statute governing conflicts of interest bills indicate that senators arent required to file reports if the bills at hand impact the public generally or a broad segment of the public. The idea that Senator Hunt is benefiting in any way, shape or form specifically from the conversation around LB 574 ignores the very crux of the argument that this doesnt affect just her, Dungan said. It affects a large segment of the population. He and Omaha Sen. John Cavanaugh also said the way in which the ethics complaint system was being weaponized should alarm members of the Legislature and all Nebraskans. Today, its Senator Hunt, but tomorrow it could be anyone else, Cavanaugh said. If someone changes their vote because they are afraid someone is going to file a frivolous complaint against them, then I dont know what we do here. Two Republican senators who have voted for cloture and to advance LB 574 in the first two rounds of debate also condemned Begleys complaint. Sen. Tom Brandt of Plymouth, who sits next to Hunt in the chamber, said the offensive complaint using a legislators family member was off-limits. You can come after me, but stay away from my family, said Brandt, who has supported LB 574, but said he prefers an amendment that would only prohibit gender-affirming surgeries. It is so far out of bounds that it doesnt merit discussion, he added of the complaint against Hunt. Speaker John Arch said he and other lawmakers have been the targets of name-calling, vitriol, and hate speech throughout the session from individuals who feel they have been given license to do so based on their passion for a particular issue. While the 49 members of the Legislature know they will be the target of scrutiny and criticism, Arch asked Nebraskans watching to respect senators families: They dont get elected. We signed up to take the hits they didnt. Hunt said she was appreciative of the support but would rather have senators vote against Kauths bill. I want to see you vote in support of me, she said. Dont say anything if youre going to vote for that bill you might not think this is a big deal, but this is what youre doing. Open your eyes. The Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission asked Hunt to preserve evidence for its review in the confidential investigation, which could result in a civil and not a criminal penalty. Based on its findings of its investigation, the commission can redirect or terminate the proceedings. Photos: 2023 Nebraska legislative session LINCOLN A bill that would ban most abortions in Nebraska died Thursday in its second round of debate. Legislative Bill 626 failed in a 32-15 filibuster-ending cloture vote, just one vote shy of the 33 votes needed to prevail. The bill would have banned most abortions in the state once embryonic cardiac activity can be detected, which usually happens around six weeks of pregnancy. The result spurred tearful reactions from both supporters and opponents, with cheers emanating from abortion rights supporters in the rotunda as lawmakers left the floor at the end of the day. Todays vote is a huge victory for abortion access in Nebraska, the Midwest, and for the country, Andi Curry Grubb, executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska, said in an email statement. It means abortion will remain safe and legal in our state, providing people with the bodily autonomy they deserve. Much of Thursdays debate centered on an amendment brought by State Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston, an LB 626 co-sponsor, to set a 12-week restriction on abortions. After trying and failing to get to a vote on his amendment before cloture, Riepe was present but not voting on the cloture vote, which effectively kept the bill from advancing. How they voted Here's the vote on the advancement of Legislative Bill 626, to ban abortions once embryonic cardiac activity can be detected via ultrasound: Yes (32): Aguilar, Albrecht, Arch, Armendariz, Ballard, Bosn, Bostelman, Brandt, Brewer, Briese, Clements, DeKay, Dorn, Dover, Erdman, Halloran, Hansen, Hardin, Holdcroft, Hughes, Ibach, Jacobson, Kauth, Linehan, Lippincott, Lowe, McDonnell, Moser, Murman, Sanders, Slama, von Gillern No (15): Blood, Bostar, Cavanaugh J., Cavanaugh M., Conrad, Day, DeBoer, Dungan, Fredrickson, Hunt, McKinney, Raybould, Vargas, Walz, Wishart Not voting (2): Riepe, Wayne Absent (0): Shortly after the vote, Gov. Jim Pillen issued a statement calling on Riepe to reconsider. Restricting abortions was one of the pillars of Pillens gubernatorial campaign last year. I am profoundly disappointed in the cloture vote today, Pillen said. It is unacceptable for senators to be present not voting on such a momentous vote. I call on Senator Merv Riepe to make a motion to reconsider and stand by the commitments to life he has made in the past. Speaker of the Legislature John Arch was noncommittal when asked whether he would consider scheduling LB 626 again before the end of this session. We have a lot of work to do for the rest of the session, Arch said. Riepe said he brought the amendment as an attempt to compromise between Nebraskas current 20-week ban and the proposed six-week ban, which he described as a winner-take-all approach. He said he feared passing LB 626 as it stood would result in a costly lawsuit, or that it could prompt a voter referendum that might actually expand the states abortion access. Voters in Riepes district have elected both Democrats and Republicans in recent elections, which are officially nonpartisan. Riepe, a Republican, said the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade last year spurred backlash from voters on both sides, something he believes will have an effect on legislative elections for years to come. During Riepes primary election last year, he said he beat his second-place opponent by a margin of roughly 27 percentage points. Then in the general election, Riepe said that gap closed to about 4 percentage points, which he attributed largely to the fallout of the high court ruling. He said that serves as the best indication to where voters stand on abortion. We must embrace the future of reproductive rights, Riepe said. Riepes amendment saw support from some of the most ardent opponents of LB 626, since it was less restrictive than the underlying bill. Supporters of the original bill largely opposed the amendment, arguing that the shift to 12 weeks would allow too many abortions to continue. The bills introducer, Sen. Joni Albrecht of Thurston, said the difference between banning abortions at 12 weeks instead of six weeks would allow roughly 1,700 additional abortions per year, based on 2021 data from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Riepe attempted to get to a vote on his amendment before the cloture vote about three hours into the four-hour debate Thursday. He was shot down by Lt. Gov. Joe Kelly, who was presiding over the Legislature and determined there hadnt been enough debate at the time of Riepes request. Following the cloture vote, Riepe said he decided to vote the way he did because he felt his amendment was more sustainable. He also said he wants to give lawmakers an additional year to work on the legislation and consider what is happening in other states. This is the second year in a row that Albrecht has attempted to increase abortion restrictions in Nebraska. Last year, she nearly got a trigger bill passed that would have banned all abortions once the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. That bill died during its first round of debate, two votes shy on a motion to end a filibuster. LB 626 included several exceptions the trigger bill did not, including for rape, incest and lifesaving procedures. It also would not apply to ectopic pregnancies, in vitro fertilization and other procedures that lead to the end of a pregnancy. Several supporters argued that those exceptions served as a compromise from what Albrecht and others originally wanted to pass last year through the trigger bill. Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte said the exceptions mean the abortion restrictions under the bill would apply to pregnancies from sex between two consenting adults. Ultimately, what this comes down to is personal responsibility, Jacobson said. Opponents said during the first round of debate that the bill could criminalize physicians, even though there are no criminal penalties explicitly mentioned in the language. LB 626 could threaten physicians medical licenses if they perform abortions after embryonic cardiac activity is detected. Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln said existing Nebraska law criminalizes abortions that are performed outside accepted medical procedures. Since LB 626 does not define what counts as an acceptable medical procedure, he said, it leaves the possibility that a physician could face criminal charges. In response to such arguments, Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers and Solicitor General Eric Hamilton released an opinion this week stating their belief that LB 626 would not put physicians at risk of criminal penalties. Hilgers is a former state senator who voted in favor of the trigger bill last year. The opinion received mixed reactions from lawmakers on the floor Thursday, with opponents contending that it still left a lot unanswered in terms of how the legislation would work. There was a similar reaction to guidance issued Thursday by Nebraska Chief Medical Officer Timothy Tesmer. The guidance addresses how LB 626 would work for physicians, and was distributed in advance due to the bills emergency clause, which means the law would take effect immediately if passed. Opponents have said that the emergency clause will make it challenging for physicians to adjust their practice with so little time. Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha said Nebraskas medical industry is not prepared to make the changes the bill would require, especially if the nuances of the legislation remain unclear. Doctors are not equipped to interpret the law, Cavanaugh said. Thats the big problem here. Albrecht declined to comment following Thursdays vote. Other supporters of LB 626 expressed shock over the outcome, but several shared the sentiment that they would continue pushing for abortion restrictions in the future. Well be back as soon as we possibly can until every human person is respected and protected by the law, said Marion Miner with the Nebraska Catholic Conference. World-Herald staff writer Martha Stoddard contributed to this report. Photos: 2023 Nebraska legislative session The Rector, Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, Dayo Oladebeye, has vowed to expel students of the institution caught engaging in prostitution, cybercrime and other social vices. He gave the warning at the matriculation ceremony for the 2018/2019 academic session held on Friday for the newly admitted 8,688 ND and HND students of the institution. Mr Oladebeye said the school would continue to maintain zero tolerance for all anti-social behaviours such as examination misconduct, prostitution, cultism, sexual harassment, hooliganism, gangsterism, corruption and any form of social vices. He urged the new students to keep to their matriculation oaths and stay clear of any activity that may lead to an avoidable delay in their studies. The rector warned that the institution would not tolerate any willful destruction or damage of the schools property. He said those involved would be made to face strict disciplinary action. It is compulsory for all students to pass all the entrepreneurship courses as a necessary condition for graduation, he told the matriculants. The rector called on them to be good students during their stay in the institution. He asked them to report any threats to their academic well-being to the Students Affairs Office or the Counselling Officers In the Guidance and Counselling Unit who would readily assist them to solve the problem. No students under any circumstance is allowed to tamper with or alter any structure by the use of any form of partitioning, changing the wiring system or any such unlawful act, he said. The use of electric cookers, hotplates or boiling rings in the hostel is also prohibited. At the ceremony, 66 persons in ND and HND were given awards in recognition of their academic performance. Each of the awardees will receive N10,000 cash together with a certificate of merit. At the event, the rector lamented the poor state of funding of the institution and the inadequacy of its internally-generated revenue. He added that the development had negatively affected the standard of education and peace in higher institutions in Nigeria. Anambra State Police command on Saturday said it has arrested a man and his wife for allegedly selling their three-day old baby boy at the rate of N300,000. The Police spokesperson in the state, Haruna Mohammed, disclosed this in a statement. The couple Chinonso Anyanwu and Oluebube Anyawu were nabbed following intelligence report. He said, On the 30/4/2019 at about 2pm following intelligence report, Police detectives attached to Area Command Ihiala arrested one Chinonso Anyanwu m aged 32 years and Oluebube Anyawu f aged 20 years of lbiasiegbe village, Imo State. Suspects conspired and sold their biological son (a baby boy of 3 days old) at rate of #300,000 to one Sandra Odimege f of Umuezike, Amorka in Ihiala LGA of Anambra State. The three suspects have been arrested and the baby recovered in good condition. Mohammed said the case was under investigation, adding that the couple would soon be charged to court. Invest In Social Force & Get 50% Click HERE >> To Buy Cheap MTN & GLO Data Click HERE >> The federal government has condemned the deportation of 723 Nigerians from Ghana on allegations of cybercrime, prostitution and illegal stay. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement by its Spokesperson, George Edokpa on Friday in Abuja, expressed concern over the development. The ministry stated that the federal government also frowned at the reports which included the maltreatment and inhuman conditions entailed in the processes by the Ghanaian authorities. Although it is the policy of the Government not to condone any form of criminality on the part of Nigerians in any part of the World, such inhuman treatment and alleged torture of some of these Nigerians in Ghana is unacceptable, it said. The ministry said the federal government, through its High Commissioner to Ghana, Michael Abikoye, had registered its displeasure over the disheartening incidents. It stated that the High Commissioner was currently engaging in diplomatic dialogue with the Ghanaian authorities. Mr Abikoye had during a meeting with the Comptroller-General of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), Kwame Takyi, said in Accra that 723 Nigerians had been deported from Ghana since January 2018 to date. The envoy said during the meeting, that the GIS linked prostitution and cybercrime as some of the reasons for the deportations. He, however, said it was improper to deport Nigerians for alleged illegal stay in Ghana. Mr Abikoye had observed that there were several Ghanaians living in Nigeria but the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) had never deported any of them because of brotherliness between the two countries. He reminded Ghana of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Protocol on free movement of persons to migrate to the various member nations without necessary valid documents. He drew the attention of Takyi on several cases of molestation, harassment and torture of Nigerians by the GIS officials, especially those awaiting deportation at its facility. The High Commissioner told the GIS boss that the inhuman act was against the UN Convention against torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. He, therefore, implored Takyi to prevail on his officials to treat Nigerians and other ECOWAS nationals with human face and not as common criminals. However, the GIS boss said the service was being compelled to carry out the deportation because of the conduct of some Nigerians in Ghana. According to him, besides engaging in cybercrime and prostitution, some Nigerians had become law themselves. He said they engaged in blockage of roads in major Ghanaian streets where they drank, fought and stabbed each other, stressing that their unruly behaviour contravened the local laws in Ghana. By Esther Egbe The Super Falcons and former Rivers Angels striker has completed a permanent deal with Barcelona Ladies from her Chinese side Dalian Quanjian, National Daily gathered. Oshoala who moved to Spain in the January transfer window owing to postponement of the 2019 Chinese Womens Super League National Daily learnt that the 24-year-old has gone on to score with eight goals after 11 matches in all competitions in her remarkable spell in Spain. The Nigerian internationals Champions League final appearance and goal saw her make history in elite European competition for Africa. Her performances for the club have now earned her a two-year contract that will keep her in Catalonia until June 2022 Post Views: 71 Spread the love Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has called on the National Assembly, Nigeria Police Force and Department of State Services, among others, to urgently commence investigation of the immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva over alleged certificate forgery and identity theft. Sylva who is a former Governor of Bayelsa State recently emerged the gubernatorial candidate of the APC in Bayelsa State. Frank made these requests in a petition he addressed through his solicitors to the Senate President, Speaker, House of Representatives, Inspector General of Police and the Director General of the DSS, among others, on the matter. READ ALSO: Desperate politicians move to upturn Adelekes victory, Timi Frank warns In the petition, dated March 31, 2023, and signed by the Principal Partner of Graylaw Practice LP, Edward Omaga Esq., Frank urged the National Assembly to summon Sylva and officials from his alma maters in Nigeria and Switzerland to explain the inconsistencies in the identity of the politician. According to the petitioner, Sylvas primary school certificate carried his name as Anagha Timipere as evident in documents the ex-Minister filed before a court in the United States as part of an ongoing defamation suit brought by his lawyers. He said Anagha Timipere was different from Marlin Anagha Timipre, which is the name on Sylvas WAEC certificate. He claimed that the ex-petroleum minister had also obtained his bachelors degree in English from the University of Port-Harcourt, with the certificate bearing Anagha Timipre Marlin. He insisted that this clearly contradicted Sylvas 2011 doctoral degree certificate in International Relations from Ubis University, Switzerland, with the name Chief Timipre Sylva. He further claimed that Sylva neither participated in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme nor did he obtain an exemption certificate as required by law. READ ALSO: INEC independence compromised under Mamood Yakubu, says Timi Frank The obvious discrepancies in the documents caused the petitioner to insist that Sylva may have forged his academic certificates or had them stolen from a third party, an offence that violates Section 438 of the Criminal Code Act and carries a 14-year prison sentence. He urged both chambers of the National Assembly to summon the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), and State Security Services (SSS) officials for their roles in screening and approving Sylvas ministerial appointment as well as his successful governorship bid in 2007. Advertisement Additionally, the petitioner prayed the National Assembly to summon Sylva and officials from all the academic institutions that issued him certificates to confirm the actual identity of who they awarded the academic certificates. He urged the Nigerian Immigration Service, through the National Assembly, to seize Sylvas International Passport to prevent him from fleeing the country and seeking refuge in Western nations like the U.S., Dubai, Canada, etc. A fresh development has emerged regarding the stranded Nigerians in Sudan and the federal governments move This is as the minister of foreign affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama disclosed that the federal government spent $1.2m to evacuate stranded Nigerians affected by the war in Sudan to Egypt Meanwhile, about 40 buses were sent to move Nigerians out of Khartoum and other troubled parts of Sudan early Wednesday, April 26 The federal government, on Wednesday, April 26, in Abuja gave an update regarding its efforts to evacuate stranded Nigerians affected by the war in Sudan. According to a report by The Punch, FG said it has spent $1.2m to deploy 40 buses to evacuate at least 2,400 stranded Nigerians out of Sudan. People escaped from the region by buses due to the clashes for 72 hours has been taken in Khartoum, Sudan on April 26, 2023. Photo credit: Omer Erdem/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Source: Getty Images Why FG spent $1.2m, Minister speaks The minister of foreign affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, made this disclosure to State House correspondents shortly after this weeks Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja. Read also Sudan crisis: Peter Obi hails Allen Onyema Air Peace CEO who volunteered to evacuate stranded Nigerians PAY ATTENTION: heck out news that is picked exactly for YOU find the Recommended for you block on the home page and enjoy! Onyeama said the high cost of the evacuation was to provide security cover for the eight-hour journey from Luxol to Cairo and the eleven-hour trip from Aswan to Cairo, Egypt, Vanguard report added. No lives were lost, FG says While noting that no Nigerian lost their lives in the conflict, Onyeama said there were no talks about alternative plans for continued education for the evacuees, most of whom are students of the University of Khartoum. Sudan crisis: Evacuation update for stranded Nigerians emerges The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), confirmed that evacuation of stranded Nigerians in Sudan will commence in earnest on Tuesday, April 25. As reported by the Nigerian Tribune, at least 5,500 Nigerians will be evacuated from Sudan on the first day. Read also Sudan: FG issues fresh directives to Nigerians as crisis intensifies, releases emergency numbers The director of special duties, Onimode Bamidele, during an interview on Channels TV Sunrise Daily, said NEMAs Director General, Mustapha Habib Ahmed, has travelled to Cairo to coordinate the evacuation exercise. Sudan War: Nigerian students wait as fresh evacuation update emerges Recall that Legit.ng earlier reported that Nigerian students and citizens in war-wrecked Sudan are in a state of dilemma as the evacuation of diplomats begins. Sudans de facto president, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, reached an agreement on this development. Nigerias government, on the other hand, is yet to react to this development, while Saudi Arabia and Jordan have already completed the evacuation of their citizens. Source: Legit.ng At least 12 persons including a soldier have been feared killed in another armed herdsmen invasion of communities in Apa Local Government Area of Benue State. Recently communities in Apa and Otukpo Local Government areas, both in Benue South Senatorial District had been under bloody attacks from criminal herders. The latest incident was said to have occurred on Tuesday night at Opaha, Odugbo and Edikwu in Apa Local Government Area. The affected communities were said to have been attacked simultaneously. A victim, Paul Omar, who escaped by whiskers, said the slain soldier was attached to Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS). He said his body and those of others killed have been recovered. Chairman of Apa Development Association, Eche Akpoko, confirmed the attacks to The Nation. Akpoko said 10 bodies including the soldiers had been recovered, adding that he was yet to get an update as at 10:30am. State Commissioner for Finance, David Olofu, a native of Opaha, one of the affected villages, put the death toll at 17, stating that the bodies of 15 villagers and two soldiers were recovered Wednesday morning. Olofu said he was on his way to the village to assess the situation at the time of this report. But the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for Benue Command, SP Kate Anene, said she was unaware of the attacks. Contacted, spokesman for OPWS, Flight Lieutenant D.O. Oquah, said he was out of town and could not speak on the matter. Sector Commander of OPWS in charge of Apa LGA, Major Ogundile, could also not be reached as his telephone was switched off. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Advertisement By Izunna Okafor, Awka The Anambra State Police Command has denied the recently-trended media reports that gunmen kidnapped s clergyman in the State on Tuesday. Recall that the media space was awashed with publications alleging the abduction of a Catholic priest along the Afor junction, Nnobi Road, by unidentified gunmen who also reportedly abandoned the priests car at the area after shooting sporadically into the air. However, in its reaction to the publication, the State Police Command described it as a pure example of sensational publication. The Spokesperson of the Command, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, in a statement issued to newsmen on the development, stated categorically that there was no clergyman kidnapped in the state. He said: To set the record straight, the Commands operatives got information about an abandoned white Lexus jeep with Reg. nos. GDD 882 PW by 8:30 pm, along Afor Market Junction, Nnobi Road. The officers got to the scene and recovered the vehicle. As they approached the police base, the owner of the vehicle came to the police station with proof of ownership, was identified, and the vehicle released to him. The victim claimed to have been abducted by yet unidentified men and was dispossessed of his personal belongings before his release. Meanwhile, the investigation into the debriefings of the victim by operatives is still ongoing. The Command wishes to state categorically that information gathered so far shows that he is not a clergyman or a priest. Further details shall be communicated. Related Advertisement Spread the love The Director-General (DG) of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), Maj.-Gen. Hassan Tafida, at the 2023 symposium on Defence and Security for participants of Senior Course 45 of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji in Kaduan on Wednesday said that the security challenges facing the nation require the use of modern military equipment to surmount. The theme of the symposium was Imperative of a Military Industrial Complex for Effective Counter Terrorism and Counter Insurgency Operations in Nigeria (CTCOIN). Tafida explained that the current security challenges faced by the Armed Forces of Nigeria in the mould of terrorism, insurgency and armed banditry had compelled the need for further reforms or review of the status quo. He further advocated for deployment of modern and sophisticated military equipment by the services to combat the security challenges. The DG noted that the symposium would broaden and expose the participants understanding on the need for vibrant military industrial complex that would be employed in combating security issues. He explained that the participants were expected to contribute to the discussion and the discourse in line with the topic under discussion and the theme. He advised them to critique the papers being presented, to add value as well as deepen the discussion on the topic under discussion as it affected national security and the Armed Forces. Earlier, the Commandant of the AFCSC, AVM Emmanuel Wonah, said the College Defence and Security Symposium was the major package in the senior staff course curriculum. He said It offered unique opportunities to discuss contemporary defence and security issues affecting the nation. He noted that the symposium was aimed at generating ideas from the critical and intuitive minds of the participants or students and discussants, to assist the services find solutions to extant and emerging security challenges. As we are all aware, the Federal Government, over the years, has initiated various programmes and initiatives in the defence and security sectors, he said . These initiatives have been largely tailored towards enhancing professionalism, to enable us reposition ourselves in the fight against terrorism and other counter-insurgency operations. Wonah further explained that in view of the theme, six research topics were developed for the students in groups, with each group allocated a topic for research. Advertisement He said the students had conducted their research and submitted their findings to the college in the form of service papers. The commandant said that in the next three days, the students would present their research findings and were, however, expected to continue the research, refine their works and then present the executive summary of their findings to the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and Service Chiefs in July. NAN President Muhammadu Buhari has joined the government and people of Kano State, family, and the All Progressives Congress (APC), in mourning the death of former Minister of Labour, Alhaji Musa Gabwade. The president, in a condolence message by his media aide, Malam Garba Shehu, on Wednesday in Abuja, described the deceased as a colossal figure in Kano politics. According to him, the demise of Gwadabe has deprived the nation of one of its most remarkable political leaders. The late Musa Gwadabe was a complete gentleman. He was a smooth political operator and a very reliable ally with an unmatched record of support, leading to the emergence of the current APC administration and the incoming one. I will not forget his tireless efforts to keep the party afloat during difficult times. That he died a few weeks ahead of the inauguration of the Tinubu/Shettima administration that he laboured so hard to bring about is one of the ironies of life. May Allah repose his soul, he said. NAN Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State on Wednesday inaugurated 100 housing units constructed by the Federal Government in Gwoza Local Government Area. The project was constructed by the Federal Government under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) scheme. Zulum, represented by the Deputy Govern0r, Usman Kadafur, at the ceremony lauded President Muhammadu Buharis vision toward ensuring that Nigerians in the low-income category had access to decent and affordable homes. He pointed out that the housing projects would address the challenges of housing shortage and improve on the resettlement drive in the insurgency-ravaged communities of the state. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, Adejoke Adefulire, said the project was designed to support the 25-year long term Borno State Development Framework (BoSDF). This, she said, was aimed at laying a solid foundation and engendering steady, consistent and sustainable development in the state. Adefuilire said that the houses were meant for the displaced people affected by the Boko Haram conflict. In 2030, 70 per cent of the people of Borno will be actively engaged in life activities, ranging from schooling and working and this is part of the effort to support such initiatives, Adefulire said. NAN Spread the love The Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) is targeting $22 billion investment from Delta State as a special economic zone. The Managing Director of the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA), Prof. Adesoji Adesugba, at the presentation of licence to the Delta Special Economic Zone (DSEZ) in Abuja on Wednesday, commended the state governments efforts in reactivating the free trade zones scheme, restating NEPZAs commitment towards supporting full implementation and the success of the project. The managing director stated that the Free Trade Zones scheme has been able to turn the tide of economic development in different nations. We need to be very competitive and that is why NEPZA is very happy to be working with you he said. Adesugba highlighted: Everybody is talking about Lagos. There about 22 billion dollars investments in free zones in Lagos and we believe that we can replicate what is happening in other states. Delta stands to gain; it is well positioned and all it needs is that leadership and vision which you have shown and we pray that your successor will key into this and ensure we actualise it. NEPZA is willing, ready and capable to give you all the necessary support. Adesugba emphasised the need for the Nigerian market to be more competitive, saying that the free trade zones scheme turned the tides of economic development of different nations. The consultant for the project, Kayode Adetokunbo, noted the importance of the project which includes creating job creation for the teaming Nigerian youth among others. Adetokunbo said the state government invested heavily on peace and security, capital investment, health, education and has created the enabling environment for business to thrive. The opportunities are eminent; Delta is relatively safe and set for business. he said. Governor Ifeanyi Okowa commended the NEPZA boss for his commitment and support towards realising the licence for the project, while calling for more collaboration. According to him, the state has a great advantage as it produces a lot of gas and oil. Advertisement We are also very much involved in agriculture, and putting all these things together, I believe that we are set for this nation and for the world. he added. Okowa said in spite of the challenging times and troubles in many states of the nation, the state was relatively peaceful and has provided an enabling environment for businesses to thrive. We are ready for the partnership, not only with NEPZA but with the rest of Nigerians, particularly the organised private sector and the global community he said. And we are there as a state to ensure that we are able to provide a competitive, peaceful and welcoming environment he added. We will work with the rest of Nigerians to ensure that we are able to develop the human capital which will also be needed for the growth of industries I believe that we are ready to ensure that this special economic zone works for all, Okowa said. NAN Advertisement Says Defectors followers are Staged APC members, hirelings By Joshua Chibuzo Andrew, Owerri The peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State have debunked the news about 3,000 opposition members who purportedly joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday 24, April. The party in a statement issued by its publicity secretary in the state, Collins Opurozor on Wednesday described the Purported defectors as Staged APC members, hirelings The statement read; The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State describes the reported defection of 3,000 opposition members to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo State as another menu in the series of lies and falsehood concocted by the fizzling APC in the desperation to create an impression that the APC is still alive in the State. Our Party has checked through our registers in all the wards in Imo State and can report unequivocally that none of our members except three rejected and politically spent individuals, who have lost all electoral relevance in the State and only fit for a political dustbin like the APC. It is indeed pathetic that such empty deserters connived with some APC leaders in Imo State to swindle the jittery and desperate Governor Hope Uzodimma, at very huge cost, by gathering a crowd of known APC members, thugs and hirelings and presented them to Governor Uzodimma as defectors from opposition parties in the State. Credible intelligence at our disposal indicates that the APC leaders have also planned more of such sham mass defections just to create an impression that the people of Imo State are gravitating towards the APC. Truth is that Imo people have come to a firm decision that Governor Uzodinma is that proverbial rotten tooth which must be removed for the cheeks to chew with ease. That Governor Uzodimma could fall for such cheap political gimmick to the extent of showboating on national television further exposes that he and his Party, the APC have lost grip and merely clinging at straws, being in mortal fear of imminent electoral defeat in the November 11, 2023 governorship election in Imo State due to their litany of failures in governance. This comical orchestration further shows that the APC in Imo State has been in confusion, frenzy and distress since the emergence of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the Governorship candidate of the PDP for the November 11, 2023 governorship election. Such apprehension explains why the APC has now embarked on desperate endorsement shopping for Governor Uzodimma from compromised individuals and groups; a ploy that has rather diminished the APC in the eyes of the people of Imo State. Instead of addressing its numerous failures in governance, which resulted in escalated insecurity, killings, violence, collapse of productive sector, massive treasury looting, terrible infrastructural stagnation and agonizing economic hardship in the State in the last four years, the APC is shamelessly resorting to endorsement shopping and diversionary antics that have no bearing to the wellbeing of the people of Imo State. The APC in Imo State must realize that the people of the State are not looking back in their determination to rescue and take back their State from anti-democratic forces and not even the intimidation, defection gimmicks and endorsement procurement by the APC can sway them in this resolve. The people of Imo State yearn for the return of the glorious days of the legendry Dee Sam Mbakwe and they have found the Sun rising in that direction with the emergence of Senator Sam Anyanwu as the Governorship candidate of the PDP. Senator Anyanwus candidature embodies the aspiration of the people of Imo State for a humane, responsive, friendly, transparent, purposeful, equitable and people-driven government that will restore security, happiness and productivity in the State. The PDP therefore counsels the APC to accept its fate and use the remaining months left in its abysmal administration to account for its despicable misrule that has brought Imo State to its current pathetic condition. Related Advertisement Spread the love For the third time in less than a month, the rate of exchange (RoE) applicable to foreign airlines has ballooned, hitting N582/$1 with attendant spike in the cost of international air travel. At the new RoE, registered by the Global Distribution System (GDS), a six-hour Lagos-London economy class ticket now fluctuates between N1.1 million and N2.97 million subject to airline of choice, place and time of booking. Its business class variant sells for an average of N3.36 million to N4.8 million. While stakeholders regretted that the development has further pushed international air travel beyond the reach of average Nigerians, they acknowledged the inherent respite on foreign airlines that are patronising the Investors and Exporters (I&E) FX window for fund repatriation, and reopening of naira inventories to travel agencies in the countries. It will be recalled that the international segment of the aviation sector has been in a stuck fund crisis in the last one year, with knock-on effects on inventories, asking price, and near-collapse of local travel agencies. Earlier intervention by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) did pledge $265 million in August 2022, leaving a balance of $200 million of the fund. But the stranded funds kept piling by daily sales of tickets, to warrant Emirates Airlines quitting the Nigerian route late October 2022. As at the last check, industry sources said the accumulated was well over $800 million. READ ALSO: Sirika dares unions, insists on demolition of structures aviation agencies building Following a negotiation to end the logjam, the authorities recently conceded a shift from the official CBN window to the volatile I&E window for the repatriation of foreign airlines funds in Nigeria. The push-pull effect has been evident in the applicable rate of exchange, and attendant cost of travel. At this time last month, the RoE was pegged at N462 to a dollar. About a week later, the rate climbed to N500/$1. Some days afterwards, it reached N551. Last week, the high vicissitude window hit a new high of N582/$1, with airfares tagging along. A Lagos-London-Lagos economy class ticket seat on Qatar (with stopover in Doha), at the weekend, cost an average of N1.2 million. Its business class was sold for N4.8 million. The flagship African carrier, Ethiopia (via Addis Ababa), offered the two cabins for N1.1 million and N3.36 million, respectively. Legacy carriers like British Airways (BA) and Virgin Atlantic (VA) are on the higher side. Direct Lagos-London-Lagos flight ticket on BA costs an average of N1.8 million in economy cabin and N4.41 million for business class travellers. VA offered the economy class for an average of N2.2 million. Advertisement American carrier on the Lagos-Atlanta-Lagos route, Delta Air, charged an average of N4.64 million for economy, and N8.36 million per seat in the business cabin. Similar route on Qatar (via Doha) averages N3.24 million for economy and N4.53 for Business Class travellers. READ ALSO: Airport concession triggers court battle between aviation workers, minister, FAAN Travel operators and experts alike were unanimous that the new rates were inevitable and partly a good omen in the current market realities. Notwithstanding the extra push in the cost of travel that is passed to consumers, President of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA), Susan Akporiaye, said the new dispensation in fare pricing is partly solving the problem of stuck funds, and accessibility of tickets to Nigerians. Akporiaye told reporters that foreign airlines were beginning to repatriate funds from tickets sold in local currency, with a chain reaction in reopening inventories to travel agencies. Chairman of the Airlines and Passengers Joint Committee (APJC) of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Bankole Bernard, said foreign airlines accessing the I&E window might be the permanent solution to the perennial problem of stuck funds, and unleashing the commercial viability of the international segment. The government has been neither here nor there. If you are telling the airlines not to sell at NAFEX rate, but in Naira, and they are not getting their equivalence for repatriation, then the government is the creator of the problem. But when you do not subsidise airfares, the airlines will become commercially lucrative because they can sell at the RoE and repatriate their monies easily. Instead of doing one flight, they can do three trips, and make more money. In transport, the real income comes from volume and not yield, Bernard said. He added that with the development, a lot of airlines are beginning to warm up to the travel agencies again, and we are certainly going to sell more tickets this year than last year. The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, at the 70th session of the weekly ministerial briefing at the State House, Abuja, disclosed that the first set of Nigerians evacuated from Sudan will arrive in Nigeria through Egypt on Friday. According to Abike Dabiri-Erewa, barring any last minutes changes, the first set of Nigerian evacuees from Sudan are expected to arrive in Nigeria on Friday. The NIDCOM Chief Executive Officer disclosed that 13 buses departed two universities in Khartoum, conveying Nigerian students to the Aswan border in Egypt, where they will be airlifted to Nigeria. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyema, speaking earlier on Channels Television monitored from Lagos by National Daily, said that some Nigerians were among the foreign national evacuated through a ship that arrived Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Dabiri-Erewa was cited to have said that more Nigerian students would be evacuated from Sudan and would arrive Cairo, Egypt later on Thursday evening. She said that 13 buses of about 60 people have already left. We are hoping that they would get into as one later this evening, but we are monitoring them. It is not a very pleasant situation; mission officials are waiting to receive them. Spread the love Tony Elumelu spent over N23 billion to tighten his control in Transnational Corporation (Transcorp) after Femi Otedola displaced him as the single largest majority investor in the firm. It would be recalled that Otedola, last week bought 2.24 billion shares in Transcorp, a move that handed him a 5.52 per cent stake in Transcorp. The share acquisition by Otedola saw him overtake Elumelu, who owned a 2.06 per cent stake at the time and also serves as chairman at Transcorp. In response, Elumelu acquired 9.69 billion shares through his investment company, HH Capital Limited, which previously held 293.98 million shares. This was disclosed on Thursday in a corporate document shared with shareholders and the capital market authority, Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX). The acquisition through HH Capital Limited increased his total shares in Transcorp to 10.26 billion, from 840.63 million. As a result, Elumelu now has a controlling stake of 25.2 per cent in Transcorp, above his previous 2.06 per cent stake. This also increased his stake above the 5.52 per cent held by Otedola. READ ALSO: How I became bank CEO at 34 Tony Elumelu Elumelus total investment value in Transcorp is now N30.28 billion as of Wednesday, while that of Otedola is N6.60 billion. In the corporate document, Transcorp said: With this new acquisition, HH Capital Limited now holds a total of 9,991,173,177 units, representing 25.58 per cent of the Companys total shares. As noted in our previous communication, the Company welcomes the continued expression of confidence in its leadership and management by the investing public, as we continue our unwavering commitment to superior stakeholders returns, anchored in our ideology of Africapitalism. Rest assured, we are committed to remaining resolute in executing our Groups strategy of making strategic investments in key sectors within the Nigerian economy, transforming Africa, and contributing positively towards building prosperity for all. Advertisement READ ALSO: Otedola loses N1.49bn as demand for First Banks shares drop According to the details of the acquisition as of April 25, 2023, HH Capital Limited acquired 9,697,189,984 units of shares, bringing their total holdings in Transcorp to 9,991,173,177 units, representing 25.58 per cent of the Companys total shares. Recall that trade volumes of about 5 billion units exchanged hands in yet another off-market trade at the same price of N2.45 per share, over 10 billion units of the shares have traded since Femi Otedola announced the acquisition. It is however unclear if UBA Nominees, which was the erstwhile majority shareholder of Transcorp Plc still retains its shareholding or if part of it was crossed to HH Capital Ltd. Meanwhile, Transcorp Plc also announced Femi Otedola purchased a further 228,384,959 shares of the company adding to the 5.05% he already owns. April 27, (THEWILL) The National Economic Council (NEC) has suspended the planned removal of subsidy on petroleum products by the end of President Muhammadu Buharis administration. Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, disclosed this on Thursday, while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the NEC meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Ahmed said the NEC concluded in its meeting that it is not a favourable time for the action. The Minister said the Council deliberated on the matter and resolved that it cannot be removed for now, adding that the existing Committee that has been discussing the fuel subsidy issue needed to be expanded to enable more input from concerned Nigerians. She said there needed to be more interface with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and more engagement with the petroleum marketers association, among others. Ahmed said the Council agreed on the need to continue the discussion on the matter and the necessary preparatory work in conjunction with states and representatives of the incoming administration. President Muhammadu Buharis administration has announced the suspension of the planned removal of the fuel subsidy. The decision was reached at the valedictory service meeting of the national economic council (NEC) meeting presided over by vice president, Yemi Osinbajo Zainab Ahmed, the minister of finance, budget and national planning, announced the suspension while addressing journalists after the meeting FCT, Abuja The National Economic Council (NEC) of the federal government has announced the suspension of the planned removal of the petrol subsidy, which was yet to be implemented. The council added that all preparatory plans with different government segments, including the states and the next administration, should be intensified, The Nation reported. FG suspends planned removal of fuel subsidy Photo Credit: Femi Adesina Source: Facebook Why FG did not remove the fuel subsidy as planned The development was disclosed by Zainab Ahmed, the minister of finance, budget and national planning while addressing journalists at the valedictory service of the NEC meeting. PAY ATTENTION: heck out news that is picked exactly for YOU find the Recommended for you block on the home page and enjoy! The valedictory NEC meeting was overseen by the vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, at the presidential villa in Abuja on Thursday, April 27. However, the council disclosed that the regime of the fuel subsidy must, however, come to an end as it is not sustainable. Latest about fuel subsidy, Yemi Osinbajo, President Muhammadu Buhari The ministers statement reads in part: Today, I was in the National Economic Council, where we discussed the issue of post-subsidy removal. Council agreed that the timing for the removal of subsidy should not be now, but that we should continue with all of the preparation works that needs to be done and that this preparation work has to be done in consultation with the states and other key stakeholders, including representatives of the incoming administration. Recall that the subsidy regime has been said to be ruining the countrys economy as it keeps gulping a larger percentage of the countrys income and budget. Source: Legit.ng President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said remarkable progress has been made in the fight against insurgency in the country. Buhari however, admitted that the fight against insecurity in his eight years in office was challenging. The president stated this during the official unveiling of the national and regimental colours of the new and operationalised units of the Nigerian Army at the Eagle Square in Abuja on Thursday. Since the inception of this administration in 2015, the nations security situation was greatly challenged by activities of violence and non-state actors. Today, Im pleased to specifically note that the situation has tremendously improved and I wish to also highlight that we have made remarkable progress in the fight against insurgents, militants, oil bunkers, kidnappers, and other criminal elements in the country. The Nigerian Army that we celebrate today would not have been able to discharge its responsibilities, Buhari said. The fighting power of our army was at a low rate as of May 2015. However, seven years later, its fighting power has increased significantly making it fourth in ranking among African militaries as against seventh in 2015. President Buhari said the government interventions in the yearly budget allocation to the Army between 2020 and 2022 have been able to procure utilities and resources for the fight against insurgency. Reports say deserving units who have played vital roles in securing the country were decorated at the event. He thanked the Chief of Defence Staff and also commended Nigerians for perseverance. The president added that the country will continue to rely on support from all segments of the Nigerian society in ensuring the maintenance of peace and security of the nation. Former President Goodluck Jonathan, former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, and Senate President, Ahmed Lawan were some of the dignitaries that attended the event. In other news, Kanyi Daily reported that former Kaduna Senator, Shehu Sani has tackled Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi for naming the newly constructed international airport in the state after President Muhammadu Buhari. He commended Umahi for the construction of the airport but said it is immoral and sycophantic to name two airports in the country after the president. The Spiritual Director of Adoration Ministry Enugu Nigeria (AMEN), Fr. Ejike Mbaka has embarked on a man protest against the killing of Reverend Fr. Paul Offu by Fulani Herdsmen in Enugu state. Mbaka and several other priests protested the murder of one of their own and the Parish Priest of St. James Greater Parish, Ugbawka, Rev. Father Paul Offu who was gruesomely murdered on Thursday. His placard read; When will this madness of the Fulani Herdsmen stop? Other angry Catholic priests marched to the Government House with placards, with inscriptions such as like enough is enough, government should rise to defend Nigerians and more. They also matched through the major streets in the state capital to the police headquarters, chanting God save Enugu people from murderous Fulani herdsmen, enough is enough, the government should do something and save us. Watch the video below: [embedded content] Mr Lecturer hitmaker, Eedris Abdulkareem has aired his displeasure with President Muhammadu Buhari. The veteran entertainer who took to his Instagram page to call out the Nigerian president described him as the most successful fraudster in the history of Nigeria. Taking to Instagram, he wrote: Buhari is by far the most successful fraudster in the history of Nigeria. First he was fraudulently enlisted into the Nigerian army. He fraudulently gained promotion that he wasnt qualified for while in the army. He continued, He truncated our democracy and rendered Nigerians poor and helpless. He turned the Petroleum Trust Fund to Petroleum Trust Fraud to help Abacha loot his way to the grave. He came back, deceived 15 million Nigerians with fake integrity and became a president without the required certificate. He gained an unrestricted access to our national treasury and went on a looting spree that made Nigeria the poverty capital of the world. Now he wants to continueno way, he must be stopped because we cannot continue to reinforce failure. This is not the first time Eedris Abdulkareem is calling out a political leader as he has called out former president, Olusegun Obasanjo in times past. The supplementary/re-run elections in two Local Government Areas of Bauchi state recorded large turnout of voters, reports the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Whereas supplementary election is being conducted in Zaki Local Government Area, INEC is also conducting re-run election in Gamawa Local Government Area. NAN Correspondent monitoring the exercise reports witnessing large turnout of voters in units the exercise is being conducted in Sakwa , Murmur North and Mainako in Zaki. Mohammed Hassan, Presiding Officer (PO) in-charge of Daladagum unit in Dugunmi town, told NAN that voting commenced at 8.20 a.m. Alhaji Awal Jatau of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tata Umar of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and 19 other candidates are contesting in the supplementary polls to occupy the seat of Federal House of Representatives for Zaki Constituency. In a similar development, voting commenced early in most of the 287 voting units visited in Gamawa. Madaki Gololo of the PDP and 20 other candidates are contesting for the Gamawa House of Representatives seat, while Mohammed Garba of the APC had earlier been excluded from the race by an election tribunal. NAN recalls that the Court of Appeal, Jos Division, on November 14, 2019, had sacked All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker, Rep. Umar Tata, representing Zaki Federal Constituency. The same court had nullified the election of Garba Gololo of APC representing Gamawa Federal Constituency of Bauchi State, and disqualified him for presenting forged certificates to contest in the election. The court also, in a consensus judgment, ordered INEC to conduct re-run election in the area within 90 days, excluding APC or its candidate from participating. (NAN) The Ogoni Social Democratic Network (OSDN) is worried about information regarding a serving senator representing Rivers State who has manifested full blown symptoms of Corona virus but have failed to submit himself for proper screening and treatment. Credible media reports suggest that the senator was in company of a 19year old girl of Edo State origin confirmed by state government officials to have been infected and brought into Rivers State last week. The 19year old girl is reported to be responding to treatment. Close sources to the senator have informed OSDN that the senator has been infected and chose to hide himself in his village where he is still receiving visitors. We gather also that the senator attended a public gathering in Rivers State last week and is suspected to have spread the disease among his party colleagues. There are also fears that the senator may have had handshakes with several people during his appearance at the recent public gathering putting the lives of these people at risk. Rather than submit himself for proper treatment, the infected senator has resorted to self medication. OSDN condemn this unpatriotism and conscious infection of many Nigerians with the Corona virus and call for immediate investigations on the senator. OSDN is seriously concerned about the number of persons the senator may have infected and the consequences it could have in a society where there are no medical facilities. OSDN calls for massive screening in Rivers State as many are already infected through association with the said senator and similar circumstances. Signed,Christopher Lah Niabari Secretary (OSDN) The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi is in for more trouble as his estranged queen, Chanel Chin, has accused him of rape. The couple had a messy divorce in December 2019 and the king released a statement saying This is to inform the general public, most especially friends and associates of the Oluwo of Iwoland, His Imperial Majesty, Oba (Dr.) Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi, Telu I, that Ms Chanel Chin is an ex-queen of his majesty. Following the divorce, there had been a series of accusations and counter-accusations between the bitter couple. In an interview with GIO TV, the Jamaican narrated how she met with the Oluwo and how he had sexual relations with her while she was unconscious. Chanel explained that she had met with the king on three different occasions before they were properly introduced at an event in Lagos. It was a popular Lagos monarch that introduced me to him again properly. He said we were both from Toronto and that the Oluwo was single. We all had fun and I had a little too much to drink. I went upstairs to one of the rooms to sleep. At about 3 am, I woke up to find the Oluwo on top of me. I was naked. I tried to get him off me but he stayed put, saying hes a king and no one says no to a king in his culture. He said I was going to be his wife and I would have a good life. I am saying this because the Oluwo has been going about telling people that I was a prostitute from Toronto and that he didnt know me. He also claimed he slept with me on the first night. Tell people the truth. Tell them that you raped me while I was resting in one of the rooms after I had too much to drink. The day I met him was the day my life changed drastically. I met him on February 2nd, 2016. His coronation was on January 16th, 2016. One month later, I missed my period. I had my baby in November 2016. Do the math. He raped me. He took me back to Iwo with him because of what he had done and said he was going to marry me, she said. Meanwhile, A fresh video was released today showing the king rolling a huge stick of Marijuana in his palace. In the video, the kind appeared to be the only one in a large room. Although there was background noise, no one was seen in the large room where he was wrapping the marijuana. Share this post with your Friends on BLOOMINGTON A Danvers man charged with murder earlier this week had his bond set at $2 million in a Thursday court hearing. Joshua D. Livingston's bond was set by Judge Scott Black, who ordered that he pay the full amount before he can be released. A public defender did not object to the bond amount as requested by the state. Livingston requested a public defender. In a Wednesday grand jury indictment, Livingston was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of concealing a homicidal death. He had previously been charged April 17, the same day 39-year-old Melissa Ostrom's body was found, with possessing two stolen vehicles. Police have not disclosed where Ostrom was found. Arrest affidavits reviewed Thursday by The Pantagraph state Livingston is also charged with a Class 4 felony of criminal damage to a Bloomington police squad car, and with misdemeanor violation of bail bond. For the latter offense, documents said Livingston breached a bond condition from a March domestic battery case involving bodily harm, which stipulated he have no contact with Ostrom. McLean County Coroner Kathy Yoder said initial autopsy results indicate Ostrom died by strangulation. Additionally, Livingston was charged Monday with three counts of burglary. Police said he went into a Bloomington auto body shop and entered two vehicles intending to commit a theft. A 2017 Chevy Colorado and a 2010 Chevy Camaro were both stolen from that same auto shop, prosecutors said. The Pantagraph previously reported that when Livingston was arrested, he was accused of using a stolen Chevy Colorado to back into a Bloomington police vehicle April 17. Livingston will be arraigned on the murder charges at 9 a.m. May 5. Police continue to investigate. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective P. Diaz at 309-434-2532 or pdiaz@cityblm.org or Detective B. Merritt at 309-434-2359 or bmerritt@cityblm.org. To remain anonymous, contact the Crime and Intelligence Analysis Unit at 309-434-2963, email CIAU@cityblm.org or text "BPDTIPS" to 847411. CHICAGO A ban on the sale of flavored nicotine products in suburban Cook County is being introduced this week, an expansion of efforts to curb vaping among youth in particular. Commissioner Donna Miller planned to introduce the ban at Thursdays Cook County Board meeting. It bars retailers limited to those in unincorporated areas of the county from selling any flavored nicotine product, including menthol, fruit, candy, dessert or alcohol flavors but not the taste or aroma of tobacco, according to the draft ordinance. If passed, the proposal would take effect immediately and give the sheriff the power to conduct unannounced inspections on retailers or vending machine operators selling nicotine products. Violators would be subject to a fine of not less than $1,000 nor more than $5,000 for each offense. Displaying any flavored nicotine products would garner a $500 fine for a first offense and could result in the loss of a retailers license for more than three violations within a 12-month period. The Illinois Retail Merchants Association, which has typically pushed back on such restrictions, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, though Miller said Thursday she expected resistance. This will help Cook County join other jurisdictions, such as the city of Chicago, Los Angeles County, and the state of Massachusetts, California, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island, that have enacted statewide flavored tobacco and vape product bans in fighting the attack on our youth and young adults, Miller said at a Wednesday news conference. Flavored e-cigarettes are hooking a whole new generation on nicotine, putting millions of kids and young adults at risk, and threatening decades of progress in reducing youth tobacco use. Federal officials banned the sale of most flavored e-cigarettes with the aim of reversing the tide of youth vaping in 2020, but the measure had loopholes that allowed companies to sell disposable, pre-charged and flavored e-cigarettes or vape tanks and was considered ineffective. Since 2014, e-cigarettes have been the most common tobacco products used by middle and high school aged youth, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A youth survey released by the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration in October found 14% of high school students and more than 3% of middle school children reported vaping in the prior 30 days. Dr. LaMar Hasbrouck, chief operating officer of the Cook County Department of Public Health, said he supported the proposal, in part because e-cigarette use among youth remains an ongoing public health concern. Nicotine exposure during adolescence can harm brain development, Hasbrouck continued, affecting learning, attention, mood and impulse control. In Black and brown communities, he said, people are predatorily targeted by the tobacco industry by marketing (and) price promotions. Chicago banned the sale of flavored e-cigarettes in September 2020, on top of other restrictions on nicotine and tobacco products, such as a ban on vaping indoors and a tax on e-cigarettes of $1.50 per unit and $1.20 per fluid milliliter of liquid. Suburban retailers and shoppers told the Tribune in November that the citys ban pushed customers their way. Some considered the ordinance watered down because it did not address the sale of menthol-flavored traditional cigarettes. Sheriff Tom Dart said vaping is literally the No. 1 thing his high school daughters talk about. They talk about the kids who are in stalls, theyre vaping, they seem to feel not only that its easier to get away with than smoking cigarettes were, but they also dont in any way understand what this is leading to, he said. The county should stop it and do it now before we have yet another generation who is hopelessly addicted to nicotine. The sheriffs office already has a unit that looks for unstamped cigarettes and liquor, Dart said, and flavored vape sales would just be another item on the checklist if the ordinance passed. Its not going to be a lot of heavy lifting on our part, and our hope is that the responsible ones are just going to stop doing it, he said. Usually they get the memo. Miller could not say what the impact on county revenues would be. Taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products are one of the countys larger sources of income outside sales and property taxes. Cook County collected an average of about $125 million per year in cigarette and other tobacco product taxes between 2019 and 2021 according to its most recent budget. Officials project those revenues will continue to fall in the out-years. Were going to take a look at that, Miller said. Last month, Juul Labs agreed to settle a lawsuit launched by the city of Chicago over claims the company violated the citys municipal code by marketing JUUL Products to youth and engaging in inadequate age verification, among other complaints. This month, the state of Illinois announced a $67 million payout from Juul as part of a multistate settlement. When the $23.8 million settlement for Chicago was announced, a Juul spokesperson said the company was focusing on adults who wanted to quit traditional cigarettes while combating underage use of our products. Photos: Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson Election 2023 Chicago Mayor Election 2023 Chicago Mayor Election 2023 Chicago Mayor Election 2023 Chicago Mayor Election 2023 Chicago Mayor Election 2023 Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson - 2022 Brandon Johnson - 2023 Brandon Johnson - 2023 Brandon Johnson - File Brandon Johnson - 2022 Brandon Johnson - 2022 Brandon Johnson - 2022 Brandon Johnson - 2022 Brandon Johnson - 2022 Brandon Johnson - 2022 Brenden Moore State Government Reporter Follow Brenden Moore Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today SPRINGFIELD One of the most important tools I have at my disposal is my cell phone. As a reporter, I use it to call and text sources, record interviews, check emails, take pictures and video and post to social media, among other functions. It is no exaggeration to say that to the annoyance of some friends and family not two minutes goes by without me checking it for one reason or another. But for three hours each Thursday evening between late February and early April, my phone stayed in my car. Phones were not allowed inside my destination: the FBIs Springfield field office. Im not an undercover agent or a confidential informant. And Im not in trouble with the law at least as far as I know. Rather, the reason I dropped off the grid every Thursday night for eight weeks was my selection as one of 30 people to participate in this years Springfield FBI Citizens Academy. The annual program gives business, religious, civic and other community leaders an inside look at the FBI. Its goal is to foster a greater understanding of the FBIs role in the community through a series of presentations and, at times, frank discussions. The first Citizens Academy was held in the Phoenix field office in 1991 and has since expanded to FBI outposts across the country. Springfields program was established in 2004. Since then, 474 people from the field offices area of responsibility, which includes 84 of the Illinois 102 counties, have graduated from the program. It's about enhancing that understanding, but also developing those relationships, said David Nanz, special agent in charge of the FBIs Springfield field office, in an interview Tuesday afternoon. Because, as we always say, the FBI can't accomplish its mission without, one, help from our state, local and federal partners, but also members of the community. We need to have those relationships with the community. And so the Citizens Academy is one way to sort of meet the community leaders, have them meet us and kind of take a little bit of the mystique away from the FBI and kind of communicate, 'hey, we're, we're here to work with you to protect the community, he said. I was nominated by my friend Lee Milner, a photographer for Springfield's alt-weekly paper Illinois Times who is omnipresent in the Illinois Capitol. Milner always talked up the program and thought it would be good for a young reporter to get a previously unseen perspective of the FBI. He was right. The experience, for me at least, was eye-opening. Each week, thorough presentations were made by special agents and other bureau employees on the wide-ranging functions of the countrys top law enforcement agency. One week we heard a presentation on domestic terrorism, including a case study on the FBIs investigation into the White Rabbits militia, a group of four Central Illinoisans who were eventually arrested in connection to the 2017 bombing of a Minnesota mosque. Another week included an exhibition from the bureaus bomb squad and active shooter response training. Its terrifying how easy it is to make a bomb. And sad that active shooter scenarios are so common that the bureau now teaches people to Run. Hide. Fight. But the principles could save your life. Then there was a class where we were able to tour the fenced-in fortress that is the bureaus facility, including the gun vault and the space where the evidence response team works on materials collected from crime scenes. We learned the correct way to collect fingerprints. And we learned why its a bad idea to charge your smartphone in a rental car (the car collects and stores information), among other useful tidbits that you dont always think about. Then we got to test the facilitys use of force training simulator, which agents use to play out different scenarios to prepare for real-life encounters that may turn dangerous. Some of us made the correct judgment, using deadly force when necessary or showing restraint when the threat did not rise to that level. Others did not, either shooting an unarmed person or getting shot themselves if not reacting quick enough to someone with a gun. It was a fun exercise for my classmates and I, but underscored the very serious split-second decisions that law enforcement officers have to make and the very real consequences if theyre wrong. Perhaps the most fun exhibition was during our only Saturday session, which was held at the Illinois State Polices range in Pawnee. We saw field demonstrations from the SWAT team on how they conduct raids depending on the situation. And then, under SWAT team supervision, we got to shoot some guns, including a Tommy gun, a pistol, a handgun and an AK-47 in both its automatic and semi-automatic settings. I did not grow up in gun culture and had never held a gun, let alone shot one, before that session. In a sense, thats emblematic of my Citizens Academy experience. I did things Ive never done. I learned things that I otherwise wouldnt have. And I gained a new perspective. As a reporter, my philosophy has always been to get as many perspectives on an issue as possible and to explore every angle I can. By getting to look behind the curtain and see what the FBI actually does on a daily basis, I feel is if I've emerged with a more well-rounded perspective on law enforcement and their role in our communities. And I gained a newfound respect for the special agents who do the work every day. Many of them were generous enough to, on their own time, tell us about what they do and to share their expertise on a range of topics. Among them was Special Agent Bobby Bailey, the senior team lead for the Springfield office's SWAT team and the its firearms instructor. He's also a bomb technician with the bureau. "It's not a job; it's a career that we enjoy," Bailey told me in an interview Wednesday morning. "So being able to share that information with other people, I mean, it's like talking about your kids or your loved ones or your dog or something like that. You love sharing that information. "And when people are receptive to that and they're actually listening to the words you say, there's nothing better than that." Bailey added that he liked to present to the class so he "can take away a lot of misconceptions of maybe what they see on TV" and share practical information, such as active shooter training, that members of the class can share with their friends, family and co-workers. Brad Ware, the Springfield FBI's community outreach specialist, said that Citizens Academy is "an important program because there's really valuable information for everybody in there." Ware, who has been in charge of the program since 2008, said it is crucially important in creating connections in the community, especially with groups that historically have not had great relationships with law enforcement. Typically, Ware said, the Springfield bureau will reach out to groups like local NAACP chapters or the Islamic Society of Greater Springfield to ensure that they are represented in each class. Same with media. This year's class included myself and FOX Illinois' Phoenix O'Connor. Angie Muhs, my former editor at The State Journal-Register, is also an alum of the program. In an era of where trust in institutions has eroded including, some would argue, at the FBI programs like this are crucial in opening a line of communication. "Part of our mission is to share information to protect the community," Nanz said. "So we are very proactive with sharing information with our state and local partners and we're proactive with sharing information with the community." As far as misconceptions, we're not this overly secretive organization, he said. Of course, there are certain things we can't talk about pending investigations, classified information but there's a lot we can talk about. And I think people who go through the Citizens Academy see that firsthand. No government agency is perfect. But the FBI is thorough, meticulous, methodical, deliberate and process-oriented in how it goes about its business. It was cool to see up-close and firsthand. Simply put, I wish everyone could go through this course. The next class will likely be this fall. Those interested in applying for a placement can contact Brad Ware at wbware@fbi.gov or 217-757-3542. If you can do it, trust me: It's worth leaving your phone in the car. Infrastructure sectors hit hardest by ransomware Infrastructure sectors hit hardest by ransomware #10. Communications #9. Energy #8. Transportation #7. Food and agriculture #6. Commercial facilities #5. Government facilities #4. Critical manufacturing #3. Information technology #2. Financial services #1. Health care and public health The CEO and Founding Member of the Ghana Commodity Exchange, Tucci Ivowi, has charged female staff of the insurance group Hollard Ghana to stay focused to accomplish higher strides. According to her, women must become experts in their industry to advance to leadership positions. She urged them to deliver results because smart leaders want intelligent individuals on their teams. She believes that to change the narrative, we must embrace equity and seize opportunities to find more fair solutions. She addressed the Hollard Women High Tea, which was themed "Embrace Equity" to commemorate IWD 2023 at Tribeca, a restaurant in Accra. In her view, women should always work SMARTER. They ought to develop a work ethic that makes them Sincere, Motivated, Artistic, Resilient, Tough, Empathetic, and Respected. She underlined the need to adopt these professional principles to remain relevant and advance to the next prospect. In her presentation, Tucci said: Don't focus on the ladder, or you are likely to fall. Focus on achieving results, and that will elevate you. Dont let yourself down and blame others for not letting you reach your potential. Failure allows you to grow; embrace it. Do not take an opportunity and squander it. This act affects women; do not let your gender down. To remain relevant, never stop developing yourself. Marry a friend and a partner. Someone supportive of your career advancements. The speaker, Tucci Ivowi, was complimented by the host, Patience Akyianu, Group CEO of Hollard Ghana, for empowering Hollard women. Sheila Wristberg, CEO of IRisk Management LTD, a guest, also, introduced Hollard Women to Women Leadership in Insurance Africa'. It is a community for women Sheila founded in the insurance industry that provides support, advice, skills, and mentorship to enable women to excel. The day ended with great bonding activities like singing and dancing, accompanied by good food and music. Participants also had the opportunity to network with the speaker and guests. The countrys favorite insurance group is Hollard Ghana, with subsidiaries Hollard Insurance and Hollard Life Assurance. The group combines its deep local knowledge of the market having previously operated in Ghana for 25 years as Metropolitan Insurance with the world-class expertise of an international insurance brand in 18 countries across the world. With feet firmly planted on Ghanaian soil but headquartered in South Africa, Hollard delivers innovative insurance solutions customized to the unique risks Ghanaians face. Hollard offers various life and general insurance products including funeral, personal accident, motor, business, travel, home, and more; and can be reached via the following means: 0501603967 (Hollard Insurance) and 0501533698 (Hollard Life). Beyond various nationwide office branches andHollard 2U franchise shops, Ghanaians can find Hollard at Shell Fuel Station Welcome Shops, Melcom stores and online at www.hollard.com.gh and www.jumia.com.gh for all their insurance needs. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has urged all mobile users to comply with the timelines for Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card re-registration to enhance national security and curb fraudulent activities. Speaking at a press briefing in Accra on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, the Minister said the exercise s an essential measure to enhance national security, curb fraudulent activities, and prevent identity theft as well as help in ensuring a safer and more secure cyberspace for all. "It is important for everyone to comply with the SIM card re-registration exercise to avoid being disconnected from the network. The exercise is aimed at enhancing national security and curbing fraudulent activities, and it is in the collective interest of all citizens to comply," he said. This comes on the back of the National Communications Authoritys (NCA) indication that some 6.1 million SIM cards that have not been registered with a Ghana card since the inception of the mass SIM re-registration exercise have been deactivated. The deactivated SIMs belong to subscribers that had completed only stage one of the registration process. The exercise began on 1st October 2021 and was scheduled to end on 31st March 2022 but was extended by the sector Ministry to 31st July 2022, due to the fact that over 7.5 million citizens and residents at the time, were yet to obtain their Ghana Card, to enable them register their SIM cards. According to the Director-General of the NCA, Mr. Joe Anokye, about 11 million SIMs which are yet to begin the registration process. These subscribers, he said have up to the end of May 2023 to complete their SIM registration or have their SIMs deactivated from the network, This Mr. Oppong Nkrumah urged compliance with the SIM card re-registration to ensure that the personal information of mobile users are captured on the Central SIM Registration Database and up-to-date to avoid being disconnected from any network. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The ruling New Patriotic Party's Director of Communications has suggested that the 2021 report on illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) authored by former environment minister, Prof' Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng has been referred to the police for investigations. The said report alleged in many parts direct and indirect complicity on the part of government and party officials in galamsey and in frustrating the work of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) which the former minister was chairman of. In a tweet dated April 26, 2023; Ahiagbah slammed a press conference by the main opposition National Democratic Congress demanding a probe by the Special Prosecutor and Parliament into the report which was authored in 2021. He intimated further that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Adddo had referred the 36-page report to the Criminal Investigations Department of the Police for independent investigation. "On Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng's document, as a party, we support the President's prompt referral of the document to the CID, for an independent investigation. That is the democratic way, and the NDC is fully aware. "The fight against galamsey is existential, but sadly the NDC has never seen it as such. The NDC sees it first as politics, an avenue to canvass votes either by way of promising galamseyers more galamsey when they ever win power or to do what they did yesterday in the press conference to besmirch the character of the people cited in the document on the weight of simple claims," his tweet read in part. The last time the presidency reacted to the report was via a statement over the weekend, alleging that the document was not official and that it contained a catalogue of grievances of Prof. Frimpong-Boateng and could best be described as hearsay. The Presidency also tagged the document as not being an official report before Cabinet as it was submitted in an informal way. At the outset, it must be pointed out that the document being discussed was not an official report formally delivered to the Office of the President. On the contrary, it can only be rightly referred to as a catalogue of personal grievances and claims made by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, intended to respond to some issues he faced as Chairperson of the IMCIM. The document was handed to the Chief of Staff at the Office of the President on March 19th 2021, in an informal meeting, where Prof. Frimpong-Boateng complained about public attacks and criticisms made about his tenure as Chairperson of the IMCIM, the statement read. GhanaWeb has been unable, so far, to verify the referral of the report to the police CID. Read Ahiagbah's full post below: The pointlessness of the NDC's press conference yesterday is legendary. The Al Jazeera documentary has been effectively discredited so, I wonder why they were talking spiritedly about it. On Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng's document, as a party, we support the President's prompt referral of the document to the CID, for an independent investigation. That is the democratic way, and the NDC is fully aware. The fight against galamsey is existential, but sadly the NDC has never seen it as such. The NDC sees it first as politics, an avenue to canvass votes either by way of promising galamseyers more galamsey when they ever win power or to do what they did yesterday in the press conference to besmirch the character of the people cited in the document on the weight of simple claims. The individuals especially, the Information Minister, has responded to state his innocence, but the NDC simply refused to acknowledge it or be restrained it. Instead, the NDC went full hog to display their pictures as though they have been found culpable of anything. What would it have cost the NDC to have waited for the CID to complete its investigation and render its report for public scrutiny? Perhaps, the NDC is not aware that President Akufo-Addo has referred Prof. Boateng's report to the CID. The NPP, unlike the NDC, is committed to the fight against galamsey, and thus far has made considerable gains. But certainly, there is a lot more that needs to be done and all of us must pinch in. It is my humble appeal to all Ghanaians to get involved by reporting galamsey activities, learn about its dire implications for our very existence, and on that basis speak objectively against galamsey. The NDC must learn to keep certain things above partisan politics and galamsey is one of such things. We know the NDC's record on galamsey is criminal, to put it mildly. The fight against galamsey proceeds without fear or favor. Let's all get involve less the partisanship that often weakens the cooperation we need to triumph. Please watch the attached NDC galamsey video, and I am sure you conclude with me that the NDC needs to get serious with the fight against galamsey. Their double standard on a matter as serious as galamsey is sickening. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Former Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Koku Anyidoho, has stated that it would be a curse on Ghana for former president John Dramani Mahama to hold the Sword of State for the third time because Mahama's motive for seeking to return to the presidency is "greed." Anyidoho, who was expelled from the NDC over misconduct, pointed out that John Mahama had already held the State Sword twice before, on July 24, 2012, and January 07, 2013. He urged Ghanaians to be cautious and not allow Mahama to curse the country with his greedy agenda. In a Twitter post on April 26, 2023, Koku Anyidoho explained: If John Mahama holds the Sword of State for the third time, it shall be a curse on Ghana . He held the Sword of State on July 24, 2012, and January 07, 2013. Lets not allow John Mahama to curse Ghana with his greedy agenda. John Mahama Mahama previously served as President of Ghana from 2012 to 2016, before losing to Akufo-Addo in the 2016 presidential election. He unsuccessfully ran against Akufo-Addo again in the 2020 election but has expressed confidence that he can win in 2024 and bring about the changes he believes the country needs. If John Mahama holds the, Sword of State for the third time, it shall be a curse on Ghana . He held the Sword of State on July 24, 2012, and January 07, 2013. Lets not allow John Mahama to curse Ghana with his greedy agenda. Samuel Koku Anyidoho (@KokuAnyidoho) April 26, 2023 Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia has assured members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) that the party will retain power beyond the two terms of president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo which ends in 2024. Bawumia, widely rumoured to be interested in succeeding Akufo-Addo as party flagbearer and president in January 2025 told supporters in the Ayawaso Central Constituency weeks back that the NPP as a party of ideas will win the 2024 polls and by that break the eight. Break the Eight is a terminology that the NPP has adopted for its 2024 election, referring to retaining political power beyond the eight years that each party has spent before being voted out under the 1992 Constitution. Bawumia took potshots at the former president John Dramani Mahama, who is expected to lead the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in 2024 labeling Mahama a policy-less politician despite being in politics for the past three decades. So, dont worry, by the grace of God, we are going to break the eight. We know who the opposition is, we know the way forward, we will fight with our record and our vision, and that is a vision I know the people of Ghana are going to buy into. The NPP is a party of ideas, Bawumia stressed. Bawumia is seen as a frontrunner in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearership race slated for later this year, even though he has yet to openly declare his candidature, senior aides have assured that he will run to lead the NPP into election 2024. John Mahama is currently touring the country seeking the National Democratic Congress (NDC_ flagbearership nod to lead the party into the 2024 polls. He will come up against Kwabena Duffuor and Kojo Bonsu in a primary slated for May 13. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu has stated that Parliament will be firm, just and open in the confirmation of nominated Chief Justice, Mrs. Gertrude Araba Esabaa Torkornoo. Justice Torkornoo, a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana, has been nominated by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to become the next Chief Justice of Ghana. However, her appointment is still subject to approval by Parliament. If approved, Justice Torkornoo will succeed Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah, who is set to retire on May 24, 2023, as he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70 for justices of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. President Akufo-Addo stated in a letter to the Council of State that Justice Torkornoo has been on the Supreme Court for the last four years and has served in the judiciary for the past nineteen years, making her suitably qualified to perform the duties of Chief Justice. Read Also: Justice Torkornoo nominated as Ghanas next Chief Justice: Will be 3rd female to hold position Speaking on Atinka TVs current affairs show, The Agenda with Nana Yaw Fianko, Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu said when it is time to confirm Justice Torkornoo, the leadership of Parliament will allow suggestions from the public and that if any allegations of corruption is levelled against her, parliament will let the President know about it and let him know the new Chief Justice cannot assume the position. However, he said if there are no allegations, Parliament will approve her nomination. Meanwhile, he said the most important thing people look out for is someone who has practiced in truth without being involved in any corrupt activities. He was also sure that the President had done his research enough and well convinced that Justice Torkornoo was the right for the position. I am aware that the President has conducted investigation and nominated her. When she comes to sit in front of the Appointments Committee, if there is something hidden, when we are about to vet her, we will put it out there that the President says this woman should become Chief Justice, we are going to sit outside, and if anyone knows something that does not support her becoming Chief Justice or if she did something that the President would not mention if he knew, please tell us. "We wont do it in secret, well do it publicly, and if anyone has something to say, theyll bring it to our attention, and if theres proof, well tell the President that the country is grateful, but this nominee cannot be approved based on what weve seen, he said. He continued, But if there is nothing like that, then we give the President the go ahead that parliament has approved his nomination so he can allow her to assume her post. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu, says he still stands by his statement that persons who destroy water bodies through illegal mining should be shot and killed. In 2018, Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu pushed for security agencies to be given the power to shoot those involved in illegal mining popularly called galamsey and were destroying water bodies. He was of the belief that shooting to kill was the only way to deter criminals from engaging in the act. He was contributing to a statement on the Floor of Parliament by Kumbugu legislator, Ras Mubarak, who condemned the burning of trucks in his constituency by the military. His comment was in reaction to the torching of at least 14 tipper trucks and an excavator by a crack team of military personnel after several warnings to sand winners to stop their illegal activity close to the Dalun river. Prior to that, Officials of the Ghana Water Company had raised concerns about the continuous pollution of the Dalun river due to the activities of sand winners. The Northern region also rely heavily on dams and rivers for their water supplies but most of these dams and rivers usually dry up in the dry season. Speaking on Atinka TVs current affairs show, The Agenda with Nana Yaw Fianko, Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu said anyone who mines in water, whether gold, diamond or sand was a wicked person. According to him, despite Governments effort to stop illegal mining, those involved in the act have decided not to stop it, hence the need to either disable the perpetrators and arrest them or shoot them if they pose threats to the security agencies. I recall that on that day we were discussing the destruction of water bodies by humans. Someone stated, in reference to the Northern Region, that sand mining in the water had devastated the side from which water was pumped to the Tamale Municipality. When we refer to mining, sand winning is also included, so my contribution was that anyone who exploits minerals in water, be it sand, gold, or diamond, is evil. If I had the power, I would have changed the law to enable us to kill the perpetrator when we encounter him in the act. Regarding the aforementioned statement, I have never altered my position. I believe that if you meet someone with an underwater mining machine, he is bad person, he said. In the meantime, Mr. Joseph Osei-Owusu stated that people conflate illegal mining with small-scale mining, adding that it is heartbreaking to see how they destroy water bodies while mining. He stated that Ghanaians are aware of wrongdoing, but continue to commit it while blaming others, especially the government. Even when a task force was established to combat the galamsey, according to him, the act increased because even those who were sent to do so participated. He suggested that those who really want to mine should inquire how the Forefathers of the country mined gold without destroying water bodies and open lands, saying mining has been going on for a long time even without the equipment the miners use now. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Henry Kwabena Kokofu has disclosed that his out fit is taking steps to ensuring that those involved in illegal mining are made to sign reclamation bond. According to him, it will protect the vegetative cover which is being destroyed by those engaged in illegal mining popularly known as galamsey. Speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, he also explained that they are also taking steps to ensure that those mining in water bodies are also banned as such acts are destroying water bodies which will be making it difficult for Ghanaians to access potable drinking water in future. "The Environmental Protection Agency has as part of its duties sole responsibility in ensuring the safety of the environment. "It, however, behooves on us to ensure that the forest and water bodies are protected in the wake of illegal mining. "Government is committed to fighting illegal mining and we will do our part as an institution to ensure that illegal mining does not affect water bodies and the forest reserves," he said. Watch Video Below The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said President Nana Akufo-Addo was never committed to the fight against illegal mining also known as galamsey.The opposition partys position comes at a time the countrys water bodies have been more heavily polluted than in previous years and illegal mining activities soaring by the day.Reacting to a galamsey report authored by former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, the National Communications Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi, said the revelations in the report vindicates the partys claim that government was never determined to fight illegal mining.Prof. Frimpong-Boateng who is a former Chairman of the now defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, in his report, accused some stalwarts of the Akufo-Addo government of interfering in illegal small-scale mining fight.He mentioned former senior minister Yaw Osafo Maafo who is now an advisor to the President, Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, and leading member of the NPP, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko as persons who interfered in his work.But addressing the media at the Moment of Truth Series at the NDC headquarters, Sammy Gyamfi contends that galamsey was bound to flourish under the NPP government.Galamsey was obviously bound to flourish under the corrupt Akufo-Addo-Bawumia regime because it was the central source for illegal gold purchases used in this complex money laundering scheme which has been uncovered by Aljazeera. This scheme is being perpetrated against the state by highly powerful forces.He added, As we the NDC have always maintained, President Akufo-Addos claim of fighting galamsey was the biggest scam ever to be perpetrated on Ghanaians. Today, the NDC stands to be vindicated as a report authored by former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng has confirmed our long-held opinion. There has never been any genuine commitment or attempt to fight galamsey by the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government. The said report shows clearly that the so-called fight against galamsey was a charade calculated to enable top government and NPP functionaries to appropriate and take over the elicit galamsey trading. Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A driver and a passenger in a Toyota Corolla with the registration number GT1753- Z are battling for their lives after the car they were traveling with crashed with an articulated truck at Gomoa Onyadze on the Kasoa Cape Coast Highway in the Central Region. The incident happened on Tuesday April 25, 2023 around 5:00PM. Public Relations Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service, Winneba, Assistant Divisional Officer Grade 1 ADO1 Ebenezer Fiifi Dadzie in an interview with Kasapa News, Yaw Boagyan explained that the bonnet of the Toyota Corolla car opened and hit the windscreen which blocked the drivers view of the road while he was speeding. In the event, the driver lost control of the vehicle and hit a stationary articulated vehicle leaving him and the passenger severely injured and in critical condition. The injured were rushed to the Winneba Specialist and Trauma Hospital where they are receiving treatment. The Police officers from the Apam Police Station were at the scene to help with rescue efforts and ensure the road is cleared. Source: kasapaonline Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Elizabeth Sloane Institute of Technology (ESIT) and the Cyber Security Authority (CSA) of the Republic of Ghana have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to build the capacity of Ghanaian Cybersecurity Professionals under a grant programme. The partnership will bring together, globally recognised and Industry standard Cyber Security Certification programmes to support the Authoritys efforts in promoting the development of cybersecurity in the country. The MoU was signed in Accra by the Director-General of the CSA, Dr. Albert Antwi-Boasiako, and the President and Board Member of ESIT, Ms. Melanie Wynter. The strategic leadership and the policy direction of the Hon. Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, and the immense support of Hon. Herbert Krapa, the then Deputy Minister for Trade who facilitated the engagement as part of his trade mission to the Caribbean, are highly commended in this endeavour. Dr. Antwi-Boasiako, in his opening remarks, stated that the partnership is an important element among initiatives of the Authority to develop cybersecurity talents and workforce as part of the Accreditation of the Cybersecurity Professionals (CPs). According to him, in an era of regulations, organizations that need to comply with industry regulations and security standards will be required to engage the services of certified Professionals to safeguard IT systems and infrastructures of organisations. He further noted that the signing of the MoU was significant as it heralds the CSAs regulatory regime of accrediting Cybersecurity Professionals (CPs). He expressed his optimism that the cybersecurity industry in Ghana, and Professionals alike, can take advantage of such benefits and align with the Authoritys regulatory activities, hoping for smooth collaboration and pledged support to implement the collaboration. On her part, the President of the ESIT, Ms. Wynter, underscored that there is a huge deficit of cybersecurity professionals in Africa, noting that this challenge is due to several uncertified practitioners. She consequently offered assurance that the programmes offered by the Institute as part of the agreement will ensure that more persons are certified in Ghana and beyond. The Elizabeth Sloane Institute of Technology (ESIT) is an Online Higher Education provider, offering online self-paced master's degrees and Cybersecurity Professional certificates in collaboration with accredited Universities and reputable Professional Qualification Authorities such as CompTIA and (ISC). ESIT is the learning division of Elizabeth Sloane LLC, a global knowledge consulting firm. The Cyber Security Authority (CSA) is the regulator of cybersecurity activities in Ghana, with the mandate to promote the development of cybersecurity and provide for related matters. Subsequently, the CSA is implementing a number of regulatory activities including the Protection of Critical Information Infrastructures and Accreditation of Sectoral Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs). The Authority has, since March 1, 2023, commenced the regulatory activity of Licensing Cybersecurity Service Providers (CSPs), and Accrediting Cybersecurity Establishments (CEs) and Cybersecurity Professionals (CPs). Following the commencement of this licensing and accreditation exercise, after September 30, 2023, it will be illegal to offer cybersecurity services without a license, pursuant to Section 49 (1) of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038). The need to develop the industry, the requirements to adopt best practices and standards, and national security considerations are driving such regulatory activities. The Board of Elizabeth Sloane approved subsidiaries amounting to $14.6 million in October 2022 to upskill and certify ICT professionals across Africa and the Caribbean over the next two years. The programme which was launched in Ghana serves as the launchpad for this Cyber Security Grant Programme. The programme will provide a grant to cover more than 60% of the training and certification costs associated with selected professional certification programmes, including the following. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture has organized a training programme for some taxi, Uber, Bolt and other transport service providers in Kumasi on April 27, 2023, to equip them with the skills needed to boost the tourism sector. The programme, which took place at the KNUST Commercial Area, was championed by the Ghana Tourism Development Company (GTDC), an agency under the wings of the ministry. Giving a brief speech at the event, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mark Okraku-Mantey emphasised the need to upgrade drivers towards the tourism drive because they are the first point of contact when tourists arrive in the country. He explained the need to make drivers direct ambassadors to propagate the tourism gospel to tourists who mark it on their calendars to holiday and enjoy local sightseeing in Ghana. President Akufo-Addo is enthused about tourism because of the value it possesses and how big a deal it is. Consequently, he is poised to see the sector progress and these are some of the measures for a smooth execution, Mr Okraku-Mantey explained. He continued, Apart from checking their passports and going through immigration checkpoints, the next person a tourist at the airport will likely meet is a driver. They are the next point of tourist ambassadors. Their outfit and say is so important because they can direct touristsand provide them with a rich history about Ghana, Mark Okraku-Mantey added. https://youtu.be/juROiknUdmU Meanwhile, Lauretta Kuadey, GTDC Projects Manager confirmedthe first phase of the programme was imperative to train the driverson how to interact with tourists considering that visitors engage their services to their respective destinations. She however added that a total of 3,000 drivers have been trained for the first phase and we hope to make it bigger in the future. We decided to train drivers within the tourism sector as we have identified their role in promoting tourism, she said. They are the front liners who meet tourists when they arrive in the country and so this programme will help propagate the good news of the tourism sector, prospects and everything. If tourists arrive, they can tell them potential places to visit. She said. Ms Kuadey disclosed that a total of three thousand (3000) drivers have been trained for the first phase and we hope to make it bigger in the future. They are to inform them of the potential we have that they should visit We are also rewarding them for their time and they are going to be given a certificate of participation, key rings and stickers for their cars and T-shirts as well for making themselves available for the exercise. She explained the second phase will roll out new items to have them much more equipped to be ambassadors of tourism. Source: Peacefmonline Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Former acting CPP General Secretary, James Kwabena Bomfeh has implored the former Chairman of the ertswhile Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Professor Frimpong-Boateng to cease fire in his back and forth rebuttals with government after accusing some officials of engaging in illegal mining. According to a report by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, there are some officials at the Jubilee House and in government who are deeply involved in the illegal mining rot. Throughout our struggle with illegalities in the small-scale mining sector, what baffled me was the total disregard of the Presidents commitment to protect the environment. I can state without any equivocation that many party officials from the National to the unit committee level had their friends, PAs, agents, relatives, financiers or relatives engaged in illegal mining. Most of them engaged Chinese working for them. I am not referring to party people who had their legitimate concession and were mining sustainably as they were instructed to do. There are appointees in the Jubilee House that are doing or supporting illegal mining or interfering with the fight against the menace, parts of the report read. Following the allegations, the accused persons, particularly the Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, have vehemently refuted the claims. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, in his response, stated; "Over the years, I had nothing but great admiration for Prof Boatengs public spirited works and as an inspirational citizen. I feel gravely offended over the false claims he has made and the hurtful conclusions he has sought to exact about me precisely because of the great esteem in which I have held him. I trust that in the coming months and years he will reflect deeply upon his own actions and comments which have led to his challenges. He should kindly leave me out of his personal fights. I am utterly disappointed but I forgive him." Tackling the matter, Kabilla counseled Prof. Frimpong-Boateng to stop making further statements. "He has spoken and written things. It is okay; I implore him not to talk again," he briefly submitted during a panel discussion on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' programme. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video James Kwabena Bomfeh, popularly called 'Kabila', has asked the Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah to up his game or resign. Speaking on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' show in relation to Professor Frimpong-Boateng's report, Mr. Kwabena Bomfeh expressed utter disappointment in the work by the Information Minister. He wondered if Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has become tired of his job. "My brother, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, up your game! If you think you are tired and can't work to help the President, nothing stops you from resigning. If it overwhelms you, resign," he exclaimed. Kabila made this emphatic statement as he felt the Minister and other government officials are not working hard enough to help the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's vision. According to a report by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, some officials at the Jubilee House and in government are deeply involved in the illegal mining menace.Throughout our struggle with illegalities in the small-scale mining sector, what baffled me was the total disregard of the Presidents commitment to protect the environment. I can state without any equivocation that many party officials from the National to the unit committee level had their friends, PAs, agents, relatives, financiers or relatives engaged in illegal mining.Most of them engaged Chinese working for them. I am not referring to party people who had their legitimate concession and were mining sustainably as they were instructed to do. There are appointees in the Jubilee House that are doing or supporting illegal mining or interfering with the fight against the menace, parts of the report said.Also, Professor Frimpong Boateng accused a former NPP Member of Parliament of using his position as a member of the Minerals Commission to acquire dozens of large-scale concessions in his district, ostensibly for community mining purposes but only for him to end up selling these concessions to private individuals for GHC 200000 per concession.This infuriated the party in the constituency so during the 2020 primaries to select a candidate the electorate voted against the sitting MP, who was more resourced than other candidates. Although there were allegations that he camped delegates and attempted to bribe them, he lost to a lesser known individual who did not have any financial muscle, the report read.But a statement from the Presidency says "the allegations contained in the document are at best hearsay"."...it must be pointed out that the document being discussed was not an official report formally delivered to the Office of the President. On the contrary, it can only be rightly referred to as a catalogue of personal grievances and claims made by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, intended to respond to some issues he faced as Chairperson of the IMCIM."It is important also to point out that, whilst Prof. Frimpong-Boateng makes serious allegations against some government appointees, as having been involved in, supporting or interfering with the fight against illegal mining, not a single piece of evidence was adduced or presented to enable the claims to be properly investigated", the Presidency posted on its website. 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. Featured Video Social Commentator, Bernard Allotey Jacobs has asked President Akufo-Addo to give up on the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey. He believes Ghanaians are not willing to help him succeed. "I cry for the President. Ghanaians are not prepared to help President Akufo-Addo to move this country forward. We've politicized galamsey so how do we succeed? Mr. President, I don't think you'll succeed in this galamsey fight. I don't think so...if I were the President, I would've given up so that the water bodies will be destroyed...because nobody wants to help" he bemoaned. He was speaking on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', Wednesday. Listen to him in the video below Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Speaker of Parliament Alban S.K. Bagbin says there is nothing wrong with passing a legislation to regulate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex,(LGBTQI+) in Ghana. According to the Speaker, there is nothing untoward with the current anti-gay bill in Parliament. He pointed out that there is the urgent need of legislation in the area of LGBTQI+. There is nothing untoward; nothing wrong with the efforts by Ghanas Parliament to legislate on the promotion of human sexual rights and family values in Ghana, using our constitution as a compass, Speaker Bagbin told Members of the British House of Lords and the House of Commons. The Speaker indicated that Ghanas Parliament is aware of the copious human rights provisions in the Constitution of the country, saying that any legislation that detracts from the human rights and freedoms guaranteed by our constitution will be a candidate for litigation in our court of law. Responding to a question on the role of the President in the bill under reference, the Speaker insisted that Ghanas Parliament has the mandate and the capability to legislate on the subject, and will not countenance any interference from the executive. He explained that the role of the President is to accent to bills submitted to him by Parliament. In the process, the President can make recommendations for the consideration of Parliament. However, final legislative powers rest with the legislature, not the executive. Ghanas democracy is based on the rule of law, not the rule of man, he pointed out. He further said Africa is not deterred by the veiled threats of withdrawal of investments and international aid, and other stringent economic measures that have attended the continents effort at protecting its culture, values, and societal norms and to safeguard the future of its youth. Threats are not the way to go. If your neighbour or partner has a problem, you help him to solve it. Boycotts and threats do not solve problems: engagement and understanding do, said the Rt. Hon. Speaker. He explained that once a group of people is in agreement on what constitutes human rights, values and principles, they move on. What is required is alignment and understanding of their context. Source: Daily Guide Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Luban Workshop: a bridge of cultural, people-to-people communication between China, foreign countries 09:29, April 27, 2023 By Yang Yan ( People's Daily Lu Ban is an ancient Chinese woodcraft master who represents the Chinese tradition and spirit of craftsmanship. The Luban Workshop, a Chinese vocational training program, is exactly named after this outstanding Chinese man. It aims to nurture workmen around the world that are highly skillful, professional and innovative. Students learn elevator operation on a class of automation and robotics of a Luban Workshop in Pakistan. (Photo courtesy of the Pakistan Luban Workshop) The program was initiated and firstly implemented by the government of Tianjin municipality. Following the spirit of craftsmanship of Lu Ban, it shares with other countries China's vocational education models and vocational skills, and cultivates competitive local skilled talents. It energizes the cooperation between Chinese schools and foreign educational institutions, enterprises and governments, paving a new path of development featuring joint contribution and shared benefits. On March 8, 2016, the Tianjin Bohai Vocational Technical College, sponsored by Tianjin Bohai Chemical Industry (Group) Company Limited, set up the first Luban Workshop outside China in the Ayutthaya Technical College in Thailand. The workshop has increased the number of majors from one to six, and all of the six majors have been endorsed by the Thai Ministry of Education and included in Thailand's national education system. In the following two years, over 2,000 students received vocational training there. Besides, the Chinese vocational training program has also been launched in more than 20 countries including the UK, Egypt, Cambodia, Portugal, Djibouti and Kenya, shaping a multi-tier international vocational training system that covers vocational middle and high schools, as well as application-oriented bachelor's and master's degree programs. As a new international cooperation project of vocational education, the Luban Workshop is based on the outstanding achievements of China's vocational education reform and development, and carries the advanced Chinese vocational education philosophy. It has systematic training for overseas teachers, adopts standards and equipment in line with frontier technologies, vocational skill competitions and qualifications, and offers bilingual courses, so as to ensure that all workshops under the program aim at the same goal and are standardized. A Chinese teacher (left) introduces mechatronics equipment to Portuguese students and teachers in the Luban Workshop at Polytechnic Institute of Setubal, Portugal. (Photo courtesy of the Luban Workshop at Polytechnic Institute of Setubal) The Luban Workshop conforms to the demand for industrial development in host countries and has nurtured a big number of local skilled workers that are urgently needed in these countries' economic and social development. According to incomplete statistics, over 50 majors have been offered under Chinese-foreign cooperation within the framework of the program, training 9,000 students with degrees for host countries and training 18,000 people for local communities. Many young people in host countries have secured high-quality jobs. Practices have proved that the Luban Workshop has significantly improved the capability of vocational education in host countries, thus realizing win-win results. Joe Mucheru, cabinet secretary of the Kenyan Ministry of Information Communications and Technology, believes that the cloud computing and information security training developed by the Luban Workshop is vital for Kenya's development of information technologies. Afifa Shajia Awais, education attache of the Embassy of Pakistan in China, said Pakistan needs massive technicians in artificial intelligence, cyber security and intelligent technology to assist the country's industrialization, and the Luban Workshop is exactly an example of Pakistan-China cooperation. Luban Workshop is not just a unilateral education provider, but involves two-way exchanges such as student exchange and mutual recognition of academic qualifications. Thai students learn Internet of Things in a Luban Workshop, Feb. 20, 2023. (People's Daily/Sun Guangyong) By launching short-term mutual visits and exchanges between Chinese and foreign teachers and students, and through international skills and vocational competitions, the program has constantly deepened cooperation between Chinese and foreign young students and teachers. Academic events based on the program, such as forums on Chinese-foreign vocational education cooperation, have also promoted the reform and development of international vocational education from different perspectives. Besides, Chinese and foreign teachers under the program have jointly carried out studies on international vocational education and worked to develop relevant resources to comprehensively improve their capability in vocational training. Friendship, which derives from close contact between the people, holds the key to sound state-to-state relations. Over the past seven years, the Luban Workshop has been committed to mutual learning, serving socioeconomic development of host countries and promoting international capacity production. It has built a bridge of cultural and people-to-people communication between China and foreign countries, and witnessed numerous stories of friendship. In the future, the program will keep playing an important role and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. (Yang Yan is the deputy director of Tianjin Luban Workshop Research and Promotion Center.) (Web editor: Chang Sha, Du Mingming) Caterers under the School Feeding Programme say they are disappointed in how the Nana Addo-led government is treating them. Dorothy Ofori Sarpong who is the Regional Secretary in the Ashanti Region told NEAT FMs morning show, 'Ghana Montie' that the government has neglected them she also claimed they are not strangers in the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP). We [School Feeding Caterers] played our part in making sure NPP win the election, so why are they treating us like strangers in the party? she questioned. Adding that, we also deserve best. Her complaint follows a nationwide strike by the caterers due to the governments failure to pay them their arrears and increase the amount per child. The caterers who have declared the strike are drawn from the 16 regions of Ghana. According to them, they will not call off the strike until their concerns have been addressed. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor has described as politically sinful the appointment of politically exposed persons as Commissioners of the Electoral Commission of Ghana. According to the opposition MP, the appointment of two commissioners who his party, the National Democratic Congress have alleged have strong ties to the ruling New Patriotic Party is devilish to the letter and spirit of Ghanas 1992 Constitution. Its politically unholy & Constitutionally Demonic for our EC to be populated by NPP party apparatchiks such as Jean Mensah, Bossman Asare, Dr. Serebuor, Mr. Tetteh, Dr. Atuahene whore all dye in the wool elephants, he wrote in a Twitter post sighted by GhanaWeb. There has been uproar against two of three newly sworn-in commissioners of Ghanas Electoral Commission by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. According to the opposition National Democratic Congress, Dr Peter Appiahene and Hajia Salima Ahmed Tijani, have deep roots in the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and therefore cannot guarantee the neutrality and impartiality of the country's electoral management body. According to the NDC, Dr Appiahene has been a patron of the NPP student wing at the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) since 2017, and was a member of the party's 2020 National Research and Data Analysis Team. The NDC expressed concern that his appointment to the EC would hamper public confidence in the institution and undermine the conduct of free, fair, and transparent elections in Ghana. The NDC also alleges that Hajia Salima Ahmed Tijani is an activist of the ruling party, and that her immediate family has deep roots in the NPP. The party contends that her appointment to the Electoral Commission would compromise the neutrality and impartiality required of a member of the institution. However, pro-government and New Patriotic Party elements have refuted the claims by the NDC. In their defence, government and officials of the NPP maintain that the two officers have no power to influence election results while others have sought to dissociate the two from the NPP. Meanwhile, the NDC has petitioned the Council of State to rescind its advice to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on the recent appointment of the said commissioners. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Vice President has provided data to back his claim that the Akufo-Addo government has indeed created over 2 million jobs in the past six years. The Vice President, recently said at a health walk at Mpraeso that "verifiable data" proves that the Akufo-Addo government has created over 2 million jobs since assuming office in 2017. While making the claim, Dr. Bawumia dared anyone with contrary figures to come forward and challenge him. Over the weekend, Dr. Bawumia repeated the claim during his address at the national Eid-ul-Fitr Fitr celebration at the Independence Square when he touched on job creation and opportunities for the youth. While no one has come forward to officially dispute Dr. Bawumia's claim with contrary figures, some internet users have expressed doubt over the figures. The Vice President has in a Facebook post furnished Ghanaians with a complete data on the jobs. The Facebook post, which hit at the "negativity mindset of naysayers", attached a comprehensive data which specified Ministry, the agency or department of the Ministry as well as the number of jobs created under each category from 2017 to 2022. Dr. Bawumia wrote: "Dear friends , I recently stated that our government has created over 2 million jobs since 2017. As usual, the naysayers have questioned how we could have done so. Their mindset of impossibility prevents them from accepting that. Well, the data attached shows year by year, ministry by ministry, and agency by agency, the jobs that our government has created since 2017. This excludes jobs under planting for food and jobs and the National Identification Authority. Away with negative thinking! It is possible!" Find the evidence below: Click link: Jobs Created By Government From January 2017 to 2022 Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Director of Local Government Services at the Office of the President, Dennis Miracles Aboagye says the report by Professor Frimpong-Boateng allegedly revealing officials in government involved in galamsey activities is "bogus". According to Dennis Miracles, Professor Frimpong-Boateng's allegations are born out of bitterness. Speaking on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show, he wondered why Professor Frimpong-Boateng failed to present the report about his purported saboteurs while he was working as the Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) but waited till the year 2021 after he had vacated his post before sending the report to the Chief of Staff. To him, Professor Frimpong-Boateng made up the allegations supposedly after he was found to be incapable of executing his duties effectively. "The fact that you submitted this report in 2021 tells me you didn't do your job well because when I give you work to do, what you do is if you have any struggles and frustrations, you bring the report during the time you are working but not to wait for me to ask for the report before you bring it," he said. He further questioned the veracity of the allegations raised by Professor Frimpong-Boateng against some officials in government and at the Jubilee House. "Why are we not calling Professor Frimpong-Boateng and asking Professor Frimpong-Boateng to substantiate these allegations?" Dennis Miracles vehemently concluded that "Professor Frimpong-Boateng write-up is bogus. It has no substance" and seemingly diverting attention from the fight against galamsey. "Galamsey is a massive canker and we shouldn't allow such things to cover it up. We need to fight it. We need to fight the politicians. We need to fight the religious leaders. We need to fight the traditional authorities. We need to fight the private people who are involved," he asserted. 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. Featured Video The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has opened nominations in 10 out of the 11 remaining constituencies in the Ashanti Region ahead of the partys parliamentary primaries. The partys Functional Executive Committee (FEC) had earlier postponed the process in these constituencies to resolve all outstanding grievances. This brings the number of constituencies that have been cleared to hold the parliamentary elections to 46. Regional Secretary of the NDC, Dr Frank Amoakohene told Asaase Radio that all grievances and issues have been resolved. He however indicated that the election process for Adansi Asokwa is still on hold. They are no more pending, 10 of them have been released except Adansi Asokwa, Dr Amoakohene said. They have already picked their nominations, they have up to Friday (28 April) to file same and we will vet them on Monday (1 May). He said interested applicants are expected to file their nominations on the 28th of April to make way for vetting on the 1st of May 2023. So, by May 13, we would have elected parliamentary candidates in all 46 constituencies in the region with Adansi Asokwa still on hold. We are conducting research in that constituency, and it is not completed, and we will be guided as such, he further explained. The NDC will be selecting presidential and parliamentary candidates on May 13 ahead of the general elections. The party says it will ensure an incident-free election. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video At other prisons, inmates are placed in solitary confinement for short stints in response to violent or aggressive behavior. Corrections officials call this type of punitive solitary confinement "administrative segregation," better known as "the hole." At ADX, also known as "the Alcatraz of the Rockies," the entire prison is essentially "the hole." ADX inmates are confined to their 7-by-12-foot (2-by-4-meter) cells 23 hours a day, according to The New York Times. They receive all their meals through a slot in the cell door, and their only glimpse of the outside world is through a thin slit of a window aimed at an empty sky. This deprives prisoners of learning the layout of the prison and the location of their cells. No one has ever escaped from ADX Florence. Advertisement " " A look at one of the cell interiors at the ADX (administrative maximum) Supermax Prison in Florence, Colorado, before the facility opened in 1994. Lizzie Himmel/Sygma via Getty Images Since ADX inmates can't be trusted with anything that could be broken down and made into a weapon, all the cell furniture is solid concrete and immovable: a concrete writing desk, concrete chair and a concrete slab topped with a thin foam pad that serves as a bed. The "bathroom" is a combination toilet/sink and a shower that turns on automatically three times a week. With good behavior, inmates earn the right to buy a small, black-and-white TV with a built-in radio, and to borrow books and magazines from the prison library. Phone calls are limited to 15 minutes a month to close family members. Prisoners are allowed five visits each month, under strict circumstances. The only time that inmates are allowed out of their cells is for an hour of exercise. Handcuffed and shackled at their feet, inmates are either led to an empty room with a single pull-up bar, or taken outside to the yard, where they are locked alone inside a caged pen. Robert Hood, a former warden at the ADX told The New York Times that the ADX was "not designed for humanity. When it's 23 hours a day in a room with a slit of a window where you can't even see the Rocky Mountains let's be candid here. It's not designed for rehabilitation. Period. End of story." In another interview with The Boston Globe, Hood described the eerie quiet of walking through a modern prison facility where all of the inmates are locked down. "The ADX is a far more stark environment than any other prison I've ever seen, and I've been to all of the federal prisons," said Hood. "[I] call it a clean version of hell." " " Women dance during a Voodoo ceremony in Aniassue, Ivory Coast, May 9, 2019. Eric Lafforgue/Art in All of Us/Corbis via Getty Images You don't have to look far to find references to Voodoo in popular culture, especially in the Western world. Zombie movies, of course, have distant roots in Haitian Voodoo. Novelty stores sell pin-filled dolls to target anyone from miscreant romantic partners to unreasonable bosses. Even the Disney film "The Princess and the Frog" featured a Voodoo priest using black magic to turn an eligible prince into an amphibian. Representations like these are a big part of what many people would mention if asked to describe Voodoo. Some people would also talk about spiritual possession and animal sacrifice. Many might reference a specific place Caribbean islands like Haiti, or the southeastern United States, especially New Orleans and the Mississippi Delta. Advertisement In spite of their prevalence in most people's minds, many of these stereotypes have nothing to do with Voodoo. Others are related only tangentially. However, some of the stereotypes include a grain of truth, and one spirit possession is central to the Voodoo religion. According to the Voodoo tradition also known as Vodou there is one supreme God, who is known by different names in different parts of the world. In Haiti, for example, he is called Bondye, which comes from the French phrase bon Dieu, meaning "good God." Regardless of which name people use, the primary god is immensely powerful and beyond the reach of ordinary followers. For this reason, Voodoo practitioners must rely on hundreds or thousands of other spirits to communicate with God. These spirits are known as loa or lwa in Haiti; anthropologists writing about African Voodoo often refer to them as spirits or gods [source: Visit Haiti]. The spirits exist in a hierarchy. There are major, powerful loa, many of whom have their own holidays, celebrations or other observances. There are also minor spirits, who play various roles in different regions. Communities and even families have their own loa, such as the spirits of beloved or influential family or community members. The loa receive their power from God and communicate with God on behalf of followers. During ceremonies and observances, followers of Voodoo ask the spirits for advice, protection or assistance. The process is reciprocal; followers must look after the loa by performing rituals, which sometimes come in the form of animal sacrifice. Other rituals allow followers to thank the spirits for protection, blessings or good fortune. To maintain a good relationship with the loa, followers must also conduct themselves properly according to the customs of both the community and the religion. In this way, the practice of Voodoo can influence a person's day-to-day decisions and activities. Part of the Voodoo belief is that loa communicate with followers through possession. The loa temporarily displaces the soul of its host, or medium, and takes control of the medium's body. According to this belief, the medium cannot feel pain or become injured while possessed. The loa speaks through the medium, often giving instructions, advice or prophecies of future events. Sometimes, a loa rebukes followers for failing to perform their duties to the loa, their family or their community. In some Voodoo traditions, a few select people have the privilege of becoming possessed. In others, the loa may choose to possess anyone at any time. This idea that powerful or influential spirits can possess people unites two distinct forms of Voodoo. One exists primarily in the northern and central portions of the western African coast. The other is practiced primarily in Haiti, as well as in parts of North and South America. Books that explore either form often explain the religion through a series of stories or anecdotes instead of as a straightforward analysis. There are several reasons for this: Voodoo is an oral tradition without a primary holy text, prayer book or set of rituals and beliefs. In different regions, Voodoo practices, the names of gods and other traits can vary considerably. The religion makes use of a wealth of rituals and observations that affect followers' day-to-day lives, making a straightforward list of observances impractical. In many ways, Voodoo is a personal religion. Followers have direct experiences with spirits and loa, and these experiences can be dramatically different from place to place and person to person. To get an idea of where Voodoo came from and how it works, we'll explore the religion's history as well as the symbols, objects and customs that are common in its practice. We'll begin by taking a look at African Voodoo. A Note on Names Some scholars and practitioners prefer alternate spellings of Voodoo, such as Vodou, Vodon, Vodun or Vodu, in part to differentiate the religion from the stereotypes. Additionally, when used to refer to the religion itself, the word "Voodoo" is capitalized. For other uses, such as "voodoo dolls" or "voodoo economics," it is not. 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: BEF-China experiment sites, herbivorous caterpillars feeding on tree leaves, and a predator wasp predating leaf-mining caterpillar. Credit: Li Shan, Andreas Schuldt and Chen Huayan An international team of researchers led by Prof. Ma Keping from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IBCAS) has shown that forests with higher tree species richness tend to have greater arthropod diversity. The researchers showed that higher tree diversity promotes productivity through the suppression of herbivores by enemy arthropods. These findings, published recently in Nature Ecology & Evolution, underscore the importance of arthropod diversity as a mediator of the effects of tree diversity on forest productivity. Managing forests for increased productivity will require both increased tree diversity and multitrophic diversity, according to the researchers. Forests are home to 80% of terrestrial plant and animal diversity, making them a critical component of global biodiversity conservation. However, forest biodiversity is under serious threat from anthropogenic disturbance and climate change. Species-rich groups such as arthropods are declining dramatically due to the degradation of forests and loss of plant diversity. Most studies of biodiversityecosystem functioning (BEF) relationships have focused solely on plant diversity, neglecting the impact of the diversity of other trophic groups. As a result, it remains unclear how the diversity of herbivores and their enemies affects ecosystem functioning. Given the importance of forests in providing essential ecosystem services and global biodiversity, it is vital to understand these relationships and take action to protect them. Relationships between tree diversity and species richness of herbivores (a), predators (b), parasitoids (c) and multitrophic groups (d). Credit: IBCAS Using five years of data on aboveground herbivorous, predatory, and parasitoid arthropods, together with tree growth data from a large-scale forest biodiversity experiment in southeastern China (BEF-China), the researchers showed that the effects of increased tree species richness were consistently positive for species richness and abundance of herbivores, predators, and parasitoids. This finding is consistent with a previous study from another large grassland biodiversity experiment (the Jena Experiment) and again shows that conserving plant diversity is important to conserving arthropod diversity. However, in contrast to the bottom-up control of arthropod diversity by plant diversity in the central European grassland study, this new study in the species-rich forests of southeastern China shows that higher tree diversity can enhance the top-down control of herbivores by their enemies, thereby contributing to increased productivity. "This study emphasizes that arthropod diversity plays an important role in mediating the effects of tree diversity on primary productivity," said Dr. Li Yi, a postdoc researcher at IBCAS and first author of the study. A previous study conducted at the same sites showed that increasing plant diversity can promote forest productivity directly. The new study shows that increasing plant diversity can also indirectly increase forest productivity by promoting arthropod diversity and trophic interactions. "It underscores the critical role of conservation efforts aimed at maintaining forest biodiversity," said Prof. Liu Xiaojuan, senior author and leader of the BEF-China management group. Relationships between species richness of predators (a), parasitoids (b), multitrophic groups (c) and productivity; direct and indirect effects of tree species richness, functional traits, and overall arthropod (d) or herbivore and enemy (e) species richness on productivity. Credit: IBCAS To draw more reliable conclusions, the researchers conducted multi-year sampling. According to Prof. Ma, chairman of the BEF-China platform, this approach takes into account the possibility that different arthropod groups may be affected inconsistently from year to year. "It also highlights the value of the BEF-China platform, not only as the world's largest experiment on forest biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, but also as an open and international platform for long-term ecological research," he said. "The BEF-China platform provides valuable opportunities for international research teams and young researchers in different directions," said Prof. Zhu Chaodong, an author from the Institute of Zoology of CAS. Overall, while several recent studies have documented declines in terrestrial arthropod biodiversity, few have examined the consequences for ecosystems. "This work fills that gap by demonstrating the important role of arthropod diversity in BEF relationships," said Prof. Bernhard Schmid, an author from the University of Zurich. In summary, these findings are of great importance in guiding the public to understand the conservation of forest biodiversity, plants, animals, and ultimately their associated microbes. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: CC0 Public Domain Climate change is here, and scientists continue to discover new ways that the world around us is changing. In a new study published in the May issue of the Journal of Hydrology, DRI researchers show that altered weather patterns are impacting stream flows across the country, with implications for flooding, drought, and ecosystems. Led by Abhinav Gupta, Ph.D., a Maki postdoctoral fellow at DRI, the research examined how day to day variations in streamflow changed in more than 500 watersheds in the U.S. between 1980 and 2013. They found that increased winter temperatures have driven the changes, with impacts varying due to local climate and amongst snow and rain-dominated watersheds. This information is important, the researchers say, for helping water managers adapt to climate change's impacts. "We wanted to understand how climate change has impacted the hydrological balance across the U.S. based on the observed data," Gupta says. "Once we understand how climate change has impacted stream flows in the recent past, we can figure out what kind of changes we might see in the future." Streams receive water from a variety of sources, including fast, direct input from rainfall, and groundwater that gradually seeps through springs and soil. To understand how climate change is altering stream flows over time, the authors needed to differentiate between normal variability, like seasonal changes, and longer-term trends. To do this, they broke down stream inputs into events that occur at different timescales, like hourly and daily (rainfall), vs. monthly and annual (groundwater). Then, they looked at trends for each timescale to see how they changed over time. "Once we understand how these trends are evolving, we can make educated guesses about what exactly is changing in the watershedwhether it is snowmelt, surface runoff, base flow, or one of many other factors," says Gupta. "Without studying streamflow in this way (what is called streamflow statistical structure) it's not possible to study all of these components together, at once." Their results show that snow-dominated watersheds across the country are receiving more precipitation as rain than historically. This means that streams now have more water coming in short bursts from rainstorms, rather than the slow trickle of melting snow. The shift to short-term stream inputs could also be attributed to faster snowmelt rates due to higher temperatures, the authors say. "In the past, streamflow changed very slowly over time," Gupta says. "But now, because of climate change, we have faster fluctuations in streamflow, which means that we can have a lot of water in a very small amount of time and then we can have no water for a long period of time. These extreme swings are occurring more and more." Although the researchers found increased temperatures and changes in rainfall in all watersheds, differences in local climate dictate how this influences streamflow. In humid locales like Florida and the Pacific Northwest, storm inputs decreased, as higher temperatures caused more evaporation, leading the soil to absorb more rainwater. In the Great Plains and Mississippi Valley, contributions to streams from slow, long-term inputs like groundwater are very low, likely also due to high evaporation rates. Arid watersheds saw an increase in the number of days each year without rainfall over the study period, as well as a significant increase in winter temperatures, making streamflow more sporadic. The study didn't examine other variables that could impact how water moves through watersheds, like changes in forest cover that impact the amount of water used by plants, or soil type, which affects how quickly rainfall permeates into groundwater. Because each watershed is unique, with its own recipe of soil type, climate, and forest cover, "we cannot paint everything with the same brush," Gupta says. "We need different strategies for different watersheds to adapt to changes in climate. Even within the same region, watershed impacts can vary." More research is needed, the study authors say, to understand what is driving changes in streamflow. If streams are increasingly dependent on groundwater, this could impact how water managers regulate groundwater pumping for human use. "That's the kind of thing we need to know moving forward, in terms of how we manage our water resources," says Sean McKenna, study co-author and Director of Hydrologic Sciences at DRI. "Can we pump more groundwater, or do we need to be more careful because if we do, we could lose streamflow?" Gupta says that he plans to build on this research. "Based on this study, we have been able to identify watersheds across the U.S. that have changed. Now that we know which watersheds in our dataset have been affected by climate change, we can look at the future changes in those watersheds." More information: Abhinav Gupta et al, Changes in streamflow statistical structure across the United States due to recent climate change, Journal of Hydrology (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2023.129474 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: In Sri Lanka, a large Minneriya reservoir built by King Mahasen in the third century provides Asian elephants with a year-round water supply and floodplain vegetation for foraging. Credit: Shermin de Silva More than 3 million square kilometers of the Asian elephant's historic habitat range has been lost in just three centuries, a new report from an international scientific team led by a University of California San Diego researcher reveals. This dramatic decline may underlie present-day conflicts between elephants and people, the authors argue. Developing new insights from a unique data set that models land-use change over 13 centuries, a research team led by new UC San Diego faculty member Shermin de Silva found that habitats suitable for Asian elephants have been cut by nearly two-thirds within the past 300 years. The largest living land animal in Asia, endangered Asian elephants inhabited grasslands and rainforest ecosystems that once spanned the breadth of the continent. Analyzing land-use data from the years 850 to 2015, the researchers describe in the journal Scientific Reports a troubling situation in which they estimate that more than 64% of historic suitable elephant habitat across Asia has been lost. While elephant habitats remained relatively stable prior to the 1700s, colonial-era land-use practices in Asia, including timber extraction, farming and agriculture, cut the average habitat patch size more than 80%, from 99,000 to 16,000 square kilometers. The study also suggests that the remaining elephant populations today may not have adequate habitat areas. While 100% of the area within 100 kilometers of the current elephant range was considered suitable habitat in 1700, the proportion has since declined to less than 50% by 2015. This sets up a high potential for conflicts with people living in those areas as elephant populations alter their behavior and adjust to more human-dominated spaces. Animation tracking the loss of suitable habitat for Asian elephants (yellow) between 1700-2015. A study published in Scientific Reports led by UC San Diego examining habitats across centuries reveals an urgent need for sustainable land-use and conservation strategies to avoid dangers for wildlife and human communities. Credit: Ashley Weaver "In the 1600s and 1700s there is evidence of a dramatic change in land use, not just in Asia, but globally," said de Silva, an assistant professor in the School of Biological Sciences' Department of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, and founder of the nonprofit Trunks & Leaves. "Around the world we see a really dramatic transformation that has consequences that persist even to this day." Also contributing to the study were researchers from across the globe, including Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Frankfurt Zoological Society, Vietnam National University of Forestry, Wild Earth Allies, Zoological Society of London and Colby College. "This study has important implications for our understanding of the history of elephant landscapes in Asia and it lays the groundwork for better understanding and modeling the potential future of elephant landscapes as well," said Philip Nyhus, Professor of Environmental Studies at Colby College and one of the study co-authors. In addition to Nyhus, three Colby undergraduate students contributed to the study. "This was a collaborative and multi-institutional effort," added Nyhus, "and I was proud that Colby students contributed significantly to the models and analyses used in the study." The global space available for Asian elephant habitats has been in rapid decline since the 1700s. Credit: Report coauthors Beyond the immediate impact on Asian elephants, the study offers the results as a mechanism to assess land-use practices and much-needed conservation strategies for all of the area's inhabitants. "We're using elephants as indicators to look at the impact of land-use change on these diverse ecosystems over a longer time scale," said de Silva. Human impacts leading to reductions in the habitat ranges of several land-based mammal species have been well documented in the recent past. Climate change is also thought to have accelerated this decline over the past century. But assessing the impact of such changes on wildlife over the long-term has been difficult to study due to the lack of historical records. The newly published findings were based on information from the Land-Use Harmonization (LUH) data set, produced by researchers at the University of Maryland. The data set provides historical reconstructions of various types of land usesincluding forests, crops, pastures and other typesthat reach back to the ninth century. Asian elephants inhabit dry deciduous forests, seen here in Sri Lanka, as well as lush rainforests. Credit: Shermin de Silva "We used present-day locations where we know there are elephants, together with the corresponding environmental features based on the LUH data sets, to infer where similar habitats existed in the past," said de Silva. "In order for us to build a more just and sustainable society, we have to understand the history of how we got here. This study is one step toward that understanding." The research team notes that the historical range of elephants is likely to have extended well beyond protected areas, which are of insufficient size to support elephant populations in Asia. They included lands under traditional systems of management that were altered within the past three centuries. The loss of these traditional practices, the authors suggest, may be a major reason behind the loss of habitat. Much more work, the authors argue, is needed to understand possible changes facing these habitats in the future. Considering the peoplealong with wildlifeat the frontiers of elephant-human conflict zones, the researchers caution that attempts at habitat restoration need to be guided under a reckoning of social and environmental justice for historically marginalized communities. "Exploring the relationship between past land management practices and the distributions of elephant ecosystems would be a useful direction for future studies from the perspectives of both ecological and social policy," they note in the report. More information: Landuse change is associated with multicentury loss of elephant ecosystems in Asia, Scientific Reports (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-30650-8 Journal information: Scientific Reports This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain In Spain, 11% of women over the age of 16 have experienced physical violence by their partner or ex-partner at some point in their lives. Sexual violence has been suffered by 8.9%, and 31.9% have reported being subjected to psychological violence. An overwhelming percentage of these women (more than 80% in all three categories) say that the episodes happened more than once. These figures are taken from the 2019 macrosurvey of violence against women, undertaken by the Government of Spain's Ministry of Equality. After going through these experiences, some of these women face another process which can be just as painful: reporting the violence, and going through the legal proceedings. In their study, The Impact of Intimate Partner Violence on Women in Criminal Courts: Beyond the Victim-Survivor Dichotomy, Alazne Aizpitarte, Josep Maria Tamarit-Sumalla, Patricia Hernandez-Hidalgo and Laura Arantegui Arraez, researchers in the Criminal Justice System group (VICRIM) at the UOC (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya), examine how the self-perception of a group of 23 women living in Spain was determined by the experience of suffering from violence inflicted by their partner, and by their interaction with professionals in the justice system. A process that leads to revictimization The experience of suffering from violence, fear and intimidation by a partner has a major effect on women's self-perception. As a result, many suffer from contradictory feelings, low self-esteem, and a psychological complexity which makes them clearly vulnerable, this being evident when they report the violence and have to cope with the judicial process. "It's important to understand that victims of gender violence have emotional baggage when they reach the criminal justice system," explained Patricia Hernandez-Hidalgo, a member of the UOC's Faculty of Law and Political Science, a researcher in the VICRIM research group, and a co-author of the study. "Their experience of this system is not a harmless one for them, because as a result of their particular emotional vulnerability they are at greater risk of being revictimized by the system itself: many of them feel they are judged and questioned by people working in the justice system, they feel they're not believed, they don't understand how the process works or the information they're given, they feel that they have to prove their version of events, and that they have to fit into a profile of a victim who is weak, submissive and passive." "But, at the same time, they're told to confront the issue, end the relationship, be strong and move on." As she explains, the justice system plays a crucial role in assigning victimhood to women who report their abusers. "At this point in the process, the system recognizes that the woman is a victim, and the institutions are generally geared towards guaranteeing their social, employment and economic rights in a paternalistic way." Women who go through these processes are often labeled victims or survivors. The concept of a victim is initially linked to adjectives with negative connotations, such as fragile, weak, or dependent, while that of a survivor has more positive connotations, such as empowerment or the ability to take control of their recovery process. However, both concepts act as labels that interfere with the women's recovery process, and are key factors in their experience of the justice system and how they are viewed by society. "In our study, we found that the dichotomy between a victim and a survivor is insufficient to accommodate the complex casuistry in these situations. What's really interesting and important is to understand that the healing process is personal for each victim, and that what's important is to move on and not to become anchored in the role and label of victim," she said. "That's what we should be offering abused women as a society, without labeling them, without judging them, helping them at their own pace, taking into account their special circumstances and the position that each one of them may have in terms of their situation and their experience." The testimony of 23 women The study is based on the experiences of 23 women living in Spain who suffered from violence within their heterosexual relationships and reported what had happened to them. There are significant differences in their accounts as regards how they dealt with the process and their self-perception. The results show the negative psychological impact that interacting with people working in the justice system often had on the victims: "Many of them said they had felt they were questioned, judged or not listened to," the study states. Likewise, there are some issues that are inherent to the judicial process (e.g. those relating to the implications of the presumption of innocence), while others arose from factors that were not legal (such as prejudices arising from the patriarchal view of women as being particularly vulnerable and fragile). According to the researchers, these narratives show the justice system's tendency to reproduce the dynamics of social attribution of the traits of victimization. "As a society, and as a result of the conceptual framework of Spanish Organic Law 1/2004, the image we have of abused women is of weak, vulnerable, passive women who need special protection. That is epitomized in a vision of the 'good victim," who meets society's expectations and who's considered eligible for care services and aid," said Hernandez-Hidalgo. "But what happens when an abused woman doesn't match that profile? What happens when she doesn't look untidy, or worn out, or weak, or dresses well and is carefully made up when she comes to testify in court? Some of the women we interviewed explained to us that, as this description applied to them, their status as a victim was called into question, using phrases such as 'you don't fit the profile of a victim of gender violence." These situations are undoubtedly regrettable due to the additional psychological harm they do to these women, and they're a consequence of working on the basis of cliches and labels." Main conclusions The study's main conclusion is that the wide range of experiences cannot be limited to the victim-survivor dichotomy, and that within the criminal justice system the process of labeling based on cliches and preconceived ideas about what a 'good victim' should be like and behave like is very influential. Systems based on this reductionist point of view are inadequate and insufficient to respond to the needs of women who have suffered or are suffering from gender violence, and they also increase the risk of secondary victimization. What has been shown to be positive for these women is freeing themselves from their abuser, receiving psychological help, and the passage of time. In most cases, they do not find their experiences during the legal process to be helpful. However, there are some strategies that could help make the justice system more receptive and sensitive to these cases: Providing specialized training for professionals working in the justice system. Creating specific professional services and positions to support, train and prepare these women so that they can deal with the impact of going through the judicial process. Giving them ways to participate actively in the judicial process without feeling overwhelmed, to help them feel able to cope with the situation and reinforce their determination. Applying an approach to sentencing that addresses the harm caused by the offender rather than merely focusing on punishment. "One way to improve the proceedings would be to move beyond the presumption of vulnerability as regards the female gender, and look at the real situation on a case-by-case basis. We should try to offer a response that is as tailored to each woman as possible, and end the prohibition on criminal mediation, but leaving its application open to cases in which it is possible," said Hernandez-Hidalgo. The system could find significant support in the results obtained from academic research in terms of improving this process and responding to the demands of society. It would also be useful to assess the interventions that are carried out, to determine whether the interventions are useful and what aspects need to be changed. "In short, we need to listen to women who have experienced gender violence to find out first-hand what their needs are, the problems they face and the aspects that can be improved in terms of providing them with care and assistance," concluded Hernandez-Hidalgo. The research is published in the journal Victims & Offenders. More information: Alazne Aizpitarte et al, The Impact of Intimate Partner Violence on Women in Criminal Courts: Beyond the Victim-Survivor Dichotomy, Victims & Offenders (2023). DOI: 10.1080/15564886.2022.2159904 Provided by Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) 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: The Litoria naispela juvenile mimics bird droppings. Credit: Steve Richards Five new species of frogs, including one with camouflage that makes it look like bird droppings, have been described by Australian scientists. Scientists from Griffith University, Queensland Museum and South Australian Museum recently described the five species of treefrogs from Papua New Guinea. The research, "Five new species of the pelodryadid genus Litoria Tschudi from the southern versant of Papua New Guinea's Central Cordillera, with observations on the diversification of reproductive strategies in Melanesian treefrogs," has been published in Zootaxa. Griffith University scientist Dr. Paul Oliver, a joint appointee with Queensland Museum, said the new species highlighted the remarkable and poorly understood diversity of New Guinea frogs. "These small tree frogs lay their eggs out of the water, typically on leaves, quite different to your typical treefrog, which lay their eggs directly into water," Dr. Oliver said. "Tadpoles of one new species, Litoria naispela actually live in water collected in tree hollows, a behavior not previously documented in frogs from New Guinea. "Litoria naispela also has juveniles that have color and patterning that closely resembles bird droppingswe think this is a form of defensive masquerade." The five new species are named Litoria daraiensis, Litoria gracilis, Litoria haematogaster, Litoria lisae and Litoria naispela. They all come from very wet mountain forest areas along the central mountain range of New Guinea. The five frogs were collected over 30 years by lead author South Australian Museum Honorary Researcher Dr. Steve Richards. "I spent a huge amount of time waiting at night beside tree holes in rain, hail and (moon)shine, for frogs to emerge in order to find these amazing species, and to try and learn about their biology," Dr. Richards said. "New Guinea has more species of frogs than any other island in the world and most are found nowhere else." More information: Stephen J. Richards et al, Five new species of the pelodryadid genus Litoria Tschudi from the southern versant of Papua New Guinea's Central Cordillera, with observations on the diversification of reproductive strategies in Melanesian treefrogs, Zootaxa (2023). DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5263.2.1 Journal information: Zootaxa 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: After Balto died in 1933 at the Cleveland Zoo, his taxidermy mount was put on display at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Credit: Cleveland Museum of Natural History The sled dog Balto has been celebrated in books and movies for his role in delivering desperately needed diphtheria antitoxin to Nome, Alaska, in 1925. Now, his DNA has enabled scientists to explore the genetics of 1920s sled dogs in Alaska and understand how they compare to modern dogs. Scientists at UC Santa Cruz sequenced Balto's genome as part of a large collaborative effort in comparative genomics leading to several papers published in the April 28 issue of Science. For the Balto study, the UCSC team extracted DNA from tissue samples of Balto's taxidermied remains provided by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and worked with colleagues at Cornell University and other institutions to investigate his ancestry and genetic traits. "Balto's fame and the fact that he was taxidermied gave us this cool opportunity 100 years later to see what that population of sled dogs would have looked like genetically and to compare him to modern dogs," said Katherine Moon, a postdoctoral researcher at UC Santa Cruz and first author of the paper on the team's findings published in Science. The researchers found that Balto shared just part of his diverse ancestry with the Siberian husky breed. He belonged to a population of working sled dogs that were more genetically diverse than modern breeds and differed not only from today's Siberian huskies but also from modern Alaskan sled dogs. The study found evidence that his population was genetically healthier than modern breeds and carried gene variants that may have helped the dogs survive their extreme environment. "Balto came from a population of working dogs that were different from modern breeds and were adapted to harsh conditions," said co-author Beth Shapiro, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. The analysis of Balto's genome involved comparing it to a dataset of 682 genomes from modern dogs and wolves, as well as an alignment of 240 mammalian genomes developed by the Zoonomia Consortium, which was the foundation for most of the new comparative genomics studies published in the special issue of Science. "We were able to take advantage of both the Zoonomia alignment and the huge amount of work that has gone into collecting the genomes of dogs," said Shapiro, who is a member of the Zoonomia Consortium. She explained that a key innovation behind these new studies is the ability to align the genomes of hundreds of species so that corresponding positions in different genomes can be compared. Comparative genomics can then reveal DNA sequences that are the same across species, having remained unchanged over millions of years of evolutionan indication that these are important parts of the genome where mutations could be harmful. "A gene that's on one chromosome in us is on a completely different chromosome in another species," Shapiro said. "You need a tool that can line them up so you can see which parts of these genomes are the same and which are different. Without that it's just a bunch of genomes of species that are very divergent." The genome alignment tool that made this possible was developed by researchers at the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute led by Benedict Paten, professor of biomolecular engineering and a member of the Zoonomia Consortium. The new papers include a study that identified thousands of elements in the human genome that are highly conserved across species, and another showing how this information could make it easier to find genetic changes that increase disease risk. The Alaskan sled dog Balto shares common ancestry with modern Asian and Arctic canine lineages. He had no discernable wolf ancestry. Credit: Kathleen Morrill "When we do genome sequencing of humans, it can be difficult to tell which genetic variants are significant," explained Paten, who is a co-author of both papers. "If it's at a highly conserved site in the genome, that's a good sign the variant may have functional effects and increase the risk of disease." The Balto paper also used this approach to characterize genetic variation in Balto compared to modern dogs. Balto and populations of working sled dogs had lower burdens of rare, potentially damaging variation than breed dogs, indicating they represent genetically healthier populations. The researchers also identified protein-altering, evolutionarily constrained variants in Balto in genes related to tissue development, which may represent beneficial adaptations. "Balto had variants in genes related to things like weight, coordination, joint formation, and skin thickness, which you would expect for a dog bred to run in that environment," Moon said. Raised in the kennel of breeder Leonhard Seppala, Balto belonged to a population of small, fast sled dogs imported from Siberia that became known as Siberian huskies. The modern Siberian husky breed, however, is quite different from Balto and from modern sled dogs. In addition to Siberian huskies and Alaskan sled dogs, other living dog lineages that share common ancestry with Balto include Greenland sled dogs, Vietnamese village dogs, and Tibetan mastiffs. "It's really interesting to see the evolution of dogs like Balto, even in just the past 100 years," Moon said. "Balto's population was different from modern Siberian huskies, which have since been bred for a physical standard, but also from modern working Alaskan sled dogs." One interesting trait identified in Balto's genome is a better ability to digest starch compared to wolves and Greenland sled dogs (an isolated population), but not as good as modern dogs, which easily digest starchy foods. Researchers were also able to use Balto's genome to reconstruct his physical appearance, including his stature and coat color, in more detail than even historic photos could reveal. "This project gives everyone an idea of what's starting to be possible as more high-quality genomes become available to compare," Moon said. "It's an exciting moment because these are things we haven't done before. I feel like an explorer, and once again Balto is leading the way." Another paper from Shapiro's lab and the Zoonomia Consortium, in collaboration with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and other institutions, used genomics to predict which mammal species are more likely to face extinction. Genomic analysis can reveal evidence of inbreeding and other indicators of a population on the brink. Although ecological data provide the best predictors of extinction risk, genomics can help identify species that need more attention. "In conservation, there are more species that need attention than we have time or resources to study, and it turns out that just having one good DNA sample can be enough for us to say either they're probably alright, or now we need to focus on this species," Shapiro said. More information: Katherine L. Moon et al, Comparative genomics of Balto, a famous historic dog, captures lost diversity of 1920s sled dogs, Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.abn5887. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn5887 Journal information: Science This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Over the past 100 million years, mammals have adapted to nearly every environment on Earth. Scientists with the Zoonomia Project have been cataloging the diversity in mammalian genomes by comparing DNA sequences from 240 species that exist today, from the aardvark and the African savanna elephant to the yellow-spotted rock hyrax and the zebu. This week, in several papers in a special issue of Science, the Zoonomia team has demonstrated how comparative genomics can not only shed light on how certain species achieve extraordinary feats, but also help scientists better understand the parts of our genome that are functional and how they might influence health and disease. In the new studies, the researchers identified regions of the genomes, sometimes just single letters of DNA, that are most conserved, or unchanged, across mammalian species and millions of years of evolutionregions that are likely biologically important. They also found part of the genetic basis for uncommon mammalian traits such as the ability to hibernate or sniff out faint scents from miles away. And they pinpointed species that may be particularly susceptible to extinction, as well as genetic variants that are more likely to play causal roles in rare and common human diseases. The findings come from analyses of DNA samples collected by more than 50 different institutions worldwide, including many from the San Diego Wildlife Alliance, which provided many genomes from species that are threatened or endangered. More than 150 people across seven time zones have contributed to the Zoonomia Project, which is the largest comparative mammalian genomics resource in the world. The effort is led by Elinor Karlsson, director of the vertebrate genomics group at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and a professor of bioinformatics and integrative biology at the UMass Chan Medical School, and Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, scientific director of vertebrate genomics at the Broad and a professor of comparative genomics at Uppsala University in Sweden. "One of the biggest problems in genomics is that humans have a really big genome and we don't know what all of it does," said Karlsson. "This package of papers really shows the range of what you can do with this kind of data, and how much we can learn from studying the genomes of other mammals." Exceptional traits In one of the studies published today, co-first authors Matthew Christmas, a researcher at Uppsala University, and Irene Kaplow, a postdoctoral researcher at Carnegie Mellon University, along with Karlsson, Lindblad-Toh, and collaborators, found that at least 10% of the human genome is highly conserved across species, with many of these regions occurring outside of protein-coding genes. More than 4,500 elements are almost perfectly conserved across more than 98% of the species studied. Most of the conserved regionswhich have changed more slowly than random fluctuations in the genomeare involved in embryonic development and regulation of RNA expression. Regions that changed more frequently shaped an animal's interaction with its environment, such as through immune responses or the development of its skin. The researchers also pinpointed parts of the genome linked to a few exceptional traits in the mammalian world, such as extraordinary brain size, superior sense of smell, and the ability to hibernate during the winter. With an eye toward preserving biodiversity, the researchers found that mammals with fewer genetic changes at conserved sites in the genome were at greater risk for extinction. Karlsson and Lindblad-Toh say that even having just one reference genome per species could help scientists identify at-risk species, as less than 5% of all mammalian species have reference genomes, though more work is needed to develop these methods. Disease insights In another study, Karlsson, Lindblad-Toh, and colleagues used the mammalian genomes to study human traits and diseases. They focused on some of the most conserved single-letter genomic regions uncovered in the first paper and compared them to genetic variants that scientists have previously linked to diseases such as cancer using other methods. The team found that their annotations of the genome based on evolutionary conservation revealed more connections between genetic variants and their function than the other methods. They also identified mutations that are likely causal in both rare and common diseases including cancer, and showed that using conservation in disease studies could make it easier to find genetic changes that increase risk of disease. The co-first authors of this study were Patrick Sullivan, director of the Center for Psychiatric Genomics at the University of North Carolina Medical School, Chapel Hill and a professor of psychiatric genetics at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden; Jennifer Meadows, a genetics researcher at Uppsala University in Sweden; and Steven Gazal, an assistant professor of population and public health sciences at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. A world of questions A third study, co-led by Steven Reilly, an assistant professor of genetics at Yale University, and Pardis Sabeti, an institute member at the Broad, examined more than 10,000 genetic deletions specific to humans using both Zoonomia data and experimental analysis, and linked some of them to the function of neurons. Other Zoonomia papers published today revealed that mammals diversified before the mass dinosaur extinction; uncovered a genetic explanation for why a famous sled dog from the 1920s named Balto was able to survive the harsh landscape of Alaska; discovered human-specific changes to genome organization; used machine learning to identify regions of the genome associated with brain size; described the evolution of regulatory sequences in the human genome; focused on sequences of DNA that move around the genome; discovered that species with smaller populations historically are at higher risk of extinction today; and compared genes between nearly 500 species of mammals. For Karlsson, Lindblad-Toh, and the researchers who have been sequencing mammalian genomes for Zoonomia or its precursor projects since 2005, these studiesand the breadth of questions they answerare only a fraction of what is possible. "We're very enthusiastic about sequencing mammalian species," said Lindblad-Toh. "And we're excited to see how we and other researchers can work with this data in new ways to understand both genome evolution and human disease." 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: Somali refugee children roll water containers as they bring them back to their makeshift shelter in the Dadaab refugee camp. A devastating drought that has struck the Horn of Africa could not have occurred without global warming, according to a new report released Thursday from an international team of climate scientists. "Human-caused climate change has made agricultural drought in the Horn of Africa about 100 times more likely," said a summary of the report by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group. "The ongoing devastating drought would not have happened at all without the effect of greenhouse gas emissions," it added. Since late 2020, countries on the Horn of AfricaDjibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudanhave been suffering the worst drought in 40 years. The extended drought has led to the deaths of millions of heads of cattle and wiped out crops. The WWA study concentrated on the three areas worst hit by the drought: southern Ethiopia, Somalia and eastern Kenya. While climate change had little effect on total annual rainfall in the region, "higher temperatures have significantly increased evaporation from soil and plants, which has made dry soils much more likely", according to the 19 scientists who contributed to the WWA report. "Without this effect, the region would not have experienced agricultural droughtwhen crops and pastures are affected by dry conditionsover the last two years," the summary added. "Instead, widespread crop failures and livestock deaths have left more than 20 million people at risk of acute food insecurity." The WWA said that, for its rapid analysis, "scientists looked at changes in rainfall in 2021 and 2022 in the affected region, covering southern Ethiopia, southern Somalia and eastern Kenya". "They found that climate change is affecting the rainfall periods in opposite ways. The long rains are becoming drier, with low rainfall now about twice as likely, while the short rains are becoming wetter due to climate change," it added. "This wettening trend in the short rains has been masked recently by the La Nina weather pattern, which reduces rainfall in the short rains." Joyce Kimutai, a Kenyan climatologist who contributed to the report, told AFP: "It is time we act and engage differently. Central to this process is to transform and enhance resilience of our systems. "We need to innovate across and throughout food systems, improve collaboration, involve vulnerable groups, make the best use of data and information, as well as incorporating new technologies and traditional knowledge." The WWA network, set up by leading climate scientists, has built a reputation in recent years for its capacity to evaluate the extent to which climate change has contributed to extreme weather events. Its results are published as a matter of urgency, without passing through the long peer-review process required by scientific journals, but employ approved methodological approaches. 2023 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: The Conversation When a powerful storm flooded neighborhoods in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in April with what preliminary reports show was 25 inches of rain in 24 hours, few people were prepared. Even hurricanes rarely drop that much rain in one area that fast. Residents could do little to stop the floodwater as it spread over their yards and into their homes. Studies show that as global temperatures rise, more people will be at risk from such destructive floodingincluding in areas far from the coasts that rarely faced extreme flooding in the past. In many of these communities, the people at greatest risk of harm from flash flooding are low-wage workers, older adults and other vulnerable residents who live in low-lying areas and who have few resources to protect their properties and themselves. I study the impact of extreme weather on vulnerable communities as an assistant professor of social work. To limit the damage, communities need to know who is at risk and how they can be better prepared. More extreme downpours in a warming world The Fort Lauderdale storm on April 12-13, 2023, offered a view into the risks ahead as temperatures rise. A warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, leading to stronger downpours. The resulting deluges can be devastating. These events are expected to increase in frequency and intensity in many regions as greenhouse gas emissions from human activities continue to heat up the planet. Recent disasters, including several in 2022 and in 2023 already, show how the risk of flash flooding is expanding beyond areas traditionally considered at risk. Where extreme precipitation events are forecast to increase under a low-emissions scenario and a high one. Credit: National Climate Assessment 2018 Knowing who is most at risk To plan for extreme weather, it's crucial for community leaders and residents to know where the risks are highest and who might not be prepared. Low-lying areas with poorly planned development, lack of investment in protective infrastructure and the lingering effects of historic disinvestment and discrimination are often at higher risk. So are low-income communities with tight budgets that can't afford protective measures like upgraded levees or stormwater systems and can't recover from damage quickly. When older adults live in these flood-prone areas, they are at even higher risk. Older adults have a higher likelihood of having health needs or some form of disability that could affect their ability to leave quickly during a disaster. They are also more likely to be socially isolated, which may mean they don't hear timely information or have help to evacuate or quick access to resources for recovering. Renters and the impact of housing insecurity In a recent study, my colleagues and I looked at how prepared people were for disasters of any kind across the U.S.flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes and othersand how housing security played a role. The numbers were sobering. Overall, we found 57% of the population, among 29,070 housing units surveyed nationwide, reported they were not prepared with food, water, emergency funds and transportation in case disaster struck. We found that households facing housing insecuritythose behind on their payments for rent, mortgage or utilitieswere less prepared for disasters than others, even when the occupants had similar incomes and educations. People who are struggling to meet day-to-day needs often don't have the ability and resources to plan for everyday events, let alone for disasters. Our research has shown that households with children, households led by women, and low-income households were less prepared than others for disasters. Scientists explain why warming can lead to heavier downpours and flash flooding. Renting adds additional challenges. In the U.S., lower-income families often depend on the rental market. They tend to move more frequently, and since they don't own the property, they often can't make upgrades for safety. And landlords might not prioritize those risks that seem rare but carry costs. How to help communities stay safe The most effective way to address these challenges is through solutions that are tailored to the community. That can involve investing in infrastructure, including state-funded priorities like drainage systems and large-scale flood prevention measures, as well as ensuring that people have access to safe and affordable housing. Some communities and federal agencies have bought out properties that frequently flood and changed zoning rules to prevent more people from moving into harm's way. Raising community awareness about climate change and extreme weather risks is also crucial, especially among those most at risk, such as older adults. If people understand the risks, know how to prepare their homes, know how to plan for emergencies and know where to find assistance, they're more likely to be prepared when disasters strikes. I believe the most successful efforts are those that bring at-risk communities into planning discussions. For example, in Columbus, Ohio, the city is working with the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging, Age Friendly Innovation Center and my team to improve disaster preparedness among older residents. We hope to learn from older adults in affordable housing communities who have experienced extreme weather in recent years to help design action plans for communities with special needs. The goal is to ensure residents are better prepared for climate- and weather-related emergencies in the future. 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: High-resolution transmission electron microscopy image of an iron oxide nanoparticle consisting of two cores. The outer boundaries of the individual cores and their interface are indicated by a solid line and by a dashed line, respectively. Credit: S. Neumann Iron oxide nanoparticles are often used in medical technology as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging or as transport agents for drugs in the bloodstream, for example in tumor therapy. For these applications, the nanoparticles have to be biocompatible and superparamagnetic. Thus, they must be strongly magnetizable in a magnetic field and also must lose their magnetization when the magnetic field is switched off. Using analytical high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, a team at TU Bergakademie Freiberg investigated how the magnetic properties of the nanoparticles can further be improved via microstructure design. The researchers published their results in the current issue of Scientific Reports. The knowledge of the exact structure of the iron oxide nanoparticles sized between 20 and 30 nanometers helps to optimize the manufacturing process and to improve the magnetic properties of the particles systematically. Each particle consists of at least two superparamagnetic nanocrystalline cores and a shell that does not contribute to the magnetic properties. The maximum magnetization of the nanoparticles depends on the mutual orientation of the individual cores. How well are the cores oriented to each other? "The current state of research assumed that a strong alignment of magnetic moments in multi-core iron oxide nanoparticles is enabled by the same crystallographic orientation of individual cores. However, our analyses showed that this is not necessarily true," says Stefan Neumann, research associate at TU Bergakademie Freiberg and the first author of the publication. "Also other, but still specific crystallographic orientation relationships of the cores can promote their magnetic interaction. Nevertheless, a fully random alignment of the cores deteriorates the magnetic properties of the nanoparticles," says Neumann. "In order to be able to produce highly superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for future applications in medicine on demand, we need knowledge of their internal structure," says co-author Prof. David Rafaja, head of the Institute of Materials Science at TU Bergakademie Freiberg. "During the production of the nanoparticles, individual cores are formed first. When the cores get more time to align in the right way, then the magnetic properties of the nanoparticles can further be improved." Background: Analyzing ultra-fine particles The results were obtained within the priority program "MehrDimPartHighly Specific and Multidimensional Fractionation of Fine Particle Systems with Technical Relevance." The aim of the research is to develop technological approaches that enable a controlled production of highly specific and technologically relevant particle systems with desired properties. In addition to the team from TU Bergakademie Freiberg, scientists from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have also contributed to the current publication. The basic research behind this work was focused on the structure of the nanoparticles to be able to optimize the production of particles with specific magnetic properties. A toxicological study was not carried out. More information: Stefan Neumann et al, Influence of the hierarchical architecture of multi-core iron oxide nanoflowers on their magnetic properties, Scientific Reports (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31294-4 Journal information: Scientific Reports Provided by Technische Universitat Bergakademie Freiberg This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain The momentum brought to Cornish learning during the pandemic needs to be used as a springboard to encourage more people to take up the language, an expert has said. Online courses and materials boosted efforts to keep Cornish alive, and this energy must not be allowed to disappear, according to Kensa Broadhurst, from the University of Exeter. She has said the switch to online learning should be used to create new online and in-person activities and to bring together both new and existing speakers of the language. In a new study Ms Broadhurst outlines how lockdowns benefitted the teaching of the Cornish language. Although Cornish teaching provision had been available outside Cornwall prior to this date, during the pandemic widespread access to the teachers based in Cornwall and elsewhere was now available to people anywhere in the world. As classes initially moved online it became apparent that there was a demand for them for students from outside Cornwall. The research, published in the Proceedings of the Harvard Celtic Colloquium, also shows the challenges which exist to keep Cornish language learning alive. It warns offering Cornish in secondary schools would require a vast increase in resources and teacher training, both of which currently rely heavily on the voluntary sector within Cornish adult education. For Cornish to succeed at primary level, it needs both the support of headteachers and a teacher who is able either to speak Cornish, or to run the sessions. Ms Broadhurst said, "For Cornish to succeed within the state education system, it requires status, a place within the school day, properly resourced and paid peripatetic teachers, or resources and retraining for existing teachers within schools. For Cornish to be attractive to both students and teachers at a secondary level it needs to have a purpose beyond the classroom. This could include creating opportunities either for examination success or for further use beyond secondary education within higher education or the workplace." "As yet, Cornish does not have enough of a stronghold within the primary system in Cornwall either within curriculum time, or as part of a club, due to inadequate manpower provision. However, if school staff become more willing and confident to deliver the language, and less reliant on outside providers, uptake should continue to grow. A key marker of the success of Cornish in primary schools will be the acceptance of Cornish as a modern or ancient foreign language." The study cites survey data showing in 2021 there were 217 Cornish language learners85 beginners and 65 intermediate. There were fifty-four students at a high level and twenty-three students were fluent speakers who continue to attend classes. A similar survey in 2014 reported forty-four beginners and thirty intermediate students. Ms Broadhurst said, "The year 2020 witnessed a concerted effort to support those teaching Cornish within adult education, both by providing training, especially in online teaching and through the production of high-quality, modern resources which have been made freely available. The modernization of Cornish language teaching and teaching resources could serve to break this negative cycle of expectation. "Efforts are currently underway to modernize and professionalize the teaching of Cornish in adult education, to increase the availability of the language at the pre-school level, and to provide some availability at primary level. The language movement now needs to consider what benefits it can offer to secondary, further, and higher education. A new GCSE might be possible, which in turn could lead to A Level provision. However, the availability of teachers capable of teaching at these levels and the quality of educational resources remains one of the biggest problems. Remedying this would necessitate the provision of a training programs for teachers and a wide variety of language materials. "Through seeking to provide as diverse a range of education, and educational materials, it should be possible to preserve the language as a living being, fit for purpose in everyday situations and to better reflect the purposes for which it was originally used. None of these issues will be resolved overnight." More information: 'Cronnack an hager dhu' Sign of a flourishing language? Efforts to Advance Cornish by the Cornish Language Community in the COVID-19 Pandemic, This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A team of scientists led by San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and University of California, Santa Cruz has discovered that animals' genomic information can help predict which mammal species are more likely to face extinction. Species with smaller historical populations carry higher burdens of damaging mutations and have elevated extinction risk, they found, which suggests that long-term demographic statistics are relevant to today's conservation status and resiliency. The findings, which could change how conservation actions and resources are strategically applied to help save endangered wildlife, are part of a series of papers from the Zoonomia Consortium that will be published this spring in a special issue of the journal Science. The planet is experiencing a rapid biodiversity loss, with tens of thousands of species at risk of dying out, and identifying the ones in most urgent need is a long and costly process. But there's little information known about thousands of species, which makes it difficult to allocate limited conservation resources to target those closest to the brink. To help circumvent these limitations, the scientists examined 240 mammal species, from tiny tree shrews to towering giraffes, killer whales and even humans. They found that the DNA encoded within a single genomereflecting the species' history over millions of yearscan provide a rapid, cost-effective conservation risk assessment, even when we know little about the animals' physiological, behavioral and life history characteristics, or even how many individuals remain. "These results show that genetic information, even if only from a single individual for a given species, offers immediate, actionable guidance for scientists designing conservation strategies as well as those with boots in the field," said Aryn P. Wilder, Ph.D., a conservation scientist at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and one of the paper's two lead authors. "The limited resources available for the conservation of wildlife species requires triage," said Megan Supple, a research scientist with the UCSC Paleogenomics Lab and co-lead of the project. "Our genomic assessment provides a relatively inexpensive method to rapidly identify species at risk of becoming endangered in the future, even when little else is known about that species. This genomic triage enables managers to target limited resources toward species most in need." The genomic research was used to train models that quickly distinguish between threatened and non-threatened species, based on demography, diversity, and mutations that impact fitness. This will help assess extinction risk and identify which of the thousands of threatened species stand to benefit the most from conservation support, especially as the number of sequenced genomes grows and the models continue to improve. Three speciesthe Upper Galilee Mountains blind mole rat, lesser chevrotain and orcaare highlighted as just three examples of the thousands of species lacking information on whether they're threatened. The scientists applied their models to these "data-deficient" species to demonstrate how a genomic risk assessment could work. What makes the research groundbreaking is the overall number of species included in the study, which is the largest of its kind. By examining 240 species, scientists were able to estimate the genomic characteristics that best predict extinction risk and build genomic risk assessment models that can be used when other information is lacking. That led the paper's authors to call for genomic information to be included in conservation status assessments of species, to bridge the gap between geneticists and conservation managers and provide a framework for deploying money and resources to species at highest risk. "Many potentially endangered species are classified as 'data deficient,' meaning that we simply have too little information to determine whether immediate conservation action is required," said Beth Shapiro, Ph.D., Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UC Santa Cruz and an HHMI Investigator. "Our results show that a genome from a single individual can be sufficient to identify the most threatened of these 'data deficient' species, enabling us to focus our limited resources where they can be most impactful." "Our rapidly changing world threatens animal and plant species worldwidebut the use of genomics in conservation is a massive, underappreciated opportunity to protect them," said Oliver Ryder, Ph.D., the Kleberg Endowed Director of Conservation Genetics at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and co-senior author of the paper. "We are in an unprecedented era of discoverya whole new way of seeing the world. We've long thought this potential existed, but it's profound to see it crystallize into a catalyst that will help conservationists make crucial decisions that may save the world as we know it." The genomics manuscript is part of the work of the Zoonomia Consortium, the largest comparative mammalian genomics resource in the world, involving more than 150 people worldwide. The Science series papers also demonstrate how comparative genomics can shed light on how certain species achieve extraordinary feats, and help scientists better understand the parts of our genome that are functional and how they might influence health and disease. They also identified part of the genetic basis for rare mammal traits, such as the ability to sniff faint scents from miles away. The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's "Frozen Zoo" provided many of the genetic samples, including those of threatened and endangered species, for the DNA analyses performed at more than 50 institutions worldwide as part of the Zoonomia Consortium. The Frozen Zoo, or Wildlife Biodiversity Bank, is the largest repository of genetic material of its kind, containing viable cell cultures and reproductive material from approximately 10,000 animals representing over 1,100 species and subspecies. More information: Aryn P. Wilder et al, The contribution of historical processes to contemporary extinction risk in placental mammals, Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.abn5856. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn5856 Journal information: Science Provided by San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance 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: Map showing the location of the Roman camps. Credit: EAMENA Three new Roman fortified camps have been identified across northern Arabia by a remote sensing survey by the University of Oxford's School of Archaeology. Their paper, published in the journal Antiquity, reports the discovery may be evidence of a probable undocumented military campaign across south east Jordan into Saudi Arabia. The camps were identified using satellite images. According to the research team, they may have been part of a previously undiscovered Roman military campaign linked to the Roman takeover of the Nabataean Kingdom in AD 106 CE, a civilization centered on the world-famous city of Petra, located in Jordan. Dr. Michael Fradley, who led the research and first identified the camps on Google Earth, suggests there is little doubt about the date of the camps. He says, "We are almost certain they were built by the Roman army, given the typical playing card shape of the enclosures with opposing entrances along each side. The only notable difference between them is that the westernmost camp is significantly larger than the two camps to the east." According to Dr. Mike Bishop, an expert on the Roman military, "These camps are a spectacular new find and an important new insight into Roman campaigning in Arabia. Roman forts and fortresses show how Rome held a province, but temporary camps reveal how they acquired it in the first place." The camps would have been built by the army as temporary defended stations when they were marching on campaign. Dr. Fradley adds, "The level of preservation of the camps is really remarkable, particularly as they may have only been used for a matter of days or weeksThey went along a peripheral caravan route linking Bayir and Dumat al-Jandal. This suggests a strategy to bypass the more used route down the Wadi Sirhan, adding an element of surprise to the attack. It is amazing that we can see this moment in time played out at a landscape scale." Professor Andrew Wilson, a co-author on the paper, says, "These marching campsif we are correct in dating them to the early second centurysuggest the Roman annexation of the Nabataean Kingdom following the death of the last king, Rabbel II Soter in AD 106, was not an entirely straightforward affair, and that Rome moved quickly to secure the kingdom." Given the distance between each camp is 37 km to 44 km, the team speculate it was too far to be crossed by infantry in a day and were instead built by a cavalry unit who could travel over such barren terrain in a single day, possibly on camels. On the basis of the distance between the camps there is also a suggestion that another camp may have been located further west at the later Umayyad fort and well station at Bayir. The newly discovered camps run in a straight line toward Dumat al-Jandal in what is now Saudi Arabia, but which was then a settlement in the east of the Nabataean kingdom. It suggests Rome had to force its takeover, whereas the surviving Roman history argues the transfer of power was a peaceful event at the end of the reign of the last Nabataean king. Archaeologists still need to confirm the date of the camps through investigation on the ground, but there are other questions that need to be answered. Professor Wilson questions, "Why does the western camp have twice the capacity of the other two? Did the force split, and if so, where did the other half go? Was it half wiped out in a battle, or did they remain in the western camp to resupply the other camps with water?" The camps were identified by the Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa project (EAMENA), and were later photographed by the Aerial Archaeology in Jordan project (APAAME). More information: Michael Fradley et al, A lost campaign? New evidence of Roman temporary camps in northern Arabia, Antiquity (2023). DOI: 10.15184/aqy.2023.50 Journal information: Antiquity 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) In chemistry, atoms in a stable material generally obey the octet rule. For electron-deficient boron atoms, a concept of three-center two electron (3c-2e) bond was proposed to fulfill the octet rule for small boron-related molecules, such as diborane (B2H6). (b) Except the octet rule, bond resonance could further stabilize the materials. Like in benzene, the resonance of two-center two-electron (2c-2e) bonds leads to a large delocalized bond. (c) In the triangular boron lattice (pink network), the resonance of alternating 3c-2e bonds in neighboring triangles leads to the delocalization of electrons, (d) and the resonance of alternating 2c-2e bonds also leads to the delocalization of electrons. (e) Considering the bonding and resonance of both and , the octet rule is satisfied for every boron atom in the triangular boron sheets. Credit: UNIST Recently, two-dimensional (2D) boron sheetsboropheneshave drawn great interest from materials scientists because of their similarity to graphene. However, understanding of how the material can be stable in the 2D form is still lacking, mainly due to boron's unique electron-deficient nature. In chemistry, atoms in a stable material generally obey the octet rule. A carbon atom usually shares 8 electrons by forming 4 chemical bonds with its neighbors, specifically 3 and 1 bonds for carbon atoms in graphene. While a boron atom has only 3 valence electrons, its stability, or its bonding strategy to have 8 electrons, has been a long-term mystery in history. The concept of the three-center two-electron (3c-2e) bond allows us to understand how a boron atom satisfies the octet rule in boron-related small molecules, such as diborane (B 2 H 6 ), and won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1976. But, how boron atoms in complicated boron materials like borophenes obey the octet rule and maintain stable, is still beyond our knowledge. Additionally, in carbon materials like benzene, bond resonance or aromaticity could further stabilize the materials by delocalizing the electrons, out of the plane, to a larger area. Could we extend the theory to the 2D boron sheet to explain its triangular lattice-based structure and stability? Scientists from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering at UNIST, in cooperation with researchers at Rice University, U.S., and Nankai University, China, proposed a new bonding theory, which solves the long-term mystery by illustrating both i) how each boron atom in a borophene satisfies the octet rule based on the unique 3c-2e bonds and ii) how the resonance of alternating 3c-2e bonds further stabilizes the 2D sheet in its triangular lattice. Interestingly, this theory, in analogy to resonance in carbon materials, introduces a new form of resonance, which allows the delocalization of electrons within the 2D plane. In combination with the out-of-plane resonance, the triangular boron sheet in fact exhibits a sandwich electronic structure, composing of both in-plane and out-of-plane delocalized electrons. Based on the theory, everyone can draw the bonding structures of these new boron materials, like drawing the Kekule structures of the benzene molecule. Therefore, stability and properties of the borophene materials can be easily understood without performing complicated quantum calculations. Major puzzles in the field, such as how hexagonal holes stabilize the triangular boron lattice, why neutral borophene with 1/9 hole ratio are energetically most favorable, and how substrate doping affects the hole concentration in borophene, are well explained for the first time. "The theory reveals the origin of the unique properties of these flat boron materials, and therefore offers an avenue for the controlled synthesis and design of borophene by predicting their stabilities on the substrates," noted the first author of the study, Dr. Lu Qiu. Intuitive understanding of bonding in various molecules and materials is always the core part of chemistry. "Our theory, for the first time, provides fundamental and necessary elements for studying flat boron materials without performing any quantum calculations," says the corresponding author of the study, Prof. Feng Ding, "thus, we are confident that this bond resonance theory will further stimulate the community towards accelerating design and synthesis of boron related materials, like the aromaticity theory for carbon materials." The work is published in the journal Nature Communications. More information: Lu Qiu et al, Theory of sigma bond resonance in flat boron materials, Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37442-8 Journal information: Nature Communications This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: University of Portsmouth A new resource launched this week aims to build a complete picture of action being taken along the South Coast to help combat the effects of climate change. The Solent to Sussex Bay Seascape Restoration Inventory is a comprehensive portfolio of seascape restoration in the Solent to Sussex Bay region. It includes projects dedicated to tackling biodiversity loss in coastal regions and mitigating the effects of climate change. For the first time, all these projects will be brought together in a searchable map. Each entry is detailed with information which includes a description, location and who is leading the project. These initiatives vary in size from small feasibility studies to large multi-million pound projects. Seascape restoration, the process of halting and reversing degradation of the marine and coastal environments, can provide numerous benefits to people and the environment. It is a nature-based solution, and the inventory authors believe this new resource will help experts work in partnership to tackle biodiversity loss, boost carbon take up and enhance economic and community values in seagrass, saltmarsh, kelp and oyster habitats. The resource is aimed at anyone working with or interested in seascape restoration. It gives businesses and individuals an understanding of how their work fits into the wider context and encourages collaboration, sharing of best practices and knowledge exchange. The central south coast of England (Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Sussex coastlines) has more active and planned seascape restoration projects than anywhere else in the UK. However, until now, there has been no publicly available inventory of planned, active and completed projects and research covering the whole Solent to Sussex Bay region. The Solent to Sussex Bay Seascape Restoration Inventory has been compiled in collaboration with the University of Portsmouth, the Solent Forum and the Sussex Marine and Coastal Forum. It is the first stage of a bigger projectthe Solent to Sussex Bay Seascape Restoration project, which will bring together marine scientists and business leaders to help improve the health of the UK coastline, forming the UK Seascape Restoration Research Network. To hear more about the network, attend this workshop in May. Professor Steve Fletcher from the University of Portsmouth is leading the research. He said, "This inventory is an invaluable tool to guide and inform where the potential for collaboration is and also identify where the gaps are. There is huge investment potential in seascape restoration and this resource will enable us to examine the practical opportunities to better integrate biodiversity and finance within seascape restoration activities in the region." Karen McHugh from the Solent Forum said, "This is an important database which helps identify the projects, programs and ambitions for marine nature recovery in the region, and will help the responsible authorities join-up local nature recovery strategies with coastal and marine recovery, as well as marine net gain opportunities. It will also help underpin Blue Marine's Solent Seascapes Project." Jackie Mellan from the Sussex Marine & Coastal Forum said, "We need to raise our ambition to reverse centuries of decline of estuarine and coastal habitats by restoring habitats such saltmarsh, seagrass meadows, oysters reefs and kelp forest. With the loss of these habitats comes the loss of the valuable benefits and services they would provide our society." "By building a sound evidence base and having easily accessible tools such as this project inventory, it will help partners to identify opportunities to collaborate, share learning, and direct more funding and action to deliver improvements in the marine environmentthis will help increase resilience and aid nature's recovery." This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Max Planck Society When two black holes merge, they emit gravitational waves that race through space and time at the speed of light. When these reach Earth, large detectors in the United States (LIGO), Italy (Virgo) and Japan (KAGRA) can detect the signals. By comparing against theoretical predictions, scientists can then determine the black holes' properties: masses, spins, orientation, position in the sky and distance from Earth. A team of researchers from the Empirical Inference Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) in Tubingen and the Department of Astrophysical and Cosmological Relativity at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute/AEI) in Potsdam has now developed a self-checking deep learning system that very accurately extracts information from gravitational-wave data. In the process, the system checks its own predictions about the parameters of merging black holesa deep neural network with a safety net. A set of 42 detected gravitational waves from merging black holes were successfully analyzed by the algorithm: When cross-checked against computationally expensive standard algorithms, the results were indistinguishable. The study was published on April 26, 2023 in the journal Physical Review Letters. DINGO: A deep neural network for gravitational-wave analysis The researchers have developed a deep neural network called DINGO (Deep INference for Gravitational-wave Observations) to analyze the data. DINGO has been trained to extractor inferthe gravitational-wave source parameters from the detector data. The network learned to interpret real (observed) gravitational-wave data after training with many millions of simulated signals in different configurations. Credit: Max Planck Society However, at first glance, it is not possible to tell whether the deep neural network is reading the information correctly. Indeed, one disadvantage of common deep learning systems is that their results sound plausible even when they are wrong. That's why the researchers at MPI-IS and AEI have added a control feature to the algorithm. Maximilian Dax, doctoral student in the Department of Empirical Inference at MPI-IS and first author of the publication explains, "We have developed a network with a safety net. First, the algorithm calculates the properties of the black holes from the measured gravitational-wave signal. Based on these calculated parameters, a gravitational wave is modeled, and then compared to the originally observed signal. The deep neural network can thus cross-check its own results and correct them in case of doubt." The algorithm controls itself, making it much more reliable than previous machine learning methods. But not only that. "We were surprised to discover that the algorithm is often able to identify anomalous events, namely real data inconsistent with our theoretical models. This information can be used to quickly 'flag' data for additional investigation," says Stephen Green, co-lead author, and former Senior Scientist at the AEI (now at the University of Nottingham). "We can guarantee the accuracy of our machine learning methodwhich almost never happens in the field of deep learning. It therefore becomes compelling for the scientific community to use the algorithm to analyze gravitational-wave data," says Alessandra Buonanno, author and director of the Department Astrophysical and Cosmological Relativity at the AEI. Scientists from around the world are studying gravitational waves in large collaborations, such as the LIGO Scientific Collaboration (LSC), in which more than 1,500 researchers are organized. Bernhard Scholkopf, who is a Director at MPI-IS, adds, "Today, DINGO analyzes gravitational-wave databut such a self-controlling and self-correcting method is also interesting for other scientific applications where it is crucial to be able to corroborate the correctness of 'black-box' neural network methods." More information: Maximilian Dax et al, Neural Importance Sampling for Rapid and Reliable Gravitational-Wave Inference, Physical Review Letters (2023). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.130.171403 Journal information: Physical Review Letters 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: Temperatures in and around Seville have already already hit 37C this week. An unusually early heatwave in drought-hit Spain is set to peak on Thursday and Friday with temperatures expected to break April records in the south of the country. Since Monday, Spain has been enveloped by a mass of warm, dry air from North Africa that has driven up temperatures to "levels normally seen in summer and exceptionally high for this time of year," said Spain's state weather agency AEMET. "It's highly likely (the heatwave) will peak on Thursday and Friday," it added, acknowledging many temperature records had already been beaten on Wednesday. Scorching temperatures have prompted warnings about the "high risk" of wildfires in a nation that has already seen fire ravage 54,000 hectares (133,400 acres) of land so far this year, compared with 17,000 hectares in the same period last year. Experts say parts of Spain are the driest in a thousand years, with a prolonged drought depleting reservoirs to half of their normal capacity, figures show. On Thursday, the mercury was expected to rise above 34 degrees Celcius (93 degrees Fahrenheit) in most of the southern Andalusia region, hitting 37C in the Guadalquivir valley, it said after lowering earlier predictions of 40C. On Wednesday, at least three areas around Seville and Huelva recorded temperatures of 37 Celcius. The heatwave follows an abnormally warm and dry spring, spelling catastrophe for the agriculture sector in Spain, which is the world's biggest exporter of olive oil and a key source of Europe's fruit and veg. The situation is so bad that some farmers have opted not to plant crops, with the COAG farmers' union warning that 60 percent of farmland was "suffocating" from lack of rainfall. Madrid on Tuesday urged Brussels to activate the bloc's agriculture crisis reserve to help farmers cope with the exceptional drought, while also announcing a series of tax breaks. Last year, Spain experienced its hottest year since began, with UN figures suggesting nearly 75 percent of its land is susceptible to desertification due to climate change. Portugal was also feeling the heat with temperatures "10-15 degrees Celsius higher than normal" that could hit 37C on Thursday, the weather institute said, a day after the mercury touched 35.4 in the south. 2023 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A single California black worm moves in a helical gait. Credit: Georgia Institute of Technology For millennia, humans have used knots for all kinds of reasonsto tie rope, braid hair, or weave fabrics. But there are organisms that are better at tying knots and far superiorand fasterat untangling them. Tiny California blackworms intricately tangle themselves by the thousands to form ball-shaped blobs that allow them to execute a wide range of biological functions. But, most striking of all, while the worms tangle over a period of several minutes, they can untangle in mere milliseconds, escaping at the first sign of a threat from a predator. Saad Bhamla, assistant professor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Tech, wanted to understand precisely how the blackworms execute their tangling and untangling movements. To investigate, Bhamla and a team of researchers at Georgia Tech linked up with mathematicians at MIT. Their research, published in Science, could influence the design of fiber-like, shapeshifting robotics that self-assemble and move in ways that are fast and reversible. The study also highlights how cross-disciplinary collaboration can answer some of the most perplexing questions in disparate fields. Capturing the inside of a worm blob Fascinated by the science of ultrafast movement and collective behavior, Bhamla and Harry Tuazon, a graduate student in Bhamla's lab, have studied California blackworms for years, observing how they use collective movement to form blobs and then disperse. "We wanted to understand the exact mechanics behind how the worms change their movement dynamics to achieve tangling and ultrafast untangling," Bhamla said. "Also, these are not just typical filaments like string, ethernet cables, or spaghettithese are living, active tangles that are out of equilibrium, which adds a fascinating layer to the question." Tuazon, a co-first author of the study, collected videos of his experiments with the worms, including macro videos of the worms' collective dispersal mechanism and microscopic videos of one, two, three, and several worms to capture their movements. "I was shocked when I pointed a UV light toward the worm blobs and they dispersed so explosively," Tuazon said. "But to understand this complex and mesmerizing maneuver, I started conducting experiments with only a few worms." Bhamla and Tuazon approached MIT mathematicians Jorn Dunkel and Vishal Patil (a graduate student at the time and now a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University) about a collaboration. After seeing Tuazon's videos, the two theorists, who specialize in knots and topology, were eager to join. "Knots and tangles are a fascinating area where physics and mechanics meet some very interesting math," said Patil, co-first author on the paper. "These worms seemed like a good playground to investigate topological principles in systems made up of filaments." A key moment for Patil was when he viewed Tuazon's video of a single worm that had been provoked into the escape response. Patil noticed the worm moved in a figure-eight pattern, turning its head in clockwise and counterclockwise spirals as its body followed. The researchers thought this helical gait pattern might play a role in the worms' ability to tangle and untangle. But to mathematically quantify the worm tangle structures and model how they braid around each other, Patil and Dunkel needed experimental data. Simulation of worms untangling (left) and tangling (right). Credit: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Bhamla and Tuazon set about to find an imaging technique that would allow them to peer inside the worm blob so they could gather more data. After much trial and error, they landed on an unexpected solution: ultrasound. By placing a live worm blob in nontoxic jelly and using a commercial ultrasound machine, they were finally able to observe the inside of the intricate worm tangles. "Capturing the inside structure of a live worm blob was a real challenge," Tuazon said. "We tried all sorts of imaging techniques for months, including X-rays, confocal microscopy, and tomography, but none of them gave us the real-time resolution we needed. Ultimately, ultrasound turned out to be the solution." After analyzing the ultrasound videos, Tuazon and other researchers in Bhamla's lab painstakingly tracked the movement of the worms by hand, plotting more than 46,000 data points for Patil and Dunkel to use to understand the mathematics behind the movements. Explaining tangling and untangling Answering the questions of how the worms untangle quickly required a combination of mechanics and topology. Patil built a mathematical model to explain how helical gaits can lead to tangling and untangling. By testing the model using a simulation framework, Patil was able to create a visualization of worms tangling. The model predicted that each worm formed a tangle with at least two other worms, revealing why the worm blobs were so cohesive. Patil then showed that the same class of helical gaits could explain how they untangle. The simulations were uncanny in their resemblance to real ultrasound images and showed that the worms' alternating helical wave motions enabled the tangling and the ultrafast untangling escape mechanism. "What's striking is these tangled structures are extremely complicated. They are disordered and complex structures, but these living worm structures are able to manipulate these knots for crucial functions," Patil said. While it has been known for decades that the worms move in a helical gait, no one had ever made the connection between that movement and how they escape. The researchers' work revealed how the mechanical movements of individual worms determine their emergent collective behavior and topological dynamics. It is also the first mathematical theory of active tangling and untangling. "This observation may seem like a mere curiosity, but its implications are far-reaching. Active filaments are ubiquitous in biological structures, from DNA strands to entire organisms," said Eva Kanso, program director at the National Science Foundation and professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Southern California. "These filaments serve myriads of functions and can provide a general motif for engineering multifunctional structures and materials that change properties on demand. Just as the worm blobs perform remarkable tangling and untangling feats, so may future bioinspired materials defy the limits of conventional structures by exploiting the interplay between mechanics, geometry, and activity." The researchers' model demonstrates the advantages of different types of tangles, which could allow for programming a wide range of behaviors into multifunctional, filament-like materials, from polymers to shapeshifting soft robotic systems. Many companies, such as 3M, already use nonwoven materials made of tangling fibers in products, including bandages and N95 masks. The worms could inspire new nonwoven materials and topological shifting matter. "Actively shapeshifting topological matter is currently the stuff of science fiction," said Bhamla. "Imagine a soft, nonwoven material made of millions of stringlike filaments that can tangle and untangle on command, forming a smart adhesive bandage that shape-morphs as a wound heals, or a smart filtration material that alters pore topology to trap particles of different sizes or chemical properties. The possibilities are endless." More information: Vishal P. Patil et al, Ultrafast reversible self-assembly of living tangled matter, Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.ade7759. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ade7759 Eleni Panagiotou, Following the entangled state of filaments, Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.adh4055 Journal information: Science By Saio Marrah Sierra Leones Chief Minister, Joseph Jusu Saffa has appealed that Parliament expedites the process of enactment of the harmonization of wages and salary bill already before the lawmakers. Saffa made this call during the first and second reading and debate of the 2022 National Security and Central Intelligence Bill on Tuesday 19th July 2022. The Chief Minister said: While it was really outside the context of this discussion, but let me just make an appeal. There was a reference made on harmonisation of salaries here and there. I would just call on you that the wages and harmonisation bill before this this honorable house be dealt with as quickly as possible. The harmonization bill is geared toward addressing the inequality in the wage bill and making sure that those with the same position and same qualifications but in different sectors have the same pay, according to a Member of Parliament, Abdul Karim Kamara, representing constituency 059 in Kambia District. He informed Politico that as of now, the senior officials of the three arms of government such as judges, government ministers, and parliamentarians are receiving different pay. The main opposition MP also cited people in grade seven that are benefiting from even fuel and medical allowances while teachers that are also in the same grade seven or eight, only get a bare salary without any other allowances. He said with the introduction of the harmonization, be it a police officer, teacher, nurse, or civil servant, they will get the same condition of service. Kamara also alleged that the bill does not have the political will from the executive arm of government, because according to him, it was brought to parliament before the death penalty, the elections bill, the cyber security bill, and others, all of which have been passed into law. Copyright 2022 Politico Online (25/07/22) By John Conteh in Falaba There is an acute water shortage in Mongo Bendu which is the headquarter town of Falaba, one of the two newest districts in Sierra Leone. The shortage was reported to have caused a lot of discomfort for residents of the town. According to Finah Marah popularly known as Keita Finah, 50 households in her area depend on only one hand pump well where she normally fetches water for both drinking and domestic use. She told Politico that the well has not been supplying the needed quantity of water to the people in recent days. They do assemble jerry cans each representing a household from 5 am which is the agreed time for unlocking of the pump. This process of fetching water is expected to continue till 12 noon and then resumes at 4 pm to 5:30 pm but the well dries up sometimes before closing time. Finah recalls one particular moment: "I was in the queue since 7am waiting for my turn to get water, the well dried up before my turn. I therefore had no water for the day". The care taker responsible for the well Musukura Marah fondly called Aunty Vero said the well is looked after properly and is always locked when it dries up. She disclosed that before and after the intervals, each household is entitled to not more than 15 gallons per day, 10 gallons in the morning and 5 in the evening. The Regent Chief of Lower Mongo Kalie Jawara who takes care of another borehole with only three effective taps out of ten serving as water dispensing points, told Politico that people come from far distances to access the water facility. He added that the borehole has three tanks with a capacity of 20,000 litres but that one of the tanks with a capacity of 5,000 litres was undergoing maintenance. The chief furthered that Mongo has geographically expanded into four different new sites with each site having a distance of about 1,500 metres from the nearest the water facility. He maintained that the entire Mongo Bendugu has seven water wells of which only three are in good condition. Jawara appealed for the provision of a supporting battery for the solar panels to reserve power in the absence of sun rays so they would be able to get water even late in the evening. A teacher at the Ansarul Islamic Junior Secondary School Balla Fofanah explained of how they have to traveled to the nearby village of Walgbasakor some three miles away from Mongo Bendugu and pay Le1,000 per Jerry can before getting water. The Deputy Chief Administrator at the Falaba Council Moses Melvin Kanneh said the council repaired some of the water facilities but are still not enough to supply the people in the various communities within the town. I was once a victim of water shortage and before my turn in the queue came, the well got dried up and I had to go home empty handed" Kanneh said. He stated that all the thirteen chiefdoms across Falaba district are seriously challenged with water crisis especially during the dry season. Copyright (c) 2021 Politico Online (16/04/21) Two people in their 20s learned recently not to rely on phone apps to navigate hikes in the Adirondacks. The state Department of Environmental Conservation reported a rescue operation that took place last weekend in the Essex County town of Newcomb. At around 7 p.m. Saturday, the DEC forest rangers Ray Brook dispatch received a call from two subjects in their 20s near the summit of Mount Marshall. The hikers were concerned they couldnt make it back down. The DEC said a forest ranger spoke to the pair on the phone and learned they were planning a day hike using an app for navigation but couldnt access the app due to poor service. The hikers continued anyway but had trouble following the path due to fog and the low cloud ceiling. The ranger instructed the hikers to start walking down, but they had a tough time because they only had one headlamp. They managed to reach the Calamity lean-to, where they spent the night. At 9:19 a.m. Sunday, two other rangers met the hikers below the highwater crossing. They provided food and warmth, and helped the hikers back to their vehicle. In 2022, DEC forest rangers conducted 359 search and rescue missions. With more people visiting State lands and enjoying New Yorks myriad, world-class outdoor recreational opportunities, DECs Forest Rangers are on the front lines to help visitors get outside responsibly and get home safely, said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos in a news release. Each day, these highly trained first responders are protecting irreplaceable natural resources and utilizing their expert knowledge of wildland fire suppression, wilderness first aid, land navigation, law enforcement, and technical rescue techniques to successfully execute critical missions, for DEC and our countless local, state, and national partners. DEC reminds New Yorkers to properly prepare and plan before entering the backcountry. If a person needs a forest ranger, whether its for a search and rescue, to report a wildfire, or to report illegal activity on state lands and easements, they should call 833-NYS-RANGERS. If a person needs urgent assistance, they should call 911. Fire destroyed a building at 171 Broadway in the village of Whitehall on Wednesday. There were no reports of injuries. According to neighbors, the fire broke out at about 1 p.m. The street was shut down from Ross Chevrolet to the intersection of Saunders Street and Broadway. Responding to the blaze was the Whitehall Volunteer Fire Company, Hampton Volunteer Fire Company, Granville Fire Company, Penrhyn Engine & Hose Company and New York State Correctional Services. One person was displaced and being assisted by the American Red Cross, according to a news release. The structure, which is located on the corner of Lower Boardman Street, was formerly a restaurant called Hanleys. It was abandoned and sold at auction for $25,100 in November to Hennessey Blue LLC of Athol, according to Washington County property records. There was no word on a cause. The fire spread to the second floor of building next door that was formerly a law office. Debris also sparked fires at two other properties, including the Broadway Market, but there was no significant damage. There was a significant internet outage because of a burnt pole, according to a representative from SLIC. Parts of five counties lost internet service. The pole was set to be replaced and service restored by 9 p.m. SARATOGA SPRINGS Three Utica men pleaded not guilty on Tuesday morning for their alleged roles in a shooting on Broadway in Saratoga Springs last November that ended with police shooting an off-duty Vermont deputy. Alexander Colon, Darius Wright and Christopher Castillo appeared in Saratoga Springs City Court to face misdemeanor attempted assault charges, according to WNYT-TV NewsChannel 13, The Post-Stars media partner. Colon, Wright and Castillo are accused of repeatedly punching 25-year-old Vito Caselnova IV, of Glens Falls, according to court paperwork. The incident happened on Nov. 20 just after 3 a.m. on Caroline Street. Caselnova and the group got into an altercation. Police said there was a mutual exchange of gunfire and three people were struck. When police responded to the scene, they ordered Caselnova to drop the weapon. After he refused numerous times, he was shot by police about 10 times. Caselnova is facing an 8-count indictment including the top count of attempted murder. Caselnovas attorney, Greg Teresi, has said his client acted in self-defense. The three Utica men are also claiming self-defense, according to NewsChannel 13. The judge denied a request for an order of protection preventing Colon from having contact with Caselnova. Colons attorney, Anthony LaFache had argued that his client does not know where Caselnova lives and is a victim in this case, having been shot multiple times. Teresi criticized the decision in a statement. It is disappointing and hard to comprehend how you can have a gang assault on a couple in downtown Saratoga Springs and no order of protection is issued on that couple," he said. The three Utica men are due back in court on June 6. Foreign participants visit the booth of Hangzhou at the UN World Data Forum. [Photo/hangzhou.com.cn] Five exhibition areas were set up at the ongoing UN World Data Forum to vividly tell the story of China's digital reform and the development of the digital economy in Zhejiang and Hangzhou, local media outlets reported. The five exhibition areas were Global Vision, Chinese Wisdom in Statistics, Digital Zhejiang, Hangzhou Practice, and Data Industry. The Hangzhou Practice exhibition area showcased the city's experience and practice in providing digital services for individuals. It used interactive methods to display digital scenes of urban life, showcasing the wisdom of China and Hangzhou's model of a data-driven beautiful life. As the host city of the forum, Hangzhou also showcased its data achievements to the world in the exhibition area. In 2022, Hangzhou's core digital economy industry achieved an operating income of 1.64 trillion yuan ($236.87 billion), with the value added breaking through 500 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 2.8 percent and accounting for 56.5 percent of the total in the province. The core digital economy industry accounted for 27.1 percent of the city's GDP. The integrated circuit industry, robotics industry, and artificial intelligence industry maintained double-digit growth, with growth rates of 10.2 percent, 13.4 percent, and 11.3 percent, respectively. In 2022, the city achieved a digital trade value of 246.25 billion yuan, accounting for 38.9 percent of the total in the province. The Chain Morse System developed by tech giant Alibaba's subordinate Ant Group. [Photo/hangzhou.com.cn] The informational signs that share the history of Warren County will see an update for the first time in almost 100 years, thanks to the county's historical society. On Tuesday, the Warren County Historian Stan Cianfarano, also the co-president of the Warren County Historical Society, was joined by the society Executive Director Don Rittner to seek funding from the county's Occupancy Tax Coordination Committee for new program centered around historical landmark signs. "The historical society has a contract with the county for a sum of money already, but we're looking at this additional money for the additional programs we are planning for the future," Cianfarano said. Lake George Town Supervisor Dennis Dickinson, chairman of the committee, asked the men how they planned to spend the money. "We've got some new programs, one dealing with the historical markers around the county," Rittner answered. He explained that many of the signs, posted in the 1930s, contain very little or outdated information, and some of the signs are even planted in the wrong location. "We're coming up with a very unique program where we're going in with all the additional updated information and we're going to put a QR code on the actual marker. So, anybody that goes by, can scan it and get the updated information," Rittner explained to the committee. "Some markers have the wrong information or wrong location and we're going to fix all that and bring those markers back to life." Rittner said the group was also working on ten new books and putting together "an art show based on history." The committee voted in favor of the additional amount of money, not disclosed at the meeting, for the society. Other business The committee also voted in favor of giving $12,000 to a skateboarding and music festival planned for Columbus Day weekend to benefit the Ronald McDonald retreat at Krantz Cottage in Lake George. Wild in the Trees is planning its second annual, two-day skateboarding and music festival at the Lake George Skate Plaza, next to the Charles R. Wood Park. The first event in October 2022 brought multiple music acts to the area and included five different skateboarding events. This year, Frank Cavone, the young owner of Mirth Films the organizer of the event, said the festival was started as way to bring young people in the area together. "It's a family fun event that we started last year and our goal was to make sure that we were able to handle the pressure of putting on an event like this. There are many great events in the area and we wanted to do our part in getting the youth involved and to encourage people from out of state to come here too," Cavone said. He said in 2022, families from Vermont, Massachusetts and New Jersey came to compete in the skateboarding competition. However, Cavone said the biggest problem is booking music acts "that tour regionally or don't come to this area often." The company is seeking money from the county to bring in bigger music acts for the festival. The event raised about $3,500 for the Ronald McDonald house charity at its inaugural event. "We want to raise more money and we believe that the missing link is booking a bigger music act and we believe that would sell more tickets," Cavone explained. He told the committee the festival provides food and craft vendors and "the amenities offered at other festivals," but their festival was unique in two ways. "What makes our festival unique is it's all for the Ronald McDonald house and it's all for fun," Cavone said. ATLANTIC CITY South Jersey Gas customers should expect money to be added back to their accounts through about $17.3 million in bill credits made available starting Wednesday, company officials said. These bill credits are one of the many customer benefits resulting from the acquisition of our parent company, South Jersey Industries (SJI), earlier this year," Brent Schomber, South Jersey Gas' president and chief operating officer, said in a statement. "The bill credits reflect our commitment to being a trusted provider of safe, reliable, affordable natural gas to the communities we serve." The money is the first of two installments prepared for back-to-back years, South Jersey Gas said in a news release. A first credit of $41.55 per customer was applied to accounts Wednesday and would appear during the upcoming billing cycle. A second is expected to be added to accounts on or about April 26, 2024. South Jersey Gas provides grants to local youth sports organizations ATLANTIC CITY South Jersey Gas is awarding 20 grants of $1,000 each to winners of its annu Customer inquiries aren't needed to obtain the credits, automatically apply to existing balances or become available to contribute toward future gas payments. The credits announced Wednesday add on to recent gas supply rates the company said are being added to customer accounts. Beginning in March, South Jersey Gas commissioned a supply rate reduction of $0.158452 per therm, including taxes, dropping the average monthly heating bill by customers using 100 therms of natural gas per month by about $15.85, or 7.7%. South Jersey Gas will continue to monitor natural gas market conditions, possibly leading to future rate-related adjustments if considered necessary, the utility said. An Upper Deerfield Township man was sentenced to 40 years in prison for fatally shooting a man in July 2019, the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office said Wednesday. Under the terms of the sentencing imposed by Judge William Ziegler, Frank Baker, 29, also must pay about $7,000 in restitution and serve seven years on parole once released from custody, the Prosecutor's Office said in a news release. Over four weeks, Baker was tried for shooting Jair Rennie, 22, in the backyard of a Fairfield Township home. Rennie was taken to Inspira Medical Center Vineland, where he was pronounced dead. Authorities say Baker tried concealing his connection to Rennie's death by disposing of the weapon and traveling to his father's home in Lawrence Township, Mercer County, to bathe in bleach and discard other evidence. Baker then was taken to Delaware before a family member convinced him to surrender to State Police. Baker was found guilty of murder, firearms offenses, conspiracy, hindering apprehension, tampering with evidence and obstruction. A former inmate at South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton has been identified as the perpetrator behind a young womans murder in the 1980s, the state Attorney Generals Office said Wednesday. Authorities say Nathaniel Harvey, who died at the prison in 2020, sexually assaulted and killed Donna Macho, 19, who in February 1984 went missing from her East Windsor, Mercer County, home, vanishing until her skeletal remains were found in a wooded area in nearby Cranbury, Middlesex County, in April 1995. Macho suffered a head injury once thought to be a gunshot wound, according to the Middlesex Regional Medical Examiners Office. Her body was dumped near a farm at which Harvey was employed prior to her disappearance, the Attorney Generals Office said in a news release. Authorities had ruled Machos manner of death to be homicide. Millville man sentenced for fatally shooting teen in 2018 A judge sentenced a Millville man to 22 years in prison for fatally shooting an Egg Harbor C Machos case went cold, authorities say, until the investigation was restarted in 2019, leading to previously collected male DNA from her bedroom being tested and identifying Harvey, also of East Windsor. When he died, Harvey was serving a life sentence at South Woods for an unrelated homicide in Middlesex County, having been incarcerated since being arrested in 1985. Harvey has been linked to other sexual assaults. Hed been named as a possible suspect throughout the investigation, but detectives couldnt link him to the womans death. Harvey was notorious for entering unlocked homes, holding young women captive while he sexually assaulted them, the Attorney Generals Office said. This case illustrates the importance and effectiveness of the Cold Case Network, and its ability to dedicate resources, including cutting-edge technology, to revive cold cases, apply previously unavailable tools to reexamine evidence and bring resolution to grieving families long haunted by unanswered questions, said Carolyn Murray, director of the Integrity Bureau of the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability, which includes the Cold Case Network. It also ensures, with greater accuracy, that the proper suspects are identified in connection with these cases, and those who are innocent are not falsely accused of criminal conduct. PLEASANTVILLE Masjid Baitul Nasr held its celebration of Eid al-Fitr last Friday. Hundreds of Muslim worshipers gathered at the park off Tilton Road and Langston Avenue to pray, eat and reflect on the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Imam Bilal Salaam delivered a sermon in the park during the morning for the event. He preached about the importance of the holiday and encouraged congregants to keep the meaning of Eid al-Fitr and Ramadan in their hearts through the year. Its about loving and serving each other, thats what this is about, Salaam said. And none of you will be a believer until you practice love. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, a holy month during which Muslims fast each day from dawn to nightfall. It begins when religious authorities make first sight of the crescent moon. Families from the city and the surrounding area came to the park for the festivities, with Salaam estimating that over 300 people from various mosques and Islamic communities in the area would attend throughout the day. People took to the grill to cook for the holiday, serving chicken and beef hot dogs, along with ice cream and water ice. There was also face painting available, and children played in a pair of bounce castles in the park. Marquel Bridgers, a 25-year-old city resident, said he appreciated the community that the holiday created and how it unified the Islamic community. Allah is the best of planners, you know he brings us together to celebrate him, Bridgers said. "Eid Mubarak, its a beautiful occasion where all of Islam come together and celebrate one another and celebrate Allah. Bridgers said he was thankful there was space and a religious community in the city allowing Muslims to mark the holiday together. A family occasion for him, Bridgers brought his 1-year-old son Ashad to the event, whom he wanted to introduce to the faith. Its beautiful that Pleasantville allows us to come out here, praise Allah, Bridgers said. Its beautiful out here, so he (Ashad) has to experience it at an early age and get him accustomed to praising Allah. Salaam said after his sermon that the fast throughout Ramadan and breaking the fast on Eid al-Fitr was an important rite to Muslims throughout the world. He said the fast strengthens them spiritually and helps enhance their sense of empathy for those in need. During the festival, Salaam said he would knock on the doors of houses near the park and offer the neighboring households, believers and nonbelievers alike, food from the event. By us fasting, it makes us closer to God. We identify with the hungry person, we identify with the person thats needy, Salaam said. So now, it brings it to full circle. Tauheedah Muniir came from her residence in Hammonton to the celebration Friday. She said the celebration of Eid al-Fitr was a religious obligation she was eager to uphold at a nearby place of worship with her fellow believers. Other locations she had considered were Atlantic City, Vineland and Philadelphia before deciding to attend the event in Pleasantville. Religious leaders, state officials discuss reporting hate crimes in Atlantic City ATLANTIC CITY It was a blue sky day in the resort Friday, as Councilman Kaleem Shabazz put it. Its mandatory to make the Eid prayer, Muniir said. Its an opportunity to interact with and/or meet new families. Kahdijah Spence, of Atlantic City, was meeting with Muniir at the event. She said she was glad to have endured the monthlong fast to reach this celebration, noting there were other festivities throughout the area. Its the end of Ramadan, which is our blessed month, Spence said. This is when we all come together. The celebration of Eid al-Fitr is growing in the city and South Jersey, with public entities having come to observe the holiday. Pleasantville Public Schools were closed Friday in observance of Eid al-Fitr this year, something that was appreciated by several school officials and local Muslims. Several other South Jersey school districts, including Atlantic City, observed Eid al-Fitr this year as well. Pleasantville Board of Education member Sharnell Morgan said she had long advocated for giving students and faculty the day off for Eid al-Fitr. She said after a school board meeting April 18 she was glad to have seen those efforts bear fruit. From 2015 to 2022, Ive been fighting for our district to put Eid on the district calendar, Morgan said. Jewish communities show solidarity after recent synagogue threat Rabbi Michael Feshbach, of Beth Israel in Northfield, said the recent FBI warnings about thr Abdus Somad, a city resident originally from Guyana, said Ramadan was an important Islamic tradition and that Muslims who adhere to the Ramadan fast should revel in their accomplishment and piety. Ramadan is a month of fasting, so fasting is prescribed on us the same it was prescribed on the righteous people before us, Somad said. And at the end of the month of fasting, we do a celebration, because its like an achievement, you know, you did something and youre happy about it. So you get to reach up to the birds and greet them. Youve come to the road of success. To Apple Davis, of Egg Harbor Township, the celebration exemplified the meaning of the Islamic faith. She came with several family members to the event and said she was glad the students had a chance to leave school for the holiday. Islam is all about peace and love, Davis said. And were just happy. We break our fast together, we pray together, its all about peace, love and happiness. Bilal Abdul Aziz, a city resident and a friend of Davis, said the holiday demonstrated the joy to be found in Islam. He said Eid al-Fitr was also an opportunity to reunite with loved ones. Islam is more than just strict praying all day, Aziz said. So were out here with the women, the children, the men, were enjoying food, were enjoying playtime, we're talking about Islam and we also get a chance to see people that we havent seen all year long, so thats all praise to God. For Rowan University president, the protests in Iran are personal What wells inside him as he watches riot police move against protesters in Iran, said Ali Ho Salaam said the lessons from Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr were not meant to be marked only on certain days. Rather, they were messages that Muslims were meant to carry with them for the whole year. The one big takeaway is that we want to constantly keep the spirit of Ramadan still alive, Salaam said. Jihad Halim came to the event with his 13-year-old son Jordan, a student at Pleasantville Middle School. He said he was grateful his son was given off so he did not have to miss school work to celebrate the holiday and said he was excited to see the Islamic community grow in the city. It was great, because I didnt have to take him out of school, giving us the day, the opportunity to be together within the community, Halim said. And hopefully, God willing, well have it next year as well and well continue on with it, because this community is real big, the Muslim community here in Pleasantville and the Atlantic County area is real big, so we really appreciate it. ATLANTIC CITY At least 115 of the city's streets, or sections of roadways, have been renamed after people, according to data from the Atlantic City Free Public Library. Add Stockton University President Harvey Kesselman to that list. The city renamed the portion of South Albany Avenue between the Boardwalk and Pacific Avenue as Dr. Harvey Kesselman Way on Thursday, in recognition of the soon-to-be-retired president's services to the university, as well as the community. I am deeply humbled by this extraordinary gesture. Atlantic City holds a very special place in my heart, Kesselman said, recalling his parents saving for summer trips to Atlantic City as a child. Sixty years later, they would be so proud. This street dedication is not only a personal honor but also a reflection of the strong partnership between Stockton and this great city. Together, Atlantic City and Stockton will continue to build a brighter future for this community." Kesselman has been Stockton president since 2015 and has been involved with the university since it was located at the Mayflower Hotel in 1971. He has a bachelors degree in political science from Stockton, a masters degree in student personnel services/counseling from Rowan University and a doctorate in higher education administration from Widener University. We are so proud to have him as our leader and see him recognized in such a meaningful way by the City of Atlantic City. The street naming honors his accomplishments and serves as a testament to the strong partnership between our university and this great city, said Ray Ciccone, chair of the Stockton Board of Trustees. City Council unanimously approved an ordinance to rename the portion of Albany Avenue along Stockton's Residential Center in December. The ordinance commends Kesselman for his commitment to the public-private partnership he negotiated to build the university's Atlantic City campus, which opened in 2018 and will expand with the opening of a new residential building, a ribbon cutting for which will be held next week. Mayor Marty Small Sr. praised Kesselman and Stockton for being part of the resort's "renaissance." Stockton is here to stay, and as an alum, I could not be more proud, said Small, who graduated from the school in 1998. We couldnt think of a better way to honor you and your legacy for being a part of the rebirth of Atlantic City. The university has campuses in Atlantic City, Galloway, Hammonton, Manahawkin and Woodbine. More than 11,000 people applied to Stockton in 2021, according to the university, and more than 9,000 students were enrolled during the fall 2022 semester. "We're giving you your flowers today," Small said before unveiling a white street sign with blue lettering that read "Dr. Harvey Kesselman Way" on a pole at Atlantic and Albany avenues. Kesselman will retire as Stocktons fifth president June 30. He is to be succeeded by Joe Bertolino. The university will name the original Atlantic City residential complex after Kesselman and hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the second residential building, located across from ODonnell Memorial Park, on Wednesday. GALLERY: Portion of Albany Avenue dedicated to retiring Stockton President Kesselman The Press recently began the biggest transformation in our lifetimes, changing from daily home delivery to three printed editions a week brought to subscribers by the U.S. Postal Service. Ordinarily we avoid talking about ourselves, staying focused on keeping local readers informed, entertained and generally supported in their lives. Now The Press, deeply engaged in South Jersey for more than a century, is a major story in the local news. Changing to thrice weekly delivery by mail was a business decision. The traditional business model for newspapers quit working when the internet enabled others to take their content and reuse it without paying for it. Since then, news media have sought a new business model that will make local news journalism possible. Our company believes three print editions and a robust online presentation will work. We editors and reporters believe it might and certainly hope so, but we have no expertise about the business side of newspapers. By a long tradition necessary for editorial integrity, the journalism and business sides of newspapers are kept separate. The staff of The Press is trying its best to make the transformation to three editions successful, and not only because it has a greater stake in the outcome. Journalists are avid consumers of news too. Our editors and reporters are navigating the transition in ways similar to Press readers. One unexpected and revealing challenge has been the disruption of the daily routine of our lives by the absence of a printed newspaper to start each day. Apparently, for many years the daily newspaper has been helping launch us into our days -- getting our minds activated and engaged while we drink our coffee, confirming the day of the week and approaching events, and affirming where we are in the bustling community and world around us. For some people, mailed newspapers arrive in the afternoon. Thats also true now for The Wall Street Journal and The Philadelphia Inquirer, which also have abandoned home delivery in this area in favor of using the U.S. mail. Were finding that where The Press arrives in the afternoon, we can still begin our days with it if we adjust our routines. When the mail arrives, we set the newspapers aside to read them the next morning. The mental time shift while reading -- its always a day later than that prior days newspaper would have you think -- requires some getting used to, but were confident that will become second nature soon. In a hurry for the news or sports? Our constantly updated website, PressofAC.com, is available always at ones fingertips by smartphone or computer for those who have them. Press readers and Press staff share another perspective on the publication transition. For both, the first task is to make it work reliably, then to make the most of its possibilities. The editors and reporters are making the adjustments needed in their work routines. With the help of the newspapers printer and Postal Service partners, deliveries Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday already have become routine and reliable. Subscribers are reintegrating the newspapers into their daily lives, adjusting when they read news stories and features, do puzzles, enjoy comics, consider a new recipe and many other favorite uses. As of today weve made another significant change, ceasing publication of the tabloids At The Shore, Atlantic City Weekly and The Current of Linwood, Northfield and Somers Point. Their resources now support The Press and we are exploring ways to incorporate their most valuable features into our three print editions and online. These changes create challenges, but also should create opportunities. The new format and schedules will permit different approaches to journalism as we continue and add to our service to the people of South Jersey. Many times in life weve seen a change coming that in varying degrees weve dreaded. Maybe thats a prudent habit or even an instinct for people. Almost as many times weve noticed afterward that the change wasnt as bad as expected, that it actually included some advantages, and sometimes had meaningful improvements that we didnt anticipate. The bigger the change, the harder it is to predict its ultimate value. If The Press transition enables local newspaper journalism to continue despite the nationwide decline of newspapers, that will be of great value to South Jersey. He is not just a cop. He is a super cop. Police constable Adesh Chalwadi is not only a multilinguist but also has persuasion skills, which he uses in tough-to-crack cases of lost or missing mobile phones, particularly those operating in other states. Chalwadi recovered over 100 cellphones in the last five months, which went missing from the Shivajinagar area. His language, social and technical skills have helped the police to get back lost handsets from other states. The city police received over 10,000 complaints of lost or missing mobile phones in the last two years. Each police station formed special teams to deal with such cases. Senior PI Arvind Mane, incharge, cyber cell, Shivajinagar police station, also formed a special team, of which Chalwadi is a member, to track down missing mobile phones. Police constable Chalwadi prepared data of stolen mobiles and carried out a technical analysis. It was found that almost all such mobile phones were operating in other states, including Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, Punjab, etc. However, language was a big barrier during the investigation. But Chalwadi communicated in various languages, including Kannada, Telugu, Hindi and English. He also used his social skills to connect with the person using a stolen mobile and made him send the same by a courier service. Chalwadi told Mirror, "Almost 70 percent of the missing mobiles are operating in other states. Once we track down the user, we ask him to send it back by a courier service. My language skills help me communicate with these people. Most of them don't understand Marathi or Hindi. In many cases, the thief sells a stolen mobile phone to someone at a low price. The person who uses it is not aware of this. When we communicate with them in their mother tongue, they agree to return stolen phones." The police registered three cases during the investigation, when they found that the users had stolen the phones. Chalwadi was working in the cyber police station for the last six years. Later, he was posted at the cyber cell of the Shivajinagar police. He was a part of the cyber team, which investigated the Cosmos Bank cyber fraud case, in which hackers siphoned off over Rs 94 crore in a malware attack over a period of two days in 2018. Recently, a Pune court convicted 11 accused in the scam. Chalwadi conducted the technical analysis during the investigation of the case. Antonia Vitale slowly poured sauce onto a flattened circle of dough before topping it off with shredded cheese. She wiped her hands on her red, flour-covered apron before walking toward the front of her restaurant, Antonella's. Seemingly overnight, the Mississippi River crept onto the parking lot at the Freight House in Davenport, where Antonella's is located "Wear your boots," she said with a laugh; a suggestion for customers looking to come in before the Italian restaurant closed on Friday. Vitale is one of many business owners preparing for more flooding in downtown Davenport, but her preparation has recently kicked into high gear. The city notified tenants of the Freight House building they must close by the end of the week. With parking limited and parts of River Drive covered in water, it would be unsafe to allow patrons to walk through the floodwaters, Davenport Public Works Director Nicole Gleason said. In 2019, the building was able to remain open, Vitale said. The water came up to the deck but never got inside. However, the parking lot was covered. "This becomes an island," she said, gesturing to the building at large. The restaurant remained open until Friday, when employees began packing up the fresh ingredients to be sent to the other family business, Sal Vitale's in Muscatine. For Vitale, flooding comes with the territory of doing business on the riverfront, but her main concern is for her employees. "You have expenses, and that's what I'm worried about ... but we're going to see if we can get them assistance. They need the check to get caught up," she said. The farmers' market's Wednesday-and-Saturday Summer Season was to begin May 6. It instead will debut this Saturday at the Scott County Administration Building, 600 W. 4th Street, where it will operate until floodwaters recede. "Our vendors are excited. They are disappointed we won't be home, but are excited, nonetheless," operations manager Melissa Carter said. Although the mandatory closure puts a wrench in the plans, Carter said, it's nothing new. In 2019, water reached the front steps but never breached the building. Carter is hopeful the same luck applies this year. "The vendors every year anticipate that it might happen, but now that we are to this point ... we have been preparing," she said. Tuesday evening, most of the items had been cleared out and the remaining vendor stands were being raised onto concrete blocks as a precaution. Everyone is adjusting well and had no worries about the future of the market, Carter said. Flooding is just one of the consequences vendors have to face in order to be on the riverfront. But the challenges have been overcome before and vendors have, "come out shining, almost every single time," she said. Sarah Underberg is learning that lesson currently. Her business, Paper Moon Mercantile, celebrated its one-year anniversary earlier this month. While she is not new to the world of entrepreneurship, Underberg is new to the Freight House. She knew what she was getting herself into when she decided to set up shop. "Thats a part of being in the Freight House and being on the river. Its something you have to expect," she said. While vendors are out for an indefinite amount of time, Underberg will be helping others get set up in the temporary space at the administrative building. Moving her own items would be too difficult, but she still wants to support fellow entrepreneurs. For Underberg, the Freight House is the only place she sets up her Paper Moon booth. Being out of business for a while will be a hit, but it's one she prepared for. "It's just a wait and see. It's really all up to the city and when they determine it's safe to go back inside," she said. "It's part of being a small-business owner, unfortunately. Things happen that are not within our control. There's not really anything we can do but pivot and try to make the best of every situation." That resilient attitude is contagious in the Freight House. Just as Vitale can't wait to get back and cook for the community, Underberg is looking forward to her opportunity to be back "home." "I will absolutely be back. That community and its outpouring of support of all the small business owners at the Freight House ... is really what keeps everything in motion. We offer services to the community that they can't get anywhere else," she said. Wednesday afternoon, the floodwaters covered the parking lot and slowly crept toward the building. Still, it's not enough to scare Underberg away. "The few bad floods really don't have an impact on whether or not I want to be there. I want to be there. I want to be part of that community," she said. "I want to be part of that vendorship, and most definitely I want to be part of the Freight House Farmers Market." Photos: Quad Cities continue to prep as Mississippi River continues to rise, Wednesday, April 26 Police arrested two children and were looking for a third after a gunfire complaint led to a stolen-vehicle chase between Rock Island and Davenport. The Rock Island Police Department started getting reports of shots fired at 7:09 p.m. Wednesday in the 1200 block of 13th Avenue, they said. One witness reported seeing someone firing a handgun into the air through the sunroof of a black SUV. No injuries or property damage were reported. Using city cameras, police found a black Honda CRV that matched a stolen-vehicle description out of Davenport. Officers learned through data from license-plate readers the vehicle had traveled into Davenport earlier in the day. The Rock Island Police notified the Davenport Police Department the CRV could be in their jurisdiction. At 12:56 a.m. Thursday, Davenport Police told Rock Island Police that officers found the Honda and were pursuing it back toward Rock Island, a Thursday news release indicates. When the CRV reached Illinois, Rock Island officers joined the chase, which ended with the CRV crashing in the area of Lincoln Court. Three children ran from the Honda, but two were caught, the release states. Police have identified the third juvenile and were still looking for that child as of Thursday morning. Two of the three have been involved a number of times in stolen vehicle, burglary and firearm cases, police said. Officers also found two handguns one in the CRV and another in the surrounding area. One of the handguns also was reported stolen from Davenport. Authorities sent one of the two arrested children to the Mary Davis Juvenile Detention Home in Galesburg, the release states. The whereabouts of the second was not specified, nor were the suspects' ages. The investigation remained open as of Thursday morning, the department said. Police ask that anyone with information contact investigators at 309-762-2677 or Crime Stoppers at 309-762-9500 or the P3 Tips App. A Clinton County jury failed to reach a unanimous decision in the murder trial of Lewis Vaughn Sr., and District Court Judge Meghan Corbin declared a mistrial Tuesday. Opening statements were made in the trial on April 17 and testimony from witnesses began. Jury deliberations began four days later on Friday. After speaking with the jurors, Corbin determined that the panel was deadlocked and declared a mistrial at 4:20 p.m. Tuesday. Prosecutors have 90 days from Tuesday's decision to bring Vaughn back to trial unless Vaughn waives his right to a speedy trial or either side can show good cause for a delay. Vaughn, 44, is accused of the Feb. 23, 2021, shooting death of 29-year-old Khalil Said Pugh and then dumping his body in a dumpster. Pughs remains have not been located. Vaughn is charged with one count of first-degree murder, a Class A felony under Iowa law that carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. Vaughns wife, Jessica, 35, is charged with one count of abuse of a corpse, a Class D felony that carries a prison sentence of five years. The Vaughns were arrested Aug. 31, 2022, in connection with the case. Jessica Vaughn is free on bond. A pre-trail hearing in her case is scheduled for Aug. 17 in Clinton County District Court. Lewis Vaughn continues to be held in the Clinton County Jail on a $1 million cash-only bond. According to the arrest affidavits filed by Clinton Police Detective Joshua Winter, and the search warrants filed by Clinton Police, at 10:26 a.m. on Feb. 24, 2021, Clinton Police were sent to the Hawthorne Woods Apartments, 847 Gateway Ave., Apt. 12, for a welfare check after the property manager received a note that said a shooting had occurred in apartment 12 and not to notify the police. The manager told police the apartment belonged to JaKwane Polidore, 28. Pugh also lived at the apartment. Officers went to the door but got no answer. There was a strong smell of marijuana. Police were granted a search warrant for the apartment, and while searching, officers located a spent 9mm shell casing in the hallway and a large amount of blood in the living room. Officers also located a pillow with a hole going through it and a large amount of blood and tissue on the backside. There also were skull or bone fragments on the mattress in the living room as well as a large pool of blood. More blood was located on the apartments balcony, and a bullet hole was located in a back bedroom wall. The investigation revealed the Pugh was with Vaughn on Feb. 23, 2021, before going to the apartment he shared with Polidore. Investigators located Pughs vehicle outside the apartment building. Pughs cell phone was located in the vehicle. Pughs family had not heard from him since Feb. 23, 2021, and he had not reported to work. There also was no financial activity related to Pugh since that date. During a canvass of the neighborhood around the apartment, neighbors reported three people being at the apartment and heard sounds of an altercation. Neighbors also told police they heard gunshots. Following the arguments and gunshots, neighbors told police they saw the maintenance mans truck, a Chevrolet K1500, back into the parking lot outside of 847 Gateway Avenue. Vaughns cell phone records showed that he left the area of 847 Gateway Avenue and went to the area of 700 S. 32nd Street in Clinton where he knew some people. Police learned in an interview with those residents that Vaughn had reached out to them about having a dead animal that he needed to dispose of in the dumpster. The residents then saw Vaughn leave in his truck and stop at the dumpster located at the entrance to the property. The residents denied knowing what it was Vaughn had placed in the dumpster. The next day at Hawthorne Woods Apartments, Vaughn got one of the other maintenance workers to help him shovel snow over blood that was in the parking lot. The maintenance worker told police that Vaughn told him he had cleaned blood out of the back of the truck. Police obtained a search warrant for the truck and located what was determined to be human blood. A DNA profile of the blood in the truck matched the DNA profile of the blood found in the apartment. Investigators went to 700 S. 32nd Street and got permission to search the dumpster. The dumpster had been emptied but blood was recovered that matched the DNA profile from Vaughns pickup and from the apartment. Jessica Vaughn admitted to police to owning several firearms but did not know where one of them, a 9mm handgun, was located. She had not reported the gun missing or stolen. Police were able to establish a DNA profile of Pugh. The DNA of the profile matched the blood found in the apartment, Vaughns truck and the dumpster. During the course of the investigation it was alleged that there was a physical altercation between Vaughn and Pugh. Vaughn shot Pugh twice, causing his death. Vaughn currently is on probation in Clinton County until Aug. 18, 2024. He was sentenced Aug. 18 to serve two years on probation after pleading guilty in April to a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. It was in the apartment shared by Polidore and Pugh that Winter located the firearm that led to Lewis Vaughns conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The gun, a tan FMK Recon 9mm was wrapped in a gray sweatshirt and stashed in a black safe in the apartments bedroom closet. Winter found the weapon Feb. 26, 2021, two days after authorities were called to the apartment and found evidence of a violent crime, according to Clinton County District Court electronic documents. Polidore is charged in Clinton County District Court with one count of possession with the intent to deliver no more than 100 grams of cocaine. The charge is a Class C felony that carries a prison sentence of 10 years. He also is charged with violating Iowa drug tax stamp law, a Class D felony that carries a prison sentence of five years. Polidore is free on bond while awaiting trial. The termination of Rock Island-Milan Schools Superintendent Dr. Reginald Lawrence was a "mutual" decision, according to those who made it. "There's really not much detail behind the decisions that came forth last night," Lawrence said Wednesday. "In any work relationship, you just continue to work together to do the best for your organization, in our case, the school district. Every year, you always reassess how things have gone. In this case, the decision was made for us to mutually separate, which means both the board and I agreed this was the best decision and the best way for us to move forward." Lawrence whose contract was not up for renewal until 2025 will serve his final day with the district on Saturday, June 3. He and the board agreed to a $350,000 payout. "I do, in my heart, believe the board is always looking out for the best interests of the schools and the district," Lawrence said. "Sometimes, when you work as a team, there's tough decisions that have to be made. Sometimes you agree upon things; sometimes you don't. In the end, we always want to come to something that's mutual." For those reasons, Lawrence said, he respects the outcome of Tuesday's vote and, "enjoyed working with the board." Asked whether he was treated fairly by the board, Lawrence said he was. Board President Terell Williams said the circumstances leading up to the contract termination were "personnel matters that the Board of Education will not comment on." "The Board is happy to have reached a mutual agreement with Dr. Lawrence and wishes him the best in his future endeavors," he said. Williams said the goal was "always to do so amicably" in cases where a board and superintendent part ways. "This board believes we have achieved that here," he said. "Being a member of the board is not an easy task, and members are faced with difficult decisions. Despite the challenges, the board remains committed to our district and, most importantly, our students." A half-dozen people spoke on Lawrence's behalf at Tuesday's meetings and others in attendance were there to support him. "I was utterly surprised to see such a large turnout," Lawrence said. "It was definitely positive to see them come out to speak for something they believe in, something they feel impacts them and the community. Every person you had up there last night, they care about this school district. They have some attachment to it." Dr. Darryl Taylor, a retired Lincoln Elementary School District Superintendent of 12 years, said the termination was done in haste. He is also a former Rock Island-Milan teacher and administrator. "Dr. Lawrence has been there for four years," he said in an interview before the vote, noting a recent performance evaluation of Lawrence by the board. "If someone doesn't do their job, you (school board members) document that in the evaluation and release them on cause. There's no payout." The most recent performance evaluation was conducted in closed session at a March 21 special meeting. Taylor said Lawrence's termination was done without cause but because, "there are individuals on the board who don't see eye-to-eye." To him, the $350,000 payout is money better spent elsewhere. "Why are we now using these funds to buy out a contract when we could be using them on improving education, facilities and putting in training for teachers?" Taylor asked. "Let the new board come in; let them do their due-diligence to see if they can work this out." The board discussed the agreement in closed session for more than an hour before returning to vote. In following discussions, member Gary Rowe said he did not agree with the decision to terminate Lawrence but accepted the will of the board. Noting how she and Lawrence, "didn't always agree on everything," outgoing board member Tiffany Stoner-Harris thanked him for his service, saying she, "could see (Lawrence) being a great superintendent somewhere" a remark that drew audible groans from some in attendance. With the approved agreement, Williams said, the board will begin the process of hiring a new superintendent. Photos: Rally at the Rock at Rock Island High School North Scott High School agriculture teacher Emily Kruse is the 2022-2023 Golden Owl Award winner, earning the title of Iowas most outstanding agriculture educator for the year. The winner was revealed at the 95th Iowa FFA Leadership Conference in Ames, where Kruse was one of seven statewide finalists for the award. Aside from bringing home the coveted Golden Owl trophy, Kruse will receive a $3,000 grand prize. Joining North Scott in 2022, Kruse also serves as the school's FFA chapter adviser. Winning the award was, "such an honor," she said in an interview with Iowa Department of Education staff. "The other nominated educators have a huge legacy and impact in their schools and communities, and they are all leaders who deserve this award as much as I do," she said. "Its a privilege to be recognized in this way and to see how excited my students were during the announcement. Overall, its a wonderful feeling to have support from the local community, ag community and my home community at North Scott." Winning the award, Kruse said, showcases an investment in young agriculture teachers. "There is a shortage of young educators in agriculture, so this is affirming that there is support for this work," she said. To Kruse, connecting the importance and breadth of the agriculture industry and skills-based education is key, especially for Iowa students. "Without ag education, its not going to be possible to have enough people to supply that food, fiber and fuel," she said. "The ag industry is constantly evolving, so ag education must also evolve. Delving into sustainability of how to meet the challenges of our populations, and how we can continue to innovate, will be on the forefront. Ag education that emphasizes all learners, no matter their backgrounds, will be important. We are really looking for opportunities to help them find their talents and apply them to agricultural contexts." Kruse said her most rewarding experiences as an agriculture educator were, "seeing students turn from apathy, to excitement and engagement." Sponsored by the Iowa FFA Foundation, Nationwide Insurance and other agricultural stakeholders, the annual Golden Owl Award recognizes excellence in teaching and promotes the importance of agriculture education in Iowa. The State FFA Conference took place from April 16 to 18, featuring more than 6,000 FFA members and guest. North Scott Superintendent Joe Stutting and school board members took time to recognize Kruse's achievement Monday at the school board meeting. North Scott's FFA chapter currently has 187 junior high students (grades 7 and 8) and 204 high school members, according to the program's website. Photos: North Scott FFA annual Outstanding in their Field event For several weeks during heavy spring floods, a riverfront Pleasant Valley neighborhood becomes navigable only by boat. Residents like Betzy McLeland prepare. She and her husband, Gordon, stocked their pantry in recent weeks, moved vehicles out of the way of the Mississippi, and brought everything inside from the ground-level garage. On Tuesday afternoon, the McLelands, wearing chest-high waders, untied their kayak from a neighbor's wooden fence to paddle home. What they hadn't prepared for was having no gas, meaning no hot water, heating or gas stove until floodwaters recede. "This is a brand-new challenge that no one has prepared for," Betzy McLeland said. MidAmerican Energy contacted residents on Sunday, she said, in an automated phone call that their gas could be turned off because of safety concerns during the flooding. She then watched technicians go house to house, turning off the gas. The utility company didn't do that in 2019, she said, when floodwaters reached 16.5 feet at the LeClaire gauge. This year, the National Weather Service is predicting floodwaters will crest near that height at about flood stage 16.1 feet. The record holds at 17.75 feet, set in 1965. Technicians told the McLelands after the 2019 flood that their meter handled floodwaters well, she said, because of special venting in place and because of the gas line's raised location. "Why they suddenly changed their mind, I have no idea," Betzy McLeland said. In a lengthy emailed statement, MidAmerican spokesperson Geoff Greenwood said safety concerns drove the decision to turn off the gas. Pleasant Valley property owners were among 60 Iowa Quad-Cities customers who were cut off from MidAmerican's gas service because of flooding as of Tuesday morning, Greenwood wrote. "If gas service remains flowing to a flooded property, it poses additional risks if an incident were to occur that requires a quick response by our employees or a fire department," Greenwood wrote, adding that, despite measures such as ventilation lines and raising gas-meter equipment, those strategies "are not ideal for an extended flood." "And regardless, the service valves that allow for the safe control of gas flow to the meters are located at the ground level," Greenwood wrote. "When a ground-level service valve becomes submerged in water, that threatens our ability to access it in an emergency if we need to turn it off. That is a safety risk." McLeland said the abrupt timing of the first-time action concerned her and her neighbors. "The second reason it bothered us here we are doing our last-minute flood preparations, and they didn't tell us they would turn off our gas until our road became completely impassable," she said. "People in the neighborhood prepare for the flood," she said. "Without hot water, it will make it really difficult to stay for some." Greenwood wrote that MidAmerican attempted to give residents as much notice as possible, but quicker-than-expected floodwaters in Pleasant Valley did not allow for it for some customers. "In the Pleasant Valley area, floodwater became a threat faster than forecast models projected," he wrote. "On Sunday, after our crews visually surveyed the area, for safety reasons they determined it was necessary to turn off gas service to five customers." The McLelands bought their home in spring 2018, just a year before the 2019 flood, but others in the neighborhood have more years on the river. Their neighbor, Marian Murphy is 91. She and her late husband bought the riverfront property in 1982, and she's lived there ever since. "I'm 91 years old. I'm not out there in the boat going anywhere," she said in a phone interview. Fortunately, her youngest son lives with her and takes care of her. "I couldn't be here otherwise; I'd be in a home somewhere," Murphy said. Her son has been ferrying back and forth from dry land, bringing home a portable electric oven and getting creative with microwaveable meals. She has space heaters and, at times, the sun to warm her up, but what really bugs her is the lack of hot water, which makes doing dishes, laundry and bathing much more difficult. "It's a big mess," she said. "You can't do anything about it, but it's just so inconvenient." Other flooded areas where MidAmerican shut gas off MidAmerican crews started shutting off gas service to a "small number" of residential gas customers on South Concord Street in Davenport on April 19, Greenwood wrote. "Since then we have proactively turned off gas service to additional customers in that area and other locations that are in flood-impact areas, including Pleasant Valley/Scott County, Campbells Island, Montpelier and Muscatine County," Greenwood wrote. As of Tuesday morning, he wrote, MidAmerican had shut off natural gas service to about 60 Iowa customers in the Quad-Cities area. Later that day, the company planned to shut off gas service to 30 more customers on Campbell's Island near East Moline. In 2019, close to 60 Iowa customers and a "very small number of Illinois customers" had their gas service interrupted, Greenwood wrote. Electrical services have not yet been impacted by flood conditions, Greenwood wrote. But one residential and one business customer requested the company disconnect electric service for the flood event, Greenwood wrote. "As we continually assess current flood conditions and forecasts, the situation could change, and we will notify any affected customer prior to a necessary shutoff of their electric service," he wrote. Photos: Quad Cities continue to prep as Mississippi River continues to rise, Wednesday, April 26 SPRINGFIELD Every spring, people representing various interests from across the state flood to the state Capitol to lobby their elected officials. In recent weeks, some of the groups that have visited Springfield include state gun owners, hundreds of FFA chapters, mayors, environmentalists and advocates for the state's LGBTQ community. On Wednesday, members of the state's business community gathered in the capitol city for their annual lobby day. The day-long event, organized by the Illinois Manufacturers Association and Illinois Retail Merchants Association, included a luncheon keynoted by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and featuring a panel discussion with legislative leaders in addition to lobbying in the Capitol and, in the evening, a gala reception featuring a who's who of Illinois business and political leaders. Here are some observations from business day at the Capitol: Pritzker touts Illinois business Speaking to a packed ballroom inside a downtown Springfield hotel, Pritzker was bullish on the state of the state's economy, passing credit on to the business community as well as the efforts of his own administration. "Just a few months ago, Illinois economy surpassed $1 trillion in GDP the fifth state in the nation to reach this milestone," Pritzker said. "Were now second in the nation for new corporate investment per capita. Thats in no small part because of the investments made by companies in this room." Pritzker specifically mentioned South Korea-based LG Chem, which is partnering with Archer Daniels Midland Co. to construct facilities in Decatur that will produce thousands of tons of environmentally friendly ingredients. The project received tax incentives through the state's EDGE tax credit program. Pritzker also mentioned investments made by electric vehicle companies like Rivian Automotive, which has manufacturing operations in Normal, and Decatur-based parts manufacturer T/CCI, as well as Caterpillar's investment in their first new Decatur facility in a quarter-century. Though the state's 4.4% unemployment rate remains higher than the 3.5% national average, it remains at a level most would consider full employment. Also mentioned were the impact of the state's relatively stable financial picture in recent years, which has led to eight credit rating upgrades. The governor also credited the business community for working with state legislators and organized labor to find an agreement to finally eliminate the state's pandemic-induced unemployment insurance debt. "We are a state on the rise, and everyone in this room has played a role in that," Pritzker said. Pritzker skeptical of Bears tax help Echoing comments made a few months ago, Pritzker poured cold water on legislative efforts to give state assistance to the Chicago Bears for their expected stadium project in Arlington Heights. A new proposal, offered by state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, emerged late last week that would charge a $3-per-ticket tax on events at the new stadium in order to help the city of Chicago pay down the debt incurred to renovate Soldier Field more than two decades ago. The Bears have sought legislation that would allow for property tax assessments to be frozen for up to 40 years at the site. Pritzker said he has not reviewed the latest proposal. "My No. 1 consideration is keeping us on a firm fiscal footing. So that means that the state really shouldnt be in the business of providing handouts to private industry and thats what the Bears are in their endeavors," Pritzker said. "Im rooting for the Bears. Im also a Chicagoan and I would love it if they stayed in Chicago, but it is their choice as a private business about where theyre gonna go." House Speaker Chris Welch, D-Hillside, in a panel discussion moderated by the Chicago Tribune's Rick Pearson later that afternoon, was noncommittal. "I know there's a couple of different bills about it," Welch said. "There's a lot of opinions out there on this topic. We're gonna let the process play out. Will something get done this session? I don't know." No graduated income tax question, but maybe abortion Welch put to rest any speculation that legislative Democrats were seeking to places another graduated income tax amendment before voters in 2024. "We got our butts kicked on the issue," Welch said bluntly, alluding to the rejection by voters in 2020. Pritzker has also said he would not be pursuing a second to change the state's flat income tax rate to a progressive rate. However, a question asking voters to enshrine abortion rights as fundamental in the state constitution is a possibility. Welch said that a reproductive health working group is still putting together legislative proposals for spring session, which concludes next month. "Our group's not done yet," Welch said. "We're going to listen to whatever recommendations made going forward here in the next couple of weeks. I don't want to get ahead of them. But, they're doing the work." Asked by reporters, Pritzker said "well have to see what the legislature decides to do on it." The governor called for a constitutional amendment in his inaugural speech in January. House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, asked about Republicans' struggles in the Chicago suburbs and whether she would support an pro-abortion rights Republican, indicated that she would. Local governments won't get their full ask Last week, local government leaders lobbied state legislators to gradually restore their share of the state's income tax receipts to 10%. It is currently a bit over 6%. Welch indicated such a jump is not likely due to other budgetary pressures, such as the state's evidence-based funding formula for schools. "Is there room to improve? I think so. Is it 10%? No," Welch said. McCombie, a former mayor, said she would restore it to that number. "If we want to help lower property taxes closer to home, we need to go back to that," she said. SPRINGFIELD Anti-abortion demonstrators gathered in front of the state Capitol on Wednesday to protest a measure they argued would harm limited services pregnancy centers, often called crisis pregnancy centers. Senate Bill 1909, sponsored by Sen. Celina Villanueva, D-Chicago, and Rep. Terra Costa Howard, D-Glen Ellyn, would prevent such clinics from using fraud or deceptive tactics to prevent a person from seeking abortion care. Further, it would allow such pregnancy centers to be sued for damages. Opponents of the measure characterized it as "anti-choice," saying they worried it would negatively affect facilities that counsel women about options other than abortion. The crisis pregnancy center allow individuals who are in crisis to go get help, Sen. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, told Lee Enterprises. Thats the only situation Ive seen in my nine years in Springfield, where one person gets to make the rules, decide what the fines are and then collect the fines." The measure would give the Illinois Attorney General the power to set rules and restrictions on the organizations that use deceptive tactics, building upon the offices existing power to investigate consumer fraud. There are approximately 68 sections to (protect) consumers, in various areas of our consumer markets, Costa Howard said during a committee hearing on the measure. It does not shut down crisis pregnancy centers and it does not infringe on the First Amendment. As defined in the legislation, a limited services pregnancy center would not include health care professionals licensed by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation or hospitals licensed under either the Hospital Licensing Act or University of Illinois Hospital Act. The measure passed out of the Senate Health Care Availability and Accessibility Committee on a 5-3 vote and is expected to be heard on the House floor soon. The University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics is facing a potential class action lawsuit over the alleged disclosure of confidential patient information to Facebook. Eileen Yeisley, on behalf of herself and others, is suing UIHC in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa for the alleged intentional, reckless, and/or negligent disclosure of confidential medical information to the social-media giant Facebook. The lawsuit alleges that UIHC manages or controls two websites that it encourages individuals to use for booking medical appointments, locating physicians and treatment facilities, communicating medical symptoms, procuring information on medical conditions and treatment options, and signing up for events and classes. According to the lawsuit, UIHC installed on those websites a Facebook pixel that is essentially a piece of computer code that tracks the online activity of people as they interact with those particular websites. The information that is transmitted to UIHC via the pixel is allegedly shared with Facebook and linked to that individuals personal Facebook account. UIHC is also accused of installing a Facebook conversion application programming interface also called a conversion API on its sites. That conversion API allegedly enables additional unauthorized disclosures of patient information and is used separately from the pixel because no privacy protections on the users end can defeat it. Specifically, the lawsuit claims, information that actual and potential patients communicate to UIHC through its websites is being automatically, surreptitiously and unlawfully sent to Facebooks servers alongside each individuals unique Facebook user ID. Facebook, in turn, has allegedly sold that information to third-party marketers who can then target the individuals Facebook pages with ads tailored to their medical issues. While the Facebook user ID is merely a string of numbers that doesnt personally identify an individual, the number does connect to an individuals Facebook profile, allowing virtually anyone with access to the number to identify the person and see their profile. The lawsuit claims UIHC utilizes the pixel and conversion API for marketing purposes in an effort to bolster its profits. UIHC is handing individuals a tapped phone The information the pixel and conversion API allegedly send to Facebook includes the types of medical treatment sought, specific health conditions, and the fact that an individual booked a medical appointment. That sort of disclosure has enabled Facebook to ascertain that a specific individual has sought medical care for a specific type of medical condition such as cancer, pregnancy, dementia, or HIV, the lawsuit claims. The pixel that UIHC has allegedly installed on its websites acts much like a traditional wiretap, the lawsuit alleges. In essence, UIHC is handing individuals a tapped phone, and once a UIHC webpage is loaded onto their browser, the software intercepts any communications from the user and relays it to Facebook. Facebook, the lawsuit claims, is given the individuals IP addresses and other information they may have input into the hospitals websites, such as their home address or phone number. This is precisely the type of information the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act requires healthcare providers to anonymize to protect the privacy of patients, the lawsuit alleges. Yeisley, a UIHC patient since the early 1989s, alleges she has routinely accessed UIHCs websites on her mobile device and computer, and has been a Facebook user since 2009. According to the lawsuit, she has allegedly used the UIHC sites to search for a physician, communicate private information to her physician, complete web-based patient forms and review medical records. Shortly thereafter, her information was allegedly relayed from UIHC to Facebook. The lawsuit alleges that while UIHC willfully and intentionally incorporated the software into its website, it never publicly disclosed its sharing of sensitive and confidential communications with Facebook. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for invasion of privacy; unjust enrichment; breach of an implied contract and violations of the Electronics Communication Privacy Act; violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act; and breach of confidence. The lawsuit also seeks a court order certifying national and Iowa class-action status, and injunctive relief to protect the interests of the plaintiff and proposed class members. UIHC has yet to file a response to the lawsuit. A hospital spokesperson had no immediate comment on the allegations. Facebook operates the worlds largest social media company and reportedly generated $117 billion in revenue in 2021, roughly 97% of which was derived from the sale of advertising. In 2012, UIHC came under fire for sharing patient information with fundraisers as part of what it called the Grateful Patient Program. That program involved a contractual arrangement between the university and the private University of Iowa Foundation that helped raise money for the hospital. Their contract stipulated that the university and the foundation were to collaborate on donor-prospect research that would include what they called wealth screenings of patients. As a result of that collaboration, the foundation solicited eye-care patients using letters signed by the head of the ophthalmology department. The department head was later informed by the foundation which of his patients had responded with a donation, and when those patients came to UIHC for treatment, they received a thank-you from the doctor. Counties with the longest life expectancy in Iowa Counties with the longest life expectancy in Iowa #47. Osceola County #47. Henry County #43. Washington County #43. Howard County #43. Wright County #43. Boone County #41. Floyd County #41. Marion County #37. Sac County #37. Winnebago County #37. Warren County #37. Grundy County #35. Jasper County #35. Hardin County #34. Poweshiek County #32. Clay County #32. Madison County #27. Crawford County #27. Keokuk County #27. Delaware County #27. Shelby County #27. Benton County #26. Plymouth County #24. Greene County #24. Linn County #21. Adams County #21. Carroll County #21. Buchanan County #19. Kossuth County #19. Jefferson County #18. Humboldt County #16. Worth County #16. Dubuque County #13. Clayton County #13. Guthrie County #13. Mitchell County #12. Buena Vista County #11. Dickinson County #10. Bremer County #9. Cedar County #7. Jones County #7. Lyon County #5. Hancock County #5. Dallas County #4. Story County #3. Johnson County #2. Sioux County #1. Winneshiek County Flooding along River Drive in Moline has left Ben Butterworth Parkway underwater, along with forcing at least one business to temporarily close. Located at 3800 River Drive, Milltown Coffee has temporarily closed until further notice because of floodwaters invading the property. The coffee shop was open until the afternoon on Tuesday, but floodwaters have risen to the parking lot. As of Wednesday afternoon, the Mississippi River at Rock Island was at 19.37 feet. It is expected to reach full crest on Monday in the Quad-Cities and should reach a level between 21.3 feet and 21.9 feet. Compared to Davenport, which installs temporary HESCO barriers as floodwalls, Moline does not use them for the stretch of River Drive from the Western Illinois University campus to the East Moline border. The city has a levee system that protects a majority of the downtown from flooding. Rodd Schick, municipal services general manager, said stormwater systems were closed off and pumps were activated to help remove floodwater. As of now, Schick said, they continue to monitor flooding along River Drive, and there are no other plans for further mitigation efforts. "We are just sort of watching and waiting to see where things go," he said. "Every flood is a little different. "We take sand and sandbags to residents and businesses along River Drive and help them out, so they can protect their properties." The city closed River Drive from 23rd Street to 55th Street over the weekend. As of Wednesday afternoon, the Western Illinois University Campus, along with the Waterfront Apartments and a few businesses, were accessible by turning at the stoplight at River Drive and University Drive. A white Ford Ranger pickup truck was submerged in water in front of the WIU campus Wednesday afternoon. Rock Island The floodwall at Schwiebert Riverfront Park was installed last week, along with water-discharge hoses over the bike path. Portions of the path are closed until the river level falls below 16 feet. Fifth Avenue, just west of 40th Street, is closed because of floodwaters backing up in the storm sewer system. Traffic is being detoured one block south to 6th Avenue. Sunset Marina's fuel dock is closed and pump-out services have been discontinued. The lower road is closed to vehicular traffic and temporary walkways for pedestrian access to the docks have been installed. Sunset Drive, from 31st Avenue to the Park Shelter and Skafidas Parkway, is closed until further notice. East Moline Last week, the city closed the floodwall at 1st and Great River Lane. Campbells Island, an unincorporated community adjacent to East Moline, is closed to traffic. The main road around the island is closed, and residents must use boats to reach a few homes on the Iowa-facing side of the island. As of Tuesday, MidAmerican Energy cut off gas service on the island that has so far impacted 30 customers. Photos: Quad Cities continue to prep as Mississippi River continues to rise, Wednesday, April 26 WHAT WE KNOW: The city of Geneseo applied for a $300,000 grant through the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP) for a pedestrian bridge connecting South State Street to Illinois Route 82. WHAT'S NEW: The ITEP grant was denied for 2023, and the aldermen discussed how to proceed at Tuesday night's committee of the whole meeting. They concluded it would be best to wait for the results of a May 8 meeting between the state and City Administrator Brandon Maeglin to see whether it might be worthwhile to apply for the grant again for 2024. Aldermen discussed the possibility of going back to the Geneseo Foundation to ask for a larger donation toward the project, knowing the foundation approved $125,000, based on the city receiving the ITEP grant. The city originally asked the foundation for up to $250,000. The architect's estimate for the total cost of the project was $400,000; however IMEG engineer Loren Rains told the group Tuesday that the state could require enlarging the intersection with H.K. Robinson Drive, which would mean the cost could go to $500,000 or $600,000. "That's information we should have had prior to making these decisions," Mayor Sean Johnson said. Rains said his firm had only recently found out about the added cost. It was noted the city might be better off going with a completely local project and not involve state funding. WHAT'S NEXT: Aldermen voted 7-0 recommending amendments to the city code for refuse and junk. They spent the greater part of the discussion talking about when trash should be put out and picked up. The changes call for trash to be put out by 6 p.m. the day before garbage pick-up April through October and by 4 p.m. November through March, removing the receptacle from the street by 11:59 p.m. the day of pick-up. Mayor Johnson said a reasonable standard applied to "everything we do in this community." He said "when you try to define things too much it becomes equally complicated." He also said if it became too problematic for residents, the council could always revisit it. The river level in the Quad-Cities is not expected to break any records when the crest of 21.6 feet comes on Monday. A moving target for weeks, the forecasted crest has remained steady now for several days. To the north, it's a different story. Dubuque, Belleveue, Fulton and Camanche are expected to break the top-three records set in 1993. But, National Weather Service Hydrologist Matt Wilson said, the good news is that the water is expected to fall fairly quickly. "However long it takes to get up to crest, it should take the same length of time to fall," he said. By Sunday, the water is expected to rise in every area along the Mississippi River from Fulton to Keokuk. By Wednesday, May 3, every point from Dubuque to Muscatine should have hit the crest and begun to recede, he said. Even farther north, the snowmelt has largely finished. A little does remain, but it will not impact the crest. "At this point, there isn't very much left up there that we are worried about impacts," he said. Looking forward to the next seven days, less than an inch of rain is expected to fall in the region, but the extended forecast looks dry. The new rainfall will not impact river levels, he said. Red Cross opens Shelter in Davenport The American Red Cross has opened a shelter in Davenport in response to the flooding on the Mississippi River, the agency announced Thursday. The shelter, at 1111 W. Kimberly Road in Davenport, is available for people affected by the flooding. Pets are allowed, so long as the owners bring a kennel and all pet supplies, according to the announcement. Those using the shelter are encouraged to bring any personal supplies they need, including medications, toiletries or similar items. Meals and water will be available at the shelter, according to the Red Cross. Residents affected by the flooding can get a meal at three locations in the Iowa and Illinois Quad-Cities beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday. Meals will be available from noon to 2 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. Bottled water will be available, too. The locations are: Pleasant Valley Fire Station parking lot, 24495 Valley Drive, Bettendorf Parking lot at the corner of South Concord Street and Utah Avenue in Davenport Old fire station parking lot on Campbells Island, East Moline. Residents with homes affected by flooding can call 800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767) for assistance and information. Disaster aid also available Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for several counties in Iowa, unlocking state resources to respond to and recover from the effects of Mississippi River flooding. Eligible Clinton and Scott County residents may apply for grant assistance to cover losses with Community Action of Eastern Iowa. The program provides up to $5,000 per eligible household for home or car repairs, replacement of clothing or food, and for temporary housing expenses. Households must have an income at or below 200% of the federal poverty guideline. High waters close navigation systems on the river The high waters have closed navigation through seven lock systems on the Mississippi River in Iowa and Illinois, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rock Island District, with at least two more expected to close as the river crests. Locks systems are closed at Dubuque, Bellevue, Fulton, Pleasant Valley, Rock Island, Illinois City and New Boston. Rock Islands closed Thursday as the river exceeded 20 feet. We have to close that lock in order to get the equipment that runs the lock to higher ground in some cases and ultimately cease operation, Col. Jesse Curry said during a news conference with Mississippi River mayors on Thursday. Because at that point, it becomes unsafe for barge traffic to try to come through the lock. In some cases, that's because the water is above the lock wall, and it becomes significantly more difficult for a pilot to keep the vessel within the chamber. Closing those waterways does impact regional river transportation, Curry said. Typically, this time of year barges carry a lot of pre-planting, agricultural products, such as fertilizers and other products, he said. As soon as one of the locks is closed, its closed to all traffic, and the impact to navigation, the impact to industries that rely on the Mississippi River to move product, its a full stop, Curry said. But with the National Weather Service predicting the flood to recede more quickly than in 2019, Curry said, theyre hoping to have the locks open soon after the crest. Corps: Levee breaches not a concern The Rock Island District of the Army Corps of Engineers supports 130 levees in its region, Curry said. The Corps sends engineers to walk the levees and identify any weaknesses. This current flood, we dont have any particular or specific areas that have reached a level of concern that we would expect a breach or expect those types of devastating effects that weve seen in more severe flood events, Curry said. He emphasized that the Corps would continue to keep a close eye on the levees as conditions change. The colonel made those comments at a news conference that included the National Weather Service and several mayors along the upper Mississippi River, including Bettendorf Mayor Bob Gallagher. Gallagher acknowledged Bettendorfs floodwall protects much of the eastern Quad-Cities and sends some of those waters downstream to Davenport, which has become expert at flood fighting on its 9 miles of riverfront. The entire region, he said, has learned life lessons from prior record floods. We continue to do the best we can as an area and keep things in their banks, so that we don't see any large-scale damage, other than some park cleanup, and a few city blocks in Davenport, Gallagher said. That'll need some cleanup, but they've done a nice job of being able to continue to fight the good fight. Sarah Watson contributed to this report. Photos: Mississippi River continues to rise across the Quad Cities, Thursday, April 27 Several hundred people gathered at the Ramkota in Rapid City Wednesday night to hear a presentation from the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management about a proposed mineral withdrawal in the Pactola and Rapid Creek watersheds. The withdrawal would close 20,574 acres of land in the Pactola and Rapid Creek watersheds to mining activity. The USFS applied for the withdrawal on Feb. 21. It was published to the Federal Register March 21, initiating a two-year segregation period and a 90-day comment period. "We will not see any new mining claim activity until the Forest Service is able to complete their study. So it allows that buffer time without risk of precluding any decision space until that withdrawal recommendation is made," said Kim Prill, BLM deputy state director for energy, minerals and realty, Montana/Dakotas region. Neither the segregation period or withdrawal would affect privately owned lands or minerals. The USFS will gather the application information, studies, analyses and reports that the BLM will use to prepare the case file to be sent to the Department of the Interior. If Interior Secretary Deb Haaland approves the withdrawal application, no new mining claims or activities would take place in that 20,000-plus acre area for 20 years. The Forest Service said the purpose of the withdrawal is to protect cultural and natural resources, and protect the water for Rapid City and Ellsworth Air Force Base, from the potential effects of mineral exploration and development. What we were concerned about was of course Pactola Reservoir being a primary water source for Rapid City and the surrounding area and Ellsworth Air Force Base, Deputy Regional Forester Jacqueline Buchanan said. Thats how we arrived at the 20,574 acres; so it wasnt just a line drawn on a map. The proposed F3 Gold Jenny Gulch Project was the catalyst for the withdrawal application, with concerns arising during the objection period around cultural and natural resources, all of which Buchanan said warranted a further look at their options. Pactola Reservoir is the largest and deepest reservoir in the Black Hills, with 14 miles of shoreline and covering 800 acres. An 88-unit campground serves as the base for recreational activities like boating, hiking and swimming. Pactolas Visitors Center sees upwards of 50,000 visitors per year, according to the USFS. Department of Tourism numbers show South Dakota as a whole welcomed 14.4 million visitors in 2022 alone. Rapid Creek provides water for Rapid City and Ellsworth Air Force Base directly from the surface and underground as it recharges the Madison and Minnelusa aquifers. It flows from Pactola Reservoir, joins the Cheyenne River and eventually the Missouri. Of a couple dozen public speakers, only two spoke directly against the withdrawal. Larry Mann, a fourth generation Homestake Mine employee, said it was irresponsible to say exploration always leads to mining. In 40 years, he said, there hasnt been an exploratory project where they found something viable and opened a mine because of it. The other supporter, Ray Gukeisen, highlighted the importance of mining to national security and the economy. We have enemies in this world. If we continue to rope off our own natural resources and rely on our enemies and global supply chains to supply us with commercially valuable minerals, we are setting ourselves at a disadvantage with people who do not have our best interests at heart, Gukeisen said. Prill explained after the meeting BLM is seeing a lot of interest in mining claim activity for "critical minerals," such as cobalt and lithium, that needed for renewable energy resources and similar industry. Stuck in the middle are recreational miners and hobby gold panners. Sam Griner has been recreationally mining on placer claims for about 20 years. Placer claims, he said, are small, non-invasive operations that dont use any machinery or even gas engines. Theyre hobbies often used to educate local youths not out-of-state conglomerates with no regard for the Black Hills. We dont do this for a profit. Were not F3 Gold; were not Wharf. All we would like to do is have a little bit of a fair shake in the Black Hills ourselves as a little bit of recreation, he said. Support for the withdrawal was overwhelming, with speakers running the gamut from residents, clean water activists, fly fisherman and representatives of the Indigenous community. I think mining is important, but it doesnt have to happen everywhere, said Dave Mertz. I think this is a place it doesnt have to happen. Indigenous and non-Indigenous speakers alike affirmed the need for tribal consultation and agreed it should be initiated by the federal government. Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chairman Ryman LeBeau invited Buchanan and the others to Cheyenne River to hold nation-to-nation discussions. Quite frankly and quite honestly, we will do anything and everything to protect the Black Hills, to protect He Sapa, he said. This is very important to us. This is our birthright, this is our birthplacethis is our paradise here on earth. Others asked for an expansion of the 20,000-plus acres to all of the Black Hills, with tributaries and important resources located outside of the planned boundary. "I think that this is an incredibly great start," said Rebecca Terk. "But without protecting the tributaries the water flowing into Pactola we're not protecting that water supply. If we're not considerate of the fact that we have substantial ground and surface water interaction with our aquifers, that Rapid City and Ellsworth Air Force Base rely on for their wells, then we're again not actually fulfilling the stated purpose of the withdrawal." Pat Jones, a Rapid City councilmember who spoke only on his own behalf, said F3 Gold is aptly named "three fs what their report card is among the public. "This is our life," said retired attorney Jay Davis. "Water is life." Buchanan said she took notes on every single comment and heard loud and clear" the need for tribal consultation. Weve got about 18 months ahead of us stick with us, and hopefully well end up in the right place, she said. If you do good work in the right way, you should end up there with the right decision. Public comments will be accepted until June 20 online and in written letters. Electronic comments will be accepted at https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public//CommentInput?Project=63876. Written comments can be sent to Bryan Karchut, Black Hills National Forest, 1019 N. 5th Street, Custer, SD 57730. Comments via email wont be accepted. Buchanan reinforced the importance of public comment. What you give us will be really key to how we can prepare a package for consideration with the Secretary, Buchanan said. While no other public meetings are scheduled, the USFS is planning for a virtual meeting sometime mid-May to allow for more public comment and discussion. The USFS plans to have the environmental review, public comment and tribal consultation completed by spring 2024. Along with the BLM, they will assemble the case file that summer and have it on Haalands desk by the fall. A decision would be anticipated by March 21, 2025 the end date for the two-year segregation. The two-year segregation period cant be extended, but the process for applying for a withdrawal can continue regardless. The potential withdrawal period is up to 20 years, but could be renewed. Only Congress can legislate a permanent mineral withdrawal. The North Dakota Senate has overridden Gov. Doug Burgum's veto of one of two book ban bills, sending the bill to the House of Representatives for a final vote. Burgum on Tuesday had signed one of the book ban bills approved by the Legislature, and vetoed the other, which has criminal penalties and also restrictions that Bismarck's public library estimated would cost $334 million to comply with. The governor signed House Bill 1205 by House Majority Leader Mike Lefor, R-Dickinson. He vetoed Senate Bill 2360 by Sen. Keith Boehm, R-Mandan. Both bills target "explicit sexual material," defined as "any material which, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest of minors; is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community in North Dakota as a whole with respect to what is suitable material for minors; and taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors." Supporters said the bills protect children from pornography. Opponents said the bills are censorship. The state House of Representatives needs 63 votes to override a veto; the Senate needs 32. The Senate overrode the veto on Wednesday afternoon in a 33-14 vote, sending the bill to the House, which needs nine more votes than its previous vote on the bill to override the veto. The Legislature is nearing the end of its session, with eight days left of a maximum 80 to meet. Vetoed bill Under Boehm's bill, employees of school districts, state agencies and public libraries could face a misdemeanor charge for willfully exposing "explicit sexual material" to a minor. The bill also applies to "newsstands or any other business establishment frequented by minors, or where minors are or may be invited as a part of the general public." Boehm's bill would add public libraries and public school libraries to the latter places. The State Library is exempt. Burgum in a veto message said Boehm's bill "goes too far" with its criminal penalties, and "creates an enormous burden for our 84 local public libraries and hundreds of K-12 school libraries by imposing, through the threat of criminal prosecution, a de facto requirement that libraries conduct an expensive review of library materials that have already been through a screening process to protect young people from objectionable material." "While some will argue that such a review isn't necessary because the bill states that a librarian must 'willfully' display explicit sexual material in order to be in violation of the law, librarians cannot reasonably be expected to take their chances with what's currently displayed on the shelves and assume the risk of criminal prosecution based on that subjective standard," Burgum said. The governor also knocked the bill for not including an appropriation, or money "to cover the considerable expense of this review process, making this an unfunded mandate" local and school libraries are "ill-equipped to afford and manage." Burgum said exempting the State Library and not including private K-12 schools "creates further inequities." "America is built on a foundation of free speech, the free exchange of ideas and the freedom from government interference to read -- or not to read -- books that share ideas and stories across a spectrum of human nature and experience," he said. "The best way we protect our youth is through involved and caring parents making decisions in the best interests of their children, whether at home, online or in a public or school library -- not with unfunded, one-size-fits-all government mandates," Burgum said. The bill also would require public libraries and public school libraries to submit an annual report to lawmakers about "provider compliance with technology protection measures" the bill would require for digital or online library database resources for K-12 students, to prevent viewing of "explicit sexual material." "The legislation does not ban books or censor. It merely moves it to a different part of the library," Boehm told the Senate on Wednesday. "It does not put staff in jail, unless they recklessly and willfully get obscenity to children." He said the Senate "neutered" 1205, in not removing the exemption for public libraries from the state's obscenity laws. Boehm also blasted "no less than 10 activists at the head of our libraries," who "continue to say that we shouldn't do away with this material." The Senate had previously passed Boehm's bill, 33-14. The House passed the bill, 54-38. The latter was not veto-proof. Signed bill The state House of Representatives passed Lefor's bill, 70-22. The Senate passed the bill, 39-7. Lefor's bill will remove or relocate "explicit sexual material" from public libraries' children's collections. The bill will mandate public libraries to come up with policies and procedures before next year for removing or relocating "explicit sexual material," handling requests to remove or relocate books, developing age-appropriate book collections, and periodically reviewing collections. Libraries also will have to submit a "compliance report" on their policies to lawmakers. The bill also makes clear it will apply to "any children's book inventory maintained by a public library." Burgum said, "Protecting children from explicit sexual material is common sense." He also said the bill "standardizes the process for local public libraries to review material when requested by parents, library users or other members of the public -- a process already in place and working at nearly all public libraries across the state." Sioux Falls neighborhoods that struggle with food insecurity could soon have a new option in the "Eat Well Mobile Market," a program the city's health department intends to help with $250,000 in grant funding. The department announced its intention in a Wednesday morning press conference attended by the members of the coalition that formed the program, which will be headed by Sioux Falls Thrive, a nonprofit focused on helping children succeed from cradle to graduation. The idea is to take a repurposed vehicle, perhaps a decommissioned bus, and transform it into a mobile grocery store where healthy food can be made available to those who may have challenges with transportation or affordability. The use of "reclaimed" grocery items will create a higher profit margin that covers for the higher-cost items, and shoppers would be able to use SNAP benefits at the market. Sioux Falls Thrive President Michelle Erpenbach said ideally, the program could even serve as an "advanced scout" to determine locations in the city where a new grocery store could make sense. Maybe that mobile market becomes a permanent option for that neighborhood," Erpenbach said, alternatively. The initial location for the mobile market will be somewhere near the intersection of Cliff Avenue and Benson Road, Erpenbach said, with a targeted start date near Aug. 24, the first day of school. Future locations would then be determined, with the idea the market would eventually settle into a regular cycle communicated to customers through social media. Erpenbach said they anticipated the program would be sustainable after 18 months. The grant funding also requires evaluation of how the program was effective in improving access and affordability, as well as how sustainable it was. Sioux Falls Thrive will provide much of the "backbone services" for the program, from staffing support to social media, but the program's development was a collaboration between Fair Market/Empower, First United Methodist Church, First Presbyterian Church, Church on the Street, Augustana Research Institute, Active Generations, Sioux Falls Food Co+op, Feeding South Dakota, and Thrives Food Security Action Team, according to a city press release. The funding approval will be placed on the consent agenda of the Sioux Falls City Council at its May 2 meeting. This story is from the Sioux Falls Argus Leader and was first published here. In 2020, the American Bar Association published a profile of the legal profession that highlighted the decreasing number of attorneys practicing in rural communities across the U.S. According to the report, there were, at the time, 54 counties or county equivalents in the U.S. that had no lawyers. Another 182 had one or two of them. Nearly 1,300 counties had less than one lawyer per 1,000 residents. Many of these areas are parts of legal deserts, or places where residents have to travel far to access routine legal services. Wyoming is no exception to this trend, Laramie attorney Kelly Neville, the past president and treasurer of the Wyoming State Bar, told lawmakers in the Joint Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. As our baby boomer generation attorneys are winding down their practices and starting to go into retirement, we are seeing Wyoming communities increasingly underserved by the number of attorneys that are there and available to serve the citizens. With the possibility of this shortage becoming more acute, lawmakers are taking a look at potential solutions that could compel lawyers to practice in the states underserved communities. Those solutions could potentially involve new legislation for the 2024 session; the Joint Judiciary Committee requested on Tuesday a bill draft based on language from South Dakota statute that would create a rural attorney incentive program. The committee still has two more meetings to consider that draft legislation before it can potentially be considered in next years session. The Wyoming State Bar has more than 1,600 active members in the state, according to data from the association. A whopping 70% of these lawyers work in just five Wyoming communities Cheyenne with 32%, Casper with 12.5%, Jackson with 11.5% and Laramie and Sheridan with the remaining 14%. The availability of lawyers in smaller Wyoming communities is lacking, to say the least. There are eight counties in the state Converse, Hot Springs, Lincoln, Uinta, Goshen, Weston, Big Horn and Crook counties that have fewer than 1.2 lawyers per 1,000 people. Another eight have fewer than 3.9 attorneys per 1,000 people. Not all of these attorneys necessarily offer services in the areas that people need, and roughly 60% of attorneys in underserved areas are over 55 years in age. Many dont have a successor lined up. Whats more, 70% of lawyers in the eight counties with the lowest attorney-to-population ratio reported having issues with representation conflicts, compared with 33% in the largest eight counties, Alan Romero, a University of Wyoming law professor, said. These rural areas have serious legal needs: People need lawyers to help them with social security and workers compensation matters, Neville said. They need wills, medical powers of attorney and financial powers of attorney. They need assistance with adoptions, divorces and custody matters. They need help dealing with estates when a parent passes away. There have been some initiatives in the state to address the attorney shortage in rural areas. In 2009, the University of Wyomings College of Law established its Rural Law Center, which aims to prepare students for rural practice and service. The Wyoming State Bar also donated $50,000 to the University of Wyoming Foundation to make the Wyoming State Bar Rural Practice Opportunity Fund. The donation was matched by state funds for a total of $100,000. That endowment will fund stipend and salary matches as well as travel and living expenses for law students taking part in the University of Wyomings Legal Liftoff Program and externships with rural attorneys in the state, with the aim of exposing students to rural practice opportunities. Neville said the state bar expects to distribute awards starting in summer of 2024. Wyoming can look to other states to see examples of what might work here. Neighbors like North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho and Montana have incentive programs to draw attorneys to rural areas, a memo from the states Legislative Service Office explains. The legislatures of North and South Dakota made rural attorney incentive programs that are run by their judicial branches. Idaho has a scholarship fund through the University of Idaho College of Law to help students develop connections in rural areas. And the Montana Legal Services Association, a private, nonprofit law firm, runs a Rural Incubator Project that encourages lawyers to offer affordable services to low-income residents of rural communities. For the past decade, Wyomings legal community has focused much of its attention on South Dakotas model. In 2013, South Dakota launched a pilot program to address its shortage of lawyers practicing in rural areas. The program has since been expanded to include municipalities with less than 3,500 residents and was made permanent in 2019. Attorneys who participate in the program receive five stipend payments of roughly $12,500 per year in exchange for five years of service in a rural community. South Dakota pays for the program through a blend of money from the unified judicial system, counties and municipalities and the state bar. Lawyers who breach the contract have to repay the incentive payments. There have been 31 participants under contract in the program. Of those 31 participants, 15 graduated out of the program, five terminated their contract and 12 stayed in the rural communities where they were practicing. I think thats really the important number there, Douglas attorney Pierce Peasley said of the 12 lawyers who stayed in their rural communities. Five years in one of these communities is a long time, and it allows those individuals to build a practice and to ingratiate themselves in that community and learn to appreciate those communities that they may not have at that time. Two George Wythe High School students are in the hospital, one in critical condition, after they were shot near the school Thursday, police said. Police responded to the school around noon, within one minute after they had received reports of gunfire, according to the Richmond Police Department. Officers found one student in a wooded area outside the schools parking lot on Crutchfield Street, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. That student was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said. A second student, who was also shot but suffered less serious injuries, took himself to a hospital, police said. The suspects are still at large, interim police chief Rick Edwards said. .@ATFWashington on scene to assist our law enforcement partners @RichmondPolice in a shooting investigation at George Wythe High School in Richmond. pic.twitter.com/2sXuxeRkJt ATF Washington (@ATFWashington) April 27, 2023 Right now were talking with witnesses, were interviewing subjects, we are reviewing camera footage, and we are trying to get to the bottom of what happened today, Edwards said at a news conference outside the crime scene. Our detectives are running 1,000 miles an hour right now trying to find leads. Edwards said it was unclear who the suspects are and whether or not they are students. Police believe there was only one shooter, Edwards said, but multiple potential suspects. Police did not yet know a motive as of the 2 p.m. news conference. U.S. Marshals and agents from the Washington D.C. field division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting in the investigation, along with the two school resource officers who were on duty at Wythe on Thursday. The school was under a lock and teach for the remainder of the school day, meaning movement on campus was restricted and nobody was allowed to enter or exit the school building. Superintendent Jason Kamras said that other area schools, including River City Middle School, had gone into lock and teach protocols out of caution, but that those schools had returned to regular operations by 2 p.m. Kamras, who said that the safety of students and staff was the school divisions most solemn obligation, linked the shooting to a rising tide of gun violence in the city. We need the entire village, all of Richmond, to support us, Kamras said at the news conference. There are too many guns in the city and theyre being used too often. Edwards said that police were reviewing security camera footage and had started to receive tips from the public. People are providing us with helpful information, and we want to encourage them to continue to do so, Edwards said. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Detective K. Hyde at (804) 646-3613, call Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000, or use the P3 Tips Crime Stoppers app for smartphones. All Crime Stoppers reporting methods are anonymous. Richmond police on Wednesday released the name of the man who was shot by police over the weekend. Daniel Vincent Rodriguez, 57, is hospitalized with a life-threatening injury. He's being held on an unrelated warrant. Future charges are pending, police said. Rodriguez was driving a vehicle that hit another vehicle in the 3100 block of Third Avenue, police said. Officers were called there at 11:34 p.m. Saturday. Police said Rodriguez approached an officer and was carrying a knife. The officer shot Rodriguez. Two other adults were also taken to a hospital. Anyone with information is asked to call police at (804) 646-3926 or Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000. Four Virginia Commonwealth University students were arrested Wednesday night after protesting a second anti-abortion rally in the universitys student center. VCU police arrested Cassandra Mellor, 20; Casey Lockledge, 19; Joseph Friedman, 21; and Theo Mastio, 19. All four were charged with misdemeanor trespassing and released on bond. Mastio was also charged with misdemeanor resisting arrest. It was the second anti-abortion rally in the past month held by Students for Life of America at VCU that was disrupted by protesters. This time, police broke up the protest, allowing the event to continue. On Wednesday night, the anti-abortion group Students for Life at VCU gathered in the student center for a second time with their national leader, Kristan Hawkins. When they gathered last month, protesters effectively shut down the meeting. A brief tussle ensued, and two Richmond residents were arrested. Both sides complained that VCU did not protect them adequately. This time, VCU told protesters it would not tolerate shouting or any attempt to stop speakers from talking. Officers were stationed in the commons before the night began. Dozens of protesters gathered in the back of the room, holding signs and linking arms, according to videos posted by Kristopher Goad, a local activist who documents protests and other public events on Twitter. Then they began chanting. Officers warned them they would be arrested if they continued. After the four students were arrested, the other protesters left the room, and the event continued. VCU is dedicated to promoting a safe environment for students, faculty, staff and visitors to gather and speak freely in a civil manner, university spokesperson Michael Porter said. Porter added that VCU spoke with organizers and protesters days before the event to explain the universitys policy. Police would first issue a warning, and those who continued to interfere with the event would be asked to leave and could face criminal prosecution. A sign posted outside the room indicated that canceling or attempting to discontinue the speech of any speaker would not be tolerated. Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, commended VCU for how it handled the protesters. The expectations for those attending the event were made clear from the beginning, and when those rules were violated by protesters, campus police quickly and professionally removed them, Gilbert said in a statement. On Thursday, another anti-abortion group, called Created Equal, which often displays pictures of aborted fetuses, visited VCUs campus. A battle between the states biggest health insurer and two emergency room doctors in Southwest Virginia over the $5,560 difference between what the doctors billed and what Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield offered has raged for more than a year, and offers a rare glimpse into the secretive world of medical billing. The dispute brought in five attorneys and some 375 pages of legal briefs not counting routine procedural motions filed at the State Corporation Commission, as well as a one-hour hearing and reviews by SCC Bureau of Insurance staff. Digging through the filings and checking on his own, the SCCs chief hearing examiner, Alexander Skirpan, found there were nine different ways of determining what the same ER services ought to cost. Its really devastating what many Virginians are facing with skyrocketing health care costs, said Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax. He added that a main reason he pushed a bill saying hospitals must post standard charges for items and services on their websites was because Virginians were not getting an accurate read on their medical care costs. I believe that full and complete pricing transparency is a key and necessary step in the right direction ... the same exact service, done by the same medical provider, simply at a different facility, can be three times the cost, he said. There are obvious equity issues raised in all of these concerns, he said. A question of balance billing Skirpans review upheld an arbitrators decision that found for the doctors, even though the same arbitrator had previously looked at much the same kind of evidence to decide in favor of the insurer and in spite of the fact that Anthem pays the full amount of some of those bills for some kinds of coverage. The dispute grows out of the states 3-year-old law barring balance billing a practice wherein doctors, hospitals and other health care providers who are not in an insurers network bill patients for the difference between what insurers pay them and what they want to charge, a difference that had sometimes amounted to tens of thousands of dollars. It had been an especially big issue with emergency room visits, anesthesiology, plastic surgery and lab tests. Virginias ban was a compromise reached after years of wrangling between some of the most influential lobbyists in the state doctors and hospitals on one side, insurers on the other. Insurers would pay out-of-network providers a commercially reasonable amount, based on payments for the same or similar services provided in a similar geographic area. What that means is not always obvious, as case records at the SCC show. For one patient whose visit to the LewisGale Alleghany hospital in Low Moor involved what the American Medical Associations Current Procedural Terminology calls medical decision making of moderate complexity and entailed an expanded problem-focused history and an examination of the same scope, the ER doctors practice billed $747. Anthem argued that a state database that tracks payments to out-of-network providers held that $96 was the usual payment. On that basis, it offered to pay $95.66, which is what it paid in-network providers. Prices at Richmond-area hospitals can be hard to decipher The price of a CT scan appears to vary widely based on hospital-produced lists. But reading and understanding pricing lists is a challenge. The doctors practice, a separate entity from the hospital that is formally affiliated with it, said that amounted to an arbitrary and inaccurate discount and asked for arbitration, as the state balance billing law allows. In doing so, it cut its proposed reimbursement to $222. That same day, another patient came to the Low Moor ER. That patients visit involved a comprehensive history, comprehensive exam and what the AMA terminology called medical decision-making of high complexity. The doctors group billed $2,089 for this visit. Anthem said the state database suggested the average charge was $259 and, on that basis, said a commercially reasonable payment was $238. Taking this case to the arbitrator, the group cut its proposed claim to $425. Two days later, another patient visited the LewisGale Hospital Montgomery ER in Blacksburg. The visit involved taking a detailed history, a detailed examination and what the AMAs Current Procedural Terminology calls medical decision making of moderate complexity. The ER doctors group billed Anthem $1,416. Anthem said the state database suggested the average for the service was $161. It used that as the basis for what it said was a reasonable reimbursement of $180.43. When the dispute went to arbitrators, the ER doctors group came back with a counter of $696. The same doctor treated another patient the same day on a visit that involved a comprehensive history, comprehensive exam and highly complex decision making. His group billed $2,089 for this visit. Anthem said the commercially reasonable rate according to a state database was $259 and used that to propose what it said was a reasonable commercial rate of $266.30. When this went to arbitration, the group offered to cut its charge to $1,013. Both groups argued for their charges on the basis of data collected by a nonprofit that collects private health care claims data from across the nation, with a database of 33 billion claims. The arbitrator found for the doctors groups in all these cases. Medical decision making of moderate complexity Anthem complained to the SCC that the arbitrator in both cases relied on the state database that the insurer based its proposed payments on until May 2022. But after that point, the arbitrator appeared to discount that data and turned to the national figures the doctors groups argued were the more appropriate measure: the figures on which the doctors groups had based their initial bills. The Blacksburg group said Anthem had paid its full charge of $1,416 for the case involving medical decision making of moderate complexity, and $1,753 for its $2,089 charge in the more complex case. The Low Moor group said it had been paid in full for a case involving a problem-focused exam and its more complex case, also 11 months before. Anthem countered that the arbitrator had previously found its $238 offer for a complex case at Low Moor this one involving a different member of the same doctors group to be more reasonable, and that the arbitrators higher award cannot suddenly be more fair and reasonable ... when the opposite was true just a few months before. When asked to comment on how Anthem determines what it will pay, spokesperson Kersha Cartwright said: We pay claims according to policies our clients purchase within the guidelines of federal and state laws and regulations. SCC Chief Hearing Examiner Skirpans research, meanwhile, found still more variation in billing and claims paid. When the Low Moor providers, for instance, looked at the same state database Anthem used, they found a still-lower number. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services quoted even lower numbers, while the figures Anthem offered were what it paid in-network providers. But what it paid for claims under the large employers self-insured plans that Anthem administered matched the Low Moor groups initial billing. Skirpan found much the same with the Blacksburg groups examination of the state database, as well as with the CMMS data. For this group, Anthems proposed payment was the same as its in-network rate. But payments through the self-insured plans matched the moderate complexity case, though in this case it was $335 lower than the $2,089 the Blacksburg group initially billed and $1,487 higher than what Anthem offered to pay and what it paid to in-network providers through the plans it itself insured. For arbitrations decided in the 12 months ending May 31, 2022, the latest period for which data is available, arbitrators ruled in favor of insurers in 303 cases of disputes over payments for emergency care and in favor of ER doctors in 130 of such cases. The Low Moor and Blacksburg groups between them accounted for 20% of arbitrations. ER doctors groups associated with all LewisGale hospitals accounted for 55% of arbitrations. From the Archives: A look back at coffee in Richmond Coffee Coffee Coffee Coffee Coffee Coffee Coffee Cozumel seeking recognition of Best Practices before Unesco Cozumel, Q.R. The Biocultural Itinerary of Cozumel is seek the recognition of Best Practices before Unesco. According to the INAH, the project was announced during the Intersectoral and Technical Meeting on Best Practices and Underwater Cultural Heritage. The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) says the route will prioritize the dissemination, enjoyment and responsible access to the islands heritage, which ranges from prehistory to the 20th century In order to make visible and safeguard the heritage of this Mexican Caribbean island, the Yucatan Peninsula Nautical and Underwater Route was presented. The island will seek to propose itself to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) to obtain the distinction of Best Practices. Authorities of the federal Ministry of Culture, through the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) and the Sub-directorate of Underwater Archeology (SAS), reported that the initiative derives from a global trend regarding the democratization of the islands heritage. According to the head of the Yucatan Peninsula Office of the SAS, Helena Barba Meinecke, the eventual recognition of Best Practices would make Cozumel the spearhead of a project that will seek, in the long term, to integrate other terrestrial and underwater sites of the peninsula. The itinerary presented includes 15 heritage sites on the island of Cozumel between underwater contexts, archaeological assets, museums and natural formations. Cozumel has a vast biocultural heritage that goes from prehistory to the 20th century, and that long chronology is what we have integrated into the itinerary, Barba said. Started in 2022, the project joins the wishes of the INAH, the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas and the Cozumel City Council, with the purpose of consolidating a route that regulates and optimizes public visits to the sites that are frequented by tourism diving, such as the wrecks of the ships Laguna de Mardinga and Xicotencatl, which date from the 19th and 20th centuries, respectively. In addition to providing a better experience for tourists, the regulation will also emphasize adequate protection and responsible access to underwater contexts and surface sites such as Cueva Aerolito and the archaeological zones of San Gervasio and El Cedral. Care will be taken that the route is of equal access, meaning that it does not prioritize diving, but that it brings heritage closer to all people, Barba pointed out, referring to the fact that, as part of the initiative, it is contemplated to make use of technologies such as virtual and digital platforms. She said that temporary exhibitions or the Museum of the Island of Cozumel itself, recently renovated in its museography with the participation of INAH specialists, to bring submerged sites to people with disabilities, the elderly and the public that does not practice diving. Publicizing this project within the framework of this intersectoral meeting allowed us to join forces with the various levels of government and even internationally, she said. Currently, work is being done on the Cozumel biocultural itinerary Management Plan with a view to presenting the candidacy during the UNESCO Convention meeting to be held next year and another in 2025. Isla Mujeres rooftop blaze started on under-construction building Isla Mujeres, Q.R. A group of nearby neighbors rushed to the rooftop scene of a fire Wednesday in central Isla Mujeres. The group were quickly joined by elements of the Marina who helped with buckets, hoses and fire extinguishers to put out a large fire. Flames were seen shooting from the top of the under-construction island building along Rueda Median Avenue around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. Isla Mujeres firemen arrived on the scene, but only after it was put out. According to early information, a fire was intentionally started by the group of building construction workers who lit a small section of a large pile of dry wood on the roof to heat food. That small fire quickly spread and engulfed a majority of the rest of the dry timber. Shooting flames from the rooftop blaze could be seen for several blocks. In a brief statement, Isla Mujeres Police reported that the General Directorate of Public Security implemented an operation to put out an outbreak of fire in the center of the island. Island firemen arrived to soak the extremely dry wood and ensure the fire was out. Photo: Policia de Isla Mujeres April 26, 2023. Thanks to the timely intervention of Public Security and Transit personnel, elements of the Mexican Navy, an ambulance from the Ninth Naval Region and elements of the Marine Infantry, no material damage or injuries were reported in the outbreak of fire that occurred in local 6 Rueda Medina Avenue. At 8:35 in the morning, the report of a wood fire was received at the aforementioned premises located at the confluence of Abasolo and Matamoros Streets () where a mound of masonry wood was burning. Municipality to spend 23 million to clean old Tulum dump Tulum, Q.R. Approximately 23 million pesos will be used for the cleanup process of the old Tulum municipal garbage dump. The open air dump, which is located at kilometer 9 of the Tulum-Coba highway, will be cleaned with some money from 2022. According to Vicente Francisco Aldape Moncada, Municipal Treasurer, the project is being managed with resources from the collection of the Environmental Sanitation Tax from last year as well as whats been collected already this year. That money is collected by municipality hotels and set aside. He said that last year, the municipality of Tulum collected 35 million pesos from the tax, of which 29 million was used to acquire eight garbage trucks. The remainder of that 2022 money combined with collected Environmental Sanitation taxes from 2023, will be used to clean the old municipal dump. Carlos Efrain Yama Moguel, Tulums General Director of Public Works and Services, explained that the project consists of building a cell and then pouring the garbage into it and covering it with inert material. Although he did not specify a date start date, he did comment that the project is going to be tendered to a private company. He said that this first stage seeks to prevent environmental and subsoil contamination from increasing. Torruco Marques says 3.2 billion will be spent on Tulum airport out of 95.4 billion during AMLO administration Tulum, Q.R. Around 3.2 billion peso will be spent on the upcoming Tulum International Airport. That money is only a small portion of the 95.4 billion the country has earmarked for airport expansion projects into 2024. According to Miguel Torruco Marques, the Secretary of Tourism of the Government of Mexico, that money is being put toward the expansion, modernization and construction of airports in Mexico with the purpose of boosting the flow of travelers and tourist diversification. In a statement, Torruco Marques said the 95.4 billion is what will have been spent on airports during the Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador administration, which ends next year. The money spent on upgrading and constructing the countrys airports benefits Mexicos 235 tourist vocation places. Other airport investments include 88.1 billion for the Felipe Angeles International Airport (AIFA), 149 million pesos in modernization of the Chetumal International Airport, completed in 2021 and 2.7 billion for the expansion and improvement of the Tepic International Airport in Nayarit, which will be finished in February 2024. He added that 826 million pesos is being spent on the construction of the Barrancas del Cobre Airport in Creel, Chihuahua, a project scheduled for completion in June of 2023, while 463 million pesos are destined for the improvement and modernization of the Puerto Escondido Airport in Oaxaca, which is expected to be finished in March 2024. The Secretary of Tourism explained that for the Tulum International Airport in Quintana Roo, construction that will culminate in December 2023, 3.2 billion pesos will be allocated. The largest investment in the last 60 years, in support of tourist activity, contributes to strengthening the tourist infrastructure as in this case the airports, which promotes the development axes that are carried out in different destinations in the country, Torruco Marques explained. Torruco Marques announced the investment figures during the recent 2023 Mexico Aerospace Fair (FAMEX), headed by the Secretary of Foreign Relations, Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon. It is never out of season to recall James Wilsons line that the purpose of the Constitution was not to invent new rights by a human establishment, but to secure and enlarge the rights we already have by nature. In radical contrast, the celebrated William Blackstone said in his Commentaries on the Laws of England that when we enter civil society, we give up the unrestricted set of rights we had in the State of Nature, including the liberty to do mischief. We exchange them for a more diminished set of rights under civil societycall them civil rights but they are rendered more secure by the advent of a government that can enforce them. To which Wilson responded, Is it part of natural liberty to do mischief to anyone? When did we ever have, as Lincoln would say, a right to do a wrong? The laws that restrained us from raping and murdering deprived us of nothing we ever had a right to do. And so when the question was asked, What rights do we give up in entering into this government?, the answer tendered by the Federalists was, None. As Hamilton said in Federalist no. 84, Here the people surrender nothing. It was not the purpose of this project to give up our natural rights. And so what sense did it make to attach a codicil, a so-called Bill of Rights, reserving against the federal government those rights we had not given up? How could we do that without implying that in fact we had given up the corpus of our natural rights in coming under this Constitution? There has been a curious forgetting, among lawyers and judges as well as ordinary citizens, that there was a serious dispute at the time of the Founding about the rationale and justification of a Bill of Rights, and that the reservations did not come from men who had reservations about the notion of rights. The concern, rather, was that a Bill of Rights would work to mis-instruct the American people about the ground of their rights. That concern can be glimpsedand confirmedin that line we hear so often in our public arguments, when people earnestly insist on claiming those rights we have through the First Amendment. Do they really think that without the First Amendment they would not have a right to speak and publish, to press their views in public, to assemble with others who share their views? That was precisely the point made by Theodore Sedgwick when the First Congress was presented with the proposal for a Bill of Rights. Was it really conceivable in a republic and a free society that people would not have these rights even if they were not set down in a constitution? As John Quincy Adams would later argue, the right to petition the government was implicit in the very logic of a republican government. That right would be there even if no one had thought to set it down in the First Amendment. It would be there even if there were no First Amendment. It would be there, in fact, even if there were no Constitution. But the challenge may quickly arise: If you are saying that those deep principles of a regime of law were there before the Constitution, and they would be there even if there were no Constitution, are you saying that we dont really need the Constitution? And the answer, of course, is no. The purpose of a constitution is to establish a structure of governance consistent with those deep principles that define the character of the regime. The current Constitution is our second constitution; the first onethe Articles of Confederationhad fanned centrifugal tendencies that undermined the sense of one people forming a nation with a national government. On the night he was elected president in November 2008, Barack Obama remarked to a throng in Chicago that we had built this country for 221 years calloused hand by calloused hand. In striking contrast, Lincoln said at Gettysburg, Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, on this continent, a new nation. Counting back 221 years from November 2008, Obama put the beginning of the nation at the drafting of the Constitution in 1787. Counting back 87 years from Gettysburg, Lincoln found the beginning of the nation in the Declaration of Independence in 1776. It was then that we had the articulation of that proposition, as he called it, that determined the character of this new regime arising in America: that all men are created equal, and the only rightful governance over human beings deriv[es] its just powers from the consent of the governed. The Declaration provided those defining principles around which the Constitution would be shaped. Lincoln explained the relationship, drawing on Proverbs 25:11, A word fitly spoke is like apples of gold in pictures of silver: The assertion of that principle [all men are created equal] at that time was the word, fitly spoken which has proved an apple of gold to us. The Union, and the Constitution, are the picture of silver, subsequently framed around it. The picture was made, not to conceal, or destroy the apple; but to adorn, and preserve it. The picture was made for the applenot the apple for the picture. The Constitution was made for the Union, not the Union for the Constitution. The Union was older than the Constitution, and after all, the Constitution said in its preamble that it was brought forth in Order to form a more perfect Union. The Constitution was grounded in principles that were already there, but it supplied a structure, and that structure made a profound practical difference: I really do want to knowand so should everyone elsejust whom the army will obey as commander in chief if the president dies. And I really want to know whether a state may make its territory available as a military or naval base for another country without the permission of the national government. The path to the enactment of Obamacare was given a serious jolt when the Constitution, for the fifty-sixth time, through peace and war, served up a midterm congressional election. That was a jolt of restraint emanating from the Constitution, but we may no longer notice the midterms as a constitutional happening because we are not litigating over this critical part of the Constitution. But the animating purpose of this whole project, as the Declaration said, was to secure these rights, the rights flowing by nature to ordinary men and women to govern themselves. This exclusive excerpt constitutes chapter 5Are There Natural Rights?of Mere Natural Rights: Originalism and the Anchoring Truths of the Constitution by Hadley Arkes (Regnery Gateway, 2023). Sammy Oakey isnt quite sure how his identity got stolen, or how a forger from Connecticut came to possess legitimate-appearing checks and identification bearing Oakeys name and the forgers photo. But it happened to the tune of $30,000 or so last summer. In July, a man posing as Oakey hit five Roanoke Valley bank branches in three different jurisdictions and successfully cashed phony checks against Oakeys account. Oakey said he learned about the check-passing spree when a veteran teller at HomeTrust Bank on Brambleton Avenue who knows him called and asked if hed just walked out of the branch with $5,000. Minutes earlier, a relatively new teller who didnt know Oakey had cashed a phony check for that amount, Oakey told me. The guy wrote checks to cash using phony checks bearing Oakeys name, the banks correct routing number and Oakeys correct account number, Oakey said. To pass himself off as Oakey, the suspect furnished HomeTrust Bank branch tellers with a U.S. passport identification card bearing Oakeys name, address, birthdate and the suspects photo, Oakey said. Thats a fairly high level of phony ID that could be a serious federal felony all by itself. But the cases Oakeys talking about are state charges in circuit courts in Botetourt County, Roanoke County and Roanoke. The suspect, Kenneth John Balfore of Bridgeport, Connecticut, has been convicted in the Botetourt County and Roanoke County bad-check cases and currently faces trial in Roanoke. He has pleaded not guilty to felony identity theft in the Roanoke case. Balfores Roanoke trial was supposed to happen last week, but it was continued until May 23 because a prosecution witness was unavailable. I learned about the case from an April 21 Tweet by Oakey. Here it is: Whoever said the wheels of justice grind slowly knew what he or she was talking about. Todays sentencing of the guy who stole my identity last year has been postponed. Just gives me more time to practice looking like a badass for when we ARE in the same courtroom together. According to online court records from all three jurisdictions, the offense date for the bad-check charges related to Oakey was July 7. Oakey said the checks were passed at HomeTrust Bank branches, totaled $20,000 to $30,000, and that the bank refunded the money in a few weeks. Balfore was arrested July 19 in Harrisonburg on felony drug possession charges. The Rockingham County jail is his current residence. Its unclear how authorities connected Balfore to bad checks in the Roanoke Valley. Assistant Roanoke Commonwealths Attorney Ryan Hupp said at some point after that arrest, Roanoke County police realized the Rockingham drug suspect might be the same guy in the bad-check cases here. We were investigating immediately [after July 7] but ultimately it was Roanoke County who identified him, Hupp said. The Roanoke County police detective who investigated did an incredible job. Online court records from Rockingham County Circuit Court suggest Balfore has pleaded guilty in the drug case. His sentencing there is scheduled for May 22. Court records from Botetourt County note Balfore pleaded guilty to felony forgery Jan. 10, and that his next hearing for a presentence investigation report is May 9. The maximum sentence on the forgery charge is 10 years. Botetourt County Commonwealths Attorney John Alexander said Balfore passed a bad check for $1,975 in Oakeys name at HomeTrust Banks Daleville branch. On March 27 in Roanoke County Circuit Court, Balfore pleaded guilty to obtaining money under false pretenses (over $1,000), a felony. Circuit Judge Charlie Dorsey sentenced Balfore to three years in prison on that charge, suspending two years. The effective one-year prison term is to be served consecutively with another, according to online court records. Camille Harvey, the assistant commonwealths attorney who prosecuted Balfore in Roanoke County, declined to comment about the Roanoke County charges because Balfore has until today to withdraw his plea. Oakey said from conversations hes had with authorities, bank personnel at HomeTrusts branch at Crossroads Mall observed Balfore leaving that bank and climb into the rear passenger seat of a vehicle that someone else was driving. Theyre trying to get him to snitch on higher-up people, Oakey added. This guys been in the Harrisonburg jail for months. Its unclear how the suspect got hold of the information about Oakey that was used to prepare the fraudulent checks and the phony ID. But it became a pain in the patootie for Oakey and his wife. The bank had to put a special password on my account, he said. For several months, my wife and I couldnt do anything at the bank without using that password. So far, Oakey hasnt uncovered any other ways his identity has been compromised, such as with credit cards. Oakey added: At one of the banks, [a teller] actually asked him, What is your address? The suspect, who was wearing an electronic earpiece at the tellers counter, repeated the question before answering it. Oakey suspects the guy was seeking that information from associates outside the bank who were listening to the conversation over a mobile phone connection. He was actually pretty cool about it, Oakey told me. Hupp, the prosecutor in Roanoke, was unwilling to share the phony Sammy Oakey ID because the case is ongoing. Hes about my age, 62, but the guy looks nothing like me, Oakey said. Is he better looking than you, Sammy? I asked. Itd be hard to be much uglier than me, so I guess hes handsomer, Oakey joked. But I dont want it to sound like Im in love with him or anything. A Roanoke home invasion that turned into a shootout left one man wounded Wednesday, police said. At about 6:10 p.m., an officer patrolling the 1900 block of Melrose Avenue Northwest heard the sounds of gunshots from an area nearby, according to a police statement. As the officer drove toward the scene, the citys 911 call center relayed a report of someone shooting at a residence in the 1600 block of Gilmer Avenue Northwest. Police went to that house and learned that a male suspect had forced entry into the residence and began shooting into the dwelling. Occupants shot back at the suspect, who fled the scene, police said. No injuries were reported, and officers did not locate a suspect. However, police learned an adult male with a gunshot wound had arrived at LewisGale Medical Center in a personal vehicle, police said. Officers went to the hospital and talked to the man, whose injuries did not appear life-threatening. The injured man at the hospital was the suspect in the shooting that occurred on Gilmer Avenue, police said. Police also determined that the injured man and the Gilmer Avenue residences homeowner knew each other. At this time, no one has been arrested regarding this incident, police said Thursday. Detectives are continuing this investigation and charges are pending. The shooting is the 15th to injure but not kill at least one person in the city since Jan. 1. During the same time frame in 2022, there were also 15 nonfatal shooting incidents in which at least one person was hit by gunfire. A Roanoke home invasion that turned into a shootout left one man wounded Wednesday, police said. At about 6:10 p.m., an officer patrolling the 1900 block of Melrose Avenue Northwest heard the sounds of gunshots from an area nearby, according to a police statement. As the officer drove toward the scene, the citys 911 call center relayed a report of someone shooting at a residence in the 1600 block of Gilmer Avenue Northwest. Police went to that house and learned that a male suspect had forced entry into the residence and began shooting into the dwelling. Occupants shot back at the suspect, who fled the scene, police said. No injuries were reported, and officers did not locate a suspect. However, police learned an adult male with a gunshot wound had arrived at LewisGale Medical Center in a personal vehicle, police said. Officers went to the hospital and talked to the man, whose injuries did not appear life-threatening. The injured man at the hospital was the suspect in the shooting that occurred on Gilmer Avenue, police said. Police also determined that the injured man and the Gilmer Avenue residences homeowner knew each other. At this time, no one has been arrested regarding this incident, police said Thursday. Detectives are continuing this investigation and charges are pending. Less than 24 hours later, at about 4:50 p.m. Thursday, police responded to the scene of another shooting, this one in the 1700 block of Westview Avenue. Officers found a man there with a gunshot wound that did not appear life threatening, police said. Roanoke Fire-EMS Department personnel took him to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment. The investigation is in its early stages and details about what lead to the shooting are limited at this time, police said. If you know something about the shooting on Westview Avenue, call 540-344-8500 to share what you know with police. You can also send a text beginning with RoanokePD to 274637. Police say both calls and texts can remain anonymous. The shootings are the 15th and 16th to injure but not kill at least one person in the city since Jan. 1. During the same time frame in 2022, there were 16 nonfatal shooting incidents in which at least one person was hit by gunfire. MONETA Move over laws that protect emergency personnel on Virginias roads will now be enforced on its waters this summer. Boaters not complying with the new law could face serious fines. The new law, which became effective Jan. 1, requires every motorboat approaching or passing within 200 feet of any law-enforcement vessel or emergency services vessel that is displaying flashing blue or red lights to slow to no-wake speeds so that the wake does not disturb their activities. Any boat operator who fails to do so may be charged with a class 3 misdemeanor. That could mean a fine of as much as $500 if convicted. Those convicted will also have to complete a boater safety education course. If you are on the water and you see lights, you should immediately throttle back, said Smith Mountain Lake Marine Volunteer Fire Department Chief Todd Ohlerich. Boaters not paying attention to emergency vehicles has been a problem at Smith Mountain Lake for several years, according to Ohlerich. He said boaters have sped past scenes creating wakes while they are attempting to provide assistance and have even raced alongside them when they are responding to accidents. Sgt. Michael Morris with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources said boat traffic speeding has sometimes been so bad that officers have to stop what they are doing to brace for wakes. Under previous laws, boaters were only required to maintain 50 feet from other boats, including emergency vessels. It is certainly overdue, Morris said of the new law. We are definitely in support of it. Morris said the new law will help them to perform their work more safely on the water. In past years they have had to get other patrol boats or emergency boats to create a barrier around a scene when they respond to emergency. It will be one less thing we have to worry about, Ohlerich said of the new law this summer. Morris said that, while the law states that boats must slow to no-wake speed when approaching law enforcement or emergency vessels, he would recommend that boaters should attempt to move 200 feet away from the scene or more to avoid any unnecessary wakes. The additional distance will assure that officers are able to safely do their job. The DWR and SML Marine Volunteer Fire Department are working to get the word out on the new law as the temperatures warm and the number of boats begins to increase on the lake. Morris said they are anticipating another busy summer on the lake. Conservation officers will be out in force with between three and four boats patrolling the lake on the weekends and as many as six or seven boats on patrol during major holiday weekends. LYNCHBURG Outgoing Del. Kathy Byron, R-Bedford, was honored for her two-plus decades in public service by Lynchburg City Council on Tuesday night, receiving a key to the City of Lynchburg as a parting gift. Byron, a 26-year veteran of Virginias General Assembly, represented Virginias 22nd House district, which encompassed parts of Bedford and Campbell counties, as well as Lynchburg. She announced in February she would not seek reelection in 2023, when all 140 seats in the Virginia General Assembly will be on the ballot. During Tuesday nights regular city council meeting, Mayor Stephanie Reed read remarks honoring Byron for her many years of service to the citizens of Lynchburg and the region. Calling it a tremendous honor to receive the key to the city, Byron thanked the citizens of Lynchburg for their support by sending her to Richmond. The people of Lynchburg have been unfailingly patriotic, hardworking, God-fearing, humble, generous, patient, kind people. And its been a distinct honor of mine to be able to serve them for 26 years, Byron said. I believe you have the best law enforcement in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and I have been privileged to serve with them and to assist them in many ways, Byron said, thanking Lynchburg Police Chief Ryan Zuidema for his collaboration with her. In a jam-packed council chambers, with residents ready to voice their opinions on the real estate tax rate, Byron said it was wonderful to see citizens willing to lend their voices to the elected officials. We need to hear your voice as we make those tough decisions, she said. In closing, Byron thanked council for the honor, but said, most importantly, I think I need to thank the people of the area for entrusting me to be your delegate for 26 years. Thank you. BEDFORD A Republican candidate for the newly created 53rd House of Delegates district can remain in the race after a legal challenge to his Bedford County residency was overturned, following a decision the countys registrar announced Wednesday. Registrar Barbara Gunter announced her finding that Tim Griffin, chair of the Bedford County Republican Committee who seeks the GOP nomination for the seat at the May 6 convention at Jefferson Forest High School, legally has met residency requirements and she cannot justify canceling his voter registration record. The decision followed an evidentiary hearing Monday at the Bedford Central Library on a petition from three county residents Margie Jones, Donald Toms and Billy Hackworth that argued Griffin did not properly meet residency requirements by living in a detached garage at 102 N. Woodfin Court in Forest. Griffin, a former prosecutor in Bedford and Amherst counties, is running for the newly drawn 53rd House District, which includes all of Amherst County and parts of Bedford and Nelson counties. Also running for the seat in the convention is Sarah Mays, a Forest resident who owns and operates a Christian-based day care in Amherst County. I think this puts this to rest, Griffin said after the hearing. I live here, Im registered here. Were going to the convention to win on May 6. This puts an end to this nonsense. Lets focus on the issues. Toms said he felt the result would go in Griffins favor because of politics. He said the nine-page petition was based on a very specific law of Virginia and everything was bent backwards. The Republican Party has all these positions in Bedford County, and they have power over people, Toms said. This is very unfortunate, very unfortunate this happened. Griffin described the petition during Mondays hearing as a disgusting attempt to take away his right to vote and run for public office because of bias and people who dont personally like him. In a brief interview Wednesday, he called the challenge a last desperate attempt to try and figure out a way to defeat us at the May 6 convention. This idea that we are going to disenfranchise voters, we are going to take away their right to vote just because they dont like you or they dont agree with you, we put it to bed today, Griffin said. He said mudslinging has been at an all-time high and he is confident in victory May 6. They cant win on the merits, they cant win on the issues, they dont have the votes, so they are going to try and sling mud, Griffin said. We are going to stick with the issues. We want to protect life; we want to protect our elections; we want to protect Second Amendment rights. Thats what weve been about, thats what we are going to continue to talk about. Were going to bring new conservative leadership to Richmond in a way we havent seen. Toms, a retired schoolteacher, said the trio who brought forth the petition are talking about possibly appealing the decision. My hope was they would enforce the laws of the state of Virginia, which we plainly told them here and in the paperwork we provided, Toms said. A garage that someone could not live in is not a domicile. I would like to know how many nights he spent in that garage without a bathroom. I dont buy that. Toms said bringing the petition was nothing personal against Griffin and the intent was to make sure the law is properly being followed. It was all the laws of Virginia and how you establish domicile, Toms said. It had nothing to do with personalities or whatever. Griffin said the challenge to his residency had no evidence and was based on hearsay. In a news release he issued shortly after Gunters announcement, Griffin said as an election attorney he understands voting is a constitutional right that should never be taken away. There is an ugly history in this country of disenfranchising Republican voters. I am glad we were able to defeat the return of this revolting legacy to deny suffrage, Griffin said. I hope this serves as a clear message for my opponents team. It is time to focus on the issues, stop the mudslinging, and attacks on my right to vote. Gunter cited state code and policies and procedures outlined by the state board of elections in reaching the decision, which she announced before a crowd of just more than 30 people Wednesday. While the petitioners allege that garage cannot be used as a residence, they did not present any evidence this is not where Mr. Griffin stays or is the place where he lays his head, Gunter said. Pictures Griffin provided to Gunter clearly shows a studio apartment with amenities to support a living space and he also proved he receives mail there, the registrar said. The garage where Mr. Griffin testified he lays his head clearly meets the requirements of place of abode, the physical place where a person dwells, Gunter said. What we must dig deeper into is the question of domicile. Mr. Griffin has produced many documents that would lead you to believe he intended this to be his residence. A residence can be established in a commercial, industrial or other building that is not normally used for residential purposes if the building serves as the applicants primary nighttime residence, Gunter said. Zoning and occupancy regulations are an issue separate from residency for purposes of voting, she said. I must register him where he actually sleeps at night, Gunter said. Gunter said the petitioners provided exhibits, including correspondence from the Bedford County Department of Community Development on a notice of violation and Griffin is expected to vacate the garage in May. If he relocates, he must properly update his voter registration to reflect the new address, Gunter said. After the hearing, Gunter confirmed she has dealt with a legal challenge to a candidates residency on only one other occasion in her 19-year tenure. In response to the zoning issue at the residence, Griffin said relocating to a new residence in upcoming months is not a big deal. He said in the release one of the petitioners is a financial supporter of Mays. Mays attended the hearing and said concerned citizens bringing legal concerns before the proper authorities after consulting with an attorney should not instigate what she described as negative treatment from Griffin and some of his supporters. She said she attended the two hearings this week as a concerned citizen of the district. Im just a common everyday citizen taking a stand for truth and integrity, Mays said. I can vow, and I can promise that when I am elected, I will vow to uphold the Constitution and truth and integrity, something I think politics needs. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Of course, technically, you can mudlark the shores of any river in the world, but if you want to travel to England and mudlark in the Thames or even browse the muddy tidal area without getting your hands wet you'd better first get a permit from the Port of London Authority. That process takes at least four weeks and costs about 35 ($43) a day for a Standard License. With that license, you'll only be able to dig about 3 inches (7.5 centimeters) into the mud and are expected to replace the ground you disturb to help preserve the food chain for the river creatures. Protecting the foreshore's natural and agricultural resources and keeping mudlarkers safe is of the utmost importance; thus there are some zones where digging isn't allowed. Restricted areas include the shore along the Tower of London and Queenhithe, a former Roman dock area that was later developed by the Saxon King Alfred the Great in the 700s. Advertisement No permits are required to mudlark in the U.S. You may find objects of interest but you won't find the quantity, and only very rarely the quality that you can find along the Thames. "We don't have, unfortunately, massive quantities of Roman artifacts exposed here," Miller says with a laugh. Regardless of where you mudlark, you may very likely overlook a valuable artifact as junk or mistake a worthless piece of debris for a valuable treasure. In other words, finding lost treasures takes a trained eye and a good working knowledge of antiquities. " " Lara Maiklem displays a coin from the 1600s and a piece of a Bellarmine jug (salt-glazed stoneware made in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries) she found mudlarking along the banks of Thames. TOLGA AKMEN/AFP/Getty Images Remember that wine bottle stopper Miller had the thrill of finding during his mudlarking excursion in the Thames? Some may have assumed it was trash. But Miller knew it was from the late 1700s because of the style of stopper. "On handmade bottles [from that time] there is an applied piece of glass just below the opening at the top called a string rim. That's where they tie a cord or wire to secure the cork in place. The style has changed over time. So, knowing the style of the string rim, that's how I was able to date the wine stopper," he says. If you do find something and are curious about its value, contact your state archaeologist or an archaeologist at your local college or university. " " This Neanderthal cranium and mandible were found at La Ferrassie in the Dordogne region of France, in the same area as the skeleton of a buried child. Xavier ROSSI/Getty Images No matter how much evidence we have to the contrary, Homo sapiens think ourselves very civilized. In fact, we often talk about the other human species that used to share this planet as if they were as far removed from us as armadillos or penguins. But Neanderthals, for instance, did a lot of the same things as their modern human contemporaries: They made jewelry, string, art and more. Nevertheless, researchers are still hemming and hawing over whether some of the innovations we assume were trademarked by modern humans were shared by our last closest cousin. A study published in the December 2020 issue of the journal Scientific Reports finds that Neanderthals almost certainly buried their dead. Advertisement For more than a century, archaeologists have been unearthing buried skeletons of Neanderthals in Europe and parts of Asia, but many of them were excavated using techniques that would make a modern archaeologist wince. Given the way they were exhumed, it has been exceptionally difficult to tell whether the burials were intentional, but it's been assumed by some researchers that Neanderthals were not smart enough to engage in "symbolic behavior" like honoring their dead with a burial. But a multi-disciplinary team of researchers from France, Germany and Spain reopened the case of a 41,000-year-old skeleton of a 2-year-old child unearthed between 1970 and 1973 in the La Ferrassie rock shelter, a cave in southwestern France. The team re-excavated the site where the child was found, and reviewed the notes from the original dig. The researchers found the bones to be relatively unscattered (meaning animals likely hadn't messed with the body) and they didn't seem to have been weathered by the elements (which suggests rapid burial after death). In addition, the bones seemed to have been placed intentionally, with the head pointing east and uphill of the other bones, even though the incline of the hill sloped west. This study indicates that the child was intentionally deposited in the ground, not long after death. Because the dating of the bones indicates the toddler died not long before Neaderthals winked out of existence, this discovery brings up questions about when Neanderthals adopted funerary practice and how widely it spread before their extinction. Now That's Interesting Funeral practices have been observed in elephants, dolphins and chimpanzees, among other animals. Hollings, who wrote this article on what foreign fighters need to know about going to Ukraine, doesn't want to romanticize the idea of fighting in wars. But he notes that war is something that some people have an exceptional talent for. "They develop a skill set, and they know they can make a difference," he says. "And then when things happen, they sort of feel an obligation to go and do so, because they know that the pool of people with this skill set, and this unique capability emotionally and mentally, isn't always that big." Advertisement For somebody who wants to fight for a righteous cause, Ukraine's underdog struggle against the Russians might be as compelling as it gets. Though they're joining a foreign army, Hollings says that American fighters probably will be assigned to units with other English speakers "Australians, Canadians, Brits" with whom they can readily fit in. "One of the first things that would happen when you arrive in Ukraine is that you'd be evaluated for the skillsets that you bring, like prior experience and training," Hollings says. "They're going to put you in a unit where they think your skillset could benefit. So chances are very good that you'd end up with other with other people that you could communicate with very well that have similar tactics to those that you used in the past. So that way, you can use that to the best of your ability." These foreign fighters are going into battle without a lot of the advantages that U.S. forces typically have, such as extensive air support, advanced communications and other cutting-edge technology that normally gives them an advantage on the battlefield. Instead they'll be compelled to fight in under-equipped, low-tech guerilla insurgency of the sort that they've gone up against in the War on Terror. "It's a very different type of combat," Hollings says. "That's not to say that U.S. infantry officers and enlisted [personnel] wouldn't do excellently in Ukraine, but it's just very different than what they're accustomed to." Even so, Hollings explains, they've got a reverse-engineered knowledge base that could help. "The same tactics effectively that U.S. servicemembers have been training to counter are now extremely effective tactics to leverage against the Russians, " Hollings says. "In a weird way, U.S. service members, especially those who've deployed to combat zones over the past 20 years, kind of got a crash course in this type of warfare. And they're probably more what I would call subject matter experts to a certain extent and how to leverage, you know, fewer resources against a larger opponent." That's particularly true of U.S. special operations veterans. The Army's Green Berets, for example, are experienced at going into countries and training Indigenous forces to engage in irregular warfare. "All special operations units are trained on how to fight in austere environments with very little support, " Hollings says. "And that's what Ukraine's looking at." While U.S. government is advising Americans not to go to Ukraine, it's unlikely that volunteers who do it anyway will face any legal consequences back home, according to Malet. "The Neutrality Act is rarely enforced, and it would not be here because Ukraine is a friendly country, " Malet says. However, Americans could lose their citizenship if they accept a commission as an officer or noncommissioned officer in the Ukrainian military, or if they state an intention to renounce their U.S. citizenship. Additionally, Malet says that an American fighting in a foreign conflict could get into legal trouble by providing support to some group that the U.S. has designated as a foreign terrorist organization though none appear to be on the Ukrainian side. The Putin regime has sought to deter foreign fighters from joining the Ukrainian side, warning that if captured, they won't be treated as lawful combatants entitled to the protections normally afforded to prisoners of war, according to the Jerusalem Post. Russian forces also staged a rocket attack against a military base in western Ukraine that Hollings says was a training facility for foreign fighters. That all suggests that the Russians view Ukraine's foreign legion as a force to be reckoned with. The Russians reportedly are trying to recruit their own foreign fighters from Syria, though so far, there haven't been an indications in media coverage that they're having success. " " Ukrainian servicemen evacuate an elderly woman on a stretcher from the city of Irpin. Russian forces continue to attack civilians and civilian areas across Ukraine. ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images Now That's Interesting The French Foreign Legion is a mercenary unit in the French army that was formed in 1831. It's open to male recruits ages 17 to 40 of any nationality, and they join anonymously. The force, which includes cavalry, infantry, engineering, airborne and, and education and training units, includes 9,000 soldiers from 140 nations who are commanded by French officers and deployed across five continents. Affrontements a Ngor: Des blesses places sous mandat de depot Le juge na pas ete clement avec les personnes arretees alors des affrontements a Ngor entre les populations et la gendarmerie. Il leur a remis leur billet dentree a la citadelle du silence. Ce, malgre leur etat de sante precaire. Les blesses de Ngor tortures a mort envoyes en prison. Il etait prevu pour eux des lits d'hopital , a precise un des avocats de la defense, Me Cheikh Khoureyssi Ba, ce mercredi 26 avril. Lui qui avait lance un message dalerte sur les reseaux sociaux, hier, a propos des conditions de detention des mis en cause. Les juges ayant refuse de traiter les cas des 4 blesses graves et 2 autres blesses, SUMA Assistance est priee de venir les "recuperer" a la cave , avait indique le conseil. Par ailleurs, il a avait affirme que 15 des deferes, eleves et non ressortissants de Ngor ont ete liberes. SINGAPORE, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NRF 2024: Retail's Big Show Asia Pacific, the highly anticipated trade exhibition jointly organized by the National Retail Federation and Comexposium, is now open for sales and sponsorship opportunities. The event will take place June 11 13, 2024, at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore. With a 14,560 sqm trade exhibition, the event is expected to draw thousands of retailers and business partners from across the region. "NRF is expanding the footprint of Retail's Big Show to Asia Pacific, one of the world's fastest growing markets," NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. "Retail's Big Show Asia Pacific is an opportunity to feature innovations spanning the entire retail industry from the in-store experience, supply chain, loss prevention and asset protection to merchandising and immersive technologies." "We are happy to announce that the region is open for business and ready to embrace the energy and dynamism that the retail sector in Asia Pacific provides," NRF 2024: Retail's Big Show Asia Pacific Project Director Ryf Quail said. "The expo floor is now open for sponsorship and exhibitor bookings. Companies are encouraged to secure their spaces via the dedicated exhibitor booking form on the website or directly with a sales agent." NRF 2024: Retail's Big Show Asia Pacific was first announced at NRF 2023: Retail's Big Show in New York City and has since garnered the support of retailer associations from across the region namely Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. "As the retail hub of Southeast Asia, Singapore provides a gateway to Asian markets in the region," President of the Singapore Retailers Association Ernie Koh said. "We are expecting a significant presence from international and regional trade sellers and visitors from across the retail industry in the Asia Pacific region. We look forward to providing an optimal setting as we welcome international trade sellers to Singapore in 2024." Story continues Companies interested in gaining first-mover advantage are advised to book directly here or contact the nearest sales agent within their vicinity. Retail's Big Show Asia Pacific will complement NRF Retail's Big Show, which is held in January each year at the Javits Convention Center in New York City. 2 For more information, please refer to Annex 1 (Fact Sheet) or visit nrfbigshowapac.com Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/now-open-for-bookings---nrf-2024-retails-big-show-asia-pacific-301809078.html SOURCE Comexposium Asia Pacific File. In this handout photo released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, China's Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu signs the book of honoured visitors after visiting to Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in Moscow, Russia, Monday, April 17, 2023 (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP) Chinas defence minister is in India to attend a key summit amid growing tensions between the two nuclear-powered neighbours. Li Shangfu arrived in Delhi on Thursday to attend an important security summit the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence ministers meeting scheduled to be held a day later. This is the first visit by the Chinese defence minister to India since deadly border clashes in 2020, in which several Indian and Chinese soldiers were killed. According to Chinas defence ministry, Mr Li will address the summit in Delhi and meet with the heads of delegations from relevant countries to communicate and exchange views on the issues of the international and regional situation as well as defence and security cooperation. India became the chair of the SCO in 2023. The SCO is an eight-member multilateral organisation established on 15 June 2001 by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, according to its official website. In July 2015 in Russias Ufa, the SCO decided to admit India as a full member. On 9 June 2017, at the historic summit in Astana, India officially joined SCO as a full-member. The website mentions that the organisation was formed by China, Russia and four Central Asian countries in 2001 as a countermeasure to limit the influence of Western alliances such as Nato. India and Pakistan joined the group in 2017. The most recent confrontation between India and China took place in December last year at Tawang in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, in which India said its forces clashed with Chinese troops along the border. China claims the entirety of the state as its own and has renamed areas within the state as well, something that has been consistently rejected by India. Mr Li and Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh will also hold a bilateral meeting in Delhi, reports said. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has said while visiting Tokyo that he hopes to forge trusted supply chain relationships with U.S. allies and friends to create supply chains that are not China-dependent. Youngkin, considered a potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate, is making his first trip to Asia, having stopped in Taiwan. He will also travel to South Korea. He spoke at a news conference with Micron Executive Vice President Manish Bhatia and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, who planned to meet with Japanese semiconductor executives. Micron, a leading semiconductor maker, is in the midst of a $3 billion expansion of a computer chips factory in Manassas, Virginia. Youngkin hopes to attract more chip makers to the state. VERMILLION, S.D. A Burbank, South Dakota, woman who crashed her vehicle through her garage, killing a woman in her backyard, was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison. Joyce Hawley, 59, had pleaded guilty in March in Clay County Circuit Court to one count of vehicular homicide. Circuit Judge Tami Bern also fined Hawley $1,000 and revoked her driver's license for 10 years after her release from prison. Hawley was attempting to park her vehicle in her garage on July 8 when the vehicle accelerated and crashed through the back of her garage and struck Elizabeth Williams. Williams, 54, died later at a Sioux City hospital. Testing of blood samples taken from Hawley showed the presence of methamphetamine in her system at the time of the crash, and Hawley admitted in her plea that evidence could prove she was under the influence. Charges of second-degree manslaughter and unauthorized ingestion of a controlled substance were dismissed as part of a plea agreement. CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa Four law enforcement officers involved in the investigation and prosecution of a serial rapist in federal court in Sioux City have been honored by the U.S. Justice Department. The Law Enforcement Victim Services Award was presented to Sioux City police Det. Nathan West, Dakota County Sheriff's Deputy Jared Junge and FBI Special Agent Bradley Colligan. The Award for Excellence in Victim Services was given to FBI Victim Specialist Sherrie Schweder. The four played critical roles in the prosecution of Arjune Ahmed, a South Sioux City man found guilty in March of two counts of kidnapping for holding two women against their will in separate incidents and raping them. While investigating the crimes, West, Junge and Colligan discovered five additional victims of attempted kidnapping and sexual assault by Ahmed dating back to 2014. Each victim remained afraid of Ahmed and distrustful of law enforcement. With help from Schweder, the victims cooperated with federal prosecutors, and Schweder provided varying levels of assistance to each victim, including crisis counseling, court accompaniment and transportation. Ahmed awaits sentencing. The awards are presented in conjunction with the Department of Justices Office for Victims of Crime and the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa's observance of National Crime Victims Rights Week, taking place this week. OMAHA -- A Macy, Nebraska, man has pleaded not guilty of shooing another man in the pinky. Dante Stabler, 22, waived his personal appearance for arraignment and filed a written plea Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Omaha to single counts of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm and using, carrying or possessing a firearm during a violent crime. According to court documents, the victim confronted Stabler on Feb. 22 in Macy about his stolen vehicle. Stabler is accused of firing a shot from a pistol into the pavement. The victim then charged Stabler and grabbed the pistol. When the victim grabbed the gun, Stabler fired a second shot, striking the victim's finger. While the victim was at the hospital in Winnebago, a nurse notified the FBI of the shooting, and the FBI began an investigation. Christen Williams, 35, was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Sioux City to 10 months in prison. She pleaded guilty in December to one count of making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Williams bought three guns at Fleet Farm in Sioux City on Aug. 23 and 24 in 2021. Williams was buying the guns for another person but falsely stated on the purchase forms that the guns were for her. Those guns were later recovered at three separate crime scenes, including a drive-by shooting, during the following 46 days. SIOUX CITY -- Preliminary talks to build a new jail on the outskirts of Sioux City are underway by Woodbury County leaders who are also are considering a public referendum to finance a project with an estimated cost as high as $50 million. County board chair Keith Radig told the Journal editorial board on Thursday it would make more financial sense to build a new jail than try to repair the aging Law Enforcement Center, which opened in 1987 at 407 Seventh St., across from the the county courthouse. "Why spend $12 to $14 million in repairs? That just isn't right," Radig said. Radig said a much better path ahead -- for a jail that has had maintenance issues and alternately been overcrowded or not, depending upon changing flows of inmates over the last decade -- is to build a new detention center with 300 to 440 beds, compared to the 234 beds in the current jail. A larger jail would allow Woodbury County to accept more inmates facing federal charges, including undocumented migrants detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. "We could take them right now, but we don't have room," Radig said. The county could contract with ICE and receive around 80 inmates per day on average, which would bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional revenue per year. That would make the operations in the new jail cash flow more positively, and possibly eliminate the need to pay back debt to construct the structure with property taxes from the county's annual operating budget. A property tax-backed capital project in excess of $1.2 million would require putting the issue up for a countywide vote. County leaders have said residents may not have the appetite to support such an expensive project. A consultant has pegged the construction costs at between $35 million and $50 million. "A bond issue is probably the intended and right way to do it," said Radig, who added he would prefer to put a measure on the ballot in 2020. A five-member committee has been meeting to hammer out a plan for the county's future jail needs. The panel includes Sheriff Dave Drew, Lt. Tony Wingert, Building Services Department Director Kenny Schmitz and county supervisors, Matthew Ung and Jeremy Taylor. They are working with the Goldberg Group Architects consulting firm from St. Joseph, Missouri. Radig said the committee members are doing well in vetting issues, but he wants to see some movement toward a proposal. "Time is really getting of essence on this," he said. That's not only because of the aging and "terribly poor" condition of the existing jail, but also "construction costs are going up. The longer you wait, the more millions you could spend." "We want to try to get on the same page on where and what we will build...and get plan out into the community," Radig said. In a separate interview Thursday, Drew said a lot of thought must be given to a longtime vexing issues with the existing jail. He said at least 350 beds are needed in any new building. "This thing has been looked at since 1999. In 1999 we were outgrowing the facility. In 1999 they didn't know all the potential (structural) problems," Drew said. "We are really on life support." Drew said he also recognizes the difficulties in funding a new jail. "It really is an issue that has been overlooked, because nobody wants to pay for it," Drew said. A few years ago, there was considerable research by the committee and the supervisors into renovations the existing jail. The county embarked down the path of trying to phase in several possible modernization projects for the Law Enforcement Center of about $1 million each. Combined, those pieces could have cost from $7 million to $12.6 million, depending upon when done, due to inflationary costs. But since there were much lower inmate numbers in 2017, county officials in early 2018 decided not to proceed with any pieces of a jail wing renovation project. Radig said there does not appear to be a site large enough in downtown Sioux City to place a new jail there. Instead, county officials are looking on the outskirts of the city, with two leading sites emerging -- a parcel on the south end of town, just west of Sioux Gateway Airport, and the county's former Prairie Hills jail annex, on the east side of the city. The board chair said while the county already owns the Prairie Hills land, it would require the county to install water and waste water lines. Drew and Radig said they prefer the location west of the airport because of the proximity to the airport and Interstate 29. The transportation links would make it easier for federal officials to transport inmates to the new jail. "Logistically, it works out good," the sheriff said. WILLISTON, Vt. One of the co-founders of Ben & Jerry's has gone from ice cream to "blunts," promising a line of marijuana products with a social mission. Ben Cohen started Ben's Best Blnz, a nonprofit cannabis line with a stated mission of helping to right the wrongs of the war on drugs. The company says on its website that 80% of its profits will go to grants for Black cannabis entrepreneurs while the rest will be equally divided between the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance and the national Last Prisoner Project, which is working to free people incarcerated for cannabis offenses. "The War on Drugs (first so named by President Richard Nixon) has targeted lower income Black and Brown people thru over policing, discriminatory prosecution, and discriminatory sentencing," the nonprofit's website states. "That's why despite using pot at the same rate, Black people are 4 times more likely to be arrested than Whites." Ben's Best Blnz, or B3, says it licenses its formulas, packaging, trademarks and marketing materials to for-profit businesses that pay a royalty. After expenses are deducted, the royalties are donated to the cause. The cannabis is grown in soil using no nonorganic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or fungicides, the website states. The B3 products, including pre-rolled joints with lower levels of the psychoactive compound THC, are expected to be available in cannabis shops in Vermont next month. The official Ben & Jerrys ice cream power rankings 1. Peanut Butter Half Baked 2. New York Super Fudge Chunk 3. Phish food 4. Americone Dream 5. Cherry Garcia 6. Mint Chocolate Cookie 7. Chip Happens 8. Chocolate Therapy 9. Peanut Butter Cup 10. Vanilla 11. The Tonight Dough 12. Chocolate Fudge Brownie 13. Cannoli 14. Oat of this Swirled 15) Everything But The 16. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough 17. Chunky Monkey 18. Half Baked 19. Gimme SMore 20. Salted Caramel Core 21. Pistachio Pistachio 22. Vanilla Caramel Fudge 23. Milk & Cookies 24. Brownie Batter Core 25. Justice ReMixd 26. Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake 27. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Core 28. Coffee Toffee Bar Crunch 29. Netflix & Chillld 30. Strawberry Cheesecake 31. Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake Truffles 32. Wake & No Bake Cookie Dough Core An attorney for Danny Masterson challenged his former girlfriend on why her trial testimony alleging the actor raped her in 2001 included new details that were missing from the accounts she first gave authorities. The woman is the first witness at Masterson's Los Angeles trial on three counts of rape. She testified that she did not understand how precise and thorough she had to be when she first described the assault for police and prosecutors nearly six years ago. Masterson has pleaded not guilty and his lawyers have said the decades-old stories told by his accusers are not credible. On Monday, May 1, at 3:30 p.m., the District 3 Representative is meeting with the South Sioux City Chamber of Commerce for a tour of the Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA facilities. "We are excited to share the vision for the new Early Learning & Youth Development Center, enabling us to serve even more children and provide them with the resources they need to thrive," Siouxland YMCA CEO Rhonda Robson said. "We are proud of the impact our programs and services have on the community and are excited to showcase the role the Y plays in building a stronger, healthier community for all." A jury in Missouri has slapped a Lincoln-based real estate business with a $5.8 million verdict. But U.S. Property Inc.'s president, Monte Froehlich, confirmed Wednesday they plan to appeal the decision, which involves a vacant lot at 718 Grand Blvd. in downtown Kansas City. "We strongly disagree with the verdicts and have instructed counsel to immediately file and vigorously prosecute an appeal. We are confident in the appeal process," Froehlich said. In 2019, Racket Merchandise Co., a longtime downtown Kansas City business, sued the Nebraska owners of 718 Grand Blvd. U.S. Property Inc., 718 Grand LLC and Power & Light Properties LLC, all businesses tied to Froehlich after a rainstorm caused clay to run off the property and flood their basement next door. Racket's attorney alleged the owners had neglected the property, it had become a nuisance and their property ended up damaged as a result. In 2013, the lot then home to the Grand Avenue Garage, a 1921 building on the National Register of Historic Places had been acquired with plans to convert it into apartments. But the city ultimately condemned it after it had sat vacant for years and, in 2018, it was demolished. Clay had been brought in for backfilling and grading the lot but was left in piles, which caused a mudslide, the suit alleged. Earlier this month, the case went to trial in Kansas City, resulting in a jury verdict of $1.33 million in actual damages and $4 million in punitive damages. Racket's attorney, Brandon Boulware, told the Journal Star: The jury sent a clear message to all developers and landowners that they must take care of their property. Kansas City will not allow blight. This city has come too far for that." At trial, he told the hometown jury that the property, which sits along the route of the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl parade, had been twice broadcast to the world, according to local coverage of the case. Boulware said Wednesday he hoped the companies in this lawsuit would hear the jury's message "and act on it." "But its been three weeks since the verdict, and they still have not fixed their properties, he said in an email. Froehlich said Wednesday they were surprised "by a verdict that we do not believe is consistent with the facts presented at trial or Missouri Law." He said they had hired two contractors to complete the demolition and remediation of the site. Racket sued the contractors, too, but they settled before the trial concluded, according to court records. Froehlich said: "We have restored more than two dozen historic buildings and have pride in doing so. We have properties in 15 states and have always directed our real estate business responsibly and with the highest of ethics. We have a solid track record of quality work and high standards of conduct." Top Journal Star photos for April 2023 Iowas taxpayer watchdog office would be limited in its ability to request certain documents under a bill headed to Gov. Kim Reynolds desk to be signed into law. The Senate gave final passage to Senate File 478 on Wednesday, a bill that defines what a state auditor can request as part of an audit, when an audit begins, and requires disputes between the auditor and state agencies to be settled by an arbitration board. The bill passed along party lines, 33-16. State Auditor Rob Sand, Iowas sole elected statewide Democrat, said it is the worst pro-corruption bill in history and an erosion of the balance of power. The bill is the greatest pro-corruption bill and the worst perversion of checks and balances in Iowas history because it lets state government hide documents from auditors, and ends judicial review of such decisions, Sand said in a statement after the bills passage. To eliminate checks and balances on power is an attack on democracy and an invitation to corruption. The bill has also drawn significant condemnation from nonpartisan and bipartisan auditors organizations and CPA organizations, who say it would hamper the state auditors ability to prevent fraud and misuse of taxpayer funds. But Republican Sen. Mike Bousselot of Ankeny said the bill would set common-sense limits on the auditors authority. He said Sand has repeatedly overstepped his bounds and requested unnecessary information. This bill gives clearly much-needed guidance to the auditor of state who has been overreaching, and gives common-sense policy, Bousselot said. The bill would add to the list of documents generally not available to the auditor, blocking the auditor from accessing criminal identification files, student records, medical records, police investigation records and any other information that someone would reasonably expect to be kept private, among others. Under an amendment added by the House, the auditor would be able to access those documents if it is necessary for generally accepted standards, or to comply with any other state or federal regulation or if the auditor is investigating alleged or suspected embezzlement or theft. The bill would also require disputes between any constitutional offices including the auditor departments, commissions or boards of the state government be decided by an arbitration board rather than in the courts. The three-member board would consist of members appointed by each of the disputing parties and a member appointed by the governors office. In an open letter, National State Auditors Association President John Geragosian said the arbitration board setup clearly favors the audited agency rather than having an objective third party decide the matter. Access to records necessary to conduct an independent audit is essential for the proper oversight of public funds, he wrote. Therefore, we respectfully request that you eliminate the limitations in Iowa Senate File 478 and any subsequent amendment. Former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker and the Institute of Internal Auditors also took issue with the amended bill, saying it still limits the independence of the state auditor. Democrats said the bill was a partisan power grab and would make government corruption harder to identify. This bill is not about privacy, said Sen. Janet Petersen, D-Des Moines. This is pro-embezzler, this is pro-corruption, this is pro-crony. Bousselot this week floated the idea of entirely removing the auditors subpoena power, but that was not added to the bill. Last month the Iowa Supreme Court ruled the state auditor does not have authority to investigate a state insurance risk pool that provides insurance coverage to taxpayer-funded government entities. Sand hand filed a subpoena asking for records regarding out-of-state meetings of the pools directors, which Bousselot pointed to as an illegal abuse of Sands subpoena power. The watchdog still has teeth, Bousselot said. Its just making sure those teeth arent getting sank into something they shouldnt be, which is Iowans most personal private information. BEIJING Chinese leader Xi Jinping faces daunting obstacles if he is serious about trying to help end the 14-month-old war in Ukraine. The biggest: Neither Ukraine nor Russia is ready to stop fighting. Xi's plan to send an envoy to Ukraine allows his government to deflect criticism of its support for Moscow and pursue a bigger role as a diplomatic force. His announcement Wednesday in a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prompted optimism Beijing might use its warm relations with Russia's Vladimir Putin to push for peace. That was followed by skeptical questions about whether Beijing is more focused on ending an invasion it refuses to criticize, or serving its own interests. China's starting point is a peace proposal issued in February that called for a ceasefire, negotiations and an end to sanctions against Russia. It offered few details, but repeated Russian accusations that Western governments were to blame for the invasion. China has good reasons to want to see the war ended. It jolted the Chinese economy by pushing up oil, wheat and other commodity prices. Beijing also warned Wednesday about the dangers of nuclear war, after Russia announced earlier it would move atomic weapons into neighboring Belarus. "China's self-interest happens to align with ending the war," said John Delury, an international relations specialist at Yonsei University in Seoul. "Beijing has no interest in seeing Russia humiliated, nor is it in China's interest for Russia to be triumphant," Delury said. "The best option is a cease-fire and, with it, economic opportunities to participate in Ukraine's post-war reconstruction." Playing peacemaker By playing peacemaker, Beijing might also be looking to separate European allies from the United States, which Xi accuses of trying to block China's economic and political rise. Beijing is trying to repair relations with Europe after an uproar over a Chinese ambassador's comment that former Soviet republics might not be sovereign countries. That group includes Ukraine, and European Union members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron have visited Beijing and appealed for help with Ukraine, highlighting the challenges faced by Washington in holding together allies to oppose China's assertive policies abroad. "Trying to drive a wedge between the U.S. and European partners is an important goal," said Alexander Gabuev of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "For that, China needs to pretend that it's an active force for peace." Xi's call with Zelenskyy might sustain European hopes that China can be persuaded to "wield its influence to help end the war" but is "unlikely to change the Western assessment of Beijing's stance as one of 'pro-Russian neutrality,'" said Eurasia Group analysts in a report. Siding with Putin The announcement gives Beijing a chance to show it doesn't always agree with Moscow, though the differences might be too subtle for Western critics. They complain China helps Putin resist Western sanctions by purchasing Russian oil and gas and provides political support. Xi's government sees the Kremlin as a partner in opposing U.S. domination of global affairs. China has used its status as one of five permanent U.N. Security Council members to block efforts to censure Russia. Xi and Putin said in a joint statement before the February 2022 invasion their governments had a "no limits friendship." Their navies held joint exercises with Iran in March. Despite that, the Chinese government says they have a "non-alliance" relationship. Beijing has promised not to supply armaments to either side in the Ukraine war. "China has never taken one side," said Da Wei, an international relations specialist at Tsinghua University in Beijing and director of its Center for Strategic and Security Studies. A Chinese statement Wednesday also cited "mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity" as a foundation of relations with Ukraine. China's global profile Positioning itself as a mediator also helps Beijing as it pursues a bigger role in managing global affairs as part of efforts to restore China to what the Communist Party sees as its rightful place as a political, economic and cultural leader. Beijing should "actively participate in the reform and construction of the global governance system" and promote "global security initiatives," Xi said in March. A proposal for a "Global Security Initiative" issued in February said China is "ready to conduct bilateral and multilateral security cooperation with all countries." Also in March, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced the end of a 7-year diplomatic split following Chinese-organized talks. This year, Xi's government also offered to mediate Israeli-Palestinian talks, set up a new Middle East security structure, and help African countries resolve disputes. If Beijing can organize peace talks, "that backs up Xi Jinping's ambitions to being a global power," said Delury. China's diplomatic ambition is a reversal from decades of staying out of other countries' disputes and most international affairs to focus on economic development. Dim hopes for peace Zelenskyy's government said in a statement his conversation with Xi might lead toward "possible interaction with the aim of establishing a just and sustainable peace for Ukraine." Zelenskyy said March 29 he had invited Xi to visit, but neither government has indicated whether that might happen. Despite that, political analysts see little chance for progress. Ukraine is believed to be preparing a new offensive to recapture Russian-occupied territory. On Wednesday, Apr. 26, at the Whitehouse, President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announced the new agreement to put off North Korea's aggression in a joint conference called the "ironclad" alliance between the two countries. In order to fulfill the goal, the agreement includes the US commitment to deploy a nuclear-armed submarine in South Korea for the first time since the early 1980s. "The alliance formed in war and has flourished in peace," Biden said White House. "Our mutual defense treaty is iron clad, and that includes our commitment to extend a deterrence - and that includes the nuclear threat, the nuclear deterrent," he added. In the same press conference, South Korean President Yook said the new deal between the two countries represented "unprecedented expansion and strengthening" of the bilateral strategy." "President Biden has reaffirmed his ironclad commitment to extended deterrence for the Republic of Korea," Yoon said. Previously, North Korea was reportedly testing weapons. Later on, the country announced a recent breakthrough in its pursuit of solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) called the Hwasong-18 missile. N. Korea leader Kim Jong Un along with his wife, young daughter, and sister Kim Yo Jong, supervised the event. @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. CAIRO (AP) Sudanese and foreigners streamed out of the capital of Khartoum and other battle zones, as fighting Tuesday shook a new three-day truce brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia. Aid agencies raised increasing alarm over the crumbling humanitarian situation in a country reliant on outside help. A series of short cease-fires the past week have either failed outright or brought only intermittent lulls in the fighting that has raged between forces loyal to the country's two top generals since April 15. The lulls have been enough for dramatic evacuations of hundreds of foreigners by air and land, which continued Tuesday. But they have brought no relief to millions of Sudanese caught in the crossfire, struggling to find food, shelter and medical care as explosions, gunfire and looters wreck their neighborhoods. In a country where a third of the population of 46 million already needed humanitarian assistance, multiple aid agencies have had to suspend operations and dozens of hospitals have been forced to shut down. The U.N. refugee agency said it was gearing up for potentially tens of thousands of people fleeing into neighboring countries. Calls for negotiations to end the crisis in Africas third-largest nation have been ignored. For many Sudanese, the departure of diplomats, aid workers and other foreigners and the closure of embassies are terrifying signs that international powers expect the mayhem to only worsen. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the power struggle between rival generals and their military forces is not only putting Sudan's future at risk, it is lighting a fuse that could detonate across borders, causing immense suffering for years, and setting development back by decades. The U.N. chief urged the Sudanese military, commanded by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the rival Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group led by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, to silence the guns immediately. ""The conflict will not, and must not, be resolved on the battlefield," Guterres told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council late Tuesday. U.N. special envoy for Sudan Volker Perthes, who moved from Khartoum to Port Sudan with most U.N. staff and many humanitarian organizations, accused both warring parties of fighting with disregard for the laws and norms of war, citing attacks on densely populated areas. With supply lines running out, he said, there is mounting fear of increased criminality, and reports of prisoners being released from detention centers across Khartoum have compounded these fears. Thousands of Sudanese have been fleeing Khartoum and its neighboring city of Omdurman. Bus stations in the capital were packed Tuesday morning with people who had spent the night there in hopes of getting on a departing bus. Drivers increased prices, sometimes tenfold, for routes to the border crossing with Egypt or the eastern Red Sea city of Port Sudan. Fuel prices have skyrocketed, to $67 a gallon from $4.20, and prices for food and water have doubled in many cases, the Norwegian Refugee Council said. Those lucky enough to reach the border crossings face additional hardships. Moaz al-Ser, a teacher, arrived at the Arqin border crossing with Egypt early Tuesday with his wife and three children after a harrowing trip from Omdurman. They were among hundreds of families who were waiting to be processed. Many had spent the night in an open area near the border. The crossing point is overwhelmed and authorities on both sides dont have the capacity to handle such a growing number of arrivals, he said. Secretary-General Guterres cited reports of armed clashes across the country, with people fleeing their homes in Blue Nile and North Kordofan states and across Western Darfur as well. Terrified people remain trapped indoors with dwindling food, water, medicine and fuel, and health services near collapse, he said. Joyce Msuya, the assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said at least 20 hospitals have been forced to close due to damage, military use or lack of resources. She also told the council there have been numerous reports of sexual and gender-based violence. The 72-hour cease-fire announced by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was to last until late Thursday night, extending a nominal three-day truce over the weekend. The rival forces said Tuesday they would observe the cease-fire. In separate announcements, they said Saudi Arabia played a role in the negotiations. But fighting continued, with explosions, gunfire and the roar of warplanes overhead around the capital region. They stop only when they run out of ammunition, Omdurman resident Amin Ishaq said. Al-Roumy, a medical facility in Omdurman, said it suspended its services after it was hit by a shell Tuesday. They dont respect cease-fires, said Atiya Abdalla Atiya, a senior figure in the Sudan Doctors Syndicate, a group that monitors casualties. Dr. Bushra Ibnauf Sulieman, a Sudanese-American physician who headed the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Khartoum, was stabbed to death outside his home, the Doctors' Syndicate said. He had practiced medicine for many years in the United States, where his children reside, but had returned to Sudan to train doctors. Colleagues said he had been treating those wounded in the fighting in recent days and that it was not known who killed him. The World Heath Organization, meanwhile, expressed concern that one of the warring parties had seized control of the central public health laboratory in Khartoum. That is extremely, extremely dangerous because we have polio isolates in the lab. We have measles isolates in the lab. We have cholera isolates in the lab, Dr. Nima Saeed Abid, the WHO representative in Sudan, told a U.N. briefing in Geneva by video call from Port Sudan. He did not identify which side held the facility but said they had expelled technicians and power was cut, so it was not possible to properly manage the biological materials. There is a huge biological risk. Clashes meanwhile escalated in the western Darfur region, residents said. Armed groups, wearing RSF uniforms, attacked several areas in Genena, a provincial capital, burning and looting properties and camps for displaced people. Fierce battles are raging all over the city, said a doctor in Genena, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals. "All eyes are on Khartoum but the situation here is unimaginable. Women and children were fleeing homes in the city center, and the city's main hospital has not functioned for days, with unknown numbers of dead and wounded, she said. More fighters on motorcycles and horses have flowed into the city to join the battles, with dead bodies lying in the streets, according to Darfur 24, an online news outlet focusing on covering the war-wrecked region. The RSF has its roots in Darfur, where it emerged from the notorious Janjaweed militias that committed atrocities there while putting down a rebellion in the 2000s. At least 459 people, including civilians and fighters, have been killed, and over 4,000 wounded since fighting began, the U.N. health agency said, citing Sudans Health Ministry. Among them were 166 deaths and over 2,300 wounded in Khartoum, it said. Secretary-General Guterres said four U.N. staff were killed. The U.N. said they were three Sudanese working for the World Food Program and one Sudanese working for the International Organization for Migration. Those who are able have made their way to the Egyptian border, Port Sudan or relatively calmer provinces along the Nile. But the full scale of displacement has been difficult to measure. Msuya said the U.N. has received reports of tens of thousands of people arriving in the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. Mohammed Mahdi, of the International Rescue Committee, warned that resources were growing thin at the Tunaydbah refugee camp in eastern Sudan after 3,000 people fleeing Khartoum took refuge there, joining some 28,000 refugees from Ethiopia. At least 20,000 people have fled from Khartoum to the city of Wad Madani, 160 kilometers (100 miles) to the south, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. Some 20,000 Sudanese have fled to Chad and around 4,000 South Sudanese refugees living in Sudan have returned home, according to the U.N. refugee agency, which is gearing up for tens of thousands more to flee to neighboring countries. The 1970s-style title font and macrame-decor chic of Kelly Fremon Craigs adaptation of the beloved Judy Blume novel Are You There God? Its Me, Margaret may at first read as retro (though Ann Roths costumes are so delicious I foresee a craze for double-knit schoolgirl pinafores). But with book censorship in American libraries at a 20-year high, this frank, funny, and tender movie plays as anything but nostalgic. A recently proposed Florida law that would forbid all discussion of menstruation in elementary school settings (an idea, it should be said, of jaw-dropping stupidity and cruelty) is cheerfully broken by nearly every scene in Are You There God? Its Me, Margaret, the story of an 11-year-old girl in suburban New Jersey who longs as ardently to get her first period as she does to establish a personal relationship with the deity of the title. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Writer-director Craigs 2016 debut The Edge of Seventeen established her as a keenly observant chronicler of adolescence. With Margaret, she takes that skill to the next level of difficulty, adapting a property familiar to generations of readersone that its author long resisted turning over for cinematic adaptationand finding new things for us to love in it, while staying true to those we loved already. In Blumes novel, Margarets mother is a stay-at-home parent who paints a little as a hobby. In the film, as played by a never-better Rachel McAdams, Barbara Simon is a more ambitious and complex figure: an art teacher who gives up her job in Manhattan to move to the suburbs with her husband and daughter, unsuccessfully attempting to reinvent herself as a kitchen-bound PTA mom. These additions to the character of Margarets mother pull from elements of the authors own life story: In the 1960s, Blume, too, was an unfulfilled stay-at-home mother in New Jersey, trying to find a way to express herself creatively while raising two children and keeping house for a working husband. Advertisement Sign up for the Slate Culture Newsletter The best of movies, TV, books, music, and more, delivered to your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. Lurking within this films coming-of-age story is a subplot about womens liberation in the style of 70s classics like An Unmarried Woman, with a radiant McAdams nearly stealing the show from the also-extraordinary newcomer Abby Ryder Fortson as Margaret. What keeps that theft from occurring is how fully the two seem like a real mother and daughter, each with her own inner struggles. Margaret is a girl aching to become a woman, while Barbara, whos been estranged from her fundamentalist Christian parents since marrying a Jewish man 14 years earlier, is a woman in exile from the girl she used to be. Advertisement Advertisement Though its remembered for its groundbreakingly matter-of-fact treatment of menstruation, the book Are You There God? Its Me, Margaret is equally if not more concerned with the effects of this dual-faith household on its heroines evolving spirituality. The daughter of a lapsed Christian and a secular Jew (played in the movie by Uncut Gems co-director Benny Safdie), Margaret develops her own private relationship with God in a nightly ritual of direct conversation that is half prayer, half diary-keeping. Craigs adaptation treats Margarets religious questioning with as much curiosity and respect as it does her budding sexuality. One plot development thats absent from the novel involves a confrontation between Margarets Jewish grandmother, played with gusto by a larger-than-life Kathy Bates, and her conservative Christian grandparents on the other side. The circumstances of this encounter seem contrived and the resolution a tad too hasty; the scene is one of the few missteps in a film thats usually both faithful to the novel and flexible enough to adapt it to modern tastes (for example, allowing Margarets mother to be a complex character in her own right). Advertisement All this praise for the spiritual earnestness and sexual frankness of Are You There God? Its Me, Margaret threatens to make it sound as if the movie were some kind of painfully earnest after-school special, when in fact it presents its preteen heroine and her world with playfulness and humor. On arriving in the suburbs, Margaret is ambushed by her neighbor Nancy (Elle Graham), an alpha girl and would-be sophisticate who promptly grills the new girl in town on the status of her menses, chest development, and experience kissing boys. After the excruciating ritual of a bra-shopping trip with her mother, Margaret is allowed into Nancys secret girls club, the Pre-Teen Sensations, whose meetings consist of compulsory revelations about crushes and the physical changes of puberty. Like Blumes book, Craigs film shows the downside of such exclusionary female bonding. Falling in with mean-girl Nancy briefly turns Margaret into a mean girl herself, as the Sensations gang up to spread nasty rumors about the most developed girl in school, Laura Danker (Isol Young). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even the officious Nancy gets her moment of vulnerability when, late in the film, her mask of grown-up sophistication drops to reveal a scared child. This is a compassionate and thoughtful movie in the tradition of its producer (and the writer-directors mentor) James L. Brooks, that champion of on-screen humanism who helped bring us The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Simpsons, Say Anything, Broadcast News, and As Good As It Gets. As was the case with those projects, Are You There God? Its Me, Margaret offers the viewer a world that feels lived-in, rumpled, and real. Not every conflict gets resolved, and when our heroines dream finally comes true, her victory, as any crampy period-haver knows, is destined to be a Pyrrhic one. Still, the embrace she and her mother share when the big day arrives made for the biggest emotional jolt Ive felt at the movies so far this year. Advertisement It gave me the biggest emotional jolt Ive felt at the movies so far this year. Judy Blume is suddenly all over the place lately, a development to be celebrated given how crucial a voice as honest and fearless as hers is to the moment of repression and censorship were currently living through. In addition to the new Margaret movie, there are TV or film adaptations in the works of her books Forever, Summer Sisters, and Superfudge, and the past few weeks have seen an onslaught of profiles and interviews featuring the justly revered author. In them, she speaks candidly about everything from book bans to abortion rights; an attempt by one journalist to misrepresent her remarks about online harassment as a statement of support for J.K. Rowlings history of transphobic activism was met with prompt pushback against what Blume called the reporters total bullshit. Advertisement A recurring theme in Judy Blume Forever, the new Amazon Prime Video documentary directed by Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok, involves Blumes relationship with her mother, an emotionally closed-off woman who had little in common with McAdams warm, empathetic Barbara. Though she resisted talking about feelings and seldom expressed pride in her daughters literary success, Esther Sussman also faithfully typed up Judys manuscripts, never showing a sign of surprise or displeasure at their sometimes-explicit subject matter. But as Blume stresses in interviews in that documentary and elsewhere, the great gift her mother gave her was a love of reading. She was regularly taken to the library and left alone to rifle through whatever books she liked. She recalls with pleasure that no constraint was ever placed on her choice of reading matter. Now 85, Blume runs a bookstore with her husband in Key West, Florida, which boasts a section proudly labeled Banned Books, including many of her own. While the governor of her state seeks to empty out school libraries, Blume has become a passionate advocate for childrens freedom to read, to think, and to ask questions about whatever it is they want to know. To quote the last line of Are You There God? Its Me, Margaret, the book that more than any other may come to define Judy Blumes legacy: Thanks an awful lot. Each week, Prudie discusses a tricky letter with a colleague or friend, just for Slate Plus members. This week Jenee Desmond-Harris discusses her response to Doesnt Have to Be 50/50 with fellow Slate writer (and also her husband) Joel Anderson. Dear Prudence, I (35F) have a new roommate, Chad (28M). He has so far been very courteous about shared spaces, and coordinating use of said shared spaces, which I greatly appreciate. He has been communicative about having guests over and sensitive to keeping noise down. I hope we have a harmonious cohabitation relationship for a long time! We were acquaintances whod hung out a few times before he moved in, and hes a really nice person. The problem is with conversations. Chad is extremely self-absorbed and not only constantly steers the conversation towards himself, but dominates it to boot. I might say one thing, like I work tomorrow from 2-10 and his response will be, Well it doesnt matter, because I have a meeting at such and such time, then Im having lunch with a friend, then Im doing this, oh and then I have this thing, and after that on and on, telling me every single detail. And not just when it comes to scheduling or logistics; I might say something on a personal note like, I dont talk to my sister much and hell take that as an opportunity to tell me not only that hes really close with his sister, but also the nature of their relationship, some jokes and experiences theyve shared, several facts about her it is absolutely exhausting and decidedly NOT fun for this introvert who really values conversational and relational balance. To make matters worse, when I am able to get a word in, he tramples all over me then too. And he interrupts me All. The. Time. I am about to lose my mind. Its only been two weeks. The excuses he gives are Oh thats just my ADHD or Yeah, you know me, Im a talker! As a female, I am in general very sensitive to being interrupted and verbally bulldozed by men, and will assert myself stronglyPlease dont interrupt me, Im still speaking, Can I finish? etc. Or sometimes I will even pointedly increase my volume and repeat one sentence until they get the hint and stop interrupting me before I go on. But I want my home to remain a harmonious place, and am not sure such an aggressive approach will serve me as well in this instance. If he finds me totally uninteresting as a person, honestly, thats fine. I dont need his attention or interest to know that I am enough. What I do need is balance. How do I approach this? What should I say? I dont want to sound mean or nagging or demanding (and thank you patriarchy, for teaching me that I am inherently those things just for asserting my needs *eye roll* the unlearning continues!), but I cant keep being conversationally leeched either. It Doesnt Have to Be 50/50 Read Prudies original response to this letter. Jenee Desmond-Harris: Its only been two weeks? What?? I feel like theyve had too many conversations for that short amount of time. Everyone, go in your room and close the door, or go outside. Joel Anderson: Seriously. This is probably why Ive only had two roommates in my lifemy freshman year of college and when I first moved to Brooklyn. I simply cant take that much interaction with someone Im not in a relationship with when I get home. Let alone interactions that are so fraught! Id go crazysimilar to our LW, it seems. As much as the LW says this person is an excellent roommate, it actually seems like not really. Because if basic conversation and all the other little interactions youve got to have to maintain a household are already driving her crazy, I cant imagine what will happen if theres a real problem to address in their place. Jenee: You know I always have to hold myself back in response from saying Can you just decide to care less about this?? Because I get paid to give advice, not to tell letter writers to become totally different people. But the LWs feeling that chronic interruption is a major affront to her made me wish she didnt take this guys lack of social graces so seriously or personally. I think he was onto something when he was basically like Oh this is just the way I am. That doesnt mean its great, and it doesnt mean she has to put up with it, but I just dont think someone with whom you only share the rent should have this much power over how you feel. Your roommate sucks at conversation. End of story. Talk to him less. Leave the room. Whatever. Joel: My mother once said something to me thats stuck with me to this day: Power is assumed. And thats why I think your advice here is salient. The LW has a chance to correct everything thats already happened between them; assuming her name is on the lease, she was there first and that means hes essentially living under her roof. She should act like it. So youre right: Talk to him only when absolutely necessary. And when she does, she should have her talking points ready and be prepared to shut down the conversation immediately. Give him the verbal version of: I aint reading all that. Im happy for you though. Or sorry that happened. Because I have the feeling that more freelance talking will only piss her off more and make her say something that will truly make it untenable for them to live together. Jenee: Yeah, she says [in a part of the letter that was cut when it was edited] that having a roommate has been great for her mental health. But I have to disagree. I think having a roommate who shes compatible with and can nurture a real friendship with without asking the person to change their behavior in any big ways would be good for her mental health. And thats the roommate she should look for. Because while she says the issue is balance, I really think she craves being heard and listened to. So just pulling away from Chad wont leave her in a great place. Tough it out until the lease is up and then go into the next roommate search knowing a little more about what youre looking for. Joel: Right. Its probably not fair to make Chad leave because hes an asshole. And Im not saying it wont be awkward, if not downright difficult, to share space with someone she struggles to communicate with. But it probably should be done until the lease is up, when she can then find the roommate who does all the things she appreciates and doesnt do the things that drove her to write you a letter after only two damn weeks. Also, like: OK, hes got ADHD and hes a talker. Thats too bad. Thats also not her problem. She should still feel free to raise her objections when necessary, in as measured and considerate a way as she can. Hes got to learn somehow. Jenee: And if it doesnt work, which it probably wont, she should feel free to be actively listening to a podcast with AirPods whenever shes in a common area. President Bidens White House meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol underscored two facts that few citizens in both countries fully grasp. First, U.S. security policy toward allies still relies heavily on nuclear weapons. Second, hopes have long vanished that diplomatic talks might coax North Koreas Communist regime to dismantle its atomic arsenaland therefore, the threat of U.S. retaliation, including nuclear retaliation, is the most solid deterrent to war. Even at their joint press conference on Wednesday, the two leaders shrouded these realities in diplomatic jargon. Biden and Yoon both spoke repeatedly of strengthening extended deterrence without quite defining the term. Basically, it means that the United States takes the basic concept of deterrenceif an enemy nukes us, well nuke the enemyand extends it to allies. In other words, if an enemy nukes an ally, well nuke the enemy just as if hed nuked us. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If North Korean troops were to invade South Korea with conventional arms, the U.S. would have plenty of assets to use to stave them off without resorting to nukes25,000 armed forces members (in addition to 400,000 South Korean troops), the planes of the 7th Air Force, and the warships at Busan Naval Base, all loaded with precision-guided missiles, bombs, cyber gear, and a host of other weapons. But over the decades, every American president has explicitly reserved the option to respond even to an invasion with nuclear weapons, if the stakes are very high and if a conventional defense alone cant hold the line. Several presidents, including Barack Obama and Joe Biden, have considered adopting a no first-use policy. They have privately expressed doubts that any American president would be the first to use nuclear weapons in a war. But they have stopped short of declaring this view publicly for fear of alarming the allies, who would suddenly question the reliability of U.S. security guarantees and, in response, consider building their own nuclear arsenalswhich could set off new rounds of regional tensions and arms races. Advertisement This is what seemed about to happen earlier this year. Yoon and a few South Korean security analysts mulled out loud that Seoul might need to build some atom bombs. North Korea, after all, was testing more ballistic missiles and enriching more uranium. When Donald Trump was president, he had talked about folding up the nuclear umbrella that had long protected South Korea and Japan, even pulling U.S. troops out of Asia (and, for good measure, withdrawing from the NATO alliance in Europe). They saw Trump preparing to run again in 2024. They heard many Republicans parroting his America-first rhetoric after regaining control of the House. South Koreans and other allies have made clear that they trust Biden to make good on U.S. pledges, but they have reasonable doubts about the next president. It makes sense for them to start at least pondering the idea of building their own deterrent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hence the meeting on Wednesday, which had been months in preparation. The upshotexpressed in a document heftily titled the Washington Declaration, signed by Biden and Yoonpledges that the U.S. will make its extended deterrent more palpable. In exchange, South Korea will refrain from going nuclear itself. The biggest new thing in this document is the establishment of a Nuclear Consultative Group, in which South Korean officials will have, as Biden put it, a seat at the table in discussions about nuclear war plans. The American president will remain the sole person to decide when, whether, and how to launch nuclear weapons. But South Korean officials will be let in on intelligence about North Korean nuclear threatsand on details of U.S. nuclear war plans. South Koreans will also take part in tabletop war games simulating various scenarios. South Korean fighter planes will fly alongside U.S. bombers in coordinated military exercises. And while U.S. nuclear weapons will not be restationed on South Korean soil (they were all removed in the early 90s), U.S. submarines, armed with nuclear ballistic missiles, will pay occasional port calls, something that hasnt been done since the 1990s. Advertisement The intended effect of all this is twofold. First, it makes the extended deterrent visible. Its one thing for an American president to promise hed launch ballistic missiles from South Dakota or the middle of the Pacific Ocean; its another for the South Korean president to see an American submarine loaded up with these missiles surfacing at a local naval base. Advertisement Advertisement Second, and more important (if less dramatic), is that these moves institutionalize the extended deterrent. A future American president might want to scrap security commitments to South Korea or some other ally, but the scuttling will be harder if it requires breaking up a formal bilateral consultative group and a slew of relationships between the two countries military commands and intelligence bureaus. MAGA types might lambaste Bidens move as an extended deep state. And yes, that is (sort of) the idea. Advertisement Advertisement In exchange for getting a seat at the table, South Korea promises to keep abiding by the Non-Proliferation Treatyi.e., to forgo any nuclear ambitions of its own. The idea of a South Korean bomb is no fantasy. In the 1970s, when U.S. troops were mired in Vietnam and Richard Nixon made his overtures to Maos China, Seouls leaders started doubting Americas reliability as an ally and did start a nuclear program. The program was suspended after the U.S. redoubled its assurancesand hasnt gained real traction since. Daniel Sneider, a lecturer in East Asian studies at Stanford University, told me on Wednesday that in recent interviews with officials and senior advisers in Seoul, nobody seriously advocated a South Korean A-bomb. Yoons main motive in advancing the idea publicly, Sneider said, was to get the Americans attention. Advertisement Advertisement Mission accomplished. This new, harder edge in WashingtonSeoul relations could not have emerged without recent changes in South Korean politics. Yoons predecessor, Moon Jae-in, was a keen advocate of warmer relations with the North, pursuing every slight opening as a possible prelude to a grand diplomatic settlement. Trump had his own fantasies along these lines, interpreting clever communiques from North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un as love letters. By the time Yoon, a much more conservative figure, took office in 2022, these hopes had faded, negotiations (which never got off the ground) had folded, and it was clear that Kim had no intention of dismantling his nukesor even revealing how many he has (probably 50 or so) or where they are. Advertisement The Washington Declaration states that Biden and Yoon remain steadfast in their pursuit of dialogue and diplomacy with [North Korea], without preconditions, as a means to advance the shared goal of achieving the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. But its clear that neither of them thinks this will lead anywhere. There is a U.S. emissary to North Korean talks named Sung Kim, but it is telling that he has a busy day-job as ambassador to Indonesia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pyongyangs response to the White House meeting (which was followed by a lavish state dinner, only the second one that Biden has thrown as president) is bound to be grim. Prepare for a barrage of complaints from Kims minions about the American imperialists and their South Korean lackeys. But Kim brought this on himself. He stepped up his nuclear program when Seoul and Washington were ripe for detente. He had his reasons, many of them involving preserving his regime, whipping up war-scares to justify domestic oppression, and executing his own vision of deterrence: The nukes are all Kim has. He may be right that hed face doomfrom foreign invaders or his own rivals to powerif he agreed to junk them. Meanwhile, there is nothing fundamentally new in the Biden-Yoon declaration. Its an attempt to make more concrete the alliance between their two countries, now celebrating its 70th year. It doesnt push Kim toward war; rather, it spells out very clearly, to one and all, what will happen if he wants to be pushed. Thats the theory, anyway. For a moment there, it was going to be the turning point of Donald Trumps presidential campaign. Published one month before the 2016 election, at the exact right time to land a fatal blow on a candidacy that looked doomed, the 2005 video that has come to be known as the Access Hollywood tape contained what seemed like a disqualifying soundbite for any future politician: When youre a star, they let you do it Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything. Advertisement This weekwith the start of the civil trial stemming from the rape case E. Jean Carroll filed against Trumpthat video will become newly relevant to the GOPs once and future lodestar. Thats because last month, the federal judge presiding over the trial ruled that Carrolls legal team could include the Access Hollywood tape as evidence to support her claim that Trump raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s. Evidence of a defendants general propensity for doing something is not usually admissible as proof that they committed a distinct act, but the judge decided that Carrolls case falls within a federal exception to that norm: In civil cases based on an alleged sexual assault, the plaintiff can provide evidence that the defendant committed any other sexual assault. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And the Access Hollywood video can be read as exactly that kind of evidence, the judge ruled. A jury reasonably could find that Mr. Trump admitted in the Access Hollywood tape that he in fact has had contact with womens genitalia in the past without their consent, or that he has attempted to do so, he wrote in his opinion allowing the tape as evidence. In her opening statement on Tuesday, one of Carrolls attorneys, Shawn Crowley, wasted no time bringing it up. After telling the jury that they could expect to view the recording during the trial, Crowley said, of Trumps prior admission that he grabbed womens genitals, This is not locker room talkits exactly what he did to Ms. Carroll and other women. Advertisement On Wednesday, the jury heard Carroll recount what she says happened those decades ago. She also described the enduring effects of the trauma, including an inability to develop romantic connections with men. She testified that she has not had sex since the day of the alleged rape. I am a happy person, basically, but I am aware that I have lost out on one of the glorious experiences of any human being: being in love with somebody else, she said. The first time the Access Hollywood tape was presented as evidence of Trumps mistreatment of women, in 2016, it was in the court of public opinion. You probably remember what happened after the video dropped, because barely anything happened at all. There were light disavowals from Republican fathers of daughters, some lip service paid to respecting women, the locker-room banter defense that created a new category of immunity for men. Voters who already hated Trump hated him more, and voters who liked Trump didnt much care. The video landed squarely on the teetering pile of other seemingly disqualifying statements by Trump, but for all its directness and nauseating specificity, it didnt seem to make any measurable impact. Trump won the election anyway. Advertisement Advertisement In the years since then, the Access Hollywood tape has served as shorthand for the entirety of Trumps misogynythe irrefutable smoking gun. Of all the memorable moments of bigotry and chauvinism from that campaign, including the remarks and allegations of abuse that bubbled from earlier eras in Trumps life, the Access Hollywood tape was the most vivid encapsulation of Trumps estimation of womens worth. Part of the tapes staying power stemmed from the language Trump used, which was not just vulgar and dehumanizing, but disturbingly idiosyncratic. (You dont hear much about women being grabbed by the pussy, as if they were misbehaving children being led to timeout by their ears.) The video has also endured in the public memory as an emblem of Trumps maddening impunity, as it revealed how easy it was for Republicans to shrug off the remarks, fall in line, and emerge newly emboldened by the cruelty of their unapologetic leader. If this couldnt take Trump down, or even make a noticeable dent in his outsized career ambitions, whatever could? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But now, the public narrative of that cursed video is being opened for revisions. This trial marks the chance for a victory both material and symbolic. Trump stands accused of raping Carroll and lying about it; in the lawsuit, the charges are battery and defamation. If the jury finds him guilty, Trump may be forced to pay damages and, for the first time, be labeled in the legal record as a perpetrator of sexual assault. To be clear, the Access Hollywood recording does not carry the weight of a confession. Trump did not make those comments under oath or during any kind of lawful interrogation, and they do not directly pertain to Carrolls allegations. But Carroll is entitled to paint for the jury an accurate picture of the man she is accusing of rapea picture that includes both his own boastful admissions of assault and the stories of two other women, Natasha Stoynoff and Jessica Leeds, who are expected to testify for Carrolls side that Trump assaulted them as well. Advertisement Advertisement The formality of a courtroom trial will imbue these womens stories with new meaning: no longer accusations, but testimony. Not simply painful recollections, but evidence. For years now, Trump has smeared his accusers as vindictive, money- and attention-hungry, politically motivated liars. On Wednesday morning, about an hour before the trial kicked off for the day, he posted on Truth Social that Carroll is running a scam and a witch hunt with a fraudulent and false story. (The judge called the posts entirely inappropriate and scolded Trumps lawyers for allowing their client to attempt to influence the jury.) Carrolls lawsuit is proving to be a powerful rejoinder to those claims. She has friends willing to testify that she told them about the rape in the immediate aftermath. She has two other women with remarkably similar stories of Trumps sexual aggression. What does he have? A video recording in which he marvels at the privilege of celebrities to grope women at will. In an orderly fashion and under oath, it will all be laid out for the public to judge. Advertisement Advertisement For those of us following along, all of itthe restated allegations, the re-aired video, Trumps recycled smears against his accuserscan feel like an excruciating wormhole back to the worst days of 2016. But this time, it is playing out in court. Even if Trump is exonerated, there may be closure in this treatment of Trumps accusers with the seriousness they deserve. It is thanks to Carroll that Trump must answer to multiple allegations of sexual violence, and that a video that has come to symbolize our impotent rage at Trumps impunity will finally be treated as the evidence it is. Before court adjourned on Wednesday, Carroll acknowledged the significance of the venue. To be able to get my day in court, finally, is everything to me, she said. Im crying because Im happy I got to tell my story in court. On Tuesday, Politico reported that Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, within days of his 2017 confirmation, sold a property to Brian Duffy, the chief executive of Greenberg Traurig, one of the nations biggest law firms with a robust practice before the high court. Gorsuch reported on his financial disclosure form a gain of between $250,000 and $500,000 for the sale of his 20 percent share of the property. Remarkably, in making that disclosure, he left blank the name of the buyer. And it turns out that the property had sat on the market for two years. Since the sale, the Politico story reports, Duffys law firm has been involved in at least 22 cases before or presented to the court. Advertisement The word corruption need hardly be written here for its specter to appear. Following so quickly on the heels of ethical breaches by Justice Clarence Thomas, Gorsuchs extraordinary omission presents obvious dangers. The foundation for a society governed by law is public trust in people who govern, including judges who interpret and apply the law. Any whiff of misconduct for personal gain at the pinnacle of legal authority corrodes that trust with a vengeance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The United States Code requires a federal judge, including a Supreme Court justice, to disqualify himself in any proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned. Under the Ethics in Government Act, there is a civil penalty of $71,316 for willful violations of financial disclosure requirements and the potential of being referred to the Justice Department under criminal statutes for supplying false information on any financial disclosure report. Advertisement Normally, there are checks and balances in place to prevent and punish this kind of thing. The presidents veto power, Congress impeachment powers, and the courts powers to strike down laws and executive orders were all designed to prevent individuals from abusing the privileges of their perches in government. The justices are not meant to be immune from this system. Indeed, in Federalist 51, James Madison, describing the need for constraints on each branch by the other, expressly recognized the special dangers in the judicial department because of the permanent tenurethe lifetime appointmentsof its members. If men were angels, Madison wrote, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. But Gorsuch, Thomas, and Chief Justice John Roberts have acted as if the need for checks and balances only applies to the other branches and to judges other than the justices of the high court. Advertisement Advertisement Theres a remarkable historical irony here. In March 1983, Gorsuchs mother, Anne Gorsuch Burford, was President Ronald Reagans administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Congress issued her a subpoena for documents as it investigated allegations that she had withheld funds from a Superfund cleanup site in Californiaan action she allegedly took to damage the reelection prospects of Democratic California Gov. Jerry Brown. Burford refused to respond to the subpoena. She acted precisely as if she could violate constitutional rules and anti-corruption norms with impunity. Advertisement Fortunately, in that interbranch conflict between Congress and the executive branch, the governments checks and balances worked; the rule of law held. In a bipartisan 259105 vote, the House cited Burford for contempt, and she stepped down from office. By report, her young son Neil told her she never should have resigned. Advertisement On April 23, Roberts followed in Burfords footsteps and declined the invitation of Senate Judiciary Committee chair Dick Durbin to testify about reported ethical breaches and the need for a code of professional conduct for the Supreme Court. Roberts did not defend the misconduct or argue that Congress had no proper oversight role. Rather, his letter relied on the relatively few times that a chief justice has testified before Congress. Advertisement Advertisement Notably, he failed to mention either that simultaneous ethical breaches by two justices are unprecedented or the 92 timesaccording to Durbinthat sitting Supreme Court justices have appeared. The obvious next step is to invite other justices to testify, as well as Harlan Crow and Brian Duffy, and to raise the ante if they decline. Advertisement Congress has the authority to tighten the justices financial disclosure requirements, ban gifts to justices entirely, and introduce an enforceable ethics code to rein in the kinds of ethical transgressions that journalists have brought to light. The reality, however, is that House and Senate Republicans are sure to be the ethically challenged courts enablers and to block such measures. Still, Durbin and his colleagues have avenues to pursue. There is something significant to be gained by the Senate asserting its constitutional responsibilities. Durbin must proceed with holding hearings and issue subpoenas if necessary. Declining to do so would abdicate those duties. And if it comes to a public clash, with the Senate challenging an institution riddled with ethical violations and the chief justice enabling them, the conflict could have more than symbolic value. Debate and attention serve democracy by raising the publics awareness of misconduct by a court that has undermined elements of American progress that remain popular with the American public: reproductive freedom, one personone vote, and environmental protection, to name a few. That awareness can lead to public pressure on both the court and Congress to institute reforms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The chief justice has previously written that a code of conduct for the Supreme Court is not needed because members of the court are jurists of exceptional integrity and experience. Regrettably, black robes in a high court do not transform those wearing them into angels. To the contrary, with the latest disclosures, Roberts institutionally self-serving view is now rather completely defrocked. He should learn the lesson of Burford, that congressional oversight can increase his branchs legitimacy and credibilityrather than threaten it. The bigger threat comes from the status quo. A rule-of-law society cannot tolerate members of its foremost legal institution conducting themselves as if they are above the law. The trial of former US President Donald Trump in the civil suit filed against him by American writer and journalist Jean Carroll began in New York on Tuesday with jury selection and opening statements. He is demanding compensation from him for rape allegations from almost 30 years ago. Trump was not present at the start of the trial. Jean Carroll claims that Trump raped her in the dressing room of a department store on 5th Avenue in Manhattan, across the street from Trump Tower, in the mid-1990s. She presented her story for the first time in a book from 2019, and in the lawsuit she states that she remained silent for more than 20 years out of fear of retaliation, but after 2017 and the strengthening of the Jaz movement, she also changed her mind. Trump denies the allegations Trump has always denied the accusations, already in 2019 he called the writer a liar who is not his type of woman and who only wants to promote the sale of her book. From the point of view of criminal law, the accusations are already time-barred, but under civil law, a lawsuit is still possible, because the new law allowed victims of sexual assaults, who could not sue the perpetrators for a long time due to the expiration of the statute of limitations, to seek justice in court even decades after the attack. Therefore, Carroll added personal injury to the original defamation lawsuit. At the beginning of the trial, 12 members of the jury were chosen, who will decide on the guilt of the former president and on the amount of possible compensation for the plaintiff. The trial is expected to last one to two weeks, Trump was not present at the first hearing. Trumps lawyer: Prosecutor is driven by money and fame The authors lawyer Shawn Crowley accused Trump of raping Jean Carroll in his opening remarks, then mocked her with his defamatory comments. Trumps lawyer Joe Tacopino on the other hand, he claimed that the plaintiff is driven by money and fame, reports the French news agency AFP. The trial in this case represents the latest in a series of legal proceedings currently involving Trump, who plans to run again for the position of President of the United States in 2024. News A well-known TV host lost his job comments: 18 Trends The Sevnik statue of Melanie, which was burned, is now on display in Zagreb News Trump disclosed his income for the first time since leaving office News Trump testified for several hours: I am not guilty News Trump files a lawsuit against his lawyer News Melania lives in a fairytale world with her son and parents A Ukrainian colleague of the Italian journalist La Repubblica died today after being shot by suspected Russian snipers in an ambush on the outskirts of Kherson, Ukraine, the Italian daily reported today. Correspondent Corrado Zunino was wounded in the process. Both wore bulletproof vests clearly marked as journalists. Ukrainian Bogdan Bitik, who worked as Zunins mediator and translator, fell under gunfire, and according to La Repubblica, his body is currently difficult to remove from the scene of the shooting due to the presence of snipers. According to Zunin, they were shot at after they passed three Ukrainian checkpoints without any problems. He saw him lying motionless According to Zunins testimony, he saw Bitik lying motionless on the ground, and he himself ran away with a wounded shoulder to a civilian vehicle that took him to the hospital in Kherson. He tried to call his Ukrainian colleague, but there was no answer. I think hes dead, at the beginning of the Kherson bridge, he wrote on Twitter. Bitik and Zunino reported for a long time from the battlefields in Ukraine, the Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani however, he said that the Italian authorities, in contact with the Ukrainian authorities, are working to return the journalist to his homeland. According to him, the two colleagues were the targets of a drone attack, reports the Italian news agency Ansa. Meanwhile, Zunino announced via Twitter that he is already on his way from Kherson to Odessa. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is for Italian media Skytg24 said that Bitik was killed by the Russians. The Russians dont care if you are Russian, Italian or Ukrainian, they just shoot, he added. Captured region The southern region of Kherson was captured by Russian forces shortly after the invasion began in February last year. In November, when the Ukrainian army advanced, they withdrew from the city of Kherson across the Dnieper River, where they are still holding out. The withdrawal of Russian forces from Kherson, which Russia unilaterally annexed together with the regions of Donetsk, Lugansk and Zaporozhye after Septembers internationally unrecognized referendums, is considered one of Moscows biggest failures in the war. Most of the region is still under the control of the Russian army. If you buy something through our links, we may earn money from our affiliate partners. Learn more. If you run an embroidery business, having the right supplies is crucial. Finding reliable suppliers is important for your success, whether you need embroidery designs, threads, or machines. In this article, youll discover 10 places to get all the embroidery supplies you need to keep your business running smoothly. The Embroidery Market in 2022 The embroidery market is projected to experience significant growth in 2023 and beyond. According to industry reports, the market is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.02% during the forecast period, which will result in a market value of about $5.4 billion by 2027. The growth can be attributed to the increasing demand for embroidery products in the quilting and stitching industries, which are expected to drive market growth over the next few years. Top Places to Buy Embroidery Supplies Whether youre starting out or an experienced embroiderer, finding quality hand embroidery supplies is essential. Check out this list of top places to buy the best materials and fabrics for all your projects. 1. Amazon If youre looking for a one-stop shop, Amazon is your go-to place. Here you can find everything from threads and needles to machines and designs. With a wide range of prices and good customer service, Amazon is a convenient option. 2. Etsy Etsy is a great marketplace for unique and creative handmade items, including embroidery supplies. Whether youre looking for intricate patterns or natural fibers, youll be able to find something special. 3. eBay When it comes to finding affordable embroidery supplies, eBay is the place to go. With a large selection of items from different sellers, you can find good deals and a wide range of products. Be sure to check out the reviews before buying! 4. Joann Joann has everything you need for embroidery projects, from pre-printed kits to all the tools and materials. With an extensive selection of fabrics, threads, and other supplies, youre sure to find what you need online or in-store. 5. AllStitch AllStitch sells wholesale embroidery supplies for commercial and home machines at low prices. They offer brand names like Madeira and Ginger, extensive embroidery blanks, excellent customer service, and free shipping options. 6. LoveCrafts LoveCrafts provides a range of embroidery and cross-stitch supplies for all budgets while fostering a global community of crafters. Founded in 2012, LoveCrafts has grown to include LoveKnitting and LoveCrochet under one roof. 7. Snuggly Monkey Snuggly Monkey sells quality craft supplies for modern stitchers, curated by Claudia Martinez. The shop supports independent designers, reduces plastic waste, and practices social giving. As a crafter herself, Martinez prioritizes enjoyable creative experiences through high-quality supplies. 8. The Embroidery Store The Embroidery Store supplies commercial embroidery with a full range of embroidery products including backings, stabilizers, thread, bobbins, needles, hoops, and accessories. They offer online purchasing and new items are regularly added. 9. Colman & Company Colman and Company offers high-quality embroidery supplies and over 50,000 wholesale supplies and equipment for customizers and decorators. They have a new Clearwater, FL shipping and pick-up location for wholesale products in Florida. 10. Embroidery Central Embroidery Central offers quality hand embroidery supplies like hoops, needles, threads, fabrics, and software for stitching success. Keep your sewing shelves stocked for present and future projects. Essential Embroidery Supply Embroidery is a popular form of sewing that adds intricate designs and patterns to a garment. To create beautiful embroidered pieces, youll need essential embroidery supplies. Here are the top four items you need: Embroidery Thread Embroidery threads come in a wide range of colors and thicknesses, allowing you to create intricate and colorful designs. Choose a high-quality thread that wont snag or break easily. Machine Embroidery Needles Machine embroidery needles are designed to work with embroidery machines and create precise stitches. Make sure to choose needles that are compatible with your machine and the fabric youll be using. Fabric The right fabrics like polyester are essential for successful embroidery. Choose a fabric thats compatible with your chosen embroidery technique, and consider factors like weight, texture, and color. Water-Soluble Marking Pens Water-soluble marking pens are a useful tool for marking embroidery designs on fabric. They can be easily removed with water once youre finished stitching. Tools for Embroidery Businesses Embroidery businesses require specialized tools to produce high-quality stitched products. From embroidery machines to software, here are the top seven tools every embroidery business needs: Embroidery Machine Embroidery machines are the most important tool for any embroidery business. Choose a machine that can handle a variety of fabrics and designs, and thats easy to use and maintain. Embroidery Hoops Embroidery hoops help keep your fabric taut and prevent it from slipping while you stitch. Choose a hoop thats the right size for your project and that will fit comfortably in your hand. Scissors A good pair of scissors is essential for cutting thread, fabric, and other materials. Choose a sharp pair of scissors that will make clean cuts without fraying the fabric. Digitizing Software Digitizing software is essential for converting images and designs into stitch files that can be used by an embroidery machine. Look for software thats easy to use and offers a wide range of features. Stabilizer A stabilizer is a must-have for embroidery businesses. Its used to support fabric during stitching, and it helps prevent puckering, stretching, and distortion. Choose a stabilizer thats compatible with your fabric and design. Thread Rack A thread rack is an essential tool for organizing embroidery thread. It keeps thread spools neat and easily accessible, and it can help prevent tangles and snarls. Heat Press Heat presses are an essential tool for applying heat transfers to garments. They allow you to create high-quality and long-lasting designs on a wide range of fabrics. What Brand is Best for Embroidery Supplies? There is no one best brand for embroidery supplies as it depends on personal preference and the specific needs of the project. However, some popular and reliable brands include Sulky and Madeira. Whats the Best Source for Wholesale Embroidery Supplies? The best source for wholesale embroidery supplies varies. Options include Etsy, Amazon, EmbroideryDesigns.com, and eBay. Compare prices and quality for the best deal. Can You Make Money by Embroidering? Yes, you can make money by embroidering. Embroidery can be a profitable business, as there is a demand for customized and handmade products. Read More: Save money on shipping costs for your Amazon purchases. Plus, enjoy thousands of titles from Amazons video library with an Amazon Prime membership. Learn more and sign up for a free trial today. Encryption and access control: these are the most likely answers someone would say when asked about data security methods. Not many would have data localization in mind. After all, it seems counterintuitive to localize data in the age of cloud computing. However, localizing data is not just a sensible data security method. It is also a must amid the growing aggressiveness and complexity of threats, especially international cybercrimes, and state-sponsored attacks. Also known as data residency, laws have been enacted to compel organizations to localize their data to compel organizations to localize their data. Data localization: why is it deemed necessary? Data localization, as the phrase suggests, is the keeping, management, as well as processing of data in a specific location or region. To an extent, it sets geographic boundaries for data, although it does not mean that access will be limited to a specific country or region. It does not mean blocking data from leaving a certain location or completely preventing access from other countries. Data localization is driven by the concept of data sovereignty Data localization is driven by the concept of data sovereignty, which entails major government involvement. It means that the data of people or entities from a specific country should be under the control or regulation of the same country. Governments or people (represented by their governments) demand control over their data. Security and privacy are often invoked as the reasons why many countries are moving to localize their citizens data collected by apps, websites, and web services. Advocates of localization reason out that their national or local laws should prevail over the handling of their citizens data. Weak data protection laws in some countries where data servers are located supposedly endanger their data and can impact national security. The other major reason why many are pushing for data localization is the economic impact. The global data infrastructure industry is estimated to be worth over $340 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow to over $400 billion by 2027 projected to grow to over $400 billion by 2027. Data infrastructure here includes the physical servers that host the data, data storage media, and network infrastructure (hardware and software). Countries want to partake in this massive industry by having data server businesses operate within their respective jurisdictions. Another argument in favor of data localization is the low latency or faster access to data for local users. Data is more rapidly accessible to users if they are both in the same country or region. However, this argument is easily countered by the use of content distribution networks (CDNs). Data Localization vs CDNs Content distribution networks (CDNs) do not equate to data localization. While they may entail the hosting of data in a country where the data is created, CDNs store multiple copies of data in servers across different parts of the world. They are doing this redundancy to accelerate data delivery to users depending on where they are located. For example, instead of serving data from a server in the USA to users in Japan, the system can direct users to servers in Japan to ensure speedier transmission and the lowest latency. In other words, CDNs may satisfy the argument of fast data access but they do not address the security, privacy, and economic impact concerns. These three are the bigger reasons fueling the push for data localization. Criticisms vs data localization As The New York Times reported in 2022, dozens of countries are already expediting efforts dozens of countries are already expediting efforts to achieve data localization. More than fifty countries are already in the process of introducing laws that force data created by their respective governments, businesses, organizations, and citizens to be stored and managed locally. European Union policymakers seek to put guardrails on data generated within the EU. In India, legislators are working on a law that would restrict the data that can be permitted to leave the country. In the United States, data security and misinformation/foreign propaganda fears are pressuring TikTok to self-enforce data localization for American users. These may sound positive in view of the benefits mentioned earlier, but there are parties that oppose the recent developments toward data localization. Multinational companies that host tons of data, for example, argue that compulsory localization makes them inefficient. It also entails additional costs for them, as they may be obliged to operate their own servers in the countries they serve or contract local servers to host their data. Additionally, data localization is perceived as a protectionist policy. It imposes more burden on companies that want to operate in foreign countries, which is contrary to the principles of global free trade. It may disadvantage foreign businesses that seek to enter a market abroad by requiring them to spend more for the storage and handling of their data, which is already a staple for modern organizations. Businesses nowadays rarely operate without collecting, storing, processing, and analyzing data. The emergence of data localization laws in various countries makes doing business significantly more complicated and costlier. Aside from the added costs of storing data in a specific country, there is also the possibility of conflicting data localization policies. Companies cannot implement across-the-board policies; they need to spend more time and resources adjusting their operations according to what local laws mandate. Even within the same country, there can be policy issues. Meta, for example, had to suspend the availability of their augmented reality filters suspend the availability of their augmented reality filters to users in Illinois and Texas because of possible violations of laws on biometric data regulation. Making the case for data localization While most data localization proponents automatically turn to security and privacy as their main justification, it can be said that economic impact is the most compelling reason why many want to localize their data. For the longest time, the worlds biggest tech companies have enjoyed the benefits of unregulated data collection and use. They have freely operated across various markets worldwide without being subjected to local laws and taxation regimes. Inversely, some companies took advantage of less expensive server and labor fees in some countries while doing business in their home country, depriving opportunities to (data infrastructure) businesses and workers in their country in the process. Data localization does not fully solve the imbalance of opportunities created by the status quo. However, it can be a good start. It forces companies to contribute more to the countries where they want to do business. It promotes local industries involved in the data storage infrastructure business. It generates local jobs with data processing compulsorily undertaken locally. Also, it prevents enterprising entities from being cavalier with their data handling like using insecure cheap servers abroad to cut costs. Is data localization essential for security and privacy? To be clear, if data security and privacy are the sole concerns, data localization is arguably not necessary. There are existing data security fabric solutions that effectively secure data and workloads in cloud and hybrid settings. Data can be properly secured regardless of location with the right security tools. Encryption solutions, next-generation firewalls, web application firewalls, malware protection, and sophisticated access control systems can be put in place to keep data secure and private. However, data localization is more than just the need for security and privacy. It is also a strategic move to attempt to rewrite the balance in a world dominated by tech giants that have mastered the utilization of data for profit generation. So, is data localization a boon or bane? Well, that depends on who you ask. Image: Depositphotos Egyptian representative urges increased port cooperation with China 09:32, April 27, 2023 By Xu Xiaoxuan and Liu Caiyi ( China.org.cn Tarek El Khouly, vice-chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Egyptian House of Representatives, visits the New Qianwan Container Terminal in Qingdao, east China's Shandong province, on April 23, 2023. [Photo by Xu Xiaoxuan/China.org.cn] "It's amazing to see all of these machines operated by computers, and it's very important for Egypt to apply such automation technologies at our ports," Tarek El Khouly, vice-chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Egyptian House of Representatives, said during a visit to the New Qianwan Container Terminal Asia's first fully automated terminal. As part of the 7th China-Africa Youth Festival, Khouly and over 40 youth representatives from African countries visited Qingdao Port, east China's Shandong province, to see the automated Qianwan Container Terminal. The Qianwan Container Terminal has the capacity to accommodate container ships capable of carrying up to 24,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and is designed to handle 5.2 million TEU containers annually. The terminal's automation technology reduces workforce requirements by 80%, making it 30% more efficient than traditional terminals. Egypt is keen to develop its shipping industry, particularly given its location bordering the Mediterranean Sea and featuring Alexandria Port and the Suez Canal. Khouly believes Egypt should learn from China's automated terminal operations, which he said were highly efficient and convenient. In addition, Khouly suggested that Egypt cooperate with China to boost port development and improve bilateral trade links. Khouly cited COSCO Shipping Ports Ltd (CSPL), a Hong Kong-listed company, investing $375 million for a 25% stake in a new container terminal at Egypt's Ain Sokhna Port. CSPL will operate the project for 30 years, and the terminal's throughput capacity is expected to reach 1.7 million TEU containers after completion. Speaking of China and Egypt's rich histories and abundant tourism resources, Khouly highlighted the need for the two countries to jointly promote modern tourist development and attract tourists to each other's countries. "Direct flights between Egypt and China should be increased," Khouly said. "Egypt should also draw on China's experience in tourism management and safety guarantees." Khouly also discussed the need to enhance the synergy between the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Egypt's Vision 2030 to attract Chinese investment and strengthen bilateral economic and trade ties. One of the flagship projects under the BRI framework is the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, which has gradually become one of the important platforms for China-Egypt economic and trade cooperation. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Whistleblower warns of child migrant exploitation as kids are being forced into labor and other forms of slavery. The individual testified in a hearing and urged Congress to take action immediately. The witness, Tara Lee Rodas, said that she had a first-hand view of the "sophisticated network" of child migrant smuggling. A whistleblower warned the United States Congress that child migrant exploitation was happening right now, where young non-American kids are being forced into labor and other forms of slavery. She warned that she had a first-hand view of the "sophisticated network" of smuggling migrant children, urging lawmakers to act immediately. The whistleblower, Tara Lee Rodas, testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, which was joined by the Health and Human Services (HHS). Network of Child Migrant Exploitation The hearing was "The Biden Border Crisis: Exploitation of Unaccompanied Alien Children." Rodas on Wednesday told lawmakers about the details of what she experienced while on the ground for the HHS at an Emergency Intake Site in Pomona, California, as per Fox News. She said she believed she was working to help place children into loving homes but found out the migrant kids were being trafficked. This begins when they are recruited in their home country, smuggled through the U.S. border, and delivered to a sponsor. Read Also: Ron DeSantis Accused of Government Retaliation in Disney Lawsuit Rodas argued that some sponsors were criminals and traffickers while others were members of Transnational Criminal Organizations. Some sponsors also viewed children only as commodities and assets they could use for profit. This is why the country was seeing a surge in labor trafficking. Statistics released by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the number of unaccompanied alien children (UACs) who arrive at the U.S. border has significantly grown. The numbers went up from 33,239 in the 2020 fiscal year to over 146,000 in the 2021 fiscal year and up to 152,000 in the 2022 fiscal year. So far, in the 2023 fiscal year, there have already been more than 70,000 encounters with UACs. Immigration Controversy The situation comes as Title 42, created to protect public health during the pandemic, is close to expiring. American officials reported that thousands of migrants are now pushing to the U.S. Southern Border, according to Fox25. In a statement, U.S. Border Patrol Chief for the Rio Grande Valley Sector, Gloria Chavez, said they saw an average of about a thousand migrants per day crossing through areas such as Brownsville, Texas. Yesterday, Brownsville Station #USBP Agents encountered over 1,600 migrants entering illegally into the #USA in a 24-hour period. Huge Kudos to all our #RGV Border Patrol Agents who are working feverishly through this migrant influx! pic.twitter.com/EA8xLz0EU3 Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez (@USBPChiefRGV) April 24, 2023 The situation comes as 19,071 UACs were released from federal shelters and brought to Texas relatives or sponsors while waiting for their immigration cases to pass through the U.S. legal system. This week, the Migration Policy Institute and the American Academy of Pediatrics released a new report that took a closer look at barriers to health care that the UACs face after they are released to families. They also looked into how these obstacles could curb their potential success in the United States, said the Texas Tribune. Related Article: Biden, Yoon Announce Agreement Aiming to Deter N. Korea Aggression @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. After months of turmoil, Pride Fort Lauderdale appears to be on the brink of collapse. As of now, the only person officially affiliated with the organization is its President, Miik Martorell. This situation poses multiple existential threats to Pride, regardless of whether one supports Martorell's leadership or not. One of the most pressing issues is the lack of a functioning board. According to Pride's own by-laws, a minimum of three people is required to make decisions and distribute funds. However, there is currently no treasurer, so there is no one to file taxes, keep books, and write checks. This lack of oversight creates serious financial risks for the organization. Furthermore, it takes three board members to distribute funds: the treasurer cuts the check, and then two other officers sign. As of now, only Martorell, as President, can sign checks but he needs another member. This lack of personnel makes it nearly impossible for the organization to function in a legal and ethical manner. The lack of transparency is also a significant issue. The board secretary resigned in January, which means that there haven't been any records posted of meeting minutes or notices of meetings since then. Even before the resignation, important records were missing from the website, records that are required to be posted. This lack of transparency raises serious questions about the organization's accountability and decision-making processes. Even more worrying is the fact that Martorell has promised to provide minutes, records, and a profit/loss statement from the recent Pride of the Americas event, but as of now, these documents have not been made available. This lack of follow-through and responsiveness to requests from the media and the community raises serious concerns about Martorell's leadership and the organization's ability to function in a responsible and ethical manner. It is unclear whether the organization plans to continue operating. The website is still promoting Pride of the Americas, but no date for next year's event has been announced. The current state of affairs at Pride Fort Lauderdale is a cause for concern not only for the LGBTQ+ community in the area but also for the broader community, which depends on the organization to provide support and advocacy. In conclusion, Pride Fort Lauderdale is facing serious existential threats that threaten its ability to function in a legal, ethical, and transparent manner. Without a functioning board and proper oversight, the organization's financial integrity is at risk. Furthermore, the lack of transparency and responsiveness to requests from the media and the community raises serious concerns about its accountability and leadership. It remains to be seen whether Pride Fort Lauderdale can overcome these challenges and continue to serve the LGBTQ+ community. A travel advisory urging LGBT to think twice before deciding to move to, or vacation in, Florida is getting backlash. On April 11, Equality Florida released the warning, citing attacks on LGBT youth, health, book bans, education, and more. During the Wilton Manors City Commission meeting on April 25, commissioners responded saying it will likely do more harm than good. They issued an advisory that it might not be safe for them using words like harm and assault, Commissioner Chris Caputo said. This has been acknowledged with disappointment by the CVB, our local business community, and many businesses that Ive spoken to. Caputo is concerned that, while the advisory is long and lays out credible arguments, people are just reading the headline and top bullet points and not getting the nuance. Its a little misleading and its definitely causing harm to tourism and our local businesses. Its clear when you read the comments, they have not read the advisory in detail to learn why Equality Florida did it. Brandon Wolf of Equality Florida responded to the commissions comments, saying, The advisory is an honest look at the current and impending landscape in Florida so that people from across the globe can make informed decisions based on their own personal situation. Wolf says the travel advisory is having a positive effect because it has people discussing ways to fight back. We are grateful for the robust discussions being had about how best to welcome visitors and new residents amidst DeSantis policy onslaught. We crafted this advisory in response to the litany of questions we have been receiving, especially from transgender people and those with transgender family members, about how policies that criminalize bathroom access, ban health care coverage, break up child custody agreements, loosen gun safety guardrails, and more may impact them. Mayor Scott Newton echoed his support for rallying the city. I understand why they said it but at the same time youre hurting the state of Florida, especially South Florida. I dont think that was their intention. Commissioners will look to craft a statement saying the city is open for business, open to all, and open to tourism. It will likely be discussed at the next meeting. Zitny Ostrov contains Slovakia's largest reserves of drinking water. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Drought induced by climate change will afftect agriculture in Slovakia. According to a new Institute of Environmental Policy (IEP) analysis, the most endangered area in the country will be the Zitny Ostrov island, spanning the southern parts of Bratislava, Trnava and Nitra Regions. Zitny Ostrov, also the biggest river island in Europe, contains Slovakia's largest reserves of drinking water. IEP analysts say that Zitny Ostrov is an extremely important agriculture area. That is why it has been mostly deforested. However, that is also why the risk is so high when it comes to drought. Even villages connected to the water supply will suffer problems. Not to mention that there are villages in the area that are not connected. When it comes to specific districts, Bratislava districts II (Ruzinov) and V (Petrzalka), as well as Senec in the south-west of the country, are at the most high risk of drought. Although lower, a few districts in the south-east of Slovakia also run the risk of drought. On the other hand, districts such as Namestovo, Dolny Kubin, and Cadca in the north Slovakia are among the least endangered. And even though some villages, for example in the Namestovo district, are not entirely connected to the water supply, the amount of greenery and humidity levels have a positive effect in terms of reducing the risk of drought. The analysts point out that in the future districts like Revuca, Poltar and Rimavska Sobota in the south-central Slovakia will experience the most dry days in any given year. That is why future investments should take this into account. More prestigious funding on the horizon. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Grants are often seen as a key indicator of how science is faring in any given country, especially how many local projects have been awarded prestigious European Research Council (ERC) grants. This article is supported by the ESET Foundation, whose annual ESET Science Award recognises exceptional scientists. In Slovakia, no one had obtained one of these grants for many years until recently when two scientists in the country received ERC funding in the span of a few months. Meanwhile, efforts have been made to help scientists in Slovakia increase their chances of obtaining ERC grants and others. The Slovak Spectator asked the scientists about their research and how it can contribute to society and in this summary you will learn about the progress they made. This overview of the successes of Slovak science will be regularly compiled. To stay up to date with what scientists in Slovakia and Slovak scientists around the world are doing, subscribe to the Slovak Science newsletter, which will be sent to readers free of charge four times a year. Related article Related article It's not just whales and pandas that need saving, Slovak researchers stress Read more ERC grant dry spell ends In 2012, Jan Tkac became the first scientist in Slovakia to receive an ERC grant. But it was a decade before another would get one. Last November, anthropologist Elzbieta Drazkiewicz from the Institute for Sociology of the SAV became the second scientist to receive one and then in February this year, chemist Michal Majek from the Faculty of Natural Sciences of Comenius University became the third. The money will fund his Capele project which uses mechanical energy to activate organic molecules. Although the basic idea behind the project has been around for a few years, Majek claims he is putting a unique twist on it. "As far as I know, no one in the world has tried this," he said in an interview with The Slovak Spectator. Related article Related article With sand and Europe's top research grant, Slovak chemist develops something nobody has tried Read more Last year, the ESET Foundation supported two Slovak scientists, Miroslav Balaz and nuclear physicist Martin Venhart, in their efforts to get funding. Both had applied unsuccessfully in the past, but it is expected that the money provided by the foundation will increase their chances. You can read about their respective areas of research here and here. How atmospheric particles affect light pollution Light pollution is the term used to describe pollution of the environment by artificial light at night. This can often be seen in the form of a large dome of light over towns and cities which is visible hundreds of kilometres away. The phenomenon affects animals and humans alike and can influence their sleep and mating patterns and lead to health problems. In many places, monitoring networks have been set up to measure the brightness of the night sky. In a new study published in the prestigious journal Nature Astronomy, a team of scientists from the Slovak Academy of Sciences found that the shape of atmospheric particles such as aerosols - which can be both solid particles and liquid droplets either occurring naturally or produced by human activity - influence levels of light pollution. The research was motivated by the fact that calculations using highly accurate tools gave different results to those produced by current models. The correct interpretation of both current results and future development is crucial to protection of the environment. Read more. How close are Slovakia and Czech Republic? Slovak and Czech history was deeply intertwined even before the two nations were joined together in the Czechoslovak Republic more than a century ago. But the formation of the common state cemented what is an extraordinary linguistic and societal similarity between the two countries. After their split into independent states in 1993, a unique space was created to study what similarities have endured in both nations since then. The goal of the project Close relatives? Slovakia and Czechia in the context of international comparative research 100 years since the Czechoslovak republic is to compare developments in each country, for example, public attitudes to specific issues. In February, as a part of the project a study on personalisation in politics was published. The aim was to find out what role political party leaders play in individual vote choice. Literature suggests that leaders are increasingly important in determining decisions at the ballot box. This particularly so in Central and Eastern Europe. By comparing the last parliamentary elections in both countries, data showed that evaluations of leaders are more important than ideological proximity and that leaders are very important for parties with a strong "brand" i.e. those that have differentiated themselves most from their competition. Personalisation plays a greater role in decision-making in Slovakia than in the Czech Republic. Read more. Overview of other research and development activities in universities: DELISA-LTO: Extending the lifetime of a nuclear power plant and the effect on safery and materials; Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava; lead scientist Vladimir Slugen. The goal is to evaluate critical components of nuclear power plants with VVER reactors, determine the most effective methods for evaluating the integrity of component materials. Read more. The goal is to evaluate critical components of nuclear power plants with VVER reactors, determine the most effective methods for evaluating the integrity of component materials. Read more. National Infrastructure Transfer Support Infrastructure in Slovakia; Comenius University; team lead Tomas Peracek. The main goal is to ensure systematic and coordinated support to public scientific and research workplaces in applying knowledge gained through research and development into practice. Read more. The main goal is to ensure systematic and coordinated support to public scientific and research workplaces in applying knowledge gained through research and development into practice. Read more. "Then the Bell Rang and the Nanny Was Allowed to Enter." Childcare in the Family and the Household; Comenius University; co-authors Marta Botikova and Lubica Volanska. An extensive historical-anthropological study of childhood in the lower middle class in Slovakia between the first and second world war. The study is based on field research and secondary literature, and highlights families who have until now been largely overlooked. The study was part of a larger publication. An extensive historical-anthropological study of childhood in the lower middle class in Slovakia between the first and second world war. The study is based on field research and secondary literature, and highlights families who have until now been largely overlooked. The study was part of a larger publication. Correlation of genetic factors with cribra orbitalia in the Slovak medieval population; Comenius University; lead scientist Marian Baldovic. The aim of the research was to test the possible association of genetic factors of anaemia and lactose intolerance with cribra orbitalia, a stress marker used to assess the health and nutritional status of individuals in historical populations. Its origin remains unknown. Read more. The aim of the research was to test the possible association of genetic factors of anaemia and lactose intolerance with cribra orbitalia, a stress marker used to assess the health and nutritional status of individuals in historical populations. Its origin remains unknown. Read more. The effect of imagery on performance and level of self-criticism of athletes; Comenius University; lead scientist Bronislava Strnadelova. Researchers wanted to find out whether visualisation used as mental exercises can increase performance and reduce self-criticism in athletes. They concluded that mental images can serve not only as a supplement to, but also a replacement for part of the training process. Researchers wanted to find out whether visualisation used as mental exercises can increase performance and reduce self-criticism in athletes. They concluded that mental images can serve not only as a supplement to, but also a replacement for part of the training process. A co-author of the new Arctic vegetation map is an SAS botanist; Slovak Academy of Sciences. An international team of botanists, which includes Jozef Sibik from the Plant Science and Biodiversity Center, has been studying and mapping vegetation in the Arctic region for many decades. They have now produced a unique map. Read more. An international team of botanists, which includes Jozef Sibik from the Plant Science and Biodiversity Center, has been studying and mapping vegetation in the Arctic region for many decades. They have now produced a unique map. Read more. Revitalisation of natural resources in Solotvyn to prevent the pollution of the Upper-Tisza Basin; Technical Univeristy of Kosice; lead scientist Martina Zelenakova. The project looks to create a basis for the rehabilitation and revitalisation of a settlement of Solotvyn, west Ukraine, and its surroundings. The project looks to create a basis for the rehabilitation and revitalisation of a settlement of Solotvyn, west Ukraine, and its surroundings. Network of pilot farmers for implementing and demonstrating climate smart solutions for a carbon neutral EU; Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra; lead scientist Danka Moravcikova. The projects aims to accelerate the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices and tools and disseminate them within the EU. A 35 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is expected over the duration of the project. Read more. The projects aims to accelerate the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices and tools and disseminate them within the EU. A 35 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is expected over the duration of the project. Read more. Multidisciplinary aspects of the feminisation of education; Comenius University; lead researcher Silvia Doncevova. The project aims to create an overview of the over-feminisation of Slovak primary schools, based on research and knowledge of the issue from the point of view of various scientific disciplines such as philosophy, gender studies, sociology, history, history of education and philosophy of education. The project aims to create an overview of the over-feminisation of Slovak primary schools, based on research and knowledge of the issue from the point of view of various scientific disciplines such as philosophy, gender studies, sociology, history, history of education and philosophy of education. Novel Approaches in Analysis of Intact Proteins as Prospective Disease Biomarkers; Comenius University; lead scientist Katarina Marakova. Different protein expression in tissues can be correlated with serious diseases such as cancer, chronic inflammatory, neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases. Thus they can serve as biomarkers. However, their analysis in samples is difficult. That is why the project aims to develop simple and reliable procedures for the pre-treatment of biological samples necessary for the analysis. Different protein expression in tissues can be correlated with serious diseases such as cancer, chronic inflammatory, neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases. Thus they can serve as biomarkers. However, their analysis in samples is difficult. That is why the project aims to develop simple and reliable procedures for the pre-treatment of biological samples necessary for the analysis. A new innovative way of cleaning water-soluble polymers from hydrophobic contaminants; Slovak Academy of Sciences. A team from the Institute of Experimental Physics SAV in Kosice developed a new method of cleaning water-soluble polymers. Existing methods did not remove contaminants. Read more in Slovak. A team from the Institute of Experimental Physics SAV in Kosice developed a new method of cleaning water-soluble polymers. Existing methods did not remove contaminants. Read more in Slovak. Sense of rotation of basaltic asteroids and their origin; co-author Adrian Galad. Most basaltic asteroids can be traced to one parent body, the asteroid Vesta, which is rare. In this project, an international team including two Slovak scientists studied the rotational properties of several hundred of these asteroids to determine their origin. Read more. Most basaltic asteroids can be traced to one parent body, the asteroid Vesta, which is rare. In this project, an international team including two Slovak scientists studied the rotational properties of several hundred of these asteroids to determine their origin. Read more. Voltage-gated sodium channels as targets for inhalation therapy for excessive cough; Comenius University; lead scientist Mariana Brozmanova. The cough reflex is one of the bodys most important defence mechanisms. However, in some cases this cough can become irritating, persistent, and pathological. The project aims to study new treatment methods. Read more. The cough reflex is one of the bodys most important defence mechanisms. However, in some cases this cough can become irritating, persistent, and pathological. The project aims to study new treatment methods. Read more. Investigating the mechanisms of tumor cachexia: the role of inflammatory changes in the rat brain; Comenius University and the Slovak Academy of Sciences; lead scientist Alena Cernackova. Of the most adverse effects of cancer on human health is cachexia - a condition characterized by a significant reduction in body weight. It is known that inflammatory substances are produced directly in or near tumours, but inflammatory changes in the brain are less researched. The goal of the project was to gain more insight into this. Read more. Of the most adverse effects of cancer on human health is cachexia - a condition characterized by a significant reduction in body weight. It is known that inflammatory substances are produced directly in or near tumours, but inflammatory changes in the brain are less researched. The goal of the project was to gain more insight into this. Read more. Interactions of bioactive compounds and non-thermal plasma; Comenius University; lead scientist Eliska Galova. Compounds isolated from plants and microorganisms have, for example, antioxidant and antitumour properties. In the case of the latter, the idea is to combine the compounds to increase their effectiveness. The goal of the project is to study two such compounds and their effect on various models including human cells. Compounds isolated from plants and microorganisms have, for example, antioxidant and antitumour properties. In the case of the latter, the idea is to combine the compounds to increase their effectiveness. The goal of the project is to study two such compounds and their effect on various models including human cells. Nanosatellite GRBAlpha; Technical Univeristy of Kosice; lead researcher Peter Hanak. The goal of the mission is to test the operation of a gamma ray detector aboard a nanosatellite already sent to Earth orbit. This is the first test mission for the planned Camelot nanosatellite fleet intended to measure and localise various transient events in space. In March, the device detected a gamma ray burst. Read more. The goal of the mission is to test the operation of a gamma ray detector aboard a nanosatellite already sent to Earth orbit. This is the first test mission for the planned Camelot nanosatellite fleet intended to measure and localise various transient events in space. In March, the device detected a gamma ray burst. Read more. Slovak question answering dataset; Technical Univeristy of Kosice; lead researcher Daniel Hladek. The result of the project is the first manually annotated dataset of more than 91,000 factual questions and answers in Slovak from various fields. The dataset expands the possibilities of training and evaluation of multilingual language models. Read more. The result of the project is the first manually annotated dataset of more than 91,000 factual questions and answers in Slovak from various fields. The dataset expands the possibilities of training and evaluation of multilingual language models. Read more. Strategic research of Lynch syndrome in the Slovak population and possibilities of prevention; Comenius University; lead scientist Tomas Szemes. The goal is to research hereditary tumours caused by Lynch syndrome in the Slovak population. The knowledge gained from the project and its implementation in the form of a screening program, as well as a central database of specific patients, will form the basis for more effective prevention. Read more. The goal is to research hereditary tumours caused by Lynch syndrome in the Slovak population. The knowledge gained from the project and its implementation in the form of a screening program, as well as a central database of specific patients, will form the basis for more effective prevention. Read more. Factors of sport performance in the context of muscle fatigue in response to excessive training load; Comenius University; lead scientist Olga Kyselovicova. In adolescence, a balance between elite sport activity and subsequent regeneration is important for the body. The project aims to expand knowledge of muscle fatigue as a reaction to excessive training load. Other Slovak science stories on Spectator.sk: SLOVAK SCIENCE: In an interview, nuclear physicist Martin Venhart talks about why Slovakia went ten years without receiving a single European Research Council grant. The situation is slowly getting better thanks to his efforts and he is hopeful that things will get better in this regard. MATERIAL SCIENCE: Tamas Csanadi from the Institute of Material Research of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Kosice is trying to improve some properties of ceramics. This could help in space exploration, among others. Find out how the Hungarian scientist found his way to Slovakia. SLOVAK SCIENCE: In an interview, doctor Miroslav Balaz from the Biomedical Research Centre at the Slovak Academy of Sciences talks about his time doing science in Switzerland, gaining knowledge and know-how, and his return to Slovakia to pass on what he learned to people like him so that they would do the same. ANIMAL WELFARE: When it comes to conservation of species, charismatic animals have an advantage, simply because they are popular. Typically, they are large mammals such as polar bears and whales. People are also keen to share stories about them. However, that cannot be said about reptiles or amphibians, not to mention invertebrates. Our biases are to blame. BIOINFORMATICS: Biology is seeing a boom in technologies that generate a lot of data. Knowing how to process it and create tools to use it is where computer scientists like Bronislava Brejova come in. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: The Slovak Spectator talked to ChatGPT, chatbot software capable of engaging in dialogue with humans and which gives the impression it is capable of human-like communication. This article is supported by the ESET Foundation, whose annual ESET Science Award recognises exceptional scientists. Looking for things to do in Bratislava? Explore a popular street festival or set out on a trip to a forest park. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Nature | Market | Meetup Market The Good Market will take place on Saturday. (Source: Dobry Trh) The Good Market returns April 29, Panenska Street, Bratislava; Opening hours: from 10:00 to 17:00. The popular street festival Dobry Trh (The Good Market) will take place on Panenska Street on Saturday. The event will welcome domestic producers, neighbours and artists. The programme will focus on the theme of understanding. Visitors can look forward to a concert of new Yiddish music, Romani fairy tales or a discussion with parents of LGBT+ children. Visitors can also enjoy a city game, craft workshops or creative workshops. There will also be a Children's Good Market. The event is free, but organisers decided to introduce a voluntary admission fee this year. https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1Bok1yAPazU1QrEP7wRBzZToF3TBAGCg&ehbc=2E312F Nature (Source: Wikimedia Commons) Forest walk This Saturday, hikers will meet at 10:45 at the Patronka stop to hop on Bus 43. It will take them to the Lesopark forest park. The walk will start from there. This is an easy walk. It mostly covers unmarked trails, running into the forest off of the beaten track. The first destination of the walk is Bratislavsky Drienovec, then the route will continue to the settlement Liscie Diery through Dieliky. The forest walk should end in Raca at 15:00. The hike should take about 4.5 h and is approximately 13 km long. If you would like to go on a hike later, here's a map. https://sk.frame.mapy.cz/s/judokuhako Meetup (Source: Facebook - Make Friends events) Make friends in Bratislava Tuesday, May 2, at Andersen Cafe & Bar, Rajska 7 in Bratislava; from 19:00 till 22:00. Meet new people, speak with them in any language, and make new friends during the weekly event at Andersen Cafe & Bar. You can read all the details and rules here at the Facebook event. https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/embed?mid=1qS9zAGDl8D31iRbFJidXVuyrqhj9sX8&ehbc=2E312F If you have tips for free events in Bratislava or you would like to share your hiking or cycling trip ideas with readers, let us know at kseniia.husieva@spectator.sk. The Winkelmann Group will produce storage tanks for heat pumps in the south of central Slovakia. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled A future industrial park in Rimavska Sobota, central Slovakia, will become an expansion site for the Winkelmann Group. The German group plans to build a plant focused on the production of hot water storage tanks, especially for heat pumps. The expected investment amount is at least 110 million. The group should create 450 new jobs. Based on the market's development, up to a two-fold increase in the number of jobs in the new plant can potentially be expected by 2030. The company plans to start production at the beginning of 2025. The memorandum of understanding on the planned investment was signed on April 27 in Rimavska Sobota by acting PM Eduard Heger, acting Economy Minister Karel Hirman and the head of the company Heinrich Winkelmann. Growing demand in heat pumps The Economy Ministry emphasised that the investor is arriving in a region with the highest unemployment rate, more than 13 percent. The German firm is the first company to build its plant in the future industrial park. With this new plant, the company is responding to increased interest in heat pump technologies and the need for alternative energy sources. The Winkelmann Group is one of the leading companies operating in the field of metal processing and sheet metal forming for various industrial uses. It was founded in 1898 as a family business. Currently, it has production plants in Germany, Poland, Turkey, China, USA and Mexico. Chinese said to be arriving as well At the last town council meeting, the mayor of Rimavska Sobota also mentioned the interest of an unspecified Chinese company in coming to the unused premises of the former heavy engineering plant in the town. These are located adjacent to the future state industrial park and have been empty for more than two decades. Mayor Jozef Simko told the My Novohrad website that the Chinese visited Rimavska Sobota in March, but that they also visited other cities in Slovakia. They plan to create around 200 jobs. "These negotiations are still ongoing," Simko said. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230427/america-cant-afford-another-four-years-of-the-biden-regime-1109865400.html America Can't Afford Another Four Years of the Biden Regime America Can't Afford Another Four Years of the Biden Regime On todays episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events including President Xi calling President Zelensky, and President Biden threatening North Korea. 2023-04-27T04:42+0000 2023-04-27T04:42+0000 2023-04-27T11:03+0000 the backstory radio democrats independent media germany wef vaccine nord stream north korea /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/04/1a/1109865243_0:0:1920:1080_1920x0_80_0_0_389479238275561e1a4ac391a9f11e16.png America Can't Afford Another Four Years of the Biden Regime On todays episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events including President Xi calling President Zelensky, and President Biden threatening North Korea, Alex Krainer - Author of The Grand Deception & Hedge Fund Manager | Lies about Living in Communist Countries, WEF, and President Putin Respected as a World LeaderDaniel Lazare - Independent Journalist and Author | Trump vs Biden Round 2, MRNA Vaccines are the Future, and RFK JrIn the first hour, Lee spoke with Alex Krainer about the globalist agenda, property rights, and how every empire is a multinational creation. Alex discussed the power of the Rothschild family and how the Rothschilds are connected to the banking sector. Alex spoke about President Putin and how he has protected Russian children from the LGBTQ agenda.In the second hour, Lee spoke with Daniel Lazare about the firing of Tucker Carlson, America's terrorist behavior across the world, and the 2024 election. Daniel stated his opinion on Tucker Carlson firing from Fox and the stories Tucker would cover. Daniel detailed the numerous narratives about the Nord Stream bombing and how the media has gone soft on President Biden.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. germany Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Lee Stranahan https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125222_0:0:293:292_100x100_80_0_0_a8bc846f559660e5bf7574f8a9608a1d.png Lee Stranahan https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125222_0:0:293:292_100x100_80_0_0_a8bc846f559660e5bf7574f8a9608a1d.png News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Lee Stranahan https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125222_0:0:293:292_100x100_80_0_0_a8bc846f559660e5bf7574f8a9608a1d.png the backstory, who votes for joe biden, why vladimir putin is respected, how the rothschilds are connected to the banking sector, why did tucker carlson leave fox news, how the us treat other countries https://sputnikglobe.com/20230427/american-f-16s-might-not-last-very-long-if-delivered-to-ukraine--1109869870.html American F-16s 'Might Not Last Very Long' if Delivered to Ukraine American F-16s 'Might Not Last Very Long' if Delivered to Ukraine American F-16s 'might not last very long' if delivered to Ukraine, said air-warfare expert. 2023-04-27T05:40+0000 2023-04-27T05:40+0000 2023-04-27T05:40+0000 fighter jets ukraine f-16 nato us arms for ukraine military military /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/09/0c/1100668870_0:44:1024:620_1920x0_80_0_0_041d339eefe3e9959c42bec59f7a2a50.jpg If Kiev were ever to finally get the American F-16 fighter jets they might not last very long, air-warfare analyst for the UKs Royal United Service Institute (RUSI) think tank Justin Bronk believes.Also dubbed the Fighting Falcon, General Dynamics F-16 multirole fighter aircraft requires specially prepared airbases and air strips something that Ukraine would need to work on. Most Ukrainian airfields are too short and "austere" to allow for safe utilization by a fully loaded F-16, Bronk said, cited by the Geopolitics Decanted podcast.There are several reasons why the F-16 jets require particular airfields. First of all, the F-16s have "fairly lightweight" landing gear, so that "there is no more weight on the jet than there needs to be." The compact and maneuverable multi-role fighter aircraft is distinguishable for its large air intake under the nose that "sucks everything from the ground directly into it,"continued the expert, adding that F-16s typically require very clean, very well-maintained air bases."Accordingly, if the US were to finally decide to hand over its F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, the Kiev authorities would be facing extensive work involving resurfacing the existing runways, extending the landing strips, etc.But the fact of the matter is, all that maintenance and modification work could be highly visible to Russia's satellites. While Ukrainian airbases have not been targeted by Russia in the course of its special military operation so far because Kievs airpower "doesn't pose a massive threat," Bronk clarified, should work begin there to accommodate Western-made fighter jets then that approach woulkd change dramatically.He summed up by saying that Russias missiles would make light work of destroying any Ukrainian F-16 fleet.Ever since Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine last year, the Kiev regime has been incessantly demanding that besides the already vast quantities of weapons delivered to it, Western countries donate their fighter jets to replace the dwindling fleet of Soviet-era MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters.Western countries have so far been reluctant to send jets, with the exception of NATO members Poland and Slovakia. These two pledged Kiev some older MiG-29s that Ukrainian pilots and mechanics are familiar with.Previously, the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Executive Director Douglas Birkey was cited as saying that according to the recent Pentagon leaks, US intelligence assessments suggested that Ukraine was running low on surface-to-air missiles, and Russia was poised to gain air superiority.In the aftermath of Berlin and Washington's pledge to provide the Ukrainian military with Leopard and Abrams main battle tanks in January 2023, some top Kiev officials started to call upon the Biden administration to go even further and send F-16 combat aircraft to Ukraine. Some US lawmakers, from both parties, joined those calls insisting that the American-made fighters could prove decisive for control of Ukrainian airspace this year" in a letter which they sent to Biden on February 16.Nevertheless, US President Joe Biden had repeatedly ruled out sending F-16 fighter jets to Kiev. Speaking to an American broadcaster on February 24, 2023, Biden said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "doesn't need F-16s now," adding that "there is no basis upon which there is a rationale" for doing this. At the same time, however, the US president made it clear that it does not mean "never."A top-ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, Adam Smith, said in February that the panel has concluded that it would not be a wise use of resources to send F-16s to Ukraine.Smith also noted that it would take a considerable amount of time and cost a significant amount of money to even deliver F-16s to Ukraine, train pilots and mechanics, create air fields to accommodate the aircraft and supply the spare parts needed to keep them operating. The fourth-generation fighter jets would also "struggle to survive" on the battlefield against Russia, Smith said.Russia has repeatedly warned that the US and its allies military aid to Kiev is only prolonging the Ukrainian conflict. The Russian Foreign Ministry underscored that NATO countries play with fire" by supplying weapons to Kiev, and that any convoy of arms for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russian forces. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230316/polands-transfer-of-mig-29s-to-ukraine-does-not-change-us-stance-on-f-16s-white-house-1108479830.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230413/scott-ritter-pentagon-leaks-show-that-ukraine-cant-win--1109484135.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230307/f-16-fighters-us-and-nato-getting-bogged-down-in-ukraine-conflict-1108156881.html ukraine Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Svetlana Ekimenko Svetlana Ekimenko News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Svetlana Ekimenko kiev regime, american f-16 fighter jets, f-16 jets might not last very long, air-warfare analyst, fighting falcon, general dynamics f-16 multirole fighter aircraft, specially prepared airbases, air strips, ukrainian airfields are too short, fully loaded f-16, old soviet-pattern runways, high risk of foreign object debris, damaging the engines, https://sputnikglobe.com/20230427/argentina-switches-to-payments-for-imports-from-china-in-yuan-1109869592.html Argentina Switches to Payments for Imports From China in Yuan Argentina Switches to Payments for Imports From China in Yuan Argentina is switching to paying for imports from China in yuan against the backdrop of issues with maintaining reserves of the central bank, Argentine Economy Minister Sergio Tomas Massa said on Wednesday. 2023-04-27T04:53+0000 2023-04-27T04:53+0000 2023-04-27T04:53+0000 economy argentina china yuan /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/01/18/1106651849_0:174:3023:1874_1920x0_80_0_0_c4b6f907dae417436a1968cf29b4f292.jpg "We activated the swap with China ... which will allow us to import from this country in yuan, thereby replacing $1 billion and 40 million in April and $790 million starting in May," Massa said on Twitter, adding that "the worst drought in our history reduced our exports by $15 billion and challenged us to maintain reserves to secure imports of goods and resources that are key to the country." He noted that such measures provide greater strength to the country's reserves. The currency swap agreement between Argentina and China has been in force for years and has been revised several times by both sides. In November 2022, Argentina negotiated the expansion of the swap agreement to maintain central bank reserves. Argentine President Alberto Fernandez then said that the country was given the right to "freely dispose" of 35 billion yuan, or $5 billion. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230330/brazil-china-sign-agreement-to-trade-in-yuan-1108944998.html argentina china Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International imports from china, reserves of the central bank, argentina yuan https://sputnikglobe.com/20230427/can-the-us-congress-pass-the-crucial-deficit-bill-in-time-1109859958.html Can the US Congress Pass the Crucial Deficit Bill in Time? Can the US Congress Pass the Crucial Deficit Bill in Time? On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Manila Chan and Ted Rall discussed top news, including the deficit bill debacle. 2023-04-27T05:20+0000 2023-04-27T05:20+0000 2023-04-27T11:08+0000 the final countdown joe biden 2024 us presidential elections hunter biden montana state capitol january 6 proud boys debt ceiling south africa /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/04/1a/1109859801_0:0:1920:1080_1920x0_80_0_0_08546e3f0fe103d23dee602d5f395f64.jpg Can the U.S. Congress Pass the Crucial Deficit Bill in Time? On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Manila Chan and Ted Rall discussed top news, including the deficit bill debacle. Timothy Alan Simon: Principal, TAS Strategist, Former Appointment Secretary for Gov. Arnold SchwarzeneggerSteve Gill: Attorney & CEO of Gill MediaMelik Abdul: Cohost of Fault LinesDavid Tawil: Cofounder of ProChain CapitalClinton Nzala: Political commentator based in NairobiIn the first half hour, the hosts were joined by Timothy Alan Simon, the Principal of TAS Strategist, and Former Appointment Secretary for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney Steve Gill discuss Biden's re-election campaign. They also touch upon the Hunter Biden child custody case.In the second half of the hour, Melik Abdul, Senior Columnist Co-Host Fault Lines joins to talk about the Montana Capitol protests and the Jan 6. insurrection trials.In the last hour, The Final Countdown talked to David Tawil, Co-founder of ProChain Capital joins to talk about the debt-ceiling bill.Later in the hour, The Final Countdown was joined by Clinton Nzala, a political commentator and writer for Africa Stream to discuss the geopolitics of South Africa.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. south africa haiti Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Ted Rall https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125340_0:0:360:360_100x100_80_0_0_1ed1a3494a53cde87e19521c3658fe92.jpg Ted Rall https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125340_0:0:360:360_100x100_80_0_0_1ed1a3494a53cde87e19521c3658fe92.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Ted Rall https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125340_0:0:360:360_100x100_80_0_0_1ed1a3494a53cde87e19521c3658fe92.jpg the final countdown, debt-ceiling bill, geopolitics of south africa Maybelline's partnership with trans woman Dylan Mulvaney triggers widespread boycott online from conservatives. The #BoycottMaybelline has trended on Twitter following the backlash on the collaboration. It comes right after a boycott campaign against Bud Light kicked off over a partnership with Mulvaney. The backlash started after the trans TikTok influencer posted two sponsored posts in partnership with the alcoholic beverage. This time, the make brand, Maybelline, faces the same kind of response. (Photo : Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows) NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 10: A view Maybelline branding backstage for the Libertine runway show sponsored by Maybelline New York in Gallery II of Spring Studios during New York Fashion Week: The Shows - Day 5at Spring Studios on February 10, 2020 in New York City. Maybelline's Collab with Trans Dylan Mulvaney Triggers Boycott According to CBS News, the transgender influencer Mulvaney, who has over 1.8 million followers on Instagram, is facing another backlash, involving her collaboration with the famous cosmetics brand Maybelline. The TikTok rose, popularly known for her "girlhood" series, posted a short video on the Chinese-based social network last month. It turns out that the clip was sponsored by the giant makeup brand Maybelline in celebration of her gender transition. In the video, Mulvaney used various Maybelline products on her face, such as lipstick and eyeshadow, as she promoted its product line. Fox News reports she had no makeup on during the start of the video. She only applied the different types of cosmetics on her face in the video, showcasing the products of Maybelline. At the end of the video, she capped off her makeover by applying a lip gloss from the brand that sponsored the video. The caption of the collaboration video revealed that she was getting glammed for her Day 365 show when she shot the TikTok clip. While the video seeks to promote the brand to her audience, alongside celebrating her "girlhood," conservative viewers had other sentiments. For instance, Fox News notes that an influencer known as Conservative Momma slams the partnership, saying that it was both "offensive" and "degrading" to "real" women. Meanwhile, Liz Churchill, a Canadian conservative, says that the partnership has prompted her to throw away her Maybelline products. CBS News notes that the parent firm of Maybelline, L'Oreal, has yet to respond to the backlash online. Besides the makeup brand, conservatives are now targeting the brands, which partnered with the popular TikTok influence. One of the casualties of the widespread backlash is Bud Light. Fox News points out that the sales of the alcoholic beverage brand saw a significant slump of roughly 17% since the conservative boycott started. Read Also: ASTRO Member Moonbin Dies at 25; Agency, Family Release Statement (Photo : Amanda Edwards/Getty Images) LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 15: Rachel McAdams (L) and Dylan Mulvaney attend the "Are You There God It's Me, Margaret." Los Angeles Premiere at the Regency Village Theatre on April 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Fans Defend Mulvaney Amid Maybelline Boycott Backlash Despite the backlash by conservatives, the fans and followers of Mulvaney came to her defense. Page Six reports that some fans of the TikTok star denounced the criticisms. One of the defenders of the Mulvaney says that the sponsored short video did not "harm" "cis women." Others called the anti-trans community targeting her, as "homophobes" and "bigots." The 26-year-old influencer thanked her fans for their continued support. Mulvaney previously had high-profile collaborations with brands like Nike and Kate Spade. Related Article: Bud Light - Dylan Mulvaney Beer Can Backlash: Here's What Happened! @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230427/carlson-in-first-post-fox-commentary-claims-those-in-power-resort-to-force-to-kill-debate-1109867382.html Carlson in First Post-Fox Commentary Claims Those in Power 'Resort to Force' to Kill Debate Carlson in First Post-Fox Commentary Claims Those in Power 'Resort to Force' to Kill Debate Tucker Carlson in his first extensive public comments after leaving Fox News said the people in charge are resorting to 'force' to stifle conversations in the media that do not benefit the interests of both political parties. 2023-04-27T01:53+0000 2023-04-27T01:53+0000 2023-04-27T01:50+0000 americas us tucker carlson viral fox news twitter media us media /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/07/08/1083335331_0:0:3071:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_e1f60967f2a913aee7c106fec6c6e131.jpg On Monday, FOX News said the media giant and Carlson agreed to part ways, a move that came despite the fact he hosted the network's top-rated program. Conflicting reports suggested Carlson was let go due to his controversial coverage of topics - ranging from the January 6 riots to US support of the Ukraine conflict - while others said he was fired for sharp criticism of senior management. A fierce critic of the Biden administration, Carlson is often portrayed as a far-right conservative. However, although true to an extent, Carlson became famous for questioning prevailing establishment orthodoxies on both the left and the right. Carlson refrained from specifically mentioning his departure from Fox News, although the references clearly alluded to the situation. Wednesday's video clip, befittingly, resembled the monologues he delivered on his defunct show "Tucker Carlson Tonight." Carlson said "big topics" like war, corporate power, and civil liberties get virtually no attention in the media. However, Carlson added, the current moment is too ridiculous to continue. "And, so, it won't," he said. Carlson also said there are not many places left where Americans are saying "true things." But there are some, he added, and that is enough.Since Carlson's ouster reports have suggested that the axe decision came down from Rupert Murdoch, who serves as the chairman of the media company, after he first consulted with board members.Dr. Nicholas Waddy, political analyst and associate professor of history at SUNY Alfred, earlier told Sputnik that the former host's departure is likely to signify the end of oppositional media as Fox News transitions into a "graveyard of conservative media titans." americas Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International tucker carlson, fox news, first remarks, fox news ouster, media, debate, https://sputnikglobe.com/20230427/cypriot-fm-cyprus-now-used-as-intermediate-base-for-evacuation-of-people-from-sudan-1109868718.html Cypriot FM: Cyprus Now Used as Intermediate Base for Evacuation of People From Sudan Cypriot FM: Cyprus Now Used as Intermediate Base for Evacuation of People From Sudan Cyprus is now being used as an intermediate base for evacuation of people from Sudan, with five flights having arrived since Tuesday, Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos told reporters. 2023-04-27T03:46+0000 2023-04-27T03:46+0000 2023-04-27T19:13+0000 world sudan rapid support forces (rsf) cyprus evacuation /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/04/1b/1109868558_0:161:3071:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_a8a7d3b63b87d71772f45487db801fc4.jpg "The unsettled situation in Sudan, despite the current ceasefire, causes serious concern both in terms of the humanitarian situation in the country and in terms of possible consequences at the regional level," Kombos said.He said Cyprus from the very beginning showed its readiness to contribute to the efforts to evacuate European citizens, including Cypriots, to ensure the necessary conditions for temporary accommodation of civilians evacuated from Sudan. "Cyprus acts as a way station for civilians before they go to their countries of origin, to countries of final destination. It has been confirmed that in such cases, Cyprus is a safe regional port," the minister said.On April 15, violent clashes between the Sudanese regular armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group broke out, with the epicenter in Khartoum. Government forces accused the RSF of mutiny and launched airstrikes against their bases. Abdel Fattah Burhan, the head of the Sudanese military, issued a decree disbanding the RSF. The sides agreed to a three-day truce starting April 21 in connection with the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr. So far, around 600 people have died in the clashes, the Sudanese Health Ministry has said. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has reported over 450 deaths and said more than 4,000 people had been injured. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230427/sudanese-army-general-open-to-talks-with-rival-paramilitary-leader--south-sudan-1109866798.html sudan cyprus Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International cyprus, sudan, sudan clashes, civilian evacuation drom sudan, constantinos kombos, cypriot foreign minister https://sputnikglobe.com/20230427/french-government-rolls-out-fresh-reforms-to-move-past-pension-rage-1109867081.html French Government Rolls Out Fresh Reforms to Move Past Pension Rage French Government Rolls Out Fresh Reforms to Move Past Pension Rage French PM Elisabeth Borne announced Wednesday that the government would press ahead with its ambitious reforms agenda in the coming months after shrugging off mass protests against the retirement age hike as "populist rhetoric." 2023-04-27T01:11+0000 2023-04-27T01:11+0000 2023-04-27T01:11+0000 world france emmanuel macron pension reform immigration labour green economy reforms /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/04/19/1095042286_0:0:3071:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_e7a815bf6f866233aad46f0534d8b141.jpg The next round of reforms, she said, will overhaul immigration, labor and green industry policies to deliver "concrete, tangible and visible" results for the benefit of the nation. President Emmanuel Macron will take stock of their progress on July 14, France's national day. As a sign of reconciliation, the prime minister said the government would work with stakeholders to guarantee employment to the elderly as well as higher wages and better reeducation opportunities for workers. Borne identified illegal immigration as a top concern. A bill seeking to plug holes in the French immigration laws will go to parliament in fall. Prior to that, lawmakers will debate a draft legislation in May that will decarbonize the national economy, followed by a plan in June that will guarantee health care for all. The prime minister assured reporters that the government would seek a parliamentary majority on each initiative and refrain from using the clause that allowed it to push the unpopular pension reform through parliament without a debate in March. It has used Clause 49.3 on a dozen occasions since last fall. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230317/french-pension-riots-are-result-of-eu-tailing-us-led-push-into-eastern-europe-1108514207.html france Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International french pm elisabeth borne, what will french gov do next, immigration in france, france article 493, france populism, macron, new french legislations, french pension reforms protests unrest https://sputnikglobe.com/20230427/from-caribbean-to-siberia-fidel-castros-first-visit-to-ussr-1109886956.html From Caribbean to Siberia: Fidel Castro's First Visit to USSR From Caribbean to Siberia: Fidel Castro's First Visit to USSR Fidel Castro's visit to USSR took place in 1963, at a time when the world was divided into two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union. 2023-04-27T18:35+0000 2023-04-27T18:35+0000 2023-04-27T18:35+0000 multimedia fidel castro nikita khrushchev ussr cuba photo /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/04/1b/1109884327_0:231:2048:1383_1920x0_80_0_0_d2bbd4c4a35ee1a84ccce918fc8347f6.jpg Fidel Castro's arrival in Moscow was met with great fanfare. He was greeted by Soviet leaders, including Nikita Khrushchev, who was the first secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union at the time. The two leaders held extensive talks on a variety of issues, including political and economic cooperation. The visit was also marked by a series of public appearances by Castro, during which he addressed large crowds of Soviet citizens.Fidel Castro's visit to the USSR lasted until June 3: During his 39-day trip, the Cuban leader toured the entire Soviet Union, from Siberia to Samarkand.Take a look at Fidel Castro's historic visit to USSR in Sputnik's gallery: 1 ussr cuba Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International fidel castro, revolutionary leader https://sputnikglobe.com/20230427/hungarian-defense-minister-urges-partners-to-be-cautious-about-nato-expansion-1109869086.html Hungarian Defense Minister Urges Partners to Be Cautious About NATO Expansion Hungarian Defense Minister Urges Partners to Be Cautious About NATO Expansion Hungarian Defense Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky, at a meeting with counterparts from the Bucharest Nine (B9) member states, urged them to be cautious in the matter of NATO expansion. 2023-04-27T04:01+0000 2023-04-27T04:01+0000 2023-04-27T04:13+0000 world hungary budapest nato viktor orban ukraine nato expansion /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/04/1b/1109868913_0:960:2048:2112_1920x0_80_0_0_b61098a1da46e8e7fbdc6cb95c97575e.jpg "Hungary supports the open door policy [on NATO expansion] but still calls on its partners to be cautious. All such decisions can only be made if the applicant countries fully comply with the conditions, as well as with the full NATO allied consensus," Szalay-Bobrovniczky said as quoted by the Hungarian Defense Ministry."The European Union is also playing an increasingly important role in the area of security and defense. Hungary is interested in an EU based on strong nation-states," he said. The Hungarian defense minister also recalled the importance of combating illegal migration from the south and called for support to Western Balkans countries. He also recalled that "Hungary plays a significant role in strengthening the eastern wing of NATO" and allocated 2% of GDP for defense a year ahead of schedule. In mid-July, Szalay-Bobrovniczky said he had given instructions to increase the combat readiness of the Armed Forces and conduct intensive drills in different parts of the country due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the influx of migrants to the southern borders of the country. Earlier, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Budapest now needs to increase the country's military capabilities. According to Orban, only a strong national army can guarantee the country's security and Hungary will seriously focus on strengthening the national army in the next decade, since European countries cannot rely on the US alone for defense.Since the start of the conflict, Hungary has consistently opposed sanctions on Russian energy resources and the shipment of weapons to Ukraine. In March 2022, the Hungarian parliament issued a decree prohibiting the supply of weapons to Ukraine from the country's territory. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto explained that Budapest was seeking to secure the territory of Transcarpathia, where ethnic Hungarians live, since the supply of weapons through its territory would become a legitimate military target for Russia. The Hungarian leadership has repeatedly stressed that Hungary stands for the early start of peace talks. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230306/hungarian-foreign-minister-warns-europe-against-competing-with-us-in-arms-supplies-to-kiev-1108099372.html hungary budapest ukraine Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International hungarian defense minister kristof szalay-bobrovniczky, hungary, nato expansion, arms for ukraine, orban, hungarian eu russian relations https://sputnikglobe.com/20230427/lavrov-at-un-us-drills-in-korea-eu-enslaved-by-us-imperialism-1109866223.html Lavrov at UN; US Drills in Korea; EU Enslaved by US Imperialism Lavrov at UN; US Drills in Korea; EU Enslaved by US Imperialism Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is leading a discussion at the United Nations about the emerging unipolar world order. 2023-04-27T04:27+0000 2023-04-27T04:27+0000 2023-04-27T11:01+0000 the critical hour radio sergey lavrov poland taiwan brazil india south korea /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/04/1a/1109866066_0:0:1920:1080_1920x0_80_0_0_5bedcd75a7ace825f4f1d2a8aa6a826b.png Lavrov at UN; US Drills in Korea; EU Enslaved by US Empire Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is leading a discussion at the United Nations about the emerging unipolar world order. Regis Tremblay, an American citizen in Crimea, joins us to discuss Ukraine. Russian arms control officials say that there is no opportunity for discussion with the West due to the current geopolitical climate. Also, some members of Congress are pushing for a resolution calling for the total defeat of Russia in Ukraine.KJ Noh, writer, teacher, and activist, joins us to discuss the UN. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is leading a discussion at the United Nations about the emerging multipolar world order.Caleb Maupin, journalist, and political analyst, joins us to discuss the new world order. Europe has become a victim of US imperialism as their way of life is sacrificed in an attempt to maintain a unipolar order that has already passed.Dr. David Oualaalou, international geopolitical consultant, veteran, and author of many books, including "The Dynamics of Russia's Geopolitics: Remaking the Global Order," international security analyst, and host of the "Geopolitics in Conflict" Show on YT, joins us to discuss the new cold war. The German Green Party has turned Germany into a bastion of irrational suicidal Russophobia. Also, US imperialism marches Europe into destruction.James Carey, host of The Left is Dead podcast, joins us to discuss the Middle East. Israel is celebrating its "day of independence" as internal political squabbles threaten to tear it apart. Also, opposition to Israeli politics is growing in the US.Darryl Jones, attorney, and voting rights activist, joins us to discuss domestic policy. A current spotlight on Supreme Court financial transactions demonstrates that corruption goes to the highest levels in US politics.Brian Berletic, ex-US Marine Corps independent geopolitical researcher and writer based in Bangkok, joins us to discuss foreign military policy. There are signs that the Biden team is preparing to abandon the failed Ukraine neocon project. Also, the US Army is facing a recruitment crisis.George Koo, journalist, social activist, and international business consultant, joins us to discuss Asia. South Korea is ignoring the history of brutal Japanese colonialism and following US dictates for the Pacific region. Also, the US is targeting China because of its rare combination of economic success and independence.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. poland brazil south korea Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Garland Nixon https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125302_0:0:239:239_100x100_80_0_0_d5d43c970b0740f228597fbcdb4ffd66.jpg Garland Nixon https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125302_0:0:239:239_100x100_80_0_0_d5d43c970b0740f228597fbcdb4ffd66.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Garland Nixon https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125302_0:0:239:239_100x100_80_0_0_d5d43c970b0740f228597fbcdb4ffd66.jpg the critical hour, sergey lavrov' speech in the un, what did lavrov say in the un, who is winning in ukraine, the difference between unipolar and multipolar world order, corruption in the american politics, can biden abandon ukraine https://sputnikglobe.com/20230427/nicest-guy-ever-netizens-mourn-death-of-tv-icon-jerry-springer-1109900234.html 'Nicest Guy Ever': Netizens Mourn Death of TV Icon Jerry Springer 'Nicest Guy Ever': Netizens Mourn Death of TV Icon Jerry Springer News of the death of famous TV talk show host Jerry Springer at the age of 79 shocked his fans and fellow colleagues. Springer will always be remembered as TV host who had a significant impact on popular culture. 2023-04-27T22:57+0000 2023-04-27T22:57+0000 2023-04-28T03:00+0000 beyond politics viral jerry springer cincinnati northwestern university society scandal celebrity scandal dead celebrity /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/04/1b/1109899062_0:0:2000:1125_1920x0_80_0_0_a88b61a7a0d665a8567e744e4e5a0deb.jpg A spokesman for prominent TV figure Jerry Springer said the famed media host died of a brief illness at his home in Chicago. US media has reported that the screen star had been battling pancreatic cancer.Not long after news broke of his death, netizens flocked to social media platforms to express their grief and gratitude for the late broadcaster. Broadcaster and US media columnist, Piers Morgan, who worked with Springer on Americas Got Talent, lamented the loss and recalled the joy he experienced while working with the figure.Comedian Loni Love also expressed her condolences, tweeting about Springers ability to connect with people."What I loved about Jerry Springer was the way he connected with people in a unique and authentic manner. This is why as a talk show host he excelled condolences to his family and fans on his passing," stated Love.Springer's Versatile LifeBorn Gerald Norman Springer, the talk show host came into the world on February 13, 1944, in London, as his parents were sheltering inside the Highgate London Underground station during World War II.Springer was the son of Jewish parents who fled Nazi Germany before the start of the war; his parents hailed from a German region that is now part of Poland. His grandmothers both died in Nazi concentration camps during the war.The family remained in London for some time after, but eventually relocated to Queens, New York, when Springer was just four.Springer's family history went on to play a significant role in shaping his worldview. He earned a bachelor's degree in politics and political science from Tulane University in 1965 and graduated from Northwestern University in 1968 with a law degree.He began his career as an adviser to then Sen. Robert Kennedy, and later joined a Cincinnati law firm after Kennedy's 1968 assassination.In 1970, Springer ran for Congress, but lost to Republican candidate Donald Clancy with 45% of the vote. A year later, the young politician became a member of the City Council, but in 1974 he was forced to leave his post because of a scandal: the police found a check written by him for the services of a prostitute.Despite the public hiccup, Springer remained popular with voters and was soon reelected to the council. He served as mayor of Cincinnati from 1977 to 1978.Shift to TV TheatricsThe first episode of "The Jerry Springer Show" aired on September 30, 1991. Initially the project was positioned as a serious program about politics, but three years later Springer and a new producer chose to change the format to appeal to a wider audience.From then on, guests wanting to discuss their personal problems become the show's go-to opportunity for increasing ratings. The program touched upon various scandalous topics of the time, such as adultery, incest, bestiality, pornography, racism and fetishism. The show soon became known for its constant skirmishes between guests, with audience members repeatedly shouting "Jerry" as security guards were often seen storming the stage to separate brawlers.The program has maintained its standing among the public, having aired nearly 5,000 episodes and inspiring similar projects across the globe. At the height of its popularity in 1998, Springer's show surpassed the famous "Oprah Winfrey Show" in popularity, drawing 12 million viewers. cincinnati Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Egor Shapovalov Egor Shapovalov News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Egor Shapovalov jerry springer, jerry springer died, the jerry springer show, pancreatic cancer, us tv hosts, the life of jerry springer, did jerry springer really was a mayor https://sputnikglobe.com/20230427/pentagon-leakers-pretrial-detention-status-under-advisement--court-filing-1109898817.html Pentagon Leaker's Pretrial Detention Status 'Under Advisement'- Court Filing Pentagon Leaker's Pretrial Detention Status 'Under Advisement'- Court Filing Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira's pretrial detention status is under consideration after a federal judge heard arguments on the matter from prosecutors and the defendant, a court filing revealed on Thursday. 2023-04-27T21:18+0000 2023-04-27T21:18+0000 2023-04-27T21:14+0000 americas pentagon leaks jack teixeira massachusetts pretrial detention court filing us marshals service /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/102268/44/1022684462_0:128:2448:1505_1920x0_80_0_0_8ec60259a2c30487ee5ed2cc7b9adc73.jpg Teixeira, a 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman, was arrested on April 13 and charged in Boston federal court the next day with unauthorized removal and transmission of national defense information and classified documents or materials. Teixeira is being held without bail pending a decision on his detention. Prosecutors are seeking to keep Teixeira in jail while he awaits his trial, but his legal team is trying to get him released under certain conditions and monitoring, the court filing said. During the detention hearing, federal prosecutors argued that Teixeira may try to flee or obstruct justice if he is not detained leading up to his trial, media reported. According to court documents, Teixeira tried to conceal his leak of classified military documents by telling his online friends not to say anything or to delete messages from him. Court records also showed he destroyed electronic devices, such as a laptop and tablet, prior to his arrest. Prosecutors, according to media reports, said Teixeira conducted hundreds of searches related to the Ukraine conflict and mass shootings. The judge pointed out during the hearing that the classified documents Teixeira leaked regarding the Ukraine conflict are a legitimate concern.In early April, more than 100 classified US government documents were leaked on social media, apparently showing sensitive intelligence documents on the state of the Ukrainian military and the US and NATO's efforts to strengthen it. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230421/media-hounding-accused-pentagon-leaker-on-behalf-of-security-state-1109743846.html americas massachusetts Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International pentagon leaks, suspected pentagon leaker, jack teixeira, pretrial detention, under advisement, court filing https://sputnikglobe.com/20230427/putin-prepares-hard-hitting-response-if-russian-assets-seized-abroad-1109877210.html Putin Prepares 'Hard-Hitting' Response if Russian Assets Seized Abroad Putin Prepares 'Hard-Hitting' Response if Russian Assets Seized Abroad President Vladimir Putin's Decree on response measures if Russian assets are seized abroad is a hard-hitting reply to 'minimize risks'. 2023-04-27T15:02+0000 2023-04-27T15:02+0000 2023-04-27T15:02+0000 russia vladimir putin assets foreign assets frozen assets russian economy under sanctions gazprom rosneft /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/03/15/1108656987_0:0:3179:1788_1920x0_80_0_0_68dc37089b6a546fad6a3959d6bf015f.jpg The assets of foreign companies cited in the decree signed on Tuesday by Russian President Vladimir Putin on response measures to Russian assets if they are illegally seized abroad are directly connected to the countrys energy sector, Nikolai Solabuto, a financial market expert, told Sputnik. This is not, in effect, a reciprocal response to the seizing or freezing of Russias assets abroad. According to the decree, 83.73% of Unipro's assets, 69.8807% of Fortum's assets owned by Fortum Russia, and 28.3488% of the company's assets owned by Fortum Holding were transferred to temporary management of Russias Federal Agency for State Property Management (Rosimushchestvo). The confiscation of Russian property abroad has long been a topic of discussion in the so-called collective West, with the government of the Russian Federation now coming up with its own response. Minimizing Russia's RisksThe market expert offered a very simple and clear-cut example of how this decree would work.Putin's decree basically says that Russia will maintain control over all vital areas to the country in terms of energy in the case of foreign companies registered in the jurisdiction of states that are unfriendly to Russia, Nikolai Solabuto underscored. By and large, one can talk about a kind of "mirror response" from Russia to the actions of the German government to transfer control of energy assets owned by Gazprom last year, Solabuto believed. The government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz has taken control of a local arm of Russia's natural gas producer Gazprom PJSC - Gazprom Germania (GG). The latter was a subsidiary of Gazprom Export (itself a part of Gazprom), and was engaged in trading natural gas throughout Europe. On March 31, 2022, the Gazprom Group ceased participation in Germany's Gazprom Germania GmbH and all its assets, including Gazprom Marketing & Trading Ltd. Germany's Economy Minister Robert Habeck announced in April 2022 that Gazprom Germania GmbH was being put under the trusteeship of the Federal Network Agency. The company was later nationalized. Germany also seized refining assets part-owned by the West-sanctioned state oil company Rosneft PJSC.Still, there is a difference in these cases, the financial market expert said.This decree is not entirely a reciprocal response to Berlin's actions regarding assets of Gazprom in Germany, Solabuto said, adding that Moscow currently needs to have a clear understanding of the position adopted by companies whose jurisdiction is outside Russia and, moreover, located in "unfriendly" countries.The transfer of foreign assets to temporary management is it aimed at minimizing risks for Russia itself, first of all, Nikolai Solabuto is convinced.The expansion of the number of companies under this decree depends on the companies themselves, according to the expert. If companies declare that they will continue to fulfill their obligations in full, then they will not be included in any lists under this decree.Russia will only consider a symmetrical response with respect to those companies that actually make unfriendly decisions against it, Solabuto said. Looking ahead at other possible companies that might find themselves on Russia's list, in line with the new decree, he pointed out:As for the measures that Russia might use in response to illegal US actions and those of other countries aimed at the "deprivation or restriction of property rights of the Russian Federation, its companies and citizens," the expert said Moscow would never "shoot itself in the foot," in the manner of the West's self-harming sanctions. For example, the US cutting off Russias Central Bank from US dollar transactions last year resulted in a general move away from the use of the American currency and a push towards de-dollarization.'Only the First Step'Around the world, about half of Russia's gold and foreign exchange reserves have been blocked by the so-called collective West, as have the property and accounts of Russian politicians, businessmen, and media workers. According to Mikhail Khazin, this leaves Russia with two options. The first is to "fight for our rights" by wielding reciprocal policies, the Russian economist and researcher told Sputnik.The decree, signed on April 25 by President Vladimir Putin, comes in response to the countries of the collective West in effect excluding Russia and its citizens from the legal field. Accordingly, Russia's countermeasures in relation to the West need to be painful enough to make them realize that they are committing acts that are unacceptable.There are a great many diverse instruments Moscow might use, and judging by the way the West is currently behaving, "it will happen," Mikhail Khazin concluded. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230426/putin-signs-decree-on-response-measures-if-russian-assets-abroad-seized-1109835192.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20220404/gazprom-germania-gmbh-temporarily-placed-under-trusteeship-of-federal-network-agency-1094473628.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230426/russia-to-take-measures-if-finland-fails-to-resolve-issue-with-russian-property-1109838958.html russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Svetlana Ekimenko Svetlana Ekimenko News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Svetlana Ekimenko hard-hitting response to minimize risks, russia;s assets, decree on eesponse measures if russian assets abroad seized, gazprom, rosneft, russia sanctions, self-harming sanctions, external control, asset freeze, jurisdictions of unfriendly states https://sputnikglobe.com/20230427/russia-becomes-worlds-second-producer-of-mineral-fertilizers-after-china-1109887216.html Russia Becomes World's Second Producer of Mineral Fertilizers After China Russia Becomes World's Second Producer of Mineral Fertilizers After China Russia has overtaken the United States in the production of mineral fertilizers and has become the second in the world after China, Russian Fertilizers Producers Association (RFPA) President Andrey Guryev said on Thursday. 2023-04-27T13:46+0000 2023-04-27T13:46+0000 2023-04-27T13:46+0000 russia russia china /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/0b/0d/1104064937_0:368:2987:2048_1920x0_80_0_0_fcd8f778725cd4f17654ee0cefa87571.jpg "Over the past 10 years, we have increased production by 40% up to 55 million tons of all types of fertilizers. We have overtaken the United States and India in production and today we are the largest producer of mineral fertilizers in the world after China. This is a huge achievement," Guryev said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. A total of 70% of Russia's mineral fertilizer exports go to friendly countries, the official added.In November, Uralchem-Uralkali Group, one of Russia's largest producers of mineral fertilizers, said that the ports of Estonia, Latvia, Belgium and the Netherlands blocked more than 260,000 tonnes of the company's fertilizers. Head of Uralchem Dmitry Mazepin explained that his company was unable to pay for freight because of the restrictive measures, but negotiated help from the United Nations.Moscow has offered to supply Russian fertilizers blocked in the ports of Latvia, Estonia, Belgium and the Netherlands to the poorest countries free of charge. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, as many as 262,000 tonnes of Russian fertilizers are stuck in European ports. The first batch of Russian fertilizers stuck in Europe since September 2022, amounting to 20,000 tonnes, was shipped from the Netherlands to Malawi. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230324/russia-boosts-fertilizers-export-to-thailand-by-63-in-2022-1108744212.html russia china Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International mineral fertilizers, russian fertilizers producers association China to send peace talks delegation to Ukraine following a phone call between the two countries' leaders President Volodymyr Zelensky said his meeting with President Xi Jinping was "long and meaningful" The Chinese delegation will be headed by former Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui China is preparing to send a peace talks delegation to Ukraine after the countries' leaders, President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Xi Jinping, held a phone call for the first time since Russia invaded Kyiv. The two global leaders' talk came as Beijing has so far not criticized Moscow's continued aggression in Ukraine, which is considered to be one of its closest allies. Zelensky said that his meeting with Xi was "long and meaningful." China's Special Envoy for Peace Talks During the talks, the Chinese president's language seemed to underscore his country's close ties to Russia. While the Ukrainian president tailored his message to Beijing, he maintained a firm stance on territorial restoration. The Chinese state news media released a summary of the call that allegedly did not mention Russia directly or use the word "war." Beijing's leader also reiterated past points that his government made, which was China's "core position" to "promote peace and talks," as per the New York Times. The omission of talking about Russia during the call underscored how closely China was aligned with Moscow. It also highlights how difficult it would be for Beijing to cast itself as a credible peace mediator in the war between Kyiv and Moscow. Read Also: Tabacco Firm Facing Incredibly Large Fine for Exporting to North Korea On the other hand, Zelensky, who has been seeking a direct conversation with Xi for some time, crafted a message for a particular audience. He sought to align that audience with his country's cause in defending against Russia. Zelensky reiterated this during his first call with Xi following Russia's invasion: respect for territorial integrity. The Ukrainian president told his Chinese counterpart that no one desires peace more than the Ukrainian people themselves. However, he argued that such peace should be "just and sustainable." Respecting Territorial Integrity Following their conversation, Xi reportedly plans to send a special envoy to Ukraine and several other nations. He also argued that China has always been supportive of the "side of peace" throughout the conflict, according to the South China Morning Post. The Chinese president told his Ukrainian counterpart that the delegation would be led by Beijing's special representative on Eurasian Affairs, Li Hui. The special envoy is meant to conduct "in-depth communication" with all parties involved. It would work on finding a political settlement to Ukraine's current crisis. Li is known for being the Chinese ambassador to Russia from 2009 to 2019 and is considered to be a familiar face to Russian President Vladimir Putin. On the other hand, Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that Moscow was already aware of Beijing's willingness to facilitate negotiations with Kyiv. The phone call between Xi and Zelensky came a few weeks after the Chinese president visited Russia to meet with Putin. The March meeting had the two leaders make a sweeping affirmation of their alignment across several issues, including shared mistrust of the United States, said CNN. Related Article: Nepal to Prioritize Improving Ties With India, China @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230427/us-air-force-temporarily-suspends-two-leaders-within-suspected-leakers-unit-1109898151.html US Air Force Temporarily Suspends Two Leaders Within Suspected Leakers Unit US Air Force Temporarily Suspends Two Leaders Within Suspected Leakers Unit The US Air Force temporarily suspended two leaders within the unit of the accused Pentagon leaker airman Jack Teixeira, the Pentagon revealed Thursday. 2023-04-27T20:11+0000 2023-04-27T20:11+0000 2023-04-27T20:08+0000 americas pentagon leaks jack teixeira us air force suspension col. patrick ryder /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/04/0e/1109497112_0:0:3073:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_e930b18b6974641ff95d72f77acc57f6.jpg The Air Force has initiated an investigation as you know, the Air Force Inspector General is investigating the [102nd Intelligence] wing. My understanding is they have temporarily suspended two leaders within that unit, Ryder said during a press briefing. Earlier on Thursday, the US government told a federal court that Teixeira should remain in pretrial detention because he may still have access to sensitive information that could benefit hostile states. In early April, more than 100 classified US government documents were leaked on social media, apparently showing sensitive intelligence documents on the state of the Ukrainian military and the US and NATO's efforts to strengthen it. Teixeira, a 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman, was arrested on April 13 and charged in Boston federal court the next day with unauthorized removal and transmission of national defense information and classified documents or materials, to which he pleaded not guilty. Teixeira is being held without bail pending the detention hearing. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230427/us-asks-court-to-keep-alleged-pentagon-leaker-teixeira-detained-1109870065.html americas Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International us air force, suspected pentagon leaker, jack teixeira, suspension https://sputnikglobe.com/20230427/us-asks-court-to-keep-alleged-pentagon-leaker-teixeira-detained-1109870065.html US Asks Court to Keep Alleged Pentagon Leaker Teixeira Detained US Asks Court to Keep Alleged Pentagon Leaker Teixeira Detained The US government told a federal court that the alleged leaker of classified security documents, Jack Teixeira, should remain in pretrial detention because he may still have access to sensitive information that could benefit hostile states. 2023-04-27T05:02+0000 2023-04-27T05:02+0000 2023-04-27T05:03+0000 world pentagon leaks jack teixeira us court /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/08/06/1083546055_0:180:1920:1260_1920x0_80_0_0_c0f97d892c62cc4d6acad79ea99558d4.jpg "Defendant poses a serious flight risk. He currently faces 25 years in prison - and potentially far more - and other serious consequences for his conduct; the evidence against him is substantial and mounting; the charged conduct would very obviously end his military career; and he accessed and may still have access to a trove of classified information that would be of tremendous value to hostile nation states that could offer him safe harbor and attempt to facilitate his escape from the United States," the document, filed on Wednesday at a federal district court in Massachusetts, said. "Any promise by the Defendant to stay home or to refrain from compounding the harm that he has already caused is worth no more than his broken promises to protect classified national defense information." Teixeira, a 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman, was arrested on April 13 and charged in Boston federal court the next day with unauthorized removal and transmission of national defense information and classified documents or materials, to which he pleaded not guilty. Teixeira is being held without bail pending the detention hearing.In early April, more than 100 classified US government documents were leaked on social media, apparently showing sensitive intelligence documents on the state of the Ukrainian military and the US and NATO's efforts to strengthen it. Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International federal court, jack teixeira, pretrial detention https://sputnikglobe.com/20230427/us-house-rejects-resolution-directing-biden-to-remove-us-troops-from-somalia-1109899729.html US House Rejects Resolution Directing Biden to Remove US Troops From Somalia US House Rejects Resolution Directing Biden to Remove US Troops From Somalia The US House of Representatives rejected a resolution on Thursday that would have directed President Joe Biden to remove all US troops from Somalia, except those guarding the US embassy. 2023-04-27T21:25+0000 2023-04-27T21:25+0000 2023-04-30T05:37+0000 americas joe biden somalia us soldiers us troops resolution rejection matt gaetz us house of representatives /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/05/13/1095619575_0:178:3323:2047_1920x0_80_0_0_ee206f5eafbf4238b7e0f8c68c9652a1.jpg House lawmakers rejected the concurrent resolution, introduced by Congressman Matt Gaetz, in a vote of 102-321. The measure received bipartisan support, with 50 Democrats voting in favor alongside 52 Republicans. The future of Somalia must be determined by its people, not the United States, Gaetz said in a statement on the bill. The US should not be engaged in nation-building in Somalia, the Middle East or elsewhere, Gaetz added.Last month, US Africa Command chief Gen. Michael Langley said he is cautiously optimistic about Somalias progress in countering al-Shabab militants (linked to al-Qaeda, banned in Russia). In February, the US killed seven al-Shabab militants in an airstrike in Somalia, carried out at the request of the countrys government. Last year, Biden reversed an order by predecessor Donald Trump to remove all US military forces from Somalia, sending several hundred US personnel to the country as a persistent presence. https://sputnikglobe.com/20220516/within-hours-of-somalia-electing-new-president-biden-sends-troops-back-to-east-african-nation-1095553538.html americas somalia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International us house of representatives, joe biden, us soldiers, somalia, rejected bill, https://sputnikglobe.com/20230427/west-doing-everything-to-wage-war-with-russia-in-europe-far-away-from-us---antonov-1109868375.html West Doing Everything to Wage War With Russia in Europe, Far Away From US: Envoy West Doing Everything to Wage War With Russia in Europe, Far Away From US: Envoy The West is doing everything to wage war with Russia in Europe but far away from the United States, Russian ambassador Anatoly Antonov said on Wednesday. 2023-04-27T03:37+0000 2023-04-27T03:37+0000 2023-04-27T04:43+0000 world us prisoner exchange anatoly antonov russia us-russia relations tension europe /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/106556/95/1065569590_0:0:2501:1407_1920x0_80_0_0_eb73bafd77a8b2d3ee5be11dfa2845a7.jpg "I think everything is being done to unleash this war in the European continent but at the same time the Americans don't want [the war] to come close," Antonov told reporters. The diplomat also said that the lines of communication between Russia and the US should remain no matter what, adding that Moscow maintains such contacts.The Russian envoy further noted that the majority of criminal cases against Russians in the United States are politically motivated, noting that the US is pushing two Russians imprisoned in New York, Dmitry Ukrainsky and Anatoly Legkodymov, to strike deals with the prosecution.Antonov, who had earlier met with both Ukrainsky and Legkodymov in New York, indicated that Russia intends to appeal to the US State Department for Legkodymov's transfer to another New York prison cell due to safety concern."They made no secret that the fact that they are Russians was an aggravating factor. They are in different blocks. Different conditions," Antonov said.Legkodymov is the founder of the Bitzlato cryptocurrency exchange.Antonov also relayed to the press that Russia aims to exchange citizens imprisoned in the United States for Americans as soon as possible, adding that both Russian and American leadership came to an understanding in 2021 that special services should take the lead on potential exchanges.I wish our special services good luck, Antonov told reporters. "I am sure that they will do their best to commit more Russians to be at home as soon as possible."The diplomat also mentioned that currently over 100 Russians are imprisoned in the US. russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International anatoly antonov, russia, europe, waging war with russia, us, prisoner exchange https://sputnikglobe.com/20230427/what-affects-bidens-2024-re-election-chances-1109866371.html What Affects Biden's 2024 Reelection Chances? What Affects Biden's 2024 Reelection Chances? Biden's prospects for reelection will hinge on his actions in the economic sector, the course of the conflict in Ukraine, and Trump's actions, political analysts told Sputnik. 2023-04-27T00:32+0000 2023-04-27T00:32+0000 2023-04-27T00:57+0000 analysis us joe biden donald trump ukraine democrats republican 2024 us presidential elections us economy ron desantis /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/04/0d/1109466451_0:29:3073:1757_1920x0_80_0_0_d85fc579edeb6ee6900f0b7e275bf6fd.jpg On Tuesday morning, the 80-year-old president, the oldest man ever to hold the office, announced he would run for a second four years in the White House in November 2024. In a social media message, Biden said he would run again because "every generation has a moment where they have had to stand up for democracy" and "their fundamental freedoms" and he believed that time had come. Reasonable ChanceDespite criticism and low ratings in opinion polls, Biden still has a reasonable chance of winning a second term, University of Houston professor of history and African American studies Gerald Horne advised. However, Biden's prospects would ultimately depend upon his record on the economy and the Ukraine crisis, Horne added. "A recession or worsening of the Ukraine conflict could jeopardize his chances," he acknowledged. Biden declared his 2024 candidacy on the fourth anniversary of announcing his first run for the White House, Horne noted. "Ironically, Governor [Ron] DeSantis of Florida has a better chance of defeating him but as of now is lagging in the polls behind Trump," he said Economy VitalFinancial analyst, columnist and former merchant banker Martin Hutchinson agreed that Biden's economic record going into the election would prove vital. "[Biden's] chance of being reelected depends on the economy between now and then. If we get a substantial recession, he's toast," he said. But even if the economy and other issues blow up in Biden's face, he could still win, Hutchinson believes. Biden deliberately declared his intention to run again more than a year and a half before the election in order to prevent any serious challenger from emerging in his own Democratic Party, Hutchinson explained. As the White House incumbent, Biden would also enjoy the advantage of not being weakened in advance by interminable debates with other candidates from his own party, such as the Republicans were going to have to endure, Hutchinson pointed out. If Trump became the Republican presidential candidate for the third time in a row, the Democrats would seek to manipulate the system to avoid exposing Biden to any bruising debates with him, Hutchinson believes. "The Democrats will find a way not to debate Trump in the general election [though Trump is considered to have blown the first debate with Biden in 2020]," he said. Contrast With TrumpGeorge Mason University professor of law and political commentator Francis Buckley told Sputnik that many Democrats would welcome yet another presidential campaign by Trump as they believed it would likely lead to a repeat victory for them over him. Biden will also benefit from being perceived as a relative moderate while the image of Trump remains that of an outsider, insurgent and extremist, Buckley remarked. "Biden is also well positioned in a race against Trump because everyone else in the party is so left wing. So what Biden offers the voters is a facade of moderation while what he offers progressives is an administration they will in fact control," he said. Nevertheless, Trump could once again beat the odds and defy expectations as he has done so often before in his late-in-life but meteoric political career, Buckley observed.Ukraine Ukraine is another factor that could weigh on Bidens reelection prospects, political commentator and historian Dan Lazare told Sputnik.The current administration is interested in "victory in Ukraine or at least an ongoing stalemate," the expert believes, projecting more escalation on this front. If so, Biden will have a major crisis on his hands that "he may not be able to survive," Lazare said. The same goes for China and Taiwan, a region where the US needs "eace, or at least an absence of war," according to the expert. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230424/majority-of-americans-not-looking-forward-to-potential-biden-trump-rematch-1109784664.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230411/us-distorted-portrayal-of-ukraine-conflict-likely-inspired-pentagon-leak-ex-official-says-1109335939.html ukraine Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International biden, trump, 2024 us presidential elections, ukraine conflict, can biden become president, who will be next us president, us economic crisis, trump vs desantis, biden reelection chances The first horses are hitting the track at the vacationland oval in Worcester County, Maryland as preparations are in earnest for the 74th race meeting at Ocean Downs. Trainers Barry Kingston and Billy Long were the first ones up in the inaugural training session held at the track yesterday, said Peter Szymanski, Director of Racing at Ocean Downs. We will be holding training every Wednesday throughout the meet as local trainers ready their stable for the racing scene. Ocean Downs starts its meet on Sunday, May 28 and continuing through Wednesday, Sept. 6. The 48-day meet has a nightly post time of 7:05 p.m., highlighted by the new and improved Maryland Sires Stakes and Maryland Race Fund Stakes programs. Racing applications are available at the tracks website at oceandowns.com or by emailing the request to [email protected]. (Ocean Downs) Sixty-six days into the new year of 1887, the town of Gering came into existence south of the North Platte River. The citys first official business established was a post office, with Oscar Gardner serving as the first postmaster. After business people opened a pioneer store and general merchandise store, Asa Butler (A.B.) Wood opened a newspaper. Wood, age 21, arrived in Gering to open up a newspaper and recorded the news, events and major happenings of the community. He later served as postmaster and was elected to the Nebraska State Senate. History of the Name The first Gering Courier published April 27, 1887, with the tagline First of all, the news. The Courier and town got their namesake in honor of Martin Gering. Gering and Oscar Gardner opened the towns pioneer store under the name of Gering & Gardner, according to History of Western Nebraska by G.L. Shumway. Gering also opened the towns first bank, the Bank of Gering. As one of eight men in the Gering Joint Stock Company, Gering offered significant financial support in the construction of the new city, so the townsfolk named it in his honor, according to the National Register of Historic Place form with the U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service. A.B. Wood was another member of the stock company. However, the towns name would have a different spelling, had not Martin changed his last name after his immigration to the United States. Martin Gehring was born in Germany in the 1830s and later moved to the States with financial support from a brother who lived in Pennsylvania. Shumways book says the brothers changed their name to the easier spelling of Gering. When the townsfolk convened to incorporate Gering as a village, it was part of Cheyenne County, which had been in existence nearly 20 years prior to the founding of Gering. At that time, there was no county agricultural society; Gering organized one and had it recognized as the Cheyenne County Fair Association on Aug. 5, 1887. Gering hosted the Cheyenne County Fair for several years even after the town became part of Scotts Bluff County. (The county fair later moved to Mitchell and remains the site to this day.) That spurred Sidney to organize its own association; however, it was too late. That is until the county lines were redrawn, putting Gerings association outside of Cheyenne County. The Cheyenne County association headquarters and home of the county fair moved to Bayard until more county divisions put Bayard in Morrill County. With the division of Cheyenne County into smaller counties, the Courier played a pivotal role to ensure Gering was named the county seat of the newly formed Scotts Bluff County. However, the paper had competition when members of the Mitchell valley solicited the help of E. B. Peck, who published a paper called the Mitchell Quirt. The paper was called the sQuirt during its two- to-three-month existence, with one edition featuring 35 articles by Peck berating A.B. Wood, according to Fifty Years of Yesterdays. Gering was named the county seat, which assured local citizens that their local paper would report on government activities. The only other sources of government news were papers printed in Sidney, 75 miles away. Amenities grow U.S. Census Scotts Bluff County population growth Year Population % Increase 1890 1,888 1900 2,552 35 1910 8,355 227 1920 20,710 148 1930 28,644 38 As the towns amenities grew, so did the population. According to U.S. Census, Scotts Bluff Countys population increased by 1,417% between 1890 and 1930 from 1,888 people to 28,644 people. With an influx of business and citizens also came controversies such as how to get the mail. The mail sometimes came by Camp Clarke and other times by Kimball, according to Pioneer Tales of Western Nebraska. Citizens wanted the mail to come from Redington, Nebraska a town in Morrill County as it was quicker. The confusion persisted for several months until a post office was established in town in October 1887. Gering leaders then began the new town project, which concerned many farmers at the time. However, the new development also attracted a comparable share of business from the old town. While the citizens became divided out of loyalty to the old town and new town, the Courier remained loyal to the old town, while managing to remain on good speaking terms with citizens on both side of the issue. However, some people disliked that the paper did not call the proponents of the new town harsh names. That paved the way for a new paper called the Gering Wasp to enter the community. The paper was subsidized and under the guidance of G.J. Long, who published a paper at McGrew. Contrary to the publics expectations, the Wasp did not attack the new town folk. Many citizens discussed the idea of purchasing the Courier but did not as the price was not agreeable. Despite the quarrels, Gering survived with the new town plan discarded for a strategic move to petition the state railway commission to remove the train station to a new and specified location. The idea was to have an attractive passenger station built. After a public hearing, the railroad company made the move, a change that marked the beginning of the end of the so-called Scabtown project. The original Gering station was later moved to Mitchell. The citys first directory was printed July 25, 1889, with an estimated population of about 400 people. However, historians suspect the published directory included citizens who did not live in town but did business or work within the city. Gerings earliest publication As the Courier turns 136, it shares a rich history with diverse newspapers. The Gering Courier holds the record for earliest publication within the North Platte Valley only by a week, according to the Pioneer Tales of Western Nebraska. The Minatare Trumpet printed a week after the Courier, under the leadership of John F. Ringler of Lincoln. The paper published for roughly two years, at which time the paper changed ownership and the name became Our House. Owner John Dyer sold the paper to the Couriers publisher and for a short time the Courier printed an edition of the Courier Our Home for Minatare. That edition was later removed. Another news competitor focused on the cause of the populists, known then as the farmers alliance movement. Allison Snyder established the Independent Union, but its existence was short-lived when the publisher moved to Cheyenne. Later, Wm. A. Hale founded the Nebraska Homestead, a democratic organ. The Homestead operated as a Gering newspaper until the Burlington railroad had completed its line to Mitchell. Then-owner George E. Mark moved his plant from Gering to Mitchell and called it the Index, still in operation today. Gering residents also saw the Twin City Times and Gering Midwest open and later shuttered. After the Courier absorbed the Midwest, no other newspaper has opened in Gering. However, other newspapers were printed in Gering, including the Ashford Advocate, the McGrew Messenger and the Nebraska Odd Fellow; the first issue of the Torrington Telegram was made in the Courier office. The old Washington hand press and material was taken from here to Torrington to continue its publication, as recorded in Pioneer Tales of Western Nebraska. The Courier also printed The Hammer, an engineering publication, in 1912-1913 and The Farmers and Workingmans Industrial Union, a magazine style that published several months in 1919. The Business Farmer was also printed in the Courier building for several years. Scottsbluff saw rapid population growth due to the construction of the Burlington Railroad along the north side of the North Platte River that reached the city in 1900. The citys population surpassed Gering as the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad along the south side of the river came 11 years later. A.B. Wood saw a potential for a newspaper in Scottsbluff, so he, along with former employee, Harry Wisner, purchased the Herald and the Star to consolidate them into the Scottsbluff Star-Herald. The Scottsbluff Star was originally the Mitchell Star but was renamed after the paper moved from Mitchell to Scottsbluff a year after opening in 1907. The Scottsbluff Herald was founded by Ernest Mood in 1900. The Gering Courier building, located at 1428 10th St. in Gering, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on Oct. 15, 2004. The building was constructed in 1915 and was the third building used for the publishing of pioneer newspaperman Wood, according to the National Register of Historic Places form. The two-story building is located in downtown Gering and displays the Colonial Revival and Neo-Classical styles of construction. According to Fifty Years of Yesterdays, Wood entered an agreement to have a frame building constructed for a newspaper after members of the Gering Joint Stock Company encouraged him to move to Gering. Within the agreement for Wood to move to Gering, he wrote, should install a plant and publish a paper here, in return which the townsite company would erect a frame building 14 X 20 feet in size and sell it to me at cost, which would (and was) repaid by me wholly in advertising. In addition to the building, the lot upon which it was located was to be deeded to me. The $8,000 building was completed in January 1915, with Wood proclaiming in the Jan. 1, 1915, Gering Courier edition as the most complete newspaper building in the state outside of the big cities. The iconic clock on the building was originally affixed to the Gering National Bank building directly across the street. It was moved to the Courier building in 1960. The building also saw updates and expansions. The back of the building that faces east has a one-story extension to accommodate a pressroom expansion in the 1950s. There were also updates to the front doors and first-story windows. Inside, guests will see the restored 1915 style with a tin ceiling, the fireproof vault and woodwork. Although this building remains the historic marker for the Couriers early years, it was the third building occupied by the Courier staff. The Couriers operations had outgrown the previous two locations. The Courier building is now used as a law office. Gering was founded by pioneers who sought a better life out west and whose visions shaped the businesses and expansion of the Panhandle for decades. One of those pioneers was A.B. Wood, who brought his passion for news to the valley without losing focus on the purpose of local journalism: First of all, the news. It will be a season of Summer Sun, Food and Fun for Gering Public Schools families as the district celebrates a new $50,000 grant award from the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation for a comprehensive day camp in partnership with the Scottsbluff YMCA. The 10 1/2-week full-day day camp from May 31 to Aug. 11 will operate at Lincoln Elementary weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., serving Gering students in preschool to fifth grade. The decision to apply for summer program funding comes on the heels of Gering Communities for Kids (C4K) child-care shortage findings in the Gering community. We continue to hear about child-care needs from our families, said Byron Olsen, GPS student services director and C4K committee member. We have experienced incredible growth in early learning opportunities through full-day preschool expansion, and this school year, we saw enrollment triple in our YMCA onsite after-school program. We are grateful to expand our strong community partnership with the YMCA for this summer adventure. Children participating in the Summer Sun, Food and Fun Day Camp can expect breakfast and lunch each day along with a comprehensive slate of activities from swimming, field trips, crafts, games and summer reading program events. Fun themes will be embedded into each week. Families can enroll for the full program or select specific weeks only. The cost is $150 per week, but the program will accept state subsidies and has scholarships available. We want this camp to be accessible to our families who need it, said Stacy Rodriguez, GPS director of business and finance. This is the reason that we are also committed to offering bus transportation for campers. Families interested in enrolling in the Summer Fun, Food and Fun Day Camp can register online at geringschools.net or stop by any Gering elementary school or Central Administration. Greg Dart has been selected as the seventh president of Western Nebraska Community College, as announced by the Western Community College Area Board of Governors on Wednesday. Dart was one of three finalists named by the colleges presidential search committee. He currently serves as chief campus administrator for Utah State University Eastern. Dart is a native of Anchorage, Alaska, attended a community college early in his own education, and also has professional experience at rural community colleges in Ohio and Utah. Dart reiterated his passion for rural community colleges and expressed his excitement about joining the communities of WNCC and western Nebraska as a whole after the announcement was made on Wednesday afternoon. I could not be more excited for this opportunity at Western Nebraska Community College, Dart told the Star-Herald. My time in Scottsbluff, Alliance and Sidney showed me just how dedicated faculty, staff, students, and the community are to this institution. I have a strong passion for rural community colleges and the transformational power of education, and I am so excited to bring my background and experience as well as my family to the Panhandle. Search committee chair and WCCA board vice chair Karen Anderson highlighted Darts willingness to forge and maintain relationships with internal and external partners as a deciding factor in his selection for the position. He has a strong passion for leading a rural community college as well as the ability and knowledge to work with the communities in the service area, business leaders and elected officials to not only elevate WNCC, but the entire Panhandle, Anderson said. WCCA board chair Lynne Klemke said that although the final decision was difficult, she believes Darts communication style and experience are a good fit for the college. I think Mr. Darts communication style fits very well with our WNCC establishment. His professional background also will serve us well here, she said. Dart emphasized communication during an open forum on WNCCs Scottsbluff campus on April 5, specifically detailing his philosophy of radical transparency. He expanded on that approach in regards to his new position as WNCC president in his comments to the Star-Herald. Institutions that operate the best do it when everyone has all the information they could possibly have, Dart explained. As a president, that means sharing as much information as possible with all the stakeholder groups as openly as possible. It also means that its a feedback loop, that theres two-way communication. Theres always an opportunity for every stakeholder group to communicate with the president, the administration, the faculty, the staff about the things theyre seeing. The presidential search committee began with a wide field of 42 applicants, which were narrowed down to nine semi finalists and later to the three finalists that were featured in open campus forums with help from Angela Provart of the Pauly Group. Board member RJ Savely said that the final decision was very challenging due to the outstanding quality of the candidates. They brought us three finalists who were extremely well qualified, and it was a very difficult decision. I appreciate all that (Provart) did to help us through that process, he said. Darts contract is slated to be presented and approved at the WCCA boards next regular meeting on May 17 and he is expected to formally step into the role of WNCC president this summer. U.S. President Joe Biden hosts state dinner with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to celebrate 70-year alliance The high-profile event was attended by various celebrities, including Angelina Jolie, Lea Salonga, and Chloe Kim The guests will be entertained by a performance from Broadway stars Salonga, Norm Lewis, and Jessica Vosk The United States hosted a state dinner with South Korea to celebrate the two nations' 70-year alliance, which was seen as a high-profile event that was attended by Angelina Jolie, her son Maddox, broadway legend Lea Salonga, and others. Jolie, a 47-year-old actress and humanitarian, was accompanied by her 21-year-old son Maddox when she arrived at the White House on Wednesday. Apr. 26. They attended the state dinner that U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden used to host South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee. Celebrating 70-year US-South Korea Alliance A close source with the actress said that Jolie's family saw Asia-America relations as an important matter. The Hollywood star and her children already had close ties to the region for several years, as per People. Maddox previously studied at South Korea's Yonsei University, which was in Seoul, and his mother, Jolie, visited the country on several occasions for humanitarian and refugee advocacy reasons as well as for her role as an artist in the last two decades. The blockbuster star was seen wearing a vintage Chanel jacket and a dress that was personally made for her several years ago. Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim and Chip and Joanna Gaines were among the other state dinner guests. Read Also: China To Send Peace Talks Delegation to Ukraine Following Leaders' Meeting The last time that Jolie visited South Korea was in 2019 when her son Maddox enrolled at Yonsei University. The year prior, she met with refugees on behalf of the United Nations Refugee Agency. The event was also filled with various government officials from the United States and South Korea. These include Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, South Korean Minister of Trade, Industry, and Energy Lee Chang Yang, and many others, according to the New York Times. High-Profile State Dinner Broadway star Salonga, while being a guest of the state dinner, was also one of the night's entertainers. When she arrived at the White House, she confessed that she was "freaking out" over the entire experience and said that it felt like she was in a "fairy tale." The event guests will be ushered to the State Dining Room, located at the other end of the State Floor, after dinner. They will be the audience to a performance from Broadway stars Salonga, Norm Lewis, and Jessica Vosk. Despite his experiences, Lewis said he was still nervous about performing at big events such as the state dinner. But one guest who showed no signs of nerves was New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, who was seen sporting a navy business suit instead of a tuxedo. The event marks the highest diplomatic honor that the United States bestows on its closest allies. President Yoon's visit to the country commemorates the long-standing alliance between the two nations that began at the end of the Korean War said the Associated Press. Related Article: Biden, Yoon Announce Agreement Aiming to Deter N. Korea Aggression @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Four conflict statements filed State Sens. Jane Raybould of Lincoln, Myron Dorn of Adams, Anna Wishart of Lincoln and Kathleen Kauth of Omaha are the only state senators to file potential conflict of interest statements this year. Raybould filed a statement on LB 327, related to the minimum wage (her family owns B&R Stores, a chain of grocery stores); Wishart on LB 565, related to hydrogen hubs which her employer has a stake); Dorn on LB 562, related to ethanol (he owns 1% of shares in E Energy Adams); and Kauth on LB 256, related to telehealth (she is invested in a telehealth company). Dorn and Raybould said on the NADC form they would vote for the pertinent bills; Kauth and Wishart said they would vote present. On the seven votes regarding LB 565, Wishart voted present. When LB 256 was amended into State Sen. Beau Ballards pet insurance framework (LB 296), Kauth voted present. However, she voted to approve the amended bill on final reading. Kauth told the Examiner on Wednesday the bills got muddled together. She said she is filing an updated potential conflict of interest statement. Ian Froeb Ian Froeb is the restaurant critic for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Ian Froeb Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today If My Marie Restaurant is your introduction to Haitian cuisine, you should probably begin with its jerk chicken. I dont recommend this based on my experience as a critic or any special knowledge of Haiti. The opposite, in fact. My Marie has also been my introduction to Haitian cuisine, and on my first visit to its Benton Park West storefront, I reflexively ordered jerk chicken. The dish was eye-opening though not in the literal sense Id expected. I girded myself for the hellacious heat and giddy rush of scotch bonnet chiles. Instead, My Maries jerk chicken sneaks its modest heat behind a warm, sweet, peppery wave of flavor reminiscent of allspice. Beneath its generous ladling of sauce, the chickens skin retains a nicely charry crisp, and the dark meat tastes intensely of its own juices, more than enough to hold its own against the jerk seasoning. My Marie marks the St. Louis debut for its chef and owner, Marie Louis-Jeune. As far as I know, it is also the only restaurant in the metro area to open with Haitian cuisine as its main focus. (The Crooked Boot, chef Coria Griggs excellent food truck and St. Charles restaurant, has expanded its menu to include some Haitian dishes alongside its original Creole fare.) Embarrassed, I didnt want to mention my ignorant assumption about Louis-Jeunes jerk chicken when I interviewed her by phone later. I didnt need to. She herself noted that while the cuisines of Jamaica and Haiti are familiar, they arent identical. More specifically, Louis-Jeune draws from a lifetime in the kitchen. As a child, the native of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince was already cooking for family and neighbors, and she went on to attend culinary school and open a restaurant in her home country. After the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti, Louis-Jeune and her family relocated to the United States. They were able to reopen their restaurant in Haiti within six months, but in 2015, given the countrys precarious situation overall, they closed the restaurant permanently. Meanwhile, they had settled in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, where Louis-Jeune opened the original My Marie in 2019. She and her family decided to relocate the restaurant and themselves to St. Louis in part to be closer to a larger Haitian population. The new My Marie opened in September on a tree-shaded stretch of Cherokee Street a few blocks west of the neighborhoods Mexican-restaurant heart. The space (previously Tower Tacos) is small. The dining room consists of a few tables just inside the entrance, though additional seating is available on a side patio. If you dont want to begin with the jerk chicken, Louis-Jeune considers the coconut curry with either chicken or shrimp one of her signature dishes. The curry sauce carries a thin, prickly edge of heat just enough to balance the coconuts sweetness and no more. Louis-Jeune applies a soigne touch to her sauces. As excellent as the curry sauce is, I would still rate it behind the sauces gilding her jerk chicken and Haitian-style oxtail. The latter is nearly as rich as an uncut demi-glace, and if you werent already compelled to dig each last morsel of meat from the oxtail bones, you would do so just to have something to swish around in this swaggering sauce. If My Maries lamb stew isnt quite so brawny, it does round out the meats grassy flavor and adds depth to the potatoes and carrots. The griot fritay brings a plate of fried pork as crisp-edged and luscious as your favorite carnitas in town, though I was disappointed that my serving of the dish, a signature of Haitian cuisine, lacked its typical accompaniment of pikliz, a spicy condiment of pickled vegetables. Your main course includes your choice of two side dishes, and Louis-Jeune fashions as much love on these as on her sauces. The mac and cheese is a soul-food classic, with a delightfully chewy mahogany crust atop the noodles in sticky-stretchy cheese. It is difficult not to default each time to this mac and cheese and the collard greens, cooked tender in their own juices and larded with a little bit of chicken, but then you would miss the fried plantains (crisp-savory green or sweet-supple ripe) and the red beans and rice in a sauce that rivals the main courses for richness. The name My Marie is telling. I undertook this review knowing I had everything to learn about Haitian cuisine. I publish it knowing I still must learn so much, though now I am more excited to revisit Louis-Jeunes singular cooking. And if I cant return for a full meal immediately, she does offer her Hatitian patties beef, chicken or vegetable inside a flaky shell in a counter display, one for $3 or two for $5, a perfect hearty snack when youre on the run. Rating Recommended The Post-Dispatch evaluates restaurants on the following scale, lowest to highest: Not Recommended, Recommended, Highly Recommended, Essential. The rating reflects how the restaurant succeeds on its own terms and how it meets a diner's good-faith expectations of quality food and hospitality regardless of cuisine, location or cost. How much Coconut curry chicken $12.99 Jerk chicken $14.99 Oxtail $24.99 Where My Marie Restaurant, 3147 Cherokee Street More info 314-499-7059 Menu Haitian cuisine Hours Lunch and dinner Tuesday-Sunday (closed Monday) HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) Pennsylvania lawmakers on Wednesday sent a bill to Gov. Josh Shapiro's desk that they say will save lives by helping patients afford additional screenings to diagnose breast cancer more quickly. Shapiro, a Democrat, has said he will sign it. The bill passed the state House of Representatives unanimously after it won unanimous approval in the state Senate last month. Under the bill, health insurers must cover out-of-pocket costs for patients who are deemed to be at risk for breast cancer when they undergo a supplemental, or second, screening for the disease during a coverage year. Insurers also must cover patients' costs for genetic counseling and genetic testing for the gene mutations that raise the risk of breast cancer if a person is diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer or has a family history. Those out-of-pocket costs such as copays, coinsurance, lab fees and deductibles can run into the thousands, according to the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition. State insurance laws, however, do not necessarily apply to all insurance policies, such as self-insurance, and insurers may only cover tests in certain situations. The bill's chief sponsor, Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, R-Westmoreland, said she protectively had both breasts removed after learning that she had tested positive for inherited mutations that raise the risk of breast cancer. A number of other states already require states to cover cost-sharing of the procedures. Tennessee lawmakers passed similar breast-cancer screening legislation last year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, while Missouri and Montana lawmakers are working to pass bills this year. CLAYTON A bat found in a home here last week has tested positive for rabies in what is the first confirmed case of the virus in St. Louis County this year, health officials said Thursday. While rabies is rare among healthy bat populations, the case serves as a reminder to stay away from wild animals, the St. Louis County Department of Public Health said, and that rabies can be a fatal disease to humans if untreated. The bat found in the Clayton home did not bite anyone but two people exposed to the animal underwent treatment as a precaution, officials said. Residents who find a bat in their home should confine it to the room where it was found and call St. Louis County Animal Care and Control immediately so that the bat can be tested for rabies. Do not try to capture the bat. To report a bat, residents can call the countys animal control office at 314-615-0650, or at the after-hours number, 636-529-8210. Anyone who thinks they have been exposed to a bat can call the St. Louis County Department of Public Health at 314-615-1630 to learn about treatment options. Rabies is most commonly spread by bats and skunks in Missouri, and pets and humans can be exposed through bites or scratches from the infected animals. The virus almost always fatal to animals once symptoms begin, but human deaths in the U.S. are rare. In both pets and humans, common symptoms of rabies infection include fever, body ache and difficulty moving, neck stiffness, brain swelling and paralysis. In animals, unusual or atypical behavior and foaming at the mouth also are common. THURSDAY, April 27, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Women having a mastectomy for earlier-stage breast cancer may be overtreated if doctors evaluate their lymph nodes while they are still on the operating table, a preliminary study suggests. Researchers found those patients were much more likely to receive aggressive treatment surgical removal of their underarm lymph nodes, often with radiation versus women whose surgeons took more time on the decision. It's a concern, experts said, because removing those lymph nodes can cause women to develop chronic lymphedema sometimes severe and debilitating swelling of the affected arm. At issue is a practice that was once routine, but has been on the wane in more recent years: evaluating patients' underarm lymph nodes during breast cancer surgery, rather than waiting until later. Traditionally, the idea was to remove and examine the "sentinel" armpit nodes nearest to the location of the breast tumor, to catch signs that the cancer has begun to spread. If so, doctors can surgically remove many of the remaining underarm nodes, in a bid to thwart a cancer recurrence. Evaluating the sentinel nodes in "real time" during breast cancer surgery instead of sending them to a pathologist to examine later helped avoid having women come back for a second procedure. However, experts said the real-time approach has become much less common over the years. That's in large part because research has shown that with modern treatments including breast radiation and hormonal therapies many women can avoid surgical removal of their underarm lymph nodes. Plus, surgeons today benefit from extensive imaging done before breast cancer surgery, explained Dr. Freya Schnabel, a surgical oncologist at NYU Langone's Perlmutter Cancer Center, in New York City. That means surgeons have a good idea of what they'll see going in including whether a woman has only one or two sentinel nodes with signs of cancer, and can therefore avoid having underarm nodes removed. "It's unusual to be 'surprised' with extensive [underarm node] disease in the operating room," said Schnabel, who was not involved in the new study. For all of those reasons, she said, the need for real-time evaluation of the sentinel lymph nodes has petered out. It has, in fact, become routine to do it after surgery for women undergoing a lumpectomy (where only the breast tumor is removed). But for women having a mastectomy, real-time evaluation has not gone away. "A lot of institutions have moved away from it, but there's still variability," said senior study author Dr. Olga Kantor, a breast surgical oncologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, in Boston. So, Kantor and her colleagues wanted to see how that variability is altering the rest of patients' treatment. The researchers used a national database to find information on just over 8,200 U.S. women who underwent mastectomies in 2018 to 2019. All had tumors that were no bigger than 5 centimeters and only one or two sentinel lymph nodes with evidence of cancer. Most of the time about 63% of cases the nodes were evaluated after surgery. However, that left more than one-third of women who did have evaluations in the operating room (OR). And, Kantor's team found, they were far more likely to get aggressive treatment. About 40% of those women had additional underarm nodes removed and received radiation to the area. That compared with only 5% of women whose sentinel nodes were studied after surgery. According to Kantor, timing can make a critical difference. When sentinel nodes are evaluated after surgery, other doctors involved in a patient's care have a say in the decision-making. So it's not an on-the-spot decision by the surgeon, who may not know a patient's overall treatment plan. Schnabel agreed the findings suggest that waiting has benefits. OR evaluations, she said, "did not lead to better surgical decision-making, and may have led to overtreatment exposing patients to an increased risk of side effects." The findings were scheduled for presentation Thursday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Breast Surgeons, held in Boston. Studies released at meetings are generally considered preliminary until they are published in a peer-reviewed journal. Kantor said she hopes the results sway more surgeons on the timing of sentinel node evaluations. She thinks some medical centers still do them in the OR to spare patients a second surgery. But, Kantor noted, in this study that happened to only 12% of women who had their nodes evaluated after their mastectomy. Waiting is nothing "radical," she said. It's been proven in clinical trials, and incorporated into medical guidelines. "I think it's just been slower to be incorporated into practice," Kantor explained. More information The American Cancer Society has more on breast cancer surgery. SOURCES: Olga Kantor, MD, MS, breast surgical oncologist, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and assistant professor, surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Freya Schnabel, MD, surgical oncologist, Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Langone, and professor, surgery, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York City; presentation, American Society of Breast Surgeons annual meeting, Boston, April 27, 2023 Artist Timothy Bolts love of the city, its architecture, and its urban character shows in the watercolors he paints of the built environment. He comes by his fascination with architecture honestly. When I was growing up, my parents built the homes we lived in, he says. My grandfather was a carpenter, and Ive always been interested in buildings. He walked the neighborhoods of south St. Louis with his parents because they also owned a paper route. We would go door to door, up and down Scrubby Dutch steps, collecting bills for the newspapers. Those were the olden days, but I would look at the fancy brickwork, the styles of houses, see how different flowers grew all those things made an impression on me, he says. South by Southeast Bolt attended grade school on the south side at Holy Family and Horace Mann, then put in a short stint at Roosevelt High School. A move to southeastern Missouri in his teenage years started him on the path to making art. My parents built a house in Fletcher, Missouri, just outside of DeSoto. That's where I met Juanita Wyman, my high school art teacher, who was a game changer. She taught a watercolor section in her class, so I stuck in there learning watercolors. I was active in the art club, which she ran, and that's how I got started painting. After graduation he enrolled at Jefferson College in Hillsboro and earned an associate's degree in architecture. The plan was to finish a bachelors degree there and go into architecture, he says, but best laid plans sometimes go awry. My parents moved back to St. Louis, and I went to the University of Missouri in St. Louis where I got a bachelors degree in art history. While he was a student, he worked at the St. Louis Art Museum in the drawings, prints and watercolor section. I matted things, cataloged and did some framing, he says. Life happens His work life didnt follow the blueprint hed established in his studies. After graduation, he got married and worked as a caseworker for the state of Missouri for a bit, then broke into selling real estate for a number of years, which fit with his love of buildings. The knowledge gained in real estate led to a long career in banking and mortgage lending, which provided support for his family. Making art took a back seat. Art transpires A frank conversation with his sister got him back to his art. I would dabble in watercolors, but not really take it on. And then my sister Mary kicked me in the butt, he says. Were very close, and I love her to death, but she said You need to do something with this talent you have.' His sister didnt stop with a straightforward conversation. That was in 2010. She drew up a contract on a piece of scratch paper. Tim Bolt will do four sets of four seasons of Holly Hills landscape paintings. He will put them out and sell them within the next year, by April 1st. With encouragement from his sister, his wife, and his daughters, Bolt cleared out a corner of the basement of their house in Holly Hills and made a studio. By 2011, hed found his metier painting watercolors of the St. Louis built landscape and sold his first paintings. Art and life Bolt and his wife, who taught drama at Cor Jesu Academy for many years, raised their three daughters in south St. Louis. Sarah, who lives in Connecticut, and Emily, now in Los Angeles, are both working actors. Katherine taught theater and speech in Rockwood Summit. After their children left home, the Bolts downsized twice, first to Lafayette Square, and then to their home in the Arcade Building downtown in 2015. The developers planned to lease space to qualifying artists who would actively produce work in the newly renovated building. Bolts art paved the way. I qualified, and we got in, he says. We have a two-bedroom apartment. The second bedroom is my studio, he says. Bolts advice to anyone who wants to make art is simple. Just do the work and whatever you want will come. Put it out there, even if you think it's not perfect. Do it. Timothy Bolt, Watercolor Artist Artist Timothy Bolt Age 66 Family Bolt has been married to Laura VonderHaar Bolt for 42 years. They have three daughters and five grandchildren. Their dog Millie loves living downtown with them. Home Downtown What he makes Bolt is a watercolorist who specializes in painting landmarks, neighborhoods and scenes from St. Louis, his hometown. He also paints commissions of private homes and businesses. Where to buy Bolt sells his work directly from his website, timboltwatercolor.com, and through Instagram. His work is available at Benton Park Cafe and at Artisans in the Loop. He also does art shows throughout the area. How much Prices for original 13.5-inch-by-10.5 inch watercolors range from $150, matted, to $200, matted and framed. Greeting cards start at $5. Speaker Kevin McCarthy's debt limit bill barely cleared the House (217 to 215) on Wednesday, April 26, with Democrats voting as a bloc to reject it. However, the bill's passage might have worsened a deadlock, making it more difficult to avoid a catastrophic US default. Increased Pointing of Fingers and Ongoing Deadlock In a report by NBC News, the Democratic-controlled Senate has vowed to discard McCarthy's plan and has rejected any attempt at compromise on the nation's debt obligations. President Joe Biden has said he would veto the bill. Republicans in the House have enough votes to introduce legislation that would reduce spending and reverse major sections of Biden's plan, so they are less likely to support a debt ceiling increase with no conditions attached. McCarthy, a Republican from California, placed the onus on Biden on Wednesday, saying, "Now he should sit down and negotiate." He added, "We are the only party to take fiscal action ... that would lift the debt limit so we wouldn't have economic damage." The White House, meanwhile, maintains that it would not negotiate anything other than a clean debt limit bill with no policy riders. Biden's advisors believe that negotiating with the Republicans to avoid using the fear of default as a bargaining tool is more effective than arguing over whether or not to pay the country's obligations. "Congressional Republicans must act immediately and without conditions to avoid default and ensure that the full faith and credit of the United States is not put at risk. That is their job," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. Reiterating her opposition to the measure, she criticized the spending limitations, saying they would reduce funds for healthcare, education, Meals on Wheels, and public safety. The Treasury Department has warned that if Congress fails to act by June 5, the country might face economic disaster. The increased pointing of fingers and continuing impasse have caused widespread worry on Capitol Hill. Also Read: Court Blocks Donald Trump's Bid to Block Mike Pence's Testimony What Is Debt Limit and Default? According to the New York Times, the debt limit is the maximum amount of money the federal government may borrow to pay for its debts and other commitments. The US borrows vast amounts to pay its obligations because it generates financial deficits. That includes social safety net services, loan interest, and military pay. Congress raised the borrowing maximum to $31 trillion in late 2021 after a lengthy dispute. The debt ceiling issue sometimes leads legislators to advocate for budget cuts, but raising it just permits the US to pay its debts. Notably, a default occurs when a person or corporation fails to pay an obligation. So if the US were to default, it would cease making payments to the holders of US Treasury bonds, BBC reported. Also Read: Ron DeSantis Accused of Government Retaliation in Disney Lawsuit @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. This is Leonard, a 1-year-old Labrador retriever and pointer mix who came to the Humane Society of Missouri in mid-February. Leonard is a very good boy who walks well on a leash and is housebroken. To adopt Call the Macklind Avenue Headquarters at 314-951-1562, or visit hsmo.org/adopt Meet Ruth, a 1-year-old Nubian cross goat who was rescued in October 2022. When she was rescued, Ruth was underweight and had extremely overgrown hooves, but she was a sweetheart who loved making friends. Now, she has recovered, and Ruth is the first animal to greet visitors at the gate. Because she is such a social girl, she will need to go to a home with other goat friends. To adopt Call Longmeadow Rescue Ranch in Union at 636-583-8759 to schedule an interview. Dakota is a 10-month-old Siberian husky who came to HSMO in early April. Dakota is a sweet and friendly girl who gets along well with everyone and is very vocal. We recommend she got o a hoe with owners who are familiar with the needs of her breed. To adopt Call the Best Buddy Pet Center in Maryland Heights at 314-951-1588, or visit hsmo.org/adopt. Last weeks pets A dog named Sonic and a cat named Kitty Kitty have been adopted. A duck named Da Vinci is still available. More info You can support these pets and others by making a donation at hsmo.org/donate. On April 27, 1878, a couple billed as "a genuine giant and giantess" arrived in St. Louis for a visit. The Capt. and Mrs. M.V. Bates, both nearly eight-feet tall, arrived at Union Depot and were followed by children. They stayed in special accommodations at the Lindell Hotel and later visited the Evening Dispatch newspaper. The Evening Post office was invaded yesterday afternoon by Captain Bates and his wife. The reporter saw them coming in the door, and hurriedly made for the waste-basket under the table. Whether the giant and giantess saw the diminutive reporter or not they kept on corning in, and the scribe saw no other way out of it than to dive into the ample recesses of the basket and nestle upon a bed of school girl poetry, statesmen's essays and applications from last year's and the coming year's college graduates for managing editorships. There is a barbaric sesquipedalianism (which is a good long word to ring in in an article upon six-storied people) and a prevailing atmosphere of suffocation in such a waste-basket, but nevertheless the reporter crouched closer as the Brobdingnagian people approached with a rabble that noised their heels upon the floor, and their tongues against the roofs of their mouths, that made things sound as if Russia and England had set down their combined forces in the Evening Post office, with the intention of driving the senses of its whole staff out through the roof of the building. But all this was seraphic bliss compared with the awful moment that the giant deliberately sat down on the table just over the waste basket. The table groaned and the reporter moaned. The fleeting seconds magnified themselves into centuries, and the reportorial self shrank into a homeopathic pill. The table apparently stood the pressure a great deal better than the man under it, and it was some time before the latter came to reconcile himself to the safety of his clandestine situation. When he did he peeped out. The sight that met his gaze was a curious one. There was the great towering giantess of pleasing, features, and with nothing of the fee-fo-dum air about her, quietly seated in the editor's chair, taking in the situation quietly. and as if she hud been used to the thing since Adam's father was bald-headed. And there were the editors and news hunters gazing on admiringly, with one or two of them particularly awe-stricken and wild-eyed. But the background was the thing. It was a circus in itself. At the doors and windows, upon tables and chairs, and perched away up an inoffensive and weak partition, as high us the giant himself in his stocking feet, was a ghastly array of gaping mouths in a setting of eager and dirty faces. Inside and out, high and low, anywhere, everywhere, newsboys till you couldn't rest, with a dim and distant horizon of visitors who had been tempted in by the unusual scene This was what the reporter saw from his waste basket observation. After the usual pleasantries had been interchanged and the reporter was in a fit frame of mind to understand what was going on, having been reconciled to the strength of the table, the editor remarked: "I had a young fellow assigned to interview you. Captain, but I don't know where he is just now." Just here there was a commotion. The giant's foot swung back and collided with the waste basket. To say it was a big foot would be like calling Cheops a brickbat, or the Colossus an Italian plaster-cast. At any rate, the collision between the foot and the basket caused the recondite reporter to disclose his whereabouts. .The managing editor qualified his conduct as unbecoming a newspaper man, and the giant himself requested the reporter to come forward. "You won't make a watch charm out of me?" queried the reporter apprehensively. "No, no!" answered the giant assuringly. "Nor a scarf-pin?" He said he wouldn't. This allayed the reporter's fears and he came forth from the respectfully-declined atmosphere in which he had been confined. Capt. M.V. Bates greeting was most kind, and so was that of the giantess, his wife. The reporter saw at once from the gracious manner in which they received him that there had been no necessity for his previous timidity, and, managing to get within a couple of yards of the giant's ear, excused his awkward action. Capt. Bates is 32 years of age, stands 7 feet 11 inches in height and weighs 453 pounds. He is well put together, handsome in feature and genial in speech, and is a sharp, shrewd man of the world. Mrs. Bates is 29 years old, of the same height as her husband, although she really looks to be taller, and turns the scales at 417 pounds. She is thinner in form, but of excellent physique, is handsome and has the same frank and smiling countenance as her husband. She likes the show business, she says, because it brings her into contact with so many persons. The Captain, however, does not care very much about it now, having been in the business nine years. It was his desire to live in private quiet on his farm in Ohio, where the couple have a house built expressly with doors, windows, etc., on a giant scale, but they had received so many good offers that they left the sod to take to the sawdust, and forsook the plow for the platform. The visit of a giant and giantess to a newspaper office is not, however, an everyday occurrence, and it is worth while recording; and common occurrences in the life of a pair of domesticated giants are not by any means microscopic affairs and are equally worthy of public notice. The reporter suggested, as he nearly dislocated his neck in looking up at the towering couple, that it would have been a nice thing to have been around when they were making love to each other, but Mrs. Bates remarked that that was rather a delicate and personal question, and the reporter subsided into thinking how a fellow must feel with four hundred and odd pounds of sweetheart upon his knee, Himalayan hugging going on around him, and love-sighs that needed a Jacob's ladder to come from the heart-depths playing above his head like mountain zephyrs around the Pike's Peak signal station. "You were afraid of her big brother. Captain, were you?" timidly interrogated the reporter. "Oh, no, not at all," answered the Captain. "If you sat down on him once you could have sold him for a bundle of tissue paper, couldn't you?" "That's not it. my boy. She didn't have any big brother." "Oh, yes, I see." Then the discourse turned into other channels, of special interest. "It must be a gigantic thing when the Captain comes home late at night from the lodge, you know, falls in through the kitchen window into a pan of dishes, stumbles up stairs and gets into bed with his boots on?" the reporter insinuated as he looked at the giantess. "Oh, he never does that!" "And it looks as if he didn't care to?" added the newspaper man. "No, he never does." The giantess looked knowingly at the giant and the giant at the floor. "Captain, how do you like traveling?" "Very well, indeed," he replied. "How are hotel accommodations?" "Well, about so and so." "And you don't have to hang your head or feet out of the end of the bed?" This last question disgusted the Captain, and he rose from the table indignantly, as did Mrs Bates from the editorial chair, and doubling themselves up as they reached the doorway like a boy who has an attack of green apples at the stomach, they majestically swept out of the office, stepped into their carriage and drove away. Joe Holleman Joe Holleman is a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Joe Holleman Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the founding of Israel, U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner and legislators from both parties passed a resolution Tuesday to mark the milestone. The bipartisan passage of this resolution reaffirms our commitment to the people of Israel and promotes vital security assistance so they can defend themselves in the face of an increasingly aggressive Iran, said Wagner, a Republican from Town and Country. As vice chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Wagner introduced the resolution along with the chair, Michael McCaul, R-Texas. The resolution passed by a vote of 401-19. One of the opposing votes came from U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, D-St. Louis. The anniversary of the nations founding in 1948 was officially celebrated on Tuesday and Wednesday in Israel. The resolution also called for the expansion of the Abraham Accords, a series of treaties signed in 2020 between Israel, Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. Through the agreements, brokered by a U.S. congressional caucus that included Wagner, the four Arab nations joined Egypt and Jordan in making peace with Israel. LAUNCH CODE: A nondescript metal building sits quietly in a Jefferson County industrial park, giving no clue that this place builds rocket launchers. But thats what brought U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, to Arnold Defense, to meet with employees on Monday and find out first-hand what its like to deal with the federal government especially when it comes to money. War is not cheap, Smith said as he toured the plant with company vice president Frank Ferrante, who said the launchers cost anywhere from $10,000 to $60,000. (The rockets that the launchers fire, the Hydra 70, are made by another company, he said.) The company employs 35 to 40 people, most of them from Jefferson County, and has been making rocket launchers at its Arnold plant for about 30 years. In fact, we are the sole provider of the 2.75-inch rocket for all branches of the military, Ferrante said. He added that the company recently had filled one order of 40 launchers for Ukraine, with another order in the works. Smiths visit was part of a trip he made back to his district, where he spent time meeting with constituents to hear about how government is, or is not, working for them. Smith is the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, the oldest committee of Congress and generally considered its most powerful. It has jurisdiction over all taxation and revenue-raising measures. His district includes much of Jefferson County and all of Ste. Genevieve and St. Francois counties. Jefferson County Executive Dennis J. Gannon and Donna L. Litton, executive director of the countys Economic Development Corp., also attended the meeting at Arnold Defense. Ferrante spoke of the difficulties his company has trying to keep people working while the federal budget is being debated. He said that government requirements concerning cost estimates also pose a problem, Ferrante said. His company has to predict months in advance how much an item will cost to make, even though his materials suppliers will guarantee prices only for several weeks at best, he said. Smith said the federal government could save hundreds of billions of dollars if it had more consistency in its funding. These trips back home allow Smith to just hear the issues that small businesses are facing, he said, adding that he has heard similar, if not necessarily rocket-related, complaints from other industries. I was in Cape Girardeau (earlier Monday) and met with restaurant owners, whom Smith said had problems with how tax issues are handled. Smith said he also met with members of the trucking industry, who said the age to drive large trucks should be lowered to 18, instead of the existing mandate of 21. Smith believes such a change could offer career opportunities to high-school graduates. On that note, he mentioned meeting with representatives of the new Ranken Technical College campus in Perryville. Such programs are important to combat the countrys labor shortage, Smith said, and offers a better alternative than people staying on (government) welfare programs. BOTH SIDES NOW: The issue of radioactive contamination in the Hazelwood School District now has full congressional coverage, thanks to U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, D-St. Louis, sponsoring legislation to clean up Jana Elementary School in Florissant. On Tuesday, Bush introduced a bill that serves as a companion to legislation proposed in February by U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri. Hawley on Wednesday got unanimous consent for the bill from the full Senate. The Hawley and Bush bills dubbed Justice for Jana call for testing all Hazelwood School District property for radiation, as well as helping pay for new construction in districts affected by nuclear contamination. In March, the district announced that the school would be closed permanently, the result of testing by a private company that showed high levels of radioactivity in the school and around the playground. Different reports have examined the issue and have differed on whether the results represent a real risk to human health, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has said. On Tuesday, the Corps issued a report that repeated its earlier finding that Jana is radiologically safe, based on testing it performed last fall. The school sits on the flood plain of Coldwater Creek, which was contaminated with radioactive waste from uranium residue created by the U.S. atomic weapons program in the 1940s. The worst part of this is that the federal government has refused to clean this up, Hawley said Wednesday on the Senate floor. The Biden Administration has for spent the last eight months pointing their fingers at each other. Our government created this waste to construct the most deadly nuclear weapon in history, Bush said. They have a responsibility to clean it up and ensure that the safety and well-being of our community is a top priority. Joe Holleman Joe Holleman is a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Joe Holleman Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Stopping one step short of directly endorsing Donald Trumps bid to be reelected president, U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley said he feels confident that Trump will be the Republican nominee. In a short exchange earlier this week with the Washington Post, the senior senator from Missouri said, Trump is going to be the nominee, I think its inevitable. Hawley, a Republican, said the recent action of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg who has charged Trump with multiple counts of falsifying business records has helped galvanize support for Trump. After what (Bragg) did, I think that Donald Trump is absolutely going to be the nominee, Hawley said, then added, and yeah, Ill support him. Hawley, who has already said he is not interested in being vice president, still maintains a bit of wiggle room, given that he would in all likelihood support whomever would be the GOP nominee. Other top possible GOP contenders include Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis; former Trump vice president Mike Pence; and Nikki Haley, former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador. Hawleys Senate state-mate, Republican Eric Schmitt, already has thrown his support to Trump, as have 10 other U.S. senators. Of the U.S. House members representing the St. Louis area, two Illinois Republicans already have endorsed Trump: Mike Bost, whose district includes parts of St. Clair and Monroe counties; and Mary Miller, who represents a portion of Madison County. Tony Messenger Tony Messenger is the metro columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Tony Messenger Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today CLAYTON Its not often that Anthony Rothert finds himself in total agreement with an opposing lawyer during a court hearing. But there he was on Wednesday, doing just that. Rothert is an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union. This week, the ACLU, Lambda Legal and the private law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner filed a lawsuit in St. Louis County. Theyre trying to block a proposed rule by Attorney General Andrew Bailey that would effectively ban all transgender health care in Missouri, including for adults. Bailey tried to move the lawsuit to federal court, where a Zoom hearing was held Wednesday. Baileys top deputy, Solicitor General Josh Divine, complained to U.S. District Judge Henry Autrey that Rothert and his colleagues were using their legal challenge to paint Bailey as an out-of-control despot. Guilty as charged, Rothert admitted. That is absolutely true, Rothert told the judge. That is what he is. Indeed, Baileys proposed rule applying a consumer law that is normally used to protect Missourians from fraudulent landlords and car dealers is so unprecedented that even rabidly anti-LGBTQ Republicans like Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and state Sen. Mike Moon have called it a step too far. The hearing in federal court was nothing but a distraction, an attempt to delay the inevitable. That came later in the day, when Circuit Judge Ellen Ribaudo put the new rule on hold, at least until May 1, when she will issue a further ruling. But the attempt to move the case to federal court was telling; it exposed the emptiness of Bailey and Divines legal cupboard. This is the bizarre new Republican reality. For most of my career, conservatives have railed against activist judges and venue shopping and government overreach. But those are the new planks of the Republican platform, where overly aggressive attorneys general try to block legislative action by finding a friendly judge in Louisiana or Texas or Florida. And they hope that judge will ignore precedent, overturn the will of the voters and tyrannically strip the freedoms of entire classes of people. On Wednesday, Divine appeared before a judge who was appointed by a Republican president. He was seeking some sort of a pass but instead received a lecture on the law. You cant just file something in federal court because you want to be in federal court, Autrey told Divine, who used to work for Sen. Josh Hawley and clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. There is this little thing called jurisdiction. Divine tried a Hail Mary pass, asking Autrey for a delayed ruling because Divine couldnt get from Jefferson City to St. Louis County in time for the hearing that day. That strategy backfired too, with Autrey reminding Divine that the attorney generals office has lawyers stationed locally. Doesnt the attorney general have an office here in St. Louis in the Wainwright Building? Autrey asked. The lack of preparation and attention to legal principles became even more obvious in the later hearing in front of Ribaudo. It seems that something got lost in translation, Rothert said of Divines arguments. Divine is asking a Missouri judge to approve a rule that Divine says was designed on an emerging consensus in socialist countries in Europe to step away from the gender-affirming care in question here. While its true that health officials in the United Kingdom and some Scandinavian countries have hit the pause button on some gender-affirming care for minors, the key is that health experts in those countries are making the decisions and they come nowhere near to what Bailey is proposing out of thin air. What he does try to present withers away to nothing, Rothert said of Baileys arguments for the rule. We in this country defer to medical professionals. In this system, the Legislature makes law, not one unelected individual. We dont allow attorneys general to legislate, and we dont allow them to play doctor. Rothert then gave Bailey, whom he called a despot in the previous hearing, a new moniker: Dr. Frankenstein. The AG has taken misrepresented quotes out of context and sown them together, Rothert said. This rule is a monster. Editors note: This article has been edited to correct the spelling of the judges last name. ST. LOUIS Members of a civilian oversight board created to investigate the citys jail say they are fed up and ready to resign if Mayor Tishaura O. Jones doesnt step in and clear the way for them to investigate reports of mistreatment and poor conditions in the jail. Board members say they have been denied access inside the jail, and havent been allowed to read detainee health reports or other materials needed to do their job. All the while, they say they hear from recently released detainees and family members of currently incarcerated people that inmates are being pepper-sprayed excessively and unnecessarily, drugs are being smuggled into the jail, and there has been a lack of water and showers. I dont want to be on this board and something happens, and we were not given the resources and the tools to circumvent it, said member and civil rights leader the Rev. Darryl Gray during the boards meeting last week. When Jones signed a law last August creating the division the jail board falls under, she touted it as another act of government transparency despite her administration being publicly criticized for its efforts to bypass Sunshine laws. But board members say they have yet to be given materials theyre authorized to view, such as jail complaints, incident reports, records and files of completed investigations and relevant data. This has left the board unable to subpoena and interview complainants, witnesses and employees. On one occasion, Janis Mensah, the chair of the jail board, said they were forcibly removed by one of the jails staff when they tried to visit the jail this month during a scheduled visit. The Jones administrations only response to the critique has come from Nicole Barton, whom the mayor appointed last year to lead the citys Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. In a statement, Barton said all parties involved were working to identify pathways to move forward. Meanwhile, during her state of the city address on Tuesday, Jones announced a new committee for people whove previously been incarcerated in the now-closed Medium Security Institution, the city jail infamously known as the Workhouse. She needs to be held accountable As it is structured, the civilian jail board is supposed to work with the mayor, public safety director, city counselor, jail commissioner and police chief. It was designed to strengthen the integrity of and public confidence in criminal justice institutions through a board of appointed residents who help ensure operations and conditions of confinement are safe, sanitary and up to legal standards. Since its inception, the board has also faced roadblocks about its legal status, and new legislation governing its powers has raised more questions than answers. Members voted to request that Commissioner of Corrections Jennifer Clemons-Abdullah and Jones attend their next meeting, May 15 and they want Jones to compel her administration to work with them. She needs to be held accountable, said board member Mike Milton during the meeting. He founded the nonprofit Freedom Community Center, which works with pretrial detainees, and was nominated to the board by Jones. The board had its first meeting last fall after city leaders started forming commissions in response to community protests and inmate uprisings over alleged negligent conditions in the jail. Once fully staffed, the board is estimated to cost about $3 million annually. Documents containing Social Security numbers and other private information for thousands of Missourians are accessible to anyone using the Casenet website, the states judicial records system, the Post-Dispatch recently discovered. Missouri Supreme Court officials have acknowledged the issue after being alerted by the Post-Dispatch, and they fixed one vulnerability on Casenet. But thousands more documents with sensitive information remain online because they are considered open records. Those documents were filed by one state agency over several years, but its unclear if other records may also expose private information. The discovery comes at a challenging time for the court, as it prepares to broaden electronic access to documents this summer. It is the culmination of a yearslong effort requiring officials to balance access and transparency against the need to protect personal information. We in the judiciary take security of our systems very seriously, continuously take action to improve their security, and very much appreciate you sharing your concerns, Beth Riggert, a spokeswoman for the state Supreme Court, wrote in a statement. The Post-Dispatch discovered two different situations in which private information was exposed, after a reader learned his Social Security number was publicly visible on Casenet and alerted the newspaper. The Post-Dispatch reported the vulnerabilities to state, Supreme Court and local court officials, as well as to a state agency that had filed thousands of unredacted documents in prior years. The newspaper delayed publishing this story for three weeks to give officials time to address the issues. Broken code and open records For decades, the Casenet website has been a point of pride for the states judicial branch. The Missouri Legislature mandated the creation of a statewide court automation system in 1994. Court leaders eventually launched and expanded Casenet, along with systems for case management, electronic filing and more. Today, the public can use the website for free to search nearly 26 million records from local and state courts across Missouri. Users can review basic case information, such as docket entries, charges and judgments. The websites track this case feature lets people get email or text updates about cases, and it allows defendants to plead guilty and pay fines electronically. The Office of the State Courts Administrator, which reports to the Supreme Court, runs Casenet. The first vulnerability discovered by the Post-Dispatch allowed any user to view all sorts of court documents from amended criminal complaints to divorces to probation revocations by changing the web address, or URL. The documents had elevated security levels, which should have restricted access to lawyers, judges or court employees with proper credentials, or to members of the public using special terminals at a courthouse. But the Post-Dispatch learned it was possible to see sensitive documents, which contained Social Security numbers, birth dates, names of minors and other personal information, from any computer and without being signed in. We have taken steps to correct the immediate issue and are considering additional modifications to address other possible issues related to URL manipulation, Riggert wrote in response to questions from the Post-Dispatch. The newspaper verified that the issue was resolved. The second issue involved a specific type of civil judgment documents that are typically considered open records and which the court allows for remote access on Casenet without being logged in. The Post-Dispatch found that neither the state agency that filed the documents nor local courts had redacted Social Security numbers from the documents. The Post-Dispatch is not naming the state agency or describing the records in detail because they remain publicly available on the website. On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the state department that oversees the agency said it was actively researching documents from the relevant years and will work to protect sensitive data. Casenet lists thousands of such cases filed by the state agency in the St. Louis city and Kansas City circuit courts alone during a four-year period. The Post-Dispatch reviewed a small sample of the cases and found that at least half included hyperlinks to documents listing Social Security numbers. The Supreme Courts statement to the Post-Dispatch noted that this type of judgment, as well as other kinds of civil judgments, were open records and had been accessible remotely to the public for more than a decade. It also said that agencies that file court records are responsible for redacting sensitive information. Court personnel are not required to expunge or redact personal information, including Social Security numbers, contained in documents filed with the court, Riggert wrote in the courts statement. The responsibility to redact personal information as required by law, court rule or court order rests solely with party filing the document, Riggert wrote, noting the court had made this expectation clear by revising its operating rules. Representatives of circuit courts in St. Louis city, St. Louis County and Kansas City told the Post-Dispatch they would work with the Supreme Court and the Office of the State Courts Administrator to address the exposures. We are committed to educating all filers about the importance of securing confidential information, while balancing the publics right to access open court records, said Joel Currier, spokesman for the St. Louis Circuit Court. This could be a problem Several years ago, the state sent a letter to David Journey telling him that he owed the state money on a benefits claim. I made a mistake on a claim, Journey said. An honest mistake. Journey, 64, said the matter was resolved years ago, which court records confirmed. Journey became concerned after receiving letters from the Social Security Administration warning that scammers were targeting retirees after the agency approved a cost-of-living adjustment last year. Journey learned about Casenet, and he decided to run a search. Thats when he found his old case, and he clicked a link labeled Judgment. It turned up a PDF that had my full Social Security number on it for everyone to see, Journey said. Normally Im not a big fraidy cat, he added, but I was thinking this could be a problem. After spending hours on the phone speaking to people in St. Louis city government and at the circuit court who wouldnt or couldnt help, Journeys fear turned to anger. Everything changed when he called the help desk at the Office of the State Courts Administrator, which runs Casenet. Journey spoke with a representative and his old case was removed from the website. I told her if I was there, Id give her a hug and a kiss, Journey said. Catherine Zacharias, legal counsel for the Office of the State Courts Administrator, told the Post-Dispatch that its help desk cannot change a local courts records. The desk typically refers callers to the local court, she said, and changing the security level of a record may require a judges order. If a member of the public wishes to raise the security on a previous judgment, they may petition the court to do that, said John OSullivan, spokesman for the St. Louis County circuit court. We can always do better Early on, the court relied on cookie-cutter, vendor-supplied software to power some of its systems. But Casenet was developed in-house, tailored to Missouris specific needs, and over time the court has expanded that approach, developing more of its systems itself. Most other state court systems, if they could start from scratch, would do a statewide system like Missouri rather than a patchwork of local systems, said Judge Gary Lynch, who chaired the Missouri Court Automation Committee before retiring in 2022. The computerization efforts have yielded acclaim and awards. But the systems arent perfect, and theyre never really finished, Lynch said. The courts have to adjust when state and federal laws change, or when they get feedback that something isnt working. One of our guiding processes is continuous improvement, Lynch said. What we have may be good, but we can always do better. Today, Casenet can alert you when new documents have been filed in a case, but the public cant view most of those documents at home. That will change soon. Now, only lawyers, judges and court employees can obtain Casenet accounts with special privileges for viewing open, but more sensitive, court records. Everyone else must visit a courthouse and use a special computer terminal. Forcing the public to view documents at the courthouse long served as a second layer of privacy protection. So most documents, whether redacted or not, were in practical obscurity, Judge Jeffrey Bates of the Missouri Court of Appeals said in a recent webinar about the coming expansion of access to court records. And if someone does look at them, there is very little likelihood that any confidential information contained therein could cause any harm to anyone, Bates said. The expansion is set to phase in gradually beginning July 1, after years of work by the Missouri Court Automation Committee. This summer, anyone will be able get an account and access open court documents using Casenet from their home computers or cellphones. Its a win for the public and advocates of transparency. But expanding access to records also means a heightened danger of private data being exposed, Bates said in the webinar. The Supreme Court addressed this concern in part by deciding that expanded remote access would only be allowed for documents filed after July 1, under new and stricter redaction rules, Riggert said in her statement to the Post-Dispatch. People who want to see documents in older cases would still have to trek to a courthouse. The court also has partnered with the Missouri Bar on a campaign to educate lawyers and other filers about the upcoming changes, reemphasizing the requirement to redact private information and explaining how to do so. The challenge of balancing access to public information with the protection of personal information while ensuring the overall security and reliability of our underlying case management system and preventing any adverse impact on court systems or operations is inherently complicated, Riggert said in her statement. Threading those needles wont be easy. But Terry Lawson, an attorney at Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, welcomes the expanded remote access. Knowledge is good and the courts should do their business in public, Lawson said. The move will level the playing field for poor and unrepresented defendants who couldnt access court records or couldnt afford to pay lawyers, he added. But the data exposures found by the Post-Dispatch highlight the potential pitfalls of expanded access in the future. Im disappointed that it was that easy to find documents that should have been elevated in security or hidden, Lawson said. But Im not surprised that the database of all filings hasnt been locked down as tightly as we would hope. Katie Kull of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report. ST. CHARLES COUNTY A driver was charged last week with felony DWI in an October 2022 crash that killed a man and woman on Interstate 70 in St. Charles County. Larry L. Larsen Jr., 55, of O'Fallon, Missouri, was charged April 17 with DWI resulting in the deaths of two or more people in an Oct. 23 crash that killed Steven Anderson, 59, and Kristi Anderson, 61, both of West Des Moines, Iowa, on I-70 westbound east of Lake Saint Louis Boulevard. The crash happened when Larsen's 2022 Chevrolet Corvette was too closely following the Toyota Prius driven by Steve Anderson in a careless and imprudent manner, according to a Missouri Highway Patrol crash report. Both vehicles swerved off the road and into an embankment. Neither Steven nor Kristi Anderson were wearing seatbelts, and they were both ejected from the car, according to the Highway Patrol. They were pronounced dead at the scene. Charging documents allege that Larsen smelled of alcohol and refused to provide troopers with a breath sample. After investigators got a search warrant, a blood sample about four hours after the crash showed Larsen had a blood alcohol content of .09%, above the legal limit of .08%. Larsen posted a $200,000 bail in the case and is no longer in custody. ST. LOUIS A former prosecutor says she wants to turn over evidence in a lawsuit that seeks to oust her former boss, but the St. Louis Circuit Attorneys Office is trying to stop her. Natalia Ogurkiewicz resigned from the circuit attorneys office on April 14 after handling homicides and other violent felonies. Before she left, the Missouri Attorney Generals Office, which filed suit earlier this year to remove Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner from office, ordered Ogurkiewicz through a subpoena to turn over documents about her training, authority to make offers for plea agreements, and other case data. But attorneys for Gardners office filed a motion to throw out several subpoenas, including the one for Ogurkiewicz, claiming they were overly broad and violated state law. Ogurkiewicz says they have no authority to do so, and she wants to turn over the documents. Ms. Ogurkiewicz recognizes the importance of the issues at stake to those she took an oath in this litigation, and accordingly intends to comply with the subpoena directed to her, the filing states. The filing is the latest jab in a legal battle over the future of the Circuit Attorneys Office. Gardner has faced criticism for years for understaffing and dysfunction in her office. Those complaints came to a head in February when Daniel Riley, a 21-year-old who was out on bond in a pending robbery case despite violating the conditions of his GPS monitor dozens of times, was charged in a car crash that injured a teen volleyball player visiting St. Louis. Politicians of all persuasions called for Gardner to stop down. The state legislature ramped up an effort to strip her of most of her power, and Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a lawsuit to remove her. Last week, Gardner appeared for the first time in the removal suit. Attorneys for her office said they should not have to turn over the bulk of items listed in a 59-point subpoena from the attorney generals office. On Wednesday, they doubled down on many of those points in a filing, arguing that Baileys office had deliberately created a scenario of overbroad requests. He asks for that which he cannot receive, hoping to complain of not receiving it, attorneys wrote. But Ogurkiewicz questioned whether those attorneys one from a Washington D.C.-based law firm and the offices chief warrant officer, Chris Hinckley could even argue subpoenas be quashed at all. The Circuit Attorneys Office, she argued, operates as a branch of the city that should be represented by the city, not a standalone entity that can hire its own attorneys. They do not have the authority to stop her from turning over documents Ogurkiewicz has compiled herself, the filing states. Ms. Ogurkiewicz is ready, willing and able to comply, it says. Attorneys for all parties are set to appear again Tuesday for another hearing in the case. Some Channel migrants get engaged in crime "very quickly" after coming to the UK and are now a "notable feature of daily crime-fighting," as noted by Suella Braverman. In her opinion, those illegal immigrants who cross the English Channel in tiny boats have "heightened levels of criminality" and value systems that are in contrast with those of the UK. "There are real challenges which go beyond the migration issue of people coming here illegally. We need to ensure that we bring an end to the boat crossings." Illegal Immigrants and Their Involvement in Crimes Braverman, the UK Home Secretary, reportedly received a briefing from police chiefs on how illegal channel migrants from Northern France take part in the drug trade and prostitution. She qualified her earlier statement by saying, "Not often," but acknowledged that this is becoming a more noticeable part of ordinary crime-fighting in England and Wales. According to Firstpost, she noted that the number of people entering the nation illegally and how rapidly they begin to participate in the drug trade, exploitation, criminal behavior, and prostitution are facts that cannot be denied. When asked whether she could provide evidence, Braverman said she had spoken with "police chief experts" and other authorities in the area. See Also: Sudan Violence: WHO Warns of Biological Hazard Risk as Rival Camps Seize National Laboratory Outlawing Unauthorized Entry of Foreign Citizens Into the UK Braverman's Illegal Migration law was set to be debated again in Parliament on Wednesday. The bill intends to criminalize the illegal entry of foreign nationals to the UK. Braverman argues that the current rate of illegal immigration is intolerable and necessitates this action. She also said that anybody trying to flee the violence in Sudan would be apprehended and maybe deported to Rwanda, Firstpot reported. Braverman was asked what would happen to Sudanese asylum seekers if they landed in the nation, and she replied, "There is no good reason for somebody to get into a small boat and cross the channel in quest of a life in the UK." In a report by The Guardian, asylum seekers may now be held in jail for up to 28 days without being able to contact an attorney or request bail. Suspects of terrorism have a maximum 14-day detention period. While the British government is evacuating its own citizens and diplomatic staff, it has no intentions to implement a national-level evacuation scheme along the lines of those used in Ukraine and Afghanistan. Around 4,000 Sudanese, making them the seventh most prevalent nationality, have crossed the English Channel in tiny boats since 2020. See Also: UK Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab Resigns Amid Bullying Investigation, Dealing Serious Blow to Rishi Sunak's Premiership @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The sheriff of Iron County left jail for the first time in six weeks on Wednesday after posting a $250,000 bail in a case over accusations that he tried to help a friend with parental kidnapping. Jeff Burkett hired a bondsmen to secure his release after Washington County judge Tony Dorsett eased bail restrictions, allowing Burkett to post something other than cash. Wednesdays bail change came on the same day Washington County prosecutor John Jones dropped and refiled the case against Burkett, just before Burkett was scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing that was canceled. Filing the new case resets the clock on the schedule for upcoming hearings. The prosecutors office is trying to consolidate cases against Burkett, two of his deputies and a fourth man. Authorities allege the sheriff and deputies Matthew Cozad and Chase Bresnahan used their law enforcement powers in February to try to help the fourth man, Donald Rickie Gaston, as he attempted to take his child from the childs mother. In the newly filed case against Burkett, he is charged with three felonies and six misdemeanors. Those crimes include participating knowingly in criminal street gang activities, tampering with a victim in a felony prosecution and first-degree stalking. Gabe Crocker, Burketts attorney, has called the case 100% politically motivated by a group of people trying to take the sheriff down. Crocker declined comment Wednesday. Dorsett had issued a gag order against lawyers in the case, preventing them from talking to reporters. Burkett had been held in the Jefferson County jail since mid-March. Burketts bond release comes with several conditions. He must be monitored by GPS. He cant serve as sheriff of Iron County while the case is pending. He cant serve as a law enforcement officer in any capacity. And he is barred from having a firearm. The bond conditions also prohibit Burkett from contacting or photographing any witness in the case. The sheriff is charged with, among other crimes, falsely reporting to 911 dispatchers that the childs mother had kidnapped the girl and that she was in danger. The sheriff and his two deputies also are accused of using pings from the mothers cellphone to try to track her whereabouts. The criminal street gang charge alleges they were organized to commit the crimes. The mother and child ended up at the home of a Jefferson County sheriffs official and they were fine. The case filed Wednesday against Burkett was fueled by an 11-page probable cause statement by an investigator with the Missouri Highway Patrol. It spells out the lengths the lawmen took in searching for the woman and her child in February. It includes details that werent in the first round of charges that were dropped this week. For example, investigators got a search warrant to extract a text message conversation between the two deputies, Cozad and Bresnahan. The two deputies complained about the work they were being asked to do on behalf of Gaston, the court document alleges. Bresnahan told Cozad he was sick that Burkett expects me to just jump up and help Gaston, and Cozad agreed it wasnt their job. ST. LOUIS The top elected officials in St. Charles, Jefferson and Franklin counties on Thursday joined a recently launched effort to get state legislators to merge the St. Louis circuit attorneys office with the St. Louis County prosecutors office. St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann, Jefferson County Executive Dennis Gannon and Franklin County Presiding Commissioner Tim Brinker said consolidation is a very good regional solution to problems in Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardners office. It is important that it preserves local control and allows the voters to choose their prosecutor, the three said in a joint statement. While this is outside our jurisdiction, it is a regional issue that affects us all. The mayors of four St. Louis County municipalities made a similar call last week amid mounting criticism of Gardner for mishandling cases, understaffing and organizational dysfunction. Ehlmann, a former state senator, acknowledged in an interview that it could be difficult to get the idea passed in the final two weeks of this years legislative session, which ends May 12. But he said its possible. Ive seen things that I thought were a done deal die in the last two weeks and Ive seen things I thought were dead miraculously come to life, he said. Such a late-breaking proposal would have to be amended onto another bill already vetted by legislative committees and hearings and could be a target of an opposing filibuster in the Senate. Asked why the prosecutors offices in their three counties arent included in the merger proposal, Ehlmann said if we have the crime problems weve had in the city, we can talk about that. He also pointed out that St. Louis and St. Louis County were one governmental entity before the city decided to split from the county in 1876. Gardners office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. Wesley Bell, the St. Louis County prosecutor, said he doesnt think its appropriate for him to comment on proposals that arent being formally considered by lawmakers and the public. He added that any discussion about improving regional government ought to be systemic and strategic and we must evolve to address our regional issues with sustainable regional solutions. The House earlier this year approved a measure to allow appointment of a special prosecutor to handle some cases now assigned to Gardners office but the proposal has stalled in the Senate. Meanwhile, Attorney General Andrew Bailey has filed a lawsuit seeking to oust Gardner from office. Gardner is fighting that effort and says Bailey is trying to overturn the will of city voters, who have twice elected her to the post. Rep. Brad Christ, R-Sappington, is pushing late-breaking legislation to block her from seeking reelection to another term next year if Baileys suit succeeds in removing her. Christs measure has been added to a crime bill given preliminary approval by the House. On Thursday, St. Louis Circuit Judge Michael Noble appointed a special prosecutor to make a contempt case against Gardner and one of her assistants after they failed to show up for two court dates. CLAYTON A St. Louis County judge on Wednesday ordered the delay of an emergency rule that aims to restrict gender-affirming health care for Missourians of all ages, ending a day of legal maneuvering hours before the sweeping measure was set to take effect statewide. Circuit Court Judge Ellen Ribaudo delayed the enactment of a rule issued by Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey that uses an emergency provision in a state consumer protection law to significantly limit gender-affirming care. The rule, originally set to be enacted at midnight Thursday, is delayed until at least 5 p.m. Monday. Ribaudo is expected to issue a second ruling before then on whether to issue a temporary restraining order to block the rules for a longer period of time. The delay comes as part of a lawsuit filed Monday by the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri and Lambda Legal on behalf of a group of transgender people and health care providers. The suit argues Bailey lacks the authority to use a consumer-protection law to make broad health care rules. ACLU attorney Tony Rothert argued in St. Louis County court Wednesday that allowing the rule would allow a lone partisan official to turn back the clock on decades of medical care for thousands of transgender people across the state. He does not have authority, and we have to stop even pretending he does, Rothert argued. Josh Divine, solicitor general in the Attorney Generals Office, appeared by video call to the hearing to argue that a consumer protection law the Merchandising Practices Act gives the office extraordinarily broad leeway to pass emergency measures to regulate nearly any type of business practice. Should it go into effect, the attorney generals rule would apply to both children and adults, a more broad application than similar efforts by Republican leaders across the country that have aimed to regulate or ban treatments like hormones, puberty blockers and surgeries only for transgender youths. The measure includes requirements that patients wait months before receiving care. They would need to attend 15 separate, hourly therapy sessions over at least 18 months and provide documentation of an intense pattern of gender dysphoria for at least three years. Providers would also be required to ensure that any patients mental health conditions have been treated and resolved. Providers would also be required to give patients a list of warnings about treatment side effects and would have to screen patients for autism, social media addiction and signs of social contagion with respect to the patients gender identity. The new regulation says current patients may continue with a specific intervention that has already begun. But the patient would need to promptly seek to initiate the treatments and assessments called for by the state. The ACLU suit filed Monday argued the measure is an improper, extra-legislative overreach by an un-elected political appointee that uses a statute meant for making sure that cars are sold with titles and that hardware stores abide by a warranty on a vacuum rather than regulating health care policy. Attorney Jim Lawrence told the court Wednesday that plaintiffs hes representing in the case include a 36-year-old transgender man who is 10 years into hormone therapy and has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. Lawrence argued that ADHD is a mental health condition the man would need to be screened for under the rule, but is chronic and cant be resolved as the rule requires. Thats irreparable harm, Lawrence argued. Divine, of the attorney generals office, argued the order is necessary because of potential harms of gender transition treatment, including infertility and the possibility that people later regret procedures. He cited the growing number of people seeking care across the state. If this isnt an emergency, your honor, I dont know what is, Divine said. The hearing happened after a series of legal hurdles on Tuesday and Wednesday. At about 9 p.m. Tuesday, Baileys office filed to move the suit to federal court. The ACLU filed an emergency request to move the case back to state court, arguing it was a tactic to delay the suit long enough for the rule to go into effect. U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey agreed to send the case back to state court. You just cant file something in federal court because you feel like being in federal court, Autrey told Divine in a hearing Wednesday afternoon. The attorney generals office then requested a change of judge in St. Louis County. Ribaudo was assigned the case just minutes before the hearing over whether to delay the rule began. She issued the stay to give her more time to review arguments for a longer delay, her order states. Bailey said earlier this month that his office sought the restrictions as an emergency measure while it investigates allegations of mistreatment of patients made by a former case manager at the Washington University clinic for transgender youths at St. Louis Childrens Hospital, but the office later clarified the rules will also cover adults. The text of the rule argues an emergency measure was necessary to protect the public health, safety, and welfare of consumers. Bailey announced plans for the rule on March 20 as Republican-backed legislation barring doctors from providing puberty blockers or hormones to minors for gender transition began to make its way through the Missouri Legislature. LGBT advocates and gender-affirming health care providers quickly spoke out against the measure, arguing the rules could be so onerous that they may prevent providers from taking on new transgender patients altogether. Baileys lack of medical expertise shows, Dr. Colleen McNicholas, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri said in March. Scientific evidence shows and the medical community agrees that gender-affirming care is safe, effective and life-saving. Advocates emphasize that many of the countrys leading medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychiatric Association, support gender-affirming care as medically necessary. Bailey took office in January after his appointment by Gov. Mike Parson. He said he is running for a four-year term in 2024. A transgender woman, Geddy Cary-Avery, was among the observers in St. Louis County court Wednesday. Cary-Avery said her doctor gave her a longer, three-month prescription for her hormones in anticipation of the rule. Should the measure go into effect, she said she doesnt know how shell be impacted. It requires I be screened for mental health conditions that I dont think are the governments business, she said. If this happens, I feel like no transgender people are safe. A lot of people who I love will need to move out of state. JEFFERSON CITY Senate Republicans on Wednesday resumed debate on a measure that would ask voters to make it more difficult to amend the state constitution, but made little headway after hours of discussion. Republicans returned to the legislation nearly a month after initially debating it. At the time, Democrats blocked a vote on the plan, and Republicans set it aside without action. The bill was set aside for a second time shortly after 8:15 p.m. Wednesday, as Senate Democrats successfully blocked action again. Legislation that has already cleared the House would raise the threshold needed to amend the constitution to 60% from a simple majority. On Wednesday, Sen. Sandy Crawford, R-Buffalo, proposed a different plan: about 57% of voters would need to approve an amendment; or a simple majority as well as a simple majority in at least five congressional districts, would be needed to enact a constitutional amendment. Senators were debating the plan Wednesday evening, with Democrats holding the floor and blocking a vote through a filibuster. Proponents argue constitutional changes should enjoy wide support from the public and say special interests have too much influence in the process. But opponents have characterized the effort as an anti-democratic power grab by Republicans who oppose many citizen-led initiative petitions. If the 60% threshold had been in effect in previous elections, constitutional amendments to expand Medicaid and legalize recreational marijuana wouldve failed despite winning clear majorities at the ballot box. If approved by lawmakers, the issue would be placed on the November 2024 ballot, unless Gov. Mike Parson opts to call a special election on the question. The Missouri effort comes as abortion rights advocates are pursuing an initiative petition that would enshrine reproductive rights in the state constitution, undoing the states near-total abortion ban. A similar move to limit voter power in Arkansas failed last year by a wide margin. Crawfords proposal would also give the lawmakers exclusive authority to enact laws enforcing provisions in this constitution relating to ballot measures. The proposal touches several issues including voter qualifications and foreign influence in the initiative process. In addition to the higher threshold for passage, Crawfords proposed ballot summary would also ask voters if only U.S. citizens should be allowed to vote on initiatives and if foreign countries should be barred from the initiative process. Voters would also be asked if legislators should be restricted from reversing laws that voters pass. Lawmakers cant repeal a constitutional amendment, but can alter statutory changes that voters make. The U.S. citizen requirement, included in the House plan, has drawn charges from opponents that Republicans were inserting ballot candy into the measure to deceive voters. This is what entices a person to go in, and the first thing they see is non-citizens are voting? What? said former state Sen. Robert Johnson, R-Lees Summit, on Wednesday. I cant be for that. So, yes, its ballot candy; its a sweetener. Its not relevant. U.S. citizenship is already a requirement to vote in Missouri. Johnson, who served in the Missouri Senate between 1979 and 1993, appeared at the Capitol on Wednesday to speak out against the plan. Its very difficult to get a petition, and to make this more restrictive against the citizens, to discourage the citizens from participating in placing an issue on the ballot, is just simply wrong, he said. The legislation is House Joint Resolution 43. Editors note: An earlier version misstated how many congressional districts would need to approve an amendment for it to take effect under Crawfords plan, and it also inaccurately described her ballot summary. CHICAGO All barge traffic will be halted across a wide swath of the Upper Mississippi River for weeks, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Thursday, as record winter snowfall in the upper Midwest is now melting and flooding into waterways. The closures will force grain and fertilizer shippers to find alternative, potentially more costly, transportation by truck or rail, freight experts said. Such floods have become part of a volatile cycle for the U.S. waterway, a major transportation artery moving some 60% of American grain exports from the heartland to the global market via the Gulf Coast. Just last fall, drought plagued the lower and middle Mississippi River valley, sending river levels plunging to historic lows, halting barge shipments. Now, all locks and dams above Lock 17 near New Boston, Ill. will be closed for the next three weeks, and no freight is being accepted along the Twin Cities and mid-Mississippi portions of the river, USDA said in a weekly transportation report. Such closures are pushing down barge freight rates. Though it is not a busy export period for the United States, the closures will affect the delivery of any remaining soybeans or grain for the export market, said Mike Steenhoek, executive director of the Soy Transportation Coalition. It's also creating a logistical headache for fertilizer suppliers and buyers, who typically rely on northern-bound barges to haul their goods to the Midwest ahead of spring planting. "It's those shipments that are concerning, and will have to be diverted off the river and moved north on rail or by truck," Steenhoek said. As the river levels rise, the trouble is spreading: As far south as Lock 22 near Saverton, Mo., just south of Hannibal high water could force the locks and dams to be shuttered and stay closed until mid-May, USDA said. KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) A man who was freed from prison last year after his murder conviction was set aside alleges in a lawsuit that Kansas City police framed him in the killing. Keith Carnes, 53, was released from prison in April 2022 after serving 18 years of a life sentence for first-degree murder and armed criminal action. In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, Carnes alleges police and former Jackson County assistant prosecutor Amy McGowan coerced witnesses and issued fraudulent reports that led to his conviction in the 2003 shooting death of 24-year-old Larry White, in a Kansas City parking garage. The Kansas City police department said it does not generally respond to ongoing lawsuits to ensure fairness to all involved. The Missouri Supreme Court set aside Carnes' conviction in 2022, in part because because an eyewitness account from a confidential informant that might have led to his exoneration was not given to Carnes defense team. The Jackson County Prosecutor's office said it would not retrry Carnes because although its case review did not establish Carnes' innocence, there was insufficient evidence to convict him a second time. In the lawsuit, Carnes' attorneys said a feared Kansas City drug dealer killed White in a dispute over territory and that officers who struggled to find witnesses decided to pin the murder on Carnes. Two witnesses who identified Carnes as the killer recanted their testimony in 2014, alleging police and prosecutors pressured them to name Carnes as the shooter. The Kansas City police practices described in this lawsuit fabricating evidence to secure convictions and propel officers own careers forward amount to corruption, one of Carnes' attorneys, Locke Bowman, said in a statement. One of the witnesses testified in 2021 that she recanted her original testimony after threats from Carnes supporters. The second witness testified at the same hearing that she could no longer remember the night of the murder clearly. Prosecutors have said case evidence was tainted from all directions. Two other Kansas City area men who were exonerated in recent years after serving years in prison for murders they did not commit have also sued the Kansas City police department. Kevin Strickland, who spent more than 40 years in prison; and Ricky Kidd, who served nearly 25, each sued the department over its investigations. The case of Marcus Mojo Ursery, 17, is the St. Louis conundrum in a nutshell. The citys exploding street crime problem has lots to do with teenagers running around stealing cars and going on joy rides or doing the dirty work for street gangs. They are immersed in all the trappings of an adult crime world, complete with guns that make it far too easy for them to kill before theyve thought through the consequences. And the guns are made far too easily available to them because of the Missouri Legislatures insistence that children not be deprived of their Second Amendment rights. At age 14, Ursery got ahold of a gun and got into an argument back in 2020 with his friend, Timothy Lucas. Ursery shot and killed Lucas. And because Ursery was handling a gun and making adult decisions with it when he shot Lucas, he now must pay an adult price: 20 years in prison. The sentence is so harsh, even his original prosecutor was arguing for something lighter. Some St. Louisans who are fed up with all the crime and killings might be thinking that State Judge Rex Burlison was absolutely right to send a strong message to youths everywhere with this sentence. But it misses the entire point: Kids that age do not think through the consequences before acting impulsively. The next kid, holding a gun and faced with an intense, confrontational situation, is highly unlikely to think about what happened to Ursery and then decide not to pull the trigger. The next kid is highly unlikely to have read the newspaper or watched the local television news to even know about this sentence. Thinking that a harsh sentence like this will serve as a lesson is an adult misconception of how a young persons brain works. It isnt always rational. It is highly impulsive. And when a gun is introduced into that mix, really bad things are almost certain to happen. The solution isnt the sentencing; its the guns. As the Post-Dispatchs Katie Kull reports, Ursery did little to advance his own cause. A panel tried to interview him for a state program that offered counseling, job training and life skills in which participation could have helped reduce his sentence. But he wouldnt cooperate. He had a hard time opening up to strangers and talking about his own troubled upbringing, including his own fathers murder. Missouri Republican lawmakers who have been weighing a takeover of the St. Louis police department and circuit attorneys office might think of Burlison as their kind of guy to get tough on youth crime. But they need to own their own role in this outcome for having made guns so easy for kids like Ursery to access. One life is gone, and another will be wasted in prison. Thats a tragedy, not a lesson. EDITOR'S NOTE: This editorial has been updated to clarify that the prosecutor arguing for a lighter sentence was the original prosecutor in the case. That person left the job, and his successor argued for a stiffer sentence than the judge handed down. Gardner supporters are as blind as the backers of Trump The ongoing drama in the office of St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner should be a lesson in humility for progressives who have spent much of the last seven years criticizing the common sense of conservatives. How, they asked, could conservative support for Donald Trump waver so little as his self-serving and impulsive temperament became increasingly obvious? How many times would they accept his alternative facts, accusations of witch hunts and attempts to shift blame to others? Unfortunately, now its the turn of progressives to senselessly dig in their heels. Gardners hardcore supporters remain steadfast in the face of mounting evidence of incompetence, which she blames on others, dismisses as a non-issue or condemns as racist and/or sexist. Also, like the timid Republican leaders who avoided criticizing Trump for fear of antagonizing his base, top St. Louis Democrats are loath to offend Gardners core with strong actions or words against her. The million-dollar question is whether Gardner is emboldened to do as much damage to St. Louis in her personal war as Trump was willing to do to America and the Republican Party in his. John McDonald Ferguson Gardners blame-shifting excuses are classic bad management When I was a senior manager at a large corporation before retiring, I found it impossible to prevent every mistake or misjudgment a subordinate employee might make on the job. However, it was also obvious for anyone aspiring to stay in a management role that the end assessment of the organizations effectiveness would be determined by its overall performance period. Singling out individual employees for mistakes was an obvious attempt to deflect overall responsibility and viewed as a sign of weak leadership. To quote former President Harry Truman, The buck stops here. Its managements responsibility to prevent similar failures through additional training, making process improvements or, if necessary, making organizational changes if an employee is in the wrong job for the persons skill set. St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner has seemingly blamed every conceivable excuse for her own offices failures. What she cant excuse is her own mismanagement. Its obvious that Gardner doesnt have either the will or the ability to rectify the problems in her office. Given Gardners intransigence, the responsibility now shifts to the mayors office to lead a recall or to the Missouri Attorney Generals office to address this untenable situation hopefully sooner rather than later. Greg Blattner Chesterfield Theres nothing immoral about accepting transgender people Regarding the letter to the editor Anheuser-Busch woke marketing loses a long-time customer (April 21): Does showing acceptance and compassion to humans born to walk a different path than you constitute moral decay? Love one another as I have loved you is Christianitys way of showing us what works in a civilized society. If a corporation tries to help to expand acceptance of our fellow human beings, that doesnt seem so terrible to me. Christie Schneider St. Louis Learn facts about transgenderism rather than condemning it Years ago, I was confused about terms like transgender, nonbinary, gender queer and intersex. These words challenged my assumption that gender was strictly binary. I grew up thinking that we are all either male or female, and this was defined by our bodies (our sex organs, not our brains). And as a product of the womens movement, I figured I didnt have to be defined by gender stereotypes. Rather than just assume my notions of gender were accurate, I investigated what were learning through the pursuit of knowledge and science. I found that gender isnt binary and this has been the case for all time, with diversity found throughout nature, both flora and fauna. Instead of demonizing people who dont conform to our assumptions, lets learn the truths that are emerging in science and medicine. Wikipedia has 10 well-sourced articles related to transgender and another 10 on intersex. Scientific American has a good article on why transgenderism exists. Humans used to be highly suspicious of or hostile to left-handed individuals. We used to discriminate against redheads. But weve moved past these prejudices. We still unfortunately dont value those who are part of our neurodiversity. My faith is grounded in the beliefs that truth is ever unfolding and in the inherent worth and dignity of all. Suzanne LeLaurin Kirkwood Missouris incivility, intolerance makes it worthy of shame I grew up from 1950 to 1963 in Overland, then went to what is now Missouri University of Science and Technology, graduating as an engineer. I follow Missouri politics from a distance in Virginia. I am appalled at the lack of civility in state politics, ranging from banning books to barring transgender medical needs to dictating womens reproductive decisions. In fact, I am ashamed at what my birth state has become. Missouris leaders should try respecting others and not imposing their religion on those of other faiths or beliefs. William Conner Lynchburg, Va. Read letters online at STLToday.com By Syune Arakelyan What is the opposite side of Hollywood? How are big movies produced? What are the difficulties of working with a movie star? Hollywood Heist is an upcoming action-comedy which reveals some industry secrets featuring Alec Baldwin, Nick Cannon, Mickey Rourke, Til Schweiger, Tara Reid, and Arman Nshanian. The director of the movie is Mike Hatton, who has co-written the script along with Paul Sloan. The film was produced by Asko Akopyan. It's a true story with some fictional elements. Mike Hatton, Asko Akopyan, Arman Nshanian, and Til Schweiger have shared some interesting details with NEWS.am STYLE about the project and the characters involved. "My dear friend and frequent collaborator Paul Sloan (who also stars in the film with me) and I wrote the script as a way to show what we filmmakers go through to get movies made. Some of the circumstances have happened to us... and some of them are fabricated and embellished for the sake of a good story! I think audiences will be shocked to find out what was true and what wasn't," says Mike Hatton. The film follows a Hollywood power agent (Cannon) trying to land an actor (Baldwin) by telling the story of his client, a movie producer (Hatton), along with a washed-up movie star pal (Sloan), as they race against time to save their latest production. This comes after the projects bank account is wiped clean by a thief, leading to an onslaught of negotiations with famous actors, drug lords, and death. According to Hatton, this is a funny movie which was an incredible experience. The director, by the way, had been to Armenia years ago to film the HBO action movie Vigilante Diaries, along with Asko Akopyan and Arman Nshanian. "I had the chance to visit Yerevan and some of the surrounding cities. It was an incredible experience for me and I was impressed with the level of talented actors and the crew there. I hope to return soon with the whole group to work on what's next!" Hatton says. Speaking about their collaboration for Hollywood Heist, Asko Akopyan recalls, "Mike called me last year, asking if he could include my likeness as a character in a new movie he is co-writing with Paul Sloan. He also asked me if I could help him produce the film. I said yes to both and we started development together. " According to the producer, the cast was selected based on their love for these movie stars. "They were written in the film to play fictionalized versions of themselves. They all loved the script and decided to join us for the movie," he says. Arman Nshanian had a rather challenging character. The actor is playing Asko Akopyan himself. The two are not only long-year colleagues, but also good friends. "My role is based on Asko Akopyan's likeness, but it's portrayed fictionally. It's a very kind character of an Armenian producer who has a range of opportunities in front of himself, but his business is always in the first place. He goes for his goals, but tries not to hurt his friends in that way. Of course, this character has some commonness with Asko, but there are lots of differences as well," tells the actor. According to Arman, the movie features some funny stories which are close to reality. He says the movie industry is full of funny situations on the whole. The actor, who was recently mostly busy on the opposite side of the screen, confessed he was very excited about returning to a project as an actor. "I love comedies a lot, and accepted this offer with lots of excitement. It's also very nice to work with friends, and I'm very thankful to Mike Hatton, Paul Sloan, and Asko Akopyan for this opportunity. I think Asko is a very talented producer and has a bright future ahead. We have done several projects together, and others are still in the plans. He never stops astonishing me," he says. As for Til Schweiger, his scenes were shot in Spain. The actor couldn't fly to LA because of his busy routine, so the cast went to shoot his scenes in Mallorca. "I loved the script but I couldn't go there because I was too busy, and then they said OK, then well come to you! Within a week they were in Mallorca. We shot the scene in my hotel, we had a ball scene there, and its gonna be a very funny one!" says the actor. Til is playing a crazy, super successful Russian movie star, who is also a director and a very rich person. "The character of Arman Nshanian tells the director, who is owing money to the mafia, to meet this Russian guy. He wants to break into Hollywood with his untalented daughter, who is played by my real daughter, Luna," he says. This was Schweiger's first collaboration with Nshanian, but the actors became friends immediately and now are even working on a new project. "Arman is great. I had two scenes with him, he did an amazing job," Till adds. Producer Asko Akopyan says Hollywood Heist has now wrapped principal photography and is being edited. According to him, post-production will finish in about two months. "We are hoping to premiere the film at a big festival before hitting the theaters around the world. The release date will be decided later, based on the distribution. Hollywood Heist is a funny film about Hollywood and features a lot of famous movie stars that will make appearances throughout the film. The expectations are very high for this film, and we feel that it will have a great deal of success," he adds. Photos: Alec Baldwin/Marco Vacchi, Mike Hatton/Matt Winkelmeyer - Getty Images, Paul Sloan - Ovidiu Hrubaru - Almay, Til Schweiger - Courtesy of Artist International Group, Nick Cannon - Courtesy of NCredible Entertainment Follow NEWS.am STYLE on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram In an op-ed published by Omar Shidyak in Syria TV, the columnist says the Assad regime prefers to postpone this file until after the presidential elections. The upcoming quadripartite meeting between the foreign ministers of Russia, Syria, Iran, and Turkey, aimed at normalizing relations between Ankara and Damascus, has been postponed due to hurdles created by the Assad regimes conditions. Turkey is calling for guarantees to achieve a clear-cut political solution in Syria, while the Assad regime demands a complete Turkish withdrawal from Syrian territories, including setting a date for it, which Ankara rejects. The Assad regimes recent hope to break its isolation has led it to raise its conditions and not show enthusiasm for the meeting except on its own terms. Ankara believes that the Astana talks are crucial to any political solution in Syria and sees coordination with the regime in the war on terror as necessary, with its military presence in northern Syria being crucial to protect its borders. Ankara does not reject the idea of withdrawal completely but requires the elimination of the danger first. Additionally, ensuring the safe and dignified return of Syrian refugees is crucial for Ankara. The Syrian refugee file is an important factor that could impact the course of the democratic process in Turkey, including the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections. Despite the hurdles, Ankara believes that the Astana talks are crucial and will continue to pursue them. However, it seems that the Assad regime prefers to postpone this file until after the presidential elections, which are just two weeks after the scheduled quadripartite meeting in early May. The Assad regime appears to be betting on a dramatic change in the Turkish domestic scene due to the upcoming presidential elections. Despite the hurdles, Ankara believes that the Astana talks are crucial and will continue to pursue them. 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. Ya Ya, a giant panda from China, has been in the US since it landed in 2003. Many people welcomed the panda at the Memphis International Airport, which was a high point in US-China relations. It can be recalled that that was two years after China joined the World Trade Organization with the support of the US. 20 years later, Ya Ya bids farewell to the US and boarded a plane that will take her back to her home country. Ya Ya has become a symbol of the current relations between China and the US, which have called it their lowest point, according to CNN. For almost three months, there were heated discussions in China about the treatment of Yaya by the Memphis Zoo. This only showed how antagonistic the relationship between Us and China has become. Was Ya Ya Mistreated? The panda has appeared skinny in photos, along with missing clumps of fur. A lot of Chinese people were shocked and saddened by her condition. Some think that she wasn't given proper care and attention, which was an accusation levied by animal advocates in 2021, but was only denied by the Memphis Zoo. Ya Ya and her male companion, Le Le, were set to return to their home country this year as this year marks the end of the 20-year loan. Unfortunately, Le Le died suddenly due to heart disease in early February, which only fueled suspicions of mistreatment. Read also: US-China 'Conflict and Confrontation' Inevitable, Bejing's New Foreign Minister Warns China's Panda Diplomacy Based on China's panda diplomacy, the bears were meant to serve as an envoy of friendship between China and their host country. However, for the Chinese, Ya Ya has become a symbol of what they see as the US' bullying and suppression of China. (Photo: by STR/AFP via Getty Images) This photo, taken on March 10, 2023, shows a panda playing with one of its twin cubs at the Sibao Science Park in Xian in China's northern Shaanxi province. China has long used Panda diplomacy as a way to strengthen diplomatic ties with other countries, and Ya Ya's situation has put a strain on the relationship between China and the US. The Memphis Zoo has denied any mistreatment of Ya Ya, but the controversy surrounding her condition has highlighted the complexities of using animals for diplomatic purposes. The use of animals for diplomatic purposes is not a new phenomenon. Throughout history, different countries have used various species to forge and strengthen relationships with other nations. Pandas are particularly popular in this regard due to their cute appearance and gentle nature. China has been using pandas as part of its diplomacy efforts since the 1950s when it gifted two bears named Ping-Ping and An-An to the Soviet Union. Since then, China has sent over 30 giant pandas on loan to around 20 countries worldwide. While panda diplomacy may seem harmless on the surface, there are ethical concerns surrounding this practice that cannot be ignored. Many animal welfare advocates argue that keeping these endangered animals captive for prolonged periods can cause them psychological distress and harm their physical health. Moreover, some critics see panda loans as a form of coercion rather than genuine friendship-building initiatives by China's government towards foreign governments or institutions such as zoos, where they end up being placed under limited care conditions compared with those at home in natural habitats. In Ya Ya's case specifically, her sudden decline after Le Le's death raises questions about how well she was cared for during her time at Memphis Zooespecially given reports indicating previous mistreatment claims against zookeepers who were responsible for caring after both Yang Guang (her mate) & LeLe before his passing away earlier last month; something which could strain US-China relations further if proven true amidst ongoing trade tensions between both states. Overall though: Panda Diplomacy appears set here to stay despite all related criticism leveled from either side regarding treatment standards or motives behind sending these rare mammals abroad Related article: US-China Relations in Serious Trouble Amid Taiwan President's Visit @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Your daily brief of the English-speaking press on Syria. US reaffirms rejection of rapprochement with Syria after Moscows meeting In a meeting in Washington, Barbara A. Leaf, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, said on Wednesday during a meeting with a delegation of the opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC) that the US policy towards Syria has not changed. On Tuesday the SNC delegation, headed by Bader Jamous, President of the Syrian Negotiation Commission, arrived in Washington DC on the back of the recent diplomatic movement by the Syrian opposition in Turkey against the accelerating Arab outreach to Syria. The delegation included Salem al-Meslet, president of the SNC, Ibrahim Bro as the representative of the Kurdish National Council (ENKS) of the Negotiation Committee, and Fadwa Ajaili as the representative of independents, according to the Negotiation Committees Facebook account. In a tweet, the Bureau of Near East Asian Affairs in the Department of State said after the meeting no normalization with the Assad regime in the absence of enduring political change and strong support for UNSCR 2254 including the role of the Syrian opposition. As Assad returns to Arab fold, Syrians watch with hope, fear Syrians living on opposite sides of the largely frozen battle lines dividing their country are watching the accelerating normalization of ties between the government of Bashar Assad and Syrias neighbors through starkly different lenses, according to the Associated Press. The recent warming of relations between Arab states and the Syrian government is causing concern among opposition activists who fear being further isolated and abandoned, AP added. While residents in government-held Syria are hoping that the rapprochement will bring more trade and investment and ease the crippling economic crisis, those in remaining opposition-held areas of the north are protesting against the move. The rapprochement is also a cause for fear among opposition activists who are increasingly afraid that the government will recapture control of the remaining opposition territory, the report also said. AP quoted Khaled Khatib, a worker at a non-governmental organization in northwest Syria, saying that seeing the regional warming of relations with Damascus is very painful, shameful and frustrating to the aspirations of Syrians. Saudi Arabia, which once backed Syrian rebel groups, has recently done an about-face in its stance on the Assad government and is pushing its neighbors to follow suit. The kingdom has been coaxing other member states to restore Syrias membership in the Arab League, which will host a meeting next month. Although some member states remain holdouts, the Saudi-Syria rapprochement is a game changer for Assad, according to Swiss-Syrian researcher and professor Joseph Daher. Turkey denies discussing troop withdrawals from Syria in Moscow A senior Turkish official has denied that Turkey had discussed the withdrawal of its troops from Syria in the latest round of talks between Iran, Russia, Syria and Turkeys defence and intelligence chiefs in Moscow on Tuesday, MEE reported. The Syrian defence ministry said the talks discussed the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Syria alongside the opening of the strategic M4 highway, which paves the way for the revival of Syrias trade with neighbouring countries. The Syrian and Turkish defence ministers previously held talks in Moscow in December, marking the highest-level encounter between the two countries since the war began. Turkey has never negotiated an issue regarding the withdrawal of its forces from Syria during the talks in Moscow, the senior official told Middle East Eye. We have discussed possible joint means of fighting against the Syrian arm of PKK and its armed wing, YPG. The official said that any Syrian message claiming otherwise is an attitude that goes against the constructive role of the Turkish government in the talks. The official added that the second topic discussed in the talks was the return of Syrian refugees. Turkey has called for the activation of the political resolution process under United Nations overview and to facilitate honourable and voluntary return of refugees back to their country in a secure way, the official said. Turkey reiterated its previous arguments which were laid out in the past four meetings in Moscow. The condition of the Turkish armys withdrawal from Syria would be with the end of the YPG threat and that the regime and its allies should contribute to the resolution. Syrian-Iranian Business Forum discusses difficulties facing joint economic, trade cooperation The Syrian-Iranian Business Forum discussed the difficulties facing economic and trade cooperation between businessmen in both countries in light of the unjust measures imposed on both countries, and proposals that would facilitate work of the private sector, increase investment and establish partnerships to promote the level of economic and trade relations between the two countries, according to SANA. During the forum held in Damascus, Chairman of Syrian-Iranian Commerce Chamber, Fahd Darwish reviewed a group of proposals that focused on the necessity of activating the signed Syrian-Iranian free trade agreement to take its role without obstacles and working to solve other problems regarding the relation between both countries Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade, Dr. Muhammad Samer Al-Khalil, said that the forum constitutes a remarkable opportunity through which the representatives of the business sector can get acquainted with the obstacles facing development of the trade and investment relations, in addition to inspecting the legal environment that may help enhancing cooperation between the two countries. A number of participants in the forum, including Irans Minister of Roads and Urban Development, Chairman of the Joint Syrian-Iranian Economic Committee on the Iranian side, Mehrdad Bazrpash, Treasurer of the joint Syrian-Iranian Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Ammar Dalloul and other participants at the forum, have underlined the importance of the forum in developing the economic relations between the two countries and the necessity of benefiting from the strategic economic depth between them. The secretary-general of the Arab League says that he favours Syria's return, but that a final decision will still require negotiations, Athr Press reports. The Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, spoke on Tuesday in a television interview on Al-Jadeed TV about several details related to the Syrian war and the return of Damascus to its seat in the Arab League. He emphasized that the return is inevitable, but it is not necessary for it to happen at the next summit, which is supposed to be held in Riyadh. Aboul Gheit listed memoirs related to Syria, stressing that preparations for the Syrian war had been underway since 2005. He recounted that, in February 2005, during his visit to Washington as Egypts foreign minister, he met with several American leaders, including then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley. He noted that during the meeting, he found the attack on Syria to be very sharp. Upon his return to Egypt, he asked President Mubaraks permission to travel to Syria, where he spoke with Syrian officials and warned them to be aware of the clear intentions against them. Regarding Syrias return to its seat in the Arab League, Aboul Gheit stressed that he fundamentally disagreed with the freezing of Syrias membership. When this decision was taken, he was not in his position as Secretary-General of the League. He believes that the process of freezing Syrian membership should not have been rushed, and more opportunities for negotiations should have been given. The Secretary-General of the Arab League noted that the situation has now changed, and it is clear that Syrias return to the Arab League is inevitable. However, he questioned whether it would happen at the upcoming summit, explaining that the Council of Ministers of the League could instead invite the Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs to attend meetings. According to the legal path, an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers of the League of Arab States must be held at the request of a state with the support of an additional state. The demand for Syrias return would be put forward, and a discussion would take place. At the end of the meeting, either a vote takes place or a broad consensus is reached. When asked about the possibility of Syria attending the next summit meeting in Riyadh, the Secretary-General explained that the procedures for the return of Damascus could take place within a few days. However, the weight of the countries supporting and opposing it must be taken into account, and it is a sensitive political game that must be played with great wisdom. If two or three countries that serve as pillars on the position of rejection meet, Syrias return will be difficult. However, if these countries agree, it will be easy. In conclusion, the Secretary-General stated that President Bashar al-Assad had won the battle since it was decided militarily seven years ago when the opposition failed to enter Damascus. 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 chairperson of the UN's mechanism to promote justice in Syria said in her annual report that her work now covers 15 different jurisdictions around the world, Baladi News reports. The chairperson of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM), established by the United Nations to promote justice in Syria, presented a report on the Commissions progress in the past year during a briefing to the UN General Assembly. Catherine Marchi-Uhel, IIIMs chairperson, provided details on the IIIMs collaboration with judicial authorities in investigating and prosecuting individuals responsible for the most severe crimes committed in Syria under international law since March 2011. Last year, the IIIMs report showed that its 83 frameworks for cooperation with member states and other entities served 15 different jurisdictions and supported 138 national investigations that were outstanding. The Mechanisms cooperation with the Federal Prosecutors Office in Germany has resulted in several cases, including the conviction of a man on February 23 for war crimes and murder, as well as an ongoing trial in which the defendants face charges of sexual violence, torture, and murder. The judiciary is currently investigating an indictment in another ongoing case. Marchi-Uhel emphasized that the Mechanism aims to support broader justice initiatives, including efforts to clarify the fate of missing persons, by identifying intersections with its accountability-focused work and implementing the Gender Strategy of October 2022. She also provided details of the Mechanisms increasing collaboration with civil society actors, who serve as critical sources of information and evidence. She added that the International Impartial Mechanism will continue to explore opportunities for cooperation in the justice ecosystem for Syria, citing the growing demand by competent judicial authorities for the Mechanisms services. Marchi-Uhel welcomed the United Nations General Assemblys 2020 decision to include the Mechanism in the Secretariats regular budget, but also highlighted the need for voluntary contributions from Member States to support its work. The UN official stressed that cooperation is essential for demonstrating the value and success of the neutral international mechanism. 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 Syrian embassy in Sudan said clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan have resulted in the death of 15 Syrians. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants released a statement on Wednesday confirming that it is actively monitoring the situation of Syrians residing in Sudan. The statement highlights that hundreds of Syrians have been successfully evacuated with the assistance of various Arab countries. The statement reads, We are closely following the situation of Syrians living in Sudan and extend our good wishes to them and to the brotherly Sudanese people for their safety and security. The Foreign Ministry has been in contact with friendly countries to coordinate the evacuation process for Syrians who wish to leave Sudan. The Syrian embassy in Khartoum has been compiling lists of citizens who wish to evacuate in collaboration with members of the community since the events began in Sudan. The Ministry acknowledged the assistance of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Algeria in this effort. Syrian death toll rises According to the charge daffaires at the Damascus embassy in Sudan, ongoing clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan have resulted in the death of 15 Syrians. In a statement to Sham FM on Wednesday, he noted that there is no precise information on Syrian casualties, but the latest report confirms the death toll of 15 people with no information regarding injuries. He further stated that neither side of the conflict, the Sudanese army or the RSF, has obstructed the evacuation convoys, and thousands have already left Sudan without a specific schedule for evacuation. The Syrian community in Sudan is estimated to be around 30,000 people. 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. Lebanese internal factions are using the Syrian refugee issue for political gains, according to Syria TV. The issue of inciting violence against Syrian refugees has once again resurfaced in Lebanon, with several political parties spearheading campaigns to force their deportation. However, some political forces and international organizations still reject this matter and consider the conditions for their safe return unavailable. As a result, warnings have been issued to the Syrian-Lebanese communities, particularly in light of suspicious and anonymous calls urging refugees to demonstrate in front of the UNHCR, in exchange for calls from Lebanese demanding their deportation. Over the past two weeks, Lebanese security services have intensified the forced deportation of Syrian refugees, with more than 70 refugees returned to areas controlled by the Syrian regime. Information suggests that the General Security Agency is handing over the violating detainees to the armys land border regiment, which is responsible for placing them outside Lebanese borders. While Lebanese authorities attempt to shed the burden of asylum, they have neglected other critical issues such as unresolved bank deposits and justice for victims of the Beirut port explosion. This blatant disregard for the countrys crises is concerning. Conflict of interest On Wednesday, the Lebanese government held two meetings to discuss the Syrian refugee issue, with President Najib Mikati and ministers from the Free Patriotic Movement, Hezbollah, and the Future Movement in attendance, along with security service leaders. The meeting resulted in the launch of several positions and decisions described as escalatory due to their harsh and unrealistic nature. This government stance appears to have political motives, including the pursuit of greater financial assistance and reducing the IMFs reform conditions. Some municipalities have also taken decisions aimed at imposing their authority on refugees within their geographic boundaries, including the recent call from the municipality of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon for Syrians residing in the area to register their names with the municipality registry. This process began on Wednesday and will continue until next Friday. It requires refugees to provide identification papers for all family members, lease contracts, if any, registered with the General Security, driving books, and registration papers. Sectarian phobia According to Dr. Muhannad Hajj Ali, a researcher at the Carnegie Center, the sudden escalation of political and media campaigns against Syrian refugees serves a clear political purpose. The primary goal is to avoid an anticipated economic and social explosion due to the countrys financial bankruptcy, which could lead to increased racism and extortion by Lebanese and Syrian authorities seeking to secure international and regional gains and concessions. Dr. Hajj Ali acknowledges the urgent need for serious solutions to the Syrian refugee crisis. However, he notes that addressing the issue appropriately remains a significant challenge. This is due to the systematic displacement of Syrians at the onset of the war, which was part of a broader policy adopted by the Syrian regime and its allies, regardless of international consideration, resulting in one of the largest demographic displacement and ethnic cleansing processes. Furthermore, the rise of racist sentiments towards refugees is not confined to Lebanon but is also present in campaigns in Jordan, Turkey, and the European Union, driven by multiple religious and ethnic dimensions. Restoring popularity and counting on Assad Researcher Rabii Dandashli argues that Christian parties in Lebanon, who failed to elect a president after the parliamentary elections, are seeking to regain popularity by inciting against Syrian refugees. This rhetoric resonates at the popular level, as many still blame refugees for the countrys crises, and some politicians have been highlighting Muslim density and the influx of Sunni refugees following the financial collapse. According to Dandashli, this campaign is linked to internal factions that use the Syrian refugee issue for political gains. They are closely monitoring the regional dynamics and the Arab openness towards the Assad regime, as well as the Gulf conditions for the return of refugees. They hope to secure a seat for themselves at the regional settlement table, leveraging the refugee crisis, despite Hezbollahs involvement in the war on the regimes side, which contributed to displacement and asylum. Dandashli believes that Christian parties are waiting for the Syrian regime to take security steps and make internal reconciliations, which would improve relations with the Gulf countries. They may then demand the return of some refugees, but this is unlikely to happen without adequate humanitarian guarantees. Overall, Lebanon is part of the Syrian refugee crisis, and a long-term solution requires a comprehensive regional settlement that addresses the root causes of displacement and ensures safe and voluntary return. Political goals: floating Frangieh or the army chief? The recent campaign to raise the issue of forced deportation of Syrian refugees coincides with the discourse of the resistance forces related to linking the candidacy of Suleiman Frangieh for the presidency of the Republic in Lebanon, according to government and parliamentary sources. Frangieh opened the campaign on asylum from the pulpit of the Maronite Patriarchate a few days ago, stating that he is the most capable of solving the crisis by being a friend of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and that the return of refugees needs to be coordinated with the military presence of Hezbollah in Syrian territory. The sources suggest that the rhetoric of the Aounist movement and Assads allies to hold the army responsible for the security handling of the deportation of refugees aims to embarrass army commander Joseph Aoun (presidential candidate) locally and internationally, especially in light of the Western and European position on the governments engagement and plans to return Syrians unsafely. They believe this aims to show Aoun as responsible for a humanitarian disaster that contradicts international laws. However, researcher Muhannad al-Hajj Ali disagrees with this view and believes that both sides are playing on a political and populist chord. He suggests that what happened may be a message from the army commander of Hezbollah and the regime that they are capable of returning refugees to 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. Your daily brief of the English-speaking press on Syria. The Turkish-Syrian rapprochement efforts, steered by Russia, are ranked as the second most significant game of diplomacy in the Middle East, Forbes reported. Defence ministers and intelligence chiefs from Russia, Turkey, Syria, and Iran convened in Moscow for a crucial four-way meeting, signalling recognition of the significance of Irans potential to undermine agreements if sidelined. Although various countries, such as the UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Algeria, and Tunisia, are involved in different rapprochement attempts with Syria, the Ankara-Damascus rapprochement carries the most weight in determining Syrias future and the influence of the US and EU on the regions future. However, there are several challenges and obstacles to the rapprochement, including the issue of trust, the sequencing of each partys primary goals, and the inclusion of Iran, adding an additional layer of complexity to the negotiations. The Kurds are caught in the crossfire of the Turkey-Assad rapprochement, putting them in a losing position, as Turkey seeks to erase Kurdish status, while other regional actors are content with Turkey addressing the Kurdish issue. Assad-Iranian minister renew pledges for cooperation President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday discussed with Minister of Roads and Urban Development of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mehrdad Bazrpash the new aspects of economic cooperation between Syria and Iran and means of benefiting from the available opportunities to develop ties in domains of investment, trade and energy. Assad was quoted by SANA as saying, Translating depth of the political relation between Syria and Iran into a similar status in the economic domain is an essential issue, as governments in both countries have to seek best means to increase their growth. Minister Bazrpash, for his part, said that the Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi, is keen on supporting the economic bilateral ties and Iran is doing its best to boost them in the interests of the two peoples. The Minister added that the Iranian-Syrian competent committees will work on a bulk of economic titles during the next stage in the domains of investment, energy and electricity. Iran International Website reported that Bazrpash called for expanding bilateral cooperation in banking, energy, transit, transportation, and tourism. Utilizing ports access, Tehran and Damascus can establish shipping lines to boost exports and imports, Bazrpash said, claiming Iran is also ready to train Syrian pilots and develop the Arab countrys airports and refineries. Although Iran has fought for a decade to save the Syrian government, it has a small share of Syrias trade, and is losing out to financially stronger players. Irans Revolutionary Guard, which usually tries to justify its involvement in the Syrian conflict, claims that trade and investment in Syria will pay off and compensate billions of dollars Tehran has spent supporting Bashar al-Assad. The extent of Iranian military expenditures and financial aid to Syria to keep Bashar al-Assad in power is unknown but is believed to have run into billions of dollar at the expense of the Iranian people. Iranian parliament member, Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, announced in May 2020 that the country had invested $30 billion in Syria and must recoup it. Tunisian president appoints new ambassador to Syria presidency Reuters reported that Tunisias President Kais Saied on Thursday appointed a new ambassador to Syria, the Tunisian presidency said in a statement, the latest Arab move to end Syrias regional isolation. Tunisia cut off diplomatic relations with Syria nearly a decade ago to protest Assads crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations in 2011 that developed into civil war in which hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed and millions sent fleeing. Turkey border guards shooting Syrians: HRW Human Rights Watch on Thursday accused Turkish border guards of shooting, torturing and using excessive force against Syrians seeking to flee their war-racked country into neighbouring Turkey. It urged Ankara to investigate border guards, hold those responsible for grave human rights violations, including unlawful killings to account, and end longstanding impunity for these abuses. Turkish border guards are indiscriminately shooting at Syrian civilians on the border as well as torturing and using excessive force against asylum seekers and migrants trying to cross, the New York-based rights group said in a statement. Turkeys generous hosting of large numbers of Syrians does not absolve it of its obligations to respect the rights of others seeking protection at its borders, HRW said. It cited a March 11 incident in which border guards had intercepted and tortured a group of eight Syrians who had attempted to cross into Turkey killing a boy and one man and returning the others to Syria. Turkish gendarmes and armed forces in charge of border control routinely abuse and indiscriminately shoot at Syrians along the Syrian-Turkish border, with hundreds of deaths and injuries recorded in recent years, said HRWs Hugh Williamson. Arbitrary killings of Syrians are particularly egregious and part of a pattern of brutality by Turkish border guards that the government has failed to curb or investigate effectively. Clashes erupt between armed locals, government forces in Syrias Daraa Clashes erupted between armed locals and soldiers of the Syrian government forces in the city of Jasim in the northern countryside of Daraa, southern Syria. A local source told North Press that armed locals shot at government soldiers based at the Culture Center in the city of Jasim. The government soldiers responded to the shooting, and clashes lasted almost half an hour without reporting any casualties from both side, the source noted. The source said that the reason behind the clashes was the continuous violations committed by the Military Security Branch, affiliated with the government forces, based in the Culture Center since 2018. Since the government forces re-captured Daraa in line with the 2018 agreement, the governorate has been living in a state of security chaos, with one or two daily assassinations targeting soldiers and officers of the government forces, not to mention the spread of thefts. President al-Assad issues law establishing the National Authority for Information Technology Services President Bashar al-Assad issued on Thursday Law No. (7) of 2023, which stipulates establishing the (National Authority for Information Technology Services) to replace (National Authority for Network Services), SANA reported. The new authoritys mission is in order to keep pace with the progress and development in the field of Internet and host services, support the national software industry, regulate digital signature services and the multi-tasking electronic card, and achieve information security in light of the large spread of smart applications. The law added tasks to the new authority and granted it the exclusive right to provide information security services to public entities and supervise the fulfillment of information security requirements in the private sector. The leader of the Turkish opposition is promising he will push Syrians out, although he adds that will do it with support from the EU, Damas Post reports. The opposition candidate for the Turkish presidency, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, has declared his intention to repatriate Syrian refugees within two years if elected in May. Speaking in Eskisehir province during his election campaign, Kilicdaroglu questioned the presence of three million Syrians in Turkey, arguing that they are preventing Turkish youth from finding employment. He emphasized his commitment to work towards their safe return to Syria, with the assistance of the European Union in funding the construction of schools and roads. In his address to supporters of the AKP and the MHP, Kilicdaroglu also criticized the lack of protection at Turkeys borders. The opposition leaders reached an agreement in March to nominate the leader of the main secular party to challenge President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the upcoming elections, bringing an end to months of controversy and division. 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 Cowlitz County Board of Health has formed an advisory committee to solicit more citizen input, despite some disagreement on the need for the volunteer group and its creation process. While the six-person board unanimously voted on Tuesday to establish the committee, they were split on if a chair should be appointed before the rest of the members joined. On Wednesday, Commissioner Dennis Weber said the committee seems like an unnecessary layer between the board and the public. I dont understand why we have to have a separate group because the non-electeds on the board are specifically from the public, he said. An expanded board Last summer, the Cowlitz County commissioners appointed the three non-elected members to join the board, following a new state law. During the Tuesday meeting, Commissioner Arne Mortensen said the advisory committee would help the board hear more perspectives from county residents. Were not omniscient or omnipresent, so doesnt seem unnatural to me to ask the citizens to partake in this effort, he said. Local governments can appoint citizen committees to advise on a wide range of policy issues, according to the Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington. Methods for creating standing or temporary boards vary by jurisdiction, according to the center. The two other volunteer boards that work with the county Health and Human Services Department the Veterans Advisory Committee and Homeless Housing Task Force are required by state statute. Board of Health Chair Kelly Lane first proposed establishing an advisory committee at the Jan. 24 meeting. He suggested the volunteer citizen group could work on public health messaging campaigns and help develop website content. After a brief discussion, he established the strictly-advisory committee, which does not have any rule-making power. At the time, rules permitted him to unilaterally form the committee. What the new group might do In subsequent meetings, Lane has mentioned the committee could look into a variety of topics, including youth mental health/substance use, the Health and Human Services Departments website, and a 2014 community health report. Board member Lindy Campbell said the committee would be a way to get input on things that are not her expertise. At Tuesdays meeting, Campbell added citizens could bring more ideas, passion, examples and history that might benefit a group decision. But Weber suggested the committee may be a duplication of the boards efforts. Lane said he cant do it all and wanted to establish a committee to look into matters, such as problems he identified on the departments website. All board members would have input to direct the committee, he added. Its helpful to hear the publics concerns and what would be helpful or useful to them, said Gena James, deputy director of Health and Human Services. If staff are working with an advisory committee, they would come back to leadership for direction, she said. At the Tuesday meeting, Lane proposed a change to the bylaws to require a board vote to create advisory committees. The bylaws approved in January gave the chairperson the sole ability to appoint the committees. Lane said the change makes the committee process more transparent and fair. The board voted to change the bylaws and to reestablish the committee that Lane had created in January. Controversy around the chair Lane then nominated Dennis Ott as board chair, prompting comments from other board members and citizens. A former Kelso attorney, in 2009 Ott surrendered his ability to practice law in Washington and admitted he lied to the courts, faked documents and billed for services he never provided, according to Washington State Bar Association documents. This was not raised during his Board of Health interview or following meetings. After first establishing the committee in January, Lane named Ott the chairman. Ott was among 17 Board of Health applicants last year and was one of the top six candidates commissioners interviewed. At the March 1 meeting, Lane said he knew who the other committee members were but didnt list them because he didnt know everyones last name. Lane said lawyers advised him the board didnt have to approve the members because it was an advisory committee and not a rule-making board. At the March 6 meeting, Weber asked Ott if he anticipated a diversity of opinions on the committee. Yes, in fact theres going to be men, women on this particular committee, thats not going to be the issue, Ott said. Any reports that are going to come are going to have dissenting opinions also attached to them. On Tuesday, Weber objected to the chair nomination process and proposed opening applications to public first. Lane said the committee selection is still open, hes just proposing the chair. Ahead of voting, Lane asked for other nominations. Board member Mary Jane Melink nominated Dian Cooper as chair and said Cooper had been in touch with Lane and Ott. Cooper retired in March 2021 after nearly 40 years as Cowlitz Family Health Center CEO. No vested interests Mortensen spoke against having people with vested interest on the advisory board. I would like us to consider not taking people who are already in the business or have already spent a large amount of time trying to answer these questions because they have failed, he said. Lane and Campbell agreed they wanted some new perspectives and to get away from the same old good ol boys network. Member of the public Michael ONeill said he liked the idea of the committee but was concerned about how its being established. I think there are good reasons to include members that have historical knowledge or experience working in the local systems that are the way we provide health and safety to our community, he said. Melink said it would make sense to invite more citizens to throw their name into the hat for the leadership position before moving forward with Ott. By appointing somebody thats been preselected, I think thats not giving the community at large an opportunity to participate, she said. The board appointed Ott as committee chair in a 4-2 vote, with Melink and Weber opposed. It will be interesting to see if the committee is truly acting without a preconceived agenda or whether theyre coming in with their minds already made up, Weber said Wednesday. Lane told The Daily News the committee will help the board bridge a long overdue connection to the people of Cowlitz County. Application information will be posted to the Health and Human Services website, including a link to the countys standard advisory committee application, Lane said. There is no set size limit to the committee, but the idea is to start with a small group of people to be effective, he said. The board agreed to bring back priorities for the committee to a future meeting. If it follows the regular quarterly schedule, the boards next meeting will be at the end of July, but the chair may call an earlier meeting. Since last fall, kayakers have been advocating for a place to safely launch, and on Wednesday, the Port of Longview commissioners agreed. The board swiftly and unanimously decided to give the city of Kelso $46,000 for a nonmotorized water vehicle launch point off the Coweeman River. The city budgeted $30,000 of its own money for the construction, and under the agreement port commissioners approved Wednesday, will get a boost of $46,000 in one-time funds from the port. Commissioners expressed support for the potential economic and community benefits of having an official and regulated launch point on the river, where none currently exists. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to The Daily News. This has been a well-discussed project, so Im happy to support it today. We know it will be a community asset, Commissioner Jeff Wilson said. Kayakers who want to float down the Coweeman River have been using a makeshift point off Grade Street Bridge in Kelso. This area sits on a river dike for which Cowlitz County is liable in case of flooding. Having people carry their kayaks through wet rocks and loose dirt posed safety and legal concerns, Cowlitz County Utilities Manager Patrick Harbison told The Daily News in September. Commissioner Doug Averett said he saw some kayakers using this spot, and they were having a heck of a time getting in the water. Im very supportive of this, and Im sure the kayakers are as well, Averett said. The city of Kelso then found a parcel of land just downriver of the southbound I-5 bridge on the Coweeman River, adjacent to Coweeman and South Kelso drives. An agreement to purchase the property is underway, according to documents from the port meeting. The city also consulted with the local kayakers and water recreationalists to confirm this area was the best solution so far. The proposed launch site sits along floodplains, so this would not be a permanent fixture just yet. The city says it will continue to look for more options. If finished, this project would result in the only easily accessible launch in the urban area, the city says. Wilson said he wanted to ensure the city, which would be solely responsible for maintaining the launch, puts up proper signage and consistently communicates about water safety. Kelso has a tentative agreement with Washington State Department of Transportation to allow parking under the north and south I-5 bridges, according to port documents. There are almost 1.9 million asteroids which are 1KM or larger and millions of other space rocks in space, according to NASA. Despite this massive number, asteroids rarely threaten Earth and even when they approach Earth for close approach, most of them burn up in the atmosphere itself without causing any harm to the planet. Just yesterday, a massive 1500-foot wide asteroid, that is nearly as big as a bridge, passed Earth at an extremely close distance. NASA has now warned that another asteroid is on its way, and it could make its closest approach to the planet today. Asteroid 2023 HU4 details The asteroid, given the designation of Asteroid 2023 HU4, will make its closest approach to Earth today, April 27, at a distance of 528,000 kilometers, which is just further away from the Moon! The asteroid, which is nearly the size of an aircraft with a width of 58 feet, is speeding towards Earth at 28119 kilometers per hour. This space rock belongs to the Apollo group of Near-Earth Asteroids, as per NASA. Although this asteroid is not expected to collide with Earth, a slight deviation in its trajectory due to the Earth's gravitational pull can send the asteroid hurtling towards Earth for an impact. How NASA studies and tracks asteroids: Tech explained Surveys done by NASA-supported ground-based telescopes including Pans-STARRS1 in Maui, Hawaii, as well as the Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson, Arizona have identified thousands of near-Earth objects. And a space-based telescope called NEOWISE has identified hundreds of others while scanning the skies at near-infrared wavelengths of light from its polar orbit around Earth. NASA uses its ground-based radar to gather precise data about the asteroid's path and its characteristics. NASA also has a new impact monitoring system in place which uses an algorithm called Sentry-II to calculate the impact risk of Near-Earth Objects. The space agency has a NEO Surveyor mission planned for launch in 2026 to gain even greater in-depth data using a new orbiter. On Thursday, Tesla Power USA announced a partnership with the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) to sell and repair batteries at the state-owned company's gas stations in India. In India, the relationship would enable Tesla Power USA to distribute and repair batteries at over 36,000 IOCL gas stations, according to a statement from the company, per Money Control. Additionally, the business said that this is their "first national-level tie-up" with IOCL for the distribution of batteries. With aspirations to spread to additional states, Tesla Power USA batteries will first be offered at a few IOCL petrol pumps in the Delhi-NCR area. Lead-acid and lithium batteries are both available from Tesla Power USA. Read Also: New Barbie Doll with Down Syndrome Hailed Vigyan Kumar, Executive Director at IOCL, highlighted the importance of placing batteries at petrol pumps under the Tire Battery Accessories (TBA) concept, highlighting that it can offer convenience to customers by allowing them to purchase or replace their batteries while refueling their automobiles, according to Mint. The TBA strategy may also provide a variety of battery choices, which eliminates the troubles of looking for the ideal model elsewhere. Tesla Power USA Targets To Increase Distribution Sites in India According to Kavinder Khurana, managing director of Tesla Power USA, Tesla Power now has more than 5000 distribution stations in India, and by 2023, the company targets to triple that number. The addition of IOCL gas stations may provide Tesla Power USA with a distribution reach of over 40,000; this would be the largest for any battery brand in India. IOCL and its affiliates own a 47% market share for petroleum products and 40.4% of the refining capacity of India, per the Economic Times. Related Article: US Adult Cigarette Smoking Rate Drops to Record Low @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Trusted Data Solutions (TDS) announced that it is betting big on Indias fast growing legacy data and tape restoration market. It has acquired Pune-based digital solutions and services company, Assured Data Technologies (ADT), as part of the growing focus on the market. With integration of ADTs team into its fold, TDS will have a significant presence in the Indian market. The company also announced that it has set up an India Restoration Assurance Center in its financial capital, Mumbai. The center will deploy TDSs proprietary tools and software to help recover legacy information for financial institutions, corporations and other regulated institutions. To mark its India entry, it hosted a conference in Mumbai titled The CXO dialogue Mitigating compliance risks with legacy data management which saw senior leaders from Axis bank, Quantiphi, Iron Mountain and IndusInd bank besides Chris Clark, President & CEO of TDS and Tarang Daptardar, CEO of ADT, speaking on various trends and perspectives in this area. In his comments, Chris Clark, President & CEO of TDS, said, We already had an ongoing partnership with ADT to provide tape restoration services to their global customers operating in India. The acquisition only takes that partnership a step ahead and will hugely strengthen not just our Indian presence but the APAC capacities as well. India fast adopting to global standards for data governance creates huge opportunities in the legacy data and tape restoration market which we would like to tap into. Added, Tarang Daptardar, CEO, Assured Data Services, There is excellent synergy between both the companies and the acquisition further strengthens our position in India. Together we are truly well positioned to generate additional business from our existing international customers besides more new business, resulting in exponential growth overall. We are delighted to be part of TDS. Providing his perspective, Santanu Ganguly, CEO, StrategINK, said, The flurry of new technologies in Tape storage, the pace of data growth and the recent revival of retention mandates which will spur data protection are all pointing to a market that is at an inflection point. TDS has timed its India entry right and with the ADT acquisition it has both the right leadership, capabilities and presence to tap into the potential. 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: Photo of the dam where water is retained by the dam and overflow. Credit: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology announced the development of Korea's first sand dam capable of supplying stable water to residents of mountainous highlands during periods of water shortage due to drought. Villagers no longer have to rely on water tank trucks during extreme drought. The coverage of waterworks for metropolitan and local water supply is nearly 97% in South Korea, but the remains are susceptible to experiencing water shortages during droughts. These regions not connected with waterworks are dependent on small-scale water supply facilities (5,920 facilities) that are sourced from valley water or groundwater. Water tank trucks often had to be mobilized to supply drinking water. In February 2016, water tank trucks and fire engines had to supply water to the nine villages in Chuncheon City, Korea because the valley water had frozen and the water sources had dried up. Residents in these regions suffer drinking water shortages in severe droughts because of their reliance on small-scale water sources. The Korean Ministry of Environment established a research group to study ways of utilizing groundwater in response to droughts. The group conducted research on new water supply for the water shortage areas, mainly located along the upstream reaches of rivers, from 2018 to 2022. Sand dams seem to be an effective solution for the valleys in mountainous areas in Korea. The technology that retains water in sand affords three advantages. Very little water is lost to evaporation; water quality improves as it passes through the sand bed; and the water does not freeze in winter. Sand dam installed in Chuncheon, Korea. Credit: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology A sand dam stores water for later use in dry seasons in such arid regions as Africa where heavy rainfall occurs at rare intervals. During the flood, the dam traps turbid water and lets the sediment particles sink to the bottom for water to be stored in the sand. This primitive technology has been greatly modified and enhanced for drought solution in Korea. A research team (Dr. Lee, JeongWoo, Dr. Chang, Sun Woo, Dr. Kim, MinGyu) led by Dr. Chung, Il-Moon of the Department of Hydro Science and Engineering Research at KICT built Korea's first bypass sand dam in Chuncheon City. The team applied the bypass type, a modified version of a sand dam, to avoid any potential unsafe issues when the dam blocks the river that runs fast through the valley. The modified sand dam indirectly takes groundwater flow retained in the ground, gravel, or sand bed next to the flowing river. The team built the sand dam at the lower part of the small intake reservoir at the side of the main waterway and filled the space behind the dam with sand. A perforated pipeline that carries water passing through the sand bed was laid near the bottom of the sand dam. A new technique of filter pack screen in the pipeline was adopted to prevent clogging problem. The construction of the sand dam greatly increased the usual flow rate of water to 150 cubic meters per day on average and the water quality was proven to be adequate for drinking. The dam is expected to supply water for at least 10 consecutive days even during a severe drought, which is considered a long-lasting solution to a drought. Management of the bypass sand dam was transferred to Chuncheon City in 2022. Photo of the dam where water is restrained by the dam but there is no overflow. Water is stored as seen in the photo at the bottom right. Credit: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology Dr. Chung said, "The sand dam demonstrated that it could ensure consistent water supply even in harsh droughts driven by climate change or freezing of valley water in winter. The technology is expected to greatly improve the quality of life in the local area, and it will likely be used in other regions." The findings are published in the journal Water. More information: Il-Moon Chung et al, Analysis of Water Supply Capacity of a Sand Dam, Water (2022). DOI: 10.3390/w14193039 Provided by National Research Council of Science & Technology This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A California bill that aims to ease newspapers' internet-age woes by making Big Tech companies like Google and Facebook pay for the online articles their users access through their platforms advanced out of its first committee hearing Tuesday night, but not without lots of questions from lawmakers. "A free and diverse press is the backbone of a healthy and vibrant democracy," Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, an Oakland Democrat, told the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee, which passed her bill on a 9-0 vote with two members abstaining. "These dominant companies are padding their profit margins with locally produced news without adequately compensating the originators of that content." But while her colleagues on the committee supported the idea, they said it's going to need some work. "I appreciate that a problem-solver legislator has agreed to tackle this," said Assemblyman Steve Bennett, a Democrat representing Oxnard. "The marketplace is a very hard place to try to regulate for an outcome. It's hard to do this, but it's important to try to do this. I'll support this, but at the same time, I have my eyes open about the ability to get to the goal." Wicks' bill, AB 886, the California Journalism Preservation Act, comes after the December collapse in Congress of a similar federal bill, the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, carried by U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, and John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican. Sponsored by the California News Publishers Association, to which this news organization belongs, Wicks' bill would work differently by requiring internet platforms to use binding arbitration to determine the percentage of advertising revenue to compensate news organizations. Australia and Canada have passed similar laws. While the bill is backed by a number of print and broadcast news organizations, it is opposed by the ACLU of California, the California Chamber of Commerce, California Taxpayers Association, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and some online news organizations including CalMatters and Lookout Santa Cruz. Critics argued the bill would promote sensational "clickbait" articles to drive up revenues, would force platforms to carry questionable content they oppose and wouldn't save dying newspapers anyway. "This bill is a wealth transfer to the same billionaires at vulture capital funds that buy up newspapers for pennies on dollar," Katharine Trendacosta, associate director of policy for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told the committee. Wicks, who sits on the privacy and consumer protection committee, said her bill would require the news organizations receiving revenue from technology platforms to spend 70% of it on journalists and news production, and that platforms still could refuse content that violates their terms of service. She said her bill "provides a lifeline for news outlets by directing some of the revenue from ad dollars back to the print, digital and broadcast media that bear the entire cost of gathering and reporting news while tech platforms bear none." Lawmakers agreed in principal. "You're not going to convince me that Google isn't profiting off the backs of journalists," said Assemblyman Bill Essayli, a Riverside Republican, who added that "they need to pay for the content they're profiting off of." But he and some others noted that tech platforms don't work the same way. Google connects users with websites featuring topics they're searching for, while Facebook, usersincluding journalists and publisherspost photos, videos and links to articles they want their followers to see. I have reservations about a bill applying to social media where news agencies are voluntarily putting content on social media," Essayli said. Committee Chair Jesse Gabriel, a Woodland Hills Democrat, said in voicing support that "this is something we need to do," but also acknowledged that "there's still more work that needs to be done here." MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit at mercurynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Jobs. News. Art. Democracy. Equality. Education. Privacy. Truth. Your bank account. All will be impacted by Silicon Valley's latest creation: "generative" artificial intelligence. With new chatbots and AI software that generates text, images and sound, technology companies have smashed open Pandora's Box, experts say, unleashing a powerful tool with the capacity to profoundly change virtually all aspects of lifeand putting it in the hands of every one of us, builders and destroyers alike. Silicon Valley's tech industry, famed for its move-fast-and-break-things ethos, has embarked on an arms race to monetize the transformative and potentially destructive technology. Many of those in the midst of the surge are worried about the dangersexpected and unexpectedthat await. A generative AI market didn't exist just a few months ago. Then late last year, San Francisco's OpenAI released a stunning iteration of its ChatGPT bot, which has advanced so rapidly that people in many cases cannot distinguish between what is produced by a human or generated by a bot. Now even many of the most fervent believers in technological advancement worry that this time tech is going to break everything. "Everybody should pay attention," said Chon Tang, a venture capitalist and general partner at SkyDeck, UC Berkeley's startup accelerator. "This is not a new toy. This is not a fad. This is not VCs looking for attention and founders trying to create hype. This is a society-changing, species-changing event. I'm excited by this technology but the downsides are just so immense. We've unleashed forces that we don't understand." The White House recently raised an alarm about AI's "potential risks to individuals and society that may not yet have manifested," and urged accountability and consumer safety protections. The technology uses sophisticated computing, but its basic concepts are simple: Software is "trained" through information feedsfrom data sources such as Wikipedia, scientific papers, patents, books, news stories, photos, videos, art, music, voices and even previous and potentially problem-ridden AI outputs, much of it copyrighted and scraped from the internet without permission. The chatbot then spits out results based on "prompts" from the user. Chatbots can write a term paper, corporate marketing copy or a news story. They can conduct research, review contracts, perform customer service, build websites, create graphic design, write code, create a "photograph" of a Congressional candidate smoking meth, or a faked video of your significant other having sex with your neighbor. A bot can copy someone's voice from a social media video clip so a scammer can call their grandparents with a desperate plea for money, create a fake charity showcasing heart-wrenching images in the wake of a major disaster, or chat someone into investing in nonexistent stocks. For now, generative AI often produces inaccurate results. It can't understand emotion, or nuance, and lacks the common sense to understand, for example with ChatGPT, that a book cannot fall off a shelf because it "lost its balance." Microsoft, in a multi-billion-dollar deal with OpenAI, has turned its Bing search engine into a chatbot, and Google is struggling to catch up with its in-development Bard. New bots are arriving daily, with almost any imaginable function, from turning data into charts to getting puppy-raising advice, to scraping the world wide web for the content needed to create an app. Carnegie Mellon University researchers warned in a paper recently that generative AI could produce recipes for chemical weapons and addictive drugs. Worries about generative AI also come from inside the house: "Unintended consequences," the ChatGPT bot told this news organization recently when asked about its future, "could result in negative impacts on people, society, or the environment." Negative impacts, bot? Discrimination in hiring or lending, it said. Harmful misinformation and propaganda, it said. Job loss. Inequality. Accelerated climate change. Ask Silicon Valley startup guru Steve Blank about generative AI and he'll start talking about nuclear weapons, genetic engineering and deadly lab-created viruses. Then he'll tell you about long-ago research scientists seeing potential catastrophes from those technologies and putting on the brakes until guardrails could go up. And he'll tell you what's different now. "This technology is not being driven by research scientists, it's being driven by for-profit companies," said Blank, an adjunct professor of management science and engineering at Stanford University. "If the hair's not standing up at the back of your neck after looking at this thing, you don't understand what's just happened." Silicon Valley's history with social mediaprioritizing revenue, rapid growth and market share, with too little regard for damaging falloutdoes not bode well for its approach to generative AI, Blank said. "Morals and ethics are not on the top of the list, and unintended consequences be damned," Blank said. "This is kind of the ultimate valley thing. I'd be pissed off if I was in the rest of society." Blank worries about job losses and weaponization of AI by governments, and most of all, given the lightning pace of the technology's evolution, that "we don't know what we don't know," he said. "Where's this stuff going to be in 10 years?" Google CEO Sundar Pichai pledged in a New York Times interview last month that in the AI arms race, "You will see us be bold and ship things," however, "we are going to be very responsible in how we do it." But Silicon Valley has a history of shipping bold products that ended up linked to eating disorders, foreign meddling in U.S. elections, domestic insurrection and genocideand Pichai refused to commit to slowing down Google's AI development. "The big companies are fearing being left behind and overtaken by the smaller companies; the smaller companies are taking bigger chances," said Irina Raicu, director of the Internet Ethics Program at Santa Clara University. An open letter last month from tech-world luminaries including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter CEO Elon Musk raised concerns that generative AI could "flood our information channels with propaganda and untruth" and "automate away all the jobs," but it received the most attention for highlighting future "nonhuman minds" that might "outsmart, obsolete and replace us." Emily Bender, director of the Computational Linguistics Laboratory at the University of Washington, said the letter's fears of an "artificial general intelligence" resembling Skynet from the "Terminator" movies is "not what we're talking about in the real world." Bender noted instead that data hoovered up for AI bots often contains biased or incorrect information, and sometimes misinformation. "If there's something harmful in what you've automated, then that harm can get scaled," Bender said. "You pollute the information ecosystem. It becomes harder to find trustworthy sources." The tremendous power of generative AI has suddenly been handed to bad actors who may use it to create hard-to-stop phishing campaigns or to build ransomware, raising the specter of catastrophic attacks on businesses and governments, Raicu said. Yet many critics of generative AI also recognize its gifts. "I've really struggled to think of a single industry that's not going to be able to get tremendous value because if it," venture capitalist Tang said. Greg Kogan, head of marketing at San Francisco database-search company Pinecone, said companies in a wide variety of industries are developing generative AI or integrating it into products and services, leading to "explosive" growth at Pinecone. "Every CEO and CTO in the world is like, 'How do we catch this lightning in a bottle and use it?' " Kogan said. "At first people were excited. Then it turned into an existential thing where it's like, 'If we don't do it first, our competitors are going to launch a product.' " Silicon Valley, from startups to giants like Apple, has gone on a hiring spree for workers with generative AI skills. Tang believes engineering and regulation can mitigate most damage from the technology, but he remains deeply concerned about unstoppable, self-propagating malware sowing devastating chaos worldwide, and automation of vast numbers of tasks and jobs. "What happens to that 20% or 50% or 70% of the population that is economically of less value than a machine?" Tang asked. "How do we as a society absorb, support that massive segment of the population?" MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit at mercurynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. 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: Facebook's Meta logo sign is seen at the company headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Oct. 28, 2021. Meta reports earnings on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. Credit: AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File Facebook parent company Meta's first-quarter results surpassed Wall Street's modest expectations on both profit and revenue, sending its stock soaring in after-hours trading. Meta reported that the monthly user base of its flagship platformFacebookinched close to 3 billion, and its revenue guidance for the current quarter was also above analyst estimates. "Our AI work is driving good results across our apps and business," CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement. "We're also becoming more efficient so we can build better products faster and put ourselves in a stronger position to deliver our long term vision." Meta Platforms Inc. said Wednesday it earned $5.71 billion, or $2.20 per share, in the January-March period. That's down 19% from $7.47 billion, or $2.72 per share, a year earlier. Results in the latest quarter were weighed down by restructuring charges. Revenue climbed 3% to $28.65 billion from $27.91 billion. Analysts, on average, were expecting earnings of $2.02 per share on revenue of $27.67 billion, according to a poll by FactSet. Meta said it has "substantially completed" layoffs it first announced in 2022. It announced a second round of layoffs in March. For the current quarter, Meta said it expects revenue in the range of $29.5 billion to $32 billion, above analysts' expectations of $29.45 billion. "In this economic environmentand after the disaster that was 20223% year-over-year revenue growth is an accomplishment," said Debra Aho Williamson, an analyst with Insider Intelligence. "Meta's strong guidance for Q2 revenue is another indicator that the company may be starting to come out of the woods." But, she added, Meta still has a lot of work to doincluding finish the rebuilding of its ad targeting capabilities "after the Apple privacy debacle," make a strong case to advertisers for "why they should invest in Reels instead of TikTok, and keep restless creators in the fold." Apple made privacy changes to its phones that make it harder for companies like Meta to track people for advertising purposes, which hurt the company's revenuewhich mostly comes from ads on Facebook and Instagram. Meta is "starting to find its way again after being negatively impacted by Apple privacy changes, TikTok competition, Reels headwinds, heavy hiring and expense growth," said Dan Morgan, senior portfolio manager at Synovus Trust Company. Meta said 3.02 billion people logged in to at least one of its appsFacebook, Instagram, WhatsApp or Messengerevery day in March. Facebook, still its biggest platform and biggest source of ad revenue, had 2.04 billion daily users and 2.99 billion monthly users, an increase of 4% and 2% year-over-year. Shares of the Menlo Park, California-based company rose nearly 12% to $234.20 in after-hours trading. 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: CC0 Public Domain The chip crisis has kept the automotive industry on its toes in recent years. In many companies, shifts had to be canceled, model series had to be put on hold and entire plants had to be temporarily closed due to a shortage of semiconductors. The background and lessons learned from the chip crisis have now been analyzed by the ISF Munich in a study within the BMBF project HyValue. The analysis shows that "business as usual" is no longer an option for companies in the automotive industry. Instead, a comprehensive redefinition of semiconductor strategies and cooperation with the semiconductor industry is required. The report published today presents the key areas for action along this path. The chip crisis in the automotive industry was triggered by a classic supply chain problem: at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, car manufacturers expected a slump in demand, revised their production plans and passed this information on to their suppliers. Suppliers of electronic components in turn canceled orders with chipmakers. However, when demand for cars picked up unexpectedly quickly after the initial lockdowns, semiconductor companies had redirected capacity previously reserved for the automotive industry to meet demand for chips for office and consumer electronics, which had grown rapidly during the initial shutdowns. As chips are now used in many areas of the car, from the window regulator to the engine control unit, a large number of vehicles could suddenly no longer be completed. More than a supply chain problem At the ISF Munich, the chip crisis in the automotive industry, its background and the lessons learned in the companies so far have now been examined in a study from the perspective of industrial sociology. This analysis shows that the "chip crisis" in the automotive industry is more than just a supply chain problem, and that in the long term it will not be possible to get a grip on the developments at stake with classic supply chain management measures alone. Electrification and software change the role of semiconductors in cars "With the electrification and softwareization of vehicles, which are shaping the current transformation of the industry, the role of semiconductor use in vehicles is changing fundamentally," says Dr. Alexander Ziegler, who led the implementation of the study at ISF Munich. Not only are more chips needed in quantity, they are also evolving in quality as both power electronics and high-performance computing become strategic components in the software-defined electric vehicle. A redefinition of semiconductor strategies is required "The overarching significance of the chip crisis is that it has brought to the fore this crucial turning point in the use of semiconductors in the automotive industry and the challenges it poses for the established companies," the researcher emphasizes. What is needed, according to the study, is a far-reaching redefinition of their semiconductor strategies and cooperation with companies in the semiconductor industry. In their analysis, the Munich researchers have identified six action areas that companies in the automotive industry need to address as a matter of priority. The study presents six action areas The study, "The Chip Crisis in the Automotive Industry. Challenges, Measures, Action Areas," is published today. It examines the background to the chip crisis in the automotive industry and presents the six action areas. The study is based on interviews with industry experts, managers, employees and works councils in the German automotive industry, as well as an analysis of numerous documents. It is aimed at a broad professional audience. Provided by ISF Munchen 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: Microsoft plans to appeal Britain's rejection of its $69-billion acquisition of video game maker Activision Blizzard, but it could presage difficulties with EU and US regulators. Microsoft on Thursday said the European Union was "more attractive" for businesses than post-Brexit Britain after the latter blocked its vast takeover of video game maker Activision Blizzard on competition fears. Brad Smith, vice chair and president, made the remark one day after UK regulators prevented the $69-billion deal for the maker of "Call of Duty" on fears it would hit cloud gaming and curb consumer choice. It comes also as the deal awaits approval from the EU and United States, with some analysts saying Britain's block could already signal "game over" for the proposed acquisition should Microsoft and Activision fail to win an appeal. "There's a clear message here: the European Union is a more attractive place to start a business if you want some day to sell it, than the United Kingdom," Smith told BBC radio following the ruling by the UK Competition and Markets Authority. The CMA decision was "probably the darkest day" in Microsoft's 40-year presence in Britain, he added. Questioned about whether it would affect Microsoft's future UK investment decisions, Smith replied that "it certainly will not help". Responding, spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak insisted "the UK has an extremely attractive tech sector and a growing games market". "We will continue to engage proactively with Microsoft and other companies," he added. The CMA said its decision showed Britain was supporting competition and was "absolutely open for business". Activision and Microsoft also argue the decision contradicted the UK insistence that the country remains a hub for global tech following its exit from the European Union at the start of 2021. "For all of us who had some hope that, post Brexit, the UK would construct a structure that would even be more flexible, that would be better for investment, better for technology, we are now finding the opposite appears to be true," Smith said. He added Microsoft was "optimistic" that EU regulators "will regard the very promises that the CMA has rejected, as far more appropriate". Xbox-owner Microsoft launched its bid for Activision in early 2022 to create the world's third biggest gaming firm after China's Tencent and Japan's PlayStation maker Sony. Activision's hit titles also include "Candy Crush" and "World of Warcraft". 2023 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The Microsoft logo is pictured outside the headquarters in Paris, Jan. 8, 2021. British regulators have blocked Microsoft's $69 billion deal to buy videogame maker Activision Blizzard over worries that it would stifle competition in the cloud gaming market. Credit: AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File Microsoft's charm offensive with the world's governments is starting to lose some of its luster as the software giant is confronting its toughest antitrust scrutiny since co-founder Bill Gates was in charge. A blow came this week when British regulators said they would block Microsoft's planned $69-billion takeover of video game maker Activision Blizzard, threatening to undermine what could be the priciest tech acquisition ever. Microsoft's policy chief responded by calling it a "bad day for Britain" that could make it an unattractive place to do business and warned Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government "it needs to look hard" at the role of its antitrust regulator. "This decision, I have to say, is probably the darkest day in our four decades in Britain," the company's president, Brad Smith, told BBC Radio 4. "It does more than shake our confidence in the future of the opportunity to grow a technology business in Britain than we've ever confronted before." The sharp tone marked a shift for Microsoft, and Smith in particular, who joined the company in 1993 and helped defend it from antitrust enforcers in the U.S. and Europe who targeted the company's personal computer software empire centered around the Windows operating system. "Basically, this is Microsoft and Brad Smith throwing their toys out of the pram after they didn't get the decision they wanted after all the lobbying they did," said Max von Thun, director of the Europe office of the Open Markets Institute, a proponent of stronger antitrust enforcement. After legal battles starting in the late 1990s, Microsoft came close to having to break up its business but ended up agreeing to concessions instead. It was eclipsed for a time by rivals like Google, Facebook and Amazon, which drew closer scrutiny from both Wall Street and regulators. Now, it's back, both as a powerhouse in sectors such as artificial intelligence and cloud computing and as a target for antitrust enforcement. "They're struggling to maintain that 'good guy' reputation," von Thun said. After adopting a confrontational attitude toward regulators at the turn of the century, Microsoft's senior leaders, led by Smith, have spent years crafting a friendlier and collaborative approach, said William Kovacic, former chair of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. "That generated a great deal of goodwill for them around the world," Kovacic said. "They're seen as being in a different category than the other well-known information technology giants. They're seen as being more reasonable, thoughtful." But it's not just Microsoft that has changed. Behind the heightened attention on technology companies is a belief that regulators were too weak over the past two decades in preventing monopolies. Kovacic said the "halo effect" of pitching itself as a good partner with governments only goes so far if the regulator believes a deal could harm competition. Not only that, but some of the dozens of nations with antitrust laws are increasingly talking with each other. "A number of jurisdictions are coming to realize that their effectiveness increases if they operate as a coalition," Kovacic said. "They share thoughts about strategy. They share thoughts about timing." Microsoft President Brad Smith addresses a media conference regarding Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard and the future of gaming in Brussels, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. Microsoft's charm offensive with the world's governments is starting to lose some of its charm as the software giant is confronting some of its toughest antitrust scrutiny since co-founder Bill Gates was in charge. Credit: AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File In his comments to the BBC, Smith said the "English Channel has never seemed wider" as he compared the United Kingdom unfavorably with regulators for the 27-nation European Union, who are due to make a decision on the Activision deal in May. Smith said that "people are shocked, people are disappointed" by the U.K. decision. Microsoft and Activision have vowed to appeal. The company may end up with a more favorable ruling in Brussels, but Microsoft still has to contend with the FTC, which has challenged the deal in the U.S. and is taking the company to trial in August. "We're not alone," Sarah Cardell, chief executive of Britain's Competition and Markets Authority, told BBC 4's Today program of her agency's decision and the pending FTC lawsuit. "There is a lot of alignment there." Cardell defended the decision, saying the U.K. is "absolutely open for business" and the regulator wants "to create an environment where a whole host of different companies can compete effectively, can grow and innovate." The regulator's concern was over cloud gaming, or games streamed over the internet, which represents a tiny fraction of the industry today but where Microsoft, owner of the Xbox game system, already has the most powerful platform and would become more so with the Activision takeover, making it harder for other platforms to compete, Cardell said. Macquarie Group analyst Sarah Hindlian-Bowler said it will "be challenging, but possible" for Microsoft to complete its Activision takeover without the U.K.'s support. She also said it made sense for Smith to call out the CMA, a relatively new body formed several years before Britain's exit from the EU. "Microsoft is dancing an incredibly delicate ballet," Hindlian-Bowler said. "I think the aggressive comments from Microsoft really are intended to get British lawmakers and the British people to be really aware that this body, that I think is attempting to do good, may actually do more to set the U.K. back." Microsoft has long pitched itself as a government partner, working with local governments from Wisconsin to Poland to build the data centers that power its cloud computing business and touting its ability to defend cybersecurity, including in places like Ukraine. It's proposed regulations to safeguard artificial intelligence and data privacy, though sometimes at the expense of more data-hungry rivals like Google and Facebook parent Meta. Microsoft also has faced other scrutiny, including complaints to European regulators that it is leveraging its position to lock customers into its Azure computing platform or bundling its Teams communications software with the rest of its Office suite of workplace products. And while Microsoft has endorsed broad AI safeguards, the rapid commercialization of ChatGPT-like products could bring about conflicts for the company amid a growing push to rein in the technology. 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Large language models that use internet files to learn how to respond to user prompts about different countries worldwide repeat biased ideas both positive and negative found online. Using positive trigger words, like hopeful and hardworking, when entering prompts can retrain the models and result in less biased responses, according to Penn State researchers. Credit: Pixabay Humans aren't the only ones learning toxic ideas online. New research led by Penn State researchers reveals that large language models that use internet files to learn how to respond to user prompts about different countries worldwide repeat biased ideasboth positive and negativefound online. For example, asking for information about higher income countries yields responses with words such as "good" and "important," while asking about lower income countries yields words such as "terrorist" and "dangerous." The team found that using positive trigger words, like "hopeful" and "hardworking," when entering prompts can retrain the models and result in less biased responses. "Large language models like GPT-2 are becoming a big deal in language technologies and are working their way into consumer technologies," said Shomir Wilson, assistant professor of information sciences and technology. "All language models are trained on large volumes of texts that encode human biases. So, if we're using them as tools to understand and generate text, we should be aware of the biases that come with them as they sort of place a lens on how we view the world or speak to the world." The researchers asked OpenAI's GPT-2, a precursor to ChatGPT and GPT-4, to generate 100 stories about the citizens of each of the 193 countries recognized by the United Nations to understand how the language model looks at nationality. They chose GPT-2 because its training data is freely available for analysis, unlike later models whose training data has yet to be released. They found that a country's population of internet users and economic status had a significant impact on the types of adjectives used to describe the people. "Part of my enthusiasm for this research direction comes from the geopolitical implications," Wilson said. "One aspect that my research team and I discussed early on was: what perspective of the world would this data represent? Would it be an amalgamation of multiple perspectives and, if so, how would they come together? Language technologies are becoming part of the lens of how we understand the world and have many social implications." Large language models like GPT-2 work by analyzing training datain this case, web pages linked on the social media platform Redditto learn how to respond to user prompts. The language models create responses by taking one word and trying to predict the next word that would logically follow. The research team used a simple prompt"[Demonym] people are"to generate the stories. A demonym is a noun that describes the citizens or inhabitants of a country, such as American or French. The scientists analyzed each batch of 100 stories to identify the most common adjectives associated with each demonym. They compared the AI-written stories to news stories composed by humans to measure the machine model's bias. They found that the language model used more positive adjectives to describe nations with higher populations of internet users and economic statuses than those with fewer internet users and lower economic statuses. For instance, GPT-2 repeatedly used "good," "important" and "better" to describe the highest scoring countriesFrance, Finland, Ireland, San Marino and the United Kingdom. The language model used words such as "terrorist," "dangerous" and "poor" to describe the lowest scoring countries. "Our findings suggest that any text generation model almost always mimics the human biases learned from the training data," said Pranav Venkit, a doctoral candidate in information sciences and technology and lead author of the study. "It's important for software engineers to understand the data sets they're using to train language models to ensure that the model doesn't have a skewed perception because some group always gets the short end of the stick, which can translate into social harms." The team also found that adversarial triggering, a method that uses "trigger" words to break a machine learning model, can de-bias the model. "We used two positive adjectives, hopeful and hardworking, to see how those words affected the model," said Ruchi Panchanadikar, a master's student in information sciences and technology. "For example, instead of giving GPT-2 the prompt 'American people are,' we used 'the hardworking American people are.'" The trigger words forced GPT-2 to think about what the words "hardworking" and "hopeful" meant in the context of each demonym. The researchers found that the trigger words not only elevated the results of the lowest scoring demonyms, but they caused the demonyms with overly positive scores to dip, resulting in a more unbiased view of each country. The researchers focused on GPT-2 as a use case, but the findings and adversarial triggering method are likely applicable to any language model trained on large collections of online texts, according to the researchers. The next step in the research is to study how humans perceive machine-generated biases, said doctoral candidate Sanjana Gautam. "Assuming GPT-2 and its successors are used in social scenarios, how do people consume the AI-generated data?" she said. "How do these data affect how individuals perceive a country if there's an inherent bias in the machine model?" The researchers will present their findings at the 17th Conference of the European Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics, which will take place May 26 in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The work is published on the arXiv preprint server. More information: Pranav Narayanan Venkit et al, Nationality Bias in Text Generation, arXiv (2023). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2302.02463 Conference: 2023.eacl.org/ Journal information: arXiv 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: Chemical engineers at the U. of I. have developed a new metric for understanding how soft materials yield to stressan advancement that will help solve various materials engineering challenges, such as how to formulate better 3D printing inks. Credit: Oak Ridge National Laboratory The mechanics behind the collapse of soft materials structure have befuddled researchers for decades. In a new study, researchers uncover a metric that finally correlates microscopic-level processes with what is seen at the macroscopic level. The new metric is poised to help bring advances to various materials engineering challengesranging from the formulation of better 3D printing inks, the construction of wearable flexible electronics and sensors, the accurate printing of biomedical implants, to helping control landslides and avalanches, and even improving the textures of processed foods and personal care products, the researchers said. A team of chemical engineers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has made many advances in understanding how soft materials failor yieldto force. However, connecting the team's larger-scale observations to what is happening at the microscale level has remained elusive. In the study, researchers at U. of I., collaborating with teams at Argonne National Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Ottawa, explain this relationship with a new metric they call a "correlation ratio." The findings are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The team used a high-powered microscopy techniquecalled rheo- X-ray photon correlation spectroscopyto study flow-dependent structure-property relationships and soft materials in real time. Rheo-XPCS is one of the few techniques that allow researchers to perform X-ray analysis of a material as it is being deformed, while simultaneously measuring it using rheometersdevices that measure stress and straindirectly in line with an X-ray beam, the researchers said. "From a materials science perspective, we have not been able to distinguish when a material changes from behaving like a solid to a liquid at the microstructural scale," said Illinois chemical and biomolecular engineering professor Simon Rogers, who led the project. "The Rheo-XPCS at Argonne National Lab gives us an unprecedented peek at the microscale behavior of soft materials yielding to stress." In the lab, the team worked with a material called soft colloidal glass, which is a disordered system of nanoparticles made of silica. "We call it a soft material because the interparticle interactions cause it to be sort of squishylike having a bunch of water balloons pushed together to form a material," said Gavin Donley, the first author of the study and former Illinois graduate student now at Georgetown University. "We used this specific material because it provides a strong X-ray signal that we can record while we perform simultaneous macroscopic measurements." This technique allowed the researchers to finally witness the direct connection between microscopic displacements and macroscopic behavior, allowing them to define the behavior using mathematical terms. "Getting down to the nuts and bolts of this problem is a step forward so that future researchers that want to design new soft materials can do so by tweaking various microscale parameters to get a desired macroscale property," Donely said. "We're not quite there yet, but we have shown a clearly-defined mathematical correlation between the micro- and macroscale." More information: Gavin J. Donley et al, Investigation of the yielding transition in concentrated colloidal systems via rheo-XPCS, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2023). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2215517120 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences The Biden administration would reportedly announce the opening of immigration processing facilities in Latin America on Thursday, April 27. This is part of an attempt to decrease the number of migrants crossing the US-Mexico border, four sources familiar with the story told CBS News. The individuals claimed the brick-and-mortar processing facilities would assess migrants and decide whether they qualified for legal entry programs. Establishing New Immigration Centers The facilities would be placed in strategic chokepoints in Latin America through which many migrants pass on their way to the southern border of the US. According to the sources, US authorities have contacted nations, including Colombia, Ecuador, and Guatemala, about the possibility of establishing such sites on their territory. In order to evaluate whether or not migrants have a legitimate way to remain in the facilities, US consular personnel would be sent there to conduct interviews with migrants and host country employees. These regional processing centers aim to slow immigration to the US-Mexico border. Meanwhile, officials are preparing to end Title 42. It is a pandemic-era policy that has allowed them to expel over 2.7 million migrants without processing their asylum claims since March 2020. See Also: US-Mexico Border: Deadly Fire in Detention Center Prompts Investigation of Migration Chief When the Nationwide Health Emergency Ends On Thursday, the administration is expected to make a more comprehensive statement about how it is preparing for the end of Title 42 in May, when the national COVID-19 public health emergency is due to expire. Thus, government officials have privately projected that next month, the number of migrants arriving at the southern border might rise to between 10,000 and 13,000. According to a senior US official who spoke with CBS News, illegal border crossings have grown in recent months, particularly in Texas's Rio Grande Valley. Over 40% more people were apprehended by Border Patrol on Tuesday, April 25, than on a typical day in March, the source said. After Title 42 expires, the Biden administration is working to finalize a rule that would bar illegal immigrants from receiving asylum in the US if they failed to apply for such protection in a third country they traveled through. The policy, which resembles a Trump-era rule, is intended to deter illegal crossings and encourage migrants to become eligible for two initiatives the administration announced in January: (1) A sponsorship program that allows up to 30,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans to fly to the US each month; (2) A phone app that asylum-seekers in Mexico can use to request entry at southern border ports of entry. This month, the Biden administration also began a program to expedite initial inspections for asylum seekers when they are subject to standard immigration regulations rather than Title 42. The program's migrants are reportedly interrogated by US asylum authorities over the phone while in Border Patrol custody instead of waiting until they are put in long-term detention. See Also: US Drug War: DEA Inflitrates Mexican Drug Cartel Behind Fentanyl Crisis @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain The little-known field of affective computing is a growing presence in our lives, including the workplace. Is it OK to have your feelings monitored if it's supposed to enhance your well-being? Pretend you're a manager who can see how your team members are feeling, in real time. You could gauge their moodafter an influx of new employees, say, or an organizational changeand act accordingly. That's the goal of affective computing research being led by Pierrich Plusquellec, a professor at Universite de Montreal's School of Psychoeducation, and Pamela Lirio, a professor at its School of Industrial Relations. We spoke to them to find out more. What is affective computing? Pierrich Plusquellec: It's a scientific discipline that connects computing and feelings in two ways: by creating machines that effectively simulate emotions and by recognizing different emotional states. There are algorithms today that can detect our feelings in real time based on the sound of our voices, our facial expressions, our movements and even the way we type on a keyboard. This field of research was launched less than 30 years ago by Rosalind Picard and is generating a lot of buzz in the industry today. It's got tremendous potential. Affective computing is everywhere: it can even be found in the phones we're so addicted to. How is affective computing used by various organizations today? Pamela Lirio: One example is in call centers, where it's used to identify the angriest clients, who are then sent to more experienced employees. In this case, it's used to perform an initial screening. It's also used by human resources. Big companies like Vodafone, Hilton, Urban Outfitters and Unilever use automatic facial expression recognition to screen candidates who are expected to submit video applications. This helps them create a shortlist from an especially large pool of candidates that recruiting teams would otherwise lack the resources to handle. They do this through recruiting platforms like HireVue that use affective computing. However, it's still best practice for HR professionals and/or the frontline manager to make the final hiring decision after looking at the data provided. There are many ways this technology could be misused, aren't there? Pierrich Plusquellec: It all depends on how we use it! It's just a tool, like a knife, which can be used to sculpt glorious works of art or to kill someone. The risk is real: affective computing can be horribly misused. I've read in Le Point, the French newsmagazine, that facial or emotional recognition technology is used to torture Uyghurs in China. Meanwhile, closer to home, the commercial real-estate company Cadillac Fairview used facial recognition on unwitting customers to boost sales at Carrefour Laval mall. It installed cameras to capture the facial expressions of shoppers and assess their mood. This is illegal, so the company had to stop. That's why this kind of work has to be done in a way that's caring and ethical, and why users have to have control over their data. How can that be done? Pierrich Plusquellec: Well, for example, during the pandemic, many people didn't pay enough attention to how they felt. As a result, a lot of them now have misdiagnosed emotional disorders, since there weren't enough resources to take care of them. Mood disorders in the workplace, such as anxiety, depression or burnout, are related to this loss of emotional control. Frederic Lenoir, Mathieu Ricard, and many another researcher on wellness all agree: if you want to be happy, you have to pay close attention to your feelings. But not everyone has the time to meditate or look deep into their emotions. This is what inspired our interdisciplinary teamwhich includes Nathe Francois, Ted Hill, Noel Rignon and Vincent Gautraito create software we call EmoScienS. It's now in the pre-commercialization phase. You can launch it on your computer, and it will capture your emotions every five minutes, in real time. Turn it on whenever you want and at the end of the day you can see your feelings displayed on a dashboard. You could see whether you were happy, angry or frightened, and when. If, for example, you see you were angry from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., you could check to see what you were doing at that time. This ability to link actions and feelings is the secret to well-being, an insight that Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman shared with us years ago. How can the software be used within an organization? Pamela Lirio: We give users the option of anonymously sharing their dashboard with their manager. If more than 10 people agree to share their data, it's aggregated and sent to their manager. If, for example, their manager notices that the team is feeling particularly upset, they can act accordingly. To be ethical, products like this have to anonymize data and users have to have full control over the software. That means the data belongs to users and they decide whether to share it. It also means that the data shouldn't be used to make automated decisions. What it should do is allow everyone to better understand the feelings they're expressing and what they're doing while they're in front of their monitors (social media, work, online meetings, etc.). Furthermore, the EmoScienS project adheres to the principles of the Montreal Declaration for a Responsible Development of Artificial Intelligence and advocates for making AI startups comply with principles of ethics, transparency and social responsibility. If an organization can assess its emotional climate in real time it gains the power to do something about it. And by working with managers and employees, we hope to enhance organizational wellnessfor example, they could set up a relaxation room, or instill even more lasting changes to foster wellness among employees. Our software could show how this affects their mood in real time. Another dead cow was found Monday in relation to a series of mysterious livestock deaths near Texas OSR, according to Madison County Sheriffs Office investigator Carly Foster. Eight cattle have been found dead in the area of the state highway, several of which appeared to have been mutilated, Foster said Thursday. She noted the cow found Monday was missing its tongue and its face was cut. The Madison County Sheriffs Office posted a Facebook message April 19 and reported six mysterious cattle deaths that involved five adults and one yearling. Each of the first six incidents occurred in different locations, pastures and herds along the area of OSR and ran into Brazos and Robertson counties. Two cows had their anus and genitalia removed. A seventh cow was reported to Foster, but was outside of her jurisdiction. The whole situations a little baffling, Foster said. The latest cow found Monday was in the same area as previous cattle and was taken to Texas A&M University for a necropsy, Foster said. Results havent been returned yet and Foster said she isnt sure how long it will take since a full pathology and toxicology examination was done on the cow. Hopefully well have some answers soon, Foster said. The first report of a mysterious cattle death was made to Foster on March 30, she said. There were no signs of struggle or disturbance in the grass, no blood spill or noticeable tracks, Madison County Sheriffs Office officials wrote in the Facebook post that has been shared over 16,000 times as of Thursday afternoon. Multiple agencies across the United States are assisting in the investigation, Foster said. She noted shes never investigated something like this herself, but had read articles about similar occurrences in other places. A large number of cow mutilations took place across the U.S. in the 1970s, according to a Dallas Morning News report. The incidents also involved cows faces and genitals being cut. Bill Ruland, criminal investigator for the Robertson County Sheriffs Department, said hes looked at two dead cattle in the last month, but didnt think they were connected to the reported deaths from the Madison County Sheriffs Office. About a month ago, Ruland said he looked at a 600-pound yearling calf that had a cut on its cheek and was missing its tongue. Ruland said at first the cut looked surgical, but then found it was pretty jagged and noted the carcass had evidence of predation. The missing tongue also had signs of chewing and not cutting, he said. Ruland added there was no meat on the cattles jawbone, but there were also no knife marks. He asked the owner to send the carcass to A&M for a necropsy and results showed the calf died of a massive infection and the mouth damage was due to scavenging. Another call this week led him to a carcass with a face that didnt have any cuts on it, Ruland said. The body had been too decomposed to do further assessment, but he noted nothing looked out of the ordinary. Nonetheless, Ruland said hes told local residents if they see any dead cattle to give him a call so they can look at it as soon as possible. The difficulty is youre dealing with a lot of acres and so the ability to see the animal die and see what happens to it after it dies is very limited, Ruland said. Madison Countys case remains active and those with information or see anything out of character are asked to contact Foster at 936-348-2755. We dont really know what to watch for, Foster said. The best thing I can say is just if a rancher or anyone comes across anything that was described in the post, please report it to their local agency so it can be looked at. As legislative leaders quarrel over some of the sessions biggest issues, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has taken to flashing two wads of cash in a series of TV interviews: $1,060 in one hand and $800 in the other. Those, he says, are the annual savings Texas homeowners could expect under the Texas Senates plan to control property tax growth. Importantly, he adds, only the Senate plan would provide those savings the larger sum for homeowners age 65 and older, the smaller for all others. The House bill is just wrong on its math, Patrick said during a recent TV interview. The Senate bill seniors, if youre watching, our bill gives you $1,060 every year you homestead your home from 65 on. Feuding between the House and the Senate is nothing new, particularly as the legislative session enters the homestretch and the future of each chambers legislative priorities hangs in the balance. This session, however, the bad blood has started early with Patrick attacking House Speaker Dade Phelan by name, deriding the Beaumont Republican as California Dade and mocking the Houses property tax plan as bad math to put public pressure on the House to pass the Senates version of the bill. During his prop-aided media blitz, Patrick also dropped the atom bomb of political threats, emphasizing that he can force a special legislative session if action stalls on some of his priority bills, including incentivizing the building of more natural gas plants and allowing the use of state dollars to send Texas kids to private schools. I cant call a special session, Patrick told Spectrum TV host Karina Kling in mid-April, noting that power rests solely with Gov Greg Abbott. But I can create one by not passing a key bill that has to pass. Thats what I did in 17. That threat is the latest sign that, with a little more than a month before the legislative session ends on Memorial Day, tensions between the two legislative chambers are starting to build over major rifts in policymaking. Patrick, a staunch conservative, has touted the Senates passage of all 30 of his priority bills, saying they reflect the chambers strongest, most conservative agenda ever. That list includes bills limiting medical treatments for transgender kids; a push to end tenure as well as diversity, equity and inclusion practices in public universities; and a school choice push to allow parents to use state dollars to send their kids to private schools, which opponents say would harm the funding of the states public education system. The House, Patrick complained, has not only been slow to act on Senate priorities, its been moving slowly on House bills as well. Unless the House picks up the pace in sending legislation to the upper chamber, some of those bills will die before they can be considered, he said. Sending that many bills that late means most will die due to the clock, Patrick said on social media. Not our fault. Help us help you. Phelan has taken a less confrontational approach, downplaying the interchamber rancor and highlighting legislation the House has already passed. In a statement on Tuesday, Phelan noted the Houses passage of a fiscally conservative state budget that makes historic investments in everything ranging from our infrastructure to our higher education systems, bills to increase child safety in schools and online, and legislation to create the largest property tax cut in Texas history. Our work is not yet done, Phelan said. The Texas House will continue to pass legislation that keeps Texas the best place to live, work and raise a family, and we look forward to working with the Texas Senate to get our work done during the 88th regular session. Phelan also has tried to deflect Patricks attacks with humor, tweeting a shirtless picture of himself standing between two surfboards earlier Tuesday. Stoked for some tasty waves on the Texas Coast this summer after #txlege hits its gnarly Sine Die! Phelan tweeted, riffing on the California Dade moniker while joking about his plans after the regular sessions final day. Talk of a special session Phelan, a business-oriented Republican, has a list of priorities that range from extending Medicaid eligibility for low-income mothers to one year, to the formation of a new state border protection unit, to the creation of a new state tax-break program designed to entice big businesses to settle in Texas. Phelans list is lighter on the hot button topics that dominate Patricks, and the House speakers refusal to embrace issues pushed by social conservatives has drawn sharp criticism from Texas GOP officials. Matt Rinaldi, chair of the Republican Party of Texas, said he is concerned that some of the partys biggest priorities have not been taken up by the House. The Senate has had an A-plus session. Theyve worked to pass Republican priorities and are responding to the needs of Republican members, Rinaldi said. Id like to see the House pass the legislation that the Senate sent over to them. Rinaldi said he would support Gov. Greg Abbott calling a special session if bills to ban medical treatments for transgender kids do not pass because the House did not have time to consider them. I think the governor should make clear that if we dont get important priority legislation like school choice and child gender modification bans passed that hes going to call special sessions until it gets done, Rinaldi said. Patrick has forced a special session before. In 2017, he withheld a vote on must-pass legislation a sunset bill that would have kept several state agencies from closing, including the Texas Medical Board after the House declined to act on the so-called bathroom bill, which would have made transgender people go to the bathroom of their biological sex, and the chambers hit a stalemate on efforts to cap the rate of property tax growth. Neither effort passed in the ensuing special session. Then, as now, Patrick blasted the Houses leader, then-Speaker Joe Straus of San Antonio, for blocking special session votes on his preferred policies, including private school vouchers and defunding Planned Parenthood. Thank goodness Travis didnt have the speaker at the Alamo, Patrick said at the time. He wouldve been the first one over the wall. The tense relationship between legislative leaders continued after Phelan took over the speakers gavel in 2021. During that session, Democrats walked out of the House in the final days of the legislative session to end debate on a controversial elections bill that GOP officials had prioritized. Patrick criticized Phelan for managing the chambers calendar poorly and kowtowing with Democrats to thwart conservative legislation. (The election bill ultimately passed, though it took two special sessions.) Later that year, Patrick was behind an attack on Phelan by former President Donald Trump, a Patrick ally, that urged Phelan to pass an election audit bill in the House or face a primary challenger. Phelans and Patricks priorities share some things in common. Both have bills to rein in district attorneys and local judges who the Republican majorities say are neglecting their duty by not enforcing certain crimes or being lax on bail rules. And both chambers have bills aimed at banning what they deem sexually explicit books in school libraries, as well as bills to increase school safety after the Uvalde school shooting last May that left 19 children and two teachers dead. But the chambers are far apart on two of the sessions biggest issues: the use of public dollars to fund some childrens private education and how to rein in rising property taxes. Different paths on school choice Abbott made the use of education savings accounts to pay for private schools a legislative priority and has extensively campaigned around the state to rally support. Patrick, whos long supported school choice, also made the issue one of his top items. But House lawmakers, particularly rural lawmakers who fear the loss of jobs in school districts that are frequently the largest employers in those areas, have been lukewarm on the idea. They also fear the long-term impact that draining funds from the states public education system could have on their schools, which are frequently the only educational options in their district. The Senate passed a bill in early April to allow parents to use education savings accounts to pull their kids out of public schools and use that money toward tuition at a private school. That same day, the House approved an amendment to the state budget banning the use of school vouchers or other similar programs. The budget bill will be changed before the legislative session ends to iron out the differences between the two chambers, and supporters of the educational savings account approach note that the Houses 86-52 vote was much closer than in previous years, giving them hope that the House language could be removed. Renee Cross, senior director of the Hobby School of Public Affairs in Houston, said the school choice battle could come down to Abbott putting his thumb on the scale. While rural Republicans in the House are hesitant to support his education savings account plan, Abbott has worked against lawmakers who didnt support his policies in past primary elections. Itll put that much more pressure on Speaker Phelan and those rural Republicans, Cross said. If I had to pick one [issue] that will get really bloody, that would probably be the one. Heartburn over property tax cuts The two chambers are also at odds over property taxes. The Senate wants to boost the states homestead exemption on school district taxes or the amount of a homes value that cant be taxed by school districts from $40,000 to $70,000, with homeowners 65 years and older getting an additional $20,000 exemption. But the Houses plan deals with lowering school district taxes, a major contributor to high property tax bills, by 28% while at the same time limiting appraisal growth to 5% per year. House leaders say their plan would save the average homeowner $542 next year and $733 in 2025, while also helping businesses by including them in the new appraisal cap. When the House passed its version of property tax savings, Phelan told the legislations author, Rep. Morgan Meyer, R-Highland Park, the move should send a message. Patrick has blasted House estimates on tax savings and argued that lowering the appraisal limit would have no real impact on property taxes. Casting doubt on a possible compromise, he added that he cannot negotiate with the Houses bad math. Hell will freeze over before I do that, he told WFAAs Jason Whitely. Taking an intractable stance on a key issue makes a special session a very real prospect, Cross said. Abbott has promised to use the states historic budget surplus to pull off the biggest tax cut in Texas history, but he has not publicly supported one chambers plan over the other. With only slightly more than one month left in the session, Cross said the two sides may have to negotiate which bills are most important to pass before Memorial Day, trading one sides priorities for guaranteed passage of the others. Its going to go on until the very end, Cross said. I dont see were going to get online tomorrow and see that some of these things will be resolved. But Rinaldi said that with both chambers dominated by Republicans, there should be no need for negotiating on priorities. I dont see why there needs to be horse trading between two Republican-controlled bodies, he said. I dont see why there should be competing interests. The Islamic Republic of Iran has taken control of a foreign ship in the Gulf of Oman, the US Navy said on Thursday, April 27. A Distress Call In a report by Fox News, Iranian troops captured the oil tanker Advantage Sweet as it sailed from Kuwait toward Houston, Texas. The ship was displaying the flag of the Marshall Islands. The US Navy's 5th Fleet reported that the oil tanker sent a distress signal during the hijacking. "Iran's actions are contrary to international law and disruptive to regional security and stability," the US Navy stated. "Iran should immediately release the oil tanker." According to ABC News, Turkish ship operator Advantage Tankers confirmed that their tanker, the Advantage Sweet, was being escorted to port by the Iranian navy due to an international dispute. It said that the company's first concern is for the well-being of its employees, the crew. Ownership records for the vessel indicated that a Chinese firm was the stated proprietor. According to a statement issued by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy was responsible for seizing the ship. This episode occurs in the context of broader tensions over Iran's nuclear programs. Threat to Maritime Security While in international waters in the Gulf of Oman, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy boarded and captured the ship Advantage Sweet, as reported by NAVCENT. Iran's persistent harassment of boats and interference with navigational rights in regional waterways pose a danger to maritime security and the global economy, the statement remarked. Notably, Iran has illegally taken possession of at least five commercial boats operating in the Middle East during the previous two years. Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior scholar and Iran specialist at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News that this terrorism and regional instability by the Islamic Republic is not confined to any one landmass, airspace, or even body of water, as the Islamic Republic continues to demonstrate. He said Tehran's danger to international commerce is almost as old as the Islamic Republic itself. He also noted that the assumption that increased Chinese participation in the Persian Gulf may restrict the regime's bad conduct had been punctured by Iran's continuing hostage grabbing of oil tankers and harassment of other boats. The US Navy's 5th Fleet is keeping an eye on developments. See Also: Russia Ships Transport Iranian-made Artillery Shells and Other Ammunition Across the Caspian Sea in Six Months What sparked the conflict? The Iranian takeover on Thursday was the most recent in a series of bombings and hijackings that have shaken the area. All of this started when former President Donald Trump pulled the US out of an international agreement with Iran that severely restricted the country's uranium enrichment in return for easing economic sanctions, ABC News reported. In addition, the US Navy holds Iran responsible for a 2019 string of limpet mine strikes that damaged oil tankers and a 2021 drone assault on an oil ship with Israeli ties that killed two European crew members. See Also: Iran Executions Surged in 2022 in an Attempt To 'Spread Fear' Among Protesters, Rights Groups Say @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Texas Senate on Wednesday gave final approval to a bill that limits the sale of Texas farmland to citizens and entities associated with China and several other countries. Senate Bill 147, sent to the Texas House on a 19-12 vote, restricts purchases of agricultural land, timberland and oil and gas rights by entities associated with any country that poses a risk to the national security of the United States as designated by three consecutive annual threat assessment analyses by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The legislation also allows the Texas attorney generals office to investigate potential violations and refer cases to courts for divestment proceedings if a reasonable suspicion arises that the buyer is associated with one of the designated countries. The bill passed Wednesday was a significantly watered-down version of an earlier proposal that sought an outright ban on land sales to dual citizens and businesses associated with China, Iran, North Korea and Russia. SB 147 was softened after months of outcry from Asian American groups and others who said it would make it impossible for dual citizens and other immigrants to buy homes or start businesses. Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, thanked Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, for narrowing her bill but said he could not support an effort that has encouraged racists and jeopardized the safety of Asians in Texas. Just the rhetoric surrounding this legislation is putting them in jeopardy from racists, [from] bias. Theyre being targeted as we talk, Whitmire said. We cant continue to single out ethnic groups and communities, he said, adding that if it had been later in the session, he would talk this bill to death with a filibuster. I feel that strongly. Kolkhorst said her bill was a measured response to a real security threat that other states have also moved to address. Senate Bill 147 is just about maintaining a strong Texas. It is not in any way picking out someone of a certain origin, she said. Prior to the Senates first vote on the bill Tuesday, Kolkhorst put forward several amendments that she said were aimed at those concerns while protecting national security, including new language that limits the restrictions to specific types of land and applies to purchases, not leases. This ensures that we strengthen our food security, our energy security and our national security, Kolkhorst said after roughly two hours of debate. You can come and buy your company. You can have your restaurant. Asian Americans reacted to the bills passage with dismay Wednesday, saying it could further anti-Asian sentiment that has skyrocketed in recent years. As with other iterations of the legislation, they said it unfairly associated American citizens with their countries of origin and with governments they may have fled. National security is a serious issue, but if we are concerned about the actions of foreign governments, then legislation should only affect foreign governments and their agents, said Rep. Gene Wu, a Houston Democrat who immigrated to the United States from China as a child and has been outspoken against SB 147. Labeling every person from a nation as an agent of that government is not only unjust, but is also counterintuitive given the number of asylum-seekers and refugees that our nation welcomes from those same countries. In a statement, the civic group United Chinese Americans said it was extremely disappointed by the bills passage. Less discrimination is still discrimination, the group said. The Asian American community will unite and stand strong together for equal protection and fair treatment. Kolkhorst has said SB 147 builds on legislation from 2021, when state lawmakers unanimously voted to ban Texas businesses and government officials from making infrastructure deals with interests from the four countries. That legislation was filed in response to a Xinjiang-based real estate tycoons purchase of roughly 140,000 acres for a wind farm in Del Rio, a small border town near Laughlin Air Force Base. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Chinese investors own less than 1% of total foreign-held acreage in the United States. Investors from Russia, Iran and North Korea collectively own less than 3,000 acres. Tuesdays amendments marked the second time Kolkhorst has softened the bills language. In March, she clarified that the proposal would not apply to dual citizens or houses that were homesteaded and accepted substitute language that would have required potential homebuyers to disclose their affiliations with such countries within 10 days of initiating purchase agreements. Those changes, which have since been dropped, did little to assuage concerns among opponents, who said it would increase discrimination by associating all Asian Americans one of the states fastest-growing population segments with the Chinese government. Moreover, they said, the bills enhanced oversight provisions could dissuade home sellers from engaging with potential Asian American buyers because of concerns that they are associated with China and a sale would thus be subject to legal scrutiny. Despite the objections, earlier versions of Kolkhorsts bill drew support from top Texas GOP figures, including Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and Gov. Greg Abbott, who said he would sign the bill. Admiral Group plc (LON:ADM Get Rating)s stock price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of GBX 2,094.92 ($26.16) and traded as high as GBX 2,275 ($28.41). Admiral Group shares last traded at GBX 2,262 ($28.25), with a volume of 406,753 shares changing hands. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth ADM has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an underweight rating and set a GBX 1,650 ($20.61) price target on shares of Admiral Group in a report on Thursday, March 9th. Numis Securities restated an add rating and set a GBX 2,575 ($32.16) price target on shares of Admiral Group in a report on Friday, February 24th. Morgan Stanley restated an underweight rating and set a GBX 2,150 ($26.85) price target on shares of Admiral Group in a report on Tuesday, March 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Admiral Group to a hold rating and set a GBX 2,150 ($26.85) target price on the stock. in a research note on Friday, March 10th. Finally, Peel Hunt reiterated a hold rating and issued a GBX 2,160 ($26.98) target price on shares of Admiral Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of GBX 2,201.50 ($27.49). Get Admiral Group alerts: Admiral Group Stock Performance The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 107.56. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of GBX 2,119.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 2,097.32. The firm has a market cap of 6.82 billion, a PE ratio of 1,821.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.23. Admiral Group Cuts Dividend Insider Transactions at Admiral Group The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 4th will be given a dividend of GBX 52 ($0.65) per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 4th. Admiral Groups payout ratio is 6,612.90%. In other news, insider Geraint Jones sold 1,175 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 1,851 ($23.12), for a total transaction of 21,749.25 ($27,162.80). In other news, insider Geraint Jones sold 1,175 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 1,851 ($23.12), for a total transaction of 21,749.25 ($27,162.80). Also, insider Annette Court purchased 920 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 9th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 1,999 ($24.97) per share, for a total transaction of 18,390.80 ($22,968.40). Corporate insiders own 16.53% of the companys stock. About Admiral Group (Get Rating) Admiral Group plc provides financial services in the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, France, Canada, India, and the United States. It offers insurance products, including motor, household, travel, and pet insurance, as well as personal lending products through Admiral loans. The company operates through UK Insurance, International Insurance, Admiral Loans, and Other segments. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Admiral Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Admiral Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Aflac (NYSE:AFL Get Rating) issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The financial services provider reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.15, Briefing.com reports. Aflac had a return on equity of 13.69% and a net margin of 21.54%. The firm had revenue of $4.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.61 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.42 earnings per share. The companys revenue was down 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Aflac Trading Down 0.6 % AFL traded down $0.38 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $65.39. 2,751,153 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,622,103. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $65.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $67.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.06 and a quick ratio of 0.06. Aflac has a 52 week low of $52.07 and a 52 week high of $74.01. Get Aflac alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac In other Aflac news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.45, for a total transaction of $32,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 19,269 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,241,887.05. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Aflac news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.45, for a total transaction of $32,225.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 19,269 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,241,887.05. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Masatoshi Koide sold 19,291 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.36, for a total value of $1,357,314.76. Following the transaction, the director now owns 87,598 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,163,395.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Analysts Set New Price Targets Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Laidlaw Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Aflac by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Laidlaw Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,385 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $675,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Aflac by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,491 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. Kinneret Advisory LLC grew its position in Aflac by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Kinneret Advisory LLC now owns 8,441 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $544,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. SVB Wealth LLC grew its position in Aflac by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. SVB Wealth LLC now owns 19,316 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,244,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. Finally, Toroso Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Aflac by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. Toroso Investments LLC now owns 8,397 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $541,000 after acquiring an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.22% of the companys stock. Several brokerages have issued reports on AFL. StockNews.com began coverage on Aflac in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Aflac from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Monday, February 6th. Raymond James boosted their target price on Aflac from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Aflac in a research note on Tuesday. They issued an equal weight rating and a $73.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Aflac from $77.00 to $72.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 12th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $71.33. Aflac Company Profile (Get Rating) 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. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Aflac Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Aflac and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. American Water Works (NYSE:AWK Get Rating) released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The utilities provider reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.01), Briefing.com reports. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.76% and a net margin of 21.62%. The company had revenue of $938.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $903.84 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.87 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. American Water Works updated its FY23 guidance to $4.72-4.82 EPS. American Water Works Trading Down 2.2 % Shares of NYSE AWK traded down $3.37 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $149.05. 798,109 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,136,424. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.80, a PEG ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $144.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $147.41. American Water Works has a twelve month low of $122.77 and a twelve month high of $162.59. Get American Water Works alerts: American Water Works Increases Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.90%. This is an increase from American Water Workss previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. American Water Workss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.09%. Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Water Works Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AWK. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth approximately $281,724,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of American Water Works by 64,405.1% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,838,394 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $280,208,000 after purchasing an additional 1,835,544 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of American Water Works by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,960,717 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $3,635,157,000 after purchasing an additional 434,737 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley boosted its position in shares of American Water Works by 14.2% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,390,297 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $364,329,000 after purchasing an additional 296,998 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 1st quarter worth approximately $41,938,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.06% of the companys stock. AWK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of American Water Works from $134.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, March 7th. TheStreet downgraded shares of American Water Works from a b rating to a c+ rating in a report on Wednesday, February 15th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of American Water Works from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, American Water Works presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $156.00. About American Water Works (Get Rating) 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. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for American Water Works Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for American Water Works and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Armadale Capital Plc (LON:ACP Get Rating) shares passed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of GBX 1.59 ($0.02) and traded as high as GBX 1.60 ($0.02). Armadale Capital shares last traded at GBX 1.53 ($0.02), with a volume of 750,145 shares changing hands. Armadale Capital Stock Performance The company has a quick ratio of 41.47, a current ratio of 41.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.23. The stock has a market capitalization of 9.11 million, a P/E ratio of -17.75 and a beta of 1.10. The firms 50 day simple moving average is GBX 1.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is GBX 1.68. About Armadale Capital (Get Rating) Armadale Capital Plc, an investment company, focuses on natural resources projects in Africa. Its primary interest is in the Mahenge Liandu Graphite project in Tanzania. The company was formerly known as Watermark Global Plc and changed its name to Armadale Capital Plc in July 2013. Armadale Capital Plc was incorporated in 2005 and is based in Esher, the United Kingdom. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Armadale Capital Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Armadale Capital and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. KP Tissue Inc. (TSE:KPT Get Rating) shares passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of C$10.19 and traded as low as C$10.19. KP Tissue shares last traded at C$10.21, with a volume of 2,869 shares. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Separately, TD Securities boosted their target price on KP Tissue from C$10.50 to C$11.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Friday, March 10th. Get KP Tissue alerts: KP Tissue Stock Up 1.0 % The firm has a market capitalization of C$102.09 million, a PE ratio of -9.96, a PEG ratio of -0.88 and a beta of 0.58. The businesss fifty day moving average price is C$10.24 and its 200 day moving average price is C$10.19. KP Tissue Dividend Announcement KP Tissue ( TSE:KPT Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 9th. The company reported C($0.10) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of C($0.01) by C($0.09). The company had revenue of C$458.14 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of C$443.00 million. On average, analysts anticipate that KP Tissue Inc. will post -0.01 earnings per share for the current year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, April 1st were given a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 30th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.02%. KP Tissues payout ratio is currently -69.90%. KP Tissue Company Profile (Get Rating) KP Tissue Inc, through its interest in Kruger Products L.P., produces, distributes, markets, and sells a range of disposable tissue products in Canada and the United States. The company operates through two segments, Consumer and Away-From-Home. It offers bathroom and facial tissues, paper towels, and napkins, as well as manufactures private label tissue products. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for KP Tissue Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for KP Tissue and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ottawa Bancorp, Inc. (OTCMKTS:OTTW Get Rating) was the target of a large drop in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 100 shares, a drop of 50.0% from the March 31st total of 200 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.1 days. Ottawa Bancorp Stock Up 3.3 % OTCMKTS:OTTW traded up $0.33 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $10.35. 250 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,919. Ottawa Bancorp has a 12 month low of $9.88 and a 12 month high of $14.65. The company has a fifty day moving average of $11.88 and a 200 day moving average of $12.57. The stock has a market cap of $26.51 million, a PE ratio of 10.78 and a beta of 0.40. Get Ottawa Bancorp alerts: Ottawa Bancorp (OTCMKTS:OTTW Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 6th. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $3.32 million during the quarter. Ottawa Bancorp Announces Dividend About Ottawa Bancorp The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 1st were given a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 28th. This represents a dividend yield of 3.33%. Ottawa Bancorps dividend payout ratio is 45.83%. (Get Rating) Ottawa Bancorp, Inc operates as a holding company, which offers residential real estate mortgage loans and home equity lines of credit and to a lesser extent, non-residential real estate, multi-family and construction loans. It also provides commercial and industrial loans and other consumer loans. The firm operates through the following segments: Commercial, Non-Residential Real Estate, One-to-four Family Residential, Multi-Family Residential, Consumer Direct, and Purchased Auto. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Ottawa Bancorp Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ottawa Bancorp and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Greggs plc (OTCMKTS:GGGSF Get Rating) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 200 shares, a decline of 99.9% from the March 31st total of 144,600 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.0 days. Greggs Stock Performance GGGSF remained flat at $33.50 during trading on Wednesday. 30 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,737. The firms fifty day moving average price is $30.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $26.22. Greggs has a 1 year low of $33.50 and a 1 year high of $33.50. Get Greggs alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of research firms recently issued reports on GGGSF. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Greggs from GBX 3,000 ($37.47) to GBX 3,200 ($39.97) in a research report on Monday, February 6th. Liberum Capital began coverage on shares of Greggs in a research report on Wednesday, March 22nd. They set a buy rating on the stock. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Greggs from GBX 2,900 ($36.22) to GBX 3,020 ($37.72) in a research report on Wednesday, March 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Greggs from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 18th. About Greggs Greggs plc operates as a bakery food-on-the-go retailer in the United Kingdom. It offers a range of fresh and frozen bakery products, sandwiches, and drinks. The company sells products to franchise and wholesale partners for sale in their own outlets. It is also involved in the property holding, non-trading, and trustee businesses. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Greggs Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Greggs and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bank of Cyprus Holdings Public Limited (LON:BOCH Get Rating) dropped 1.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as GBX 206 ($2.57) and last traded at GBX 216 ($2.70). Approximately 205,526 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 54% from the average daily volume of 133,184 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 218.50 ($2.73). Analyst Ratings Changes Separately, Numis Securities started coverage on shares of Bank of Cyprus Holdings Public in a research note on Wednesday, March 15th. They issued a buy rating and a GBX 507 ($6.33) price objective for the company. Get Bank of Cyprus Holdings Public alerts: Bank of Cyprus Holdings Public Price Performance The stocks 50 day moving average price is GBX 227.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 175.79. The firm has a market capitalization of 963.49 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21,600.00 and a beta of 0.72. About Bank of Cyprus Holdings Public Bank of Cyprus Holdings Public Limited Company, through its subsidiaries, provides banking, financial, and insurance services. It offers current, savings, notice, instant access, and fixed deposits; housing, student, consumer, business and business premises, term, and home or investment loans; and asset finance, factoring, trade facilities, European financial, project finance, shipping finance, and syndicated and corporate lending services, as well as hire purchase services for car and equipment. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Bank of Cyprus Holdings Public Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bank of Cyprus Holdings Public and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Budweiser Brewing Company APAC Limited (OTCMKTS:BDWBF Get Rating) dropped 3.8% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $2.93 and last traded at $2.93. Approximately 200 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 844 shares. The stock had previously closed at $3.04. Budweiser Brewing Company APAC Price Performance The businesss 50 day moving average is $3.04 and its 200 day moving average is $2.85. About Budweiser Brewing Company APAC (Get Rating) Budweiser Brewing Company APAC Limited, an investment holding company, produces, imports, markets, distributes, and sells beer primarily in China, South Korea, India, Vietnam, and the other Asia Pacific regions. The company offers a portfolio of approximately more than 50 beer brands, including Budweiser, Stella Artois, Corona, Hoegaarden, Cass, and Harbin. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Budweiser Brewing Company APAC Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Budweiser Brewing Company APAC and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Fighter jets take off in formation China Military Online) 09:38, April 27, 2023 A fighter jet attached to an aviation brigade of the air force under the PLA Southern Theater Command taxis out of the hangar during a recent round-the-clock flight training exercise. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Wang Guoyun) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol addressed a joint meeting of the US Congress, Yoon praised the strong alliance between the United States and South Korea while condemning North Korea's nuclear program. The South Korean leader condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol spoke for almost an hour in English before the joint session of the US Congress on Thursday, making him the third international leader to do so since President Joe Biden got into power. Yoon hailed the close ties between the United States and South Korea in his US Congress address, urged North Korea to stop its nuclear provocations, and emphasized the danger misinformation presents to democracy throughout the world. In his speech, the 62-year-old leader said he is committed to forging a new future for the two countries, referring to the United States as a country "conceived in liberty" and expressing his steadfast confidence in freedom and the alliance, The Washington Post reported. Yoon thanked the American soldiers who engaged in the Korean War and gave their lives to preserve the freedom of a nation thousands of miles away. President Yoon Suk Yeol also made a particular mention of Jane Weber, the granddaughter of William Weber, an American hero from the Korean War, who was instrumental in building the Korean War Memorial in Washington, DC, per UPI. Yoon also emphasized South Korea's extraordinary achievements since the war's conclusion, which led to rapid industrialization and elevated the nation to the position of having the tenth-largest economy in the world. He emphasized how Seoul, once razed to dust, has transformed into one of the most vibrant digital cities in the world. For seven decades, our Alliance has grown stronger and more capable. Nothing is beyond our reach when our nations and our people stand united. pic.twitter.com/YaR8ZYH6F8 President Biden (@POTUS) April 27, 2023 Yoon Suk Yeol Urged International Cooperation To Address Threats to Democracy The 20th President of the Republic of Korea emphasized the enormous differences between North and South Korea, highlighting how Pyongyang's nuclear weapons development program threatens not only the Korean Peninsula but also beyond. According to Reuters, President Yoon said that to confront the growing nuclear threats from North Korea, trilateral cooperation with Japan and the United States must be accelerated. Read Also: McCarthy Wins House Vote to Pass Debt Ceiling Bill South Korea's chief executive also highlighted the problem of propaganda and misinformation, which he sees as serious dangers to democracy throughout the globe. He reminded everyone that democracy and the rule of law had long been safeguarded with blood and sweat and asked them to be watchful and not fall for these tricks. He stressed the need for uniting in opposition to the "forces of deception" that attack "democracy and the rule of law." Yoon Suk Yeol also took the opportunity to reiterate South Korea's support for Ukraine and denounce the invasion and continuing conflict by Russia as breaches of international law. He stressed the need for democratic unity and promised South Korea would champion the free world. US Nuclear-Amred Submarines To Dock in South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol's US Congress address was in light of the announcements that nuclear-armed submarines will dock in South Korea for the first time in over 40 years and that a nuclear consultation group has been established to exchange information on North Korean threats. National security adviser Jake Sullivan said Yoon's trip was critical since Kim Jong Un's North Korea regime continues developing nuclear weapons. On Twitter, US President Joe Biden thanked Yoon Suk Yeol for his US trip. "President Yoon and Mrs. Kim, thank you for making the trip to the White House. This visit has brought our two nations even closer together," the POTUS tweeted. Related Article: Pres. Yoon Meets Elon Musk @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Burney Co. lowered its stake in AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV Get Rating) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 70,599 shares of the companys stock after selling 1,929 shares during the quarter. Burney Co.s holdings in AbbVie were worth $11,410,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in AbbVie by 1.6% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 156,022,414 shares of the companys stock valued at $20,939,769,000 after acquiring an additional 2,442,663 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of AbbVie by 0.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 77,486,317 shares of the companys stock worth $10,399,439,000 after buying an additional 366,695 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of AbbVie by 2.0% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,904,988 shares of the companys stock worth $1,443,588,000 after buying an additional 176,026 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System grew its position in shares of AbbVie by 11.1% during the third quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 6,340,454 shares of the companys stock worth $850,952,000 after purchasing an additional 631,064 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners grew its position in shares of AbbVie by 2.9% during the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 6,150,074 shares of the companys stock worth $827,315,000 after purchasing an additional 174,102 shares in the last quarter. 67.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get AbbVie alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at AbbVie In related news, Director Roxanne S. Austin sold 10,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.50, for a total value of $1,505,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 40,705 shares in the company, valued at $6,126,102.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other AbbVie news, EVP Azita Saleki-Gerhardt sold 25,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.53, for a total transaction of $3,738,250.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 233,208 shares of the companys stock, valued at $34,871,592.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Roxanne S. Austin sold 10,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.50, for a total transaction of $1,505,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 40,705 shares in the company, valued at $6,126,102.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 185,767 shares of company stock valued at $28,443,783 in the last three months. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. AbbVie Stock Down 8.1 % Shares of NYSE ABBV traded down $13.03 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $148.77. 5,185,366 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,909,060. AbbVie Inc. has a 52-week low of $134.09 and a 52-week high of $168.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $262.45 billion, a PE ratio of 22.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.96. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $156.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $154.79. AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $2.46 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $2.49 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $12.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.23 billion. AbbVie had a net margin of 20.39% and a return on equity of 154.52%. The businesss revenue was down 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.16 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that AbbVie Inc. will post 10.94 EPS for the current year. AbbVie Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 14th will be issued a $1.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 13th. This represents a $5.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.98%. AbbVies dividend payout ratio is currently 89.56%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of brokerages have recently commented on ABBV. Guggenheim began coverage on AbbVie in a report on Tuesday, February 28th. They issued a buy rating and a $172.00 target price for the company. SVB Securities raised AbbVie from an underperform rating to a market perform rating and raised their price target for the stock from $135.00 to $153.00 in a research note on Friday, February 10th. Atlantic Securities decreased their target price on AbbVie from $157.00 to $154.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on AbbVie from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Monday, April 10th. Finally, Argus downgraded AbbVie from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, April 5th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AbbVie currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $162.94. AbbVie Profile (Get Rating) AbbVie, Inc is a research-based biopharmaceutical company, which engages in the development and sale of pharmaceutical products. It focuses on treating conditions such as chronic autoimmune diseases in rheumatology, gastroenterology, and dermatology, oncology, including blood cancers, virology, hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), neurological disorders, such as Parkinsons, metabolic, comprising thyroid disease and complications associated with cystic fibrosis, pain associated with endometriosis, and other serious health conditions. Read More Receive News & Ratings for AbbVie Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for AbbVie and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Rogers Communications (TSE:RCI Get Rating) had its price objective lifted by equities researchers at CIBC from C$75.00 to C$76.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, The Fly reports. A number of other research firms have also weighed in on RCI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Rogers Communications from C$74.00 to C$90.00 in a research note on Monday, April 10th. Desjardins lowered Rogers Communications from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, April 3rd. Scotiabank upped their price objective on Rogers Communications from C$74.75 to C$75.75 in a research note on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Rogers Communications from C$70.00 to C$72.00 in a research note on Thursday. Finally, National Bank Financial dropped their price objective on Rogers Communications from C$78.00 to C$76.00 in a research note on Monday, April 3rd. Get Rogers Communications alerts: Rogers Communications Price Performance Rogers Communications (TSE:RCI Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 2nd. The company reported C$1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of C$1.01 by C$0.08. The company had revenue of C$4.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$4.16 billion. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Rogers Communications Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Rogers Communications and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Crown Castle Inc. (NYSE:CCI Get Rating) EVP Laura B. Nichol sold 5,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.56, for a total transaction of $612,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 21,782 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,669,601.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Crown Castle Stock Performance CCI traded up $2.83 on Thursday, hitting $122.97. The company had a trading volume of 2,132,409 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,011,179. The companys fifty day moving average price is $131.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $135.88. Crown Castle Inc. has a 1-year low of $119.82 and a 1-year high of $193.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.98, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The stock has a market cap of $53.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.13 and a beta of 0.65. Get Crown Castle alerts: Crown Castle (NYSE:CCI Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 19th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.85 by ($0.88). The business had revenue of $1.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.76 billion. Crown Castle had a return on equity of 22.12% and a net margin of 23.81%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.87 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Crown Castle Inc. will post 7.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Crown Castle Dividend Announcement Institutional Inflows and Outflows 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 $1.565 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 14th. This represents a $6.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.09%. Crown Castles payout ratio is 162.18%. A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Sarasin & Partners LLP grew its position in Crown Castle by 4.8% in the first quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 679,670 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $132,352,000 after acquiring an additional 31,034 shares during the period. Homestead Advisers Corp grew its position in Crown Castle by 14.6% in the first quarter. Homestead Advisers Corp now owns 1,188 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $159,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its position in Crown Castle by 8.4% in the first quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 5,416 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $725,000 after acquiring an additional 421 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its position in Crown Castle by 17.2% in the first quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 12,496 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $1,672,000 after acquiring an additional 1,837 shares during the period. Finally, Simplicity Solutions LLC grew its position in Crown Castle by 187.1% in the first quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC now owns 18,287 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $2,448,000 after acquiring an additional 11,917 shares during the period. 90.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth CCI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Crown Castle from $153.00 to $145.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 20th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Crown Castle from $159.00 to $151.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on Crown Castle from $143.00 to $136.00 in a research note on Thursday. Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Crown Castle from $149.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, January 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Crown Castle from $162.00 to $144.00 in a research report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Crown Castle has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $155.56. About Crown Castle (Get Rating) Crown Castle, Inc is a real estate investment trust company, which engages in the provision of access to wireless infrastructure via long-term contacts. It operates through the Towers and Fiber segments. The Towers segment offers access, including space or capacity towers dispersed throughout the United States. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Crown Castle Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Crown Castle and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Deutsche Borse AG (OTCMKTS:DBOEY Get Rating) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 59,000 shares, a growth of 227.8% from the March 31st total of 18,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 100,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.6 days. Deutsche Borse Price Performance Shares of OTCMKTS:DBOEY remained flat at $20.40 during trading on Wednesday. 139,151 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 114,013. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $18.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $17.78. Deutsche Borse has a 52 week low of $15.22 and a 52 week high of $20.61. Get Deutsche Borse alerts: Deutsche Borse (OTCMKTS:DBOEY Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 8th. The financial services provider reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. Deutsche Borse had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 18.02%. Equities research analysts expect that Deutsche Borse will post 1.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In About Deutsche Borse A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Deutsche Borse to 204.10 ($226.78) in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Deutsche Borse from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 21st. Finally, Credit Suisse Group raised shares of Deutsche Borse from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $191.87. (Get Rating) Deutsche Borse AG engages in the provision of information technology services and market data distribution. It operates through the following segments: Eurex, EEX, Xetra, 360T, Clearstream, IFS, GSF, Qontigo and Data. The Eurex segment includes electronic trading of European derivatives, commodities, and foreign exchange. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Deutsche Borse Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Deutsche Borse and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Galway Metals Inc. (CVE:GWM Get Rating)s share price was down 1.9% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as C$0.52 and last traded at C$0.52. Approximately 16,700 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 42% from the average daily volume of 28,998 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.53. Galway Metals Stock Performance The businesss fifty day simple moving average is C$0.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is C$0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 4.81 and a current ratio of 4.85. The firm has a market capitalization of C$35.61 million, a PE ratio of -1.86 and a beta of 1.68. About Galway Metals (Get Rating) Galway Metals Inc engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral resource properties. The company primarily explores for gold, zinc, copper, silver, and lead deposists. It holds a 100% interest in the Clarence Stream project that covers an area of 61,000 hectares located in southwest New Brunswick, Canada. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Galway Metals Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Galway Metals and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Heritage Investors Management Corp grew its holdings in CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS Get Rating) by 27.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,556 shares of the pharmacy operators stock after acquiring an additional 5,040 shares during the period. Heritage Investors Management Corps holdings in CVS Health were worth $2,195,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CVS. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY boosted its stake in CVS Health by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY now owns 3,136 shares of the pharmacy operators stock valued at $299,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. IFG Advisors LLC increased its holdings in CVS Health by 4.0% in the third quarter. IFG Advisors LLC now owns 2,667 shares of the pharmacy operators stock valued at $254,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. First National Trust Co increased its holdings in CVS Health by 2.9% in the third quarter. First National Trust Co now owns 3,640 shares of the pharmacy operators stock valued at $347,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. increased its holdings in CVS Health by 1.0% in the third quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 10,025 shares of the pharmacy operators stock valued at $956,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Barn Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of CVS Health by 4.8% in the third quarter. Blue Barn Wealth LLC now owns 2,344 shares of the pharmacy operators stock worth $224,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. 77.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get CVS Health alerts: CVS Health Stock Performance Shares of CVS opened at $72.26 on Thursday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $92.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.16, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.61. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $77.90 and a 200 day moving average of $88.19. CVS Health Co. has a 12 month low of $71.94 and a 12 month high of $107.26. CVS Health Dividend Announcement CVS Health ( NYSE:CVS Get Rating ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 8th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $83.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $76.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.98 earnings per share. CVS Healths revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that CVS Health Co. will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current year. The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 21st will be issued a $0.605 dividend. This represents a $2.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 20th. CVS Healths payout ratio is currently 77.56%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several brokerages recently commented on CVS. Barclays reduced their price target on CVS Health from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 30th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an outperform rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of CVS Health in a research note on Thursday, February 9th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on CVS Health from $130.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, February 9th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on CVS Health in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a buy rating on the stock. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on CVS Health from $111.00 to $104.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 31st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $116.50. 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. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CVS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for CVS Health Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for CVS Health and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF (NYSEARCA:FILL Get Rating) shares fell 2.2% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $23.86 and last traded at $23.90. 17,699 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 22% from the average session volume of 22,772 shares. The stock had previously closed at $24.45. iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF Stock Down 0.1 % The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $23.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $24.25. The company has a market cap of $116.67 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.37 and a beta of 1.11. Get iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF alerts: Institutional Inflows and Outflows An institutional investor recently raised its position in iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF stock. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its stake in iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF (NYSEARCA:FILL Get Rating) by 2.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,357 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 656 shares during the quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. owned 0.47% of iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF worth $591,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. About iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF The iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF (FILL) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in energy equity. The fund tracks an index of companies in developed and emerging markets that are primarily engaged in the business of energy exploration and production. FILL was launched on Jan 31, 2012 and is managed by BlackRock. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited (OTCMKTS:JMHLY Get Rating) was the target of a large growth in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 17,600 shares, a growth of 417.6% from the March 31st total of 3,400 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 29,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.6 days. Jardine Matheson Stock Performance Shares of OTCMKTS:JMHLY traded up $0.19 on Thursday, reaching $48.54. The companys stock had a trading volume of 19,420 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,282. Jardine Matheson has a 52-week low of $45.01 and a 52-week high of $59.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.22. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $49.72. Get Jardine Matheson alerts: Jardine Matheson Increases Dividend The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.55 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 4.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 15th. This is a positive change from Jardine Mathesons previous dividend of $0.50. Jardine Matheson Company Profile Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd. is a diversified Asian-based group with unsurpassed experience in the region. It holds interests directly in Jardine Pacific (100%) and Jardine Motors (100%), while its 85%-held Group holding company, Jardine Strategic, holds interests in Hongkong Land (50%), Dairy Farm (78%), Mandarin Oriental (79%) and Jardine Cycle & Carriage (75%) (JC&C). Read More Receive News & Ratings for Jardine Matheson Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Jardine Matheson and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Luxottica Group SpA (OTCMKTS:LUXTY Get Rating) rose 0.4% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $55.90 and last traded at $55.80. Approximately 2,900 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 14,259 shares. The stock had previously closed at $55.60. Luxottica Group Trading Up 0.4 % The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 1.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.07 billion, a PE ratio of 24.37 and a beta of 0.27. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $55.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $55.80. About Luxottica Group (Get Rating) Luxottica Group S.p.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides fashion, luxury, sports, and performance eyewear worldwide. It operates through two segments, Manufacturing and Wholesale Distribution, and Retail Distribution. The Manufacturing and Wholesale Distribution segment engages in the design, manufacture, distribution, and marketing of proprietary and designer lines of prescription frames and sunglasses. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Luxottica Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Luxottica Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Mohawk Industries (NYSE:MHK Get Rating) updated its second quarter earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided EPS guidance of $2.56-2.66 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of $2.64. Mohawk Industries Stock Up 4.1 % NYSE MHK traded up $3.92 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $98.78. The stock had a trading volume of 1,058,104 shares, compared to its average volume of 577,958. The stock has a market cap of $6.29 billion, a PE ratio of 316.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.27. Mohawk Industries has a 1 year low of $87.01 and a 1 year high of $159.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.92 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $99.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $102.97. Get Mohawk Industries alerts: Mohawk Industries (NYSE:MHK Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 10th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.69 billion. Mohawk Industries had a return on equity of 10.06% and a net margin of 0.22%. Mohawk Industriess revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.95 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Mohawk Industries will post 8.93 earnings per share for the current year. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Insider Transactions at Mohawk Industries A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Mohawk Industries from $110.00 to $108.00 and set an underperform rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Mohawk Industries in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company. Barclays boosted their price target on Mohawk Industries from $83.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a report on Monday, February 13th. Credit Suisse Group cut their price objective on shares of Mohawk Industries from $109.00 to $103.00 in a report on Monday, March 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Mohawk Industries from $104.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, January 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $129.77. In other news, insider Suzanne L. Helen sold 2,700 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.40, for a total value of $314,280.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 14,353 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,670,689.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Suzanne L. Helen sold 4,250 shares of Mohawk Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.23, for a total transaction of $438,727.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,453 shares in the company, valued at $1,388,753.19. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Suzanne L. Helen sold 2,700 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.40, for a total value of $314,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 14,353 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,670,689.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,150 shares of company stock worth $1,374,876 over the last three months. 17.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mohawk Industries Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Mohawk Industries by 4.7% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,953 shares of the companys stock valued at $615,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund purchased a new position in Mohawk Industries in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,043,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Mohawk Industries by 23.2% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 14,929 shares of the companys stock worth $1,854,000 after buying an additional 2,809 shares in the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Mohawk Industries by 98.7% during the 1st quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,628 shares of the companys stock worth $1,320,000 after buying an additional 5,280 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS lifted its position in shares of Mohawk Industries by 6.6% in the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 7,341 shares of the companys stock valued at $912,000 after acquiring an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.85% of the companys stock. Mohawk Industries Company Profile (Get Rating) Mohawk Industries, Inc engages in the manufacture, design, and distribution of residential and commercial flooring products. It operates through the following segments: Global Ceramic, Flooring North America (NA), and Flooring Rest of the World (ROW). The Global Ceramic segment manufactures ceramic, porcelain, and natural stone tile products used for wall and floor applications. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Mohawk Industries Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mohawk Industries and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. A Chinese coast guard ship prevented a Philippine patrol ship from accessing a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. The Philippine Coast Guard invited journalists to join the sea patrol to expose China's aggressive operations in the area. The PCG's responsibilities have grown to include monitoring the West Philippine Sea and exposing the wrongdoings of the China Coast Guard and Chinese Maritime Militia. A Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) ship barred a Philippine patrol ship from accessing a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, leading to a near encounter that was part of a weeklong sovereignty patrol. As part of a plot to expose China's increasingly aggressive operations in the disputed area, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) invited journalists to join the sea patrol, according to AP News. The patrol boats traveled to the front lines of the territorial dispute and cruised around islands, islets, and reefs that the Philippines claimed and occupied to look for encroachment, illegal fishing, and other dangers. The Philippine patrol ships received radio warnings in Chinese-controlled regions asking them to leave what the CCG and Navy radio callers said was Beijing's "undisputable territories" and threatening them with vague consequences if they refused. The CCG radioed the two patrol ships repeatedly to leave the area as they neared the shoal's shallow turquoise waters for an underwater survey. The Chinese ship abruptly pivoted to block the Malapascua as it sailed and approached the opening of the shoal, passing within 36 to 46 meters of its bow. The captain immediately changed the vessel's course and turned off the engine to bring the boat to a complete halt to prevent a collision. Journalists on board the boats recorded the event. For the protection of the ships and crew, the PCG later departed from the area. Philippines Standing Up To China Under the direction of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the PCG's responsibilities have grown to encompass more than only monitoring the West Philippine Sea, which Manila claims as its own, as well as exposing the wrongdoings of the CCG and the Chinese Maritime Militia (CMM). Read Also: Iran Captures Oil Tanker in Gulf of Oman This change was made in response to an event in February in which the CCG attacked a 44-meter PCG vessel that was assisting the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on a resupply operation with a military-grade laser, according to a Diplomat feature. In the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Philippines, CMM vessel swarming occurrences are now openly reported by the PCG. The PCG's efforts to draw attention to illegal activity in the West Philippine Sea have been crucial in generating support for the government's stance and increasing public awareness. It also seeks the assistance and solidarity of the neighboring Southeast Asian nations. US, Philippines Flex Military Power in Latest Drills The PCG's latest patrol incident report was in light of the most recent military drills between US and Philippine troops in the South China Sea, which demonstrated their military might by firing on a simulated enemy warship. The annual Balikatan exercises included the exercise, which was observed in person by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The two long-standing treaty partners are conducting their biggest exercise to date, which includes over 17,600 military personnel, per CNN. Along with Philippine FA-50 fighter planes, helicopters, and artillery, US aircraft fired on a decommissioned cruiser being towed to a location inside the Philippine territorial seas off the island of Luzon using HIMARS rocket systems, F-35 and F-16 fighter jets, and Cobra helicopters. US and Philippine military officials noted that the drill attempted to coordinate combat troops. Related Article: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol Speaks Before US Congress @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU Get Rating) posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The coal producer reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.11, Briefing.com reports. The business had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.23 billion. Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 26.04%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 97.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.51 earnings per share. Peabody Energy Price Performance BTU stock traded up $0.76 during trading on Thursday, hitting $24.17. 4,395,329 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,145,730. Peabody Energy has a 52 week low of $17.42 and a 52 week high of $32.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 2.26 and a current ratio of 2.58. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $25.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $26.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.02. Get Peabody Energy alerts: Peabody Energy Cuts Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 11th will be paid a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.24%. Insiders Place Their Bets Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peabody Energy In other news, CAO Scott T. Jarboe sold 11,573 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.88, for a total value of $299,509.24. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 62,930 shares in the company, valued at $1,628,628.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website . In other news, CFO Mark Spurbeck sold 21,070 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.88, for a total value of $545,291.60. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 67,108 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,736,755.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link . Also, CAO Scott T. Jarboe sold 11,573 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.88, for a total value of $299,509.24. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 62,930 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,628,628.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders have sold 1,735,924 shares of company stock valued at $51,415,878 over the last ninety days. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders. A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Peabody Energy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Raymond James & Associates acquired a new position in Peabody Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $289,000. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Peabody Energy by 93.7% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 29,535 shares of the coal producers stock valued at $724,000 after purchasing an additional 14,285 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Peabody Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $1,206,000. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 54.4% in the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 47,644 shares of the coal producers stock valued at $1,169,000 after purchasing an additional 16,787 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.87% of the companys stock. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several research firms have issued reports on BTU. Benchmark upped their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 15th. B. Riley boosted their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $37.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Peabody Energy presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $34.75. Peabody Energy declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Monday, April 17th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the coal producer to reacquire up to 26.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the companys leadership believes its shares are undervalued. About Peabody Energy (Get Rating) Peabody Energy Corp. engages in the business of coal mining. It operates through the following business segments: Powder River Basin, Midwestern U.S., Western U.S., Seaborne Metallurgical, Seaborne Thermal Mining and Corporate and Other. The Powder River Basin Mining segment consists of its mines in Wyoming. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Peabody Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Peabody Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Phoenix Wealth Advisors boosted its position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL Get Rating) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,969 shares of the enterprise software providers stock after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the quarter. Phoenix Wealth Advisors holdings in Oracle were worth $488,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Cowa LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 40.96% of the companys stock. Get Oracle alerts: Insider Transactions at Oracle In other news, Director Rona Alison Fairhead sold 8,080 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.82, for a total value of $725,745.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,197 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,005,714.54. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Rona Alison Fairhead sold 8,080 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.82, for a total value of $725,745.60. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,197 shares in the company, valued at $1,005,714.54. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Safra Catz sold 1,837,101 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.86, for a total value of $172,430,299.86. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at $104,991,045.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,890,181 shares of company stock worth $177,370,295 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 43.70% of the companys stock. Oracle Stock Performance Shares of NYSE ORCL traded down $0.11 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $93.60. 1,453,795 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,071,924. The firm has a market capitalization of $252.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.00. Oracle Co. has a 52 week low of $60.78 and a 52 week high of $96.74. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $90.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $84.13. Oracle (NYSE:ORCL Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.02. Oracle had a negative return on equity of 262.40% and a net margin of 17.46%. The firm had revenue of $12.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.42 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.94 EPS. The companys revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 4.01 EPS for the current fiscal year. Oracle Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 11th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is a positive change from Oracles previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.71%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 10th. Oracles payout ratio is currently 52.81%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades ORCL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Oracle from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a report on Friday, March 10th. UBS Group upped their price target on Oracle from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Friday, March 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $93.00 price target on Oracle and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Friday, March 10th. Berenberg Bank upped their target price on Oracle from $72.00 to $82.50 in a research report on Wednesday, March 8th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Oracle from $81.00 to $85.00 in a research report on Friday, March 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $95.46. Oracle Company Profile (Get Rating) Oracle Corp. engages in the provision of products and services that address all aspects of corporate information technology environments. It operates through the following business segments: Cloud and License, Hardware, and Services. The Cloud and License segment markets, sells, and delivers applications, platform, and infrastructure technologies. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ORCL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Oracle Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Oracle and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Rollins (NYSE:ROL Get Rating) posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The business services provider reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.17 by $0.01, Briefing.com reports. Rollins had a return on equity of 30.92% and a net margin of 13.53%. The business had revenue of $658.02 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $643.78 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.15 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Rollins Price Performance ROL stock traded up $2.46 during trading on Thursday, hitting $41.78. 1,182,702 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,323,508. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $36.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.71. Rollins has a 52 week low of $31.43 and a 52 week high of $43.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.43 and a beta of 0.66. Get Rollins alerts: Rollins Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 10th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 9th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.24%. Rollinss payout ratio is 70.27%. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rollins during the second quarter worth $29,000. Fred Alger Management LLC acquired a new position in Rollins during the third quarter valued at $41,000. Money Concepts Capital Corp acquired a new position in shares of Rollins in the 4th quarter valued at $51,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Rollins during the 1st quarter valued at about $80,000. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. raised its stake in shares of Rollins by 98.8% during the 3rd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,280 shares of the business services providers stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 1,133 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 38.98% of the companys stock. A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Redburn Partners began coverage on Rollins in a research note on Wednesday, February 1st. They issued a buy rating and a $62.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com cut Rollins from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday. Three 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 an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $44.25. About Rollins (Get Rating) Rollins, Inc engages in the provision of pest and termite control services through its wholly-owned subsidiaries to both residential and commercial customers in the United States, Canada, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Asia, the Mediterranean, Europe, Africa, Mexico, and Australia. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Rollins Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Rollins and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Sovereign Metals Limited (LON:SVML Get Rating) traded up 2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as GBX 26 ($0.32) and last traded at GBX 26 ($0.32). 18,537 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 17% from the average session volume of 22,334 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 25.50 ($0.32). Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Separately, Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a GBX 83 ($1.04) price objective on shares of Sovereign Metals in a research note on Monday, February 13th. Get Sovereign Metals alerts: Sovereign Metals Stock Down 1.9 % The businesss 50-day moving average price is GBX 25.79 and its 200 day moving average price is GBX 24.70. The company has a market capitalization of 120.07 million, a P/E ratio of -1,300.00 and a beta of 1.07. Sovereign Metals Company Profile Sovereign Metals Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the identification, exploration, development, and appraisal of mineral resource projects in Malawi. Its flagship project is the Kasiya rutile deposit in Malawi. The company was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Perth, Australia. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Sovereign Metals Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Sovereign Metals and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Telecom Italia S.p.A. (OTCMKTS:TIIAY Get Rating) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 22,700 shares, a decline of 65.5% from the March 31st total of 65,800 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 45,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.5 days. Telecom Italia Stock Performance Shares of TIIAY stock traded up $0.07 during trading on Thursday, reaching $2.96. The companys stock had a trading volume of 18,486 shares, compared to its average volume of 31,345. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $3.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $2.69. Telecom Italia has a one year low of $1.65 and a one year high of $3.48. Get Telecom Italia alerts: About Telecom Italia (Get Rating) Read More Telecom Italia SpA engages in the provision of telecommunication and Internet services, digital contents, and cloud services. It operates through the following business segments: Domestic, Brazil, and Other Operations. The Domestic segment includes operations in Italy for voice and data services on fixed and mobile networks for retail and wholesale customers, the international wholesale through Telecom Italia Sparkle, and products and services for information technology through the Olivetti group. Receive News & Ratings for Telecom Italia Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Telecom Italia and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Google on Wednesday said it obtained a temporary court order in the U.S. to disrupt the distribution of a Windows-based information-stealing malware called CryptBot and "decelerate" its growth. The tech giant's Mike Trinh and Pierre-Marc Bureau said the efforts are part of steps it takes to "not only hold criminal operators of malware accountable, but also those who profit from its distribution." CryptBot is estimated to have infected over 670,000 computers in 2022 with the goal of stealing sensitive data such as authentication credentials, social media account logins, and cryptocurrency wallets from users of Google Chrome. The harvested data is then exfiltrated to the threat actors, who then sell the data to other attackers for use in data breach campaigns. CryptBot was first discovered in the wild in December 2019. The malware has been traditionally delivered via maliciously modified versions of legitimate and popular software packages such as Google Earth Pro and Google Chrome that are hosted on fake websites. What's more, a CryptBot campaign unearthed by Red Canary in December 2021 entailed the use of KMSPico, an unofficial tool that's used to illegally activate Microsoft Office and Windows without a license key, as a delivery vector. Then in March 2022, BlackBerry disclosed details of a new and improved version of the malicious infostealer that was distributed via compromised pirate sites that purport to offer "cracked" versions of various software and video games. The major distributors of CryptBot, per Google, are suspected to be operating a "worldwide criminal enterprise" based out of Pakistan. Google said it intends to use the court order, granted by a federal judge in the Southern District of New York, to "take down current and future domains that are tied to the distribution of CryptBot," thereby kneecapping the spread of new infections. UPCOMING WEBINAR Learn to Stop Ransomware with Real-Time Protection Join our webinar and learn how to stop ransomware attacks in their tracks with real-time MFA and service account protection. Save My Seat! To mitigate risks posed by such threats, it's advised to only download software from well-known and trusted sources, scrutinize reviews, and ensure that the device's operating system and software are kept up-to-date. The disclosure comes weeks after Microsoft, Fortra, and Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Health-ISAC) legally joined hands to dismantle servers hosting illegal, legacy copies of Cobalt Strike to prevent the tool's abuse by threat actors. It also follows Google's endeavors to shut down the command-and-control infrastructure associated with a botnet dubbed Glupteba in December 2021. The malware, however, staged a return six months later as part of an "upscaled" campaign. Separately, ESET and Microsoft-owned GitHub announced the temporary disruption of a commodity information stealer malware named RedLine Stealer after finding that its command-and-control panels leveraged four different GitHub repositories as dead drop resolvers. "The removal of these repositories should break authentication for panels currently in use," the Slovak cybersecurity company said. "While this doesn't affect the actual back-end servers, it will force the RedLine operators to distribute new panels to their customers." Crippled by anxiety, many new Americans in Grand Island are hesitant to reach out for health care services in the community, nursing students at Creighton University found. As a result, Chantal Kohl of Aurora and fellow nursing students Mikayla Brant and Celine Keshazari organized a health fair for immigrant families in the community, in hopes of making the health care system a little less scary and much more accessible. Thirteen organizations were stationed at Grand Island Literacy Councils building Tuesday, April 18, reaching out to this underserved group. Those included Central District Health Department, CHI Health, Willowbrook Mental Health and Creighton College of Nursing. Kohl said the group hypothesized socioeconomic factors that keep Grand Islanders from accessing health care. We thought maybe there would be like a socioeconomic piece, she said. That wasn't it, it was mostly relating to anxiety about access to care. We decided to host a little health fair so that the people who frequent the Literacy Council could have care in an environment that was comfortable for them. Community members could get a free checkup and get information about blood pressure, diabetes, WIC, breast feeding, vaccinations and other health-related topics. Creighton College of Nursing has a campus housed at CHI St. Francis, where Kohl is in the accelerated program. The health fair was conceived of for a populations health class, she said. Every year the students are tasked with finding an agency and partnering with them and assessing their population and learning about the needs of that population, Kohl explained. The cohort of students participated in Literacy Councils conversation groups, where they learned about new Americans needs and barriers to health care needs. The Literacy Council continued to partner with the students, said Tiffany Hartford, executive director of Grand Island Literacy Council. From there, they kind of got the idea that maybe they should pull organizations together and do a health fair, Hartford said. We set up the space (as an) open promotional event type setup, and invited students and members from the public to come in and learn about health and what resources are available. This effort to alleviate anxiety about the unknown sought to address reasons why many new Americans hesitate or struggle to find health care, Hartford said. One is just simply the language barrier, she said. There are fears of overcoming that language barrier. How do you talk to a doctor? Even scheduling an appointment is something that can be a barrier. Their status in the United States may be questionable, so they're nervous about having that record or that document that they have visited with a doctor, Hartford added. New Americans not receiving health care isnt due to lack of effort, Hartford said. The existing doctors and health care providers in Grand Island try. Theres just this missing piece. A missing piece that Kohl said she hopes gets more of the communitys new Americans the care they need through the health fairs efforts. A lot of people were hoping that next years (class) would bring it back and make it an annual thing, she said. ''Hopefully they do. Imagination City Childrens Museum has closed in Conestoga Mall with plans to open at another location. Museum director Laura Johnson announced Tuesday that Sunday was Imagination Citys final day of operation in the mall. Woodsonia, the new mall owner, is releasing us from our current lease at the end of this month, Johnson wrote. Our little city miraculously survived COVID-19 and had just started to recover when we hit this new bump in the road. We cant seem to catch a break. Although we are fighting every day to keep our doors open, it will take more financial support from our community to relocate, Johnson wrote. If youre a praying person, we ask you to pray for clarity, wisdom and direction surrounding our circumstances. We want to continue to be a blessing to the families in our community, but there are many things that still have to fall into place, Johnson wrote. If youve visited Imagination City before, youre well aware that our employees are the best of the best. They are beyond passionate about this little gem and they would all love to get right back to work serving our community! In the past three and a half years, not only has ICCM been a resource to families at our location in the Conestoga Mall, we have also taken part in more community events than we could begin to mention. We have made countless donations to schools, fundraisers and other events in the form of family day passes to the museum. We never turned down an opportunity to donate to another cause. Our community outreach programs have allowed us to visit many preschools and elementary schools in our community, Johnson continued. We have been a field trip destination for migrant programs, daycares, public schools and children in foster care. We have given half-price memberships to underprivileged children, for families to meet at ICCM for visitations and to foster care families. ICCM also puts on many events throughout the year including our most popular event, Halloween Hoopla, A Night in White, Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, Bunny Bash, Cinco De Mayo and many more. Were hoping the families in Grand Island, as well as local businesses, will rally behind us and help us, financially, to relocate. If youd like to help us move, there are numerous ways you can donate to help us secure a location. People can go to www.giimaginationcity.com, visit the Donate tab and click on Donate Now. On that same page is a GoFundMe link as well. The museum is also participating in Go Big Give again this year. Donations may be mailed to 3404 W. 13th St., Suite 124B Grand Island, NE 68803. People may also reach the museum through Facebook Messenger or giimaginationcity@gmail.com. On May 10, a portion of sales at Chipotle Mexican Grill will benefit Imagination City. The museum will be represented at the 2023 Nebraska State Fly-in and Airshow on June 3, at GIPS POWER Camp, the Explore-A-Truck event at the State Fair and at least one other event. Johnson was not available for comment on Wednesday. The press release notes that Imagination City has hosted many birthday parties and has even hosted work parties and Christmas parties for local businesses and daycares. We hope the members of our community and local businesses will step up and financially support our move so Imagination City Childrens Museum can continue to be an asset to our community. Please email the museum with any questions regarding making a donation or sponsoring an exhibit. Lastly, if you currently have a membership, our plan is to extend your membership out for the exact amount of time that the museum is closed for. If you had a membership during the pandemic, it would look exactly the same, Johnson wrote. Thank you to everyone who has supported our cause for the last four years, and thank you in advance to anyone who donates to help us move our little city. Imagination City is not to be confused with Grand Island Childrens Museum, the nonprofit entity that is remodeling the former National Guard Armory on Old Potash Highway. About the author: NIKOLAY KHORKOV, founder and CEO of the Fibertool group of companies, is a successful entrepreneur and business development specialist with over 20 years of demonstrated expertise. MBA in Strategy and Finance with a proven track record in entrepreneurship, general management, and operations. Multiple successful ventures over the past two decades. Extensive C-level management experience with a focus on strategy and business development. Hardware and software engineering for fiber optic solutions. Sustainability is a crucial objective that society endeavors to achieve. It encompasses the capacity of individuals to inhabit the Earth for extended periods while conserving its resources for future generations. In pursuit of a brighter future, the United Nations General Assembly has established a framework of 17 interconnected goals that address the most urgent environmental, economic, and social challenges. The efforts to tackle environmental issues have led to the evolution of the sustainable development concept. Over the past five decades, numerous strategies aimed at preserving natural resources and ecosystems, which are vital to life on Earth, have been actively deliberated. Green Business Projects Overview An increasing number of organizations worldwide are engaging in ESG transformations. According to NAVEX Global, a software company, 88% of public and over 60% of private companies globally have implemented sustainable development initiatives. These companies utilize renewable energy sources, reuse or recycle materials in their operations, collaborate with public associations, and prioritize customers and partners interested in adopting sustainability initiatives. Investment levels in such projects and production process improvements vary by organization size and industry. However, the Carbon Disclosure Project estimated that the world's 250 largest companies invested $3.9 trillion in sustainable development projects in 2020. Businesses place particular emphasis on the environmental aspect, with carbon footprint reduction being the most ambitious objective. A study by consulting firm Accenture, which analyzed the reports of the 2,000 largest companies by revenue, revealed that nearly one-third of them aim to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. In 2022, most of these companies were in the following sectors: Transport - 55% (+26% by 2021); Financial markets - 54% (+5% by 2021); Banking - 46% (+0% by 2021); Housing and communal services - 43% (+8% by 2021); Communications and media - 42% (+5% by 2021). Telecommunications currently accounts for 8-10% of global energy consumption and 2-4% of greenhouse gas emissions, according to the European Commission. Recognizing the environmental risks, companies involved in constructing and operating telecommunications networks have started collaborating to implement green initiatives. This collaboration led to the formation of the European Green Digital Coalition (EGDC) in 2021, which now comprises 36 CEOs. Among its members are Microsoft, Nokia, IBM, Ericsson, Google, and Cisco. EGDC's primary objective is to maximize digitalization benefits to achieve sustainable development goals, meaning these companies not only work to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions but also support the green digital transformation of sectors like energy, transport, agriculture, and construction with their solutions. Although telecommunications company leaders have become more aware of sustainable development's importance, they have not always been successful in executing their projects. According to BCG's "Telco Sustainability Index" research, changes in their operations can hardly be considered significant yet. Concurrently, atmospheric emissions are projected to increase by 7% annually. How did the performance of companies in different regions change in 2020-2021 (according to BCG) Index Europe USA Asia Total energy consumption (% change) -22 -5 +4 Share of renewable energy in 2021 (and % change by 2020) 72% (+19%) 2% (+59%) 1% (-17%) Total Waste (%) +1% -24% -28% Share of waste recycled in 2021 (and % change by 2020) 81% (+14%) 54% (+12%) 58% (+2%) The Role of Fiber Optics One of the measures that help telecommunications companies reduce their environmental impact is the transition to fiber optics. This technology offers numerous advantages compared to copper cables, which are still widely used in network construction: Reducing copper production: The mining industry currently accounts for approximately 8% of the global carbon footprint. According to Corning Inc., producing a 200-foot copper cable requires 2 kg of copper, and around 1,000 kg of hazardous substances are released into the atmosphere during mining. In contrast, the environmental impact of constructing a 200-foot optical fiber is estimated to be only 0.06 kg. Lower equipment requirements: Fiber-optic communication lines require less equipment than copper due to the use of light for data transmission rather than electrical signals. Light signals can travel long distances along fibers with minimal power loss, leading to fewer signal amplifiers and reduced material usage. Increased reliability and durability: Fiber optic cables, made of glass or plastic threads, are more reliable and durable than their copper counterparts. They are resistant to corrosion, temperature fluctuations, and electromagnetic interference, which means networks built using fiber optics are less likely to require repairs. According to American Consumer, widespread adoption of fiber-optic internet could result in over 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions reduction within a decade. Notably, fiber optics not only directly contribute to sustainable development goals, but also indirectly aid companies and organizations in achieving them. For example, fiber optic networks are essential for the development of smart home and city technologies. A reliable, high-speed internet connection ensures the operation of devices that save and efficiently use resources, such as water, electricity, and fuel. Fiber optic sensors are also utilized for air quality monitoring. Another benefit relates to the growing trend of remote work and the provision of remote services. Fiber-optic technologies are increasingly accessible to individuals, enabling them to access high-speed internet anywhere globally. This connectivity allows people to participate in business meetings, hold consultations or presentations, analyze data, and prepare reports without physical transportation. Consequently, the demand for transportation and large office spaces diminishes, reducing the environmental impact. The Rising Popularity of Fiber Optics The environmental benefits and efficiency of fiber optics are contributing to its increasing popularity each year. According to Statista, there were approximately 310 million fiber internet subscribers worldwide in 2016, which increased to 468 million by 2020. It is projected that by the end of 2023, there will be over 600 million global subscribers utilizing fiber-optic internet. In the past year, among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member countries, the largest increase in fiber optic internet subscribers was recorded in Belgium (86.9%), Costa Rica (50.7%), the UK (46.6%), Ireland (39.6%), Chile (34.8%), Italy (34.3%), Colombia (31.7%), and France (31%). Simultaneously, among the OECD member countries, the highest percentage of subscribers connected to high-speed internet via fiber can be found in Korea (87.3%) and Japan (83.9%), where major fiber manufacturers are concentrated. In the United States, the majority of internet users are still connected through copper cables, with only 19.9% of subscribers using fiber optics. The lack of necessary infrastructure, particularly in rural areas, is cited as a primary reason for this lag. The use of fiber optics not only contributes to addressing environmental issues but also assists in achieving other sustainable development goals. For example, it enables a large number of people to promptly consult medical professionals, access education, and find jobs to apply their acquired knowledge in practice. Fiber optics allows individuals previously excluded from digitalization benefits to fully participate in the global economy, improve their living standards, and contribute to worldwide prosperity. As the demand for sustainable development grows, telecommunications sector companies must incorporate this focus into their daily operations and strategic planning. To achieve sustainable development goals, telecom executives must consistently monitor such projects and encourage their customers to follow a similar path. Risk Management Aeries Settles Data Breach Lawsuit for $1.75M; Illuminate Suit is Dismissed For Now Data Privacy Attorney Explains Why Schools and Ed Tech Vendors Collecting or Storing PII Face Greater Risk Than Ever Two ed tech providers that suffered data breaches that compromised private student information have seen civil lawsuits reach vastly different results yet both should serve as a stark warning for ed tech companies collecting student data, a data privacy attorney told THE Journal. In a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of students at San Dieguito Union High School District, a federal judge in March gave final approval to a settlement ordering Aeries Software to pay $1.75 million to members of the class, which includes nearly 100,000 former and current San Dieguito Union students whose PII was compromised in a November 2019 breach of Aeries databases. Last week, a proposed national class-action lawsuit filed against Illuminate Education over its January 2022 data breachwas dismissed by the same court, the U.S. District Court Central District of California, Western Division. The judge dismissing the lawsuit against Illuminate formed when civil suits filed last summer in New York and California were combined wrote in his decision that the plaintiffs did not successful establish standing to sue or that actual harm was imminent, and the court gave the plaintiffs 21 days to amend the complaint and re-file. Recipe for a Costly Data Breach The two lawsuits with differing outcomes stemmed from two vastly different breaches. In the Aeries case, plaintiffs had established that the compromised data included nearly every form of student and parent Personal Identifying Information stored by Aeries for San Dieguito Union schools over many years; in the Illuminate case, plaintiffs neither alleged nor established that any data beyond behavioral, academic, and demographic information was compromised. Aeries student information system used by Texas and California districts to store the records of more than 30 million students, according to its website was breached in November 2019; the company did not notify districts about the breach until the following April. That notice of data breach, sent to school districts and filed with the California Attorney General, disclosed only that the following information was compromised: Parent and student login information, physical residence addresses, emails, and password hashes, according to the settlement agreement filed with the court. The data breach notice did not disclose that additional PII was stored on behalf of its school district customers, including student health records, Social Security numbers, class grades, standardized test information, previous addresses, and parents or guardians debit or credit cards and other financial information, the settlement agreement said. Aeries executives acknowledged during later court proceedings that the breach compromised the databases of 166 school districts, exposing the PII of approximately 3 million former and current students. At least one of the several lawsuits filed over the breach sought nationwide class-action status, but following months of mediation, the class was limited to only SDUHSD current and former students and their guardians because class counsel determined that this population was differently situated than other districts using Aeries SIS and had an increased risk of exposure from the data breach, according to the settlement filing with the court. In the Illuminate Education case, U.S. District Court Judge James Selna on April 19, 2023, granted Illuminates motion to dismiss, agreeing that plaintiffs have not plausibly alleged any actual identity theft. Plaintiffs allege they are concerned that their or their childs Social Security numbers were breached but do not actually allege social security numbers were part of the data breach, the judge wrote in the dismissal. Plaintiffs allege students academic, behavior, and demographic information was leaked but notably do not allege social security, credit card, or bank information was leaked. In its breach notification letters that began going out to school districts last April, Illuminate expressly said that Social Security numbers and financial information were not at risk as a result of this event. On the other hand, its possible the leaked information potentially allowed an individual to recover passwords to (plaintiffs financial accounts), wrote the judge. In any event, the Court is left to speculate, based on the allegations and facts, as to whether any actual identity theft occurred based on information leaked in the data breach. He added that the factual allegations do not actually create a nexus between the information leaked and the alleged harm. Plaintiffs fail to establish any actual identity theft related to the data breach and thus the harm has not materialized. Likewise, Plaintiffs fail to allege how the information leaked in the data breach (academic and behavioral information) puts them at harm or risk, particularly credible and immediate risk of harm, said the ruling. Remember "Dolby"? Some might shrug their shoulders, turn their heads quizzically and wonder whatever happened to the once-renowned noise reduction system. While music technology and formats have changed over the past 67 years, rest assured that the Dolby process is still venerable. It has advanced over the years to become a taken-for-granted feature of audio systems in today's computers, televisions and cinemas. It's true. Dolby has been around since 1965. The word refers to the noise reduction system patented by American inventor Ray Dolby. After working at the Ampex Corporation in California and earning a degree in electrical engineering from Stanford, Dolby accepted a Ph.D. scholarship to study at Cambridge University in England. It was in London where he later founded Dolby Laboratories and invented his noise reduction system. To explain it in simple terms, the first Dolby noise reduction technology minimized the background "hiss" inherently present on audio tape by boosting high frequencies--roughly between 2,000 and 10,000 hertz during recording and then de-emphasizing the same signal on playback. The result? Dolby found that by overwhelming the noise when recording and then reducing it on playback yielded the same audio content except with an improved signal-to-noise ratio specification. Sounds complicated? Signal-to-noise is a key factor for audio quality that was discussed in the three-part Music Historicity series "CDs versus Vinyl" (Part 1, 2 and 3) that was published in March, 2021. The improved signal-to-noise specification with Dolby noise reduction was significant enough to convince recording studios to accept and use the technology beginning in the late 1960s, around the same time that multitrack recording became commonplace. The British company Decca was the first record label to purchase and routinely use the circuitry, which cost the equivalent of about $872 at the time (about $13,700 in today's economy and exchange rate). The first recording that boasted Dolby noise reduction was one of Mozart piano concertos performed by Grammy-winning Icelandic pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy, in 1966. By 1969, Dolby established a second corporate office in San Francisco. He then applied for and was granted a U.S. Patent on his noise reduction system. The original technology, known as Dolby A, was housed in simple chassis that could be mounted in a rack of equipment in the audio chain at recording studios. The first consumer version of the system, called Dolby B noise reduction, was produced in 1968. The technology was simpler than Dolby A and intended for the emerging market of audio cassette music. Cassette tape had advantages and limitations, as explained in a April 22, 2021, Music Historicity column. Instead of spreading the audio information onto magnetic particles on 3-inch-wide tape running at 15 inches per second, the "compact cassette" squeezed four tracks of sound onto tape just one-eighth of an inch wide that passed over the playback heads at the snail's pace of 1.875 inches per second. The compact size was the primary advantage for cassettes, which replaced bulky and noisy 8-track tapes in car audio players. A big disadvantage was the limited audio fidelity due to the small size of the tape and magnetic particles. Dolby noise reduction was commonly applied to prerecorded music on compact cassettes. If a car tape deck was advanced enough to have Dolby, the sound was less noisy. If it didn't have Dolby to decode the boosted signal, the high frequencies were more pronounced. An improved Dolby C noise reduction was marketed in 1980, and Dolby also became commonplace on the soundtracks of movies produced on VHS tape. Dolby also made its way into radio broadcasting. In 1971, the Chicago public radio station WFMT-FM began broadcasting content that was filtered with Dolby noise reduction. Recognizing that audio tracks printed on optical film also were noisy, Ray Dolby sought to improve sound on film. It was director Stanley Kubrick who first approached the inventor to use his noise reduction system on the 1971 film "A Clockwork Orange." From there, Dolby technology was used to expand audio into film soundtracks with left, right and center channels. Soon, a fourth "surround" channel was added, which first was used on the 1976 movie "A Star Is Born." By 1985, there were 6,000 movie theaters worldwide set up to decode and screen films that used Dolby Stereo sound. The inventor soon created Dolby Surround and Dolby Pro Logic for home use. For the 1992 film "Batman Returns," Dolby developed digital surround sound compression, which was first known as Dolby Stereo Digital, and now Dolby Digital. The system was adopted by the DVD industry for use in encoded disks as well as in home players. A version of the Dolby Digital technology also was developed for the TV series "The Simpsons." Following the first quadraphonic sound in the 1975 film "Tommy" Dolby divided sound on film into six channels for the system known as "5.1" surround audio. In 2010, he expanded it to Dolby Surround 7.1, with left, right, center, side left and right, rear and subwoofer channels. The first film released with the new format was "Toy Story 3." Since then, most newly-released movies are mixed in Dolby Surround 7.1. Where will it end? You may not have noticed, but Dolby Atmos was configured in 2012, which added overhead sound. It was used in the Pixar motion picture "Brave" and also adapted on DVD for "Game of Thrones." Dolby Atmos also is compatible with Windows 10 and 11 for computer use. With all the innovations, I still chuckle at a scene from the movie "This Is Spinal Tap," where a band member's girlfriend criticizes that the vocals cannot be distinguished on their new album, "Smell the Glove." "Jeanine" insists that the album was "mixed wrong" and the problem was due to it using the "Doubly" process. All across the region, high school entrepreneurs have been gearing up to showcase their businesses and themselves as part of the tradeshows which culminate their year in CEO (Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities) and other programs. This is their opportunity to publicly display their businesses, explained Tina Norman, facilitator of the Saline County CEO Program. Some of them have never done that before. So this might be day one of their business or it might be a business that they've done for some time that and now they're taking the opportunity to set up their product or their service and really showcase that to the public. These high school classes expose students to the world of business and entrepreneurship through meetings and teachings from business leaders, on-site visits, classroom work and, finally, by helping them establish their own enterprises. Students in the Jackson County CEO Program, the Saline County CEO Program, the Union County CEO Program and Franklin County EDGE meet every weekday (often at 7:30 a.m.) under the guidance of a local facilitator, who connects the students with one another (usually students from several high schools combined into a countywide program) and to business leaders in their communities. The programs, which are funded through private donations from individuals, organizations and businesses, aim to show students the presence of jobs and business opportunities in their own communities and to teach them how to start enterprises from scratch. In most of the regional groups, CEO is affiliated with the Effingham-based Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship. The Franklin County EDGE program works with Rend Lake College. Norman explained, CEO is an entrepreneurship class for high school students. It is a dual credit course in which they really learn what it takes to start up and operate a successful business. And at the end of the year, they create their own individual business as a part of the program. After almost a complete school year of lessons and experiences which include the creation of a class business, the students are ready to showcase their own individual businesses which they have been looking to launch all year. For many students, the businesses can blossom into long-term entities even beyond high school. The students showcase their start-ups at each programs annual tradeshow. Students in the Saline County program held their event April 20 at Southeastern Illinois College. The Union County event was on Wednesday, April 26. The Franklin County Edge tradeshow is 5:30 p.m., Thursday at La Galarie in Benton and the Jackson County CEO students will exhibit their businesses at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 4 at the Dunn-Richmond Center at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. The tradeshows are more than an opportunity to introduce their businesses, Norman said. The event is a business lesson in itself. It is really a culmination of everything that they've learned through the whole year. The importance of communicating with your customer, the importance of representing your brand, having a product people would want to buy not just one time but the importance of having a recurring customer. This is their opportunity to really show all of those skills that they've learned through the whole year," Norman said. Where laid-off tech workers are going Where laid-off tech workers are going #23. Computer systems design services (tie) #23. General medical and surgical hospitals (tie) #23. Other management consulting services (tie) #22. Administrative management and general management consulting services #18. Offices of real estate agents and brokers (tie) #18. Financial transactions processing (tie) #18. Automobile manufacturing (tie) #18. All other transit and ground passenger transportation (tie) #17. Travel agencies #14. Employment placement agencies (tie) #14. Miscellaneous intermediation (tie) #14. Semiconductor and related device manufacturing (tie) #12. Investment advice (tie) #12. Warehouse clubs and supercenters (tie) #11. Security and workflow software #9. All other telecommunications (tie) #9. Communications equipment manufacturing (tie) #8. Commercial banking #7. Colleges, universities, and professional schools #6. Computer programming services #4. Electronic shopping/e-commerce (tie) #4. Data processing, hosting, and related services (tie) #3. Other computer related services #2. Websites and social media #1. Software publishers DENMARK The City of Denmark has spent millions of dollars in replacing water lines in the town during the past few years as previously reported in the T&D, but a recent issue has come up regarding lead in service lines. City Administrator Heyward Robinson made an additional water line request in Februarys City Council meeting for permission to seek funding to replace service lines that contain lead. Next, Mayor Pro Tem Jake Bookard made a motion to give him permission to do so, and Councilmember Bonnie Love seconded the motion. It was approved unanimously. Robinson also reported that the Public Works Department repaired 12 water leaks and made sewer line repairs in the town in February. In March, they repaired 11 water leaks and made additional sewer line repairs. In the March Denmark City Council meeting, Chief Leroy Grimes of the Denmark Police Department announced that the city had recently recovered a vehicle stolen from the city in 2019. No further information was given about the vehicle. During Februarys Council meeting, Grimes announced the hiring of Investigator Eddie Williams at the D.P.D. Williams solved seven cases during his first month, started on three more, and has continued to solve cases. Councilwoman Hope Long Weldon, Chair of the Police Committee, during this meeting, said she had met with the Director of Mental Health on dealing with mental health issues in the town. Grimes, during Marchs Council meeting, stated the Police Department had a zero tolerance policy for the week of the Dogwood Festival. Most activities of the festival took place and without incident, but the last day of the festival was cancelled due to inclement weather. There was no Dogwood Festival parade for this reason, and rides were not in operation the last day. Mayor Dr. Gerald Wright had announced in the March meeting that Fire Chief Charles Breeland was to be the 2023 Grand Marshal for the Dogwood Festival Parade. Breeland has given many years of service to the Denmark Fire Department. The new fire engine the Fire Department purchased through the citys assistance was also to be available for the parade. In Februarys meeting, City Accountant Rusty Munoz stated that the city had received a clean audit. Wright reminded everyone that the city had consistently received clean audits for the last 21 years. We should not take it for granted, Wright said and thanked the Robinson, Munoz, councilmembers, and staff. Wright, during Marchs meeting, also recognized Councilwomen Hope Long Weldon and Bervay Carter for their years of service. Both councilwomen were given plaques. Weldon said Marchs meeting was her last meeting as a councilmember and that she was on Council for four years. She said she learned from everybody and that Denmark is a very supportive city. She also thanked all of the councilmembers and Wright. Wright thanked her again. Bookard said the Council enjoyed working with both ladies. Councilwoman Carter said, To the newcomers, we old-timers are willing to help any time. Wright next reminded Council that it was time to appoint or re-appoint the Municipal Court Judge. Councilwoman Weldon made a motion to re-appoint the Hon. Judge James A. Spellman as Municipal Court Judge for another term. The motion was seconded simultaneously by Councilmembers Calvin Odom and Bonnie Love. The motion passed without dissent. Also in Marchs meeting, Councilmember Odom of the Public Works Committee expressed concerns about the contractor cuts in the roads. Wright stated that the city will do its best to make the necessary repairs and get the necessary resources if needed. In Februarys meeting, Taylor Lee from S.C.D.H.E.C. presented the City of Denmark with a certificate for being a Smoke Free Town. Wright thanked him for this but, on a different note, later expressed concern about the appearance of the downtown area and its cleanliness. Regarding the citys appearance, Councilwoman Rosa James, in Marchs meeting, said citizens should be reminded that the city does not pick up appliances and furniture with garbage pick-up and not to put them by the road. Wright said if that service were added, it would add revenue. These concerns have been expressed in previous meetings. NORTH -- The owners of four horses were accused of not cleaning up after their animals following a visit to a park in North. Councilman Jeff Washington mentioned this incident during the North Council meeting on April 10, and said that he had to call the police chief about the issue. Chief Lin Shirer of the North Police Department said, "I don't think there should be animals there." Councilwoman Jennifer Williams said she thought dogs should at least be allowed there. Washington said, in addition to the recent horses, that there is at least one big German shepherd that makes too much of a mess at the park and that people will not clean up after their dogs. He made a motion for there to be no animals allowed at the park. The motion was seconded. Mid-meeting, Council went into executive session to discuss an issue related to employment. No motions or decisions were made upon return from the executive session. Early in the meeting, Mayor Julius Jones said he discussed with another regional mayor what grants had been applied for to use for water and sewer improvements and how those might be applied for by North. He had no further information at this time. Jones also said the town will be getting bags and other materials for the April litter clean up if citizens are interested in forming a clean-up group. Orangeburg artist Janet Kozacheks work will be featured in a Stormwater Studios exhibition. Bits & Pieces is an exhibition featuring the work of six South Carolina artists. The focus is on creators whose work incorporates multiple elements or media, sometimes disparate or unexpected, into beautiful combinations. The artwork ranges from traditional mosaics to contemporary quilts and ceramics, to intricate woodworking. The artists are: Janet Kozachek Cameron Porter Mary Robinson Janet Swigler Olga Yukhno Jeri Burdick The exhibition will run through May 7. Events include: Public workshop: Media is the Message, Tuesday, May 2, 6-7 p.m. Artist Talks: Thursday, May 4, 6-8 p.m. Closing celebration: Sunday, May 7, 1-3 p.m. The studio is located at 413 Pendleton Street, Columbia. Find more information at www.stormwaterstudios.org. (TBTCO) - Voi viec S&P 500, chi so ai dien cho thi truong chung khoan My, o luong muc o von hoa cua 500 cong ty ai chung lon nhat nuoc My, roi vao thi truong gau (thi truong gia xuong) dai nhat ke tu nam 1973, mot so nha au tu ca nhan cho biet a hoc uoc mot vai ieu ve viec au tu trong qua trinh nay. Social media platforms hold a great deal of content, but not everything is fit for the eyes of younger folk like teenagers. The legislation will bring new limitations with access when it comes to teenagers aged 13 to 17, with stricter rules for users below that bracket. Introduction of the Bill A group of bipartisan senators created the bill with the purpose of protecting children from harmful content on social media. The bill, named Protecting Kids on Social Media Act, will place an age limit of 13 for the minimum wage to be eligible for social media use. Anyone 12 years old or younger will not be able to use the platforms, while teenagers between 13 years old to 17 years old will require parental consent. This bill will require social media companies to take on the responsibility of restricting users until they are of age. The senators behind the bill are Democrats Brian Schatz and Chris Murphy, along with Republicans Tom Cotton and Katie Britt. The senators stated that there are studies showing a strong relationship between social media use and poor mental health, according to Engadget. What that being said, the US Surgeon General warned that 13 may be too young of an age for social media use, further expressing that ages 16 to 18 may be just as well. Senator Murphy remarked that social media companies cared more about profit than preventing harm. Social media is basically a host for several types of content, such as harmless posts or news, but there are some that may not be appropriate for all ages. Murphy says that social media algorithms may send many down "dangerous rabbit holes" and parents might not know it. If the bill becomes law, the Federal Trade Commission and the state attorney generals will oversee the bill's provisions, and a pilot program will be created by the government and provide an age verification system. Read Also: How to Secure Your Social Media Accounts: Facebook, TikTok, and More Protecting Kids on Social Media Act Once the bill has been approved, social media platforms will not be allowed to use the information collected for age verification for any other purpose, and they cannot keep the data beyond verification of the age of the user. This also goes for the information of the parent or guardian who will participate in the consent of the minor's social media use, aside from instances where they provide consent or retain the ability to revoke their confirmation at any time. That means that a platform should also provide the means for parents or guardians to revoke access. Once a parent or a guardian restricts access, the social media platform will have to suspend, delete, or disable the account being used by the minor. Even with the consent of an adult, social media platforms will also not be allowed to provide the minor account holder with content suggested by an algorithmic recommendation system, and only users who verified that they are 18 years or older can receive them. Both the minors and the adults supervising the social media users will have to provide appropriate identification. The platforms will not be allowed to keep the information after the verification process is done. Related: Young People Don't Sleep Much Because Of Social Media You have reached a premium content area of Transitions. To read this entire article please login if you are already a Transitions subscriber. Not a subscriber? Subscribe today for access to: Full access to the website, including premium articles videos, country reports and searchable archives (containing over 25,000 articles). Young Balkan journalists say their theory-heavy training doesnt prepare them for either the practical or ethical challenges of the job. Aleksandar Djokic says his journalism education in Serbia lacked sufficient practical work to prepare him for not only the day-to-day demands of the job, but also its ethical side. He complained that instructors taught journalism ethics at the University of Nis from outdated textbooks. Practical exercises mainly consisted of analyzing articles, says Djokic, a doctoral student at the university who finished at the top of his class in the journalism masters program and now works as a journalist for Fake News Tragac and as a project assistant at the Belgrade-based Western Balkans Media Diversity Institute. Unfortunately, [journalism] is still a theoretical subject, full of dry and basically not very important information, he says. The universitys journalism program needs to be adapted to todays world and new textbooks adopted, or if no books are available, recent academic work can be gleaned for topical case studies, he believes. Other young journalists in Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina report having had similar experiences of the transition from school to the job market. Many say they left journalism school poorly prepared to handle the ethical dilemmas many journalists face during their careers especially in a region where the media are constantly exposed to pressures from all sides, political, commercial, and ethnic. Non-profits and media organizations outside the formal education system are filling some of the holes, striving to keep journalists abreast of new opportunities, and threats, in this fast-changing profession. Textbook Ethics From the start of my studies and throughout, what I lacked was practical work. During my studies, I felt that I needed to gain experience on the side, says Delina Voloder, a journalist and masters student in communications at Sarajevo University in neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina. Like Djokic and many other journalism students of her generation, Voloder found her way to her first job through a mandatory student internship, in her case at a Sarajevo media company during her third year. Even though she had taken classes on a range of journalism forms, including TV journalism, during her internship Voloder encountered some essential skills for the first time. Practical classes should be part of the curriculum from the outset, she says. As a positive example, she notes the student-written blog her online journalism class published. Djokic edited the Student Daily, an online student newspaper, at the University of Nis, and says this practical experience was one of the positives of his time in journalism school. Still, he believes the university should offer more practical work in its regular classes. When it comes to the subject of ethics, both Voloder and Djokic remarked that the classroom approach to informing students about the ethical side of the profession came only from a theoretical point of view. It is important that we respect ethics, but what is ethics in practice? What does it look like? How is everything that we need to know supposed to be applied? she asks. Teaching Journalism the Old-Fashioned Way The way the subject is commonly taught at journalism schools, professional ethics comprises such principles as truthfulness, accuracy, fairness, objectivity, and accountability to the public. Respect for others and the need to be aware that vulnerable people might be harmed in some cases are also often stressed. Sead Turcalo, whose remit as dean of the political sciences faculty at Sarajevo University includes the journalism and communications departments, acknowledges the lack of practical work in the nuts and bolts of journalism ethics in the classroom. There arent enough case studies where students are presented with some sort of ethical dilemma so that they can discuss it and see how those ethical dilemmas are resolved, he says. The study of journalism still tends to follow the teaching mindset set many years ago and is largely based on theory, Turcalo explains, but this could soon change. If what he calls a slightly more serious reform of the curriculum for media studies than previous efforts is undertaken next year as planned, there could be an opening to inject more practical work into journalism courses, to connect the theory that the students receive with some practical challenges. Although Sarajevos journalism department lacks a television and radio studio, most of the equipment for the multimedia room is ready, and they plan to start a podcast soon, the dean says. To fulfill their required internships, journalism students in Sarajevo have about 35 media companies and PR agencies to choose from. At the University of Montenegro in Podgorica, journalism students likewise do internships with a number of print, online, and broadcast outlets, masters student Petar Klakor explains. Internships provide very valuable training, yet there is a lot of room for improvement, says Klakor, who, in addition to his studies, works for the Makanje youth-oriented news portal. Somehow at [journalism school] we acquire and equip ourselves with a lot of knowledge, but when we enter the labor market, we only then understand how things work, what our profession actually is, he says. Although a useful course on journalistic ethics is taught at his university, much of the material covered was theoretical, Klakor says, although in his class, students went through exercises in practical ethics. We had the opportunity to put ourselves in a potential situation where we had to decide what we would do, what would be ethical. We also used some well-known examples, especially photographs. Doing journalism in the Western Balkans is fraught with risk. In this scene, Montenegrins demand the authorities take action after the well-known reporter Olivera Lakic was shot and wounded in 2018. Grab from an AP video via YouTube. NGOs Play a Vital Role Non-governmental organizations dedicated to the media community in the Western Balkans play a key role in the effort to improve the media environment in countries that fare poorly in rankings of media freedom and pluralism. One organization that has been involved in informal journalism education since 1996 is the Sarajevo-based Mediacentar. Every year, at least 50 reporters, editors, and students complete one of their courses. Informal education of journalists is important, as it is a dynamic field where the working methods and technological achievements change rapidly, says Maida Muminovic, Mediacentars executive director. Many courses specifically target young journalists and students nearing the end of their studies. These types of programs are very useful for them because they bridge the gap of the lack of practical work at journalism faculties, Muminovic says. In northern Serbia, the Novi Sad School of Journalism a civil society organization rather than a formal educational institution is another of the Balkan NGOs actively seeking to improve the quality of journalism. Both it and Mediacentar are among the 19 media organizations making up the Southeast European Media Professionalization Network (SEENPM), host of a workshop for early-career journalists held earlier this year in Podgorica. The 18 participants from eight countries learned the principles and new skills relevant to fact-checking, interviewing, and media ethics. The absence of these subjects in formal journalism education in the region shifts some of the burden onto civil society, SEENPM director Tihomir Loza says. Non-governmental organizations have focused on aiding journalists to better understand and report on many fields of public life: the environment, intellectual property rights, climate change, judicial affairs, disinformation, and hate speech, to name a few. They also train media professionals in skills such as data visualization or open-source investigation. All these are all hugely important and useful for journalists but they must be blended with journalism ethics and core skills to make sense, according to Loza. Theres no point in being able to visualize a data set attractively if you fail to ask the right questions around that data or if you or your editors are unable to make a sound ethical judgment on how, or whether at all, to publish any sensitive part of it, he says. At Mediacentar, the recent training curriculum has concentrated on solutions journalism, fact-checking, and debunking. While ethical issues come up at almost every training session and gathering of media professionals, Muminovic, the executive director, believes this strand doesnt get enough attention. I think that we may have too hastily come to the conclusion that we got used to the topic of ethics at some point, that we have overcome it and that we know everything about it, she says. We certainly do not know enough about it, especially not the younger generation. Hilma Unkic, an award-winning freelance journalist from Sarajevo, has reported on marginalized groups, human rights, discrimination, and the media for numerous news outlets in Bosnia. Note: Transitions is SEENPMs partner in the project within which the Podgorica workshop took place. SEENPM director Tihomir Loza is a former deputy director of Transitions. New exhibits at Russias military history museum aim to stir patriotic fervor. But will they work? From openDemocracy. The view from the half-ruined farmhouse is terrifying. A sobbing girl is being dragged off by a German soldier as Wehrmacht troops advance through her village. The air is filled with the sound of gunfire and angry voices. One can almost smell the fire and blood. As our group walks away from the mayhem, we are stopped by a young partisan brandishing a rifle, who demands we identify ourselves. But none of this is real. The farmhouse is a replica, the impending rape is being portrayed by wax figures, and the noisy German advance is a film, projected behind the life-size set to create an immersive 3D experience. The young partisan is an actor, his rifle a prop, and the woman producing the papers he is demanding is our tour guide. This isnt the Soviet countryside in the autumn of 1941, but the Victory Museum in Moscow on a gray winters day a year or so after Vladimir Putins full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, the difference between the war being reenacted here in Russias largest museum of military history and the one currently raging a few hundred kilometers to the south is increasingly blurry. In the museum. Photo by Rakoon via Wikimedia Commons. History plays a key role in the official Russian discourse surrounding the invasion of Ukraine. In particular, the Second World War or the Great Patriotic War, as its known from the Soviet perspective and its supposed parallels with Russias current war has become a major trope in the states efforts to legitimize Putins foreign policy and compel the population to endure the hardships it entails. The Kremlin drew similar parallels back in 2014, during Russias initial intervention in Ukraine. In fact, mythologizing the victory over Hitler has been a cornerstone of the Putinist project since the early 2000s. While Putin was cementing Russias neoliberal kleptocracy, steadily rolling back the democratic advances of perestroika and the 1990s, that victory cult took on ever greater proportions. It was embodied by ever larger and more spectacular commemorative military parades, featuring reenactments by extras in WW2 uniforms and vehicles. In a disorientating era of post-history, such performative patriotism became a way of linking the generations, experiencing historical connectedness, and finding unity. We dont destroy. There are no executions or torture. Our Soviet army helps. Tour guide, Moscow Victory Museum But history has returned, and the management of memory has taken on a new relevance. This shift is plainly visible at the Victory Museum, where new exhibitions have appeared since the invasion. The result is an extravagantly kitschy potpourri of pomp, nostalgic in content, yet futuristic in form. Its leitmotif, expressed both subtly and overtly, is that past and present are one. The immersive diorama of a war-ravished countryside, for instance, is part of Feat of the Nation. Although the exhibition, like the museum as a whole, is supposed to be about the Great Patriotic War, it seems it is also, perhaps even primarily, about the war in Ukraine. Our enthusiastic young tour guide switches seamlessly between third- and first-person plural, between past and present tense, as she leads us from the initial German assault via the blockade of Leningrad all the way to Berlin. Step closer, comrades, but please be quiet to avoid disturbing the cabinet meeting, says an actor, dressed as one of Stalins clerks. We are allowed to peek into a dark conference room. Inside, holograms of the Soviet leader and his war cabinet are discussing the situation at the front. Moments before, our tour guide had told us not to believe the stupid stories claiming that Stalin, stunned by the scale of the unfolding disaster, had been unable to act decisively during the first weeks of the invasion. At subsequent stops, she peppers us with facts and figures illustrating the nearly supernatural power of our people when called upon to defend our country. Towards the end of the tour, just before we take selfies in front of the Reichstag, our guide speaks warmly of the Soviet armys humane treatment of civilians under occupation: We dont destroy. There are no executions or torture. Our Soviet army helps. And by the way, what is happening now, in our time, is a telling example of how this legacy of our soldiers is being continued. For those curious to learn more about what it is, exactly, that is happening in our time, she recommends other exhibitions at the museum. They also suspend the difference between then and now, but by depicting current events as if they were part of the past. Ordinary Nazism portrays the Ukrainian variant of Nazism. One wall illustrates the crimes of German-allied Ukrainian nationalists in World War II; the opposite wall describes todays Ukrainian military as their direct heirs. Russian troops currently fighting in Ukraine are depicted as carrying on the fight of those who defeated Hitler. There are some familiar but dubious factoids for example, that Ukrainian forces killed 20,000 civilians in the first eight years of the Donbas war (the UN estimates a total of 14,000 deaths, civilian and military, from both sides). Emotional pressure triumphs over factual accuracy. To the sound of an eerily ticking metronome, two screens juxtapose footage of Hitlers soldiers committing atrocities on the eastern front with protesters on Kyivs Maidan Square in 2014. Another exhibition, Ordinary NATOzism, seeks to show how the Western military alliance is also part of the same anti-Russian conspiracy, with roots going back to the 1940s. Its agenda is world domination and its tools include laboratories developing biological weapons in Ukraine. Luckily, says the film narrator, the special military operation launched by Putin put a stop to NATOs sinister plans. What these exhibitions illustrate is a qualitative shift in Russian memory politics. The performative patriotism that blossomed before 2014 may have been an evocative rallying cry, but it lacked any clear cause like a marching order without directions. In a Russia at war, with military mobilization in effect, such a context now exists. This context is made as plain as can be on the top floor, in an exhibition with a title that might best be translated as True to Their Legacy, which invites visitors to partake in the same heroic struggle, against the same enemy, here and now. The left panel in this exhibit at Moscows Victory Museum is headed Memory Loss. On the right: Nazism Today. Photo by Volodya Vagner. In it, the Russian troops currently fighting in Ukraine are depicted as carrying on the fight of those who defeated Hitler. On interactive screens, visitors can swipe through hundreds of pairs of faces: one marked with the letters VOV (the Russian abbreviation for Great Patriotic War), the other with SVO (Special Military Operation). Visitors are given pens and paper and encouraged to write letters of support to the troops at the front. In the context of the Ukraine invasion and its implied continuity with the Great Patriotic War, all the mythology surrounding the latter takes on a contemporary imperative: to reenact in actuality the same feats of sacrifice and endurance. The spirit being channeled is that of the popular patriotic slogan Mozhem povtorit (We can do it again). The message is to trust the leader, who knows what he is doing, despite all appearances, and to accept the sacrifices that eventually will bring victory, despite all odds. The question is to what degree the audience internalizes this message. To a population used to participating in state-orchestrated mimicry, from rigged elections to mass rallies organized from above, why should the martial zeal drummed up here be perceived to function differently? Despite the high-tech immersion, much of the visitors engagement remains superficial. Take one of the interactive video installations. As visitors stand in front of a green screen and watch Donbas civilians tearfully embrace Russian soldiers to the sound of patriotic music, they are virtually transposed into the thick of the war. Afterwards, they are encouraged to scan a QR code and download the movie they co-starred in as a souvenir. Rather than conveying profundity, much of this patriotic pomp thus ends up as gimmicky infotainment, a product to be consumed, like the toy tanks and Z-trinkets for sale in the museum gift shop. Just as rigged elections can only simulate popular support for the regime, it may turn out that virtually reenacting a heroic past may not be worth much in preparing the population for actual hardships to come. Volodya Vagner is a Sweden-based freelance journalist with an interest in labor, social movements, human rights, and radical politics, especially in post-socialist Eurasia. This article originally appeared in openDemocracy and is republished under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license. A state board is awarding the Casper Housing Authority $1.65 million in federal pandemic relief money to go toward a new workforce training and child care facility. The Envision Willard Center which will operate out of the former Willard Elementary School is pitched as a resource hub for low-income families. Parents and guardians can acquire things like job skills and financial and digital literacy, and younger kids have somewhere to go for day care. During the pandemic, we had a lot of people who lost their jobs, we had a lot of people who lost their stability and are now facing a hard time, Becky Atchley, the director of nonprofit Casper Housing Authority CARES, told the State Loan and Investment Board in an April 7 meeting. Theyre finding that theres a gap in transferable skills, and this training center would allow us to really fill that gap. And Casper is in desperate need of that kind of support, Atchley said. She said the communitys lost a lot of local job training programs since the start of the pandemic. Meanwhile, the housing authority has reported an increase in demand on its service. The wait list across all of the agencys housing programs consistently sits at about 1,800, Casper Housing Authority Executive Director Kim Summerall-Wright said in an email to the Star-Tribune earlier this month. The Envision Willard Centers daycare will serve 70% low- and extremely low-income families, abused children and foster children, according to information shared with the Casper City Council in September. The $1.65 million awarded to the Casper Housing Authority for the project comes out of the roughly $500 million in direct American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) relief money set aside for Wyoming by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The State Loan and Investment Board, which is chaired by Gov. Mark Gordon, is tasked with overseeing multiple ARPA-funded grants created by state lawmakers during the 2022 and 2023 legislative sessions. In addition to Gordon, Secretary of State Chuck Gray, Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder, State Auditor Kristi Racines and State Treasurer Curt Meiers also hold seats on the board. Of the $500 million, the legislature earmarked $125 million specifically for grants for health and human services providers. Thats the pot of money the Casper Housing Authoritys award comes from. As a requirement of the grant, the Casper Housing Authority must match the $1.65 million by at least 20% (in this case, roughly $330,000). The Casper Housing Authority originally applied for $2.5 million for the project. According to discussion during the April 7 meeting, the organization hoped to use the money not only for child care and job training but also to support the facilitys administrative offices. Members of the State Loan and Investment Board had misgivings about funding administrative positions, however, so they voted to award $1.65 million in lieu of the full request. That amount joins another $500,000 grant to the Casper Housing Authority for the Willard project last year. That money came from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developments Community Development Block Grant program. According to State Loan and Investment Board meeting minutes from 2022 and 2023, the grant for $1.65 million marks the first time the boards given an ARPA grant to a housing organization. After all, up until very recently, none of the ARPA grants overseen by the board could go directly toward housing needs. The Casper Housing Authority only qualified for the health and human services grant because the Envision center is providing child care, Racines said during the April meeting. This one, I think from the beginning, has seemed a little bit weird or different to us because it is endeavoring to do something that most of the other projects are not doing, she said. Where the others are addressing the actual COVID affecting the body, this is affecting more of some of the horrific social impacts we saw. During the 2023 legislative session, state lawmakers voted to set aside $5 million in ARPA money for a new housing infrastructure grant for local governments. That grant, too, will be overseen by the State Loan and Investment Board. While that money cant be used to build housing units, its meant to go toward things like water, sewer and utilities projects, which are needed to pave the way for future housing developments. With the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) and other pandemic relief programs winding down, the pressure is on to find new ways to help low-income and homeless people in Wyoming. They may become homeless now that ERAP is ending. This is our most vulnerable population. I am not sure how to help these folks stay housed, Shari West, executive director of the Sweetwater Family Resource Center, said in a Friday newsletter published by the Wyoming Department of Family Services. We need more income-based housing opportunities for those facing income barriers. A 23-year-old Wyoming man is suing an industrial equipment manufacturing company after he was sucked into a conveyor belt while unloading train cars, leaving him permanently injured, disabled, and disfigured, a new court filing states. Bret McCoy was using a Wilson Manufacturing & Design portable conveyor belt to unload aggregate from railroad cars into truck hoppers on Dec. 18, a complaint filed Tuesday in federal court states. He was working south of Cheyenne at Granite Peak Transloading. While attempting to open the train car, McCoy came in contact with the belt, according to the complaint. It quickly grabbed him. He was pulled into the machine and taken by the belt from the bottom, where the aggregate enters, all the way to the top, where the aggregate exits, the complaint states. McCoy became trapped at the top. He was unable to go down because the belt was still running, and he was unable to escape through the top because he couldnt fit through the funnel. The Laramie County Fire Department eventually extricated McCoy from the top of the machine. He sustained a slew of injuries spine fractures, multiple broken ribs, a closed breastbone fracture, a broken left hip and numerous others. McCoy was taken to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center before being transferred to the Medical Center of the Rockies. He continues to need medical care and treatment, the complaint states. The lawsuit accuses Wilson Manufacturing & Design of building the conveyor belt without proper safety devices to prevent this type of incident. Specifically, the open area of entry was wide enough that a human could pass into the machinery. McCoys attorneys say the Kentucky-based company acted negligently when it designed and sold the product in a defective condition that was unreasonably dangerous to users, the complaint states. He is seeking substantially more than $75,000 in damages, but an amount was not specified, the complaint states. The damages include needing attendant care, now and in the future, due to how badly McCoy was injured. Gov. Mark Gordon and Attorney General Bridget Hill oppose Secretary of State Chuck Grays attempt to intervene in the lawsuit challenging two new abortion bans, stating that he has no legal authority to get involved in the case. In a text to the Star-Tribune, Gray maintained that he believes he has standing to intervene and said he feared Hill wouldnt defend the state as zealously as she should. Gordon, responding to Grays comments, characterized the secretarys actions as grandstanding and defended Hills arguments in the case. In his official capacity, Secretary of State Gray cannot intervene in this case unless a Wyoming statute authorizes him to do so, a new court document, which was filed Tuesday, says. The State Defendants know of no Wyoming statute that authorizes the Secretary of State to intervene in a lawsuit to defend the constitutionality of a state statute. Without such statutory authority, Secretary of State Gray has no legal authority in his official capacity to intervene in this lawsuit or to otherwise participate in this lawsuit. Gordon and Hill further argue that Grays involvement in his official capacity would muddy the waters of who speaks for the State of Wyoming and her executive branch in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a Wyoming statute. That authority belongs to the Governor, who is already a named defendant in this case, the document says. The governor, it states, speaks for Wyoming and for the executive branch in lawsuits such as the one in question, while the state attorney general, who is appointed by the governor, defends the constitutionality of Wyoming statutes in court. Gray defended his request to intervene in the case in a text message to the Star-Tribune on Thursday, saying that his standing in the case as secretary of state is based on him being a state Constitutional officer who swears an oath to the Constitution and records all statutes. He also said he fears Hill wont fight this important case as hard as the people of Wyoming are demanding, referencing the states handling of a legal battle in 2020 over Washington states blocking of a key coal export terminal. We should be doing everything we can to counter the outrageous arguments being brought by the radical Left in this case, Gray wrote in the text. Hill didnt respond to a request for comment regarding Grays response. Assistant Attorney General Jay Jerde is representing defendants, which include Hill, in the lawsuit. Gordon responds But the governor did react, sharing his own statement with the Star-Tribune late Thursday afternoon. Grandstanding for the public does not sway judges or win court cases strong legal arguments do, Gordon said, adding that he thinks Hill is defending Wyoming admirably, and her arguments in this case are being recognized and applauded. He also addressed Grays criticism of the states handling of the legal situation around the coal export terminal in Washington state. Wyoming dedicated extensive resources to fighting Washingtons denial of a coal terminal permit and took that fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, he said. If there was any fault in the proceeding, it was with the Trump-appointed Solicitor that failed the people of Wyoming by delaying. Any statements made by the Secretary that suggest otherwise are completely inaccurate. After the governor released his statement, Gray responded back, again criticizing the attorney generals handling of the coal export litigation. By dithering and delaying for over a year on the coal export terminal litigation, the Attorney General waited too long and the coal export terminal was forced to declare bankruptcy, which was the main reason the Solicitor General cited in not commenting on the case. Gray added in a separate text message that hes concerned the states representation hasnt tried to change the venue of the case from Teton County. He didnt say where he would suggest changing the venue to. Shortly after Teton County Judge Melissa Owens granted a temporary restraining order on the abortion ban, the hard-line Wyoming Freedom Caucus accused the plaintiffs of court shopping, or filing their lawsuit in a place where its more likely to succeed. Its not an uncommon practice. However, the only abortion clinic in Wyoming at the time was in Teton County, making that venue relevant to the case. Ultimately, this case will likely be appealed to the Wyoming Supreme Court, making the jurisdiction where it was filed somewhat irrelevant to the final outcome. Gray didnt say whether or not he would attempt to intervene in the case outside of his official capacity when asked by the Star-Tribune. He said in a phone call that hes still evaluating next steps. The state defendants dont oppose the involvement of the other requested intervenors Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams, R-Cody, House Majority Floor Leader Rep. Chip Neiman, R-Hulett, and Right to Life Wyoming, an anti-abortion advocacy group. But they dont agree with the proposed intervenors apparent belief that the court should hold an evidentiary hearing or formal trial in the case, which would involve witnesses giving testimony under oath thats relevant to the case. Holding an evidentiary hearing or a formal trial is at odds with the nature of the issues in this case because, no matter how you look at it, this case involves only questions of law, the defendants say. The lawyers representing the proposed intervenors noted in their request that the states arguments in the case if its arguments against last years trigger ban are any indication will likely focus strictly on questions of legality, whereas they aim to offer evidence to challenge plaintiffs assertions that abortion is health care and that the abortion bans in question harm women and medical providers, among other things. New law, similar outcome Last month, Gordon allowed the Life is a Human Right Act a sweeping abortion ban sponsored by Rodriguez-Williams to become law without his signature. At the time, the trigger abortion ban that the Legislature passed last year, and which Gordon signed into law, was caught in a legal challenge brought by a Wyoming abortion fund, Wyoming medical providers and other Wyoming women. The Life is a Human Right Act was meant to supersede the trigger ban and answer legal questions that had arisen in the previous case with the aim of bringing a speedier end to abortions in Wyoming. The law took effect March 18, but was quickly put on hold due to the latest legal challenge. Gordon also signed into law a bill that banned medication abortions, making Wyoming the first state in the nation to embrace such a measure. That law doesnt take effect until July. The plaintiffs that challenged last years abortion trigger ban filed a lawsuit challenging both measures. Defendants in the lawsuit are the state of Wyoming, Gordon and Hill, as well as Teton County Sheriff Matthew Carr and Town of Jackson Chief of Police Michelle Weber in their official capacities. On March 22, Owens granted a temporary restraining order to halt enforcement of the Life is a Human Right Act. The same group with the addition of Gray that attempted unsuccessfully to intervene in the challenge against last years trigger ban tried early on to file an amicus brief that rebuffed plaintiffs assertions that the Life is a Human Right Act violates the Wyoming Constitution and included a report from the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists arguing that elective abortions are not health care. Some noted that Grays attempted involvement in the lawsuit is unusual for a secretary of state. Owens ultimately rejected the brief, citing the short notice. (It was filed just a few hours before the hearing where Owens blocked enforcement of the ban.) The group then filed a request to intervene in the case on April 6. The motion argued that the proposed intervenors have a significant protectable interest that would be impaired by the litigations outcome, and that no party currently in the lawsuit adequately represents their interests. They aim to offer evidence to challenge plaintiffs assertions that abortion is health care, that the Life is a Human Right Act harms women and medical providers and that the Wyoming Constitution confers a right to abortion. The motion argued that Grays zealous advocacy for anti-abortion legislation during his time as a lawmaker in the House helped create the foundation for the Life is a Human Right Act. It also said that Gray has a unique interest in preserving and enforcing the will of the people of Wyoming because hes the states custodian of legislative acts and second in line to the governor. This story has been updated. PHOTOS: Abortion in Wyoming Pro-choice protest Abortions rights protest Abortion-rights protesters The Women's Health Center and Family Care Clinic of Jackson Pro-life Protest Pro-life Protest Abortion-rights protest Abortion-rights protest Abortion-rights protest Abortion clinic fire Abortion-rights protest Abortion-rights protest Pro-life Protest Pro-life Protest Pro-life Protest Pro-life Protest Pro-life Protest Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. It looks like Tesla will be expanding its manufacturing in South Korea after Elon Musk met with the country's president, Yoon Suk Yeol. The two met during President Yoon's state visit to the US, discussing the EV manufacturer's potential in South Korea. Tesla Manufacturing in South Korea According to President Yoon's senior economic secretary Choi Sang-mok, Musk himself requested the meeting. As the two spoke, the South Korean president expressed that his country was an ideal location for a Tesla gigafactory. South Korea has the resources for it such as cutting-edge industrial robots and high-skilled workers, as mentioned in Yahoo, which complements a business like a massive factory for electric vehicle manufacturing very well. There's a real possibility that Tesla would invest in building a gigafactory in the country. If that should happen, the South Korean leader will actively support the company with location, human resources, as well as taxes. President Yoon and Musk had already met back in November 2022, although it was only through a virtual meeting. The Tesla CEO intends to visit South Korea, perhaps to scout locations for the potential factory. Elon Musk also has plans to build factories in other locations like Mexico, Canada, and Indonesia. A factory in South Korea will be a huge step for the EV company especially since Musk claims that it's one of the top candidates for gigafactory locations. The company will certainly need more factories if it plans to achieve its expansion goal for its sales by 50% every year. Tesla's objective is to sell 20 million EVs in 2030. Although it sounds ambitious, it might just be possible considering the evident shift of vehicles to electric engines. As pointed out by Electrek, you will need several factories to be able to produce the necessary parts to supply that number of vehicles. Given that East Asia holds half of the world's population, establishing a new gigafactory can arguably be a good move. Tesla already has a factory in Shanghai, and although it's near Korea, Tesla might have a better relationship with South Korea's industry, especially since President Yoon says the country will be working on the improvement of regulations to make foreign investments easier. Read Also: Tesla Will Launch Unlimited Overnight Charging for $30 a Month South Korea Fined Tesla Months Ago Although Elon Musk and the South Korean president seem to be seeing eye to eye regarding business for Tesla, the EV manufacturer has been fined by the country's regulator for reportedly exaggerating the capabilities of its vehicles. The antitrust regulator claims that it will impose a 2.85 billion won or 2.2 million dollars for failure to disclose that Tesla has a shorter driving range in colder temperatures. According to CNBC, the driving range is cut by 50.5% as opposed to what is said online. The company does acknowledge that there are differences in the EV's performance based on temperature by advising drivers to use the Energy app to monitor consumption and pre-conditioning the car with external power sources. It did not mention the significant loss in driving range. Related: Tesla Is Building More Factories To Increase Production To 20 million EVs by 2030 GRIEVING FAMILY: Parbatee Kumar, centre, sighs on the shoulder of her mother-in-law Linda Bajnath, at the family's home at Charlo Village, Penal, yesterday. On Wednesday Kumar's husband, son and brother-in-law were killed during a triple murder at their home when men dressed as officers of the law gained entry and brutally murdered the three men. At right is Parbatee's dog, Brownie. -Photo: DEXTER PHILIP The anonymous bomb threat that led to the evacuation of over 55 schools in Trinidad and nine My first response when I read the article on the ruling of the court in the matter of Brent Witnesses from Arizona giving testimony Wednesday at a U.S. Senate committee hearing on border management categorized the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border as a crisis. They included Yuma Mayor Douglas Nicholls, Sierra Vista Mayor Clea McCaa II, and Pima County Deputy County Administrator and Chief Medical Officer Francisco Garcia. A hundred-and-fifty-thousand asylum seekers processed in Pima County from 2019 to the present yes, this is a crisis, Pima Countys Garcia said at the hearing. It is using up resources that we need to use for other purposes, even with the federal support. U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Arizona, and other members of a Senate committee held the hearing in Washington, D.C. The topics discussed included the increase of migrants who need services in local communities, the effects of increased human smuggling and high-speed pursuits, and possible upcoming effects of the end of public health policy Title 42. Title 42 allows the U.S. government to immediately expel some migrants from the country. The Centers for Disease Control began the order as a pandemic control measure in March 2020, and it is set to end on May 11. Migrants have been expelled under Title 42 more than 2.8 million times since it took effect. Many observers are concerned that the number of undocumented migrants entering the country will increase and might become unmanageable when the policy ends. Opponents of the policy say it subverts domestic and international asylum laws that say people fleeing specific types of persecution have a right to seek asylum. Pima County has spent more than $23 million on migrant services since summer of 2019, which is being covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agencys Emergency Food and Shelter Program. A recent federal spending bill included about $800 million for the FEMA program to go nationwide to cities and jurisdictions providing migrant services. Pima County has received a grant award for April and June and will continue to seek funds. The more than $1 billion in funding Congress has allotted for migrant services is meant to help ease the financial burden on nonprofits and local communities who are providing food, shelter and other services to migrants to ensure that the migrant crisis does not become a homelessness crisis, Sinema said at the hearing. The masking of a crisis Through 2022, the average number of migrants coming through Pima County daily and using services ranged from 224 to 770. The Border Patrol estimates when Title 42 ends, the county could receive up to 1,200 to 1,500 people per day, which would overwhelm existing local capacity without significant federal support, according to an April 4 memo from County Administrator Jan Lesher. The net effect of our efforts has been the masking of a crisis, Garcia said in the hearing. Few in Tucson, Pima County or Arizona know that federal entities are dropping off hundreds of people each day to local, county-supported shelter operations. Pima County doesnt want to be, nor should it be, in the business of sheltering and caring for people seeking asylum in the U.S. That should be the function of the federal government. The current funding strategy from FEMA doesnt allow the county to plan more than three months at a time, Garcia said. The county needs funding that lasts for a longer time as well as more reliable reimbursements, he said, in the absence of Congress enacting comprehensive immigration reform or the federal government taking charge of the migrant services now being handled by local communities. Nicholls, the Yuma mayor, wants the federal government to bring more resources to the border ahead of Title 42 ending, including ambulances, containers with food and supplies, medical supplies, medical professionals, mobile shelters and buses. And, like Garcia, he said it should take charge of much of the migrant services. Sheltering operations, I believe, really need to be taken over by actual FEMA activities and/or the National Guard, Nicholls said. Funding is important, but there are limits to organizations and we need to recognize that. He also told the committee he wants to see increased diplomacy with Mexico about undocumented migration and a reimplementation of Operation Streamline, a controversial practice that federal courts previously used to quickly move migrants through deportation proceedings. Impact beyond public view Yuma has seen a large influx in migrants over the last couple of years. The Border Patrols Yuma Sector apprehended migrants at the border between 300 and 1,000 times a month in fiscal year 2020 and between 21,000 and 31,000 times a month in 2022. Those numbers have come down to an average of about 11,000 monthly since January. When numbers peaked in 2021, Nicholls proclaimed a local emergency. In December of 2022, there were similar volumes of people and Yuma County cities San Luis and Somerton also made emergency declarations, he said. I want to stress the migrant crisis has negatively impacted Yuma far beyond what might meet the public eye, he told the committee. He said Yumas agricultural industry is affected by migrants entering fields of crops; the economic growth of Yuma is compromised by concern from possible investors about the changing border situation; and the regional medical center had a dramatic increase in migrant patients for emergency care, intensive care and maternity care, resulting in $26 million in costs. McCaa, the Sierra Vista mayor, told the committee the biggest border-related issue facing Sierra Vista is roads made dangerous by human smuggling and high-speed pursuits. Transnational organizations hire people, often young U.S. citizens, to pick up undocumented migrants near the border and take them to cities such as Tucson or Phoenix. The recruiters tell them not to stop for police but to drive aggressively and recklessly if the police are behind them, officials say. The Sierra Vista Police Department responded to 19 vehicle pursuits in the city in 2020, and 38 in 2022, McCaa says. Officials often refer to the vehicles suspected of human smuggling as load cars. These load car drivers, who are often teenagers and young adults, are encouraged to drive recklessly through our town to discourage pursuits, McCaa said. This has created extremely dangerous situations. One incident involved a load car driver speeding through an elementary school zone and crashing into a bicyclist, he said. The police department also has seen an increase in felony cases from 343 in 2020 to 588 in 2022, he said. This increase does not stem from violent crimes some might fear plague communities near the border, he said. Its largely because of these load cars. These incidents tie up a significant amount of not only our police departments time, with our limited manpower, but all law enforcement agencies that are in our region. Nicholls agreed that migrants coming through the communities are not causing violent crimes, but rather that a lack of resources to help them get to where they need to go is the problem. On four occasions, Pima County nearly averted what would have been the release of dozens of people onto the streets in Tucson, Deputy County Administrator Garcia says. It is the massive and unrelenting flow and volume of asylum seekers that is the most taxing and that is the biggest challenge for us, for city and county staff, for humanitarian staff and volunteers, Garcia said. It is unrelenting and exhausting. Only comprehensive immigration reform is going to fix that. The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer: I have long advocated for undergrounding TEPs new transmission line between the Kino and DeMoss-Petrie substations as a member of TEPs study area. My advocacy stems from a more realistic cost-benefit analysis than has been provided by TEP. You see, from the very beginning, TEP has claimed that underground transmission lines cost ten times more than above-ground transmission lines. But the only way to get to such extreme cost differences is by underestimating above-ground costs and overestimating underground costs. The difference, if any, is much smaller than represented, and Ill explain one reason why: private property rights. Article 2, Section 17 of the Arizona Constitution states, No private property shall be taken or damaged for public or private use without just compensation having first been made Developing new transmission lines damages adjacent private property. Dont take my word for it; TEP has cited multiple studies that estimate the damage to the value of private property in a high-density setting exceeds 10%. When you add up these damage costs over miles, undergrounding becomes the best option. TEP omits these costs in its analyses. I presume this is because including them greatly reduces the punch of its arguments. And thats to say nothing of decades-old ordinances that already require undergrounding in the most direct routes. Now this is not an issue that comes up often because new transmission lines are rarely run through the densest areas of town. They typically already exist and get upgraded. This is one of those rare cases where there is no existing transmission line, and the densest area in town will have the highest sum of property damage claims. TEP argues that ratepayers cannot pay for undergrounding. I can find no support for this in the law. The ACCs line siting committee must consider a dozen or so variables, of which cost is just one. Moreover, there is a simple way for TEP to go underground without an additional penny to taxpayers or ratepayers: TEPs investors. TEP generated a record net income of $217.4 million on $1.8 billion in revenue in 2022. TEP is required by law to amortize the cost of an asset over its useful life. So if a transmission line costs $20 million, TEP has to recognize that cost over 60 years currently. For arguments sake, lets say that a new $20 million transmission asset costs TEP $500,000 per year. Thus, to accomplish its goals without an additional penny to taxpayers or ratepayers, TEPs investors could have a net income of 0.23% less from 2025 onward: so $250 million instead of $250.5 million. This is not a show-stopping expense in need of a taxpayer bailout. TEP has threatened Country Club Road as an alternative but the cost of Country Club Road will be higher than undergrounding on Campbell likely substantially so because it adds miles of damage costs. This brings me to the new Franchise Agreement. It is poorly drafted and tilted too far in favor of TEP. If it fails, a better Franchise Agreement can be drafted. If it does not fail, the Community Resilience Committee must safeguard funds against rubber-stamping by TEPs appointees. If properly safeguarded, substantially more funds will be available for the Citys Climate Action goals. Unfortunately, I am not sure that it can be properly safeguarded as currently drafted. Do not let TEP fool you into thinking above ground is always cheaper. It is not. Private property damage claims are guaranteed to happen. Do you know who will pay for those claims? You. Ratepayers. Therefore, we must include a reasonable estimate for them in our comparative analyses to get to the right decision. This Franchise Agreement is not a good solution. We can and will do better by voting no on 412. The popular Greek Street Drive-Thru will return this weekend, offering authentic Greek foods prepared by the community responsible for the Tulsa Greek Festival. Hours for this years Greek Street are 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, April 28-29, at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 1222 S. Guthrie Ave. Orders for items such as gyro sandwiches, spanokopita hand pies, Greek fries and baklava can be placed drive-thru style, although the wiser course of action is to order online for pickup at the church. Greek Street Drive-Thru will accept only credit cards as payment. In addition to individual items, the Greek Street Drive-Thru offers a variety of meal packages. These range from the Alpha Ticket, which includes a gyro with choice of traditional lamb or chicken as the protein, an order of Greek fries, and bottled soda or water for $16, up to the My Big Fat Family Feast package, which includes gyros, fries and pastries to feed four, along with a six-pack of Greek beer and bottles of red and white wine, for $110. For the youngsters, there is the Little Zeus meal with chicken nuggets in a pita, fries and choice of drink for $7. To order, and more information: tulsagreekfestival.com. Flanagan Wine Dinner at French Hen The French Hen, 319 E. Archer St., will host a special wine dinner beginning at 6:22 p.m. Tuesday, May 2, featuring vintages from the Flanagan family of wines. Eric Flanagan purchased his first parcel of California wine-growing real estate in 1999, the same year his daughter Riley was born. Flanagan Wines are made from grapes grown throughout the Sonoma Valley region and include a variety of chardonnay, pinot noir, merlot and other varieties and blends. Riley Flanagan, now based in Tulsa, is the Midwest representative for both Flanagan Wines and her own Riley Rows vintages. She and her father, Eric, will be present at the dinner to discuss the wines being served. The menu begins with passed hors doeuvres, followed by a watercress salad with blood orange, burrata and olives. Next will be a lemon pasta made with Meyer lemons, cream and prosciutto, then Arctic char with a pinot noir-berry sauce, cremini mushrooms and haricot vert. The main will be braised beef cheeks with glazed carrots. Cost is $165 per person, including tax and gratuity. Reservations are required. 918-492-2596, frenchhentulsa.com. Vineyard 29 wine dinner at Prhyme Prhyme Downtown Steakhouse, 111 N. Main St., will host a dinner featuring wines from the California winemakers Vineyard 29 at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 3. Vineyard 29 is a prestigious Napa Valley winery founded in 1989, which draws its grapes from the more than 40 acres of vineyards in the St. Helena area of California and has since expanded to include three additional St. Helena estates, for a total of 47 planted acres. Nora Comee, the vice president of national sales for Vineyard 29, will be at the dinner to guide diners through the wines being served to accompany the five-course menu. That menu begins with a salmon crudo with arugula, nasturtiums and a citrus vinaigrette. This will be followed by a black pepper-crusted pork belly with roasted beets and a blackberry chutney. Prime tenderloin medallions with a dijon mustard bechamel and accompanied by wild mushrooms and braised mustard greens will be followed by a coffee-cured duck with black currant gel, endive and chives. Dessert will be a Chocolate Appreciation, a chocolate mousse with chocolate bark, chocolate soil, a chocolate ganache and macerated berries. Cost is $156 per person, and reservation are required. To reserve: 918-794-7700. Dip into Big Mac Special Sauce One of the reasons for ordering a Big Mac at McDonalds is because one can use the fries to scoop up the excess Special Sauce that might escape from under the sesame-seed bun. For a limited time, fans can indulge in their favorite condiment to their hearts delight, as Big Mac sauce will be available in individual servings. The sauce cups whose blue-and-silver packages was chosen to mimic the color scheme of the paper wrapping for the original Big Mac in the 1960s will be available beginning April 27 but will only be available by ordering through the McDonalds app. The sauce will be available at no extra charge with any purchase of Chicken McNuggets. It can also be ordered a la carte, for those who may wish to anoint their breakfast hash browns or fish sandwich. Brent Giddens, winner of the Jimmy LaFave Songwriting Contest, will perform and Jake Flint will be honored posthumously with the Restless Spirit Award at the 2023 Bob Childers Gypsy Cafe, Oklahomas largest homegrown songwriter festival. The schedule has been released for the festival, which will feature 75 songwriters performing across five venues May 7 in Stillwater. The 12th-year festival benefits Red Dirt Relief Fund, a nonprofit that provided aid to more than half the artists in the lineup during the pandemic and more than $700,000 to music professionals statewide over the past decade. A news release in advance of the festival included the following information: The schedule: With the addition of three new venues for 2023, organizers created a grid to help attendees plan the best way to see songwriters perform acoustic song swap sets. The festival is also providing a free shuttle that will run a loop around festival venues throughout the day. See the grid and purchase tickets at reddirtrelieffund.org/gypsycafe. Restless Spirit Award: At 5:40 p.m. at the Grand Casino Stage at Outlaws, the Restless Spirit Award will be presented to Flints widow, Brenda Flint, alongside his family. Flint was a red dirt songwriter who played regionally, recorded four albums and was named Breakout Artist of the Year at the We Are Tulsa Music Awards in 2019. He was a longtime friend to many musicians and a loyal supporter of the Red Dirt Relief Fund. Flint performed at Gypsy Cafe three times and produced livestreams of Red Dirt Relief Fund events and festivals during the pandemic, when events could not take place in person. Flint died in his sleep a few hours after his wedding to Brenda in November of 2022. The Restless Spirit Award is given by Red Dirt Relief Fund in recognition of a musician who has impacted the Oklahoma music community in a spirit akin to Bob Childers, a prolific songwriter and the so-called godfather of red dirt music. Previous honorees include Jimmy LaFave (2017), Brandon Jenkins (2018), Randy Crouch (2019), Steve Ripley (2020), Jim Paul Blair (2021) and Chad Sullins (2022). Jimmy LaFave Songwriting Contest: At 4:40 p.m. at the Grand Casino Stage at Outlaws, Giddens will be awarded a $600 cash prize as overall contest winner and peoples choice winner with his song, Shades of Texas. The song was selected out of 68 entries. Other finalists are Nellie Clay and Joe Baxter. Giddens will perform the song following the presentation as part of his set with Mike McClure, Bryon White and Buffalo Rogers. Hear this years top three songs, get more contest information and view previous winners at reddirtrelieffund.org/jlfsongcontest. Venues and festival tickets: New to the festival, the White Buffalo Brunch at Stonecloud Brewing includes a brunch buffet from Good Little Eater, two drink tickets from Stonecloud Brewing and a Red Dirt Rangers set of Bob Childers tunes with Randy Crouch, Cody Canada, Carter Sampson, Mike McClure and other guests from the festival lineup. Tickets are limited and include general admission to all festival venues. Eskimo Joes Main Stage will include regional vendors and a silent auction featuring one-of-a-kind music experiences and memorabilia. Before the all-lineup family jam finale, there will be a live auction of a Gypsy Cafe guitar signed by the lineup and a live painting by Bobby Moore of the Tulsa-based band, The Brothers Moore, who are playing the fest. Festival venues include Eskimo Joes Main Stage (all ages, outdoor weather permitting, 501 W. Elm St.), Grand Casino Stage at Outlaws (21+, 501 S. Washington St.), Coors Light Stage at Salty Bronc (21+, 911 W. Fifth Ave.), Georges Stables (21+, 502 W. Elm St.) and White Buffalo Brunch at Stonecloud Taproom (special ticket required, all ages, 917 S. Husband St.). General admission tickets are good for entry to all festival venues (excluding brunch) are $30 in advance at reddirtrelieffund.org/gypsycafe or day-of-festival for $35 or $25 for students with ID. A limited number of tickets for the White Buffalo Brunch and Reserved Seating at the Eskimo Joes Main Stage range from $80-$150. The free shuttle will run a loop around general admission venues from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. The cause: Red Dirt Relief Fund was founded in 2012 using ticket proceeds of the first Gypsy Cafe festival in 2011. Since then, the nonprofit has granted more than $700,000 in emergency assistance to more than 800 music professionals in all genres and jobs statewide, including more than $300,000 to those facing venue closings and gig cancellations during the pandemic. Gypsy Cafe is the organizations largest annual fundraiser with support from presenting sponsors Deep Eddy Vodka, Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey, Jose Cuervo Tequila, Jack Daniels, Grand Casino and many community partners. For more information, visit reddirtrelieffund.org or contact Katie Dale at reddirtrelieffund@gmail.com. Gov. Kevin Stitt and the Oklahoma House of Representatives on Wednesday tried double-teaming the Senate in their session-long scrap over education policy and appropriations. With three largely performative roll calls, House leadership signaled full support for an $800 million proposal put forward last week by Stitt and opposed by the Senate. On a party-line vote of 78-20, the House passed a floor substitute of Senate Bill 561, which changed from a bill about Temporary Assistance for Needy Families to a teacher pay-raise tied to final passage of House Bills 1935 and 2775, which were also shucked as vehicles for Stitts education plan. The House then voted on those, too, but not in the usual way. House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, convened the full House as a conference committee essentially a committee of the whole apparently to demonstrate his caucus support for Stitts proposal. Although roll was called and a final count given, the votes were not recorded and apparently are not binding. A spokesman for McCall later said in an email the Republicans had signed off on the conference report, which is the usual means by which bills are discharged from conference committee. Conference committees are the method by which legislative bodies in this case, the Oklahoma House and Senate try to work out differences in legislation. In the Oklahoma Legislature, the House and Senate halves of conference committees meet separately instead of as a single body. The House spent the better part of Wednesday on the three bills, which seemed to be pretty quickly dismissed by Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City. We have already communicated to the House and governor that this isnt going to pass in the Senate, Treat said. They are playing games and giving false hope. Wednesdays gamesmanship also included Stitt vetoing three relatively minor Senate bills, and the Senate immediately voting to override the vetoes. The Senate has now voted to override four Stitt vetoes but the House has not shown an inclination to follow suit. The interlinked proposals backed by the House on Wednesday include $200 million for tax credits for households with children in private schools, $300 million to the state school funding formula of which $225 million is earmarked for pay increases and an additional $300 million for an Oklahoma Student Fund that would be distributed to all districts with a cap of $2 million for any one district. This last provision is one source of disagreement, since it would disproportionately benefit smaller districts at the expense of larger ones. A lot of space agencies have been pretty busy as of late and NASA had just updated its schedule to show what they have more in store for us. The upcoming space flights to the International Space Station (ISS) listed are for 2023 through 2024. NASA's Upcoming Crewed Missions Space flights like many things, need to be coordinated, which is exactly what NASA, Boeing, and SpaceX did to determine which crewed mission will be flying off to the International Space Station. The one we'll be hearing about soon is the Crew Flight Test of Starliner. Starliner, which is Boeing's vehicle, is set to fly out on July 21st, 2023. It will be the first crewed flight of the Starliner, according to Space, and it will be manned by Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Suni William as they fly to the ISS. The mission is meant to certify the spacecraft and make sure that they are operational for the crewed flight that will take place in the summer of 2024. Astronauts Wilmore and Williams will participate in an eight-day mission and return by landing on White Sands in New Mexico. If all goes well, the Boeing Starliner-1 will conduct a crew rotation mission by the summer of 2024. NASA astronaut Scott Tingle will be the commander, while Mike Fincke serve as the pilot. There are two more specialists that haven't been announced. Although there's already a scheduled timetable announced, NASA is no stranger to delays. There are many factors that have to go well such as a successful Crew Flight Test, approvals of postflight data and final certification products, certification reviews, and more. NASA's SpaceX crew will perform its seventh rotational mission to the ISS around mid-August of 2023. The mission will be bringing NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli and the European Space Agency's Andreas Mogensen. Moghbeli and Mogensen will serve as the mission commander and pilot, respectively, while the final two mission specialists will be announced in the coming months. The spacecraft is currently in Cape Canaveral in SpaceX's refurbishing facility. The eighth rotational mission of NASA's SpaceX Crew will take palace in February 2024. It will have a crew of four and they will board a SpaceX Dragon that will be boosted by the Falcon 9 rocket on the way to the ISS, as mentioned by NASA. Read Also: Asteroid 2023 DW Will Almost Certainly Miss Earth in 2046, NASA Claims Starliner's Preparation The Crew Flight Test is meant to test the capabilities of the Starliner system with a crew, as well as the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. It is to determine the success of the mission's prelaunch, docking, undocking, landing, and recovery. Around 90% of the flight certification products have already been completed. What remains is testing the spacecraft's subsystems and backup manual flight mode should emergencies arise when the astronauts are in space. The Starliner spacecraft itself is already complete. The team working on it is securing the final interior closeouts and finishing up integrated testing. The rocket that will be used, Atlas V, has also completed its rocket readiness status. Related: SpaceX's Starship May Not Launch on 4/20 OKLAHOMA CITY State Superintendent Ryan Walters wants new special reports from public schools across the state in his quest to root out diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programming. The State Board of Education voted 7-0 Thursday morning to mandate that local school districts detail their local, state and federal expenditures on staff, materials and any third-party contractors or vendors related to diversity, equity and inclusion. According to the mandate, requested by Walters, districts have a June 9 deadline for preliminary responses and Sept. 1 for final reports. They use these names and nomenclature to let people think that these are feel-good programs. Theyre not, Walters said at Thursdays meeting. Absolutely, it would be more accurate to call them divide, exclude and indoctrinate. Thats really what these programs are. Based on amendments from board members Don Burdick of Tulsa and Trent Smith of Yukon, respectively, the special report requirement will include the names of third-party vendors and districts will be able to request a deadline extension if need be. I am greatly concerned that the concept of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is increasingly being used to instruct students in harmful ideologies under the guise of promoting tolerance, Walters wrote in his proposal to the State Board of Education, which was posted online Wednesday along with Thursdays public meeting agenda. No one disagrees that we should include students with disabilities in education or that all students should have access to a quality education regardless of race, religion, or background. DEI hides among these universal principles to force radical ideologies on students, teaching them that they must either accept a radical rejection of American principles or accept being labeled as exclusionary or racist. In particular, I am concerned about DEI instruction teaching our students that they must oppose long-held American traditions like equal rights, free speech, or meritocracy. Such DEI programs reject the equality of all people in favor of an equity defined solely to advance certain ideologies at the expense of a free society. In January, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education scrambled hundreds of employees to compile a 10-year review of its spending history on and current materials used for DEI programs at Walters request. He was then also serving as Gov. Kevin Stitts appointed secretary of education, but he was recently replaced in that role. In the end, the regents identified $10.2 million budgeted for DEI activities for the current fiscal year, of which the state contributed $3.7 million. That amounted to 0.29% of all higher education spending and 0.11% of state expenditures on higher education. Walters wants all public schools to report whether their current expenditures will continue next fiscal year, although most local school boards do not adopt budgets for the next fiscal year until June. The board supported his request to have districts release lists of personnel who spend at least a quarter of their time operating or assisting with a DEI program and electronic copies of all materials used by staff or third-party providers for DEI instruction during the 2022-23 academic year. OKLAHOMA CITY The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board on Wednesday denied clemency for a high-profile death-row inmate despite the states top prosecutors rare plea for mercy. The board voted 2-2 to deny clemency for Richard Glossip, who was convicted of first-degree murder for allegedly orchestrating the 1997 beating death of his boss, Oklahoma City motel owner Barry Van Treese. The Pardon and Parole Boards decision appears to leave Glossip limited options to block his May 18 execution. His attorneys have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene. Glossips attorney, Don Knight, called on Gov. Kevin Stitt to delay his clients upcoming execution. We will pursue every avenue in the courts to stop this unlawful judicial execution, Knight said in a statement. During the hearing, Knight objected to the five-member Pardon and Parole Boards voting with one member absent. Had the board recommended clemency for Glossip, the final decision would have gone to Stitt. Without a recommendation from the board, the governor cant commute Glossips sentence, although he can issue a stay of execution. A spokeswoman for Stitt said the governor was aware of the Pardon and Parole Boards vote, but she declined to comment further. Members of the Van Treese family begged the board members to deny clemency. I feel like justice has finally been served after 26 years, said Donna Van Treese, the victims wife. Attorney General Gentner Drummond, in what may be a first, asked the Pardon and Parole Board to grant clemency for Glossip. Typically, the Attorney Generals Office lays out the case for why the Pardon and Parole Board should deny clemency for death-row inmates. Two independent reviews of Glossips case, including one requested by Drummond, have determined that a jury would be unlikely to convict Glossip today. After Drummond obtained an independent review that cast doubt on Glossips conviction, the attorney general requested that the state Court of Criminal Appeals overturn the conviction. The appeals court unanimously rejected that request and directed the state to move forward with Glossips execution. Drummond said he does not believe that Glossip is guilty of first-degree murder beyond a reasonable doubt. He said it would be a grave injustice for the state to move forward with the execution. I believe death to be an excessive sentence for the man who did not commit this violent act, Drummond said. Drummond also noted that newly elected Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna recently instituted new procedures outlining when a death sentence is appropriate. Under those new policies, Glossips case would not qualify for the death penalty today, Drummond said. Glossip has long proclaimed that he was framed for Van Treeses murder. His attorneys claim that their client was set up by a motel maintenance man, Justin Sneed, who they argue killed Van Treese during a botched robbery and shifted the blame to avoid getting the death penalty himself. Glossip was twice convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death after an appeals court tossed his first conviction due to ineffective counsel. In both trials, Sneed was a key witness for the state, and he admitted to robbing and killing Van Treese but claimed to have done so only after Glossip promised to pay him $10,000. Sneed was sentenced to life in prison. Glossip videoconferenced into the meeting to ask the board to grant his request for clemency. In his brief remarks, he apologized and thanked his supporters. Im not a murderer, and I dont deserve to die for this, Glossip said while getting choked up. Drummond ceded most of his time in the hearing to an attorney and a former prosecutor to give details of the two independent reviews, both of which concluded that a jury would be unlikely to convict Glossip in light of new evidence that wasnt presented at trial. Drummond asked former prosecutor Rex Duncan to review Glossips case after a group of pro bono attorneys issued a report detailing lost or destroyed evidence in the case and raising questions about the credibility of Sneed, the states star witness. A group of pro-death penalty GOP lawmakers led by Rep. Kevin McDugle, R-Broken Arrow, had requested the first independent review from the Texas-based Reed Smith law firm. McDugle was one of two lawmakers to speak on behalf of Glossip at the hearing. He said the Reed Smith report convinced him that Glossip is innocent and that the state erred in convicting him. The Oklahoma Standard should be to hold ourselves accountable and admit our mistakes, McDugle said. Members of the Van Treese family said the legal process has drawn out long enough. Two juries made up of 24 members of the public heard the same evidence and found Glossip guilty of murder, said Derrick Van Treese, one of Barry Van Treeses children. This case has been pushed from being a legal matter to being a political issue, he said. Its been pushed from a court of law to the court of public opinion, and enough is enough. Members of the Van Treese family also took Drummond to task for advocating on behalf of Glossip. Alana Van Treese Mileto, the victims sister, called the clemency hearing one-sided. Typically, the Attorney Generals Office coordinates closely with the victims family members prior to the hearing. It feels like a giant stab in the back because we have not been represented, she said. Glossip has been on death row for about 25 years. He has been within hours of being put to death by lethal injection on several occasions before his execution was postponed. He has eaten his last meal three times and was previously denied clemency before his first execution date in 2014. Board members Edward Konieczny and Calvin Prince voted in favor of granting Glossip clemency, while Richard Miller and Cathy Stocker voted against. All of the appointees other than Miller were appointed to the board by Stitt. Board member Richard Smothermon recused himself from the hearing. His wife was the lead prosecutor during Glossips second trial. Much-amended legislation to ban gender-affirming treatments for minors was kept alive in the Oklahoma House of Representatives on Wednesday evening. In its current form, Senate Bill 613, by Sen. Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville, would prohibit providing gender transition procedures to minors under penalty of a felony. Gender transition procedures are defined as medical or surgical services intended to affirm the minors perception of his or her gender or biological sex, if that perception is inconsistent with the minors biological sex, surgical procedures that alter or remove physical or anatomical characteristics or features that are typical for the individuals biological sex, or administration of puberty-blocking drugs, cross-sex hormones, or other drugs to suppress or delay normal puberty or to promote the development of feminizing or masculinizing features consistent with the opposite biological sex. Surgical procedures such as those described reportedly are rare among minors and presently are not performed at all in Oklahoma. Specifically excluded from the banned services are counseling, treatment for precocious puberty or delayed puberty, and services provided to individuals born with ambiguous genitalia, incomplete genitalia, or both male and female anatomy, or biochemically verifiable disorder of sex development. Democrats argued vehemently against the bill, saying it would contribute to teen suicide and drive people from the state. Minority Leader Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City, said she knew at least some of her Republican colleagues did not agree with the bill but would vote for it because of national rhetoric. House sponsor Toni Hasenbeck, R-Elgin, said that as a teacher she had helped a child in crisis over the childs gender identity and that the experience convinced her that underlying sexual trauma was the cause. She said she also believes that hormone treatments and puberty blockers can have detrimental long-term effects and should not be administered to children. Because of House amendments, SB 613 must return to the Senate before final passage. Gallery: The journey of Senate Bill 2, now law, on transgender athletes in Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt Senate discussion on bill regarding sports for transgender youths Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane Rep. Sheila Dills, R-Tulsa Ray Hoyt, president of Tulsa Regional Tourism Will Oklahoma transgender legislation impact NCAA postseason events? OU softball coach Patty Gasso's response Oklahomans for Equality Executive Director Toby Jenkins Rep. Mauree Turner Sen. Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville Guerin Emig discusses Lia Thomas Tulsa World Opinion: The craziness of our Legislature From the launch of a polytechnic school to its push for a new cancer hospital, the University of Oklahomas plans for Tulsa should only continue to expand, the schools president told community leaders Wednesday. If we dont have a clear strategy, we shouldnt be (in Tulsa). So we asked, where can we really add value what is it we do really well that we think can make an impact in Tulsa? OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. said during a Rotary Club of Tulsa luncheon. From asking that question, several ideas resulted, he said. The planned OU Polytechnic Institute was one of them. Announced last year, the institute is expected to open at OU-Tulsa in fall 2024, offering its first degree in cybersecurity. I believe itll be a huge engine for economic development and attracting students and it will be located here in Tulsa, Harroz said. Harroz said OU is also serious about better serving cancer patients in northeast Oklahoma and hopes to bring a new OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center location to Tulsa. Were working feverishly to partner in Tulsa and surrounding areas on this, and I hope theres a future announcement to come, Harroz said. With its current location in Oklahoma City, Stephenson is the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer facility in the state. Nationwide, there are 71 NCI-designated centers, offering state-of-the-art care and treatment. For everyone thats been through the journey of cancer, you know geography matters fundamentally, Harroz said. Right now, just one of the six Oklahomans who get that diagnosis is going to Stephenson Cancer Center. He added that around 3,000 to 4,000 people in northeast Oklahoma annually need this kind of treatment but are not getting it. The legislators bought into this, he said. Theyve already invested $20 million and we believe we have $30 million more coming. So a $50 million investment in the Legislature. Weve got to bring Stephenson to this part of the state and we are 100% committed to doing that. Harroz said OUs relationship with Tulsa will continue to include the expanding areas of community health and medicine and behavioral science. The Bedlam Clinic, which provides free health care to those without insurance, is a critical part of that, as is a recently opened dental care clinic at OU-Tulsa. When you look at the needs around oral health care, this is one of the abilities that we have, Harroz said. So weve invested heavily in dentistry in northeast Oklahoma. Harroz said the polytechnic idea was born out of his experiences trying to recruit businesses to the state with the governor and state leaders. The biggest hesitation they had on moving their business here wasnt the incentive package it was do we have a sufficiently populous and educated workforce that can fulfill those jobs? Thats their real question, he said. And our current businesses are in the same place. They cant get enough people in the field. OU Polytechnic, he said, will not just serve northeast Oklahoma, but the state, the region and compete among the best in the country and world. Were incredibly excited about that. Harroz added: We know where were going in Tulsa and northeast Oklahoma around those goals that we have. So to me its an exciting time. And we are beyond grateful that you continue to ask us back to be here and be a huge part of this community. Two food delivery and ride-hailing applications operating in Vietnam, Be and Baemin, have turned to electric vehicles (EVs) as a more eco-friendly means of transportation for their fleets. Baemin is the latest to join this trend following an announcement on Wednesday, when the German-owned South Korean food delivery service said it is cooperating with Vietnamese firm Selex Smart Electric Vehicle JSC to launch an electric motorbike delivery fleet. Selex will directly hand over electric motorcycles to drivers with good delivery records and provide instructions on how to use them and change their batteries through a mobile app. Drivers who use the Selex EVs can swap the battery at an exchange station, which will be faster than recharging the battery and can be done in less than two minutes. The two firms believe that the use of electric motorbikes will help optimize the delivery service and cut operational costs by 40 percent. Baemin, which was founded by South Korean unicorn Woowa Brothers before being subsequently acquired by Germanys Delivery Hero, followed in the footsteps of Be Group, a major player in Vietnams ride-hailing market. In March, Be and Vingroups Green and Smart Mobility Joint Stock Company (GSM), which launched Vietnams first EV taxi service earlier this month, signed a cooperative agreement to introduce electric cars and motorbikes. Under the agreement, GSM will assist Be drivers in converting petrol vehicles to electric ones. During a shareholder meeting on Tuesday, Vietnamese taxi giant Vinasun Corps deputy general director Tran Anh Minh also discussed the possibility of introducing electric taxis and stated that it is one of their goals for this year. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Two food delivery and ride-hailing applications operating in Vietnam, Be and Baemin, have turned to electric vehicles (EVs) as a more eco-friendly means of transportation for their fleets. Baemin is the latest to join this trend following an announcement on Wednesday, when the German-owned South Korean food delivery service said it is cooperating with Vietnamese firm Selex Smart Electric Vehicle JSC to launch an electric motorbike delivery fleet. Selex will directly hand over electric motorcycles to drivers with good delivery records and provide instructions on how to use them and change their batteries through a mobile app. Drivers who use the Selex EVs can swap the battery at an exchange station, which will be faster than recharging the battery and can be done in less than two minutes. The two firms believe that the use of electric motorbikes will help optimize the delivery service and cut operational costs by 40 percent. Baemin, which was founded by South Korean unicorn Woowa Brothers before being subsequently acquired by Germanys Delivery Hero, followed in the footsteps of Be Group, a major player in Vietnams ride-hailing market. In March, Be and Vingroups Green and Smart Mobility Joint Stock Company (GSM), which launched Vietnams first EV taxi service earlier this month, signed a cooperative agreement to introduce electric cars and motorbikes. Under the agreement, GSM will assist Be drivers in converting petrol vehicles to electric ones. During a shareholder meeting on Tuesday, Vietnamese taxi giant Vinasun Corps deputy general director Tran Anh Minh also discussed the possibility of introducing electric taxis and stated that it is one of their goals for this year. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Over 60 percent of the Japanese firms currently active in Vietnam are weighing business and production expansion in the Southeast Asian country over the next one or two years, according to Matsumoto Nobuyuki, chief representative of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) in Ho Chi Minh City. Speaking at a conference on orientation for industrial development in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday, Nobuyuki hailed Vietnam as a popular destination of Japanese investors. The percentage of Japanese enterprises planning to expand their business activities in Vietnam is impressive compared to the total number of Japanese firms doing business worldwide, according to the JETRO representative. In order to increase the diversity of their supply chains, many investors are tapping into the Vietnamese market, mainly Ho Chi Minh City, despite difficult administrative procedures, low labor productivity, and weak industrial production. Dr. Truong Huy Minh Vu, deputy head of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies, said that it is vital to review the citys industrial production policy and that the city should concentrate on manufacturing hi-tech products, boosting regional connectivity, enhancing research and development, upskilling laborers, and beefing up smart production. An employee handles machinery in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Huu Hanh / Tuoi Tre Challenges for industrial production in Ho Chi Minh City Addressing the conference, Vo Van Hoan, vice-chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee, discussed the relationship between economic sustainability and industrial production. He noted that Ho Chi Minh City is moving toward modern and hi-tech development with a focus on production. As such, it is necessary to change the mindset of officials, enterprises, and residents in order to advance industrial production transition, Hoan remarked. Industrial production accounts for 20 percent of the citys gross regional domestic product growth and 30 percent of the industrial production volume in the southern key economic zone, which includes Ho Chi Minh City and some other southeast provinces. It contributes 10 percent to Vietnams industrial production. Industrial production is meant to turn out competitive products for export and the domestic market. Therefore, the city sees the orientation for industrial development as a driver of the economic growth in the southern key economic zone and in the nation. Ho Chi Minh City aims for modern industrial production development with high added-value in 2030. The city wants to become an industrial research and development hub in the country and in Southeast Asia by 2045. Dr. Vu also said that at least four main challenges are currently facing the citys industrial production sector. Specifically, the scale of Ho Chi Minh Citys industrial production sector is shrinking and is gradually being surpassed by that of other localities such as neighboring Dong Nai and Binh Duong Provinces. He also pointed out that industrial land in the city is limited. Tran Viet Ha, deputy head of the Ho Chi Minh City Export Processing and Industrial Park Authority, said that the city is home to three export processing zones and 14 industrial parks covering a combined area of 3,900 hectares with an occupancy rate of over 80 percent. As of October 2022, these parks had attracted over 1,670 operational projects with a total pledged capital of VND291.7 trillion (US$12.5 billion). Accordingly, each hectare of industrial land in these parks has attracted an average of VND145.2 billion ($6.23 million) in investment, Ha said, adding that the value is low. Firms active in these parks are hesitant to expand production and invest in new machines and equipment as the remaining operation duration of these export processing and industrial zones is short. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Over 60 percent of the Japanese firms currently active in Vietnam are weighing business and production expansion in the Southeast Asian country over the next one or two years, according to Matsumoto Nobuyuki, chief representative of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) in Ho Chi Minh City. Speaking at a conference on orientation for industrial development in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday, Nobuyuki hailed Vietnam as a popular destination of Japanese investors. The percentage of Japanese enterprises planning to expand their business activities in Vietnam is impressive compared to the total number of Japanese firms doing business worldwide, according to the JETRO representative. In order to increase the diversity of their supply chains, many investors are tapping into the Vietnamese market, mainly Ho Chi Minh City, despite difficult administrative procedures, low labor productivity, and weak industrial production. Dr. Truong Huy Minh Vu, deputy head of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies, said that it is vital to review the citys industrial production policy and that the city should concentrate on manufacturing hi-tech products, boosting regional connectivity, enhancing research and development, upskilling laborers, and beefing up smart production. An employee handles machinery in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Huu Hanh / Tuoi Tre Challenges for industrial production in Ho Chi Minh City Addressing the conference, Vo Van Hoan, vice-chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee, discussed the relationship between economic sustainability and industrial production. He noted that Ho Chi Minh City is moving toward modern and hi-tech development with a focus on production. As such, it is necessary to change the mindset of officials, enterprises, and residents in order to advance industrial production transition, Hoan remarked. Industrial production accounts for 20 percent of the citys gross regional domestic product growth and 30 percent of the industrial production volume in the southern key economic zone, which includes Ho Chi Minh City and some other southeast provinces. It contributes 10 percent to Vietnams industrial production. Industrial production is meant to turn out competitive products for export and the domestic market. Therefore, the city sees the orientation for industrial development as a driver of the economic growth in the southern key economic zone and in the nation. Ho Chi Minh City aims for modern industrial production development with high added-value in 2030. The city wants to become an industrial research and development hub in the country and in Southeast Asia by 2045. Dr. Vu also said that at least four main challenges are currently facing the citys industrial production sector. Specifically, the scale of Ho Chi Minh Citys industrial production sector is shrinking and is gradually being surpassed by that of other localities such as neighboring Dong Nai and Binh Duong Provinces. He also pointed out that industrial land in the city is limited. Tran Viet Ha, deputy head of the Ho Chi Minh City Export Processing and Industrial Park Authority, said that the city is home to three export processing zones and 14 industrial parks covering a combined area of 3,900 hectares with an occupancy rate of over 80 percent. As of October 2022, these parks had attracted over 1,670 operational projects with a total pledged capital of VND291.7 trillion (US$12.5 billion). Accordingly, each hectare of industrial land in these parks has attracted an average of VND145.2 billion ($6.23 million) in investment, Ha said, adding that the value is low. Firms active in these parks are hesitant to expand production and invest in new machines and equipment as the remaining operation duration of these export processing and industrial zones is short. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Bac Giang Province in northern Vietnam, known as the countrys lychee growing hub, is set to export some 1,500 tonnes of lychees to the United States given that over 200 hectares of lychee cultivation land in the province meets export standards. Tran Quang Tan, director of the provincial Department of Industry and Trade, announced the provinces plan at a teleconference to promote trade activities and ramp up the exportation of lychees and other products to the United States on Wednesday. Lychee is growing in popularity, while many consumers value the fruit for its quality, safety, and origin traceability, said Tan. This year, Bac Giang is growing lychees on 29,700 hectares of land with an estimated output of over 180,000 metric tons. The province will harvest this fruit from May 20 to July 30. Of the total lychee cultivation, 205 hectares which will yield 1,500 tonnes meets all requirements for export to the United States. The United States is a potential market thanks to its huge consumption of the product, but it is highly selective about quarantine, food safety, and quality, according to the representative of the department. Therefore, transport and irradiation costs, transport time, and storage technology have become hindrances to the export of lychees and other farm products to the American market. Bac Giang proposed that the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency and the European American Market Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade continue supporting the province with information about the European and American markets, food safety, and technical barriers. Speaking at the teleconference, vice-chairman of the Bac Giang Peoples Committee Phan The Tuan underlined that farm produce that meets requirements for export to the United States can be shipped to other potential markets. The province is also committed to creating favorable conditions for enterprises which produce and export lychees, as well as removing all obstacles facing local exporters. Tuan also asked provincial departments and agencies to collaborate with enterprises to ensure that lychee exports to the United States meet all requirements and standards. At the event, the leader of the European American Market Department said that the agency would accompany Bac Giang to popularize lychees and beef up consumption of the fruit. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Bac Giang Province in northern Vietnam, known as the countrys lychee growing hub, is set to export some 1,500 tonnes of lychees to the United States given that over 200 hectares of lychee cultivation land in the province meets export standards. Tran Quang Tan, director of the provincial Department of Industry and Trade, announced the provinces plan at a teleconference to promote trade activities and ramp up the exportation of lychees and other products to the United States on Wednesday. Lychee is growing in popularity, while many consumers value the fruit for its quality, safety, and origin traceability, said Tan. This year, Bac Giang is growing lychees on 29,700 hectares of land with an estimated output of over 180,000 metric tons. The province will harvest this fruit from May 20 to July 30. Of the total lychee cultivation, 205 hectares which will yield 1,500 tonnes meets all requirements for export to the United States. The United States is a potential market thanks to its huge consumption of the product, but it is highly selective about quarantine, food safety, and quality, according to the representative of the department. Therefore, transport and irradiation costs, transport time, and storage technology have become hindrances to the export of lychees and other farm products to the American market. Bac Giang proposed that the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency and the European American Market Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade continue supporting the province with information about the European and American markets, food safety, and technical barriers. Speaking at the teleconference, vice-chairman of the Bac Giang Peoples Committee Phan The Tuan underlined that farm produce that meets requirements for export to the United States can be shipped to other potential markets. The province is also committed to creating favorable conditions for enterprises which produce and export lychees, as well as removing all obstacles facing local exporters. Tuan also asked provincial departments and agencies to collaborate with enterprises to ensure that lychee exports to the United States meet all requirements and standards. At the event, the leader of the European American Market Department said that the agency would accompany Bac Giang to popularize lychees and beef up consumption of the fruit. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The potential of Vietnams rice exports is great as the world demand for the countrys staple skyrockets, representatives of local rice exporters said at a conference in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday. The conference was held by the Ministry of industry and Trade to assess rice exports in the first quarter of this year and to evaluate plans for the foreseeable future. Vietnam exported more than 1.8 million metric tons of rice worth US$981 million in the first quarter of this year, up 23.4 percent in volume and 34.3 percent in value year on year, Tran Quoc Toan, deputy head of the Agency of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said at the conference. Average rice export prices reached $529 per metric ton between January and March, an 8.8 percent rise over last year. Asia remained the largest importer of Vietnams rice, followed by Africa and Europe. Traditional markets, such as China, Indonesia, and the Philippines, also reported positive growth. White rice made up the largest proportion of the countrys total rice shipments at 53.7 percent, followed by fragrant, glutinous, and broken rice. Toan said that Vietnam recorded impressive rice export results last quarter despite global economic volatility. Our rice export prices maintained their growth momentum. Vietnams five-percent broken rice export price ranked first in the world at times [during Q1] and was higher than the rate of the same rice of Thailand and India," Toan added. This proves the potential to expand markets and increase the market share of high-quality Vietnamese rice. Huynh Van Khoe, director of Blue Ocean Company, discusses how local enterprises can boost rice exports at a conference in Ho Chi Minh City, April 26, 2023. Photo: Tuoi Tre Several enterprises used the conference as a platform to share ideas on how Vietnam can take advantage of export opportunities and maintain the growth of the country's rice sector. They also discussed the obstacles they face as they work to meet global demands. Our company exports tens of thousands of metric tons of rice each year, but we do not have enough high-quality grains to meet customer demand, said Huynh Van Khoe, director of Blue Ocean Company. All [Vietnamese] enterprises want to sell rice to Europe and America but all face a shortage of rice. Meanwhile, a leader from the Department of Industry and Trade in Long An Province in southern Vietnam, said that supply is not the only issue confronting exporters. The leader mentioned difficulties in exporting to China through the northern province of Lao Cai and proposed that the Ministry of Industry and Trade work with its Chinese counterparts to remedy the problem. Market analysis firm Fitch Solutions earlier forecast a global rice shortfall of 8.7 million metric tons in 2022-23, which would mark the biggest global rice deficit since 2003-04. Poor weather in rice-producing nations, such as China and Pakistan, is seen as the primary driver of the deficit. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The potential of Vietnams rice exports is great as the world demand for the countrys staple skyrockets, representatives of local rice exporters said at a conference in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday. The conference was held by the Ministry of industry and Trade to assess rice exports in the first quarter of this year and to evaluate plans for the foreseeable future. Vietnam exported more than 1.8 million metric tons of rice worth US$981 million in the first quarter of this year, up 23.4 percent in volume and 34.3 percent in value year on year, Tran Quoc Toan, deputy head of the Agency of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said at the conference. Average rice export prices reached $529 per metric ton between January and March, an 8.8 percent rise over last year. Asia remained the largest importer of Vietnams rice, followed by Africa and Europe. Traditional markets, such as China, Indonesia, and the Philippines, also reported positive growth. White rice made up the largest proportion of the countrys total rice shipments at 53.7 percent, followed by fragrant, glutinous, and broken rice. Toan said that Vietnam recorded impressive rice export results last quarter despite global economic volatility. Our rice export prices maintained their growth momentum. Vietnams five-percent broken rice export price ranked first in the world at times [during Q1] and was higher than the rate of the same rice of Thailand and India," Toan added. This proves the potential to expand markets and increase the market share of high-quality Vietnamese rice. Huynh Van Khoe, director of Blue Ocean Company, discusses how local enterprises can boost rice exports at a conference in Ho Chi Minh City, April 26, 2023. Photo: Tuoi Tre Several enterprises used the conference as a platform to share ideas on how Vietnam can take advantage of export opportunities and maintain the growth of the country's rice sector. They also discussed the obstacles they face as they work to meet global demands. Our company exports tens of thousands of metric tons of rice each year, but we do not have enough high-quality grains to meet customer demand, said Huynh Van Khoe, director of Blue Ocean Company. All [Vietnamese] enterprises want to sell rice to Europe and America but all face a shortage of rice. Meanwhile, a leader from the Department of Industry and Trade in Long An Province in southern Vietnam, said that supply is not the only issue confronting exporters. The leader mentioned difficulties in exporting to China through the northern province of Lao Cai and proposed that the Ministry of Industry and Trade work with its Chinese counterparts to remedy the problem. Market analysis firm Fitch Solutions earlier forecast a global rice shortfall of 8.7 million metric tons in 2022-23, which would mark the biggest global rice deficit since 2003-04. Poor weather in rice-producing nations, such as China and Pakistan, is seen as the primary driver of the deficit. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A Brazilian court on Wednesday ordered a temporary suspension in the country of the encrypted messaging app Telegram until it complies with an order to share information on extremist and neo-Nazi groups using the platform. The decision, by Judge Wellington Lopes da Silva in a court in Espirito Santo state also increased a non-compliance fine to one million reais ($197,780) per day. The federal police requested the suspension order after Telegram failed to comply with a previous court decision to handover data about two neo-Nazi groups on the app that were accused of inciting violence in schools. Due to Telegram's non-compliance with the court order, the judge said telecommunications firms in the country should start to suspend access to the messaging service and downloading of the app. Local media reported that the federal police requested the contacts of administrators and members, as well as phone numbers of users from those groups. Telegram only "partially" complied by sending limited information last Friday, according to news website G1. Telegram brands itself as a messaging app focused on speed and privacy and says its special secret chats use end-to-end encryption that is not stored on its servers. The police's request to "end the secrecy" of the groups was made as part of an investigation of attacks by extremists on schools in Brazil in the last few weeks that killed five people. Telegram did not immediately respond to request for comment. Last year, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the suspension of the app, arguing that Telegram had repeatedly refused to adhere to judicial orders to freeze accounts spreading fake news and failed to comply with Brazilian laws. A Brazilian court on Wednesday ordered a temporary suspension in the country of the encrypted messaging app Telegram until it complies with an order to share information on extremist and neo-Nazi groups using the platform. The decision, by Judge Wellington Lopes da Silva in a court in Espirito Santo state also increased a non-compliance fine to one million reais ($197,780) per day. The federal police requested the suspension order after Telegram failed to comply with a previous court decision to handover data about two neo-Nazi groups on the app that were accused of inciting violence in schools. Due to Telegram's non-compliance with the court order, the judge said telecommunications firms in the country should start to suspend access to the messaging service and downloading of the app. Local media reported that the federal police requested the contacts of administrators and members, as well as phone numbers of users from those groups. Telegram only "partially" complied by sending limited information last Friday, according to news website G1. Telegram brands itself as a messaging app focused on speed and privacy and says its special secret chats use end-to-end encryption that is not stored on its servers. The police's request to "end the secrecy" of the groups was made as part of an investigation of attacks by extremists on schools in Brazil in the last few weeks that killed five people. Telegram did not immediately respond to request for comment. Last year, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the suspension of the app, arguing that Telegram had repeatedly refused to adhere to judicial orders to freeze accounts spreading fake news and failed to comply with Brazilian laws. At four in the morning outside a Yangon monastery, Shwe Lei and her team were wrestling 30 writhing pythons into old rice sacks and loading them into a van. It was just another day in the life of Myanmar's premier snake removal squad, prising pythons and cajoling cobras from dangerous entanglements with the human world before returning them to their natural habitat. Stuffed into the sacks were three months' worth of work, rescued from homes and apartments around Yangon and cared for at the monastery until they are fit for release to the wild. "I love snakes because they are not deceitful," Shwe Lei told AFP at the snake shelter run by the group, a python entwined around her body. "If you acknowledge their nature, they are lovely." This photo taken on January 12, 2023 shows snake catcher Shwe Lei with a snake at the Buddhist monastery in Mingalardon Township in Yangon. Photo: AFP Her mentor Ko Toe Aung, a burly 40-year-old who said he has been hospitalised seven times since he started catching snakes in 2016, was more prosaic. Anyone in the snake-catching game has to be "fast and agile", he said. "Wherever we catch a venomous snake, it is 90/10... It's a 90 percent chance the snake will bite me." Their team -- called Shwe Metta, or "Golden Love" in Burmese -- has around a dozen members and rescued around 200 snakes last year from around Yangon. Social media videos of the pair pulling snakes out of sink plugholes and extricating them from roof eaves have earned them the moniker "prince and princess of snakes" from local media. This photo taken on January 12, 2023 shows a snake resting on a Buddha statue at the Buddhist monastery in Mingalardon Township in Yangon. Photo: AFP On the scent The team all have day-jobs and rely on donations for everything from their protective gear to petrol to run their purple-coloured snake "ambulance". They mostly catch Burmese pythons -- non-venomous snakes that typically grow to around five metres (16 feet) long and squeeze their prey of rats and other small mammals to death. Cobras and banded krait also make homes in Yangon's apartments and are a trickier prospect -- their venom can be fatal. More than 15,000 people were bitten by snakes in Myanmar in 2014, according to the latest available figures from the World Health Organization. Of those, 1,250 died, a fatality rate higher than many other countries, largely due to Myanmar's creaking healthcare system and patchy access to antivenoms. It is a danger never far from the team's work. In March, they spent two days trying to remove several cobras nesting underneath a Yangon house. This photo taken on February 11, 2023 shows a snake biting a man at the Buddhist monastery in Twantay Township in Yangon. Photo: AFP Tunnelling into the foundations as neighbours watched, their digging was frequently interrupted by the snakes inside spitting venom towards them. "It stinks," said Ko Ye Min, 31, a tattooed member of the team, as he took a break from trying to reach the nest. Recognising exactly which kind of stink is another skill a snake-catcher must hone, according to Ko Toe Aung. "We have to be familiar with their smells... to identify the species of snakes before removing them," he said. Cobras smell "rotten", he said. "But the smell of a python is much stronger. Sometimes we even vomit when we bring it into the ambulance." This photo taken on January 12, 2023 shows a Buddhist monk holding a snake at the Buddhist monastery in Mingalardon Township in Yangon. Photo: AFP 'Compassion' Through their online videos and growing fame, the Shwe Metta team hope to encourage people to be more compassionate towards the slithering reptiles -- especially if one turns up in their house. "In the past people... used to kill snakes whenever they found them," said Shwe Lei. "But they have more knowledge and they know we can release snakes back into the wild. So they call us to capture and remove them." The rescued snakes are kept under observation in a nearby monastery until there are enough of them to justify a journey into the bush to release them. In late March, the team walked into the sweltering backwoods of the Bago Yoma hills, 150 kilometres (90 miles) north of Yangon, on such a journey. Each member carried a python in a bag slung over their shoulder until they reached a suitable spot to release it. A few of the dazed reptiles needed gentle prods to get going, but after weeks in a cage and a five-hour car journey, Shwe Lei sympathised. "Nobody likes the feeling of being locked up," she said after the last one had slithered off -- hopefully not to return to the human world for a long time. "I feel happy releasing the snakes... from the point of view of compassion for each other, it is satisfying." At four in the morning outside a Yangon monastery, Shwe Lei and her team were wrestling 30 writhing pythons into old rice sacks and loading them into a van. It was just another day in the life of Myanmar's premier snake removal squad, prising pythons and cajoling cobras from dangerous entanglements with the human world before returning them to their natural habitat. Stuffed into the sacks were three months' worth of work, rescued from homes and apartments around Yangon and cared for at the monastery until they are fit for release to the wild. "I love snakes because they are not deceitful," Shwe Lei told AFP at the snake shelter run by the group, a python entwined around her body. "If you acknowledge their nature, they are lovely." This photo taken on January 12, 2023 shows snake catcher Shwe Lei with a snake at the Buddhist monastery in Mingalardon Township in Yangon. Photo: AFP Her mentor Ko Toe Aung, a burly 40-year-old who said he has been hospitalised seven times since he started catching snakes in 2016, was more prosaic. Anyone in the snake-catching game has to be "fast and agile", he said. "Wherever we catch a venomous snake, it is 90/10... It's a 90 percent chance the snake will bite me." Their team -- called Shwe Metta, or "Golden Love" in Burmese -- has around a dozen members and rescued around 200 snakes last year from around Yangon. Social media videos of the pair pulling snakes out of sink plugholes and extricating them from roof eaves have earned them the moniker "prince and princess of snakes" from local media. This photo taken on January 12, 2023 shows a snake resting on a Buddha statue at the Buddhist monastery in Mingalardon Township in Yangon. Photo: AFP On the scent The team all have day-jobs and rely on donations for everything from their protective gear to petrol to run their purple-coloured snake "ambulance". They mostly catch Burmese pythons -- non-venomous snakes that typically grow to around five metres (16 feet) long and squeeze their prey of rats and other small mammals to death. Cobras and banded krait also make homes in Yangon's apartments and are a trickier prospect -- their venom can be fatal. More than 15,000 people were bitten by snakes in Myanmar in 2014, according to the latest available figures from the World Health Organization. Of those, 1,250 died, a fatality rate higher than many other countries, largely due to Myanmar's creaking healthcare system and patchy access to antivenoms. It is a danger never far from the team's work. In March, they spent two days trying to remove several cobras nesting underneath a Yangon house. This photo taken on February 11, 2023 shows a snake biting a man at the Buddhist monastery in Twantay Township in Yangon. Photo: AFP Tunnelling into the foundations as neighbours watched, their digging was frequently interrupted by the snakes inside spitting venom towards them. "It stinks," said Ko Ye Min, 31, a tattooed member of the team, as he took a break from trying to reach the nest. Recognising exactly which kind of stink is another skill a snake-catcher must hone, according to Ko Toe Aung. "We have to be familiar with their smells... to identify the species of snakes before removing them," he said. Cobras smell "rotten", he said. "But the smell of a python is much stronger. Sometimes we even vomit when we bring it into the ambulance." This photo taken on January 12, 2023 shows a Buddhist monk holding a snake at the Buddhist monastery in Mingalardon Township in Yangon. Photo: AFP 'Compassion' Through their online videos and growing fame, the Shwe Metta team hope to encourage people to be more compassionate towards the slithering reptiles -- especially if one turns up in their house. "In the past people... used to kill snakes whenever they found them," said Shwe Lei. "But they have more knowledge and they know we can release snakes back into the wild. So they call us to capture and remove them." The rescued snakes are kept under observation in a nearby monastery until there are enough of them to justify a journey into the bush to release them. In late March, the team walked into the sweltering backwoods of the Bago Yoma hills, 150 kilometres (90 miles) north of Yangon, on such a journey. Each member carried a python in a bag slung over their shoulder until they reached a suitable spot to release it. A few of the dazed reptiles needed gentle prods to get going, but after weeks in a cage and a five-hour car journey, Shwe Lei sympathised. "Nobody likes the feeling of being locked up," she said after the last one had slithered off -- hopefully not to return to the human world for a long time. "I feel happy releasing the snakes... from the point of view of compassion for each other, it is satisfying." The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is not pleased with SpaceX's launch. The government agency recently announced it had launched a mishap investigation on SpaceX for allegedly spreading potentially hazardous material on homes and wild animals' natural habitats. SpaceX is prohibited from launching its Starship spacecraft until the FAA has concluded its investigation on the matter. FAA SpaceX Mishap Investigation Details SpaceX's Starship mega rocket is a big one; dubbed as the most powerful rocket in the world per CNN, it comprises several parts that made it as high as 394 ft. and 2.5 ft. wide, making it capable of carrying enough fuel to carry 100 to 150 tons of payload, per SpaceX's official website. Unfortunately, some of the materials that originated from the launch site spread for miles during and after Starship's first launch. According to a CNBC report, the primary concern of residents and researchers around the rocket's launch site was the large amount of sand- and ash-like particulate matter and heavier debris, which spread far beyond the launch's expected debris field. While there were no injuries or public property damaged during the rocket's ill-fated launch, the FAA grounded the launching of SpaceX's Starship mega rockets until after it concluded its mishap investigation due to debris' spread far beyond the expected area. According to Space.com's report, dust and debris from the launch allegedly rained down on residents in Port Isabel, Texas, and across Boca Chica's beaches, which are nesting grounds for endangered animals such as birds and sea turtles. For context, Port Isabel is a town roughly 6 miles from Starship's launchpad. Read More: Google Adds Feature Improving Tool Discovery in Docs, Sheets, Slides Dave Cortez, a chapter director for Port Isabel's Sierra Club environmental advocacy group, said that the town's residents reported broken windows in their businesses and ash-like particles covering their homes and schools. He added that he found concrete from Starship's shattered launchpad shot out into the ocean, creating shrapnel that risked hitting the fuel storage tanks adjacent to the launch pad. It is unknown when the FAA will conclude its mishap investigation of SpaceX's Starship, but if it ends in a month, the space company may have a chance to launch its mega rocket again in two months or later after it reacquires the government agency's approval. Not According To Plan While SpaceX CEO Elon Musk predicted that the rocket is likely to explode before it could even reach orbit. he and She company didn't predict that the rocket's launch would destroy its launchpad, nor particular matter from the launchpad would rain down on Port Isabel residents and Boca Chica's beaches and wildlife habitats. The company told the FAA and other agencies that debris from the launch would fall within a 700-acre area surrounding the launch site should an "anomaly" happen during the launch for it to push through with Starship's launch. This area is vastly smaller than what was actually needed on Apr. 20 - the day of Starship's launch. Suffice it to say, it is probable that the FAA would have SpaceX move the venue of Starship's launch to some other place before it would give them the approval it needs to retry launching the rocket again. Related Article: SpaceX's Starship Experiences 'Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly' Chairman of Vietnams lawmaking National Assembly (NA) Vuong Dinh Hue has commenced his official visit to Uruguay at the invitation of Speaker of the Senate of Uruguay Beatriz Argimon Cedeira. The NA leader and a high-ranking delegation of the Vietnamese legislature arrived in the Uruguayan capital city of Montevideo on Wednesday (local time). NA chairman Hue is the highest-level official of the Communist Party and the state of Vietnam to pay an official visit to the Eastern Republic of Uruguay since the two countries established their diplomatic ties 30 years ago. His visit is expected to consolidate the traditional friendship between the two nations, strengthen bilateral cooperation ties, and boost the possibility to start negotiations of the Vietnam-Mercosur free trade agreement. The visit also indicated that Vietnam attaches great importance to the fine relations and looks to bolster economic and trade cooperation with Latin American countries, including Uruguay. Prior to his Uruguay trip, the head of the Vietnamese legislature and his entourage attended the Vietnam-Argentina Business Forum, which took place at the Rosario Stock Exchange in the Argentine province of Santa Fe on Wednesday (local time). Addressing the event, Hue said that since Vietnam and Argentina established their diplomatic ties 50 years ago, the two nations have made significant efforts in cooperation activities and obtained important results in all fields, with economic and trade cooperation being a bright spot. Hue stressed that the Vietnamese legislature and government are working to perfect institutions and create the most favorable business environment for investors at home and abroad, as well as state-run and private firms. He also affirmed that Vietnam wishes to deepen its comprehensive partnership with Argentina. The head of the Vietnamese lawmaking body suggested both sides continue to boost the export of products to each others market, so as to further beef up the economic, trade, and investment cooperation between Vietnam and Argentina, between Vietnam and Santa Fe and other localities in central Argentinas development triangle. Besides, Vietnam and Argentina need to facilitate the launch of negotiations of a free trade agreement between the Southeast Asian country and Mercosur in order to further speed up bilateral trade and investment. Mercosur, or the Southern Common Market, is a South American trade bloc that establishes free trade among member nations including Argentina and Uruguay. Vietnam has completed all the assessments and stays ready to negotiate the pact with Argentina and other Mercosur member nations at any time, Hue said. Attendees clap their hands at a meeting attended by Chairman of Vietnams lawmaking National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue and governors of three Argentine provinces. Photo: Doan Tan / Tuoi Tre Previously, the top Vietnamese legislator had met with Governor of Santa Fe Omar Angel Perotti, Governor of Cordoba Province Juan Schiaretti, and Governor of Entre Rios Province Gustavo Bordet. Speaking at a press conference held after that, Hue lauded the three province governors and businesses for their efforts to send delegations to Vietnam to consider expanding the cooperation between the two sides. Apart from strengthening the economic, trade, and investment cooperation, Vietnam seeks to bolster people-to-people exchanges as well as cultural, sports, and tourism cooperation. Both sides also discussed a plan on launching a direct air route linking Vietnam and Argentina to further enhance people-to-people exchanges and the economic, trade, investment, and tourism cooperation. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Chairman of Vietnams lawmaking National Assembly (NA) Vuong Dinh Hue has commenced his official visit to Uruguay at the invitation of Speaker of the Senate of Uruguay Beatriz Argimon Cedeira. The NA leader and a high-ranking delegation of the Vietnamese legislature arrived in the Uruguayan capital city of Montevideo on Wednesday (local time). NA chairman Hue is the highest-level official of the Communist Party and the state of Vietnam to pay an official visit to the Eastern Republic of Uruguay since the two countries established their diplomatic ties 30 years ago. His visit is expected to consolidate the traditional friendship between the two nations, strengthen bilateral cooperation ties, and boost the possibility to start negotiations of the Vietnam-Mercosur free trade agreement. The visit also indicated that Vietnam attaches great importance to the fine relations and looks to bolster economic and trade cooperation with Latin American countries, including Uruguay. Prior to his Uruguay trip, the head of the Vietnamese legislature and his entourage attended the Vietnam-Argentina Business Forum, which took place at the Rosario Stock Exchange in the Argentine province of Santa Fe on Wednesday (local time). Addressing the event, Hue said that since Vietnam and Argentina established their diplomatic ties 50 years ago, the two nations have made significant efforts in cooperation activities and obtained important results in all fields, with economic and trade cooperation being a bright spot. Hue stressed that the Vietnamese legislature and government are working to perfect institutions and create the most favorable business environment for investors at home and abroad, as well as state-run and private firms. He also affirmed that Vietnam wishes to deepen its comprehensive partnership with Argentina. The head of the Vietnamese lawmaking body suggested both sides continue to boost the export of products to each others market, so as to further beef up the economic, trade, and investment cooperation between Vietnam and Argentina, between Vietnam and Santa Fe and other localities in central Argentinas development triangle. Besides, Vietnam and Argentina need to facilitate the launch of negotiations of a free trade agreement between the Southeast Asian country and Mercosur in order to further speed up bilateral trade and investment. Mercosur, or the Southern Common Market, is a South American trade bloc that establishes free trade among member nations including Argentina and Uruguay. Vietnam has completed all the assessments and stays ready to negotiate the pact with Argentina and other Mercosur member nations at any time, Hue said. Attendees clap their hands at a meeting attended by Chairman of Vietnams lawmaking National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue and governors of three Argentine provinces. Photo: Doan Tan / Tuoi Tre Previously, the top Vietnamese legislator had met with Governor of Santa Fe Omar Angel Perotti, Governor of Cordoba Province Juan Schiaretti, and Governor of Entre Rios Province Gustavo Bordet. Speaking at a press conference held after that, Hue lauded the three province governors and businesses for their efforts to send delegations to Vietnam to consider expanding the cooperation between the two sides. Apart from strengthening the economic, trade, and investment cooperation, Vietnam seeks to bolster people-to-people exchanges as well as cultural, sports, and tourism cooperation. Both sides also discussed a plan on launching a direct air route linking Vietnam and Argentina to further enhance people-to-people exchanges and the economic, trade, investment, and tourism cooperation. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Some 40,000 Vietnamese people end their life every year due to depression, four times higher the number of fatalities caused by traffic accidents, Nguyen Thu Ha from the National Institute for Occupational and Environmental Health under the Ministry of Health said at a seminar in Hanoi on Wednesday. Many of those who committed suicide were workers driven to depression by stress, noise, chemicals, and psychophysiology-related factors in the workplace, Ha cited a study from the National Institute of Mental Health under Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi as part of a discussion on how to reduce workplace-related stress. Aside from depression, long-term occupational stress can cause diabetes and high blood pressure. Another major factor which contributes to workplace-induced stress relates to the level of responsibility an individual has for the lives of others, particularly healthcare workers and air traffic controllers who spend long hours ensuring that others are safe. At the seminar, Dr. Pham Thi Thu Lan, deputy head of the Institute for Workers and Trade Unions, noted that workplace-induced depression is often accompanied by anxiety, irritability, loss of appetite, insomnia, loss of concentration, and headaches. It is important to ensure that salaries cover workers basic needs as statistics from International Trade Union Confederation revealed that 83 percent of laborers worldwide are unable to make ends meet with the minimum wage in their countries, Lan said. Lan also proposed policies to balance work and life, including the idea that labor unions launch hotlines to provide an outlet for laborers to relieve stress from work. Delegates at a seminar held in Hanoi on April 26, 2023 to discuss solutions to prevent and reduce stress at workplaces. Photo: Ha Quan / Tuoi Tre Occupational stress has three periods, according to Dr. Le Van Trinh, chairman of the Vietnam Occupational Safety and Health Association. The first period lasts for several weeks, during which stressed workers notice faster heart and breathing rates accompanied by sweats and high blood pressure. These workers may suffer from headaches, muscle rigidity, fatigue, chest pain, loss of concentration, and dementia. During the second period, blood pressure continues to increase and workers become weary, sensitive, timid, worried, and angry. After several months, those suffering from occupational stress face a risk of chronic diseases, including chest pain, diabetes, and arthritis. They should be hospitalized for treatment if they experience these symptoms. It is critical that enterprises pay more attention to the mental health of their employees, especially post-partum women. Trade unions should proactively enact measures to reduce workplace stress through salary increases, allowance policies, improvements to working environments, and by organizing artistic and sporting events. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Some 40,000 Vietnamese people end their life every year due to depression, four times higher the number of fatalities caused by traffic accidents, Nguyen Thu Ha from the National Institute for Occupational and Environmental Health under the Ministry of Health said at a seminar in Hanoi on Wednesday. Many of those who committed suicide were workers driven to depression by stress, noise, chemicals, and psychophysiology-related factors in the workplace, Ha cited a study from the National Institute of Mental Health under Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi as part of a discussion on how to reduce workplace-related stress. Aside from depression, long-term occupational stress can cause diabetes and high blood pressure. Another major factor which contributes to workplace-induced stress relates to the level of responsibility an individual has for the lives of others, particularly healthcare workers and air traffic controllers who spend long hours ensuring that others are safe. At the seminar, Dr. Pham Thi Thu Lan, deputy head of the Institute for Workers and Trade Unions, noted that workplace-induced depression is often accompanied by anxiety, irritability, loss of appetite, insomnia, loss of concentration, and headaches. It is important to ensure that salaries cover workers basic needs as statistics from International Trade Union Confederation revealed that 83 percent of laborers worldwide are unable to make ends meet with the minimum wage in their countries, Lan said. Lan also proposed policies to balance work and life, including the idea that labor unions launch hotlines to provide an outlet for laborers to relieve stress from work. Delegates at a seminar held in Hanoi on April 26, 2023 to discuss solutions to prevent and reduce stress at workplaces. Photo: Ha Quan / Tuoi Tre Occupational stress has three periods, according to Dr. Le Van Trinh, chairman of the Vietnam Occupational Safety and Health Association. The first period lasts for several weeks, during which stressed workers notice faster heart and breathing rates accompanied by sweats and high blood pressure. These workers may suffer from headaches, muscle rigidity, fatigue, chest pain, loss of concentration, and dementia. During the second period, blood pressure continues to increase and workers become weary, sensitive, timid, worried, and angry. After several months, those suffering from occupational stress face a risk of chronic diseases, including chest pain, diabetes, and arthritis. They should be hospitalized for treatment if they experience these symptoms. It is critical that enterprises pay more attention to the mental health of their employees, especially post-partum women. Trade unions should proactively enact measures to reduce workplace stress through salary increases, allowance policies, improvements to working environments, and by organizing artistic and sporting events. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A man died and four others were hospitalized on Wednesday after drinking alcohol at a funeral in Ca Mau Province, which is Vietnams southern tip. Nguyen Viet Trieu, chairman of Khanh Binh Tay Bac Commune in Tran Van Thoi District, on Thursday afternoon confirmed the alcohol poisoning case. The Ca Mau General Hospital on Wednesday admitted three patients suspected of alcohol poisoning. The three men, aged between 50 and 70, live in Khanh Binh Tay Bac Commune. After being rushed to the hospital, the three were in a critical condition, thereby receiving continuous blood purification treatment. Their health recovered on Thursday morning. Meanwhile, the two others received treatment at the Tran Van Thoi General Hospital, but the 58-year-old man was pronounced dead. The chairman of Khanh Binh Tay Bac said that they had attended a funeral at their acquaintances house in the commune and drunk liquor there. After the bash, all of them developed some symptoms of headache and fatigue, so they were hospitalized for emergencies. Police in the province are investigating the death and hospitalizations linked to the liquor. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A man died and four others were hospitalized on Wednesday after drinking alcohol at a funeral in Ca Mau Province, which is Vietnams southern tip. Nguyen Viet Trieu, chairman of Khanh Binh Tay Bac Commune in Tran Van Thoi District, on Thursday afternoon confirmed the alcohol poisoning case. The Ca Mau General Hospital on Wednesday admitted three patients suspected of alcohol poisoning. The three men, aged between 50 and 70, live in Khanh Binh Tay Bac Commune. After being rushed to the hospital, the three were in a critical condition, thereby receiving continuous blood purification treatment. Their health recovered on Thursday morning. Meanwhile, the two others received treatment at the Tran Van Thoi General Hospital, but the 58-year-old man was pronounced dead. The chairman of Khanh Binh Tay Bac said that they had attended a funeral at their acquaintances house in the commune and drunk liquor there. After the bash, all of them developed some symptoms of headache and fatigue, so they were hospitalized for emergencies. Police in the province are investigating the death and hospitalizations linked to the liquor. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Catch up on the news in Vietnam today: Society -- One of the trains for the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien Metro Line, the first of its kind in Ho Chi Minh City, underwent a trial run on a 12.3-kilometer section at 50 kilometers per hour on Wednesday. -- More than 70 unlawfully-built apartments at the popular Muong Thanh hotel and Son Tra luxury apartment complex in Da Nang City, central Vietnam have started to be dismantled after over six years since the illegal construction was found. -- Police in Hai Phong City, northern Vietnam on Wednesday announced that they arrested a man who allegedly smashed the windows of several cars parked on streets to steal assets. He was caught hiding in the southern region. -- The Ministry of Transport has proposed the prime minister establish a plane accident probe committee to investigate a tourist helicopter crash in northern Vietnam in early April. -- Police in Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province, southern Vietnam detained several traffic inspectors of the provincial Department of Transport over alleged bribe taking on Wednesday. -- Investigators of the Ministry of Public Security have cracked down on a human organ trading ring, arresting two suspects. Politics -- Ho Chi Minh City Party chief Nguyen Van Nen and a high-ranking delegation of the city are set to visit Russia in June 2023 to attend the inauguration ceremony of the statue of Vietnams late State President Ho Chi Minh in Saint Petersburg City, heard his reception for Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Gennady Stepanovich Bezdetko on Wednesday morning. Business -- Over 60 percent of the Japanese firms active in Vietnam are weighing their business and production expansion in the Southeast Asian country in the next one or two years, Matsumoto Nobuyuki, chief representative of the Japan External Trade Organization in Ho Chi Minh City, told a conference on orientation for industrial development in the city on Wednesday. -- Bac Giang Province in northern Vietnam is set to export some 1,500 tons of lychees to the United States, according to the provincial Department of Industry and Trade. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Catch up on the news in Vietnam today: Society -- One of the trains for the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien Metro Line, the first of its kind in Ho Chi Minh City, underwent a trial run on a 12.3-kilometer section at 50 kilometers per hour on Wednesday. -- More than 70 unlawfully-built apartments at the popular Muong Thanh hotel and Son Tra luxury apartment complex in Da Nang City, central Vietnam have started to be dismantled after over six years since the illegal construction was found. -- Police in Hai Phong City, northern Vietnam on Wednesday announced that they arrested a man who allegedly smashed the windows of several cars parked on streets to steal assets. He was caught hiding in the southern region. -- The Ministry of Transport has proposed the prime minister establish a plane accident probe committee to investigate a tourist helicopter crash in northern Vietnam in early April. -- Police in Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province, southern Vietnam detained several traffic inspectors of the provincial Department of Transport over alleged bribe taking on Wednesday. -- Investigators of the Ministry of Public Security have cracked down on a human organ trading ring, arresting two suspects. Politics -- Ho Chi Minh City Party chief Nguyen Van Nen and a high-ranking delegation of the city are set to visit Russia in June 2023 to attend the inauguration ceremony of the statue of Vietnams late State President Ho Chi Minh in Saint Petersburg City, heard his reception for Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Gennady Stepanovich Bezdetko on Wednesday morning. Business -- Over 60 percent of the Japanese firms active in Vietnam are weighing their business and production expansion in the Southeast Asian country in the next one or two years, Matsumoto Nobuyuki, chief representative of the Japan External Trade Organization in Ho Chi Minh City, told a conference on orientation for industrial development in the city on Wednesday. -- Bac Giang Province in northern Vietnam is set to export some 1,500 tons of lychees to the United States, according to the provincial Department of Industry and Trade. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Investigators from the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security have disbanded a human organ trafficking ring and pressed charges against two individuals for their alleged involvement, the ministry announced on Tuesday evening. Police officers prosecuted and detained Truong Thi Khuyen, 57, a native of northern Bac Giang Province, and Tran Van Hiep, 52, a resident of Hanoi, for allegedly trafficking and appropriating human organs. According to the results of an investigation, Hiep had been seeking brokers to trade in human organs, especially livers. Khuyen and several others were accused of aiding and abetting Hiep in his organ trafficking operation. Khuyen, at one point, had lived with a partner named N.V.B., who sold kidneys and brokered human organ sales for Hiep. Those who bought livers through Hiep were charged roughly VND1.2 billion (US$51,460). Sellers were given just VND450 million ($19,300). Hiep would scout for potential sellers at local hospitals. After making an agreement, he would take the individual to a local hospital to test the status of their liver. He also participated in Facebook groups focused on kidney donation and transplants. According to police, a kidney transplant costs VND700 million ($30,000) while a liver transplant costs VND1.2-1.5 billion ($51,400-64,200). Hiep pocketed the difference of some VND100-200 million ($4,280-8,570) from each organ traded. He then paid Khuyen VND20-30 million ($857-1,286) per case. On August 3 last year, Hiep was caught red-handed by police officers taking three women to a Hanoi medical facility for kidney testing. The organ trafficking ring is under investigation. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Investigators from the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security have disbanded a human organ trafficking ring and pressed charges against two individuals for their alleged involvement, the ministry announced on Tuesday evening. Police officers prosecuted and detained Truong Thi Khuyen, 57, a native of northern Bac Giang Province, and Tran Van Hiep, 52, a resident of Hanoi, for allegedly trafficking and appropriating human organs. According to the results of an investigation, Hiep had been seeking brokers to trade in human organs, especially livers. Khuyen and several others were accused of aiding and abetting Hiep in his organ trafficking operation. Khuyen, at one point, had lived with a partner named N.V.B., who sold kidneys and brokered human organ sales for Hiep. Those who bought livers through Hiep were charged roughly VND1.2 billion (US$51,460). Sellers were given just VND450 million ($19,300). Hiep would scout for potential sellers at local hospitals. After making an agreement, he would take the individual to a local hospital to test the status of their liver. He also participated in Facebook groups focused on kidney donation and transplants. According to police, a kidney transplant costs VND700 million ($30,000) while a liver transplant costs VND1.2-1.5 billion ($51,400-64,200). Hiep pocketed the difference of some VND100-200 million ($4,280-8,570) from each organ traded. He then paid Khuyen VND20-30 million ($857-1,286) per case. On August 3 last year, Hiep was caught red-handed by police officers taking three women to a Hanoi medical facility for kidney testing. The organ trafficking ring is under investigation. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Fifty restrooms with advanced wastewater treatment technology will be built for Vietnamese students in 2023 at a cost of over U$600,000. The Central Committee of the Vietnam National Union of Students and KN Holdings Corporation JSC co-hosted a signing ceremony to implement the 'Restrooms for Students' program on Wednesday afternoon. The program is aimed at equipping schools and improving the teaching and learning quality in many parts of Vietnam, primarily in underprivileged areas. Specifically, the program will target Hung Yen, Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, Ha Tinh, Dak Lak, Khanh Hoa, Dong Nai, and Kien Giang Provinces. The total cost of the project is expected to hit VND14 billion ($600,600). The new restrooms will be the first in Vietnam to feature advanced water treatment technology, according to Nguyen Minh Triet, chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam National Union of Students. Triet also shared that the Central Committee of the Vietnam National Union of Students hopes the project will help ensure that at least 50 percent of schools in the targeted provinces have sufficient restroom facilities to service students, and 80 percent of the restrooms in the target provinces meet the sanitary standards regulated by the Student Health Program for the 2021-25 period. Refurbishing, repairing, and rebuilding restrooms in schools are top priorities for the committee and the student union, Triet said. The 'Restrooms for Students' program was first launched in 2021. It has so far developed 25 restrooms at schools in 11 cities and provinces nationwide. During the summer volunteer youth campaign 2022, the country saw 428 restrooms rebuilt at schools and over 1,300 toilets for students upgraded at a total cost of over VND70 billion ($3 million). Representatives at the signing ceremony for the 'Restrooms for Students' program, April 26, 2023. Photo: B.K. / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Fifty restrooms with advanced wastewater treatment technology will be built for Vietnamese students in 2023 at a cost of over U$600,000. The Central Committee of the Vietnam National Union of Students and KN Holdings Corporation JSC co-hosted a signing ceremony to implement the 'Restrooms for Students' program on Wednesday afternoon. The program is aimed at equipping schools and improving the teaching and learning quality in many parts of Vietnam, primarily in underprivileged areas. Specifically, the program will target Hung Yen, Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, Ha Tinh, Dak Lak, Khanh Hoa, Dong Nai, and Kien Giang Provinces. The total cost of the project is expected to hit VND14 billion ($600,600). The new restrooms will be the first in Vietnam to feature advanced water treatment technology, according to Nguyen Minh Triet, chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam National Union of Students. Triet also shared that the Central Committee of the Vietnam National Union of Students hopes the project will help ensure that at least 50 percent of schools in the targeted provinces have sufficient restroom facilities to service students, and 80 percent of the restrooms in the target provinces meet the sanitary standards regulated by the Student Health Program for the 2021-25 period. Refurbishing, repairing, and rebuilding restrooms in schools are top priorities for the committee and the student union, Triet said. The 'Restrooms for Students' program was first launched in 2021. It has so far developed 25 restrooms at schools in 11 cities and provinces nationwide. During the summer volunteer youth campaign 2022, the country saw 428 restrooms rebuilt at schools and over 1,300 toilets for students upgraded at a total cost of over VND70 billion ($3 million). Representatives at the signing ceremony for the 'Restrooms for Students' program, April 26, 2023. Photo: B.K. / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! On Sundays 7News Spotlight Liam Bartlett speaks to Thomas Markle Snr, son Tom Jnr and daughter Samantha in Florida about the ongoing tabloid estrangement with Meghan Markle. Host Michael Usher also reports the latest Coronation news from London, where one royal watcher reportedly drops yet another Prince Andrew bombshell. Thomas Markle Jr. has previously featured on Big Brother: VIP and Thomas Markle Sr. on Sunrise. As the world prepares to watch the Coronation of her estranged in-laws, rogue royal Meghan Markle will need to keep her eyes on this weeks 7NEWS Spotlight for a fresh attack closer to home. On the eve of King Charles III and Queen Camillas big day, its her fractured US family who threaten to steal the show. In an explosive and exclusive new interview to air 8.30pm this Sunday on Channel 7 and 7plus, the dying dad of the Duchess of Sussex makes a desperate plea to his once-devoted daughter: please make peace with me before its too late. Showing signs of having suffered a stroke, Thomas Markle Snr joins his son Tom Jnr and daughter Samantha for their first reunion since the former Suits star married Prince Harry and iced them out of her life. Grilling the Markles is 7NEWS Spotlights Liam Bartlett, who joins the tabloid-loving trio at Samanthas Florida home, where they throw a few shrimps on the barbie and their famous half-sister under another bus. Sharing treasured childhood videos of Meghan, including never-before-seen footage of the Hollywood star as her high schools homecoming queen, the Markles accuse her of swapping her regal role for the full-time job of hurting her sickly father and allegedly lying about her life before marrying into the monarchy. Responding to claims made by Meghan in her Oprah and Netflix specials, Samantha, or Bonnie as her family calls her, hits back at her half-sibling over what she calls a co-dependent and toxic relationship with Prince Harry. Under-fire Palace officials will cringe at the latest airing of Markle dirty laundry, as they attempt to cleanse the image of an already embattled King and his wife. 8:30pm Sunday on Seven. Nines new reality adventure series The Summit will premiere in mid-May. Jai Courtney hosts the original series filmed New Zealands South Island as 14 strangers try and win $1 million, equally divided between them, as they carry the cash to the top of one of NZs highest peaks. You are going to see people physically, mentally and emotionally tested. Youll see bonds made and broken. We will get a real look at how far people are willing to push themselves and push each other, and see how their resilience is tested. I think itll be inspiring, a little heartbreaking, and action-packed, he said. The Summit is a 9Network and Endemol Shine Australia series, produced by Endemol Shine Australia. The Summit is a thrilling game of trust, greed and betrayal where morals will be tested, physical limits pushed to breaking point and bonds forged and broken, hosted by Australian actor and Hollywood star, Jai Courtney. The contestants will have to work as a team through dangerous, rugged terrain, encounter wild weather and adrenaline-charged obstacles to reach the summit of a distant mountain in 14 days to take home the prizemoney. But if a trekker falters and gets left behind, so does their share of the money, reducing the size of the cash pot. And if the group fails to reach the summit in time, all the prizemoney will be lost. There will be brutal twists along the way like opportunities to steal someones money if a trekker is seen as a weak link, and add it to the prize pot for the remaining trekkers. How much money will be lost and stolen? And who in the group will risk the trekkers not making it to the top of the mountain in time? As the old saying goes, be kind to the people on your way up, because on this adventure you never know who you might meet on the way down. Sunday, May 14, at 7.00pm on Nine. Dr. Chris Brown made his farewell speech last night in his penultimate episode of Im a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, as nine seasons alongside Julia Morris draws to a close. Brown, who has signed with Seven network, told viewers he didnt want to detract from the winners in Sunday nights finale in South Africa. Figting back tears, Julia Morris, who was first paired with Brown at a Logie nominations event, said, My beloved doctor, we became co hosts on this crazy celebrity show. And here we are, nine years later, I was meant to get through that like a joke, guys, but I can honestly say from the bottom of my heart, Im heartbroken to say goodbye to my beloved doctor. She continued, Australia has loved seeing a different side to you. And on this show where else well ever get to have this much fun? Brown said, This has honestly been the greatest professional privilege of my life to host this show alongside you. And its because of the stuff you dont see at home this incredible crew thats 400 strong. Its our blended family that we are all so close with. And its this incredible creative force that comes together like you cannot imagine. He said of Julia Morris, Nine years ago when when people said it was crazy to pair a vet with a comedian, we both laughed. And we both laughed a lot at the time, because we knew that we clicked. Romantically! she joked. And we knew that we had something special, and I dont think I ever could have imagined how special it would be, where that spark would take us and the connection we would have. I just want to say its been an honour, its been a privilege, and I really hope and Im sure, this is not the last time we experienced this spark. Itll take us to so many places Im quite sure, he said. Meanwhile the show also locked onto its final three: Liz Ellis, Aisha Scott and Harry Garside as both Adam Cooney and Nathan Henry were eliminated from camp. On Sunday one of them will win $100,000 for their chosen charity. 7:30pm Sunday on 10. Who will win Im A Celebrity? Adam Aesha Harry Liz Nathan Not Sure View Results The government has commissioned a feasibility study into a possible relocation of SBS from its Artarmon headquarters to Western Sydney. The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts is leading the feasibility study, in collaboration with SBS. The study will look at whether moving SBS could help address inequality in infrastructure, skilled jobs and cultural investment in Western Sydney. Any decision on relocation will ultimately be one for the SBS Board. The Board will be in a position to consider the Feasibility Studys outcomes in 2024 while any decision to move would be implemented in the years following. Expressions of interest would only be called for if a move is found to be feasible. SBS managing director James Taylor, in a note to staff said, I appreciate that for some of you who have made significant choices based on our Artarmon location, this process may feel unsettling. Conversely, there may be others who feel the project could lead to an opportunity to work closer to home, family or childcare. We will be approaching this project constructively, maintain an open mind and will of course keep you updated. SBS is nothing without our people, and there will be consultation with you as this project progresses. Minister for Communications, the Hon Michelle Rowland said, While a number of parties have already indicated they are interested in lodging an expression of interest for hosting SBS in Western Sydney, its important that all relevant factors are identified and considered. Having the right mix of independent experts with leadership, infrastructure, finance, property and broadcasting expertise on the Steering Committee is critical to ensuring the project is well-managed. While Willoughby Council supports the retention of SBS and its 900 staff of over 25 years locally, Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour has previously hit back saying, Willoughby Council has had it good since 1992 and lets not forget SBS was put there because it needed to be located near the other networks such as Channel 9 and ABC and theyve now moved out of the area. Theres no reason for it to be in Willoughby and if the Willoughby Council thinks theyre diverse and multicultural but they should come over to Campsie to see what multicultural Australia really looks like. Ouch. A preliminary finding on whether relocation is feasible (or not) is expected later this year. A promotional poster for BTS rapper Suga's first individual world tour / Courtesy of BigHit Music Suga of K-pop supergroup BTS has kicked off his first world tour as a solo artist in the United States, his agency said Thursday. The "Suga | Agust D-Day" tour, which started at UBS Arena in Belmont, New York, on Wednesday (U.S. time), will take him to nine cities around the world, including those in Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Singapore and South Korea for two months, according to BigHit Music. The rapper will perform tracks on his first official solo album, "D-Day," which he dropped under his other stage name of Agust D, as well as those on his mixtapes "Agust D" (2016) and "D-2" (2020) during the tour, as the three titles comprise his "Agust D" trilogy. "The tour focuses on the stories of Suga before and after his debut and facing several turning points and Agust D," the agency said in a release. "The stage setting and the set list will also be made to best showcase the history of his changes and the Agust D trilogy." Suga expressed his anticipation for the tour, which also marks the first solo world tour by a BTS member. "I've practiced continuously for this solo tour," he said through the agency. "I feel more comfortable than ever before and am thrilled to meet you ARMY. I hope you will enjoy my shows." After Belmont, the U.S. section of the tour will continue in Newark, Rosemont, Los Angeles and Oakland until May 17. (Yonhap) His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort visited Liverpool Arena, where they lit up the Eurovision Song Contest stage for the very first time. Designed by Julio Himede, the impressive stage has been designed on the principles of togetherness, celebration and community. Across more than 450 square metres of staging, the stunning set brings together another 220 square metres of independently moving and turning video screens, as well as over 700 video tiles integrated into the floor and more than 1500 metres of LED lights. Tim Davie, BBC Director-General, said, It is an honour that His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort have come here today to reveal the fantastic staging for our Eurovision Song Contest programming. This set will be the focal point for all of the celebrations and we cannot wait to see it lighting up Liverpool and TV screens across the world. DUBLIN, April 27, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dole plc (NYSE: DOLE) will announce its financial results for the first quarter of 2023 on Thursday, May 18, 2023, prior to the market opening. The companys management will host a webcast and conference call on the same day at 08:00 a.m. Eastern Time. A presentation to accompany the discussion will be posted on the company website along with a press release and other supplemental financial information. The live webcast and a replay after the event can be accessed at www.doleplc.com/investor-relations. The conference call can be accessed live by dialling (646) 307-1963 in the US or +353 (1) 582 2023 in Ireland and +44 20 3481 4247 for UK and other international participants. The conference ID is 8143610. About Dole plc: A global leader in fresh produce, Dole plc grows, markets, and distributes an extensive variety of fresh fruits and vegetables sourced locally and from around the world. Dedicated and passionate in exceeding our customers requirements in over 75 countries, our goal is to make the world a healthier and a more sustainable place. Category: Financial View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005109/en/ Contacts Investor Contact: James ORegan, Head of Investor Relations, Dole plc investors@doleplc.com +353 1 887 2794 Media Contact: Brian Bell, Ogilvy brian.bell@ogilvy.com +353 87 2436 130 A Jet2 Boeing 737 airplane takes off from the airport in Palma de Mallorca LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Jet2 said it has invested in a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production plant in northern England, as airlines jostle to secure supplies of the green fuel ahead of 2030 targets. The low-cost carrier said on Thursday that it was making a "major investment" in the Fulcrum NorthPoint facility, being developed by Fulcrum BioEnergy, but declined to give figures. Production is expected to start in 2027, the company added. Airlines across the world are pinning their hopes on SAF, which uses waste such as cooking oils to reduce emissions by up to 80% compared to fossil fuels, to decarbonise flying before new electric and hydrogen-powered options expected in 2035. The EU announced binding SAF targets for European airlines on Wednesday, while Britain has said it will introduce a SAF mandate in 2025 requiring at least 10% of jet fuel to be sustainable by 2030. Britain's Department for Transport has offered support in the form of 165 million pounds ($205.46 million) in grants to help companies constructing SAF plants. "We continue to engage extensively with industry leaders regarding any barriers to investment in sustainable aviation fuels," it told Reuters. But airlines and SAF producers want the government to do more and faster. "The big message is we just need to do this more quickly," said Jonathon Counsell, group head of sustainability at IAG, the owner of British Airways. British Airways sources SAF from Phillips 66, a plant in central England. This week, Hungary's Wizz Air said it was investing 5 million pounds in biofuel company Firefly in a deal that will provide it with SAF for UK flights from 2028. SAF accounts for less than 1% of jet fuel used currently. It costs three times as much as regular jet fuel when made from waste oils, but other versions made from green hydrogen can cost more. ($1 = 0.8015 pounds) ($1 = 0.8031 pounds) (Reporting by Sarah Young and Joanna Plucinska; Editing by Sharon Singleton) The trees are greening. The vibrant chartreuse of brand-new tender leaves is making its way across the valley and up the hills. There is nothing like this color at any other season. I love it so. How can I write about the glorious leaves of the burning bush outside my window when lawmakers across this country are stripping rights from trans people and banning life-saving medical care? I feel powerless to do anything about Missouri or Montana -- or Texas, where the state Ag department now bans clothing that's "[in]consistent with biological gender." I wish I were kidding about that. (I mean, Texas has done plenty worse. The governor issued an order classifying gender-affirming care as child abuse. The clothing guidelines are just a surreal topper to an already awful situation.) There's so much injustice. We must not look away. The Dobbs decision and its impacts. Book bans. Regulating what history teachers can teach. "Don't Say Gay" and all that flows from it. And now gender-affirming care bans harming trans children in a third of our country... with every indication that their proponents intend to come after trans adults next. (They're already doing so.) How can I write about spring coming to the Berkshires when so much is so profoundly broken? It feels like fiddling while Rome burns, or admiring pretty wildflowers while ignoring forest fires. Then again, how can I not write about spring? To live in this beautiful world without noticing it, without being grateful, is a dereliction of my responsibility to see with open eyes and to offer praise. I do not help my friends and beloveds suffering oppression in red states by cutting myself off from the beauty around me. I think of these lines from Bertolt Brecht, from Svendborg Poems, 1939: In the dark times Will there also be singing? Yes, there will also be singing About the dark times. There is still beauty, in dark times. There is springtime. There is singing. There are parents who love our children fiercely and want to support them in growing into whoever they most deeply are. And there's also the terrible shadow cast by those who want to impose their fear of difference or their narrow theology on everyone else. What gives them the right to impose their beliefs on others? If you're standing between someone and their doctor to ban the life-saving medical care they need (whether reproductive healthcare or gender-affirming care), you're not the good guy. And always in the back of my mind now, there's the the awareness that they would enact these controlling policies nationally if they could. Ban reproductive healthcare. "Ban transgenderism." So I am here to tell you that spring has come to the Berkshires. Daffodils are nodding their heads. The leaves are breathtakingly beautiful. And our world remains broken, and we have work to do. What can we actually do? Actors Jin Goo, left, and Gong Seung-yeon host the opening ceremony of the 24th Jeonju International Film Festival held at the Sori Arts Center in Jeonju, Thursday. Yonhap By Kwak Yeon-soo JEONJU The 24th Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF), an annual celebration of indie films, kicked off on Thursday night with the Dardenne brother's immigration thriller, "Tori and Lokita." The festival will run through May 6. Under the slogan "Beyond the Frame," the festival will screen 247 films from 42 countries. The opening ceremony was hosted by actors Jin Goo and Gong Seung-yeon. "This year, events will be held in various streets and places to cater to the cinephiles of the city with a delightful cinematic experience. As the slogan says, step beyond the frame and don't be afraid to challenge yourselves. New experiments in cinema will bring a new world," Jeonju Mayor Woo Beom-ki, who also serves as the chairman of the JIFF's organizing committee, said during the opening event held at the Sori Arts Center, Thursday. Some judges of this year's festival, including Korean directors Boo Ji-young and Cho Eun-ji, as well as foreign filmmakers Mariano Llinas and Jessica Sarah Rinland, attended the opening ceremony. Special sections include "Focus: KAFA40," celebrating the Korean Academy of Film Arts' 40th anniversary, and "J Special: Programmer of the Year" movie talk hosted by actor Bek Hyun-jin. Cannes-winning filmmaking duo Jean-Pierre, left, and Luc Dardenne, right, speak during a press conference for their film, "Tori and Lokita," held at the Jeonju Cine Complex, Thursday. Yonhap HA NOI Viet Nam's agricultural sector needs to move toward sustainable development along value chains of production and trade to prevent deforestation and land degradation. Tran Quang Bao, deputy director of Viet Nam Administration of Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, made the statement at a side event on deforestation-free agricultural production and trade held by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with Viet Nam Administration of Forestry on Tuesday, in Ha Noi, as part of the 4th Global Conference of the One Planet network's Sustainable Food Systems Programme. The side event brought together the experience and expertise of various institutions as well as case studies of emerging good practice interventions to adapt to the requirements for deforestation-free commodity production and trade. With the orientation of sustainable development, Viet Nam needs to not expand land area for agriculture but it must increase the quality and value of farming products as well as enhance the livelihoods of the community, Bao said. According to Bao, agricultural farming is considered one of the large-scale land-using industries. The current expansion of land for agricultural development in the world is the main cause of deforestation and the shrinking of forest land. In a world in which agricultural expansion drives almost 90 per cent of global deforestation, deforestation-free regulations and commitments need to be well understood and translated into positive actions on the ground. Therefore, 141 countries, containing 90 per cent global forest coverage, are also signatories to the Glasgow Declaration on Forest and Land Use committed to "halt and reverse" forest loss and land degradation by 2030, at the same time "delivering sustainable development and promoting an inclusive rural transformation", he said. Meanwhile, Europe has passed regulations to ban the import of goods relating to deforestation. Accordingly, import and export companies will have to trace the origin of imported products sold on the European market for verification to be produced on land that has not been subject to deforestation or forest degradation, Bao said. At this side event, Rui Ludovino, the First Counselor for Climate Action, Environment, Employment, and Social Policies at the Delegation of the European Union to Viet Nam, introduced the process of defining a roadmap towards sustainable, deforestation-free imports to the EU, and the next steps required to prepare countries for implementing the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). According to Ludovino, Viet Nam is implementing the Viet Nam-EU Trade Agreement and the Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade Voluntary Partnership Agreement (FLEGT-VPA). Those agreements create a legal framework for timber and wood products exported from Viet Nam and for sustainable development of the wood industry. Especially, the VPA/FLEGT allows Viet Nam to have a forest governance process that other industries can follow such as rubber and coffee. Ludovino said that the wood and coffee industries will be greatly affected by EU regulations. Therefore, countries need to have a monitoring system to ensure that the agricultural products in the supply chain are not connected to deforestation. Viet Nam is a country that is not at too high risk of deforestation thanks to forest protection policies. But it needs to strengthen more control of the supply chain of Vietnamese agricultural products to penetrate deeper into the EU market, said Ludovino. With the recent global context and regulations on sustainable production and commercialisation and deforestation-free supply chains, UNDP is ready to work with government partners and the private sector to create an enabling environment for a sustainable deforestation-free agricultural product supply chain and to support the deforestation-free production and commercialization model for the benefits of the environment and people, especially smallholders," said Patrick Haverman, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP Viet Nam. According to Haverman, "instead of introducing completely new policies, laws, regulations and programs to meet the new and emerging international requirements such as the EU deforestation-free regulation, the next step is to demonstrate how existing enabling environment and system could be connected to these regulations, and how to improve it to promote direct changes for innovative transformation to tackle climate change and deforestation." "More than ever, stakeholders such as the users and buyers, and financial institutions have a more prominent role in shaping the market, and sustainable and responsible consumption that will drive sustainable production and supply chains." "Smallholder farmers and producers will be the most affected if sustainable and deforestation-free regulations are applied due to the expensive and stringent due diligence process. Therefore, measures need to be incorporated to support and protect these vulnerable groups," he said. For sustainable development without causing deforestation, the project Integrated Sustainable Landscape Management Through Deforestation-Free Jurisdiction project in Lam ong and ak Nong provinces, Viet Nam (iLandscape) is implemented by UNDP together with MARD and these two provinces. The project is funded by the European Union through UNDP Viet Nam with a total budget of 5 million euros. The project targets to protect 25,000 hectares of natural forest, reduce harmful CO2 emissions by 3 million tonnes, enable 35 per cent of the project area's marginalised populations in both provinces to benefit from improved livelihoods, especially women and ethnic minorities, and increase the total value of commodities in the project area by 25 per cent. VNS HCM CITY Vietjet Aviation Joint Stock Company (HoSE: VJC) targets to earn a consolidated revenue of over VN50.17 trillion (US$2.14 billion) and after-tax profit of VN1 trillion ($42.8 million) in 2023. Vietjet this year plans to expand its fleet of 87 aircraft (including nine Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft), expecting to operate 139,513 flights with 25.7 million passengers onboard. These goals were announced at its General Meeting of Shareholders (GMS) held in HCM City on Wednesday. The GMS set the targets for Vietjet to maintain its position in terms of passenger volume and efficiency in Viet Nam, reaching agreements with aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing to ensure on-time delivery, expanding business activities in ground services, training services, and digital business and optimising operations and financial solutions to cut costs while improving efficiency. The GMS also agreed on the goals of making Vietjet a leading airline in digital technology, raising capital to meet the development demand, prioritising asset growth, and financial capability improvement, and laying out the foundation for its sustainable development. The 2022 audited financial statements reported that Vietjets consolidated revenue reached over VN40.14 trillion, up 212 per cent year-on-year. The long-term assets increased by over $200 million in worth. The airlines total assets surpassed VN68 trillion with the debt-to-equity rate at nearly 1.3 which was considered to be good in the aviation industry. Its payment of direct and indirect taxes, fees and charges to the State budget totalled VN4.35 trillion. In 2022, Vietjet transported 20.5 million passengers on more than 116,261 flights, up 283 per cent and 186 per cent year-on-year respectively. It led the domestic market in terms of passenger volume. Vietjet has also brought its widebody Airbus A330 fleet into operation to effectively fly long-range routes to Kazakhstan, India and Australia. The airline has successfully worked on the tablet check-in project, helping ground operation staff to flexibly process check-in for the passengers, as well as integrating HD Insurance and Galaxy Pay services into the system to offer more options to passengers. It has also launched the brand-new loyalty programme SkyJoy with endless rewards together with the in-flight POS payment system for ancillary purchases. VNS HAI DUONG/ BAC GIANG Hai Duong and Bac Giang, two provinces in the north of Viet Nam, have begun a campaign to boost the sales of their renowned speciality fruit, lychees. As the lychee season approaches in the latter half of May, Hai Duong Province has been making efforts to promote the sales of this fruit, particularly from the Thanh Ha District. To this end, the Hai Duong Department of Industry and Trade and the Thanh Ha People's Committee convened a conference on Wednesday to explore ways of enhancing the value of lychees and promoting their sales. The Thanh Ha District is widely recognised for its lychees and boasts an extensive 3,265ha of land dedicated to the fruit, of which 1,700ha are for early-ripening lychees. Moreover, around 400ha comply with the VietGAP standards and 50ha are GlobaGAP certified. China remains a large market of Vietnamese lychee. This year, lychee export to China will face many challenges as this neighbouring market has high and strict requirements for agricultural imports, so localities should work harder on production organisation and quality management, said To Ngoc Son, Deputy Director of the Asia - Africa Market Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Luong Thi Kiem, Deputy Director of the Hai Duong Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that to facilitate exports, agriculture authorities have coordinated with relevant agencies to grant production unit codes (PUCs) and packing house codes (PHCs). So far, 199 PUCs for 1,119ha of lychee have been provided. The province has also proposed the agriculture ministrys Plant Protection Department grant five more PUCs to lychee farming zones to serve exports to China, she said. Meanwhile, 21 PHCs have been given to Hai Duong to serve export to China, the US, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Thailand, Kiem said, adding that the department is also asking the Plant Protection Department to grant another three PHCs to meet the demand for lychee shipments to China. Thanh Ha District houses 45 lychee farming zones provided with 168 PUCs. It is fine-tuning regulations to maintain the 11 granted PHCs and has an additional three, according to the official. Tran Van Hao, Director of the provincial Department of Industry and Trade, highlighted that Hai Duongs sales strategy this year is to diversify export markets and firmly maintain the domestic one. The province has been moving to boost trade promotion since the start of the lychee crop, including sustaining and expanding export markets in case of complex COVID-19 developments and connecting with localities nationwide, shopping centres, big supermarket systems, and e-commerce platforms to advertise local lychee, he went on. Some lychee production and exporting companies estimated that 85 per cent of the workload had been completed to be ready for a successful crop. Nguyen Khac Tien, Chairman of the Ameii Viet Nam JSC, noted his company had equipped itself with more processing and packaging machinery to prepare for exporting lychee to high-end markets. Aside from the buyers in previous years continuing to place large orders, it hopes to enter new markets this year to increase the export volume. Bac Giang seeks to boost lychee export to US The Department of Industry and Trade of Bac Giang Province held a teleconference on Wednesday to promote trade connections and consumption of lychees and other potential local products in the US market this year. The event connected with in the Viet Nam Trade Office in the US, the Viet Nam Trade Promotion Office in New York and the Vietnamese Entrepreneurs Network in the US (VENUSA), and many domestic and foreign enterprises. Speaking at the event, director of the department Tran Quang Tan said thanks to favourable weather conditions this year, the province's total lychee output is estimated at over 180,000 tonnes. Of these, 1,500 tonnes are scheduled to be exported to the US. As the US is a promising market for Bac Giang, he suggested the Ministry of Industry and Trades relevant units assist the province in market information, export-import policies, quality certification, food safety and hygiene, and dealing with technical barriers in Europe and the Americas. He also proposed the Hanoi Irradiation Centre help Bac Giang irradiate lychees for export to the US. Vice Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee Phan The Tuan committed the best conditions for domestic and foreign firms to do business, especially in lychee export. Following the event, Bac Giang will direct departments, agencies and localities to address issues related to production, trade, product quality, and difficulties facing firms, he said. He wished that the Vietnamese diplomatic agencies and trade offices in the US would help Bac Giang connect with importers of lychee and other local key products. VNS HCM CITY Saigon Beer - Alcohol - Beverage Corporation (SABECO) reported a record performance in 2022 as after-tax profit grew 40 per cent to VN5.5 trillion (US$236 million) at its annual general meeting of shareholders held in HCM City on Thursday. According to audited consolidated financial statements 2022, SABECO recorded VN34.9 trillion in net revenue, increasing 32 per cent compared to 2021. This was a significant achievement compared to 2021 results and after-tax profit has been the highest in the companys history. Despite the various challenging market conditions and difficulties post-COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 results again demonstrated SABECOs resilience and strength of the business it has developed. 2022 also marked an important milestone for SABECO as the corporation progressed into Phase 2 of its transformation journey with six strategic pillars namely sales, brand and marketing, production, supply chain, people and unlocking supported by SABECO 4.0 and governance. The excellent business result in 2022 also reflected SABECO's accomplishments in transforming its core business processes, accelerating its marketing and sales initiatives, and improving continuous cost management and operational efficiency across the entire supply chain through SABECO 4.0 implementation. Given the record profit, the board had proposed a special dividend of 15 per cent, which was approved at the AGM, bringing the full-year dividend of 2022 to 50 per cent. To further enhance shareholders value, the proposal on bonus share issuance in the ratio of 1:1 was also approved. As part of its long-term growth plan, SABECO has also expanded its mid-to-long-term strategic investment initiatives in 2022 with the aim to further strengthen SABECO fundamentals to support sustainable business growth. This includes the recent strategic moves to increase SABECOs ownership in Saigon Binh Tay Beer Group JSC and Saigon Packaging Group JSC. These two companies will become subsidiaries upon completion of the relevant procedures. In addition, SABECO also announced its intention to increase its ownership in Western-Saigon Beer JSC from 51 per cent to more than 70 per cent. These moves will help SABECO to realise synergies, improve cost and operational efficiencies, and expand its product portfolio. Bennett Neo, General Director of SABECO, said: 2022 was a breakthrough year for SABECO, with a new record in after-tax profit. We were able to grow our market share, net revenue and after-tax profit reaching VN5.5 trillion, an increase of 40 per cent compared to 2021. This is a result of our collective efforts in driving sales, the right investment strategy and efficient cost management. SABECO affirms our continuous commitment to bringing out the best of Viet Nam, and we have shown it throughout our activities and have continued to make outstanding progress in various areas to improve our competitiveness, and strengthen our position as one of the leading beer companies in the region. In 2023, SABECO has set a revenue target of VN40.2 trillion and after-tax profit at VN5.7 trillion, a 15.1 per cent and 5 per cent year-on-year increase, respectively. SABECO will continue to step up its transformation journey with a greater focus to improve its position in the domestic market and expand its penetration internationally through strategic efforts on sales and marketing activities, developing a stronger product portfolio, and strengthening its route to market and distribution, while continuing to drive production and supply chain efficiencies, as well as digitising business processes within SABECO. Together with its business development objectives and action plans, SABECO will continue reinforcing its 4Cs sustainable development commitment, which includes driving ESG initiatives that are in line with the corporate goals and Viet Nam national strategies. The corporate is committed to continuing its effort as a proud, prominent, and responsible corporate citizen to support its ambition to bring out the best of Viet Nam. Chairperson of the AGM and Board Member, Michael Chye said: The business environment remains challenging with various uncertainties driven by the global economy, the unpredictable and fierce competition. However, we remain committed to investing in opportunities that drive long-term growth and increase shareholder returns. This will enable us to reward our shareholders with dividends that are sustainable and in line with the companys long-term growth prospects. At the AGM, it was announced the appointment of Lester Tan Teck Chuan as the new General Director of SABECO effective October 1, 2023. Lester will succeed Bennett Neo Gim Siong who will be completing his 5-year term as General Director and will return to the head office at the end of September 2023. Lester is currently the Chief Beer Business Thailand of Thai Beverage PLC and has assumed this role since 2020. With more than 25 years of experience in the beer industry and leading various companies across multiple markets in Asia, Lester will begin as General Director of SABECO after the handover period. Michael Chye said: I would like to take this opportunity to thank Bennett for his sterling contributions to SABECO during his five-year tenure as General Director. The transformation journey spearheaded by Bennett since 2018, progressing from Phase 1 to now Phase 2 leaves SABECO on a very good footing for sustainable success. Some of the initiatives kick-started by Bennett included the relaunch of Bia Saigon and 333 brands in 2019, the launch of new mass premium Bia Saigon Chill in 2020, SABECO 4.0, performance-based salary restructuring as well as the brewery capacity expansion projects and the recent brewery acquisition projects were instrumental to the transformation success of SABECO, building a solid foundation for further success. In addition, Bennett is a great supporter of CSR and has championed many activities, notably the Rise with Viet Nam relay in 2020 where SABECO dedicated its 145th-anniversary celebratory efforts to support the vulnerabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic by joining hands with the government. Bennett will continue to lead SABECO until the end of this September and to ensure a smooth transition over to Lester. VNS HA NOI Viet Nam Fine Arts Association and Viet Nam Museum of Fine Arts co-ordinate to introduce artworks by American David Thomas and Vietnamese artists in Ha Noi. The exhibition entitled David Thomas and Friends showcases selected graphic works from the series of Thomas during his struggle with Parkinson's in recent years. This disease resulted from having contact with Agent Orange in the American war in Viet Nam. He uses digital printing to create visual images from his X-ray films of his brain and abstract designs featuring the battle with the disease. His works are meaningful messages to condemn the war and Agent Orange, said veteran artist Le Huy Tiep. The display works by Thomas also reflect his fortitude and creativity. Showing his works and Vietnamese artists works together at the exhibition proves the healing power of art. Since 1988, Thomas and the Indochina Arts Partnership (IAP) has been known for organising cultural and artistic exchanges between Viet Nam and the US, especially with large-scale significant exhibitions right before and after the normalisation of relations between the two countries in 1995. He has made great and important contributions to initiating and sustaining activities that healed and built mutual understanding between the two nations that used to have a common painful past. Thomas joined the US troops participating in the American war in Viet Nam in 1969. He returned to Viet Nam in 1987 to reconnect and reconcile the past. He founded the non-profit IAP, a cultural and artistic diplomatic bridge between Viet Nam and the US. "Vietnam-War seems to become a common phrase, a constant thought that anchored in every Americans consciousness," Thomas said at the exhibition opening ceremony. "But I found the beauty of the land and the people, the poetic, beautiful souls, the desire for peace and the resilience to overcome difficulties of the war." Over the last 30 years, IAP has created and conducted dozens of large and small artistic exchange programmes, enabling hundreds of Vietnamese artists and intellectuals to work and visit the US and dozens of American artists and intellectuals to Viet Nam. Thomas was the first foreigner to be awarded a For the Culture Cause order in recognition of his contribution to Viet Nams culture in 1999 and an order For the Cause of Vietnamese Fine Arts in 2010. The exhibition also presents artworks from 21 Vietnamese artists who joined exhibitions and artistic exchange programmes organised and funded by IAP for the last 30 years. They include veteran and established ang Xuan Hoa, Bui Hai Son, ao Chau Hai, Le Huy Tiep, Le Kinh Tai, Phan Cam Thuong and Pham Huy Thong. Thong is among the youngest Vietnamese artists. His work is a damaged-steel helmet in wartime. Thong remade the helmet and created a flying bird sculpture. Thong's work helps viewers to feel the soldier's pain in the moment of intersection between life and death and imagine the terrible devastation of war. Through the art, the artists have built lifelong friendships and become cultural witnesses of three decades of dedication to healing the long war. The exhibition runs until April 29 at 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Ha Noi. VNS HA NOI Vietnamese violinist and lecturer Bui Cong Duy was named Honorary Professor of the Kazakh National University of Arts (KazUniArt). The awarding ceremony is a part of the International Seminar of Rectors of Arts Schools to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the KazUniArt in Kazakhstan on April 26. The Viet Nam National Academy of Music (VNAM) is honoured to have a representative, Meritorious Artist Duy, who was awarded the Honorary Professor title of the KazUniArt, said Le Anh Tuan, director of VNAM. Duy is recognised and highly appreciated by the KazUniArts management board for his contribution and dedication to music and the string instrument as well. Alexander Sokolov, director of Tchaikovsky Conservatory and former minister of Culture and Mass Communication of the Russian Federation, was awarded Honorary Doctor of Science on the occasion. My dream has come true, Duy said at the ceremony. It is a recognition and an encouragement for me. The world-legend violinists and pedagogues who I admire a lot were honoured here. And I wished I would be here one day. Born in 1981 in Ha Noi, Duy went to live and study in Russia with his family at the age of ten. He attended an intermediate course on violin at the Glinka School of Music with professor A.V. Gvozdev and People's Artist Irina Bochkova. He received a PhD at Tchaikovsky Conservatory. He has won international awards, including the 1st prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1997, the first prize at the Z.Bron International Music Competition in 1995, and the first prize at the Demidove International Music Contest in Ekaterinburg in 1993. He is also the first foreign violinist at the Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, playing with award-winning Vladimir Sprvakov, Boris Garlitzky and Arkady Futer. He returned to Viet Nam and currently works as deputy director of VNAM. His students have won international competitions in Thailand and Indonesia. Over the years, he has performed with famous chamber orchestras such as the Novosibirsk Philharmonic Orchestra, the Saint-Petersburg Philharmonic Kapella Orchestra, Berliner Symphoniker Orchestra and the London Festival Orchestra in Japan, German, Poland, England, Russia, and France. KazUniArt has invited Duy to judge at international violin competitions, teach masterclasses and perform with Kazakhstan Symphony Orchestra. The KazUniArt has so far awarded the title to a few individuals, including Tchaikovsky winners Victor Tretyakov and Eduard Grach and pedagogue Edward Schmieder. - VNS HA NOI Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh yesterday met the President of the Lao Front for National Construction (LFNC) Central Committee Sinlavong Khoutphaythoune, saying that the Lao official's visit further strengthens the comprehensive cooperation between the two countries. Praising the achievements of the Lao party, government and people, PM Chinh said that Viet Nam is always willing to accompany and support Laos to the best of its ability to overcome the current challenges. The two countries have also successfully organised delegation exchanges, alongside multiple activities for the Viet Nam-Laos, Laos-Viet Nam Friendship and Solidarity Year 2022. They are also working to implement the high-level agreement between the two countries this year. Multiple joint programmes and projects are also being deployed, including the cooperation project for the investment and development of Port No 1, 2 and 3 in Vung Ang Seaport, the Friendship Hospital Project in Laos Houaphanh and Xiengkhouang provinces, as well as Nongkhang Airport Project. PM Chinh also gave high praise to the cooperation results between the LFNC and the Central Committee of Viet Nam Fatherland Front, as well as the Vietnamese Central Committee for Mass Mobilisation. They have collaborated to successfully organise the Sixth International Conference on Building the Laos-Viet Nam border of peace, friendship, and cooperation for common development; and signed agreements at the provincial- and national-level committees. The Vietnamese PM asked that the LNFC continue to work closely with the Viet Nam Fatherland Front for the effective implementation of the agreement between the two central committees for the 2022-27 period. They will also promote practical activities and communication to the people, especially the youth on the treasured relations between Viet Nam and Laos, while also raising awareness and responsibility in strengthening the friendship, solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries. Viet Nam and Laos will also work with Cambodia to organise the 5th meeting of the leaders of the Fronts of Laos, Viet Nam and Cambodia in Laos this year. VNS BUENOS AIRES The visit to Argentina by National Assembly Chairman Vuong inh Hue drew great attention from the South American countrys media, with many positive assessments. Argentine national news agency Telam run an article highlighting the strong relations between Viet Nam and Argentina. It noted that during their meeting, NA Chairman Hue and Argentine President Alberto Fernandez reaffirmed the determination to strengthen bilateral trade and investment partnership. The article said the two leaders underlined the great potential in diversifying goods for exchange and agreed to promote partnerships in investment, science and technology. It said that after meeting with the Vietnamese NA leader, Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernandez shared on her Twitter a photo with Hue, showing her special sentiments towards Viet Nam. President of the Chamber of Deputies of Argentina Cecilia Moreau also posted on her Twitter account that leaders of the two parliaments signed an agreement to strengthen bilateral parliamentary cooperation, commenting that this is an important step forward in the bilateral partnership. Meanwhile, Infobae newspaper also ran a story entitled Argentina and Vietnam wish to strengthen bilateral trade, saying that through high-level meetings between NA Chairman Hueand Argentine leaders, the two sides agreed to strive for US$10 billion in trade by 2025. Resumen Latinoamericano newspaper also reported the activities of the Vietnamese top legislator during the visit. It quoted President Alberto Fernandez as emphasising that Argentina highly values the prestige and rising position of Viet Nam in the region and the world and said there is ample room for the two sides to collaborate, especially in trade and investment. VNS MONTEVIDEO National Assembly Chairman Vuong inh Hue on April 26 (local time) and his entourage arrived in Montevideo, starting their official visit to Uruguay at the invitation of Speaker of the Senate of Uruguay Beatriz Argimon Cedeira. He was greeted at the airport by high-ranking officials of the host country, and Vietnamese Ambassador to Argentina and Uruguay Duong Quoc Thanh. Uruguay is the last stop of National Assembly Chairman Vuong inh Hue during his official visit to three American countries Cuba, Argentina, and Uruguay from April 18 to 28. The visit to Uruguay takes place on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Viet Nam-Uruguay diplomatic ties (August 11, 1993-2023), contributing to consolidating the traditional friendship, solidarity, and mutual support between the two countries. Hue is scheduled to hold talks and meet with high-ranking leaders of Uruguay, sign a cooperation agreement between the two law-making bodies, attend a number of activities marking the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between the two countries, and witness the signing of cooperation documents of a number of authorities and localities. Good traditional friendship The traditional friendship and solidarity between Viet Nam and Uruguay is reflected in their mutual support for the cause of national liberation in the past and the national development today. More than a century ago, in 1912, President Ho Chi Minh arrived in Uruguay during the time he worked on a French ship that travelled around the world. He is also the person who laid the foundation for the friendly relationship between the Vietnamese people and nations in the world, including Uruguay and Latin American countries. Viet Nam and Uruguay established diplomatic relations on August 11, 1993. Since then, the friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries have seen many positive developments. The two sides maintain delegation exchanges and bilateral contacts. On the Uruguayan side, there were visits to Viet Nam by President Tabere Vazque (November 2007); Foreign Minister Luis Almagro (June 2010); Vice President Danilo Astori (November 2012); Speaker of Uruguays Chamber of Representatives Anibal Pereyra (January 2015); Minister of Culture and Education Julia Munoz (April 2019); Deputy Foreign Minister for Uruguay Ariel Bergamino during which he also conducted the bilateral political consultations (September 2019); and Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries Enzo Raul Beench (November 2019). Vietnamese leaders paying visits to Uruguay in the past include Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan (May 2009); Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh (December 2013); Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc who also conducted the political consultations on the occasion (July 2017). On regional and international forums, the two countries support each other on many issues of mutual concern. Viet Nam and Uruguay assist each other in running for positions at the United Nations Security Council, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the International Law Commission, and the UN Human Rights Council. Viet Nam hopes that Uruguay will continue to support Viet Nam at UN agencies and maintain its commitment to help the Southeast Asian country secure a seat in the World Heritage Committee for 2023-2027 tenure. Ample room for economy-trade cooperation Uruguay is considered a rare successful case in economic development and social stability in Latin America in recent years. It has a well-developed economy which is mainly based on agricultural exports. Economic-trade cooperation between Viet Nam and Uruguay has maintained a growing trend. Two-way trade reached US$190.5 million last year, an increase of 106.5 per cent compared to 2021, including $102.9 million worth of Viet Nams exports and $87.6 million worth of imports from Uruguay. According to experts, the economic-trade relationship between the two countries maintains growth momentum and there is ample room for cooperation. The National Assembly of Viet Nam always supports and is ready to create a favourable legal corridor for investment and business activities of Vietnamese and Uruguayan enterprises. In addition, the two governments also encourage and create conditions for their businesses to cooperate and access each other's markets. This serves to exploit strengths in the fields of cattle-raising, industrial agro-fishery processing industry, biotechnology-genetics, financial-banking services, logistics, information technology, construction management as well as construction consulting and training. Viet Nam is ready to act as a bridge for investment and trade activities of Uruguay with Southeast Asian countries - a dynamic economic region with nearly 700 million people. Viet Nam always supports Uruguay's policy of expanding international economic cooperation and wants the Latin American country to support the launch of the Viet Nam-Mercosur free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations soon. Parliamentary cooperation is always promoted Cooperation between the legislatures of Viet Nam and Uruguay has also been promoted, contributing to building political trust and enhancing mutual understanding between the two peoples. In the coming time, leaders of the two legislative bodies hope to resume practical and effective delegation exchanges after a period of interruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To strengthen the cooperative relationship between the two legislatures, Viet Nam and Uruguay will increase delegation exchanges between the leaders and agencies of their parliaments, the friendship parliamentary group, and deputies. They also plan to continue exchanging experience in law-making and fine-tuning the institutions to serve the development of parliamentary activities. The National Assembly of Viet Nam is willing to welcome delegations of the Uruguayan Chamber of Representatives to visit Viet Nam. In addition, the two sides will also enhance the role of the legislature in promoting bilateral relations; supervising the effective implementation of signed agreements between the two countries, and creating favourable conditions to support their business community as well as their people to live, study, invest and do business in each country. The two countries continue to promote coordination mechanisms at multilateral parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU); support each other's positions on regional and international issues of mutual concern. The NA Chairman Hues visit marks the first visit of a top leader of Viet Nam to Uruguay and is made on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic relations (1993-2023). The visit contributes to strengthening the traditional friendship and mutual support, as well as improving the efficiency of cooperation between Viet Nam and Uruguay. It also affirms the message that Viet Nam treasures good relations and wishes to enhance economic and trade relations as well as development cooperation with Latin American countries, including Uruguay. VNS Viva Republica founder and CEO Lee Seung-gun, left, poses with PayPal CEO Dan Schulman at the latter's headquarters in San Jose, California, Tuesday (local time). Courtesy of Viva Republica By Lee Min-hyung Lee Seung-gun, founder and CEO of Viva Republica, met with PayPal CEO Dan Schulman on Tuesday while accompanying President Yoon Suk Yeol on his state visit to the United States. Viva Republica is one of Korea's fastest-growing fintech startups, operating money transfer app Toss. In 2017, a consortium of investors, including PayPal Ventures, invested $48 million (64.3 billion won) in Toss. This was the first time for the U.S. online payment system operator to invest in a Korean company. Both sides discussed up-to-date trends in the global fintech industry and shared insights on the future of the financial industry. This also marked the first time that Lee met with the PayPal chief. Lee visited PayPal headquarters in San Jose for the meeting. "We have been able to reconfirm the unwavering trust between both sides through the latest meeting," Lee said. "Dan Schulman has driven PayPal's major leap forward. It was a valuable moment for me to learn lessons from a leader from one of the world's largest online payment operators." The meeting was arranged on the sidelines of President Yoon's five-day trip to the world's largest economy. A delegation of 122 business leaders including Lee are accompanying Yoon to seek out more economic partnerships with the U.S. Lee is the only figure included in the delegation from Korea's financial industry. Toss started its money transfer business in 2015 and has since launched various financial services, such as mobile banking and stock trading. The number of Toss subscribers tops 20 million. Toss Bank, the nation's third-ever mobile bank, has also been growing rapidly. The lender started its business in October 2021 and has so far attracted more than 6 million subscribers in less than two years. Toss Bank is forecast to achieve a turnaround in the latter half of this year. Dan Schulman is an American business executive, formerly serving as a group president of enterprise growth at American Express for more than four years since 2010 before joining PayPal. He is also a member of Verizon's board of directors. He is recognized for driving PayPal's sustainable growth over the past decade. HA NOI Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Chairwoman of the committee's Commission for Mass Mobilisation Bui Thi Minh Hoai held talks with the President of the Lao Front for National Construction (LFNC) Central Committee Sinlavong Khoutphaythoune in Ha Noi on Wednesday. Affirming that Viet Nam strongly and comprehensively supports Laos' reform process, Hoai emphasised the importance of the countries special solidarity, contributing to maintaining each countrys stability, socio-economic development and expansion of foreign relations and international integration. Appreciating Laoss great support for Viet Nam, Hoai stated Viet Nam would do its best to join Laos in preserving and cultivating their special solidarity toward the effectiveness and practical outcomes across all fields. In response, Khoutphaythoune expressed his delight at expanding the bilateral ties and thanked Viet Nam for assisting his country in its past struggle for independence and current national reform, protection and development. The two officials exchanged information on the situations of their nations and parties as well as the outcomes of joint works between the Commission for Mass Mobilisation and LFNC so far. They also discussed cooperation direction in the coming time, particularly regarding implementing the resolutions of their parties national congress. The sides agreed to strengthen information exchange, share experience on mass mobilisation, cooperate for mutual support, and direct Vietnamese and Lao localities to team up in running communications campaigns and educating the two countries' people on the importance and vital meaning of the nations relationship. They said they would work closely to effectively carry out high-level agreements between the two Parties and countries and between the commission and the front for the 2021-2025 period, contributing to deepening the bilateral great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation. VNS HCM CITY Chairman of the HCM City Peoples Committee Phan Van Mai hosted a reception on Wednesday for Honorary Consul of Viet Nam in Switzerland and former Vice Chancellor of Germany Philipp Rosler, during which he thanked the guest for his contributions to the development of Viet Nam and localities, including HCM City. Mai said as HCM City is in the process of becoming a hub of innovation and creativity, which requires preparation for an ecosystem regarding institutions, infrastructure and human resources, he hoped to receive advice and support from Rosler in this field to create an environment conducive for innovation. He revealed that the city is fine-tuning legal frameworks for establishing a national-scale innovation and creativity centre there. Therefore, joint work to establish a physical centre in the Sai Gon Hi-Tech Park (SHTP) could be launched immediately. Speaking highly of Roslers positive activities, such as joining the Start-up Award programme to honour start-ups in the city, Mai sought the guests assistance in building the city's brand, and attracting foreign investors and overseas Vietnamese to the city's development, firstly in the SHTP. For his part, Rosler expressed readiness to help the city with high-quality workforce development. He said building an innovation and creativity centre in the city is a sound direction, and he is willing to introduce major investors to the city, including partners from Germany and Switzerland, to share experience and cooperate in this field. According to him, foreign investors are interested in the city's potential and wish that the city would continue improving infrastructure, digitalisation and sustainable development shortly. VNS BEIJING A delegation from the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV), led by Politburo member, permanent member of the CPV Central Committees Secretariat and head of the committees Organisation Commission Truong Thi Mai, is on a working visit to China from April 25-28 at the invitation of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee. During a courtesy call to General Secretary of the CPC and President Xi Jinping, Mai conveyed greetings and invitations of the General Secretary of the CPV Nguyen Phu Trong and President Vo Van Thuong to the host to visit Viet Nam this year on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. She said her visit aims to realise important common perceptions reached by senior leaders of the two Parties and countries, particularly the contents of the Joint Statement on further promoting and deepening the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Viet Nam and China reached during the China visit by Party General Secretary Trong last year. Based on the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation, development, multilateralisation and diversification of relations, Viet Nam always treasures and gives top priority to the development of its relationship with China, she said. Xi, for his part, extended his greetings to Party General Secretary Trong, President Thuong and other Vietnamese leaders. He stressed that the Chinese Party and State attach importance to ties between the two Parties and States, stay ready to foster friendship, political trust and solidarity between the two nations, toward deepening bilateral cooperation in a practical and effective manner. Meanwhile at their talks, Mai and Cai Qi, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau, Secretary of the CPC Central Committees Secretariat and Director of the CPC Central Committees General Office, discussed orientations to future cooperation in various areas via channels and at all levels. Both sides agreed to enhance political trust via increasing high-level exchanges and improving the effectiveness of cooperation mechanisms, resolving disagreements and differences satisfactorily. They also pledged to step up substantial progress in cooperative areas, with a focus on reinforcing balanced and sustainable economic cooperation. They will strengthen national defence-security cooperation while increasing people-to-people and locality-to-locality exchanges. During a working session with Li Ganjie, Politburo member, Secretary of the CPC Central Committees Secretariat and head of the CPC Central Committees Organisation Commission, they informed each other about the situation of each Party and country, the relations between the two Parties and countries, Party building and rectification. On the occasion, they signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the two organisation commissions. During the meetings, Mai suggested both sides strive to maintain peace, stability, and effectively resolve differences based on senior leaders common perceptions. She also underlined the need to settle disputes at sea via peaceful means in accordance with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), contributing to creating an environment conducive for bilateral cooperation and maintaining an environment of peace and stability in the region. VNS HCM City HCM Citys police have launched legal proceedings against 65 defendants in relation to the four Vietnam Airlines flight attendants arrested for transporting 11kg of drugs onboard a flight from France to Viet Nam The expanded investigation is looking into crimes of illegally trading, transporting and possessing drugs, failing to report crimes and concealing crimes. Police seized nearly 50kg of total synthetic drugs, two guns and many related exhibits and issued a decision to handle administrative violations of 12 subjects. This was the result of the expanded investigation into the case of four Vietnam Airlines flight attendants arrested at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport for carrying more than 11kg of narcotics from France to Viet Nam. On March 16, customs officers at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCM City searched the luggage of four Vietnam Airlines flight attendants Tran Thi Thu Ngan, Vo Tu Quynh, Nguyen Thanh Thuy, and ang Phuong Van. They discovered 157 toothpaste tubes containing a total of 11.284kg of ketamine and MDMA. Since then, the HCM City police identified six more shipments containing synthetic drugs, all coming from the same Vietnamese resident in France. These shipments originated from a Vietnamese resident in France who was using toothpaste tubes and food boxes to smuggle drugs into Viet Nam. Vietnamese people studying and living in France provided express delivery services to transport narcotics to Viet Nam via Noi Bai International Airport. Once the drugs arrived in Viet Nam, the criminals used domestic express delivery services to send them to a person in ong Nai Province, who then distributed them to subjects in HCM City and Binh Duong Province for retail sale in multiple locations. Tracing and apprehending the subjects in the case was challenging, as they used several sophisticated tricks, such as technology delivery services, to deliver drugs. VNS BERLIN Judge Albert Hoffmann, President of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), has lauded Viet Nams efforts in enforcing the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), during a recent working session with Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Vu Quang Minh. At the working session at the ITLOS headquarters in Hamburg this week, the judge highlighted the Southeast Asian nations endeavours in perfecting relevant policies and laws, including the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection and the National Strategy on Climate Change by 2050. Viet Nam has actively delimitated overlapping territorial waters and exclusive economic zone with its neighbouring countries, most recently the delimitation of its exclusive economic zone with Indonesia, and has effectively contributed to the building and negotiation of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) between ASEAN and China, he said. At the same time, Viet Nam has joined the core group to draft a resolution seeking advice from the International Court of Justice (IJC) on climate change, which was approved by the UN General Assembly last March, Hoffmann continued. He also spoke highly of Viet Nams personnel preparations for seats at relevant international organisations, including the ITLOS, affirming that the Tribunal stands ready to help Viet Nam and other member countries raise their capacity to enforce the UNCLOS. For his part, Minh thanked Hoffmann, who has always backed efforts in enhancing cooperation between the ITLOS and Viet Nam, for his attendance at workshops and training programmes on international law and the UNCLOS organised by Viet Nam. The diplomat highly valued the Tribunals role and activities in addressing maritime disputes, as well as in the interpretation and application of the UNCLOS, contributing to promoting peace, ensuring maritime security and respect for law, and building and consolidating international law. Minh also emphasised the significant contributions of the Tribunal and its judges in building capacity for member countries, including those in Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific, in maritime law research and enforcement. The ambassador noted his hope for stronger cooperation between Viet Nam and the ITLOS, covering the training of international law experts for the country at all levels, enabling it to make more contributions to the Tribunals affairs and international law enforcement efforts. Established on August 1, 1996, the Hamburg-based ITLOS has jurisdiction over any dispute concerning the interpretation or application of the UNCLOS, and over all matters specifically provided for in any other agreement which confers jurisdiction on the Tribunal. VNS HCM CITY To tackle the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially during the upcoming national holiday of April 30 and May 1, HCM City continues to have a system of COVID-19 treatment facilities that follows the three-tier treatment model, which have been applied by the city in the past COVID outbreaks. According to the HCM City Centre for Disease Control, the city's Department of Health on Wednesday organised online training for hospitals and medical centres on the treatment of COVID-19 in adults and children. Due to the appearance of new sub-variants of the Omicron variant such as XBB.1.5, XBB.1.9.1, XBB.1.16 and XBB.1.16.1, HCM City has recorded a rising number of new cases of COVID-19, together with higher hospital admission rates in recent days. Medical facilities need to stay alert and ensure that admission and treatment of people with COVID-19 can take place promptly and effectively, contributing to reducing the risk of severe progression. The city's COVID-19 treatment facilities will follow the three-tier treatment model. Specifically, the first tier provides treatment for asymptomatic and mild cases of COVID-19, the second tier for medium and severe cases, and the third for severe and critical cases. All steps are implemented in accordance with the Ministry of Healths guidance, doctor Nguyen Minh Tien, deputy director of the city Childrens Hospital, said. It is crucial for hospitals to comply with strict infection prevention measures before and during treatment of children infected with COVID-19, Tien said, elaborating on some cases when children need hospital admission. The first case is when a child is diagnosed with mild symptoms of COVID-19 but is progressing to moderate, severe or critical status. The second case is when a child has mild symptoms of COVID-19 but is accompanied by a high fever above 39 degrees Celsius for more than three days. Lethargy, chest pain, rapid breathing, and irregular breathing, among others, are some other symptoms that need parents attention. For hospital admission and treatment of COVID-19 in adults, Dr. Ha Thi Hai uong of the Hospital for Tropical Diseases emphasised the importance of treatment equivalent to the degree of COVID-19 infection of the patient. At the same time, relevant authorities are responsible for sharing and instructing units on the use of drugs in the treatment of COVID-19 such as antiviral drugs, corticosteroids, anticoagulants, and respiratory support methods, especially the use of ECMO. Over the past few days HCM City has been seeing a light increase in new COVID-19 cases. VNS HCM CITY Around 10,000 healthcare professionals nationwide are expected to enhance their capability in diagnosing and treating cardiovascular diseases of the elderly through a project called Population Cardiovascular Health. The Vietnam National Heart Association (VNHA) on Wednesday in Ha Noi signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with US drug firm Pfizer Vietnam to partner on the project Population Cardiovascular Health by 2025. The three-year project aims to improve the healthcare professionals' qualification in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases in elderly patients through interdisciplinary coordination and the effective use of anticoagulants. It marks a critical milestone for a long-term collaboration between the two parties in the advanced management of cardiovascular patients and making a positive impact on community healthcare. Under the MoU, the two parties will support funding to provide updated scientific evidence and training for healthcare professionals nationwide through activities such as online training, monthly medical newsletters, and intensive hands-on training. Each activity has elaborately designed content with the participation of many leading domestic and foreign experts. Pham Manh Hung, vice president of the Vietnam National Heart Association (VNHA), said the current demographic shift towards an older population will be accompanied by a significant increase in the incidence of cardiovascular disease in Viet Nam. Cardiovascular disease is currently the most frequently diagnosed disease, remaining the leading cause of death in the elderly. Therefore, it is essential for healthcare professionals to update their knowledge and treatment methods to optimize patient outcomes, Hung said. He expects the two parties to create more effective, practical, and sustainable activities, contributing to improving the quality of care and serving patients. Darrell Oh, general director of Pfizer Vietnam, said the company has always supported Viet Nam in addressing the burden of cardiovascular disease for many years. Capacity-building programmes on cardiovascular disease management as well as the appropriate use of anticoagulants in disease treatment not only help improve the quality of health for the elderly, but also contribute to strengthening the healthcare system in Viet Nam, he said. This cooperation will help accelerate the ability of the countrys healthcare system to cope with the challenges of an aging population, he said. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Viet Nam is one of the most rapidly ageing countries in the world. The share of the elderly population increased significantly from 8.68 per cent in 2009 to 11.86 per cent 2019, and is expected to reach 16.5 per cent in 2029. One of the major medical challenges is cardiovascular disease in the elderly, which has already become quite common. Cardiovascular disease in the elderly heavily affects a patient's quality of life, carries a high risk of mortality, and is a significant economic burden for both individuals and society. This disease often has comorbidities such as atrial fibrillation with heart failure, atrial fibrillation with kidney failure, and especially stroke. VNS Craft and eco-tourism have merged on the Cham Islands, located off the coast of the ancient town of Hoi An. Visitors to the islands can now have hands-on experience in weaving a hammock using strings taken from tree barks. Nguyen Nhat Thanh, a member of the Cham Islands Cooperative, has spearheaded the new initiative. The aim is to connect local artisans with tourists and offer an innovative eco-tourism product. The cooperative has enlisted nine highly skilled hammock weavers to provide demonstrations and guidance on the craft's history. Hammock weaving is just one of the many traditional trades that visitors can learn about on the islands. Other trades include making cakes from glutinous rice and fragrant leaves, tea from wild medicinal herbs, and harvesting edible bird's nest. He said only six old people, including four aged between 75 and 85 years old, could make the hammock from the bark of the tree called ngo ong (scientifically Firmiana colorata), also known as the Chinese parasol tree. Craftswomen often take three or four months to finish a hammock, and only three or four products come out each year, according to Thanh. A hammock is priced from VN15 million to VN17 million each (US$600-680). Tourists can find the craft experience at Tan Hiep market in the centre of Cham Islands. In the past, the ancient town of Hoi An looked at promoting different handcrafted products made from the tree in serving tourists, including oil, cake, skin cream and lipstick. Three ngo ong trees, which grew on the island for some 200 years, were recognised as Heritage Trees by the Viet Nam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment. The Cham Islands-Hoi An area, recognised as a world biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 2009, hosts around 400,000 tourists annually, of which 10 per cent are foreigners. The world biosphere reserve site spent $2.6 million on marine restoration and conservation in 2003-14. It hosted 500,000 visitors per year with annual entrance ticket revenue of $1.5 million in the core zone, and another $1.3 million in the buffer zone in 2017. The islands are the only location in Viet Nam promoting the non-use of plastic bags and the 3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle) programmes since 2011, and the local authorities have been fighting overfishing for decades. The Cham Islands-Hoi An World Biosphere Reserve, which covers over 33,000ha, including Hoi An Town, has 1,500ha of tropical forests and 6,700ha of sea, featuring a wide range of fauna and flora. The islands include eight islets with 2,400 inhabitants and have been one of the most popular destinations in Quang Nam Province since UNESCO recognised Hoi An ancient town and the My Son Sanctuary as World Heritage sites. The National Office of Intellectual Property of Viet Nam, under the Ministry of Science and Technology, has recognised the Geographical Indication (GI) for Cham Islands-Hoi An edible birds nest products. VNS Bangkok-based SCG Packaging Plc (SCGP) is looking to acquire a 70% stake in Starprint Vietnam JSC to expand its operations in the country. An SCG Packaging Plc plant in Bien Hoa, Dong Nai. Photo: scg.com SCGP will purchase 70% of ordinary shares for a total enterprise value of not exceeding VND1.05 trillion or approximately 1.53 billion Baht (US$44.7 million), the companys CEO Wichan Jitpukdee said in a public statement on April 25. Thismerger and partnership (M&P) will be carried out through a strategic partnership with Starflex Public Co Ltd, a leading flexible packaging manufacturer based in Thailand, which plans to hold a 25% stake in SPV, the Thai executive said. This transaction is proceeding under the standard M&P procedures and is expected to close in Q3/2023, he added. The deal underscores SCGPs commitment to serving Vietnams burgeoning packaging industry, Wichan said. The deal will enhance the companys capability to meet the growing needs of customers in terms of branding and marketing activities, he said. This M&P would enable the synergy with other SCGPs subsidiaries in the country in the form of cross-selling opportunity and customer portfolio expansion. SCGP will directly engage in more collaborative projects on new product development for innovative and sustainable packaging solutions in Vietnam and ASEAN from now on, he said. SPV is one of Vietnam's largest producers of offset folding cartons, rigid boxes, and luxury packaging, with distinctive printing capabilities and quality. The company owns a prominent customer base and long-term business relationships with renowned multinational and domestic companies. In 2022, the Vietnamese business posted a total revenue of VND1 trillion (US$41.15 million) and a net profit of VND92.5 billion (US$3.94 million). SPV had total assets worth VND440 billion (US$18.7 million) and a combined capacity of 16,500 tons of offset printing per year and eight million pieces of rigid boxes per year. The Vietnamese manufacturer has built two production plants in the Long Binh Industrial Park in the southern province of Dong Nai. SCG Packaging is a member of the Thai SCG Group. The company entered Vietnam in 1992 and has been involved in cement production, packaging, and chemicals. The group has 24 member companies in Vietnam with more than 16,000 employees. Hanoi Times Local rice exporters expressed optimism about Vietnams potential to export more rice as global demand for the countrys staple continues to rise during a conference held by the Ministry of Industry and Trade in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday. 75 According to Tran Quoc Toan, the deputy head of the Agency of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnam exported over 1.8 million metric tons of rice worth $981 million in the first quarter of this year, a 23.4% increase in volume and a 34.3% increase in value compared to the same period last year. The average rice export price also rose by 8.8% to $529 per metric ton. Revival of Grand Manhattan Project Boosts Optimism for Vietnams Real Estate Industry? Heres How Vietnam Will Boost Tourism Demand Ho Chi Minh City to Trial Electric Tourist Cars. Heres How You Might Be Interested In Asia remained the largest importer of Vietnamese rice, followed by Africa and Europe, with China, Indonesia, and the Philippines being the largest markets. White rice comprised 53.7% of the total rice shipments, followed by fragrant, glutinous, and broken rice. Despite global economic volatility, Vietnams rice export prices maintained their growth momentum, with the countrys five-percent broken rice export price ranking first in the world at times during the first quarter, higher than the same rice rate of Thailand and India, according to Toan. File photo of a person examining the high-quality Jasmine rice at a local firm. Vietnam has exported a large volume of fragrant rice to Hong Kong The conference provided a platform for enterprises to discuss ideas for taking advantage of export opportunities and maintaining the growth of Vietnams rice sector. However, they also discussed obstacles to meeting global demands, including a shortage of high-quality grains to meet customer demand and difficulties exporting to China through the northern province of Lao Cai. Vietnams potential to expand markets and increase the market share of high-quality Vietnamese rice was also highlighted at the conference, particularly in light of Fitch Solutions forecast of a global rice shortfall of 8.7 million metric tons in 2022-23, the largest global rice deficit since 2003-04, primarily due to poor weather in rice-producing nations such as China and Pakistan. Heads of organization departments of CPC, CPV hold talks in Beijing Xinhua) 09:59, April 27, 2023 Li Ganjie, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the CPC Central Committee's Organization Department, holds talks with Truong Thi Mai, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, permanent member of the CPV Central Committee Secretariat and head of the Organization Commission of the CPV Central Committee, in Beijing, capital of China, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan) BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Li Ganjie, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the CPC Central Committee's Organization Department, held talks with Truong Thi Mai, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, permanent member of the CPV Central Committee Secretariat and head of the Organization Commission of the CPV Central Committee, in Beijing on Wednesday. Li said that China and Vietnam are friendly socialist neighbors connected by mountains and rivers, adding that China is ready to work with Vietnam to implement the important consensus reached by the top leaders of the two parties, promote institutionalized exchanges between the organization departments of the two parties and push for greater development of China-Vietnam relations. For her part, Truong Thi Mai expressed a willingness to strengthen inter-party exchanges with China and promote relations between the two parties and countries, as well as the development of the socialist cause. Following the talks, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee and that of the CPV Central Committee. Li Ganjie, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the CPC Central Committee's Organization Department, holds talks with Truong Thi Mai, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, permanent member of the CPV Central Committee Secretariat and head of the Organization Commission of the CPV Central Committee, in Beijing, capital of China, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Korea Customs Service (KCS) Commissioner Yoon Tae-sik, third from left in front row, poses with other dignitaries from Korea and Thailand during a ceremony to mark the KCS' giving two sniffer dogs to Thailand at The Shilla Seoul hotel in central Seoul, Thursday. The donation took place on the occasion of Korea Customs Week 2023 being hosted by the KCS. Courtesy of KCS By Yi Whan-woo The Korea Customs Service (KCS) gave two sniffer dogs to Thailand, Thursday, on the occasion of Korea Customs Week 2023 being hosted by the KCS in Seoul over three days. The two countries are bolstering efforts against drug trafficking, amid growing cases of Korean citizens being caught committing drug-related crimes. "We find the donation very meaningful," the KCS said in a press release, noting Korea used to rely on sniffer dogs presented by the United States 35 years ago but now is capable of breeding such dogs on its own. The two Labrador retriever dogs, both male, were born here in December 2021 and trained locally. The dogs will be officially handed over to Thai customs in July, after completing a joint training program between customs agents of the two countries near Incheon International Airport customs. An instructor from the KCS will visit Thailand afterward to see if the dogs are adapting to the new environment and need any further instruction concerning drug detection on customs clearance scenes. Korea currently has 38 sniffer dogs across its airports, sea ports and other entry sites into the country. Korea and Thailand carried out a massive joint operation against narcotics from May to August last year. Back then they confiscated 22 kilograms of methamphetamine, some 290,000 tablets of yaba, a combination of methamphetamine and caffeine, and other types of drugs. The two sides plan on conducting the second round of joint operations this year. During Korea Customs Week 2023, 18 Asia-Pacific countries agreed on a joint declaration to facilitate the exchange of human resources and information on the drug crackdown. The Asia-Pacific region accounted for 76 percent of drug smuggling cases in Korea last year, according to the KCS. Ho Chi Minh City is expected to experience an extreme ultraviolet (UV) index of 13 from now until the end of the April 30 holiday, according to forecasts by two reputable weather sites, Weather Online of the UK and AccuWeather of the US. The UV index, which measures the strength of UV radiation from the sun, can cause damage to the skin and eyes, and the higher the index, the greater the risk. The temperature in the city is also high, ranging from 32-36 degrees Celsius, with radiation from vehicles and concrete making it even hotter outside. To protect themselves from UV radiation, health experts recommend staying indoors or in the shade during peak hours from 10 am to 4 pm, wearing protective clothing such as hats, sunglasses, gloves, and masks, and applying sunscreen with at least SPF 30+. It is also essential to keep the skin hydrated by using moisturizers and to seek medical attention if sunburn or skin damage occurs. Vietnams Rice Export Potential Soars as Global Demand Rises Thunderstorms Set to Disrupt Southern Vietnams Heat Wave Czech PM says Home Credit is a success story in Czech-Vietnam business cooperation You Might Be Interested In Children are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of UV rays, and parents are advised to take extra precautions to protect their young ones from overexposure. With the extreme UV index expected to persist in the coming days, Ho Chi Minh City residents are urged to take measures to safeguard their health and well-being. Dr. Nguyen Trieu Vu, Head of the Oncology Department at Thu Duc City Hospital, explained that ultraviolet radiation is a component of sunlight that can damage the DNA of skin cells, causing skin aging, skin cancer, and other light-related diseases such as lupus erythematosus and dermatomyositis. UV rays can also cause damage to vision, including cataracts and macular degeneration. Dr. Phan Minh Doan, from the Department of Skin Aesthetics at Ho Chi Minh City Hospital of Dermatology, stressed that UV intensity can vary from day to day and from season to season. He also cautioned that even in cooler seasons, UV rays can be harmful to the skin. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures still in place in many parts of the world, people are spending more time outdoors, making it crucial to take extra precautions against UV radiation. By following expert advice and staying informed about weather conditions, people can minimize their risk of UV-related health problems and enjoy the springtime safely. On April 27, the Border Guard Command of Thanh Hoa province reported that a Laotian couple was apprehended by border guards in the Keo Te village area of Nhi Son commune, Muong Lat border district at around 7:05 a.m. The Special Defense Team Anti-Drugs and Crime, in collaboration with the Pu Nhi and Trung Ly border posts, caught the couple red-handed while illegally transporting 15,000 synthetic drug pills across the border into Vietnam. The two suspects were identified as Thao Giong Cu Vang (born in 1982) and Nang May Giang Ho, also known as Nang Sung Di (born in 1991). They both hail from Kham Nang village in Nam Nga cluster, Vieng Xay district, Hua Phan province, Laos. During the arrest, border guards also seized a sharp knife from the couple. How two foreigners outsmarted a gold shop in Vietnam and made away with 70,000 USD Foreign Passenger Jumps from Third Floor at Vietnams Noi Bai Airport Many foreigners caught using drugs in a beach villa in Vietnams Da Nang city You Might Be Interested In The apprehended individuals are believed to be the leaders of a large-scale drug trafficking and transportation network that operates across the border from Laos to Vietnam. They employ sophisticated tactics, including changing rules and operating areas, taking advantage of kinship and ethnic relationships, and using Mong people from both countries to lead the way, which has caused numerous difficulties for law enforcement. Currently, the Border Guard Command of Thanh Hoa province is directing its units to complete the necessary processing of the case in accordance with the law. HCMC The 1,200-MW Thai Binh II thermal power plant in the northern province of Thai Binh was inaugurated today, April 27, with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attending the ceremony, according to the local media. The power station covers a total area of over 131 hectares in My Loc Commune, Thai Thuy District, and is operated by the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group. With a capacity of 1,200 MW, the plant is expected to supply about 7.2 billion kWh of electricity to the national grid annually and generate annual revenue of around VND18 trillion. This facility is expected to contribute over VND400 billion annually to the State budget and create jobs for more than 400 local workers. Speaking at the ceremony, PM Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that the plant will help ensure energy security for the northern region and the whole country, especially during the hot season from May to July. He asked the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group to continue accelerating the progress of other power projects, particularly the Long Phu I thermal power plant. On April 26, Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) and Edmond de Rothschild - conviction-based investment house headquartered in Switzerland held a ceremony to sign an MoU for strategic cooperation to implement specialised investment solutions, elevating the private banking services offered to high-net-worth clients in Vietnam. This event, which coincided with BIDV's 66th anniversary, marked a significant milestone in the collaboration between one of the largest banks in the Vietnamese credit system and Edmond de Rothschild, a globally renowned financial institution. The agreement is expected to set the stage for BIDV and Edmond de Rothschild to provide specialised investment solutions, both domestically and internationally, exclusively tailored for the high-net-worth segment in Vietnam. Edmond de Rothschild will aid BIDV in standardising and enhancing the capabilities of its asset management executives, thereby delivering a benchmark private banking service of international stature. Edmond de Rothschild draws on over 250 years of financial tradition and innovation to assist its clients in the preservation, development and transmission of their wealth, through solutions that combine long-term performance. As the number of high-net-worth individuals in Vietnam is growing, and these individuals are looking for specialised financial services that meet their unique needs. By offering private banking services, BIDV can tap into this growing market and increase its revenue streams. Le Ngoc Lam, a member of BIDV's Board of Directors said, "As the first state-owned commercial bank to introduce private banking services, our strategy is to elevate the premium banking services, lead the Vietnamese market, and assist every client in securing and developing their wealth. "By doing so, BIDV can differentiate itself from other banks that do not offer private banking services. This can help BIDV attract and retain high net worth clients, which can be a significant source of revenue for the bank, he said. "Based on a comprehensive assessment of strict criteria of eligible partners, Edmond de Rothschild is the most suitable candidate, as this investment house is widely recognised as one of the most prestigious and respected private banks in the world, with a long history of providing customised financial solutions to wealthy individuals and families," Lam added. We hold in high regard Edmond de Rothschild's tradition and innovation, reflected in their unique ecosystem, diversity, and optimal investment solutions for clients. We trust that, with the experience of this leading group in Switzerland and its international-standard private banking expertise, Edmond de Rothschild will accompany BIDV in realising our ambitious strategy. Christophe Caspar, CEO of Global Asset Management at Edmond de Rothschild said, "We are pleased to announce this new cooperative relationship with one of the largest banks in Vietnam. We have been convinced by the immense potential of the Vietnamese market in the coming years, and BIDV is an ideal partner to seize these opportunities." "Both parties share a long-term vision for business development and a desire to drive change in the future of the Vietnamese financial industry. This collaboration will enable us to meet the needs of high-net-worth clients in Vietnam by helping them access advanced financial services and investment opportunities," Caspar said. In your predictions for 2023 and beyond, there are the top five tech trends. Are they the same in Vietnam? If I look at the supply chain in the United States, it is relatively different to that over here. In the US, it's much more focused on autonomous trucking, making sure that the huge distances in the country can be covered by autonomous trucks, which removes a lot of the pressure. Here in Vietnam, it is different. It's much more about the last mile. So, companies like Ahamove, a Vietnamese on-demand logistics service that brokers between e-commerce firms and customers, are more important. Werner Vogels, CTO at Amazon, at Cloud Day Vietnam held in Hanoi in early April For other predictions, like simulation and cloud technologies, those are patterns that are country-independent. For example, silicon goes together with smart energy and sustainability. At AWS, we have the goal to be carbon-neutral by 2025, and we are well on the way to actually achieving that. We are the largest purchaser of renewable energies in the corporate world, but we also have 400 projects going on ourselves to actually bring renewable energy to the masses. I think a critical part of that is not just the generation of renewable energy, but how can we store it. At night, the sun does not shine, so if you are dependent on solar energy, you should be able to charge your systems during the day and use it at night. There are very interesting concepts available, for example, storing energy in big mines via compressed air or by moving water up a hill and then using the potential energy later on the way down. Here in Vietnam, that is critical because I believe that we will see communities wanting to store their energy locally and retrieve that first. In the past, if you had your own solar panels on top of your roof, you would send any excess energy back into the national grid, but what we are seeing with new storage technologies for energy, you can store this locally. We see many more community-based energy storage solutions arriving. How can these tech trends impact digital transformation and business performance in the future? Traditional companies are all looking to go through digital transformation. In Vietnam and around Southeast Asia, startups are thriving. There is a culture around small- and medium-sized enterprises where everybody has an idea about how to build a sustainable business. I think there is a slight difference between what we see in Western Europe and in the US, where every startup wants to become a Unicorn. For example, I see many startups that are more interested in building long-term sustainable businesses. Now, Vietnam has several almost-unicorns here. Amanotes, a Vietnam-headquartered music game developer, is on its way to becoming one with over 90 million downloads. And, as you can imagine, companies like Amanotes would never be able to do this on their own infrastructure. The rise of young businesses, especially startups, is really driven by cloud computing. On AWS, they can prove their concept first and demonstrate to investors that they have a very viable business. So without cloud at the base level for them, many of these companies would not be able to gain customers. This is critical in Vietnam, as the funding circuit is not as rich as in some other countries. As such, being able to be humble and start off with a minimum amount of investment is key. AWS has recently announced local zones in Hanoi and Bangkok, and the pre-announcement of the AWS Asia-Pacific (Bangkok) Region. Whats next for AI, machine learning, and these recent announcements in Vietnam? One of our biggest drivers is to bring cloud computing closer to our customers. And that will become more and more important as many of them rely on very low latency for their web applications. A very significant part of that is also the ability to have access to customs. For example, if you look at machine learning, traditionally these data sets would be trained on what's called GPUs that are very power hungry and not very sustainable. So, we started developing our own chips to be able to reduce both cost and energy. Bringing these AWS Infrastructure Regions to Southeast Asia means that customers have much lower latency access to these technologies, and they can run these machine learning algorithms and models much closer to their customers. That will be a major driver because this custom silicon gives them a much lower sustainability footprint, and it is an essential aspect of saving energy. Vietnam plans to commercialise 5G this year. What new technology or products does AWS have that are aligned with 5G and can better support its customers? We have a product called AWS Wavelength that embeds AWS Compute and storage services within 5G networks, providing mobile edge computing infrastructure for developing, deploying, and scaling ultra-low-latency applications as close to their customers as possible. Instead of having to separately connect to 5G access points and the Internet separately, we can now put these services in place for our 5G customers. For that, we are closely working with different telco providers to offer them these services. Like anywhere else in the world, we listen closely to our customers and move fast to make sure that we can address their needs. We understand, for example, that the way business is being done in Vietnam might be different from how it is happening in China, India, South America, Western Europe, or the US. As such, we have teams on the ground the whole time to make sure that we educate all of our service owners to build their services in a way that meets the requirements of customers around the world. For example, we're building different services for Japan and for Brazil. We continue to listen to our customers to make sure that we are delivering what they really require. For Vietnam, the AWS Local Zone thats coming to Hanoi is the first step for customers to store data locally here with low latency access, and then we will take it step by step. Amidst the global acceleration of digital transformation, the role of CTOs is now more important than ever. What are your main challenges? And what is the key to your success? I have been at AWS for over 18 years. If I look at some of my early days when I joined Amazon after all, I am CTO for all of Amazon, not just for AWS in the early years, we were much more focused internally on big technology projects, and not necessarily as focused on talking to people outside, but we became a technology provider. The role of a CTO has changed to become more of an external facing technologist, listening to customers and understanding what their problems are. For Vogels, continuing to be curious and eager to learn are the keys to his success Amazon has always had the goal to be the world's most customer-centric company, and it's easy to see how it works. But if you think about AWS, when we started, we thought, how can we become the Earth's most customer-centric IT provider? For that, we needed to change a few things very radically. For example, as much as I am proud of all the technology that we have developed in AWS, the most significant change has been the change of the economic model. Before that, as CTO of Amazon, I had to write massive checks if I wanted to buy database licences. We had to think about how much we needed in five years' time because I have to make very long-term contracts to get the price down. The vendor was in charge, so it did not feel customer-centric. When we started AWS, we decided to change those rules where the customer should be in charge. They should only be charged afterwards for what they have used. This is a really normal model. This change in economic model has been a driver for cloud computing to become as big as it is now. For me personally, continuing to be curious and eager to learn are my keys to success. At Amazon, we have leadership principles that drive the company. Take Dive Deep, for example. In order to Dive Deep as an executive, you need to continue to educate yourself. You cannot just sit back and do nothing. One afternoon a week, my telephone and e-mail goes off, and I spend half a day learning, whether that is reading academic papers or experimenting with the latest AWS services. You need to set time aside to continue to educate yourself because the technological world is moving so fast, it is easy to become old and forgotten. Vietnams SMEs to get credit pack from AWS Lift Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are expected to receive financial support from AWS to begin their digital transformation journeys. VPBank signs with AWS to improve customer experience VPBank on April 4 announced the signing of agreements with Amazon Web Services, selecting it as its preferred cloud provider to build digital banking experiences for its customers. An overview of the meeting (Photo: VNA) Hanoi Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha has asked ministries and central agencies to work closely with localities to remove obstacles for particular projects, thus speeding up public investment disbursement. Speaking at a meeting with representatives of 17 ministries and central agencies on April 27, Deputy PM Ha underlined the need to strengthen their capacity in directing and managing the disbursement of public investment capital from the stage of preparation to investment decision. He requested leaders of ministries and central agencies to bear responsible for the whole process from project proposing and verification to implementation. Particularly, the Ministry of Construction must d apply measures to shorten the verification duration for projects, he said. According to Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Do Thanh Trung, this year, the total State budget capital assigned to 17 ministries and central agencies is over 111.76 trillion VND (4.76 billion USD). So far, more than 105.13 trillion VND, or 94 per cent of the amount, has been allocated to particular projects. To date, the 17 ministries and agencies have disbursed 23.74 trillion VND, completing 21.24 per cent of the yearly plan. However, the rate is not equal among the ministries and agencies. While the Ministry of Transport and the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology posted 24.27 per cent and 19.44 per cent, respectively, the rest showed slow disbursement. Trung held that the major reasons behind the situation is slow investment procedures. Many ministries pointed to difficulties in ground clearance. Deputy PM asks Hanoi to accelerate public investment disbursement Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh has asked Hanoi to clarify the causes behind the sluggish disbursement of public investment. Localities innovating to boost public funding disbursement The decentralisation of government spending will contribute to speeding up public investment disbursement, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment. The European Parliament approved the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) to ban imports of coffee, beef, wood, and other commodities if they are linked to the destruction of the worlds forests. EUDR imposes new regulations on timber exporters, Illustrative image (Source: VNA) The law will require companies that sell goods into the EU to produce a due diligence statement and verifiable information proving their goods were not grown on land deforested after 2020, or risk hefty fines. The law needs formal approval from EU countries before it can enter into force. Once that happens, large companies would have 18 months to comply, and smaller firms 24 months. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the impact of this new agreement on Vietnams timber industry is equivalent to 1,400 afforestation households and 500,000 employees operating in more than 700 companies. Dr. Nguyen Phu Hung, president of the Vietnam Forestry Association, said that exporters must explain three pieces of content in order to sell products on the EU market. First is gathering data on product type, quantity, geographical location, legality and status of deforestation, and forest degradation. Secondly, the risk assessment includes the presence of forests and indigenous peoples, consultation and cooperation with indigenous people, the existence of customary land claims, rates of deforestation, and the complexity of the supply chain. Third, risk mitigation may necessitate assistance for smallholders regulatory compliance, Hung said. According to Dr. Hung, difficulties exist for Vietnamese businesses because the location of Vietnams forests has not been determined accurately on the international coordinate system, and the database system of the forest area has not been completely and accurately compiled. The EU is continually revising new technical import standards. In January, it announced a timeline for implementation of a due liability plan, mandating that all export partners to the EU devote more attention to environmental and labour issues. Numerous exporters said that this move, coupled with a decline in orders due to low demand, has negatively impacted Vietnams wood exports. According to data from the General Department of Vietnam Customs, the export turnover of timber and wood products to the EU market in the first three months of 2023 is estimated to be $133.2 million, down 37.1 per cent from the same period in 2022. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Ba Ngai, vice president and general secretary of the Vietnam Forest Owners Association, told VIR that the EU wants to assure the legality of timber sources imported into the bloc. We should not be concerned about the new EU regulations because they are an inevitable component of the development process. Instead, companies must refine their mechanisms and policies to satisfy these needs. Ngai warns that the destruction of natural forests to create land for reforestation violates EUDR regulations. Vietnam and the EU previously signed the Volunteer Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance, and Trade, but accountability is low compared to the EUDR rules, Ngai said. Vietnam must evaluate the extent of the impact of forest-derived timber on the natural forest. It already has the Timber Legality Assurance System, so verifying the origin of wood products is relatively straightforward. However, it needs further improvement to satisfy the EUs new requirements, Ngai added. The EUDR rules aim to eliminate deforestation from the supply chains of a range of everyday items sold in Europe. It will apply to soy, beef, palm oil, wood, cocoa, coffee, rubber, charcoal, and derived products including leather, chocolate, and furniture. Deforestation is responsible for about 10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change. In 2022, EU imports of wooden furniture reached 7.3 million metric tonnes and were valued at $26.3 million, a decrease of 7 per cent in volume but an increase of 6.6 per cent in value compared to 2021. Vietnam is the fifth-largest supplier of wooden furniture to the EU in 2022, reaching 140,500 MT and worth $734 million, an increase of 3 per cent in volume and 38 per cent in value over 2021. However, just 1.9 per cent of the total value of wooden furniture imports into the EU come from Vietnam.Source: Eurostat Key provisions of the EUDR The regulation prohibits companies from placing on the EU market any pertinent commodities or products that contribute to deforestation (or degradation in forestry) or are of illicit origin. Businesses must conduct due diligence to ensure that their products are not deforested (or, in the case of timber, degraded) and are sourced legally. Before companies can import, they must demonstrate that there is no or a negligible risk that noncompliance will lead to deforestation or forest degradation. The competent authorities in each EU member state will conduct compliance reviews and penalise companies that do not comply. Vietnam to grant FLEGT licence to wood exports in 2025 Vietnam is set to grant a licence under the Voluntary Partnership Agreement/FAO-EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Programme to wood exports in 2025, after it completes preparing necessary conditions, reported a government official familiar with the sector. Vietnam plans out domestic wood pivot To ease the dependence on imported wood and timber products, Vietnam aims to reduce the amount of imported material and instead strengthen the domestic supply a goal the government aims to reach by applying a traditional carrot and stick approach. Strengthening Vietnam's wood industry Vietnam is working to establish a legal supply chain to become a global leader in the processing and export of wood. The carbon tax (CBAM), to be introduced on October 1, not only impacts the complete supply chain of the steel, cement, aluminium, and fertiliser industries, but also the export value of Vietnamese products to the EU market. There is a worry that some firms will not be able to meet the CBAMs emissions standards, Photo: Shutterstock In terms of the economy as a whole, the impact of the CBAM is not deemed significant. However, the decrease in export value for each industry and business is not insignificant, increasing the burden on businesses. That is according to survey results published by the Southeast Asian Energy Transition Partnership Programme on April 14. The survey indicates that the steel industry is likely to lose roughly 4 per cent of its export value. The decrease in demand has resulted in a 0.8 per cent decline in output as well as a decline in market competitiveness. Additionally, the aluminium industrys export value has decreased by more than 4 per cent, while output decreased by roughly 0.4 per cent. The degree of impact on the cement and fertiliser industries may be slight, because the CBAM will provide affected producers with a direct incentive to reduce emissions. As yet, no data has been compiled on the pressures on major exporters in terms of the absolute value of exported cement and fertiliser; and Vietnamese groups such as the associations of fertilisers and cement do not have data on the possible effects of the CBAM. Vietnams aluminium industry will not be immune to the effects of the CBAM, as the EU is one of its most important markets. In 2022, exports of aluminium products topped $2.12 billion, with almost 15 per cent going to the EU. The Vietnam Aluminium Associations chief of staff, Ly Thi Ngan, expressed concern that firms cannot meet the CBAM emission standards. There are currently 26 aluminium companies on the list of manufacturers who conduct greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories and mandatory emission reductions. Aluminium electrolysis generates the most GHG emissions, while aluminium smelting is the weakest in terms of emissions, Ngan said. Alumina smelting also uses a great deal of energy and produces emissions due to limited technological, financial, and human resources. Meanwhile, Luong Duc Long, general secretary of the Vietnam Cement Association, is worried that clinker and cement will bear a huge carbon tax when the EU implements the CBAM due to their high emissions. While the cost of energy production continues to rise and renewable energy usage remains low, the cost of energy production also continues to rise. Long determined that it was challenging to reduce the clinker content because no consumer desired to purchase less clinker cement. In addition, the clinker content of Vietnams cement has attained a low global average of 7075 per cent, making further reductions problematic. Enterprises need an incentive mechanism, financial support, and technology conversion as leverage, said Long. Vietnam has almost 60 cement facilities, but accounts for 57 per cent of CO2 emissions in the manufacturing process, a higher emission rate than 36 per cent of coal-fired and 6 per cent of electric power. Expert Nguyen Hong Loan stated that emissions are calculated for goods that are not only produced in the production process, but also from input materials and imported materials. Currently, Vietnamese businesses are only able to provide emission data for the production and processing of products, whereas the CBAM requires emission data for both production inputs, Loan said. The CBAMs specific regulations are still being finalised, but they are likely to be extended to other Vietnamese exports, such as ceramics, cellulose, and paper. The non-economic effects of administrative duties could be reported as being more substantial, Loan added. Beginning on October 1, 27 EU member states will pilot the CBAM. Based on the carbon footprint of the manufacturing process, importers will be required to purchase emission permits from the EUs Emission Trading System. The CBAM has a three-year transition period to January 2026. The government of Vietnam issued Decree No.06/2022/ND-CP on mitigating GHG emissions and protecting the ozone layer in January 2022, to reduce approximately 564 million MT of CO2 by 2030. This decree mandates that exporting businesses convert their production processes to reduce carbon emissions. From that point on, commodities exported from Vietnam to the EU will be subject to a lower carbon border tax, or none at all, if the standards for carbon emissions in the production process comply with EU standards. Vietnam must step up carbon reduction to enter EU markets Vietnam must start monitoring and issuing carbon certificates to exporters and retailers in response to the EU's recently passed carbon levy, said industry insiders and policymakers. Deals to push forward carbon commitments While joining Japans fresh carbon neutrality initiative, Vietnam has continued enjoying international assistance in its drive to achieve its net-zero emission dream by mid-century. With the belief that most Vietnamese children have breakfast, but without sufficient nutrients, FrieslandCampina Vietnam has cooperated with the Ministry of Education and Training to offer nutritional solutions to improve childrens breakfasts at a symposium on April 26, which drew the participation of many leading experts. The symposium discussed solutions to improve children's nutrition A lack of micronutrients Last year, FrieslandCampina launched the results of its SEANUTS II study, showing that 90 per cent of Vietnamese children have their own breakfast but more than half lack the necessary micronutrients for physical and mental development, including protein, vitamin D, and calcium. Experts at the symposium emphasised breakfast's vital role, as it provides 15-25 per cent of the bodys energy in a day. In addition, breakfast also helps maintain reasonable weight, protects the stomach and digestive system, enhances brain activity and immunity, and reduces the risk of chronic diseases. Because the brain consumes nearly 20 per cent of the body's energy every day, children may get tired, lethargic, and find it difficult to absorb lessons if they do not receive the required nutrients. Therefore, adding enough micronutrients at breakfast time is something parents need to focus on. In fact, a popular breakfast for Vietnamese children is just a pack of sticky glutinous rice, bread, and some cakes which contain a lot of starch. This quickly fills the stomach, but may not provide enough nutrients. Many parents do not fully understand the importance of breakfast or are too busy at that time of day. Dr. Nguyen Thu Ha, a researcher from the Department of Micronutrients under the National Institute of Nutrition, giving a presentation at the symposium Dr. Nguyen Thu Ha, a researcher from the Department of Micronutrients under the National Institute of Nutrition said, "The breakfast menu needs to provide adequate macronutrients and micronutrients at the right ratio for the child. The ratio of nutrients at breakfast should comprise 15 per cent protein, 25 per cent fat, 55 per cent starch, 30 grams of fibre, and all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Depending on conditions, parents can choose suitable foods to make breakfast for their children." Supplementing milk for childrens breakfast In order for the child not to have an energy deficiency, the mother should add fresh milk to the child's morning menu, along with the aforementioned nutrients. Childrens breakfast needs to have all four essential groups of substances including fruit, vegetables, protein, milk, and cereals. In particular, the milk group, with high calcium content, is easily absorbed and full of protein, fat, sugar, vitamins, and minerals to help the body stay healthy, Ha said. Many scientific studies have shown that breakfast is considered the best time of the day for the body to fully absorb the nutrients in milk. Not only rich in protein, fresh milk also has a group of nutrients such as fat, vitamins, and minerals, and contains high levels of calcium and balanced phosphorus. On average, 180ml of fresh milk provides about 200mg of calcium, meeting 20-30 per cent of the daily calcium requirement for children. However, the SEANUTS II study indicated that up to 40 per cent of Vietnamese children drink less than four small servings of milk per week, which is lower than the recommendation for children aged 1-3 years, who need to drink 400-500ml of milk per day equivalent to 2-3 cartons per day. A nutritious breakfast is more important than a full breakfast. Therefore, to supplement micronutrients into the body, parents should add one box of milk to their child's breakfast, and one box to the bag for the child to drink during break. Dutch Lady and solutions for childrens breakfast Senior business director Ta Thuy Ha at FrieslandCampina Vietnam shared an innovative nutritional improvement for Vietnamese children Managed by FrieslandCampina, one of the worlds largest dairy cooperatives with more than 150 years of experience, the Dutch Lady brand understands the important role of daily nutrition for children. It constantly creates and optimises the recipe in each box of fresh milk so that it has the required nutritional value To accompany the development of Vietnam, Dutch Lady continues to make an important mark by cooperating with the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) to launch a 5-year strategic project named For Vietnam to leap forward and reach higher. This project embraces various activities such as nutritional education for students so that they have a correct understanding of the importance of essential nutrients for them, especially the need to drink milk every day. The drive has also installed playgrounds to encourage children to be more active. In 2023, Dutch Lady and the MoET launched electronic lesson plans at schools across the country. This timely initiative creates a stronger nutritional foundation for Vietnamese children, with solutions to integrate technology into education. The scheme implements two-way interaction on a digital platform with diverse, vivid, and flexible content to help elementary school students from 6-10 years old access knowledge anytime and anywhere. Dutch Lady accompanies the Ministry of Education and Training to distribute electronic nutritional lesson plans to schools throughout Vietnam Trinh Hoai Thu, deputy director of the Department of Primary Education under the MoET, highly appreciated the electronic lesson plan initiative from the Dutch Lady brand. The electronic lesson plans prove the close and comprehensive cooperation of Dutch Lady and the leading educational experts at the MoET. When introduced into formal teaching, more than 1.5 million children will have access to this new form of learning. From there, students awareness will be raised, and they will be fully equipped with knowledge about nutrition. They will be able to form a nutritional habit of drinking milk in the morning, helping the future generations of Vietnam to live more healthily, Thu said. Ha said, Dutch Lady will always pursue the goal of bringing better nutrition through the improvement of childrens breakfasts, while also fostering knowledge and enhancing nutritional education for students from an early age. With ongoing programmes, Dutch Lady is further strengthening its long-term and sustainable commitment to supporting the Vietnamese government and the community to improve nutrition for generations of Vietnamese people, contributing to the development strategy of For Vietnam to leap forward and reach higher, Ha continued. FrieslandCampina Vietnam pursues sustainable development Dutch-backed FrieslandCampina is pursuing sustainable development as one of its key drivers to success in Vietnam. FrieslandCampina Vietnam to cut down environmental impact FrieslandCampina Vietnam is set to reduce CO 2 emissions by 40 per cent by 2030 in all production and supply activities, along with 33 per cent from partnered dairy cow farms. The tech titan has found itself under pressure due to a general slowdown in advertising spending, over-hiring during a Covid-era boom and a major challenge by Microsoft on artificial intelligence. Google, Microsoft top expectations as AI rivalry heats up Its quarterly revenue came in at nearly $70 billion, a billion better than expected by analysts, and in the same three-month period that the company said it would lay off 12,000 staff, or six percent of its workforce. Microsoft's results for the first three months of the year also pleased investors on Tuesday, lifted by its industry-leading business cloud products. The company founded by Bill Gates reported profit of $18.3 billion on revenue of $52.9 billion as Cloud and AI more than offset drops in revenue from licensing Windows software to computer makers, as sales suffer in that market. Most market attention was on Google, which became a focus of worry when Microsoft-backed ChatGPT was released and quickly went viral late last year. The Windows maker has added the technology to its Bing search engine and office software. The search giant has since rushed out Bard, its own version of the language-based AI, but the release was seen as clumsy and has so far disappointed observers and company insiders, according to media reports. "We'll continue to incorporate generative AI advances to make search better in a thoughtful and deliberate way," Google chief Sundar Pichai said during an earnings call. "And we will test and iterate as we go because we know that billions of people trust Google to provide the right information." An arms race over AI is expected to play out for several years and could prove to be expensive for the tech giants. To get itself battle ready for the AI wars ahead, Google has reorganized its AI division, putting the independently run Deep Mind subsidiary inside the company in a division called Google Brain. - 'Serious challenges' - The threat from an AI-augmented Bing sent Pichai on a rare US media tour recently to reassure that the company remained an industry leader on everything from search to maps to AI pioneering. Despite headwinds, Pichai received a total compensation package worth more than $225 million in 2022, according to a regulatory filing posted last week. Google-owned YouTube's advertising revenue dropped for the third quarter in a row. However, there was "strong watchtime growth" at a YouTube Shorts section added to counter TikTok . During the quarter, YouTube chief Susan Wojcicki stepped down after nine years, replaced by longtime executive Neal Mohan. "Google exceeded both revenue and earnings expectations this quarter, but reasons for investor optimism are modest," said Insider Intelligence senior analyst Max Willens. "Google's core business is facing the most serious challenges it has encountered in quite some time." Despite challenges, Alphabets share price has recovered well from lows seen before January's layoff announcements and on Tuesday shot up by more than 4 percent in after-hours trading to $108.4. This was still well shy of the near $150 seen in 2021, when ad revenue was pouring in. Microsoft has been steadily pressing on with its AI revolution, recently announcing that it would apply the powers behind ChatGPT to its iconic Excel, Word and Outlook programs. The Redmond, Washington giant has been swiftly adopting language-based AI, showing less caution than its rivals despite early problems such as chatbots giving disturbing responses or blatantly inaccurate information. "We see that when people use the new AI features, their engagement with Bing and Edge goes up," Microsoft chief Satya Nadella said during an earnings call. "We look forward to continuing this journey in what is a generational shift in the largest software category - search." UK blocks Microsoft's $69-bn bid for 'Call of Duty' games giant Britain on Wednesday blocked Microsoft's $69-billion takeover of "Call of Duty" video games giant Activision Blizzard, arguing it would harm competition in cloud gaming. Google fined $162 mn by Indian watchdog over market dominance Google has been fined more than $160 million by India's anti-trust watchdog after a probe found the tech behemoth was abusing its commanding position in the local smartphone market. Neet People runs programs to offer work-life experience to those not in education, employment or training, referred to as NEETs. Courtesy of Neet People By Lee Gyu-lee Working without a salary in positions without a specific job description, with employers being interviewed by potential employees all this might sound very confusing and seem like nonsense. But it makes sense with Neet People, a virtual, mock company for young people in their 20s and 30s, who classify as "NEET" an acronym for not in education, employment or training. The company acts as a haven for those who are NEET by providing a platform to find their footing and sense of belonging as members of society and to assist in their journey to identify their roles. "It's not about trying hard to get a good job. But we feel that our current society has lost a sense of community for young people to find belonging and their role in it. And we believe we've created such a platform, a kind of community, where those young adults feel comfortable being themselves. And that's the role we want to keep pursuing," Jeon Seong-shin, co-CEO and co-founder of Neet People, told The Korea Times during an interview at the company's office in Jung District, central Seoul, Monday. From left are co-CEOs of Neet People Park Eun-mi, Jeon Seong-shin and manager Jay Lim. Courtesy of Neet People Jeon founded the company in 2019, along with the co-CEO Park Eun-mi, out of a personal need for a community after leaving her job in the social venture funding sector. "I had 10 years of work experience. But I faced concerns and anxieties about my next opportunity, like I was stepping into the real world for the first time. Yet, I wasn't in the place to write and go around to submit my resume," she said. "Then I came to think how I can have fun and make use of this time other than writing up a resume." She sought opportunities to meet people in similar situations to share concerns. When she could not find anyone, the co-founders decided to create it themselves. Along with its signature program, Neet Company, an online virtual company, the group added three new programs last year: Neet Office for an in-person office experience, Neet Investment for financial aid and Neet Connect for social gatherings. A picture of Neet Company's outdoor gathering / Courtesy of Neet People Neet Company welcomes about 100 participants each term, whereas Neet Office hosts about five people due to its limited office space. The participants come up with their own job titles and decide their daily duty on their own, like reading books or holding a workshop on topics they find interesting. The weekly meeting runs with an agenda to share their plans for the future or their interests. "(For Neet Office,) there are people who fear going to an office and find it difficult to see others' eyes to communicate. So we looked for ways to give social practice scenarios to help those people. So the office is for those people," Jay Lim, the company's founding member and manager, said. The two programs go through a unique process of recruiting their participants, a reverse interview, where potential participants interview the company. "When you interview for a normal job, you need to be picked through a selection process. We are a community formed based on the participants' needs. So we tell them what we do and ask them to decide if they want to join or not; whether we passed or not," the CEO said, adding that the spots are filled on a first-come basis. People look at displays, sharing the outcome of Neet Investment's second-term participants. Courtesy of Neet People The concept of a make-believe company and role-playing as an employed worker might seem odd to some people. But the CEO emphasized that the company is about creating a community that bridges people. "Our purpose and the (ideal) society we think is that people are not isolated and can connect with anyone regardless of their status, so they can remind themselves of their own presence as a member of the society, despite their economic activity and identity," she said. "Rather than just wanting to make good money, we hope for a society where people are connected to one another so they can ask for help when they need it and return it to those who need it." Over the years, the company came across hundreds of people in NEET. Jeon and Lim said that seeing changes in the participants motivated them to pursue their vision, despite the difficulties in securing stable funding to run its programs. "Later on, the participants would look for ways to take a role (in the platform). They would start a project with each other. And seeing how they navigate it to find their role within that makes it all worth it," she said. The participants from Neet Company plant trees as volunteers. Courtesy of Neet People Ethnic minority youth in Phong Tho district, Lai Chau, participate in a beekeeping model. (Source source: Plan International) Lai Chau A project on economic empowerment for young ethnic minority people in the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau has had many activities to create livelihoods, promote gender equality, and facilitate youth development after two years of implementation. The information was revealed at a conference on April 26 to launch the third implementation year of the project, sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Plan International Japan. The project is located in Phong Tho district, with investments of 3.1 billion VND (132,000 USD) for the first year (March 2021-February 2022), and 4.9 billion VND for the second (March 2022-February 2023). Meanwhile, an additional 3.5 billion VND will be used for the third year from March 2023 to February 2024, with a focus on building a facility and supporting equipment for a community learning centre in Dao San commune; and organising training on cultivation, animal husbandry, business administration in food processing for youth union members. Otsuka Mitsuru, First Secretary at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasised that the project started in 2021 with the goal of building a favorable environment for young ethnic minorities in Lai Chau to increase their incomes from livelihood activities, without being constrained by traditional local customs, knowledge, and techniques. Japanese groups steadfast in ambition to aid energy goals To achieve carbon neutrality amid growing energy demand in Asia, the Japanese government is willing to cooperate with ASEAN countries like Vietnam to achieve energy transition by providing financial and technical support for the demonstration and introduction of decarbonisation technologies. Japanese investors weigh up options Although Japanese manufacturers may be planning to cut production abroad over the next few years, some groups are being encouraged to increase focus on the Global South to increase security and take advantage of new business environments. According to SABECO, 2023 boasts golden opportunities for Vietnams beer industry 2023 set new targets SABECO is projecting net revenues of VND40.28 trillion ($1.72 billion) for 2023 as a whole, an increase of 15 per cent on-year, and an after-tax profit of $246 million, up 5 per cent on-year. The company will continue to step up its transformation journey with a greater focus to improve its position in the domestic market and expand its penetration internationally through strategic efforts on sales and marketing activities, developing a stronger product portfolio, strengthening its route to market and distribution, while continuing to drive production and supply chain efficiencies, as well as digitizing business processes within the corporation. Together with its business development objectives and action plans, SABECO will continue reinforcing its 4Cs sustainable development commitment, which includes driving ESG initiatives that are in line with the corporate goals and Vietnam national strategies. The corporation is committed to continuing its effort as a proud, prominent, and responsible corporate citizen to support its ambition to bring out the best of Vietnam. The chairperson of the annual general shareholders' meeting and board member Michael Chye said, The business environment remains challenging with various uncertainties driven by the global economy, the unpredictable and fierce competition. "However, we remain committed to investing in opportunities that drive long-term growth and increase shareholder returns. This will enable us to reward our shareholders with dividends that are sustainable and in line with the companys long-term growth prospects," he said. The company also reaped sweet results in terms of business when net revenues in 2022 increased by 33 per cent over the same period, reaching nearly $1.5 billion. Profit after tax reached nearly $234.3 million, up 40 per cent compared to 2021. The impressive business results in the past year are an effective testament to the enterprise's comprehensive efforts in promoting marketing and sales initiatives, researching new products, and controlling input material costs. Meanwhile, it has improved operational efficiency across the entire supply and manufacturing chain through the SABECO 4.0 digital transformation initiative. SABECO will continue to step up its transformation journey with a greater focus to improve its position in the domestic market and expand its penetration internationally "Our performance for the year was respectable, and we managed to outperform last year's revenue and profit after tax by 33 per cent and per cent, respectively," said general director Bennett Neo at the company's AGM. "Despite the impact of higher input costs, this was the highest profit after tax in SABECO's history. This amazing result would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of everyone connected with SABECO." According to SABECO, 2023 boasts golden opportunities for Vietnams beer industry. The trend of consuming mass premium beer brands will continue to grow over the long run, company leaders say. However, potential consumer belt-tightening may impact sales due to their incomes still being affected by restrictions in recent years. In addition, strengthened competition and more robust alcohol-related legislation and tax rises could also continue to affect performance. Neo said, With the 2023 plan, we have approved it since February. At that time, it was clear the market was already difficult, and it is even more difficult now. In 2023 we have considered the factors of surprise, but perhaps not enough. But looking back over the years, we've almost always hit our target, and if not nearly. We are influenced by many factors. The epidemic is negative, but the positive is that the price of raw materials is falling, so we will try to achieve the plan, Change of general director of SABECO Bennett made a strong contribution to SABECO during his five-year tenure as general director. At the AGM, the appointment of Lester Tan Teck Chuan was announced as the new general director of SABECO, effective from October 1. Lester will succeed Bennett Neo who will be completing his 5-year term as general director and will return to the head office at the end of September 2023. With more than 25 years of experience in the beer industry-leading various companies across multiple markets in Asia, Chuan will begin as general director of SABECO after the handover. Chye said: I would like to take this opportunity to thank Bennett for his sterling contributions to SABECO during his five-year tenure as general director. The transformation journey spearheaded by Bennett since 2018, progressing from Phase 1 to now Phase 2 leaves the corporation on an excellent footing for sustainable success. "Some of the initiatives kick-started by Bennett included the relaunch of Bia Saigon and 333 brands in 2019, the launch of new mass premium Bia Saigon Chill in 2020, SABECO 4.0, performance-based salary restructuring as well as the brewery capacity expansion projects, and the recent brewery acquisition projects were instrumental to the transformation success of the company building a solid foundation for further success," Chye said. "In addition, Bennett is a great supporter of corporate social responsibility and has championed many activities, notably the Rise with Vietnam relay in 2020 where SABECO dedicated its 145th-anniversary celebratory efforts to support the vulnerable during the pandemic." "Bennett will continue to lead the corporation until the end of this September and to ensure a smooth transition over to Lester, he added. SABECO leading a positive recovery Manufacturing enterprises such as Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Corporation are heralding bright spots in Vietnams economic picture in 2022 that have created confidence and a foundation for 2023. Foreign investors committed to Vietnam's sustainable development Foreign-invested enterprises in Vietnam are showing a strong commitment towards sustainable development, although a series of issues need to be tackled. Sacombank's 2023 AGM The Ho Chi Minh City-headquartered lender Sacombank has just unveiled its ambitious plans for 2023 at its annual general shareholders' meeting on April 25, aiming to achieve a pre-tax profit of $413 million, which represents a remarkable 50 per cent increase compared to last year. The bank also has its sights set on reaching a total asset value of $28.6 billion, reflecting an 11 per cent growth compared to 2022. One key aspect that Sacombanks Board of Directors addressed is the foreign ownership ratio of STB shares. As of May 2021, the Vietnam Securities Depository has readjusted Sacombanks FOL back to the original figure of 30 per cent. Sacombank now recognises that its FOL for STB shares currently stands at the approved level of 30 per cent of the bank's charter capital. Another significant issue raised by Sacombank shareholders at this year's meeting was the matter of dividend distribution. Shareholders questioned that the bank has successfully achieved its annual profit target and should promptly distribute dividends to shareholders. In response to this, chairman of the Board of Directors Duong Cong Minh explained that due to the ongoing restructuring process that Sacombank is undergoing, the request to distribute dividends to shareholders has not been approved by the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV). Sacombank's leadership also revealed that the bank has addressed bad debts in a fundamental manner, with the only remaining issue being related to a previous scandal and the ongoing debt restructuring process. The bank has proposed a plan to repurchase these shares from the SBV for auctioning, with the aim of resolving the issue once and for all. Once the resolution and restructuring process is completed, Sacombank will proceed with dividend distributions to shareholders. Minh further assured shareholders that Sacombank will complete the restructuring process within this year, and dividend distributions will follow accordingly. He also added, 2023 would be the final year of the restructuring process. Sacombank has already submitted a dividend distribution plan to increase its charter capital and is now awaiting approval from the SBV. This demonstrates our commitment to fulfilling our promises to shareholders and creating value for our investors. MSB shareholders reject M&A proposal with another Vietnamese bank With only a paltry 56 per cent of shareholders having voted in favour of the merger, the proposed collaboration between MSB and another Vietnamese bank, allegedly PGBank, has failed to meet the required threshold of 65 per cent, thereby casting a shadow of doubt over a potential merger and acquisition (M&A) deal. The Su Song project is spreading the message of environmental conservation and cultural and artistic heritage through art. Visitors participating in the Su Song show can not only experience beautiful nature but also enjoy international artworks Through the inspiration and creativity of the founders and associates, general director Tuan Le who is also the general director of many unique shows to celebrate Vietnamese culture will create many original and different experiences for the guests. The Su Song art programme brings together nearly 100 Vietnamese and international artists, providing a multidimensional and multisensory experience for attendees about the movement of life, the greatness of nature, and the cohesion between people and cultural heritage. On the beach at Six Senses Con Dao, where many world-famous stars such as Angelina Jolie and her family have come to relax, guests can enjoy the unique culinary offerings and admire the unique artworks from Vietnam and around the world. France's beauty brand Guerlain has collaborated with the French ceramicist Maison Bernardaud to create Orchidee Imperiale Black, a statement that reaffirms the harmonious union between natural heritage and the talent of the artist. In addition, attendees will also have the opportunity to admire nearly 20 paintings created specifically for the Su Song project by artist Hai Tre from Lotus Gallery. Artist Hai Tre's journey started with the exhibition Revival held at the end of last year and continued in Con Dao a land of mystery and unspoiled beauty. This is a different painting experience because the works were all created during the artist's time living on Con Dao, feeling the breath and the rhythm of the people there while sketching the idyllic life of the island. All of the proceeds from the show through the auction of paintings and special items will be transferred to Con Dao National Park and Con Dao District People's Committee to support the preservation of the environment in Con Dao. Su song was initiated by PDA & Partners, with the companionship and sponsorship from the Vietnam Union of UNESCO Associations and many domestic and foreign organisations. The project is expressed through the form of artistic performances, practical activities, and in-depth thematic events to convey messages about preserving nature and natural wonders, promoting cultural and artistic values, and spreading the message of a beautiful life and dedication to human values. By participating in the Su Song art show, visitors are contributing to nature conservation and the preservation of the nation's artistic and cultural heritage. The enterprise selected for this visit was Son Ha Spices Co., Ltd., one of 23 companies in the natural ingredients industry supported by the Biotrade project to help them comply with socially sustainable value chain standards, environment protection measures, and biodiversity targets. This is also the first company in Vietnam, and around the world, to achieve UEBT/RA certification from the Ethical Bio-Trade Alliance and Rainforest Alliance for the cinnamon value chain in the two provinces of Lao Cai and Yen Bai, thanks to the support from the Biotrade project. The minister's delegation visited Son Ha Spices in Bac Ninh province In addition, the company is also playing a pioneering role in implementing the biodiversity action plan in the company's raw material areas. The two sides discussed the opportunities and challenges when exporting natural ingredients in general, and spices in particular, to Europe, including the Swiss market. Swiss Agriculture Minister Christian Hofer said, By conserving biodiversity, promoting socially and environmentally sustainable production, and supporting the marketing of these products internationally, the Biotrade project has been contributing to more sustainable production in Vietnam, and at the same time, realising the goals of the Global Conference on Sustainable Food and Food Systems to ensure the viability of long-term and sustainable access to healthy food around the world. The visit reaffirms the important role of businesses in promoting sustainable production, trading in products of natural origin, and the great export potential of these products in the international market. The Biotrade project is funded by the Swiss government through the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs Switzerland's support through the Biotrade project has raised awareness of the potential of meeting international sustainability standards with natural ingredients to generate sustainable food systems. Constantly launching new products At its 2023 annual general shareholders' meeting, Traphaco announced a series of remarkable orientations. Among them, the company will constantly review its research journey to create breakthrough solutions for healthcare. Firstly, in the Herbal Medicine segment, Traphaco continues to diversify its portfolio and develop more advanced flagship products such as Hoat Huyet Duong Nao and Boganic to expand its customer base. In the field of Non-herbal Medicine, the company will focus on bioequivalent (BE) products in 2023 and beyond, alongside its flagship products like methophane cough medicine and eye drops. According to Tran Tuc Ma, CEO of Traphaco, BE is a research procedure to prepare and prove that a product has the same therapeutic effect in terms of both efficacy and safety compared to a control drug typically the original brand-name drugs from major corporations worldwide through human clinical trial data. This is a complex, risky, and challenging process that involves many stages and requires a lot of time and effort. Having overcome many difficulties, in 2022, the company announced BE offerings, including five Arizi products, Claritra, and three concentrations of DW-TRA Timaro (rosuvastatin). The company is confident that the products are as effective and safe as the original brand-name drugs. As of now, Traphaco has announced six BE products. Meanwhile, four others have passed research and applied for BE status. Dao Thuy Ha, COO of Traphaco said, "We will continue to promote the implementation of BE research in order to create high-quality products that meet demand and maximise the market opportunity. Currently, the company has two research models, Herbal medicine and Non-Herbal Medicine. Both departments are trying to put stock keeping units into production, develop new products, and optimise the depreciation and distribution process." In 2022, Traphaco launched 16 new products, which quickly created a driving force for its growth. With these products, the company earned sales of VND156 billion ($6.64 million), exceeding 140 per cent of its plan. The company has also set a clear goal for 2023 by launching 19 new products, including Arizi Antibiotics, Claritra, the DW-TRA TimaRo blood lipid-lowering drug, the DW-TRA RebaTot stomach ulcer drug, and the UDCA gallstone drug. These products are distributed through both OTC and ETC channels. A distinct competitive advantage Also at this year's AGM, Traphaco announced research to upgrade its Hung Yen factory to EU-GMP standards. Despite the financial costs, implementation time, and complicated technology, investing in EU-GMP manufacturing is a special decision. Before this turning point, the pharmaceutical enterprise had over 50 years of operation. From a small factory serving railway workers, Traphaco has become a national pharmaceutical brand in Vietnam with four factories meeting WHO-GMP standards for Herbal Medicine, Non-Herbal Medicine, and supplements. Protecting health is a journey full of effort. Even at the most challenging times, Traphaco always ensures timely production, storage, and distribution to meet customers' need for pharmaceutical products. Unlike some companies that produce mainly generic drugs, Traphaco produces both generic and patent drugs. In addition, it also offers pharmaceutical processing, including patent and generic drugs, for partners. The company's research and production efforts have led to a list of drugs that achieve BE. These product segments will be a key part of the company's pharmaceutical supply chain in the coming years. Traphaco not only maintains high-quality human resources across Vietnam, but also constantly improves labour productivity. Speaking at the AGM, Traphaco's chairman Chung Ji Kwang said, "Traphaco's factories are highly automated, as digitialsation is strongly applied in the operation of the whole ecosystem. People also play an important role in the pharmaceutical industry. We are confident in the qualifications and experience of all our employees. Even during the most difficult times, we have achieved impressive results in terms of revenue and profit. Shareholders highly appreciate the dedication and professionalism that Traphaco's team has shown. This gives us great motivation and will certainly continue to encourage us for the bright future of the company." Supply chain disruptions around the world did not slow Traphaco during the two years of the pandemic. On the contrary, it was an opportunity to implement restructuring activities, promote a redirect strategy to maintain growth momentum for consecutive years, and strengthen the depth of its production and business activities. The size of Vietnam's healthcare market could reach more than $16 billion by 2026 and the sector has seen a growth rate of 7 per cent. Traphaco is very confident in its ability to maintain momentum while focusing on operational excellence and continuously enhancing its brand value. Traphaco looking steady at threshold into 2021 Leading drug maker Traphaco and its three drug brands hepatobiliary tonic Boganic, brain tonic Hoat huyet duong nao, and cerebral tonic Cebraton was honoured by the Vietnamese prime minister for the fifth consecutive years at the National Brand Awards on November 25. Traphaco breaks path for Pharma 4.0 for Vietnam The pharmaceutical sector has very specific characteristics with which all players need to fall in line. Manufacturing relies mainly on machines with stringent hygienic standards across all stages of production. The industry not only requires traceability and strict shelf-life management but also extremely high accuracy. All in all, it is the perfect industry to benefit from digitalisation throughout production and management alike, putting consumers minds at ease about the safety and reliability of the medicine and freeing them from the need to spend time to collect information. Mythology-tinged drama, romantic relationships and a thought-provoking musical about the power of words make for a diverse weekend on Waco stages. Where the Sky Meets the Sea, China Spring Theatre, 6 p.m. Thursday, China Spring Performing Arts Center, 7201 N. River Crossing, China Spring; $5. The China Spring High School one-act play company will stage director Mandy Conners original Where the Sky Meets the Sea at 6 p.m. Thursday at the China Spring Performing Arts Center in a public send-off before the group competes in the state UIL One-Act Play finals May 4 in Round Rock. Conners play concerns five children stranded on a Greek island who seek an oracles help, only to find the quest to secure their release will involve a sacrifice. Its the second consecutive trip to state finals for the China Spring theater program under Conner. Love/Sick, McLennan Theatre, 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, McLennan Community Colleges Music & Theatre Arts building; $10, $8 for senior adults and non-MCC students. The path of true love never did run smooth, said Lysander in Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream, and in John Carianis Love/Sick that never-smooth path goes through nine vignettes of couples at different stages of relationships, all set in a grocery superstore on a Friday night. Director Cori Burkett said the play, written by the playwright of Almost, Maine, provides a nice close to the theaters 2022-23 season in its subject matter and structure of nine two-person scenes. Love/Sick finds people caught by first love to ones in the midst of separation and divorce. The play enabled Burkett to cast 12 actors in scenes that emphasize acting over sets and situations. Everyone gets their 10 minutes and everyone has a chance to shine, she said. Favor the Musical staged reading, Baylor CaBEARet, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Theatre 11, Baylors Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center; donations accepted for Baylor Theatres musical theater scholarships. CaBEARet, the annual fundraiser for Baylor Theatres Leta Horan and Jerry MacLauchlin musical theater scholarships, tackles a change of pace this year with the debut of a new musical by Greg Bachman. Baylor University music theater lecturer Lauren Weber said the work-in-progress proved a challenge for students with Bachman adding characters and songs as rehearsals on the musical progressed. Bachmans piece is a musical allegory set in Wordtopia, capital of the World of Words, where the lead character Favor finds words like Money, Love and Freedom losing their meaning, with the latter two shifting to Hate and Tyranny in the process. With the help of the word Courage, she fights to bring Wordtopia back into balance. The fundraiser will stage the musical as a concert reading. Baylor Theatre also continues its run of Shakespeares The Comedy of Errors through Sunday, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, right, along with his daughter Ju-ae, visits the National Aerospace Development Administration in Pyongyang in this photo provided by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, April 18. Yonhap North Korea said Thursday the pursuit of space development projects is "indispensable" for national development in what appears to be efforts to justify its potential launch of a military spy satellite. Mentioning North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's recent visit to the state-run space development agency, state media carried an interview with the country's environment and telecommunications vice ministers and a ranking weather agency official to highlight the need to build "application satellites." "Building the space industry is an indispensable project for national development and the improvement of the people's lives," they said in the interview carried by the Korean Central News Agency. Jon Chol-su, vice minister of the environment protection ministry, said the country's land management and anti-disaster efforts will likely gain traction if more application satellites are launched into space and transmit real-time data. The North's leader Kim instructed officials to prepare for launching its first military spy satellite as planned, during his visit to the National Aerospace Development Administration last week. The North has vowed to complete preparations for the launch by the end of this month. He also emphasized the need to "set it as a main thrust to possess weather and earth observation and communication satellites." Some observers had forecast the North to launch the satellite ahead of President Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit to the United States. But the secretive regime has not staged provocative acts since its April 13 launch of a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). (Yonhap) by Adam Estes NMUSAF Accepts Historic F-15C Eagle On April 25th, the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio received yet another historic aircraft for its vast collection, this being combat-veteran McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle 86-0156. The aircraft arrived from its former with the 104th Fighter Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard at Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield, Massachusetts. Lt. Col. Matthew Beast Tanis flew the aircraft on this final flight, beating up the field with a high speed pass on full afterburner before landing. While Tanis had mixed feelings about 86-0156 ending its flying career, he took great pride in the responsibility which both he and his crew chief, Staff Sergeant Joshua Webster, had in maintaining the fighters operational status, and that the aircraft will be preserved for future generations to see. This airframe also has two aerial victories to its name, presently more than any other U.S. Air Force aircraft since the Vietnam War. Like most aircraft of sufficient age in todays armed forces, 86-0156 has served with numerous different units stationed at bases all over the nation and indeed the world. What makes 86-0156 unique, however, are the two green stars under its canopy, victory marks achieved over the Balkans during Operation Allied Force. On March 26, 1999, Captain Jeff Claw Hwang of the 493rd Fighter Squadron, 48th Fighter Wing based at RAF Lakenheath in England, was leading a combat air patrol to enforce the no-fly zone over Bosnia when two Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29s of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Air Force (JRV) scrambled to intercept a NATO aircraft heading towards Bosnia. Captain Hwang and his wingman, Captain J. Boomer McMurray, spotted the two MiGs on their radar screens even though the E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft supporting them had yet to register the enemy aircraft. Hwang and McMurray decided to follow the MiGs in case they breached the no-fly zone, which they soon did. Hwang and McMurray then both fired AIM-120 missiles at the MiGs, but only Hwangs weapons successfully struck their targets, downing both enemy jets. Audio of the fighter intercept is available below While LtCol Slobodan Peric managed to eject from his stricken MiG, surviving the incident, Major Zoran Zoki Radosavljevic was less fortunate and perished in the wreck of his fighter. As for Jeff Hwang, he later joined the Oregon Air National Guard. He later retired with the rank of colonel while serving as Vice Commander of the 142nd Fighter Wing at Portland Air National Guard Base on September 19th, 2014. As for 86-0156s future, the aircraft will have to be made safe and prepared for public display, although the museum has not yet released details on when that will take place. According to an article in the Dayton Daily News, Meghan Anderson, curator of the museums Research Division, stated that the F-15C will likely replace one of the two F-15A Eagles already on display at the museum, although details have yet to be finalized. We will provide further updates as more information becomes available. February 25, 1944-December 16, 2022 INDEPENDENCE-Carolyn Ann Frye, of Warner Robins, Georgia, formerly of Independence, Iowa, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on December 16, 2022. A Memorial Service honoring the life of Carolyn will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, April 28, 2023, at St. Johns Catholic Church in Independence. Burial will follow in Mt. Hope Cemetery in Independence. Visitation will be from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 27th, at the White Funeral Home in Independence. Carolyn was born on February 25, 1944, in Independence where she grew up and attended Independence High School. Upon graduation, she married her high school sweetheart, Charles, who had joined the United States Air Force. She lovingly raised two children while simultaneously managing the sometimes daunting challenges of a military spouse, never once complaining and always providing unwavering support to her family. Upon retirement, she very much enjoyed traveling around the world where she visited exotic destinations and made countless memories with Charles. Carolyn was a loving, caring, and an incredibly loyal person who adored her family and many friends. Carolyn was a faithful member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Warner Robbins, where she served with all of her heart, soul, mind, and strength. In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her beloved siblings, Kathy Johnson, and James Payne. Left to cherish her memory is her beloved husband of the last 58 years, Charles Frye; Children, Andrea (Daniel) Langevin, Glen Frye; Grandchildren, Megan (Patrick) Sheehan, Morgan (Tyler) Sprouse; Great grandchild, Declan Sheehan; Niece, Suzanne Johnson; Nephew, Stephen Johnson. Carolyn is also survived by a host of extended family members and countless friends. White Funeral Home of Independence is in charge of local arrangements. On line condolences may be left at www.White-MtHope.com. The family respectfully asks in lieu of flowers, that donations be made to the Brain Injury Alliance, P.O. Box 461, Bettendorf, Iowa 52722. WASHINGTON U.S. health officials have approved the first pill made from healthy bacteria found in human waste to fight dangerous gut infections an easier way of performing so-called fecal transplants. The new treatment from Seres Therapeutics provides a simpler, rigorously tested version of stool-based procedures some medical specialists have used for more than a decade to help hard-to-treat patients. The Food and Drug Administration cleared the capsules on Wednesday for adults who face risks of repeat infections with Clostridium difficile, a bacteria that can cause severe nausea, cramping and diarrhea. C. diff is particularly dangerous when it reoccurs, leading to between 15,000 and 30,000 deaths per year. It can be killed with antibiotics, but they also destroy good bacteria that live in the gut, leaving it more susceptible to future infections. The new capsules are approved for patients who received antibiotic treatment. More than 10 years ago, some doctors began reporting success with fecal transplants using stool from a healthy donor to restore the gut's healthy balance and prevent reinfections. The FDA approved the first pharmaceutical-grade version of the treatment last year from a rival drugmaker, Ferring Pharmaceuticals. But that company's product like most of the original procedures must be delivered via the rectum. Cambridge Massachusetts-based Seres will market its drug as a less invasive option. The treatment will be sold under the brand name Vowst and comes as a regimen of four daily capsules taken for three consecutive days. Both of the recent FDA approvals are the product of years of pharmaceutical industry research into the microbiome: the community of bacteria, viruses and fungi that live in the gut. Currently most fecal transplants are provided by a network of stool banks that popped up at medical institutions and hospitals across the country. While the availability of new FDA-approved options is expected to decrease demand for donations from stool banks, some plan to stay open. OpenBiome, the largest stool bank in the U.S., said it will keep serving patients who aren't eligible for the FDA-approved products, such as children and adults with treatment-resistant cases. It supplied more than 65,000 stool samples for C. diff patients since 2013. "OpenBiome is committed to maintaining safe access to 'fecal transplantation' for these patients as a vital last line of defense," said Dr. Majdi Osman, the group's medical chief. OpenBiome's standard stool treatment costs less than $1,700 and is typically delivered as a frozen solution within days of ordering. Seres did not disclose the price it will charge for its capsules in a statement Wednesday evening. "We want to make the commercial experience for physicians and patients as easy as possible," the companys chief executive officer, Eric Shaff, said in an interview ahead of the announcement. "Ease of administration in our view is one of the aspects of the value we're delivering." Seres will co-market the treatment with Swiss food giant Nestle, which will also split the profits. Seres said it will receive a $125 million milestone payment from Nestle in connection with the FDA approval. Overseeing the fledgling industry of U.S. stool banks created regulatory headaches for the FDA, which doesn't traditionally police homemade products and procedures used in doctor's offices. In the early days of the trend, the FDA warned consumers about the risks of potential infections from the fecal transplants, as some people sought out questionable "do it yourself" methods from videos and websites. Seres executives say their manufacturing process relies on the same techniques and equipment used to purify blood products and other biologic therapies. The company starts with stool provided by a small group of donors screened for various health risks and conditions. Their stool is tested for dozens of potential viruses, infections and parasites. The company then processes the samples to remove the waste, isolate the healthy bacteria and kill any other lingering organisms. Thousands of capsules can be made from each stool sample, making it a more efficient process than current fecal transplants, the company said. The FDA warned in a release Wednesday that the drug "may carry a risk of transmitting infectious agents. It is also possible for Vowst to contain food allergens." The FDA approved the treatment based on a 180-patient study in which 88% of patients taking the capsules did not experience reinfection after eight weeks, compared with 60% of those who received dummy pills. Common side effects included abdominal swelling, constipation and diarrhea. What drug ads disclose to consumers and what they don't What drug ads disclose to consumersand what they don't Benefits, risks, and side effects Approved use of a drug Who shouldn't take it and when you shouldn't take it Generic name of drug What they don't have to tell you CEDAR FALLS Cedar Falls Public Safety invites the community to an open house from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. on May 9 at the Public Safety Center at 4600 South Main St. During the event, visitors will be able to explore emergency rescue vehicles and meet members of the Public Safety team as well as personnel from the Iowa State Patrol, Black Hawk County Sheriffs Office, University of Northern Iowa Public Safety Department, and MercyOne. All ages are welcome. Fareway will be providing hot dogs, water, and chips for the open house. The public can enter on the north side of the Public Safety Center next to the apparatus bay. US Army under gun to make more ammo for Ukraine WATERLOO A Waterloo man accused of killing a man during a robbery in a garage in August 2020 has been found guilty of a lesser charge. Robert Lee Williams Jr., 34, had been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Vincent Hemenway, 49. Jurors deliberated into Wednesday afternoon until finding Williams guilty of voluntary manslaughter, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison with no mandatory minimum. Williams glanced back at his family and dabbed at tears when he heard the verdict surrounded by defense attorneys Matthew Hoffey and Kimberly DePalma. Some of Hemenways relatives walked out of the courtroom. During the five-day trial, prosecutors alleged Williams and his brother attempted to rob Hemenway and three of his friends as they worked on a motorcycle in a garage behind an Adrian Street home in August 2020, mistaking them for a neighbor they had targeted. Hemenway was shot in the head and chest when he reached for Williams pistol. Williams later admitted to the shooting in a police interview. On the stand at trial, he told a different account, claiming the men in the garage taunted him with racial slurs, threatened to assault him and attempted rush him. During trial, the defense had asked jurors to acquit Williams on the grounds of self-defense, or in the alternative, find him guilty of something other than murder. Williams brother, Ralpheal Rashee Williams, was convicted of robbery during an earlier trial and sentenced to prison. Sentencing for Robert Lee Williams Jr. will be at a later date, and he faces other charges in unrelated incidents. Trials are tentatively scheduled for May for an Aug. 2, 2020, shootout on Argyle Street where two people were injured; a July 31, 2020, incident where he is accused of shooting a man in the face on West Sixth Street; and a July 26, 2020, incident where he was found with a gun during a traffic stop on Monroe Street. Photos: Homicide Aug. 15, 2020 081820jr-adrian-homicide-1 081620jr-homicide-search-1 081620jr-homicide-search-2 081620jr-homicide-search-3 081620jr-homicide-search-4 040622jr-robbery-trial-2 040622jr-robbery-trial-1 040622jr-robbery-trial-3 040622jr-robbery-trial-4 040622jr-robbery-trial-5 040722jr-robbery-trial-1 040722jr-robbery-trial-3 040822jr-robbery-verdict-1 042023jr-williams-trial-1 042023jr-williams-trial-4 042023jr-williams-trial-3 042023jr-williams-trial-2 042023jr-williams-trial-5 041923jr-williams-trial-2 041923jr-williams-trial-1 041923jr-williams-trial-3 041923jr-williams-trial-4 042123jr-williams-trial-4 042123jr-williams-trial-1 042123jr-williams-trial-2 042123jr-williams-trial-3 042423jr-williams-trial-1 042423jr-williams-trial-2 Robert Lee Williams Jr. verdict WATERLOO The Dr. Walter Cunningham School of Excellence will celebrate its 20th anniversary the first week of May with dress-up days, assemblies, and a schoolwide birthday party. The weeks events will culminate in an open house celebration from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, May 6, with tours, guest speakers, and refreshments. The school was started in 2002, and named after Dr. Walter Cunningham, East High Schools first Black principal. When he passed away in 2000, the Waterloo Community School District decided to honor his legacy in education, naming the new elementary school in his memory. According to principal Neldrekka Whitaker and the rest of the Cunningham team, their 20-year legacy is only the beginning. Photos: Remembering Harry Belafonte, 1927-2023 1955: Harry Belafonte with Ed Sullivan 1956: Harry Belafonte 1957: Harry Belafonte receives Brotherhood Award 1957: Harry Belafonte 1957: Harry Belafonte marries Julie Robinson 1957: Harry Belafonte and Nat "King" Cole 1957: Harry Belafonte 1958: Harry Belafonte speaks at Lincoln Memorial 1958: Belafontes in Italy 1958: Harry Belafonte and former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt 1960: Harry Belafonte protests lunch counter segregation 1960: Harry Belafonte on Broadway 1960: Harry Belafonte 1960: Harry Belafonte becomes first Black man to win Emmy 1961: Harry Belafonte and family 1964: Harry Belafonte visits Guinea 1965: Harry Belafonte with Martin Luther King Jr. and James Foreman 1966: Harry Belafonte performs at civil rights benefit 1968: Harry Belafonte, Coretta Scott King 1968: Harry Belafonte and Coretta Scott King 1968: Harry Belafonte sits in for Johnny Carson on "Tonight Show" 1979: Harry Belafonte wins "Golden Lion" award 1981: Harry Belafonte 1984: Harry Belafonte co-produces "Beat Street" 1986: Harry Belafonte and Ken Kragen win AMA award 1986: Harry Belafonte and Bishop Desmond Tutu 1987: Harry Belafonte and UNICEF 1988: Harry Belafonte with Pope John Paul II 1989: Harry Belafonte receives Kennedy Center Honors 1994: Harry Belafonte receives Medal of the Arts from President Bill Clinton 1999: Harry Belafonte and Nelson Mandela 2001: Harry Belafonte 2005: Harry Belafonte speaks during Nelson Mandela visit 2005: Harry Belafonte with then Sen. Barack Obama and John Lewis 2006: Harry Belafonte receives BET humanitarian award 2006: Harry Belafonte accepts BET humanitarian award 2010: Harry Belafonte, Willie Mays and Billie Jean King win MLB Beacon awards 2011: Harry Belafonte and Hill Harper 2012: Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier 2013: Harry Belafonte receives Spingarn award from Sidney Poitier 2014: Harry Belafonte gets honorary doctorate from Berklee 2017: Harry Belafonte CEDAR FALLS Hawkeye Community College is redistricting, leading at least two current trustees to give up their positions and putting as many as six seats on the Nov. 7 ballot. Director district boundaries for the nine-member board of trustees are redrawn every 10 years to bring about more equally distributed populations based on the U.S. Census, which was completed in 2020. On Tuesday, the board approved the new boundaries but trustees were reluctant to accept the changes across Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Chickasaw, Fayette, Floyd, Grundy, and Tama counties. The hesitation was because the homes of trustees Barbara McGregor of Charles City and Teresa Meyer of Waverly were in the new District 1 while Louis Beck of Buckingham and Merritt Jones of Jesup were in the new District 9. In turn, the new Districts 8 and 4 will be vacant. In addition to those four seats the vacant and contested ones trustees Jay Nardini, of the new District 7, and Casey McLaughlin, of the new District 5, have terms expiring at the end of 2023. That makes six seats on the ballot, although the board is aware of certain scenarios that could lead to fewer positions up for election. The board could have declined to accept the map, drawn by an outside firm, and been handed another option with different boundaries. However, it needed a valid reason in order to be given a different map. Changes resulting in trustees addresses being in the same district is not a valid reason. The number of trustees will remain unchanged and the director district changes wont disrupt the current term lengths of the other trustees. The ideal population was 22,685 people per district. They range between 21,925 and 23,828 people after the lines were redrawn. The total population stands at 204,168 people over the 10-county area. Broken down, the changes will mean: District 1 includes the Clarksville, Hampton-Dumont, Nashua-Plainfield, New Hampton, North Butler and Waverly-Shell Rock school districts. District 2 includes the Aplington-Parkersburg, Dike-New Hartford, Gladbrook-Reinbeck, Grundy Center, Hudson and North Tama County school districts. District 3 includes a western portion of the Cedar Falls school district and the Janesville school district. District 4 includes an eastern portion of the Cedar Falls district. District 5 includes a central portion of the Waterloo school district. District 6 includes a northern portion of the Waterloo district. District 7 includes a southern portion of the Waterloo district. District 8 includes the Denver, Dunkerton, Oelwein, Sumner-Fredericksburg, Tripoli and Wapsie Valley school districts and part of the Waterloo district. District 9 includes East Buchanan, Independence, Jesup, North Linn and Union school districts. Photos: UNI softball vs. Drake, April 25 SBall UNI vs. Drake 1 SBall UNI vs. Drake 2 SBall UNI vs. Drake 3 SBall UNI vs. Drake 4 SBall UNI vs. Drake 5 SBall UNI vs. Drake 6 SBall UNI vs. Drake 7 SBall UNI vs. Drake 8 WATERLOO Hawkeye Community Colleges board of trustees approved a new bargaining agreement Tuesday with raises for faculty and gave consent to do the same for nonunionized staff. Faculty members, part of the Hawkeye Professional Educators Association, will collectively see 3% and 3.25% increases for academic years 2023-24 and 2024-25, respectively. For eligible full- and part-time staff who are not covered by the bargaining unit, collective 3% raises will be handed out. The unions new contract also includes minor amendments relating to contract days, sick leave, personal days, in-service training, stipends and overload pay. It also includes a clause allowing for the administration and union representatives to reopen the contract for the sake of discussing a salary index, which is relatively common for community colleges. The unionized faculty includes about 113 members between instructors, assistant professors, associate professors and full-time professors. The nonunionized administrative, professional and classified staff is broken down into 99 part-time and 214 full-time. The additional cost incurred by the college, through salary and fringe benefits, is approximately $350,000 and $500,000 for the union and nonunion employees, respectively. The unions current three-year master agreement expires June 30. Hawkeye Professional Educators Association saw 2.5%, 3% and 3% bumps, in that order, each of the three years of the contract, which began July 1, 2020. The colleges practice is to present compensation proposals year-by-year for nonunionized employees. Photos: UNI softball vs. Drake, April 25 SBall UNI vs. Drake 1 SBall UNI vs. Drake 2 SBall UNI vs. Drake 3 SBall UNI vs. Drake 4 SBall UNI vs. Drake 5 SBall UNI vs. Drake 6 SBall UNI vs. Drake 7 SBall UNI vs. Drake 8 Leaders of Pacific Island countries to visit Korea By Kang Ho-jeung Within the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, there are numerous island nations. We commonly refer to a total of 14 countries, including Papua New Guinea in which I currently reside. Papua New Guinea's territory is twice the size of the Korean Peninsula, and there are also small countries like the Republic of Nauru with a population of about 10,000. The Pacific Island countries are divided into three regions: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia, based on geographical and cultural characteristics. Kang Ho-jeung, Korean ambassador to Papua New Guinea WATERLOO In collaboration with the Waterloo Community School District, UnityPoint Health will host another signing day event for future healthcare professionals at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, May 1 at the Waterloo Career Center. The upcoming event resembles the inaugural signing day held in November, when 33 students accepted patient care technician roles to fill part-time positions. This time, special recognition will be given to students who have completed the necessary training to begin employment as PCTs, as well as pharmacy support staff, at Allen Hospital. PCTs partner with other members of inpatient care teams to perform specific treatment tasks such as checking and recording vital signs and addressing patient safety concerns, while pharmacy support staff complements team members in the local pharmacies. Photos: UNI softball vs. Drake, April 25 SBall UNI vs. Drake 1 SBall UNI vs. Drake 2 SBall UNI vs. Drake 3 SBall UNI vs. Drake 4 SBall UNI vs. Drake 5 SBall UNI vs. Drake 6 SBall UNI vs. Drake 7 SBall UNI vs. Drake 8 WATERLOO The public is invited to join the Waterloo Community Foundation at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 3 to hear a presentation from Waterloo Police Chief Joe Leibold. Leibold was sworn in as police chief in Nov. 2022 but has been with the department for over 30 years. He will share insights on his new role, experiences serving Waterloo and what he is planning for the future. MOORHEAD, Iowa Area Forester Jeff Seago described the number of trees that were burned by a recent fire in Loess Hills State Forest as "mind-blowing." The blaze downed many trees on April 13 and 14. Seago said some bur oak trees, which are between 40 and 50 feet tall, are "black clear to the top." He estimated that more than 100 acres of bur oak were "top-killed." "When we talk about fire in the forestry world, this one would be classified as a catastrophic stand replacing fire, which means the stand of trees that was there is replaced by a new stand of trees," Seago explained. "If we use that as our yardstick, you're looking at 100 to 125 years to get those bur oak back." Preparation Canyon Fire followup A pair of cyclists pedal past charred trees north of the Loess Hills Scenic Overlook along Oak Avenue in the Preparation Canyon Unit of the Lo More 3,700 total acres in Monona County were burned by the rapidly spreading fire, which began as a structure fire. Roughly 2,300 of the acres that were scorched are in the Loess Hills State Forest's Preparation Canyon Unit, a popular area for hiking, birdwatching and hunting. The forest, which is just north of the Little Sioux Scout Ranch, attaches directly to Preparation State Park. The park was largely unscathed, according to Seago. "There's a paved road running through there and we kept fire on the west side of the paved road. There were minor impacts on the state park property, but it might equal like four acres," said Seago, who is in the process of assessing damage to forest infrastructure, such as boundary fences, structures, trail signs and gateposts. He said the trails in the forest will remain closed until further notice. At 3:30 p.m. on April 12, the Moorhead Fire Department was called to assist the Pisgah Fire Department with a structure fire near E-60 and Oak Avenue. From there, the fire continued to move north and led county officials to urge homeowners to be prepared to evacuate. No evacuation orders were ever issued. Due to the hilly terrain and windy conditions, special equipment, training and tactics were used to fight the blaze. Every fire department in Monona County responded to the fire and other agencies were called upon to assist. Volunteer fire departments and emergency management workers in Harrison County, as well as the Monona County Sheriff's Office, the Monona County Roads Department and local farmers provided aid. By the evening of April 14, the blaze had been contained. Roughly 25 acres of eastern red cedar trees, which are considered a nuisance species in the area, were lost to crown fire, Seago said. A crown fire is a forest fire that spreads along treetops. "We probably lost an additional 50 acres of cedar trees because the fire burned so hot that it burned the cambium on those cedar trees. They're probably going to turn brown throughout the year," Seago said. "We're trying to get a plan in place to get that material removed to see if we can restore some of those areas back to prairie." Photos: Canyon fire Preparation Canyon Fire followup Preparation Canyon Fire followup Preparation Canyon Fire followup Preparation Canyon Fire followup DES MOINES Iowa lawmakers have advanced a bill that would raise eligibility requirements for child care assistance and child care provider reimbursement rates, while also increasing work requirements for parents of children who qualify for assistance. While an improvement, Senate Democrats criticized the bill for increasing work requirements and say the funding still is inadequate to address child care staffing shortages and high costs keeping Iowans out of the labor force. Our reimbursement rates are the lowest among all the states surrounding Iowa by a lot, Sen. Claire Celsi, a Democrat from West Des Moines and former child care provider, said. Iowa is among the lowest five states in the country for child care reimbursement rates, and has not increased its rates for at least more than a decade, according to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. The states around us have done a much better job in realizing how important child care is, Celsi said. And those other states most of them have also raised the minimum wage in the same time period. So were just digging a hole deeper and deeper for families in poverty. And this bill, while a big baby step, is not anywhere near adequate in solving this problem. Republicans argue the bill will help more Iowa families find affordable child care and return to the workforce, and note Gov. Kim Reynolds has approved more than $500 million in state and federal funding to increase access to child care across the state since the start of the pandemic. Fifteen percent is a huge increase, Sen. Mark Costello, a Republican from Imogene who chaired a subcommittee hearing on the bill, said. The Senate Appropriations Committee voted Wednesday to advance House File 707, which passed the House unanimously earlier this month, sending it to the Senate for final passage. The bill would increase income eligibility limits for families with children to 160 percent of the federal poverty level, up from 145 percent currently. That equates to a household income of $48,000 for a family of four. For a family with children needing special needs care, the income limit would be set at 200 percent of the federal poverty level, or 85 percent of the state median gross monthly income. The bill also increases child care provider reimbursement rates by $51 per child to $454 per month. A fiscal analysis by the nonprofit Legislative Services Agency estimates an additional 1,756 children will qualify for child care assistance on average monthly. The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services says it intends to use a $107.8 million surplus of federal funds to absorb the estimated $20.7 million annual cost increase from the program changes. Celsi noted the income eligibility threshold falls far below that established by Republican lawmakers for families to qualify for state taxpayer-funded savings accounts to pay for the cost of sending children to private school. A student enrolled in a private school with a household income at or below 300 percent of the 2023 federal poverty guidelines $90,000 for a family of four is eligible to receive funding for the 2023-24 school year. So were kicking low-income Iowans in the teeth, as usual, while giving people who dont need the money free money, she said. And thats state money. Thats right out of the general fund money; not federal money like this. I just want to point out the hypocrisy of this Legislature, and how our citizens who need the help most are getting short shrift once again. Sheila Hansen with Common Good of Iowa, said the income eligibility and reimbursement rate increases are long overdue to help more Iowans enter the workforce, but questioned the impetus for increasing work requirements, noting Gov. Reynolds child care task force did not discuss or recommend doing so. The program provides assistance to the children of income-eligible parents who are absent for a portion of the day due to employment or participation in academic or vocational training. The bill would modify eligibility rules for receiving child care assistance, requiring that recipients work or participate in an approved training or academic program 32 hours per week, an increase from the current requirement of 28 hours per week. Kate Walton with the Association of Early Childhood Iowa Area Boards and Advocates said the increased work requirements will make it harder for families to use the program. She noted many working mothers are working part-time, entry-level positions with hours that fluctuate that would make it difficult to meet the requirement. Sen. Jeff Edler, a Republican from State Center, argued the bill goes a long way to help Iowa families. When the taxpayer is giving money to expand eligibility, myself, I dont know that its a lot to ask when were in a workforce crisis to see if we can get some extra hours out of them, Edler said. Lets leverage the money were putting in and try to get productivity back out. I see that as somewhat of a common-sense move. If its problematic, well have to look at that. Costello shared concerns over the work requirements. Are we incentivizing mothers to go to work and putting their kids in child care? Costello asked. Where, you know, no one loves your kids like you do. We have to consider that. Sen. Janet Petersen, a Democrat from Des Moines, also criticized state officials for sitting on $107.8 million in federal money instead of disbursing dollars to help families in desperate need of child care providers, while at the same time pushing young new moms to work another four hours per week or lose their child care assistance. This bill is not doing nearly enough that we could and should be doing for young families in our state, she said. Episode 87: Americans have a distinct set of values that differs from citizens of most if not all other countries. But for those of us who have lived here all of our lives, we probably dont think enough about those differences. The University of Portland put together a list it calls American Values and Assumptions. The information for the list was adapted from Gary Althen's book American Ways: A Guide for Foreigners in the United States. For todays show, were going to take the list of seven values and see how they contribute in both positive and negative ways to the American experience. About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. The National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago released results of a survey last month. They asked people about their attitudes toward a number of things, including family, religion, money, patriotism and hard work. One response in particular stood out: Only 27% of the respondents said community involvement was very important to them, down from 62% in 2019. One should be careful not to attach too much weight to any single survey result, but, in this case, the report is consistent with many other troubling findings about changes in American society. Surveys on volunteerism indicate that about a quarter of Americans volunteer formally each year, and about half informally help out neighbors. The highest rates of formal volunteering are in Utah and Wyoming, while informal volunteering is highest in Nebraska and Montana, where nearly 70% of the population regularly help out their neighbors. Yet the supply of volunteers is aging, and organizations that rely on volunteers to provide vital services in communities are struggling to keep up with the increased demand. A recent study of 1,200 nonprofits reported that in 2022 twice as many had trouble finding enough volunteers compared to 2019. Moreover, most of the widely known service clubs such as Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions, Civitan and Optimist have been in gradual decline since their peak in the 1950s and 1960s. Organizations including Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, which prepare youth for community participation later in life, have also been declining since their peak in the 1970s, dropping from over 6 million members to slightly more than 1 million today. If volunteering was just a matter of finding enough people to help out in communities, that would be one thing. But an even greater consequence of the decline in volunteers is the overall effect on participants physical and emotional health. Our nation is experiencing what many experts term an epidemic of loneliness, isolation and depression. One in five millennials report having no friends and no acquaintances. We have organizations in every community dying for lack of members, and homes are full of people sitting alone every evening wondering how their lives became so small. A wide circle of acquaintances provides a wealth of possibilities for nurturing friendships. And we know from research that those who have several friends are much less likely to feel lonely or to suffer from poor health. In fact, 86% of Americans who have six or more friends say they are satisfied or very satisfied with their personal health. Friendship does not just happen accidentally. It takes time for relationships to mature, and the best way to nurture relationships is by participating in shared activities. I was attending a meeting of my local Rotary club recently, my attention wandering while somebody up front was making announcements about an upcoming event. They needed volunteers and would be passing a signup sheet around to the tables. I looked at all the people in the room. How many of these club members had I volunteered with over the years? There was Ray sitting at a table up front. One weekend when I was still new to the club we found ourselves painting a building owned by a local nonprofit organization. He told me all about his children. Mark was talking to Julie at the table next to mine. Each winter just before Christmas I visit with them as we pick up fruit baskets to deliver around town. Jerry was at a table near the back. I recall the bitterly cold January day when we were helping put away the holiday light display at Riverside Park. We didnt talk much; we were too miserable. But I am still grateful to him for giving me a package of hand warmers I had not thought to bring along. Looking around the room some more, I saw Trent and Amy and Jennifer. They were talking together at a table off to the side. We have all served on various committees together, and I realized I know something about each of them due to conversations while working on projects together. Trent loves to fish. Amy had knee surgery a couple of years ago. Jennifer loves cats, but I dont hold that against her. She has admirable qualities as well. I kept looking about the room, trying to get a handle on the number of people with whom I had worked on some project or other, but I soon gave up. At every table there were several people I had worked alongside over the years, and the sight of each brought up distinct and pleasant memories. We tend to think of service to others as a sacrifice. And it certainly can be. Depending on the circumstances, serving may require time, money, or attention; often it takes all three. Yet, serving also satisfies a deep-seated human need for belonging for being loved, respected and useful. Twenty years ago, someone was thoughtful enough to invite me to come to a Rotary meeting and consider joining. I thought I was signing up to help others, but what I have been given is so much greater than anything I may have contributed. I believe the solution to many of todays most pressing social concerns is right in front of us. It consists in encouraging people simply to join with a small group of friends who are interested in making their community better. It does not require a huge investment of tax dollars nor reform of our political system. It requires no protests, or debates or campaigns. All it requires, said Martin Luther King, Jr., is ... a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. Imagine how many people might be saved from a life of loneliness and quiet desperation by a simple invitation and a willingness to say yes. From the briefing of the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry M.V. Zakharova dated April 27, 2023. Brief theses: 9 years ago, the residents of the LPR, together with the Donetsk people, unanimously said no to the anti-constitutional nationalist coup detat in Kiev and stood up for the rights, freedoms, interests and historical values of the Russian-speaking Donbass. Adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine M. Podolyak said that Kyiv legally has the right to destroy everything that is on the territory of the Crimea, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. This is the logic of not just destruction, but the destruction of the recalcitrant, uncontrollable , that which is knocked out of the nationalist logic. This is the ideology of the Kyiv regime. Devastating raids and ruthless extermination of the civilian population are the methods of the representatives of the Kyiv regime, whom we accused of neo-Nazism and a tendency to reincarnate the fascist practices of the past. During the fighting, the Kiev regime continues to use terrorist methods, equipping firing positions and ammunition depots in schools, hospitals and residential buildings. The situation with the protection of human rights in Ukraine over the past year and a half has noticeably degraded, and the trends seen in this area inspire the most serious concerns. Hiding behind the introduction of martial law, the Kiev regime has built an authoritarian system of government in the country. Kyivs campaign against the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church is not just a political behind-the-scenes struggle, but a real attempt to destroy and completely ban the UOC. Almost the only area in which the Kiev authorities show initiative is the glorification of Nazism and the distortion of history . The UK sent Ukraine thousands of shells for Challenger-2 tanks, including depleted uranium shells, without caring about the consequences of their use. The atrocities in Abu Ghraib are the clearest illustration of US selectivity and double standards in the field of human rights. Of the hundreds, if not thousands, of misguided strikes against Afghans, one of the most egregious is the October 3, 2015 US Air Force bombing of a non-profit Medecins Sans Frontieres hospital in Kunduz province. The case of Pablo Gonzalez is a flashy example of the widely practiced policy of double standards in the West in cases where the opinion of a journalist diverges from the official line approved in Washington. We call on the secretariats of international structures involved in promoting a non-universal agenda in the field of journalism and mass communications to be guided by the principle of impartiality when preparing events that claim international coverage. The participation of Russian athletes in the ALBA Games under the national flag and without any discriminatory and illegitimate restrictions testifies to the high level of relations with the countries of the Alliance and the readiness to jointly oppose the attempts of individual states and international structures to politicize sports. WtR A survivor of six heart attacks and a brain tumor, a grumpy bear of a man, whom has declared Russia as his new and wonderful home. His wife is a true Russian Sweet Pea of a girl and she puts up with this bear of a guy and keeps him in line. Thank God for my Sweet Pea and Russia. Updated: (I guess we wait to see if Putin talks to Erdogan at 3 pm?) Updated just below Putin and Erdogan talked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the talks, Turkish-Russian relations and regional issues were discussed. President Erdogan thanked Russian President Putin for his contribution to the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, where the first nuclear fuel delivery ceremony will take place today. During the talks, developments in the Russian-Ukrainian war and work in the context of the grain agreement were also assessed: Putin and Erdogan held telephone conversations before the ceremony at the Akkuyu nuclear power plant. Seems all okay? Peskov to the question about difficulties with Erdogans health: We do not know anything about these difficulties. We are preparing for a telephone conversation today and for meaningful communication between the two presidents. We expect a telephone conversation between Putin and Erdogan at about three oclock, after which there will be a joint participation with Turkish President Erdogan in the ceremony on the occasion of the delivery of Russian-made nuclear fuel to power unit No. 1 of the Akkuyu NPP. This event will be held via videoconference. Updated again Turkish TV presenter Melik Yigit about Erdogans health: There is news that he had a very severe heart attack. [You are talking about the news that has come out]. Yes, yes, that the president is in the hospital. This lie started yesterday. Although we were on the air with Hassan Basri, and tried to understand what happened. And at this time, so much nasty things were written on social networks. He needs a little rest, he has a stomach cold. Because after this short rest, he will work at a very intense pace until the election. *** WtR The Minnesota Department of Transportation seeks comments and ideas from the public on its upcoming construction project for Highway 43 through Winona. The project, set to begin in 2028, will provide improvements to Highway 43 from Mankato Avenue to the Mississippi River in Winona. The project area of Highway 43 includes E. Sarnia Street, Main Street near Winona State University, and E. Fourth Street in the city. Planned improvements include resurfacing, reconstruction of sidewalks and curb ramps to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, improvements to bicyclists mobility and safety, as well as improving safety and traffic flow at several intersections. People wishing to submit comments and ideas can go to the state transportation departments project website. There, viewers will find the project map and also be able to provide feedback on how they use the road, what works well, what needs improvement, and any other considerations to be considered by project engineers as they develop a plan. Now is the time for your voice to be heard because were in the early stages of the project where we are going to develop design alternatives for improving this corridor and want to be sure weve heard from people who use the road, said Chad Hanson, project lead for the department. Hanson said in addition to the online public comments, officials from the department will meet with the public, the city of Winona, Winona County and Winona State University. Anytime you can engage with the public and find out issues that you maybe didnt know about or see, its a good thing, said Winona Public Works Director Brian DeFrang. It would definitely be nice to see comments of regular users of that route on what they see in daily life there. Public open house meetings will be scheduled this year as the project develops, providing an opportunity in-person to offer feedback to the initially developed designs. Mike Dougherty, director of Communications and Public Engagement for the Minnesota Department of Transportation in Rochester, encourages folks to stay connected to the projects development by signing up for email or text message updates. Theres not an opportunity to go back and readjust things most of the time. Thats why were really doing a push for outreach now, Dougherty said. If theres something that they think should be considered or even just telling us how people use that road or whats important to them, its good because that gets factored into the discussions as we develop the plan. The department would like to receive comments via its website through May 12. Winona is a very engaged community, Dougherty said. I feel like a lot of folks have a really sharp perspective. They know traffic issues or theyre bike advocates, and they bring forth those ideas, and thats what were looking for. While providing comments doesnt guarantee an idea will be a part of the project, Dougherty said, having the department be both aware and understanding of an idea creates a better chance for it to go into the project. The final designs for the 2028 project will be presented to the community around August. To submit comments or ideas to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, visit talk.dot.state.mn.us/hwy-43-winona. President Yoon Suk Yeol poses with prime ministers and foreign ministers of 12 Pacific Island nations and secretary general of the Pacific Islands Forum during a meeting held in Seoul, Oct. 27, 2022. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs President Yoon to discuss ways to expand practical cooperation By Sah Dong-seok The inaugural Korea-Pacific Islands Summit will take place in Seoul from May 29 to 30 under the theme "Navigating towards Co-prosperity: Strengthening Cooperation with the Blue Pacific," according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is the first multilateral summit to be hosted by Korea after President Yoon Suk Yeol took office and the first gathering between Korea and Pacific Island nations. Korea invited all 18 members of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) to the summit. The 18 members are Papua New Guinea, Fiji, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Tonga, Palau, Niue, Nauru, Kiribati, the Federated States of Micronesia, Samoa, the Cook Islands, Australia, New Zealand, French Polynesia and New Caledonia. Established in 1971, the PIF is an intergovernmental body aimed at enhancing cooperation among island countries in the region. Korea became the Post-Forum Dialogue partner of the PIF in 1995 and has since been making efforts to support the regional development and empowerment of Pacific Island nations in various fields, including healthcare, climate change, trade and tourism. Deputy Foreign Minister Choi Young-sam, front row center, poses with senior officials of the Pacific Islands Forum during a meeting in Nadi, Fiji, March 24. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs In a little village in Rusk County two brothers built a garage by hand to house an injection molding machine. William W.R. Sauey and Edwin Sauey, prominent residents of the little village of Bruce, Wisconsin, built the garage. Their father, Ole, and another brother, Norman, built the machine. The Sauey family started a business. It was 1947. They named their business Flambeau, after the river that flowed not far from the garage they had built; a river they liked to fish in. One of the first products, in fact, they made in that garage was a frog fishing lure. Anglers throughout the Midwest used them avidly. From those humbling beginnings a family of ingenuity that prided itself on being a part of community Flambeau has become a company of over 2,500 associates and a manufacturer of complete parts, sub-assemblies, and finished consumer products for over 40 unique industries. With over 1.4 million square feet of production space, Flambeau is ranked year after year in three major categories of Plastic News Magazines top 100 lists of companies for injection molders, blow molders, and mold makers, placing the company among an elite few in North America. The place Flambeau has called home since 1950 is Baraboo. To celebrate their 75th anniversary, Flambeau is opening their facilities to the public on Saturday, April 29, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The celebration will include tours, refreshments and giveaways. It will take place at both of their Baraboo plants. Their injection molding facility is located at 811 Lynn Avenue. Their blow molding facility is located at 715 Lynn Avenue. Now, Flambeau is a worldwide manufacturer of molded thermoplastic products, parts, and assemblies and has seven manufacturing facilities in North America: Baraboo, Wisconsin; Columbus, Indiana; Madison, Georgia; Middlefield, Ohio; Phoenix, Arizona; Saltillo, Cuahuila, Mexico; and Sharon Center, Ohio. They also have facilities and offices in England and China. Flambeaus product lines are diverse. They make products for such industries as automotive and construction; agriculture and medical. Flambeaus proprietary product lines include fishing gear and arts and crafts; hunting and the Duncan Toy Company, one of the oldest independent toy brands in the United States. On March 17, 1950, the Bruce News-Letter lamented Flambeaus departure. The Flambeau Plastic Corporation will definitely leave Bruce this spring it was learned this week, the front page article read. Reasons for moving, according to William Sauey, president, are the increased transportation facilities afforded by the central location of Baraboo and the nearness of that city to the sources of raw materials, 90% of which are shipped to Chicago. The Wisconsin State Journal noted, in their March 10, 1950 edition, A new industry for this city, brought here through the efforts of the Baraboo Industrial Expansion Corp. is the Flambeau Plastics Corp., which is moving here from Bruce. William W.R. Sauey died in Baraboo in 2020 at the age of 92, still at the helm of Flambeau as Chairman. His son, President and CEO Jason Sauey, carries on the family leadership at Flambeau. The company also continues its support of worthy causes and organizations. Its charity arm, the W.R. & Floy A. Sauey Family Foundation, has donated more than $2 million to date. This weekends celebration highlights 75 years of the company. What the next 75 years brings is to be determined but Flambeau will be determined to continue in, as their slogan says, shaping the products of tomorrowin plastic. Baraboos city council approved purchase of the former site of a long-time dairy business for a future city park on Tuesday, but debate arose about naming rights. The measure to acquire the former site of I A.M. Dairy at 105 Vine Street was unanimously approved by the council by an 8-0 vote, with 6th District Ald. John Ellington absent. A park is slated for the purchased site, which is between Vine and Walnut Streets on the Baraboo River. The city has been working on plans for the park for roughly two years and purchased the site from I A.M. Dairy for $650,000 after an 11-month funding process. Part of an ongoing redevelopment project near downtown, the park is part of an intended mix along the riverfront. This includes expansion of trails along the river as well as cleanup for future commercial and residential development in and around the area. The park is a long-range project that will take several years to complete, said city administrator Casey Bradley in an email. We plan on working with the DNR and apply for funding for each phase of the project with the overall goal of cleaning up what has been a rather blighted area for a long time. Bradley added that the former I A.M. Dairy site could possibly be contaminated; the site was not tested when the area near the city administration building was cleaned up in 2017 and 2018. The city is working with the DNR to acquire the site and test it. Stewardship grant funding of $153,250 was also unanimously approved by the council for the future park project. Another part of the purchase agreement was to name the park after the owners of I A.M. Dairy, the Mueller family. The Muellers agreed to a $5,000 donation to Friends of Baraboo Parks as part of the purchase. 3rd District Ald. Bryant Hazard objected to the portion of the agreement stating that the park be named after the Mueller family. He expressed a lack of communication prior to the meeting regarding the stipulation and said that it was premature to name a park so early in the process. Theres policy in terms of naming a park, said Hazard. I would have hoped thered be more public input, more time to consider it. Nothing against the individual personally. It was just kind of slipped in there ahead of time. Tom Kolb, 2nd District Alderman, added that procedures for naming parks were not followed in this situation. He said that the idea was never presented to the citys Parks and Recreation Board prior to the council meeting. Kolb and Hazard, along with 1st District Ald. David Olson, all voted for an amendment striking the naming stipulation from the agreement. However, the amendment failed, as all other council members voted against it and the purchase agreement passed as initially presented. It was more of a tribute to the family being in the City of Baraboo since the turn of the century, said current I A.M. Dairy owner Matt Mueller at the meeting. My great-great grandparents moved here from Germany and were farmers here for 100-plus years now. Mueller added that his family had become part of the fabric of this community and said that he spoke to the city about adding the naming stipulation to the agreement. Olson takes over District 1 Tuesday was Olsons first meeting as a council member. He succeeded Phil Wedekind, who announced his retirement from the council in January after nearly 23 years. Olson, a biology professor at UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County, ran unopposed in the April 4 election for the District 1 seat. Ive known Phil for quite a few years and watched the business of the council, so I was approached by some people in the community to run for his seat, said Olson. First guy I went to to sign my (candidacy) papers was Phil. He said, Yeah, you bet. The new alderperson said that he is still learning the ins and outs of city government, but added that it would be wonderful to make half of the contributions of Wedekind. Olson said that he is hoping to provide a larger connection with the city for students at the university. All the professors up there have deep roots within the community, said Olson. I can bring all that awareness to the city council. GALLERY: Scenes from Baraboo city council meetings 041422-bara-news-council1 032422-bara-news-council1 032422-bara-news-council2 031022-bara-news-council1 031022-bara-news-council2 121621-bara-news-parks-plan-01 112621-bara-news-council2 112621-bara-news-council1 091621-bara-news-council2 081321-bara-news-development1 081221-bara-news-council2 071521-bara-news-council2 071521-bara-news-council3 062421-bara-news-council2 042921-bara-news-council2 Weather Alert ...Cooler, Unsettled Weather this Week... * A slow moving low pressure system will provide daily chances for a mix of rain, snow, and pellet showers this week with rain-snow lines lowering to 5500-7000 feet by Tuesday morning. A few thunderstorms will also be possible each day (20-30% chance). * Be prepared for snow showers in the Sierra. While warm road temperatures and the early May sun angle may limit accumulations on paved surfaces, bursts of heavy snow and/or snow occurring during the overnight hours could bring travel impacts to mountain passes. * Expect gusty southerly winds to develop through mid-week with the strongest winds targeting portions of Churchill, Mineral, Lyon, and Mono Counites with potential crosswind travel impacts to US-395 and US-95. * Temperatures will dip down 5 to 10 degrees below early May normals through much of the upcoming week. * Additional low pressure systems may track across the region by next weekend which could yield continued cool and breezy conditions. This may yield more rain and snow showers with snow levels remaining around 6000 to 8000 feet. May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a celebration of the groups culture and contributions to American history. Official recognition began on May 7, 1990, when President George H.W. Bush signed Proclamation 6130. May is a significant time to commemorate Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders because the Transcontinental Railroad was completed on May 10, 1869. Many of the laborers were Chinese Americans, as well as others of Asian descent, who laid the tracks mostly by hand. Many workers lost their lives to injury and illness during the six years it took to complete the railroad because of the intense labor and harsh conditions. May also is significant because the first Japanese immigrant arrived in the U.S. on May 7, 1843. Known as Manjiro, the 14-year-old boy arrived on a whaling ship. While there is much to celebrate, there are still concerns within the community. Nationally, reported hate crime incidents rose 11.6 [percent], according to the FBIs 2022 hate crimes report. Of the 9,065 crimes recorded, anti-Asian sentiment accounted for 7.1 percent. According to the Census Bureau in 2020, 20.6 million people identify as Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander (AAPI) as their primary race. Attacks against the Asian American community still persist. In January, a lone gunman opened fire in a dance studio in Monterey Park, California, during a Lunar New Year celebration. The gunman killed 11 people and injured nine more. Many others were devastated and are working to heal. Torrance, California, about 20 miles southwest of Monterey Park, plans several events to celebrate heritage month. When asked how the events of AAPI Heritage Month might help communities affected by violence, Christian Wolf, the executive and artistic director of the Torrance Cultural Arts Foundation, said he sees it as a chance for understanding. The beauty of the performing arts is that it is a catalyst for healing as well as understanding. Offering a safe space to experience cultural events allows everyone to enrich their lives and gain a better understanding of cultures and people. In recognition, AARP will be holding its own events. Daphne Kwok, AARPs vice president of Asian American & Pacific Islander audience strategy, a Chinese American, believes these events help to educate and foster community. We constantly need to educate about diversity so that we can become united. To commemorate AAPI Heritage Month, here is a collection of events to educate, connect, and bring communities together. Whether through cultural music and dance, or food and movies, find an event near you or online. Virtual You dont have to miss out on the festivities if youre homebound or unable to attend an event. There are virtual events in which to participate. Asian Americans, a five-part documentary from PBS currently streaming on the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) website, showcases the history and plight of Asian Americans over the past 150 years. Topics include immigration, racism and empowerment, as well as current narratives. AARP New York will host a five-part series called Tai Chi 2.0. The free sessions, held each Tuesday of the month, starting May 2 at 10 a.m. ET, will focus on different areas of the body. Registration is required. AARP California will host a discussion May 9 with the director, producer and actors of Dealing with Dad, a movie about adult children returning home to deal with their fathers depression. The discussion will focus on the story of a family reconnecting at home as well as the AAPI experience in the film industry. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required. On May 10, AARP California will have a conversation called The WWII Incarceration of Japanese Americans in U.S. Concentration Camps with archivist Julie Thomas of Sacramento State University. The conversation will examine the U.S. treatment of Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor. Registration is required for the free event, which is open to the public. President Yoon Suk Yeol, first lady Kim Keon Hee, U.S. President Joe Biden and U.S. first lady Jill Biden stand on the Blue Room balcony during a state arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., Wednesday (local time). Yonhap China strongly responds to ROK-US joint statement mention Taiwan Strait By Nam Hyun-woo WASHINGTON, D.C. During the summit between Presidents Yoon Suk Yeol and Joe Biden, Wednesday (local time), South Korea showed the international community that it is aligning ever more closely with the U.S. stance in its relations with China and Russia, announcing statements containing clauses that may ruffle the feathers of the two neighboring countries. In a small group meeting with Biden, Yoon said that he is against attempts to change the status quo by force, and that South Korea and the United States can take on these challenges together. "Attempts to alter status quo by force, supply chain fragmentations and disruptions and challenges in food and energy security are threatening global peace and stability," Yoon said. "As a value alliance, we can together play a critical role in navigating through all these challenges." Changing the status quo by force, in this context, refers to using violent or coercive means to alter the existing political, social or economic order, but is often used regarding the U.S. concerns about Chinese claims on the Taiwan Strait. Similar stances were also clearly visible in the leaders' joint statement released after the summit. In the statement, the two presidents "reiterated the importance of preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the region." It added, "They strongly opposed any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the Indo-Pacific, including through unlawful maritime claims, the militarization of reclaimed features and coercive activities." In the lead-up to the summit, Yoon had been making bold comments regarding the Taiwan Strait issue, in what appeared to be a part of his diplomatic principle of Korea being a "global pivotal state," which means that the country will play a leading role in and be more vocal about global issues. During an interview with NBC before the summit, Yoon also stressed that the world's peace and stability are challenged by "attempts to change the status quo by force," and made similar comments in an interview with Reuters last week, referring directly to the Taiwan Strait. After the Reuters interview, China was furious, denouncing Yoon's comments as "absurd rhetoric" and that "those who play with fire on Taiwan will eventually get themselves burned." The two countries' governments lodged official complaints with each other's ambassadors. Yoon also put all his chips on Washington regarding the handling of Seoul's relations with Moscow during the summit. Biden said he and Yoon together "shared a firm commitment to stand with the people of Ukraine against Russia's brutal assault on their freedom, or territorial integrity and democracy," and that "the Republic of Korea's strong support for Ukraine is important because Russia's flagrant violation of international law matters to nations everywhere in the world." In response to the joint statement referring to the Taiwan Strait, China warned, Thursday, that South Korea and the U.S. should clearly recognize the reality of the Taiwan issue and respect the one-China policy, urging them to be careful in their words and actions on the issue, according to media reports. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning was quoted as saying in a press briefing that Seoul and Washington should not stray further down the wrong and dangerous path. Yoon also said, "We reaffirmed that the use of force to take the lives of innocent people, such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, can under no circumstances be justified." He added that they agreed to continue cooperation efforts alongside the international community to support Ukraine. In the joint statement, Yoon and Biden also "condemned in the strongest possible terms Russia's actions against civilians and critical infrastructure." The relations between Seoul and Moscow have chilled following Yoon's remarks in the recent Reuters interview, where he stated that Seoul may provide military aid to Ukraine, if there is a situation that the international community cannot condone such as a large-scale attack on civilians. It was a major shift from Seoul's initial stance of limiting its Ukraine support to just humanitarian aid. In response, Russia threatened to provide its military support to North Korea, while South Korea countered, saying that Moscow should take a closer look at the interview. Though the presidents did not disclose whether there were talks on Korea providing military aid to Ukraine, they clearly showed that Seoul is siding with the U.S. in regard to the Ukraine war. U.S. President Joe Biden applauds South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol after the latter's speech during the state arrival ceremony at the White House in Washington, D.C., Wednesday (local time). Yonhap March 2023 Quarterly Activities Report Perth, April 27, 2023 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Proteomics International Laboratories Ltd ( ASX:PIQ ), a medical technology company at the forefront of precision medicine and predictive diagnostics, is pleased to provide the following update on its business activities for the three months to 31 March 2023 and subsequent to the period end. - Novel blood test for endometriosis presented at international conference: Potential worldfirst blood test to improve screening for a disease that affects 1 in 9 women - Major milestones achieved as CPT PLA reimbursement code approved and becomes effective for PromarkerD in the United States: Code is key to PromarkerD being covered by both Medicare and private health insurers in the US - US licensing negotiation in closing stages: Proteomics International finalising terms with Sonic Healthcare USA to bring PromarkerD to the United States - Clinical Advisory Board expanded to support PromarkerD USA and global rollout: New members comprise highly respected healthcare professionals and key opinion leaders (KOLs) specialising in primary care diabetes education and management - Distribution agreement for PromarkerD in Britain extended: Deal with medical diagnostics company Apacor Limited extended for a further five years - Application for PromarkerD listing on Australian Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) to be resubmitted: review committee notes potential wide uptake of the test and long term savings to the health system - Exercise of options: The Company's balance sheet was boosted significantly following the exercise of options raising $3.1 million before costs. Proteomics International's activities fall into three key areas: (i) commercialisation of PromarkerD, the predictive test for diabetic kidney disease (DKD) (ii) R&D for new diagnostic tests using the PromarkerTM pipeline (iii) analytical services on a commercial basis *To view the full Quarterly Report, please visit: https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/JSQ3QF0B About Proteomics International Laboratories Ltd Proteomics International Laboratories (ASX:PIQ) is a wholly owned subsidiary and trading name of PILL, a medical technology company at the forefront of predictive diagnostics and bioanalytical services. The Company specialises in the area of proteomics - the industrial scale study of the structure and function of proteins. Proteomics International's mission is to improve the quality of lives by the creation and application of innovative tools that enable the improved treatment of disease. Remaining 20% Ownership in Olympic Domain Tenements Secured Melbourne, April 27, 2023 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Cohiba Minerals Limited ( ASX:CHK ) ( CHKMF:OTCMKTS ) is very pleased to announce that it has executed a Deed of Settlement and Release (Deed) with Olympic Domain Pty Ltd (OD) in relation to Cohiba's acquisition of the remaining 20% ownership in the OD tenements. Cohiba's 100% interest in the Olympic Domain tenements will now be formally registered with the Department of Energy and Mining, South Australia. Following the executed Deed, the Company will issue 40 million fully paid ordinary shares (Shares) to OD with a three-month escrow. The issue of Shares with a deemed issue price of $0.005 per share. The acquisition of the remaining 20% interest frees management to focus solely on Cohiba's highly prospective ground position in South Australia. The Company has been greatly encouraged by the discovery of high grade copper at its Horse Well Prospect and will continue to assess further drill targets over the coming months. This region is expected to see much increased activity versus recent years, with a number of large companies announcing exploration programs or resource definition drilling at their areas of interest. Chief Executive Officer Mr Andrew Graham said, "We are pleased to finally come to this agreement and for the Company to own a 100% interest in these Olympic Domain tenements. Our goal remains the same, to build significant shareholder value through the identification of one or more IOCG deposits within our tenement package." About Cohiba Minerals Limited Cohiba Minerals Limited (ASX:CHK) is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange with the primary focus of investing in the resource sector through direct tenement acquisition, joint ventures, farm in arrangements and new project generation. The shares of the company trade under the ticker symbol CHK. The Company recently acquired 100% of the shares in Charge Lithium Pty Ltd, which holds exploration licences in Western Australia. Distribution of company announcements to the professional platforms, finance portals and syndication of important corporate news to a wide variety of news aggregators and financial news systems. Welcome Jordan Soto has been named strategic partnerships manager for New Mexico with the online nonprofit Western Governors University. In his new role, Soto will develop corporate partnerships aligned with WGUs degree offerings and support educational and career pathways for students across New Mexico. Soto comes to WGU with more than eight years experience in account management, business development, and operations management roles and a successful career developing strategic partnership plans that produced deep business partnerships with employers and educational institutions. He holds his masters degree from WGU and a bachelors degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Kaythee Hlaing has joined Sutin, Thayer & Browne. She has a background in trials, civil litigation, and arbitrations with special expertise in trial preparation, litigation strategy and discovery management. Prior to joining the firm, Hlaing served as assistant attorney general for the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General. Before that she worked as assistant district attorney for the Bernalillo County District Attorneys Office. She also worked as an associate attorney at a private law office in Albuquerque. For seven years prior to law school, she was a mutual funds associate and licensed broker for Thornburg Investment Management. Hlaing received her Juris Doctorate from the University of New Mexico School of Law. Dr. Mario Pardo-Friedman, board certified in obstetrics and gynecology, has joined Lovelace Medical Group. Pardo-Friedman attended medical school at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, and completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Barnes-Jewish Hospital at Washington University in St. Louis. He is well versed in all aspects of general obstetric and gynecologic practice, and has a special interest in managing abnormal pap smears such as colposcopies and loop electrosurgical excision procedures. He offers contraceptive counseling and menopause management, and co-managing high-risk pregnancies with Maternal Fetal Medicine providers. Pardo-Friedman is a member of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists and the American Medical Association. He also speaks Spanish. He is located at 4705 Montgomery NE, Suite 301. Olga Breese has been in broadcast journalism for almost 30 years, 17 of which have been in weather forecasting. Born in New York City, Breese was raised in Southern California, then moved to the Washington D.C. metro area in high school. She spent 10 years as a news reporter and anchor before going back to school for a second bachelors degree. She then became a weekend weathercaster and reporter in St. Louis. Her resume includes news, traffic and weather broadcast work at stations in Michigan, Missouri, Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, North Carolina, and her adopted hometown of Washington, D.C. Most recently, she freelanced in Louisiana and Alabama before joining the KOAT-TV team in February. From Breeses educational aspirations to her blooming love for New Mexico, heres a round up of things to know about KOAT-TVs newest weatherperson. The Journal conducted this interview by email, and Breeses responses have been lightly edited for clarity. What is your education background? My friends call me a higher education enthusiast and they say that with love. It all started with a two-year associates degree from my local community college. I went on to earn two bachelors degrees in communication and geoscience. Also a pair of masters degrees, one in journalism and the other in sustainability management from Columbia University. Now I am looking for a doctorate opportunity where I can do research on climate communication and the media. What are your family ties? My family ties are very strong which provide the needed stability when you work in a chaotic industry like broadcast news. I am close to my brothers, my father and my stepmother. Nurturing those connections to friends and family keeps me grounded and thankful for the ability to do what I love. Howd you get into weather? It was a logical pivot from news to weather as I approached my 10th year in broadcasting. When I looked across the newsroom, two departments were having the time of their lives weather and sports. So, I knew I would specialize in one of those areas. The more time I spent with the meteorologists at my station, asking questions and watching what they do day-to-day, the clearer my choice became. What work accomplishment are you most proud of? Hands down, its the rigorous journalism training at Columbia University. Everyone enters the program at an individual skill level. No matter how great a writer you may think you are coming into the building, the faculty makes certain to challenge you every step of the way. What was the hardest day as a weatherperson? I havent had one yet! There are no hard days when you love what you do. However, the pressure mounts when a large snowstorm heads toward your area or severe weather threatens to disrupt a large city festival or outdoor sporting event. You know decision makers are counting on your forecast when considering a cancellation or postponement. Whats your secret skill or hobby? I know a lot of Washington, D.C., history. During my college years I worked as a tour guide, spending hours on an open-air tram traveling from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol Building. You build strong extemporaneous speaking and learn to reference landmarks while sitting backwards. At the time, I couldnt have predicted that would come in handy years later at the green screen. In my down time you can usually catch me streaming a period drama with strong historical settings. Howd you end up in Albuquerque? If youd asked me six months ago if Id ever imagine moving to New Mexico, the answer would have been no. But Im a world traveler, a global citizen who has learned to bloom where shes planted. When did you start at KOAT? I drove into town on February 13, and halfway through the mountains on I-40 it began to snow. The East Coast had very little snow this winter and spring season. It was a fitting welcome for someone who thought she was heading to desert country. Bring on the summer heat. I enjoy hot and sunny weather. Red or green? As an outsider, Ive had more experience with green, but the jury is still out. Ill need to sample some local cuisine with to make up my mind. Or perhaps Ill stay neutral and join the Christmas camp. How is Albuquerque different from other places where youve worked before? The natural beauty of New Mexico is absolutely breathtaking. I love a great view and how the mountains change with the movement of the sun. The architecture here is unique. Ill have to learn to cope with the lack of proximity to a beach, river or major body of water. On the flip side, there are so many new things I look forward to discovering here in the Land of Enchantment. Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and U.S. President Joe Biden hold a summit at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 26. Yonhap Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden did not discuss the issue of military aid to Ukraine during their summit Wednesday, a presidential official said. Korea has maintained a policy of providing only non-lethal aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia, but speculation was widespread ahead of the summit that Biden could ask Yoon to step up assistance, especially in the form of weapons support. "The Ukraine issue was mentioned very briefly," a senior presidential official told reporters in Washington. "We talked about how we're increasing humanitarian aid, financial contributions and non-military support while watching the war conditions in Ukraine," the official said. "We said we would take part in reconstruction discussions in cooperation with the United States since Ukraine is showing an interest. Aside from that, there was no discussion of direct military support." (Yonhap) Katherine KP Paul had a lesson in patience in waiting for her recent album to get released. Paul had finished The Land, The Water, The Sky a year before it released earlier this year. I started writing it in early 2020, Paul recalls. When I found out it would take awhile, I then thought that I would have more time to work on the visual aspect of the album. I had the time that I needed to present it to the world. I learned that having more time is better. Paul, known on stage as Black Belt Eagle Scout, will be traveling to Albuquerque for a show at Sister on Friday, April 28. She purposely planned the performance to center around Gathering of Nations, which is taking place at Expo New Mexico this weekend. Albuquerque is my favorite place to play, Paul says. It was recommended that I needed to play during Gathering of Nations. Its one place where the audience is Native. I have tons of friends there, and even though its not a major market, I have the support needed to always take it to the next level. During the show at Sister, Paul says it will be special. Were going to be filming and recording the live show, Paul says. Its going to be part of the next project that Im doing. Paul says The Land, The Water, The Sky is inspired by her daily life. She returned home to Washington state where she became one with nature again. The album is a love letter to the Indigenous strength and healing, Paul says. I feel very lucky to do what I do. Every time I play a show and Im on stage, I have this moment of Holy c***. This is your life. The biggest challenge Paul faces within music is time. At the moment, she cant carve out time daily to work on music. This, in turn, makes her hyper aware of when inspiration comes calling. I write with guitar and vocal first, she says. Then the evolution begins to take place. If its not coming together, I know when I need to step away and revisit the music at a later time. Relationships with restaurants, like those we have with people, sometimes fade. An off night shakes your trust. A second bad experience and you may find yourself considering other dining options. So its been with me and Artichoke Cafe. Pat and Terry Keene opened Artichoke in 1989 and built it into one of the citys foremost fine-dining institutions. Along the way, it became a training ground for talented local chefs like Israel Rivera of The Shop fame. I first ate there back in the 90s and quickly came to appreciate the unpretentious, yet classy vibe of its two-level dining room and dependable menu mainstays like the wonderfully decadent French onion soup. It became a go-to spot for special occasions. But as the years passed, the experiences grew more uneven, culminating in an almost comically protracted dinner with long waits for underheated food. I took a break from Artichoke Cafe, but I never entirely forgot it. And so, while mulling over Saturday dinner options recently, I conjured the image of its blue awning, like the face of an old friend I hadnt seen in a while. A quick check of the phone showed that plenty of tables were still available. Perhaps I was not the only one who had taken a break from it? Indeed, when we arrived, the dining room was almost empty. I ordered a Pontchartrain ($15) from the creative cocktail menu. The drink is a bourbon-based homage to New Orleans thats shaken with ice and strained into a coupe glass. House grenadine and tawny port softened the bourbons bite and Peychauds bitters, and a spray of absinthe added spicy notes and a whiff of licorice. Maybe it was the booze, maybe it was the enthusiasm of the server, but my wariness started to evaporate. I considered the menu from chef Tony Nethery. After a prior stint at Artichoke, chef Nethery returned in a consulting role during the pandemic, according to our server, and eventually retook the reins as executive chef. Like the wine list, the menu skews toward French and Italian. A few old favorites like the French onion soup are still there. In whats an increasingly common practice at high-end restaurants, the bread and butter is no longer complimentary. Its on the appetizer menu for $7. I didnt mind, as anything that discourages me from filling up on bread before the meal arrives is welcome. Though compact, the appetizer menu covers a wide range in both the price of its dishes and their complexity. A Butterleaf Salad ($12) was a symphony in shades of green, the lettuce and frilly frisee dressed with sherry vinaigrette and buttery castelvetrano olives from Sicily. We had the server split it onto two plates. Topped with pine nuts and a dusting of Parmesan, it did what a salad is supposed to do: stimulate the appetite, not smother it. Given where we were, it seemed appropriate to order the appetizer special of a whole Artichoke ($16), poached then fried and served cut in half under a topping of crispy shallot gremolata. Its a great dish for sharing. You pluck off a leaf, dip it in the aioli, and then use your teeth to scrape the fleshy inner part of the leaf from the tough outer layer. A terrific starter and a fun way to kill time until the entrees arrived. At the top end, the entrees here are among the most expensive in the city. An 8-ounce tenderloin checks in at $46, and the 16-ounce New York Strip Steak goes for $58. But if you look at the cheaper end of the spectrum, youll be rewarded with a couple of excellent pasta dishes from chef Nethery, who trained in Rome and clearly has a way with noodles. The Pappardelle Diavolo ($28), served in a shallow bowl, delivered on its promise of heat, and the broad, thick pasta noodles were soft and light. The big droopy tubes of pasta in the Paccheri Primavera ($29) were more firmly in the al dente category. Juice from the roasted cherry tomatoes mingled with the sundried tomato pesto for a snap of acid with a slightly minty finish. Roasted eggplant and a sprinkling of almond gremolata added meatiness and texture. Outside of the pasta and steak realm, there is a fish du jour, a pork chop and a Marys Farms Half Chicken ($30) rubbed with a mix of herbs. The chicken was presented chopped in half over a bed of silky whipped potatoes and a pile of balsamic roast mushrooms. It was simple and solidly executed, the chicken skin nicely crisped, the meat juicy. The brief dessert menu includes couple of options that werent on the online menu. One of those was a Pear Crisp ($12) served in a small-handled dish with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. The combination of ice cream, flaky crust and warm fruit, less tart than the typical peach and apple versions, was irresistible. Under a shell of caramelized sugar, the body of a Creme Brulee ($11), subtly flavored with orange and cardamom, delivered a lighter, less sweet finish to the meal. Numerous dishes are either gluten-free or can be adapted that way. Vegan versions of dishes are also available and marked on the menu. Portions were ample enough for leftovers; in particular, the pasta reheated well the next day. Our server, who said he started at Artichoke in 2019, was animated and knowledgeable. Metered parking is available along both Central Avenue and Edith Boulevard, and theres an attendant-staffed free parking lot for customers in a lot across Edith. It was heartening to reconnect with Artichoke Cafe. Everything that had gone wrong the last time I visited went right this time. Also heartening: the sight of a full dining room by the time we left at 6:30. Artichoke Cafe apparently still holds a place in the hearts of the citys diners. Around 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday, following about eight-and-a-half hours of discussion and public comment the Edgewood Town Commission voted 4 to 1 to pass an ordinance restricting access to abortion. The ordinance is based on the Comstock Act, which prohibits the mailing of materials used in abortion. It will be enforced not through town officials but through private action of residents suing those who violate the ordinance. Like those passed in jurisdictions in Eastern New Mexico and across the country, Edgewoods ordinance was crafted with the assistance of Mark Lee Dickson, the director of Right to Life of East Texas, and attorney Jonathan Mitchell, also from Texas. Heres what people had to say about it: During the meeting: Commissioner Jerry Powers: I dont think its the smart move to jump in like this. I just want the people to understand that the consequences of this that have been laid out by the attorneys of jumping into this battle and not waiting it out for a couple of months for the Supreme Court could be serious to Edgewood. When I say serious, I mean serious. It will tie up a lot of the staff time, it will tie up a lot of our attorney time. Commissioner Sterling Donner: What this does is it paints a picture to anybody who is thinking about possibly moving into Edgewood (as an abortion provider) painting this as not a friendly place for them to be. That we do not want them here. Thats what this does. This has teeth. Minutes later both commissioners voted aye. After it passed: Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams office: Abortion remains legal and accessible to every New Mexican. The governor recently signed into law HB 7, which prohibits local governments from enacting abortion bans. It is clear the Town of Edgewoods ordinance will be unenforceable in light of the passage of HB 7. We will take whatever action is needed to ensure that the laws of New Mexico are upheld in every community, including those seeking to strip women of their reproductive rights. Attorney General Raul Torrezs office: The ordinance passed last night in Edgewood is yet another example of Texas based lawyers misleading local communities and enlisting them in their effort to bring about a national abortion ban. The New Mexico Constitution and state statutes prohibit local communities from regulating access to healthcare or infringing on a womans fundamental right to make the most personal decision regarding her body and her future. Attorney General Torrez is closely monitoring these unlawful actions and looks forward to resolving these important issues in the action currently pending in the New Mexico Supreme Court. More abortion news: Chef Mike White traveled to Italy, Morocco and Paris during his stint on Supermarket Stakeout and he came out the winner. The Albuquerque-based chef and owner of High Point Grill participated in the Food Network show which aired on Tuesday and beat out four other chefs during the competition. Supermarket Stakeout is a series where four chefs square off in a competitive pop-up kitchen outside a grocery store. Assigned a theme for each round, the chefs must size up shoppers as they exit the store and attempt to negotiate for their grocery bags. The judges send the chefs with the least successful dishes home, and the last chef standing walks away with a years worth of groceries. In the episode, host Alex Guarnaschelli took White and three other chefs on an international trip without leaving the parking lot of a grocery store. In the first round, the contestants were asked to make a Tuscan dish. White found groceries for his dish but didnt have eggs or milk. Instead, he worked with what he had and created and Italian Filet Mignon, which the judges loved, though they thought he overcomplicated the process. Making it to the second round, contestants were asked to make a dish from Morocco. White was able to get his hands on some crab and shrimp and saffron. He went back into the grocery store to buy some chickpea rice, with 10 minutes left in the round. This made the difference as his Blackened Shrimp Skewers with Chickpea Rice was a favorite of the judges. In the final round, the top two contestants were told the dish was supposed to be Parisian Sidewalk. Each contestant had 45 minutes for the round and were able to purchase five items from shoppers to create the dish. White hit the jackpot with red wine, blueberries, eggs and milk. He created a crepe, which the judges loved and led him to a victory. With the win, White wins groceries for a year. I kept it simple with the last round and didnt use a fifth ingredient, White said of the last dish. DENVER Jefferson County sheriffs investigators, relying on cellphone tracking, identified and arrested three 18-year-old high school friends from Arvada in the rock-throwing death of 20-year-old Alexa Bartell. The investigators made the arrests late Tuesday and early Wednesday at Arvada homes where the three lived with their parents and took the three into custody. The suspects Joseph Koenig, Nicholas Mitch Karol-Chik and Zachary Kwak were being held in the Jefferson County jail without bond. Jefferson County authorities said each will face a charge of first-degree murder with extreme indifference and will be advised of the charges in court Thursday. All three are suspected of throwing rocks at drivers in a crime spree last week that targeted seven different victims including Bartell, who was killed when a rock crashed through the window of her yellow Chevy Spark and hit her while she was talking on her phone with a friend. Additional charges likely will be filed, pending determinations by the First Judicial District Attorneys Office, authorities said Wednesday. The suspects went from place to place, throwing large rocks through the windshields of moving vehicles. We have not seen that before, sheriffs office spokeswoman Jacki Kelley said. This was a beautiful young woman with her whole life in front of her who was simply driving home. A suspect vehicle also has been identified a black 2016 Chevy Silverado, authorities said. It remains unclear who was driving during the rock-throwing spree last week, but Kelley said investigators believe all three suspects threw rocks. The suspects are friends who lived in separate homes with their families. Koenig attends Ralston Valley High School and Kwak attends Standley Lake High School, according to Jeffco Public Schools. Koenig, who transferred into the school district from another state in August 2018, was enrolled, concurrently, in the Jeffco Virtual Academy until July 2022. Kwak, who transferred to Standley from another state in August 2021, concurrently attends Warren Tech, a career and technical education program in the district. Karol-Chik is enrolled in Jeffco Virtual Academy; he attended Ralston Valley High until May 2022. The suspects will not be returning to school, per district policy, the school district said in a statement. We will continue to follow school and district protocols, and law enforcement guidance. Mental health support staff with the district is available for students who are having a challenge processing the information about the suspects arrests and the accusations, district officials said. As police were at Koenigs house making that arrest, Koenigs father, Mark Edward Koenig, obstructed our ability to make an arrest of his son, Kelley said. The father also was arrested for allegedly obstructing deputies and was taken to jail. Bartell was killed as she was driving northbound in the 10600 block of Indiana Street at about 10:45 p.m. on April 19. Her Chevy Spark was hit by large landscaping rocks, authorities said, in a spree that began shortly after 10 p.m. that night in Westminster. Two drivers injured in the other attacks suffered minor injuries. Seven vehicles were damaged. Making the arrests means we have a safer community this morning, Kelley said. We were concerned this was a crime that could potentially happen again. Jefferson County sheriffs investigators worked with Westminster police, Arvada police and the Boulder County Sheriffs Office to identify and arrest the suspects. The investigators relied primarily on mobile-device forensics, involving cellphone towers, to identify and find the suspects, Kelley said. Police officers also received more than 300 tips from the public that provided supporting information that helped in catching the suspects. 2023 MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit at denverpost.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. A Rio Rancho man is facing 10 years in prison on a federal charge of receipt or possession of a destructive device. On April 20, Homeland Security Investigations served a search warrant on Peter Ryan Lynch, 46, in the 200 block of Buena Vista Court NE in Rio Rancho, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday. According to the department and a criminal complaint, the warrant was served in regards to Lynchs receiving of firearm silencers from China. During this search, law enforcement found four pipe bombs and related materials in a backpack found in a closet in Lynchs bedroom. According to the complaint, one of the pipe bombs was a fully constructed pipe bomb consisting of a PVC pipe, two end caps and a fuse/ignition system. There was black-colored powder inside the PVC pipe, consistent with gun powder or Pyrodex Powder. The New Mexico State Police Bomb Squad and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives determined the pipe bomb was functional and capable of detonation and that it may be classified as an improvised explosive device. The pipe bomb is undergoing further analysis. The complaint also states that three additional pipe bombs consisted of two smaller PVC pipes with end caps and one larger metal pipe fitted with end caps and a fuse. Further analysis on those devices is also pending. Read the full story at rrobserver.com. RIO COMMUNITIES In a surprise announcement during Monday evenings city council meeting, Rio Communities Mayor Joshua Ramsell told the public a controversial zone request has been halted. Cibola Land Corp. president by Harvey Yates Jr., a New Mexico oil and gas developer, had requested a rezone of 262 acres to Industrial 3 and 37.78 acres to Commercial 3 on the southern end of Rio Communities. Ramsell said he received a withdrawal letter Monday from Cibola Land Corp. They have officially withdrawn their application on both of those so, at this time, none of those matters will be coming before this body, Ramsell told city councilors at the meeting. In a phone interview with Yates Tuesday morning, he said the city of Rio Communities needs to make a decision if it wants to remain a retirement community Or does it want to be a vibrant community that is creating jobs for young families? Yates said. I dont disagree with either, and I can understand both sides of that argument. Yates said his company had commercial developable land, and has been approached by members of the community to develop. In order to have a developer or stores come in that are of real consequence, you need to have jobs and you have to have people coming in, he said. But if its simply going to be a retirement community, Im not sure why they formed the city of Rio Communities in the first place. After two public hearings in January and February, the Rio Communities Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously voted in March to recommend city councilors deny the two zone change requests. The consensus of the community was fierce during the two public hearings prior to the commissions decision last month. Many residents voiced their concerns about the potential negative impacts to local air quality, possible contamination of the soil and aquifer and overall degradation of quality of life in the small city. They also voiced their concerns of the potential of decreased property values because of the industrial park being close to residential areas. Read the full story at news-bulletin.com. A Deming man was sentenced this week to life in prison for persuading someone he believed to be an 8-year-old girl to send him pornographic photos of herself on his cellphone, federal court records show. Jeffrey Biddle, 42, also admitted to sending the person pornographic photos of himself, according to his plea agreement. Biddle pleaded guilty Oct. 26 to federal charges including production and attempted production of child pornography, receipt and attempted receipt of child pornography, and enticement and attempted enticement of a minor, according to a statement issued by Alexander Uballez, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico. U.S. District Judge Kenneth Gonzales handed down the life sentence Tuesday in U.S. District Court of New Mexico. Biddle also pleaded guilty in December in state court to four felonies for sexually abusing an 18-month-old child in May 2020 and August 2021, 6th Judicial District Court records show. State District Judge Jarod Hofacket sentenced Biddle on Feb. 27 to 35 years in prison after pleading guilty in that case to two counts of criminal sexual penetration of a minor and two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor, the statement said. This case demonstrates once again how producing child pornography and abuse can go hand-in-hand, Francisco Burrola, special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigation in El Paso, said in the statement. In the federal case, Biddle started a conversation with a minor victim he met through Facebook in 2021, the statement said. The conversation eventually moved to text messages and Biddle coerced the victim to take pornographic photos to send to him, the statement said. Biddle specifically requested naked pictures and asked for nude photographs approximately 24 times. During these text exchanges, Biddle also sent the victim nude photographs of himself. Biddle asked for nude photographs 24 times between June 24, 2021, and Sept. 4, 2021, Biddle acknowledged in the plea. He also acknowledged receiving sexually explicit photos, it said. Today, the court imposed the only sentence which will ensure this serial child molester will never add another name to his terrible list, Uballez said Tuesday. Cover Images/BauerGriffin Celebrity The 'Django Unchained' star reportedly 'suffered a serious medical episode' due to high blood pressure, but the desperate emergency room physicians likely saved his life. Apr 27, 2023 AceShowbiz - Jamie Foxx is apparently beating the odds to survive his recent medical emergency. While there are very little details of his health scare, a new report says that his condition was very serious that he almost died. "Jamie suffered a serious medical episode and needed immediate attention," a source tells Radar Online. The 55-year-old actor reportedly had to be revived by doctors, but their immediate actions luckily saved his life. "It was touch and go for days with him, and he had to be revived - he is very lucky to be alive!" the so-called insider adds. "He's very lucky he got the treatment he did." As to what led to Jamie's medical emergency, the source explains, "Jamie suffers from high blood pressure, which doctors say can cause clots in the brain leading to a stroke. Doctors believe this was a long time coming, and really, if they hadnt acted fast, Jamie might well have been a goner." Jamie was rushed to an Atlanta hospital on April 11 while shooting his new movie "Back in Action", which also stars Cameron Diaz and Glenn Close. The source notes that stress on the set of his new film was likely a major factor in his collapse. Prior to his health scare, Jamie allegedly suffered "an absolute meltdown" during production in England, going ballistic on several members of the crew and leading to the firing of two directors and his own personal driver. "Jamie has absolutely been troubled throughout the shoot," another source said. "He wasn't fun to be around - especially for Cameron. But now there seems to have been a good reason for it." The tense atmosphere made Cameron rethink her unretirement from acting after a nine-year absence. Over the weekend, a source gave an update on Jamie's condition, telling PEOPLE that he remained hospitalized, but he's "awake and alert." The source said, "He's OK, thank God. He's still in the hospital and doctors are running tests but he's awake and alert. They're keeping him under observation." You can share this post! Instagram Celebrity Officials confirm the up-and-coming Los Angeles rapper is found dead at age 22 in the shower area of a California prison with 'with injuries consistent with a homicide.' Apr 27, 2023 AceShowbiz - MoneySign Suede's life was cut short in prison. The young and popular Los Angeles rapper died at only 22 years old after he was stabbed on Tuesday night, April 25 in a shower at a California prison, according to his attorney. Officials with the Monterey County coroner's office and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed Suede's death at the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad, but did not share details on how he died. In a statement, CDCR officials said the rapper was found unresponsive just before 10 P.M. after correctional officers found that he was not in his cell during a regular count. Prison officials tell TMZ that Suede was found in another area of the prison "with injuries consistent with a homicide." Prison personnel attempted to administer emergency aid, but were unsuccessful as he was pronounced dead around 10:20 P.M. "They said it was a stabbing to the neck," Suede's attorney Nicholas Rosenberg tells the Los Angeles Times. "They said they're investigating." The attorney adds, "People are very shocked. He was a very popular guy, very mild-mannered. People loved him." CDCR officials confirmed an investigation is underway by the prison's Investigative Services Unit and the Monterey County district attorney's office. They also stated that movement in the prison has been limited in order to facilitate the investigation. Suede was sentenced to 32 months in prison in December 2022 for a pair of gun charges in Riverside County. Prior to his death, Suede had been attacked in prison, according to his attorney. Following his passing, his friends and colleagues have paid tribute on social media. Rapper Fenix Flexin posted their photo together and wrote, "I f**king love u bro, life's not fair I'm beyond broken get yo rest...." Fellow hip-hop star Baby Stone Gorillas posted on his Instagram Story, "Rest up bro smh." Los Angeles rapper Peysoh added, "LONGLIVESUEDE." Fellow rappers reacted to MoneySign Suede's death. Suede was signed to Atlantic Records in 2021. His latest album "Parkside Baby" was released in September 2022. You can share this post! British Ambassador to Korea Colin Crooks lays a wreath at the Gloucester Hill Battle Monument, also known in the Korean language as the Monument for British Army's Seolmari Battle, in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, April 25, on the occasion of the 72nd anniversary of the Battle of the Imjin River during the 1950-53 Korean War. Ambassadors from Belgium and Ireland and delegates from Gloucester, the hometown of the Gloucestershire Regiment and C Troop, 170th Mortar Battery Royal Artillery of the British Army, also paid tribute at the memorial. Courtesy of British Embassy Seoul Instagram Celebrity Jess Margera, who previously told police that his brother hit him in the head during an altercation earlier this week, claims that the former 'Jackass' star has developed an addiction to meth. Apr 27, 2023 AceShowbiz - Bam Margera's brother has expressed his concern about the stunt performer, who has been wanted by police following their altercation earlier this week. Jess Margera says that his brother is on the run with his girlfriend and her child, and he's "extremely worried" about the young girl. In a series of tweets posted on Wednesday, April 26, Jess made alarming allegations about his brother. Seemingly criticizing police who have not been able to locate Bam, Jess wrote, "I mean I can talk to my lightbulbs. My car can back out of the garage and pick me up at the front door. Police should be able to track a phone right? Apparently I'm the a**hole." When a fan sent his best wishes to Bam and the family, Jess replied, "I appreciate it man, I'm trying to stay positive." Calling Bam "the sweetest guy when he isn't messed up," Jess claimed that the former professional skateboarder has developed an addiction to meth that allegedly changed him. "But since his meth habit, hes unrecognizable & I really don't know what he's capable of," Jess shared. "Seeing him screaming @ at a person that wasn't there, hallucinating. It's really scary & heartbreaking." Explaining Bam's situation on the run, Jess said, "His gf has her phone, I'm obviously very worried about bam but I'm extremely worried about that there is an 8 yr old child w them. I can't even imagine the environment in that car right now. I hope she's okay she is the sweetest kid, she doesn't deserve this unnecessary trauma." When another follower advised the CKY drummer to "make peace" with his brother, Jess suggested that he didn't understand the issue between them. He tweeted that Bam has allegedly been "screaming at his shadow on the wall" due to his addiction issues. The rocker additionally claimed that the 43-year-old "randomly attacked" him while he was making a cup of coffee and allegedly screamed about "killing" their father. "I still don't even know what he was mad at," Jess claimed. "This is a one sided meltdown dude." Bam Margera's brother Jess made alarming allegations about the 'Jackass' star. Bam was involved in a physical altercation with Jess on Monday, April 24 at his family's home in Pennsylvania. Jess claimed Bam wailed on him and struck him multiple times in the head. In the report, cops noted visible injures that they observed. Bam allegedly also said he'd kill everyone in the house, which occupants at the time included his dad Phil and two other women. When police came, Bam reportedly already "fled the residence on foot to the rear of the property through a dense wooded area." A warrant has been issued for his arrest and the PA State Police are actively searching for him. The authorities are asking the public for help in locating him. The former "Jackass" star is facing one charge of simple assault, one charge of harassment and four charges of terroristic threats "with intention to terrorize another." You can share this post! Cover Images/Media Punch Celebrity After being ordered to pay $636,000 in child support and legal fees, the 'Fast and Furious' star claims that he will put up a fight for dads even though he insists that he can afford it. Apr 27, 2023 AceShowbiz - Tyrese Gibson is not going to accept a judge's custody settlement ruling without putting up a fight. After being ordered to pay $636,000 in child support and legal fees, the "Fast and Furious" star said that he wouldn't go down easily even though he insisted that he can afford it. "It's not about me. What just happened today happens everyday in the family law court system," the actor told TMZ on Wednesday, April 26 at LAX. Insinuating that he'll fight for fellow dads, he added, "Fathers have no rights, period. So, the bigger the a** whooping that I get in court, the more it's gonna shed light on what has been happening since the beginning of time." The "Morbius" star went on to note, "This is not about me. I will never not take care of my daughters, whether I'm with their mother or not. I will never not, but it's not OK to call us dead beat dads. We're hustling, grinding, traveling, doing whatever it takes to put food on the table and take care of our families, which will cause us naturally be physically away from our kids." "And then that gets used against us in court because the mother may be more available to you. And then, when you don't have a job, when you're struggling and you're trying to pull it together, independent of a pandemic, we get emasculated when we're at home and we're out of a job," he continued ranting. Tyrese also slammed judge Kevin Farmer for the ruling. "So at the end of the day, he just pulled out the biggest light imaginable on him, his conduct, him literally making up things on the fly. What he did as a sitting judge was literally abuse of power, egregious and all the above. And that's it, man. There's no such thing as a little boy or a little girl without, at some point, mommy and daddy getting together to make a decision," he said. "So, I'm inspired because I believe that there's going to be a law, multiple laws in place in the city of Atlanta that will refer to Gibson. And they'll be able to make reference to case law pertaining to what's going to happen and I'll do whatever it takes and I'll spend whatever it takes to turn this all around, not just on behalf of my daughters, but on behalf on every father who cannot afford proper representation or have any type of voice," he noted, adding that he believed he's "part of effecting change." During a hearing at Fulton County court on Tuesday, April 25, it was revealed that the actor was ordered to fork $237,944 in back child support for their daughter Soraya and $399K for Samantha's attorney fees. Tyrese, however, doesn't have to pay it all at once as judge Kevin Farmer set May 15 as the due date for him to pay about $258,000 of it. In response to that, Tyrese's attorney Tanya Mitchell Graham revealed that her client is planning to file an appeal as soon as the judge's order is entered. She also filed a motion for a new trial which will be heard next month. You can share this post! Cover Images/Faye's Vision Celebrity Jada has hosted the Facebook Watch show alongside her mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris as well as her daughter Willow Smith since May 2018. Apr 27, 2023 AceShowbiz - Jada Pinkett Smith's "Red Table Talk", has been canceled. The Daytime Emmy award-winning series is one of the original Facebook Watch programs to be shut down after Mina Lefevre, the Head of Development and Programming at Meta, is exiting the company as part of the latest round of massive layoffs. "Red Table Talk" is not the only show to be axed from the Mark Zuckerberg-run company. According to Deadline, "RTT" spinoff "Red Table Talk: The Estefans," Steve Harvey's "Steve on Watch," and JoJo Siwa's "JoJo Goes" would also be canceled. The 51-year-old actress hosted "Red Table Talk" alongside her mom Adrienne Banfield-Norris as well as her daughter, Willow Smith. The show premiered on May 7, 2018, and its last episode was aired back in December 2022. Jada, her mother Adrienne and her daughter Willow have yet to address the show's cancellation. It also remains to be seen whether they plan to continue it on another platform. On "Red Table Talk", Jada, Adrienne and Willow discussed various topics with their guests, including co-parenting, love, sex, relationships, abuse, and substance abuse, toxic masculinity, career, and more. Among those who made appearances on the show included Kid Cudi, Robyn Crawford, Sheree Fletcher, Toni Braxton, Don Lemon, Jordyn Woods, Ciara, Demi Moore, Bobby Brown, Ashanti and others. You can share this post! Instagram Celebrity According to police spokesperson Myles Snyder, the 43-year-old troubled star surrendered at the Avondale station, which is the precinct that was conducting the initial investigation. Apr 28, 2023 AceShowbiz - Bam Margera is not running away. The "Jackass" actor reportedly turned himself in to Pennsylvania State Police on Thursday morning, April 27, days after authorities a warrant for his arrest. Police spokesperson Myles Snyder told Page Six that the 43-year-old troubled star surrendered at the Avondale station, which is the precinct that was conducting the initial investigation. The communications director added that the he was then "preliminarily arraigned" by Judge Albert Iacocca at a local district court and bail was set at $50,000 "unsecured." Bam's attorney Michael van der Veen, meanwhile, informed the outlet that his client pleaded not guilty and will be undergoing a drug and alcohol evaluation as "many defendants have to [do] when out on bail." While he's not in custody, the MTV alum is set to return to court on May 25 for another preliminary hearing. Snyder stated Bam is unlikely to go missing again because he knows the "consequences of his alleged actions" since he turned himself in. As for Michael, the lawyer denied that Bam was ever "on the run," adding that his client quickly turned himself in once he was aware of the arrest warrant. Bam is facing six different charges. They include one count of simple assault, one count of harassment and four counts of terroristic threats with the intention to terrorize another. The arrest warrant was issued after Bam was involved in a physical altercation with his bother Jess Margera on Monday, April 24 at his family's home in Pennsylvania. Jess claimed Bam wailed at him and struck him multiple times in the head. In the report, cops noted visible injuries that they observed. The former professional skateboarder allegedly also said he'd kill everyone in the house, which occupants at the time included his dad Phil and two other women. You can share this post! INSTAR IMAGES/Massimo Landucci Celebrity The 'Maleficent' actress is accompanied by her eldest child Maddox when she's attending the state dinner at the White House with Joe Biden and his South Korean counterpart. Apr 27, 2023 AceShowbiz - Angelina Jolie turned up at a state dinner, joining President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. The 47-year-old actress - who shares Maddox, 21, Pax, 19, Zahara, 18, Shiloh, 16, and 14-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox with ex-husband Brad Pitt - is famous for her humanitarian work outside of acting and, on Wednesday, April 26, was accompanied to the formal event at the White House in Washington by her eldest son in order to "celebrate the 70th anniversary of the US-ROK alliance," along with US First Lady Jill Biden and South Korean First Lady [Kim Keon Hee]. "Asia-America relations are important to Angelina's family. She and the children have had close ties to the region, including South Korea, for many years," a source told People magazine. "Maddox studied at Yonsei University in Seoul. Angelina has visited South Korea many times for her humanitarian and refugee advocacy over the past two decades, and as an artist. Angelina and Maddox are honored to attend this State Dinner." The insider also revealed the "Maleficent" star - who could be seen wearing a vintage Chanel jacket - also wore a dress that was made for her "many years ago" and completed the look with some of her personal jewellery. Last month, it was reported that the meeting would see the two world leaders "highlight the importance" of the relationship between the US and the Republic of Korea and upon arrival at the event, the Bidens are said to have been presented with a Korean-style handcrafted table made out of mahogany wood and inlaid with historical White House wood. A press release said at the time, "President Biden and President Yoon will highlight the importance and enduring strength of the ironclad US-ROK alliance as well as the United States' unwavering commitment to the ROK. The Presidents will discuss our shared resolve to deepen and broaden our political, economic, security and people-to-people ties." You can share this post! Deadline/Violeta Sofia Movie The actor/director, who reprises his 'Death on the Nile' role in the upcoming sequel, heaps praises on his co-stars for bringing 'a really positive effect' on set. Apr 27, 2023 AceShowbiz - Sir Kenneth Branagh is thankful to be playing Hercule Poirot again in "A Haunting in Venice". Reprising his role as Agatha Christie's sleuth in the upcoming film, the 62-year-old star is delighted to have the chance to make another movie after the challenges of the previous installment "Death on the Nile" - which was hit by delays due to the coronavirus pandemic and sexual misconduct allegations surrounding star Armie Hammer. "('Death on the Nile's') theatrical release was challenged for various reasons, but it still did exceptional numbers in the circumstances. And then the streaming performance was really exceptional. So I was very pleased when they came back to us, for sure," Kenneth told The Hollywood Reporter. He continued, "I was particularly grateful to the single determining factor, really, which was the audience. The audience seems to want it, and they seem to be ready for another. So we were happy to try and do one." Kenneth reunites with "Belfast" stars Jamie Dornan and Jude Hill on the mystery movie and felt that the pair's bond was important on the set of the film - which is slated for release in September. The "Artemis Fowl" director said, "Jude and Jamie's rapport and camaraderie was vital. It had a really positive effect on the rest of the cast, because actors can sometimes feel very nervous coming into these films." "It almost feels like you're arriving at a new school where everybody already knows each other, but Jude and Jamie's generosity - and their clear ease with me - was a really good, helpful sign for the other actors. So I was most grateful that they were involved." You can share this post! Instagram Celebrity The 'Identity Thief' actress recalls sunbathing on a car with 'baby oil and tinfoil' when she was younger because she thought it would make herself 'tan better.' Apr 28, 2023 AceShowbiz - Melissa McCarthy wishes she never sunbathed on a car with "baby oil and tinfoil" when she was younger. The 52-year-old star has revealed how her own beauty routine has evolved over the years and admitted she and her sister Margie took an unusual approach to tanning. "As you get older, I do think you're a little more like, 'Oh, everything we've been told since grade school, was that true?' Maybe I shouldn't have laid on a car in Illinois with baby oil on," she told PEOPLE magazine. "That's a true story. My sister [Margie] and I, who just, Irish, shouldn't have been laying out at all. And we're like, 'What if baby oil and tinfoil helps?' And we would lay on a car because we thought if it was hotter, we would tan better. We were raised on a farm. We weren't sophisticated." Melissa insisted when it comes to her face, she takes a lot more care of herself. She explained, "From here up [she motions above her neck] I feel like I'm really, I'm living it. Jams, jellies, serums, weird machines that I use like crazy for four months, and then I don't know where they are. And then it's here down that my skin could use some work. It's super hydrated and then alligator. But I'm working on it, guys. This is my journey." The mum-of-two - who has daughters Vivian, 15, and Georgette, 13, with husband Ben Falcone, 49 - admitted time to herself is hard to come by in such a busy household. When it comes to her skincare, her approach can go one of two ways. She said, "If I'm taking off my [makeup], I do all my good stuff and the hot towel and the whole thing. If I come like this [she points to her professionally made-up face], what you're seeing right now, this is how I go to bed [she crosses her arms over her chest]." "I go to bed like a corpse. I lie back, and I wake up the next morning and I'm like, 'Good for me. I can sleep and not move.' My makeup [artist] is like, 'Oh, that's not good. You should wash it all off.' I'm like, 'Look at what you did today. I can't do this.' So I sleep like an absolute corpse, and I wake up, and I go and look in the mirror, and it's like, 'That's a full lash, girl.' " You can share this post! CNBC Celebrity The hip-hop star has been found guilty following allegations that he accepted money to influence both the administrations of Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Apr 28, 2023 AceShowbiz - Prakazrel "Pras" Michel has been convicted of all charges in his international fraud trail after becoming embroiled in a political conspiracy that spanned two US presidential administrations. To influence both the administrations of Barack Obama and Donald Trump, the founding member of '90s hip-hop group The Fugees, allegedly accepted $100 million from Malaysian financier Jho Low, who was charged with massive fraud and remains on the run. The 50-year-old musician was found guilty of all 10 counts, including conspiracy, witness tampering, and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. He faces up to 20 years in prison, but no sentencing date has been set. Michel argued he simply wanted to make money and got bad legal advice while reinventing himself in the world of politics. He declined to comment after the verdict, but his attorney said he was "extremely disappointed" in the decision and plans to appeal. David Kenner added outside court with Michel by his side, "We are extremely disappointed in that result but are very, very confident in the ultimate outcome of this case. If we do move to a sentencing hearing I remain very confident we will certainly appeal this case. This is not over." Michel was accused of using Low's funds to influence the US government to hand over a Chinese billionaire, Miles Guo, to Chinese authorities as a favour to Chinese leaders. Guo, an ally of Steve Bannon, has now been arrested by US authorities. Michel was accused of becoming a funnel for Low's millions, and his attempts to influence US government. Leonardo DiCaprio testified Low - who helped finance Hollywood films, including "The Wolf of Wall Street" starring the actor - had appeared as a legitimate businessman and mentioned wanting to donate to Obama's campaign. Michel was also present on some of the trips organised by Low, according to DiCaprio, which included jetting to Australia for New Year's Eve and Las Vegas to ring in the New Year a second time. "The Wolf of Wall Street", which had a reported budget of $100 million and grossed more than $400 million worldwide when it was released in 2013, was nominated for five Academy Awards and gives special thanks to Low in the credits. You can share this post! Instagram Celebrity The Formula One driver has apparently talked to the Tesla billionaire about the possibility of him flying one of the SpaceX crafts to outer space on a future flight. Apr 28, 2023 AceShowbiz - Lewis Hamilton has proposed to fly one of Elon Musk's rockets to Mars. The Formula 1 ace is pals with the SpaceX boss and admitted, not only have they discussed the possibility of the 38-year-old driver going into space on one of the billionaire businessman's crafts, he's keen to be part of the crew. Lewis, however, wants more research and testing done before he boards a flight. "I am going, yes, at some stage, but I'll let some other people go first because those things blow up on the way up He's talking about going to Mars, but I'm ready to go to space at any stage. I told him that I'd fly the ship, but I think it's all automated!" he said on stage over the Australian Grand Prix weekend. Lewis admitted he gets nervous speaking to the Tesla boss because the 51-year-old businessman's "mind is expanded." He said, "Elon's been to my party in Austin the last two years. It's like a dinner party I've had, and I'd have these people come around." "It's not the easiest thing to speak to someone like that, because his mind is expanded, it's on such another level, you know, so I get all nervous when I'm talking to him. Of course, I talked to him about 'did we land on the Moon? Where are we going next?' " Last week, Elon's 120-metre Starship rocket blew up within minutes of being launched in Texas. SpaceX - who had previously insisted the chances of success were low and the launch was a data-gathering exercise - tweeted, "As if the flight test was not exciting enough, Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly before stage separation." And Elon himself posted, "Congrats @SpaceX team on an exciting test launch of Starship! Learned a lot for next test launch in a few months." It appeared the two sections of the rocket system, the booster and cruise vessel, were unable to separate properly after takeoff. Starship was supposed to blast 150 miles into the atmosphere and then cruise for around an hour before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. Despite only getting around 25 miles into the air, NASA - who have chosen the rocket for a planned 2025 mission to the moon - congratulated Elon and his company. NASA administrator Bill Nelson said, "Every great achievement throughout history has demanded some level of calculated risk, because with great risk comes great reward. Looking forward to all that SpaceX learns, to the next flight test - and beyond." While the test rocket was unmanned, the Starship cruise vessel is designed to eventually carry up to 100 astronauts. You can share this post! New research into small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) conducted by LinkedIn, the worlds largest professional network, has revealed that despite the economic upheaval, Indian SMBs remain optimistic about the value of marketing. With the average yearly marketing investment in Indian SMBs currently sitting at slightly more than one quarter (26.1%) of annual business revenue, only a small 3% of SMBs plan to reduce their marketing budgets in the next 12 months. This reflects the overall confidence among SMBs in India, who view marketing as a crucial tool for business growth and are willing to maintain or even increase their marketing budgets to drive revenue and remain competitive in the market. Looking ahead in 2023, some of the top priorities of businesses are to expand their customer base (44%), increase business revenue and market share (43%), and build brand loyalty (36). To achieve this, many businesses (90%) have started and/ or will continue to invest in new technologies such as AI as part of their marketing strategy. SMBs tapping into creative opportunities to build brand equity and awareness Despite dynamic economic conditions, many SMBs are optimistic and looking to innovate and automate within their businesses. However a large cohort (91%) say they face challenges when it comes to creative marketing solutions. Top challenges include finding a balance with solutions for existing audiences and new audiences (41%), remaining creative with rapidly evolving tools (39%), a lack of creative talent and knowledge within their businesses (30%), and uncertainty about deploying long term creativity (28%). As four in ten (41%) SMBs are implementing new creative solutions or technology in their marketing strategy moving forward due to the economic downturn/changing budgets, its clear that there is an appetite to explore new ways to connect with customers. Considering the broader benefits of creativity, Ashutosh Gupta, India Country Manager, LinkedIn, adds: Building memorable brands and harnessing creativity is critical for small business marketers, particularly in these challenging conditions. With Indias SMB sector expanding rapidly, small businesses must effectively balance short-term activations with long-term brand building solutions to differentiate themselves from competitors and achieve sustainable growth. Business owners who smartly leverage creativity, AI, and automation will be able to do more with less budgets and create true value for their customers. Despite business challenges, SMBs firmly believe in brand building and connecting with customers through marketing, indicating that they're playing the long game. In fact, the majority (94%) are confident their business has successfully built brand awareness through their marketing and referrals. SMBs are smartly leveraging technology and timely innovations in generative AI to get ahead and weather the economic uncertainty. To ensure they come out of this moment positively, more than a third (35%) believe that leaning into marketing is smart, as they feel companies that recover faster following periods of economic uncertainty are the ones that maintained or increased their spends during a downturn. Indian SMBs bank on AI technologies to advance business priorities The research found that most SMBs are looking at ways to innovate for the future, particularly through the use of marketing-tech tools. More specifically, nine in ten (90%) are investing in areas such as marketing automation, AI and online communities as part of their budget, with over nine in ten (93%) agreeing that ChatGPT could help their business with marketing. However, some SMBs are found not investing in marketing-tech tools likely due to unfamiliarity with ChatGPT/AI, 42% of whom said they need to learn more about the product. Discussing the rise in SMBs using marketing automation, Gupta said, Time is a precious resource for SMBs. Small business staff often has to juggle multiple demands, which leaves little time for strategic tasks and thinking. With AI and automation tools, businesses can free up staff time for higher-level work, deploy creative marketing strategies, optimise ROIs, and meet business objectives effectively." Helping SMBs build their brands with Quick Mode for Campaign Manager SMB marketers are expected to take on more responsibilities with fewer resources and spread their expertise across broad workstreams. With limited time, learning new tools can be a challenge. To make it easier for new SMB advertisers to easily create and launch their first advertising campaigns on LinkedIn, the platform has introduced Quick Mode, a simplified way to build campaigns within Campaign Manager. The feature makes it easier than ever for new users to create and run advertising campaigns on LinkedIn, reducing the barrier to entry and enabling them to focus on higher value work like reaching the right audiences and building their brands. Instead of needing to figure things out for themselves, SMBs can use Quick Mode to achieve their brand building goals more efficiently and with more confidence. This means that they can spend more time on other areas of the business. President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, shakes hands with Kenyan President William Ruto during a summit at the presidential compound in Seoul, in this Nov. 23, 2022 file photo. Yonhap Korea and Kenya discussed ways Thursday to boost bilateral cooperation in economy and major projects in green, digital and various other industry sectors, Seoul's finance ministry said. The discussion was made during a meeting between Korea's First Vice Finance Minister Bang Ki-sun and his Kenyan counterpart, Chris Kiptoo, in Seoul, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Bang voiced expectations for a stronger economic relationship with Kenya through various programs, such as the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) and the knowledge sharing program. The Kenyan delegation expressed gratitude to the Seoul government for raising the EDCF ceiling from $300 million to $1 billion for the years 2022-26. Korea launched the EDCF program in 1987 to help other developing countries with their basic infrastructure. The Kenyan officials also proposed joint work to push for large-scale state projects in green growth, the digital economy and various other sectors, the ministry said. (Yonhap) JK Paper - The Leading Indian Paper Manufacturing Company celebrates Mothers Day by making students switch to paper to express gratitude and love for their mothers with its annual campaign Letter to my Supermom in association with Daakroom. With an objective to reach out to 300+ schools this year, engaging about 2,00,000 students, the campaign highlights communicating love and feelings to mothers by their children in a unique way. Letter to my Supermom encourages students all over India to put pen to paper and express their emotions in a creative and long-lasting manner, through handwritten letters. The activity also brings attention to the need to switch to paper in the most sustainable way. We are delighted to share that our yearly activity Letter to my Supermom in its previous editions created a huge impact in various cities in India. With the simple activity of putting pen to paper, our campaign has brought out emotions and put smiles on lakhs of faces across the nation. JK Paper assures to educate children on the sensible usage of paper. This year also the idea is to take them through our sustainable paper initiatives to promote responsibility towards the planet among the next generation as well, says Partha Biswas, Chief Sales and Marketing, JK Paper Ltd. With an inclusive approach to reach out to all kinds of students from different cities, Letter to my Supermom has reached out to over 20 states/UTs in the past, engaging private, public and government schools as well as NGOs. Some of the cities where the campaign has consistently taken place are Delhi (NCR), Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Surat, Chandigarh tricity, Bengaluru, Meerut, Kanpur, Prayagraj, and Udaipur. In our 6th edition, this year, we are excited about taking this campaign to Assam and reach around 20k tribal students writing letters to their mothers. We are glad that we are not only helping them to express their feelings and love but also encouraging them to bring back the habit of writing. Additionally, we aim to make students write about 50 Lakh letters across the country by 2030 and are happy to associate with Daakroom and work together to make this campaign a great success, concludes Debasish Ganguly, Head Marketing & Communication and Corporate Sales Are you ready to don your apron and wield your kitchen utensils like a pro? The moment we have all been waiting for has finally arrived! The world-famous culinary extravaganza, MasterChef Australia, is returning to your screens for a mouth-watering 15th season, exclusively on Disney+ Hotstar in India on May 2. Titled MasterChef Australia: Secrets & Surprises, the show will turn up the heat with unexpected plot twists, taking you on an exhilarating culinary journey. A fresh group of passionate cooks will put their culinary prowess to the test, all under the watchful gaze of the esteemed judges, Jock Zonfrillo, Andy Allen, and Melissa Leong. The show has been produced by Endemol Shine Australia for Network Ten and internationally distributed by Banijay Rights. With 18 coveted aprons on offer this year, the competition is fiercer than ever, and the contestants will stop at nothing to prove their worth. International megastar and super chef, Jamie Oliver, has been revealed as the first special guest judge of Season 15. Jamie will ignite the competition with two special episodes. And, if that isnt enough, a game-changing secret advantage is also up for grabs, which could change the fate of one lucky contestant. The show will premiere on Disney+ Hotstar starting May 2 with the contestants competing against each other for the prize money of $250,000. In 2022, the series took home the Most Popular Reality Program award at the TV Week Logie Awards, and more recently, was awarded its sixth AACTA Award for Best Reality Program, cementing its status as a much-loved Aussie icon. So, prepare to expect the unexpected, as MasterChef Australia: Secrets & Surprises brings you a culinary experience like no other. ~Starting May 2, watch the highly anticipated culinary show MasterChef Australia: Secrets & Surprises on Disney+ Hotstar to witness the crowning of its newest champion~ NRF 2024: Retails Big Show Asia Pacific, the highly anticipated trade exhibition jointly organized by the National Retail Federation and Comexposium, is now open for sales and sponsorship opportunities. The event will take place June 11 13, 2024, at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore. With a 14,560 sqm trade exhibition, the event is expected to draw thousands of retailers and business partners from across the region. NRF is expanding the footprint of Retails Big Show to Asia Pacific, one of the worlds fastest growing markets, NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. Retails Big Show Asia Pacific is an opportunity to feature innovations spanning the entire retail industry from the in-store experience, supply chain, loss prevention and asset protection to merchandising and immersive technologies. We are happy to announce that the region is open for business and ready to embrace the energy and dynamism that the retail sector in Asia Pacific provides, NRF 2024: Retails Big Show Asia Pacific Project Director Ryf Quail said. The expo floor is now open for sponsorship and exhibitor bookings. Companies are encouraged to secure their spaces via the dedicated exhibitor booking form on the website or directly with a sales agent. NRF 2024: Retails Big Show Asia Pacific was first announced at NRF 2023: Retails Big Show in New York City and has since garnered the support of retailer associations from across the region namely Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. As the retail hub of Southeast Asia, Singapore provides a gateway to Asian markets in the region, President of the Singapore Retailers Association Ernie Koh said. We are expecting a significant presence from international and regional trade sellers and visitors from across the retail industry in the Asia Pacific region. We look forward to providing an optimal setting as we welcome international trade sellers to Singapore in 2024. Companies interested in gaining first-mover advantage are advised to book directly here or contact the nearest sales agent within their vicinity. Retails Big Show Asia Pacific will complement NRF Retails Big Show, which is held in January each year at the Javits Convention Center in New York City. The year 2023 has started on a rollercoaster note, with an accelerated adoption of generative AI, AI chatbots, and digital innovations. This is bringing in new operational efficiencies, stronger strategies, a far greater emphasis on building deep bonds with various stakeholders and consumers. In keeping with the current market ecosystem, technology and a human approach are seen as going hand in hand. As part of our annual TRENDING NOW series, Adgully has been approaching key industry leaders to Crystal Gaze into 2023 to highlight the major trends and developments that they see dominating the industry in the year ahead. In conversation with Adgully, Kushal Budhia, VP - Head of Furniture Business at Pepperfry, speaks about furniture demand trends in India this year, the important roles of technology, customisation and personalisation, focus on Pepperfrys D2C private labels, and more. Key trends dominating the furniture industry in 2023 Furniture demand in India is very heterogeneous, where the choices of the customers are very varied. Therefore, it becomes important to provide a wide array of products that matches with the latest trends in the industry. As a leading player and one of the largest marketplaces in the furniture industry, Pepperfry is closely monitoring the latest trends and developments that are shaping the future of this industry. In 2023, we anticipate that several key trends will continue to dominate the furniture industry and shape its trajectory. Technology will play an increasingly important role in the furniture industry. With the rise of e-commerce and online shopping, customers are demanding a seamless and convenient shopping experience, which can be provided through the use of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technology. This technology allows customers to visualise how furniture will look in their space before making a purchase, making the shopping experience more immersive and interactive. Omnichannel presence for the furniture players has been gaining significant prominence. Customers want to see and compare the products online and also experience the same at the stores. One without the other restricts the customers buying experience. Therefore, it has become important to engage with the customers with an immersive experience on both channels. Customisation and personalisation will continue to be major trends in the home goods space. Consumers are increasingly looking for furniture that fits their unique tastes and preferences, rather than settling for generic designs. In response, brands are offering more personalised and customisable options, such as modular furniture that can be easily rearranged to suit different needs. At Pepperfry, we are committed to staying at the forefront of these trends and providing our customers with the best possible shopping experience. Major expectations from 2023 There will be heightened demand for wood furniture due to its natural and aesthetic appeal. It is anticipated to contribute to the overall furniture market. Also, the demand for home furniture, fuelled by rapid urbanisation, will aid market growth. It will be bolstered furthermore with multifunctional furniture spearheading the industry. Customers are looking to avail options for upscaling their living spaces and improving their standard of living. Personalisation will also be a significant trend. Customers are increasingly seeking furniture designs that match their unique preferences, and we expect industry players to offer more tailored options. Moreover, technology will continue to play a significant role in the furniture industry, especially in e-commerce, where customers are seeking interactive shopping experiences. We foresee the adoption of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology to drive customer conversations that will help them visualise furniture items in their spaces before purchasing, further enhancing the online shopping experience. Additionally, improved customer experience through engaging methods in both online and offline channels will enable a holistic buying experience for them. Further, after-sales support and additional services like maintenance will be winning propositions for both. Key focus areas for Pepperfry in 2023 Pepperfry is passionate about pushing the boundaries of technology, which is why we will continue to invest in it. We will be betting big on our D2C private labels and expanding our business portfolio. Our fundamental proposition is variety and the confluence of private labels, and the marketplace will add to our business growth. Our retail footprint with over 200 Studios in over 100 cities will also play a significant role this year. We expect Tier 2 and 3 cities to drive growth for us as these towns are expected to contribute a lot more going forward as customers in the cities are affluent and would want to buy online from brands such as ours. Through our marketplace platform with 75k+ listings, we want to focus on ensuring that Pepperfry provides the most extensive choice of products and also keep up with the latest trends globally. Pepperfry has been one of the pioneers in the furniture vertical to introduce AR functionality on its platform. We continue to focus on immersive technology such that the customers are able to engage with the product and also experience it at our studios. Additionally, the focus of Pepperfry will be on providing excellent customer service not only during the buying journey, but also after-sales support. Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland Bern, 27.04.2023 - The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) has ordered SICPA SA to pay CHF 81 million for corporate criminal liability in connection with acts of corruption. A former sales manager of SICPA was also handed a conditional prison sentence of 170 days. The proceedings against the CEO and major shareholder of SICPA are being discontinued. With the penalty order issued in accordance with Art. 102 para. 2 SCC in conjunction with Art. 322septies SCC, SICPA SA (SICPA) has acknowledged that it failed to take all necessary and reasonable organisational precautions to prevent bribes to foreign public officials. The OAG has accordingly ordered the company to pay a fine of CHF 1 million and imposed an equivalent claim for compensation amounting to CHF 80 million under Art. 71 para. 1 SCC. Organisational deficiencies The proceedings identified organisational deficiencies that made it possible for employees of SICPA to bribe public officials in the conduct of business in Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela. Organisational deficiencies were particularly evident in the areas of corporate governance, risk management and compliance. Bribery of foreign public officials In the penalty order, the OAG finds the former sales manager of SICPA, who took advantage of the deficiencies, guilty of bribery of foreign public officials under Art. 322septies SCC. He is being sentenced to a conditional prison term of 170 days. The order states that he paid bribes to high-ranking officials in the Colombian and Venezuelan markets between 2009 and 2011. The proceedings conducted against the same former sales manager on suspicion of embezzlement and money laundering are being discontinued pursuant to Art. 319 para. 1 lit. a Criminal Procedure Code (CrimPC), because suspicions justifying an indictment have not been corroborated. Criminal proceedings discontinued The proceedings against the CEO and main shareholder of SICPA are also being discontinued pursuant to Art. 319 para. 1 lit. a SCC. However, the OAG is ordering him to bear a portion of the costs of the proceedings and has not awarded him any compensation. SICPA and its former employee have declared that they will not be appealing against the penalty orders, which will be legally binding. Original version of the text in German Address for enquiries Communications Service of the Office of the Attorney General, info@ba.admin.ch, T +41 58 464 32 40 Publisher Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland http://www.ba.admin.ch/ Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Bern, 27.04.2023 - At the invitation of the Austrian foreign minister, the foreign ministers of the five German-speaking countries met today in Salzburg. The talks focused on Russia's military aggression against Ukraine and its impact on Europe. At the invitation of Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis today attended this year's meeting of German-speaking foreign ministers in Salzburg, together with his counterparts Jean Asselborn from Luxembourg, Dominique Hasler from Liechtenstein and Annalena Baerbock from Germany. The annual meeting reflects the close relations enjoyed by the German-speaking neighbours and centres on current political affairs. Russia's war against Ukraine, the humanitarian crisis it has triggered and the geopolitical repercussions were again at the centre of the discussions this year, and the five German-speaking countries underscored their like-minded stance. Mr Cassis also used the talks to once again explain Switzerland's policy of neutrality, which does not prevent Switzerland from standing up for its values. He also highlighted Switzerland's efforts to strengthen compliance with international humanitarian law, citing as an example the meetings of government experts that Switzerland organises. These meetings enable states to exchange views on practical challenges related to compliance with international humanitarian law. One such meeting was organised by Switzerland at the beginning of the year in conjunction with the International Committee of the Red Cross on the topic of 'Environmental Protection in Armed Conflict'. The head of the FDFA also outlined Switzerland's priorities during its chairmanship of the UN Security Council, which begins next Monday. Strengthening cohesion: SwissEU relations The five foreign ministers discussed in particular the role of Europe and how cohesion on the continent could be strengthened, with SwissEU relations featuring as an important point in this respect. "As neighbours and a community of shared values, we all want the same for Europe: to restore or strengthen peace, stability, security and prosperity," said Cassis. He continued: "With that in mind, Switzerland and the EU should also find a solid basis for continuing their close relations," referring to the ongoing drafting of key parameters for a possible negotiating mandate with the EU. In view of the migration flows along the Western Balkan route, the discussion on European cohesion also revolved around promoting close ties between the Western Balkans and the European community of states. This year's meeting of German-speaking foreign ministers was rounded off by a look behind the scenes of the famous Salzburg Festival. Address for enquiries FDFA Communication Federal Palace West Wing CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland Tel. Communication service: +41 58 462 31 53 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 A surprise inspection by state and federal labor officials last November found an underage worker at a Hyundai supplier plant who had used a phony I.D. to gain employment. According to Reuters, Fernando Ramos, whose documents identified him as a 34-year-old Tennessee man, was actually 16 and had already been working for two years using bogus documents. The boy, who was moving heavy equipment in violation of the law, was eventually tracked back to a middle school in Montgomery. The Alabama Department of Labor fined three staffing agencies $5,050 in connection with the case, the legal maximum, according to the news agency. Reuters, in its report, stated that reporters found the real Fernando Ramos in Texas, though the photo that accompanied the I.D. card was neither him nor the youth who used the identity. What the hell, he replied in a message when shown the information. Reuters originally reported last July that children were employed at SMART Alabama, which has supplied parts for Hyundais Montgomery plant since 2003. Two suppliers, SL Alabama and SMART, have terminated their relationships with third-party staffing agencies which, the company said, falsely certified that they had screened and cleared children as being eligible to work. Both SL Alabama and JK USA, an Opelika temporary employment agency, earlier this year paid fines from federal court and the Alabama Department of Labor, after investigators found workers as young as 13 employed in one factory. In February, Hyundai announced plans to divest its majority stake from an auto supplier in Alabama following its investigation, as well as other measures to report the use of underage labor. Montgomery Whitewater is scheduled to open this summer - a $65 million, 120-acre water park with ambitions to attract more than 300,000 people to Alabamas capital every year. But beyond the ziplines, biking trails, dining and tourism aims, theres one other use on the horizon - surface and swift water rescue training for first responders, beginning as early as this fall. The park, set for a soft opening around Memorial Day, will be a recirculating whitewater park with rafting, kayaking, canoeing and stand-up paddle boarding available for beginners and experts. It can also host Olympic standard competitions. The ability to deal with submerged vehicles, sudden flooding, or search and rescue operations is a necessary part of the first responders skillset. Yet simulating such incidents can be challenging. As Montgomery Fire/Rescue Special Operations Assistant Fire Chief Sam Costanza explained, his department currently trains in the Coosa River about 45 minutes drive from Montgomery. But finding terrain with the right mix of slow moving, benign water and faster water with good hydraulics isnt easy. When training in a natural body of water, crews are at the mercy of conditions at the site. The flow rate and amount of water on the Coosa is all dependent on the hydro dams, which completely dictates the flow rate, Costanza said. The rates you have in the morning may be completely different in the evening. When were in the rainy season, they could be letting out so much water its not even practical to train. Such conditions can make the training almost as dangerous as actual situations. However, Montgomery Whitewater COO Scott Shipley said the park will allow training crews to control the water flow, simulate certain conditions, and shut off water for safety reasons. For example, a vehicle can be rolled out into the water, once its engine is removed and it is drained of fluid, to allow crews to get a feel for whats needed. When you get new people out there, theres not a lot of leash even in the training, Shipley said. We can create realistic scenarios and shut the water off, allow them to train in a custom environment and keep an eye on whats going on. And theres training at night. We can turn the pumps on, and turn the lights on if trouble comes and reset. That makes this really special. Crews can also receive training in low-head dam rescues, Shipley said, which can be a particularly hazardous scenario. One rescue worker in Gadsden was killed in 2015 when she was swept into a creek at a dam during a rescue. Three other rescue squad workers were injured in that incident. It takes about five days and 40 hours of training to be certified at the technician level, Costanza said, while a three-day training is available at the operations level. Because weather in Montgomery remains largely temperate throughout the year, the training could continue in winter months, Shipley said. Thats a huge impact to Montgomery. These guys are coming in, shopping, eating in restaurants, staying in hotels, he said. Public calls for Seoul to go nuclear expected to continue despite enhanced security pledge from US: experts By Lee Hyo-jin The United States' pledge on strengthened extended deterrence seems insufficient to quell growing skepticism among South Koreans about the U.S. nuclear umbrella, according to local analysts, who expect to see continued public calls for Seoul to acquire its own nuclear arsenal. After a summit held at the White House on Wednesday (local time), President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden released the Washington Declaration, which highlights Washington's enhanced commitment on its extended deterrence offered to South Korea against North Korea's evolving nuclear threats. Under the agreement, Biden promised an array of security measures including regular deployment of nuclear submarines to South Korea for the first time in more than 40 years. The two nations will also enhance information-sharing of U.S. nuclear assets and combined military exercises. In addition, a new Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) will be launched between Seoul and Washington, through which the two sides will discuss nuclear and strategic planning in response to the North's possible attack. But the operational control of nuclear weapons will still remain in U.S. hands. In return for Washington's pledge for enhanced security efforts, the South Korean government reaffirmed its compliance to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), with the U.S. underscoring that it will not be stationing any nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula. The declaration came amid growing calls among South Koreans that the nation needs to develop its own nuclear weapons or that U.S. tactical nuclear weapons should be redeployed here, to respond more effectively to Pyongyang's evolving nuclear threats. However, the U.S. has made it clear through the declaration that it has no intention of returning its tactical or any other kind of nuclear weapons to the Korean Peninsula. Yang Uk, a research fellow at the center for foreign policy and national security of Asan Institute for Policy Studies, commented that the joint statement falls short of public expectations from South Korea's perspective. "The agreement itself is meaningful in that South Korea has succeeded in gaining further nuclear assurances from the U.S., but it won't be able to relieve public concerns about the advancement of North Korea's nuclear and missile prowess," Yang told The Korea Times. President Yoon Suk Yeol attends a joint press conference with U.S. President Joe Biden (not seen) after a summit held at the White House in Washington, D.C., Wednesday (local time). Joint Press Corps A Harahan, La., woman has been charged with murder after the body of her boyfriends daughter was found inside a 10-gallon bucket left outside the home of the girls mother. According to Jefferson Parish Joseph Lopinto, the grisly discovery was made Wednesday morning outside the home in Harahan -- a suburb of New Orleans. Coroner Gerry Cvitanovich said the girl -- identified as Bella Fontenelle -- was the victim of a homicide and died from multiple injuries, but did not elaborate on those injuries, citing the ongoing investigation. The suspect, Bunnak Hannah Landon, 43, was taken into custody at a local hospital, Lopinto said. She being held without bond at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center, charged with first-degree murder and obstruction of justice. Lopinto said the girls father notified Harahan police Wednesday morning after he awoke to find both Landon and Bella were missing. Police came to the home to begin a missing person investigation. Police then went to the home of Bellas mother, one street over, where they found a 10-gallon chlorine bucket with a closed lid on the front lawn. Officers opened the bucket and found the girls body inside. Lopinto said investigators were able to locate multiple surveillance videos from the fathers neighborhood which show a woman pulling a wagon with a white bucket inside just after 9:30 p.m. Tuesday night. The woman is headed in the direction of the home where the bucket with the girls body was found. While no motive for the killing was offered, NOLA.com reports that Landon had been charged with simple battery for allegedly attacking Bellas mother at Riverside Country Club in Harahan in June 2021. Landon, in turn, filed for a temporary restraining order after the incident, but the following month a judge declined a request to make the order permanent. Bella was a kindergartner at St. Matthew the Apostle Catholic School in River Ridge, La. NOLA.com reported neighbors and friends described her as sweet, friendly girl who could often be seen riding her bike or playing with her 7-year-old sister. As our community grieves for this precious little girl taken from us too much too soon, read a post to the school Facebook page, we pray for the Fontenelle family, everyone who knew Bella, the SMA community and everyone who was saddened by this terrible news. Get the Ed Chat newsletter: Enter your email for weekly updates about Alabama schools from Trisha Powell Crain: The path for a pair of bills - one in the Senate and one in the House - creating Education Savings Accounts for K-12 students diverged Wednesday, with one perched to move forward and one appearing to be sidetracked after being shifted to a different committee for consideration. ESAs are akin to vouchers, allowing state education funds to be accessed directly by families but differ from vouchers in that ESAs can be used to pay for more than tuition. ESAs have gained traction in recent years, pushed by conservatives unhappy with COVID-era policies and wanting more say in their childs education. Critics fear ESAs drain needed funding from under-resourced public schools. Eleven states have some form of ESAs. Alabama lawmakers are considering two different types of ESAs -- and the hundreds of millions of dollars difference in how much theyll take from the states education budget. The PRICE Act The Senate Education Policy committee sent a bill creating universal ESAs to the Senate Education Budget committee at the end of a lengthy public hearing where 10 people - five opponents and five supporters - spoke about the bill. The bill, named the Parental Rights In Childrens Education, or PRICE Act, would give parents $6,900 in an ESA to spend on eligible expenses for their childs K-12 education. ESA eligibility would be phased in over three years, and all students would be eligible for ESAs at the start of the 2025-26 school year. Read more: Alabama parents could get $6,900 for private school, home school in broad school choice bill Read more: What is an education savings account? How do I get an ESA in Alabama? The cost, according to estimates prepared by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank that supports school choice, and shared during the meeting, would be $130 million during year one, $280 million in year two and $408 million in year three. Supporters included former Alabama Republican Party Chairman Terry Lathan and representatives from the Eagle Forum of Alabama and the Alabama Christian Education Association. Opponents included representatives of organizations that support public schools, public school officials and the AEA. Committee Chair Donnie Chesteen, R-Geneva, said the budget committee should consider the bill first because the cost of ESAs is high. Were talking about hundreds of millions of dollars coming out of the education budget, Chesteen said. The bills sponsor, Sen. Larry Stutts, R-Tuscumbia, called the move a stalling tactic. I understand the stalling tactics of running out the legislative session, he said. I understand where this is headed. Im sure you do, Chesteen responded. Were not the appropriating committee. Were the policy side. A similar bill last year stalled after the bills sponsor, former Sen. Del Marsh, R-Anniston, agreed to convene a bipartisan commission to try to reach a compromise. The commission met a few times but the bill did not resurface during last years session. The SUN Act The House Education Budget Committee discussed a more limited bill that would give $5,600 through an ESA to students in certain eligibility categories. The bill, called the Students with Unique Needs, or SUN Act, would be capped at 500 students yearly. The cost, according to the bills sponsor, Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, would be $3 million the first year. Students eligible for ESAs include those who: Have a parent on active duty in the Armed Forces, Had a parent killed in the line of duty in the Armed Forces, Have an Individualized Education Program or Section 504 Plan, Are in the foster care system, or Are homeless Its not a huge population, Garrett said, but its definitely a group that is in need of some alternative education. Mississippi has had a similar program since 2016, and 390 students statewide are participating in the program this year. Two proponents - the director of a private school that focuses on students with learning differences and a parent whose child has dyslexia and has benefitted from attending a private school - spoke during the public hearing. Those speaking against the bill included a public school board member and a representative of the states school board association. The SUN Act is expected to be voted on by the committee next week. Bam Margera turned himself in Thursday to Pennsylvania police after a warrant was issued stemming from charges he allegedly assaulted his brother. The Pennsylvania State Police tells TMZ that Margera, the former Jackass star, was preliminarily arraigned and bail was set at $50,000. Hes due back in court next month. According to reports, Margera got into an altercation with his brother, and officials said he threatened to put a bullet in his head. I just got out of the courthouse with my lawyers, Margera posted on social media. Everything went great and the false accusations of what my brother says are not true and he will be sued for defamation as well as being evicted from castle bam sooner than later. The reason I lost my cool is because I read his phone saying he wants me back in California and he wants to find a way to 302 me. F*** him. Margera attorney, Michael van der Veen, told TMZ, The wild rumors regarding his behavior this week are absolutely false. Pennsylvania state police have issued the arrest warrant for Margera on Sunday for what was described as a physical confrontation. Police were called to a home in Pocopson Township, Pa., where Margeras brother, Jess, said Bam Margera attacked him, hitting him multiple times in the head and said, Ill kill you. Ill put a bullet in your head. According to Jess, Bam fled into the woods. Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, told the leader of the Air Force today that Alabama lawmakers are beyond the point of frustration with the continued delay in announcing the final decision on a permanent location for the U.S. Space Command headquarters. Both Rogers and fellow Alabama congressman Dale Strong, both Republicans on the committee, asked Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall repeatedly during a budget hearing for an explanation of the continued delay. A Pentagon review process designed to take politics out of base location decisions, which mean growth and money for winning cities, ranked Huntsvilles Redstone Arsenal the best choice among finalists. Former President Donald Trump put politics back into the selection by saying he personally made the decision for Alabama announced late in his term. Colorado lawmakers have used Trumps statement to delay a final decision the new commands final home. Kendall did not address the base issue in his opening statement or respond directly to questions about it. Meanwhile, it remains in Colorado Springs where it was started while lawmakers there try to get President Biden to reverse the decision. That delay is undermining our ability to defend this nation, Rogers said. Huntsville has passed every review and hurdle, Rogers said, adding, There is only one state that is protesting, and that state came in fifth. That was Colorados ranking among the finalists The political games must end, Rogers said. Your continued handwringing is delaying SPACECOMs full operational capability and undermining our ability to defend this nation, Rogers said. You need to end this charade and make the announcement, Rogers concluded. Strong, a committee member, followed with slides showing reviews by the base selection teams and asked Kendall to read the top base Redstone Arsenal in several comparisons. Kendell would only say that the answer was on the chart. It was Redstone Arsenal. Strong asked Kendall if he knew which base ranked first among the six finalists. In the previous analysis? Kendall asked. I believe I do. It was Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala., with nine criteria in the top ranking, Strong said. Strong asked Kendall if he knew how Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs ranked. I do not recall how Peterson faired, Kendall answered. Let me help you, Strong said. Peterson had five criteria in the top third, six in the middle and 10 in the bottom criteria. Get John Archibalds newsletter: Enter your email to subscribe to Johns weekly newsletter: This is an opinion column. An Alabama legislator was appalled. So he raised hell. Surely you read about it. So then the sleepiest of Alabama governors rolled over and decried the woke. Maybe she was just grumpy at the thought of having to wake up. Gov. Kay Ivey forced the head of Alabamas Early Childhood Education program one of the very few education bright spots in a state so known for school failure that it has to bribe companies to move here to resign. Which means early Childhood Education Secretary Barbara Cooper was fired, of course. For using a standard and nationally accredited teachers manual that included references to (gasp) systemic racism, (egad) white privilege, and (OMG) families that dont have a standard mom and dad and two kids and a dog. That manual said horrid things. Like how kids and families are different and you should probably be nice to them anyway. Imagine. It was scary, because it might remind teachers that a real world exists beyond the white walls and whitewash of the Alabama Legislature. So Rep. Jamie Kiel, R-Russellville, got to be appalled. And applauded by his ilk. Ivey got to go back to sleep. And Cooper got the boot. But that was just the start. As AL.coms Rebecca Griesbach reported, the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education then began to examine its early learning and development standards. And by examine I mean the department went at it with a machete. Those dedicated educators chopped out 10 references to equity, a clearly subversive word meaning justice according to natural law or right, which is not welcome or fitting for Alabama schools or public buildings or brains. They looked at their work. And it was surely good. For justice removed is injustice ignored in Alabama. Its what we are built on, and what we must keep from our children. These public servants searched and searched, and chopped and chopped more fiercely, as if clear-cutting old forest for a suburban stripmall. By the end they cut 60 of the 65 references to equity including a whole chapter right out of the Alabama education standards. Surely, like God on the sixth day, they looked at all they had done, and, behold, found it very good. Theyd whittled all those references to equity, all those notions of kindness and acceptance and attempts to understand people who are different, to a number even a state legislator can count on his fingers. They cut references to equity from 65 to 5 a 92.3 percent drop, if youre counting. Which is the most Alabama thing ever. We have normalized meanness and intolerance and doubled down on delusion, in a state that wrote a constitution the politicians said it out loud, you know to keep Black people away from the polls and in their place. We have made examining that sort of history in schools illegal, and talk of it a firing offense, in a state that for generations used school textbooks as propaganda to tell students how slaves really liked being slaves, that white masters were really just looking out for their interests. Were full tilt into an Alabama inquisition, where compassion is ridiculed and common decency demonized. We do the thing that represents us so well. We edit equity right out of our expectations. Because we dont want students or their parents to see the truth. We remove equity from our schools. There is no place for compassion there, or examination of ourselves. It is so Alabama. Where we break what is good like our early childhood program just to pander for what is bad. John Archibald is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for AL.com. A city worker in west Alabama was killed overnight in a trench collapse. The body of 46-year-old Tony Rice, of Eutaw, was recovered early Wednesday. Please pray for the Rice family and Eutaw, according to a post on the citys Facebook page. Our hearts of full of sadness at this time as we deal with the loss of a hard worker and great friend. Eutaw City Hall was closed to the public Wednesday following Rices death. The collapse happened Wednesday night. Utility workers were working on sewer lines and the dirt around them collapsed on them, according to the Greene County Ambulance Service. The GCAS medics and Eutaw Fire and Rescue workers began trying to rescue Rice. Once he was found, it was determined that the hole the patient was in was very unstable and continuing to collapse, the ambulance service posted on Facebook. City of Eutaw worker Tony Rice was killed in a trench collapse in Greene County. (Contributed) Tuscaloosa Fire and Rescues Tactical Response Team was dispatched to the scene. Crews spent about eight hours trying to rescue Rice. This type of rescue is not only very uncommon, but also very dangerous and requires very specific equipment and training that Tuscaloosa Fire has at their disposal, the ambulance service wrote. We are extremely fortunate to have a neighboring county that has this type of equipment and personnel that we can call upon in our time of need. The Greene County Independent posted this statement from the city: The City of Eutaw is saddened at the loss of a hard worker and great friend. Tony Rice was a dedicated worker who has served the City of Eutaw for many years. Our public works employees are first responders whos daily responsibilities are to maintain public infrastructure like roads and utilities. No one ever wants to have to deal with a situation like this, and no one ever thinks it will happen to them. Over the next several days there will be more questions than answers as we move through all of the official processes and also deal with heavy hearts and sadness at a loss of someone whos close to you. We will forever miss Tonys smiling face and energy. We would ask for your thoughts and prayers during this time as we are all grieving. Out of respect for the family, out of concern for the rest of the Team Eutaw family, and due to the nature of the circumstances we are not going to be able to provide additional comments at this time. Rice was a 1996 graduate of Eutaw High School. At first, she thought helping Donald Trump shop for a womens lingerie gift at a luxury department store would simply be a funny New York thing. Even when, according to E. Jean Carroll, the then-businessman motioned her to a dressing room as they dared each other to try on a see-through bodysuit, she imagined something like a Saturday Night Live sketch shed written. But soon, my whole reason for being alive in that moment was to get out of that room, Carroll testified Wednesday in the trial of her rape lawsuit. Im here because Donald Trump raped me, and when I wrote about it, he said it didnt happen. He lied and shattered my reputation, and Im here to try and get my life back, Carroll told jurors. As she took the stand to give testimony that sometimes brought her to tears, Trump, from afar, repeated his insistence that Carrolls claim of a 1996 rape is utter fiction. He called the case a made-up scam, and more. This is a fraudulent & false story Witch Hunt! Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. His comments prompted the judge to warn Trumps lawyers that he could bring more legal problems upon himself. Trump hasnt attended the trial thus far, but his lawyers said Tuesday he still could decide to testify. The trial comes as Trump again seeks the Republican nomination for president, and weeks after he pleaded not guilty to unrelated criminal charges that involve payments made to silence a porn actor who said she had a sexual encounter with him. Carroll, a 79-year-old former advice columnist, was largely matter-of-fact on the witness stand so much so that after she wept while telling jurors that being able to get my day in court is everything to me, she rapidly composed herself and declined to take a break. Im not going to sit here and cry and waste everybodys time, she said. Carroll testified that she crossed paths with Trump at the revolving door to Bergdorf Goodman on an unspecified Thursday evening in spring 1996. At the time, she was writing a long-running advice column in Elle magazine, having also written for SNL. Trump was a real estate magnate and social figure in New York. She said he asked her advice about selecting a gift for a woman, and she was delighted to oblige. As an advice columnist, to have Trump ask for gift guidance was a wonderful prospect, and Carroll figured she would end up with a funny story, she said. She testified that she suggested a hat, but he pivoted to lingerie, and soon they were bantering about the bodysuit. Amused and flirting, she went along, laughing even as he closed the door to the dressing room, perhaps even as he pushed her against a wall. But then, she alleges, Trump stamped his mouth onto hers, yanked down her tights and shoved his hand and then his penis inside her while she struggled against him. She said she finally kneed him off her and fled. Carroll said that for decades, she told no one except two friends because she was afraid Trump would retaliate, because she thought it was my fault and because she thought many people blame rape victims for what happened to them. The alleged attack happened long before the #MeToo movement forced a reckoning with how sexual assault victims are treated by law enforcement and the public. Carroll has said #MeToo fueled her decision to come forward in a 2019 memoir and accompanying magazine excerpt. The Associated Press typically does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, as Carroll has done. Trump, 76, has said he wasnt at the store with Carroll and had no clue who she was when she first aired the story publicly. He has said she was totally lying and called the case a hoax, a lie and " complete con job. Trumps comments launched a staggering onslaught of hateful and occasionally threatening messages toward her, according to Carroll, whose suit also includes a defamation claim. As court was about to begin Wednesday, Trump used Truth Social to vent his feelings again about the case and alluded to a DNA issue that Judge Lewis A. Kaplan has ruled cant be part of the case. He wasnt pleased. Trump, the judge said, appeared to be addressing his supporters and the jury about stuff that has no business being spoken about. Kaplan called Trumps post a public statement that, on the face of it, seems entirely inappropriate. Trump attorney Joe Tacopina noted that jurors are told not to follow any news or online commentary about the trial. But he said he would ask Trump to refrain from any further posts about this case. I hope youre more successful, Kaplan said, adding that Trump may or may not be tampering with a new source of potential liability. Carroll is due to continue testifying Thursday, when Trumps lawyers likely will get their chance to question her. Her federal lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and a retraction of his allegedly defamatory comments. She never pursued criminal charges. Meanwhile, the judge decided Wednesday that the trial wont delve into funding that Carrolls lawyers got from American Future Republic, an organization funded by LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman. Trumps lawyers had argued that the money raised questions about Carrolls credibility. Kaplan concluded there was nothing there and, after hearing that Trumps son Eric had just tweeted criticism of the funding, he again advised Tacopina to speak with Donald Trump. Tacopina has asserted that Carroll sued to get money and try to punish Trump politically. Carroll, a registered Democrat, testified that she voted for his Democratic opponents in 2016 and 2020 but said that has nothing to do with her lawsuit. Im not settling a political score at all, she said. Im settling a personal score. Florida has a bit of a reputation as the center of some bizarre stories. Over the last 24 hours, add another to the list. Wednesdays storms resulted in hail across the state. Yes, in April. Hail was reported from Jacksonville to Palm Beach and from Gainesville and Orlando. It was the first major hail storm to take place in recent memory, weather officials pointed out to Florida Today. It was very unusual, Kole Fehling, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service reported Thursday. Earlier this month, Fort Lauderdale got 25 inches of rain is a case of a strong thunderstorm not knowing when to say when. Normally storms fizzle out after 20 minutes or they move on. But the supercell didnt. It poured for six to eight hours and was continuously fed by the nearby Gulf Stream. Check out some of the more extreme weather conditions in the Sunshine State over the past 24 hours. Not too often we use a ruler to measure frozen stuff on the ground in #Florida. Nearly six inches of #hail in Palm Bay this afternoon. Credit: Donna Kearns and @wxkaitlin pic.twitter.com/qC76yIdnZD Paul DellegattoFOX (@PaulFox13) April 26, 2023 In my whole life, Ive never witnessed anything like this. The hail today in Melbourne Florida, Brevard county was insane. Tornado right down the road. Luckily everyone in town seems okay. #weather #hail #tornado #floridasnow pic.twitter.com/6TvbJ9lW96 Frank from Florida (@RealFrankFromFL) April 26, 2023 Wow! Check out this clip from a Live Traffic Cam in Possum Bluff, #Florida just now as a #SevereThunderstorm moved through with 60mph wind and 1.25in #Hail. #flwx @NWSJacksonville pic.twitter.com/WpDyDXCWbF BirdingPeepWx (@BirdingPeepWx) April 26, 2023 The courtyard this afternoon at Central Middle School in West Melbourne. #Florida #hail pic.twitter.com/0vKbJv6IO3 Paul DellegattoFOX (@PaulFox13) April 27, 2023 @freep, look! It's children playing in the ... hail ... in Melbourne, Florida ... in late April. https://t.co/ELi097ssPA pic.twitter.com/pTj1oCJdeH Florida Today (@Florida_Today) April 27, 2023 Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. Gov. Kay Ivey spoke briefly with reporters this morning about her decision to dismiss Alabama Secretary of Early Childhood Education Barbara Cooper, a member of her cabinet who oversaw Alabamas acclaimed pre-kindergarten program. The governor gave the same reasons her office gave when Cooper was forced to resign last week -- disagreement over a pre-K educator resource book that included references to structural racism in American history and equity and dignity for gay and transgender people. Ivey indicated those topics were outside the scope of what 4-year-olds should be taught. The governor has the authority and the right to hire and fire any staff member or cabinet member, Ivey said this morning when asked why she dismissed Cooper. We mutually agreed that she should move on and we needed to change the direction we were going in. We need to focus on the basics, yall. The absolute basics of education. Weve got to get this right. Focusing on math, reading, and basics, is what we need to be focusing on. And dont let it get sidetracked on other items. And these are 4-year-olds besides that. So its just the right thing to do. Im proud for Barbara to have served as she did. But its just time change the direction that were moving in. Asked what indicated Cooper was not focused on the basics, Ivey said, The teacher resource book that I looked at had all those references to different kind of lifestyles and equity and this and that and the other. Thats not teaching English. Thats not teaching writing. Thats not teaching reading. We need to focus on the basics, yall, and get this right. The governor answered questions during a brief session with reporters after a ceremonial bill signing at the Capitol. Asked if not was beneficial for young children, 4-year-olds, to feel welcome in classrooms so they had the emotional basis to learn those concepts, Ivey said, Sure we want all children to feel welcomed in classrooms but to focus on the basics of education so they can get math and science and reading under their belts. Last Friday, Iveys office released a statement saying that state officials were alerted about a pre-K educator resource book that they said contained content that is simply not in line with what the Ivey Administration or the people of Alabama stand for or believe. The book in question was the fourth edition of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Developmentally Appropriate Practice Book, Iveys spokeswoman Gina Maiola confirmed Friday. In the news release, Maiola said Ivey was concerned that the book tells teachers there are larger systemic forces that perpetuate systems of White privilege and that the United States is built on systemic and structural racism. She was concerned, too, Maiola said, with the directions that LGBTQIA+ need to hear and see messages that promote equality, dignity and worth. The governors office said last week that Ivey directed Cooper to send a memo to disavow the book and discontinue its use. The governor then made the decision to have a change in leadership at the department and accepted Coopers resignation immediately, according to the news release. According to its website, NAEYC is a national accrediting board that works to provide high-quality early learning materials for children up to age eight. Cooper was elected to the associations national governing board in 2022 and her term ends in 2026. Earlier this week, leaders of the organization pushed back Iveys denunciation of the training materials and firing of Cooper. A group of 11 current and former executives called Iveys recent actions a renewed attack on educators. Read more: National pre-K group NAEYC defends Barbara Cooper, Alabama official ousted over woke training Ivey appointed Cooper as secretary of Early Childhood Education in 2020. Cooper had worked at the Department of Early Childhood Education since 2018. Cooper has worked more than 30 years in education. She served as deputy state superintendent/chief academic officer of the Alabama State Department of Education, deputy superintendent of Huntsville City Schools, chief equity and engagement officer of Aurora Public Schools (Colorado) and as a principal with Denver Public Schools. She has teaching experience ranging from elementary to teacher instruction. The National Institute for Early Education Research has recognized Alabamas prekindergarten program for meeting all of its quality benchmarks for more than a decade. Derrick Carroll, the second Owensboro, Kentucky man charged in the 2022 shooting death of a man, is currently incarcerated on other charges in Alabama. Carroll, 30, was charged with murder in the June 13 death of John Leak Jr. outside Leaks mothers home. Damian M. Fields, 28, of Livermore, was also charged in Leaks death. Fields trial, which started April 18, ended Tuesday when jurors found Fields not guilty of complicity to murder, and to lesser charges of complicity to second-degree manslaughter and complicity to reckless homicide. Commonwealths Attorney Bruce Kuegel said Carroll will be tried for charges in Alabama before returning to Daviess County. My detectives in the office have contacted Alabama, Kuegel said. They have a detainer on him, but (court officials) are not finished with him in Alabama. Carroll went to Alabama after June 13, 2022, when Leak was killed. Fields testified at trial he and Carroll went to Illinois the night of June 13, where Fields planned to visit relatives. The two later separated. On June 28, Carroll was arrested in Limestone County, Alabama, after a police chase. Media reports of the incident say Carroll was charged with reckless endangerment, attempting to elude a police officer, drug trafficking, possession of a pistol by a violent felon, receiving stolen property and tampering with evidence. According to media accounts, Carroll was with a woman in a vehicle when he fled through the cities of Priceville and Decatur, striking a person on a bicycle before being forced to stop. A trial date for Carroll in Owensboro has not been set. He has been indicted, so theres a warrant for the charges, Kuegel said. Officials in Alabama will contact Daviess County prosecutors when they have completed Carrolls case, Kuegel said. ___ (c)2023 the Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro, Ky.) Visit the Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro, Ky.) at www.messenger-inquirer.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Symposium to be held to mark anniversary of historic Wang-Koo Talks: mainland spokesperson Xinhua) 13:08, April 27, 2023 BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- A symposium will be held on Friday in Beijing to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Wang-Koo Talks, a historic meeting that marked a major step forward for cross-Strait relations, a Chinese mainland spokesperson said Wednesday. In April 1993, Wang Daohan, then head of the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), and Koo Chen-fu, then chairman of the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation, held a productive meeting in Singapore, establishing institutionalized mechanisms for contact and consultation between the two sides. The Wang-Koo Talks were the first high-level meeting held between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan in the name of the authorized non-governmental organizations since 1949, said Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council. Friday's symposium will be hosted by the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office, in collaboration with the ARATS, she said at a press conference. The Wang-Koo Talks set a precedent for high-level contact, dialogue and equal-footed consultation across the Taiwan Strait, highlighted the importance of the 1992 Consensus as the foundation for cross-Strait consultation, and demonstrated that the Chinese people on both sides have the ability and wisdom to properly handle their own affairs, Zhu said. Calling for efforts to draw from the historical experience of the Wang-Koo Talks, Zhu stressed the importance of upholding the political foundation of the 1992 Consensus, following the right direction of peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, and protecting the interests and well-being of people on both sides, in an effort to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol arrives to deliver remarks to a joint meeting of Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on April 27, in Washington, D.C. AFP-Yonhap South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol told U.S. lawmakers on Thursday it is necessary to speed up trilateral cooperation with Japan and the United States to counter increasing North Korean nuclear threats, and said the world must not "shy away" from promoting freedom for the North. Yoon, on the fourth day of a state visit to mark the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-South Korean norwork to safeguard the freedom of the people of Ukraine and support their reconstruction efforts. He was greeted with a standing ovation and repeated loud cheers in a packed House of Representatives chamber by members of the House and Senate. Yoon paid tribute to the U.S. sacrifice to defend freedom against communism in the 1950-53 Korean War, as well as the work of 19th century U.S. missionaries to advance women's status in Korea. "Korea will never forget the great American heroes who fought with us to defend freedom," he said. Today is the 12th anniversary of the weather day Alabama will never forget. On April 27, 2011, Alabama was hit by at least 62 tornadoes in several waves. Those tornadoes caused catastrophic destruction in many areas and took at least 250 lives. Veteran meteorologists have described it as a generational weather event, only rivaled in recent history by the 1974 super outbreak of tornadoes. On April 27, 2011, Alabama was hit by not one but two rare, extremely violent EF-5 tornadoes, the strongest category on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. (Another EF-5 that tracked through Mississippi was beneath that threshold when it moved into Marion County in west Alabama, according to the National Weather Service.) There have been 59 EF-5 (classified as F-5s prior to 2007) tornadoes on record in the U.S. as a whole since 1950, according to NOAAs Storm Prediction Center. The last one to hit the U.S. was nearly 10 years ago in Moore, Okla. READ MORE: See past stories about the April 27, 2011 tornado outbreak in Alabama There were four EF-5 tornadoes on April 27, 2011, and two of those were at EF-5 intensity when they affected Alabama, according to SPC data. One of those tornadoes tracked through northwestern Alabama and was the deadliest of all the Alabama tornadoes that day -- killing 72 people, according to the National Weather Service. It is also the deadliest tornado on record in Alabama. The tornado touched down west of Hamilton in western Alabama at 2:05 p.m. that day and left a 132-mile path that took it through parts of Marion, Franklin, Lawrence, Morgan, Limestone and Madison counties in Alabama before moving into Tennessee. The weather service estimated its winds as high as 210 mph and said it had a path that was three-quarters of a mile wide. The intersection of County Road 172 and Alabama Highway 43, looking to the northwest. The tornado was so strong that it wiped well-built homes off their foundations, leaving only slabs. It tossed vehicles like they were toys and wrapped at least one around a tree. That was not the only EF-5 to hit Alabama that day. A second, violent, devastating and deadly tornado struck later that afternoon in DeKalb County in northeast Alabama, killing 25 people. It was also a long-track tornado that touched down northeast of Geraldine and had a path that was more than 33 miles long. Here's what's left of a school bus in Rainsville after the EF-5 tornado that hit northeast Alabama on April 27, 2011. That tornado had winds estimated at 200 mph and was also three-quarters of a mile wide at its peak, according to the weather service. Those were not the only deadly tornadoes that day. Alabama was also struck by seven -- seven -- EF-4 tornadoes on April 27, 2011. Every single one was deadly: * Cullman (Cullman, Morgan and Marshall counties): 2:40 p.m., 175 mph winds, six deaths. * Cordova (Pickens, Tuscaloosa, Fayette, Walker and Blount counties): 3:40 p.m., 175 mph winds, 13 deaths, 54 injuries. * Section-Flat Rock (Jackson County): 4:01 p.m., 190 mph winds, 12 deaths. * Tuscaloosa-Birmingham (Tuscaloosa and Jefferson counties): 4:43 p.m., 190 mph winds, 65 deaths, 1,500 injuries. * Bridgeport (Jackson County): 5:05 p.m., 180 mph winds, 1 death. * Argo-Shoal Creek-Ohatchee-Forney (Jefferson, St. Clair, Calhoun, Etowah and Cherokee counties): 6:28 p.m., 180 mph winds, 22 deaths, 81 injuries. * Lake Martin (Elmore, Tallapoosa and Chambers counties): 8:12 p.m., 170 mph winds, seven deaths, 30 injuries. Other deadly tornadoes on April 27, 2011: * Sawyerville (Hale, Greene and Bibb counties): EF-3, seven deaths, 52 injuries. * Shottsville (Marion County): EF-3, seven deaths, 100 injuries. (This tornado was an EF-5 in Mississippi before it moved into Alabama.) * Pin Hook-Faunsdale (Choctaw, Sumter, Marengo, Perry counties): EF-3, seven deaths, 17 injuries. * Hanceville-Holly Pond (Cullman County): EF-1, one death. * Section to Shiloh (Jackson, DeKalb counties), EF-1, one death. READ MORE: See past stories about the April 27, 2011 tornado outbreak in Alabama Sign up for Alabamafication: Kyle Whitmires newsletter, Alabamafication examines the outsized influence of this very strange state, taking aim at corruption, cruelty, incompetence and hypocrisy while also seeking out those righteous folks making their state and country better places for all. This is an opinion column. Gather around the campfire, kids. Ive got a ghost story to tell about a mischievous spirit that still haunts the Alabama State House and a governor who doesnt know her education budget is already dead. It had been a long time since I had a call from my friend Mac Parsons, probably because he died about 10 years ago. But lately after an Alabama governor has recommended spending hundreds of millions from the Education Trust Fund on a water park, prisons and a shopping list of other things that arent schools Ive sometimes caught myself looking over at my phone. What would the old curmudgeon say? Calls from the circuit judge were an irregular but common thing. Always out of the blue. Never did he start with a hello or a this is Judge Parsons but only a gruff voice getting straight to it. You know what would make a good story? Parsons had served in the Alabama Legislature where he irritated his fellow lawmakers, exposing their schemes and lampooning their antics. Once he sent out invitations to a $500-per-seat fundraising reception to friends of Mac Parsons or those who would like to be friends of Mac Parsons with a 10 percent discount for anyone paying cash at the April 1 event. It was an April Fools Day joke, of course, but it also sent a message to his colleagues: Everybody can see what youre doing. All these legislators go to Montgomery, Parsons said. They put their hands on the Bible and swear to uphold the Alabama Constitution of 1901 and they havent read either one of them things. His quixotic crusades in Montgomery earned him accolades and nicknames from statehouse reporters and columnists Mac the Knife, the Goat Hill Guerilla, the Gadfly of Montgomery and the leader of a pack of contrarians called the Contras. One night the statehouse security locked Parsons outside when hed stepped out to smoke. Lawmakers were meeting inside and Parsons didnt think it was an accident. He kicked through the glass door and let himself back in. Eventually, Parsons became such an annoyance, the Legislature drew him out of his district to ensure hed never win again. But the source of his influence was never public office nor political power, it was phone calls to people like me. We were kindred trouble-making fools with similar goals to shine a light on Montgomery and shame it when it didnt serve the people first. Nearly every legislative session, I wonder what the old judge would think of things. Things like a governor directing education dollars to things that have nothing to do with education, including $25 million for a Montogmery water park. Then, out of the blue one recent afternoon, the phone rang. Ive been reading what youve been writing, the voice on the other end said. Theres something important you missed. Easy shortcut The voice on the phone wasnt Mac speaking from the other side, but perhaps the closest thing to it. The call came from his old law partner, Judge Pete Johnson, who shares our old friends knack for troublemaking. They tried this already, Johnson said. Mac Parsons sued them, and if Im remembering right, he went to the Supreme Court and won. When Gov. Kay Ivey recommended spending more than $300 million of education dollars on things that had nothing to do with education, at first I made an assumption: If this were legal, somebody would have done it already. The Education Trust Fund is too big for someone to never have tried to raid it before. I dug a little deeper. I went back to the law that created the Alabama Education Trust Fund in the first place and dang if it didnt lay it out in plain language: The ETF was for educational purposes only, the law said. That seemed clear enough, but often Alabama lawmakers just dont care what the law says. Theyll try anything and see if it sticks. Governors, too. And laws are only as hard and fast that the courts that apply them. But as it turns out, this sort of thing had happened before, only an old friend had stood in the way. Johnsons memory was mostly correct, but the details matter, especially when theyre funny. Court records and news stories from 1987 and 1988 show this indeed has happened before. Idled hands In 1986, Parsons had backed Jim Folsom Jr.s opponent for lieutenant governor. Folsom won anyway, and he retaliated by stripping Parsons of most of his committee assignments, much to the delight of other lawmakers. Parsons took it as a challenge. Ive said this and people take it jokingly, but without any really substantive committee assignments, Ive got the time to pursue the things Ive been interested in a long time, Parsons told The Birmingham News in 1987. In particular, Parsons set out to challenge how his colleagues loaded the Education Trust Fund with pork projects. His colleagues fussed, but Parsons filibustered the budget. He challenged the state Senate to ask the Alabama Supreme Court whether their non-education appropriations out of the ETF were legal. Lawmakers caved and asked for an opinion. And then they kept asking, in hopes of getting the answer they wanted. Before the session was over, the states highest court gave them three. No matter how many times and in how many ways the Legislature asked the question, the court gave the same answer in so many words. No, you cant do that. And then the legislature pretty much did what it wanted anyway. Lawmakers stripped some of the more egregious pork projects out of the education budget, but they left in funding for non-education departments. Parsons learned to use his law license as a superpower to wield against the Legislature. He sued. It wouldnt be the last time. And he wasnt the only one to sue, either. Paul Hubbert, the head of the Alabama Education Association, followed behind him and took the state to court, too. Legal precedent The lower courts ruled that Parsons was right and the Legislature had broken the law. Ultimately, the higher court heard Hubberts case first. It ruled in favor of Hubbert, saying ETF funding could be used for educational purposes only, as the law clearly said. Macs lawsuit was rendered moot, but his point was validated and Alabamas state budget was thrown into chaos. Perhaps more importantly, the court said the legislature could not un-earmark ETF money with a wave of its hand. [T]he removal or disregard of earmarking is not a matter properly to be included in an appropriation bill, the court said. In other words, once tax dollars make it into the ETF, theyre to be spent for education purposes only and no bill appropriating that money can undo that. Which is the very thing Kay Ivey is currently trying to do today directing education money to water parks and whatnot. As a legal matter, this sort of thing was settled a long time ago only so much time had passed that most folks had forgotten. Everybody, it seems, but Macs old law partner. I suppose theres nothing stopping the governor or lawmakers from trying anyway, but they cant do so with the assumption that theyll have the Supreme Court on their side. Theres a precedent one thatll be hard to overcome. And at least one mischievous spirit still causing trouble from beyond the grave. Kyle Whitmire is the state political columnist for the Alabama Media Group, 2020 winner of the Walker Stone Award, winner of the 2021 SPJ award for opinion writing, and 2021 winner of the Molly Ivins prize for political commentary. Sign up for his weekly newsletter and get "Alabamafication" in your inbox every Wednesday. More columns by Kyle Whitmire Is Kay Iveys education spending plan legal? No one from the state will say. Alabama governor wants $100 million of school funds for prison construction Alabama governor sends education dollars to water park Authorities have released the name of a man who died early Wednesday after officers found him asking for help at a west Birmingham store. Birmingham police identified the victim as Richard Mark Carter. He was 56. Police initially said Carter did from a stab wound, but an autopsy by the Jefferson County Coroners Office determined he had actually been shot. Officers were at the Food Mart at 2258 Bessemer Road about 1:30 a.m. on a separate call when they saw a man now identified as Carter - asking for help, said Officer Truman Fitzgerald. Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service was called to the scene and rushed him to UAB Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Investigators initially unsure where the assault had taken place. However, the citys gunfire detection system Shot Spotter led officers to determine the shooting possibly happened at Western Trace Apartments at 2129 31st Street Ensley. No arrests have been made. Carter is the citys 39th homicide in 2023. Of those, one was an officer-involved shooting by an outside agency and three others have been ruled justifiable and therefore arent deemed criminal. In all of Jefferson County, there have been 53 homicides including the 39 in Birmingham. Anyone with information is asked to call homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. A raid at an east Birmingham home turned up a cache of weapons including a flamethrower, as well as drugs. The Birmingham Police Departments Vice and Narcotics Unit launched an investigation after receiving complaints of drug activity at a residence, said Officer Truman Fitzgerald. That investigation led to a raid at a home in the 4000 block of Danbury Circle. The search turned up six assault rifles, six handguns, four rifles, two shotguns and one suppressor, as well as the flamethrower. Detectives also recovered 2,048 Xanax pills, 4.3 grams of THC Chocolate, 91 grams of THC Cartridges, 98 grams of Mushroom Chocolate Bars, 296 grams of THC Wax, 2000 mg of Testosterone Cypionate, 1000 mg of Trenbolone Acetate (an anabolic steroid), 50 ml of Hydrocodone, and 3,180 grams of Marijuana. Weston Stidham, 36, is charged with drug trafficking and possession of a controlled substance. Jefferson County Jail records show was booked into the lockup at 3:59 p.m. Wednesday and released at 8:55 p.m. after posting $15,000 bond. Fitzgerald said more arrests could follow. Samford University has named Dawn McCormack, an Egyptologist, as the first female dean of the Howard College of Arts and Sciences, effective July 1. McCormack succeeds Timothy D. Hall, dean since 2016. McCormack earned her B.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. She has led numerous archaeological excavations. I have been to Egypt around 25 times, McCormack said. As I worked with research teams and eventually led them, I realized that teaching was important to me. I also loved the administrative, leadership parts of my projects. I hired large teams of local villagers, had a house staff, managed my research team, worked with various Egyptian authorities, and managed my budget, among many other, often unpredictable tasks that would emerge. For the past four years, McCormack has been associate dean of the Middle Tennessee State University College of Graduate Studies. She also served as interim co-director and then director of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. She was an assistant and then associate dean at the College of Liberal Arts from 2014 until 2019 and served as the director of the Masters in the Liberal Arts program and interim director and chair of Global Studies and Human Geography. I am honored to join Howard College of Arts and Sciences, McCormack said in a statement released by Samford. The college plays a fundamental role in providing all undergraduate students with a high-quality liberal arts-based education. I look forward to joining the Samford University family of faculty, students and alumni and contributing to the mission of this nationally recognized Christian institution. A Jackson County woman who served jail time for killing a man accused of raping her is now back in jail after authorities say she violated her parole during drug rehabilitation. Brittany Joyce Smith, 35, was taken into custody at Jackson County Jail last Thursday to serve a 15-day probation violation sentence for failing to complete a drug rehabilitation program. According to court documents, Smith was discharged from drug rehab for possessing a cell phone and fraternizing with a male in the program. Smith had requested to enter rehab. She was released from the Alabama Department of Corrections on Dec. 12 last year. She is scheduled to enroll in a new rehab program on Friday, documents say. Here is full coverage of the case Smith pleaded guilty on the eve of her scheduled trial to killing Todd Smith, no relation, in the kitchen of her home in Stevenson on the morning of Jan. 16, 2018 just hours after Brittany said Todd raped and strangled her. If Smith had been convicted at trial, she would have faced up to life in prison. Her story drew national media attention and raised questions about how abused women are treated in the Alabama criminal justice system. State of Alabama vs. Brittany Smith, a Netflix documentary recounted her case. A Limestone County jury this afternoon found a teenager guilty of the 2019 killing of five of his family members. Mason Sisk, 17, was found guilty of four counts of capital murder after the jury deliberated for not quite two hours. Sentencing is set for July 25, according to WHNT. Sisk faces life in prison since he was a teenager when the murders took place. The jury heard closing arguments earlier this morning after Sisks defense rested on Wednesday without calling witnesses. On Tuesday, jurors saw a video where Sisk admitting killing his family members because he said he was fed up of all the fighting. Sisk had been charged with killing five family members while they slept when he was 14 years old on Sept. 2, 2019. The shootings occurred in Elkmont, a small town near the Tennessee state line. Limestone County Circuit Judge Chad Wise ordered a mistrial last year after a large amount of information from the cellphone of Mary Sisk became available to both parties during the trial. Mary Sisk, 35, was Mason Sisks adoptive mother and one of the five people he is accused of killing. Mason Sisk was also accused of fatally shooting his father John Sisk, 38, and siblings Kane, 6, Rorrie, 4, and Colson, 6 months. A federal prison officer in Alabama has been indicted on charges that he sexually abused to female inmates. The two-count indictment against Bureau of Prisons Corrections Officer Robert D. Smith, according to a Thursday announcement by Northern District of Alabama U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona and Assist U.S. Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division. Smith is accused of knowingly engaging in sexual acts with the women identified only as T.M. and R. R.L. who were, at the time, in official detention and under Smiths custodial, supervisory and disciplinary authority at the Federal Correctional Institute in Aliceville in western Alabama. According to the indictment, Smith had sexual intercourse with the woman. One of the incidents reportedly took place in 2018, and the other in 2019. If convicted, Smith faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison on each charge, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The Justice Departments Office of the Inspector General investigated the case. Northern District of Alabama Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert O. Posey and Attorney Anna Gotfryd of the Civil Rights Divisions Criminal Section are prosecuting the case. This is a guest opinion column After years of extensive review, the fact is that Redstone Arsenal is the best location to permanently house U.S. Space Command. While we wait for the final decision to be announced, I want to lay out the facts. In March 2020, the Secretary of Defense approved a three-part basing process for the permanent headquarters of U.S. Space Command. The Air Force reviewed 50 self-nominated sites, producing the following recommendations from the first phase of review, in order: Redstone Arsenal, AL Offutt Air Force Base, NE Port San Antonio, TX Peterson Air Force Base, CO Kirtland Air Force Base, NM Patrick Air Force Base, FL In its second phase, the Air Force looked at the same factors and criteria to determine how well each location could perform the mission, and at what cost to the taxpayer. Redstone Arsenal performed best, with nine criteria ranking in the top third. In fact, Redstone Arsenal was the highest scoring installation out of any of the finalists. The Air Force conducted site visits, which only confirmed their findings. Following this second review, the Air Force updated its rankings: 1. Redstone Arsenal, AL 2. Kirtland Air Force Base, NM 3. Offutt Air Force Base, NE 4. Port San Antonio, TX 5. Peterson Air Force Base, CO 6. Patrick Air Force Base, FL This thorough and fact-based process concluded with the Air Force announcing Redstone Arsenal as the preferred location of U.S. Space Command on January 13, 2021. Redstone Arsenal had the top score of all the sites based on available workforce, value to the taxpayer, proximity to other relevant space agencies, cost of living for American service members and civilian personnel, and overall force protection. Simply put, Redstone Arsenal was chosen to house the permanent headquarters of U.S. Space Command because it is best for national security and the American people. To address concerns of foul play and political bias, the Office of the DoD Inspector General (DoD IG) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) opened investigations into the Air Forces basing process and found no violations to justify reversing the Air Forces decision. The DoD IGs final report found the Air Forces basing process, complied with law and policy, and was reasonable in identifying Huntsville as the preferred location. The final reports from both investigations will be one year old in May. All this and we still dont have a final decision from the Secretary of the Air Force. During a 2021 White House meeting regarding the U.S. Space Command basing decision, the discussion revolved around two states Alabamas Redstone Arsenal and Colorados Peterson Air Force Base, even though the Nebraska and Texas sites ranked higher than Colorado in the Air Forces selection phase. Compared to Redstone Arsenals top marks during the basing process, Peterson only had five criteria in the top third; six in the middle; and 10 in the bottom. The very fact that Peterson was a part of the conversation at the White House is puzzling since Peterson ranked fourth out of six during the evaluation phase. Even more puzzling is how the Air Force received last-minute information in the days leading up to the 2021 meeting about how U.S. Space Command could reduce personnel numbers, which would have allowed Peterson to renovate an existing facility instead of constructing a new headquarters building. But even then, this information would have only moved Peterson into the No. 3 selection phase slot and other sites were not allowed to evaluate the reduced personnel numbers for their own existing buildings. In the end, this sudden revelation was thrown out. But Colorado was still considered during the White House discussion. During a May 2022 briefing, GAO shared that there was a large break between the top two candidates and everyone else. Translation Redstone Arsenal, the No. 1 preference, and Kirtland Air Force Base, the No. 2 preference, were vastly more qualified to house U.S. Space Command headquarters than any of the other sites, including Peterson. I think its worth repeating: Peterson Air Force Base, CO, ranked fourth in the evaluation phase, and fifth in the selection phase. Lets leave the politics out of this. Our workforce in North Alabama has proven itself time and time again. Redstone Arsenal is clearly the best choice for U.S. Space Command and for National Security. Congressman Dale W. Strong represents the Fifth District of Alabama and is a member of House Armed Services, Homeland Security, and Science, Space and Technology Committees. Longing for the good ol days of the Confederacy? Wanna party down with your anti-woke book banning, beer drinking buddies? Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has the KKKoozie for you. In his guest opinion column, Ward Welty writes: Governor Ivey isnt there yet, but every day brings her closer to out-Trumping Trump and out-DeSantising DeSantis. Her latest move, firing Dr. Barbara Cooper, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education, is a perfect example. Related: Gov. Kay Ivey denounces woke preschool training book, ousts state official - al.com Related: Kay Ivey hawking real women koozies in dig of Bud Light, trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney - al.com Related: The Confederate governor: Kay Ivey promised to do better. She hasnt. - al.com Why was Dr. Cooper fired? According to the governor, for being woke. Unfortunately, Governor Ivey is going to leave a shameful legacy. She will be remembered as the governor who would rather build prisons than expand Medicaid. The governor who shamelessly advocates permit-free, open-carry gun laws. The governor who sacks education officials because all they want to do is to inform students truthfully about Alabamas cultural history. Alabamians deserve a governor who will give them leadership, not political grandstanding. Read all of Weltys words here: Guest opinion: Reactionary right-wing of GOP has co-opted woke, - al.com In his The Confederate governor column, Kyle Whitmire writes: Gov. Kay Ivey promised to do better. First, she lied about having worn blackface in college. Then she got caught. She said she was sorry and that she would work with Black lawmakers until she exhausted every effort to heal the state. And they forgave her. Finally, she reverted back to her old ways defending Confederate iconography, telling lies about CRT, celebrating Alabamas treasonous past, and now hijacking pre-K education for the sake of anti-woke hysteria. Read all of Whitmires column here More related Kay Ivey content: Kay Ivey turns Alabama Education Trust Fund into an ATM - al.com Kay Ivey uses education funds to give taxpayers $25 million waterpark enema - al.com Kay Ivey makin it rain on Alabama billion dollar prison plan - al.com True stories and stuff by JD Crowe The mysterious Bubble Guy of Fairhope and the art of bubble Zen - al.com How I met Dr. Seuss Robert Plant head-butted me. Thanks, David Coverdale I was ZZ Tops drummer for a night and got kidnapped by groupies Check out more cartoons and stuff by JD Crowe God, guns and sacrificial lambs: Alabamas worship of guns is killing our children - al.com Fox News pays $787.5 million for lying: Our viewers dont want the truth - al.com Dadeville shooting: Hearts broken, dreams shattered by gun violence at birthday party - al.com Alabama GOP lawmakers divisive concepts bill fights racism with racism - al.com Hold my beer: Tennessee GOP expels Democracy, goes all in on white nationalism - al.com JD Crowe is the cartoonist for Alabama Media Group and AL.com. He won the RFK Human Rights Award for Editorial Cartoons in 2020. In 2018, he was awarded the Rex Babin Memorial Award for local and state cartoons by the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. Follow JD on Facebook, Twitter @Crowejam and Instagram @JDCrowepix. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks alongside U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris during a State Lunch at the U.S. State Department for Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol at the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C., April 27. Reuters-Yonhap Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attended a state luncheon hosted by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday, as the two countries marked the 70th anniversary of the bilateral alliance. The luncheon was held at the State Department on the fourth day of Yoon's six-day state visit to the U.S., with the participation of more than 200 people from both countries. "Over the past 70 years, the South Korea-U.S alliance has developed into the most successful alliance in history upon the soil of our war veterans' sacrifices," Yoon said. "I plan to develop the alliance in a way that increases practical benefits for our two countries' peoples. Our future will be more brilliant than the past," he said. This is a guest opinion column Teachers have shaped the lives of generations of Alabama students. Thats why its so important that we continue to support them with the training, guidance, and resources needed to help the next generation reach its greatest potential. Governor Iveys decision to force Dr. Barbara Cooper out as Secretary of the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education (ADECE) flies in the face of all our progress in preparing our young people for the future. Unfortunately, at a time when Alabama should be celebrated for developing one of the nations premier early childhood education systems, this move does exactly the opposite. Instead of building on that progress much of which can be credited to Dr. Coopers leadership this kind of political posturing tears it down. And sadly, Alabama children, students, and families will pay the price. Lets get real: the resource book that the Governor and her press team are branding as woke simply offers educators guidance not a curriculum for connecting with and understanding students. The National Association for the Education of Young Children Developmentally Appropriate Practice Book, 4th Edition is a resource developed by a national accrediting board to provide teachers with educator-informed and research-based strategies. It was not distributed to parents or students nor does it mandate teaching standards. Rather it simply encourages teachers to understand the bias that may impact students lives and their learning experiences. In trying to use it to push Dr. Cooper out (and Alabama into culture-war politics), Ivey is missing the mark and the bigger picture. Any teacher can tell you that interpersonal connection and mutual understanding are the foundation for success in the classroom and that relationship-building is especially important in early childhood. The most successful teachers are empathetic, self-aware, and understanding of the need to bridge cultural differences in connecting with students. While the Governors office has attempted to misinterpret and misrepresent the books guidance to generate click-bait and cable news debates, the truth is it advises teachers to be supportive and inclusive of all students. The fact is Dr. Cooper remains one of Alabamas most qualified and trusted education leaders. She brings a wealth of experience and an extensive knowledge base. In addition to directing our nationally recognized First Class Pre-K program, which by the Governors own admission is the best in the country, Dr. Cooper has dedicated her life and career to education. Shes served in various roles from a classroom teacher to a school principal to Deputy State Superintendent and Chief Academic Officer of the Alabama State Department of Education. Youd be hard-pressed to find someone with the breadth and depth of experience that she brings to Alabamas early childhood education community. Thanks to Dr. Coopers work and that of the team at the ADECE, children who attend our First-Class Pre-K are now more likely to be kindergarten-ready and proficient in reading and math than ever before. Furthermore, Dr. Cooper was so well-respected that she was tapped to co-chair the Computer Science Advisory Council where she proved to be instrumental in making recommendations for expanding Computer Science from PreK through Grade 12. As a result, Alabama is now one of just a handful of states that have achieved the full range of requirements to broaden computer science statewide, making Alabama students as competitive in Americas economy as students from any state. Does this sound like someone who is putting an agenda before fundamentals? We dont think so. Should we be sacrificing Dr. Coopers work to score political points? Definitely not. Dr. Barbara Cooper is precisely the type of talented, committed, and visionary leader we need in early childhood education. The fact that the administration is attempting to use her as a political scapegoat is sad and disappointing its a black eye for education in Alabama. It also speaks to a general lack of experience among those advising the current administration. The fact that the very person who helped lead our early childhood education program to national acclaim a professional with an impeccable career in her field is attacked over a text that is widely used in other states, makes no sense whatsoever. And to attempt to smear Dr. Coopers reputation, while officials in underperforming roles are routinely praised upon their exits, is not only unfair, its wrong. Frankly, this move raises real questions about who is pushing these decisions and why? We strongly encourage the Governor to reconsider her position and reinstate Dr. Barbara Cooper as Secretary of the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education. Alabama has nothing to gain by forcing her out or attempting to disparage her reputation. We owe it to our kids to invest in them; not make them political pawns. We owe it to Dr. Cooper to acknowledge her professional success; not try to manufacture a controversy that could impact her career. If we all agree that the education of our children and young people is a top priority, we need to move Alabama forward, not backward. And if we are going to succeed in that mission, the Governor needs to take a hard look at who is advising her and where she is steering our state. Effective education leaders like Dr. Cooper deserve to be empowered, not ousted. Accepted teacher training resources should be widely available, not banned. And teachers should always look for ways to connect, educate, and inspire all students. Thats not controversial. Its as fundamental as it gets. Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville, represents the 53rd District in the Alabama State House of Representatives where he is Minority. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, represents District 24 in the Alabama Senate where he is Minority Leader. The Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Alaska (SSBN 732) returns to Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay following a patrol, in Kings Bay, Georgia, in this May 22, 2014, handout photo provided by the U. S. Navy. Reuters-Yonhap An Ohio-class nuclear-powered ballistic submarine (SSBN) will visit Korea, a Pentagon spokesperson said Thursday, one day after the leaders of Korea and the United States announced plans to strengthen U.S. extended deterrence provided to Seoul. An Ohio-class submarine is the largest type of ballistic missile submarine currently operated by the U.S. Navy. Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden announced ways to strengthen U.S. extended deterrence in an agreement, dubbed the "Washington Declaration," after holding a bilateral summit here Wednesday. U.S. administration officials earlier said a ballistic missile submarine will visit Korea under the declaration designed to reaffirm U.S. commitment to the security of Korea using all its military capabilities, including nuclear. "It was an Ohio-class SSBN," Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said when asked whether an Ohio-class or a Virginia-class submarine was set to visit South Korea under the leaders' agreement. This January 2022 photo shows Eastar Jet founder Lee Sang-jik arriving at a district court in the southwestern city of Jeonju. Yonhap The Supreme Court on Thursday finalized a six-year prison sentence for the founder of Korean budget carrier Eastar Jet convicted of embezzlement of company funds and breach of trust. Eastar founder and former Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lawmaker Lee Sang-jik was indicted for causing about 43 billion won ($32 million) in losses to the airline by underselling company shares to a subsidiary owned by his children in 2015. He was also charged with embezzling 5.36 billion won from Eastar and its affiliates. In addition, Lee was indicted for causing a loss of about 5.6 billion won to Eastar affiliates by arbitrarily raising or downgrading the value of bonds held by them, or paying off their long-term debts earlier than scheduled from 2016 to 2018. The top court also confirmed a prison sentence of 3 1/2 years for a nephew of Lee, who served as head of Eastar Jet's finance team, and a suspended imprisonment of two years for former Eastar Jet CEO Choi Jong-gu. The nephew and Choi were indicted on charges of collusion. The 60-year-old Lee defected from the DPK in September 2020 amid controversy over unpaid wages, mass layoffs and corruption allegations surrounding his company and family. He was stripped of his National Assembly seat in May last year after the Supreme Court upheld a suspended prison sentence handed down by lower courts to him for election law violations. Lee has been standing a separate trial on charges of involvement in corruption in the company's employee recruitment process. (Yonhap) Tucker Carlson, who caused headlines all over the world owing to his abrupt departure from Fox News, broke his silence yesterday in a video on Twitter. Tucker began on a philosophical note. He reflected on how liberating and gratifying it feels when one exits the bubble and insanity of the news world and meets regular people who are kind and well-meaning. One of the first things you realize, when you step outside the noise for a few days, is how many genuinely nice people there are in this country. Kind and decent people, people who really care about whats true, and a bunch of hilarious people also, a lot of those. Its got to be the majority of the population even now, so thats heartening. Tucker also revealed that a break often lends perspective and an understanding of the bigger picture and the issues that matter. The other thing you notice when you take a little time off is how unbelievably stupid most of the debates you see on television are, theyre completely irrelevant. They mean nothing. In five years, we wont even remember that we had them. Trust me, as someone whos participated. Tucker taking aim at the mainstream media and perhaps his former employer said that the issues that really matter are often ignored in favor of the latest emergency or scandal or frivolities. And yet the same time, and this is the amazing thing, the undeniably big topics, the ones that will define our future, get virtually no discussion at allwar, civil liberties, emerging science, demographic change, corporate power, natural resources. Tucker lamented the lack of meaningful debates where participants marshal their arguments in a passionate but disciplined and meaningful manner and respond to their opponents perspective. Debate is the bedrock of democracy and a fundamental component of freedom of expression. It presents a forum for everyone to be exposed to a wide variety of ideas which always leads to growth. This is why tyrants such as the Democrats abhor debates. They know their power remains in maintaining the status quo; they also know that their ideas are deficient, dangerous, and ridiculous and if their supporters are exposed to fresh perspectives, they may sway and abandon their party. So, they suppress messages that violate groupthink in an attempt to brand their challengers as bigots. The ultimate goal is to outlaw political opposition and have a permanent hold over power. The consequence of this is stagnation, corruption, and a total lack of accountability. When was the last time you heard a legitimate debate about any of those issues? Its been a long time. Debates like that are not permitted in American media. Both political parties and their donors have reached a consensus on what benefits them, and they actively collude to shut down any conversation about it. Tucker is right, the powers that be have been working to suppress all forms of dissent. There are two major areas from which dissent emanates: namely, the media and the people. So, what has happened to the media? Many experts claim that the mainstream media has a liberal bias or is pro-Democrat. This is erroneous because they assume the mainstream media and the Democrats are separate entities and the Democrats are influencing the media. That is simply not true. The current mainstream media functions as a propaganda wing of the Democrats and must be thought of as a department within the Democrat party organization. Their LinkedIn profiles or business cards may have the names of their organization, but these organizations are nothing more than fronts for the Democrat party. There is perfect synchronicity between their utterances despite being from different news organizations. They even use identical terminology while covering any given occurrence. Words such as collusion or insurrection were never part of common parlance, and didnt become the official terminology by accident or coincidence. Adept Democrat wordsmiths and masterminds supplied these terms to the mainstream media. The media assiduously repeated these terms over a prolonged period like parrots, until they became official jargon. It is not just terminology; the Democrat media managers also provide instructions on how to spin stories or overlook Democrat scandals. A perfect instance is the killing of the Hunter Biden laptop from hell story prior to the 2020 Presidential elections. When the NY Post carried reports on Hunters laptop, prominent personnel on MSNBC, NBC News, The Washington Post, The Daily Beast, CNN, and The NY Times coordinated their efforts to discredit the story. This didnt occur by accident; they were all acting on orders. They may be true believers of the cause, but uniformity in messaging is necessary to push propaganda. The voice of the people is also under attack. Social media platforms were the only forums where citizens were empowered to challenge the status quo and the powerful. Alas, those running the platforms colluded with the powers that be to manipulate the discourse rather than reflect public opinion. Any ideas that violate the Democrat groupthink were suppressed. A perfect instance is how Twitter worked with government agencies to suppress the Hunter Biden laptop story prior to the 2020 Presidential elections. Government agencies that should function as watchdogs have become lapdogs of the establishment. The lack of dissent has made the US seem like a third-world dictatorship. Tucker continued: Suddenly, the United States looks very much like a one-party state. Thats a depressing realization, but its not permanent. Our current orthodoxies wont last. Theyre brain-dead. Nobody actually believes them. Hardly anyones life is improved by them. This moment is too inherently ridiculous to continue, and so it wont. The people in charge know this. Thats why theyre hysterical and aggressive. Theyre afraid. Theyve given up persuasion. Theyre resorting to force, but it wont work. Despite his circumstance and the nation's descent into tyranny, Tucker ended his message on a hopeful note. He warned the powerful intoxicated by their illusion of permanence that once the patient long-suffering citizen decides that they have had enough of tyranny, their fiefdom will end and good will triumph over evil. When honest people say whats true, calmly and without embarrassment, they become powerful. At the same time, the liars whove been trying to silence them, shrink, and they become weaker. Thats the iron law of the universe. True things prevail. Tucker spoke about the lack of forums to state facts that are inconvenient to the establishment. He also added that the few places of dissent which may seem like flickering flames about to extinguish will illuminate society and bring about change. Where can you still find Americans saying true things? There arent many places left, but there are some, and thats enough. As long as you can hear the words, there is hope. Finally, Tucker promised a return: See you soon. Photo credit: Twitter video screengrab Democrats are violating almost every norm that was once regarded as sacrosanct, and in doing so, they are dragging one of the worlds largest democracies and only superpower into the muck of petty third world country politics. Yesterday, Democrat House member Eric Swalwell resorted to expletives during a hearing of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement as he questioned an expert witness. The vile Swalwell is among the foremost hoaxers in D.C. who earned prominence among Democrats and infamy among some Republicans for being a leading amplifier of the Trump-Russia collusion hoax. It was often obvious that Swalwell was engaging in impromptu fabrication. Swalwell knew he would face no challenge in the echo chambers of D.C. or in the PR agencies of the Democrats that masquerade as news agencies, both of whom were still reeling under the shock of being defeated in a presidential election by Donald J. Trump. The sustained disinformation campaign pushed by the likes of Swalwell eventually led to the Mueller probe. Muellers team exclusively consisted of establishment loyalists who were indignant about Trumps victory. When challenged for making baseless allegations, Swalwell would merely reply Let the Mueller probe continue, ergo President Trump was guilty until proven innocent. In the end, the Mueller probe found no evidence of collusion, but the disgraced attorney maliciously and purposefully worded his report in a manner that left a cloud of doubt hanging over Trump. The probe lasted for almost two years, cost taxpayers nearly $32 million, and doubtlessly retarded the speed at which Trump implemented an America first agenda. Ideally, a disgraceful hoaxer such as Swalwell should have been ridiculed and banished from politics. He was part of an attempted coup to unseat a duly elected president. This was an attack on U.S. democracy it could be termed an insurrection. But instead of facing chastisement and punishment Swalwell was promoted by the Democrats and reelected. This is more evidence of the falling standards in D.C. and the level of indoctrination of the electorate. Now for the hearing that occurred yesterday. Swalwell dedicated his question time to interrogating border security advocate Sheena Rodriguez about her presence on the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021. This was ludicrous, but Swalwell has made a career out of being preposterous so it should come as no surprise. Swalwells grilling was so intolerable and unrelated to the agenda of the hearing that a Republican lawmaker asked him to yield, but the odious Swalwell declined and continued to rant until his time expired. Thats when Republican Troy Nehls interjected, and per New York Post: I apologize that you had to youre here for a hearing on the border, [Democrats] dont want to talk about a border, Nehls told Rodriguez, who was at the hearing to testify about the exploitation of migrant children she claimed to have witnessed during more than three dozen visits to the US-Mexico border. Mr. Swalwell is down there, obviously everyone knows hes made some comments, Nehls continued. Hes got a checkered past. His alleged relationship Swalwell was shown the mirror. Since November 2016, he has been making baseless allegations against President Trump. How did he react to a very valid assessment of his purported past upon seeing his reflection? The sanctimonious always lack self-awareness; in Swalwells mind he can do no wrong. Also reported: Im sorry, a checkered past? Swalwell asked. Its my time! Nehls responded. Alleged affairs relationship with Yum-Yum. No, no, no, no, no, shouted an unhinged Swalwell. You do not get to say that st. Thats not true. Clearly, profanity is the last resort of the vacuous. The confrontation continued: He had alleged relationships with Yum-Yum, Nehls continued, and now hes angry. Of course, Yum-Yum is Fang-Fang or Christine Fang, an alleged spy for the Chinese Communist Party who accessed American privileges when she came as a college student in 2011. Fang is purported to have spent four years attempting to honeytrap lawmakers, and as Axios noted, Among the most significant targets of Fangs efforts was Rep. Eric Swalwell. The alleged affair cost Swalwell a seat on the Intelligence Committee, and Speaker Kevin McCarthy rightly observed that Swalwell had severely undermined [the committees] primary national security and oversight missions ultimately leaving our nation less safe. Democrat Pramila Jayapal demanded that Nehlss comments be expunged, saying It was a direct slur on a member of this committee that is not acceptable. When the hearing resumed, Nehls did what most Republicans do in D.C. he capitulated. Yet, thankfully Nehls didnt issue any apology. Since 2016, the Democrats have been spreading hoax after hoax about President Trump but none has ever issued a retraction or even rephrased their baseless allegations. But here, despite being in a majority, the Republican was forced to walk back his comments that are suspiciously likely to be rooted in fact. Perhaps Nehls should have added that Swalwells liaison with an alleged Chinese Spy needs to be probed, and only when he is proven innocent will he retract his allegation. Last week, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene also highlighted the dubious relationship between Swalwell and Fang when she said of Swalwell, [he] had a sexual relationship with a Chinese spy and everyone knows it. Swalwells fellow Democrats lower Manhattan and brownstone Brooklyn Rep. Daniel Goldman moved to strike the words from the record. However, in Greenes case, Republicans on the committee declined to remove or alter her statement. So what does one make of all this? These are nothing more than amateur theatrics on the part of Republicans. These displays make amusing viewing on YouTube and other social media platforms with catchy captions like Nehls humiliated Swalwell or Marjorie Taylor Greene destroys Swalwell. For Republican voters starved for some sort of justice, this is some form of punishment for the likes of Swalwell. The Republicans know that voters conflate these theatrics with actions and hence they engage in the act before the cameras. If Swalwell did indeed have a prolonged affair with a Chinese spy and did pass or sell sensitive information to an adversarial foreign power, he instead deserves to be punished, not merely trolled. Ideally, Swalwell would be forced to step down from Congress until a probe uncovers exactly what happened; if found guilty he will have committed treason, the very crime of which he accused Trump. Powerful members of Congress must direct their energies to probing and punishing Swalwell if he is guilty; trolling must be left to social media influencers. Voters must demand higher standards from their representatives. Image: YouTube video screen grab. The Constitution and the Judeo-Christian values contained within, are like a millstone around the neck for contemporary leftists; individual responsibility is a doozy for those who want to wallow in mindlessness and all forms of degeneracy. As Plato (or maybe Sophocles?) noted, men can find themselves enslaved to their libido, and the waning of such desires are equivalent to being unchained from a lunatic; although this philosophical observation was made in regard to sexual urges, it can be broadly applied. Generally speaking, the virtues of self-control and self-discipline have been completely discarded by modern society. To be more specific though, as they have been tossed aside, vices like hedonism and indulgence have been embraced, and that line of division between moral and immoral is starkly drawn between political and theological mindsets. See the meme below that perfectly sums it all up: In this context, the aforementioned leftists are pawns, and perfectly suited for debaucherous enslavement theyre useful idiots and nothing more than means to an endgame which is why sexual deviancy permeates every institution and domain under the control of the political left: graphic pornography and literary smut count as curriculum and appropriate educational material; mature men exposing their prosthetic breasts or pastie-covered implants to minor children is culture (and progress!); authoritative healthcare consists of trans-ified genitals, butchered bodies, intentional hormonal imbalances, and endless Big Pharma products; and all of corporate America can find common ground in promoting homosexuality and trans rights. Theres no agenda, dont be a conspiracy theorist! they say. Well, well, well, how the tables have turned! In a commentary for Iowa Capital Dispatch, Robert Leonard wrote about NRA-influenced Republicans in Des Moines working to pass a bill that would permit school boards to adopt gun safety curriculums if these districts so desired. Recalling a conversation with a colleague (Dave), Leonard writes: The legislation Dave was referring to is House File 654. Part of that legislation allows guns on school grounds. Like Dave and the Democrats in the Legislature, I dont believe guns should be allowed on school grounds. My concern here, however, is the section that encourages teaching firearm safety. This is what Dave and I talked most about the introduction of kids to the gun subculture even though their parents want no part of. What its really about is the indoctrination of students into that subculture. And who is going to do that indoctrination? The NRA. First of all, dont end a sentence in a preposition that right there shows that leftists have no business dictating what a good education entails. (In fact, his whole piece is riddled with poor grammar and outright errors.) Secondly, lots of us dont think hypersexual men in drag should be allowed on school grounds to dance erotically in front of children, but our concerns are just anti-transgender bigotry and hate according to Democrats, so forgive me that I dont give a rats behind about Mr. Leonards. Thirdly, Leonard has the gall to express his aggravation at a political agenda being promoted against the wishes of parents? Im sorry, but where has he been the last three years? Ive seen countless videos of parents speaking out against the obscene materials found in schools, and the left doesnt care one iota in fact, they gloat in their contempt. Also, will someone please tell him that as a taxpayer, Im forced to continually fund a program I cannot use (public school) because of creeps who think and vote like him. My bar is embarrassingly low: only cover the basics, and deny professing pedophiles entry into the school thats it! but apparently, thats asking too much. Now, I have the displeasure of funding the real indoctrination of children into a filthy subculture (LGBTQism), on top of a private home education for my two sons. Leonard then argues: And do we need classes every year? Of course not, but that will deepen the indoctrination. Advocates of gun control often mention the term red flag but you know what gives me concern? People who think less knowledge somehow equates to increased awareness; if theres anything we should be overly safe with, its children and firearms. Also? Real toxic masculinity. Beta males lack what should be an innate desire to protect the weak and vulnerable, and thats a dangerous character flaw. Unfortunately the fight to protect children is an uphill battle when the other side is the modern Democrat party what a disgraceful and godless legacy. Image: Free image, Pixabay license, no attribution required. Tucker Carlson made some very interesting points in his keynote speech at the Heritage Foundation 50th Anniversary Gala last Friday night. These take on special meaning now that the people who only pretend to be liberal, in favor of progress and democracy, are celebrating the diminishment of liberty, progress, and rule by the people. Its becoming ironically obvious that as things become more confused, they are settling themselves out in an even starker contrast. This was something that Mr. Carlson pointed out in his keynote speech, delivered after his last Fox News show. (I)f you want to know whats evil and whats good, what are the characteristics of those? And by the way, I think the Athenians wouldve agreed with this. This is not necessarily just a Christian notion, this is kind of a, I would say, widely agreed-upon understanding of good and evil. What are its products? What do these two conditions produce? Well, I mean, good is characterized by order, calmness, tranquility, peace, whatever you want to call it, lack of conflict, cleanliness. Cleanliness is next to godliness. Its true. It is. And evil is characterized by their opposites. Violence, hate, disorder, division, disorganization, and filth. So, if you are all in on the things that produce the latter basket of outcomes, what youre really advocating for is evil. Thats just true. Im not calling for religious war. Far from it. Im merely calling for an acknowledgement of what were watching, which is not one They dont want a debate. Those ideas wont produce outcomes that any rational person would want under any circumstances. Those are manifestations of some larger force acting upon us. Its just so obvious. Its completely obvious. And I think two things: One, we should say that and stop engaging in these totally fraudulent debates, where we are using the terms that we used in 1991 when I started at [The Heritage Foundation], as if maybe I could just win the debate if I marshaled more facts. Ive tried. That doesnt work. And two, maybe we should all take just 10 minutes a day to say a prayer about it. Im serious. Why not? And Im saying that to you not as some kind of evangelist, Im literally saying that to you as an Episcopalian, the Samaritans of our time. Im coming to you from the most humble and lowly theological position you can. Im literally an Episcopalian. And even I have concluded it might be worth taking just 10 minutes out of your busy schedule to say a prayer for the future, and I hope you will. It becomes even more interesting if you extrapolate his remarks and look at how this applies across the board. There is a strange dichotomy that applies to the two major sides of the political divide. Good/Evil. Order/Disorder. Peace/Violence. Cleanliness/Filth. Right/Sinister. Truth/Lies. Facts/Propaganda. Order/Chaos. Reality/Gaslighting. Building up/Burning down Sanity/Insanity Integrity/Dishonesty Civil Rights/Cancel Culture Freedom/Force Liberty/Tyranny Individualism/Collectivism Economic Liberty/Fascism Individual control/Centralized control Limited government/Unlimited government Innocence/Guilt Sense/Nonsense Unity/Division Logic/Illogic Food/Starvation Life/Death (Vida/Muerte) Self-determination/Slavery Strangely enough, if you look at the various aspects of our society concerning the two sides of the political divide, youll see that there is an unmistakable contrast between the two that is growing by the day. Try it yourself, the list almost seems endless. Consider any aspect of the pro-freedom right and its contrast with the anti-liberty left, and youll see a positive value in one and a negative in the other. As Mr. Carlson referred to in his speech, the ideas of one side of the political divide wont produce outcomes that any rational person would want under any circumstances. They are the obvious manifestations of a larger force acting on our society and the world at large. Consider just one of these in that while the far left has perfected the art of lying with language and exploiting labels like liberal they couldnt help but show their true colors in gloating when Mr. Carlson was cashiered. This was epitomized by one of the luminaries of the Bolshevik brain trust, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; John Hayward looked at the big, fascist picture of AOCs de-platforming works boast in an epic thread. That started with: Of course, "deplatforming works." Fascism works. Totalitarianism works. Terrorism works. That's why people keep embracing such ideologies, even though our culture nominally considers them to be among the greatest of human evils. It is well worth reading in that it shows which side has taken on the role of evil in this drama. One would hope that people who purport to be supporters of liberty and democracy would recoil with acts of cancel culture and de-platforming. But after years of projecting the National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi) persona, it should be clear that it is the far left that fits this role, despite 80 years of false protestations, trying to lie that its otherwise. The rest of the contrasts between the pro-freedom right and the anti-liberty left are also striking, we cant do justice to each one, but most people intuitively know which side is dividing the country and trying to tear it down and acting illogically because that is the methodology of evil. As Mr. Carlson said in his address, if youre all in on those manifestations, what youre really advocating for is evil. That is the truth, no matter the lies of the fascist far left. D Parker is an engineer, inventor, wordsmith, and student of history, the director of communications for a civil rights organization, and a long-time contributor to conservative websites. Find him on Substack. Photo credit: YouTube screengrab The creepy little leakers, planters, and schemers of the Pentagon sprang to life again with news of Fox News's firing of Tucker Carlson. According to Politico: Were a better country without him bagging on our military every night in front of hundreds of thousands of people, said one senior DoD official, who like others interviewed for this story was granted anonymity to discuss a politically sensitive topic. Good riddance, said a second DoD official. Hiding behind anonymity, the pair certainly didn't turn down that press request to comment. They wanted it to get out. That you, Gen. Milley? So much for a "non-partisan military." What's disgusting here, well beyond the major breach of military regulations prohibiting partisan activity by people in the military, is that they confuse criticism of themselves and their failed leadership with the entire military. An attack on bad military leadership is an attack on the military itself. For the parents who had to meet Joe Biden at that Maryland airport as their sons and daughters were returned in boxes while Joe looked at his watch, that's pretty insulting. Tucker was never anti-military the way the spit-on-troops-in-the-airport anti-war left was. Tucker saw our once-proud and invincible military descend into a wokester morass, a two-tier system of military justice, a fount of waste and fraud, with the ugly result visible in the continuous losing of wars. The bad and still-unpunished leadership of the Pentagon in the wake of the disastrous Afghanistan pullout was the object of his scorn and exposes, not the troops. They didn't seem to understand that the problem was them, and their failures on the operational front were the target of his criticism, not the military itelf. The implications of these sleazy leaks is bigger than it looks. Not only have these people revealed how large Tucker lives in their heads, a man one of them dismissed as "a talk show host" earlier. It revealed that his exposes on military malfeasance stung. But worst of all, these people are saying the public doesn't have a right to criticize the military. Counterrorism expert Scott Bennett, cited by ZeroHedge, put it this way: ...Carlson posed too much of a threat to institutional power because he turned Americans into proper researchers and thinkers. Carlson offered an intellectualism, truthfulness, and an analytical depth that no other news personality has ever done in the history of the United States as far back as I can remember, said Bennett. Tucker needed to be silenced because he represented too big a threat to the powers and principalities, institutions and agendas that seek an unenlightened uninformed semi lobotomized quasi retarded population that do not question, do not research, do not analyze but simply digest and follow instructions, according to Bennett. Tucker Carlson also exposed the fraud and money laundering racketeering crimes of FTX and the Democrat Party in Ukraine involving the United States government. He exposed the US biochemical labs in Ukraine and their connection to the Democrat Party, President Barack Obama, Vice President Biden, Hillary Clinton, George Soros, Bill Gates, and other US government agencies and pharmaceutical companies, Bennett told Sputnik. The ex-hosts anti-regime rhetoric could no longer be tolerated by the corrupt American media and political establishment, said Bennett, adding that his exit signals the death of American media. In the leakers' minds the only thing the public are allowed to say about the military are good things. That's the message of this attack on Carlson and signaling that the leakers ought to be found out, exposed and drummed out of the service for their schemings and unprofessionalism. These are the same people most likely who put out various utterly phony stories about President Trump -- the Russian bounties, the China balloon issue, and utter flat out lies that made it to the press as "leaks." They don't care about free speech, let alone democracy. They only care about their own hides. Image: Pixabay / Pixabay License Thought it couldnt get worse than David Chipman, the former Gabby Giffords gun control lobbyist who lied about Waco and denigrated firearms owners as lowbrow rubes? Havent we learned by now not to underestimate the anti-American agenda of the decaying corpse currently stinking up the Oval Office? Enter Steve Dettelbach, the gun-grabbing Democrat at the helm of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) hes insatiable, and your pistol brace is back on the menu and hes citing ignorance because after all, hes an attorney, not a firearms expert. Reported by The Right Scoop, Dettelbach was recently grilled over a new rule that would see tens of millions of law-abiding gun owners become felons overnight if they fail to register their pistol braces by May 31st of this year; the punishment for violating the rule would be a ten-year prison sentence. See the exchange between Dettelbach and House member Thomas Massie below: .@RepThomasMassie versus ATF Director Steve Dettelbach: "What is the punishment if somebody is convicted as a felon [for] having this piece of plastic?" "I believe it's a statutory maximum of ten years." "TEN YEARS for owning a piece of plastic?!" pic.twitter.com/NnxtBvSvRb Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 26, 2023 Heres some context: The federal government and the unconstitutional agency known as the ATF employ the manufactured term SBR or short-barreled rifle to define any firearm that is intended to be shot from the shoulder (has a stock) and has a barrel length of less than 16 inches, or an overall length of less than 26 inches. In order to own an SBR a citizen is: required to apply for permission with fingerprints, serial number, and photos, wait an undefined amount of time for processing, and pay for a $200 tax stamp. Prior to the new rule the obvious solution was to equip shorter rifles with a pistol brace it can function as a stock, and precludes a gun owner from jumping through obnoxious hoops. (In 2021, the Congressional Research Service estimated that there are as many as 40 million pistol braces in civilian hands in the U.S.) What is the obsession with pistol braces you might ask? Well, as with all things big government, its about control; as Mao Zedong said, political power grows out of the barrel of a gun. Pistol braces are so frequently in the hot seat because their owners are overwhelmingly (if not entirely) a demographic that is pro-Constitution. These people are likely involved members of the citizenry because they know whats at stake and likely voting for the values that made America great; values that stand in stark contrast to the agenda of communist Democrats that are apparently everywhere. Dettelbachs rule either creates a federal registry of gun owners that are probably anti-tyranny, or, it fashions peaceful Americans into felons. For a crowd of such educated people youd think the concept of shall not be infringed wouldnt be so elusive. After abortion, which sees around 73 million murders per year worldwide, democide, or death by government remains a leading cause of death (CDC/NIH anyone?); according to renowned political scientist Dr. Rudolph Rummel, governments across the world killed an estimated 170 million people in the 20th century. Efforts by the government to restrict the citizenrys access to firearms is nothing more than a step toward state-perpetrated murder; although left-wing entities have debunked Adolf Hitler as the mind behind the following quote, the point made is clear, relevant, and sobering: This year will go down in history. For the first time, a civilized nation has full gun registration! Our streets will be safer, our police more efficient, and the world will follow our lead into the future! Image: Free image, Pixabay license, no attribution required. By Lee Kyung-min A total of 150 companies made the list of Korea's Sustainability Leaders 2023 on the back of their commitment to advancing environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) practices in line with the global wave of prioritizing long-term sustainability into the future. The list compiled by Statista, an international data and market research expert, The Korea Times and its sister paper the Hankook Ilbo, will function as a key reference for the global business community, policymakers and environmental rights advocacies among many stakeholders to help assess the standing of Korea's top industry players. The companies were selected based on the review of 2021 data on their performance as measured by 31 key indicators as well as analysis on sustainability surveys of more than 3,000 Korean citizens. This year's list is the second, after "Korea's Sustainability Leaders 2022," whereby 100 ESG sustainability leaders were selected after surveying over 1,250 companies. Partners of Statista's previous ESG research works include media outlets in the U.S., Italy and France. "America's Most Responsible Companies 2023," for example, was a collaborative work with Newsweek, an American weekly news magazine. The compiled list coincides with growing demands for corporate boards and government leaders to respond to fulfill ESG goals, as underlined by S&P Global, a financial information analytics firm. The global analytics institute said in a report released in January of 2022 that more entities are facing "rising pressure to demonstrate that they are adequately equipped to understand and oversee ESG issues from climate change to human rights to social unrest." This year's ranking of Korea's Sustainability Leaders is based on a holistic view of corporate responsibility. The Korea Times, the Hankook Ilbo and Statista have honored Korea's Leaders in Sustainability based on publicly available key performance indicators as well as an independent survey. The analysis was carried out in a 4-phase process. It is based on a pool of over 1,200 Korean companies that were screened using a set of defined criteria. The criteria include disclosure of at least two key performance indicators covering environment and social dimensions in an independent sustainability report or similar. All the companies that passed the pre-screening have been analyzed in detail. The detailed analysis consisted of an independent survey among more than 3,000 Korean residents and research based on publicly available key performance indicators derived from corporate annual reports and ESG reports. The independent survey was administered using an online access panel. For each company and for each dimension of ESG, a score was calculated based on the survey results as well as the analysis of the key performance indicators. The 150 companies with the best performance as measured under three ESG criteria were recognized as Korea's Sustainability Leaders 2023. Under the environment requirement, the companies were reviewed around their reduction rate of greenhouse gas emissions, waste, energy, and water consumption. Firms were reviewed under the "social" criteria on share of women in board, injury rate, philanthropic activities and more.? The evaluation criteria under "corporate governance" concerned financial stability, innovation capacity and disclosure regarding ESG reporting.? LG Energy Solution stood atop the overall list with an overall score of 90, followed by SK IE Technology (88.5), Yuhan Kimberly (87.8), LG Electronics (87.4), Hanwha Solutions (86.2), LG Innotek (84.5), Samsung Electronics (82.5), Hyundai Motor Company (82.2), and SK Telecom (82). By industry, Industrial Bank of Korea stood atop the list of banking and financial services industry category, followed by Mirae Asset Securities and KB Financial Group. In the transport manufacturing industry, Hyundai Motor claimed the top spot, followed by Hyundai Mobis, Kia, and Mando. Statista also selected outstanding performers in environment, social and corporate governance dimensions. In the environment dimension, LG Electronics was the leader, followed by Samsung Engineering, Yuhan Kimberly, Hyundai Motor and Samsung C&T. In the social dimension, Korea Gas Corp stood at the top of the list, followed by LG Energy Solution, SK Shieldus, Industrial Bank of Korea and SK IE Technology. In the corporate governance dimension, LG Energy Solution topped the list, followed by LG Innotek, LG Display, Hanwha Solutions and SK hynix. The institute also honored the top five performers in specialized areas such as global engagement, data transparency, climate commitment and ESG reputation. In the ESG global engagement area, SK Telecom stood atop, followed by KB Financial Group, LG Electronics, SK and JB Financial Group. In the ESG data transparency area, Samsung Engineering was the top performer, followed by KB Financial Group, Samsung SDI, Hyosung Advanced Materials and Samsung SDS. Climate commitment was best upheld by SK IE Technology, followed by Samsung Engineering, JB Financial Group, LG Electronics and SK Networks. Yuhan Kimberly had the best ESG reputation, followed by LG Energy Solution, LG Household & Healthcare, Yuhan and LG Electronics. The full list of 150 sustainability leaders, leaders per industry, top five performers per dimension and top five performers per specialized area is available at Samsung has added a surprisingly affordable device to its unbeatable Android update policy. The company promises an industry-leading four years of major Android updates for the newly-launched Galaxy A24. The handset recently debuted in Vietnam with a sub-$300 price tag. Samsung arguably offers the best update support in the Android space today, even better than Google. During the Galaxy S22 launch in February last year, the company announced that its recent flagships and select mid-range models will get four major Android OS updates and five years of security updates, something no other Android OEM offered at that time. A few brands have gone on to match the worlds biggest smartphone vendor in recent months, though they dont extend this generosity beyond flagships. The Korean behemoth, on the other hand, keeps adding affordable models to this generous software support policy. Initially, it promised four major Android updates for the Galaxy A5x and Galaxy A7x lineups in the mid-range segment. It then added the Galaxy A3x lineup too. The Galaxy A54 5G and Galaxy A34 5G, both of which debuted in March running Android 13 out of the box, will get updates until Android 17. They are also eligible for security updates until at least March 2028. Now, Samsung has extended this policy to the Galaxy A2x lineup as well. The newly-launched Galaxy A24 will also get the same level of Android OS and security updates as the aforementioned duo or the Galaxy S23 series flagships. Pricier handsets get security updates more frequently, but four major Android OS updates and five years of security updates for the Galaxy A24 are pretty big. The device costs VND 6,490,000 (roughly $277) for the base model with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. For an 8GB+128GB configuration, it costs VND 6,990,000 (roughly $298). Advertisement Samsung devices are usually the first to monthly security updates as well Samsung doesnt just promise long after-sales update support for its Galaxy devices. It releases updates fast as well. Despite launching more phones than competing vendors every year, the Korean firm pushes major Android updates to most of its eligible devices within a few months of the stable release from Google. On top of it, Samsung is usually the first to push the latest monthly security updates as well. Case in point, it has already released the May 2023 security patch long before Google. We are still a few days away from May. It would be some time before other vendors catch up to the Korean biggie. Meanwhile, we expect it to seed the new security patch to more eligible models in the coming days. We will keep you posted. Nokia is preparing to launch a new rugged smartphone soon, and its design just surfaced. This phone is referred to as the Nokia Sentry 5G, though once it arrives to the market, itll likely be called the Nokia XR30. Nokia is planning to announce a new rugged smartphone soon, and its design just surfaced Why the Nokia XR30? Well, the Nokia XR20 launched in 2021, and this is basically its successor. So, it makes all the sense in the world, unless Nokia plans to revamp the whole brand. Having said that, folks over at WinFuture shared a bunch of images of the device, in both black and green colors. Those are the only two colors the phone will be available in, it seems. Now, first and foremost, this device will support 5G. That is not something many rugged phones offer, at least not many mainstream ones. The Nokia Sentry 5G will have rather noticeable bezels, as you can see. Thats not surprising considering this is a rugged device. Its bottom bezel will be especially thick. Advertisement A display camera hole is included at the top of the display, and its centered. There are physical buttons included on both the left and right sides. Two cameras sit on the back of the device, along with a Nokia logo and an LED flash. The phone is expected to utilize a 64-megapixel main camera, 33W charging & more This handset is tipped to feature a 64-megapixel main camera, in addition to an 8-megapixel ultrawide camera. A 16-megapixel selfie camera was also mentioned a while back. The Nokia Sentry 5G is said to feature 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Well, at least one of its variants will offer such a combo. A 4,600mAh battery was also mentioned, and the same goes for 33W wired charging. What about the price, though? Well, the phone is expected to cost around $500, but nothing has been confirmed just yet. We dont know when will the device launch, but the Nokia XR20 arrived in July 2021. So, its possible this phone will launch around the same time this year. Twitter removed the government-funded label from the major media accounts. The platform has come under fire for labeling news organizations and associating them with the government. Since Elon Musks takeover, Twitter had multiple controversies that made the company a target for public criticism. In one of the latest cases, Musk decided to add a government-funded label to major news accounts like CBC, BBC, and PBS. In an interview with BBC, Musk promised to remove the label while saying he knows BBC is generally not thrilled about being labeled state media. Some news organizations also stopped using Twitter to being labeled as government-affiliated media. However, the labels and state-affiliated descriptions are now removed from the media accounts, and plaintiff accounts can resume their activities. Twitter removes government-affiliated label from media accounts, but there is a catch here While some Western media may not be directly controlled by the government, there is ample evidence that Russian and Chinese media are directly affiliated with the governments. News networks like Chinas Xinhua, Russias RT, and Sputnik, as well as Qatars Al Jazeera, are state-owned. So the problem with Musks recent move is these state-owned networks also lost the government-funded label. Advertisement Occasional changes and controversies have made media and advertisers rethink continuing to use Twitter. According to a recent report by Insider Intelligence, Twitters revenue in 2023 might drop 27.9% due to the reluctance of advertisers and the low number of Blue users. Twitter is obviously striving to change its business model and switch from advertising-based to subscription-based revenues. The platform has recently removed checkmarks from legacy accounts and announced only Blue subscribers could get the badge. This move was met with many objections from previously verified accounts, and many of them said they would never pay $8 for the badge. Businesses on Twitter can also receive a golden badge, while a gray badge is given to government and multilateral organizations. Likewise, advertisers with minimum spending of $1000 will get the blue checkmark automatically. The new Wear OS is finally here, finally giving us our hands-on look at what the software will be like for users. Google was initially quiet on which current devices would get the update to it. But during the Google IO keynote on May 18, and in the months that followed, it did share some details about what to expect from the new version of its wearables platform. Better battery life is probably the biggest thing thats available. But its not the only notable improvement that Google made. users can also expect better performance, some new features, and overall just a more well-rounded experience. This guide will break down everything there is to know about the new Wear OS platform now that its been available since the launch of Samsungs new watch. Well update this post periodically as more information becomes available. The new Wear OS is a unified platform If you missed the keynote from Google IO earlier this year, you can watch a roughly 9-minute recap of the biggest parts here. But in regards to Wear OS specifically, if you missed the keynote then you missed that Google is unifying Wear OS with Samsungs touch on the software. Officially the software is called Wear OS 3, but the user interface is called One UI Watch 3. Advertisement With Googles smartwatch OS at the helm and Samsungs user interface layer on top, users are getting the best of both worlds. Googles expansive collection of smartwatch apps and Samsungs more pleasing user experience. As for what the new unified platform includes, theres not a ton of specifics yet but Google has highlighted some things. Both Wear OS and One UI Watch have their strengths. Which is exactly what Google and Samsung are trying to offer. This means youll see things like Google Assistant and Bixby for voice-activated, hands-free functions. While other services like Google Maps and Google Pay are being brought into the fold on Samsungs smartwatches for the first time since the Samsung Gear Live. Google is officially calling the new platform Wear OS 3 A recent support forum post from Google about the new Wear OS platform refers to it as Wear OS 3, confirming that this will be the official name for the software. This goes for any watches that are eligible to receive the upgrade to the software, as well as those that will launch with it out of the box. Advertisement Its reasonable to have suspected that because Google was making this a new unified platform with Samsung, that it would come with a new name. But Google is choosing to keep the Wear OS name and simply add the new version number. New apps and tiles are coming If you like third-party apps on your smartwatches, then Wear OS 3 is going to be right up your alley. Google has even shared some of the apps and tiles that are going to be available once the new version of the OS rolls out. This includes YouTube Music, Google Maps, and Google Pay for the apps. You can see some screenshots of what these apps look like in the gallery above. From Google Pay to Spotify. Beyond the apps, Google is refreshing the looks of many of its most popular Tiles. Like weather, the alarm clock, the hand washing timer, Google News, and Google Calendar just to name a few. Theres also going to be a new Tile added dedicated to Fitbits Active Zone Minutes feature. Advertisement You can expect Tiles from third-party apps too. Like Spotify, Strava and others. As Google will be opening up the new Tiles API to third-party developers when the new Wear OS gets pushed out. Samsung and Fitbit are Googles only partners for the new Wear OS platform so far Its quite possible that eventually Google will have more partners for this new platform. But its starting out small. With Fitbit, which it owns, and Samsung, which is a clear choice. Given the popularity of Samsungs wearables platform over the current Wear OS. Samsung is the first to feature the new software. Because it worked with Google to develop it. As of right now, the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic are the only two smartwatches that run Wear OS 3. Though some existing watches will be getting the update to it sometime in 2022. What watches will run on Wear OS 3? As of right now there are 11 different watches that run on Wear OS 3. This includes the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, as well as the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. Additionally, the Mont Blanc Summit 3, and Googles own Pixel Watch run on Wear OS 3 as well. And as of October 17, Fossil has started sending out the update to four of its watches. Which are the Fossil Gen 6, the Skagen Falster Gen 6, the Michael Kors Gen 6, and the Razer x Fossil Gen 6. Advertisement Fossils recently launched Gen 6 Wellness Edition also comes with Wear OS 3 out of the box and wont need to be updated. The Spotify app will support downloadable content Youll be able to download both music and podcasts to the watch when this feature rolls out. Meaning you can connect a pair of Bluetooth earbuds or headphones to the watch and leave the phone at home. That way you can still enjoy everything Spotify offers even if the watch isnt connected to the internet. Better performance, better battery life, faster load times for apps Wear OS has been lacking in both performance and battery life for really its entire lifespan. Since its been available to users, these two areas have always fell short. Google knows it. So the new Wear OS rectifies this with better performance and better battery life. This was the promise during Googles IO announcement this year, and for the most part Google has lived up to that promise. The company states that apps load faster too. So the user experience overall should be more efficient and enjoyable for most people. In our experience, that was mostly the case. Advertisement More to the point, though, is that youll be able to use the watch for more than a day before having to charge it. Whereas with Wear OS 2, youd be lucky to get to the end of the day. Its all about convenience The new Wear OS makes it super easy to not only get things done but also use your favorite apps. One of the new features is the capability to easily switch back and forth between your most recently used apps. From anywhere on the watch no less. So no matter what screen youre on, you can hop right back to maps if thats the last app you used. The new Wear OS offers world-class health and fitness features With Fitbit on board, the new Wear OS is going to be even more centered on health and fitness than ever before. The platform will come with a Fitbit app with features like Active Zone Minutes. Advertisement Itll also include on-wrist celebrations to keep you motivated. And youll be able to track your progress throughout the day with just a glance. There are likely more features that will be part of the app as well. Qualcomm says that Wear 3100/4100 chips can support the new software Back on June 17 Qualcomm confirmed that smartwatches running on its two newest chipsets could technically support the new software. Stating that Wear 3100 and Wear 4100 chips are capable of doing so. It also noted that it would be working to ensure that devices on these chips get the update if at all possible. However, Google is not necessarily as committed to bringing support to older devices. The company has stated that its top priority is user experience. And it doesnt know that those older chips can live up to the experience that it wants to provide for users. Some manufacturers, like Fossil, have made official statements saying that none of its existing watches will get the update. Other brands, like Mobvoi, seem to be hinting that at least the TicWatch Pro 3 would be updated. And as the only Wear OS watch running a Snapdragon Wear 4100 chip, it would be a little surprising if the watch didnt receive the new software. Samsungs Galaxy Watch 4 is the first device on this new platform Back in July Samsung showcased some of the upcoming platform that its working on with Google. The new user experience is officially called the One UI Watch 3. Prior to the announcement of the Galaxy Watch 4, this wasnt an official name for the user experience, as Samsung was simply referring to it as the One UI Watch experience. The company initially revealed the new experience during its virtual Mobile World Congress event on July 23. Noting that its upcoming smartwatch at the time, now officially known as the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, would be the first device to run this new software. This means that no other Wear OS smartwatches are going to have this software for a while following Samsungs latest device that has just recently hit the market. In fact, Google also confirmed that Samsungs Galaxy Watch 4 will exclusively feature Wear OS3 until late 2022. So this will be the only Wear OS 3 watch for the better part of a year. According to Google, it will begin rolling out updates to compatible devices in the middle to second half of 2022. Google Assistant and YouTube Music are not on the Galaxy Watch 4 at launch Following the Galaxy Watch 4 announcement, Samsung confirmed that at launch, the Galaxy Watch 4 would not have access to either Google Assistant or YouTube Music. Furthermore, Google Pay is absent too. Though it will these eventually. Samsung says its working closely with Google to get these services up and running on the new watch. In the meantime, users will still have access to Samsungs own virtual assistant, Bixby. Worth noting is that YouTube Music is now available on Wear OS if you have the Galaxy Watch 4. Having been made available back around August 27. Will any current smartwatches be upgraded to the new software? There are three current smartwatches which have been confirmed as eligible to receive the upgrade to Wear OS 3. This includes the TicWatch Pro 3 GPS, the TicWatch Pro 3 Cellular/LTE, and the TicWatch E3. Google also confirms that follow on TicWatch devices, as well as Fossil Groups upcoming smartwatches later this year will also be eligible for the Wear OS 3 upgrade. Devices eligible for upgrade will need a factory reset In addition confirming which watches are eligible for the new software, Google has also stated that any eligible devices will need a factory reset. In the support forum post where it confirmed the Wear OS 3 name, it notes that eligible watches will need revert back to the way they were when users got the devices. Which means factory settings. Google cites the changes to the software as the reasoning for the factory reset requirement. (ANSA) - ROME, APR 27 - Italy and the UK have the same values, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told Premier Giorgia Meloni in bilateral talks at Downing Street Thursday. "The values of the UK and Italy are aligned", said Sunak. The prime minister added that the two countries are working together on the same challenges, such as the illegal invasion of Ukraine and countering illegal immigration, recalling the close 'friendship' between London and Rome, allies in NATO. He cited military collaboration under the Global Combat Air Program and said there is "much to discuss today" to strengthen ties between the two countries. Sunak concluded in Italian: 'Thank you Giorgia, welcome to London'. Meloni said: "We are nations that, as you said, have a strong partnership but can do even more. On big issues we are on the same side, like defence and Ukraine. If we do not fight alongside Ukraine, the strongest will no longer win over the right, but the strongest will win over the right." (ANSA). A nurse accused of murdering seven babies told police everything had got on top of me when she wrote: I killed them on purpose. On a Post-it note Lucy Letby wrote: I dont deserve to live. I killed them on purpose because Im not good enough to care for them. She added I am a horrible evil person and in capital letters I am evil I did this. Letby, 33, is on trial at Manchester Crown Court, where she also faces allegations she attempted to murder 10 other infants at the Countess of Chester Hospitals neonatal unit. On Thursday, jurors were read more excerpts from police interviews with the defendant following her arrest. Lucy Letby is on trial at Manchester Crown Court (Elizabeth Cook/PA) Asked about the Post-it note found inside a diary at her home in Chester after her arrest in 2018 she told detectives: I just wrote it because everything had got on top of me. It was when Id not long found out Id been removed from the unit and they were telling me my practice might be wrong, that I needed to read all my competencies my practice might not have been good enough. So I felt like people were blaming my practice, that I might have hurt them without knowing through my practice, and that made me feel guilty and I just felt really isolated. I was blaming myself but not because Id done something (but) because of the way people were making me feel. But like Id only ever done my best for those babies and then people were trying to say that my practice wasnt good, that Id done something. I just couldnt cope and I just did not want to be here any more. I just felt it was, it was all just spiralling out of control, I just didnt know how to feel about it or what was going to happen or what to do. The detective asked: What people were they? Letby replied: The Trust and the staff on the unit. The detective said: Did you ever make any mistakes? No, replied Letby. Letby appeared strained at times in the dock as she listened to the interviews being read out. She wiped away tears with a tissue as the court heard her explanation as to why she had written: Ill never have children or marry, Ill never know what its like to have a family. The detective asked: What did you mean by that Lucy? Letby replied: Just that Id never meet anybody and therefore Id never have a family. Because nobody would want to. If you say to somebody you had to be redeployed then people make assumptions, dont they, and if my practice had caused these problems then I wouldnt deserve to have children myself. The detective said: Purely because you had been redeployed off one unit? Letby said: Yeah, because at the time it was huge. The detective said: Where you say kill myself right now, is that something you were considering? Yes, said Letby. The detective said: And why was that? Letby said: Cos I just felt so isolated and alone. The detective asked: In your own mind had you done anything wrong at all? Letby said: No, not intentionally, but I was worried that they would find that my practice hadnt been good The detective said: What made you think they might find something that was wrong or that you shouldnt have done? Letby said: It was more that I was worried theyd already gone to the lengths of redeploying me and moved me from the unit and banning contact, I didnt know how it was gonna go. I didnt think theyd find that Id been incompetent but I was worried that they might try and assume that I had been just because I was there for all of these babies. She said she had met with the head of nursing in July and was told there had been a lot more deaths and that Id been linked as somebody that was there for a lot of them. Letby said: They also said that there was some other people that had flagged as being on shift for a lot of them and that myself and these other people are gonna have to be going and redoing our competencies. Asked why she wrote slander, discrimination and victimisation on the note, she replied: Cos I felt that the trust and the team were trying to imply that it, it was something Id done. She added: Id lost everything and obviously mum and dad were down in Hereford and I thought we were a good team regardless of who was my friends, we were a good nursing team on the unit and Id just lost that. We were like a little family. The detective asked: How would you describe the thing (the note) as a whole? Letby said: It was just a way of me getting my feelings out on to paper, it just helps me process it a bit more. I felt if my practice hadnt been right then I had killed them and that was why I wasnt good enough. The detective said: In what way do you think your practice might have been the reason why these babies have died? Letby said: I didnt know, I thought maybe Id missed something, maybe I hadnt acted quickly enough. The detective went on: And you felt evil? Letby replied: Other people would perceive me as being evil, yes, if I had missed something. Asked why she wrote I dont deserve mum and dad, she said: I felt so guilty that they have to go through this, that I wasnt good enough for them or any of them and it was all just becoming a big mess and Id just be better off out of it for everybody. Letby said she was the first person in the family to go to university and move away from home. She said her parents, John and Susan, were disappointed and really, really upset at her removal from the unit in July 2016. She said they were close and she would speak to them every day. Following the collapse of a baby on the unit she would speak to her mother, she said. Letby said: I wouldnt talk to her about it in the level of detail I would with a colleague. I suppose I jut saw it was a safe way of me sort of offloading how I felt to someone I trusted. Letby, originally from Hereford, denies all the offences said to have taken place between June 2015 and June 2016. Steve Barclay is absolutely not a bully, a Cabinet colleague insisted as the Health Secretary faced allegations about his conduct towards staff. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly defended Mr Barclay, saying he had given a clear and completely unambiguous response to the allegations. Mr Barclay has not commented publicly but allies totally deny he is a bully. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly (Hannah McKay/PA) The Department of Health and Social Care said it had not received any formal complaints over the behaviour of its ministers, but did not deny being aware of informal ones. The Guardian reported that civil servants informally complained to the departments top mandarin about how they were treated by Mr Barclay, while senior officials privately spoke of bullying and other bad behaviour by him. But Mr Cleverly told Sky News: Ive worked with him on a number of occasions. He has made a statement making it absolutely clear that there have been no reports. His statement is clear and completely unambiguous, and I am completely convinced that that is accurate. The Guardian quoted unnamed sources as saying he was challenging, constantly angry and hauls people over the coals and is generally a bit unpleasant. A source close to the Health Secretary said: No complaint has been made. Asked whether they denied bullying, they said: Totally deny. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: The department has not received any formal complaints relating to the behaviour of its ministers. Any complaints, relating to ministers or members of staff, would be investigated in line with departmental guidance. It comes after Dominic Raabs resignation as deputy prime minister and justice secretary last week when an independent inquiry found he had bullied civil servants. Dominic Raab resigned as deputy prime minister over his conduct towards officials (Jordan Pettitt/PA) Adam Tolley KCs five-month investigation into eight formal complaints about Mr Raabs conduct found he had behaved in a way that undermines or humiliates while foreign secretary and criticised the work of civil servant staff as woeful and utterly useless while justice secretary. The concerns over Mr Barclay pre-date the release of the Tolley report, according to the Guardian. Two bereaved parents campaigning to raise awareness of gambling-related suicide have insisted stronger action is needed to tackle the problem, including an end to all gambling advertising. Liz and Charles Ritchie, who set up the charity Gambling with Lives following the death of their 24-year-old son Jack in 2017, welcomed some parts of the Governments long-awaited proposals to tackle addiction but said the plans are just the beginning. The couple, from Sheffield, have long argued that gambling-related suicide is directly linked to addictive betting products and the industrys predatory marketing practices. The coroner at Jack Ritchies inquest said his death is a stark reminder of the terrible consequences that can flow from an addiction to gambling (Family handout/PA) The couple, who were honoured with MBEs for their campaigning work, said that responsibility for the harm from gambling needs to be on the Government and industry rather than solely on the individual who is drawn into it. On Thursday, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer announced that gambling companies will be forced to step up checks to better protect even those unable to afford small losses, and plans to include maximum stakes for online slot machines of between 2 and 15 for all customers subject to consultation. The Government also announced a new statutory levy which will see gambling companies required to fund more groundbreaking research, education and treatment. Referring to their determination to make a change on the issue, Mrs Ritchie said: We wont stop until the deaths do. She said: After a long fight weve won concessions on some of the key areas but so much more needs to happen to reduce the horrendous harm caused by one of the most loosely regulated gambling industries in the world. Weve won the argument against a powerful gambling lobby but this is just the beginning. Theres another family devastated by gambling suicide every day, and we wont stop until the deaths do. Mr Ritchie called for a gambling advertising ban, as well as a greater reduction in stake sizes to protect people. He said: We now need to push further for an end to all gambling advertising, we need preventative affordability checks when losses reach 100 a month, and we need to do more to make the most dangerous products safer, further reducing stake sizes and play speeds. Only then will we be able to see a real reduction in the deaths caused by gambling. The charitys strategy director Will Prochaska said the reforms must be made with urgency. He said: We welcome the Government finally acting, but nothing has changed yet. We desperately need the Gambling Commission to enact these reforms and not drag their feet. Government must now go much further, remove the influence of the gambling industry, and give a greater role to the Department of Health in regulation. Teacher Jack Ritchie died in Vietnam in November 2017. In March 2022, Sheffield coroner David Urpeth said that Mr Ritchies death was a stark reminder of the terrible consequences that can flow from an addiction to gambling, adding that the information about the dangers of gambling available at the time was woefully inadequate and failed to meet Jacks needs. Speaking after the inquest, Mr and Mrs Ritchie said their son was abused by parasites who inflict life-threatening illness for profit. Mr Ritchie, a former civil servant, collated worldwide research in 2018 to conclude that between 250 and 650 people in the UK take their lives each year because of gambling. President Yoon Suk Yeol addresses a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress, Washington D.C., Thursday (local time). Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Calif., listen. Yonhap By Nam Hyun-woo WASHINGTON, D.C. President Yoon Suk Yeol delivered a speech in English in front of a joint session of the U.S. Congress, Thursday (local time), and pledged that South Korea will stand together with the U.S. to serve as "a compass for freedom" to protect and broaden the liberty of global citizens. Throughout his address, Yoon reiterated the importance of the South Korea-U.S. alliance and the coalition between liberal democracies and stressed that the world should let North Korea know "there is a point beyond which they must not advance." He also spoke out against Russia's invasion of Ukraine and underscored Seoul's commitment to support Kyiv, likening the case to the democracies which helped South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War. "As I took office last year, I pledged to rebuild [South] Korea: a nation belonging to the people rooted in freedom, democracy, and market economy; a nation that the people can be truly proud of, as it fulfills its role as a responsible member of the international community," Yoon said in his speech. "Together with the U.S., [South] Korea will play the role of a compass for freedom. It will safeguard and broaden the freedom of citizens of the world." President Yoon Suk Yeol waves to lawmakers before delivering an address in front of a joint session of the U.S. Congress, Washington D.C., Thursday (local time). Yonhap Yoon, who is in the U.S. throughout this week for a state visit, delivered the address a day after he held a summit with President Joe Biden, where the two leaders pledged to further strengthen their military alliance and deepen their economic partnership. It was the first address given by a South Korean president before Congress since President Park Geun-hye in May 2013. "Our alliance was forged 70 years ago to defend [South] Korea's freedom," Yoon said in the speech. "The alliance has now become a global alliance that safeguards freedom and peace around the world. [South] Korea will fulfill its responsibilities. It will play its part that matches its economic capacity." During his address, Yoon hailed the successful history of the two countries' alliance and economic partnerships and paid tribute to veterans who fought in the Korean War, such as the late former U.S. Reps. John Conyers, Sam Johnson, Howard Coble and former Rep. Charles Rangel. He also pointed out that cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries have deepened over the past 70 years of the alliance, adding that Reps. Young Kim, Andy Kim, Michelle Steel and Marilyn Strickland are "a testament to the alliance spanning generations." Yoon said the difference between North Korea and South Korea is the fact that Seoul chose freedom and democracy, while Pyongyang selected dictatorship and communism and stressed that the North's nuclear program and missile provocations pose a serious threat to peace on the Korean Peninsula and beyond. "To deter its reckless behavior, the alliance must stand united with determination," Yoon said. "As President Reagan once said: 'There is a price we will not pay. There is a point beyond which they must not advance.' We must make his words clear to North Korea." Yoon said he and Biden agreed on a stronger U.S. extended deterrence against North Korea during their summit a day earlier and noted that his government will "respond firmly to provocations." At the same time, he said "the door is open for dialogue on North Korea's denuclearization" and added that "all Pyongyang has to do is to stop its nuclear program and begin a substantive denuclearization process." President Yoon Suk Yeol addresses a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress, Washington D.C., Thursday (local time). Yonhap A 13-year-old boy who previously went viral for raising 250,000 for Ukrainian children through a raffle to win his handmade wooden bowl has earned the backing of celebrities such as Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Jeremy Bowen and raised more than 24,000 from his second fundraiser. Gabriel Clark, from Kirby Lonsdale, Cumbria, became a viral sensation last year when his Bowl for Ukraine a wooden bowl he carved, which was etched with a blue and yellow ring in the colours of the Ukrainian flag garnered the attention of avid supporters, who helped him to raise a staggering amount for Save the Children, following a social media post from his father Richard. Following this success, Gabriel carved a new bowl called The Hope Bowl, which has raised more than 24,000 for the charitys Emergency Fund to support children in crisis globally, taking his fundraising total to nearly 275,000. Gabriel hopes his fundraising can help more children in other parts of the world. Gabriel, who taught himself woodwork and honed his craft since aged four, spent 10 hours creating the Hope Bowl (Save The Children) Seeing how much the funds raised last year have helped the Ukrainian children in Poland, I just knew I had to do another fundraiser, he said. Meeting other children who are just like me in lots of ways but who have been through so much made me want to help more children in other parts of the world. The young carpenters Hope Bowl has the backing of several celebrities including Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Nick Offerman, Poppy Delevingne and Jeremy Bowen, who shared their support for Gabriels fundraiser on social media. Gabriel feels so happy with the support he has received and said the money will make a huge difference to children across the globe. Gabriel has raised nearly 275,000 over the last year for Save The Children (Save The Children) Im so happy with the level of support my bowl and I have received again, he said. Last years fundraiser was just after the war in Ukraine started, so to know that a year later people still want to help children in Ukraine and other parts of the world is just amazing. 24,000 is a lot of money and having seen Save the Childrens work, I know it will make a huge difference to children around the world. The 13-year-old, who taught himself woodwork and has been honing his craft since the age of four, created the Hope Bowl in 10 hours and includes three types of wood ash, sapele and zebrano which represent three of the main areas of Save the Childrens work around the world conflict, food and education. A draw to win the bowl closed on April 14, and Andy McKechnie was announced as winner, who said he is amazed to have won. Im so amazed I won, I never win anything, said Mr McKechnie from South Cerney. I saw Gabriels story in the news and was so inspired by his efforts to raise money for other less fortunate children. The Hope Bowl will take pride of place in my hallway at home, Im hoping it will provide a conversation starter and remind visitors about children around the world who need our support. Gabriel hopes his fundraising can help more children in other parts of the world (Save The Children) Lisa Aubrey, head of regional fundraising and engagement at Save the Children, said she is grateful for Gabriels support and fundraising efforts for the charity. We cannot thank Gabriel enough for his continued support and to everyone who entered the draw for his beautifully carved Hope Bowl, she said. The money raised for Save the Childrens Emergency Fund will help support children in crisis all over the world, from those who have fled conflict in Ukraine to those experiencing hunger in places like Somalia. I hope Gabriels incredible feat inspires other young people to use their passions and talents to raise money for a good cause, whether its a sporting challenge or something more unusual like woodwork, any small action really can save lives. The fundraiser can be found here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/thehopebowl Gabriels Instagram page can be accessed here: https://www.instagram.com/clarkie_woodwork/ The British evacuation mission has rescued nearly 900 people from Sudan amid fears that fierce fighting could resume as the end of an agreed ceasefire approaches. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said it will be potentially impossible to continue the operation after the truce agreed between rival generals ends at midnight. More than 2,000 British nationals in Sudan have registered under the evacuation plans but the true number of citizens there could be far higher. As of 4pm on Thursday, the Foreign Office said that 897 people had been evacuated over eight RAF airlifts. The Foreign Office, which has not said how many of the evacuees are Britons or foreign nationals, urged citizens to head to the airstrip before the ceasefire ends. However, the flights are scheduled to run past midnight and around 1,000 people are expected to have been lifted to safety by Friday morning. Sudan update: 897 people have now been evacuated from Sudan on 8 UK flights as of 4pm today, with further flights to come. pic.twitter.com/SDcjTA4Kry Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) April 27, 2023 Military chiefs say they have the capacity to lift at least 500 people per day out of the Wadi Saeedna airfield near the capital of Khartoum. Mr Cleverly warned that resumption of fighting could jeopardise the evacuation efforts. We cannot predict exactly what will happen when that ceasefire ends, but what we do know is it will be much, much harder, potentially impossible, he told Sky News. So, what were saying to British nationals is if youre hesitant, if youre weighing up your options, our strong, strong advice is to go through Wadi Saeedna whilst the ceasefire is up and running. There are planes, there is capacity, we will lift you out. Im not able to make those same assurances once a ceasefire has ended. UK passport holders have been told to make their own way to the airfield and are not being provided with a military escort. Downing Street rejected calls from people, including Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman Alicia Keans, to widen the eligibility for evacuation beyond British passport holders and their immediate family. But the Prime Ministers official spokesman said: There is an element of discretion for people on the ground as you might expect, given the circumstances and the challenging situation people will be facing. We recognise these are very challenging circumstances and, as we have done on previous occasions, we obviously empower people on the ground to make decisions. British nationals about to board an RAF aircraft at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus on Wednesday after being evacuated from Sudan (Ministry of Defence/PA) British ambassador to Sudan Giles Lever was continuing to speak to the warring parties the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to try to get a ceasefire extension. The diplomat, who was not in Sudan when the fighting broke out, was being relocated from London to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia to play a key role in efforts to end the fighting. Africa minister Andrew Mitchell warned that an end to the ceasefire could result in a humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan. It is essential that a ceasefire is maintained and that a political process is secured, he told the foreign affairs think tank Chatham House. If not, the humanitarian consequences will be incalculable. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has urged all UK nationals wishing to flee Sudan to come forward as quickly as possible despite a three-day extension to the ceasefire being agreed. The British evacuation mission was potentially bought more time when the rival generals made the deal as the midnight deadline for the resumption of fierce fighting loomed. The ceasefire in Sudan has just been extended. The UK calls for its full implementation by the generals. British evacuation flights are ongoing. I urge all British nationals wishing to leave to proceed to the airport as quickly as possible to ensure their safety. James Cleverly (@JamesCleverly) April 27, 2023 The RAF has airlifted nearly 900 people from an airfield near the capital Khartoum but thousands more British nationals may remain in Sudan. Flights were scheduled to continue regardless but intensified clashes would add extra pressure to the operation and Mr Cleverly had warned that the mission could become impossible. However, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces joined the Sudanese military in agreeing to extend the 72-hour truce that has seen fighting lull to allow citizens and foreign nationals to flee. Mr Cleverly said: The UK calls for its full implementation by the generals. British evacuation flights are ongoing. I urge all British nationals wishing to leave to proceed to the airport as quickly as possible to ensure their safety. Britain had been urging the rival generals to extend the ceasefire, which should help stave off a feared humanitarian crisis in Africas third largest country. More than 2,000 British nationals in Sudan have registered under the evacuation plans but the true number of citizens there could be far higher. As of 4pm on Thursday, the Foreign Office said that 897 people had been evacuated over eight RAF airlifts. The Foreign Office, which has not said how many of the evacuees are Britons or foreign nationals, had been urging citizens to head to the airstrip before the ceasefire ended. The flights were however scheduled to run past midnight and around 1,000 people are expected to have been lifted to safety by Friday morning. Military chiefs say they have the capacity to fly at least 500 people per day out of the Wadi Saeedna airfield, north of Khartoum. Sudan update: 897 people have now been evacuated from Sudan on 8 UK flights as of 4pm today, with further flights to come. pic.twitter.com/SDcjTA4Kry Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) April 27, 2023 Earlier in the day, Mr Cleverly warned that resumption of fighting could jeopardise the evacuation efforts. We cannot predict exactly what will happen when that ceasefire ends, but what we do know is it will be much, much harder, potentially impossible, he told Sky News. So, what were saying to British nationals is if youre hesitant, if youre weighing up your options, our strong, strong advice is to go through Wadi Saeedna whilst the ceasefire is up and running. There are planes, there is capacity, we will lift you out. Im not able to make those same assurances once a ceasefire has ended. UK passport holders have been told to make their own way to the airfield and are not being provided with a military escort. Downing Street rejected calls from people, including Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman Alicia Keans, to widen the eligibility for evacuation beyond British passport holders and their immediate family. But the Prime Ministers official spokesman said: There is an element of discretion for people on the ground as you might expect, given the circumstances and the challenging situation people will be facing. We recognise these are very challenging circumstances and, as we have done on previous occasions, we obviously empower people on the ground to make decisions. British nationals about to board an RAF aircraft at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus on Wednesday after being evacuated from Sudan (Ministry of Defence/PA) British ambassador to Sudan Giles Lever had been speaking to the warring parties the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to try to get a ceasefire extension. The diplomat, who was not in Sudan when the fighting broke out, was being relocated from London to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia to play a key role in efforts to end the fighting. Africa minister Andrew Mitchell warned that an end to the ceasefire could result in a humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan. It is essential that a ceasefire is maintained and that a political process is secured, he told the foreign affairs think tank Chatham House. If not, the humanitarian consequences will be incalculable. A waxwork of the Queen Consort has been unveiled at Madame Tussauds London ahead of the coronation in May. Styled in a dark blue gown, the statue will stand alongside Charles, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the late Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in the Throne Room. Designer Anna Valentine recreated the outfit she designed for Camillas attendance at the Diplomatic Reception in December 2022, paired with a royal blue sash, star of the Order of the Garter and replica of the Belgian sapphire tiara owned by the Queen. Tim Waters, general manager of Madame Tussauds, said: Whilst for many people this will be their first experience of a coronation, the coronation of King Charles III will be the eighth that Madame Tussauds London has celebrated. Were incredibly proud of our centuries-long link with the Palace and what better way to mark the official start of this new chapter in the history of the British monarchy than with the creation of our brand new soon-to-be Queen Camilla to stand alongside her husband, the King. It comes after the flagship museum in the capital opened a new Royal Palace experience in the lead-up to the coronation on May 6. Artists Sophie Greenaway (left) and Claire Parkes add the finishing touches to the figure (Yui Mok/PA) Visitors will be invited to sign a coronation book which will be preserved in the attractions archives. The Throne Room was the site of political demonstration last year when Charles waxwork statue was targeted by two Just Stop Oil protesters in October 2022. Eilidh McFadden and Tom Johnson dumped a vegan chocolate cake topped with shaving foam onto the figurine. Madame Tussauds removed the statues overnight while they were restored and the pair were ordered to pay the museum 3,500 in compensation. Britains evacuation mission from Sudan may have been bought more time after the rival forces agreed a three-day extension to their ceasefire. The RAF has airlifted nearly 900 people from near the capital Khartoum as they raced to evacuate British nationals ahead of midnight, when the resumption of fierce fighting loomed. Flights were scheduled to continue regardless but intensified clashes would have added extra pressure to the operation and Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said the mission could become impossible. However, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces joined the Sudanese military in agreeing to extend the 72-hour truce that has seen fighting lull to allow citizens and foreign nationals to flee. Britain had been urging the rival generals to extend the ceasefire, which should help stave off a feared humanitarian crisis in Africas third largest country. More than 2,000 British nationals in Sudan have registered under the evacuation plans but the true number of citizens there could be far higher. As of 4pm on Thursday, the Foreign Office said that 897 people had been evacuated over eight RAF airlifts. The Foreign Office, which has not said how many of the evacuees are Britons or foreign nationals, had been urging citizens to head to the airstrip before the ceasefire ended. The flights were however scheduled to run past midnight and around 1,000 people are expected to have been lifted to safety by Friday morning. Military chiefs say they have the capacity to fly at least 500 people per day out of the Wadi Saeedna airfield, north of Khartoum. Sudan update: 897 people have now been evacuated from Sudan on 8 UK flights as of 4pm today, with further flights to come. pic.twitter.com/SDcjTA4Kry Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) April 27, 2023 Mr Cleverly warned that resumption of fighting could jeopardise the evacuation efforts. We cannot predict exactly what will happen when that ceasefire ends, but what we do know is it will be much, much harder, potentially impossible, he told Sky News. So, what were saying to British nationals is if youre hesitant, if youre weighing up your options, our strong, strong advice is to go through Wadi Saeedna whilst the ceasefire is up and running. There are planes, there is capacity, we will lift you out. Im not able to make those same assurances once a ceasefire has ended. UK passport holders have been told to make their own way to the airfield and are not being provided with a military escort. Downing Street rejected calls from people, including Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman Alicia Keans, to widen the eligibility for evacuation beyond British passport holders and their immediate family. But the Prime Ministers official spokesman said: There is an element of discretion for people on the ground as you might expect, given the circumstances and the challenging situation people will be facing. We recognise these are very challenging circumstances and, as we have done on previous occasions, we obviously empower people on the ground to make decisions. British nationals about to board an RAF aircraft at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus on Wednesday after being evacuated from Sudan (Ministry of Defence/PA) British ambassador to Sudan Giles Lever had been speaking to the warring parties the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to try to get a ceasefire extension. The diplomat, who was not in Sudan when the fighting broke out, was being relocated from London to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia to play a key role in efforts to end the fighting. Africa minister Andrew Mitchell warned that an end to the ceasefire could result in a humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan. It is essential that a ceasefire is maintained and that a political process is secured, he told the foreign affairs think tank Chatham House. If not, the humanitarian consequences will be incalculable. The Stone of Destiny will return to England for the first time in more than a quarter of a century to play a key part in the coronation ceremony. On its first outing south of the border since it was officially returned to Scotland after 700 years by then prime minister John Major in 1996, it will be transported under tight security following a previous raid before being placed beneath the Coronation Chair at Westminster Abbey. It has become the symbol of Scottish nationhood but for 700 years, with the exception of just a few short months, it remained hundreds of miles away in London. The Coronation Chair, containing the Stone of Destiny, also known as the Stone of Scone, in Westminster Abbey, London (Sean Dempsey/PA) Also known as the Stone of Scone, it is a 125kg slab of pinkish sandstone but, despite its plain, battered look, it carries with it an enormous amount of symbolism, history and legend. Measuring just 67cm in length, 24cm in width, and almost 27cm in height, it has played an outsize role in centuries of royal tradition. Removed by King Edward I of England in 1296, it was brought back to Scotland by a gang of four Scottish nationalists in a daring Christmas Day raid in 1950, returned to Westminster Abbey months later, and then in 1996 sent back north of the border to Edinburgh. Charles will be the latest royal to be crowned on the stone. Before it was looted in the Wars of Independence it was used in the coronation of Scottish kings for hundreds of years. Professor Ewen Cameron, Sir William Fraser professor of Scottish history at the University of Edinburgh, said of its initial removal: Edward was making a statement about the status of Scotland. One chronicler stated that its removal to London was in recognition of a kingdom surrendered and conquered. With the stones origins being a subject of debate, beyond its weight, dimensions and the type of rock which was likely quarried near Scone, much is unclear. Ceremonial guards escort the historic Stone of Destiny into Scotland (Owen Humphreys/PA) The use of a special stone in the enthronement of kings appears to be a tradition of very long standing. The Stone of Destiny first entered recorded history in 1057 when Macbeths stepson Lulach was proclaimed King at Scone, and the stone is rumoured to have been used in this way since the fourth century. But since the 14th century it has been used by English monarchs, and then British ones when James VI of Scotland ascended to the English throne upon the death of Queen Elizabeth I in 1603. The last time it featured in a ceremony was for Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, but there was a chance history would have told a different story. Three years earlier Ian Hamilton, Gavin Vernon, Kay Matheson and Alan Stuart took part in the daring raid at Westminster Abbey to retrieve it. Driving from Glasgow, where they went to university, to the UK capital they embarked on one of the most audacious heists of British history on Christmas Day intent on making a point about Scottish nationalism. When it was discovered it was missing it caused an international sensation, the border between Scotland and England was closed for the first time in 400 years and a team of detectives from Scotland Yard were sent north to investigate. It was later found on the site of the High Altar at Arbroath Abbey where, in 1320, Scottish nationhood was declared in the Declaration of Arbroath. The Stone of Destiny being removed from Arbroath Abbey, Forfarshire, Scotland after being handed to the custodian of the Abbey, James Wiseheart, by Scottish nationalists (PA) On April 11 1951 it was taken back to London and returned to Westminster Abbey, placed back in the Coronation Chair. Prof Cameron said: The students were not prosecuted to avoid giving publicity to the Scottish nationalist movement. The stone was returned to Westminster Abbey its traditional place, according to the prime minister, Churchill in 1952 in time for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth, and much to her delight. The stone had been an obscure item for most of the period that it was in London. Scottish nationalists saw that as a slight on Scotland and sought to bring it to public attention. The events of 1950 also established that the stone was the property of the monarch. It would remain in Westminster for the next 46 years until 1996 when, towards the end of John Majors time in Number 10, he said it would be returned. On July 3 that year the Conservative politician told the House of Commons: The Stone of Destiny holds a special place in the hearts of Scots. On this, the 700th anniversary of its removal from Scotland, it is appropriate to return it to its historic homeland. On St Andrews Day the centuries-old stone returned, and was brought to Edinburgh where it was put on display in Edinburgh Castle. The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey, has called for tighter regulation to stop the releasing of sewage into rivers and seas which he branded a crime against nature. The party has released analysis of Environment Agency figures that show water companies released sewage into Englands chalk streams for 14,162 hours last year. And there were 2,240 incidents of sewage discharges into chalk streams by five water firms Anglian Water, Southern Water, Thames Water, Wessex Water and Yorkshire Water. The partys analysis also states that one in five sewage discharges in chalk streams either had a faulty monitor or no monitor installed. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey walks golden retriever Tess during a local dog walk along the River Itchen near Winchester, a chalk stream affected by sewage discharges (Andrew Matthews/PA) During a visit to the River Itchen at Shawford, near Winchester, Hampshire, Mr Davey called on the Government to increase regulation. He said: Its quite disgusting that the Conservatives keep allowing these water companies to pump their filthy sewage into our rivers and seas. These are very precious chalk streams and its a crime against nature. Some people have thought they are almost like Britains rainforests because they are so precious in the biodiversity they represent. Yet this Government is allowing water companies to pump sewage into these precious rivers and they are not allowing them to be monitored properly. One in five monitors of sewage dumping into chalk streams across our great country are not working or arent even present, thats a scandal. Sir Ed Davey (left) and Danny Chambers, the Liberal Democrats parliamentary candidate for Winchester and Chandlers Ford (right), during a dog walk along the River Itchen near Winchester (Andrew Matthews/PA) He added: We have been arguing for much tougher regulation on water companies, we have argued for a sewage tax. These companies are making huge profits and they are not being regulated to put those profits back into investing to sort out that problem. That is wrong and the Government has been so weak and has not stopped it. A Liberal Democrat spokesman said: Todays new analysis of Environment Agency data finds they are being polluted with endless amounts of sewage discharges. The worst offender is Wessex Water, guilty of 1,013 separate sewage discharges into chalk streams across the West of England. The worst chalk stream sewage discharge lasted a staggering 2,969 hours in the River Till, a tributary of the Hampshire Avon in Wiltshire by Wessex Water, which is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest as it is home to the water crowfoot, providing habitat for fish and snails. Meanwhile, Thames Water discharged sewage into the Misbourne in Buckinghamshire for 1,206 hours last year. Southern Water discharged sewage 62 times in the River Meon last year, lasting over 1,000 hours. South West Water has been given a record fine of 2.15m for a series of environmental offences across Devon and Cornwall. Polluters must pay and we will continue to do everything in our power to ensure that they do.https://t.co/Ivh03rpvMZ#PlanForWater pic.twitter.com/NMlxBi1g8n Environment Agency (@EnvAgency) April 27, 2023 A Wessex Water spokesman said: The Liberal Democrats analysis fails to recognise that the overflow into the River Till is so clear that it is cleaner than the river itself, having arrived at the treatment works as nearly pure groundwater and gone through three treatment stages before being discharged. Regular monitoring has shown there is categorically no adverse impact from the overflow on the River Till or threat to the aquatic life. A Water UK spokeswoman said: Every water company is firmly of the view that urgent action is needed to tackle the harm caused by storm overflows and are committed to delivering ambitious plans that will help protect our precious chalk streams. Water companies are bringing forward 56 billion to replumb England in one of the largest infrastructure programmes ever. This includes removing every high-spilling overflow in England, and protecting sensitive sites. A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesman said: It is wrong to say the Government is doing nothing. We listed chalk streams as high priority in the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan which sets out the strictest targets ever on water companies to reduce sewage discharges. We are requiring them to deliver the largest infrastructure programme in their history an estimated 56 billion in capital investment over the next 25 years, driving more improvements. Our ambitious Plan for Water also sets out the increased investment, tougher enforcement and tighter regulation needed to clean up our waterways and tackle this issue. We have recently confirmed 1.1 billion in new, accelerated investment to tackle storm overflows. Florence Pugh has been announced as the new face of luxury Italian fashion brand Valentino. The 27-year-old actor, known for her roles in films Midsommar, Little Women and most recently A Good Person, stars in a new campaign for the fashion brand, dubbed on Instagram as An Encyclopaedia Of Feelings. In the campaign video, Pugh poses with a hot pink Valentino Garavani Rockstud23 bag, cycling through a range of emotions including anger, surprise and happiness. The video ends with Pugh saying the new Rockstud slogan: I mean Its Rockstud! On Instagram, Valentino said creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli chose Pugh to be the new brand ambassador because shes known for her authenticity, vulnerability and fearless self-expression, both on-camera and off. The bag retails at 1,950 and is in Valentinos signature fuchsia hue, first debuted at the brands autumn/winter 2023 fashion collection. Pugh is the new Valentino DI.VA, which stands for DI.fferent VA.lues, joining the likes of racing driver Lewis Hamilton and Euphoria actor Zendaya. Zendaya was recently announced as the new face of rival luxury brand Louis Vuitton, suggesting her contract with Valentino has come to an end. The partnership between Pugh and Valentino makes sense, as it is the actors go-to brand for the red carpet. Some of her most memorable looks include the black and silver gown with shorts underneath, worn to the Venice Film Festival in 2022; the couture outfit worn to the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar party made up of black trousers, a black bra and a voluminous pale pink coat and the sheer pink gown worn to a Valentino fashion show in July last year, which stirred up controversy for its see-through top. Pugh wearing Valentino at the Venice Film Festival in 2022 (Alamy/PA) To mark the new partnership, Pugh and Valentinos creative director Piccioli did an interview with the New York Times. I always felt like Id be very nervous about a fashion or beauty campaign because what if its not me? Pugh said. So many times Ive had to stand up about the way people talk about my body or the way people have tried to change my body. Here, I was allowed to show a version of myself doing all of my faces, not sell a version of someone to help sell the products. Pugh also revealed she would be attending her first Met Gala next Monday, wearing a Valentino outfit, which she described as big, but we like big, dont we? Media outlets all over the world have announced plans for coverage of the Kings coronation in anticipation of the historic event. Despite time differences, networks in the US, Canada and Australia, said they are planning special broadcast schedules in the run up and on the day of the event on May 6. US network ABC will begin its coverage of the coronation at 5am eastern time (10am UK time) on its main channel and streaming on ABC News Live. Networks in the US, Canada and Australia, said they plan air special broadcast schedules in the run up and on the day of the historic event (Charlotte Graham/Daily Telegraph/PA) Coverage will be fronted by Good Morning America (GMA) co-anchor Michael Strahan, who will be supported by a host of special foreign correspondents. The ABC team will be live in London from May 4 to highlight last-minute presentations, the crown jewels and the roles of the royal children and military services. ABC News Digital and GMA Digital will also have coverage throughout the week leading up to the coronation, including a live-blog, royal moments and fashion. Historic moments from the late Queens coronation in 1953, a look back at Charles environmental work and reception of the coronation throughout the Caribbean Commonwealth will also feature in the broadcasters package. Other major US outlets including Fox News, CNN and CBS are also expected to provide coverage. In Canada, coverage is set to start an hour earlier at 4am local time on the day. Canadian network CBCs Adrienne Arsenault will be hosting coverage of the coronation, with viewers able to watch it on CBC Television, CBC News Network, CBC Gem and CBC News Explore. (Owen Humphreys/PA) A CBC Radio special, hosted by John Northcott and Nahlah Ayed, will begin at 5:30am eastern time. A ceremony held in Canadas own capital of Ottawa to mark the occasion will also be covered in a special programme, hosted by Rosemary Barton. The following day, CBC Radios Cross Country Checkup will air live from London. Australian news corporation ABC issued its coverage plans, inviting viewers to witness history unfold live as centuries of tradition and pageantry play out in London. ABC will show a full day of coverage on May 6, taking place from 5pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST). A preview of the event will be shown, with ongoing coverage of arrivals until 7pm when the Kings Procession and service will begin. Following the service, the procession from Westminster will be shown as well as footage from the Buckingham Palace Balcony, which is scheduled for 10.30pm AEST. The Government is set to outline a budget for Northern Ireland amid the ongoing powersharing impasse at Stormont. Department allocations that are expected to result in swingeing cuts to public services will be laid before Parliament by Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris early on Thursday afternoon. Mr Heaton-Harris, who has responsibility for setting the Stormont budget in the absence of devolved ministers in Belfast, is due to outline the funding plan for 2023/24 in a written ministerial statement at Westminster. Stormont is potentially facing cutbacks to services totalling hundreds of millions of pounds. Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris (PA) If Mr Heaton-Harris opts to protect health and education budgets, then other Stormont department will potentially see their allocations slashed by 10%. The tabling of the budget comes already one month into the new financial year. Civil servants who are currently running public services in Northern Ireland are bracing themselves for a potentially brutal settlement. When local ministers left office last year amid a political row over post-Brexit trade, Stormont was facing an approximate 600 million black hole. Departmental permanent secretaries were forced to make a range of in-year savings and the Treasury provided a 330 million advance down-payment to help bridge the financial gap. But with that 330 million having to be recouped in this financial year, the picture looks even more bleak for the 2023/24 budget. Sinn Feins vice president Michelle ONeill has called on the Government to allocate more money to Northern Ireland (Niall Carson/PA) While Mr Heaton-Harris is expected to distribute the block grant among the Stormont departments, he will not be taking spending decisions needed within individual departments to ensure they balance their books. Stormont permanent secretaries insist they should not be placed in the position of having to impose significant budget-balancing cuts, potentially impacting the most vulnerable in society. They contend such decisions should be taken by democratically elected politicians and have urged the Government to issue ministerial directions for any major cuts that are required. But Mr Heaton-Harris has made clear he does not intend to issue such directions, which means the decisions will fall on the civil service until such time as powersharing returns to Stormont. Civil servants have already been handed some extra powers to take decisions usually reserved for ministers and Mr Heaton-Harris will also publish legislation on Thursday that will seek to extend those powers beyond their current expiration date of June 5. Devolution is in abeyance as a result of a DUP boycott of the institutions in protest at post-Brexit trading arrangements. Mr Heaton-Harris is due to meet the main parties at Hillsborough Castle on Thursday to discuss the budgetary picture. On Wednesday, Sinn Fein vice president Michelle ONeill called on the Government to divert more money to Northern Ireland. Her party colleague and former Stormont finance minister Conor Murphy said the anticipated budget cuts for Northern Ireland were devastating, immoral and indefensible. By exacerbating social and economic problems, the cuts will create additional pressures on the public finances and undermine public services already struggling with the effects of austerity, the impact of Brexit and the pandemic, he said. This unadulterated Tory budget is the direct consequence of the absence of the Executive. The DUP has urged reform of how the region is funded, arguing that the Barnett formula used to allocate Treasury money to the devolved regions is unfair. Following is the keynote address of Dr. Hyun Jin Preston Moon at the recent Global Peace Leadership Conference Indo-Pacific 2023 in New Delhi. Speaking to prominent Indian leaders and others from throughout the larger region, Dr. Moon incisively analyzes global trends and geopolitical dynamics, as well as the significant opportunities afforded by the rise of the Indo-Pacific region. Citing prospects for vibrant synergy between increasingly influential India and a free and unified Korea with its enormous potential, he articulates a compelling vision for the Korean Dream as the catalyst for a new era of human development. ED. By Hyun Jin Preston Moon The world today is in crisis. In the United States and Europe, for example, the rise of "woke" politics is challenging the traditional Judeo-Christian values and classic liberal views of the West and its institutions from within. There is an alarming cacophony of conflicting ideas about society and the human condition, from the nature of the state to individual identity and gender relations. The result has been widespread political and social instability, uncertainty and moral confusion. The liberal ideals of Western democracies rooted in individual freedoms and "inalienable" rights are being undermined for the sake of collective conformity with almost religious fervor. Although the end of the Cold War revealed the evils of socialism and communism, a new secular Marxist worldview is taking hold in the West, uprooting its values, norms, traditions and institutions. This unfortunate reality is eroding the common ground upon which society can stand, as both progressive and traditional sides become more polarized, creating an untenable situation. This "woke" orthodoxy is not content just to undermine the traditional values upon which Western democracy stands, sowing discord within. It seeks to export its ideas to other cultures such as those of India, East Asia, and traditional African societies and twist their values into its own distorted image. In the realm of geopolitics, we are witnessing the rise of assertive statist powers that are prepared to impose their will on their neighbors, reminiscent of the actions taken by totalitarian regimes of the last century that led to two World Wars and the Cold War. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia was a shock to most in the West that had become complacent about Putin's ambition to restore the territorial influence of the former Soviet Union. Heading into the second year of the war, there seems to be no end in sight for the near term as Ukraine seeks to regain its lost territories and Russia fortifies its positions. Here in Asia, China has made it clear that it is prepared to violate Taiwanese sovereignty, even by force, under its "One China" policy. That is why so many experts are concerned by the war in Ukraine since many believe that Chinese authorities are studying that conflict and its implications for an invasion of Taiwan. The U.S. has preempted that concern by showing its commitment to the island's defense through the well-publicized visit of former Speaker Pelosi last year and the recent meeting between current Speaker McCarthy and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. The threat to Taiwan and China's intent on controlling the South China Sea, the world's most vibrant trade route, through the creation of military island bases has raised alarm among all its neighbors. These provocative moves have led the U.S. and its allies to join a variety of new organizations. The Quad dialogue of the U.S., Australia, India and Japan, advanced by the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, was considered the "Asian NATO" in response to the rising threat of China. The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity of 2022 represented fourteen regional nations with a combined economic output of 40 percent of the world's GDP as a counter to China's efforts to economically influence the region. These developments and President Xi Jinping's recent visit to Russia and the Middle East are beginning to solidify the emerging lines between the free world and the world under Chinese influence. The rise of the Indo-Pacific and the need for guiding spiritual principles As a result, the tides of history are shifting from the Atlantic sphere to the Indo-Pacific. Whether that will prove to be for better or worse will be determined by the collective decisions made in the present and near future. In this geopolitical environment, any nation that cherishes the ideals of fundamental freedom and human rights would clearly be wise to align with the U.S. and its democratic allies. For the threat that China poses is the rise of totalitarian statist regimes that challenges the ideal of liberty. It is important to note that, although China has adopted some aspects of a market system, it never relinquished its one-party communist rule or the Maoist revolution; and it never embraced democracy nor the ideals of liberty that form the foundation of the free world. Given this threat to liberty, the confusion being spread by the "woke" left in all Western democracies is even more alarming. At no time in human history should the West be clearer about its core values and whence its freedom and rights derive. Many of the activists living in the West, however, take them for granted, failing to recognize the hard-won religious and philosophical milestones, rooted in the Judeo-Christian ethic that gave birth to them. The formation of the United States of America in 1776, through its Declaration of Independence from the British Empire, planted the seeds of those ideals with its pregnant second sentence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." The foundational premise in those immortal words is that human freedom and rights come from the transcendent power of God, our Creator, and not any human authority or institution; and that they are "unalienable." In our current global circumstances, there is an urgent need to clarify and uplift that time-honored universal spiritual principle. It is important that we understand which ideas will lead to a peaceful, harmonious future and which will dissolve social bonds, leading to chaos and anarchy, most likely followed by tyranny. What is important to note is that not all democracies are truly free, as we see in the case of ancient Greece and even the Roman Empire; nor are they immune from the tyranny of mob rule. Spiritual principles provide the much-needed compass to navigate through rapidly changing norms and guide humanity toward God's ideal, which I believe, is rooted first and foremost in families centered on the original, creative love of God. We do not have to look far to find evidence of these universal principles. We can find them in the great faith traditions that have preserved, taught and practiced time-honored traditions that point to the innate value of human life and the proper order in human relationships, especially in the family, as well as to virtues by which to live. Throughout history, God has inspired the founding of various faith and wisdom traditions to elevate human consciousness and cultivate ethical civilizations. It should be people of faith who lead the world to peace. I believe the vision that can unite and inspire humanity to transcend all the walls of division is none other than "One Family under God." All faiths should cooperate and adopt this vision to build a world free of conflict, reflecting the highest spiritual ideals, rooted in universal principles and values that reflect God's truth, righteousness, goodness and love for all humanity. Only then will we be able to harness the power of faith to transform the world and build true everlasting peace and harmony for all. We can no longer afford to proclaim that we are all "One Family" while continuing to live in our separate boxes. The non-violence paradigm and its Korean and Indian roots My homeland of Korea and India share a special relationship in history that will have important implications for this century. There is a historic connection between the two countries that goes back two millennia. In the first century CE the Indian princess Suriratna sailed to Korea, married King Suro and became the queen known to Koreans as Heo Hwang-ok. There are memorials to her in both India and Korea. That marriage alliance connected our ancient civilizations and made clear that there were significant connections between the two countries at that time and ever since. In the last century, the Korean March 1 Independence Movement, launched in 1919 while the Paris Peace Conference was being held after World War I, influenced Indian independence by introducing the platform of mass non-violent protest rooted in universal spiritual truths. Two million Koreans on the peninsula, ten percent of the population, engaged in peaceful protest over two months, making it the largest demonstration of non-violent resistance up until that time. By 1920 Gandhi had formulated "Satyagraha" or "truth force" that became the governing philosophy behind the Indian non-violence movement. In 1929, Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, a leading thought leader of Indian independence, met with Korean students in Japan and was deeply moved by the undying aspirations of the Korean people. He immortalized those aspirations in a famous quatrain called "Lamp of the East" describing Korea as one of the ancient sources of light in Asia, waiting to be relit "for the illumination of the East." The main impetus for independence in both Korea and India in the early 20th century drew power from their own ancient spiritual traditions. In the case of Korea, it was motivated by "Hongik Ingan" that mandated the Korean people to "live for the benefit of humanity;" and for India, it was "Vasudaiva Kutumbakam" that proclaimed that "The World is One Family." As a result, both movements were not driven simply by resentment toward the colonial power. Certainly, they wanted to be free of foreign rule, but each had a greater vision of a peaceful and harmonious coexistence with their oppressors as well as their neighbors after independence. Later, this approach became the inspiration for Martin Luther King Jr. and the American civil rights movement. Dr. King applied the spiritual principle of non-violence to prick the conscience of a nation. He looked to America's founding creed of equality to hold the nation to account for its moral failure in its treatment of Black Americans. His historic "I Have a Dream" speech did not simply condemn the injustice but called all people to renew their commitment to those founding ideals. Similarly, in South Africa, Nelson Mandela adopted the principles of non-violence rooted in universal truths while he was in prison for his attempt to violently overthrow the apartheid government. He learned to forgive his oppressors and later worked with then President de Klerk, in the early 1990s upon his release, to dismantle the system of segregation. He became the first Black president South Africa in 1994 and played a central role in reconciliation between the races, being globally recognized for his work and statesmanship. Due to our two countries' important legacy in shaping the most significant movements for freedom, equality and human rights of the 20th century, I believe that our destinies are intertwined. We have an even greater role to play in this century, as the world stands on the precipice of war and chaos. Our distinctive spiritual heritage and history of non-violence place us in a unique position to champion peace in the Indo-Pacific region, here in the southern heart of Asia and across to the pan-Pacific Rim to the east and eventually to the whole world. The Korean dream and launching of a new era However, before we can open a new chapter in the story of this region, we must bring a close to the last vestige of the 20th century's tragic legacies of colonialism and Cold War geopolitics that remain on the Korean Peninsula. It is deeply ironic that the nation which initiated the paradigm of non-violent mass protest rooted in universal truths remains divided to this day. Korea has been unable to realize the aspirations of the Sam-Il movement of more than a century ago, while every other colonized people, as well as nations in the Soviet sphere of influence, were eventually able to achieve national sovereignty and unification. Thus, Korean unification is of utmost importance in setting a new precedent for peace in Asia and from Asia to the world. I have developed a new vision for unification called the Korean Dream. Unlike past efforts, it draws upon the ancient Korean philosophical ideal of Hongik Ingan, which precedes the current ideological division by millennia, to tackle the present challenge. It was the impetus behind the high moral ideals of the independence movement and gave all Koreans a sense of providential purpose to create a model nation that could benefit all mankind. It challenges the divided peninsula to discard the foreign construct of division and recognize its common identity and destiny. In order to do this, I plan on re-launching the paradigm of the Sam-Il movement to bring about unification. To that end, I have created Action for Korea United (AKU), a coalition of civil society activists, organizations, NGOs and associations that represents millions of South Koreans. To date, we have a thousand partners united in the largest grassroots movement for unification in the history of South Korea. We plan to hold peace rallies in the South that will climax in 2025 with a massive event for unification that will highlight the 80th anniversary of Korean independence from Japanese rule. Imagine if tens of millions of Koreans on the peninsula and in the diaspora, as well as supporters from around the world, gathered their collective voices to demand the peaceful unification of Korea. Surely, the metaphysical and physical wall that divides the peninsula would fall and a new era will dawn for the Korean people, the Indo-Pacific and the world. I hope and trust that the spiritual and thought leaders of India will recognize the moment and give their support for the Korean Dream. The rising prominence of India in this region is evidenced by its role in hosting the upcoming G20 meeting, drawing upon the rich heritage of Indian spirituality to create the meeting theme of "One Earth, One Family, One Future." It is also noteworthy that India is convening the "C20" of civil society counterparts to G20, giving substance to spiritual principles by promoting the essential value of service and the ethos of one family. This is highly significant because of the clear recognition that politics, economics and technology alone are inadequate to resolve the many challenges facing the world today. These challenges arise, at root, from a clash of fundamental worldviews that can only be effectively addressed by drawing on deep and ancient spiritual traditions and the universal truths they embody. What is most important is that we recognize the universal principles that are manifested in these traditions. We are all essentially connected in the one human family, and we are one family because of our shared origin in the Creator God. Our inherent value and fundamental rights are endowed to us by God. To encapsulate these truths in a way that all can easily grasp, I have long advocated the simple yet profound vision statement One Family under God. The Global Peace Foundation and its partners in India will establish the Indo-Pacific Leadership Forum to further implement this movement to foster one global family, guided by the traditions and values shared across all the cultures of this region. The Leadership Forum will work in a similar way to the Latin American Presidential Mission that I founded. Through it, public-minded former presidents work for the benefit of Latin America through promoting peace, cooperation among countries and spiritual and material development of the people. I encourage the peacebuilders of this region, in their respective spheres of influence, to join together and invest your passion, energy and talent for the benefit of all humanity, in pursuit of the greatest dream of all, the dream that all people everywhere can come to live together as One Family under God! Dr. Hyun Jin Preston Moon is chairman and founder of Global Peace Foundation. Hugh Grant has accused the publisher of The Sun of using the law to cover up and conceal unlawful activities by journalists and private investigators which he alleges included burglaries to order. The actor, 62, attended the final day of a hearing at the High Court, at which News Group Newspapers (NGN) is bringing a bid to have claims by him and the Duke of Sussex thrown out. He arrived with his wife Anna Eberstein and his legal team and greeted gathered journalists as he entered the Rolls Building, in London. Hugh Grant is a prominent campaigner on press ethics (James Manning/PA) Harry, 38, is suing News Group Newspapers (NGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering at two of its titles, The Sun and the now-defunct News Of The World claiming that his private information was unlawfully accessed. Mr Grant, who settled a claim against NGN relating to unlawful information gathering at the News Of The World in 2012, is now bringing a similar legal action in relation to The Sun. NGN denies any unlawful activity took place at The Sun. In a witness statement, the Love Actually star said: My claim concerns unlawful acts committed by The Sun, including burglaries to order, the breaking and entering of private property in order to obtain private information through bugging, landline tapping, phone hacking, and the use of private investigators to do all these and other illegal things against me. He referred in the statement to evidence he gave to the Leveson Inquiry into press standards and ethics in 2011, in which he spoke about a break in at his London flat, where the front door was forced off its hinges and a story appeared shortly afterwards in The Sun that detailed the interior. He said: I had no evidence that this burglary was carried out or commissioned on the instruction of the press, let alone The Sun. The actor added that he had been told by a private investigator in early 2022, which prompted him to launch his claim. In his witness statement, the actor says he brought his recent claim after being passed information which showed, for the first time, evidence that The Sun had targeted unlawful activity at me and my associates directly. He said the information included private investigator invoices and payments, and that they included the period during which the Leveson Inquiry into press standards and ethics was taking place. Mr Grant said in the statement: It was particularly shocking to learn that me and my associates, including members of my family who were not in any way in the public eye, had been targeted by The Sun during the Leveson Inquiry. It was widely reported and well known at the time these private investigators were commissioned in November 2011 that I was shortly going to be giving evidence to the Leveson Inquiry which included NGN. I found it astonishing that The Sun carried out these unlawful acts against me at a time when I was preparing to give evidence to a public inquiry on press ethics. Of course, all of this was concealed from me at the time. His statement concludes: I have invested a great deal of time in my campaign work for a better and ethical press. A corollary of that has been my interest and my own investigations to understand the truth. I have been shocked by what I have unearthed, without any help at all from the defendant, about unlawful acts committed by The Sun against me. The fact that it has now been confirmed, through my investigations, that these unlawful acts included targeted burglaries is truly appalling. The defendant clearly considers itself above the law and is using the law now in a way I believe it was never intended, that is to further cover up and conceal what it has done. I strongly believe that cannot be allowed to happen and that what it has done must be brought to light. The Duke of Sussex is also bringing a claim against NGN (Victoria Jones/PA) A spokesperson for NGN said: The Sun strongly refutes the allegation that it ever commissioned anyone to break into Hugh Grants home. NGNs lawyers argue Mr Grant, a prominent campaigner on press ethics as a member of the Hacked Off group, should have been aware he had a claim in relation to The Sun much earlier, and had left it too late to bring the latest legal action. Mr Grants lawyers argue he has only become aware more recently, following disclosure in the ongoing litigation over phone hacking, that there is evidence he was targeted by journalists and private investigators working for The Sun. Harrys lawyers argue NGNs bid to have his claim thrown out is an attempt to go behind a secret agreement between the royal family as an institution and NGN, which the duke was informed of in 2012. NGN has previously settled a number of claims since the phone-hacking scandal broke in relation to The News Of The World, which closed in 2011, but has consistently denied that any unlawful information gathering took place at The Sun. Anthony Hudson KC, for NGN, told the court on Tuesday that Harry and Mr Grant had been front and centre of claims against the publisher over hacking and therefore could not possibly have failed to realise they had a potential damages claim much sooner. The hearing is expected to conclude on Thursday and Mr Justice Fancourt will determine whether their claims will progress to a trial, which is due to be heard in January next year. The judge is expected to give his ruling at a later date. Leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) would further destabilise an international system that was already on the back foot, a cabinet minister has said. Development minister Andrew Mitchell said on Wednesday it was incredibly unlikely that the UK would leave the ECHR and warned strongly against doing so during an event at Chatham House in London. I dont think theres any question of Britain leaving the ECHR, the Prime Minister I think has made that pretty clear, he said. Although we are testing the limits of what we can do under the ECHR, and we are not the first government in Britain to do that, it was done by the last Labour government as well. I think that leaving the ECHR is incredibly unlikely to happen. It was built by British ministers and British lawyers after the Second World War. It is extremely important and you can imagine the effect of Britain withdrawing, what it would be on countries with malign intent who would also feel they could withdraw. It would be a huge thread pulled out of the international system which is already on the back foot with catastrophic effect. His comments during an event at Chatham House in London came a day after the Government secured passage for its Illegal Migration Bill through the House of Commons, including new clauses that would limit the ability of the European Court of Human Rights to prevent the deportation of asylum seekers. But some Conservative MPs would like the Government to go further and leave the ECHR entirely to make it easier to deport asylum seekers who cross the Channel in small boats. Home Secretary Suella Braverman has previously called for the UK to leave the convention (Jordan Pettitt/PA) Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, has also been strongly critical of the European Court of Human Rights and during the 2022 Conservative Party conference broke with party policy to call for the UK to leave the convention. Downing Street has so far not ruled out leaving the ECHR, and maintains the crossings can be stopped within the rules of the convention. On the plans to tackle the crossings, Mr Mitchell added: No democratic government can allow what is happening, people coming across in an unstructured and arbitrary way. No government can expect to get re-elected if it doesnt tackle that problem. Mr Mitchell made his comments while answering questions after a speech in which he laid out a series of development policies and launched a new UK International Development brand. Acknowledging that cutting aid spending had damaged Britains reputation, he said: Britain is back. James Corden is set to host his final episode of The Late Late Show after more than eight years at the reins of the US talk show. The British comedian has said he will be a mess after ending his tenure, but is determined to remember it as something that has been the most amazing time of my life. Corden has become a household name in the US and has rubbed shoulders with countless Hollywood stars since taking up hosting duties in 2015. WE'RE NOT CRYING YET BUT WE WILL BE THURSDAY pic.twitter.com/QBCpZ9gdKt The Late Late Show with James Corden (@latelateshow) April 25, 2023 He has put his own stamp on the show through popular segments including Spill Your Guts Or Fill Your Guts and Carpool Karaoke. The latter, which sees him drive to work with the help of musical stars, has produced multiple viral moments and seen appearances from some of the industrys biggest names. Guests have included Sir Paul McCartney, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Justin Bieber, Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey and Adele. Adele, a long-time friend of Cordens, will return to the car for the final instalment of Carpool Karaoke, due to air as an hour-long special before the main show on Thursday. A previously released clip showed the two become emotional as they looked back on their years of friendship and career milestones. Other guests confirmed for Thursdays final episode are One Direction star Harry Styles and US actor and comedian Will Ferrell. Two dear friends, one unforgettable ride.@Adele takes the wheel for James Cordens final Carpool Karaoke. WATCH NOW: https://t.co/GGlTX12ElY #AdeleCarpool pic.twitter.com/EspQHJzVlQ The Late Late Show with James Corden (@latelateshow) April 24, 2023 The final run of shows has featured the typical run of stars including return visits from the likes of Josh Gad, Gal Gadot, Mila Kunis, the Jonas Brothers and Billie Eilish. Speaking on the show at the start of the week, Corden reiterated that his time as host had been a privilege. Im really, really just trying to keep it together, realise what a privilege it is to say goodbye in the manner we are right now and just say its completely right, he said. This is the right time to just take life and just shake it up and that is a privilege. Im determined to enjoy these four shows and not think of it as something that is sad, but to remember it as something that has been the most amazing time of my life. Corden has said he plans to return to the UK to spend more time with his family. His final episode of The Late Late Show will air on Thursday on US network CBS. The King has personally approved the first Royal Gold Medal for architecture of his reign, with the winner a champion of zero carbon self-build houses for displaced populations. Professor Yasmeen Lari, Pakistans first female architect, was announced by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) as the recipient of the honour one of the worlds highest accolades for architecture. The medal is personally approved by the monarch and awarded to a person or group of people who have had a significant influence on the advancement of architecture. Professor Yasmeen Lari (Anam Baig/PA) RIBA described Prof Lari as a revolutionary force who has had an immeasurable influence on the trajectory of the architecture and humanitarian work in the country. Since officially retiring in 2000, she has focused on creating accessible, environmentally friendly construction techniques to help people in poverty and communities displaced by natural disasters such as earthquakes and the impact of climate change. Prof Lari developed and shared a design for self-build shelters, using readily available bamboo. The King has been outspoken on architecture in the past (Molly Darlington/PA) Charles is known for campaigning on green issues and for his commitment to sustainability. As the Prince of Wales, the now King was often outspoken on architecture. Speaking in 1984 about the proposed National Gallery extension, he famously stated: What is proposed is like a monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend. In May 2009, he became embroiled in a row concerning a development at Chelsea Barracks. The then-prince contacted representatives of the Qatari royal family, who owned the London site, suggesting that Richard Rogers designs for a 1 billion housing scheme on the site of the former barracks were unsympathetic and unsuitable. Mud Brick One Room House in the eco-village of Moak Sharif in Tando Allahyar, Pakistan (Heritage Foundation of Pakistan/PA) Prof Lari said on hearing of her award: I never imagined that as I focus on my countrys most marginalised people venturing down uncharted vagabond pathways I could still be considered for the highest of honours in the architectural profession. RIBA has heralded a new direction for the profession, encouraging all architects to focus not only on the privileged but also humanity at large that suffers from disparities, conflicts and climate change. In 1980, Prof Lari co-founded the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan with her husband, Suhail Zaheer Lari, pioneering the design of self-build sustainable shelters and housing, creating 50,000 dwellings. She is also known for the design of the Chulah Cookstove, an eco-alternative to a traditional stove which reduces emissions. Prof Laris previous designs include the Pakistan State Oil House. Milly Dowlers killer Levi Bellfield has signed a fresh confession to the murders of Lin Russell and her daughter Megan, a lawyer has said. Michael Stone is currently serving three life sentences for the murders of Ms Russell, 45, and her six-year-old daughter, who were found bludgeoned to death in Chillenden, Kent, in July 1996. Ms Russells other daughter, Josie, then nine, suffered severe head injuries in the attack and the familys dog, Lucy, was killed. Stone has always protested his innocence over the attacks. Last year, Bellfield claimed responsibility for the murders, before later retracting his statement. However, Stones solicitor, Paul Bacon, told the PA news agency that Bellfield has written and signed a fresh confession to the murders. It must have taken some courage and considerable soul-searching by Levi Bellfield to have written and signed this confession, he said. It will, hopefully, bring closure to the families involved. Now, the police need to respond and investigate these crimes afresh, to affect closure for these families. Bellfields solicitor Theresa Clark told the BBC that her client needs to take responsibility. She said that he made the confession after engaging with prison psychologists. At the end of the day, the instruction from my client is clear, she told the BBC. Hes adamant that he did it. My client says I did it, I need to take responsibility for what Ive done. It is understood the alleged confession has been referred to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC). Kent Police referred the PA news agency to a previous statement made by the force, where it said its position on Stones conviction remains unchanged. Bellfield is thought to be the only criminal in UK legal history to be serving two whole-life orders. He was given a whole life term for murdering Marsha McDonnell, 19, in 2003, murdering Amelie Delagrange, 22, and trying to murder Kate Sheedy, 18, in 2004. He was already serving his sentence when he went on trial for killing schoolgirl Milly, who was snatched from the street walking home from school in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, in March 2002. Bellfield was found guilty of abducting and killing the 13-year-old following a trial at the Old Bailey in 2011. A total of 230 local authorities in England are holding elections on May 4. Polls are also taking place to choose mayors in Bedford, Leicester, Mansfield and Middlesbrough. Local elections typically reflect voters attitudes about neighbourhood concerns, such as when bins are collected, the state of parks and pavements, or access to libraries and hospitals. But they can also be a verdict on the main political parties and their handling of big issues which in 2023 is likely to mean the cost of living, the NHS and public services. Many of the seats being contested this year were last up for election in 2019, when the UK was still in the European Union, the prime minister was Theresa May and Labour was led by Jeremy Corbyn. Since then, the UK has had three further prime ministers Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak and these contests will be Mr Sunaks first big electoral test. He will hope to keep Tory losses to a minimum, while 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 Conservatives. Across the country, smaller groups such as the Greens, residents associations and independents will hope to cause surprises and upsets. Here are some of the key contests to look out for in each region of England. North-west England Bolton is the one to watch: a key battleground with every council seat up for grabs and both Labour and the Conservatives hoping to do enough to win a majority, though it will be a harder task for Labour, who need 12 gains, than the Tories, who need five (estimated declaration time: 4am, May 5). Labour should have no trouble holding its many north-west bedrocks, including Liverpool (5pm), Manchester (12.30pm), Salford (3.30am) and Wigan (5pm), but will look to bump up its numbers in Hyndburn (2pm) and stay in control in Blackpool (3pm). The party will be disappointed if it fails to win a majority at Cheshire West & Chester (7pm), where it currently holds 33 of the 70 seats. Another target is Wirral (5pm), where Labour needs 10 gains to turn minority control into overall control. Elsewhere, the Greens are looking to overtake Labour to become the largest party at Lancaster (5.30pm). North-east England Labour is keen to retake control of Middlesbrough (3pm) and needs only two gains to achieve this. A strong showing in Darlington (3pm) and Sunderland (1.30am) would also point to a good performance in an area where the party needs to make ground at a general election. Hartlepool (1.30am) could be the most intriguing contest in this part of the country, with both Labour and the Conservatives hoping to take control and both needing six gains to do it. A win for Labour would have symbolic value, coming two years after the party suffered a disastrous parliamentary by-election defeat. (PA Graphics) Yorkshire & the Humber Hull (3am) is a rare Liberal Democrat outpost in northern England. The party won it from Labour in 2022, but has only a wafer-thin majority that would disappear if Labour makes just two gains. In Sheffield (3pm), Labour and the Lib Dems are in power together, along with the Greens. All three parties hope to make gains. Another combination of parties is in power in York (8pm), in the shape of a Lib Dem-Green coalition. Labour is close behind the Lib Dems, however, with all council seats up for grabs. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently visited the city, perhaps in the hope of increasing his partys tally of just two seats. East Midlands Derbyshire is home to several key contests, including Bolsover (5pm), where Labour is defending a slim majority, and Derby (6pm), where every seat is in play and where Labour is hoping to oust the minority Tory administration to become the largest party. South Derbyshire (5.30pm) may also end up another two-way tussle between the Tories and Labour. Independents could do well in this part of the country. In Ashfield (5.30am) in Nottinghamshire, they currently hold almost every seat and will be looking for another big win, while in Boston (3am) in Lincolnshire they could prevent the Tories gaining full control. West Midlands The Liberal Democrats could pull off an upset in Stratford-on-Avon (1pm). The council has been run by the Conservatives for 20 years, but the party has seen its majority reduced to only two, and the Lib Dems would become the largest party if they take four seats from the Tories. Solihull (12.30pm) is another council where the Conservatives have lost ground in recent years, but here their main challengers are the Greens who may continue their advance. The biggest test in this region for Labour is probably Stoke-on-Trent (6.30am). The area was once a stronghold for the party, but the Tories now have all three MPs in the city and half of its councillors. Progress here for Labour would demonstrate it is winning back support in a former heartland. (PA Graphics) Eastern England The result from Castle Point (1.30am) will be an early test of the fortunes of independent candidates, who currently have a majority on the council. The Greens could become the largest party in Mid-Suffolk (4pm), where they launched their election campaign, while the Conservatives are facing a strong challenge from the Lib Dems in Brentwood (2am). Labour is hoping for signs of a recovery in Thurrock (2am), though it would be a major upset if the Tories lost control. Colchester (3am) has seen the Tories, Labour and Lib Dems almost level-pegging in recent years and the outcome of this years contest with a third of its seats in play could impact the current Labour-Lib Dem-Green coalition. South-east England The Liberal Democrats have high hopes of progress in some of this regions many Conservative areas. One council in their sights is Dacorum (4.30am), where leader Sir Ed Davey launched his partys campaign by driving a yellow tractor through a blue wall of painted hay bales. The party will want to tighten its control on Woking (4.30pm), where they currently won a tiny majority last year, and make some eye-catching gains in Hart (2.30am), where both Lib Dems and Tories are fighting for a majority, and West Oxfordshire (4pm), home to former Conservative prime minister David Cameron. There may also be signs of a Lib Dem advance in places like Surrey Heath (3pm) and Wokingham (3pm). Elsewhere, in Brighton & Hove (5pm) the Greens will want to maintain their status as the largest party in the face of a possible Labour advance, and Labour and the Tories both hope to do well in the ultra-marginal council of Crawley (1.30pm). South-west England There are further chances in this region for the Liberal Democrats, as the party hopes to increase its slender majority in Cotswold (3am) and hold off a Tory revival in Torbay (2pm). The Forest of Dean (2.30pm) could be fertile ground for the Greens and independents. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer paid an early campaign visit to Plymouth (4am), where his party needs five gains to take control. The city is currently run by a minority Tory administration, which faced a backlash after it chopped down 110 healthy city centre trees overnight. Sir Keir launched his partys campaign in Tory-run Swindon (4pm). If Labour manages to win control here taking six of the 19 seats up for grabs it will have had a very good election indeed. Here is a guide to when to expect the key results and events after polls close in the local elections on Thursday May 4. All declaration times are estimates and could change. Thursday May 4, 10pm: Polls close in the 230 local authorities across England holding elections. Counting begins for 63 councils. Friday May 5, from 12.30am: First results expected. Hartlepool is a target for Labour and the Conservatives, with both parties hoping to make enough gains to take overall control. The result from Castle Point will be an early test of the fortunes of independent candidates, who currently have a majority on the council. Sunderland will provide a measure of Labours popularity in one of its traditional heartlands. The result of the Middlesbrough mayoral election is also due, with the independent Andy Preston seeking a second term in office. From 2am: In Brentwood, the Conservatives are defending a slim majority and face a strong challenge from the Liberal Democrats, who are hoping to take control. Labour is hoping for signs of a recovery in Thurrock, though it would be a major upset if the Tories lost control. In Portsmouth, the Lib Dems are keen to remain the largest party, while the Tories hope to do likewise in Worcester. From 3am: Independent candidates could prevent the Tories gaining full control in Boston. The Lib Dems hope to increase their slim majority in Cotswold and cling on to their tiny majority in Hull. Colchester has seen the Tories, Labour and Lib Dems almost level-pegging in recent years and the outcome of this years contest with a third of its seats in play could impact the current Labour-Lib Dem-Green coalition. (PA Graphics) From 4am: Bolton is a key battleground with every council seat up for grabs and both Labour and the Conservatives hoping to win overall control. Plymouth is another Labour target and was visited early in the campaign by Sir Keir Starmer. The Lib Dems have their sights on Dacorum, where leader Sir Ed Davey launched his partys campaign by driving a yellow tractor through a blue wall of painted hay bales. From 5am: Independents currently hold almost every seat in Ashfield and will be looking for a comfortable win. Stoke-on-Trent will be another big measure of Labours fortunes, with the party hoping to become the largest party in what was once a stronghold. By 9am: Most results from the overnight counts should be in, with at least one council, East Lindsey, not likely to finish until late morning. After 9am: Counting begins for the remaining 167 councils in England and the mayoral contests in Bedford, Leicester and Mansfield. From 12pm: Results likely to resume in England. Labour will want to increase its majority in Worthing while the Tories hope to see off the Greens and Lib Dems to keep their slender majority in Solihull. The Lib Dems are keen to deny the Tories a majority in Stratford-on-Avon. Labour is looking for comfortable wins in places like Gateshead, Manchester and North Tyneside. Labour and the Tories both hope to do well in the ultra-marginal council of Crawley. The result of the Mansfield mayoral election is due around this time, with Labours Andy Abrahams looking for a second term. From 2pm: In Torbay, the ruling coalition of Lib Dems and Independents could be at risk if the Tories do well. The Forest of Dean may be fertile ground for the Greens and independents. (PA Graphics) From 3pm: Labour is keen to retake control of Middlesbrough and needs only two gains. A strong showing in Darlington would also point to a good performance in an area where the party needs to make ground at a general election. Both the Conservatives and Labour hope to make progress in Milton Keynes, which is currently run by a Labour-Lib Dem coalition despite the Tories having the most seats. There may be signs of a Lib Dem advance in places like Surrey Heath and Wokingham. The results of the Bedford and Leicester mayoral contests are due, with the Lib Dems Dave Hodgson and Labours Peter Soulsby respectively hoping to stay in office. From 4pm: The Greens could become the largest party in Mid-Suffolk, where they launched their election campaign. The Tories will hope to recover ground in West Oxfordshire, where they lost control in 2022 after 22 years. The Lib Dems are keen to make progress in the blue wall council of Woking, where they won a slim majority last year. Sir Keir Starmer launched Labours campaign in Swindon, but the party needs a very strong performance to win control. From 5pm: Derbyshire is home to several key contests, including Bolsover, where Labour is defending a slender majority, and Derby, where every seat is up for grabs and where Labour is hoping to oust the minority Tory administration. South Derbyshire could end up another two-way tussle between the Tories and Labour. In Brighton & Hove, the Greens will want to maintain their status as the largest party in the face of a possible Labour advance. Southampton could be a two-way battle between Labour, which currently has a small majority, and the Conservatives. In Lancaster, the Greens are looking to overtake Labour to become the largest party. Friday evening: Labour will hope to make progress at Cheshire West & Chester and will be disappointed if it misses out on winning a majority of seats. Waverley finds the Conservatives trying to unpick a Labour-Lib Dem-Green-independent coalition. The final result could come from York, where all seats are in play and Labour is hoping to do enough to end the current Lib Dem-Green coalition, while the Tories will want to increase their tally of just two seats. Lung problems should now be seen as a potential complication of type 2 diabetes, a charity has warned. Diabetes UK said new research shows lung disorders can be a direct complication of the condition, alongside well known risks such as kidney disease, heart attack and stroke. Obesity is a major driver of type 2 diabetes, with research suggesting that obese people are up to 80 times more likely to develop the condition than those with a healthy body mass index (BMI) of less than 22. More than five million people in the UK have diabetes and 90% of these have type 2. Now, a new study has found that high blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes could play a causal role in lung disorders. The study, presented at the Diabetes UK Professional Conference and funded by Diabetes UK, examined how genes affect blood sugar levels. Were thrilled to see that NHS Englands soup and shakes programme for people living with type 2 diabetes will be rolled out across the whole of England, giving thousands more people the chance to put their #Type2Diabetes into remission. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/i80HVYNj0V Diabetes UK (@DiabetesUK) April 26, 2023 The findings back up previous studies showing that lung conditions, such as fibrosis, restrictive lung disease (where the lungs cannot hold the usual capacity of air) and pneumonia are more common in people with type 2 diabetes. Professor Inga Prokopenko at the University of Surrey, on behalf of the Meta-Analysis of Glucose and Insulin-related Traits Consortium (MAGIC) consortium, analysed data from nearly 500,000 participants of 17 major studies, including the UK Biobank, Diabetes UK said. She looked at lung function using standard tests and employed statistical techniques to examine whether high blood sugar levels was linked to impaired lung function, and whether one caused the other. The analysis, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, found that high blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes directly impaired lung function. For example, modelling suggested that an increase in average blood sugar levels from 4 mmol/L to 12 mmol/L could result in a 20% drop in lung capacity and function. Dr Elizabeth Robertson, director of research at Diabetes UK, said: This important research answers a long-standing question, revealing for the first time, that lung disorders can be a direct complication of type 2 diabetes. These results are a reminder of the seriousness of type 2 diabetes, and the importance of supporting people with the condition to manage their blood sugar levels so that they can live well with the condition and avoid future complications. Lung conditions can be life-changing and life-limiting, and it is crucial that healthcare professionals are aware of the impact of high blood sugar levels on lung health. Research must now investigate how best to prevent, monitor and treat lung disorders in people with type 2 diabetes. This could help stem the rising number of lung-related hospital admissions and potentially save thousands of lives. Prof Prokopenko said: Our research provides the first evidence that high blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes, can directly lead to lung damage. We hope our discovery that impaired lung function is a complication of type 2 diabetes is the first step towards increased awareness among healthcare professionals, leading to earlier diagnosis and treatment of lung conditions. Dr Ben Jones, senior author of the investigation from Imperial College London, added: Type 2 diabetes prevalence is increasing and affecting people at younger and younger ages. The quality of life of people living with diabetes can be affected by multiple complications, and our research suggests that lung disease is one under-recognised feature of this condition. We hope that further studies will examine whether monitoring lung function should be part of routine care for people with diabetes. Dr Erika Kennington, head of research and innovation at Asthma and Lung UK, said the study was interesting, adding: While further research is needed to better understand this potential link, understanding the effect diabetes can have on lung function is incredibly important. Microsofts vice chair and president has slammed the UK competition watchdogs decision to block the software companys 68.7 billion dollar (55 billion) takeover of gaming firm Activision Blizzard, calling it a bad day for Britain. Brad Smith said the UK regulatory environment compared unfavourably with the EU and warned the English Channel has never seemed wider. He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme he was very disappointed at the move and that it was probably the darkest day in its 40-year history in the UK. Theres a clear message here. The European Union is a more attractive place to start a business if you want some day to sell it than the United Kingdom, he said. But the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) defended its decision to block Microsofts deal for Activision and said the UK was absolutely open for business. The spat comes after the regulator on Wednesday prevented the mammoth buyout over concerns in the cloud gaming sector. Xbox owner Microsoft struck a deal to buy the maker of Candy Crush and Call Of Duty in January 2022. The CMA said the tie-up would make Microsoft stronger in cloud gaming where video games are played using remote servers and have no need for downloads stifling competition in this growing market. It claimed that Microsoft already accounted for between 60% and 70% of cloud gaming services. Microsoft submitted a proposal in an effort to address concerns but the watchdog said this contained a number of significant shortcomings. Microsoft and Activision have both said they will appeal the decision. Mr Smith told the Today programme: I think the impact on the UK, unfortunately, is to shake the confidence among the business community in the UK, and the CMA as a regulatory agency. He added: This decision, I have to say, is probably the darkest day in our four decades in Britain. It does more than shake our confidence in the future of the opportunity to grow a technology business in Britain than weve ever confronted before. Delivering a message to the Prime Minister, he said the Government needs to look hard at the role of the CMA, this regulatory structure in the United Kingdom, this transaction and the message that the United Kingdom has just sent to the world. Downing Street dismissed criticism of the UKs position as a place for tech firms to invest. Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks official spokesman said: Those sorts of claims are not borne out by the facts. He added that the UKs games market had doubled in size to 7 billion over the past decade. CMA head Sarah Cardell insisted the regulator wanted to create an environment where a whole host of different companies can compete effectively, can grow and innovate, claiming this was the best thing for consumers and businesses. She told BBCs Today programme that after a long and careful investigation into the Microsoft deal, combining those two businesses would really reinforce Microsofts strong position in cloud gaming. That would be problematic because it would really harm the ability of other platforms to compete effectively. Were not alone, in the US the Federal Trade Commission is suing to block the deal, there is a lot of alignment there. Dan Ridsdale, head of technology at Edison Group, said Microsofts claims were way off the mark. He said: Relative to the US, the UK has quite a console-centric gaming community, and while the streaming market is still developing, Microsoft already holds a very strong hand. He said concerns will be fuelled by the customer lock-in from one company supplying the hardware, software and content. Games industry group UK Interactive Entertainment said: We know the video games sector will pay a huge part in the UKs future success, and we continue to work with Government to ensure games businesses have the best policies in place to support growth, as well as the appropriate regulatory environment to encourage success. Drugs giant AstraZeneca surpassed trading expectations over the start of 2023 as a boost from cancer treatments helped offset falling demand for Covid-19 medicines. The company said it saw a 1.46 billion dollar (1.17 billion) decline in sales of drugs linked to the Covid-19 virus over the first quarter, compared with the same period last year. As a result, total revenues slipped by 4% to 10.88 billion dollars (8.7 billion) but surpassed the predictions of industry analysts. It said revenues excluding Covid-19 treatments were 10% higher year-on-year or 15% without the negative impact of currency exchange rates. AstraZeneca chief executive officer Pascal Soriot (PA) Growth was supported by sales of treatments for cancer as well as cardiovascular, renal and metabolism conditions. Sales of cancer drugs grew by 14% to 4.14 billion dollars (3.3 billion) with a strong performance for its Imfinzi treatment. Pascal Soriot, chief executive officer, hailed progress in its testing pipeline, with position phase three results for a combination of Lynparza and Imfinzi in ovarian cancer and Imfinzi for lung cancer. He added: AstraZeneca had a strong start to 2023, with total revenue excluding Covid-19 medicines increasing 15%. Our performance in emerging markets was particularly strong and I am impressed by the growth and pace of innovation I see in China, which underscores the competitive advantage of our leading presence in this country. Meanwhile, the group reported an adjusted profit of 1.92 dollars per share, ahead of analyst consensus. Darren Nathan, head of equity research at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: Sales of AstraZenecas Covid-19 vaccines and treatments all but dried up in the first quarter and it looks set to continue for the rest of the year. Thats been offset by strong performances elsewhere in the portfolio. The impact of falling Covid-19 sales on the bottom line has been less pronounced given the relative prominence of higher margin therapies. Shares in the company improved by 0.5% to 11,902p in early trading on Thursday. Diplomatic efforts still essential to solve crisis The much-trumpeted summit between Presidents Yoon Suk Yeol and Joe Biden is over. After removing the foam of pomp and hospitality, what's left are cold and realistic calculations. To sum things up, South Korea received a larger and tighter nuclear umbrella from the United States through its leader's state visit. Standing side by side before journalists after their summit, Yoon stressed an "overwhelming response" if North Korea attacks the South with nuclear weapons. Biden agreed, saying it "will result in the end of whatever regime were to take such an action." These words are familiar, repeated almost after every summit recently. The difference this time was they cemented such commitments in a separate joint statement called the Washington Declaration. The two sides will also launch a Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) modeled after NATO's Nuclear Planning Group (NPG) to put the words into action. But NCG is looser than NPG, as the U.S. deploys atomic bombs in Europe but not Korea. This notwithstanding, Yoon acquired what he wanted Biden's promise to retaliate in the event of the North's nuclear attack against the South even if Pyongyang simultaneously hits the U.S. mainland with ICBMs. Instead, Washington secured Seoul's pledge not to have its own nuclear weapons. The U.S. will not permanently reintroduce its "strategic assets" but send them here more frequently. The Korean leader must ponder what prompts his U.S. counterpart to move even a few inches forward in the nuclear issue. That's because Yoon had expressed his intention to develop nuclear weapons, reflecting the Korean people's desire to attain an independent self-defense system with nuclear arms if needed. National leaders can push ahead with their agenda, at home or abroad, only when supported by their people. We disagree that this country should have nuclear weapons. However, South Korea needs a better nuclear shield before the North drops its lampoon. It was regrettable in this regard that the two leaders did not even pretend to resume efforts for a negotiated settlement of the nuclear crisis. Yes, the current situation might preclude such attempts. But at least the South Korean side should have attempted to put it on the table. Yoon says it is a fake peace that depends on the North's goodwill. Yet chances are that the regime in Pyongyang might have a similar thought on Washington and Seoul watching the ever-expanding joint war games against it. Someone must stop this vicious circle of nuclear buildup and defense drills. The U.S. is best poised but unlikely to do so in the foreseeable future due to its global strategy. Seoul has limitations as a peacemaker but must try what it can. That's why liberal governments made all-out and even conservative ones made some efforts to bring the U.S. and North Korea to the dialogue table. Frustratingly absent in the incumbent administration are such endeavors. In his early days, Yoon made some moves, offering an "audacious plan," essentially a copy of one of his conservative predecessors' proposals but with a little lower threshold. But that was all. It may be unfair to put all blame on Yoon for the worst inter-Korean ties in a few decades. He inherited the aggravating relationship due to the breakup of the Washington-Pyongyang talks and the previous liberal government's failure to relink them. However, Yoon drove the North to the wall instead of taking up where his predecessor left off. Under the "value alliance" banner based on freedom and democracy, the South Korean leader claims the vanguard in the trilateral alliance with the U.S. and Japan against China, Russia, and North Korea, conceding "practical interests" in economic and other areas. Little wonder Biden gave Yoon the warmest welcome only for the second time in his tenure. French President Emmanuel Macron, Biden's first state guest, raised the issue of U.S. selfishness in the economy. Upon return home, he took an equidistance between America and China. For good or ill, Yoon will unlikely follow the example of his French counterpart. Gambling companies have welcomed a long-awaited Government shake-up of industry regulations, but said the devil will be in the detail. Proposals were announced on Thursday to force gambling companies to step up checks on punters as part of efforts to address problem gambling. Flutter, the gambling giant behind SkyBet and Paddy Power, said the reforms were a positive moment for the sector but the changes are expected to knock its revenues by up to 100 million. The significantly delayed gambling white paper includes rules to lower maximum bets, require more background checks, and a new levy to fund research and treatment for problem gambling, in a series of measures targeting the online industry. Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said: Today we are bringing our pre-smartphone regulations into the present day with a gambling White Paper for the digital age. The confirmation of the much-postponed review, which was initiated in December 2020, has been broadly welcomed by the UKs roughly 14 billion-a-year gambling sector after the long period of uncertainty. Jette Nygaard-Andersen, chief executive officer of Ladbrokes owner Entain, said: The UK Gambling Act Review is an important step towards having a robust regulatory framework that is fit for the digital age and creates a level playing field for all operators. We welcome the clarity that it will bring to the industry and customers. The UK White Paper is an opportunity to raise standards & make responsible play a priority, as we have done with our #PlayWell strategy. We will continue to engage constructively with the Govt. & Gambling Commission as part of the consultation process.https://t.co/W06f0q9KeQ pic.twitter.com/3ki9jI0v8U Flutter plc (@FlutterPLC) April 27, 2023 Ms Nygaard-Andersen said the policies included a number of measures which had been already implemented by the FTSE 100 company. Rival Flutter, which also owns Betfair, said the proposed measures will impact its trade by between 50 million and 100 million a year from 2024 onwards. Peter Jackson, chief executive of Flutter, added: We welcome the publication of the White Paper, which we see as a significant positive moment for the UK gambling sector, raising standards and bringing the regulatory framework into the digital age. We believe proactive change will lead to a better future for our industry and have introduced industry-leading safer gambling controls via our Play Well strategy over the last few years, including setting mandatory deposit limits for customers under 25, reducing online slots staking limits and making material investments in our safer gambling operational capabilities. The new rules also include new stake limits, of between 2 and 15 a spin, for online slot games. The biggest shake-up of gambling rules in two decades for the smartphone era A new white paper sets out landmark proposals to: shield vulnerable players from harm hold gambling firms to account when they fail in their responsibility to protect addicted users Details Department for Culture, Media and Sport (@DCMS) April 27, 2023 While curbs have been tightened for online formats, some regulations for physical casinos are set to be relaxed, such as increasing the number of machines allowed in venues. Nevertheless, there is still uncertainty over some of the measures due to be enforced, with a consultation process set to take place. Simon Thomas, executive chairman of the Hippodrome casino in Leicester Square, London, told the PA news agency that the announcement looks positive for the venue. There are still things to be confirmed, ironed out, so the devil will be in the detail, he said. But the key thing is that we finally have something to work with. It has been hanging over our heads for years and we now have far more clarity. It seems like there has been some effort to rebalance the regulations somewhat between online and physical venues which was sorely needed. As it stood, we have 1,500 customers in our casino at a time but were only able to have 20 machines, while regulations had not kept up with growth online at all. An absence of a proposal to ban gambling advertising is a gaping space in Government plans, two bereaved parents campaigning for change have said. Liz and Charles Ritchie, who set up the charity Gambling with Lives following the death of their 24-year-old son Jack in 2017, have vowed to continue their fight for reforms to an industry they said has caused a national shame through harms to those who are drawn in and become addicted. The pair, who were due to speak on Capitol Hill in the US on Thursday about their campaigning, spoke to Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer after the publication of Government plans for a major shake-up of the industrys regulations. The coroner at Jack Ritchies inquest said his death is a stark reminder of the terrible consequences that can flow from an addiction to gambling (Family handout/PA) Mr and Mrs Ritchie, from Sheffield, have worked to raise awareness of gambling-related suicide which they say is directly linked to addictive betting products and the industrys predatory marketing practices. Mrs Ritchie told the PA news agency that they expressed their warm appreciation to Ms Frazer for the political feat of plate spinning achieved by the eventual publication of the long-awaited and delayed White Paper. But Mrs Ritchie said they and other affected families have been left upset by the framing of the plans, saying they had presented this idea that most people gamble safely. She told PA: I mean, for a start its not true, but also its completely dependent on what products youre gambling on. Mr Ritchie added: We fully welcome the fact that it has been published after such an enormous number of delays, but equally we made it clear that we thought lots of the areas of it were inadequate, and the secretary of state acknowledged that we would feel like that, but I think you know, there was that element from her of, there needs to be compromise for her to be able to get it through the House. And I guess thats the reality of campaigning. Gambling with Lives has campaigned for the regulation of certain types of betting products, especially online, and for a gambling advertising ban. Advertising is not included in the White Paper, something Mr Ritchie said is a huge absence. He said: I think, and most campaigners would agree, that that is the biggest hole in the White Paper. It is a gaping space. He added that he does not feel there is anything significant in the pipeline on that subject either. With reference to advertising, Mrs Ritchie also called on media organisations to look themselves in the mirror and say do we really want our brand associated with deaths of young people? She said it is only a matter of time before this changes, adding that there will be more deaths and more inquests and that it is just a question of how many people die along the way before changes are made. The couples teacher son Jack died in Vietnam in November 2017. In March 2022, Sheffield coroner David Urpeth said that his death was a stark reminder of the terrible consequences that can flow from an addiction to gambling, adding that the information about the dangers of gambling available at the time was woefully inadequate and failed to meet Jacks needs. Speaking after the inquest, Mr and Mrs Ritchie said their son was abused by parasites who inflict life-threatening illness for profit. Mr Ritchie, a former civil servant, collated worldwide research in 2018 to conclude that between 250 and 650 people in the UK take their lives each year because of gambling. On Thursday Mrs Ritchie told PA that everything they do is about saying we seek justice for Jack. She added: And not just for him, but for all the others too. Today, actually, weve been invited to speak on Capitol Hill in America. So I meant what I said before, which is that I think that the way that this is being spread around the world is a national shame. We should be ashamed of ourselves that we have let this happen. These are British companies harming other countries children, too. Its a privilege to be invited to speak but we wish we didnt have to. Mr Ritchie said they still feel a long way from where they want to be in terms of the extent of reforms they feel are needed. He said: It just feels that this is one small step, but in all honesty, it doesnt feel as if were even halfway to the changes that are needed. So you know, its just another day, ok its a little tick that some things are happening, but our lives carry on as they were yesterday, and they will be tomorrow. Well be campaigning, well be fighting. Shareholders dealt BP bosses a bloody nose following a turbulent annual meeting in London, with nearly one in five voting against the businesss 10 million pay package for chief Bernard Looney. The oil firm said around 18% of votes had been cast against its remuneration report, according to preliminary results, despite the business making record profits last year, but the report gained enough votes to pass. However, an attempt by pension funds to vote against the reappointment of chairman Helge Lund failed to gather enough support to oust the Norwegian. A little under 10% of votes were cast against him. A protester from Fossil Free London is carried away by members of security after trying to enter BPs annual general meeting at the ExCel centre in east London (Rebecca Speare-Cole/PA) Despite protesters inside and outside the meeting and questions from shareholders, bosses at BP defended their plans to increase their investments in drilling for oil and gas by another one billion dollars (830 million) per year over the remainder of this decade. Bernard Looney said the companys plan, announced in February, was not about either or, it was about investing both in the current highly emitting energy system while also putting money into the transition to greener alternatives. He said that on top of the money BP is spending on extracting polluting fuels from the ground, it is also investing in electric vehicle charging points, capturing gas from landfill sites, and investing into so-called sustainable aviation fuels. So we are doing more, and in February we actually announced that we would spend up to eight billion dollars more this decade, in the energy transition, he said. Now, eight billion on top of what? Well thats between 55 and 65 billion dollars into five transition growth engines this decade. We went from 3% of our money being spent in those areas in 2019 to 30% last year, thats 3% to 30% in just three years. I think anybody would have to say that that is quite a significant change. Mr Looney and his chairman Helge Lund were repeatedly interrupted throughout the meeting by seven protesters who had entered the room. One man had to be carried out, while others were turned away at the door. Protesters outside the meeting (Rebecca Speare-Cole/PA) Kush Naker, 32, from north-west London, who was carried out of the ExCel building before the AGM, told the PA news agency they own shares in BP and were entitled to enter the meeting. He said: BP are climate criminals, they are still emitting, they are still investing in new oil and gas. BP have no interest in protecting our futures. They are only interested in protecting their own profits. In the room, Mark van Baal, whose activist group filed a shareholder resolution for investors to vote on, said that the company had not set targets which will lead to the oil giant cutting its absolute emissions by the end of this decade. Weve successfully started production at our Argos platform in the Gulf of Mexico helping us to deliver the #Energy the world needs right now while investing in energy for tomorrow. bp (@bp_plc) April 13, 2023 The Follow This founder said: Do you really think that BP can be Paris-aligned without reducing BPs total emissions by 2030? Resolution 25, which was filed by Follow This, called on the company to align itself to the Paris Climate Agreement. However, the proposal was defeated by a shareholder vote after the board recommended investors vote against it. According to the preliminary vote, 16.75% of shareholder votes were cast for the resolution, up from last years proposal by Follow This. Mr Lund said he shares Mr van Baals desire for the world to meet the environmental goals in the Paris Agreement. But this resolution is not the answer, what it calls for BP to do is unclear. It does not recognise that our strategy, ambitions and aims constitute a coherent and integrated programme of transformation for BP. Nor does it take into account the update to our strategy in February. Mr Looney said: We absolutely believe that our aims and all the work we are doing are absolutely consistent with Paris. The Governments long-promised and repeatedly delayed gambling White Paper, which was included in the Conservative manifesto in 2019, has arrived. But despite Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer saying the plans will close the trapdoor to despair and isolation that is online gambling, there are concerns the White Paper will fall short of the action required to prevent widespread harm. Ms Frazer insists the plans will redress the power imbalance between punters and operators with measures including affordability checks aimed at protecting problem punters and maximum stakes for online slot machines. However, the Government will only pledge to consult on these elements. Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said the plans in the gambling White Paper will redress the power imbalance between punters and operators (James Manning/PA) Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith told The Times that consultations are a cop-out. I know this is my partys government but you will then have to ask how many ministers have accepted hospitality, he added. The influence of the gambling industry in Westminster has been a growing concern as the industry ballooned online, but the legislation which regulates the sector has not been adapted. The recent case of Blackpool South MP Scott Benton, who was secretly filmed offering to lobby ministers on behalf of the gambling industry in exchange for money, brought the issue of influence to the fore. The apparent confidence with which Mr Benton offered to leak a confidential policy document or call in favours from parliamentary colleagues on behalf of industry investors set alarm bells ringing. Despite criticism of Mr Bentons conduct across the political divide, research has shown many MPs are willing to benefit from the gambling firms generosity. Analysis of the register of members financial interests by Sky News found firms spent more than 200,000 on attempting to cultivate relationships with MPs over the course of the last parliament. This expenditure was largely focused on tickets to sporting events and other hospitality. Blackpool South MP Scott Benton (Beresford Hodge/PA). Sky News highlighted one MP, Conservative Laurence Robertson, as being on the payroll as an adviser to lobbing body the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), which represents about 90% of the UKs licensed betting and gaming businesses, including betting shops, online gaming shops, bingo operators and casinos. The latest register up to April 17 states that Mr Robertson is employed by the BGC as an adviser on safer gambling and sport, for which he receives 2,000 a month for 10 hours work. On March 17, the BGC paid for a 1,950 hospitality pass for Cheltenham racecourse for the Tewkesbury MP and his wife. Another Conservative to recently benefit from hospitality paid for by the BGC was Milton Keynes North MP Ben Everitt, who received a ticket for the England vs South Africa rugby union international at Twickenham stadium costing 1,138.80. But the BGC generosity extends beyond the Conservative Party. Labour MP for Nottingham North Alex Norris, who is a shadow minister for levelling up, received two tickets for separate sporting hospitality from the BGC worth a total of 500. Mr Norris also received hospitality from gambling and leisure company Hestview Ltd, as did six other MPs, including farming minister Mark Spencer and prominent Conservative backbencher Caroline Nokes. These hospitality gifts do not equate to influence, but campaigners will question why the gambling White Paper has not gone further to rein in an industry that many believe is not doing enough to prevent harm. Official figures show the NHS is treating record numbers of people for gambling addiction, with nearly 50% more referrals in 2022 than the previous year. This rise has coincided with the gambling industry increasing the amount it spends on MPs tenfold in five years, according to analysis by The Guardian. With the Government opting for consultation rather than decisive action on key measures in the White Paper, questions will be asked about the level of sway enjoyed by one of the best connected sectors in Westminster. A murder investigation has been launched into the death of a pregnant teacher as police search for her partner. Police Scotland confirmed the death of Marelle Sturrock, 35, in at her home in Jura Street, Glasgow on Tuesday morning is being treated as murder. She was 29 weeks pregnant and her unborn baby did not survive. Police Scotland Detective Superintendent Nicola Kilbane said in a statement: Her partner David Yates is wanted in connection with Marelles death. At this time we have no information to suggest anyone else has been involved. His vehicle, a white Seat Ateca, was found at Mugdock Country Park on Tuesday and an extensive search has been ongoing in the area since. She added: The last confirmed sighting of David was on Sunday evening shortly after 8pm. His subsequent movements are unknown after his vehicle was left at Mugdock Country Park but there is nothing to suggest he has left the area. Marelle Sturrock was found dead on Tuesday in a home in Jura Street, Glasgow (Police Scotland/PA) We will keep an open mind on this as we continue to search the area. Ms Kilbane would not say if Mr Yates is thought to be dead or alive but that his last sighting was near Mugdock Country Park, just outside the city in East Dunbartonshire. She said she was unable to say when Ms Sturrock was last seen alive but that officers attended the teachers home at around 8.40am on Tuesday and she was pronounced dead at the scene. Ms Kilblane refused to comment on the couples relationship or if there had been any prior police involvement. She said there is not believed to be any risk to the wider public and police will remain at Jura Street and Mugdock Country Park as the investigation continues. Ms Kilbane added: Our thoughts are with Marelles family and friends, along with everyone affected by this tragedy. Earlier, officers could be seen searching Mugdock Country Park and the nearby Mugdock reservoir. Police divers have been involved in the search and large areas of the reservoir are cordoned off with police tape, with officers standing guard. The headteacher at Sandwood Primary School in Glasgow where Ms Sturrock worked said the school community is devastated. Fiona Donnelly said: Marelle has been a much-loved member of our school community since her probationary year more than six years ago and has taught many year groups throughout her time at the school. We will all miss her so much. She was a lovely, kind, diligent and considerate person who loved and made time for everyone. Marelle used her artistic talents across the school and was our music champion who has been a key player in the success of our school choirs, with one of her classes going to see her on stage at The Kings (Theatre) in one of her many acting roles outside of school. We are a school community in mourning and are devasted by the tragic news of her death and pass on our deepest condolences to her family and friends as we all come to terms with our loss. Parents at the school were told of the death in a letter on Wednesday and education psychologists are on hand to support pupils. Ms Sturrock was from Wick, Caithness, but moved to Glasgow when she was 17 to pursue a career in the performing arts. She later became a primary school teacher after completing her postgraduate diploma in education. Strikes by nurses could continue for months after an angry reaction to legal action taken by the government over a planned strike over the Bank Holiday weekend. Heath Secretary Steve Barclay won a case in the High Court that part of the 48-hour strike was unlawful. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) immediately called off a strike due to be held on May 2 in the bitter row over pay, but angrily attacked the government for taking nurses to court rather than trying to resolve the row. RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said outside the court: We will continue to have strike action on Sunday evening and again on Monday, but we will not be taking strike action on May 2. Our nurses have carried out very safe, legal action to date, and Steve Barclay can continue to threaten them with their registration. He can continue, if he wishes, to drag them through court proceedings. But what he needs to do is get into a negotiating room and start to talk to the nurses of England, sort out this dispute and allow them to get back to their work. Downing Street said it was regrettable that the Government had to take legal action. General secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, Pat Cullen (second right) joined nurses outside the High Court in central London (James Manning/PA) The Prime Ministers official spokesman told reporters: I think, firstly, it is obviously regrettable that it had to come to court action in the first instance. The Government never wanted to take this to court. We did indeed try every possible way to avoid a court case. The NHS presented the RCN with clear legal evidence that their planned strike for May 2 was unlawful. We asked them to call it off. The RCN refused. Thats why the NHS asked the Government to intervene and seek the view of the court. Late yesterday, Steve Barclay wrote to the RCN, to Pat Cullen again, and asked them to call off their final day of the strike given we were confident that it was not legal, they refused again. Pat Cullen said it was the darkest day of the dispute so far. She said: They (the government) have won their legal battle today. But what this has led to is they have lost nursing and theyve lost the public. Theyve taken the most trusted profession through the courts, by the least trusted people. And what a day for nursing. What a day for patients. And what an indictment on this government to do this to the very people that have held this NHS together, not just through the pandemic, but an NHS that has been run into the ground and in crisis, caused by this government. She criticised the Health Secretary and the Government for clapping for nurses only to leave the NHS to crumble. She said: This is no way to treat the nursing staff that he (Barclay) has stood personally and clapped for on steps, and now you slap the court order on them. Its absolutely shocking in my mind, that any Government would drag their nurses through the Royal Courts of Justice, what a way to treat the nursing staff of England. Nursing staff that have held this NHS together while it has been left to crumble by this Government. Now he decides that the way to pay those nurses back is to use patients money, public money, to drag them through the courts, and that is not the way to run this country. She added: I think if you were to stop any member of public up and down England today, they would say he has got this so, so wrong, to actually push the full weight of the court system on nurses to try and silence them. What he should be doing today is getting into a negotiating room with me, not a courtroom, and saying what can we do to sort out the nursing crisis, fill the tens of thousands of vacant posts, so that patients get a decent service in this country, and that our nursing staff can be retained in the NHS?. She told the PA news agency: This Government can keep on challenging as much as they want. Nurses will not do anything illegally. Weve had a very, very safe six months of strike action, in fact during those six months our nurses only took six days of strike action. She said it was with a heavy heart that strike action could continue in the lead-up to Christmas, adding: If Steve Barclay continues to stay in the tunnel that hes in, we will end up with strike action for the next six months because nursing staff are not going to step back now. Police are continuing to search a country park for a man linked to the suspicious death of lovely, kind and diligent pregnant teacher. The body of Marelle Sturrock, 35, was discovered at 8.40am on Tuesday in a home in Jura Street, Glasgow, and Police Scotland said her death is being treated as suspicious. Officers are searching Mugdock Country Park, just outside the city in East Dunbartonshire, for a further day for a missing man linked to her death. Marelle Sturrock was found dead on Tuesday in a home in Jura Street, Glasgow (Police Scotland/PA) The headteacher at Sandwood Primary School in Glasgow where Ms Sturrock worked said the school community is devastated. Fiona Donnelly said: Marelle has been a much-loved member of our school community since her probationary year more than six years ago and has taught many year groups throughout her time at the school. We will all miss her so much. She was a lovely, kind, diligent and considerate person who loved and made time for everyone. Marelle used her artistic talents across the school and was our music champion who has been a key player in the success of our school choirs, with one of her classes going to see her on stage at The Kings (Theatre) in one of her many acting roles outside of school. We are a school community in mourning and are devasted by the tragic news of her death and pass on our deepest condolences to her family and friends as we all come to terms with our loss. Parents at the school were told of the death in a letter on Wednesday and education psychologists are on hand to support pupils. A woman who died at Jura Street in Glasgow has been named as Marelle Sturrock, 35. Read more https://t.co/NvaXxVj8LT pic.twitter.com/nqlrsHcDFj Police Scotland Greater Glasgow (@PSOSGreaterGlas) April 26, 2023 Detective Chief Inspector Cheryl Kelly said: Our thoughts are with Marelles family and friends, as well as everyone affected by this tragic incident. We are providing her family with support at this incredibly difficult time as our investigation to establish the full circumstances continues. She said Police Scotland does not believe there is any risk to the wider public and added: A visible police presence will remain at both locations as our work continues. Ms Sturrock was from Wick, Caithness, but moved to Glasgow when she was 17 to pursue a career in the performing arts. She later became a primary school teacher after completing her postgraduate diploma in education. A police officer accused of throttling a 16-year-old girl in the back of a patrol car as she was being detained has been told he will not go on trial until next year. Appearing at Lincoln Crown Court on Thursday morning, Pc Kevin Markowski, a serving officer with Nottinghamshire Police, pleaded not guilty to assault by beating and non-fatal intentional strangulation of a child. He was told he will go on trial next June by a judge who said he wishes it could be earlier but pointed to the current pressures in the criminal justice system. Wearing a blue suit, a lighter blue shirt and dark blue tie, Markowski, 46, spoke to confirm his name, state his date of birth and give clear not guilty responses as each of the two charges was put to him during the 10-minute hearing. He stood in the dock with a security officer as the charges were read out in the court, which is currently sitting in the Lincoln Magistrates Court building. Markowski, of Spindle View, Calverton, Nottingham, was granted unconditional bail and told to appear for his trial at the same court on June 10 2024. Judge James House KC told him: I wish your trial could be earlier than June next year but you will know as well as anyone the pressures the system is under. An earlier hearing was told the charges relate to an incident in Front Street, Arnold, near Nottingham, on August 24 2022. Police will be given the power to stop slow walking by climate protesters under proposals unveiled by the Government. New legislation introduced on Thursday would give officers the ability to intervene and stop the tactic, which is widely used by Just Stop Oil. It is used to block roads in a way that does not involve sitting in the middle of the street to stop traffic, which is illegal. Last year the group changed its approach and deployed the tactic widely after several activists were arrested for blocking roads. The legislation was introduced in Parliament by statutory instrument and complements the Public Order Bill, which will pass into law after being approved by the House of Lords on Wednesday. The new legislation will support the Bill by clearly setting out what is meant by serious disruption to the life of the community. The Government says this will give police the clarity they have asked for on when they can use existing powers to break up the selfish, guerrilla slow-marching tactics used to halt traffic across the UK. The Public Order Bill creates a new criminal offence of interfering with key national infrastructure such as roads, airports and railways, with perpetrators facing 12 months behind bars. People who lock themselves on to others, objects or buildings will face up to six months in jail or an unlimited fine. Police will also be allowed to stop and search protesters they believe are setting out to cause serious disruption. Suella Braverman (Joe Giddens/PA) Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: Selfish, disruptive protesters are wreaking havoc in peoples everyday lives across the country and this must be brought to a stop. This is why we are bringing forward this new law to clearly define serious disruption as requested by police chiefs. Not only will the Public Order Bill, passed yesterday by Parliament, introduce new criminal offences for causing serious disruption, this new legislation permits the police to clear the roads of slow-marching protesters who are hell-bent on causing chaos across the UK. Crime and policing minister Chris Philp added: The British public do not deserve to have their daily lives disrupted by the self-indulgent, criminal behaviour we have seen in some recent protests. With the Public Order Bill passing in Parliament yesterday and these new measures, we are protecting the hard-working majoritys right to go about their day free from disruption. BJ Harrington, the National Police Chiefs Council lead for public order and public safety, said: Policing is not anti-protest, but there is a difference between protest and criminal activism, and we are committed to responding quickly and effectively to activists who deliberately disrupt peoples lives through dangerous, reckless and criminal acts. It is the responsibility of Parliament to make the law and our job to enforce it. We have advised and provide professional advice to the Home Office to inform decisions about public order legislation. This has been based on ensuring that we can discharge our responsibilities appropriately, while balancing the rights of the public who are going about their daily business lawfully and the rights of those protesting. U.S. Marine Corps F-35B fighter jets are seen at Gwangju Air Base, April 14, in this photo provided on April 16 by South Korea's Defense Ministry. AP-Yonhap China hopes to keep OLED tools working within its OLED ecosystem ahead of possible US export controls: experts By Kim Yoo-chul The United States has implemented unprecedented initiatives in semiconductor policy over the last few years, identifying computer chips as the most crucial element of Washington's rivalry with Beijing. But the steps Washington has taken to keep China's technological development in check could expand as the Joe Biden administration is eyeing the Asian giant's display industry as the next possible target, two sources contacted by The Korea Times said. Because the U.S. semiconductor production chain is based off shore, Washington asked its allies including Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the Netherlands to stand together to stay ahead of Beijing in manufacturing advanced semiconductors as China makes rapid progress in defense and technological innovations. Semiconductors are essential for artificial intelligence, microelectronics, quantum computing, hypersonic technology, machine learning and data science, which are identified by Washington as strategically important for national security. China is also prioritizing those areas, aiming to beat the U.S. and its allies. Such efforts by China have already appeared on the U.S.' radar. Such initiatives pursued by Washington culminated in the passage of the CHIPS Act, which includes around $52 billion in federal incentives for U.S.-based chip manufacturing, the launch of the Chip 4 alliance and export controls in 2022. Both the Japanese and Dutch governments accepted the U.S.' requests to restrict the sale to China of advanced lithography machines used to manufacture high-end semiconductors. Because Samsung Electronics and SK, two of the world's largest memory chip manufacturers, are set to apply for U.S. federal funding, the South Korean chip duo is fated to follow Washington's regulations that limit the overall chip output capacity growth of funding recipients in China to 5 percent annually and 10 percent for legacy chips over the next decade. This would also curb Chinese President Xi Jinping's drive to boost chip self-sufficiency, according to political analysts in Seoul. The U.S. Department of Trade approved a one-year waiver for Samsung and SK, both of which have operated massive chip production facilities in China. Talks are underway between Washington and Seoul officials to extend the waiver as the grace period expires in October this year. Right now, China lags behind the U.S. by at least two or even more generations in the area of semiconductor technology. As a result, it is vital for China to receive substantial support from Samsung and SK over the next few years to get ahead of the U.S. Semiconductors are of strategic importance for advanced civilian and military applications. But displays, specifically organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens, are increasingly viewed as a crucial technology for national security, according to the sources. Various parts of an LED display panel are seen during the Touch Taiwan 2023 Exhibition in Taipei, Taiwan, April 21. With enhanced brightness, better color accuracy and a longer lifespan than conventional LED and OLED displays, micro-LED display technology has emerged as a potential solution for the future generation of displays. EPA-Yonhap "The key rationale behind Washington's decisions for export controls for equipment to produce advanced semiconductors is that high-end chips using more advanced technology constitute the core parts of everyday products at the heart of U.S. economic life and are also needed for national security within the geopolitical context. As halting China's high ambitions for OLED dominance could set the stage for U.S. growth or the growth of its allies in that area, it's possible for the U.S. to apply similar export controls on OLED displays as it did so in chips," a senior government official, who is familiar with Seoul's trade policies, said in a telephone interview. OLED is what technology experts call an "emissive" technology as it does not use backlights and utilizes numerous pixels that emit their own light. Thanks to the nature of the technology, OLED is flexible and provides an enhanced contrast ratio with a wider viewing angle, making them the right fit for helmet mounts used in military, commercial vehicles, airplanes and jet fighters. The Pentagon is regularly checking on how to extend the life expectancy of F-35 stealth jet fighters' OLED helmet-mounted displays. China has become the world's largest display market since last year, followed by Korea, home to the world's leading display makers such as Samsung Display and LG Display. The Chinese government is aiming to keep OLED machine tools working within its supply chain system as a step to defend against possible sanctions imposed by Washington. The U.S. export bans in chip equipment systematically targeted Chinese chipmakers such as YMTC and SMIC. Possible sanctions, but not priority "Two years ago, Washington officials seriously reviewed the possibility of restricting the sale of OLED display-making tools and materials needed with the help of Korea, Japan and Taiwan. But because OLED could be replaced by conventional LCDs and LCD-variant LEDs, while China is also home to several fine display manufacturers, Washington decided to put more of its priority on squeezing China's chip industry. Still, there is a possibility of the Biden administration shifting its focus to OLED, because there are no signs of a truce between Washington and Beijing in ending their contest," an aide to former President Moon Jae-in said. In 2019, Korea tried to restrict exports of OLED equipment to China. However, the efforts did not materialize. Officials at Seoul's trade ministry said they have no official comments regarding the country's updated stance on this matter. Chinese President Xi Jinping visits LG Display's manufacturing base in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, April 12. Xinhua-Yonhap Police are continuing to search a country park for the missing fiance of a lovely, kind and diligent pregnant teacher found dead in suspicious circumstances. The body of Marelle Sturrock, 35, was discovered at 8.40am on Tuesday in a home in Jura Street, Glasgow, and Police Scotland said her death is being treated as suspicious. Officers are searching Mugdock Country Park and Mugdock reservoir, just outside the city in East Dunbartonshire, for a further day for a missing man, understood to be her fiance David Yates. Police divers have been involved in the search and large areas of the reservoir are cordoned off with police tape, with officers standing guard. Marelle Sturrock was found dead on Tuesday in a home in Jura Street, Glasgow (Police Scotland/PA) The headteacher at Sandwood Primary School in Glasgow where Ms Sturrock worked said the school community is devastated. Fiona Donnelly said: Marelle has been a much-loved member of our school community since her probationary year more than six years ago and has taught many year groups throughout her time at the school. We will all miss her so much. She was a lovely, kind, diligent and considerate person who loved and made time for everyone. Marelle used her artistic talents across the school and was our music champion who has been a key player in the success of our school choirs, with one of her classes going to see her on stage at The Kings (Theatre) in one of her many acting roles outside of school. We are a school community in mourning and are devasted by the tragic news of her death and pass on our deepest condolences to her family and friends as we all come to terms with our loss. Parents at the school were told of the death in a letter on Wednesday and education psychologists are on hand to support pupils. A woman who died at Jura Street in Glasgow has been named as Marelle Sturrock, 35. Read more https://t.co/NvaXxVj8LT pic.twitter.com/nqlrsHcDFj Police Scotland Greater Glasgow (@PSOSGreaterGlas) April 26, 2023 Detective Chief Inspector Cheryl Kelly said: Our thoughts are with Marelles family and friends, as well as everyone affected by this tragic incident. We are providing her family with support at this incredibly difficult time as our investigation to establish the full circumstances continues. She said Police Scotland does not believe there is any risk to the wider public and added: A visible police presence will remain at both locations as our work continues. Ms Sturrock was from Wick, Caithness, but moved to Glasgow when she was 17 to pursue a career in the performing arts. She later became a primary school teacher after completing her postgraduate diploma in education. Protesters are not driving the search for ways of testing new drugs without using animals, a boss at an information organisation has told a High Court judge. The research sector wants to find ways of not using animals, Wendy Jarrett, chief executive at Understanding Animal Research, told Mr Justice Nicklin. She said she did not think protesting helped. Animal Rebellion activists during a break-in at MBR Acres in Wyton, Cambridgeshire (Animal Rebellion/PA) The judge is overseeing the latest stage of a legal fight following demonstrations at a site where dogs are bred for medical research. MBR Acres, a company which breeds animals for research, has taken legal action aimed at stopping protesters entering a site in Wyton, Cambridgeshire. Lawyers representing the company have previously persuaded a judge to impose interim injunctions. They have now asked Mr Justice Nicklin to make final injunctions. Mr Justice Nicklin began overseeing a High Court trial in London on Monday and is hearing evidence from witnesses called by MBR Acres. I think the industry, the sector, itself is working as hard as it possibly can to find alternatives to using animals for research, Ms Jarrett told the judge on Thursday. The sector wants to find ways not have to have to use animals. She added: I dont think it is the protesters who are driving the creation of alternatives. Ms Jarrett told the judge that she did not think protesting helped. She said that Understanding Animal Research aimed to help people understand why and how animals were used for research in the UK. Members included universities and organisations involved in medical research. One protester suggested to the judge that the organisation was a lobby group. The trial is expected to end next month. Barrister Caroline Bolton, who is leading MBR Acres legal team, has told the judge that the company is seeking final injunctive relief against named people and persons unknown. She said the defendants goal was to cause staff to leave their jobs and bring an end to lawful and necessary activities. The judge has heard that pop star Will Young took part in a demonstration outside the Wyton site. Earlier this month, Young called on MBR Acres to allow laboratory dogs to be rehomed when they are no longer needed. Young was among a number of celebrities who signed an open letter from Beagle Freedom Project UK. He is not involved in the High Court litigation. Evacuation efforts in Sudan will be potentially impossible once a ceasefire ends, the Foreign Secretary said. James Cleverly said there is no guarantee of further evacuation flights once an agreed halt in fighting expires on Thursday night. It comes as the Government faces domestic and international criticism over its response. The British evacuation mission from the African country has seen 536 people taken to safety on six flights so far, according to the latest official figures. Mr Cleverly, who insisted simple comparisons to the evacuation efforts of other countries is not possible, said anyone considering leaving the country may only have a limited window to do so. We cannot predict exactly what will happen when that ceasefire ends but what we do know is it will be much, much harder, potentially impossible, he said. So what were saying to British nationals is if youre hesitant, if youre weighing up your options, our strong, strong advice is to go through Wadi Saeedna whilst the ceasefire is up and running. There are planes, there is capacity, we will lift you out. Im not able to make those same assurances once a ceasefire has ended. More than 2,000 British nationals in Sudan have registered with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office under evacuation plans, but thousands more could be in the war-torn nation. Defending the pace of the UK response, Mr Cleverly pointed to complications in getting British nationals out of the conflict zone. Different countries have different sets of circumstances, he said. Their nationals in countries dont all behave the same way. Countries where their nationals tend to live in a close expat community who are geographically co-located, its easier for them to move en masse, its easier for them to be evacuated, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme. There are concerns the evacuation efforts have seen families split up or some members left behind. Only British passport holders and immediate family members with existing UK entry clearance are being told they are eligible for evacuation. Alicia Kearns, the Tory chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, has called for elderly people dependent on children who are British citizens to also be accepted. British nationals about to board an RAF aircraft at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus on Wednesday after being evacuated from Sudan (Ministry of Defence/PA) Where we have families where a British national perhaps has a Sudanese national as spouse, Sudanese children or extended family, it makes the extraction more complicated, Mr Cleverly said. We have given advice as to the status or the prioritisation of the people that we are able to withdraw. We have said its British nationals and Sudanese with travel documents. Mr Cleverly said some Sudanese nationals have been prevented by the military from reaching the airstrip but spoke of difficult cases. Of course, we are trying to facilitate as many people to leave the country as possible, he said. Downing Street said that evacuation eligibility requirements had not changed but that there was an element of discretion for those working on the ground in Sudan. You should not go to the airport unless you are a British passport holder or their dependent, that is set out very clearly. I think what we are saying is we recognise these are very challenging circumstances and, as we have done on previous occasions, we obviously empower people on the ground to make decisions. Mr Cleverly also said he does not recognise reports that the UK caused delays in Germanys efforts to evacuate its citizens from Sudan with its mission to rescue British embassy staff at the weekend. The BBC said it was told by senior German political sources that British forces landed in the country without the permission of the Sudanese army, angering them so much that they temporarily barred access to the airfield that European nations were hoping to use. (PA Graphics) Mr Cleverly said he has been speaking to Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and will look into the claim. My understanding is we did we did have permissions for those overflights, he said. Downing Street said there were no current plans to create a specific resettlement scheme for anyone fleeing Sudan. Earlier, Mr Cleverly pointed to the fact there is war and conflict all over the world. There are literally millions upon millions of people who are in countries plagued by war. We recognise that we cannot host everybody who is in a country plagued by war. Africa Minister Andrew Mitchell also warned that an end to the ceasefire could result in a humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan. He told the foreign affairs think tank Chatham House: It is essential that a ceasefire is maintained and that a political process is secured. If not, the humanitarian consequences will be incalculable. Ministers must be able to robustly challenge civil servants, Downing Street has insisted, as it denied Rishi Sunak has ever been made aware of informal concerns about Steve Barclays conduct. The Health Secretary has become the latest member of the Prime Ministers Cabinet to face bullying allegations, with officials from his department reportedly having spoken privately of bad behaviour. The Guardian quoted Whitehall sources as saying Mr Barclay regularly blasted staff and on occasions deliberately ignored colleagues who tried to talk to him. Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay leaves No 10 (Jordan Pettitt/PA) The Prime Ministers official spokesperson denied he had ever been told of any informal concerns about the ministers behaviour, adding: The Health Secretary is delivering for the public and working hard to cut the waiting lists so people can get the care they need more quickly. The Prime Minister expects ministers to drive delivery in their department. Ministers should be able to test and challenge civil servants and their political advisers robustly, and hold departments to account to deliver for the public. It comes after Foreign Secretary James Cleverly defended his Cabinet colleague as absolutely not a bully while touring broadcast studios on Thursday morning. Mr Cleverly said the minister had given a clear and completely unambiguous response to the allegations. Mr Barclay has not commented publicly but allies totally deny he is a bully. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly defended his colleague Steve Barclay (Hannah McKay/PA) The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said it had not received any formal complaints over the behaviour of its ministers, but did not deny being aware of informal concerns. Mr Cleverly told Sky News: Ive worked with him on a number of occasions. He has made a statement making it absolutely clear that there have been no reports. His statement is clear and completely unambiguous, and I am completely convinced that that is accurate. The Guardian quoted unnamed sources as having complained to the departments top mandarin about Mr Barclays challenging behaviour. They said he was constantly angry and hauls people over the coals and is generally a bit unpleasant, according to the newspaper. A source close to the Health Secretary said: No complaint has been made. Asked whether they denied bullying, they said: Totally deny. Downing Street said there were established processes through which civil servants can raise concerns, with complaints being dealt with through specific departments. A DHSC spokesman said: The department has not received any formal complaints relating to the behaviour of its ministers. Any complaints, relating to ministers or members of staff, would be investigated in line with departmental guidance. Dominic Raab resigned as deputy prime minister over his conduct towards officials (Jordan Pettitt/PA) It comes after Dominic Raabs resignation as deputy prime minister and justice secretary last week when an independent inquiry found he had bullied civil servants. Adam Tolley KCs five-month investigation into eight formal complaints about Mr Raabs conduct found he had behaved in a way that undermines or humiliates while foreign secretary and criticised the work of civil servant staff as woeful and utterly useless while justice secretary. The concerns over Mr Barclay pre-date the release of the Tolley report, according to the Guardian. Rishi Sunak and Italys premier Giorgia Meloni are expected to discuss tackling irregular migration when they meet in London on Thursday. The Prime Minister will welcome his far-right Italian counterpart, who is on a two-day visit to Britain, to Downing Street in the afternoon. The pair will then head to Westminster Abbey together for a private tour. Stemming the flow of migrants whether in small boats across the English Channel or from north Africa across the Mediterranean is a key issue for both leaders. The Prime Minister @RishiSunak met with President of the European Commission @vonderleyen, His Highness @MohamedBinZayed President of the UAE and Prime Minister @GiorgiaMeloni of Italy today at @COP27P in Egypt. pic.twitter.com/AxL8ZuHXDf UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) November 7, 2022 The meeting comes a day after the Governments flagship asylum Bill cleared its final stages in the House of Commons, though it will face a stiff test in the Lords when it undergoes further scrutiny. The Illegal Migration Bill will change the law so people who arrive in the UK illegally will be detained and then promptly removed, either to their home country or a safe third country such as Rwanda. In Italy, Ms Meloni has led a crackdown on migrant smugglers and on rescue ships operated by charities, which she argues encourage migrants to risk dangerous voyages in the hope of reaching Europe. The two leaders meeting is also expected to focus on the agreement between the UK, Italy and Japan to develop next-generation fighter jets. The defence partnership, announced in December, aims to see the planes called Tempest in the UK take to the skies by 2035 and serve as a successor to the RAF Typhoon. Continued support for Ukraine in its struggle against Russias invasion is also likely to feature in their talks. Mr Sunak and Ms Meloni first met on the sidelines of the Cop27 climate summit in Egypt last November, weeks after they both took office within days of each other. According to a read-out from No 10 at the time, they had a positive discussion on a range of shared issues and priorities, including tackling illegal migration and people-smuggling gangs. Ms Melonis Brothers of Italy party leads the countrys first hard right-led government since the Second World War. Tom Daleys Oscar-winning husband Dustin Lance Black faces trial in August accused of assaulting a woman in a London nightclub. The American filmmaker, 48, appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on Thursday, a court official confirmed. Black, who married the Olympic champion diver, 28, in 2017, is charged with assaulting Terry Edwardes by beating on August 18 last year, according to court papers. The official said he has pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted unconditional bail ahead of a trial on August 8 this year. Tom Daley and Dustin Lance Black attending the Brit Awards 2023 at the O2 Arena in London (Ian West/PA) The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to a club in Soho, in Londons West End, at around 12.30am on August 18 last year following reports of an altercation between a man in his 40s and a woman in her 30s. A statement said Black was charged with common assault on February 17. He appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on Thursday April 27, where he pleaded not guilty, it said. He will next appear at the same court on Tuesday August 8. Black won an Oscar for best original screenplay for Milk, a film based on the life of gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk. He married Olympian Daley at Dartmoor National Park in 2017 after they got engaged in 2015 and the couple have two sons. A spokesperson for Black said: Mr Black will respect the process, and in the meantime will continue to focus on being a loving father and husband. Two new mothers who died with herpes were most likely exposed to the infection during their Caesarean section surgeries, a sexual health expert has told an inquest. Mid Kent and Medway Coroners is investigating the cases of Kimberley Sampson, 29, and Samantha Mulcahy, 32, who died in 2018 after the same obstetrician conducted their Caesareans. They were treated weeks apart in hospitals run by East Kent Hospitals University NHS Trust (EKHUT). Both died with herpes shortly after giving birth and their families have been waiting almost five years for answers. Peter Greenhouse, a sexual health consultant with expertise in gynaecology and sexually transmitted infections in women, gave evidence via a video link on Thursday in the inquest in Maidstone, Kent. He told the court: Exposure at the time of surgery is unquestionably the most likely explanation. Mr Greenhouse said the medical evidence shows that the chances of Ms Sampson and Ms Mulcahys infections coming from a common source is very high. He insisted that there is no biologically plausible explanation as to how the two women might have been infected in the community prior to admission to hospital. Mr Greenhouse also said sexual transmission was enormously unlikely. The inquest has been told of two theories which could indicate that the doctor who conducted both womens surgeries, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was a potential source of infection. The first theory indicates there could have been a droplet infection at the time of the surgery. Another theory, one supported by Mr Greenhouse, suggests the infection could have come from a whitlow, which is a herpes infection of the finger. The expert was told the surgeon gave evidence saying his hands were fully scrubbed and double gloved, that he was wearing a mask during the procedures and that he did not have a whitlow nor any history of the infection. Responding to the surgeons evidence, Mr Greenhouse said: The absence of any obvious signs or symptoms of herpes anywhere in this persons history or their own knowledge does not in any way exclude the possibility that they could have been exposed. Five out of six of the people in the courtroom will have been exposed to herpes. He added that herpes can be covert and hidden, insisting it is possible to have a covert herpetic whitlow. Double gloving and absence of a history of a whitlow does not prevent a covert whitlow having been the source, Mr Greenhouse went on. It may reduce the possibility somewhat but it does not remove the possibility. An East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust sign (Gareth Fuller/PA) Referencing maternity data, the expert told the inquest that the risk of dying from herpes in pregnancy is one in 3.2 million calling Ms Sampson and Ms Mulcahys cases an exceptionally rare and tragic scenario. Professor Sebastian Lucas, the pathologist who performed post-mortem examinations for both women, told the inquest that the droplet and whitlow hypotheses could account for infection but that there are other possibilities including community acquisition. He did not believe the infection had been sexually transmitted in either patient. Asked whether or not the theory that the surgeon infected both women was borne out on the evidence, Prof Lucas said he finds it very strange that someone could infect two different people 54 days apart. He recorded the causes of death in both cases as liver and multi-organ failure and disseminated HSV 1 infection herpes acquired before or around the time of delivery. The professor also included third trimester pregnancy in the causes of death as women can become immunocompromised during that time. He added: If they had not been pregnant we would not be here and they would be alive and well. Ms Sampsons baby boy her second child was delivered at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate, Kent, in May 2018. She died at the end of the month in hospital in London. In July 2018, first-time mother Ms Mulcahy died at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent. The hearing was adjourned to Friday at 10am. Rishi Sunak and Italian premier Giorgia Meloni vowed to work together on challenges including tackling illegal migration, as they hailed the very strong relations between their two countries. The Prime Minister welcomed his far-right Italian counterpart, who is on a two-day visit to Britain, to Downing Street on Thursday. In warm words ahead of their private talks, Mr Sunak described the UK and Italys values as very aligned, while Ms Meloni praised him as a very strong and empathetic leader. They will sign a memorandum of understanding which Mr Sunak said will strengthen co-operation on reducing irregular migration, defence and the response to Russias invasion of Ukraine. They will later head to Westminster Abbey together for a private tour. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak welcomes Giorgia Meloni to Downing Street (James Manning/PA) The Prime Minister paid tribute to Ms Melonis very careful handling of the Italian economy. He continued: I think the values between our two countries are very aligned, which is why we can work so well together on shared challenges, whether its responding to Putins illegal invasion in Ukraine, where again I pay tribute to your leadership, but also tackling illegal migration, which is something that is common to both of us. Stemming the flow of migrants is a key issue for both governments, with Mr Sunak having made stopping the boats crossing the Channel one of his priorities. Ms Meloni said the UK Government is doing very well on the issue. Giorgia Meloni hailed a new beginning for bilateral co-operation (Alberto Pezzali/PA) We have nations that, as you said, well they have a strong partnership since decades, but I think there is much more that we can do on many topics on which we are on the same side defence, Ukraine, she said. Tackling traffickers and illegal migration is something that your Government is doing very well. Im following your work and I absolutely agree with your work and I think there are many things that we can do together. She also hailed a new beginning for bilateral co-operation. The meeting comes a day after the Governments flagship asylum Bill cleared its final stages in the House of Commons, though it will face a stiff test in the Lords when it undergoes further scrutiny. The Illegal Migration Bill will change the law so people who arrive in the UK illegally will be detained and then promptly removed, either to their home country or a safe third country such as Rwanda. Big #Solidarity to all who joined the protest against fascist Italian PM #Meloni, blockading the gates of Downing Street and making it clear that we say #NoToFascistMeloni #NeverAgain#RefugeesWelcome pic.twitter.com/qjxFpZSAUr Stand Up To Racism (@AntiRacismDay) April 27, 2023 In Italy, Ms Meloni has led a crackdown on people smugglers and on rescue ships operated by charities, which she says are encouraging a growing number of migrants to risk dangerous voyages from north Africa across the Mediterranean. On the agenda too is the agreement between the UK, Italy and Japan to develop next-generation fighter jets. The defence partnership, announced in December, hopes to see the planes, called Tempest in the UK, in the skies by 2035 and serve as a successor to the RAF Typhoon. Mr Sunak and Ms Meloni first met on the sidelines of the Cop27 climate summit in Egypt last November, weeks after they took office within days of each other. Ms Melonis Brothers of Italy party leads the countrys first hard right-led government since the Second World War. A group of protesters gathered outside the gates of Downing Street as the leaders met, holding signs that read no to fascist Meloni and chanting: Refugees in, Meloni out. The King faced personal troubles and a political row in the early months of his reign as Charles III. With his youngest son, the Duke of Sussex, laying bare his fraught relationships with the royal family on the most public of platforms, the rifts widened thanks to the Sussexes Netflix documentary and Harrys autobiography, Spare. Charles, the former Prince of Wales and the nations longest serving heir to the throne, acceded to the throne on September 8 2022 on the death of his mother, Elizabeth II. Staff unwrapping copies of Harrys autobiography at Waterstones Piccadilly in January (James Manning/PA) The new monarch taking on the role he had been groomed for since birth pledged his whole life in service as the sovereign in his historic address to the nation, the day after the late Queens death. That promise of lifelong service I renew to you all today, he said. The King and the new Queen Consort no doubt were nervous at the response they might receive when they returned to Buckingham Palace for the first time to see the floral tributes. A well-wisher kisses the hand of King Charles III during a walkabout outside Buckingham Palace to view messages and tributes (Yui Mok/PA) But they were given a rapturous welcome from crowds of well-wishers. Cheers rang out with shouts of hip, hip, hooray and the King received a kiss on the cheek from one woman, and a kiss on the hand from another. Less than a year into his new role, the 74-year-old is adapting to life as head of the royal family and the nation, completing a number of milestones, from his first Christmas broadcast to his first overseas state visit. He used his first festive message to sympathise with families struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and praise those supporting people in need. Charles III during the recording of his first Christmas broadcast in December 2022 (Victoria Jones/PA) He met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in February, telling him weve all been worried about you and thinking about your country for so long. But amid the steady stream of official duties, the monarch has faced challenges. A constitutionally unwise meeting between the King and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen angered unionists as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sought their support over the new post-Brexit deal on Northern Ireland. Charles welcomed Ms Von der Leyen to Windsor Castle at the end of her busy day following a joint press conference with Mr Sunak to outline the new deal dubbed the Windsor Framework. The King receives European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen during an audience at Windsor Castle (Aaron Chown/PA) Leading Conservative Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg said it was constitutionally unwise and wrong to involve Charles in the immediate political controversy on the day the Prime Minister signed a new agreement with her. Baroness Arlene Foster, the former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader and first minister of Northern Ireland, said the meeting in Windsor Castle was crass and will go down very badly. Buckingham Palace said Charles was acting on the Governments advice. Downing Street said it was fundamentally a decision for the King. In December, eggs were thrown at the King and Camilla during a walkabout in York, but missed and the pair were ushered away by security. A man was later founding guilty of threatening behaviour and given a 12-month community order with 100 hours of unpaid work for what the magistrate described as the unprovoked, targeted and pre-planned use of violence against what was, after all, a 74-year-old man. Logistical setbacks came in the form of the cancellation of the first state visit of the Kings reign. Charles and the Queen Consort were due to head to France but the trip was shelved at the last minute in March following riots across the country over pension reforms. The King addresses members during a visit to the Bundestag, the German federal parliament, in Berlin (Chris Jackson/PA) A tour to Germany went ahead becoming the first state visit instead of second with the King, speaking mostly in German, delivering the first speech by a British monarch during a session of the Bundestag. Meanwhile, Charles and other royals faced criticism from Harry in his controversial tell-all book at the start of the year. Harrys memoir, Spare, included claims that the Prince of Wales physically attacked him and teased him about his panic attacks, and that the King put his own interests above Harrys and was jealous of Meghan and the Princess of Wales. Harry also branded Camilla the villain and dangerous in interviews, accusing her of rehabilitating her image at the expense of his. Two months later, it emerged Harry and Meghan has been asked to vacate Frogmore Cottage, their UK property close to Windsor Castle. The Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex put on a show of unity at Windsor Castle after the death of the Queen (Chris Jackson/PA) Reports have claimed the move was sanctioned by the King and removes their remaining foothold in the UK and further weakened ties with the royal family. Debate over whether the Sussexes children would use or even get to keep the titles of prince and princess that they became entitled to, when the Queen died, were resolved in March when Harry and Meghan announced Princess Lilibet had been christened, and it emerged there had been correspondence with the King on the matter. Charles also handed the title the Duke of Edinburgh on to his brother, Prince Edward, fulfilling the wishes of his late father and the Queen. With the coronation just days away, the anti-monarchy group Republic is planning its demonstrations for May 6, and questions have been raised about the undisclosed budget for the multi-million pound event while the nation faces a cost of living crisis. Protesters wait for the arrival of King Charles III and the Queen Consort for their visit to Liverpool Central Library (Jon Super/PA) And Harry, in a High Court case this week, caused further ructions when he told how the late Queen backed his bid for an apology from media mogul Rupert Murdoch over alleged unlawful information gathering, but his efforts were blocked by Charles staff. Harry accused Clarence House in a witness statement of seemingly blocking our every move as part of a strategy to keep the media onside in order to smooth the way for my stepmother, and father, to be accepted by the British public as Queen Consort and King respectively. While Meghan is staying in the US, Charles, William and the rest of royals will face Harry at the coronation in Westminster Abbey. He will join the Windsors for the first time in public since the Queens funeral, to witness his father and stepmother being crowned. Controversial talk show host Jerry Springer has died aged 79. He was best known for showcasing dysfunctional families on The Jerry Springer Show, which ran from 1991 until 2018 in the US. Springer had stepped down from The Jerry Springer Podcast, after eight years, in December. Family spokesman Jene Galvin said in a statement: Jerrys ability to connect with people was at the heart of his success in everything he tried, whether that was politics, broadcasting or just joking with people on the street who wanted a photo or a word. Hes irreplaceable and his loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart and humour will live on. Jerry Springer, the host of Miss World in 2000 (PA) Springer died peacefully at his home in Chicago after a brief illness, the statement added. Chat show host Ricki Lake, who described Springer as both her rival and a friend, was among those paying tribute. While sharing a picture on Twitter of the two of them on American competition show Drop The Mic On TNT, the daytime talk show host of Ricki Lake wrote: A lovely man. Here is the time he kicked my ass on @DropTheMicTNT. May he rest in peace. Before Springers broadcasting career, which included stints as a political reporter and commentator, he was the mayor of Cincinnati, in the US state of Ohio, and a political campaign adviser to US presidential hopeful Robert F Kennedy. Thank you! It's been a wonderful eight years sharing stories, thoughts, laughter, and tears with you all. Our quirky off the beat podcast is now riding off into the sunset. We appreciate all of you for coming along the way! Much love to all of you! Happy New Year!#NewYear pic.twitter.com/hVum6swu23 Jerry Springer (@jerryspringer) December 30, 2022 Springer was born in a London Underground station on February 13 1944, while it was being used as a bomb shelter. His family who had fled from Germany to England during the Holocaust later settled in the Queens borough of New York City. At Tulane University, Springer studied political science and went on to get a law degree from Northwestern University. Before entering the world of entertainment, he worked at a law firm and then was elected to Cincinnati City Council in 1971 and 1975 before rising to serve as mayor. Springer also had various unsuccessfully runs for various political office including Congress in 1970 and ran adverts to campaign to become governor of Ohio in the 1980s. He later became a local television politics reporter and had an NBC affiliate WLWT-TV news show. Jerry Springer signed copies of his book Ringmaster in London (PA) Springer began his talk show in 1991 with a more traditional format, before the series became known for chair-throwing and bleep-filled arguments. On his Twitter profile, he called himself talk show host, ringmaster of civilisations end. His talk show was so popular that it spawned a British version called Jerry Springer UK in 1999, along with a satirical musical based on his US programme. Jerry Springer: The Opera, by British writers Richard Thomas and Stewart Lee, was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe and Battersea Arts Centre before being taken to the National Theatre in 2003. In 2004, the Olivier Awards gave the musical four gongs, best performance, best sound design, best actor and best new musical. At a photocall to announce his stage debut as Billy Flynn in the musical Chicago, at the Cambridge Theatre (PA) Springer made his own stage debut in a musical, starring as Billy Flynn in Chicago in 2009 in the West End. Presenter Matthew Wright, who saw Springer appear on his topical chat show The Wright Stuff, wrote on Twitter: Went to see Jerry Springer the opera with Jerry Springer who loved every second. Top fella, a great deputy on the Wright stuff hope he RIP XX. Former advisor to US president Barack Obama, David Axelrod, who had been a political writer for The Chicago Tribune, wrote: Jerry Springer will be remembered as the ringmaster of an embarrassing, tabloid-style TV show. But I met him earlier, when he was a mayor and insurgent progressive candidate for governor of Ohio in a race I covered. He was funny, self-effacing & incisive. There are plans for a funeral and a memorial, Springers agent said. Springer was married to Micki Velton. They had a daughter, Katie, and divorced in 1994. The family asked that in lieu of flowers, people should make a donation or an act of kindness to someone in need, or a worthy advocacy organisation, in tribute to the way Springer signed off his talk shows with the phrase: Take care of yourself, and each other. Korea Fair Trade Commissioner Han Ki-jeong gives a briefing on the conditional approval of Hanwha's takeover of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering at the Government Sejong Complex in Sejong, April 27. Yonhap Korea's antitrust regulator said Thursday it has decided to give the nod to Hanwha Group's plan to acquire Daewoo Shipbuilding Marine Engineering (DSME) under the condition the conglomerate does not discriminate against other rivals in the market. The decision came about four months after Hanwha clinched a formal agreement, under which Hanwha Aerospace and other affiliates will acquire a 49.3 percent stake and managerial control in DSME through a 2-trillion won ($1.49 billion) rights offering. The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) was looking into the case over concerns that the acquisition may impede competition in the Korean military vessel market. Hanwha is the top or the sole supplier for roughly 10 crucial components utilized in military ships, such as radar and navigation systems. "We have conducted a comprehensive review of the proposed deal, which involves a vertical merger between companies that hold significant dominance in both the market for vessels and their parts, as there is a risk that the merger could impede competition," the FTC said in a statement. To address these concerns, the regulator has instructed Hanwha and DSME to comply with three rules, one of which includes banning the supply of vessel parts at discriminatory prices. The two companies also cannot unfairly refuse to provide technical information regarding equipment to rival companies when they request it via the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. The FTC restricted Hanwha and DSME from providing trade secrets acquired from competitors to affiliated companies as well. Hanwha and DSME are required to comply with these orders for the next three years and submit progress reports every six months. If market conditions or regulations change, the watchdog may extend the order beyond the initial period. "Although the government is the sole buyer in the sector, it is significant that we have applied the necessary measures to avoid limited competition in the bidding process," the FTC said. The acquisition procedures are expected to be completed next month. Regulators of the European Union, Britain, Japan and China also earlier approved the deal. When completed, Hanwha Group becomes the top shareholder of DSME, followed by the state-run Korea Development Bank with 28.2 percent. This decision clears the path for Hanwha to establish itself as a comprehensive defense firm, with capabilities spanning land, sea and air domains. DSME, meanwhile, stands as the No. 1 player in the country's submarine market, taking up 97.8 percent of the orders in the past five years. It also took up 25.4 percent of military vessel orders over the period. Hanwha was founded in 1952 as an explosives maker and has since diversified its business, which now ranges from chemicals, energy and defense to retail and finance. (Yonhap) The Prince and Princess of Wales have abseiled together off a cliff in the Brecon Beacons, while meeting mountain rescuers. William and Kate arrived at a wet and windy area of the Bannau Brycheiniog near Merthyr Tydfil in the South Wales Valleys on Thursday wearing hiking gear, and put on safety equipment ready for the descent. They were guided through the process by the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team, a volunteer-run organisation which responds to calls 24 hours a day, all year round. The group covers the central area of the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park which includes Pen y Fan, the highest point in southern Britain, and the Ystradfellte waterfalls, and has been keeping the surrounding communities safe for 60 years since 1963. The Prince and Princess of Wales in Merthyr Tydfil (Ben Birchall/PA) When asked by instructors if he had abseiled before, William said: Its been a while. Before heading over the edge Kate, who was wearing a red mountain rescue coat like her husband with her hair tied in a ponytail, was heard telling William: Were not racing. They also engaged in other training activities such as medical support exercises and watched a search dog rescue demonstrations, while hearing from current and former team members about their experiences spanning the organisations six-decade history. Kate took part in a simulated casualty rescue and used a radio to alert her husband to the kit she required. The princess could be heard saying: Do you know whats on the list, over? She added: Its like our weekly shopping list. Its like going to the supermarket. The Prince and Princess of Wales abseiled off a cliff (Ben Birchall/PA) The rescue kit was hastily brought by William, before they both helped put it together so they could evacuate the dummy casualty who had suffered a leg injury. The royal couple then helped the casualty on a stretcher to safety. The prince is patron of Mountain Rescue England and Wales, and worked closely with such teams during his time as an air ambulance pilot. The prince and princess then met two retired members, Bob Thomas, 75, and Nick Richards, 79, who had been part of the rescue team at the Aberfan disaster in 1966. After leaving the Brecon Beacons, they travelled the short distance to Dowlais Rugby Club in Merthyr Tydfil where many of the mountain rescue team socialise when off-duty. William and Kate immediately went to the Little Dragon Pizza Van parked in the car park and ordered 12 pizzas to say thank you to the volunteers. The order, which included three margherita, three pepperoni, three BBQ chicken and three goats cheese came to more than 120. Owner Peter Morris, 45, from Brynmawr, and his employee Shannon Stokes, 25, who normally feed walkers and tourists from a spot on the Bannau north of Crickhowell, said they had fed the rescue team before. Mr Morris said: There was an incident up in an old quarry which is just behind our pitch where a young boy dislocated his knee. It was a quick call but as a gesture we gave them free pizzas because they work all hours of the day. The royals carried the pizzas into the rugby club for the rescuers and met other members of the team and community. The Prince and Princess of Wales order 12 pizzas to say thank you to the mountain rescue team as they arrive for a visit to Dowlais Rugby Club near Merthyr Tydfil (Ben Birchall/PA) Before leaving, William and Kate posed for photos and spoke with members of the public who had gathered outside to catch a glimpse of them. Isla Cheeke, nine, from Merthyr, came with her mother Amy, 38, and 10-year-old brother Noah and handed William a letter in which she asked if she could marry Prince George. I love the royal family and I think Kate is beautiful, Isla said afterwards. The Princess of Wales meets members of the public after visiting Dowlais Rugby Club (Ben Birchall/PA) Detective Constable Carolyn Brown, 50, and Sergeant Clare Edwards, from South Wales Police, were off-duty and spoke with William about the coronation. We were talking about the coronation, and we said we had been hoping to get an invite to the garden party and William just said, Of course and got someone to take our details, Det Con Brown said. We thought we would be cheeky and ask as were huge royalists. The royal couple will be staying in a local bed and breakfast this evening. FILE - Prakazrel "Pras" Michel, left, a member of the 1990s hip-hop group the Fugees, accompanied by defense lawyer David Kenner, right, arrives at federal court for his trial in an alleged campaign finance conspiracy, Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Washington. Michel, who was accused in multimillion-dollar political conspiracies spanning two presidencies, was convicted Wednesday, April 26, after a trial that included testimony ranging from actor Leonardo DiCaprio to former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) WASHINGTON (AP) A Fugees rapper accused in multimillion-dollar political conspiracies spanning two presidencies was convicted Wednesday after a trial that included testimony ranging from actor Leonardo DiCaprio to former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Prakazrel Pras Michel was accused of funneling money from a now-fugitive Malaysian financer through straw donors to Barack Obamas 2012 reelection campaign, then trying to squelch a Justice Department investigation and influence an extradition case on behalf of China under the Trump administration. The defense argued the Grammy-winning rapper from the 1990s hip-hop group the Fugees simply wanted to make money and got bad legal advice as he reinvented himself in the world of politics. Michel first met Malaysian financer Low Taek Jho in 2006, when the businessman usually known as Jho Low was dropping huge sums of money and hobnobbing with the likes of Paris Hilton. Low helped finance Hollywood films, including The Wolf of Wall Street. DiCaprio testified Low had appeared to him as a legitimate businessman and had mentioned wanting to donate to Obamas campaign. Michel also testified in his own defense. He said Low wanted a picture with Obama in 2012 and was willing to pay millions of dollars to get it. Michel agreed to help and used some of the money he got to pay for friends to attend fundraising events. No one had ever told him that was illegal, he said. Prosecutors said Michel was donating the money on Lows behalf, and later tried to lean on the straw donors with texts from burner phones to keep them from talking to investigators. After the election of Donald Trump, prosecutors say Michel again took millions to halt an investigation into allegations Low masterminded a money laundering and bribery scheme that pilfered billions from the Malaysian state investment fund known as 1MDB. Low is now an international fugitive and has maintained his innocence. Michel also got paid to try and persuade the U.S. to extradite back to China a government critic suspected of crimes there without registering as a foreign agent, prosecutors said. On that charge, the defense pointed to testimony from Sessions, who was Trumps top law enforcement officer until he resigned in 2018. Sessions said hed been aware the Chinese government wanted the extradition but didnt know Michel. The rappers ultimately futile efforts to arrange a meeting on the topic didnt seem improper, the former attorney general said. Jackass star Bam Margera surrendered to Pennsylvania State Police on Thursday morning for allegedly punching his brother during an altercation four days earlier at their home in the Philadelphia suburbs. Margera was arraigned and pleaded not guilty, according to his lawyer, Michael van der Veen. The wild rumors regarding his behavior this week are absolutely false. He is in good health and in good spirits, van der Veen said in a written statement. Court records say Margera was released on $50,000 unsecured bail. He man not have any contact with his brother, father or two other people who were in the house at the time, according to his bail conditions. Margera also has to stay away from the house. State police have said they were called to the Chester County home in response to a reported domestic disturbance Sunday morning. Margeras brother, Jesse Margera, told police that Bam Margera had pounded on and kicked his locked bedroom door, then punched him in the eye, nose and ear during a later confrontation in the kitchen, according to court documents. Jesse Margera said hed also found a threatening handwritten note signed Bam, a police affidavit said. Bam Margera, who also starred in the MTV reality series Viva La Bam, ran from the home through dense woods before troopers got there, the affidavit said. He was charged with simple assault, harassment, and four counts of terroristic threats. After his arraignment, a post on Margera's Instagram account said: Everything went great and the false accusations of what my brother says are not true and he will be sued for defamation as well as being evicted from castle bam sooner than later. His next court date is May 25. USA Network "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." So you're on the search for a show about lawyers? That means you either: 1) are obsessed with procedurals, 2) love watching scandalous overlaps of work and personal lives, 3) just finished watching a different lawyer show, or 4) all of the above. Regardless of what brings you here, there's a good chance you'll find what you're looking for. Alongside some more traditional legal dramas, the list below includes period pieces, mysteries, superheroes, a future member of the British royal family, and a couple of trips to South Korea. Read on to learn more about 12 series about lawyers, check out clips from the shows, and find out where you can stream them online. Hopefully, you won't object. (Sorry!) Suits If you decide to dive into Suits, you'll have a lengthy journey aheadit aired nine seasons. The show focuses on lawyers and other employees at the fictional Pearson Hardman law firmtheir cases and their personal lives, of coursewith the initial hook being that a man who did not attend law school is secretly hired by one of the partners as an associate. The cast includes Patrick J. Adams, Gabriel Macht, Gina Torres, and a pre-royal Meghan Markle. Shop Now How to Get Away with Murder Viola Davis stars in How to Get Away with Murder as Annalise Keating, a lawyer and professor. The first season involves a few of Annalise's students becoming interns at her firm, and they all end up involved in a murder investigation. With six seasons, you can imagine the drama only continues from there. Law School Law School is somewhat similar to How to Get Away with Murder as it's about a group of law students, rather than lawyers at a firm. In the case of this Korean show, the students become mixed up in an investigation when their professor (Kim Myung-min) is arrested as a murder suspect. The group of students then work to prove his innocence. STREAM NOW Ally McBeal Frank Micelotta Archive - Getty Images Travel back to the turn of the millennium with Ally McBeal, all about the attorneys at the law firm Cage & Fish. The series focuses on the personal life of the title character, played by Calista Flockhart, and the various romances between characters at the firm. This dramedy also gives you something most other law shows don't: surrealism. (Does the "dancing baby" ring a bell?) Shop Now Better Call Saul The Breaking Bad spinoff Better Call Saul puts the focus on Bob Odenkirk's Saul Goodman character. The series begins before the events of Breaking Bad and shows Saul's move from a conman to a criminal defense attorney prior to joining up with chemist-turned-drug-lord Walter White (Bryan Cranston). STREAM NOW Daredevil Fan of both lawyer shows and superheroes? Daredevil has three seasons for you. The Marvel series stars Charlie Cox as Matt Murdockaka Daredevila lawyer by day and crime-fighter by night. Co-stars include Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple, Jon Bernthal as Punisher, and Vincent D'Onofrio as Kingpin. Shop Now Extraordinary Attorney Woo The Korean series Extraordinary Attorney Woo follows Woo Young-Woo (Park Eun-bin), a newly hired lawyer at a large law firm. She had difficulty getting hired by a firm and is initially ostracized by her co-workers, but her skill as an attorney is clear as she takes on cases. Perry Mason Criminal defense lawyer Perry Mason has existed since he was created by writer Erle Stanley Gardner in the 1930s. Since then, he's appeared in numerous books, TV series, and movies. The latest is HBO's Perry Mason, which premiered in 2020. This time around, Matthew Rhys stars as the character, who is working as a private investigator in the early '30s prior to becoming the well-known attorney. Shop Now All Rise The series All Rise is centered around Lola Carmichael (Simone Missick), a district attorney-turned-judge for the Los Angeles County Superior Court. The drama comes from the way Lola's life intertwines with other employees at the courthouse, including lawyers, bailiffs, reporters, and other judges. Shop Now The Good Wife Julianna Margulies stars in The Good Wife as Alicia Florrick, a woman who returns to working in law after her politician husband (Chris Noth) is imprisoned following a scandal. During the show's seven seasons, Alicia moves up the ladder at her law firm and makes a name for herself outside of her husband's shadow. Shop Now The Good Fight The Good Fight is a spinoff series of The Good Wife, which focuses on Christine Baranski and Cush Jumbo's characters from the original show working at a different law firm. Co-stars include Rose Leslie, Audra McDonald, and Delroy Lindo. Shop Now Law & Order If you're looking for lawyer shows, one of the various Law & Order series will probably satisfy you. Sure, there's a focus on the detectives, but lawyers are very much involved, too. There are a lot of optionsand countless seasonsto choose from, including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: Organized Crime, and just plain old Law & Order. Shop Now You Might Also Like Samir Hussein - Getty Images What happens when you subtly want to get closer to the person you're taking a picture with, while cameras are already going? For Kate Middleton, a little bit of fancy footwork does the trick. A video from her visit to Denmark in February 2022, when she's posing for pictures with Queen Margrethe and Crown Princess Mary, is going viral on TikTok: The comments are full of praise, and a little bit of confusion, at Kate's behavior. "This will never not be funny to me," one commentator wrote. "The Queen literally invited her to come closer. She didn't need to shuffle in." Another wrote, "This is less discreet and less smooth than just taking that tiny step over." Yet, others were quick to defend her "Princess Shuffle": One wrote, "it may be that many photos were being taken and she was trying to avoid a pic of her legs separate." Another agreed, "I feel like it's so she doesn't look weird scooting in one big leap in case they photograph every second." Samir Hussein - Getty Images The video is from an engagement at the Christian IX's Palace in Copenhagen, where Queen Margrethe officially welcomed the British royal to the country. It was Kate's first overseas trip since 2019, with a lot of royal travel being canceled due to the pandemic. The Princess of Wales will reunite with Crown Princess Mary next week at the coronation of King Charles; Mary is scheduled to attend with her husband, Crown Prince Frederick. You Might Also Like Two commanders in the military unit in which leak suspect Jack Teixeira worked have been suspended, the Air Force said Wednesday. The commander of the 102nd Intelligence Support Squadron and a detachment commander were suspended, Air Force spokesperson Ann Stefanek said. They were suspended pending further investigation into the unauthorized disclosure of classified information, the Air Force said. Teixeira, a Massachusetts Air National Guardsman, was arrested April 13 in connection with the investigation of classified documents that were leaked on the internet. Teixeira, 21, an airman first class, was assigned to the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base, Massachusetts. He has been charged with possessing classified documents pertaining to national security and possessing national defense material. Teixeira is alleged to have used the online forum Discord to share the leaked information with his small community of online friends and to have taken photos of paper documents that he may have smuggled out of a secure facility. Many of the more than 50 leaked documents NBC News obtained were labeled Top Secret, the highest level of classification. They reveal details of U.S. spying on Russias war machine in Ukraine and secret assessments of Ukraines combat power, as well as intelligence about Americas allies, including South Korea and Israel. Jack Teixeira. (via Facebook) The commander of the 102nd Intelligence Support Squadron who was suspended was not identified in Wednesdays Air Force statement. The detachment commander who was suspended was in charge of overseeing administrative support for airmen at the unit, the Air Force said. Commanders are taking appropriate action as information becomes available, the Air Force said. All suspensions are temporary pending further investigation. Teixeira was a cyber defense operations journeyman and had been granted top-secret security clearance in 2021, according to an FBI affidavit filed in the criminal case against him. The incident has raised questions among lawmakers in Washington about who has access to classified materials and about safeguards. The Air Force last week halted the intelligence mission of the 102nd Intelligence Wing as the services inspector general investigates. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a review of how classified information is handled and secured. Teixeira has not entered a plea, according to court records. A detention hearing has been delayed at the request of his lawyers and is scheduled for Thursday. WASHINGTON (AP) A federal appeals court on Wednesday night moved former Vice President Mike Pence closer to appearing before a grand jury investigating efforts to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election, rejecting a bid by lawyers for former President Donald Trump to block the testimony. It was not immediately clear what day Pence might appear before the grand jury, which for months has been investigating the events preceding the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and efforts by Trump and his allies to subvert the election outcome. But Pence's testimony, coming as he inches toward a likely entrance in the 2024 presidential race, would be a milestone moment in the investigation and would likely give prosecutors a key first-person account as they press forward with their inquiry. The order from the three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was sealed and none of the parties are mentioned by name in online court records. But the appeal in the sealed case was filed just days after a lower-court judge had directed Pence to testify over objections from the Trump team. A lawyer for Pence and a spokesman for Trump did not immediately return emails seeking comment, and a spokesman for the Justice Department special counsel leading the investigation declined to comment. The appeal was decided by Judge Gregory Katsas, a Trump appointee, and judges Patricia Millett and Gregory Wilkins, both appointees of former President Barack Obama. It was not clear if lawyers for Trump might ask the entire appeals court to hear the matter. Pence was subpoenaed to testify earlier this year, but lawyers for Trump objected, citing executive privilege concerns. A judge in March refused to block Trumps appearance, though he did side with the former vice presidents constitutional claims that he could not be forced to answer questions about anything related to his role as presiding over the Senates certification of votes on Jan. 6. A spokesman for Pence subsequently said that the former vice president would not appeal and that his arguments about the Constitution's speech or debate clause, which is intended to protect members of Congress from being questioned about official legislative acts, had been vindicated. Well obey the law, well tell the truth, Pence said in an interview with CBS Newss Face the Nation that aired Sunday. And the story that Ive been telling the American people all across the country, the story that I wrote in the pages of my memoir, thatll be the story I tell in that setting. Pence has spoken extensively about Trumps pressure campaign urging him to reject Bidens victory in the days leading up to Jan. 6, including in his book So Help Me God. Pence, as vice president, had a ceremonial role overseeing Congress counting of the Electoral College vote, but did not have the power to affect the results, despite Trumps contention otherwise. Pence has said that Trump endangered his family and everyone else who was at the Capitol that day and history will hold him accountable. For four years, we had a close working relationship. It did not end well, Pence wrote, summing up their time in the White House. The special counsel leading the investigation, Jack Smith, has cast a broad net in interviews and has sought the testimony of a long list of former Trump aides, including ex-White House counsel Pat Cipollone and former adviser Stephen Miller. Smith is separately investigating Trump over the potential mishandling of hundreds of classified documents at his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, as well as possible efforts to obstruct that probe. On Wednesday, Trump's lawyers in that investigation called the Justice Department investigation severely botched and politically infected and urged the House Intelligence Committee to step in by holding hearings and introducing legislation to correct classified document handling procedures in the White House and standardize procedures for presidents and vice presidents for when they leave office. "DOJ should be ordered to stand down, and the intelligence community should instead conduct an appropriate investigation and provide a full report to this Committee, as well as your counterparts in the Senate," the lawyers wrote. It is not clear when either of the special counsels investigations will end or who, if anyone, will be charged. ______ Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP Bannon associate sentenced to 4-1/4 years for Trump border wall fraud Bannon associate sentenced to more than 4 years for fraud over Trump border wall NEW YORK (Reuters) -A decorated U.S. Air Force veteran who was an associate of Donald Trump's former adviser Steve Bannon was sentenced on Wednesday to 4-1/4 years in prison after admitting helping defraud donors to a campaign to build the wall along the U.S.-Mexican border pursued by the former president. Brian Kolfage, 41, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres in Manhattan after pleading guilty last year to misappropriating funds for the "We Build the Wall" campaign, an effort that solicited public donations and, according to prosecutors, raised about $25 million. Torres also sentenced Andrew Badolato, 58, another former Bannon associate, to three years in prison following his guilty plea. "The infamous 'We Build the Wall' scam will no doubt have a chilling effect on civic participation in the political realm," the judge said. "The fraudsters behind 'We Build the Wall' injured the body politic." Kolfage, who lost his legs and right hand in a rocket attack in Iraq, led the fundraising push alongside Bannon, who was also criminally charged in the case but received a presidential pardon from Trump during the final hours of his term. Prosecutors said Kolfage took more than $350,000 and spent it on boat payments, jewelry and cosmetic surgery. He also pleaded guilty to tax charges. "I made a promise not to personally benefit, not anyone else, and I broke that promise," Kolfage said in court before the sentence was handed down, at times wiping his nose and sniffling. "I have been humiliated by my poor decisions." Kolfage ignored questions from journalists as he exited the courthouse in downtown Manhattan after the hearing. Torres also ordered Kolfage to forfeit $17.9 million and pay $2.9 million in restitution. Cesar de Castro, a lawyer for Kolfage, had proposed home detention, citing his client's medical needs. Badolato's lawyer Kelly Kramer sought three years of probation for his client, saying he was less culpable and cooperated with prosecutors. Another defendant, Timothy Shea, 52, was convicted at trial in October. His sentencing is scheduled for June 13. Despite being pardoned, Bannon still faces New York state money laundering and conspiracy charges over the wall under an indictment from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Bannon, 69, has pleaded not guilty. Trump's pardon covered federal crimes but not state crimes. Construction of a border wall was a key element of Trump's hardline immigration policies during his presidency, supported by his fellow Republicans but opposed by Democrats and immigrant advocacy groups. (Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Wil Dunham and David Gregorio) FILE - This 1955 file photo shows Carolyn Bryant. Carolyn Bryant Donham, the white woman who accused Black teenager Emmett Till of making improper advances before he was lynched in Mississippi in 1955 has died Tuesday night, April 25, in hospice care in Louisiana, according to a death report filed Thursday, April 27, 2023, in Calcasieu Parish Coroners Office in Louisiana. She was 88. (AP Photo/Gene Herrick, File) JACKSON, Miss. (AP) The white woman who accused Black teenager Emmett Till of making improper advances before he was lynched in Mississippi in 1955 has died in hospice care in Louisiana, a coroner's report shows. Carolyn Bryant Donham was 88. Donham died Tuesday night in Westlake, Louisiana, according to a death report filed Thursday in Calcasieu Parish Coroners Office in Louisiana. Tills kidnapping and killing became a catalyst for the civil rights movement when his mother insisted on an open-casket funeral in their hometown of Chicago after his brutalized body was pulled from a river in Mississippi. Jet magazine published photos. Till traveled from Chicago to visit relatives in Mississippi in August 1955. Donham then named Carolyn Bryant accused him of making improper advances on her at a grocery store in the small community of Money. The Rev. Wheeler Parker, a cousin of Till who was there, has said 14-year-old Till whistled at the woman, an act that flew in the face of Mississippis racist social codes of the era. Evidence indicates a woman identified Till to her then-husband Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Milam, who killed the teenager. An all-white jury acquitted the two white men in the killing, but the men later confessed in an interview with Look magazine. In an unpublished memoir obtained by The Associated Press in 2022, Donham said she was unaware of what would happen to the 14-year-old Till. Donham was 21 at the time. The contents of the 99-page manuscript, titled I am More Than A Wolf Whistle, were first reported by the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting. Historian and author Timothy Tyson of Durham, who said he obtained a copy from Donham while interviewing her in 2008, provided a copy to the AP. Tyson had placed the manuscript in an archive at the University of North Carolina with the agreement that it not be made public for decades, though he said he gave it to the FBI during an investigation the agency concluded last year. He said he decided to make it public now following the recent discovery of an arrest warrant on kidnapping charges that was issued for Donham in 1955 but never served. ___ Associated Press writer Allen G. Breed in Wake Forest, North Carolina, contributed to this report. Footage shows an unidentified man who defense lawyers say is Don Carmignani spraying bear mace in a sleeping homeless person's face. San Francisco Public Defender's Office A former fire commissioner is accused of approaching homeless people and spraying them with bear mace. Don Carmignani initially said he was attacked by a homeless man, Garrett Doty, with a lead pipe. Doty's lawyers now point to evidence they say links Carmignani to the spate of unprovoked attacks. A former San Francisco fire commissioner who says a homeless man attacked him is now accused of spraying bear mace on at least eight homeless people who were minding their own business. Don Carmignani, 53, initially said he was assaulted by Garret Doty, 24, on April 5 outside his mother's home. Footage of the attack appears to show Carmignani on the street being repeatedly struck by a man wielding a lead pipe. Doty was arrested in connection with the attack, and faces assault and battery charges brought by the San Francisco district attorney's office. But Doty's defense lawyers are now highlighting police reports and videos that they say link Carmignani to at least eight unprovoked attacks on homeless people in recent years. The lawyers said in a Wednesday press statement that it was Carmignani who instigated the confrontation with Doty and that the latter had acted in self-defense. Videos show shocking bear spray attacks One video dated April 5 shows a man dressed in a black coat attacking Doty with bear spray on the street. Doty's lawyers argued that the man in black was Carmignani, adding that a third-party witness told police she heard him threaten to stab and kill Doty. Another video from November 2021 shows an unidentified person spraying bear mace at a homeless person sleeping on the street. When the victim turns away, the assailant leans forward to continue spraying their face. Police reports describe eight other attacks Eight police reports also documented an unnamed person using bear spray to attack homeless people in the area, Doty's lawyers said. The reports were made between November 2022 and January 2023. While Carmignani was not named in any of these reports, Doty's lawyers said they contained physical descriptions that matched the former fire commissioner's appearance. Kleigh Hathaway, a public defender for Doty, said the most recent attack involved the assailant stealing a phone, earrings, and a wallet from a homeless woman and throwing her dog on the ground, according to The San Francisco Standard. The unnamed attacker told the woman and another homeless man to "get the fuck out of my town" and that they didn't "belong" there, Hathaway told the outlet. Carmignani says he wasn't the attacker According to Doty's defense team, the police reports and videos were turned over by the San Francisco district attorney's office. Hathaway's team says prosecutors "indicated" that the unnamed assailant might be Carmignani. "These eight separate acts of violence were perpetrated against people who are homeless. The district attorney and the police gave us, the defense, yesterday, these police reports because they believe these acts are related to Mr. Carmignani," Hathaway told reporters on Wednesday. Carmignani's lawyer, Nick Colla, told The Standard that his client wasn't the unnamed assailant. "Our client vehemently denies that he is the alleged individual who is committing these acts against homeless people," Colla said, per The Standard. The former fire commissioner told CBS himself that he wasn't looking for a fight when Doty attacked him. "I didn't go out there to fight anyone. I'm trying to get them down the road, go to the park," Carmignani told the outlet, saying doctors told him he would have died had been struck one more time on April 5. Confusion ensued on Wednesday when Hathaway's team said they were told by prosecutors that charges against Doty would be dropped. But District Attorney Brooke Jenkins later told reporters that her office still intends to proceed with the case, though a preliminary hearing has been delayed until Thursday, The Standard reported. Doty must be released from jail if the Thursday hearing doesn't happen, Jenkins told the outlet. In a statement to Insider, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins confirmed that her office still intends to pursue its case against Doty. However, the case would require Carmignani to testify, and he hasn't agreed to do so, Jenkins said. Colla and the San Francisco Public Defender's Office did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment sent outside regular business hours. April 28, 2023: This story was updated to reflect comment from the San Francisco District Attorney's office. Read the original article on Business Insider China's small commodities hub logs rising exports in Q1 Xinhua) 13:10, April 27, 2023 HANGZHOU, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Yiwu, the world's leading small commodities market in east China's Zhejiang Province, saw both its imports and exports rise in the first quarter of this year. The city's total import and export value was 118.44 billion yuan (17.1 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three months of this year, a yearly rise of 11.4 percent, according to Yiwu Customs. Exports increased 11 percent to 107.09 billion yuan during the period, and imports grew 15.6 percent to 11.35 billion yuan, the customs office said. The average number of daily visits by foreign merchants have climbed 30.3 percent year on year, with local businesspeople saying the return of enthusiastic foreign buyers has contributed to the city's export boom. Cross-border e-commerce, the value of which jumped 111 percent on customs-monitored platforms in the first quarter, has also emerged as a key channel for local merchants to ink overseas deals. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering's shipyard on Geoje Island in South Gyeongsang Province / Yonhap Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan / Courtesy of Hanwha Group FILE - A Smartmatic representative demonstrates his company's system which has scanners and touch screens with printout options, at a meeting of the Secure, Accessible & Fair Elections Commission on Aug. 30, 2018, in Grovetown, Ga. Fox News agreed Wednesday, April 26, 2023, to hand over reams of documents produced during the just-settled defamation lawsuit between Dominion Voting Machines to another voting technology firm, Smartmatic, which in a $2.7 billion suit accuses the cable news giant of damaging its reputation because of the networks promotion of lies about the 2020 election. (Bob Andres/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File) NEW YORK (AP) Fox News agreed Wednesday to hand over thousands of documents to voting machine company Smartmatic, which is suing the network for defamation in a case similar to Dominion Voting Machines' just-settled lawsuit. Smartmatic says Fox bears financial responsibility for airing false allegations that the company rigged the 2020 presidential election against former President Donald Trump. Last week, Fox agreed to pay Dominion nearly $800 million to avert a trial, although the ultimate cost to the media company is likely to be much lower. Smartmatic wants a $2.7 billion judgment, which far exceeds the $1.6 billion Dominion sought in its suit. No date has been set, and the case might not go to court for a couple of years. Smartmatic said in court filings that Fox slow-rolled its production of transcripts and other material that were created during the Dominion suit, and that Smartmatic had received just a small fraction of the more than 52,000 documents it requested as part of the discovery process. Among the documents Smartmatic hopes will bolster its case are deposition transcripts for Fox founder Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan Murdoch, as well as documents related to company executive Raj Shah and lawyer Viet Dinh. In a statement, Fox News said it was ready to defend itself in this case surrounding extremely newsworthy events. As a report prepared by our financial expert shows, Smartmatics damages claims are implausible, disconnected from reality, and on its face intended to chill First Amendment freedoms, the network said. The Dominion case pulled back the curtain on how Fox and its on-air personalities including Sean Hannity, Jeanine Pirro, Maria Bartiromo and now-fired Tucker Carlson promoted conspiracy theories and Trumps baseless effort to overturn the election. The network suffered an array of embarrassing revelations from emails that showed Fox executives and personalities saying they knew the accusations were untrue, even as the falsehoods were aired on programs. Because Florida-based Smartmatic's machines were only used in Los Angeles during the 2020 election, the company had little influence on the presidential race. Still, Fox's on-air personalities sometimes conflated Dominion and Smartmatic. Smartmatics lawyer, Erik Connolly, has said the Dominion case exposed some of the misconduct and damage caused by Foxs disinformation campaign. Smartmatic will expose the rest. Attorneys for President Bidens son Hunter Biden met with officials with the Department of Justice on Wednesday amid an ongoing investigation into the first son, Fox News has learned. Several of Hunter Biden's attorneys were present at DOJ headquarters with tax division career attorneys, including his longtime attorney Chris Clark. Hunter Biden arrives with wife Melissa Cohen Biden prior to President Biden's awarding of Presidential Medals of Freedom during a ceremony in the East Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 7, 2022. Lawyers from the U.S. Attorneys Office in Delaware were present, but it was not clear if U.S. Attorney Davis Weiss was there. Fox News Digital has reached out to Clark's office and the DOJ for comment. Hunter Biden has been under federal investigation since 2018. Weiss, a prosecutor appointed by former President Donald Trump, is leading the investigation. BLINKEN AND WIFE EMAILED FREQUENTLY WITH HUNTER BIDEN, RAISING QUESTIONS ABOUT ROLE IN LAPTOP COVER STORY READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News first reported in December 2020 that Hunter Biden was the target of a grand jury investigation prompted, in part, by Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) regarding suspicious foreign transactions. He has not been charged with any crimes. Wednesdays meeting with DOJ officials came after attorneys for Hunter Biden requested an update in the federal probe. President Biden's son Hunter Biden is pictured in New York on Dec. 8, 2022. Last week, a career IRS employee sought whistleblower protections in alleging that the investigation into the younger Biden was being mishandled. Fox News was previously told that Wednesday's meeting had nothing to do with the whistleblower allegations. Fox has also learned that Biden was being investigated for two misdemeanor tax filing charges, a felony tax evasion charge, and a false statement charge over a gun purchase. One source said the meeting was not necessarily a signal that the U.S. Attorney was prepared to decide soon on whether to prosecutor Hunter Biden. Fox News' Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report. KVC Kansas placed two 8-year-old girls together at a psychiatric facility, knowing that one had a history of sexually inappropriate behavior and the other had survived sexual assault, according to a lawsuit filed in Wyandotte County. Days after KVC placed the girls together, one girl coerced the other into sex acts, lawyers for the other girl wrote. That girl reported the abuse the next day to KVC, which released her back to her mother. KVC is a nonprofit that offers behavioral health services and is Kansas largest foster care contractor. Spokeswoman Blythe Hinderliter of KVC Kansas declined to comment on the case, but said all allegations are referred to local authorities for further investigation. She said staff conduct risk assessments on each child brought to KVC hospitals and medical facilities to create a culture of safety. A Kansas Department for Children and Families spokesperson was not immediately available to comment. The lawsuit claims that KVC had knowledge about the child that could have prevented her from abusing others. In court documents, KVC generally denied the allegations. The lawsuit was one of two filed in recent months where a child with mental and emotional conditions was allegedly abused at a KVC psychiatric facility. In the other case, a 13-year-old boy who has autism and suffered prior abuse was sexually assaulted and tortured by two other residents of a facility in Hays in western Kansas, according to a lawsuit filed this month in Johnson County. In the Wyandotte County case, the lawsuit said the abused girl who had bipolar disorder and autism was assaulted by her babysitter at age 5. KVC knew that as a survivor, the girl was at higher risk for future abuse and increased harm from any future abuse, according to the lawsuit. The girl threatened to harm herself and others, so her mother took her to Childrens Mercy, which referred her to KVCs facility at 4300 Brenner Drive in KCK, according to the lawsuit. Both girls were at the facility for in-patient psychiatric services. Brian Russell, a Kansas City-based attorney who represents the survivor, said she will probably forever be dealing with the effects of the abuse. The lawsuit was filed against KVC Hospitals, KVC Behavioral Health Care and KVC Health Systems. The lawsuit noted that KVCs website claims it provides 24-hour supervision from trained clinicians and staff. But no one was supervising the girl when she was abused, the lawsuit said. It said KVC had the resources to attract and keep qualified staff, but chose not to. Three other lawsuits filed in the last three months similarly accuse KVC of placing vulnerable children in unsafe environments, without taking into account their history of abuse or pre-existing health conditions. A February lawsuit alleged an infant was injured after being placed into an overcrowded home. Another lawsuit accused KVC of placing a teenage girl with a foster parent who had a history of being inappropriate around adolescents. The foster parent confessed to assaulting her months later, the lawsuit said. The third lawsuit alleges KVC placed another teenage girl with a foster parent who was unable to provide safe housing and was frequently intoxicated. She was sexually assaulted two months later, the lawsuit said. The Stars Laura Bauer contributed to this report. A surviving roommate in the University of Idaho student killings will avoid traveling to Moscow for defendant Bryan Kohbergers preliminary hearing this summer after agreeing to an interview in Nevada with his defense team. The two sides struck a compromise Wednesday that eliminated the demand that Bethany Funke come to North Idaho from her home state, according to court records obtained by the Idaho Statesman. The deal vacated a subpoena served to her at the request of Kohbergers attorneys earlier this month. Kohbergers defense asserted last month in a court filing that Funke, one of two roommates who went unharmed in the November knife attack, has information that could show he is not guilty. Their client is charged with with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary in the slayings at an off-campus rental home of Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20. Kohberger could face the death penalty if convicted. Anne Taylor, Kohbergers public defender, sought Funkes testimony at a pretrial hearing scheduled to start June 26. 2nd District Judge Megan Marshall, who is overseeing the case in Latah County, approved the legal demand. Public defender Anne Taylor, right, speaks on behalf of her client, Moscow homicides suspect Bryan Kohberger, at a hearing in January. The former Washington State University graduate student faces four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. Funkes Reno-based attorney argued in a legal filing earlier this month that the witness subpoena was improper. Nevadas law does not permit such an action from an out-of-state defendant, and a preliminary hearing is not the right setting for her client to testify, wrote attorney Kelli Anne Viloria. Funke, through her attorney, has agreed to an interview with Idaho defense counsel in Reno, Nevada, in lieu of proceeding forward with the subpoena, read Vilorias filing Wednesday in 2nd Judicial District Court in Washoe County, Nevada. A gag order that Marshall issued in January restricts attorneys for victims or witnesses from commenting about the Kohberger case outside of court filings. It is unclear what the defense believes Funke may know that could pertain to Kohberger. A criminal investigator hired by Taylor wrote in a March legal filing that he learned that details she possesses are exculpatory, meaning they negate his guilt. Portions of information Ms. Funke has is exculpatory to the defendant, Richard Bitonti, the criminal investigator, wrote to help justify the out-of-state subpoena. Ms. Funkes information is unique to her experiences and cannot be provided by another witness. Judge Barry Breslow of Nevadas 2nd Judicial District Court signed off Wednesday on an order dropping the subpoena, and the case is expected to be closed, Alica Lerud, the district courts administrator and clerk of court, told the Statesman by phone. Marshall has blocked off the last week of June for Kohbergers preliminary hearing if the case requires it. The Kansas Senate voted Wednesday to override Gov. Laura Kellys veto of a sweeping bill affecting the lives of transgender Kansans but rejected a bill that would restrict health care for transgender youth. The chamber voted 28-12 to pass the womens bill of rights over Kellys veto. The bill now head to the House where lawmakers approved it earlier this month with a veto proof-majority. If the House overrides Kellys veto Kansas would be the first state in the nation to approve the policy, which comes amid a raft of anti-trans bills in red states nationwide. The bill would bar transgender and nonbinary Kansans from single-sex spaces that do not match their assigned sex at birth. The Senate passed the override with relatively little debate. The House and Senate also successfully overrode Kellys veto on a related bill that requires county jails to separate inmates by gender as defined in the womens bill of rights. The sweeping bill defines man and woman in state statute based solely upon reproductive capability and explains the state has an interest in protecting spaces designated for women. Though the language of the bill is vague, transgender Kansans say they believe it is designed to functionally erase their identities in society. It would also block gender non-conforming Kansans from changing the marker on their drivers license to be consistent with their gender identity. Gov. Laura Kellys administration has warned that state agencies could lose millions in federal funding because compliance with the bill would put them out of compliance with non-discrimination requirements. The fact that someone even had the balls to say this is something we should try to pass is big enough, said Lane Rozin, a 19-year-old transgender man who attends the University of Kansas. It shows that there are people in our government system that are trying to erase our identities. The ability to change a drivers license identifier and access health care, he said, is lifesaving. The bill could open the door to lawsuits against public entities that do not comply with the laws restrictions against on transgender people entering single-sex spaces not aligned with their sex assigned at birth. The direct enforcement mechanism is unclear. Proponents have said the bill would preempt courts that might force single-sex spaces to be open to individuals who dont have female genitalia. Supporters said the bill was important to preserving spaces that were created for women. A woman, a grandchild, should be able to walk into a restroom and know theyre in there with other females, Rep Brenda Landwehr, a Wichita Republican, said during a meeting of the GOP caucus. If more gender-neutral bathrooms need to be built to accommodate, then fine. If more gender-neutral bathrooms need to be built to accommodate, then fine. Kelly has rejected five anti-trans bills this year. Earlier this month, the Legislature voted to override Kellys veto on a bill banning transgender athletes from girls and womens sports. Lawmakers fell short Wednesday of overriding the governor on a bill that bans hormone therapy and gender transition surgery for minors by punishing its providers. Proponents said the aim was to prevent minors from making medical decisions they may regret later. Sen. Mark Steffen, a Hutchinson Republican, said the Legislature must step in when parents and the medical establishment have lost their way. It is never OK to mutilate a minor. They cant possibly know whats in their best interest, he said. Only when confusion, chaos, and, frankly, evil reigns in a society is this sort of abhorrence allowed. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle rejected the bill, arguing it unnecessarily infringed on medical decisions. This bill goes too far and we are reaching out to take that place of parental responsibility with supporting their children, said Sen. Pat Pettey, a Kansas City Democrat. The Stars Jenna Barackman contributed to this report. An ethics complaint has been filed against Attorney General Daniel Cameron, citing an alleged conflict of interest in a legal challenge involving gray machines, by a Northern Kentucky attorney who is also backing Kelly Craft in the increasingly ugly GOP primary to be Kentuckys next governor. Steven Megerle filed the complaint against Cameron, the apparent frontrunner in the heated Republican gubernatorial primary, with the Executive Branch Ethics Commission in Frankfort Wednesday. In the complaint, Megerle argues Cameron is incapable of objectively discharging the duties of his office because of donations given backing his effort to become Kentuckys next governor. The Herald-Leader reported last week that a political action committee supporting Camerons quest for governor received $100,000 in donations from Pace-o-Matic and its executives, and thousands more was given directly to Camerons campaign itself. Pace-o-Matic is currently suing the state over the ban enacted by the 2023 General Assembly, and the Office of the Attorney General is responsible for defending state laws in court. Craft and Camerons campaigns and PACs backing each of them have been lobbing attacks at one another for weeks leading up to the expensive May 16 primary. Additionally, candidate Eric Deters has said he plans to file a challenge to Crafts eligibility to run for governor, arguing she doesnt meet the residency requirements. The PAC supporting Cameron has also called Craft an Oklahoma resident and launched a website called OklahomaKelly.com. (Crafts husband, billionaire Joe Craft, is CEO of Alliance Coal based in Tulsa.) Megerle, too, has a dog in this political fight; Kentucky Registry of Election Finance records show he has given Crafts campaign two donations of $250 each. Krista Buckel, spokesperson for the attorney general, said Cameron recused himself from any decision making involving the case on March 31. To accuse Attorney General Cameron or the Office of the Attorney General of any impropriety, in this case, is wholly without basis and patently untrue, Buckel said in a statement. General Cameron and his Office have always and will continue to defend the laws the General Assembly passes without fear or favor. While General Cameron has personally recused himself from taking any action in this case and did so before any filing was made by the Office, experienced attorneys in the Office of the Attorney General are defending the constitutionality of the legislation challenged by the plaintiffs and will continue to do so until the case is won and the challenge is defeated. In addition to the $100,000 given to the Bluegrass Freedom Action PAC, Megerle also identified a total of $33,610 donations to Camerons campaign by gray machine industry employees, their families and/or those directly benefiting from the gray machine industry. The donations were all made in advance of the lawsuit being filed March 28, he says. Around $29,000 of industry-linked donations came on March 27, just one day prior. Megerle alleges Cameron had a significant financial incentive which directly and tangibly benefits the personal political interest of the Attorney General, who is using his influence in the matter by failing to recuse himself and his office. Additionally, Megerle says Cameron knowingly secured advantages for himself in and his political campaign by accepting tens of thousands of dollars in contributions from interested parties in a lawsuit the very day before those same parties filed suit against him. Megerle argued Cameron could have sought an advisory ethics opinion, appoint a special attorney general from outside his office to handle the lawsuit, return the donations in question and/or issue a statement asking the PAC to return the donations. Megerle said the commission has 10 days to initiate an investigation. Pace-O-Matic attempted to include Cameron to the lawsuit by naming his office as a defendant, but Cameron won an appellate court ruling allowing his office to be excused, according to WDRB. Further, in 2021 the Kentucky Lottery Corporation and several other businesses and organizations including the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, big names in the horse industry, convenience store and lodge proprietors sought an opinion from Cameron on the legality of the machines. The Herald-Leader has asked Camerons office for their response at the time. Herald-Leader politics reporter Austin Horn contributed to this report. A new study analyzing Zillow data has found that the monthly median sale price of a house last year was more than $500,000 in Utah, California and Colorado and more than a staggering $800,000 in Hawaii. The study, conducted by Studio City realtors, found that Hawaii clocked in as the most expensive state in the U.S. for homebuyers. On the island, the average home price was $805,775 hundreds of thousands of dollars more than the cheapest state on the list. Studio City realtor Tony Mariotti noted that market turbulence contributed to a significant increase in house prices across the U.S. Home prices went up nationwide in February after months of declines amid low inventory and a small uptick in demand and experts have said they expect affordability will continue to be a problem for prospective homebuyers in the months ahead. Here are the priciest and cheapest U.S. states to buy a home: Kelly Slater surfs in the In Memory of Eddie Aikau big wave surf contest on the North Shore at Waimea Bay near Haleiwa, Hawaii. (Michael Goulding/The Orange County Register via AP, File) The most expensive states to buy a home Eight states and Washington, D.C., saw a monthly median sale price of a house last year of $400,000 or higher, with Oregon sitting at that exact figure. Washington state, Nevada, Montana and Washington, D.C., came in between $402,900 and $487,500. California, Colorado and Hawaii were the top three most expensive, at $537,000, $537,125 and $805,775 in monthly median sale prices last year, respectively. Costs differed in different areas within states: for example, the median monthly sale price of a house last year in Californias cheapest city of Red Bluff was $320,000 while the ticket in its most expensive city of San Jose was $1,370,000. Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Business and Economy newsletter There are still states where you can find affordable housing Homebuyers looking for a bargain might have better luck in the Midwest. The cheapest state nationwide was Illinois, where the monthly median sale price of a house last year was $133,750. The median sale price in Illinoiss cheapest city, Galesburg, was $90,000, while its most expensive, Chicago, sat at $282,750. Ohio and Oklahoma came in as the countrys second and third cheapest state, at a monthly median sale price last year of $155,000 and $175,063, respectively. Michigan, Missouri, Indiana, Arkansas, West Virginia and New York all logged median sale prices under $200,000 and the median sale price in Alabama was exactly at that price point. Household income is a factor The Studio City realtors report found that in Illinois, the state with the cheapest medial sale price for a house last year, the median household income was $79,253. In Hawaii, the most expensive state, the median household income was only about $3,000 more than in Illinois, or $82,199, even though the monthly median sale price of a house last year in the two states differed nearly $700,000. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. HELENA, Mont. (AP) Moves to stifle the voice of the first transgender woman elected to Montana's legislature over her stand on gender-affirming care for children may have silenced her in the chambers of the state House, but Rep. Zooey Zephyr said she's confident they've only amplified her message to constituents at home and others watching across the nation. There are many more eyes on Montana now, Zephyr said in an interview with The Associated Press. "But you do the same thing youve always done. You stand up in defense of your community and you ... stand for the principles that they elected you to stand for. Zephyr was thrust into the national spotlight last week when she was prevented from speaking in the House after telling lawmakers backing a bill to ban gender-affirming medical care for minors that they would have blood on their hands. The Republican response to her comments, and her refusal to apologize for them as demanded, have transformed the lawmaker into a prominent figure in the nationwide battle for transgender rights and placed her at the center of the ongoing debate over the muffling of dissent in statehouses. The attention is a new phenomenon for Zephyr, a 34-year-old serving her first term representing a western Montana college town after being elected last November. She will spend her first day in legislative exile when the Montana House reconvenes Thursday morning, a day after the Republican majority voted to bar her from the House floor for the rest of the session. Lawmakers made the move in retaliation for her participation in a protest that disrupted Monday's floor session. Protestors upset that she was prevented from taking part in House debates after making her comments packed the gallery and chanted Let her speak! Rep. Zooey Zephyr, D-Missoula, walks out of the Montana House of Representatives after lawmakers voted to ban her from the chamber on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in the State Capitol in Helena, Montana. (Thom Bridge/Independent Record via AP) She stood by the remarks even after House Speaker Matt Regier said they violated decorum rules and demanded she apologized. "The Montana House will not be bullied, Regier said this week. He said the only person preventing Zephyr from speaking was Zephyr herself. In her interview with the AP, Zephyr likened efforts to silence her to the decision by Tennessee lawmakers to expel two Black representatives for disrupting proceedings when they participated in a gun control protest after a school shooting in Nashville that killed three children and three adults. The two were quickly reinstated. Thats exactly what Im talking about, is when young Black men stand up and say We have a gun violence problem in this country and you are failing to recognize it, youre failing to take action on it, she said. Tennessee lawmakers not only rejected gun control laws, but by expelling the lawmakers they sent a message saying: Your voices shouldnt be here. Were going to send you away, Zephyr said. GOP leaders in Tennessee had said their actions were necessary to avoid setting a precedent that lawmakers disruptions of House proceedings through protest would be tolerated. Speaker of the House Matt Regier looks on during a session for the Montana House of Representatives at the Montana State Capitol in Helena, Mont., on April 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Tommy Martino) Zephyr's stand has drawn attention from lawmakers throughout the country. On Tuesday, Tennessee Rep. Justin Pearson, one of the lawmakers who was expelled earlier this month, called the Montana standoff anti-democratic. We will not let our democracy die without fighting for every voice. We are in this fight from Memphis to Montana! he tweeted. The attack in Montana on Rep. Zephyr is an attack on all of us," said Nebraska state Sen. Megan Hunt. Hunt, who has a transgender son, has spearheaded the charge against a similar proposal to ban gender-affirming care. She was served notice Wednesday of an official complaint filed against her that she said was an effort to silence her voice on the issue. "Its so important that we not be silent about this from state to state to state. And its so important that people stand up against this rising movement, this radical movement, and say it is not welcome," Hunt said. Zephyr is undeterred. She said throughout the events of the past week, she has both aimed to rise and meet the moment and continue doing the job she was elected to do: representing her community and constituents. Its queer people across the world and its also the constituents of other representatives who are saying They wont listen when it comes to these issues. Its staff in this building who, when no one is looking, come up and say Thank you,' she said. WASHINGTON At the White House state dinner held in his honor on Wednesday night, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol took the microphone from President Biden and sang the opening lines of Don McLeans classic song American Pie. The following morning, Yoon addressed both chambers of Congress, invoking the bond between the Republic of Korea and the United States that was forged 70 years during the Korean War. Sons and daughters of America sacrificed their lives to defend a country they never knew and people they never met, he said. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, with Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at the State Department on Thursday. (Jemal Countess/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images) Yoon also met with Netflix co-chief executive Ted Sarandos, who committed to investing $2.5 billion in South Korea. And he is to speak at Harvard before returning home. If the scope of the visit is a sign of the deepening cultural, economic and political bonds between the two nations, it also comes during a fraught moment for both Biden and Yoon, as they struggle to reconcile ambitions and concerns that are not always entirely aligned. An embarrassing revelation Yoon at a joint meeting of Congress on Thursday. (Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images) Yoons visit came two weeks after a trove of Pentagon documents that had been illegally posted online revealed that the United States has been wiretapping his government. The 62-year-old conservative arrived in Washington with a 27% approval rating from South Koreans, a pervasive discontent stemming in good part from his foreign policy, which has been perceived as overly deferential to the United States. He has recently been criticized for improving relations with Japan, a neighboring country that many Koreans continue to view with profound hostility because of wrongs committed by Japan during its colonial occupation of Korea, which lasted until the end of World War II and included both sexual violence and forced labor. Yoons administration dismissed the wiretapping story as absurd lies, but his efforts to deny and downplay the news only reinforced the notion for many in his country that he is too eager to please Washington, which had also pushed for South Korea's reconciliation with Japan as a means to contain China. This might be a real big disaster for both Korea and U.S., foreign policy expert Yang Uk of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies told the radio program "The World" ahead of the state dinner. During a press conference with Biden on Wednesday, Yoon again tried to downplay the controversy, in seeming hopes that public attention will soon move on. We need time to wait for the investigation results by the United States, and we plan to continue to communicate on the matter, he said. The Washington Declaration President Biden and Yoon in the Oval Office on Wednesday. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images) On Wednesday, Biden and Yoon signed an agreement, which the White House calls the Washington Declaration, that commits the two nations to develop an ever-stronger mutual defense relationship. In keeping with the new agreement, U.S. Ohio-class nuclear submarines will visit South Korea in an effort at deterring North Korea. South Korea committed in 1975 not to develop nuclear weapons of its own. But the idea of nuclear self-defense is gaining traction in the South, and Yoon himself only recently expressed interest in the idea. The United States does not want Seoul to develop its own nuclear arsenal, and the Washington Declaration calls for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The new declaration is meant to reassure South Korea that it need not worry under the vast nuclear umbrella of the United States. At the press conference following the two leaders Oval Office meeting, Biden had unstinting words for Pyongyang, which tested a solid-fuel ballistic missile earlier this month. A nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its allies or partners is not acceptable and will result in the end of whatever regime that would take such an action, he said. But the declaration could have had another target: China. Although Biden has repeatedly said he does not seek an armed conflict with Beijing, he has also tried to curb Chinese geopolitical ambitions through a series of strategic alliances in the Indo-Pacific region. China clearly understood that it was as much the audience for Wednesdays declaration as North Korea was. The U.S. behavior is a result of its Cold War mentality, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a Thursday briefing. What the U.S. has done stokes bloc confrontation, undermines the nuclear nonproliferation system and hurts the strategic interest of other countries. Chips and China Biden signs the CHIPS and Science Act into law at the White House on Aug. 9, 2022. (Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo) Last year, Biden signed the CHIPS Act, a $50 billion investment in the nations virtually nonexistent semiconductor industry. The funds are intended to act as seed capital for private manufacturers, provided that recipients do not build certain facilities in China, according to the language of the law. That could pose a problem for South Korea, which produces 19% of the worlds semiconductors, which are tiny but crucial components of electronic devices and of sophisticated weapons. Two of South Koreas and the worlds biggest makers of memory chips (a type of semiconductor), Samsung and SK Hynix, have factories in China, meaning they could run afoul of the CHIPS Act and see themselves shut out of the American market. At Wednesdays press conference with Yoon, Biden was asked by a reporter if the CHIPS Act would hurt South Koreas economy. My desire to increase U.S. manufacturing and jobs in America is not about China. I'm not concerned about China, he said without exactly answering the question directly. Remember, America invented the semiconductor. As the East Asia analyst James Park recently wrote, the zero-sum notion of choosing American or Chinese markets has met whole-of-society resistance from the South Korean business community, government, parliament, and public, and could further contribute to Yoons deepening unpopularity. Twitter Chief Executive Elon Musk speaks at a marketing conference in Miami Beach, Fla., on April 18, 2023. (Chandan Khanna / AFP/Getty Images) In October, polarizing billionaire and Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk purchased the polarizing social media platform Twitter for $44 billion, promising to change how the site operated. In various statements, most of them tweets, Musk made allusions to decreased moderation on the platform, pledging to make the site a bastion of "free speech." In the months that followed, he implemented several new initiatives at the company and the site, including firing hundreds of employees, reinstating hundreds of previously banned accounts, stripping badges of verification from most users who did not pay $8 per month for a Twitter Blue subscription, and pledging to address the site's bot problem. But new research shows that the site also underwent another change after Musk took over it became more hateful. According to data collected by researchers from USC, UCLA, UC Merced and Oregon State University, daily use of hate speech by those who previously posted hateful tweets nearly doubled after Musk finalized the sale. And the overall volume of hate speech also doubled sitewide. The research was conducted by Keith Burghardt, Matheus Schmitz and Goran Muric of USC, UCLA's Daniel Fessler, Daniel Hickey of Oregon State and Paul Smaldino of UC Merced. The group studied the tweets of users who had made hateful postings a month before and after Twitter was sold and also collected a sampling from the general user pool. The researchers first developed a "hate lexicon" of 49 racist, antisemitic and homophobic and transphobic terms. Then, they examined the pre- and post-sale postings using an artificial intelligence tool that scanned for the hateful terms and their frequency, weeding out "non-toxic," or non-hateful, uses of the terms. We first had to create a set of words that we could determine as being hateful," Burghardt, a computer scientist with the Information Sciences Institute at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, said in a news release. "Our aim was to find words that were relatively high precision, meaning that if people are using these words, its unlikely theyre being used in a non-hateful manner." The volume of hate speech posted by hateful users surged after the sale was finalized, although researchers noted that hate speech on Twitter was on the rise even before Musk bought it. At the outset of their project, the researchers hypothesized that, with Musk nodding toward less restrictive policies, hate speech would increase. But they were unsure by just how much. "I didn't have any expectations one way or the other," Fessler, who is director of the UCLA Bedari Kindness Institute, said in an interview with The Times, "because it's very difficult to gauge in advance. You don't know what the population of users potentially producing such content is, you don't know what the size of the population is or what their frequency of tweeting and retweeting is." But the results shocked Burghardt. "What was surprising was ... that this stuff had increased so dramatically," he told The Times. "We had not expected that hate users would actually be using more hate words after Elon Musk joined Twitter." Fessler noted that expressions of intolerance had been on the rise since the start of Donald Trump's presidential campaign and that Musk "winked at those sentiments often enough that a population of active or potential Twitter users who shared those views recognized the opportunity they were being given." "From a kind of 30,000-foot level," Fessler said, "the Twitter effect is really reflective of larger trends in society." Researchers noted that they could not "prove a causal relationship between Musk's takeover and hate speech." The CEO's changes to moderation are "poorly documented," they said. The research is an important step in identifying how and why people can become radicalized online by what has been termed stochastic terrorism, in which hate speech is used to incite violent acts, Burghardt said. Social media could play a role in that radicalization, he said, but more research is needed. Once users join these hate groups, even on social media sites that are not traditionally hateful, Burghardt said, they're immediately more hateful and more antagonistic. "We expect that, once they join these sites, they become more likely to advocate violence," he said, "and then some small proportion actually commit these acts." But despite the documented increase in hate speech, Fessler noted that it was coming from a small population. "This is in no way a majority view," he said. "And society as a whole is ... increasingly tolerant of difference and increasingly diverse." Twitter has substantial influence despite its relatively small size, so Fessler is concerned that it's apparently subject to the whims of one person Musk. "It is worrisome when a platform with the reach of Twitter can be purchased by one individual and even modest attempts to turn it to more socially constructive ends ... are deconstructed and removed," Fessler said. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Hyundai Steel CEO An Tong-il announces the steelmaker's roadmap for carbon neutrality in a video released on Wednesday. Courtesy of Hyundai Steel By Park Jae-hyuk Hyundai Steel disclosed a plan to reduce its direct and indirect carbon emissions by 12 percent by 2030, as part of its efforts to achieve net zero by 2050. "Amid climate change, developed countries have focused on protecting their industries and holding dominant positions in advance," Hyundai Steel CEO An Tong-il said in a video released on Wednesday. "Carbon neutrality is not a choice. It is compulsory, so we will make every effort to secure new growth engines and become a sustainable and eco-friendly steelmaker." Hyundai Steel attributed the latest decision to the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, the U.S. Global Sustainable Steel Arrangement and the global trend of tightening regulations on carbon emissions. The company plans to introduce a manufacturing process that integrates electric arc and basic oxygen furnaces, with the aim of producing low-carbon automotive steel, while maintaining the quality of its products. In the first phase, Hyundai Steel will use its existing electric arc furnace to mix low-carbon molten iron to its basic oxygen furnace. In the second phase, the steelmaker will build a new electric arc furnace to produce low-carbon steel products made with a method that cuts 40 percent of carbon emissions. The new electric arc furnace will adopt "Hy-Cube" technology, the company's independent technology for production of low-carbon products. Hyundai Steel said the technology can minimize carbon emissions by combining steel scraps, molten iron and direct reduced iron (DRI) on an electric arc furnace. Under the brand name of HyECOsteel, the low-carbon products based on Hy-Cube technology will be supplied to Hyundai Steel's global customers. Hyundai Steel has already produced automotive steel plates by using its electric arc furnace. Last October, it succeeded in the world's first production of high-grade 1.0 GPa steel plates using an electric furnace. In addition, the company is participating in KEEP 30, a government-led partnership to enhance energy efficiency. "We plan to make efforts to reduce energy consumption and develop technologies to cut carbon emissions from a basic oxygen furnace," Hyundai Steel said in a press release. Fort Lee, an Army base in Virginia named after a Confederate general, was renamed on Thursday as Fort Gregg-Adams to honor Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams, two Black officers who served in the U.S. Army. At 94 years old, Gregg is the only living person in the Armys history to have a base named after him, according to the U.S. Army. Gregg gave more than three decades of his life to the military and became a three-star general during his service. Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams. (Photo illustration: Jack Forbes/Yahoo News; photos: U.S. Army [2], Bettmann Collection via Getty Images) Im grateful to all. I hope that this community will look with pride on the name Fort Gregg-Adams and that the name will instill pride in every soldier entering our mighty gates, Gregg said during the redesignation ceremony on Thursday. The base will be jointly named for Adams, who was the first Black officer in the Womens Army Auxiliary Corps (later the Womens Army Corps). Adams, in foreground, and Capt. Abbie N. Campbell inspect a contingent of the Women's Army Corps shortly after their arrival in England on Feb. 15, 1945. (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration) We are deeply honored to have Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams as the new namesakes for our installation, Maj. Gen. Mark Simerly, senior commander of Fort Lee, said in a statement. The fort is one of nine Army installations that will be renamed this year. Right now, some of these names represent people who dont represent American values and people who fought to preserve the institution of slavery, Raff Donelson, an associate professor at the Chicago-Kent College of Law, told Yahoo News. In 2021, Congress created the Naming Commission under the National Defense Authorization Act, following the civil unrest after the murder of George Floyd. Then-President Donald Trump initially vetoed the legislation. The act includes provisions that fail to respect our veterans and our militarys history, Trump said in a veto message to Congress in December 2020. From these facilities, we have won two World Wars. I have been clear in my opposition to politically motivated attempts like this to wash away history and to dishonor the immense progress our country has fought for in realizing our founding principles. Despite Trumps opposition, Congress overrode his veto and created a commission of eight individuals who were tasked with recommending the removal of all Defense Department property that commemorated people who fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War. Gregg at Fort Lee in February. (T. Anthony Bell/U.S. Army) Kori Schake, a member of the naming commission and the director of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, told Yahoo News that the commission found over 10,000 items that fit the requirements for removal. Its the legacy of slavery, Schake said. Defense Department swimming pools, apartment buildings, streets and other properties named for people who voluntarily served in the Confederacy. However, Schake says the commission couldnt prioritize all 10,000 items because it was on a strict deadline of about 18 months to complete its recommendations. We focused on the Army bases and two Navy ships, and then also released a report explaining our findings and a list of about 100 particularly well-qualified and vetted people that we would recommend that they consider [as replacements], Schake said. The final report recommended name changes that were estimated to cost over $60 million, including the renaming of the nine Army installations, which was estimated to cost $21 million. Adams in 1943. (United States Army/Heritage Images via Getty Images) But recently, the cost to rename the nine Army bases has increased to $39 million. The Army is trying to solve the funding piece, and were trying to solve it internally, Lt. Gen. Kevin Vereen told a House Appropriations Committee at a budget hearing, American Military News reported. Well take the funds from the [Defense] Department. Though the cost has raised some concerns, experts say these changes are invaluable. It may cost $40 million to do the renaming just of the bases and things related to the bases, [but] that is a drop in the bucket of the Department of Defenses budget, Donelson said. While $40 million may seem like a lot, $40 million out of the $842 billion that the Department of Defense recently requested for its budget is far less than 1%. Its far less than a half percent. Its only 1,000th of a percent. The nine bases that will receive new names are Forts A.P. Hill, Bragg, Benning, Gordon, Hood, Lee, Pickett, Polk and Rucker. Many of the bases were named after traitors, Confederate military leaders who betrayed our country, betrayed the Constitution and had no right to have any military base named after them, Domingo Garcia, national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, told Yahoo News. A sign marks an entrance to Fort Lee in 2021. (Steve Helber/AP) Now experts say the bases will be named after American heroes. The naming commission held hearings across the country for the public to recommend new names for the bases. I addressed the commission and pushed for the renaming of Fort Hood for Gen. Cavazos, the first four-star Latino general, a hero of the Korean War, decorated veteran, and who had served as a commander at Fort Hood, Garcia said. The commission accepted the recommendation, and Fort Hood will be renamed on May 9. As buildings and monuments across the country lose their ties to the Confederacy, experts say the military is one step closer to reflecting an America that includes the rich diversity of the people who serve in our armies and our military, and those who have fought and served this country in the past, Garcia said. But according to a 2020 Washington Post poll, 52% of Americans are against removing public statues that honor Confederate generals. Similarly, a Morning Consult/Politico poll of registered voters in July 2021 found that 51% of voters believe such statues should not be removed. Yet the American landscape is changing; 48 Confederate symbols were removed, renamed or relocated in 2022, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). In addition, three Army bases Forts Lee and Pickett in Virginia and Fort Rucker in Alabama have been renamed. The main gate at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2013. (Tony Gutierrez/AP Photo) It is embarrassing that our country ever had military bases named after men who waged war against the United States to maintain slavery and white supremacy, Rivka Maizlish, senior research analyst for the SPLCs Intelligence Project, told Yahoo News. Service men and women of color should not have to endure these racist symbols, and no American should be asked to serve a country that celebrates treason, slavery and white supremacy. The naming commission has set a January 2024 deadline for the military to remove all recommended items that commemorate the Confederacy. Why must it take so long to do whats right? There is no cause for further delay. The time for swift action is now, Maizlish said. Senate Republicans on Wednesday defeated a bill calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to research marijuana as a remedy for post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain. Senators voted 57 to 42 to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the bill, falling short of the 60 votes necessary for it to advance. Eight Republicans Sens. Bill Cassidy (La.), Susan Collins (Maine), Josh Hawley (Mo.), Jerry Moran (Kan.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Mike Rounds (S.D.), Eric Schmitt (Mo.) and Dan Sullivan (Alaska) voted alongside every Democrat to advance the bill. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) switched his vote from aye to nay in order to have the ability to bring the legislation to the floor again in the future. He lamented that the bill was not able to move forward despite the support of numerous veterans groups and marijuana advocates. Its regrettable that this bill, which so much helps our veterans, went down, Schumer said. I hope that some of our members on the other side of the aisle who didnt vote for it will reconsider. Some Senate Republicans indicated that their main concern with the proposal was indeed the marijuana-related provisions and argued it was unnecessary. When the conversation about how to serve our veterans after all they sacrificed is to give them marijuana we have failed our veterans, Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) tweeted earlier on Wednesday. Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Sullivan are the leading sponsors of the proposal, which was voted out of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee in February. In Montana, we respect and fight for the men and women who have defended our country and freedoms, Tester said in a statement. Todays failed vote tells them that their government doesnt value their sacrifices. By blocking consideration of a bill that passed unanimously out of Committee two months ago, a group of Republicans today prioritized partisan politics over providing our nations veterans their hard-earned benefits and care. The blueprint pushes the VA to move ahead on a large scale study and a potential clinical trial to determine whether marijuana should be used to treat veterans. Tester, the committee chairman, had acknowledged on the floor ahead of the vote that the legislation was deemed controversial among some Republican senators. But he said it was important to have a better understanding of the role medical cannabis could have for veterans. Today, its time to put political differences aside and do whats right for our veterans, he said. Use of cannabis has increased across the country, with 20 states having legalized it for recreational use. However, it remains illegal federally, meaning the VA cannot recommend its use to veterans in any way. According to Tester and Sullivans proposal, the VAs observational study would look into the positives and negatives of veterans using marijuana and their overall health as a result. The senators also noted that it would also look into improvements to mood and social functioning, changes to overall quality of life and impacts on other substance use, including alcohol and opioids. Updated at 5:45 p.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Migrants seeking asylum enter the U.S. in Tijuana. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press) The United States will establish regional processing centers for migrants in Colombia and Guatemala in an effort to reduce arrivals at the southern border after a pandemic-era policy ends next month, Biden administration officials announced Thursday. The administration is also in talks with additional Latin American countries about the possibility of establishing more processing centers, said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas. Several thousand migrants will be screened at the centers each month for eligibility under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and other humanitarian and labor pathways. At a news conference with Mayorkas, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said he expects many more people to stay near the regional centers and wait for their chance to seek legal protections. Blinken said Spain and Canada will accept referrals from the regional centers. "Migration is the definition of a challenge that no country can solve alone," he said. The announcement comes two weeks ahead of the expected end of Title 42 orders, which were implemented amid the COVID-19 pandemic and prevented migrants from requesting asylum, allowing border agents to return many of them swiftly back to Mexico. Migrants have been expelled from the U.S. nearly 2.8 million times under Title 42 since March 2020. When Title 42 orders are lifted May 11, immigration agents will return to processing people under the long-standing authority of Title 8. Deportations under Title 8 carry stiffer consequences, including potential criminal prosecution and a ban on reentry for at least five years. The Department of Homeland Security will significantly expand the use of expedited removal to process migrants' claims for relief and deport those who don't qualify within days or a few weeks, Mayorkas said. Asylum officers and immigration judges are being sent to the border to speed up proceedings. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has added phone booths and privacy booths to border facilities to aid attorney calls and asylum screenings, a practice first implemented by then-President Trump and suspended by President Biden. Migrants can be held in CBP custody for only three days and screenings currently take place within weeks after they leave. Deportation flights will double or triple for certain countries, officials said. That includes flights to Cuba, which resumed this week after a pause since 2020. Homeland Security officials said the Cuban government agreed to not retaliate against deportees and that embassy officials in Havana are monitoring for compliance. Mayorkas said the agency has expanded detention capacity for single adults and will use digital monitoring methods for other adults and families, including GPS ankle monitors, curfews and check-ins. This week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said they said are piloting a new form of GPS monitoring a wristwatch that will be tested on 50 migrants in Denver for the next month before officials decide whether to expand its use. About 255,000 of the 5 million people in deportation proceedings are monitored through the agency's Alternatives to Detention program. A representative of BI Inc., a subsidiary of the private prison company GEO Group, demonstrates a new GPS monitoring wrist device being tested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (Andrea Castillo / Los Angeles Times) The Department of Homeland Security has given $135 million to border communities for shelter, food and transportation of migrants this fiscal year and will award an additional $290 million in the coming weeks, officials said. The agency expects a rise in arrivals, with projections showing as many as 13,000 apprehensions of migrants per day after May 11. Mexico will continue accepting up to 30,000 deported migrants after the use of Title 42 ends, Mayorkas said. His department will also establish a family reunification program for people from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Colombia, Mayorkas said, as well as update existing reunification programs for people from Cuba and Haiti. Those programs allow people with family-based green card petitions to enter the U.S. under temporary humanitarian parole while they wait for those applications to be processed and immigrant visas to become available. Officials said the migrant processing centers in Guatemala and Colombia will be run by "international partners" aided by U.S. personnel. Migrants will be able to make an appointment by phone to visit the nearest center before traveling. Administration officials are working to finalize by May 11 a new rule that would make migrants ineligible for asylum if they enter the U.S. without permission and fail to apply for protection in another country on the way. Under the plan, some could still request asylum at an official port of entry but would largely be required to do so using CBP One, a phone application that migrants complain has been riddled with technical glitches and offers limited appointments that fill up within minutes. Mayorkas said his department will expand available appointments through CBP One after the Title 42 policy expires. "Let me be clear: Our border is not open and will not open after May 11," he said. Citizens of Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua and Cuba can apply for temporary lawful entry to the U.S. if they have a financial sponsor as long as they do not cross the Panama, Mexico or U.S. land borders without authorization. Mayorkas said Thursday that migrants from those countries who are interdicted at sea will become ineligible for the lawful entry program. Federal officials say the measures offset record arrivals of migrants at the southern border, pointing to a 95% decline in encounters of people from those four countries between ports of entry. But 20 Republican-led states asked a federal judge to strike down the sponsorship program, arguing that the Department of Homeland Security exceeded its authority. Immigrant advocates expressed support for the migrant processing centers and family reunification programs but criticized the fast-tracked asylum interviews, which they said would fuel wrongful deportations. Human Rights First has tracked more than 13,480 reports of violent attacks on migrants languishing in or expelled to Mexico, including killings, kidnappings and rapes, since Biden took office. The International Refugee Assistance Project pointed to steep backlogs and long processing times for refugee admissions. "Expanding family reunification parole pathways and refugee processing for displaced people in the Americas is long overdue, but we cannot ignore that the Biden administration is proposing a Faustian bargain by simultaneously seeking to implement a Trump-era asylum ban at the U.S-Mexico border, effectively slamming the door shut on countless others in need, the project's policy director Sunil Varghese said in a statement. Homeland Security officials have been planning for the end of Title 42 orders for the last year. The agency has 24,000 agents along the border and plans to hire 300 more. Last week the U.S., along with the governments of Panama and Colombia, launched a 60-day campaign to halt migration through the dangerous Darien Gap, a dense jungle controlled by gangs that nearly 90,000 migrants have traveled through in the first three months of this year alone. Times staff writer Tracy Wilkinson contributed to this report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Republicans on the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic delivered a sharp rebuke to Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), for her organizations role in delaying school reopenings during the Covid-19 pandemic. The effect on children has been vast and to have no remorse on closing schools and keeping them closed for the length of time is unconscionable, explained Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R., Iowa), a medical doctor and a former director of the Iowa Department of Public Health. Referenced throughout the hearing were consultations the American Federation of Teachers had with the Biden administration and the CDC about school reopenings. On January 29, 2021, Weingarten and senior AFT staff participated in a conference call with members of the CDC in which they suggested ideas. Two of the suggestions were accepted in guidance the Biden administration sent out in February of 2021. The first was to encourage schools to provide options for teachers and staff who had documented high-risk conditions and the second was to make clear that the governments guidance may be changed depending upon new Covid variants. Several members took issue with this, including the committees chair, Representative Brad Wenstrup (R., Ohio). Miller-Meeks chose to zero into the claim that AFT had scientific expertise that allowed it to take science-based positions. The Iowa representative pointed to publications by the American Journal of Pediatrics that children had very little to no transmission of Covid-19. Did your scientific experts present to you, as of June of 2020, among 1.8 million children in this age group, do you know how many died from Covid?, asked Miller-Meeks. I dont have that number in my head, replied Weingarten. Miller-Meeks then answered her own question, saying the number is zero. Did they present you data from other countries that showed continuing in-person schooling was in fact safe for children and safe for teachers?, asked Miller-Meeks, adding that she understands the educational system has a great deal of experience with influenza and its contagiousness among children, but influenza is not Covid. The representative then pointed to CDC data from March 1, 2020 to July 25, 2020 showing the exceedingly low risk to children of hospitalization or death from Covid-19. What our experts showed usin two reports, the one from Massachusetts and the one from Wisconsin, and we also saw the reports from the other countries I dont know if I saw all of them that you saw that show that when you had this layered mitigation, there was much less transmission in schools, explained Weingarten. The layered mitigation was in relationship with influenza, Miller-Meeks countered. What Im doing is as a physician, as 7 physicians on this panel, challenging what your experts said. These facts are non-negotiable, maam. The fact is schools were relatively safe places for both students and educators. These are scientific questions that a scientific organization should be able to study and answer. The AFT is not a scientific organization, Miller-Meeks asserted. The AFT was out of its league in this regard, she added. In his opening statement, Wenstrup, the committees chairman, explained that the the baseline question should have been: Schools need to be open. Are we doing everything we can to make that happen?' He added that the recommendations of the February 2021 school-reopening guidance from the Biden administration kept 90 percent of schools from fully reopening at the time. The recommendations Wenstrup named were the use of community-spread rates to determine reopening, a requirement for routine testing, and six feet of distancing instead of three feet. Wenstrup said none of these recommendations were based in science and all of them were supported by the AFT. Why not follow the in-school spread data?, asked Wenstrup. The representative also accused the AFT of playing politics. He pointed to a remark from Weingarten in her written testimony: Releasing guidance on how to safely reopen schools without attempting to address the concerns of these educators would not only be irresponsible but also futile. To me, these statements sound like a form of intimidation. This is more political than scientific, Wenstrup said. It made sense to consult with the CDC and it was not only appropriate for the CDC to confer with educators, it would have been irresponsible not to, Weingarten said during the hearing. Wenstrup also criticized Weingartens assertions that the [Trump] administration downplayed the pandemic. He asserted that Trump had nothing to do with the crafting the AFTs guideline recommendations. More from National Review WASHINGTON (AP) Warring factions trying to seize control of the east African nation of Sudan have plunged the country into chaos, and thousands are fleeing the capital of Khartoum and nearby battle zones. Some countries, including the U.S., have shuttered their embassies and many are coordinating daring evacuations of their staffs and other residents in an array of convoys, flights and frantic getaway drives. But over the past week there have been dramatically different responses by various governments as they try to get their citizens and embassy personnel to safety. The U.S. has come under scrutiny for evacuating roughly 70 embassy staff in a helicopter mission by elite SEAL commandos over the weekend, while warning thousands of private American citizens in Sudan there would be no similar evacuation for them. The State Department, which has advised U.S. citizens for years not to travel to Sudan, continues to advise Americans to shelter in place. Most of the estimated 16,000 Americans believed to be in Sudan right now are dual U.S.-Sudanese nationals and only a fraction of them have expressed a desire to leave. But at least some of those who want to leave have managed to get to Port Sudan where they can take a ferry to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, or have gotten seats on flights operated by other countries. A look at the situation: WHATS HAPPENING IN SUDAN It all boils down to a struggle for power between two powerful generals and their armies: Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, who leads the Sudanese armed forces, and Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the head of a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces. Four years ago, a popular uprising in Sudan helped depose long-time autocrat Omar al-Bashir. But in 2021, the two generals Burhan and Dagalo jointly orchestrated a coup that derailed efforts to develop a civilian government. Both men have a history of human rights abuses, and their forces have cracked down on pro-democracy activists. Under international pressure, Burhan and Dagalo recently agreed to a framework agreement with political parties and pro-democracy groups. But the signing was repeatedly delayed as tensions rose over the integration of the RSF into the armed forces and the future chain of command. Tensions exploded into violence on April 15. Each side has tens of thousands of troops in and around Khartoum and the city of Omdurman on the opposite bank of the Nile River. On Wednesday, the second day of the latest fragile ceasefire, sporadic fighting continued. Smoke is seen in Khartoum, Sudan, Wednesday, April 19, 2023. (Marwan Ali, AP) HOW THE U.S. GOT EMBASSY STAFF OUT As security conditions worsened late last week, including damage to the civilian airport and an attack on a U.S. diplomatic convoy in Khartoum, the State Department concluded that the only way we could do this safely for all of our diplomatic personnel was to rely on the capabilities of our military colleagues, said Ambassador John Bass, State Department undersecretary for management. On Saturday, the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum suspended its operations and ordered staff to leave the country. The Department of Defense had begun moving resources to Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti to prepare for a possible evacuation. On Saturday, three MH-47 Chinook helicopters carrying elite SEAL commandos took off from Djibouti enroute to Ethiopia, where they refueled and then made the three-hour flight to Khartoum. The operation was fast and clean, with service members spending less than an hour on the ground in Khartoum, said Lt. Gen D.A. Sims, director of operations at the Joint Staff. The helicopters flew in and out of Khartoum without taking any fire. AMERICANS STILL IN SUDAN While embassy staff was airlifted out, there were no plans to provide similar evacuations for potentially thousands of Americans still in Sudan. In a security alert Tuesday, the State Department reiterated that due to the uncertain security situation in Khartoum and closure of the airport, it is not currently safe to undertake a U.S. government-coordinated evacuation of private U.S. citizens. Instead, it provided details on border crossings that are available and the requirements needed at each location. It cautioned that fighting continues and that many routes are dangerous and unpredictable. American citizens who get to Port Sudan overland and can take a ferry to Jeddah will be assisted by the U.S. consulate there. Right now, the U.S. assistance for Americans is largely limited to phone and virtual help. The U.S. could send Navy vessels to Port Sudan to ferry Americans to Jeddah or another location where they could get transportation back to the United States. However, officials say this would depend on the security situation and whether it is safe for ships to dock. The U.S. has developed other options, such as opening a temporary consulate in Port Sudan, beefing up its consulate in Jeddah to assist Americans as they arrive, or using a nearby airfield that other European countries have used to fly citizens out. U.S. officials believe the security situation in Port Sudan is better than in the capital, but remain concerned about the potential for an escalation of violence. WHAT OTHER COUNTRIES ARE DOING While the U.S. says it's too dangerous to get its citizens out, other countries are proceeding with evacuations of their nationals. France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, Holland, Turkey, Japan, South Korea, Jordan, South Africa, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are among the countries that have evacuated their citizens and those of other countries. Germanys defense ministry said in a tweet Tuesday it had ended its evacuation flights after flying more than 700 people out of Sudan including 200 Germans and hundreds more from more than 20 other nations. France said it had evacuated more than 500 people from 41 countries, and would keep a Navy frigate at Sudans main Red Sea port to continue assisting rescue operations for foreigners. The United Kingdom was continuing its military evacuations of civilians from an airport outside Khartoum. Brig. Dan Reeve told reporters Wednesday the situation was calm and that Sudans armed forces were maintaining good security around the airport. Saudi Arabias state run news service said Tuesday it had evacuated about 2,150 people by ship from Sudan, including 114 Saudi citizens and more than 2,000 evacuees from 62 other nations. And Egypt, which had evacuated more than 1,500 of its citizens, said its diplomatic mission wont leave Sudan until it ensures the evacuation of all those who want to leave. An administrator with the Egyptian embassy in Khartoum was shot dead Monday, the Foreign Ministry said. IS THE U.S. RESPONSE UNUSUAL? While many Americans may recall the dramatic 2021 evacuation of diplomats and private citizens alike from Afghanistan, those circumstances were far different. In most cases, the U.S. does not evacuate private citizens when it closes an embassy. The situation in Afghanistan was different because the U.S. was ending a 20-year military presence in the country. It was trying to extricate the residual American presence there, much of which was directly tied to Washingtons role in propping up the Afghan government. No such situation existed or exists in Sudan. More typical has been the practice in places like Yemen, Syria and Venezuela, where the U.S. suspended diplomatic operations and removed personnel because of turmoil, but did not evacuate private citizens. The U.S. also briefly shuttered the embassy in Kyiv because of the Russia invasion, but there was no military evacuation for either diplomats or private citizens, and the embassy has since re-opened. In contrast with the situation in Afghanistan, the U.S. was not involved militarily in the Sudan conflict and had no military presence on the ground apart from the small number of Marine guards at the Khartoum embassy. Also, the U.S. has warned Americans for several years not to travel to Sudan and told them that consular assistance at the embassy was extremely limited. Against a backdrop of flooded farmland and tractors and farm buildings sitting amid several feet of water, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday that he and his administration are keenly aware of the problems confronting farmers, farmworkers and businesses in and around the historic Tulare Lake basin. The lake, dry in most years since it was drained in the late 1800s, has sprung back to life as a result of a series of atmospheric river storms that plowed into central California in January, February and March. The deluges in the southern San Joaquin Valley and the adjacent foothills of the southern Sierra Nevada swelled local lakes and rivers beyond their capacity, forcing water officials to allow water to flood the basin, inundating thousands of acres of farmland. Yet, Newsom told reporters gathered south of Corcoran at the Hansen Ranch equipment barn nearly surrounded by water more problems lie ahead as a record snowpack releases its water this spring and summer. What is significant to people who are not in this part of the state is that you can look at a scene like this and think the worst is behind us, Newsom said. In fact its quite the contrary. Every day were seeing an incremental half-inch, inch of new water present itself in this basin. As a consequence, we need to not only maintain our vigilance, but we cant be impatient regarding the impending floods and damage that well incur here in very short order, he added. Newsom spent part of Tuesday afternoon visiting businesses and farms in and around Corcoran and Allensworth before perching on a levee on the Hansen Ranch, where seabirds uncharacteristically chattered in the background as he gave his remarks. California Governor Gavin Newsom, second from left, speaks at Hansen Ranches in an area surrounded by flooded land along 6th Avenue Tuesday afternoon, April 25, 2023 just south of Corcoran, CA. Under water in a matter of weeks if not months This is for me a surreal experience, he said. Ive seen a lot of disasters as governor. Usually in a place like this, the worst is behind us. But in fact where were standing will likely be under water in a matter of weeks if not months. Newsom and Karla Nemeth, director of the California Department of Water Resources, both noted that the last time there was a major flood in the Tulare Lake basin in the early 1980s, it took as much as two years for the water to evaporate or be pumped out to allow farming to fully resume. Nemeth said her agency, as well as federal and local offices in Kings and Tulare counties, are collaborating to explore ways to minimize the flood potential from the coming snowmelt even after this winters rains caused about 50 levee breaches in the area. All of that snowmelt, without interruption, ends up right here in the old lake basin, Nemeth said. Officials are working to identify the ways in which we can be sure we are diverting as much water in advance of it ever arriving at the lake bed. Waterfowl is seen along a flooded 6th Avenue Tuesday afternoon, April 25, 2023 just south of Corcoran, CA. Possible solutions include finding places and installing pumping equipment to inject water back into underground aquifers that have been depleted by years of overpumping during drought years, she said, or diverting into other systems to move it out of the region and away from the communities that populate the Central Valley and that make up the Central Valley workforce. But, Newsom and Nemeth cautioned, solutions take time. As they and other officials addressed reporters, heavy earth-moving equipment could be seen to the northeast working on a large levee that stands between the rising water level in the old lakebed and the town of Corcoran and a pair of nearby state prisons that are at risk if the levee fails. Newsom said people he spoke with on his tour Tuesday are concerned about whats coming in the next few weeks. People here are living literally a stones throw away. You can see a house underwater, and others will likely be underwater within weeks or months, the governor said. We recognize whats at stake with the levee, we recognize the impacts on the prisons, we recognize the prospects of displacement (and) property damage. Newsom noted that both the state and federal governments have set up websites for families and others who face hardships because theyve been displaced from their homes or their farm employers arent able to go about their work. The states Department of Social Services website is cdss.ca.gov. The Federal Emergency Management Agencys website is disasterassistance.gov. Nancy Ward, director of the California Office of Emergency Services, said it is important for people who are being affected by the flooding to visit the websites and apply for assistance as soon as possible. California Governor Gavin Newsom gazes into the sky as a birds fly by including a pair of pelicans after speaking at Hansen Ranches surrounded by flooded land along 6th Avenue Tuesday afternoon, April 25, 2023 just south of Corcoran, CA. Farm machinery is seen at Hansen Ranches, an area flooded along 6th Avenue Tuesday afternoon, April 25, 2023 just south of Corcoran, CA. California Governor Gavin Newsom, second from left, speaks at Hansen Ranches in an area surrounded by flooded land along 6th Avenue Tuesday afternoon, April 25, 2023 just south of Corcoran, CA. Ducks and other waterfowl are seen along flooded 6th Avenue Tuesday afternoon, April 25, 2023 just south of Corcoran, CA. A boat is seen powering towards a flooded 6th Avenue Tuesday afternoon, April 25, 2023 just south of Corcoran, CA. California Governor Gavin Newsom, second from right, speaks to the media at Hansen Ranches in an area surrounded by flooded land along 6th Avenue Tuesday afternoon, April 25, 2023 just south of Corcoran, CA. California Governor Gavin Newsom, far left, arrives to speak to the media at Hansen Ranches in a flooded area along 6th Avenue Tuesday afternoon, April 25, 2023, just south of Corcoran, CA. Land at Hansen Ranches along 6th Avenue is surrounded by water Tuesday afternoon, April 25, 2023 just south of Corcoran, CA. Heavy machinery help raise the levee south of Corcoran over three feet Tuesday afternoon, April 25, 2023 just south of Corcoran, CA. Heavy machinery continues raising the levee south of Corcoran in anticipation of snow melt raising Tule Lake, photogrpahed Tuesday afternoon, April 25, 2023. Samsung Electronics' chip production facility in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics Mr Arora has apparently consented to be moved out of the national capital, which leaves another prestigious post up for grabs The race is on to succeed the director general of police (DGP) of Tamil Nadu C. Sylendra Babu who is due for superannuation at the end of June. The buzz in Delhi seems to suggest that Delhi police commissioner Sanjay Arora is a sureshot winner, being the most favoured to succeed Mr Babu as Tamil Nadus top cop. Sources have informed DKB that Mr Arora leads a list of 12 IPS officers who have qualified for empanelment and the state government will choose one of the three officers to be shortlisted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). In terms of seniority, Mr Arora bests DGPs B.K. Ravi and Chennai Police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal. Of the top three officers, Mr Arora has led two Central armed police forces CRPF and ITBP and won the Chief Ministers Gallantry Medal for Bravery and Heroic Action for his role as the superintendent of police, Special Task Force, that gunned down forest brigand Veerappan. Other officers in the fray include A.K. Viswanathan, Abhash Kumar, T.V. Ravichandran, Seema Agrawal and Amaraesh Pujari. Given the number of years in service required to qualify for empanelment, Rajeev Kumar, Sandeep Rai Rathore, Abhay Kumar Singh and K. Vannia Perumal are also on the list sent to the UPSC by the Tamil Nadu home department. Mr Arora has apparently consented to be moved out of the national capital, which leaves another prestigious post up for grabs. We may expect another interesting race among UT cadre IPS officers to become Delhis top cop. The sorrows of Ashok Khemka The Haryana governments clean chit to Congress leader Sonia Gandhis son-in-law Robert Vadra, five years after filing an FIR for irregular land deals, has left at least one official disappointed. Senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka had cancelled the mutation of a 33-acre land deal involving Mr Vadra and had gained celebrity status as a whistle-blower. In the 2014 elections, the BJP had alleged irregularities in land deals during the Congress regime in Haryana and made it a major electoral issue. Now, the 1991-batch IAS officer is tweeting about whether corruption allegations are only for political gain. Mr Khemka, who enjoys an image of a squeaky-clean officer, has certainly paid the price for his clean image. He has, in his chequered career, managed to rub every political dispensation that ruled Haryana the wrong way. No party when it comes to power wants to have him around. He has become the most transferred IAS officer, not just in the state but perhaps the entire country. He is currently in his 56th posting in a career spanning nearly 30 years. At present, he is the additional chief secretary of the state archives department, and theres no saying whether he wont be moved out again. Sources say that he was moved because he wrote to chief secretary Sarvesh Kaushal that he didnt have enough work at the science and technology department. Mr Khemkas current despondency is only the latest blow to his fight for clean administration. Retired babu starts new innings in Chhattisgarh In recent times, there has been a trend of state governments following in the footsteps of the Centre by re-engaging retired babus for key positions in the administration. These officers are often handpicked favourites of the ruling government and their appointment serves the dual purpose of maintaining continuity and control over the administrative machinery while also furthering political interests. The Chhattisgarh government recently set off murmurs in the states babu and political circles by engaging D.M. Awasthi, a retired IPS officer of the 1986 batch, as an officer on special duty (OSD) at the police headquarters in Raipur. Mr Awasthi was assigned the responsibility of looking after the Economic Offence Wing (EOW) and Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), both of which are crucial departments for any government. Although Mr Awasthi retired in March earlier this year, he was immediately given a contractual appointment as OSD, indicating his importance to chief minister Bhupesh Baghels government. Its hardly a secret that he was always considered a favourite officer of Mr Baghel, and this move is seen as an attempt to retain his expertise and considerable experience in Mr Baghels administration. by Nirmala Carvalho The proposal had been made a month ago by Senator Aisha Wahab. Comment by Fr. Devasahayaraj, former secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India's Commission on Recognized Tribes and Castes: "Caste-based discrimination is a disgrace to human society." New Delhi (AsiaNews) - The California Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously in favor of a bill against caste discrimination in California, legislation introduced last month by Muslim and Afghan-born Senator Aisha Wahab. The bill will now face a second reading: if passed it would also make America's most populous state the first to officially make caste bias illegal in the United States. "Caste-based discrimination is a disgrace to human society. The Indian diaspora has carried with it the legacy of caste wherever it has gone. But to treat other Indians as untouchables in the land where people are considered equal regardless of their birth is to be condemned," said Fr. Devasahayaraj, former secretary of the Commission for Recognized Tribes and Castes of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, when questioned by AsiaNews. Used for centuries on the Indian subcontinent, the caste system has migrated along with the Indian diaspora. According to a 2018 survey, 67 percent of Dalit workers said they have experienced caste discrimination in the United States. Dalits (the "untouchables") occupy the bottom rungs of the social ladder, versus Brahmins at the top of the caste system. "If the United States has laws preventing discrimination based on skin color, it is good to see that in California they have passed a law against caste discrimination. This is a great success for human rights activists," added Fr. Devasahayaraj. "Silicon Valley is located in California. Most of the CEOs are so-called Brahmins or upper caste people. When ordinary staff come from India, they treat them the way they are treated in India, with the caste label. That is why this law is needed in that state." During the California Senate hearing hundreds of opponents and supporters of the bill gathered in the state capital, Sacramento, displaying signs and chanting slogans for or against the legislation. According to opponents, in fact, the bill would target Hindus and people of Indian descent, creating unnecessary divisions. Senator Wahab specified that the legislation "does not target any specific community or religion." A 2016 United Nations report said that at least 250 million people worldwide still experience caste discrimination in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the Pacific. Founded by those who came to work in factories, today it also looks at the many Vietnamese students - often non-believers - who attend Korean universities. At the Mass marking the anniversary, Archbishop Chung expressed his heartfelt appreciation to the Vietnamese for their faith. As the disciples of Jesus, they live like apostles who practise the Gospel despite difficulties. Seoul (AsiaNews) Last Sunday the Vietnamese Catholic community in the Archdiocese of Seoul celebrated its 20th anniversary with a Mass led by Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-Taick of Seoul at the Archdiocese's Labour Pastoral Centre. Archbishop Chung, who also chairs the Pastoral Committee for Migrants and Foreign Residents of the Korean Catholic Church, expressed his gratitude to the many Catholic priests and lay people who contributed to the development of the community, which today is among the most important in Seoul. In April 2003, Salesian Fr Pham Thanh Bin began celebrating Sunday Mass at the Labour Pastoral Centre. Now the community consists of six groups. It started as a small community with factory workers and marriage women (migrant brides) in Seoul, says Fr Yoo Sang Hyeok, director of Migrant Pastoral Committee of the Archdiocese of Seoul. It now boasts the largest number of believers among the ethnic communities of the Seoul Archdiocese; and some 500 to 600 people attend the Sunday Mass, and the reality is that we need space for them. Fr Yoo explains that the profile of those arriving in South Korea today from Vietnam has also changed. Seoul now has more international students rather than migrant workers, he notes, adding that there are many more non-believers. Nguyen Chi Hung, a 27-year-old computer engineering graduate who attended the Mass led by the archbishop, said he joined the Vietnamese community "with a desire to go to the Lords house" and that the community helped him settle down in Korea. He would like to continue living in Seoul after graduation. "I want to get closer to more Koreans in the future and I want to get to know them well." In his homily Archbishop Chung mentioned a visit he made to Vietnam as a priest of the Carmelite Order. "Around five o'clock in the morning, he said, I heard and saw believers from [different] neighbourhoods come to the large church of the Carmelite Convent to attend in Mass, singing hymns and praying with all their heart. I was deeply moved by the scene and the impressive memory is still vivid. What is more, living in an unfamiliar foreign country away from his or her beloved family and home is a difficult task that requires great sacrifice, he added. All of you here are enduring various hardships for the sake of work or study. The resurrection of Jesus is an event that gives strength, grace, and blessings to all of us who are enduring difficult times. As the disciples of Jesus were dispatched to various parts of the world after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, you are also sacrificing yourselves and enduring hardships for your beloved families and for your own future, offering the love of Jesus. Lets dedicate your resolve to live as apostles who practise the Gospel. In addition to the Vietnamese community, the Archdioceses Migrant Pastoral Committee includes communities from the Philippines, South America, Mongolia, Thailand, China, and Indonesia. I want all of us to remember that before they are migrants, they are also people loved by God, says Fr Yoo. Although lifestyles are different in different cultures, and various conflicts occur and will arise, I think if we first respect the new culture and share our culture with them, our society will be naturally integrated. Today's headlines: in Myanmar the junta burns 450 houses in five days; Albert Augustine's widow and daughter return to India from Sudan; In Thailand, parties challenge each other for elections by promising cash payments to the population; Turkey has expelled 9,000 Afghans since the beginning of the year. UNITED STATES - SOUTH KOREA In a historic agreement, Washington pledges to deploy nuclear submarines against Pyongyang and share information about its nuclear programme if in return Seoul does not develop its own nuclear arsenal. This was the outcome of talks between US President Joe Biden and his South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk-yeol, who visited the White House. The two discussed a number of issues and shared concern over the nuclear threat from North Korea. INDIA The wife and daughter of Albert Augustine, the Indian Catholic killed in Khartoum at the beginning of the clashes in Sudan, have reached the city of Cochin in India. Saibella and Marietta were protected by the Sudanese company for which the man worked, who also organised their evacuation to Kannur. MYANMAR Clashes continued in the Sagaing region, around the village of Pa Zi Gyi, where a few weeks ago some civilians who had taken refuge inside a monastery were massacred: in five days, the Burmese coup junta set fire to 450 houses in three different villages. The region is a stronghold of resistance against the military regime. THAILAND The Palang Pracharath Party, the ruling party in Thailand and behind in the pre-election polls, announced yesterday that if it remains in power after the 14 May elections, it will transfer 30,000 baht (almost 800 Euro) into the bank accounts of 8 million farmers across the country. The proposal follows the opposition proposal made by Pheu Thai, who would like to give every Thai over the age of 16 10 thousand baht. TURKEY - AFGHANISTAN Turkey has expelled 9,000 Afghans since the beginning of the year, Human Rights Watch reported. Since January 1, Ankara has expelled 29,000 refugees, including 1,581 Pakistanis. An additional 18,000 people are estimated to be detained at the border, including at least 5,000 Afghans. ISRAEL - PALESTINE The Palestinian daily Al-Quds launched an online version in Hebrew. The translations of the articles from Arabic are still not very accurate at the moment because they rely on automatic translators. The owners of the newspaper - which sells 30,000 copies in Palestine - said they launched the initiative because "it is time for the Israelis to understand what we say". RUSSIA Many fires are occurring in the Ural region and central and eastern Siberia, with entire villages engulfed in flames. In the Sverdlovsk region, 134 houses and other buildings went up in smoke, 660 people were left homeless, and there was also one victim. The village of Sosva was completely destroyed covering 9,000 square kilometres and 110 houses. KAZAKHSTAN In the new variant of the mass media law in Kazakhstan, a rule on 'information sovereignty' has been included, which according to the state authorities is supposed to defend the Kazakhs above all from Russian propaganda, but activist Sergei Dubanov believes this is impossible, as 'more than half of the population is succumbing to the Kremlin's spines'. China reiterates its views, offering to send its former ambassador to Ukraine Li Hui as a go-between with Moscow for in-depth communication. After a faux pas over former Soviet republics, China expresses its support for theirs and Ukraines territorial integrity to bolster its own claim over its borders. Pope Francis and Ukrainian Prime Minister Shmyhal meet and discuss ways talk of "efforts to restore peace. Milan (AsiaNews/Agencies) After more than a year, Beijing called Kyiv, offering to send Chinas former ambassador to Russia, Li Hui, as "the Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs to Ukraine and other countries to have in-depth communication with all parties on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. Putting aside Chinese media rhetoric about Beijing playing peacemaker while others play political arsonists, reports about yesterday's phone conversation between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Ukrainian counterpart, President Volodymir Zelensky, are much about nothing. The phone call, initiated reportedly by Ukraine and welcomed by China, did not go beyond reiterating Xis February 12-point peace plan, and its statements of principle, including support for Ukraines territorial integrity, without much to say about Russias invasion 14 months ago. Since the start of the Ukraine conflict, China has been wary of any escalation. Instead, despite its no-limits partnership with Russia, which Xi reiterated in his last meeting in Moscow with Vladimir Putin, Beijing has focused on its own interests rather than to provide political support for Russia. With respect to Ukraine, bilateral Sino-Ukrainian relations before the war had reached important levels. As part of the Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese investments in infrastructure totalled some US$ 2 billion between 2019 and 2021. I believe that our conversation today will give a powerful impetus to the return, preservation and development of this dynamic at all levels, reads a statement on the website of the Ukrainian president. Although China [. . .] is it a party to the crisis, reads the press release of Chinas Foreign Ministry, it will not sit idly by, nor [. . .] add oil to the fire, still less exploit the situation for self-gains. This suggests that Beijing wants to be seen as playing honest broker, claiming a seat at any future negotiating table. This said, Chinas Foreign Ministry has also sent another signal, this time to the countries of Central Asia. China will, as always, firmly support Central Asian countries in safeguarding (their) national sovereignty, independence, security and territorial integrity, Foreign Minister Qin Gang said at a meeting with his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan in the city of Xian. This comes after its ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, questioned the sovereignty of the former Soviet republics in an interview on French television on 21 April, a view Beijing disowned. In practice, no solution to the conflict in Ukraine has been found. Some encouragement came today following a meeting in the Vatican between Pope Francis and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. In a press release, the Holy See Press Office noted that cordial discussions covered various matters connected to the war in Ukraine [. . .], with particular attention to the humanitarian aspects and efforts to restore peace. Against this background, the upcoming G7 summit in Hiroshima (19-21 May) is set to put Asia in the spotlight. And some observers wonder if the phone call between Xi Jinping and Zelensky might pave the way for US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to visit Beijing after his scheduled trip in February was cancelled due to the spy balloon incident. Still, yesterday's phone call gave Xi Jinping one important thing. On his website, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reaffirmed Ukraine's unwavering position on adherence to the "One China" policy. This goes to show that when it comes to territorial integrity China always looks closer to home. RED LANTERNS IS THE ASIANEWS NEWSLETTER DEDICATED TO THE CHINA. TO RECEIVE A WEEKLY UPDATE EVERY THURSDAY, CLICK HERE. I'm fine, as I'm very fortunate to own my home I own, but I'm feeling the pinch on my mortgage with other inflation costs I rent and it's expensive, but it could be worse I'm seriously considering leaving the valley if something doesn't give Vote View Results Hyundai Motor plant in Saint Petersburg, Russia / Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group SUV All Wheel Drive Many people will try to find the perfect compromise for their next family vehicle by answering what initially seems like a simple question: what is the best smallon the market right now? Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but sometimes people just cannot decide on a favorite because maybe there is no perfect answer. After all, customers sometimes have vastly different priorities regarding space, hauling capabilities, fuel economy, design, and how these CUVs handle on and off the beaten path.And that makes it hard for automakers to pinpoint the flawless recipe. Luckily, that also means they will always try to offer new perks and better their rivals. As such, no wonder the competition is fierce in the space of compactness. And there is no need to take our word for granted, as we have plenty of examples, from the slower-selling Mitsubishi Outlander and Volkswagen Tiguan to the middle space occupied by Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, or Nissan Rogue and to the top of the roster filled with stuff like the Chevy Equinox, Mazda CX-5, Jeep Cherokee, Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, or Toyota RAV4.Keen observers might notice that we missed a nameplate Subaru's Forester . Well, although it's not a sales leader by any means, the Japanese compact crossover SUV that has been around since 1997 is always a solid contender in the space. As such, it has amassed its minor cult following throughout five generations thanks to its family-oriented cabin space, the connections to Subaru's rallying history, the iconic boxer mills, and the potential adventures facilitated by Subaru's Symmetricalsystem.Recently, Subaru has moved its focus away from the bigger Outback or the Forester to the smaller Crosstrek that just joined the Wilderness family alongside its siblings but some people may not agree with this strategy. Both in the real world and across the imaginative realm of digital car content creators, as it turns out. Speaking of the latter, Dimas Ramadhan, the virtual automotive artist behind the Digimods DESIGN channel on YouTube, has already taken up the task of revealing the all-new, sixth-generation Forester although solely in CGI.Remember, this is all merely wishful thinking and only a hypothetical, unofficial depiction of the next Subaru Forester for model years 2024 or 2025. But it does look good enough to cause a stir among its competitors if ever real if you want our two cents on the matter. Interestingly, the design also goes against the current roster of novelties ( Crosstrek , Ascent, Solterra) and carves its styling path toward even greater crossover SUV maturity. So, do we give it our CGI hall pass or not? Don't believe us? Well, you should hit the play button on the footage embedded at the end of this story. At 40 seconds long, it shows an Audi R8 supposedly leaving a car meet somewhere in the United States. The driver decides to show off in front of the small crowd and pushes the throttle to the floor.Inevitably, the rear-biased mid-engine machine starts powersliding in the middle of the road, turning left and right and heading towards the curb on the right side. The poor skills of the guy holding the wheel prevented him from rescuing his price ride, which went over the curb and scraped a tree.What do you think he did next? Well, he surely didn't stop immediately to assess the damages . Instead, he drove away as if nothing happened, going down the curb, probably embarrassed by the whole thing. And he should be, as it could've all been avoided if he hadn't abused the loud pedal.The video then ends and starts again as the German supercar was stopped on the side of the road. The tree it scraped against left some deep marks on the left rear quarter panel, and even if the clip doesn't reveal other bruises, you can bet that the underbody took a beating too. The brakes and some suspension components were likely affected due to the driver's attempt to show off, so this Audi R8 will need some pricey TLC to return to its original shine.As for the spec of the supercar, it has a black overall look and what seems to be a set of aftermarket wheels. The owner chose to apply yellow tape to the headlights for a more rally-style approach. The exhaust sounds like it underwent some modifications of its own, as this exotic beast derived from its Mediterranean cousin, the Lamborghini Huracan, is a bit more sonorous than the stock one.Thinking of getting an Audi R8 of your own? That would be at least $158,600 for a new one, thank you very much. The Coupe is the more affordable body style, as the Spyder, aka the convertible, starts at $171,000 for the 2023 model year. Both boast up to 602 hp from their naturally aspirated V10, with a 5.2-liter displacement, which can be revved up to 8,700 rpm. You're looking at a little over three seconds for the zero to sixty miles an hour (0-97 kph) acceleration, which is more than enough for the average Joe. Back in the day when the written press and television could only reach so far, promotional vehicles were a good way to spread the word on a new company or a new product , keep existing customers, and gauge interest in potential releases. They were a staple on U.S. roads and have since become a piece of automotive history.Promotional vehicles were never about functionality as much as about drawing attention. After all, if you're going to get people talking, you'll need to catch their eye first. This has led to the creation of some of the funkiest, strangest, and also most memorable vehicles out there, from the still-present Wienermobile to icons that have long been lost to time.The Canper wants a place on that list, even though it's a newcomer. As its name hints, it's a camper but one shaped like a can of beans, aerodynamics be damned! The reason for the peculiar shape is simple: the Canper will probably not do much traveling on U.S. roads and serve only as a glamping unit for three memorable trips to three National Parks over the summer. Here's to hoping this is just the start of this RV's story because it has serious potential.The Canper is the brainchild of the PR department from Bush's Brothers and Company, the number one supplier of canned bean products on the North American market. Now the choice of shape for the RV makes sense, doesn't it? Bush's Best baked beans represent 80% of the canned baked beans consumed in the United States, and that number alone should speak volumes of the company's success The latest promotional campaign from Bush's actually serves a double purpose: marketing and raising awareness on the need to protect and preserve the 400+ national parks in the National Park System. An admirable mission approached with humor. To that end, the company is joining forces with the National Park Foundation, offering three grand prizes that include stays in three national parks. Each prize is a 3-day, 2-night vacation, with the Canper set up for accommodation.The company has only released CGI renders of the Canper as of the time of press, which indicates that the RV isn't completed yet, even though the sweepstakes campaign ended on April 26. If the Canper is complete, it's not ready for its public unveiling , and that's ok: the short vacations will take place over the summer once winners are chosen by raffle, so there's still time.From the renders, the Canper promises to be the most fun experience outdoors fueled by baked beans, of course. It sits on a double-axle trailer and, from the looks of it, doesn't seem to have any windows, which could be a problem given the planned high consumption of said legume. However, the biggest problem seems to be the absence of a bathroom, unless it's hidden in that wardrobe or behind the door, not pictured.The interior is exactly what you'd expect for a weekend camper, offering a four-person dinette, a small kitchen area, and some storage. The dinette becomes a cozy bed for two by lowering the dining table, while the kitchen offers only the basics in terms of meal prep. It's probably ideal for throwing together a quick snack or a light breakfast, and brewing coffee. Worry not, though, because the 3-day stay will include the services of a personal chef, which is a hilarious thing to say when the meals will consist mostly of canned baked beans.Bush's is offering the chef service for breakfast and dinner, and takeaway lunches so you can enjoy the sights by going on a picnic. Considering that the locations will be the Big Bend National Park in Texas, the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee, there's really no sense in spending too much time inside even when the interior is as quirky as in the Canper.That's the most impressive part about the camper, aside from the can-like shape: the styling is pun-tastic and bean-inspired. Even the bedding will remind you that you are staying in an RV paid for by baked beans, assuming there's a chance you could forget it. "Roll that beautiful bean footage," I dream of beans," and In this house, we eat beans" are just three of the slogans we can make out in the renders. The styling is definitely not for everyone, but just perfect for a quirky, memorable stay.We reached out to Bush's Bros. for more details on the build of the Canper and will update the story when and if we hear back. Assuming the real RV ends up looking like its virtual counterpart, it could be in the running for the quirkiest and most fun promotional vehicle out there. Probably the fartsiest, too. Photo: Tesla Photo: Tesla BEV EV The first one did not even have to see a court decision. Tesla just agreed to sign a cease-and-desist declaration in which it agreed to change the way it advertises how Sentry Mode works. According to vzbv, "Tesla did not inform the consumers on the necessity to comply with the GDPR and the risk of being fined by data protection authorities when using the Sentry Mode." The bad news is that this does not change much the situation of customers who want the feature to protect their cars, particularly in public spaces.For vzbv , "the legally compliant use of Sentry Mode in public spaces is not possible." That said, any Tesla driver that activates it outside their property is going against the law and is left "with all the responsibility." The German organization noted that "this outcome was within our capacities," meaning they did all they could do to try to help customers. At least they are now aware that Sentry Mode has minimal legal use in Europe.In the proceedings that led to the cease-and-desist declaration on April 6, vzbv heard that "the data obtained by the function of the Sentry Mode was allegedly not processed by Tesla." Ironically, a scandal involving how the BEV maker handled private data erupted in the US on the same day. Former employees said they shared videos and images obtained by the vehicles, some of which "appeared to have been made when cars were parked and turned off." Although Reuters did not confirm if Sentry Mode was used, the description above fits perfectly how the feature operates. I asked vzbv about the scandal, and the association said it was discussing it internally when we last spoke.If there is any consolation for Tesla customers, it is that those willing to break GDPR in public spaces in Germany may still use the videos in lawsuits. The Federal Court of Justice ruled that footage from dashcams may be valid in some cases despite their illegal origin. Although it did not talk about burglary and acts of vandalism, it is fair to suppose a video that helps identify perpetrators would be accepted in a civil case, perhaps even a criminal one.Regarding Tesla's CO2 savings claims, vzbv thinks themaker's claims are misleading because it states its vehicles do not emit carbon. Although that is only valid if the BEV is charged from carbon-neutral electricity sources, this is not what the German association argued. It used completely new reasoning to state that this was not correct, and vzbv's argument is really interesting.Tesla sells carbon credits, which allow other manufacturers to exceed the CO2 emissions their fleets are supposed to respect. For vzbv, that means that the BEV maker is taking responsibility for the emission excess other car companies want to avoid. That said, it is not correct to say Tesla vehicles are saving CO2 when they allow others to emit the gas in its place. Fair enough.Although it is an enlightening interpretation of carbon credits, the Berlin Regional Court did not accept it. The German customer association will appeal the decision. I did not ask them if they would argue about indirect emissions this time, but that would have a good chance of winning. After all, approximately 80% of Germany's energy mix comes from fossil fuels: 40% from oil, 10% from coal, and 30% from gas. That should get even worse after the government decided to shut down the last nuclear power plants the country had. In other words, anycharged in Germany will present indirect emissions, even if they are very low. Higher German courts may agree with vzbv that carbon credits are another way of emitting CO2.For the customer association, the critical part of the story is that customers do not get fooled by the idea that they are not contributing to carbon emissions. If that happens indirectly, there is also an impact that these buyers should be warned about, and Tesla's advertisement what it writes on its website, in this case should not greenwash that. I'll try to bring the appeal result as soon as vzbv has an answer for it.In the end, the German consumer association raised essential questions. The first is how Tesla managed to offer a feature that is basically illegal in Europe for its main purpose: protecting the BEV in public spaces. If it represented such an evident risk to GDPR, shouldn't European authorities had forbidden it before Tesla deployed it? The second is how nobody ever figured out that carbon credits are something that goes against the goal of reducing CO2 emissions. Sure, they may help feed BEV startups, but at what cost? Unfortunately, those questions will probably never have an answer. EV Despite starting construction plans for Giga Mexico , Tesla continues to scout other locations for future gigafactories. Previous rumors indicated that Tesla was looking for places in Asia and North America, based on the countries that courted Elon Musk: Canada, Mexico, Indonesia, India, and South Korea.Mexico won the bid for a North American gigafactory, but the fight is still ongoing in Asia. India lost it because of its unwillingness to lower import tariffs for Tesla cars. Indonesia and South Korea have advantages and disadvantages , so seeing what Tesla and Elon Musk would choose will be interesting. In the latest development to the Asian gigafactory saga, Elon Musk asked for and was granted a meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to discuss future business plans.The talks touched on the subject of a Korean Tesla gigafactory , but also the future cooperation of Korean companies with SpaceX. According to Korean media, President Yoon offered "active support in terms of location, workforce, and taxes." The biggest disadvantages South Korea has for a possible gigafactory are the strongly unionized workforce and labor costs, among the highest in the region. The proposition shows that the Korean government is highly interested in hosting a Tesla production facility.On the other hand, the meeting was scheduled at Musk's request, indicating that the Tesla CEO is also interested in South Korea. Speculations abound, although analysts think a Korean gigafactory doesn't make much sense now. It would compete with Giga Shanghai for regional exports with a less favorable cost structure. The Koreanmarket is not big enough to absorb the cars produced there. However, China is a sensitive matter, and Tesla might want a backup solution if China becomes more isolated.The possibility of a battery gigafactory in Korea is also slim, considering that Tesla wants its supply chain as close as possible to the car production sites. Korea lacks the raw materials, so Tesla would have to import, process, and re-export them for use in its gigafactories. There's not much economic sense in doing that. Then why did Musk request a meeting with the South Korean president?The SpaceX part might offer a clue. According to The Korea Herald, "Yoon voiced hope for greater cooperation between South Korean businesses and SpaceX to help foster South Korea's space industry." SpaceX still faces hurdles in South Korea, with Starlink blocked by various regulations. Musk is undoubtedly interested in deregulating satellite internet and other domains where his companies are active. That's why South Korea asked for SpaceX support for local companies in return, and the Tesla gigafactory could be just a bargaining chip. Photo: Bundnerbike Despite Harley going soft on the stock motorcycles vintage appeal, numerous custom shops across the world have begun modifying the range to give it the proper feel of old and valuable. One of those shops is Switzerland-based Bundnerbike , and one of their most spectacular Softail Slim conversions is the one here, called for a reason or another Death Heat.The thing is a far cry from its original self and looks more like a two-wheeler someone found in a barn somewhere than something that was put together on purpose. The changes start right where the bike meets the ground, and they dont stop until the highest point of the machine.The Slims intricate wire wheels can still be seen on the Death Heat, only the one at the front is no longer its usual size, but a massive 21-inch piece that makes the entire build look like some sort of failed penny farthing. Above the chrome fork a very high handlebar rises, holding the two mirrors underneath each of the two grips, which are of the Harley-Davidson aftermarket variety.There is no fender going over the front wheel, but a small one holding an LED lamp up top can be seen at the rear. Because of the changes made here, the license number holder had to be moved to one side, and that contributes to the cleaner overall look.The back of the bike is as simple as it gets, with no unnecessary body panels and not even a seat dropped into the rest of the build: the leather saddle used for the custom bike is of the simplest variety possible.The frame of the Death Heat is home to the stock engine of the motorcycle, but a new Performance Machine air filter is there to ensure better air intake, while a Dr.Jekill & Mr.Hyde exhaust system snakes down and away from it.No proper custom motorcycle project is complete without the right paint job, and the Death Heat is no exception. For the purpose of making it look vintage, a lot of bronze and a wealth of brown shades were used, which combined with the wrapping around the exhaust pipes makes the build look just right.As for the cost of transforming the Slim S into this beautiful machine, that is not known. For reference though, you should consider the fact that a brand-new, stock Slim S can no longer be had. The used market is however full of them, and depending on year and specification, you can get one for anywhere between $10,000 and $25,000. EV Tesla has always been a disruptor in the auto industry, not least because it was the first startup to succeed in what was a hermetic industry. It was also the first carmaker to prove that electric vehicles can be profitable and is probably the only one to make money from EVs. Still, Tesla's contribution to the auto industry is more important than that. Themaker has reinvented car manufacturing by designing a more efficient factory layout.Tesla's iconic gigafactories are unlike anything the auto industry has ever seen. The unique layout allows for building up to two million vehicles per year in a much smaller footprint. Typical car manufacturing plants are built for 350,000-400,000 vehicles per year. Tesla's gigafactories also allow the components to be delivered to specific points on the production line, minimizing time spent in transit.Still, the most significant innovation so far is using die-casting in car body manufacturing . Tesla Model Y uses two so-called megacastings replacing front and rear structures, both attached to the structural battery pack. This eliminates hundreds of individual components, cuts welding points, and simplifies the production line tremendously. Megacastings don't need thermal treatment and offer structural rigidity and safety advantages.If you're wondering why other carmakers haven't considered using die-casting in their vehicles before, it's because megacastings are not easy. They require gigantic presses that Tesla and Italian company IDRA developed . Currently, the biggest die-casting machines in the world are the 9,000-ton Giga Presses that Tesla uses for the Cybertruck production. Still, Tesla's success is a great incentive for other companies to follow the EV maker.The latest to announce the use of megacastings in its vehicles is Geely's Zeekr. The Chinese carmaker uses aluminum die-cast to make a large underbody section of the Zeekr 009 minivan, which started sales this year. Geely's subsidiary says the technique eliminates 800 welding points, cuts defects, and makes the cars lighter and more rigid. Geely will use megacastings for more models in the future, including for other brands in its portfolio, such as Volvo. Zeekr uses 7,200-ton die-casting machines supplied by LK Machinery, the Chinese company that happens to own IDRA.Previously, Chinese companies such as NIO and XPeng have explored using megacastings. Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen are also contemplating using die-casting, while GM is already using them for the Cadillac Celestiq, but in a different way. GM is concerned with the repairability of megacastings, which might need replacement even for moderate shocks caused by a fender-bender. Because of this, GM uses six smaller castings for Celestiq's underbody frame, bonded and spot-welded into a single floor pan.Tesla's relentless innovation in car manufacturing has not stopped even after megacastings and structural battery packs. During Investor Day, Tesla unveiled a new manufacturing technique called "unboxed vehicle." This implies dividing vehicles into several sections that people can work on concurrently. They are joined during final assembly, with the advantage of speeding up the assembly process and cutting costs even further. The upcoming Mexican gigafactory will be the first to use the new manufacturing process to produce the next-gen Tesla vehicle. Photo: EuroClassix/Bring a Trailer Photo: EuroClassix/Bring a Trailer Photo: EuroClassix/Bring a Trailer The Delta Integrale was born thanks to the beautiful world of rallying, but we'll get to the car shortly. First, we should take a quick peek at the company and how it turned from one of the greats to the ruin that it is today.Lancia was born in 1906 at the hands of colleagues and Fiat test drivers Vincenzo Lancia and Claudio Fogolini. By 1907, the pair came out with their first car, called the Lancia Alfa. But, the car didn't live up to Vincenzo's expectations, so the company pushed harder into a more innovative direction.This new philosophy soon paid off with cars like the 1913 Lancia Theta, which was the first production car to have a full electrical system as standard equipment. Or, we can take a look at the 1922 Lambda, which was the first car to come with a monocoque chassis and a narrow-angle V4. The point is Lancia was pumping out world-firsts left and right. But things took a hit in 1937 when Vincenzo Lancia died.But Alfa-Romeo engineer Vittorio Jano was brought in to pick up the work, and he delivered. Some more good cars were churned out over the years, but we'll fast forward to 1951 and the Lancia Aurelia B20. That was the moment Lancia stuck properly stuck its teeth into racing and won the Mille Miglia race in their class and finished second overall, with a puny 2.0-liter (122 ci) V6, being beaten only by the Ferrari 340 America, which used a 4.1-liter (250 ci) V12 impressive stuff.In 1953, the first purpose-built Lancia race car, called the D24, was released. The D24 won at the infamous Carrera Panamericana race, followed by more impressive wins. Lancia stuck around in racing, creating great cars, both road-going models and racing machines, but we should skip to rallying and the Lancia Delta.By 1969, Lancia was struggling. Not because they sold bad cars but because the manufacturing process was a pain. They had ancient equipment, the cars didn't share many parts, and they were often assembled by hand. So, at the end of the groovy '60s, Lancia was bought by Fiat.Since 1965, the Lancia Fulvia was making quick work of every opponent in rallying, but it was starting to show its age. That's when design house Bertone stepped in and independently built the Stratos HF Zero prototype and displayed it at the 1970 Turin Auto Show. The Stratos was overlooked at first, but Nuccio Bertone himself took the prototype over to Lancia's headquarters, and the execs liked what they saw.That's how the Stratos was born, and it instantly became a rally legend. The rally dream for Lancia was in full force, and in 1980, they would develop the 037 , specifically for the infamous, lawless, and downright insane Group B class - and this rear-wheel drive beast, with Walter Rohrl at the wheel and a beautiful Martini livery, beat the all-wheel drive Audi Quattro. That said, the 037 was outdated, and Lancia was forced to create a car that drove all four wheels. That was the Delta Integrale, so let's dive deeper. To see what made this car a rally legend, we have one from 1993 to analyze in every nook and cranny.This particular model is an Evoluzione 2, which means a few goodies. On the outside, the blu Lancia (a fancy way of saying dark blue) paint showcases box flared fenders, an adjustable high-mount spoiler, a vented hood, and a big, polished exhaust tip to ensure you hear the turbo monster scream through twisty forest roads. Sliding it around on the loose gravel corners are 16-inch Speedline wheels. Behind them, you'll find anti-lock disc brakes on all four corners.Stepping inside, you'll find a pair of Sparco sport seats upholstered in tan microsuede, a theme that is continued on the rear bench and door panels. Upon sitting in the driver seat, a leather-wrapped Momo steering wheel will greet you. It fronts a 240 kph (150 mph) speedometer, a 9,000 rpm tachometer, and arguably the most important gauge - the turbo boost one.Now, it's time we get to the power unit. Like most rally cars, the Lancia Delta Integrale uses a turbocharged four-banger. Since its inception, the engine gained more and more power, which peaked with the car we have today, the Evoluzione 2. It pumps out 215 hp (218 ps) from a 16-valve, 2.0-liter (122 ci) unit with the aid of a Garrett turbocharger. Power is sent to all four wheels via a five-speed manual transaxle gearbox.Following this golden age for the Italian manufacturer, things quickly took a tumble. The once dominating brand, with 46 WRC wins over six seasons, a record which stands to this day, went on to sell ugly, hastily built cars that were nothing more than a rebrand Fiat job. It's really sad to see the innovative and exciting brand fall into a sad, dismal world of lackluster economy cars.But this sad reality can only make us appreciate the past. And, if you want to cherish it even more than looking at YouTube videos and reminiscing, this particular Delta Integrale is up at auction in San Mateo, California. It currently sits at 75,000 dollars, and the odometer shows 69,000 kilometers (43,000 miles). It also comes with Vermont registration, as that state doesn't require titles, and it failed the California emissions test what did you expect from a fire-spitting rally car? President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden pose before a joint press conference at the White House in Washington, D.C., Wednesday (local time). Korea Times file By Lee Kyung-min Korea and the U.S. have launched a joint initiative to nurture 2,023 young experts in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), the trade ministry said Thursday. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said that under the Korea-U.S. Educational Exchange Initiative for Youth in STEM, the two countries will invest $30 million (40 billion won) each for the education and training of young students pursuing professional careers in STEM. This includes semiconductors manufacture, batteries and displays as well as bio, artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum physics. The investment total of $60 million is a commitment of President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden on the occasion of their summit this week in Washington, D.C. It also celebrates the 70th anniversary of the two countries' alliance. The two have agreed to establish the Fulbright STEM Scholars Exchange Program to the tune of $15 million. The amount is for nurturing future experts in the high-tech industries, mostly in the form of scholarships for master's and doctoral degrees as well as research work thereafter. About 100 undergrad and graduate students in Korea will be able to earn master's and doctoral degrees in the United States. And around 100 U.S. students will be able to do so in Korea. President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, shakes hands with U.S. President Joe Biden at Samsung Electronics' Pyeongtaek manufacturing plant in Gyeonggi Province, May 20, 2022. Korea Times file ECU That's where Georgia-based tuners, Cicio Performance, come in. Javier of That Racing Channel on YouTube got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ride in a 1,418 hp (1,419 ps) 991 Porsche 911 Turbo S running Cicio Performance C1300 package at the TX2K23 event last week.The event, presented by Summit Racing Equipment, held at the Houston Raceway in Baytown, Texas, started on Tuesday 14th, with the Sponsors and Racers' event and ended on Sunday 19th, with the Drag Race elimination.This was the final year the event was held at the Houston Raceway Park. Next year, the event will officially move to Texas Motorplex to pave the way for renovating the famed motorway into a distribution warehouse hub.Here's the thing, running 1,400 ponies is a challenging feat. On the surface, Cicio Performance's 991 Porsche 911 Turbo S looks like your regular stock Porsche out of your local dealership.It's not running slicks or gutted-out body parts with massive turbos sticking out it's the perfect textbook example of a sleeper. You can park at a wedding venue, grocery store, or office parking lot, and no one will suspect its time-warping capabilities (until you turn on the ignition).You better be packing some serious heat if you'll be competing at an over two-decade-old event like TX2K, and Cicio Performance's 911 Porsche Turbo S was a hands-down worthy contender.Last year, we did a story on a Cicio Performance's 1,400 hp (1,419 ps) all-wheel-drive Lamborghini Huracan STO doing 172 mph (277 kph) and running 8-second sprints at the FL2K22.Javier of That Racing Channel rode shotgun in their 991 Porsche 911 Turbo S (C1300 Package) this time.To remind you, the 991 Porsche 911 Turbo S came with a twin-turbo 3.8-liter flat-six engine with direct fuel injection producing 552 hp (560 ps) and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm) of torque.Cicio Performance has a variety of powerband packages for their clients; the C1300 is their ultimate performance package for the 991 Porsche.The mods include a Cicio Performance Xenith Turbo Kit (Precision 6969 turbos) with fully crimped (factory style lines), Cicio Performance Exhaust System, upgraded Plenum and Y-Pipe, Billet intake manifold, Flex fuel system, runs on E85 and comes with a MoTecpackage.It's not all external parts. Part of the internal mods includes custom Cicio Performance pistons with Carrillo rods and upgraded/coated bearings.You are probably wondering how the 991 Porsche Turbo S can run on E85 with a direct-injected engine. Well, that's where the Billet manifold and port injection come in handy. There are two options depending on power; a surge tank setup with dual brushless pumps and an in-tank single brushless option.Based on their website, this package is guaranteed to make 1,300+ ponies. On the street, it'll do 0 to 60 mph (97 kph) in 2.2 seconds and complete a quarter mile in 8 seconds at 164 mph (264 kph). It'll take 3.5 seconds from 60 mph (97 kph) to 130 mph (209 kph)."This was a freaking awesome experience, man. I've never felt a Porsche like this, honestly. With each gear you go, the more boost it makes, the more power it makes. Such a wild ride, man." Javier of That Racing Channel said after the Porsche ride-along.Want to see this German sleeper rip? We recommend catching some of that action in the video. SUV 4WD Living the (camper) life in a Land Cruiser Photo: Bring a Trailer Photo: Bring a Trailer Right price at the wrong time Photo: Bring a Trailer Photo: Bring a Trailer The 200 Series Heritage Edition isn't your typical 2021 Land Cruiser. Toyota only made 1,200 of these limited-production variants, which already had a starting price of $87,845. The list of numerous upgrades over the base version includes increased cargo capacity, optional three-row seating, special nameplate badges, and Heritage-themed BBS wheels. The beefyis powered by a 5.7-liter V8 engine generating 381 horsepower, driving an 8-speedautomatic transmission. Expedition 7 a team that traveled all seven continents n old Land Cruisers took the Heritage Edition variant to another level. To prepare their trusty Toyotas for their next long journey, the team brought their SUVs to German Land Cruiser RV conversion specialists at Maltec Leichbautechnologie.The result is a unique Land Cruiser Heritage Edition the team dubbed the E7 200M series a handful of customized units sporting numerous luxurious amenities. A total of seven of these Land Cruiser camper conversions were made. Two will be used for Expedition 7's adventures, while the five other examples will be auctioned. Each custom Land Cruiser RV comes with unique graphics pertaining to various continents worldwide; the one for sale here features a Europe motif. If you think the outside still looks tame for a modified Toyota SUV, wait until you see what's inside.On the inside is where this RV-esque Land Cruiser comes to life, as it features various cabinet compartments and countertops, a thermally-insulated pop-up roof tent, and even a kitchenette. Its compact yet packed kitchen includes a portable stove, a hot water sink, titanium tableware, and a 35-liter fridge. External showers, roof-mounted solar panels, and storage lockers make up the rest of its cozy yet outdoorsy touches. Did we mention it still retains all of its off-road capabilities?Unlike conventional RVs, the 2021 Land Cruiser was made to tackle various types of rugged terrain. Thanks to its built-in CRAWL control, MTS, and KDSS systems, this converted camper can drive through and over, encumbering surfaces like sand or dirt mounds, all while still having enough room for rear passengers to feel at home quite literally.Although other SUV models might suffer from breakdowns on longer journeys, the Land Rover nameplate has been tried and tested to withstand such abuse. In fact, the Expedition 7 team even traveled over 58,000 miles in three years, driving nothing but a couple of old 78 series Land Cruisers throughout their lengthy globetrotting expeditions. The Land Cruiser E7 200M wasn't just meant to commemorate the team's achievement; it was also made to bring the technology of Toyota's dependable nameplate up to date. If a dated 70s Toyota survived such trips, then a newer 200 series equipped with sturdy, custom-built Kevlar carbon panels could undoubtedly do a better job in terms of reliability.It's not every day that people find a customized Land Cruiser RV for sale that serves as both an all-terrain special-edition vehicle and a modernized mobile home. Sure, the reinforced camper can certainly go to hell and back for its next owner, but are buyers even willing to show the same commitment in acquiring it? Unfortunately, no bidder was intrepid enough to explore past the $200,000 mark. Since its highest bid topped at just $181,000, the reserve still needs to be met, resulting in the not-so-happy camper without a new owner.After the auction ended, numerous commenters expressed surprise over how 18 total bids produced such underwhelming results, with some believing the custom RV should've gone for much higher. One claiming to have interacted with the seller suggests that the modified Land Cruiser was expected to sell for around $300,000. Another user unearthed a new listing of the exact E7 200M camper, albeit now with a $275,000 price tag. In the separate listing, the seller claims the Europe-themed E7 is the first of the custom Land Cruiser campers to go on sale. It would also be the cheapest, considering each succeeding example will be priced higher than the last.It's not unusual for sellers to expect such one-off models to command heftier prices. Maltec RV conversions like these typically cost as much as the car itself, and the 200 Series Land Cruiser Heritage Edition doesn't exactly come cheap in the first place. If that's the case, the highest bid wouldn't be enough for the seller to break even, let alone make a profit. Only time will tell if a bold traveler with pockets as deep as their passion for adventure will show up to swipe this six-figure Toyota off its feet. Until then, this converted Land Cruiser RV will have to live on its own; good thing it already has a home tucked inside it. Speaking at a cabinet session in Yerevan on Thursday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian again slammed Azerbaijan for fueling tensions in the region by setting up a checkpoint at the entrance to the Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh. He stressed that the move made by Baku on April 23 was against the Moscow-brokered agreement that put an end to a six-week Armenian-Azerbaijani war in November 2020. Under the deal signed by the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan about 2,000 Russian peacekeepers were deployed in the region, including along a five-kilometer-wide corridor linking it with Armenia. Supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenia were already severely restricted in December when a group of government-backed Azerbaijani activists blocked the road at a junction just off Stepanakert. If until recently the Lachin Corridor was closed under the pretext of a pseudo environmental protest, it has now been officially closed by Azerbaijan, Pashinian said, claiming that Azerbaijans provocative step is aimed at aggravating the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. Pashinian praised the international community for what he described as a clear assessment of Azerbaijans installation of a checkpoint in the Lachin Corridor, but stressed that Azerbaijans ulterior motives included committing ethnic cleansing and genocide of Nagorno-Karabakhs Armenians and that this should be in the center of our and international communitys attention. In their reactions to the Azerbaijani checkpoint in the Lachin Corridor the United States, France and other Western powers have voiced their concerns that it could fuel further tensions and undermine peace efforts between Yerevan and Baku. Russia also described Azerbaijans unilateral step as unacceptable. It appointed a new commander of its peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh on April 26, three days after Azerbaijan set up the checkpoint, but officially provided no reason for the replacement. Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov said that the checkpoint was set up in response to safety concerns in light of Armenias continued misuse of the road for the transport of weapons and other illegal activities. Authorities in Baku brush aside accusations from the Armenian side, insisting that when installing the border checkpoint, they acted on its sovereign territory. Any interference by the Armenian side in the issue of [Azerbaijans] opening a border checkpoint on its sovereign territory, which is an internal affair of Azerbaijan, is an encroachment on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and is contrary to the obligations assumed by Armenia in Prague and Sochi, as well as to all norms and principles of international law, Azerbaijans Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday, reacting to Pashinians remarks. Earlier, Azerbaijan pledged that necessary conditions will be created for a transparent and orderly passage of Armenian residents living in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan in both directions and that the control mechanism will be carried out in cooperation with Russian peacekeepers. The Armenian leader, meanwhile, stressed today that under the terms of the Moscow-brokered ceasefire agreement it is only the Russian peacekeepers who must control the Lachin Corridor and Azerbaijan must not obstruct free movement along the corridor. Speaking about the rights and security of Nagorno-Karabakhs Armenians, Pashinian stressed that they should become a subject of negotiations between Stepanakert and Baku in an international format. As for a possible peace accord between Armenia and Azerbaijan, it is clear that it should have a precise and effective system of mechanisms of guarantees of implementation and settling disputes, Pashinian said. There should be a clear fixation of parameters for border delimitation, and clear mechanisms of excluding any escalation should be put in place, he added. Pashinian pledged that Armenia will continue to make efforts to prevent a further escalation of the situation and reach a comprehensive settlement, but said that the need for a broader international presence in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin Corridor is becoming increasingly urgent. Azerbaijans efforts to turn Nagorno-Karabakh into a new scaffold for Armenians must be stopped, and the only reliable way of doing that is the presence of representatives having a broad international mandate in Nagorno-Karabakh. As the first step it is necessary that an urgent international fact-finding mission be sent to Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin Corridor, the Armenian leader concluded. In a statement released on Wednesday, Turkeys Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the monument glorifies figures responsible for the murders of Ottoman political and military figures, Azerbaijani officials and even some Ottoman Armenians. The unveiling of this disgraceful monument glorifies a bloody operation that paved the way for the horrendous terrorist attacks that killed 31 Turkish diplomats and their families, it said. Such provocative steps are incompatible with the spirit of the process of normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia and will in no way contribute to efforts to establish peace and stability in the region. On the contrary, they will have a negative impact on the normalization process, the Turkish ministry added. Earlier, the installation of the monument dedicated to Operation Nemesis in Yerevan was also condemned by Azerbaijan. Officials in Armenia have not yet responded to statements from Turkey and Azerbaijan regarding the monument to whom are known among Armenians as avengers. The monument was ceremonially inaugurated in Yerevans Ring Park on April 25, one day after Armenians in Armenia and around the world marked the 108th anniversary of the Ottoman-era Genocide vehemently denied by Turkey. Yerevans Deputy Mayor Tigran Avinian attended the unveiling ceremony and made remarks at the event. According to the authors of this initiative, the monument perpetuates the memory of the Armenians who took revenge on the Young Turk leaders who carried out the Armenian Genocide in 1915 and the organizers of the massacres of Armenians in Baku in 1918. Between 1920 and 1922, a clandestine cell of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) carried out seven killings, the best-known of them being the assassination of former Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire Talaat Pasha, the main orchestrator of the Armenian genocide, by Armenian Soghomon Tehlirian in March 1921 in Berlin. Tehlirian was arrested and tried by a jury in a German court and acquitted of deliberately killing Talaat Pasha who had two years before been convicted by the Ottoman Special Military Tribunal and sentenced to death in absentia for the massacre and annihilation of the Armenian population of the Empire. In early 2022, Armenia and Turkey embarked on their second attempt in the past decade or so to normalize their historically strained relations. The governments of the two countries appointed special envoys who held several rounds of negotiations aimed at paving the way for establishing diplomatic relations and opening the currently closed border. Since then Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan exchanged messages and had a phone call to discuss prospects of settling relations. Also, Armenia sent rescuers and humanitarian aid to Turkey when a devastating earthquake struck the country in February, with Ankara temporarily reopening a crossing point at the border with Armenia for the humanitarian supply. Armenia said then it expected Turkey to reopen the border permanently at least for third countries citizens and diplomats in the near future. As we reported earlier, there are proposals for meetings, and now there are also agreements, the Armenian Foreign Ministry told RFE/RLs Armenian Service. The ministry promised to inform about the specific date of such talks additionally. Maria Zakharova, an official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said earlier on Thursday that there is already an agreement to hold a trilateral ministerial meeting in Russia. She said the date of such a meeting would be announced later. The planned meeting comes amid heightened tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia. Azerbaijan set up a checkpoint on the Lachin Corridor on April 23, drawing accusations from Yerevan and Stepanakert that it violates the terms of the Moscow-brokered 2020 ceasefire agreement that ended a bloody six-week Armenian-Azerbaijani war over Nagorno-Karabakh. The deal brought about 2,000 Russian peacekeepers to the region to protect some 120,000 ethnic Armenians living there, including their free movement along a five-kilometer-wide land strip that connects Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and is known as the Lachin Corridor. Azerbaijans installation of a checkpoint, which also drew concerns from Western powers, tightened what already was an effective blockade of the region by government-backed Azerbaijani protesters since December. Speaking at a joint press conference with his visiting French counterpart Catherine Colonna in Baku today, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov claimed that Azerbaijan installed the checkpoint on the Lachin road after Yerevan ignored Bakus calls to stop illegal use of the road. The Lachin road is open and will remain open, he claimed, echoing his ministrys earlier pledge that all necessary conditions will be created for a transparent and orderly passage of Armenian residents living in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan in both directions. Speaking in Baku, Colonna called for the re-opening of the Lachin Corridor and urged Azerbaijan to comply with a relevant order by the International Court of Justice that ruled in February that the Azerbaijani government must take all measures at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. She said Azerbaijan should also take into account the positions of the United States and France regarding the matter. In separate statements on April 23, when Azerbaijan began building its checkpoint on the Lachin Corridor, Washington and Paris voiced their concerns that the development could fuel further tensions and undermine peace efforts between Yerevan and Baku. The French minister was expected to arrive in Armenia later on April 27 for meetings with the countrys leadership focused on the latest developments in the region. Before that, speaking at a cabinet session in Yerevan today, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian urged Azerbaijan and Russia to abide by the terms of the 2020 ceasefire that calls for only Russian presence and control in the Lachin Corridor. He also called for a broader international presence in Nagorno-Karabakh as the only reliable way of preventing ethnic cleansings against the regions Armenian population. While on the second leg of her tour in Yerevan Colonna was received by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian. According to an Armenian government report, during their meeting the two, in particular, stressed the need for the immediate implementation of the decision of the International Court of Justice and the need for Azerbaijan to unblock the Lachin Corridor. The Hague-based court ruled in February, two months after government-backed Azerbaijani protesters blocked the road, that Azerbaijan must take all measures at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. Azerbaijan tightened the effective blockade of the Armenian-populated region on April 23 when its border service set up a checkpoint at the entrance to the corridor from Armenia. The move came after Baku accused Armenia of shipping military cargoes into Nagorno-Karabakh, a claim denied in both Yerevan and Stepanakert. The French minister and the Armenian premier also said during their meeting that unilateral actions by Azerbaijan were unacceptable, considering that Azerbaijanis establishment of a checkpoint in the Lachin Corridor contradicted the Russia-brokered ceasefire agreement that put an end to a six-week Armenian-Azerbaijani war in 2020. Under that deal Moscow deployed around 2,000 peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh and along a five-kilometer-wide strip of land connecting the region with Armenia and known as the Lachin Corridor. Yerevan and Stepanakert insist that there should be only Russian presence in the corridor under the terms of the ceasefire. A press release by the Armenian premiers office said that Pashinian and Colonna also exchanged thoughts on issues related to the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and quoted the French minister as saying that Paris supports Yerevan in the search for a just and sustainable peace. Pashinian and Colonna also highlighted the importance of the effective activities of the EU observation mission in Armenia in the context of ensuring security and stability in the region. While visiting the Azerbaijani capital first Colonna also reportedly stressed at a joint press conference with her Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov that Azerbaijan must comply with the order by the International Court of Justice regarding the Lachin Corridor. She said that Azerbaijan should also take into account the positions of the United States and France regarding the matter. In separate statements on April 23, when Azerbaijan began building its checkpoint on the Lachin Corridor, Washington and Paris voiced their concerns that the development could fuel further tensions and undermine peace efforts between Yerevan and Baku. Bayramov, for his part, claimed that Azerbaijan installed the checkpoint on the Lachin road after Yerevan ignored Bakus calls to stop illegal use of the road. The Lachin road is open and will remain open, he claimed, echoing his ministrys earlier pledge that all necessary conditions will be created for a transparent and orderly passage of Armenian residents living in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan in both directions. While in Baku the French foreign minister was also received by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. 27 April 2023 13:15 (UTC+04:00) Qabil Ashirov Read more Establishing a border checkpoint on the conventional Armenian-Azerbaijan border at the beginning of the Lachin-Khankendi Road is a big step toward peace by Azerbaijan. From now on, we really can talk about the peace process and the reintegration of Karabakh residents of Armenian origin into Azerbaijan. First of all, the newly established checkpoint will ensure the safe zone or mine-free life in Karabakh back to the recent terrorist act committed by illegal armed groups of Armenia. In addition, although the Armenians living in Karabakh were left out of the integration process due to the influence of the Armenian authorities, the new checkpoint created conditions for a robust future for both sides. In fact, when looking at the truth, if the crimes, provocations, terrorism and genocides committed by Armenia in the last 30 years are taken into account, the integration of the Armenian society in Karabakh does not seem very convincing. Because the Armenian government has always deeply influenced the consciousness of the common people with its anti-Azerbaijani and anti-Turkish ideas. Even after the humiliating defeats in the 44-day war in 2020, the Armenian side strengthened its propaganda against Azerbaijan by misinterpreting Azerbaijan's every step of good faith. Another importance of the establishment of the checkpoint is that it also creates a sense of psychological comfort and confidence in the new residents who will live in Karabakh. Also, the new generations growing up in Karabakh will be freed from the effects of separatism and will be able to move towards development with healthy ideas for peace and security. Of course, without a doubt, all this worries the Armenian side, and for this reason, the Armenian leadership and the separatist forces that support it make groundless claims about the establishment of the checkpoint. End to drug smuggling Further, establishing the border checkpoint will hinder illegal activities, including drug and weapon smuggling by a clique of Armenians who hold local residents as hostages. It is no secret that with the help of the southern neighbor the Armenian mafia made drug plantations in the formerly occupied Karabakh to fill their pockets. Some leaking information from international and Armenian media outlets had confirmed this fact several times before the 44-day war. Surely, those plantations exist in the territories yet under the control of Armenians and Russian peacekeeping contingent. Given that drug is a disaster in the modern world, the border checkpoint will prevent the smuggling which is in favor of Armenian civilians living in Karabakh. As mentioned earlier, it is just the beginning, and we hope that Azerbaijan will not be satisfied with establishing the border checkpoint, but there will be a custom border in the future, which will surely accelerate the integration process. Of course, it is in favor of civilians in Karabakh, because it will give a lot of opportunities to them. By gaining Azerbaijani passport and Azerbaijan's trademark they will not be limited to little and poor Armenia but will have an access to the global market. However, being aware of these opportunities, unfortunately the Armenian government and its patrons are terrified to lose such a lucrative source of wealth. Their concern is not the future of people but their incomes through dirty ways. There is only one issue in the middle - people's vigilance, understanding of the truth and finally standing up and demanding their rights. As for the Armenian authorities and the forces behind it, they should understand unequivocally that Azerbaijan is able to have a full control on its sovereign territory, and the problem of all peoples living in its territory is a priority for it. Although they could not learn a full lesson from the 44-day war, Azerbaijan is always able to remind it again. --- Qabil Ashirov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @g_Ashirov Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 27 April 2023 12:00 (UTC+04:00) Sabina Mammadli Read more Talks on Armenias commitment to chum up to the West have become repetitive in the regional media in the post-war period. Although searching for better allies overseas, Yerevan doesnt fully give up on Russia, trying to juggle two balls in one hand. Despite such obvious duplicity, some Western decision-makers seem to be easily fooled and indulge Armenia in its childish whims. Here, the recent outburst of the Western states against Azerbaijans sovereign right to establish checkpoints on the border with Armenia and their condemnation of the alleged blockade on the Lachin-Khankandi road indicate where they stand on the diplomatic agenda. While imposing sanctions against Russia for its war in Ukraine, the West not only remains silent against the bloody war crimes committed by Armenia but even proposes closer, more intimate ties with it. In this vein, Swedish MP Bjorn Soder has suggested introducing a visa-free regime in the EU for Armenia against the backdrop of its "desire to break ties with Russia". Currently, there are great opportunities for Armenia to join Europe and accept the country into the European family to which it belongs, he added. Whether the Swedish official was trying to get to Russia in this way, or perhaps send a signal to Turkiye, with which it has had its own contradictions, is not entirely clear. In a comment to Azernews, British journalist Neil Watson noted the fact that such a statement of the MP comes only two days after his call for recognition of the so-called Armenian genocide. In my view, the root of this call for Armenia to be accepted into the European family of nations is solely attributable to the successes of Armenian propaganda from its diaspora, most notably in terms of representing its struggles in religious terms, Watson emphasised. The journalist also underlined that Swedish Islamophobia is rife and this stance very much appeals to the electorate. Also, it is true that it is a tool against Russia. Armenia and Belarus have been the two strongest pro-Russian post-Soviet states. As Armenia under Pashinyan could potentially move further away from the Kremlin, particularly when a peace deal is signed with Azerbaijan, this could be the time for the EU to capitalise on this and bring Armenia closer as an EU satellite in the South Caucasus, he added. The journalist also expressed that he doesnt seriously believe that the EU sees any great opportunities in Armenia. It is an impoverished country with no resources that has been solely reliant on Russia for 30 years since occupying 20 per cent of Azerbaijani territory, he finalized. --- Sabina Mammadli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SabinaMmdl Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Lawmakers pass the Nursing Act during a plenary session at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap The opposition-controlled National Assembly on Thursday passed the Nursing Act aimed at defining the roles and responsibilities of nurses in a clearer manner amid fierce opposition from the ruling party and doctors. The bill was approved in a plenary session with 179 votes in favor and two abstentions out of 181 lawmakers present. All but two members of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), which has opposed the bill, boycotted the vote and walked out of the chamber en masse before voting began. The bill is aimed at stipulating the roles and responsibilities of nurses, as the Medical Service Act only states without laying out specific roles that nurses must perform medical assistance under the guidance of a medical doctor. The bill also aims to improve the working conditions of nurses. But doctors and other critics, especially practical nurses, have opposed the revision and threatened to go on strike upon its passage, arguing the legislation is aimed only at ensuring the interests of nurses while nursing assistants could be discriminated against. The PPP has said it would ask President Yoon Suk Yeol to veto the bill. (Yonhap) 27 April 2023 17:21 (UTC+04:00) Qabil Ashirov Read more The chairman of Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) Rovshan Rustamov had a meeting with the general director of Russian Railways JSC Oleg Belozerov in Moscow, Azernews reports, citing ADY. ADY said that the meeting discussed the development prospects of cooperation in the field of transit cargo transportation between the two countries, in particular, the joint action plan on the North-South route. At the meeting, views were exchanged on the competitiveness of the relevant route and the involvement of additional cargo volumes. In particular, the plan of proposals related to the optimization of transit time between the two countries, the digitalization of document circulation, and the synchronization of operations on routes were widely discussed. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 27 April 2023 11:11 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more Famous designer Gulnara Khalilova has demonstrated her collection of national costumes in Serbia. The three-day event was organized within the Days of Azerbaijani Culture in Belgrade with the support of the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY) and the Azerbaijani Embassy in Serbia, Azernews reports. Gulnara Khalilova's collection of Karabakh national costumes was shown at Madlena Art Palace within the project "Odlar Yurdu, Azrbaycan- Azerbaijan, the Land of Fire". The exposition aroused great interest among the guests of the event. "The guests were very interested in the Azerbaijani culture and traditions. Karabakh clothes have a special place in Azerbaijan's rich cultural heritage. The culture of Karabakh clothing is an integral part of our national, spiritual and material values. Each sample of the collection represents a separate region of Karabakh with its own special ornaments and patterns, special elements that reflect artistic features. At the same time, the collection is stylized in accordance with modern requirements," the designer said. Gulnara Khalilova is the head of the Center of Azerbaijan's National Clothes. She has a PhD in art history. Gulnara Khalilova is a member of the Eurasian Association of Ethnodesigners. Her fashion collections have been successfully demonstrated at fashion weeks and international events in the USA, Great Britain, Sweden, Austria, Romania, Turkiye, Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Bulgaria, Norway and other countries. Fascinating concert programs were organized within the Days of the Azerbaijani Culture. At the same time, the guests enjoyed Azerbaijani mugham and dancers and viewed carpets and samples of gurama (patchwork) art. The visitors were informed about the Azerbaijani culture, history, modern lifestyle and realities. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 27 April 2023 11:35 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more Baku Museum Center will showcase Abulfaz Farajoglu's art works on May 12. His personal exhibition "Starting Point" will feature 16 graphic and 91 paintings, which combine tradition and modernity, Azernews reports. For almost forty years, the eminent artist has fascinated art lovers with his paintings and graphic works. Since the aesthetics of the artist's art works is constantly being updated, his art pieces in various genres have always been in the center of public attention. Abulfaz Farajoglu's avant-garde art pieces reflect various events, motifs, images, landscapes in a slightly different format, which is original artistic stylizations. The 67-year-old artist was born in Nakhchivan. He graduated from the Azim Azimzade Art School. Since 1984, he has been a member of the Union of the Azerbaijani Artists. In 2005, he was elected a member of the International Association of Art. In 1981-1994, he worked as a teacher at the Nakhchivan School of Arts. In 1997-2020, he taught at various educational institutions in Turkiye. His personal exhibitions have been successfully presented within various projects in Ukraine, Germany, Turkiye, Russia, UAE, USA, Japan, Denmark, Bulgaria, France, Poland, Italy, Belgium, China, Iran, etc. Media partners of the event are Azernews.Az, Trend.Az, Day.Az, Milli.Az. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 27 April 2023 08:30 (UTC+04:00) Rena Murshud Read more "The murder of a person close to the supreme religious leader is not an ordinary incident. Especially, the assassination of a cleric is a direct message from Khamenei, and can also be called the result of factional strife within the government." This was told by the political analyst Tural Aliyev in a comment for Azernews, while discussing some mysterious moments behind the assassination of Ayatollah Abbas Ali Soleimani. "Because one of the reasons for the beginning of the protest wave, which began in September last year, was the spread in the media of the news about the death of Khamenei. Whenever such news was disseminated, rallies immediately begin in Iran," he added. According to him, Khamenei is trying to bring his son to throne, but this is a very difficult process. There are forces that do not want his leadership, and information is either covertly or overtly leaked to the highest part of the government. Therefore, the person who comes after Khamenei, regardless of his personality, will not be able to preserve the integrity of Iran. But there is a question. Did this incident take place inside the regime or there are foreign forces that are against them? In response to this, political analyst, head of the Middle East think tank Sadraddin Soltan said that terrorism is the backbone of the Iranian government. "This event can be called a boomerang justifying the terrorism committed by Iran in other countries. From the terrorist attack in September 1980, which resulted in the death of the Iran's former president Mohammad-Ali Rajai, and the prime minister of Iran Mohammad-Javad Bahonar, we can testify to the terrorism committed until today that this incident is neither the first nor the last. Iran blamed all of them on foreign forces. Sadraddin Soltan added that armed groups operate in Sistan and Balochistan. "Judging by the repeated attacks on officials and official institutions of Iran, it can be assumed that this is their work. Although the perpetrator was arrested, his identity has not been released yet," he added. Soltan also emphasized that Iran constantly ascribes such plots to countries it does not like, and blames them for such incidents. "As I said earlier, the identity of the perpetrator is never investigated. Even if it is investigated, the Iranian regime will present it in a way that is beneficial to it," he concluded. --- Follow Rena Murshud on Twitter: @RenaTagiyeva Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 26 April 2023 17:53 (UTC+04:00) Today, Azerbaijan's State Border Services have solemnly inaugurated the newly installed checkpoint at the Lachin road with the flag raising. According to Azernews, during the ceremony, the guard commander has saluted the state border services personnel and presented the flag of Azerbaijan for raising. Then national anthem of Azerbaijan was played. To recap, in order to prevent the illicit transfer of manpower, ammunition, mines, as well as other military equipment from Armenia to illegal Armenian armed groups on the territory of Azerbaijan, as well as as a response to the fact that on April 22, Armenia unilaterally, contrary to the tripartite statement of November 10, 2020 established a border checkpoint on the border with Azerbaijan at the entrance to the Lachin-Khankendi road. Thus, on April 23 at 12:00, units of the State Border Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan installed a border checkpoint on the sovereign territories of our country, on the border with Armenia, at the beginning of the Lachin-Khankendi road. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 27 April 2023 10:50 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijani Defense Ministry carries out training classes to improve the combat skills of infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) crews, Azernews reports per the ministry. According to the training plan for 2023, approved by Azerbaijani Defense Minister Col-Gen Zakir Hasanov, the IFV crews performed practical drills on driving and shooting. Overcoming various obstacles in difficult terrain, the tasks on driving combat vehicles, as well as on shooting from armored vehicles were successfully accomplished. The main objectives of the classes are to develop the individual skills of military personnel and further increase the combat capability of the units. Azerbaijan periodically holds drills to improve the combat readiness of the military personnel. The drills also aim to improve interaction and combat coordination between the servicemen during operations, as well as to develop commanders' military decision-making and unit management skills. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 27 April 2023 15:46 (UTC+04:00) Sabina Mammadli Read more An agreement on a meeting between the foreign ministers of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia has been reached, Spokesperson for Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said. She made the remarks during a weekly briefing. Zakharova noted that a specific date will be announced later. Speaking about the mediation process of the Armenian-Azerbaijani ties, the spokesperson stressed that the US and the EU representatives, in particular France, have failed applications for the role of "honest broker" in the process of Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization. "Attempts by French and American colleagues to convince everyone that they are guided solely by the interests of achieving peace in the South Caucasus are disavowed by their regular anti-Russian attacks," she added. Zakharova said that the statements reinforce the feeling that the real aspirations of Washington and Paris are opportunistic, politicized and aimed at undermining the position of Russia, noting that concern for the fate of the peoples of the region is not included in their plans. Besides, she emphasized the fundamental importance of official Yerevan to contribute to the search for mutually acceptable solutions. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 27 April 2023 16:21 (UTC+04:00) In this article, I will touch upon the processes/procedures required in connection with liquidation of a company, branch or representative office of a foreign company in Azerbaijan (hereinafter referred to as the "Entity), as well as statutory periods/terms related to the liquidation. 1) Procedure - Issuing official statement on creditworthiness of the Entity before all creditors for a period of 12 months (declaring assets and debts) Timeline: Maximum 20 days prior to the issue of the decision on liquidation of the Entity (the liquidation decision). At this stage, audit report of independent auditor may be requested as the case may be to confirm that assets of the Entity may cover all debts. 2) Procedure - Adopting the liquidation decision and establishment of the liquidation commission Effective from this date, the Entity can only operate within the framework of the liquidation process and cannot deal with any activity other than related to the liquidation. All authorities of the Entitys director pass to the liquidation commission. 3) Procedure - Publication of first official information on the terms and order of notifying on the claims of all creditors Timeline: Within 10 days upon establishment of the liquidation commission Re-publication of the same information is required twice with 15-20 days interval. 4) Procedure - Official application to the registration authority (of the State Tax Services) to record the information that the Entity is in the liquidation process Timeline: Within 15 days upon establishment of the liquidation commission The followings need to be submitted to the registration authority: The liquidation decision; Official statement confirming creditworthiness; Proof of confirming publication of first official information on the terms and order of notifying on the claims of all creditors; Stamp of the Branch Office. If all the documents are in place, the registration authority inserts the relevant information into the State registry within 5 days upon submission. Thereafter the new stamp with the note in liquidation process needs to be obtained. The name of the Entity will appear in the State registry with the note in liquidation process. 5) Procedure - Submission of creditors claims Timeline: Not less than 60 days from the date of the first official information as described herein. The liquidation commission must take all necessary actions to find out all creditors and to collect all debtor payments, send notices to all known creditors, apply to all relevant state authorities to find out the existence of debts to state budget (related to mandatory payments, social insurance contributions, insurance payments for unemployment, compulsory medical insurance payments etc.) 6) Procedure - Drawing up an interim liquidation balance (which includes information about the structure of the assets, list of the remaining creditor claims and debtors list) Timeline: Within 10 days upon expiry of the term regarding the claims of creditors 7) Procedure - Payment of all claims to the creditors in accordance with the interim liquidation balance in a sequential manner 8) Procedure - Drawing up a report reflecting the liquidation balance Timeline: Within 5 days upon settlement with all the creditors 9) Procedure - Approval of liquidation balance and report Timeline: Within 45 days upon issuance 10) Procedure - Submission of remaining assets to the parent company (to the head office) Timeline: Within 10 days upon approval of the liquidation balance 11) Procedure - Submission of all remaining documents to the State archive on the basis of the handover act 12) Procedure - Submission of an application to the registration authority (the State Tax Service) for final registration of liquidation Timeline: Within 10 days upon submission of remaining assets The followings need to be submitted to the registration authority: Liquidation decision; Liquidation balance approved by the tax authority; Information about the latest tax audit; Originals of the corporate documents of the Entity and stamp with the note in liquidation process; Handover act related to the documents given to the State archive; Document confirming that information on liquidation process was published in press. 13) Procedure - Registration of the Entitys liquidation with the State registry Timeline: 7 days upon submission of an application It should be noted that the general term of the liquidation process must not exceed a period of more than a year from the date of insertion of the information as to the liquidation into the State registry. Expiry of one year period leads to the restart of the liquidation process. It should also be emphasized that the tax audit (extraordinary) may be conducted by tax authorities in connection with the liquidation. As described, the liquidation of the Entity in Azerbaijan consists of complex procedures and engagement of professional service providers is strongly recommended once the decision is made on the liquidation. About the author: Fuad Gashamov is a professional lawyer with over 12 years of experience in consulting industry. He mainly specializes in dispute resolution, real estate, contracts, regulatory, intellectual property and compliance. He is the founding partner at Legalize Law Firm. He is a member of the Bar Association since 2014. For more information about the author please see the following link: https://www.legalize.az/en/team/fuadgashamov --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 27 April 2023 08:07 (UTC+04:00) The Aerospace and Technology Festival (TEKNOFEST) will be held from April 27 through May 1 at the Istanbul Ataturk Airport in Turkiye. The prize fund of the festival, which will host 41 main competitions in 102 categories, is more than 13 million liras ($670,000), and financial support in the amount of more than 30 million liras ($1.54 million) will be provided. The first Turkish unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) Bayraktar KIZILELMA will also be presented at the festival. The KIZILELMA and AKINCI UCAVs manufactured by the Turkish Baykar company landed at Ataturk Airport on April 25. TEKNOFEST is Turkiye's first and only aerospace and technology festival organized with the partnership of many organizations that play a critical part in the development of national technology in Turkiye. By hosting many activities such as technology competitions, air shows, concerts, interviews and events on various topics, the festival aims to increase the interest in technology in society and to raise awareness about Turkiye's transformation into a society that produces and develops technology. Within the scope of TEKNOFEST, technology competitions in various disciplines and categories are organized for hundreds of thousands of young people to realize their dreams. Last year, the festival was held in Baku on May 26-29. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 27 April 2023 16:39 (UTC+04:00) By News Center Not many people remember that Turkiye built the MKE Krkkale 1943 tank 80 years ago, in an environment where the Second World War was still going on. It is not well known that that tank, where only the engine came from outside and critical components such as armor plate, gun, track, and drivetrain were produced entirely with domestic means, made a parade in 1946 at the Republic Day ceremony. Unfortunately, like many critical steps that Turkiye took at that time, tank attempts were left unfinished. After the help of the USA, reluctance prevailed, and MKE Krkkale 1943 was left alone because MKE did not receive an order. Then the team disbanded, and the factory was closed. Altay tank: the embodiment of embargoes When we met with the head of Defense Industry Agency (SSB) Prof. Dr Ismail Demir at the delivery ceremony of the new generation Altay tank to the Turkish Armed Forces, we had in mind what happened in the 1940s. As a matter of fact, even if not exactly the same, there was a very painful process for the Altay tank, and this giant platform was perhaps one of Turkiye's most long-term projects. According to the news by Sertac Aksan in TRT News, after the Altay tanks exhibited some of their capabilities on the test track, SSB President Demir, one of the architects of the project, made important statements. Demir gave a clear answer to our question, "Why did it take so long?" and said, "The Altay tank is the embodiment of the embargoes against Turkiye." Things turned upside down in the mass production phase Reminding that everything was smooth at the prototype stage, Prof. Dr. Demir pointed out that serious problems started to be experienced with the transition to the mass production phase. He reminded us that the absence of export permits at some critical points, especially the power package, also coincided with this period. Explaining that Turkiye has moved to a new road map at this stage and that it has gone out to tender in order to create its own power group with domestic/national resources, Ismail Demir said that this time the companies that signed for joint work had to withdraw due to the pressures of the governments in their own countries. The opposing companies withdrew at the expense of paying compensation. In fact, if the promises were kept at that time, the issue of delivering the tank would have become reality after 18 months, Demir summarized the process. Work continues on the domestic engine has been mounted tank Engine, transmission, and cooling systems are generally handled together in tanks and this is called a power group. One of the most curious subjects about the Altay tank is the domestic power group. It is known that both tanks delivered to the Turkish Armed Forces for tests have a power group from South Korea. In this context, we ask about the latest situation in the domestic power group BATU, whose work continues by BMC Power. Dr. To Ismail Demir. Demir reiterates that BATU's tests are still continuing and "BATU doesn't just work in the test room. This system is already working in a test tank. We will announce the news that our tank is running with the domestic power pack," and gives the good news that new developments are on the way for the new generation Altay tank in the coming period. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz This combination of pictures created on April 26, shows Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy leaving from 10 Downing Street in central London on Feb. 8, after meeting with Britain's Prime Minister, and China's President Xi Jinping attending a meeting with Russian Prime Minister in Moscow on March 21. AFP-Yonbhap Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke to Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday for the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, fulfilling a longstanding goal of Kyiv which had publicly sought such talks for months. Zelenskyy, describing the hour-long phone call as "long and meaningful", signaled the importance of the chance to open closer relations with Russia's most powerful friend, naming a former cabinet minister as Ukraine's new ambassador to Beijing. Xi told Zelenskyy that China would send special representatives to Ukraine and hold talks with all parties seeking peace, Chinese state media reported. Zelenskyy said in an evening video address that there was "an opportunity to use China's political power to reinforce the principles and rules that peace should be built upon." "Ukraine and China, like the absolute majority of the world, are equally interested in the strength of the sovereignty of nations and territorial integrity," he said. Zelenskyy also said Xi had expressed "words of support" for the extension of a deal to export Ukrainian grain from its Black Sea ports. Moscow has said the pact will not be renewed beyond May 18 unless the West removes obstacles to Russian grain and fertilizer exports. Xi, the most powerful leader to have refrained from denouncing Russia's invasion, visited Moscow last month. Since February, he has promoted a 12-point peace plan, greeted skeptically by the West but cautiously welcomed by Kyiv as a sign of Chinese interest in ending the war. China will focus on promoting peace talks, and make efforts for a ceasefire as soon as possible, Xi told Zelenskyy, according to the Chinese state media reports. "As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible major country, we will neither sit idly by, nor pour oil on fire, still less seek to profit from it," Xi said. The White House welcomed the call but said it was too soon to tell whether it would lead to a peace deal. French President Emmanuel Macron's office said he had pushed Xi to hold the call with Zelenskyy during a visit to Beijing this month. Deputy Director of Department of Eurasia of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Yu Jun, left, speaks during a news conference after Chinese President Xi Jinping had a phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Beijing, April 26. AP-Yonhap The 14-month war is at a juncture, with Ukraine preparing to launch a counteroffensive following a Russian winter offensive that made only incremental advances despite bloody fighting. There are no peace talks in sight, with Kyiv demanding Russia withdraw its troops and Moscow insisting Ukraine must recognize its claims to have annexed seized territory. "There can be no peace at the expense of territorial compromises," Zelenskyy said in a Twitter post on Wednesday. "The territorial integrity of Ukraine must be restored within the 1991 borders." Ukrainian officials have long urged Beijing to use its influence in Russia to help end the war. Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a "no limits" partnership agreement weeks before Putin ordered the invasion. Since then, China has denounced sanctions against Moscow but has held back from openly supporting the invasion. China has also become Russia's biggest economic partner, buying up oil that can no longer be sold in Europe. Following Wednesday's call, Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: "We note the readiness of the Chinese side to make efforts to establish a negotiation process." Washington has said in recent months it was worried about China providing weapons or ammunition to Russia, although Beijing denies any such plans. China says it is positioned to help mediate because it has not taken sides. "What China has done to help resolve the Ukraine crisis has been above board," said Yu Jun, deputy head of the foreign ministry's Eurasian department. Western countries say China's peace proposal is too vague, offers no concrete path out of the war, and could be used by Putin to promote a truce that would leave his forces in control of occupied territory while they regroup. (Reuters) 27 April 2023 21:15 (UTC+04:00) Sudans army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, gave initial approval to the regional African bloc Intergovernmental Authority on Developments (IGAD) proposal to extend a truce for 72 hours and send an army envoy to the south Sudan capital, Juba, for talks, an army statement said on Wednesday. The proposal suggests sending both an army and Rapid Support Forces envoys to Juba to discuss the details. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 27 April 2023 17:31 (UTC+04:00) By News Center Foreign Minister Cavusoglu made a video phone call with the convoy that will be evacuated to Turkiye via Egypt due to the clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan since April 15. "So far, 1,500 people, 1,383 of whom are our citizens, have been evacuated," Cavusoglu said. According to the information provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mevlut Cavusoglu, who closely followed the evacuation process from Sudan, spoke on the phone with the citizens to be evacuated via Egypt. Expressing that he greets all citizens from Antalya with love, Cavusoglu said, "We wish you a safe journey. I hope you arrive in Cairo without any accident. I hope you return to our country in good health." Stating that the Turkish authorities take good care of its citizens, Cavusoglu said, "We did not leave our citizens alone, and we will not leave them. We look forward to seeing you". So far, 1,500 people, 1,383 of whom are Turkish citizens, have been evacuated from Sudan. Clashes in Sudan Armed clashes broke out between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary force RSF on the morning of April 15 in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, and other cities. The disagreement between the army and the RSF regarding the military security reform, which envisages "the full participation of the RSF in the army", had turned into a hot conflict in the last few months. Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sovereignty Council Chairman and Army Commander General Abdulfettah al-Burhan announced that he had decided to dissolve the RSF, which clashed with the army, and to declare a rebel force against the state, and that it would be acted upon on this basis. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Bakersfield, CA (93308) Today Cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High around 65F. SSW winds shifting to WNW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 48F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning gestures during a daily briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Beijing, April 24. AP-Yonhap China warned Washington and Seoul against "provoking confrontation" with North Korea on Thursday, after President Joe Biden and his South Korean counterpart said Pyongyang would face the "end" of its leadership if it uses its nuclear arsenal. "All parties should face up to the crux of the (Korean) peninsula issue and play a constructive role in promoting a peaceful settlement of the issue," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said. She urged against "deliberately stirring up tensions, provoking confrontation and playing up threats". At a summit in Washington, Biden and Yoon Suk Yeol made clear that if the isolated dictatorship in North Korea attacked the South or the United States, the response would be devastating. Evacuees from Sudan, disembark from a British military plane after their arrival at Larnaca airport, Cyprus, Thursday. Around 140 people including British and other citizens from European Union countries, arrived in Cyprus after being evacuated from Sudan. AP-Yonhap More than 3,500 people, including hundreds of Turkish nationals, have arrived in Ethiopia after fleeing heavy fighting in Sudan, an official from the UN's International Organization for Migration told AFP. The United Nations has warned that the violence could force as many as 270,000 people to seek refuge in neighbouring South Sudan and Chad, while others have fled to Egypt and Ethiopia. "Between April 21 and April 25, more than 3,500 arrivals have been recorded from over 35 nationalities," Eric Mazango, communications officer for the IOM in Ethiopia, told AFP in an email received Thursday. "Of the total arrivals recorded, the largest group are Turkish nationals at more than 40 percent, followed by Ethiopians at 14 percent," he said, with the number of refugees shooting up from 200 late last week to 1,300 on Tuesday. The fighting between Sudanese troops and paramilitaries erupted on April 15, with hundreds of people killed, while civilians are suffering from severe shortages of water, food, medicine and fuel. "IOM Ethiopia has received several requests from embassies for reception and transportation assistance for about 700 third-country nationals arriving on the Ethiopian side of the Sudan border," Mazango said. He added that IOM officials were arranging transport from the border town of Metema to the cities of Gondar and Addis Ababa to manage the increase in arrivals. (AFP) Pushed by Beaufort County School Superintendant Matthew Cheeseman, the Beaufort County School Board is trying to fast track a new math curriculum that is closely aligned with the highly controversial Common Core. Parents across the state have been fighting to remove the confusing Common Core from schools for years, seeing that it is compromising the mathematical ability of their children. The Math Learning Center boasts on its wevsite that it Bridges math curriculum is closely aligned with Common Core. Speakers at the last school board meeting who had researched the Bridges curriculum on the internet also revealed that it contained some "woke" elements injected into its math curriculum. It was also reported that teachers at the two local schools that perform best in math scores in standardized tests are opposed to the Bridges curriculum. Cheeseman is fast tracking this curriculum without giving school board members, parents, or the public time to examine it. That is an arrogant and undemocratic approaach. The vote on this math curriculum is set for next Tuesday's meeting that starts at 5:30 at the school board's meeting room at the old PS Jones school. Apr. 26, 2023 HHS whistleblower Tara Lee Rodas testified today in front of the house Judiciary Committee. Rodas told Congress that today in the United States children will work at slaughter houses, factories, and restaurants to pay their debt to the smugglers, traffickers and cartels. And The US Government has become the middleman in a large scale multi-billion dollar child trafficking operation, run by bad actors seeking to profit off the lives of children. https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/04/the-biden-legacy-hhs-whistleblower-tara-lee-rodas-tells-congress-biden-administration-is-middleman-in-multi-billion-dollar-migrant-child-trafficking-operation/ WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to hear arguments from oil companies on why a series of lawsuits claiming they should be held liable for damages caused by climate change should be moved to federal court. The decision is likely to leave close to 20 lawsuits against companies including Exxon Mobil, Chevron, BP and Royal Dutch Shell in state courts, venues attorneys for the oil sector have persistently been trying to avoid for years. Marco Simons, an attorney with the environmental group EarthRights, who is representing local governments in Colorado in a case against Exxon and the Canadian oil company Suncor, said the decision "brings these communities one step closer to holding fossil fuel companies accountable for their misconduct." "This case is not about changing national climate policy its about accountability for the climate harms in Colorado that companies like Exxon and Suncor are responsible for, Simons said in a statement. Oil companies had sought to move the cases out of state court under the reasoning that greenhouse gas emissions are allowed under federal law. With that legal strategy seemingly closed, oil companies are now facing the prospect of defending themselves in multiple jurisdictions against climate claims that could add up to tens of billions of dollars. "We will continue to fight these suits, which are a waste of time and resources and do nothing to address climate change," a spokesman for Exxon said. "Todays decision has no impact on our focus to invest billions of dollars to leading the way in a thoughtful energy transition that takes the world to net-zero carbon emissions. As is custom, the Supreme Court did not explain why it would not hear the cases. The court did say that Justice Samuel Alito had recused himself on two of the five climate cases in which requests for hearings have been filed with the court. The ruling follows a statement by the Biden administration last month rejecting oil companies argument that the state and local cases should be heard in federal court. Acting on a request for input from the Supreme Court, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar wrote that the United States has reexamined its position and has concluded that state law claims like those pleaded here should not be recharacterized as claims arising under federal common law. NEW ORLEANS (AP) He is a senior at 16. His grade point average is 4.98. Even before graduating from high school, he has earned 27 college credits and, perhaps the most impressive numbers of all, he has scholarship offers from around 130 colleges and universities that, as of Thursday, totaled more than $9 million. Dennis Maliq Barnes achievements at the International High School of New Orleans are a source of pride for school administrators who are looking into whether Barnes has set a record for scholarship offers. But it wasn't a record he was looking for as he piled up around 200 applications to colleges around the nation. It was about making sure he had plenty of options. Boerne, Texas-based Catharina Hunter was sentenced to eight years in prison for practicing medicine without a license, local news station KSAT reported April 27. Ms. Hunter charged patients up to $20,000 for alternative medical treatments, including autohemo perfusion-minor, which involves taking blood from the arm of a patient, filtering and sterilizing it, and pumping it back into the other arm. She was also accused of using provider information belonging to a Chicago pediatric surgeon with a similar name. She was originally charged with three counts of practicing without a medical license in February 2019 and was indicted on fraud charges in 2021. Ms. Hunter was sentenced to two years in prison for fraudulent use of information and eight years for fraudulent securing of a document. Her two sentences will run concurrently, according to the report. Nashville-based US Heart & Vascular announced a partnership with Wichita-based Heartland Cardiology, marking its first expansion into Kansas. Heartland Cardiology is a physician practice, founded in 1994, with a focus on preventative care, electrophysiology services, diagnostic testing and curative procedures, according to an April 27 news release. Heartland is now the first Kansas partner practice for US Heart & Vascular, which has seven other partnerships across Arizona and Texas. USHV was founded in 2021 and is a national provider of support services for cardiovascular physician practices. Bushra Sulieman, MD, a practicing gastroenterologist at Mercy Iowa City's Gastroenterology Clinic, was stabbed to death in Sudan, according to an April 27 report from ABC affiliate KCRG. Dr. Sulieman lived in Sudan but frequently traveled to Mercy Iowa City (Iowa) to perform surgeries. He has been a physician at the hospital since February 2021. He was reportedly killed during ongoing violence in the African country while taking his father to dialysis. Leaders at Mercy Iowa City confirmed Dr. Sulieman's death on April 27. "Dr. Sulieman was a well-respected gastroenterologist, surgeon and colleague and he will be greatly missed," Tom Clancy, PhD, RN, Mercy Iowa City president and CEO, told KCRG. "We extend our deepest condolences to his family and will keep them in our prayers." Retail giant Amazon has been making significant strides into the healthcare industry, but not without some defeat the company has thus far shut down three of its healthcare offerings. Halo Most recently, Amazon said it would shutter Halo, its health and fitness device line, starting July 31. The company did not explain why it decided to shut down this business, but said all of the platforms associated with it, such as the Halo devices and app, will no longer function after Aug. 1. In addition, employees working with the line will be laid off. The company only operated for three years. Amazon Care Amazon also decided to cease operations of Amazon Care on Dec. 31, 2022. Neil Lindsay, senior vice president of Amazon Health Services, said this was due to service not living up to its expectations for its enterprise customers, which included Whole Foods, Hilton, Silicon Labs and Precor. Amazon Care originally launched in 2019 and only operated for two years. Prior to its shutdown, medical professionals told The Washington Post that Amazon ignored their concerns about its approach to healthcare delivery. For example, a former telehealth nurse alleged that Amazon Care asked staff to get licensed in multiple states, which led clinicians to lose track of state regulations. Christina Smith, an Amazon spokesperson, countered, stating that Amazon Care had a team dedicated to keeping track of local regulations. The shutdown also caused 159 Amazon Care employees to lose their jobs, as well as 236 employees from standalone company Care Medical. Care Medical employees were in charge of treating Amazon Care patients. Haven One of Amazon's first forays into healthcare, Haven, a joint endeavor with JPMorgan and Berkshire Hathaway, also disbanded after only three years. Haven was designed to lower costs for the companies' employees and improve the primary care experience. Although the direct cause of Haven's shutdown is unknown, people familiar with the matter said the three founding companies were conducting their own projects with their own employees and didn't really collaborate, according to CNBC. Brooke Thurston, a spokesperson for Haven, told CNBC that the company made good progress exploring new healthcare solutions, and each company would use the insights learned from Haven to explore their own projects. As the nation's continuous Medicaid enrollment policy unwinds, hospitals and health systems are preparing for redeterminations and could encounter millions of newly uninsured patients. Congress enacted the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in early 2020, which set into motion continuous Medicaid/Children's Health Insurance Program enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic. States have received increased federal funding in exchange for pausing disenrollments, and under the continuous enrollment provision, Medicaid/CHIP enrollment increased by 21.2 million enrollees, or 29.8 percent, from February 2020 to December 2022. This provision was initially tied to the national COVID-19 public health emergency, which is slated to end May 11. But in December, Congress decoupled the PHE from the continuous enrollment provision, meaning states could resume determining who is and isn't eligible for Medicaid starting April 1. Now, millions of Americans are slated to lose Medicaid coverage by June 2024. The process will particularly affect states that haven't expanded Medicaid (or states that saw large upticks in enrollment during the pandemic). Estimates of how many people will be disenrolled from Medicaid vary. HHS estimates around 15 million could lose coverage. An April 26 analysis from Kaiser Family Foundation estimated between 8 million and 24 million people will be disenrolled, based on estimates reported by state agencies. The Urban Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation predict that Utah will have the highest share of members disenrolled, followed by Indiana. Fourteen states, including Indiana, will see more than 20 percent of their Medicaid beneficiaries lose coverage, according to the analysis. With this in mind, Becker's reached out to hospitals and health systems in these states to see how they are preparing for redeterminations. Indianapolis-based Indiana University Health is in an expansion state that the Urban Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation predict will see estimated enrollment drop from 1,897,000 to 1,364,000 by June 2024. IU Health told Becker's it is providing personal assistance to Medicaid members on how to keep their benefits or find new health coverage. "Financial counselors are available at all IU Health hospitals and cancer center locations as well as community outreach events, including a free benefits health fair in Indianapolis on April 29," the health system said, adding that the fair is organized by four Indianapolis churches that are partnering to support healthy communities in predominantly Black neighborhoods. In Florida, K. Scott Wester serves as president and CEO of Hollywood-based Memorial Healthcare System, a public, nonprofit hospital system governed by the South Broward Hospital District Board of Commissioners. He joined the system last year after working in Louisiana, which has expanded Medicaid. Florida has not. The Urban Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation predict that Florida will see about 1 million people disenrolled during the redetermination process. Mr. Wester told Becker's the Florida Department of Children and Families and the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration have worked to make the process of redeterminations as easy as possible. "Everybody is trying to collectively figure it out," he said. "If you can auto-enroll someone based on information the state can gather by its systems and through technology, that's the easiest course. "And it'll be interesting to see what percentage will be auto-reenrolled, and that can be 80 percent, 90 percent [statewide], but it's going to be hopefully above 80 percent." In January, Florida reported processing between 25 and 50 percent of Medicaid renewals through an automatic "ex parte" process, according to Kaiser Family Foundation. There are also those who will not be able to auto-reenroll based on income changes or other factors. But, in any circumstance, preparation will be key, according to Mr. Wester. "As long as individuals do some work or preparation on the front end, it enables it to be a lot easier to see if they're eligible or not eligible," he said. Meanwhile, Memorial Healthcare System has focused on educating people about the redetermination process and working to assist people with their enrollment package, Mr. Wester said. "If they're not able to be enrolled, then how do we then help them to look at other alternative coverage? And that's a whole different box of opportunity, too," he said, adding that individuals in that group may be eligible for Medicare or to go on the ACA exchanges. "Knowing our provider-sponsored network, we'll have good analytics that we'll be able to use from a health plan perspective. But then our teams will be organizing to see if we can do as much of it [as possible] when people actually present themselves for some level of clinical care." Still, Mr. Wester acknowledged that redeterminations will be a long-term process involving various groups over the next couple of quarters. "Every state is going to go through this process," he said. "I've been very impressed with how Florida is doing this, and I think as much as they can to make this as easy as possible for such a large group of individuals. For organizations like Memorial Healthcare System, we'll work very closely with those individuals when they come for care. And we'll take care of anybody who needs to be taken care of. That's part of who we are and our mission and our values of what we do in this community. And hopefully we'll be able to provide additional resources if individuals need that." Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford Health has been preparing for the end of Medicaid continuous coverage almost since the beginning of the COVID-19 public health emergency, Martha Leclerc, vice president of corporate contracting, told Becker's. The system operates 300-plus locations across Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. Around 1 in 4 Medicaid recipients in Minnesota and North Dakota could lose coverage, according to the Urban Institute's estimates. Sanford Health's service area includes some of the lowest-income counties in the U.S., Ms. Leclerc said, with patients spread across thousands of miles. "It is a big challenge for us to make sure that we are connecting with our patients and making sure they know what their options are," Ms. Leclerc said. "Because, in the end, if they lose their coverage, they are not likely to come in for preventive care, their diagnosis progresses, it gets worse, and in the end, it will cost more to the system, to the state, and it will result in worse health outcomes." Tony Morrison, vice president of revenue cycle at Sanford Health, said the system has around 226,000 Medicaid-covered lives. "Whether it's from the time they call and inquire about an appointment, when they make the appointment, when we start the pre-registration process, all the way until they show up at our door, we're going to check that eligibility because we don't know where in that process the patient is going to have to go in and get that done." Eric Dickson, MD, serves as president and CEO of Worcester, Mass.-based UMass Memorial Health and board chair of America's Essential Hospitals, which represents safety-net facilities. With Massachusetts being an expansion state, UMass Memorial Health has always made significant efforts toward Medicaid enrollment, said Dr. Dickson. Now those efforts will intensify during the redetermination process. "We have to be prepared that more people are going to be coming into the emergency department, to the clinic having lost their insurance," Dr. Dickson said. "And we'll have to increase our capacity to be able to work with them to help them figure out what their options are." UMass Memorial Health anticipates it will see 10 percent of its current Medicaid beneficiaries lose Medicaid coverage, and that about half of them will end up regaining coverage through an employer-sponsored plan or via Massachusetts Health Connector, the state's health insurance marketplace. "We're bracing for a doubling of our uninsured rate from about 4 percent to 8 percent. And hopefully we'll get that down over the course of the year," Dr. Dickson said. UMass Memorial Health includes UMass Memorial Medical Center, an academic medical center. Dr. Dickson said he's particularly concerned about safety-net providers with high proportions of Medicaid patients. "They have the smallest margins to start with. They have the smallest reserves to start with. And when COVID hit, they took care of a disproportionate share of COVID victims because it disproportionately hit marginalized populations living in poverty, and it's a poverty standard to get on to Medicaid," he said. He added, "We better keep a close eye on how they're doing and be prepared to intervene if necessary, because we cannot have those critical hospitals for marginalized communities go under. They're so important for communities that are living with a high percentage of the population in poverty." Rick Carrico, CFO of Louisville, Ky.-based Baptist Health, may not have fully anticipated the extent of the system's shift to remote working when he joined in December, but he's right behind the idea, along with many of his colleagues. "I haven't heard from anyone that they cannot wait to get back into the office," he told Becker's in an interview. "There are more pluses than negatives, but it is an adjustment." That adjustment is particularly acute when it comes to recruiting new staff who have to get used to the company culture of remote work at the same time they try to immerse themselves in the overall values of the health system, he added. Front-line clinical staff are clearly less able to work remotely, but Baptist Health is planning on giving nurses, for example, more flexibility in their work, something that goes back to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Carrico said. "We are trying to meet workers on their terms because of the workforce shortage," he said. "We want to try and accommodate things to allow nurses to be more flexible." Capital plans Part of the strategic shift is the recent move to smaller corporate headquarters in the Louisville metro area in Jeffersontown, Ky., described as a so-called "hotel space," or the practice of hoteling office space to offer flexibility in reserving a desk or room when people come into the office to work. In addition, the brick-and-mortar makeup of a typical health system is not being forgotten, with approximately $1 billion in capital projects across the entire network of nine hospitals and other facilities in Baptist's home state as well as Southern Indiana. One of those projects, a 40-bed rehabilitation facility on the new corporate headquarters site, broke ground three weeks ago, Mr. Carrico said. A hybrid urgent care and ER facility has also been completed, a model Baptist is looking to build on. "We will continue to look at how to deploy our strategic capital, but we have not stopped any significant projects," Mr. Carrico said. Mr. Carrico, a Kentucky native, moved from his previous CFO role at 941-bed Raleigh, N.C.-based WakeMed Health and Hospitals to take on the Baptist Health role. "It may be a cliche, but you can't cut your way to prosperity," he said. A general view of the Norwegian central bank, where Norway's sovereign wealth fund is situated, in Oslo, Norway, March 6, 2018. Reuters-Yonhap The Norwegian central bank on Thursday excluded two oil and gas companies from its $1.4-trillion wealth fund, the world's largest, citing ethical concerns over their ties to the Myanmar military. Korea's state-run Korea Gas Corp. (KOGAS) and Indian gas firm GAIL were excluded from the fund, Norges Bank said in a statement. The two were excluded due to "unacceptable risk that (the) companies contribute to serious violations of individuals' rights in situations of war or conflict," the fund said. "The background is the companies' business collaboration with an organization affiliated with the military in Myanmar," Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM) said. GAIL did not respond to a Reuters request for comment after market hours. KOGAS could not be immediately reached. Norway's wealth fund operates under ethical guidelines set by parliament and excludes investments in companies that it says does not respect the guidelines. At the end of last year, the fund held $5.5 million worth of shares in KOGAS, representing 0.21 percent of the outstanding shares, according to the fund's filings. Norges Bank held $70.2 million in GAIL shares as of the same date, representing 0.92 percent of total shares in the company. The Norwegian sovereign fund, formally called the Government Pension Fund Global and set up in 1996 to save petroleum revenues for future generations, owns about 1.5 percent of all globally listed shares. Norges Bank holds stakes in more than 9,200 companies globally through the wealth fund. (Reuters) A jury awarded nearly $183 million to a family who filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against Philadelphia-based Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, who alleged that a birth injury left their son with cerebral palsy, Law360 reported April 26. The lawsuit alleged that the hospital failed to perform a cesarean section on time despite the fact that the mother had chorioamnionitis, a uterine infection, according to the report. Penn denied liability, arguing that it did everything within the standard of care to ensure a safe delivery. Penn also said that the child sustained a significant brain injury prior to the mother's arrival at the hospital. An attorney representing the hospital told Law360 they are "disappointed in the jury's verdict and continue to believe that appropriate medical care was provided. We plan to appeal this decision." An attorney representing the plaintiffs told Law360 said the damages are "based on the necessary care that this young boy needs moving forward." He said he believes it's the largest single medical malpractice verdict in Pennsylvania history. James Heaps, a former OB-GYN at the University of California Los Angeles, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison after being convicted in October 2022 of sexual abuse of patients, the Los Angeles Daily News reported April 26. Dr. Heaps was found guilty on five counts of sexual assault. According to court documents, he worked as a physician at UCLA between 1983 and 2018, though the charges were related to assaults that took place between 2009 and the end of his tenure. "The trauma Dr. Heaps inflicted on the very people he had sworn to care for is immeasurable," Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon said in an October 2022 statement after Dr. Heaps' conviction. In May 2022, UCLA settled with 312 victims alleging abuse by Dr. Heaps for $374.4 million, after several also criticized the university for not adequately warning the public about allegations against him. Beta testing of the world's first burn nursing specialty certification will take place from July 10 through August 6. Eligible nurses can apply, beginning May 10, to be one of the first to take the test and earn a certified burn registered nurse credential CBRN. The testing will be fully rolled out this fall to the entire nursing community. When a burn patient comes into the emergency department or trauma center and even during transport there is no time to spare in getting them care, and "having advanced knowledge and expertise, and having the confidence and the ability to make the right choices when it matters the most, is crucial" to providing the highest quality of care, Janie Schumaker, BSN, RN, CEO of the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing, told Becker's. She added board certification contributes to a nurse's confidence, earns the respect of their colleagues and contributes to their career success. "When their employer supports certification, it contributes to their job satisfaction and retention," said Ms. Schumaker, who is also the immediate past president of the American Board of Nursing Specialties. "We fully expect CBRNs will quickly become recognized as burn care mentors and resources by their peers and teams." Like other nursing specialties, the burn nurse certification verifies the credential holder as a nurse who practices evidence-based, patient-centered care, rooted in the burn scope of practice recently updated by the American Burn Association. Emily Werthman, MSN, RN, burn program coordinator at the Johns Hopkins Burn Center at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, co-authored an article published in the March 2023 Journal of Burn Care & Research. She noted, "the time has come" for a CBRN. "As burn nursing involves so many aspects of nursing, from critical care to psychosocial support, recognizing the importance of the burn nurse's work in this way is incredibly meaningful to our community of professionals," Ms. Werthman told Becker's. All nurses from the United States, Canada and Australia who have earned and maintain an unrestricted RN or APRN license can apply to take the beta exam. There are only 400 seats available for the beta testing; interested nurses can create an account at bcen.org so they will be ready to apply on May 10. The application portal opens at 10 a.m. Central. Nurses from other countries must go through BCEN's international credentialing evaluation process before they will be allowed to take the test this fall. The BCEN recommends two years of experience as a burn nurse before taking the CBRN beta exam, but it's not a requirement. "What is noteworthy and exciting about the CBRN content outline is that the burn care community can now see the scope and depth of the advanced burn nursing knowledge, skills and abilities from prehospital and acute care, patient and family support, recovery and rehabilitation, and prevention and education that will distinguish board-certified burn nurses," Ms. Schumaker said. Hassenfeld Children's Hospital at NYU Langone in New York City has recruited three renowned specialists in pediatric hepatology to establish a pediatric liver disease and transplant program. Nadia Ovchinsky, MD; Jennifer Vittorio, MD; and Debora Kogan-Liberman, MD, joined the hospital to establish the program, which aims to bolster specialized care for children with acute and chronic liver disease. Dr. Vittorio will serve as program's medical director. Prior to joining NYU Langone, the team worked in the pediatric liver program at The Children's Hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx borough of New York City. "We are delighted to have this outstanding team of experts at Hassenfeld Children's Hospital to offer families the best medical and surgical therapies for their children with liver disease" Catherine Manno, MD, chair of the Department of Pediatrics at NYU Langone Health, said in an April 27 news release. "Drs. Ovchinsky, Vittorio and Kogan-Liberman's dedication to the field of pediatric hepatology and liver transplant will further enhance Hassenfeld Children's Hospital's position to become one of the leading centers in treating liver disorders in children." Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co. decreased 35 drug prices April 26, according to a news release shared with Becker's. The company began selling a few dozen generics in January 2022, and since then, Cost Plus Drugs has added about 1,000 more drugs, including four brand-name drugs, partnered with three pharmacy benefit managers and teamed up with independent pharmacists to complement its mail-order pharmacy business. One of the biggest drops was for mesalamine extended release 375 milligram capsules, which went from $103.80 to $30 for 90 capsules. Here are the 35 products and their new prices: 1. Abiraterone 250 milligram $94.80 for 90 tablets 2. Acetazolamide 500 milligram $8.10 for 30 count 3. Amiodarone HCl 100 milligram $28.20 for 90 tablets 4. Anastrozole 1 milligram $15.60 for 90 tablets 5. Atenolol & chlorthalidone 50 milligram/25 milligram $9.30 for 30 count 6. Brimonidine tartrate 0.20%, 15 milliliters $7.78 for one ophthalmic solution 7. Budesonide 0.5 milligram/2 milliliters $25.18 for 30 vials 8. Diltiazem HCI 120 milligram $5.70 for 30 count 9. Dimethyl fumarate 240 milligram $37.50 for 60 capsules 10. Dorzolamide HCl-timolol maleate 22.3-6.8 milligram/1 milliliter $9.47 for 10 milliliters 11. Estradiol 0.1 milligram $50.84 for 8 patches 12. Fenofibrate 145 milligram $6.60 for 30 count 13. Finasteride 5 milligram $4.20 for 30 count 14. Flecainide acetate 100 milligram $6.30 for 30 count 15. Flecainide acetate 150 milligram $8.10 for 30 count 16. Flecainide acetate 50 milligram $5.10 for 30 count 17. Ipratropium bromide 0.03% $18.53 for a 30 milliliter bottle of nasal spray 18. Ipratropium bromide 0.06% $18.53 for a 15 milliliter bottle of nasal spray 19. Lovastatin 20 milligram $4.20 for 30 count 20. Lovastatin 40 milligram $4.20 for 30 count 21. Mesalamine 375 milligram $30 for 90 capsules 22. Metformin 500 milligram $3.60 for 30 count 23. Metformin 500 milligram extended release (ER) tablet $3.90 for 30 count 24. Metformin 750 milligram ER tablet $4.20 for 30 count 25. Nebivolol 5 milligram $5.10 for 30 count 26. Pravastatin 10 milligram $4.80 for 30 count 27. Pravastatin 20 milligram $3.90 for 30 count 28. Pravastatin 80 milligram $6 for 30 count 29. Quetiapine fumarate 150 milligram ER tablet $8.40 for 90 tablets 30. Quetiapine fumarate 200 milligram ER tablet $10.20 for 90 tablets 31. Quetiapine fumarate 400 milligram $12.90 for 90 tablets 32. Quetiapine fumarate 400 milligram ER tablet $15.60 for 90 tablets 33. Sumatriptan 100 milligram $18 for 30 count 34. Tamoxifen citrate 20 milligram $8.70 for 30 count 35. Zolmitriptan 5 milligram $5.09 for a blister pack of 3 tablets Leaders and physicians in the spine and orthopedic space have a wide range of opinions on where value-based care is headed in the field. The leaders featured in this article are all speaking at Becker's 20th Annual Spine, Orthopedic & Pain Management-Driven ASC Conference at the Swissotel Chicago. As part of an ongoing series, Becker's is talking to healthcare leaders who will speak at the conference on June 15-17, 2023. The following are answers from our speakers. To learn more about this event, click here. If you would like to join as a speaker, contact Claire Wallace at cwallace@beckershealthcare.com. Question: Where do you see value-based care headed in orthopedics and spine? Adam Bruggeman, MD. Orthopedic Surgeon at Texas Spine Care Center (San Antonio): It seems clear to me that fee-for-service is the proverbial "race to the bottom" that many attribute to value-based care. We see declining payments every year in addition to not receiving increases in payment based on the actual cost of providing care. Value-based care, when done correctly, can provide new and more stable income streams for physicians who take appropriately calculated risks and provide high-quality care. I anticipate we will continue to see a transition of payment models towards programs that take on greater risk at the physician level, both due to pressure to contain costs from the federal government as well as due to the continually declining fee-for-service payments under those programs. Akshat Gargya, MD. Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Management at the University of Vermont Medical Center (Burlington): In orthopedics and spine, value-based care may involve a shift towards more personalized and patient-centered treatment plans, where the goal is to provide high-quality care that addresses patient pain and discomfort while also managing costs and improving outcomes. This could include greater use of non-surgical interventions, such as physical therapy and interventional pain management techniques, to manage pain and improve function. Additionally, there may be a greater emphasis on preventive care, such as lifestyle changes and exercise, to prevent orthopedic and spine-related conditions from developing or worsening. Advances in technology, such as telemedicine and remote patient monitoring, may also play a role in the delivery of value-based care. These tools can help providers track patient progress and adjust treatment plans in real-time, while also reducing the need for in-person visits and associated costs. Finally, value-based care may also involve a shift towards a more personalized and patient-centered approach to care. This could include greater involvement of patients in treatment decisions, as well as a focus on education and self-management strategies to help patients better manage their pain and improve their overall quality of life. As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, we can expect to see new models of care emerge that prioritize value and patient outcomes over volume and revenue. Albert Wong, MD. Neurosurgeon at Docs Health (Los Angeles): Value-based care in orthopedic and spine surgery has already transitioned to bundled payments with insurance companies. These bundled payments are designed to incentivize physicians to minimize cost for healthcare of their patients. However, their current data is based upon the short-term global perioperative time. Insurance companies will eventually start incorporating long-term data outcomes as part of their bundled payments for surgeons that have better long-term patient outcomes with quicker return-to-work status, higher percentages of return-to-work patients, and lower incidence of revision surgeries at the index or adjacent levels. Alejandro Fernandez. CEO at Synergy Orthopedic Specialists (San Diego, Calif.): Value-based care in orthopedics should be about a patient-centered vision to provide quality medical care, at the lowest costs, with the best patient-reported outcomes. But in actuality, the few value-based care initiatives continue to be about payment models that incentivize physicians to provide care for the lowest costs, e.g., ASC versus hospital outpatient departments, less expensive implants, etc. Few organizations record and report patient-reported outcomes, and even fewer insurance payers or employers provide additional financial incentives to physicians and ASCs to improve patient experience and outcomes. Andrew Lovewell. CEO at Columbia (Mo.) Orthopedic Group: I think to answer that question we have to agree upon what value-based care is. The biggest issue is that nobody agrees on a shared definition of value-based care. However, we can't define value by just saying it is lower cost. If we are creating a race to the bottom, that's not valuable and it's not sustainable. We have to be cognizant of all of the aspects that contribute to value. Those can range anywhere from access, experience, outcomes, cost, etc. As an orthopedic and spine community, if we can align and agree on what the definition is, it will give us a greater ability to truly deliver value-based care. The lens that we examine value through dramatically changes based on the position we occupy in the healthcare continuum. Payers look at "value" in a different light than providers, and so do facilities. Keeping the patient at the center of our focus is key, and understanding how they define value should be our guiding light in the future. Basil Besh, MD. Surgeon at FORM Hand, Wrist & Elbow Institute (Fremont, Calif.): The healthcare cost curve is unsustainable and payers are more receptive than ever to strategies that deliver high quality at a lower cost. There are several factors which make orthopedics and spine uniquely well-positioned in the current healthcare environment. Those specialties comprise two of the three most expensive inpatient service lines (total joint replacement, spine surgery and cardiology). Both are well suited to shifting to the outpatient realm with the percentage of total joints and spine surgeries being done safely and effectively in the outpatient setting increasing year after year with no signs of slowing down. Finally, both service lines include a large percentage of elective cases, which make them well-suited to bundled payment and shared savings models. It will require continued education of legislators, regulators and payers, but the wind is certainly at the back of these specialties. Brian Gantwerker, MD. Neurosurgeon at the Craniospinal Center of Los Angeles: Value-based care is a novel idea where we demonstrate how much care we can give for a fixed dollar amount. In a truly free market, this is a good thing. The issue is, the healthcare space is not a true free market. Instead, what the bigger conversation is, what is the expertise, time and judgment of a good physician worth. Insurers and other types of payers instituted value-based care in order to squeeze more time, effort and free care out of physicians rather than get a better product at a good price. You cannot walk into Macy's and walk out with a $3,000 espresso maker for $150. The same should be true for the care physicians give. Once payers and policymakers are serious about discussing the cost of care, myself and most other physicians are ready to talk. Bruce Feldman. Associate Administrator at SUNY Downstate Medical Center (New York City): Value-based care in orthopedics and spine will continue to be a dominant focus of attention and priority for insurance carriers. As more and more complex procedures move from the hospital to the ASC environment, insurance carriers will link reimbursement to quality outcomes. Carissa Tyo, MD. Associate Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine and Director of the Observation Unit at the University of Illinois Hospital (Chicago): Shifting the paradigm of preoperative preparation for complex orthopedic and spine surgeries will be crucial to ensuring the optimum utilization of services around the perioperative period. Advanced screening of anticipated need before the execution of the operative procedure can mitigate the length of stay required by a patient in the postoperative acute phase. Truly preparing the patient for the postoperative recovery can improve the experience of the patient while allowing a seamless transition to the next stage of care and can shorten the length of stay in the acute care setting. Chris Glover, MD. Anesthesiologist at Texas Children's Hospital (Houston): I believe we will see continued use of enhanced recovery protocols around orthopedics and spine surgery to minimize in-hospital stays. The use of longer-acting local anesthetics for fascial plane blocks, along with the expanded use of cryoablation for orthopedic procedures, should allow for a concerted push to convert more cases into the outpatient space. Corey Welchlin, DO. Orthopedist at United Hospital District (Fairmont, Minn.): I believe there is significant value-based evidence for ASC work in orthopedics and spine. It would be great if there were standardized benchmarkings ASCs could use to reinforce that. Craig Popp, MD. Orthopedic Surgeon at Vero Orthopaedics (Vero Beach, Fla.): One area where value-based care involves moving procedures that require only local and moderate sedation to the office setting. Many procedures can be safely and efficiently performed in the office setting. Insurance carriers can work directly with providers and groups to provide high-quality care at a lower cost. For the patient, easy access to safe, predictable and proven care is made available. Providers benefit from the overall efficiencies that they develop, high patient satisfaction and quality care. There are many hand, pain/spine procedures which are easily performed in the office setting. Daniel Mulconrey, MD. Orthopedic Surgeon at Midwest Orthopaedic Center (Peoria, Ill.): Prior to the COVID-19 epidemic, value-based care was the main focus when discussing the future management of the orthopedic patient. In 2023, the economics of medicine has drastically changed. Hospitals functioning at a deficit, supply chain struggles and the increasing costs of care are plaguing our system. These challenges have forced value-based care to become sidelined, and constricted the available healthcare dollar for the physician. It will be necessary to place quality and cost at the forefront again. Today, surgeons need to focus on improving health-related quality of life measures, which were tracked prior to the epidemic. New baselines for the cost-per-quality-adjusted life year may need to be determined. These current economic plagues will demand a value-based care approach in the future. Today, surgeons would benefit by creating low-cost, high-quality care algorithms to position themselves for a successful future. Earl Kilbride, MD. Orthopedic Surgeon at Austin (Texas) Orthopedic Institute: In order for value-based care to continue to expand, the providers, especially physicians, need to be primary stakeholders. Physicians drive most aspects of the orthopedic system, all the way from nonoperative conservative care to the implant and facility used to the postoperative regimen. Comprehensive joint replacement is a perfect example that providers will be both cost- and outcomes-sensitive when they are involved in the early decision making. Elisa Auguste. Administrator at Precision Care Surgery Center (East Setauket, N.Y.) and Board Member of the New York Association of ASCs (Albany): Value-based care will soon become the norm in orthopedics and spine. The cost of orthopedic and spine care is expensive, not just for patients but for providers. Value-based care will help to keep healthcare providers honest and provide high-quality care for their patients utilizing higher and consistent reimbursements for the continuation of that care. Value-based care payments will incentivize providers to increase collaboration in care. Eric Amundson, MD. Neurosurgeon at NewSouth NeuroSpine (Flowood, Miss.): Third-party payers have traditionally focused on controlling the costs of individual spine surgeries and the related expenses during the subsequent 90 day global period. Many past and current efforts of value-based care, including bundled agreements with which NewSouth NeuroSpine is engaged, focus on the cost-sharing of post-operative care, providing a financial incentive to minimize costly intraoperative and postoperative complications. However, these fail to capture the substantial costs of unnecessary procedures performed. The clock should start when the patient first enters a neurosurgeon's clinic, not when they cross the threshold of the hospital on the day of surgery. Unfortunately, I regularly see unnecessary or excessive spine procedures performed in our community. There's an enormous opportunity for not only improving quality but decreasing costs, thereby maximizing value, by steering patients towards providers that don't over-utilize. Ernest Braxton, MD. Chief of Neurosurgery at Vail-Summit Orthopaedics & Neurosurgery and Team Physician for the U.S. Ski Team (Frisco, Colo.): Spine surgery ranks as one of the costliest interventions in our healthcare economy. I believe that value-based healthcare models that tie reimbursement to outcomes will become more prevalent in the future. Suppliers that recommend more costly products or services such as artificial intelligence, endoscopic surgery, computer-assisted surgery/robotic surgery or custom implants will need to truly demonstrate value and assume some of the risks associated with an undesirable outcome. I believe that this healthcare model will lead to a healthier society while reducing overall healthcare spending. Geoffrey Van Thiel, MD. Orthopedic Surgeon at OrthoIllinois (Rockford): Value-based care will continue to focus on cost, quality and outcomes. However, the near future will see a move from episodic bundles around specific case types to population health strategies around the orthopedic and spine service lines. Han Jo Kim, MD. Spine Surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery (New York City): When it comes to value-based healthcare in orthopedics and spine, I believe it comes down to the original definition of value, which is quality over cost. In the next few years there will be increased pressure to move orthopedics, and a portion of spine care, to the ASC setting. Naturally, this will decrease costs, and therefore increase value. Centers will be forced to "lean" their processes, whether with enhanced recovery pathways or expedited processes, in order to decrease length of stay, shorten operative times and decrease the time it takes for patients to recover from operations all while upholding quality. Centers will have to be creative and efficient in working within and leveraging their multidisciplinary teams and skill sets in order to deliver greater efficiency in care delivery, and decrease the costs for overall episodes of care for a given operation. These will be exciting times, and I believe research will be the cornerstone with which to validate these mechanisms. Jami Osterlund. Director of Surgical Services at Hill Country Surgery Center (Cedar Park, Texas): I feel that value-based care in orthopedic and spine services will likely cause a universal standardization of processes and evidence-based practice protocols to ensure safe patient outcomes and high-quality care. We are moving away from things being a particular way because that was the physician's preference or the way we've always done it. John Prunskis, MD. CEO and Medical Director at the Illinois Pain & Spine Institute (Elgin): As long as hospitals are two to five times more expensive for procedures and surgeries that are also done in an ASC, value-based care for spine surgeries and procedures should be and will be driven to ASCs. The exorbitant fees that hospitals are allowed to collect compared to ASC fees for identical procedures and surgeries is one of the reasons for Medicare going bankrupt. Joshua Rosenow, MD. Director of Functional Neurosurgery at Northwestern Medicine (Chicago): Value-based care continues to suffer from difficulties defining the outcomes on which the quality of care is measured. As organizations negotiate value-based care contracts with insurers, providers and payers will continue to push for the metrics they favor. Moreover, what is the timeframe for these outcomes? Is three or six months enough if functional measures are utilized, or do these need to be sustained at 12 months or longer? Arguments such as these will continue to hamper widespread adoption of value-based care in spine surgery. Kyle Anderson. Vice President of ASC and Ancillary Services at Ortho Rhode Island (Providence): The adoption of value-based care allows for the proverbial "triple win" to patients, providers and payers. These care models encourage innovation and reward evidence-based medicine while creating an alignment of practice patterns and economics. The most successful provider groups in orthopedics and spine understand the critical importance of technology and data platforms to support the transition from fee-for-service. Those who are forward-thinking accept that value-based care is not a simple one-for-one exchange of historical models and are actively collaborating with platforms and payers. Advances in orthopedic value-based care will continue to be diverse in structure while cost-reducing methodologies, such as migration to ASCs and data-driven efficiencies, will support their success. Matthew Dellaquila, MD. Vice Chief of Anesthesia Operations at Henry Ford Jackson (Mich.) Hospital: Perioperative medicine and anesthesiology will be at the forefront as value-based care evolves. As healthcare dollars dry up, quality of care and the financial implications behind that will necessarily come into focus, most especially in orthopedics and spine procedures. These procedures have a massive increases in their expense and morbidity when quality falls off of the curve instances such as surgical site infections, poor pain control, avoidable blood transfusions and other perioperative morbidities are huge opportunities to improve quality and care, and will be heavily focused on by payers gearing up towards value-based care in the future. Areas where anesthesiology can influence these parameters are represented in the perioperative surgical home making sure patients have good preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative optimization of care. Preoperatively, this means managing a patient's medical condition to make them the best they can be on the day of surgery. By having diabetes under control, instances of surgical site infections are lower. Treating anemia preoperatively to avoid an intraoperative blood transfusion is another way that preoperative optimization could help with both value-based care and cost cutting. Many other examples exist. Intraoperative solutions to cut down on surgical time and transform surgeries from inpatient to short stay or outpatient also will be of paramount importance to value-based care. These solutions are things such as deciding on a spinal, regional or general anesthetic these decisions can influence postoperative pain and nausea and secondarily influence risks of deep-venous thrombosis and other perioperative comorbid risks. Finally, postoperative care such as choosing an anesthetic that encourages early mobility, such as a peripheral nerve block and/or catheter, a firm pain control regimen and structure that prevent bouncebacks, and a safety net in follow-up will further improve compliance with value-based care. By focusing on perioperative medicine, the savvy surgery center can stay ahead of the curve financially while improving quality outcomes for their patients. Michael Graziano. Administrator at Clifton (N.J.) Surgery Center: Value-based care is likely to become more prevalent in the coming years as large healthcare systems shift from fee-for-service to value-based models. It is likely to have a significant impact on the way care is delivered with a focus on improving outcomes, reducing costs and enhancing the patient experience. It will place an emphasis on providers to develop additional methods to track and report outcomes to evaluate the effectiveness of their treatments while prioritizing operational efficiencies and new technologies to keep costs down. Mihir Patel, MD. Orthopedic Surgeon at OrthoIndy (Indianapolis): In orthopedics and spine, the value-based care model will promote additional efficiencies in delivering care. For providers, value-based care offers the opportunity to highlight superior outcomes with their internal processes. For payers, value-based care will help their covered lives choose the right providers and systems for the chance at the best outcome. For both, arbitraging the value-based care data can lead to spectacular growth. Nicholas Street, MSN, RN. Self-employed Travel Nurse. Value-based care, where healthcare providers are compensated based on the quality of care they provide rather than the volume of patients they see, is gaining momentum in the orthopedics and spine specialties. The focus on value-based care is expected to improve patient outcomes, reduce healthcare costs and increase efficiency. In orthopedics and spine, value-based care is expected to result in more personalized care, with providers tailoring treatments to meet individual patient needs. This may involve the use of new technologies, such as 3D printing and augmented reality, to create custom implants and assist in surgical planning. In addition, value-based care is expected to bring greater focus to patient-reported outcomes, which allow providers to better understand the patient's overall health status and how they are responding to treatment. This will likely lead to a greater emphasis on patient-centered care, with providers working closely with patients to develop care plans that meet their specific needs and preferences. Overall, value-based care is expected to lead to a shift towards quality over quantity of care, with providers focusing on improving clinical outcomes and enhancing the patient experience. This is an important step towards creating more effective, efficient and patient-centered healthcare systems in orthopedics and spine. Philip Louie, MD. Spine Surgeon at the Center for Neurosciences and Spine at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (Seattle): Procedure reimbursements are clearly on the decline. CMS has published reports indicating ongoing decreases in procedure reimbursements. Ultimately, I fear that the decline in reimbursements may result in negative consequences that will force providers to shoulder some of this financial burden. The economic landscape of our healthcare system is already in some disarray. Our healthcare system, as a whole, is struggling on several fronts right now, and the financial losses have compounded the situation. We have seen several large hospital systems shut down service lines and other smaller medical centers close their doors. Many of us have watched our colleagues walk away, either by choice or as a result of cost-cutting measures. On top of that, each and every day, we are facing short staffing, burnout and hospital capacity concerns without a clear light at the end of the tunnel. In a world where socioeconomic disparities of care have been recently highlighted, we have made a large effort to close that gap and reach a diverse population to provide care. Decreased procedure reimbursement could also potentially limit critical access for Medicare and Medicaid patients, thus marginalizing a population that is currently being further marginalized by larger macroeconomic forces. Additionally, we have spent the past few years building value-based care pathways, developing quality-based programs and academic pursuits to innovate and these programs may have to take a back seat in order to provide the greatest volume of care to catch up financially with these additional cuts. Thus, placing additional hurdles to create the value-based programs that many of these payers (CMS included) have urged us to create and implement. Ultimately, I think reimbursement should focus on targets around quality and cost-effective care, rewarding those focused on these results, rather than institute broad widespread cuts in reimbursement. Roland Kent, MD. Spine Surgeon at Northwest Specialty Hospital (Post Falls, Idaho): It is important as orthopedic and spine surgeons that we work with our patients and our colleagues to play an integral role in defining what value-based care actually means. If we stick our heads in the sand, then others will define this for us and our ability to provide adequate care to our patients will be negatively affected. Tammy Smittle, BSN, RN. CEO at Stonegate Surgery Center (Austin, Texas): I believe that value-based care in orthopedics and spine can improve patient outcomes and reduce costs by ensuring that patients receive the most effective and appropriate treatments for their conditions. Value-based care may involve patient-centered care, evidence-based care, continuity of care and team-based care. My ASC currently works on team-based care for our total joint patients. Our team is comprised of anesthesia, for the appropriate blocks; surgeons that are diligent with appropriate patient selection; certified technicians and nurses with total joints; and a physical therapy group that gets our patients up for the first time, as well as transferring them to their cars at discharge. The patients win when value-based care is the focus. Thomas Scully, MD. Neurosurgeon at Northwest Medical Center (Tucson, Ariz.): I think value-based care in spine will be increasing in the future. In many ways, this will be tied to more surgeons being employed, either by hospital systems, or via private equity models. For smaller private practice groups, the entry into value-based care is steep and not without cost. However, as private practice dwindles,the bigger employers will be contracting in more of a "silo" fashion. Hospitals, surgeons, physical therapists, etc., will all be rolled into one carve-out for the big insurers. Timothy Lubenow, MD. Anesthesiologist at Rush Pain Center (Chicago): From a perspective of the Medicare component of patients, I definitely see CMS using measures of improvement in function such as Promis 29 scores as evidence that our therapies are working. For example, everyone who has an radiofrequency ablation of lumbar facet region would have to complete these scores to document functional improvement. Without improvement in function or opioid use, I suspect they will not pay. Tung Ha, DO. Neurosurgeon at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center (Bellingham, Wash.): In concept, value-based care makes sense to me. One brings their car to the mechanic to make it run better, not for it to run worse. Likewise, patients undergo surgery to get better, not to get worse. The challenge is that "making better" or "adding value" is an outcome that needs to be clearly defined. This outcome needs to be agreed upon by all stakeholders (surgeon, patient, and payer) and accurately assessed and quantified. As long as there is variability in surgeon judgment, surgical technique and patient selection, the outcome will be all over the board. Some patients will get better, and some will be worse after surgery. To have reproducible outcomes, it is helpful to minimize the amount of variability in surgical technique and patient selection. Technology, such as robotic-assisted spine surgery, has made pedicle screw placement more accurate and reproducible between surgeons. Similarly, I suspect that payers will use AI to create treatment algorithms to determine which patients would benefit from surgery the most. Hospitals will still want surgeons to do large, complex operations for the higher reimbursement. However, if there's a perceived complication and a financial penalty, the hospital will hold the surgeon's feet to the fire. Thus, this paradigm will likely influence the surgeon's patient selection. The result will be a more efficient system where patients who get surgery have better outcomes with an overall decrease in healthcare expenditure. By virtue of distributing healthcare to patients in a value-based manner, this runs counter to our society's current desire to increase equity in healthcare, where more resources are provided to those who are the sickest or desire intervention regardless of "appropriateness." You cannot have your cake and eat it, too. Vladimir Sinkov, MD. Spine Surgeon at Sinkov Spine Center (Las Vegas): Value-based care has been promoted in healthcare in the U.S. for at least the past two decades now. The biggest problem with this notion has been the fact that it was never clearly defined for whom they were trying to create the value the patient, the insurance company, the government, the society as a whole, or the healthcare providers. As you can imagine, the value of healthcare would be quite different for each of those entities. Theoretically, it should be the value for the actual consumer of healthcare the patient, for whom the value is the product of the quality of care plus the patient experience at a given cost. Realistically, however, the main driving force and motivation behind this initiative has been to reduce the costs to the insurance companies while maximizing profits for insurance companies and for large hospital systems or large physician groups. What I have seen happen over the past two decades instead is that the healthcare quality for the patient has become worse and providing healthcare services has become more expensive, more difficult and less efficient, mostly due to ever-increasing regulations and overhead costs. The value to the insurance companies, however, has been tremendous as a group, they have been one of the most profitable sectors in the U.S. every year over this period of time, even during recessions and pandemics. The rise in insurance premiums and the increase in costs to provide healthcare will likely continue. There is a great financial incentive for the health insurance companies to keep things as they are right now. They will continue introducing many initiatives to promote value to everyone else, which will likely involve some type of an attempt to limit care or to shift the financial risk away from the insurance companies and onto the physicians, hospitals or patients. The quality of care and access to care for the patients will likely continue getting worse. As a doctor, I am only interested in providing value to my patients by providing the best quality of care I can. I will continue doing so to the best of my ability in this interesting and ever-changing healthcare environment. Yeshvant Navalgund, MD. Pain Management Specialist at National Spine & Pain Centers (Glen Burnie, Md.): The most important trend in value-based care in orthopedics and spine is the growing emphasis on patient engagement and shared decision-making. This will mean that patients will take a more active role in their treatment and work collaboratively with their surgeons to make informed decisions about not only the location of their care, but also the economics related to their overall treatment options. As new spine innovations continue to grow, six surgeons told Becker's what they think will gain the fastest adoption in the coming years. Ask Spine Surgeons is a weekly series of questions posed to spine surgeons around the country about clinical, business and policy issues affecting spine care. Becker's invites all spine surgeon and specialist responses. Next week's question: What is something new you're implementing at your spine practice this year? Please send responses to Carly Behm at cbehm@beckershealthcare.com by 5 p.m. CDT Wednesday, May 3. Editor's note: Responses were lightly edited for clarity and length. Question: Which spine innovations/surgical techniques will see the fastest adoption in the next two to three years? Harel Deutsch, MD. Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush (Chicago): I believe that AI will be rapidly adopted in the next few years for healthcare management. Brian Fiani, DO. Mendelson Kornblum Orthopedic & Spine Specialists (Livonia, Mich.): The implementation of robotic assistance will likely be the fastest adoption in the next two to three years. Endoscopic spine surgery is not as likely to be adopted by most spine surgeons unless already incorporated into their training compared to more conventional techniques. I believe augmented reality systems are still further out from being utilized regularly but are likely to be more popularized in about five to 10 years. Brian Gantwerker, MD. The Craniospinal Center of Los Angeles: The fastest adoption I see coming in the next couple of years will be spinal endoscopy. We are seeing a rapid uptick in the adaptation of the techniques. I myself have done a handful and I think for decompression surgery, it is extremely impactful. Fusion outcomes being done via this technique I think remains to be really studied in detail. I am a bit leery of it as the basic tenets of fusion require good bone preparation, a large surface area and solid fixation. That being said, if it is found to be not inferior to the standards of lateral, anterior and transforaminal fusions, I see no reason for it to be more popular. Yu-Po Lee, MD. UCI Health (Orange, Calif.): The use of image navigation and robotic-assisted surgery will most likely be one of the technologies seeing the greatest adoption over the next two to three years. Image navigation and robot technology can improve efficiency, shorten surgical time, decrease morbidity, and reduce radiation to the surgeon and surgical team. Image navigation and robotic surgery can potentially improve accuracy in the placement of pedicle screws in the thoracic spine, scoliosis surgeries, cervicothoracic junction, upper cervical spine and revision surgery. The placement of screws can be more complex in these cases because the anatomy can be distorted or because the anatomy prevents the surgeons from obtaining good fluoroscopic images. In these cases, image navigation and robotic surgery can be very beneficial because the surgeon cannot rely on the anatomy or fluoroscopy to guide them. There are also studies which show that the use of image navigation and robotic surgery can shorten operative time and can decrease morbidity from errant placement of the pedicle screws. In addition to the potential improved accuracy of pedicle screw placement, image navigation and robotic surgery has the potential benefit of decreasing radiation to the operative staff. In a study by Rampersaud et al., the authors noted that the use of fluoroscopy in spine surgery has the potential to expose the surgeons up to 10 to 12 times more radiation than other orthopedic surgeons who do not do spine surgery. So the risk of radiation can be a source of concern to surgeons and staff. The use of image navigation and robotic surgery can help decrease overall radiation to operative personnel. So I anticipate that there will be increased use of image navigation and robotics in spine surgery because of potential benefits to patients and surgeons. Issada Thongtrangan, MD. Microspine (Scottsdale, Ariz.): Endoscopic spine surgery and motion preservation will continue to grow and be adopted as more and more level 1 data showed excellent outcomes if not superior to traditional surgery. There will be more motion preservations, including total facet joint arthroplasty, which will be available as early as next quarter. The obstacle is the rejection of covering these technologies by commercial insurances, including the majority of Medicare Advantage plans. Christian Zimmerman, MD. St. Alphonsus Medical Group and SAHS Neuroscience Institute (Boise, Idaho): From this perspective and barring the ever pressing issue of reimbursement, image guidance and robotics will most likely continue to grow and become more mainstream in the foreseeable future. Even a number of late partygoers are introducing guidance systems and hitching these systems to compatible or competitor systems to compete more robustly in the market. Nanotechnologies and biologics will also continue their place in the market, but once again research dollars are limited and cost per unit case remains top priority. Telemedicine is another formidable and universally accepted methodology for patient management. The popular chain restaurant will open its doors on Friday 28 April complete with a newly revamped look and outdoor dining. The new site has been designed in Frankie & Bennys new colour scheme with 164 covers inside and 86 outside with cosy heaters so diners can sit out all year round. Fridays first day of full trading will be followed by a series of VIP events to celebrate the opening. The restaurant will offering its nostalgic Bring It Back menu which is set to feature classic dishes from the diners history. And for the next two weeks the prices are the same as when they were first on the menu 20 years ago. Im so excited, happy and privileged to share the new look Frankie and Bennys with not only the people of Northern Ireland but for all the visitors and tourists that come to this great city, said Belfast Regional Operations Manager Gabby Caizzo. Victoria Square is 15 years old this year, we hope to celebrate another long standing relationship as our flagship store looks truly immense. The outdoor area with overhead heating and leg warmers will mean that this area can be enjoyed all year round, it can be summertime in the winter allowing you to dust away the winter blues, keep the cocktails flowing and enjoying great food, great service and a brilliant atmosphere. Joe Kennedy III has said that unionists can recognise economic opportunities provided by the Windsor Framework, without it diluting their British identities. During a press briefing today, the US special envoy to Northern Ireland was asked if any amount of money would be enough for his home country to accept border controls between two of its own states, making a comparative reference to the DUPs political protest against the NI Protocol. Mr Kennedy, who is the grandson of assassinated US senator Robert Kennedy, said: My response would be that I think the Windsor Framework is a unique opportunity for the people of Northern Ireland, to be able to pursue a robust economic future. Issues with regards to identity and economic opportunity dont need to be in consent. He stressed that he was not suggesting its one or the other, but added: There are ways for individuals that are proud of, and continue to prioritise, their identity as a citizen of the UK, and as British, while also recognising that theres economic opportunities that dont have to dilute and impact that. The former Massachusetts congressman, appointed special envoy for economic affairs by US President Biden in December, also noted that such details are being worked through at the moment, which the American government support. He continued: These are not easy questions and there are challenges around those very topics in my home country so I dont minimise that and I dont dismiss that at all. What I think we need to have is a good faith effort and a recommitment to working to that [political] process. In all of my conversations with members and leaders of the DUP, thats what Ive received and thats the impression that I have. Mr Kennedy further remarked that over the past decade, political stability has gotten nearly $2bn of investment from the US, but suggested the re-establishment of power-sharing institutions may not be imperative for all American investors. He attended a major cybersecurity conference in Belfast during his stay in Northern Ireland this month, at which he said he asked firms whether the lack of a functioning Executive is having an impact on their industry in particular. The response I got from a number of those companies was that, no, what Northern Ireland had been able to incubate already they have created a cluster that is not necessarily immune, but is resilient to these other [geopolitical] factors. Having the government up and running, the stability and clarity it provides, will certainly help make that case [for foreign direct investment], although I will say the importance of that will depend a bit, from company to company. The 42-year-old added that he has spoken to many American executives from a number of industries, who are aware of economic opportunities within NI, are obviously encouraged by the Windsor Framework and are trying to get a deeper understanding of its potential impacts, what the Stormont brake is and how it will be used going forwards. Naxal attack kills 10 policemen, driver in central India Xinhua) 13:11, April 27, 2023 NEW DELHI, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Ten policemen and a driver were killed on Wednesday after their vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by the Naxal rebels in India's central state of Chhattisgarh, police said. The attack took place in Aranpur area of Dantewada district, about 508 km south of Raipur, the capital city of Chhattisgarh. According to the police, the policemen belonging to District Reserve Guard (DRG) were returning from an anti-Naxal operation when they came under the attack. "A DRG vehicle was targeted by Naxals today in Aranpur area of Dantewada through an IED. In the attack, 10 DRG personnel and one civilian lost their lives. Reinforcements have reached the spot and bodies of all of them are being evacuated," P Sundarraj, a senior police official in Bastar, said. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel expressed grief over the killing of policemen. "The news of the martyrdom of our 10 DRG jawans (personnel) and a driver in an IED blast in Aranpur police station area of Dantewada is very sad," Baghel wrote on social media. "We share the grief of their families. May their soul rest in peace." DRG is a special force of the Chhattisgarh police that comprises mostly local tribals who have been trained to fight the Naxal rebels. Indian Home Minister Amit Shah has spoken to Baghel and assured him of all possible support to fight Naxals. 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 inhabitants homeless. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) A handout photograph of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his telephone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping, April 26. EPA-SCMP U.S. and EU officials welcomed news that Chinese President Xi Jinping had spoken with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, but not without some scepticism from Washington over whether the development would lead to the end of Russia's invasion. Speaking to reporters just hours after Zelenskyy's phone call with Xi, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby called the move "a good thing". He cautioned that he had only learned about the call through news reports. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV also said that China would send a delegation headed by Li Hui, Beijing's special representative on Eurasian affairs, as special envoy to Kyiv and "other countries". Eric Mamer, spokesman for EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, said the call was "an important, long overdue first step by China in exercising its responsibilities as a member of the U.N. Security Council". Eric Mamer, chief spokesman for the European Commission, standing behind European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, April 26. EPA-SCMP "China's leadership needs to use its influence to bring Russia to end its war of aggression, restore Ukraine's territorial integrity and respect its sovereignty, as a basis for a just peace," Mamer added. In the nearly hour-long phone call, Xi told Zelenskyy that "talks and negotiation" were the "only way out" of the war. Kirby said that whether the call would "lead to some sort of meaningful peace movement or plan or proposal, I just don't think we know that right now. "We have long said we want this war to end. It could end immediately if [Russian President Vladimir] Putin would leave. That doesn't appear to be in the offing." Kirby added: "We certainly would welcome any effort to arrive at a just peace as long as that peace could be, as I said, just, could be sustainable and could be credible. "It's not going to be sustainable or credible unless the Ukrainians and President Zelenskyy personally is invested in it." China has faced mounting criticism from Washington and other Western countries over its refusal to condemn Russia's invasion, now entering its 15th month, and Beijing's close economic ties with Moscow. Calls from these countries to further tighten sanctions against Moscow had also been gaining momentum. Xi has had multiple calls with Putin since the invasion and even met the Russian leader face-to-face in Moscow in March. In Europe, some leaders have staked political capital on engaging China in peace efforts in Ukraine, and controversial comments by a Chinese diplomat last week rattled confidence in that approach. Speaking on French television, Lu Shaye, the Chinese ambassador to France, questioned the sovereignty of post-Soviet states three of which, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, are members of the European Union, while Ukraine is another. The furore created by Lu's comments may have been the trigger for the Xi-Zelenskyy call to take place, two officials speaking on the condition of anonymity suggested. "I know I can count on you to bring Russia to its senses, and bring everyone back to the negotiating table," French President Emmanuel Macron told Xi during a state visit to Beijing this month. Political figures close to Macron said that the call showed he had been right to seek China's assistance. "A first step towards peace, under the conditions desired by Ukraine," tweeted Pieyre-Alexandre Anglade, chairman of the French Parliament's European Affairs Committee and a member of Macron's Renaissance party. "To those who doubted it: moving [Macron] to China was useful in asserting the voice of France and the strategic autonomy of Europe." Benjamin Haddad, another Renaissance lawmaker, also linked the call to Macron's trip. In the call to Zelenskyy, Xi noted that "one of the objectives of Macron's visit to Beijing was to push China to play a more constructive role in the conflict". Finnish President Sauli Niinisto tweeted simply: "Good news." French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, April 6. AFP-SCMP The cooperative enterprise in Larne is putting the culture back in agriculture In early 2022 an agricultural student from Eritrea and a primary school teacher from Iran left their native lands to embark on an arduous journey that would end in Northern Ireland. Both were fleeing their respective countries for different political and personal reasons. They found sanctuary and solace in an idyllic setting overlooking Larne Lough in County Antrim by becoming volunteers at Jubilee Farm. A Co Antrim pensioner is to stand trial later this year on alleged historic sex offences dating back three decades ago. Albert Burns (89) appeared at Belfast Crown Court today for an arraignment hearing. Standing in the body of the court assisted by a rollator, the elderly defendant from Carnmoney Road, Newtownabbey pleaded not guilty to seven charges of indecent assault on a male. The offences are alleged to have happened on dates between January 1987 and January 1989. Defence barrister Neil Moore told the court: As Your Honour has heard, there is categoric pleas of not guilty to all the charges. Prosecution barrister David Russell told Judge Mark Reel that the complainant's GP notes and records had been reviewed in the case. I understand the complainant had 20 sessions of counselling with Nexus. I have raised the query as to whether they have the notes for those 20 sessions, said Mr Russell. There was an application for further sessions and I have made a query with the PPS (Public Prosecution Service) as to whether it went beyond the 20 sessions. He added that there was mention of potential further counselling with the Northern Health and Social Care Trust and he was trying to find out if those sessions took place as part of a disclosure review of the prosecution papers. Mr Moore said the defendant turns 90 in a matter of months and had been examined by a consultant geriatrician who found no issues with Mr Burns understanding or his capacity to engage in the trial process other than he has slight hearing issues. He added that the trial is expected to last a week to accommodate a number of civilian witnesses. Releasing the defendant on continuing bail, Judge Reel set the trial date for September 25, 2023. The case will be reviewed early next month. We did not realise it would eventually take her life: Co Down family on raising awareness of asthma Permanent secretaries expressed concerns over unaffordability of eight of them, according to Audit Office report Senior civil servants in Northern Ireland have been ordered to carry out spending proposals by ministers more than 100 times since the Good Friday Agreement, a new report reveals. Permanent secretaries expressed concerns over the unaffordability of eight of them for the first time in the UK, according to the Audit Office report. A total of 105 ministerial directions (MDs) have been issued by Stormont ministers. By contrast, the Welsh government issued one such direction and the Scottish government issued five since 1998. None of the eight potentially unaffordable decisions have faced scrutiny, in the absence of an Assembly. They include funding to Derry City and Strabane District Council for Derry City Airport, GP training places, the Engage and Healthy Happy Minds schemes for schools, and cash for the health service. Read more Government set to table budget for Northern Ireland amid Stormont impasse Ministerial directions are formal orders from ministers directing their Permanent Secretary to proceed with a spending proposal, despite any objections. From the collapse of the Executive in February 2022 until ministers left office last October, 14 MDs were issued. In the absence of an Assembly none of these decisions have faced scrutiny. And for the first time in the UK, civil servants expressed concerns over the affordability of eight of these 14 decisions. This was in a period where there was no Executive, no formal budget approval for 2022-23, no monitoring rounds and no means of seeking additional in-year funding, the auditor said. Almost half of all Stormonts ministerial directions (51) related to the Covid-19 crisis, when ministers and departments released critical funds into the local economy at a time of great need, according to the Audit Office. These decisions related to around 1.4bn in spending during the pandemic. Despite this, ministerial directions have been used much more often by Stormont than the other devolved governments in the UK. The Audit Office report states that they should be a rare event. But the report adds: Since 1998 a total of 105 MDs (ministerial directions) have been issued in NI, 69 of which were issued since 1 April 2020. The primary reason behind the significant increase since April 2020 has been the spending proposals developed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, in the same period there has also been an increase in the frequency of non-Covid-19-related directions, including a number arising due to the absence of an agreed budget for the 2022-23 financial year. In the same time period, a total of 82 MDs were issued in Westminster. Of these, 15 related to pandemic spending proposals and five related to the UKs exit from the EU. Between 11 January 2020 when the Assembly returned from suspension and 28 October 2022 when caretaker ministers were no longer in post 69 MDs were issued by ministers, representing almost 2bn of public spending. But in the same period, none were issued in Scotland or Wales and 26 were issued in England, of which 15 were Covid related. The main concerns were value for money (56 times), followed by affordability (8 times). Comptroller and Auditor General, Dorinnia Carville, recommended updated official guidance to be published. She also recommended that the Department of Finance gives further consideration to the potential reasons for the use of so many MDs. If acted upon, these will help further improve the transparency around their use and the efficiency of the reporting process to the Assembly, the C&AG, and the public. A man walks by a house hit in recent fighting in Khartoum, Sudan. Violence has raged in the country since mid-April leaving over 400 people dead (AP Photo/Marwan Ali) AP A Belfast doctor born and raised in Sudan, has said that she is living in constant fear for her family, as political violence continues to rip through the African country. Sinn Feins Michelle ONeill and Alex Maskey are both to attend the coronation of King Charles III on May 6, it had been confirmed. The DUP welcomed the move but urged Sinn Fein to go a step further by agreeing to Union flags being flown on all publicly-funded buildings on Coronation day. Confirming she would be attending the coronation, Ms ONeill said: We are living in a time of great change. A time to respect our differing and equally legitimate aspirations, a time to firmly focus on the future and the opportunities that the next decade will bring. I am an Irish Republican. I also recognise there are many people on our island for whom the coronation is a hugely important occasion, she added. I am committed to being a First Minister for all, representing the whole community, building good relations between the people of these islands, and advancing peace and reconciliation through respectful and mature engagement. Therefore, as First Minister Designate, I will join President of Ireland Michael D Higgins, international figures, church leaders, other party leaders and the Assembly Speaker Alex Maskey for the coronation in London. Sinn Fein's Michelle ONeill on her decision to attend the Kings coronation. In a letter released on Wednesday, Mr Maskey, who is still acting speaker at Stormont, informed MLAs that he would also be attending. He said: It has always been important for me, or indeed any Speaker, to conduct my responsibilities to represent the Assembly in a way that is inclusive and respectful of all the identities and political traditions within it. I therefore want to inform Members that I am pleased to attend the coronation of King Charles III on behalf of the Assembly. The symbolic religious ceremony, during which Charles will be officially crowned King, is due to take place at Westminster Abbey in central London. His son, the Duke of Sussex has said he will be taking part, but the Duchess of Sussex will stay in the US and miss Charless big day. Last year, Michelle ONeill wrote to the Queen ahead of the monarchs Platinum Jubilee celebrations. The Sinn Fein vice-president referred to Her Majestys 70 years of dedicated public service to the British people, and praised her significant contribution to the peace process. Ms ONeill also referred to the late Queens landmark meetings with Sinn Fein over the last decade. Ms ONeill wrote at the time: Personally, I wish to thank you for your warmth and unfailing courtesy on the occasions in which both I and my late colleague Martin McGuinness met with you in 2012 in Belfast during your Diamond Jubilee, and thereafter at Windsor Castle during the State Visit of President of Ireland Michael D Higgins to the UK in 2014. President Michael D Higgins will also be making history by becoming the first Irish head of state to attend the coronation of a British monarch. President Higgins and his wife, Sabina, will travel to London to attend the ceremony. They will also attend a reception at Buckingham Palace on the evening before. President Higgins made the first Irish state visit to the UK in 2014 after Queen Elizabeth had three years previously made the first visit to the Republic by a British monarch since independence. DUP spokesman on Local Government Brian Kingston MLA has said the decision of Michelle ONeill to attend the Kings Coronation is a "step in the right direction. But, he called on Sinn Fein to demonstrate their commitment to a shared future by supporting the Union Flag being raised on all publicly funded buildings on Coronation Day. Mr Kingston said: Michelle ONeills attendance at the Coronation is an improvement on previous refusals at similar such royal occasions, but needs communicated to rank and file Sinn Fein elected members. "In many minority unionist Councils Sinn Fein opposed unionist plans to mark the Coronation. If Sinn Fein truly believes in building a shared future, then they should have no problem in supporting the Union Flag being raised on all public buildings to mark the Coronation. Sinn Fein elected members have led a campaign in Councils across Northern Ireland to remove every element of Royalty and aspects of Britishness. This decision by Michelle ONeill must be about more than a photograph, there needs to be a change of wider policy and attitude by Sinn Fein. Meanwhile, People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll has described the Sinn Fein leaders decision to attend the coronation as shameful. The monarchy represents everything that is wrong with our society, he stated. Gross wealth inequality, inherited privilege, and empire are nothing to celebrate. Sinn Fein should be ashamed of the decision to attend King Charles coronation. We are socialists. We recognise that there are people across these islands who will struggle to make ends meet while this lavish coronation ceremony takes place. We would never attend such a ceremony - we want to make monarchy history." He added: While the Sinn Fein leader toasts the Head of the British armed forces, we will think of the millions murdered, maimed, and brutalised by Britains imperialist ventures from Belfast to Baghdad. The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) has not ruled out the possibility of street lights being switched off as a result of budgetary pressures. DfI is facing a significant funding shortfall of over 100m, according to a report by BBC News NI. The BBC said previously unthinkable decisions like turning off Northern Ireland's street lights are potentially on the table as a result of budgetary pressures. In a statement to the Belfast Telegraph, DfI said: It is likely that further difficult decisions will be required in the coming weeks, where additional non-statutory functions and services funded by the Department will need to be considered in light of departmental responsibilities and associated impacts including equality considerations. This includes street-lighting. DfI is responsible for water, transport, planning and management of the road network, which is worth 32bn. Departments are facing cuts when NI Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris sets a Stormont budget. Speaking at the NI Affairs Committee on Tuesday, Mr Heaton-Harris said Northern Irelands public finances are currently not on a sustainable footing. The Minister of Finance previously described a 660million funding gap which the Secretary of State said had been brought down to 297million. The necessary strategic decisions have not been taken over a long period of time. For four out of the past six years, Northern Ireland has been without its locally elected representatives and, what were seeing now, essentially, are the implications of that, he added. Now, I dont have any power to influence spending decisions at all. All I can do is actually set a budget and give guidance. Weve given guidance to the permanent secretaries as to roughly how they can spend it. That is why it is fundamentally important to get the Executive up and running again. Any decisions in this space in a devolved Government should be made by locally elected politicians, for the people who elect them. I can completely understand why permanent secretaries feel uncomfortable making choicesthats not their job. Their job is to implement policy set by locally elected politicians, but there has been a massive void in that space. DUP MP Carla Lockhart challenged the SoS saying Northern Ireland is at a disadvantage because the Treasury contribution to funding public services in NI is going down rather than rising. For example, she explained, spending in England up to 2025 will increase by 6%, but it will increase by only 3.6% in Northern Ireland, and in the same period some 2,000 will fall from per-household public service expenditure for Northern Ireland in real terms. Mr Heaton-Harris said he would be willing to have a conversation about that with any Finance Minister at Stormont. Decisions have already been taken by the Department for Infrastructure to try to save money. These include actions limiting road maintenance, flood management and staff recruitment. A senior investigator for the garda watchdog has been arrested on suspicion of passing on confidential information to the Hutch crime gang. The man, aged in his 60s, was arrested in Dublin this morning and is currently being detained at a garda station in the east of the country. He was placed under investigation after it emerged that he attended a party for Gerard 'The Monk' Hutch following his acquittal last week for the murder of David Byrne in 2016. The experienced investigator resigned from the Garda Sicohana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) after details of his presence at the gathering on Monday of last week emerged. He was interviewed under caution by gardai earlier this week and admitted attending the event in north Dublin. As a result of that process, and other information investigators have received since, a decision was made to arrest the man this morning. He is being detained under Section 81 of the Garda Siochana Act 2005 relating to the confidentiality of information. This makes it an offence for a member of GSOC to disclose information they have obtained in their line of work. Gardai are investigating if he leaked sensitive information to the Hutch organised crime gang. The former GSOC investigator can be detained for up to 24 hours. The investigation is being led from gardai attached to the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Gardai will also examine devices including his phone and computer as part of their enquiry. A Garda spokesman said: "This morning 27th April 2023, Gardai attached to the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI) investigating certain matters referred to An Garda Siochana by the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission have carried out a search at a domestic residence in Dublin 3. "A male has been arrested on suspicion of an offence contrary to section 81, Garda Siochana Act 2005. The male, in his 60s, is being detained at a Garda Station in the East of the country under section 4 Criminal Justice Act 1984. "As this is an ongoing criminal investigation, An Garda Siochana has no further comment at this time." GSOC had been conducting its own inquiry into the matter after he told colleagues that he attended the party on Monday night. Earlier that day, Gerard Hutch was found not guilty of the murder of David Byrne at the Special Criminal Court. The investigator, who has over four decades of policing experience outside of Europe, later resigned from GSOC. The Garda watchdog issued a statement on the controversial affair earlier this week, saying it submitted a report to the Minister for Justice outlining the action it had taken. Meanwhile, Justice Minister Simon Harris who is attending the Prison Officers' Association annual delegate conference in Galway today was asked about the arrest in the investigation. I met the Garda Commissioner, as you know, in recent days, and I met the commissioners of GSOC also yesterday in relation to this ongoing garda inquiry, and the steps that have been taken to refer the matter from GSOC to the guards. I think what today shows without commenting in any way on a live investigation, what today shows is the appropriateness of the decision to refer this matter from GSOC to the gardai. "I have said since first becoming aware of this, that it was important that if there's any potential criminal wrongdoing, that the only place for that to go in terms of an investigation was An Garda Siochana. I think what we're now seeing is the gardai taking this seriously, and applying the appropriate level of priority to this matter. "Obviously, we can't comment further on what is a live investigation, he said. A police officer who had a sexual relationship with a vulnerable teenager he met on duty has been jailed for attempting to pervert the course of justice. Former Pc Gavin Donaldson, from Midlothian, admitted telling the woman to delete thousands of emails and messages they had exchanged which were evidence of their relationship, Scotlands prosecution service said. He further told her not to hand over her phone to anti-corruption officers who were investigating his behaviour and tried to influence what she would say to them. He was jailed for 14 months at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to attempting to pervert the course of justice. Donaldson, 45, who was based at Dalkeith police station, met the woman when she was a teenage victim of serious crime, the Crown Office said. Despite being aware of her vulnerabilities, he began a relationship with her which lasted until November 2020 when he was suspended from duty. Justin Farrell, who heads the Crown Offices specialist criminal allegations against the police division, said: Gavin Donaldson abused his respected position as a police officer. A woman who trusted him to provide professional help and support found herself being manipulated by him and encouraged to cover up his entirely inappropriate behaviour. I commend this womans bravery in speaking out about Donaldsons actions. Members of the public will be protected by the law. They should have confidence that prosecutors will respond robustly and independently to reports of criminal behaviour by police officers. Levi Bellfields victims include a teenage girl with family from NI Marsha McDonnell's father Phil, from Enniskillen in Co Fermanagh A serial killer who murdered a teenager whose father is from Northern Ireland has signed a fresh confession to the murders of Lin Russell and her daughter Megan, a lawyer has said. Among Levi Bellfields victims were Milly Dowler and Marsha McDonnell, whose father is from Co Fermanagh. Marsha McDonnell Michael Stone is currently serving three life sentences for the murders of Ms Russell (45) and her six-year-old daughter, who were found bludgeoned to death in Chillenden, Kent, in July 1996. Ms Russells other daughter, Josie, then nine, suffered severe head injuries in the attack and the familys dog, Lucy, was killed. Stone has always protested his innocence over the attacks. Last year, Bellfield claimed responsibility for the murders, before later retracting his statement. However, Stones solicitor, Paul Bacon, said that Bellfield has written and signed a fresh confession to the murders. It must have taken some courage and considerable soul-searching by Levi Bellfield to have written and signed this confession, he said. It will, hopefully, bring closure to the families involved. Now, the police need to respond and investigate these crimes afresh, to affect closure for these families. Bellfields solicitor Theresa Clark told the BBC that her client needs to take responsibility. She said that he made the confession after engaging with prison psychologists. At the end of the day, the instruction from my client is clear, she told the BBC. Hes adamant that he did it. My client says, I did it, I need to take responsibility for what Ive done. It is understood the alleged confession has been referred to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC). Kent Police referred to a previous statement made by the force, where it said its position on Stones conviction remains unchanged. Bellfield is thought to be the only criminal in UK legal history to be serving two whole-life orders. He was given a whole life term for murdering Marsha McDonnell (19) in 2003, murdering Amelie Delagrange (22), and trying to murder Kate Sheedy (18) in 2004. Marsha was bludgeoned to death with a hammer a short distance from her home in Hampton, south-west London. Her music industry father Phil, from Enniskillen, is a former tour manager for acts including Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, Van Morrison, Rory Gallagher and Clannad, who played at her funeral. Marsha McDonnell's father Phil, from Enniskillen in Co Fermanagh Bellfield was already serving his sentence when he went on trial for killing schoolgirl Milly, who was snatched from the street walking home from school in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, in March 2002. He was found guilty of abducting and killing the 13-year-old following a trial at the Old Bailey in 2011. Read more: Well ignore television drama on killer Bellfield, declares NI family of victim Polls are also taking place to choose mayors in Bedford, Leicester, Mansfield and Middlesbrough. Local elections typically reflect voters attitudes about neighbourhood concerns, such as when bins are collected, the state of parks and pavements, or access to libraries and hospitals. But they can also be a verdict on the main political parties and their handling of big issues which in 2023 is likely to mean the cost of living, the NHS and public services. Many of the seats being contested this year were last up for election in 2019, when the UK was still in the European Union, the prime minister was Theresa May and Labour was led by Jeremy Corbyn. Since then, the UK has had three further prime ministers Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak and these contests will be Mr Sunaks first big electoral test. He will hope to keep Tory losses to a minimum, while 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 Conservatives. Across the country, smaller groups such as the Greens, residents associations and independents will hope to cause surprises and upsets. Here are some of the key contests to look out for in each region of England. North-west England Bolton is the one to watch: a key battleground with every council seat up for grabs and both Labour and the Conservatives hoping to do enough to win a majority, though it will be a harder task for Labour, who need 12 gains, than the Tories, who need five (estimated declaration time: 4am, May 5). Labour should have no trouble holding its many north-west bedrocks, including Liverpool (5pm), Manchester (12.30pm), Salford (3.30am) and Wigan (5pm), but will look to bump up its numbers in Hyndburn (2pm) and stay in control in Blackpool (3pm). The party will be disappointed if it fails to win a majority at Cheshire West & Chester (7pm), where it currently holds 33 of the 70 seats. Another target is Wirral (5pm), where Labour needs 10 gains to turn minority control into overall control. Elsewhere, the Greens are looking to overtake Labour to become the largest party at Lancaster (5.30pm). North-east England Labour is keen to retake control of Middlesbrough (3pm) and needs only two gains to achieve this. A strong showing in Darlington (3pm) and Sunderland (1.30am) would also point to a good performance in an area where the party needs to make ground at a general election. Hartlepool (1.30am) could be the most intriguing contest in this part of the country, with both Labour and the Conservatives hoping to take control and both needing six gains to do it. A win for Labour would have symbolic value, coming two years after the party suffered a disastrous parliamentary by-election defeat. (PA Graphics) Yorkshire & the Humber Hull (3am) is a rare Liberal Democrat outpost in northern England. The party won it from Labour in 2022, but has only a wafer-thin majority that would disappear if Labour makes just two gains. In Sheffield (3pm), Labour and the Lib Dems are in power together, along with the Greens. All three parties hope to make gains. Another combination of parties is in power in York (8pm), in the shape of a Lib Dem-Green coalition. Labour is close behind the Lib Dems, however, with all council seats up for grabs. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently visited the city, perhaps in the hope of increasing his partys tally of just two seats. East Midlands Derbyshire is home to several key contests, including Bolsover (5pm), where Labour is defending a slim majority, and Derby (6pm), where every seat is in play and where Labour is hoping to oust the minority Tory administration to become the largest party. South Derbyshire (5.30pm) may also end up another two-way tussle between the Tories and Labour. Independents could do well in this part of the country. In Ashfield (5.30am) in Nottinghamshire, they currently hold almost every seat and will be looking for another big win, while in Boston (3am) in Lincolnshire they could prevent the Tories gaining full control. West Midlands The Liberal Democrats could pull off an upset in Stratford-on-Avon (1pm). The council has been run by the Conservatives for 20 years, but the party has seen its majority reduced to only two, and the Lib Dems would become the largest party if they take four seats from the Tories. Solihull (12.30pm) is another council where the Conservatives have lost ground in recent years, but here their main challengers are the Greens who may continue their advance. The biggest test in this region for Labour is probably Stoke-on-Trent (6.30am). The area was once a stronghold for the party, but the Tories now have all three MPs in the city and half of its councillors. Progress here for Labour would demonstrate it is winning back support in a former heartland. (PA Graphics) Press Association Images Eastern England The result from Castle Point (1.30am) will be an early test of the fortunes of independent candidates, who currently have a majority on the council. The Greens could become the largest party in Mid-Suffolk (4pm), where they launched their election campaign, while the Conservatives are facing a strong challenge from the Lib Dems in Brentwood (2am). Labour is hoping for signs of a recovery in Thurrock (2am), though it would be a major upset if the Tories lost control. Colchester (3am) has seen the Tories, Labour and Lib Dems almost level-pegging in recent years and the outcome of this years contest with a third of its seats in play could impact the current Labour-Lib Dem-Green coalition. South-east England The Liberal Democrats have high hopes of progress in some of this regions many Conservative areas. One council in their sights is Dacorum (4.30am), where leader Sir Ed Davey launched his partys campaign by driving a yellow tractor through a blue wall of painted hay bales. The party will want to tighten its control on Woking (4.30pm), where they currently won a tiny majority last year, and make some eye-catching gains in Hart (2.30am), where both Lib Dems and Tories are fighting for a majority, and West Oxfordshire (4pm), home to former Conservative prime minister David Cameron. There may also be signs of a Lib Dem advance in places like Surrey Heath (3pm) and Wokingham (3pm). Elsewhere, in Brighton & Hove (5pm) the Greens will want to maintain their status as the largest party in the face of a possible Labour advance, and Labour and the Tories both hope to do well in the ultra-marginal council of Crawley (1.30pm). South-west England There are further chances in this region for the Liberal Democrats, as the party hopes to increase its slender majority in Cotswold (3am) and hold off a Tory revival in Torbay (2pm). The Forest of Dean (2.30pm) could be fertile ground for the Greens and independents. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer paid an early campaign visit to Plymouth (4am), where his party needs five gains to take control. The city is currently run by a minority Tory administration, which faced a backlash after it chopped down 110 healthy city centre trees overnight. Sir Keir launched his partys campaign in Tory-run Swindon (4pm). If Labour manages to win control here taking six of the 19 seats up for grabs it will have had a very good election indeed. General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, Pat Cullen joins nurses outside the High Court in central London, where the Government is bringing a challenge over the planned strike action by the Royal College of Nurses (RCN) in the long-running dispute over pay. Health Secretary Steve Barclay has said he was regretfully applying to the High Court to declare the walkout planned for May 2 unlawful. Picture date: Thursday April 27, 2023. James Manning Strikes by nurses could continue for months after an angry reaction to legal action taken by the government over a planned strike over the Bank Holiday weekend. Heath Secretary Steve Barclay won a case in the High Court that part of the 48-hour strike was unlawful. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) immediately called off a strike due to be held on May 2 in the bitter row over pay, but angrily attacked the government for taking nurses to court rather than trying to resolve the row. RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said outside the court: We will continue to have strike action on Sunday evening and again on Monday, but we will not be taking strike action on May 2. Our nurses have carried out very safe, legal action to date, and Steve Barclay can continue to threaten them with their registration. He can continue, if he wishes, to drag them through court proceedings. But what he needs to do is get into a negotiating room and start to talk to the nurses of England, sort out this dispute and allow them to get back to their work. Downing Street said it was regrettable that the Government had to take legal action. General secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, Pat Cullen (second right) joined nurses outside the High Court in central London (James Manning/PA) James Manning The Prime Ministers official spokesman told reporters: I think, firstly, it is obviously regrettable that it had to come to court action in the first instance. The Government never wanted to take this to court. We did indeed try every possible way to avoid a court case. The NHS presented the RCN with clear legal evidence that their planned strike for May 2 was unlawful. We asked them to call it off. The RCN refused. Thats why the NHS asked the Government to intervene and seek the view of the court. Late yesterday, Steve Barclay wrote to the RCN, to Pat Cullen again, and asked them to call off their final day of the strike given we were confident that it was not legal, they refused again. Pat Cullen said it was the darkest day of the dispute so far. She said: They (the government) have won their legal battle today. But what this has led to is they have lost nursing and theyve lost the public. Theyve taken the most trusted profession through the courts, by the least trusted people. And what a day for nursing. What a day for patients. And what an indictment on this government to do this to the very people that have held this NHS together, not just through the pandemic, but an NHS that has been run into the ground and in crisis, caused by this government. She criticised the Health Secretary and the Government for clapping for nurses only to leave the NHS to crumble. She said: This is no way to treat the nursing staff that he (Barclay) has stood personally and clapped for on steps, and now you slap the court order on them. Its absolutely shocking in my mind, that any Government would drag their nurses through the Royal Courts of Justice, what a way to treat the nursing staff of England. Nursing staff that have held this NHS together while it has been left to crumble by this Government. Now he decides that the way to pay those nurses back is to use patients money, public money, to drag them through the courts, and that is not the way to run this country. She added: I think if you were to stop any member of public up and down England today, they would say he has got this so, so wrong, to actually push the full weight of the court system on nurses to try and silence them. What he should be doing today is getting into a negotiating room with me, not a courtroom, and saying what can we do to sort out the nursing crisis, fill the tens of thousands of vacant posts, so that patients get a decent service in this country, and that our nursing staff can be retained in the NHS?. She told the PA news agency: This Government can keep on challenging as much as they want. Nurses will not do anything illegally. Weve had a very, very safe six months of strike action, in fact during those six months our nurses only took six days of strike action. She said it was with a heavy heart that strike action could continue in the lead-up to Christmas, adding: If Steve Barclay continues to stay in the tunnel that hes in, we will end up with strike action for the next six months because nursing staff are not going to step back now. Ministers must be able to robustly challenge civil servants, Downing Street has insisted, as it denied Rishi Sunak has ever been made aware of informal concerns about Steve Barclays conduct. The Health Secretary has become the latest member of the Prime Ministers Cabinet to face bullying allegations, with officials from his department reportedly having spoken privately of bad behaviour. The Guardian quoted Whitehall sources as saying Mr Barclay regularly blasted staff and on occasions deliberately ignored colleagues who tried to talk to him. Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay leaves No 10 (Jordan Pettitt/PA) Jordan Pettitt The Prime Ministers official spokesperson denied he had ever been told of any informal concerns about the ministers behaviour, adding: The Health Secretary is delivering for the public and working hard to cut the waiting lists so people can get the care they need more quickly. The Prime Minister expects ministers to drive delivery in their department. Ministers should be able to test and challenge civil servants and their political advisers robustly, and hold departments to account to deliver for the public. It comes after Foreign Secretary James Cleverly defended his Cabinet colleague as absolutely not a bully while touring broadcast studios on Thursday morning. Mr Cleverly said the minister had given a clear and completely unambiguous response to the allegations. Mr Barclay has not commented publicly but allies totally deny he is a bully. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly defended his colleague Steve Barclay (Hannah McKay/PA) Hannah McKay The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said it had not received any formal complaints over the behaviour of its ministers, but did not deny being aware of informal concerns. Mr Cleverly told Sky News: Ive worked with him on a number of occasions. He has made a statement making it absolutely clear that there have been no reports. His statement is clear and completely unambiguous, and I am completely convinced that that is accurate. The Guardian quoted unnamed sources as having complained to the departments top mandarin about Mr Barclays challenging behaviour. They said he was constantly angry and hauls people over the coals and is generally a bit unpleasant, according to the newspaper. A source close to the Health Secretary said: No complaint has been made. Asked whether they denied bullying, they said: Totally deny. Downing Street said there were established processes through which civil servants can raise concerns, with complaints being dealt with through specific departments. A DHSC spokesman said: The department has not received any formal complaints relating to the behaviour of its ministers. Any complaints, relating to ministers or members of staff, would be investigated in line with departmental guidance. Dominic Raab resigned as deputy prime minister over his conduct towards officials (Jordan Pettitt/PA) Jordan Pettitt It comes after Dominic Raabs resignation as deputy prime minister and justice secretary last week when an independent inquiry found he had bullied civil servants. Adam Tolley KCs five-month investigation into eight formal complaints about Mr Raabs conduct found he had behaved in a way that undermines or humiliates while foreign secretary and criticised the work of civil servant staff as woeful and utterly useless while justice secretary. The concerns over Mr Barclay pre-date the release of the Tolley report, according to the Guardian. A Chinese coastguard ship blocked a Philippine patrol boat heading into a disputed shoal in the South China Sea causing a near-crash in the latest act of Beijings aggression in the strategic waterway. The high seas face-off on Sunday between the larger Chinese ship and the Philippine coastguards BRP Malapascua near the Second Thomas Shoal was among the tense moments it and another Philippine vessel encountered in a week-long sovereignty patrol in one of the worlds most hotly contested waterways. The Philippine coastguard had invited a small group of journalists, including three from the Associated Press, to join the 1,038-mile patrol for the first time as part of a new Philippine strategy aimed at exposing Chinas increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea, where an estimated 4 trillion in global trade transits each year. In scorching summer heat but relatively calm waters, the Malapascua and another Philippine coastguard vessel, the BRP Malabrigo, journeyed to the frontlines of the long-seething territorial conflicts. Philippine coastguard patrol vessel BRP Malapascua, right, passes by Chinese coastguard ship with bow number 5201 during sunrise near the Second Thomas Shoal (Aaron Favila/AP) Aaron Favila They cruised past a string of widely scattered Philippine-occupied and claimed islands, islets and reefs looking for signs of encroachment, illegal fishing and other threats. In areas occupied or controlled by China, the Philippine patrol vessels received radio warnings in Chinese and halting English, ordering them to immediately leave what the Chinese coastguard and navy radio callers claimed were Beijings undisputable territories and issuing unspecified threats for defiance. Hostilities peaked on Sunday morning in the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratlys archipelago, the most fiercely contested region in the busy sea channel. As the two patrol vessels approached the shoals shallow turquoise waters for an underwater survey, the Chinese coastguard repeatedly warned them by radio to leave the area, which is about 121 miles west of the Philippine island province of Palawan. After several radio exchanges, a Chinese coastguard caller, sounding agitated, warned of unspecified adversarial action. Since you have disregarded our warning, we will take further necessary measures on you in accordance with the laws and any consequences entailed will be borne by you, the Chinese speaker said. A Chinese coastguard ship rapidly approached and shadowed the smaller Malapascua and the Malabrigo. A Chinese coastguard ship deploys crew on motor boats to monitor activities from two Philippine coastguard vessels near the Second Thomas Shoal (Aaron Favila/AP) Aaron Favila When the Malapascua manoeuvred towards the mouth of the shoal, the Chinese ship suddenly shifted to block it, coming as close as 36 to 46 meters from its bow, said Malapascuas skipper, Captain Rodel Hernandez. To avoid a crash, Mr Hernandez abruptly reversed his vessels direction, then shut off its engine to bring the boat to a full stop. Filipino personnel aboard the vessels and journalists, who captured the tense moment on camera watched in frightened silence. But the Malapascua steered just in time to avoid a potential disaster. Mr Hernandez later told journalists the sudden and really very dangerous manoeuvre by the Chinese coastguard ship had disregarded international rules on collision avoidance. He had the Philippine vessels leave the area after the encounter for the safety of the ships and personnel. Earlier, a huge Chinese navy ship shadowed the two Philippine patrol vessels in the dark of night as they cruised near Subi, one of seven barren reefs China has transformed in the last decade into a missile-protected island base. The Chinese navy ship radioed the Philippine vessels to immediately leave and keep out. The coastguard radioed back to assert Philippine sovereign rights to the area before steaming away. China has long demanded that the Philippines withdraw its small contingent of naval forces and tow away the actively commissioned but crumbling BRP Sierra Madre. BRP Malabrigos skipper Julio Colarina III looks from the window of his ship (Aaron Favila/AP) Aaron Favila The navy ship was deliberately marooned on the shoal in 1999 and now serves as a fragile symbol of Manilas territorial claim to the atoll. Chinese ships often block navy vessels delivering food and other supplies to the Filipino sailors on the ship, including just a few days earlier, Mr Hernandez said. As hostilities between Chinese coastguard and navy ships and the Philippine patrol vessels were unfolding, Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang was in Manila, where he held talks with his Philippine counterpart and President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr on Saturday. China is willing to work with the Philippines to resolve differences and deepen ties, Mr Qin said. The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the encounters. In another Philippine-claimed reef called Whitsun, the Philippine patrol vessels spotted more than 100 suspected Chinese militia ships arrayed side by side in several clusters in the shallows. China says the huge trawler-like ships are fishing vessels but Manilas coastguard suspects they are being used for surveillance or to hold the reef for future development. Filipino coastguard personnel aboard two motor boats approached the Chinese ships and ordered them through a loudspeaker to leave, but none did. Philippine officials required participating journalists to not immediately release information about the trip to ensure the safety of the mission and to give the coastguard time to brief defence, justice and foreign affairs officials in charge of handling the touchy territorial conflicts. Faced with a militarily far-superior China in the disputed waters, the Philippines launched the campaign early this year to expose the Asian superpowers aggression, hoping public awareness and criticism will force Beijing to abide by international law. Some of the many suspected Chinese militia ships lay side by side at the Philippine-claimed reef called Whitsun (Aaron Favila/AP) Aaron Favila Philippines coastguard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said the strategy is working. He noted the Chinese ambassador in Manila was prompted to hold a press conference to explain Beijings side amid outrage over a publicly released video that showed a Chinese coastguard ship aiming a military-grade laser in early February that temporarily blinded two crew members of the Malapascua off the Second Thomas Shoal. The territorial conflicts involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have long been regarded as an Asian flashpoint and a delicate fault line in the rivalry between the United States and China in the region. While the US lays no claims to the South China Sea, it has deployed its warships and fighter jets for patrols and military exercises with regional allies to uphold freedom of navigation and overflight, which it says is in Americas national interest. Beijing has criticised a recent agreement by the Philippines and the US to grant American forces access to additional Filipino military camps. China fears the access will provide Washington with military staging grounds and surveillance outposts in the northern Philippines across the sea from Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory, and in provinces facing the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety. Washington has repeatedly warned it will help to defend the Philippines its oldest treaty ally in Asia if Philippine forces, ships or aircraft are attacked in the South China Sea. With multiple conflicts looming in what appears to be a placid expanse of sea, where dolphins and starlit night skies send seafarers grabbing for their cameras, Malabrigos skipper Julio Colarina III said he will always strive to stay on the right side of a geopolitical minefield. As much as possible well avoid conflict in the area, he said. All these competing interests just need one spark. Mexicos president has admitted he did briefly faint over the weekend before he was diagnosed with Covid something his spokesman had previously denied. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said his doctors had been concerned enough to administer a litre of rehydration fluids. He said in a recorded chat from the National Palace in Mexico City where he lives and is isolating that doctors wanted to fly him back to the capital on a stretcher. Mr Lopez Obrador was on a working tour of the Yucatan peninsula on Sunday when he tested positive for the coronavirus, his third bout of Covid. But he wrote in his social media accounts on Sunday that it isnt serious. Reports in the local press that day said Mr Lopez Obrador felt faint on Sunday morning and had to cancel his tour, something his presidential spokesman denied at the time. But on Wednesday, the president acknowledged it had become complicated I had a crisis because my blood pressure suddenly went down during a meeting with military engineers working on his pet project, a tourist train on the Yucatan peninsula. It was like I fell asleep, he said. I didnt lose consciousness but I did briefly faint because of the low blood pressure. The president said he was flown back to Mexico City on an air ambulance but said he was not carried on a stretcher. Mr Lopez Obrador, 69, who has acknowledged a history of heart problems, said his heart was not at all affected. On Tuesday, US ambassador Ken Salazar, who frequently meets with Mr Lopez Obrador, said he too had tested positive for Covid. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (Marco Ugarte/AP) Marco Ugarte He wrote on his Twitter account: I am well. Mr Lopez Obrador caught Covid in early 2021 and was ill but recovered after receiving what he described at the time as an experimental treatment. In January 2022, he announced he had come down with Covid a second time amid a spike in coronavirus infections in Mexico. Mr Lopez Obrador declined to enact mandatory mask mandates and he refused to wear a mask even at the peak of the pandemic unless it was absolutely necessary, like on airline flights. He famously refused to use Mexicos presidential jet, which he recently announced had been sold to Tajikistan. While Mr Lopez Obrador remains in isolation he said he has spent the time working on speeches interior secretary Adan Augusto Lopez has been filling in at the daily presidential morning news briefings. That could provide a boost for the interior secretarys flagging campaign to win the presidential nomination of Mr Lopez Obradors Morena party for the 2024 elections. Mr Lopez, who is not related to the president, currently trails Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum in most polls of the primary race. The Massachusetts Air National Guardsman accused of leaking highly classified military documents kept an arsenal of guns and said on social media that he would like to kill a ton of people, prosecutors said. The judge at 21-year-old Jack Teixeiras detention hearing put off an immediate decision on whether he should be kept in custody until his trial or released to home confinement or under other conditions. Teixeira was led away from the court in handcuffs, black rosary beads around his neck, pending that ruling. The court filings raise new questions about why Teixeira had such a high security clearance and access to some of the nations most classified secrets. They said he may still have material that has not been released, which could be of tremendous value to hostile nation states that could offer him safe harbour and attempt to facilitate his escape from the United States. In Teixeiras detention hearing, Magistrate Judge David Hennessy expressed scepticism about defence arguments that the government has not shown Teixeira ever intended leaked information to be widely disseminated. Somebody under the age of 30 has no idea that when they put something on the internet that it could end up anywhere in this world? the judge asked. Seriously? Teixeira entered his hearing in Worcester in orange prison garb, smiling at his father in the front row. His handcuffs were removed before he sat down and put back on when he was taken out. The judge could order Teixeira to be confined at his fathers home while awaiting trial, if not held in jail. Under questioning at the hearing, his father, Jack Michael Teixeira, said he was aware that if his son were to violate conditions of release or home confinement, he would have to report him. The elder Teixeira said he owns firearms but no longer has any in his home. Jack Michael Teixeira arrives at federal court in Worcester, Massachusetts (Steven Senne/AP) Steven Senne You have a young man before you who didnt flee, has nowhere to flee, said Brendan Kelley, the defendants lawyer. He will answer the charges, he will be judged by his fellow citizens. But Nadine Pellegrini, chief of the national security division in the Massachusetts US attorneys office, told the judge the information prosecutors submitted to the court about the defendants threatening words and behaviour is not speculation, it is not hyperbole, nor is it the creation of a caricature. It is based on what we know to date directly based upon the words and actions of this defendant. The prosecutions filing contains a review of what it says are Teixeiras social media posts, stating in November that he would kill a (expletive) ton of people if he had his way, because it would be culling the weak minded. Late on Wednesday, the Air Force announced it had suspended the commander of the 102nd Intelligence Support Squadron where Teixeira worked and the administrative commander overseeing the support for the unit mobilised under federal orders, pending further investigation. It also temporarily removed each leaders access to classified systems and information. Court papers urging a federal judge to keep Teixeira in custody detailed a troubling history going back to high school, where he was suspended when a classmate overheard him discussing petrol bombs and other weapons as well as racial threats. More recently, prosecutors said, he used his government computer to research mass shootings and standoffs with federal agents. He remains a grave threat to national security and a flight risk, prosecutors wrote, and investigators are still trying to determine whether he kept any physical or digital copies of classified information, including files that have not already surfaced publicly. shows Jack Teixeira being taken into custody on April 13 (WCVB-TV/AP) Uncredited There simply is no condition or combination of conditions that can ensure the defendant will not further disclose additional information still in his knowledge or possession, prosecutors wrote. The damage the defendant has already caused to the US national security is immense. The damage the defendant is still capable of causing is extraordinary. Teixeira has been in jail since his arrest earlier this month on charges stemming from the greatest known intelligence leak in years. He has been charged under the Espionage Act with unauthorised retention and transmission of classified national defence information. He has not yet entered a plea. His lawyers are urging the judge to release him from jail, arguing in court papers filed on Thursday that appropriate conditions can be set even if the court finds him to be a flight risk such as confinement at his fathers home and location monitoring. The defence said Teixeira no longer has access to top-secret information and accused prosecutors of providing little more than speculation that a foreign adversary will seduce Mr Teixeira and orchestrate his clandestine escape from the United States. The governments allegations offer no support that Mr Teixeira currently, or ever, intended any information purportedly to the private social media server to be widely disseminated, they wrote. Thus, its argument that Mr Teixeira will continue to release information or destroy evidence if not detained rings hollow. A roadblock near the scene of his arrest (Steven Senne/AP) Steven Senne Prosecutors wrote in their filing that he kept his gun locker within reach of his bed and in it were handguns, bolt-action rifles, shotguns, an AK-style high-capacity weapon and a gas mask. They said FBI special agents also found ammunition and tactical pouches on his dresser, what appeared to be a silencer-style accessory in his desk drawer and a military-style helmet in a dumpster. He is accused of distributing highly classified documents about top national security issues in a chat room on Discord, a social media platform that started as a hangout for gamers. The leak stunned military officials, sparked an international uproar and raised fresh questions about Americas ability to safeguard its secrets. The leaked documents appear to detail US and Nato aid to Ukraine and US intelligence assessments regardingallies that could strain ties with those nations. Some show real-time details from February and March of Ukraines and Russias battlefield positions and precise numbers of battlefield gear lost and newly flowing into Ukraine from its allies. Prosecutors wrote that Teixeira, who owned multiple guns, repeatedly had detailed and troubling discussions about violence and murder on the platform where authorities say he shared the documents. In February, he told another person he was tempted to make a minivan into an assassination van, prosecutors wrote. The Justice Departments filing outlines a pattern of troubling behavior that officials say began well before he entered the military and continued in recent months, even as his position afforded him access to government secrets. You shouldnt have to take out a second mortgage to enjoy a night out in Belfast. And the hospitality industry has had a hard enough time without those who would love to head into the city choosing not to do so as they simply dont know if theyll be able to get public transport or a taxi home afterwards. Then theres the cost with some price gouging taxi drivers trying to cash in. The transportation around the city centre, which is striving to rank alongside the best of European cities for dining and entertaining, leaves much to be desired, especially for anyone who has travelled. Its long past the time when a collaborative approach to nightlife was in operation. Reasonable fees for taxis and better numbers of taxis and transport options would assist in bringing more people into the city centre and the more people out for the night, the healthier the businesses in the city centre. When economic times are tough people should be pulling together, not driving themselves apart. Two years ago this week, ASEAN negotiated a five-point consensus with the Burmese military that had seized power in a February 2021 coup and arrested many leaders of Myanmars elected government. The consensus was a roadmap for ending violence and starting a political dialogue, but the generals never intended to abide by it. The consensus called for an immediate end to violence; a dialogue among all parties; the appointment of a special envoy from the regional bloc; the provision of humanitarian assistance by the Southeast Asian bloc; and a visit to Myanmar by the special envoy to meet with all parties. The Burmese junta has since steadfastly ignored the consensus and waged a multi-front war against Myanmars civilian population. The toll has been horrific more than 4,000 people have been killed while the regime has arrested more than 17,000 and more than 150 people have been tortured to death or died in government custody. ASEAN continues in vain to use the five-point consensus as the basis for all talks. Other than refusing to give the junta a seat at its meetings, ASEAN has done little else except let down the people of Myanmar. In March, Thailand did an end run around ASEAN when it held a Track 1.5 dialogue with a handful of like-minded member states and the junta. Those in attendance included the authoritarian states of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam along with China, India, Bangladesh and Japan. Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore refused to attend and seemed genuinely angry at Thailand for having direct talks with the junta and denying Indonesia its prerogative as ASEANs 2023 chairman. Unbowed and unapologetic, Thailand argued that it was a Track 1.5 dialogue meaning that government officials were present but not necessarily acting in their official capacity, along with a few non-governmental experts. But few bought that fig leaf interpretation, noting that Wunna Maung Lwin, the juntas foreign minister, was clearly there in his official capacity, exactly as Bangkok had wanted. This week, India hosted the second Track 1.5 dialogue with Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Bangladesh, Vietnam and China. Indonesia attended as an observer in its capacity as chairman of the regional bloc. The Thais were smart to let the Indians take over to deflect criticism that Thailand was trying to do an end run around ASEAN. Instead, the April 25 meeting could be billed as a gathering of neighboring countries who were directly impacted by the quagmire as well as other states searching for a solution. Craving legitimacy Yet it was another opportunity to give the junta the international legitimacy it so desperately craves. It follows another failed attempt at diplomacy by former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. Thailand sent its own foreign minister and special representative for Myanmar to meet with Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyidaw. All of these serve to normalize ties with a regime that should be ostracized by the international community. Moreover, its hard to take seriously the idea that the neighboring countries are not in the juntas corner. India, is much less a champion of democracy under the increasingly illiberal government of Narendra Modi, whose control over the eastern portion of the nation is tenuous. India also fears a failing junta being even more dependent on China the last thing that New Delhi wants is a greater Chinese presence on another part of its border. Bangladesh is hoping to exchange normalized ties for the return of thousands of Rohingya to their homes in Myanmars Rakhine state. Thailand, meanwhile, sees itself as a political model for the junta to hold elections and maintain power. Not hedging bets China is no longer hedging its bets and has doubled down on the junta to protect its economic interests, pipelines and Belt and Road Initiative infrastructure projects. Lately, China has been applying pressure on Ethnic Resistance Organizations (EROs) that are actively supporting the shadow National Unity Government (NUG) or quietly arming its Peoples Defense Forces over fears they might be tilting the balance away from Naypyidaw. As it increases air attacks, Myanmars Air Force has violated the airspace of Thailand, Bangladesh and India. None have lodged diplomatic complaints, a clear signal to the NUG. Reuters reported that a topic of discussion at the Indian 1.5 talks was the possible inclusion of the opposition government. That seems far-fetched as the junta has steadfastly refused to talk with its NUG leaders, officially labeling them terrorists. It seems far more likely that this was an attempt to dampen the international criticism of holding such a meeting. While the junta is bogged down in a multi-front war that it cant win, it does have a theory of victory. The military has increased attacks on civilians to terrorize them into submission. There have been more beheadings and mutilations, rape, and the razing of homes. And they have stepped up their air assaults. The military has given itself the means to do so, with a 50% increase in its budget for 2023. The junta has stepped up attempts to deprive the NUG of funding, including a recent threat of even incarcerating children for having a game on their phones whose proceeds go to support the NUG. The military, having recently disqualified a number of political parties for not registering under the new election law or having communications with terrorist organizations, continues to make plans for elections. More than 1,200 members of the overthrown National League for Democracy party are in jail, while the military has seized properties of more than 600 NLD members. Finally, the junta seeks to peel away ERO support from the NUG either by offering side deals, allowing China to pressure them or simply letting the traditional mistrust with the NUG manifest. Junta members believe that time is on their side and they can slog it out. Any international legitimacy conferred on them only helps achieve this goal. Zachary Abuza is a professor at the National War College in Washington and an adjunct at Georgetown University. The views expressed here are his own and do not reflect the position of the U.S. Department of Defense, the National War College, Georgetown University or BenarNews. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina (left) and her Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida sign a copy of a joint statement in Tokyo, April 26, 2023. Bangladesh agreed with Japan on Thursday that the Ukraine war violated international law and the United Nations charter, a move showing Dhaka is retreating from its position of uncritical observer, analysts said. The South Asian nations latest position was reflected in a joint statement with Japan issued during Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas visit to Tokyo. The two prime ministers affirmed that the war in Ukraine constitutes a violation of international law, in particular of the U.N. Charter, and is a serious threat to the international order based on the rule of law, with ramifications well beyond Europe, including in the Indo-Pacific, the statement said. They reiterated the call for a peace process through dialogue and diplomacy with respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders and in accordance with the principles of the U.N. Charter. But as recently as February, Bangladesh abstained from voting on a U.N. General Assembly resolution, which, among other things, called on Russia to withdraw all its troops from Ukraine. At the time, the Russian embassy in Dhaka thanked Bangladesh for abstaining from the vote. Bangladesh also abstained during voting on a similar resolution in March 2022. Back then local media reported that PM Hasina told parliament that Russia, as the Soviet Union, had supported Bangladesh when it was fighting for independence in 1971. According to bdnews24.com, she also said that wars do not break out on their own there must be some instigation or incitement. Why would we simply denounce a country? That was why we refrained from voting, Hasina reportedly told parliament. When the U.S. supported Pakistan [in 1971] by sending its Seventh Fleet, it was Russia who stood beside us. Therefore, we must help those who helped us during our dire need. While on a visit to Kyiv last month, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, unlike Bangladesh or Asian superpower China, reaffirmed his countrys solidarity with Ukraine. During her four-day trip to Tokyo, Hasina hopes to build defense cooperation with Japan, even as Tokyo looks to expand regional partnerships to counter Beijings influence in Asia. The joint statement said that Kishida explained the situation in the East and South China seas to Hasina. Tokyo has territorial disputes with Beijing over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, while several Southeast Asian nations have overlapping claims with Chinas in South China Sea. The two Prime Ministers expressed their commitment to fully observing the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and reiterated that any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion and increase tensions that could undermine regional stability and the rules-based international order are unacceptable, the joint statement said. Japan is the architect of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific concept and Bangladesh this week for the first time released its own Indo-Pacific outlook. Bangladeshs outlook also sees all United Nations treaties and international conventions, as they are applicable, guiding its strategy. These include the 1982 UNCLOS, but its joint statement with Japan uses stronger language about coercion. Entering new territory Diplomatic observers noted that the joint statement appeared to show that Dhaka was changing direction in its foreign policy. [W]e are entering a new territory of foreign relations, Humayun Kabir, a former Bangladesh envoy to the U.S., told BenarNews. Now we see a careful change of Bangladeshs position on the Ukraine war in the joint statement. As Bangladesh wants to woo Japanese investment and improve bilateral relations, she needs to align with Japanese positions to the maximum extent. Another analyst, Imtiaz Ahmed, from Dhaka University, said Bangladesh for the first time had altered its position on the Ukraine war, and it was worth noting that the joint statement did not name Russia as the aggressor. Here Bangladesh has been able to soften Japans hard line against Russia, Ahmed, an international relations expert, told BenarNews. Maybe Bangladesh can no longer overlook the issue of the Ukraine war. Thats because the war has disrupted the global supply chain. Economically, Bangladesh has been seriously affected. Both Kabir and Ahmed noted that the joint statements mention of the east and South China seas was also a departure for Dhaka. Bangladesh usually does not comment on the situation in the East and South China seas. For the first time Bangladesh has taken a position on this issue. This position is actually Japans, Kabir said. Ahmed noted that in this instance, too, the statement did not mention China by name. Bangladesh is caught in the middle of a geopolitical battle between China and the U.S., as well as their respective allies, as they vie for supremacy in the region, analysts have said. And Beijing and Washington are seeking influence in the non-aligned South Asian nation. But Bangladesh needs both nations for its economic development and has to balance its relationships with them. For instance, when the war in Ukraine broke out, PM Hasina said in March last year Bangladesh would carry on work on its first nuclear energy plant being built by Russia and would not stop doing business with Moscow. But by December that year Bangladesh had to change its tune. Bangladesh blocked a Russian ship from entering a local port just before Christmas due to U.S. sanctions on the vessel linked to Moscows war in Ukraine. Then in January, Bangladesh banned the entry of nearly 70 U.S.-sanctioned Russian ships. Russia was not happy, and a month later summoned Bangladeshs envoy to Moscow and said the ban did not bode well for the cooperation between the two nations. As Kabir noted: This [latest foreign policy] change may send an uncomfortable message to China and Russia. This photo provided by NOAA, taken in May 2016, shows bleaching and dead coral around Jarvis Island, which is part of the U.S. Pacific Remote Marine National Monument. Normally, a unique ocean current brings cold water up from the deep to make the underwater region vibrant with coral, nutrients, fish and sharks. President Joe Bidens plan to expand marine sanctuaries around the United States remote Pacific islands has been greeted with dismay in American Samoa, where officials fear a heavy blow to the U.S. territorys economically crucial tuna industry. American Samoa Gov. Lemanu Mauga, in a recent letter to Biden, criticized zero consultation with the territory about the sanctuary expansion and said it was contrary to Bidens own executive orders aiming to improve the lives of marginalized Americans. The lack of consultation also could reflect badly on the U.S. government at a time when it is trying to show a renewed commitment to Pacific island countries in response to Chinas burgeoning economic and diplomatic presence in the region. American Samoa is repeatedly left out of the conversation of what is best for our communities, Mauga said in the letter. We are disappointed that actions that could cripple the economy of a U.S. territory would be taken without the consultation of its people. The total area of the expanded sanctuary would be 2 million square kilometers (770,000 square miles), larger than the Gulf of Mexico, compared with about 1.3 million square kilometers (495,000 square miles) now. It encompasses waters around several islands, atolls and reefs that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says are home to some of the most diverse and remarkable tropical marine life on the planet. The islands and atolls are uninhabited save for visiting researchers and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service staff. The tropical waters are ideal for skipjack tuna which travel the equator in search of schools of small fish to feed on. The oceanic administration is accepting public submissions on the sanctuary expansion until June 23 after Biden last month set the designation process in motion. The region's diverse habitats and pristine reefs provide a haven for a variety of fish, invertebrates, seabirds, sea turtles, and marine mammals many found nowhere else in the world and are an ideal laboratory for monitoring the effects of climate change, it said this month. This October 2018 photo provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shows birds at Johnston Atoll within the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. [Aaron Ochoa/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via AP] Two-hundred nautical mile zones (370 kilometers) around Wake Atoll, Johnston Atoll and Jarvis Island are already part of the sanctuary. The proposed expansion would increase the extent of the sanctuaries around Howland and Baker Islands and Kingman Reef and Palmyra Atoll. Tuna fishing provides about 5,000 jobs in American Samoa where a South Korean-owned StarKist tuna cannery is the territorys largest business but has been in decline. The American Samoan islands, located to the south of the marine sanctuary, are home to less than 50,000 people after suffering a shrinking population for at least the past decade. Handing China a win in the Pacific Bidens push to expand the sanctuary could give Beijing a victory in the Pacific, American Samoan congresswoman Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen told a Congressional hearing last month on U.S. strategy in the Indian and Pacific oceans. I think he [Biden] took some bad advice on this ocean conservation proposal that may hand PRC a win in the Pacific, the Republican congresswoman said, using the acronym for Chinas official name, the Peoples Republic of China. The president treated our territory less favorably than PRC treats Pacific islands that are aligned with Beijing or that are at risk of surrendering to PRC domination, she said. Americas allies in the North Pacific such as Federated States of Micronesia must wonder if the U.S. is prepared to out-compete PRC, Amata said. Rep. Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen, R-American Samoa, attends a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on China on Feb. 28, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. [Jacquelyn Martin/AP] The U.S.-flagged tuna purse seine fleet, which supplies the American Samoa tuna cannery, has dwindled to 15 vessels from 38 in 2018, according to the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, which oversees the fisheries of American Samoa, Hawaii, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and the uninhabited Pacific islands. The council has opposed enlargement of the sanctuary. In a special issue of its newsletter in August last year, it said the sanctuary expansion would in practice restrict only U.S.-flagged vessels from fishing. Closing the waters of Howland and Baker Islands and Palmyra Atoll and Kingman Reef would force U.S. vessels to fish farther away from American Samoa and deliver their catch to ports in places such as Ecuador, it said. This Oct. 1, 2018 photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard shows a HC-130 Hercules aircraft approaching Johnston Atoll to evacuate four wildlife refuge workers before Hurricane Walaka arrived at the remote Pacific island. [Michael Griffin/U.S. Coast Guard via AP] Globally, the deep sea fishing industry has become notorious for exploitative and dangerous working conditions. In 2015, Associated Press reporters exposed slavery in the Southeast Asian fishing industry, which led to the rescue of hundreds of men from a remote Indonesian island. The fishery management council said allowing the regulated U.S. fishing industry to be replaced by foreign fishing vessels could exacerbate existing conservation issues for protected species and even socioeconomic issues such as food security and human rights. U.S. vessels are a small component of the Pacific purse seiner and longliner fishing fleets. Most are flagged to Pacific island countries and nations such as China, Taiwan and Japan. The marine sanctuarys planned enlargement is part of U.S. efforts to protect 30% of its lands and waters by 2030. The sanctuary, said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, would also recognize the importance of Pacific indigenous knowledge and languages and the cultural connections between lands, waters, and peoples. Mauga, the American Samoa governor, said the burden of the conservation effort is falling disproportionately on the Pacific and American Samoa. If the attempt in this designation was to better protect Pacific communities, I ask that you please consult with us before closing access to our waters, he said in his March 30 letter to Biden. Without access to these traditional fishing grounds, our tuna industry and entire economy will be annihilated, Mauga said. The death of a Uyghur detainee who had held in a refugee detention center in Thailand has intensified calls from human rights organizations for Thai authorities to provide better living conditions and health services for Uyghur inmates and to allow them to apply for asylum. Mettohti Metqurban, 40, a Uyghur refugee from Chinas Xinjiang region, died in the Bangkok hospital last week because of suspected liver failure the fifth Uyghur to die after being held in a Thai immigration detention center since 2018, and the second to die this year. In February, Abduleziz Abdulla reportedly died of pneumonia after nearly nine years in detention in Thailand. Rights organizations have demanded that the Thai government resettle the other nearly 50 Uyghur refugees held at the Suan Phlu Immigration Detention Center in Bangkok in a refugee-hospitable country while improving conditions at the detention center. Chalida Tajaroensuk, director of the Peoples Empowerment Foundation in Thailand, a human rights organization, said the living and health conditions of Uyghur refugees in the countrys detention centers should be a cause for concern because many fall ill but are refused medical treatment. Details of Metqurbans death and illness remain unknown even as authorities are aware of them, she told Radio Free Asia, a news service affiliated with BenarNews, on Tuesday. Because local Muslim organizations demanded [that they be allowed] to send physicians to treat the sick and examine their health status, the detention center did not permit them [to do so], she said. Conditions scary and inhumane The status of Uyghur refugee issue is a delicate issue in Thailand, overseen by the nations State Security Committee, Tajaroensuk said. They treat the Uyghur issue as a top secret and high-level sensitive issue, by controlling information on detainees and deciding who can visit them, she said. Therefore, we cannot know what is happening inside the detention centers. The Thai Embassy in Washington did not repond to an RFA request for information on Metqurbans death. People believed to be Uyghurs sit inside a temporary shelter after they were detained near the border with Malaysia in Hat Yai, southern Thailands Songkla province, March 14, 2014. [Reuters] Maya Wang, senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch, called on Thai authorities to comply with international law, release detained Uyghur refugees and create conditions so they can easily apply for political asylum. Unfortunately, they are now in crowded detention centers, she said. The conditions there are scary and inhumane. Therefore, there must be a way for them to apply for political asylum. Thailand, like many other countries in Southeast Asia, has not ratified the United Nations refugee convention. Uyghurs, considered a special group, are managed by national security agencies and are prevented from registering for the refugee status determination process. Pleaded for medical treatment Metqurban apparently had been suffering from severe stomach pains and vomiting over the last few weeks his condition worsened with symptoms of jaundice, the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) and the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) said in a statement issued Wednesday. He was transferred to a hospital on April 21 and is believed to have died there, though Thai authorities have not publicly confirmed his death, the organizations said. Metqurban had pleaded at the detention center for medical treatment, but his request was ignored and staff gave him sleeping pills and headache alleviation pills instead, said Elijan, a former inmate at the detention facility who lives in Turkey and had kept in touch with Metqurban. How many more deaths will take place before Thai authorities act with humanity to release these innocent people who are merely seeking safe haven, Omer Kanat, UHRPs executive director, said in a statement. Uyghurs around the world are filled with anguish that these refugees have been left in misery for nine years and the world has not lifted a finger to rescue them. Metqurban was among the 350 Uyghurs who fled from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in 2011 over fears of Chinese persecution of the mostly Muslim minority. They were arrested and detained by Thai authorities, according to WUC and UHRP. The detainees were locked up in the refugee detention center where Metqurban had been held since March 2014, according to the groups. In 2015, the authorities transferred about 170 Uyghurs, including Metqurbans wife and three children, to Turkey, while more than 100 other men and women were deported to China, drawing condemnation from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the groups said. Human rights groups previously issued calls for Thai authorities to take action on Uyghur refugees. More than 50 Uyghur organizations in 2022 called for an end to the prolonged detention of Uyghurs in Thailand. In his inaugural speech as President of France in 2017, Emmanuel Macron said that he wanted to convince our compatriots that Frances power is not declining, but that we are on the threshold of an extraordinary renaissance. Since then, the decline of French imperialism has accelerated, both economically, geopolitically and militarily. This is particularly the case in Africa. For a long period following the wave of independence in 1960, Paris had maintained significant economic influence in its former colonies. Today, this is a distant memory for the French imperialists. In June 2021, for instance, the French ambassador to Cameroon, Christophe Guilhou, stated that the market share of French companies in Cameroon has dropped from 40 percent in the 1990s to 10 percent today. The reason: competition from China, which since the 2000s has been dominating practically all the infrastructure contracts in Cameroon. This phenomenon is not restricted to Cameroon. In a 2018 study, Coface (a subsidiary of the bank Natixis) pointed out that France saw its market share in Africa fall from 11 percent to 5.5 percent between 2000 and 2017. Last December, a heavyweight of so-called Francafrique threw in the towel: the Bollore group a French transport company dealing mainly with freight had to sell its entire logistics and transport subsidiary on the African continent. French capitalism is unable to withstand the competition from its imperialist rivals. Since the 2008 crisis, the struggle between great powers has intensified on the African continent, as elsewhere. Chinese companies among others have entered markets that were once dominated by French imperialism. In recent years, the French army has had to disengage from several African countries / Image: Thomas GOISQUE, Wikimedia Commons This economic decline of France in Africa has its geopolitical counterpart. In recent years, the French army has had to disengage from several African countries. From Barkhane to Wagner In 2013, the French intervention in the Sahel Operation Barkhane aimed to strengthen France's military and political presence in the region. It was a resounding failure. The French army failed to defeat the Islamist insurgents, and in fact they spread to new countries. The French troops only succeeded in making themselves hated in the eyes of the population, and in discrediting themselves in front of a good part of the local military, who had grown sick and tired with the colonial behaviour of their French partners. As a result, the local bourgeoisie is increasingly turning to Russia and China. At the end of 2020, the government of President Touadera in the Central African Republic asked Russia for help in fighting a French-backed rebellion. Moscow immediately sent in mercenaries from the Wagner Group, who repelled the rebellion and recaptured more than half the countrys territory. In the wake of this, Touadera demanded and obtained the permanent departure of French troops. In 2021 and 2022, a series of coups led by pro-Russian soldiers overthrew pro-French regimes in Mali and Burkina Faso. The new Malian government asked the French soldiers to leave and the Russians to replace them. A few months later, the new government of Burkina Faso demanded the departure of French troops. Thus, in less than eighteen months, the French army has had to evacuate three countries that were previously crucial parts of its presence in Africa. War by proxy During his last meeting with Vladimir Putin on 7 February 2022, Emmanuel Macron talked a lot about the situation in Africa. He probably hoped to negotiate a compromise and end the costly proxy war between Paris and Moscow. The war in Ukraine and the sanctions against Russia have dashed Macrons hopes in this area. The proxy war between France and its imperialist rivals will continue to accompany the decline of French imperialism / Image: U.S. Army Southern European Task Force Africa, Flickr Since then, the situation has continued to deteriorate. In December, Dimitri Sytyi, one of Wagners executives in the Central African Republic, was wounded by a package bomb. At the beginning of March, a factory in Bangui belonging to the French company Castel was set on fire, most likely by Wagners men. On 19 March, a Chinese company was attacked, probably by more or less pro-French rebels. Nine Chinese workers were killed. This proxy war between France and its imperialist rivals will continue to accompany the decline of French imperialism. The first victims will be the workers of Africa. But this struggle will also have an impact on the workers of France, as the bourgeoisie seek to make up for lost profits abroad by intensifying exploitation at home. To put an end to this chaos, there must be a common struggle of the workers of France and Africa against imperialism and capitalism. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close 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. One year ago: Russia cut off natural gas to NATO members Poland and Bulgaria and threatened to do the same to other countries, using its most essential export as an attempt to punish and divide the West for its united support of Ukraine. The United States and Russia carried out an unexpected prisoner exchange in a time of high tensions over the war in Ukraine, trading a Marine veteran jailed by Moscow for a convicted Russian drug trafficker serving a long prison sentence in America. World leaders and the U.S. political and foreign policy elite gathered at Washingtons National Cathedral to pay their respects to the late Madeleine Albright, Americas first female secretary of state. NORTH ADAMS Though the specifics of their viewpoints varied, city councilors and residents mostly agreed on one point on Tuesday night: They want more information about plans to turn a Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts dorm into a homeless shelter. We want to know whats going on, said Councilor Ashley Shade. I dont know enough details one way or the other to say I am for or against the project, she said, adding that she lived in the dorm, Berkshire Towers, as a student at the college. Clearly there is no communication from either the state or college to the community. That is an issue. The Church Street dorm is empty amid declining enrollment at the college, and the state Department of Housing and Community Development has been looking at building to use as housing for homeless people to meet the demand for family shelters. The plan calls for the dorm to house up to 50 families, some from Western Massachusetts and some who are new to the country, according to college President James Birge. ServiceNet, a nonprofit that also runs a family shelter in Pittsfield, would run the facility. The lease, which has not been signed, is expected to be for 18 months and bring in $2.6 million a year to the college, Vice President of Administration and Finance Joseph DaSilva told the board of trustees last week. The lease would likely begin over the summer, Birge told The Eagle on Wednesday. He said he too has questions about the possible project, like about how transportation, meals, and health care would be handled, but is waiting for the lease agreement and its review to answer them. He emphasized the college has not yet made a decision. Were responding to a request from the state. Theres a critical housing shortage for people who are homeless, he said. As a state agency, I think we have an obligation to carefully consider how to help the governor meet her priorities. But city officials like Shade said at Tuesdays City Council meeting that they have not gotten sufficient information about the potential project, and many residents who spoke agreed. Mayor Jennifer Macksey said she has questions. When she spoke with the college and state earlier this year, she was told plans were still under development and she has lingering concerns. I want to know how many professional social workers are going to be in the building, and what the security is, she said. I dont have those answers. I am just as frustrated as nervous as all of you. Birge said he and Macksey are setting up another meeting. Without enough information, its hard for the city to prepare, Councilor Keith Bona said. Families may be immigrants, he said, and if the schools see an influx of students who need English as a second language support, they need to be prepared for that. Though the council does not have a formal say on the project, Councilor Marie Harpin floated the possibility of writing a resolution that the council can send to the college and state officials. I am quite concerned myself, said Harpin, an MCLA alum. Im trying to figure out what we can do as a council. Residents at the meeting were also frustrated with unanswered questions about the project. Former state Rep. Dan Bosley told the council it was a bad idea. The city depends on the economy of the college, he said. The economy of the college is failing. We need to rectify that, and its not by putting homeless families there. But in his conversation with The Eagle, Birge challenged that assertion. Its a legitimate question, but we are in a fairly strong financial position, he said, adding that the college is expecting a $1 million budget surplus this year. Many residents said Tuesday that they wanted a chance to provide input on the plan and get their questions answered. Local organizations have offered to hold a public forum. Northern Berkshire Community Coalition and Berkshire Housing have reached out to the college offering to organize and moderate a public forum on the potential project, said Amber Besaw, executive director of the community coalition. The invitation has been made, she told the City Council. We are continuing to pursue that. Birge said if the college remains interested in pursuing the project after actually seeing the lease agreement, it would host a public briefing on campus. But it was not clear whether such an opportunity would come before or after the lease is signed. I dont know the timing of that yet, Birge said. Neighbor Kurt Kolek thinks there should have been a public meeting already. I think its really important we hear from our city leadership on this, he said. Jamie Birge should have had a public forum in the very early stages of this. Matt Tatro, who lives near the dorm, agreed. We need to know what MCLAs plan is. This seemingly is foreshadowing a way to kind of jam their pockets now in an effort to later close [the college]. Theres no possible way to increase enrollment at MCLA with [a homeless shelter] on one side and [an] addiction recovery [facility] on the other side, he said, referring to the nearby Alternative Living Centers. Macksey, a former MCLA employee, also worried the shelter would hurt enrollment. This is an enrollment strategy nightmare from a former higher ed professional, she said. Birge said the college is talking about that issue, noting that hes heard from parents of students and prospective students on both sides of the issue. I think thats a legitimate concern, he said. Its something that we are also focused on and having conversations about. Residents also had questions Tuesday about what services would be offered to the families, especially when it already can be difficult to get a doctor or mental health counseling. I would like to see the state or MCLA come forth with a plan that they are going to have some mental health resources for these folks as well as some substance abuse resources, said Michael Milazzo, who lives in Clarksburg and owns property in North Adams. Lets try to integrate them into our community so they can come and get jobs and be out on their own. Without that part of the plan, I think this is a horrible idea. ServiceNet is looking to hire a mental health professional to staff the possible site, Erin Forbush, who oversees shelter and housing for ServiceNet, told The Eagle. They would have caseworkers on staff to assist residents access resources and support, and ServiceNet would provide transportation. After families leave their shelters, ServiceNet offers support with the goal of keeping them housed, she said. This is a really big opportunity to bring funding and resources into Berkshire County and specifically Northern Berkshire County to help the families that I know firsthand are in need of these types of services, she said. We field calls pretty much daily from families in housing crisis. Some residents on Tuesday urged their neighbors and city councilors to think about those families involved. Andrew Fitch said he was neither for or against the project, but wanted to highlight the human aspect. I see this as an opportunity ... for us to step forward and greet these folks, to welcome them, help them get plugged into our community, show them the high points of it, get them involved in the Fall Foliage Parade, [and] get them connected to the many jobs that are open in our restaurants shops and other businesses. Whether the project moves forward may be up to Birge. The board of trustees is in charge of making policy, while the president makes management decisions, Birge said. Its my position that this is a decision based on operations for the institution. That was questioned last week at a college board of trustees meeting by board member and state Rep. John Barrett III. He thought the board should have input. I dont want this board and this community shut out of the process, he said. The boards chair, Brenda Burdick, is meeting with an attorney to get clarification on that, Birge said Wednesday. From the Bible, we can determine the places Jesus lived and it can at least give us a framework to the question where did Jesus grow up. Most famously, we know Jesus was born in Bethlehem. You will find this in Matthew and Lukes gospel accounts of Jesus life. Though Jesus was born in Bethlehem, we know that from Bethlehem, his next stop was Egypt. When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. Get up, he said, take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him (Matthew 2:13). After the wise men had departed, Joseph took Mary and the baby Jesus to Egypt to escape Herod. We dont know how old Jesus was when they left for Egypt, but it is safe to assume he was in the neighborhood of two years old, which again is based on Matthews gospel. When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi (Matthew 2:16). Matthew would tell us that Joseph, Mary, and Jesus stayed in Egypt until Herod died, and at that point, an angel of the Lord told them it was safe to return to Israel. However, when they returned, Joseph was afraid to live in Judea, because of the new ruler Archelaus, so Joseph went to the region of Galilee and settled in Nazareth, and that is where Jesus grew up. Nazareth was Jesus hometown, and this was the place from which he identified. Photo credit: Getty Images/George Muresan Christo Grozev of Bellingcat gained a front row seat to a bungled Ukrainian intelligence operation that left a friendly airfield destroyed and soldiers dead. His narrative about his role in the plot is filled with holes. Criminal charges of treason and abuse of power have been leveled against an unspecified number of Ukrainian servicemen by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). In a bizarre plot to seize Russian aircraft and transfer the planes to Ukraine, the accused soldiers disclosed sensitive information that allowed Moscow to strike an important Ukrainian airfield with a Kalibr missile. A commander was killed, 17 airmen were wounded, two fighter jets destroyed, and significant damage was inflicted to the airstrip and several nearby buildings. Will Ukrainian authorities now level criminal charges against members of Bellingcat, the Western government-funded open source investigations collective, for its role in the connivance? Christo Grozev, the organizations lead Russia investigator, was inexplicably granted a front row seat to the chicanery by the individuals who attempted to carry it out. Once the plot unravelled spectacularly, Grozev attempted to spin it as an embarrassment for Russia, while denying the SBU or Ukraines Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR) played any role in its execution. Instead, he claimed, it was the work of maverick ex-operatives. The criminal cases pursued by the SBU validate this narrative: These actions of individual servicemen [emphasis added], which led to serious consequences, death and injury of Ukraines defenders and harmed the countrys defence capabilities, require an appropriate legal assessment. As we will see, Grozev was far from a passive spectator in the scheme. Indeed, his framing of the event gives every appearance of a damage control exercise, shielding Bellingcat and the GUR and SBU from blame. Coincidentally, his Bellingcat website profile notes his interest in the weaponization of information. Read Alex Rubinsteins report on Christo Grozevs defense of a terror attack on a St. Petersburg, Russia cafe, and his call for more of such actions. Bellingcats proxy war blunders pile up Since the war in Ukraine began, Christo Grozev and Bellingcat have played a lead role in disseminating and verifying dubious, if not outright fraudulent, material and claims related to the conflict. Just over a week after Russias February 24, 2022 invasion, Grozev confidently declared that Moscows war-fighting resources would be spent by March 6th, at which time Russian forces would collapse. Over a year later, the gears of the Russian war machine are still churning away. By the end of March 2022, Bellingcat had fed the Wall Street Journal an entirely bogus tale, asserting that oligarch Roman Abramovich and two Ukrainian negotiators who had been trying to broker peace between their two countries were poisoned. The finding was the result of an investigation reportedly organized by Grozev, who claimed to have seen the images of the effects of the attack. He further alleged that too much time had passed for the suspected poison to be detected by the time a German forensic team was able to perform an examination, accounting for why his assertions could not be verified by authorities. It was not intended to kill, it was just a warning, Grozev falsely declared. Though Ukrainian and US officials quickly dismissed the story as fantasy, Grozev was not deterred. In late April 2022, while appearing on a charity telethon for Kiev, he claimed to have personally checked, and found that Russia had already lost 90% of the highest quality, important and essential part of its army, without which it is impossible to conquer key infrastructure facilities. For the families of those killed at Kanatove airfield, and the countless conscripts who have lost their lives under Russian artillery fire in Bakhmut, such comments must seem like a sick joke. Bellingcats Grozev spins a cinematic yarn On July 25th 2022, Moscows state-owned news agency TASS reported that Russias FSB security agency had thwarted a Ukrainian operation to steal Russian aircraft, supervised by NATO. Intelligence officers acting on behalf of Kievs political leadership reportedly approached Russian military pilots in secret, offering them millions of dollars and citizenship of an EU country of their choosing in return for deliveries of aircraft such as Su-24s and Su-34s. Several pilots appeared to take the bait. And it turned out that Bellingcats Christo Grozev had been helping to cultivate the turncoats through a series of exchanges on encrypted messaging apps. However, the FSB had apparently infiltrated the plot from the outset, and were using discussions over defection to glean sensitive information from the Ukrainians. This yield then helped the Russian air force to inflict fire damage on a number of Ukrainian military facilities. The Russian strike on Ukraines Kanatove airfield, and the SBUs criminal investigation of the incident, tends to confirm that version of events. However, in the wake of the TASS report, Grozev offered a radically different tale: a crazier-than-fiction story of triple-agents, fake passports and faux girlfriends. The Bellingcat staffer claimed that after Kiev passed a law in April offering financial incentives to Russians to surrender and hand over weapons and vehicles, a team of Ukrainian operatives decided to approach Russian pilots with an offer based on this law. Bellingcat miraculously found out about the initiative and secured a front seat to make a documentary about a brazen operation. Grozev and company then watched as Russian pilots were successfully lured into providing proof-of-access videos from inside their planes, some of which were quite detailed and enlightening, as they prepared to defect. It was only then that the FSB became involved, as the Ukrainians learned later on. At this point, the plot morphed into a double operational game in which both sides were trying to extract maximum information from the other, while feeding them maximum disinfo. The Ukrainians peddled the FSB fake maps of their anti-aircraft deployments, as well as disinfo on the operational airstrips. They even convinced the security service to send one of the pilots wives, along with a whole FSB tailing team, to Minsk, Belarus for an in-person meeting. When nobody showed up, the Russians realized they had been burned, the Ukrainians realized they were not getting a real pilot, and the mutual-deceit game came to an end. While Russia is presenting today this as a coup for its counter intelligence, in fact the operation was a serious blunder for the FSB, disclosing unintentionally identities of dozens of counter intel officers, their methods of operation, and their undercover assets, Grozev boldly declared. After pushback, Grozev changes his story The narrative Grozev spun out was marred by several obvious problems. How did Bellingcat learn of a secret Ukrainian operation? Why were outsiders particularly ostensibly independent journalists encouraged by the plotters to film a documentary on the operation as it was being conducted? Why did Grozev wait for the FSB to get the first word, if the plot was such a stunning success for the Ukrainians? Perhaps most pertinently of all, if Bellingcat played no active part in the connivance and were simply observers, how did the Russians learn of their presence, to be able to falsely accuse Grozev of involvement? Even if Grozevs version of events were true, it provides numerous indications that Bellingcat assisted the so-called Ukrainian operatives. For example, one of the pilots sent the Ukrainians a photo of his lover, whom he wished to take with him when he defected. Grozev boasted that it took him about five minutes to discover that the woman was in reality an FSB girlfriend-for-hire. Did he keep this information siloed from the operatives? Would Grozev really not share this revelation with the supposed subjects of his documentary? While many took Grozevs unbelievable fable at face value, several of Bellingcats normally deferential mainstream boosters began asking if the organizations involvement with Ukrainian operatives placed it in direct quarters with the SBU and GUR. At this point, Grozev felt compelled to issue a clarification. He claimed neither agency was involved, and if either had been, thered be no way we would or want to get access to it. Instead, Grozev contended the Ukrainians in contact with Bellingcat had been maverick ex-operatives who he met during a previous investigation, and that they were acting independently of the government and security services. As such, he claimed the FSBs counterintelligence wing was fighting tooth and nail against a bunch of, essentially, volunteers. Grozevs clunky narrative raised far more suspicion than it allayed. It is inconceivable that such a sensitive attempt to secure defections during wartime would be conducted without state authorization or knowledge. This is particularly the case if defections are sought under the terms of a dedicated government program providing financial incentives for switching sides and handing over military hardware. Offers of money and EU citizenship for the pilots and their lovers would have necessarily needed to be approved by Kiev. Even if the Ukrainian ex-operatives ultimately intended to betray the defectors and not provide what they promised, the Ukrainian military would have by definition needed to agree to the pilots arrival, and their planned flightpaths, in advance. Otherwise, their jets would be shot down before they landed. In any event, not providing the pilots with what was offered would inevitably deter any further defections from the Russian side, therefore sabotaging the governments high-profile incentive scheme outright. Bonfire of security officials suggests state involvement In a curious twist, just hours after Grozev deployed a blizzard of excuses, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fired the First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Ruslan Demchenko, and Special Operations Forces (SSO) commander Hryhoriy Halahan. Both positions are directly related to clandestine operations, such as attempts to facilitate Russian military defections. The firings followed the surprise canning of Zelenskys childhood friend and close confidante, Ivan Bakanov, as SBU chief on July 17th 2022. Bakanov was officially dismissed under Article 47 of the Disciplinary Statute of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: non-performance (improper performance) of official duties, which caused human casualties or other serious consequences or created a threat of such consequences. The grounds for his termination echo the charges faced by the unnamed Ukrainian servicemen. It is not hard to imagine the righteous fury that would have erupted in Mariinskyi Palace if Zelensky were told the FSB had stitched up a plot to recruit Russian pilots and their cutting-edge fighter jets. Public confirmation on July 25 that the conspiracy had been a setup all along would have provided ample grounds for the firing of Demchenko and Halahan. This March, Yahoo News published a lengthy investigation supporting Grozevs claims that the Ukrainians involved were mere volunteers, and that Russian pilots had indeed been planning to defect, only for the FSB to catch them and step in. However, the report also revealed that substantial amounts of money had been sent to the pilots to convince them to defect. The sums were so high, it is almost inconceivable Kiev did not pay them, reinforcing the interpretation that the mission was state-approved. While basing its story exclusively on testimony and material supplied by an unnamed volunteer, Yahoo News nonetheless acknowledged at least one of the pilots may have been working for the FSB all along. Moreover, it claimed some of the pilots could still be active in the Ukraine war, which obviously would not be the case if they had ever seriously intended to defect. Did careless disclosures from the volunteer to Yahoo News play any role in triggering the SBUs sudden move to prosecute the individuals involved? It would by definition silence them, killing off any and all suggestions the cataclysm was Kievs own doing. Alternatively, with Western military aid running out and the Pentagon and mainstream media alike acknowledging Russias air force will soon fly effectively unopposed in Ukrainian airspace, it may be necessary to find people to blame. Grozev has remained eerily silent about the SBUs criminal investigation. It would be reasonable to expect a documentarian with such a candid, insider view of what went down to be a suspect, or at least a witness, in such a probe. Should he and his fellow laptop jockeys not be charged with assisting reckless actions of individual servicemen that cost lives, it would strongly suggest Bellingcat enjoys some degree of protection from Ukrainian security and intelligence services. While Bellingcat and Christo Grozev seek to downplay their role in a high-level Ukrainian intelligence operation, their website continues to refer to their organization as an independent investigative collective. The governing body of the WHO is set to consider a new pandemic treaty and amendments to the 2005 International Health Regulations, which some believe could be the most dangerous international treaty ever proposed. Human history is a story of forgotten lessons. Despite the catastrophic collapse of European democracy in the 1930s, it appears that the tale of the twentieth century in which citizens, cowed by existential threats, acquiesced in the rejection of liberty and truth in favour of obedience and propaganda, whilst allowing despotic leaders to seize ever more absolutist powers is perilously close to being forgotten. Whats going on with Crypto & Banking Crisis? Watch video below: Nowhere is this more evident than in relation to the apparent nonchalance which has greeted two international legal agreements currently working their way through the World Health Organisation: a new pandemic treaty, and amendments to the 2005 International Health Regulations, both due to be put before the governing body of the WHO, the World Health Assembly, in May next year. As concerned scholars and jurists have detailed, these agreements threaten to fundamentally reshape the relationship between the WHO, national governments, and individuals. They would hardwire into international law a top-down supranational approach to public health in which the WHO, acting in some cases via the sole discretion of one individual, its Director General (DG), would be empowered to impose sweeping, legally binding directions on member states and their citizens, ranging from mandating financial contributions by individual states; to requiring the manufacture and international sharing of vaccines and other health products; to requiring the surrender of intellectual property rights; overriding national safety approval processes for vaccines, gene-based therapies, medical devices and diagnostics; and imposing national, regional and global quarantines preventing citizens from traveling and mandating medical examinations and treatments. A global system for digital health certificates for verification of vaccine status or test results would be routinised, and a bio-surveillance network whose purpose would be to identify viruses and variants of concern and to monitor national compliance with WHO policy directives in the event of them would be embedded and expanded. For any of these sweeping powers to be invoked, there would be no requirement for an actual health emergency in which people are suffering measurable harm; instead it would be sufficient for the DG, acting on his or her discretion, to have identified the mere potential for such an event. It is hard to overstate the impact of these proposals on Member States sovereignty, individual human rights, foundational principles of medical ethics, and child welfare. As currently drafted, these proposals would deny UK sovereignty and governmental autonomy over health and social policies and, through the indirect impacts of forced lockdowns and quarantines and because each Member State would be required to commit a staggering minimum of 5 percent of national health budgets and an as yet unspecified percentage of GDP towards the WHOs pandemic prevention and response, also over critical aspects of economic policy. GreatGameIndia is being actively targeted by powerful forces who do not wish us to survive. Your contribution, however small help us keep afloat. We accept voluntary payment for the content available for free on this website via UPI, PayPal and Bitcoin. "The Free State of Florida" is on the cusp of having the most oppressive hate crime laws in America in order to "combat anti-Semitism." HB 269/SB 994, which sponsor Rep. Randy Fine (R) said earlier this year was written to make hate-filled anti-Semitic "littering" a felony punishable by five years in prison, has been passed unanimously by the GOP-controlled Florida House and Senate with zero concerns for the First Amendment. Agudath Israel applauds the @FLSenate for unanimously passing HB 269, an important step in combating antisemitism. Rabbi Moshe Matz, Director of Agudath Israels Florida office, was in the senate for the occasion, and delivered the opening prayer. pic.twitter.com/J1ABDchfpe Agudath Israel of America (@AgudahNews) April 26, 2023 "Nazis, take note," Rep. Fine, who is Jewish, commented on Twitter after the bill passed the Senate. "You're done in Florida." Nazis, take note. Youre done in Florida. https://t.co/5yvGZV79Sn Rep. Randy Fine (@VoteRandyFine) April 26, 2023 "There is no First Amendment right to conduct," Jewish Florida State Rep. Randy Fine told the media earlier this year while promoting the bill. "If you graffiti a building, it is a crime now, but if your motivation is hate, it will be a third-degree felony and you will spend five years in prison. If you want to litter, it's a crime right now, but if you litter and your motivation is a hate crime, it will be a third-degree felony and you will spend 5 years in jail." Hate speech laws about to be passed in Florida under FAUX conservative governor Ron Desantis. Penalty for having the wrong opinion? 3rd degree felony and 5 years in jail! pic.twitter.com/Bi3ThOOwB7 Stew Peters (@realstewpeters) March 2, 2023 THATS FELONY STALKING HERO SHERIFF CHITWOOD PITCHES ANTISEMITISM LAW ON CNN // @volusiasheriff @SheriffChitwood appeared on CNN to defend new laws introduced in Florida to hit antisemites with harassment and stalking felonies. pic.twitter.com/3OgP3ggx1i Rabbi Shmuley (@RabbiShmuley) April 26, 2023 The bill was put forward by the GOP to silence the "Goyim Defense League" who've been sharing anti-Semitic flyers in Florida neighborhoods and holding up anti-Semitic banners over bridges which are critical of Jews. Am I reading this right? If Florida HB 269 is passed, someone who makes fun of another persons clothes if they are considered ethnic or religious can be arrested & charged with a THIRD DEGREE FELONY AND HATE CRIME! What if it is simply here say? What is the burden of proof? pic.twitter.com/yH9hGkQrmo Chris Nelson (@ReOpenChris) March 3, 2023 Florida Rep. Mike Caruso (R) told reporter Chris Nelson earlier this year that the bill "makes anti-Semitism a hate crime." "If we do nothing we are going to have 1933's Nazi Germany all over again," Caruso said. WATCH! @RepMikeCaruso says his Bill, Florida HB 269 makes acts of Antisemitism a hate crime. If we do nothing we are going to have 1933s Nazi Germany all over again. Reporting for @EpochTimes pic.twitter.com/heRaN8AqH9 Chris Nelson (@ReOpenChris) March 3, 2023 "[Gov. Ron DeSantis]: On Israels 75th Independence Day, [Rep. Mike Caruso], [Rep. Randy Fine] and I are proud to send you our 2x unanimous HB 269/SB 994," Florida State Rep. Alexis Calatayud (R) said Wednesday on Twitter. "Our policy strengthens the civil [and] criminal consequences for threat, harassment, intent to harm to our ethnic [and] religious communities." @GovRonDeSantis: On Israels 75th Independence Day, @RepMikeCaruso, @VoteRandyFine and I are proud to send you our 2x unanimous HB 269/SB 994. Our policy strengthens the civil & criminal consequences for threat, harassment, intent to harm to our ethnic & religious communities. https://t.co/HSMUAwxuqM Alexis Calatayud (@AlexisMCalatayu) April 26, 2023 The Jewish Insider reported that Gov. DeSantis, who is set to arrive in Israel on Thursday, may ceremonially sign the bill into law while in Israel, as he did previously with another bill to punish Floridians for boycotting the state of Israel. The bills passage comes a day before Ron DeSantis is set to arrive in Israel, where some GOP insiders have speculated that he will sign the legislation into law, as I reported yesterday. https://t.co/MmtAdKYmUQ https://t.co/urqErilLyo Matthew Kassel (@matthewkassel) April 26, 2023 "If history is any guide, the Florida governor could use part of his speech at the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem to promote the bill and perhaps even ceremonially sign it into law -- as he did while spotlighting a similar piece of legislation on his last tour through Israel four years ago," The Jewish Insider reported. "GOP insiders in Florida suspect that DeSantis, whose plans for the trip remain closely guarded, is weighing a repeat gesture as he heads to Israel on Thursday," The Jewish Insider continued. "'The timing of it would fall right in line with his trip,' Mike Caruso, a Republican state representative who authored the legislation in Florida's House, said in an interview with Jewish Insider on Monday. If the bill passes early this week, as he anticipates, 'it's going to be there for the governor to sign in Israel if he chooses to.'" "DeSantis has not publicly commented on the bill. But Caruso, the state lawmaker who authored the legislation, said he had discussed it with the governor's office and was confident it would pass. He said he would be 'ecstatic if the governor signed' the bill in Israel later this week," JI said. "That would really give it some coverage that I think the bill deserves," Caruso told JI. "I hope the governor does. I look forward to it. We shall see." [Left header image of Ron DeSantis by Gage Skidmore, cropped, overlay added, CC BY 2.0] Follow InformationLiberation on Twitter, Facebook, Gab, Minds and Telegram. NEW DELHI (PTI): Bangladesh Army Chief Gen SM Shafiuddin Ahmed will embark on a three-day visit to India beginning today with an aim to bolster bilateral military cooperation. Gen Ahmed is set to begin his visit to India by paying tributes to the fallen heroes at the National War Memorial in New Delhi, officials said. The visiting general will also be accorded a guard of honour at the South Block lawns in the Raisina Hills. Later in the day, Gen Ahmed is expected to hold wide-ranging talks with Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande. Gen Ahmed is also likely to meet Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar and Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari. Gen Pande visited Bangladesh in July last year during which both sides vowed to expand their military cooperation. It was his first trip abroad after taking the reins of the 1.2 million strong force. Brandeis students awarded prestigious fellowships, scholarships Brandeis undergraduates, recent alumni, and graduate students have been awarded prestigious academic scholarships and fellowships to pursue their academic interests and research. Each academic year, the Academic Fellowships team guides hundreds of Brandeis students and alumni in exploring their academic and professional interests, reflecting on their values and goals, and helping them develop competitive applications for national and international fellowships. We are so proud of every one of our applicants who had the courage to put their thoughts and ideas out into the world. Applying for a fellowship is rigorous and time-consuming, and we are in awe of the wide range of students who embrace the process, even when the odds of winning are long, said Meredith Monaghan, Executive Director of Academic Fellowships. For those that have received awards this year, we are absolutely thrilled for each of them to gain well-deserved recognition and funding. They have worked hard to discern and articulate what matters to them, and how they can expand upon their Brandeis education to engage with the world in a meaningful way. The following students have been awarded fellowships and scholarships: Petra Dujmic '24 has been named one of 413 Goldwater Scholars nationwide. The Goldwater Scholarship fosters outstanding students in their sophomore and junior year to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering. It is considered the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields. A neuroscience major, Dujmic is interested in advancing therapeutics for cardiovascular disorders by investigating the function of peripheral neuronal circuits. In addition to her commitment to scientific research, Dujmic coordinates events for the Neuroscience Club, has been selected to deliver a talk at the Boston Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience, and founded the Croatia chapter of the Brain Bee, an international neuroscience competition for teens. Dujmic is the 24th Brandeis undergraduate student to have earned this distinction since 1989, and is the fourth in the last five years. Boren Awards provide up to $30,000 to U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to add an international and language component to their education through specialized study and increased language proficiency. Undergraduate Boren Scholars and graduate student Fellows immerse themselves in study and research in parts of the world underrepresented in study abroad programs, including Africa, Asia, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The following students have won Boren Awards: Emily Atieh '23 is majoring in anthropology and minoring in Islamic and Middle Eastern studies and Arabic language, literature, and culture, and will study Arabic in Jordan. Andy Mendez, Heller '23 is pursuing both a master of business administration degree and masters in sustainable international development, and will study Turkish in Azerbaijan. Victoria Zidek, Heller '23 is pursuing masters degrees in sustainable international development and in conflict resolution and coexistence, and will study Portuguese in Brazil. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program was established by the U.S. Congress to foster understanding between the people of the United States and other countries and to facilitate the exchange of ideas. Recipients are chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential, and are given the opportunity to study, teach, conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. The following students and alumni have been awarded Fulbright grants: Elizabeth Brewer '23, majoring in international and global studies with a Hispanic studies minor, will conduct ethnographic research in Bosnia and Herzegovina to examine perceptions of the roles and effectiveness of international institutions and supranational organizations among Bosnian youth. Maddie Chacon '21, who graduated with a BS/MS in biology, will conduct research on resistance to treatment in pediatric brain cancer at the renowned Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin, Germany. Abby Miranker '20, an Art History major, will pursue a masters degree in art history degree at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico and undertake research into the ways in which contemporary local art collectives act as subcultures responding to sociopolitical dynamics. Fox Baudelaire '20, a biological physics and chemistry major now studying at the University of Michigan, will pursue a project to model the kinetics and thermodynamics of chaperone-mediated protein folding in the Department of Physics at Toronto Metropolitan University in Canada. Medha Asthana, GSAS '28, a third-year doctoral student in anthropology, will examine daily relations between queer-identified people assigned female at birth and their mothers and other female kin in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India on topics of gendered expectations, narratives of care, and negotiations of power. Becca Frankel, GSAS '23, graduating with an masters degree in ancient Greek and Roman studies, will pursue an masters degree in creative writing at University College Cork in Ireland, and will write a poetry collection through the voice of the Banshee and other figures of wailing women and death messengers. Tyler Lecours, GSAS '24, pursuing a masters degree in ancient Greek and Roman studies, will analyze Greek emporia located throughout Bulgaria and will direct participation in the ongoing archaeological excavations at Pistiros, the only known Greek emporium in central Bulgaria. Victoria Zidek, Heller '23, pursuing masters degrees in sustainable international development and in conflict resolution and coexistence, will work alongside Maestra Janga at the Federal University of Bahias feminism and gender department and the Grupo Nzinga de Capoeira studio to study the relationship between Capoeira, feminism, and restorative justice in Salvador, Brazil. Hugh Grant has accused the publisher of The Sun of using the law to cover up and conceal unlawful activities by journalists and private investigators which he alleges included burglaries to order. The actor (62) attended the final day of a hearing at the High Court in London, at which News Group Newspapers (NGN) is bringing a bid to have claims by him and Britain's Prince Harry thrown out. He arrived with his wife Anna Eberstein and his legal team and greeted gathered journalists as he entered the Rolls Building, in London. Hugh Grant is a prominent campaigner on press ethics (James Manning/PA) Harry (38) is suing News Group Newspapers (NGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering at two of its titles, The Sun and the now-defunct News Of The World claiming that his private information was unlawfully accessed. Mr Grant, who settled a claim against NGN relating to unlawful information gathering at the News Of The World in 2012, is now bringing a similar legal action in relation to The Sun. Advertisement NGN denies any unlawful activity took place at The Sun. In a witness statement, the Love Actually star said: My claim concerns unlawful acts committed by The Sun, including burglaries to order, the breaking and entering of private property in order to obtain private information through bugging, landline tapping, phone hacking, and the use of private investigators to do all these and other illegal things against me. He referred in the statement to evidence he gave to the Leveson Inquiry into press standards and ethics in 2011, in which he spoke about a break in at his London flat, where the front door was forced off its hinges and a story appeared shortly afterwards in The Sun that detailed the interior. He said: I had no evidence that this burglary was carried out or commissioned on the instruction of the press, let alone The Sun. The actor added that he had been told by a private investigator in early 2022, which prompted him to launch his claim. In his witness statement, the actor says he brought his recent claim after being passed information which showed, for the first time, evidence that The Sun had targeted unlawful activity at me and my associates directly. Advertisement He said the information included private investigator invoices and payments, and that they included the period during which the Leveson Inquiry into press standards and ethics was taking place. Mr Grant said in the statement: It was particularly shocking to learn that me and my associates, including members of my family who were not in any way in the public eye, had been targeted by The Sun during the Leveson Inquiry. It was widely reported and well known at the time these private investigators were commissioned in November 2011 that I was shortly going to be giving evidence to the Leveson Inquiry which included NGN. I found it astonishing that The Sun carried out these unlawful acts against me at a time when I was preparing to give evidence to a public inquiry on press ethics. Of course, all of this was concealed from me at the time. His statement concludes: I have invested a great deal of time in my campaign work for a better and ethical press. A corollary of that has been my interest and my own investigations to understand the truth. I have been shocked by what I have unearthed, without any help at all from the defendant, about unlawful acts committed by The Sun against me. Advertisement The fact that it has now been confirmed, through my investigations, that these unlawful acts included targeted burglaries is truly appalling. The defendant clearly considers itself above the law and is using the law now in a way I believe it was never intended, that is to further cover up and conceal what it has done. I strongly believe that cannot be allowed to happen and that what it has done must be brought to light. Prince Harry is also bringing a claim against NGN (Victoria Jones/PA) NGNs lawyers argue Mr Grant, a prominent campaigner on press ethics as a member of the Hacked Off group, should have been aware he had a claim in relation to The Sun much earlier, and had left it too late to bring the latest legal action. Mr Grants lawyers argue he has only become aware more recently, following disclosure in the ongoing litigation over phone hacking, that there is evidence he was targeted by journalists and private investigators working for The Sun. Harrys lawyers argue NGNs bid to have his claim thrown out is an attempt to go behind a secret agreement between the royal family as an institution and NGN, which the duke was informed of in 2012. NGN has previously settled a number of claims since the phone-hacking scandal broke in relation to The News Of The World, which closed in 2011, but has consistently denied that any unlawful information gathering took place at The Sun. Advertisement World Prince Harry kept out of loop regarding phone ha... Read More Anthony Hudson KC, for NGN, told the court on Tuesday that Harry and Mr Grant had been front and centre of claims against the publisher over hacking and therefore could not possibly have failed to realise they had a potential damages claim much sooner. The hearing is expected to conclude on Thursday and Mr Justice Fancourt will determine whether their claims will progress to a trial, which is due to be heard in January next year. The judge is expected to give his ruling at a later date. A former asylum seeker has failed to show that her rights were breached by a decision to transfer her from a Dublin reception centre to accommodation in the Midlands. The Syrian national sought damages and wanted the court to declare that the Minister for Integrations decision to transfer her was a breach of her private and/or health rights under the Constitution, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU, and the European Convention on Human Rights Act of 2003. The Minister argued the case was moot as the woman had been granted refugee status, so the State no longer had a legal obligation to provide her with basic accommodation, food and hygiene facilities. Mobile home She remains living in a State-provided mobile home with her son by the grace of the Minister and not because she is so entitled, the respondents submitted. Advertisement The woman, who cannot be identified due to her immigration status, contended that, as she was seeking damages, the proceedings still contained an issue to be determined. In a recently published ruling, Ms Justice Niamh Hyland said she believed the proceedings are moot. However, in case she is wrong about this, she proceeded to determine the substantive matters. The judge said the woman arrived in this State with her son in May 2021 and was brought to the National Reception Centre in Balseskin, north Dublin, where new arrivals are processed. The woman was subject to a vulnerability assessment, which determined she did not require special accommodation as a doctor found her medical issues can be investigated at regional hospital level. She was told in February 2022 that she and her son would be transferred to the midlands. Memory loss and mobility issues The Irish Refugee Council then emailed the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) indicating the woman suffered from memory loss and mobility issues and regularly attends medical appointments in Beaumont Hospital in Dublin. A request was made for the woman and her son be transferred to Dublin City accommodation to facilitate access to Beaumont, the judge said. The IPAS emailed the woman in March stating that there was no availability to offer in the Dublin area due to the demand for accommodation and, as Balseskin is a reception centre and there was an increased amount of protection applicants, residents could not remain there long term. Advertisement After being moved in March, the woman and her son complained that she could not step into the shower and had difficulty using the toilet in the small bathroom due to her vulnerability and mobility issues, Ms Justice Hyland said. The next month the woman was declared a refugee and, following a second vulnerability assessment, she was considered to be vulnerable high, said the judge. Accessible accommodation needs It was recommended that she needed accessible accommodation with her son in the city where she could easily access geriatric services. The decision noted that the IPAS does not transfer residents who have refugee status, but it would recommend that on humanitarian grounds the woman should be transferred. Ms Justice Hyland said the womans claim can only be advanced for the six-week period she was in the new accommodation before being granted refugee status. Ireland Man who posed as taxi driver before raping one wom... Read More The judge pointed to a glaring absence of medical evidence put forward by the womans legal team, who, she said, relied heavily on the second vulnerability assessment. There did not seem to be any factual or legal basis for why the woman should not have been transferred to the midlands when she was. Although the conditions are undoubtedly less than ideal for her, they fall very far short of the situations identified by her counsel in court cases where a breach of fundamental rights has been found. She failed to make out any case that the transfer decision breached her rights, the judge added. A Burmese family who have lived in a Castlebar house for more than 15 years, are about to be evicted this week. The six people, two of whom are said to be elderly, were initially brought to Ireland by the Department of Justice as refugees in 2007. They are members of the minority Karen community, which according to the UNHCR have suffered persecution for decades by authorities in Myanmar (formerly Burma). Independent Cllr Michael Kilcoyne told the Western People the family had nowhere to go and are facing the prospect of becoming homeless over the coming days. The family had been staying in the residence under the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) - a social housing support for those assessed as having a long-term housing need. Under the terms of the scheme, the house was supplied by Mayo County Council who were leasing the house from the landlord and the family then paid their rent to the local authority. Advertisement The big advantage of that was that if the landlord decided he was taking back the house the council had to find them another house, Cllr Kilcoyne said. Landlord It is understood the landlord notified Mayo County Council last September that he was considering selling the house at Chestnut Grove and he wanted it back as home improvements were necessary. Cllr Kilcoyne said the voucher, which covers bed and breakfast, can only be used once a person has accommodation secured and a roof over their head and is otherwise worthless. The council are saying they have no accommodation for them and they have no emergency accommodation but here is a voucher to go and get accommodation, he said. But you cannot sleep on a voucher and they have nowhere to go. They could be on The Mall or outside. These are very mild people and never caused a days bother, Cllr Kilcoyne added. Gerard Mulherin, a development officer with Mayo North East LEADER Partnership knows the family personally having previously worked as an integration officer. He said they told him they have no issue with the landlord. He informed the family last September that he would be taking the house back as he was considering selling it. He also informed the council around that time, said Mr Mulherin. Advertisement Mr Mulherin, who stated he does not want to apportion blame and wants to highlight the situation, said when the RAS section in the council claimed it was unable to find a new house for the family. Rent privately They suggested the family of six try and rent privately. The council with all its resources are unable to find a property, yet they expect this vulnerable family to be able to do so, Mr Mulherin stated. The development officer said the family contacted an estate agent about a house for rent but to date have heard nothing back. The family were referred by RAS to the emergency accommodation section of the Castlebar Municipal District where they were told there is no accommodation available, Mr Mulherin said. They will however be issued with accommodation vouchers, but all the participating hotels and B&Bs are full to capacity, he added. Mr Mulherin stated that if the family arrived in Ireland and claimed asylum today, they probably would have a better chance of getting accommodation. The Integration section of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth which is responsible for housing our International Protect applicants enjoys a degree of flexibility for sourcing accommodation which the council lacks, he said. How can one organ of the state have the ability to rent hotels, hostels, and holiday homes to meet the housing demands of their target group whereas the county council does not?, Mr Mulherin added. Ireland Lifting eviction ban was 'right decision', says O'... Read More Surely the county council should also be given the flexibility and the budget to address the accommodation needs in their municipal districts, he concluded. Mayo County Council told the Western People they do not comment on individual cases. A spokesman told the paper: When an individual or family present as homeless, rough sleeping or are at risk of becoming homeless in Castlebar they need to present to the local Municipal District office. If someone requires assistance outside the hours of 9am and 5pm then they should present to the local Garda Station. Another arrest been made in connection with the 2016 shooting of Eddie Hutch Snr. Gardai confirmed a man in his 40s was arrested on Thursday in connection with the fatal shooting which took place on Poplar Row in Dublin 3 on February 8th, 2016. The man was arrested under section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 and is currently being held at a Garda station in North Dublin. It is the latest arrest in connection with the incident. Earlier this month, a man aged in his 40s was arrested and detained under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984. Advertisement Minister of State Niall Collins will address the Dail on Thursday about his wife's purchase of land in Co Limerick. The Minister of State for Higher Education has been under pressure to make a Dail statement on the transaction, amid allegations by The Ditch, an investigative news website, that he was a member of Limerick County Council when it voted to dispose of the land, later bought by his wife. He has been sharply criticised for his apparent failure to declare his wife's interest in buying the property or recuse himself from the local council's decision to sell the plot in Patrickswell. The Limerick TD insists the sale was "transparent and open". People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy has said the Government has protected Mr Collins so far. Advertisement Mr Murphy said: "I think what we're going to get from Niall Collins later on is that he's not going to say whether he knew his wife had expressed an interest in buying the land or not, so I think we're going to be none the wiser very deliberately from Niall Collins and the Government... which has shielded him." Plans for a new 200 million brewery by drinks group Diageo in Newbridge, Co Kildare, have been put on hold following an appeal against the project by an individual who believes the new facility should be located in Athy. The objector, John Lynch, has lodged an appeal with An Bord Pleanala against the recent decision of Kildare County Council to grant planning permission for the proposed new brewery. The local authority approved Diageos plans in March to develop the new production plant on a 21.3-hectare greenfield site at the IDA Newbridge Business and Technology Park at Littleconnell, Newbridge, close to Lidls regional distribution centre on the eastern outskirts of the town. The company said its proposed new, state-of-the-art, sustainable and efficient plant, which will become Diageos second-largest brewery in Ireland after St Jamess Gate when fully operational, would brew various lagers and ales including brands such as Rockshore, Harp, Hop House 13, Smithwicks, Kilkenny and Carlsberg. Advertisement The transfer of the production of such brands to Newbridge will also allow its St Jamess Gate brewery in Dublin to increase production of Guinness to meet global demand for the drink. 'Malting barley capital of Ireland' Mr Lynch has argued that the location of the new brewery should be moved on environmental grounds to Athy which he claimed was the malting barley capital of Ireland. He maintained such a change would eliminate the need for over 800 lorry journeys each year to transport barley from Athy to the site at Littleconnell and save Diageo over 6.6 million per annum in the process. Mr Lynch also expressed concern about plans to extract water from a bore hole near the proposed plant and to divert a local stream to facilitate the development because of the potential impact on the nearby River Liffey as well as the water table of The Curragh. In a submission, he claimed Athy has the only malting barley plant in the country as well as the only can factory. Mr Lynch said no other town could reduce the distance from field to can or keg by a greater amount and in such an environmentally friendly manner. However, Diageo said it had considered six alternative sites in Dublin and Kildare including at its main brewery at St Jamess Gate which had been discounted because of potential risk factors. The company said it had chosen the Newbridge location because it had sufficient space on IDA lands with direct access to the M7 motorway and the availability of water, while also being at a distance from sensitive receptors. Ireland Guinness producer Diageo announces 12 cent price h... Read More According to documents filed with the planning authorities, the new brewery will provide up to 1,000 jobs during the construction phase, although a maximum of 400 staff at any one time as well as 70 full-time jobs when the plant is fully operational. The plans provide for a 9,148m main brewing plant which will include a brew house, storage facilities, control rooms and 92 storage vessels ranging in height up to 23.3 metres. Other new buildings being developed include a renewable heating plant, wastewater treatment plant and waste storage facility. A ruling by An Bord Pleanala on the appeal is expected in the autumn. A father was beaten up, racially abused and made to apologise by a group of youths in front of his daughter on a Dublin street after he gave out to a boy who squirted him with water, a court has heard. A 16-year-old boy was found guilty of assault causing harm to the Chinese national on a busy street in the city centre's north side on December 6th, 2021. He had denied the charge, claiming self-defence and that he was protecting his little brother, who had used a water gun before the incident which "escalated" into a gang attack. CCTV footage showed the boy repeatedly punching him while his teenage daughter stood close by. He admitted that he hit the victim up to seven times before the others joined in, dragged the man along railings, and reined blows and kicks to his head and body. Advertisement Garda Ciara Burke told the court that the man had a swollen eye, bloody face, and blood coming from his nose when he arrived at Store Street Garda station minutes after the incident. The victim reported that he had spoken to a young boy who sprayed him with a water gun, but the accused became racially abusive and hit him before "a whole load of youths became involved". Afterwards, they followed him and "made him apologise", or they would not leave him alone. Garda Burke obtained CCTV footage from the scene and arrested the boy after overhearing him telling a person about the incident three days later. The teen told her, "I just swung until he backed off," the court heard. Attack In evidence, the victim recalled telling the defendant's brother, who squirted him, "Stop it", and he put his hands out. He was worried for his daughter and tried to walk away, but the accused started hitting him. Then, he said: "Some guys came across the road and hit me really bad. I was covered by my hat, so I did not see anything, and they kept hitting me; one guy hit me really bad." He agreed with State solicitor Mairead White that they made him apologise afterwards, telling the man: "If you don't say sorry, we won't let you go." The teen claimed in court that the victim had put his hand on his little brother and started giving out, so he went to defend him. He alleged the man came at him and kicked him, and he claimed he was acting in self-defence but backed off and kept his distance when the incident escalated. In cross-examination, the prosecution put to him that he would have pulled his brother away if he had been protecting him. Defence solicitor Michael Byrne submitted that his client had an "instinctive reaction" to defend his brother. Convicting him, however, Judge Kelly held that the teen acted aggressively, not defensively. He adjourned sentencing for a victim impact statement to be obtained and for a probation report on the accused. The teen, who cannot be identified because he is a minor, was remanded on continuing bail. A lack of GPs providing abortion care and calls for thousands of additional public servants are among the stories that feature on Thursday's front pages. The Irish Times reports that nine counties have fewer than five GPs providing abortion care. An interview with Green Party leader Eamon Ryan also makes the front page. He has called for thousands of additional public servants to grow the size of the State, matching economy increases. The Irish Examiner leads with a story on court delays for child sex abuse cases. Customers could be in for more energy price hikes, according to the Irish Independent. The Echo leads with a story on a Cork burglar jailed for five years after he threatened a mother holding her one-year-old as he robbed their home. The stepfather of a Kinahan Cartel associate drove a bus in US president Joe Biden's convoy during his recent visit to Ireland, the Irish Daily Star reports. Advertisement Thursday's edition includes brilliant @punchestownrace pullout pic.twitter.com/QnPHPHQ0DE Irish Daily Star (@isfearranstar) April 27, 2023 The Irish Daily Mail leads with a story on the Green Party's rural spokeswoman defending their policies. Green Party spokeswoman hits back at plan for a new anti-Greens movement. pic.twitter.com/5lbS6jLamE The Irish Daily Mail (@irishdailymail) April 27, 2023 Ex-Fianna Fail councillor John Hussey was one of the solicitors appointed by the Department of Justice to oversee Sworn Inquiry Boards, according to the Irish Sun. Hussey has been jailed for five years for sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl who was on a sleepover at his home with several other children. Armed gardai raided the home of a suspect in the Regency Hotel shooting, The Herald reports. In the North, the Belfast Telegraph leads with a story on the Northern Ireland budget. The Irish News leads with a story on a family calling for an inquest into a fatal collision. Today's #FrontPage Family call for inquest into killing collusion Tough Stormont budget expected as parties meet SoS Read: https://t.co/JyzDL4zdLS Subscribe: https://t.co/y5tlLNJSPb Home Delivery: https://t.co/I1gVh0iuJt pic.twitter.com/8yA3b7Ys9P Advertisement The Irish News (@irish_news) April 27, 2023 Controversial invites to the coronation of Britain's King Charles and the blocked sale of one of the biggest gaming companies to Microsoft lead the stories across Thursdays UK front pages. The Daily Mail says a row erupted on Wednesday as a Chinese official who was pivotal in the crackdown on Hong Kong and Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill were invited to the coronation. The Daily Telegraph followed suit, saying Chinas architect of the Hong Kong crackdown has been invited to the coronation. The front page of tomorrow's Daily Telegraph: 'Architect of Hong Kong crackdown to attend Coronation'#TomorrowsPapersToday Sign up for the Front Page newsletterhttps://t.co/x8AV4Oomry pic.twitter.com/5G3GKC6LPO The Telegraph (@Telegraph) April 26, 2023 The Financial Times leads with the Competitions and Markets Authority blocking the 75 billion sale of video-game maker Activision Blizzard to Microsoft. Just published: front page of the Financial Times, UK edition, Thursday 27 April https://t.co/3ab2L1BCBm pic.twitter.com/Yr4Fo6COqn Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) April 26, 2023 The Guardian says concerns have been raised over UK health secretary Steve Barclay in relation to his alleged conduct towards civil servants. Advertisement Guardian front page, Thursday 27 April 2023: 'Concerns raised' over Barclay's conduct towards civil servants pic.twitter.com/3yHfyXQ2Gw The Guardian (@guardian) April 26, 2023 A magazine writer told a US court that Donald Trump raped her in the fitting room of a department store in 1996, Metro reports. Tomorrow's Paper Today I'M HERE TO GET MY LIFE BACK He attacked me in fitting room... then lied and shattered my reputation, says writer #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/fTAvxAes2l Metro (@MetroUK) April 26, 2023 Up to 60 former sub-postmasters who were wrongly accused of stealing money after a computer accounting error have died before the end of the public inquiry into the matter, The Times reports. THE TIMES: Post scandal victims die without getting payments #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/r2eaRl0mpw Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) April 26, 2023 UK home secretary Suella Braverman said she has vowed to put more police boots on the ground as a part of her plan to tackle crime, the Daily Express says. The Daily Mirror says Levi Bellfield has signed a written confession over the murders of mother and daughter Lin and Megan Russell in 1996. Advertisement Doctors have issued a warning over a weight-loss drug being sold illegally on Facebook which poses a genuine threat to health, the i reports. Thursday's front page: Health warning over popular weight-loss drug sold illegally on Facebook#TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/4CbLmqsHf9 i newspaper (@theipaper) April 26, 2023 The Independent continues its campaign to save an Afghan war veteran from being deported to Rwanda. INDEPENDENT DIGITAL: Iraq war hero: Dont deport brave Afghan pilot to Rwanda #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/4VKD1LtgoO Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) April 26, 2023 And the Daily Star debunks scientists who say Jaffa Cakes are the best biscuit for dunking into tea. Thursday's front page: Daily Star makes tea boffins look like proper mugs #TomorrowsPapersTodayhttps://t.co/4kwqES0xs1 pic.twitter.com/tDu6qz7Zuh Daily Star (@dailystar) April 26, 2023 Skyrocketing rents are impacting on the sex lives of Ireland's young people, Solidarity TD Mick Barry told the Dail on Wednesday. The Cork North-Central TD said the rental crisis was causing young people to stay at home with their parents for far longer than most would wish. "Ten years ago, the average age for leaving home was 19 whereas today it is 28, and people are being forced to stay at home with their parents into their 30s. That has to cramp the style of young people. He said that while parents today are more liberal than they were "back in my day", "it cannot be too good for the sex lives of young people to be forced to stay at home with their parents until they are 28 or into their 30s, and that is apart from anything else." Advertisement Mr Barry was speaking as People Before Profit put forward the Rent Reduction Bill 2023, which sets out to reduce rents to affordable levels by limiting them to a maximum of a quarter of monthly household incomes and to establish a National Rent Authority. Ireland Family in Mayo face eviction after 15 years in hou... Read More During the debate People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Paul Murphy listed out TDs who are landlords and said they should not participate in the vote on the Bill this evening and to do so would be to engage in a conflict of interest. He told the Dail: "The names of the landlord Deputies who should not vote on this Bill because they have a clear conflict of interest are as follows: the Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, of Fine Gael; Deputy Leddin of the Green Party; Deputy Creed of Fine Gael; Deputy Kehoe of Fine Gael; Deputy Phelan of Fine Gael; Deputy Bruton of Fine Gael; Deputy Canney of the Regional Group; Deputy Grealish of the Regional Group; Deputy Shanahan, Independent; Deputy Dillon, Fine Gael; Deputy Troy, Fianna Fail; Deputy Michael Moynihan, Fianna Fail; Deputy Byrne, Fianna Fail; Deputy Haughey, Fianna Fail; Deputy Lawless, Fianna Fail; Deputy Aindrias Moynihan, Fianna Fail; Deputy Brendan Smith, Fianna Fail; Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, Rural Independent Group; Deputy Nolan, Rural Independent Group; Deputy Kelly, the Labour Party; Deputy Guirke, Sinn Fein; Deputy Stephen Donnelly, Fianna Fail; and Deputy Foley, Fianna Fail. Those people should not participate in the vote tonight. To do so is to engage in a conflict of interest." Minister of State at the Department of Housing Malcolm Noonan said apart from technical and practical operational shortcomings of the Bill, it would in all likelihood face significant risk of legal challenge. Mr Noonan said it would also be likely to have a severely detrimental effect on supply of rental property and that the Government would be opposing the Bill. "The measures proposed in the Bill are likely to result in the withdrawal of many units from the rental sector and severely constrain future supply." Armed fighters have rampaged through a city in Sudans war-ravaged region of Darfur, battling each other and looting shops and homes, residents said. The violence came despite a fragile three-day truce between Sudans two top generals, whose power struggle has killed hundreds. The mayhem in the city of Genena illustrated how the fight for control in the capital Khartoum is spiralling into violence in other parts of Sudan. The ceasefire brought a significant easing of fighting in Khartoum and its neighbouring city Omdurman for the first time since the military and a rival paramilitary force began clashing on April 15. The relative calm has allowed foreign governments to airlift out hundreds of citizens, while tens of thousands of Sudanese have streamed out of Khartoum, seeking safer areas or escape abroad. Advertisement The military, led by General Abdel Fattah Burhan, said late on Thursday that it had accepted a 72-hour ceasefire extension brokered by the US and Saudi Arabia. There was no immediate comment from its rivals in the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. US secretary of state Antony Blinken said earlier that we are very actively working to extend the ceasefire. Weve had a 72-hour ceasefire which, like most ceasefires, is imperfect but nonetheless has reduced violence, he said. We want to make sure that, if possible, this is extended. Were very actively engaged on that. I hope and expect to have more information on that in the coming hours. (PA Graphics) Even in the capital, fighting has not stopped, locals said, while in the western region of Darfur, residents said the violence was escalating to its worst yet. Darfur has been a battleground between the military and the paramilitary RSF since the conflict began nearly two weeks ago. Residents said the fighting in Genena is dragging in tribal militias, tapping into longtime hatreds between the regions two main communities one that identifies as Arab, the other as East or Central African. In the early 2000s, African tribes in Darfur that had long complained of discrimination rebelled against the Khartoum government, which responded with a military campaign that the International Criminal Court later said amounted to genocide. Advertisement State-backed Arab militias known as the Janjaweed were accused of widespread killings, rapes and other atrocities. The Janjaweed later evolved into the RSF. Early on Thursday, fighters wearing RSF uniforms attacked several neighbourhoods across Genena, driving families from their homes. The violence spiralled as tribal fighters joined the fray in Genena, a city of around half a million near the border with Chad. A man walks by a house hit in recent fighting in Khartoum (Marwan Ali/AP) It was often unclear who was fighting who, with a mix of RSF and tribal militias some allies of the RSF, some opponents all running rampant. The military has largely withdrawn to its barracks, staying out of the clashes, and residents were taking up arms to defend themselves, said Dr Salah Tour, a board member of the Doctors Syndicate in West Darfur province, of which Genena is the capital. The syndicate estimated that dozens of people were killed and hundreds wounded. Almost all of Genenas medical facilities, including its main hospital, have been out of service for days, and the sole functioning hospital is inaccessible because of the fighting. Criminal gangs looted the main hospital, stealing vehicles and equipment and destroying the hospitals blood bank, the syndicate said. Advertisement Residents said the citys main open-air market was completely destroyed. Government offices and aid agencies compounds were trashed and repeatedly burned, including UN premises and the headquarters of the Sudanese Red Crescent. Smoke fills the sky in Khartoum (Maheen S/AP) Two major camps for displaced people have been burned down and their occupants mainly women and children from African tribes dispersed, said Abdel-Shafei Abdalla, a senior member of a local group that helps administer camps. Elsewhere in Darfur, there have been sporadic clashes, particularly in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur province. Thousands have fled their homes in Nyala, and others are too afraid to go outside for food and water. Earlier this month, fighters allegedly from the RSF destroyed and looted warehouses for the World Food Programme and other aid agencies in Nyala. At least 512 people, including civilians and combatants, have been killed in Sudan since April 15, with another 4,200 wounded, according to the Sudanese Health Ministry. The Doctors Syndicate, which tracks civilian casualties, has recorded at least 295 civilians killed and 1,790 wounded. Meanwhile, in Khartoum, residents reported gunfire and explosions in some areas on Thursday, and the militarys warplanes bombed RSF positions in the upscale neighbourhood of Kafouri. Many are struggling to obtain food and water, and electricity is cut off across much of Khartoum and other cities, while multiple aid agencies have had to suspend operations. Floridas governor has described Disneys legal case against him as politically motivated and said it is time for the company to stop enjoying favourable treatment in his state. Disney sued Ron DeSantis on Wednesday over the Republicans appointment of a board of supervisors in its self-governed theme park district, alleging the governor waged a targeted campaign of government retaliation after the company opposed a law critics call Dont Say Gay. The legal filing is the latest salvo in a feud between Disney and Mr DeSantis that has engulfed the governor in criticism as he prepares to launch an expected 2024 presidential bid. Theyre upset because theyre having to live by the same rules as everybody else, Mr DeSantis said during a visit to Israel. The fight began last year after Disney, in the face of significant pressure, publicly opposed a state law banning classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early years (Rich Kane Photography/Alamy/PA) They dont want to pay the same taxes as everybody else and they want to be able to control things without proper oversight. Advertisement The days of putting one company on a pedestal with no accountability are over in the state of Florida. Mr DeSantis was speaking on the third leg of an international trip meant to burnish his foreign policy credentials ahead of a potential campaign for the Republican presidential nomination as a key rival to former US president Donald Trump. Mr DeSantis has dived headlong into the fray with Disney, a major driver of tourism and a font for employment in Florida, as business leaders and White House rivals have bashed his stance as a rejection of the small-government tenets of conservatism. The fight began last year after Disney, in the face of significant pressure, publicly opposed a state law banning classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early years. After his trip to Israel, Mr DeSantis heads to Britain (Christopher Casler/Alamy/PA) Mr DeSantis then took over Disney Worlds self-governing district and appointed a new board of supervisors to oversee municipal services in the sprawling theme parks. But before the new board came in, the company pushed though an 11th-hour agreement that stripped the new supervisors of much of their authority. The Disney legal case asks a federal judge to void the governors takeover of the theme park district, as well as the DeSantis oversight boards actions, on the grounds they were violations of the companys free speech rights. After his trip to Israel, Mr DeSantis heads to Britain. House Republicans in the US have narrowly passed sweeping legislation that would raise the governments legal debt ceiling by 1.5 trillion dollars, in exchange for steep spending restrictions. The move represents a tactical victory for speaker Kevin McCarthy as he challenges President Joe Biden to negotiate and prevent a catastrophic federal default this summer. Mr Biden has threatened to veto the Republican package, which has almost no chance of passing the Democratic Senate anyway, and the president has so far refused to negotiate over the debt ceiling which the White House insists must be lifted with no strings to ensure America pays its bills. But Mr McCarthys ability to swiftly unite his slim majority and bring the measure to passage over opposition from Democrats and even holdouts in his own party gives currency to the Republican speakers strategy to use the vote as an opening bid forcing Mr Biden into talks. The two men could hardly be further apart on how to resolve the issue. Advertisement The Bill passed by a razor-thin 217-215 margin. Weve done our job, Mr McCarthy said at the US Capitol after the vote. The president can no longer ignore by not negotiating, he said. Now he should sit down and negotiate. As the House debated the measure, Mr Biden on Wednesday indicated he was willing to open the door to talks with Mr McCarthy, but not on preventing a first-ever US default that would shake Americas economy and beyond. Happy to meet with McCarthy, but not on whether or not the debt limit gets extended, Mr Biden said. Thats not negotiable. Passage of the sprawling 320-page package in the House is only the start of what is expected to become a weeks-long political slog as the president and Congress try to work out a compromise that would allow the nations debt, now at 31 trillion dollars, to be lifted to allow further borrowing and stave off a fiscal crisis. The nation has never defaulted on its debt, and the House Republican majority hopes to manoeuvre Mr Biden into a corner with its plan to roll back federal spending to fiscal 2022 levels and cap future spending increases at 1% over the next decade, among other changes. Advertisement This Bill is unacceptable, its unreasonable, its unworkable, its unconscionable and its un-American, said the Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Democrats derided the Republican plan as a ransom note, a shakedown and an unserious Bill that was courting financial danger. In a statement late on Wednesday, the White House press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said congressional Republicans must act immediately and without conditions to avoid default, adding: That is their job. Jackass star Bam Margera has surrendered to Pennsylvania State Police for allegedly punching his brother during an altercation four days earlier at their home in the Philadelphia suburbs. Margera was arraigned and pleaded not guilty, according to his lawyer, Michael van der Veen. The wild rumours regarding his behaviour this week are absolutely false. He is in good health and in good spirits, Mr van der Veen said in a written statement. Court records say Margera was released on $50,000 unsecured bail. He man not have any contact with his brother, father or two other people who were in the house at the time, according to his bail conditions. He also has to stay away from the house. State police said they were called to the Chester County home in response to a reported domestic disturbance on Sunday morning. Advertisement Margeras brother Jesse told police that the TV star had pounded on and kicked his locked bedroom door, then punched him in the eye, nose and ear during a confrontation in the kitchen, according to court documents. Jesse Margera said he had also found a threatening handwritten note signed Bam, a police affidavit said. Margera, who also starred in MTV reality series Viva La Bam, ran from the home through dense woods before officers arrived, the affidavit said. He was charged with simple assault, harassment and four counts of terroristic threats. After his arraignment, a post on Margeras Instagram account said: Everything went great and the false accusations of what my brother says are not true and he will be sued for defamation as well as being evicted from castle bam sooner than later. His next court date is May 25th. Mexicos president has admitted he did briefly faint over the weekend before he was diagnosed with Covid something his spokesman had previously denied. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said his doctors had been concerned enough to administer a litre of rehydration fluids. He said in a recorded chat from the National Palace in Mexico City where he lives and is isolating that doctors wanted to fly him back to the capital on a stretcher. Mr Lopez Obrador was on a working tour of the Yucatan peninsula on Sunday when he tested positive for the coronavirus, his third bout of Covid. But he wrote in his social media accounts on Sunday that it isnt serious. Reports in the local press that day said Mr Lopez Obrador felt faint on Sunday morning and had to cancel his tour, something his presidential spokesman denied at the time. Advertisement But on Wednesday, the president acknowledged it had become complicated I had a crisis because my blood pressure suddenly went down during a meeting with military engineers working on his pet project, a tourist train on the Yucatan peninsula. It was like I fell asleep, he said. I didnt lose consciousness but I did briefly faint because of the low blood pressure. The president said he was flown back to Mexico City on an air ambulance but said he was not carried on a stretcher. Mr Lopez Obrador, 69, who has acknowledged a history of heart problems, said his heart was not at all affected. On Tuesday, US ambassador Ken Salazar, who frequently meets with Mr Lopez Obrador, said he too had tested positive for Covid. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (Marco Ugarte/AP) He wrote on his Twitter account: I am well. Mr Lopez Obrador caught Covid in early 2021 and was ill but recovered after receiving what he described at the time as an experimental treatment. In January 2022, he announced he had come down with Covid a second time amid a spike in coronavirus infections in Mexico. Mr Lopez Obrador declined to enact mandatory mask mandates and he refused to wear a mask even at the peak of the pandemic unless it was absolutely necessary, like on airline flights. Advertisement He famously refused to use Mexicos presidential jet, which he recently announced had been sold to Tajikistan. While Mr Lopez Obrador remains in isolation he said he has spent the time working on speeches interior secretary Adan Augusto Lopez has been filling in at the daily presidential morning news briefings. That could provide a boost for the interior secretarys flagging campaign to win the presidential nomination of Mr Lopez Obradors Morena party for the 2024 elections. Mr Lopez, who is not related to the president, currently trails Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum in most polls of the primary race. Russias Foreign Ministry has denied a US request for a consular visit to Evan Gershkovich, an American reporter for The Wall Street Journal who is jailed on espionage charges. The ministry said it rejected the request for the May 11th visit in retaliation for the US refusing to grant visas to Russian journalists who planned to accompany Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on a trip to the United Nations. Mr Gershkovich has been in custody since his March 29th arrest by Russias security service on espionage charges that he, his employer and the US government have denied. He is the first US correspondent since the Cold War to be detained in Russia on spying charges and his arrest rattled has journalists in the country and drawn outrage in the West. Advertisement The United States has declared Mr Gershkovich to be wrongfully detained and demanded his immediate release. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands in a glass cage in a courtroom at the Moscow City Court (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP) The Russian denial of the US request for a consular visit to Mr Gershkovich follows Mr Lavrov warning that Moscow will not forget and will not forgive the denial of the visas to Russian journalists. The Foreign Ministry said it was also considering other retaliatory measures. A protest note was presented in connection with the provocative conduct of the US diplomatic mission, which thwarted the issuing of visas to mass media representatives from the press pool of Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, who were supposed to accompany him on his trip to New York as part of Russias presidency of the UN Security Council, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The US embassy was informed in this connection that its request for consular access to US citizen Gershkovich, detained on suspicion of espionage, on May 11 was declined, the ministry statement said. Other possible retaliatory measures, about which the US side will be duly notified, are being considered. The ongoing drought in Eastern Africa has been made worse by human-induced climate change, which also made it much likelier to occur in the first place, an international team of climate scientists has concluded. Wednesdays report comes from World Weather Attribution, a group seeking to quickly determine whether certain extreme weather events were influenced by climate change. Nineteen scientists from seven nations assessed how climate change affected rainfall in the region. Climate change caused the low rainfall in the region, Joyce Kimutai, head meteorologist at the Kenya Meteorological Department, said. Climate change has made the drought exceptional. The scientists analysed historical weather data, including changes in the two main rainfall patterns in the region alongside computer model simulations dating back to the 1800s. They found that the long rains season March through May is turning drier and the short rains season typically October through December is becoming wetter due to climate change. Advertisement They called the regions experience with drought one of a kind. Friederike Otto, senior climate scientist at Imperial College London and the leader of the study, said it underscored how climate changes effects strongly depend on how vulnerable we are. While climate change has made drought more frequent and extreme in the Horn region, the scientists acknowledged that previous failed rainy seasons, high temperatures, conflict, fragile statehood and poverty are also to blame for the devastating impacts. Young boys pull containers of water as they return to their huts from a well in the village of Ntabasi village amid a drought in Samburu East, Kenya, in October 2022 (Brian Inganga/AP) The United Nations said more than 20 million people in Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda and South Sudan have been affected by the drought, with more than 2.2 million displaced in Somalia and Ethiopia and severe maternal risks to hundreds of thousands of expectant or breastfeeding women. Rod Beadle, head of relief and humanitarian affairs at Food for the Hungry, said almost 15 million children are exposed to acute malnourishment. Despite the recent rains in North Kenya, the pressure from previous failed seasons makes for a dire situation, he said. The flooding has impacted livestock and many pastoralists lost their primary livelihoods. The drought conditions have resulted in severely compacted soil that cannot absorb the water; hence the floods are more severe. The country is also facing severe outbreaks of cholera and other diseases as more refugees arrive. Advertisement Development gains in the countries have been offset by a long history of natural disasters, famine and disease, said Guyo Malicha Roba, a food security expert who heads the Jameel Observatory, which works on food insecurity issues in dryland nations. Mr Roba said the food situation in the regions drylands has been addressed by raising money and with food distributions from governments and humanitarian partners, but more work needs to be done to use early-warning systems to respond more quickly to food shocks. Sudans paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have agreed to a three-day extension to a ceasefire in Sudan. The Sudanese military had accepted the deal earlier on Thursday. The truce and its extension were brokered by the US and Saudi Arabia. The existing truce, which had been due to expire at midnight on Thursday, has not stopped fighting between the two sides but created enough of a lull for tens of thousands of Sudanese to flee to safer areas and for foreign nations to evacuate hundreds of their citizens by land and sea. Advertisement Ukraines prime minister said he has asked Pope Francis during a private Vatican audience to help facilitate the return of Ukrainian children forcibly taken to Russia. Denys Shmyhal, briefing reporters on his half-hour audience with the pontiff, said he has also invited Francis to visit Ukraine. I asked the Vatican and the Holy Father for help in getting back children taken by force by Russia, the prime minister said. The Vaticans brief statement on the audience did not go into particular points of the talks. It said Mr Shmyhal met the Holy Sees secretary of state and foreign minister after his meeting with Francis. Denys Shmyhal arrives at the Vatican (Andrew Medichini/AP) During the cordial discussions, which took place in the Secretariat of State, various matters connected to the war in Ukraine were highlighted, with particular attention to the humanitarian aspects and efforts to restore peace, the Vatican said. Advertisement Francis has repeatedly decried the war in Ukraine, which began 14 months ago with Russias invasion of its neighbour. He has expressed a desire to visit Ukraine and Russia in the context of his hopes of improving the prospects for peace. The International Criminal Court last month issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russias childrens commissioner, accusing them of war crimes for abducting children from Ukraine. Russia has denied any wrongdoing, contending the children were moved for their safety. Speaking to reporters at the Foreign Press Association in Rome, Mr Shmyhal said that in his talks at the Vatican he also discussed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskys multi-point proposal for peace and the steps the Vatican could take in helping that plan become reality. Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 27 April 2023. Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/ipsPH8v8mx #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/6BQqzpqrks Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) April 27, 2023 He gave no specifics. Mr Shmyhal also declined to venture what might next develop in Ukrainian-Chinese relations. Mr Zelensky said on Wednesday he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping had a long and meaningful phone call. Advertisement During their conversation, the first known contact between the two presidents since the war began in February 2022, Mr Xi said Beijing will send an envoy to Ukraine to discuss a possible political settlement to the conflict. The envoy is a former Chinese ambassador to Russia. The hour-long call came two months after Beijing, which has long been aligned with Russia, said it wanted to act as a mediator and a month after Mr Xi visited Moscow. Mr Shmyhal described the phone call as very productive and said it marked a new stage in Ukrainian-Chinese relations. Im convinced it is a good beginning for our relations in the future, he said. Hong Kong: CS calls on ministries Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki continued his visit to Beijing today by calling on several central ministries and the Beijing Municipal Government. At a meeting with Culture & Tourism Vice Minister Li Qun this morning, policy initiatives to enhance Hong Kong's positioning as an international centre for cultural exchange under the National 14th Five-Year Plan were discussed. Mr Chan thanked the ministry for its strong support to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, stating that it will steadfastly develop the city into an international tourism hub and a core demonstration zone for multi-destination tourism. The Chief Secretary then visited the People's Government of Beijing Municipality where he met Vice Mayor Liu Yuhui. They exchanged views on deepening co-operation between Hong Kong and Beijing, while Mr Chan expressed hope that the two sides would deepen their exchanges and co-operation in various aspects so as to make greater contributions to the high-quality development of the country. In the afternoon, Mr Chan held talks at the Ministry of Human Resources & Social Security with Minister Wang Xiaoping on areas such as attracting talent and strengthening human resources development. This was followed by a meeting with Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Nong Rong during which Mr Chan expressed gratitude to the ministry for its long-standing support, adding that the Hong Kong SAR Government will continue to safeguard national sovereignty and firmly oppose any interference by external forces in Hong Kong's affairs. The Chief Secretary also called on the All-China Youth Federation and met its Vice President Fu Zhenbang to discuss holistic youth development. Mr Chan noted that the Hong Kong SAR Government was steadfastly implementing the Youth Development Blueprint released last year and that he looked forward to the relevant work being stepped up continuously. This story has been published on: 2023-04-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Chinese language proficiency unlocks new opportunities for South Sudan's citizens Xinhua) 13:25, April 27, 2023 JUBA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of South Sudanese citizens who have mastered the Chinese language are looking ahead for limitless opportunities beyond their peers who are not proficient in Mandarin, the standard Chinese official language. Wello Gabriel Omot Odangi, aged 21, the only female student in her Chinese language class in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, said she enrolled in October 2022 in order to ease her online civil engineering studies at China's Hubei University of Science and Technology. "The university made it compulsory for foreign students to learn Chinese in the first semester, so I got interested in learning it and that is why I came here," Omot told Xinhua during a recent interview. "I want to complete all four levels of the Chinese Proficiency Test (also known as HSK). I would like to use Chinese language in my day-to-day life and also when I go to China, the language will help me communicate with Chinese people." Omot is among a growing number of local beneficiaries of the Chinese language and cultural exchange program under Phase II Technical Cooperation Project of Education in South Sudan. The successful implementation of the China-Aided Phase I Technical Cooperation Project of Education in South Sudan in 2018 marked the first comprehensive China-aided technical cooperation in the education sector for developing countries. The Chinese language lessons have seen 180 out of the 300 learners receive certificates since July 2021 when the admissions opened to the public at Juba Day Secondary School. Mayiik Deng Mayiik, 25, is one of the pioneer students who recently completed the Chinese language proficiency course. He said his proficiency in the Chinese language which is among the six international languages widely spoken globally has endeared him to many Chinese nationals and South Sudan government officials. "I think learning Chinese language is very important, it has already improved my relations with Chinese nationals," he added. Akhon Twerek Akhon, a 39-year-old lecturer of political science and history at the University of Juba, said that when more South Sudanese learn Chinese, it helps them to benefit from the existing economic cooperation between South Sudan and China. "China has many companies in South Sudan, learning the language will enable our young people to get jobs in those companies," Akhon said. Ustaz George Kenyi, the head teacher of Juba Day Secondary School, expressed gratitude upon witnessing South Sudanese youth improve their proficiency in the Chinese language. "I am sure that the trainees who are attending here are not wasting time since they are going to be the real ambassadors from South Sudan to China," he added. Kuyok Abol Kuyok, the Undersecretary in the Ministry of General Education and Instruction, said language is very important as it helps overcome cultural barriers, thus bringing people from different cultural backgrounds together. Kuyok believed that proficiency in the Chinese language, one of the six official languages of the United Nations, will help South Sudanese youth find a niche in pursuing their academic studies and securing jobs. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Donald Trump's legal team began attacking the credibility of former Elle magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll on Thursday, as the civil trial resumed over her claim that the former US president raped her and lied about it. In cross-examining Carroll in Manhattan federal court, Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina suggested that Carroll's account was "odd," and that she had a political agenda in tarring Trump with her rape claim. He also referred to Carroll having "supposedly" been raped, prompting her to say she was raped. "Those are the facts," she said. Carroll testified on Wednesday in graphic detail about how Trump allegedly raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store in late 1995 or early 1996, and said his subsequent denials shredded her reputation and ruined her career. She said Trump, who had been shopping at Bergdorf for lingerie for another woman, coaxed her into a dressing room, slammed her into a wall and raped her. Advertisement Trump has consistently denied Carroll's allegations and said she made them up to sell her memoir and hurt him politically. Carroll, a registered Democrat, is seeking unspecified damages from Trump, who leads the Republican field in the 2024 presidential campaign. 'A chance to be heard' The lawsuit includes a battery claim under the Adult Survivors Act, a 2022 New York state law letting adults who claim they were sexually abused sue their alleged attackers even if statutes of limitations have run out. Carroll is also suing for defamation over an October 2022 post by Trump on his Truth Social platform where he called the rape a hoax and scam, said Carroll was "not my type!" and accused Carroll of concocting a tale to sell her memoir. On Thursday, prior to cross-examination, Carroll finished being questioned by her lawyer Michael Ferrara. She maintained that suing Trump was a means of "getting my name back" and denied she did it for publicity or revenge. Carroll also said she had been subjected to a "wave of slime" from "almost an endless stream of people" who repeated Trump's social media post. "I like attention," she said. "I don't particularly like getting attention for suing Donald Trump. Getting attention for being raped is hard." Carroll also explained why she had sued Trump only for defamation and not over the alleged rape in 2019 after he first denied her accusations, in a lawsuit that remains pending. The Adult Survivors Act had not been law at the time. "This act gives us a chance to be heard," she said. Trump is not attending the trial and his presence is not required. He scorned the case in Wednesday posts on Truth Social, saying Carroll was promoting a "fraudulent & false story". His son Eric also attacked Carroll in a Twitter post. US District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who oversees the trial, twice advised Trump's legal team to speak with the former US president about discussing the trial publicly. -Reuters If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/, or visit Rape Crisis Help. In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112. Australia Post boss Paul Graham says the boom in e-commerce and parcels is not enough to save the ailing business burdened with ballooning losses in its letters business, with the fixed costs associated with delivering mail daily too high to be sustainable. Graham told an audience at an event for the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia on Thursday that the postal service was at a crossroads as it spent more and more money to deliver fewer letters to Australians, while foot traffic was declining across its post office network. Australia Post CEO Paul Graham at the Melbourne office on Bourke Street. Credit: Arsineh Houspian Australia Post has been a beneficiary of the nations growing obsession with online shopping, with the group delivering over 500 million parcels in the 2022 financial year. But Graham said the boost wasnt enough to counter the mounting costs of fulfilling Australia Posts obligations to deliver paper mail across the country. We have a fixed cost network, we have community service obligation [on] which we spend $348 million, primarily focused on the mail business. Our whole organisation is geared towards meeting that 98.5 per cent on-time mail delivery, he said. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Last October, the Daily Mail ran a story with this lengthy yet cryptic headline: When Harry Met Salad! Olivia Wilde LEANS INTO bombshell revelations about collapse of her relationship by sharing vinaigrette recipe from Nora Ephrons book about divorce from cheating ex-husband. There was a lot happening in that headline. To make sense of it, and to get every nuance of the Harry-met-salad joke, you had to be familiar with a backstory that spanned four decades and involved five different celebrities, living and dead. The backstory was this. Wilde had recently separated from her long-term partner, the actor Jason Sudeikis, and was dating the much younger Harry Styles. While courting Styles, Wilde had made him a salad using her special vinaigrette a condiment that Sudeikis, until he caught Wilde making a batch for Styles, had believed he enjoyed exclusive access to. Actor Olivia Wilde revealed Heartburn was the inspiration for her much-discussed salad dressing. Credit:Getty Images When all this became public, Wilde responded by posting, on Instagram, a photo of the penultimate page of Nora Ephrons 1983 novel Heartburn. The photo revealed that Wildes vinaigrette recipe wasnt original; she had nicked it from Ephrons book. Since Wilde added no comment to the image, one couldnt be entirely sure what point she was making. But one thing was clear enough. Ephrons Heartburn which has just marked the 40th anniversary of its publication still resonates. It still has the power to get deep into the weave of its readers lives, as all good literature does. Heartburn was inspired by the breakdown of the authors own celebrity marriage. In 1976, Ephron married the journalist Carl Bernstein. At the time, Bernstein was one-half of the most famous reporting duo in the world. With Bob Woodward, he had spearheaded the Washington Posts investigation of the Watergate affair. Advertisement Woodward and Bernsteins book All the Presidents Men appeared in 1974. Richard Nixon resigned his presidency that same year, hopelessly compromised by the scandal that Woodward and Bernstein had helped to expose. When their book became a movie in 1976, Bernstein was played by Dustin Hoffman. Nora Ephron and Carl Bernstein in New York in 1978. Credit:Getty Images In 1979, while heavily pregnant with their second child, Ephron discovered that Bernstein was in love with another woman. Divorce proceedings were initiated in 1980. Ephron started writing Heartburn shortly after, partly as a form of therapy, partly as an act of literary revenge. Generally, its a mistake to identify the narrator of a novel with its author. In the case of Heartburn, it would be a mistake not to. The novels narrator, whose name is Rachel, is clearly meant to be Ephron herself. Rachels cheating husband, whose name is Mark, isnt a famous investigative reporter, but theres no question that hes essentially Bernstein. Regrettably, Ephron never wrote another novel after Heartburn. But the books success helped to fast-track her career as a filmmaker. After scripting the Heartburn movie adaptation, she wrote When Harry Met Sally. Then she started directing her own screenplays, turning out a string of witty romcoms Sleepless in Seattle, Youve Got Mail that made the 1990s a golden age for the genre. To celebrate Heartburns 40th birthday, I have just consumed the novel in three forms: as a paperback, as an e-book, and as an audiobook. Ive also watched the movie, which starred Meryl Streep as Rachel and Jack Nicholson as Mark. Ephron has been dead for more than a decade now; she succumbed to leukemia in 2012. But in the pages of Heartburn, she remains dazzlingly present. There are writers who are alive today, in the medical sense, whose stuff feels positively dead compared with Heartburn. Advertisement Early in the book, Rachel takes umbrage when somebody accuses her of being too New York. Id rather be too New York than too anything else, she replies. That sentence says a lot about Ephrons linguistic dexterity. She can defuse an insult in this case a slyly anti-Semitic one by transforming it into her own verbal coup. Like all good writers, Ephron is allergic to cliche. She wont let a dud phrase go by without interrogating it, and improving on it. Just by reshuffling a few words, she can turn a stale figure of speech into a startlingly original aphorism. Lets face it, Rachel says at one point, everyone is the one person on Earth you shouldnt get involved with. Nora Ephron at her Manhattan home. Credit:Getty Images Meryl Streep, reading the Heartburn audiobook, does a superb job of channelling Ephrons voice. Streeps reading is fizzy, trenchant and exasperated. But the exasperation isnt just directed at other characters. Its directed at human folly, which Rachel is as deeply implicated in as the next person. Conscious of her place in a tradition of Jewish-American humour that stretches from Dorothy Parker to Jerry Seinfeld, Ephron was always as acerbic about herself as she was about others. As Freud observed in Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious, the element of self-mockery in Jewish humour is a kind of defence mechanism, rooted in a long history of oppression. By being witty at their own expense, Jewish humorists can beat anti-Semites to the punch. After writing Heartburn, Nora Ephron made a name for herself as a film writer. When you slip on a banana peel, as Ephron wrote in one of her essays, people laugh at you; but when you tell people you slipped on a banana peel, its your laugh. So you become the hero rather than the victim of the joke. Advertisement One way of measuring how well Ephrons novel holds up is to compare it with the Heartburn film, which doesnt hold up at all. Books are made entirely of words, so theres only one basic way they can go stale. The Heartburn movie, with its synth-pop soundtrack and garish array of 1980s fashions, feels dated in about eight ways before the opening credits are over. But the films deeper problem is that theres not enough of Ephrons language in it. In the novel, while arguing with Mark, Rachel hears herself utter the phrase thats rich. All my life I had wanted to say, Thats rich, she adds. Now I finally had gotten my chance. Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep in Heartburn, the film. At such moments and the book is full of them you get two Ephrons for the price of one. You see how Ephron behaved when her marriage was collapsing. But you also hear from the older, wiser Ephron the one whos writing the book, and observing her former self from an ironic distance. In the corresponding scene of the movie, Streep just says, Thats rich. And thats it. Theres no voice-over from the authorial Rachel, ribbing herself for talking in cliches. A magical ingredient has been subtracted from the scene: not just Ephrons language, but her whole sensibility. Naturally, Ephrons book has dated in a few respects. But thats no reason not to read it. When good novels age, they age in interesting ways. Heartburn shows that while human nature hasnt changed one bit since the 1980s, less permanent things, such as air travel, have changed radically. When Rachel flies from Washington to New York, she doesnt buy a ticket first. She boards the plane, then the plane takes off, then a flight attendant walks down the aisle to collect the passengers fares. As for the books moral hygiene, there are pundits wholl tell you its no longer up to code. No one will accuse the book of political correctness, said an American critic who recently revisited Heartburn. My copy is pencilled with ughs. Advertisement It must be exhausting to be the kind of person who reaches for a pencil every time a decades-old book breaches laws of verbal decorum invented five minutes ago. Read without sanctimony, Heartburn offers an instructive reminder that until quite recently, progressive American writers and Ephrons politics were nothing if not progressive just didnt think it was part of their job to be verbally delicate. Thats how perversely old-fashioned Heartburn is. Ephron didnt even try to be inoffensive when she wrote it. She wrote it to be funny an effect that is notoriously hard to achieve without causing somebody, somewhere, some kind of offence. Meryl Streep as food critic Rachel Samstat in Heartburn. Its also hard to achieve without being honest honest above all about yourself, and the way your failings lay bare the crooked timber that were all made of. One of the more warped human secrets that Heartburn divulges is that in a way, it feels good to be cheated on. Loading Theres something immensely pleasurable, Ephron writes, about moving from a complicated relationship which involves minor atrocities on both sides to a nice, neat, simple one where one person has done something so horrible and unforgivable that the other person is immediately absolved of all the low-grade sins. When I highlighted that passage on my Kindle, the app told me that 366 other readers had highlighted it already. Here is another sign that Heartburn still works. From the ruins of her former life, Ephron extracted insights that continue to strike people as enduringly true. Advertisement While the acting doesnt attempt much nuance, musical refinement makes up for it. All performers are trained musicians, and the many songs interwoven throughout feature harp, keyboard, violin, and other instruments, as well as some delightful a cappella roundelays and harmonies. These include jauntily arranged and ornamented childrens rhymes (youll never hear Hot Cross Buns or Goosey Goosey Gander the same way again), rousing folk and drinking songs, and more melancholy fare such as Haydns She Never Told Her Love, set to immortal lines from Twelfth Night. By Janes Hand embodies the spirit of the amateur in the best sense the performance is constructed almost as a transient shrine to the love of Austens work and it doesnt waste a moment of your time. Fans should enjoy it immensely. Reviewed by Cameron Woodhead THEATRE Macbeth Bell Shakespeare, Arts Centre Melbourne, until May 14 Superstition surrounds the Scottish play, though even if everyone involved in this Bell Shakespeare production had refused euphemism and screamed Macbeth! from the tops of their lungs 1000 times, it would hardly account for so doomed a version as this. No supernatural power is at work. What invites the curse of black comedy is a tainted succession of ill-advised artistic choices. Theres nothing wrong with setting Macbeth in the 1920s, with framing it through a seance and the eldritch trappings of early 20th century spiritualism, or indeed the haunting religious music which opens the show. Its all viable design. A scene from Bell Shakespeares production of Macbeth. Credit: Brett Boardman Before long, however, foreboding and a sense of impending humiliation settle over the central role. Hazem Shammas incarnation of Macbeth belongs in the Richard III ward of Monty Pythons Hospital for Over-Acting. By interval, you half-expect a nurse with chloroform to walk in, and it boggles the mind that director Peter Evans could let it become so cartoonish. The effect is weirder given some measured and effective performances. Jessica Toveys Lady Macbeth wields a formidable and (despite the invocation of malevolent spirits to unsex her) distinctly feminine power. The intimate first scene of passion and manipulation couldve set the stage for an intricate portrayal of the couples genuine, if psychologically co-dependent, love, but the spell and their bond is too soon broken. Allowing Macbeth to ignore his wife, shirtfront the audience, and linger endlessly on If we fail? seems to rupture their onstage connection. It never recovers. Jessica Toveys Lady Macbeth wields a formidable and distinctly feminine power. Credit: Brett Boardman Julia Billington plays Banquo with more than a shadow of Macbeths ambition and capacity for deceit an interesting interpretation the early warning to Macbeth about the witches muttered here as an aside to the audience. A plainly sketched authority suffuses Jeremi Campeses Malcolm, though the part is drastically curtailed. James Lugton recedes as Duncan but careens into comedy as the drunken Porter. That should be the plays funniest moment, disarming us before horrors unfold. But its hard to suppress a smirk at the camp spectacle of witches shouting their lines amid smoke machines and reverberant sound staging, and Shammas leaves himself nowhere to turn that isnt stalked by the inappropriate silhouette of the clown. Its a strategic error to over-emote early on as Macbeth. Fear and paranoia drive the character, but you dont want to be literally throwing yourself around the stage by the banquet scene. Besides, Macbeth isnt a narcissistic monster like Richard III he has a conscience, hes capable of love, he knows exactly what hes doing to himself as he wades into atrocity thats part of the tragedy. Shammas delivers an unhinged, almost gleefully vicious tyrant rather than a war hero who succumbs to moral corruption and a creeping desensitisation to violence. He also channels uncontrolled distress that stretches the verse to the point of medieval torture: Let this daaay stand aaaye accuuuursed in the calendaaaaaaaar! A lone moment of restraint prevails when Macbeth learns of his wifes death. Its striking, but also increases puzzlement at the vein-popping excess. If Shammas were more willing to trust in the words to do their dramatic work, to trust in the audiences imagination to complete the performance, his Macbeth might have had greater emotional impact. Reviewed by Cameron Woodhead JAZZ Hania Rani Melbourne Recital Centre, April 28 Its been just four years since Polish composer-pianist Hania Rani released her debut album, but her star has been rising at a meteoric pace ever since. Her subsequent recordings and mesmerising live shows have seen her introduce synthesisers, loops, vocals and electronic effects. There was a sold-out crowd for a performance by Polish composer-pianist Hania Rani. Credit: Aleksandra Zaborowska Nils Frahm is an obvious reference point, but Ranis influences range far and wide, from minimalism to jazz and EDM. The approach she has developed is deeply personal, anchored by her early classical training but propelled by her curiosity and ceaseless desire to explore. Such was the interest in the Ranis first visit to Australia that her show at the Melbourne Recital Centre on Friday was a sell-out. The concert featured works from her recordings along with newer, unreleased material, each piece woven into the next to create a hypnotic and at times dreamlike journey. Adding to the sense of theatre was the dramatic lighting, with hazy pulsations or horizontal streaks that fanned out across the stage to shower celestial confetti onto the walls and ceiling. Often, Rani was ensconced in shadows or visible only in silhouette. Having watched her concerts (with multiple camera angles) online, I longed to see her more clearly on stage. To see her fingers as they hammered percussively or built rhapsodic, heart-swelling cascades. To see her eyes closed and her body sway as she improvised over layers of rhythmic arpeggios. To see the focused intensity as she hunched over her synths, adding fuzzy granular motifs that looped beneath her ethereal vocals even as she moved stealthily from one keyboard to another. Still, it was impossible not to be captivated by the cinematic sweep of the music. And when Rani farewelled us with a wistful melody at her upright piano, we were left with a sense of intimacy and human connection worth more than a thousand illuminated stars. Reviewed by Jessica Nicholas MUSIC Mudhoney Northcote Social Club, April 26 Mudhoney perform at Northcote Social Club on April 26, 2023. Credit: Rick Clifford After being away for nine years, Mudhoney have marked their return to Australia with an ambitious and packed schedule of performances, playing 11 consecutive nights on a tour that has expanded to 17 dates around the country. Seven sold-out shows in Victoria alone, where the band first played in 1990, made these masters of Seattle super fuzz one of the hottest tickets in town. For grunge music fans, its been a week to proudly pull out their flannelette shirts and crank up precious old vinyl albums. Thirty-five years after emerging from the ashes of mid-1980s band Green River (also from Seattle), Mudhoney this month released their 11th studio album, Plastic Eternity. The bands debut EP Superfuzz Bigmuff was released a year before their debut album, in 1988. Exactly how Mark Arms vocal cords have survived decades of operating in overdrive is anybodys guess. Credit: Rick Clifford Here Comes the Flood and Almost Everything off the new album slotted in sweetly among earlier songs, including Let It Slide and The Farther I Go, the latter opening the show to howls of delight from a tightly packed crowd. Lead vocalist Mark Arms own distinctive howls quickly ramped up the energy levels, while guitarist Steve Turner hooked into the fuzzy intro of Touch Me Im Sick like it was the golden era of grunge all over again. Exactly how Arms vocal cords have survived decades of operating in overdrive is anybodys guess, but hes revelling in the bands new material, including the Iggy Pop-esque new tune Little Dogs. Loading Arm has a hypnotising presence on stage, despite saying very little between songs. And with drummer Dan Peters and Melbourne-based Guy Maddison on bass guitar, theres little room for banter anyway. Its a pedal-to-the-metal trip down memory lane, with detours to new tracks, including Move Under and Souvenir Of My Trip. Support band Seminal Rats were one of several local bands Mudhoney requested for this tour. Fronted by vocalist Michael Harley, the veteran Melbourne rockers first played in 1984, but wound the clock back with a nostalgic, at times wonky, set including Truth Never Lies and Rat Race from their 1986 album, Omnipotent. Reviewed by Martin Boulton Mudhoney headline Cherry Rock 2023, Little Collins Street, Melbourne, on Sunday, April 30. DANCE The Tap Pack Comedy Theatre, until April 30 The globetrotting song-and-dance troupe known as the Tap Pack have returned, bringing their guileless family-friendly fusion of tap and tailored suits to Melbournes Comedy Theatre for a lightning weekend season. The show sticks close to the established Tap Pack formula: a quintet of amply talented Aussie blokes perform tap routines and sing contemporary pop hits and classic swing numbers such as the Sinatra standards The Lady is a Tramp and One for My Baby. Its a brisk and very compact production. Theres a fair bit of awkward banter among the performers and a few cheery reflections on dance and the attractions of the stage, but theres no elaborate storyline to slow things down. Youll be back on the street in less than 90 minutes. The focus is squarely on the quality of the dance and the singing, which is happily very high. This version of the pack features regular tap rats Jesse Rasmussen, Jordan Pollard, Thomas J Egan and Ben Brown, with local crooner Thomas McGuane on hand for the Melbourne shows. The Tap Pack are a must-see for anyone who loves the percussive pleasures of tap. Credit: The Tap Pack Rasmussen does his crowd-pleasing impressions of Sammy Davis Jr, Fred Astaire and the penguin from Happy Feet. And theres a wonderful, improvised, unaccompanied beast of a solo in two parts performed by Brown, which sprawls across the stage and mesmerises with its intensity. The big group dance numbers, however, are the main attraction: from the high-energy opening number, to the bottle-juggling mess of the mixed drinks routine, to the hand-clapping, stair-stomping finale. Tap Pack is still a must-see for anyone who loves the percussive pleasures of tap. The show is a genuine celebration of the art form, and the performers are some of the best in the business. Theres also a more than serviceable quartet of live musicians, led by Stefan Nowak on keyboards. Reviewed by Andrew Fuhrmann THEATRE Selling Kabul by Sylvia Khoury, Red Stitch, until May 21 Sylvia Khourys Selling Kabul takes place in 2013, but it depicts so urgently the perils faced by Afghans who assisted occupying forces during the 2001-2021 war, you may initially think it was set on the eve of the chaotic withdrawal of US-led troops from Kabul in 2021. Farhad Zaiwala, Khisraw Jones-Shukoor, Claudia Greenstone in a scene from Selling Kabul. Credit: Jodie Hutchinson Cooped up in the apartment of his sister Afiya (Nicole Nabout), Taroon (Khrisraw Jones-Shukoor) is in hiding from Taliban thugs. His life is in imminent danger. Having accompanied US troops as translator and guide, his name is on a hit list, and, without internet access, he cant discover whether his promised US protection visa has been granted. Taroon is desperate to escape his hiding-place for another reason. His wife has just given birth to their first child, and he plans to dress in a burqa (or chadaree) to visit them in hospital without being caught, before the three of them are spirited abroad to safety. As they await the arrival of Afiyas husband Jawid (Farhad Zaiwala) whose business dealings with the Taliban buy him some tentative protection chatterbox neighbour Leyla (Claudia Greenstone) appears and is later drawn helplessly into lethal intrigue as tension escalates, violence erupts, and Taroon is forced to flee Afghanistan that very night. Nicole Nabout and Claudia Greenstone star in the tense Selling Kabul. Credit: Jodie Hutchinson Claustrophobic tedium and anxiety baseline a thriller-like plot which rises to an anguished pitch of heightened emotion. The characters face unenviable, life-or-death decisions, and there are often no good choices. Nabouts Afiya is a fiercely protective but self-abnegating presence: her entire being consumed to a fault by helping those she loves to survive. She is also educated the best English-speaker in the family though as she remarks bitterly, it doesnt bring freedom, remaining little more than party trick for American soldiers. Taroon, for his part, grows to question both his motives for, and the price of, helping the occupation, with Jones-Shukoor channelling an almost comically caged vitality as tragedy and horror accumulate. Opposite him, Zaiwalas wonderfully modest, subtle, and introspective Jawid lends the interrogation of courage and cowardice a grave moral complexity. Loading Whether this is an accurate portrayal of life in occupied Kabul and there are melodramatic flourishes (not to mention Australian accents) which strain to convey it realistically seems less important than that the attempt to imagine it exists. Aside from alleged war crimes committed by Australian troops, we get scant news about Afghanistan, and this play might inspire you to discover how dire the situation is for ordinary people under Taliban rule. Afiya would not be educated in Kabul today. She would not be allowed to work. The UN estimates two thirds of the population requires humanitarian assistance, and it has threatened to pull out of the country next month if the Taliban edict banning aid organisations from employing local women isnt lifted. In a long-running show such as MasterChef Australia the aim, as it should also be in the kitchen, is to keep things fresh. To put it in food terms, think of a creme brulee, a classic that can be endlessly reinvigorated with new ingredients, rather than the blazing, but brief popularity of a fad like the cronut. For its upcoming 15th series, MasterChef Australia aims to spice things up with the theme of secrets and surprises. One surprise already announced is the arrival of superstar British chef Jamie Oliver, dropping by for the first two episodes and returning to the MasterChef Australia kitchen for the first time in more than a decade. He joins a line-up of guest judges, including Curtis Stone, Maggie Beer, Rick Stein and Peter Gilmore. MasterChef Australia: Secrets and Surprises features the return of Jamie Oliver (second from left), alongside regular judges Andy Allen (left), Jock Zonfrillo and Melissa Leong. Oliver says while he doesnt like conflict, he does feel compelled to share the truth with contestants, be that good or bad. I try to be supportive and encouraging, he says. But sadly, the minute Im faced with a plate of food that tastes terrible, I can only speak the truth. Im not a very good liar! This season, contestants will face enormous lamington towers, exploding confetti mystery boxes and never-before-seen twists. What you can expect is a secret and a surprise every single episode, which is no mean feat, says judge Melissa Leong. What it does is gives the contestants the catalyst to be inspired. There is something wonderful about food when you are truly inspired and asked to think about the world in a more magical way. Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. The idea driving Kame House, newly arrived in Gordon, was born during the COVID lockdowns. Chef Tomoyuki Matsuya started making takeout chirashi (seasoned rice with ingredients scattered on top) for customers locked out of their sister restaurant Choji, in Chatswood. Matsuyas blankets of sushi rice topped with a patch-work of produce proved such a hit, Chojis owner, Azabu Hospitality Group, started looking for a site where the sushi chef could flex his muscle with chirashi, the refined Japanese version of a poke bowl but with no sauces. Kame House has opened in Gordon, run by chef Tomoyuki Matsuya serving chirashi - raw seafood on sushi rice. Supplied. Matsuya and Sydney chefs such as Chase Kojima (Senpai, Sokyo at The Star) pioneered the chirashi push. A second-generation sushi master, Matsuya explains chirashi is generally eaten for special occasions, while the kaisendon version is on warm [plain] white rice and is traditionally more of a homemade meal. Back in my hometown, (Hokkaido) chirashi is a very common food and is very close to my heart. I wanted to share the food and culture of Japan that I cherish with Sydney, he says. At Kame House, the Signature Kaisendon clocks in at $95, while the Next Gen Chirashi is $145 (these come with a starter, chawanmushi, miso soup and dessert). Australian Tyler Wright has risen to No.1 in the WSL rankings despite being beaten in heartbreaking fashion by Carissa Moore in the Margaret River Pro final. Two-time world champion Wright beat American Caroline Marks in their semi-final showdown at Main Break today to secure a spot in the final. Moore, who beat local hope Bronte Macaulay in the semi-finals, was in the box seat in the decider after compiling a two-wave total of 11.10 in the tricky four- to six-foot conditions. Two-time WSL Champion Tyler Wright surfing in the final at Margaret River. Credit: Aaron Hughes Wright needed a score of 6.53 on her final ride to secure victory, and she took off on a big wave with 60 seconds remaining. The Australian completed her first two manoeuvres with ease and was lining up for another when she was forced to bail as the wave closed out. It meant Wright had to settle for a score of 4.60 on that ride, handing Moore her third Margaret River Pro crown, and a first since 2014. It feels amazing, Moore told the WSL broadcast. Its been nine years since the last time I won this event, and I was beginning to think I couldnt do it. Despite the loss, Wright leapfrogged compatriot Molly Picklum into top spot on the rankings at the halfway point of the season. Picklum slid to third, with Moore moving up to second. I havent been in that (No.1) position for a long time, said Wright, who defended her Bells Beach title earlier this month. AAP The Prime Minister, Mr Hawke, said last night: I welcome the decision of the jury clearing Mr Justice Murphy. The Minister for Minerals and Energy, Senator Evans, who was Attorney-General through two Senate investigations into the allegations against Mr Justice Murphy, said he hoped the Opposition was no longer contemplating pursuing the matter further. The allegations against Mr Justice Murphy have now been dealt with comprehensively, fairly and finally by the criminal courts and I think it would be quite outrageously oppressive if he were to be further hounded in Parliament, Senator Evans said. The Federal Opposition issued a brief statement saying: The Opposition has no comment to make on the jurys verdict. At this stage it makes no comment on Mr Justice Murphys position. Just before sending the jury out yesterday morning, Mr Justice Hunt told the jurors that they represented the community as its sense of conscience, and said they must be fair, unbiased and unprejudiced in their verdict. Lionel Murphy with his two sons Credit: Robert Pearce Mr Justice Murphy sat with his wife Ingrid, and sons Cameron, 13, and Blake, II, for some minutes after the verdict, before coming out to speak to the huge crowd of press, radio and television reporters and crews outside the court. I am glad that its over, he said, surrounded by his family and solicitors. It has been a terrible ordeal, for my family and my friends. I would like to thank them and my counsel and solicitors, not only the counsel in these proceedings but in the earlier ones, for all they did. He said his lawyers had gone far beyond their professional duty, and said their comfort and support had been wonderful. Mr Justice Murphy said: It has been a political trial, and I hope there arent going to be more political trials like this. He said the prosecution had been a political attack, and witnesses he had called at his first trial, including judges, had been subjected to political attack. I was determined that this wouldnt occur on this occasion, he said, referring to his much shorter defence, when he made a brief unsworn statement to the jury, compared with almost four days in the witness box at his first trial. I am glad my decision was correct. We have a wonderful institution in this country, and that is the jury system, and we ought to fight to preserve and extend that system. Thank heavens for the jury system, it is the protector of everyone in this country, from people who hold high office to every member of the community, and I thank them (the jurors) for their attention. Mr Justice Murphy said he thought the first jury would have acquitted him if it had been instructed differently on the law. His immediate plans were to take his two sons to see Crocodile Dundee - if he could get tickets. He sidestepped questions about his plans and how soon he hoped to return to the High Court bench. Mr Justice Murphy has been on leave for almost 18 months. He took leave just before he was charged by the Commonwealth director of public prosecutions, Mr Ian Temby, QC. Mr Justice Murphy has resisted all calls for his resignation, and is known to be anxious to return to work. The court, struggling without one of its seven judges, has been under a heavy workload. Justice Lionel Murphy Credit: Robert Pearce There has been some speculation that the court might feel that the trial has so damaged the judicial system that it would be difficult for Mr Justice Murphy to resume his place. The High Court registrar, Mr Frank Jones, said yesterday there would be no comment from the Chief Justice, Sir Harry Gibbs, on yesterdays verdict. But another High Court official commented: If Lionel Murphy wants to go back to the bench theres nothing they can do to stop him. Political observers believe that the battle is far from over, however, and that the Opposition in the Senate will resume its attempts to get rid of Mr Justice Murphy. The prosecution decision followed the report of the second Senate select committee into Mr Justice Murphys behavior in 1984, prompted by publication of the New South Wales police tapes. In April last year Mr Arthur Riedel, SM, found that he had a case to answer and committed him to stand trial, and he was convicted of one charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice last July, and acquitted of a second. Loading A retrial was ordered by the NSW Court of Appeal last November, when it found that errors in the first trial may have misled the jury. Throughout Mr Justice Murphy has retained his faith in the jury system, and asserted his belief that a jury would acquit him. Yesterday, after two trials and other legal proceedings, in which the total legal costs are estimated to be at least $700,000, he was vindicated. At the centre of the Crown case, prosecuted throughout by Mr Ian Callinan, QC, were three telephone conversations between Mr Justice Murphy and Mr. Briese, culminating in the now famous Now what about my little mate? remark. The Crown argued that this was part of a subtle and cunning attempt to influence Mr Briese to lean on another magistrate to give a favorable decision to solicitor Morgan Ryan, who had been charged with forgery and conspiracy, and who was described as an old and close friend of 30 years standing of the High Court judge. Mr Ian Barker, QC, who appeared for Mr Justice Murphy at his second trial, described the idea of a High Court judge trying to influence a magistrate as ridiculous and urged the jury to acquit him and end his ordeal. In his final charge to the jury, Mr Justice Hunt told the jurors that they must be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Justice Murphy said the words, and intended them as an attempt to influence Mr Briese, before they could convict him. The jury came back to the court only minutes after the lunch break, and the judges associate asked the forewoman whether they had agreed on their verdict. We have, she replied. Non-acceptance of governor-general nomination The Observer newspaper in London was prominently reporting that the Australian Prime Minister Mr. Scullins nomination of fellow Australian Sir Isaac Isaacs for the governor-generalship of Australia had not been accepted, noting, This has created a most embarrassing situation because of the Infringement of the Royal prerogative. Moreover, the name of a particularly high personage from Britain would have been submitted already. Police escort for arrested officials Following the arrest of three officials of the Federal Life and General Assurance Company, Ltd. there were exciting scenes in Macquarie Place, with only the presence of police officers preventing some 300 infuriated shareholders from attacking one of the principals as he made his way from the building to a waiting car. Indignant policyholders invaded the detective office at police headquarters, many with harrowing tales to tell of loss of their lifes savings. Death at the circus The sudden death of Captain James Lindo, the lion tamer, shortly after the Saturday matinee performance of Wirths Circus caused an atmosphere of gloom behind the footlights at the evening entertainment. Six Australian brumbies, which had been trained to carry out military movements by Miss Gladys, made a welcome reappearance. Many new acrobatic turns were introduced in addition to the old favourites, including the very popular performing elephants. A man accused of violent and sexual attacks on two women in Goulburn allegedly stole their clothes and phones in the late-night assaults. Police are calling for others to come forward if they believe they, too, were allegedly attacked by the man. Nathan Raymond Caldow, 41, was taken to Mascot police station and charged with eight offences. Credit: NSW Police Nathan Raymond Caldow, 41, was arrested in a hotel in Fremantle, Western Australia, after a nationwide manhunt. NSW Police had asked the community to come forward with information after two women reported they had been attacked in Goulburn. While admitting you may not need to know this, Joan Brown of Orange says that a sturdy red rubber band, the type favoured by postmen, will survive two minutes on high in the microwave. Thats what I discovered when one somehow was on a dinner plate while re-heating a meal. Proving he can obfuscate (C8) with the best of them, John Brown of Kianga calls a spade a manually operated pedal powered soil moving apparatus just to make sure people know what it does. Thats what politicians do. The rockets unscheduled disassembly (C8) reminded Ray Franklin of Sippy Downs of the first use of helicopters by Sydney television channels. They were single-engined machines usually piloted by Vietnam vets. Considering their background they were rarely troubled by an occasional forced landing. The pilots referred to such mishaps as involuntary assisted descents the assistance being the still turning but unpowered rotor. A forced landing was when your tail rotor was shot off, or your cockpit controls damaged by gunfire. Prompted by the contribution from Shirley Rider about the pre-Berowra Waters Inn restaurant (C8), Robyn Douglas of Kurrajong shares that 66 years ago, her parents George and Annie Pattricj owned what was then the Pacific Private Hotel. My mother was, indeed, a very good cook. I left school that year and may well have served their memorable meal. I would have certainly washed up their dishes. Its beginning to feel like were playing a round of six degrees of Column 8 at the moment. Stephanie Edwards of Roseville reveals that the army camp near Bathurst mentioned by Geoff Nilon (C8) was on land requisitioned by the government from my grandfathers sheep farm. Geoffs father was lucky many of the troops who left from there became prisoners of war after the fall of Singapore. There is a memorial to the men of the 2/30th battalion at what used to be the entrance to the camp. Counsel assisting the inquiry, Sophie Callan, SC, said on Wednesday that expert evidence about potential natural causes of death for Patrick, Sarah and Laura undermined tendency and coincidence reasoning that formed part of the case against Folbigg over the death of Caleb. In light of that evidence, Bathurst said that Folbiggs diaries, a key plank in the prosecutions circumstantial case in 2003 that Folbigg had smothered her children, loom larger and larger. If I reject the diaries as admissions [of criminal guilt], there is, in [a] practical sense, very little to go on, he said. The inquiry heard for the first time psychological and psychiatric evidence about the interpretation of Folbiggs diaries, which concluded they did not contain clear admissions of criminal guilt. Callan submitted that the expert evidence undermines the probative value of the entries in the diaries and journals, tending to render them neutral, that is, neither inculpatory nor exculpatory. Bathurst said that I suppose its true in one sense that no ones been able to establish [on] the balance of probabilities any particular cause of death for any of the children but that was not the question he had to determine. Folbigg, 55, is serving a minimum 25-year prison sentence after being convicted in 2003 of the murder of Patrick, Sarah, and Laura, and the manslaughter of Caleb. She was also found guilty of intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm upon Patrick. Each child died between 1989 and 1999, aged between 19 days and 19 months. Callan told the inquiry on Wednesday that on the whole of the body of evidence before this inquiry there is a reasonable doubt as to Ms Folbiggs guilt. Dean Jordan, SC, appearing for the DPP, delivered oral submissions on Thursday and said the inquiry had heard from eminent and world-leading expert scientific witnesses. The DPP accepted that on the evidence now available it was open to your honour to conclude there is reasonable doubt, he said. Jordan said evidence about the genetic variant was a critical and new development, and what we now know ... fundamentally changes our understanding of the circumstances leading to the death of Sarah and Laura Folbigg. This evidence was beyond the contemplation of science when the trial was conducted in 2003, Jordan said. The genetic evidence was supplemented by significant new evidence on other issues, Jordan said, including pathology evidence, neurological evidence about Patrick, and psychological and psychiatric evidence about Folbiggs diaries. Jordan submitted that criticisms about the prosecutor, among others, made by Folbiggs lawyers in written submissions had been made with the benefit of hindsight. Bathurst said there were a number of, how can I put it neutrally, provocative comments made by the Crown prosecutor [Mark Tedeschi, KC] during the course of his address concerning the unlikelihood of four children dying by, at that time, unknown natural causes. Its not my role in this inquiry at all to conduct a review of how the trial was conducted, he said. It is, however, relevant to the extent to which those comments may, probably consistently with Meadows Law, influence the jury. I will be putting in my report, [as I] presently perceive it, a reference to a couple of those remarks. Ill be making clear its done for that purpose, and that purpose alone. Bathurst suggested the trial did not refer directly to Meadows Law but was profoundly influenced by reasoning that the only explanation for four children dying was murder. Loading While Jordan submitted that coincidence reasoning was appropriate, Bathurst suggested some of the propositions put went beyond simply relying on coincidence evidence. Dr Gregory Woods, KC, for Folbigg, drew a parallel between his client and Lindy Chamberlain, who he said had been widely and publicly condemned over her manifestations of grief or rather her non-manifestations of grief after the disappearance of her baby daughter Azaria. He invited Bathurst not to let your reasoning be affected by any concern as to expressions or non-expressions of grief. He said Folbigg had, in fact, repeatedly expressed her grief over the loss of her children. The inquiry has heard Folbiggs early life was traumatic. Her father murdered her mother in January 1969 in Annandale when Folbigg was 18 months old. Bathurst said he was not going to make a finding that Ms Folbiggs tragic childhood history predisposed her to kill children, and there was not the slightest evidence to suggest it. The inquiry concluded public hearings on Thursday. Bathurst said he would deliver a report to Governor Margaret Beazley as soon as possible. Folbiggs solicitor Rhanee Rego outside the inquiry on Wednesday. Credit: Janie Barrett If Bathurst finds reasonable doubt, he may refer the case to the Court of Criminal Appeal to consider quashing Folbiggs convictions. He may also refer the matter simultaneously to the governor to consider granting a pardon, which could expedite Folbiggs release from prison before her convictions were officially quashed. A Brisbane man who launched a racist tirade and repeatedly struck at a group with his crutches on Anzac Day has been fined $391. Police responded to the incident at Newstead House, where a group had been fishing off a pontoon on the Brisbane River about 9pm. Prasong Wichuma, a professional Muay Thai fighter and trainer, said he saw the man walk out along the pontoon and hit a Korean couple, who he did not know, with crutches. Wichuma and his friend filmed the incident, which shows the group asking the 69-year-old Teneriffe man what was wrong. When a woman saw her doctor with abdominal pain shortly after giving birth she was told she needed an immediate pap smear. Shafiul Milky took her to an examination room and raped her. Thats nice, he told her as he did so. Shafiul Milky has been jailed for 14 years and six months over rape, indecent assault and sexual assault involving six women between 2012 and 2019. Credit: Wayne Taylor Later in 2018, he did the same to another woman who had booked in for the cervical check. It wasnt the first time the Geelong doctor had sexually offended against a patient. The speed limit along a notoriously dangerous stretch of road in Victorias north will be lowered and a raft of other life-saving measures considered after five people were killed in a multi-vehicle crash at Strathmerton. The local council is also in discussions with Google Maps to remove the road from the navigation platforms default travel route through the region, in an attempt to divert drivers away from the area and onto safer routes. The Strathmerton intersection a day after a horrific crash that killed five people. Credit: Nine News Abattoir worker Debbie Markey, 62, was driving four colleagues back to their accommodation on Thursday last week when a Mercedes collided with her Nissan Navara near the intersection of Labuan Road and Murray Valley Highway. Police allege the Mercedes ran through a give way sign and smashed into the Nissan, causing it to spin into the path of a milk tanker driving along the highway. Markey and the four overseas workers on board were instantly killed. State and federal leaders will wrestle with the nations strained health system and blowout infrastructure costs in the final national cabinet meeting before next months federal budget. Pharmacies will receive an expanded remit to vaccinate, a new funding program will encourage GP clinics to open after hours, and visa eligibility rules for bringing overseas doctors to Australia will be discussed when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets state and territory leaders in Brisbane on Friday. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will meet state and territory leaders in Brisbane on Friday. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen The measures are an attempt to revive primary care and relieve pressures on state hospital emergency departments, which have buckled as bulk-billing rates decline and make GP visits less accessible for swathes of Australians. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said fixing Medicare and Australias broken primary care system remained his top priority for Fridays meeting, which will also be the first attended by new NSW Premier Chris Minns. Russias war in Ukraine has been going on for more than a year. More than 40,000 people have been killed and 14 million displaced. So, why did Chinese President Xi Jinping call Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky for the first time on Wednesday? There are three things to note in terms of the context of the phone call, said Dr Sonia Mycak, a Ukrainian Studies Foundation in Australia research fellow at the Australian National University. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Credit: AP Firstly, the phone call took place on the anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Russia currently occupies the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, placing it at grave risk of a nuclear accident much greater than that of Chernobyl. Beijing has been on the fence throughout the conflict, but it has been steadfast in its warnings over any nuclear fallout, which could have a direct impact on its northern regions that border Russia. Delphi, Greece: One of the United States most experienced diplomats says AUKUS is likely to prosper if former president Donald Trump is re-elected. The comments were made to the Delphi Economic Forum, under way in Greece, by Richard Haass, who served four former presidents, including George W. Bush, and former secretary of state Colin Powell, and is now the outgoing head of the non-aligned Council of Foreign Relations. Richard Haass has worked for four US presidents and one secretary of state, and was US envoy to the Northern Ireland peace process. Credit: Bloomberg Trump is firming as favourite to win the Republican nomination in a second election contest between the former president and incumbent Joe Biden. Biden beat Trump in 2020 and announced this week that he will seek a second term in 2024. US foreign policy was erratic and often isolationist during Trumps chaotic time in office when he pursued an America First strategy, prompting questions to Australias Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about whether the deal would be safe if Trump was back in charge. Albanese said the bilateral relationship was one between nations, not leaders. Brisbane-based non-bank lender Firstmac has announced the appointment of Craig Parker (pictured above) as an independent director. Parker was a senior executive at Westpac, where he was responsible for the bank's global structured finance and securitisation activities for more than 17 years. Kim Cannon, Firstmac managing director, said Parker would bring unmatched experience in asset securitisation markets to the board. Parker has played a central role at Westpac, a leader in the securitisation and structured finance market across Australia and New Zealand in all major asset classes including residential mortgages and auto loans, Cannon said. We look forward to having his expertise on the Firstmac board, as we continue to expand our highly successful asset securitisation program, which has been a pillar of our business success, Cannon said. Parker said he was pleased to be joining the Firstmac board after working closely with the non-bank during his time at Westpac. I am delighted to join the Firstmac board, he said. I have worked with the Firstmac for over 15 years [and] have always been impressed with their professionalism, focus on great customer outcomes, and entrepreneurial acumen. Parker recently retired from Westpac after 41 years. Prior to leading Westpacs global structured finance and securitisation activities, he led client relationship management and corporate Finance teams in Australia and Hong Kong. Parker holds a BA (economics), B.Ec (accounting and finance) and an MBA from Macquarie University, Sydney. He is also a CPA. Parker was recently inducted as a fellow of the Australian Securitisation Forum in recognition for his contribution to the securitisation industry. Parker currently serves as a director of Forsight Australia, a disability accommodation and services organisation, and as chair of the Finance Committee. He was until recently a member of the Investment Committee of the Cancer Council NSW for nine years. Use the comment section below to tell us how you felt about this. Hul! Hul! The Suppression of the Santal Rebellion in Bengal, 1855 Author: Peter Stanley Publisher: Bloomsbury Pages: 369 : Bloomsbury Price: Rs 699 Narrative retellings of historical events serve one purpose. But introducing ignored perspectives enhances understanding and also makes for a fuller understanding. In Hul! Hul! The Suppression of the Santal Rebellion in Bengal, 1855, Australian historian Peter Stanley does this and more. : Rs 699 Also Read The Tata battle for legacy India's tryst with parliamentary democracy The Raja of Big Things Living the life, energy efficiently The Emperor syndrome Interrogating Nehruvian ideals of India A devotee in the backroom A novice from the court of St James Hunting for the real Shakespeare The shadow of Xi Jinping, misinformation and hurt religious sentiments The histories of insurgency and counter-insurgency, no matter how exhaustive, tend to exclude specific experiences that may underwhelm select readers; this book is a standout in terms of reflecting on the course of the Hul insurrection in its totality. This carefully crafted retelling of the rebellions only flaw is that it relies mostly on English sources. But the author sincerely hopes Santals attempt to write about this event of immense historical significance when he says that Santal memory should be investigated by researchers better equipped in language and cultural sensitivity. My project essentially aimed to produce the first comprehensive history of the Santal uprising, drawing upon previously unused military sources, which has been enough of a challenge. In the introduction, Mr Stanley examines British military records that, he says, werent completely deployed by previous historians in the telling of the Santal insurrection, which, in fact, isnt documented enough. Though he confesses that the Santal rebellion has been explained virtually from the moment it began in July 1855, its narrative became convoluted. Just two substantive histories of the Hul (rebellion) exist: Kali Kinkar Dattas 1940 The Santal Insurrection and Narahari Kavirajs Santal Village Community and the Santal Rebellion of 1855, published in 2001, Mr Stanley notes. But he adds that they were partial, in both being incomplete and in presenting interpretations unjustified by the evidence. A combination of these factors motivated him to work on unfolding the events before, during, and after the Hul in this book, which is divided into five parts and whose structure is based on the Santal and Western year. Expressing their detestation of foreign landlords, Santal bands attacked and destroyed indigo factories in the rebellions opening weeks, Mr Stanley writes. Interestingly, these foreigners were unable to protect [their] own subjects from spoliation and massacre despite being in a position of power and influence. Armed with primitive equipment to defend themselves, the Santals outsmarted the British in more ways than one. The author also notes that even if the Santals lacked any means of transportation or communication besides bullock carts, and human voices, their opponents also had great difficulty communicating, even with steamers, the railway and the electric telegraph. The book explains how the Santal country was a result of migration. It is known that by the eighteenth century [Santals] lived by shifting cultivation in the forests largely on the Chota Nagpore plateau within a few hundred miles south-west of what became by 1855 the Santal country in which the Hul broke out, the author notes. He credits four brothers living near Burhyte, at the heart of the Damin for the uprising. Two of them Sidhu and Kanhu shared that it was their Thakur (i.e god) who asked them to fight suppression at the hands of oppressive zamindars and seek a solution to their plight. This cannot be rubbished as a primitive belief. As Mr Stanley meticulously notes, Santals shared a complex awareness of the power of magic and sorcery, with a cosmology revolving around bongas (spirits) and Thakur, the creator or supreme being. But the Santals economic existence was tied to the land, which was of course occupied by upper-caste Hindus. It is not the British but these oppressive zamindars that the Santals wanted to fight. The reason I truly appreciated reading this historical account is that it helped visibilise the invisibilised victims in all battles: Women. Did sepoys harass or molest Santal women? When Jugia Harams band was captured, somewhere in the south-west of Beerbhoom probably in October, the captain threatened to kill the men. The captives replied, who will look after our girls and women? We will look after them, the captain said, a phrase that to a modern sensibility suggests not chivalry but the possibility of rape. Evidence of sexual assaults by soldiers in wartime often go undocumented in the absence of allegations, investigation or prosecution, and no Santal had recourse to any agency of justice. Towards the end of this text, however, he notes that the women became the rebellions most numerous but least visible victims. The burden of this book, however, is to interrogate previous interpretations of the rebellion. For instance, when the Friend of India stated that the rebellion was languishing did that mean that the British were close to victory? They were not, the author notes. Then invoking the Indian historian Sugata Boses finding that the rebellion [was] a fully-fledged armed confrontation between the rebel fauj (or army) and the states military forces, Mr Stanley asks whether the Santal force [was] truly an army. Besides these interjections, the notable conclusion of this book is that the Hul wasnt suppressed by the British as it is claimed. The report said this would include popular shows like Game of Thrones, Succession, and the upcoming Harry Potter series. The financials of the deal were, however, not disclosed. Reliance Industries has struck a deal with Warner Bros Discovery Inc for its streaming platform JioCinema, news agency Reuters reported on Thursday. The move, seen as a major push by the conglomerate to bring Hollywood content to its content, will allow it to telecast the shows of Warner Bros and HBO. Earlier HBO shows were streamed on Disney+ Hotstar, owned by Disney Star, an Indian unit of the Walt Disney Co. The shows were pulled down from the platform on March 31 after Disney Star decided not to renew the deal in a bid to cut costs. "It's a deep exclusive arrangement which will make JioCinema the house of Warner, HBO in India," a person aware of the matter was quoted as saying in the report. Hotstar had been streaming HBO's shows since January 2016. Disney Star (previously Star India) struck a deal with HBO in December 2015 to stream these shows. HBO shows were made available for Indian customers on the same day as the US telecast. Disney chief executive officer (CEO) Bob Iger said the company would cut $5.5 billion in costs, including $3 billion in non-sports-related content. Also Read Why free IPL on Jio vs paid on Disney? Airtel seeks Trai intervention IPL 2023 FAQ pack: New, old, and everything one must know before season 16 IPL 2023: Updated squad list of all teams after the mini-auction in Kochi IPL 2023 Group B analysis: How do the teams shape up for the new season Fifa World Cup 2022: Jio Cinema app leaves football fans fuming in India IOCL pumps to sell Tesla EV batteries; companies announce national alliance Godrej Consumer Products plans to acquire Raymond's consumer business Trials for Coal India's in-house e-auction platform to begin in May Hinduja's offer to infuse Rs 300 cr more in Reliance General Insurance Swiggy partners 'Apna' to create 10K jobs for Instamart this year People privy to the matter told ET that the US tower company is said to have re-engaged with Canada's Brookfield, which is considering a full buyout. After its recent attempts to sell a 50 per cent stake failed to attract any interested parties, American Tower Corp (ATC) is now willing to sell a majority stake in its wholly owned Indian unit or even to offer up to 100 per cent ownership and leave the country, The Economic Times (ET) reports. Stonepeak has a stake in ATC's data-centre business in the US. However, the New York-based fund, which manages $55 billion in assets, has no presence in India. It also had separate discussions with US infrastructure fund Stonepeak Partners and reached out to Macquarie and KKR & Co through its advisors. They added that the discussions with the latter two are believed to have been lukewarm. Meanwhile, ATC's discussions with Brookfield, which already owns Summit Digitel (that houses the telecom towers acquired from Reliance Jio), are said to be proceeding. Brookfield is only interested in acquiring ATC Telecom Infrastructure (ATC TIPL), but valuations are still a sticking point between the two. Stonepeak has invested in wireless infrastructure projects, but it is still unclear whether the firm is looking for a full 100 per cent acquisition or just a majority stake. Also Read Brookfield India's net dips 61% to Rs 27 crore, net operating income up Elections not a factor for monetary policy: RBI governor at BFSI Summit S Chand to sell its entire stake in iNeuron to PhysicsWallah for Rs 14 cr Next financial crisis will come from crypto: RBI Guv Das at BFSI summit Consolidation of PSBs gives a robust base to scale: Bankers at BFSI Summit Adani Group aims to raise about $800 mn for financing green energy projects Sajjan Jindal-led JSW Group denies picking up stake in MG Motors, BYD Group India's anti-trust law raises penalty, seeks deposit before appeal Days after Apple opens own store in Saket, its premium reseller shuts shop Green hydrogen firm Ohmium closes $250 million Series C fundraise They are concerned about the long-term viability of the tenancy revenue inflows, given the ongoing financial struggles of Vodafone Idea (Vi), ATC's biggest customer in India, they said. According to senior executives, lawyers and consultants familiar with the discussions, ATC is seeking more than $4 billion enterprise value for its Indian unit. On the other hand, the suitors are unwilling to pay any control premium and are negotiating for a $2.8-3.0 billion valuation. ATC's change in plan Initial plans by ATC to sell a 50 per cent stake in its Indian subsidiary suggested joint control with a prospective equal partner. However, the US tower company seems to have changed its strategy due to lukewarm buyer interest. Cloud storage giant Dropbox announced on Thursday that it is laying off 16 per cent of its workforce, or about 500 employees, due to slowing growth. Dropbox CEO Drew Houston said that he takes full ownership of this decision. "If you've been impacted, you'll be sent a calendar invitation for a one-on-one with a leader on your team and a member of the People team to go through details of your departure, package, and to ask any questions you may have," he informed. Houston said that while the business is profitable, "our growth has been slowing". "Part of this is due to the natural maturation of our existing businesses, but more recently, headwinds from the economic downturn have put pressure on our customers and, in turn, on our business," he said. As a result, some investments that used to deliver positive returns are no longer sustainable, the company informed. Also Read JSW Energy arm bags two battery energy storage system projects from SECI Tesla Megapack to achieve sustainable energy future for Earth, says Musk Application for visa renewal can be submitted through dropbox: US Embassy Microsoft introduces next-gen hybrid cloud platform 'Azure Operator Nexus' AWS upbeat on India, sees massive headroom for growth in cloud adoption Shriram Finance consolidated net rises 18% to Rs 1,288 crore in Q4 PNB to infuse Rs 72.82 cr in its Bhutan subsidiary Druk via rights issue Vice media cancels flagship show amid layoffs and company restructure ACC net profit declines 41% to Rs 236 cr in January-March quarter Hindustan Zinc turns into a net debt firm for first time in 20 years In January 2021, Dropbox had laid off 315 employees amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The impacted employees will be eligible for 16 weeks of pay, with one additional week of pay for each completed year of tenure at Dropbox. "All impacted employees will receive their Q2 equity vest. All employees will be eligible for up to six months of COBRA in the US, and similar equivalents where applicable internationally, as well as Modern Health support," said the company. The impacted employees will be eligible to keep company devices (phones, tablets, laptops, and peripherals) for personal use. "These transitions are never easy, but I'm determined to ensure that Dropbox is at the forefront of the AI era, just as we were at the forefront of the shift to mobile and the cloud. We'll need all hands on deck as machine intelligence gives us the tools to reimagine our existing businesses and invent new ones," the CEO said. --IANS na/arm Settl. already has 7 operational co-living properties with approximately 700 beds in Gurugram. It is also set to open four new properties with about 300 beds in the next one month, the firm said in a statement. Bengaluru based co-living operator, Settl. is aiming to double its bed strength to 5000 by the end of this financial year (FY24). At present, the company has around 2500 beds across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Gurugram. The rising demand for managed rented co-living accommodation is a testament to the need for community living and convenience and in metro cities like Gurugram and Noida where millennials are the driving force behind the economy, co-living spaces are emerging as the preferred choice for those seeking a seamless living experience," said Bharath Bhaskar, co-founder, Settl. It is looking for more properties in Delhi-NCR and plans to launch 1,500 more beds during FY24. Besides Gurugram, the company currently has 1,200 beds in Bengaluru and 300 in Hyderabad. "We are witnessing increasing demand for high-quality co-living spaces. Two out of the four upcoming properties in Gurugram have already been fully booked, and the other two are also receiving a strong response," Bharath said. In Gurugram, the centres are located in various sectors of the city. These centres have options to choose from fully-furnished managed shared room accommodations, as well as 1 RK (Room & Kitchen) private room. Also Read Godrej Properties net profit up 54% to Rs 55 cr, net income grows 13% What is a living wage? Godrej Properties announces acquisition of 60-acre land parcel in Chennai Enemy properties: Most Pakistani assets in UP, Chinese in Meghalaya Oyo to open 50 properties in Ayodhya, places big bets on religious cities Chola Fin raises Rs 1,000 crore through maiden public bond offering Need for business insurance leads to 'Policybazaar of Business' programme Airtel's 5G service reaches 3,000 cities, Jio 5G in 3089 urban areas Razorpay joins hands with ONDC to offer payment reconciliation service Google took action against 3,500 personal loan apps in 2022 in India Settl. entered into long-term lease agreements with builders and asset owners. It designs and develops the properties as per the need and demand of occupants before sub-leasing the space to working professionals. Settl., which was started in 2020 and currently operates in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Gurugram, is expanding its presence in the existing as well as new cities. It is in discussions with potential investors to raise further funds. The company said that approximately 80-90 per cent of occupants at its centres are working professionals between the ages of 25 and 35. French automaker Citroen expects India to be its biggest growth driver outside Europe as it looks to have 30 per cent of its total sales coming from international markets outside the continent by 2025, its global CEO Thierry Koskas said on Thursday. The company, which unveiled its all-new mid-sized SUV C3 Aircross, will introduce another new product next year as it seeks to have a presence in the core segments of the Indian market. "India is a key pillar of the Citroen strategy. It is a market that could very soon reach 5 million units (annually). We want to grow 30 per cent of our sales outside Europe (by 2025). India is a key pillar for that amongst other regions, like for example Latin America," Koskas told PTI here in an interview. At the moment, he said, "It (India) is a very significant operation and probably that will become more and more significant in the years to come". When asked about the sales targets in India, he said, "We do not communicate on numbers, but I can tell you that probably India will become the biggest growth driver of Citroen outside Europe". With over 5 lakh units last year, Europe was Citroen's biggest market followed by other regions, such as Latin America and Middle Eastern countries like Turkey with about 50,000 units each. In India, the company sold around 9,000 units last year. Also Read Stellantis India to drive into India's e-fleet market with Citroen e-C3 Jio-BP to build EV charging infrastructure for India unit of Citroen Biden hosts his french counterpart Macron amid friction over US climate law Audi sales double in Q1 of calendar year 2023, pre-owned car biz up 50% Top Headlines: Double-digit growth for carmakers, Google-CCI tussle & more Tesla Power inks pact with Indian Oil Corp to sell batteries at petrol pump Google's content removal policy applies universally in world: Executive Tata Group-owned Air India to hire over 1,000 pilots, to expand its fleet Retail chain Shoppers Stop targets double-digit revenue growth in FY24: CEO Harley sees 37% rise in profit boosted by higher demand for popular bikes "Considering the fact that we are introducing new models and that we are developing the network, probably India could quickly become the biggest operation that we have outside Europe," Koskas said. The all-new C3 Aircross marks the second phase of Citroen's C-Cubed programme, announced in 2019, adding to the existing models hatchback C3 and all-electric E-C3. On future product launch plans, he said, "At the moment on the C-Cubed platform, the plan is to introduce three vehicles -- C3, C3 Aircross and the third one next year....in India, you do not need to have 10 products or whatever. You just need to have the right product". He said the company would have a total of five products by next year, including the C5 Aircross SUV and the E-C3 electric car and asserted "We think it's good to sustain the strategy of Citroen in India". The company is also gradually expanding its sales network, which currently stands at around 60, with each new product introduction, Koskas said, adding "When we have the third car introduced next year, we will go up to 100, which if compared with some big players in the market is small, but we'll be able to cover the major cities (of India)". He also stressed that Citroen would continue with its "India first strategy" of selling products in the country that "are designed and engineered and produced in India". "That's the key secret if we want to expand into this market. You cannot have products that are designed somewhere else because the Indian market is so specific in terms of customer expectations...I would say our strategy is to be at the core of the Indian market. In order to do that, we need to propose products that are very much designed, engineered and adapted to the local needs," Koskas added. On the other hand, a halo product like the C5 Aircross, which is very much a European product although locally produced in India, is not for volume and it is for the image because it gives an idea of what the Citroen brand is capable of, he said. When asked about plans for electric vehicles, he said, "I can see great opportunities in the electric segment in India, because the way cars are used, in many cases, it's urban or suburban moves, and this is perfect for electric cars". While he did not elaborate on the company's road map for EVs in India, Koskas said, "When the market continues to grow, we will ensure that we have the right offer for the market, but I can see a big growth perspective for electric vehicles in the market". On exports from India, he said Citroen would look to leverage the competitive production base of the country. "India is such a competitive production base. This is probably one of the countries where we have the most competitive production base. We are heavily localised in India, which means that at everything, all the components and so on are very competitive. We are obviously very interested to grab any export opportunity," Koskas said. At present, Citroen is exporting to some Asian and African countries. Citing the example of C3, which is exported to South Africa, he said, "If the market responds and the demand is there, we will happily follow. So, yes, export is a great opportunity for us". Indian fast-moving consumer goods company Dabur has decided to make an additional investment of Rs 9.68 billion in Nepal. The Investment Board Nepal and Dabur Nepal Pvt. Ltd. signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday for the construction, operation, and management of capacity building and product diversification projects under the private investment concept. Though the Investment Board Nepal had approved the additional investment by Dabur in February last year, the MoU was signed only on Thursday. Sushil Bhatt, CEO of Investment Board Nepal, and Harkirat Singh Bedi, Business Head at Dabur Nepal, signed the MoU on behalf of the respective parties. Ramesh Rijal, Nepal's Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies, was also present on the occasion, according to a press statement issued after the signing ceremony. The Indian multinational company had sought to make additional investment in Nepal before the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, but it was kept pending due to the prolonged Covid wave in Nepal and India. As per the proposal, Dabur Nepal, which is producing various kinds of beverages, beauty and healthcare products in Nepal, will increase its capacity enhancement and diversification. Also Read Dabur India expects low to mid single-digit revenue growth in Q3 Indian Embassy, Nepal govt sign MoUs for projects in education, healthcare Indo-Nepal border sealed for 72 hours ahead of general elections in Nepal 17.9 mn people set for national and provincial elections in Nepal on Sunday Nepal plane crash: At least 68 dead, rescuers search for 4 missing persons State-owned NTPC arm gets 500 MW renewable energy project from REMCL Glenmark Life Sciences profit surges 48% on API boost in March quarter Tata Steel signs business cooperation agreement with A&B Global Mining Lufthansa to start flights on Munich-Bangalore, Frankfurt-Hyderabad routes In a first, Softbank-backed OYO turns cash flow-positive in Q4FY23 After signing the MoU, Bedi expressed his happiness for investing a part of the company's accumulated capital in Nepal for capacity enhancement and diversification of products. The Investment Board Nepal is the special vehicle of the government of Nepal that has the authority of approving and facilitating any investment above Rs 6 billion in the country. As per this rule, Dabur Nepal took permission from the Investment Board. As per the available data, the overall contribution of Dabur Nepal in Nepal's export trade stands at 5.35 per cent. As much as 97.5 per cent share of Dabur Nepal is owned by Dabur International Limited, while the remaining 2.5 per cent is owned by a Nepali partner. --IANS ag/arm This is part of the introduction of Googles new license requirements introduced for personal loan apps in key geographies Kenya, Nigeria, and the Philippines with more stringent requirements for loan facilitator apps in India to combat fraud. Google in India took enforcement action against 3,500 personal loan apps in 2022, this also included the removal of apps from the Play Store for violation of the Play policy requirements. In 2021, Google revised its Play Store developer program policy for financial services apps, including additional requirements for personal loan apps in India effective 15, September 2021. This included completing a declaration form confirming that they are either licensed by the RBI to provide personal loans and submit a copy of the license, or alternatively, confirm that they only provide a platform to facilitate money lending by duly licensed lenders. In India, in 2022, we have reviewed and taken necessary enforcement action, including removal of apps, on more than 3,500 personal loan apps for violations of the Play policy requirements. We continue to uplevel our efforts in this area by regularly updating our policies and review processes, said a blog from Google. The details of the blog also said that globally, the tech giant recently updated its Personal Loans policy to state that apps aiming to provide or facilitate personal loans may not access user contacts or photos. As part of this update, apps that provide personal loans, or have the primary purpose of facilitating access to personal loans (i.e., lead generators or facilitators), are prohibited from accessing sensitive data, such as photos and contacts, said the company. In 2022, in India, we introduced additional requirements for developers offering personal loans in India as facilitators on behalf of NBFCs and banks, requiring them to also prominently disclose the names of all their partner NBFCs and banks in the apps description and provide a live URL to the respective websites of partner NBFCs and banks where they are listed as an official agent, as part of the Personal Loan App Declaration, said the blog. Also Read Apple opens its first official store in Mumbai; what we know so far Apple's Delhi store now open for public: 5 things you need to know about it CBI arrests Videocon Group founder Venugopal Dhoot in ICICI loan fraud case 87% app makers don't pay for Apple store, 97% for Google Play: Report Google employing 'delaying tactics' and exploiting loopholes, say startups Long-range Airbus jets will put India within reach, says Wizz Air Cloud storage giant Dropbox sacks 500 employees amid slowing growth Shriram Finance consolidated net rises 18% to Rs 1,288 crore in Q4 PNB to infuse Rs 72.82 cr in its Bhutan subsidiary Druk via rights issue Vice media cancels flagship show amid layoffs and company restructure Globally, Google prevented 1.43 million policy-violating apps from being published on Google Play. Google also continued to combat malicious developers and fraud rings, banning 173,000 bad accounts, and preventing over $2 billion in fraudulent and abusive transactions. The issue of unregulated personal loan apps attracted attention after the Reserve Bank of India in 2022 came up with a new regulatory framework. The central bank has recommended a law for Banning of Unregulated Lending Activities (BULA) to safeguard borrowers from predatory lending, harassment, and blackmail. By Menaka Doshi Changes to Indias antitrust law will allow the regulator to impose much larger penalties and require companies to pay part of the dues before an order can be appealed, a move some analysts say signals protectionism. Parliament this month permitted the Competition Commission of India to levy penalties for anti-competitive behavior and abuse of dominance based on global turnover of the firm, where earlier the up to 10% penalty was on the turnover of the affected business in India. It also said any party challenging a CCI order must first pay 25% of the penalty as deposit. Changes to Indias antitrust law will allow the regulator to impose much larger penalties and require companies to pay part of the dues before an order can be appealed, a move some analysts say signals protectionism. Given the sizable penalties ordered by CCI from 67 billion rupees ($818 million) on an alleged cement cartel to 22 billion rupees on Google and chronic judicial delays, the deposit precondition is a steep ask, will result in denial of right of appeal and block capital for firms, said Nisha Kaur Uberoi, partner and national competition head at Trilegal in Mumbai. This will penalize global companies more and could include revenue from products and services not covered under anti-competitive conduct. This provision strikes at the heart of the proportionality principle upheld by the Supreme Court, said Avaantika Kakkar, partner and head of the competition practice at Mumbai-based law firm Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas. It is likely to be the subject of judicial scrutiny in the future. Indias income tax law too requires a deposit of 20% before appeal. The requirement of a deposit assumes the action of the tax administration is correct, said Mukesh Butani, a partner at Delhi-based BMR Legal Advocates. The Department of Revenue loses 65% of cases once they are appealed, last available government data show. Until now, no deposit amount had been codified in India though courts have often directed similar actions. Among other major jurisdictions, the European Union requires full penalty to be paid but admission of an appeal is not contingent on that. Indias competition regulator has issued no penalty guidelines yet. Also Read Old income tax regime vs new income tax regime: Which one is better? Budget 2023: Income tax slabs changed under new tax regime. Details here Income Tax dept reduces time for taxmen to decide on refund adjustment Buoyant tax collections cushion govt on fiscal front; ITR reforms likely Google may face a third CCI fine in less than a month. Now for Android TV Days after Apple opens own store in Saket, its premium reseller shuts shop Green hydrogen firm Ohmium closes $250 million Series C fundraise Mankind Pharma's initial public offering subscribed 87% on day 2 of issue UTI AMC reports 60% jump in Q4 net profit to Rs 86 cr on lower expenses HCLTech wins digital transformation deal from Heubach Group Also Read India's aviation safety rank to improve after UN agency audit: DGCA Are airline stocks set to fly high? Regional aviation looks to soar higher, carriers chart growth plans Very tough path ahead for new entrants like Akasa, Jet 2.0: GMR official Air India posts best monthly on-time performance among carriers after years Race for scale: HBO finds a home in India after deal with JioCinema Tata Group-backed Trent's Q4 revenue jumps as fashion demand rises FMCG brand Dabur to make additional investment of Rs 9.68 bn in Nepal State-owned NTPC arm gets 500 MW renewable energy project from REMCL Glenmark Life Sciences profit surges 48% on API boost in March quarter Indian carriers will be better off if the restriction on bilateral rights are eased in the long term and if passengers have more choices for air travel, Harry Hohmeister, head of global markets & network, Lufthansa Group Airlines, said on Thursday.For an airline to operate a scheduled flight between two countries, there must be a bilateral air services agreement in place, which is negotiated and signed by both countries. This agreement outlines the bilateral rights, which determine the number of flights or seats that the airline is allowed to operate per week between the two countries.Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Bansal had said last month that the government had no plans as of now to accord additional bilateral rights to West Asian carriers. Emirates and Jazeera Airways, along with other West Asian carriers, have requested increased bilateral rights from the government to expand their flight operations.However, Indian carriers such as Air India are opposed to the expansion of these air services agreements because a large number of passengers travelling from India to North America and Europe currently use Gulf carriers. Indian carriers such as Air India are acquiring more wide-body planes to operate direct flights to these two continents.When asked about the Indian governments reluctance to expand bilateral rights,Hohmeister said, Of course, it has an effect. Behind your question is of course the right assumption that it has some kind of protectionism. In the long run, and I have said this several times, I think the airlines would be better off if they do partnerships and understand that not one airline can generate a global network. It is simply impossible.An airline can be strong in one region as the Lufthansa Group is the strongest in Europe, he said. Most probably, Air India will be the strongest in India. If the strongest work together, it will be very good, he said.The country, and all airlines will be better off, if they release the restrictions in the long run and if we guarantee the passengers free travel. It will take some time and I guess, it will take some work, he noted.Lufthansa is operating about 80 flights a week between India and Germany. The carrier announced on Thursday that it plans to operate flights on two new routes: Munich-Bengaluru and Frankfurt-Hyderabad.Lufthansa and Air India are part of the airlines group Star Alliance. Both carriers have a codeshare arrangement between them.Of course, we (Lufthansa and Air India) have a partnership and would like to deepen the partnership, Hohmeister said.Air India has to first find its own way. I think they are restructuring right now. It is a company with new management and it is a company with ambitions. It is redesigning its strategy, he added. State-owned Punjab National Bank on Thursday said it proposed to infuse Rs 72.82 crore in its Bhutan subsidiary Druk PNB Bank Ltd via a rights issue. The board has approved participation in the proposed rights issue of Druk PNB Bank Ltd (DPNBL), an overseas subsidiary of the bank, for an amount of Rs 72,82,80,000, PNB said in a regulatory filing. PNB holds 51 per cent in the subsidiary as of now. DPNBL was incorporated on December 31, 2008, with FDI participation, it said. The indicative time period for completion of the rights issue is by the end of August 2023, it noted. The proposed rights issue of DPNBL of Bhutan is at a premium of Rs 7 (face value of Rs 10) -- Rs 17 per share, the filing said. Also Read PNB Q2 net profit slips 63% to Rs 411.3 crore as NPA provisions rise India will always be reliable: Om Birla to Bhutan National Assembly speaker Jigme Wangchuck's 3-day India visit: NSA Ajit Doval calls on Bhutan King PNB Housing Finance's Rs 2,500 crore rights issue gets Sebi's nod India-Bhutan satellite testament to special relationship with people: PM Vice media cancels flagship show amid layoffs and company restructure ACC net profit declines 41% to Rs 236 cr in January-March quarter Hindustan Zinc turns into a net debt firm for first time in 20 years Arihant Capital settle case with Sebi, pays Rs 17 lakh as settlement charge Axis Bank reports Rs 5,361 cr loss in Q4 on Citi acquisition payout After participation in the proposed rights issue of DPNBL, the Bank's shareholding will remain the same at 51 per cent. "With regard to the query on 'JSW in talks to pick up stakes in MG, BYD India', we confirm that no such proposal as referred to in the news article has been placed for discussion of the Board or any of its Committees," the company said in a press release. Sajjan Jindal-led JSW Group on Wednesday denied claims that it was in talks to acquire a stake in MG Motors and BYD Group. This came after reports emerged stating the talks were in the "final stages". The group was looking to manufacture four-wheelers, Rao had said in reply to a question on JSW Group's plan to expand its presence into more sectors. In January, JSW Group chief financing officer Seshagiri Rao told PTI that the manufacturing of electric vehicles is being discussed actively at the group level. "Whatever businesses we do would be capital intensive. That is our core strength. The group will add a minimum of two-three businesses by 2030. As a large business house, it is necessary for us to explore these opportunities," he told Fortune India. Earlier, a report by Fortune India quoted Jindal as saying that the company will add two-three businesses by 2030. Also Read We're looking to sell 1,200 vehicles a month, says BYD India's senior VP BYD unveils luxury BYD Seal, ATTO 3 limited edition at Auto Expo 2023 JSW Energy Q2 net up 37% to Rs 466 cr; Parth Jindal joins board JSW group to invest Rs 1 trn in Karnataka in five years, say Sajjan Jindal JSW Energy likely to close Rs 10,530-cr Mytrah acquisition by December-end India's anti-trust law raises penalty, seeks deposit before appeal Days after Apple opens own store in Saket, its premium reseller shuts shop Green hydrogen firm Ohmium closes $250 million Series C fundraise Mankind Pharma's initial public offering subscribed 87% on day 2 of issue UTI AMC reports 60% jump in Q4 net profit to Rs 86 cr on lower expenses As the group's flagship business, JSW Steel manufactures auto-grade, high-value steel and supplies to automobile companies, including EV makers, at a 1 million tonne per annum (MTPA) steel plant in Salem, Tamil Nadu. In addition, the group is working on projects that support energy storage solutions, including batteries for electric vehicles. The advertisement released by AI read, "We are offering multiple opportunities and accelerated growth across our A320, B777, B787, and B737 fleet for captains and first officers, as well as trainers," adding that more than 500 aircraft are joining its fleet. The decision to hire pilots comes at a time when the existing employees have flagged concerns about revamping their salary structure and service decisions. According to a recent media report, the pilots of Air India reached out to Tata Sons Ltd Chairman Emeritus Ratan Naval Tata. In an online petition, the pilots said, "Their morale is low as they are not being treated with respect and dignity by the airlines' Human Resource (HR) Department." The move to hire more pilots comes as the Tata Group-owned airline plans to extend its fleet and network. Air India has placed an order for 470 aircraft with Boeing and Airbus, including wide-body planes. According to media reports, the latest Airbus firm order comprises 210 A320/321 Neo/XLR and 40 A350-900/1000. The Boeing firm order comprises 190 737-Max, 20 787s, and 10 777s. Tata Steel on Thursday said it has signed an agreement with A&B Global Mining to harness new business development opportunities and deliver mine technical services. The steel major will closely work with ABGM India which will interface with their South African entity to explore business opportunities in India and abroad besides utilise each other's technical and strategic strengths to deliver projects across the mining and metals, including the steel value chain, a company statement said. ABGM will also collaborate with Tata Steel to deliver competitive integrated business solutions to the global mining industry, it said. "We started offering mine technical services commercially to the mining industry along with our partners, and this agreement will further complement our capabilities and capacities to raise the standards of such services in India in particular and internationally in general for more scientific and sustainable mine development, Tata Steel vice president (raw materials) D B Sundara Ramam said. He also mentioned the company is in the mining business for more than a century with its natural resource division, providing various exploration and mine planning services to its captive mines for sustainable practices. A&B Global Mining managing director Devendra Vyas said, We are pleased to be working in collaboration with Tata Steel to deliver mine planning, engineering and project management services, including customised end-to-end solutions to clients." He also said this agreement is the foundation for a strong partnership and compliments the company's efforts to diversify its services to wider stakeholders in the industry and accelerate growth across commodities and geographies. Also Read More initiatives on anvil to boost steel sector in 2023: Union Minister PLI scheme qualifiers, steel ministry to ink pacts for investment proposals JSPL to invest Rs 7,930 crore under PLI scheme for steel: MD Bimlendra Jha RINL supplies 1,800 tonnes of structural steel for AMNS expansion project Agreements with 26 cos signed under PLI scheme for specialty steel: Scindia Lufthansa to start flights on Munich-Bangalore, Frankfurt-Hyderabad routes In a first, Softbank-backed OYO turns cash flow-positive in Q4FY23 Torrent Power incorporates two wholly-owned subsidiaries TU9, TU13 SpiceJet to appoint Arun Kashyap as Chief Operating Officer from June 12 Reliance Cap lenders to meet on Friday to take call on Hinduja Group bid The batteries will be produced by the Indian arm of Tesla Power USA, a vehicle battery manufacturer. The company is unrelated to American automotive and clean energy giant Tesla Inc, owned by billionaire Elon Musk. Vehicle batteries of a Gurgaon-based company will be available for sale and servicing at more than 36,000 IOCL petrol pumps in India, the oil marketing company announced on Thursday. The batteries will be available initially at IOCL fuel pumps in the Delhi-NCR region and later sold in other states. IOCL, the largest OMC in India, said the strategic partnership represents a crucial component of achieving net zero emissions, and the transition to a more sustainable transportation system with distribution of advanced and much reliable batteries. Tesla Power USA and IOCL, the state-run oil marketing company (OMC), said the "national strategic alliance" will bring innovation in battery distribution and sales in India. This is the first time that automotive batteries will be available on a large scale at petrol pumps (in India), similar to markets in the West, said Kavinder Khurana, managing director of Tesla Power USA. "Tesla Power USA currently has over 5000 distribution points in India that we aim to double in 2023. The addition of IOCL petrol pumps can potentially offer Tesla Power USA distribution reach of over 40,000; the largest for any battery brand in India," he said. The partnership is part of the Tyre Battery Accessories (TBA) concept developed by IOCL which aims to position the company's petrol pumps as the one stop destination for any urgent or regular battery replacement or purchase, said Vigyan Kumar, executive director at IOCL. Also Read After China, Tesla now announces price cuts on its electric vehicles in US Fifa World Cup Day 10: England win 3-0, USA squeeze IRN to head to last 16 Power stocks surge as govt orders coal-based plants to run at full capacity Fifa World Cup Day 6: Ecuador, US impress in draws; Senegal, Iran in wins Tesla touches a 2-year low: Twitter may not be Elon Musk's biggest trouble Godrej Consumer Products to acquire Raymond group's consumer business Trials for Coal India's in-house e-auction platform to begin in May Hinduja's offer to infuse Rs 300 cr more in Reliance General Insurance Swiggy partners 'Apna' to create 10K jobs for Instamart this year VC firm Burda Investments may sue ex-Zilingo CEO Ankiti Bose: Details here Burda has clarified that it is the second investor to have decided to take action against former CEO and co-founder Ankiti Bose. Its statement said that it was a joint decision of all investors and not led by a single investor, as claimed by her. Burda Principal Investments (BPI) plans to sue Ankiti Bose, former CEO and co-founder of Zilingo, Financial Express has reported. Recent revelations about Ankiti Bose exposed serious financial inconsistencies. BPI released a statement on Wednesday, April 27 and accused Ankiti of "significant irregularities in reporting to investors." BPI blamed these inconsistencies for Zilingo's failure. What is Zilingo? Zilingo is a technology and commerce platform with its headquarters in Singapore. The company was established by Ankiti Bose and Dhruv Kapoor in 2015. Ankiti Bose was only 23 years old when she started Zilingo. Zilingo raised $226 million in 2019, a Moneycontrol report said. Its investors included Sequoia and Temasek, and Bose was considered a visionary. It has business operations in Indonesia, Hong Kong, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia, and the United States. It aimed to support small merchants and businesses across South and Southeast Asia to sell their goods online. Also Read Sequoia's Surge unveils 8th cohort of 12 start-ups across India, SEA Deal activity has spiked in India despite global issues: Goldman Sachs MDs Fiscal deficit in FY24 may be capped at 5.9%, says Goldman Sachs Amazon, Goldman Sachs employees flood social media with layoff news Nifty to reach 20,500 by end-2023, implying 12% price return: Goldman Sachs Reliance JV Viacom18 strikes deal with Warner for streaming content: Report ATC seeks to sell majority a stake, open to 100% sale and exit India Adani Group aims to raise about $800 mn for financing green energy projects Sajjan Jindal-led JSW Group denies picking up stake in MG Motors, BYD Group India's anti-trust law raises penalty, seeks deposit before appeal The controversy Zilingo was trying to raise $150 million to $200 million with the help of Goldman Sachs. At this point, investors questioned its finances as part of the due diligence process. Bloomberg reported that the talks could have boosted Zilingo's valuation to more than $1 billion. Earlier, a report published by Inc42 said that Ankiti had given herself a 1000 per cent salary hike without taking the company board into confidence. The concerns are about the way Zilingo has operated since 2019. According to Zilingo's auditors, the company had not filed annual financial statements since 2019. As part of the investigation into the discrepancies in accounts and mismanagement, an investigation was instituted by Kroll, and Ankiti was asked questions about the irregularities at the firm. At present, she stands suspended until May 5. Mining mogul Anil Agarwal has said his Vedanta group has ample cash flow to service all its debt repayment obligations and that it aims to become a "net zero debt company" in 2-3 years. Agarwal said questions over Vedanta's debt servicing ability are "absolutely irrelevant" as the group will make USD 9 billion of profits next year on revenue of USD 30 billion, which would be sufficient to meet all obligations. The comments by the former scrap metal trader turned industrialist come at a time when scrutiny of highly leveraged Indian conglomerates grows following a US short seller attack on the Adani group. "We have the lowest debt in the world for a group of our size," Agarwal, founder, and chairman of Vedanta Resources, told PTI in an interview here. And the debt is a result of investing billions of dollars across businesses, he said. "Total debt in the company is USD 13 billion. And we have a profit this year of USD 7 billion. Next year our revenue would be USD 30 billion and we will have USD 9 billion profit" across the group. The cash flows are more than sufficient to meet debt servicing obligations. Also Read Considering options on Electrosteel: Vedanta Resources' Anil Agarwal Anil Agarwal weighing Vedanta stake sale as last resort, says report Jaipur to get India's 2nd largest cricket stadium named after Anil Agarwal CRISIL revises outlook on Vedanta's loans from 'stable' to 'negative' Stay away from expensive M&As: Lenders to Anil Agarwal's Vedanta OYO turns cash flow positive for first time in March quarter: Reports Air India, Sabre Corporation sign multi-year deal for global travel access Godrej buys Raymond's consumer products business for Rs 2,825 cr Wipro to buy back Rs 12,000 cr worth of shares at 19% premium Suzlon bags order for 39-MW wind energy project from First Energy "We are very comfortable," he said. "We have never defaulted to make any payment. We always have a plan to make the payments." Earlier this week, Vedanta Resources Ltd, the parent company of Mumbai-listed mining giant Vedanta Ltd, said it has paid all its maturing loans and bonds due in this month to reduce its gross debt by a further USD 1 billion. Vedanta has now reduced debt by a total of USD 3 billion since it announced in February 2022 its intention to accelerate deleveraging. It had announced plans to reduce debt by USD 4 billion within 3 years, of which it has achieved 75 per cent of the committed reduction in 14 months. Agarwal said it is "absolutely irrelevant" to talk about the debt payment capability of the group. The group, whose business spans from zinc to silver, iron ore to aluminum and oil and gas, borrows the bare minimum, and "we have enough cash flow to service that debt," he said. He went on to state that the group would be a net zero debt company in 2-3 years' time. "At the moment the plan is that in 2-3 years we will be a net zero debt company," he said hastening to add that the group may have to borrow in pursuit of its aggressive expansion plans. Diversified natural resources conglomerate plans building capacities in zinc, oil and gas, and aluminum businesses as it believes supply will remain a challenge in the commodities' space in the medium term. The group, which has already invested USD 35 billion in the country so far, plans to become a USD 100-billion company by 2030. Vedanta is also foraying into the manufacturing of semiconductor and display fabs and signed an initial pact with Apple supplier Foxconn to set up a manufacturing facility in Gujarat. India is 100 per cent import-dependent for fabs and semiconductors with domestic consumption expected to cross USD 80 billion by 2026 and touch USD 110 billion by 2030. "Yes 100 per cent within a maximum of 2-3 years time, we will be zero debt company. But we have to do a lot in India. We have to create semiconductors (factory), we have to create display glass (factory), we have to expand our copper (business), we have to expand our aluminum (business), we have to expand oil and gas (operations), this is important. At that point, we might have to take debt (but) we have no plan (as of now)," he said. S&P Ratings on April 3 stated that Vedanta will likely have enough liquidity until December. US short-seller Hindenburg Research's damning report on billionaire tycoon Gautam Adani's infrastructure conglomerate this year triggered a stock market routing that had erased about USD 145 billion in his group's market value at its lowest point. Adani group has denied all allegations by Hindenburg and is plotting a comeback strategy. Agarwal dismissed concerns about paying upcoming liabilities, stressing his commodities businesses were generating enough cash to service debt. Renewable energy solutions provider Vibrant Energy on Thursday announced the appointment of Anirban Das as its Chief Investment Officer. Vibrant Energy has announced the appointment of Anirban Das as the Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of the company, a statement said. Vibrant Energy is a portfolio company of Macquarie Asset Management's Green Investment Group (MAM-GIG) with a mission to lead the decarbonisation initiatives for corporate renewable energy customers and help them to attain a more sustainable, resilient, and low-cost energy future. In this role, Anirban will work closely with Srinivasan Viswanathan, CEO, leading all fund raising and investment activities across the capital stack for Vibrant, it stated. Anirban, an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, brings with him a rich experience of more than USD 2.5 billion of infrastructure debt funding in India. Headquartered in Singapore and Hyderabad, Vibrant is operating and delivering more than 2GW of renewable energy solutions for corporates. It aims to reach Green Energy asset base of about 5 GW in the medium term. Also Read India's economy already 10% more energy efficient than G20 average: IEA Indonesian govt promises move to clean energy, but challenges remain JSW Energy arm bags two battery energy storage system projects from SECI President Biden offers $450 mn for clean energy projects at coal mines India plans big for green energy sector in sync with G20 Presidency Vedanta chief makes zero debt pledge, says very comfortable servicing debt OYO turns cash flow positive for first time in March quarter: Reports Air India, Sabre Corporation sign multi-year deal for global travel access Godrej buys Raymond's consumer products business for Rs 2,825 cr Wipro to buy back Rs 12,000 cr worth of shares at 19% premium Das has over two decades of experience in advertising. He had leadership roles at Dentsu International for over nine years, which included three years as chief executive officer (CEO) of its group company Vizeum India and an EVP at Carat India. He began his career at Madison World, working at Initiative, Lintas Media Group, FCB Ulka of IPG and Starcom of Publicis Media. Infomo, an advertising technology company, has appointed Himanka Das as country director for India and promoted Rohit Verma as its global chief of strategy and new initiatives. Leveraging and relying on first-party Customer Database Platforms (CDP) will take center stage as marketers prepare themselves for a cookieless world. Infomo is the first to create and successfully enable telecom carriers to utilize telco-rich data, said Das. Having a national industry leader like Himanka join us to lead Infomo India is a great boost for all of our team, and a great endorsement of our potential to disrupt the digital advertising industry in India. As CEO of Vizeum India, Himanka led from the front with their digital transformation. He will lead us from the front in India, said Ananda Rao, managing director and Group CEO of Infomo. Verma is the founder of TorcAI, a global data science company that Infomo acquired more than a year back. We created the new role of Global Chief of Strategy and New Initiatives specially to take advantage of Rohits incredible vision and experience in mobile advertising. India has seen what a visionary he has been. Its time for the world to see him in action, said Infomo. Before joining Infomo, Himanka took an academic sabbatical to earn a postgraduate qualification in data science from International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore. He also has a Masters in International Marketing and Mass Communication Studies from University of Pune. Also Read Shafali Verma: The Woman in Blue brands will likely be watching closely Twitter turbulence puts focus on brand security in social media advertising Not in a hurry to launch CBDC; have to proceed carefully: RBI Guv Das RBI Meeting: All you need to know about additional monetary policy meet RBI MPC: When and where to watch policy announcement by Shaktikanta Das 'Very, very comfortable': Anil Agrawal on Vedanta being over-leveraged How a Kanpur-born Indian-origin CEO Mehrotra is a chip off the old block Nasscom appoints Microsoft's Anant Maheshwari as new chairperson Plans to buy Zinc International is not called off: Hindustan Zinc CEO A quick pivot to demand helped realise good growth: HCLTech's C Vijayakumar Shares of Voltas Ltd fell by nearly 3 per cent on Thursday morning trade after the air conditioning maker reported a decline of 21.6 per cent in its consolidated net profit in the March 2023 quarter. The stock fell by 2.85 per cent to Rs 830.60 on the BSE. At the NSE, it declined 2.82 per cent to Rs 830.50. Voltas Ltd on Wednesday reported a decline of 21.6 per cent in its consolidated net profit at Rs 143.23 crore in the March 2023 quarter, due to provisions made on delayed collection in the international project business. The Tata group firm had posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 182.71 crore in the year-ago period, the company said in a regulatory filing. Revenue from operations of Voltas was up 11.5 per cent to Rs 2,936.76 crore during the period under review, as against Rs 2,633.72 crore a year ago. Also Read Union Minister Gadkari pitches for investments from Tata Group in Nagpur One year since Tatas took over Air India, here's how the journey has been Appliances, consumer electronics sector aim for double-digit growth in 2023 Piyush Goyal discusses investment opportunities with US executives in NY Warehousing developer Pragati Group raises $200mn from Singapore based fund Coforge net profit falls 44.7%; IT firm declares dividend of Rs 19/share KPIT Technologies Q4FY23 net profit up 41.5% on recent mega deal wins LTTS Q4 net profit rises 18% at Rs 309.6 cr, to hire 2,000 people in FY24 Indus Towers Q4 net profit dips 23% to Rs 1,399 cr on drop in revenue L&T Tech Services sees 20% FY24 revenue growth, posts profit beat in Q4 "Profit before and after taxes were impacted during the current quarter due to provisions made on delayed collection in the international project business," Voltas said in its earnings statement. Being able to earn interest on the FCA account shall encourage resident Indians to open an account in IFSC banking units and foster investments in stocks and other securities of overseas entities available in IFSC. The 15-day timeframe was quite stringent since it wouldnt give one sufficient time to decide which investment instrument to opt for from the options available, said Neha Malviya Kulkarni, chief growth officer, SuperNAV. The RBI also removed restrictions on individuals from opening interest-earning FCA at an IFSC. The latest EPFO payroll figures from the past five years (2017-22) indicate that Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Haryana have contributed significantly to the overall net EPFO new payrolls, accounting for 60.54 per cent of the total. These states also registered the highest number of new Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) members as of March 2021, with steady growth in formal jobs observed in the top five states. Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu are among the top-performing states in terms of GDP growth, which explains their consistent contribution to the EPFO database. There was an uptick in PF (Provident Fund) enrolment in India during 2021-22, with 1.38 crore net subscribers joining the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) scheme, indicating a higher number of people joining the formal workforce, according to a report called the Karnataka Jobs Report 2022-23 by service provider Quess Corp and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). This trend is continuing in 2022-23, which suggests that formal employment is expected to increase further. The report findings based on an analysis of EPFO, ESIC database and estimation of government employees showed that the state of Karnataka has about 24.7 per cent of its workforce employed in the formal sector, which is 4.74 per cent higher than the national average of 20 per cent, creating promising opportunities for the states industry and trade prospects. The report also highlights that Karnataka accounts for nearly 11 per cent of the net new formal job additions in India. Given the burgeoning growth of key sectors in India and the noticeable uptick in formal employment there is a sense of optimism regarding the future of the country's economy, said Lohit Bhatia, President of Workforce Management, Quess Corp. According to the data, the expert services category, comprising manpower agencies, private security agencies, and small contractors, among others, has emerged as the primary formal job creator, responsible for approximately 38 per cent of the new formal jobs generated in the last five years. The demand for temporary or contract-based workers across various industries has fuelled this growth. Additionally, the government's efforts to formalize the informal sector have resulted in a higher number of small contractors and other informal businesses registering with the EPFO and contributing to the creation of formal jobs. The findings in the report indicate that Karnataka is a leader in formal job creation in India, said K Ullas Kamath, Chairman, FICCI Karnataka State Council. Undertaking skilling efforts at graduation level with a constructive partnership with industry, Government, and academia can fast-track the progress of formal job creation, especially in a large number of MSMEs, booming IT, and tech-driven sectors. Also Read EPFO raises interest rate to 8.15% for FY23 from 8.1% last year: Report EPFO aims to invest more in equity for younger members, expand horizon EPFO wage ceiling likely to be raised from Rs 15,000 per month to Rs 21,000 EPFO data shows employment dip EPFO's new guidelines: How can employees opt for higher pension under EPS? Higher loan limits to enterprises addressing 'Missing Middle problem': SBI I-T lens on big spenders, aims to widen taxpayer base by 10% in FY24 India-UAE agreement: Easier norms for gold import on the anvil After a slow start, PLI scheme may switch on the afterburners in FY24 Railway network in 14 states 100% electrified in FY23, Northeast lags Agriculture dominates India's informal job market with over half of e-Shram portal registrations. The report also delves into the analysis of India's informal workforce and estimates that around 45.6 crore individuals are engaged in this sector. Out of India's estimated working population of 57 crore, only 20 per cent (11.4 crore) are employed in the formal sector. While the e-Shram portal (the centralised database of unorganised workers) has seen a notable 28.55 crore individuals registering as of December 2022, approximately 17.05 crore informal sector workers are yet to register. Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of registrations on the e-Shram portal, with 8.3 crore workers registered, followed by Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. The remaining eight major sectors, including building and construction, trading and commercial establishments, engineering, developing electronic, mechanical, and general engineering products, textiles, and garment making, together added around 1.56 crore jobs, which is around 62 per cent of the new formal jobs added. The Building and Construction sector is the second-largest job creator, with consistent growth in formal job creation. The growth is attributed to the government's emphasis on creating smart cities and enhancing infrastructure, along with the rising demand for infrastructure and real estate projects. The textile industry has also shown signs of recovery with a significant increase in PF-linked employees in the last five years. This growth is attributed to the surge in demand for textile products both domestically and internationally, along with favourable government policies such as the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. The dominance of the agriculture sector on the portal is apparent, with more than half (52%) of the informal job registrations being from this sector. This is because it is the largest employer in the informal sector in India. The construction sector (9 per cent) has also witnessed a significant number of registrations on the portal. This is due to the increased focus on infrastructure development and urbanization in India, resulting in more employment opportunities in the sector. Workers may have registered on the portal to access better job opportunities. Apart from agriculture and construction, other sectors that have seen significant informal job registrations on the e-Shram portal include domestic and household workers (10 per cent), apparel (6 per cent), and miscellaneous (4 per cent). The Delhi University (DU) will release a 'Panchang' (religious almanac) prepared by it on April 28, which will be shared among the students across the country with an aim to connect the youth to the rich ancient Indian knowledge system and tradition. The Panchang will be released by DU Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh in the presence of several personalities from the fields of literature and culture, including the varsity's department heads, teachers, students, and researchers, among others. The chief guest at the programme will be Ramlal, the all-India Sampark Pramukh of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The varsity will release the Panchang with a focus on the theme 'Indian Knowledge Tradition' on the occasion of its centenary year. The Panchang has been prepared by the varsity's Value Addition Courses Committee. "Our Panchang is more advanced than the Western calendar. It is more scientific and informative. Delhi University's Value Addition Courses Committee is all set to script a new history on this," the committee's president, Niranjan Kumar, told IANS. Also Read DU curates Panchang for curriculum to promote India's intellectual heritage Need to blend ancient knowledge with modern science, says Jitendra Singh Modi govt securing India's ancient books, manuscripts using tech: Shah India formed for welfare of world, research knowledge and share it: Bhagwat Govt approves installation of 'Statue of Knowledge' dedicated to Ambedkar VITEEE 2023 Result is out, declared at vit.ac.in; all you need to know DRDO CEPTAM Result 2023 is out now on drdo.gov.in, Know how to check here DTE announces Assam PAT 2023 exam date, here's how to apply for the exam UGC, AICTE, NCERT must join hands to make framework for mapping skills: Min UP board results 2023 declared: Step-by-step guide to check scorecards here "It is quite unfortunate that Panchang has disappeared from our homes as well as from the minds of the youth. Through this Panchang, DU is trying to connect the students to the Indian knowledge system. "The Western calendar only provides dates and holiday-related information. But the Indian Panchang contains dates, days of the week, 'nakshatra', 'karan', 'yog' etc., along with all our festivals and other important dates," Kumar added. The Panchang will be provided for everyone free of cost during the programme at the varsity. According to DU, it would also tell students about the importance of 'Indian Panchang' and the accuracy of mathematical calculations of Panchang in the Indian knowledge tradition. Describing the launch of the almanac as a historic event, Kumar said that this is happening for the first time in the history of DU when the varsity is releasing a Panchang for the dissemination of ancient Indian knowledge. "The Panchang will be a useful step in introducing students to the rich and ancient Indian knowledge tradition," he said. --IANS gcb/pgh/arm Former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday came down hard on BJP turncoats Jagdish Shettar and Laxman Savadi, who recently switched over to the Congress, saying that they will pay for betraying the ruling party in the uncoming Assembly polls. Shettar, a former chief minister, and Savadi, who formerly served as the depty CM, belong to the Lingayat community which is believed to hold sway over electoral outcomes in the state. Hitting out at both the BJP deserters, Yediyurappa said, "I call on the people not to cast a single vote for Laxman Savadi and Jagdish Shettar, as they betrayed the BJP despite being entrusted with key portfolios in the government." "I am 100 per cent certain that both these leaders would lose this election. There is no doubt about it," Yediyurappa told ANI. The former CM, who is himself a Lingayat stalwart, said not just the Lingayats but all communities in the state were solidly with the BJP. "We will return to power with absolute majority," Yediyurappa added. The BJP veteran reiterated his earlier announcement of taking out a Vijayotsav (victory rally) in Hubballi. Also Read Cong eyes Lingayat vote bank in Karnataka with Shettar's switch from BJP Denied ticket, former Dy CM Laxman Savadi announces decision to quit BJP Yediyurappa holds roadshow as son Vijayendra set to file nomination Saddened by Laxman Savadi's decision to join Congress, says CM Bommai Despite all assurances, Jagdish Shettar chose himself over party: BJP Brazenly intimidatory statement: Cong slams Shah's remarks on K'taka polls Amit Shah plays down pre-poll surveys, says BJP will win Karnataka polls Karnataka Assembly polls 2023: Eshwarappa denies pitching for CT Ravi as CM Karnataka polls: It's a pro-incumbency election, says Rajeev Chandrasekhar Massive crowds join Rahul Gandhi on his road show in Karnataka's Vijayapura "With Jagdish Shettar and Savadi certain to lose, about 1 lakh people will gather here and take part in the Vijayotsav here," he said. The senior Lingayat leader further exuded confidence that Mahesh Tenginkai, the party's candidate from the Hubli-Dharwad Central constituency who is pitted against Shettar, will win the polls. "I am 101 per cent confident that our candidate Mahesh Tenginkai will win this election," he said. On claims of a particular community being deprived of governmental benefits, Yediyurappa said, "I have never seen myself as a Hindu, Muslim or Christian. Whatever benefits I extended to the people (during his time as CM) was meant for all the communities, which is why I am now asking all the coomuntiies to show their support for the BJP in this election." The Lingayat votes have traditionally been a key determinant of electoral outcomes in the state. The community has traditionally sided witn the BJP and several Lingayat-dominated regions of the state are considered to be saffron strongholds. Lingayats are largely concentrated in north Karnataka, in the districts of Belagavi, Dharwad, and Gadag. They also have a considerable presence in Bagalkot, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Bidar and Raichur. They also inhabit vast swathes of South Karnataka, especially Bangalore, Mysore and Mandya, in big numbers. The 224-seat Assembly polls are slated to take place in a single phase on May 10 and results will be declared on May 13. Police this week picked up for questioning three Premier Service Medical Aid Society (PSMAS) managers over allegations of fraud, corruption and criminal abuse of office. The three, who are still assisting with investigations, are Polite Mugwagwa, Nhamo Marandu and Stanley Dehwe. Police and the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commissioner (ZACC) are jointly conducting the investigations. The three were said to have been picked up on Monday by the police and yesterday they were still assisting with the investigations. National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the investigations were in progress. We are conducting investigations and we cant say much at the moment, he said. We have picked up some suspects for questioning over allegations of fraud, corruption and abuse of office. We will, however, release more details tomorrow. In an interview yesterday, ZACC spokesperson, Thandiwe Mlobane confirmed that they were conducting joint investigations with the police over the PSMAS case. What I can say is that ZACC and the ZRP are doing joint investigations over alleged corruption and abuse of office, she said. This is not the first time that some bosses at PSMAS have been arrested for various offences, including fraud. In September last year, four executives of PSMAS were arrested on charges of fraud, forgery and theft over payment of US$486 000 and almost $14,5 million in board holiday allowances that should never have been paid, a fake audit report and allowing themselves 15 beneficiaries on one subscription. The suspects were PSMAS Holdings CEO Farai Muchena, PSMAS group strategy and performance executive Victor Chaipa, PSMAS managing director and executive director corporate affairs Shingai Mabuto and PSMAS company secretary Cosmas Mukwesha. There were three alleged crimes, each involving at least one of the four, that have seen Premier Service Medical Aid Society taking a serious hit. The police arrests were initiated by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission. Muchena, Chaipa and Mabuto were jointly appearing on four counts of theft after they allegedly awarded board members thousands of dollars in holiday allowances that they were not entitled to. Mabuto was also appearing on a separate charge of fraud of $6 797 481 after he allegedly added five medical aid beneficiaries on top of the maximum of 10 stipulated by PSMAS. Muchena and Mukwesha are also jointly charged with fraud and forgery after they allegedly tendered Premier Service Holdings company annual returns to the Registrar of Companies purporting that they had been audited by Grant Thornton, while knowing that no audit had been undertaken. Circumstances leading to their arrest are that sometime in 2003, PSMAS formed PSMI, as its medical investment arm. PSMAS owned the entire shareholding. The company was set up to own facilities such as clinics, pharmacies and hospitals that were needed by PSMAS members, most of whom are civil servants. But then PSMI later formed other investment vehicles, Clay Dust Mining Company and Premier Service Microfinance that had little to do with treatment and medical aid. In February 2019, a holding company called Premier Service Holding Company was formed to manage the activities of the societys subsidiaries, which included PSMI. Between January 2015 and January 2017, PSMI appointed Colonel Wellington Tutisa, Cecilia Alexander, Richard Gundani, Vimbikai Magnes Kusema, Loveness Dumwa, Miriam Chahuruwa, and Dr E Purazi as board members on contracts that extended to January 2018. The terms and conditions of service for the board members were guided by 2015 PSMI board terms of reference and the board fee structure. In December 2018, Muchemwa, Chaipa and Mabuto allegedly diverted PSMI funds by approving yearly payments of holiday allowances to board members, well knowing that they were not entitled to benefit from such allowances. They allegedly paid US$45 902 to board chairman Col Tulisa, US$22 249 to vice chairman Cecilia Alexander and US$6 746 to each of the other board members for a total of US$243 000. PSMAS allegedly lost US$115 373. In 2019, they also allegedly approved payment of $243 000 and $5 084 176 in 2020. The court heard that in 2021 $9 372 522 was paid in holiday allowances. Herald In this section Banking on a systems upgrade: What more could we expect going ahead RBI paper sees enough signs of firming up disinflationary trends Home loan borrowers turn to refinancing amid rise in interest rates RBI MPC: When and where to watch policy announcement by Shaktikanta Das RBI Monetary Policy: Repo rate up by 25 bps, FY23 inflation pegged at 6.5% MPC lowers projection for inflation, raises growth outlook a bit in FY24 RBI MPC: Here is what experts have to say about the policy announcement RBI hikes repo rate by 35 bps to 6.25%, cuts FY23 GDP forecast to 6.8% Mint Roads decision to call for a meeting of the board of directors of state-run and private banks on May 22 and 29 to discuss issues related to governance, ethics, the role of the boards, and supervisory expectations needs to be read in the context of several long-standing concerns. Succession planning at private banks is one hot button issue. On September 9, 2014, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) made clear that the upper age limit for corner-room occupants in private banks should be 70 years. Yet, much drama unfolded in the race to find successors to both Romesh Sobti at IndusInd Bank, and Aditya Puri at HDFC Bank. Business Standard had reported on April 24, 2019, that Mint Road had been informally sounded out whether it can look into the matter of increasing the age limit for directors on banks boards to align it with the Companies Act, where the prescribed age limit is 75 years. Almost a year later, FILE PHOTO: A security personnel member stands guard at the entrance of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) headquarters in Mumbai | Photo: Reuters To read the full story, subscribe to BS Premium now, at just Rs 249/ month. Key stories on business-standard.com are available only to BS Premium subscribers. Already a BS Premium subscriber?LOGIN NOW Register to read more on Business-Standard.com After the pandemic, the need for a business to protect itself as well as its employees against eventualities has become undeniable. Keeping this in mind, the brand has worked closely with its clients to further enhance its expertise and technology. Policybazaar, an insurance brokerage firm has launched a new brand Policybazaar for business to fill the growing need for corporate insurance in the post-Covid world. According to Sarbvir Singh, Joint Group CEO of Policybazaar for Business, Corporates are the drivers of the Indian economy and every company needs to have adequate insurance coverage. The world is becoming increasingly complex and expertise is needed to evaluate risks and recommend solutions. Policybazaar for Business will take upon this role and thus empower Indian businesses to deal with all kinds of uncertainties." The brand is supported by a dedicated advisory board that comprises industry experts with decades of experience across General Insurance & Life Insurance Industries enabling Policybazaar to curate the best solutions for businesses of all types. Policybazaar for Business offers a comprehensive range of business insurance products across multiple categories. These are offered in partnership with 51 insurers and their wellness partners. The offerings include employee benefits, liability, property, engineering, marine & transit etc. According to Policybazaar, business Insurance penetration in India is very low, merely 15%. This is symbolic of a huge need gap for Indias 63 million businesses. Also Read New tax norm to hurt insurers; stocks attractive for the long run: Analysts Irdai approves amendments, simplifies rules to set up insurance firms Irdai endorses panel's view to cut obligatory cession to zero from 4% Irdai draft norms do away with specific caps on commissions to agents Removal of cap: Insurers to get flexibility to allocate commissions LIC's knock-on effect: New business premium of insurers drops 12% Indian insurers see steep rise in reinsurance rates in April renewals ICICI Lombard General Insurance profit rises 40% as premiums climb A snapshot of term insurance plans with 2 riders offered by various firms Insurance Samadhan launches Polifyx, a one-stop solution for customers Sajja Praveen Chowdary, Head, Policybazaar for Business, added, Policybazaar for Business is the natural next step we needed to take on the corporate and SME front. The past two years have witnessed tremendous growth in business insurance. The new identity is our way of making our commitment to the clients ever stronger than before. Further, the central bank removed the condition of repatriating any funds lying idle in the FCA account for a period of up to 15 days. In yet another initiative to make Indias International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) more attractive, the Reserve Bank of India removed restrictions on individuals from opening interest-earning Foreign Currency Accounts (FCA). In February 2021, the RBI allowed resident individuals to make remittances under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) to IFSCs set up in India. However, the remittances were to be made only for making investments in IFSC securities. Industry players said the long-awaited amendment by the RBI now puts IFSC at par with other jurisdictions when it comes to remittances. Legal experts say the move will boost activity at Gift City, Indias first and only IFSC. Moreover, only a non-interest-bearing FCA was allowed in IFSCs under LRS. And any funds lying idle in the account for a period up to 15 days from the date of its receipt were to be immediately transferred back to the domestic account of the investor in India. The RBI circular, issued on Wednesday, removes these key restrictions. Also Read RBI hikes repo rate by 35 bps to 6.25%, cuts FY23 GDP forecast to 6.8% RBI MPC: Here is what experts have to say about the policy announcement Reserve Bank of India, IFSCA likely to frame fresh norms for GIFT City MPC lowers projection for inflation, raises growth outlook a bit in FY24 Several initial hiccups at GIFT City are behind us, says Injeti Srinivas Tata Capital to LIC Housing finance: Companies to raise funds from markets High-balance bank accounts without updated KYC under govt's radar AU Small Finance Bank reports net profit of Rs 425 crore in Q4 AU Small Finance Bank reports highest quarterly profit of Rs 425 cr in Q4 Yield at state govt bonds auction eases by 16 bps; 4 states raise Rs 6K cr Under the LRS, authorised dealers were allowed to facilitate remittances by resident individuals up to $ 250,000 per financial year for any transactions permitted under the law. "Now interest-bearing accounts may be possible. One may be able to park money in IFSC and will be able to earn some interest on that amount. Because of the earlier restrictions people were not remitting money to GIFT City. There are a lot of charges involved, said a market expert requesting anonymity. The latest move by the RBI will also help banks at IFSC mobilise liabilities. It will give them cheaper access to funds and in turn, allow them to lend at more competitive rates, said an expert. Speaking at the Global Conference on Financial Resilience in Mumbai, Das said, "The Indian banking system has remained resilient and has not been affected adversely by the recent spurts of financial instability seen in some advanced economies." Stress tests show that Indian banks can maintain capital adequacy above minimum requirement even in severe distress, Shaktikanta Das, governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), said at an event today. He also added that the capital-to-risk-weighted assets ratio (CRAR) at 16.1 per cent at the end of December 2022 was above the minimum regulatory requirements. Under Basel-III norms, banks are supposed to maintain their CRAR at 9 per cent or above. "This also comes out clearly in our recent stress test results. The gross non-performing assets (NPA) ratio for the scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) in India was 4.41 per cent at the end of December 2022 down from 5.8 per cent on March 31, 2022, and 7.3 per cent on March 31, 2021," he said. However, he added that the recent events in the banking landscape of the US and Europe suggest that risks in a bank could crop up from the segments from its balance sheet, which might have been considered relatively safer earlier. "Macro stress tests for credit risk indicate that SCBs will be able to comply with minimum capital requirements even under severe stress situations," Das said. Also Read Finance minister asks public banks to take stress tests; what are these? RBI hikes repo rate by 35 bps to 6.25%, cuts FY23 GDP forecast to 6.8% RBI MPC: Here is what experts have to say about the policy announcement RBI MPC: When and where to watch policy announcement by Shaktikanta Das RBI Monetary Policy: Repo rate up by 25 bps, FY23 inflation pegged at 6.5% RBI removes restrictions on individuals from opening interest-earning FCAs Tata Capital to LIC Housing finance: Companies to raise funds from markets High-balance bank accounts without updated KYC under govt's radar AU Small Finance Bank reports net profit of Rs 425 crore in Q4 AU Small Finance Bank reports highest quarterly profit of Rs 425 cr in Q4 Over 24,000 farmers attended the orientation programme under Kisan Sampark Abhiyan during the first 3-day session held across 264 venues in Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday kick-started a 4-month long Abhiyan in 3,565 panchayats to educate farmers on various issues, including business management, entrepreneurship and government schemes. Kisan Sampark Abhiyan of the Agriculture Production Department is aimed at the overall welfare of farmers across the Union Territory. "There has been huge enthusiasm from the farming community in the past three days. Over 24,000 farmers attended the orientation programme under Abhiyan, the first 3-day session held across 264 venues of the Union Territory, Additional chief secretary Atal Dulloo told reporters here. The exercise which commenced on 24th April will conclude on 31st August, 2023. This ambitious farmers' outreach program has been planned under the recently launched holistice agriculture development program (HADP), he said. Dulloo said that the orientation programme, which is being organised simultaneously across all districts of the UT, has been designed to be conducted on the first three days of every week. Also Read J&K govt to launch kisan sampark abhiyan in 3,565 panchayats on April 24 PM-Kisan grows from strength to strength amid calls for raising the amount Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury seeks discussion in parliament on Jammu-Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar likely to host G20 event: Govt official Searches carried out along int'l border in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba 250 evacuated as fire breaks out at new OPD building of IGMCH in Shimla Wrestlers protesting on streets tarnishing India's image: IOA Prez PT Usha States clear hurdles in path of project listed for review under PRAGATI: PM Embassy REIT CEO Vikaash Khdloya resigns, Aravind Maiya to become new CEO Need to check tax evasion, illicit fund flows by developing nations: OECD "An exhaustive district specific calendar has been issued by the government in this regard. The resource persons for the orientations would be the officers and officials drawn from agriculture, animal, sheep husbandry, horticulture, sericulture and fisheries departments, who have been trained beforehand during the 641 training sessions which were held across all districts during the months of January to April", he said. ACS said that an innovative tool of describing the different schemes and programmes using short films has been put in place. "A total of 49 videos of schemes under HADP and other centrally sponsored schemes will be shown to the farmers across the venues in J&K," he added. Besides, a question-answer session after each screening session of videos was held to clear the doubts of farmers. The farmers were also provided with pamphlets on all the schemes in three languages (Hindi, Urdu and English), which also contained the information about the contact details of all the departments under the agriculture production department of the UT. He said that the farmers were also informed about the mode of application under these schemes using the Kisan Sathi -- the IT dashboard of the schemes developed by APD. By scanning the QR codes on the pamphlets farmers can visit the Kisan Sathi portal where they can register easily and apply for benefits under any of the schemes. The farmers were also apprised of Daksh Kisan- a learning management system (LMS) for skill development of the farmers. "A first of its kind in the country, Daksh Kisan has been developed by the Agriculture Production Department, where 118 skilling courses as per the agro-climatic zones of the J&K UT are available for free to the farmers," he said. The video lectures under the LMS are available in Kashmiri, Urdu, Dogri and Hindi and text material is also available in Hindi, Urdu and English. Besides, specialised modules on business development and financial management have also been included to ensure that the farmers are not merely trained but become a skilful entrepreneur, he said. "The successful farmers who clear the course shall be provided certificates by the university," he added. The area under paddy cultivation through the direct seeding of rice (DSR) technique will be increased to two lakh acres in Haryana. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday said that the area under direct seeding will be increased from 73,000 acres to nearly 2 lakh acres. "This will save 218 MCM (million cubic metres) of water. For this, provision will be made for availability of machinery and subsidy," he added. Khattar also said that in the next two years, 50 per cent of the demand for water in the agriculture sector would be met by the treated wastewater of sewage treatment plants. Besides, 100 per cent of the treated wastewater will be reused in 18 out of 31 Haryana State Industrial & Infrastructure Development Corporation estates in the next two years, he noted. The chief minister also said that more than 9,500 water sources would be renovated in the next two years, including 5,308 ponds, 63 check dams, 81 shallow tube wells and 4,000 recharge bore wells. Also Read Over 10 million MT paddy procured in Punjab, 5.2 mn MT from Haryana Rs 14,000 crore to be infused via paddy procurement in Uttar Pradesh 5.8 million metric tonne paddy procured, says Haryana Dy CM Chautala Rain deficit in June-July, heavy rain in Sept-Oct hit WB paddy yield Tripura targets to procure 35,000 MT of paddy in 2022-23: Minister Delhi excise scam: ED files supplementary charge sheet before Delhi court TN CM Stalin postpones visit to Delhi due to technical snag in flight I am in high spirits in jail, says Amritpal Singh in letter to lawyer Rajnath to China: Existing border pact violations 'eroded' basis of ties Delhi records 865 fresh Covid-19 cases, 7 fatalities in last 24 hours He was speaking at the concluding session of the two-day 'Water Conclave' organised by the Haryana Water Resources Authority at Panchkula, said an official statement here. Notably, under the DSR, a less water-consuming technique, paddy seeds are drilled into the field with the help of a machine that does the seeding of rice and spray of herbicide simultaneously. In the traditional method, first young paddy plants are raised by farmers in nurseries and then these plants are uprooted and transplanted in a puddled field. The DSR method needs far less water for irrigation, improves percolation, reduces dependence on farm labour and improves soil health, thus enhancing the yield of both paddy and wheat by 5-10 per cent. It also helps save nearly about 15-20 per cent of water as compared to the conventional puddling method. Khattar said that the Energy Department will prepare detailed project reports of projects for the reuse of treated wastewater in Yamunanagar, Panipat, Hisar and Jhajjar power plants in the next three months. Possibilities of using treated wastewater for cooling power plants will also be explored, subject to economic viability, he added. Khattar said that the area under natural farming will be increased from 6,000 acres to 25,000 acres. This effort will not only save water but also improve soil health. The chief minister said that the state government has set a target of reclamation of one lakh acres of saline land in brackish water areas. "To expedite the work and to achieve this target, the Agriculture Department will work closely with the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute and finalise its action plan in the next three months. Machines will also be made available for this work and if provision of subsidy has to be made, that too will be done," he said. Khattar said that the World Bank has given in-principle approval for the expansion of the Atal Bhujal Yojana to 14 districts of the state. In the first phase, a budget of 700 crores was received under the five-year plan. In the second phase also, a budget of about Rs 700 crore will be made available by the World Bank. This will cover 90 per cent of the waterlogged area of the state, he added. He said that the area under fisheries will also be increased. Presently fish farming is being done on 2,500 acres, which has been targeted to be increased. Shri Badrinath Dham shrine is located in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. Situated on the banks of the Alaknanda River, it is among India's most visited pilgrimage centres. Last year, the shrine registered a footfall of around 2.8 million in just two months when it was open. The doors of the Badrinath temple in Uttarakhand were opened to the general public on Thursday, April 27 2023. Devotees chanted mantras as one of the holiest shrines for Hindus welcomed them. What is the Char Dham Yatra? Originally, the Charm Dham Yatra referred to a longer pilgrimage circuit covering four important Hindu temples located on four cardinal points of the subcontinent. These were Puri, Rameswaram, Dwarka, and Badrinath. The credit for its formation is given to the renowned 8th-century philosopher Shankaracharya. The pilgrimage in this yatra includes four shrines, namely Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath. Devotees visit all these holy shrines one by one in a clockwise direction. The yatra in the state of Uttarakhand is, thus, actually the "Chhota" Char Dham Yatra. Colloquially, it has now come to be known as the Char Dham Yatra. Also Read Uttarakhand govt to make new arrangements to facilitate 'Char Dham Yatra' Char Dham yatra begins with opening of Gangotri and Yamunotri temples Joshimath in focus, all you must know about Uttarakhand's Char Dham Yatra Char Dham Yatra 2023: Badrinath Dham doors open for devotees today First puja performed in name of PM Modi as doors open for Kedarnath Temple SC directs courts to digitise all records of criminal trials, civil suits Nadda pays last respect to Shiromani Akali Dal patron Parkash Singh Badal India, UK sign agreement to collaborate on science and innovation Scores of political dignitaries, supporters reach Badal's native village HC gives Matrimony.com breather in legal fight with Google over billing One of the holiest Sikh shrines, Hemkund Sahib, is also connected to this Char Dham Yatra. The pilgrimage starts from Yamunotri leading to the first stop of the yatra, Gangotri. Thereon, devotees go to Kedarnath, and the yatra culminates at Badrinath. There are arrangements to complete the yatra by road or by helicopter services. The four shrines, situated at high altitudes, remain shut for around six months every year and are opened in April or May. They are closed on the arrival of winter and remain inaccessible for devotees till next April or May. How does Char Dham Yatra benefit Uttarakhand? Some devotees even perform a Do Dham Yatra, a pilgrimage to two shrines. This includes Kedarnath and Badrinath. Additionally, religious tourism in the state employs over a million people across sectors that include hospitality, transportation, and local vendors, among others. Charm Dham Yatra plays a significant role in growing Uttarakhand's economy, mainly due to travel and tourism. According to reports, it contributes Rs 7,500 crore to the state's economy annually. How does the Uttarakhand government promote Char Dham Yatra? The state government has laid special emphasis on the Char Dham Yatra to smoothen the experience for the pilgrims. Since the floods of 2013, Uttarakhand has invested Rs 1,000 crore to redevelop the Kedarnath Shrine. Moreover, a sum of Rs 550 crore was also allocated for renovating and improving arrangements at the Badrinath Temple. Congress student wing, NSUI's national Secretary Lokesh Chugh urged the Delhi High Court on Wednesday to permit him to submit his PhD thesis before the retirement of his supervisor on April 30, as it heard his plea challenging his debarment from the Delhi University for allegedy organising a screening of the banned BBC documentary. Appearing for Chugh, senior advocate Kapil Sibal apprised the bench of Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav that the varsity will later "appoint a supervisor of its own choice" if interim relief was not granted. However, counsel for the university M. Rupal argued that no prejudice would be caused and an interference by court will send a "wrong message". The institution should ensure that after the retirement of the current supervisor, one of the advisors who had worked with the petitioner on the thesis would replace him and that the petitioner had fulfilled all requirements and was required to appear for the viva, the court was informed. Attorney General R. Venkataramani also represented the university and urged Justice Kaurav to defer hearing in the matter as he was appearing in a constitution bench hearing before the Supreme Court. Rupal said the petitioner's thesis and the role of his supervisor was over and that if he succeeds in his case here, it would be processed as per procedure and there was no urgency in the matter. "A wrong message will go. They are alleging urgency without showing the rules. There is no impediment," he contended. Also Read UGC notifies new regulations on PhD degrees, here's what has changed Why no documentary on 1984 riots in Delhi, asks EAM S Jaishankar I-T teams at BBC's Delhi, Mumbai offices for survey operation: Officials SC issues notice to Centre over blocking of BBC documentary on PM Modi Govt blocks access to BBC documentary on 2002 Gujarat riots, says report Cong has failed to deliver its promises made to people: Rajasthan BJP chief Flouting govt directions, betting, gambling platforms continue to advertise West Bengal Guv consents to state Lokayukta extension for two years India among the top four countries that asked Twitter to remove content Stopped from entering mill: Raut calls it attempt to hide irregularities "Even if the supervisor retires, it will not come in the way. The department continues," added the lawyer. After being informed that the petitioner's thesis was "returned" by the authorities post submission on account of the debarment order, Justice Kaurav listed the matter for next hearing on April 27. The DU had told the High Court on Monday that the action of students screening the banned BBC documentary without permission, and organising protests, despite imposition of prohibitory orders, amounts to "gross indiscipline". "We acted against the students who organised the screening of the documentary based on the newspaper reports which said that the two-part series has been banned in India," the university had submitted. "Chugh was the mastermind behind the agitation and that video footage shows that he was actively involved in the screening of the documentary in the University campus," the DU counsel had added. The intention to disrupt the academic functioning of the University has tarnished the image of the University, it was contended. "The Committee after watching the videos found that the mastermind of the agitation was the petitioner. It was observed by the committee that around 20 students had gathered at 4 p.m. to showcase the BBC documentary and around 50 more students were there to watch the said documentary." The DU has prohibited Chugh, of the NSUI and a Ph.D. research scholar at the Department of Anthropology, from taking any university, college, or departmental exams. Justice Kaurav had said that once the petitioner is before the court, his rights would be protected. Chugh claims in his plea that he was not even there during the protest since he was attending a media interaction. "Pertinently, the petitioner was giving a live interview at the time when the documentary was being screened inside the Faculty of Arts (Main Campus). Thereafter, police detained a few students for screening the allegedly banned BBC documentary and subsequently charged them for disturbance of peace in the area. Notably, the petitioner was neither detained nor charged with any form of incitement or violence or disturbance of peace by the police," he stated. However, the DU served him with a show-cause notice on February 16 alleging that he had disrupted law and order at the university during the screening. On March 10, a memorandum debarring him was then issued. In his plea, Chugh claims that the university's order against him went against the principles of natural justice and that the disciplinary authorities failed to even inform him of the allegations and charges against him. Therefore, Chugh demanded that the memorandum and notice that claim he was complicit in a breach of law and order be set aside. He has asked for a stay of the memorandum in the interim. --IANS spr/vd The BJP on Thursday alleged "blatant corruption" in the renovation of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's official residence, saying expenditure under various heads was kept below Rs 10 crore to bypass the lieutenant governor's scrutiny. According to the Delhi government general financial rules, files pertaining to any project worth Rs 10 crore and above are required to be sent to the lieutenant governor while a department head or minister has the power to approve any expenditure below it, BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi told a press conference. At various stages of the reconstruction of Kejriwal's bungalow, expenditure on multiple heads was above Rs 9 crore but deliberately kept below Rs 10 crore, he charged. "The expenditure on the chief minister's camp office was Rs 9.99 crore," Trivedi said and asked, "From where have you acquired the capacity of calculating an exact amount of Rs 9.99 crore...a smart calculation." "This is clearly a matter of blatant corruption.... This clearly unmasks the Aam Aadmi Party's corruption," he charged. The BJP spokesperson said the way the total expenditure was broken up raises "deep suspicion". For the decoration of Kejriwal's residence, a consultant was appointed for Rs 1 crore, Trivedi claimed. Also Read False promises of AAP won't work in MCD elections, says Anurag Thakur BJP govt at Centre fighting with everyone, alleges Delhi CM Kejriwal BJP demands white paper on pollution from Delhi govt as AQI deteriorates Punjab govt has collapsed, AAP CM Bhagwant Mann should resign: BJP leader AAP plans mega rally in Bhopal on Tuesday; Kejriwal, Mann to attend Centre stalled funds for Bengal to fund Central Vista project: TMC leader Congress questions Modi govt's 'silence' on Poonch attack, accuses Centre Jaishankar discusses Indo-Pacific state with Colombian counterpart Duran Kiren Rijiju announces appointment and transfer of judges in High Courts Centre monitors evacuation of Indians from Sudan, 600 reach home: Kwatra "They should reveal who the consultant was," he demanded, asking if the consultant was the AAP's "apna aadmi". "AAP has crossed all the limits.... All the frauds and lies of Kejriwal have been unveiled. Be it curtains, tiles, carpets, fans, he has ensured luxury in everything. He needs air only from the fans worth lakhs of rupees and a palace worth crores of rupees, the BJP spokesperson charged. When asked what kind of a probe the BJP would want to have in the matter, Trivedi said the issue has three aspects -- legal, political and moral. "We want and we will look carefully and vigilantly at their reactions and then accordingly and appropriately the government and its agencies will take action...," he added. The Aam Aadmi Party has accused the BJP of diverting attention from key issues by raising the matter of Rs 45 crore spent on the house. "Since yesterday, there have been attempts to divert attention from key issues such as the Pulwama attack and the Adani row by discussing the chief minister's residence. It was an 80-year-old house constructed in 1942. There had been not one but three instances of the roof collapsing," AAP MP Sanjay Singh had said on Wednesday. Countering the claim, BJP leader Trivedi said, "If you are saying the roof was not working, by which logic tiles imported from Vietnam and such costly curtains can support the strength of the roof. The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has launched a 'City Beauty Competition' that aims to encourage and recognise transformational efforts made by cities and wards to create beautiful, innovative and inclusive public spaces. In a statement on Thursday, the ministry said under this competition, wards and public spaces in cities would be judged on five broad pillars accessibility, amenities, activities, aesthetics and ecology. The last date for participating in the competition is July 15. The ministry said the competition provides a unique opportunity to wards and cities to showcase their interventions towards creating beautiful public spaces. It would also promote heritage and culture, sustainable communities and ecological conservation and would also encourage peer learning among states and cities. "While selected wards would be felicitated at the city and state levels, the top most beautiful public spaces in the cities under four categories viz. waterfronts, green spaces, tourist/heritage spaces and market/commercial places would first be felicitated at the state level and the short-listed entries would thereafter be considered for national level awards," the ministry said. It launched a portal https://citybeautycompetition.in on Wednesday for urban local bodies to submit documents, including photographs, videos, presentation and self-reported baseline information to participate in the competition. Also Read FIFA 2022: World Cup dream was beautiful while it lasted, says Ronaldo Flex spaces in demand as 35-40% of firms prefer hybrid working: Awfis study India-EU Competition Week on digital resolutions starts on Monday Parliamentary panel suggests changes to Competition (Amendment) Bill 16-member panel set up to draft Digital Competition Act within 3 months NPCI, PPRO ink deal to offer hassle-free e-commerce payments globally With El Nino looming large, Centre to prepare contingency plan for farmers Corrupt system under previous govts halted Mathura's development: UP CM Restrictions on number of vehicles on Manali-Rohtang pass to continue Poor biz models may have triggered crisis in US banks: RBI Governor Das Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) as the knowledge partner will provide handholding support to wards/ULBs/states in this exercise, the statement added. Even as the evacuation process of Indian citizens from violence-hit Sudan is underway through Operation Kaveri, government on Thursday said that is monitoring the situation. Addressing mediapersons, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said: "We are constantly monitoring the situation in Sudan since the conflict began on April 15. Our estimate is that there are approximately 3,500 Indians and 1,000 PIOs in Sudan." He further informed that around 600 Indian citizens have already reached India. "We have received requests for the evacuation of citizens of other countries from Sudan. This is subject to the fulfilment of the procedures," he added. Kwatra further informed that apart from INS Sumedha and INS Teg, the third naval ship INS Tarkash has also reached Port Sudan on Thursday to evacuate Indians from Khartoum. Meanwhile, Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan informed that 297 Indians have been received at Jeddah, who were carried by INS Teg. Also Read Operation Kaveri: How India is rescuing its citizens amid crisis in Sudan Khartoum violence: Indian embassy in Sudan advises Indians to not move out International govts race to rescue diplomats, citizens from Sudan Situation in Sudan highly volatile; our focus is safety of Indians: Kwatra India supports peace process and capacity building in South Sudan Reliance Jio begins 'True 5G' services at Char Dham temples in Uttarakhand LG Manoj Sinha expects more than 2 cr tourists to visit J&K this year Have sought action from Police: NCW chief on charges against WFI chief Brij Bhushan isn't hiding, will expose protesters' lies soon: WFI official Air India, Sabre Corporation sign multi-year global distribution deal "With this second ship and total of six batches, around 1,100 Indians have been rescued from Sudan and have arrived in Jeddah," Muraleedharan tweeted. --IANS ans/ksk/ Assembly elections will be held in the state by the end of this year and this step is considered to have far-reaching effects. The decision was taken during a recent cabinet meeting. The Madhya Pradesh government has increased the compensation given to farmers in case their crops are damaged. The rates of compensation vary in accordance with the land being irrigated or non-irrigated, and with the types of crops and land holding. For small and marginal farmers with rain-fed (non-irrigated) areas 2 hectares and below, if the damage is 25-33 per cent, Rs 5,500 per hectare will be given. It goes up to Rs 8,500 per hectare if the damage is 34-50 per cent and Rs 17,000 if the loss is more than 50 per cent. State Home Minister Narottam Mishra said: The council of ministers has approved increasing compensation for damaged crops. Madhya Pradesh gives the maximum amount of assistance for crop damage. In the same way, there are grades of compensation for land for perennial sowing, etc. In the case of irrigated crops, Rs 9,500 per hectare will be given for 25-33 per cent crop damage, Rs 16,000 per hectare for 34-50 per cent damage, and Rs 32,500 per hectare it is more than 50 per cent. Also Read 29% uptick in Madhya Pradesh farmers registering to sell wheat at MSP New wheat crop trickles in mandis; prices above MSP, say traders Just 1% of Telangana's tenant farmers got crop damage compensation: Study Dharmaj Crop extends gains after listing at 12% premium over issue price Govt says wheat crop condition 'normal' so far; plans to procure 34.1 mt Same-sex marriage: SC may refer challenge to notice provision under SPA 24,000 farmers attend first session of Kisan Sampark Abhiyan in J&K 250 evacuated as fire breaks out at new OPD building of IGMCH in Shimla Wrestlers protesting on streets tarnishing India's image: IOA Prez PT Usha States clear hurdles in path of project listed for review under PRAGATI: PM Rajasthan BJP president C P Joshi on Wednesday charged that the Congress has failed to deliver on its promises made to people in the run-up to the last assembly polls and exhorted his party's social media and IT cell to draw a plan to counter the ruling dispensation. He asked members of the social media and IT cell to strengthen the party's support base across the state ahead of the assembly polls slated for later this year. Addressing a workshop, he asked them to prepare a road map for the coming 200 days and hailed them as "cyber warriors". He charged that the Congress dispensation has failed to deliver on its promises made to people in the run-up to the last assembly polls in 2018 and asked his party cadre to work towards defeating it. Amit Malviya, the national head of the BJP IT cell, said that in the era of social media, such workshops should be organised from time to time. Also Read 80% MLAs are with Sachin Pilot: Rajasthan minister Rajendra Singh Gudha Congress Prez Kharge yet to decide on replacing Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh CMs Shiv Sena (UBT) hits out at Fadnavis, calls him 'failed' home minister BJP CEC meeting today to finalise candidates for Karnataka Assembly polls Congress failed to keep up job promise in 2003, says Anurag Thakur Flouting govt directions, betting, gambling platforms continue to advertise West Bengal Guv consents to state Lokayukta extension for two years India among the top four countries that asked Twitter to remove content Stopped from entering mill: Raut calls it attempt to hide irregularities ILO analysing work conditions in India, report expected by Jul-Aug: Report The Congress on Thursday questioned the Modi government's "silence" on the Poonch attack and cited several terror assaults in Jammu and Kashmir recently to accuse the Centre of endangering national security. Five Army personnel were killed and another was seriously injured on April 20 after their vehicle caught fire following a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch. Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, Congress' media department head Pawan Khera said seven days have passed, but Prime Minster Narendra Modi has "not uttered a single word" of condolence on the Poonch terror attack for the five Indian Army soldiers but was seen cracking a rather crude joke about a "suicide of a girl" at a media event on Thursday. "PM Modi has not come out with any reaction condemning the terror attack, even as reports indicate a Taliban link in the same," Khera said. He said multiple media reports indicate that the highly penetrative and ricocheting 'steel core' bullets used by terrorists was left behind by US troops in Afghanistan, after they departed the country in August 2021. He claimed that the bullets were obtained by terrorist groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) from the Taliban. Also Read Poonch terror attack: Names of five soldiers killed released by Indian Army Death toll reaches four after firing at J&K's Rajouri by armed men: Police What is a phishing attack? Land mine found near Army post in J-K's Poonch, destroyed, says official Cross-border infiltration attempt foiled along LoC in J-K's Poonch Jaishankar discusses Indo-Pacific state with Colombian counterpart Duran Kiren Rijiju announces appointment and transfer of judges in High Courts Centre monitors evacuation of Indians from Sudan, 600 reach home: Kwatra Reliance Jio begins 'True 5G' services at Char Dham temples in Uttarakhand LG Manoj Sinha expects more than 2 cr tourists to visit J&K this year "The Chinese made steel core' bullets capable of piercing an armoured shield, were used by NATO forces during the Afghanistan war and these bullets are part of ammunitions NATO forces have abandoned after leaving Afghanistan," Khera said. "Interestingly, the latest report by US' SIGAR (Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction), released on February 28, says, 'Taliban could sell a portion of the captured arms and equipment to augment its revenue flow. Alternatively, the Taliban may not have control over the entire Afghan National Security Forces (ANDSF) arsenal, which could mean that equipment could be acquired by smugglers or gun dealers and sold on the open market," he said. Khera also cited that the New York Times, to claim US-made equipment, including US-made pistols, rifles, grenades, binoculars, and night-vision goggles, has found its way into the hands of Afghan gun dealers. "In this context, it is important to note that, belying India's previous foreign policy stances, the Modi government has started engaging with the Taliban. In 2023 Budget, the Modi government announced a Rs 200 crore aid for Afghanistan," he said. He also listed the recent terror attacks in Poonch and Rajouri. Khera asserted that the Congress stands united with the nation in fighting terrorism. Posing questions to the government, the Congress leader asked why is the Modi government "silent" on the Poonch terror attack. Is it not true that at least 18 previous major terror attacks have taken place on security installations that include CRPF camps, Army camps, Air Force station and military stations in which scores of our precious lives have been lost, he asked. "Given that the Poonch attack has Taliban links, is it appropriate for Modi government to start its diplomatic outreach and engagement with Taliban?" Khera said. Is it not true that Modi government has endangered national security, even as 1,249 terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, in which, 350 civilians and died and 569 jawans have been martyred, he asked. DMRC tweeted about the delay in the yellow line service. "Yellow Line Update. Delay in services between Kashmere Gate and Central Secretariat. Normal service on all other lines," DMRC tweeted. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporations (DMRC) Yellow Line suffered a technical snag today that disrupted service between Kashmere Gate and Central Secretariat for a while. As on date, the total Assets Under Management (AUM) in APY is more than Rs 27,200 crore and the scheme has generated investment return of 8.69 per cent since the inception of the scheme, the Ministry of Finance said in a release. Total enrolment under Atal Pension Yojana (APY) crossed 52 million crore mark by the end of FY23. The scheme enrolled more than 11.9 million new subscribers in FY23, the highest ever enrolments since the inception of the scheme. This is 20 per cent growth compared to 9.9 million in the last financial year. The release said that 12 states- Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Uttarakhand- also achieved their annual targets with the help and support of their respective State Level Bankers Committee (SLBCs). Nine Public Sector Banks (PSBs) and 32 Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) achieved their targets under the scheme for FY23. Under APY, a subscriber would receive a lifelong minimum guaranteed pension of Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 per month from the age of 60 years, depending on their contributions, which itself would vary based on the age of joining the APY. The Finance Ministry said Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) conducted 47 APY outreach programs and town hall meetings pan India at various locations, in coordination with SLBCs and RRBs. Many initiatives were taken such as the launch of a digital onboarding facility using Aadhaar, the launch of revamped APY app,17 podcasts for creating awareness on the benets of APY, the launch of a Chatbot facility for seeking basic information on APY, etc. The fact-checking unit is empowered under the Information Technology Rules to tag what it considers fake news online concerning any activity of the Central government. The Central government on Thursday told the Bombay High Court that the fact-checking unit, under the Information Technology Rules, will not be notified by the government until July 5. A division bench of Justices GS Patel and Neela Gokhale was hearing the plea by stand-up comic Kunal Kamra challenging the amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules 2021). The Union government notified the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2023 (IT Rules) on April 6. This is the second amendment to the original IT Rules notified in February 2021, which was earlier amended on October 28, 2022. Kunal Kamra, in collaboration with the Internet Freedom Foundation, had moved the court challenging the constitutionality of the fact-checking unit. The matter is now listed on June 8. Also Read Govt to hold public consultation on fact-checking rule for online content A step too far Bombay HC: Prima facie removal of Kochhar as ICICI Bank CEO valid Trusted fact checkers: Govt to work with tech majors to create a framework Bombay High Court rejects Rapido's plea over plying bike-taxi in Pune Same-sex marriage case: Some kind of labelling important, SC tells Centre Political funding: Unions decry govt's move to derecognise postal unions Area under paddy cultivation to increase to 200,000 acres in Haryana Delhi excise scam: ED files supplementary charge sheet before Delhi court TN CM Stalin postpones visit to Delhi due to technical snag in flight Kamra also argued that the content flagged by the fact check unit will force the telecom service providers and social media intermediaries to take action against such content. If they do not do this, they would lose the safe harbour protection under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act. He alleged that the new IT Rules could lead to his content, which is mostly political satire, being arbitrarily blocked or his social media accounts being suspended or deactivated. This would harm him professionally, he said. The division bench had said that the rules did not seem to offer protection to fair criticism of the government like parody and satire. Meanwhile, the Union government, in its affidavit filed last week, had said that the fact-checking unit may only identify fake or false or misleading information and not any opinion, satire or artistic impression. Therefore, the aim of the government regarding the introduction of the impugned provision is explicitly clear and suffers from no purported arbitrariness or unreasonableness as alleged by the petitioner (Kamra), the Centres affidavit had said. The court on Monday said Kamras plea challenging the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules 2021) amendment was maintainable. Ten family members of arrested Waris de Punjab' activists, including its chief Amritpal Singh, arrived here on Thursday and visited the Dibrugarh Central Jail to meet them, an official said. They made their way to the northeastern state after the Punjab and Haryana High Court allowed one family member of the arrested to meet them. An executive member of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) and legal counsel Bhagwant Singh Siyalka, and another lawyer Simranjeet Singh also accompanied the family members. Singh later told reporters that the arrested persons have been booked under the National Security Act (NSA), with the same allegations against all of them. He said even the annexures attached to their cases are the same and this seems to be ''improbable''. "There is no criminal background of those arrested. It is definitely a conspiracy as there is no reason for them to be booked under the NSA. Amritpal was campaigning against drug abuse and was also engaged in preaching the tenets of Sikhism. Also Read Amritpal Singh arrested, sent to Assam's Dibrugarh jail amid tight security Security beefed up in Dibrugarh as Amritpal Singh to be shifted to prison Amritpal's 4 aides brought to Assam; to be kept in Dibrugarh Central Jail Rodewal Gurudwara cleric unfolds Amritpal Singh's whereabouts before arrest NSA warrants against 'Waris Punjab De' chief executed today: Punjab IGP Ahead of G20 Summit, NDMC gears up to showcase summer flowers in New Delhi Compensation for crop damage to farmers goes up in Madhya Pradesh Same-sex marriage: SC may refer challenge to notice provision under SPA 24,000 farmers attend first session of Kisan Sampark Abhiyan in J&K 250 evacuated as fire breaks out at new OPD building of IGMCH in Shimla ''We have appealed in the high court to quash the charges under the NSA against them and the next date of hearing has been fixed for May 1', Singh said. The G20 outcome under India's Presidency will be unprecedented, veteran diplomat Harsh Vardhan Shringla has said as he underlined that the international community sees India as one country that is up to the challenge of providing solutions to current global problems. The G20 is the "most significant" international event India has hosted since its independence, Shringla, the Chief Coordinator of India's G20 Presidency and former Foreign Secretary, said here. He addressed prominent members of the Indian-American and diaspora community on Tuesday at the launch event of his biography Not An Accidental Rise'. Former US ambassador to India Kenneth Juster and Consul General of India in New York Randhir Jaiswal were among the special guests at the event hosted by Jaipur Foot USA, a subsidiary of Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS). India assumed the year-long presidency of the G20 on December 1 last year and is hosting over 200 meetings and related events in cities across the country that will culminate in a global Leaders' Summit in New Delhi in September. The summit will be attended by over 40 Heads of State, Heads of Government and international organisations. Also Read Andaman's Swaraj Dweep decked up for G20 Presidency meeting today Ambassadors blow conch shells at Andaman; India G20 presidency begins Dec 1 India's G20 priorities to reflect that of the global south: Amitabh Kant Govt forms cabinet secretary-led panel to monitor Mission Karmayogi Crisis in multilateralism affecting developing nations most: PM at G20 meet Mann Ki Baat by PM Modi empowered foundations of India's democracy: Shah India reports 9,355 new Covid-19 cases, active infections at 57,410 Protection of intellectual property rights: US retains India on watchlist My heart goes out to those affected: Abhinav Bindra on Wrestlers' protest India-US relationship will continue to grow: US Democratic leader A G20 Leaders' Declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the New Delhi Summit, stating Leaders' commitment towards the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the respective ministerial and working group meetings. I have no doubt that the Summit that India will host and the outcome that we will deliver at the time of the G20 will be unprecedented, Shringla said. He said the world is currently facing difficult times where the only certainty is uncertainty. "Many of our partners in the international community feel that if there is one country that is up to the challenge of providing solutions to global situations that have emerged today, it is India, he said. India will deliver in entirety to the international community's expectations, in particular the Global South, of which "we are a part and have been a voice of, he said. Shringla also highlighted that about 100 G20 meetings have already been hosted across India with each meeting witnessing rejuvenation of that particular city and region, urban transformation and beautification. It witnessed involvement at the public and grassroots level of people who have never known what G20 is, but known this is something big for India and are happy to be a part of the effort, he said. Bringing G20 to the grassroots level through Jan Bhagidari' has been a major objective and one that has been achieved quite well, he said. Earlier this month, the book Not An Accidental Rise', written by Assistant Professor, Department of International Relations, Sikkim University, Gangtok Dr Dipmala Roka was launched in Darjeeling. Shringla noted that the book is a well researched and candid account not just of my career, but my entire life, so far. Shringla, who was India's ambassador to the US and later the Foreign Secretary when Juster was Washington's envoy in New Delhi from 20172021, recalled working very closely with his American counterpart on a host of issues, including some challenging situations. It was a difficult time. There was shock upon shock. We not only had the Covid-19 crisis, we also had multiple transgressions on our western border from our neighbour China. "We had a shock on our western borders that is Afghanistan and another shock on the eastern border with the situation in Myanmar as well as the Ukraine conflict," he said. Juster recalled working closely with Shringla on a range of issues, with the Howdy Modi' event in 2019 being among the "most notable when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then US President Donald Trump addressed over 50,000 people from the diaspora community in a stadium in Houston. Juster added that he and Shringla also cooperated and worked together during the Covid-19 crisis, as well as during the Chinese standoff. It has always been a tremendous privilege to work with someone who has represented his own country extremely well and with someone you can discuss issues candidly and you can work together to solve problems in the best interest of both of our countries, Juster said. Jaipur Foot USA Chairman Prem Bhandari described Shringla as the People's Ambassador and the People's Foreign Secretary. Bhandari expressed gratitude for the consistent support Shringla provided to the millions of people of Indian origin in America as well as around the world, particularly during crises such as the Covid pandemic, on issues related to OCI cards and evacuation of Indians from Ukraine in the aftermath of the conflict. He is the darling of 40 million NRIs throughout the world, Bhandari said. Shringla noted that the book also deals with the aspect of people-to-people ties between India and the US. The community has been our mainstay and main support. Much of what we have achieved, from the nuclear deal to what we have achieved in the recent past, can be attributed to the wholehearted support from the Indian-American community, Shringla said. Shringla also lauded Bhandari's efforts to help the community, saying he has been a pillar of support during difficult times, particularly during the devastating years of the Covid-19 pandemic when Bhandari helped send much-needed ventilators and concentrators to India. Gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh was released from Saharsa jail on Thursday morning. Singh's release was allowed under a jail sentence remission order after the state government recently amended the prison rules allowing the early release of 27 convicts including him. Anand, was serving a life term for his alleged role in the 1994 murder of the then Gopalganj collector G Krishnaiah, a young IAS officer during the funeral procession of Muzaffarpur gangster Chotan Shukla. Anand who was in jail for the last 15 years after being convicted in the case is expected to reach his home later on Thursday. A local court in October 2007 had initially sentenced him to death, but it was later commuted to life term by the Patna High court in December, 2008, when he appealed against the lower court verdict. The Nitish Kumar government, on April 10, amended the Bihar Prison Manual, 2012 and removed a clause which said those convicted for murder of a public servant on duty could not be given remission of their jail term. Also Read Why has Anand Mohan become a headache for the Nitish Kumar administration Delhi-Chennai train stopped at Rajasthan after bomb hoax call, 3 detained Assembly bypolls: Voting underway in seven constituencies in six states Secunderabad-Vijayawada Vande Bharat Express likely to start from new year PM Modi flags off Secunderabad-Tirupati Vande Bharat Express in Hyderabad G20 outcome under India's Presidency will be unprecedented: Harsh Shringla Mann Ki Baat by PM Modi empowered foundations of India's democracy: Shah India reports 9,355 new Covid-19 cases, active infections at 57,410 Protection of intellectual property rights: US retains India on watchlist My heart goes out to those affected: Abhinav Bindra on Wrestlers' protest The move sparked a political controversy, with the coalition government drawing fire from the Opposition BJP. BJP's MP Sushil Kumar Modi, also Bihar's former deputy Chief Minister, has said Kumar had sacrificed law to stay on in power with support from ally RJD. The late IAS officer's wife had expressed disappointment over the state government decision to release Singh. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday mocked his predecessor Vasundhara Raje after she rejected allegations of collusion with him. BJP leader Raje last week rejected allegations of collusion with Gehlot as a lie and said milk and lemon juice do not go together. Speaking to reporters during his visit to Bikaner, Gehlot said his government did not stop schemes of the previous BJP regime and even carried forward its Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project. "We do not stop their schemes but our (previous Congress regime) schemes were stopped by the former government (BJP dispensation) and this is the difference between 'milk' and 'lemon'," Gehlot said. The senior Congress leader also highlighted the state government's various works, schemes and programmes and exuded confidence of the Congress returning to power in the assembly elections, due later this year. Raje last week said a lie was being spread as part of a conspiracy. Also Read Podcast: What's behind the rise in milk prices across the country? Milky way: Beyond Amul vs Nandini, dairy brands that dominate their states Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, Vasundhara Raje test positive for Covid Ashok Gehlot-Vasundhara Raje are good friends, says Kejriwal in Jaipur Explained: Why is Sachin Pilot holding a day-long protest in Rajasthan LIVE: Corruption increased every time Congress came to power, says Rajnath Top headlines: PLI incentives to 8 sectors, tweak in SEZ rules, and more Spurred border tensions: India's military spending rose by 6% in 2022 Stray dogs, cleanliness, corruption: Delhi Dy Mayor lists AAP's priorities Districts to become fulcrum of administration in Assam govt: CM Sarma "Can milk and lemon juice ever mix?" she had asked during a visit to the Jambheshwar temple in Suratgarh town of Sriganganagar district. Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly Ajit Pawar on Thursday asked the Centre to accord classical language status to Marathi on the occasion of the Maharashtra Day on May 1. Pawar also sought that Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde follow-up the demand with the central government. Maharashtra Day commemorates formation of the state on May 1, 1960. In a letter to the CM, Pawar said Marathi language fulfils every criteria to be given the status of classical language. Every department, including the Union Culture Ministry, and the Sahitya Akademi have given green signal to the proposal. Every department has given a positive report. The only thing left is approval of the Union cabinet, which is final, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader said. ''I demand that the central government give approval to the same and as the 'Amrit kaal' gift accord classical language status to Marathi,'' he said. Also Read Won't be in govt if Pawar joins BJP with NCP group: Shiv Sena spokesperson Power does not remain with anyone forever, says NCP leader Ajit Pawar Ajit Pawar's future bright with NCP, he will not join BJP, says Sanjay Raut Ajit Pawar leads race in 'Future CM' banners, Sharad Pawar not enthused We will be more than happy if Ajit Pawar joins our party: Athawale Centre launches competition for cities to create beautiful public spaces NPCI, PPRO ink deal to offer hassle-free e-commerce payments globally With El Nino looming large, Centre to prepare contingency plan for farmers Corrupt system under previous govts halted Mathura's development: UP CM Restrictions on number of vehicles on Manali-Rohtang pass to continue In February 2022, when the Maha Vikas Aghadi (comprising the then undivided Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress) was in power, state Marathi Language Minister Subhash Desai met Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy who told Desai that the Pathare committee report was accepted by the Centre, Pawar said. Desai then said the state government had formed a committee chaired by litterateur Rangnath Pathare who prepared a voluminous report citing evidence about the ancientness of the language, originality and continuity and literary traditions for the criteria for granting classical language status to a language. Pawar said in 2021, the then CM Uddhav Thackeray led a delegation to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi for various issues related to Maharashtra and also appealed to him to take a decision regarding the classical language status to Marathi. When (BJP leader) Devendra Fadnavis was the chief minister, his follow-up efforts were also not successful, the LoP said. When Prithviraj Chavan (of the Congress) was the CM, he set up a committee headed by Rangnath Pathare which submitted a 435-page report on how Marathi deserves the classical language status, Pawar said. Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit, Malyalam, Kannada and Odia have been given the classical language status. Despite a positive response from the Sahitya Akademi, the decision on Marathi language is still pending, Pawar said. The Gujarat Congress will start a platform called 'Jan Manch' to allow people to voice their grievances, issues and expose corruption in the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state. Starting from May 1, which is also the state's Foundation Day, party leaders will visit talukas under the Jan Manch initiative, Gujarat Congress Legislative Party leader Amit Chavda said at a press conference here. "Jan Manch will give a platform to people to voice their concerns. The party will try to resolve them by raising it at appropriate forums, including the Assembly. Unemployed youth, farmers, tax payers, women, labourers etc are facing lots of problems but the BJP government does not have time for them," the senior MLA said. "The BJP government in the state is busy celebrating festivals. There is rampant corruption in government offices, farmers are not getting compensation for crop loss, law and order is deteriorating, there police inaction against anti-social elements and lack of employment. We want people to use Jan Manch to expose the BJP government," Chavda added. Gujarat Congress president Jagdish Thakor said the BJP, after winning a record 156 seats in the 182-member Assembly in the December 2022 polls, has become arrogant and was crushing voices of dissent. "People can't express their concerns freely because the ruling party believes in crushing every voice of dissent. Through this year-long initiative, we will collect written representations from people, take follow-up from administration and fight to ensure justice for the people," said Thakor. Also Read Gujarat polls phase 2 underway, PM Modi to vote in Ahmedabad today Gujarat Cong to organise more than 300 sammelans, invites Rahul Gandhi After Mhadei diversion, Rs 5,300 cr grant to K'taka raises hackles in Goa 16 Cong MLAs suspended from Gujarat Assembly for remaining Budget session Gujarat: BJP candidates list out, Alpesh contesting from Gandhinagar South Shirdi town to strike against CISF deployment at Saibaba Temple from May 1 'Blatant corruption' in renovation of Kejriwal's residence, alleges BJP Centre stalled funds for Bengal to fund Central Vista project: TMC leader Congress questions Modi govt's 'silence' on Poonch attack, accuses Centre Jaishankar discusses Indo-Pacific state with Colombian counterpart Duran The court, in an interim injunction, asked Google not to remove the app till June 1. According to Chennai-based Matrimony.com, Google has made the Play Billing System mandatory and sole option for payments for app developers and imposing a fee of 15-30 per cent depending upon the annual revenue of app developers. The Madras High Court has asked Google not to remove Matrimony.coms app from Play Store, giving temporary relief to the matchmaking website in its legal battle with the technology giant over a new in-app billing system. It is a great relief and the fee structure proposed by Google is a death knell to Indian start-ups. Google is forcing app developers to agree to its payment policy of charging a service fee at the rate of 11 per cent and 26 per cent even with respect to the payments made by customers through its new users choice /alternate billing system without providing any services at all, said Murugavel Janakiraman, chief executive officer of Matrimony.com. Matrimony.com, Indias largest online match making company, approached the High Court against Google with the main contention that the US companys payment policy violates the law and imposing 11-26 per cent fee on revenue will cause hardship and irreparable loss to all the App developers. Prior to this, app developers had to use Google Play Billing System (GPBS) for all transactions, including paid app downloads and in-app purchases with a commission of around 15-30 per cent. However, as per the new billing system, though users can opt for third-party billing options, a service fee of 11-26 per cent was imposed on them. "Google is trying to circumvent the Competition Commission of Indias (CCI) order which directed Google not to restrict app developers from using third party billing or payment processing services, either for in-app purchases or for purchasing an app, he said. Also Read Google's move to make app makers use its new billing system faces backlash Like Google, Apple may now be asked by CCI to change app store policy Apple opens its first official store in Mumbai; what we know so far NCLAT upholds Competition Commission's Rs 1,337 crore penalty on Google Google 'repeatedly disobeying' CCI's orders on billing: Startup think tank Delhi Metro Yellow line service delayed, commuters complain on Twitter HC sets aside DU order debarring student over screening of BBC documentary Babita forced us to sit on dharna and then backstabbed, alleges grappler Situation in Sudan highly volatile; our focus is safety of Indians: Kwatra EAM discusses situation in Indo-Pacific with his Colombian counterpart Google forcing App Developers to use alternative billing system or user choice billing along with its billing system and terming it as a new policy and charging App developers ridiculously high on the revenue is unconscionable and not acceptable. We will continue to fight legally until Google stops its monopoly behaviour of taxing Indian startups, said Janakiraman. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that the right to cohabit, the right to choose a partner, and the right of sexual orientation are fundamental rights but there is no fundamental right to seek recognition of that relationship as marriage or in any other name. The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre how same-sex partners can get access to certain social rights without being granted marital status. The Constitution Bench of the CJI, Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Ravindra Bhat, Hima Kohli and P S Narasimha continued hearing submissions on behalf of the respondents in a batch of petitions seeking marriage equality rights for the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual) community. Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud said once the Union recognised the right to cohabit as a fundamental right, it must ensure that the social impact of cohabitation has legal recognition. We are not going into marriage right now at all. The reason why were trying to push you to this is because we take your point that the courts remit is not to legislate. But short of that, our law has gone so far. What does the government want to do to ensure that these cohabitatory relationshipsthey must be recognised to ensure security and social welfare. And by doing that, we can ensure in future that these relationships will cease to be ostracised in society, the CJI told Mehta, who argued for the Centre. The Bench also indicated that the Centre should see if there can be separate legislation to protect the rights of same-sex couples. Mehta replied that he could attempt to take up the suggestion since it came from the Bench. The Bench asked the Centre if they could come up with measures giving financial security to same-sex couples by allowing them to have a joint bank account or name their partner as a nominee in an insurance policy. The CJI suggested that there were ministries dedicated to social justice and empowerment, such as women and child development. Also Read SC begins hearing of pleas to recognise same-sex marriages; details here Same-sex marriage case in the Supreme Court: Here is what the Centre said Same-sex marriage in India: What did Supreme Court say in the case? Same-sex marriage: Centre files fresh affidavit in SC, seeks states' views Marriage equality: CJI rebuffs elitist argument; Centre says leave it to us PM Modi commemorates 20 years of SWAGAT initiative in Gujarat Shah holds meeting with NDDB members; discusses issues of dairy sector Same-sex marriage: Arguments on sexual orientation may be raised in future Projection mapping at places, comic books to mark 100th 'Mann ki Baat' Mumbai sees 135 Covid-19 cases; man with comorbidities lone fatality Centres arguments The solicitor general, on the sixth day of the hearing, said the Petitioners had argued that they have a right to choose sexual orientation. However, the CJI countered that sexual orientation is not a matter of choice but is innate to a person. He then drew a comparison between incestuous relations and homosexuality. He suggested incest is not uncommon but prohibited worldwide. Could this be thrown open to challenge? he asked. Mehta then argued that there still are two schools of thought one says that sexual orientation can be acquired, and other says it is inbuilt. It is pertinent to know how one can identify who will be the wife in a gay marriage and who will be the wife in a lesbian marriage. Under our laws, protective rights are granted to the wife, such as maintenance rights, alimony and custody, he said. He also said that the Special Marriage Act (SMA) is interwoven with personal laws and any change to it will have consequential changes to personal laws. In response, the solicitor general pointed out that there is a fourth problem the court cannot read any statute that leads to different interpretations of the statute by different classes. The chief justice then highlighted the three arguments advanced by the Union of India on the problems that will arise if the apex court were to read provisions of the SMA as the petitioners have argued. Firstly, it will involve substantial rewriting of the provision. Secondly, it will amount to interference in matters of public policy. Thirdly, it would interfere in the realm of personal law and the court will not be able to avoid the interplay between SMA and personal law, the bench summarised. The court will resume hearing the arguments on May 1. Radical preacher and Waris Punjab De' chief Amritpal Singh, who is lodged at the Dibrugarh Central Jail along with his associates following their arrest in Punjab, has said he is in 'chardi kala' (high spirits) in prison, according to his lawyer Bhagwant Singh Siyalka. Siyalka accompanied family members of arrested Waris Punjab De' activists, including Amritpal Singh, who arrived here earlier in the day and met them at the jail. The radical preacher handed over a letter written in Gurmukhi to Siyalka inside the prison, in which he said: With the blessing of the Almighty, I am in 'chardi kala' here. Referring to the cases registered against members of his outfit, Amritpal Singh accused the Punjab government of unleashing excesses and registering several fake cases against Sikhs. This whole matter is of Khalsa Panth' and I appeal to the Panth' that a panel of capable advocates be set up, which will pursue all these cases, he said in the letter. Siyalka, who is also an executive member of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), told reporters in Dibrugarh that a special panel of lawyers will be formed, and its members will be solely responsible for conducting their judicial process. Also Read NSA invoked against Amritpal Singh, Punjab govt tells high court: Lawyer One month on, no sight of radical preacher Amritpal except in CCTV footage Globus Spirits slumps 13% on weak Q2 results; stock tanks 59% in 10 months Rodewal Gurudwara cleric unfolds Amritpal Singh's whereabouts before arrest No leaves for Punjab police till Apr 14 as Amritpal calls for Sarbat Khalsa Rajnath to China: Existing border pact violations 'eroded' basis of ties Delhi records 865 fresh Covid-19 cases, 7 fatalities in last 24 hours NFRA examines ICAI proposals on accounting standard for insurance contracts MeitY calls the second meeting on the Digital India Act on May 3 Gujarat HC to hear Rahul Gandhi's appeal in defamation case on April 29 Besides Amritpal Singh, nine other activists of Waris Punjab De' have been brought to the Dibrugarh Central Jail since March 19, after they were arrested from Punjab, following a crackdown on the outfit. He and his associates have been booked under several criminal cases related to spreading disharmony among classes, attempt to murder, attack on police personnel and creating obstructions in the lawful discharge of duty by public servants. Another lawyer, Simranjeet Singh, also travelled to Dibrugarh along with Siyalka and the family members. They made their way to the northeastern state, after the Punjab and Haryana High Court allowed one family member of those arrested to meet them, an official said. Simranjeet Singh later told reporters that the arrested persons have been booked under the National Security Act (NSA), with the same allegations against all of them. He said even the annexures attached to their cases are the same and this seems to be 'improbable'. "There is no criminal background of those arrested. It is definitely a conspiracy as there is no reason for them to be booked under the NSA. Amritpal was campaigning against drug abuse and was also engaged in preaching the tenets of Sikhism. We have appealed in the high court to quash the charges under the NSA against them and the next date of hearing has been fixed for May 1', he said. Sialka added the arrested members of Waris Punjab De' were doing fine in jail. The Punjab government has put them in jail due to their frustration. They have not committed any crime," he claimed. The family members checked into a local hotel, from where they went to a gurdwara before going to the jail in the afternoon, the official said. A joint team of the Intelligence Bureau and Punjab Police had arrived in Dibrugarh on Tuesday to interrogate radical preacher Amritpal Singh, who has been kept in solitary confinement in the jail since he was brought here on April 23 following his arrest in Punjab. The team questioned him about the sources of funds received and his links with foreign agencies, a senior police officer said. The report is expected to be released in July or August this year. The Geneva-based International Labour Organisation (ILO) is reviewing work hours in India and will soon come up with a country-specific report on work schedules and their impact on the work-life balance, a report by The Economic Times (ET) said. The ILO convention, on the other hand, prescribes eight hours of work per day for six days a week, with a cap of 48 hours per week. This comes when several states in the country, including, have raised work hours from eight to 12 per day. The Code of Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH&WC) introduced by the labour ministry in 2020 also proposed extending the daily work hours to 12 from eight currently. However, this would enable employees to work four days a week, lower than five days currently. The India-centric report will compare the findings with other south-east Asian countries. It would also give some recommendations on how the working conditions can be improved here. The report will also compare the actual hours of work and the workers' preferred number of hours. A person familiar with the matter was quoted in the ET report as saying that the ILO believes work-life balance is often neglected while framing labour laws and policies, and it is important to highlight the issue with the governments. Also Read No slacking: Indians work long, are willing to put in more hours 'Three deaths every day': Labour safety under construction in India Labour ministry looking to replace 'minimum wage' by 'living wage': Report Trade unions urge Centre to scrap four labour codes, convene conference New tax norm to hurt insurers; stocks attractive for the long run: Analysts Gehlot mocks Raje after former Rajasthan CM's 'milk-and-lemon' remark LIVE: Corruption increased every time Congress came to power, says Rajnath Top headlines: PLI incentives to 8 sectors, tweak in SEZ rules, and more Spurred border tensions: India's military spending rose by 6% in 2022 Stray dogs, cleanliness, corruption: Delhi Dy Mayor lists AAP's priorities "Around the world, Twitter received approximately 53,000 legal requests to remove content from governments during the reporting period [January - June 2022]," Twitter said in a blog post. India was one of the top countries that made legal requests to remove content from Twitter between January and June last year, the social media company said. India was also among the top nations that asked for user data last year. "Twitter's compliance rate for these requests varied by requester country. The top requesting countries were Japan, South Korea, Turkey and India," it added. Twitter's 20th Transparency Report shared that India had submitted the most requests to remove tweets by verified handles of journalists and news outlets between July and December 2021. "The top five requesting countries seeking account information in H1 2022 [first half of 2022] were India, the United States, France, Japan, and Germany," the American technology company said. Also Read How will Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter change the public square? Here's how Utah's social media law could curb kids' access to social media Tesla chief Elon Musk threatens to sue Microsoft for using data 'illegally' The Chief Twit takes over, but why should any of us care? Is Elon Musk mismanaging Twitter? Stopped from entering mill: Raut calls it attempt to hide irregularities ILO analysing work conditions in India, report expected by Jul-Aug: Report Gehlot mocks Raje after former Rajasthan CM's 'milk-and-lemon' remark LIVE: Corruption increased every time Congress came to power, says Rajnath Top headlines: PLI incentives to 8 sectors, tweak in SEZ rules, and more On April 12, Twitter chief Elon Musk acknowledged that India's rules for social media companies were quite stringent. He had also stated that his company would rather comply with the Indian social media laws than risk having its employees imprisoned. The nation had issued 3,992 legal demands to remove content from Twitter, including those posted by journalists and news organisations. The relationship between the US and India will continue to grow in importance because of the shared democratic values and shared strategic interests, particularly in the resource-rich Indo-Pacific region, a top Democratic leader in the US Congress has said. India, the US and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China's rising military manoeuvring in the region. The relationship between the United States and India is an important one now and will continue to grow in importance because of our shared democratic values. India being the largest democracy in the world, our shared democratic values, and our shared strategic interests, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told a gathering of eminent Indian Americans at the US Capitol during the India-US Summit organised on Wednesday by Congressman Ro Khanna in his capacity as Co-Chair of the Congressional India Caucus. Your presence here today is so important. The Indian-American community matters. The caucus that role leads matters. Your voice matters. The values that you have brought to Capitol Hill matter. You have my commitment that I will continue to work closely with Roe (Khanna) and with (Congressman) Raja (Krishnamoorthi) and the (Congressional India) caucus, to make sure that we can strengthen the relationship between the United States and India to tackle some of the geopolitical challenges that we face in a cooperative, robust way, Jefferies added. Also Read US working on jet engine deal with India before PM Modi's visit: Ro Khanna Jefferies rejigs India model portfolio; Zomato, Bharti Airtel off menu Indo-US strategic allies hold up Sri Lanka's struggling politics, economy India, US facing same security challenge from China: Pacom Commander IMF sees India as 'bright spot' in global economy, says PM Modi at MP GIS US working on jet engine deal with India before PM Modi's visit: Ro Khanna Abolish veto rights or give them to new permanent members in UNSC: India Challenges of digital divide, infra still persist: J-K LG Manoj Sinha BBC docu: Debarred PhD scholar urges Delhi HC to allow thesis submission Cong has failed to deliver its promises made to people: Rajasthan BJP chief External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Colombian counterpart Alvaro Leyva Duran and discussed ways to boost bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on global issues, including the situation in the Indo-Pacific region. Jaishankar arrived here in Colombia's capital from Panama on Wednesday. He is the first external affairs minister to have visited Colombia. "Met Foreign Minister @AlvaroLeyva of Colombia this morning. Exchanged views on expanding our bilateral cooperation, especially in health, agriculture and digital domains," he tweeted about his meeting on Wednesday. "Proposed greater exchanges and stronger collaboration, especially in capacity building. Also spoke about global issues, including the Indo-Pacific. Addressed the issue of Reformed Multilateralism," he said. The US, India and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific. The evolving situation in the strategic Indo-Pacific region in the wake of China's increasing military muscle flexing has become a major talking point among leading global powers. China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas. Beijing has also made substantial progress in militarising its man-made islands in the past few years. Beijing claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea. But Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims. In the East China Sea, China has territorial disputes with Japan. Also Read EAM discusses situation in Indo-Pacific with his Colombian counterpart Jaishankar's 4-nation visit to Central and Latin America begins today Tension on Taiwan Strait: What is the dispute between China and Taiwan? India plans to open logistic hub for Indian companies in Panama: Jaishankar S Jaishankar reaches Guyana on 3-day visit, receives warm welcome Kiren Rijiju announces appointment and transfer of judges in High Courts Centre monitors evacuation of Indians from Sudan, 600 reach home: Kwatra Reliance Jio begins 'True 5G' services at Char Dham temples in Uttarakhand LG Manoj Sinha expects more than 2 cr tourists to visit J&K this year Have sought action from Police: NCW chief on charges against WFI chief The South China Sea and the East China Sea are stated to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources. They are also vital to global trade. Although the US lays no claims to the disputed waters, it has challenged China's growing territorial claims in the South China Sea by deploying warships and fighter jets to assert freedom of navigation and overflight patrols in the strategically vital region. Jaishankar also met second vice President of the Senate of Colombia Honorio Henriquez and discussed collaboration in the health, energy and technology sectors. "Makeinindia has many incarnations. Saw a Colombian one, sourced out of Tamil Nadu. Learnt that my Colombian counterpart also rides a Royal Enfield," he said in another tweet. Earlier, Jaishankar arrived in Panama from Guyana on Monday and participated in the 4th India-SICA Ministerial meeting in Panama City on Tuesday. The Central American Integration System (SICA) is an economic and political organisation of Central American countries. On Monday, Jaishankar joined President of Guyana Irfaan Ali at the commissioning of an India-made ferry which would enhance connectivity and provide mobility and economic opportunities in the country's distant hinterlands. Jaishankar is on a nine-day trip to Guyana, Panama, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic, his first visit as the external affairs minister to these Latin American countries and the Caribbean. Indian Olympic Association chief PT Usha has strongly criticised the public protest by wrestlers over alleged sexual harassment by Wrestling Federation India boss Brijbhushan Sharan Singh. Singh, a BJP MP, has denied the allegations and indicated he will fight fiercely to prove he is innocent. Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Ravi Dahiya and Deepak Punia have been protesting against Singh and demanding the government to take action on their complaint. They have also written to PT Usha to act on the matter urgently. "The players should not have protested on the streets. They should have at least waited for the report of the committee. What they have done is not good for the game and the country. It is a negative approach," Usha said. Responding to Ms Usha, the wresters said they are hurt by her comments as they looked up to her for support. "We feel hurt by PT Usha's comment. She is not supporting us despite being a woman herself. What indiscipline have we done? We are sitting here peacefully. If we had got justice, we would not have done this," wrestler Sakshi Malik told reporters today. Defence minister Rajnath Singh meets Chinas State Councillor & Minister of National Defence ahead of SCO Defence Ministers meeting in New Delhi. "Development of India-China ties is premised on prevalence of peace & tranquillity at the borders," said Rajnath Singh. All issues at LAC need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements & commitments: Defence minister. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is planning to procure around 60,000 dual desks for its schools out of which 25,000 could be made by Central Tihar Jail inmates with orders likely to be placed soon, officials said on Thursday. There has been a shortage of desks in municipal schools and the issue was also raised by the Delhi Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) recently, an MCD official said. He said the procurement are beng made so that students are not forced to sit on floors. An official said around nine lakh students study in MCD schools and there is a shortage of 74,142 dual desks (27,056 of small size and 47,086 big size) currently. The erstwhile East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC), before it was merged with NDMC and SDMC to make a unified MCD, had already given order for the procurement of 14,489 dual desks to Delhi Prison. "As many as 59,653 dual desks (22,834 small sized and 36,819 big sized) are yet to be procured," the official said. Also Read Phones, knives, drugs recovered from inmates after surprise raids in Tihar Delhi MCD: All you need to know about the prestige battle in the capital Kejriwal should apologise to nation, dismiss Jain: BJP on Tihar video UP Jail inmates learn block printing to make scarves, stoles for sale LIVE news: GRAP Stage III revoked in entire NCR with immediate effect Reserve one-third reclaimed land for dense forest in Delhi, recommends NGT Some label necessary: SC seeks Centre's view on benefit to same-sex couples Pvt investment hotels, other tourism-related infra critical: G Kishan Reddy Uphaar tragedy: SC allows firm to move court for de-sealing of cinema hall How can same-sex partners get social rights without marriage: SC to Centre "Order for 25,000 dual desks (10,000 small sized and 15,000 big sized) may be given to the Central Tihar Jail while the procurement of rest 34,663 can be made through the GeM portal (12,814 of small sizes and 21819 big sizes)," the official said. Sources said a meeting has already been held between MCD and jail authorities concerned for the supply of these desks. The Dy Superintendent of Tihar Jail informed the meeting that currently there are about 15,00 convicted prisoners in the Tihar Jail out of whom only 80-90 are in the carpentry units, the sources said. The unit can make around 10,000 dual desks in six months, he told the meeting. During the 2022-2023 session, an order for 14.489 dual desks was placed with the Central Tihar Jail in April 20, 2022. The jail has supplied 10,000 dual desks so far and is working on the rest 4,489 The Delhi government last week released Rs 400 crore for the development of MCD-run schools, education minister Atishi said. Lt Governor V K Saxena visited M C Primary School, H-Block Ashok Vibar in Keshavpuram Zone and M C Primary School, R K Puram Sector-3 in South Zone. During the visit, he directed the officials to ensure there are enough desks in the schools so that the students need not sit on the floor. Besides, the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) has also taken a suo moto cognisance of the shortage of desks in MCD schools and directed the official concerned to arrange adequate benches for children. It has also sought an action taken report. The ministry has been working on a draft Digital India Bill to replace Indias primary digital law Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000 for addressing changing challenges created by the modern-day internet. The meeting to be held next week will revolve around finalising certain broad principles of the act, a government official said. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) has called the second round of pre-drafting consultations with industry stakeholders and policy experts on the principles of the upcoming Digital India Act (DIA) on Wednesday, May 3 in New Delhi, sources said. However, the ministry has received very few suggestions in over one-and-half months after the meeting, said a source aware of the matter. During the previous meeting on the new bill held in Bengaluru in March, representatives from the tech industry, big techs, startups, policy advocates and law experts discussed the definition and classification of internet intermediaries. The ministry had also invited written suggestions from the experts on their proposals for the bill. The greater diversity and complexity of Internet platforms warranted a legitimate question: Should there be a safe harbour at all? And if there is a need for a safe harbour, who should be entitled to it? The whole logic of safe harbour was that I am a platform that has absolutely no power or control over the content that some other consumer creates on my platform, had said in March. A presentation made by Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the minister of state for electronics and Information Technology also proposed that the Digital India Act may include provisions on trade practices, choice, competition, online diversity, fair market access and ease of compliance for startups. Importantly, the meeting also discussed if there was a need to retain the safe harbour for intermediaries in the new legislation. Also Read MeitY unblocks VLC Media Player, month after getting legal notice Online crime: MeitY urges adjudicatory system in Digital Bill presentation MeitY only wants apps not run by regulated firms removed: RBI Dy Governor VLC Media Player returns to India as MeitY lifts ban on VideoLAN website A MeitY move: Aadhaar validation by private entities gets green signal Gujarat HC to hear Rahul Gandhi's appeal in defamation case on April 29 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to attend SCO meeting in Goa LIC front running trade case: Sebi bans 5 entities from securities market MCD to procure 60k benches for schools, jail inmates to make 25k of them Reserve one-third reclaimed land for dense forest in Delhi, recommends NGT India's first individual Olympic gold medal-winning shooter and member of the Olympics Athletes Commission, Abhinav Bindra has expressed support for Indian wrestlers who are protesting at Jantar Mantar in the national capital against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over allegations of sexual harassment. Ace Indian grapplers such as Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and many other wrestlers are involved in the protest against the WFI chief. Abhinav Bindra supported the wrestlers in their protest with a poignant tweet on Wednesday. "As athletes, we train hard every day to represent our country on the international stage. It is deeply concerning to see our athletes finding it necessary to protest on the streets regarding the allegations of harassment in the Indian wrestling administration," Bindra tweeted. "My heart goes out to all those who have been affected. We must ensure that this issue is handled properly, with the athletes' concerns heard and addressed fairly and independently. This incident highlights the crucial need for a proper safeguarding mechanism that can prevent harassment and ensure justice for those affected. We must work towards creating a safe and secure environment for all athletes to thrive in," he added. Also Read All political parties can join, say wrestlers seeking action on WFI chief WFI row a wake-up call for sports bodies to prioritise women safety Wrestlers back to protest at Jantar Mantar: Everything you need to know Who is Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the WFI chief in the eye of the storm? Delhi Police takes cognizance of wrestlers' complaints against WFI chief India-US relationship will continue to grow: US Democratic leader US working on jet engine deal with India before PM Modi's visit: Ro Khanna Abolish veto rights or give them to new permanent members in UNSC: India Challenges of digital divide, infra still persist: J-K LG Manoj Sinha BBC docu: Debarred PhD scholar urges Delhi HC to allow thesis submission Over the previous four days, the wrestlers have slept and trained at the protest location. On Wednesday, grapplers held a candle march at Jantar Mantar in the national capital as they continue their protest against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and its president Brijbhushan Sharan Singh. Vinesh Phoghat, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik were present in the candle march. While talking to the media, Sakshi Malik said, "We urge PM Modi to listen to our Mann Ki Baat. Even Smriti Irani ji is not listening to us. We are trying to show them the light through this candle march," said Sakshee to the media. The wrestler said that no FIR had been filed after the wrestlers registered a complaint against the WFI and its chief on Friday. "We trust Supreme Court that it will give us justice," said Sakshi Malik. Delhi Police on Wednesday submitted before the Supreme Court that a preliminary inquiry would be needed before lodging an FIR against WFI president Brij Bhushan Singh over allegations of sexual harassment. Delhi Police apprised the court that the police felt that there were some issues that needed preliminary inquiry. However, Delhi Police clarified that it has no hesitation to lodge FIR immediately if the court orders. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said that the matter is scheduled to be heard on Friday and the bench will look at the entire material. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court issued notice to Delhi Police on the wrestler's plea seeking an urgent hearing on a petition seeking registration of FIR against WFI president Brij Bhushan. The court noted that there are serious allegations in the petition by wrestlers who have represented India. Explaining the modus operandi adopted in carrying out Operation Kaveri in the conflict-hit Sudan, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra on Thursday said that the embassy reached out to the Indian community as soon as the "fighting broke out in Khartoum." "Issued advisories both in Khartoum city as well as in Delhi., created a network of communication within Sudan despite the challenges of network availability, power ability to charge your network, to charge your devices. Created a system a group of communications through which they (stranded Indians) could pass out information about the ongoing conflict situation to the members of the community., advise them suitably not to take avoidable risks. Also keep them informed about the efforts of the government of India underway as part of Operation Kaveri to assist them.," Kwatra said in a special press briefing on Operation Kaveri. He said that Embassy also started an online registration process. "So far it is our estimate 3400 Indian nations have either registered online or they are in touch with the embassy. More specifically, I think 3000 odd have already registered online, 3100 and roughly 300 are in touch with the mission," he said. The Foreign Secretary said the Indian government and embassy's focus has been to advise stranded Indian nationals to remain safe and help them move to secure locations whenever feasible. The Ministry of External Affairs set up a 24X7 control room which will continue to operate till India overcomes the current situation, he informed. He said that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also spoke to foreign ministers of the US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UK to discuss the Sudan situation. Kwatra said that the talks with foreign ministers come in addition to Jaishankar's meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the US. Also Read Operation Kaveri: How India is rescuing its citizens amid crisis in Sudan Cyber criminals' modus operandi changing, need to deal with heavy hand: HC Customs dept monitoring toy imports, newer modus operandi adopted: CBIC Centre monitors evacuation of Indians from Sudan, 600 reach home: Kwatra Here's why PM Modi calls evacuation operation in Sudan as Operation Kaveri Kharge likens Modi to 'poisonous' snake in an election rally, BJP hits out Human trafficking not limited to weaker sections of society: J&K L-G Grant classical language status to Marathi on May 1: Ajit Pawar asks Centre Centre launches competition for cities to create beautiful public spaces NPCI, PPRO ink deal to offer hassle-free e-commerce payments globally In the press briefing, Kwatra said Operation Kaveri is being carried out in an ecosystem which consists of a "highly volatile conflict zone situation in Sudan." "When we talk about Operation Kaveri. Naturally, there would a focus on number of Indians who are stuck in Sudan, how many have come back, how many we are planning to bring back which is very significant and probably the most important consideration for the government of India. But, I would also suggest to you to keep in mind the ecosystem in which this exercise of assisting and bring back the stranded Indians is taking place. The ecoystem comprises highly volatile conflict zone situation in Sudan pretty much very hard to access areas outside the Khartoum city and I will talk about that as we go along," Kwatra said. "Our estimate is there are approximately 3500 Indian nationals and about 1000 odd PIOs in Sudan. As I said, these numbers are approximate numbers and it is our effort to put as much specificity to those numbers as we can. Some of these numbers keep fluctuating depending or rather keep getting added depending upon who reaches out to the Embassy considering they are all scattered not just all over Khartoum city but also in many parts of Sudan. The pockets of concentration are in Khartoum City and its suburbs. There are also pockets in Omdurman, Al Fashir, Kassala, Port Sudan etc., where many of the Indian nationals are located," he added. The Foreign Secretary said that India is constantly monitoring the situation in Sudan ever since the conflict broke out on April 15. He said that the situation in Sudan continues to remain "highly volatile." "We are constantly monitoring the situation in Sudan ever since the conflict broke out there between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary forces which was on April 15. There after, just to give you flavour of the ground situation. Several times, ceasefires have been declared from both sides. Many of those ceasefires were not honoured, some of them were honoured partially," Vinay Mohan Kwatra said in the press briefing. "The last ceasefire announced of 72 hours is holding by and large. But, there has been feedback of some sporadic firing and fighting going on in some parts of Khartoum. Also, as a result of that, the situation on the ground remains highly volatile," he added. He said that there are around 600 Indian nations who arrived in India or are on their way to return to India. He said that there are around 495 Indian nationals who are in Jeddah right now. "So, 360 of them arrived by a Charter Saudi Arabia flight yesterday night and another 246 are being flown to Maharashtra State in a Commissioned C-17 flight," Vinay Mohan Kwatra said. "We currently have approximately give some leeway on the number of approximately 495 Indian nationals who are in Jeddah as of now. These numbers will either go up or come down depending upon the flows in from Port Sudan and depending upon the evacuation from Jeddah to India," he added. He further said, "Also as we speak, there are 320 Indian nationals who are in Port Sudan currently stationed. We have more number of buses moving from Khartoum City to Port Sudan. And as I said INS Sumedha, our ship, is already there. INS Tarkash is about to dock there. We have two C-130 J aircraft standing in Jeddah for more sorties later during the day. Parkash Singh Badal was cremated on Thursday at his ancestral village in Punjab's Muktsar district with thousands of mourners and leaders across the political spectrum paying their last respects to the Akali stalwart and five-time chief minister. SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal lit the pyre at the funeral held with full state honours. Badal's mortal remains were taken to the family's farmland around a kilometer from the residence on a flower-decked tractor-trolley with his son Sukhbir Singh Badal and other family members standing with folded hands as the vehicle moved past mourners on the route. Leaders cutting across party lines, including BJP president J P Nadda, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, visited Badal village to pay their last respects. Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, senior BJP leader Tarun Chugh, Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, and former union minister Praful Patel paid homage to the former chief minister. Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann were also among the mourners. Also Read Scores of political dignitaries, supporters reach Badal's native village Nadda pays last respect to Shiromani Akali Dal patron Parkash Singh Badal People throng SAD office to pay homage to Badal; PM pays floral tributes Shiromani Akali Dal's Parkash Singh Badal admitted to Mohali hospital Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal passes away at 95 Prolonged droughts likely spelled end for Indus magacities: Study Indian Army raising new units to counter China, Pakistan in cyber warfare Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri: What is Char Dham Yatra? SC directs courts to digitise all records of criminal trials, civil suits Nadda pays last respect to Shiromani Akali Dal patron Parkash Singh Badal Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Congress leader Deepender Hooda, Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma, Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and former Punjab minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa also attended the last rites. Heavy security arrangements were made in the village. In the morning, the mortal remains of Badal were kept for the last 'darshan' at his residence. People in huge numbers queued up there pay tribute and express grief. Badals's son Sukhbir Badal and daughter-in-law Harsimrat Kaur Badal could be seen in tears as people visited their residence to pay tribute. Their two daughters and a son also stood beside the mortal remains at their residence. Former finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Parkash Singh Badal's estranged nephew and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia were also present among other leaders. The grand old man of Punjab politics first became chief minister in 1970, heading a coalition government that did not complete its term. He served as chief minister in 1977-80, 1997-2002, 2007-12 and 2012-2017. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday addressed a program marking the completion of 20 years of the State Wide Attention on Grievances by Application of Technology (SWAGAT) initiative in Gujarat via video conferencing. The Gujarat government is celebrating SWAGAT Saptah on this occasion. During the event, the Prime Minister interacted with past beneficiaries of the scheme, expressing satisfaction that SWAGAT has achieved its objective of providing citizens with solutions to their problems and addressing community-wide issues. Modi underlined that the good governance model of Gujarat has gained worldwide recognition due to the government's honest and dedicated efforts. He mentioned the International Telecom Organisation's praise for SWAGAT as an example of e-transparency and e-accountability, as well as the United Nations' prestigious award for Public Service conferred on the initiative. The Prime Minister highlighted that SWAGAT has become an inspiration for many governance solutions, with numerous states working on similar systems. At the national level, the PRAGATI system has been implemented to review the government's work, playing a significant role in India's rapid development over the last nine years. He revealed that projects worth approximately Rs 16 lakh crores have been reviewed through PRAGATI, accelerating many projects as a result. --IANS janvi/bg Also Read Gujarat Assembly elections: BJP upbeat ahead of counting of votes Guj poll result HIGHLIGHTS: Massive victory for BJP, Patel to be CM again Gujarat elections results: Trends show BJP headed for a sweeping victory Gujarat Assembly elections to be held in 2 phases, results on Dec 8 Gujarat polls: Counting of votes from 8 am; AAP looks to make strong debut Shah holds meeting with NDDB members; discusses issues of dairy sector Same-sex marriage: Arguments on sexual orientation may be raised in future Projection mapping at places, comic books to mark 100th 'Mann ki Baat' Mumbai sees 135 Covid-19 cases; man with comorbidities lone fatality Delhi excise scam: Court to pass order on Sisodia's bail plea on Friday The fast evolving regional security situation, developments in Afghanistan and ways to boost cooperation in effectively combating terrorism and extremism are set to be the key focus of a conclave of the defence ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Delhi on Friday. Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu, Tajikistan's Colonel General Sherali Mirzo, Iran's Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiyani and Kazakhstan's Colonel General Ruslan Zhaksylykov have already arrived in the national capital. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and his counterparts from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are also attending the meeting to be chaired by Rajnath Singh. Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif is set to attend the meeting through virtual mode. Officials involved in preparations for the meeting said the main focus of the deliberations will be on regional security situations including the developments in Afghanistan. They said enhancing coordination among the SCO member countries to effectively combat terrorism and extremism will be another priority. Also Read Rajnath Singh to chair SCO Defence ministers' meeting on April 28 Chinese defence minister to visit India this week to attend SCO meet Defence minister Rajnath Singh to attend India-ASEAN meet on Nov 22-23 Robust defence finance system backbone of strong military: Rajnath Singh Bilawal Bhutto to attend SCO meeting in India in May: Pak's Foreign Office I-T dept to notify investor for taxing foreign investments in unlisted firm Rural slowdown bottoming out, gradual recovery in volume expected: HUL Income tax collection in West Bengal rises 2.4% at Rs 56,422 cr in FY23 Need to improve crop productivity to meet demand of the world: Tomar Shah reviews facilities at airports, seeks measures for ease of travel Ahead of the SCO meeting, Singh held bilateral talks with Li, Colonel General Zhaxylykov and Colonel General Mirzo. Singh also held a bilateral meeting with Brigadier General Ashtiyani. The SCO is an influential economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations. It was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017. India was made an observer at the SCO in 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping, which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region. India has shown a keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence. At a nearly 45-minute meeting with Li, amid the three-year border row, Singh also conveyed to the Chinese defence minister that the development of India-China ties is premised on prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the border. In a clear message, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday told his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu that Chinas violation of agreements along the frontier in eastern Ladakh eroded the entire basis of bilateral ties and that all issues must be resolved in accordance with the existing pacts. Scores of political dignitaries and party supporters on Thursday flooded Parkash Singh Badal's native village of Badal in Muktsar district where the late Akali patriarch and five-time Punjab Chief Minister's body was kept from morning till around 1 p.m. for people to catch a last glimpse of the late leader. Amid 'Shabad Kirtan', his body will be taken in a procession to his nearby agricultural field owned by the Badal family where he will be accorded a state funeral. Political leaders, public figures and party activists paid their last respects to the former Chief Minister before his mortal remains are consigned to flames. A stoic Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal along with his wife Harsimrat Kaur and his three children acknowledged the tributes of hundreds of people, some tearful, who came to pay respect to the elderly Badal, whose mortal remains were brought from Chandigarh on late Wednesday evening. Badal, the country's oldest politician -- next only to BJP veteran L.K. Advani -- died on Tuesday at the age of 95 after a brief illness at a private hospital near here. Under the helm of senior Badal, SAD made history in 1997 by becoming the first non-Congress party to complete its first full term in office since Independence. Also Read People throng SAD office to pay homage to Badal; PM pays floral tributes Punjab's ex-FM Manpreet Singh Badal joins BJP soon after quitting Congress Punjab govt declares holiday on Apr 27 as mark of respect to Parkash Badal Badal will be remembered strengthening Indian democracy: Arunachal CM Pakistan issues 2,856 visas to Sikh pilgrims for Baisakhi from April 9-18 HC gives Matrimony.com breather in legal fight with Google over billing Delhi Metro Yellow line service delayed, commuters complain on Twitter HC sets aside DU order debarring student over screening of BBC documentary Babita forced us to sit on dharna and then backstabbed, alleges grappler Situation in Sudan highly volatile; our focus is safety of Indians: Kwatra It repeated its feat in 2007 and 2012 in alliance with the BJP. BJP national President J.P. Nadda, Union Ministers Hardeep Puri and Som Parkash, Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Chief Ministers Bhagwant Mann and Ashok Gehlot, several former chief ministers, NCP president Sharad Pawar and National Congress leader Omar Abdullah, among others, are expected to attend the last rites. For the cremation, kinnow trees were uprooted from more than two-acre owned by the Badals. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday reached Chandigarh to pay his last respects to the patriarch. Modi had, on Tuesday, described the demise of Badal as a "personal loss" and said he was a colossal figure of Indian politics who contributed greatly to the nation. Congress leader and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in a letter to SAD President Sukhbir Badal, expressed his deepest condolences and acknowledged his contributions for the welfare of farmers and weaker sections. A day earlier, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) supremo and a close friend of the Badal family, Om Parkash Chautala, also visited the party head office in Chandigarh to pay his last respects. A flower-decked ambulance carrying the body from Chandigarh was driven by Bikram Majithia with Sukhbir Badal as co-driver. Other family members, including Sukhbir's estranged cousin Manpreet Badal, who is now in the BJP, were sitting beside the coffin. Senior Badal was born on December 8, 1927 in Muktsar. He was elected as village sarpanch at the age of 20, as a MLA for the first time in 1957 and became the chief minister for the first time in 1970 at the age of 43. He had also served as a Union Minister in the late 1970s. --IANS vg/ksk/ Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Thursday held a meeting with NDDD's board members here to discuss issues related to the dairy sector. National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) has been constituted as a body corporate and declared an institution of national importance by an Act of Parliament. According to a government official, Shah held a meeting with board members of the NDDB in the national capital. He discussed the future roadmap and various issues related to the dairy sector. Meenesh C Shah is the Chairman of Anand-based NDDB. NDDB was created to promote, finance and support producer-owned and controlled organisations. Its programmes and activities seek to strengthen farmer-owned institutions and support national policies that are favourable to the growth of such institutions. Fundamental to NDDB's efforts are cooperative strategies and principles. Also Read We should achieve target of 330 MMT milk production by 2033-34: Amit Shah Ease in margins seen from Q4 for dairy cos; stay stock selective: Analysts Mother Dairy hikes full-cream milk price, token milk in Delhi-NCR Sweating over milk: India stares at supply crunch as summer sets in Dairy industry revenue likely to witness 12-14% growth in FY23: Report Same-sex marriage: Arguments on sexual orientation may be raised in future Projection mapping at places, comic books to mark 100th 'Mann ki Baat' Mumbai sees 135 Covid-19 cases; man with comorbidities lone fatality Delhi excise scam: Court to pass order on Sisodia's bail plea on Friday All issues at LAC need to be resolved as per existing pacts: Rajnath Singh NDDB's efforts transformed India's rural economy by making dairying a viable and profitable economic activity for millions of milk producers while addressing the country's need for self-sufficiency in milk production. Milk production of India, the world's largest producer, rose 5 per cent in 2021-22 to 221.06 million tonnes. On Wednesday, Shah launched co-operative IFFCO's nano liquid DAP fertiliser for commercial sale at Rs 600 per 500 ml bottle and exhorted farmers to use nano urea and DAP extensively to make the country self-reliant and reduce import dependence. The small town of Shirdi, which hosts one of India's top religious tourism spots, the Saibaba Temple, will go on an indefinite strike from May 1 to protest the proposed CISF deployment at the famed temple, officials said here on Thursday. The shutdown call by all the markets, transporters, commercial and hospitality industry here has been issued by different organisations who are jointly opposing the planned CISF security for the temple. However, a temple official told IANS that the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust (SSST) has nothing to do with the strike of the townsfolk. "The Saibaba Temple and all its other facilities shall function as usual... We have no knowledge when the CISF security will be deployed, and presently the Maharashtra Police is providing the security cover here, and we have other security arrangements like metal detectors, CCTVs, etc.," said the officer, requesting anonymity. The main Saibaba Temple is spread across 4.5 acres and the other SSST's activities are dotted on around 350 acres, though the CISF cover will be restricted only to the temple areas. The officer pointed out that following an intel report to the Centre, there are moves to beef up the security in and around the temple premises from potential threats or possible attacks. Also Read Banks refuse to take coins worth lakhs from Shirdi temple. Here's why Indian Railways to run tourist train between Ayodhya and Nepal's Janakpur Robert Vadra hails 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', likens Rahul to Shirdi's Saibaba PM Modi to inaugurate projects worth Rs 75,000 crore in Maharashtra Noida airport to be sustainable, very innovative: Swiss Ambassador 'Blatant corruption' in renovation of Kejriwal's residence, alleges BJP Centre stalled funds for Bengal to fund Central Vista project: TMC leader Congress questions Modi govt's 'silence' on Poonch attack, accuses Centre Jaishankar discusses Indo-Pacific state with Colombian counterpart Duran Kiren Rijiju announces appointment and transfer of judges in High Courts The Shirdi town has a population of around 25,000 and the Saibaba Temple is visited by over 50,000 devotees daily, cutting across faith lines, which adds to over two crore followers from India around the world annually. The town people have argued that the CISF is a specialised force equipped to handle the security of major public installations and has no expertise for the unique security challenges of a religious shrine like Shirdi. The proposed shutdown would deal a major blow to the local economy which entirely depends on religious tourism for its survival. The townies also apprehend that if the CISF takes over the SSST temple security, it would result in huge restrictions for the locals, tourists and others, thus affecting their employment avenues. --IANS qn/dpb The security situation in Sudan remains very complex and highly volatile and India's efforts have been to ensure safety of Indian nationals, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said on Thursday. At a media briefing, he said India has been in touch with all the concerned sides in Sudan with a focus on taking out Indians from the conflict zones. "Our focus has been to take out the Indians from the conflict zones to safer areas as soon as possible and then to bring them back home," the foreign secretary said. Referring to India's evacuation mission 'Operation Kaveri', he said 360 Indians have been brought back home and another batch of 246 are reaching India soon. At present, he said around 320 Indians are in Port Sudan and they are being taken to Saudi city of Jeddah. Also Read International govts race to rescue diplomats, citizens from Sudan Khartoum violence: Indian embassy in Sudan advises Indians to not move out France evacuates 27 people including some Indian nationals from Sudan India supports peace process and capacity building in South Sudan Death toll due to unrest in Sudan reaches 270, over 2,600 injured: WHO EAM discusses situation in Indo-Pacific with his Colombian counterpart Won't notify fact checking unit for fake news against govt till Jul 5: Govt Calcutta HC orders NIA probe into violence in Shibpur during Ram Navami India's growing economy will become more essential for US businesses: USIBC Mayawati accuses BJP, SP of misusing official machinery to win civic polls The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre to find a way to give same-sex couples basic social benefits, like joint bank accounts or nominating a partner in insurance policies, even without legal recognition of their marital status, as it appeared that the court could be agreeing that granting legal recognition to same-sex marriages falls within the domain of legislature. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India and comprising Justices S.K. Kaul, S. Ravindra Bhat, Hima Kohli, and P.S. Narasimha said: "Look at the profound nature of our culture, what happened that in 1857 and thereafter, you got the Indian Penal Code, we imposed as it as a code of Victorian morality... our culture was extraordinarily inclusive, very broad and it is possible one of the reasons why our religion survived even after foreign invasions because of inclusion, the profound nature of our culture." The bench told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre: "We understand our limitation as a court, no question about it. There are so many issues, of course you have made your argument on the legislative side, so many issues on the administrative side... we not have a model, it will not be appropriate to devise a model but we can certainly tell the government that look, how law has gone so far now..." Mehta said that class specific problems can be addressed. The Chief Justice said, "We take your point, look if the court were to go in the legislative arena, you have made a very powerful argument on that, look you will be legislating. This is not your remit, this is for Parliament or state legislatures... but short of that, our law has gone so far now." "Now what the government can do to ensure that these relationships based on cohabitation or associations, they must be recognised in terms creating conditions of security, social welfare, and while doing that, we also ensure for future that these relationships should ceased to be ostracised in the society." Also Read Same-sex marriage in India: What did Supreme Court say in the case? SC begins hearing of pleas to recognise same-sex marriages; details here Same-sex marriage case in the Supreme Court: Here is what the Centre said Same-sex marriage: Centre files fresh affidavit in SC, seeks states' views How can same-sex partners get social rights without marriage: SC to Centre Pvt investment hotels, other tourism-related infra critical: G Kishan Reddy Uphaar tragedy: SC allows firm to move court for de-sealing of cinema hall How can same-sex partners get social rights without marriage: SC to Centre PM Modi commemorates 20 years of SWAGAT initiative in Gujarat Shah holds meeting with NDDB members; discusses issues of dairy sector Mehta contended that while same-sex persons have the fundamental right to cohabit, choose a partner etc, the same cannot be given the label of marriage. The Chief Justice said: "Once you recognize the right to cohabit, homosexual relationships are not really one off incidents in the life of persons, they may also be symptomatic of a sustained emotional, social, and physical relationship. Once you recognise that right to cohabit is a fundamental right, then to say to you cannot seek any legal recognition at all... because once we accept the fact that same sex couples have a right to cohabit then there is a corresponding duty on the state to at least recognise that cohabitation must find recognition in the law... we are not going into marriage at all." "Cohabitating couples... can they not have a joint bank account, a nomination in the insurance policy." Mehta said these are all human concerns, "which I also share and also the government shares, and we must find a solution from that point of view". The bench said: "You may or may not call marriage, but some label is necessary." The Chief Justice said, "We want some element of broad sense of coalition, we are also conscious of the fact that so much which representative democracy must achieve in our the country... one of the couple of same sex relationship can adopt no bar at all. In such a situation, if a child goes to school, does the government want a situation where the child is treated as a single parent child... you do not have to go as far as marriage in this as well. Can the child not have the benefit of cohabitation between the two people in whose home the child resides." "There is a concern, then both have to be recognised." Mehta submitted that there is a more of a sociological problem, rearing of the child, development of the child, these are hypothetical situations. The bench observed that long cohabitation raises the presumption of marriage, because in old times where were the marriage certificates or registration. It said that when court says recognition it need not be recognition as marriage, it may mean recognition which entitles them to certain benefits, and the association of two people need not be equated to marriage and "not marriage but some label is needed". The top court asked Centre to come back on May 3, with its response on social benefits that same sex couples could be granted even without legal recognition of their marital status. The top court is hearing a batch of pleas seeking legal sanction for same-sex marriages. The Centre has told the Supreme Court that demand for same-sex marriage is a "mere urban elitist views for the purpose of social acceptance", and recognising the right of same sex marriage would mean a virtual judicial rewriting of an entire branch of law. --IANS ss/vd Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday alleged that the police stopped him from entering the premises of a sugar mill at Daund in Pune district, where he wanted to go to pay floral tributes at the statue of the late founder of the sugar factory. The incident occurred at Bhima-Patas Cooperative Sugar Mill at Daund, around 75 km from Pune city. The Rajya Sabha member was later allowed to enter the premises with a couple of others, the police said. Raut dubbed the incident as an attempt to hide the irregularities in the factory. The sugar mill is controlled by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Rahul Kul. Last month, Raut had written to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, levelling allegations of misappropriation of funds worth Rs 500 crore against Kul, and demanded a probe against him by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). On Wednesday, when Raut's motorcade reached the gate of the sugar mill, it was stopped by the police. Visuals showed the police at the gate asking people accompanying Raut to bring an NOC (no objection certificate) from the sugar mill authorities to enter it. Raut said there that they want to go inside to offer flowers to the late sugar mill founder Madhukar Shitole's statue located on the premises. Also Read Shinde-led Sena denies connection with plea staking claim on UBT's property Have full faith in EC: Sanjay Raut on row over Shiv Sena's poll symbol Mumbai court to pronounce order on Sena MP Raut's bail plea on Nov 9 Hearing in money-laundering case against Sanjay Raut adjourned till Feb 27 Rs 2,000 cr deal to purchase Shiv Sena name and symbol, says Sanjay Raut ILO analysing work conditions in India, report expected by Jul-Aug: Report Gehlot mocks Raje after former Rajasthan CM's 'milk-and-lemon' remark LIVE: Corruption increased every time Congress came to power, says Rajnath Top headlines: PLI incentives to 8 sectors, tweak in SEZ rules, and more Spurred border tensions: India's military spending rose by 6% in 2022 The place where we want to go is a public property and it is the farmers and members who elect the chairman and other management members, Raut said when the police did not allow him. Asked if it is a misuse of power, Raut termed it "goodaism" and added that they were ready to respond in the same manner. "I have been an MP for the last 20 years and these people denied entry to me. It shows how scared they are," he said. He added that he would demand a privilege motion against police in Parliament. "The incident in which we were stopped shows that there are irregularities in the sugar mill, which they want to hide," he claimed. Later, Raut and a couple of other members of the mill were allowed inside. "Since section 144 (unlawful assembly) was imposed, only Raut and a couple of other members were allowed to go inside and offer flowers at the statue," a police officer said. The Sena (UBT) leader later addressed a public rally at Daund. A Delhi-bound flight in which Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin was scheduled to travel on Thursday was cancelled due to a technical snag, airport sources said. The Chief Minister was scheduled to leave for Delhi to invite President Draupadi Murmu on Friday for a hospital inauguration here. The private carrier was cancelled due to the technical snag following which the Chief Minister returned home. He is expected to leave early on Friday, the sources added. Also Read Paris-bound Air India plane returns to Delhi due to snag, says report Dubai-bound Air India flight from Hyderabad diverted after technical glitch Bagdogra bound IndiGo plane suffers technical problem; returns to Delhi Cyclone Mandous likely to hit TN on Friday, AIADMK postpones protests Sri Lanka's Election Commission postpones postal voting for local polls I am in high spirits in jail, says Amritpal Singh in letter to lawyer Rajnath to China: Existing border pact violations 'eroded' basis of ties Delhi records 865 fresh Covid-19 cases, 7 fatalities in last 24 hours NFRA examines ICAI proposals on accounting standard for insurance contracts MeitY calls the second meeting on the Digital India Act on May 3 "The transport corporation's buses are being operated via manual ticketing so that the operation of the buses is not affected," says UPSRTC regarding the matter. Regional officials have been approached to screen bus stands and depots for 24 hours," Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation's (UPSRTC) website was hacked on Wednesday prompting the online bookings via the state-run bus service to halt. The UPSRTC website was hacked on Wednesday around 2 am by some foreign hackers, according to a government statement. The restoration work is currently a work in progress, and online bookings will likely resume within ten days. UPSRTC website hacked: Overview When asked about the situation, UPSRTC Managing Director Sanjay Kumar stated, "An international gang of hackers may have hacked the portal; we have registered an FIR in the cyber thana at Gomti Nagar and Orion pro, the company managing the site, has lodged a complaint in Mumbai against the hacking of the site". M/s. Orion Pro, the company managing the UPSRTC website, has sent a team of experts to recover the website's data and needs a week to set up new servers and restore online bookings. In addition, M/s. Orion Pro has reported the file to the police in Navi Mumbai. Gomti Nagar police station has also filed a separate case. In the meantime, the UP government has mandated a security audit by a third party for all of the M/s. Orion Pro's web portals and applications. Kumar added that tickets will be given physically until the site is restored. Over the next seven to ten days, UPSRTC plans to restore the online ticketing system in all 20 areas and 115 depots. In an order passed on Wednesday, the Department of Posts said both these organisations violated rules 5 & 6 of the Central Civil Service (Recognition of Services Association) Rules, 1993 as they lent their funds to further the propagation of political views. Trade unions have condemned the latest central government order derecognising two postal unions National Federation of Postal Employees (NFPE) and All India Postal Employees Union (AIPEU-Group C) for violating central services rules, alleging that they lent their funds to further political activities. The central service rules lay down that the service associations have been formed primarily with the objective of promoting the interests of their members and prohibits the use of union funds to further any type of political activities. NFPE is the largest federation in the postal sector with eight postal employees unions, including the AIPEU, affiliated to it. The matter pertains to the donation of Rs 30,000 by the Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers (CCGEW), of which NFPE and AIPEU are constituent organisations to the farmers movement. The postal department also alleged that the unions paid money to Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and CPI (M) from their own funds. The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) said in a statement that the action has been taken by the postal department based on a flimsy complaint against the NFPE and the AIPEU and it is a common practice to extend solidarity to protesting workers. The union in its response accepted paying money to the farmers movement, as a standard practice of providing solidarity to the protesting workers and contended that the amount paid to CPI(M) was part of a personal transaction. Also Read Trade unions urge Centre to scrap four labour codes, convene conference Amazon's Black Friday: Several Indian trade unions to join protests How reliable is India's China trade data? What can India gain from the trade pact with Australia? Centre to come up with a single trade body to promote exports: Report Area under paddy cultivation to increase to 200,000 acres in Haryana Delhi excise scam: ED files supplementary charge sheet before Delhi court TN CM Stalin postpones visit to Delhi due to technical snag in flight I am in high spirits in jail, says Amritpal Singh in letter to lawyer Rajnath to China: Existing border pact violations 'eroded' basis of ties Besides, Centre of Indian Trade Unions (Citu) said the allegation that the two unions paid money to it is frivolous and dubious as the amount given was their affiliation fee payable to World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), routed through Citu a fellow affiliate of WFTU. It is nothing new in India that trade unions extend support, solidarity and financial help to the struggling sister unions and workers of different sectors. There is no illegality or misconduct in these internationally accepted solidarity actions, it said. Britain fully responsible for supplying depleted uranium weapons to Ukraine: Kremlin Xinhua) 13:35, April 27, 2023 MOSCOW, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Britain will have to bear full responsibility for its decision to supply depleted uranium shells to Ukraine, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday. Peskov pointed out that when such weaponry was previously used by NATO in Yugoslavia, it resulted in devastating consequences, including a rise in oncological and other diseases. Those who use this ammunition must understand that they will "cause irreparable harm to themselves and their citizens" and ultimately bear full responsibility for their actions, he added. The spokesman made the remarks one day after British Minister of State for the Armed Forces James Heappey confirmed that Britain had already sent "thousands of shells for Challenger 2 tanks, including depleted uranium munitions" to Kiev. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) At a conclave organised by NAREDCO Nextgen, Rajan Bandelkar, president, NAREDCO said that customers got the due respect, and in these six years, RERA has been able to get transparency and has addressed the trust deficit in the sector. On six years of the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA), real estate industry body National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) voiced that timely approval for projects by authorities has been a big challenge for the industry and said authorities are more buyer-friendly than developers. It also urged that any discrepancies or grievances should be addressed by the RERA. "Authorities have far more responsibilities than before, and authorities like us cannot break them. We must ensure that every three months, we review the project; in case of difficulties faced by developers in delivering, we have to give an extension and explain it to the customers. We take the view of all the stakeholders and take decisions based on it," Kumar said. Anand Kumar, chairman, Delhi RERA, said that the authorities take the view of all the stakeholders and make decisions based on it. We all have to put heads together and develop industry in the best way possible, and make the sector transparent," Kumar said. Adding to the impact of RERA, Kumar said that comparing the scenario to 2017, there was a lot of distrust between various stakeholders, and there was no quick fix solution. In 2017 when RERA came into being, there was a codification of how the industry should run and the responsibilities of various stakeholders. Also Read Hiranandani to invest Rs 1,000 cr in premium housing project in Panvel LIC Housing Finance, HDFC: Trading strategies for housing finance companies DMRC's woes may continue after Delhi govt refuses bailout for RInfra dues Govt proposes panel of consumer forum, RERA to address realty issues Budget pushes for developing transport, urban infrastructure, housing Import of key Chinese medical devices rises up to 152% till Dec FY23 India's smartphone market records steepest first quarter decline of 19% Smartphone shipments in March quarter fall 19% to hit record low: Report Medical devices policy will make India healthcare resource centre: Industry Ratings firm Icra expects tyre sector revenues to grow by 7-9% in FY24 According to the ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoUHA) data, as many as 101,304 real estate projects and 72,012 real estate agents have been registered under the provisions of RERA and 106,657 complaints have been successfully disposed of by the authorities across the country. To protect the interest of homebuyers and to ensure transparency and accountability in the realty sector, parliament enacted the real estate (regulation and development) Act, 2016 (RERA). Delving on pre and post-era of RERA, Pawan Arora, housing commissioner, Rajasthan housing board, said, RERA helps create faith in buyers when they see RERA number. Four years back, there was 20,000 unsold inventory of the Rajasthan housing board that was around for 15-16 years. We realised that it is important to clear the inventory to gain the trust of people. RERA registration has helped us sell projects faster as RERA has instilled confidence in buyers. The states with the maximum project registrations are Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu. Maharashtra still tops the list with approximately 38,643 project registrations. Vishal Thakker, chairman, NAREDCO Nextgen, Maharashtra said, We need to focus on sustainable buildings and inclusively adopt technology, bringing in green technology to reduce carbon footprints. Jay Morzaria, president, NAREDCO Nextgen also said that the role of real estate conclave cannot be denied in creating a platform for the real estate community to voice their concerns, and share common knowledge. Meanwhile, during the event, Delhi Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) and the National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) launched the National Institute of Real Estate Development (NIRED), a forum aimed at capacity building of stakeholders in the real estate, construction, and infrastructure sectors. The main goal of this forum is to improve the quality and productivity of work in various industries by growing human resource capabilities. There is a need to embrace the innovations and technology in the real estate sector and ensure that realty projects are inclusive and accessible to all sections of society and focused towards affordable housing, Thakker said. "The institute will offer a platform for everyone to enhance their knowledge and skills, making them industry-ready and contributing to the growth of the sector," Bandelkar said. Also Read Stores now preferred choice over online shopping: Raymond's Singhania Godrej Consumer Products expects Q4 growth on improved consumer demand Rural demand for FMCG dips 17% in Nov as post-festive consumption slows Godrej Yummiez expands vegetarian portfolio; aims for 30% growth in FY23 Brokerages positive on Godrej Consumer on growth recovery, lower costs KPIT Technologies rallies 11% in 2 days, hits new high on strong Q4 results City Union Bank surges 10% on re-appointment of N Kamakodi as MD & CEO F&O Expiry: Here's what the options data suggest for Nifty, Bank Nifty Stocks to watch: Wipro, HUL, Axis Bank, Bajaj Finance, Tata Power, Abbott MARKET LIVE: Sensex gains 100 pts; Bajaj Finance rallies 3%, Raymond 7% Shares of Raymond hit an all-time high of Rs 1,755, soaring 9 per cent on the BSE in Thursdays intra-day trade amid a new report that Godrej Consumer Products (GCPL) was in advanced talks for a deal with the company for its consumer care business that includes the Park Avenue male grooming brand and Kamasutra condom.The stock price of Raymond surpassed its previous high of Rs 1,644, touched on December 16, 2022. In past one month, the stock has zoomed nearly 50 per cent, as compared to 4.7 per cent rise in the S&P BSE Sensex.Meanwhile, shares of Godrej Consumer Products were down nearly 3 per cent at Rs 948.The Singhania-family owned Raymond group has been looking to divest its consumer care business for over two years now, since the group believes this is a non-core business in its portfolio, the Economic Times reported quoting people aware of the development.The potential deal will give Godrej Consumer a bigger play in the mens personal care and sexual wellness categories, the report suggested. Shares of GCPL were down 3 per cent to Rs 950 on the BSE in intra-day trade. The stock had hit a record high of Rs 944.45 on Monday, April 24, 2023.Raymond is a diversified group that is a leading name in textile & apparel sectors, along with a rapidly growing presence in real estate, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) and engineering.Raymond Group has a presence in the FMCG industry through its associate company Raymond Consumer Care Limited (RCCL). The FMCG businesses of personal care, sexual wellness and home care have been integrated in RCCL in FY2019-20. This integration has brought about business synergies, operational efficiencies and channel distribution strengths.RCCL is amongst the top players in Indias Fragrances and Sexual Wellness categories, with aspirational brands like Park Avenue, KamaSutra, KS and Premium encompassing its Personal Care, Sexual Wellness and Home Care Segments. Raymond Consumer Care also has a worldclass condoms manufacturing facility with 400 million per annum capacity in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. This compendium told us India was among the most frequent participants, having done that 37 times. There were 35 occasio With that geographical composition, members are elected for four years and India has been elected, with effect from January 1, 2024. One doesnt have to be a member or chairman to participate in UNSC discussions. After the 37th session held in 2006, in 2007 at its 60th anniversary UNSC brought out a compendium (the 54th session was held in 2023). Shunned by the West, Russian crude oil has been fulfilling Indias growing needs since its invasion of Ukraine. From one per cent, the share of discounted Russian crude has shot up to around 40% of total imports. But with sanctions catching up, the purchases of Russian crude are likely to plateau. So, is the honeymoon phase of Russia-India oil trade coming to an end?India will indeed have to strike a difficult balance in the days to come as both -- Russia and the US -- are its strategic partners. Speaking of the US, one of its largest chip makers, Micron Technology, is planning to set up a plant in India. And for its CEO, Kanpur-born Sanjay Mehrotra, it is a homecoming of sorts. Now 64, Mehrotra had left for the US when he was just 18.Moving on, rising air passenger traffic and higher hotel occupancies suggest the travel industry is on a stable road to recovery. So as consumers ready for the summer holiday season, is it time to look at travel related stocks?Outward remittances under the liberalised remittance scheme (LRS) of RBI touched all-time high in FY23. The central bank has proposed some changes in the scheme. In this episode of the podcast, we explain exactly what is LRS and what are the proposed changes. As global PC industry faces a heavy slump, Microsoft has reportedly cut production of peripherals for its Surface series of laptops. Nikkei Asia reported, citing suppliers, that Microsoft will no longer make standalone keyboards under the Surface brand. Microsoft's Surface series has Surface Go, Surface Pro and Surface Book as key brands. It also includes desktop and notebook computers, as well as wireless devices such as headphones. "The decision to reduce production of some peripherals suggests that even the tech giant is moving to consolidate its development resources amid the wider industry downturn," the report mentioned. Also Read Microsoft Surface Laptop 5, Surface Pro 9 available for pre-orders in India Microsoft Surface Laptop 5, Surface Pro 9 go on sale in India: Price, specs Microsoft adds new features to make formulas easier in Excel's spreadsheet Microsoft 365 Copilot: Microsoft is bringing AI to its productivity apps Tesla chief Elon Musk threatens to sue Microsoft for using data 'illegally' SMB marketers investing in AI to stay resilient in challenging economy Google rolls out 1080p calls option for Meet users to enhance experience India smartphone market suffers highest ever Q1 decline at 19% 31 mn units WWDC 2023: Apple likely to unveil three new Macs; all you need to know Time spent on Instagram up 24% thanks to AI-driven Reels: Zuckerberg Microsoft did not comment on the report. According to the IDC, Microsoft's global shipments of detachable tablets and notebooks fell last year by 13.3 per cent and 5.7 per cent -- 4.7 million and 1.7 million units - respectively. The shipments for desktop computer were at 38,000, down 25 per cent (on-year), in 2022. During the analysts' call after posting quarterly results, Microsoft said that in its consumer business, "PC demand was a bit better than we expected, particularly in the commercial segment, which benefited Windows OEM and Surface even as channel inventory levels remain elevated, which negatively impacted results". The global PC shipments declined by a record 30 per cent (year-over-year), totalling 56.9 million units in Q1 2023. --IANS na/ The building of the quantum computer was underway at TCG CREST, Kolkata, in consultation with the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai. TCG CREST is a research institute funded by The Chatterjee Group. The Centre for Quantum Engineering, Research and Education (CQuERE), a vertical of TCG Centres for Research and Education in Science and Technology (TCG CREST), is in the process of building a superconducting qubits quantum computer. The first qubit would be procured from TIFR while research for adding more qubits would go on, Bhupendra Nath Dev, professor, CQuERE, said. For the computer, the dilution refrigerator, a key component would be installed next week. With this, the highly complex task of setting up a superconductivity qubits based quantum computer, in collaboration with TIFR, Mumbai, would take off now, CQuERE said. The work in the field of quantum algorithm and computing research at CQuERE had been going on for the past few years. The institute had also received funding from the central government to use two quantum computers in North America. We are going to learn how to develop qubits, Dev explained. CQuERE is aiming for 4 qubits which could take about three years to build and may cost around Rs 100 crore; the investment in 1 qubit could be to the tune of Rs 10-15 crore. Also Read Decoded: How quantum communication can become the future of data encryption Adani, TCG gear up for petrochemical foray as RIL eyes expansion in sector Rs 6,000-crore National Quantum Mission gets Union Cabinet approval One year since Tatas took over Air India, here's how the journey has been HCLTech to explore industrial-scale quantum applications for enterprises Google took action against 3,500 loan apps for violating norms in 2022 WhatsApp rolling out 'reply with message' feature within call notifications Microsoft cuts Surface accessories production as PC sales slow: Report SMB marketers investing in AI to stay resilient in challenging economy Google rolls out 1080p calls option for Meet users to enhance experience In another development, CQuERE would collaborate with a Spanish startup Qilimanjaro to set up a special kind of quantum computer known as the quantum annealer for stimulating the properties of molecules with real-world applications in industries from chemicals and petrochemicals to drugs. Once the in-house capacity expands, CREST would be the first privately funded research institute in India to have gone completely self-reliant in quantum computing, it said. Quantum computers are known to outperform classical computers for certain problems by far. The work with Qilimanjaro would be funded by a grant from the European Commission and would also support a PhD scholar from CQuERE. This requires a lot of computation but a quantum computer would collapse the process in terms of time, CQuERE officials explained. The current focus of CQuERE is theoretical and experimental quantum computing. Advances had also been made in new materials for qubits and work on quantum sensing and quantum communication was getting off the ground, CQuERE informed. Bhanu Pratap Das, director, CQuERE, said that talks were also on with universities in the US and Japan for collaboration. The areas were also the four domains of the National Quantum Mission recently cleared by the Union Cabinet. The NQM involves a cost of Rs 6,003.65 crore from 2023-24 to 2030-31. Apple is expected to unveil three new desktop Macs during the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2023, according to code discovered by a Twitter user. On April 22, Nicolas Alvarez claimed in a tweet that he had discovered potential new Mac models that could be unveiled during the conference. Mac14,8, Mac14,13 and Mac14,14 spotted in Find My configuration. I think they are in a list of devices where "you left your device behind" should be disabled, so they're likely desktops (Mac Studio?). Nicolas Alvarez (@nicolas09F9) April 22, 2023 Alvarez said the codes for three different Mac models were found in the 'Find My configuration' and identified as Mac 14,8, Mac 14,13, and Mac 14,14. He also noted that the devices were located within a list where the "you left your device behind" feature is disabled, which strongly suggests that they are desktop Macs. However, no official information regarding the models has yet been made public. On the other hand, Mark Gurman from Bloomberg reported that Apple wouldn't be releasing Mac Studios with M2 chips, instead focusing on a computer powered by the M3 chip. Gurman also said the new Mac Pro may not be unveiled at WWDC 2023. This information deepens the mystery surrounding Alvarez's recent discovery of potential new Mac models. The California-based technology giant has revealed that its 2023 WWDC will commence on June 5. The event, which will be virtual, is set to run from June 5-9. Additionally, reports indicate that, as was the case last year, an in-person experience will again be available at Apple Park. Sharing some sneak peeks into the upcoming WWDC event, Vice President of Worldwide Developer Relations, Susan Prescott, said the conference this year would be the "biggest and most exciting" one. "WWDC23 is going to be our biggest and most exciting yet, and we can't wait to see many of you online and in person at this very special event!" Prescott was reported as saying by Bloomberg. The technology company typically unveils its latest versions of iOS, macOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS at its annual conference, and this year is expected to be no exception. Speculations suggest that Apple will unveil iOS 17, including a slew of improvements and new features. Apple has stated that this year's WWDC will be especially noteworthy. The company will soon unveil its highly anticipated augmented or virtual reality headset, which has been the subject of speculation and leaks for numerous years. The company's virtual reality headset is also anticipated to be the main attraction of the conference. Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, of Tamil descent, was hanged at dawn in Singapore's Changi Prison after being convicted in 2018 of abetting the smuggling of 1.02 kilograms (2.2 pounds) of cannabis back in 2013. Singapore on Wednesday executed another man for a drug offence, despite protests and growing international attention. According to advocates, at least 50 more people are awaiting their turn at the gallows. (Singapore has not disclosed the exact number of its death row inmates). Tangaraju's execution is the first in the country this year but is unlikely to be the last. In 2022, Singapore executed 11 people, all for drug-related offences. As is customary, Tangaraju's family was given only one week's notice before his execution. "There are many ways to seek justice," Tangaraju's sister Leelavathy said, adding, "Just don't take someone's life." Activists in Singapore and elsewhere in the world pleaded with the Singapore government to postpone Tangaraju's execution, highlighting specific problems with the case and appealing for mercy. Also Read Foreign law firms can only advise foreign clients on foreign law: BCI Centre may introduce changes to capital gains tax rules, says report Bar Council permits foreign law firms to practice in select fields in India Colonial crime and punishment Capital gains tax: A capital conundrum Kamala Harris faces new test of political skills in US poll 2024 campaign LG Electronics Q1 profit down 23% at 1.49 trn on dampened consumer demand Elon Musk likely to testify under oath about his Autopilot tweets India's growing economy will become more essential for US businesses: USIBC Fact can't be changed: India slams Pak for raking up Kashmir issue at UN However, Singapore, a city-state in Southeast Asia with 5.7 million people, is not the only country that imposes the death penalty as punishment for drug trafficking. In February 2021, the independent city-state executed another Singaporean man, Yacob Bamadhaj, for bringing at least two pounds of cannabis into Singapore in 2018. Here is a list of nations with the strictest drug laws It is one of just 35 nations that still have the death penalty for drug offences, and is one of only eight countries in the world to hand out such a sentence regularly, said a report by Harm Reduction International. Philippines The country has waged a brutal "war on drugs" under President Rodrigo Duterte, which has led to the extrajudicial execution of thousands of people suspected of being drug users and dealers. Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia has a zero-tolerance policy towards drug use, and offences such as possession and trafficking are punishable by jail time, public flogging, and in some cases, the death penalty. China China has some of the strictest drug laws in the world, making the possession of even small amounts of drugs punishable by lengthy prison terms or even the death penalty. Iran Iran has a zero-tolerance policy towards drug use, with possession and trafficking offences punishable by imprisonment, flogging, and sometimes the death penalty. Malaysia Malaysia has some of the toughest drug laws in Southeast Asia, with the death penalty applied to drug trafficking offences. United Arab Emirates Despite having a reputation for being lax regarding alcohol and nightlife, the UAE has strict laws against drug use and trafficking. Drug trafficking offences are punishable by life in prison or even the death penalty, while drug possession offences carry a minimum sentence of four years. Brunei The strictest drug laws in Southeast Asia are found in Brunei, a small, oil-rich nation on the island of Borneo. The country has come under fire for using caning as a punishment for drug offences. Possession of drugs can result in long-term prison sentences and even the death penalty. Japan The drug laws in Japan are among the strictest in the developed world, and both possession and trafficking offences carry significant prison terms. Additionally, there are strict restrictions on prescription drugs in the country, and visitors must declare any medications they bring. Countries where cannabis is legal While some of these countries may seem unlikely to have strict anti-drug laws due to factors like their reputation for leniency or their status as closed-off or secretive nations, each of them has put strict laws and penalties for drug offences into place to combat drug use and trafficking. Canada The following countries have legalised cannabis for recreational use: Georgia In 2018, the Canadian government debuted the Cannabis Act, which legalised and regulated the production, sale, distribution, and possession of recreational cannabis (for adults of legal age). Malta Georgia became one of the first countries in the world to legalise cannabis for both medical and recreational use by a ruling by the Constitutional Court of Georgia on July 30 2018. Mexico Malta was the first EU country to legalise cannabis for those aged 18 or more on December 14, 2021, after decriminalisation was adopted in 2015. Medical use was announced as legal in 2018. South Africa Cannabis became legal for recreational use on June 29, 2021, after the Supreme Court of Mexico decriminalised it. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador signed a bill allowing adults aged 18 and older to possess up to 28 grams and to grow up to six plants on their property. Thailand According to South Africa's Constitutional Court, cannabis can only be consumed by adults in private. There are still laws prohibiting the consumption of cannabis outside of personal property, as well as the buying and selling of cannabis. Uruguay On June 9, 2022, the commercial sale of cannabis was legalised. Since 2018, medical use has been legal, with patients required to have a prescription. United States Commercial sales became legal in July 2017. President Jose Mujica signed legislation to legalise recreational cannabis in December 2013, and in 2014, legalised home cultivation of up to six plants, as well as the formation of Cannabis Social Clubs, a state-controlled marijuana dispensary regime. Recreational cannabis use is legal in 21 states, and the medical use of cannabis is legal in 37 states, with a doctor's recommendation. As of 2022, 10 states had also decriminalised cannabis, with an additional 16 states having decriminalised and then legalised it. Another automaker is trying to cut its workforce to trim expenses and stay competitive as the industry makes the long and costly transition to electric vehicles. Stellantis on Wednesday said it's offering buyouts to groups of white-collar and unionized employees in the U.S., as well as hourly workers in Canada. The cuts are in response to today's increasingly competitive global market conditions and the necessary shift to electrification, the company said in a prepared statement. Stellantis said it's looking to reduce its hourly workforce by about 3,500, but wouldn't say how many salaried employees it's targeting. The company has about 56,000 workers in the U.S., and about 33,000 of them could get the offers. Of those, 31,000 are blue-collar workers and 2,500 salaried employees. Another 8,000 union workers in Canada also will get offers, the company said. Also Read Stellantis India to drive into India's e-fleet market with Citroen e-C3 China's tension with West 'very good opportunity' for India: Stellantis CEO SMEV seeks extension of subsidies for EVs under FAME-II in Budget Jaguar Land Rover revs up for electric race; can it meet its 2030 target? Karnataka, Gujarat make most progress in clean energy transition: Report World recognising capabilities, contributions of 'New India': Jaishankar China Jan-Mar industrial profit slump underlines slow economic recovery Green hydrogen company Ohmium raises $250 mn to help address climate change Lack of planes, customers willing to pay more to keep flying expensive Long-term sickness costing UK economy GBP 43 bn a year, finds study Stellantis, formed in the merger of Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA Groupe, says in a statement that it's reviewing its North American operations to trim costs, become more efficient and protect the competitiveness of its products. The company says it's offering packages to certain salaried workers who have 15 or more years of service. Packages also are being offered to unionized employees in the U.S. and Canada. Information about the packages will go to employees the week of May 1. The offers drew immediate criticism from Shawn Fain, the new president of the United Auto Workers union. Stellantis' push to cut thousands of jobs while raking in billions in profits is disgusting, Fain said in a prepared statement. This is a slap in the face to our members, their families, their communities, and the American people who saved this company 15 years ago. The former Chrysler company went through a government-funded bankruptcy in 2009 and was eventually merged with Italian automaker Fiat. The offers follow Ford and General Motors, which have trimmed their workforces in the past year through buyout offers. About 5,000 white-collar workers took General Motors up on offers to leave the company this year. Ford cut about 3,000 contract and full-time salaried workers last summer, giving them severance packages. The union's testy statement about Stellantis comes ahead of what are expected to be contentious contract talks between Detroit's three automakers, the United Auto Workers, and Unifor, the Canadian union representing auto workers. Talks with both unions will open this summer. The UAW contracts expire in September. Last week, Fain told reporters that he's unhappy with all three companies over efforts to unionize new joint-venture factories that will make battery cells for future electric vehicles. All three companies are investing billions to build at least 10 battery factories in North America to handle expected demand for EVs. Fain singled out Stellantis, saying it failed to include the union when it announced a battery factory in Kokomo, Indiana. He also said Stellantis' plans to close a factory in Belvidere, Illinois, is unacceptable. Stellantis placed the Belvidere plant on idle in February and laid off most of its roughly 1,350 workers. Fain won a narrow election last month running on the platform that the union for too long has been cooperative with the automakers. He would not say if a strike against Stellantis is likely. According to the FT report, the police removed computers and phones from the office but did not detain anyone. People in the know of the matter were also quoted as saying that the police had visited the offices more than once. The Beijing office of US management consultancy firm Bain & Company was paid a surprise visit and questioned by the Chinese police two weeks ago, a report by The Financial Times (FT) said. This comes when foreign businesses face tighter scrutiny in China amid its rising tensions with the US. Yellen also said that decoupling the US and China would be "disastrous" for both countries and "destabilising" for the rest of the world. Several US politicians and companies have been worried that Beijing might increase retaliatory actions due to the measures taken by Joe Biden against Chinese companies. Last week, US treasury secretary Janet Yellen pointed out a "recent uptick in coercive actions targeting US firms". Earlier this week, the US also requested South Korean chipmakers to refrain from filling potential market gaps in China if semiconductor company Micron is banned there. Beijing has repeatedly said that Washington was trying to limit the rise of the country's semiconductor industry. It has formed a Chip 4 alliance with Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. However, along with Japan, the Netherlands have already started restricting exports of chip-making technology to China. Also Read US treasury secy Janet Yellen to visit India on Nov 11 for EFP dialogue What is friendshoring? Janet Yellen: For the people Will impose more sanctions on Russia: US treasury secretary Yellen in India 'US looking forward to support India's G20 presidency': Janet Yellen Immigrants wait 10 years in US just for a court date, system overwhelmed Automaker Stellantis to offer buyouts amid electric vehicle transition World recognising capabilities, contributions of 'New India': Jaishankar China Jan-Mar industrial profit slump underlines slow economic recovery Green hydrogen company Ohmium raises $250 mn to help address climate change Congress in the US approved a $52.7 billion CHIPS Act last year to expand domestic semiconductor manufacturing facilities. Micron has been facing tough investigations in China on the ground of national security. The majority of the financial assistance would be used to subsidise the purchases of domestic semiconductor equipment by Chinese firms, mainly semiconductor fabrication plants (fabs). China, on the other hand, is also working on ramping up its domestic semiconductor industry. An earlier report by news agency Reuters suggested that it plans a $143 billion package to make the industry self-sufficient. Bain has several Chinese clients, including Alibaba and EV startup Li Auto. Apart from semiconductors, Taiwan is also a bone of contention between the two major economies. The US is helping Taiwan to resist China's plan to bring the island nation under its control. The raid follows a similar one on another US firm, Mintz, last month. The police had also detained five Chinese employees at the due diligence firm's Beijing office. Not the first such incident Gap Inc. will eliminate about 1,800 positions as part of a broader restructuring plan that aims to speed decision-making and reduce overhead expense, the retailer said Thursday. The cuts are in addition to the 500 corporate jobs that Gap eliminated in September. Gap had 95,000 employees as of the end of January. The roles will be concentrated at the companys San Francisco headquarters and in upper field positions, interim Chief Executive Officer Bobby Martin said in a statement. The new round of job cuts was reported earlier this week without specifics on the number of employees affected. She swaggered, she jabbed, she inspired. She even joked. Anyone looking for a glimpse of what Vice President Kamala Harris could bring to the campaign trail would have found it this week at Howard University, where she headlined a rally for reproductive rights. After two years of tightly scripted, uneven performances that often dismayed Democrats and cheered Republicans, Harris is looser, more forceful and more willing to speak off the cuff following her trip to Africa a month ago. That is the vice president that America is going to get a chance to get to know for the first time, said Laphonza Butler, a former adviser to Harris who leads EMILY's List. Now Harris, the first woman and person of color in her position, will be put to the test as President Joe Biden seeks a second term. Although vice presidents are rarely decisive in reelection efforts, Harris is poised to be an exception. Not only is she leading the charge on Democrats' most potent issue, the battle over abortion rights, she's the running mate for the oldest president in history, increasing scrutiny over whether she's ready to step into the top job if necessary. Also Read Kamala Harris announces $562 mn for climate resilience in Florida US as a reliable economic partner is here to stay: Harris to Asian leaders VP Kamala Harris rallies as high court eyes abortion pill rules in country US Prez Biden's approval rating hits record high after midterms elections US VP Kamala Harris briefly meets China's Xi Jinping to 'keep lines open' LG Electronics Q1 profit down 23% at 1.49 trn on dampened consumer demand Elon Musk likely to testify under oath about his Autopilot tweets India's growing economy will become more essential for US businesses: USIBC Fact can't be changed: India slams Pak for raking up Kashmir issue at UN Amazon shuts down health-focused Halo division, lays off employees It's an issue that Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, raised on Wednesday in an interview with Fox News. If you vote for Joe Biden, you really are counting on a President Harris," Haley said. "Because the idea that he would make it until 86 years old" the age Biden would be at the end of a second term "is not something that I think is likely. Harris' mission until Election Day will be energizing the voters that Democrats most need specifically women, people of color and young people while sustaining what will likely be an unrelenting barrage of Republican attacks. Vice presidential candidates, if they're going to make a difference, they're going to make it at the margin, said Joel Goldstein, a historian of the vice presidency. But if you look at our recent history, a lot of our presidential elections have been decided at the margins. Harris' appearance at her alma mater Howard University on Tuesday night, the same day that Biden announced his reelection bid, was a first look of how she'll approach the campaign. Her focus on abortion echoed her message during the midterm elections, but was even more barbed than usual as she targeted extremists she accused of taking away people's rights. Don't get in our way because if you do, we're going to stand up, we're going to organize and we're going to speak up and we're going to say we're not having that, we're not playing that! Harris said. Addressing herself to so-called leaders who want to restrict abortion, Harris told them to open your medicine cabinet in the privacy of your bathroom, in the privacy of your home. I wonder what's sitting up in there." The crowd roared with laughter. You don't want me getting in your business, do you? she said. Harris linked efforts to restrict abortion to Republican attempts to tighten rules for voting and limit what can be taught in schools. Understand what's at play, she said. You can't sleep on this. Cornell Belcher, a Democratic pollster, said Harris is probably better positioned to connect with, in an authentic way, that critical emerging cohort of the American electorate that we are absolutely positively dependent on to win a majority. Not everyone has felt that way, and she's faced chatter from the sidelines over whether Biden should replace her as vice president. She consistently polls worse than Biden, whose own numbers are underwater. In an AP-NORC poll conducted in January, 43 per cent of U.S. adults had a favourable opinion of Biden, and 36 per cent said the same about Harris. Among Democrats, Biden was at 78 per cent and Harris was at 67 per cent, while 10 per cent said they didn't know enough about Harris to have an opinion. However, Harris featured prominently in Biden's announcement video walking alongside the president, embracing first lady Jill Biden, taking a selfie with a supporter and more. Biden's campaign website is topped by the names Biden Harris, and a pop-up fundraising solicitation includes a picture of the two leaders smiling together. Biden's Twitter account shared the same photo on Tuesday night, adding the caption in this together. I was really put off by all the prognostication about whether she was a drag on the ticket, said Mini Timmaraju, the president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. She's the biggest asset. Harris' portfolio as vice president changed with last year's Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that legalized abortion nationwide. Although she had previously been assigned thorny issues with little political upside, such as stemming migration from Central America, Harris swiftly embraced a new role as the administration's most ardent defender of reproductive rights. When a copy of the decision was leaked, Harris reviewed it with a small circle of aides in a West Wing office. How dare they? she kept repeating, according to a member of her staff at the time who requested anonymity to discuss the private conversation. The phrase was swiftly included in a previously scheduled speech that night. Outrage over abortion helped Democrats limit their losses in the midterm elections, and the party expects it to remain a focus for voters. It's going to be a major mobilizing issue, said Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster who has worked with Biden. Republicans keep doing things to keep the issue alive. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a likely candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, recently signed a state ban on abortions after six weeks. Women would have more time to get an abortion in cases involving rape or incest, but they would need to provide documentation such as a restraining order or police report. Erin Perrine, a spokesperson for Never Back Down, a super PAC supporting DeSantis, scoffed at the idea that Harris would be helpful to Biden's reelection chances. She's not a good messenger," she said. "She is prone to not only stepping on the message, but putting out word salad answers, and then when she gets uncomfortable, getting into a laughing fit. Judging by the poll numbers, Perrine said "you have two people that Democrats don't want running for president and vice president. Former President Donald Trump, who is running for another term, suggested in a recent interview with Newsmax that running mates will ultimately be irrelevant in the campaign. There's never been a vice president that's done anything for the election. In other words, they vote for the one person, he said. I don't think vice presidents have any impact at all on the vote. However, Trump said, It's such an important position. If something happens, that's going to be your president. Democrats rely on Black women in elections, and Harris' support was evident during a February event at Georgia Tech University in Atlanta. Although the vice president had come to talk about the administration's energy policy, the crowd was eager to discuss their support for her as a barrier-breaking woman. In her own way, as a female, as an African American, she is stepping out, said Camille Zeigler, a 65-year-old retired educator. What's happening is she's not stepping out in the way that society wants her to step out." Zeigler said people want to put Harris in a box as "an angry Black woman or a mad Black woman or a Black woman with an attitude. Instead, Zeigler said, Harris answers with grace and poise, providing a model for other African American women. Beverly Rice, a 65-year-old who runs a nonprofit focused on literacy, celebrated Harris' ascension after a history of Black women being close to power but not holding it. It's about time," she said. We've been building America forever. By Nathaniel Bullard International shipping is a classic hard to abate sector. Container ships, bulk carriers of ore, fuel, and grain, and large passenger vehicles are expensive to build, last for decades, and have gained efficiency historically by becoming bigger. More than 95% of todays ships run on petroleum products, fueling diesel engines which have been optimized for their specific purposes. They ship about 90% of global trade. While emissions in the global power sector may be close to peaking, international shipping emissions show no signs of doing the same. According to the International Energy Agency, shipping emissions have risen by nearly one-third this century. With more international trade, and more inputs and finished products on the move, shipping emissions will rise as a function of movement. Change in shipping is hard. International shipping is a classic hard to abate sector. Container ships, bulk carriers of ore, fuel, and grain, and large passenger vehicles are expensive to build, last for decades, and have gained efficiency historically by becoming bigger. More than 95% of todays ships run on petroleum products, fueling diesel engines which have been optimized for their specific purposes. They ship about 90% of global trade. But change is also necessary. The largest ships have used the same fuels for decades. These fuels, which together are known as bunker, are the residual results of refining oil for other fuels and products. Bunker is less expensive than other fuels, but it is also literally heavier (some grades need to be heated in order to move through a fuel system), and it is certainly polluting. Bunker fuel is carbon-rich, and it is naturally laden with other pollutants such as mercury and sulfur, though new regulation has significantly curtailed the latter. The most important finding is that while fuel oil is the undisputed industry standard today, shippers see no standardized fuel choice by mid-century. A suite of fuels, from liquefied natural gas to methane to ammonia, are all viewed as more or less equally viable at scale. Some other fuels, such as hydrogen, could play a role, but are likely to be niche. Nuclear power, already used for military applications, could play a role but probably not a major one. A new industry study shows how ship-owners think about their own future, and the answers are instructive. A joint study from the Global Maritime Forum, the Global Centre for MaritimeDecarbonisation, and the Mrsk Mc-Kinney Mller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping highlights steps that are being taken today, and suggests ways in which the industry might change. Also Read How shipping industry is trying to clean up its biggest, dirtiest problem Airbus developing hydrogen-powered fuel cell engine for zero emission plain Russia's nuclear fuel firm busy 'breeding' new kinds of fuels, technology Global shipping growth at risk from economic gloom, says UNCTAD Will renewable energy stocks keep your portfolio green? Meta gears up for fine and ban in clash over EU-US data transfers Credit Suisse employee bonuses tied to AT1 bonds were also wiped out Pak PM Shehbaz reiterates support for one China policy amid Taiwan tension Federal appeals court rejects Trump effort to block Pence testimony China's CPEC railway to Pakistan to cost $57.7 billion: Feasibility study That is where other innovations will be necessary: low-carbon fuels (such as biodiesel and ammonia made using renewable electricity) and alternative power sources (such as electricity generated on-ship by wind or solar power). Here, the industrys experience to date is quite mixed. Another important finding is that the industrys decarbonization efforts today are mostly about efficiency doing the same activity with less conventional fuel. Those measures include activities such as routing vessels for better weather, improving the efficiency of hulls and propellers, and improving operations in the engine room. All good, but efficiency gains do not change fuels, or emissions from burning them. Half of the shipping companies in the industry study have deployed low-carbon fuels in some form, mostly in early-stage pilots. Only 35% had no adoption of low-carbon fuels at all. However, only 4% of companies had piloted alternative power sources, with half of companies planning (but not yet piloting) and more than a third with no adoption whatsoever. Still, it will be shipowners and operators who chart the course. China, Korea, and Japan dominate shipbuilding, with companies such as Daewoo, Samsung, Hyundai, and Mitsubishi maintaining global reach. Decisions made by any one of these highly competitive companies would urge others to follow suit. Similarly, ship operators such as Maersk, MSC, or Cosco could also use their clout to make fuel choices that will require their peers to catch up. A final finding is important. Shipping is a regulated global industry, and its owners and operators are hardly unaware of the need to significantly decarbonize. The study not surprisingly finds that the single biggest determinant of shipping decarbonization will be what regulators require of the industry. Yes, regulations and emissions standards will be essential, but company-level action will most likely determine the shipping industrys complex future fuel mix. Britain will have to bear full responsibility for its decision to supply depleted uranium shells to Ukraine, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Peskov said on Wednesday that when such weaponry was previously used by NATO in Yugoslavia, it resulted in devastating consequences, including a rise in oncological and other diseases, Xinhua news agency reported. Those who use this ammunition must understand that they will "cause irreparable harm to themselves and their citizens" and ultimately bear full responsibility for their actions, he added. The spokesman made the remarks a day after British Minister of State for the Armed Forces, James Heappey, confirmed that Britain had already sent "thousands of shells for Challenger 2 tanks, including depleted uranium munitions" to Kiev. --IANS int/khz/ Also Read Government receives dividend tranches from PSUs, NPCIL, UCIL, HAL Kim Jong-un wants North Korea to make more nuclear material for bombs G-7 price ceiling on Russian oil not low enough to hit Kremlin's revenues Vladimir Putin is open to talks and diplomacy on Ukraine, says Kremlin Central African Republic seeks Indian investors to mine gold, uranium More than 10K people enter Egypt in 5 days as violence in Sudan continues Facebook parent Meta posts solid Q1 results, revenue up 3%; stock soars US bans Sri Lankan Governor's entry for 'violation of human rights' China's Covid-19 cover-up had huge help from Western elites: Report Twitter relaxes cannabis ad rules to lure in more advertisers from US The United States on Thursday banned the Governor of North Western Province in Sri Lanka, Wasantha Karannagoda and his family from entering the country over gross violation of Human Rights, the US State Department said in a release. "The United States is designating Wasantha Karannagoda, Governor of North Western Province in Sri Lanka, pursuant to Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2023, due to his involvement in a gross violation of human rights during his tenure as a Naval Commander," the US State Department said in a release. "The United States is designating Sri Lankan Governor and retired Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda for a gross violation of human rights. The United States continues to seek truth and justice for victims of the Sri Lankan civil war," State Secretary Antony Blinken tweeted. "As a result of today's action, Karannagoda and his wife, Srimathi Ashoka Karannagoda, are ineligible for entry into the United States," the release stated further. The US State Department release said, "The allegation that Wasantha Karannagoda committed a gross human rights violation, documented by NGOs and independent investigations, is serious and credible." By designating Wasantha Karannagoda, the United States reaffirms its commitment to upholding human rights, ending impunity for human rights violators, acknowledging the suffering of victims and survivors, and promoting accountability for perpetrators in Sri Lanka, the release read. Also Read EAM discuss cooperation in infra, connectivity with Lankan counterpart Wickremesinghe hopeful of resolving problems faced by ethnic Tamils Sri Lanka concludes debt restructuring talks with Japan: Wickremesinghe India will help Sri Lanka in oil sector despite recent changes: Officials EAM likely to visit Lanka on Jan 19; talks on debt restructuring expected China's Covid-19 cover-up had huge help from Western elites: Report Twitter relaxes cannabis ad rules to lure in more advertisers from US Fox News to hand over documents for second voting machine lawsuit Standard Charted posts surprise 21% rise in profit on high interest rates Nomura Holdings' profit sinks 76% as banking turmoil hits trading The bilateral relationship between the United States and the Sri Lankan government is based on 75 years of shared history, values, and a commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, the release read further. "As we continue to build our bilateral relationship, we are committed to working with the Sri Lankan government on advancing justice, accountability, and reconciliation, including promoting security reform that maintains human rights at the forefront while ensuring Sri Lanka has the resources and training to properly address emerging security concerns," the release stated. The British company said it had conducted a rigorous internal and external search before choosing the insider, who has been chief financial officer since 2018. Vodafone confirmed interim chief executive officer Margherita Della Valle to the role on Thursday, saying she impressed the company's board with her "pace and decisiveness to begin the necessary transformation" of the mobile operator. "To realise our potential Vodafone needs to change," she said in a statement. "We know we can do better. My focus will be to improve the service for our customers, simplify our business and grow." She stepped into the top role on an interim basis after Nick Read left in December, when he said it was the right moment for a new leader. Shares in Vodafone were trading up 1.2% at 95 pence after the announcement. Della Valle's strongest backers included Vodafone's institutional investors, such as the company's biggest shareholder, Emirates Investment Authority, which has built up a 14.6% stake, a source told Reuters. Also Read Vodafone to hand over pink slips to 'several hundred' employees: Report Vodafone Idea's fundraising put on hold as govt delays equity call India gives $2 million to African Union Transition Mission in Somalia Abolish veto rights or give them to new permanent members in UNSC: India Airtel Q2 revenue may grow 21% YoY; Vodafone could lose 4 mn subscribers GAP job cuts will eliminate about 1,800 positions as part of restructuring First Republic stuck between US, banks as both sides try to avoid losses Shipping has largely relied on one fuel. It now needs many: Sparklines Meta gears up for fine and ban in clash over EU-US data transfers Credit Suisse employee bonuses tied to AT1 bonds were also wiped out The world population is growing, as is the demand for food. To tackle the climate crisis, the world needs both agricultural land and surfaces for the deployment of photovoltaics (PV). In line with the zeitgeist, agricultural PV brings together both worlds: agriculture and renewable power generation. Solar modules built over fields can transport us into the new energy world faster, all the while protecting important agricultural yields. This is why Intersolar Europe The worlds leading exhibition for the solar industry will be focusing on the topic. Together with the French-German Office for Energy Transition (DFBEW), Intersolar Europe will be presenting new business models and best practices from France and Germany. Agricultural PV is also on the agenda of the Intersolar Europe Conference. Intersolar Europe will be held as part of The smarter E Europe, the continents largest platform for the energy industry, from June 14 to 16, 2023 in Munich. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005413/en/ Trend topic Agrivoltaics will be presented at Intersolar Europe 2023 in Munich, Germany. (Photo: Solar Promotion GmbH) Agrivoltaics is currently trending. Agrivoltaics projects are demonstrating how the generation of solar power and agriculture can go hand in hand and benefit from each other and how the conflict over available surfaces can be cleverly solved. Renewable electricity for decentralized self-consumption is a great opportunity for agricultural operations adding solar installations to their assets. It allows them to use the renewable power generated on their land and reduce their bills for grid-supplied electricity. If they have excess electricity, they can sell it, which provides an additional source of income. Whats more, agricultural PV installations can boost resilience and increase the yield of agricultural operations because solar modules offer protection against heavy rain, hail or drought for fruit and special crops. Europe recognizes potential In many European countries, more and more farmers and political decision-makers are recognizing the potential of agricultural PV. Italy, for instance, recently passed new regulations that determine which agricultural PV installations are eligible for funding from a government incentive program with a scope of 1.1 billion euros, giving a boost to innovative agricultural PV installations. While Germany is testing agricultural PV in combination with the cultivation of apples, for example, in Gelsdorf in Rhineland Palatinate, France has started installing solar modules over rows of vines. With tractor and tracker trend towards dual use Covering crops with raised solar modules as French winegrowers are doing now is particularly interesting because it is favorable for winegrowing, as well as for fruit, berries or herbs, and any plants that prefer partial shade. Furthermore, solar roofs can replace conventional hail netting or polytunnels, and they protect the crops from drying out. Integrating solar installations into agriculture opens up many areas of application. Free-standing solar installations on fields and meadows can also be equipped with trackers that follow the course of the sun, which increases the yield compared with conventional, fixed modules, by around 20 percent. The solar panels can also be moved out of the way of any working agricultural machinery. Agri PV: Hot topic at Intersolar Europe To learn all there is to know about solar power generation in agriculture, join us at Intersolar Europe. The session Agricultural PV in France and Germany: Potential, Business Models and Best Practice (Agri-PV in Deutschland und Frankreich: Potenziale, Geschaftsmodelle und Best Practices) on June 15 at 3:20pm CEST at the Intersolar Forum will be presenting an extensive overview of solutions and applications that already work. An even more hands-on experience will be offered by many exhibitors, such as BayWa r.e. AG, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), Next2Sun GmbH, Goldbeck Solar GmbH, SunFarming GmbH and many more. The program of the Intersolar Europe Conference will be looking into agricultural PV one day before the start of the exhibition itself. Experts will be discussing the potential of solar power in agriculture. Intersolar Europe will be held from June 1416, 2023 as part of The smarter E Europe 2023 at Messe Munchen. Over 85,000 visitors from all corners of the globe are expected to attend. More than 2,200 exhibitors across 17 exhibition halls covering 180,000 square meters will be waiting for them. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005413/en/ Ferdinand Ngo Ngo et le president du Tchad CRTV Heads of state willing to further strengthen relations, says Cameroonian presidential official KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - Chad and Cameroon have agreed to resolve their dispute over assets belonging to a multinational oil giant, Exxon Mobil, an official said Wednesday. Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, a Cameroonian presidential official, announced this after a meeting with Chads transitional president, Mahamat Idriss Deby, in the capital N'Djamena, according to Chad Information Agency. The centuries-old relations between our two countries, which have always been excellent remain the same" and the two heads of state are willing to continue to work to strengthen these relations for the well-being of their states and their peoples, Ngoh was quoted as saying. Some misunderstandings have been dispelled and there is really no cloud in the relationship between Cameroon and Chad. Ngoh, who visited the country as a special envoy, days after Chad recalled its ambassador to the neighboring country over the dispute, handed Deby a message of friendship, a message of fraternity" from his counterpart Paul Biya. Chad recalled its ambassador to Cameroon on April 21 amid a dispute over assets belonging to a multinational oil giant, Exxon Mobil, which the Chadian government nationalized. Last month, the Chadian government nationalized assets of Exxon Mobil which include the companys interest in the more than 1,000 km (621 miles) Chad-Cameroon pipeline from Chad to the Atlantic Gulf of Guinea coast used to export crude. The controversial move came months after ExxonMobil had in December closed the sale of its operations in Chad and Cameroon to British-listed Africa-focused oil and gas energy company, Savannah Energy, in a $407 million deal. The sale was contested by the Chadian military government. Chad was infuriated over reports that Savannah Energy had decided to sell its 10% stake in a company that controls the Cameroonian section of the Chad-Cameroon oil export pipeline to Cameroon state oil company, at $44.9 million -- which the Chadian authorities were against. The Chadian presidency accused the Cameroonian authorities of being dishonest in negotiations aimed to resolve the disputes regarding the acquisition of the assets of ExxonMobil by Savannah Energy. Gali Ngothe Gatta, a Chad presidential official, had warned that the dispute undermines relations between the two countries and could have consequences on economic and political cooperation. James Tasamba/AA Telangana 2023: The Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education (TSBIE) is all set to declare the TS Inter Result 2023 for both 1st and 2nd year students. According to media reports, the board is expected to announce the results by the end of this week or by the first week of May. Over 9 lakh students appeared for the Telangana Intermediate Exams 2023 this year. Students can check their TS Inter Result 2023 for 1st and 2nd year on the official website of TSBIE - tsbie.cgg.gov.in. To check the result, students need to enter their registration information and admit card details. The steps to check the result are simple and can be done by following the instructions provided on the official website. To check the TS Inter Result 2023, students need to visit the official website and click on the 'TS Inter results 2023' link. They will be directed to a new page where they need to choose the exam year and stream. After that, they need to enter their hall ticket number and submit the credentials. The result will be displayed on the screen, and students can download and take a printout of it for future reference. It is advisable for students to keep visiting the official website for updates and information related to the TS Inter Result 2023. The marksheet obtained after the declaration of the result will be an important document for students, and they should keep it safe until they receive the original marksheet from the board. Students who have appeared for the Telangana Intermediate Exams 2023 should keep an eye on the official website of TSBIE for the announcement of their TS Inter Result 2023. With the results expected to be declared soon, students should be ready with their registration information and admit card details to check their marks without any hassle Motor Image has finally launched the all-new Subaru Crosstrek at one of its markets, signaling its imminent launch in the next few months in... Heidelberg Materials acquires The SEFA Group Inc 27 April 2023 Heidelberg Materials has agreed to acquire The SEFA Group, Inc, the largest recycler of harvested fly ash for use in concrete products in the USA. Based in Lexington, South Carolina, The SEFA Group currently supplies fly ash to over 800 concrete plants across 13 states. According to Heidelberg Materials, the reuse of fly ash from energy generation in alternative products such as composite cements strengthens circularity within its value chain with the addition of fly ash as secondary cementitious material (SCM) helping to reduce the CO 2 intensity of concrete. Fostering circularity by increasing the use of by-products and recycled materials from other industrial sectors is an essential part of our strategy, said Dr Dominik von Achten, chairman, Heidelberg Materials. Our focus is rapidly and significantly reducing our CO 2 emissions and The SEFA Group will make an outstanding contribution in this regard to our US business. For more than 40 years, The SEFA Group has supplied quality fly ash to the ready-mixed concrete industry and provided technology and services to the construction materials and other industrial sectors. It has developed the most advanced technology to process ash from storage ponds and currently processes about 1Mta of pond ash. Both parties have agreed to not disclose the financial terms of the transaction, which is due to close in June this year. Published under Sheriff Austin Garrett said a big pay increase for county officers and jailers has finally brought stability to the department. As of last Oct. 5, starting salary for sworn corrections employees was raised to $50,000 and the pay for sworn and certified employees increased to $51,500. "We only lost four out of the jail this year," the sheriff told members of the County Commission at budget hearings. On the patrol side, he said the Sheriff's Office is now getting recruits from other departments instead of losing trained employees to other agencies. He said since the pay hike was put into effect we are net 15 employees - instead of falling further behind on staffing. By October, he said he expects he will be able to announce that all budgeted positions at the jail will be filled. Sheriff Garrett said, "Because of the raise, we have stopped the attrition in the corrections department." Criminal Court Clerk Vince Dean said his office needs such a big pay increase. He said the starting pay is $28,500, and "I can't get people to work at that rate. There's no way." He wants to raise the starting pay to $38,500. Mr. Dean said it was the first time in his nine years he had asked for such an increase. He said clerks in Metro Nashville start at $40,000. The local increase would affect 17 employees. Sam Mairs, Juvenile Court administrator, said there is a dire need for a pay increase for Juvenile Court detention officers. He said the court earlier gave $4,000 raises after getting approval from the county mayor. However, he said the increases should be $10,000 in order to help retain detention officers. Mr. Mairs said with the current low pay "We've been hanging on with our teeth." He said 30 detention officers are needed, and currently there are 25. Election Administrator Scott Allen went before the commission seeking $500,000 to double the paved parking area at the election office off Amnicola Highway. He did so though County Mayor Weston Wamp did not feel it was a priority - given the relatively few times the parking lot overflowed. Mr. Allen said a part of the project would be a new exit that he said would enhance traffic flow. He said during times of heavy voting that cars overfill the lot and begin parking on nearby grassy areas. He said in 2020 there was heavy rain, causing a number of vehicles to get stuck. He said that cost a number of voters a towing fee. We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. -John Adams The founding fathers gave us the miracle of the American foundingour system of limited government, federalism, and guaranteed republican structures. Churches Are Failing As the second president observed in the above quote, our remarkable governmental structure alone cannot secure prosperity. Religion has been instrumental in fostering the virtues underpinning a republican government, most notably self-governance at the individual level. For generations, religious institutions have instilled the moral principles that the founders deemed indispensable for citizens. Yet, for decades now, these institutions have been faltering in their crucial role, regardless of faith or denomination. It is essential that citizens, religious leaders, and congregations acknowledge the issues and engage in candid, open discussions to address them. At various points of a civilization's progression, there comes a time when the once-vibrant institutions that nurtured its moral and ethical sensibilities begin to wither. We are living through such a time. America's churches, those bastions of faith and community that once held a nearly ubiquitous presence in the hearts and minds of the citizenry, now find themselves in the throes of decline and rejection. This waning influence of churches on communities and society can be attributed to a myriad of factors. First, let's look at some of the unknowing architects of the spiritual and moral crisis we now inhabit: Many (certainly not all) of the pastors, preachers, and ministers of the nation. Since at least the 1970s, many church leaders have sacrificed their sacred responsibilities and calling in pursuit of popularity, attendance, and any number of worldly desires, that have also been pursuits in popular culture of the time. As a result, they compromised their sermons and messages, neglecting their essential roles as moral and spiritual teachers, leaders, guides, and, when necessary, correctors and repudiators of their congregations and individuals. Consequently, too many Christians have mistakenly believed that Christianity is an easy path, a simple hop, skip, and jump down the straight and narrow. But let's be honest: that's not how it's supposed to work. Respect and love ought to be extended also to those who think or act differently than we do in social, political, and even religious matters. In fact, the more deeply we come to understand their ways of thinking through such courtesy and love, the more easily we will be able to enter into dialogue with them. [1/3] -Pope Paul VI The fallout of this ego-driven approach has reverberated throughout church communities. Instead of challenging their congregations to dig deeper and grow in their faith, pastors have sought to appease them with feel-good sermons that require little introspection, critical self-examination, or personal commitment. By failing to challenge their congregations, many pastors have inadvertently lowered the bar for what it means to live a virtuous Christian life. This has bred a culture of complacency and judgment, where the faithful are more concerned with pointing fingers at others than examining their shortcomings (individually or collectively within the church community) and looking inward or growing beyond cynicism. The ripple effects of this shift have been disastrous, transforming entire congregations from forces for social good into judgmental, self-righteous observers. Instead of focusing on their own growth and discipleship, they direct their energies outward, passing harsh judgments on those who do not adhere to their subjective standards. Many of these judgments disregard the fact that everyone is on a spiritual journey. These judgments made based on a snapshot during those journeys are rarely kind or accurate. This love and goodwill, to be sure, must in no way render us indifferent to truth and goodness. Indeed, love itself impels the disciples of Christ to speak the saving truth to all men. But it is necessary to distinguish between error, which always merits repudiation, and the person in error, who never loses the dignity of being a person even when he is flawed by false or inadequate notions. God alone is the judge and searcher of hearts, for that reason, He forbids us to make judgments about the internal guilt of anyone. -Pope Paul VI Today, too many self-proclaimed "good Christians" venture out into the world, carrying with them a distorted and misguided sense of their own righteousness. Rather than acting as role models and examples, hypocrisy and judgmental attitudes repel those who might otherwise be drawn to the church. And worse, those who desperately need it. Perhaps the most recent and widespread visible show of hypocrisy, politicians and elected officials are no longer held to account for their character, innumerable lies, or any other moral failing. Instead, they are held to account for their ability to pander to the lowest instincts of their constituents and what some call fighting. One of the more insidious consequences is that lies and deception are not only tolerated but often embraced as the new normal. Christian voters' blindness to deep character failings and acceptance of lies has contributed to the erosion of societal value in truth and integrity so much that it is difficult to overstate. Finally, there is the decline of local churches as civic bodies for engagement and as institutions that foster individual accountability to oneself, to family, to neighbors, and to communities; Man accountable to his fellow man. Instead of love for thy neighbor, apathy, or worse, antipathy, seems to be the new normal. The loss of fellow feeling and civic engagement, which is nearly as dire as the church's decline as a primary source of values and moral instruction, leaves a gaping void in the heart of our nation. The slide into irrelevance for religious institutions, the spiritual decline of individuals, and the battles over moral questions that roil the nation will continue until religious leaders, congregations, and citizens of all faiths wake up and address it. Kenya launches Chinese language training program for disciplined forces Xinhua) 13:37, April 27, 2023 NAIROBI, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The inaugural Chinese language training program tailor-made for the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) was launched Wednesday in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, marking a significant milestone in efforts to enhance Sino-Kenyan cultural ties. Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Zhou Pingjian said the launch of the first Chinese language training program for disciplined forces was a giant step toward strengthening bonds of friendship and mutual understanding between Chinese and Kenyan citizens. Zhou added that by embracing the Chinese language, Kenya's disciplined forces will act as a bridge for promoting people-to-people exchanges while injecting vitality into the existing bilateral cooperation. Conceived in March through a partnership between the University of Nairobi's Confucius Institute and Kenya Defense Forces School of Education and Languages, the inaugural Chinese language training program has already enlisted 26 soldiers drawn from diverse cadres. The year-long course aims to improve Chinese language proficiency among Kenya's disciplined forces, expose them to the Asian nation's culture and place them at the heart of efforts to foster cultural diplomacy. Besides undertaking the one-year intensive Chinese language course from Monday to Friday, the 26 military soldiers will be visiting the University of Nairobi's Confucius Institute on a weekly basis to experience Chinese culture, including opera, calligraphy and martial arts. Currently, the soldiers are finalizing the level one syllabus of the Chinese language proficiency course, and will soon enroll for level two by December. They are expected to take the new Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK 3) and those who excel will be eligible for further studies in China. Fredrick Leuria, the assistant chief of the KDF in charge of Operations, Planning, Doctrine and Training, hailed the launch of the first Chinese language training program for the disciplined forces, adding that it will elevate China-Kenya diplomatic ties to a new level. Leuria urged men and women in uniform to strive for proficiency in spoken and written Mandarin since it will improve their competence in a rapidly globalizing workplace. The launch was attended by senior Kenyan military officials, cadets and tutors. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) A 44-year-old Tiptonville man has been sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for the illegal take of a bald eagle. Jason Perkins was also in illegal possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. Following the prison sentence, Perkins will face an additional three years of supervised federal probation. TWRA Executive Director Jason Maxedon said, The partnership between Lake County Sheriffs office, Tennessee Bureau of Investigations, U.S. Marshal Service, Department of Corrections, TWRA, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service highlights how dedicated individuals can protect and manage wildlife species for the benefit of all Tennesseans. We are proud to see justice served today thanks to the hard work of those individuals. On March 21, 2021, officers with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency received reports of a dead bald eagle in Tiptonville. TWRA wildlife officers and United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) agents interviewed witnesses that led to the execution of search warrants on Perkins home and another warrant on his fathers residence. Officers determined that Perkins had shot the bald eagle and was convicted of previous felony offenses. Firearms were recovered during the search warrants. The illegal take of a bald eagle violates numerous federal statutes including the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Georgia Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson said Thursday that Dalton recorded an unemployment rate of 4.2 percent in March, up two-tenths of a percentage point over the month. A year ago, the rate was 3.5 percent. In addition to consistently low unemployment numbers, Georgia Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson celebrated 100 days in office on April 22, 2023. During this time, the commissioner's administration has been laser-focused on modernizing the departments UI system and operations, which will expedite claims and reduce fraud. This past week, our agency reached an important milestone 100 days in office, said Commissioner Bruce Thompson. Although we continue enjoying record-low unemployment numbers and jobs at an all-time high, our team is laser-focused on meeting future demands. Its not a matter of if claims will increase, but when. The agencys new efficiency measures and progress toward modernization will ensure we are ready and well-positioned to help Georgians when they need it most. The labor force increased in Dalton by 214 and ended the month with 59,036. That number decreased by 102 when compared to March of 2022. Dalton finished the month with 56,554 employed residents. That number increased by 102 over the month and went down by 543 when compared to the same time a year ago. Dalton ended March with 67,700 jobs. That number went up by 100 from February to March and increased by 800 when compared to this time last year. In March, initial unemployment claims decreased by 12 percent in Dalton. When you compare March 2023 claims to March 2022, claims were up by about 33 percent. Chattanooga firefighters will be showing their support for the Muscular Dystrophy Association this week, raising critical funds with the Fill the Boot campaign. Members of the CFD will be out at various locations across the area on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Last year, the Chattanooga Fire Department raised more than $33,000 thanks to fundraising efforts and support from the community. For 69 years, firefighters have stood on the front lines to help MDA raise critical funds to ensure that effective treatments and therapies are found for neuromuscular diseases. Every dollar in the boot provides hope and contributes to life-changing progress for MDA families. In the last several years,19 FDA-approved drugs/treatments have been made available to help slow the progression and, in some cases, even stop the symptoms of certain neuromuscular diseases. MDA provides kids ages 8-17 the opportunity to attend an in-person Summer Camp of their choice at no cost to their families, as well as a virtual options. MDA supports the largest network of care centers institutions, providing families with the highest quality care from the best doctors around the country. For more than 10 years, Cleveland State Community College Workforce Development Department has partnered with City Fields to provide workforce training opportunities to the community. Originally named Impact Cleveland, City Fields combined with The Refuge and has a mission to be a catalyst for change in Clevelands most overlooked neighborhoods. Together, Cleveland States Workforce Development and City Fields have provided Metal Inert Gas (MIG) welding bootcamps each year. The 40-hour bootcamp provides American Welding Society (AWS) certification for students along with training on soft skills, resume writing and interviewing. The partnership expanded in 2022 with HVAC bootcamps. This 80-hour bootcamp is taught in the Cleveland State HVAC Lab at the PIE Center in Cleveland and provides Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certification. We at City Fields are excited about our ongoing partnership with Cleveland State, said Dustin Tommey, City Fields Executive Director. It allows us to continue to provide job training to overlooked populations, empowering them to move forward with dignity, pride and hope. This year, the partnership has expanded to include the Bradley County Sheriffs Office. Cleveland State Workforce Development, City Fields and the Bradley County Sheriffs Office are collaborating on two new programs for justice involved individuals. A Construction Technology Bootcamp will start in May at the PIE Center, and a Culinary Bootcamp started in April at the Bradley County Justice Center. The culinary bootcamps are being offered to inmates within the Bradley County Justice Center. This 40-hour program utilizes the onsite kitchen at the justice center. At the completion of the bootcamp, the students will earn the ServSafe Food Handler industry certification. With a culinary background, Kezmond Pugh is the instructor for this program. He said, I have fallen in love with it. Not only are we teaching, but we are also pouring in to the students. Helping them build value back; that is my number one goal. You can leave with a certificate, but if you hit the street ready and knowing that you are valued, you might go a little further. Bradley County Sheriff Steve Lawson, said, We set the precedent for the state with everybody working together - Cleveland State, City Fields and the Bradley County Sheriffs Office. Everybody is on the same page. Nobody is being greedy; nobody wants to take all the accolades for this. We all want this community to get better as a whole. The Construction Technology Bootcamp is open to people who are justice involved. The 150-hour program provides four industry certifications: CPR, OSHA 10, NCCER Core and Forklift Certification. The Southeast Tennessee Development District (SETDD) has provided funding for these two new programs with a Justice Involved Initiative (JII) grant while the MIG Welding and HVAC Bootcamps receive grant dollars via the local American Job Centers. City Fields is partnering to make these new programs a success with soft skills workshops, orientations, in-take and screening of participants. We are grateful for partnerships with the Bradley County Sheriff's Office, City Fields, SETDD and the American Job Centers, said Dr. Ty Stone, Cleveland State President. Our collaboration plays an integral role in strengthening re-entry and justice involved training programs. The entire community benefits when we expand and deepen our network of workforce and community partners. For more information about these partnerships or bootcamps, contact Cleveland State Director of Workforce Development, Heather Brown, hbrown@clevelandstatecc.edu or (423) 614-8793. 5/2/2023 In June Shakerag Workshops will begin its 20th season of arts workshops for adults on the mountain. Taking place on the campus of St. Andrews-Sewanee School, Shakerag will welcome artists from ... more The Board of Parole, Tennessee Department of Correction, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and Tennessee Rehabilitative Initiative in Correction (TRICOR) are honoring victims of crime this Friday at 11 a.m., with a ceremonial dove release at Walker Pavilion at Coolidge Park, 120 River St. in Chattanooga, to close National Crime Victims Rights Week, April 23-29.Crime victim and advocate Carol Akers, who lost her son due to an impaired driver in 2014 in Dickson County, will be the keynote speaker.The state agencies will be presenting her a Voice for Victims Award for her victim advocacy work with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and the Montgomery County Traffic Safety task force.Ms.Akers counsels and supports other victims of vehicular homicide with impairment while they are going through the difficult court/trial process. She speaks at victim impact panels, schools, teen safety driving courses and drug coalitions with the goal of preventing impaired driving. Special agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have arrested and charged a Crossville man, accused of illegally possessing a firearm, during the ongoing investigation into the shooting death of his wife. At the request of 13th Judicial District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway, TBI special agents joined the Cumberland County Sheriffs Office in investigating the death of 52-year-old Terri Loretta Pitton on Tuesday. Authorities found her with a gunshot wound at the couples home in the 700 block of Brown Road in Crossville. She subsequently died from her injuries. Authorities later determined Ms. Pittons husband, Donald Wayne Jackson, has a felony criminal history and should not have firearms. On Wednesday, agents arrested and charged Jackson, 38, with one count of unlawful carrying or possession of a firearm. Authorities subsequently booked him into the Cumberland County Jail on $20,00 bond. The investigation into Ms. Pittons death remains active. Newly appointed District Attorney Clayton M. Fuller for the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit completed trial terms in Catoosa County and Dade County. The first trial term took place in Catoosa County from March 6-23 and the second trial term took place in Dade County from April 3-26. Over the course of the trial term, the Catoosa County office tried six cases and secured convictions in cases raging from malice murder to rape to child molestation to trafficking in methamphetamine. The office secured four life sentences and with two other sentences being for 40 years. The trial teams were led by Chief Assistant District Attorney Kevin Baugh and Assistant District Attorneys Beth Evans, Deanna Reisman, and David Wolfe. Beth Evans leads our Catoosa County office and put our team in a position to be successful this term, said District Attorney Fuller. Im so grateful to her impressive leadership and Id like to thank our prosecutors, victim advocates, administrative staff, investigators, and law enforcement partners for their dedication to making our communities safer in Catoosa County. The trial teams went up against tough defense counsels, but we have some of the best litigators in the state in our office evidenced by the work that ADAs Reisman and Wolfe did this term. Id put them up against anyone in the state and expect justice. In State v. Gravitt, the defendant was found guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a knife during the commission of a felony. The defendant murdered the victim by stabbing him to death after the defendant had used methamphetamine. He was sentenced to life in prison by Judge Kristina Cook Graham. In State v. Jonathan Harold Brown, the defendant was found guilty of trafficking methamphetamine when he fled from police at speeds in excess of 100 mph. After he was stopped by law enforcement, a backpack that had been in the defendants possession was found to contain two pounds of methamphetamine. Brown was sentenced to serve 40 years in prison by Judge Brian House. In State v. Michael Shane Cramer, the defendant was found guilty of child molestation. Judge Don W. Thompson sentenced him to 40 years in prison. In State v. James Edward Carroll, the defendant was convicted following a two-day trial before Judge Brian House of multiple counts of rape and child molestation stemming from years of sexual abuse of female family members from each generation of his family since the 1980s. his step-great-granddaughter that began when she was six years old. Evidence presented at trial showed that Carroll had molested additional minor female family members from each generation of his family since the 1980s. Carroll received a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. Over the course of the trial term in Dade County the office tried five cases and secured convictions in cases ranging from malice murder to aggravated assault. The trial teams were led by Chief Assistant District Attorney Kevin Baugh and Assistant District Attorneys Jennifer Hartline and Katie Wright. DA Fuller stated, Jennifer Hartline runs our Dade County office and did an incredible job ensuring all of the cases on the calendar were ready to go to trial. ADA Wright prepped several cases for trial and did an outstanding job fighting for justice in some tough cases. Our Dade County law enforcement partners are dedicated professionals who put together strong cases for us to prosecute. In State v. Roger Allen Shrader, the defendant was found guilty of malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault for the brutal murder of his mother who he assaulted with a machete and a mattock to the point of near-decapitation. Shrader has not been sentenced at this time, but under Georgia law, Shrader faces a minimum sentence of life in prison. In State v. Jacob William Dalton, the defendant was found guilty during a bench trial before Judge Brian House of aggravated assault, family violence and cruelty to children in the third degree. Evidence showed that the defendant got into an argument with his girlfriend while in a car driving down the road. The victim was driving and the defendant was in the backseat behind the victim. The defendant began strangling the victim while the victim was driving down the road. The victims daughter was present in the car, witnessed the act of violence, and tried to stop the defendant. Judge House sentenced the defendant to serve six years in the Department of Corrections. DA Fuller said, I want to thank my entire team. Our prosecutors, victim advocates, investigators, and administrative professionals are the best in the state Fuller stated. Our teams first two trial terms under my leadership clearly show that if you hurt someone in our community or are trafficking poison on our Main Streets - Were your huckleberry. During the last 100 years Dr. Lee Roberson had great impact on the Chattanooga Christian Community. The world-renowned preacher died April 29,, 2007, at the age of 97. Tennessee Temple students and church friends remember him as a man theyll never forget although hes been gone 16 years. Dr. Robersons most famous slogan is Everything rises and falls on leadership. In a 1975 interview with former student Mike Royer, Dr. Roberson didnt remember when he coined that phrase but said he strongly believed it. In that same interview, Dr. Roberson said he always gave an invitation to accept Christ at the end of each sermon; saying thats the most important part of my ministry. Dr. Roberson was born in English, Indiana, in a two-room house with no electricity. At the age of 14, the dynamic preacher accepted Christ as his Savior at the Cedar Creek Baptist Church a few miles from Louisville, Kentucky. He was called to preach at the age of 18. Dr. Robersons first pastoring job was in Germantown, Tennessee near Memphis where he spent a year. While there, Dr. Roberson visited and taught at the famous Bellevue Baptist Church were Dr. R.G Lee was pastor. Dr. Roberson met his wife Caroline in Birmingham, Alabama while speaking at a revival meeting and they got married in 1937. The Robersons had four children, Johnny, Lee Anne, June and Joy. The fourth child named Joy died from a crib death and, after purchasing 66 acres on Lake Chickamauga for $3,000; the pastor established Camp Joy for boys and girls naming it in memory of the young baby girl. Dr. Roberson liked to sing and was on staff at WSM radio while pastoring a church near Nashville. Dr. Roberson said he gave up professional singing because it would interfere with his preaching. After pastoring several churches. Dr. Roberson was called to the Highland Park Baptist Church in November 1942 where he served for over 40 years. Dr. Roberson quickly realized a need for a school to train young preachers and missionaries so he started Tennessee Temple. Dr. Roberson met Dr. J.R Faulkner who was pastoring South Rossville Baptist Church and he asked him to teach at Tennessee Temple. The men quickly became good friends. Dr. Faulkner accepted the call to be Highland Park Baptist Church associate pastor and handled the music. Dr. Roberson said he was impressed with Dr. Faulkners attention to details. In the late 60s, some Tennessee Temple students came to Dr. Roberson wanting to establish a Christian radio station and WDYN went on the air. The station has gone through many changes but celebrates its 55th year of broadcasting this year, Chattanooga News Free Press Urban Affairs Editor J.B. Collins wrote a book in 1973 about the Roberson ministry, Get a glimpse of the Worlds Largest Church. When the late reporter turned 100 he said Dr. Roberson was a remarkable man establishing Tennessee Temple Schools to train preachers and missionaries, opening the Union Gospel Mission downtown, a daily radio ministry in addition to nearly 100 chapels in Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama. Mr. Collins said, The church and school are so much a part of Chattanoogas history and Dr. Roberson was responsible for writing a lot of that history. During a visit to the school in 1984, News Free Press Publisher Roy McDonald thanked and praised Dr. Roberson for what hed accomplished while pastor and chancellor of the school. Mr. McDonald said Tennessee Temple was a great resource for finding good employees. I could always depend on them to be on time and work hard; they are a credit to this school and Dr. Roberson. This writer became acquainted with the famous pastor in 1967 when filling in for the morning announcer on WDOD who had called in sick. The station aired Gospel Dynamite at 8:30 and I was three minutes late putting the program on the air. (I had played a long record) A short time after the program was over at 9:00 the phone rang. The voice on the other end was Dr. Roberson, who identifies himself and said Whos speaking. I responded, Earl Freudenberg. He asked the correct time and I gave it to him. He said, Young man, do you know what tine you put our program on the air, (short pause) Dr. Roberson continued, You were three minutes late, Our program starts at 8:30, not a minute early or late. Does this conversation need to go any further? I responded, Oh, no sir. Dr. Roberson said, God Bless you young man and he hung up the phone. I found out quickly, Dr. Roberson said what he meant and meant what he said, one of the reasons his life impacted so many in a positive way. Dr. Robersons favorite Scripture was Romans 8:28, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. His best preacher friend Dr. Lester Roloff said Dr. Roberson really lived by that verse. A local man has been given an eight-year sentence after pleading guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor. Steven Joseph Morgan, 36, appeared Thursday before Criminal Court Judge Amanda Dunn. Authorities said Morgan previously worked for an East Tennessee children's home and for a local Christian ministry. The children's home said he was fired in 2018 after working there for about a year. Prosecutor Charlie Minor said in June of last year that Homeland Security investigators here were contacted by the San Diego office. An undercover agent had been in contact online with someone from this area with an interest in child sexual material. The person was involved with "Frankly Sexual" and "Young Girl With Low Standards" among other online groups. The individual, who was living at the time at the Williamsburg Apartments in Red Bank, reached out to an undercover agent concerning explicit child sex materials. Agents eventually converged on the man's apartment with a search warrant. He was in his car getting ready to leave when agents arrived. Morgan agreed to be interviewed and admitted that he had traded in child pornography. He was found to have hundreds of child sex images as well as numerous videos. Agents were able to identity some of the children in the images and videos. A sentencing hearing will be July 6 at 1:30 p.m. Morgan is asking that he be allowed to serve the time in community corrections rather than go to state prison. The Concurrent Grand Jury was sworn in on Jan. 9 and met between Jan. 16 and April 25 every other Monday and Tuesday, with a day off from hearings on Martin Luther King Day. The other Grand Jury met on the same days in the intervening weeks. Hamilton County has two grand juries; one is called the Grand Jury and one the Concurrent Grand Jury. Both have the same duties and responsibilities. This report represents only the Concurrent Grand Jurys thoughts - the Grand Jury has its own report. Case Presentations and Issues These grand jurors were a heterogeneous group in life experiences, professions, beliefs, ideologies, as well as age differences that spanned several decades. There were 13 of us with five alternates. We were an active group of thinkers and listeners, who questioned the officers who testified, sought clarification from the district attorneys who helped us with legal issues, and aimed to have as much information as needed to make crucial and independent decisions. With every case, we considered the impact on the victims, the accused, the law enforcement personnel, and the public before rendering our decisions. Some decisions were vigorously discussed, but all were unanimous. The jury heard 180 cases, most with 2-5 separate charges, and it returned 125 indictments (true bills), 41 charges by presentment, 16 no bills, and recommended additional charges in two cases. The facts of each case were presented by law enforcement officers from many jurisdictions, including Hamilton County, Chattanooga, Red Bank, Soddy-Daisy, East Ridge, Collegedale, Signal Mountain, Lookout Mountain and Sale Creek. Officers from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the Tennessee Highway Patrol also presented. We heard facts on many different crimes, including first-degree premeditated murder, second degree murder, attempted murder, reckless endangerment, rape, child abuse, aggravated assault, theft, breaking and entering, domestic assault, fraud, false reports to police, criminal simulation, identity theft, many variations of unlawful drug manufacture and sales (some resulting in death or serious injuries, and some with children present), driving under the influence, neighborhood and drive-by shootings, and serious traffic violations resulting in danger to others. The cases were as old as two years or more, and as recent as five days before the CGJ heard the facts. The older cases are often the result of backlogs in the system, a problem that the current District Attorney General Coty Wamp and her assistant district attorneys are working hard to alleviate. This jury appreciates these efforts and understands there are a variety of reasons it might hear a case two or even more years old victims and witnesses died or left the area (even the country), perpetrators fled after the crime and it took time to find them, and evidence sometimes was not available or was unearthed after considerable time had passed. We believe some of the backlog built up in previous years under a different administration, and the reasons are not known to us. But we are optimistic in the current efforts to clear cases and allow victims and those accused of crimes to move forward. Either General Wamp, ADA Tom Landis, or ADA Mike Dowd (the chief homicide prosecutor for Hamilton County) was present for all cases presented to the CGJ. A member of the DAs office is present for all testimony to assist in answering any legal or process questions the jurors have but is not present when we vote to either indict (True Bill) or not indict (No Bill) a case. Nobody other than the grand jurors and the foreman are present for consideration and voting on each case. The staff that handles the order and presentation of witnesses to the CGJ does a good job of coordinating many schedules and contingencies. We are seldom aware of all the scheduling challenges that the officers and the staff face. Don Klasing, CGJ liaison on behalf of the Hamilton County Sheriffs office, and Sgts. April Bolton and Mike Russ of the Chattanooga Police Department are indispensable in their continuing efforts to assure law enforcement officers are in front of the jury to explain their facts and cases. This is no easy task as officers have many duties, time constraints, and emergency situations that sometimes make it difficult to come before the grand jury at a time certain. The CGJ recommends that the staff and officers continue these efforts so there is no (or little) downtime during CGJ sessions. Sgts. Bolton and Russ (as well as others in the various law enforcement departments) sometimes present case facts for officers who could not be in attendance, and the CGJ believes this arrangement is often helpful in preventing lag time, but it does present its own challenges. If an officer testifies for one who cannot attend, the presenter is limited to the facts that are on the face of the original written affidavits, warrants or case reports. If these written materials are thorough and coherent, the presenter can do a good job of outlining the facts and answering any questions we might have. However, if the written reports are lacking or not well-written, then the CGJ might have to ask to delay the charges and ask the original officers to come before it to clarify. Almost always, the original officers can answer the questions we have. The CGJ is impressed with the thoroughness of testifying officers preparations and presentations of the facts of their cases. Although some could be a bit better prepared, the majority do a good job not only in presenting but answering follow-up questions raised by the CGJ. These answers provide both context for law enforcement procedures and clarification of specific case facts. We recommend that all officers remain diligent and trained in what facts the grand juries need to render decisions, and that those facts are presented in clear and understandable language, whether written or verbal. Some of the cases that come before the jury are hard to hear. The CGJ understands that what is difficult for it to hear and consider, is even harder for the law enforcement women and men facing these situations. The CGJ hopes and recommends that informal and formal counseling is made available to anyone in the system who requests or needs it. It knows some such procedures are in place and recommends those be extended and braced up where needed to make access easy and helpful. The CGI shares the very serious concern that the mental health issues of both perpetrators and victims of crimes permeate the day-to-day work of law enforcement and the criminal courts. It recommends ongoing training for officers and other necessary personnel facing the challenges that mental health problems create during responses, investigations, arrests, and victim assistance. It knows that Sheriff Garrett and his staff are working with inmates to assist them with their mental and emotional issues, and that Judge Alex McVeigh and his staff have a mental health court that assists certain defendants with mental health needs. But we recognize that these programs are not resourced or funded as much as everyone wishes they were. However, it appears that the steps for resources, grants, programs, and other assistance are moving in the right direction. We continue to recommend these efforts and their enhancement to the greatest extent possible. Previous grand juries have recommended and we concur that illegal drugs are an obstacle to a well-functioning society. Illegal drugs are killing our citizens, adults and children. And the criminals who sell and buy them are clogging the legal system and using precious law enforcement resources. Illegal drugs raise problems on every level of societal structure. The law enforcement personnel who deal with drug offenses are most aware of the breadth, width, and depth of the problems. The CGJ highly recommends that continuing and additional resources (money and staff) are provided for drug enforcement training, including additional cooperation among municipal, state, and federal agencies. And that law enforcement representatives from all levels of the system continue to talk with citizens whenever possible educating and warning the populous of the ongoing dangers and wasting of life and resources. They see the hard facts and the more they can relay those to the public, the better. It is one thing for us all to read and believe that illegal drugs are a serious problem, but the CGJ this term heard sad and horrific stories, including murder, rape, child abuse, and even child murder resulting from illegal drug crimes. Lives wasted and legal systems slowed down are goals to eliminate. We recognize that doesnt happen all at once but the work should never stop and must be well funded. Other Recommendations: This CGJ (and most other grand juries) have recommended an increase in jury pay and expenses. We understand that daily rates for grand juries in Tennessee are controlled largely by state law, and that our county, at $13 per day, may provide more than most. Our grand jurors also receive free parking while in session. But they must bear the expense of their travel, meals, and other expenses (for instance, childcare). The CGJ recommends an increased daily stipend, and additional monies to cover meals. No grand juror of whom we are aware is looking to make money from this service, but also none want to lose money. Our service is indispensable to our system of law, yet our meeting facilities and electronic support are fairly meager, and at the least, we recommend more remuneration for the grand jurors (who serve for four months). The CGJ highly recommends that the grand jury room be updated the equipment for officers to present demonstrative materials is outdated and often hinders the use of materials that would better assist jurors in our decisions. We need current and better technology larger screens and electronic updates that would allow, for instance, the DA to list the charges, names, places, etc. in a way that all jurors could clearly view. And that would allow the officers to better display pictures, maps, drawings, etc. that they need to best present the facts. CONCLUSION SPEAKERS, VISITS, AND THANKS Unfortunately, we were not able to visit the Silverdale correctional facilities nor the Juvenile Court this term. That was largely the fault of our own scheduling problems. With future grand jury panels, our foreperson intends to make certain the tours of these facilities happen. But Sheriff Austin Garrett did come to us and provided valuable information about the facilities - past, current, and future. He explained how school resource officers and our childrens safety are of paramount interest in his administration, and how the goal is an officer in each school it appears that plan is making good progress. He and his chief of staff Ron Bernard answered numerous questions about the facilities and his administrations plans. We recommend he continue to move forward and that he continue whenever possible to educate the general public about the challenges of and improvements to the Silverdale facilities. In addition to everyone mentioned above, we further thank our Criminal Court Judges Barry Steelman, Boyd Patterson and Amanda Dunn for overseeing the grand juries. They are always there to answer questions and guide us. Their concern for a grand jury that is responsible, capable, and independent is obvious. Judge Dunn was specifically responsible for our CGJ this term, and she provided meaningful information on our duties and responsibilities, as well as helped us understand the courts part in the legal enforcement system. She also gave us needed information on the mental health court she oversees. Her assistance was a great help, particularly to our foreman. We also had a most informative visit from Judge Tom Greenholtz of the Court of Criminal Appeals. Judge Greenholtz had served on the Hamilton County criminal bench for many years before the Governor placed him on the appeals court, so his perspectives were varied and pragmatic. His strong belief in the grand jury system made us even more proud of our responsibilities and enhanced our determination to serve well. Sessions Court Judge Christie Sell is also appreciated and was most informative about her court and its part in how a case comes to the grand jury. She spent a lot of time answering our questions and was both very knowledgeable and down to earth an excellent combination for assisting us in our understanding of the system, and our responsibilities within it. We thank Sgt. April Bolton for arranging for various law enforcement members to talk with us and answer our questions about specific areas drugs, mental health, evidentiary forensics, and alcohol problems and DUIs. Particularly, we thank Officer Ryan Lynn for imparting some of his DUI knowledge and giving a splendid example of how field sobriety tests work with the assistance of two ADAs ADA Darren Gibson received the CGJ Oscar award for his portrayal of heel-to-toe and nystagmus field tests. Chief Duane Schermerhorn of the Lookout Mountain jurisdiction took his time to come down and talk with us. He helped us understand how a municipal court handles criminal matters, and how it all meshes with the downtown courts and the grand jury. That was a new and excellent perspective. All the DAs who worked with us were professional and helpful to our understanding of the law. None of them ever encouraged us to render any certain decision, but rather answered our questions patiently and fairly. We believe the leadership of the office is in solid hands. We would be remiss if we didnt specifically thank ADA Tom Landis (who spent the most time with us) for his wisdom, patience, and knowledge. Every day we met he made our work easier and more pleasant. Hamilton County Circuit Court Clerk Larry Henry and his staff particularly Margo McConnell are responsible for the grand jurors physical well-being and care. They are there from the first day when the jury is impaneled to the last day of service. They provide whatever the jury needs and are always quick responders when we make requests and suggestions. This system would fail without them. If weve forgotten to thank others who assisted or spoke with us through these four months, it is our lack and not theirs and we apologize. * * * Presented by the CGJ Foreman Rosemarie L. Hill on behalf of and with the concurrence of the concurrent grand jurors serving the First Term of 2023 (January-April) Roboticists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart have developed a jellyfish-inspired underwater robot with which they hope one day to collect waste from the bottom of the ocean. The almost noise-free prototype can trap objects underneath its body without physical contact, thereby enabling safe interactions in delicate environments such as coral reefs. Jellyfish-Bot could become an important tool for environmental remediation. Most of the world is covered in oceans, which are unfortunately highly polluted. One of the strategies to combat the mounds of waste found in these very sensitive ecosystems especially around coral reefs is to employ robots to master the cleanup. However, existing underwater robots are mostly bulky with rigid bodies, unable to explore and sample in complex and unstructured environments, and are noisy due to electrical motors or hydraulic pumps. For a more suitable design, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) in Stuttgart looked to nature for inspiration. They configured a jellyfish-inspired, versatile, energy-efficient and nearly noise-free robot the size of a hand. Jellyfish-Bot is a collaboration between the Physical Intelligence and Robotic Materials departments at MPI-IS. A Versatile Jellyfish-like Robotic Platform for Effective Underwater Propulsion and Manipulation was published in Science Advances. To build the robot, the team used electrohydraulic actuators through which electricity flows. The actuators serve as artificial muscles which power the robot. Surrounding these muscles are air cushions as well as soft and rigid components which stabilize the robot and make it waterproof. This way, the high voltage running through the actuators cannot contact the surrounding water. A power supply periodically provides electricity through thin wires, causing the muscles to contract and expand. This allows the robot to swim gracefully and to create swirls underneath its body. When a jellyfish swims upwards, it can trap objects along its path as it creates currents around its body. In this way, it can also collect nutrients. Our robot, too, circulates the water around it. This function is useful in collecting objects such as waste particles. It can then transport the litter to the surface, where it can later be recycled. It is also able to collect fragile biological samples such as fish eggs. Meanwhile, there is no negative impact on the surrounding environment. The interaction with aquatic species is gentle and nearly noise-free, Tianlu Wang explains. He is a postdoc in the Physical Intelligence Department at MPI-IS and first author of the publication. His co-author Hyeong-Joon Joo from the Robotic Materials Department continues: 70% of marine litter is estimated to sink to the seabed. Plastics make up more than 60% of this litter, taking hundreds of years to degrade. Therefore, we saw an urgent need to develop a robot to manipulate objects such as litter and transport it upwards. We hope that underwater robots could one day assist in cleaning up our oceans. Jellyfish-Bots are capable of moving and trapping objects without physical contact, operating either alone or with several in combination. Each robot works faster than other comparable inventions, reaching a speed of up to 6.1 cm/s. Moreover, Jellyfish-Bot only requires a low input power of around 100 mW. And it is safe for humans and fish should the polymer material insulating the robot one day be torn apart. Meanwhile, the noise from the robot cannot be distinguished from background levels. In this way Jellyfish-Bot interacts gently with its environment without disturbing it much like its natural counterpart. The robot consists of several layers: some stiffen the robot, others serve to keep it afloat or insulate it. A further polymer layer functions as a floating skin. Electrically powered artificial muscles known as HASELs are embedded into the middle of the different layers. HASELs are liquid dielectric-filled plastic pouches that are partially covered by electrodes. Applying a high voltage across an electrode charges it positively, while surrounding water is charged negatively. This generates a force between positively-charged electrode and negatively-charged water that pushes the oil inside the pouches back and forth, causing the pouches to contract and relax resembling a real muscle. HASELs can sustain the high electrical stresses generated by the charged electrodes and are protected against water by an insulating layer. This is important, as HASEL muscles were never before used to build an underwater robot. The first step was to develop Jellyfish-Bot with one electrode with six fingers or arms. In the second step, the team divided the single electrode into separated groups to independently actuate them. We achieved grasping objects by making four of the arms function as a propeller, and the other two as a gripper. Or we actuated only a subset of the arms, in order to steer the robot in different directions. We also looked into how we can operate a collective of several robots. For instance, we took two robots and let them pick up a mask, which is very difficult for a single robot alone. Two robots can also cooperate in carrying heavy loads. However, at this point, our Jellyfish-Bot needs a wire. This is a drawback if we really want to use it one day in the ocean, Hyeong-Joon Joo says. Perhaps wires powering robots will soon be a thing of the past. We aim to develop wireless robots. Luckily, we have achieved the first step towards this goal. We have incorporated all the functional modules like the battery and wireless communication parts so as to enable future wireless manipulation, Tianlu Wang continues. The team attached a buoyancy unit at the top of the robot and a battery and microcontroller to the bottom. They then took their invention for a swim in the pond of the Max Planck Stuttgart campus, and could successfully steer it along. So far, however, they could not direct the wireless robot to change course and swim the other way. Knowing the team, it wont take long to achieve this goal. A new home built for a military veteran in the Mige Glory Housing Addition in Tahlequah. Pixabay/David Mark Communities of homeless people living in the vacant church in Brunswick were forced to vacate the premises because of safety concerns. The congregation members attempted to halt the officials, but the authorities could still enter the building. Homeless Community A report from First Coasts View, the daytime shelter known as "The Well" located in the downtown district of Brunswick, was shuttered for the next 65 days by the City of Brunswick last week. There have been allegations of violent behavior involving persons who are without homes. The most recent incident involved a homeless guy named Troy Rogers III, who was accused of rape and child abuse. Lyde and Small proposed using the empty church at the corner of Gordon and G Street as a stopgap measure. The facility was initially put to use for warehousing purposes. They have till Tuesday, Apr. 25, at three o'clock in the afternoon to ensure that the location complies with the city's regulations. The neighborhood's homeless population and volunteers from the surrounding community collaborated for several hours to clean up the church and find solutions to the problems as quickly as possible. As mentioned, Small noted that the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act protects what they are doing. According to Small, a church is free to locate wherever in the city so long as there is no significant reason why it should not do so. As per Yahoo News, according to McDuffie, volunteer contractors who were working on the building on Tuesday, Apr. 25, will be granted permission to continue their work on bringing the structure up to code; however, to do so, they will be required to follow the appropriate processes and obtain the appropriate permissions. Also Read: California Church Looking To Build New Properties To House The Homeless New Ordinance on Shelter or Homeless Service Providers The Brunswick News reported that any organization that provides shelter or assistance for the homeless must comply with the requirements of the new legislation and submit an application for a permit before receiving permission from the City Commission and the city's Planning and Appeals Commission. According to McDuffie, it is the city's responsibility to ensure that it considers all its citizens, not only those homeless. Moreover, in response to a tip that homeless persons assembled in the building throughout the night on Saturday, Apr. 22, city police were dispatched to the intersection of G and Gordon Streets. According to the daily police call logs, the caller reported suspicious behavior alongside a work truck and that people were visibly using the restroom outside in plain view of others. The caller also stated that the action occurred in plain view of others. The government says that another reason for closing down the facility is to protect the people living on the streets. Who is to blame if flames consume this building? Angela Smith, who serves as the Assistant Police Chief, questioned Lyde. "I would say you did it," Lyde said in response. It takes the people staying in the facility at least half an hour to remove their possessions, including their food and water, using wheelchairs, shopping carts, and their own two hands. Many people shouted out questions about which direction they should go, but they were still waiting for someone to answer them. Related Article: Safety Concerns Arise at Seattle Church Due to Homeless Encampment Outside Pixibay/ Reynaldo Amadeu Dal Lin Junior Juba Cardinal McElroy of San Diego has recently called for radical inclusion within the Catholic Church, consistent with Pope Francis' pastoral vision. In his call for inclusion, Cardinal McElroy emphasized the importance of listening to and welcoming all people, including those marginalized or excluded by the church. Cardinal McElroy's Message According to the National Catholic Reporter, the Cardinal's message is timely, given the current state of the church. Many people feel alienated from the church because of its stance on social issues or the perceived lack of compassion and understanding. Cardinal McElroy's call for radical inclusion offers a path forward for those who seek to build a more welcoming and inclusive Church. The Cardinal's message has been introduced previously. Pope Francis has been promoting inclusion since he was elected in 2013. He has emphasized the importance of listening to the voices of the marginalized and has called on the church to be more welcoming and compassionate. Pope Francis has also been a vocal advocate for social justice and has spoken out on issues such as poverty, inequality, and the environment. In many ways, Cardinal McElroy's call for radical inclusion reflects Pope Francis' pastoral vision. Both men recognize the importance of listening to and welcoming everyone regardless of their background or beliefs. Both men understand that the church must be a place of compassion and understanding rather than judgment and exclusion. As mentioned, some will push back against the idea of radical inclusion. Some may argue that the church has certain doctrines and teachings that cannot be compromised. Others may worry that the church will lose its identity or become too secular if it becomes too inclusive. However, Cardinal McElroy and Pope Francis understand that inclusion is not about compromising doctrine or abandoning the church's traditions. Instead, inclusion is about welcoming all people into the church and helping them to grow in their faith. It is about recognizing the inherent dignity of every person and treating them with respect and compassion. By embracing radical inclusion, the church can become a more vibrant and dynamic community better equipped to serve the needs of its members and the world at large. Also Read: Pope Francis Implements Further Austerity Measures, Trims Perks for Cardinals and Vatican Managers Cardinal McElroy's Call for 'Radical Inclusion' Cardinal McElroy's call for synodality and inclusion within the Catholic Church has sparked a debate among the faithful, with some expressing concern about the direction of the church. According to an article in America Magazine, Cardinal McElroy spoke at a recent conference about the need for a more synodal Church in which all voices are heard and considered. He also emphasized the importance of inclusion, particularly for those marginalized or excluded by the church. Some have praised the Cardinal's comments as a sign of hope for a more welcoming and compassionate Church. However, they have also been criticized by others who see them as a departure from traditional Church teachings. One of the most vocal critics of Cardinal McElroy's message is Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila of Denver. As per an article in LifeSiteNews, the Archbishop challenged Cardinal McElroy's call for inclusion, particularly when giving Communion to those in same-sex relationships or who have been divorced and remarried without an annulment. Archbishop Aquila argued that the church's teachings on marriage and sexuality could not be compromised in the name of inclusion. He also criticized Cardinal McElroy's emphasis on synodality, arguing that it could water down Church doctrine and teachings. Related Article: Pope Francis Urges Faithful to Combat Temptation by Turning to the Word of God Pexels/Kindel Media A 33-year-old Norwich man, Madison Barrett, gave himself in to the police on Tuesday after being charged with breaking into a church in Gales Ferry in March. He is accused of breaking many windows during the altercation and leaving derogatory notes on the floor and a wall. The Ledyard Police Department has reported that Barrett is currently charged with first-degree burglary, second-degree intimidation based on prejudice or bigotry, and first-degree criminal mischief. These accusations relate to an incident at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, located at 1650 Route 12 in Gales Ferry. Norwich Man Surrenders to Police for Gales Ferry Church Break-In and Vandalism According to Hartford Courant, Barrett allegedly damaged multiple windows at the church on March 11 in the early morning hours, according to Ledyard police. According to reports, the suspect tried unsuccessfully to enter the building by throwing bricks at the front entrance. Before finally breaking into the church through one of the smashed windows, according to police, Barrett continued to hurl rocks and bricks through many windows. A man is seen on surveillance footage from the church spray-painting insulting words near a huge crucifix on the wall and the floor. While the investigation is ongoing, Barrett is still in detention, and investigators are still compiling information about the incident. In their investigation into the theft and vandalism at the Gales Ferry church, the Connecticut State Police Biased Crimes Unit and the FBI's New Haven office have supported the Ledyard Police Department. In the story shared in NBC Connecticut, they also acknowledged the valuable data concerned citizens who called in with tips had provided. According to Madison Barrett's lawyer, his client has a severe mental disorder that he is not doing an excellent job of controlling. Barrett reportedly visited a hospital for mental health care after the incident. Within a few weeks of the incident, Ledyard police recognized Barrett as a suspect, and they arranged with his lawyer to be informed when he was released so they could serve the warrant. Barrett appeared in court on Tuesday at noon while jailed under a $30,000 bond. His lawyer asked for a $5,000 bail reduction, but the motion was turned down. Barrett's bond includes a requirement that he keep getting help for his mental health problems. On May 18, he is expected to make another court appearance. The case emphasizes the value of community involvement and collaboration between regional and national law enforcement organizations in concluding investigations into bias crimes. Also Read: Community Outraged as Pittsburgh Church Vandalized: Calls for Justice Amplify Amidst Pressing Issue of Religious Institution Vandalism Ledyard Police Cite Social Media and Family Cooperation in Gales Ferry Church Vandalism Case According to the article in Fox 61, the Ledyard Police Department's Captain Ken Creutz emphasized the value of social media in the investigation of the Gales Ferry church break-in and vandalism case. He described how the cops had become involved right away. Following the crime, they posted surveillance photos online that, in their minds, showed Madison Barrett carrying out the deed. As a result, referrals from friends and family began to flow in. In Captain Creutz's opinion, social media usage was essential in cracking the case. Barrett was identified as a suspect after family members noticed him in the pictures and called the police. Creutz added that the identification was made possible only a few days after making contact with the family, which was crucial. After waiting more than a month for Barrett to finish the mental health therapy he started after the event, authorities issued a warrant for his arrest. Family members told police that Barrett frequently spoke about good against evil and that he thought Satan possessed more power than God. The affidavit discloses that the writings in the church were related to the devil and the "dark lord." Related Article:Persistent Vandalism at United Methodist Church in Chicago Prompts Pastor to Seek Police Intervention Pixabay/PublicDomainPictures After a guy assaulted two Sikh priests, devotees quickly intervened and violently battered the attacker before turning him over to the authorities. He also desecrated the 'Guru Granth Sahib' and was reportedly charged with deliberate and malicious acts. Attack on Two Priests In a video of the attack, the perpetrator, Jasvir Singh, aged 36, can be seen penetrating the sanctum sanctorum of the Kotwali Sahib gurdwara after breaching the barrier. He then proceeded to assault two 'granthis,' also known as Sikh priests, who were reading from the Guru Granth Sahib and slammed the sacred book on the ground, The Print reported. Singh was afterward severely assaulted after being overcome by other worshipers who were present in the shrine. After that, he was given over to the authorities. The incident incited anger among the community members, who then staged a demonstration in front of the Morinda Police Station to demand severe repercussions for the charged individual. As a kind of protest against the tragedy, the marketplaces in Morinda were closed as well. According to The Tribune, law enforcement officials have stated that a case has been launched against the accused under Section 295 A of the Indian Penal Code. This code is an intentional and vicious conduct to insult any group's religion or beliefs to provoke the sensitive religious sensibilities of that group. Moreover, since protesters did not have faith in the ability of authorities to deal with the issue appropriately, they demanded that the person indicted be given to them. The demonstrators also successfully blocked all of the major highways in and surrounding the town. The senior superintendent of police in Ropar, Vivek Sheel Soni, indicated that the police are taking all measures to preserve peace and order and that necessary action will be taken against those accused. In the meantime, in light of the "disrespect" shown to Guru Granth Sahi, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president, Harjinder Singh Dhami, has called for the culprits to be punished in a manner that is both severe and exemplary. On the other hand, to better understand the circumstances, senior police officials, including the Inspector General of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, traveled to Morinda. The act has also been denounced by the former chief minister of Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh, the head of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Sukhbir Badal, and the former member of the Legislative Assembly of Delhi, Manjinder Singh Sirsa. In a tweet, Sirsa said that the AAP administration in Punjab had encouraged lawlessness and instances of this nature with its lenient approach. He stated that Sikhs greatly respect the Guru Granth Sahib, but unfortunately, incidences of disrespect or sacrilege continue to occur. Also Read: Pastor James MacDonald Can Face Up to 7 Years in Prison Following Charges of Felony Assault 'Beadbi' of Guru Granth Sahib Ji As per Outlook, being disrespectful to Guru Granth Sahib Ji is what is meant by the term "beadbi." It is considered an insult to the Gurus, the Maryada, and Sri Dhan Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj. It can be construed in so many different ways. When you visit the premises where the Guru Granth Sahib Ji or any part of it is retained, for example, you are required to follow specific guidelines, such as covering your head, not wearing shoes, being clean, not being under the influence of alcohol, not having smoked, and not having consumed non-vegetarian food. Before contacting Guru Granth Sahib Ji, one must always wash their hands, face, and feet with clean water. Even the most basic mispronunciation of Gurbani is considered a form of "beadbi." In addition, since Guru Granth Sahib Ji is the 11th living Guru for Sikhs, our religious and ethical obligation is to safeguard our spiritual leader. Related Article:Police In India Allegedly Assault, Threaten Pastor Flickr/Daniel Oberhaus Elon Musk recently have revealed an intriguing detail about the conversation he had with the co-founder of Google, Larry Page. These events happened during Musk's interview with Tucker Carlson. Musk claimed that when he visited Page in Palo Alto during their close friendship, Page expressed a desire to create a brilliant AI system, in which the rich guy Musk referred to as a "digital god." Musk Warns of Page's "Digital God" AI Vision; Promotes "TruthGPT" Musk, now 51, recalled having a late-night conversation with Page about the AI safety but feeling that Page wasn't taking risks and repercussions were seriously enough. According to the article in Christian Post, Page instead seemed intent on quickly achieving a digital super-intelligence, or "digital god," This idea makes a person wonder about the potential effects of AI and whether the final product will resemble a digital deity. Elon also has recently highlighted the several public statements given by Page, indicating that the tech giant's ultimate goal is to achieve artificial general intelligence (AGI) or super-intelligence. Page, who stepped down from Google alongside co-founder Sergey Brin in 2017, shared his grand vision for search and AI during a 2006 tech conference in London. He envisioned the ultimate search engine as one that would understand everything worldwide, providing users with precise and instantaneous results. Since then, Google has significantly ramped up its AI efforts, starting with acquiring London-based AI research lab DeepMind for $500 million in 2014. In light of the success of ChatGPT, Google plans to launch a version of its search engine featuring a chatbot this year, as The New York Times reported. This development further showcases the company's commitment to advancing AI technology and its integration into everyday life. According to another source, Futurism shared that Musk then promoted "TruthGPT," an AI chatbot geared toward "maximum truth-seeking" that he had been working on in the wake of OpenAI's success after making this disclosure. Musk co-founded OpenAI but eventually left the company because of a difference in philosophy. The report also stated that Musk believed Page's AI goals to be plausible, especially in light of Google's acquisition of DeepMind, which Musk had previously claimed to possess "roughly 75% of the world's AI talent," in addition to substantial financial resources and the most computers of any institution. Futurism has contacted Google for comment regarding Musk's claims. Meanwhile, the AI community finds the name "TruthGPT" amusing because it conjures up thoughts of a chatbot for Donald Trump rather than a project intended to stop irresponsible AI development. Also Read: Elon Musk Promises To Reinstate Trump's Twitter Account, Saying Permanent Bans' Undermine Trust' Musk Reveals Strained Relationship with Page Over OpenAI The article in Forbes shares that Sundar Pichai, Google CEO, had an interview with 60 minutes about the developments of AI in the company. He claimed that Google Search only taps into a small part of the company's potential. Google also recently revealed that by May 10, new AI products would be released at the upcoming Google I/O developer conference. Elon Musk has shared that his friendship with Larry Page took a hit due to the founding and expansion of OpenAI, a non-profit organization he helped create. To ensure AI benefits everyone without causing harm, Elon teamed up with Peter Thiel, co-founder of Palantir, Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, and Sam Altman, CEO of Y Combinator, to launch OpenAI last December. Musk revealed that Page wasn't too happy about OpenAI's rise, which shifted the balance of power in the AI world, which was why they had yet to be in touch for years. Musk believes that OpenAI is now attracting more top AI talent than Google, which used to be the industry leader. Related Article: Elon Musk Dubbed' Atheistic Transhumanist' With His Neuralink Brain Chip Possibly Healing The Lame Pixabay/Pete Linforth A couple spent $300,000 in 2018 to acquire an old church that had been abandoned. They transform the parish into the home of their dreams. Transforming A Church Into A Home According to Insider, the 1888-built Sacred Heart Church was placed up for sale in 2018 after being vacant for years. The proprietors of the home-decorating company Harper and Company, Lynn Perreault and Jonathon Harmer, decided to purchase the building. Perreault and Harmer noted that "this church was begging us to save it." As mentioned, the couple spent years transforming the deserted church into a comfortable home for themselves. As per Munchable, the new house has been constructed on a total of 3,589 square feet of living space, and it currently has three bedrooms and three bathrooms. They claimed that the most attractive feature of the structure was its front doors. The chipped paint impeded the creative team from creating a blog called "The Chippy Church Journey" to track their two-year restoration project. The front door opens into the foyer, which features wood ceilings that are 11 feet high and nostalgic relics that were once part of the church. Accordingly, most of the building's historic character was preserved thanks to the efforts of Perreault and Harmer. They reportedly converted it into a residence while preserving the original church features, such as the Ponderosa pine floors, the wainscotting, and wooden trusses across the ceiling. Also Read: Churchome Sued By Their Employees For Imposing Compulsory Tithing Policy, One Employee Allegedly Sold Home Struggles in the Construction of the Couple's Dream Home Mcleans.ca stated that Jean-Marc, Perreault's brother and a contractor, oversaw the group of friends and family members, which included Perreault's son, who was 15 years old, and Harmer's father, who was 83 years old. They worked from 6 a.m. until sundown, seven days a week. As soon as the project began, it became clear that it would be more complicated than initially anticipated. Acquiring a mortgage to pay for renovations took several weeks due to the reluctance of local banks to support such an unusual and tall structure. After that, things got off to a rocky beginning with the construction. Before beginning any improvements, the construction crew had to completely dig up the yard, create a new sewage system, replace all of the building's power lines, and link the structure to the electricity grid in Princeton. "There was a point when we wondered if we'd bitten off a bit more than we could chew. We wondered if we'd bitten off a bit more than we could chew," Perreault mentioned. Moreover, following those setbacks, there were several months of strenuous building. The group was required to construct an outside work shed to accommodate the stowage of the project's components. Then they built a front porch for the church out of timber, and inside, they erected cedar walls to separate the rooms in their new arrangement, which featured a kitchen, a bedroom, a bathroom, and a grand room with brown and black arches. Finally, they painted the arches in the grand room brown and black. During this time, the space on the second story was transformed into a loft. Perreault had to redo the entire project by herself after the couple decided they wanted a whiter paint after the team took eight days cleaning carpets and retiling and repainting the entire ceiling while standing on scaffolding that was twenty feet tall. They did this by removing the mosaic glass windows and giving the majority of the church pews to the congregation at Princeton, which resulted in the church's more religious aspects being toned down. They maintained the church bell as a reminder of the building's history and even continued to ring it regularly during pandemic lockdowns to lift the spirits of the neighborhood. Related Article:'One of New York's Most Picturesque Houses of Worship' Sold to Serbian Government for $15 Million After Two Years of Being on Sale Pexels/Aa Dil Christian leaders in Pakistan have expressed their disapproval of the ongoing national census, accusing the takers of undercounting, using flawed questionnaires, and employing delay strategies. At least 40 persons in Karachi were not tallied since several parish residences were bypassed, according to Father Mario Rodrigues, rector of St. Patrick's High School in Karachi. Pakistan Census Accused of Deliberate Undercounting of Christians According to the Union of Catholic Asian News, the first-ever digital census, which started last month, intends to compile information on 235 million people nationwide and the roughly 16.5 million people living in Karachi. The majority-Muslim nation's government-run Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) has not yet made data on religious minorities available. Due to the Eid-ul-Fitr celebration, fieldwork was suspended from April 2025, pushing the census' original completion date of April 1 to April 30. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics has been charged with using delay strategies to undercount Christians in the ongoing national census, according to Anglican Bishop Humphrey Sarfaraz Peter of the Peshawar Diocese in Pakistan. He claims that the opaque process is an effort to undercount the most significant and vociferous religious minority in Pakistan. Majid Abel, executive secretary of the Presbyterian Church of Pakistan, similarly criticized the bureau for engaging insufficient and untrained staff, leading to undercounting. He emphasized the need for an accurate representation of the population, including religious, ethnic, caste, gender, and racial identity. The Peoples Commission for Minorities Rights and the Center for Social Justice (CSJ), both situated in Lahore, have also complained about census violations and asked for solutions. Peter Jacob, the executive director of the CSJ, drew attention to the fact that the standard questionnaire did not include columns for the Baha'i and Kailash religious organizations and that partial paper questionnaires were used instead of computer tablets. Pakistan Census Spurs Christian Communities to Educate Members on Online Registration Online registration is being used for Pakistan's seventh national census, which will ask participants about their religious affiliation. According to Agenzia Fides, Christian groups are attempting to assure appropriate representation by educating their members about the registration procedure, especially those who are illiterate or less educated. Christian Rohail Zafar, the Secretary General of the Pakistan Minority Rights Commission, encourages Christian leaders to support families with registration and use media platforms to spread awareness. In Pakistan, the baptized are urging the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) to be more transparent to foster public trust. Earlier census data have generated controversy and been kept under wraps. A recent report titled "Confusing Demographics for Minorities" advocates for more detailed categorization and removing the term "minorities," allowing individuals to self-identify their religious orientation. Also Read: Minorities Group Calls for End to Pakistans Weaponized Blasphemy Law Targeting Christian Minorities Religious Discrimination and Persecution of Christians in Pakistan Christians make up roughly 1.27% of the population of Pakistan, making them the second-largest religious minority after Hindus. The article in Aljazeera shared that although Pakistan was established in 1947 to promote equality and tolerance, Christians have nonetheless been subjected to continued persecution, including targeted assassinations and coerced conversions, lynchings, mob violence, and the destruction of their places of worship. This has caused the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom to label Pakistan as a country of "particular concern" due to the extreme discrimination encountered by religious minorities. Christian sanitation workers face social ostracism, with "churha" used as a derogatory term. This emotional and psychological abuse starts early, impacting children's well-being and confidence. Limited opportunities and bullying further damage self-esteem. Additionally, Pakistani Christians have been prosecuted under the nation's blasphemy laws, which carry the threat of the death penalty for those found guilty of insulting Islam. In addition, the caste structure and the history of discrimination have compelled many Christians into dangerous sanitation jobs. Christian missionaries who arrived in pre-partition India in the 19th century converted many "low-caste" Hindus who had previously been given sanitation duties, which led to the continuation of such work after division. Related Article: Campaign Launched to Prevent Deportation of Afghan Christians in Pakistan Pexels/Rosemary Ketchum The results of an investigation into former governor-general Peter Hollingworth by the Anglican Church have angered and disappointed survivors of church abuse. They are now requesting an impartial agency's new investigation into the case. When it was discovered that Dr. Hollingworth had enabled pedophile priests to continue working while he was the Archbishop of Brisbane in the 1990s, he was forced to retire from his position as governor-general in 2003. Survivors Call for Independent Review of Former Governor-General The Anglican Church's Professional Standards Board decided on Monday that Dr. Hollingworth should keep his holy orders despite engaging in misconduct by permitting two priests who were known to have sexually molested minors to continue serving in the church. In the article shared in MSN, according to the investigation's findings, Dr. Hollingworth was "fit for ministry," but only if he apologized to the victims and survivors of child sexual abuse who suffered while he was archbishop. At the age of 88, Dr. Hollingworth has been a priest at St. George's Anglican Church in Malvern and continues to enjoy the rank and power of a bishop. The board advised that his ministry be restricted to this function, which includes presiding over invited marriages, funerals, baptizes, and other activities. Victim survivors of Anglican child sexual abuse and others are outraged by this decision. They are now seeking an impartial examination of Dr. Hollingworth's actions and the church's handling of the matter. Many people, including abuse survivor Beth Heinrich, have been pushing for Dr. Peter Hollingworth to be defrocked for many years. Heinrich had devoted decades to the cause of justice and restitution for the abuse she endured at the hands of Anglican priest Donald Shearman when she was barely 15 years old. Shearman is one of two clerics Dr. Hollingworth allowed to continue serving in the church despite having sexually molested children. Heinrich told the ABC that she was disappointed in the Professional Standards Board's choice but that it was no surprise. She had hoped that the case would serve as an inspiration for those who had been reluctant to speak up, making them feel more courageous. But she wonders what good it does to speak up when choices like this are made. In his response to the board's recommendations, Dr. Hollingworth admitted his errors and thought about his shortcomings. He asserts that he did not break any laws and that there is no proof of any mistreatment due to the choices he made or did not make. Additionally, he acknowledged that when dealing with child abuse situations, the counsel of attorneys and insurance companies improperly affected him. According to Heinrich, such a judgment can deter others from coming forward since they would think their efforts are in vain. Survivors like Heinrich, who seek justice and accountability, are left feeling "bitterly disappointed" with the conclusions as they continue their struggle. She calls the committee board's decision, which she waited five years for, "disgraceful." Also Read: Evangelical Anglican Clergy Formed New City Deanery Chapter to 'Promote Ongoing Healthy Church of England Ministry' Former Brisbane Archbishop's Inaction in Abuse Cases Draws Criticism The article in The Sydney Morning Herald said that due to his failure to safeguard kids from abuse, Gilbert Case, the former headmaster of a Brisbane school where pedophiles Gregory Robert Knight and Kevin John Lynch, abused children, has been barred from holding any office within the Anglican Church. According to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Elliott admitted to abusing two boys to Brisbane's then-Archbishop Peter Hollingworth in 1993. John Slaughter, a psychiatrist, advised Hollingworth that Elliot was a pedophile and was likely to commit new crimes. The royal commission determined that Hollingworth let Elliot continue serving as the rector of the Anglican parish of Dalby in Queensland until his retirement in 1998, despite this assessment and Elliot's admission. Hollingworth resigned as governor-general in 2003 following months of criticism over handling abuse charges. Phillip Aspinall, who followed Hollingworth as the archbishop of Brisbane in 2002, called the choice a "serious error of judgment." He later rose to the position of bishop in the Anglican Church. The controversy surrounding his handling of these instances continues to elicit criticism and demands that the church's handling of claims of child sexual abuse be looked into more thoroughly. Related Article: Vatican Cites Communication Breakdown for Anglican Service in Pope's Roman Church Pexels/Pavel Danilyuk Catholic mothers and scholars are calling for the perspectives of women to be considered by US bishops in discussions about abortion. In a statement released on Wednesday, Apr. 19, the group emphasized the need for a more inclusive and compassionate approach to the issue. The statement comes amid renewed debate within the Catholic Church over the morality of abortion. While the Church has long condemned the practice, there has been growing dissent in recent years among Catholics who believe that women should have greater autonomy over their bodies. Call for Compassion on Abortion Within the Catholic Church A group of mothers and scholars, the Church's current stance on abortion fails to adequately consider the real-life experiences of women facing difficult decisions about their pregnancies. They argue that the Church's teachings on abortion must be reevaluated in light of the complex ethical and moral considerations. According to the National Catholic Reporter, the group also called for more support and resources for women who carry their pregnancies to term and those who decide to have an abortion. They emphasized the importance of providing comprehensive healthcare, education, and economic support to women and families, regardless of their decision about pregnancy. Some within the Church hierarchy will likely resist their call for greater inclusivity and compassion that maintain a strict stance against abortion. However, the statement represents a growing trend among Catholics who believe the Church must do more to address the complex realities of women's lives and their ethical dilemmas. Also Read:Abortion Pill Limitations Temporarily Halted by Supreme Court Moms' Group Speaks Out Against State Laws In 2022, the Crux reported that A group of mothers in the United States is speaking out against a recent court ruling that struck down several state laws restricting abortion. The laws passed in Texas, Mississippi, and other states would have effectively banned abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. The ruling, issued by a federal judge earlier this month, found that the laws were unconstitutional and violated women's rights. The judge's decision has been met with praise and criticism, with anti-abortion advocates calling it a blow to the pro-life movement. However, a group of mothers is now adding their voices to the debate, arguing that the laws would have devastated women and families. The mothers' group, which includes women from across the country, says that the laws would have made it nearly impossible for women to access safe and legal abortions. They are now calling on lawmakers to protect women's rights and ensure access to abortion remains available. The group argues that the fight for reproductive freedom is far from over and will continue to push for policies supporting women and families. Furthermore, the mothers' group has already received support from several organizations, including Planned Parenthood and the National Organization for Women. However, the fight over abortion laws will likely continue for some time, with both sides of the debate digging in for a long battle. As per The Guardian, the US Supreme Court has upheld a controversial law that requires women seeking medication abortions to do so within a strict time frame. The law, passed in several states, sets a deadline of seven weeks for women to obtain medication abortions. Critics argue that the law burdens women seeking abortions and could lead to increased complications and health risks. Related Article:US Supreme Court Postpones Decision on Mifepristone Abortion Pill Access, Extending Access to the Pill Netflixs miniseries Beef has been making waves for its uncomfortably accurate depiction of the Korean American church experience. The show tells the story of struggling contract worker Danny Cho (played by Steven Yeun) and successful business owner Amy Lau (Ali Wong) who get into a road rage altercation. Rather than turn the other cheek, the two swear revenge on each other. The Korean American church comes into play early in the shows third episode. Danny goes to church after deciding against setting Amys car on fire (which only escalates from there). As he enters the service, the bands arrangement of O Come to the Altar overwhelms him, and he breaks down in tears. A pastor takes notice and then comes over to pray for him. The show features other contemporary worship songs such as Raise a Hallelujah and Amazing Grace. Pastor Jason Min, lead pastor of Citizens LA, an Asian American church in the heart of Los Angeles, had a role in crafting the music for those church scenes. His brother, actor Justin H. Min, is in the cast. Min and other Korean Americans see that the authenticity in its portrayals extends beyond just music. In an article for NBC, Minjung Noh, a scholar in Christianity and gender, said that the show also captured elements of misogyny and patriarchy in the Korean church. In one scene, after Danny has become integrated as a praise band leader, his mother tells him to introduce his younger brother Paul to some girls at the church. Noh shared how often in the Korean American church, you go to church to meet women, and the women arent in leadership but rather supporting roles. (Offscreen, the shows creators have also had to address controversy around one of its actors who told a story about rape.) Jason Min sees Beef as a springboard for conversations among Korean Americans about the harm they experienced in church contexts. We cant even start to repair something that you havent been courageous enough to name yet. This is the beginning of the conversation, he said to Christianity Today. The beauty of Beef, at the very least, is that it has been a great portal to have these conversations, even the critical ones about the church. He spoke to CT about his involvement in the show, its depictions of the Korean American church experience, and ways the show can serve as a reckoning for the church. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Article continues below I didnt catch this on the first watch, but in the show, you appear onscreen as a praise band team member. What was the process of you getting involved with Beef? Yeah, so Sonny (showrunner Lee Sung Jin) is my best friend from college. Ive had a front-row seat to his entire journey in Hollywood. A few years ago, he called me up and told me he was working on this new show called Beef and that he was building the church into the show. He wanted the praise band leader to be played by my younger brother (Justin H. Min), and originally, he had me in a consulting capacity. He had me meet with his writers to answer questions they had about the church. As a pastor that was an interesting exercise for me because you realize how much we do in the (Korean American) church that we think is normal, but people outside the church are like What are you doing? Why is that? Exactly. It was funny. Sonny had them watch our churchs live streams and listen to our sermons. Once he decided they were going to incorporate actual worship music in it, then he asked me to arrange the worship music for the show. I agreed to all that while not really knowing how the church was going to be portrayed. Both Sonny and Steven grew up in the church, and at some point in the process, one of them said that they didnt want the church scenes to be parodies. They were like If those church scenes make certain people cringe, smirk, or laugh, at the very least theyre cringing at something thats authentic. They wanted a real worship team to do this, and Sonny thought I should be on it. He asked if I had any suggestions for who the worship team members should be, so I brought on our Citizens worship team. In the end, it ended up being a meta experience for me. Im standing next to my brother on set, and Im with our worship team, but then you have all these cameras around. The only thing I [told] Sonny multiple times was I didnt want to do this if this was going to caricature the church. I think our involvement in [the show] was precisely because thats not what they wanted to do. Did you feel a pressure in helping push back against a certain narrative about how Christians or how the Korean American church experience is depicted in the media? The band and I made a conscious decision that we were just going to worship. Were not going to try to be different or do anything outside of what we would normally do. And if people watching walk away saying that that church is weird or church is this or that, with a clear conscience we can say, But we at least gave them an authentic expression of what we do on a week-to-week basis. Article continues below Interesting. So, if people liked what they saw in Beef and want more, all they have to do is come to Citizens LA right? [Laughing] Yes. You talked about how you and the band just tried to replicate what you do every Sunday, but now there were cameras, you had to do multiple takes, youre with your brother. What were some of the nuts and bolts of filming during those days? For myself, having never been on a set like that, it was strange to be in worship and then to hear someone yell, Cut! and then stop and then do the same thing again. The praise songs that are featured are O Come to the Altar, Raise a Hallelujah, and Amazing Grace. How did you go about the process of including those songs? Thats a funny story. Sonny has been out of the church game for a while. When he originally showed me the songs he wanted to feature, I told him, like, Bro, we havent sung those songs in over a decade. I asked him if he was trying to portray a church in the early 2000s, but he said that he wanted to present a modern-day OC (Orange County) church. We did want a song that would tug a little bit on the heartstrings, and we wanted it modern enough but not so new that it was unfamiliar. I remember sending Sonny three or four songs. Way Maker might have been one of them. O Come to the Altar was the one he wanted. Even with Raise a Hallelujah, he wanted a very specific song. I knew the scene that it was going to be in, and it needed to have a little bit of that suburban cheese element in it, sort of upbeat and celebratory. For Amazing Grace, I think we knew we wanted to have Steven sing that a cappella, and then Sonny asked if we could turn it into something really over the top. Was there an impact on you or the crew when shooting these spiritual and emotionally charged scenes? I think so many people had the same experience we did, you know, and I think even some of the background actors there who had left the church or who hadnt been in church since childhoodthey almost had the same experience as Stevens character had in that moment. I talked to so many people after who said, I felt something. And maybe just like Stevens character in the show, that was all it was: a moment. Maybe it didnt lead to significant transformation. Article continues below I think a lot of people at that moment were trying to process what it was. Was it just a wave of emotionalism? What I love about this, though, is that it just reminded me so much of my own experience growing up in the church. I go to a retreat, and I experience something that I feel like is the Holy Spirit, but theres a lot of processing there where youre like Okay, was that the Holy Spirit? Was that just a beautiful chord progression? Was it just my emotions? Was it just my sleep deprivation? Was it all of the above? Im not sure, but I think those church scenes in the show captured the complexity of that. Why do you think those scenes resonated with so many people? Going into this, I really thought that that scene would not resonate with anyone other than a very small, niche group of people. Im sure everyone has a different answer for this, but I think on some level I think it was emotional because, especially for Korean Americans whove grown up in the church, whove had what feels like almost a universal experience, weve never seen our experience reflected or mirrored, like, anywhere. So, even just the impact of seeing something that is so close to you and something that is such a part of your story and lived experience mirrored for you is just so powerful. Seeing the impact that scene has had on so many people showed me how important it is for these stories to be told, both good parts of it and the bad parts of it. I think for others maybe who havent experienced that specific moment, at the very least what I think Sonny and the team did so well was they created an authentic experience. I think people will always resonate with authenticity. Maybe they dont even know exactly why theyre resonating with it. In the end that authenticity, even though its not everyones lived experience, will speak volumes and will transcend what a persons experienced personally. Article continues below Thats whats been interesting. While the church scenes in Beef have been praised for their authenticity, it has also triggered some who feel that the church (and especially praise music) is a site of emotional manipulation and the ways the Korean American church is culpable in a lot of that. As a praise leader yourself, do you think this is accurate? Or what nuance might be missing? I am grateful that people have shared honestly. I think so much of our experience in the church (and I say this as a pastor) has been manipulative. At the very least, those who have told me that they have been triggered by those scenes have used them as a good avenue for conversation about their experiences. To address the idea that the Asian American church was just a whole bunch of emotional manipulationI mentioned this also on the Off the Pulpit podcast, but Jason Chu, a friend of mine who is a musician, created a video about this exact thing. He said that all art is manipulation. All artists are trying to make you feel something, whether its music or preaching or any element of church. So much of it is trying to connect the head and the heart. If youre asking if we are being manipulated in church, I would say yes we are. Yet were being manipulated everywhere. Were being manipulated every time we go to a concert, a museum, whenever we experience any kind of art. What he said was so poignant because the question was not whether you are being manipulated but do you trust the person who is creating? Do you trust them to be moving you in a direction you actually want to go? I think a lot of times churches do use manipulation to get you to fill that offering basket or submit to authority. Those are the moments where manipulation becomes harmful and traumatic for people. Every time I go to preach a sermon, I wouldnt want to use the word manipulation, but I am praying that I can present the gospel in a compelling way that takes it from just being pure content and head knowledge to something that resonates in your heart. It reminds me of what you shared in that Off the Pulpit episode about how we shouldnt necessarily shy away from our emotions when practicing faith and that the rejection of emotion may be a byproduct in some way of Asian American assimilation to a type of mind-driven, logical, and rational Christianity perpetuated by white Christians. Yeah, and what I loved about Beef was that it revealed all those suppressed parts of the Asian American experience, both inside and outside the church. You just realize how uncomfortable our generation, our culture, has been with expressing emotions. Article continues below How similarly do you feel like the way the church is depicted in Beef matches with your experience as a pastor for Citizens LA? The church itself was probably different from what Citizens is, but I would say that was a perfect depiction of the church I grew up in. There was something so familiar and nostalgic about that space. I think one key difference is that in the show itself, Stevens character, Danny, was clearly the outsider, whereas in the church most people were homegrown. Part of being a city church that is a little bit different is that LA attracts people from all over the place. Its a very transient community. Were not a church that most people grew up in, and we arent connected to a Korean congregation. We dont have our own church building; we meet in a high school in LA. So, I think just the environment and the kinds of people who attend just already make it a slightly different kind of church. Ive also been looking and following the discourse surrounding the show post-release. Another aspect that Beef gets right is capturing the misogyny and patriarchy in the Korean churchas well as the hypocrisy, I might add. Im thinking about this amid the controversy surrounding David Choe too. Do you think more work can or needs to be done to change these types of patterns in the Korean American church? As a pastor, how are you navigating the question of reconciling and embracing certain aspects of Korean culture without perpetuating harm? Oh yeah, a thousand percent. You realize how much of the way the second-generation Korean American church does ministry has been a reaction to our parents generation, but that culture and DNA is everywhere. It might be less overt but in subtle ways that patriarchal, misogynistic culture is still prevalent. Were very aware of that. At Citizens, so much of our ministry seems to resonate with people that have deconstructed and are maybe coming back to the church for the first time. Were very cognizant of the fact that theres what feels like an entire generation of Korean American Christians who need healing from that. So much of our ministry is empowering women to lead. Our staff is actually predominantly female. In the same way that you go into marriage with so many of the scripts from your family of origin, we know that a lot of people come to church with predetermined scripts from their past church experiences. So much of what weve been trying to do is to re-parent our congregation and to create a safe space for them to heal. The beauty of Beef, at the very least, is that it has been a great portal to have these conversationseven the critical ones about the church. Article continues below Someone shared with me the article that was published in NBC Asian America. They were discouraged because they were worried it painted a negative picture of the church. My response, though, was that we cant even start to repair something that you havent been courageous enough to name yet. This is the beginning of the conversation. When I read through Scripture, who are the prophets most criticizing? It was the people of God; it was themselves, you know? And I think the last five years have shone a light and exposed many of the problems with the capital C church. I think the Asian American churchand I have felt [this] for a whileis in for a reckoning too. I think its about time the light is shone on the Asian American church and together we not only are courageous enough to repent for the ways that we have done a lot of harm and misrepresented Jesus but also to take real steps to pave a new path forward. Zachary Lee is the online editorial assistant at Sojourners and a freelance writer covering the intersection between faith and media. Biden DOJ sues Tenn. over law banning doctors from performing body mutilating sex-change surgeries on kids The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against Tennessee for passing a law that bans chemical castration and body mutilating surgeries from being performed on youth who are confused about their sexual identity. Under President Joe Biden, the DOJ filed a complaint in intervention on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville Division, on behalf of families already suing the state over the law. At issue is Tennessee Senate Bill 1, signed into law last month and scheduled to take effect in July. The DOJ has asked the court to block the law while litigation continues. SB 1 prohibits certain forms of medically necessary care for transgender minors with a diagnosis of gender dysphoria, claimed the complaint. SB 1 bans certain medical procedures and treatments for minors, including puberty blockers and hormones, if performed for the purpose of enabling a minor to identify with or live with an identity inconsistent with the minors sex as assigned at birth, or treating discomfort or distress from discordance between the minors sex assigned at birth and their asserted identity. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division said in a statement that she believed no one should be denied access to necessary medical care just because of their transgender status. The right to consider your health and medically-approved treatment options with your family and doctors is a right that everyone should have, including transgender children, who are especially vulnerable to serious risks of depression, anxiety and suicide, stated Clarke. Tennessee state Sen. Jack Johnson, who sponsored SB 1, denounced the DOJ's lawsuit and vowed to support his states defense of the new law. Once again the Biden Administration prioritizes its radical woke agenda over protecting our most vulnerable Tennesseans our children, stated Johnson. I will support [Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti] in any way I can, and I will never stop fighting for Tennessees children. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee also denounced the Biden administration's lawsuit, saying in a statement to The Daily Wire that it constituted overreach. Tennessee is committed to protecting children from permanent, life altering decisions. This is federal overreach at its worst, and we will work with Attorney General Skrmetti to push back in court and stand up for children, stated Lee. Introduced last November, SB 1 was overwhelmingly approved by state lawmakers, passing the Tennessee House in a vote of 77-16 and the Tennessee Senate by a vote of 26-6. The legislation prohibits healthcare providers from performing genital mutilation surgeries or prescribing opposite-sex hormones and puberty blockers to children suffering from temporary confusion about their sex. The legislature declares that the integrity and public respect of the medical profession are significantly harmed by healthcare providers performing or administering such medical procedures on minors. This state has a legitimate, substantial, and compelling interest in protecting minors from physical and emotional harm, stated the findings of SB 1. This state has a legitimate, substantial, and compelling interest in protecting the integrity of the medical profession, including by prohibiting medical procedures that are harmful, unethical, immoral, experimental, or unsupported by high-quality or long-term studies, or that might encourage minors to become disdainful of their sex. Last week, the Tennessee chapter of the ACLU, Lambda Legal and others filed suit against the state over the new law on behalf of trans-identified minors and their families. The plaintiffs in the suit, which the federal government has filed to intervene in, involves a trans-identified minor identified as L.W., the childs parents Samantha and Brian Williams of Nashville, two other unnamed families, and Dr. Susan Lacy of Memphis. Tennessee is one of 15 states that ban elective double mastectomies and genital mutilation on minors. Arizona presently bans such surgeries but allows puberty blockers to be prescribed to children that stop the body's natural growth of sexual organs. Former megachurch youth pastor Christopher Burns now on FBIs most wanted list Christopher Burns, a former youth pastor at Perimeter Church in Georgia turned financial advisor, is now on the FBI's Most Wanted list for allegedly defrauding dozens of investors of millions of dollars, which he splurged on a lavish lifestyle and an obsession with Disney World. Burns, who was last seen by his ex-wife and children on Sept. 24, 2020, went on the run one day before he was scheduled to relinquish documents related to his businesses to the Securities and Exchange Commission, according to a recent release from the Department of Justice. "Burns is charged for allegedly stealing millions of dollars from clients in an illegal investment fraud scheme," Keri Farley, special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta, said in a statement. "Financial crimes of this nature can cause significant disruptions to the lives of those who are victimized, and the FBI is dedicated to holding these criminals accountable." The FBI is seeking the public's help to locate Burns. Farley vowed the agency will "continue to pursue him no matter how long he tries to evade the law." James E. Dorsey, special agent in charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation at its Atlanta Field Office, said Ponzi schemes like the one Burns carried out cause "emotional and financial damage" to their victims. "IRS Criminal Investigation and our federal law enforcement partners are committed to removing unscrupulous financial advisors from our financial system and ensuring they are brought to justice," Dorsey said. Darin Jameson, a spokesperson for Perimeter Church in Johns Creek, Georgia, confirmed with The Christian Post that Burns worked as a junior high ministry leader from December 2007 to August 2011. She also confirmed that the former youth leader's father had worked at the church several years prior to his employment. She could not provide any additional comment. A federal grand jury charged Burns, 40, whose last known address is in Berkeley Lake, Georgia, with 10 counts of wire fraud, two counts of mail fraud and four counts of money laundering on April 11. He was also previously charged in another complaint on Oct. 23, 2020, with one count of mail fraud, authorities said. In the latest case against him, Burns is alleged to have defrauded his victims of at least $10 million by falsely claiming to investors that he could pool their money to invest in low-risk businesses and charities, which were secured by collateral and personal guarantees. In reality, however, authorities say Burns, who was also a Georgia radio host bent on improving his profile, splurged investors' money on a Ponzi scheme that funded a lavish lifestyle. Among that life of luxury, according to a report from The Daily Beast, was an obsession with Disney World. Philip Burns, 19, told the publication that he recalled visiting Disney World with his family in Orlando, Florida, when he was 10. But he noted that in the years before his father disappeared, the trips increased to at least twice a year. The former youth pastor's ex-wife, who suggested he divorced her and transferred assets into her name in a bid to provide for her and their two sons, said they also went on multiple Disney-themed cruises and bought a timeshare. He even splurged trips for neighbors and VIP tours that cost around $8,000 a day. "He was obsessed with Disney," Philip Burns said. "He was a Disney adult." Philip and his mother say it's difficult to handle knowing that the trips were funded by stolen money. "Originally when I learned that, whenever I would think about it for months, I would become physically sick. I just felt so guilty and awful," he said. "Just me f around at Magic Kingdom was [funded] by other people's funds. I still feel awful." 'How Many More' rally demands gov't response to 'humanitarian crisis' at southern border Demonstrators will rally outside the Texas statehouse this weekend to demand action in response to the United States-Mexico border crisis, asking lawmakers to "declare an invasion of our southern border" and create a state-funded "Border Protection Unit." The advocacy group Convention of States Action will host the "How Many More" rally in Austin on Saturday as the number of migrants apprehended crossing the U.S.-Mexico border increased 25% in March to 162,000 for the month. Another advocacy group, Moms for America, is cosponsoring the event and providing bus transportation to and from the statehouse originating in Dallas, Houston, Brenham, Edinburg and Corpus Christi. The protesters are calling for policymakers to "define Mexican cartels as terror organizations," "seize cartel bank accounts and assets" and "establish a Texas Border Defense Unit to protect Texans." Specifically, demonstrators are calling for the passing of House Bill 20. Among other things, the bill would empower the state to create a "Border Protection Unit" to "deter and repel persons attempting to enter the [state] illegally at locations outside a port of entry." The event will feature "real-life victims of the border tragedy" and keynote speakers such as National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference President Samuel Rodriguez, rock star Ted Nugent, Former U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency Deputy Chief of International Operations Jeffrey Stamm, U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, Goliad County Sheriff Roy Boyd, retired Immigration and Customs Enforcement Supervisory Special Agent Victor Avila. Mark Meckler, Convention of States Action president, told The Christian Post that the central theme of the rally is asking "how many more young men and women are being sold into sexual slavery" before something is done. The group's website asks, "how many more Texas communities must see their hospitals and schools overrun by non-citizens" and "how many more American dollars must flow to Mexican cartels and their Chinese money launderers?" "How many more members of American families will we say it's OK to die of [a] fentanyl overdose or fentanyl poisoning as promoted by the international cartels," Meckler said. "When I've talked to people about this, I've often asked people to take out a piece of paper and write down the number" of people they think is OK to experience sexual slavery, drug overdoses and other adverse effects of the border crisis before they do something to address it, he added. "And from a Christian perspective for me, I can't look at that piece of paper and write anything but zero," he continued. "So the question then becomes what do I do, as a Christian, as a human being that cares, actually cares about other human beings?" Meckler views House Bill 20 as an essential first step in addressing the border crisis. The bill claims it would provide "measures to ensure the safety and welfare of the southern border region of this state, including protection from ongoing activity and public health threats." The legislation is pending before the State Affairs Committee in the Republican-controlled Texas House. Meckler remains optimistic about the bill's future. "I believe that the votes are there to pass it out of committee, and I believe there's plenty of votes. I think there are 43 co-sponsors right now in the House, so I believe it has the votes," Meckler maintained. "From there, it would move over to the Senate, and the Senate would consider the House bill. ... We're getting to the point where those bills are about to finalize being crossed over between the Houses. ... But right now, it's sitting in ... the House State Affairs Committee. And we're just waiting for a vote on that." Meckler sees right now as the time to act because the Texas Legislature is in session. As a biennial Legislature, it only meets every other year, meaning it will not meet again for another two years once this session concludes at the end of May. As for the action taken by the Texas government to address the border crisis thus far, Meckler characterized it as "better than any other states." But he contends that "it's not nearly enough" and "far less than what the humanitarian crisis requires." Meckler also discussed the torturous experience women and girls face at the hands of cartels and the "rape trees" that have emerged near the border. "What you'll find is young women are brought to these places, and they're stripped of their clothing. And their clothing, often their underwear, is hung on the tree sort of as a symbol of victory for these men, and then they will be essentially serially raped ... 10 times, 15 times, 40 times in a day," he said. "Some of these women don't make it, and they're dead, or they're left for dead. But that's what these trees symbolize. So you'll come across these trees, people have come across these trees and photographed and videotaped them, and what you'll find is dozens of pairs of women's undergarments hanging on these trees, symbolically representing all of the women that have been raped there," he said. Meckler said that between 30% and 60% of women illegally trafficked to the U.S. face potential "sexual slavery." He also lamented that over 70,000 people are dying each year of fentanyl poisoning in the U.S. He views the trafficking of fentanyl in the U.S. as one of many consequences of the failure to take action against the drug cartels that orchestrate mass illegal immigration into the country. Meckler portrayed the cartels as "highly sophisticated, highly organized transnational businesses" that "literally have bank accounts." "They run legitimate businesses in addition to illegitimate businesses, not just human trafficking and drug smuggling," he said. "They literally own automobile dealerships. They own avocado ranches. They own cattle ranches. And so, they're taking all of these illicit gains, and they're turning them into legal businesses as well." "They've essentially taken over the entire country of Mexico," he continued. Labeling the country as "a failed narco-state," Meckler warned, "as you move out into [Mexico] ... the country is largely controlled by the cartels." Meckler insisted that "nobody comes across that border without paying" the cartels, mentioning that illegal immigrants crossing the border are "usually wearing at least one bracelet, sometimes two of these plastic tag bracelets that indicate where they're to go and how much money they have paid to the cartels or how much they owe the cartels." He attributed all surges in illegal immigration to the cartels, pushing back on the idea that they are "some random thing where people come running across the border because they decide to." "These people are staged in the plazas and cities around Mexico and then they are moved to and across the border at the appropriate time, under the instructions of the cartels. So we shouldn't underestimate the sophistication and the monetary prowess, the military prowess of these cartels," he warned. The influx of illegal immigrants has financial implications. Meckler detailed how "local school districts are being overrun with illegal immigrant children, and they don't have the budget for it." "You're talking about small towns and big cities, especially in the small towns, they have a limited budget, no ability to raise extra money, and they're really suffering because of this," he said. "They can't educate the legal residents of the community, the kids. And so it's crushing them, it's crushing law enforcement." Meckler reported that in many small towns, "the jails are full," and officers "can't respond to all the incidents they're seeing now." The Liberty County community of Plum Grove, located just outside Houston, now "has a colonia, as they call them," Meckler said, referring to a community of "at least 30,000 people living there, the vast majority illegal immigrants." "As you can imagine, with a town of hundreds, now you have a community of tens of thousands completely overwhelming the town's ability to provide services. So it's creating very dangerous situations," he proclaimed. When asked why Plum Grove is a target destination for illegal immigrants despite its location so far from the U.S.-Mexico border, Meckler said, "a developer in Plum Grove has created a community that markets directly to illegal immigrants." Meckler also spoke about a "giant subdivision" within Plum Grove designed for illegal immigrants featuring tents and other substandard properties, which he likened to a "Mexican shanty town." Meckler urged Christians to consider "how many more women raped along the way, how many more families torn apart by fentanyl, how many more schools have to be overrun, how many children are we going to allow to be sold into sexual slavery?" "This is really an important thing for every Christian to ask themselves. ... We all know the ugly history of slavery. We have slavery going on in our country and the question people ask themselves is, 'What am I going to do about it?" he said. "It's not enough to complain about it, to know about it, to be frustrated about it." School board: Teacher shot by 1st grader in class suffered workplace injury, wants $40M claim tossed The Newport News School Board in Virginia has claimed in a recent court filing that Abigail Zwerner, a first-grade teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old boy as she taught her class at Richneck Elementary School, suffered a workplace injury and should file a workers compensation claim for her injuries instead of a pending $40 million lawsuit. One cannot assess the state today of education-based employment in the United States without paying attention to the problem of violence in its classrooms, attorneys for the school board, the Virginia Beach law firm Pender & Coward, argues in the filing cited by Daily Press. What may be surprising is that across the country teachers themselves are common targets of violent behavior by students. Diane Toscano, Zwerners attorney, previously detailed in a three-page notice of claim, how the boy had exhibited a history of violent behavior toward her client and other teachers before she was shot. She also alleged that the schools now removed Assistant Principal Ebony Parker failed to seriously treat warnings that the student had a gun prior to the shooting. Three different times Assistant Principal Parker was warned by concerned teachers or employees that the shooter had a gun on him at school, the claim says. The tragedy was entirely preventable if Assistant Principal Parker had done her job and acted when she had knowledge of imminent danger. Recalling the moment she was shot on Jan. 6 by the boy who is disabled, Zwerner said in an interview on NBCs "Today" show: "I just will never forget the look on his face that he gave me while he pointed the gun directly at me. Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew called Zwerner a hero for her bravery in the face of danger by ensuring her students' safety before she went to get help for herself after being shot. In her interview with NBC, Zwerner recalled how terrified her students were after she was shot. They were screaming, she said. I think they knew as well that they had to get out of there, but they were extremely frightened and screaming. Drew said at about 1:59 p.m. on the day of the shooting, police received a call from the school that a teacher had been shot with no other information. Officers from different areas quickly converged on the school and at 2:04 p.m., two sheriffs deputies entered the classroom where the shooting took place and found a 6-year-old male student being physically restrained by a school employee. The child was physically combative and struck the employee that was restraining him, Drew said. Officers then took control of him and escorted him out of the building [and] placed him in a police car with an officer inside and outside of that building. Once that had occurred there was a systematic evacuation of rooms and hallways for safety as they didnt know what they were dealing with, he said. Police later recovered one spent shell casing, a backpack, a cell phone, and a 9mm Taurus firearm from the scene. In arguing that Zwerner should file for workers compensation benefits for her injuries instead of her $40 million lawsuit, attorneys for the school board pointed to several examples of teachers who were attacked by students and hospitalized across the country. Its no secret that violence seems to be on the rise in schools, especially at the elementary level, a 2019 quote from an education website called WeAreTeachers explains in the filing. Teachers report more aggressive behavior than ever before. Pender & Coward attorney Anne C. Lahren urged the Newport News Circuit Court judge to throw out Zwerners lawsuit before it is even filed. Zwerners injuries fall under the exclusive coverage of Virginias Workers Compensation Act ... which bars Zwerner from maintaining a (lawsuit) against the School Defendants for the injuries she sustained in the course of her employment as a first-grade teacher with Newport News Public Schools, she argues in the filing. In her March 15 notice of claim, Toscano urged the school district not to treat getting shot in the classroom as a job hazard. I hope that the school district will not send a message that being shot while teaching a lesson in class by a student is merely a hazard of the job, she wrote. The citys teachers need to know that this is not an acceptable risk, that the school district cares for them, and that these failures to act will not happen again. Indiana teacher forced to resign for refusing to use kids chosen trans pronouns appeals case A high school music teacher forced to resign by an Indiana school district for refusing to use the chosen names and pronouns of trans-identified students is asking an appeals court to rule in his favor. The Alliance Defending Freedom has filed a request for the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit to hear the case of fired music teacher John Kluge, who is suing the Brownsburg Community School Corporation. A petition for rehearing en banc was filed last week, with ADF arguing that rulings against Kluge from a lower court and a three-judge panel of the 7th Circuit reject his religious freedom. The panel majoritys divergence from so many other precedents also causes it to get several additional questions of exceptional importance wrong, read the petition, in part. The decision (1) misconstrues what evidence is relevant in Title VII discrimination and retaliation cases, (2) gives public schools free reign to deny any religious accommodation whatsoever, (3) treats as disrespectful and unprofessional a neutral religious accommodation designed to avoid compulsion of objectionable language, and (4) misconstrues causation in the retaliation context. The petition requested that the appeals not only grant the petition, but also wait to rehear the case until the United States Supreme Court decides Groff v. DeJoy, which is centered on whether the U.S. Postal Service can fire a Christian employee who refused to work on Sundays for religious reasons. ADF Senior Counsel and Vice President of Appellate Advocacy John Bursch said in a statement last Friday that government employees should be able to live and work according to their religious beliefs. Yet the Brownsburg school district ignored the law, deciding Mr. Kluges religious views couldnt be tolerated, revoked his religious accommodation based on the grumblings of a few, and forced him to resign on pain of termination, stated Bursch. The school districts decision violates Title VII which makes it unlawful to discriminate against someone on the basis of religion. We are asking the full 7th Circuit to take this case, reverse this unlawful decision, and rule on the side of religious freedom. During the 2017-2018 academic year, Kluges school district told faculty and staff that they needed to use the preferred names and pronouns of trans-identified students. When Kluge objected to the new policy on the basis of his religious beliefs, school officials told him that he had to either comply, be fired or tender his resignation by May 1, 2018. In 2018, after his resignation was accepted, Kluge sued officials, accusing them of violating Title VII of the federal civil rights law by not accommodating his sincerely-held religious beliefs. A lower court dismissed some of the teacher's claims against school officials and ruled against Kluge, while a three-judge panel of the 7th Circuit ruled 2-1 against the music teacher earlier this month. Circuit Judge Ilana Rovner authored the majority opinion, concluding that the undisputed evidence demonstrates that Kluges accommodation harmed students and disrupted the learning environment. [Kluge] has produced no evidence tending to show that the transgender students were not emotionally harmed by his practice or that the learning environment was not disrupted, wrote Rovner. A practice that indisputably caused emotional harm to students and disruptions to the learning environment is an undue hardship to a school as a matter of law. As Kluge himself conceded, schools have a legitimate interest in the mental health of their students. Circuit Judge Michael Brennan authored an opinion that concurred in part and dissented in part, arguing that Kluge had a valid complaint regarding the denial of a religious accommodation and the complaints cited by the majority were just one side of the story. Three of Kluges students and a fellow teacher, all of whom observed his classes in the 20172018 school year, attested that the last-names-only practice did not adversely affect the classroom environment, Brennan wrote. Kluge has demonstrated his religious beliefs are sincerely held and he has established a prima facie case for religious discrimination. Title VIIs religious accommodation provisions do not apply only in a community accepting of the tenets of an employees religion. What is wokeness? In 2018, Pastor Eric Mason wanted you to embrace being a Woke Church. But by 2022, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was proudly proclaiming that Florida is where woke goes to die. These days it seems like wokeness is everywhere. While some people use the word positively, the vast majority seem to use it pejoratively whatever woke is, its bad. So, what is wokeness? Like any theory-driven discipline wokeness has its own vocabulary, definitive literature, and intramural discussions, Owen Strachan explained in his book Christianity and Wokeness: How the Social Justice Movement is Hijacking the Gospel and the Way to Stop It. Because of this, even though we can spot wokeness, or wokeism, just about everywhere, sometimes defining it can be difficult. Strachan says that he uses this term to describe the collective ideas and activism of Critical Race Theory, intersectionality, and people who identify as woke more generally. Thats a good starting point for a workable definition. In a longer primer that I wrote on this topic, Social Justice vs. Biblical Justice: An Incompatible Difference, I explained, The animating heartbeat of modern Social Justice is radical deconstruction. In summary, Social Justice as commonly used and understood in American society now refers to political actions taken to liberate those perceived to be in an oppressed identity group suffering under the oppressors. These political actions include dismantling, deconstructing, or reordering society and its structures. The oppressed identity groups in this narrative most commonly include racial minorities, women, the LGBT community, and so forth. I would argue that this description holds true for wokeness just turn the dial up to 10. Wokeness is, in many ways, the more radical and aggressive version of social justice. Its critical social justice on steroids or, should we say, cross-sex hormones. What do I mean when I say that wokeness is critical social justice? What I mean is that it goes beyond the social justice equation by adding in the explicit incorporation and weaponization of whats known as Critical Theory. Critical Theory came out of the Frankfurt School, which was founded in Germany after World War I, but its scholars eventually immigrated to the United States and took up residence at Columbia University. Critical Theory is explicitly Marxist in its origination and roots, and like Marx, divides the world into categories of oppressor and oppressed. But the Frankfurt School sought to translate Marxs economic project into a much broader, all-encompassing social critique. In a succinct and helpful summary, Wikipedia explains that Critical Theory (capitalized) is a school of thought practiced by the Frankfurt School theoreticians Herbert Marcuse, Theodor Adorno, Walter Benjamin, Erich Fromm, and Max Horkheimer. Horkheimer described a theory as critical insofar as it seeks to liberate human beings from the circumstances that enslave them. In other words, Critical Theory is all about finding, revealing, critiquing, and ultimately dismantling hidden power structures across all of society. Just what might these oppressive power structures be? Primarily God, religion, the family, traditional values, sexual morality, free market economics, and even as we see today in the transgender movement the biological reality of the sex binary. As Dr. Bradley Green suggests in his article Critical Theory and the Gospel, What critical theory offers is in its own way a kind of alternative theology or religious vision of the world. Green is right, and this brings us back to wokeness. So far, we can see that some key features of wokeness are that it is 1. a more virulent and unbiblical form of social justice; 2. born out of Critical Theory; and 3. ultimately functions as a totalizing worldview/false religion that seeks to destroy the entire Western worldview built on Christianity, the family, and traditional values. One scholar of Critical Theory and wokeness, Michael Young, defined it like so: Woke: the view that society is oppressive; oppression is the result of identity-based discrimination (racism, sexism, homophobia); which operates via systemic power through cultural hegemony; which we are socialized into; and the solution to this is to rebuild to the whole system. Woke: the view that -society is oppressive -oppression is the result of identity based discrimination (racism, sexism, homophobia) -which operates via systemic power through cultural hegemony -which we are socialized into and the solution to this is to rebuild to whole system Wokal Distance (@wokal_distance) March 15, 2023 Strachan, Green, and Young are all correct they each highlight a piece of this metastasizing movement that is remaking America. In fact, its not an exaggeration to say that in our present moment, wokeness is perhaps the singular most destructive force wreaking havoc across our nation. This is because wokeness, as defined here, is nothing less than the call for the entire American system of equal justice before the law; equality of opportunity, not outcome; judging people by the content of their character, not the color of their skin; and natural order to be thrown out the window. In short, wokeness proposes an alternative future of an egalitarian Marxist utopia, one that can never come to pass. Then it looks at some real and some imagined disparities in the existing society and critiques it for being oppressive based on sex, gender, religion, etc. Now that it has revealed the disparities, it calls for social action to rectify the oppressions. Out of this, we get Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs on college campuses and corporate H.R. offices that practice reverse racism. We get Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investments that seek to destroy fossil fuels and prop up unprofitable climate change schemes. We get Critical Race Theory (CRT) that teaches minority students to hate America and teaches white people to view themselves as guilt-laden oppressors. The list goes on and on. But at the end of the day, wokeness is simply this: Cultural Marxism applied to every area of life by the media, massive corporations, politicians, and bureaucrats. Its important to understand and label wokeness so we can fight it. As Young has also argued, We need to use labels to be able to point at, highlight, and otherwise tag woke concepts so that they can be seen and then held up and examined for criticism. Using labels like woke, CRT, AND Critical Social Justice, lets us tag woke ideas so we can hold them up to the light and examine them. Labels help us point out wokeness to other people so they can see it too. This is what the woke want to avoid. What the woke want is to act like all the bits of woke activism we see are unconnected phenomena spontaneously springing forth in the name of justice in an organic and decentralized way. They want to act as though things like BLM, Defund the Police, Diversity, equity, and Inclusion, and Drag Queen Story Hour are diffuse and unconnected movements when in fact they are all connected by their adherence to an underlying worldview and ideology. So, rest assured, wokeness is not, as the proponents like to claim, simply being awake to and aware of social disparities and injustice. Wokeness is nothing less than a complete rejection of Western Civilization and its foundation Christianity. Its a counterfeit religion built on the false promises of a Marxist utopia. If we let it, it will replace God in a heartbeat and force the entire nation to worship DEI quotas, ESG scores, and cross-sex pronouns instead. Because of this, Christians and conservatives must reject and fight against wokeness everywhere we encounter it. In biblical terms, wokeness is our modern version of King Nebuchadnezzars golden statue in Daniel 3. It is the idol of our present day, and just about all of the powers that be media, colleges, corporations, and government are demanding that we bow to it. That we call all white people oppressors. That we pretend men can be women. That we act like we dont even know what a woman is. That looting and rioting are fiery but mostly peaceful protests. That George Floyd was some martyred saint. That children should get groomed in the classroom by LGBTQIA+ teachers or mutilated as part of gender-affirming care. That 2+2 doesnt always equal 4. As Christians, we must refuse to bow to the idol of wokeness. We must, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, speak the truth about God and reality. When threatened with the fiery furnace for defying the woke idol of the day, we must respond, and Im paraphrasing, There is no need for us to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If our God, whom we serve, can save us from the white-hot furnace and from your hands, O Woke, may He save us! But even if He will not, you should know, O Woke, that we will not serve your god or worship the golden statue of LGBTQIA+, CRT, DEI, ESG, and Planned Parenthood, which you set up. Thats wokeness. Its critical social justice. Its a false religion. Its the biggest threat facing our nation today. This means that Christians cannot avoid the fight or keep playing footsie with it. We must drive it back into the darkness through the preaching of the Gospel and savvy political maneuvering. Its no exaggeration to say that the very future of our country and our childrens lives depend on it. Originally published at the Standing for Freedom Center. 4 things to know about the border crisis Nearly three months into President Joe Biden's first term in office, the southern border continues to experience a surge of migrants seeking entry into the United States as his administration works to undo his predecessor's policies meant to curb illegal immigration. After taking office, Biden rescinded the national emergency at the border declared by former President Donald Trump, reversed the Migrant Protection Protocol requiring asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while their claims were adjudicated, and halted construction of the border wall. These decisions resulted in the massive increase of encounters between border enforcement officials and illegal immigrants, reaching 101,028 in February 2021 and 172,331 in March. By contrast, in the first four months of fiscal year 2021, the number of encounters hovered between 71,945 and 78,444. In February and March of 2020, the number of encounters was 36,687 and 34,460. As the border crisis has become what some politicians have described as a humanitarian catastrophe due to massive overcrowding and alleged abuse at detention facilities here are four things you need to know about the issue, including the Biden administration's plans to restart construction on parts of the border wall and reports that terrorists have used the crisis as an opportunity to enter the country. Border crossings surpass 250,000 in December, reaching record high 38 people on terrorist watch list caught crossing US border More than a quarter million people illegally crossed the United States southwest border in December as concerns about the border crisis continue to loom large for affected communities. Statistics released by United States Customs and Border Patrol reveal 251,487 encounters between federal law enforcement officials and migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border in December 2022. The astronomical figure marks a record high for the monthly number of illegal border crossings, blowing past the previous record of 241,136 set in May 2022. In the first three months of fiscal year 2023, which began in October, law enforcement officials have encountered 717,660 migrants. The number of monthly border crossings has consistently remained above 200,000 since March of last year and have never dropped below 100,000 since January 2021, when President Joe Biden took office. In addition to concerns that the surge of illegal immigration puts a strain on the resources of small border towns and cities like El Paso, Texas, which declared a state of emergency late last year, the explosion in border crossings also poses a public safety threat. CBP data show that the number of apprehensions of individuals on the U.S. governments Terrorist Screening Dataset, which consists of known or suspected terrorists, has reached 38 in the first three months of fiscal year 2023. For comparison, in fiscal year 2022, federal immigration officials apprehended 98 individuals on the Terrorist Screening Dataset between ports of entry along the southwest border. The number of such apprehensions last year constituted a noticeable increase from the 16 encounters between border officials and individuals on the Terrorist Screening Dataset in fiscal year 2021. In the previous four years, the number of known or suspected terrorists captured was measured at three, three, six and two, respectively. The news about the record number of border crossings comes less than three weeks after Republicans retook control of the U.S. House of Representatives. While the Republicans achieved a narrower-than-expected majority and failed to retake control of the U.S. Senate in last years midterms, the partys capture of the House was attributed in part to Bidens low approval ratings, particularly on illegal immigration. The RealClearPolitics average of polls taken since the beginning of 2023 asking Americans for their views on Bidens handling of the immigration issue show his net approval rating 31.5 points underwater, with a 62.5% disapproval rating. One of the polls included in the dataset, conducted by Quinnipiac, showed his net disapproval rating at a record high of 45 points. The presidents net approval rating on immigration is lower than all other categories measured by RealClearPolitics and significantly lower than his overall approval rating, which is just 9.7 points underwater. Meanwhile, Biden is blaming Republicans for the border surge. In remarks at the White House Friday, the president addressed the situation, attributing the explosion in border crossings to congressional Republicans refusal to embrace comprehensive immigration reform. According to Biden, They can keep using immigration to try to score political points, or we can help solve the problem. Immigration reform used to be a bipartisan issue. And we can make it that again, in my view. Biden visited El Paso two weeks ago, marking his first-ever trip to the U.S.-Mexico border. Critics derided his visit as $20 billion too little and two years too late, with Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott delivering a letter to the president reading in part your visit avoids the sites where mass illegal immigration occurs and sidesteps the thousands of angry property owners whose lives have been destroyed by your border policies. Like most critics of the Biden administration, Abbott pointed to the presidents policies as the reason for the border surge. Slamming what he characterized as Bidens failure to enforce the immigration laws that Congress enacted and open-border policies, Abbott laid out actions the president could take to solve the border crisis. You must stop sandbagging the implementation of the Remain-in-Mexico policy and Title 42 expulsions, and fully enforce those measures as the federal courts have ordered you to do, he wrote. The Remain-in-Mexico policy, implemented by the Trump administration, required migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. to remain in Mexico while their claims were adjudicated. Title 42 enabled border officials to quickly turn away most migrants seeking entry into the U.S. due to public health concerns stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. Throughout the Biden administration, Title 42 has become the subject of litigation, with the U.S. Supreme Court ordering the Trump-era policy to remain in place while the justices consider the case of Arizona, et al. v. Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security. Both Title 42 and the Remain-in-Mexico policy were credited with reducing the flow of illegal immigration at the southwest border. In fiscal year 2020, where those initiatives were in place for more than half of the year, there were only 458,088 border crossings. Early Christianity a 'feminist movement'?: Catholic nun says it's time for true 'herstory' to be told Was the feminism fight central to the first century church? Thats the question a Catholic nun takes on in a piece for the Global Sisters Report, a self-described independent, nonprofit source of news and information about Catholic sisters and the critical issues facing the people they serve." Asserting that the Bible shows how the early church was a feminist movement and that its time for the true herstory of female discipleship to be told, the piece celebrates the news that Pope Francis opened the door to expand senior roles for women in the Catholic Church, citing scriptural reasons behind such a move. The nun who wrote the piece is Nameeta Renu, a member of the Order of Consecrated Virgins in Bombay in Mumbai, India. She compared the church to Mary and Martha, two women who were followers of Jesus. Renu, whose bio states that she has a doctorate in theology on spiritual guidance and integral formation, writes that while Martha embodied the relatively conservative early church views on womens roles, which pointed toward more traditional roles, Mary represents the feminist church as envisioned by Jesus. In questioning these two archetypes, Renu then suggests both Martha and Mary represent the church at different points on the wide spectrum of feminism and cites Martha from the Margins: The Authority of Martha in Early Christian Tradition, a paper co-edited by agnostic atheist Bart Ehrman. After asserting that God wants both men and women to be liberated from patriarchy, Renu says this can only happen when victims are freed from domination, and when oppressors are converted and liberated from sin. She goes on to call Mary Magdalene the Apostle to the Apostles, and suggests that such a claim to apostleship holds as much weight as the Apostle Paul. Mary Magdalene has a very important role in following Jesus, but she is excluded from the Twelve Apostles while Paul boldly calls himself an apostle to the Gentiles even though he is not a disciple of Jesus before his death and resurrection, Renu writes. Christian blogger Erica Lee, whose blog Unfiltered & Free looks at gender and other topics through a biblical lens, told The Christian Post that filtering Scripture through feminism will only fuel further division. "The feminist movement is nothing more than another societal ploy to divide the population against themselves," Lee said. "Satan is the master deceiver and he is hard at work. "All social justice movements pit us against each other when we are all one Body in Christ. Christ's sacrifice on Calvary was the great equalizer." Lee also said characterizing Mary Magdalene as a type of 13th apostle is without scriptural basis. It appears to me that the author is simply uplifting an already significant female from the Bible to an elevated status as to remove perceived victimization, said Lee. Such twisting and manipulating of Scripture is dangerous. Renu's piece also pushes back against the traditional interpretation of Acts 6:3, which says the apostles told the disciples, Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty of distributing to widows in the church. According to Renu, there is little documentation about the identities of the seven who were chosen and that church fathers often used gendered language to represent all the baptized, even in the Nicene Creed of 325 A.D. Renu suggests the seven might have been either men, women, or a combination of both. She also argues that because the head of a family traditionally receives the blessing for all family members, some of the seven names could indirectly refer to their daughters, sisters, mothers or other relatives. They could even refer to couples or all the members of their families being selected for the service, she added. Lee told CP that such hermeneutical teaching is a direct reflection of the modern church and cited a recent study that found just 37% of pastors hold to a biblical worldview. That is a heartbreaking indictment on the church, said Lee. Therefore, as a result, we see articles such as this. Renu's piece appears to have been written in response to news out of the Vatican that would allow women to serve alongside all-male clergy in senior management of the Catholic Church. Published in March, the new constitution calls for the involvement of laywomen and laymen, even in roles of government and responsibility. The document, however, did not alter the role for women as it pertains to worship in the Catholic Church. In most countries, women were already serving as lectors and catechists in the Catholic Church. However, with the official ordination, more conservative bishops will be unable to prevent women in their dioceses from taking on those roles. Francis changed the laws of the Roman Catholic church in January 2021 to formally allow women to give readings from the Bible during Mass, act as altar servers and distribute communion. Throughout his papacy, Francis has called for women to have more formal roles in the church, but has remained firm on forbidding women to become deacons or priests. Catholic doctrine prohibits the ordination of women as priests, as those roles are reserved for men. In April 2020, the pope established a commission to study whether women should be granted the right to become ordained deacons. In this role, women would be permitted to preach and baptize, but not to conduct Mass. How did the sexual revolution overtake traditional feminism? Scholars discuss WASHINGTON The world's push to lessen the differences between the sexes and emphasize abortion as a necessary component of women's equality has negatively impacted both men and women and presents only one side of the feminist movement, feminism scholars say. Fresh off her event cancelation at a New York City venue for the release of her new book Feminism Against Progress, British writer Mary Harrington argued at a panel discussion in the nation's capital Tuesday that one aspect of feminism being pushed aside in today's feminist movement is the view that women are "embodied female individuals, equal in dignity to men, but different." She explained the differences between what she called the "feminism of care," which advocated for motherhood and family, and the "feminism of freedom," which argued that women must have the right to enter the market for the sexes to be equal. "It's my contention that that back and forth, which really characterizes the women's movement from the late 18th century and the writings of Mary Wollstonecraft up to the second wave, was definitively won by the feminism of freedom with the legalization of abortion," Harrington, a contributing editor at UnHerd, said during the panel discussion hosted by the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation titled "Reactionary Feminism: Sex and the Market." Speaking on the panel with Harrington were legal scholar Erika Bachiochi and Arthur Milikh, the executive director of The Claremont Institute's Center for the American Way of Life. Bachiochi, a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and senior fellow at the Abigail Adams Institute, is also the author of the book The Rights of Women: Reclaiming a Lost Vision, which examines the history of feminism and calls for the movement to reject the teachings of the sexual revolution and reprioritize the family. "It seems to me quite obvious that when you elevate the capacity for women to, as Ruth Bader Ginsburg would put it in her scholarship, to become equal citizens on the same footing as men through the right to abortion, and you claim that that right is necessary for women's equality and women's citizenship, then it's pretty easy for all of the market institutions and including public institutions to sort of say, 'Great!' We'll join right along with you!'" Bachiochi said. How the industrial era transformed women's lives At the beginning of the panel, Heritage Foundation senior fellow Delano Squires asked Harrington to explain what she calls "cyborg feminism," a concept that she explores in her book. This version of feminism argues for the use of technology to "flatten" the differences between the sexes, including female reproduction. The author clarified that in discussions about feminism, such as when conservatives discuss the issue, they're missing "half of the story," particularly the advocacy for women, which took place before the sexual revolution. Regarding this part of women's history, Harrington said that one side of the women's movement had "won," rendering the other side "invisible." According to Harrington, the story of feminism began with the industrial revolution. Before the industrial revolution, women who lived in an agrarian situation could work around their familial obligations. But now, if they were expected to go out and earn a wage, that raised questions about how to balance work alongside raising children. "If you were handweaving at home, you could do that with a toddler underfoot," the author said. "You can't very well take your toddler to a factory filled with heavy and dangerous machinery. Well, you could, but it's certainly not advisable." Harrington noted that there were two ways that women responded to this new "dilemma." "One was to make a case for the values and virtues of the now private domestic sphere from which economic activity has been drained," she said, which the author characterized as the "feminism of care." Writings focused on the "feminism of care" recognize the importance of motherhood and the value of family, specifically under more industrial conditions. Despite the emerging market society, this form of feminism maintained that the moral education and care of children and the business of relationship held equal value. An agrarian housewife wouldn't need to be defensive about "pulling her weight within the home," Harrington said. Considering women had lost economic agency and had not gained any political leverage to compensate for the loss, the author explained, suddenly, it was necessary to defend why housework still mattered. "I read this straightforwardly as a kind of feminism, even if the liberal feminist historiography frames it as 'patriarchal propaganda," she said, referring to early writings defending domesticity. The author explained how another subset of feminists contends that women must enter the market on the same terms as men or the sexes would never be equal. Harrington defined this as the "feminism of freedom," which says men and women are equal and should have equal access to public life. The feminism of freedom holds that women entering the market on the same terms as men was the "proper solution" to the dilemmas created by the industrial era. This group of feminists "definitively won" with the legalization of abortion, Harrington said, stating that society currently lives under something that "characterizes itself as feminism" but only presents one side of it. Bachiochi seconded Harrington's arguments, agreeing that women became economically dependent on the wages men earned as they began working outside of the home due to industrialization. She noted that early feminists fought for joint property ownership and protective legislation in the workplace, in addition to advocating for men to embody a certain standard of behavior and fulfill their responsibilities to their families. The feminist legal scholar agreed with Harrington that the liberal feminists and their vision "won," which is why the other side of the women's movement appears to have been forgotten. Bachiochi, however, believes there is a "cognitive dissonance" present in progressive feminism, which still bemoans the workplace not respecting the work women do at home. The argument that women's equality depends on the right to abortion means the marketplace does not have to accommodate pregnant women and can continue to favor the "unencumbered male worker," Bachiochi said. Bachiochi claimed that society views men and women as "breadwinners" first and "caregivers" second. The solution, she proposed, is to utilize technology not to "flatten" differences between the sexes but to help bring work back into the home. In response to a question from The Christian Post about how to help men and women, particularly young folks, reconnect with more traditional ideas about feminism, Harrington suggested rejecting the contraceptive pill. The researcher asserted that the contraceptive pill is the "original point of entry into cyborg feminism." Harrington said she has heard from many young women who were put on birth control, some as young as 14. Around 10 years later, Harrington said, these women realized that their personalities had changed entirely, with some mistakenly believing they were just bipolar until they realized contraceptive pills were to blame. "And this was all to the purpose of rendering a woman receptive to what is, for the most part, loveless and sometimes extremely degrading sexual access," Harrington said, arguing that she fails to see how this is in women's best interests. "It seems to me that a good place to start would be a feminist movement against the pill and for rewilding sex, returning the danger to sex, returning the intimacy and really, the consequentiality to sex," she said. The feminist author called for women to intentionally reconnect with the "fullness of [their] embodied nature," which includes women's reproductive roles. Differences between the sexes Squires asked Milikh what role men play in conversations about feminism. The scholar warned about efforts to reduce "maleness" and what he called the "destruction of male self-respect." "This is partly what toxic masculinity is," he said. "I mean, this is the latest iteration of it. There have been things before it, there will be things after it, but the underlying goal is to make it such that young men especially look at themselves and their value in terms of female judgments of them." The scholar highlighted the push to render once all-male spaces co-ed but stated that he noticed there is not the same push for all-female physics labs, for example. Milikh said that both sexes would "preserve something of their own" that he believes is lost through the constant interaction with one another in various spaces. Harrington agreed with Milikh's analysis, citing a portion of her book that highlights the potential consequences of rendering once all-male spaces co-ed. She stated that losing opportunities for socialization and positive mentorship creates a vacuum that some men may try to fill by seeking out figures such as Andrew Tate. Despite men and women occupying the same spaces, Harrington contends that technological developments have reduced the availability of working-class jobs that made the differences between the sexes apparent. As a result, it's easier to claim that sex is irrelevant because in a more digital workspace, men and women are typically not confronted with all of the ways sex is important, she said. Feminism and transgenderism Harrington's response to Milikh's analysis was an answer to a question from Squires about educated women's support for transgenderism. Their advocacy for transgenderism is based on a "sense of self-interest," with Harrington arguing that many of these women believe their support for transgenderism will "make the world a better place." These feminists claim that one should not be constrained by the features of the body, according to Harrington, and that allowing people to be who they are makes the world better. "If that means I have to accept as a woman someone who just says they're a woman even if they have a fully developed set of dangly bits, then fine," the author said, detailing how some modern feminists think. "I'm going to do that because logically, it's co-extensive with the rest of my position that we shouldn't be constrained by accidental features of our physiology." Is TikTok housewives trend encouraging women to be 'submissive'? A TikTok trend of stay-at-home moms sharing their daily routine of performing domestic work has prompted a debate about whether it encourages women to be submissive. As Insider reported earlier this month, women showcasing their lives as homemakers is part of a trend of American women making trad wife (traditional wife) content showing the positive aspects of being a housewife. The trad wife hashtag has more than 96 million views on TikTok, with some users incorporating it into their usernames. Estee C. Williams, a 24-year-old who creates content for TikTok, defines trad wife as a woman who chooses to live a more traditional life with ultra-traditional gender roles." Williams lives in Virginia with her husband, Conner. In June, the homemaker posted a video listing all the things she does to make her life more enjoyable, including listening to music while cleaning, wearing makeup and cute house dresses, and taking candle-lit baths. In an interview with Insider, Williams said she is not disparaging womens right to work, but adds that housewives like her believe many women have drifted far from [our] roots. "For me, the hustle culture was not appealing. Being a wife, mom, making delicious home-cooked meals for my family, and keeping up a warm, inviting home is what truly spoke to me, Williams said. The social media influencer added that working can be good for some women, but fears many in the workforce suffer from burnout. "I choose to promote this lifestyle to showcase the fulfillment this lifestyle gives, she said. According to a 2020 analysis conducted by Great Place to Work and healthcare start-up Maven, mothers in paid employment are 23% more likely to experience burnout than fathers in paid employment. The study surveyed over 1,200 U.S. companies and over 400,000 working parents. The analysis included 226,000 working mothers and 204,000 working fathers, having them respond to 60 questions through Great Place to Works Trust Index survey. An estimated 2.35 million working mothers in the U.S. suffered from burnout during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, mainly due to unequal demands of home and work, according to the study. Another survey conducted by the business networking site LinkedIn assessed nearly 5,000 members on the site between July 31 and Aug. 13 last year. The study found that while working women and men face similar stresses, the intensity level was always higher for women. Seventy-four percent of women said they felt very or somewhat stressed for work-related reasons, compared to 64% of working men. Forty percent of working women cited not having enough time in the day to get everything done as one of their top stress factors, versus just 35% of male respondents. The Insider report noted that some trad wives believe that feminism has persuaded women to enter the workforce instead of being full-time wives and mothers. Deborah Etienne, a Brandwatch data analyst and researcher tracking the social media trend, asserted that "many trad wives reject feminism, claiming it has destroyed everything." Whitman College sociologist Michelle Janning told Insider that the chaos of the pandemic might have influenced some women to be full-time stay-at-home mothers. According to Janning, the stress of working outside the home during this time might have led some women to decide that being at home was the best option. "As a sociologist, I would say, when people collectively feel like there's not a lot of control in the world, you cling to something familiar, and concrete because it might be comfortable," she told Insider. Janning also cautioned that not all trad wives are creating content to promote homemaking as a healthy lifestyle. She claimed that some might use the trend to champion "conservative or white supremacist views." Another TikTok user that once identified as a trad wife, Madison Dastrup, stopped associating with the term in September for this reason. The sociologist further added that some of these women on TikTok are actually pursuing a career outside the home by working as social media influencers. "It could be that they're not selling a product but selling a version of themselves, and their husband will be getting the sponsorship, Janning said. It's a contradiction: their job is to tell people they don't have a job." She went on to insinuate that societys gender system tells women that being a homemaker is a lifestyle choice, but its really pushing them toward the role of a full-time housewife. "It's less of a choice than maybe we think it is, Janning said. Abby Roth, a conservative and host of the "Classically Abby" podcast, which promotes classic feminist values, examined the #TradWide trend in a May 2020 article at Evie. Roth claimed that some versions of the trend demean women instead of merely celebrating stay-at-home moms. Some definitions of the trend, Roth explained, claim that women can only be traditional if they stay home full-time. A classic woman can be a traditional wife and mother even if she does work because she knows that her passion for her work is there to support her traditional life at home, she wrote. Where feminism proposes that women should actively choose career over family, being classic says that work and family can go hand-in-hand. The feminist emphasized that a husband and wife must commit to growing alongside one another, encouraging each other to become better versions of themselves. She argued that the #Trad trend appears to discourage women from speaking to their husbands about how to improve their character. Because this #Trad definition expects wives to be submissive and husbands to be dominant, it creates an inherent power imbalance in the relationship, Roth wrote at the time. She asserted that marriages should be based on partnership, not subservience. According to a YouGov survey from the Institute for Family Studies/Wheatley Institution of 2,500 American adults, ages 18-55, conducted from May 28 to June 10 last year, 53% of parents with children younger than 18 prefer working from home most of the time or half of the time due to the pandemic. Sixty-five percent of college-educated fathers supported the idea of working from home at least half the time or most of the time. Approximately 44% supported working from home most of the time, while 21% support working from home half of the time. Among college-educated mothers, some 57% endorse the shift. Mothers were more likely than fathers to voice a preference for having flexible work hours and sharing childcare responsibilities with their partners. Nearly 30% of moms and dads believe one parent staying home full-time is the best arrangement for children under 5. The researchers behind the survey concluded that their results support the idea that most parents caring for their children themselves if their work arrangement allows it. Man pleads guilty to setting Ohio church on fire because of its religious character A man has pleaded guilty to setting fire to an Ohio church building and now faces up to 20 years in prison for violating the federal Church Arson Prevention Act. Benjamin Ruckel, a 25-year-old resident of Pickerington, pled guilty during a Wednesday hearing to a single charge of setting a fire at Mount Zion Church in Baltimore and causing considerable damage to the facility. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Ruckel confessed to purposely setting the fire "because of the religious character of the church." Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division was quoted in the press release as saying that Ruckel "is being held accountable for a devastating church arson that impacted an entire community of worshipers." "The freedom to congregate in churches across our nation and the liberty to exercise one's religious beliefs must be shielded and protected," Clarke said in a statement. "The Justice Department is committed to protecting our houses of worship and ensuring that all people are able to freely engage in religious practice free from violence and forceful interference." U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio stated that people "should be free to worship without any criminal acts occurring against them or the place in which they come together to do so." "Combatting these types of unlawful acts is a priority for my office, and together with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to vigorously use every criminal enforcement tool at our disposal to address civil rights violations," Parker added. On the late evening of Nov. 27, 2021, deputies with the Fairfield County Sheriff's Office responded to a fire at Mount Zion Church while firefighters dealt with the blaze. Authorities spotted Ruckel fleeing the burning church and eventually located him in a ditch near the building after midnight. "Ruckel was taken into custody without incident and was transported to the Fairfield County Jail," noted the sheriff's office's 2021 statement. "The fire damage to the church was contained to one area of the structure by fire personnel." The Church Arson Prevention Act was signed into law in 1996 by President Bill Clinton in response to an apparent uptick in arson attacks on churches, especially those in predominantly African American communities. There were nearly 500 acts of hostility against churches in the U.S. over the past five years, including 63 churches in the first three months of 2022, according to an analysis from the Family Research Council, a Christian conservative activist organization. Mel Gibson demands release of American on death row in China Actor and award-winning director Mel Gibson is using his celebrity and international influence to demand the release of American Mark Swidan who has been imprisoned in China for more than a decade. "Mark Swidan has been wrongfully and unlawfully imprisoned by the Chinese for almost 11 years," Gibson said in a video to NewsNation following their spotlight coverage of Swidan's imprisonment. Swidan, a Texan and devout Catholic, was described by the news outlet as a businessman, artist and architect who has been languishing in a Chinese prison since 2012 and is now facing a death sentence. China accused Swidan of colluding with a Mexican cartel to make methamphetamine despite a lack of evidence. "He faces a death sentence, he's a man of great faith, an American patriot, and he refuses during his captivity to renounce either his faith or his country," Gibson said. "The Braveheart" star urged Americans to use their voice and demand his release. NewsNation added that Gibson and his priest in Malibu held a special Mass and prayer for Swidan to have strength during his imprisonment. "Let us pray that indeed he remained faithful to Christ and that he'd be repatriated very soon and delivered from his unjust captivity," the priest is heard praying in a clip. Gibson added, The United States government has demanded his release, and we, as Americans, should stand up for this man who represents the best of us." The U.S. State Department said Swidan has been wrongfully detained and would continue to press for his immediate release. Earlier this year, the U.S. House unanimously approved a resolution that calls on China to release Swidan. The United Nations has also agreed that the 48-year-old was detained in violation of international law. I ask for all of you to raise your voices and demand Marks release, and to pray that hes returned to his family, The Passion of Christ added. Swidan reportedly visited China in 2012 and "visited a factory that police found had once been used to manufacture drugs, according to the Dui Hua Foundation, a nonprofit that focuses on gaining clemency and better treatment for detainees," the Texas Tribune reported. He was arrested "alongside 11 others who Chinese authorities said were part of an organization manufacturing drugs. But the 11 could not identify him, according to the U.N. report," the Tribune added. Earlier this month, Chinas Jiangmen Intermediate Court denied Swidans appeal and upheld the death penalty with a two-year suspended death sentence. This ruling came despite members of the House demanding his release. They also condemned Beijing for Swidans treatment, refusing to allow him to have regular contact with his family, as well as denying him competent medical care and evaluation. His mother, Katherine, told NewsNation that her son now has lost his teeth and more than 100 pounds due to the lack of proper care. He would write and say, Mom, Ive never been so cold in my life, she said, adding that Swidan sleeps on cardboard in a cement cell with no heat or air conditioning. For almost 11 years, hes slept with the lights on the whole time, she explained. The U.N. echoed his mother's sentiments, disclosing that Swidan was subjected to coercion, ill-treatment and a bad legal defense. Gibson ended his plea by saying, I ask for all of you to raise your voices and demand Marks release and to pray that hes returned to his family." Tucker Carlson: 'We all should be' praying for America 'I'm an Episcopalian, and even I have concluded it might be worth taking 10 minutes out of your busy schedule to say a prayer for the future' In his last public address before leaving Fox News, Tucker Carlson had some simple advice for Americans who are concerned about the direction of their country: pray. Carlson, 53, delivered the address on April 21 at a 50th anniversary gala event for the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think-tank where the news commentator got his first post-college job. During the speech which covered both politics and faith Carlson gave no indication that he was aware of Fox News impending announcement on Monday about his departure from the news network. Instead, Carlson used the address and subsequent Q&A session with Heritage President Kevin Roberts to speak on his faith background, missed political calls, and where he believes the United States is headed. He recalled how he ended up landing his first job To say I was not a promising hire would be an understatement, he quipped as a copy editor at Policy Review, the Heritage Foundations quarterly magazine, in 1991. I was leaving college without a degree or a job and attempting to marry my girlfriend, which I subsequently did and ran into this giant roadblock in the form of her Episcopal priest father, who said, No, job first! he said. It was against the turbulent political backdrop of the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union that Carlsons career got underway. We were in conflict with a country that was both anti-markets and anti-Christian, he added. He contrasted that era with todays political climate, which in his estimation shows the country's really going at high speed in the wrong direction. You look around, and you see so many people break under the strain, under the downward pressure of whatever this is that we're going through, and you look with disdain and sadness as you see people you know become quislings, you see them revealed as cowards, you see them going along with a new thing, which is clearly a poisonous thing, a silly thing, he said. As an example, Carlson pointed to the rise in preferred pronouns used by trans-identified individuals and their allies and the rise of corporate diversity initiatives since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Really? You're putting your pronouns in your email? You're ridiculous, he said. What does that even mean? You're saying, LGBTQIA++ ... what's it like to be a plus? Am I a plus? I'm serious, I feel like I'm an addition. Does that make me a plus? Carlson also pointed to the pandemic-era practice of people saying things you know they don't believe because they want to keep their jobs. If there's a single person in this room who hasn't seen that through George Floyd and COVID and the Ukraine war, raise your hand, he prompted the largely conservative audience. Oh, nobody? Right, you all know what I'm talking about. A longtime Episcopalian who hasnt shied away from criticizing the denomination in the past he once said in a 2013 interview that the Episcopal Church loves abortions Carlson acknowledged being a little overwhelmed at the outset of the Heritage event during a public time of prayer. I was actually overcome a little bit with emotion as you prayed because I realized that I was so upset by the behavior of some people I love, frankly, in a country I revere and always have, that I wasn't praying for the country, he said. You know, that's on me and we all should be [praying]. Perhaps aligning with Heritages Christian orientation, Carlson appeared to use less political and more theological terms to describe what he depicted as a moral battle being waged across America. For him, there are two groups pushing for what he called two diametrically opposed baskets of outcomes: that of order, calmness, tranquility, peace, and their opposites violence, hate, disorder, division, disorganization and filth. So, if you are all in on the things that produce the latter basket of outcomes, what you're really advocating for is evil, he said. That's just true. I'm not calling for a religious war, far from it. I'm merely calling for an acknowledgment of what we're watching. Rather than Christians taking part in what he called totally fraudulent debates over cultural issues, Carlson proposed a commitment to prayer instead. Spending just a few minutes praying for our country, he added, should be a priority for those who call themselves by the name of Christ. And I'm saying that to you not as some kind of evangelist. I'm literally saying that to you as an Episcopalian, the Samaritans of our time, he said. Im coming to you from the most lowly and humble theological position you can. "I'm literally an Episcopalian, OK, and even I have concluded it might be worth taking just 10 minutes out of your busy schedule to say a prayer for the future, and I hope you will. On Monday, Fox News unexpectedly parted ways with its highest-rated primetime opinion host, issuing only a brief statement to announce the move. We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor, the statement added. The company said the last episode of Carlsons program Tucker Carlson Tonight aired on April 21. In its place, "Fox News Tonight" will air live helmed by rotating FOX News personalities until a new host is named, the company said. Since then, Carlson has yet to publicly comment on the announcement. The announcement comes nearly a week after Fox News settled a lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million over the networks 2020 election coverage, which included unfounded allegations against Dominion of rigging votes to tilt the election in favor of President Joe Biden. With over 3 million nightly viewers, Tucker Carlson Tonight was one of the top-rated primetime shows on Fox News, which is also the most-watched U.S. cable news network, according to Reuters. Prior to joining Fox News, Carlson co-founded and served as editor-in-chief of The Daily Caller. He also hosted MSNBCs Tucker and co-hosted CNNs Crossfire. American Voters' Picks For 2024 Election, Reactions To Tucker Carlson Leaving FOX, Sean Feucht On Christian Nationalism link to download the audio instead. link to download the audio instead. 06:34 06:34 Top headlines for Thursday, April 27, 2023 We explore the results of an NBC News poll that shows most Americans don't want former President Donald Trump or President Joe Biden to run in the 2024 election. Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, who is positioning herself as the person who can forge a national consensus on abortion, citing her experience doing the same during her tenure as governor of South Carolina. Next, we'll discuss the recent news that Tucker Carlson is no longer hosting a show on Fox News, and the reactions that followed. Finally, we'll look at the controversial topic of Christian nationalism, with some Christian leaders warning against it and others, like activist missionary Sean Feucht, doubling down on their support for the movement. Subscribe to this Podcast Follow Us on Social Media Get the Edifi App Subscribe to Our Newsletter Links to the News Top headlines for Thursday, April 27, 2023 We explore the results of an NBC News poll that shows most Americans don't want former President Donald Trump or President Joe Biden to run in the 2024 election. Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, who is positioning herself as the person who can forge a national consensus on abortion, citing her experience doing the same during her tenure as governor of South Carolina. Next, we'll discuss the recent news that Tucker Carlson is no longer hosting a show on Fox News, and the reactions that followed. Finally, we'll look at the controversial topic of Christian nationalism, with some Christian leaders warning against it and others, like activist missionary Sean Feucht, doubling down on their support for the movement. 85% of Anglican leaders reject head bishop of the 3rd-largest Christian denomination How should Christians respond when LGBT activists demand they compromise the truth of Scripture by endorsing same-sex marriage and transgender identity? A global gathering of Anglicans just provided an excellent example. In February, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the head of the Church of England and the first among equals in the global Anglican Communion, the third-largest Christian denomination, defended blessings for same-sex couples while insisting that the move did not violate the churchs doctrine that marriage is between one man and one woman for life. For the first time, the Church of England will publicly, unreservedly and joyfully welcome same-sex couples in church, Welby said in a joint statement with Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell at the time. Leaders at the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) wouldnt stand for this. On Friday, they signed the Kigali Commitment, condemning Welbys move as blasphemy and declaring that he and the Church of England had abdicated their leadership of the Anglican Communion. It grieves the Holy Spirit and us that the leadership of the Church of England is determined to bless sin, GAFCON leaders wrote in the Kigali Commitment. Since the Lord does not bless same-sex unions, it is pastorally deceptive and blasphemous to craft prayers that invoke blessing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. GAFCON, which met last week in Kigali, Rwanda, declared Welbys leadership entirely indefensible. The Kigali Commitment declares that the Church of England has failed to maintain true communion based on the Word of God and shared faith in Christ, therefore noting that GAFCONs communion with them remains broken. That represents a kind of revolution and excommunication from below, in which the top leaders of Anglican churches referred to as primates brush away the historic head of the denomination. We consider that those who refuse to repent have abdicated their right to leadership within the Anglican Communion, and we commit ourselves to working with orthodox primates and other leaders to reset the Communion on its biblical foundations, the commitment reads. The statement notes that GAFCON and the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (which has also effectively excommunicated the Church of England) represent 85% of the primates in the Global Anglican Communion, the third-largest Christian denomination after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. It remains unclear what will happen next for GAFCON and its ally, the Global South Fellowship. The GAFCON primates are still finalizing the practicalities of the statement, a spokeswoman for the conference told The Daily Signal on Tuesday. Welby responded to the commitment in a statement Friday, noting that the structures of the Anglican Communion are always able to change with the times, but arguing that no changes to the formal structures of the Anglican Communion can be made unless they are agreed upon by the Instruments of Communion. Yet the Kigali Commitment declares that GAFCON has no confidence that the archbishop of Canterbury, nor the other Instruments of Communion he leads (the Lambeth Conference, the Anglican Consultative Council, and the Primates Meetings), are able to provide a godly way forward that will be acceptable to those who are committed to the truthfulness, clarity, sufficiency, and authority of Scripture. Welbys statement did not address the Kigali Commitments central concern about blessings for same-sex couples but merely urges GAFCON to walk together as Anglicans with the Church of England. GAFCON leaders are not so easily cowed. Their statement cites Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:4-6, and 1 Corinthians 6:9 in reaffirming the biblical teaching that the only appropriate context for sexual activity is the exclusive lifelong union of a man and a woman in marriage. Public statements by the Archbishop of Canterbury and other leaders of the Church of England in support of same-sex blessings are a betrayal of their ordination and consecration vows to banish error and to uphold and defend the truth taught in Scripture, the statement explains. GAFCON also argues that Welby and others repudiated Resolution I.10 of the 1998 Lambeth Conference, which declared that homosexual practice is incompatible with Scripture and advised against the legitimizing or blessing of same-sex unions. Welby and the Church of England have tried to weasel out of their repudiation of Resolution I.10 with promises not to change the definition of marriage, but GAFCON isnt having it. The Kigali Commitment also cites other Church of England departures from Christian orthodoxy, such as the uniqueness and divinity of Christ, his bodily Resurrection, his promised return, the summons to faith and repentance, and the final judgment. Many Christian leaders have shied away from these central Christian doctrines to declare a more nebulous gospel of love and acceptance unmoored from the clear teaching of the Bible that if Jesus was not bodily raised from the dead, our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain (1 Corinthians 15:14). Christianity can only offer hope of ultimate joy, reconciliation with God, and salvation from sin in the context of doctrines such as the need for repentance, the historical truth of the Gospels, and the promised resurrection of the church. The rush to embrace modern sexual morality often coincides with a wishy-washy Christianity that does not take the Gospels central truth claims seriously. This Christianity-lite cannot offer salvation because it does not first condemn sin. It cannot offer assurance of salvation because it downplays the importance of faith. It cannot offer the ultimate hope of resurrection because it rejects the bodily resurrection of Jesus. A Christianity that does not preach the Resurrection is not Christianity, and a Christianity that rejects the clear witness of Scripture about sexual morality is also not Christianity. Christians must love and sympathize with those who struggle with same-sex attraction and gender confusion, and a keen awareness of our own sin must restrain us from thinking ourselves superior to them. However, sympathy and Christlike charity do not excuse those who bless sin in the name of God. The Kigali Commitment upholds biblical sexual morality while affirming that every person is loved by God and opposing the vilification or demeaning of any person, including those who do not follow Gods ways. As the commitment states, it is unloving to mislead people by pretending that God blesses sexually active relationships between two people of the same sex. Thank God for church leaders who are not afraid to speak these truths. I am honored to count my own churchs head pastor, Sam Ferguson, among those who attended the conference. May GAFCONs leadership here shame the Church of England into repentance. Originally published at The Daily Signal. Does I Corinthians say women have to cover their heads? The assumption that 1 Corinthians 11:216 reinforces a universal Church custom that women must wear a garment over their heads in Christian worship to show their subordination to men makes this one of the most obscure Pauline passages (W. Meeks), one that still awaits a really convincing explanation (C.F.D. Moule, G. B. Caird). This passage has many statements, including the following twelve, which do not make sense if its about a Church custom that all women must have a garment covering symbolizing subordination: I praise you for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you (1 Corinthians 11:2). This doesnt make sense as the introduction to a passage about Corinthians flouting a custom Paul taught in all the churches, especially since the very next section begins, In the following instructions I do not praise you It was not disgraceful for every man (1 Corinthians 11:4) to drape a garment over his head. The capite velato was a sign of dignity and piety. Furthermore, Exodus 29:49 and Leviticus 16:34 command priests to wear a head-covering garment. Prayer with uncovered heads was the common Hellenistic custom, not disgraceful. Head coverings were optional. Most depictions of women have no head-covering garment, so its absence was not disgraceful for every woman. For she is one and the same with the shorn woman (1 Corinthians 11:5b). In Pauls day, an accused adulteress had her hair let down. It was shaved if she was convicted. This explains their equivalence. There is no comparable equivalence between not wearing a head-covering garment and being shaved. The woman ought to have [and exercise] authority over her head (1 Corinthians 11:10) asserts the womans authority. If this passage is about womans subordination to mans authority, why does it only reference authority that is asserted by woman? However, the important thing [plen BDAG 826 1c] is that woman is not separate from man (1 Corinthians 11:11a). This denies a division between woman and man in the Lord and highlights this as Pauls important point. This contradicts the idea that this passage asserts mans authority over woman. As Anthony Thiselton has shown, the translation independent goes beyond the meaning of choris. Most Greek dictionaries do not mention people being independent as a meaning of this word. Nor is man separate from woman in the Lord (1 Corinthians 11:11b). This is incompatible with woman being subordinate to man. In the Lord, namely in the experience of community in Christ, there is no separation by gender. Woman and man have equal standing. This is why both can lead worship in prayer and prophecy. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman (1 Corinthians 11:11b). This counterbalances any basis man might have as the source of woman for special standing or privilege. Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him? (1 Corinthians 11:14). It is unrelated to Pauls topic if he is talking about garment coverings. But if a woman has long hair, it is her glory ( 1 Corinthians 11:15a) undermines Pauls message if he wanted women to cover their hair with a garment. This is because long hair is given her as a covering (peribolaiou) ( 1 Corinthians 11:15b). This, the only word specifying a head-covering garment in this passage, identifies long hair as her covering. This undermines Pauls message if he intended women to cover their hair with a garment. 1 Corinthians 11 has no reference to a veil (kalymma) even though Paul uses kalymma four times in 2 Corinthians 3:1316. We, the churches of God, have no such (toiauten) custom (1 Corinthians 11:16). This contradicts the idea that Paul is appealing to a universal custom of the churches requiring women to cover their heads with a garment. Toiauten means the exact opposite of the NIV, RSV, and NASB translation, no other! No word in this chapter demands a garment head covering. No other Bible passage prohibits male worship leaders from draping a garment over their heads or demands that female worship leaders drape a garment over their heads. On the contrary, the prohibitions of braided hair intertwined with gold in 1 Peter 3:3 and 1 Timothy 2:9 seem to assume that womens hair is visible. So what is Paul talking about? Two cultural and one linguistic insight (which I will explain in my next op-ed) made sense of this whole passage. One day while doing research at Cambridge. I found a study by H. Herter, Effeminatus, in RAC (1957) 2:620650. It cites over one hundred passages from classical antiquity, the largest number from Pauls time, that railed against men with effeminate hairstyles. Many are about homosexual-hookup solicitation. This fits the setting in Corinth because 1 Corinthians 6:9 states that some in that church had been men who have sex with men. Romans 1:2627 and 1 Timothy 1:911 identify homosexual acts as contrary to Gods design and the Gospel. All this explains why Paul writes, Every man who prays or prophesies having [long effeminate hair] hanging down from the head disgraces his head. This also avoids interpretations of 11:78 that contradict Genesiss affirmations of the image of God equally in male and female: 7For a man ought not [expressing a moral issue] cover his head [with effeminate hair] since he is the image and glory of God [and so should live in a way that upholds Gods design in creation and brings God glory. Displaying effeminate hair to solicit homosexual hookups is contrary to the way God created man for sexual relations with a woman.] Rather, it is the woman [not another man] who is [created by God to be] the glory of man. 8For man did not come from woman, but woman from man [to be his sexual partner]; 9neither was man created for woman, but woman for man [to be his sexual partner]." The second key cultural background is that Dionysiac revelries on Mount Parnassus near the Gulf of Corinth were infamous for immoral sexual practices (Livy 11:255; Pausanius 10.6.2). Women (called maenads) let their hair down (symbolizing undisciplined sexuality, C. R. Hallpike, Social Hair, Man NS 4 (1969): 256264), uttered ecstatic prophecy, and engaged in orgies. The Roman historian Livy (59 BC17 AD, LCL 11:255) writes that in Dionysiac initiation rites there were more lustful practices among men with one another than among women. Pervasive Dionysiac influence, with its strong emphasis on freedom from cultural restraints, best explains why at least one man in the church in Corinth would display effeminate hair and why at least one woman, perhaps wanting to express her freedom in Christ, let her hair down when praying or prophesying. Everything in 1 Corinthians 11:216 makes sense if it opposes hairstyles that symbolize sexual availability. The only occurrence of the word in 11:5 for uncovered in the Greek Old Testament (Leviticus 13:45) is also about an uncovered head (NASB 1977) (translating he kephale autou akatakalyptos). Akatakalyptos translates the same Hebrew word that in Numbers 5:18s bitter water test refers to hair let down loose (HALOT 3:970). These coverings are all hair. Emergency food parcels reach record levels The Trussell Trust has given out record numbers of emergency food parcels to people in hardship in the last 12 months. Almost three million parcels were given out between April 2022 and March 2023, with a million of them for children. This is double the amount distributed by the Christian charity in the same period five years ago and a 37% increase on the previous year. Some 760,000 people were new users of the service, up 38% from the previous year. Emma Revie, Chief Executive at the Trussell Trust, said that current social security payments were pushing people deeper into hardship because they "do not reflect life's essential costs". "These new statistics are extremely concerning and show that an increasing number of people are being left with no option but to turn to charitable, volunteer-run organisations to get by and this is not right," she said. "The continued increase in parcel numbers over the last five years indicates that it is ongoing low levels of income and a social security system that isn't fit for purpose that are forcing more people to need food banks, rather than just the recent cost of living crisis or the Covid-19 pandemic. "Food banks were set up to provide short-term support to people in an emergency, they are not a lasting solution to hunger and poverty, and more than three quarters of the UK population agree with us that they should not need to exist." The Trussell Trust said that demand had spiked during the winter months, particularly in December. Brian Thomas, Chief Executive at South Tyneside Foodbank, said he had seen an unprecedented rise in people coming to the food bank, especially among working people whose incomes are not enough to cover rising living costs. "We're also seeing a really high number of families needing support as people struggle to afford the essentials. Food donation levels are not keeping up with the significant increase in need and this is putting us under a lot of strain, it's a real pressure cooker situation for food banks," he said. Islamist extremists kill pastor, herdsmen slaughter 134 Christians in Nigeria Islamic extremists killed a pastor in northeast Nigeria, and terrorists in the country's middle belt state of Benue killed 134 Christians the first week of April, sources said. The Rev Yakubu Shuaibu of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN) was killed in Borno state by terrorists from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) who on the night of April 4 broke into his house in Madlau, Biu County, said EYN leader Salamatu Billi. They also shot and wounded his pregnant wife, who was receiving treatment at Biu General Hospital in Biu town, Billi said. The pastor is also survived by another child. Pastor Shuaibu's body was buried in his hometown of Dzangwala, Gombi County, Adamawa state, Billi said. The couple began work in the area with the EYN church four years ago. "Please let us all pray for his wife's recovery, for God to comfort his entire family, and for the church of God and ministers of the church working in the danger zones of Borno and Adamawa states," Billi said. "The hunt for Christians, especially ministers serving in the church, by terrorists in northeast Nigeria continues. This is the third EYN pastor to be killed in cold blood within a short time by these terrorists." ISWAP also attacked predominantly Christian Njimtilo, Pulka and Ajiri Mafa villages at the same time the pastor was slain, said area resident Josephine Joseph. "During the attacks, the terrorists destroyed houses of Christians and looted their homes of food items," Joseph said. In Benue state, in Nigeria's middle belt, Fulani herdsmen killed 134 Christians from April 2 to April 10, said Benue Governor Samuel Ortom in a press statement. "Within one week, 134 Christians have been killed by herdsmen," he said. "This apart from the fact that of the 23 local government areas of the state, 18 of them have been ravaged by herdsmen attacks, and most Christians in these council areas displaced." The herdsmen attacked the local government areas of Makurdi, Guma, Otukpo, Apa and Logo, area residents told Morning Star News in text messages. They also attacked Kwande County, said area resident Dominic Anza, president of the Universal Reformed Christian Church (NKST). "Armed Fulani herdsmen have been attacking our Christian communities for years, but recently, these attacks became so intense that hardly any day passes without a community being attacked," Pastor Anza said. "My village of Turan in Kwande Local Government Area was also attacked by these Fulani herdsmen, and many Christians in my village killed." Christians affected in the areas are mostly members of the NKST, the Roman Catholic Church, the Methodist Church and Pentecostal churches, and they are now unable to hold worship services, he said. "My family's house been burned down by the herdsmen, and all my relations have been displaced," Pastor Anza said. "It's impossible for me to even attempt to visit my village, because these herdsmen have completely taken over the affected communities." Most Christians slain were women and children, and thousands of the displaced are living in camps, he said. "They're not even safe there, as within this period, these camps have also been attacked and many Christians killed," Pastor Anza said. Herdsmen attacked a facility housing displaced Christians in Ngban village, Guma County, on April 7 at about 10pm, killing 38 Christians and wounding 36 others, said community leader Dennis Shemberga. Catherine Anene, spokesperson for the Benue State Command, confirmed the attack on displaced Christians at the Ngban village camp. Armed herdsmen invaded predominantly Christian Umogidi village, Otukpo County, on April 5, killing 52 Christians, a council official told Morning Star News. "The Fulani herdsmen have been terrorizing Christians in this area over the years; they destroy farms belonging to Christians at will, and any Christian who tried to question their actions is killed," said Bako Eje, chairman of the Otukpo Local Government Council. In Apa County, herdsmen attacked villages on April 3, killing 47 Christians, area residents said. "Christian villages like Ikpobi, Odugbo, Akpanta, Ologba and Oyiji have adversely been affected, as many Christians have been killed and many more displaced," said area community leader John Antenyi. "This has been going on over the years but became more pronounced this month of April." Fulani herdsmen attacked a church service in Akenawe village, Logo County, on April 2, killed a Christian and took four others captive at gunpoint, said community leader Hemen Terkimbi. "Christians were in the church worshipping during a night vigil service when herdsmen attacked them," Terkimbi said. "A Christian worshipper was killed, five other Christians were injured, and four Christian worshippers including the resident pastor, the Rev. Gwadue Kwaghtyo, were captured and taken to an unknown place." Another community leader, Eche Akpoko, said that in four months, herdsmen killed more than 89 Christians in 31 area villages, including Ope-Ikobi, Ochi-Ikobi, Ijaha-Ikobi, Imana-Ikobi, Oleoke-Ikobi, Ebugodo-Edikwu, Ankpali- Edikwu, Olegijamu-Edikwu, Olekele-Edikwu, Ukpogo-Edikwu, Edikwu-Icho, Edikwu-Oladoga, Okwiji-Edikwu and Ojecho- Edikwu. Nigeria led the world in Christians killed for their faith in 2022, with 5,014, according to Open Doors' 2023 World Watch List (WWL) report. It also led the world in Christians abducted (4,726), sexually assaulted or harassed, forcibly married or physically or mentally abused, and it had the most homes and businesses attacked for faith-based reasons. As in the previous year, Nigeria had the second most church attacks and internally displaced people. In the 2023 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria jumped to sixth place, its highest ranking ever, from No. 7 the previous year. "Militants from the Fulani, Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and others conduct raids on Christian communities, killing, maiming, raping and kidnapping for ransom or sexual slavery," the WWL report noted. "This year has also seen this violence spill over into the Christian-majority south of the nation... Nigeria's government continues to deny this is religious persecution, so violations of Christians' rights are carried out with impunity." Numbering in the millions across Nigeria and the Sahel, predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise hundreds of clans of many different lineages who do not hold extremist views, but some Fulani do adhere to radical Islamist ideology, the United Kingdom's All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief (APPG) noted in a recent report. "They adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity," the APPG report states. Christian leaders in Nigeria have said they believe herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria's Middle Belt are inspired by their desire to forcefully take over Christians' lands and impose Islam as desertification has made it difficult for them to sustain their herds. 2023 Morning Star News Pope Francis clears way for women and lay Catholics to vote in upcoming bishops' meeting In a series of changes to the upcoming Synod of Bishops on Synodality announced Wednesday, Pope Francis cleared the way for lay women and men to participate as voting members. Five men and five women from religious orders will also be added to the assembly and will be given the power to vote on resolutions. The new voting members will replace auditors, or nonvoting participants, of the synod, the Vatican announced. "Instead, an additional 70 non-bishop members have been added who represent various groupings of the faithful of the People of God (priests, consecrated women, deacons, lay faithful) and who come from the local churches," the Vatican said. Francis will choose the 70 from a list of 140 people to be selected by the continental synodal meetings currently taking place around the world. The Vatican requested that of the 140 candidates, "50% of them be women and that the presence of young people also be emphasized." Beyond gender and age, the Vatican set out standards for the candidates, saying, "In selecting them, account is taken not only of their general culture and prudence, but also of their knowledge, both theoretical and practical, as well as their participation in various capacities in the synod process. As members, they have the right to vote," the Vatican said. The synod is already expected to break ground when it comes to giving women concrete roles: In 2021, Francis appointed Nathalie Becquart, a French nun, as one of two undersecretaries of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, making her the first woman in the history of the church with the right to vote with the bishops at a synod. The Synod on Synodality, with the theme "For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission," was motivated by Francis' wish to include the voices of lay Catholics. It began nearly two years ago with an invitation to Catholic parishes and dioceses to hold listening sessions where congregations, it was hoped, would voice their concerns and visions for the future of the church, in person and online. Summaries of these listening sessions were forwarded to Rome, and since February of this year, theologians, bishops and other church officials have been meeting in seven "continental assemblies" (excluding Antarctica but with one representing the Middle East) to discuss the issues raised during those conversations. The listening sessions showed that Catholics nearly universally are concerned with the ordination of women, the need to adapt church doctrine on sexuality and the fight against clergy sex abuse. In October 2023, the bishops of the church are invited meet at the Vatican in Rome to discuss these issues and pass resolutions based on the findings of the continental assemblies. A second session will be held a year later. After Wednesday's announcement, Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary general of the General Secretariat for the Synod, and Cardinal Jean Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg, relator general of the synod, met with journalists at the Vatican press office. The cardinals presented the inclusion of nonbishops in the synod as significant but played down notions that the new members represented a break with tradition. The addition of lay men and women as voting members is "not a revolution, but rather an important change," Grech said. The "space in the tent has expanded," Grech told journalists, recalling the title of the synod's working document: "Enlarge the space of your tent." Religion News Service Warm Welcome spaces were used over 2 million times last winter There were some 2.4 million visits to Warm Welcome spaces last winter, according to new figures from the campaign. According to an independent audit of the initiative, carried out by Eido Research, this amounted to around 550,000 unique visitors coming through the doors of Warm Welcome spaces during the 2022-23 winter period. Visitor surveys revealed a significant impact on feelings of loneliness, isolation and wellbeing. Over half of those surveyed (54%) said that if they had not come to a Warm Welcome space, they would have been at home with the heating off. Four in 10 respondents said they often or always felt lonely before coming to the Warm Welcome spaces, compared to just 6% after attending. Over a third (37%) reported feeling isolated before their experience of a Warm Welcome space, falling to just 7% after after. Most of the Warm Welcome spaces (72%) plan to stay in operation beyond the winter season and continue offering social support and comfort to the vulnerable in the coming months. Over three quarters (78%) said they would like to take part in another Warm Welcome campaign next winter. Paul Butler, the Bishop of Durham and Chair of ChurchWorks, which created the Warm Welcome network, welcomed the findings. "What we have witnessed in the Warm Welcome campaign is a breathtaking show of bottom-up community resilience and creativity which, if harnessed and nurtured, might lead to some highly significant possibilities," he said. "The collective impact has been enormous. With spaces welcoming up to 100,000 people each week, Warm Welcome has been inundated with stories of people finding not just places of warmth but of connection and meaning." David Barclay, of partner organisation the Good Faith Partnership, said, "We cannot thank our volunteers and supporters enough. When faced with crisis and despair, the community response to the cost-of-living crisis has been nothing short of heroic. "But with the cost-of-living crisis not showing any signs of abating, the willingness for many warm welcome spaces to stay functional beyond the winter is a welcome relief, while preparations are already underway for a Warm Welcome campaign that is bigger and better next winter." Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown praised the impact of the campaign, while calling on the government to provide more support so that people do not have to choose between heating and eating. "Last winter, Warm Welcome spaces provided much more than a heated room for many they gave hope, support and companionship in the toughest of times," he said. "Alongside food banks, warm spaces have taken their place as a critical part in the last line of defence against the brutal reality of destitution. "From church halls and business to libraries and community centres, all across our country thousands of spaces opened up to give refuge to those in need. "That communal spirit should be celebrated. But as a country we need to do more. Britain is one of the richest countries in the world no one should choose between heating and eating, no one should live their lives worrying about how to keep their families warm." An island getaway off Branford has sold for $3.5 million, with the house featuring an arcing wall of cathedral windows and open-air decks with views of Long Island Sound that have won rave reviews by Airbnb guests. A grassy, elevated ledge measuring three quarters of an acre in size, Green Island is located off Haycock Point in Branford west of Connecticut's famed Thimble Islands. The owner had sought $4 million for the island with a boat thrown into the bargain, with a William Raveis Real Estate listing calling it ideal for a "cottaging family seeking the ultimate playground for extended family and friends." The house dates back to 1990 on a design by architect Duo Dickinson. "There is nothing like experiencing this property especially for the first time when you step onto the dock and walk up," said Kiara Rusconi, a broker in the Glastonbury office of William Raveis Real Estate. "It completely transports you to this magical destination it's just a departure from real life." Rusconi declined to identify the seller and buyer by name she represented both and how many people toured the property to weigh a purchase. For those who took the boat ride out, "awestruck" was how Rusconi described the reactions. The house includes electricity, water and sewer connections to the mainland, but no land-line internet connection. The Thimble Island Water Ferry Taxi includes Green Island on request for its rounds out of Stony Creek, with a Branford launch also offering service. Connecticut's priciest private island listed publicly for sale currently is in Stamford, known as both Caritas Island and Greenway Island, only a short causeway drive off the Stamford mainland. The Wallack's Point Drive property is now priced just under $8 million, down from a listed price of $14.5 million in 2021. The Green Island sale topped by $500,000 last year's sale of Wheeler Island dubbed the "queen" of the Thimble Islands while coming in behind the $4.2 million sale of Potato Island in 2020. In 2018, Rogers Island in the Thimble Island chain sold for $21.5 million. Other Thimble Islands to sell in recent years include Belden Island, which sold for $1.25 million in 2021, and Jepson Island which fetched $715,000 the year before. Includes prior reporting by Andrew DaRosa, Nicole Funaro and Luther Turmelle. Yale New Haven Health Systems' chief executive officer urged state regulators on Wednesday to approve the proposed acquisition of hospitals in Waterbury, Vernon and Manchester without delay, saying all three health facilities "have faced strong financial head winds for a number of years." Christopher O'Connor, president and chief executive officer for Yale New Haven Health System, spoke during the start of hearings by Connecticut's Office of Health Strategy on the proposed $400 million acquisition of hospitals in those three communities from Los Angeles-based Prospect Medical Holdings. Yale New Haven Health announced in Oct. 2022 that it had signed a letter of intent to acquire Waterbury Hospital, which has 357 beds, as well as Manchester Memorial and its 249 beds and Rockville General Hospital, which is located in Vernon and has 102 beds. "Revitalizing these Prospect hospitals won't be easy," O'Connor said, adding that it could take as long as two years to reverse the trend of financial losses that all three Connecticut hospitals being sold have been experiencing under Prospect, which is a for-profit company. "We are focused on people, not profit. And we believe we can bring a substantial value to these hospitals." Yale New Haven Health is proposing to operate Rockville General and Manchester Memorial, using the same medical campus model it has with Milford serving as a campus of Bridgeport Hospital. O'Connor said the 2019 acquisition of Milford Hospital, one of three that Yale New Haven Health has done since 2012, proves the health care organization's expertise in that area. New Haven's Hospital of Saint Raphael became a campus of Yale New Haven Hospital in 2012. New London-based Lawrence + Memorial Hospital and Westerly (R.I.) Hospital adopted the campus model in 2016. Yale New Haven also includes Greenwich Hospital. Dr. Thomas Balcezak, chief clinical officer for Yale New Haven Health, said that it is "inefficient and ineffective to provide all types of care at community hospitals." As an example, Balcezak said Rockville General only does three in-patient surgical procedures each day. "Not seeing enough patients to maintain or hone your skills is not sustainable," he said Balcezak said Yale New Haven Health's goal "is to deliver the right care in the right place." "We cannot bring every patient to Yale New Haven (Hospital)," he said. "New Haven runs at 95 percent occupancy." Allowing Manchester Memorial, Rockville General and Waterbury hospitals to become part of Yale New Haven Health would benefit both patients and staff, he said. As an example, Balcezak said all three hospitals use different electronic records systems, a situation he described as "bizarre in this day and age." "Our platform allows seamless sharing of patient information across all of the hospitals in our system," he said. That system allows Yale New Haven officials to assess how consistent and efficient each patient's care is, according to Balcezak. Yale New Haven Health officials hoped to get the necessary approvals for the deal and close on the transaction by the end of June. But that may not be possible now with representatives of OHS seeking have them return in three weeks with additional information. If the deal is approved by OHS, he said the initial focus "is going to be stabilizing the quality of care." Earlier this month, published reports emerged that Waterbury Hospital is having trouble covering its employee payroll. "We are able to pay our bills, we are able to keep our staff paid," Balcezak said. O'Connor said Yale New Haven Health System has agreed to honor all union contracts at the three hospitals, "hire substantially all employees and provide benefits that are equal to or better than what they are receiving." Deborah Weymouth, chief executive officer of Eastern Connecticut Health Network, said people from the region "will benefit enormously from this proposal. ECHN is a community health care system that 19 towns east of the Connecticut River and was formed in 1995 when Manchester Memorial and Rockville General joined as partners. "Care coordination will be enriched through a unified medical record system," Weymouth said. "We are stewards of these assets in our community." Dr. Justin Lundbye, Waterbury Health president and chief executive officer, said approval of the deal to acquire Waterbury Hospital "will benefit employee retention and recruitment efforts.". Yale New Haven Health System officials believe that they can reduce the operating costs at the three Prospect Medical hospitals looking for efficiencies and reducing supply chain costs. At the same time, they hope increase the number of people using the hospitals by providing a broader array of services, such as additional men's health services. But they were unable to provide detailed projections because their access to financial information from the three hospitals is limited since the deal hasn't closed yet. More than two dozen people spoke during the public comment portion of the hearing, appearing either in person at the agency's Hartford office or via Zoom. Nobody spoke out against the deal. Waterbury Mayor Neil O'Leary called Yale New Haven Health's proposed acquisition is "the most significant opportunity I have seen," for the city in 40 years. "Our constituents, we feel strongly, will be better served with Yale New Haven coming to town," O'Leary said. "We are thrilled to have the stability of a world class organization of health care coming to the city." He said that during the seven years that Prospect has owned Waterbury Hospital, it has provided quality medical care and invested $50 million in capital. But O'Leary said contentious labor issues that resulted in an employee strike in 1980 and two more since then continue to plague the hospital. "Labor relations remain a problem." O'Leary said. The shift from community hospitals to larger health care organizations in Connecticut is part of a national trend that has been going on for awhile now, according to Angela Mattie, a professor of management and medical sciences at Quinnipiac University. "It used to be that each and every hospital stayed in their own backyard," Mattie said. "But reality is that the small community hospital has gone the way of the dinosaurs, it no longer exists." Creating bigger health care organizations has two main benefits, she said. "It allows you to tap into a bigger pool intellectual capabilities and you save costs on the administrative side," Mattie said. "It's a reality of the marketplace." Yale New Haven Health operates as a 501- (c)(3), a designation for non-profits which comes "with a requirement to give back to the community." she said "But make no mistake, it's still a business venture," Mattie said. Every hospital acquisition or merger "needs to be viewed through the lens of whether or not this will benefit patients," she said. Hospitals in cities play an important role, according to Mattie, because some people in cities don't have cars. "If Waterbury Hospital were to disappear, a lot of people who depend on public transportation and are in a lower economic strata would not have access to health care," she said. " As it is, some segments of the urban community that these hospitals serve already don't have primary care physicians or pediatricians, so they end up having to use emergency rooms." (Bloomberg) -- The US energy patch is ripe for a takeover boom, as oil and gas producers flush with cash turn to dealmaking to find new sites to drill. Energy producers raked in record profits after Russias invasion of Ukraine sent crude prices soaring, helping them rebound from their crash during the pandemic. Now that they are back on solid financial footing, companies are seeking to bulk up and consolidate, particularly in the Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico, the largest and most productive oil field in the US, industry experts say. Tie ups bring several benefits, including expanding their supply of well locations and scale that can strengthen their bargaining power with suppliers. The world needs more US oil, and the Permian has several thousand locations remaining that are viewed as high quality, said Pete Bowden, global head of industrial, energy and infrastructure banking at Jefferies Financial Group Inc. If youre a major oil company, you have to think about getting that supply while its available. Consolidation in the oil fields threatens to further slow production growth from the Permian. Companies are looking to buy up rivals to secure drilling sites for the future not to boost their output immediately. They often cut back on drilling rigs when they close deals, which slows production growth and could put upward pressure on oil prices. As much as $230 billion may be spent on oil and natural gas deals in North America this year, ending a three-year slump in activity, McKinsey & Co. wrote in February. Energy companies announced $25 billion in deals this year, with Ovintiv Inc. leading the way with an agreement this month to buy Permian assets from EnCap Investments for about $4.3 billion. Exxon Mobil Corp. has made no secret of its hunt for deals. Exxon has held preliminary talks with Pioneer Natural Resources Co., according to the Wall Street Journal. Pioneer is one of the biggest players in the Permian, with a market value of about $53 billion. An Exxon-Pioneer deal would be be the largest corporate energy transaction since Shell Plcs blockbuster takeover of BG Group in 2015, according to Rystad Energy. Other drillers are testing the burgeoning deal market. Diamondback Energy Inc. is working with a financial adviser to sell non-core assets in the western Permian Basin, Bloomberg News reported. Meanwhile, NGP Energy Capital Management is seeking buyers for Permian-focused oil producers Tap Rock Resources LLC and Hibernia Resources, according to people with knowledge of the situation, who asked to not be identified because the deliberations are private. Reuters first reported that they are for sale. The NGP processes illustrate another factor driving dealmaking: private equity firms need to offload assets as they look to raise new funds and deploy capital. Representatives for NGP, Tap Rock and Hibernia didnt respond to requests for comment. Permian Growth The Permian Basin is set to grow 40% before hitting its peak of 7.86 million barrels in 2030, according to a Bloomberg survey of major forecasters. The growth alone would be like adding another Iran, the fifth-biggest member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, to global oil markets. The basin is still relatively fragmented, which makes consolidation somewhat inevitable. Were still mid-cycle in the consolidation phase of the Permian, said Matt Gallagher, who ran Parsley Energy Inc. before it merged in 2021 with Pioneer in a $4.5 billion deal. Well never get down to only 10 players, but theres hundreds left and it can get down to 10 relevant players. Gallagher now runs closely held Greenlake Energy Ventures LLC. OPEC+s recent surprise cut and continued expectation of demand outpacing supply is setting a floor for crude prices, which makes it easier to ink oil deals, said Muhammad Laghari, senior managing director at Guggenheim Securities. We expect corporate consolidation and merger of equals to continue in the energy space, particularly for companies that are in need of scale, Laghari said. Industry observers are closely watching Callon Petroleum Co., SM Energy Co., Southwestern Energy Co. and Chesapeake Energy Corp. as possible takeover targets, given their overlapping acreage and need to scale up. Another ripe target: closely held Endeavor Energy Resources, which has a massive position in the Permian and has drawn interest in the past from Exxon, Chevron Corp. and ConocoPhillips. Mewbourne Oil Co., another closely held producer active in the Permian, also stands out because its relatively large and has high quality assets. Representatives for Callon, Southwestern, and Mewbourne didnt respond to requests for comment. Representatives for SM, Endeavor and Chesapeake declined to comment. Inventory Needs To be sure, there are several factors that could challenge deals, from social issues to heightened regulatory scrutiny. The industry also made record profits last year and largely eliminated debt, meaning executives are in no mood to sell cheaply. But companies with strong balance sheets have a big incentive to overcome those types of hurdles: They need more inventory. US shale has several advantages over conventional oil production such as quick-to-produce wells that have relatively low risks and costs. But their production declines as much as 60% in the first year, meaning companies constantly need to drill new ones to maintain output. Nearly a decade into the Permian oil boom, most of the best drilling sites have been tapped, meaning producers are increasingly looking to buy more acreage to extend their bank of future drilling locations, known as inventory in industry parlance. Many of these businesses are depleting their resource base and have to consistently make decisions on what the companys story is going to be, and most of those decisions lead you to M&A one way or another, said Lande Spottswood, a partner at Vinson & Elkins who advises on mergers and acquisitions. --With assistance from Mitchell Ferman. 2023 Bloomberg L.P. LOS ANGELES (AP) An attorney for Danny Masterson challenged his former longtime girlfriend during cross-examination Wednesday on why her trial testimony alleging the actor raped her in 2001 included several new details that were missing from the accounts she gave authorities at the beginning of the investigation. Is your testimony today that you can now remember things in 2023 that you didnt remember in 2017? Masterson's lawyer Shawn Holley asked the model and actor who is the first witness to take the stand in the Los Angeles courtroom at Masterson's trial on three rape charges. The woman responded that her memory had not improved, but that she opened up more than I have before a day earlier when she described an attack from Masterson, then her boyfriend of five years, in their Hollywood-area home. She testified Tuesday that she woke to find Masterson on top of her and raping her, that she shouted for him to stop, that he put his full weight on her and pinned her arms down, and that she finally got him to stop by pulling his hair. He responded by hitting her in the face and spitting on her. Holley dwelled on each of these elements in her cross-examination, asking why she had not mentioned in her initial interviews with Los Angeles police detectives and a prosecutor in 2017 that she had said that she was merely trying to go to sleep when she found Masterson trying to have sex with her. Thats the same thing to me, she responded, Im Southern, we say trying to when we mean youre doing it. Holley also suggested that her testimony didn't make physical sense when she said Masterson was looking at her with dead eyes the entire time while also putting his full body weight on her. Im trying to understand how a persons dead weight can be on your body and how his head can be suspended above your head? Holley said. The woman responded that I just remember seeing his face and feeling him on me I dont remember where his hands were. Holley also asked why she made no mention of Masterson pinning her arms down above her head in the hours she spent talking to police and prosecutors in 2017. The woman explained that she did not reveal every detail in those initial interviews, and that she had not understood at the time how precise and careful she would need to be. Now that she has given multiple officials interviews and testified in court both at Masterson's preliminary hearing and his first trial last year, she knows better. I wish I understood that in the very first interview that you give with a detective or a prosecutor that you have to make sure your words are very literal, and that you have to give every detail, the woman said. Because, respectfully, someone like you is going to challenge me on that. I dont like to talk about things and it takes me a long time to speak about things, and I was doing the best I can and I was being honest. She breathed uneasily, apologized often, and occasionally grew emotional under cross-examination, but remained composed. The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused. The model and actor was in a relationship with Masterson from 1996 until 2002. She first went to police to report him late in 2016. Masterson was eventually charged with raping three women at his home between 2001 to 2003, when he was at the height of his fame as a star of the sitcom That '70s Show. Masterson, 47, could get 45 years in prison if convicted of all three counts. He has pleaded not guilty and his attorneys have said the decades-old stories told by the women are full of inconsistencies and not credible. A mistrial was declared at the end of his first trial in November, with fewer than half of jurors voting to convict him on any of the three counts. Prosecutors opted to retry him when the women agreed to testify again. LONDON (AP) Francis Dymoke wont ride into King Charles IIIs coronation on horseback and challenge any pretender to the throne to single combat as his ancestor did in 1066, but he will carry the Royal Standard into Westminster Abbey. Dymoke, a 67-year-old farmer from eastern England, will be the Kings Champion at the coronation, fulfilling a role performed by members of his family since William the Conqueror was crowned nearly 1,000 years ago. His was one of more than two dozen ceremonial roles announced Thursday by Buckingham Palace as organizers seek to ground the coronation in tradition while also ensuring that it reflects modern Britain. While the first Champion earned his role through long service to the king, Dymoke filled out an online form, explaining his familys historic role in the coronation, then waited for government bureaucrats to review his claim. Thursdays announcement means he will be the 34th member of his family to take part in a coronation. This is the one moment in my life that really matters, he told the Daily Telegraph newspaper earlier this year. Other roles announced Thursday include those who will carry the kings regalia including the crown, scepters, orb, swords and spurs to the altar on May 6. Some of the jobs went to those with historic claims, like Dymoke, but others will be carried out by senior military officers, bishops and politicians. For instance, Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the House of Commons, will carry the Sword of State due to her role as Lord President of the Privy Council, which advises the monarch. Others were awarded to relatively unknown individuals. Petty Officer Amy Taylor will be the first woman to carry the Sword of Offering into the Abbey after she was chosen to represent service men and women across the country. Those undertaking these historic roles in the service have been chosen to recognize, thank and represent the nation due to their significant service, and include representatives from Orders of Chivalry, the military and wider public life, the palace said. The Kings Champion originally rode into the coronation banquet on horseback, threw down a gauntlet and challenged anyone who doubted the king or queens right to rule. But there hasnt been a coronation banquet since 1821, so Champions now perform other roles, usually bearing a flag or standard, the palace said. The Dymoke familys traditional claim to the role was linked to the land in Lincolnshire they were awarded at the time of the Norman conquest of England, Dymoke told The Telegraph. But in the modern world, his invitation to the coronation wasnt guaranteed. All I can do is request to take part, he told the newspaper. I wrote along the lines that my family has done it since William the Conqueror, and though I appreciate its not a right any more it would be a good thing to be involved. The palace agreed. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate LAS VEGAS (AP) Paramount Pictures, still riding high on the success of Top Gun: Mavericks nearly $1.5 billion in worldwide ticket sales, brought a slew of stars from Rihanna to Martin Scorsese to CinemaCon for its presentation to theater owners Thursday. Paramount has fewer releases than the other big studios, but they have several big, IP-driven titles like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, (Aug. 4) Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (June 9) and Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie (Sept. 29). It is also handling the theatrical release of Martin Scorseses Killers of the Flower Moon, which debuts at Cannes next month and opens in theaters on Oct. 6. And, of course, Paramount has Mission: Impossible. The studio showed an extended clip of a comedic and exciting chase sequence with Tom Cruise and Hayley Atwell from the seventh installment in the series, Dead Reckoning Part I." The film will now open in theaters two days earlier than planned, now on Wednesday, July 12. Cruise did not attend. The studio announced, for 2025, The Spongebob Movie: Search for Squarepants and The Smurf Movie, starring Rihanna as Smurfette. She also produced. I tried to get the Papa Smurf part but it didnt work out, Rihanna said. Getting to do animation is a fun journey for me. In this I got to play a part where I got to just imagine, I got to be, I got to show up in my pajamas in my third trimester and play a little blue (expletive). She added: I hope this gives me a little bit of cool points with my kids one day. The star-power even had Transformers director Steven Caple Jr. a little flustered: I just met Rihanna backstage, he exclaimed. On stage, Transformers star Dominique Fishback gave a shoutout to Regal owners. She used to work at one in New York when she was younger, she said, and just dreamed of being up the screen. Scorsese got a long ovation from the theater owners when he came out to talk about Killers of the Flower Moon, an Apple Original Films production that is getting a major theatrical release. This is a picture that I designed to be projected on a big screen, Scorsese said. It doesnt mean films cant be appreciated on small screens but this is a big screen movie, as youll see. The director showed the first trailer for the film, about a series of murders in Osage County, Oklahoma, in the early 1920s. There were plenty of gunshots, tears and even some laughs with Jesse Plemons detective who arrives to see about these murders. This is my sixth picture with Leonardo DiCaprio. Its my 10th with Robert De Niro. And its my first with both of them together, he said. Later, the director was given an inaugural icon award that will be known as the Scorsese award in the future. He made a plea to get independent films back in the major multiplexes before DiCaprio moderated a conversation with Scorsese as exhibitors ate lunch. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles producer Seth Rogen had the crowd laughing noting that it seems unfair to make studio executives hold a stage meant for the biggest stars in the world. The studio presentations at the trade convention are held in the 4,100-seat Colosseum theater in the Caesars Palace hotel. They built this for Adele! Rogen joked. CinemaCon, he said, is Perfect if you want to have an hour-long drunken conversation with a guy who owns two screens in Wilmington. Thats why we come! Rogen introduced a funny extended clip of the animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which opens Aug. 4 If you show this to your children, youre not a terrible parent, he promised. John Krasinski showed a clip from the A Quiet Place prequel Day One, directed by Michael Sarnoski and starring Lupita Nyongo. It chronicles that first day of the invasion form her perspective in New York. It opens in theaters March 8. Krasinski gave the Quiet Place spinoff to another director so he could focus on his movie If, also due in 2024. He said he wanted to make because he wanted to give his kids a movie they could see before they were 40. If stars Ryan Reynolds and is about imaginary friends. Reynolds said it was like a live-action Pixar movie. Paramount also unveiled the voice cast for an animated Transformers movie, due in 2024, Transformers One including Chris Hemsworth as young Optimums Prime, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Laurence Fishburne, Keegan Michael-Key and Jon Hamm. Ziggy Marley made an appearance too for the just-wrapped film about his father Bob Marley, starring Kingsley Ben-Adir and Lashana Lynch as Bob and Rita Marley. It was directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and arrives next year. Paramount president and CEO Brian Robbins echoed a common refrain this week, that we need theatrical to make streaming work. The evidence is really clear, Robbins said, noting that Paramount+ is the fastest growing streaming service. Chris Aronson, president of domestic theatrical distribution, challenged the audience of theater owners to change the status quo when it comes to movie ticket prices. Pre-COVID, admissions were going down and ticket prices were going up, Aronson said. We should be experimenting with variable pricing, like we did with '80 for Brady, and we need to amplify those efforts. Lets work together to get it right. Tickets for screenings of 80 for Brady at AMC, Cinemark and Regal were sold for matinee prices (which vary depending on location) for all showings. The movie made nearly $40 million ultimately. Every other Thursday, Chron taco columnist Marco Torres tells the story of Houston through Mexican food in "Tacos y Mas." Note: After today's installment, the column will be going on a brief hiatus. The holy trinity of the taco includes a delicious tortilla, your favorite protein or veggies, and a spicy yet refreshing salsa on top. There is, however, a fourth element of the taco experience: the fermented and distilled spirit of the agave plant, otherwise known as mezcal and tequila. There's nothing like eating a taco de chicharron alongside a smooth, earthy swig of mezcal, or chasing your tacos al pastor with a perfectly mixed top shelf margarita. One of my favorite spots to enjoy both tacos and mezcal is Arnaldo Richards' Picos Restaurant in Upper Kirby, one of the best Mexican restaurants in Houston. Quality ingredients and traditional recipes paired with outstanding hospitality will have you running back for lunch, dinner, brunch and happy hour. Marco Torres Marco Torres The Mexican martini and La Mina are among Picos' agave spirit-based cocktails. (Photos by Marco Torres) I stopped by Picos last week on my way to photograph the homegirl T-Swift, and before I could even sit down, Picos' beverage director Monica Richards de Osberg (Arnaldo's daughter) greeted me with my favorite mezcal cocktail on the menu, La Mina. The restaurant typically uses Mina Real blanco mezcal, but Monica makes my version with 400 Conejos joven mezcal, which I mentioned to her long ago was my favorite. Her face lit up when I told her this, and we have bonded over this cocktail many times since then. La Mina is mixed with watermelon agua fresca, lime, and a lovely liqueur called Velvet Falernumand that fresh slice of sandia on the rim sets it off right, too. When the original Picos restaurant opened back in 1984 on Bellaire Boulevard, the menu featured exclusively Mexican food, until Arnaldo's wife, Janice, said Tex-Mex dishes should be added to attract more clientele. Even some of the off-menu seafood items that are now considered favorites were not well received at the time. Marco Torres The current menu is a tribute to the seven regions of Mexican cuisine: the North, the North Pacific Coast, El Bajio, the South Pacific Coast, Central Mexico, the Gulf and the South. Today, you can enjoy everything from chilaquiles to aguachiles, quesadillas to tortas, chile en nogada to chile relleno. I especially like to order the tostada de ceviche, which is lime-marinated fish paired with cucumber, orange, onion, tomato, serrano peppers, cilantro and avocado. Another reason I love visiting Picos is the wealth of knowledge I absorb when chatting with chef Richards and Monica. I've learned about soft-shell crab, the difference between mole almendrado and mole coloradito, the interesting particularities of the major tequila families, and so much more. Marco Torres Marco Torres Marco Torres Marco Torres Picos' bar menu includes tacos like cochinita pibil, chicharron en salsa verde, beer-battered fish and carnitas. (Photos by Marco Torres) As much as I love the moles, enchiladas and fajitas served at Picos, I find myself gravitating to the tacos on the bar menu on most of my visits. There are five types: al pastor, cochinita pibil, carnitas, beer-battered fish or shrimp (depending on the catch of the day), and my absolute favorite, chicharron en salsa verde. Each is served on nixtamal corn tortillas made in-house, and come with their own distinct salsas. These tacos are best when paired with mezcal, either straight or mixed into a cocktail. There are several agave cocktails on the happy hour menu, including the popular Mexican martini, a delicious paloma, the hipster favorite ranch water, and the refreshing Pico Ritathe famous margarita served in a plastic shaker, which was actually pioneered at Picos and later adopted by other Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants. Marco Torres Picos also houses a wall with 60 private lockers in the Tequila Room, where you have the option to purchase one or more bottles of your favorite mezcal or tequila from the restaurant, which is then stored here for future visits. Regulars at Picos are very well taken care of, and span multiple generations of Houstonians. And the restaurant is by far my favorite happy hour in the city. Until my next visit, per the Oaxacan saying: "Para todo mal, mezcal. Para todo bien, tambien. Y si no hay remedio ... Litro y medio! Salud!" Marco Torres Arnaldo Richards' Picos Restaurant Find it: 3601 Kirby Dr, Houston, TX 77098 Hours: Sunday-Thursday 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Friday-Saturday 9 a.m. - 10 p.m. Sunday brunch: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Power lunch: Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Happy hour: Monday-Tuesday all day; Wednesday-Friday 3-6 p.m. Courtesy of Texas Parks and Wildlife A new report says that a massive piece of Texas Hill Country property just outside of San Antonio is one of three pieces of land set to become a new state park after years of legislative funding hold ups. The 3,800-acre property in the Pipe Creek area that was bought buy a family years ago to protect it from commercial builders is now being developed as a new piece of land for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Dallas Morning news reports. The property, known as the Albert & Bessie Kronkosky State Natural Area, is set to open in two years under TPWD and is just a little over an hour northwest of San Antonio. It's named after the Kronkosky family, which started buying up the parcels of land in 1946. The couple left the land to Texas in their will, which the state accepted in 2011. Starting a business can be an enticing dream. Its also notoriously difficult to come up with an original idea, find the right team and fund its growth. If you want to work for yourself, there may be an easier way buying an existing business. Think of it like renovating a house instead of building one from the ground up, says Mark Zweig, professor and entrepreneur-in-residence at the University of Arkansas Walton College of Business . I like the constraints of an existing business versus a clean sheet of paper, Zweig says. Here are four reasons to consider this path to entrepreneurship. YOU DONT HAVE TO START FROM SCRATCH Founders need to find customers, develop relationships with vendors and hire employees. They may need to rent space and buy equipment. They also need to create processes, set up software tools, hire lawyers and accountants, and complete other relevant tasks. Building that structure takes time and money. When you buy a business, at least some of those things are already in place. Theres a lot of intellectual capital when you buy a business, says Randy Katz, founder of Synesis Advisors and past president of the California Association of Business Brokers. The employees have seen pretty much any kind of problem that you might run into, which means that they probably are better at foreseeing problems and better (at) planning for problems. And perhaps most valuable of all: There may already be money coming in. I could invest $200,000 and have to grind it out and build the business from scratch with absolutely no infrastructure and no guarantees of success, Katz says. With the same amount of money, he says, you could purchase a business that generates cash flow right out of the gate. Buying a business doesnt guarantee success either, Katz cautions. Still, the financial economics just make a lot of sense if you buy the right business, do the right diligence and are successful in the continuity of the operation. FINANCING MAY BE AVAILABLE It can be very difficult to find startup funding for a new venture. Many business owners rely on their own savings or friends and family to get their business up and running. The main advantage of buying a business over starting a business is that theres capital and loans available from banks for buying businesses, says Tim Stolz, a certified financial planner and certified public accountant at Bestgate Wealth Advisors in Maryland. You may be able to use an SBA loan or business bank loan to buy a business. Startups are typically excluded from these types of financing because they lack revenue history but when youre buying an existing business, lenders can evaluate its financials and make predictions about the businesss future performance. Business sellers may also be willing to finance the business purchase, Zweig says, especially if theyre eager to retire and dont have a successor. YOU CAN DO DUE DILIGENCE You can look through an existing businesss books to make sure everything is above board, from classifying workers correctly to complying with sales tax laws. Zweig cautions against businesses that face pending litigation, businesses with reputations that feel impossible to improve and family businesses that employ several relatives. He also watches out for single-person management situations in which if the owner leaves, all of the institutional knowledge leaves with them. And any unethical or illegal activity is a no-go. Working with an attorney and CPA with experience in business acquisitions can help you stay on top of the complicated legal and tax considerations involved in a business purchase. Talk to a personal financial planner, too business ownership is still a risk, and its essential to prepare your personal finances as well. YOU MAY ALREADY KNOW THE BUSINESS WELL You could be working in or around the business youll someday buy. Long-term key employees of small businesses are often the ones best positioned to successfully succeed the founder, Stolz says. He adds that small businesses are often well positioned to buy their competitors, especially if they serve similar groups of customers. If youre casting a wider net, a business broker may be able to help. These advisors can help you find a deal outside your industry or neighborhood. All of a sudden, an opportunity can come to (a buyer) and they say, you know what, I never would have thought of this, but this is a really great business, Katz says. _____________________________________ This article was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet. Rosalie Murphy is a small-business writer at NerdWallet. Email: rmurphy@nerdwallet.com. RELATED LINKS: NerdWallet: Ready to Hire Your First Employee? Prep With These 6 Steps https://bit.ly/nerdwallet-hiring-your-first-employee NerdWallet: Startup Funding: What It Is and How to Get Capital for a Business https://bit.ly/nerdwallet-startup-funding NerdWallet: SBA Loan Overview: Types, Pros and Cons, How to Apply https://bit.ly/nerdwallet-sba-loans NerdWallet: How to Finance a Business Purchase https://bit.ly/nerdwallet-how-to-finance-business-purchase This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Two women and one community group were honored for their work with East Montgomery Countys Spanish-speaking population during the COVID-19 pandemic. The nonprofit Texas Familias Council presented the Deerwood Community Center volunteers the 2023 Izcalia Reviving Community Award. Paolo Martinez, 16, and Meztly Diaz, 20, received the Luz de Luna meaning light of the moon Leading Light Award from the organization. On YourConroeNews.com: The Woodlands budgets $250K to 50th birthday celebration as plans get underway The awards were presented at the councils Saturday event Encuentro Familiar meaning family engagement held at Lone Star College-Kingwood. The event was a resource fair for the community to explore topics such as health, mental health, legal services, immigration services, education, culture and citizenship programs. In 2011, Jordan and community partners formed the nonprofit Texas Familias Council as a response to the challenges of Latino families in the region. Their work in the Hispanic community kicked into high gear when members responded to Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts and discovered the gaps in resources available to a newer population to the area and one whose primary language may not have been English. During the pandemic, Jordan said she saw this already vulnerable population that had been hit by several weather disasters in recent years slip deeper into crisis. As a response to the impact of the pandemic on the Deerwood community in East Montgomery County, volunteers with the Deerwood Community Center mobilized and put together an action plan. For two years they have been hosting a food line where they distribute food to those in need. They have also set up COVID-19 vaccination events, public health workshops and neighborhood gatherings at the community center. They were an obvious choice for this award, she said. They really stepped up and re-engaged the community during the pandemic. During the food line events, two of the most consistent volunteers were Martinez and Diaz. Martinez is a junior at Infinity Early College High School at New Caney ISD. She began volunteering on the food line two years ago and has since rallied many friends to help with the effort and encouraged others to get involved. On YourConroeNews.com: Montgomery County property owners have already filed 800 appraisal protests. Here's how to do it. Diaz will graduate from Lone Star College-Kingwood in May with an associates degree and is pursuing education in the field of community development. She too came to the food line as a volunteer two years ago. She is also an officer for Latina Inspira Student Network a bicultural young womens club at Lone Star College-Kingwood. Jordan felt Saturdays event was very successful. She said as the support organizations come out of crisis mode, they are trying to best address the needs of the countys Spanish-speaking community. One of the needs brought up most to her are the need for more mental health resources for the Spanish-speaking community. Before the pandemic, it was very difficult to get Latino families to talk about mental health or ask for those services. It made them very uncomfortable, she said. Now that they are asking for these services, shes finding it very difficult to find Spanish-speaking counselors and therapists, especially in rural areas. This will be a target of group to try to encourage more young Hispanic students to consider a career in counseling. For more information about the Texas Familias Council, visit https://www.facebook.com/Texasfamiliascouncil. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate JACKSON, Miss. (AP) A man who escaped from a Mississippi jail last weekend and fled to Texas after allegedly stealing a public works vehicle has been arrested in Houston, authorities announced Thursday. Jerry Raynes was apprehended days after he and three other inmates escaped Saturday night from the Raymond Detention Center near Jackson, Mississippi's capital, Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said. Raynes is the second escaped prisoner to be found in a multi-agency hunt. Dylan Arrington died after barricading himself in a central Mississippi home and setting it on fire during an armed standoff with deputies Wednesday. He is suspected of killing a man and stealing his pickup truck after the escape. The other two, Casey Grayson and Corey Harrison, are still on the loose, and authorities had no updates Thursday on their possible whereabouts. The U.S. Marshals Service, Harris County Sheriffs Office and Spring Valley Police Department assisted with Raynes' capture. He will be held before facing extradition back to Mississippi, Jones said Thursday. Raynes had been incarcerated for auto theft and burglary. Investigators said Raynes fled to Texas after stealing a Hinds County Public Works vehicle, which was found Sunday under a freeway overpass near Houston. It was unknown whether Raynes traveled alone. Before his arrest, he was spotted on surveillance video at a Hedwig Village service station around 11 a.m. Sunday. Raynes was taken into custody at a Houston hospital before he could be discharged after seeking treatment for an unspecified medical condition, according to the U.S. Marshalls Service. With the relentless efforts of the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Fugitive Task Force and their partners one escapee from Mississippi was arrested, T. Michael OConnor, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Texas, said in a news release. Additionally, we would like to recognize the Houston media who covered the story. Due to their coverage, we received a credible tip as to the location of the escapee." The four men are believed to have escaped from the Raymond Detention Center through breaches in a cell and the roof. Jones said the men might have camped out on the roof before fleeing and going their separate ways. Raynes had previously escaped from custody, breaking out of a work center attached to the Raymond Detention Center in 2021 and fleeing in a stolen pickup, according to WAPT-TV. In July, U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves ordered a rare takeover of the Raymond jail after he said deficiencies in supervision and staffing led to a stunning array of assaults, as well as deaths. But before the appointed receiver was scheduled to assume control over the jail Jan. 1, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the lower courts order until it ruled on the countys motion for reconsideration. The problems at the Raymond facility date back years. The U.S. Justice Department sued Hinds County in 2016 after finding unconstitutional conditions at the jail, including violence among detainees and by staff against detainees. It also found problems with the treatment of juveniles and suicidal detainees. And, it said, there were cell doors that would not lock. The four escapees had been in custody for various felony charges, most involving theft. The man Arrington is suspected of killing was Anthony Watts, a 61-year-old church pastor who was shot and killed Monday around 7 p.m. on Interstate 55 in Jackson after he pulled over to help a man who matched Arrington's description. That man shot Watts several times and then stole his Red Dodge Ram, police said. Watts died at the scene. Arrington later broke into a home in Conway, Mississippi, where he shot a deputy, set the residence on fire and died. ___ Michael Goldberg 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 him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mikergoldberg. WASHINGTON - D.C. Police Chief Robert J. Contee III is planning to retire, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) announced in a statement Wednesday evening, ending his two-year term as federal lawmakers increasingly turn their attention to public safety in the city and violent crime is on the rise. Bowser, in the statement, said that the chief is "ready for his next chapter" and called him "a phenomenal ambassador of what it means to be a police officer in D.C." By Wednesday evening, the mayor had not signaled plans to immediately announce an interim chief. Contee's official last day will be June 3. Contee was a singular figure among public safety leaders in D.C., and presided over the department in the nation's capital at a momentous time for law enforcement across the country. Sworn into office as acting chief four days before the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol, he shepherded the department through the insurrection and its fallout, and through much of the coronavirus pandemic. His appointment came after widespread demonstrations in 2020 over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, but he took over an agency that was shaped by the reforms those demonstrations produced. For much of his tenure, he and the mayor clashed with the D.C. Council over major issues like how many officers should be on the force, and whether police belong in schools - though he had city lawmakers' unanimous backing when Bowser nominated him for the top job. Contee - who grew up in Northeast Washington's Carver-Langston neighborhood, a community battered by violence during the crack cocaine epidemic of the late 1980s - joined the D.C. police department as a cadet in 1989, rising through the ranks and serving in a wide variety of roles. The chief often appeared most emotional when he talked about the gun violence devastating his city. Over the last two years, he showed up at shooting scene after shooting scene as homicides continued to climb. As of Wednesday, killings in the District were up 20 percent compared with the same time in 2022 - a year when the city surpassed 200 homicides for only the second time in almost two decades. So far this year, violent crime is up 7 percent over the same time last year, and property crime up 29 percent. There was no indication, though, that the mayor was unhappy with Contee's performance. Asked in an interview in December how long he planned to stay on the job, Contee responded "months." Bowser, sitting next to him, interjected "a year." In a video announcement sent to officers in the department, Contee said after serving the agency for more than 30 years, "it is time for me to retire from the Metropolitan Police Department," and that he was leaving for a role as an assistant director with the FBI's Office of Partner Engagement. He said he did not know who would be his successor, and that the decision would be up to Bowser. The FBI declined to comment. "It has been my greatest honor to serve as your chief of police since January 2nd of 2021," Contee said in the video. D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) said he was "shocked" by Contee's announcement and wished him well in a statement. "The Council stands ready to work with Mayor Bowser to find the best candidate to succeed Chief Contee," he wrote. "I am hopeful that the Mayor will take this opportunity to find a leader who is willing to try new approaches to law enforcement and new strategies to fight violent crime." D.C. Council member Trayon White Sr. (D-Ward 8) expressed similar surprise, adding in a message that Contee, born and raised in D.C., is "a solid leader and it's going to be hard to replace him." "Home grown competent leadership is vital to moving the city forward." White said. Council members Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2), who newly chairs the city's public safety and judiciary committee, and Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), her predecessor, each said they enjoyed working with the chief. "Having him leave will certainly be a loss," Allen said. "He's just phenomenal." There was excitement about Contee from the moment Bowser tapped him for the top job. Pinto told the chief she hoped his appointment would "begin a new era of law enforcement in D.C.," and Allen said Contee offered a narrative "more reflective of where we need to go." Many residents liked the idea of a police chief who they had seen in the neighborhood for decades, both as an officer and a community member. And his upbringing gave him credibility when he decried violence. "What's the issue?" Contee said in a 2021 interview with The Washington Post. "What is it over at the end of the day? Where is our sense of humanity?" In response to questions from lawmakers and residents about why crime continued to rise, the chief repeatedly defended the performance of his officers - pointing to the courts for being too lenient on offenders. He also struggled, like many other chiefs across the country, with a shrinking force. By this spring, the size of the D.C. police force had shrunk to a half-century low, with officers leaving faster than they could be replaced. Contee, forced to spend millions on overtime, said he expected the size of the police force could fall to about 3,130 by the end of fiscal year 2024. He and Bowser often lamented challenges in staffing and hiring - though activists have contended more police does not necessarily equate to less crime. "We are no longer in a space where debating the maximum size of the police force is necessary or productive," Contee told lawmakers at the March 31 council hearing. "Absent significant shifts in national employment levels, the environment for law enforcement, or the interest of younger generations in long-term government careers, MPD staffing may not recover for more than a decade." Contee has spoken at length to lawmakers in the District about what he believes the city must to do address crime, but in recent weeks, it was expected he would address a new audience: Congress. Bowser hoped to bring the chief with her to testify before federal lawmakers at a May 16 hearing, as the politicians continue to flex their constitutional power over D.C. by taking aim at the public safety sector. Last month, Congress successfully blocked an overhaul of District's revised criminal code - which would have lowered sentences for some violent offenses, like carjacking, while raising others. Supporters of the bill viewed it as a necessary update of antiquated laws, but it drew opposition from D.C.'s public safety leaders. Bowser had vetoed the bill, though the council overrode her before federal lawmakers ultimately rejected it. Then last week, the House voted to nullify D.C.'s major police accountability legislation. The city wrote the bill in 2020 to restrict certain police tactics and expand access to police disciplinary records and body-camera footage in cases of excessive force, among many other provisions. President Biden, though, has said he would not support the nullification - which would effectively keep the legislation in tact. Contee had embraced parts of the police legislation while expressing concern about others. In particular, he has said a civilian police board, which would be expanded under the bill, should not have "unfettered" access to police records. - - - The Washington Post's Meagan Flynn contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) The Upper Mississippi River will rise to near record-high levels as it flows through Wisconsin and Iowa, but officials said Thursday they expected to hold back floodwaters with a combination of flood walls, temporary barriers and wetlands, especially if dry weather continues. The Mississippi already has crested in St. Paul, Minnesota, and La Crosse, Wisconsin, but it will be days before it begins falling in some areas to the south. The high water is due to the quick melting of a giant snowpack in northern Minnesota that is slowly moving down the approximately 2,300-mile (3,700-kilometer) river that will ultimately empty into the Gulf of Mexico. Despite the flooding in parts of the Upper Midwest, states to the south aren't expected to experience any flooding because tributaries in Iowa, Illinois and other Midwest states are running lower than usual, said Mike Welvaert, a National Weather Service hydrologist. Next week is expected to be mostly dry with only some showers in the forecast, he said, meaning that's unlikely to change. Future precipitation is what is going to drive the future risk, Welvaert said on a conference call with reporters. Major cities in Iowa and Illinois wont see the river crest until early next week, and then it will take about 10 days to recede to more normal levels. In the Quad-Cities area, made up of five abutting cities that border the river in Iowa and Illinois, that crest is expected on Monday, making it the third-highest flood to ever recorded in that area. Bettendorf Mayor Bob Gallagher, whose community is one of those five cities, said he is confident his neighbors will endure the flooding with little damage, even as it reaches an expected 22 feet (6.7 meters). Bettendorf and Moline, Illinois, have flood walls, he noted. Neighboring Davenport doesn't have a flood wall, but makes use of parkland that can flood and portable sand-filled barriers that protect the downtown in the city of 100,000 people, he said. They have kind of become experts in the flood fight, Gallagher said of Davenport. Upriver in La Crosse, Wisconsin, flooding was under control. Mayor Mitch Reynolds credited advanced warning, an improved sewer system, and use of a marsh to sponge up floodwaters. He still expects some cleanup and repairing after the river rose nearly 4 feet above flood stage. We've had significant damage to parks and some other infrastructure and it will take a while for the water to recede to get to the point where we can access some of that damage, Reynolds said, on the video call, alongside fellow mayors. We'll be in the thick of this for some time. The flooding has forced the Army Corps of Engineers to close more than a dozen locks, stopping barges relied upon by farmers and the region's manufacturers. But the flooding and the barge delays are only expected to last a few weeks, far shorter than in 2019 when flooding closed locks for more than three months. Were expecting this to be a relatively quick flood, Smith said Drew Smith, with the Army Corps of Engineers in St. Louis. Even as officials expressed optimism, some riverfront homes in Guttenberg, Iowa, have seen flooded homes and major disruptions to daily life. And in Campbell, a town of 4,000 people on French Island in the Mississippi and Black rivers just west of La Crosse, residents continued to struggle with water in their yards and basements Thursday. Asked how emergency crews were doing in Campbell, Fire Chief Nate Melby said in a text, Just trying to maintain pumps and keep up the battle. ___ Associated Press writer Todd Richmond contributed to this story from Madison, Wisconsin. OZARK, Ala. (AP) A jury on Thursday ruled a man convicted of the 1999 slaying of two teenage girls should spend the rest of his life in prison. The ruling comes a day after jurors convicted Coley McCraney, 49, of capital murder for the deaths of Tracie Hawlett and J.B. Beasley, court records show. The panel on Thursday determined that McCraney should serve the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to news outlets and court records. We lost two precious girls...who didn't have the opportunity to grow up and experience life, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said in a press conference after the sentencing decision. Marshall, who prosecuted the case, said the verdict doesn't bring closure but answers the question of what happened to the teens nearly 24 years ago. Ultimately, he's going to be able to spend the rest of his life in prison thinking about what he has done," Marshall said. Hawlett and Beasley, both 17, disappeared after setting off for a party in southeastern Alabama on July 31, 1999. They never returned. Their bodies were found the next day in the trunk of Beasleys black Mazda along a road in Ozark, a city of 19,000 people about 90 miles (145 kilometers) southeast of Montgomery. Each had been shot in the head. The slayings rocked the small southern city and sat for nearly 20 years without an arrest until police hired a company to run crime scene DNA through an online genealogy database. Police said they identified an extended family member and then asked McCraney to submit a DNA sample that they said matched the crime scene DNA. McCraney, a truck driver and preacher without a criminal record, was arrested in 2019. The DNA evidence was the key piece of evidence for the prosecution. McCraney testified that he had sex with Beasley but did not kill her, news outlets reported. Family members testified during the sentencing hearing about the anguish of losing their daughters. I think the hardest thing that weve gone through is holidays with an empty chair that Tracie should have been in, Hawlett's mother, Carol Roberts, testified, according to WTVY. J.B.s mother, Cheryl Burgoon, said losing her daughter was something she could not get over, WSFA reported. It hurts so badIm so angry, Burgoon told the courtroom. However, supporters of McCraney, who believe jurors erred in their verdict, held Coley Strong signs outside the courthouse or told jurors they know McCraney as a kind and religious man, news outlets reported. He is godly driven, James Fuller, McCraney's cousin, testified, according to WTVY. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate HELENA, Mont. (AP) Montana transgender lawmaker Zooey Zephyr spent her first day in legislative exile Thursday relegated to a bench in a noisy hallway across from a snack bar outside the state House chambers where she is no longer allowed. Zephyr defiantly stayed put even after the Republican House speaker said she couldnt be there and a House security officer threatened to move the bench where she had set up her laptop. She listened to debate and voted remotely from there, with a gold sticky note on the wall above her head that read Seat 31, her seat assignment in the house. The note was placed there by transgender and nonbinary Rep. SJ Howell. Republicans had wanted Zephyr to participate from behind the doors of the House Minoritys offices a day after they voted to ban her from the House floor for the rest of the session, which ends early next week. Her refusal to do so came as Democrats sought to keep Zephyrs banishment in plain view after a weeks worth of nationwide public scrutiny over Republicans unprecedented actions to silence her, which continued Thursday. Republicans moved to sideline Zephyr further by shutting down the two committees she serves on and moving the bills they were to hear to other committees, Democratic Rep. Donavon Hawk said in a statement. I walked out yesterday with my head held high and I walked in with my head held high today, ready to do my job," Zephyr told The Associated Press. As cameras snapped and espresso beans churned in a machine nearby, Zephyr and Democratic leaders promised she would remain in the public eye unless Republicans elected to further limit where she could go in the Capitol. There are many more eyes on Montana now, Zephyr said. "But you do the same thing youve always done. You stand up in defense of your community and you ... stand for the principles that they elected you to stand for. The motion Republicans passed bars Zephyr from the marble-pillared House, the gallery above it and a waiting room, but not the public space in the hall where she set up. Minority Leader Kim Abbott said the lawmaker would be voting there, within public view. The showdown began last week, when Zephyr told lawmakers backing a bill to ban gender-affirming medical care for minors that they would have blood on their hands. The phrase has been used recurrently by both Republicans and Democrats discussing the nations most polarizing issues, but Montana House leaders said they would block Zephyr from participating further in the debate until she apologized for saying it. Zephyr did not back down, instead participating in a protest that disrupted Monday's House session as observers in the gallery chanted, Let her speak! an action that led to Wednesday's vote to banish her from the floor. The Republican response to her comments, and her refusal to apologize for them as demanded, have transformed Zephyr into a prominent figure in the nationwide battle for transgender rights and placed her at the center of the ongoing debate over the muffling of dissent in statehouses. Silencing an elected representative, in an attempt to suppress their messages, is a denial of democratic values. Its undemocratic, White House Press Secretary Kaine Jean-Pierre said Thursday. The attention is a new phenomenon for Zephyr, a 34-year-old serving her first term representing a western Montana college town after being elected in November. In her interview with the AP, Zephyr likened efforts to silence her to the decision by Tennessee lawmakers to expel two Black representatives for disrupting proceedings when they participated in a gun control protest after a school shooting in Nashville. The two were quickly reinstated. Tennessee lawmakers not only rejected gun control laws, but by expelling the lawmakers they sent a message saying: 'Your voices shouldnt be here. Were going to send you away,' Zephyr said. As in Montana, GOP leaders in Tennessee had said their actions were necessary to avoid setting a precedent that lawmakers disruptions of House proceedings through protest would be tolerated. Tennessee Rep. Justin Pearson, one of the lawmakers who was expelled earlier this month, has called the Montana standoff anti-democratic and Nebraska state Sen. Megan Hunt likened her fight to Zephyr's after being served notice Wednesday of a complaint filed against her that she said was an effort to silence her voice on a gender-affirming care ban under consideration. "Its so important that we not be silent about this from state to state to state. And its so important that people stand up against this rising movement, this radical movement, and say it is not welcome," she said. Zephyr is undeterred. She said throughout the events of the past week, she has both aimed to rise and meet the moment and continue doing the job she was elected to do: representing her community and constituents. Its queer people across the world and its also the constituents of other representatives who are saying, They wont listen when it comes to these issues. Its staff in this building who, when no one is looking, come up and say Thank you,' she said. ___ The story has been edited to correct that the color of the sticky note is gold not pink. ___ Metz reported from Salt Lake City. Associated Press reporter Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed to this report. The first thing Brendan Hall saw was a giant plume of fire and a wall of smoke. The Connecticut-based filmmaker was a few miles from a Texas launchpad as the SpaceX Starships engines ignited for liftoff. For the first few seconds of the launch, we didn't know if the ship had exploded on the pad or if it wasn't going to lift off of the pad, Hall said. And all we saw was fire and smoke. And then, all of a sudden, the tips of Starship began rising up through the wall of smoke and up into the sky." Four minutes into the flight, SpaceXs most powerful rocket and one slated to take Hall and a civilian crew around the moon did explode. A few of the boosters 33 engines malfunctioned, causing the spacecraft to lose altitude and tumble before its self-destruct system was activated. Despite what SpaceX initially called a rapid, unscheduled disassembly, Hall said hes more excited than ever" to one day fly to the moon in that same model spacecraft. I think that seeing Starship in the sky, and beginning to achieve what will eventually be successful flights, was this real indication that this is going to happen our mission will happen," he said. Hall, a Marlborough native, was selected to be a crew member on the dearMoon Project, a privately funded mission to send an all-civilian crew to orbit the moon aboard a Starship rocket. Hall watched the flight test at SpaceX's Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, with his fellow dearMoon crew members a team consisting of eight artists and creatives and Japanese billionaire Yasuku Maezawa, who's paying for the trip. The six-day mission is scheduled for 2023, but the specific date hasnt been established. Hall doesnt know if the test flight impacted the timeline for the mission. And he won't know when training will begin until an official dearMoon launch date is announced. We're just staying tuned," he said. Like SpaceX and its CEO, Elon Musk, Hall described the test as a "tremendous success. Having the rocket lift off the pad, Musk said, was a significant milestone. Hall wasn't shaken by the explosion either. Before the test, Musk warned the rocket was unlikely to reach orbit and more likely to explode. Hall said seeing the rocket he is set to fly aboard made him teary-eyed. "It may take time, but it was the first step to putting us on that track. And then just to think that we're going to be in that," he said. "I think it was just a feeling for me of this all becoming very real, and very possible," he added. He said the trip was also a success in that he was able to reunite with his fellow crew members, a group he said feels "like family" to him. Photographer Rhiannon Adam; photographer Karim Iliya; musician Top; choreographer Yemi A.D.; Youtuber Tim Dodd; and backup crew members, Olympic snowboarder Kaitlyn Farrington and dancer Miyu. Crew members Dev D. Joshi, an actor, and Steve Aoki, a music producer, were unable to attend, he said. "I think that having fun with people and traveling is one of the best ways to get to know them," he said. "To have this trip be such an amazing success, I think says a lot about how our crew is going to do throughout this mission." The Federal Aviation Administration has grounded SpaceX's Starship Super Heavy launch program until it finishes investigating possible damage from the explosion, CNBC reported. The 400-foot spacecraft blasted off from its launchpad and climbed to a maximum altitude of 24 miles before issues with the rocket's 33 Raptor 2 engines caused the Starship to flip and roll. SpaceX said it ordered the spacecraft to self-destruct. The explosion sparked concern among environmental engineers and advocates that the particulate matter could potentially harm people's respiratory health and endangered species in the area. SpaceX also plans to use the rocket for the Artemis III and Artemis IV missions, which are set for 2025 and 2028. Hall couldn't speak to how optimistic he is about the tentative 2023 date as "delays and changes in timeline are just a part of spaceflight," but he's looking forward to the next stage of development. Stew Leonard Sr., founder and namesake of the grocery chain Stew Leonard's died on Wednesday, April 26. The Norwalk-based supermarket chain is beloved by Connecticut residents and non-Nutmeggers alike for its innovative animatronics and had been described as "The Disneyland of Grocery Stores." Leonard was a Westport resident as well as UConn graduate. He died in Manhattan at Lenox Hill Hospital following a brief illness. Leonard's son, Stew Leonard Jr., released a statement on the grocery chain's website acknowledging his father's hard work as a milkman and eventually as a business owner. "I was lucky and grateful to have an amazing Dad," he wrote. Since the announcement of his death on Thursday afternoon, other public leaders and notable figures around the state have offered their condolences. Governor Ned Lamont took to Twitter to pay his respects to Leonard, describing the Stew Leonard's grocery store chain as an "iconic Connecticut business" where "thousands of memories" have been made. Yonkers mayor Mike Spano of offered condolences to the entire Leonard family, and recalled the Leonard himself as a friend and positive force in the community through the Stew Leonard's Yonkers location. Westport-based Newman's Own Foundation also posted a tribute to the late founder, recalling that the chain was the first grocery store to ever sell Newman's Own salad dressing over 40 years ago. Now, the non-profit brings in over $24 million in revenue annually. Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz described Leonard as an "innovative entrepreneur" and expressed the love and adoration residents across the state had for his chain of stores. Bysiewicz also offered condolences to his family. State Senator Bob Duff recalled a memory from when he was six years old of meeting Leonard one of his stores. The late founder gifted him candy. Newington mayor Beth DelBuono also sent thoughts and prayers to the entire Leonard family. While Leonard's memorial service and burial will be private, a public celebration of life with be announced at a date to come. Donations can be made in Leonard Sr.'s memory to his water safety foundation, which he created in honor of his grandson who drowned in 1989. Additional reporting by Luther Turmelle. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate HONOLULU (AP) A man accused of firing into a large crowd at a Hawaii cockfight in a shooting that killed two people pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges Thursday. At a brief arraignment for Jacob Borge, 23, his attorney, Mark Kawata, entered the pleas on behalf of his client, who appeared via video from a jail where he's being held without bail. Borge was indicted on 11 felony charges including murder and attempted murder stemming from the April 15 shooting that wounded three other people at the illegal cockfight in a rural and remote neighborhood outside Honolulu. Authorities say investigating cockfights, which are popular in Hawaii, is difficult in part because they are highly organized events on private property, and their illegal nature and the large amount of money wagered means they often have links to organized crime. Days after the shooting, considered one of the worst in Hawaii history, members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced legislation aimed at strenthening the federal law against cockfighting and dogfighting. Most people rightly recognize animal fighting as a settled moral issue, but enforcement has lagged and a vast animal-fighting underworld spawns cruelty and spills out other forms of crime and mayhem in our communities," Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action, said in a statement. Honolulu police have vowed to step up illegal gambling enforcement. The Honolulu medical examiner's office identified those killed as Gary Rabellizsa, 34, and Cathy Rabellizsa, 59. Borge and a 16-year-old boy turned themselves in to Honolulu police after they were identified as suspects. Police have said petitions were filed against the juvenile for the same charges as Borge. Borge's supporters who attended the arraignment declined to comment after the hearing. He is scheduled to go to trial in June. The sales team at the Chinese chemical company offered drug cartel operatives more than the key ingredients needed to make deadly fentanyl bound for the United States. In exchange for payments in cryptocurrency, Wuhan Shuokang Biological Technology dispensed technical assistance and advice to Mexico's notorious Sinaloa cartel, including which chemicals could be combined most effectively to make the synthetic opioid, and how to economize on "starting material," according to a U.S. indictment unsealed April 14. U.S. prosecutors say the Chinese company used its professional-looking website to maintain a veneer of legitimacy, but its brokers supplied chemicals and illicit substances to the cartel, helping it flood the United States with the cheap fentanyl that is killing record numbers of Americans. Investigators describe the indictment as among the most significant attempts to link Chinese chemical companies to the Sinaloa gangsters who dominate the fentanyl trade. But if previous U.S. criminal cases against suppliers are any indication, there is little chance the Chinese suspects will be prosecuted. Amid worsening geopolitical tensions with Washington, China is increasingly unwilling to crack down on illicit chemical shipments, experts say. "It's important to realize that this is just a gnat on the windshield on the Chinese side of things," said Jonathan P. Caulkins, a Carnegie Mellon University professor who researches the criminal drug trade, noting that the sale of fentanyl precursors make up only a "tiny, tiny, tiny" amount of the chemical industry's global business. The 23 suspects named in the indictment include four Chinese nationals, as well as Mexican cartel bosses, offering a rare window into the global supply network that is fueling the fentanyl crisis devastating communities and families across the United States. More than 70,000 Americans are dying annually from the synthetic opioid, which is up to 50 times more potent than heroin. The two key nations in the chain - China and Mexico - have long downplayed their roles and blamed U.S. users for the demand for illegal drugs. Mexico's president insists his country is a transit point for fentanyl, not a producer, while a Chinese official recently declared, "There is no such thing as fentanyl trafficking between China and Mexico." The charges unsealed in the Southern District of New York dispute those claims, describing a chemical pipeline from China's Wuhan province that passes through ports in Germany and the United States before reaching cartel "cooks" working in mountain hideouts in northern Mexico. The indictment is important in exposing Chinese companies' involvement in providing precursor chemicals, rebutting the country's claims that it has no evidence the materials are going to Mexican cartels, said Vanda Felbab-Brown, who studies the international opioid trade for the Brookings Institution, a D.C.-based think tank. But without China's willingness to clamp down on the country's chemical industry, the indictment's impact is limited, she said. At best, Chinese companies identified in the documents may change their names or websites, and defendants may avoid traveling to countries that have extradition treaties with the United States. "I don't think there will be broader deterrence effects across the Chinese industry," Felbab-Brown said in an interview. The Biden administration has responded to fentanyl's growing death toll with greater urgency in recent months, boosting interdiction efforts along the southern border while pressuring the Mexican government to crack down on its cartels. Not long ago, China-U.S.-collaboration on the illegal drug trade, while never extensive, appeared to be paying off. In 2019, Chinese authorities - who were tipped off by the Drug Enforcement Administration - convicted a ring of fentanyl suppliers from the northern city of Xingtai. U.S. and Chinese officials even held a joint news conference after nine men were sentenced. But even that was calculated, said Felbab-Brown. "[China] only engaged in counter narcotics when it thought it would lead to changes in its geostrategic relationship," she said. That year, under pressure from the Trump administration, China also agreed to sweeping internal restrictions on "all fentanyl-related" substances, while blaming the United States for its culture of drug use. But precursor chemicals still flowed to Mexican cartels, allowing them to dominate the illicit fentanyl market. In August 2020, China announced it was suspending cooperation with the United States on battling illegal narcotics over then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. But by then, China had already largely withdrawn from such efforts as a result of growing trade disputes, disagreements over human rights, in addition to tensions over the status of Taiwan. "They don't work with us at all any more," said House Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) who co-chaired the U.S. Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking. "They know who [the precursor dealers] are. We know who they are. Yet they don't do anything about it." A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said recently that the country had been "trying to help the U.S. as best it can," but the recent indictments "seriously undermine" such efforts, Reuters reported. Still, researchers have doubted how easy it would be to cut off precursor shipments from China, which make up just a small fraction of the country's massive and poorly regulated chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Experts say small and mid-level players in China are the key actors exporting precursor chemicals, which thanks to advances in synthetic chemistry can be easily manufactured into fentanyl by the cartels. A study last year estimated that the amount of fentanyl consumed in 2021 was only in the single-digit metric tons, underscoring the potency of the drug and the ease of smuggling it into the United States. "There's no universal agreement on whether the Chinese could stop this even if they wanted to," Caulkins said. And even if China were to act, other countries with large chemical industries, such as India, are well positioned to supply precursors and illegal synthetic drugs to criminal organizations, say experts. The White House's senior official overseeing drug control policy said Tuesday that China needs to strengthen regulations that would allow it to know who is actually purchasing the chemicals. "China has a choice to make. It can be part of the global community to demonstrate its leadership on the global stage on this issue, or it can do nothing," said Rahul Gupta, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Previous U.S. indictments of Chinese suppliers have had minimal effect on the fentanyl trade and resulted in few prosecutions. In August 2018, the Justice Department secured an indictment against a Shanghai father and son alleged to have exported deadly fentanyl analogues and other drugs to 25 countries and 37 states. Federal prosecutors alleged the drugs led to the overdose deaths of two people in Ohio. But the men, Fujing Zheng and his father, Guanghua Zheng, labeled "significant" narcotics traffickers under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, remain outside of the reach of U.S. law, presumably in China. More recently, in December 2021, the Treasury Department issued sanctions against four Chinese chemical companies for trafficking in synthetic drugs, including ones believed to have sent fentanyl precursors to Mexican cartels. One suspect, Chuen Fat Yip, remains a fugitive despite a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest. China remains the "source of the vast majority" of precursor chemicals used by the Sinaloa cartel to make fentanyl, according to the New York indictment. It names several leaders of the "Chapitos" network, a faction of the Sinaloa drug cartel, including alleged kingpin Ovidio Guzman Lopez, who was arrested by Mexican security forces in January, and three brothers, who remain fugitives. They are the sons of former Sinaloa boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, who is serving life in prison in the United States. The large Chinese chemical companies manufacturing fentanyl precursors avoid scrutiny by selling to middlemen inside China, according to the indictment. Two of the defendants are Kun Jiang, owner of Suzhou Xiaoli Pharmatech Co., and Huatao Yao, owner of Wuhan Shuokang Biological Technology, or SK Biotech. Both were charged, along with Yao's associates, Yaqin Wu and Yonghao Wu. The Treasury Department also brought sanctions against the companies and the defendants, barring anyone in the United States from doing business with them, measures that may be of limited practical value. Chinese chemical companies "are nimble" and often change their names to avoid law enforcement scrutiny, the indictment notes. Repeated calls to phone numbers listed on SK Biotech's website went unanswered. Someone who answered at Xiaoli hung up on a reporter. Contact numbers for employees have been scrubbed from the website in recent days. Both companies sold fentanyl precursors through a Guatemala-based broker, Ana Gabriela Rubio Zea, who bragged that the cartel operation was "the biggest in Mexico so we can purchase a lot," according to the indictment. Rubio Zea was also indicted, and U.S. authorities offered up to $1 million for information leading to her arrest or conviction. Rubio Zea arranged for the chemicals to be disguised - sometimes in food containers or packaged alongside legal chemicals - to avoid detection by law enforcement, the indictment said. She also relied on "corruption at the border" to get the chemicals into Mexico, prosecutors said. One alleged broker, Yaqin Wu, also acknowledged the need to "carefully disguise" shipments in a message to a Sinaloa operative, according to the indictment. Not all of the shipments went straight to Mexico, illustrating the circuitous routes sometimes taken. In August 2020, the DEA seized three packages of fentanyl precursor chemicals, totaling 53 kilos, aboard a cargo plane that flew from Hong Kong to Anchorage. According to the indictment, the chemicals belonged to cartel members and were bound for Mexico City and then Sinaloa. The indictment also reveals that SK Biotech sent at least two shipments to New York City, one in September 2022, and another this past March, although Yao noted "he more typically sent chemicals to Mexico through Germany." The DEA seized both packages in New York City. - - - The Washington Post's Theodora Yu in Hong Kong contributed to this report. Houston City Councilmembers are evaluating a proposed city ordinance that would regulate "bring your own bottle" establishments, including restaurants, lounges, bars, and nightclubs. If passed, the ordinance would require new permitting for places that the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission does not license but still allow customers to bring in their own alcoholic beverages. Under the new ordinance, BYOB establishments open after midnight would have to get a certificate of occupancy, place "BYOB Establishment" signs at every entrance, post scaled drawings of the venue and where alcohol can be consumed, and implement a security plan. In a Wednesday joint meeting with the Houston Council's Quality of Life and Public Safety Committees, city officials said the proposal was spurred by law enforcement officials' reports of rising violent crimes happening at nightlife spaces. According to the Houston Police Department, there have been nine murders at Houston bars and clubs since November 2022. The department also tallied 32 robberies and 103 cases of aggravated assault in that span. According to the city presentation, many of those violent crimes happened after 2 a.m. "The ordinance will provide HPD another tool in their tool kit when they're having to address criminal activity that arises from these types of establishments that basically are a threat to the health and safety of the city of Houston," Deputy Director of the Administration and Regulatory Affairs Department Kathryn Brunin said Wednesday. Under the ordinance, BYOB establishments would be required to hire a minimum of one security guard per 100 customers, a hand wand or walkthrough metal detector, lighting in the exterior portion of the premises and the parking lot, and security cameras in all open areas inside and outside of the venue. All entrances also have to be open to allow law enforcement officers to enter and inspect the venue. The BYOB permit fee will cost between $397 and $550, the city added. Violators could also face a fine of up to $500 and possibly be sued by the city, which could declare that establishment a "nuisance" if they fail to comply after repeated violations. John Sjoberg, owner of Fourth Ward bring-your-own establishment Lucio's BYOB, said Thursday that the ordinance will not impact his restaurant but is concerned about the consequences it could have for business owners who can't afford all the requirements. "You can't really make somebody have security cameras it's really the owner's decision to do that," he said. "We have it, but what about all the people who can't afford it and they're just starting out their business? I remember when I started, I struggled. So I can't imagine when people are starting out going through something like that." Houston City Council is scheduled to discuss the ordinance at the end of May. Francesco Carta fotografo/Getty Images Young people in Texas are picking up vaping at higher rates than almost all of their peers across the U.S., according to a new study. Researchers from the firm HelpAdvisor analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and found that Texas ranks seventh in the country for recent increases in vaping among teens and young adults. Annie Leibovitz/Vogue Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo will grace the pages of Vogue magazine next month. The Democratic leader was photographed by the iconic Annie Leibovitz for a feature titled "Meet Judge Lina Hidalgo, a Young Democratic Star in GOP-led Texas." The glowing profile, written by author Emma Specter, focuses on Hidalgo's response to severe weather in the Houston area, specifically frequent flooding as well as her work following a tornado that devastated the Pasadena and Deer Park communities earlier this year. "What to do in the face of ever more extreme weatheran especially acute problem here in Texas that is seeing deadly ice storms and record-breaking heath with distressing regularityis the kind of question that fuels Hidalgo," Specter wrote. The Texas House on Tuesday gave initial approval to a bill that would require digital service providers such as social media platforms to get consent from a parent or guardian before entering into an agreement with minors younger than 18, including to create an account. House Bill 18, from Rep. Shelby Slawson, R-Stephenville, said under the bill that social media companies will need to get consent from the parent of a minor through a form, toll-free telephone line, coordinated video conference call, collecting info from government-issued identification with the expectation the info will be deleted or email. Members of the lower chamber on Tuesday gave the bill a priority of Speaker Dade Phelan initial approval with a voice vote following roughly 45 minutes of questions from lawmakers about how the bill would work and two failed amendments from Rep. Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington. HB 18 would also let parents request access to any data on social media associated with the minor; companies would be required to establish a simple and easily accessible method for these requests. An amendment that was adopted protects trade secrets from disclosure, Slawson said. Under the bill, providers that allow advertisers to advertise to known minors will also be required to disclose in a clear and accessible manner certain info at the time the ad is displayed, such as how any data associated with the minors use of the service leads to each ad. State agencies, political subdivisions, small businesses and higher education institutions are among the entities excluded from following the bills protocols. Slawson has said the bill, called the Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment, or SCOPE, Act aims to give parents more control of how minors private info is collected and used by digital service providers. Our children are experiencing all manner of harms via overexposure to digital platforms and predatory algorithms, manifesting in increased rates of self-harm, suicide, substance abuse, sexual exploitation, human trafficking and other mental health issues, Slawson said in a statement after the bill was voted out of a House committee two weeks ago. Texas parents have had enough. Young adults between the ages of 10 and 24 account for 15% of all suicides, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the rate is lower than that of other age groups, suicide is the second-leading cause of death for youth. The rate of suicide for this age group has increased by 52.2% between 2000 and 2021. Opponents of the measure, including Meta formerly Facebook Inc. whose representative testified against the bill at a committee hearing, say while well-intentioned, the bill may nonetheless bring unintended consequences that could undermine already-established safeguards. The company said it has established more than 30 tools for teens and families, including around age verification and limiting time spent on Instagram. Others have raised concerns about the bill offering a temporary solution to bigger problems of youth mental health that will eventually need addressing. We automatically set teens accounts to private when they join Instagram, and we send notifications encouraging them to take regular breaks, Meta said in a statement. We dont allow content that promotes suicide, self-harm or eating disorders, and of the content we remove or take action on, we identify over 99% of it before its reported to us. Well continue to work closely with experts, policymakers, and parents on these important issues. Last month, Utah enacted a similar law that restricts youth use of social media without parental consent. This article was first published on The Texas Tribune. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Indiana lawmakers on Thursday gave their final approval to a bill that could make it easier to ban books from public school libraries. The bill would require school libraries to publicly post a list of books they offer and provide a complaints process for community members. Schools and librarians could also no longer argue, as a legal defense, that the texts in their libraries have educational value. The law would still allow them to argue the text has literary, artistic, political or scientific value. Thats how I would describe educational, by the way, GOP Rep. Martin Carbaugh said before the House voted 70-27 in favor of it. Those who supported the legislation expressed concern that sexually inappropriate or pornographic materials are available to children in school libraries. Critics, however, said the legislation could open the door to banning books simply because some people dont like the topics, as well as criminal prosecutions of educators for providing such books, particularly those with LGBTQ+ themes. Do we really want some parents choosing books for what other kids are reading or not reading? Democratic Sen. J.D. Ford, the states only openly gay legislator, said Thursday. I still think its a slippery slope. The bill's language was derived from a Senate proposal that passed in February and had come up in various other bills this session. It was added Thursday to a House bill related to student assessments and received quick approval from both chambers. The Senate's 39-10 approval sent it to Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb. Republican state Rep. Becky Cash insisted the bill protects the schools. "I hope that as this plays out, people will realize that," she told The Associated Press. Democratic Rep. Renee Pack spoke to lawmakers about her daughter, Leah Johnson, whose book You Should See Me In A Crown was declared obscene by the Oklahoma attorney general's office. The book is about a Black girl who falls for her competition for prom queen. Pack said that when she asked her daughter why she wrote such books, her daughter's response was that it was horrible and confusing, growing up and not seeing me and who I was represented in literature. So this is my way of letting young people know you are not alone, no matter what anybody tells you." Republican Sen. Jim Tomes, the author of the Senate bill that passed the chamber in February, told lawmakers earlier this session that parents had brought him several inappropriate books from their libraries, including Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe, a coming-of-age story about gender and sexuality, which was the most challenged book of 2022 for the second year in a row, according to the American Library Association. Attempted book bans and restrictions on libraries have surged, setting a record in 2022, according to a report by the ALA. The vast majority of complaints have come from conservatives, directed at works with LGBTQ+ or racial themes, according to Deborah Caldwell-Stone, who directs the ALAs Office for Intellectual Freedom. We all know, in this room, there is no pornography in our schools, Indiana Democratic Rep. Matt Pierce said Thursday. What it is, is young adult fiction that talks about lesbians and gays and people that are different than some of us, and its giving us a realistic portrayal of the challenges and the burdens and the struggles that those minorities face. ___ 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. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate LE PECQ, France (AP) The French chief of counterintelligence has given new details about a Russian spy ring broken up by France in the wake of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, saying the six intelligence agents were caught red-handed interacting with a source on French soil. The director of the DGSI counterintelligence and counterterrorism agency, Nicolas Lerner, was speaking to a French parliamentary enquiry looking into foreign efforts to influence or corrupt political parties, leaders and opinion-makers in France. His testimony was delivered behind closed doors in February. But the website of the National Assembly, France's lower house of parliament, published his comments this week. Lerner described the unmasking of the Russian agents as one of the most significant counter-intelligence operations carried out by the DGSI in recent decades. The six intelligence officers were caught in the act of treating with a source on the national territory" and expelled, Lerner said, without giving more details. At the time, in April 2022, France's Foreign Ministry said the Russian clandestine operation was unmasked by a very long DGSI investigation. It said the six agents posed as diplomats and that their activities were contrary to our national interests. Its statement made no mention of a source in France. France's interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, also made no mention of a French source for the spies in his tweet last April that hailed the remarkable counterespionage operation" by the DGSI which obstructed a network of Russian clandestine agents. A week prior to those expulsions, as the horrors of war crimes committed by Russian forces in Bucha, Ukraine, were coming to light, France also expelled 35 Russian diplomats. saying their activities were " contrary to our security interests. " Expulsions, including tit-for-tat retaliations by Moscow, have been a feature of the deepening gulf between Russia and countries opposed to its war in Ukraine. Sweden this week expelled five Russian Embassy employees suspected of spying. Norway expelled 15 Russian diplomats earlier this month. Russia this week responded by ordering 10 Norwegian diplomats in Moscow to leave. In his sworn testimony, Lerner told lawmakers that Russia had long been running the largest spy operation in France, using intelligence officers posing as diplomats. The country that historically has the most important system is Russia. This tradition continued to the present day. In each Western country, several dozen officers their number has diminished significantly since the start of the Ukraine crisis from the three Russian intelligence services carry out intelligence and interference actions under diplomatic cover. He added that China also maintains a network under diplomatic cover that is much less developed than Russia's. Lerner suggested to lawmakers that they also should be on their guard about the risk of intelligence agents seeking to ensnare them. He said the DGSI was in regular contact with lawmakers to alert them and if necessary to let them know who they are dealing with. In recent months, we have done this several times, after detecting contacts with Russian intelligence officers under diplomatic cover, he said. More broadly, the French counterintelligence chief said that previous unwritten rules that rival countries observed in the Cold War were collapsing in a new era of more aggressive and direct confrontation. From 1945 to the fall of the Berlin Wall, certain tacit rules, which one can like or disagree with, governed relations between nations," he said. Each bloc broadly respected the others sphere of influence. All of that has disappeared. Now, the way some countries see it is that the only rules are the fait accompli and the law of the strongest. ___ Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine and https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine-a-year-of-war PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) Kosovos leadership has called for justice for the 1,621 people still officially missing from the 1998-1999 war with neighboring Serbia. On Kosovos National Day of Missing Persons, President Vjosa Osmani said in a statement: The violent extinction of thousands of our citizens, including children, was a clear effort to extinguish the people. The war erupted when the ethnic Albanian majority in Kosovo, which was then a Serbian province, rebelled against rule from Belgrade, which responded with a brutal crackdown. About 13,000 people were killed. In 1999 a NATO military intervention forced Serbia to pull out of the territory. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, which is not recognized by Serbia. Prime Minister Albin Kurti paid his respects at a memorial to the missing in the capital, Pristina. We need justice. We need accountability. We need criminals, perpetrators, executioners and decision-makers to be behind bars, Kurti said. The issue of the missing is part of an 11-point European Union plan to normalize relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Kurti is due to meet Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels next week for talks. The European Union mission in Kosovo, or EULEX, has conducted 725 field operations and 197 exhumations, which have resulted in the identification of 332 missing persons. These figures dont mean much to those who have not found their loved ones yet, said forensic anthropologist Luisa Marinho. EULEX said it had been difficult to find the bodies. Many were buried in small, unmarked graves or even in cemeteries, in an effort by the perpetrators to make the search for the missing more difficult and to hide evidence. While most of the missing are ethnic Albanians, a few are Serbs. EULEX says it lacks new and credible information on the location of graves. It has complained that not all missing persons families have given blood samples for DNA analysis, making it harder for experts to identify remains. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) Missouri voters would need approval from a majority of the state's congressional districts or a 57% statewide vote to amend the state constitution under a proposal the Senate passed Thursday. Senators voted 24-10 along party lines in favor of the change, which would go before voters if passed by the House by the May 12 end of session. Currently, it takes a simple majority to amend the state's constitution, which Republican lawmakers say is too low. Republican Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden said the proposal would protect the constitution without taking away voters' access to ballot initiatives. It doesn't put up barriers that are so high that you cant do it, Rowden said. Voters in recent years have used ballot measures to enact policies that the GOP-led Legislature has either avoided or opposed, such as legal recreational marijuana for adults and expanded access to Medicaid. Amending the constitution instead of state law also makes it significantly more difficult for lawmakers to undo voter-approved policies, as the Legislature has attempted to do. For example, GOP lawmakers initially refused to fund the voters' Medicaid expansion proposal but finally conceded after the courts ordered they do so. The Senate-approved policy includes a proposal that addresses criticisms that lawmakers are trying to claw back power from citizens. It suggests a five-year ban on the Legislature amending any voter-approved changes to state law, unless lawmakers approve changes by 57% in both the House and Senate. That was an attempt to say, 'Hey, let's tie our own hands a little bit,'" Republican Sen. Sandy Crawford, of Buffalo, told reporters Thursday, "and maybe some of these initiatives will go into law instead of the constitution. The proposal now heads to the House, where lawmakers have endorsed a higher 60% threshold for amending the constitution. House Democratic Minority Leader Crystal Quade said even with the Senate changes, the legislation is silencing the voice of voters. But she praised the Senate's proposed limits to block lawmakers from immediately undoing the will of voters. We believe that voters should have access to holding us accountable," Quade said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) Former President Donald Trump turned his attention to the general election on Thursday, using his first campaign appearance since President Joe Biden launched his own reelection bid to boast of his poll numbers and suggest that he has no need to debate his Republican rivals. Trumps appearance in New Hampshire marked his first return to an early voting state since his legal troubles increased with an indictment in New York. He spoke on the same day that his former vice president, Mike Pence, testified before a federal grand jury investigating efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election. Meanwhile, writer E. Jean Carroll testified for a second day Thursday in a civil rape case against Trump over an encounter in the 1990s, an allegation he denies. We are a nation in serious decline, a nation that has lost its way, Trump said at a downtown Manchester hotel, a smaller venue than his typical, large-scale rallies. We are led by a hopeless person, but we will win in 2024 and make America great again. We can do it. Its not too late. In a nod toward his 2016 race, Trump said he's retiring the crooked nickname he used to define Democratic rival Hillary Clinton and will now instead apply it to Biden. He pledged to take back the White House and settle our unfinished business" in a potential 2024 rematch with the current president. A spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee, Ammar Moussa, pointed in response to persistent allegations that Trumps family profited off his presidency. Donald Trump may come up with a lot of nicknames for President Biden but we have a better one: winner, Moussa said. Trump's New Hampshire appearance came two days after Biden kicked off his own long-expected reelection campaign, presenting himself as he did in 2020 as a buttress against Trump and his Make America Great Again movement. Biden's campaign launch video included snapshots of Trump and warned of MAGA extremists working to erode freedoms including voting rights and abortion rights. Trump is considered a front-runner for the GOP nomination, though more Republicans are expected to jump into the race soon, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Trump's campaign this week started airing its first television ad, which assails DeSantis. In the ad, Trump takes credit for DeSantis political rise and shows the governor yoking himself to the former president, including clips from a 2018 gubernatorial campaign ad in which he uses some of Trumps catchphrases like Build the wall and Youre fired." Trump, who has mused about skipping primary debates, pointed Thursday to his sizable polling lead and questioned why he should bother participating in the debates. Why would you do that? he asked the crowd. Two weeks ago, Trump appeared with several other announced and potential presidential candidates at the National Rifle Association convention in Indianapolis. Last weekend, he spoke by video to a gathering of evangelicals in Iowa that marked the unofficial start of the states 2024 caucus campaign. It doesnt feel good to have Republicans that are so conservative and great fighting each other, said Kathy Holmes, a 69-year-old retired teacher from Chichester who attended Trump's event Thursday. Holmes, who said she plans to vote for Trump in the states leadoff primary, wore homemade buttons of Trumps face with fuzzy blond hair glued onto it. Holmes said shed like to see DeSantis wait and run for president in 2028 instead. Maureen Anderson, a 43-year-old from the Boston area who said she follows the QAnon conspiracy theory, said Thursday's event was the first time she would be seeing Trump in person. The longtime Trump supporter wore a red MAGA hat and said she would be supporting Trump in the primary, regardless of his legal troubles. I feel like theyve got nothing on him, and they just keep trying to find some other avenue to get him, she said of the legal cases. But theyre not gonna get him." Trump stopped at a downtown diner after his event, where he posed for photographs and signed autographs. Someone in the crowd tried to draw Trumps attention to one woman, shouting, Shes a J-6er, referring to people who were at the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Where is she? Trump asked, turning his head and beckoning her to come through the packed crowd. He leaned in between members of his security detail to say, You just hang in, and something else inaudible and then repeated, You just hang in. The woman passed up a backpack from the crowd to have him sign, shouting, I took it with me Jan. 6. He signed it. New Hampshire is a political swing state, though voters in the state rejected Trump in the 2016 and 2020 general elections. It was, however, the first state Trump won in the 2016 Republican presidential primary contest, propelling him into GOP dominance that he maintains to this day. The former president made one other visit to New Hampshire earlier this year, stopping in Salem as part of his first appearances on his latest White House campaign. ___ Cooper reported from Phoenix. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate OFF THE COAST OF SFAX, Tunisia (AP) A young man wearing a baseball cap emblazoned with Dior," women clutching babies wrapped in blankets, children bundled in winter coats. All gingerly stepped from rickety boats into the sturdy craft of the Tunisian Maritime National Guard and away from their dreams of life in Europe. Cold, wet and heartbroken, they are among hundreds caught daily in overnight sweeps for migrant boats on the Mediterranean Sea. Sit down! Sit down! Sit down! The shouted order confirmed the group was no longer in charge of their destiny. A woman sobbed. On an overnight expedition with the National Guard last week, The Associated Press witnessed migrants pleading to continue their journeys to Italy in unseaworthy vessels, some taking on water. Over 14 hours, 372 people were plucked from the fragile boats. Migrants, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa, are undertaking the perilous journey in unprecedented numbers. In the first three months of this year, 13,000 migrants were forced from their boats off the eastern Tunisian port city of Sfax, the main launching point. Between 2021 and 2022, the number of migrants heading to Europe, mostly to Italy but also to Malta, nearly doubled. In a single day in March, a record 2,900 migrants were stopped in the Sfax region, the nearby coastal city of Mahdia and the Kerkennah Islands, off the Sfax coast, said National Guard Brig. Gen. Sabeur Younes. Migration to Europe has been on an upward climb, peaking in 2022 to 189,620, according to the International Organization for Migration. That's the most since 2016, when close to 400,000 left their homelands, and one year after more than 1 million people, mostly Syrians fleeing war, sought refuge in 2015. For many sub-Saharan Africans who don't need a visa to travel to Tunisia the North African country serves as a stepping stone to Europe, while others come from Libya, which shares a border with Tunisia. Each night, National Guard vessels comb the waters. Pulling out the dead is the grimmest part of the job. Already this year more than 800 people have lost their lives trying to cross the central Mediterranean, including nearly 300 just in the last 10 days, the International Organization for Migration said Thursday. The Tunisian coast alone saw hundreds of deaths last year. This week, Sfax officials were rushing to bury some 90 bodies washed up on beaches in the Sfax region in recent days, the official TAP news agency reported Tuesday. The morgue at the main hospital is full, making burials critical. No deaths or disappearances were reported the night the AP was present. The groups of people plucked from the water during numerous sorties by small crafts are collected on a waiting National Guard mother ship and returned to Sfax. Considered victims, not lawbreakers, those stopped en route are set free at the port, many to try again. As of Monday, 36,610 migrants including 2,882 Tunisians had reached Italy since the start of the year. That is about four times the number who arrived in each of the two previous years, the Italian Interior Ministry said. Many head to Lampedusa, an island south of Sicily, some 180 kilometers (110 miles) from Sfax, a voyage that requires large measures of desperation and bravado. We are ready to drown and die to improve our situation, said a Syrian who identified himself only as Mohamed, fearful like many migrants caught at sea of revealing his full name. You know the situation in Syria, war and instability, he said, adding that he had lost four family members in the war. Determination prevailed even among some whose trips were cut short, like Meriam, who was turned back for a third time. If we make it, with God's grace, someone will say, Oh, monsieur or madame, come work for us,' ... Well be able to work, to eat," Meriem, from Ivory Coast, said, refusing to give her full name. Italy is trying to stem the flow from Tunisia, and stabilize the North African country in the midst of its deepest economic crisis in a generation, with growing social and political tensions. This month Rome declared a state of emergency to help cope with the influx, then sweetened pressure on Tunisia, vowing a host of investments plus help in tough negotiations for an International Monetary Fund loan. But those incentives wont stop the recent, furious drive by people from sub-Saharan Africa and a booming business in cheaper metal boats that have fed the surge in migration from Tunisia. Sub-Saharan Africans, some living illegally in Tunisia for years and working at low wages, began trying to make a quick exit after Tunisia's increasingly authoritarian President Kais Saied demanded urgent measures in February to crack down on Black Africans, claiming they are part of a plot to erase his countrys identity. Some countries airlifted their citizens back home. Many sub-Saharan Africans looked toward Europe as a getaway. If a Black man does something bad in Tunisia, then Tunisians see us all as bad and chase us away, said a man from Ivory Coast who refused to give his name over concerns about the tense situation for Black Africans in Tunisia. Its not logical. We are all humans. Younes, the National Guard chief, suggested that the furor over sub-Saharan Africans contributed to increased attempted crossings. After what happened, voila. They no longer have the means to stay here, he said. Theyll try everything to get to the other side. But another factor has enticed people to risk their lives for Europe. Flimsy, hand-made metal boats cheaper but less stable than wooden vessels began appearing on the seas last year and quickly became a flourishing business. The boats are made clandestinely in the Sfax region. Arrests are made, but unfortunately there are always other artisans to build them, Younes said. Even foreigners are being recruited, like Egyptians to do the welding, he said. But only a fine awaits boat builders who are caught because officials have so far failed to establish a link with smugglers. For the National Guard official, a critical link with Italy is missing. We need direct contact with the Italians for boats that risk sinking but have exited Tunisias zone of rescue, Younes said, rejecting suggestions Tunisia is not doing enough to stopped the influx of migrants. For the migrants, Tunisia is already doing too much dashing their dreams. We want to leave Tunisia! Let us die at sea. Its our choice, cried out some forced off the boats. Its our destiny. Among those removed was an infant bundled in a camouflage fleece suit, her head covered by a hat with kitty ears, seemingly dressed for a special event that was abruptly canceled by the National Guard. ___ Ganley reported from Paris. Bouazza Ben Bouazza in Tunis, Tunisia, contributed. ___ Follow AP's coverage of global migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migration This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BEIRUT (AP) Irans foreign minister said Thursday that Tehran wants Lebanon's rivals to reach an agreement to elect a new president in the crisis-hit country that has been without a head of state since October. Hossein Amirabdollahian made his comments during his first visit to Lebanon since Iran and Saudi Arabia reached an agreement in China last month to re-establish diplomatic relations and reopen embassies after seven years of tensions that had major repercussions in the tiny Mediterranean country. The agreement negotiated with China lowers the chance of armed conflict between the Mideast rivals both directly and in proxy conflicts around the region. The effects of the agreement include eased tensions and an exchange of prisoners between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Iran-backed rebels, as well as improved relations between Saudi Arabia and Syrian President Bashar Assad. Lebanese groups are deeply divided between an Iran-backed coalition led by the powerful Hezbollah group and a Western and Saudi-backed alliance. The deep divisions in Lebanon have left the country without a president since the term of President Michel Aoun ended in late October. Speaking during a joint news conference with Amirabdollahian, Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bouhabib told reporters, I am optimistic that every regional agreement and any deal between regional countries is good for Lebanon. The agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia is important for peace in the region, Bouhabib said. He did not elaborate. Amirabdollahian said Iran encourages all sides in Lebanon to speed up the elections process. We will back any election and any agreement that is reached between parties in Lebanon regarding the electing of a president, Amirabdollahian said before heading to a meeting with caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati. Hezbollahs ally Sleiman Frangieh and army commander Gen. Joseph Aoun, are the top candidates for president. Lebanons parliament held about a dozen sessions over the past months but failed to elect a head of state amid deep divisions. The largest Christian blocs in parliament have rejected the election of Frangieh and there have been reports in local media that Saudi Arabia is opposed to him becoming president. On Wednesday, Frangieh gave a long TV interview in which he said that if he is elected president, he will work for better relations between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. Frangieh also added that his close relations with Hezbollah and Assad could be used for the good of Lebanon. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate TOKYO (AP) Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, in a bid to lure more Japanese chip makers to invest in his state, said Thursday he hopes to forge trusted supply chain relationships with U.S. allies and friends to create supply chains that are not China-dependent. Youngkin, considered a potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate, is making his first trip to Asia as governor, having earlier stopped in Taiwan. He will also travel to South Korea. "We can lead the charge in forging this trusted supply chain relationship with nations that will contribute to the longstanding great relationship that we have, but add to our growth together in a world where we need to do more with our friends, he said at a news conference with Micron Executive Vice President Manish Bhatia and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel. They planned to meet later in the day with Japanese semiconductor executives Youngkin hopes to attract more chip makers to the state. Micron, a leading semiconductor maker, is in the midst of a $3 billion expansion of a computer chips factory in Manassas, Virginia. It also has a factory in Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishidas electoral constituency of Hiroshima and is the largest foreign direct investor in Japan, said Microns Bhatia. Youngkin has adopted 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. Youngkin said Virginia is home to more than 130 Japanese companies already and he hoped to forge new partnerships particularly in semiconductors and other critical sectors where our supply chains have to be built with trusted partners. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris also met with Japanese semiconductor companies during a visit in September. Hopefully, todays meeting will conclude more agreements and therefore benefit not only the state of Virginia people but our people, our two nations and our security that is so critical to this semiconductor space, Emanuel said. Youngkin said he also met with leaders in other industries such as pharmaceuticals and automakers. The governor, a former CEO of the Carlyle Group, sidestepped questions about a presidential run, saying My focus is making sure we advance Virginias economic interests and can forge these most trusted supply chains with our friends and allies around the world. East Asia has become a popular destination for U.S. politicians angling for investments and foreign policy experience. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was in Japan earlier in the week to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other officials as part of his four-nation trade mission seen as an attempt by the expected Republican presidential candidate to improve his diplomatic profile. Emanuel noted a series of visits to Japan by U.S. governors in the last year looking for investment and stronger supply chains following the disruptions brought on by the pandemic. Such trips can help ensure "that your state has trusted investors and partners that will be part of that future. So youre not caught off guard again, he said. The visits by leaders of both parties dovetail with the Biden administration's push to build supply chains among allied countries and reduce dependence on China. ___ Associated Press video journalist Haruka Nuga contributed to this report. Connecticuts two U.S. senators, who are usually aligned on key policy issues, are split on one that has garnered wide bipartisan support and interest: how to protect children online and hold tech companies accountable. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., helped introduce new efforts on Wednesday with a bipartisan bill that would bar anyone under 13 from using social media platforms and require that minors between 13 and 17 get consent from a parent or legal guardian to sign up. The Protecting Kids on Social Media Act would also block social media companies from recommending content through algorithms for people under 18. But Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who has his own online safety legislation, raised concerns about the age verification of minors and the ability to enforce such requirements. He noted the two bills share some common goals, however, when it comes to reining in the algorithms that suggest and monitor what users see on their accounts. Blumenthal and Murphys differing approaches on social media highlight the broader challenges for Congress when it comes to trying to meaningfully rein in Big Tech and protect children on the internet. Some major social media companies like Facebook, Twitter and TikTok already ban those under 13 from using their sites, though critics say they can easily get around those bans. Many lawmakers argue that children and teenagers are getting addicted to using social media. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., who is a sponsor of the latest social media bill, contends that these companies monetize minors eyeballs for their profits. The legislation is personal for Murphy, who is a father of two young children. He described watching his own kids interact with the benefits and negatives of social media. At a press conference on Wednesday, Murphy and a trio of lawmakers warned of the addictive nature of these sites and the personal and emotional toll it can take, especially for users under 18. I dont think its a coincidence that the four of us are all raising young children today because parents want and deserve tools to help keep their kids safe online, Murphy said. This is one of the most apolitical conversations I have in Connecticut. The opportunity here is to really frame this inside this building the same way that it exists out there in the public, he added. It actually unites people of differing political views around one very simple premise that parents should have better tools to protect their kids. Questions, however, linger on age verification of these users along with the enforcement of such a federal ban. A couple of outside groups, like the youth-led coalition Design It For Us, said a bill focused on age identification and parental control misses the mark and should instead focus on age appropriate design code to keep children safe online. I think this bill potentially lacks any accountability for Big Tech itself and puts the burden on parents to be police wardens, Blumenthal said on Wednesday. Parents should have tools to disconnect from the algorithms, but the idea of consent I think really puts the burden on them to communicate with the Big Tech platforms in effect to attest that in some way they are letting Big Tech off the hook. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, pushed back on those concerns, saying the bill will raise the standards for verifying users ages but prohibit those companies from using that information for any other reasons. It also gives the platforms the ability to come up with their own stronger age verification methods. Enforcement of these requirements would be left up to the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general. Murphy is an original co-sponsor of the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act along with Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., which was introduced by Cotton and Schatz. Britt said she faces challenges with social media when it comes to her own teenagers, saying were parenting in a new age. In recent months, Murphy has become more outspoken on the effects of tech companies on minors and the general public. He argues that social media helped fuel what he calls the loneliness epidemic. He wants Congress to address the mental health crisis and the isolation many young people feel that exacerbates divisions around the country. Similar legislation regarding how younger users experience the internet exists at both the federal and the state level. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., proposed his own legislation this year barring children under 16 from signing up for social media. And Utah and Arizona enacted new laws blocking users under 18. But Blumenthal, who is seeking swift passage of his Kids Online Safety Act this session, was skeptical about imposing social media age requirements. He believes they are difficult to enforce and would not solve the problem of protecting children online. I dont think age limits are a cure for toxic content. If theyre going to drive content through algorithms at kids, putting age limits on it I dont think is the solution, Blumenthal said in an interview in early March. I am certainly in favor of any kind of protective guardrails that help protect kids, and Im open to any ideas too. Blumenthals bipartisan bill, co-authored with Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., aims to put in place stricter settings on online sites used by minors by allowing children and parents to disable addictive features, enable privacy settings and opt out of algorithmic recommendations. His bill establishes a duty of care for websites that are likely used by young individuals to act in the best interests of a minor in matters related to mental health disorders, addiction-like behaviors, physical violence, online bullying, sexual exploitation and the promotion of narcotic drugs or predatory, unfair or deceptive marketing practices. While the legislation ultimately got left out of a year-end bill to fund the government, Blumenthal believes there is enough bipartisan support to pass the bill, potentially as early as this year. He said the bill will be reintroduced very shortly, noting that there will likely be 15 to 20 co-sponsors from senators in both parties. Murphy will be one of the co-sponsors of The Kids Online Safety Act, according to a Senate aide. But the Kids Online Safety Act faces more than just legislative hurdles. Civil liberties and LGBTQ+ rights groups continue to raise concerns about censorship of young users, debate over what content is deemed appropriate and the discretion given to state attorneys general. While Blumenthal and other senators are exercising some caution about the latest social media legislation, Schatz believes there is an appetite in Congress to pass several tech-related bills, including the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act, which specifically deals with age verification. We believe [the Kids Online Safety Act] is compatible with this legislation, and that theres lots of momentum in the Senate and in the House, on the Democratic and the Republican side of the aisle, to do a suite of things on behalf of kids on online safety, Schatz said. We dont believe the current age verification regime is actually working, he added. We want to empower parents, and we think parents agree with us. Blumenthal separately echoed that there are shared priorities in the two bills on algorithms and that he hopes to find consensus among the proposals. Algorithms and the dangers and evils they pose are a common theme, Blumenthal said. WFO AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Wednesday, April 26, 2023 _____ SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio TX 917 PM CDT Wed Apr 26 2023 ...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of northeastern Llano and northwestern Burnet Counties through 1000 PM CDT... At 917 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near Baby Head, or 11 miles northeast of Llano, moving east at 35 mph. HAZARD...Penny size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible. Locations impacted include... Llano, Buchanan Lake Village, Lake Victor, Baby Head, Lone Grove, Bluffton and Tow. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building. A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1000 PM CDT for south central Texas. LAT...LON 3085 9814 3077 9869 3092 9873 3092 9842 3094 9841 3095 9845 3097 9845 3098 9844 3101 9846 3103 9843 3103 9814 TIME...MOT...LOC 0217Z 262DEG 29KT 3089 9858 MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN MAX WIND GUST...<30 MPH The National Weather Service in Fort Worth has issued a * Flash Flood Warning for... Bell County in central Texas... * Until 1215 AM CDT. * At 918 PM CDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area. Between 1 and 2 inches of rain have fallen. Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are possible in the next 2 hours. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly. HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms. SOURCE...Radar. IMPACT...Flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets, and underpasses as well as other poor drainage and low lying areas. * Some locations that will experience flash flooding include... Killeen, Temple, Harker Heights, Belton, Nolanville, Morgan's Point Resort, Salado, Little River-Academy, Troy, Rogers, Holland, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Belton Lake, Sparks, Union Grove, Ding Dong, Maxdale, Leedale, Edgeworth and Woodland. Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize the dangers of flooding. _____ Copyright 2023 AccuWeather WFO BROWNSVILLE Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, April 27, 2023 _____ SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING The National Weather Service in Brownsville has issued a * Severe Thunderstorm Warning for... Northeastern Jim Hogg County in Deep South Texas... Northwestern Brooks County in Deep South Texas... * Until 930 AM CDT. * At 850 AM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Las Lomitas, or near Hebbronville, moving southeast at 15 mph. HAZARD...Quarter size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Damage to vehicles is expected. * Locations impacted include... Hebbronville, Las Lomitas, Gruy Stadium, Jim Hogg County Airport, Hebbronville High School, South Fork Estates and Hebbronville Border Patrol Station. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. ...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southwestern Nueces, central Jim Wells and northwestern Kleberg Counties through 915 AM CDT... At 850 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over Alice, moving southeast at 15 mph. HAZARD...Winds in excess of 30 mph and half inch hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible. Locations impacted include... Alice, Robstown, Ben Bolt, Alfred-South La Paloma, Alice Acres, Banquete, Alfred, Agua Dulce and Lake Alice. This includes US Highway 281 between mile markers 670 and 686. If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building. LAT...LON 2772 9823 2793 9791 2778 9768 2745 9800 TIME...MOT...LOC 1350Z 319DEG 15KT 2772 9804 MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN MAX WIND GUST...30 MPH _____ Copyright 2023 AccuWeather WFO DALLAS / FT. WORTH Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Wednesday, April 26, 2023 _____ TORNADO WARNING Severe Weather Statement National Weather Service Fort Worth TX 647 PM CDT Wed Apr 26 2023 ...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 715 PM CDT FOR EAST CENTRAL MCLENNAN...SOUTHWESTERN LIMESTONE AND NORTHEASTERN FALLS COUNTIES... At 645 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located near Mart, or 13 miles northeast of Marlin, moving southeast at 20 mph. HAZARD...Tornado and two inch hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation. IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is likely. The potentially tornadic circulation will remain over mainly rural areas between Mart and Thornton. This storm has a history of producing large, destructive hail. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Rainfall may hide this tornado. Do not wait to see or hear the tornado. TAKE COVER NOW! ...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of central Trinity and east central Houston Counties through 715 PM CDT... At 648 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 7 miles northwest of Groveton, or 16 miles west of Apple Springs, moving northeast at 15 mph. HAZARD...Winds in excess of 30 mph and pea size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible. Locations impacted include... Apple Springs, Groveton, Pennington and Centralia. If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building. This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio stations and available television stations for additional information and possible warnings from the National Weather Service. LAT...LON 3104 9522 3106 9531 3116 9535 3140 9507 3114 9486 TIME...MOT...LOC 2348Z 229DEG 11KT 3113 9523 MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN MAX WIND GUST...30 MPH _____ Copyright 2023 AccuWeather WFO DALLAS / FT. WORTH Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Wednesday, April 26, 2023 _____ TORNADO WARNING Severe Weather Statement National Weather Service Fort Worth TX 746 PM CDT Wed Apr 26 2023 ...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR CENTRAL LIMESTONE COUNTY HAS EXPIRED... The thunderstorm that prompted the warning is no longer tornadic. Therefore, the warning has been allowed to expire. A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1000 PM CDT. The National Weather Service in San Angelo has issued a * Severe Thunderstorm Warning for... Southern Mason County in west central Texas... Southeastern San Saba County in west central Texas... * Until 845 PM CDT. * At 746 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located 7 miles north of Valley Spring, and in southern Mason County, moving east at 30 mph. HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees. * This severe thunderstorm will be near... Cherokee around 805 PM CDT. Chappel around 820 PM CDT. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1000 PM CDT for west central Texas. For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. ...FLOOD ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 1045 PM CDT THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Urban and small stream flooding caused by excessive rainfall is expected. * WHERE...A portion of central Texas, including the following county, Limestone. * WHEN...Until 1045 PM CDT. * IMPACTS...Minor flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas. Some low-water crossings may become impassable. Ponding of water on roadways is occurring or is imminent. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - Public reports of low lying areas with minor flooding due to heavy rain from thunderstorms. This will likely cause urban and small stream flooding. Low lying and/or poor drainage areas will experience minor flooding in the advisory area. - Some locations that will experience flooding include... Mexia, Groesbeck, Coolidge, Fort Parker State Park, Lake Mexia, Lake Limestone, Tehuacana, Shiloh, Box Church, Fallon, Oletha and Farrar. ...FLOOD WARNING NOW IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE... * WHAT...Minor flooding is forecast. * WHERE...Angelina River Near Lufkin. * WHEN...From late tonight until further notice. * IMPACTS...At 165.0 feet, Expect flooding to continue for several days with the majority of the gravel access roadway flooded. Boaters and four wheel-operators should use caution traversing both upstream and downstream on the Angelina River as currents can become swift and turbulent. - At 5:45 PM CDT Wednesday the stage was 160.4 feet. - Forecast...The river is expected to rise above flood stage late tonight and continue rising to a crest of 163.2 feet Friday evening. It will then rise to 164.3 feet early Monday afternoon. Additional rises are possible thereafter. - Flood stage is 161.0 feet. - Flood History...No available flood history. - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood _____ Copyright 2023 AccuWeather WFO DALLAS / FT. WORTH Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Wednesday, April 26, 2023 _____ TORNADO WATCH WATCH COUNTY NOTIFICATION FOR WATCH 169 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 858 PM CDT WED APR 26 2023 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CANCELLED TORNADO WATCH 169 FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS IN TEXAS THIS CANCELS 9 COUNTIES IN CENTRAL TEXAS BOSQUE CORYELL HAMILTON HENDERSON HILL LAMPASAS MCLENNAN MILLS IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS NAVARRO THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF ATHENS, CLIFTON, COPPERAS COVE, CORSICANA, GATESVILLE, GOLDTHWAITE, GUN BARREL CITY, HAMILTON, HICO, HILLSBORO, LAMPASAS, MERIDIAN, VALLEY MILLS, AND WACO. TORNADO WATCH 169 REMAINS VALID UNTIL 10 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR IN TEXAS THIS WATCH INCLUDES 8 COUNTIES ANDERSON BELL FALLS FREESTONE LEON LIMESTONE MILAM ROBERTSON THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF BUFFALO, CALVERT, CAMERON, CENTERVILLE, FAIRFIELD, FORT HOOD, FRANKLIN, GROESBECK, HEARNE, JEWETT, KILLEEN, MARLIN, MEXIA, NORMANGEE, OAKWOOD, PALESTINE, ROCKDALE, TEAGUE, TEMPLE, AND WORTHAM. The National Weather Service in League City has issued a * Severe Thunderstorm Warning for... Northwestern Trinity County in southeastern Texas... Houston County in southeastern Texas... * Until 945 PM CDT. * At 858 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 8 miles west of Crockett, moving east at 40 mph. HAZARD...Ping pong ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees. * Locations impacted include... Crockett, Austonio, Grapeland, Lovelady, Kennard, Latexo, Weches and Pennington. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 100 AM CDT for southeastern Texas. For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways. ...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southeastern Smith, west central Rusk and northeastern Cherokee Counties through 930 PM CDT... At 901 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over Ponta, or 8 miles northeast of Rusk, moving north at 25 mph. HAZARD...Winds in excess of 40 mph and penny size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible. Locations impacted include... Troup, New Salem, Ponta, New Summerfield, Gallatin, Reklaw and Concord. If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building. This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio stations and available television stations for additional information and possible warnings from the National Weather Service. A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 100 AM CDT for northeastern LAT...LON 3183 9501 3186 9520 3221 9515 3215 9484 TIME...MOT...LOC 0201Z 194DEG 22KT 3191 9508 MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH The National Weather Service in Fort Worth has issued a * Flash Flood Warning for... Leon County in central Texas... Central Robertson County in central Texas... * Until midnight CDT. * At 901 PM CDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across Leon and Robertson counties. Between 1 and 3 inches of rain have fallen. Another 1 to 2 inches of rain is possible through 11 pm. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly. HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms. SOURCE...Radar. IMPACT...Flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets, and underpasses as well as other poor drainage and low lying areas. * Some locations that will experience flash flooding include... Buffalo, Franklin, Centerville, Fort Boggy State Park, Camp Creek Lake, Lake Limestone, Twin Oak Reservoir, Corinth, Jewett, Hilltop Lakes, Redland, Normangee, Marquez, Leona, Robbins, Flynn, Ridge, Seale, Easterly and Bald Prairie. Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize the dangers of flooding. _____ Copyright 2023 AccuWeather WFO HOUSTON/GALVESTON Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, April 27, 2023 _____ SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING The National Weather Service in League City has issued a * Severe Thunderstorm Warning for... East central Wharton County in southeastern Texas... South central Fort Bend County in southeastern Texas... West central Brazoria County in southeastern Texas... Northeastern Matagorda County in southeastern Texas... * Until 715 AM CDT. * At 645 AM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Boling-Iago, or 10 miles southeast of Wharton, moving east at 65 mph. HAZARD...Quarter size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Damage to vehicles is expected. * Locations impacted include... Boling-Iago and Damon. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. _____ Copyright 2023 AccuWeather WFO LAKE CHARLES Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, April 27, 2023 _____ SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING The National Weather Service in Lake Charles has issued a * Severe Thunderstorm Warning for... Tyler County in southeastern Texas... North central Hardin County in southeastern Texas... Northwestern Jasper County in southeastern Texas... * Until midnight CDT. * At 1117 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near Huntington to near Chester to near Livingston, moving southeast at 40 mph. HAZARD...Ping pong ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees. * Locations impacted include... Woodville, Colmesneil, Chester, Warren, Ebenezer, Rockland, Wildwood, Ivanhoe and Hillister. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 100 AM CDT for southeastern Texas. For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. Prepare immediately for large hail and damaging winds. People outside should move immediately to shelter inside a strong building. Stay away from windows. ...FLOOD ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 230 AM CDT THURSDAY... * WHAT...Urban and small stream flooding caused by excessive rainfall is expected. * WHERE...Milam county * WHEN...Until 230 AM CDT. * IMPACTS...Minor flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - Doppler radar indicated heavy rain due to thunderstorms. This will likely cause urban and small stream flooding. Low lying and/or poor drainage areas will experience minor flooding in the advisory area. Between 1 and 3 inches of rain have fallen. Additional rainfall amounts up to 1 inch are possible. - Some locations that will experience flooding include... Rockdale, Cameron, Thorndale, Buckholts, Alcoa Lake, Milano, Yarrelton, Crossroads, Silver City, Hoyte, Jones Prairie, Elevation, Minerva, Pettibone, Praesel, Hanover, Maysfield, Ben Arnold, Sharp and Burlington. Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize the dangers of flooding. _____ Copyright 2023 AccuWeather WFO SAN ANGELO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Wednesday, April 26, 2023 _____ AREAL FLOOD ADVISORY Flood Advisory National Weather Service San Angelo TX 657 PM CDT Wed Apr 26 2023 ...FLOOD ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Urban and small stream flooding caused by excessive rainfall is expected. * WHERE...A portion of west central Texas, including the following counties, McCulloch and San Saba. * WHEN...Until 900 PM CDT. * IMPACTS...Minor flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - At 656 PM CDT, Doppler radar indicated heavy rain due to thunderstorms. This will cause urban and small stream flooding. Between 1 and 2 inches of rain have fallen. - Some locations that will experience flooding include... Richland Springs, Algerita, Skeeterville, Placid, Rochelle, Hall, Us-190 Near The Mcculloch-San Saba County Line, Locker and Spring Creek. - This includes the following Low Water Crossings... FM 1121 crossing Onion Creek, FM 1028 crossing Corn Creek, County Road 423 crossing Little Brady Creek, County Road 424 crossing Little Brady Creek, crossings along County Road 246, CR 340 crossing San Saba River, crossings along County Road 244 and CR 340 crossing Dry Creek. - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. ...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN BOSQUE COUNTY IS CANCELLED... The severe thunderstorm which prompted the warning has moved out of the warned area. Therefore, the warning has been cancelled. However, a Severe Thunderstorm Warning remains in effect for Bosque County. A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1000 PM CDT for central and north central Texas. ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 730 PM CDT FOR NORTHWESTERN HILL COUNTY... At 658 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Covington, or 10 miles northwest of Hillsboro, moving east at 35 mph. HAZARD...Ping pong ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees. Locations impacted include... Hillsboro, Itasca, Blum, Covington, Carl's Corner, Aquilla Lake, Lake Whitney, Retreat, Lovelace, Mayfield, Osceola, Woodbury and Peoria. For your protection stay inside a sturdy structure and keep away from windows. To report severe weather contact your nearest law enforcement agency. They will send your report to the National Weather Service office in Fort Worth. _____ Copyright 2023 AccuWeather WFO SHREVEPORT Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Wednesday, April 26, 2023 _____ SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING The National Weather Service in Shreveport has issued a * Severe Thunderstorm Warning for... Shelby County in eastern Texas... Northeastern San Augustine County in eastern Texas... * Until 700 PM CDT. * At 610 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Tenaha, or 7 miles northwest of Center, moving southeast at 35 mph. HAZARD...Ping pong ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees. * Locations impacted include... Center, San Augustine, Tenaha, Patroon, Shelbyville, Bland Lake, Neuville, Huxley, Hurstown, James, Calgary, Jericho, Stockman, Arcadia, Jordans Store and Paxton. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. _____ Copyright 2023 AccuWeather We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Thunder Bay Police chief designate, Darcy Fleury, believes he has the skills and knowledge to lead the citys police service. He will be sworn in as chief on May 15. Exhibition on Slovenian-Chinese astronomer opens in Ljubljana Xinhua) 13:45, April 27, 2023 LJUBLJANA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- An exhibition on a Slovenian scientist who spent most of his working years in China opened in Ljubljana on Wednesday. The exhibition on Ferdinand Augustin Hallerstein was opened by Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar, who said that Hallerstein "was an important scientist who connected European and Chinese knowledge." Hallerstein was born 320 years ago, and was also known by the Chinese name of Liu Songling. He became the head of the Board of Astronomy and Mathematics (Qin Tianjian) of Qing Dynasty, where he created an astronomical observation instrument which was the largest at the Beijing Ancient Observatory, where it is still on display. A copy of the instrument, which will be donated by the Chinese Embassy in Slovenia, is expected to arrive from China next month. It will be permanently displayed in front of the Slovenian Archives building on the bank of the river Ljubljanica, which runs through the capital. "I am sure that this monument will continue to strengthen the friendship between Slovenia and China," said Wang Shunqing, Chinese Ambassador to Slovenia, at the opening of the exhibition. Slovenia is China's largest trading partner in the Western Balkans, he said, while China is Slovenia's largest Asian trading partner. The exhibition will elevate diplomatic relations between Slovenia and China, which were established 30 years ago, to a new level, the ambassador said. Wei Hongtao, deputy director of China's National Archives Administration which helped prepare the exhibition, said it "will enhance traditional friendship between China and Slovenia and further improve mutual understanding." "Science does not divide people, it enriches them... To understand each other we have to visit each other and be curious," Musar said. The exhibition will be open until the end of June. It details Hallerstein's travel to China, and his work as an astronomer, mathematician, natural scientist and geographer. He was also a Jesuit missionary, and spoke six languages. Hallerstein arrived in China in 1739 after a two-year journey, and never returned to Europe. While living in China he was a member of Academies in London, Paris and Saint Petersburg. He created a calendar, and discovered a new comet in 1748. He was awarded the title of third-rank official for his work, and is buried in Beijing. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Technical debt is no longer just a technical problem. As recent, widely publicized events have shown, it is a business problem that can have serious consequences for organizations. The government and Congress are taking notice of unfair consumer experiences, and it is crucial for businesses to address their technical debt and minimize the risk of negative press, government fines, and damaged reputations. What is technical debt? Technical debt can be defined as the accumulation of legacy systems and applications that are difficult to maintain and support, as well as poorly written or hastily implemented code that increases risk over time. These technical challenges can significantly impact the performance and stability of critical operations, and it is essential that these be addressed before they cause damage to your organization. By listening to the voice of customers, employees, and other users, businesses can identify potential technical debt early and prioritize their modernization efforts. Addressing technical debt can be challenging, especially for overworked and understaffed IT teams who are tasked with maintaining aging systems while also learning new development frameworks, languages, and techniques. Band-aid fixes may be easy to implement, but they can be difficult to maintain in the long term and often do not adhere to industry best practices. Prioritizing old fixes can feel like a waste of time to the technical team if things are working now, especially when they may be understaffed and overwhelmed with current workloads. The need to learn new systems while keeping the old systems up and running smoothly can generate staffing issues, as the IT team is tasked with simultaneously maintaining aging systems and learning new techniques. The warning signs of technical debt are clear. Employees may complain that the technology they use is cumbersome and time-consuming, ultimately hindering their job performance. Customers may describe applications as clunky, buggy, and outdated. If these complaints sound familiar, then it is time to act and reduce technical debt. How to break free There are several options that companies can consider before getting started with reducing their technical debt: Perform a short code review to provide a comprehensive overview of the level of risk and identify critical issues that need to be addressed. One of the key components of reducing technical debt is to have a clear understanding of the underlying issues and challenges within one or many applications. This can involve a comprehensive analysis of the current technology infrastructure, identifying systems and processes that are causing the most pain and need to be addressed first. A code review process can provide valuable insights into technical debt, including identifying code that is outdated, poorly written, or difficult to maintain. This information can help prioritize the modernization efforts, ensuring that the most critical issues are addressed first. to provide a comprehensive overview of the level of risk and identify critical issues that need to be addressed. Conduct an application modernization quick start workshop to develop a roadmap of modernization efforts, outlining the steps needed to improve the technology infrastructure. An application modernization quick start workshop can help organizations take the first steps towards reducing their technical debt. A workshop can provide a roadmap for modernization efforts, including the development of a detailed plan outlining the steps required to improve the technology infrastructure. The workshop can also provide valuable insights into the modernization process, including best practices for modernizing legacy systems, optimizing application performance, and improving the customer and employee experience. Develop an application modernization program to manage the intake process, governance, technical architecture, DevOps, and end-to-end development, reducing risk, accommodating change, and delivering better customer and employee experiences. An application modernization program can provide a comprehensive solution to reducing technical debt. This program can manage the intake process, governance, technical architecture, DevOps, and end-to-end development, reducing risk, accommodating change, and that deliver better customer and employee experiences. At Protiviti, we are dedicated to helping organizations navigate their application modernization journeys and achieve success in improving user experiences and reducing technical debt and business risks. Our team of experts understands each organizations unique needs and provides tailored solutions to ensure the success of modernization efforts. We help companies take the first step towards reducing technical debt and improving both technology infrastructure and brand with modern applications that are intelligent, engaging, and easy to use. Learn more about Protivitis Innovation vs. Technical Debt Tug of War survey results. Connect with the Authors Amanda Downs Managing Director, Technology Consulting Alina Zamorskaya Senior Manager, Technology Consulting 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 mysterious phenomenon occurred all around Tampa Bay in the late 1970s and early 1980s. When the sun went down and the streets were empty, someone clandestinely planted trees in parks, thoroughfare and empty lots. People had no idea where they were coming from, William Moriaty laughed. Moriaty eventually admitted he was the culprit leading a group of volunteers in the rogue plantings. In 1983, he went legit by forming the Tampa Bay Reforestation and Environmental Effort. In the 40 years since then, the organization has planted 30,742 trees, according to Moriaty, who still helms the nonprofit. Hes been nicknamed the Johnny Appleseed of Tampa Bay due to his efforts. Moriaty considers it the highest compliment to be compared to the pioneer nurseryman who planted apple trees throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and West Virginia. But the nickname also does not give proper credit to the scope of the nonprofits work. Yes, Moriatys group has planted apple trees Anna and Dorsett Gold, which he said can be grown in Central Florida. But the groups 40 members dont limit themselves to apple trees. If it is native to this area, we have planted it, said the 68-year-old, who lives in (we cant make this stuff up) Plant City. In all, the Tampa Bay Reforestation and Environmental Effort, which Moriaty calls T.R.E.E. because Bay was only recently added to its name, has planted 266 different types of trees at 619 locations throughout the area. Their latest planting happened on April 13, when Moriaty led volunteers in adding four trees an Olympian fig, a Lady papaya, a Florida Prince Peach and a black sapote to a vacant corner lot in the Deuces Live District of St. Petersburg. Will Moriaty, Tampa Bay Reforestation and Environmental Effort president, and Ramona Brayboy of St. Petersburg decide where to place a tree at the 22nd Street South Community Garden in St. Petersburg. The property owner, Ramona Brayboy, is turning the lot into the 22nd Street South Community Garden, where neighborhood residents can grow fruits and vegetables to eat or sell. We want to address the food insecurity in this area as well as promote local businesses, she said. Moriaty heard of her plan and offered to have his organization plant the first four trees. Those cost a little more than $200. Jerry Riggers Crane & Tree donated 40 yards of mulch toward the effort. Moriaty next hopes to raise around $2,700 to plant another 10 fruit trees there. We plant where there is a need, said Moriaty, a retired Florida Department of Transportation vegetation coordinator. Thats pretty much our motto. Sometimes, he drives by a property, thinks it needs trees and reaches out to the owner or managing government. Trees offer so many great benefits, Moriaty said. They cleanse the atmosphere. They help stabilize soil. They help ameliorate water pollution. They provide shade and food and can help purify water. Moriaty was living in Clearwater in 1971 when he first fell in love with the Florida woods. We had one of those great Florida summer thunderstorms, he said. I walked through the woods right after it and saw the water beads on the needles of the trees and the sun was creating rainbows within each bead. It was beautiful. I was hooked on the outdoors. But I quickly found out that our native Florida woods were being nuked for development. Over the next few years, Moriaty thought of ways to save trees from being removed for construction. I soon realized that I could never battle those people in court, he said. I could plant trees. But I didnt want to deal with the bureaucracy it would take to plant them. So, he didnt. Instead, he planted trees without permission. Bayshore Boulevard, Picnic Island, Robles Park, other places, Moriaty said. Sometimes the trees remained. Sometimes, someone would pull them up. Then, Moriaty slipped up. He donated trees to the city, the same types that were being illegally planted. It didnt take long, he said, for a city landscape artist to do the math. He didnt turn us in, Moriaty said. But he did say that we had to stop what we were doing. He suggested we legitimize our efforts. The nonprofit was incorporated on Feb. 8, 1983. A couple of months later, they planted slash pines on the Palm Harbor campus of Ozona Elementary School, the first legitimate venture. Its hard to believe its been 40 years, Moriaty said. I know well never go back to the time when Florida woods were on both sides of a road, and youd run into 8-foot diamondback rattlesnakes in whichever side you chose. But that doesnt mean we cant try to keep some of Old Florida around. Thats what we are trying to do. The Charity Commission has told trustees not to weaponise the regulator in internal charity disputes. Speaking at Civil Society Medias Trustee Exchange yesterday, Helen Stephenson said she sees too many cases that revolve around two or more warring parties with differing visions for the future of the charity. Dont try to weaponise the Commission as a tactic in a quarrel with fellow trustees, she said. And dont assume that by coming to the Commission as one party to a dispute, youll achieve the outcome you hope for. Theres no guarantee that well side with you indeed intractable disputes can cause us to take other types of regulatory action in response to governance failures that arise. Ive asked my colleagues at the Commission to undertake some work so that we better understand the scale and nature of disputes in charities, and can support trustees to stop small differences escalating into chaos. Use your passion to bring people together The Commission recently ordered the Actors Benevolent Fund to hold a second annual general meeting (AGM) after a breach in the process of its latest trustee election. Stephenson did not name any particular charity but said disputes often revolve around who the rightly appointed trustees actually are and that arguments like this should be resolved internally instead of being referred to the regulator. She said such arguments might have been settled, had trustees shown goodwill and commitment, and a willingness to compromise their position. These arguments should not land at our front door. We have a role in promoting public trust in charities and upholding the law. But its not our job to mediate between, or indeed pick sides between rival groups of trustees, she said. Stephenson said that the challenging climate for charities due to the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis could be what has led to cracks in relationships. I also suspect it perhaps has something to do with the passion and energy that so many trustees bring to their work. Occasionally, that energy can lead to fixed mindsets and a determination to be right at all costs, she said. Please dont allow that to happen in your charity. Use your passion to bring people together in the interests of those your charity exists to serve. Too few trustees use regulators guidance Stephenson also said that too few trustees consult the Commissions guidance when making decisions. Our research indicates that just over 40% of trustees never come to the Commission when they are looking for advice and guidance, she said. Just under a third come to us less than once a year. And only 10% come to us regularly in a given year. Unfortunately, this shows in some trustees conduct and decision making. Stephenson said the regulator was thinking creatively about how new funds could come into the sector. One of these was by encouraging more philanthropy and another was through the regulators Revitalising Trusts Programme, she said, which has now redistributed 100m from inactive bank accounts. Stephenson thanked the trustees in the audience for the role they perform. Most of you do this work for no financial reward and on top of already busy working and home lives, she said. Its an immense service, not just directly for your beneficiaries, but for your communities, and our society. Collectively, you make our country kinder, stronger, more cohesive. The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into a religious charity after it repeatedly failed to file its annual accounts on time. Keren Shmuel, a grant-making charity established in 1996 for the advancement of the Jewish religion and religious education, was first scrutinised by the regulator in January 2017 when its annual return and accounts for 2014 and 2015 were still outstanding. The Commission issued a final warning and deadline to the charity, based in north London, which it missed. The charity then became part of the regulators class inquiry into charities failing to submit their annual accounting documents for two or more financial years. During the class inquiry, the Commission once again told Keren Shmuels trustees to submit the outstanding documents, which they did in March 2017. However, the trustees then failed to file the charitys accounts for the 2019 and 2021 calendar years on time. According to the regulators website, the charitys accounts for both years have now been filed, albeit 18 and 109 days late, respectively. The Commission subsequently opened a statutory inquiry into Keren Shmuel on 4 April, which is examining the trustees administration, governance and management of the charity. It will also scrutinise the trustees conduct and financial controls and management of the charity, which had an income of 730,000 in 2021. The trustees of Keren Shmuel have demonstrated repeated failure to comply with this duty, which warrants further investigation from the Commission as part of an inquiry, the regulator said in its announcement . Civil Society has asked the charity to comment. sign up to receive the free Civil Society daily news bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector, A new report has said that charities in Scotland could receive an extra 300m a year if donors matched the generosity of other countries. The report from the Law Family Commission on Civil Society (LFCCS) said that if the Scottish public gave a similar share of their wealth to charity as the public in New Zealand or Canada, it would provide another 300m a year for charities in the country. Meanwhile, in another report, LFCCS said that if the Northern Irish public gave a similar share of their wealth to charity as the public in New Zealand or Canada, it would provide another 31m a year for charities there. Sector faces real challenges in meeting demands The report focused on Scotland said that economic growth and social progress in Scotland is dependent on the public, private and social sectors firing on all cylinders and working effectively together. It recommended a radical shift in approach from funders away from short-term and restrictive funding and towards support for core costs and investment in people, processes and organisational development. Gus ODonnell, LFCCS chair, said: Charities are a key part of the solution to every challenge faced in Scotland and across the rest of the UK. He added the cost-of-living crisis and the pandemic have shown the crucial role of charities and noted the sector has grown to employ around 135,000 people in Scotland, but it faces real challenges in meeting the demands that are now placed upon it. There are fewer people giving regularly to charity, including the growing pool of highest earners who are earning more but giving less. Formal volunteering has stagnated, ODonnell said. And the way that the funding system for charities works has left holes in charitable provision in some of the places that need it most, as well as disincentivising investment in skills, digital and the infrastructure that allows charities to have the greatest possible impact with the limited resources that they possess. He called for a dramatic acceleration in the partnership between civil society and business and a reset of the relationship between civil society and government. Northern Ireland LFCCS final report focused on Northern Ireland called for bold action on the sector by Northern Irish government, businesses and funders to help fuel much-needed national recovery and growth. In this report, LFCCS also concluded that there was room to significantly boost giving in Northern Ireland. It said that if the Northern Irish public gave a similar share of their wealth to charity as the public in New Zealand or Canada, it would provide another 31m a year for charities. It is clear that civil society is integral to achieving both economic and social progress, and it already makes enormous contributions to both. But it is also evident that it could achieve even more, it said. ODonnell said the sector has grown to employ almost 54,000 people in Northern Ireland, but also it faces real challenges in meeting the demands that are now placed upon it. sign up to receive the free Civil Society daily news bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector, In 1978, forty-four years before Jeff German was murdered, he left Milwaukee for a job at The Las Vegas Sun. Every mid-size city has a reporter like Jeff German. Though perhaps not one who died for his work in the same way he had once lived for it. And perhaps no longer, as local newspapers are bought up and stripped, merged into one another for profit, or turned into outlets for tribal politics. At the start of Germans career, journalists were enjoying the reflected glory of Watergate. Being a reporter was a glamorous and admired feat. The Suns open-plan newsroom rattled with the sound of hard typing and perpetually ringing landlines. The paper was owned by Hank Greenspun. His family had fled pogroms in Poland. In 1946, he himself fled Brooklyn for Vegas, when it was still a small town with mostly dirt roads, and life as an arms smuggler for the Israeli paramilitary group Haganah, and a nascent publisher. Even as he became a wealthy and connected man, through his real estate and cable businesses, he felt he stood for the little guy. Mike OCallaghan, the executive editor of the paper, was a former boxer who had lost a leg in the Korea war but retained the aura of a fighter. He served for two terms as governor of Nevada from 1971-1979. He was re-elected in a landslide for his second term and could have run for a third, but chose to step down. People thought he would run for congress. But he decided to get into the newspaper business. German idolized OCallaghan and Greenspun and Germans persona seemed like a reflection of their stories. He would go around the office telling people he was working on something big. He didnt do small stories in his mind, says Geoff Schumacher, a historian who worked at The Sun as an editor the same time as German. In the 80s, German wore a gold chain, and he drank with local gangsters who he hoped to foster as sources. He wrote stories about mob violence and the men behind it and he visited the casinos at night to develop sources. He was the epitome of the aggressive journalist, says Schumacher, He was the reporter who knew how to get the information. Sign up for CJR 's daily email In 1999, he reported that the owner of Binions casino, Ted Binion, was murdered by his girlfriend Sandy Murphy. The Binion thing was his crown jewel, says Art Nadler, a close friend of Germans who joined the paper around the same time. German wrote a book based on his reporting called Murder in Sin: The Death of a Casino Boss, which eventually got turned into a Lifetime movie called Sex and Lies in Sin City. Outside of the newsroom, German hung out with reporter friends at a TGI Fridays. He was described euphemistically as prickly. He sent food back in restaurants. Politeness was beneath him. If the conversation wasnt about him or things he was interested in he would leave, says George McCabe, another long time colleague and friend of Germans. But McCabe and others remembered a softer side to German. Hed always call on their birthdays. German reveled in beating the other big paper in town, The Las Vegas Review-Journal. When the Sun came off the presses, says, Glenn Cook, who was a reporter at the Review-Journal at the time and later became its editor in chief, theyd look to see what German had written. There would be a groan or a sigh at the big story he had gotten, Cook says. One issue of the Sun included a picture of German with his hair brushed back into a puffed helmet, his chin resting on his hand, and glasses resting on his nose. Jeff German, read the advertisement, When you want the facts! In 1989, Hank Greenspun died. Shortly afterwards The Sun signed a joint operating agreement with The Review-Journal The Review-Journal would keep 90 percent of the profits and The Sun would keep ten. The Review-Journal would now be the only paper to publish in the morning, while The Sun would publish in the afternoon. The Sun diminished, losing readership, revenue, and resources. In 2004, Mike OCallaghan died, and with him an era. The advent of the internet meant the death of classified ads in the newspapers. In 2005, The Suns circulation had dropped to about 35,000. Hanks son Brian Greenspun revised the JOA, and The Sun began to be published as an insert in The Review-Journal. It wasnt enough. There were large-scale cuts in staff. Every paper across the country was having to figure out a new identity for itself. German, say those who knew him, was not ready for the change. He lived in a bubble of his columns and his reporting. No one thought German would be fired. But then in 2009, he was. It left him completely unmoored. He had centered his entire world around his identity as a Sun reporter. He took small gigs writing content for websites. The Review-Journal had scooped up journalists from The Sun before and German with his deep well of sources and reporting record should have been an easy hire. It took months with Jeff hanging out there unemployed, says Cook. In 2010, The Review-Journal hired German. They put him on the court beat at first, a step back for a front-page reporter. He shared a crowded office in the courthouse with another Review-Journal reporter. The experience of being at sea seemed to have transformed German.He comes in the door energized, grateful, and collaborative. He very quickly was absorbed into the social fabric of the newsroom, says Cook. In 2015, a few minutes before an all-staff meeting, the papers publisher took its editor Michael Hengel aside and told him the paper had been sold. But he would not say who had bought it. In the staff meeting the publisher repeated the same message to a room full of journalists who immediately responded with a barrage of questions. In the next week, a core team of those journalists turned their spotlight on their own paper. They helped reveal that the new owner was the casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. In 2016, Adelson gave $25 million to Donald Trumps presidential campaign. His fortune stemmed from an empire of gambling establishments in Macau that played off the reputation of the Venetian, the casino he owned in Vegas. He was litigious towards journalists and had already sued one of The Review-Journals columnists, John Smith, into bankruptcy by the time he took over the paper. The paper endorsed Trump in 2016, and Adelsons wife Miriam published op-eds celebrating Trumps support for Israel and lauding her late husband. A raft of journalists left The Review-Journal, including the team that had investigated its ownership. But German kept working there. And soon after the takeover he was assigned to a new dedicated investigative team. In 2017, after Stephen Paddock opened fire on a crowd of concert goers on the Las Vegas Strip killing 60 people, German won the trust of Paddocks brother, and spent days driving him around, getting to know him, and gaining his trust. He eventually broke the news that Paddock had also shot bullets into large jet fuel tanks nearby, perhaps in an attempt to cause an explosion. Around that time, German was diagnosed with kidney cancer. He gave up alcohol and steaks, and bought a small one-story home in the suburbs. He filled it with tchotchkes and tended to its plants. The Saturday before German was murdered, he and McCabe had one of their regular breakfasts. German ordered the egg-white omelet and began to tell McCabe about a story he was chasing. It focused on Robert Telles, a Clark County Public Administrator. His employees accused him of bullying, and of having an affair with a subordinate. McCabe listened skeptically. He told German honestly that Telles sounded like a page 3b story. He should be out chasing bigger fish. But German had bonded with the women at Telles office who had told him their lives had suffered. He wanted to do the story for them. German published story after story about Telles misdeeds. On June 18th Telles posted on Twitter that he was, looking forward to lying smear piece #4 by @JGermanRJ. #onetrickpony I think hes mad that I havent crawled into a hole and died. Weeks later, Telles lost his re-election bid. But German continued to report. On September 2nd at 11:18pm, a man drove an eggplant colored GMC Denali to Germans house. He wore a wide-brimmed straw sunhat, a bright orange reflective jacket, and light gray Nikes and carried a duffel bag. He entered Germans backyard through a side gate. Five minutes later, the garage door opened and German walked out. The man in the straw hat stabbed German four times in the neck and three times in the torso. One of the cuts slashed Germans carotid artery. Minutes later he died. The man got into the Denali and drove away. At 11:30pm he returned and walked to where Germans body was lying on the ground. Then he left for the final time. At the offices of The Review-Journal David Wilson, a young reporter, was on call on the crime beat when the news came through of a homicide. He left The Review-Journals offices and got in his car to drive to the police press conference. On the way, his editor called him and said, We dont know for sure. But we think it might be Jeff. During the press conference, he focused on making sure he got the correct dates, names, and times. He began writing the article in his car when his phone rang again. Its confirmed,said his editor, Dont tell anybody, just file your story. The police released a picture of the man in the straw hat and David Ferrera, a close colleague of Germans, identified Telles. Then a friend sent Ferrera a picture of Telles washing an eggplant purple Denali that exactly matched the one driven by the suspect. On September 7, the police raided Telles home. Samples taken from under Germans fingernails matched Telles DNA. They found cut up pieces of bloody shoes stuffed into a plastic bag and hidden under Telles couch. Pieces of the straw hat were found in a toolbox in his garage. On October 20th, a grand jury indicted Telles for Germans murder. It was an ignominious death for someone who had covered some of the most salacious mob murders, but it did mean that Review-Journal reporters found themselves inundated with calls and emails from reporters like me who wanted to know about German. I wish he had been appreciated as much in life as he has been in death, says McCabe. There were court documents on his desk when he died. Washington Post reporters used them to start investigating an alleged Ponzi scheme targeting Mormons, and the resulting stories were the last he contributed to. Germans old friend Nadler told me to go to the neon museum to get a sense of what Vegas was like during their golden years. Its supposed to be a graveyard of abandoned lit-up signs assembled from decades of changing casinos, bars, and restaurants. A flavor of Vegas before it became drive-in Starbucks and strip malls floating in the desert. When I got there the museum was closed and the lights were out. Correction: An earlier version of this story erroneously stated that Mike OCallaghan lost a leg in the Vietnam war. It was, in fact, Korea. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Pesha Magid is a CJR fellow. An eastern Ohio man told investigators that he tried to burn down an Ohio church because he wanted to prevent a drag show that was scheduled to take place there, federal prosecutors allege in newly unsealed charges. Aimenn Penny, a 20-year-old from Alliance who is a member of a white lives matter group that espouses racist and neo-Nazi views, tried to burn down the Community Church of Chesterland early on March 25, authorities allege in court documents unsealed Monday. Chesterland is a small community east of Cleveland. Drag shows have become a target of conservative groups and leaders around the nation, with some claiming the art form sexually grooms children. Performers and event organizers, though, say the shows are innocent fun and that its those who protest against them who are terrorizing and harming children and making them political pawns. According to the criminal complaint in the Ohio case, Penny said he tried to burn down the church using Molotov cocktails because he wanted to protect the children and stop the drag show event. He also regretted that it didnt work, authorities said. The FBI said the church, which was unoccupied at the time, sustained minimal damage and had scorch marks on the front door. According to court documents, investigators found broken glass from a vodka bottle and a beer bottle each containing a cloth-type material, along with a burnt matchstick and a blue plastic spray bottle filled with gasoline. Penny was arrested March 31 and remains in custody. His attorney, John Greven, has declined to comment on the charges. Penny is charged with violating the Church Arson Prevention Act, using fire to commit a federal felony, the malicious use of explosive materials and possessing a destructive device. He faces up to 50 years in prison if hes convicted on all counts. Concerns over security matters or potentially violent protests at drag shows have led to some being canceled or moved, including to venues that dont admit children. Several hundred bills restricting transgender peoples rights have been introduced in statehouses this year, including bills stipulating which bathrooms they can use and banning gender affirming care for minors. Transgender people have also faced increasingly hostile rhetoric from conservative lawmakers who are introducing such proposals. Some of the most stringent measures have been enacted in Tennessee, where the Republican governor signed into law drag show restrictions, though they have been blocked from taking effect. Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A south Florida jury has found Deutsche Bank liable for failing to flag a Ponzi scheme that allegedly forced several Cayman Island companies into bankruptcy and liquidation. The Germany-based global banking firm, which faces another lawsuit over the scheme and other accusations of failed internal controls, was ordered to pay $95 million, the federal jury decided Tuesday. Defendants, despite being aware of the actual use and diversion of innocent investor funds, perpetuated the fraud through numerous strategies designed to raise new money to repay liabilities to investors or to extend the maturity of pre-existing debt obligations, reads the complaint. This prolonged the schemes duration and enabled theft on a massive scale in what Defendants knew or recklessly disregarded was a classic Ponzi scheme. U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom in Miami noted in her order that $95 million judgment is for one count of negligence. The jury found in favor of the bank on all other counts alleged in the lawsuit. Deutsche Bank has offices in Jacksonville and Miami. We are disappointed by the jurys decision and will continue to defend ourselves against these claims, Deutsche Bank officials said in a statement Wednesday morning. The bank may have little trouble paying the judgment. It had more than $1.4 trillion in assets at the end of last year, according to its quarterly financial statements and news reports. But the company also plans to cut jobs, including board members, Reuters and Bloomberg news services reported this week. The suit against Deutsche Bank was filed in July 2021 by the people in charge of liquidating assets of the companies crushed by the alleged Ponzi scheme. The liquidators bring this action to recover damages from defendants for their participation in a global fraud that resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars of investor losses, looting of the companies on a massive scale, and the creation of staggering liabilities for the companies, an amended complaint reads. The investors were told by principals with two companies, South Bay Holdings and Biscayne Capital International, that their money was being invested in south Florida real estate developments. But in reality, the properties said to be backing the notes were already heavily leveraged. Effectively, the notes were unsecured because there was no real collateral backing them, the complaint charged. Bank employees knew the money raised in the scheme was actually being used for other purposes and was funneled to individuals who had no right to the funds, the liquidators said. Deustche Bank also instructed the schemers in ways to avoid anti-money laundering policies, which facilitated the theft, they charged. Two people involved in the scheme have pleaded guilty to criminal charges. Other cases are continuing. The bank said two years ago that it has cooperated with federal investigators in the criminal probes and that Deutsche Bank is a potential victim of the schemes. Its unclear if the bank is self-insured for liability in cases like this. A bank spokesman declined to comment on that. The investors in the Ponzi scheme included at least 13 Caribbean investment management firms, holding companies and others, but court records do not indicate if insurance companies were part of or had invested in any of the firms. At least one international insurer has strong ties with the bank. Reuters reported in 2020 that Zurich Insurance had renewed its contract with Deutsche Bank to offer life insurance and property/casualty and liability insurance to bank customers in Germany. A restoration contractor that helped finance an effort by McClenny Moseley & Associates to file thousands of hurricane-damage claims in Louisiana wants its $3 million investment back. Access Restoration Services US filed a lawsuit in a Texas state court in Houston that accuses MMA and founding partner John Zachary Moseley of selling unregistered securities. The suit says Moseley promised a 429% return on its investment in nine months. ARS says it wired $3 million to MMA in December 2021, but hasnt received any of that money back. Upon information and belief, MMA is not registered to sell securities in the state of Texas, the complaint says. Nevertheless, MMA and Moseley solicited and obtained the investment agreement from plaintiff. Said investment agreement constitutes a security, and upon information and belief MMA did not register such security, in violation of the Texas Securities Act. The lawsuit, filed April 21 in Harris County District Court, is the latest in a series of legal actions taken against MMA. A Louisiana Circuit Court judge and US District Court judges in Lake Charles and New Orleans have barred the law firm from prosecuting any of the hundreds of lawsuits its lawyers have filed against insurers. The Louisiana Supreme Court has also suspended the law license of MMAs managing attorney in Louisiana, William R. Huye III. During hearings before District Court judges, MMA lawyers revealed that they had paid Velawcity, an Arizona-based legal services marketing firm, $13.9 million for pre-screened client leads. The law firm filed lawsuits on behalf of clients who had already hired other attorneys, forcing federal judges to sort out who actually represented the claimants. Insurance defense attorney Steve Badger, a partner with the Zelle law firm in Dallas, posted a copy of the ARS lawsuit on his LinkedIn page Wednesday. Despite being MMAs investment partner, ARS is also retained by MMA as an expert witness in litigated matters, Badger said in his LinkedIn post. While this investment scheme was apparently going on, in January 2022, I deposed the ARS VP of global operations, Nathan Normoyle, in a MMA hail damage claim. And, no, he didnt disclose this relationship to me. Badger said that in February 2022, the owners of ARS formed a Texas company called Global Estimating Services, which apparently existed for the primary purpose of writing estimates in MMAs Louisiana hurricane cases. So, from this new lawsuit and public records, it appears that not only was GES writing estimates in MMAs Louisiana hurricane matters, the owners of GES, through their related company ARS, may have also invested in and had a financial interest in the outcome of MMAs Louisiana hurricane matters, Badger wrote. Online records maintained by the Texas Secretary of States office confirm that Giuseppe Gagliano and Domenico Gagliano of Toronto, Canada are listed as managers for both ARS and Global Estimating Services. The two companies list the same address in Conroe, Texas. ARSs lawsuit against MMA says the company agreed to loan the law firm $3 million to finance litigation over Hurricane Ida damage. Moseley said the investment would bring 1,000 new clients, or $3,000 per client. Moseley projected $33,000 in attorney fees and promised to pay ARS 15% of those fees, or $4,950 per client. According to the lawsuit, Moseley went on to say that his law firm had been an average attorney fee recovery of $85,000, which if it continued would net a $12,870 payout to the lenders. That worked out to a 429% return in nine months, or an annual return of 572%. Moseleys solicitation and the agreement further represented to plaintiff that MMA used very conservative modeling projections in order to show that even if MMA wasnt able to recoup half of average settlement value, lenders returns would still be over 50% on an annualized basis, the suit says. The lawsuit also says MMA promised to give the lenders access to a portal where they could track the status of the hurricane lawsuits. ARS says it had access only briefly, until it inexplicably became inaccessible. During hearings before district court judges, Huye admitted 856 instances where his firm told insurers it represented property owners, but actually represented Apex Roofing and Restoration. MMA did file thousands of hurricane lawsuits in Louisiana, before US District Judge James Cain Jr. in Lake Charles learned about the mass filings and conducted an interrogation that ultimately stopped the law firms Louisiana litigation in its tracks. Other US District Court judges followed up with their own inquiries. The law firm admitted that it told insurers it represented homeowners when it actually was representing Apex, an Alabama-based restoration contractor. In a March 16 order, Chief Magistrate Judge Michael B. North in New Orleans said MMA had engaged in a pattern of misconduct never before seen here. The record in these cases establishes that they have undertaken a brazen, multi-faceted campaign to enrich themselves with ill-gotten contingency fees paid to them by unwitting insurance companies ostensibly on behalf of named insureds that they and their firm did not represent, Norths order says. ARS in its lawsuit, seeks the return of the $3 million that it loaned MMA to fund those lawsuits. The company also asks for punitive damages for violations of the Texas Securities Act, prejudgment and post-judgment interest and attorney fees. New Orleans insurance defense attorney Matthew Monson, who was among the first to call attention to MMAs mass court filings, posted this missive in reaction to the ARS lawsuit: Would you admit to investing in an illegal scheme? Yes, if you want your $3 million back, Monson said. Top photo: Aiden Locobon, left, and Rogelio Paredes look through the remnants of their familys home destroyed by Hurricane Ida, Sept. 4, 2021, in Dulac, La. (AP Photo/John Locher, File) LEMOORE, Calif. (AP) Ron Caetano is packed and ready to go. His family photos and valuables are in the trailer and hes put food in carry totes. He moved the rabbits and chickens and their automatic feeders to higher ground. He and his family and dogs could get out in less than an hour, they figure, should more heavy rain or hot weather melt so much mountain snow that gushing water overwhelms the rivers and channel that surround their tight-knit, rural Central California community and give it its name, the Island District. The water is coming this way, said Caetano, who started a Facebook group to help organize his neighbors. I am preparing for the worst and praying for the best and thats all we can do. Water managers are concerned that the spring snowmelt in the Sierra Nevada will be so massive that the north fork of the Kings River wont be able to contain it and carry it toward the Pacific Ocean. Much of the water also is being channeled into the rivers south fork, which winds through the area near the small city of Lemoore to fill a vast basin. More than a century ago, that basin was an enormous body of freshwater known as Tulare Lake, the largest west of the Mississippi River. It would grow in winter as snowmelt streamed down from the mountains. But over time, settlers dammed and diverted waterways to irrigate crops, and the lake went dry. Now, Tulare Lake reappears only during the rainiest years, like this one, covering what is now a vast swath of farmland with water. Today, paved roads vanish beneath the lakes lapping waves and utility poles and trees jut out above the water, vestiges of land-living put on hold. Fields that typically grow wheat, tomatoes, and other crops lie underneath. David Merritt, general manager for the Kings River Conservation District, said the Pine Flat Reservoir about 50 miles (80 kilometers) upstream can hold up to 1 million acre feet of water, but is expected to receive more than 3 million acre feet this spring from the melting snow. Officials have been forced to increase the flow of water out of the reservoir to make space for more, Merritt said. Once were at capacity, now youre putting a lot of stress on those conveyance channels, Merritt said. Its a very fast moving stream and its very deep right now. Island District residents have revived a decades-old network of neighbors for the first time since 1983 to assist each other in the event of a crisis. The last time the Island Property Protection Association activated, there was no such thing as text messages or even emails to quickly spread the word, said Tony Oliveira, a former county supervisor and the networks administrator. In a week, more than 200 people volunteered to help neighbors through the network, and the groups website received more than 4,000 hits. Its going to be four months of holding our breath, Oliveira said. The winter rains were welcomed by Californias parched cities and desperate growers, who have been grappling with intense drought for the past several years. The state has long tended toward wet and dry periods, but scientists at University of California, San Diegos Scripps Institution of Oceanography have said they expect climate change will lead to drier dry years and wetter wet years. What will determine how communities fare now is how quickly the weather heats up. If temperatures remain cool, snow will melt slowly, with water gradually flowing from the mountains. But a hot spell could send massive amounts of water churning through rivers that could potentially overflow, officials said. A beaver or a squirrel that tears a hole in a levee could also bring trouble. Michael Anderson, Californias state climatologist, said rising temperatures this week could cause water inflows into some reservoirs to double, but he doesnt expect the warming trend to trigger immediate river flooding into communities. Park officials are temporarily closing much of the famed Yosemite Valley due to a forecast of flooding as rising temperatures are expected to melt the massive snowpack accumulated in Californias mountains from a series of winter storms. Yosemite National Park announced Tuesday on social media that most of the valley will close starting late Friday and stay closed at least until May 3. Reservations for campgrounds and lodging in the eastern Yosemite Valley will automatically be canceled and refunded. Other areas including western Yosemite Valley will remain open, officials said. In Kings County, home to 150,000 people in the fertile San Joaquin Valley, many long-time residents recall when Tulare Lake reappeared 40 years ago. Officials believe crops will remain under water much longer this time due to the massive snowpack, said Dusty Ference, executive director of the Kings County Farm Bureau. To date, more than 60,000 acres of farmland (242 square kilometers) have flooded, he said. It also returned on a smaller scale in 1997, said Nicholas Pinter, associate director of the University of California, Davis Center for Watershed Sciences. He said the lake has always fluctuated in size due to Californias highly- variable water cycle, and farmers have long known there would be periods like this. It has been an engineering problem all along, he said. This is a bathtub with no drain. Near the lake, the city of Corcoran, which is home to 22,000 people including 8, 000 state prisoners, began emergency construction to raise a levee that protects the community. The water behind the levee is already at 178 feet (54 meters), just 10 feet (3 meters) below the top. Officials want to raise the levee another 3.5 feet (1 meter), city officials said. If that water rises above that amount, we will have water coming into our city and we will be in a critical situation, said Greg Gatzka, Corcorans city manager. In the Island District, residents dont have a levee to protect them. They snap photos of wooden sticks placed near waterways to gauge water levels and banks and post them online to keep others informed. Theyre helping place sandbags on elderly neighbors property and paying close attention to reports from water and county officials, and from each other. Oliveira, whose family has lived in the area for generations, said he remembers moving cattle and horses when the rains came in 1983, and will do the same this time, if necessary. Were farmers. We have bulldozers and backhoes, we have trailers. We can bring things to bear sometimes faster than the public agencies can, Oliveira said. The people who live in the Island are just kind of those neighbors taking care of neighbors. Taxin reported from Orange County, Calif. 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. Top photo: Yosemite Falls is covered behind a sign marking the water level of the 1997 flood in Yosemite National Park, Calif., as seen on Jan. 7, 2017. Much of the famed valley at park will be temporarily closed starting Friday due to a forecast of flooding as rising temperatures melt the Sierra Nevadas massive snowpack. Park officials said Tuesday, April25, 2023, that the eastern section of Yosemite Valley will stay closed at least until May 3. (Michael Macor/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, File) Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Last year, it took 275,000 bright pink roses to adorn the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the Met Gala, the biggest night in fashion and one of the biggest concentrations of star power anywhere. It remains to be seen how the museums Great Hall will be decorated come the first Monday in May, but one thing is not in question: those entering it will look spectacular. The theme centers on the late designer Karl Lagerfeld, who made an indelible mark on luxury fashion in his long career at Chanel, Fendi and elsewhere. It is a theme not without controversy Lagerfeld was known for contentious remarks about everything from #MeToo to curvy bodies. Want to know what to expect as the big day approaches? Not to worry. Weve dusted off our annual guide for you here, with some key updates. What is the Met Gala anyway? It started in 1948 as a society midnight supper, and wasnt even at the Met. Fast forward 70-plus years, and the Met Gala is something totally different, one of the most photographed events in the world for its head-spinning red carpet though the carpet isnt always red. Were talking Rihanna as a bejeweled pope. Zendaya as Cinderella with a light-up gown. Katy Perry as a chandelier morphing into a hamburger. Also: Beyonce in her naked dress. Billy Porter as an Egyptian sun god, carried on a litter by six shirtless men. Lady Gagas 16-minute striptease. And, last year, host Blake Livelys Versace dress a tribute to iconic New York architecture that changed colors in front of our eyes. Then theres Kim Kardashian, bringing commitment to a whole other level. One year, she wore a dress so tight, she admitted she had to take breathing lessons beforehand. Two years ago, she wore a dark bodysuit that covered even her face. And last year she truly stole the carpet, showing up in Marilyn Monroes actual, rhinestone-studded Happy Birthday, Mr. President dress (borrowed from Ripleys Believe It or Not! museum), changing the minute she got inside to protect it. There was controversy later over suspicions, denied by Ripleys, that shed caused some damage. But still that was an entrance. (And, folks, shes coming back she posted a photo from Paris with Lagerfelds famous cat, Choupette, noting she was in the French capital scoping out possibilities for this years attire.) Its important to note that the party has a purpose last year, the evening earned $17.4 million for the Mets Costume Institute, a self-funding department. Yes, thats a heckuva lot for a gala. It also launches the annual spring exhibit that brings hundreds of thousands of visitors to the museum. But its the carpet itself that draws the worlds eyes, with the guest list strategically withheld until the last minute featuring a collection of notables from movies, music, fashion, sports, politics and social media that arguably makes for the highest celebrity wattage-per-square-foot of any party in the world. Whos hosting this year? This years five hosts are drawn from television (Emmy-winning writer, actor and producer Michaela Coel ); the movies (Oscar-winning actor Penelope Cruz, who has worked with Chanel for more than 20 years); sports (recently retired tennis superstar Roger Federer); and music (Grammy-winning songstress Dua Lipa). Finally there is Vogues Anna Wintour (do we need to tell you shes in fashion?) running the whole thing as usual. Is there always a theme? Yes. As mentioned above, the theme is Karl Lagerfeld, and the exhibit, Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, looks at the designers stylistic vocabulary as expressed in aesthetic themes that appear time and again in his fashions from the 1950s to his final collection in 2019. Once again, it has been created by the Mets star curator, Andrew Bolton. Does everyone follow the theme? Not really. Some eschew it and just go for big and crazy. But expect some guests to carefully research the theme and come in perfect sync. It was hard to beat the carpet, for example, when the theme was tied to Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination and Rihanna came as the pope, Zendaya channeled Joan of Arc, and Perry navigated the crowd with a set of enormous angel wings. For Lagerfeld, the clothes may be a bit more, er, down to earth. How much do I have to pay for a Met Gala ticket? Wrong question. You cannot just buy a ticket. The right question is: If I were famous or powerful and got invited, how much would it cost? OK, if I were famous or powerful and got invited, how much would it cost? Well, you might not pay yourself. Generally companies buy tables. A fashion label would then host its desired celebrities. This year, the cost has gone up, as it does every few years due to rising expenses: Its now $50,000 for an individual ticket, and tables start at $300,000. So who gets invited? This year, there will be roughly 400 guests similar to recent years but still lower than pre-pandemic highs of 500-600. Wintour and her team still get to approve every guest. Trying to predict? Take out your pen and jot down some of your favorite names, the buzzier the better. Newly minted Oscar winners, for example, are a good bet. Broadway is a special favorite of Wintours. She also loves tennis this is not fashionable Federers first Met Gala. Now, cross everyone off your list except the very top. At this gala, everybodys A-list. That must be an exaggeration. Not really. Ask Tina Fey. She went in 2010 and later described walking around trying to find somebody normal to sit and talk with. That ended up being Barbara Walters. How can I watch? You can watch the whole carpet unfold on a Vogue livestream. If youre in New York, you can also join fans across the street, behind barricades, on Fifth Avenue or even further east on Madison. Timothee Chalamet has been known to greet fans. Do we know whos coming? And who isnt? Its secret. But reports slip out, often about who is not coming and why. You can count on various celebrity Chanel ambassadors showing up. What happens inside? Entering the museum, guests walk past what is usually an impossibly enormous flower arrangement in the lobby, with perhaps an orchestra playing nearby, and over to cocktails. Or, they head to view the exhibit. Cocktails are 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., but the most famous or those who plan to make the biggest entrance sometimes come (fashionably) later. Around 8 p.m., guests are summoned to dinner perhaps by a team of buglers (Are they going to do that between every course? actor Gary Oldman asked aloud one year). Is it fun for everyone? Occasionally, someone says no. Fey, in a comic rant to David Letterman in 2015, described the gala as a jerk parade and said it included everyone youd ever want to punch, if you had millions of arms. Amy Schumer left early in 2016 and said later she felt awkward and like it was a punishment. So they never came back, right? Wrong. Schumer was back in 2017. And then last year again. Hey, this is the Met Gala. SOLON, Ohio -- Petra Power, a manufacturer of solid oxide fuel cells, is relocating its headquarters to 6565 Davis Industrial Parkway in Solon. The company expects to add 15 to 20 new jobs over a two-year period, which would create about $2.2 million in new payroll, according to a news release. Petra Power is very excited to grow our workforce in Northeast Ohio, Aaron Goodman, the companys co-founder and CEO, said in the release. Northeast Ohio has been our home for more than five years, and the company is very invested in the regions efforts to revitalize manufacturing and bring new industry and excitement back to Northeast Ohio. Our focus is on hiring locally as often as possible and empowering our neighbors and colleagues to get involved in advanced manufacturing and electrification technologies. Petra Power was founded by Goodman and Phillip Clift in 2017 and has been operating out of BRITE Energy Innovators, an energy incubator in Warren, since early 2018. The companys goal is to improve efficiency of fossil fuel usage and to lower its customers fuel costs and carbon emissions by leveraging its patented technology as the central power component in power systems for a variety of applications, the news release said. Angee Shaker, the citys director of economic development, said Petra Power has received the required approvals from the city to move into the Davis Industrial Parkway building complex. We are eager to welcome Petra Power to Solon, Shaker said. This is an innovative company that is going to bring more good jobs to Solon. The company had specific building and location requirements, and fortunately for them and us, Solon will be their future home. In an email, Goodman said the city has been responsive, upfront and helpful in all facets of Petra Powers relocation. The company has pursued a non-traditional approach to our build-out and occupancy to help expedite the companys timeline to meet critical deadlines, and Solon has been supportive every step of the way, he said. Petra Power looks forward to continuing to build the companys relationship with the city and to creating jobs in the region for years to come. The companys effort to keep its headquarters in Northeast Ohio was facilitated by Tipping Point, a Youngstown-based commercial real estate company. Jim Ambrose, president of Tipping Point, said his company served as a real estate development consultant for Petra Power in this process. We helped Petra Power navigate the complexities of the commercial real estate market in Northeast Ohio, Ambrose said in the news release. The traditional commercial real estate development culture doesnt typically consider the spatial requirements that these new, innovative companies from the clean energy industry require. Markets where property owners, municipalities and design teams work swiftly and collaboratively with companies like Petra Power, who have specific requirements to operate, are going to be the long-term winners in the emerging clean energy sector. We were thrilled to be able to create a big win for all parties involved. Ambrose said Davis Development Group, the Solon-based owner of the Davis Industrial Parkway building complex, has been very collaborative and accommodating in helping to facilitate this transition for Petra Power. In addition, Tipping Point credits the close collaboration among several entities as keys to the projects success. Those include the citys economic development and building departments; Petra Powers broker, Aaron Davis, senior adviser at SVN Summit Commercial Real Estate Advisors; the design team at Desmone; Barber & Hoffman, engineering consultant; and contractor JPS Construction. Ambrose said Petra Power is aiming for a late summer or early fall ribbon cutting, with the caveat that we do not hit any supply chain disruptions for equipment. Petra Power is one of the first of BRITEs portfolio companies to expand its operations outside of BRITEs space, according to the news release. Last October, Goodman and Clift were awarded a 24-month contract through the U.S. Department of Defense to further develop the companys technology and expand its manufacturing presence to service the needs of the department. Goodman earned a doctorate in mechanical and aerospace engineering, with a focus on plasma physics relevant to nuclear fusion, from Princeton University in Princeton, N.J. He spent more than six years in Princetons Plasma Physics Laboratory researching thermonuclear plasmas and fusion energy. Clift has a masters degree in materials science from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro, N.M. He is an accomplished machinist and has extensive experience in tape casting, micro electrical mechanical systems and various forms of engineering. Read more from the Chagrin Solon Sun. CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- My precious dog, Mr. Jack Alexander Blessing, is a Shih Tzu-terrier mix. He was rescued from walking the streets of Detroit. Jack lived in a shelter up there for a month before I went up to get him, then turned him into a Buckeye on July 9, 2016. Jack was 2 years old then and is now 8. Jack is my ministry partner, visiting churches with me when I preach in Ohio and Pennsylvania, and he helps to bring Gods love to patients as I provide spiritual care at University Hospitals. Patients love this picture of Jack! Chaplain Gordon V. Jardy, Cleveland Heights CLEVELAND, Ohio Voting locations have been changed in six Cuyahoga County cities for next weeks primary election, affecting more than 26,500 voters. The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections says voters in 29 precincts in Beachwood, Bedford, Brook Park, Garfield Heights, Parma and Warrensville Heights are affected by the changes. The Board of Elections has sent letters to all voters affected by the changes. Residents can confirm their voting location at the Board of Elections website or by calling 216-443-VOTE (8683). Below is a list of the new locations for the Tuesday, May 2 election: Beachwood Voters in Precincts A and G have been moved out of Hilltop Elementary School and now will vote at the Beachwood Community Center, 25325 Fairmount Blvd. Voters in Precinct B have been moved out of Beachwood High School to the Beachwood Community Center. Bedford Voters in Ward 1, Precincts A and B; Ward 3, Precincts A and B; and Ward 6, Precinct A have moved out of Bedford High School to the Ellenwood Center, 124 Ellenwood Ave. Brook Park Voters in Ward 4, Precincts A, B, and C have been moved out of Brookview Elementary School to the Brook Park Recreation Center, 17400 Holland Road. Garfield Heights Voters in Ward 5, Precinct C have been moved out of Maple Leaf Elementary School to the Garfield Heights Branch Library, 5409 Turney Road. Parma Voters in Ward 2, Precinct A have been moved out of Renwood Elementary School to the Michael A Ries Rink, 5000 Forestwood Drive. Voters in Ward 2, Precinct E, and Parma Ward 8, Precinct C, have been moved out of Renwood Elementary School to Ridgewood United Methodist Church, 6330 Ridge Road. Voters in Ward 6, Precinct A, have been moved out of American Legion Post 572, 6483 State Road, to Dentzler Elementary School, 3600 Dentzler Road. Voters in Ward 6, Precinct D have been moved out of Dentzler Elementary School to Normandy High School, 2500 West Pleasant Valley Road. Warrensville Heights Voters in Ward 1, Precincts A and B; Ward 2, Precincts A and B; and Ward 3, Precinct A have been moved out of the Warrensville Heights Early Childhood Center, 4265 Northfield Road, to the Warrensville Heights Senior Center, 4567 Green Road. Voters who live in Ward 4, Precincts A and B, have been moved out of the Early Childhood Center to the Warrensville Heights Branch Library, 4415 Northfield Road. Voters who live Ward 5, Precincts A and B; Ward 6, Precinct A; and Ward 7, Precincts A and B have been moved out of the Early Childhood Center to Warrensville Heights Middle School, 23401 Emery Road. HARAHAN, Louisiana The body of a 6-year-old girl was found in a bucket on the front lawn of the home of the childs mother, leading to the arrest of the girlfriend of the victims father. The Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office says Hannah Landon, 43, who is also known as Bunnak Lim and Bunnak Landon, has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Bella Fontenelle of Harahan. The Jefferson Parish coroner says Bellas death has been ruled a homicide and the body had multiple injuries. Sheriff Joseph Lopinto said in a news conference Wednesday the girls father went to the Harahan Police Department at about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday to report both his daughter and Landon were missing. Police first went to the fathers home, but at 8:20 a.m. went to the mothers home, which is located about a block away. HONOLULU The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a cruise ship passenger who is believed to have disappeared overboard during a trip from Australia to Hawaii. Royal Caribbeans Quantum of the Seas cruise ship reported a man overboard to Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu just past 11 p.m. Tuesday night. The cruise ships crew remained on-scene for about two hours afterwards, deploying six life rings while searching for the passenger, but continued its journey after no trace was found. The U.S Coast Guard launched an Air Station Barbers Point C-130 Hercules aircrew at approximately 7 a.m. Wednesday and began its search after arriving on scene at approximately 9 a.m., according to a news release. However, after six hours of searching on Wednesday, the crew returned to Air Station Barbers Point to refuel and replenish, and will resume its search Thursday morning. The Quantum of the Seas cruise ship has been at sea for more than two weeks and is expected to dock in Honolulu on Friday. RELATED: - US woman arrested in Australia after 24-karat gold gun found in her luggage CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Ohio Attorney Generals Office canceled a debt collection partnership with the Cleveland Clerk of Courts, after cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer revealed that the clerks office had violated an agreement. Were talking about how our story got the state to stop collecting unpaid parking tickets, that cost less than $100, from 20-plus years ago, on Today in Ohio. Listen online here. Editor Chris Quinn hosts our daily half-hour news podcast, with impact editor Leila Atassi, editorial board member Lisa Garvin and content director Laura Johnston. Youve been sending Chris lots of thoughts and suggestions on our from-the-newsroom text account, in which he shares what were thinking about at cleveland.com. You can sign up here: https://joinsubtext.com/chrisquinn. Heres what were asking about today: Reporter Lucas Daprile had a big story we discussed earlier this week, about how the attorney general was chasing down people with 20-year-old parking tickets, in violation of an agreement he had with Cleveland Municipal Court. Whats the good news follow up? More Dave Yost news. He had stopped using facial recognition software to solve crimes because of civil liberty concerns. But hes back to using it. What are the details? Ohios Jim Jordan is blasting away at Steve Dettelbach, head of the ATF. Why? Cuyahoga County, as a customer, is a deadbeat, routinely taking forever to pay its bills. How is that affecting people and companies that do business with the county? Why are Cuyahoga County child welfare officials trying to block a Cuyahoga County judge from getting custody for her grandchildren? What did Cleveland School students ask the two finalists for the CEO position when they got their chance this week? Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb met with our Editorial Board this week to discuss a few things, including his 10-year plan to spend millions assembling and cleaning up vacant parcels of land for employers looking to move here. What are the details that have emerged? Where do grad schools in Ohio and Northeast Ohio come out in the latest rankings? Which state employees make more than Gov. Mike DeWine? We have an Apple podcasts channel exclusively for this podcast. Subscribe here. Do you get your podcasts on Spotify? Find us here. If you use Stitcher, we are here. RadioPublic is another popular podcast vehicle, and we are here. On Google Podcasts, we are here. On PodParadise, find us here. And on PlayerFM, we are here. Read the automated transcript below. Because its a computer-generated transcript, it contains many errors and misspellings. COLUMBUS, Ohio Backers of a proposal to make citizen-led constitutional amendments much harder to pass have told Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens they have the support of 59 House Republicans who want a floor vote on the proposal. In a full 99-member House, that would mean theyre one vote shy of the 60 votes needed to pass House Joint Resolution 1. If approved by Ohio voters, that would require future constitutional changes to be passed with at least 60% support, rather than a simple majority of voters. However, multiple lawmakers have said only 59 votes are needed for the resolution to clear the House, given that two seats are currently vacant. The Buckeye Firearms Association, one of the groups behind the signature effort, told lawmakers in a letter that Stephens committed to holding a floor vote on HJR1 if 60 members indicate support for it. Cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer has reached out to a Stephens spokesman for comment. Read more: 59 or 60? Ohio House Speaker to decide on votes needed to ask voters to raise bar on constitutional amendments A vote on the House floor is the last thing in the way of passing the resolution. The Ohio Senate already has passed its own joint resolution similar to HJR1, as well as a bill that would make it possible to put the question before voters during a special election in August, just months after they voted to ban most August elections. Gov. Mike DeWine has said he would sign the August election bill; his support isnt needed for a proposed constitutional amendment passed by lawmakers to go before voters. Ohio Right To Life, a prominent statewide anti-abortion group also involved in the effort to press Stephens for a House vote, says it has collected signatures or messages of support from all but six of the 65 Republicans currently serving in the Ohio House. One of the six holdouts is Stephens himself. However, the speaker told reporters last week that if I bring it to the floor, Im going to vote for it. In a break from tradition, Stephens, a Lawrence County Republican, declined to take questions from reporters after a floor session Wednesday. The other five Republicans who havent pledged their support, according to the list, are state Reps. Jay Edwards of Athens County, Brett Hillyer of Tuscawaras County, Gayle Manning of North Ridgeville, Scott Oelslager of North Canton, and Tom Patton of Strongsville. The lobbyists say they have 59 votes. But they only provided signatures or letters of commitment from 53 lawmakers. They havent yet offered proof for: Reps. Cindy Abrams, Haraz Ghanbari, Don Jones, Jeff LaRe, Jamie Callender and Andrea White. Lawmakers have timed the issue to preempt an effort to put a proposed state constitutional right to abortion access on the November ballot. Should lawmakers pass their resolution and it receives the support of a majority of voters in August, the abortion-rights contingent would need to win 60% of the vote to prevail in November. None of the abortion-rights proposals that have passed in other states over the last year have cleared that benchmark. The matter has further divided an already fractious House Republican caucus, which has passed the legislation out of committee but has yet to put it on the floor. Dialing up the pressure, pro-gun and anti-abortion lobbyists key players in Republican primaries have circulated a petition to lawmakers asking them to pledge their support for House Joint Resolution 1 and an August referendum on the idea. Rob Sexton of the Buckeye Firearms Association and Mike Gonidakis of Ohio Right to Life submitted that letter Wednesday. Further complicating the math one elected House Republican died and one another resigned to take another job. Thus, according to an interpretation from House Clerk Brad Young, this means the House needs only 59 votes (60% of 97 current lawmakers) as opposed to 60 (60% of 99 elected lawmakers). Under current law, organizers seeking a constitutional amendment must submit about 413,000 signatures of valid voters, including about 5% of electors from 44 counties. If elections officials find enough signatures invalid, organizers get a 10-day cure period to gather more. Should they clear the threshold, they can put a question on the ballot that can pass by a 50% vote. Under the House version of the resolution, however, they would need to gather signatures from all 88 counties; they wouldnt be entitled to a cure period; and they would need a 60% vote to pass. The Senates version of the proposal specifies that the new signature rules would not apply until January 2024. Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo, a Columbus-area Democrat, asked Gonidakis during a Thursday committee hearing on the Senates version of HJR1 whether he had visited with House members and notified them whether hell pull Ohio Right to Lifes endorsement of them if they didnt sign on to his letter. Gonidakis said that he was doing the work with Sexton. Its a scorecard issue for us, just like any other organization has scorecard issues, important legislation, he said. Scorecards are created by some organizations, before they make political contributions, grading lawmakers on their votes for and against bills the organizations support or oppose. Sometimes lawmakers get questionnaires, and are scored based on their responses to the questions. This will be the highest prioritized vote of the General Assembly and remembered for many years to come, Buckeye Firearms wrote in its letter to lawmakers. Jeremy Pelzer covers state politics and policy for the Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com Jake Zuckerman covers state politics and policy for the Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com Laura Hancock contributed to this story. WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden on Tuesday formally announced that he is running for reelection in 2024, asking voters to give him more time to finish the job he began when he was sworn in to office and to set aside their concerns about extending the run of Americas oldest president for another four years. Biden, who would be 86 at the end of a second term, is betting his first-term legislative achievements and more than 50 years of experience in Washington will count for more than concerns over his age. He faces a smooth path to winning his partys nomination, with no serious Democratic rivals. But hes still set for a hard-fought struggle to retain the presidency in a bitterly divided nation. The announcement, in a three-minute video, comes on the four-year anniversary of when Biden declared for the White House in 2019, promising to heal the soul of the nation amid the turbulent presidency of Donald Trump a goal that has remained elusive. I said we are in a battle for the soul of America, and we still are, Biden said. The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom. More rights or fewer. While the question of seeking reelection has been a given for most modern presidents, thats not always been the case for Biden, as a notable swath of Democratic voters have indicated they would prefer he not run, in part because of his age concerns Biden has called totally legitimate but ones he did not address head-on in the launch video. Yet few things have unified Democratic voters like the prospect of Trump returning to power. And Bidens political standing within his party stabilized after Democrats notched a stronger-than-expected performance in last years midterm elections, as the president set out to run again on the same themes that buoyed his party last fall, particularly on preserving access to abortion. Freedom. Personal freedom is fundamental to who we are as Americans. Theres nothing more important. Nothing more sacred, Biden said in the launch video, which painted the Republican Party as extremists trying to roll back access to abortion, cut Social Security, limit voting rights and ban books they disagree with. Around the country, MAGA extremists are lining up to take those bedrock freedoms away. This is not a time to be complacent, Biden added. Thats why Im running for reelection. As the contours of the campaign begin to take shape, Biden plans to campaign on his record. He spent his first two years as president combating the coronavirus pandemic and pushing through major bills such as the bipartisan infrastructure package and legislation to promote high-tech manufacturing and climate measures. With Republicans now in control of the House, Biden has shifted his focus to implementing those massive laws and making sure voters credit him for the improvements, while sharpening the contrast with the GOP ahead of an expected showdown over raising the nations borrowing limit that could have debilitating consequences for the countrys economy. But the president also has multiple policy goals and unmet promises from his first campaign that hes pitching voters on giving him another chance to fulfill. Lets finish this job. I know we can, Biden said in the video, repeating a mantra he said a dozen times during his State of the Union address in February, listing everything from passing a ban on assault-style weapons and lowering the cost of prescription drugs to codifying a national right to abortion after the Supreme Courts ruling last year overturning Roe v. Wade. Buoyed by the midterm results, Biden plans to continue to cast all Republicans as embracing what he calls ultra-MAGA politics a reference to Trumps Make America Great Again slogan regardless of whether his predecessor ends up on the 2024 ballot. Hes spent the last several months road-testing campaign themes, including painting Republicans as fighting for tax cuts for businesses and the wealthy while trying to cut social safety net benefits relied on by everyday Americans and roll back access to abortion services. Biden, speaking over brief video clips and photographs of key moments in his presidency, snapshots of diverse Americans and flashes of his outspoken Republican foes, including Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, exhorted supporters that this is our moment to defend democracy. Stand up for our personal freedoms. Stand up for the right to vote and our civil rights. Biden also plans to point to his work over the past two years shoring up American alliances, leading a global coalition to support Ukraines defenses against Russias invasion and returning the U.S. to the Paris climate accord. But public support in the U.S. for Ukraine has softened in recent months, and some voters question the tens of billions of dollars in military and economic assistance flowing to Kyiv. The president faces lingering criticism over his administrations chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan after nearly 20 years of war, which undercut the image of competence he aimed to portray to the world, and he finds himself the target of GOP attacks over his immigration and economic policies. As a candidate in 2020, Biden pitched voters on his familiarity with the halls of power in Washington and his relationships around the world as he promised to return a sense of normalcy to the country amid Trumps tumultuous presidency and the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. But even back then, Biden was acutely aware of voters concerns about his age. Look, I view myself as a bridge, not as anything else, Biden said in March 2020, as he campaigned in Michigan with younger Democrats, including now-Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Theres an entire generation of leaders you saw stand behind me. They are the future of this country. Three years later, the president now 80, Biden allies say his time in office has demonstrated that he saw himself as more of a transformational than a transitional leader. Still, many Democrats would prefer that Biden didnt run again. A recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows just 47% of Democrats say they want him to seek a second term, up from 37% in February. And Bidens verbal and occasional physical stumbles have become fodder among the GOP, which has sought to cast him as unfit for office. Biden, on multiple occasions, has brushed back concerns about his age, saying simply, Watch me. During a routine physical in February, his physician, Dr. Kevin OConnor, declared him healthy, vigorous and fit to handle his White House responsibilities. Aides acknowledge that while some in his party might prefer an alternative to Biden, there is anything but consensus within their diverse coalition on who that might be. And they insist that when Biden is compared with whomever the GOP nominates, Democrats and independents will rally around Biden. For now, the 76-year-old Trump is the favorite to emerge as the Republican nominee, creating the potential of a historic sequel to the bitterly fought 2020 campaign. But Trump faces significant hurdles of his own, including the designation of being the first former president to face criminal charges. The remaining GOP field is volatile, with DeSantis emerging as an early alternative to Trump. DeSantis stature is also in question, however, amid questions about his readiness to campaign outside of his increasingly Republican-leaning state. To prevail again, Biden will need to revive the alliance of young voters and Black voters particularly women along with blue-collar Midwesterners, moderates and disaffected Republicans who helped him win in 2020. Hell have to again carry the so-called blue wall in the Upper Midwest, while protecting his position in Georgia and Arizona, longtime GOP strongholds that he narrowly won in his last campaign. Bidens reelection bid comes as the nation weathers uncertain economic crosscurrents. Inflation is ticking down after hitting the highest rate in a generation, driving up the price of goods and services, but unemployment is at a 50-year low, and the economy is showing signs of resilience despite Federal Reserve interest rate hikes. Presidents typically try to delay their reelection announcements to maintain the advantages of incumbency and skate above the political fray for as long as possible while their rivals trade jabs. But the leg up offered by being in the White House can be rickety three of the last seven presidents have lost reelection, most recently Trump in 2020. Bidens announcement is roughly consistent with the timeline followed by then-President Barack Obama, who waited until April 2011 to declare for a second term. Trump launched his reelection bid on the day he was sworn in in 2017. Biden is not expected to dramatically alter his day-to-day schedule as a candidate at least not immediately with aides believing his strongest political asset is showing the American people that he is governing. And if he follows the Obama playbook, he may not hold any formal campaign rallies until well into 2024. Obama didnt hold a reelection rally until May 2012. On Tuesday, Biden named White House adviser Julie Chavez Rodriguez to serve as campaign manager and Quentin Fulks, who ran Sen. Raphael Warnocks reelection campaign in Georgia last year, to serve as principal deputy campaign manager. Reps. Lisa Blunt-Rochester, Jim Clyburn and Veronica Escobar; Sens. Chris Coons and Tammy Duckworth; entertainment mogul and Democratic mega-donor Jeffrey Katzenberg; and Whitmer will serve as campaign co-chairs. On the heels of the announcement Tuesday, Biden was set to deliver remarks to union members before hosting South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for a state visit at the White House. He plans to meet with party donors in Washington later this week. Bidens formal go-ahead comes after months of public incredulity that the president would seek another term despite plentiful signs that he was intent on doing so. Ahead of the presidents announcement, first lady Jill Biden expressed disbelief at the persistent questions about her husbands intent to run. How many times does he have to say it for you to believe it? she told The Associated Press in late February. He says hes not done. Besides being the first of Floridas long line of quarterback greats, Steve Spurrier produced his share of them. Spurrier would have welcomed a chance to develop Anthony Richardson into the next one. I tell people all the time, I would have loved to have coached him, Spurrier told the Orlando Sentinel. But that didnt work out. Instead, Richardson had three coaches in three seasons while never fully capitalizing on his considerable physical tools. I had to learn a new offense in six months, Richardson wrote during an April 13 contribution on The Players Tribune. Even though I didnt always get the result I wanted I never gave up. Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson throws a pass during Gators Pro Day in Gainesville on March 30. The question what could have been will hang over Richardsons college career. On Thursday night, NFL decision-makers will ask themselves, what could be? Richardson will be among the first quarterbacks drafted, a decision based on his sublime athletic ability and vast potential rather than his haphazard production or deficiencies as a passer. Spurrier and two of his most successful quarterbacks, Danny Wuerffel and Shane Matthews, are eager to see how Richardsons future unfolds. Both the physical stature, the power and agility, combined with great arm talent is clearly what has all these teams or at least most of them really interested in what he can be, Wuerffel said. He has an incredibly high ceiling, and you just dont get that type of player very often. The challenge is it hasnt developed yet into being a refined, productive quarterback. Thats sort of the opportunity that teams are going to have to work with just so much possibility. Floridas Anthony Richardson rushes for an 80-yard touchdown as a redshirt freshman in 2021 against USF in Tampas Raymond James Stadium. No prospect exemplifies the drafts risk-reward nature more than Richardson. No position does, either. Its always a risk anytime you take a quarterback, regardless of who it is, Matthews said. You just never know how theyre going to pan out. Hes extremely gifted. It just hasnt translated at a high level on the field on a consistent basis. A lot of people think, if thats his job and he trains year round, learns from other guys, that potential may become reality. Only time will tell. Hes a gifted kid, but its a different animal in the National Football League. Matthews was Spurriers first star quarterback, a two-time SEC Player of the Year who went on to a long NFL career primarily as a backup. During three seasons at Florida (1990-92), he completed 60% of his passes and ended his career with an SEC-record 74 touchdown throws since eclipsed by 16 players, four of them Gators. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 196 pounds, Matthews wonders what he could have done with Richardsons size (6-4, 244), speed (4.43 seconds in the 40) and the arm strength able to produce effortless 75-yard throws. If Id had his tools, Id have been the No. 1 pick in the draft, he quipped. I would have made so much money and played longer than I probably did. I would have had an unbelievable career. Put it this way: I didnt last 14 years because of my physical ability. Gators coach Steve Spurrier talkes to quarterback Shane Matthews during the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans in 1992. Richardsons athletic gifts produced NFL Scouting Combine records and will garner NFL millions. Those unique measurables and a franchises sizable investment will allow him every chance to succeed or fail. Richardson plans to do whatever it takes to fulfill his promise. Everybodys not coachable, he said following the Gators Pro Day last month. Everybody doesnt want to be great. Everybody doesnt want to work. So, I definitely take pride in that. I always want to grow. The skys the limit with Richardson, who turns 21 on May 22. Yet, his floor raises red flags. Richardson closed his career 9-of-27 passing during a 45-38 loss at Florida State to end last season with 53.8% completion accuracy, the lowest by a Florida player since Treon Harris in 2015. The performance perplexed even Richardson, who said, Thats just crazy to me. The effort culminated a season rife with inconsistency and inexplicable moments. After his season-opening, 3-touchdown performance against Utah in the Swamp thrust him into the Heisman Trophy conversation, Richardson displayed spotty decision-making during a 10-point loss at home to Kentucky. Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson celebrates with teammates after the Gators season-opening upset of Utah in the Swamp on Sept. 3. Richardson threw a pair of ill-advised interceptions, including a pick-six to a Kentucky defender with no UF receiver in the vicinity a gaffe reminiscent of another pick-six against Georgia during his first career start in 2021. After our Utah game, we were all saying he runs like Lamar Jackson and passes like Tom Brady, Spurrier said. Then were all saying what in the heck is going on? Whyd you do that? Richardsons toughness also came into question against the Wildcats. A hit to his right ankle early in the game as he scrambled sent Richardson into a shell. He ended with 4 rushing yards after tallying 106 against Utah. A reluctance to run the ball in traffic or take on smaller tacklers became a pattern. He can run over guys, he can juke them, he can do it all, Spurrier said. Then sometimes hell just run out of bounds when hes bigger and stronger than those little DBs. The coaches may tell him to run out of bounds. I dont know. Richardson could not get past his inconsistency. During 12 starts, he threw for 400 yards twice and rushed for 100 yards twice, but also had 25 rushing yards or fewer three times and fewer than 150 passing yards four times. Thats part of the concern: just overall mental and passing consistency, said Wuerffel, the 1996 Heisman winner and a six-year NFL veteran. Will that improve and catch up with the incredible talent? Or will that be something that kind of sticks with him? Thats the thing that all these teams are trying to sort through right now. Anthony Richardson records 4.43 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine on March 4 in Indianapolis, the fourth-fastest by a QB since 2000. In a profession judged by wins and losses, Richardsons 6-7 record as a starter will only add to the list of concerns. But Richardsons youth and inexperience, the Gators coaching instability and underwhelming supporting cast, and his generational athleticism at his position will be too tempting to pass up for a franchise with looming quarterback needs. He certainly had some unusual challenges and hes still a young person, Wuerffel said. Hes just got so much talent. A lot will depend on if he gets in a good situation that would give him the time to really develop and grow. While analysts expect teams to select Ohio States CJ Stroud and Alabamas Bryce Young before Richardson, predictions where he will land range from Indianapolis at No. 4 and Seattle at No. 5 to Minnesota at No. 23, per esteemed NFL writer Peter King. Wherever Richardson ends up, he will have a captive audience. At Florida, the former Gainesville high school star was as apt to make a highlight-reel play as a head-scratching one. No one who watched him, though, wondered whether he had the talent to succeed. Everybody knows he runs 4.43, does the backflips, can throw, can run, can do it all, Spurrier said. And then you say, well, the last two years at Florida they were 6-7. So is it bad coaching? Is it bad players around him? What is it? Hell go to the NFL and well find out see if the coaches up there can bring him to an elite quarterback. We all believe he can be an elite quarterback. This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Edgar Thompson at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @osgators. High fees can take a bite out of your portfolio returns, but the good news is that it's becoming cheaper to invest. Financial services firms charge clients a fee to invest their funds, typically withdrawn from their investment assets. When costs are high, they eat into returns over time. Consider that over a 20-year period, an investment portfolio that's generating a 4% annual return but assessed a 1% fee could lose nearly $30,000 more than a similar portfolio with a 0.25% annual fee, according to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Indeed, costs are going down as asset management firms compete for clients' dollars. Expense ratios on equity mutual funds averaged 1.04% in 1996, according to the Investment Company Institute. They tumbled to an average of 0.5% in 2020. "In the retail fund market where products compete to be bought costs have never been lower. Investors can get a globally diversified portfolio for less than 10 basis points, which is terrific," Micah Hauptman, director of investor protection at the Consumer Federation of America, said. Why has it become cheaper to invest? Some experts believe a major catalyst behind this trend is an increased awareness among individual investors, leading many to become more price conscious. "Consumers have learned that costs are directly, or inversely, correlated to return," Ron A. Rhoades, director of the personal financial planning program in Western Kentucky University, said. "Basically, higher fees and cost equals lower returns. A lot of academic evidence backs that up." Rhoades said the cost of investing has also fallen over time due to the rise of fiduciary investment advisors, who are required to act in their clients' best interest and aim to keep expenses low, as well as online robo-advisors that offer financial services at a cheaper rate. "That's put a lot of pressure on the asset management industry to come up with lower-cost solutions because that's what investment advisors are requiring," Rhoades said. Increased competition, notably in the ETF market and between direct-sold mutual funds, has also contributed to lower investment costs, Hauptman said. An additional catalyst toward the declining cost of investing, Rhodes added, are mandates from the Labor Department that went into effect more than a decade ago. These rules require retirement plan service providers to disclose fees to plan sponsors and called for employers to issue fee disclosures to individuals participating in workplace retirement plans. This led savers to pay closer attention to costs, Rhoades said. How investors can be mindful of their expenses Investors need to assess their fees in relation to the value they are receiving from their investments, Hauptman said. Most financial advisors charge clients based on how much money they manage for them, which is typically about 1% of assets. Some financial advisors may charge a flat fee or bill by the hour. "It's important for investors to not just look at one piece of the investing puzzle to the extent that they're getting products and services," Hauptman said. "They need to consider all of the costs that they're paying, because all of the costs will ultimately erode their total returns over time." Sheryl Garrett, a certified financial planner and founder of the Garrett Planning Network, advised newer investors trading individual securities to do so minimally, and keep the rest of their investments "plain vanilla" in order to reduce the amount of recurring transaction costs. Here are three steps to keep a lid on investment fees: Check your expense ratios: Do some comparison shopping as you look through mutual funds and ETFs. Investment fees have come down considerably in the last couple of decades, but fund managers may charge more for eclectic offerings, such as strategies that focus on alternative investments. Watch for other costs: If you're investing through a brokerage account, keep an eye out for transaction fees, which can be very painful for the most active investors. Some firms also charge for broker-assisted trades. In a 401(k) plan, you could face costs in the form of administrative expenses and those are in addition to the fund fees you pay. Know how your financial advisor is paid: Ask up front whether your financial advisor is a fiduciary. Does your advisor charge based on assets under management, or does he offer a flat fee? Does he receive any commissions for products he recommends to you? Get these details in writing and be sure you understand them before you hire this professional. Ultimately, the best investment is for individuals to become self-educated about their finances, Garrett said. In this article META FRC Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on April 26, 2023 in New York City. Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images Here are the most important news items that investors need to start their trading day: 1. Tech vs tank Stocks have stumbled a bit these past few days. Even as tech giants have done well with their earnings report (more on that below), worries about First Republic 's troubles (more on those below, too) have weighed on the minds of investors who are concerned about a revival of last month's banking crisis. Markets will have even more big earnings reports to chew over Thursday, with Merck and American Airlines posting results before the bell and Amazon and Intel due after the close. The U.S. GDP print for the first quarter is also due Thursday morning. Follow live market updates. 2. Meta physics Founder and CEO of US online social media and social networking service Facebook Mark Zuckerberg reacts upon his arrival for a meeting with European Commission vice-president in charge for Values and Transparency, in Brussels, on February 17, 2020. Kenzo Tribouillard | AFP | Getty Images What went down is going up again. Meta 's earnings report blew away Wall Street on Wednesday, sending the Facebook parent's stock surging more than 10% in extended trading. That means it's primed to build on its already huge 2023 its shares were up more than 74% through Wednesday's close after losing two-thirds of their value last year. So what impressed investors so much? Revenue rose unexpectedly, and for the first time in three quarters. Its forecast for the current quarter also topped estimates, as did its average revenue per user. There was so much good stuff in the report that investors pretty much ignored the fact that the company's metaverse business lost another $3.99 billion during the quarter. 3. First Republic problems watch now It's an understatement to say that First Republic Bank is in trouble. Its shares are down more than 90% so far this year after another brutal session Wednesday, as it appears investors aren't too confident in the bank's ability to shore up a rescue plan. After CNBC banking reporter Hugh Son reported that First Republic's advisors were trying to convince a group of big banks to bail it out, again, CNBC anchor David Faber said government officials aren't willing to help in any rescue efforts at the moment. Will Thursday bring more losses? So far, shares have been relatively stable in extended trading before the open. 4. Disney takes DeSantis to court Walt Disney World fireworks display in Orlando, Florida. Joe Burbank | Orlando Sentinel | Getty Images Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is reportedly preparing to run for president, with an announcement expected in May. But he isn't just going to be tangling with Donald Trump for the GOP nomination in the near future. DeSantis and Disney 's war, which started last year after the Mouse House criticized Florida Republicans' so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill, escalated Wednesday. The governor's hand-picked Disney resort oversight board voted to override a development deal struck by a separate board allied with the company. Disney rapidly fired back by suing DeSantis and his allies, alleging political retribution. "There is no room for disagreement about what happened here: Disney expressed its opinion on state legislation and was then punished by the State for doing so," the company's suit reads. DeSantis' office fired back: "This lawsuit is yet another unfortunate example of their hope to undermine the will of the Florida voters and operate outside the bounds of the law." 5. Debt on arrival House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) walks following a closed door meeting on Captiol Hill in Washington, April 26, 2023. Tom Brenner | Reuters An American Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner approaches for a landing at the Miami International Airport on Dec. 10, 2021. American Airlines posted a $10 million profit in the first quarter as it ramped up flying and a jump in revenue outpaced higher costs. American's revenue rose 37% in the first three months of the year to $12.19 billion, roughly in line with analyst estimates. Here's how American Airlines performed in the first quarter compared with what Wall Street anticipated, based on an average of analysts' estimates compiled by Refinitiv: Adjusted earnings per share: 5 cents vs. expected 5 cents 5 cents vs. expected 5 cents Total revenue: $12.19 billion vs. expected $12.20 billion Revenue of $12.19 billion was 37% higher than the same period a year earlier. The carrier's net income for the quarter of $10 million, or 2 cents per share, marks a drastic improvement from the first quarter of 2022 when American lost $1.64 billion, or $2.52 per share. Excluding charges associated with debt refinancing, American earned an adjusted 5 cents per share during the first quarter, in line with analysts' expectations. For the second quarter of the year, American forecast adjusted per-share earnings of $1.20 to $1.40, at the high end of analysts' expectations. The Fort Worth-based carrier expects revenue per available seat mile to come in 2% to 4% lower than last year on capacity up as much as 5.5%. American CEO Robert Isom said late aircraft deliveries from manufacturers are hindering the carrier's growth. "In terms of the aircraft manufacturers, both Boeing and Airbus , they have to do a better job," Isom said in an interview with CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Thursday. "When we don't receive a delivery on time, guess what? We're going out and having to cancel flights. That affects thousands of customers." "We've got to hold them accountable," Isom said. Activision Blizzard's recent tumult could be a buying opportunity for investors, according to Barclays. Regulators in the UK blocked Microsoft's attempt to purchase the company over competition concerns. Shares of Activision Blizzard fell 11.5% Wednesday on the news. But Barclays raised its target price on the video game company to $100 from $95 per share, representing 30% upside from Wednesday's close of $76.81. ATVI YTD mountain Activision Blizzard could be a buying opportunity for investors despite the fallout of Microsoft deal. "We continue to view ATVI as the strongest US gaming publisher fundamentally, with record sales from its latest Call of Duty title Modern Warfare 2 and two large upcoming catalysts in Diablo 4 (we are modeling 15m units with potential for upside) and the potential launch of Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile later this year," Barclays analyst Mario Lu wrote Wednesday. The company beat estimates on both earnings per share and revenue on Wednesday despite the fallout, reporting 60 cents adjusted (against 52 cents estimate) and $1.8 billion, respectively. Lu said the move to stop the Microsoft deal was somewhat surprising, given that regulators seemingly eased up on concerns over the takeover at the end of March. Activision executives told investors the UK's Competition and Markets Authority was "disproportionate, irrational and inconsistent." Microsoft plans to appeal the CMA decision, although it's unlikely regulators will reverse their decision. "Despite the deal likely dead in water, we view this as a strong buying opportunity given its cheap relative valuation to EA, momentum in core franchises (CoD/Candy Crush), along with upcoming catalysts in Diablo 4/Warzone Mobile," Lu said. CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this report. Caterpillar Inc. excavators are displayed for sale at the Whayne Supply Co. dealership in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S., on Monday, Jan. 27, 2020. Heavy machinery maker Caterpillar topped Wall Street expectations with a 31% rise in first-quarter profit on Thursday but a flat order backlog left analysts thinking that demand may have peaked. Profit in the first quarter was lifted by a boost in U.S. infrastructure spending which kept order books full and softened the hit from higher costs. But the shares were down slightly in premarket trading after the company noted an increase in dealer inventories. A flat order backlog compared to the previous quarters may be an indicator of a slowdown in equipment purchases, analysts said. "At a high level these are really strong results -- the initial stock reaction reflects some degree of 'is this the best and have we peaked out," said Kristen Owen, executive director at Oppenheimer & Co Inc. The company reported an adjusted profit of $4.91 per share, beating Refinitiv analysts consensus of $3.78 per share. The Biden administration's infrastructure legislation encouraged spending in the construction sector, spurring demand for the machinery maker's excavators, bulldozers and trucks. Caterpillar's construction division recorded a 10% rise in total sales on the back of solid demand in North America which increased 33% year-over-year. Its energy customers, grappling with aging machines and tight production capacity, also placed more orders for parts and engines as drilling activities surged with higher oil and gas prices. In the last eight quarters, CAT has met or beaten revenue estimates five times. The Texas-based company's resources and mining division profit rose 112% while sales in the company's energy and transportation segment saw a 24% increase year-over-year. Cost control measures that led the company to raise prices across its machinery lines over the past two years have buoyed top-line growth, helping Caterpillar navigate higher material and freight costs amid ongoing supply challenges. Caterpillar's revenue for the quarter through March 31 rose to $15.9 billion from $13.6 billion a year ago. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Three of our Club holdings Caterpillar (CAT), Honeywell (HON) and Linde ( LIN) are engaged in providing products and services that drive the industrial economy. They all reported strong first-quarter results Thursday. Here's a rundown of the numbers and our analysis. Caterpillar shares turn around CAT YTD mountain Caterpillar YTD Dow component Caterpillar delivered a blowout first quarter. However, concerns about whether those results were as good as it will get for the machinery maker sent shares sharply lower early in Thursday's session. We don't agree with that view, and we would have been buyers of the weakness if we were not restricted from trading. Late in the day, CAT erased most of its losses as the broader market took off. Caterpillar revenue in Q1 increased 16.7% year over year to $15.86 billion, exceeding estimates of $15.26 billion, according to Refinitiv. Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) surged more than 70% to $4.91, crushing estimates of $3.78. Better-than-expected operating margin of 17% was so strong, due mostly to manufacturing costs that were not as high as expected as well as higher prices. Bottom Line on CAT This was a very strong quarter from Caterpillar as business continues to benefit from pricing power that outweighs costs. That, in turn, led to stronger margins and higher profits. Management sounded upbeat on the call about its demand trends and did not indicate a material slowdown, which the stock price had earlier suggested, was imminent. How could they when so much money tied to infrastructure spending is about to flow through to its backlog? A lot was being made Thursday about Q1 representing Caterpillar's peak and the business will only get worse from here. However, we remain steadfast in our view that the billions of dollars earmarked by the government for infrastructure projects will prolong the cycle. Here are the Q1 numbers All three of Caterpillar's physical product segments, as indicated in the table above, reported strong year-over-year revenue growth that beat estimates. Construction Industries sales in Q1 of $6.75 billion were up 10%. North America was up thanks to strong demand in both nonresidential and residential markets. But, China was weak due to low construction activity. China's reopening after Covid has been a boon to many consumer-related stocks, but it hasn't yet happened for Caterpillar's above 10-ton excavator business. Resource Industries sales of $3.43 billion increased 21%. The company is seeing notable strength in mining. Heavy construction, quarry, and aggregate have been supported by infrastructure-related projects. Energy & Transportation sales of $6.25 billion increased 24%. Even with oil down in the quarter, Caterpillar continues to see a lot of activity and strength in new engine sales to customers. While the results were stellar, Caterpillar's backlog remains a frustrating point for the market. A higher backlog indicates more sales are on the way, while a declining backlog suggests a slowdown could be coming. Caterpillar's backlog ended the first quarter at $30.4 billion, about flat from last year's Q4. A flat number gives the bears ammo in their view that the backlog has peaked and will go down from here. To be clear, that's not our view. Based on the amount of business Caterpillar just recorded, we think a flat backlog suggests there is still a healthy level of demand. Additionally, Infrastructure dollars are only trickling in right now and only for smaller type projects, like reservicing roads. The flood of spending on bigger projects hasn't even started yet, and it will support the backlog for quite some time. Dealer inventories is another forward-looking metric to monitor after this quarter's $1.4 billion sequential build. This provided a $100 million favorable impact on total sales this quarter, but it will normalize in future quarters. While many in the market believe dealer inventory will be a headwind to Caterpillar down the road, management said on the call that it does not expect this at any time in the next few quarters. Guidance Caterpillar isn't providing specific guidance for the full year, but management offered some color and commentary on the call. Thanks to the strong first quarter, management now expects revenue and EPS to be even higher than previously anticipated, with adjusted operating profit margin at the high end of its guidance range. For Q2, Caterpillar expects higher sales but lower margins compared to the first quarter, typical of historical seasonality. Pricing will be less of a year-over-year tailwind as the company laps last year's increases. Honeywell beats, lowers guidance HON YTD mountain Honeywell YTD Honeywell kicked off 2023 with a surprisingly strong first quarter as sales and earnings, segment profit margin expanded more than expected and organic growth nearly doubled with Street estimates. Shares of Honeywell rose roughly 4% on Thursday. Revenue in Q1 rose 5.8% year-over-year to $8.86 billion, exceeding analyst estimates of $8.52 billion, according to estimates compiled by Refinitiv. Adjusted earnings-per-share (EPS) of $2.07 advanced 8.4% annually and was well ahead of the $1.93 consensus estimate. Segment margin, similar to an adjusted operating income margin, expanded 90 basis points year-over-year, to 22%, also ahead of expectations. Bottom line on HON In addition to the strong headline results, Honeywell exited the quarter with a record $30.3 billion backlog, up 6% versus the year-ago period, driven by strength in its Aerospace division and its Performance Materials and Technologies unit. Honeywell's full-year sales and earnings forecast came in ahead of what the Street was looking for. While we like what we're seeing, we are maintaining our 2 rating on the stock for the time being as the macroeconomic backdrop remains uncertain. While Aerospace demand appears robust, revenue continues to be constrained by supply chain challenges. As a result, we are trimming our price target on Honeywell to $225 per share from $235. Here are the Q1 numbers Driving the 14% organic sales growth in Aerospace in Q1, as seen towards the bottom of the table above, we saw the eighth straight quarter of double-digit organic sales growth in commercial aviation and a return to growth in defense and space. Honeywell Building Technologies was up 9% organic, on the back of building projects, which were up over 20% organically, the fourth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth. Performance Materials and Technologies advanced 15% organically, led by 19% organic growth at UOP, which is Honeywell's petrochemicals business. Safety and Productivity Solutions sales declined 11% organic as a result of a decline in warehouse automation projects. Offsetting some, profit margin for the unit expanded significantly. Guidance Looking ahead, management's Q2 sales and earnings forecasts came up short of expectations $9.1 billion and $2.20 per share at the midpoints, repeatedly. However, management's full-year sales and earnings forecasts were raised to levels above what Wall Street was looking for $36.9 billion and $9.13 per share. Linde price target raised LIN YTD mountain Linde YTD Industrial gas and engineering giant Linde reported solid first-quarter results before the opening bell Thursday. While sales came up short of expectations, earnings, operating margin, and return on capital all notched new record highs despite the difficult operating environment. Revenue in Q1 of $8.19 billion was about flat versus the year-ago period and just shy of estimates compiled by Refintiv. Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $3.42 up 17% year over year exceeded the $3.13 estimate and it was well above the company's own guidance of $3.05 to $3.15. Adjusted operating profit rose 16% to $2.21 billion, beating expectations of $1.96 billion. Bottom line on LIN Linde shares were little changed Thursday, which can be attributed to profit-taking. The stock came into the print hovering around all-time highs. As indicated by record-setting adjusted operating margin of 26.9%, EPS, and return on capital of $1.47 billion to shareholders through dividends and stock repurchases, Linde is firing on all cylinders. In fact, excluding the impact of foreign exchange, earnings increased 20% versus the year-ago period, marking the 10th consecutive constant currency EPS growth of 20% or more. Management said it's working to further optimize the business and believes that as global economies recover, there will be additional opportunities to enhance operating leverage. At a higher level and looking further out, Linde stands to be a primary beneficiary of the world's move to clean energy. Management said on the call that decarbonization project opportunities are "likely to exceed $50 billion over the next decade ... in one of the best long-term growth environments [they've] seen in a long time." Given the strong results and positive outlook, we are raising our price target to $390 per share from $370. We are hesitant to buy shares trading near record levels. But, stocks also don't make all-time highs by accident. So, with the future outlook bright for both this year and beyond as global decarbonization efforts ramp up, we are comfortable reaffirming our 1 rating . Here are the Q1 numbers We saw gas sales growth, above estimates, across all end markets in all operating regions. Engineering sales of $540 million were down versus the year-ago period. But, much of that was due to not yet lapping the impact of sanctions on Russia for invading Ukraine, which led to Linde's cessation of operations there in the second quarter of last year. Guidance Looking ahead, EPS guidance for the second quarter and full year both came in ahead of expectations at the midpoints of $3.45 and $13.65, respectively, reflecting the Q1 outperformance. Management left expectations for the rest of the year unchanged based on, as always the assumption of no economic improvement. (Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust is long CAT, HON, LIN. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED. A worker washes a Caterpillar crawler dozer at Ideal Tractor in West Sacramento, California, on Monday, Aug. 1, 2022. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images In this photo illustration, the People's Republic of China flag logo is displayed on a smartphone screen on 25 July 2022. A Chinese marketing firm hosted a ring of at least 72 fake news sites in 11 languages with corresponding fake social media personas that pushed Chinese government talking points, according to research published Thursday. Chinese lawmakers passed a wide-ranging update to Beijing's anti-espionage legislation on Wednesday, banning the transfer of any information related to national security and broadening the definition of spying. China's top legislative body passed the revised Counter-Espionage Law its first update since 2014 following three days of deliberations, and it will take effect from July 1, state media reported. President Xi Jinping has made national security a key focus of his administration since taking office in 2012 and analysts say these revisions are evidence of that stricter regime as suspicion of the United States and its allies grows. All "documents, data, materials, and items related to national security and interests" are under the same protection as state secrets following the revisions, according to the full text of the revised law published by Xinhua late Wednesday. The law does not define what falls under China's national security or interests. It expands the definition of espionage to include cyber attacks against state organs or critical information infrastructure, state news agency Xinhua reported. A molecular biologist examines wastewater samples for pathogens in the safety laboratory at the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine in Mitte. The European Union on Wednesday launched its long-awaited overhaul of existing pharmaceutical legislation, reflecting the bloc's biggest shake-up of laws governing the industry in decades. The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, says the reforms will make the industry more agile as well as making medicines "more available, accessible and affordable." One of the EU's key aims is to deliver more timely and equitable patient access to medicines across the 27-nation bloc. It takes patients in Germany roughly 133 days to access new medicines, versus 899 days for patients in Romania, according to the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations. The group also found 92% of "innovative medicines" were available in Germany, compared with 30% in smaller and Eastern European EU member states. The proposal reduces the exclusivity period given to newly-developed drugs entering the market from 10 years to eight. Companies can extend it up to 10 years if they launch the drug in all 27 EU member states within two years. One side-effect a positive one for consumers would be a drop in the drugs' price at an earlier time. However, pharmaceutical firms and lobby groups say the move could hamper innovation and the overall availability of drugs. They argue the measures may prove tricky and costly for companies, which may decide not to develop or launch new medicines within the EU at all, putting the bloc behind the U.S. and China. The head of German biotech firm Bayer's pharmaceutical division, Stefan Oelrich, told Reuters last week the changes could have a "catastrophic impact" as companies drop development projects. European stock markets closed cautiously higher Thursday, as strong corporate earnings overcame jitters around the U.S. banking sector. The benchmark Stoxx 600 index closed 0.2% higher. The banking sector gained 1.1%, after Deutsche Bank and Barclays profits beat expectations. Deutsche Bank shares rose as much as 3.2%, as the bank recorded its 11th straight quarterly profit. Barclays was up by 5.3%, after it said its income climbed on higher rates and gains in its consumer credit card division. Deutsche Bank CFO James von Moltke told CNBC on Thursday that recent sector volatility which saw its own share price plunge and credit default swaps rocket higher was a "test" the bank had "passed with flying colors." In Wednesday's trading session in the U.S., shares of regional bank First Republic tumbled almost 30% as investors continued to be concerned over the bank's health, extending severe losses in the previous trading session. On Monday, the bank said that deposits dropped 40% to $104.5 billion in the first quarter. Duncan MacInnes, investment director at Ruffer, said by email that savers were still worried about the security of their deposits, and banks would be faced with choices over whether to raise deposit rates to keep customers, hitting profitability, or face outflows. Media stocks led European sector losses, down by 1.7%, while industrials climbed 1.3%. AstraZeneca, Unilever and Carlsberg were among the firms reading higher on their own earnings beats. Smoke is seen rise from buildings during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan. April 22, 2023. Governments and international bodies are pushing Sudan's two warring military factions to extend a fragile cease-fire due to end Thursday night, with remaining civilians and foreign nationals being urged to flee. Fighting broke out on April 15 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (known as Hemedti). The two factions had been sharing power in Khartoum since a military coup in 2021 until tensions began escalating earlier this month, and the conflict now threatens to destabilize the broader region while becoming a hotbed for long-standing geostrategic tensions among surrounding nations. A U.S.-brokered three-day cease-fire came into force late Monday night, intended to allow humanitarian aid into the country and to enable civilians to exit, mostly via evacuation flights facilitated by foreign governments or on foot into neighboring Chad. Despite this, many foreign nationals are still in Sudan, while civilians are struggling to access food, water and fuel. David Miliband, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), said a "rapid surge of humanitarian aid" would be needed to help the 47 million Sudanese remaining in the country. "European leaders are focused on evacuating their citizens, but there is no time to waste in shifting focus on supporting and protecting those who remain," Miliband said via an emailed statement. "In order to prevent Sudan from sliding from a fragile state into a failed state, it is critical to ensure public services remain up and running in the country." Given the instability at the top of the government, with its transitional president and deputy leading the two warring factions, Miliband said local civil society and NGOs that have the greatest access to, and trust of, communities in need would have a critical role to play in this "perilous moment." However, allegations of violations of the truce have been leveled by both sides, while reports have emerged of persistent gunfire in the capital along with frequent violations by militias in Darfur, the large region in western Sudan bordering Chad, Libya and the Central African Republic. Read more: A 'tinderbox' with no easy off-ramps: What the Sudan conflict means for the world The Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General for Sudan, Volker Perthes, noted Wednesday that the cease-fire was "not being fully respected by the parties to the conflict" and called on both to lay down arms and facilitate humanitarian access. "SRSG Perthes is deeply concerned by recent reports of violence in El Geneina (West Darfur), which increasingly appears to also be taking on inter-communal dimensions with attacks on civilians and looting and distribution of weapons among local communities. The attacks have also resulted in other mass looting, including of UN premises," the U.N. Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) said in a statement. "The parties to the conflict must bring an end to this conflict immediately before the situation further escalates." It's been a week since Starship lifted off from the Texas coast and exploded four minutes later in flight. While it didn't reach space, the most powerful rocket ever built marked a milestone and shined a light on a broader industry trend: building bigger rockets. While there's nothing else quite like SpaceX's fully reusable mega system in development, other launch startups are adapting to a marketplace that's demanding more power and more capacity, more quickly. Take Relativity Space, a CNBC Disruptor 50 company valued at more than $4 billion, that has emerged as the posterchild of the trend. The space startup is already retiring its pioneering 3D-printed Terran 1 to focus exclusively on a new heavy-lift rocket called Terran R. While a powerful vehicle was always apparently part of the plan, Terran 1 after seven years of development flew for just the first time last month (reaching space but falling short of its intended orbit). "Customers are telling us there just is not enough launch supply or launch capacity, period, in the world up to about 2027 or 2028," Tim Ellis, chief executive and co-founder of Relativity Space, told me in a recent interview for CNBC's "Manifest Space" podcast. "There's a giant launch shortage, and the only company that I think can actually fill it besides Relativity would be SpaceX. The problem is SpaceX is developing their own satellite constellation, Starlink, and so there's a bit of a conflict of interest. Follow and listen to CNBC's "Manifest Space" podcast, hosted by Morgan Brennan, wherever you get your podcasts. "SpaceX is a really good option, but SpaceX is also going to compete against them as they launch their own payloads into space," Ellis added, suggesting Elon Musk's famously disruptive space company's launch dominance needs to be, well, disrupted. But Relativity isn't alone in its bet to go bigger. Blue Origin has been developing its heavy-lift New Glenn rocket, which is now poised to fly for the first time next year, and Lockheed Martin -Boeing joint venture United Launch Alliance is hoping to launch its heavy-lift Vulcan Centuar sometime this summer after a recent explosion during testing delayed plans for early May. Even Rocket Lab is busy developing a more powerful rocket than its current small launch-focused Electron. The company's Neutron rocket will cater to the "medium-lift" market when it begins operating in 2024. To be sure, Terran R isn't comparable to SpaceX's Starship or even Falcon Heavy. It's looking to compete most directly with SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9. Targeting 2026 for first flight, the new Terran R will tout the ability to deliver up to 26 tons to low earth orbit in a reusable mode or 37 tons in an expendable one (meaning the first stage booster isn't recovered to be reused). By comparison, Falcon 9, with its reusable first stage, can transport just over 25 tons to low earth orbit. Ellis said Relativity already touts a $1.65 billion backlog with another several billion dollars' worth of active deal negotiations. He expects the customer mix to break down to between 80% and 90% commercial, with government contracts comprising the rest. Relativity has raised $1.3 billion to date from a list of investors that include BlackRock, Fidelity and Baillie Gifford, and plans to remain private for the time being. The company started its journey at Y Combinator, where Sam Altman was a direct partner and mentor to Ellis. Perhaps not surprisingly then, since Altman is the chief executive of ChatGPT-parent OpenAI, Ellis has been discussing regenerative A.I. with Altman and how its evolution could apply to Relativity's manufacturing process as it races to build its bigger rocket. "3D-printing is really just a digital manufacturing technology that takes all of the human labor, all the complex parts and puts them into a more software- and data-driven form, which A.I. actually can interface with a lot better," Ellis said in the "Manifest Space" interview. More powerful rockets and new manufacturing possibilities dovetail into an ambitious long-term vision: "We're focused on building the industrial base on Mars, so that's really the way that 3D-printing tech will eventually go You need a factory that's lightweight, that can build a wide range of products with very little human involvement and labor," Ellis said. "I do see that it's certainly possible and somebody needs to at least give it an honest try just make it happen. That's what we're here to do." CNBC's weekly "Manifest Space" podcast focuses on the billionaires and brains behind the ever-expanding opportunities beyond our atmosphere. Morgan Brennan holds conversations with the mega moguls, industry leaders and startups in today's satellite, space and defense industries. In "Manifest Space," sit back, relax and prepare for liftoff. West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice holds up his dog Babydog as he comes to the end of his State of the State speech in the House chambers, at the West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston, W.Va., Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. West Virginia Republican governor Jim Justice announced his 2024 campaign for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by incumbent Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin on Thursday. The long-anticipated move by Justice, who switched parties in 2017 and has since become one of the red state's most popular politicians, could further imperil Democrats' efforts to keep their slim majority in the Senate. "I hate like crazy it's taken this long to make a decision," Justice said at a campaign kickoff event Thursday at The Greenbrier, his luxury hotel in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The governor touted his conservative record on issues including abortion laws "the toughest of the toughest" and school choice. Justice sat on a wooden stool as he addressed a crowd of his supporters, while Babydog, the governor's 3-year-old English bulldog and de facto campaign surrogate, was seated next to him in a plush red armchair. Manchin, one of the chamber's most conservative Democrats, has said he won't decide whether to run for reelection until closer to the end of the year, regardless of Justice's plans. His seat is considered one of the most winnable for Republicans in next year's election. "I am laser focused on doing the job West Virginians elected me to do lowering healthcare costs, protecting Social Security and Medicare, shoring up American energy security and getting our fiscal house in order," Manchin said in a statement Thursday morning after news of Justice's Senate bid. "But make no mistake, I will win any race I enter," Manchin said. The senator told reporters later Thursday morning, "Let the games begin." While Manchin has taken an adversarial tack against much of his own party in recent months, he could be their best hope of holding onto their majority in 2024, when they will defend 23 of the cycle's 34 Senate seats up for grabs. If Manchin decides not to run for a third term, Democrats are widely expected to lose the seat to whichever Republican nominee emerges from West Virginia's Senate primary. Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., who was backed by former President Donald Trump in his most recent House election, has already jumped into the Senate race. "Jim Justice is just another Joe Manchin," Mooney's campaign manager, John Findlay, said in a statement ahead of the governor's announcement. The statement accused Justice of backing the "largest tax hike in West Virginia's history," contrasting Justice's own boasts about signing the state's largest-ever tax cut last month. Justice stood alongside Trump when he announced that he would switch to the Republican Party, and he has spoken to the former president by phone in advance of his Senate campaign launch, NBC News reported. A Trump campaign spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Victory is hardly a guarantee for Manchin if he does try to hold onto the seat. Despite his incumbent advantage, his hefty war chest and his reputation for breaking with fellow Democrats, Manchin's party affiliation may too great an obstacle to overcome in a state that voted for Trump by nearly 40 points in 2020. Manchin won his last Senate race in 2018 by just 3 percentage points. With his seat under threat, Manchin has appeared increasingly critical of President Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats, even vowing to vote to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act, Biden's signature spending bill that he helped pass. The governor, who is term limited in that role, had been strongly encouraged to run for Senate by top Republicans, including Sen. Steve Daines of Montana, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. "Jim Justice is a proven winner whose record of creating jobs, cutting taxes, and fighting for conservative values has made him one of the most popular governors in the country," Daines said in a statement. An employee walks past TV screens in a shop in Moscow showing a broadcast with President Vladimir Putin. Alexander Nemenov | Afp | Getty Images Political opposition and activism within Russia has always been fraught with risks but it has become increasingly impossible in recent years, with political analysts saying it is now "extremely dangerous" to oppose the Kremlin and Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Being a politician and openly against war and Putin's rule in Russia is close to impossible," Anton Barbashin, a Russian political analyst and the editorial director of online journal Riddle Russia, told CNBC. "All of the opposition political leaders are either in jail or under restrictive measures or outside of the country. I would not say opposition is dead. Opposition is fully illegal," he noted. The oppression of political opposition figures in Russia is nothing new. A number of high-profile Russian businessmen and opposition politicians critical of the Kremlin and Putin have been harassed, detained, disappeared or been imprisoned over the last two decades. Some accuse the Russian state of trying to poison them, while others have died in suspicious circumstances. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied any involvement in such cases. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is seen on a screen via video link from the IK-2 corrective penal colony in Pokrov before a court hearing to consider an appeal against his prison sentence, in Moscow, Russia May 17, 2022. Evgenia Novozhenina | Reuters The persecution of political opposition figures attracted global attention in 2020 when the high-profile Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent. The Kremlin denied any involvement in the poisoning and Navalny survived, only to be imprisoned shortly after returning to Russia following life-saving hospital treatment in Germany. He is currently serving nine years in a maximum-security prison for fraud and contempt of court, charges he and his allies decried as politically motivated and designed to get him out of the public eye in Russia. "Unfortunately, the Russian state is very good at that very methodical and unimaginative campaign of repressions, arrests and intimidations," Mark Galeotti, a London-based political scientist, lecturer and author of several books on Russia, told CNBC. "In terms of an organized political opposition [in Russia], essentially, it's gone," he said, adding: "Its main figures are either in prison or, more likely, pushed out of the country." The Kremlin's biggest fear, Galeotti noted, was a civilian uprising and overthrowal of the regime, an existential threat that he said had made figures like Navalny, a potential catalyst for societal change, so dangerous in the eyes of the state. The war has made it worse Political analysts note that the repression of Russian opposition figures has become a more urgent matter for the Kremlin with the invasion of Ukraine. The war with its innate potential to cause domestic unrest and protest at home had also enabled Putin's regime to shed itself of "the pretence of political pluralism" and to become more unashamedly authoritarian, Galeotti noted. "What for a long time was essentially an authoritarianism that was flirting with the appearance of legitimacy ... I think has now just decided to bite the bullet and simply devolve into a much more conventional dictatorship," he noted. The process of becoming a one-party state, or autocracy under Putin, was already clear before the war, according to Maria Kuznetova, a spokesperson for OVD-Info, an independent Russian human rights media project that documents political persecution in the country. "Even before the war, the government tried to do everything to prevent people from forming any coalitions or creating big organizations. Then in 2021, after the arrest of Alexei Navalny, basically all organized opposition was destroyed," she noted. Kuznetova said that Russia's crackdown on civil society escalated after this point, with the number of arrests and criminal charges leveled at opposition figures or civilians increasing dramatically. Since the war in Ukraine began on Feb. 24, 2022, until March 2023, OVD-Info estimates that the Russian state has detained almost 20,000 people for their "anti-war" stance, with the harshest crackdown in the month the war was launched. Since then, Russia has also charged more than 450 individuals in criminal cases related to perceived "anti-war activity," many of whom are falling foul of new laws targeting what the state sees as the spreading of "fake news" about its "special military operation" in Ukraine and "discrediting" the Russian armed forces. Opposition politician Ilya Yashin, the former mayor Yevgeny Roizman and activist Vladimir Kara-Murza have all been detained or imprisoned in recent months after being found guilty in Russian courts of charges ranging from the spreading of "false information" about the war, to treason. Global human rights' organizations and Western governments have condemned what they see as "politically motivated" convictions. Russian opposition figure and former mayor of Yekaterinburg Yevgeny Roizman, accused of "propaganda or public display of attributes or symbols of extremist organisations" over sharing a post of opposition figure Alexei Navalny's foundation - labelled "extremist" in 2021 - on the social media platform VKontakte in May 2022, appears in court in Yekaterinburg on March 16, 2023. He was sentenced to 14 days in prison for sharing "extremist" symbols, Russian news agencies reported. Anna Yurieva | Afp | Getty Images It's not only high-profile figures that have to be careful now, with the number of cases against civilians rising too perhaps the most infamous so far being the father sentenced to jail after his daughter drew an anti-war drawing and was informed on by her school principal. "For ordinary people that share anti-war views, everyone understands really clearly that you can be arrested and go to jail for five, 10, 15, 20 years. Everyone understands that very well," Kuznetova said. Russian political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya agreed that "it's extremely dangerous" to be a critic of the Kremlin now, no matter what your background is. "The difference between today's Russia and Russia before the war is that before the war, the regime targeted mostly activists and professional politicians. Now, they target anyone with suspicious behavior. You can be a civilian, you can be a teacher, you can be a professor you can be just anyone," Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center and the founder of political analysis firm R. Politik, noted, adding that the number of cases involving "informants" had risen dramatically, anecdotally. Stanovaya, Barbashin and OVD-Info's Kuznetova are all based outside of Russia now, saying their work would be impossible to do, and personal safety compromised, if they were in their home country. Russia banned Barbashin's online journal as an "undesirable" organization in late 2022, accusing it of "posing a threat to the security" of the country. What the Kremlin says The Kremlin is keen to stress that political pluralism does exist in Russia. When contacted for this story, the Kremlin's Press Secretary Dmitri Peskov told CNBC in a statement that "in Russia there are politicians with different views and positions." That may be true in theory but Tatiana Stanovaya noted that while there are "systemic opposition parties" in Russia, such as the Communist Party, Liberal Democratic Party or A Just Russia for Truth, in reality these parties generally support the government and have acquiesced even more since the war began. For those who can be classed as the "non-systemic opposition," that is, political opponents of the Kremlin and Putin, Stanovaya said "they are not allowed to exist." "We can say that, today, non-systemic opposition has been completely destroyed and outlawed in Russia. Everything that can be related to political forces who argue against Putin may face criminal risks. I think, most of those who was not just in conversation, that they had to leave Russia or they stayed but had to be silent. They can't take risks to speak out," she said. Nonetheless, Stanovaya said there were gray areas for the Kremlin. Critics who are seen as pro-Western are described as enemies of the state, but those that are seen as critical but nationalist and patriotic are offered some kind of protection, ironically by Putin himself. This was particularly evident with the rise to prominence of ultra-nationalist Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group private military company which is fighting in Ukraine. Prigozhin has been overtly critical of Russia's defense ministry and its tactics in Ukraine, although he has steered clear of any criticism of his ally Putin. Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner private military company Mikhail Svetlov | Getty Images Andrew Ross Sorkin speaks with Meta CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg during the New York Times DealBook Summit in the Appel Room at the Jazz At Lincoln Center on November 30, 2022 in New York City. Meta is no longer the runaway growth story it was in the past, but you wouldn't know that based on the stock chart in recent months. On Wednesday, Facebook's parent reported meager revenue growth of 3% from a year earlier, which was better than analysts were expecting. Before that, Meta had reported three straight quarters of sales declines, underscoring the social media company's challenges coping with a slowdown in digital ads. However, following a 15% rally on Thursday to over $241, Meta's shares are up 170% since bottoming at under $89 in November. For the most part, investors have been jumping on Meta's cost-cutting story and two rounds of job reductions, which began in November and are continuing in the first half 2023. In February, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said this would be the company's "year of efficiency," a declaration that sent the stock up over 20%. Even with the hot start to the year, Meta shares are still about 37% below their record high from September 2021. They lost two-thirds of their value last year, as the company reckoned with by far its toughest stretch since its IPO a decade earlier. Now, Wall Street's betting that Meta can slowly start to revive growth, with comparisons becoming easier after a weak year in 2022 and newer products beginning to show better traction. The company continues pushing its TikTok-like Reels short-form video service, and finance chief Susan Li told analysts on Wednesday's earnings call that the offering is "on track to becoming neutral to revenue by end of year, early next year." Reels currently monetizes at a slower pace than older and more established products like the news feed and Stories. Meta is figuring out how to better generate revenue from Reels and, at the same time, could be benefiting as TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, faces heavy scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers, with many of them trying to ban the app. Analysts at Mizuho Securities pointed to improved ad pricing as a significant catalyst for Meta, driven by Reels and messaging. "With better monetization, additional room for cost efficiency, and increased scrutiny of TikTok, we continue to like the setup for FY23," wrote the analysts, who recommend buying the stock. Piper Sandler analysts, who also have a buy rating on the stock, said Meta is in a favorable revenue position for the rest of the year. They noted that "user growth remains strong" and said the business can keep expanding even with lower headcount. "Meta successfully 'passed the baton' from cost cuts to revenue re-acceleration," the analysts wrote. As for Meta's pivot to the nascent virtual world of the metaverse, the project continues to bleed cash. The Reality Labs division, responsible for developing software and hardware for the metaverse, lost $3.99 billion in the first quarter after losing $13.72 billion in 2022. But there's enthusiasm brewing for another growth market: artificial intelligence. Zuckerberg repeatedly emphasized his company's investments in generative AI, which has been popularized by the text-generating ChatGPT tool developed by Microsoft -backed OpenAI. Bank of America analysts said in a report that the buildout of an AI ecosystem could bolster Meta's stock multiple. "From a business perspective Meta outlined opportunities for AI enabled ad content creation and automated customer service using Meta's messaging platforms," wrote the analysts, who have a buy rating on the stock. "Multi-year AI driven platform retention could help multiple expansion, as terminal value uncertainty has weighed on valuation." Watch: Meta's earnings reflect one of the best turnaround of all time. Growth in China advertising spend helped lift the company's first-quarter numbers, with Chief Financial Officer Susan Li telling analysts the bump "was due in part to dropping shipping costs and easing Covid lockdown for those advertisers." The company reported strong results Wednesday, posting a beat on the top and bottom lines. Meta reported first-quarter earnings per share of $2.20, beating the consensus estimate of $2.03, and revenue of $28.65 billion versus the $27.65 billion expected by analysts. Meta shares gained more than 14% on Thursday, touching a new 52-week high, as analysts and investors digested positive guidance for the upcoming fiscal quarter and an unexpected sales increase for the first quarter of 2023. Mark Zuckerberg told the world in October 2021 that he was rebranding Facebook to Meta as the company pushes toward the metaverse. Meta's rally was also driven by optimistic guidance for the current quarter. The company expects second-quarter revenue to land between $29.5 billion and $32 billion. As with other large-cap tech companies, analysts expect that artificial intelligence will be a positive point for Meta. "Developing more open source models (including LLMs) and helping create an open ecosystem is another area of focus as an open ecosystem should enable META to stay at the forefront and drive infrastructure efficiency over time," Morgan Stanley's Brian Nowak wrote Thursday, referring to large language models used for artificial intelligence. Morgan Stanley holds an overweight rating for Meta and upped its price target from $250 to $300. JPMorgan analyst Doug Anmuth said in a Thursday note that the earnings show the company's commitment to cost discipline while driving accelerating near-term revenue growth, all while the firm invests in artificial intelligence and the metaverse. JPMorgan reiterated its overweight rating and upped its price target for Meta from $270 to $305. Meta shares are up 74% year to date. CNBC's Jonathan Vanian and Michael Bloom contributed to this report. U.S. Republican presidential candidate and former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley arrives to deliver a campaign policy speech on abortion in Arlington, Virginia, U.S. April 25, 2023. Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said Wednesday that President Joe Biden, 80, will likely die within five years and that his supporters would have to count on Vice President Kamala Harris if he were to win re-election next year. "He announced that he's running again in 2024, and I think that we can all be very clear and say with a matter of fact that if you vote for Joe Biden you really are counting on a President Harris, because the idea that he would make it until 86 years old is not something that I think is likely," Haley, 51, said in an interview on Fox News. Biden officially announced his re-election campaign Tuesday with a video that took aim at "MAGA" Republicans, referring to Trump's 2016 campaign slogan "Make America Great Again." Haley has framed her presidential bid around a "new generation" of leadership. In a speech launching her campaign, she suggested that politicians over 75 be required to take a mental competency test a proposal that first lady Jill Biden slammed as "ridiculous." Her latest remarks come as Biden, the oldest president in U.S. history, works to combat concerns about his age heading into 2024. Republicans are weighing how far to push the issue in the campaign without alienating older Americans who tend to be dependable voters. White House aides have also made efforts to demonstrate that the president is active and fit. The video announcing Biden's re-election campaign shows him jogging in his suit jacket. The White House has also produced a spreadsheet showing Biden's rigorous travel schedule through the four months of the year, which surpasses that of then-President Barack Obama at a comparable period in the 2012 campaign. "And with regard to age, I can't even say I guess how old I am, I can't even say the number," Biden said Wednesday at a joint news conference with his South Korean counterpart, Yoon Suk Yeol. "It doesn't register with me. I took a hard look at it before I decided to run. And I feel good." Biden had previously dismissed concerns about his age, responding "watch me" when asked about his fitness for office. BP, which was one of the first energy giants to announce an ambition to cut emissions to net zero "by 2050 or sooner," has urged shareholders to oppose the resolution put forward by Follow This. BP is bracing itself for a shareholder revolt at its annual general meeting on Thursday some of the U.K.'s biggest pension funds are planning to ratchet up the pressure on the oil major after it rolled back its emission reduction targets in the wake of record profits. Dutch group Follow This, a small activist investor and campaign group with stakes in several Big Oil companies, has tabled a resolution at BP's shareholder meeting. It calls on the energy giant to align its climate targets with the landmark Paris climate accord and commit to absolute carbon emissions cuts by 2030. Those emissions cuts, Follow This says, should include emissions generated by customers' use of their oil and gas, known as Scope 3 emissions. The National Employment Savings Trust, the U.K.'s largest pension fund, the Universities Superannuation Scheme, Border to Coast and Britain's Local Authority Pension Fund Forum have all indicated they will support the resolution. Meanwhile, a separate shareholder rebellion could see some pension funds vote against the reappointment of chairman Helge Lund in response to the firm's move to scale back its green pledges without shareholder consent. A spokesperson for BP did not respond to a CNBC request for comment. Follow This says it expects BP's annual general meeting to be a "contentious" one, warning investors will be "rightfully concerned" about BP dialing back its climate strategy amid an ever-worsening climate crisis. "We trust that investors who hoped that voting was not necessary in 2022, now realise that voting is crucial to compel BP to align with Paris," Mark van Baal, founder of Follow This, said ahead of BP's annual general meeting. "Paris-aligned voting has to regain momentum in 2023." BP, which was one of the first energy giants to announce an ambition to cut emissions to net zero "by 2050 or sooner," has urged shareholders to oppose the resolution put forward by Follow This, saying it encroaches on the board's responsibility and accountability for the firm's strategy. It also described the resolution as "unclear," "simplistic" and "disruptive." Proxy advisors ISS and Glass Lewis have recommended that shareholders of BP vote against the resolution tabled by Follow This. So, too, has Norway's $1.4 trillion sovereign wealth fund, Reuters reported last week. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler, testifies before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee during an oversight hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, September 15, 2022. SEC Chairman Gary Gensler has a message for Coinbase and other crypto exchanges: The rules are clear, and they must be obeyed. In a video posted on Twitter on Thursday, Gensler said that crypto exchanges must treat cryptocurrencies like securities and stop acting as if the regulations are ambiguous. "The law is clear," Gensler said. "If you're a securities exchange, clearinghouse, broker, or dealer, you must come into compliance, register with us, and deal with conflicts of interest and disclose important information. For 90 years, these laws have helped protect investors like you." The regulator's comments come days after crypto exchange Coinbase sued the SEC, asking that the agency be forced to publicly share its answer to a months-old petition on whether it would allow the crypto industry to be regulated using existing SEC frameworks. Coinbase, which received a Wells notice in March indicating an enforcement action could be expected, has been arguing that the SEC has been inconsistent in how it treats cryptocurrencies and that the industry needs regulatory clarity. Since January, the SEC has taken action against crypto exchanges Bittrex & Gemini, crypto lender Genesis, and a number of individual actors accused of manipulating crypto assets, including crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun and disgraced Terraform Labs founder Do Kwon. Gensler titled his video on Thursday, "Office Hours," and tried to make the point that what crypto exchanges are doing is very obviously marketing and selling securities, even if the debate on the topic has been obscured. "An investment contract exists when you invest money in a common enterprise with a reasonable expectation of profits to be derived from the efforts of others," Gensler said. "Intermediaries for investment contracts, whether they're exchanges, brokers, dealers, clearinghouses, they need to comply with the securities laws and register with the Securities and Exchange Commission." Gensler said that by not complying with SEC regulations, the platforms "don't have basic investor protections," which is leading to clients being unable to access their funds when there are problems, including bankruptcies. WATCH: Sell-off hits bitcoin A bird flies by in the foreground as a Southwest Airlines jet comes in for a landing at McCarran International Airport on May 25, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Southwest Airlines lost $159 million in the first quarter as the financial impact of its holiday meltdown stretched well into 2023. The carrier canceled more than 16,000 flights in the final days of December when staffing software couldn't keep pace with scheduling changes during coast-to-coast storms. The incident resulted in a $325 million revenue impact for the first quarter, Southwest said. The company had warned of a loss for the quarter in January and said it logged an increase in customer cancellations early this year. Southwest shares were down more than 3% in afternoon trading after releasing results. Here's how Southwest performed in the first quarter, compared with Wall Street expectations according to Refinitiv consensus estimates: Adjusted loss per share: 27 cents vs an expected loss of 23 cents. 27 cents vs an expected loss of 23 cents. Total revenue: $5.71 billion vs an expected $5.73 billion. Revenue rose more than 21% from a year ago to $5.71 billion. Southwest's net loss for the period of $159 million is likewise an improvement over the same period last year, when it lost $278 million. The Dallas-based carrier said it expects revenue headwinds into the second quarter but said it expects a profit for the three months ending June 30. Revenue per available seat mile, a measure of how much an airline is generating for how much it flies, is expected to be down 8% to 11% in the second quarter from last year, with capacity up 14%, Southwest said. The carrier said its sales outlook was impacted by about $300 million "breakage revenue" because of a "higher-than-normal amount related to flight credits issued during the pandemic that were set to expire unused." Southwest said it eliminated expiration dates on flight credits last summer. Southwest expects second-quarter costs, excluding fuel, to be up 5% to 8%, a cost outlook that includes wage accruals for labor contracts that are currently under negotiation, including for its pilots and flight attendants. Southwest Airlines is reducing its hiring targets for this year because of delays in new aircraft from Boeing , the carrier's CEO Bob Jordan said Thursday. The Dallas-based airline expects to receive just 70 new 737 Max planes from Boeing this year, down from a previous forecast of 90, which will reduce its capacity growth plans by one percentage point, Southwest said in quarterly filing. Southwest is one of Boeing's best customers and operates a fleet of all 737s. It has orders for 564 Boeing 737 Max planes through the end of the decade, according to the quarterly report. Those aircraft are more fuel-efficient and will both replace older jets and help the company grow. Jordan told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" following its quarterly report that the company planned to add a net 7,000 people to its staff this year, but will now have to "moderate" its targets. The company didn't respond to a request to elaborate on how much it will need to reduce its hiring plans. Harley-Davidson motorcycles are displayed for sale at the Cowboy Harley-Davidson dealership on February 02, 2023 in Austin, Texas. Check out the companies making headlines before the bell: Meta Platforms Shares jumped 12% after the Facebook parent surpassed Wall Street's expectations on the top and bottom lines and issued optimistic guidance. Meta Platforms posted its first sales increase in about a year. Teladoc Health The telemedicine company saw its stock soar more than 7% after revenue topped analyst estimates in the latest quarter. The company also raised the low end of its revenue and adjusted EBITDA guidance, although it posted a wider-than-anticipated loss in the latest quarter. DA Davidson cited stable results and increasing confidence after Teladoc's earnings. Harley-Davidson Harley-Davidson jumped 4.4% after the motorcycle maker topped earnings and revenue expectations, according to consensus estimates from Refinitiv. HOG reported first quarter earnings of $2.04 per share versus an estimate of $1.39, on revenues of $1.56 billion that were above the consensus $1.36 billion. First Republic Bank The San Francisco-based lender rose 3% premarket after tumbling nearly 30% during Wednesday's session. The slide came as the bank looked for a potential rescue deal. KLA Corporation The semiconductor equipment maker added 3% after KLA's latest fiscal third quarter results beat estimates on the top and bottom lines, according to consensus estimates from FactSet. Ebay The e-commerce platform jumped 3% after first-quarter earnings and revenue topped expectations, and it issued better-than-expected guidance. Ebay reported earnings of $1.11 per share, better than analysts' $1.07 consensus, on revenue of $2.51 billion that was above Wall Street's $2.48 billion estimate. Eli Lilly and Company Shares of the Indianapolis-based drugmaker rose more than 3% after it reported higher-than-expected revenue for the first quarter and raised its full-year guidance on both the top and bottom lines. Lilly generated $6.96 billion in revenue, topping the $6.86 billion expected by analysts, according to Refinitiv. Adjusted earnings per share, however, came in 11 cents below estimates at $1.62. Southwest Airlines The Dallas-based carrier saw its shares slide 4% after posting a wider-than-expected loss for the first quarter as a result of its holiday crisis, when it canceled more than 16,000 flights in late December. The incident resulted in a $325 million revenue impact for the first quarter, Southwest said. Roku Shares climbed 1.8% after Roku's first-quarter revenue beat expectations, and it issued second-quarter revenue guidance beyond what Wall Street was anticipating. The TV streaming platform said latest quarter revenue came in at $741 million, far better than the $708.5 million consensus estimate, according to Refinitiv. Roku issued second-quarter revenue guidance of $770 million, better than analysts' consensus of $768 million. Otherwise, Roku slightly missed earnings expectations in the quarter just ended, losing $1.38 per share compared to forecasts for a loss of $1.37 per share. Honeywell International Honeywell advanced 1.8% after surpassing earnings and revenue expectations in its latest quarter. The conglomerate reported first quarter earnings of $2.07 per share ex-items, better than Wall Street's $1.93, on revenues of $8.86 billion that topped the consensus of $8.52 billion. American Airlines The Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier rose 0.4% premarket after posting first-quarter earnings that matched estimates, though revenue missed expectations. American posted first quarter earnings of $0.05 per share ex-items, in line with Wall Street, on revenues of $12.19 billion that compared with analysts' $12.20 billion. Merck & Co. The New Jersey-based pharmaceutical maker advanced about 1.5% after topping estimates in its most recent quarter. Merck reported first quarter earnings of $1.40 per share ex-items, better than analysts' $1.32 estimate, on revenues of $14.49 billion that topped the consensus $13.78 billion, according to Refinitiv. Northrop Grumman The defense contractor rose 1.6% after first quarter earnings of $5.50 a share ex-items topped analysts' $5.09 estimate, according to Refinitiv, while revenue of $9.3 billion was above the consensus of $9.173 billion. Caterpillar The construction-equipment maker earned an adjusted $4.91 a share last quarter, above the $3.78 that was expected, according to the Refinitiv consensus, on revenue of $15.86 billion versus an estimate of $15.255 billion. Caterpillar shares dipped 0.1% in early trading. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Bristol Myers posted earnings of $2.05 per share ex-items in the latest quarter, better than forecasts for $1.97 per share, according to Refinitiv. Revenue of $11.34 billion missed expectations of $11.49 billion. The stock gained 0.1% premarket. Comcast Shares of the media conglomerate rose 3.5% premarket trading after it posted better-than-expected earnings in the first quarter, according to Refinitiv, despite losses at the Peacock streaming service and a drop in residential broadband subscribers. Comcast owns NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC. ServiceNow Shares declined 1.1% premarket after a 17% runup year-to-date entering its latest earnings. The cloud computing provider earned of $2.37 per share ex-items in the latest quarter, better than Wall Street's $2.04, on revenue of $2.10 billion versus analysts' consensus of $2.08 billion, according to Refinitiv. Disclosure: Comcast owns NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC. CNBC's Yun Li, Tanaya Macheel, Jesse Pound and Samantha Subin contributed reporting. The S & P 500 is "supported" by just seven mega-cap tech stocks right now and it's starting to look a lot like the 1990s tech bubble, one analyst told CNBC on Wednesday. "The S & P 500 [is being] supported by a few expensive mega cap techs," said Eric Lynch, managing director of Scharf Investments. Seven companies Apple , Microsoft , Nvidia , Meta , Tesla , Amazon and Alphabet account for 95% of the S & P 500's total return in the first quarter, he noted. "To us this looks a lot like the tech bubble in 1990s when tech gave the world massive outperformance over value, over mid cap small caps, international stocks," he told CNBC's " Street Signs Asia. " "Effectively, once the bubble burst there were all these asset classes that had really attractive valuations." Though Lynch said that doesn't necessarily mean history is going to repeat itself, he added that valuations are as they were then a lot more attractive outside of the growth stocks. "What's interesting is international stocks are much cheaper," he said. Stock picks Lynch named three stocks he said are cheap right now. Two of them are Asian stocks: Chinese search engine giant Baidu and Japanese conglomerate Sony . He said Baidu is "so darn cheap" and will benefit from China's reopening and the artificial intelligence trend. "They already had strong physical search capabilities, the cloud artificial intelligence business, the autonomous driving standard for China, all sorts of research and development that is finally monetizing, and a percentage of the revenues outside of digital search is expanding," Lynch said. "So for all those reasons, it's got some growth metrics." Sony is another stock he also said "trades very cheaply." Lynch said it's a good sign that Microsoft offered Sony a 10-year contract to make each new release of Call of Duty available on Sony's PlayStation console at the same time as the U.S. giant's Xbox. "I think investors are really ignoring the tremendous business that's grown in the last several years on their music publishing assets They're making tremendous progress on that," he said. Finally, Lynch named American drug distributor McKesson as his third stock pick, saying it's in the "top one percentile earnings predictability in a recession." TotalEnergies said its first-quarter adjusted net income fell 27% to $6.5 billion - in line with analyst expectations - due to lower oil and gas prices. French oil and gas major TotalEnergies said on Thursday it had accepted an offer to sell its carbon-heavy Canadian oil sands operations to Suncor Energy for $4.1 billion, with potential additional payments of up to $450 million. The company had initially planned to spin off the business but said the sale to Suncor would be a more straightforward transaction and the price tag was comparable to its own valuations for a listing of the business. Taking into account proceeds from the sale, which should close by the end of the third quarter, it plans to distribute at least 40% of the cash flow generate this year to shareholders, either through a share buyback or special dividend. TotalEnergies said its first-quarter adjusted net income fell 27% to $6.5 billion - in line with analyst expectations - due to lower oil and gas prices. The company is sticking with plans for a share buyback of up to $2 billion in the second quarter, as it did in the first three months of the year. It confirmed it expected net investments of $16-18 billion this year, including $5 billion for low-carbon energies. The company, which saw European refining capacity hampered by French strikes in the first quarter, anticipates its facilities will ramp back up above 80% with the end of the protests. But the margins on refining diesel will drop as Chinese exports increase and Russian volumes find new global buyers. TotalEnergies also expects its gas production and sales to increase as projects start up in Oman and Norway, and as a major U.S. liquefied natural gas export terminal comes back online. US journalist Evan Gershkovich, arrested on espionage charges, stands inside a defendants' cage before a hearing to consider an appeal on his arrest at the Moscow City Court in Moscow on April 18, 2023. Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it had rejected a request from the U.S. embassy to visit detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in response to Washington's refusal to grant visas to a group of Russian journalists. The ministry said it had summoned a senior U.S. diplomat to hand over a formal note of protest against a decision by the United States to not grant visas to a group of Russian journalists meant to accompany Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to the United Nations in New York this week. Gershkovich, the U.S. reporter, was arrested last month and accused by Russia of espionage, a charge he has denied. The United States has designated him as wrongfully detained. Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement that it had rejected a U.S. request to pay him a consular visit on May 11. It said it was considering other retaliatory measures against Washington over the U.N. visa snub, something which Lavrov said at the time Moscow would neither forgive not forget. Moscow was particularly angered by the U.S. move because it was its turn to chair the U.N. Security Council. "It was particularly emphasised (to the U.S. diplomat) that such sabotage, intended to prevent normal journalistic work, would not go unanswered," the foreign ministry said in its statement. Reuters US journalist Evan Gershkovich, arrested on espionage charges, stands inside a defendants' cage before a hearing to consider an appeal on his arrest at the Moscow City Court in Moscow on April 18, 2023. WASHINGTON The Biden administration on Thursday announced a first round of sanctions targeting Russia and Iran for engaging in hostage-taking and the wrongful detention of U.S. citizens abroad. The U.S. sanctions take aim at Russia's Federal Security Service, often known as the FSB, and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Intelligence Organization, or IRGC-IO, for "being responsible for or complicit in, directly or indirectly engaged in or responsible for ordering, controlling or otherwise directing the wrongful detention of a U.S. national abroad." Two senior administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity per ground rules established by the White House, said Thursday's sanctions were underway before Russian authorities detained American citizen Evan Gershkovich last month. Gershkovich, a journalist for The Wall Street Journal, was arrested in late March on allegations of espionage. The State Department has formally moved to declare Gershkovich's detention a wrongful one, which opens up additional resources to secure his release. The Biden administration and leadership at The Wall Street Journal have denied Russian claims that Gershkovich is a spy. The administration has identified at least two American citizens who are wrongfully detained in Russia and three in Iran, along with one legal permanent U.S. resident. One administration official said relevant families were briefed on the new sanctions ahead of Thursday's announcement. The Department of Treasury also announced sanctions on the following individuals in Iran: Ruhollah Bazghandi, an IRGC-IO counterintelligence official, has been involved in the detention of foreign prisoners held in Iran. The department says his work for the IRGC-IO includes assassination plots against journalists, Israeli citizens and others deemed enemies of Iran. Mohammad Kazemi, commander of the IRGC-IO, oversees operations suppressing civil society in Iran, including the regime's crackdown against protests across the country in response to the killing of Mahsa Amini, according to the department. He was previously designated by the Office of Foreign Assets Control in October. Mohamad Mehdi Sayyari, co-deputy chief of the IRGC-IO, has been directly involved in arranging logistics for prisoners in Iran. Mohammad Hasan Mohagheghi, co-deputy chief of the IRGC-IO, serves as a liaison between senior IRGC officials and IRGC-IO officials on counterespionage operations in Syria, the department said. "Our action is a warning to those around the world who would wrongfully detain U.S. nationals, the potential consequences of their actions," a senior administration official said on a call with reporters. "These actors in Russia and Iran have tried to use Americans for political leverage or to seek concessions from the United States. These actions threaten the stability and integrity of the international political system. It also threatens the safety of U.S. nationals and other persons abroad," the person added. "Sanctions are meant to change behavior and to incentivize better behavior and we hope that these can contribute to doing that now and into the future," the second official said. "More than 98 percent of the combat vehicles promised to Ukraine have already been delivered. That means over 1,550 armoured vehicles, 230 tanks, and other equipment, including vast amounts of ammunition," Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels. NATO allies and partners have delivered almost all their promised combat vehicles to Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday. "More than 98 percent of the combat vehicles promised to Ukraine have already been delivered. That means over 1,550 armoured vehicles, 230 tanks, and other equipment, including vast amounts of ammunition," he told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 27) The newly-formed Manila International Airport Consortium (MIAC) has proposed to the national government a series of upgrades to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) valued at over 100 billion, Alliance Global Inc. (AGI) said Thursday. The MIAC consists of six conglomerates: Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc., AC Infrastructure Holdings Corporation, Asia's Emerging Dragon Corporation, Alliance Global Infracorp Development, Inc., Filinvest Development Corporation, and the JG Summit Infrastructure Holdings Corporation. MIAC also includes the partnership of US-based investment firm Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). "We envision a truly world-class airport befitting the beauty of the Philippines: one where congestion, reliability issues, and unpleasant passenger experiences will become things of the past," MIAC Director Kevin Tan said. In line with the government's Build, Better, More initiative, proposal entails an upfront payment to the Philippine government and committed investments to NAIA's facilities and technologies in a bid to transform the facility into a world-class airport. If enacted, the proposed upgrades to NAIA could allow the airport to serve up to 62.5 million passengers per annum, more than double its current capacity of 31 million per annum, the MIAC said. "We submit this proposal united in the belief that our gateway to the world needs to represent the best of who we are as Filipinos. Passing through our international gateway should be a seamless experience. We want the first thing that locals and foreigners alike see, when they arrive in the Philippines, to be a source of pride for all Filipinos," MIAC Director Josephine Yap said. According to AGI's statement, the members of the MIAC have previously owned and operated the Mactan-Cebu, Clark, London Gatwick, Edinburgh, London City and Sydney airports. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 27) More than 400 Filipinos have already been evacuated from conflict-torn Sudan amid the three-day ceasefire declared on Tuesday, Malacanang said. In a report released on Thursday, of the 409 evacuated Filipinos, 335 overseas Filipinos workers (OFWs) along with their families left Khartoum on Wednesday for Egypt via Wadi Halfa Highway. READ: DFA: Over 300 more Filipinos being evacuated from Sudan Malacanang also said another 35 OFWs and 15 students were evacuated to Egypt with the help of Filipinos in Sudan and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). Meanwhile, DMW Secretary Susan Ople told CNN Philippines that the agency is putting up "welfare stations" in Egypt for the Filipinos who crossed the borders. "The OFWs who crossed the border will be given temporary shelter, food and basic essentials, and a financial aid of $200," Ople said during the interview. Ople added that the Department of National Defense (DND) is planning to send a team to help with the "security assessment." "They're (DND) also sending a team to help kasi alam naman natin may security dimension din ito and nakikipag-ugnayan sila with the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs)," Ople said. [Translation: They're also sending a team to help because we know that there's also a security dimension and DND is coordinating with the DFA.] "I think sa mga security assessment (ang DND makakatulong) pero kung makakapasok ba sila on the ground, may visa requirements eh, so I don't know," she added. [Translation: I think DND will help in the security assessment, but I don't know if they can enter the ground since it has visa requirements.] The DND is also coordinating with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) for the repositioning of the defense attache from the United Arab Emirates and Israel to help the Philippine Embassy in Cairo evacuate Filipinos from Sudan. The DFA earlier raised the crisis status in Sudan to Alert Level 3 due to the ongoing conflict in the country. CNN Philippines correspondent Tristan Nodalo contributed to this story. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 27) Senior Deputy Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is proposing a K+10+2 basic education program to replace the current K to 12 curriculum which, she claims, has failed to attain its goal of producing job-ready students. Based on House Bill No. 7893, the proposed measure will still cover kindergarten and 10 years of basic education. But after graduating, students have the option to take up two additional years of post-secondary or pre-university education to prepare them for professional degree studies. In a country like the Philippines where the poverty incidence is 18%, there should be an option for the young to graduate from basic education soonest, after four years of high school, so that they can help their parents in their farms or micro-businesses, Arroyo said in her explanatory note. She noted that if students want to pursue tertiary education, they can prepare themselves through the two-year post-secondary or pre-university program after high school to enhance their chances of succeeding in college or university and onward to professional licensure. Speaking to CNN Philippines The Source, Rep. Roman Romulo, chairman of the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture, welcomed the bill, but said lawmakers still want to clarify matters. What happens if you graduate fourth year high school and then suddenly you want to proceed to college? Can you proceed to college or must you take (the last two years)? These are the things that must be clarified, he noted. Romulo said the measure may still be reconciled with the existing curriculum since both want a two-year preparation for students before going to college. The Department of Education earlier said it was given a year to review the K to 12 curriculum as it eyes improvements in the program. Romulo said he believes the current K to 12 program is not producing job-ready graduates, thus adjustments have to be made. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 27) A Chinese vessel transporting 55,000 metric tons of nickel ore to China ran aground off the coast of Guiuan, Eastern Samar last week, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported on Thursday. It ran aground 2.7 nautical miles off Barangay Sulangan in Guiuan town at 6:10 p.m. on April 18. The ship with 20 Chinese crewmen aboard was carrying nickel ore from Homonhon Island, Eastern Samar to Caofeidian in China, the report said. The affected local government unit, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the PCG conducted an ocular inspection on the site on April 19. The PCG, citing the crewmen, said the ship was not damaged and did not leak any of its contents into the surrounding waters. The agency also said its Marine Environmental Protection Unit conducted a surface assessment and did not detect any traces of oil spill. On April 22, the PCG launched a marine casualty investigation with the vessel's captain, Jiang Shangjun. A salvage team from Singapore is also set to conduct operations on the grounded vessel to transfer its cargo to a barge, while the PCG's Sub-Station Guiuan will supervise to prevent possible oil spill. The DENRs Environmental Management Bureau will also evaluate the corals in the vicinity of the grounding to assess any damage to marine life. Last January, the PCG rescued Chinese crewmen near Guiuan after the hull of their fishing vessel, KAI DA 899, was damaged. The crewmen turned out to be suspects in China. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 27) Health officials on Thursday launched a national immunization campaign with the goal to provide necessary vaccines against measles, rubella, and polio after children missed out on these due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Citing UNICEF, the Department of Health (DOH) said around 67 million children worldwide missed out on these routine vaccines between 2019 and 2021. "This ranks the Philippines second (2nd) to the highest number of children with zero doses in East Asia and the Pacific Region, and fourth (4th) in the world. From January 1 to March 18, 2023, the DOH has already recorded 225 cases, a 369 percent increase from the same period last year," the statement read. "Chikiting Ligtas 2023" was launched by the DOH along with the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF in San Juan City. "The DOH is currently mobilizing the full weight of its financial and human resources, allocating funds for Centers for Health Development's hiring of vaccinators, risk communications and advocacy activities, and delivery of vaccines and other supplies," the department said. WHO and UNICEF, meanwhile, will provide support by assisting in the procurement of vaccines and the deployment of additional staff, among others. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 27) Some overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) shared their harrowing experience after evacuating the Sudanese capital of Khartoum to reach the Sudan-Egypt border on Thursday. In an interview with CNN Philippines, OFW John Emil Deza and Manolo Buenviaje said their bus driver suddenly stopped in a desert area while enroute to the Egyptian border. Deza said the bus drivers action caused panic among exhausted passengers, especially those with children. Ayaw po bumiyahe ng bus na ni-rent po para sa amin dahil hindi pa rin po nababayaran. Parang ginawa kaming hostage at hindi raw po sila aalis hanggat hindi sila fully paid, Deza said. [Translation: Our bus driver did not want to push through with the trip unless it is fully paid. We felt like we're being hostaged so that they can demand their money.] Buenviaje said the Philippine honorary consul in Sudan already made arrangements with the driver including the completion of payments once the trip was over. They were surprised when the driver suddenly stopped in a deserted area, an hour away from the actual destination. Tumigil po kami sa disyerto ng mga limang oras. Nagkaroon ng pag-uusap hanggang sa pumayag na ang driver. Mahirap lang po kasi nagtiis kami sa initan, kawawa po talaga ang mga bata, sanggol at babae dahil wala kaming masisilungan, he added. [Translation: We stopped in a desert for five hours. There were negotiations made until the driver finally agreed to go on with the trip. Its unfortunate because children, babies and women suffered from the situation and theres nowhere to take shelter from the extreme heat.] Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople said they have received similar reports from Filipinos from Sudan, and already cascaded it to the Philippine Embassy in Egypt which is facilitating the repatriation process. Tawag ko nga tulisan mode dahil alam ng bus drivers at owners na desperate unang transaction nasa $8,000 per bus. Ngayon, nasa $30,000 per bus yung iba gusto pa dadagan bago ibaba ang workers, Ople told CNN Philippines in a separate interview. [Translation: Some people are taking advantage of the desperate situation. For the bus drivers and owners, the initial transaction was at $8,000 per bus and then they changed it to $30,000 some of them even want to ask for more money before they drop off our workers.] Ople is now in Egypt to personally oversee the evacuation and repatriation of Filipinos from Sudan. We will be giving temporary shelter, food, financial aid na $200 dollars each, so ise-set up namin yung welfare stations namin especially for the women na may mga kasamang mga bata, she added. [Translation: We will be giving temporary shelter, food and financial aid amounting to $200. We will also set up welfare stations especially for women with children.] Issue resolved Meanwhile, Philippine Ambassador to Egypt Ezzedin Tago clarified that it was an isolated incident, and that the issue has already been resolved. Our consul had already made prearranged agreements with them, including also mode of payment. I think there was an instance only once yesterday. But that was resolved, Tago told CNN Philippines News Night on the same day. Tago added that the embassy has shouldered the entry and exit visa fees of Filipinos crossing the border, and has also assisted with the issuance of their other travel documents. He also thanked the Egyptian government for helping his countrymen. The good news is they are on safer grounds, Tago noted. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 27) A lawmaker on Thursday said improvements have to be put in place in the K to 12 curriculum as it is not attaining its goal of producing job-ready Filipinos. Speaking to CNN Philippines' The Source, House Committee on Basic Education and Culture chairperson Roman Romulo said K to 12 is not working. Based on surveys, industry employers are saying 'soft skills' are not there that is why we have to adjust, he added. He also cited a study by the World Bank that revealed a problem on comprehension among Filipinos up to age 10. The World Bank study says that prior to the pandemic there was already a problem, but the pandemic itself, based on their estimate, made it grow that is why they were saying that a large percentage of Filipinos by 10 years old really dont know how to comprehend that is why weve been saying lets go back to reading, reading, reading, he said. A 2021 study by the World Bank revealed that the Philippines has 90% learning poverty, which it defines as the rate of children being unable to read by the age of 10. To further improve the curriculum, Romulo said he supports the proposal of the Department of Education (DepEd) to merge arts, physical education, and social studies into one subject for Grades 1 to 3. The lawmaker noted students in the said level currently have seven to eight subjects. Now that they have this proposal to limit it to five subjects from seven or eight, that is for me is a welcome thing. I think they are focusing on functional literacy and mathematics, he added. The DepEd said in February that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. gave the department a year to review the K to 12 curriculum as it aims to revise the program amid issues surrounding the education sector. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 27) A lawmaker on Thursday said authorities should carefully analyze data before deciding on whether to revert to the old school calendar amid the hot weather that is causing a challenge in students learning. It has to be data-based, lets study if its better to retain it now based on continuity of learning and health instead of just making a knee-jerk decision saying balik na natin (let's return it), its too hot, House Committee on Basic Education and Culture chairperson Roman Romulo told CNN Philippines The Source. On Monday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the government is studying the call to return to the June-to-March academic year as the hot season becomes a hurdle for learning. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has said he agrees to the need to return to the old school calendar following the hospitalization of several students of the Gulod National High School-Mamatid Extension in Cabuyao, Laguna in March. They experienced dehydration and heat exhaustion after participating in a surprise fire drill in the afternoon heat. Department of Education (DepEd) spokesman Michael Poa said early-April that the agency will form a group to study the proposal. For now, school heads were authorized to implement alternative learning modes amid the hot weather, he added. Based on the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration forecast, the heat index for some parts of the country may reach over 40C on Thursday, and as high as 42C on Friday. If the government decides to revert the school calendar, Romulo said the transition must be smooth. "If they decide to revert based on data, it must be a smooth transition," he said. "Whatever they choose there will be challenges so at the end of the day we have to get everyone on board." He suggested ways to protect students and teachers from the scorching heat, including avoiding outdoor events for now. The DepEd can also order changes in school uniforms to adapt to the weather, he said. School authorities, teachers, and parents should work together in determining their alert levels on when is it safe to hold in-person classes, he added. Romulo said he also supports adjusting or shortening class hours during the summer. The Teachers Dignity Coalition earlier made a similar proposal to lessen the impact of the hot weather on students and teachers. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 27) The Kabataan Party-list on Thursday decried the suggested training fees for the proposed mandatory Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) amid protests on impending increases in tuition and other school costs. "These mandatory fees will keep more students out given impending tuition and other fee increase across private universities, said Renee Louise Co, Kabataan Party-list Executive Vice President. The deadline for schools to apply for an increase in tuition and other fees is on Friday. Under Section 19 of Senate Bill 2034, training fees for ROTC will be charged "not more than fifty percent (50%) of the tuition per academic unit or subject, for those not covered by the Free Tuition Law." "The CHED (Commission on Higher Education), TESDA (Technical Education And Skills Development Authority) and DND (Department of National Defense) shall determine the reasonable distribution of the fees," the Senate bill read. It added that the collated fees will be allocated among the Higher Education Institutions, Technical-Vocational Institutions and DND to "cover the cost of training and related expenses." "Doble gastos, doble pagod at doble abuso ang dulot ng mandatory ROTC," Co said. [Translation: The mandatory ROTC only doubles expenses, exhaustion, and abuse.] Instead of pushing for the mandatory ROTC, Co called on the government to improve the implementation of the Free Tuition Law. The law promotes accessible and quality tertiary education by providing free tuition and other fees, as well as subsidy and student loans. Senior Chinese military officer meets with Pakistani army chief Xinhua) 13:47, April 27, 2023 BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, met with Pakistani Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir on Wednesday in Beijing. Noting that China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners and close friends, Zhang said that, no matter how the international situation changes, China always gives Pakistan priority in its neighborhood diplomacy. The Chinese military is willing to work with the Pakistani military to further deepen and expand their pragmatic cooperation and jointly safeguard the common interests of the two countries, as well as regional peace and stability, Zhang said. Acknowledging the deep friendship between the two countries, Munir said the Pakistani side is willing to further strengthen cooperation with the Chinese side in various fields and contribute to international and regional peace and stability. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 28) The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday called the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the National Prosecution Service (NPS) to begin a "full-blown" probe and case build-up on the killing of union leader Alex Dolorosa in Bacolod City. The body of Dolorosa, a labor activist and a paralegal with BPO Industry Employee Network (BIEN), was discovered with 15 stab wounds in a hut at Purok Villa Rosario in Barangay Alijis three days after he was reported missing on April 21. "The Department assures an extensive and full-blown investigation on the murder," the DOJ stated. "To this end, instructions have been cascaded to the NBI and the NPS to begin their investigation and case build-up so that the appropriate criminal cases may be filed in court," it said. According to the department, the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the local government of Bacolod have also been tapped to aid in the investigation. "We appeal to the family and friends of Alex Dolorosa, as well as to the general public who may have information on this unfortunate incident, to come forward and share what they have with the Department," the DOJ added. It assured that the Witness Protection Program has been alerted to protect anyone who "possesses relevant information" and individuals assessed to be eligible will immediately get protective custody. The DOJ also said it "understands the gravity of the violent act" and "strongly condemns in the strongest possible terms" the murder of Dolorosa. Ewout Rijk de Vries and his wife, Jill, brought America Travel Arrangements to Marco Island almost 40 years ago. They specialize on high end small adventure tours and small safari groups for clientele all over the world, but also are experts on high end cruises with the help of longtime assistant and friend, Michelle Wegman. In combination with his writing and photography, Ewout has visited over 90 countries. Please direct your comments or questions to ewout@photodevries.com as he likes to hear from readers. Colorado Politics is published both in print and online. Our website features subscriber-only news stories daily, designed for public policy arena professionals. Member subscribers also receive the weekly print edition of our award-winning newspaper, containing outstanding features and news stories, in their mailboxes every Saturday. University of Colorado at Colorado Springs' theater company will present Annie Baker's "Circle Mirror Transformation" Friday through May 7 at Ent Center for the Arts. The 2009 play by the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright features a cast of five one teacher who presides over her weekly acting class of four students at a Vermont community college. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. George Whit Frey is an Editor and Visual Journalist at The Columbia Missourian, pursuing a Photojournalism major and a minor in East Asian Studies at Mizzou. Initially falling in love with photography after a childhood trip to San Francisco, today, Frey is a working freelance visual journalist and artist who, over the years, has lived in Vermont, Oregon, Missouri, New York City, and Singapore. While Frey's lens is primarily drawn to bustling urban environments, the diversity of humanity is what he enjoys photographing the most. Follow this search Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form SIFAS Festival of Arts 2023: Malaysian dance legend and Odissi exponent Ramli Ibrahim speaks of the inspiration for Jaya Ram Dance is a primarily visual medium of art one has to see it to savour it but what drew the young Ramli Ibrahim to Indian classical dance was the sound. My first introduction to Indian classical dance was when I was a child. I was fascinated with the tintinnabulation of ankle bells as I walked through the alleys where Indian dance classes were being held, said the South Asian dance legend, who was born Malaysian but feels equally Indian, in an interview with Connected to India. Ramli Ibrahim at a 2012 performance. Photo by: Sivarajah Natarajan. Photo courtesy: Ramli Ibrahim Ibrahim has received top cultural honours from the country of his birth and the one he has embraced he is both Datuk Ramli Ibrahim and Padma Shri Ramli Ibrahim for his great service to the performance arts and now he is on the cusp of presenting in Singapore his latest production Jaya Ram, a retelling of the story of the Indian epic Ramayana. Enriched by modernity within the framework of classical Odissi, Jaya Ram, produced by Ibrahims Sutra Foundation, has been co-created with Guru Gajendra Panda, once a fellow disciple of Odissi dance with Ibrahim and now his artistic collaborator. Jaya Ram performance at the Khajuraho temples: Jatayu attacking Ravana in flight. Photo: S Magendran. Photo courtesy: SIFAS The spectacular dance production Jaya Ram is one of the highlight shows of the SIFAS Festival of Arts 2023, which has the theme Kalpana: Exploring the past, Imagining the future. Jaya Ram is being staged at Esplanade Theatres by the Bay on April 28 at 7.30pm. Ramli Ibrahim at the Ajanta Caves, Aurangabad, India, in 2018. Photo: A. Prathap. Photo courtesy: Ramli Ibrahim No Indian classical dance is complete without abhinaya, the fluid facial expressions that complement the dancers steps and mudras (the hand gestures that have a language and grammar of their own). The young Ibrahim felt very attracted to this. He told CtoI, That was in the early 60s. Indian dance was often featured then on television, and I was fascinated with the theatricality of the facial expressions, gestures, and costume. It was the same with Chinese opera, Lion dance or Makyong, which we saw during the different celebrations in Malaysia or Singapore. They stirred something very primal in me. I think my innate sense of rasa was stimulated then. Ibrahim has always felt at home in India because he practically grew up alongside the culture even in Malaysia. The influence of India in this part of the world is quite pervasive and Indian culture has always been part of our lives, he said. Another place he completely identifies with is Indonesia. I regard India as my second home. As much as I love Malaysia, I always said that I should have been born an Indian or Indonesian, as I find myself strongly and psychically attracted to the cultures of both countries, said Ibrahim. When I am in Java or India, I am comfortable with both cultures and would inevitably experience a sense of deja vu. His connection with India was strengthened when he began to learn Indian classical dance under Guru Debaprasad Das, a pioneer guru of Odissi. Ibrahim recalled that Das, along with the great danseuse, Indrani Rehman, pioneered the performance of Odissi across five continents during the 1950s and 60s. Gajendra Panda later became the torchbearer of Das, his foremost disciple, trained in the guru-shishya parampara of India, where the learner lives with the master. Ramli Ibrahim at the Ajanta Caves, Aurangabad, India, in 2018. Photo: A. Prathap. Photo courtesy: Ramli Ibrahim After Guru Debaprasad died in 1986, Gajendra and Ibrahim continued working together, creating a large body of new and original works. They have toured Malaysia and India with live music, and have performed in more than 50 cities of India over the past 40 years. Sutra performs at Indias grand temple complexes Indian classical dance is full of visual splendour in any setting, but the effect is particularly stunning when performed at the grand temple complexes of India. Ibrahims Sutra Foundation has had two such recent breathtaking performances at the Konark temples of Odisha and the Khajuraho temples of Madhya Pradesh. Sutra dancers at the Khajuraho temples. Photo: S Magendran. Photo courtesy: SIFAS I especially love it when we are able to perform within the precinct of an ancient temple or archaeological site, said Ibrahim. Recently, we performed in Konark and Khajuraho, two of the great temples of India, famous for their sensual sculptures. Sutras performances are cross-cultural in nature. Ibrahim said, When we perform Odissi or Bharatanatyam in Malaysia, I feel that we are showing the audience how beautiful the Indian classical dances are, which have now become a part of our culture. When we perform these dances in India, we show the Indians how beautiful and diverse Malaysian culture is. He added, Simultaneously, we send the message that we have embraced Indian culture as part of our own culture. Though we are doing Indian dance, my dancers are unmistakably Malaysians something we cant help but be, and we are proud of that! What we are also saying is that Indian dance has transcended manmade national barriers like yoga, Ayurveda and Bollywood have been embraced by the world. This truly demonstrates the ultimate feat that the soft power of arts and cultural diplomacy can achieve! Indian classical dance intensifies our humanity Beyond the outward beauty of Indian classical dance, there is the inward element rasa that has always drawn Ibrahim. He said, The core aesthetic of traditional Indian culture, which is the concept of rasa, resonated with me from the very beginning. At the highest level, Indian classical dance communes with the enhanced emotional state which celebrates and intensifies our humanity. This is the heightened emotional state or rasa. The Malay language has also embraced this Sanskrit word, which describes the flavour or the various emotions which, we as human beings, universally experience every second of the day. This rasa lends a transcendental quality to Indian classical dance. We define our humanity through our emotions more than any other living being. In Indian dance, this is further distilled, so that the experience of rasa brings us closer to a higher intuitive state. One forgets the mundanity of life and rises into a higher realm of being, where dance becomes yoga, said Ibrahim. Sutra dancers at the Khajuraho temples. Photo: S Magendran. Photo courtesy: SIFAS And, of course, he is attracted to the rhythm of Indian dance he finds it challenging, too. Rhythm is both an emotional and intellectual preoccupation in Indian dance. It is a characteristic that gives Indian dance a unique sense of timelessness. Sutra has cultivated and groomed a number of Chinese dancers The Malaysian-Chinese dancer Tan Mei Mei is one of the principal dancers of the Sutra troupe, and she has played in Jaya Ram the role of the magical swarnamriga (golden deer) that tempts Sita in Ramayana. We asked Ibrahim if Indian classical dance forms had a wide appeal for dancers of other ethnicities from South East Asia. Jaya Ram performance at the Delhi International Arts Festival 2022: Tan Mei Mei as the illusory deer that causes the abduction of Sita. Photo: Innie Singh. Photo courtesy: SIFAS Ibrahim explained that he set up the Sutra Foundation so that our works can be presented in the manner that I consider artistic and aesthetically acceptable. At the same time, our artistic journey is unique, and the legacy of our works can be consolidated and archived. On this journey, a key aspect of Sutras work is identifying outstanding talent. Ibrahim said, Tan Mei Mei is one of several Chinese dancers who have excelled in the Indian classical dance of Odissi. Sutra has cultivated and groomed a number of Chinese dancers who have been recognised as good Odissi dancers. Internationally speaking, solo Indian classical dance genres such as Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Kuchipudi, or Kathak are now being taught all over the world and are being performed regularly by many non-Indian dancers. Indian dance not so far apart from ballet Odissi, of all the Indian classical dance forms, perhaps, has the most graceful, swaying movements, like poetry in motion. It is not known for the vigorous leaps seen in the Sutra choreography. Does this element come from Ibrahims training in ballet? Sutra dancers at the Khajuraho temples. Photo: S Magendran. Photo courtesy: SIFAS He replied, Pirouette was not created by ballet; Indian dance has used it hundreds of years before ballet came into being. Besides pirouette or bhramaris, there are also the different jumps or jetes. Many might even say that we are jumping too perfectly and, therefore, we are influenced by ballet. However, there have always been jumps used in Indian dance. The artiste added that Indian dance and ballet were not so far apart. I have never denied the influence of ballet or even modern dance/theatre concepts in my work, just as Martha Graham, Ted Shawn, and Ruth St. Denis or even the great ballerina Anna Pavlova and [Vaslav] Nijinsky were once influenced and fascinated by Indian dance. Coming to Jaya Ram, he said that the audience would discover many modern concepts used within the ambit of the Odissi tradition. I do believe that modernity can exist within a traditional system to sustain its continued relevance. In fact, great dance innovators like Rukmini Devi or Mrinalini Sarabhai were modernists who functioned with the traditional system of Bharatanatyam and their innovations were accepted and are, at present, entrenched within the tradition, he said. Jaya Ram is inspired by Odisha traditions on Ramayana On several occasions, while performing in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Ibrahim received requests from the event organisers for creating something on Lord Ram. The mythological prince of Ayodhya is worshipped as a deity in India, being an avatar of Vishnu, who embodies the role of the protector in the Hindu religious trinity, along with Brahma (creator) and Maheshwar (destroyer). Jaya Ram performance at the Konark Festival 2022: The ten-headed demon king Ravana, who abducts Sita. Photo: A. Prathap. Photo courtesy: SIFAS Exploring the idea of what exactly that something could be, Ibrahim and Gajendra Panda went back to a conversation with Odia scholar and friend, the late Dinanath Pathy, who had suggested looking at the two folk genres of Ram Leela and Rama Natakam of the culture-rich region of South Odisha or Ganjam as the cultural source material for a production on Ram. The catalyst for the production being staged at the SIFAS Festival 2023 came in 2019, when Sutra was invited to perform at Kumbh Mela, a major pilgrimage in Uttar Pradesh. That year, Kumbh Mela became the largest gathering of humanity that participated in a festival (175 million devotees within a month), recalled Ibrahim. Jaya Ram performance at the Konark Festival 2022: The abduction of Sita. Photo: A. Prathap. Photo courtesy: SIFAS Sutra was requested to present a production themed on Ramayana at the 2019 Kumbh Mela. Unfortunately, we did not have an impactful enough production in our repertoire, themed on Ramayana for this mega event. Eventually, we decided to perform a production based on Krishna, he said. Krishna, too, is an avatar of Vishnu and one of the main characters of the Indian epic Mahabharata. However, the thought of creating a production on Ramayana remained with Ibrahim. He discussed this with Gajendra, and they took up the suggestion of their late dear friend, Pathy, to explore Odisha traditions around Ram. I guess the time was ripe that we did so, and Jaya Ram was conceived! So far, Jaya Ram has been staged in Kuala Lumpur, Kulim, Malacca, and Penang in Malaysia; and has also enthralled audiences in three major dance festivals in India, including Konark, Khajuraho, and the Delhi International Arts Festival. Jaya Ram performance at the Delhi International Arts Festival 2022: Rama and Sita travelling on the aerial chariot back to Ayodhya. Photo: Innie Singh. Photo courtesy: SIFAS As to where his collaboration with Gajendra could take him next, Ibrahim said, Jaya Ram is still fresh from the oven, so to speak, and Gajendra and I have not thought of what we should collaborate on next, as this work still has the potential to reach out to different audiences at other venues. Singapore commutes death penalty for heroin dealer, right after hanging Tangaraju Suppiah in cannabis case In an example of extreme irony, the Singapore Court of Appeal changed the death sentence of a heroin dealer to 10 years in prison on the same day that Singaporean Indian man Tangaraju Suppiah was executed for allegedly abetting in the trafficking of 1kg of marijuana (cannabis), a parcel that he had not even touched. The Singapore Court of Appeal has given death row convict Abdoll Mutaleb Raffik the lighter sentence, even though he was involved in the trafficking of more than 212.5g of pure heroin, much higher than the 15g pure heroin limit above which a convict gets the death penalty. Photo courtesy: Pixabay/QuinceCreative Death row convict Abdoll Mutaleb Raffik, who had trafficked heroin, one of the most addictive substances in the world, will now escape execution as the Singapore Court of Appeal changed his punishment to 10 years imprisonment. The new verdict came yesterday, shortly after Tangaraju Suppiah, a man of Tamil ethnicity, was hanged at Changi prison despite an international outcry and fervent mercy appeals by his family. Also read: Singapore hangs Tangaraju Suppiah in 1kg cannabis case after court dismisses last-ditch review application The dealer had his death sentence commuted on the amended charge for attempted possession of more than 5.5kg of a granular and powdery substance that contained not less than 212.57g of pure heroin. Under Singapore law, importing more than 15g of pure heroin gets one the death penalty. Raffik was one of the three people convicted by the Singapore High Court in 2019 for engaging in a conspiracy to import bundles of heroin into Singapore. He was sentenced to death as the main dealer. His co-accused, Mohd Zaini Zainutdin and Mohd Noor Ismail, were each sentenced to life imprisonment and 15 strokes of the cane, as the court found them to be couriers only and because they had helped the Central Narcotics Bureau with investigations. Yesterday, the Court of Appeal decided that there was insufficient evidence to prove the capital charge against Raffik beyond reasonable doubt. Its James Cordens last week. That sentence alone is music to our ears. The Late Late Show hosts murderers row of celebrity send-offs has seen the likes of Adele, Will Ferrell and the entire Kardashian family all paying respect to Hollywood publicists favorite late-night personality. However, there are a handful of names from the Carpool Karaoke creators wishlist of A-list tributes that are conspicuously missing from the last week lineup. Ahead of tonight's finale, two of Cordens producers spoke to The Hollywood Reporter and revealed a couple of the bucket list guests who they could never book Beyonce and Bruce Springsteen were both targets for Carpool Karaoke segments, but Queen Bey and The Boss preferred to commute in peace. Yesterday, Corden himself told Howard Stern that his ultimate dream guest for Carpool Karaoke has always been Paul Simon, but the Graceland songbird never answered his calls, even during the farewell tour. Regardless of Simons feelings towards Corden, the 53 superstars decision seems prudent hed look pretty silly singing You Can Call Me Al in a booster seat. Play The history of international cyber conflict is remarkably long and storied. The timeline of major cyber threat events stretches back nearly four decades, but it is really only the last decade that has seen the widespread proliferation of national cyber forces. As of 2007, only 10 countries had operational cyber commands, three of which were members of the NATO alliance. Just eight years later, that figure jumped to 61 nations, a full two-thirds of which were outside of the NATO alliance. Clearly, national governments have become more willing to see cybersecurity as a key responsibility. States are also cooperating and sharing the burden of securing cyberspace. Against the backdrop of cyber partnerships aimed at improving the common health of the digital domain, some countries are collaborating to build better offensive capabilities. A highly visible recent example of this Russias initiative to furnish Iran with new digital surveillance and intrusion capabilities has generated substantial concern among Western commentators. Some see the transfer of cyber arms as another instance of Russias wartime troubles leading to the sophistication of partners that it relies on for battlefield materiel countries like China, Iran, and North Korea. On the surface, these concerns seem well-founded. The spread of Russian arms and munitions in decades past has fueled the potential for conflict in hotspots around the world. The spread of Russian cyber tools might surely do the same. But this view misses key facts about what constitutes robust offensive cyber operational capabilities. In many ways, exploits and tools are the least important elements of a competent offensive posture online. Talent, infrastructure, operational know-how, and organizational support make the difference between irritating threat actors and truly dangerous ones. Not only is Moscow not offering these elements up yet but Putins government also has clear strategic reasons to limit its cyber cooperation. The transactional backdrop of Russias Ukraine missteps Between 2011 and 2013, in the wake of revelations in the international community about Stuxnet and the cyber-physical attack on the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, Iranian cyber warriors launched a series of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks on financial targets across the Middle East and the West. Since that time, however, Irans commitment to becoming a capable cyber power has meant less focus on such direct disruption. Instead, the government in Tehran has been tied to increasingly sophisticated disinformation campaigns, supply chain attacks, and attempts to infiltrate critical infrastructure systems in Europe and North America. For some, this shift in approach has clear ties to the series of cyber cooperation agreements signed by Iran and Russia over the past decade. These agreements appear to have been focused on bolstering network defense capabilities. However, recent developments suggest that cyber collaboration between Tehran and Moscow may have evolved toward offense. Recently, the Wall Street Journal reported that Russia is directly helping Iran build its cyber offense abilities via the provision of surveillance tools, hacking software, and know-how about methods of exploitation for a range of common consumer products. One transfer comes from the Russian company PROTEI Ltd., which has provided Iranian authorities with censorship software. According to Citizen Lab, the tools developed by PROTEI and delivered to an Iranian ISP would enable state authorities to directly monitor, intercept, redirect, degrade, or deny all Iranians mobile communications, including those who are presently challenging the regime. Cyber cooperation between the two authoritarian regimes clearly has a domestic flavor. Both governments have illustrated in both statement and action that social control is a top priority. Yet in both countries, development of the infrastructure of population control has been enmeshed with the construction of operational capabilities for foreign interference and attack. One need look no further than PROTEI to see this, as the company is known to hold extensive contracts with Russias Ministry of Defense. Iran has also quite famously leveraged surveillance techniques to address state interests beyond its borders. In addition to extensive efforts to use malware to spy on journalists and advocates abroad, Tehran has been linked to major cyberattacks like the 2011 compromise of certificate authority DigiNotar, whose compromise likely gave the regime access to thousands of dissident email accounts. Beyond shared authoritarian and strategic interests, of course, this development in the relationship is also likely being driven by Russias persistent missteps on the battlefield in Ukraine. Aside from the seeming inability of Moscows armies to capture and hold territory in the face of tenacious Western-backed Ukrainian defensive efforts, recent months have underlined the logistical bankruptcy of Vladimir Putins campaign. Russias stockpiles of munitions, armored vehicles, and even basic supplies have been depleted so extensively that the regime is now turning to partners for resupply and even for new capabilities. Iranian drones have featured heavily in Moscows aerial campaign against Ukraines people and the government in Tehran has been reaping the benefits thereof. American equipment captured from Ukrainian forces has found its way into Iranian hands. Russia is also selling natural gas at a steep discount to Iran as well as to India, China, and other third parties to the conflict. Now, cyber tools are enhancing the Islamic Republics capacity to spy, compromise, and disrupt online. Cyber operations are much more than tools or exploits Given this development, the bottom line for many is that closer Russo-Iranian cooperation on building offensive capacity in cyberspace portends heightened insecurities for Western industry in the future. While there is certainly a base level of concern about this evolution the partnership, the degree to which this development fuels the threat to the West shouldnt be overblown. Just as nuclear weapons cannot be obtained via the theft of simple formulas or even fissile material, the sale or transfer of cyber weapons (e.g., code, exploits, or tools) rarely amounts to anything more than a minor improvement of capability. To catapult Iranian cyber capacity to the next level, Russia would have to bring much more to the table. Specifically, the degree to which exploits and tools are only made relevant in the context of robust organizational process, talent support, and infrastructure is often underemphasized in those commenting on state cyber operations. Max Smeets has noted that the workforce required to underwrite even competent offensive cyber operations is extensive. In addition to the operators, vulnerability analysts, and basic technical support staff that enact digital intrusion, cyber forces require testing personnel, tactical planners, system administrators, and frontline support staff. Without these supporters, cyber operators would have limited access to the resources often drawn from black market engagement, other intelligence outfits, or private industry coordination needed to succeed in strategically meaningful ways. Not mentioned yet are the regular support staff found in any organization (e.g., human resources or legal support) and the political planners that must figure out how to employ cyber offensive assets to fit broader geopolitical strategies. Added to this workforce complexity is the fact that robust, innovative capacity in any organization is a product of culture and vision. Even if cyber operators often function with less tactical oversight than a regular soldier might, effective decision-making means understanding how the organization and the political interests it serves set priorities. To some degree, this is a matter of doctrine but its also a matter of tacit knowledge foundations. Tacit knowledge, which underwrites organizational culture and sets shared understandings of the mission involved, is information that is hard to communicate to those outside the organization. That certain tools should be avoided or emphasized around certain targets is something that a team of operators may know well, but that motivation to align tactical actions with long-term planning and political objectives is not something that can be learned quickly. Finally, effective offensive cyber capacity means developing and securing infrastructure. Cyber forces rely on robust command and control (C2) infrastructure to operate in strategically meaningful ways. This C2 infrastructure must be diverse and intentionally fragmented to allow for redundancy, plausible deniability, and the ability to burn assets (e.g., a counter-compromised server) as a vulnerability. Cyber forces also need even more extensive fallback infrastructure that permits the preparation of campaigns and is as separate as possible from C2 resources. In this space, hacking outfits can retool, train, simulate new environments, and dissect the bounties of successful operations. Iran, of course, has much of this complex infrastructure that underwrites cyber operational capacity already. However, these interacting features of a robust offensive cyber posture generally dont plug and play as states cooperate and transfer individual elements across borders. Cooperation on the level being reported by the Wall Street Journal is unlikely to produce more than incremental benefits for Tehran. Harnessing newfound access to extensive Russian cyber warfare know-how in the wake of the Ukraine war will require immense adaptation on the part of Irans security services. Thats if Moscow will even agree to share more significant elements of its cyber portfolio, such as vendor relationships and talent. The strategic calculus: how much Russian cyber operations help is too much? The transfer of cyber operational capacity is a unique beast. Like conventional arms transfer, the trade of cyber tools can look more or less complete in its immediate utility. Sometimes states transfer completed applications, infrastructure, or workforce plans. Other times, they only transfer basic training or engineering know-how and leave partners to synthesize end products on their own. Cyber tools are also, as some have noted, rivalrous goods. This means that when one actor possesses or uses them, their utility for other actors diminishes. Here, the value of cyber know-how, infrastructure, exploits, and tools is time limited. Zero-day vulnerabilities are perhaps the best example of this dynamic, as the possibility of defender discovery of a previously unknown flaw could happen at any time. This motivates rapid use of such exploits, as well as rapid sale by those who find flaws and recognize that value is based on secrecy. The transitory nature of cyber assets is also driven by other factors, including the similarity of new tools to existing ones, political interests in certain effects, and the likelihood of discovery (of, say, C2 infrastructure previously employed). This dynamic motivates cyber arms transfers when two states align on the precise details of planned operations, such as in the case of Israel and the United States coordination for Operation Olympic Games. Other than that, cyber arms transfers only make sense when the supplier isnt made more vulnerable or less capable by supplying specific capabilities to a partner. In the current case of cooperation with Iran, Russias provision of tools and infrastructure centered on surveillance and targeted espionage thus makes a great deal of sense. In addition to paying the Iranians back for kinetic resupply and showing solidarity with a fellow authoritarian regime, Moscow has thus far limited its support in ways that protect the countrys core claim to cyber fame its capacity to launch the full range of offensive cyber operations leveraging an immensely diverse array of operational units, both government and private. Simply put, Tehrans deployment of these newfound abilities is not likely to blunt the effectiveness of Russias most capable digital weapons or further reveal the clandestine extent of the complex ecosystem of parts it relies on to project cyber power. When to become concerned about Moscow and Tehran in cyberspace Commentators must be clear when discussing developments like the recent transfer of cyber tools from Russia to Iran. This is a clear trade of valuable capacity to Tehran in exchange for substantial supply chain support. This is not a game-changer for Irans ability to plan and execute sophisticated offensive cyber operations. It is not a signal that Russia is engaging Iran as a more equal partner than in the past, as has been suggested about Moscows evolving relationship with Beijing. And it is not a partnership that is likely to evolve toward more extensive joint planning and execution of cyberattacks. As tempting as it is to make these assumptions, the techno-infrastructural and political context of the relationship simply dont support them. There are three conditions under which Western industry and government stakeholders should get more concerned about this cyber relationship: Direct evidence of greater coordination of cyber activities should shift the risk calculation made by cyber defenders, specifically toward weighting areas of shared interest more heavily than alternatives. Coordination could come in several different forms, including direct operational entanglement of the kind that produced Stuxnet a decade ago. It might also look like Iranian engagement of targets that either directly or symbolically relate to the Ukraine conflict. The most obvious near-term point of concern in such a case is likely the forthcoming US 2024 election cycle, which will inevitably be targeted by Iran for interference purposes in some fashion. The form and scope of that interference, however, will be telling of just how the relationship with Moscow continues to evolve. Related to this intersectionality of Russian and Iranian geostrategic interests, Western stakeholders should be concerned if the transfer of known operational capabilities for cyber activities beyond surveillance is reported. Moscow may have an interest in keeping Iran in a junior partnership role, but the transfer of tools or infrastructure with known attributes makes sense if a clear use case can be articulated by Tehran. Finally, and most significantly, the nature of the cyber partnership between Russia and Iran may change in reference to rising tension between Tehran and the West. Specifically, the transfer calculus is sensitive to circumstances in which Russia perceives a geopolitical advantage to a temporary improvement of Irans capabilities. If a confrontation with Iran on the part of the United States, Israel, or some other formation of Western interests can distract attention from the war in Ukraine, change the calculus of Chinese support for Russia, or impact global commodity prices, then the value proposition of more sophisticated support for Tehran might radically change. Until that point, however, Russian support for Irans cyber ambitions is little more than Vladimir Putins pre-war boasts about the superiority of Russias military: cheap talk. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NEWTOWN Ashley Hubner says whenever she hears about a school shooting or mass shooting on the news, she no longer feels anything. And that sucks because I should be feeling so many more things but it is so normalized and it happens so much now, said Hubner, a senior at Newtown High School and a Sandy Hook School tragedy survivor. What am I expected to do, break down crying every 10 minutes when another shooting happens? she asked a crowd at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown late Wednesday afternoon. Hubner, along with fellow Sandy Hook School tragedy survivor classmates Cyrena Arokium and Nicole Melchionno, were part of a group of gun violence prevention advocates who spoke at a press conference about Supreme Court reform. The conference was hosted by Just Majority, a coalition of nonprofit organizations that call for major judicial reforms. The coalition was on its second stop of a nationwide bus tour, which is part of a new Supreme Court accountability campaign launched following new rulings, including one striking down gun violence prevention measures. Boston was its first stop on Tuesday. Newtown Action Alliance Chairwoman Po Murray, who also spoke at the event, said there are more gun deaths and injuries now than there were when the Sandy Hook School shooting happened. There were 33,000 gun deaths in 2013 and in 2021 they were 49,000, she said. Murray, whose 20-year-old neighbor was the Sandy Hook shooter, said she and other advocates call for the passing of strong comprehensive gun laws to traumatically end the gun violence crisis in this country. She called for an assault weapons ban, universal background checks, red flag laws, safe storage and the funding of community violence intervention programs, among other initiatives. Hubner said everyone needs to keep fighting for gun violence prevention because theres other people out there who havent been through this (a school shooting) and shouldnt be. 'Their safety is our number one priority' At the conference, Abbey Clements, executive director and co-founder of Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence and a teacher at the Sandy Hook school on the day of the tragedy, said teaching in America today means much more than teaching lessons or encouraging students to do their best. She said now teaching includes putting our lives on the line for theirs, being willing to die by a bullet in a classroom This is not in our job description or required for teacher certification. Clements continued: But perhaps it should be. Its a real possibility that it can happen to you if you teach in America. She recalled the day of Dec. 14, 2012, when a shooter was in the school and the fear she and her students felt. Thirsty, they shared a water bottle. Listening to these then-second grade little kids tell me where to move the furniture opening the door to a voice of someone I could not see claiming to be a police officer running with them out of a building with state police in ready position, yelling at us to go, she said. She said she thought after the tragedy things would change. We thought after the horror that happened in this beautiful town that America would, moving forward, be safer from gun violence because surely we would refuse to allow such atrocities to happen ever again, she said. She added thats not what happened. Now gun violence is the leading cause of death for children in this country, she said. So many school shootings, so many mass shootings, so many community shootings, so many suicides by gun, endless grief, trauma, heartache, fear. She asked the crowd, Where are our leaders? Where is Congress? Where is the Supreme Court? Murray demanded that Congress expand the U.S. Supreme Court to "protect our children and our families." She added that Newtown Action Alliance has endorsed U.S. President Joe Biden in his run for a second term. Arokium said shes fighting for change and as a member of Gen Z (those born in the late 1990s and early 2000s), is using her voice to inspire, educate and promote a better future for all. CORRECTION: The photo captions for this story have been updated to reflect that the Sandy Hook teacher's name is spelled Abbey Clements. NEW YORK (AP) The Gap is laying off 1,800 corporate workers, roughly three time the number of headquarters jobs it cut last fall, as the struggling chain cuts costs in a bid to become more nimble. More layoffs at the struggling chain follow similar cuts at large U.S. corporations this year, such as Amazon and McDonald's, with white collar workers taking the brunt of the head count reductions as economy slows. In a regulatory filing Thursday, the San Francisco-based chain, which also owns Banana Republic, Old Navy and Athleta, said employees in its San Francisco and New York offices, as well as upper field positions such as regional store managers, will be impacted. Last September, Gap slashed 500 corporate jobs. Executive chairman Bob Martin, who is also interim CEO, said the layoffs will lead to $300 million in annualized savings. The layoffs should be completed by the end of July, according to the regulatory filing. We are taking the necessary actions to reshape Gap Inc. for the future simplifying and optimizing our operating model, elevating creativity, and driving better delivery in every dimension of the customer experience, " said Martin in a prepared statement. Martin is presiding over the helm as the company is still looking to fill the vacancy left when Gap CEO Sonia Syngal stepped down last July. Gap has been struggling with a sales slump for years despite numerous initiatives to fix the business through a revolving list of executives. The pandemic and surging supply chain costs have exacerbated financial conditions at The Gap, in addition to other disruptions. Last fall, Gap and Kanye West abruptly ended a partnership to distribute the rap artists Yeezy clothing line. The partnership was announced two years ago with much fanfare. In its most recent quarter, The Gap Inc. recorded a 6% drop in net sales with declines across all brand divisions. Quarterly losses stacked up to $263 million from just $16 million the previous year during the same period. As of January 28, Gap employed roughly 95,000 employees, about 9% worked in headquarters locations, according to its annual report. Gap's shares rose nearly 1% or 8 cents, to $9.42 Thursday. ____ Follow Anne DInnocenzio: http://twitter.com/ADInnocenzio MIDDLETOWN Fired Old Saybrook Police Officer Joshua Zarbo has been granted accelerated rehabilitation that could dismiss a third-degree computer crime charge after an internal investigation found he used the department's system to get information about a woman he was interested in dating. A Superior Court judge in Middletown approved Zarbo's request for the program Tuesday morning. If Zarbo stays out of trouble for one year and doesn't contact the victim, the charge will be dismissed and erased from his record, Judge Julia Dewey said. Zarbo is embarrassed by the arrest and the negative attention the case has generated, his attorney Richard Lynch said. "He accepts responsibility for his mistake in this case," said Lynch, who also pointed out his client lost his job and his career. "He has had no other complaints as a police officer," Lynch said. "But he is a human being and he made a mistake." Zarbo was terminated from his position as an Old Saybrook police officer in February, weeks after he was charged by his own department. He is also on the list for decertification as a police officer in Connecticut. He pleaded not guilty in December and applied in March for the accelerated rehabilitation program. A six-year veteran of the department, Zarbo is accused of misusing his access to the statewide police information system to obtain the identity of a woman he encountered while monitoring shoppers on Black Friday, according to a warrant for his arrest. The 30-year-old Clinton resident sent a text message to an emergency dispatcher to check the woman's license plate to obtain her name and personal information, the warrant stated. The dispatcher told Zarbo he would have to request the information over the radio, the warrant said. Zarbo then told the dispatcher he was "gaming" for a date when he requested the license plate information, according to the warrant. Investigators construed Zarbo's response to mean he was seeking to contact the woman for a date, which would be an improper use of the system, the warrant said. The dispatcher and Zarbo exchanged quips and crying with laughter smiley face emojis by text before the officer asked over the radio for the woman's license plate to be checked, the warrant said. But the radio communication unraveled the date-seeking plot when the fire chief's wife heard the request and recognized the woman's name, according to the warrant. The fire chief told the woman, who filed a complaint with police. We understand that both women and men can be victims of sexual and interpersonal violence. However, most of the offenders are men. The good news is that most men are not offenders, said Gary MacNamara, chairman for the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event. The mission of the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes march, sponsored by the Center for Family Justice and Aquarion Water Company among others, is to motivate every man to take a step back and think about how women deserve to be treated and respected. It was set to place this Saturday from the Fairfield train station and goes to Town Hall, but will be rescheduled due to the storm. While centered around Sexual Violence Awareness month, the walk also focuses on addressing domestic violence, which is more rampant than ever, especially after the pandemic three years ago where cases spiked more than 32 percent, according to Center for Family Justice President/CEO Debra Greenwood. MacNamara, who is also the chair of the White Ribbon Committee and director of Public Safety at Sacred Heart University, said the walk is part of the ongoing work of the White Ribbon Campaign, a national organization that began after a 1989 attack where a man killed 14 women at Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal, Canada. MacNamara pointed out that the White Ribbon Campaign today is active in more than 60 countries and engages men and young boys to end violence against women and girls. The Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event began nationally in 2001, MacNamara said. Our local event began 11 years ago, shortly after I was appointed chief of the Fairfield Police Department and it evolved from a breakfast conversation between Deb Greenwood, the CEO of the Center for Family Justice and me. Each walk, even virtually during the pandemic, has been very successful and weve raised thousands of dollars for center programs. MacNamara and many of his colleagues will gladly slip on their bright red high heels and carefully walk the mile to send the message that all of us have to play a role in educating and supporting men so they will learn to treat all women with care and respect. And I will gladly be wearing a very comfortable pair of womens black flatsperfect for this doddering seniorto do my part for the cause. I may bring our beagle/hound Blake, wearing a bright red bandana. Debra Greenwood said she expects about 1,500 people at the walk. "We have already raised $25,000 and the amount is increasing as more people register up to the day of the event," she said Tuesday. "There are 20 fundraising teams set up and 100 individual fundraisers are going on the walk (peer to peer). We have 27 sponsors for the event." Each year I have walked for this valuable cause, I am reminded of the countless victims of domestic and sexual violence, so many of whom were from our town and may not be alive anymore to tell their stories. Those memories tug at my emotions, but I know that through the work of the Center for Family Justice and the White Ribbon Committee, we are inching closer to decreasing the cases. I doubt if well ever wipe out this societal disease permanently. Many people may not realize the synergy and collaboration that the Center for Family Justice has with the six police departments in its support region, MacNamara pointed out. Responding to calls involving sexual violence and interpersonal violence are very dangerous for police. The calls are not only dangerous to the officers, but the police also need help in providing resources and temporary shelter to victims. That is where the center comes into play." Deb Greenwood added that even though the center primarily serves Fairfield, Easton, Bridgeport, Monroe, Trumbull and Stratford, but they'll never turn away someone from another town. We will help any victim who is in need of support or resources and everything will be completely confidential, she said. MacNamara said a lot of work has been done to prevent people from becoming victims of domestic or sexual violence. Equally important is educating men and boys early enough so that they do not become abusive. That is one of the things that the local White Ribbon Campaign hopes to accomplish. At SHU, for instance our Delta Tau Delta fraternity holds white ribbon events every year," he said. "And the Center for Family Justice has liaisons with all local universities in the region and welcomes calls from any colleges or universities in Connecticut. Greenwood said they're making strong progress in reaching all the area colleges and encouraging more young men to ask for help with building stronger, healthier relationships. They're also building on their work with the lower grades. What I am very excited about is our work with the Harvard Business School to review our current programs and work with us to make those programs even better and add new initiatives," she said. "With their help, we are developing new educational programs on building healthy friendships and relationships at the middle school and high school levels. We hope to begin these programs this fall." During the pandemic, we saw a huge spike in the number of clients we are serving because of quarantines and isolation," she added. "But more importantly, today, as things become more normal, we are still seeing so many young people who are angry and too often are acting out in their relationships and friendships. We are hoping that our evolving education programs will help to correct these negative behaviors before they become violent and we have already begun that work with 12 Bridgeport schools, as well as suburban schools in our region. As a footnote, Greenwood spoke about the centers participation in Camp Hope America, which offers more than 60 camp sessions to more than 5,000 children from abused families across 25 states. This summer the center will take 72 children from the Bridgeport area to a YMCA camp in upstate Connecticut and offer the Pathways to Hope session, followed by weekly support when the children return. Greenwood will also attend the International Alliance for Hope conference in San Diego soon and spoke about the valuable work the Center for Family Justice has been doing with the Alliance. Im really looking forward to my annual walk and Ive already learned that a few teacher friends along with students in our Elevate program may be joining me. But more than anything, I am very grateful to family, friends and colleagues who have donated to the event on my behalf. Their support will give me even more energy to make this valuable walk even more memorable. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate JACKSON, Miss. (AP) The white woman who accused Black teenager Emmett Till of whistling at and accosting her in Mississippi in 1955 causing his lynching, which galvanized a generation of activists to rise up in the Civil Rights Movement has died at 88. Carolyn Bryant Donham died in hospice care Tuesday night in Westlake, Louisiana, according to a death report filed Thursday in the Calcasieu Parish Coroners Office. Her death marks the last chance for anyone to be held accountable for the kidnapping and murder that shocked the world. Till's mother, Mamie Till Mobley, insisted on an open-casket funeral in their hometown of Chicago so the world could see her 14-year-old son's mutilated body, which was pulled from a river in Mississippi. Jet magazine published photos. In August 1955, Till had traveled from Chicago to visit relatives in Mississippi. Donham then 21 and named Carolyn Bryant accused him of making improper advances on her at a grocery store where she was working in the small community of Money. The Rev. Wheeler Parker, a cousin of Till who was there, has said Till whistled at the woman, an act that flew in the face of Mississippis racist social codes of the era. Evidence indicates a woman identified Till to Donham's then-husband Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Milam, who killed the teenager. An all-white jury acquitted the two white men in the killing, but the men later confessed in an interview with Look magazine. When Till disappeared in Mississippi, Ollie Gordon one of Tills cousins was 7 years old and living in the Chicago home with Tills mother and family. Gordon told The Associated Press on Thursday that in the days after he went missing, the home was full of fear, because people knew there was a strong likelihood he had been killed. Gordon said she had mixed emotions about Donhams death. She was never tried in the court of man, Gordon said. But I think she was judged by God, and his wrath is more punitive than any judgment or penalty she could have gotten in a courtroom. I dont think she had a pleasant or happy life. Parker is the last living witness to Till's abduction. He has said in interviews and speeches that he heard Till whistle at the woman working behind the counter at Bryant's Grocery and Meat Market. Days later, Parker saw men kidnap Till in the dark of night from their uncle's home in Mississippi, where the teenagers were staying. Parker said Thursday that his heart goes out to Donham. As a person of faith for more than 60 years, I recognize that any loss of life is tragic and dont have any ill will or animosity toward her, Parker said in a statement. "Even though no one now will be held to account for the death of my cousin and best friend, it is up to all of us to be accountable to the challenges we still face in overcoming racial injustice. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that President Joe Biden was proud to sign the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act last year to make lynching a federal crime. The president is committed to ... dealing with racial hatred, Jean-Pierre said. In an unpublished memoir obtained by The AP in 2022, Donham said she was unaware of what would happen to Till. Historian and author Timothy Tyson of Durham, North Carolina, provided a copy of the 99-page manuscript, I Am More Than A Wolf Whistle, to AP. He said he received it from Donham while interviewing her in 2008. Tyson had placed the manuscript in an archive at the University of North Carolina with the agreement that it not be made public for decades, though he said he gave it to the FBI during an investigation the agency concluded in 2021. A campus spokesperson said Thursday that the university returned Tysons materials to him in 2022 because they did not agree on open access to the information. Tyson said in 2022 that he decided to release the memoir to news outlets after some of Till's relatives and other people doing research at the Leflore County, Mississippi, courthouse in June 2022 found an arrest warrant on kidnapping charges that was issued for Mrs. Roy Bryant in 1955 but never served. Tyson said in a statement Thursday that Donham's precise role in the killing of Till remains murky, but it's clear she was involved. It has comforted America to see this as merely a story of monsters, her among them," Tyson said. "What this narrative keeps us from seeing is the monstrous social order that cared nothing for the life of Emmett Till nor thousands more like him. Neither the federal government nor the government of Mississippi did anything to prevent or punish this murder. Condemning what Donham did is easier than confronting what America was and is. Joe Stidhum was born two years after Till, his cousin, was killed. Stidhum said that older family members protected him and his siblings, and didn't tell them about Till's lynching until they were teenagers. Stidhum said he wishes he knew how Donham reckoned with her own conscience. What did she take with her that no one would know, other than her and her maker? Stidhum told AP on Thursday. I just hope that no one ever has to go through the pain that our family has endured, mostly the elderly family" members who have died. In October, a bronze statue of Till was unveiled in Greenwood, Mississippi, just miles from his uncles home. Also last year, members of the New Black Panther Party and other activists began showing up at addresses associated with Donham, including in North Carolina and Kentucky. They were there to serve unofficial warrants for her arrest and trial. Weeks after the unserved arrest warrant was found, the office of Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said there was no new evidence to pursue a criminal case against Donham. In August, a district attorney said a Leflore County grand jury declined to indict Donham. Tills cousin, Priscilla Sterling, filed a federal lawsuit against the current Leflore County Sheriff, Ricky Banks, on Feb. 7, seeking to compel him to serve the 1955 warrant on Donham. In a response April 13, Banks' attorney said there was no point serving the warrant because the grand jury did not indict Donham last year. Malik Z. Shabazz, one of the attorneys in the lawsuit against Banks, said it's tragic that Mississippi never held Donham accountable. "Carolyn Bryants legacy will be one of dishonesty and injustice, Shabazz said. A legacy that verifies that Mississippi coddles and protects white supremacy. ___ Associated Press writers Allen G. Breed in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and Colleen Long in Washington contributed to this report. Driven by a surge in state employee retirements, Connecticuts spending on pension payments ballooned to a record-high $2.5 billion in 2022, state data shows. That marked a 9 percent increase from the previous year, which was the largest year-over-year change since at least 2014-2015, according to a CT Insider analysis of data from the Comptrollers office, which makes public the details of every pension check that state retirees receive. Michael Barry, coordinator for the Connecticut Coalition for Retirement Security, attributed the rise in pension earnings to the large number of employees who retired in 2022. As of June 30, 2022, the State Employees Retirement System (SERS) plan was paying benefits to nearly 57,000 retired members and/or beneficiaries, according to Madi Csejka, a spokesperson for the Comptrollers office. As you may know, there was a retirement surge last year that more than doubled the typical number of retirements we see in a typical year, she said in an email. The number of new SERS retirees from Aug. 1, 2021 through July 1, 2022 was 5,598. DATA: CTs highest-paid state pensioners made over $300k in 2022. Search how much each retiree received For years, Connecticuts state pension system suffered from under investment, consistently ranking as one of the worst-funded public pension systems in the country. But in recent years, the state injected large infusions of cash to help address the legacy debt. Legislatures in the past did not properly fund, the states pension system, but we are on a sustainable path for the future, Barry said in an email. ...With different pension calculations and increased contributions from newer workers, along with consistent payments, Connecticut is on track to successfully manage the cost of promised pension benefits, Barry added. The average pension among all state retirees was about $42,000 last year, or approximately $1,100 more than in 2021. Some retirees received much larger pension payouts. In 2022, a total of 229 retirees collected pensions topping $150,000, including 44 who received more than $200,000, data shows. Several received payouts topping $300,000. Paul Cicarella received the highest pension from the state in 2022, at about $412,000 from his previous work as a corrections officer for 5 years, data from Connecticuts Office of the State Comptroller show. But much of that sum was from a one-time payment. Cicarella, who is now a state senator, said he was injured while working as a corrections officer. He said that injury entitled him to a disability pension, which often pays more than a regular pension. But, Cicarella said the Department of Correction incorrectly stopped paying his pension. Cicarella said he hired an attorney who helped him get back the pension. That process took months and last year he received two retroactive payments accounting for $117,211.69 and $271,792.82 of the $412,000. Thats why it was so high, he said. In fact, because I had to hire an attorney I got a fraction of that. If it wasnt taken away incorrectly, it would have been not an issue. Most of the top 10 pension earners were retirees of the University of Connecticut and the UConn Health Center. UConn employees also typically dominate the top earners on the states yearly payroll. After Cicarella, the next-highest pension recipient last year was John Veiga, a UConn professor, who received about $367,000, followed by a former UConn Health department head Jack Blechner, who received about $363,000. Michael Enright, a spokesperson for the university, said each of the UConn employees listed in the top 10 were hired between 1970 and 1975 when the State Employee Retirement System was more generous than it is today. The state later changed the way state employee pensions were calculated, which reduced potential benefits to those hired after certain dates. In addition, five of the seven retired in a year that the state offered a retirement incentive, which it did in 1997, 2003, and 2009; this had the effect of increasing the level of pension benefits paid to employee[s] who retired as part of that program, Enright said in an email. Dawn Hemingway, a lead worker for the Department of Developmental Services, received almost $337,000, though $297,658 of that was from a one-time retroactive payment. Justin Pizzonia, an HVAC worker for Western Connecticut State University also received a one-time retroactive payment accounting for about $239,000 out of the $292,000 he received last year. In addition to Cicarella, one other employee in the top 10 previously worked for the Department of Correction: Edward Blanchette, who was the agencys medical director and before that clinical director of the Correctional Managed Health Care Program at the University of Connecticut. He received a pension of nearly $303,000 last year. DOC spokesperson Andrius Banevicius said pension amounts are dictated by and in accordance with a collective bargaining agreement. Six employees from the list also had some of the biggest pensions from 2021's top 10 list. While the Comptrollers office provided information about jobs previously held by the top 10 highest pension earners in 2022, officials there said they did not have data readily available about the previous agencies and job titles held by all retirees in the pension system. However, the office does track where state retirees in the pension system now live based on addresses they keep on file with the state to receive pension checks and correspondence. That data shows the majority of retirees are still residing in Connecticut. Other states popular among retirees include: Florida, Massachusetts and the Carolinas. To see the complete list of employees and their pensions for 2022, search our database here. FAIRFIELD Police say two people have been arrested after a gunpoint carjacking of a man who posted his BMW for sale online. Fairfield police said Saviyon Sidear Dawson, 20, of Hartford, and Trevon Lamont Crowe, 25, of Bloomfield, are each facing robbery, gun and conspiracy charges. The car owner reported he was "robbed at gunpoint" in the parking lot of the TJ Maxx on Tunxis Hill Cutoff around 1:05 p.m. Wednesday, Fairfield Police Lt. Michael Paris said. The two assailants "brandished firearms ordering the victim to turn over his belongings and subsequently fled in the victims vehicle, a black BMW," Paris said. About one minute later, police said they began receiving calls that the car was abandoned in the middle of the road at Coolidge Street and Commerce Drive. The two suspects walked away and entered a car rental company on Commerce Drive, police said. Police were able to apprehend both men inside the rental company, Paris said. "Police later discovered the victims wallet and a firearm in the bathroom trash can and an additional firearm hidden in the ceiling of the bathroom," he added. Both were charged with first-degree robbery, robbery by carjacking, larceny of a motor vehicle and carrying a pistol without a permit. Police said Dawson was additionally charged with criminal possession of a firearm. Each were also charged with conspiracy charges on each of the offenses. Paris said Dawson and Crowe were each held on $250,000 bond. Thankfully, no injuries were sustained to the victim in the course of this robbery," Fairfield police said in a statement. "We ask the public to use caution when dealing with internet sites which involve the sale of property. The Fairfield Police Department recommends conducting these transactions at the front of our headquarters, which will give police the opportunity to immediately intercede if anything criminal were to occur. Microsoft's charm offensive with the world's governments is starting to lose some of its luster as the software giant is confronting its toughest antitrust scrutiny since co-founder Bill Gates was in charge. A blow came this week when British regulators said they would block Microsoft's planned $69-billion takeover of video game maker Activision Blizzard, threatening to undermine what could be the priciest tech acquisition ever. Microsoft's policy chief responded by calling it a bad day for Britain that could make it an unattractive place to do business and warned Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government it needs to look hard at the role of its antitrust regulator. This decision, I have to say, is probably the darkest day in our four decades in Britain," the company's president, Brad Smith, told BBC Radio 4. "It does more than shake our confidence in the future of the opportunity to grow a technology business in Britain than weve ever confronted before. The sharp tone marked a shift for Microsoft, and Smith in particular, who joined the company in 1993 and helped defend it from antitrust enforcers in the U.S. and Europe who targeted the company's personal computer software empire centered around the Windows operating system. Basically, this is Microsoft and Brad Smith throwing their toys out of the pram after they didnt get the decision they wanted after all the lobbying they did, said Max von Thun, director of the Europe office of the Open Markets Institute, a proponent of stronger antitrust enforcement. After legal battles starting in the late 1990s, Microsoft came close to having to break up its business but ended up agreeing to concessions instead. It was eclipsed for a time by rivals like Google, Facebook and Amazon, which drew closer scrutiny from both Wall Street and regulators. Now, its back, both as a powerhouse in sectors such as artificial intelligence and cloud computing and as a target for antitrust enforcement. Theyre struggling to maintain that good guy reputation, von Thun said. After adopting a confrontational attitude toward regulators at the turn of the century, Microsoft's senior leaders, led by Smith, have spent years crafting a friendlier and collaborative approach, said William Kovacic, former chair of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. That generated a great deal of goodwill for them around the world," Kovacic said. Theyre seen as being in a different category than the other well-known information technology giants. Theyre seen as being more reasonable, thoughtful." But its not just Microsoft that has changed. Behind the heightened attention on technology companies is a belief that regulators were too weak over the past two decades in preventing monopolies. Kovacic said the halo effect of pitching itself as a good partner with governments only goes so far if the regulator believes a deal could harm competition. Not only that, but some of the dozens of nations with antitrust laws are increasingly talking with each other. A number of jurisdictions are coming to realize that their effectiveness increases if they operate as a coalition, Kovacic said. They share thoughts about strategy. They share thoughts about timing. In his comments to the BBC, Smith said the English Channel has never seemed wider as he compared the United Kingdom unfavorably with regulators for the 27-nation European Union, who are due to make a decision on the Activision deal in May. Smith said that people are shocked, people are disappointed by the U.K. decision. Microsoft and Activision have vowed to appeal. The company may end up with a more favorable ruling in Brussels, but Microsoft still has to contend with the FTC, which has challenged the deal in the U.S. and is taking the company to trial in August. We're not alone, Sarah Cardell, chief executive of Britain's Competition and Markets Authority, told BBC 4's Today program of her agency's decision and the pending FTC lawsuit. There is a lot of alignment there. Cardell defended the decision, saying the U.K. is absolutely open for business" and the regulator wants to create an environment where a whole host of different companies can compete effectively, can grow and innovate." The regulator's concern was over cloud gaming, or games streamed over the internet, which represents a tiny fraction of the industry today but where Microsoft, owner of the Xbox game system, already has the most powerful platform and would become more so with the Activision takeover, making it harder for other platforms to compete, Cardell said. Macquarie Group analyst Sarah Hindlian-Bowler said it will be challenging, but possible for Microsoft to complete its Activision takeover without the U.K.'s support. She also said it made sense for Smith to call out the CMA, a relatively new body formed several years before Britain's exit from the EU. Microsoft is dancing an incredibly delicate ballet, Hindlian-Bowler said. "I think the aggressive comments from Microsoft really are intended to get British lawmakers and the British people to be really aware that this body, that I think is attempting to do good, may actually do more to set the U.K. back." Microsoft has long pitched itself as a government partner, working with local governments from Wisconsin to Poland to build the data centers that power its cloud computing business and touting its ability to defend cybersecurity, including in places like Ukraine. It's proposed regulations to safeguard artificial intelligence and data privacy, though sometimes at the expense of more data-hungry rivals like Google and Facebook parent Meta. Microsoft also has faced other scrutiny, including complaints to European regulators that it is leveraging its position to lock customers into its Azure computing platform or bundling its Teams communications software with the rest of its Office suite of workplace products. And while Microsoft has endorsed broad AI safeguards, the rapid commercialization of ChatGPT-like products could bring about conflicts for the company amid a growing push to rein in the technology. AP writer Kelvin Chan in London contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate PARIS (AP) Protesters loudly banged pots and pans near a castle where French President Emmanuel Macron was to make a speech Thursday, in what has become a popular way to voice anger at a resented new law raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. Similar saucepan actions, dubbed casserolades, " were staged elsewhere in the country where government members were scheduled to travel. Macron attended a ceremony for the 175th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in France at the Fort de Joux, near the border with Switzerland, a castle where the most prominent leader of the Haitian slave revolution, Toussaint Louverture, was imprisoned and died in 1803. As police were preventing protesters from getting too close to the Fort de Joux, Macron made a surprise stop in the nearby town of Dole to meet with French people on a street market without the clattering of pots and pans. Yet he was not able to avoid all criticism, with several people raising their concerns out loud from the pension changes to rising prices of food and energy and the deterioration of public hospital care. A woman told him that people disagree with working two more years without making more money in their daily life. Macron said that we must carry out some reforms, even if they are unpopular, because if we don't, we cannot create wealth and be able to redistribute it. The hard-left CGT union also staged scattered protests Thursday. Dozens of protesters and unionists walked in the terminals of the Paris Charles-de-Gaulle airport, singing and holding a big banner writing 64, its no! and demanding the withdrawal of the pension law. The demonstration didn't disrupt flights. Hundreds of employees of state-owned electricity company Enedis parked their blue company vehicles outside the gates of the iconic Versailles Palace former seat of the French monarchs near Paris, in another symbolic action. Raising the retirement age ignited a months-long firestorm of protest. Opponents were further angered after Macrons government in March chose to use a special constitutional power to pass the reform without a vote in parliament. Saucepan actions began last week during a televised speech by Macron. Protesters gathered in over 400 spots in front of town halls and in the streets of Paris, Marseille, Toulouse, Strasbourg and beyond, in an effort to drown out his voice. Similar events have since been staged each time the French president travelled across France. All of Frances main unions are planning to hold nationwide protests on May 1 to coincide with International Workers Day. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The Vermont Legislature passed reproductive and gender-affirming health care bills on Thursday with a late addition aimed at protecting access to a medication widely used in abortions even if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration withdraws its approval of the pill, mifepristone. The bills protect providers from discipline for providing legally protected reproductive and gender affirming health care services. Legislators recently tacked on medicated abortion to the definition of legally protected reproductive health care services, and believe the state is the first to do so. In the identical bills passed by the House and Senate, reproductive health care services includes medication that was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for termination of a pregnancy as of January 1, 2023, regardless of the medications current FDA approval status. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court preserved womens access to the drug, rejecting lower-court restrictions while a lawsuit continues. The justices granted emergency requests from the Biden administration and New York-based Danco Laboratories, maker of mifepristone, which are appealing a Texas lower court ruling that would roll back FDA approval of mifepristone. If the FDA approval is withdrawn, the drug companies can no longer market the drug, said Vermont state Sen. Virginia Lyons, a Democrat. But production can still take place and they can be purchased for use by pharmacists or providers. So it's still available but what this does is it says, with or without FDA approval, this drug is available to folks in the state of Vermont. And that's a big deal," Lyons said. The FDA said it did not have immediate comment Thursday. Greer Donley, an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law who is an expert in abortion law, said states cannot allow medications that the federal government prohibits. But that doesnt mean that the federal government would enforce its ban if states go their own way. The U.S. has not intervened, generally, when states have allowed medical cannabis, even though its not legal federally. There are lawsuits challenging states that have banned abortion pills. The question about whether federal food and drug law is not only the floor but also the ceiling is a very hot and unsettled question in food and drug law, Donley said. Earlier this month, Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark joined a multi-state coalition challenging the decision by the federal judge in Texas revoking FDA approval of mifepristone. Abortion opponents had filed suit in Texas in November, asserting that the FDAs original approval of mifepristone 23 years ago and subsequent changes were flawed. Women seeking to end their pregnancies in the first 10 weeks without more invasive surgical abortion can take mifepristone, along with misoprostol. The FDA has eased the terms of mifepristones use over the years, including allowing it to be sent through the mail in states that allow access. ____ Rathke reported from Marshfield, Vt. Associated Press writer Geoff Mulvihill contributed to this report from Philadelphia. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Stew Leonard Sr., who founded the eponymous Norwalk-based grocery chain, has died at the age of 93. Leonard, who lived in Westport, died Wednesday at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York after a brief illness. Leonard founded Stew Leonard's, often called "The Disneyland of Grocery Stores," in 1969. He built a wellspring of admiration through a business with deep ties to its communities, but Leonard also pleaded guilty in 1993 to a tax fraud scheme and served nearly four years in federal prison. Born in 1929, Leonard graduated from Norwalk High School and the University of Connecticuts School of Agriculture. He first worked for his familys dairy business at Clover Farms Dairy in Norwalk, a state-of-the-art dairy for its time with a pasteurizing and bottling plant, and delivery trucks that had plastic cows on the front that mooed for the neighborhood children. By the late 1960s, Leonard recognized the milk delivery business was fading. With Clover Farms Dairy in the path of a new highway, Leonard decided to build a dairy store where children could watch milk being bottled while parents did their shopping in a farmers market atmosphere, according to the company's website. So Leonard opened a 17,000-square-foot store that carried just eight items in December 1969. The chain, which has animatronic singing farm animals, has now grown to seven stores in New York State, New Jersey and Connecticut, where the business has locations in Danbury and Newington in addition to the original Norwalk store. Leonard received a variety of business and community honors and was a colorful presence in the stores. His public image took a hit in 1993 when he was sentenced to serve 52 months in prison and pay $947,000 in fines after pleading guilty to fraud including skimming $17 million from the company's stated revenues to avoid taxes. He ultimately served 44 months before being released in June 1997, vowing to restore his reputation -- which by most accounts, he did. Over the years since then, Ripleys Believe It or Not dubbed Stew Leonard's the Worlds Largest Dairy store." It also earned a place in Guinness World Records for having the highest dollar sales per square foot. The company is run by Stews son, Stew Leonard Jr. with help from his siblings Tom Leonard, Beth Leonard Hollis, and Jill Leonard Tavello. Five of his grandchildren have also joined the business, according to company officials. Local and state political leaders were among those who paid tribute to Leonard's legacy on Thursday. State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, recalled going into the store as a six-year-old "Stew was at the store and I ran to him like he was Santa," Duff said Thursday in a written statement. "He kneeled down to say hi and then asked if I liked jellybeans, stuffing a bag in my coat pocket. Stew always loved his customers of all ages." Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling said Leonard "made a profound impact on our community. " "Stew Leonard's is much more than a grocery store; it's part of our community, a way of life, and a place people can go and feel welcomed by employees who always have a smile on their faces," Rilling said. "Stew Leonard Sr.'s friendly customer service business model, where customers are greeted by employees dressed up in costumes, speaks to his empathetic nature and generous and uplifting character, which has led to thousands of people in Norwalk and countless people across the tri-state area genuinely loving the Stew Leonard's experience." Rilling said the Norwalk store has employed thousands of city residents since it opened. "The grocery store has always gone above and beyond for our community, leading holiday events, charity fund raisers and food drives for those in need," he said. Burt Flickinger, managing director of the Strategic Resource Group, a New York City-based business that does consulting work for retailers, said Leonard's reputation as an innovator in the supermarket industry "was unmatched in the Northeast or nationally." Leonard brought the concept of big-box supermarkets to the forefront of the grocery sector decades ahead of industry rivals, according to Flickinger, and also popularized the extensive use of private label brands in his stores "He saw his stores didn't need all of the duplicative national brands and products ," Flickinger said of Leonard's focus on private label brands, which are produced by a third-party, but carry the Stew Leonard's name. "Up to 50 percent of his store items are private label." Retail rivals frequently visit Stew Leonard's locations to see what new ideas the chain has in place and perhaps borrow them, according to Flickinger. "I have clients from around the world and the first place they want to visit in New York is the Stew Leonard's off the New York Thruway in Yonkers," he said. "It's one of the highest sales volume grocery stores in the Northeast,." Flickinger said when warehouse club retailer Costco entered the New York City market, it elected to co-locate its store on the same property as the Yonkers Stew Leonard's. "They bring business to each other, which is impressive because they are both price impact stores," he said. Leonard's memorial service and burial will be private, and a celebration of life will be announced at a later date. Donations in Stews memory may be made to the Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation, a charity which helps to fund swimming lessons for children in need, in honor of his grandson who drowned in 1989. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) An effort to advance a bill that would ban abortion around the sixth week of pregnancy fell one vote short of breaking a filibuster in the Nebraska Legislature on Thursday. This means the bill is unlikely to move forward this year, despite Republican Gov. Jim Pillen making a public call for just that. The Legislature adjourned immediately after the failed vote and won't reconvene until Tuesday. It was the second straight year that an effort to restrict abortion access in the state failed. Nebraska currently bans abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy, a law that has been in place since 2010. The bill would have banned abortion once cardiac activity can be detected. On Thursday, a vote to end debate so the bill could advance to a final round of debate failed 32-15. The motion needed 33 votes. Cheers erupted outside the doors of the legislative chamber when the last vote was cast, as opponents of the bill waved signs and chanted, Whose house? Our house! Among them was Pat Neal, 72, of Lincoln, who has been fighting for abortion rights since she received an abortion in 1973, the year the U.S. Supreme Courts Roe v. Wade decision guaranteed the right to abortion nationwide. I was 11 weeks pregnant and in the middle of a divorce, Neal said, noting she was fearful of her husband, a Vietnam combat veteran who was carrying some demons. Neal, like most in the crowd, expressed shock at the votes failure. This gives me hope for the future, she said. It gives me hope that the direction weve been seeing across the country could turn around. The bill failed to get the crucial 33rd vote when Sen. Merv Riepe abstained. He was a cosigner of the bill, but expressed concern earlier this year that a six-week ban might not give women enough time to even know they were pregnant. Riepe, a former hospital administrator from Ralston, introduced an amendment Thursday that would have extended the proposed ban to 12 weeks and add to the bill's list of exceptions any fetal anomalies deemed incompatible with life. When he received pushback from fellow Republicans on the amendment, Riepe took to the mic to warn his conservative colleagues that they should heed signs that abortion will galvanize women to vote them out of office. He offered up his own election last year as an example, noting that in a four-person race, he emerged with about 45% of the vote in the May primary and was a whopping 27 points ahead of his nearest contender. But after the Supreme Court's decision in June striking down Roe, his margin of victory in the general election against that same challenger a Democrat who made abortion rights central to her campaign dropped to just under 5 percentage points. We must embrace the future of reproductive rights, he said. The failed Nebraska bill included exceptions for cases of rape, incest and medical emergencies that threaten the life of the mother and made specific exceptions for ectopic pregnancies and IVF procedures. It also allowed for the removal of a fetus that has died in the womb. It did not ascribe criminal penalties to either women who receive or doctors who perform abortions. Instead, it would have subjected doctors who perform abortions in violation of the measure to professional discipline, which could include losing their medical licenses. Opponents seemed prepared to back Riepe's amendment by the end of debate, but focused mostly on concerns about the bill, saying it was ambiguous and might make medical professionals subject to criminal penalties in particular a 1977 state law that makes abortion performed outside of accepted medical procedures a felony. Doctors are not going to have an adequate opportunity to know what's going on with this law, Sen. John Cavanaugh said. The bill's author, Thurston Sen. Joni Albrecht, rejected that argument, saying it is the friendliest pro-life bill out there to the medical community. But she rejected a compromise bill introduced by Omaha Sen. Jen Day that would explicitly exempt women and medical professionals from criminal penalties associated with an abortion. This is simply not necessary, Albrecht said. She also rejected Riepe's amendment, objecting to giving pregnant people 12 weeks to get an abortion because her 6-week proposal was a big compromise from the total abortion ban which had no exceptions for rape or incest she introduced and failed to get passed last year. This bill is about one thing, she said. It's protecting babies with beating hearts from elective abortion. Nebraska has the only single-chamber, officially nonpartisan legislature in the United States. But each of its 49 lawmakers identifies as Republican or Democrat and tends to propose and vote for legislation along party lines. Republicans hold 32 seats, while Democrats hold 17 seats. Although bills can advance with a simple majority, it takes a supermajority 33 votes to end debate to overcome a filibuster. So a single lawmaker breaking from the party line could decide whether a bill advances or dies for the year. The close divide played heavily in the defeat last year of Albrecht's so-called trigger bill that would have automatically banned nearly all abortions in the state as soon as the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which had guaranteed the right to abortion nationwide for nearly five decades. That bill fell two votes short. In the vote to advance the abortion bill earlier this year, Sen. Mike McDonnell, a Democrat, voted with Republicans. His reason, he said, is that he is a devout Roman Catholic who has always campaigned as an anti-abortion candidate. McDonnell voted to end debate Thursday, while another Democrat, Omaha Sen. Justin Wayne, abstained. Pillen, the newly-elected governor who had been eager to sign the bill into law, issued a statement calling on Riepe to reconsider voting for the bill, but the statement was issued after the Legislature had already adjourned. It's not clear whether Riepe could even make a motion to reconsider when the body reconvenes. Jo Giles, executive director of the Women's Fund of Omaha, was brought to tears outside the legislative chamber after the vote. Wow! she exclaimed. This was unexpected, but we're so glad to have this win. We have fought so hard. This bill is not what the majority of women in this state wanted. UNITED NATIONS (AP) The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a resolution Thursday calling on Afghanistans Taliban rulers to swiftly reverse their increasingly harsh restrictions on women and girls, which range from severely restricting education to banning women from most jobs, public spaces and gyms. The council condemned the Taliban's ban on women working for the U.N., a decision the resolution calls unprecedented in the history of the United Nations. The unanimous 15-0 vote, with the United States, Russia and China all in favor, was a sign of the widespread global concerns over the Talibans actions. It was a rare moment of unity on a high-profile issue at a time of steep international divisions over the Ukraine war, although both Russia and China criticized the United States after the vote for its past role in Afghanistan and for refusing to return all $7 billion in frozen Afghan government funds. The Security Council never considered sanctions against the Taliban but the strong rebuke by the U.N.s most powerful body is a blow to the prestige of Afghanistans rulers, who are trying get credibility on the global stage including formal recognition by the United Nations as Afghanistans legitimate government. When the Taliban seized power in August 2021 as U.S. and NATO forces were pulling out of Afghanistan after two decades of war, they initially promised a more moderate rule than during their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001. But there has been a growing international outcry as Taliban leaders have gradually re-imposed their severe interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, on women and girls. During the 20 years after the Taliban were ousted in 2001 for harboring al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden, who masterminded the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States, schools and universities were opened for girls and women entered the workforce and politics, and became judges, ministers and professors. U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood told the council after the vote, Today, the Security Council has sent a clear. unanimous message to the Taliban and to the world: We will not stand for the Taliban's repression of women and girls. In Kabul on Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the Security Council's condemnation of the decision to restrict Afghan women from working at the U.N. as an internal social matter that did not impact outside states. We remain committed to ensuring all rights of Afghan women while emphasizing that diversity must be respected and not politicized," the ministry said in a statement. Separately, a prominent figure in the Taliban denounced the Security Council's failed policy of pressure. Anas Haqqani, brother of the Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, said in a tweet: It would have been better if UNSC had assessed the removal of diplomatic & financial sanctions instead of such resolutions, which amounts to the collective punishment of Afghans. The resolution, co-sponsored by the United Arab Emirates and Japan, expresses deep concern at the increasing erosion of respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and girls in Afghanistan by the Taliban and reaffirms their indispensable role in Afghan society. It calls on the Taliban to swiftly restore their access to education, employment, freedom of movement and equal participation in public life. And it urges all other U.N. member nations to use their influence to promote an urgent reversal of the Talibans policies and practices toward women and girls. Under Taliban rule, girls have been barred from school beyond the sixth grade and women are now virtually confined to their homes, unable to go out and travel without a male guardian. In late December, the Taliban banned national and international aid groups from employing Afghan women and on April 4 they extended that ban to Afghan women working for the United Nations. UAE Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh said over 90 countries from around the world co-sponsored the resolution including many Muslim nations and some from Afghanistan's neighborhood which makes our fundamental message today even more significant: the world will not sit by silently as women in Afghanistan are erased from society. Pressure mounted for a legally binding Security Council resolution addressing the Talibans crackdown on women and girls after the U.N. ban. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the Taliban ban a violation of the inalienable fundamental human rights of women and Afghanistans obligations under international human rights law, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. Female staff members are essential to executing life-saving U.N. operations on the ground, Dujarric said, stressing that out of Afghanistans population of about 40 million people, were trying to reach 23 million men, women and children with humanitarian aid. The U.N. has warned that the ban could cripple desperately needed aid deliveries, and lead to a U.N. pullout from Afghanistan. Since April 5, the 3,300 Afghans employed by the U.N. 2,700 men and 600 women have stayed home, but Dujarric has said they continue to work and will be paid. The U.N.s 600-strong international staff, including 200 women, is not affected by the Taliban ban. Roza Otunbayeva, a former president and foreign minister of the Kyrgyz Republic who heads the U.N. political mission in Afghanistan known as UNAMA, responded to the Talibans ban on Afghan women working for the 193-nation world body by ordering an operational review of the U.N.s presence in the country, which will last until May 5. Before the review is completed, secretary-general Guterres will host an international meeting on Afghanistan in Doha, the capital of Qatar, on May 1-2. U.N. spokesman Dujarric said last week that the closed meeting will be attended by envoys on Afghanistan from various countries with the aim of seeking a durable way forward for the country. His announcement followed an April 17 speech at Princeton University by Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, who led a high-ranking U.N. delegation to meetings with Taliban ministers in January, previewing the Doha meeting. Out of that, we hope that well find those baby steps to put us back on the pathway to recognition (of the Taliban), a principled recognition, Mohammed said. Is it possible? I dont know. (But) that discussion has to happen. The Taliban clearly want recognition, and thats the leverage we have. The UAE's Nusseibeh said the resolution sends a clear signal to the Doha meeting from the international community and the Security Council: Women and girls play an essential role in every society, including Afghanistan, humanitarian access must not be gender-based, and political engagement and dialogue are the only way forward. While the resolution focuses on the Taliban crackdown on women and girls, it also underscores that it is critical for all Afghan parties, the region and the wider international community to hold talks to reach a political settlement and restore peace and stability "in the country, the region and beyond." The resolution reaffirms the U.N.s support for a peaceful, stable, prosperous and inclusive Afghanistan and for an inclusive Afghan-led and Afghan-owned determination of the countrys political future and development path. It also recognizes the many challenges Afghanistan faces, stresses the urgent need to address the dire economic and humanitarian situation in the country, and reiterates that women are essential to the delivery of humanitarian aid. The Taliban have ignored numerous appeals from the U.N. and many countries, including the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation, to restore the rights of girls and women. But Japan's U.N. Ambassador Kimihiro Ishikane said we need to keep reaching out to them so the message can start resonating. Nusseibeh said at some point the Taliban will want to be part of the international community, and when they do I think it's clear what the conditions and the requirements are. This story was published on April 27, 2023. It is being republished to correct the U.N. Secretary-General's reference to Taliban ban, instead of U.N. ban. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate CAIRO (AP) Armed fighters rampaged through a city in Sudans war-ravaged region of Darfur on Thursday, battling each other and looting shops and homes, residents said. The violence came despite the extension of a fragile truce between Sudan's two top generals, whose power struggle has killed hundreds. The mayhem in the Darfur city of Genena pointed to how the rival generals fight for control in the capital, Khartoum, was spiraling into violence in other parts of Sudan. The two sides accepted a 72-hour extension of the truce late Thursday. The agreement, brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia, has not stopped the fighting but created enough of a lull for tens of thousands of Sudanese to flee to safer areas and for foreign nations to evacuate thousands of their citizens by land, air and sea. The cease-fire has brought a significant easing of fighting in Khartoum and its neighboring city Omdurman for the first time since the military and a rival paramilitary force began clashing on April 15, turning residential neighborhoods into battlegrounds. Both the military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, said late Thursday that they accepted the extension of the truce. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has spoken repeatedly with both generals, had earlier acknowledged the limits of the truce while saying he was determined to extend it. Weve had a 72-hour cease-fire, which like most cease-fires is imperfect but nonetheless has reduced violence, he said. The White House meanwhile encouraged Americans to take advantage of any opportunity to leave Sudan in the next 24 to 48 hours, even as Washington has faced criticism for not mounting the kind of mass evacuation of its citizens already carried out by other nations. We are working continuously to create options for American citizens to leave Sudan, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. She warned that the situation could deteriorate at any moment. A U.S. defense official said the USS Truxtun, a U.S. Navy destroyer, is in the Red Sea off the coast of Sudan, and the USNS Brunswick, a fast transport ship, is expected to reach the coast later on Thursday. The USS Lewis B. Puller, an expeditionary ship, is further south in the Red Sea, heading north. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing military operations, said none of the ships have received orders as yet to pick up citizens or other personnel. British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly urged U.K. nationals who want to leave to get to an airfield north of Khartoum for evacuation flights. The situation could deteriorate over the coming days," he warned. Britain said it has evacuated 897 people on eight flights to Cyprus, with operations continuing. The fighting has continued in some parts of the capital despite the truce, and in the western region of Darfur, residents said the violence had escalated to its worst yet. Darfur has been a battleground between the military and the paramilitary RSF since the conflict began nearly two weeks ago. Residents said the fighting in Genena was now dragging in tribal militias, tapping into longtime hatreds between the regions two main communities one that identifies as Arab, the other as East or Central African. In the early 2000s, African tribes in Darfur that had long complained of discrimination rebelled against the Khartoum government, which responded with a military campaign that the International Criminal Court later said amounted to genocide. State-backed Arab militias known as the Janjaweed were accused of widespread killings, rapes and other atrocities. The Janjaweed later evolved into the RSF. Early Thursday, fighters who mostly wore RSF uniforms attacked several neighborhoods across Genena, driving many families from their homes. The violence spiraled as tribal fighters joining the fray in Genena, a city of around half a million people located near the border with Chad. The attacks come from all directions, said Amany, a Genena resident who asked to withhold her family name for her safety. All are fleeing. It was often unclear who was fighting whom, with a mix of RSF and tribal militias some allies of the RSF, some opponents all running rampant. The military has largely withdrawn to its barracks, staying out of the clashes, and residents were taking up arms to defend themselves, said Dr. Salah Tour, a board member of the Doctors Syndicate in the West Darfur province, of which Genena is the capital. The syndicate estimated that dozens of people were killed and hundreds wounded. Almost all of Genenas medical facilities, including its main hospital, have been out of service for days, and the sole functioning hospital is inaccessible because of the fighting. Criminal gangs looted the main hospital, stealing vehicles and equipment and destroying the hospitals blood bank, the syndicate said. Fighters, some on motorcycles, roamed the streets, destroying and ransacking offices, shops and homes, several residents said. Its a scorched earth war, said Adam Haroun, a political activist in West Darfur, speaking by telephone with the sound of gunfire at times drowning out his voice. Haroun and other residents said the city's main open-air market was completely destroyed. Government offices and aid agencies compounds were trashed and repeatedly burned, including U.N. premises and the headquarters of the Sudanese Red Crescent. Two major camps for displaced people have been burned down, their occupants mainly women and children from African tribes dispersed, said Abdel-Shafei Abdalla, a senior member of a local group that helps administer camps. Elsewhere in Darfur, there have been sporadic clashes, particularly in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur province, where thousands have fled their homes, Abdalla said. At least 512 people, including civilians and combatants, have been killed in Sudan since April 15, with another 4,200 wounded, according to the Sudanese Health Ministry. The Doctors Syndicate, which tracks civilian casualties, has recorded at least 303 civilians killed and 1,848 wounded. Meanwhile, in Khartoum, residents reported gunfire and explosions in some parts of the capital on Thursday. They said the militarys warplanes bombed RSF positions in the upscale neighborhood of Kafouri. The RSF confirmed its camp in the neighborhood was bombed. Many are struggling to obtain food and water, and electricity is cut off across much of Khartoum and other cities. Multiple aid agencies have had to suspend operations. Fearing that fighting will escalate once more, Sudanese and foreigners have been rushing to escape. Egypt has so far evacuated more than 5,300 Egyptians from Sudan and received more than 14,000 Sudanese fleeing the fighting, the Foreign Ministry said. Long lines of buses continue to form at the border, and tens of thousands more have gone to other neighboring countries or to the Red Sea city of Port Sudan, trying to get onto ferries to Saudi Arabia. Hassan Ali, a Dutch citizen who made it to the city of Larnaca in Cyprus on an evacuation flight, told The Associated Press he had spent days trapped at home in Khartoum. Most areas had no water and only intermittent electricity. Most of the time we (are) locked at home unless you go for something really emergency, food, medication. Thats it, he said. Many sought shelter in hospitals, even though "most of the hospitals get attacked as well, by both sides. People, they just left everything behind, he said of those leaving. "There is no cash, Theres no money. You just take your bag. ___ Associated Press writers Menelaos Hadjicostis in Larnaca, Cyprus; Jill Lawless in London; Christopher Megerian and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington, and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate PARIS (AP) Leila Oulkebous' research for her doctorate from one of France's top universities was going well when the explosions started. Oulkebous had decided to focus her field work on Sudan when the country exploded into violence. The chiefs of the countrys army and its rival Rapid Support Forces rose to power after a popular uprising in 2019 prompted them to remove longtime autocratic ruler Omar al-Bashir. They started fighting this month amid tensions over a new plan to re-introduce civilian rule. The bombing shook the house where Oulkebous was living in the capital, Khartoum, investigating the effects of dams on rivers that cross borders. "We were hiding all the time under the bed, she said Wednesday at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport as hundreds of people arrived in harrowing evacuations. World powers were rescuing people from Sudan on planes and warships in operations prompted by the eruption of the fighting that sent thousands of foreigners and many more Sudanese people fleeing for safety. A French frigate carrying hundreds of evacuees docked Wednesday morning in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia as part of broader efforts involving several warships, in addition to airlifts. French military spokesman Col. Pierre Gaudilliere said France evacuated more than 500 civilians from 40 nations by plane over the weekend after securing the airbase north of Khartoum Saturday, using its airbase in neighbouring Djibouti for the airlift. Gaudilliere said the French military was the first to land, and organized the flow of its own and other nations' planes. You still had airstrikes as the operation was going on, crossfire in the streets, artillery fire, so it was and still is very intense fighting, Gaudilliere said. The French military had personnel on the ground to assess the situation during the operation, he said. Several nations, including Japan, thanked France for rescuing their citizens. Some other countries quickly joined evacuation efforts. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said Wednesday three nationals have been evacuated with help from Germany, and his country is now working with Turkey to help evacuate two other citizens. Greek national Christos Dedes, who was in Sudan for work, said he and his colleagues managed to leave their Khartoum hotel Tuesday via the Portuguese embassy, which sent a car to drive them to the airbase where there were Italian, French and German soldiers. We just happened to leave with the Italians, on a transport plane, he said on Greek TV channel Mega Wednesday, after he arrived in Athens. From their Khartoum hotel, he said, they could see that every day the battles were heavier. Both (sides) were using heavy weapons. He said they would hear explosions at night, and see bodies in the street. More than 1,000 people from 58 countries were to arrive Wednesday by ship to the port of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, including many on the French warship Lorraine. Saudi Arabia on Saturday organized the first evacuation convoy by land, via cars and buses bringing people to Port Sudan, where a navy ship took them to Jeddah. The French foreign affairs ministry said a flight carrying 184 French nationals and their families and about 20 other nationals returned from Djibouti and landed in Paris Wednesday morning. Among them was Oulkebous, a Moroccan PhD student at Bordeaux Montaigne University. The feeling I had since the first day of fighting was I felt really paralysed, I didnt know what to do, I didnt know how to get out, the airport was closed, we could not leave," she said, describing "the explosions, the smoke, so really, I didnt have the time to fully realise what was going on. A Royal Air Maroc plane arrived at Casablancas Mohammed V airport on Wednesday, carrying 136 Moroccan nationals evacuated from Sudan. In contrast with France and some other nations, the U.S. and Britain didnt evacuate non-diplomats at first. The British government has come under growing criticism for its failure to airlift civilians. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak defended the governments approach, saying diplomats had been evacuated first because they were being targeted. The British government since said that 301 people have been evacuated on four U.K. flights from Sudan over the past 24 hours, and four more are scheduled Wednesday. Britain intends to keep running the flights for as long as possible. In addition, rapid deployment teams of U.K. officials are in Port Sudan assessing potential for a seaborne evacuation. The Foreign Office says U.K. passport-holders are eligible, and priority is given to family groups with children and/or the elderly or individuals with medical conditions. Officials have said there are as many as 4,000 British citizens in Sudan, 2,000 of whom have registered for potential evacuation. The White House said Monday the U.S. is helping from afar as thousands of Americans left behind in Sudan seek to escape fighting in the east African nation, after the U.S. Embassy evacuated all of its diplomatic personnel over the weekend and shut down. The Biden administration is considering several options for assisting private American citizens in getting out of Sudan. Two U.S. officials said one option being considered would be to send U.S. Navy vessels in, or en route to, the Red Sea to dock at Port Sudan and take Americans to Jeddah or another location. The officials said this would depend on the security situation and whether it was deemed safe for the ships to dock. A U.S. official said the military has developed other options for getting Americans, including using an airfield that some European countries have used to fly out citizens. To date, it has not been told to do that, the official said. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive matters. ____ Karel Janicek in Prague, Jill Lawless in London, Elena Becatoros in Athens, Tarik El-Barakah in Rabat, Matt Lee and Tara Copp in Washington contributed to the story. ___ This story was first published on April 26, 2023. It was updated on April 27, 2023 to make clear that Oulkebous decision to focus her research on Sudan was not related to the civil war in Ethiopia. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WARSAW, Poland (AP) A baroque Warsaw mansion hosting a museum dedicated to one of Europes greatest 19th century musicians, Polish pianist and composer Frederic Chopin, is reopening with a new focus on original artifacts after months of pandemic-spurred renovations. The main reason of this refurbishing was to create a good atmosphere, good air conditions for the ... original objects," Artur Szklener, director of the National Frederic Chopin Institute said Thursday. And at the same time we wanted to change some ideas of the exhibition itself showing more of the originals, he told The Associated Press. The museum, which houses Chopins last piano, a Pleyel, and manuscripts of his music, will also display new items including letters he wrote to his companion, writer George Sand, and a satirical drawing she made of him, as well as an oil portrait of Chopin by his friend Teofil Kwiatkowski, a fellow Pole. The focus of the renewed exhibition is on the original manuscripts, which take the place of previous copies, and on recreating the mood and style of the times they belong to, museum officials said. Especially after the pandemic we realized that people are overwhelmed, oversaturated with things that are not original, they have enough of it and they wanted more originals, they wanted to touch the real thing, Chopin institute spokesman Aleksander Laskowski told the AP. They cannot touch the letters, obviously, but they almost can. "That was the reason for change: be original. And we are, Laskowski said. Seeing the letters in Chopin's handwriting, written in beautiful Polish and in a very imaginative way" one cannot help feeling transported to his age and into his drawing room, Laskowski said. A large part of the renovation was creating the right technical air and light conditions for exhibiting 19th century manuscripts and other objects, while respecting the architecture of the 17th century Ostrogski Castle. Popular among Poles and foreign tourists, the museum saw an 85% drop in number of visitors during the pandemic. That turned out to be a spur and an opportunity for change. It closed in the fall of 2022 for renovation and rearrangement. The global trauma of the deadly pandemic has also led to some exhibit changes or removals, especially in the room documenting Chopin's death, according to curator Seweryn Kuter. Space has also been made for more items that were owned or linked to the Romantic-era composer, who spent half of his life in Paris, museum officials said. Chopin was born in 1810 in Zelazowa Wola near Warsaw to a Polish mother and a French father. Seeking to develop his talent, he went to Vienna in 1830 and then to Paris, where he settled until his death in 1849. He is buried at the Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris, but his heart was brought to Poland and rests sealed in a pillar of the Holy Cross Church in Warsaw. The museum reopens Saturday. BRIDGEPORT Police said a shooting on Denver Avenue Wednesday night turned out to have been a homicide, after a person reported finding a body at the side of a nearby home some 12 hours after police initially responded. Police identified the victim only as a 25-year-old city man. The string of events began around 8:15 p.m. Wednesday after Bridgeport's Shot Spotter system reported gunfire in the 100 block of Denver Avenue, Bridgeport Police Capt. Kevin Gilleran said in a statement. "Police officers responded to Denver Avenue, collected several items of evidence, conducted interviews, canvassed the area, and documented their investigation," he said. Then around 8:30 a.m. Thursday, "a citizen called police stating he found a body on the side of a house" that was also in the 100 block of Denver Avenue, Gilleran said. Police and medics responded to find the man "positioned on the ground between a car and a house," he said. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene by medics. "Our sincerest condolences go out to the family and friends of the victim," Gilleran said. The detective bureau was then notified. Gilleran said the bureau's homicide squad has since taken over the investigation and that leads on the killing were "quickly developing." Police have closed off Denver Avenue between Fairfield Avenue and Denver court while investigators process the crime scene. The area is expected to be closed until the evening hours. Anyone with information about the homicide can call Homicide Detective Brian Coyne at 203-581-5223, or the Bridgeport Police Tips Line at 203-576-TIPS. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BEIJING (AP) Chinese leader Xi Jinping said Wednesday that Beijing will send an envoy to Ukraine to discuss a possible political settlement to Russias war with the country. Beijing has previously avoided involvement in conflicts between other countries but appears to be trying to assert itself as a global diplomatic force after arranging talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran in March that led them to restore diplomatic relations after a seven-year break. Xi told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a phone call that a Chinese envoy, a former Chinese ambassador to Russia, would visit Ukraine and other countries to discuss a possible political settlement, according to a government statement. It made no mention of Russia or last years invasion of Ukraine and didn't indicate whether the Chinese envoy might visit Moscow. The Xi-Zelenskyy phone call was long anticipated after Beijing said it wanted to serve as a mediator in the war. WHY DOES THIS MATTER? China is the only major government that has friendly relations with Moscow as well as economic leverage as the biggest buyer of Russian oil and gas after the United States and its allies cut off most purchases. Beijing, which sees Moscow as a diplomatic partner in opposing U.S. domination of global affairs, has refused to criticize the invasion and used its status as one of five permanent U.N. Security Council members to deflect diplomatic attacks on Russia. Zelenskyy earlier said he welcomed a Chinese offer to mediate. WHY DID CHINA DO THIS? Xis government has pursued a bigger role in global diplomacy as part of a campaign to restore China to what the ruling Communist Party sees as its rightful status as a political and economic leader and to build an international order that favors Beijing's interests. That is a sharp reversal after decades of avoiding involvement in other countries conflicts and most international affairs while it focused on economic development at home. In March, Saudi Arabia and Iran issued a surprise announcement, following talks in Beijing, that they would reopen embassies in each others capitals following a seven-year break. China has good relations with both as a big oil buyer. Last week, Foreign Minister Qin Gang told his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts that his country is ready to help facilitate peace talks. Wednesday's statement warned against the dangers of nuclear war, suggesting Beijing might also have been motivated by what it sees as the growing danger of a more destructive conflict. Mediating between Ukraine and Russia would increase Chinas presence in Eastern Europe, where Beijing has tried to build ties with other governments. That has prompted complaints by some European officials that China is trying to gain leverage over the European Union. Political science professor Kimberly Marten of Barnard College at Columbia University in New York doubted China would succeed in a peacemaker role. I have a hard time believing that China can act as peacemaker, she said, adding that Beijing has been too close to Russia. WHAT ARE CHINAS RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA? China is the closest thing President Vladimir Putins isolated government has to a major ally. Xi and Putin issued a joint statement ahead of the February 2022 invasion that said their governments had a no limits friendship. Beijing has tried to appear neutral but has repeated Russian justifications for the invasion. Xi received a warm welcome from Putin during a visit to Moscow in March. The Chinese defense minister visited Russia this month. China has stepped up purchases of Russian oil and gas for its energy-hungry economy, helping to offset lost revenue resulting from Western sanctions. In exchange, China gets lower prices, though details havent been disclosed. Marten said the Xi-Zelenskyy call was kind of a slap at Russia, because Russia has been very keen to portray China as its ally. She said the direct China-Ukraine contact indicates China is taking at least a step away from Russia. WHAT ARE CHINAS RELATIONS WITH UKRAINE? China was Ukraine's biggest trading partner before the invasion, though on a smaller scale than Chinese-Russian trade. In 2021, Ukraine announced plans for Chinese companies to build trade-related infrastructure. Zelenskyy's government was more ambivalent toward Beijing after it was clear Xi wouldn't try to stop Putin's war, but the two sides have remained amicable. Before the full-scale Russian invasion, China was Ukraines number one trading partner. I believe that our conversation today will give a powerful impetus to the return, preservation and development of this dynamic at all levels, an official Ukrainian readout of the call reported. Qin, the foreign minister, promised this month China wouldn't provide arms to either side, a pledge that benefits Ukraine, which has received tanks, rockets and other armaments from the United States and European governments. The Chinese ambassador to France set off an uproar in Europe when he suggested former Soviet republics a group that includes Ukraine might not be sovereign nations. That was in line with Putin's comments denying Ukrainian sovereignty. Beijing then reassured former Soviet states it respected their sovereignty and said the ambassador's comments were a personal opinion, not official policy. Elizabeth Wishnick, of the U.S.-based think tank CNA and Columbia Universitys Weatherhead East Asian Institute, said in an email: I wonder if Xis call was set up quickly to deflect attention" from the uproar over the Chinese ambassador's remarks. ___ Andrew Katell in New York contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate ABOARD BRP MALABRIGO (AP) A Chinese coast guard ship blocked a Philippine patrol vessel steaming into a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, causing a frightening near-collision in the latest act of Beijings aggression in the strategic waterway. The high seas face-off April 23 between the larger Chinese ship and the Philippine coast guards BRP Malapascua near Second Thomas Shoal was among the tense moments it and another Philippine vessel encountered in a weeklong sovereignty patrol in one of the worlds most hotly contested waterways. The Philippine coast guard had invited a small group of journalists, including three from The Associated Press, to join the 1,670-kilometer (1,038-mile) patrol for the first time as part of a new Philippine strategy aimed at exposing Chinas increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea, where an estimated $5 trillion in global trade transits each year. In scorching summer heat but relatively calm waters, the Malapascua and another Philippine coast guard vessel, the BRP Malabrigo, journeyed to the frontlines of the long-seething territorial conflicts. They cruised past a string of widely scattered Philippine-occupied and claimed islands, islets and reefs looking for signs of encroachment, illegal fishing and other threats. In areas occupied or controlled by China, the Philippine patrol vessels received radio warnings in Chinese and halting English, ordering them to immediately leave what the Chinese coast guard and navy radio callers claimed were Beijings undisputable territories and issuing unspecified threats for defiance. Hostilities peaked that Sunday morning in the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly archipelago, the most fiercely contested region in the busy sea channel. As the two patrol vessels approached the shoal's shallow turquoise waters for an underwater survey, the Chinese coast guard repeatedly warned them by radio to leave the area, which is about 194 kilometers (121 miles) west of the Philippine island province of Palawan. After several radio exchanges, a Chinese coast guard caller, sounding agitated, warned of unspecified adversarial action. "Since you have disregarded our warning, we will take further necessary measures on you in accordance with the laws and any consequences entailed will be borne by you, the Chinese speaker said. A Chinese coast guard ship rapidly approached and shadowed the smaller Malapascua and the Malabrigo. When the Malapascua maneuvered toward the mouth of the shoal, the Chinese ship suddenly shifted to block it, coming as close as 36 to 46 meters (120 to 150 feet) from its bow, said Malapascuas skipper, Capt. Rodel Hernandez. To avoid a collision, Hernandez abruptly reversed his vessels direction then shut off its engine to bring the boat to a full stop. Filipino personnel aboard the vessels and journalists, who captured the tense moment on camera watched in frightened silence. But the Malapascua steered just in time to avoid a potential disaster. Hernandez later told journalists that the sudden and really very dangerous maneuver by the Chinese coast guard ship had disregarded international rules on collision avoidance. He had the Philippine vessels leave the area after the encounter for the safety of the ships and personnel. Earlier, a huge Chinese navy ship shadowed the two Philippine patrol vessels in the dark of night as they cruised near Subi, one of seven barren reefs China has transformed in the last decade into a missile-protected island base. The Chinese navy ship radioed the Philippine vessels to immediately leave and keep out. The coast guard radioed back to assert Philippine sovereign rights to the area before steaming away. China has long demanded that the Philippines withdraw its small contingent of naval forces and tow away the actively commissioned but crumbling BRP Sierra Madre. The navy ship was deliberately marooned on the shoal in 1999 and now serves as a fragile symbol of Manilas territorial claim to the atoll. Chinese ships often block navy vessels delivering food and other supplies to the Filipino sailors on the ship, including just a few days earlier, Hernandez said. As hostilities between Chinese coast guard and navy ships and the Philippine patrol vessels were unfolding, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang was in Manila, where he held talks with his Philippine counterpart and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday. China was willing to work with the Philippines to resolve differences and deepen ties, Qin said. The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to an AP request for comment on the encounters. In another Philippine-claimed reef called Whitsun, the Philippine patrol vessels spotted more than 100 suspected Chinese militia ships arrayed side by side in several clusters in the shallows. China says the huge trawler-like ships are fishing vessels, but Manilas coast guard suspects they are being used for surveillance or to hold the reef for future development. Filipino coast guard personnel aboard two motor boats approached the Chinese ships and ordered them through a loudspeaker to leave, but none did. Philippine officials required participating journalists to not immediately release information about the trip to ensure the safety of the mission and to give the coast guard time to brief defense, justice and foreign affairs officials in charge of handling the touchy territorial conflicts. Faced with a militarily far-superior China in the disputed waters, the Philippines launched the campaign early this year to expose the Asian superpowers aggression, hoping public awareness and criticism will force Beijing to abide by international law. Philippines coast guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said the strategy was working. He noted the Chinese ambassador in Manila was prompted to hold a news conference to explain Beijings side amid outrage over a publicly released video that showed a Chinese coast guard ship aiming a military-grade laser in early February that temporarily blinded two crewmembers of the Malapascua off Second Thomas Shoal. We are David, Tarriela said, likening the Philippines to the underdog hero of the Biblical story. We believe that through the publication of all these aggressive actions of China, we would find friends who would criticize Goliath. The territorial conflicts involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have long been regarded as an Asian flashpoint and a delicate fault line in the rivalry between the United States and China in the region. While the U.S. lays no claims to the South China Sea, it has deployed its warships and fighter jets for patrols and military exercises with regional allies to uphold freedom of navigation and overflight, which it says is in Americas national interest. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller on Saturday called media reporting on the encounters a stark reminder of Chinese harassment and intimidation of Philippine vessels as they undertake routine patrols within their exclusive economic zone. We call upon Beijing to desist from its provocative and unsafe conduct. Beijing has criticized a recent agreement by the Philippines and the U.S. to grant American forces access to additional Filipino military camps. China fears the access will provide Washington with military staging grounds and surveillance outposts in the northern Philippines across the sea from Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory, and in provinces facing the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety. Miller reaffirmed Washington's repeated warnings that it would help defend the Philippines its oldest treaty ally in Asia if Philippine forces, ships or aircraft are attacked in the South China Sea. With multiple conflicts looming in what appears to be a placid expanse of sea, where dolphins and starlit night skies send seafarers grabbing their cameras, Malabrigos skipper Julio Colarina III said he would always strive to stay on the right side of a geopolitical minefield. As much as possible well avoid conflict in the area, he said. All these competing interests just need one spark. ___ Associated Press journalists Joeal Calupitan and Aaron Favila contributed to this report. ___ Find more of AP's Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific Lawyers who refuse to prosecute disruptive climate change anarchists are unlikely to face disciplinary action, the Bar Council has indicated. Sounds about right. The Old Bill still remain reluctant to nick Just Stop Everything 'slow marchers' bringing traffic to a halt in London every day. So the notion that barristers won't prosecute these headbangers in the highly unlikely event of any of them actually being arrested is entirely consistent with the warped state of so-called criminal justice in Basket Case Britain, where ostentatiously advertising fashionable virtue is apparently more important than upholding the law. Appearing before a Commons committee on Wednesday, Met Commissioner Mark Rowley took exception to Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson's typically robust and 100 per cent accurate accusation that he was guilty of dereliction of duty sending Scotland Yard's elite skateboard squad to give the 'demonstrators' a police escort, instead of cracking heads and feeling a few fake-fur collars. How dare an elected politician criticise an appointed public servant for not doing his job? The Old Bill still remain reluctant to nick Just Stop Everything 'slow marchers' bringing traffic to a halt in London every day Met Commissioner Mark Rowley took exception to Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson's typically robust and 100 per cent accurate accusation that he was guilty of dereliction of duty I'm only surprised that Rowley hasn't already gone running to ASBO, or whatever the chief police officers' club calls itself this week, claiming that Anderson was 'bullying' him and must be cancelled, Raab-style, without further delay. To my mind, Anderson a no-nonsense former Nottinghamshire miner didn't go far enough. He spoke plainly for the decent, law-abiding majority who have had a bellyful of entitled Left-wing, polar-bear-hugging lunatics going out of their way to make people's lives a misery and are disgusted at the police's shameful complicity. Rowley is maintaining he doesn't have the legal authority to stop the anarchy on London's streets even though his interpretation of the law is utterly rejected by the proper copper who runs Greater Manchester Police. Instead, Rowley's rozzers stand around gawping impotently at half a dozen space cadets blocking the Strand, while simultaneously threatening with arrest anyone who attempts to shift them out of the way. Perhaps it's already time he was replaced by the GMP's Stephen Watson, who sees his job as serving the paying public, not the trendy Guardianista, metropolitan 'elite'. It has been an inauspicious week for Rowley, who despite constantly complaining about 'lack of resources' did manage to rustle up an hilarious terracotta (or, rather, hi-viz) army of Plods on foot and pushbikes to 'protect', North Korean-style, Dishi Rishi's over-the-top motorcade. That's another one I don't know whether to file under You Couldn't Make It Up or Mind How You Go. Just Stop Oil climate activists hold a placard as they march in central London on April 27, 2023. Policing in London is in crisis and Rowley, far from being a new broom, seems to be part of the problem Look, I'm sorry to bang on about this, but policing in London is in crisis and Rowley, far from being a new broom, seems to be part of the problem. He already appears to be preoccupied with metro/politico obsessions which is presumably how he got the job in the first place, after five years of filling his boots in the private sector. His arrogant dismissal of Anderson deputy chairman of a governing party with a 70-odd seat majority harked back to Ian 'Vote Labour' Blair sneering at the Greater London Assembly a few years ago, when they dared to call him to account. That's probably enough Plod for now, so thanks for bearing with me. When I started writing this column yesterday morning, it was intended to be all about the smug lawyers who refuse to prosecute the climate clowns. But the attitude of the police and the Left-wing legal establishment are intertwined. You can't separate their mindsets. Some people may think that the Bar Council is the band Paul Weller formed after The Jam split up. It's actually the professional body which is supposed to represent barristers. One of its core principles is the 'cab-rank' system, which insists that lawyers must take whichever cases are sent to them regardless of merit, or individual prejudice. My colleague Leo McKinstry reminds me that one of our most distinguished barristers, former Ulster Unionist MP Richard Ferguson, represented both the SAS and the IRA including some of the Birmingham Six and the Brighton Bomber Patrick Magee. No matter how much it must sometimes have gone against the grain of his personal beliefs, he spoke for his clients with absolute professionalism and commitment. Sadly, those values no longer apply to the new breed of activist barristers, who see their job as furthering their own political agendas, often under the guise of yuman rites. Nor, it would seem, to Stephen Kenny, chairman of the Bar Council's ethics committee, who has told his members: 'If you are genuinely afflicted by conscience . . . you do not have to act.' This follows a declaration signed by 170 barristers, led by fox-clubber Jolyon Maugham KC, that they will not prosecute anyone from Just Stop Everything. KC and the Sunshine Band wish us to know they are on the side of those who block roads and vandalise buildings and works of art. Look at me, Mum! Not that any of them is ever likely to be asked to prosecute. But there is an important principle at stake that of the neutrality of the Bar. But the attitude of the police and the Left-wing legal establishment are intertwined. You can't separate their mindsets (police speak to Just Stop Oil protesters in central London) Even that most famous Old Bailey defence hack Horace Rumpole agreed to prosecute once, because he believed it was his sworn professional duty. So, too, should KC and the Sunshine Band if a CPS brief flutters their way. Sadly, especially since the setting up of New Labour's Supreme Court, the legal process in Britain has become excessively politicised over everything from Brexit to criminal damage committed in the name of stopping climate change. Rumpole would be appalled. His young protege Mizz Liz Probert might have signed Jolyon's round robin letter to the Guardian, but the great Horace would never have betrayed his noble calling. Even if Just Stop Everything stopped him getting to his bottle of Chateau Thames Embankment in Pomeroy's Wine Bar, or glued themselves to the Gloucester Road, preventing She Who Must Be Obeyed hitting the lamb chops aisle, he'd also have been first to leap to their defence. Mind you, old darling, one suspects that in those circumstances he'd have been more than happy to prosecute. Civil service union leaders are demanding a four-day week on full pay to compensate for the stress of working from home. Thats more than most of them are doing already. A lamb has been found in the back of a car on a Glasgow motorway with ten grands worth of heroin and cocaine. Sure it wasnt a motorhome? After the wettest March for more than 40 years, here come the hosepipe bans, some lasting until Christmas. Thatll be the global warming again, then. It might as well rain until September... Kung flu, part two Weve had Covid-19, bird flu, swine fever and now, wait for it, dog flu. A study of 4,000 infected dogs in China where else? warns the illness could spread to humans. Sounds depressingly familiar. Bring on the next lockdown. Actually, it may already be here. I went to my doctor this week with a sore throat and he asked how I felt. Ruff, ruff! What does one give ones Pa to mark the monumental occasion of his ceremonial ascension to the throne? A sacred moment he has been preparing for his entire life? A pair of socks or box of chocs just wont cut it on this day of days. Something in a silver frame? Seems a bit lame. So you have to give Prince Harry a ribbon of tattered credit for handing King Charles a coronation gift he will never forget. Or possibly forgive. How could he? Just over a week before the coronation, which will be beamed around the world to a television audience of millions, Harry has peeled open a fresh seam in his obsessive war of grievance against the British Press. He is suing News Group Newspapers over alleged historical unlawful information-gathering, one of three major cases being brought, including one against this newspaper group. Prince Harry suing News Group Newspapers over alleged historical unlawful information-gathering, one of three major cases being brought, including one against this newspaper group At a time when Charles and Camilla need it least, he has dragged the embarrassing memory of Tampongate back into the public arena and also suggested that Prince William agreed a settlement with NGN That is entirely his right, but it is the monarchy, more than anything else, that his actions damage the most. Boom, boom, boom goes the ordnance from Harrys cannons of wrath, straight through the castle ramparts and into the inner sanctum, imploding any remnants of family calm before the big day. At a time when Charles and Camilla need it least, he has dragged the embarrassing memory of Tampongate back into the public arena and also suggested that Prince William agreed a settlement with NGN. Like a conspiracist high on his beloved ayahuasca and the rich fumes of hubris, the Duke of Sussex went on to allege in court this week that a secret pact exists between senior members of the Royal Family and newspaper bosses. This seems to be news to absolutely everyone except Harry, although he provided little of the density of detail that might helpfully support such a notion. Not for the first time it crossed my mind that just because Harry passionately believes something does not necessarily mean that it is true. To peruse his 31-page statement to the court is to understand as fantastical as it seems that Harry sees himself not as a man possessed, but as a knight in shining armour; the great redeemer not only of himself and his family, but of the Government, the media industry, the people of this great country, the country itself and indeed the very concept of democracy. The Duke of Sussex went on to allege in court this week that a secret pact exists between senior members of the Royal Family and newspaper bosses Our country is judged globally by the state of our Press and our government both of whose reputations I believe are currently at rock bottom, fumes this great international statesman, conveniently forgetting that no one has done more than he to damage this countrys image around the world. Primarily by claiming it to be a racist backwater from which he and his apparently victimised wife were so desperate to escape. The statement makes it clear that Harry believes the Royal Family are a bunch of gullible fools being led through the noses by evil media forces they dont understand, while only he and he alone is wise enough to put on his Goggles of Perception and see the Real Truth. Its almost embarrassing! Everyone likes to swim in their own sea of pet delusions, God knows I have a thrash myself now and again, but Harry is drowning in a glutinous pool of sheer fantasy. He blames tabloid newspapers for everything bad in his life, including his teenage drug-taking, his drinking, his exam failures and even his fondness for playing naked billiards in Las Vegas. Why? Because he felt he had to play up to the headlines and stereotypes they wanted to place upon me. In the meantime, it has been three years since Megxit and how interesting that now we can see the real Prince Harry, in all his glory READ MORE: Meghan WILL attend the coronation... in miniature: Tiny figurines show the Duke and Duchess of Sussex present in Windsor for celebrations - as other toy brands release royal replicas Tiny replicas of the royal family, created by Babbacombe Model Village which is based in Torquay, Devon, shows the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (pictured) present in Windsor after King Charles's coronation Advertisement He claims the tabloids would constantly try and coax me, a damaged young man, into doing something stupid that would make a good story. What? Everything is everyone elses fault, which takes the concept of wilful unaccountability to a whole new level of victimhood. I dont dispute that Prince Harry has had some difficult times, but there comes a point in life when you have to stop blaming others and take responsibility for yourself. It is staggering that this 38-year-old former soldier and father-of-two has yet to reach that level of maturity. He is the bad apple who will not ripen, for at his core blooms the black pip of eternal petulance. The courts will decide if his case has merit. In the meantime, it has been three years since Megxit and how interesting that now we can see the real Prince Harry, in all his glory. What an unedifying sight it is. Since he has escaped the stultifying clutches of the Royal Family or the institution, as he insists Harry is free to be his own man. Free from the ameliorating, wise hands of courtiers and private secretaries who perhaps saved him from himself more often than he ever understood. We learnt this week that Harry believes his long-held concerns regarding newspapers were brushed aside by courtiers bent on a long-term strategy to smooth the way for my stepmother (and father) to be accepted by the British public as Queen Consort (and King respectively) when the time came. Who can know if that is true or not but, if it were, wouldnt it make perfect sense? Doesnt it suggest the kind of compromise and pragmatism that any thriving dynasty or successful company needs to employ to survive? It all seems to suggest that when he was still a working member of the Royal Family, Harry then later, Harry and his wife could never accept that he was not the most important biscuit in the tin. Nor that sometimes his wants and needs had to be sacrificed for the greater good of all. This again is one of the harder lessons of life to learn, but it is what millions of us must come to terms with at home, at work and in relationships. Because, you know what? Its not always about you. It is not always going to go your way, but that is no reason to throw your family under the bus on the highway to your higher moral purpose. How it lifted my wizened old heart to hear those flag-waving primary school children in Liverpool, drowning out the protests of a group of anti-monarchists during the King's visit to the city this week. 'Not my King! Not my King,' chanted the protesters. 'He's our King! He's our King,' shrieked the youngsters in reply. As a simple point of fact, of course, they were right, while the 50-odd demonstrators from the pressure group Republic were plain wrong. Whether the anti-monarchists like it or not, Charles III is indubitably their king (I'm assuming they're British). Indeed, he is their 'only rightful and lawful Liege Lord,' in the words endorsed unanimously by both Houses of Parliament, among many others, and proclaimed all over the UK and his other realms and territories after the death of his beloved mother last September. What's more, though Republic clearly doesn't see it this way, the constitutional monarchy, embodied in King Charles's person, has been a hugely effective unifying force for our nation, as well as a bulwark of our freedom and defence against tyranny, ever since it emerged more than 300 years ago from the Glorious Revolution of 1688-89. But how much longer can it survive? How it lifted my wizened old heart to hear those flag-waving primary school children in Liverpool Whether the anti-monarchists like it or not, Charles III is indubitably their king (I'm assuming they're British) Blame I ask because of a profoundly worrying survey this week, which suggests that those children in Liverpool were far from representative of young people in Britain today, while those who are keen to abolish the monarchy are swiftly gaining the ascendant. Conducted for the BBC, and based on a poll of 4,592 adults, the study found that although backing for the institution remains rock-solid among my generation of Britons, aged over 65, less than a third of our children feel the same way. To be precise, 78 per cent of my age-group said they backed the monarchy, but only 32 per cent of those aged 18-24. As I need hardly point out, this doesn't bode well for nine-year-old Prince George's chances of ascending the Throne when his grandfather and father have had their turn. As for why this should be, I don't think we need look far for the explanation. The problem, as I see it, is that too many of the young find it impossible to disentangle the concept of constitutional monarchy from the character of whoever happens to be sitting on the Throne at any given time. I don't blame them for this. For one thing, British history is no longer taught in schools as it was in my day, when we were encouraged to trace and celebrate the development of our liberal democracy from Magna Carta through the upheavals of the 17th century and the various reform Acts of the 19th to the enfranchisement of women in the 20th. To be precise, 78 per cent of my age-group said they backed the monarchy, but only 32 per cent of those aged 18-24. Pictured: anti-monarchist protest in Liverpool, Merseyside The problem, as I see it, is that too many of the young find it impossible to disentangle the concept of constitutional monarchy from the character of whoever happens to be sitting on the Throne at any given time Today, it seems to be all about the sins of the British empire, the horrors of the slave trade and the oppression of women and minority groups through the ages forever accentuating the negative and eliminating the positive. Meanwhile, the daily unfolding drama of the Royal Family soap opera encourages us all to think of the characters involved in much the same ways as we judge other celebs. This is a huge distraction from the question of whether or not constitutional monarchy is a good form of government. Inevitably, we take sides. Some are for Meghan and Harry, others for Catherine and William and which of us doesn't have a strong view on Andrew or Fergie? For what it's worth, I think we're pretty fortunate with our new king although, God knows, he had an all but impossible act to follow. Flawed though he may be (which of us isn't?), he strikes me as a man with a strong sense of duty, inherited from his mother, who is anxious to do good in the world and to unify his increasingly disparate peoples. But it's no surprise to me that so many of the young, in particular, dismiss him as a relic of a former age over the hill, overprivileged and out of touch with their interests and concerns. Heaven knows, my own four sons think much the same of me and at a mere 69, I'm five years younger than the King! Sceptical My point is that it shouldn't really matter what anyone may think of an individual occupant of the Throne. The great strength of our constitutional monarchy, as it has evolved over the centuries, is that as long as we have a hereditary King or Queen, nobody else can legitimately claim sovereignty over us. Once upon a time, this wouldn't have needed saying, since the great majority simply accepted it. But with the young increasingly sceptical about the monarchy, it needs spelling out. True, King Charles III has no real executive power. But isn't that the joy of it? While a monarch wears the Crown, by virtue simply of parentage, he or she alone can claim the ultimate allegiance of the Armed Forces, the Government, judges, the police, prison officers and others in our security and criminal justice systems. All this may sound very theoretical. But for centuries, the system has protected Britons from over-mighty generals, politicians or others who may have had ambitions to take supreme control of our lives. Of course, many critics of monarchy will argue that the hereditary principle is itself downright unjust. I wonder how many of them stop to consider that most British subjects, like me, are beneficiaries of that very principle, since we inherited our citizenship through a mere accident of birth. With access to our advanced welfare state, after all, even the poorest Briton is hugely better off than the average citizen of a country such as Bangladesh, Somalia or Sudan. Other anti-monarchists, motivated by envy or just a love of equality, will say it's simply wrong that anyone should live the high life, in all those palaces and castles, effectively at the taxpayer's expense. To them, I can only point out that the monarchy brings the country more than ten times what it costs us, through boosting our tourist industry alone. How many elected presidents, I wonder, can make the same boast? As the Coronation approaches, keep an eye on the performance of the hotel, catering and theatre trades, and you'll see what I mean. Divisive Meanwhile, who can seriously claim to envy the King? Not I, that's for sure. Indeed, I can think of any number of things I'd rather do than stand in the rain, opening a new motorway, making small talk with flag-waving crowds, or sitting through endless speeches in some godforsaken community centre. For that matter, I find it quite hard enough to locate my specs if I've left them somewhere in our cosy, four-bedroom suburban semi. If I lived in a draughty, 600-bedroom palace, the hunt would drive me half mad. But if none of these arguments for our constitutional monarchy carries any weight with you, I ask you only to consider the alternatives. Leave aside the question of how much power an elected president should wield, though that debate would keep the politicians arguing for decades. Would you want a President Tony Blair, perhaps, or a President Boris Johnson? Simply posing the question should make clear how divisive an elected head of state can be. Failing that, just ask an American Democrat what he thinks of Donald Trump, or a Republican if he's pleased to have Joe Biden in charge. Say what you like about King Charles III, but surely nobody can argue that our constitutional monarch tears the nation apart, in anything the same way as the above. No, we should be grateful for the system we have, under which the King has taken over seamlessly from his mother no ifs, no buts, no hanging chads or wild allegations of foul play. Those anti-monarchist demonstrators should be thankful they live under a system which guarantees their freedom to chant rude and factually incorrect slogans at their head of state, as he goes about his public duties. I'm with the Liverpool children who shouted them down. He's our King! And we're jolly lucky to have him. China urges Japan to properly handle issues related to decommissioning of Fukushima nuclear power plant Xinhua) 13:48, April 27, 2023 BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Wednesday once again urged Japan to properly handle issues related to the decommissioning of the Fukushima nuclear power plant. According to reports, Shinsuke Yamanaka, Chairman of the Nuclear Regulation Authority of Japan, said at a press conference on April 25 that, regarding the serious damage to the base supporting the reactor pressure vessel of Unit 1 of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, he's dissatisfied with TEPCO's delay in considering emergency measures in such events as the collapse of the pressure vessel. "When the damage to the concrete was discovered last year, TEPCO should have responded," he said. In response to a related query, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning told a daily news briefing that China has noted relevant reports and will keep monitoring the issue closely. The Fukushima nuclear accident, rated the highest level globally, caused the leakage of large amounts of radioactive substances, which can have an enormous impact on the marine environment and human health. Japan has the obligation to properly handle the decommissioning of the nuclear facilities and the disposal of the nuclear-contaminated water in the wake of the accident to ensure absolute safety, Mao said. Judging from the current situation, there are worrying uncertainties and safety hazards with regard to the decommissioning of the nuclear facilities and the management of radioactive waste, Mao noted. It has been found that the base of the reactor pressure vessel of Unit 1 was severely damaged, creating risks that the pressure vessel could collapse. If mishandled or not treated in time, the problem could worsen the environmental impact and add to the amount of radionuclides in the nuclear-contaminated water, she said. "This further proves that the international community's concern over Japan's ocean discharge plan is well-founded and the questioning of TEPCO's professionalism in handling relevant issues is fully justified," Mao said. "We once again urge Japan to take the international community's concern seriously, step up to its due international obligations, and properly handle issues related to the decommissioning of the Fukushima nuclear power plant," she said. In particular, it needs to make sure that the nuclear-contaminated water is disposed of in a science-based, open, transparent and safe manner, for example, by fully studying other options than ocean discharge, and subjecting itself to stringent international oversight, the spokesperson said. It should not start dumping the nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean unless all stakeholders and relevant international agencies could confirm that the discharge plan is safe, Mao added. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) A mother has revealed that her child's school fees have risen by 19 per cent in the space of 12 months - prompting mixed responses over the cost of private education. She took to the parenting platform Mumsnet to share her predicament, explaining that school fees in the North of England have risen to 16,690 per year, meaning that private education will become the preserve of the 'ultra-rich if fees continue to rise at the rate that they are.' Commenters offered mixed responses, with many saying they were not sympathetic to situation, and one suggesting she 'read the room' given the cost of living crisis. However, others were more understanding, and some offered advice, suggesting she take her child out of the expensive private school, despite her saying she was not yet considering such a move. An anonymous mother revealed on Mumsnet that her child's private school fees have risen by 19 per cent over the last 12 months (stock image) In a post titled School fees have risen by 19% in the space of 12 months, the woman wrote: 'Am I Being Unreasonable to think this is outrageous?! Fees are exorbitant anyhow and in the last 12 months we have had an increase of 19% by way of 2 increases in a 12 month period. 'Fees per year for the senior school are 16,690 per year and do not include state of the art facilities as other local schools do. 'The junior school fees aren't much less either! This is a school in the north of England. If you are paying for education, where are you based and how much do you pay? I wonder whether it is comparable. 'Private education will only be for the ultra-rich if fees continue to rise at the rate that they are. 'It is unsustainable for most working professionals who are comfortable but not ultra-wealthy! Parents locally have tried to take their children out but can't as there are no state school places to be had within a 12 mile radius. 'The only other option is home schooling which isn't possible when the parents are working full time.' She concluded: 'We're not yet at the point where we are thinking of taking our child out of school but hearing the plight of those who are in the process of trying to is worrying. 'I've always been a labour voter but if they do go ahead with the introduction of VAT, I fear it's going to get even worse.' Taking to parenting platform Mumsnet, the British woman explained that her child's school have risen to 16,690 per year Some people suggested the women takes her child out of private education and put them into state schooling. One wrote: 'I'd move to a non fee paying school if you can't afford it. Put the money spent into a savings account for their future needs.' Another said: 'Read the room. You won't get sympathy here. Honestly though move to state. Save yourself thousands.' Someone else said: 'State school is free.' Others had a lot of sympathy for the poster, with some agreeing the increase is exorbitant, and unfair. One such poster wrote: 'Its a big rise. Lots of costs have risen for schools such as energy, food, contracts etc. 'Is the school playing catch up after not raising in covid? Or potentially getting ahead thinking VAT might be charged, so running a series of slightly high rises so when the 20% comes, they can absorb some of it?' Discussing the price increase, another wrote: 'Staffing costs, fuel bills, cost of school essentials like paper has increased exponentially....schools are not immune to the cost of living crisis.' Some Mumsnet users suggested that the women should takes her child out of private schooling, and save money by using the state educational systems Meanwhile, another forum users, who agreed with the original poster that the increase seemed very high, said their own child's school had not seen such major price hikes. They wrote: 'It's a large increase. Dd [darling daughter] is in sixth form and fees are 15k per year in the south west. 'Excellent school, brilliant pastoral care and always looking to improve, eg: fitness suite for sixth form, new performing arts centre etc. Last year's increase was 5% I think.' And another agreed the change was very high, writing: 'That's a huge increase OP, no wonder you're concerned, especially with the lack of state school places should you wish to go down that road instead. 'These things are all relative and everyone lives a different life. We all have a right to have a moan about stuff. No one should be made to feel guilty for having a higher income.' While some forum users were sympathetic about the school fee increases, others voiced their ideological distain for the private education system However, many had little sympathy for the women, and expressed their distain for private schooling, based on ideological reasoning. Among them, one respondent said: 'Buying privilege for your kids getting too expensive? My heart bleeds for you' And another chimed in to say: 'I pray for the day it all crashes. It should be for no one.' Another wrote: 'Well, it's the price to have to pay for private education.' Meanwhile, a fourth penned: 'Private school is inherently unfair so, not a surprise.' A bridal magazine in India has divided readers after making the bold decision to put a non-binary model wearing a dress on their April cover. Brides Today, which is an English-speaking magazine, shared three digital covers featuring non-binary trans activist and comedian Alok Vaid-Menon posing in different gowns on Instagram. The publication, which belongs to the India Today news group, shared on their social media that they released the cover 'in support of the right to love and dignity for all.' Meanwhile, Alok promoted the cover on their own Instagram account with quotes from their interview with the magazine. It comes as India's supreme court prepares to rule on marriage equality for the Indian LGBTQ+ community. Indian bridal publication Brides Today, which belongs to the India Today news group, took a stance for marriage equality by having the non-binary trans activist and comedian Alok Vaid-Menon on three different digital covers shared on Instagram While many readers were supportive of Alok's covers, others accused them of invading women's spaces and called Brides Today 'ridiculous.' One of the three covers shows Alok wearing a golden dress with a plunging neckline showing off their hairy chest. The bearded activist is wearing a bold red lip and eyeliner along with sumptuous bridal jewellery on both their forearms and down their chest. In the second cover, the comedian poses in a draped mint green sari showing their midriff and a gold hair piece beading with multicoloured jewels and a row of statement rings. The third cover shows them rocking a two-piece half lehenga in electric blue and gold, a choker and a floral hair piece. In their cover interview, the activist, who admitted they were bullied for their identity, said they were hoping for more inclusive spaces in India. 'I wish I could be able to walk down the streetand exist in publicwithout fear of being attacked. 'I wish I could post an image of myself online without being inundated with hate mail,' they said. Alok added they believe everyone is worthy of love and that relationships shouldn't be hierachised based on sexual orientation or gender identity. 'This case is crucial,' the activist said of the Indian Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality. Another cover shows Alok wearing a blue and gold half lehenga with a choker and a long floral hair piece The activist also donned a mint green sari and jewellery on a third digital cover shared by Brides Today 'Denying legal recognition of same-sex marriage is a form of institutionalised discrimination that must be addressed,' they added. The covers were met with mixed reactions online, with many of Alok and Brides Today's followers saluting the publication's decision to star a non-binary personality on their cover. 'You have such an elegant way of seeing things,' one person told Alok in the comments. 'It makes me hopeful and free.' 'Beautiful all the way. You. Your beliefs. Your strength. Love to you,' another said. 'Truly, if people were secure in themselves they wouldn't give a s*** how other people exist. Love you, gorgeous photos,' another said. Many readers were supportive of the covers shared online and of Alok's non-binary gender identity 'I love Alok so freaking much. They came to speak at my school and their stories and poems were so inspiring. 'I just wish that people would stop hating and start educating themselves,' another said. 'Queerness is so beautiful if you let it be, and it's disheartening to see so many people shoot non-binary and genderqueer people down. So much hate from people who claim to love,' they added. However, some people felt differently about the cover and said they were 'horrified,' by Alok's non-binary identity. Others felt that Alok's starring on the cover was 'erasing' what they called 'real women' and 'horrifying' 'Nope. I'll pas on Brides of Today. Ridiculous,' one said. 'This man is disturbing, more in the inside than the outside. If that's possible,' another said. 'Stop erasing real women,' one disgruntled reader said. 'This kind of articles is horrifying... Complete nonsense,' one said. The cover comes as India is awaiting to hear whether its Supreme Court will legalise sex-same marriage this year. India scrapped a colonial-era ban on gay sex in 2018 in a landmark judgement that activists hoped at the time would uphold right to equality. Gay sex had previously been punishable by up to 10 years in jail. Now India awaits to hear whether same-sex marriage will also become legal around the country. The Indian's supreme court heard arguments in favour of the same-sex marriage ruling on April 18 and is yet to give their decision on what would be another landmark ruling for the Indian LGBTQ+ community. A woman has issued a warning to tattoo fans who are considering extensive body art when they're still young. Sara, 36, from, Virginia, took to TikTok where she posted a video to discuss how she felt about her body art. She has two full sleeves and most of her upper body inked, including patterns on her neck. 'Imagine if you will, you put a shirt on once when you were in your twenties, and now you have to wear that for the rest of your life,' she explained. 'And that is what it feels like to get heavily tattooed before you turn into a fully developed adult human. Sara from, Virginia, US, says posted a video on the social media website to discuss how she felt about her body art 'There's a lot of reasons to regret my tattoos but today specifically I wanted to talk about not matching my aesthetic. 'I think if you asked almost anybody that's over 30 if they have a better idea of who they are in their thirties than than they did in their twenties, they are gonna be like "Oh my god, yes". 'I have all of these tattoos that don't necessarily reflect who I am at 36. 'They may have reflected a moment in time in my twenties, maybe a moment in time that I was like not doing so well mentally, and they are here forever. 'Before anyone says anything, no I'm not getting all of my tattoos removed, like that's not even feasible, don't even suggest it. 'Generally I have a lot more femme, girly aesthetic than I did when I was younger. 'I was a lot more dark and spooky and moody and now I have adult problems. '(I'm) back to bunch of stuff I like to do when I was a kid, like collecting antiques, and spending time outside and I wear a lot of white and ruffles. The 36-year-old said: 'Imagine if you will, you put a shirt on once when you were in your twenties , and now you have to wear that for the rest of your life' 'My aesthetic just does not match. No shade to the artist, I still get a ton of compliments on them - I just wish they weren't on my body. 'But I wanted to come on here and put myself out there and say that I was told that I would regret my tattoos when I got older. 'I am older and I do regret my tattoos and you might too.' Sara captioned the video: 'Oops I regret all my tattoos. 'I might do another video listing all the other reasons but so far none of them involve my tattoos aging (which is what dudes used to always tell me) they just dont match who I am now and my girly/feminine aesthetic. Users took to the social media platform to express how they felt about tattoos and their experience with body art 'Will you regret your tattoos when youre my age? Maybe!' The video racked up 1.8million views and more more than 8,000 comments. One user wrote: 'Its bc you are about aesthetic. If you were genuinely collecting quality art you liked rather than for a look/trend, you wouldnt feel that way.' A second person said: 'Im 29 and got heavily tattooed from 19-23, I def regret most of them for aesthetic reasons too. I wish I had gotten b&g instead of bright colors.' A third commented: 'Its interesting but I actually regret the opposite which is not getting more ink done in my 20s.' A fourth penned: 'This! Mine are so aggressive and now Im like a soft sweet adult. Doesnt match my aesthetic.' The King has revealed he will be watching the Eurovision Song Contest from home next month as it returns to the UK for the first time in 25 years. Charles, 74, chatted to 25-year-old Mae Muller at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool yesterday and told her he will be 'egging [her] on' as she battles against 36 other nations to be crowned the winner. As he stood beside Queen Camilla following their official opening of the Eurovision stage where this year's contest will be held on May 13, he wished her good luck. Camilla, 65, added: no nul points! - a reference to her wish that Mae would not repeat some of the UK's Eurovision flops over the last few years. Elsewhere, the monarch met with Scott Mills, Hannah Waddingham and Rylan Clark, who will be hosting this year's contest which is being held in the UK on behalf of war-torn Ukraine, which won the 2022 competition. King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla chatted to the UK's entry to Eurovision 2023 Mae Muller (left) on a visit to the M&S Bank Arena yesterday where they officially opened the stage for this year's contest Chatting with Mae, who will be singing I Wrote A Song, Charles told her: Good luck, well be watching with great interest, egging you on. Thank you! she giggled. No pressure. No nul points this year. No nul points, Camilla agreed. Eurovision director Martin Green started a countdown from ten before the royal couple pressed the button and the arena exploded in a cacophony of light, colour and sound. It ended with the official Coronation logo in tribute to Their Majesties. The royal couple then moved onto the main stage to meet the hosts of Eurovision 2023, Ukrainian host, Julia Sanina, DJ Scott Mills, presenter Rylan Clark and Ted Lasso actress Hannah Waddingham. The King chatted to Ms Waddingham intently about Monty Python. Charles and Camilla were shown around the M&S Bank Arena and met Mae Muller, the UK's contestant, as well as celebrity presenters and creative teams, ahead of the contest next month Charles and Camilla pose with the presenters of this year's Eurovision Song Contest, Scott Mills, Hannah Waddingham, Julia Sanina and Rylan Clark, in Liverpool The King and the Queen Consort (pictured with Eurovision hopeful Mae Muller) unveiled the staging for the Eurovision Song Contest and toured the arena in Liverpool today Beaming: A cheerful Queen Camilla reacts after receiving a 'Blue Peter' badge today King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort stand on the stage after switching on stage lighting as they visit the host venue of this year's Eurovision Song Contest Charles and Camilla were given a tour backstage to meet production staff before being invited to light and animate the arena, revealing the competition staging for the first time Chatting with Mae (pictured left), who will be singing I Wrote A Song, Charles told her: Good luck, well be watching with great interest, egging you on. Sharing a giggle! King Charles and actress Hannah Waddingham and presenter Scott Mills are full of laughter as they chat together The couple were also introduced the Blue Peter presenters. They were awarded Blue Peter badges in honour of the King's coronation Camilla (pictured left) told Mills and Ms Waddingham (pictured right, in a pink dress) that it must be very strange now to to be in the middle of the action. He then turned to presenter Rylan who said: Your Majesty, how nice to meet you. I hear your have just come from Scotland. Little bit of different weather down here. Camilla told Mills and Ms Waddingham that it must be very strange now to to be in the middle of the action. I feel very strange, Ms Waddingham said. Its so huge, it feels very strange to be in the belly of it all. In terms of presenting, as I told His Majesty, dont be worried [but] I am a novice.' She added: I cant believe you are both here given what you have coming up next week, thank you so much. Youll have to put yourselves in a darkened room afterwards and try and switch off. Camilla nodded her head enthusiastically in agreement. The group posed for a photograph and were urged to give a big Eurovision smile. Ive got the teeth for that, joked Rylan, referring to his shiny white veneers. The King and Queen Consort then met Blue Peter presenters, Joel Mawhinney, Abby Cook and Mwaksy Mudenda with three young viewers. Mwaksy told them that, like themselves, the programme - which is celebrating its 65th anniversary - liked to encourage children to get active, get outside, try new adventures and help other people. Charles and Camilla pose with the presenters of this year's Eurovision, including Scott Mills, Hannah Waddingham, Julia Sanina and Rylan Clark Eurovision 2023 will take place in Liverpool after the UK was chosen to host the competition on behalf of war-torn Ukraine. It will be the first time the competition has been held in the UK for 25 years The grand final of the competition is due to take place on May 13, a week after the coronation ceremony. Pictured, King Charles speaking to the presenters King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort meet the presenters of this year's Eurovision Song Contest Saha, eight, from Liverpool, who asked Charles whether he wanted to encourage more people to help the environment as King. Always, quite right, Ive been doing this for a long time, he smiles. Camilla admired Sahas many badges and told her: Thats a lot of bling. Ceyln, nine, from Llanelli, told the Queen how she goes to the beach with her mother and hides books and hot drinks and messages for people. I think reading is so important, Camilla said. If you dont read, you dont learn anything. You can escape and go to places and go on lots of adventures. 'I am so glad to hear what you and your mother do. What lucky people they must be to find them.' Asher, 12, from Birmingham, told the couple: I love learning about the British monarchy and am looking forward to the coronation weekend. What are you most looking forward to about the celebrations? Well thats a very good question,, said Charles. I hope you all enjoy it and it give enormous pleasure to other people. I hear you do a lot of volunteering for St Johns Ambulance. Do you do first aid as well? So you know what to do if I fall over.' The King also admitted that he watched Blue Peter as a child - and a lot of other ones that no longer exist. The King and The Queen Consort wear 'Blue Peter' badges that they were awarded during the arena tour King Charles III and the Queen Consort shakes hands with the BBC Director General Tim Davie, as they meet the creative team of this year's Eurovision Song Contest It is amazing how long it has gone on for, he said. I used to collect the silver paper from chocolate wrappers.. [which they used to raise money for Guide Dogs]. Presenter Joel then surprised the royal couple by saying: Your Majesties, the very best of luck for the coronation and of course a thank you for all your amazing work empowering young people and your help with protecting the environment. 'To thank you even more we wanted to award you the highest accolade that we have at Blue Peter, that of course being these gold Blue Peter badges. How wonderful, said Camilla, Thank you very much. Mwaksy gently pinned the Kings on him while Camilla did her own. Of course Ive stuck it straight through my front, she sighed jokingly. Afterwards Joel said: It was such an honour to give the King his badge and the fact that he wasnt expecting it made it so much better. Previous recipients include Queen Elizabeth, Sir David Attenborough, Sir Mo Farah and the Prince and Princess of Wales. Mwaksy said that both Their Majesties said they were Blue Peter viewers when they were children. During today's visit, Charles and Camilla were met at the arena by BBC director general Tim Davie, BBC director of content Charlotte Moore and managing director for BBC Eurovision 2023 Martin Green. In the foyer, they met representatives from the BBC Board, BBC Studios and managing director of the arena Faye Dyer. Charles and Camila arrive to visit Liverpool Central Library, to officially mark the Library's twinning with Ukraine's first public Library, the Regional Scientific Library in Odesa The royal couple visited Liverpool Central Library to officially mark its twinning with Ukraine's first public library, the Regional Scientific Library in Odesa Chief executive of Liverpool City Council, Theresa Grant, and director of Culture Liverpool and Major Events, Claire McColgan guided the royal pair (pictured) around the external exhibits King Charles III and the Queen Consort arrive for a visit to Liverpool Central Library They were given a tour backstage to meet production staff before being invited to light and animate the arena, revealing the competition staging for the first time. The couple were also introduced the Blue Peter presenters. They were awarded Blue Peter badges in honour of the King's coronation. Charles and Camilla's visit to the arena is one of several royal engagements in Liverpool, recognising the cultural partnership of the UK and Ukraine and celebrating Eurovision. On the second leg of the royal visit to Liverpool, the royals toured Liverpool Central Library, to the mark the twinning of the library with Ukraine's first public library, the Regional Scientific Library in Odesa, Liverpool's twin city in Ukraine. The Central Library will give assistance to its Ukraine counterpart as the country rebuilds following the destruction caused by the invasion by Russia. Before entering the library, Camilla visited a bookstand outside, part of a Eurovision-linked drive to increase reading, where she was invited to write on a chalkboard, her suggested, 'Good Read'. Camilla, reportedly an avid reader, wrote the title, Love is Blind, by William Boyd. Inside, Charles and Camilla were presented with sunflowers by children of Ukrainian families settled in Liverpool along with Veronika Yasynska, herself a displaced Ukrainian. A recital of Poem For Eurovision by poet Levi Tafari, written with the help of secondary pupils from several of Liverpool's Schools of Sanctuary, took place in the library's atrium. Pictured, Charles during the Library visit The King, in a smart suit, and the Queen Consort, wearing a blue outfit by Fiona Clare, for their outing today The King and Queen listen as information is given about one of the books in the library The Queen Consort during a visit to Liverpool Central Library, which includes a huge chessboard Hello! King Charles waves to crowds waiting in Liverpool as he leaves after a visit to Liverpool Central Library The King and Queen unveil a plague decorated with the Ukrainian flag as they visit the Liverpool Central Library Charles revealed a plaque to mark the twinning of the libraries, during a live link with the site in Odesa, and the visit will end with a performance by English National Opera The King and Queen sign the guestbook as they visit the Liverpool Central Library She visited the library for reading materials, information and advice and it was her suggestion that it twin with the library in Ukraine. Camila, seated before a group of local schoolchildren, was treated to a re-telling of The Magic Mitten, a Ukrainian folklore tale before an official ceremony to mark the library twinning, in a live video link up to Odesa. Appearing on the link, the First lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska told the royal visitors that the Russian invasion had destroyed hundreds of libraries in Ukraine. She added: 'I'm greatly honoured to be present at this twinning ceremony. I'm thankful of Their Majesties, the King and the Queen for their attendance, for the daily friendship and support from them. 'We thank you, Great Britain, for standing with us also on this cultural front line.' Charles said: 'I must stay I find it truly terrifying that more than 300 state and university libraries in Ukraine have been destroyed in recent months and our hearts go out to all those so affected and also how much has been lost in this terrible disaster. 'If it is true to say that the limits of our language are the limits of our world, then the role of libraries is something to be treasured greatly.' Charles spoke the Ukrainian phrase, 'A book saves the soul', before wishing the venture a success. Councillor Roy Gladden, the Lord Mayor of Liverpool, said: 'The eyes of the world will be on Liverpool in May and our hearts will be with Ukraine.' A balding man has tried to salvage his diminishing hairline by getting a fringe tattooed onto his forehead. Gianluca, 26, from Italy, decided to visit his local tattoo parlour to see if they could help provide a solution for his thinned-out hairline. He finally managed to persuade a tattoo artist to agree to his idea of tattooing fake hair onto his head but when he looked at himself in the mirror, he was left speechless. Italian tattoo artist Maria Gina Altobelli, 30, who owns and works Gipsy.g Tattoo & Piercing in Fondi, Italy, recorded the process of tattooing Gianluca's head with the fringe design. She explained that when Gianluca requested the tattoo she was shocked and unsure whether it was a good idea, but eventually decided to complete the job - which she thought went very well. Gianluca, 26, visited his local tattoo parlour in in Fondi, Italy, to get a fringe tattooed onto his forehead (pictured) The tattoo artist Maria Gina Altobelli, 30, (pictured with Gianluca) who owns and works Gipsy.g Tattoo & Piercing in Fondi, Italy, recorded the process of tattooing Gianluca's head with the fringe design The video, which was posted on TikTok, has been seen by 27.8 million people, with many questioning whether the tattoo was a good idea. The clip shows Maria drawing the design onto Gianluca's forehead, as he winces when the tattoo needle touches his face. After wiping his forehead clean, she leads Gianluca to the mirror so he can see what his new 'fringe' looks like for the very first time. Appearing less than impressed when he turns around to see his reflection, Gianluca instantly pushes his head into his hands and appears to have burst into tears at the sight. Maria said: 'Obviously, I was sceptical when he asked me for that tattoo, but in the end, I'm very happy with the work. At the end of the clip, Gianluca looks into the mirror for the first time but appears to burst into tears at the sight of his new head tattoo Despite Gianluca's reaction, tattoo artist Maria said she was 'very happy with the work' 'It took us an hour to do it because I've been tattooing for six years now, so I'm very fast. 'I didn't expect all this virality of the video.' Those on TikTok, however, were not convinced with Gianluca's new fringe. Some were left in hysterics whereas others were more sympathetic to the man's decision. One said 'I hope this is a joke, while another added 'the instant regret when he looked in the mirror'. A third joked: 'He's going home to google laser tattoo removals.' Others said 'this can't be real' while someone else noted 'I don't think he's crying because he's happy'. Tiny figurines of the UK royals show the Duke and Duchess of Sussex present at Windsor Castle following the coronation of King Charles as the royals are reunited in miniature. Babbacombe Model Village, based in Torquay, Devon, has built a tiny coronation scene which shows King Charles and Queen Camilla being taken through the streets of Windsor as part of a royal procession following the coronation. The scene, designed by artist Wayne Stott, who has been pictured putting the finishing touches on his mini royals, features dozens of thumb-sixed figurines - including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The tiny replica of Meghan appears to be dressed in the outfit she wore when the couple were last seen in public on the Windsor Estate just after Queen Elizabeth passed away and the couple stepped out to greet royal fans who gathered to offer condolences following the monarch's death at the age of 96 last September. It comes as people around the country recreate both tiny and enormous versions of the royals - including a 7ft knitted dummy of King Charles. Tiny replicas of the royal family, created by Babbacombe Model Village which is based in Torquay, Devon, shows the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (pictured) present in Windsor after King Charles's coronation Elsewhere among the figurines, King Charles and Queen Camilla have a post-coronation glow as they sit in a horse-drawn carriage lined with red and painted gold. They are travelling past a grand (although much smaller) Windsor Castle along the road, which is lined with royal fans. Above them is a string of Union Jack flags to celebrate the King and Queen being crowned. Babbacombe Model Village spokesman Mike Rhodes said: 'Everything you see at the Model Village from the model buildings to the miniature people have to be hand-crafted and this display took about three months to create. Elsewhere, the figurines show the King and Queen sitting in a horse-drawn carriage as they travel through Windsor Wayne Stott, who designed the miniature village, is seen putting the finishing touches on King Charles's figurine The designer at Babbacombe Model Village paints a touch of gold on the King's hat as he travels through the scene of 'Windsor' The scene passes by a grand (although much smaller) Windsor Castle which towers in the background of the procession A tiny replica of Prince Harry, dressed in a sharp grey suit and a dark blue tie, stands next to a Beefeater Wayne Stott walks in the background of the miniature coronation scene in which the figurines are thumb-sized The tiny replicas of Meghan Markle (left) and Prince Harry (right) have been described by the creators as 'surprise visitors' Mr Stott takes a closer look at the hat of King Charles as he sits in a horse-drawn open carriage while royal fans line the streets Wayne Stott paints white onto the hat of King Charles as he finishes off his tiny procession scene Toy brand Matchbox is also cashing in on the coronation - announcing it has replicated the 261-year-old carriage in which the King and Queen Consort will travel after the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey Matchbox has announced it will replicate the King's carriage in a miniature version to celebrate the coronation A CGI image of the tiny version of the carriage shows it being led by eight horses outside Buckingham Palace Another CGI image shows how Matchbox has replicated the eight horses which will lead the carriage 'As always at Babbacombe Model Village touches of humour are added into the scene - along with a surprise visitor. 'The scene will be on display until the end of June.' Harry and Meghan's 'reunion' with the royals comes after the Sussexes confirmed Prince Harry will attend his father's coronation next month, but Meghan will stay at home in California with the children. Buckingham Palace confirmed earlier this month: 'Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on 6th May. 'The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.' Charles will be crowned in a ceremony full of pomp, pageantry and traditions that date back 1,000 years, following the 70-year reign of his mother Queen Elizabeth II who died last September. Omid Scobie, who is a trusted contact of the Sussexes, tweeted the news of Harry's forthcoming attendance and then added: 'I understand that Archie's fourth birthday (also on May 6) played a factor in the couple's decision. 'Expect it to be a fairly quick trip to the UK for Prince Harry, who will only be attending the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey.' Elsewhere, toy brand Matchbox has released CGI images of its own tiny royal replicas in honour of the coronation. The tiny model is a 1:64 replica of the 261-year-old carriage which will carry the newly-crowned King and Queen Consort back in a grand procession to Buckingham Palace on May 6. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands looked elegant in a green gown as she stepped out for King's Day in Rotterdam. The royal, 51, was joined by her husband King Willem-Alexander, who turns 55 today, and their daughters Princess Ariane and Princess Catharina-Amalia. The mother-of-three oozed sophistication in the vibrant ensemble which she paired with a white coat which she draped over her shoulders. While Princess Catharina-Amalia looked chic in a bright pink suit which she paired with cream stilettos. Princess Ariane looked typically stylish in a cream suit which she paired with purple heels and a matching headband. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands looked elegant in a green gown as she stepped out for King's Day in Rotterdam with her husband King Willem-Alexander, who turns 55 today She accessorised with chic drop earrings and she carried her essentials in a purple clutch bag. King Willem-Alexander looked typically smart in a navy suit which he paired with a white shirt and a baby blue tie. Kings Day is a holiday in The Netherlands which marks King Willem-Alexanders birthday. Celebrations start the night before as people deck themselves out in orange and hit the streets and canals. The main party takes place in Amsterdam, Rotterdam hosts the second biggest party in the country. It comes after Maxima joined King Willem-Alexander in The Hague on Wednesday. She welcomed guests to Huis ten Bosch Palace, alongside her husband and Princess Beatrix, 85. The royals were joined by their daughters glamorous Princess Ariane and Princess Catharina-Amalia While Princess Catharina-Amalia looked chic in a bright pink suit which she paired with cream stilettos For the lunch, the royals dined with 100 people who have distinguished themselves during the year. The Dutch queen appeared effortlessly elegant in a camel cape coat for the outing, which she teamed with an elegant gold blouse. Adding even more glitz to her outfit, she donned a chunky necklace and statement drop earrings. The Argentine-born royal completed her stylish look with a beaded bracelet, a sturdy watch and gold heels. The mother-of-three oozed sophistication in the vibrant ensemble which she paired with a white coat which she draped over her shoulders Maxima completed her ensemble with white open toe stilettos and she accessorised with a clutch bag She carried a bouquet of flowers and added a bit more glam with her gold drop earrings Princess Amalia and Princess Ariane beamed as they enjoy King's Day 2023 in Rotterdam Opting to keep her blonde locks down in a straight hair do, she added a smattering of glamorous makeup to her features. Not to be outdone by his wife, the Dutch king opted for a navy suit, teamed with an orange patterned tie and crisp white shirt. His mother, Princess Beatrix, who abdicated in favour of her son in 2013, commanded attention in a bright teal blouse and black skirt. She teamed the vibrant ensemble with a pearl necklace, blue earrings and a gold watch. It's been a busy month for the Dutch royals, who last week attended the Kings Day concert at the Ahoy arena in Rotterdam. King Willem-Alexander looked typically smart in a navy suit which he paired with a white shirt and a baby blue tie Queen Maxima was spotted feeding King Willem-Alexander with cake during his birthday celebrations Princess Catharina-Amalia paired her pink ensemble with a green clutch handbag for the event The family beamed as they enjoyed the street celebrations for the King's 55th birthday The queen shook hands with a little girl during the street celebrations on Thursday for the King's birthday Maxima embraced a young girl who donned an adorable white dress and tiara during the celebrations Princess Catharina-Amalia looked typically chic as she oozed sophistication at the event King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, Queen Maxima of The Netherlands, Princess Ariane of The Netherlands and Princess Amalia of The Netherlands wave to the crowd during the celebrations Maxima turned heads in an eye-catching scarlet gown when stepping out at the annual event with her husband. Cinching herself in at the waist, the royal opted for a statement plaited leather belt with fringe detail. Braving the cooler temperatures, Maxima donned some sheer black tights which she wore with a pair of chunky heeled sandals. For an extra layer of warmth, the royal draped a black velvet fringed scarf over one shoulder. The Prince and Princess of Wales have delivered dinner to a mountain rescue team following an action-packed day out during their whirlwind visit to Wales. Kate, 41, and Prince William, 40, are visiting the South Wales Valleys and Mid Wales over the next two days, and kicked off their trip by meeting Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. The princess - dressed in a 600 The Mountain Equipment Kongur MRT Women's jacket, 110 grey trousers by G-Star RAW, a camouflage cap and Berghaus 175 hiking boots - and the prince showed off their abseiling skills during the outing. They then collected pizza from Little Dragon Pizza Van in the car park during a visit to Dowlais Rugby Club in Merthyr Tydfil. The club is a popular spot where the rescue team socialise and relax when they are off duty. Swapping their hiking gear for casual outfits, William and Kate, who changed into a 379 jacket from Alexa Chung's Barbour collection, spent time with the climbers. The Prince and Princess of Wales gather pizza boxes from a pizza van at Dowlais Rugby Club The Princess of Wales talks with members of Dowlais Rugby Club, during a visit to the club near Merthyr Tydfil in Wales Prince William delivers pizzas from a pizza van to members of the Central Brecon Mountain Rescue team Kate learns the ropes! The princess shows off her abseiling skills as she joins Prince William on an action-packed day out at a mountain rescue centre in Wales Earlier in the day, William, who is patron of Mountain Rescue England and Wales, and Kate had the opportunity to engage in training activities such as abseiling, medical support exercises and a search dog rescue demonstration. When asked by instructors if he had abseiled before, William said: 'It's been a while' - and before heading over the edge, Kate was heard telling her husband: 'We're not racing.' William and Kate arrived at a wet and windy area of the Bannau Brycheiniog near Merthyr Tydfil in the South Wales Valleys wearing hiking gear, and put on safety equipment ready for the descent. They were guided through the process by the volunteer-run mountain rescue organisation, which responds to calls 24 hours a day, all year round. The group covers the central area of the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park which includes Pen y Fan, the highest point in southern Britain, and the Ystradfellte waterfalls, and has been keeping the surrounding communities safe since 1963. They also engaged in other training activities such as medical support exercises and watched a search dog rescue demonstrations, while hearing from current and former team members about their experiences spanning the organisation's six-decade history. Kate took part in a simulated casualty rescue and when she radioed for a rescue kit it was hastily brought by William, before they both helped put it together so they could evacuate the dummy casualty - who had suffered a leg injury. The royal couple then helped the casualty on a stretcher to safety. Kate said: Have you got everything on the list? She laughed and added: Its like calling him about the weekly shopping! The Princess of Wales - carrying an array of pizzas - arrives for a visit to Dowlais Rugby Club near Merthyr Tydfil in Wales to meet with mountain rescue volunteers and supporters Kate and William collect pizza from the Little Dragon pizza van in the car park during a visit to Dowlais Rugby Club in Merthyr Tydfil Anyone for pizza? Kate and William bring the Central Brecon Mountain Rescue team pizza as they arrive at the Dowlais Rugby Club Having fun: William and Kate talk with members of the Central Brecon Mountain Rescue team One of the team! The Princess of Wales chats to volunteers in the Dowlais Rugby Club Kate puts on an animated display as she chats to members in the Welsh rugby club Kate and William collect pizza from the Little Dragon pizza van during a visit to the rugby club Slice of pep-heir-oni? Kate and William smile while carrying pizza boxes this afternoon Kate was effortlessly elegant today as she donned a 379 trendy wax jacket from Alexa Chung's Barbour collection The Prince and Princess of Wales meet staff at the Little Dragon pizza van ahead of collecting their pizzas The Princess of Wales meets well-wishers during a visit at the Dowlais Rugby Club this afternoon The Princess of Wales was all smiles during a walkabout after leaving the Dowlais Rugby Club The Princess of Wales meets members of the public after visiting Dowlais Rugby Club near Merthyr Tydfil in Wales Smile for the camera! One member of the public tries to get a selfie with the Princess of Wales The Prince of Wales takes a selfie with members of the public outside Dowlais Rugby Club William and Kate leave the Dowlais Rugby Club, where members of the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team typically go to relax and socialise Say cheese! The Princess of Wales poses for a selfie with a member of the public this afternoon Smile! Kate poses for a photograph with a member of the public during a walkabout in Wales The couple were also introduced to two former mountain rescuers, Bob Thomas and Nick Richards, who had helped with the Aberfan school tragedy in October 1966. William said: It must have been terrifying. My gran told me many times she visited. Bob, 75, told William: Your family did the right thing as they didnt visit for a week and it would have been a distraction. Bob added afterwards: Its very very nice indeed theyve taken the time and trouble to come. William and Kate later spent time with the climbers at the nearby Dowlais Rugby Club. The club, which is a feeder club to Cardiff Blues, is a popular spot where the climbers socialise and relax when they are off duty. They also met the owners of the Little Dragon Pizza Van, which draws people from across the country to try its food. At the club they will get a chance to speak to individual volunteers, the organisation's supporters and members of the local community. After spending some time there they will meet more members of the public outside. The royal couple will be staying in a local bed and breakfast this evening. Kate and William take part in medical support exercises with the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue team during day one of their visit to Wales Saying hello! The Prince and Princess of Wales meet with a search dog on the Mountain Rescue Team during their visit today Beaming! The Princess of Wales is all smiles during an abseiling training activity this afternoon Looking the part! The mother-of-three opted for a sporty look, donning The Mountain Equipment Kongur MRT Women's Jacket, costing 600, grey trousers, a matching cap and hiking boots The Prince and Princess of Wales take part in training activities during a visit to Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team Giving it a try! The Princess of Wales abseils down a quarry at the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Trying her hand at abseiling: Kate appeared to give it her all when showing off her skills during a training exercise at the headquarters Keeping it steady: Kate abseiling off a cliff in the Brecon Beacons, while meeting mountain rescuers When asked by instructors if he had abseiled before, William (pictured abseiling with Kate) said: 'It's been a while.' A daunting task? William and Kate are pictured preparing to abseil during their visit today Couple goals: The Prince and Princess of Wales have abseiled together off a cliff in the Brecon Beacons, while meeting mountain rescuers Before heading over the edge Kate, who was wearing a red mountain rescue coat like her husband with her hair tied in a ponytail, was heard telling William: 'We're not racing.' Sporting princess! Kate appeared to be ready for abseiling with William after arriving at the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team headquarters in Merthyr Tydfil, in Wales The Princess of Wales speaks with current volunteers to hear about their roles and experiences of carrying out rescues Adorable! The Prince and Princess of Wales meet with a search dog during their visit today Prior to becoming a senior royal at the age of 35, William had a career as an RAF search and rescue pilot. He also worked as a pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance. Since the couple took on their new titles of Prince and Princess of Wales last September, they have made several visits to the country to learn about the issues that matter most to the Welsh people. The Mail understands that the couple will spend the night in a local B&B tonight before undertaking more engagements in the area. There is an official Duchy of Cornwall property in Wales, Llwynywermod, which is rented as a holiday let but was often used by Williams father to stay in when visiting the region. But William and Kate have not stayed in it yet and are said to to want to pave their own way and do things a little differently. They do, however, have the help of the previous Prince of Wales Welsh-speaking advisor, Grahame Davis. The couple's engagement comes amidst a busy period for the pair, with Kate visiting a baby bank earlier this week to give out essentials to new mothers. The Princess of Wales made a surprise visit to a baby bank where she spoke of the importance of community initiatives and helped to sort through donations and babygrows for new mothers. Kate (pictured left) and William (pictured right) abseiling together off a cliff in the Brecon Beacons, while meeting mountain rescuers The mother-of-three opted for 110 grey trousers by the Dutch brand G-Star RAW, a camouflage cap and Berghaus 175 hiking boots The Princess of Wales nailed sporty chic this afternoon as she visited a mountain rescue centre in Wales with Prince William The royal mother-of-three (pictured), 41, opted for a practical outfit for the engagement When getting stuck into some abseiling with Prince William, Kate donned a 145 Keela jacket When arriving at the outing, Kate was pictured wearing a camouflage cap (pictured left) - which kept her long brown ponytail out of her face - and some dainty silver dangly earrings Finishing off her ensemble, Kate opted for her go-to walking boots. Designed by outdoor brand Berghaus, the 175 brown leather shoes have a lightweight sole which gives 'improved flexibility', according to the product description Kate, 41, and the Prince of Wales (pictured together), 40, are visiting the South Wales Valleys and Mid Wales over the next two days The Princess of Wales was radiant as she joined her husband Prince William for a whirlwind visit to Wales today The Princess of Wales arrives for a visit to Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team headquarters in Merthyr Tydfil, in Wales Ready for action! Kate and William looked the part in their waterproof gear when arriving at today's outing Meeting the team! Kate shook hands with the volunteers working for the rescue team in Wales The Prince and Princess of Wales take part in medical support exercises during a visit to Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team headquarters Kate and William pose with members of the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team as part of a tour in Wales Kate said she couldnt believe how quickly her son Prince Louis, who celebrated his fifth birthday the day before, had grown up and promised to bring her own family down to help out at the centre in the future. The princess has visited several community initiatives in the Windsor area since her family moved there last year and told the organisers - who wrote asking if she would like to visit - that she was keen to see their work firsthand. Kate looked elegant in a beige 285 blazer from Reiss, which she paired with smart trousers and a plain white T-shirt. She finished off her outfit with a pair of 130 pointed pumps from British brand Boden. Meanwhile the Prince and Princess also celebrated their youngest son Prince Louis' birthday over the weekend. The Prince and Princess released a number of photographs to mark his fifth birthday. The youngster sat atop a pile of garden cuttings in one of the relaxed pictures taken in the garden of Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, the family home. Proud parents Kate and William said they were delighted to share the images of their energetic youngest child tonight. In one of the pictures, Louis wearing shorts, shirt and a woolen jumper was seen grinning at someone out of shot as he takes his wheelbarrow ride. The other is an intimate close-up of his smiling face. Not known for sitting still for long, Louis previously described by his mother as a kamikaze rugby player is often pictured in an active stance. Unlike previous family portraits, however, these images were not taken by keen photographer Kate. Instead, the charming family moment was captured by Millie Pilkington, who was previously trusted by Kate and William to privately photograph their wedding reception in 2011. Prince Louis is expected to join his older siblings George, nine, and Charlotte, soon to turn eight, for the carriage procession at the Coronation on May 6. While George, the second in line to the throne, is expected to have a role in the service, it is thought Louis will join working members of the Royal Family on the balcony at Buckingham Palace for an RAF flypast. Get ready to take a look inside a creepy abandoned home which was said to be the location of a gruesome murder in the 1930s and is now rumored to be one of the most haunted places on the planet. An online influencer named Jose Flores, 23, recently visited the eerie abode, known as the House of Aramberri, and he documented his experience and shared it to TikTok - leaving many people on the web terrified. Legend has it that two women were brutally murdered in the home - which is located in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico - back in 1933, and their killer was only caught after their pet parrot repeated some of the harrowing things they called out while they were being attacked. Jose is well known on the app, boasting more then 6.2 million followers, for often visiting old buildings that were left empty and sharing the bizarre histories behind them. Take a look inside a creepy abandoned home which was said to be the location of a gruesome murder in the 1930s and is now rumored to be one of the most haunted places on the planet An online influencer named Jose Flores (seen), 23, recently visited the eerie abode, known as the House of Aramberri, and he documented his experience and shared it to TikTok Legend has it that two women were murdered in the home back in 1933, and their killer was only caught after their parrot repeated the things they said while they were being attacked Jose showed off rundown and dark rooms, ancient-looking chandeliers, dressing tables, and other worn furniture that are still standing in the nearly century-old home in his video During his video taken at the House of Aramberri, which got more than 1.3 million views, Jose showed off rundown and dark rooms, ancient-looking chandeliers, dressing tables, and other worn furniture that are still standing in the nearly century-old home. He is well known on the app, boasting more then 6.2 million followers, for often visiting old building that were left empty and sharing the bizarre history behind them Aside from the growing rubble, dust, and dirt that have now encompassed the property, the house looks like it was left completely untouched and appears almost frozen in time - following the untimely death of its inhabitants. According to various online sources, the legend of the House of Aramberri is that a wealthy family lived on the property in the early 1900s. One morning, after the father left for work, his wife, Florinda, and daughter Antonieta were alone in the house when three men broke in and attacked them. The burglars were allegedly in search of a large chest of silver coins that were hidden in the house. The men reportedly tortured the wife and daughter in the dining room before eventually killing them. When the bodies were found, it was said to be one of the most bloody, gory and cruel crimes the town had ever seen. However, with very little clues and it happening long before DNA technology, police struggled to find the killers. Aside from the growing rubble, dust, and dirt that have now encompassed the property, the house looks like it was left untouched following the untimely death of its inhabitants According to various online sources, the legend of the House of Aramberri is that a wealthy family lived on the property in the early 1930s One morning, after the father left to work, his wife, Florinda, and daughter Antonieta were alone in the house when three men broke in and attacked them both The men reportedly tortured the wife and daughter in the dining room before eventually killing them When the bodies were found, it was said to be one of the most bloody, gory and cruel crimes the town had ever seen But they forgot one important witness who saw the whole ordeal: the family's talking pet parrot. However, with very little clues and long before DNA technology, police struggled to find the killers As police examined the home, the parrot allegedly said, 'Don't kill me Gabriel,' and, 'Not me Gabriel,' which investigators believed it had heard Florinda and Antonieta say during the fatal break-in. It's been said that law enforcement ultimately arrested the father's nephew, named Gabriel, after they brought him in for questioning and he admitted to the double murder. A pair of brothers who owned a butcher shop nearby were also allegedly linked to the crime. All three were reportedly sentenced to death. Now, locals claim that the ghosts of the two women can sometimes still be seen lurking in the dining room while their screams and cries can be heard during the night. The house is number nine on Nightmare on Filmstreet's list of North America's most haunted houses. 'In the place, it feels as if something is watching you at all times, as if you are not alone inside this place,' Jose told NeedToKnow.co.uk recently while reflecting on his visit to the House of Aramberri. But, they forgot one important witness who saw the whole ordeal: the family's talking pet parrot. As police examined the home, the parrot allegedly said, 'Don't kill me Gabriel' It's been said that law enforcement ultimately arrested the father's nephew, named Gabriel, after they brought him in for questioning and he admitted to the double murder Now, locals claim that the ghosts of the two women can sometimes still be seen lurking in the dining room while their screams and cries can be heard during the night Users flocked to the comment section of his TikTok video to share their reactions, with many giving their own opinions on the spooky legend Users flocked to the comment section of his TikTok video to share their reactions, with many giving their own opinions on the spooky legend. 'The saddest thing about that story is that it was a nephew who committed the crime,' one person said. 'No one is supposed to pass through Aramberri's house,' someone else warned, while another user added: 'It is said that the walls there are full of silver jewels.' 'What a beautiful house, too bad it was such a sad story,' a different comment read. 'I'm from Monterrey, and that house is really scary,' another person confirmed. Britons have mocked Americans for extolling the virtues of the crisp sandwich. The New York Times Cooking Instagram account recently shared a recipe for Kenji Lopez-Alt's Tuna Melt, advising that any sandwich can be improved with the addition of the salty snack. The best-selling author and chef included some crisps to add 'crunch' and 'stability' to the sandwich. However the humble crisp butty has been enjoyed in the UK for decades. There are even cookbooks dedicated to the cheap cuisine. The recipe suggested adding chips - what Americans call crisps - as a filling. Brits have mocked Americans for claiming they have just discovered the crisp sandwich after the New York Times Cooking Instagram account posted an image and recipe to Kenji Lopez-Alt's Tuna Melt with crisps It reads: 'Making a sandwich? Put chips in it. Beyond crunch, chips also add stability, holding the fillings in place.' The post read: 'Trust @kenjilopezalt on this one. His recipe for tuna crunch sandwiches is at the link in bio! (Photo: @danetashima, food styling: @bwashbu)' Many were confused by the 'revelation', saying they have been doing this for decades. One person wrote: 'Um people have been putting chips in sandwiches since bologna. And 1991 didn't call, more like 1970 called. If you are into food at any age you would know this.' Another said: 'Chips? In sandwiches? Groundbreaking.' While someone else wrote: 'I've been eating chips on sandwiches since I was a kid.' Robyn Vinter said: 'Sorry but this cannot be a new concept for Americans.' Many were confused by the 'revelation' saying they have been doing this for decades, while others suggested they were using the wrong bread American Amy Cornell replied: 'Sorry but it really is. New and novel and amazingly delish.' Brit Phil said: 'It might be. They're not even using the right type of bread. Amateurs.' Another Twitter user said: 'Wait until they invent the kettle.' Ciaran McGonagle said: 'This is like when they discovered sausage rolls.' Jack Barnett said: 'Zero culture, has to steal it from everyone else.' Ben Weston said: 'I was doing this 20 years ago after getting in after being up the pub it's a great drunk snack.' Rebecca said: 'White bread butter and Walkers cheese and onion crisps is the best.' Dean Metcalfe said: 'Imagine what will happen when they discover the joy of putting actual chips in a sandwich, rather than just crisps.' Another person said: 'British cuisine at its finest.' A woman has hit back at trolls who made mean comments about her after she lied about having a boyfriend when a man tried to hit on her at work. Thomasin is a waitress at a cafe where she was approached by Dylan Harris who films himself interviewing random women in the street. Dylan started flirting with Thomasin while she was working and asked if she was single to which she replied she 'has a boyfriend'. She explained she said this to try to get rid of him, before offering him her Instagram just so he would stop trying to chat her up. The interaction was filmed and posted online resulting in an onslaught of 'disturbing' comments aimed at the young woman. Scroll down for video Waitress Thomasin (left) has been forced to defend herself after an interaction between her and Dylan Harris went viral after he started hitting on her while she was working Thomasin said she lied about having a boyfriend and gave Dylan her Instagram details in an effort to 'get rid of him' In the original TikTok clip, Dylan was dared by a friend to flirt with the waitress while they were sitting at the Sydney cafe she worked at. The trolls slammed her for giving Dylan her social media handle instead of turning him down directly. Thomasin, who has since revealed she is attracted to women, decided to make a video defending herself after Dylan's clip went viral. She said she had to be polite and not turn him down directly because she was working at the time. 'Excuse me gorgeous, can I just talk to you for a quick sec? Are you single?' Dylan asked to which Thomasin said she had a boyfriend of a few months. Despite her efforts to dissuade him, Dylan immediately asked for Thomasin's number to go on a 'coffee date' which she awkwardly declined. 'You're a loyal girl, I respect that, there's not many in Sydney,' Dylan said before asking for her name and to follow her on Instagram. Thomasin obliged and requested Dylan 'not tell anyone' about the exchange. The clip quickly blew up and drew in more than 2.6million views and a string of comments before Dylan disabled replies. The exchange was posted online resulting in a onslaught on 'disturbing' comments aimed at Thomasin for lying about a boyfriend and giving Dylan her details instead of turning him down Thomasin saw the video the day after it was posted on April 14 but didn't decide to respond until it went mega-viral and she saw what viewers were saying about her. 'I wasn't going to respond to it because who cares but now it's got two million views and the comments are pretty disturbing,' she said in a TikTok video. Thomasin explained exactly why she lied to Dylan. 'All women know this, the easiest way to get rid of a guy is telling him you have a boyfriend even if it's true or not,' she explained. 'The second is to give him your Instagram or socials or whatever and he'll f*** off.' The waitress shared a screenshot showing she had not accepted Dylan's request to follow her on social media. '(I wanted to) explain why I felt the need to lie and not say no immediately which is the logical answer, the logical way of rejection. Unfortunately in reality a simple no rarely suffices,' she said. @thomasin24 #stitch with @Dylan Harris me trying to reject a guy and finding out its gone viral original sound - Thomasin The waitress shared a screenshot showing she had not accepted Dylan's request to follow her on social media. 'Unfortunately in reality a simple no rarely suffices,' she said 'Take into consideration I was working so I kind of had to be nice, it's not like I could leave the situation to get rid of him hence my lying saying I had a boyfriend instead of just saying no to get rid of him.' Thomasin said Dylan had edited out parts of the interaction and that he was more persistent than the video showed. 'He cut out parts of the conversation where he kept being persistent and wouldn't leave me the f*** alone. I had to lie,' she said. 'Basically what I really want to say is just accept the no the first time.' Thousands came out in support of Thomasin including popular radio star and podcaster Abbie Chatfield who said: 'HAHAHHAA ICONIC!!!!!!! What a loser. You slay x'. 'Saying you have a boyfriend works because men respect your 'boyfriend' they've never met more than you just saying no,' one woman added. 'Yup and if you say you're a lesbian they'll be even MORE persistent and swear they can change it,' another responded. 'You don't have to explain yourself at ALL he should've left you alone this is so frustrating,' a third wrote. A tiny island off Australia's east coast is fast becoming a tourist hot spot after being compared to dream destinations across the Mediterranean. Broughton Island, which is located just three hours north of Sydney, has recently captured the attention of Aussies looking for 'the taste of Greece closer to home'. The hidden gem has been dubbed 'Australia's Mykonos' and labelled a 'must-see' destination by travellers who have been lucky enough to experienced its beauty. The island is surrounded by crystal blue waters and white sandy beaches - but there's a catch. It isn't easy to get to. Visitors will need their own boat or to book a trip with a cruise operator to get to the island from Port Stephens or Nelson Bay just two hours and 45 minutes north of Sydney. The island also has very limited phone reception so is perfect for travellers seeking a quiet escape or opportunity to disconnect from reality. Australian adventurers have discovered a magical island just hours away from Sydney many are saying is like a Mediterranean paradise Broughton Island lies in Myall Lakes National Park along the Barrington Coast and has been dubbed a 'must-visit' by those lucky enough to have experienced the hidden gem's beauty Visitors will need their own boat or to book a trip with a cruise operator to get to the island from Port Stephens or Nelson Bay just two hours and 45 minutes north of Sydney Campers better be quick if they want to make their visit more than a day trip as their are only five camping sites on the island which book up quickly. Campsites are very basic and guests will need to bring all their own supplies including water. The dreamy island has remained somewhat of a secret until recently meaning wildlife, both land and marine, have been able to flourish. Swimmers will share the ocean with seals, whales and pods of dolphins while the skies are rife with sea birds. With limited phone reception travellers to Broughton Island can disconnect from reality and explore the pristine untouched beaches The dreamy island has remained somewhat of a secret until recently meaning wildlife both land and marine have been able to flourish Visitors have been raving about their stay on Broughton Island online with one describing it as one of the most beautiful island destinations on the east coast There are endless activities for adventurers to enjoy including swimming, fishing, snorkelling, hiking, and scuba diving. Visitors have been raving about their stay on Broughton Island online with one describing it as one of the most beautiful island destinations on the east coast. 'Pick your days to go there, the calmer the better but magnificent place - one of my favourite places in the world,' they wrote. 'A fabulous white sandy beach faces north and another faces south so protection from prevailing winds is possible. Unspoilt bays and many opportunities to snorkel. Love this place!' another said. 'Magical island, it must be on your bucket list,' a third added. Britain's current Covid booster jab drive is the slowest yet, MailOnline can reveal amid growing fears over Arcturus. Just 1million doses were dished out in the first three weeks of the campaign. This is dwarfed by the huge take-up seen during last spring's top-up programme, when nearly 1.4million jabs were administered over the same period. Leading experts today claimed the 'disappointing' pace could be down to vaccine fatigue. Others hinted that the Covid vaccines' success itself could be to blame, with Brits now underestimating the virus's threat thanks to society's wall of immunity. Some scientists called for the rollout to be expanded to the over-50s in the face of Arcturus, a super-infectious new variant causing carnage in India. Its prevalence in Britain has trebled since the start of April. However, Whitehall insiders insisted that the discrepancy is purely down to the jab only being offered in care homes during the first fortnight of the campaign, which kicked off on April 3. The graph shows that 1million Covid boosters were dished out in the first three weeks of the NHS Spring booster campaign, compared to 1.37million during the same period last year and 2.8million in the Autumn rollout NHS England officially launched its spring booster campaign on April 3 (shown in graphic), opening up the latest round of jabs to the over-75s, care home residents and over-fives with health conditions making them more vulnerable to Covid Over-75s and adults with specific health conditions which put them at risk weren't given the opportunity to get another jab until last week. For comparison, NHS bosses opened up the programme after one week last year. The campaign is accompanied by the usual pleas encouraging eligible Brits to come forward and roll up their sleeves. NHS England figures show only 1,031,263 doses were dished out by April 25, the latest date figures are available for. About 5million people in England are eligible for the spring booster. This suggests only about a fifth of this group have had a vaccine. For comparison, last spring boosters were offered to the exact same group. Some 1.37million top-up jabs were administered across the first three weeks of that campaign, implying around 27 per cent were reached. READ MORE: Five Brits 'already dead with Arcturus': New super-infectious Covid strain now makes up one in 40 new cases amid fears it could trigger fresh wave Surveillance data shows XBB.1.16 makes up 2.3 per cent of all new cases in the UK Advertisement In the autumn rollout, which was wider than the spring programme, all Brits over 50 were eligible. In the first three weeks of the autumn drive, 2.8million (11 per cent) of the 26million eligible Brits got their jab. Professor Anna Whittaker, an expert in vaccines and behavioural medicine from the University of Stirling, said the data 'potentially indicates vaccine fatigue' among the population. She highlighted people may be growing complacent about Covid, given the success prior vaccines had on warding off serious illness. 'Due to earlier vaccines, people having mild Covid and surviving may also make them feel maybe it's not as big a deal as it seemed at the start of the pandemic when death tolls and serious illness were high,' she said. But Professor Whittaker added people would be mistaken to take this attitude. She said: 'Covid has not gone away and with rapid mutations, different variants will continue to emerge and may have more severe effects, although until there are more cases it is difficult to say. 'I would strongly recommend taking up the booster if you are offered it, given we are in a country where this is possible and many people are not.' Professor Whittaker also called for the current booster drive to be expanded. 'I would like to see it offered at younger ages, such as 50 plus, if that were possible, given many people in their 50s do have significant comorbidities,' she said. Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at Warwick University, labelled the current pace of the spring booster rollout 'disappointing'. He blamed 'a mix of increasing complacency about the harmful effects of infection, vaccine fatigue and the lack of messaging from Government'. Professor Young added the sluggish rollout, in the context of the new Covid variant Arcturus, couldn't be ignored. 'The latest Omicron subvariant, XBB.1.16 or Arcturus, is the most infectious version of the Covid virus we have seen so far [and] is causing a surge of infections in India, the US and around the globe,' he said. 'Infection with this and any new variant remains a serious risk for the elderly and clinically vulnerable so testing and isolating is still important to protect these individuals from getting infected but access to testing is now restricted so we are blind to the real levels of infection in the UK.' About 5million people in England are eligible for the spring booster Since the Covid vaccination campaign began in late 2020, more than nine in ten over-12s in the UK have had at least one jab, while 88.8 per cent have had two and seven in ten have had three He noted that bivalent vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are being used in the rollout, which offer protection from serious illness caused by Omicron. Professor Young echoed calls to expand the current spring booster campaign to over-50s considering the threat posed Arcturus and potentially other new variants yet to emerge. He said: 'We should be providing booster jabs to at least all the over-50s to ensure that levels of protection are maintained against Arcturus and any other variants that arise over the coming months. 'The Covid virus is not done with us yet and will continue to change so we need to remain vigilant. 'The worry is that with reduced levels of surveillance in the UK, waning immunity from previous infections and vaccinations, poor uptake of the spring booster jab and the general level of complacency, we are not well-equipped to handle another wave of infection.' Professor Paul Hunter, a public health expert at the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline that uptake of vaccines usually falls with each repeated dose. 'So the fact that each subsequent booster campaign was going to have a slower take-up and a smaller proportion of people having the booster was entirely predictable,' he said. Professor Hunter added: 'Fortunately the great majority of people now have had [a] vaccine and an infection, thereby giving so-called hybrid immunity. 'We know that hybrid immunity is very durable against severe disease, lasting years rather than months. 'Nevertheless, the benefits of vaccine for anybody in the at-risk group for the spring booster are still worthwhile for people who have not also had Covid in the recent past.' Professor Robert Dingwall, a sociologist who advised the Government on the virus during the pandemic, told MailOnline that most Brits are now 'adjusting to the fact that Covid is not a bigger threat than many other respiratory viruses'. He said: 'They see boosters as nice to have but even the higher-risk groups, to whom they are being offered, do not seem to see them as worth searching out. 'Many people will have some protection from the immune response to previous infections, in addition to vaccination. 'Personally, I would be more concerned about low take-up in an autumn round, but only if there is a stronger scientific consensus that further boosting is a good idea.' However, Professor Ian Jones, a virologist at the University of Reading, said current data suggests Arcturus is not driving a rise in deaths and that vaccination efforts should remain focused on the vulnerable. He said: 'There will be a vulnerable minority everywhere who do still have risk, probably to any respiratory virus that is going around, and these people do need to keep their antibodies topped up by regular boosts. 'But for the majority, even a rapidly spreading variant seems to be accepted.' Professor David Livermore, a microbiologist at the University of East Anglia, said: 'My guess is that very many people, having been vaccinated, then infected, have just decided that repeated vaccination isn't for them. 'They've just quietly moved on from Covid.' Professor Jones suggested that the slow booster uptake may be down to Covid no longer triggering the concern it used to, in part thanks to Omicron and its descendants being milder. He said: 'The "I had it once and it was just a mild flu" logic is around but I think you also have to note that the virus itself is not what it was. 'It's dropped out of sight, and with it the notion of threat and the need to keep topped up.' Dr Simon Clarke, an infectious disease expert at Reading University, suspected the lacklustre take-up of spring booster is due to the reduction in scope and public messaging campaign. The graph shows the number of Arcturus cases in the UK where the region has been confirmed, according to data from the UK Health Security Agency. This includes 96 cases in England, with the highest rates in London and the North West Surveillance data shows Arcturus, scientifically called XBB.1.16, makes up around 2.3 per cent of all new cases in the UK. Separate unofficial figures suggest around 65,000 Brits are getting infected each day India now accounts for 61 per cent of all recorded cases of XBB.1.16, UKHSA officials warned. The dominant variant in the country, between March 20 and April 3, over two thirds (68 per cent) of all cases logged were the Arcturus strain. Separate figures from the Oxford University-run platform Our World in Data show new daily cases hit 9,526 six days ago on April 18, up from 625 recorded one month earlier Health-tech firm ZOE, which has carried on its daily Covid surveillance project, unlike the Government, predicts some 1.05million people in the UK were ill with Covid as of yesterday. This is down almost 400,000 on the 1.49million reported at the end of March Other Omicron sub-variants include Kraken (XBB.1.5) and Orthrus (CH.1.1). Currently Kraken remains the dominant strain in the UK, as of April 14, causing 44 per cent of cases, while Omicron accounts from 8 per cent and Arcturus 2.3 per cent, the UKHSA said He said: 'The current Covid booster programme is on a smaller scale than those that have gone before. Consequently, it seems that the surrounding publicity is much more limited too. 'Previous experience of annual winter flu vaccination campaigns tells us that the public can be reluctant to make the effort to get them done and I strongly suspect that the same thing is happening with Covid.' This could lead to some of the most vulnerable Brits being hospitalised and dying 'when they could have been saved', Dr Clarke warned. He added that concern about Arcturus is premature and it was important not to spark panic about every new Covid variant, as it could lead to public indifference in the future when there is a severe variant that requires a 'concerted response'. Dr Alberto Giubilini, an expert in the ethics of vaccination from Oxford University, said he thought the slow uptake of the spring jab drive could simply be the result of the virus fading from the spotlight. He said: 'Once our lives have resumed after the pandemic, our perception of Covid has changed. 'It is no longer a socially relevant phenomenon affecting our everyday life. 'To most people, it is now just one disease or an inconvenience among many that might happen to us.' He urged caution around hyping up the need to get a booster. Dr Giubilini said: 'People should be provided with as much information as possible about the risks and the benefits of the vaccine. 'If the communication is transparent, the people at high risk from Covid who would benefit from the vaccines would be more inclined to get their booster. 'Many people know these facts, so I am not sure that encouraging vaccination would have any effect at this point, and I would not be surprised if it would backfire. It might be perceived by many as a failure of transparency.' Arcturus, technically known as XBB.1.16 but given its name by Covid variant trackers, has swept across India, where it sparked a 90-fold increase in cases. In response, officials have imposed mask mandates in the worst-hit areas. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has detected 135 cases since it first arrived in mid-February. Professor Francois Balloux, an expert in computational systems biology at University College London, said the previous Kraken (XBB.1.5) Omicron subvariant wave in the UK could explain why Britain hasn't seen a similar explosion in cases. He said: 'In places that didn't have an XBB.1.5 wave (e.g. India or China), [Arcturus] is expected to do well. 'Conversely, in places like the UK, it is not expected to have much of an impact on case numbers, and even less so on hospitalisations and deaths. 'XBB.1.16 [Arcturus] is still at low frequency here in the UK, but it may become the next dominant variant in the future.' New Hampshire has been crowned the beer capital of America while Washington D.C. consumes the most wine, interactive maps have revealed. Official data from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) estimates the amount of booze consumed in each state per capita. The North East, West Coast and Midwest tended to consume the most alcohol, while rates were lower in the South, which has been linked to higher rates of religious beliefs. American men can safely consume up to two bottles of beer or small glasses of wine a night, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says, while women can consume no more than one. But a growing proportion of people driven by Gen Z are now steering clear of alcohol completely. Which states drink the most wine? District of Columbia (1.01) New Hampshire (0.84) Delaware (0.77) Vermont (0.76) California (0.62) Massachusetts (0.62) New Jersey (0.61) Nevada (0.59) Florida (0.56) Rhode Island (0.55) Data in brackets is gallons of ethanol in wine consumed per person per state each year, for the year 2020. Data from the National Institue on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Advertisement Which states drink the most beer? New Hampshire (1.89) Montana (1.66) Vermont (1.63) North Dakota (1.48) Maine (1.37) South Dakota (1.34) Pennsylvania (1.33) Nevada (1.32) Hawaii (1.28) Wisconsin (1.27) Data in brackets is gallons of ethanol in beer consumed per person per state each year, for the year 2020. Data from the National Institue on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Advertisement The interactive maps are based on beer and wine sales in 2020, the latest year with data. For beer, New Hampshire residents consumed about 1.89 gallons of pure alcohol in beer every year. Residents in Montana put away 1.66 gallons of ethanol in beer per year, while those in Vermont had 1.63 gallons, and in North Dakota 1.48 gallons. Rounding out the top five was Maine, where people drank an average of 1.37 gallons per year. In terms of wine consumption, Washington D.C. the capital topped the list at 1.01 gallons per person. It was followed by New Hampshire (0.84), Delaware (0.77), Vermont (0.76) and California (0.62). Out of the top ten beer-drinking states, four were in the North East three were in the West and three were in the Midwest. Out of the top ten wine-drinking states, seven were in the North East, two were in the West and one Florida was in the South. Dr Nigel Barber, a psychologist trained at City University of New York (CUNY), previously told Psychology Today: 'People at the bottom of the income ladder mostly divide into two extremes. Either they do not drink at all, or they drink to excess. 'There is no real mystery about why poor people might drink in excess. 'Heavy drinking is a way to escape from the stress and lack of control they experience in their lives, feelings that are less intense for affluent people who enjoy higher social status, better social support and more economic freedom.' The above map shows which states consumed the most and least wine. Utah came bottom for this category, which was linked to Mormons who don't drink alcohol This graph shows the consumption of ethanol from beer by year across each region of the US. It shows that in all areas the market is gradually shrinking This graph, however, shows ethanol from wine that is being consumed by state. Unlike beer, this is trending upwards Other patterns in the data included that many of the states in the top categories tended to be rural. A review published in the Lancet in 2021 which looked at 280 studies from 49 countries found that people in rural areas were more likely to abuse alcohol than their urban neighbors. They wrote in the conclusion: 'Internationally, most studies have found that rural, relative to urban, residence is associated with an increased likelihood of hazardous alcohol use and alcohol-related harm.' On the other hand, wine consumption tended to be higher in states that were more affluent. Washington D.C., which drank the most wine, had the highest annual income of any state at $133,000 per household on average, according to 2020 US Census data. New Jersey, Massachusetts and California were top wine drinkers that also came in among the top ten states with the highest average income in the US at $117,000, $115,000 and $111,000. The data also showed that only one of the states in the top 10 for beer and alcohol consumption Florida was in the South. Pollster Gallup said this was because a higher proportion of the population was religious and viewed drinking alcohol as 'morally wrong'. Another outlier was Utah, which came bottom of the list of states that drink the most beer and wine. This was linked to its majority Mormon community, which believes that people should not drink alcohol of any kind. Mormons believe that God revealed what foods and substances were good and bad for people to consume in 1833. The list did not include alcohol, tobacco, tea or coffee which, as a result, are all rejected in the community. The 2020 data calculated beer and wine consumption per head based on each state's population of men and women aged 14 years and older. A glass of wine and a standard pint of beer each contain about 0.6 fluid ounces of ethanol, the alcohol content. Drinking regularly is well-known to raise the risk of numerous diseases including heart disease, cancer and dementia. A baby has been born with two working penises but no anus in a rare medical phenomenon. The Pakistani boy's penises are 'normal-shaped', according to doctors who published the extraordinarily rare case of a condition known as diphallia in a medical journal. However, one was 1cm bigger than the other. The boy was also able to pass urine 'from both orifices', the surgeons in Islamabad revealed. Medics left both members intact, but did not reveal why. Writing in the International Journal of Surgery Case Reports , the team claimed that diphallia as it is known medically is a one in six million defect. Only 100 cases have even been recorded in medical literature, with the first dating back to 1609 They did, however, create an opening via a colonoscopy so that he could pass stools. Writing in the International Journal of Surgery Case Reports, the team claimed that the chances of having diphallia as it is known medically is one in six million. Only 100 cases have even been recorded in medical literature, with the first dating back to 1609. Doctors who treated the boy stated 1 per cent of sufferers also have a defect which affects their anus or rectum. But they did not state if that meant this child was the world's first ever case of this defect, as their numbers would suggest. The boy, born after 36 weeks, was treated at the Children's Hospital at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences. His parents, who took him to the hospital's emergency department straight after he was born, had no family history of any birth defects. Doctors examining him spotted that he had no anal opening and two 'well-formed phalluses', one of which was 1.5cm, while the other was 2.5cm. Scans revealed that he had a single bladder attached to two urethras, which meant he passed urine from both penises. Surgeons diverted one end of his colon through an opening in the lower left side of the abdomen, to allow him to defecate. The boy was monitored for two days following surgery. He was then discharged and a follow-up appointment arranged. It is unclear how diphallia occurs, and there is no known single risk factor but it's thought to happen by chance when genitalia develops in the womb. Patients can either have complete diphallia, when both penises are well developed, or partial diphallia, when one penis is smaller or deformed. Around a quarter of high school students identify as gay, bisexual or have a more fluid sexuality, official data suggests. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's biannual youth report found that just 75.5 percent of 14 to 18-year-olds said they were heterosexual in 2021 - a new low. The remainder said they were either bisexual (12.1 percent), gay or lesbian (3.2 percent), 'other' (3.9 percent) or said they 'questioned' their sexuality (5.2 percent). The percentage of students who do not view themselves as straight has more than doubled in recent years from 11 percent in 2015 to 24.5 percent in 2021. Rates of alternate sexualities in school-aged children are much higher than the adult population - where about seven percent are gay, bisexual or other. 2021 CDC data released today shows 24% of high school pupls said they were either bisexual (12.1 percent), gay or lesbian (3.2 percent), 'other' (3.9 percent) or said they 'questioned' their sexuality (5.2 percent). One in four US high schoolers report that they identify as a sexuality other than heterosexual. This is a sharp rise over the past six years, when only 11 percent identified as such in 2011 Experts say the explosion in alternative sexualities among children can be partly attributed to increased acceptance. Dr Mollie Blackburn, who teaches sexuality studies at Ohio State University, told DailyMail.com: 'It's an increase in acceptance from both parents and society. '[Accepting people] creates a context where a child will be more willing to say that they are gay.' She does not think the actual number of children who are truly gay, lesbian or bisexual has changed in recent years, but that young people are more willing to admit it now. But Jay Richard, a senior research fellow at the conservative think-tank the Heritage Foundation, said the US was an outlier. In the UK, for example, eight percent of people 16 to 24 identify as LGBT, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). He said the rise of gender studies in American schools in recent years was partly behind the rise. 'There is no doubt in my mind that schools are absolutely playing a role in this growth.' In recent years, some schools have begun teaching sex education as young as second grade, which has prompted pushback from Conservative lawmakers. Richard also claimed the increased political focus on social justice was incentivizing children to say they were not heterosexual, to seem 'less plain'. 'There are social incentives to declaring yourself a sexual minority,' he added. 'There is nothing you have to do to be bisexual. You [could] just wanna make yourself cooler.' Richard also said the new survey style implemented in today's CDC report 'weakened the findings'. The data comes from the CDC's biannual Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey. It is the first report since the Covid pandemic. The nationally representative survey included data from 17,232 children across 152 schools in 45 US states. Teens are anonymously surveyed on a multitude of factors, from their mental health, sexual identity and whether they use drugs or carry weapons. In this survey, students who answered that they were 'gay', 'lesbian', 'bisexual' or 'questioning' were considered in the 'non-heterosexual' group. The CDC found that 25 percent of students fell into this group, a sharp rise from just 15 percent in 2017. However, the CDC notes that changes to how the state the questions could be responsible for the sharp rise. The addition of 'questioning' as an answer may be increasing rates. 'Increases in the percentage of LGBQ+ students in YRBSS 2021 might be a result of changes in question wording to include students identifying as questioning, I am not sure about my sexual identity (questioning), or other, I describe my sexual identity in some other way"' the agency wrote. The report found that children who identify as part of the LGB community are significantly more likely to undergo serious mental health struggles. More than half of female high schoolers who identify as bisexual have seriously considered attempting suicide, and 40 percent whe identified as bisexual. This is compared to 20 percent of heterosexual female students. A staggering 26 percent more than one in four bisexual female students attempted suicide. Ms Blackburn says these rates are so high because bisexual students have trouble fitting in with peers, as they can be rejected by both the straight and lesbian communities. This is compared to 15 percent of lesbians and 8 percent of straight girls. The number of adults identifying as LGBT is also sharply rising, according to a 2021 Gallup Poll Some have said the rise in the number of children identifying as LGB is a result of increased acceptance in the US after gay marriage became legalized in 2015. Others instead argue it is a product of indoctrination in schools (file photo) Among males, bisexuals were 40 percent likely to consider suicide, with the rate being 35 percent among gay teens. One in ten heterosexual teens considered suicide. Five percent attempted suicide, compared to 20 percent of gay teens and 17 percent of bisexual males. These students were also more likely to be the victims of sexual violence. When asked whether they had been physically forced to perform a sexual activity they did not want to, 23 percent of bisexual students and 17 percent of lesbian and gay students said they had. This is compared to five percent of heterosexual students. Students in a same-sex relationship were also twice as likely to be sexually abused by their partner. 'Students who identify as bisexual and students who have sexual contact with both sexes experience violence victimization at higher rates,' the CDC wrote. It is unclear what is causing the increasing rates of teens identifying as a sexuality other than heterosexual. Some have pointed to increasing acceptance of the community in recent years. Same-sex marriage was legalized across the US in 2015, legitimizing the community in the eyes of many. Recent classes of high schoolers are among the first to grow up in a time where gay and lesbian marriages were legal. On the other hand, some have said the rising rates of LGBT-identifying children is a result of indoctrination in schools. Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida and likely 2024 Republican Presidential Primary candidate, has blamed teachings of sex and sexual identity in schools. Gov DeSantis signed HB1557, into law early 2022. The bill banned the teaching of sexual orientation or gender identity in schools from kindergarten to third grade. Critics named the bill the 'Don't Say Gay' bill, claiming it discriminated against the LGBT community. Proponents argue that teachings on sexual identity are inappropriate for schools, though. Doctors are prescribing stimulants alongside antidepressants to counter sluggishness, research has shown. Many adults are being given drugs such as amphetamines, which have a high misuse risk, as well as treatment for anxiety and depression. Prescriptions for stimulants such as Adderall are on the rise in America, and a study last week found that one in four US teens at some schools are abusing prescription stimulants. The Drug Enforcement Administration categorizes amphetamines and methylphenidate as Schedule II controlled substances the same classification as cocaine, OxyContin and fentanyl. Prescriptions for Adderall surged during the Covid-19 pandemic. In February 2020, just before the virus erupted across America, the drug made up 1.1 percent of drugs prescribed. By September 2022, the figure had more than doubled to 2.31 percent of all scripts written Doctors often prescribe stimulants to combat the side effects of other medications to treat anxiety and depression, or to enhance the drug's impact Amphetamines like Adderall, the most commonly prescribed stimulant, invigorate the body's nervous system and are prescribed for a range of disorders, for instance attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), sleep disorders and nasal congestion. But they can also be prescribed off-label where medication is given for uses different to what it was originally approved for for depression and anxiety in conjunction with other drugs. Physicians often prescribe stimulants to combat the side effects of other medications, or to enhance the drug's impact. The studys lead author, Thomas Moore, a researcher at the Center for Drug Safety and Effectiveness at Johns Hopkins University, told NBC News this was known as a 'prescribing cascade'. Graph showing the percentage of the 9,141,877 patients in the study who were on different combinations of drugs. Combination-2, the blue columns, refers to stimulants combined with one or more psychiatric drugs. Combination-3, the orange columns, refers to stimulants mixed with two or more psychiatric drugs He said: 'An antidepressant is prescribed for a patient and maybe one of the side effects is sedation, and so they add a stimulant, like amphetamines. 'Or maybe the drug has fairly modest effects, and so they add an amphetamine, and theyll get a little more kick out of it.' Researchers from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore and The George Washington University, D.C., looked at insurance claims from more than 9.1 million adults with private health insurance from October 2019 to December 2020. Prescription stimulants counted as adults' receiving one or more stimulant prescription with amphetamines and methylphenidate, Ritalin's active ingredient. Published on Monday in the BMJ Open, the researchers discovered more than 276,000 adults were using Schedule II prescription stimulants. Just less than half (roughly 45 percent) were using the drugs together with other medications such as antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs and opioids. Mr Moore said: 'We are concerned given the risks of these drugs.' He added that prescription stimulants are 'highly potent' and 'have a high potential for physical and psychological dependence'. Mr Moore said the research on prescription stimulants mixed with other psychiatric medications is sparse. He also said that the number of stimulants taken as well as other medications is on the up, but the study did not look at changes over time. New contract was heralded as ending the hated 8am scramble for appointments GPs will vote on a potential strike if ministers fail to back down from changes to their contracts. The British Medical Association (BMA), which has already paralyzed the NHS with a series of devastating junior doctors strikes, has now said primary care could also be the target of crippling industrial action. GPs in England earn an average of 112,000/year and generally work the equivalent of three days a week. If the dispute goes ahead, it could bring further chaos to Brits struggling to see their family doctor. The BMA said its GP members had overwhelmingly voted to ballot for industrial action if 'disastrous' changes to their working contract, which they claim threaten patient safety, are not reviewed in the coming months. GPs from the doctors union are angry about a new contract imposed upon them by Government and the NHS are threatening potential industrial action if it doesn't change Official figures show GPs' average pay spiked during the pandemic shooting up about 10,000 to almost 112,000 in the latest reporting period The changes have been billed as helping end Brits hated 8am scramble for appointments. Practices must ensure patients get an appointment or referral on the first time they contact their GP under the new terms. But family doctors argue the new contract doesn't come with any additional funding to help surgeries deal with rising bills and staff salaries that need to be boosted amid the cost-of-living crisis. It's not the first time the BMA's GPs have threatened industrial action in the contract dispute. But at an emergency meeting of the BMAs General Practitioners Committee in England (GPCE), 98 per cent of members voted in favour to begin the process of entering into a formal dispute with Government. Read more: The GP will see you now... but only for a couple of minutes! More than 51MILLION appointments last year lasted fewer than 5 minutes, analysis reveals Patients are typically offered ten-minute consultations but more than one in six (17.2 per cent) were ended after less than half that time (stock) Advertisement If the Government doesn't back down, this could see a ballot gauging the profession's appetite for industrial action sent out. Such 'indicative' ballots can include strike action as an option but medics could also say they support industrial action such as working to rule and refusing to do overtime. The GPCE has been warning about potential industrial action for months, with the rhetoric growing after the Government imposed its new contract on April 1. BMA officials have been asking to meet with Health Secretary Steve Barclay to negotiate but claim such calls have been answered. Dr Kieran Sharrock, acting chair of GPCE, said: 'Todays vote is an opportunity for the Government to put right this disastrous contract and to secure the future of patient safety. 'No GP wants to have to consider taking industrial action and its something we still hope to avoid - but the committee has been flatly ignored each time weve explained why this contract isnt workable and needs to be urgently renegotiated. 'General practice is under unprecedented pressure, and these contract changes will only make things worse by taking GPs away from their patients when they need us the most. 'This is a time to support the health service, not wave through policies that only pummel us further into the ground.' The new contract, which was imposed this month, slashes the number of targets GPs must meet, so they have less bureaucracy and can focus more on patient care. It also says practices must adopt a modern telephone system when their current contract ends so callers are placed in a queue and not met with an infuriating engaged tone. They must also ensure they have granted patients access to their medical records online by the end of October at the latest. If GPs do commit to a form of industrial action, they will be just the latest health workers in England to do, with nurses and junior doctors, amongst others, also having taken to the picket lines in recent months. It comes as official figures suggest that more than 51million GP appointments lasted five minutes or less last year as patients were 'rushed' out the door. Patients are typically offered ten-minute consultations but more than one in six (17.2 per cent) were ended after less than half that time. There were just 27,558 full-time equivalent, fully qualified GPs working in England last month, down 1.6 per cent on the 18,000 recorded in June 2021. It was down 5.3 per cent on the more than 29,000 working in June 2017 While the number of fully qualified GPs in England has overall fallen the patient population has risen to 62million, meaning more Brits competing for fewer doctors Campaigners warn doctors who cut visits short risk missing symptoms and storing up more serious problems for the future. The Royal College of General Practice has called for standard GP appointments to be at least 15 minutes by 2030, with longer appointments for those with complex needs. Many Brits are familiar with the fight to get appointments with their family doctor with many stuck in lengthy phone queues or simply unable to get through at all. And those who manage to secure an appointment are facing battles to see their GP face-to-face. Experts have blamed the crisis, which has seen patient groups describe the service as like a 'stretched elastic band ready to snap', on a rising population and shrinking workforce. Many family doctors are choosing to retire in their 50s, move abroad or leave to work in the private sector because of complaints about soaring demand, paperwork and a toxic environment. It means the number of patients per fully qualified GP has rocketed to its highest-ever level, with an average of 2,273 people scrambling for appointments with each family doctor an increase of 15 per cent in five years, according to analysis published in February. HISTORY BIRD: THREE EXTRAORDINARY FLIGHTS by Tracey Curtis-Taylor (Mirror Books 16.99, 320pp) Show me a hero and I'll write you a tragedy', said F Scott Fitzgerald. And it's with regret that pilot Tracey Curtis-Taylor acknowledges this is true of both her flying heroines. Ireland's Lady Mary Heath who was the first person to fly a small open-cockpit aircraft from Cape Town to London in 1928 died after falling drunk down the stairs of a tram aged just 42. English Amy Johnson who became the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia in 1930 died, aged 37, after bailing from her plane over the Thames estuary in 1941. Aviator: Tracey Curtis-Taylor. She writes about Ireland's Lady Mary Heath and English Amy Johnson After a difficult childhood and a string of heartbreaks, Curtis-Taylor related to these women's yearning to soar high above the pain of life. So, in her 50s, she set about replicating her heroines' pioneering adventures in a 1942 Boeing Stearman biplane called The Spirit of Artemis. Born in 1962 in England, as a child Curtis-Taylor marvelled at the sight of skywriting displays by noisy little planes tracing white hearts into the blue. As an adult, she moved to New Zealand and married Steve, a car dealer and plane enthusiast. He was just one in a series of handsome, charismatic older men who swept her off her feet then ditched her without notice. But she gained her flying licence, and then bought a single-seater popular with World War I fighter pilots, in which she thrilled at executing loop-the-loops. She organised air shows, witnessed friends crash and die, and surveyed the smoking craters filled with twisted metal without losing her nerve. When Curtis-Taylor's marriage broke down she moved back to England, but flying remained a constant love in her life and, in the early 2010s, she began planning her grand flights, whizzing the length of Africa, soaring from Farnborough to Sydney and over the U.S. We learn that one of her predecessors, Lady Heath, used the 'lovely Nile' as a green corridor to Cairo that made navigation a breeze. To while away time, she read a novel and ate chocolates, glancing down occasionally to check she was on course. But Curtis-Taylor couldn't resist the open desert and thrilled at skimming over 'that vast glowing empty seabed', later dining out under skies lit by 'brilliant sprays of diamonds'. With vintage determination, Curtis-Taylor overcomes problems with her plane's mechanics and African airport officials demanding bribes. She has a terrifying moment when the engine falters over the Belgian border. 'My heart stopped with it', she writes. Over Arizona she finally did crash, losing power and hitting the ground with such force the joystick was ripped from her hand. The plane was flipped into a cartwheeling stop from which Curtis-Taylor emerged miraculously unscathed. After the crash, she was shocked to find herself dismissed as a fraud. Press releases put out by her sponsors had falsely claimed that she had undertaken all her flights solo, even though the 'Bird in a Biplane' had always been clear that she was sometimes flying with another pilot. Like her heroines, Curtis-Taylor wasn't given the respect she deserved by the aviation community, which she argues is misogynistic and treats women as 'soft targets'. 'Yet I feel my flights were transformational,' she concludes. 'If I felt terrible disappointment at the injustice of some things that happened . . . I never lost sight of the real journey.' Slowdown: Wealth manager St James's Place said net inflows during the opening quarter of 2023 declined to 2billion Britain's largest wealth management firm St James's Place saw net inflows slow in the first three months of the year as investor redemptions jumped. Net inflows during the opening quarter of 2023 declined to 2billion, compared to analyst expectations of 2.2billion and a record 2.91billion over the same period last year. Brokers noted significant signs of a normalisation in customer redemptions towards pre-Covid trends, having been at lower volumes over the previous two years. St James's Place shares had fallen by 3.95 per cent to 1,190.5p on late Thursday afternoon following the update, although they have still grown by approximately 12 per cent since the start of the year. Investor confidence took a beating in March as a result of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, the biggest bank failures in the US since the global financial crisis. This triggered fears of another worldwide banking meltdown before intervention by central banks and other financial institutions helped prevent further turmoil. The level of SJP's managed assets at the end of March was still 3.5 per cent up at 153.6billion, thanks primarily to a net investment return of 3.25billion. Chief executive Andrew Croft said: 'We have begun 2023 much as we expected, so if macroeconomic indicators and consumer sentiment show further signs of recovery, we continue to anticipate a more supportive environment for new business as 2023 unfolds.' David McCann, an analyst at broker Numis, said: 'SJP continues to be the stock we have the strongest positive conviction on in the sector. 'At the heart of this view is the strong and consistent net organic growth...which has been delivered historically over a variety of different market conditions and which we expect to continue.' Fellow wealth manager Schroders revealed on Thursday that its assets under management increased by 8.8billion to 746.3billion between December and March. It also announced that chief financial officer Richard Keers would be standing down later this year after a decade in his position. Schroders chief executive Peter Harrison said Keers, 60, had presided over a 'period of robust growth and strong momentum across the business'. His replacement will be Richard Oldfield, the current vice chairman and global markets leader at accountancy giant PricewaterhouseCoopers, where Keers was a partner for 16 years prior to his move to Schroders. In addition to his current post, Oldfield has also been in charge of PwC's clients and markets arm, strategy and communications, and its UK banking and capital markets assurance practice. Schroders shares were 1.2 per cent down at 475.6p on late Thursday afternoon. Advertisement Learners desperate to get their hands on a driving licence are still being forced to wait weeks, if not months, to sit their practical tests as a result of the ongoing backlog built up during pandemic lockdowns. And despite the best efforts of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency to cut waiting times over the last three years, exclusive figures shared with MailOnline and This is Money lay bare the length of delays learners face at their local test stations. Official data gathered from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) show the current wait times at all 243 test centres across Britain and how they compare to pre-pandemic times - and it shows that by travelling just a few miles away to different centres could shorten their waiting period by weeks. The data has been revealed by Route-Led - a new app that plots the driving test routes at every centre across the country, meaning learners can use it as a cheat code to practice ahead of sitting the driving examination. How long are practical driving test waiting times near YOU? To use our interactive map, zoom into the area where you live and click on the icons to reveal the average delay period over the last 12 months and how it compares to pre-pandemic times. Official figures show that average waiting times for driving tests are now around double what they were in 2020 to more than three and a half months. Despite the DVSA increasing testing hours, bringing older invigilators out of retirement and introducing new rules and stipulations, it has so far failed to reduce the logjam of learners. The agency's latest attempt is to force people not to take the test until they are absolutely ready to do so by extending the period between when they can rebook the exam after failing one, increasing this from 10 to 28 days. However, Route-Led says the DVSA would slash its backlog by encouraging learners to choose test centres with shorter waiting lists to alleviate the pressure on those with longer delays - with some sites within 10 miles of others offering far earlier tests in some instances. In March, it submitted a Freedom of Information request to the DVSA requesting data for the average waiting time at each of its 243 driving test centres in England, Wales and Scotland between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2020 and between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023. The DVSA is not responsible for driver testing in Northern Ireland. The research reveals Wales had the shortest average waiting time of two months at the end of March this year. Scotland's driving test centres have the longest average waiting time of almost four months and those for England are just over three and a half months. In terms of the specific test centres, Bradford (Thornbury), Bolton (Manchester), Hamilton, Hendon (London) and Glasgow (Shieldhall) had the longest average delays of nearly six months at the end of March this year. In contrast Cardigan and Carmarthen has the shortest average waiting time of just one month. > You can see the full list of 243 test centres and their average waiting times on Route-Led's own website. The research reveals Wales had the shortest average waiting time of two months at the end of March this year. Scotland's driving test centres have the longest average waiting time of almost four months and those for England are just over three and a half months Switching to a test centre a few miles away can slash waiting times by months Detailed analysis of the data reveals that learners can significantly reduce their delay period between booking and sitting a test by travelling further to take the exam. For example, learner drivers in Bolton could more than half their waiting time from six months by booking a driving test 16 miles away in Sale or Rochdale, where the average waiting time was two and half months. In the capital, drivers living in Hendon (23.1 week waiting time) can slash their test waiting times by 10 weeks if they travel an extra 6.6 miles to the Barnet test station (13.1 week waiting time). Learner drivers waiting an average of 18.3 weeks might want to consider driving 16 miles to Darlington where the average duration between booking and sitting a practical is 9 weeks. Learners can more than half their practical driving test waiting times by considering a testing centre further afield than their local site There's a similar scenario in Birmingham, where the average waiting time is 18.9 weeks but within 30 miles are test stations in Nuneaton and Stafford with wait periods of just 10.8 and 7.7 weeks respectively. Learners living in Liverpool can expect to have to twiddle their thumbs for 18.4 weeks before they can sit a practical test, but centres less than 10 miles away in Upton and Wallasey will be able to fit them in less than 11 weeks. Other instances north of the border including long waiting times in Edinburgh of 18.8 weeks but Kirkaldy and Galashiels is far less extensive at 12.3 and 10.4 weeks respectively. And in Glasgow, the average delay is 22.3 weeks, but in Ayr it's just 7.7 weeks. One of the most influential men in music turns out to be one of the best paid too. Sir Lucian Grainge, the British boss of Universal Music, could land as much as 80million in a new pay deal, on top of his 4million base salary. Having joined Universal in 1986 and run it since 2011, he is known for his close relationship with artists, with those on the labels books including everyone from Elton John, Mick Jagger and Stevie Wonder to Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande. But despite his success and the praise he has been given for resurrecting the business over the past decade shareholder advisory groups Glass Lewis and Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) have slammed his windfall as excessive and called for investors to push back at the annual meeting next month. The new contract sees Grainges base salary sliced from 12million to 4million. On song: Universal boss Sir Lucian Grainge (pictured with popstar Taylor Swift) could land as much as 80m in a new pay deal - on top of his 4m base salary But it also includes 40million for a five-year commitment to the 90-year-old label and another 40million based on the performance of Universals Amsterdam-based shares. The latter would be paid out to the music mogul in three stages: the first if the share price hits 26.50, the second if it reaches 30 and then 38. Universal Music shares are currently 21.02 having fallen nearly 10 per cent in the year to date. But Grainges pay puts him way ahead of his music contemporaries, with incoming Warner Music boss Robert Kyncl set to earn 12million in his first year on the job. The hefty pay packets come at a time when consumers are continuing to feel the pressure, with the Bank of England just this week telling Britons they must accept theyre worse off. Universal chairman Sherry Lansing said the board was committed to maximising shareholder value and backed Grainges payout. Only the right kind of chief executive can help achieve that goal, and Lucian is just the one to do it, she said. Analysts at Bank of America said the deal ensured Grainges and shareholders interests were better aligned for five years, while Credit Suisse noted that although it was a generous package, leadership stability was essential. Grainge, 63, has spent his entire career in the industry, working with stars from Amy Winehouse to the Rolling Stones. He joined Universal in 1986 and helped launch record label Polygram, which became one of the UKs top three music publishers in just five years. By 2011, the Londoner, who lives in Los Angeles with his wife Caroline, had worked his way up to becoming the chairman and chief executive. In his first year in charge, he orchestrated the rescue of beleaguered music giant EMI following its bruising period under the ownership of private equity firm Terra Firma. Grainge was knighted in 2016 for his contributions to the music business. And the company, which has been majority-owned by the French media giant Vivendi since 2000, floated in Amsterdam in 2021 with an estimated value of 28billion. Yet record labels have come under greater scrutiny in recent years as streaming services like Spotify revolutionise the way music is consumed. A damning parliamentary report in 2021 argued that there needed to be a complete reset, calling for the competition watchdog to investigate the commercial power of major labels, which include Warner, Sony and Universal. Will Page, a former chief economist at Spotify, gave evidence saying that between 2015 and 2019 streaming boosted label turnover by 21 per cent. The recorded music business not only got bigger but also much more profitable for record labels. Artists, however, have not received proportional benefit, he wrote. Last year, the Competition and Markets Authority found that the big record labels are not likely to be making significant excess profits that could be shared with creators. Last month Universal revealed revenues soared by over a fifth in 2022 to nearly 8.7billion, with profits up 15 per cent to 1.2billion. It is the largest music group globally, based on revenues. The boss of the London Stock Exchange (LSE) said its value dwarfs Paris by 1trillion as she came out fighting for the City. Julia Hoggett told MPs she was intensely optimistic about Britains strengths as she cited figures compiled by the LSE showing London-listed stocks were worth 5trillion compared to 3.9trillion for Paris, its nearest European rival. The figures make a mockery of claims that Frances Euronext exchange has outmuscled the LSE. And she said London was back to number one in Europe for capital-raising in the last couple of weeks after dipping below Paris. Hoggett was giving evidence to MPs amid soul-searching in the City and Whitehall about why Britain is seeing an exodus of listed firms. In a further setback, Cambridge chip designer Arm has opted to list in the US. Confident: LSE boss Julia Hoggett (pictured) said she was 'intensely optimistic' as she cited figures showing London-listed stocks were worth 5trillion compared to 3.9trillion for Paris Sir Jonathan Symonds, chairman of pharma giant GSK, appearing alongside Hoggett and other City grandees, said the scales are tipped against listing in the UK. Hoggett said some of the rules governing the stock market were stuck in aspic but backed reforms agreed by the City regulator and the Government to try to revive the markets fortunes. We are the largest exchange in Europe were a trillion larger than France and we regained our spot as the top capital-raising jurisdiction in Europe this last couple of weeks. Hoggett hailed the UKs remarkable strength in creating more unicorns start-ups valued at a billion dollars or more than anywhere bar the US, China and India. If we can connect our capital market strength with that capability, just think what we can do, she said. So I am intensely optimistic about it but I am not in the slightest bit either unaware or unafraid of the hard work thats required. UK regulators have blocked the proposed 60billion takeover of video game maker Activision Blizzard by Microsoft in a move that leaves the deal on the brink of collapse. In a dramatic intervention, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the merger would encourage Microsoft to raise the cost of its gaming subscription service and could mean reduced innovation and less choice for UK gamers over the years to come. It was particularly concerned about cloud gaming the ability to stream games over the internet. The decision, which could see the deal collapse despite plans to appeal, drew swift and stinging condemnation from Activision, whose blockbuster video games include Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. Shut down: UK regulators have blocked the proposed 60bn takeover of Activision, whose blockbuster video games include Call of Duty (pictured) and World of Warcraft The US gaming giant said the ruling contradicts the ambitions of the UK to become an attractive country to build technology businesses and branded it a disservice to UK citizens, who face increasingly dire economic prospects. Activision said: Global innovators large and small will take note that, despite all its rhetoric, the UK is clearly closed for business. Company boss Bobby Kotick insisted the decision was far from the final word, suggesting it could appeal against the decision. Microsoft was similarly enraged. The decision rejects a pragmatic path to address competition concerns and discourages technology innovation and investment in the UK, said president Brad Smith. Were especially disappointed that after lengthy deliberations, this appears to reflect a flawed understanding of this market and the way the relevant cloud technology actually works. Smith also said it was fully committed to this acquisition and will appeal. Shares in Activision tumbled 11.5 per cent on Wall Street following the ruling, while Microsoft rose 7.2 per cent. Whether the CMAs decision causes the entire deal to fall apart must be open to question, but no doubt the parties advisers will be thinking very carefully about how they might salvage it, said Alex Haffner, competition partner at the UK law firm Fladgate. The CMA said Microsoft failed to address concerns around the cloud gaming market and that the potential benefits for some customers would not outweigh the overall harm to competition caused by the merger. Microsoft already enjoys a powerful position and headstart over competitors in cloud gaming and this deal would strengthen that advantage, giving it the ability to undermine new and innovative competitors, said Martin Coleman, chairman of an independent panel of experts that investigated the merger. Company boss Bobby Kotick insisted the decision was far from the final word Cloud gaming needs a free, competitive market to drive innovation and choice. That is best achieved by allowing the current competitive dynamics to continue to do their job. The CMA move is a major blow to the merger, with decisions also due to be handed down by regulators in the EU and US, where the Federal Trade Commission is suing to the block the deal. One party likely to be celebrating is Japanese tech giant Sony, whose Playstation consoles are the main rival to Microsofts Xbox and stood to lose most if the deal was approved. It called on regulators to block the merger. The ruling appeared to blindside analysts, many of whom thought the CMA would wave it through, with conditions. The CMA is effectively rewarding PlayStation and Sony who wants to maintain the status quo of expensive console and full price games, said Gareth Sutcliffe, at Enders Analysis. He said Microsoft was being punished for its poor handling of regulator concerns and would now need to a new plan to achieve a merger. Rejection could imperil the position of Phil Spencer, the head of Microsofts gaming division who, alongside Smith, was the main driving force behind efforts to get regulatory approval, he said. Its hard to see how Spencer could stay if this fails. He was a big part of the problem. The CMA decision is another blow for Activision, which this year agreed a 28million settlement with US regulators over claims it violated US whistleblower protection rules and failed to maintain adequate workplace misconduct controls following sexual harassment allegations that emerged in 2021. A striking teacher today boasted about 'smashing' an early morning run while thousands of school staff across Britain plunge classrooms into chaos - and force struggling parents to juggle WFH with homeschooling. Tens of thousands of members of the National Education Union (NEU) walked out of schools and sixth form colleges across England, with another strike planned on Tuesday - just weeks before millions of Year 11 and 13 students sit their GCSE and A-level exams. Picket lines were mounted outside schools around the country, with rallies held in cities including Bristol as most classrooms either restricted access or shut completely. But not all teachers joined the pickets this morning, with some taking advantage of the strikes chaos to use the day in other ways. Hannah Jarvis, from Yorkshire, posted a screenshot of her time from running app Strava for the route she had dubbed her 'strike day run'. She said on Twitter: 'Smashed my 10km personal best whilst on strike!' Meanwhile parents revealed the difficulties of juggling homeschooling with work while their children stay at home. One mother wrote on Twitter: 'Lockdown flashbacks as I prepare to work from home and homeschool.' Others shared photos of cupcakes they have baked for their children's 'arts and crafts' classes. General secretary Kevin Courtney said: 'Obviously, there is still disruption and we've fully acknowledged that and regret it, but we've taken those steps on the dispensations to try and assuage that concern as much as possible.' Hannah Jarvis, from Yorkshire, posted a screenshot of her time from running app Strava for the route she had dubbed her 'strike day run'. She said on Twitter: 'Smashed my 10km personal best whilst on strike!' Kevin Courtney, joint General Secretary of National Education Union (NEU), with teachers on the picket line outside Bristol Cathedral School Teachers on the picket line outside Bristol Cathedral School, College Square, Bristol Tens of thousands of teacher members of the National Education Union (NEU) are estimated to walk out of schools and sixth form colleges across England this morning, with another day of action scheduled for Tuesday The Government offered teachers a 1,000 one-off payment for the current school year (2022/23) and an average 4.5 per cent pay rise for staff next year following intensive talks with the education unions. Four education unions, the NEU, the NASUWT teaching union, the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), have rejected the pay offer. Speaking to LBC radio on Thursday, one parent from Chigwell said he fears teachers will 'lose the support of parents' due to the 'unpalatable' timing of the strikes. The caller, named Spencer, told Nick Ferrari his wife is a teacher and he has a son in year 11 who is about to sit his GCSEs. 'Why now?' he asked. 'There is simply no excuse to do it now.' The Government appears to be living in a 'fantasy world' over school funding, the joint general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU) has said. Dr Mary Bousted said striking teachers were 'reasonable people' who want 'a long-term correction in teachers' pay' as NEU members staged a walkout on Thursday. Speaking to the PA news agency, Dr Bousted said: 'What this government would like is a magic wand where they can have fully staffed schools, school buildings that aren't falling down ... healthy recruitment and retention in the profession without spending any money. 'Well, that's a fantasy world that they appear to be living in. I'd like to live there too, but we don't.' Dr Bousted joined hundreds of striking teachers as they marched through the streets of Oxford as their long-running dispute over pay continues. Marchers held signs reading 'I'd rather be teaching but this is important' and 'I've got 99 problems and cuts to education funding has caused all of them'. They were joined by a samba school, who banged drums to the tune of Mickey by Toni Basil while marchers chanted 'Hey Rishi, you're so tight, you're so tight you made us strike.' Dr Bousted added that the NEU is prepared to accept that pay resolution cannot be done 'within a year' and a 'three-year deal' would be a more reasonable solution. 'But we do want a long-term correction which brings teachers' pay back up,' she said. 'Education is in crisis every day of the week; we have the Government missing its secondary teacher training targets by 40 percent. 'It's going to miss its primary recruitment targets by 25 percent next year.' Dr Bousted also criticised the Government's legal action against the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) over part of its planned 48-hour strike next week. The High Court ruled on Thursday the RCN must cut the strike action short as its six-month mandate from a ballot of members in November ended just before midnight on May 1, rather than the following day. Dr Bousted added: 'The Government should not be spending money on lawyers and taking nurses to court. 'The Government should be doing with nurses what it should be doing teachers, and that's sitting down at the table and negotiating - it's not hard. 'If they were serious about settling these strikes, they'd come and negotiate.' The NEU rejected the Government's recent offer of a 1,000 one-off payment for the current school year (2022/23), and an average 4.5 percent pay rise for staff next year, causing the strikes on Thursday. Teachers on strike in Bristol today as they plunge schools into chaos Mr Courtney with teachers on the picket line outside Bristol Cathedral School Teachers on the picket line outside Bristol Cathedral School Meanwhile, the Government is taking legal action on Thursday against the Royal College of Nursing over its planned 48-hour strike over the Bank Holiday weekend. RCN members working in the NHS in England at workplaces with a strike mandate are preparing to take 48-hour industrial action from 8pm or the start of the night shift on April 30. Health Secretary Steve Barclay said NHS Employers had contacted him asking him to check the legality of the action because the organisation believes the strike mandate runs out on May 1. TUC general secretary Paul Nowak is writing to Mr Barclay to urge him to meet with unions representing junior doctors, stressing his concern about the lack of engagement and meaningful negotiation which he said is prolonging the dispute. He said it was time for a 'reset' on the public sector pay disputes. 'Ministers should stop wasting time and stonewalling negotiations. 'All of our public sector workers, including our doctors, our teachers and civil servants, deserve a fair pay deal. 'If the Government does not reach a fair settlement on pay, the recruitment and retention crisis crippling frontline services will only get worse.' Nurses rejected a deal over anger at how the Government has handled negotiations, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said. Speaking to ITV's Good Morning Britain, Sir Keir said: 'What's happened in the nurses' case is really instructive, because actually the union recommended the deal and the nurses themselves rejected it. 'That tells you just how angry the nurses are, because that's quite unusual.' A Department for Education spokesman said: 'Any strike action is hugely damaging. We have made a fair and reasonable pay offer to teachers recognising their hard work and commitment. 'Thanks to the further 2billion we are investing in our schools next year, school funding will be at its highest level in history.' 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 He is better known for Savile Row tailoring and traditional tweeds than punk fashion, but that did not stop the King paying a special tribute to anti-monarchist designer Dame Vivienne Westwood at her memorial service. It might seem an unlikely friendship, but Charles was a long-time supporter of punk queen Dame Vivienne and her anti-establishment fashion brand, whose flagship store first opened on the Kings Road in 1971. Dame Vivienne died earlier this year. And, although he was unable to be at the memorial service himself, King Charles asked for Sir Nicholas Coleridge, former boss of the Conde Nast magazine group, to personally represent him in the front pew at Southwark Cathedral in central London. Despite her anti-establishment, anti-royal views, Vivienne Westwood discovered that Charles was 'an unexpected punk at heart' Known for her outrageous taste, Vivienne Westwood twice went to the Palace with no knickers on. Her she is attending a reception for the Elephant Family charity at Clarence House hosted by Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall, in 2019 Dame Vivienne was such a fan of Charles and his green views that she wore a dress with his face on at a Milan fashion show. Her support for him 'polarised' her fans One Royal aide quipped that the monarch is an unexpected punk at heart. Amid all the fanfare around the arrival of the celebrities few noticed that Nicholas Coleridge processed down the aisle and took a seat in the front pew because he had been asked by King Charles to represent him at Vivienne Westwoods funeral,' said a royal source. 'Charles felt strongly that he wanted to have a presence there as he was a big fan, and an unlikely friend of the designer. The service was not the first time their mutual respect had been highlighted. Dame Vivienne dedicated her 2015 Autumn-Winter menswear catwalk show in Milan to Prince Charles in celebration of his environmental work. She even wore a dress emblazoned with his face on the day. As she said at the time: If Prince Charles had ruled the world according to his priorities during the last 30 years, we would be alright and we would be tackling climate change. The pro-Charles catwalk show was said to have polarised her fans many of whom were anti-monarchist punks. Westwoods most famous creation was the iconic God Save the Queen T-shirt she designed in 1977. Emblazoned with Sex Pistols lyrics - she was dating the bands manager Malcolm McLaren at the time - it controversially had a safety pin running through a graphic of the Queens face. One of Dame Viviennes strangest claims to fame in her lifetime was that she twice went to Buckingham Palace twice wearing no knickers. During the first visit, in 1992, she famously lifted her skirt to flash the cameras after meeting the Queen. The stunt was said to have amused the late monarch. The move did not deter the King from developing an affection for the designer and a Royal source said that their shared interests extend beyond a passion for environmental causes. They had a connection because they love British brands and British craftsmanship too said the source. Charles has dipped his toe into the waters of fashion via his support for the wool industry. In 2010 King Charles launched his Campaign for Wool initiative to support the British wool industry and nominated Sir Nicholas Coleridge to be its chairman. The designer poses for photographers after becoming a Dame in 2006 Kate Moss and Victoria Beckham attend the memorial service for Vivienne Westwood at Southwark Cathedral in London on February 16, 2023 The King asked publisher Sir Nicholas Coleridge to represent him at Dame Vivienne's memorial service An aide described Coleridge as fashion Royalty and the perfect choice to represent King Charles at the funeral for Derbyshire-born Westwood, who died peacefully in December, aged 81. The source said, Nicholas was especially asked to represent both Charles and Camilla and in his capacity as an official representative of the King was invited by the Westwood family to process up the aisle at the funeral and sit in the front pew. Nicholas, who oversaw the planning for last years Platinum Jubilee celebrations for the late Queen said: It wasnt about me, and I was simply representing the King and Queen Consort. The King and Vivienne Westwood had a strong mutual interest in sustainability and the environment. That was their connection. In a royal life rarely short of colour or controversy, the Duke of York has garnered headlines for all manner of reasons. His romantic associations, for example, his famous love of air travel or his numerous doubtful friendships. But running through the years has been one constant theme: an apparently ceaseless quest for money that has driven him into some surprising situations and has often left him in the firing line. And so it was again when it emerged that the Duke of York faces a dramatic cut to the annual 249,000 tax free income which had been given to Andrew by his late mother, The Queen, from the Duchy of Lancaster. With the Duchy now owned by King Charles, it has been reported that all non-working members of the Royal Family have been told to tighten their belts and expect less money. The Duke of York meets a Kuwaiti Emir at Windsor Castle for the late Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Prince Andrew rubs shoulders with some of the richest people in the world but complains he has little money of his own The Duke of York's home, Royal Lodge in Windsor, requires major refurbishment. Now Andrew fears he will be unable to pay for the work and forced to leave if the King cuts his grant Chalet Helora in the Swiss resort of Verbier was bought by Andrew and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson for 13 million before financial troubles forced them to sell it for a reported 19 million in 2022 To make matters worse, the duke has been left nothing in his mother's will as her entire fortune, estimated at 650 million has been passed directly to King Charles, 'monarch to monarch', for tax purposes. As a result, it looks increasingly likely that Andrew - whose allowance from the Queen was supplemented by a small pension of 20,000 courtesy of his 22-year service in the Navy will have to move out of Royal Lodge, his Windsor Great Park mansion. He seems surprisingly hard-up for a favoured son of one of the richest women in the world, the late Queen Elizabeth, leading some to describe him as the Grand Old Duke of Broke. Friends of Andrew say he is 'bewildered' by a situation which has left him obliged to 'go cap in hand to his elder brother to keep a roof over his head'. Suggestions that he move to nearby Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor estate - now that Harry and Meghan have vacated it - have not gone down well. (Although recently renovated and with five bedrooms, the property is a good deal more than an average cottage.) It is not the first time that the princes financial affairs have been under the spotlight, of course. Over the years his lavish spending including the purchase of a 13 million chalet in the upmarket Swiss resort of Verbier, and a 7.5 million refurbishment of Royal Lodge, his home in Windsor Great Park - has led to mounting questions about where, exactly, he got the money from. And why he appears to have none left. Can he really be a 'pauper prince'? Those questions only intensified in May 2020, when the Prince agreed a multi-million pound settlement with Virginia Giuffre (nee Roberts) following her claims - robustly denied by the Prince - that he had forced her to have sex with him on three separate occasions in 2001 when she was just 17. Andrew was forced to step down from public duties in 2019 in the wake of Ms Giuffres allegations, and news of the settlement led to speculation about how exactly, the money was raised. Some have suggested that his mother gave 2 million of her own money towards the settlement in a bid to assist the son long believed to be her favourite. Others suggest that Charles paid the bill. Prince Andrew is contending with more than his own lavish tastes, of course. His former wife, Sarah Ferguson, has had a troubled relationship with spending and has been a huge drain on his resources. It is also the case that being a prince of the realm has restricted his ability to earn big money in an open way. No doubt it has been irritating for Andrew to rub shoulders with the billionaire yacht owners of the world. For while he is a wealthy man by any normal standard, the Duke of York is cash poor by the standards of the super-rich. His money has been mostly locked away in family assets Despite a respectable career in the Armed Forces, during which he served with courage and distinction in the Falklands War of 1982, his years since then have been marked by scandal, much of it precipitated by his role as UK Special Representative for Trade and Investment, which he took over from the Duke of Kent in 2001 following his departure from the Royal Navy. Charged with promoting British business interests around the world, the duke's preference for private jets and helicopters rather than scheduled flights for his engagements led to him being christened Airmiles Andy while his affection for expensive travel seemed to be matched by a talent for forging close links with unsavoury foreign dictators and businessmen. The Duke of York sits down with Ilham Aliyev, oil-rich president of authoritarian Azerbaijan Prince Andrew meets former Khazak dictator Nursultan Nazarbayev in 2010 Prince Andrew and the late Queen with Kazakhstan's then Deputy Prime Minister Dariga Nazarbayeva. Britain signed trade deals with Kazakhstan worth 3 billion in 2015 Sunninghill Park was a wedding gift to the Yorks from Queen Elizabeth. In 2007 Prince Andrew sold it to Kazakh oligarch Timur Kulibayev for 15 million, 3 million above the asking price Those links were put under a robust spotlight in 2007 when Sunninghill Park the princes former marital home, a present from the Queen to Andrew when he married Sarah Ferguson in 1986 - was sold for 15million to Kazakh oligarch, Timur Kulibayev, the son-in-law of Kazakhstan's autocratic former president Nursultan Nazarbayev. The property, mockingly called 'SouthYork' due to its supposed similarity to the garish ranch of SouthFork in the US series Dallas, had languished on the property market for the previous five years at an asking price of 12million, and eyebrows were raised at a transaction which gave the prince 3million over the asking price for a property that did not seem have attracted much interest elsewhere. Andrew repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, but questions surfaced once again in January 2022 when Kulibayev was forced to resign as the head of a leading business lobby in his country amid corruption allegations. Two years after the sale of SouthYork meanwhile, it emerged that the prince had spent an estimated 60,000 of public money to charter a luxury private jet for a three day visit to Azerbaijan, after developing a close friendship with its president Ilham Aliyev. The trip to the corrupt ex-Soviet republic - the princes sixth visit in five years - was intended to promote British business, but it also emerged to public disquiet that the prince had made two visits in a private capacity. Undeterred, he returned the following November - at which point it emerged that Andrew had also undertaken a visit to neighbouring Turkmenistan to meet its president, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow. The country is ranked by anti-corruption group Global Witness as the worlds sixth most corrupt out of 278 surveyed, leading critics to question once more whether a member of the Royal Family should ever cosy up to autocratic leaders - and whether the Prince was in danger of blurring the roles between his trade envoy role and his private interests. Further doubts were raised about Andrew's position when in March 2011 it was reported he had entertained Sakher el-Materi, son-in-law of the ousted Tunisian dictator, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, at Buckingham Palace just months before the countrys regime collapsed. El-Materi went on to flee the north African country, under investigation for money laundering. While the meeting took place as part of the duke's government-appointed role to help broker deals for British businesses overseas, its emergence intensified calls for him to step down because of his contacts with controversial figures in the Middle East. Prince Andrew is often said to have been the late Queen's favourite son Prince Andrew walks with disgraced financier and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein before his death. Was it the prince's search for money that drew him into Epstein's orbit? Chastened: a downcast duke at Windsor By then the prince was also battling to recover from another scandal: in May 2010 he was forced to hold crisis talks with the Queen after his ex-wife was exposed offering access to him for 500,000. The duchess, had been filmed by a tabloid news reporter - posing as a businessman - pocketing $40,000 (27,600) in cash as a down payment for giving access to her former husband. She was said to be 'devastated and regretful' at her actions, but as with her husband, it was just the latest in a long line of financial scandals for a woman labelled the Duchess of Debt in the wake of her 1996 divorce. At the time, it was rumoured that she owed more than $4 million to British bankers Coutts and Co. and that the royal family and specifically the late Queen - was fed up her free-spending ways. It took years for the duchess to pay off her debts, and she later admitted in a 2001 US television interview with chat show host Larry King that there had been a time when she was financially out of control. If lessons were learned however they did not last long: just over ten years later, it emerged that Sarah had accepted a 15,000 loan from the disgraced paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein following his release from prison in 2009 after serving thirteen months for child sex offences. Was that the full extent of the help proffered? And was the Yorks hunger for financial support in fact the basis of their entanglement with Epstein in the first place? At any rate, the duchess accepted she had made a 'gigantic error of judgment' and offered a 'heartfelt' apology over the payment which caused a furore when it became. That same year, she was forced to reveal to the British magazine Hello that she owed 600,000 following the collapse of her US-based business, Hartmoor, a lifestyle company. It emerged she also faced a High Court action for unpaid bills amounting to almost 200,000, brought by leading Mayfair solicitors Davenport Lyons. In 2011, the duchess described herself as continually on the brink of bankruptcy and is thought to have run up debts of 4.2 million during her marriage to Prince Andrew. The financial scandals surrounding both the Duke and his former wife did not end there. In 2014, it emerged that the Andrew and Sarah had jointly paid 13 million for the purchase of a seven bedroom luxury ski chalet in Verbier called Chalet Helora. The Belgravia mews house purchased by the Duchess of York for 4.25 million Seven years later as Andrew battled to sell the property to help fund his civil settlement with Giuffre - Isabelle de Rouvre, the French socialite from whom he had bought the property, claimed that Andrew still owed her more than 6million, branding Andrew an 'absolute fool'. The sale became mired in further problems when a freezing order was placed on the property to guarantee that an unnamed Swiss couple, with whom the duke struck up a business arrangement, would receive a reported 1.6m he owed them. Chalet Helora was finally sold in December 2022 to a British family for a figure understood to be 19 million no doubt leading to a sigh of relief from the beleaguered prince. The York's financial troubles didn't stop Sarah Ferguson acquiring a 4.25 million Mayfair home in June 2022 without a mortgage - although restrictions on the title deeds suggest it might in fact have been purchased by her daughters Beatrice and Eugenie. But then there is a very great deal that we simply don't know about Prince Andrew's money or the lack of it. Last year, for example, it emerged that, behind the scenes, businessman and Conservative Party donor David Rowland had been helping the prince fund his lavish lifestyle. Why, despite all this financial support, does the Duke of York seem so short of readies when he has had generous bequests from The Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh? The sums involved, of course, remain unknown. There is little sign that this inheritance will draw a line under Andrews troubling financial affairs. Friends close to the prince this week suggested that Andrew was looking to pursue commercial opportunities in the USA like his nephew Harry and his wife Meghan in a bid to fund his considerable expenses. It looks like there are plenty more questions to come. Elon Musk's $44bn acquisition of Twitter on 27 October 2022 promised the biggest shake up since the company was founded in 2006. The former world's richest man was keen to take on the project after becoming disillusioned by the site's perceived biases and content moderation policy. He said he wanted to build a 'common digital town square' where all voices could be heard and debated in a healthy way. Changes to personnel and features, and the release of the "Twitter Files" took the site in a radical new direction within a matter of weeks. But Twitter's revolution became a bloodbath in the process, cutting staff by 80% to hone in on the new direction, and then losing users and advertisers as a lean team struggled to manage disinformation, trolling and impersonation online. "Twitter 2.0" seems to have been hamstrung by problems from the start. As the Tesla and SpaceX founder comes to mark half a year with the site, MailOnline looks at the highs and lows of Musk's Twitter revolution. Elon Musk bought Twitter in October and within days had taken it in a radical new direction Twitter's San Francisco HQ in December 2022, a month after half the workforce was laid off Musk arrives at Twitter HQ in October with a sink after purchasing the company. The joke plays on an internet meme 'let that sink in', which features a sink next to an open door. Musk often references popular culture. In April he changed the Twitter logo to doge, another meme The staffing crisis Twitter had 'just under 8,000' staff worldwide when Elon Musk took over in October 2022. 'We're about 1,500 right now,' he said in an interview with the BBC in April. From the start, Musk sought revolution over reform. In April, after becoming the largest shareholder, he declined to join the company's board of directors. Then-CEO Parag Agrawal said this was 'for the best'. Musk bought Twitter for $44bn and on day two let Agrawal go, along with CFO Ned Segal and top counsel Vijaya Gadde. He then made himself the new CEO and dropped the board of directors. Within days, 3,700 staff had been laid off. They found out when they were unable to log in to their emails and work computers. Musk defended the layoffs saying he had no choice when the company was losing $4mn a day. Some embraced the end of the Old Regime and found new roles for themselves. Esther Crawford was pictured in early November in a sleeping bag on the office floor. She played a key role as a project manager leading on Twitter's new verification system. Still, the guillotine saw regular use as Musk doubled down on the changes to the site's direction. At the end of February, another 200 employees were laid off, including product managers, data scientists and engineers. Crawford was among those who discovered they had been laid off when, again, unable to log in to their work laptops and email accounts. Over the weekend, Musk posted on Twitter (not aimed directly at anybody): 'Hope you have a good Sunday. First day of the rest of your life.' Musk said the cuts were needed to rein in expenditure and keep the company functional and efficient. He said laying people off is 'no fun at all. It's painful. [But] the company's either going to go bankrupt... if we do not cut costs immediately... This is not a caring, uncaring situation. If the whole ship sinks then nobody's got a job.' But some insiders still worry the cuts have affected their ability to do their jobs. Twitter suffered four outages in February alone - compared to nine in all of 2022. Staff also say that due to cuts and changes to features, they can no longer protect users from trolling and child sexual exploitation, nor the disinformation Twitter 2.0 set out to combat. 'Nobody's taking care' of the work around safety measures now, an engineer told the BBC in March. Musk contested some of these claims in the rare media interview with in April, saying there was less misinformation on the site since the takeover, helped by efforts to delete automated accounts. Former CEO Parag Agrawal (left) and CFO Ned Segal (right) were fired by Musk on his first day Esther Crawford seen sleeping on the office floor in November, let go in February 2023 The launch of 'extremely hardcore' Twitter 2.0 Those who survived the cuts in November were soon told - in an email in the middle of the night - that they would have to get used to "Twitter 2.0" and the new 'extremely hardcore' way of working - or leave. Remote work was dropped and staff moved back to the office. Musk reneged when more left than expected. The company also asked dozens to come back to work on new products after apparently firing them 'by mistake'. So called "days of rest" were also dropped. Staff reported working longer hours, apparently up to 12-hours and seven days a week. Managers slept at the office on weekends. In April, Musk admitted he also sleeps in the office sometimes, on a couch in the library. Twitter's culture of 'transparency' was said to have died. Open calendars were closed. Documents were locked. Permissions were revoked. When people were laid off, they were left wondering for days whether they still had a job, unable to reach HR. One member of staff said in March: 'It's a pressure cooker. There are no guidelines. There's no respect. There's absolutely zero transparency. It's awful.' Writing in The Atlantic, former Machine Learning, Ethics Transparency and Accountability (META) engineering director Rumman Chowdhury said: 'From the announcement of Musks bid to the day he walked into the office holding a sink, I watched, horrified, as he slowly killed Twitters culture. 'Debate and constructive dissent was stifled on Slack, leaders accepted their fate or quietly resigned, and Twitter slowly shifted from being a company that cared about the people on the platform to a company that only cares about.' Chowdhury said Twitter 2.0 was defined by 'feverish cost-cutting, lax content moderation' and 'the abandonment of important features such as blocklists'. He said he worried that ignoring the 'nuanced issue of algorithmic oversight' - with Musk reportedly pushing his tweets above all others - Twitter would end up adding to issues of bias, misinformation and contributing to 'a volatile global political and social climate'. Twitter 2.0 prompted more to leave. A further 1,200 voluntarily resigned in November, leading the temporary closure of offices. #RIPTwitter started trending on the site. Musk in January after testifying regarding a lawsuit that saw investors sue Tesla and Musk over 2018 tweets saying he would take Tesla private with funding he was found not to have secured Money troubles Staff cuts were meant to rein in expenses. Those who stayed looked to create new profitable features, such as Twitter Blue, which promised to move the site closer to Musk's town square vision. But from the outside, the revolution was getting out of hand. Internal conflicts were aired in public. The new direction saw unfinished features tested on the main site and recalled within hours when they needed tinkering with. As the first staff were cut, so the first users started to leave. Shonda Rhimes, the creator of Grey's Anatomy, wrote on 29 October: 'Not hanging around for whatever Elon has planned. Bye.' - and hasn't posted since. Grammy winner Toni Braxton wrote the same day: 'I'm shocked and appalled at some of the "free speech" I've seen on this platform since its acquisition. 'Hate speech under the veil of "free speech" is unacceptable; therefore I am choosing to stay off Twitter as it is no longer a safe space for myself, my sons and other POC.' If users were leaving, advertisers had less reason to stay - further hurting cash flow. Apparently concerned that the changes were enabling a rise in hate speech on the platform, brands including General Motors, United Airlines and General Mills paused buying ads on Twitter. Then, Chevrolet, Chipotle, Ford and Jeep paused ads or abandoned the platform entirely. Apple pulled its Twitter ads. By the end of November, the losses in advertising were estimated to have cost the site about $2bn in revenue. The company has a revenue of just over $5bn. In January, Musk reportedly tried to raise $3bn by selling off shares. The Journal reported potential investors were put off by Twitter's financial performance. Around the same time, the company started to auction off coffee makers and statues, The Verge claimed, after falling behind on office rent payments. Twitter Blue would have to work. Louise Read, founder of SaaS MRKTING, explained to MailOnline: 'Given the reduction in the sales force that would have been responsible for advertising, it's likely [Musk] will be looking to expand subscription-based offerings. 'Twitter already has Twitter Blue which allows users to pay for a blue tick associated with their account, but I would expect to also see the introduction of a premium subscription without ads.' Efforts were made to keep advertisers enticed. A new feature listed how many times a tweet had been seen, complementing engagement. In February, Twitter ran a fire sale for Super Bowl ads to win back advertisers. Louise Read added: 'This short-sighted approach is going to lose the few companies who are actually using Twitter for advertising, and put off the rest. It screams desperation in what is already clearly a declining company. 'As a marketer, protecting your brand is paramount... Businesses with that type of advertising spend will be questioning whether they even want to be seen on advertising platforms like Twitter. 'I'm surprised anyone is even advertising on Twitter given the rapid rise in discriminative tweets, hate groups and terrorist groups joining the platform since Musk took over. 'Given that Twitters business model solely relies on advertising reducing their revenue generating teams, that over years have built real relationships with key ad spenders, its telling that this company is haemorrhaging funds and unsurprising that they reportedly have $13bn of debt.' Read was the former marketing lead for Klaviyo, growing the marketing function from scratch to a $10.1bn valuation. Chief customer officer Sarah Personette, who was in charge of Twitter's advertising sales, said she had resigned from the top role the day after Musk took charge. She did not say why 'Citizen journalism' advocate Musk pictured at the Super Bowl this year with Rupert Murdoch The Blue Tick Twitter verification once meant authenticity. A little blue tick icon was attached to the accounts of public figures or companies to deter impersonators. This did not fit Musk's vision. He heralded the benefits of "citizen journalism" and would offer the coveted label to all for just $8 per month. Changing verification saw an apparent rise in impersonations on the site. Some were clearly absurd or satirical. A Coca Cola impersonator wrote: 'If this gets 1000 retweets we will put the cocaine back in Coca Cola.' Others, more ambiguous, had real consequences. An account pretending to be pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company wrote: 'We are excited to announce insulin is free now', causing LLY stock to fall 4.5% in a matter of hours. Lockheed Martin lost more than $7bn and faced some awkward questions after a fake account announced the company would stop sending arms shipments to Saudi Arabia, the US and Israel. Scores of notable people left Twitter in the run up to Christmas. Rolling Stone compiled a list of those who had left before the year was up, including actor Stephen Fry (who said on his website Twitter was like a 'room [that] had started to smell. Really quite bad), Whoopi Goldberg, Gigi Hadid (branding it a 'cesspool of hate'), Jack White and Alex Winter. Moby said the site had 'become a cesspool of racism, anti-Semitism, disinformation, and dimwitted alt-right hate' before leaving in November. Elton John said in December he had decided to 'no longer use Twitter, given their recent change in policy which will allow misinformation to go unchecked.' Twitter eventually pulled the paid Twitter Blue service, and then put it back. An 'Official' label was added, and then pulled hours later. There were threats to remove 'legacy' verification afforded to public figures, and when users started linking to their other social media accounts Musk said he would ban accounts that promoted other platforms. This, too, was changed when the public protested. Twitter found a partial solution, giving badges of different colors to businesses and government entities. But the flagship policy of Twitter 2.0 that had promised to recoup lost advertising revenues instead alienated more users and organizations. On 20 April - a date reportedly chosen for its ties to marijuana culture - Musk lit the bonfire of Blue ticks - and then gave some back for users with more than 1mn followers. This included mistakenly giving ticks to celebrities who had died, falsely claiming they had paid for Twitter Blue. Twitter say they are working on an updated process for new accounts to minimize impersonation. Actor Whoopi Goldberg was among the celebrities who left Twitter, saying on The View in November 'I just feel like it's so messy, and I'm tired of now having had certain kinds of attitudes blocked, and now they're back on.' Actor Stephen Fry was a popular figure with 12.3mn followers before leaving after the takeover Free Speech From the start, Musk challenged Twitter to be more free and open. In the first place, the decision to buy up shares in the site followed his March 2022 poll, asking users whether they believed the site 'rigorously adhered' to free speech. 70% said no. A month later, after becoming the largest shareholder, he wrote: 'I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means'. And then again in November, after buying the site, he added: 'My commitment to free speech extends even to not banning the account following my plane, even though that is a direct personal safety risk.' But then, user Jack Sweeney, 20, was banned for his account tracking Musk's jet after the CEO said a 'stalker' bothered his son. Other accounts reporting real-time locations were shut down, which journalists pushed back on noting the importance of publicly available flight data in reporting on Flight MH370, Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, and US aid to Ukraine. The decision in December to ban tech journalists who had shared Musk's location was met with the threat of sanctions from the EU, judging it a breach of the Media Freedom Act. At the same time, Musk was seen to threaten to remove accounts that promoted other social media platforms as users started to move to sites like Mastodon. This, too, was widely criticized by content creators reliant on Twitter to promote their channels. Twitter faced losing another significant demographic. Others users were brought back. Andrew Tate lasted a little over a month. The former kickboxer was soon ridiculed for taking aim at Greta Thunberg on Twitter, and was fully in the public spotlight as a result when Romanian authorities detained him on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organized crime group. The whole affair tested Twitter's commitment to free speech. The introduction of a new 'reader context' feature did - notably - allow users to pick up on misinformation around the Tate saga and flag it for other users. Ye West was also added back to Twitter after having his account restricted for an anti-semitic tweet. Within days, Musk banned him again for incitement to violence after he shared an image of a swastika over the Star of David. The first Twitter had kept these users offline. Twitter 2.0 allowed to speak and face the consequences. Kanye's audience withered after his comments. Andrew Tate's has continued to grow. Donald Trump was also given his account back after a polling of users. 'Vox Populi, Vox Dei,' Musk tweeted when 51.8% of users voted to reinstate the former President - 'the voice of the people is the voice of God'. A month later he polled users again, asking whether he should step down. 57.5% of 17 million users said yes. Musk said he would resign as CEO when he found someone to take over. In April, he claimed he had already stepped down, and that his dog was now in charge - drawing comparisons on Twitter to the 'mad' Emperor Caligula who promised to appoint his horse as consul. Elon Musk reinstated Donald Trump after polling 15 million users on the social network Caligula would have blushed: Musk claimed in April he had made his dog the new Twitter CEO The Twitter Files Twitter 2.0 had taken the site in a radically new direction - but away from what? In December, as part of the new system of openness, Musk shared with freelance journalists a number of internal Twitter files - the so-called Twitter Files - revealing controversial decisions made before October. Matt Taibbi, Bari Weiss and Michael Shellenberger were among those who reported the state of Twitter before the takeover. It was revealed that Twitter had sought to moderate some conservative views, stories and people on the site. A 'Trends Blacklist' also appeared to censor health policy experts who had opposed the lockdowns. Since then, Rep Nancy Mace quizzed Vijaya Gadde at the Oversight Hearing on protecting speech from government interference and social media bias on 8 February. She said: 'Why do you think that you or anyone else at Twitter had the medical expertise to censor a doctor's expert opinion?' Gadde said the policies regarding Covid were designed to 'protect individuals'. She later admitted, 'we received legal demands to remove content from the platform from the US government and governments around the world.' Mace replied: 'Thank God for Matt Taibbi. Thank God for Elon Musk for allowing to show us... that Twitter was basically a subsidiary of the FBI, censoring real medical voices with real medical expertise that put real Americans lives in danger because they didn't have that information.' Shellenberger also reported that the story of a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden, apparently containing a corruption scandal, had been suppressed by the FBI, exerting influence over Twitter. Leaks showed $3.5mn of taxpayers' money had been used for 'processing requests' to Twitter staff as the FBI sought to ban certain accounts. It was a damning blow to the Twitter of old - from its new owner, no less. The Twitter Files saw journalists share insider information from pre-Musk Twitter. Shellenberger reported the FBI had influenced Twitter to censor the Hunter Biden laptop story Elon Musk tweets on 28 October 2022, the day after announcing he had bought the company Elon Musk's ambitious bid to create a free and open marketplace of ideas online has been wrought with difficulties from the start. The visionary new CEO has opened up the platform to feedback and made difficult decisions to take the platform in the new direction. In recent interviews he has admitted mistakes, and has pushed through changes quickly when pressed. The Twitter Files have exposed dangerous trends and started conversations on the role of scope of social media giants. But staff warn the site is now unable to uphold the principles Musk has celebrated from the beginning. Since October, Twitter has struggled to keep users who do not feel safe. Appeals to 'freedom of speech' have sometimes had dangerous results and other times been brushed off. The result is that advertisers have also left, further thinning the resources there to support the team that keeps the site in check. Six months on, Twitter's revolution has seen the company entirely transform its business model, user base and staff. What this means for the site - and for its competitors - is to be seen. MailOnline approached Twitter for comment and received an automated reply. A tearful mother has opened up about the moment her daughter was fatally struck on a pedestrian crossing, and shared her fury that the driver escaped a conviction. Taylor Maddock, 27, and her daughter Alannah Sobolewski, 5, were hit by a Toyota Tarago while on the marked crossing in Plumpton, Sydney's north-west, at 7.15pm on March 17, 2021. They had just fetched the evening's dinner, a Domino's pizza, and were making the short walk home to eat. But tragedy struck after they stopped at the crossing on Rooty Hill Road North and stepped out. 'I was still holding her hand, across the crossing, and she looked and went 'mum!' and I've turned, and it was just bang!' Ms Maddock recalled fighting back tears on A Current Affair. Taylor Maddock has opened up about the moment her daughter Alannah Sobolewski, 5, was fatally struck on a pedestrian crossing over two years ago Ms Maddock (pictured) also shared her fury that the driver, Abel Lopez, escaped a conviction. Ms Maddock remembers hitting the windscreen of the Tarago and rolling up. She suffered a broken leg and spine, a shattered pelvis and a brain injury. She needed seven surgeries and had to learn how to walk again. Alannah was rushed to Westmead Hospital, but died later that evening. Her aunt, Brooke Maddock, said, 'Lana was the world to her mum.' The 'sweet innocent' girl had only turned five a month prior and recently received her first pet, a bunny called Sprinkles. She was in her first term of primary school and wanted to be a zookeeper when she grew up. The driver, Abel Elias Lopez, 63, faced a criminal trial in the Parramatta District Court in March 2023. He faced two charges of dangerous driving, occasioning death and grievous bodily harm. He was found not guilty by a panel of jurors on the dangerous driving charge on March 10. But the judge also dismissed a negligent driving charge. Ms Maddock angrily described the outcome as 'wrong' and 'an injustice'. 'He has taken my life away by taking away my daughters. He got away with killing my child. I don't understand how that's fair.' Ms Maddock suffered a broken leg and spine, a shattered pelvis and a brain injury. She needed seven surgeries and had to learn how to walk again Alannah, 5, was rushed to Westmead Hospital after the crash but died later that evening She claimed he got off 'scot free'. Mr Lopez said he had slowed down before the crossing and had not seen the mother or child because of the dim light, the clothes they were wearing and the glare of incoming traffic. At the trial in front of Judge Andrew Colefax, jurors also heard that floodlights above the pedestrian crossing were not operational. Crown prosecutors unsuccessfully argued Mr Lopez had failed to keep a proper lookout and had approached the pedestrian crossing at the speed limit of 60 km/h. Bryan Kohberger has remained a bit of a mystery since his December arrest for the quadruple murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in Moscow, Idaho. DailyMail.com has analyzed Kohberger's past to better understand how the seemingly average, six-foot-185lb PhD student came to be accused of one of the most sensational crimes in modern history. The youngest of three from a lower-middle class suburban Pennsylvania family, Kohberger has been described as an overweight boy bullied for his size who would later become a militant vegan and alleged heroin abuser. All the way back to his pre-teen days, former schoolmates revealed he was awkward with girls and was relentlessly 'made fun of' by cheerleader types. However, according to former friend, between his junior and senior year in high school the bullied became the bully. He was described as 'creepy' by the owner of a bar near his home due to his interactions with female staffers and patrons. As a teaching assistant at Washington State University - a job he was fired from - Kohberger was accused of sexism. 'Kohberger allegedly told female colleagues that men were going to take their jobs because women arent as smart grading female students more harshly than males,' NewsNation recently reported. While Kohberger hasn't spoken more than a few words publicly since he charged with the brutal killings, his court appointed attorney has done the talking for him. Currently, his defense team are trying to force one of the surviving roommates of the massacre, 21-year-old Bethany Funke, to testify on his behalf at an upcoming preliminary hearing. They claim in court documents that she may have information from the night of the crime that could potentially clear his name. Watch our video below where we decipher how Kohberger went from bullied teen to 'creepy sexist'. The Virginia socialite snared in an FBI child abuse sting has had her bid for pre-trial release thrown out after trying to convince a judge she is 'an upstanding citizen,' DailyMail.com can reveal. In an appeal filed in Washington, D.C. where she is being held in custody, Eleanor Hunton Hoppe, 45, argued that she deserved freedom because she is a University of Virginia graduate and had worked at a law firm. The ex-wife of Virginia federal judge Joel Hoppe told the court she was planning to start a new job at a university before her arrest last month and even offered to live under house incarceration supervised by her prominent attorney father in Richmond, according to court documents obtained by DailyMail.com. Hoppe, who was busted on March 20 after traveling from her Charlottesville home to a hotel in Warrenton with an alleged plan to horrifically abuse an eight-year-old girl, also claimed she had serious health conditions including multiple sclerosis in her plea for freedom. Eleanor Hunton Hoppe (pictured with her ex-husband Joel Hoppe) of Charlottesville, Virginia, will remain in custody in Washington, D.C. after a judge denied her pre-trial release last week In an appeal filed in Washington, D.C. where she is being held in custody, Hoppe, 45, argued that she deserved freedom because she is a University of Virginia graduate and had worked at a law firm However, in an April 18 court order, a federal magistrate ordered her to remain in detention, stating the 'weight of evidence against the defendant is strong' and because she is a 'grave danger to the community.' As DailyMail.com reported last week, the mom-of-two and member of one of Virginia's most established families was caught in the FBI operation after messaging an undercover agent explicit and sickening details about what she wanted to do to the child. The officer had been posing in a fetish internet chatroom as the father of a fictional eight-year-old. Hoppe, who is charged with child porn and sex abuse offenses, is also accused of sending the agent a 30-second video and three still images of young minor girls being seriously sexually assaulted by men. The ruling against her release also contains the startling claim that she 'allegedly used her own minor daughters as a lure to engage with the undercover officer, who she believed to have access to a minor child'. Her judge ex-husband filed for sole custody of their daughters aged 10 and 12 seven days after her arrest, DailyMail.com previously revealed. The order in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to keep her behind bars stated: 'Although there is little to no evidence that Ms. Hoppe poses a flight risk, the government's allegations suggest that she poses a grave danger to the community. 'First, the government presented evidence that Ms. Hoppe has knowledge of sophisticated encrypted communication platforms, which are known to law enforcement as popular applications among people trafficking child pornography. Hunton Hoppe's dramatic arrest outside a hotel in Warrenton, Virginia, came after weeks of messaging with an undercover FBI agent about a fictitious eight-year-old girl she allegedly sought to abuse 'Her alleged use of these platforms is indicative of consciousness of wrongdoing. 'Second, Ms. Hoppe's alleged actions target the most vulnerable victim population - young minor children. 'Finally, Ms. Hoppe's alleged actions demonstrate a willingness to put other minor children at risk. Considering this high risk of danger to the community, this factor weighs strongly in favor of pretrial detention. 'Taken together, the Court finds the government has proved by clear and convincing evidence that no combination of conditions could ensure the safety of the community.' Hoppe tried to use her well-heeled background to try to convince the judge to let her go. Joel Hoppe, a magistrate judge in the Western District of Virginia, is seeking to modify the custody agreement for his two daughters after his ex-wife's arrest Her arrest has stunned communities in Charlottesville and in Richmond, where she grew up amid wealth and prestige as a member of a legal powerhouse family who helped found the city's biggest law firm, now known as Hunton, Andrews, Kurth. She is the daughter of Eppa Hunton V, who is 75 and remains a high-profile attorney. The latest ruling against her in DC states: 'In support of her request, she argued that she is an upstanding citizen with no prior criminal history. 'Specifically, she noted that she graduated from the University of Virginia with a bachelor's degree, has two minor daughters, previously worked at a law firm and in non-profit development, and was set to begin a new job at a local University. 'Ms. Hoppe further noted that she suffers from serious health conditions, including multiple sclerosis and restless leg syndrome, and thus requires intensive medical care that she could not receive while incarcerated. 'She proffered that her father a practicing attorney in Richmond, Virginiacould act as a sufficient third-party custodian. As such, she requested that the Court release her into home incarceration under any conditions the Court deemed necessary to ensure community safety.' Hoppe had previously worked in child advocacy and support organizations and was a volunteer at her prestigious local Episcopal church in Charlottesville that is affiliated with the University of Virginia, DailyMail.com has already revealed. She faces life behind bars if convicted of three federal crimes: distributing child porn, enticement of a minor and attempted transportation of a minor with attempt to engage in sexual activity. During their divorce battle, Joel, 46, had accused his wife of cheating and claimed that she had brought a sexual partner back to the marital home while their young daughters were there In the wake of her arrest, Joel Hoppe filed documents in Albemarle Circuit Court, Charlottesville, to reopen their divorce paperwork and obtain full custody of the two young girls, a week after his ex-wife's arrest Hoppe's dramatic arrest outside a hotel in Warrenton, Virginia, came after weeks of messaging with the undercover FBI agent about a fictitious eight-year-old girl she allegedly sought to abuse. The accused mom had entered a fetish website where users discuss and trade images of child sex abuse, according to the criminal complaint filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. She allegedly used the screenname 'titotori' and started an email chat with another user, who was an undercover FBI Task Force officer based at the Washington DC field office and operating out of a satellite location. According to the filing, Hoppe told the agent she was a mother and wanted to chat about 'taboo parenting'. The undercover officer responded he was the father of a young girl, at which point Hoppe directed the agent to a social media app that encrypts messages. There, she used the name 'tori4fun' and in a series of messages starting February 23 she revealed she lived in Charlottesville. The agent asked Hoppe to verify she was 'safe' by sending an image of herself holding up her thumb near her breast. The photo showed her lifting her shirt up, exposing her bare breast and with her face partially visible, said the filing. On February 27, the Virginia mom allegedly contacted the agent through the app to ask about the abuse he was perpetrating against his daughter, saying 'what do you think your next step will be?' Throughout the message exchange Hoppe expressed an interest in traveling to Washington to abuse the undercover agent's fictitious daughter with him, the papers state. A criminal complaint obtained by DailyMail.com last week shows Hunton Hoppe is charged with three federal crimes: Distributing child porn, enticement of a minor and attempted transportation of a minor with attempt to engage in sexual activity The statement of facts includes disturbing allegations some of which are too graphic to publish alleging how the mom allegedly browsed a fetish website where users discuss and trade images of child sex abuse The ex spouses previously agreed to joint physical custody after a messy divorce battle in May 2021 during which Joel accused his ex-wife of hunting for sex with other men and women in legal documents She repeatedly said she wanted to help the 'father' introduce the eight-year-old to sexual activity and around March 12 it was agreed she would travel from her home, it is alleged. Hoppe is said to have messaged the undercover agent with the sickening words: 'I can't wait and then of course, putting her to bed and waking her up to do a few extra things will be so fun.' She then suggested something about anal sex, later adding: 'Has she seen videos of little girls with her dad yet?' Hoppe is then said to have sent the agent a 30-second clip of a 'small-framed female who appears to be on a bed'. The complaint says: 'The small female, who appears to be a minor, can only be seen from behind, and she is nude from the waist down.' It continues to say that a man is having sex with the female in the video. According to the criminal complaint Hoppe wrote to the agent on March 8 regarding the daughter: 'A great thing to do is wake her up by trying new things that hazy/dreamlike state is perfect to introduce a variety of new things.' Four days later while allegedly discussing travel plans, the report says she wrote: 'If I were you, I'd start building up Thursday telling her that you know it's gonna be super fun we're gonna hang out with an old friend of yours. 'It's going to be the best night ever blah blah blah and then once I get there, obviously, it will take a slight turn.' On March 16, the filing says, Hoppe sent three images to the undercover agent who was in an FBI office. All three showed men having sex with prepubescent minor girls. That afternoon it was agreed she would travel 70 miles to a hotel in Warrenton. 'Hoppe sent the UC (undercover officer) a photograph of a pink silk robe she would bring, with the message, 'Her big girl robe for tonight'.' Even as she traveled for the meeting, Hoppe messaged with horrific instructions and suggestions, it is alleged. However, she was arrested as soon as she arrived at the hotel. Despite claiming she had traveled there to save the child from abuse, officers found a pink children's bag containing lubricant, silk underwear and a pink silk robe in her car. Judge Hoppe filed for divorce from in May 2020, eight months after the couple separated., claiming she 'initiated sexual contact, and committed adultery' with another man Judge Joel Hoppe filed papers for full custody of their daughters a week after her arrest, citing the shocking allegations against the mom in his legal documents. The ex spouses had previously agreed to joint physical custody in May 2021 after a messy divorce battle during which the magistrate judge accused his ex-wife of hunting for sex with other men and women. In divorce papers filed in Albemarle Circuit Court, Virginia, Joel, 46, further claimed that his ex had brought a sexual partner back to the marital home while their young daughters were there. His five-page complaint, obtained by DailyMail.com, states: 'On or about August 7, 2019, defendant initiated sexual contact, and committed adultery by having oral sex, with a male partner, not her spouse. 'On August 22, 2019, defendant had sexual intercourse with a male, not her spouse, in the city of Charlottesville, Virginia. 'Subsequent to those two sexual encounters, defendant has, on frequent occasions, attempted to engage other men and women for sexual encounters.' It then adds: 'Upon reasonable belief, defendant has brought a sexual partner into marital residence. while the minor children were present. The aforesaid behavior exposes the minor children to risk of emotional harm.' Hoppe denied the three charges against her in a video call hearing on April 4 at the federal district court for the District of Columbia. She is being held at the Central Detention Facility in DC and her next hearing is due June 6. The judge, who lives in a quiet, picturesque corner of Charlottesville, previously declined to comment when contacted by DailyMail.com. A vet collapsed and died in a tropical storm while out hiking in Colombia after his drink was spiked with cocaine at a local music festival, his widow revealed. Tragedy struck when Lincolnshire-born Thomas Arthur, 27, and partner Carolyn got lost while exploring the Tayrona National Park on October 19 2019, an inquest heard. Carolyn, who met her partner of four years at a practice in Aberdeen, said: 'We'd taken a wrong turn and ended up on an area that was hard walking and Thomas had become breathless. 'After more walking, he was in a bad way and we thought at first he had heat exhaustion. We were trying to make it to a hostel to get help when he collapsed.' Carolyn put Thomas in the recovery position whilst going to get help from a nearby hostel. However, a tropical storm hit Brava Beach, where he had collapsed. Thomas Arthur, 27, collapsed while exploring the Tayrona National Park on October 19 2019, an inquest heard Mr Arthur's widow Caroyln (left) paid tribute to him as 'kind, caring and loving to his patients'. With no boat or helicopter able to reach them, Carolyn tried desperately to save Thomas by performing CPR. But he never regained consciousness. A post mortem revealed traces of cocaine in his bloodstream which may have contributed to the heart attack. Mrs Arthur said she was 'shocked'. She believed the drug came from drinks they had at a music festival a few days before the tragedy. The inquest at Cleethorpes Town Hall heard Thomas grew up in nearby Kirton in Lindsey before moving to London and studying to become a vet. After meeting Carolyn in a veterinary practice in Aberdeen in 2015, the pair moved to Edinburgh the following year and wed. Mr Arthur and his partner Carolyn pictured together Coroner Marianne Johnson recorded a narrative verdict, saying: 'Thomas trained and worked as a vet and was kind, caring and loving to his patients. 'Whilst hiking in Colombia, he and his wife had taken a wrong turn so the walk had gone on for longer than they thought. 'By the time they got to the beach he had suffered from heat exhaustion and collapsed when his wife put him in the recovery position. Both oxygen and CPR were unsuccessful and he passed away. 'We've been shown his death was an acute heart attack, linked to acute cardiac failure. The cocaine in his system is believed to be a possible cause of sudden death because of what it does to the heart. 'Mrs Arthur was not aware and shocked to hear this. She suggested they may have been exposed to it at a music festival they'd been to.' Howard Stern reacted to Fox News firing Tucker Carlson by claiming the TV host was just another 'worker bee' and a 'fly on Rupert Murdoch's a**.' On Wednesday's segment of The Howard Stern Show, the outspoken presenter said Murdoch would fire anyone who was a 'pain in the a**' and Tucker's departure from the media giant was 'a good life lesson.' Tucker was unexpectedly kicked off Fox News on Monday and sources say billionaire Murdoch gave him the boot. His show, Tucker Carlson Tonight, was Fox's massive nightly hit, drawing in 3.5million viewers every night. 'At the end of the day, you are a fly on his a******,' Stern said. 'You're nothing because he's still gonna have billions upon billions upon billions of dollars and own a giant corporation. And you know, you cannot f*** up. You can only push them so far.' Howard Stern slammed former Fox News host Tucker Carlson as just another fly on the media company's 'a**'. Pictured: Howard Stern Tucker Carlson was unexpectedly fired from Fox on Monday despite bringing millions of viewers to the news outlet during his night time specials While Tucker was a massive media personality for Fox, Stern claimed the corporation, specifically Murdoch, didn't need him. Stern made a comparison to his work on SiriusXM and how he was simply an insignificant pawn. 'I know who owns SiriusXM, I know who the guy is on top I think he owns entire states in the United States,' Stern said. 'He doesn't need me. I'm here at hisservice... I know at the end of the day, my man is my master and I like working at SiriusXM. So, you know, I could bust balls, blah, blah.' 'But at the end of the day, I'm worthless. And I always have that in the back of my head.' Stern claims to be humble in comparison to other big media personalities, including Carlson. 'The guys like Bill O'Reilly, Tucker Carlson, the thing they forget is that they're another brick in the wall. 'That's what you are. You're a worker bee. I'm a worker bee. You know, they pay me well and everything I don't let it for a minute do I think I'm more important than the man who owns this place. He is my Lord and Savior.' This isn't the first time Stern has poked fun at Murdoch. When Stern signed another contract to stay on SiriusXM in 2015 for an undisclosed but believed to be mega salary, he joked that he was now making more than Murdoch, who currently has a net worth of $17.4 billion. 'I signed for $100 billion. I now own Rupert Murdoch,' Stern said at the time, according to The Week. He later joked in 2017 that he was going to write 'Fox News the Musical' to highlight the sexual assault accusations that surrounded the news outlet's late CEO Roger Ailes and former commentator Bill O'Reilly. 'I've given serious thought, no b******, to actually sitting down and writing 'Fox News the Musical' to the point that I've written an outline,' Stern said in 2017, according to New York Daily News. 'All bits aside, I'm really thinking of writing this thing.' On Wednesday's segment of 'The Howard Stern Show,' the radio show host on SiriusXM said Murdoch, Fox Corporation chairman, would fire anyone who was a 'pain in the a**'. Pictured: Rupert Murdoch Carlson was given his own show on the network in 2016 and quickly became its most watched host, cementing his own fanbase and reputation for taking some of the most extreme, hard-right positions on cable news Carlson joined Fox as a contributor in 2009, having previously offered his conservative opinions on CNN shows. He was given his own show on the network in 2016 and quickly became its most watched host, cementing his own fanbase and reputation for taking some of the most extreme, hard-right positions on cable news. His departure comes just five days after Fox settled with Dominion Voting Systems which had sued for defamation, claiming hosts like Carlson knew President Trump's election fraud claims were untrue, but pushed them for ratings. Dominion sued for $1.6billion and settled for $787million at the 11th hour, narrowly avoiding an embarrassing and highly-publicized trial where Carlson and other hosts would likely have been called as witnesses. While Carlson brought in millions of views to Fox News, a series of recent controversies including the Dominion claims and his own comments about the January 6 riots led him into hotter water than even he was used to. It's unclear how long he had left on his contract, or whether Fox will pay severance. A 2020 report by CNN's Brian Stelter listed his salary as $10million-a-year. An Aussie woman has been left 'flabbergasted' by an Uber driver who asked if they could have a threesome with her grandmother. Samsara Sylvester, 20, secretly recorded the man as he bombarded her with a series of offensive questions, including: 'Do you like sex?' The student, who attends King's College in London, had been visiting family in her hometown of Brisbane when she encountered the creepy driver. In the footage, he asks Ms Sylvester if she has a boyfriend before moving on to more suggestive questions - telling the 20-year-old: 'You tease me'. Despite telling him she wasn't interested, the driver - believed to be aged between 45 and 60 - suggested they have sex in her home. 'I live with my grandmother, she's staying with me at the moment,' she tells him. 'Your grandmother, you, and me,' the driver repeats. 'Your grandmother at home?' Samsara Sylvester (pictured with her grandmother) secretly recorded the man as he bombarded her with a series of invasive and sexual questions including: 'do you like sex?' Shocked, Ms Sylvester forces laughter and tells the driver: 'That's a funny one'. Once at her destination, the student raced out of the car as quickly as possible and complained to Uber, who offered her free therapy sessions. An Uber spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia the type of behaviour that Ms Sylvester has described is not tolerated at the company and that its team looks into this type of report 'very thoroughly to make sure appropriate actions are being made' 'Safety is a top priority and we are committed to ensuring we have robust processes and cutting edge features built into our technology to support the safety of everyone who uses our app,' she said. 'Our technology makes it possible to focus on safety for riders before, during, and after every trip in ways that simply were not possible before smartphones. 'Through Uber's Safety Toolkit, users can push a button to share their trip details with loved ones, receive support 24/7, share feedback on a trip and connect with emergency services.' 'Everyone who signs up for an Uber account is expected to follow our Community Guidelines, which is developed to make every experience feel safe, respectful and positive. Breach of these guidelines can result in loss of access to the Uber app.' Ms Sylvester posted the disturbing footage to social media to warn other women. 'I don't need therapy. There's worse things that have happened to me,' she said. 'I want to clarify. I was wearing a hoodie and sweatpants, I had my hair up, didn't have any makeup, and you could barely see my face. 'You can't just say that sexual assault happens because we're dressed suggestively, it just happens because you are a female, and I think people need to accept that.' Ms Sylvester revealed she had started sharing her location with people in case the driver tried to harm her and started recording after he became suggestive. The student, who attends King's College London, had been visiting family in her home town of Brisbane when she encountered the creepy Uber driver Despite Ms Sylvester (pictured) saying she wasn't interested, the driver - believed to be aged between 45 and 60 - suggested they have sex in her home 'I was doing my best to kind of reply curtly and not enrage,' she said. 'I felt a little bit panicked by some of the things he said, like him asking who was at home or if he could come over. 'I also planned for the possibility I'd have to get out of the car before I arrived home or what I'd do if he got out with me.' She wrote about her experience in the 'help section' of the Uber app and was told someone would follow up and investigate. 'I came forward in the interest of protecting other young women from this specific driver, and they couldn't inform me of any action taken against him and stopped replying after a few emails back and forth,' she said. 'I think as a business that is responsible for their staff, they could've taken so much more initiative in doing something about this and maybe filtering people they hire because I've had multiple Uber drivers behave in a way that's anything but professional.' Ms Sylvester revealed she had relocated during her one-month stay in Brisbane over fears the driver would turn up at her door. She encouraged women to use some 'metaphoric war paint' if they found themselves in a similar situation and to report instances of sexual harassment. The driver asked Ms Sylvester (pictured) if she has a boyfriend before moving on to more suggestive questions, at one point telling the 20-year-old: 'you tease me' 'These instances only serve to highlight the abhorrent treatment women face from some men. I think it depicts the lack of respect for women they deem to be available,' she said. 'In the moment it made me feel like he thought I was easy and because I was a single female I was up for anything that came my way.' Aussies flooded Ms Sylvester's social media with supportive comments. 'Being in someone else's car is a very vulnerable place to be and not wanting to obviously stick up for yourself is an absolutely valid survival strategy,' one said. 'You handled this 100% perfectly. You survived,' a second wrote. 'This gave me so much anxiety. Something similar happened to me, it's so scary cause you're stuck in the car, no place to go,' a third said. An American pro-gun activist has clashed with an Australian on the streets of New York over his support for basic gun control laws. Kaitlin Bennett, 27, was interviewing people for her right-wing site Liberty Hangout in the clip shared to TikTok this week that has reached more than a million views. Bennett made headlines in 2018 when she turned up at Kent State University in Ohio a day after her graduation with an Armalite AR-10 semi-automatic rifle strapped to her back. The then 22-year-old posed for photos holding a graduation cap emblazoned with the words 'come and take it' which she said was in protest of the university's policy that prohibited students and staff carrying 'lethal weapons' on campus. In the clip, which was filmed in 2019 but has gone viral again, Bennett asks the Australian man, who appeared to be with a group about to attend a show in Times Square, whether 'You guys have the right to bear arms there?'. Kaitlin Bennett was interviewing people for her right-wing site Liberty Hangout when she spoke to the Australian in a clip that has gone viral again this week Bennett made headlines in 2018 when she protested Kent State University's gun policies by turning up with a rifle strapped to her back The 27-year-old is a vocal supporter of conservative politicians such as Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis The man replies: 'Yes... but under license so they don't fall into the hands of nut cases and you have all those high school massacres '. 'So you have gun control? That's terrible, I don't want to live there,' Bennett tells the man. Bennett regularly appears on social media brandishing various guns and declaring her support for hard-right politicians such as Donald Trump and Florida governor and presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis. Bennett asks the man if he considered gun control a good thing. 'Absolutely!' the man replies. Bennett argued: 'Why does my right to self defence need to be controlled? Why do I need a license to protect myself from a nutcase?' The man replies: 'Because it stops guns falling into the wrong hands. There is a strict screening process.' Bennett then argued that she has a right to self defence and to protect her property and asked if the government should 'have their hands in my self-defence'. 'Are you happy for innocent people to be killed because the evidence shows that's what happens? The proof is in the pudding,' the man replied. Australia's gun laws changed in 1996, spearheaded by former Prime Minister John Howard following the Port Arthur massacre, and since then the country, in stark contrast to the United States, has seen almost no mass shootings. Kaitlin Bennett regularly posts pictures of herself posing with various firearms Now that I graduated from @KentState, I can finally arm myself on campus. I should have been able to do so as a student- especially since 4 unarmed students were shot and killed by the government on this campus. #CampusCarryNow pic.twitter.com/a91fQH44cq Kaitlin Bennett (@KaitMarieox) May 13, 2018 The man then tells Bennett he has a concert to go to and walks away with his group. 'Don't ever become citizens, guys,' Bennett yells. Commenters on the clip seemed to take the Australian man's side in the debate. 'Guns laws stop the need for so much self defence... is she that naive?' one person said. 'He wiped the floor with her and she still thinks she's right.' another said. 'Typical, assuming everyone wants to be American.' added a third. A leading figure representing Australian pharmacists has choked back tears while issuing a foul-mouthed spray against the government over its new drug script policy. Controversial Australian Pharmacy Guild president Trent Twomey, who was previously criticised for his views on Covid-19, said Health Minister Mark Butler 'doesn't seem to give a s***'. Mr Butler announced on Wednesday that patients will be able to buy double their supply of some prescription medicines from next January. The rule change will see 325 drugs dispensed in 60-day doses instead of the current 30 days, a move Mr Twomey said will send some pharmacies bankrupt. Speaking at Parliament House in Canberra, Mr Twomey told government MPs to 'get off your a***' and talk to pharmacists, who he said would have to cut staff, reduce hours and slash services due to losing $170,000 each year under the change. Health Minister Mark Butler (pictured) announced on Wednesday that patients will be able to buy double their supply of some prescription medicines from next January The government will save $1.2billion over four years in dispensing fees, with Mr Butler promising all that money would be directly reinvested in community pharmacies to help them offer more services. 'I don't pretend this is going to be easy for community pharmacy,' Mr Butler said on Wednesday. MEDICATIONS THAT QUALIFY FOR 60-DAY PRESCRIPTIONS More than 320 medications will be dispensed in 60-day doses - instead of the current 30. The scheme is mainly aimed at those suffering form chronic conditions such as heart disease, cholesterol, Crohn's disease and hypertension. Included on the list are medications atorvastatin, rosuvastatin and perindopril. Advertisement 'I value the work that they do enormously and that is why we have phased this in over this year and next year.' But Mr Twomey said pharmacists will still lose out from out-of-pocket patient fees, which the Pharmacy Guild estimates at $2.3billion over four years compared with the government's figure of $1.6billion. 'They're not refunding that,' he said. 'The pharmacist is wearing the complete rest of the cut. 'And that's what's going to send these guys to the wall. And (Mr Butler) just doesn't seem to give a s***.' Mr Twomey then apologised for his language, saying: 'I'm a North Queenslander. I don't mean to swear, but they just don't care. 'You know, this is supposed to be a government that cares. This is not how one operates.' The 60-day script policy was recommended by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee and endorsed by doctor's groups and the Consumer Health Forum (CHF), which said it will save patients up to $180 per year on each medicine. 'This is a really good move which shows the government is listening to the voices of consumers,' CHF's chief executive Elizabeth Deveny said. 'Every dollar saved at the pharmacy is money that can be spent on groceries or rent.' Australia's Pharmacy Guild president Trent Twomey (pictured) choked back tears while issuing a foul-mouthed spray against the government over its new drug script policy Mr Twomey also warned of medicine shortages and said Mr Butler made 'false claims' when he said only seven medicines currently had supply problems. The Minister said he wanted to 'caution against some of the scare campaigns being put by the pharmacy lobby group' as he rejected claims of widespread supply issues. He said only seven drugs out of a list of 325 were in short supply and they were being closely monitored by the Therapeutic Goods Administration. 'We have deliberately decided to phase in these arrangements over the course of this year and next year, so pharmacists are able to change their itinerary arrangements,' Mr Butler said. The Opposition has backed the Pharmacy Guild, saying it wants to see more information about the changes. But Mr Butler said the Coalition should support this 'important cost-of-living measure that's good for hip pockets and good for Australians' health'. 'Perhaps no-one will be surprised that (Opposition leader Peter) Dutton, given the choice between backing patients or backing profit, has yet again decided to leave patients out in the cold,' he said. In January, 2022, Mr Twomey said then would be a good time to get Covid-19 and admitted he no longer made his children wear facemasks. He said then would be the most 'convenient' time to contract the virus in order to fit his family's schedule. Australians will soon be able to buy 60 days worth of prescription medication at once, for the same price as a 30-day supply 'There is no good time to get Covid, but if my family have to catch it, now would be a good time,' he said. Chris Moy, the then-vice president of the Australian Medical Association, slammed Mr Twomey's remarks for setting a bad example. 'I don't believe this is responsible, both from the point of view of the overall public health perspective, but also from a point of view of setting an example,' Dr Moy said. 'Suits us is not the same thing as suiting the entire community effort.' An Australian sunbed company has come under fire after posting a risque photo to commemorate Anzac Day. Sunbeds Australia posted the photo to Instagram early on Tuesday showing a woman lying face down in a sunbed and only wearing a g-string. 'Honouring our heroes with a golden glow and a moment of gratitude,' the post read. An Australian sunbed company has come under fire after posting a risque photo to commemorate Anzac Day The post was also accompanied with a link to the company's website and the hashtags: '#lestweforget #tanning #anzacday #collarium'. Social media users were left outraged and were quick to hit back at the post. 'Are you for real?? This is absurd,' one wrote. 'I think it's in your best interest that you delete this,' a second wrote. Another added: 'What a disrespectful and highly offensive caption. I'm disgusted.' One particularly irate user wrote, 'How dare you'. 'Making a mockery of our brave servicemen and women who lost their lives and fought in wars. 'This is so unbelievably tone deaf. Take it down & apologise.' While operating a commercial tanning salon is illegal in Australia under the Radiation Act 2005, it is not illegal to sell sunbeds for private, at-home use. Daily Mail Australia contacted Sunbeds Australia for comment. Sunbeds Australia was not alone for drawing controversy on ANZAC Day. Glamorous influencer Amy Castano posted a clip of herself in her apartment dancing exotically to a marching band during the Sydney commemoration parade. The clip included the words: 'Anzac Day living in the city.' The caption said: #anzacday. The photo was posted to Instagram and Facebook early on ANZAC day on Tuesday while celebrations and marches were still occurring across the nation Castano smiled as she danced to the music, waving her hands and closing her eyes. She posted the video to her combined audience of almost 700,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram. On Instagram, she captioned it: 'I look forward to this every year.' The marching band was playing A Long Way to Tipperary, a song closely associated with WWI as soldiers used it to keep time as they marched into battle. Reaction to Castano's clip was swift and brutal on TikTok. 'Wow very insensitive and rude. No wonder you get no views as an 'influencer',' wrote one woman. 'Have a bit of respect,' another wrote. 'Wow very insensitive and rude. No wonder you get no views as an 'influencer',' a third added. Undeterred, Castano posted an explanation for the clip after being slammed. 'I could see the parade from my window and I was taking part as was everyone else who was there.' Suella Braverman has accused Strasbourg judges of 'undermining a democratically-elected government' by blocking migrant flights to Rwanda. The Home Secretary said the European Court of Human Rights' actions last June had been an 'unacceptable situation'. She said it showed the Government must press ahead with reforms in the Illegal Migration Bill which cleared its initial House of Commons stages last night. Sir Keir Starmer's Labour voted against the measures to combat the Channel crisis. Mrs Braverman condemned the Opposition and accused them of being 'advocates for uncontrolled migration'. The Bill will allow the Home Secretary to ignore Strasbourg's controversial interim injunctions known as 'Rule 39' orders in a range of immigration cases. A late-night Rule 39 order dubbed a 'pyjama injunction' by Tory rebels barred the Home Office's inaugural asylum charter flight, headed for Rwanda, which was due to take off at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire last June. The Home Secretary said the European Court of Human Rights' actions last June had been an 'unacceptable situation' Ms Braverman told BBC Radio 4's Today programme of the 'unacceptable situation whereby the Home Secretary made a decision to relocate people to Rwanda'. She continued: 'Injunctions were refused by the English courts and, at the 11th hour, pursuant to an opaque process in which the UK was not represented, a judge in Strasbourg overruled that decision, undermining a democratically-elected government and a decision to take appropriate action. We want to avoid a re-run of that scenario.' The Bill's measures would give her 'discretion' to consider the 'merits and circumstances' of each case, she added. The proposed legislation, which now heads to the House of Lords for scrutiny, sets out a streamlined programme to deal with migrants who arrive by 'irregular' routes, such as small boats across the Channel. Members of staff board a plane which was planned to be the first to transport migrants to Rwanda, at MOD Boscombe Down base in Wiltshire, Britain, June 14, 2022 Migrants in an inflatable boat across the English Channel, bound for Dover on the south coast of England They will be detained and 'swiftly' removed to a safe country such as Rwanda, with which ministers have secured a 140million asylum agreement. The Bill cleared its third reading in the Commons by 289 votes to 230, majority 59. A Conservative backbench rebellion failed to materialise after ministers agreed a series of amendments with MPs. A series of opposition amendments were also defeated last night. However, the Bill is expected to face fierce opposition from many peers in the coming weeks. Mrs Braverman said last night it was 'a vital tool' in the plan to detain and remove illegal arrivals. Sweeping justice reforms will see the abolition of the controversial not proven verdict and a plan to introduce juryless rape trials. In the biggest shake-up of the legal system for decades, the centuries-old third option for jurors will be axed in a bid to increase Scotland's low rape conviction rate. As part of the changes, victims will have their own 'tsar' to stand up for their rights and a specialist sex crimes court will be set up. Anti-rape campaigners welcomed the new Bill but the proposed legislation has sparked a backlash among lawyers and opposition politicians over the potential erosion of key cornerstones of the Scottish justice system. Sandy Brindley, chief executive of Rape Crisis Scotland, said: 'There is a huge amount of research and evidence to suggest that these steps will not only make engaging with the justice system easier for survivors but lead to more justice being done.' Sandy Brindley (pictured), chief executive of Rape Crisis Scotland, said: 'There is a huge amount of research and evidence to suggest that these steps will not only make engaging with the justice system easier for survivors but lead to more justice being done.' But Murray Etherington, president of the Law Society of Scotland, backed by the Faculty of Advocates, criticised the proposed pilot scheme to allow judges to try people for rape which carries a possible life sentence without juries. He said: 'Juries act as an essential and effective safeguard against the potential for unconscious biases to unfairly influence trial outcomes. Even on a pilot basis, judge-only trials will put that fundamental right in jeopardy, with no discernible benefits.' Critics of the not proven verdict, which dates from the 17th century, say it creates confusion for jurors and can stigmatise people amid limited public understanding it is an acquittal. But supporters of not proven say it is a unique feature of the Scots legal system and scrapping it could lead to more wrongful convictions. The Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill, will also change the size of criminal juries from 15 to 12, with eight guilty verdicts enough to secure a conviction compared to a minimum of ten in England, where unanimous decisions are strongly encouraged. However, lawyers and Rape Crisis Scotland said it was possible the change will lead to more acquittals by raising the bar for conviction as, under the present system in Scotland, eight guilty verdicts from a pool of 15 jurors a simple majority are needed. The Faculty of Advocates has warned that ditching not proven could undermine the provision of 'fair and equitable justice'. But groups such as Rape Crisis Scotland believe the verdict prevents victims getting justice. They say if it was ditched, juries would be more likely to opt for guilty verdicts, helping to push up low conviction rates. Not proven accounts for 38 per cent of rape acquittals. The conviction rate for rape and attempted rape is down from 53 per cent in 2011-12 to 51 per cent in 2020-21, though that figure was 8 percentage points higher in 2020-21 than the previous year. Supporters of not proven defend it as a way to prevent miscarriages of justice. Seven of the eight legal groups which responded to a consultation wanted to keep the current system. In contrast, Ms Brindley said she has 'no doubt that guilty men are walking free'. However, Rape Crisis Scotland had 'concerns about the Bill's proposed changes to jury majority from eight out of 15, to eight out of 12'. It said: 'We know that juries are reluctant to convict in rape cases and any change in jury majority could have a significant impact on convictions.' Thomas Ross, KC, a specialist in homicide cases, said: 'There could be more acquittals and more angry complainers the exact opposite of what victims' campaigners had hoped to achieve.' A pilot for juryless rape trials was suggested by the Lord Justice Clerk Lady Dorrian after a review which found that jurors can have outdated attitudes to sexual crime. The study said some may believe rape myths for example questioning the honesty of alleged victims who do not fight back against their attackers. But critics fear this could represent the thin end of the wedge, preparing the ground for the end of juries in other cases, such as murder. Mr Ross said the planned changes amount to 'terrifying political interference that could turn Scotland into North Korea'. He said the pilot of juryless trials may never happen amid a backlash against the proposal. 'There could be witch-hunts against judges,' he warned. 'At the moment, you have 15 anonymous jurors but now judges will be under a huge amount of pressure to convict because there is a political agenda to push up the conviction rate and those who don't do so will find themselves under a lot of scrutiny.' Tony Lenehan, chairman of the criminal bar association of the Faculty of Advocates, said: 'The most alarming part of the Bill is the proposal for juryless rape trials because it is anti-democratic. 'We trust our citizens to elect governments and we trust them to take decisions about the guilt or otherwise of an alleged murderer, but it has been decided that citizens are not able or intelligent enough to take decisions about matters of sexual intimacy, which are well within their experience.' Tory justice spokesman Jamie Greene said his party 'shares reservations about a move to juryless trials, given it is a basic tenet of Scots law that those prosecuted for the most serious offences are tried before their peers'. Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: 'This Bill will put victims and witnesses at the heart of the justice system. It is testament to the efforts of many campaigners who have worked to ensure the processes of justice better serve victims, witnesses and vulnerable parties.' New renters are more likely to be slugged as an influx of international students and migrants makes it harder to find somewhere to live in a big city. The Reserve Bank released its damning findings into the rental crisis three days before a separate migration review, released on Thursday, admitted high population growth was putting pressure on available housing. Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil's review, ordered last year, noted migration needed to support 'sustainable population growth'. 'We need a long-term horizon that supports stable and predictable population growth and allows more effective planning of infrastructure, housing and services to meet the needs of all Australian residents,' the review said. Australia's 1.6 per cent population growth pace last year was among the highest in the developed world. The migration review, headed by former Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet boss Martin Parkinson, said this was putting pressure on services. 'By increasing the population, migration may place additional pressure on housing services and infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and transport,' it said. Across Australia, rental vacancy rates stand at just 1.1 per cent with weekly rents in some cities surging by 30 per cent in a year. New renters are more likely to be slugged than existing tenants as an influx of international students makes it harder to find somewhere to live, a Reserve Bank report has found (pictured is a rental queue in Randwick in Sydney's south-east) Three big changes to immigration Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil has released a new three-part Australian Migration Strategy. 1. SKILLED MIGRANTS 'A fast, simple route for specialised, highly skilled workers we need to drive innovation in our economy, and to help us build the jobs of the future.' 2. TEMPORARY SKILLED PATHWAY Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold increasing to $70,000, up from $53,900 from July 1. 'This pathway would include skilled migrants earning above an increased temporary skilled migration income threshold, to ensure our migration system remains a program for skilled migrants.' 3. ESSENTIAL INDUSTRIES - NEW POINTS TEST 'We need to look to create proper, capped, safe, tripartite pathways for workers in key sectors, such as care. 'Not only would this better support our industries, it would provide far better protection for the workers we depend on.' Advertisement Treasury is expecting 650,000 migrants to arrive in Australia in the 2023-23 and 2023-24 financial years. This financial year alone is likely to conservatively see 350,000 new overseas residents, which includes skilled migrants, family reunion and the humanitarian intake, along with international students, classified as long-term arrivals. This would set a new annual record and surpass the levels of 2008 during the Global Financial Crisis. Ms O'Neil admitted too much of Australia's immigration program was made up of international students. 'The problem is that today, international students are the largest component of our temporary migration program, and the single biggest feeder into our permanent program,' she told the National Press Club on Thursday. 'More than half the people who receive permanent skilled visas under our current system arrived in Australia on a student visa. 'The links between our temporary and permanent migration programs arent working.' The Reserve Bank of Australia report, by economists Fred Hanmer and Michelle Marquardt on Tuesday, noted a return of international students since December 2021 had made life much harder for renters. 'More recently, the return of international migration and, in particular, the return of international students has added to demand for rental properties in the major cities,' their report said. 'Advertised rents have grown strongly and finding a suitable rental property has become more difficult as vacancy rates have declined.' The RBA report concluded new rather than existing renters were more likely to be faced with bigger rent increases. Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil's review noted migration needed to support 'sustainable population growth' (pictured are commuters at Sydney Town Hall train station) 'Properties with a change of tenant have experienced larger rent increases than existing tenancies, and so have been more closely aligned to changes in advertised rents,' it said. Since mid-2021, six months before the return of international students, the majority of new tenants had faced an annual increase in their weekly rent. This increased to 94 per cent in February 2023, compared with 71 per cent for properties with existing tenants, the RBA report found. SQM Research data showed that in March, Australia's capital cities had a rental vacancy rate of just 1.1 per cent. Sydney had a slightly higher rental vacancy rate of 1.3 per cent but Australia's most populated city also had the biggest rental increases. Median weekly unit rents in Sydney during the past year have increased by 30.1 per cent to $654.45. Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil admitted too much of Australia's immigration program was made up of international students, classified as temporary arrivals The city also had the biggest annual increase in house rents of 22.1 per cent, taking it to $962.08 a week. A separate report from PropTrack, owned by the REA Group behind realestate.com.au, showed rental supply tightening in capital cities, where new migrants are more likely to live. Total rental listings in capital cities fell to 18.3 per cent in the year to March to new record lows. But in Melbourne, supply fell by 32.6 per cent, compared with 18.2 per cent in Sydney and 15.8 per cent in Perth. 'There is a significant need for additional rental properties, particularly in the largest capital cities where most migrants arrive and live,' PropTrack said. 'Finding ways to provide more supply is critical given the alternative reducing demand is much less likely to occur.' A Reserve Bank of Australia report, by economists Fred Hanmer and Michelle Marquardt, noted a return of international students since December 2021 had made life much harder for renters (pictured are students outside the University of New South Wales) But in regional areas, they increased by 22.5 per cent, the biggest annual increase since December 2010, to reach the highest level since July 2020. Rental listings in regional New South Wales increased by 34.8 per cent. Despite high population growth putting pressure on housing stock, Ms O'Neil said the federal Labor government was more likely to re-focus immigration on paths to permanent residency rather than relying on a higher ratio of temporary migrants. 'Australia's historic migration success is rooted in permanency and citizenship,' she said. 'We give people the opportunity to get established in their community, educate their kids, and become Australian. 'Today, our system is dominated by a large temporary migration program. And that program is not well designed.' Some Channel migrants 'very quickly' get involved in crime after reaching UK shores and have become a 'notable feature of everyday crime-fighting', said Suella Braverman. The Home Secretary said chief constables had briefed her on small boat arrivals from northern France becoming embroiled in drug gangs, exploitation and prostitution. She said: 'Not in all cases, but it is becoming a notable feature of everyday crime fighting in England and Wales. The Home Secretary said chief constables had briefed her on small boat arrivals from northern France becoming embroiled in drug gangs, exploitation and prostitution 'We cannot ignore the fact that many people are coming here illegally, and they're getting very quickly involved in the drugs trade, in other exploitation, in criminality and prostitution.' Asked whether she had figures to support her assertion, she said: 'I consider police chiefs experts in their field and authoritative sources of information.' Ms Braverman outlined tough new immigration laws which will allow Channel migrants to be detained and 'swiftly' removed. He claims he is innocent and now Levi Bellfield has confessed to the murders Serial killer Levi Bellfield has reportedly signed a confession to a double murder, which 'contains information only the killer would know'. While jailed murder Michael Stone believes that the new confession from Milly Dowler's killer will lead to his own release. In a signed statement, Bellfield reportedly confessed to killing Lin, 45, and her daughter Megan Russell, six, in a vicious hammer in Kent in 1996. It comes after he 'admitted' to killing a 19-year-old student last week. Stone was jailed for life for killing the mother and daughter but has maintained his innocence and last year serial killer Bellfield confessed to the murders, but later retracted the statement. Now Stone's solicitor says Bellfield has signed a new statement of confession which contains information about the attack which only the killer would know, The Mirror reported. Serial killer Levi Bellfield has reportedly confessed to a double murder from 1996 and signed a written statement with 'information only the killer would know' Michael Stone, who is serving three life sentences for the murders of Lin Russell and her six-year-old daughter Megan, believe a reported new confession from Levi Bellfield could lead to his own release Speaking to The Mirror from HMP Frankland, Stone said: 'I've been in prison for 26 years for a crime I did not commit. 'I know that he [Bellfield] did those murders. He's just revealed some information recently that's come to me through lawyers. It's information that he would only know if he had done it.' Stone is currently serving three life sentences for the murders but last year Stone's solicitor said he has received a 'genuine' four-page statement from Bellfield in which he details his involvement in the killings - until he withdrew it. Bellfield's solicitor Theresa Clark told the news outlet: 'This is a new and more detailed one. 'The statement made last year was never signed by him but he's subsequently done a written statement which he's signed.' In 1996, Lin, 45, her two daughters, nine-year-old Josie and Megan, six, as well as their dog Lucy, were tied up and savagely beaten with a hammer in the brutal attack. Only Josie survived, sustaining horrific injuries. The deaths in the picturesque village of Chillenden, Kent, 26 years ago shocked the nation. Stone's police record dates back to 1971 when he was 12 years old and continued into his adult life, serving three prison sentences in the 1980s and 1990s. Lin Russell, 45, her two daughters, six-year-old Megan (above with her mother) and nine-year-old Josie, were tied up and savagely beaten with a hammer in the brutal attack in 1996 Michael Stone (pictured) is currently imprisoned after twice being convicted of the Russell murders. He has consistently insisted his innocence, and Bellfield's statement could mean he has suffered a miscarriage of justice Stone has twice been found guilty of their murders and is serving three life sentences, but no scientific or identification evidence links him to the scene. Pictured: Police at scene in 2001 Lin, 45, her two daughters, six-year-old Megan and nine-year-old Josie, as well as their dog Lucy, were tied up and savagely beaten with a hammer in the brutal attack. Only Josie survived. The deaths in the picturesque village of Chillenden, Kent in 1996 shocked the nation He has previous convictions for crimes including ABH, robbery, burglary and GBH and was known to carry weapons. He was sentenced to two years' in prison in 1981 for attacking a man with a hammer during a robbery. He then received a four-and-a-half year sentence for stabbing a friend while he slept in 1983, an attack that penetrated the friend's lung and nearly killed him, and he tried to wound a police officer in the eye after this arrest. Stone was jailed for a third time and sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment for two armed robberies in Maidstone and Brighton respectively during the same week in 1986. He was released from prison in 1993. While Bellfield is currently serving a life sentence for the murder of schoolgirl Millie Dowler. He has also been convicted of murdering Marsha McDonnell and Amelie Delagrange and the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy, and will never be considered for parole. Bellfield is thought to be the only criminal in UK legal history to be serving two whole-life orders. Last week he is said to have confessed to another murder. In April 1999, a 19-year-old student, Elizabeth Chau, left Thames Valley University and was caught on CCTV walking home along the Uxbridge Road near Ealing police station. She was never seen again. In April 1999, a 19-year-old student, Elizabeth Chau, left Thames Valley University and was caught on CCTV walking home along the Uxbridge Road near Ealing police station. She was never seen again Her sister, Bich, (pictured left at a press conference with her mother Lam-Pheng on 16 April 1999) has never given up hope of being reunited with her sibling. She said: 'We want Liz to know that we love her and miss her very much' Levi Bellfield is currently serving life in prison for the murder of schoolgirl Millie Dowler Her sister, Bich, has never given up hope of being reunited with her sibling. She said: 'We want Liz to know that we love her and miss her very much.' The Sun reports Bellfield has written a 'signed confession' to killing Ms Chau, 'bundling her in a van' and also detailing 'where she is buried' as well as admitting five other murder attempts. He is understood to have handed in the confession to his solicitor Theresa Clark in March this year. Ms Chau's family reportedly declined to comment. Theresa Clark told the publication: 'I have passed it to the police. He is likely to be interviewed under caution.' In his confession, Bellfield is said to have confessed to a 'blitz' of five attempted murders and attacks against the then 17-year-old Jessie Wilson in south west London, Sarah Spurell, 23, in Hastings in 2004, and Sonia Salvatierra, 26, in Twickenham, west London. Scotland Year launched an appeal for information on Elizabeth Chau's disappearance in 2012, 13 years after her disappearance, offering a 15,000 reward. Former pro surfer almost has arm sliced off A former pro surfer has called for an end to the 'hipster' trend of surfing without a leg rope after a rogue board sliced into his arm and almost cost him his life. Matthew Cassidy, 49, almost bled out following the incident on Byron Bay's Wategos Beach, on the NSW north-coast, in February. A chunk of his arm was taken out by the fin of a longboard that had come loose after another female surfer fell off it and dropped into the water. The board severed arteries in Mr Cassidy's arm and cut his bicep in two, which almost led to him bleeding out on the beach. Matthew Cassidy, 49, feared he would 'bleed out' after getting sliced by the fin of a rogue surfbaord at Wategos beach, Byron Bay in February The female surfer said she had been wearing a leg rope when it snapped, but Mr Cassidy said it illustrated what could go wrong if someone refused to wear it. 'Most of the guys who don't wear leg ropes are posers,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald. 'But there is no surfer I know who can go a whole surf without losing their board. It's just a selfish act [to not wear a leg rope] in a place that's that crowded. 'I wouldn't want to be the guy that unfortunately decides not to wear a leg rope and hurts a kid. There are a lot of people out there who think violence will be the answer.' Byron Bay Council is considering making it illegal not to wear a leg strap. Councillor Cate Coorey is preparing new regulations for the council to approve on Thursday. Surfers will be required to wear a leg rope or risk an $1,100 fine under the new regulation. Ms Coorey said she could easily count the number of times she had to dive in front of her young sons to protect them from out-of-control boards. She said fining surfers who didn't wear a rope would 'make them think twice'. Some council staff have hit back arguing it would be difficult to prove a surfer wasn't wearing their leg rope. They claimed it would also cost $20,800 in taxpayer's money to erect new signs to warn surfers of the new rule. Another $2,080 will be needed every year to maintain the signs that would be set up at each of the shire's 26-plus beach entry points. Mr Cassidy said the loose surfboard had 'ripped through all the veins and arteries' of his arm (Mr Cassidy being attended to by emergency services pictured) Mr Cassidy (pictured surfing) wants to see wearing leg ropes mandated for surfers Following his encounter with the loose board Mr Cassidy said he saw a 'big chunk of flesh flying through the air followed by a lot of blood'. Pulling his wetsuit over the wound he managed to surf back to shore. Mr Cassidy told a bystander to use a legrope as a tourniquet to stem the bleeding, which he believes saved his life. He spent an hour on the beach 'being held together by some absolutely legendary humans'. He was then rushed via ambulance and then helicopter to a Gold Coast hospital. Although he accepted the leg rope snapped in this particular incident he said it was an important lesson about how to surf responsibly. 'Lets all enter and exit the surf safely, we all love the same sport, lets act like a community not individuals,' he said. 'Bleeding out on a beach while trying to catch a last glimpse of your wifes face is not something I wish on anyone'. A summer of chaos kicks off for thousands of school pupils today as they face yet another day of walkouts by their teachers. It is one of five days of walkouts to be launched by the National Education Union (NEU) this summer as the row with the government over pay continues. They will cause misery to thousands of parents who face taking the day off work while their children are at home. And the move will likely plunge GCSE and A-Level students into further turmoil many of whom have already spent days studying from home because of strikes launched earlier this year. Last night Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the NEU, warned the disruption will get worse. Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the NEU, warned the disruption will get worse Ms Bousted said: 'At the moment, headteachers are keeping schools open. If they go on strike, the schools will close. 'What is highly disruptive will become extremely disruptive. It is only going to be worse. 'We've had no response from Gillian Keegan since the negotiations finished. 'We wrote to her two weeks ago saying we want to get around the table. We didn't get a response. It's a wall of silence from the Department for Education and Gillian Keegan.' Teachers will also walk out on May 2. This month NEU members voted in support of a three-day strike from late June to early July. Last week, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) said it will hold a formal ballot for national strike action in England for the first time in its history. If successful, coordinated strike action between teachers and heads could lead to the biggest series of strikes on record, it has been predicted. A Department for Education spokesman (DfE) said: 'Any strike action is hugely damaging. We have made a fair and reasonable pay offer to teachers recognising their hard work and commitment. 'Thanks to the further 2 billion pounds we are investing in our schools, next year, school funding will be at its highest level in history.' After a period of intensive talks with education unions, the Government offered teachers a 1,000 one-off payment for the current school year and an average 4.5 per cent rise for staff next year. 'We've had no response from Gillian Keegan since the negotiations finished,' Ms Bousted said The deal also included Ofsted reforms which would have given heads 'greater clarity' on when to expect their next inspection. But the offer was labelled 'insulting' by the NEU, while the unions ASCL, NASUWT and NAHT also rejected the deal. The NEU is also preparing for strikes in the autumn if it secures a mandate from members for six more months of industrial action. Elsewhere, hundreds of teachers and civil servants walked out in what trade unions described as the biggest industrial action in Northern Ireland in more than a decade. Most schools in the region were closed yesterday as as all five teaching unions, including heads from the NAHT, took part. Striking members of the National Education Union (NEU) South East Region at a rally in Chichester, West Sussex, in a long-running dispute over pay (pictured last month) It comes as the Government announced yesterday that schools that are not rated 'good' or 'outstanding' by Ofsted will be eligible for additional funding. The DfE will relax the rule which says specialist funding for falling pupil numbers should only be for schools judged good or outstanding at their last Ofsted inspection. The requirement will be removed in recognition of falling pupil numbers in areas of the country. Among other changes to the National Funding Formula (NFF) to be introduced from 2024-25, councils will be set expectations around the minimum funding they must provide to support schools seeing large increases in pupil numbers. Schools with more than one site will also receive funding on a consistent national basis to help with extra costs they face due to the need to duplicate services, such as caretaking across multiple sites, the DfE said. A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. A man who used 'brutish force' when he shook a nine-week-old baby in his care so hard the child died has been sentenced to nine-and-a-half years behind bars. Kaison Vaevae died from his injuries three days after Teavae Bryce Vaevae, then 22, shook him on June 6, 2021 before claiming the child fell off a bed. A Cairns court this week heard the baby's mother Rawinia Inez Te Mona had argued with Vaevae days earlier and the couple were going to separate. 'It was an episode when you lost control, rough handling him and shaking him with substantial force,' Justice Henry told Vaevae in court, reports The Cairns Post. 'Your lack of candour about the brutish force you used prevents me accepting the assertion of remorse,' he added. Kaison Vaevae sadly died from brain swelling after he was shaken by Teavae Bryce Vaevae Kaison's mother was in hospital after suffering complications from a C-section when she was told the child had fallen off a bed Vaevae previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter in September, 2022. The court previously heard the child's injuries were 'catastrophic' and included fractures to the limb bones, ribs and spine as well as swelling to the brain which caused his death by impeding oxygen supply. Ms Te Mona was in hospital after suffering complications following a C-section to deliver Kaison when she was told the baby had been injured falling off a bed. She previously told a court Kaison had been crying a lot but Teavae was 'patient'. In attendance at the sentencing hearing with Ms Te Mona were Melia Karaka, the child's grandmother, and her two sisters Shannon and Taveeshay Te Mona. Tissue samples from Kaison kept by the Coroner until criminal proceedings were resolved will be released to the family and laid to rest in a traditional Maori funeral. 'With the consent of the senior next of kin, working closely with Forensic and Scientific Service coronial counsellors, certain prescribed tissue was retained for forensic purposes,' a spokesperson told the newspaper. A conviction was recorded for Vaevae who will be eligible for parole on January 28, 2027. Are you a British national affected by violence in Sudan? Please contact elena.salvoni@mailonline.co.uk Families told they must make their own way to evacuation point despite violence Rescue flights from Sudan could halt with threats the ceasefire may end tonight Thousands of British nationals trapped in Sudan have been warned rescue flights cannot continue indefinitely, with fears the ceasefire could break as early as tonight. Plans drawn up by the RAF seek to extract 500 Britons each day from an airfield north of the capital Khartoum, before fighting resumes. HMS Lancaster is sailing towards Port Sudan in the northeast of the country, one of the few stable locations from which civilians have been able to flee, The Times reports. It is thought several hundreds people could be rescued via the Type 23 frigate's large flight deck, but Britons in the capital Khartoum face a 500-mile drive to get to the port city. Some 4,000 British national were known to be caught up in Sudan at the start of the hostilities. It is unknown how many have been evacuated at present. The race is on to evacuate as many of the 4,000 British civilians trapped in Sudan as possible before the 72-hour ceasefire ends tonight Safe in Britain but as the first Britons evacuated breathed a sigh of relief as they landed at London Stansted Airport in Essex, many told reporters of their mixed feelings to the UK government's response Noor, eight, hugs her mother Susan after she arrived at Stansted airport Africa minister Andrew Mitchell yesterday reiterated the 'critical message' that British nationals who want to be brought to safety must make their way to the Wadi Saeedna airstrip in Khartoum. But many are still frantically trying to get there amid a shortage of fuel, street fighting and military checkpoints, and have told of their anguish at having to navigate the situation alone. A UK-born student attempting to flee said she did not have enough petrol to make a dangerous one-hour drive, while another man has said he has been left with no choice but to embark on a four-hour walk to get to safety. Sudanese-British citizen Tarig Babikir, 42, said he has been forced to leave behind family members and described 'complete chaos' on the streets of Khartoum. Before setting off on his dangerous journey to the airstrip, he said: 'It all goes down to your instinct, you have to figure out where the fire's coming from and try to find a different route. 'I'm going to go through national army checkpoints and paramilitary checkpoints, and most likely I'm going to encounter some armed gangs as well. Tarig Babikir, 42, a Sudanese-British citizen, has said he has been left with no choice but to embark on a four-hour walk to get to safety HMS Lancaster is sailing towards Port Sudan in the northeast of the country, one of the few stable locations from which civlian have been able to flee 'I'm carrying no cash as you can get robbed on the streets, and I'm going to hide my cell phone.' 'It's complete anarchy right now, complete chaos. Anyone can rob you, anyone can shoot you.' Eight flights are expected to have left by the end of today to lift people to safety as the military races against time to rescue citizens while a fragile ceasefire holds. The race is on to evacuate as many of the 4,000 British civilians trapped in Sudan as possible before the 72-hour ceasefire ends tomorrow, with a total of eight flights carrying Britons expected to leave Khartoum by the end of today. The UK Government, which has been criticised for not evacuating British civilians sooner, said 400 people have been evacuated so far - a fraction of those still trapped in the country. Many boarding have been forced to leave family members behind, with one British man able to flee with his pregnant wife and their six-year-old son, but forced to leave behind his elderly mother. The RAF is evacuating British citizens on flights from Sudan to Larnaka airport Samar Eltayeb, 20, a student from Birmingham, compared scenes in Khartoum to a horror movie and said she had no petrol to drive to the airbase 'British soldiers checked all our papers. I brought my mum with me but she does not have a British passport. I tried to persuade the British soldiers to let her on the plane too but they would not let her,' Wathig Ali told the BBC. 'It was heart-breaking that I had to say goodbye to my mum.' He said as he awaited a plane out of the country: 'I feel for my pregnant wife - she is acting brave. Escaping this nightmare hasn't been done yet. I hope the nightmare will end soon.' Britons have described seeing thieves and killers roaming the streets, while the corpses of civilians killed in the fighting laid scattered on the ground in scenes that have been compared to a dystopian horror film. Wathig Ali was able to flee Khartoum with his pregnant wife, Haifa, and their six-year-old son, Oday, but forced to leave behind his elderly mother Foreign Secretary James Cleverly reiterated to UK nationals that they must make their own way to the airstrip, despite the ongoing violence. 'I'm trying to get there. But the problem is the vehicles that we have have no gas, and the petrol stations are empty,' Samar Eltayeb, 20, a student from Birmingham who is an hour drive away, said. 'It was something else, I can't even describe it,' a British citizen evacuated from Sudan told the BBC in Cyprus. 'It was bad, it was very bad. I don't even want to remember it.' Meanwhile, Wahied Hassan, 68, from Coventry, and his 66-year-old wife Fatima, only managed to reach the airstrip after Hassan said he had 'begged' a friend to give them a lift. British nationals sit inside an RAF aircraft, after being evacuated in Khartoum The couple had been visiting family in Khartoum, and were among the first to arrive back in Britain. Hassan said he received a call from the British embassy on Tuesday morning, asking him to reach the airfield in 30 minutes and bring only small belongings. 'On our way to the airfield, we saw so much trouble, a lot of checkpoints... militia threatening people, scaring people, abusing people verbally and physically. 'It's very scary to be honest. Very scary. I'm so lucky.' The government and armed forces have defended the lack of escort for British citizens attempting to get to the airstrip. Wahied Hassan, 68, from Coventry, and his 66-year-old wife Fatima, only managed to reach the airstrip after Hassan said he had 'begged' a friend to give them a lift Brigadier Dan Reeve, the head of the British military operation in Sudan, was quoted by the BBC as saying it would not be safe to bring people together in one location in Khartoum as there had been instances of convoys being attacked. 'This is not a race to get it wrong,' he said, adding that around 500 British nationals a day could be evacuated. The government has estimated around 4,000 Britons were in Sudan. The first Britons evacuated - many of them children - breathed a sigh of relief as they landed at London Stansted Airport in Essex this afternoon after a terrifying week of violence in Sudan. Many told reporters of their mixed feelings to the UK government's response - with all grateful to be safe but some expressing frustration at the lack of support and comparable slowness of British authorities compared to other countries. Shereen Soliman got out with her two young children who had been on a three-week holiday visiting family in the country when violence erupted. Parents held their children tightly as they made their way on to the tarmac at Stansted airport - 24 hours after they had risked their lives to reach the British troops waiting for them at the Wadi Saeedna airbase in Khartoum British evacuees disembark from a charter flight at Stansted airport in Essex after flying from Cyprus on Wednesday Asked by the BBC about how she felt about the British authorities' handling of the situation compared with the French and the Germans, she said: 'They were slower than the others, but still they saved us. 'That's what matters, right?' Her children, Karim, 10, and Diyalam, 8, spoke of seeing armed men in the streets and hearing explosions and gunshots. Shereen said: 'I had to leave my parents, my siblings, the whole family there. So I'm very worried about them. 'I really feel sorry for Sudan because it's my home, my country. I wanted my kids to feel safe there.' Relatives of those trapped have described their anguish as they wait for news that their loved ones have managed to make it across the capital and to the airfield safely during what Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said is a 'critical' 24 hours. 'I feel sick to my stomach, it's a horrible waiting game,' Esra Osman, whose mother Hamra is travelling through Khartoum to reach the airbase told MailOnline. 'We've just spoken to my mother on the phone and she's sounding scared and stressed. There are so many checkpoints and it's so dangerous.' British nationals have been evacuated to Cyprus and then the UK as the Government races to evacuate thousands before the window of opportunity closes. Relatives hugged evacuees after they disembarked from a charter flight at Stansted airport in Essex after they fled Sudan British civilians, many of whom are children, are pictured safely onboard an RAF aircraft after being evacuated from Sudan Children, many of whom will have heard gunfights raging on the streets outside their relatives' homes, clung to their parents as they were helped onboard the British aircraft. Are you a British national affected by violence in Sudan? Please contact Rachael.Bunyan@mailonline.co.uk Advertisement The first evacuation flight to touch down on British soil landed at Stansted airport at 2.30pm on Wednesday afternoon after departing from Larnaca airport in Cyprus in the morning. But it's not clear how long the evacuation flights can go on for - or whether Britons will be able to reach the airstrip - as street battles erupted between Sudan's army and paramilitary force again today. There are fears that many Britons will not be able to reach the airfield due to how dangerous it is to travel through the various checkpoints set up since the war began more than a week ago. Britons have told how taxi drivers have said no amount of money would convince them to drive to the capital, while the lack of petrol is also hampering efforts to escape. Air strikes and artillery have killed at least 459 people, wounded more than 4,000, destroyed hospitals and limited food distribution in the vast nation where a third of its 46 million people were already reliant on humanitarian aid. Foreigners fleeing Khartoum have described bodies littering streets, buildings on fire, residential areas turned into battlefields and youths roaming with large knives. Four-year-old Lamar (right) looks at her emotional father Mohamed Elamin and her sister Lujain, aged six, after they disembarked from a charter flight at Stansted airport in Essex after being evacuated from Sudan Britons evacuated from Sudan arrive on a flight from Cyprus into Stansted airport in Essex The evacuees broke down in tears when they were reunited with their loved ones who had been waiting in anguish for news of their return British evacuees disembark from a charter flight at Stansted airport in Essex after flying from Cyprus following their evacuation from Sudan British evacuees disembark from a charter flight at Stansted airport in Essex today Fleeing Brits depart flight ZT4820 after it arrives at a private terminal at Stansted from Larnaca, Cyprus, today A flight carrying Britons lands at London Stansted Airport in Essex on Wednesday A British government official comforts a little boy as he is evacuated from Sudan An elderly British woman is helped onboard the RAF aircraft before being evacuated from Sudan British soldiers greet a family as they board an RAF plane before being evacuated from Sudan British nationals get evacuated with the assistance of Britain's Rapid Deployment Team, in Khartoum, Sudan, on Tuesday The UK is now in temporary control over the Sudanese airstrip, having taken over from Germany after Berlin completed its own evacuation mission with 700 civilians and diplomats rescued from at least 30 countries. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said British troops are prepared to use force if needed to protect the air base in the event it comes under attack during the airlifts. Announcing the completion of Germany's evacuation efforts, the country's foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said Berlin would not leave civilians 'to their own devices', in an apparent swipe at the UK's approach which saw only diplomats being evacuated over the weekend. She said that 'unlike in other countries', Germany's evacuation had included all its nationals and not just embassy staff. Mr Sunak defended the UK's efforts, saying it was 'right' that diplomats were prioritised 'because they were being targeted'. The Foreign Office backtracked on their earlier advice and urged all British passport holders and their immediate family members to make the perilous journey to the airfield to board evacuation flights - all without a military escort. British families are risking their lives to reach an airbase where UK evacuation flights will take them away from the war wreaking havoc in Sudan. Pictured: RAF plane landing in Cyprus on Wednesday A plane carrying British nationals evacuated from Sudan, arrives at the Larnaca International Airport, Cyprus, on Wednesday British nationals depart from an RAF aircraft, after being evacuated from Sudan Fighters ride in the back of a technical vehicle in the East Nile district of greater Khartoum on April 23 Earlier this week, Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) broke into five prisons and released detainees, including ousted president Omar Hassan al-Bashir and other top officials from Kober prison, Sudan's police said. Police said the raid on Kober led to the killing and injury of several prison officials, adding that the RSF released all who were held there. Some Britons have said the journey to get to the Wadi Saeedna airfield outside of Khartoum - where the fighting has been fiercest - is so dangerous that they have made the difficult decision to stay in Sudan. A British national departs from an RAF aircraft, after being evacuated from Sudan, at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, on Tuesday British nationals wait after being evacuated from Sudan, in RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, on Tuesday Evacuees from Sudan board a bus after disembarking from a British Royal Air Force military transport at Larnaca airport in Cyprus, on April 25 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visits the Crisis Centre in the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office to speak to staff working on the ongoing situation in Sudan on Tuesday Around 1,400 British military personnel are involved in the 'large-scale' evacuation of UK nationals from Sudan. Pictured: British soldiers at the Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus prepare to board a plane to evacuate UK civilians from Sudan Personnel of the United Nations Mission board the French frigate Lorraine as they evacuate from Port Sudan on Wednesday Members of the Saudi Navy Forces assist evacuees arriving at King Faisal navy base in Jeddah on Wednesday following a rescue operation from Sudan Saudi Navy personnel assist civilians being evacuated by Saudi Arabia from Sudan, to escape the conflict, at Jeddah Sea Port in Jeddah on Wednesday Damaged buildings are seen following clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in South Khartoum locality, Sudan, on Tuesday Damaged buildings are seen following clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in South Khartoum locality, Sudan, on Tuesday Mr Sunak authorised the rescue operation of British civilians on Monday night, Downing Street said, after he was accused of 'abandoning' them. The Government had decided to only airlift British diplomats and their families from Sudan over the weekend. Mr Wallace told Channel 4 news 'we can take, really, who turns up at the moment' - adding 'there is some risk that some of the planes are not full'. The Government is considering other options, including a possible seaborne evacuation from Port Sudan, some 500 miles from the capital. HMS Lancaster and the RFA Cardigan Bay have been sent to the region. A man has been extradited across the country and charged after two women were allegedly assaulted. Nathan Raymond Caldow, 41, was arrested in a hotel in Fremantle, Western Australia, on Sunday and then extradited to NSW at 6.45pm on Wednesday. It came after police launched an investigation into the alleged assault of two women in Goulburn, in the Southern Tablelands of NSW, in early April. Caldow hid his face in a jumper after landing at Sydney Airport and was escorted through the terminal by officers and detectives. A man has been arrested, extradited and charged for allegedly assaulting two women -sexually assaulting one of them- in Goulburn earlier this month He was taken to Mascot Police Station and charged with eight offences that included two counts of aggravated robbery and inflict bodily harm. Inflict actual bodily harm with intent to have sexual intercourse with victim and two counts of sexually touch another person without consent were among the charges. The other offences were choke person intend to commit indictable offence and two counts of stalk and intimidation intend fear physical harm. The Sex Crimes Squad were brought in to investigate a 19-year-old who was allegedly attacked by an unknown man while walking alone in Goulburn on April 14. According to a NSW Police statement, police allege the woman was struck numerous times in the face until she was unconscious before she was sexually assaulted. Upon coming to, the 19-year-old was able to wave down a vehicle that took her to Goulburn Police Station. Police allege an 18-year-old woman was punched in the face days earlier on April 5. The woman allegedly fought off the man and escaped, making it to hospital where she was treated for facial injuries. Caldow man did not appear at Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday Caldow man did not appear at Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday. Legal Aid solicitor Phil Ryan asked for the matter to be adjourned with the case to return to court on May 3. The court heard there would be no application for bail. 'I've spoken to his legal representatives who are based in Goulburn,' Mr Ryan said. An Aussie influencer has been caught up in a very public misunderstanding over her purchase of a $1,000 retro lamp at a Sydney antique store. Luci Levant, a model and influencer with 75,000 Instagram followers and 46,000 on TikTok, bought the 1970s pop art style lamp from Mitchell Road Antiques Centre in Alexandria last weekend. But soon after the purchase of the distinctive white lamp worth between $750 and $1000, the antique centre posted images of Ms Levant from the store's CCTV claiming there had been a mix up over price tags. Meanwhile, Ms Levant posted an image of herself on Instagram with the white lamp in the background next to her bed. The post has since been deleted. Ms Levant with the distinctive lamp, which is part of a large collection of mid-20th Century furniture and homewares sold at Mitchell Road Antiques Centre Luci Levant with the lamp in her bedroom in a TikTok video by the influencer and model who has 46,000 followers and models for the Priscilla's agency When contacted by Daily Mail Australia on Thursday, the antiques store said the discrepancy over the price 'has been resolved' and that the 'full payment has been made' for the lamp. Comment has sought from Ms Levant, a model on the books of the famous Priscilla's agency. Luci Levant, a model and influencer with with 75,000 Instagram followers and 46,000 on TikTok, bought a lamp last weekend The lamp was part of large range of mid-century and 1970s furniture and homewares at the centre, a huge warehouse which relocated to Bourke Road, Alexandria during the Covid pandemic. Ms Levant described her style last year on a modelling shoot as 'Effortless, monochromatic and grungy' Luci Levant is an influencer on TikTok and Instagram for style and fashion and works for the Sydney agency Priscillas Model Management For the shoot, for New Balance shoes, Ms Levant revealed some of her lifestyle in a series of questions about her fashion, saying 'in summer, Im always in denim' and that she'd be 'sunbaking at the beach or in my backyard in a bikini with a big bowl of fruit'. She said she'd be wearing the shoes 'all summer with some baggy jeans, a singlet and some cool sunnies, or going for walks and grabbing coffee'. A massive 120kg haul of cocaine has been discovered in a container of coffee bean sacks shipped from Central America. Australian Border Force found the drugs on a shipment in Sydney on Anzac Day on Tuesday. They found $48million worth of the illicit drug packed into three black duffel bags and hidden among the coffee beans. The drug bust took place on a shipment in Sydney on Anzac Day with the $48million-stash packed in three black duffel bags in black plastic among the bean sacks (pictured, one of the bags) Three black duffel bags wrapped in black plastic were found among hessian sacks filled with coffee beans (pictured) Officers have been specifically targeting shipping containers at the borders arriving from South and Central America. Authorities found the illegal freight after a seal was discovered broken on a container which led officers to examine its contents with an X-ray machine. Three black duffel bags wrapped in black plastic were found among hessian sacks filled with coffee beans imported from Central America. 'The duffel bags were opened and found to contain packages wrapped in plastic, with tests confirming the substance to be cocaine,' an ABF spokesperson said. Commander Enforcement and Detained Goods East Justin Bathurst said the agency is committed to disrupting the passage of illegal drugs into the country. 'The Australian Border Force is continuing to keep Australian communities safe,' Commander Enforcement and Detained Goods East Bathurst said. 'Our goal is to protect our community by ensuring illegal and dangerous drugs do not make their way to our streets. Officers have been specifically targeting shipping containers at the borders arriving from South and Central America 'In this instance, ABF has been able to prevent approximately 600,000 drug deals.' Sources told the Daily Telegraph cocaine has been selling from $300 to $600 a gram on Aussie streets - adding the price of the highly addictive drug has plummeted for importers. 'There is a flood of it on the streets at the moment,' the source said. The ABF said investigations into the drug haul is ongoing. Anyone with information about this importation is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Five Philadelphia high school students have been rushed to the hospital after a dozen teens passed around grape juice laced with an opioid. The Crossroads Accelerated Academy students, aged 14 to 16, took a sip of juice infiltrated with the drug dubbed 'wonk' on Wednesday before noon. Preliminary findings revealed two students brought the laced juice which led to vomiting and lightheadedness, according to Monique Braxton, Philadelphia School District spokesman. The school was shut down for around 30 minutes as a counterterrorism unit arrived to assist with the investigation, after police initially responded to a call regarding sick children at the school. Crossroads Accelerated Academy students were drugged by laced juice brought to school by two students on Wednesdays, police said. Pictured: Police and a counterterrorism unit at the school An opioid dubbed wonk was placed in the juice and passed to a dozen students. Pictured: the school located at the 4300 block of Westminster Police said the students who were rushed to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia were in stable condition. Braxton urged parents to vigilant and double-check their children's belongings. 'Search your medicine cabinets, search your children's rooms, this is something that is illegally possessed by the students and it's something that is definitely not wanted on school property,' she said. Five students were transported to the hospital in stable condition. Heavy police presence was seen as the school was locked down for 30 minutes Monique Braxton, Philadelphia School District spokesperson, urged parents to be vigilant and double-check their children's belongings Police seized the juice that was passed around and will conduct further testing, Fox29 reported. 'We take situations like this very seriously as they have the potential to compromise the safe and appropriate learning environment we strive to provide to our students every day,' the school district told CNN. According to the school's website, it was built for 'academically talented students. To enroll at the school, students have to be assessed through standard STAR testing. Lidia Thorpe has accused female parliamentarians of 'staggering around drunk' as she doubles down on her recent strip club controversy. On Thursday, the independent senator, 49, was asked how she felt about the Prime Minister's concerns for her mental health by 3AW's Neil Mitchell. Anthony Albanese recommended she 'get some support' after footage surfaced of the senator screaming profanities at a group of men outside a strip club at 3 am. The senator said she had 'laughed' at his comments but was more concerned about the female MPs she claimed to have witnessed 'staggering around drunk'. 'I wonder about the mental health of senators who are staggering around drunk by themselves - female - at night, where I have gone to their aid to make sure they get back to their hotel safely,' she said. 'If we want to talk about mental health, I would say there's a lot of senators in this place and not just a little black one.' In response to concerns about her mental health, Lidia Thorpe said she was more concerned about the female MP's who were 'staggering around drunk' 'If Albo wants to know about my health, I've been diagnosed with an allergy to racists, and it just comes out Neil,' she said. In the video, she told one man 'you've got a small penis', and said to another 'you, you're marked' in a menacing tone, and generally accused them of stealing her land. The senator claimed she had been 'seeking safety' after being assaulted by a cop when she lay in front of a float at Sydney's Mardi Gras parade (pictured) 'So what? I was celebrating my girlfriend's 50th birthday,' she responded. 'We did have a good time inside. It wasn't until we put our feet outside the door that I was verbally attacked by one male,' she said. 'I said he had a small penis because what so-called man has a go at a senator as I am leaving. You have to have a small genital to do that. Senator Thorpe claimed it was not possible for her to be racist towards Australians who are not black. 'We cannot be racist to white people,' she said. 'White people don't fall into that category. 'I responded to an aggressive white male who was being very disrespectful of me.' The senator also touched on an incident at Sydney's Mardi Gras parade in February where she was removed by police after lying down in front of a float. She claimed she had been 'seeking safety' there after being assaulted by a cop. Lidia Thorpe (pictured) attempted to storm the podium during British trans critic Posie Parker's speech for the Let Women Speak rally outside parliament house in March 'I couldn't get out of the Mardi Gras because the fences were so high and I had been assaulted behind the scenes by a police officer,' she said. 'There will be footage of that, because hundreds of thousands of people had their cameras out and that's being investigated. 'So I was assaulted prior to that, I did what anyone else would do and that was seek safety. I laid in front of that truck and called for a woman police officer to come to me because I didn't want that officer to continue to touch me.' The senator said she was assaulted because she had been saying 'FTP' which stands for 'F*** The Police', and claimed 'everybody' around her had been saying it. The independent senator (pictured on March 28) claimed she had been assaulted by a police officer at the Mardi Gras parade moments before she obstructed a float at the parade 'That whole corner of the Mardi Gras was saying FTP and I was immediately dragged to the ground by an angry officer,' she said. Mitchell asked the senator if she respected police, who replied that she didn't respect police who were 'in the Mardi Gras'. 'That's what I was there to protest, with the protest float, it was about not having police in the float,' she said. 'I do respect police, I respect good police, and I know a lot of good police officers. I've got family that are police officers, believe it or not. 'It's about bad behaviour, it's about police officers that are too heavy-handed when they don't need to be.' A coroner has decided not to carry out an inquest into the death of a woman at the centre of historical rape allegations against former attorney-general Christian Porter. Coroner David Whittle said an exhaustive investigation had been completed into the June 2020 death of the woman, referred to as Kate. However, he declined to elaborate on what exactly led to her death. 'I have entered a finding as to the cause of Kate's death and determined that an inquest will not be held,' Mr Whittle said in a statement on Thursday. 'This is in accordance with the wishes of Kate's family, who have requested that their privacy be respected.' The woman had accused Mr Porter of raping her as a teenager at a debating conference in the 1980s, which the former attorney general has strenuously denied. Former Attorney General Christian Porter fought back tears in a media conference in 2021 where he confirmed he was accused of the historical rape, which he denies The woman took her own life in June 2020 shortly after being discharged from a mental health facility and making the allegations. Mr Whittle said as state coroner he was bound by confidentiality obligations and no further information would be provided regarding the decision to not carry out an inquest into her death. 'Since February 2021 there has been extensive media coverage of the death in 2020 of a woman referred to in the media as 'Kate' and allegations made by her of historical sexual assault,' he said in a statement. 'An exhaustive coronial investigation has now been completed. 'I have entered a finding as to the cause of Kate's death and determined that an inquest will not be held. 'This is in accordance with the wishes of Kate's family, who have requested that their privacy be respected. 'The State Coroner is bound by confidentiality obligations and no further information will be released.' It was previously revealed NSW police detectives met the woman in Sydney in February 2020 and had contact with her on at least five occasions over the next three months. On June 23 that same year she indicated in an email to them that she did not wish to proceed with the complaint and two days later SA police said she had died. The ABC then reported the allegations in February 2021 but did not name Mr Porter. The former attorney general identified himself and took mental health leave from his ministerial role. He strongly denied having raped the woman when they were both teenagers in 1988. He resigned as the federal minister for industry in September 2021 and did not contest the 2022 federal election. He also launched defamation against the ABC over the article published in 2021. Reacting to the coroner's statement, friends of Kate criticised NSW Police on Thursday. Mr Porter took mental health leave from his ministerial role at the time of the allegations and strongly denied having raped the woman when they were both teenagers in 1988 Jo Dyer, Nick Ryan and Jeremy Samuel released a statement on behalf of a group of Kate's friends. 'We are grateful for the South Australian Coroner's exhaustive and respectful investigation into Kate's death,' it read. 'We remain disappointed the NSW Police did not conduct a similarly thorough investigation into the crime Kate alleged had been perpetrated against her. 'We continue to believe there were tragic failures of process in Kate's case. 'Whilst too late for Kate, if these failures are properly acknowledged, investigated and understood, it may help others who find themselves in a similar position of hopelessness and despair in the future. 'We completely understand and respect Kate's family's wish for privacy. Our ongoing relationship with them is cherished.' Donald Trump on Wednesday night lost his last-ditch attempt to block Mike Pence from testifying about their conversations in the aftermath of the 2020 election, including around the January 6 riot. The decision, filed under seal by the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, but reported by CNN, means that Pence will now have to appear before the grand jury convened by the special counsel Jack Smith. Smith was appointed by the Attorney General Merrick Garland, in November to independently investigate attempts to block the transfer of power after the election. Smith subpoenaed Pence, and Trump's team sued to block Pence from appearing. Trump's lawyers cited presidential privilege in their filings. On Wednesday night three appeal judges - Patricia Millett, Robert Wilkins and Greg Katsas - ruled that Pence must testify. Mike Pence, seen on Wednesday night delivering a speech in North Carolina, will have to testify before a grand jury looking at Donald Trump's actions around the 2020 election, after an appeals court ruled against Trump's bid to block him Trump, pictured on April 4, argued that his conversations with Pence were protected by executive privilege Pence has said that Trump was wrong to try and enlist him to overturn the election, and the then-vice president was inside the Capitol on January 6 when it came under attack (pictured) Pence himself has already said that he will abide by their ruling. Trump could try to appeal again, even taking the issue to the Supreme Court, but he has not taken that drastic step so far, with other similar situations. Pence has hinted he would be forthright. 'I have nothing to hide,' the former vice president told reporters in Iowa. 'I've written and spoken extensively about that day,' he added. In his book, Pence said Trump called him a 'wimp' for refusing to overturn the election results. In March, Pence spoke at the annual white-tie Gridiron Dinner in Washington, D.C. and offered his strongest rebuke against Trump yet. 'President Trump was wrong. I had no right to overturn the election, and his reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day, and I know that history will hold Donald Trump accountable,' Pence said. Jack Smith was appointed special counsel in November and is probing the events of January 6 Smith is overseeing a probe looking at the former president's role in attempting to overturn the presidential election and the U.S. Capitol attack on January 6, 2021 Former President Donald Trump (left)appealed a judge's order requiring his former vice president, Mike Pence (right), to testify in the special counsel probe into efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. On Wednesday his appeal was denied On Tuesday, Pence spoke at the Federalist Society's annual Executive Branch Review Conference, held at just blocks from the White House at the Mayflower hotel, and used his remarks to attack Biden. On Wednesday Pence was in North Carolina, addressing a gathering at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and delivering a speech entitled: 'Saving America From the Woke Left'. Asked if he would support Trump's 2024 run, Pence, who is mulling his own campaign, said he would prefer someone else. 'It's a free country, the former president has every right to seek office again,' he said. 'But, there might be somebody out there that I support more. 'Different times call for different leadership.' A man who callously murdered his daughter and her husband at the couple's inner city Melbourne home has had his appeal for a lighter sentence rejected. Osman Shaptafaj was handed two life sentences after pleading guilty to the murder of his daughter, Lindita Musai, 25, and her husband, Veton Musai, 29, in February last year, with a non-parole period of 35 years. Shaptafaj carried out the killings after learning of his estranged daughter's marriage and lying in wait at the couple's Yarraville home on the night of New Year's Eve 2019. Osman Shaptafaj was handed two life sentences after pleading guilty to the murder of his daughter, Lindita Musai, 25, and her husband, Veton Musai, 29 Lindita and Veton Musai were murdered by Ms Musai's father Osman Shaptafaj in Yarraville in 2019 When the couple returned home he shot both of them in the head before turning the gun on himself in a nearby park. In the Court of Appeal last week, Shaptafaj's barrister Rishi Nathwani argued that his client had received the maximum penalty despite being entitled to a discount owing to his plea, disabilities and the impact of a prison sentence during Covid-19. Crown prosecutor Diana Piekusis KC, in the same hearing, told the court the murders were cold-blooded and premeditated and of a seriousness that outweighed mitigating factors. According to the Court of Appeal judgment handed down on Wednesday, Shaptafaj had become estranged from his family by 2011 and led an 'isolated and lonely life' in Altona. 'It was apparent, from the circumstances of the case, that the applicant harboured deep-seated anger and resentment towards Lindita and Veton,' Justices Priest, Kaye and Hargrave wrote on Thursday. Shaptafaj, then 55 and now 59, had become enraged over the couple's decision to marry in December 2018. Lindita and Veton had spent the three nights before their death at a hotel in the Melbourne CBD celebrating their one year wedding anniversary. On the morning of December 31 the couple caught an Uber back to their Salisbury St home, where they lived with Veton's family. Shaptafaj was waiting outside a nearby home, having driven himself there earlier that morning, with a loaded Smith and Wesson 38 calibre revolver. As his daughter and her husband waited outside the front door after ringing the bell, Shaptafaj walked up behind them and fired the fatal shots at close range, before a family member of Veton's opened the door and saw Lindita and Veton lying on the porch. The incredible bravery of bystanders has been revealed in the trial of man accused of trying to murder his lawyer ex-girlfriend with a hatchet. Cameron Turgay Bardak, who has pleaded not guilty, is on trial in the Brisbane Supreme Court accused of the attempted murder of Maria Buci. On July 1, 2020 IT worker David Sturgess was on his electric scooter going down a multi-floor Brisbane carpark when he heard a woman scream, the court heard. He stopped, heard another scream, then went to where the sound was coming and said he found a woman pinned by a man up against a black BMW SUV. 'I called out "Hey, what are you doing",' Mr Sturgess, who was later injured by Bardak, told the court, the Courier Mail reported on Thursday. Cameron Turgay Bardak (pictured), who has pleaded not guilty, is on trial in the Brisbane Supreme Court accused of the attempted murder of Maria Buci He dropped the scooter and started walking towards them. 'At that point the man turned around and I saw he had a hand axe in his right hand.' Mr Sturgess told the court that Bardak started moving towards him, with his arm up to allegedly swing the axe at him. The IT worker stepped backwards and fell down. 'I believe at that point he turned and went back to the woman again,' he said. Crown Prosecutor Christopher Cook asked where the axe would have hit him if he hadn't got out of the way. Mr Sturgess replied that he thought he would have been struck on either his head or shoulder. 'I didn't realise at the time but the edge of the axe must have caught my hand because I sustained an injury there,' he said. Bardak has pleaded guilty to unlawfully wounding Mr Sturgess during the incident and also pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm to Ms Buci. The incredible bravery of bystanders has been revealed in the trial of Cameron Turgay Bardak (pictured), who is accused of trying to murder his lawyer ex-girlfriend with a hatchet But he denies that he intended to harm or to murder his former partner. Mr Sturgess told the court that when he got up he allegedly saw Bardak swinging the hatchet at Ms Buci's head, shoulder and neck. He told the jury he wasn't sure but thought the axe connected with her, and he then caught Bardak's arm and knocked the axe out of his hand. Mr Sturgess said he then threw the weapon into a corner to get it away, but when he went back to the scene he said Ms Buci was on the ground with Bardak's right hand at her throat and he allegedly appeared to be trying to strangle her. He said Ms Buci seemed to be gasping for breath, so he tried to get Bardak off her by hitting him a couple of times around the back of the head and punching him in the kidneys. But this did not work and he said Bardak allegedly continued trying to strangle the woman. After a while, another man also arrived to help and urged Bardak to think of his own mother or sister. Ms Buci was finally able to escape when another man arrived and helped to get Bardak off her. Bardak ran away, but Mr Sturgess said he then saw that about three or four men had him 'pinned on the ground' and he went to help them, kneeling on his left arm. The trial of Cameron Turgay Bardak at Brisbane Supreme Court (pictured) continues He said Bardak spoke to the people holding him down as they waited for the police to arrive. 'I do remember him saying, I think, "kill me" at one stage and he also said "let me go" and ... I said "we can't let you go",' Mr Sturgess told the court. He said he didn't realise his own hand was hurting - with a gash from where he was hit by the hatchet - until after Bardak had been handcuffed by police. The trial continues. Found bound and buried in a shallow grave in Victoria's Gippsland region months after he vanished, the body of Bradley Lyons was missing both his feet, a court has heard. Mr Lyons, 30, was abducted from his Lakes Entrance home after a morning shift at a nearby supermarket over rumours he had sexually molested children. He was allegedly beaten, held captive for hours and summarily executed on an unnamed bush track near Double Bridges on December 2, 2018. This week, the trial of three men accused of his murder, Albert Thorn, 57, Jordan Bottom, 24, and Rikki Smith, 25, was told the investigation into his disappearance had found no evidence to substantiate the rumours. On Thursday, forensic anthropologist Samantha Rowbotham told the court it was her conclusion that Mr Lyons died from a shotgun blast to the back of his head at the gravesite. Lakes Entrance man Bradley Lyons (pictured) was allegedly beaten, held captive for hours and summarily executed on an unnamed bush track near Double Bridges on December 2, 2018 Referencing crime scene photos shown to the jury, she said he was found bound with tape, cable ties, a phone charging cable and fabric strips, while two tea towels were strapped to his head. The jury was told only 93 per cent of Mr Lyons' skeleton was recovered, with both feet, bones from his hands and a neck bone missing. Under cross-examination, she said it was 'likely' the result of animal predation. 'Most of the bones missing are from the feet and the area around the ankles was exposed to the surface,' she said. 'I think the most logical explanation would be animal scavenging, but I don't have any evidence to show that.' Three men are on trial for Mr Lyons' murder, including Jordan Bottom (pictured), 24 Earlier this week, Crown prosecutor Raymond Gibson KC told the court it was the prosecution's case that the three accused men were complicit and participated voluntarily in Mr Lyons' death. 'This was nothing short of vigilante action,' he said. 'People taking the law into their own hands and dishing out vigilante justice.' He said Mr Lyons' body was recovered in March the following year after Mr Bottom allegedly volunteered to lead police to the scene because it was the 'right thing to do'. Lawyers acting for Mr Bottom and Mr Smith have argued before the jury that while their clients were present and involved in the circumstances surrounding his death, neither man had murdered Mr Lyons. Instead, they told the jury their clients pointed the finger at Mr Thorn for allegedly firing the fatal shot. 'He didn't know what was going to happen,' Mr Bottom's barrister David Cronin said. 'He didn't think it would go that far and that he held fears for his safety.' But James Anderson, Mr Thorn's barrister, said his client denied being present when Mr Lyons died. Lawyers acting for Mr Bottom and co-accused Rikki Smith (pictured going into the Supreme Court in Melbourne) have argued before the jury that while their clients were present and involved in the circumstances surrounding his death, neither man had murdered Mr Lyons 'Albert Thorn is a kidnapper but he is not a murderer,' he said. He told the court his client had admitted to assaulting and kidnapping Mr Lyons but said he remained at his home when Mr Bottom, Mr Smith and Mr Lyons left. The jury was told Mr Thorn had pleaded guilty to kidnapping and false imprisonment, while he and Mr Smith had admitted to intentionally injuring Mr Lyons at his home. Mr Bottom has pleaded not guilty to charges of assault and false imprisonment, while all three men have entered pleas of not guilty to murder. The trial, before Justice Andrew Tinney, continues. Students from an elite private school sent racial slurs to each other and bragged about disliking Jewish people in a series of private messages. The shocking messages were posted in an online 'Studies of Religion' group chat between pupils of the King's School in North Parramatta, western Sydney. It is the latest controversy to hit the school after headmaster Tony George wrote to parents addressing a recent incident where several Year 12 boys decapitated a goanna with a pitchfork while on cadet camp. Students from an elite private school sent racial slurs to each other and bragged about disliking Jewish people in a series of private messages The shocking messages were posted in an online 'Studies of Religion' group chat between pupils of the prestigious King's School The private school charges about $24,000 for kindergarten students and up to $40,000 for Year 12 students. The latest incident took place over WhatsApp in September last year and saw racial slurs and jokes about sexual acts exchanged between students. One student wrote: 'I'm cool with muzzlims (sic) and pretty much everyone as long as they aren't J*wish (sic) or F*ench (sic).' In another message, a photo of a dark-skinned student was shared alongside a comment about 'buying' him 'at a mosque'. Other messages allegedly included themes of slavery, terrorism and a swastika. Daily Mail Australia has contacted the school for comment. A parent of a current student shared the chat group with The Daily Telegraph and slammed the 'minimal' response from the school. A King's School spokesman released a statement following the outrage. 'The school identified an issue of unacceptable online behaviour last year,' he said. 'The wellbeing of children is always central to the School's response to any issue. 'The matter was investigated and resolved to the satisfaction of the families involved at the time.' Daily Mail Australia contacted King's School for comment. The incident comes after headmaster Mr George addressed the killing of a goanna during a cadet camp. Exchanges took place over WhatsApp in September last year and saw racial slurs and jokes about sexual acts 'Not only are native animals protected by law, but animal cruelty is a heinous, inhumane act in all its forms. The school immediately reported the death of the goanna to the police, who continue to investigate the incident,' he wrote. Several students allegedly 'decided it would be funny' to kill a goanna during a cadet camping trip at the end of March. Mr George said that it is important to allow children to take risks, though he acknowledged this could lead to a public frenzy. 'This is not to say that these things aren't wrong on the contrary, they are not only wrong, but they can also be criminal,' he said. 'What I am saying is that the wrongful act does not justify the pillorying, shaming and vilification of students and their schools.' Police are today hunting for the fiance of a heavily pregnant primary school teacher found dead at her home in suspicious circumstances. The body of Marelle Sturrock, 35, was discovered at the flat she shared with her fiance David Yates, 36, in Glasgow on Tuesday morning. Her unborn child had also died. Police Scotland confirmed the death is being treated as suspicious and is linked to an ongoing search for a missing person - who they have not identified - at Mugdock Country Park, eight miles north of where Ms Sturrock's body was found on Jura Street. But MailOnline understands the wanted man is Ms Sturrock's partner, Mr Yates, who has not yet been found. David Yates, 36, is being hunted by police today after the death of his fiancee Marelle Sturrock, 35, who was found dead at home on Tuesday Marelle Sturrock (pictured on April 8) was heavily pregnant when she died in suspicious circumstances. Her unborn child also died Police Scotland confirmed the death is being treated as suspicious and is linked to an ongoing search for a missing person - who they have not identified - at Mugdock Country Park The exterior of the flat the pair shared in Glasgow, where Ms Sturrock was found dead on Tuesday morning Colleagues are understood to have raised the alarm when she did not arrive for work at school. Friends went to her flat and became suspicious when she did not answer the door. Officers were seen combing woodland inside the 600-acre Mugdock Country Park near Milngavie, Dunbartonshire around a 20-minute drive from where Ms Sturrock was found in the Craigton area of the city. Helicopter search teams could be seen flying above the park as the hunt for the 'missing person' intensified yesterday. Ms Sturrock, originally from Wick, Caithness, had posted a picture on social media just days earlier of her enjoying a dinner with friends in Glasgow. The couple's flat was cordoned off and under police guard yesterday, as two officers in white forensic suits scoured the property. Police are still in attendance at both sites and officers, dog units and a helicopter were all dispatched yesterday. In a letter sent to the families of pupils at Sandwood Primary School, where Ms Sturrock worked, the school said: 'It is with deep sorrow that I must inform you about the sudden death of Ms Sturrock who is a beloved member of our teaching staff. 'I know that this will come as a shock to our school community, and we will do all that we can to support children, staff and families through what will be a difficult and challenging time. 'I hope that you will understand that there are no other details that I can share at this time but wanted to let our families know the tragic news from the school.' A manhunt is under way after heavily pregnant primary school teacher Marelle Sturrock, 35, was found dead at her home in Glasgow. Pictured: her final photo, with friends, on Sunday Marelle Sturrock, pictured with Yates, was discovered at the property in the Craigton area of the city at around 8.40am yesterday, after police received a 'concern for person' call Police at the scene of a search for a missing person at Mugdock Park near Glasgow Ms Sturrock, whose due date was in July, lived with her fiance Mr Yates. It is understood the pair got engaged in 2015. According to neighbours, the couple would sometimes visit Mugdock Country Park to walk their dog. Neighbour Alex Collie said his wife had spotted Ms Sturrock's worried colleagues at the house on Tuesday morning. He told the Daily Record: 'My wife walked past when they were at the house. 'They were knocking on the door and seemed worried. I think concern was raised when she didn't show up for work. 'A few hours later we saw the police here. We got the shock of our life when we heard what had happened to Marelle. It's tragic. I can't believe it.' Mr Yates's mother Lynda would not comment yesterday but was being looked after by family at her home in Bearsden, Dunbartonshire. Pupils at Sandwood Primary School are being supported after the tragedy. Detective Chief Inspector Cheryl Kelly said: 'Our thoughts are with Marelle's family and friends, as well as everyone affected by this tragic incident. 'We are providing her family with support at this incredibly difficult time as our investigation to establish the full circumstances continues.' Ms Sturrock, whose due date was in July, lived with her fiance Mr Yates. Pictured: The living room inside the flat where the couple lived together It is understood the pair got engaged in 2015. Pictured: The kitchen inside the flat they shared together Friends went to her flat and became suspicious when she did not answer the door. Pictured: A garden at the rear of the property Sandwood Primary School, where Ms Sturrock (pictured with her dog) worked, confirmed her death in a letter to families of those with children at the school Ms Sturrock's death is currently being treated as suspicious Previously Detective Chief Inspector Kelly said: 'Officers have been carrying out extensive searches of Mugdock Country Park in relation to a missing person in the area. 'This is being treated as linked to the death at Jura Street and enquiries remain ongoing. 'Our thoughts are very much with everyone affected by this tragic incident. There is not believed to be any risk to the wider public but anyone with information or concerns can contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident 0904 of 25 April. 'A police presence will remain at both locations as enquiries continue and anyone with information is also urged to speak to any of our officers.' After news broke an Australian man fell overboard on a Brisbane-to-Hawaii cruise ship, relatives of the thousands of passengers spent hours riddled with anxiety, hoping their loved ones were safe. But with Royal Caribbean failing to address how and why he plummeted into the ocean from the Quantum of the Seas deck as it neared Hawaii on Wednesday night, rumours started to run rampant onboard. Passengers were ordered via the intercom to return to their rooms about 11pm as the ship shuddered to a halt about 1400km south of its destination. From their cabin windows, shocked holidaymakers saw staff deploying rescue boats and casting spotlights over the waters below as a desperate search was launched to rescue the missing man. Search teams deployed by the US Coast Guard set off soon after but the mission was suspended about 3pm once fuel supplies ran low. Air and sea crews are set to re-commence the search at first light. When the grim incident hit headlines around the globe, worried loved ones struggling to get in touch with family members flocked to social media seeking information. An Australian man went overboard from the Quantum of the Seas cruise ship in waters off Hawaii (pictured, stock image of the ship) Search teams deployed by the US Coast Guard set off soon after but the mission was suspended about 3pm once fuel supplies ran low. Air and sea crews are set to re-commence the search at first light But as passengers - and relatives - grappled for answers, misinformation quickly began to spread. Among the whispers on the ship were claims the missing man was in his 70s and had moments earlier lost his wife to a medical incident. Others were told he was a 25-year-old travelling with his mother. Some said the fall and medical incident were unrelated and it was also claimed the man was married to a dancer working on the ship. The leading version of events doing the rounds was that the man had lost his partner earlier that night, as relayed by radio caller Mark, whose wife and daughters were onboard. 'There was a show during the night, and the music stopped before it was announced there was a medical emergency, and apparently the person passed away' he told 2GB breakfast radio host Ben Fordham on Thursday. 'About 90 minutes later, the call went out that someone went overboard, and it turned out to be the partner of the person who passed away earlier.' The claim was quickly shared across news outlets and - subsequently - by word of mouth online, with many people confirming in comments sections 'it's true, I'm on this cruise'. Quantum of the Seas crew launched a desperate search for the man who fell overboard Other passengers quickly shot down the theory, slamming it as gossip, while some added the fatal medical condition was a heart attack. One woman, who has family on the ship, told Daily Mail Australia she was informed the man was elderly and his wife had suffered a cardiac arrest in the elevator shortly before he went overboard. Another person said the consensus on the ship was the man was 25. 'It's a very sad situation. I heard it's the partner of an entertainer who passed away on the cruise,' one woman speculated online, adding that her information came from 'someone on the ship'. Someone else told Daily Mail Australia: 'I heard he had some mental issues and was travelling with his mother'. A fourth person said friends who work on the boat had passed on that the man was 35 and connected to the woman who died. 'It is believed to be his wife. They both have the same last name and were sharing a room,' they said. Meanwhile, dozens of concerned relatives desperate for information took to Facebook asking passengers for more details as they were unable to contact loved ones on the ship. 'Can anyone tell me the name of the passenger or at least the age they are?' one man said. The cruise left Brisbane 15 days ago was en route to Hawaii, stopping at Tahiti along the way Pictured is a view of the the Quantum of the Seas deck 'My family are on board that ship. I am trying to get in contact to make sure it is none of them.' Another desperate relative queried: 'Has anything been confirmed whether it's a young person, old or anything?' In response, one man said staff had told passengers nothing. 'No one other then the people close or some crew members know the whole truth,' he said. 'There's so many rumours no announcements have been made.' Meanwhile, passengers became heroes as they worked to connect strangers who had reached out to them online with their relatives onboard. One woman offered up her iPad for those without internet while other passengers gathered a list of names of uncontactable travellers to take to the ship's staff to chase up. 'I have had a call from a concerned family member back in Australia wanting to make contact with ***** and *****,' one woman wrote in a group dedicated to passengers on the ship. 'I don't have a cabin number and they don't have internet . If anyone knows them onboard can you ask them to call cabin ****. Another woman said: 'If anyone on board needs to contact relatives or friends at home to let them know they are okay after last night and don't have Internet, please feel free to message on here and I'm happy to share my iPad and Internet.' More than six hours after being contacted for comment - and mass hysteria - cruise operator Royal Caribbean finally responded to this publication about 3pm. But while a spokesperson confirmed the medical incident and the fall were completely separate incidents, little clarification was made about the events or the their brief and delayed response. Different theories about the tragedy quickly began circulating online as the company remained silent People shared conjecture they had read online or second hand information from people onboard 'While on its trans-pacific sailing, a guest onboard Quantum of the Seas went overboard,' the spokesperson said in a statement. 'The ship's crew immediately launched a search and rescue operation and is working closely with local authorities. 'Out of respect for the family, we will not share further details about this unfortunate event.' Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Beau Morton who spent hours on Thursday morning trying to get in touch with his parents, said it was disappointing the company did not provide any details that could have allayed fears. 'It was heartbreaking to constantly worry about if it was any of my family members or not. Mr Morton said he spent hours trying to keep up with all the updates about the situation - non of which came directly from the company. 'Royal Caribbean could have done a bit better to provide any information,' he said. 'Even just the age of the passenger who fell so families whose loved ones on board who did not fall into that bracket had a bit of relief.' Desperate loved ones flocked online in search for updates as they worried about their relatives While he was finally relieved to get in touch with his family about 10.30am Thursday, Mr Morton's thoughts immediately turned to the family who would have to deal with the heartbreak. 'I give my condolences to them. It is very sad.' Another woman said she was lucky to get in touch with her relatives but 'could not imagine' the torment of not being able to reach them for hours. 'It would have been absolutely sickening,' she said. While issues on international waters can pose communication difficulties for authorities, this publication also faced an unusually long wait time to receive a response about the incident from the Department of Foreign and Affairs and Trade. Five hours after being contacted, a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia it 'stands ready to provide consular assistance' to the Australian man's family. 'The Australian Consulate-General in Honolulu is working closely with local authorities,' they said. 'We acknowledge the ongoing distress for the man's family and loved ones. 'Due to privacy obligations, we are unable to provide further information.' For confidential 24-hour support in Australia call Lifeline on 13 11 14. Horror at sea: Shocking twist in desperate search for Australian man who fell off a cruise ship By Kylie Stevens for Daily Mail Australia An Australian man who fell overboard from a cruise ship bound for Hawaii is not the to the partner of a passenger who died on the vessel during a medical emergency, the company has confirmed. A desperate search was launched for the man when he fell from the Quantum of the Seas about 1,400km south of Hawaii on Wednesday night AEST. The ship departed Brisbane on April 12 and had been due to dock in Honolulu on Friday after stopping at the Pacific island of Tahiti, cruise operator Royal Caribbean said. Shocked passengers recalled how they were ordered to return to their cabins and ensure all travelling companions were accounted for before being allowed to leave their rooms 90 minutes later. Bright lights were used in the desperate late-night search for the passenger as a US Coast Guard Hercules helicopter was deployed to scour the ocean from above. The US Navy has also been called in to assist in the large-scale search. The man's identity and how he went overboard is not yet known at this early stage. Tracking data shows the cruise stopped after the passenger went overboard but has since resumed its voyage and is now heading to Hawaii's Kona Island. The large scale search continues for the missing passengers in waters off Hawaii Passenger Georgina Thompson and her husband were in bed when they heard the call 'Oscar, Oscar, Oscar' the cruise ship line's code for 'man overboard'. 'There were lights, you know, the big lights shining on the ocean,' she told the Today show. 'And also there were a couple of boats out there in the water.' 'Then I got up and I went out to see what was happening. We didn't know at that time what was going on.' 'My husband thought we might have hit something or something like that, the way the ship stopped, but then we realised that there was someone overboard. No-one said anything at that time.' Ms Thompson said the tragedy had rattled fellow passengers and crew. 'We went to breakfast this morning and everyone was very sombre,' she said. 'I feel very sad for whoever it was.' Microsoft's president has warned Rishi Sunak that today is a 'bad day for Britain' after the UK's competition watchdog blocked the US tech giant's 55billion takeover of video game maker Activision Blizzard. Brad Smith also compared the regulatory environment unfavourably with the EU and warned the 'English Channel has never seemed wider' as he hit out at the Competition and Markets Authority. Regulators blocked the deal to acquire the maker of the Call of Duty video game series yesterday, saying it could hit competition in the nascent cloud gaming market. CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell today defended the action, saying it was the right decision for the UK. Mr Smith said he was 'very disappointed', calling today 'probably the darkest day in our four decades in Britain' and warning that the move 'had shaken confidence in the UK tech industry'. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I think the impact on the UK, unfortunately, is to shake the confidence among the business community in the UK, and the CMA as a regulatory agency. Microsoft's vice chair and president Brad Smith (pictured) has hit out after the software firm's takeover of gaming company Activision Blizzard was blocked by the UK competition watchdog The CMA's decision was announced on the same day Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attended a reception for representatives of the video games industry at 10 Downing Street yesterday 'I think it leaves people worried and it leaves people thinking that actually the process in Brussels worked far better than what we're now addressing in London. ANALYSIS: There's no guarantee that the CMA will bend, but a compromise is possible By SOPHIE LUND-YATES Microsoft's long-awaited strategic acquisition of game-maker Activision Blizzard has come under pressure from authorities once again. The CMA has concerns that the deal could undermine fair competition in cloud gaming if the Xbox maker decides to make Activision's games exclusive to its cloud gaming platform. Cutting alternative distribution off at the knees is seen as a step too far for the UK authorities. Scepticism among shareholders about the proposed takeover was already rife: the CMA is not the only regulatory body to be sniffing around the deal. Microsoft has plenty of financial resources to appeal the decision, with over $50billion of net cash languishing on the balance sheet. There's no guarantee that the CMA will bend on this one, but a compromise is possible. This could see Microsoft take on some areas of Activision and not others, but ultimately the final shape of the deal is hard to map. Microsoft needs this deal to help stoke growth in the wake of disappointing personal computer sales, with the gaming market a far more high-growth area, which would supplement the group's leading AI position. Activision's incredible haul of intellectual property is a big factor in this situation, but more broadly, as cloud gaming continues to grow and regulators learn as they go, tougher regulations and frustrating corporate outcomes are likely. Sophie Lund-Yates is lead equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown Advertisement 'Microsoft has been in the United Kingdom for years and we play a vital role not just supporting businesses and non-profits, but even defending the nation from cybersecurity threats. 'This decision, I have to say, is probably the darkest day in our four decades in Britain. It does more than shake our confidence in the future of the opportunity to grow a technology business in Britain than we've ever confronted before.' The CMA said it had prevented the purchase over concerns in the cloud gaming sector. Xbox owner Microsoft struck a deal to buy the maker of Candy Crush and Call Of Duty in January 2022. Microsoft and Activision have both said they will appeal the decision. And Mr Smith said he had hoped a post-Brexit Britain would have a more flexible regulatory environment. He said: 'I think investments flow to places where people have confidence in the way laws and regulations work, and for all of us who had some hope that, post-Brexit, the UK would construct a structure that would even be more flexible, that would be better for investment, better for technology, we're now finding the opposite appears to be true. 'I would like innovation to go forward with appropriate guardrails, but the guardrails need to allow innovation to advance. 'One of the ways that innovation advances is that companies are born and then they have the opportunity to merge and come together. That's how business around the world tends to flourish. 'I don't think people are going to want to start a company in a country and will then have regulators who will stop them from selling it to another company if the day arrives. 'There's a clear message here. The European Union is a more attractive place to start a business if you want some day to sell it than the United Kingdom.' Delivering a message to Prime Minister Mr Sunak, Mr Smith said: 'I think that if the Government of the United Kingdom wants to bring in investment, if it wants to create jobs, and if it wants to make the United Kingdom a home where technology is not only going to flourish, but be created, then it needs to look hard at the role of the CMA, this regulatory structure in the United Kingdom, this transaction and the message that the United Kingdom has just sent to the world. 'Because I can tell you that while I may have a point of view that is based in part on an interest that our company has, I have already heard from a great many around the world. Microsoft and Activision, which makes Call of Duty, have both said they will appeal the move The Call of Duty series (pictured) is one of Activision Blizzard's most iconic titles 'People are shocked, people are disappointed and people's confidence in technology in the United Kingdom has been severely shaken.' The CMA's decision was announced on the same day Mr Sunak attended a reception for representatives of the video games industry at 10 Downing Street. Activision, which also makes the Crash Bandicoot and Spyro games, said it will 'reassess our growth plans for the UK' as a result of the CMA's move. The CMA argued that the groups failed to address its worries over protecting innovation in the fast-growing cloud gaming market. The watchdog said the move will make Microsoft stronger in cloud gaming - where video games are played using remote servers and have no need for downloads - 'stifling competition in this growing market'. It claimed that Microsoft already accounts for between 60 and 70 per cent of cloud gaming services. Microsoft submitted a proposal in an effort to address concerns but the regulator said this contained a 'number of significant shortcomings'. Activision Blizzard also has the mobile game Candy Crush under its umbrella World of Warcraft is another popular game produced by Activision Blizzard Martin Coleman, chair of the independent panel of experts conducting the CMA investigation, said: 'Microsoft already enjoys a powerful position and head start over other competitors in cloud gaming and this deal would strengthen that advantage, giving it the ability to undermine new and innovative competitors. 'Microsoft engaged constructively with us to try to address these issues and we are grateful for that, but their proposals were not effective to remedy our concerns and would have replaced competition with ineffective regulation in a new and dynamic market.' A spokesman for Activision Blizzard said: 'The CMA's report contradicts the ambitions of the UK to become an attractive country to build technology businesses. 'We will work aggressively with Microsoft to reverse this on appeal. The report's conclusions are a disservice to UK citizens, who face increasingly dire economic prospects. 'We will reassess our growth plans for the UK. Global innovators large and small will take note that - despite all its rhetoric - the UK is clearly closed for business.' Desperate British families trapped in Sudan are racing to board the last evacuation plane out of the capital Khartoum before a fragile 72-hour ceasefire ends tonight. Thousands of terrified Britons - many of whom have risked their lives to reach an airbase near Khartoum - are now being warned they might not be able to be flown to safety after the fragile truce ends at midnight. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly told the desperate Brits that it could be 'impossible' to evacuate them on flights after tonight - meaning that thousands could be left to fend for themselves in the war-torn country that is a tinderbox for violence. Cleverly told Brits who have not yet made it to the airbase, 'if you're planning to move, move now' in a sign of just how desperate the situation has become. Britons are now are desperately racing across Sudan to reach the Wadi Saeedna airbase in time for the last flight in just over 12 hours. So far, more than 530 people - many of them young children - have been evacuated to Cyprus and now the UK on six flights as the government races to evacuate the thousands of Britons before the window of opportunity within hours. Hundreds of British families have somehow survived the nightmarish journey through the violent streets of Khartoum in order to reach the British troops waiting for them at the Wadi Saeedna airbase in Khartoum - all without a UK military escort. Britons have described seeing thieves and killers roaming the streets of the capital, with the corpses of civilians killed in the fighting between warring factions littering the ground in scenes that have been compared to the horror film The Purge. But even after this terrifying and gruelling journey, they are now being told they might not even be put on a flight once the ceasefire breaks. Desperate British families trapped in Sudan are racing to board the last evacuation plane out of the capital Khartoum before a fragile 72-hour ceasefire ends tonight. PIctured: Britons onboard an RAF aircraft in Sudan before being evacuated to Cyprus A British soldier holds a young British boy as scores of Britons boarded an RAF plane in Sudan PIctured: British Nationals about to board an RAF aircraft in Sudan, for evacuation to Larnaca International Airport in Cyprus Pictured: Violinist Othmano, hugging his daughter at Wadi Seidna airport in Sudan, before boarding an RAF C-130, that will take them to Cyprus Families are now waiting in anguish in what will be a nerve-wracking 16 hours - desperately hoping they will be able to flee to the safety of their homes in Britain. There are talks that those Britons left behind could be able to flee the country by boarding HMS Lancaster at Port Sudan. But this would mean that the exhausted Britons would have to risk their lives again - without a military escort - and make the perilous 500 mile journey south to the port. Indeed, as soon as the ceasefire ends tonight, terrified Britons will have to navigate deadly streets where the warring military factions will be fighting fiercely for control. The government, which has been criticised for not evacuating British civilians sooner after it focused on saving diplomats, said 536 people have been evacuated so far - a fraction of the 3,500 Britons believed to be still be trapped in the country. Hundreds of Brits are frantically racing across Sudan to reach Khartoum's air strip in time - but there are fears that many will not be able to reach the evacuation flights before they all depart due to how dangerous it is in the capital. Britons have told how taxi drivers have said no amount of money would convince them to drive to the capital, while the lack of petrol is also hampering efforts to escape. And even if they do arrive in time for the last evacuation flights, some people - including NHS doctors - are being turned away from the Sudanese airstrip by UK government officials. Evacuees are helped onboard an RAF C-130 aircraft at Wadi Seidna airport in Sudan on Thursday Foreign Secretary James Cleverly told the desperate Brits that it could be 'impossible' to evacuate them on flights after tonight Fighters ride in the back of a technical vehicle (pickup truck mounted with a turret) in the East Nile district of greater Khartoum on April 23 The RAF is evacuating British citizens on flights from Sudan to Larnaka airport, Cyprus as the conflict in Sudan escalates British nationals, who were evacuated from Sudan, are seen at the departure area of the Larnaca International Airport, before boarding a plane to Britain, in Larnaca, Cyprus, on Thursday British nationals, who were evacuated from Sudan, are seen at the Larnaca International Airport, before boarding a plane to Britain, in Cyprus on Thursday Britons evacuated from Sudan, are seen at the Larnaca International Airport, before boarding a plane to Britain, in Cyprus on Thursday Yesterday, the first Britons evacuated from Sudan landed at London Stansted airport - and were able to breathe a sigh of relief after a gruelling and terrifying week of violence. Parents held their children tightly as they made their way onto the tarmac - 24 hours after they had risked their lives to reach the British troops waiting for them at the Wadi Saeedna airbase in Khartoum. The evacuees broke down in tears when they were reunited with their loved ones who had been waiting in anguish for news of their safe return. One mother ran to her eight-year-old daughter and clung to her in an emotional embrace. Children, many of whom will have heard gunfights raging on the streets outside their relatives' homes, clung to their parents as they were helped onboard the British aircraft after being evacuated from Sudan yesterday. Many boarding the evacuation flights have been forced to leave family members behind, with one British man able to flee with his pregnant wife and their six-year-old son, but forced to leave behind his elderly mother. 'British soldiers checked all our papers. I brought my mum with me but she does not have a British passport. I tried to persuade the British soldiers to let her on the plane too but they would not let her,' Wathig Ali told the BBC. 'It was heartbreaking that I had to say goodbye to my mum.' Foreigners fleeing Khartoum have described bodies littering streets, buildings on fire, residential areas turned into battlefields and youths roaming with large knives. Air strikes and artillery have killed at least 459 people, wounded more than 4,000, destroyed hospitals and limited food distribution in the vast nation where a third of the 46 million people were already reliant on humanitarian aid. British evacuees disembark from a charter flight at Stansted airport in Essex after flying from Cyprus on Wednesday Noor, eight, hugs her mother Susan after she arrived at Stansted airport following her evacuation from Sudan on Wednesday People evacuated from Sudan arrive on a flight from Cyprus into Stansted airport in Essex on Wednesday British civilians, many of whom are children, are pictured safely onboard an RAF aircraft after being evacuated from Sudan Firebrand politician Mark Latham has said the mere thought of two men having sex was so 'disgusting' to a straight male it made him want to 'vomit'. 'The basic natural reality is that we don't go for anal sex with blokes and it's pukeworthy,' the NSW One Nation leader told a radio audience on Thursday. Mr Latham revealed more of his views on homosexual acts when asked to explain an offensive tweet he posted about about gay MP Alex Greenwich last month. Mr Greenwich had called Mr Latham a 'disgusting human being' for attending a rally where Christians clashed with LGBTQI activists on March 21. 'Disgusting?' Mr Latham responded on Twitter. 'How does that compare with sticking your d*** up a bloke's a*** and covering it with s***?' Firebrand politician Mark Latham has said the mere thought of two men having sex was so 'disgusting' to a straight male it made him want to vomit. 'The basic natural reality is that we don't go for anal sex with blokes and it's pukeworthy,' he said on Thursday Mr Latham, who has refused to apologise for the tweet, appeared on Chris Smith's TNT Radio program on Thursday afternoon and went even further with his comments. 'I speak for a lot of straight men, Chris, in saying that the idea of having anal sex with another man would make you vomit,' he said. 'That's what makes us straight. 'Now, I know there's no category or letter in the LGBT ABC WTF alphabet for straight men but that's how we honestly feel about people like Greenwich.' When Smith asked Mr Latham if he would use the same crude language in the tweet if he had his time over again he said: 'Well, it's code for anal sex between blokes'. 'I can tell you, Chris, if someone held a gun to my head and said I had to have anal sex with a bloke I'd vomit. I'd vomit all over him. And I speak for straight men and this is what makes us straight.' One Nation founder and federal leader Pauline Hanson called on Mr Latham to apologise after the tweet but he said on Thursday he would not. 'Pauline hasn't rung me at any stage during this,' Mr Latham told Smith. 'I've had no contact from her whatsoever. 'I'm assuming that as a woman she doesn't understand how straight men feel about this and... gay men obviously wouldn't understand how straight men feel about it but it's true. Mr Latham revealed his views on homosexual acts when asked to explain an offensive tweet he posted about about gay MP Alex Greenwich last month. Greenwich is pictured left with husband Victor Hoeld 'It's an absolute fact integral to our existence. It's not confected outrage or a confected point of view. We find the thought of having anal sex with another man to be off-putting, disgusting, horrible - you know, vomit-worthy. 'So, you know, that's just the reality. And that's not homophobia, that's just nature. 'The basic natural reality is that we don't go for anal sex with blokes and it's pukeworthy.' Two days after his original social media outburst, Mr Latham explained his refusal to apologise for the now-deleted tweet about Mr Greenwich. 'Sometimes in public life when you throw out insults they come back at you harder and truer So boo-hoo Alex Greenwich,' he said. Mr Latham said that when Mr Greenwich 'calls someone a disgusting human being for attending a meeting in a church hall, maybe attention will turn to some of his habits.' 'Greenwich goes into schools talking to kids about being gay,' he said. 'I didn't want to be accused of anything similar, leaving that kind of content on my socials.' One Nation founder and federal leader Pauline Hanson (centre) called on Mr Latham (right) to apologise after the tweet but he said he would not. 'Pauline hasn't rung me at any stage during this,' he told Chris Smith on Thursday. 'I've had no contact from her whatsoever' NSW Premier Chris Minns previously called Mr Latham's tweet 'vile' and said on April 2 he would try to block him from chairing any committees in the NSW Parliament's Upper House. Mr Latham responded to that call by telling Daily Mail Australia he was 'not running for any' committee chair positions and describing Mr Minns as 'a fool'. On Thursday, Mr Latham told Smith his tweet had been justified by Mr Greenwich suggesting he had encouraged violence at the the LGBTQI rally. 'Greenwich went out there and said I was a dangerous person,' he said. 'Said that I'd incited the violence, said that I was a disgusting human being.' Mr Latham said being called a disgusting human being was 'probably as extreme as you can get' for a politician and father. 'I took it to be an attack on my love of my children, my role in my community, my work in public life,' he said. 'He's attacked my very existence as a human being as disgusting. 'Greenwich has gone way over the top without any facts and I said what I honestly believe to be the truth in response to him. I gave my opinion. 'It's not an opinion that's fashionable, obviously. It was crudely expressed. The crude words were taken down off Twitter but there'll be no apology for Greenwich.' NSW Premier Chis Minns (pictured) called Mr Latham's tweet 'vile' and said his government would try to block him from chairing any committees in the NSW Parliament's upper house Asked what he would do if Ms Hanson demanded he resign from her party Mr Latham said: 'Well, she hasn't contacted me and I'm not apologising'. 'So I'm not resigning from anything. I'm not apologising and I'm not backing down.' Given another chance to say he should have expressed his tweet in a different manner Mr Latham admitted he could have phrased it less crudely. 'I suppose I would have spoken about "anal sex" but that's what I was talking about,' he told Smith. 'I grew up in Green Valley mate so saying that some bloke's sticking his d*** up some other bloke's bum or a*** is not uncommon in the language. 'It was very direct langue from the streets. It was too crude to leave up there, it came down but yeah, I should not have spoken about anal sex. But is that the big problem here?' The attack on Mr Greenwich briefly brought him to tears, he said. 'This has obviously been hurtful for me. I had a bit of a cry late yesterday at the end of the day,' he told reporters on March 31. 'After being in this gig for a decade and getting re-elected, I didn't think I'd still be subjected to homophobic abuse.' However, Mr Greenwich refused to call for Mr Latham to apologise or resign. 'I don't want to give him another soapbox for him to pretend to be a victim when he seeks to victimise people,' he said. Two people have died after a car crashed into the side of a hospital in Sydney's west. Police said a 55-year-old woman allegedly reversed into another car before accelerating forward and hitting a pedestrian, a 69-year-old woman, outside a multi-storey car park near Nepean Hospital near Penrith just after 3pm on Thursday. Both tragically died in the incident. They were members of the public rather than medical staff. It is believed the driver suffered a medical episode, while the 23-year-old in the car that was reversed into was treated for shock after witnessing the incident. NSW Police and NSW Ambulance paramedics are on the scene, and investigations into the cause of the crash are underway. It is understood they will be analysing CCTV. Police said a woman in her 60s allegedly reversed into another car before hitting a pedestrian, a woman believed to be in her 40s, outside a multi-storey car park near Nepean Hospital near Penrith at around 3.20pm on Thursday A white sheet was placed over the car (pictured) while police conducted investigations Emergency vehicles at the scene of the crash A spokesperson for NSW Police said: 'On arrival, officers attached to Nepean Police Area Command were told a 55-year-old woman had allegedly reversed her car into another car, before accelerating and hitting a 59-year-old female pedestrian. 'The driver and pedestrian were both assessed by NSW Ambulance paramedics; however, they were pronounced dead at the scene.' 'The driver of the other car a 23-year-old woman was treated by hospital staff for shock.' While Nepean Hospital remains open, patients, visitors and staff are being asked to avoid the area outside the multi-storey car park on Derby Street, Kingswood. Video from the scene showed the vehicle lodged at an angle between a concrete pillar of the carpark and a brick wall of the hospital building. White sheets had been placed over the car windows. Karen McKeown, MP for Penrith, said: 'Thoughts and prayers for those involved. My heart breaks for those families who lost their loved ones today.' Coles has opened Australia's first automated distribution centre in an effort to strengthen supply chains but there are fears it may cost Australian jobs. The Redbank distribution centre in Queensland is the company's largest investment in its history and was announced as part of a $1 billion push to prevent stock shortages. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Coles bosses officially opened the centre Thursday morning. The new facility will be followed by another in Kemps Creek, New South Wales next year, with the supermarket saying the facility will 'improve efficiency and benefit the environment.' Chief Operating Officer Matt Swindle also claims the new technology will not mean any cutbacks on jobs. Coles has opened the first automated distribution centre in Australia in Queensland 90 per cent of stock will be handled by machines, eliminating 18 million kilograms of manual handling each week for staff 'We've never had more jobs in Coles,' he told the Today show. 'We have over 130,000 team members at the moment. It was 117,000 three years ago,' he said. The new automatic distribution centres should be able to process twice the number of cases and hold twice the number of pallets compared to current distribution centres. Coles CEO Steven Cain said: 'The automatic distribution centres enable us to half our current total footprint, leading to a more productive and sustainable business model.' More than 90 per cent of the stock going through these centres will be handled by machines, eliminating 18 million kilograms of manual handling each week for staff. Queensland's new facility has created 430 new jobs for workers engineering and manufacturing the systems. The Prime Minster commended Coles for their new approach to supplying their stores. Coles is set to open a second automated centre next year in New South Whales Anthony Albanese said the automated system will create more resilient supply chains which will prevent notorious stock shortages in supermarkets The new centre in Redbank, 30kms out of Brisbane, is the size of two Suncorp Stadiums - the largest stadium in QLD Mr Albanese said that the automated centre will set an example that other retailers can follow. 'As we've seen during the pandemic and natural disasters, resilient supply chains are essential when it comes to feeding our nation and providing Australians with essential supplies,' he said. 'A facility like this one in Redbank shows how retailers and manufacturers can look to the future to improve the productivity, safety and sustainability of their operations for all Australians.' Coles' first centre is 30kms south-west of Brisbane and covers 170,000 square metres, equivalent to the size of two Suncorp Stadiums. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Coles Supermarkets for comment. Two rival coffee brands familiar to Australian supermarket shoppers are at war over the shape of a glass jar. The bitter fight between Moccona's Dutch American owner, Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE), and Vittoria has gone to the Federal Court. The multinational alleges the Australian company has engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct by selling its instant coffee in a flat-top jar that customers could confuse with Moccona's distinctively shaped container. While Vittoria also sells instant coffee in 100 gram jars, it is their 400g jar which is at issue. As a result JDE launched Federal Court proceedings against Vittoria, one of Australia's oldest coffee makers, in February 2023. A bitter fight between Moccona's Dutch American owner, Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE), and Vittoria has gone to the Federal Court over the shape of the latter's 400g jar The shape of Moccona's instant coffee jars is trademarked and according to its parent, Jacobs Douwe Egberts, it is also iconic The shape of Moccona's jars is trademarked and according to its parent, JDE, it is also iconic. The Amsterdam-based company, which also makes Pickwicks tea, L'Or Espresso, Piazza D'Oro and Kenco coffees, says the shape of the Moccona jar is one of the company's 'crown jewels'. JDE's head of category development and shopper insights Ross Tillman claimed in documents tended to the court that the Moccona glass jar is a visual cue that customers use to select their product. 'By advertising, promoting, offering for sale and selling infringing products in a shape resembling [Moccona's glass jar], [Vittoria] is likely to mislead a number of ordinary and reasonable consumers of coffee in Australia into the erroneous belief that the infringing products emanate from [JDE] or are otherwise connected, associated or affiliated with [JDE] and their premium coffee products,' read one court document. It is understood that JDE has suffered commercial losses since Vittoria began putting more products on supermarket shelves. But Vittoria, which was started by brothers Orazio and Carmelo in 1947 and began roasting coffee in Sydney 65 years ago, brutally shot back at JDE's claims of a trademark infringement. Brothers Orazio and Carmelo started Vittoria in Australia in 1947, initially selling mineral water, parmesan cheese and pasta Vittoria chief executive Les Schirato said his company's reputation is such that it doesn't want or need to trade off Moccona's, Nine newspapers reported. 'You don't get Moccona being served in cafes and restaurants and five-star hotels. So for me, the issue of passing off or trying to attempt to pass off on their reputation is not something we would ever want,' Mr Schirato said. But in supermarkets the respective coffee do appear to be pitched at similar buyers, at least based on price alone. An online search on April 27 showed Vittoria's 400g jars of freeze-dried latte instant coffee retail at $24 (discounted by $8) compared to several Moccona varieties for sale in 400g jars for $28. Mr Schirato also pointed out that the respective labels make it clear which coffee is contained in the jars. Vittoria has alleged in a counter claim that JDE's trademark for the Moccona jar is invalid and should be cancelled. The Australian company's statement of claims also alleges that the Moccona jar is functional and 'does not distinguish the designated goods or services'. The incendiary guest list for the Coronation was branded a 'slap in the face' today by critics who erupted with fury after Sinn Fein's leader and a Chinese official who oversaw a civil liberties crackdown in Hong Kong were invited. Michelle O'Neill, Sinn Fein's deputy president and leader in Northern Ireland, was branded a hypocrite for saying she would attend. Her republican party has been accused of preventing Unionists from celebrating the historic occasion in Ulster. Sinn Fein MPs elected to Westminster refuse to take their seats or take an oath to the British monarch, yet Ms O'Neill says she will be in London on May 6 to see Charles crowned and help to 'build good relations between the people of these islands'. And Tory China hawks led by former party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith branded it 'outrageous' that Chinese vice-president Han Zheng is also on the King's guest list. Mr Han dealt with Hong Kong affairs on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party and proposed the controversial extradition bill which sparked widespread protests in the territory. By contrast, Lady Pamela Hicks, a bridesmaid to the late Queen whose father Lord Mountbatten was murdered by the IRA of which Ms O'Neill's party was the political wing throughout the Troubles has been left off the Coronation guest list. Mark Clifford, president of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, said that it was a 'slap in the face' for Britain, accusing Zheng of 'destroying one of the freest and most prosperous cities in Asia'. Michelle O'Neill, Sinn Fein's deputy president and leader in Northern Ireland, was branded a hypocrite for saying she would attend Chinese vice-president Han Zheng is also on the King's guest list. Mr Han dealt with Hong Kong affairs on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party and proposed the controversial extradition bill which sparked widespread protests in the territory He told The Times: 'There are over 1,400 political prisoners in Hong Kong today compared to none when Han Zheng took over the role to oversee Hong Kong in 2018. This should give the British government pause about inviting a man with this record of destruction to the coronation.' He said: 'Han Zheng has been a key player in the suppression of Hong Kong's freedoms.' Ms O'Neill, who attended the Queen's funeral in September, said she had accepted the invitation on behalf of the people in Northern Ireland 'for whom the Coronation is a hugely important occasion'. But it sparked a backlash among Unionists, who said they were being prevented from celebrating by nationalist-controlled councils in Ulster. DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said: 'While the decision has been made by Sinn Fein to recognise the monarchy, we nevertheless need to see attendance at such events also translated into a recognition that in Northern Ireland there are many who want to celebrate. 'But where Sinn Fein controls local councils, they are unwilling to support celebrations in the way they're happening across the UK.' DUP MP Sammy Wilson said Ms O'Neill's attendance was 'for the international cameras', adding: 'But at the same time they make sure they remain true to form back here in Northern Ireland where there's no media spotlight and where [Sinn Fein] local councils just continue their anti-British, anti-royal stance to please their grassroots.' Former Labour minister Baroness Hoey said: 'My issue with it is that in a lot of the nationalist Sinn Fein-controlled councils in Northern Ireland, they have refused any kind of support for the Coronation, any celebrations, street parties, any of that in their areas. 'So it seems a little hypocritical that she is going off to wine and dine, colloquially speaking.' Ms O'Neill's attendance at the Coronation in Westminster Abbey on Saturday, May 6, will be seen as highly controversial. Lady Pamela Hicks, a bridesmaid to the late Queen whose father Lord Mountbatten was murdered by the IRA has been left off the Coronation guest list She would be in line to become Northern Ireland's First Minister if the current power-sharing impasse at Stormont, caused by disagreements over the post-Brexit trading arrangements governing the province, is resolved and devolution returns in Belfast. It is for this reason she will have been invited, based on government advice. Sinn Fein's Assembly speaker Alex Maskey, who spent two years in internment in the 1970s, has also accepted an invitation to the Coronation. Sinn Fein was the political wing of the IRA, which murdered Lord Mountbatten King Charles's mentor in a 1979 bomb attack. The decision to attend is the latest signal of the greatly improved relations between the republican movement and the monarchy since the start of the peace process in Northern Ireland. The attendance of Mr Han, who was recently appointed by Chinese president Xi Jinping as his deputy, triggered cross-party anger a day after Foreign Secretary James Cleverly called for a more constructive relationship with China. Tory China hawks led by former party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith branded it 'outrageous' that Mr Han is invited Sir Iain said: 'This is the man responsible for trashing the international treaty, the Sino-British Accord, in the course of which the Hong Kong authorities have persecuted peaceful democracy campaigners. Having this man here, given his role, is outrageous.' Former levelling up secretary Simon Clarke added: 'China is a strategic adversary of the United Kingdom. She is working to undermine democracies the world over, including on UK soil.' A Labour official said it was 'disappointing' that someone 'so intimately involved in ongoing human rights violations in Hong Kong' would be attending the Coronation. Hong Kong was rocked by demonstrations in 2019 and 2020 when Mr Han headed up the Central Leading Group on Hong Kong following the introduction of extradition legislation. The authorities were criticised for the heavy-handed nature of their crackdown on protesters, which were backed by Mr Han. The decision to invite Ms O'Neill and Mr Han to the Coronation was made by the Government and not Buckingham Palace. By contrast, Lady Pamela would have been a personal guest of the Royal Family. One of the King's personal secretaries phoned Lady Pamela to apologise, explaining that there was not enough room for everyone. Terrified UK-resident NHS doctors stranded in Sudan today said they are being turned away from evacuation flights in Khartoum because they do not hold British passports. NHS doctors have queued for hours at the airfield in the Sudanese capital after risking their lives to reach the RAF planes - only to be turned away by British officials at the evacuation site. The medics, who are UK residents, are now desperately pleading with officials to be let on the planes so that they can reach the safety of their homes in Britain and escape the war-torn country that is a tinderbox for violence. Dr Tarig Hassan, 32, an orthopaedic surgeon at Manchester Royal Infirmary, told The Times he is among the NHS medics who are now pleading to be let on the evacuation flights. But some of the doctors have already been kicked out of the Wadi Saeedna airbase after being told there are 'no exceptions' and they must have a British passport to board the evacuation plane. Terrified UK-resident NHS doctors stranded in Sudan today said they are being turned away from evacuation flights in Khartoum because they do not hold British passports. Pictured: Britons board an RAF aircraft in Sudan on April 25 In this image grab taken from handout video footage released by the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on April 23, 2023, fighters ride in the back of a technical vehicle One doctor said they had shown the British officials at the airbase that their MP had told them to travel to Wadi Saeedna and the fact that they have a UK residence permit would mean they would be let on the next evacuation flight. But despite showing the officials their permit and that they worked for the NHS, the officials turned the medic away. 'Even with showing them that I am working in the NHS, they didn't want to talk further and they showed me the way out,' the doctor said in a post shared by the Sudanese Junior Doctors Association UK. 'They mentioned to me clearly either I need to have a British passport or to be with a family member who has a British passport with no other exceptions at all.' The Sudanese Junior Doctors Association UK slammed the government for their decision to stop NHS doctors from getting on the evacuation flights after enduring a nightmarish journey to reach the airbase. 'They went through a dangerous journey to get to Wadi Saeedna amid a fragile ceasefire and queued for hours just to be thrown out and left with no hope to be able to return to their home and job,' the association said. Hassan, 32, told the Times he is now stranded at Khartoum airport as he does not have a British passport - but does have a right to remain. He had travelled to Sudan to celebrate the end of Ramadan with his family. Earlier this week, he demanded the Foreign Office step in to help doctors and criticised the government for prioritising evacuating diplomats over NHS medics and civilians. 'We've worked for the NHS, we sacrifice our time and effort, we deserve to be looked after at this difficult time,' he told The Times. And time is running out for the more than 60 NHS doctors - as well as the nearly 3,500 civilians - believed to be still stuck in Sudan to leave the war-torn country before the fragile 72-hour ceasefire ends tonight. Some Britons have been forced to leave family members behind, with one British man able to flee with his pregnant wife and their six-year-old son, but forced to leave behind his elderly mother because she did not have a British passport. British nationals get evacuated with the assistance of Britain's Rapid Deployment Team, in Khartoum, Sudan, on April 25 'British soldiers checked all our papers. I brought my mum with me but she does not have a British passport. I tried to persuade the British soldiers to let her on the plane too but they would not let her,' Wathig Ali told the BBC. 'It was heartbreaking that I had to say goodbye to my mum.' He said as he awaited a plane out of the country: 'I feel for my pregnant wife - she is acting brave. Escaping this nightmare hasn't been done yet. I hope the nightmare will end soon.' Thousands of terrified Britons - many of whom have risked their lives to reach an airbase near Khartoum - are now being warned they might not be able to be flown to safety after the fragile truce ends at midnight. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly told the desperate Brits that it could be 'impossible' to evacuate them on flights after tonight - meaning that thousands could be left to fend for themselves in the war-torn country that is a tinderbox for violence. Cleverly told Brits who have not yet made it to the airbase, 'if you're planning to move, move now' in a sign of just how desperate the situation has become. So far, more than 530 people - many of them young children - have been evacuated to Cyprus and now the UK on six flights as the government races to evacuate the thousands of Britons before the window of opportunity within hours. Hundreds of British families have somehow survived the nightmarish journey through the violent streets of Khartoum in order to reach the British troops waiting for them at the Wadi Saeedna airbase in Khartoum - all without a UK military escort. Britons have described seeing thieves and killers roaming the streets of the capital, with the corpses of civilians killed in the fighting between warring factions littering the ground in scenes that have been compared to the horror film The Purge. But even after this terrifying and gruelling journey, they are now being told they might not even be put on a flight once the ceasefire breaks. And for the NHS doctors with UK permits - and the right to remain in Britain - there is not much hope they will be able to be rescued. A rare black fox named Shadow has been tracked down and rescued after roaming the streets of Wales for two weeks. Black Foxes UK began receiving numerous reports of an abandoned 'silver fox' on 8 April 2023 and have since have been hatching a plan to capture the creature, which is believed to have escaped from its owner after being privately kept as an exotic pet. Now the animal rescuers have announced Shadow, which is a fox from a captive-bred line of North American red fox, was captured in Barry, Wales, on Monday. In a Facebook post the rescue service revealed the good news, as they detailed how difficult the capture was to begin with. 'We have received hundreds of calls and messages, and attempts to locate the owner were fruitless,' the organisation said. A rare black fox named Shadow has been tracked down and rescued after roaming the streets of Wales for two weeks. Black Foxes UK began receiving numerous reports of an abandoned 'silver fox' on April 8 and have since been hatching a plan to capture the creature, which escaped from its owner after being privately kept as an exotic pet Now the animal rescuers have announced Shadow, which is a fox from a captive-bred line of North American red fox, was captured in Barry, Wales, on Monday 24 April 'Due to stretched resources, the RSPCA were limited in their capacity to assist, asking members of the public to only call if the animal was injured. They were able to make an attempt to capture the fox several times but they were ultimately unsuccessful. 'Black Foxes UK had also sought the assistance of the Local Authority animal warden and local cat rescue, Shua Trust Home and Sanctuary, who assisted with the capture of an escaped silver fox in Barry, Wales, in 2021. They were able to safely capture the fox [on] Monday 24th April 2023.' They went on to say that the male fox, who appears to be around two years old, was named 'Shadow' by his rescuers. While initial reports said Shadow had a leg injury, Black Foxes UK found that he appeared to be in good health. Vets4Pets treated the fox in their Barry branch and he was 'provided with the attention he required'. The rescue service added: 'Shadow is very confident around people and was clearly well-socialised prior to his escape. Black Foxes UK have found a secure home for him with Animals Interactive. 'It is possible there may be a second fox, which is the fox with the injury, but this remains to be made clear. If this injured fox is seen, please contact the RSPCA emergency line on 0300 1234 999 and notify ourselves.' They went on to thank the Local Authority Animal Warden and Shua Trust Home and Sanctuary for going 'above and beyond' to help provide emergency assistance for a 'silver fox in need'. 'The team at Shua is small and their workload is heavy, so if you would like to say thank you to the team for their remarkable compassion and dedication, please consider donating to the organisation and showing your support!', the post read. In a Facebook post the rescue service revealed the good news where they detailed how difficult the capture was to begin with. 'We have received hundreds of calls and messages and attempts to locate the owner were fruitless,' the organisation said They went on to say that the male fox, who appears to be around two years old, was named 'Shadow' by his rescuers. While initial reports said Shadow had a leg injury, Black Foxes UK found that he appeared to be in good health. Vets4Pets treated the fox in their Barry branch and he was 'provided with the attention he required' The black creature, known as a silver fox, was spotted by several shocked onlookers in Barry, south Wales The silver fox is believed to be the same animal that escaped in 2021 and was spotted outside the town's Asda supermarket When the fox was first spotted, Hayley De Ronde, who runs the website blackfoxes.co.uk, said owning and breeding the creatures needed to be regulated. She said all sightings should be reported and urged witnesses not to approach the animals. 'While some of these sightings will be of native wild foxes, some of the animals seen are that of escaped exotic pets in need of being located and returned home,' Ms De Ronde noted. The silver fox is believed to be the same animal that escaped in 2021 and was spotted outside the town's Asda supermarket, and was one of two on the loose in 2018. The animals are a subspecies of North American red foxes and have big bushy tails. The latest set of teacher strikes begin today, meaning some schools in England and Northern Ireland will be shut. Teachers who are members of the National Education Union (NEU) will strike on Thursday, 27 April, 2023 and Tuesday, 2 May, 2023. This comes after previous industrial action by the NEU led to school closures in February and March. So, when are the school strikes? Which schools are striking in my area? Read on below for a comprehensive guide to which schools are on strike. Striking teachers on a march to Trafalgar Square during the previous period of industrial action in March Why are teachers striking? Teachers have begun fresh strikes as a long-running dispute over pay continues. The NEU said it believed the majority of schools are expected to either restrict access to pupils or fully close because of the strikes. However, MailOnline understands the Department for Education (DfE) is expecting more than 90% of schools to remain open in some capacity today. Many secondary schools in England are expected to prioritise Year 11 and Year 13 students during the strikes, with as dates for GCSE and A-level exams draw closer. The NEU has issued guidance saying it will support arrangements during the strikes that 'provide the minimum level of teaching staff needed' so GCSE and A-level students can attend school for revision activities or exam practice. Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the NEU, said: 'There's lots of places where arrangements are being made. 'In some places it's members teaching, in others it is teachers setting work for the children on those days.' 'Obviously, there is still disruption and we've fully acknowledged that and regret it, but we've taken those steps on the dispensations to try and assuage that concern as much as possible.' Which schools are closed? School closures vary across England and Northern Ireland. Some counties in England have provided lists of school closures, whilst others advise parents to check with individual schools. Picket lines have been mounted outside schools across England, with several rallies set to take place. The NEU is expected to announce three more strikes during the summer term after its members voted to reject the Government's pay offer. 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 following intensive talks with the education unions. Four education unions, the NEU, the NASUWT teaching union, the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), have rejected the pay offer. A Department for Education spokesperson said: 'Any strike action is hugely damaging. We have made a fair and reasonable pay offer to teachers recognising their hard work and commitment. 'Thanks to the further 2 billion pounds we are investing in our schools, next year, school funding will be at its highest level in history.' Advice on school closures by county in England can be seen below. Bedfordshire The website of Bedfordshire County Council contains information on school closures in the area. Berkshire West Berkshire County Council has a list of schools which are shut on its website. Buckinghamshire School closures in Buckinghamshire can be seen via an updated list. Bristol All school closures in Bristol can be seen here. Birmingham Click here for school closures in and around Birmingham. Cornwall Cornwall Council does not have a full a list of affected schools, instead advising that parents should check with individual schools in the county. Cambridgeshire School strike status in Cambridgeshire can be seen here. Chesire Closures of schools in East Cheshire can be viewed here. Cumbria Cumbria school students and parents can find a list of affected schools here. Derbyshire A list of schools in Derbyshire schools which are closed which are shut is available here. Devon Schools affected by closures in Devon can be seen on the county council's website. Dorset Dorset school closures can be seen via this live list. Durham On strike action days, a complete list of affected schools can be found on Durham County Council's website. East Sussex East Sussex County Council issues information at 3.30pm the day prior to any planned strikes. The council also advises parents to check with individual schools for more information. Essex Essex County Council publishes a list at 6pm the day prior to any planned action. The council also advises parents to contact individual schools. Gloucestershire Gloucestershire County Council's website has a full list of schools affected by industrial action. Greater Manchester Bolton - click here. Bury - click here. Oldham - click here. Rochdale - click here. Salford - click here. Stockport - click here. Tameside - click here. Trafford - click here. Wigan - click here. Hampshire Hampshire County Council's website has a list of closures, based on information they receive from individual schools in the county. Herefordshire Herefordshire County Council advises parents to check with individual schools. Hertfordshire Closures of schools in Hertfordshire can be seen by using this interactive search tool. Kent Kent County Council also has a search tool, which shows if a school is shut or not. Parents are also advised to check with individual schools. Lancashire Lancashire County Council will release a detailed list showing which schools will be open or closed. Leicestershire A list of schools affected by the strikes in Leicestershire can be seen here. Lincolnshire Lincolnshire County Council is not listing affected schools on its website. You should check with individual schools for more information. London Check your borough website. Merseyside Merseyside County Council's website is not showing a full list of affected schools, so parents should check with individual schools to see if they are shut or not. Norfolk Norfolk County Council does not currently have a list of schools affected by industrial action, so the advice is to check with individual schools. Northamptonshire North Northamptonshire County Council and West Northamptonshire County Council will not be offering lists on strike days. The council says individual schools should notify parents regarding any closures. Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire County Council is not giving information on the council website on the relevant strike days so you will need to contact individual schools for information. Northumberland A list of school closures is made available on Northumberland County Council's website on strike days. Oxfordshire Oxfordshire Council says it will not provide advance warning of strike action on its website, and asks parents to 'wait for advice from your child's school'. Rutland Find all school closures in Rutland can be viewed by clicking here. Shropshire A full list of schools which are affected by strike action is available on Shropshire County Council's website. Somerset A full and regularly updated list can be found on Somerset County Council's website. Staffordshire You can access the list of school closures on Staffordshire County Council's website. Suffolk Suffolk County Council advises parents to check individual schools' websites for information on strikes. Surrey On strike days, Surrey County Council is not providing a list and asks parents to check individual schools' websites. Warwickshire Warwickshire council's website, viewable here, has a full list of strikes. Wiltshire Wiltshire Council does not appear to contain a list of schools that might be closed, with parents advised to contact individual schools. Worcestershire Worcestershire County Council has full details of schools shut in the county. Yorkshire In Yorkshire, parents are advised to check with individual schools to see if they are open. Just Stop Oil zealots sparked another day of road chaos in London today as they launched a new protest. While police in Germany this week dragged eco-fanatics who had glued their hands to roads in Berlin off highways, Metropolitan Police officers stood around and appeared to make no immediate action while protesters from the XR offshoot tried to bring the capital to a standstill. Activists from Just Stop Oil blocked a Ferrari driver on the world-famous Strand this morning at around 8.30am. Shortly before 9am, police issued a dispersal order to clamp down on another stunt at Waterloo Bridge. Scotland Yard has come under fire for their 'upside down' approach to policing, at times threatening members of the public asking eco-zealots to move with arrest while appearing to stand by. By contrast, German police drilled around protesters who had glued their hands to a road in Berlin before arresting them. LONDON: Police officers standing by and watching Just Stop Oil activists on the Strand BERLIN: A specialist officer drills around a man's hand to remove him from the road The call for UK police to force activists out of roads more quickly comes after the Home Secretary Suella Braverman criticised officers in some of their responses to 'militant' activists. She said yesterday: 'There's a perception that at times [police] are supporting the militant protesters, as I said, giving them cups of tea or dancing along with them. I think that from a public confidence point of view, all of that is damaging. They need to be seen to be serious. 'They need to be seen to be responding actually, and swiftly, to the crimes that people are enduring: antisocial behaviour, vehicle theft, rape and serious sexual violence, burglary. Those are the priorities that the British people want the police to deliver.' In a tweet, a spokesman for Just Stop Oil said: 'Just 15 ordinary people, supported by trained march facilitators, are acting in resistance against this criminal Government and their attempt to licence 100 new fossil fuel projects. Other teams are preparing to join.' They later added a second team had taken the eastbound carriageway on the Strand too, bringing the entire road to a halt. LONDON: Protesters blocking the Strand this morning BERLIN: A climate activist being removed from a road in the German capital Just Stop Oil posted a series of tweets disclosing where they would be protesting today Posting a picture of activists standing in front of a black Ferrari, the group said: 'Driver of 300,000 Ferrari realises they should have got the tube and saved 299,996.' A third team of Just Stop Oil members also joined in the group's 'slow-marching'. This team, led by Phoebe Plummer, chanted 'no more oil', 'no more gas' and 'insulate Britain', video footage showed. Ms Plummer has previously been involved in high-profile actions for Just Stop Oil, most famously being arrested after throwing a tin of Heinz tomato soup over a 76million Vincent Van Gogh painting in the National Gallery. The protesters held signs and wore high-vis jackets as they stood in the centre of the tarmac. In a statement on social media, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: 'At around 08.00hrs Just Stop Oil #protesters started to slow march in the roads on #TheStrand, #TrafalgarSquare and #BoroughHighStreet. 'Police are quickly on scene and engaging with protesters to minimise disruption to Londoners.' The Met Police later confirmed they had told activists to get off the road at Waterloo Bridge, and that all activists complied. A spokesman said that 'conditions' were issued to protesters at around 8.45am, and asked them to move out of the road as their slow walk 'was causing severe and deliberate disruption to those going about their daily business.' The protesters complied and moved out of the road. LONDON: Just Stop Oil protesters marching through central London on Thursday LONDON: Activists holding signs reading 'End climate injustice' Police issued a Section 12 Public Order Act warning to the protesters Police issued a Section 12 Public Order Act warning to the protesters. It stated: 'This JSO [Just Stop Oil] protest must use the pavement for protest within the London Boroughs of Westminster, Lambeth and Southwark until 23:59hrs on Thursday, 27 April 2023.' Yesterday police seemed to strengthen action against the eco zealots blocking traffic amid a warning by a Met boss that unclear laws were hindering efforts to keep the roads open. Just Stop Oil (JSO) activists were threatened with arrest on Wednesday after conditions allowed officers to break up the group's third day of 'slow marches' in London. Earlier in the week, officers were forced to stand by and even protect the activists from furious commuters. Protesters need to be deemed to be causing 'serious disruption' for officers to intervene but police chiefs are given no definition of what this actually means. Deputy assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor, who is leading the Met's response to the protests, revealed Just Stop Oil did not cross this threshold earlier in the week because activists spent only 'about 15 minutes' on the road. It is an image that came to define the reign of a playboy monarch. The then King Juan Carlos I of Spain, on one of his many hunting trips, posing triumphantly with a rifle in hand in front of his sprawling prey: a dead elephant. Now, nearly a decade on from his abdication, the former monarch's prodigious hunting exploits have come back to haunt him in the heart of Madrid, thanks to the appearance of a rifle-wielding statue. It was positioned in the city's Puerta del Sol square yesterday to make it look as though the former king was pointing a rifle at the famous Bear and Strawberry Tree (El Oso y el Madrono) statue, which depicts the official symbols of Madrid. Juan Carlos, now 85, famously shot nine bears during a single hunting trip in Romania in 2004 and, in a separate trip to Russia, allegedly shot a tame bear which had been plied with honey and vodka. A rifle-wielding statue of Spain's former King Juan Carlos I appeared in Madrid's Puerta del Sol square yesterday, arranged to look as though he was pointing his weapon at the city's famous El Oso y el Madrono - the Bear and the Strawberry Tree - statue He shot the elephant dead during a hunting trip in 2006, but the infamous photo did not emerge until years later. Juan Carlos abdicated in 2014 in favour of his son Felipe. His popularity plummeted after details emerged of another elephant-shooting trip, this time to Botswana in 2012, where he was joined by his former lover, aristocrat Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn. The extraordinary lavish jaunt sparked fury because it came at a time when ordinary Spaniards were suffering a terrible recession and youth unemployment that stood at 50 per cent. The new depiction of Juan Carlos was made by artist Nicolas Miranda and called 'Parasitic Strategies for Survival in a Cruel World'. It deliberately alludes to the former monarch's love of hunting. Miranda said: 'My work as a contemporary artist is parasitic. I parasite something that already exists. Juan Carlos's elephant-shooting trip to Botswana in 2012 caused a media frenzy and national outcry in Spain. Above: A photo of the king posing next to an elephant he had shot dead in an earlier hunting trip in 2006 The new depiction of Juan Carlos was made by artist Nicolas Miranda and called 'Parasitic Strategies for Survival in a Cruel World' 'For example, I connect the Madrid monument with the Spanish monarchy to make a parody of the symbol of the city.' After eight minutes of it standing next to the Bear and the Strawberry Tree, which is photographed by thousands of tourists every day, Miranda removed his statue. It was 67inches (170cm) tall and made of polyurethane and modelling clay covered with metallic paint resembling patina on bronze. While it puzzled some tourists and passersby, some Spaniards took to Twitter to share their approval. 'Is it the best metaphor for our parliamentary monarchy? I say yes,' wrote one user. El Oso y el Madrono, the work of the sculptor Antonio Navarro Santafe, was installed in 1967. Above: Mirand's depiction of Juan Carlos 'aiming' at the bear Tourists walk by the new 'statue' in Madrid's Puerta Puerta del Sol square yesterday A view of a sculpture of rifle-wielding former Spanish King Juan Carlos I pointing at 'Statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree' representing the coat of arms of Madrid Juan Carlos is seen on his yacht in Sanxenxo, northern Spain, last Thursday El Oso y el Madrono, the work of the sculptor Antonio Navarro Santafe, was installed in 1967. It represents the coat of arms of Madrid. Before his self-inflicted downfall, Juan Carlos had been revered for overseeing the country's transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco Franco. He ruled as King from 1975 and was rightly praised for refusing to back down during an attempted coup in 1981. Juan Carlos now lives in exile in the United Arab Emirates, is estranged from his wife and family and is facing a multi-million pound lawsuit from his former mistress. Last week he was pictured in London leaving the exclusive private member's club Oswald's ahead of a reported private lunch with King Charles. He was then pictured on his yacht in northern Spain just days later. Marines were pictured at the U.S. Embassy folding the national flag in Sudan's war-torn capital, Khartoum, before 100 elite troops evacuated diplomatic staff. Some 16,000 American citizens are still trapped in the country and there have been two U.S. deaths resulting from the conflict, which started 12 days ago. The images show the flag being lowered by the Marine Security Guard Detachment at a flag-folding ceremony. The U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Sudan, John T. Godfrey, oversaw the proceedings. The United States and African nations were racing to secure an extension of a ceasefire in Sudan on Thursday as witnesses reported that thieves and killers continue to roam the streets of the capital. The Marine Security Guard Detachment assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, take hold of the U.S. flag during a flag-folding ceremony at the U.S. Embassy, on April 22, 2023 The Marine Security Guard Detachment assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, lowers the U.S. flag during a flag-folding ceremony, on April 22, 2023 On Saturday, the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum suspended its operations and ordered staff to leave the country. The following day, U.S. special operations forces carried out a precarious evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Sudan, sweeping in and out of the capital with helicopters on the ground for less than an hour. No shots were fired and no major casualties were reported. Battles between two rival Sudanese commanders had forced the closing of the main international airport and left roads out of the country in control of armed fighters. The skirmishes have killed at least 512 people and left thousands of U.S. citizens to fend for themselves in residential areas of Khartoum that have been turned into battlefields. Britons have described seeing a state of lawlessness in the capital, with the corpses of civilians killed in the fighting between warring factions littering the ground in scenes that have been compared to the horror film The Purge. With the final embassy employee out of Khartoum, the United States shuttered its diplomatic mission indefinitely. Remaining behind in the East African nation are thousands of private American citizens. U.S. officials said it would be too dangerous to carry out a broader evacuation operation. In a statement thanking the troops, President Joe Biden said he was receiving regular reports from his team on efforts to assist remaining Americans in Sudan 'to the extent possible'. He also called for the end to 'unconscionable' violence there. About 100 U.S. troops in three MH-47 helicopters carried out the operation. They airlifted roughly 70 remaining American employees from a landing zone at the embassy to an undisclosed location in Ethiopia. In a security alert on Tuesday, the State Department reiterated that 'due to the uncertain security situation in Khartoum and closure of the airport, it is not currently safe to undertake a U.S. government-coordinated evacuation of private U.S. citizens'. While embassy staff were airlifted out, there are no plans to provide similar evacuations for potentially thousands of Americans still in Sudan. Instead, it provided details on border crossings that are available and the requirements needed at each location. The embassy cautioned that fighting continues and that many routes are dangerous and unpredictable. American citizens who travel to Port Sudan overland and can take a ferry to Jeddah will be assisted by the U.S. consulate there. Right now, the U.S. assistance for Americans is largely limited to phone and virtual help. Violinist Othmano hugs his daughter before boarding an RAF C-130 that will take them to Cyprus during the evacuation of British citizens, at Wadi Seidna airport, Sudan, on April 27, 2023 On Sunday, U.S. special operations forces carried out a precarious evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Sudan British nationals board an RAF aircraft during the evacuation to Cyprus, at Wadi Seidna airport, Sudan, on April 26, 2023 John T. Godfrey, the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Sudan, is pictured in a white shirt with members of the Marine Security Guard Detachment assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, on April 22, 2023 Sergeant Joshua Arledge, a Marine Security Guard assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, salutes the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of the Sudan, John T. Godfrey, after presenting him with the flag after conducting a flag-folding ceremony at the U.S. Embassy, on April 22, 2023 The U.S. could send Navy vessels to Port Sudan to ferry Americans to Jeddah or another location where they could get transportation back to the United States. However, officials say this would depend on the security situation and whether it is safe for ships to dock. The U.S. has developed other options, such as opening a temporary consulate in Port Sudan, beefing up its consulate in Jeddah to assist Americans as they arrive, or using a nearby airfield that other European countries have used to fly citizens out. U.S. officials believe the security situation in Port Sudan is better than in the capital, but remain concerned about the potential for an escalation of violence. While many Americans may recall the dramatic 2021 evacuation of diplomats and private citizens from Afghanistan, those circumstances were far different. In most cases, the U.S. does not evacuate private citizens when it closes an embassy. The situation in Afghanistan was different because the U.S. was ending a 20-year military presence in the country. It was trying to extricate the residual American presence there, much of which was directly tied to Washington's role in propping up the Afghan government. No such situation existed or exists in Sudan. More typical has been the practice in places like Yemen, Syria and Venezuela, where the U.S. suspended diplomatic operations and removed personnel because of turmoil, but did not evacuate private citizens. While the U.S. says it's too dangerous to get its citizens out, other countries are proceeding with evacuations of their nationals. France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, Holland, Turkey, Japan, South Korea, Jordan, South Africa, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are among the countries that have evacuated their citizens and those of other countries. The U.S. has warned Americans for several years not to travel to Sudan and told them that consular assistance at the embassy was extremely limited. Trillian Clifford, of Ashland, and her daughter, Alma, were among the estimated 16,000 Americans trapped in war-torn Sudan Smoke is seen in Khartoum, Sudan, on April 22, 2023. The United States and African nations were racing to secure an extension of a ceasefire in Sudan on Thursday A second American has died in Sudan, the White House said on Wednesday, and U.S. authorities are helping a small number of citizens seeking to leave the country during a ceasefire that has curbed fighting. While sporadic violence continues, the ceasefire announced by the United States on Monday appears to be holding, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said. 'So we want to take advantage of that ceasefire to make sure that Americans know if they want to make the move... we're gonna see what we can do to get them the information they need to link up with these ground routes,' he said on CNN. 'It is still dangerous. I want to stress that. It is still dangerous, but the ceasefire seems to be holding or at least contributing to a reduction in violence.' The Biden administration was continuing to work with both the Sudanese army and the paramilitary force opposing it to extend the ceasefire to allow more humanitarian assistance, Kirby told reporters in a briefing earlier on Wednesday. The White House's comments came as fighting between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) flared on the outskirts of the capital of Khartoum, despite the truce aimed at quelling the conflict. Kirby said the levels of violence appear to have decreased significantly. 'The levels are down, but we want to see the levels at zero,' he said. President Biden has directed U.S. officials to help as many Americans as possible, and they were 'actively facilitating the departure of a relatively small number of Americans' who wanted to leave. U.S. officials have put that number in the dozens. Some U.S. citizens had arrived at Port Sudan to evacuate, and the United States was continuing to support other limited evacuation efforts via ground routes, he added. USAID has deployed teams in the region and was prepared to help provide humanitarian assistance in the event the ceasefire was extended, Kirby told reporters. Damaged buildings are seen following clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in South Khartoum locality, Sudan, on April 25, 2023 The United States and African nations were trying to secure an extension of a three-day ceasefire in Sudan on Thursday, with the Sudanese army giving an initial nod to an African proposal calling for talks even as fighting continued. Hundreds have been killed and close to 4,200 wounded since April 15, in the fighting between the army and a rival paramilitary force - the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) - which are locked in a power struggle that threatens to destabilize the wider region. An RSF statement accused the army of attacking its forces on Thursday and spreading 'false rumors', making no reference to the proposal which the army said came from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an African regional bloc. Gunfire could be heard on Thursday in the Khartoum area, a resident told Reuters. The existing three-day ceasefire brought about a lull in fighting, without completely halting it, but was due to expire at midnight (2200 GMT) and many foreign nationals remained trapped in the country despite an exodus over the past few days. The army late on Wednesday said its leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, had given initial approval to the plan to extend the truce for another 72 hours and to send an army envoy to the South Sudan capital, Juba, for talks. The military said the presidents of South Sudan, Kenya and Djibouti worked on a proposal that includes extending the truce and talks between the two forces. 'Burhan thanked the IGAD and expressed an initial approval to that,' the army statement said. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat discussed working together to create a sustainable end to the fighting, the State Department said in a statement on Wednesday. The crisis has sent growing numbers of refugees across Sudan's borders. The U.N. refugee agency has estimated 270,000 people could flee into South Sudan and Chad alone. With air strikes and artillery unleashed during the fighting, the conflict has destroyed hospitals and limited food distribution in the vast nation where a third of the 46 million people were already reliant on humanitarian aid. The boyfriend of a model killed in a horror flat fire on New Year's Day has told of his battle to save her after she refused to jump out of a second-storey window. Sofia Duarte, 21, died in a fire caused by a converted e-bike battery which ripped through her apartment building on the Old Kent Road in south London. Her boyfriend, Luis Zambrano, also 21, managed to escape by jumping out of his bedroom window on to the roof of a Nigerian restaurant. Ms Duarte, who worked at Fabric nightclub along with barman Mr Zambrano, was at the flat sleeping when other residents heard an explosion. Discovering a fire had started at the bottom of the stairs, panicked residents tried to extinguish the flames with a bucket of water to no avail. Sofia Duarte, 21, died in a flat fire caused by a converted e-bike battery which burst into flames Luis Zambrano, also 21, managed to escape by jumping out of his bedroom window The devastation caused by the fire at the property on the Old Kent Road in south London The fire was started when a charging e-bike battery exploded on the ground floor and took only minutes to grow into a ferocious inferno. The 'fun-loving' daughter of Portuguese immigrants, who enjoyed dancing, spending time with friends and travelling, is believed to be the first person to be killed in London due to an e-bike fire. Recalling the tragedy, Mr Zambrano said he first knew of the fire when he awoke to screaming and 'white smoke' in his room. He told MyLondon: 'When I opened the door it was really bad. As soon as I opened the door I felt the heat blast. 'I had never experienced a fire in my life, it smelled like acid. It was really unbreathable, immediately I closed the door. That's when I said "we are jumping".' But Ms Duarte told him 'no no' and went to try and exit via the stairwell, he said. Mr Zambrano ran after her to look for her and said that the next thing he remembered was 'the impact of my body hitting the roof'. When he 'woke up', Mr Zambrano shouted towards the window for Ms Duarte but she never appeared and the windows began to explode from the heat, sending shards of glass showering into the road. He was rushed to hospital and treated for smoke inhalation but Ms Duarte died at the scene. Mr Zambrano was told he was lucky to be alive after testing his blood's carbon monoxide levels. He said he coughed up black soot for six hours. Mr Zambrano and Ms Duarte's mother, Maria Frasquilho Macarro, are working with the London Fire Brigade to raise awareness about e-bikes and lithium battery fires. This, they say, is the fastest growing type of fire in the capital. Ms Duarte will be remembered as a 'fun-loving' daughter who enjoyed dancing, spending time with friends and travelling The 21-year-old died in a horror e-bike fire. Pictured: Damage caused by the fire on the Old Kent Road in south Bermondsey The LFB launched their #ChargeSafe campaign in March, partly in response to her tragic death. LFB's Deputy Commissioner Dom Ellis said: 'Sofia's death is a tragedy, and our condolences are with her family and friends. We are working hard to prevent these types of incidents in the future. 'E-bikes and e-scooters are becoming more common in London and the risk of significant fires is rising too. We want people to travel safely and be aware of the risks that the batteries present as part of our #ChargeSafe campaign. 'Protect yourself and your loved ones by following our #ChargeSafe tips and by using our Home Fire Safety Checker. 'Never block your escape route with anything, including e-bikes and e-scooters. The only way to be sure of a legal, safe and reliable e-bike is to buy one in complete form, from a trusted and reputed retailer. 'The number of incidents our fire crews are attending shows that buying a product from a reputable seller will help protect you, your family and property from bursting into flames - not forgetting the peace of mind it can give.' A cheap ready-to-make alternative to take-away has received a cult following after hitting supermarket shelves at $14.99. The Chicken Pad Thai meal kit from Aldi comes pre-packed with all the ingredients and instructions on the back of the box for how to prepare it. Fresh eggs, vegetables, sauce, chilli flakes and chicken are included in the pack which takes about 15 minutes to cook and can feed up to three. The finished dish can feed up to three people and only takes 15 minutes to cook Aldi's $14.99 Chicken Pad Thai Meal Kit is enjoying rave reviews online 'Tried the Chicken Pad Thai meal kit tonight and I have to say, it was amazing,' one shopper said. 'This Pad Thai is amazing, better than a restaurant. Will definitely be buying this again,' another added. But it's become so popular it's been selling out and much harder to find. 'I tried looking for it last time I was there and I couldn't find it.' 'Looking forward to trying this!! In SA and hasn't been in our local Aldi yet,' another said. 'I haven't seen them in WA,' a third said. But while there has been much fanfare for the $14.99 version, Aldi's $8.99 version has been slammed. 'Aldi's Chicken Pad Thai at $9 for the package was a huge disappointment. Based on the packaging and price, I expected chicken, not just noodles and sauce,' one disgruntled customer said. 'I'm slightly confused it doesn't come with chicken? The bag says chicken Pad Thai - Antibiotic Free chicken right on the bag,' another said after also failing to find the key ingredient.' Prince Andrew's Newsnight disaster was the perfect gift to Virginia Giuffre because it contained 'so many provably false things', her lawyer has said. Attorney Sigrid McCawley said that the Duke of York's series of blunders and bizarre defence of his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein in the 2019 BBC interview provided them with a 'roadmap to tear him apart'. Within two years the Queen had stripped him of his military affiliations, royal patronages and use of his HRH title and he settled a civil lawsuit brought by Ms Giuffre for a reported 12million ($16.3m). In the new Channel 4 documentary, Andrew - The Problem Prince, it is claimed the Queen realised Prince Andrew's Newsnight interview was a disaster before he did. He was said to be 'euphoric' after the interview - but his mother was far quicker to spot it had been an unmitigated disaster. And Sigrid McCawley, a member of Ms Giuffre's legal team, told the two-part show that she had been 'thrilled' with the interview. 'You couldn't have handed me a better present,' she added. 'He said so many provably false things. It was just a roadmap to tear him apart.' Prince Andrew, Virginia Giuffre, and Ghislaine Maxwell posing in a picture taken in Maxwell's mews house. Andrew suggested in the Newsnight interview that it had been faked Newsnight producer Sam McAlister claimed Prince Andrew (right) was 'euphoric' after his interview with Emily Maitlis (left) because 'he thought it had gone really well' Attorney Sigrid McCawley said that Andrew's answers had been a gift to her client Ms Giuffre Andrew settled a civil lawsuit brought by Ms Giuffre (left) for a reported 12million ($16.3m) In what is widely considered the most disastrous royal interview in history, Andrew claimed he was at Pizza Express in Woking on the night Ms Giuffre claimed he had sex with her when she was 17. READ MORE: 'I WARNED PRINCE ANDREW THAT AN INTERVIEW FOR NEWSNIGHT WAS A BAD IDEA' Old friends: Lawyer Paul Tweed with the Duke of York Advertisement He also tried to dispel her claims he 'sweats profusely' by claiming that being shot at during the Falklands War left him with a condition that means he is unable to perspire. He also suggested a photo of them together at Ghislaine Maxwell's London mews house was faked. And defending his decision to stay with Epstein in New York after the financier's release from prison for child sex offences, Andrew insisted it felt like' the right thing to do' and he did so because he was 'too honourable' to refuse. Critics have argued that the interview had showed how overconfident and out of touch Andrew is. Speaking to Channel 4, his interviewer Emily Maitlis revealed that the Queen was handed a transcript of the Duke of York's appearance on the BBC's flagship news programme, in which he was questioned about his association with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. Shortly afterwards, the duke was apparently tapped on the shoulder by his security detail and ushered away. Ms Maitlis revealed she was 'shocked' by some of the duke's responses and described it as 'a tidal wave of bad answers'. She said: 'This is how I know that Prince Andrew is happy with the interview because he stayed chatting. He seemed very jolly. 'A whole load of people came in and I said, 'What's going on?' They said, 'OK, Thursday evenings we have the cinema night at the palace. You can stay if you want.' And at that point, I just thought, 'I've got to get away from here. I needed the space to work out what just happened.' Andrew came under intense scrutiny following his disastrous interview in 2019 over allegations that Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre was trafficked to have sex with the royal when she was 17. Former BBC journalist Ms Maitlis said the negative implications of the interview 'dawned' on the Queen 'before they dawned on him'. The late Queen Elizabeth II realised her second son's interview with Newsnight was a mistake before he did, a new documentary claims. Ms Giuffre's lawyer, Sigrid McCawley, told the documentary that the Newsnight interview gave her client the 'roadmap to tear him apart' in the civil claim. Despite the BBC interview eventually leading to Andrew being stripped of his patronages and military affiliations, former Newsnight producer Sam McAlister claimed the royal was 'euphoric' afterwards because 'he thought it had gone really well'. One of Prince Andrew's friends, Irish defamation lawyer Paul Tweed, told the documentary he tried to talk the duke out of giving the interview, The Telegraph reports. Maitlis went on to reveal how the Queen appeared to realise the gravity of the situation before the duke did. She said: 'It was only on the Saturday when the Queen had reportedly read the whole transcript that he had received a tap on the shoulder by his security detail. 'And they had said, 'I think, sir, you might have to come with us.' It was after the Queen had seen what the interview contained that I think it dawned on her, before it dawned on him.' Following the BBC broadcast in November 2019 and the furore over Andrew's friendship with Epstein, the duke stepped down from public life. Last year, he reached an out-of-court settlement with Ms Giuffre reportedly worth up to 12 million US dollars (9.6 million) following her civil sex claim against him in the US. He continues to deny any wrongdoing. Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in Manhattan in August 2019 while he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide. During the original Newsnight broadcast around four years ago, the duke denied he had had sex with Ms Giuffre, said he had no recollection of ever meeting her and that he had spent the day in question at Pizza Express in Woking, Surrey, at a party with one of his daughters. Ms Giuffre said Andrew sweated heavily as they danced at London nightclub Tramp in one alleged encounter. The duke told Maitlis his Falklands War service had caused a medical condition, at the time, which meant he did not sweat. The infamous interview is also being adapted by Netflix, with Sex Education star Gillian Anderson playing Ms Maitlis and The Man In The High Castle actor Rufus Sewell as Andrew. Ms McAlister revealed to the Channel 4 documentary that the duke had taken his daughter, Princess Beatrice, with him to the final negotiations with the BBC over what should be included in the interview. Melania Trump, Prince Andrew, Gwendolyn Beck and Jeffrey Epstein at a party at the Mar-a-Lago club, Palm Beach, in 2000 The Duke of York sought permission from the Queen to be questioned about his association with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, TV presenter Emily Maitlis has claimed In a new two-part Channel 4 documentary, Andrew - The Problem Prince, former BBC journalist Emily Maitlis (pictured) said the negative implications of the interview 'dawned' on the Queen 'before they dawned on him' 'Can you imagine being in Buckingham Palace, about to talk to a member of the royal family about sexual offences? That's pretty tricky - and now I've got to do it in front of his daughter,' the producer said. During the negotiations, Ms McAlister and Ms Maitlis said Andrew had asked 'Should I tell you why I can't sweat?' as he sought to explain why Ms Giuffre's allegations against him were false. 'I remember thinking 'Wow, you know, if he says that, that's it...'' Ms Maitlis told the documentary. Before going ahead with the interview, the presenter said Andrew had told her he had to 'seek approval from higher up'. She said: 'Of course, he's talking about the Queen. 'You're asking your mum if it's a good idea. This is a decision that's going right to the top.' During the documentary, the former BBC journalist said Newsnight had turned down an interview with Andrew three times due to his team attempting to place editorial restrictions on them. 'Epstein was a red line and we were not to ask about him if we did the interview,' Ms McAlister said of one of her initial negotiations with the duke's chief of staff. Commenting on Newsnight's earlier decision not to go ahead with an interview after the Epstein restrictions were imposed, Ms Maitlis said: 'Thank God we dropped the whole thing. The Duke of York , speaking for the first time about his links to Jeffrey Epstein in an interview with BBC Newsnight's Emily Maitlis Princess Beatrice with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi 'Because how stupid would we have looked to have done that whole interview knowing that we couldn't ask about Epstein only to find that he was suddenly front-page news?' Prince Andrew may have made his disastrous Newsnight appearance in a bid to help his daughter Princess Beatrice, his interviewer Emily Maitlis said yesterday. The Duke of York brought his eldest daughter to behind the scenes negotiations with the BBC team behind the interview, journalist Miss Maitlis and producer Sam McAlister. Miss Maitlis said she thought at the time that he might have agreed to speak in an attempt to make amends with his daughter, who had recently got engaged to her now-husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. She told the Channel 4 documentary: 'It's the first time the thought crossed my mind that maybe he was doing it for her. 'Your life has been hellish. You've had to read these headlines. You're trying to get married. I'm going to do this to make it better for you. I don't know if that's true, but it crossed my mind.' The Duke and Duchess of York with their daughter Beatrice and Eugenie Producer Miss McAlister said the duke had announced he had brought someone with him to the negotiations, and said she had thought he meant a lawyer. She told the documentary: 'Instead around the corner comes his daughter, Princess Beatrice. That was really quite a curve ball of curve balls. 'Can you imagine being in Buckingham Palace about to talk to a member of the Royal Family about sexual offences? That's pretty tricky. And now I've got to do it in front of his daughter.' Miss McAlister has previously described how Beatrice took notes on a clipboard at the meeting and appeared 'anxious'. The Princess is set to appear in the new Netflix drama which details the runup to the Newsnight interview given by the Duke of York, The Telegraph reports. Actress Charity Wakefield will star as Beatrice in Scoop, which stars Gillian Anderson as Emily Maitlis, Rufus Sewell as Prince Andrew and Billie Piper as BBC produce Sam mcAllister. The film follows the book by Sam McAlister, who managed to scoop the bombshell interview about Prince Andrew's with Jeffrey Epstein, widely believed to have backfired. Former Spanish King Juan Carlos has a secret aristocrat daughter called Alejandra, a new book about the controversial royal claims. She was born at the end of the Seventies or start of the Eighties, is married with a child and has never staked her claim to the throne despite learning the truth about her real dad years ago, the two Spanish journalists who have written the book say. Juan Carlos is said to have taken steps to ensure Spain's current King Felipe VI and his secret daughter didn't 'fall in love' without knowing they were related when they were younger - before he told Palace officials after they became adults. Spanish news website El Confidencial, which published details of the book today before its release on May 8, said Alejandra ended up becoming an 'open secret' in the highest circles of power. Alejandra's existence is understood to have been confirmed by three people: an ex-lover of the former Spanish king, a long-standing businessman friend and one of her ex-boyfriends. Former Spanish King Juan Carlos (pictured), who abdicated the throne in 2014, has a secret aristocrat daughter called Alejandra, a new book about the controversial royal claims Juan Carlos is said to have taken steps to ensure Spain's current King Felipe VI (pictured) and his secret daughter didn't 'fall in love' without knowing they were related when they were younger. The book claims the former King did not tell Palace officials until both children were in adulthood Saying she grew up in a 'family of well-connected aristocrats', El Confidencial added: 'In sixties Spain, Alejandra's mum stood out because of her liberal and progressive profile. 'It was normal to see her in promotional and fashion events. 'Some sources claim Juan Carlos pulled strings to make sure her mother had work and a presence in the media. 'She appeared often in glossy magazines and struck up friendships with other habitual protagonists of the showbiz world, even becoming the muse of a famous haute couture designer.' It also described her as someone Juan Carlos met when they were both young who he shared friends and a passion for hunting with. Of Alejandra, it added in its coverage of the new book, written by Jose Maria Olmo and David Fernandez and called in Spanish: 'King Corp, El Imperio nunca contado de Juan Carlos I': 'She's never spoken about her secret. 'She's tall, slim and pretty. She has lent her image to several clothes and jewellery brands. 'She is passionate about music, culture and travel and has formed her own family. Making public more information would put her discretion in danger.' King Juan and Queen Sofia on their engagement in 1961 Juan Carlos, who served from 1975, abdicated the throne in 2014 in favour of his son King Felipe of Spain VI The bombshell claims come days after the 85-year-old former king, the recognised father of three grown-up children including Spain's current king, flew to London from his Middle East bolthole. He was pictured attending Real Madrid's Champions League 2-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. He went on to spend several days in the Galician resort of Sanxenxo in only his second trip to Spain since his shock departure from the country and move to Abu Dhabi in August 2020. At the time he was at the centre of corruption investigations in his homeland and a long-running legal battle , which is ongoing, with former lover Corinna zu Wittgenstein-Sayn. She accused him of harassment and the case was heard by London's Court of Appeal last year. UK Court of Appeal judges ruled in December Juan Carlos, who reigned as King of Spain from 1975 to 2014 when he abdicated in favour of his son, had immunity for the period before he abdicated. Her claim, launched in London's High Court, will be heard at a trial expected to be later this year. Spanish royal expert Pilar Eyre touched on the former Spanish king's secret aristocratic daughter in December 2017, sparking a guessing game after telling an interviewer: 'This person could be on a magazine front cover and has been in fact.' Pilar Eyre made headline claims about Juan Carlos and Princess Diana in a book she published in 2012. She said the Spanish royal made a pass at her during a holiday Diana and Charles spent with their son at the king's summer palace in Majorca in 1986 (pictured in Majorca) Pilar made her explosive claim to well-known Spanish TV presenter Risto Mejide on a Sunday night programme on Spain's Cuatro channel called 'Chester in Love.' She said to him: 'You think Juan Carlos has three children don't you, Felipe, Elena and Cristina?' When he replied, 'As far as I know, yes', she retorted: 'Well, maybe there's not just three.' As Risto stared at her open-mouthed, she continued: 'Someone that nobody knows. From the aristocracy, who the public regards as the child of an important Spanish noble.' Asked why the information had never come out, she added: 'Because this person has a recognised set of parents. 'Everyone in their circle of friends knows it and so does her mum of course and Juan Carlos. 'When the name comes out, everyone is going to say they look really alike.' Appearing to accidentally let slip that the 'secret child' was a woman, she added: 'She's a very well-known woman from a very well-known aristocratic family and the parents know full well who the real dad of this person is.' At the time she never revealed the name of the woman. Pilar Eyre made headline claims about Juan Carlos and Princess Diana in a book she published in 2012. She said the Spanish royal made a pass at her during a holiday Diana and Charles spent with their son at the king's summer palace in Majorca in 1986. According to Eyre, the king made a 'tactile' advance to Diana, then just 25. Diana herself denied anything untoward had happened but admitted that while the libidinous king was 'charming' he could be a 'little too attentive.' In an explosive book published in 2016 called 'Juan Carlos: The King of 5,000 lovers', Spanish society writer Amadeo Martinez Ingles dubbed the ex-king a sex addict and said he had hundreds of relationships even after marriage to Felipe's mum Queen Sofia. He claimed he had had 62 lovers in one six-month period alone, and in what Mr Martinez Ingles called his 'passionate period' between 1976 and 1994, said he had slept with a staggering 2,154 women. A Belgian housewife has claimed to be the daughter of Juan Carlos. Ingrid Sartiau's paternity claim was thrown out by Spain's Supreme Court in 2015 after the ex-monarch's lawyers appealed an earlier decision to study the case. Spanish waiter Albert Sola also claimed around the same time as Ingrid that he was an illegitimate son of Juan Carlos - but his attempts to be recognised failed early on. He died aged 66 last October after collapsing as he ordered a glass of wine at a bar in the town of La Bisbal d'Emporda near the Catalan city of Girona where he lived. Ukrainian secret service agents tried to assassinate Vladimir Putin with a kamikaze drone carrying explosives - but failed after it crashed a few miles short of their target, it has been claimed. The Ukrainian forces reportedly launched the UJ-22 drone, laden with 17 kilograms of C4 plastic explosives, from Ukraine on Sunday with the aim of reaching a newly built industrial estate near Moscow that Putin was due to visit, German newspaper Bild claims. But before the deadly drone reached the Rudnevo industrial park on its alleged mission to take out the Russian despot, it crashed mere miles away from the site. Bild cited a tweet by Ukrainian activist Yuriy Romanenko, who claims to have close ties to Kyiv's intelligence services, alleging that Ukrainian secret service agents had received 'information' about Putin's apparent trip to the industrial site and had decided to launch the deadly drone in an attempt to assassinate the president. He claimed that a kamikaze drone that had crashed in Voroskogo village, 12 miles east of the Rudnevo industrial park, was the one that Ukrainian forces had launched as part of the assassination plot. The Ukrainian forces reportedly launched the UJ-22 drone, laden with 17 kilograms of explosives, from Ukraine on Sunday, Bild claims. Pictured: A Ukrainian drone that crashed near the village of Voroskogo Yuriy Romanenko claimed that the UJ-22 drone that had crashed in Voroskogo village was the one that Ukrainian forces had launched as part of the assassination plot The UJ-22 drone packed with 17 kilograms of C4 plastic explosives Ukrainian secret service agents tried to assassinate Vladimir Putin with a kamikaze drone laden with explosives, it has been claimed In a tweet cited by Bild, Romanenko said: 'Putin we are getting closer. Everyone saw the news about the drone that flew to Moscow, but did not explode? So, this drone flew for a reason. 'Last week, our intelligence officers received information about Putin's trip to the industrial park in Rudnevo. Accordingly, our kamikaze drone took off, which flew through all the air defenses of the Russian Federation and crashed not far from the industrial park.' Kyiv has yet to officially comment on the claims made in Bild. A UJ-22 drone, which has a range of 500 miles, did crash near Vorokogo village on Sunday, with images posted on social media sites including Telegram showing the destroyed UAV in a forest near Moscow. The drone was laden with 30 C4 plastic explosive blocks weighing 17 kilograms, which are often used by the US army. Bild, citing Romanenko, claims that the drone was supposed to crash into Rudnevo industrial park and kill Putin, who was reportedly expected at the site on Sunday. Putin propagandist Paval Zarubin said on Sunday morning that Putin was planning to 'visit an industrial park in Moscow' without giving timings. Video posted on social media showed the lawn in front of the Rudnevo industrial park had been spray painted green. It was said this was in preparation for Putin's arrival. But Russian state media said Putin was set to visit the Rudnevo industrial park and hold a meeting on the development of unmanned aircraft systems today. TASS news agency said the Russian despot would look at how the systems are developed. There was no mention of the drone incident in the state media report. However Bild cited Romanenko claiming that there was an assassination attempt. He said: 'Considering how much Putin is obsessed with his own security, this story could have huge implications for the Kremlin towers'. The UJ-22 drone packed with 17 kilograms of C4 plastic explosives crashed in Voroskogo village on Sunday The UJ-22 drone was packed with 17 kilograms of C4 plastic explosives. It has been claimed that the drone was intended to assassinate Putin And Ukraine expert Sergej Sumlenny told the newspaper: 'It is clear that a precision strike against the Russian head of state with a kamikaze drone is an almost impossible action. 'But the very fact that such a drone would reach a place where Putin plans to stay is a slap in the face for the Russian dictator.' Putin is said to be fearful of assassination since his invasion of Ukraine, after hit squads were sent into Ukraine to take out President Zelensky in the early days of the conflict. Putin has previously claimed he has escaped numerous assassination attempts. In 2017, Putin told filmmaker Oliver Stone that there had been five assassination attempts against him - and the only reason he is alive is because he deals with his own security personally. 'I do my job and the security officers do theirs and they are still performing quite successfully,' Putin said in the documentary The Putin Interviews. Putin is said to travel with his own sniper squad whose role is to locate any shooters and kill them before they are able to pull the trigger on Putin. In 2012, a former public schoolboy in Britain was arrested in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa in connection with a foiled plot to assassinate Putin. Adam Osmayev, who is from a prominent Chechen family opposed to Putin, was seized by special forces in Odessa and he allegedly confessed to wanting to travel to Moscow and kill Putin, then a presidential candidate, by bombing his motorcade. Those close to Putin have said he is incredibly paranoid about his safety and constantly fears he will be assassinated. The Russian despot has even set up identical offices across Russia to confuse assassins in another sign the despot is paranoid about his safety, a Russian intelligence officer who fled the country over the Ukraine war said earlier this month. Putin designed offices in his luxury mansions in St Petersburg, Sochi and Novo-Ogaryovo to look the same, according to Gleb Karakulov, an officer in the Kremlin leader's secretive elite personal security service. The rooms are identical, with matching details such as desk and wall hangings, and official reports sometimes say he's in one place when he's actually in another. Putin speaking to Andrey Kostin in his Novo-Ogaryovo office in 2017 The Kremlin had released photos of his meeting claiming he was in Novo-Ogaryovo in 2020 when in fact he was in Sochi (pictured) When Putin was in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, security officials would pretend he was leaving and deploy a plane and motorcade, when he was in fact still in the city, the defector revealed. 'This is, firstly, a ruse to confuse foreign intelligence and secondly, to prevent any attempts on his life,' Karakulov told the Dossier Center, a Russian investigative journalism project. This confirmed previous reports by Russian outlet Proekt Media that showed how Putin's Sochi office and his residence in Novo-Ogaryovo near Moscow were identical. The Kremlin had released photos of his meeting claiming he was in Novo-Ogaryovo when in fact he was in Sochi. Karakulov depicted Putin as an increasingly isolated leader who lives in an 'information vacuum' in heavily guarded residences, which he called 'bunkers'. The Russian president refuses to use a mobile phone out of fear of being bugged by the West and prefers to travel on a special armoured train because he is paranoid a plane can be tracked, Karakulov said. He added that Putin is 'mortally afraid' of Covid and is isolating for the fourth year. 'He's simply afraid,' Karakulov said. 'He has shut himself off from the world. His take on reality has become distorted.' He said Putin's paranoia has deepened since he invaded Ukraine and detailed how the despot ordered a bunker to be set up at the Russian Embassy in Kazakhstan and secured with a secure communications line last October. 'It is a kind of paranoia,' Karakulov said. 'He is pathologically afraid for his life.' In March last year, a former British Army chief said NATO and Western allies should not rule out the possibility of assassinating Putin. Colonel Richard Kemp said Putin represents a 'permanent and deadly threat' and killing him may be 'unpalatable' to some, but it could help save thousands of lives. Putin has also become so fearful he will be killed by a Ukrainian strike that he has set up air defence systems near his presidential palace in Yashereova and his official residence near Moscow. And Putin doesn't have to just worry about being assassinated by those abroad - there are anti-war movements within Russia that are dedicated to destabilising his regime. Some groups employ guerrilla-style tactics to launch explosive attacks on Russian military sites or assassinate of pro-Putin figures. This is the 16-year-old schoolgirl found dead at a top boarding school just weeks before her GCSE exams. Caitlyn Scott-Lee, a student in year 11, was found in a wooded area near a playing field at 44,000-a-year Wycombe Abbey School late on Friday night. In an email to parents in Caitlyn's year, known as Upper V, this week, headmistress Jo Duncan said: 'They are a close year group and, as you will understand, they are very shocked and upset. 'It is an extremely difficult time for everyone and we will do our utmost to provide the additional pastoral care the girls will need.' A parents' charity event and funfair at the weekend were cancelled out of respect. Caitlyn Scott-Lee, 16, was found dead in a wooded area of the school last week Wycombe Abbey School has said they will do their 'utmost to provide the additional pastoral care the girls will need' following Caitlyn's death Ms Duncan ended her letter saying: 'I am sure that you will join me and everyone at Wycombe Abbey in sending our deepest sympathies to Caitlyn's parents, siblings and wider family who are in our thoughts and prayers at this sad time.' Caitlyn's father, banker Jonathan Scott-Lee, a senior executive in M&A Execution, Technology working on the sale of HSBC Canada to Royal Bank of Canada, was in Hong Kong at the time of the tragedy and he immediately flew to the UK. Mr Scott-Lee is divorced from Caitlyn's mother Tara Scott-Lee, a chartered accountant who lives in the UK. Two years ago Caitlyn's parents wrote an article, promoting the school on its website. They said Caitlyn had spent time in various schools when the family lived in Singapore, but added: 'Caitlyn has always had an affinity for the UK, and she had it in her own mind to really want to go to boarding school. 'During our time in Singapore, Caitlyn was always the one working hard to get into a boarding school. 'We did extensive research from abroad and looked at the top boarding schools in the UK and Wycombe Abbey in the UK was a great fit for Caitlyn. 'However, it was Caitlyn's exemplary work ethic and motivation that led to her eventually gain a place at Wycombe Abbey UK.' He praised Wycombe Abbey Hong Kong's handling of the pandemic and concluded: 'If you want your kids to be both highly academic and learn to refine a character that you would be proud of, Wycombe Abbey is the school for you. 'There is a clear heritage of academic excellence with an emphasis on developing well-rounded students of character. 'It has been a wonderful journey for my daughters at Wycombe Abbey, and we look forward to being part of the Wycombe Abbey family for years to come.' Tara Scott-Lee, who studied at Royal Holloway, University of London, and spent her early career at accounting firm Grant Thornton, now works as an accounts officer for the mental health charity Mind, in Buckinghamshire. A parents' charity event and funfair at the weekend were cancelled by the school (pictured) as a mark of respect Her husband describes himself on LinkedIn as currently working in Ontario Canada, and as a Neurodiversity Ambassador (Mental Disability) for HSBC. In its most recent Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) report, Wycombe Abbey was rated 'excellent' for pupils' academic achievements and personal development. Wycombe Abbey established in 1896, has 650 female pupils aged 11 to 18 and each girl has her own 'House Mother', a girl in the year above in the same house who looks after her, especially in her early days at the school. Wycombe Abbey: More than a century of history Wycombe Abbey is one of the oldest independent girls schools in the country. Founded in 1896 by Dame Francis Dove, the school is situated on 69 hectares of land centred around the Grade II-listed Abbey. The school charges 44,000 a year for pupils and currently houses over 600 girls. Notable former pupils include Smack the Pony TV star Sally Phillips, suffragette Elsie Bowerman, journalist India Knight, Lady Nicholas Windsor and the BBC's Director of Content Charlotte Moore. Advertisement It regularly ranks among the top girls' schools in the country and the Good Schools' Guide (GSG) summary reports: 'Workload is immense,' was overriding theme from parents; 'it's hard for girls to fit it all in.' 'Conflicting parental views on whether school allows a rounded education. We heard of some girls with such full CVs they didn't have space for that small matter of DofE Gold on the UCAS form and others who had limped through seven years with no time for anything other than hard graft.' The entry continued: 'In the exam results Olympics, Wycombe goes for gold. Parents report (mainly, but not exclusively) "faultless" teaching, with the overriding aim to deliver a clean sheet of stellar grades at GCSE and A level. 'It doesn't happen by accident,' reckon pupils. 'Gazing out the window just isn't an option the teachers are totally on it.' On pastoral care, the GSG reported that: 'Not every parent we spoke to sang its praises, but for those with daughters who had genuinely needed intervention during their time here (with e.g. mental health problems, eating disorders or SEN diagnoses), the plaudits gushed forth.' In 2019, another pupil from the school, gifted violinist Katya Tsukanova, 17, died in her father's Kensington mansion after taking a deadly cocktail of cocaine and ketamine. Caitlyn's parents praised their daughter's work ethic in an article on the school's website She was one of Britain's brightest musicians and had given a concert at the Royal Opera House just days before her death. Her father, former Russian banker Igor Tsukanov, found her unconscious at the family home in the early hours and she was rushed to hospital but doctors were unable to save her. Among the school's notable alumnae are actors Rachael Stirling and Sally Phillips, former top judge Baroness Elizabeth Butler-Sloss and Lady Nicholas Windsor, daughter-in-law of the Duke and Duchess of Kent. A Thames Valley Police spokesman said: 'Thames Valley Police was called to the Wycombe Abbey School at around 11.40pm on Friday after a 16-year-old girl was sadly found to have died. 'Her death is being treated as unexplained but not suspicious and a file is being prepared for the coroner.' Wycombe Abbey School declined to comment. Caitlyn's funeral will be held next month at Greenacres Chiltern, a woodland cemetery and ceremonial park in Buckinghamshire. For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or go to samaritans.org. A remote Scottish island that's a dead ringer for the island featured in the hit film Jurassic Park is looking for a shopkeeper to serve its 40 inhabitants. The diamond shaped Isle of Rum is located off the west coast of Scotland and is one of the largest Small Isles in the Inner Hebrides. The beauty of the island is undeniable with its high peaks and sweeping valleys drawing beautiful comparisons to the Hawaiian setting of the Na Pali Coast - that served as Isla Nubar in the Jurassic Park films. Fortunately for anyone interested in the role, the Scottish island is not currently home to any dinosaurs. However, it is home to an abundance of British wildlife including deer and mountain goats. The Isle of Rum is located in the Inner Hebrides off the West Coast of Scotland The island's topography bares striking similarities to the island used as the setting ogf Jurassic Park (Pictured: Na Pali Coast, Hawaii) Fortunately there are no actual dinosaurs on the Isle of Rum (Pictured: Jurassic Park) Applications are now open to become to island's new shopkeeper and locals expect their to be fierce competition after hundreds of people registered their interest to live in new homes built a few years ago. The position will also be attractive to families due to the island having a school. The position comes with exciting development opportunities including the option to build a new 'community hub' within a few years. The successful applicant will also be given the chance to rent a modern two-bedroom home nearby. Commenting on the opportunity Steve Robertson, development officer at the trust, said: 'It's really a centre for the island. 'It can work as a pub, with people buying alcohol and drinking outside. But it is also the pharmacy and the post office as there is nowhere else to buy anything. The new shopkeeper will operate in the hub of the 40 strong community 'There's an opportunity for whoever takes on the shop to process the venison we have here, of which there is plenty, and make it more widely available to locals. 'It's a challenging place to run a business, with it being the only shop on the island. 'But for some people, it is the ideal sort of environment and exactly what they want.' Rua Bioscience (NZX: RUA ) has successfully launched its first medicine in Germany. In doing so, the company has become one of the first medicinal cannabis companies in New Zealand to introduce a branded product in Europes largest medicinal cannabis market. Rua Bioscience CEO, Paul Naske, is delighted to have achieved such a critical commercial milestone. Launching in Germany has been a long-held and, frankly, ambitious goal for the company. Were delighted to supply German patients with GMP-quality medicines and look forward to further establishing Ruas presence in Germany, he says. The medicinal cannabis product, a high THC flower, has been developed through an extensive R&D programme by Cann Group, Ruas Australian manufacturing and supply partner. Ruas unique export-led strategy positions us as somewhat of an outlier in the New Zealand industry, but positions us well globally. Our desire to create opportunity here on the East Coast, our key international partnerships, and our local investment in genetic discovery, each enhance our ability to access and service high-value medicinal cannabis markets around the world. Ruas medicine is distributed by long-time partner Nimbus Health, a specialised wholesaler and importer of cannabinoid formulations from around the world. Founder and managing director, Dr. Alessandro Rossoni, describes the initial interest in the flower as strong, further underlining Ruas ambition to become a market leader in Germany and the EU. We have been very eager to bring the Rua brand to Germany. The quality of the product and its unique terpene profile has struck chord with German patients and doctors alike. The partnership with Rua is a further step towards improving product diversity and security of supply in Germany. It will contribute greatly to improving quality of life for those patients using medicinal cannabis, he says. Analysts expect the German medicinal cannabis market to be worth around NZ$700m and to have grown to 147,000 patients by the close of 20231. Rua is also advancing plans in Poland, which could be worth NZ$92m by the close of 2023, and is assessing opportunities in Australia where the medicinal cannabis market is estimated to be worth $106m currently. Its in markets like these that Rua expects to secure meaningful revenue so that the company can continue create sustainable opportunities in Te Tairawhiti. Ends. This announcement is authorised by: Paul Naske, Chief Executive Officer, Rua Bioscience For more information, please visit www.ruabio.com or contact: Hamish White Chief Financial Officer, Rua Bioscience Hamish.white@ruabio.com Rua Launches in Germany Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. 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Related News: AIA - Auckland Airport considers retail bond offer Embark - Proposed Australian redomiciling and NZX delisting ATM - Appointment of new independent NED - Kate Mitchell Manawa Energy advances North Island wind farm May 2nd Morning Report General Capital (GEN:NZ) Subsidiary General Finance Update APL - Settlement of 22 Stoddard Road sale Metro Performance Glass to announce FY23 annual results Pacific Edge Full Year Result to be Announced 25 May 2023 ARG - 2023 Annual Result Announcement and Webcast Details The construction industry has suffered another setback with Australia's biggest brick manufacturer closing a key plant, citing poor sales. Masonry giant Brickworks confirmed in a statement on Thursday that it would be 'mothballing' its Cardup plant, the company's last factory in Western Australia. Brickworks said its WA arm, Austral, has been reporting losses in recent years with sales falling due to a 'slowdown in building activity'. It is the latest blow to the embattled building industry that has seen dozens of businesses fail in the past year. The Cardup plant has been closed previously, in 2012 and in 2019 but was slated planned to reopen in 2020 after an upgrade. The construction industry has suffered another setback with Australia's biggest brick manufacturer closing a key plant, citing poor sales Masonry giant Brickworks confirmed in a statement on Thursday that it would be 'mothballing' its last WA plant, Cardup, and focusing on selling excess stock In 2016 managing director of Brickworks, Lindsay Partridge, said the upgrade to the plant would mean it could produce 40 million bricks. But Austral now holds excess stock which the company will focus on trying to sell off. 'After careful deliberation, we have decided to mothball our Cardup factory to focus on the sale of excess stock,' Brickworks' latest statement said. 'To reflect the scaled back operations in WA we have made the difficult decision to make some roles redundant. 'Unfortunately, this step is considered necessary at this time to assist in stemming the sustained losses being experienced in this market. Sales volume in WA was sharply lower as a result of the slowdown in building activity and the loss of key customer accounts, following an attempt to increase margins.' Brickworks thanked 'all staff involved'. Australian Bureau of Statistics data revealed that building approvals in WA continue to trend downwards as the state's housing crisis worsens. The statistics show that just 897 homes were approved in February, down from 932 in January a 3.8 per cent decrease. In February 2022, 1201 homes were approved. Last week Melbourne-based construction company Mahercorp told its customers it will enter voluntary administration but that it has 'not collapsed'. Mahercorp is the latest in a string of construction companies to enter insolvency over the past year as the construction industry battles dire conditions. Austral's Cardup plant was upgraded to produce 40 million bricks, but a building slowdown meant it couldn't sell enough stock Some of the biggest names in Australian construction have become insolvent over the past year, including Probuild, Home Innovation Builders, Privium, Condev Construction and Pivotal Homes Companies are still reeling from the impacts of the Covid pandemic and the lack of timber and other materials due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Across Australia, hundreds of millions of dollars are owed by failed companies to subcontractors, tradesmen, clients and the tax office. Some of the biggest names in Australian construction have become insolvent over the past year, including Probuild, Home Innovation Builders, Privium, Condev Construction and Pivotal Homes. The building company failures come as a new market intelligence report predicted the industry was set to rebound. ResearchAndMarkets.com predicted the value of construction work in Australia would grow by 6.4 per cent to reach $172,387 million in 2023 and maintain an annual growth rate of 5.5 per cent up to 2027. By 2027 the value of Australia's construction would grow to $213,888.4 million. Tom Daley's Oscar winning writer husband Dustin Lance Black is facing trial after allegedly attacking a BBC TV presenter in a nightclub, it has emerged. Model Teddy Edwardes, 32, who stars in the BBC3 show The Big Proud Party Agency, claimed Black threw a drink in her face in Freedom gay bar in London's Soho in August last year. Black, 48, appeared at Westminster magistrates' court today where he pleaded not guilty to assaulting Miss Edwardes by beating on August 18, 2022. He gave his address as Los Angeles and was bailed unconditionally until his trial on August 8, 2023. The Metropolitan Police charged him with assault on February 17 this year. Tom Daley's husband Dustin Lance Black was in court in London today where he denied assault Miss Edwardes claimed that Mr Black, 48, threw a drink in her face after she asked another person in the venue to leave her table in an Instagram post after the event Teddy Edwardes is a model and TV presenter at the centre of the case The model (centre) stars in the BBC3 show The Big Proud Party Agency, following a team of LGBTQ+ party agents as they plan events Reacting to the court case over the row, Black's spokesman said: 'Mr Black was surprised and saddened to learn that after the other person involved in this unfortunate incident took responsibility and expressed remorse for a punch to the back of Mr Blacks head - which left him with a life altering concussion - a decision was made to now examine the matter of a spilled drink in a court of law. He added: 'Of course Mr Black will respect the process, and in the meantime will continue to focus on being a loving father and husband'. Tom Daley and his husband, who married in 2017 and have two sons together, had allegedly been invited to join Miss Edwardes, 32, at her table for drinks after the couple had dinner at restaurant Avo Mario and watching a drag show at Chinatown's Ku Bar. Miss Edwardes, who founded a girls-only club night called LICK, claimed Black threw a drink in her face after she asked another person in the venue to leave her table. In retaliation, she said she gave Black 'a little tap on the back of the head', however a source close to the couple said that someone 'punched' Mr Black 'in the back of the head'. Teddy later posted on social media claiming she was the one kicked out of the club and the police were called, but she said: 'I have to add that Tom Daley was lovely throughout, he was just trying to defuse the situation.' Posting on Instagram last August, Miss Edwardes said: 'I went out for a couple of quiet drinks with my friends last night, nothing crazy, and I bumped into Tom Daley and his husband in Soho, who... pretty much unprovoked he threw an entire drink over me in Freedom. 'I didn't have a drink to throw back so I did choose violence, it wasn't that violent, he got a little tap on the back of the head. 'Tell me why he is crying outside saying it's a targeted attack and that he's traumatised and called the police, and I had to wait there for hours whilst the police were asking questions. 'And now I have been cautioned and I have to go in for interviews'. Miss Edwardes later posted online that Mr Daley, 28, was 'lovely' during the incident, and tried to 'defuse the situation'. Pictured, the couple in December 2021 Posting on Instagram last August, Miss Edwardes, founder of Lick events, said: 'I went out for a couple of quiet drinks with my friends last night, nothing crazy, and I bumped into Tom Daley and his husband in Soho, who... pretty much unprovoked he threw an entire drink over me' She admitted the row had been over someone at the table In retaliation, she said she gave Black 'a little tap on the back of the head' The couple were at Freedom (pictured), a gay bar in Soho, when the alleged dispute happened in the early hours of the morning on August 18 last year She added: 'For everyone asking what happened, we basically invited them to where we were sitting and I bought them some drinks etc, everything was fine. 'And then this random guy came and sat with us and my friend said they felt uncomfortable because they didn't know who it was so I asked security if they could move them on 'The security came to move them on and Tom's husband started going mad saying how unwelcome I've made him feel and that he was leaving, so I was like OK? If that's what you want? Then got straight drink to the face.' A source close to Daley and Black said that the couple were on a 'date night' without their then four-year-old son Robbie. Someone punched Black in the back of the head, and the person who punched him was removed from Freedom by security who checked CCTV, they told The Sun. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: 'Dustin Lance Black, 48, of Southwark, was charged on Friday, February 17 with assault.' Downing Street insisted ministers are entitled to be 'robust' today after Steve Barclay became the latest minister to face civil service bullying allegations. No10 lined up behind the health secretary after Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said his colleague is 'absolutely not' a bully despite claims officials had 'raised concerns' about his behaviour. The Guardian said civil servants had complained informally to permanent secretary Chris Wormald since Mr Barclay was appointed last summer. But colleagues have dismissed the 'absurd' allegations, suggesting civil servants now feel 'emboldened' to 'go after' ministers after deputy PM Dominic Raab was forced to quit last week. Some Tories have lashed out at the 'snivel service' warning that the criticism is in 'snowflake territory'. Allies rallied around Steve Barclay today after he became the latest minister to face civil service bullying allegations Colleagues have dismissed the 'absurd' allegations, suggesting civil servants now feel 'emboldened' to 'go after' ministers after deputy PM Dominic Raab (pictured) was forced to quit last week Mr Cleverly told Sky News: 'I've worked with him on a number of occasions. 'He has made a statement making it absolutely clear that there have been no reports. 'His statement is clear and completely unambiguous, and I am completely convinced that that is accurate.' Sources told The Guardian that Mr Barclay a former Government whip and Brexit Secretary was 'constantly angry' and had 'blasted' staff, who in turn found him 'quite challenging'. One source was quoted saying: 'Barclay's style is very macho... he hauls people over the coals and is a bit unpleasant.' But a source close to Mr Barclay insisted: 'This is all a bit thin. There's been no complaint at any department he's worked in. 'The allegation is completely untrue.' Downing Street denied the PM had ever been told of any informal concerns about the minister's behaviour. The spokesman said: 'The Health Secretary is delivering for the public and working hard to cut the waiting lists so people can get the care they need more quickly. 'The Prime Minister expects ministers to drive delivery in their department. 'Ministers should be able to test and challenge civil servants and their political advisers robustly, and hold departments to account to deliver for the public.' One Tory who has worked closely with Mr Barclay told MailOnline the claims were 'absurd'. 'He can be hard work but honestly, it seems absolutely mad.' Another veteran aide said: 'I'd heard he could be short with people, but we are probably getting into snowflake territory.' One senior Tory told Politico's Playbook: 'This drivel about Barclay this is the absolute worst of the snivel service. 'There are loads of brilliant people in there working extremely hard. But they are being let down by a bunch of activists who are routinely breaking the civil service code to brief and actually lie to the media.' A senior civil servant who worked with Mr Barclay in the Cabinet Office said: 'I do not recognise any of these allegations. 'He was always professional. He set high standards, but he was running a Government department.' Another said: 'This is open season on ministers.' Ex-Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg called Mr Barclay 'effective' and 'tough', adding: 'Dominic Raab's departure emboldened civil servants to go after a government they do not like.' The Health Department said it had not received formal complaints about ministers' behaviour. Dianne Miller died after being struck in the temple Warning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers: this story contains the name and pictures of someone who has died. A relative of a pregnant woman, killed when a boy threw a piece of concrete into her head in a shopping centre carpark, has had to be carried from a Perth courtroom after breaking down in tears. Sentencing proceedings started in Perth Children's Court on Thursday afternoon against the boy who fatally struck Diane Miller. The 30-year-old died in Royal Perth Hospital three days after she was hit with the projectile at Waterford Plaza on November 29. The 17-year-old boy who dealt the fatal blow pleaded guilty to a downgraded charge of manslaughter. CCTV vision of the attack were shown to the court as well as the moments earlier when two groups nearly coming to blows. The 17-year-old boy who dealt the fatal blow to Ms Miller (pictured) pleaded guilty to a downgraded charge of manslaughter She had been at the shopping centre at Karawarra, just south of Perth's CBD, just before 7.30pm on November 29 with her partner Phillip Edmonds and several family members - including a baby. At the same time the boy being sentenced, who is a minor and can't be identified, was also at Waterford Plaza with a group of teenage mates. State prosecutor Clare Cullen told the court the trouble started when Mr Edmonds, driving the car with Ms Miller inside, believed one of the group of youths had thrown something at his vehicle, while the group of boys believed Mr Edmonds had yelled something derogatory at them. Mr Edmonds parked his car and the situation deteriorated, both groups yelling abuse at each other, with Mr Edmonds and one of the boys taking their shirts off as he and the group of youths armed themselves - Mr Edmonds with a tire iron, and the youths with bottles and metal stools from a nearby eatery. Among them was the 17-year-old, who grabbed a 1.9kg concrete block roughly the size of a tissue box. Diane Miller's sister Alison and other supporters outside the court A relative of Ms Miller's became inconsolable and had to leave the courtroom as video of the moment the boy threw the block was played in court. The standoff between the two groups had petered out, and Mr Edmonds was driving away from the scene with Ms Miller, 20 weeks pregnant at the time, sitting in the passenger seat of their blue sedan. CCTV vision from a neighbouring childcare centre showed the moment the 17-year-old, who had been hiding in bushes behind a brick structure used to house garbage dumpsters, stepped out and hurled the chunk of concrete, striking Ms Miller in the temple. In court, the boy kept his eyes down with his head leaning on one hand as the footage was shown. The blow caused her several skull fractures and bleeding on the brain. The blow also rendered Ms Miller immediately unresponsive, and she went into cardiac arrest as bystanders tried to perform CPR. She was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital. In the following days her pregnancy was rendered non-viable, and she was kept on life support to give family time to say their goodbyes, before Ms Miller died in the early hours of December 2. The court was told the boy had fled to a nearby park with some of the other boys in his group. He was taken home, where his family urged him to turn himself in to police, however they arrived and arrested him later that evening. The boy's lawyer, Kate Turtley-Chappel, read from a psychiatric report which stated he 'has deficits across all three domains of executive functions,' and that during the incident 'he was emotionally aroused, concerned for others's safety.' Waterford Plaza (pictured) is a medium-sized shopping complex in the southern Perth suburb of Karawarra, on the corner of Manning Rd and Kent St, across the road from Curtin University Ms Turtley-Chappel argued, because of those deficits, the boy wasn't aware the situation had de-escalated and that 'he was unable to update the situation, the highly relevant information to alter his plan.' She revealed the boy has been involved in fights during his incarceration at Banksia Hill Juvenile Detention Centre, but has also been the target of threats. 'What we have before us today is someone who was removed from his mother at a young age, exposed to domestic violence at a young age, exposed to alcohol abuse, homelessness,' said Ms Turtley-Chappel, in her submission of mitigating factors. 'He is someone with a different brain ... his differences are connected to his childhood, to his FASD, to his diagnosis of ADHD, to his diagnosis of PTSD. 'He also has a language disorder ... all are actions which played factors on that day.' However, Ms Turtley-Chappel argued all these deficits 'did not diminish his capacity to know what he did was wrong.' Family members of the boy being sentenced were also in court. The public gallery was warned by Judge Hylton Quail against any disruptive outbursts during proceedings. The sentencing hearing before Judge Quail continues on Friday. A major UK retailer will be closing several of its stores within the next few weeks, in another blow to the High Street. Variety store B&M has announced it will close two shops in May, while relocating another. This comes as the latest blow to High Street shops as big-name brands such as M&Co, Marks & Spencer and Clintons have also announced recent closures. But which B&M stores are shutting down? Is a B&M branch closing near you? Read on below for a full list of B&M store closures. Pictured: A B&M store in Stockton, County Durham. The brand will close more stores in May Which B&M stores are closing? The discount store will pull down the shutters at its Bishop Auckland branch in County Durham for the final time on Friday, May 5. As a result, customers in the area will need to travel two miles to their next closest B&M store in Shildon once the Bishop Auckland closes for the final time. Additionally, a B&M store in Widnes, Cheshire will shut on Wednesday, May 17, moving to a new location in the same town before it reopens on Wednesday, May 24. B&M released the following statement on their website: 'Your B&M Widnes store is moving from its current location at Bowers Retail Park to its new home at Widnes Trade Park (formerly The Range).' 'We apologise for any inconvenience caused while we bring you a bigger and better B&M store.' The chain's Burnden Retail Park store in Bolton, Greater Manchester will also close for good on May 24. However, shoppers will still be able to visit a nearby B&M, with another branch located in close proximity on Manchester Road. Which B&M stores have already closed? The chain has shut down five of its stores already in 2023. The full list of B&M stores which have already closed is below: Castlegate Shopping Centre, Stockton - February 25 Maesglas Retail Park, Newport, Wales - March 4 Boucher Road, Belfast - March 26 Queens Drive Retail Park, Kilmarnock - March 26 Broadwalk Shopping Centre, Bristol - March 29 Which B&M stores are expanding? It is not all bad news for the bargain chain, which will open six new and expanded stores across the UK in April and May. The full list of new and expanded stores can be seen below: Leven (expansion) - Saturday, 29 April Armagh (expansion) - Friday, 5 May Widnes - Wednesday, May 24 Fforestfach (Swansea) - Friday, May 26 Jarrow (refitting) - Saturday, May 27 Fazakerley - Wednesday, May 31 Whilst this B&M store in Kilmarnock (pictured) has shut down, the chain will expand six stores across the UK How can I get a B&M discount? In-store, B&M makes use of a barcode scanner app which allows customers to see items that are already discounted. To use this feature, shoppers must download the B&M Stores mobile app, which is available to downloaded for free on your smartphone. Once you have installed the app, click on the 'scan' button at the bottom of your homepage. This will bring up the camera on your smartphone, so you can scan barcodes to see if they have been discounted. If you find an item you want to scan, simply point your smartphone camera toward its barcode. The app will then automatically show the item's price, indicating if you benefit from a discount. Bargain hunters say some items can cost as little as 1, 50p or even 10p through the app. Shoppers should also keep an eye out for products with a white reduction sticker on, which indicates a reduced price from the original label. Starving lions and tigers have been rescued from war-torn Ukraine and given a new lease of life on a game reserve in South Africa. Warriors of Wildlife rescued the starving big cats from cramped cages in the Carpathian mountains and the Mykolaiv region of Ukraine, where food supplies were running low because of Putin's invasion. After being rescued in 2022, the animals made the 85-hour journey to Simbonga Game Reserve and Sanctuary on the Eastern Cape in South Africa. The animals had been kept in crates for hours during the cross-continent journey but were found to be in good health following the long trip. In total, the organisation rescued seven big cats during the operation, including six lions named Hercules, Khaya, Akera and Mir - all four - and Simba, 10 and Cher, eight. They also rescued a nine-year-old tiger named Gina. Warriors of Wildlife rescued eight big cats from parts of war-torn Ukraine, including enclosures in the Carpathian mountains and the Mykolaiv region, where the animals were in small cages with little food (pictured) The lions underwent an 85-hour journey to travel from Ukraine to Simbonga Game Reserve and Sanctuary on the Eastern Cape in South Africa, where they now live in large outdoor enclosures (pictured) Gina the tiger pictured in Ukraine following Putin's invasion of the country last year Along with the lions, a nine-year-old tiger called Gina was also rescued from the enclosure in Ukraine (pictured in South Africa this year) The lions are now living in large enclosures ready to embark on their new life. Since their move from Europe, sanctuary manager at the reserve Lauren Vad-Smith, 32, has been documenting the animals progress since arriving in Africa. Lauren said: 'These animals now all live at our sanctuary in South Africa at Simbonga Game Reserve. 'The lions endured 85 hours in their crates from Ukraine to their destination at the sanctuary. 'Our non-profit organisation is called Warriors of Wildlife; we work across the globe with a primary focus in Ukraine and South Africa currently. 'Tourists are able to come and visit the lions and learn about the animals as well as well as the work that goes in to rescuing them. 'Our goal is to rescue and relocate captive animals in need.' These were not the only animals to be rescued from the Eastern European country in the last year. Since the war in Ukraine broke out, Warriors have Wildlife have rescued and relocated 37 lions from Ukraine to South Africa. Animals in these enclosures (pictured) were not the first big cats to be rescued. Back in May 2022, Warriors of Wildlife along with the animal rescue groups Breaking the Chains, travelled to the wore-torn Black Sea port of Odessa to rescue a group of lions and tigers Since the war in Ukraine broke out, Warriors have Wildlife have rescued and relocated 37 lions from Ukraine to South Africa Photos shared by sanctuary manager Lauren Vad-Smith showed the dreadful conditions the lions had been placed under before they were rescued Prior to the rescue mission the lions were left starving, with meat supplies for the animals being extremely low Photos shared of the lions before their rescue in 2022 left), compared with on the South African game reserve in 2023 (right) showed a drastic difference The lions now have plenty of space to roam around the open-air sanctuary while they are being cared for on-site volunteers (right). It offers a stark difference to their life before in Ukraine in the months after the war broke out (left) During one mission back in May 2022, Warriors of Wildlife along with the animal rescue group Breaking the Chains, travelled to the wore-torn Black Sea port of Odessa to rescue a group of Big Cats. Nine lions, who were facing starvation at the time, were rescued from their home in Biopark, Odessa. Two adult males, five lionesses, as well as two cubs, were taken to a temporary home in Targu Mures, Romania. The animals were then either moved on to Simbonga Game Reserve or transferred to a wildlife sanctuary in the US. Warriors of Wildlife was set up to rescue and relocate wildlife to be cared for by volunteers. Pictured: One of the lions rescued from Ukraine basking in the South African sun At the sanctuary, 11 lions and Gina the tiger can be viewed by appointment only, as the recovery centre can only be viewed by appointment The lions were taken on an 85 hour journey from Ukraine to South Africa in crates, but were all recorded as healthy on arrival The animals now have much more space to roam around in a natural environment rather than being penned up in zoo enclosures Warriors of Wildlife founder and South African Army veteran Lionel de Lange said at the time: 'It was an international operation, and it was great to work with other people who were keen on getting this amazing job done. 'I hope we can go back in under the Russian noses again and rescue more animals together in the future. 'It's great for me to get any animal out of a bad situation but I suppose for me as someone who has lived in Ukraine it was extra special. 'The lions future was super bleak staying in Odesa because the writing is on the wall, and it looks like there's not going to be an end to the war anytime soon.' A ring and bracelet previously owned by the Duchess of Windsor Wallis Simpson have sold for 42,000 at auction in Belfast. The sale of the emerald and diamond ring and bracelet, that took place at Bloomfield Auctions in Belfast, also saw the sale of a Harland and Wolff minute book chronicling the years 1918-1927 for 2,600. Mrs Simpson received the items of jewellery as a gift from her husband, the Duke of Windsor, who had abdicated as king. The jewellery was later sold to Esther McCreery, a well-known socialite, who had met the royal couple through her role as a liaison for the American Embassy in the Bahamas. Karl Bennett, managing director of Bloomfield Auctions, said he was satisfied with the price the set went for, exceeding its expected price of 25,000-35,000. 'I am delighted with what the emerald and diamond bracelet and ring has fetched at auction. The pair is one of the most stunning items of jewellery I have ever had on sale at the auction house,' he said. The emerald bracelet and ring once owned by Wallis Simpson which had been gifted to her by former king Edward VIII went under the hammer in Belfast for 42,000 Also in the auction was a letter from Princess Elizabeth - before she became Queen, to Lord Plunkett after he got engaged The Harland and Wolff minute book that was sold for 2,600 contains various historical references. Mr Bennett said: 'This book is a unique piece of history, believed to contain records of the first minutes taken immediately after the First World War, chronicling the years 1918-1927. 'It's such a rich historical document to behold, containing references to the Armistice in 1918, the Titanic memorial, the purchase and use of Ormiston and the death and demise of Viscount Pirrie, Chairman of Harland & Wolff.' Also featured in the sale was an original handwritten letter by the late Queen Elizabeth II, addressed to Lord Plunkett on the occasion of his engagement, which sold for 1,100. Wallis Simpson, pictured next to her husband the Duke of Windsor, received the jewels as a gift. They were later sold to socialite Esther McCreery Mr Bennett said the expectation in the run-up to Charles's coronation had generated significant interest in the items. 'I knew there would be a great amount of interest from around the globe for these royal items, which is no surprise given King Charles III's upcoming coronation,' he said. 'I was also particularly pleased with the sale of the seven-piece silver tea service, used to entertain the young Duke of Edinburgh at a polo match in the United States, which made 8,000 at auction.' Among the items auctioned was a letter from the then Princess Elizabeth to Lord Plunkett in the late 1940s when he was serving as an officer with the Irish Guards in Palestine. In the letter, the future monarch wrote: 'I should think you must be very thankful to be leaving Palestine it sounds as though life is quite unbearable out there. I hope you will find your job as A.D.C [Aide de Camp] in Canada very interesting It might be great fun, too. 'Again all my thanks. 'Yours very sincerely 'Elizabeth' The letter to Lord Plunkett reveals the young princess' views of the situation in Palestine ahead of the British withdrawal Patrick Plunket had been friends with Her Majesty since childhood Patrick's father and mother, who died in a plane crash when Patrick was just 15-years-old At the time, the Irish Guards were providing 'internal security' ahead of the British withdrawal following a UN recommendation that there should be separate Arab and Jewish states formed in the territory. Patrick Plunkett was a childhood friend of the late Queen and was solemnly mourned by the Monarch when he died of cancer in 1975. He was also Aide De Camp to her father and served in a similar role for Queen Elizabeth. According to Royal historians, the friendship between the young Queen and Lord Plunkett was vital when her marriage to Prince Philip was under threat in the 1950s Plunkett was often seen at the Queen's side - even holding her hand. He was eventually appointed as Deputy Master of the Household, and royal author Christopher Wilson says no man has even been that close to her - apart from her husband Prince Philip. Writing in The Sun, Mr Wilson told how the pair were so close that in 1975, when the bachelor died from liver cancer aged 51, she was so distraught she ordered a royal funeral for him at St James's Palace. A memorial temple was then built to him in Windsor Great Park, and she is still a regular visitor there were she pays her respects. Patrick's father, Irish peer Lord Plunket, had been a close friend of Elizabeth's parents, then the Duke and Duchess of York. His mother Dorothe was a half American heiress. Queen Elizabeth with Dwight Eisenhower (front left) with Plunket behind on the right But they both died in a plane crash in 1938 when Patrick was just 15-years-old and he inherited the family title. In World War Two he served in the Irish Guards, then became an equerry for Elizabeth's father, King George VI. When Elizabeth became Queen, she appointed him Deputy Master of the Household. Plunket's cousin, Lady Annabel Goldsmith, told The Sun: 'He adored her from the outset. Plunket was often photographed by her side, including here when she opened Calder Hall, Cumberland, the world's first full-scale atomic power station Plunket, seen here with Prince Margaret at the Epson Derby in 1958, stayed by her side during Prince Philip's royal tour in 1956 Patrick inherited the family title at just 15 from his father Lord Terence Plunket (right), 6th Baron Plunket, here with his wife and eldest son at the Fourth of June Eton celebrations in June 1937 'They enjoyed a very special connection. He was the one member of her staff who could talk to her on equal terms. 'There was an openness and honesty between them based on respect, friendship and a lot of teasing.' In 1956, when Prince Philip went on a world tour for four months, Plunket helped her cope with being alone. The tour of 1956 put pressure on the marriage and reports started appearing in the US press about a rift. But Plunket was by her side throughout the crisis. Lady Goldsmith said: 'He was tall, impeccably dressed, with a voice full of merriment and his eyes crinkled up with laughter.' Philip finally came home and the royal marriage was rekindled. Royal midwife Helen 'Rowie' Rowe received this letter from Princess Elizabeth in November 1950. The midwife was making a teacloth featuring royal signatures - which later included the Queen's own autograph The Queen approached members of her family on behalf of her midwife Sister Helen Rowe, pictured, to help with her project And royal biographer Charles Higham added: 'He was slender, handsome, with thinning, dark hair and aristocratic profile. 'The Queen was very fond of him, very probably in love with him.' In a letter to her midwife Helen 'Rowie' Rowe, the then Princess Elizabeth how she tried to elicit royal support for a tea cloth featuring the family's signatures she was making. In the letter of November 24, 1950, Princess Elizabeth wrote: 'Dear Rowie, I'm terribly sorry to have been so long over getting the names for your tea cloth. 'I have sent it to Queen Mary for signature and it will be returned to you from Marlborough House...' Another Post Office worker wrongly convicted in the Horizon IT scandal has died without being fully compensated, an inquiry has been told. On Thursday the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry's chairman Sir Wyn Williams announced that Robert Boyle died suddenly earlier in April. It comes after The Times reported that almost 60 subpostmasters wrongfully convicted for fraud in the 2000s and 2010 due to accounting flaws caused by the Horizon IT system had died without being fully compensated. Sir Wyn told the public inquiry he was 'anxious' about the timeline of a compensation scheme for victims of the scandal. In 2019, a group of 555 subpostmasters successfully challenged the Post Office over the Horizon system in the High Court, and a public inquiry was established in September 2020 to examine the failings which led to the scandal. Sir Wyn said on Thursday: 'It is my sad duty to report that on April 5 Mr Robert Boyle, a former subpostmaster, passed away suddenly. On Thursday the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry's chairman Sir Wyn Williams announced that Robert Boyle died suddenly earlier in April Pictured: Former post office workers celebrating outside the Royal Courts of Justice, London, after their convictions were overturned by the Court of Appeal in April 2021 'On my own behalf and on behalf of the whole inquiry team, I extend my deepest sympathies and condolences to Mr Boyle's family and friends. 'Shortly after Mr Boyle's passing I received an application from his son, Christopher, who is Mr Boyle's executor, to become a core participant in the inquiry, and I have granted that application. 'I understand the position to be... that Mr Boyle senior, if I can call him that, received two interim payments under the Overturned Conviction Scheme, but his final award had not been finalised prior to his death.' Mr Boyle was handed a 12-month suspended sentence with 100 hours of unpaid work and an electronically monitored curfew in January 2012 after pleading guilty to theft. The former subpostmaster had been accused of taking nearly 12,000 in cash from the Alfreton Road sub post office in Nottinghamshire. He had his conviction overturned at the Court of Appeal in July last year. The court was told that Mr Boyle had put his home up for sale as he realised the discrepancies in the branch's finances were not going to be rectified, intending to use the money from the sale to fix the shortfall. The last time the Horizon inquiry met in March this year, Sir Wyn announced that two other postmasters, Isabella Armstrong-Wall and Lynette Hutchings, had died. In 2019, a group of 555 subpostmasters successfully challenged the Post Office over the Horizon system in the High Court, and a public inquiry was established in September 2020 to examine the failings which led to the scandal (pictured, a former subpostmaster and supporter celebrate outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, on April 23, 2021, following a court ruling clearing subpostmasters of convictions) Postmaster Tom Hedges (holding Champagne) celebrates outside the High Court In London after 39 former subpostmasters had their convictions overturned A Times investigation, based on data from freedom of information requests sent to the Post Office and the Department for Trade and Business, found that 59 former subpostmasters had died before the end of the public inquiry. The majority of those had not been fully compensated before their deaths. Starting in 1999, the Post Office began installing Horizon accounting systems - but faults in the software led to thousands of users suffering unexplained losses in their branches' accounts. The Post Office subsequently demanded that the subpostmasters and subpostmistresses cover the shortfalls, with more than 700 wrongfully prosecuted for theft, fraud and false accounting between 1999 and 2015. But in December 2019, a High Court judge ruled that the system contained a number of 'bugs, errors and defects' and there was a 'material risk' that shortfalls in Post Office branch accounts were in fact caused by it. Many have had their convictions overturned since the Hugh Court ruling. Evidence in Phase Two will begin being heard on October 18, after all the opening statements have been completed this week. It will examining the procurement, design, pilot, roll-out and modifications of Horizon. Motorcycle mechanic charged with two counts of attempted murder A neighbour who found two mates unconscious and covered in blood after a vicious alleged double assault in a suburban home has opened up about the horror scene he found. Antoinette 'Toni' McGraw, 49, and Neil Sieben, 66, were both found clinging to life led inside a red-brick home in suburban Smithfield Plains, in Adelaide's north, on Wednesday. Paramedics rushed to the scene and took them to Royal Adelaide Hospital they had emergency surgery. Soon after, South Australian Police arrested motorcycle mechanic Thomas Westcott, 32 and charged him with two counts of attempted murder. A man who found the pair clinging to life inside the home broke down as he told Nine News: 'It's starting to hit me now.' Another woman who knew the pair commented that McGraw and Sieben were 'such beautiful neighbours' and said she hoped they 'pull through'. A shocked neighbour and friend found a 49-year-old woman and 66-year-old man unconscious but alive in this red-brick home in Adelaide's north on Wednesday Antoinette 'Toni' McGraw, 49 (pictured), a New Zealand woman living in Adelaide was found with serious injuries after a brutal alleged bashing A neighbour who found Ms McGraw and Neil Sieben, 66, (pictured above) inside the home faltered as he spoke to Nine News Officers and emergency services were called to the home about 3.50pm. Police also said they do not believe this was a 'random' incident. 'All parties are known to each other,' the statement said. 'Following an investigation, Northern District Detectives attended a property at Salisbury North and arrested a 32-year-old man from Northfield.' SA police arrested motorcycle mechanic Thomas Westcott, 32 and charged him with two counts of attempted murder and criminal trespass 'He was charged with two counts of attempted murder and aggravated serious criminal trespass.' Westcott did not apply for bail and appeared in Elizabeth Magistrates Court on Thursday April 27. Police prosecutors requested more time to analyse DNA from the scene of the alleged attack. He is due to appear in court again in December. A top cancer centre has confirmed it treated former Neighbours star Kate Keltie for stage four breast cancer last year after former co-stars appealed for her to share her incredible story. Ms Keltie - who played Michelle Scully on the soap from 1999 as the onscreen sister of Holly Valance's character Flick Scully - revealed last November she had been diagnosed with the illness. Fans raised more than $37,000 with a GoFundMe appeal to assist the 37-year-old in her battle with the deadly disease. But just four months later she delighted them with the 'incredible' news that she had recovered, yet declined requests to share her story. Neighbours star Kate Keltie, 37, (pictured) revealed she had been diagnosed with the illness last November, and fans helped her raise $37,000 on a GoFundMe appeal Kate Keltie - who played Michelle Scully (pictured left with her on-screen family) on the soap from 1999 as sister of Holly Valance's character Flick Scully (second from right) - has had a 'fantastic response' to her treatment FROM CHILD STAR TO RECRUITMENT EXPERT Kate Keltie joined Neighbours as a fresh-faced teenager in 1999 Kate Keltie first hit screens as a five year old when she appeared in ABC kids show More Than Words, before roles in TV commercials and a series of bit parts as various characters in Blue Heelers from 1994. She returned to television in 1996 in an episode of Rebecca Gibney's drama series, Halifax FP, at the age of 10. And aged 13, she starred in 50 episodes of apocalyptic children's sci-fi series Thunderstone as Becky Daniels. But it was her role in Neighbours which made her globally famous as Michelle Scully, the spoilt brat little sister of pin-up co-star Holly Valance's character, Flick Scully. Kate joined the show as a fresh-faced teenager in 1999 who was 'occasionally petulant but always lovable' and remained a fan favourite for the next four years until 2003 when she left the show to return to school after Holly Valance also left the show. She made a brief return the following year, but after her final exit from the soap, she only took one more screen role, in an episode of Rodger Corser's crime-drama Rush in 2008, before quitting showbiz for good. She moved into the business world, first as legal support with a law firm before shifting to recruitment with roles at people2people and Denovo. She is said to have been set to start with a new company when she was given her shock cancer diagnosis, putting the new job on hold while she fought the disease. Advertisement This prompted former co-stars to appeal to the actress-turned-recruitment consultant to share her 'amazing story of how she beat the cancer'. 'It would just be really nice to hear a little bit more about her story, it's amazing,' a Neighbours source told the Daily Mail. In response to the story, the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne published a statement confirming Ms Keltie had been diagnosed with stage four metastatic breast cancer. 'Kate developed breast cancer, which spread to other parts of her body including her hip bone and lymph nodes,' said Dr David Speakman, Peter Mac's chief medical officer. 'Kate has had a fantastic response to her treatment and currently has no metabolically active disease. 'However, she will require ongoing treatment and monitoring to check for any return of her cancer,' he said. Ms Keltie, who played Michelle Scully for five years from 1999 when she was 13 as the on-screen sister of Holly Valance's character Flick, shocked fans when she revealed she had the disease last November. She said it had spread to other parts of her body - including her lymph nodes, blood and hip bones - and required chemotherapy. Fans and her former colleagues, including immediately gave to her fund, which was set-up by her financier cousin, Ebony Gilbert. Appealing to people to donate, she wrote: 'Given the severity of the chemotherapy that Kate requires, her oncologist advised that working and maintaining her job during this time is not an option. She will lose her gorgeous hair and cannot carry children in the future.' Setting a target of $25,000, Ms Gilbert explained that Ms Keltie needed the money for rent, food, bills, specialist medical treatment, a regular cleaner, cleaning products and wig and specialist skin products. Four months later friends and family were overjoyed when Ms Keltie updated her GoFundMe page to say she had to 'share some incredible news' that she was now cancer-free. She wrote: 'I recently received results of my latest scan and was told that there had been a complete metabolic response to diseased areas. 'The last six months have been the most challenging time I have ever experienced, to say the least... I couldn't have done it without each and every one of you. Your support played a huge part in my navigating this horrible time.' However, Ms Keltie's update was later deleted from the GoFundMe appeal, and the fundraiser itself was deactivated and deleted from public view last month. Ms Keltie - who has now given up her showbiz career and works as a recruitment consultant - has not responded to requests to discuss her amazing story of survival. Ms Gilbert's father and Ms Keltie's uncle Michael Keltie said his daughter's job as head of digital experience at finance firm Vanguard Australia meant she was too busy to talk. But he relived the incredible moment the family found out the good news. 'All I know is that she qualified for a particular type of treatment and had it,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'When she went back with her mother and father, the doctor said, "It's gone - it's completely gone." 'They didn't know what they were hearing when they were told. They said, "What do you mean, it's gone?" Dr David Speakman (pictured), Peter Mac's Chief Medical Officer, said: 'Kate has had a fantastic response to her treatment and currently has no metabolically active disease' 'He said, "It's completely gone." 'So that is a really positive story what happened with Kate.' Ms Keltie's spokesman said: 'It is such a wonderful outcome for her and her family.' Ms Keltie hosted a Breast Cancer benefit on March 31 with tickets costing $55 'for a night of live music, dancing, finger food and great prizes to be raffled from our sponsors'. Participants were asked to dress in pink for the event in Mordialloc, in Melbourne's south-east, with 'all proceeds donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation'. Ms Keltie is now the leading fundraiser for the Mothers Day Classic Foundation ahead of its charitable fun runs to be held on Sunday 14 May. Chinese envoy calls for end to political stalemate in Haiti Xinhua) 13:55, April 27, 2023 UNITED NATIONS, April 26 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Wednesday called for an end to the political stalemate in Haiti, and for the improvement of the security and humanitarian situation. Haiti remains mired in a political, security and humanitarian crisis. The Haitian people are struggling in pain and despair. The political transition process still lacks broad support. An immediate end to the political stalemate should be a pressing priority for all parties in Haiti, said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations. It is imperative that the Haitian interim authorities and all political parties and factions put the fundamental interests of the Haitians first, commit to dialogue, demonstrate their respective responsibilities, and strive for broader agreements on transitional arrangements so as to create conditions for free, fair, transparent, and credible elections, he told the UN Security Council. Curbing the rising tide of gang violence and criminality is the key to improved security in Haiti, he said. In this regard, cutting off the political support for gangs and the sources of funding and weapons is a matter of urgency. According to the latest assessment by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the raging gang violence is inextricably linked to the illicit flows of weapons into Haiti from abroad, especially from the United States, he said. "We find this trend deeply worrying. If left unchecked, such a trend would fuel the reckless and violent behavior of gangs and exacerbate the current insecurity and instability." Security Council Resolution 2653 provides for sanctions, including an arms embargo, targeting Haitian gangs. These measures must not stay on paper only. The countries concerned must take effective measures to implement the provisions of this resolution, said Geng. Haiti is experiencing a rampant cholera epidemic and an economic decline. Nearly half of its population is threatened by food insecurity. China is deeply concerned by the dire humanitarian situation facing the Haitian people, he said. China supports the United Nations and international partners in their continuous support for Haiti, in particular, assistance rendered to women, children, migrants, and other vulnerable groups. China supports a bigger role for regional countries and organizations to work in synergy with the UN agencies to jointly improve the humanitarian situation, he said. Haiti's multiple crises are intertwined. For a problem this complex, there is no simple fix. Together with the international community, China will continue to support the Haitian people in finding an effective solution to their current plight and suffering, he said. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Ron DeSantis brushed off Disney's lawsuit against him by claiming the corporation is trying to get out of paying their fair share of taxes. While on his international trade mission this week, the Florida governor couldn't escape the war with Disney after he woke up on Thursday to news that it filed a lawsuit against him in federal court. Speaking from Israel, DeSantis claimed: 'They're upset because they're having to live by the same rules as everybody else. They don't want to pay the same taxes as everybody else and they want to be able to control things without proper oversight.' 'The days of putting one company on a pedestal with no accountability are over in the state of Florida,' he added. DeSantis is traveling the world this week with his wife and Florida's first lady Casey DeSantis and their two oldest kids Madison, 6, and Mason, 5. The family began the four-leg trip with a stop in Japan earlier this week before heading to South Korea. Speaking in Israel on Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis didn't seem bothered by Disney's lawsuit against him. He claimed the company is trying to get out of paying their fair share of taxes by holding onto a special district where Walt Disney Co. held power for decades DeSantis' second trip to Israel came during a week-long international trade tour that also includes stops in Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom. Pictured: DeSantis signed legislation criminalizing acts like placing antisemitic flyers at private homes or projecting images on buildings In Israel on Thursday, DeSantis delivered remarks on U.S-Israeli relations and engaged in a bill-signing ceremony to approve legislation criminalizing public hate acts against Jewish people, including placing antisemitic flyers at private homes or projecting these images on buildings. This was DeSantis' second visit to Israel since becoming Florida's governor. He will finish off his trade trip tomorrow with meetings in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, on the home front, DeSantis will return to Florida facing a lawsuit from his arch nemesis Walt Disney Co. The 'corporate kingdom,' as he likes to call it, isn't going down without a fight as it filed a lawsuit in federal court Wednesday against DeSantis and Florida's Tourism Oversight Board for stripping its control over Reedy Creek Improvement District. Special tax district Reedy Creek is the home to Disney World and Walt Disney World resorts, it employs 75,000 people and attracts 50 million visitors every year. In the filing, company executives accused DeSantis and Florida of a 'targeted campaign of government retaliation' in the battle sparked by Disney criticizing the so-called 'Don't Say Gay' bill. 'This lawsuit is yet another unfortunate example of their hope to undermine the will of the Florida voters and operate outside the bounds of the law,' DeSantis Communications Director Taryn Fenske said in a statement to DailyMail.com on Disney's lawsuit. She added that the Florida governor's team is 'unaware of any legal right that a company has to operate its own government or maintain special privileges not held by other businesses in the state.' DeSantis appointed five new members for the board overseeing the district where Disney once held nearly autonomous power and operated the same as a local government. Disney filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida's Tourism Oversight Board for taking their power of Reedy Creek The Reedy Creek Improvement District stretches for nearly 40 square miles and includes the entire Walt Disney World Resort. The area is being renamed to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and includes a new DeSantis-appointed five-member board Disney wasn't happy with this move and tried to make last-minute deals with the outgoing board to secure its power and strip the new panel of any decision-making abilities. However, lawyers advised the board that the deals were made unlawfully and therefore are void. Following a vote by the new board to void the deal, Disney and took another step in the war over the district by accusing the Republican governor of 'weaponizing' his power to inflict political punishment. Since 1967, Disney has held control over the property where its amusement park, resorts and offices sit, and has had decision-making power of the effectively autonomous Reedy Creek Improvement District. But DeSantis has made it his mission to make sure Disney is not awarded any special privileges that other companies do not receive in the Sunshine State. 'For more than half a century, Disney has made an immeasurable impact on Florida and its economy, establishing Central Florida as a top global tourist destination and attracting tens of millions of visitors to the State each year,' the lawsuit reads. 'People and families from every corner of the globe have traveled to Walt Disney World because of the unrivaled guest experience it provides and the deep emotional connection that generations of fans have with Disney's timeless stories and characters,' it continues. 'A targeted campaign of government retaliationorchestrated at every step by Governor DeSantis as punishment for Disney's protected speechnow threatens Disney's business operations, jeopardizes its economic future in the region, and violates its constitutional rights.' Ron DeSantis and his wife and Florida first lady Casey DeSantis are visiting South Korea Wednesday on the second stop of the governor's international trade trip The lawsuit comes in response to the new board moving forward with voiding deals that Disney made before the handover of control in an effort to try and strip power from the new board and give it all to the corporation. Lawyers claimed the deals were done so unlawfully because the proper notification timeline and proceedings were not followed. Critics say that the final hour deals were made in an attempt for Disney to assert a power grab and take away powers from the DeSantis-appointed board. Disney had already celebrated its win over DeSantis in a war that was sparked after the former CEO publicly denounced last year the governor's Parental Rights in Education law, which restricts classroom instruction of sexual orientation and gender identity. While Disney argues in its lawsuit that Reedy Creek Improvement District has benefited the people of Florida, DeSantis and his allies in the Florida legislature claim it is receiving special treatment that other companies in the state are not benefitting from. The SNP's ongoing financial crisis was likened to an episode of top crime drama Line of Duty today. Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross threw the jibe at Humza Yousef at First Minister's Questions as they traded blows over the scandal that has engulfed the nationalists. Peter Murrell, the husband of ex-FM Nicola Sturgeon, and former treasurer Colin Beattie have been arrested and released by detectives probing the disappearance of 660,000 of donations. They also impounded a 110,000 motorhome found at the home of Mr Murrell's elderly mother. Mr Ross went on the attack today as the SNP was engulfed in more financial trouble. Scotland's Auditor General Stephen Boyle this morning said it was 'folly' to think that the current 300million estimate to build two ferries to serve Scotlands islands would be met. The scheme was originally expected to cost 97million. Mr Ross told Holyrood: On every front the SNP is engulfed in scandal, secrecy and a shameful waste of money this is all starting to look like an episode of Line of Duty. Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross threw the jibe at Humza Yousef at First Minister's Questions as they traded blows over the scandal that has engulfed the nationalists. Line of Duty ran for nine years on BBC 1 from 2012 to 2021. It became famous for the exasperated catchphrase uttered by Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar, pictured): 'Jesus Mary Joseph and the wee donkey.' Peter Murrell, the husband of ex-FM Nicola Sturgeon , and former treasurer Colin Beattie have been arrested and released by detectives probing the disappearance of 660,000 of donations. Mr Yousaf was questioned on the ultimate cost of the Glen Sannox and as-yet-unnamed hull 802, which are set to be delayed by five and six years respectively if they meet deadlines for completion of the end of this year and the end of 2024. 'But it's also a massive distraction preventing the SNP from getting on and delivering these services to island communities.' Line of Duty ran for nine years on BBC 1 from 2012 to 2021. It became famous for the exasperated catchphrase uttered by Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar): 'Jesus Mary Joseph and the wee donkey.' Mr Yousaf was questioned on the ultimate cost of the Glen Sannox and as-yet-unnamed hull 802, which are set to be delayed by five and six years respectively if they meet deadlines for completion of the end of this year and the end of 2024. Mr Yousaf ultimately could not say how much the vessels would cost, under questioning from the Scottish Tory leader, after the Auditor General said it was 'folly' to view an estimate of 300 million as 'reliable'. Mr Yousaf has said there should be no bonuses paid in this financial year to bosses at Ferguson Marine as it emerged payouts are set to be made for last year. AG Boyle detailed 'unacceptable' bonus payments totalling 87,000 were made to six senior members of staff in 2021-22 with the knowledge of Scottish ministers and despite the spiralling costs and delays in the delivery of two lifeline ferries. Mr Ross said: 'The two ferries are not fit to sail, the costs continue to spiral out of control, and islanders continue to be left without vital, lifeline services - so First Minister, what on earth could these bonuses be for?' Responding, Mr Yousaf said: 'I won't disagree with Douglas Ross or the Auditor General... the former deputy first minister (John Swinney) made clear his anger, we share that anger, I share that anger at the fact that bonuses have been paid. 'The bonuses that have been paid relate to a decision made by the remuneration committee of Ferguson Marine without consultation with the government in November 2022. 'Those bonuses, I have asked if they can not be paid and the advice coming back is that they are a contractual obligation. 'For any future discussion or consideration of bonuses, I have made it clear there should not be bonuses paid in relation to vessels 801 and 802.' A police officer has been hospitalised after he was accidentally shot during a training session. A male sergeant sustained the gunshot wound following an 'accidental discharge during routine firearm training' at a Childers police facility about 10am on Thursday. 'Initial information indicates the officer, an instructor, sustained a single gunshot wound to the calf following an accidental discharge by another officer during a live-fire training session,' Queensland Police said in a statement. The officer was rushed to hospital after suffering non-life threatening injuries in the incident The officer was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries and is currently in a stable condition. Queensland Police are providing support to both officers and their colleagues and families. The North Coast Region will investigate the incident and Workplace Health and Safety Queensland have been advised. Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll told her fellow officers that a female senior constable accidentally shot the sergeant in the leg. 'Initial information indicates the sergeant, who was the safety officer at the time, attempted to prevent a fellow officer from tripping as they were moving backwards during a live-fire training session, when the accidental discharge occurred,' Ms Carroll wrote to officers the Courier Mail reported. 'A single round was discharged striking the sergeant in the lower leg. 'I've been assured that everything possible is being done by the wonderful health care workers who have been involved in his treatment.' A surviving roommate of the four University of Idaho students brutally slaughtered in their beds has agreed to be interviewed by their suspected killer's defense team. Bethany Funke, 21, will meet with lawyers for Bryan Kohberger at her home in Reno, Nevada, after trying to argue that she should not have to testify during the various court hearings. Criminal justice major Kohberger, 28, is accused of killing Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, on November 13 last year. Court documents earlier this week revealed that Funke's lawyers were arguing that she should not have to testify at a preliminary hearing in June, or for the duration of the trial. In new documents submitted on Wednesday, both sides came to the agreement that the defense would go to Funke for an interview in Nevada dismissing a subpoena they issued on April 11. Bethany Funke, 21, (left) will meet with lawyers for Bryan Kohberger at her home in Reno, Nevada, after trying to argue that she should not have to testify during the various court hearings A court order submitted on April 26 has squashed a subpoena forcing her to testify, after she agreed to speak with Kohberger's defense team It means that the surviving roommate may not be forced to appear at the preliminary hearing on June 28, depending on the information that she gives investigators. Investigator Richard Bitonti, who is working for Kohberger's defense team, subpoenaed Fukne on the basis that she may have 'exculpatory' information. They claimed that the information she has is 'material and necessary' to the alleged killer's defense though it is unclear exactly what that is. Bitonti wrote in an affidavit: 'During the course of my investigation, it became known to me that [she] has information material to the charges against Mr. Kohberger.' He added that she 'disclosed things she heard and things she saw' when interviewed by police and was present when police were called. However Funke's lawyers hit back by saying that the preliminary hearing is not meant to 'become a mini-trial', and is only meant to decide probably cause. They also said the subpoena was improperly filed, and there is no authority for an Idaho criminal defendant to summon a Nevada witness to Idaho for a preliminary hearing. As a potential witness Funke can willingly testify in the hearings, but if she refuses a subpoena can force her to attend court even if she does not want to. Criminal justice major Kohberger, 28, is accused of killing Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, on November 13 last year Funke (far right) may not be forced to appear at the preliminary hearing on June 28, depending on the information that she gives investigators Court documents earlier this week revealed that Funke's lawyers were arguing that she should not have to testify at a preliminary hearing in June, or for the duration of Kohberger's trial Investigator Richard Bitonti, who is working for Kohberger's defense team, subpoenaed Fukne (left) on the basis that she may have 'exculpatory' information Funke lived on the first-floor of the split-level home with survivor Dylan Mortenson, the second survivor and person who came face-to-face with the killer during the attack If a witness refuses to testify after being ordered to do so,by a subpoena they can be held in contempt of court and given a fine of $500 or 25 days in jail. However they can invoke their Fifth Amendment rights while testifying at the hearing if it could implicate them in a crime. According to the statement of Office Brett Payne, both Funke and the other surviving roommate Dylan Mortensen, were home at the time of the homicides. Funke's bedroom is described as being located on the east side of the first floor of the property, and she heard Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle return to the property at 1.45am on the night of the murders. Mortensen's account of seeing a 'tall man' who was 'clad in black clothing and a mask' is detailed in the document. However Funke's version of events has not been publicly released, though both roommates phones were forensically downloaded by officers leading them to believe the crimes occurred between 4am and 4.25am. It is unclear what defense investigators feel could clear Kohberger, but if Funke's version of events contradicts that of Mortensen it could play a key role in the trial. Bitonti wrote in an affidavit: 'During the course of my investigation, it became known to me that [she] has information material to the charges against Mr. Kohberger' Kohberger is alleged to have returned to the scene of the crime at 9am on November 13 - just hours after police believe he committed the quadruple murder According to the statement of Office Brett Payne, both Funke (left) and the other surviving roommate Dylan Mortensen, were both home at the time of the homicides Pictured: (L-R) Dylan Mortenson, Xana Kernodle, Bethany Funke, Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen A gag also remains in place, preventing anyone connected to the case from speaking publicly. Kohberger is yet to enter a plea in the quadruple homicide, and is charged with four counts of murder and one of burglary. It comes after it was revealed that his lawyer will be paid $200 an hour in his case with any additional overtime. Chief Public defender Anne Taylor will be paid by Kootenai County for her 40-hour work week, with Latah County agreeing to give the funds to Kootenai for her work. But any overtime that she accrues outside of those hours will be paid by Latah County directly to the attorney, with a second lawyer supporting Taylor in the case being paid $180 an hour. Taylor is representing the 28-year-old criminal justice major after stepping down as the lawyer for Cara Northington the mother of murdered Xana Kernodle, 20. She was in charge of her case until January 5, the same day that Kohberger was extradited from his home in Pennsylvania to Idaho. The lawyer is also accused of a second conflict of interest in the case after it was revealed that she represented Maddie Mogen's stepmother, Korie Hatrock, in June 2022 and oversaw a case involving her father, Benjamin in 2020. A Devon and Cornwall police constable who featured on the Channel 4 show Call The Cops today appeared in court charged with child sex offences against a 15-year-old schoolgirl. PC Matthew Tregale, 34, appeared before Bristol Crown Court and pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child. The court heard the case is expected to be joined with 12 alleged offences Tregale was charged with last year, relating to three women between 2005 and 2021. The constable previously denied four counts of sexual assault by penetration, two of false imprisonment, attempted rape, and two counts of sexual assault. He also pleaded not guilty to putting a person in fear of violence by harassment, and two counts of controlling or coercive behaviour. Tregale, of Exeter, Devon, was released on conditional bail. Devon and Cornwall Police previously confirmed that he is currently suspended from duty. Devon and Cornwall police constable Matthew Tregale (pictured) pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child at Bristol Crown Court today Tregale is pictured leaving Plymouth Magistrates' Court last year Tregale spoke only to confirm his name and reply 'not guilty' to the two charges of sexual activity with a child he now faces as he appeared before the court today. The officer, who was featured in the Channel 4 mini-series in 2019, will next appear before Bristol Crown Court on December 8. Judge Michael Cullum said a trial, expected to last up to five weeks, would take place next year. He told Tregale: 'This effectively was a catch-up hearing for the new charges which you were aware about and your lawyers were aware about. The constable previously denied four counts of sexual assault by penetration, two of false imprisonment, attempted rape, and two counts of sexual assault. He also pleaded not guilty to putting a person in fear of violence by harassment, and two counts of controlling or coercive behaviour 'The overwhelming likelihood is that there will be one trial. At the moment, that case will start on February 12. 'The matters will formally be joined at the pre-trial review which is on December 8. That is the next date that you have to attend court. 'You are fully aware of your bail conditions. Thank you very much, you may leave the dock.' Kannan Siva appeared for the prosecution during the hearing, while Charlotte Godber represented Tregale. Tragic CCTV footage shows her being carried away before she was murdered Luz Maida, three, was sold to her mother's drug dealer boyfriend for cocaine When three-year-old Luz Maida was woken up in the middle of the night by her mother and thrust into the arms of a man, she couldn't understand what was happening. The little girl did not know that her mother Aurelia Salinas, 42, had just sold her to her drug dealer boyfriend so that she could get her hands on 10 worth of crack cocaine. Tragic CCTV footage shows Luz being carried away in the early hours of Friday morning in Pedro Juan Caballero, Paraguay, by her mother's boyfriend before she was raped and murdered. Just over 24 hours later, Luz's small and bloodied body was found by horrified neighbours inside an abandoned house, their screams filling the air. Luz, who was often seen wearing a blue dress with Frozen characters on it, had been betrayed by her own mother - all for 30 pieces of crack cocaine. Tragic CCTV footage shows Luz being carried away in the early hours of Friday morning in Pedro Juan Caballero, Paraguay, by her mother's boyfriend before she was raped and murdered Luz, who was often seen wearing a blue dress with Frozen characters on it, had been betrayed by her own mother - all for 30 pieces of crack cocaine The little girl did not know that her mother Aurelia Salinas, 42, (pictured) had just sold her to her drug dealer boyfriend so that she could get her hands on 10 of crack cocaine Heartbreaking CCTV footage shows Luz trying to escape from the clutches of Salinas' boyfriend as he carries her away from her family home. As he picks his way down a muddy track, the dealer carries Luz in one arm and appears to slap her with his free hand to stop her wriggling. The dealer, who has not been named, went on to rape and murder the three-year-old, who hadn't yet started school. Initial reports suggest she was suffocated to death. Her tiny corpse was discovered wrapped in a shirt on top of a bed in an abandoned house. Furious locals reportedly tried to lynch Salinas as she was being arrested after allegedly confessing to police her involvement in her daughter's murder. Her boyfriend later confessed to the murder, according to local media. Salinas first told police that Luz had disappeared while she was sleeping, but admitted that she had sold her daughter for drugs after police discovered the CCTV footage. The dealer, who has not been named, went on to rape and murder the three-year-old, who hadn't yet started school. Initial reports suggest she was suffocated to death. Pictured: The suspsect Both Salinas and her boyfriend were arrested, along with a 17-year-old who is allegedly also linked to the crime. According to police, Salinas was under the influence of drugs and seemed unconcerned while police searched for the girl. More than 300 locals attended Luz's funeral and some neighbours later burned down the house where her body had been found. Investigators said the family had a 'history of tragedies.' Salinas has seven other children, including one 12-year-old girl she allegedly allowed to be sexually abused by a 30-year-old man. Both cases are currently under investigation. Donald Trump thinks that it's unnecessary for him to participate in Republican primary debates because of his commanding poll lead. The former president said in an interview Wednesday night with John Catsimatidis and Rita Cosby on their show Cats & Cosby that 'people don't debate when they have massive leads.' It comes the same day that a new Fox News poll shows Trump with a whopping 32-point lead against second place finisher Ron DeSantis, who earned 21 percent support to the former president's 53 percent. Florida Gov. DeSantis has not yet announced a White House bid, but still consistently is polling higher than every other candidate so far with the exception of Trump. 'I'm leading by 40 points,' Trump said when asked if he plans to participate in the debates. 'A lot of people say, 'Why would you do a debate when you have people at two and three and fifteen and fourteen?' 'DeSantis is coming way down,' he added when discussing his top rival so far. 'He's lost so much support that I don't know if he's going to run.' Donald Trump (pictured at a 2016 presidential primary debate with Sen. Marco Rubio) said Wednesday that he likely won't participate in Republican primary debates this time around because he is so far ahead in the polls A new Fox News poll Wednesday reveals Trump is a commanding 32 points ahead of second place Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis While DeSantis originally was polling much closer to Trump and sometimes even coming in ahead of him, at times the recent indictment against the former president has only bolstered his showing among Republican primary voters. 'People don't debate when they have these massive leads,' Trump claimed. The interview came the day after President Joe Biden made his official announcement that he is running for reelection in 2024. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) will not be holding primary debates, citing that there is precedent not to do so when an incumbent president is running. This earned some intense backlash from Republicans this week amid Biden's announcement. There were no primary debates with Trump during the 2020 election cycle as he ran for reelection and, even though the GOP primary field is filling out, the former president doesn't think he needs to debate again this time around. Trump also said in the Wednesday interview that he doesn't trust 'hostile networks' and hosts to 'I would have a hostile group of anchors a hostile network asking questions,' Trump said. 'Why would I do that?' 'I don't know that I'd do the debate,' he concluded. Trump did, however, admit that there needs to be general election debate setting him up for another showdown with Biden. 'You have a Democrat, you have a Republican. You have, really, an obligation to do that,' he said. Ron DeSantis has not yet announced a run for president, but is starting to slip in the polls despite traversing the country and the world in recent months Trump conceded that a general election debate is necessary. Interview comes the day after President Joe Biden announced his reelection campaign Other than Trump and DeSantis, no other announced or potential Republican candidates garnered double-digit support from those surveyed in the new Fox News poll. Former Vice President Mike Pence, who has not yet announced a run, came in third place to Trump and DeSantis, earning 6 percent and 2024 hopeful Nikki Haley, former South Carolina governor and once-Trump's ambassador to the UN, came in fourth with 4 percent. Longshot candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who made his millions in the biotech and investment firm fields, is coming in at 3 percent. Meanwhile, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, both unannounced but rumored to be considering a run, are tied for sixth with 2 percent support among Republican primary voters. Conservative radio host Larry Elder announced his candidacy this month, but is a longshot candidate with only 1 percent support from the voting bloc so far. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, an announced candidate, as well, garnered less than 1 percent. The funfair worker who died from head injuries in a 'freak accident' on a ride has been pictured as heartbroken family and friends paid tribute. Dean Cariss, 52, was injured carrying out daily testing and maintenance at Ocean Beach Amusement Park in South Shields, Tyneside last month and died on April 1. His sister Amanda, 50, told MailOnline: 'He was a lovely man. He had a heart of gold - he would help anyone out. 'It was just a freak accident - it's just such a shock. 'I want to remember him how he was - always smiling. 'But when I saw him after the accident in hospital, it just didn't look like my brother. Dean Cariss, 52, was injured carrying out daily testing and maintenance at Ocean Beach Amusement Park in South Shields, Tyneside last month and died on April 1. Shortly before he died, he attended the wedding of his stepdaughter Sophie Lamb His sister Amanda said Dean died in a 'freak accident' at the age of 52. Amanda said she also lost her sister when she was aged 52 'I'm just trying to hang on to the good memories.' Amanda said Dean had worked previously in factory jobs in the North East before taking up work at the funfair. She added: 'He was sweet. I'm his younger sister and he as always good to me. He helped me a lot over the years. 'His girlfriend has children and grandchildren. His step-daughter Sophie got married a week before this happened. It seemed like he had a great time at the wedding. 'It's just shaken everybody that he's not here anymore. 'He was only 52, it's no age. 'He was my last family member. We lost our sister at 52 as well. It really hit me and Dean hard. 'Now it's just me on my own. It's horrible.' Shortly before he died, he attended the wedding of his stepdaughter Sophie Lamb, pictured Ms Lamb said her children loved their 'crazy funny loving granddad Dean' Dean's step-daughter Sophie Lamb also paid her own heartfelt tribute on Facebook, saying: 'A million and one different emotions have gone through me over the past few weeks#. 'Celebrated the best day of my life- which a week later was followed by the heart ache of my step dad been in a bad accident.' She recalled the initial elation of seeing Dean appear to recover and looking at her, 'blowing me kisses and holding my hand.' She then admitted feeling guilty embarking on her honeymoon, though he looked to be on the mend, but added: 'Then Saturday 1st April to get a phone call to say he had passed away. 'My heart is broken.. since I was young he had been in my life he watched me meet all my milestones going into adult life and no matter what I ever done he was only ever there to support and help me. Dean, pictured with grand children, died following an accident at an amusement park An investigation into Mr Cariss' death at the Ocean Beach Pleasure Park in South Shields continues 'My kids adore him he's there crazy funny loving grandad Dean and nothing can prepare me for having to tell them he's gone 'R.I.P Dean. I love you so much and I'll forever treasure having you in my life ' Friend Cory Hedley on Facebook posted: 'RIP Dean, what a great guy you were, you will be forever missed by many.' Northumbria Police announced the death of a man and said a report has been made for the coroner. The force and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched an investigation into the accident and have since determined that no criminal offences were committed. Authorities issued their own condolences Dean's loved ones, saying: 'Our thoughts are with his family'. Police, paramedics and the air ambulance were called to the amusement park in South Shields on Sunday, March 19 following reports of a workplace accident. The victim was rushed to Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle in critical condition. Ocean Beach Management, which runs the amusement park, confirmed that a work-related incident had taken place during daily testing and maintenance. The company said the tragedy happened at ground level on an amusement ride before it was open to the public. No other employees or members of the public were injured during the incident. Authorities cordoned off the scene and carried out a range of inquiries into the incident. Northumbria Police and the HSE said today that officials are satisfied that no criminal offences were committed. A police spokesman said: 'A full investigation was carried out into a report that a man had been injured in a workplace accident at Ocean Beach Amusement Park in South Shields last month. 'Officers worked alongside the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) to carry out a range of enquiries into the incident and are satisfied that no criminal offences were committed. The man injured has since sadly died and all our thoughts are with his family. A report has been made for the coroner.' A HSE spokesman added: 'We offer our condolences to the family. This matter has been passed to the coroner.' Dean's funeral will be held on May 9 at Durham Crematorium. A British medical student who broke his nose on a waterslide in Tenerife is demanding compensation after being left with a 1,400 hospital bill. James Dudley, 30, from Swansea, smashed his face on a set of steps at Aqualand Costa Adeje after hurtling down a slide too fast. After arriving at Aqualand on April 22, Dudley slid down a slide called the Twister twice without incident. But it was third time unlucky - as the holidaymaker started gathering too much speed before flying headfirst into a set of steps. Mr Dudley, who was on holiday with his fiancee, was forced to undergo expensive hospital treatment after the incident. James Dudley, 30, (pictured) broke his nose on a waterslide at Aqualand in Tenerife James Dudley safely slid down the four-lane Twister (pictured) twice before the accident And although his insurers are paying out, Mr Dudley wants compensation from the Costa Adeje waterpark too, after Aqualand only offered to refund his ticket. 'I'd already ridden the slide twice that morning and it was fine,' Mr Dudley said. 'But I travelled much faster on my third go and flew down into the trough at a rapid pace - breaking my nose in the process.' James and his fiancee flew to Tenerife from Bristol last week for a romantic getaway on the holiday island. They arrived at the waterpark on April 22 and went straight to the Twister - a four-lane slide that's 80 metres long and 14 metres high. The medical student was left with a 1,413.57 hospital bill which his insurance later covered The 30 year old also badly bruised his torso from the impact but escaped any broken ribs James went up and down the Twister twice but, on his third time, felt himself going noticeably faster than before. He then skidded to the end of the landing area at the bottom and smashed his face on the slide's steps. 'You use a mat to slide down and you go face first,' Mr Dudley said. 'The previous two times, the water at the bottom had slowed me down as it was supposed to. 'But for some reason, this time, I skidded right over it. 'I smashed head first into the steps at the end of the trough and the top step caught my face and I broke my nose. 'Blood immediately started gushing out into the water and on to the mat - it looked like something out of a horror movie. 'I eventually caught the attention of one of the lifeguards, and a medic came over, who then wheeled me into the first aid room. 'They decided I needed treatment so they refunded our entry tickets and booked me a taxi to the nearest hospital.' James Dudley says the accident ruined the end of a romantic holiday with his fiancee The medical student is demanding compensation from Aqualand Costa Adeje in Tenerife Mr Dudley was treated for his injuries at a nearby hospital, where they carried out X-rays and stopped the bleeding from his nose. He'd also badly bruised his torso from the impact, but thankfully escaped the incident with no broken ribs. The Brit was later discharged and handed a 1,413.57 bill from the hospital which his insurance has since covered. 'X-rays showed I had a broken nose and bad bruising, and after a lengthy phone call with my travel insurer, I was able to get the costs covered, Mr Dudley said. 'I was given a prescription for the pain, and told not to do any sunbathing - which was disappointing considering we were on holiday. But Mr Dudley says the accident ruined the end of his holiday with his fiancee - and he's expecting compensation from Aqualand. He says he's also not afraid to take it further. 'So far Aqualand have only offered a ticket refund, but I don't feel that's not enough to compensate what happened. 'I'm inclined to take them to court. They shouldn't get away with this,' the medical student said. Aqualand Costa Adeje and its parents company were approached for comment. The parents of Louisville bank shooter Connor Sturgeon who shot and killed five employees at the branch where he worked say their son told his roommate the plans he had to carry out the rampage. 'He did this to totally innocent individuals, there was no provocation, there was no justification, there was no rationalization at all,' his mother Lisa Sturgeon said. 'They were just trying to do their jobs and provide for their families.' Todd and Lisa Sturgeon spoke in a Today show interview that aired on Thursday, more than a week after their 25-year-old son livestreamed the massacre as he gunned down his co-workers at the downtown Old National Bank on April 10. Lisa was stunned when she got the call from her son's roommate who told her that Connor said he was 'going to go in and shoot up Old National.' He also told his roommate where to find his notes which revealed how he was able to purchase a gun despite his recent mental health treatment. The tragedy took place just 14 days after a 28-year-old shot and killed six people at a Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee. Scroll for video Todd and Lisa Sturgeon, parents of Louisville bank shooter Connor Sturgeon who shot and killed five people on April 10 say their son told his roommate his plans to carry out the rampage The chilling 13-page manifesto left behind described Connor's goals before the horrific tragedy. It also revealed that he was able to buy a gun and ammunition despite being treated for mental health issues. His mother Lisa was shocked to learn that he even had a gun. 'Where did he get a gun? We don't have guns,' she said. The distraught mother said the moments that followed the call were a blur and that all she could think of was that she could not believe this was happening. 'There's no way this is happening. Please stop him. Please make sure nobody gets hurt,' she pleaded. Sturgeon made three key points in the manifesto, which is in the hands of the police: he wanted to kill himself, he wanted to prove how easy it was to buy a gun in Kentucky and he wanted to highlight a mental health crisis in America. Lisa and Todd told NBC News' Savannah Guthrie that while their son's mental health challenges began to appear a year ago, he seemed to be improving and they did not see signs that he was capable of any violence. Sturgeon is pictured in surveillance footage, casually dressed while holding an AR-15-style rifle. According to his manifesto, the shooting was also intended to be a suicide mission for the gunman, who was suffering from mental health problems Former Old National Bank employee Connor Sturgeon, 25, listed his three goals for his deadly massacre on April 10 in a 13-page manifesto, DailyMail.com can reveal Now, following the tragic event, Connor's family plans to test his brain for CTE, the judgement-altering brain condition that may NFL players are afflicted with, in search of an answer for why he killed five colleagues last week in a workplace rampage. Sturgeon suffered from a history of depression and anxiety and was receiving professional mental health care, as well as medication. But there were never any known anger issues, Peter Palmer, a lawyer and spokesperson for Connor's family, previously told DailyMail.com. 'We had no real indications that something like this could have happened,' Lisa Sturgeon said. 'There was no clear tell.' But in the days leading up to the shooting, there was a change in their son, Lisa recalled. 'He called me on the Tuesday before the event and he said, 'I had a panic attack yesterday and I had to leave work,' Lisa said. She asked what he thought caused the attack, but he couldn't be sure. That's when she told him: 'We're here to help you.' They set up an appointment with his psychiatrist for that Thursday, five days before the shooting. By the end of it, he was 'coming out of the crisis,' she recalled. The last time Lisa and Todd saw their son was on Easter Sunday. They said he 'seemed fine.' Lisa Sturgeon (pictured), said she was stunned when she got the call from her son's roommate who told her that Connor said he was 'going to go in and shoot up Old National' Connor was hit in the head so many times he had to wear a soft helmet during school games But just five days earlier - a day before his psych appointment - Connor legally purchased an AR-15 assault rifle. On April 10, he entered the bank at 8:33am where he was met by a friendly woman colleague at the entrance. He told her 'you need to get out of here' before he tried to shoot her. But the weapon was unloaded and the safety catch was on. He then loaded the rifle, flicked off the safety and blasted the fleeing woman in the back. It is not known if she was one of those killed. The victims were identified as Juliana Farmer, 57, Tommy Elliott, 63, Joshua Barrick, 40, James Tutt, 64, and mother-of-two Deana Eckert, 57. 'It would have been bad enough if we had just lost our son,' Lisa Sturgeon said. 'But for him to take others with us with him it's just it's beyond what we've taught him, the way we live. We're always saying do no harm. He didn't do that.' As for what they would tell the families of the victims if they had the chance, they said: 'We are so sorry. We are heartbroken. We wish we could undo it, but we know we can't.' Thomas Elliott (left) 63, one of Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear's 'closest' friends, died in the mass shooting at Old National Bank in Louisville, Kentucky. Also killed was James 'Jim' Tutt (right) 64, a marketing executive at the bank Connor's father Todd Sturgeon recalled the moment he heard about the shooting at the bank. 'You go from praying for his life to praying that this is unimaginable, that he just commits suicide and doesn't hurt anyone else,' he said. Lisa Sturgeon raced to the scene and called 911. 'He punished others,' Lisa Sturgeon said. 'He took others' lives.' 'Well-meaning people keep saying to us, "You know, you did what any reasonable parents would have done." But Connor in his darkest hour needed us to be exceptional, not reasonable and we failed him,' Todd said. 'We failed those people,' Lisa added. Deana Eckert, 57, an executive administrative officer at the bank, was killed in the shooting Joshua Barrick, 40, a vice president of commercial real estate at the bank, was also killed by the lone gunman, as was Juliana Farmer, 45 Connor got his suicide wish as indicated in the manifesto when he was killed in an exchange of gunfire with one of two cops who arrived at the scene within minutes. 'How many mass shootings have there been this calendar year already? It has been happening to other people like us, and we're continuing to let it happen, and we have to fix that,' Lisa said. Sturgeon's family had previously revealed that the commercial development specialist had mental health problems and was on medication. He joined the bank in 2021 but executives were reported to have lost confidence in him as he struggled to fit in. However, his family's attorney has told DailyMail.com that he did not face losing his job. However, amid discussions with bosses, the University of Alabama finance graduate bought the AR-15 in a state that does not require any form of firearms permit for eligible adults. Additionally, there are no Kentucky laws prohibiting residents from buying a gun if they have mental health disorders, violent misdemeanor convictions, domestic abuse-related restraining orders or anyone with substance abuse disorders. In the interview that aired on Thursday, Connor's parents said they believe he 'absolutely' should not have been able to buy the AR-15-style weapon legally. 'What we're hoping to do is stimulate some conversation around this,' Todd Sturgeon said. 'I think the overwhelming majority of Americans don't want people in an impaired state to have a weapon in their hand. 'Now, it becomes more complex to thread the needle and protect us from those people while still being conscious of individual rights and liberties,' he added. Connor's father Todd Sturgeon became emotional as he recalled the moment he heard about the shooting at the bank: 'You go from praying for his life to praying that this is unimaginable, that he just commits suicide and doesn't hurt anyone else' Sturgeon joined the bank in 2021 but executives were reported to have lost confidence in him as he struggled to fit in and decided to let him go, but his family's lawyer denies the claim. Under another Kentucky law, the firearm will now be auctioned off to the public by state police, effectively putting it back in circulation. The family responded to the policy in a statement shared with DailyMail.com on Thursday: 'The Sturgeon family was aghast to learn Kentucky law mandated the assault rifle used in the horrific event last week be sold to the highest bidder at public auction. 'The family, in conjunction with the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) and the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), is working vigorously to ensure the assault rifle is legally destroyed and the first step in this process occurred Monday, when ATF took possession of the assault rifle. We genuinely appreciate the assistance of both LMPD and ATF in this regard. 'This tragedy is yet another indication that meaningful, common sense gun safety measures must be enacted. We respectfully urge the Kentucky state legislature to lead the way by changing Kentucky law to remove the gun auction provision.' Tom Daley's Oscar winning writer husband Dustin Lance Black today declared he is 'surprised and saddened' to find himself in the dock for allegedly assaulting a BBC TV presenter in a nightclub. Model Teddy Edwardes, 32, who stars in the BBC Three show The Big Proud Party Agency, claimed she had a drink thrown in her face by Black in the Soho gay bar Freedom last summer. Dustin, 48, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court today where he pleaded not guilty to assaulting Miss Edwardes by beating on August 18, 2022. He was bailed unconditionally until his trial on August 8, 2023. Teddy, who founded a girls only club night called LICK, claimed that Mr Black, 48, threw a drink in her face after she asked another person in the venue to leave her table. She then said that she gave him 'a little tap on the back of the head' in response, however a source close to the couple said that someone 'punched' Mr Black 'in the back of the head'. In an Instagram post Teddy praised Tom Daley as 'lovely' for 'trying to defuse the situation'. Reacting to the court case over the row, Black's spokesman said: 'Mr Black was surprised and saddened to learn that after the other person involved in this unfortunate incident took responsibility and expressed remorse for a punch to the back of Mr Blacks head - which left him with a life altering concussion - a decision was made to now examine the matter of a spilled drink in a court of law'. Tom Daley's husband Dustin Lance Black was in court in London today where he denied assault. He is 'shocked' to find himself in court Ms Edwardes claimed that Mr Black, 48, threw a drink in her face after she asked another person in the venue to leave her table in an Instagram post after the event Teddy Edwardes is a model and TV presenter at the centre of the case The model (centre) stars in the BBC3 show The Big Proud Party Agency, following a team of LGBTQ+ party agents as they plan events He added: 'Of course Mr Black will respect the process, and in the meantime will continue to focus on being a loving father and husband'. Mr Daley and his husband, who married in 2017 and have two children together, had been drinking at the venue with Teddy Edwardes, 32, who stars in BBC3 show The Big Proud Party Agency, after having dinner at Avo Mario and watching a drag show at Chinatown's Ku Bar. Teddy later posted on social media claiming she was the one kicked out of the club and the police were called, but she said: 'I have to add that Tom Daley was lovely throughout he was just trying to defuse the situation.' The Metropolitan Police charged him with assault on February 17 this year. Scotland Yard said officers were called to a club in Soho, in London's West End, at around 12.30am on August 18 last year following reports of "an altercation" between a man in his 40s and a woman in her 30s. "He appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday April 27, where he pleaded not guilty," it said. "He will next appear at the same court on Tuesday August 8." Posting on Instagram last August, Ms Edwardes, founder of Lick events, said: 'I went out for a couple of quiet drinks with my friends last night, nothing crazy, and I bumped into Tom Daley and his husband in Soho, who... pretty much unprovoked he threw an entire drink over me in Freedom. 'I didn't have a drink to throw back so I did choose violence, it wasn't that violent, he got a little tap on the back of the head. 'Tell me why he is crying outside saying it's a targeted attack and that he's traumatised and called the police, and I had to wait there for hours whilst the police were asking questions. 'And now I have been cautioned and I have to go in for interviews'. Ms Edwardes later posted online that Mr Daley, 28, was 'lovely' during the incident, and tried to 'diffuse the situation'. Pictured, the couple in December 2021 Posting on Instagram last August, Ms Edwardes, founder of Lick events, said: 'I went out for a couple of quiet drinks with my friends last night, nothing crazy, and I bumped into Tom Daley and his husband in Soho, who... pretty much unprovoked he threw an entire drink over me in Freedom. She admitted the row had been over someone at their table Today it has emerged that Dustin Lance Black has ended up in the dock over the alleged assault The couple were at Freedom (pictured), a gay bar in Soho, when the alleged dispute happened in the early hours of the morning on August 18 last year She added: 'For everyone asking what happened, we basically invited them to where we were sitting and I bought them some drinks etc, everything was fine. 'And then this random guy came and sat with us and my friend said they felt uncomfortable because they didn't know who it was so I asked security if they could move them on 'The security came to move them on and Tom's husband started going mad saying how unwelcome I've made him feel and that he was leaving, so I was like OK? If that's what you want? Then got straight drink to the face.' A source close to Mr Daley and Mr Black said that the couple were on a 'date night' without their then four-year-old son Robbie. Someone punched Lance in the back of the head, the person who punched him was removed from Freedom by security who checked CCTV, it was reported to police who are looking into it,' they told The Sun. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: 'Dustin Lance Black, 48, of Southwark, was charged on Friday, February 17 with assault. The parents of a 16-year-old girl found dead at a top boarding school today paid heartbreaking tribute to their daughter who 'had an ability to see the world uniquely'. Caitlyn Scott-Lee, a Year 11 pupil, was found in a wooded area near a playing field at 44,000-a-year Wycombe Abbey School late on Friday night. It is understood that her parents, banker Jonathan Scott-Lee and his accountant wife Tara, were abroad at the time and flew back following the tragic news. Today, a tribute to Caitlyn revealed she was 'gifted with autism' and 'had a particular passion for the theatre, arts, music and the environment'. Her parents added: 'The school community, friends and family are grieving her loss but we are comforted in her personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 'Caitlyn enjoyed nature, the environment, sustainability and birds. She would have appreciated potted plants over cut flowers, and support for The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.' In an email to parents in Caitlyn's year, known as Upper V, headmistress Jo Duncan said: 'They are a close year group and, as you will understand, they are very shocked and upset. 'It is an extremely difficult time for everyone and we will do our utmost to provide the additional pastoral care the girls will need.' A parents' charity event and funfair at the weekend were cancelled out of respect. Caitlyn Scott-Lee, a student in year 11, was found in a wooded area near a playing field Today, a tribute to Caitlyn revealed she was 'gifted with autism' Wycombe Abbey School has said they will do their 'utmost to provide the additional pastoral care the girls will need' following Caitlyn's death Ms Duncan ended her letter saying: 'I am sure that you will join me and everyone at Wycombe Abbey in sending our deepest sympathies to Caitlyn's parents, siblings and wider family who are in our thoughts and prayers at this sad time.' Two years ago, Mr Scott-Lee, a senior executive at HSBC in markets and acquisitions who specialises in cyber security, wrote an article with his wife, a chartered accountant, promoting the school on its website. He said Caitlyn had spent time in various schools when the family lived in Singapore, but added: 'Caitlyn has always had an affinity for the UK, and she had it in her own mind to really want to go to boarding school. 'During our time in Singapore, Caitlyn was always the one working hard to get into a boarding school. 'We did extensive research from abroad and looked at the top boarding schools in the UK and Wycombe Abbey in the UK was a great fit for Caitlyn. 'However, it was Caitlyn's exemplary work ethic and motivation that led to her eventually gain a place at Wycombe Abbey UK.' He praised Wycombe Abbey Hong Kong's handling of the pandemic and concluded: 'If you want your kids to be both highly academic and learn to refine a character that you would be proud of, Wycombe Abbey is the school for you. 'There is a clear heritage of academic excellence with an emphasis on developing well-rounded students of character. 'It has been a wonderful journey for my daughters at Wycombe Abbey, and we look forward to being part of the Wycombe Abbey family for years to come.' Tara Scott-Lee, who studied at Royal Holloway, University of London, and spent her early career at accounting firm Grant Thornton, now works as an accounts officer for the mental health charity Mind, in Buckinghamshire. A parents' charity event and funfair at the weekend were cancelled by the school (pictured) as a mark of respect Caitlyn Scott-Lee, 16, was found dead in a wooded area of the school last week Her husband describes himself on LinkedIn as currently working in Ontario, Canada, and as a Neurodiversity Ambassador (Mental Disability) for HSBC. In its most recent Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) report, Wycombe Abbey was rated 'excellent' for pupils' academic achievements and personal development. Wycombe Abbey, established in 1896, has 650 female pupils aged 11 to 18 and each girl has her own 'House Mother', a girl in the year above in the same house who looks after her, especially in her early days at the school. It regularly ranks among the top girls' schools in the country and the Good Schools Guide (GSG) summary reports: 'Workload is immense,' was overriding theme from parents; 'it's hard for girls to fit it all in.' 'Conflicting parental views on whether school allows a rounded education. We heard of some girls with such full CVs they didn't have space for that small matter of DofE Gold on the UCAS form and others who had limped through seven years with no time for anything other than hard graft.' Wycombe Abbey: More than a century of history Wycombe Abbey is one of the oldest independent girls schools in the country. Founded in 1896 by Dame Francis Dove, the school is situated on 69 hectares of land centred around the Grade II-listed Abbey. The school charges 44,000 a year for pupils and currently houses over 600 girls. Notable former pupils include Smack the Pony TV star Sally Phillips, suffragette Elsie Bowerman, journalist India Knight, Lady Nicholas Windsor and the BBC's Director of Content Charlotte Moore. Advertisement The entry continued: 'In the exam results Olympics, Wycombe goes for gold. Parents report (mainly, but not exclusively) 'faultless' teaching, with the overriding aim to deliver a clean sheet of stellar grades at GCSE and A level. 'It doesn't happen by accident,' reckon pupils. 'Gazing out the window just isn't an option the teachers are totally on it.' On pastoral care, the GSG reported that: 'Not every parent we spoke to sang its praises, but for those with daughters who had genuinely needed intervention during their time here (with eg mental health problems, eating disorders or SEN diagnoses), the plaudits gushed forth.' In 2019, another pupil from the school, gifted violinist Katya Tsukanova, 17, died in her father's Kensington mansion after taking a deadly cocktail of cocaine and ketamine. She was one of Britain's brightest musicians and had given a concert at the Royal Opera House just days before her death. Her father, former Russian banker Igor Tsukanov, found her unconscious at the family home in the early hours and she was rushed to hospital but doctors were unable to save her. Among the school's notable alumnae are actors Rachael Stirling and Sally Phillips, former top judge Baroness Elizabeth Butler-Sloss and Lady Nicholas Windsor, daughter-in-law of the Duke and Duchess of Kent. A Thames Valley Police spokesman said: 'Thames Valley Police was called to the Wycombe Abbey School at around 11.40pm on Friday after a 16-year-old girl was sadly found to have died. 'Her death is being treated as unexplained but not suspicious and a file is being prepared for the coroner.' Wycombe Abbey School declined to comment. Caitlyn's funeral will be held next month at Greenacres Chiltern, a woodland cemetery and ceremonial park in Buckinghamshire. For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or go to samaritans.org. A depraved paedophile who posed as a teenage boy before blackmailing an American high school cheerleader into performing degrading sex acts has been jailed. Alex James McPhie, 26, from Albion Park in Illawarra, was sentenced to up to six years behind bars in Wollongong District Court on Thursday after previously pleading guilty to six 'grave and cruel' crimes. The court heard how McPhie, who was living in Wagga Wagga during some of the offending, connected with an American girl through Instagram and Snapchat with the two first speaking when the victim was just 13. McPhie went by the username 'Matty34' while masquerading as a 13-year-old boy. In January 2019, McPhie threatened to email the girl's school and told her 'do what I say and this will all be over in 10 minutes', according to the Illawarra Star. Alex James McPhie, 26, from Albion Park in Illawarra, was sentenced to up to six years behind bars in Wollongong District Court on Thursday after previously pleading guilty to six 'grave and cruel' crimes His abuse, which he recorded and saved on his phones, lasted over half an hour. The court heard how the victim wiped away tears and begged for McPhie to stop as he demanded her to undress. The video ended with the girl saying 'I'm done' before McPhie replied menacingly: 'You're done for now'. He preyed on a 10-year-old Australian girl in December 2019, telling her he 'loved her body', before sending her a picture of his penis and pressuring her to send him a picture of her vagina. The girl's 11-year-old sister confronted McPhie on Snapchat, calling him a 'skanky old c**t' and to delete or block her. 'What will you do to make sure I don't,' McPhie said. 'Do you really want them (the photos of the 10-year-old girl) kept a secret what are you wearing?' McPhie threatened to send her sister's photos 'around everywhere' and blamed the older girl. The children told their mother with police managing to locate McPhie using his IP location and Snapchat history to link 'Matty34' to his address. During a search of his Albion Park home police seized two iPhones containing a child abuse material including photos sent by the 10-year-old girl. There were a total of 34 items of child abuse material featuring an age range of three to 16-years-old. The court heard how McPhie, who was living in Wagga Wagga during some of the offending, connected with an American girl through Instagram and Snapchat with the two first speaking when the victim was just 13 Police also found a screenshot of a NSW Police Q&A website dubbed 'Child pornography over the internet'. McPhie reportedly told the court his offending was spurred on by loneliness and alcohol abuse when he moved to Wagga due to his partner's work. His partner dumped him after his criminal behaviour was revealed late last year and he complained of receiving threats through social media. Incredibly, McPhie told the court he did not have a sexual attraction towards children - a claim scorned by the Judge. 'He doesn't accept he has a sexual attraction to children while he was sitting there masturbating to a 10-year-old?' said Judge Herber, while also casting doubt over a defence submission that McPhie was 'empathetic' to his victims. 'A child was crying throughout what happened to her. He showed a stark lack of empathy while he was pleasuring himself throughout the video.' McPhie could be eligible for parole in April 2027. Minnesota has been slammed over an 'Orwellian' plan that would mean claiming Covid was leaked from a lab in China would be recorded as a 'hate incident'. State lawmakers want to allow people to report perceived 'bias-related incidents' that fall short of criminal acts. But critics say the bill, introduced in January, is a threat to free speech and effectively creates 'thoughtcrime'. In a debate Wednesday, Republican Minnesota state representative Harry Niska asked his Democrat counterpart Samantha Vang, who is sponsoring the bill, whether arguing that Covid was leaked from a Chinese lab could be recorded in the proposed 'bias registry'. Vang responded by saying that although not all incidents are considered violent or criminal, such rhetoric would be considered 'bias motivated' and therefore 'a bias incident'. Niska said her answer was 'very troubling'. Democrat Minnesota state representative Samantha Vang said claiming Covid originated from a lab in China could be considered 'a bias incident' under the new bill The theory that the virus came from a lab in Wuhan gained credibility after FBI Director Christopher Wray said February the bureau believes Covid-19 'most likely' originated in a 'Chinese government-controlled lab' Officials have said the registry would help give lawmakers a better idea of the volume and nature of bias incidents, which would inform outreach and education in the community. But DailyMail.com understands that if an individual's name is reported to the database, it will be held as 'protected data' by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. This means their names should not be made public, but there are no guarantees the information won't be used against them by the state. Under Minnesota law, certain crimes are subject to enhanced penalties if they were motivated by bias against particular groups. The bill would also expand the categories of 'crimes motivated by bias' to include bias against a person due to their gender identity. Niska pushed Vang on whether someone wearing an 'I love JK Rowling' shirt would be considered a 'bias incident'. 'If a Minnesotan is wearing a t-shirt that says "I love JK Rowling" and someone sees that and reports them to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights as an example of gender identity or gender expression bias, is that something that the Minnesota Department of Human Rights should put in this bias database?' he asked. Vang dodged the question and said it was one better answered by lawyers, adding: 'I'm not going to say yes or no to that question.' Republican state representative Walter Hudson has previously warned the bill, which would change state law House File 181, could pose a threat to free speech. 'It seems very clear, based upon their focus on motivation, that they're more concerned about what's going on in people's heads, which is protected speech, and that's thoughtcrime,' he told Fox News Digital in March. Rep. Vang dodged a question on whether wearing an 'I love JK Rowling' shirt would be considered a 'bias incident' under the new bill Vang has previously said that the bill is 'personal' to her 'as an Asian-American woman' and was driven in part by an increase in verbal and physical attacks on Asian Americans during the pandemic. 'During the pandemic, with the rhetoric being used to blame Asian Americans for the coronavirus, not just me but the Asian American community felt unsafe for the first time in a long time,' she added. The origin of the Covid virus remains a mystery. The theory that it may have been leaked from a Chinese laboratory in Wuhan was originally dismissed as conspiracy. But in February, it gained credibility after FBI Director Christopher Wray said the bureau believes Covid-19 'most likely' originated in a 'Chinese government-controlled lab'. A celebrity personal trainer has won a racial harassment tribunal after his boss told him go back to Africa, blackie. Black Briton Michael Baah, 36, was told by his manager that she didn't need to listen to 'people like you', an employment tribunal heard. A panel heard Mr Baah, who has trained British glamour model Demi Rose, numerous Love Island and reality stars and Wayne Lineker, the playboy club-owning brother of Match of the Day host Gary, was singled out by the boss at the luxury apartment complex gym in East London. After raising an unsuccessful grievance, he took the firm to court. Mr Baah won claims of racial discrimination, with the tribunal finding he had been 'humiliated'. Michael Baah, pictured with model and Love Island star Sophie Piper, has won a racial harassment case after his boss told him 'go back to Africa, blackie' Mr Baah, left, who has trained British glamour model Demi Rose, together right, was singled out by the boss at the luxury apartment complex gym in East London Michael also worked with Love Island stars Tasha Ghouri and Andrew Le Page The East London tribunal heard Mr Baah started working as a personal trainer in November 2018 when Ballymore Asset Managements 3,400-home Royal Wharf complex opened. Mr Baah 'overheard' Liliane Gomes (pictured) talking to a friend in broken Portuguese and suspected she had used a racist phrase. The tribunal said the likely meaning of that phrase was go back to Africa, blackie The hearing was told he was 'popular' and had appeared on TV, having trained the likes of Love Island stars Sophie Piper, Tasha Ghouri and Andrew Le Page. He was pictured on Instagram training Ms Piper, sister of TV presenter Rochelle Humes. But when Liliane Gomes joined the business, she insisted Mr Baah work at weekends like other instructors, despite an 'existing arrangement' he had with previous bosses which allowed him to spend time with his daughter. The tribunal also heard Ms Gomes let a white gym instructor have a day off for a medical appointment, but refused a similar request from Mr Baah. In August 2020 another black colleague of Mr Baah, complained to Ms Gomes about having worked by himself for a weekend. When challenged about this, Ms Gomes 'loudly' said 'I don't need to speak to people like you,' looking at Mr Baah as she made the comment, the panel heard. Later that month, Mr Baah 'overheard' Ms Gomes talking to a friend in broken Portuguese and suspected she had used a racist phrase. Ms Gomes denied using any racial slur, before admitting it was likely she had said 'vai para' - go back. The tribunal said the likely meaning of that phrase was go back to Africa, blackie, and that Mr Baah was 'deeply hurt by it'. Wayne Lineker and Tasha Ghouri working out with Michael When his boss Liliane Gomes joined the business, she insisted Mr Baa, pictured with his partner Kate, work at weekends like other instructors, despite an 'existing arrangement' he had with previous managers, which allowed him to spend time with his daughter Mr Baah had a string of celebrity clients including a number of Love Island contestants Mr Baah resigned in April 2021 after his grievance appeal and unsuccessful attempts to get the gym to agree to flexible working, complaining he was the victim of blatant race discrimination. But the tribunal heard he agreed to stay on working part-time, with Ms Gomes going on maternity leave, and he ultimately left the gym through redundancy in December. The tribunal concluded Mr Baah as a black man of African ethnicity was successful in claims of direct race discrimination, harassment and victimisation Employment Judge Julia Jones concluded Ms Gomes' handling of the weekend rota amounted to 'less favourable treatment' towards Mr Baah, as well as the 'humiliating' manner she spoke to him. Refusing him paid leave for a medical appointment was considered racial discrimination due to the 'absence of an adequate, credible explanation' for her decision, having allowed a white employee time off. Regarding the 'blackie' comment, the judge continued: It is also our judgment that this was directed towards Mr Baah. Although he was unable to speak Portuguese, the parts of the phrase he heard reasonably led him to believe his ethnicity was being referred to in a negative way by Ms Gomes to her friend. The tribunal concluded Mr Baah as a black man of African ethnicity was successful in claims of direct race discrimination, harassment and victimisation. A further hearing will now take place to decide how much compensation he will be paid. Mr Baah has since appeared on television quiz show Family Fortunes, winning 10,000 alongside relatives, and now works as an online and celebrity trainer. A record day for this year was April 22 when 497 people arrived by small boats Figures reveal a total of 5,652 asylum seekers have crossed the channel in 2023 More than 1,850 migrants crossed the channel in April, making it the busiest month for small boat arrivals so far this year - and dozens more have been seen making the perilous journey today. Government figures reveal that a total of 5,652 asylum seekers have crossed the Channel in 136 boats to date in 2023, an average of 42 people per vessel. This month alone has seen 1,859 migrants arrive on British soil by inflatable dinghy or other small craft, making it the busiest this year, and April 22 saw 497 people undertake the perilous journey over a 24-hour period - a record day for 2023 at this stage. Dozens more migrants have crossed the Channel by small boat on Thursday, despite choppy conditions at sea. Around 60 asylum seekers - including a number of women and children - were intercepted off the coast of Dungeness, Kent this morning and brought to shore on an RNLI lifeboat. More than 1,850 migrants crossed the channel in April, making it the busiest month for small boat arrivals so far this year - and dozens more have been seen making the perilous journey today Government figures reveal that a total of 5,652 asylum seekers have crossed the Channel in 136 boats to date in 2023, an average of 42 people per vessel A further two inflatable dinghies or other small craft are also thought to have arrived in Dover, Kent earlier in the day, but the Home Office is yet to confirm the official figures. An RNLI lifeboat and Border Force cutter Seeker could be seen patrolling the Channel near Dungeness around midday. This comes after 106 migrants were intercepted by UK officials while attempting to make the journey across the 21-mile Dover Straits on Wednesday (April 26), according to the Home Office. Border Force vessel Ranger brought around 50 asylum seekers into Dover, Kent at 2pm, while the law enforcement agencys catamaran Typhoon escorted a further 50 or so migrants into the port around an hour later. Wednesdays arrivals followed a four-day break in small boat crossings due to poor weather in the Channel. While the number of small boat crossings is still high, over 1,000 more migrants had made the perilous journey at this stage in 2022. This month alone has seen 1,859 migrants arrive on British soil by inflatable dinghy or other small craft, making it the busiest this year, and April 22 saw 497 people undertake the perilous journey over a 24-hour period - a record day for 2023 at this stage Families arrive in the UK after making the treacherous crossing across the Channel on Thursday A group of people are brought ashore on Thursday, April 27 in Kent Border Force officials speak to asylum seekers on the beach in Dungeness, Kent Last April alone saw 2,143 people arrive in 59 vessels, and by April 19 a total of 6,693 people had crossed the Channel. Overall, 45,755 migrants undertook the treacherous journey in 2022 - a 60 per cent increase on 2021s total of 28,526. However, officials have predicted that as many as 80,000 people could make the crossing this year. Neonatal nurse Lucy Letby told police she thought of committing suicide after being taken off the unit where she is alleged to have murdered seven babies. She said she felt 'an overwhelming fear and panic' that senior medics had begun to identify her as the common factor in a series of unexpected collapses at the Countess of Chester Hospital. The revelation came as officers questioned her about a number of notes found at her home when she was first arrested in July 2018. The alleged killer wiped her eyes with a tissue as the jury were given her explanation for at one point writing: 'I'll never have children or marry. I'll never know what it's like to have a family'. She said of one note: 'I just wrote it cos everything had got on top of me. It was when I'd not long found out I'd been removed from the unit and they were telling me my practice might be wrong, that I needed to read all my competencies. Neonatal nurse Lucy Letby, 33, (pictured) told police she thought of committing suicide after being taken off the unit where she is alleged to have murdered seven babies The revelation came as officers questioned her about a number of notes found at her home when she was first arrested in July 2018 'I felt like people were blaming my practice, that I might have hurt them without knowing through my practice and that made me feel guilty and I just felt really isolated 'I was blaming myself but not because I'd done something because of the way people were making me feel. 'But I'd only ever done my best for those babies and then people were trying to say that my practice wasn't good and that I'd done something and I just couldn't cope and I just did not want to be here anymore'. She went on: 'I just felt it was all just spiralling out of control. I just didn't know how to feel about it or what was going to happen or what to do'. The neonatal nurse was asked to explain a sentence that read: 'KILL MYSELF RIGHT NOW, OVERWHELMING FEAR AND PANIC'. She told the interviewing officer: 'I just felt that it was allit was all happening out of my control'. Asked whether she was considering suicide, she said: 'Yesbecause I just felt so isolated and alone'. At the time she had gone to her GP, who had prescribed her anti-depressants. Letby, 33, is on trial at Manchester Crown Court accused of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder a further ten. She denies all the charges. Letby, who started working on the unit in January 2012, told the officers that she and her colleagues had noticed a rise in the mortality rate on the unit, as well as an increase in the number of babies with complex medical needs. Letby (pictured) said she felt 'an overwhelming fear and panic' that senior medics had begun to identify her as the common factor in a series of unexpected collapses at the Countess of Chester Hospital The alleged killer wiped her eyes with a tissue as the jury were given her explanation for at one point writing: 'I'll never have children or marry. I'll never know what it's like to have a family' She became suicidal when she was assigned to a clerical role and 'suddenly felt that things had been directed towards me'. The nurse was afraid that senior staff at the NHS Trust 'were going to think that I had done something wrong that the police would get involved and I'd lose my job'. An officer asks: 'And was it a job that you enjoyed?' Letby replied: 'Yeah, yeah, I loved my job'. She claimed she panicked because she might have 'missed something or not done something I should have' which had then led to babies dying or becoming unwell 'I thought they might refer me to the NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council) and I didn't know if that went to the police. 'They'd already gone to the lengths of redeploying me and moved me from the unit and banning contact (with colleagues). I didn't know it was going to go. 'I didn't think they'd find that I'd been incompetent, but I was worried that they might try and assume that I had been just because I was there for all of these babies'. Letby told the officers that Stephen Brearey, the lead paediatrician on the unit, and another consultant, Ravi Jayaram, had both raised concerns about her and 'felt that I'd deliberately harmed them'. It had crossed her mind that 'they were trying to put the blame on me for something that somebody else had done'. Letby said she was told she was being assigned to a patient safety unit for her own protection. Her departure from the neonatal unit, and a ban on her communicating with colleagues there, had left her feeling isolated. She said she had met with the head of nursing in July and was told 'there had been a lot more deaths and that I'd been linked as somebody that was there for a lot of them'. A diary, along with a Post-it note which was found inside the diary, recovered from a chest of drawers at the home of Lucy Letby Letby, 33, is on trial at Manchester Crown Court (pictured) accused of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder a further ten. She denies all the charges Letby said: 'They also said that there was some other people that had flagged as being on shift for a lot of them and that myself and these other people are gonna have to be going and redoing our competencies.' Asked why she wrote 'slander, discrimination and victimisation' on the note, she replied: 'Cos I felt that the trust and the team were trying to imply that it, it was something I'd done.' 'I'd lost everything,' she added. 'Mum and dad were down in Hereford, and I thought we were a good nursing team and regardless of who were my friends we were like a little family and I felt like I'd lost that'. The officers ask her to explain a note in which she wrote: 'I DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE. I KILLED THEM ON PURPOSE BECAUSE I'M NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO CARE FOR THEM. I AM A HORRIBLE EVIL PERSON'. Letby said in response: 'I didn't kill them on purpose. I felt if my practice hadn't been right then I had killed them and that was why I wasn't good enoughI thought maybe I'd missed something, maybe I hadn't acted quickly enough'. The officers quizzed her about another scribbled note that read: 'DON'T DESERVE MUM AND DAD', and asked whether they were particularly proud that she had gone into nursing. 'Well, it was a big thing,' she told them. 'I was the first person in the family to get into university and to move away, and yeah, they were really pleased'. They were 'upset and disappointed' when she was removed from the unit. Letby felt that by being taken away from the NNU she was 'having to pay for something that I didn't do'. She was asked what she meant by the note: 'I'LL NEVER HAVE CHILDREN OR MARRY I'LL NEVER KNOW WHAT ITS LIKE TO HAVE A FAMILY'. She replied: 'Just that I'd never meet anybody and therefore I'd never have a familyBecause nobody would want to. 'If you say to somebody you had to be redeployed then people make assumptions, don't they? And if my practice had caused these problems they I wouldn't deserve to have children myself'. The detective said: 'Purely because you had been redeployed off one unit?' Letby replied: 'Yeah, because at the time it was huge.' The interview then deals with a note that read: 'I DID THIS, WHY ME?' An officer asks: 'Did what?' Letby replies: 'Well, did something that led to these babies collapsing and dyingI felt that it was me not intentionally but through that situation, through the redeployment'. The nurse also said that staffing levels at a neonatal unit were 'quite poor at times with an inadequate skill mix'. She told detectives she had concerns about a rise in the mortality rate. Manchester Crown Court was told. Letby said: 'We'd all just noticed, as a team in general, the nursing staff, that this was a rise compared to previous years. That we were meeting babies that had a lot more complex needs that we weren't seeing a few years ago . 'And it was talked about that this was something that was unusual.' The detective asked: 'Is there anything that you feel us as an investigation need to look at concerning the amount of deaths and collapses over a short period of time?' Letby replied: 'I think the staffing, maybe, needs, I'm not saying that staffing has caused it, but I think staffing levels were quite poor at times with an inadequate skill mix sometimes. 'And I think a lot of people, like myself, were doing a lot of additional shifts and overtime, and having shifts changed round at short notice. 'I think a lot of people were feeling the strain physically and emotionally. I don't think a lot of support was offered to the team throughout this event with the deaths and things. 'There's also some issues with the unit just in terms of it's very small. We don't always have the equipment we need, we have to go and get it from other units, or pushed for space, and trying to look after sick babies in not always ideal environments. 'And I personally just found during this, that there wasn't always a very clear and supportive sort of management, structural, medical support particularly towards nursing staff. That's a personal opinion.' The detective asked: 'So do you think any of these deaths and collapses occurred due to poor care?' Letby replied: 'I don't think anybody intentionally gave poor care but I think maybe if staffing had been better people may not have been caring for as many babies at once, or would have had different shift patterns maybe or the doctors would have been more readily available.' The detective said: 'And what about equipment, do you think any of these babies had collapsed or died because the equipment was around, or the lack of equipment?' Letby said: 'I think there's been delays with them having some of the support they need because we've had to go and get equipment, yes.' The detective said: 'If you say lack of staff, lack of equipment, doctors not reacting maybe as quickly as they should do, can you apply any of those three factors to the babies we've spoken about here?' Letby said: 'Yes for some of them I think, if staffing had been better then maybe there would have been more people around for that baby.' Letby, a graduate of the University of Chester, said she had scrawled the words 'KILL ME' because 'I wished sometimes that I was dead and that someone would kill me. I'd been removed from the unit and didn't know what was going on. I had lost everything and I hated working in the office'. Towards the end of her final police interview, on November 10, 2020, Letby was asked: 'Lucy, are you responsible for the deaths of these babies?' 'No,' she replied. A few minutes later an officer asks how she is feeling. 'I'm just a bit exhausted now,' she said. It would be her last comment on the investigation ahead of her trial. The jury was shown a chart detailing which members of staff were on duty for the shifts when babies in the case collapsed. Letby's name, with individual crosses highlighted in light blue, is the only one to feature in all 24 columns. The prosecution also presented a 'heat map' showing which nurses and doctors were present at the time of each incident. Again Letby features in all 24 of them. Five nurses and one doctor the one Letby said she loved were each present at the time of seven of the events. Letby's trial began on October 10 and is now in its 25th week. The prosecution closed its case against her at 3.24pm. The VA has paid out $1 billion to veterans since it upgraded a compensation scheme last year for those sickened by toxic chemicals in Iraq, Afghanistan and other campaigns. Veterans have filed more than 500,000 claims for benefits under the PACT Act, which let many more veterans exposed to burn pits and other battlefield pollutants claim disability benefits. The scale of the payouts, which the VA announced on Wednesday, marks the US government's growing acknowledgement of the invisible threats endured by combatants that were for decades largely ignored. The PACT Act loosened the rules about who could apply for benefits, allowing those who got sick from trash-burning pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, Agent Orange, as well as radioactive material and herbicides. Most of the PACT Act claims law were for hypertension and allergic rhinitis an inflammation in the nose as a result of pollen, dust, mold or other particles in the air A US Army soldier burns spoiled water bottles in a burn-pit in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, in 2013. Veterans now report health problems due to inhaling pollutants VA Secretary Denis McDonough said the payouts helped 'millions of veterans who fought our wars for the past 30 years who breathed in debris from sandstorms, fumes from burning trash, and more while overseas.' They were 'now taken care of for the conditions that followed them home from war,' McDonough added. Most of the PACT Act claims law were for hypertension and allergic rhinitis an inflammation in the nose as a result of pollen, dust, mold or other particles in the air. Other maladies included sinusitis, asthma, and cancers of the genitourinary tract. Most of the claims were accepted. In some cases, veterans were rejected because of incomplete medical records or because the condition they were suffering from was not a result of their service. Since the act was signed into law last August, the VA has also screened three million veterans for toxic exposure. About 42 percent of them were worried they had been exposed to hazards while serving. The screenings can lead to referrals for treatment and benefits. As a result of the bill, more than 215,000 veterans have enrolled in VA health care, up 15 percent from the same period the previous year, the department said. Poll Is the US government doing right by veterans yet? Yes No Not sure Is the US government doing right by veterans yet? Yes 25 votes No 45 votes Not sure 7 votes Now share your opinion Veterans' groups have raised concerns about the new benefits being cut, as Republican politicians in Washington, DC, push Democrats to lower spending and cut a deal on raising the US debt ceiling. The US military has been rocked by a number of health scares in recent years. The military has long used 'burn pits' to dispose of trash at military bases overseas. The practice came under the spotlight during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as troops burned everything from batteries to human waste. A Pentagon study last month found high rates of cancer among military pilots and for the first time showed that ground crews who fuel, maintain and launch those aircraft also developed life-threatening conditions. Celebrity activist Jon Stewart famously joined veterans in Washington, DC, to pressure Republican holdouts to help the PACT Act pass Veterans have filed more than 500,000 claims for benefits under the PACT Act , which let many more veterans exposed to burn pits and other battlefield pollutants claim disability benefits Pilots and ground crews have higher rates of several types of cancer than the average across the US population Navy Capt. Jim Seaman, an A-6 Intruder pilot, died in 2018 at age 61 of lung cancer. His widow Betty Seaman was part of a group that lobbied Congress and the Pentagon for years to look into the number of cancers aviators and ground crews face The research on some 900,000 service members who flew on or worked on military aircraft between 1992 and 2017 showed that air crew members had an 87 percent higher rate of melanoma and a 39 percent higher rate of thyroid cancer. The Pentagon is also probing cases of blood cancer among missile teams at nuclear weapons silos in Montana, and veterans have reported toxic exposures from contaminated water in California. DailyMail.com has spoken with veterans who bemoan the lackluster support in Washington DC for those serving the country. David Maxwell, a 30-year Army special forces veteran, said politicians largely turned their backs on servicemen sickened by the Vietnam War-era herbicide Agent Orange or Gulf War syndrome from the 19901991 campaign. 'It's a continuing pattern of how the politicians are willing to punt these serious medical issues for many veterans,' said Maxwell. Dennis Downey, a 29-year special forces veteran, says the problem is bigger still. His research of US military deployments globally is piecing together worrying evidence of cases of 'some very strange cancers', he said. It is a work in progress, but Downey says troops are exposed to dangerous chemicals from metals in bullets and other everyday military items that gradually build up and lead to inflammation and increased risk of cancer. The two towers in Pyongyang were unveiled last week in the Hwasong district Kim Jong-un has had two skyscrapers built to resemble two powerful rockets Missile-mad Kim Jong-un has had two new skyscrapers built to resemble his 'most powerful' rockets in Pyongyang. The two towers were revealed last week in the new Hwasong district, which shares its name with North Korea's Hwasong missile family. And it seems the skyscrapers' resemblance to the rocket is no coincidence, with regime propaganda rag, the Rodong Sinmun, highlighting the similarity in its pages. It bragged: 'The two high-rise residential houses rising side by side toward the sky in the Hwasong district seem to resemble Hwasong missiles, the pride of our country, as the name suggests.' The paper also compared the 'height reached by the Hwasong cannons flying towards the universe' with that of the 'grand and splendid scenery of the streets of Pyongyang'. Missile-mad Kim Jong-un has had two new skyscrapers built in the new Hwasong district, which shares its name with North Korea's Hwasong missile family Kim Jong-un at the unveiling of the two missile-shaped buildings just days after Kim debuted his new Hwasong-18 missile, which Pyongyang calls its 'most powerful, pivotal and principal means' of defence Earlier this week the regime launched a new intercontinental ballistic missile, identified as a Hwasongpho-17 (pictured) Regime newsreel footage reveals the inside of one tower, showing party cadres in its well-stocked supermarket and taking in the view from a new apartment. It comes just days after Kim debuted his new Hwasong-18 missile, which Pyongyang calls its 'most powerful, pivotal and principal means' of defence. The regime says the skyscrapers were built 'for the people' but with growing numbers of North Koreans teetering on the edge of starvation, experts aren't so sure. Markus Bell, a research fellow at La Trobe University in Australia, said: 'Lopsided development has unequally benefited denizens of Pyongyang. 'The construction of these flashy "rocket apartments" will benefit the most politically connected and the wealthiest of North Korea's elite. 'Ordinary people will not be able to afford to live in these apartments, in much the same way as ordinary people can't afford to live in Kensington and Chelsea, and Islington. 'Economically and materially, the construction of showcase buildings such as these does little to nothing to help regular North Koreans.' People at the unveiling of the two new buildings, as shown by the propaganda state media Pen News It seems the skyscrapers' resemblance to the rocket is no coincidence, with regime propaganda rag, the Rodong Sinmun, highlighting the similarity in its pages Dr Bell, author of Outsiders: Memories of Migration to and from North Korea, said the missile-like design also contributed another reminder of the Kims to the Pyongyang skyline. He said: 'The missile program is a legacy project, the young leader having inherited it from his father and his grandfather. 'The construction of these apartment blocks are symbolic in the ideological feedback loop that tells the country and, to a lesser extent, the world that the Kims are Korea and Korea is the Kims.' Dr Bell's book is released on paperback in July, and is available to pre-order from Amazon. Jackass star Brandon 'Bam' Margera has sensationally turned himself in following a days-long manhunt by law enforcement. The performer had been on the run since Sunday after a warrant was issued for his arrest and he fled with his girlfriend and her eight-year-old daughter. Margera, 43, appeared in Chester County courthouse in Pennsylvania Thursday morning, and is facing criminal charges after allegedly assaulting his brother and making terroristic threats to other relatives. He was subsequently released on a $50,000 bail, court records revealed, after he pleaded not guilty. Margera's lawyer, Michael van der Veen, said after his client's hearing that 'the real facts will come out'. The troubled pro-skater's spree began after he fled into the woods near his $1.1million Pennsylvania castle after he allegedly got into a fight with his brother Jess, who has said Bam struck him multiple times in the head and threatened to kill him. Bam Margera posted an image of himself outside the courthouse and warned he would sue his brother for defamation over the allegations against him His brother Jess, right, has said Bam struck him multiple times in the head and threatened to kill him Sunday morning. The two brothers are pictured with their parents In an Instagram after he left the courthouse, Margera posted a photograph of himself holding court documents while he plead his innocence. 'I just got out of the courthouse with my lawyers,' he wrote. 'Everything went great and the false accusations of what my brother says are not true and he will be sued for defamation as well as being evicted from castle bam sooner than later. 'The reason this happened is because I read his phone saying he wants me back in California and he wants to find a way to 302 me. F*** him.' Responding on Twitter, Margera's brother Jess said: 'Yeah this meltdown I guess is my fault now. It's always someone else's fault.' Following Margera's hearing Thursday, van der Veen said in a statement: 'Mr. Margera enjoys all of his constitutional rights, including the presumption of innocence. The wild rumors regarding his behavior this week are absolutely false. He is in good health and in good spirits.' Before he decided to turn himself in, a source close to the family told TMZ Margera had been making 'intoxicated' calls to his family telling them how much he hates them for putting him in a Florida treatment center last year. He has also accused them of selling his home and stealing his money, the unnamed source said, noting that Margera trusts nobody and has threatened to sue his family for the money he claims they stole from him. Jackass star Bam Margera, 43, turned himself in to law enforcement after a days-long manhunt. He is pictured in March Authorities have said troopers responded to a reported disturbance Sunday morning near Margera's $1.1 million Pocopson Township castle, where an alleged victim said they got into a physical altercation with the Jackass star and suffered minor injuries as a result. But when police arrived on the scene, they said, Margera had already fled into a nearby wooded area. A police report filed in the aftermath shows that Margera began to bang on his brother Jess' bedroom door at 8am that morning, leaving a disturbing note in his wake. It read: 'If you even f***ing think of calling the police on me I will officially f*** you up.' Jess - best known as the drummer for the rock band CKY - said that he found the note and walk downstairs to discover Bam urinating into a kitchen sink, which led to a fight breaking out. Bam allegedly began to beat Jess, striking him multiple times on his head, with Jess showing multiple visible injuries. He claims that after the fight, Bam continued his rage, saying: 'I'll kill you. I'll put a bullet in your head.' Bam also allegedly said he'd kill everyone else in the home, including the Margera brothers' father Phil and two unidentified women before he fled. Margera had a warrant out for his arrest charging him with four misdemeanor counts of terroristic threats with intent to terrorize another, one count of simple assault and a final court of harassment while subjecting another to physical contact Police said they responded Sunday morning to a call about an assault near Margera's $1.1million castle (pictured) Following the altercation, Margera fled into the nearby woods The altercation reportedly came as Margera's friends had been urging him to get help after a failed intervention in San Diego earlier this month, following his recent arrest. Despite their best efforts, Bam, who has dealt with substance abuse issues and violent behavior in recent years, reportedly 'blew the whole thing up.' While a source told TMZ that the actor 'seemed receptive at first' things went south following some logistical issues, including where his current girlfriend would live if he was receiving treatment. The insider noted that the father-of-one's loved ones are 'worried about him' and want him 'to help get him back into rehab.' His estranged wife Nicole Boyd was said to be involved during the intervention as she agreed to allow visitations with their son Phoenix, five, if he remained sober. TMZ reported this 'upset' his girlfriend, who then 'kicked everyone out.' The warrant that was issued for Margera's arrest in Pennsylvania saw him charged with four misdemeanor counts of terroristic threats with intent to terrorize another, one count of simple assault and a final court of harassment while subjecting another to physical contact. In a series of tweets on Wednesday, his brother said he is addicted to meth and has become 'unrecognizable,' noting that he doesn't know what Bam is 'capable of.' He said he has seen Bam 'screaming [at] a person that wasn't there, hallucinating,' saying 'it's really scary and heartbreaking.' Jess then went on to say that while he is worried about his brother he is more worried about the child in their care, tweeting: 'I can't even imagine the environment in that car right now.' But, he says, he is 'trying to stay positive' because Bam is the 'sweetest guy.' Jess Margera took to Twitter on Wednesday, revealing that his brother is addicted to meth and saying he is doesn't know what Bam is capable of Margera's most recent legal troubles come just weeks after he was arrested in California for public intoxication, when he got into a shouting match with an unidentified woman at a Thai restaurant in Burbank. In video of that confrontation filmed by comedian Evan Breen, the former pro skateboarder could be seen going back into the restaurant and then out of it again after police had arrived. At an officer's request, Margera sat down on the ground in the parking lot, and although his conversation with the officer couldn't be heard, he could be seen waving his arms about and gesticulating wildly. The arrest may have been preceded by some kind of family drama, as Margera's estranged wife Nikki and their son Phoenix were both in the restaurant, according to a witness on the scene. However, police didn't clarify if he was arguing with his ex, or if it was another woman. The sources added that Margera would be forced to pay $500 to be released early on bail, unless he opts to stay behind bars until sobering up. Margera's estranged wife Nikki Boyd and five-year-old son Phoenix were at a Thai restaurant when he was arrested last month, but it's unknown if she was the woman he was shouting at; seen in 2013 In the aftermath, sources told TMZ that Nicole is looking into filing for legal protection against him in order to protect herself and their son In the aftermath, sources told TMZ that his estranged wife is looking into filing for legal protection against him in order to protect herself and their five-year-old son Phoenix. She had told the site that the incident 'was scary for me and even more scary for Phoenix,' adding that it was a shame as 'the visitation that Bam had with Phoenix the prior day in Hollywood went reasonably well.' Nicole claimed her famous husband had arrived at the restaurant intoxicated and belligerent as she explained: 'This is the umpteenth time that Bam takes one step forward and ten steps back.' Her attorney David Glass told TMZ that they had been trying to work with Bam on setting up regular visitation for their child but it was contingent on him staying sober and treating her with respect something they say Margera has refused to do. Boyd had filed for divorce from Margera in February of this year after claiming that he was not sober during a visit with his son. She has requested legal and physical custody of Phoenix, though she says Margera should still be allowed to have supervised visits with his son in the Los Angeles area. An attorney for Brian Walshe, the Massachusetts husband charged with murdering his wife Ana on New Year's Day, admitted in court today that Google searches for 'how to dispose of a body' were 'problematic' for him - but still protested his innocence. Walshe appeared in court this morning in Boston, Massachusetts, on first degree murder charges. He was seen arriving clean-shaven, with a new haircut and in a smart shirt and sweater - a stark contrast from his scruffy appearance during past hearings. Police say he killed Ana in their Cohasset home in the early hours of New Year's Day, beating her to death then later hacking her bones apart with a hatchet and hacksaw. Investigators found a multitude of Google searches for how to dispose of a body, how long it takes before a corpse starts to smell and how to clean up blood on their son's iPad in the immediate aftermath of Ana's presumed time of death. That evidence was unveiled earlier this year. Today, Walshe's attorney Tracy Miner said they were indeed 'problematic' for him, before suggesting that Ana had 'disappeared'. A clean-shaven Brian Walshe in Norfolk Superior Court on Thursday. He pleaded not guilty to murdering his wife, missing Massachusetts mom Ana Walshe, on January 1 Police say he killed Ana in their Cohasset home in the early hours of New Year's Day then disposed of her body in a garbage dumpster She also claimed that Ana had been having an affair in Washington DC, where she lived and worked during the week. When she vanished, Brian stood to gain $2.7million in life insurance payouts and was fearful that his wife was going to leave him. They say he had hired an investigator to follow Ana in the months before her death, though it's unclear what that investigator discovered. Walshe denied those allegations through his attorney Tracy Miner. She admitted his mother had hired a private investigator, but claimed she did so independently. Ana Walshe had moved to Washington DC during the week to work 'He told her she was crazy and that Ana was a good girl. 'He only discovered the affair as part of the discovery of this case,' his attorney said. They did not name the man he believes his wife was cheating on him with, or how he came to discover the alleged affair. Miner also said he has 'no need' for money, despite not working for years following his fraud indictment. Prosecutors say he had been obsessively looking at the Instagram page of a 'male friend'. Ana was particularly close with Abdulla Almutairi - a married colleague who frequently refers to her as his best friend. Neither Mr. Almutairi nor his wife have yet responded to Brian's suggestion that Ana was cheating on him. Today, a judge denied Walshe's bail and ordered him to return to court in August for a pre-trial conference. Walshe being led into court today. He shook his head as the charges were read aloud Today, Brian's attorney suggested that she was killed either by someone else, or that she chose to disappear. 'It has been four months since she was last seen. As your honor knows, a person is not presumed dead because they're missing for seven years, because it is easy for a single person to disappear if they want to disappear. 'There has been no body found. There's been no indication of if she died, how she died. There's been no murder weapon. There's no motive.' Ana with the couple's three young sons Prosecutors laid out again why they believe he killed his wife, pointing to surveillance footage that showed him buying gallon-cylinders, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, plastic sheets and weapons at various stores after her death, and Google searches about how to remove blood from concrete floors. His attorney conceded that the Google searches, which were conducted on their son's iPad, were 'problematic', but claimed they didn't prove murder. She also claims another person's DNA was found on an HVAC suit along with Ana's. On January 1, after she was last seen alive, a $2.2million life insurance policy was taken out in Ana's name, listing Brian as the sole beneficiary. Coupled with her $400,000 Tishman Speyer life insurance policy, Brian stood to gain $2.7million in total if his wife died while they were still married. Prosecutors say Ana was considering a divorce when she vanished suddenly in January. Walshe had previously been indicted on fraud charges for allegedly selling counterfeit paintings. He was on bail, and was unable to leave the state of Massachusetts. Happier times: Brian and Ana tied the knot in 2015 in Serbia To keep the family afloat, Ana moved to Washington DC full-time to focus on her real estate career. She spent the working week there, returning home to Massachusetts on the weekends to spend time with her husband and their three young kids. According to prosecutors today, days before she was last seen alive, Ana broke down during a dinner with a friend in DC. 'She became uncharacteristically upset and told her friend he was going to be incarcerated... she was prepared to leave him and take the kids to Washington DC,' Connor said. Brian Walshe's attorney today rejected the notion that the life insurance policies were motive for him to kill. 'He doesn't have a need for money,' they said, pointing to his mother's wealth and the fact she had 'given Ana tens of thousands of dollars' in the past. Ana's remains have never been found - police believe they were collected by trash services and incinerated before they got to them - but traces of her blood were found in a dumpster along with the clothes she was last seen wearing. Today, Brian's attorney suggested that she was killed either by someone else, or that she chose to disappear. 'It has been four months since she was last seen. As your honor knows, a person is not presumed dead because they're missing for seven years, because it is easy for a single person to disappear if they want to disappear. 'There has been no body found. There's been no indication of if she died, how she died. There's been no murder weapon. There's no motive.' Walshe will return to court in August for a pretrial conference but was ordered to remain in custody until then. Sudan's Islamists are out of favor and out of power after once being the force behind the country's military rulers. But they are now using sophisticated social media networks and AI to try to worm their way back to a position of influence amid the country's turmoil. Sudan's top two military leaders have spent most of the past two weeks fighting for control of Africa's third largest nation, prompting the U.S. and other foreign nations to evacuate diplomats and nationals. Islamist groups are using those images to claim that the West is in retreat and they are poised for victory, just like the Taliban in Afghanistan, according to research by a social media monitoring group. Their online networks have even used AI technology to spread fake audio recordings suggesting the U.S. was trying to reduce the influence of Islam on the country. Islamists are using a sophisticated social media operation to gain influence in Sudan. That includes using AI to fake a plot by US Ambassador John Godfrey to intervene in the country Sudan's capital Khartoum has been rocked by two weeks of fighting between rival generals. Smoke can be seen her rising from the city's international airport last week Amil Khan, founder of Valent Projects which researches the impact of social media, said Islamists had a powerful network of accounts spreading images of Western-led evacuations, and of civilian leaders taking flights out of Khartoum. 'They're opportunistically then using that to say this is Western collapse, and linking it to Kabul allows them to try to paint themselves as victors in the same way that they see the Taliban,' he said. 'It reflects messaging around the word that the Taliban have won the US. The US left in disarray. 'The Islamists are trying to say that we are the people that conquered them.' In their heyday, Sudan's Islamists turned the nation into a haven for terrorists. Osama bin Laden made his home in the capital Khartoum from 1991 to 1996. Khan said that although they had lost influence following the toppling of longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019, they had built a powerful online presence. 'What they did have was this really extensive manipulation-digital infrastructure with hundreds and hundreds of mass accounts that could just get a coordinated message out and dominate the digital space,' he said. At the same time, they were claiming that fleeing Sudanese leaders were leaving with their foreign paymasters all part of an effort to undermine the popularity of civilian rule. But he added there was little evidence that Sudan's weary population was being swayed by such blatant propaganda. On Sunday, U.S. special forces carried out a precarious evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Sudan. Images of foreigners fleeing are being used by Islamists to say they are winning the war against the West, just like the Taliban did in Afghanistan when Americans fled in 2021 The Marine Security Guard Detachment assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, take hold of the U.S. flag during a flag-folding ceremony at the U.S. Embassy, on April 22, 2023 PIctured: British Nationals about to board an RAF aircraft in Sudan, for evacuation to Larnaca International Airport in Cyprus Even so, Republican Rep. Mike Waltz, a former Green Beret who sits on the House intelligence committee, said the development was deeply worrying. 'Its absolutely a concern and we're going to lose even more visibility and intelligence gathering now that the State Department has had to pull its embassy staff,' he said. Social media messages have celebrated the exit of former foreign minister Omar Qamar al-Din, for example. 'This is how the clients are falling one after the other,' said a post reviewed by DailyMail.com, comparing his early morning exit with the flight of officials from the Western-backed government in Kabul in 2021 as Taliban forces closed in on the Afghan capital. Valent also concluded that Islamist accounts were behind a faked audio message supposedly from US Ambassador John Godfrey, apparently outlining strategies to impose secularism on Sudan. The fighting pitches army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, who has allied himself with the country's Islamists, against Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (better known as Hemedti) who heads the Rapid Support Forces Shells are seen on the ground near damaged buildings at the central market during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North 'The first is international intervention with military force and imposing a new reality on this people by force of arms. This is now excluded in light of the weak world order,' the faked voice says. 'As for the other option, support us in the process of subjugating the rapid support militias and exploiting the two brothers greed for power and using them as a deterrent force and guardian of the secular democratic state, no matter how brutal it may be.' Western governments used a ceasefire this week to bring home their diplomats and rescue as many nationals as possible. It came after the troubled African nation was plunged into violence, two years after a coup sidelined its civilian prime minister. Talks to lead the country back to civilian rule appeared to reach an agreement in December, but hopes of a peaceful transition were dashed by fighting that erupted two weeks ago between the head of the army and the head of the Rapid Support Force (RSF). RSF chief Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (better known as Hemedti) had been deputy to General Abdel Fattah Burhan, until the two fell out over plans to integrate his militia into the army. Islamists helped propel an army colonel to power in 1989. They were the power behind the throne under Omar al-Bashir's reign, until he was dumped out of power in 2019 Sudanese army soldiers, loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, pose for a picture at the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) base in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan Witnesses have described seeing bodies on the streets of the capital and more than 500 people have been killed around the country. While Hemedti, who rose to prominence amid the war crimes of Darfur, claims to promote democracy, Burhan has linked up with Islamists as part of his strategy to emerge as victor. 'He basically made a deal with the devil,' said Cameron Hudson, senior associate in the Africa program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies'. 'And that deal was: I will allow you to reemerge and to regain a foothold in this country, and you have to support me politically and use your networks and your, your deep state influence to support me against the RFS Waiting in the wings to return in the event of an army victory, he said, were notorious figures such as Salah Gosh, the former leader of the feared National Intelligence and Security Service. 'We know what their their rule of the country looked like,' he said. 'And these are bad dudes. 'These are these are all the guys that were responsible for all of the worst abuses of the Bashir regime.' Vladimir Putin has fired the Russian general known as 'The Butcher of Mariupol' just months after he was put in charge of Moscow's faltering logistics operations in Ukraine. Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev, 60, oversaw the brutal siege on the port city of Mariupol last year and gave the order to bomb a theatre sheltering hundreds of families in a strike that killed 300 Ukrainian people. A year on, Mizintsev - known for his brutality and indiscriminate bombing of Mariupol - has now been dismissed as deputy defence minister for war logistics just seven months in the job. It is not clear if his dismissal is a prelude to a new appointment or a humiliating end to his career. It was only in September that the notorious Mizintsev was appointed by Putin as a deputy to Sergei Shoigu, the defence minister. Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev, 60, (pictured) oversaw the brutal siege on the port city of Mariupol last year and gave the order to bomb a theatre sheltering hundreds of children in a strike that killed 300 Ukrainian people Mizintsev was likely to be the one who ordered Russian jets to bomb a maternity hospital earlier this month, leading to the death of a heavily pregnant woman and her unborn child on March 9 2022 (pictured above, shortly before she died) Russian aircraft again dropped missiles on the Donetsk Regional Theatre in Mariupol, which was housing hundreds of civilians and had 'children' written in large white letters outside. Pictured: The destroyed theatre in Mariupol on April 10, 2022 Mizintsev, known as 'Putin's favourite', replaced General Dmitry Bulgakov who was blamed for a string of failings in the Russian war against Ukraine. Mizintsev's dismissal was reported today by Russian state TV military correspondent Alexander Sladkov. But he said the reasons for his axing as deputy defence minister remain unclear. 'This is my friend,' said Sladkov. 'And I respect him a lot. How, what, for what reason - it is difficult to guess. We'll find out later.' Last year there were rumours Mizintsev could threaten Shoigu's role as defence minister. 'The exact reasons are not yet clear, just as it is not clear whether this is removal from office, a suspension or a transfer to a new place of service,' Sladkov said. There is speculation there may be wider changes among Putin's top brass. The dictator has conducted repeated purges of his top commanders amid a succession of failures in the war in Ukraine. Mizintsev oversaw the ruthless and brutal three-month siege of Mariupol, which saw the city levelled and hundreds of civilians killed in missile attacks. The world watched in horror as Russian forces bombed a maternity hospital on March 9 last year, killing a pregnant woman and her baby, and wounding at least 17 people. A week later, Russian aircraft again dropped missiles on civilian areas - this time on the Donetsk Regional Theatre in Mariupol, which was housing hundreds of civilians and had 'children' written in large white letters outside. The bombing, believed to have been ordered by Mizintsev, killed 300 people - the deadliest attack against civilians since the war began. The city was a key target for Russian troops given its strategic location on the Sea of Azov. Much of Mariupol lay in ruins, and tens of thousands of people had been killed in a city where more than half the pre-war population of some 450,000 have fled. In response to the indiscriminate bombing of civilians, Mizintsev was sanctioned by Britain and other Western countries for his role in the bombardment. An explosion erupts from an apartment building in Mariupol after a Russian army tank fired at it on March 11, 2022 Janna Goma, right, with her family settle in a bomb shelter in Mariupol, Ukraine, on March 6, 2022 Mizintsev also led Russian military operations in Syria before the war in Ukraine began. In his role as defence chief, Mizintsev was also likely to have helped devise Russia's military strategy in the country - including the bloody siege of Aleppo, which has chilling parallels with the horror inflicted in Mariupol. Joining Bashar al-Assad in his efforts to re-take Syria from various rebel groups - some of them Western-backed - who had carved up the country between them during the civil war, Russian forces helped the dictator besiege and eventually recapture the north-western city of Aleppo from Free Syrian Army troops. In total, the battle to re-take the city lasted for more than four years - but the most intense period came in late 2016, when Russian and Syrian forces surrounded the eastern half of the city while 270,000 civilians were still inside and bombed it for months before rolling in troops and tanks to capture it. The Syrian Network for Human Rights estimates that at least 1,640 civilians were killed during this period, though exact tolls are hard to come by and could be higher. Observers who spoke to the LA Times said the siege was 'marked by a degree of unparalleled savagery and suffering' during the entire conflict. Russian forces used cluster bombs, chemical weapons and incendiary bombs - all of which are banned under international charters - during the siege, often again civilian areas. Evidence emerged that hospitals had been systematically targeted, and were eventually completely destroyed in bombing raids. Mizintsev was born in 1962 in the village of Averinskaya in Russia's Volga region. But he studied in Soviet Ukraine at the Kyiv Higher All-Arms Command School. He served in East Germany, and may know Putin from this period. Putin was a KGB spy in Dresden. Mizintsev was made a lieutenant general in 2014. Melania Trump is looking at fleeing the United States as her husband faces multiple legal issues, taking their son Barron to Europe this summer. The former first lady celebrated her 53rd birthday on Wednesday night with a 'low-key celebration,' People magazine reported. Donald Trump was expected to be there if his scheduled allowed. But the former president was silent about his wife's big day on his social media platforms. Instead, in his multiple posts on his Truth Social platform, he talked about the upcoming 2024 election, pointing to polls that show him beating Joe Biden and describing the current president as 'GROSSLY INCOMPETENT AND BASICALLY, DOESN'T HAVE A CLUE!' He also wasn't present at a New York courtroom this week where writer Jean Carroll accused him of raping her in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman in the mid-1990s. Trump has denied the charge. Melania Trump is looking to take son Barron (behind her) to Europe this summer as Donald Trump battles multiple legal issues Melania Trump has stayed silent as her husband battles in the courts and on the campaign trail. She was at the announcement for his 2024 presidential campaign but hasn't appeared at any of his rallies. She notably skipped a speech Donald Trump gave after he was arraigned in New York on charges related to a hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. Donald Trump pled not guilty to a 34-count felony indictment. She was at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, where her parents also have lodging, to spend her birthday. 'Melania likes a low-key celebration with family and that I believe is her plan for this year's birthday,' a source told People. 'If Donald is here, he will be joining the family to celebrate his wife's birthday. Despite what you hear, the Trumps are a close family.' Donald and Melania Trump at New Year's Eve 2022 in Mar-a-Lago; Donald Trump did not take to social media to wish his wife a happy birthday Additionally the former first lady is looking to 'take Barron to Europe this summer.' 'Melania is in charge of Barron and his well-being and no matter what else is going on in her life, he plays the lead role,' the source told People. A spokesperson for the former first lady didn't respond to DailyMail.com's inquiry on how Melania Trump was spending her birthday. It's unclear where Melania may vacation. She was born in Slovenia before moving to the United States to become a model. Barron, 17, speaks Slovenian. Earlier this month, she fought back against 'assumptions' about her stance on 'personal and political matters in a statement that failed to mention husband Donald Trump and whether she intends to support him during his indictment and other legal investigations. Her office released a statement on April 11th criticizing articles using 'unnamed sources' in response to widespread speculation cause by her absence at his New York court hearing last Tuesday and at his speech at Mar-a-Lago in the aftermath of the hearing. She wasn't seen for 10 days as the former president was arraigned over the hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels, the porn star he has denied having an affair with. But she finally emerged to attend an Easter Sunday brunch and was seen sitting next to the former president at his personal club. Melania Trump had Easter Brunch with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago Donald Trump will be in New Hampshire on Thursday for his first campaign appearance since Joe Biden announced his own campaign for re-election Meanwhile, Donald Trump will be in New Hampshire on Thursday for his first campaign appearance since Joe Biden announced his own campaign for re-election. The former president will be in Manchester to address supporters. He is considered the front runner for the GOP nomination. Even as he moves forward with his bid to win a second term in the White House, Trump's legal worries aren't abating. Jean Carroll's civil rape case is going forward in Manhattan. Trump hasn't attended the trial yet but his lawyers say he might testify. Carroll told the jury she came to court 'because Donald Trump raped me, and when I wrote about it, he said it didn't happen.' Carroll, 79, said social media users lobbed new attacks against her as people labeled her a 'liar, slut, ugly, old.' 'But I couldn't be more proud to be here,' she testified. Writer Jean Carroll arrives to federal court in New York on Thursday where she has filed a civil suit against Donald Trump Additionally a prosecutor in Atlanta is investigating whether Trump and his allies illegally interfered with the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. On Monday, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said she expects to announce charging decisions in the case this summer. Trump is also facing ongoing probes from the U.S. Department of Justice over top secret documents found at his Florida estate and his efforts to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election. He has dismissed all accusations of wrongdoing and has insisted the investigations are politically motivated. A family from Chicago have been trapped in war-torn Sudan while visiting their relatives - while the US embassy told them to hunker down in place rather than evacuating them. Azza Hamad, her husband, their two young children, her mother and brother all arrived in Omdurman, Sudan on April 15 for a Ramadan trip - soon before the bloody conflict erupted. The family, who are all US citizens, are currently waiting at the border after making the dangerous journey through Sudan, desperate to get to Egypt to eventually return to the US. But it could still take days without the help of the US embassy. At least 512 people have been killed and close to 4,200 wounded since April 15 in the fighting between the army and a rival paramilitary force - the Rapid Support Forces - which are locked in a power struggle that threatens to destabilize the wider region. Azza's father, who is living in Chicago, slammed the US for not doing enough for their citizens amid the outbreak of war - and accused them of failing to have a plan in place. Embassy staff were evacuated and airlifted from Khartoum, but Azza and her five relatives - including kids aged four and one - were instead told to brave out the deadly situation. Abubakr Hamad, who said that his daughter has broken down in tears over the phone because of the ordeal, told the Daily Beast: 'Everything was normal when they first arrived. 'But then I heard from a friend that there is some movement in townfor the last two weeks, there were some little [clashes] here and there, but it seemed to be a serious time. 'Jets started flying off here and there, and the kids were so scared. Azza Hamad, her husband, their two young children, her mother and brother all arrived in Omdurman, Sudan on April 15 for a Ramadan trip before the Sunday conflict started Abubakr Hamad, who said that his daughter has broken down in tears over the phone because of the ordeal Smoke is seen in Khartoum, Sudan. Over 500 people have been killed following the fighting between the army and a rival paramilitary force 'They dont know whats going on They can hear the sound of bombs here and there and even from their place they could see the jets flying over their heads and towards the target from the air base.' There was 'nothing they could do' and had to wait for the embassy - who told the family they needed shelter in place until further instruction. The US still did not evacuate the family, and the horrors continued to unfold despite a ceasefire on Monday. The embassy told the family they could try and get to Port Sudan to facilitate an evacuation on their own. However, the fraught journey to get there would entail crossing Khartoum, where fighting is fierce and deadly. The father blasted: 'I dont think [the U.S.] did enough. 'They did a great job evacuating the embassy staff, which was very quick and nothing happened. That was a good job, but they should do a good job on the ground. They should do more. 'I dont think they have a very clear plan like other countries, other countries had a plan and took out their citizens.' Abubakr has spent sleepless nights on the phone to his family members - calling them every hour - trying to plan their escape from the country. Azza Hamad and her family decided their best bet was to get to Egypt. They boarded a public bus for 14 hours after finally securing tickets, and undertook the long journey before reaching the city Wadi Halfa in Sudan. But the border is 'chaotic' and there are 'so many requirements to cross,' according to Abubakr. Fraught families with the same ideas as Azza have lead to a massive influx of people trying to escape to Egypt. They believe they'll have to wait 24 hours at the border, but then they have to make the tiresome journey to Cairo before boarding a flight back to the US. On Tuesday, the US State Department said: 'There are options to depart Sudan, but you must decide the safest and best method of departure for yourself and your family. 'We cannot guarantee your safety in movement. The United States government advises that travel is at your own risk.' Today, marines were pictured at the U.S. Embassy folding the national flag in Sudan's war-torn capital, Khartoum, before 100 elite troops evacuated diplomatic staff. A burned vehicle is seen in Khartoum, Sudan April 26, 2023 amid the fierce fighting Some 16,000 American citizens are still trapped in the country and there have been two U.S. deaths resulting from the conflict, which started 12 days ago. The images show the flag being lowered by the Marine Security Guard Detachment at a flag-folding ceremony. The U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Sudan, John T. Godfrey, oversaw the proceedings. The United States and African nations were racing to secure an extension of a ceasefire in Sudan on Thursday. On Saturday, the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum suspended its operations and ordered staff to leave the country. While embassy staff were airlifted out, there were no plans to provide similar evacuations for potentially thousands of Americans still in Sudan. Instead, it provided details on border crossings that are available and the requirements needed at each location. Damaged buildings are seen following clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in South Khartoum This video grab taken from AFPTV video footage on April 20, 2023, shows an aerial view of black smoke rising above the Khartoum International Airport amid ongoing battles between the forces of two rival generals It cautioned that fighting continues and that many routes are dangerous and unpredictable. While the U.S. says it's too dangerous to get its citizens out, other countries are proceeding with evacuations of their nationals. France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, Holland, Turkey, Japan, South Korea, Jordan, South Africa, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are among the countries that have evacuated their citizens and those of other countries. Battles between two rival Sudanese commanders had forced the closing of the main international airport and left roads out of the country in control of armed fighters. The skirmishes have killed more than 400 people. In a statement thanking the troops, President Joe Biden said he was receiving regular reports from his team on efforts to assist remaining Americans in Sudan 'to the extent possible'. He also called for the end to 'unconscionable' violence there. About 100 U.S. troops in three MH-47 helicopters carried out the operation to get US Embassy workers out of Sudan. They airlifted roughly 70 remaining American employees from a landing zone at the embassy to an undisclosed location in Ethiopia. Environmental protesters have been carried out by security after disrupting the annual shareholder meeting of oil giant BP. The eco-activists repeatedly interrupted chairman Helge Lund and chief executive Bernard Looney, with shouts of 'BP must fall' from some demonstrators. Members of activist shareholder groups Fossil Free London and Follow This both attended the meeting at the ExCel centre, in London's Custom House, today where they called for the company to lower its climate footprint. They failed to change the mind of investors who voted to commit to a plan for BP to invest a further 6.4billion in oil and gas by 2030, on top of an equivalent extra investment in the energy transition. However, bosses were given a bloody nose with nearly one in five share holders voting against the 10million pay package for Mr Looney - although it did get enough votes to pass. A protester is carried out of the ExCel centre in Custom House after disrupting BP's annual shareholder meeting Protesters hold banners saying 'stop the drilling' and 'BP profits = cost of living crisis' outside the meeting At the meeting protesters from Fossil Free London disrupted the proceedings from the beginning, with one woman initially shouting that Mr Lund was 'not telling the truth about the climate crisis' . READ MORE HERE: Driver blocked by Just Stop Oil activists pleads with policeman to help him get through - but the officer simply walks past Advertisement Referring to BP's plan to have net zero emissions by the middle of the century, she said: '2050 is far too late. We are nearly at the tipping point.' An argument broke out as another meeting attendee shouted: 'Take a walk. Get out.' Once she left, another woman immediately stood up and started shouting: 'This is an emergency. Stop drilling.' Another held a banner reading: 'BP pay up for loss & damage.' The protesters shouted comments like: 'Can't you hear us? This is an emergency', 'think of your grandchildren' and 'do you like wildlife?' One woman yelled: 'Do you not care about the future? What the f*** is wrong with you all? You have no heart. You have no head. BP must fall.' The protesters were taken out by security one by one after angry shouts from other attendees calling for them to be removed. One man was carried out of the room. As she was led out, one protester shouted: 'BP must fall, BP must fall, BP must fall.' Speaking from the stage, Mr Lund looked back at BP's path towards what he claims to be a greener future. 'I begin with 2019 because we saw accelerated concerns about climate change, a threat scientists had been warning about for decades - finally leading to a broad and intensified impetus for action,' he said. 'And we at BP welcomed that shift, because it began to bring what the world wanted more closely in line with what the world needed.' Two protesters sit on the ground and shout outside the ExCel centre at London's Custom House today A demonstrator is carried out of the BP meeting after protesting against its plans to invest further in gas and oil Mark van Baal, founder of Follow This, spoke at the BP AGM to encourage shareholders to vote for resolution 25, which calls for the company to align its 2023 greenhouse gas emissions reductions with the Paris Climate Agreement, a proposal the board is not supporting. Mr van Baal welcomed the progress BP had made with its investment in the transition to clean energy but added: 'The elephant in the room is still there and the elephant in the room is only less visible between BP's plethora of aims.' Mr van Baal said: 'BP has not set targets that will lead to large-scale absolute emissions reductions by 2030.' He asked: 'Do you really think that BP can be Paris-aligned without reducing BPs total emissions by 2030?' BP's chief executive Bernard Looney disagreed with Mr van Baal, saying: 'We absolutely believe that our aims and all the work we are doing are absolutely consistent with Paris.' BP chairman Helge Lund also said they respect Mr van Baal's views but 'respectfully disagree'. Mr Lund said that the board recommended investors should vote against a resolution brought by Follow This. He said: 'I and we do not doubt the good intentions of all of this and their supporters. 'We share their desire for the world to meet the Paris goals, but this resolution is not the answer. 'What it calls for BP to do is unclear. It does not recognise that our strategy, ambitions and aims constitute a coherent and integrated programme of transformation for BP. 'Nor does it take into account the update to our strategy in February. 'It would be disruptive of the strong progress BP is making on behalf of its shareholders, the board therefore recommends voting against resolution 25.' On windfall taxes, Mr Lund said: 'Taxes is for the authorities in the different countries we operate in to assess and to decide, and we have to live with that in the countries where we are. Members of British Armenian hold placards outside the venue in protest at BP's investment in oil fields in Azerbaijan Police watch on as protesters gather to demonstrate against BP in London today Murray Auchincloss, BP's chief financial officer, added that the company had not paid many taxes in the US in recent years due to losses but expects 'to be in a tax-paying position soon'. 'In the UK, taxes are for the matter of the Government and we are not going to speculate on changes in the Government,' he said. He added that BP had paid windfall taxes in Europe and the UK in 2022 and that in Britain, three out of the four dollars they make goes to the Government. The oil firm said around 18 per cent of votes had been cast against its remuneration report, according to preliminary results, despite the business making record profits last year, but the report gained enough votes to pass, meaning Mr Looney will receive a 10million pay package. However, an attempt by pension funds to vote against the reappointment of chairman Helge Lund failed to gather enough support to oust the Norwegian. A little under 10 per cent of votes were cast against him. Outside the meeting members of British Armenian, a charitable organisation, are holding placards outside the building reading 'BP Choose Armenian Lives Not Oil'. Francesca, 23, from north London, who did not want to give her last name, said they are protesting BP's investment in Azerbaijan amid the country's blockade of Artsakh - a disputed region with an ethnic Armenian population. She said: 'The reason we are here is because BP is investing in Azerbaijani oil, which is fuelling and funding an ethnic cleansing that is going on in the southern Caucuses.' Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner has risked a row with her boss Sir Keir Starmer after she spoke out in support of her 'soulmate' MP boyfriend Sam Tarry. Ms Rayner, who has previously been reluctant to publicly confirm her relationship with Mr Tarry, paid tribute to her partner as he battles against his deselection by local Labour members. Speaking at a fundraising event last night, the 43-year-old claimed it would be an 'absolute tragedy' if Mr Tarry, 40, was no longer a Labour MP after the next general election. Mr Tarry, MP for Ilford South, was sacked as a Labour shadow minister by Sir Keir in July following a row over a TV interview he gave from a picket line outside a train station during rail strikes. He was then deselected by local Labour members in October after they voted for a rival candidate to contest the Ilford South seat at the next general election. Mr Tarry, who described himself as 'utterly crestfallen' by the vote, has since battled against the outcome and lashed out at a 'manufactured political circus'. Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner has risked a row with her boss Sir Keir Starmer after she spoke out in support of her 'soulmate' boyfriend MP Sam Tarry Ms Rayner has previously been reluctant to publicly confirm her relationship with Mr Tarry, the Ilford South MP Mr Tarry was sacked as a Labour shadow minister by Sir Keir in July following a row over a TV interview he gave from a picket line outside a train station during rail strikes In October, Mr Tarry was snubbed by local Labour members as their general election candidate in favour of Jas Athwal, who is the leader of Redbridge Council The former trade union officer, who helped organise Jeremy Corbyn's successful Labour leadership campaign in 2016, questioned the 'integrity' of the result and demanded the party hand over 'full information' about who voted. He had previously instructed lawyers in a failed attempt to halt the deselection process. At the fundraising event at the Praba Banqueting Suite in Ilford, east London, last night, Ms Rayner risked a row with party officials by offering fulsome support for Mr Tarry. In video footage of the event published by the Guido Fawkes website, Ms Rayner said: 'He is one of the most kind-hearted, amazing individuals I know and he's also my soulmate. He's a really good guy. 'And I actually think you're incredibly lucky to have him as your MP because I get to see a lot of Sam, and I get to see a lot of behind the scenes, and I see how much he cares. She added: 'I hope that he continues because it would be an absolute, absolute tragedy for the Labour Party to lose someone like Sam as an MP and I think we need to fight for that.' Mr Tarry, who arranged last night's gala dinner to raise funds for 'local causes and campaigning', was snubbed by local Labour members as their general election candidate in favour of Jas Athwal, who is the leader of Redbridge Council. Senior Labour MP Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, backed Mr Athwal's campaign to be the party's Ilford South candidate at the next election. Sir Keir sacked Mr Tarry as shadow transport minister last summer for doing interviews 'without permission' and 'making up policy on the hoof'. Mr Tarry's appearance outside Euston station in support of striking rail workers came in defiance of the Labour leader's ban on party frontbenchers joining picket lines. Ms Rayner was married to Mark Rayner, a trade union official, before they separated in 2020. She has three children and became a grandmother in 2017 at the age of 37, which saw her dubbed 'Grangela'. A 65-year-old man is set to retire from his job of looking after three uninhabited Scottish islands. Grandfather-of-three Jonathan Grant tends the islands of Mingulay, Pabbay and Berneray, south of Barra, having taking up a job as a ranger more than a decade ago. The Glasgow native took the National Trust of Scotland job in 2010, after moving to the Outer Hebrides 20 years ago. He now plans to retire this October and is hoping a younger person, who loves the islands as much as he does, will take up his ranger's job. 'A younger person who lives on the island could be experiencing what I've experienced,' Mr Grant said. Jonathan Grant, 65, (pictured) is set to retire from his job as a ranger after 13 years The Isle of Mingulay (pictured) was abandoned by its Gaelic speaking inhabitants in 1912 Mingulay's towering cliffs (pictured) are known for providing a rich habitat for birds Barra Head Lighthouse (pictured) on the island of Berneray has been in operation since 1833 The uninhabited islands are famed for their dramatic scenery and rich natural ecosystems The three islands sit within the Outer Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland The three deserted islands form part of the Bishop's Isles archipelago, which lies around 20km south of Barra. The islands which sit at the southern tip of the Outer Hebrides are known for their dramatic landscapes, beautiful beaches and rich ecosystems. 'There's seabirds nesting on the cliffs, the wildlife is unbelievable,' Mr Grant said. 'There's sandy beaches and seals and basking sharks. All three islands were abandoned by their Gaelic speaking residents, due to the harshness everyday life their brought. Mr Grant first moved to the Outer Hebridean island of Barra to take up work as a builder. 'I was born in Glasgow and went to school there. After leaving school I didn't want to live in a city,' he said. 'I moved up to Barra as I had family and friends there and got a job as a building contractor. The Glasgow born ranger moved to the Outer Hebridean island of Barra 20 years ago The ruins of an abandoned village (pictured) remain left behind on the Isle of Mingulay The ranger works on the uninhabited islands for six months a year in the summer, and makes money as a self-employed builder in the remaining winter months. 'That's always been my main employment. I don't get paid a huge amount but I work for six months, in winter I generally do building work self-employed. 'I got into working as a ranger about 20 years ago, before this job came up. The funding ran out but then I got the NTS job. Mr Grant said retiring is a gesture of commitment to the future of the islands. 'I feel it would be unfair to keep the job as I'm getting older,' he said. 'My first commitment is to the wellbeing of the islands,' Mr Grant added, as he said he'll be 'sad to leave' his job. The Isle of Pabbay (pictured) was abandoned after its able bodied men died in a storm in 1897 Mingulay schoolhouse (pictured) is now used by researchers after being restored in 201 Mingulay (pictured) is known for its rich ecosystems which host seals and basking sharks 'I'm a small cog in a big organisation and have a lot of colleagues I'll be sad to leave,' the ranger said. The grandfather said his job never caused family, despite the fact it would often see him spend more than a week living in a tent. 'There's times when I'm on the island on my own, that's fine, it suits me,' he added. 'I've got a nice home and a wife on Barra. I only camp for a couple of weeks every summer,' Mr Grant said. 'I haven't spent the past 13 years in a tent.' He noted he's 'never far away' from home and has access to 'internet and satellite communication'. Italy's far-right leader Giorgia Meloni praised Rishi Sunak's clampdown on Channel migrants today as she visited Downing Street for talks. The Italian prime minister said said the UK Government is doing 'very well' at tackling the thousands of people crossing from the continent, as she began a two-day visit to London. Rishi Sunak said the UK and Italy's values are 'very aligned', allowing the two nations to work together on shared challenges as he welcomed her to No10. They are expected to sign an agreement on migration among other issues this afternoon. They will then head to Westminster Abbey for a private tour - as the church is prepared for the coronation of Charles III on May 6. Speaking ahead of their private meeting Ms Meloni told reporters: 'Tackling traffickers and illegal migration is something that your Government is doing very well. I'm following your work and I absolutely agree with your work and I think there are many things that we can do together.' She praised Rishi Sunak as 'a very strong leader' and hailed a 'new beginning' for bilateral co-operation. The Prime Minister greeted his Italian counterpart at the famous black door of No 10 this afternoon They kissed each other on the cheeks, shook hands and smiled at the cameras before going inside The Italian prime minister said said the UK Government is doing 'very well' at tackling the thousands of people crossing from the continent, as she began a two-day visit to London. The leaders are expected to discuss tackling irregular migration - a key issue for both governments, as well as a defence partnership and support for Ukraine. Ms Meloni's Brothers of Italy party leads the country's first hard right-led government since the Second World War. The Prime Minister greeted his Italian counterpart at the famous black door, where they kissed each other on the cheeks, shook hands and smiled at the cameras. They appeared to comment on the drizzly weather as they exchanged a few words before heading inside for talks. Speaking ahead of their private meeting he said: 'I think the values between our two countries are very aligned, which is why we can work so well together on shared challenges, whether it's responding to Putin's illegal invasion in Ukraine, where again I pay tribute to your leadership, but also tackling illegal migration, which is something that is common to both of us.' He said the memorandum of understanding the two leaders will sign will 'strengthen our cooperation in those areas and many more'. The leaders are expected to also discuss a defence partnership and support for Ukraine. Stemming the flow of migrants - whether in small boats across the English Channel or from north Africa across the Mediterranean - is a key issue for both leaders. The meeting comes a day after the Government's flagship asylum Bill cleared its final stages in the House of Commons, though it will face a stiff test in the Lords when it undergoes further scrutiny. The Illegal Migration Bill will change the law so people who arrive in the UK illegally will be detained and then promptly removed, either to their home country or a safe third country such as Rwanda. In Italy, Ms Meloni has led a crackdown on migrant smugglers and on rescue ships operated by charities, which she argues encourage migrants to risk dangerous voyages in the hope of reaching Europe. The two leaders' meeting is also expected to focus on the agreement between the UK, Italy and Japan to develop next-generation fighter jets. The defence partnership, announced in December, aims to see the planes - called Tempest in the UK - take to the skies by 2035 and serve as a successor to the RAF Typhoon. Continued support for Ukraine in its struggle against Russia's invasion is also likely to feature in their talks. Mr Sunak and Ms Meloni first met on the sidelines of the Cop27 climate summit in Egypt last November, weeks after they both took office within days of each other. According to a read-out from No 10 at the time, they 'had a positive discussion on a range of shared issues and priorities, including tackling illegal migration and people-smuggling gangs'. Downing Street has said there are no plans for a Sudan resettlement scheme today as more British citizens were evacuated. The PM's spokesman played down the prospect of creating a specific visa route for people displaced by the fighting - similar to those put in place for Afghanistan and Ukraine. More than 500 Britons and close relatives have so far been brought out of the country as the clock ticks down on a ceasefire, due to end tonight. Many have been transported to London Stansted after being flown from Khartoum to Cyprus by the RAF. Councils and community groups have been on hand to meet arrivals and offer them emergency accommodation, healthcare and provisions if they do not have options with family. No10 said there were no plans for a Sudan resettlement scheme, but that it was 'something we keep under review'. More than 500 Britons and close relatives have so far been brought out of the country as the clock ticks down on a ceasefire, due to end tonight. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said the UK will 'endeavour to keep evacuating people' from Sudan if the ceasefire is not extended. Many have been transported to London Stansted after being flown from Khartoum to Cyprus by the RAF. The spokesman also said the UK would 'obviously support any extensions to the ceasefire. It's something we are actively lobbying for'. Two flights have landed in Cyprus on Thursday with more expected later as efforts to evacuate UK citizens from Sudan continue. The spokesman said: 'A further flight has landed today. It was six flights yesterday, two have landed today and there are more expected later today as well.' It is 'imperative' that anyone who wants to leave the country and is eligible to come to the UK does so as soon as possible, Downing Street added. No10 said there were no plans for a Sudan resettlement scheme, but that it was 'something we keep under review'. It is 'imperative' that anyone who wants to leave the country and is eligible to come to the UK does so as soon as possible, Downing Street added. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said the UK will 'endeavour to keep evacuating people' from Sudan if the ceasefire is not extended. He said: 'However, it is almost impossible for us to predict whether there will be an extension and what the circumstances might be like if the extension does not happen. 'We will endeavour to keep evacuating people through the airhead in Wadi Seidna but we cannot guarantee our ability to do so. 'We are exploring the support to other routes, which is why we have set up a temporary presence at Port Sudan and why we have officials at the border in the neighbouring countries.' A police constable who slapped the bottoms of two female colleagues and plunged his hand down the top of a third cannot be identified because it may harm his mental health and welfare. The constable - known as Officer X - slapped the bottom of one officer, PC C, during a work night out. On the same night he also shoved his hand down the top of PC B when she refused to hand over her phone. Both female officers were left distraught by the incidents which happened at the Albion pub in Hastings in May 2019. In an earlier incident in 2016 the Sussex Police constable - who was based in Hastings - slapped the bottom of an officer senior to him, Acting Sergeant A, as she bent over a pool table to take a shot. Today a disciplinary hearing was told his behaviour was like something witnessed in BBC1 TV programme Life on Mars. The show saw officer Sam Tyler - played by John Simm (left) - often at odds with the other characters' sexism, racism and homophobia Hastings police station (pictured) was dubbed the 'most sexist in Britain' after a series of probes into officers' behaviour Today a disciplinary hearing was told his behaviour was like something witnessed in BBC1 TV programme Life on Mars. Matthew Holdcroft, for Sussex Police, said: 'It is a total failure to treat women colleagues with any respect or courtesy. 'It harks back to a time in the police service that is more akin to the 1970s and what we saw on Life on Mars.' The show followed a Manchester police officer in 2006 who finds himself mysteriously working for the force in 1973 after being hit by a car. It saw officer Sam Tyler - played by John Simm - often at odds with the other characters' sexism, racism and homophobia. Today the constable, who resigned from the Sussex Police in 2021, was found to have acted in a way which constituted gross misconduct. Although he did not attend the hearing the officer earlier argued his identity should be kept a secret and his name should not be made public. Ogheneruona Iguyovwe, the misconduct panel chair, agreed and made an anonymity order. The anonymity order was not opposed by the force. She said: 'I consider that it is necessary and proportionate to direct that the officer is granted anonymity in these proceedings for the protection of the health and welfare of the officer and witnesses in the proceedings. 'In making this decision, I have considered all relevant factors including the physical and mental health and/or welfare of the officer and the wider public interest in the transparency of these proceedings.' Hastings police station was dubbed the 'most sexist in Britain' after a series of probes into officers' behaviour. Some officers have been sacked from the force while others have been handed final written warnings. As well as branding the station the 'most sexist' a source admitted a major crackdown on 'lad culture' at the Hastings station was launched after complaints by several female officers and members of the public. Whatsapp and Facebook groups used to exchange explicit sexual messages and images have been shut down, rowdy behaviour has been banned and officers have been read the Riot Act. At the latest disciplinary hearing, Matthew Holdcroft, for Sussex Police, said all three incidents happened when the officer had joined colleagues for a night out on the town. In the first incident in 2016 happened in Ye Olde Pumphouse in Hastings during a leaving party for an inspector. As his senior officer - Acting Sergeant A - bent over a pool table to take a shot Officer X slapped her on the bottom. The officer claimed her bottom was just four inches from his face as she reached over a pool table to take a shot. But he admitted that instead of moving away he slapped her bottom causing her to become distressed and upset and rush to the toilet. Mr Holdcroft said: 'While sitting on a stool in the pool bar he slapped the bottom of PS A. She had bent over directly in front of him. Her bottom was no more than four inches from his face. 'He slapped her bottom once with an open palm. Unfortunately his slap was harder than he intended and caused PS A some discomfort.' Afterwards he swapped Whatsapp messages with another colleague who told him not to worry about repercussions. The colleague told him: 'Don't worry about it. She was being flirty all evening. A slap to the arse is just banter.' The other incidents happened in May 2019, also on a work night out with colleagues, at the Albion pub in Hastings. After hearing PC B was using the dating app, Tinder, he began pestering her for her mobile phone saying he wanted to check out her dating profile. When she refused, the hearing was told, he took her handbag and paraded around the pub with it 'in attempt to be amusing.' He then began rifling through it, opening her lip gloss and applying some to his mouth and going through her purse. PC B, however, ignored him. Officer X asked again to see her phone and when she again refused and tried to take it from her. Mr Holdcroft said: 'She said: 'You're not going get it if I put it in my bra' but he replied: 'That's not going to stop me.' He then plunged his hand down the neckline of her top towards her breasts but was fended off by PC B. On the same night he also approached PC C and slapped her on the bottom in the Albion pub. Mr Holdcroft said Officer X says he was so drunk he could not remember the incident but claimed the officer had earlier told him: 'You're always welcome to slap my bum.' The panel found all the allegations against Officer X proved and ruled his actions constituted gross misconduct. Giving her ruling, Ms Iguyovwe, said: 'The fact he was acting while intoxicated is no excuse, his actions were intentional and deliberate. On more than one occasion he targeted women with persistent, unwanted behaviour and it was clearly intentional.' The panel ruled the officer would have been dismissed if he hadn't already resigned from the force. He was barred from ever serving as a police officer again. Ms Iguyovwe condemned the officer saying his behaviour was 'laddish' and 'loutish' and raised concerns over the length of time it took the force to take action against him. She said the panel had considered the effects of persistent violence towards women and girls including harassment. She said: 'The officer's conduct specifically targeted women. We considered his actions were misogynistic and amounted to a harassment of women.' Jayne Butler, chief executive if Rape Crisis said: 'This case demonstrates the culture of misogyny within the police. Admitting that you have inappropriately touched a colleague, but excusing this as banter is unacceptable. 'Granting anonymity to this officer shows us there is more of a willingness to protect abusive police officers than there is to protect those that have been subjected to their abuse. 'It is essential that the police are doing everything in their power to build up public trust: that means holding abusive officers to account.' The FBI has said that it has made 'extensive changes' to the query process since abuses have been uncovered House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan put the FBI on blast for recent abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), saying that the agency should 'get out of the business' altogether. Section 702 under FISA allows U.S. federal intelligence agencies to conduct targeted searches of foreigners, but sometimes Americans are improperly searched in the process. The provision is set to expire by the end of the year. Jordan called Section 702 renewal 'the most important thing we are going to do this Congress' during a hearing Thursday by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance. The hearing featured testimony from DOJ's Inspector General Michael Horowitz and two officials on the U.S. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board - Chair Sharon Franklin and board member Beth Williams. 'Ms. Franklin, you testified you have no idea how many Americans are picked up in incidental collection and the FBI won't tell you or won't give you an estimate on what that number may be, is that right?' asked Jordan. Jordan confirmed that there were 3.4 million queries and 30 percent of them were in error last year She replied 'that's correct,' adding 'the intelligence agencies have asserted that it is infeasible for them to calculate a meaningful number, and they have not done so.' Jordan confirmed that last year there were 3.4 million Section 702 queries and 30 percent of them were in error. The chairman said the solution would be to simply 'require probable cause if you're going to query this database' in order to increase privacy and protect civil liberties for Americans. 'Americans are being picked up in this incidental collection. We don't know the number, my guess is it's pretty darn big. They won't tell us and without probable cause that database is being searched 3.4 million times with all kinds of error rates,' Jordan summed up. 'How about we just get the FBI out of the [Section 702] business altogether?' asked Jordan. Williams replied: 'The FBI has a long way to go to regain public trust.' In March, Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Ill., revealed that his name was improperly searched by the FBI conducting a Section 702 query. The hearing featured testimony from DOJ's Inspector General Michael Horowitz 'How about we just get the FBI out of the [Section 702] business altogether?' asked Jordan 'I want to make clear the FBI's inappropriate querying of a duly elected member of Congress is egregious and a violation not only that degrades the trust in FISA, but is viewed as a threat to the separation of powers,' LaHood said during a House Intelligence Committee hearing. 'I have had the opportunity to review the classified summary of this violation, and it is my opinion that the member of Congress that was wrongfully queried multiple times solely by his name was in fact me.' In December, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) declassified a 2021 report that includes instances of numerous FISA abuses. It also revealed that the FBI searched the data for an 'unnamed' congressman and local political organizations when conducting an investigation into whether they had any ties to foreign intelligence. The FBI said in a statement that since the ODNI report, the agency has made 'extensive changes.' 'Although we cannot comment on specific queries, the FBI has made extensive changes over the past few years changes that post-date the period covered in the reports raised in the hearing today to address 702 compliance issues, including standing up a whole new Office of Internal Audit currently focused on FISA compliance and instituting new policies requiring enhanced pre-approval requirements before certain 'sensitive' U.S. person queries can be run,' said an FBI spokesperson at the time. 'For example, 'sensitive' queries involving elected officials now require Deputy Director approval. We look forward to sharing the impact of our reforms. The FBI takes seriously its role as stewards of our 702 authorities, which are indispensable to fulfilling our mission of protecting Americans from foreign threats from countries like China, Russia, and Iran,' the statement continued. Legendary chat show host Jerry Springer, who has died aged 79 after a cancer diagnosis, was born in a London underground station in 1944 during the Blitz. His parents, who were German-Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany, moved to East Finchley in North London in 1939. In 1943, they fell pregnant. On the day Gerald Norman Springer was born, Richard and Margot were crammed onto the busy platform at Highgate, which was being used as a bomb shelter. The one-time Mayor of Chicago - who went on to become an internationally recognisable broadcaster with The Jerry Springer Show - lived on Belvedere Court for the first years of his life before moving to the States in January 1949. Jerry Springer revisits his first home in North London at Belvedere Court A young Jerry Springer, who was born in London after his parents fled Nazi Germany in 1939 Jerry Springer was born at 11:45 pm, the day before Valentine's Day in 1944. Speaking in 2012, he said his birth was 'a little bit out of the ordinary' at Highgate. He explained how women like his mother, a bank clerk, in late pregnancy would often spend the nights in the safe tube stations. He had fond memories of London, telling the BBC he recalled 'looking out my window every day because I was obsessed with buses'. 'Back then... the two buses that came right in front of our houses - the double-decker buses - were the 58 and the 102,' he recalled. Springer's earliest memories were of London. The Belvedere Court residential block where he spent nearly five years of his life still exists, principally let to Jewish families from Europe fleeing German occupation. The building was designed by Ernst Freud, the youngest son of the psychologist. His parents arrived in England only a month before the war broke out and started from scratch - with the help of the charity World Jewish Relief. Springer said the charity signed the visa for his parents to travel to England on the Kindertransport, a rescue effort for children - and usually not their parents - to flee Nazi-controlled Germany in the months leading up to the war. Springer's maternal grandmother, who remained in Germany, died in the gas vans used at Chemno extermination camp. His paternal grandmother died in the hospital wing of Theresienstadt in German-occupied Czechoslovakia. A total 27 members of his family died in the Holocaust. Today, the birthplace of his father, the owner of a successful shoe shop from Landsberg, no longer exists in Germany. Used for forced labour camps through the war, the town was heavily damaged as the Wehrmacht retreated west in 1945. Today, it has been rebuilt as the Polish city of Gorzow. But Springer's London home still stands on the corner of Lyttelton Road, off the A1. A month before he turned five, Springer immigrated to Queens, New York, with his parents and older sister. The industry legend regularly returned to his hometown throughout his life. In 2009, he even made his West End debut as Chicago's smooth-talking lawyer. Jerry Springer was born to a shoe merchant from Landsberg and a bank clerk from Berlin Londoners shelter from the Blitz during World War II in Highgate underground station Jerry Springer (pictured) grew up in a residential block set up for people fleeing Nazi Germany In the US, Springer studied political science at Tulane University and got a law degree from Northwestern University. He was politically active throughout his life and considered a run for governor of Ohio as recently as 2017. He ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1970 before being elected to city council in 1971, after working as an aide in Robert F. Kennedy's ill-fated 1968 presidential campaign. Jerry later went on to host the smash hit 'The Jerry Springer Show' for 27 years, becoming America's guilty pleasure for wild and raucous TV moments. A horse forced to pull tourist carriages through Seville during Spain's record 36C April heatwave has died, while another collapsed, shocking footage has shown. Panicked bystanders tried to revive the horse with water after it collapsed on Wednesday next to a busy road in the popular southern Spanish city, but their attempts sadly failed. The video, which was posted on Instagram by a member of the bird welfare group Rescate de Aves, has triggered an animal abuse investigation. Emergency services will now launch a probe into whether the owner, who has not been named, was responsible for abuse of the animal. Rescate de Aves coordinator Carlos Moreno, whose colleague took the video said: 'The drivers got hold of another horse and carried on with the ride in front of police who, although there was a complaint, made no move to confiscate their licence.' A horse made to pull tourist carriages through Seville during Spain's record 36C April heatwave has died. Bystanders rushed to the horse to try and revive it by water People have flocked to Spain's beaches this week as temperatures reached 36C in an unusually hot April. Pictured: Beachgoers sunbathing on La Malagueta beach as they enjoy the unusually hot weather The second horse pulling the carriage had also showed signs of dehydration but was made to continue working, he added. People in Seville are currently celebrating Feria de Abril - a huge festival that takes place in April annually, where people dress up, wearing traditional flamenco dresses and smart suits, to celebrate the city's culture. Mr Moreno's colleague said the carriage appeared to be carrying revellers attending the city's fair, which takes place every April and last year attracted an estimated 500,000. Temperatures in Seville, part of Spain's warmest region, were expected to soar to 36C today, resulting in extra health workers being brought in to deal with the hundreds attending festival. Horse-drawn tourist carriages are a common sight in the city, where authorities have handed out more than 1,000 licences to operate them during this year's fair. Neither Seville's association of horse carriage operators nor the city mayor's office or police responded to requests for comment on the horse's death. Temperatures in Seville, part of Spain's warmest region, were expected to soar to 36C today, resulting in extra health workers being brought in to deal with the hundreds attending festival. Pictured: A man refreshing himself in a fountain in Seville, Spain People in Spain have been dealing with a record April heatwave over the last week, with temperatures soaring to 36C The heatwave comes as people in Seville are celebrating Feria de Abril - a huge festival that takes place in April annually, where people dress up, wearing traditional flamenco dresses and smart suits, to celebrate the city's culture. Pictured: People celebrating in the city on Sunday Horse-drawn tourist carriages are a common sight in the city, where authorities have handed out more than 1,000 licences to operate them during this year's fair. Pictured: Andalusian horsemen attend Feria de Abril in Seville A vet's post-mortem showed the mare been suffering from a blood-borne disease spread by ticks, aggravated by dehydration during abnormally high temperatures, the emergency services added. In a separate incident on Tuesday, another horse collapsed according to a video posted on Twitter on Thursday by PACMA, a political party that campaigns for animal rights. The hot spell is set to continue, with temperatures in some areas expected to reach 40C, peaking tomorrow. Spain's state weather agency AEMET said this was likely to be the hottest April on the Iberian Peninsula since records began. Two metal detectorists have been found guilty of hatching an illegal plot to sell Anglo-Saxon coins of 'immense historical significance' abroad and told they face 'imprisonment for years.' Craig Best, 46, and Roger Pilling, 75, were convicted of conspiring to sell criminal property worth 766,000, namely ninth century coins believed to have been buried by a Viking and which have never been declared as Treasure, and have not been handed to the Crown. The pair's plot was foiled when they were rumbled by a detective posing as a buyer. Following a trial at Durham Crown Court, the defendants were also convicted of separate charges of possessing the criminal property, which was thought to be part of a larger, undeclared find known as the Herefordshire Hoard. Best of Bishop Auckland, was arrested with three coins at a Durham hotel in May 2019 in a police sting operation. Craig Best (left) and Roger Pilling (right) were both convicted of the elaborate plot When he was arrested Craig Best was carrying two rare Emperor coins The coins are believed to have been buried by a Viking and have never been declared as treasure The court has heard that the undercover police operation was set up after Best tried to sell coins to a different American collector Best thought he was meeting a metals expert, employed by a broker working for a wealthy US-based buyer, but was in fact speaking to an undercover detective. Pilling, who owned an engineering business, was arrested at his home in Loveclough, Lancashire, and a further 41 coins were seized. These 44 coins originated from the Herefordshire Hoard, discovered in 2015, worth millions of pounds, and which was also not declared. Four people have already been convicted for their roles in concealing that find. The undercover police operation was set up after Best tried to sell coins to a real American collector, who then contacted UK-based experts about the apparent availability of extremely rare and valuable examples, and the authorities were alerted. How the metal detectorist's scheme played out June 2015: West Mercia Police recover 29 Anglo-Saxon coins which were part of a larger hoard that had been found at a farm in Leominster, Herefordshire, as part of what they called Operation Helix. September 2018: Craig Best contacts a US-based professor who has a passion for ancient coins and tries to interest him in buying some of the 44 coins somehow acquired by co-conspirator Roger Pilling. These coins are believed to be from the same undeclared find in Leominster, known as the Herefordshire Hoard. May 2019: Undercover police carry out a sting operation and arrest Best at a Durham hotel, where he believed he was meeting a contact of a potential buyer. Pilling is arrested at his Lancashire home later. November 2019: George Powell, 41, and Layton Davies, 54, are found guilty of theft, conspiracy to conceal criminal property and conspiracy to convert criminal property at Worcester Crown Court after they failed to report their find and tried to sell the items. They were jailed for more than 18 years. August 2021: Best and Pilling are charged with conspiracy to convert criminal property. April 2023: The pair stand trial at Durham Crown Court, where they are found guilty of hatching an illegal plot to sell the coins abroad. Advertisement It was believed the coins were made between 874 CE and 879 CE and were buried by a Viking during this particularly violent period of English history. They included two extremely rare examples of two-headed coins, showing Alfred of Wessex and Ceolwulf, a figure who was discredited by Saxon writers as a Viking puppet ruler. The law is clear about what detectorists must do if they make a potentially valuable find. Enthusiasts like Roger Pilling and Craig Best would know that important finds of coins more than 300 years old must be reported as 'treasure' and declared to the Crown. But the 44 coins that somehow came into Pilling's possession - three of which Best was caught trying to sell to an undercover police officer supposedly acting as a broker for a US buyer - were never declared. The prosecution never said Pilling or Best dug the ancient coins up themselves - they were part of a larger, undeclared find and were acquired by Pilling. The Treasure Act did not aim to leave any metal detectorist unrewarded. British Museum coin expert Dr Gareth Williams said the finder of reported 'treasure' would stand to earn half the expected sale price of the precious items, with the other half going to the landowner. But some finds, such as the Herefordshire Hoard in 2015, were never registered with the authorities and the finder would have hoped to sell the artefacts 'off the books'. The popularity of what was once a niche hobby has escalated in recent years, following the success of the BBC show Detectorists, along with better technology capable of scanning deeper beneath the soil. Dr Williams said: 'The number of finds being legitimately recorded has massively increased. 'We need to assume the majority of materials are going through the system properly because there's not enough showing up in sales to suggest there is a high amount of unrecorded material. 'Some fantastic finds have turned up through the system and we would not want to give the impression that everyone in the museum world thinks metal detecting is a terrible thing. 'It has been responsible for the acquisition of some amazing things. What we don't know is the full extent of the criminal side of it, and the non-reporting.' It was believed there were around 40,000 legitimate metal detectorists in the UK, some of whom hand over everything they find and do not seek compensation. Dr Williams said: 'There are people who just the feeling of history going through their hands and being the first person in 1,000 years to handle an object.' Undercover officers carried out a sting operation to stop a historically important Viking hoard of coins worth 766,000 being sold to an American buyer Some ancient hoards would have been hidden deliberately by the owner for security, while others may have been left, particularly if abandoned in water, as a religious offering, Dr Williams said. Following the conviction, Durham Constabulary's Detective Superintendent Lee Gosling, said: 'This is an extremely unusual case, as it is not very often we get the chance to shape British history. 'It is astonishing that the history books need re-writing because of this find. 'These coins come from a hoard of an immense historical significance relating to the Vikings and we are delighted that they are now with the British Museum. 'This has been a lengthy and complex investigation and I would like to thank our specialist officers and the historical experts for all their help.' Dr Gareth Williams, a coin expert from the British Museum, said: 'New finds have the potential to increase our knowledge. 'The coins are very much part of our heritage. 'The theft of finds like this are not just a theft from the landowner, who have rights, it is a theft of our heritage.' Judge James Adkin said the sentencing exercise would be 'complicated' as the offence was rare and he adjourned the case until Thursday. Remanding them in custody, he told the pair: 'You have both been convicted of what I consider to be compelling evidence of serious criminality, in relation to these artefacts. 'You are both aware of what the sentence is likely to be, imprisonment for years.' Gary Fothergill, a Specialist Prosecutor for CPS North East said: 'This has been an incredibly unusual case taking prosecutors and investigators back to the time of ancient Britain and Viking hoards. 'The discovery of these coins has forever shaped the history of Britain. Roger Pilling and Craig Best knew the significance of this hoard and rather than report the coins so they can be studied and provide us with more insights into this country's history, both plotted to sell them for their own selfish gain. 'Today's conviction was the result of the extensive work by the investigators and the prosecution team to build a strong case which proved Pilling and Best's criminal activity. I extend my thanks to Durham Police and the expert witnesses who helped us see both convicted.' The coins are currently safe with the British Museum and the pair will be sentenced next week. Four members of staff at an NHS-funded hospital have been found guilty of mistreating vulnerable patients after an undercover BBC Panorama investigation exposed them. Five other staff members were cleared of all charges following the investigation into alleged abuse at Whorlton Hall, a 17-bed independent unit for people with complex needs near Barnard Castle, County Durham. Nine people were charged with a total of 27 offences after a reporter used a hidden camera at the hospital unit in 2019. Teesside Crown Court heard patients who were detained under the Mental Health Act, and who required 24-hour care, were distressed as they were verbally abused, mocked and wound up by some of the staff at the hospital. Opening the case to jurors in March, prosecutor Anne Richardson said: 'It would appear that there was something of a culture of inappropriate behaviour within Whorlton Hall at the relevant time.' Workers at Whorlton Hall in County Durham were filmed talking about the adults they care for. Four staff members have now been found guilty of mistreating vulnerable patients after an undercover BBC Panorama investigation exposed them The hospital (pictured) promises therapeutic care for around 12 adults with learning disabilities or autism The BBC sent reporter Olivia Davies undercover to work at the unit in 2019, using a hidden camera for a Panorama documentary, to show the care offered by staff. One defendant said on camera he had invented an imaginary 'man button' to summon male staff for a female patient who had clearly said she did not want men to look after her. Prosecutors said Peter Bennett, 53, showed off to colleagues and used the threat of the 'man button' to wind up the patient and to make her comply. Jurors heard he said he would issue staff with balloons, as he knew the patient did not like them. Miss Richardson said Ryan Fuller, 27, was heard to call a different resident a 'bitch', and when he heard of more patients coming to the unit he spoke of 'how much fun he would have with them, and said 'more abuse'.' Nine people were charged with a total of 27 offences after a reporter used a hidden camera at the hospital unit in early 2019 A female patient at Wholrton Hall in County Durham is pictured being restrained by a care worker Workers at Whorlton Hall were also filmed calling one patient a 'fat c***' and told another her family were 'f***ing poison'. John Sanderson, 25, said he had repeatedly unplugged a patient's phone while the resident was speaking to his sister, resulting in the patient becoming so agitated he smashed up the phone. Miss Richardson said: 'The Crown does not suggest that the defendants were ill-treating all of the residents all of the time - caring for those within Whorlton Hall was not an easy job.' She told jurors the defendants have 'largely indicated that they received minimal training, that the hall was understaffed and that those they cared for were extremely challenging'. Fuller, 26, of Deerbolt Bank, Barnard Castle, was found guilty of two charges of ill-treatment of a patient, but cleared of eight. Sanderson, 25, of Cambridge Avenue, Willington, was found guilty of one charge of ill-treatment of a person in care, and not guilty of another. Bennett, 52, of Redworth Road, Billingham, was convicted of two counts of ill-treatment of a patient, and cleared of one. Matthew Banner, 43, of Faulkner Road, Newton Aycliffe, was found guilty of five counts of ill-treatment of a patient, and not guilty of one. Another patient is pictured lying on the floor at Whorlton Hall, which was subject to a BBC Panorama investigation Another patient is pictured being shouted at by a careworker at Whorlton Hall, County Durham The investigation saw Panorama reporter Olivia Davies (pictured) go undercover as a care worker for two months to investigate claims by whistleblowers of mistreatment and poor care His wife Sarah Banner, 33, from Faulkner Road, Newton Aycliffe, was cleared of three counts of ill-treatment of a patient. Darren Mark Lawton, 47, of Miners Crescent, Darlington; Niall Mellor, 26, of Lingmell Dene, Coundon, Bishop Auckland; Sabah Mahmood, 27, of Woodland Crescent, Kelloe; and Karen McGhee, 54, from Wildair Close, Darlington, were cleared of all charges. The NHS-funded hospital was inspected 225 times in 16 months - and no one spotted the 'appalling' treatment of the vulnerable adults there, it was previously reported. The four defendants who were convicted will be sentenced at the same court on July 7. Prince William remained silent as he was asked if he has spoken to his brother during a visit to Wales. The Prince of Wales, 40, was walking alongside Kate carrying pizza boxes outside Dowlais Rugby Club in Merthyr Tydfil when a reporter quizzed him about Prince Harry. Having spent the day with the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team, the Prince and Princess of Wales were drying off and socialising with climbers as they carried food inside from the nearby Little Dragon pizza van. But as they approached the clubhouse, a reporter could be heard asking: 'William, have you spoken to your brother?' Why did you settle, William?' A smiling William continued to walk indoors with his wife and did not acknowledge the question. Kate and William collect pizza from the Little Dragon pizza van in the car park during a visit to Dowlais Rugby Club in Merthyr Tydfil The Prince and Princess of Wales gather pizza boxes from a pizza van at Dowlais Rugby Club Prince William has no plans to reunite with his younger brother when the Duke of Sussex visits the UK for the King's coronation, reports say. The pair are pictured together in July 2021 The Prince of Wales is understood to have no plans to reunite with his younger brother when Harry visits the UK from his California home for the King's Coronation next week. Royal analysts have said Harry had a heartfelt talk with his father earlier this month as part of efforts to ease tensions, but has not addressed the ongoing dispute with William. There will also be very little time for the brothers to resolve their issues during Harry's very short solo trip. William had no contact with his brother when he came over with Meghan and the children for Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations last year. Meanwhile, William and Kate are visiting the South Wales Valleys and Mid Wales over the next two days. The Prince of Wales, 40, was walking alongside Kate carrying pizza boxes outside Dowlais Rugby Club in Merthyr Tydfil when a reporter quizzed him about Prince Harry Prince William handing out take-away pizzas to members of the mountain rescue team Prince William, Prince of Wales meets members of Dowlais Rugby Club, in Dowlais The Prince and Princess of Wales are carrying 12 pizza boxes into a rugby club in Wales Having spent the day with the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team, the Prince and Princess of Wales were drying off and socialising with climbers as they carried food inside from the nearby Little Dragon pizza van Meanwhile, William and Kate are visiting the South Wales Valleys and Mid Wales over the next two days Prince of Wales poses for a selfie photograph with a young wellwisher during a visit the Dowlais Rugby Club The Prince and Princess of Wales pose with members of the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team during a visit to Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team headquarters in Merthyr Tydfil, in Wales Princess of Wales gestures as she talks to a member of the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team Saying hello! The Prince and Princess of Wales meet with a search dog on the Mountain Rescue Team during their visit today The royal couple kicked off their trip today by meeting Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. William, who is patron of Mountain Rescue England and Wales, and Kate had the opportunity to engage in training activities such as abseiling, medical support exercises and a search dog rescue demonstration. When asked by instructors if he had abseiled before, William said: 'It's been a while' - and before heading over the edge, Kate was heard telling her husband: 'We're not racing.' They also engaged in other training activities such as medical support exercises and watched a search dog rescue demonstrations, while hearing from current and former team members about their experiences spanning the organisation's six-decade history. The Prince of Wales speaks with current volunteers to hear about their roles and experiences of carrying out rescues during a visit to Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team Princess of Wales smiles during an abseiling training activity with the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue team, during day one of a visit to Wales with Prince William Both the Princess and Prince of Wales seemingly enjoyed their visit to the mountain rescue team William and Kate meet with current volunteers to hear about their roles and experiences of carrying out rescues, in addition to former team members spanning the organisation's 60-year history Prince of Wales also took part in some abseiling as part of training activities During their time with the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team, Their Royal Highnesses have the opportunity to engage in training activities such as abseiling, medical support exercises and a search dog rescue demonstration Kate took part in a simulated casualty rescue and when she radioed for a rescue kit it was hastily brought by William, before they both helped put it together so they could evacuate the dummy casualty - who had suffered a leg injury. The royal couple then helped the casualty on a stretcher to safety. The couple then dried off and socialised with the climbers at the nearby rugby club, where William faced the questions. The club, which is a feeder club to Cardiff Blues, is a popular spot where the climbers socialise and relax when they are off duty. The couple's engagement comes amidst a busy period for the pair, with Kate visiting a baby bank earlier this week to give out essentials to new mothers. The Princess of Wales made a surprise visit to a baby bank where she spoke of the importance of community initiatives and helped to sort through donations and babygrows for new mothers. A shamed female police officer lost her fight to clear her name after admitting having sex on duty with a male victim of sexual abuse. PC Andrea Griffiths, 44, was set to face a disciplinary hearing for gross misconduct for having sex with a 'vulnerable' middle-aged man in 2015. However, she resigned on the morning of a misconduct hearing saying she 'deeply regretted' the fling with the man she was supposed to be looking after. The force then said she would have been sacked if she hadn't quit - and put her on a banned list of former officers not allowed to work in the police again. But the former officer decided to appeal against her ban - and had a new 'behind closed doors' hearing to put her side of the story. PC Andrea Griffiths, 44, lost her fight to clear her name after admitting having sex on duty with a male victim of sexual abuse A three-day appeals tribunal hearing was held at the force's Colwyn Bay HQ to contest the panel's finding 'that the only appropriate outcome for breaches of standards of professional behaviour would have been that Ms Griffiths would have been dismissed if she was still a serving police officer'. The earlier hearing was told PC Griffiths had been a liaison officer for the 'vulnerable' middle-aged man. Today The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales said: 'The appeal was refused by the Tribunal.' In the original hearing, evidence was given that PC Griffiths says she only had sex with the man - known as Mr X - once. North Wales Police presenting officer Amy Clarke, said: 'She developed an inappropriate personal relationship with a vulnerable male who she was responsible for in 2015. 'Miss Griffiths was tasked with being liaison officer and engaged in sexual activity with him. She agreed further that sexual activity happened on duty.' Miss Clarke said PC Griffiths joined the police in 2001 and was managing the man because he was an alleged victim of historic sexual offences. PC Griffiths admitted gross misconduct at the hearing at North Wales Police headquarters in Colwyn Bay. PC Griffiths admitted gross misconduct at the hearing at North Wales Police (pictured) headquarters in Colwyn Bay A statement from PC Griffiths said: 'I recognise I shouldn't have had sexual contact with Mr X on June 29, 2015. I accept gross misconduct and deeply regret that it happened. 'To avoid further embarrassment to everyone I have resigned forthwith from North Wales Police.' PC Griffiths was accused of having an 'inappropriate association' with the man which later 'developed into an inappropriate sexual liaison both on and off duty'. The professional standards hearing was told she had 'fallen below professional standards of integrity, authority and courtesy' and shown 'discreditable conduct'. Panel chair Susan Davies said: 'PC Griffiths knew of Mr X's personal and medical issues while she took part in that sexual activity, whilst on duty. 'She breached standards of honesty and integrity, specifically integrity. She behaved in way that was discreditable to North Wales Police. 'We found that conduct so serious that dismissal would be justified and therefore amounts to gross misconduct.' Carolyn Bryant Donham, the woman whose accusation against Emmett Till led to his lynching, has died at the age of 88 without ever facing prosecution. Donham accused Till of wolf-whistling at her in 1955 in Mississippi when he was 14 and she was 21. The allegation - which has never been proven nor disproven - triggered her husband and brother-in-law to kidnap Till, beat him senselessly and savagely, and lynch him. His death, and his mother's insistence that his brutalized remains be shown in an open casket, remains a defining image of the deep racism that penetrated America's South in the 1950s. Carolyn Bryant Donham, the woman whose accusation against Emmett Till led to his lynching, has died at the age of 88 in Mississippi. She is shown in photos obtained by DailyMail.com in one of her final sightings Donham (left) was 21 and then known as Carolyn Bryant, when she accused 14-year-old Emmett Till (right) of whistling at her and making verbal and physical advances during an encounter at her family store in Money, Mississippi on August 24, 1955. Her allegations prompted her then-husband and brother-in-law to abduct and kill Till in one of the most barbaric lynchings in US history In recent years, Donham was living quietly in Louisiana. DailyMail.com tracked her down to her home last year. She declined to speak, as did her son. Donham was receiving hospice care for an unknown cancer, according to the Calcasieu Parish Coroner's Office today. Her death comes after years of desperate attempts by Till's relatives to bring her to justice. Emmett Till with his mother, Mamie Bradley in 1950. Till, who was from Chicago, was visiting relatives in Mississippi during the summer of 1955 when he was brutally murdered Donham, pictured with her two sons, Roy Jr and Thomas, and then-husband Roy Bryant in September 1955, had claimed Till, a whistled at her. In return, Bryant and his brother abducted him from his great-uncle's home four days later and killed him While her husband was charged and acquitted over Till's death, she was never arrested. A grand jury was impaneled to weigh charges against her last year but jurors declined to indict her. Around the same time, an unpublished memoir written by Donham - in which she called herself a 'victim' - was made public. She claimed in memoir that she never told her husband or his brother to hurt Till, an that she never identified him. Till's relatives are yet to respond to the news of her death. For decades, they have fought to bring Donham to justice. Most recently, the uncovered an arrest warrant with her name on it that was never served. A note scribbled on the back of the warrant said she could not be located at the time. Emmett's mother Mamie, who insisted on having an open casket funeral to expose the atrocities committed on her son, became an activist and spoke of her son as the 'sacrificial lamb' of the Civil Rights movement for which contributions soared in the aftermath of his death. She died in 2003 at the age of 81 Bradley insisted on having an open coffin funeral to show her son's tortured and mutilated body and expose the horror of his lynching and the persecution of African Americans in the US during the Jim Crow era Till lived in Chicago with his mother but was visiting relatives in Mississippi when he encountered Donham outside the market she owned with her family in the town of Money. Accounts of exactly what happened have long varied, but the crucial allegation is that Till wolf-whistled towards her. Four days later, Rod Bryant - the woman's husband - and J.W. Milam - kidnapped the child from his bed in the middle of the night. They ordered him into the back of their pick-up truck where they beat him to a pulp then shot him. His mutilated body was then thrown in the Tallahatchie River. During a trial, Donham claimed Till grabbed her and threatened her physically. The two men were acquitted by an all-white jury, but they later admitted to the murder in a magazine interview. Neither was ever brought to justice and both are now dead. Ron DeSantis' awkward response to falling poll numbers has critics speculating that he is 'extremely shaken' by the prospect of the drop-off in standing against former President Donald Trump. The Florida governor has not yet announced a run for president, but his recent travels and continued national and international presence has only fueled speculation that he does plan to run in 2024. Trump's increasing lead seems to have shaken DeSantis. Asked about an NBC News poll released Sunday that showed DeSantis trailing Trump by 15, the Florida governor appeared visibly caught off guard. The exchange with reporters in Tokyo, Japan on Monday has been viewed 7.7 million times in just one clip posted to Twitter shortly after they happened. One Twitter user noted of the clip: 'Yes, this video is real. Ron DeSantis is just weird.' Body language expert Judi James analyzed DeSantis' response and breaks down for DailyMail.com what could be going through the governor's head as he processes his new position in the ever-changing GOP primary field. Body language expert Judi James reveals Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had a 'desire to look pleasant and even amused' during his hotly talked-about response to question regarding his falling poll numbers. She told DailyMail.com that his repeated head 'circles might be prompted by a desire to reject, in a similar way to how we will turn our heads from side to side like a baby rejecting food' 'DeSantis' body language in this brief moment suggests a surge of conflicting emotions and a desire to present a sense of bravado to counter the question,' James explains on a breakdown of his response. A reporter asked DeSantis during a quick stop with the press in Tokyo, Japan on Monday: 'Governor, polls show you falling behind Trump. Any thoughts on that?' During the question, DeSantis, who was standing alongside his wife and Florida's first lady Casey, remained still with a neutral look, almost leaning toward a frown as he processed what the reporter was asking. 'The contrast between his initial state and the one he choses in the light of the question is powerful,' James notes. She continued: 'As he listens to the question he adopts a mouth clamp and a cold, hard-looking eye expression. With two micro lifts of the chin the message appears to be about power and dominance.' 'His eyes fall to the lower left to absorb the question and with the eyes still in reflection mode he seems to throw up responses that might be conflicting. There is a sudden desire to look pleasant and even amused, as his eyebrows raise and he performs a congenial-looking eye-smile. Added to some micro-shrugs of his torso the effect seems to be one of bravado.' A cideo of DeSantis appearing flustered during a question about his falling poll numbers has been viewed 7.7 million tims in just one clip shared to Twitter DeSantis appeared alongside his wife Casey in Tokyo when the awkward exchanged occured After the question was asked, DeSantis quickly shifted his facial expression to a more alert state and shot back: 'I'm not a candidate, so we'll see if and when that changes.' For the entire first part of the sentence, DeSantis nodded his head in circles with his eyes wider than usual. He looked away toward the side when completing his short response and smiled before walking away with his wife. James says that his head wobbles could be compared to the way a baby rejects food with body language. 'His head begins to wobble, which in turn becomes two or three circular shapes in the air. This looks like a blend of emotions working at once,' James details. 'A neck-wobble can be performed to signal aggressive arousal in the face of threat or attack.' 'The circles might be prompted by a desire to reject, in a similar way to how we will turn our heads from side to side like a baby rejecting food.' 'His final smile looks like over-kill as he is already appearing to turn to leave.' James suggests that DeSantis was also taking his cues from his wife, who was by his side for the entire time he stopped to speak with the media. 'He might like to take cues from his wife, who stands beside him wearing a stormproof smile as his emotions appear to go through an odd form of leakage,' the body language expert concluded. Trump has taken to attacking DeSantis once he started creeping up to him in the polls earlier this year, but now predicts that the governor might not even run because of the quick turn in survey results. The recent Manhattan indictment led Republicans to rally around the former president and has spiked his standing. A NBC News poll released Sunday showed Trump 15 points ahead of DeSantis and a follow-up Fox News poll released Wednesday resulted in Trump emerging ahead of DeSantis by a commanding 32 percent. No other candidates have been able to earn double-digit support in national surveys so far. Jerry Springer led a very famous life before his death on April 27, 2023. But his ex-wife and his daughter, have largely stayed out of the public eye, despite his decades-long success. He married Micki Velton in 1973, and the pair welcomed their daughter Katie into the world a few years later. Springer hosted the smash hit 'The Jerry Springer Show' for 27 years, becoming America's guilty pleasure for wild and raucous TV moments. He married Micki Velton in 1973, and the pair welcomed their daughter Katie into the world a few years later Jerry Springer led a very public life before his death on April 27, 2023. He is pictured here in 1999 Who is Jerry Springer's ex wife Micki Velton? Micki Velton and Jerry Springer met on a blind date in 1969, and the pair got married in 1973. At the time, Springer was elected to the Cincinnati City Council - a role he resigned from in 1974 when he admitted to soliciting a prostitute. But the scandal clearly did not rock his relationship. Spring and Velton were married for over two decades before divorcing in 1994. Why did they divorce? It is unclear why the pair divorced - but it came around the time that Springer's TV career started to take off. Both parties have kept quiet since they went their separate ways. Springer did not marry again. How many children did they have? Micki and Jerry shared one daughter together, Katie Springer. According to Celebsuburb, Katie was born in 1976 and is deaf and blind. She is reportedly a teacher living in Chicago. In 2006, she gave an interview to Access Hollywood where she praised her mother and father for the way they brought her up. She said: 'I will stand up to anyone verbally who attacks my dad, because he's wonderful. Honestly, it's a shame he wasn't born in America, because he would make one hell of a president.' Katie is married to Adam Yenkin, and she has a son, though little is known about her life. Katie Springer (right) and her husband Adam Yenkin (left) Springer hosted the smash hit 'The Jerry Springer Show' for 27 years, becoming America's guilty pleasure for wild and raucous TV moments When did Jerry Springer pass away? Jerry Springer died at age 79, just months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, his family revealed on Thursday. The legendary TV host passed away 'peacefully' at his home in Chicago after his health took a turn for the worse, a spokesman for his relatives said. Tributes have flooded in for the 'irreplaceable' talent, with his family adding that his 'heart and humor will live on. Megyn Kelly and Piers Morgan led the tributes for the star, calling him an 'intelligent, warm' and 'funny' man. Springer hosted the smash hit 'The Jerry Springer Show' for 27 years, becoming America's guilty pleasure for wild and raucous TV moments. He also had a wide-ranging political career, even becoming the mayor of Cincinnati in 1977 - and even considered a run for Ohio state governor. The First Son has been embroiled in the bitter legal battle over Navy Joan Roberts, his four-year-old lovechild with Lunden Roberts Hunter's lawyers filed a request for a continuance Wednesday, pleading for more time to 'properly prepare' for next Monday's contempt hearing in Arkansas Hunter Biden was ordered to appear next week in court to explain why he's repeatedly missed deadlines in his attempts to lower child support payments Hunter Biden has failed in his last-ditch legal bid to swerve next weeks court showdown with his baby mamma, DailyMail.com can reveal. Judge Holly Meyer has ordered the Presidents son to stop stalling and appear before her in person to explain why hes repeatedly missed discovery deadlines in his attempts to lower the child support he pays Lunden Roberts. Hunters lawyers filed a request for a continuance this afternoon, pleading for more time to properly prepare for next Mondays contempt hearing in Independence County Circuit Court in Arkansas. But after a flurry of competing filings, Judge Meyer denied their request late Wednesday, setting the stage for the former flames to come face to face for the first time since the birth of their daughter Navy Joan, now four-year-old. Hunters attorney Brent Langdon had argued that his client needed longer because Roberts has retained Garrett Ziegler, a former Trump administration staffer and longtime Hunter nemesis, as an expert witness. Hunter Biden was ordered to appear next week in court to explain why he's repeatedly missed deadlines in his attempts to lower child support payments The First son has been embroiled in the bitter legal battle over Navy Joan Roberts, his four-year-old girl lovechild with Lunden Roberts Hunter and his lawyer pal Kevin Morris are already suing Ziegler, founder of conservative non-profit Marco Polo, for alleged harassment and invasion of privacy in a separate case related to his infamous abandoned laptop. Hunter now wants him barred from the paternity case or at least more time to analyze what Ziegler who has spent several years investigating the First Son's finances - is going to say. 'Plaintiff in her designation of Garrett Ziegler did not provide among other his curriculum vitae, his opinions, or a report,' Langdon said in Wednesday filing. 'For the Defendant to properly prepare for hearing on the exclusion and/or disqualification of Garrett Ziegler, his the written discovery is necessary to determine what his opinions and bases for those opinions even are at this point.' Hunter's attorney says his client needs longer because Roberts has retained Garrett Ziegler, a former Trump administration staffer and longtime Hunter nemesis, as an expert witness Langdon insisted: 'The continuance is not sought for purposes of delay or to cause prejudice to any party but rather so that justice may be obtained by all parties.' But within an hour Roberts' attorney Clinton Lancaster had filed an objection pointing out that Hunter has excused himself from hearing after hearing in the bitter legal battle over Navy Joan Roberts, the four-year-old girl a paternity test proved is his. 'Here we go again,' Lancaster fumed. 'It is time for Mr. Biden to come to Arkansas for this litigation - last time a deposition and this time a hearing on his failure to comply with court orders - and he wants another continuance.' Lancaster said that Hunter's team had found time to pen a 32-page motion to disqualify Ziegler in their 'petty dispute' with the conservative activist, so they could surely prepare for Monday's court date. He added: 'His method is always the same. Delay, deny, and avoid with a side of word-salad.' The latest legal skirmish comes after Roberts urged Judge Meyer to sling Hunter in the county jail until he complied with court orders demanding he hand over details of his finances ahead of a two-day bench trial in July. Hunter will also have to submit to a deposition in which Roberts' lawyers will likely grill him about his various businesses and shady overseas ventures. They'll also want to know how it's possible that Hunter's finances have cratered and he can't afford to keep up payments while he's selling paintings for up to $500,000 apiece under his new guise as an abstract artist. Roberts won a reported $2.5 million settlement from Hunter after taking him to court in 2019 and forcing him to take a DNA test to prove he fathered Navy Joan during their 2017 fling. The adorable, blonde-haired girl is the fourth of his five children but neither he, nor his parents Joe and Jill Biden, have ever met the child or publicly acknowledged her existence. Hunter and his hot shot lawyer Kevin Morris are suing Ziegler, founder of conservative non-profit Marco Polo, for alleged harassment and invasion of privacy in a separate case related to his infamous abandoned laptop Hunter has never seen Navy Joan and could not pick her out of a photo lineup, according to court filings Lunden Roberts and Hunter conceived Navy Joan around December 2017 while he was still in a relationship with his brother Beau's widow, Hallie Hunter claimed during the 10-month case that he was 'unemployed and had no monthly income' despite living in a $12,000-per-month Hollywood rental and driving a Porsche. But when a judge ordered him to produce financial records he repeatedly failed to do so and instead settled out of court, the two sides announcing a 'global, final settlement of all issues'. In September last year Hunter reopened the case, pleading poverty, writing: 'Since the entry of the existing child support order there has been a substantial material change in the Movant's financial circumstances, including but not limited to his income.' Roberts refused to buckle and raised the stakes by petitioning the court to officially rename her daughter Navy Joan Biden to 'benefit from carrying the Biden Family name.' Lancaster also fired off a fresh discovery request running into hundreds of questions covering Hunter's assets, earnings, overseas business dealings in Ukraine and China, plus any payouts to attorneys and agents. Sources say the list also homed in on Hunter's recent income, asking him to itemize any artworks he's sold in the past couple of years, the names of the buyers and any paperwork related to the purchases. So far, Hunter is yet to comply, complaining that the lengthy interrogatories are 'vague and ambitious' and asking the court to strike down some of the queries. He's also opposing the name change on the grounds that it's 'political warfare' against the Biden family and the new moniker will rob the child of her 'peaceful existence.' Navy Joan was born in August 2018 but she remained a secret until Roberts sued Hunter for child support in her native Arkansas. Her ex-lover claimed in his 2021 memoir, Beautiful Things, that he went on such a 'rampage' in the wake of his 2017 divorce from Kathleen Buhle that he couldn't remember the names of the women he bedded. 'It's why I would later challenge in court the woman from Arkansas who had a baby in 2018 and claimed the child was mine I had no recollection of our encounter. That's how little connection I had with anyone,' Hunter wrote. It was initially reported that Hunter met Roberts while she worked as a stripper at a DC club which Hunter frequented. But texts retrieved from his notorious abandoned laptop proved that she was in fact on the payroll at Rosemont Seneca, Hunter's investment firm. Hunter is hiding out at the $50 million Santa Ynez, California vineyard estate owned by Joe Kiani, a top donor to his father's campaigns Billionaire Democrat donor Joe Kiani's $50million Santa Ynez property has become Hunter Biden's safe haven. Pictured: Joe Kiani posing next to a picture with younger Joe Biden She and Hunter conceived Navy Joan around December 2017 while he was still in a relationship with his brother Beau's widow, Hallie. The pair remained in communication throughout her pregnancy until he abruptly cut her off. Hunter has never seen Navy Joan and could not pick her out of a photo lineup, according to court filings. She's never met her grandpa Joe, 80, despite the president fawning over his six other grandkids and frequently bringing them along for events and speeches. Navy Joan gets none of the perks, nor the round-the-clock Secret Service protection enjoyed by the rest of the Biden brood. In February 2022 Roberts gave evidence to a Delaware grand jury investigating Hunter for alleged tax crimes, joining a growing list of former business partners and associates who have been drawn into the Department of Justice's secretive probe into his overseas dealings. Federal prosecutors were particularly interested in what she learned about Hunter's finances, according to her attorney. Lori Vallow today appeared unfazed as her daughter's mutilated bones were projected on a screen at her murder trial. The 49-year-old doomsday cultist chatted with her attorneys and took notes as the images of 16-year-old Tylee's fractured pelvis were displayed to the court. FBI forensic scientist Douglas Halepeska told horrified jurors that cuts to the bones showed the girl had been stabbed and hacked with a serrated cleaver or machete. Vallow and her husband Chad Daybell are accused of killing Tylee and her seven-year-old adopted brother JJ in Rexburg, Idaho, in September 2019. The State says the couple believed the children were Satanic 'zombies'. The children's bodies were buried in shallow graves in Daybell's yard and were not discovered for almost a year. Tylee's body was so badly burned and dismembered that the coroner was only able to determine she died by homicide without providing the precise cause. JJ was suffocated with a plastic bag taped over his face. Vallow (in an undated photo shared by Tylee before her death) and her husband Chad Daybell are accused of killing Tylee and her seven-year-old adopted brother JJ in Rexburg, Idaho, in September 2019. The State says the couple believed the children were Satanic 'zombies' Vallow's children, Tylee and JJ disappeared in September 2019, but their remains were not discovered until the following June. Tylee's body was burnt and dismembered meaning the coroner was only able to say she died by homicide but could not state how The kids' bodies were discovered in shallow graves on Daybell's property on June 9, 2020 - nine months after they vanished Halepeska told jurors how Tylee's pelvis had been stabbed with such force that the blade had created a fracture on the other side of the bone. Asked what type of weapon was used, Halepeska said: 'I believe it was some type of bladed tool like a knife.' There were three other cuts in the bone which indicated a 'chopping action', he told the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho. These had been delivered with such force that the cut penetrated through the bone. 'This damage cut through the hard layer of the bone and it actually transferred to the other layer of the bone,' Halepeska said. He showed jurors how jagged 'teeth structures' along the wounds indicated that the blade had a serrated edge. Halepeska said he believes the chopping cuts to her pelvis were made with a 'cleaver, machete or hatchet.' Jurors had previously heard that large army knives were found in Vallow's apartment in Rexburg. Tylee's DNA was found on a pickaxe and shovel in a shed on Daybell's property. Vallow, wearing zebra-striped pants with a black turtleneck and black cardigan, whispered to her attorneys and occasionally sipped from a cup of water during the grim evidence. She did not look at the screen showing the images of her daughter's bones. The court heard yesterday how Tylee's remains were badly decomposed and burned when they were discovered buried in the pet cemetery in Daybell's yard. The coroner, Dr Garth Warren, said he determined she died by homicide but was unable to say exactly how she was killed because she was so badly dismembered. Tylee's autopsy took about a week compared to the four hours for JJ's. Her remains were delivered to Warren in three separate sealed bags. In JJ's case, Warren determined the boy had been suffocated with a plastic bag which was duct-taped around the boy's head. The coroner suggested the boy had scratched his own neck as he struggled to break free. Lori Vallow Daybell glances at the camera during her hearing on March 6, 2020, in Rexburg, Idaho Left: Tylee wishes her mom a Happy Mother's Day on May 14, 2017. Right: Lori wishes Tylee a happy 14th birthday on September 24, 2016 An Instagram post from Tylee with her mom dated May 14, 2017, when she was 14 years old Tylee, 16, and JJ, seven, are shown with their uncle, Alex Cox, in what is believed to be the final photo of them, taken during a family trip to Yellowstone National Park on September 8, 2019 Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow in Hawaii after they were married. At the time cops were still searching for the kids in Idaho On Lori's birthday in 2018, Tylee shared a photo of her mom with her brother JJ, writing: 'I won the lottery with this one as my mom' Another photo from Tylee's post on May 14, 2017, shows her and Lori several years back Vallow and Daybell, 54, are further accused of killing his wife Tammy Daybell who also died of asphyxiation a month after the children were allegedly murdered. The pair, who had been carrying out an affair, married two weeks later in Hawaii. The children were missing for almost a year before their corpses were found buried in Daybell's yard on June 9, 2020. During the opening, prosecutor Lindsey Blake described how charred remains were all that was left of Tylee. She told jurors: 'You will hear it explained as a mass of bone and tissue. That's what was left of this beautiful young woman.' JJ's body was wrapped in trash bags and duct tape - the tape binding his arms in front of him and wrapping around his head. The two children and Daybell's previous wife Tammy were all killed because they stood in the way of the couple's relationship, the State says. 'Remember, the defendant will remove any obstacle in her way to get what she wants, and she wanted Chad Daybell,' Blake told jurors. 'The defendant used money, power and sex to get what she wanted.' The key individuals in Lori Vallow's tangled family tree, including her five husbands, two dead children and killer brother Jurors have heard from friends and relatives of Vallow that she and Daybell believed the children were 'dark' and referred to them as 'zombies' before they disappeared. 'The common theme was the body has to be destroyed,' Blake said. 'The defendant and Chad used their self-proclaimed religious teachings to justify their actions to others their actions from affair to murder.' Prosecutors say the couple planned to use life insurance money from Tammy's death, and that Vallow kept collecting and spending the children's social security and benefits after they died. The trial opened on April 10 and the State is still laying out its case. Daybell is being tried separately. A mother has told of her horror after a Primark hot water bottle spilt boiling liquid over her daughter - causing her skin to 'bubble and melt off'. Michelle Wescott heard a 'blood-curdling' scream coming from the kitchen before she found her teenage daughter in agony. Sydney, 15, had decided to make herself a hot water bottle in a bid to help her 'excruciating' period pains. But as she sat down to eat dinner scalding water covered her thighs and stomach. Now more than 10 per cent of Sydney's skin has been left with blisters and hyperpigmentation, with Michelle hoping to raise awareness of the dangers of using hot water bottles from the kettle. A mother has told of her horror after a Primark hot water bottle spilt boiling liquid over her daughter - causing her skin to 'bubble and melt off' Sydney (pictured), 15, had decided to make herself a hot water bottle in a bid to find comfort for her 'excruciating' period pains before the scalding water burnt her body More than 10 per cent of Sydney's skin has been left with blisters and hyperpigmentation as a result 'My little girl's skin bubbled before my eyes and my mind went numb from the sheer horror,' Michelle, a secondary school attendance manager from Bristol, said. 'I initially blamed myself, as I thought the lid wasn't screwed on properly and I wondered how I could've let something like this slip at the expense of my daughter. 'I went into survival mode, as did my daughter, Paige, and my husband, Richard, as we all rallied together to make sure she was OK as I know that timing is everything when it comes to burns.' The mother added: 'Whatever I did then and there would determine the outcome. 'But as my husband doused her skin in cool water continuously, I couldn't help but feel terrified as her skin continued to bubble and melt off.' In a statement, Primark warned: 'All our hot water bottles come with user instructions on both the product label and the hot water bottle itself, which includes a warning not to use boiling water.' Michelle phoned 999 and 20 minutes later an ambulance arrived, where the teenager was given pain relief and her burns wrapped in cling film before being blue-lighted to the hospital in November 2022. While there, Sydney was given more pain medication before doctors peeled the cling film back to examine the damage. The burns team performed emergency debridement surgery on Sydney, where the top layer of the damaged skin is scraped off Michelle claims that a slit in the Primark water bottle caused boiling water to flood out and all the protective coating had worn off The burns team performed emergency debridement surgery, where the top layer of the damaged skin is scraped off. Over the next three weeks, the family worked together to ensure a speedy recovery, using yoga blocks to prop up the leg so the teenager could sit and regular visits to the hospital to have the dressings changed. Michelle, who tried to stay strong, found the whole ordeal 'heartbreaking' and recalls feeling 'horrified' at the condition of her daughter's leg. She said: 'As her skin wasn't able to scab due to no air getting to the wound, her thigh turned deep purple and the tissue was so thin that I could see her blood vessels. 'Over the past few months, it's changed through all different colours, from red, to blue to pink. 'Since then, she's been told to be very careful with the wound, but there's been a couple of times where she's ripped the skin with a nail while exercising and getting her muscle strength back - which isn't pretty.' Michelle claims that a slit in the Primark water bottle had caused boiling water to flood out and all the protective coating had worn off. She claims to have purchased it from the brand a year ago and that the item has a warning label that says it must be replaced every two years due to deterioration from the inside worsening the quality. Sydney was also left with painful burns on her hand and wrist after the water bottle exploded The mother said: 'Sydney will be scarred for life, but she's persevered with the treatment, no matter how painful and her skin is getting better' However, in a statement Primark stated that the label also includes a notice not to use boiling water. The family has reportedly received 250 as a goodwill gesture from the company. But they now hope to raise awareness to stop this from happening to someone else. The mum-of-two said: 'I'm so shocked, as I've always filled up hot water bottles straight from the kettle. 'Now, we're using microwavable wheat bags or TENS machines to help with period pains instead. 'Sydney will be scarred for life, but she's persevered with the treatment, no matter how painful and her skin is getting better. 'It's not been as easy as throwing out the hot water bottle and being done with it, as this will be a lifelong trauma she will have to deal with. 'I had worried about how this would affect her mentally, but she's been incredible and I couldn't be more proud of how well she's handled this, especially with such bravery. 'If you do use a hot water bottle, please don't use boiling water - it's not worth the risk.' Sydney added: 'If I can help anybody and stop one person from filling up a hot water bottle straight from the kettle, then at least something positive has come out of what has happened to me. 'I can't change what happened, but I can work towards making a change for someone else.' A spokesperson for Primark said: 'We were very sorry to learn of this customer's experience. 'We take the safety and the quality of our products very seriously and all our hot water bottles have been tested to, and pass the UK and European standards for safety, quality and labelling.' MailOnline has contacted Primark for comment. MAGA world partied at Mar-a-Lago this week for the launch of former President Donald Trump's new book of letters from celebrities and world leaders. The guest list read like a who's who of Trump world. Ginger Luckey, wife of Rep. Matt Gaetz, opened proceedings with a rendition of God Bless America. Possible VP pick and former candidate for Arizona governor Kari Lake posed for pictures while Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene attended with her new beau, Brian Glenn of Right Side Broadcasting. The occasion was the publication on Tuesday of 'Letters to Trump,' featuring 150 notes sent to the former president by politicians, movie stars and celebrities. Kari Lake joined Donald Trump on stage to launch his new book 'Letters to Trump' as MAGA world gathered at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday evening Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene with new beau Brian Glenn alongside Lake and Caroline Wren (r) Other guests included Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Publisher Sergio Gor Rep Ronny Jackson, and Rudy Guiliani. They were able to celebrate the fact that the book hit number one on Amazon's sales chart on pre-sales. Sergio Gor, of Winning Team Publishing, said: 'President Donald Trump has been incredibly successful in selling books. 'It is absolutely remarkable that ' Letters to Trump' remains number one on the charts, since it retails for a much higher price compared to other books.' It is priced $99. Signed copy retail for $399. 'From President Richard Nixon, to Princess Diana, and from Hillary Clinton, to Chairman Kim Jong Un, no book offers a glimpse into history quite like "Letters to Trump,"' says the book's website. It also offers a throwback to a bygone age when celebrity meant reaching the top of your field, rather than simply appearing in a reality show or becoming an online influencer. Ginger Luckey, wife of Rep. Matt Gaetz, opened the evening singing 'God Bless America' Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York and attorney to Trump, was present for the party Trump was interviewed before the party by Greg Kelly of Newsmax to promote the book Publisher Sergio Gor (l) with Lake and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (r) at the party 'In years past, Hollywood was much more glamorous,' Trump told DailyMail.com as he launched the book. 'It meant something to be a star. Today, some are elevated to stardom with little talent, and a lot of notoriety. 'It's just not the same, but a star is still a star!' By way of illustration, he pays tribute to Spartacus star Douglas in his book. 'Kirk was a true Hollywood movie star and a good friend,' he writes, alongside a thank-you letter. 'He loved his family very much, including Michael, whom he respected greatly as an actor and loved as a son. 'He had a rugged and distinguishing look there were few male stars like him. A true legend.' Donald Trump with movie star Kirk Douglas. Trump says Hollywood used to be a much more glamorous place, where 'it meant something to be a star' His new book was published on Tuesday and includes a thank-you note from the Spartacus star Douglas died in 2020. In his 1988 note, he comes across as a proud father, talking up his son's success, and thanking the Trumps for their hospitality. 'By the way, my son Michael won the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance in "Wall Street." 'He is now on his way to Tokyo. Maybe one of these days soon we'll all get together for an evening.' As well as letters from before Trump's time in office, the book also contains correspondence during his stint in the White House. It includes letters from leaders such as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, as well as Kim Jong Un, the supreme leader of North Korea. Douglas in Stanley Kubrick's 1958 movie Paths of Glory Other superstars in the book include pop artist Michael Jackson Other letters featured in the book come from Trump's 2016 Democratic rival Hillary Clinton; former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo; television host Jay Leno; and President Richard Nixon. The 2002 letter from Clinton is a reminder of the way the two 2016 candidates once moved in the same New York circles before becoming bitter opponents. In it, she thanks the then-New York property mogul for his 'friendship and support' and a 'generous contribution' to her Senate campaign. 'What can I say about Hillary Clinton? I had a great relationship with both Bill and Hillary for a long period of time,' writes Trump in a commentary alongside the letter, obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com. 'Who would have known it would turn out the way it did? I don't think we've heard the last from Hillary. After the election, she was the angriest woman anywhere in the world.' Donald Trump's rape accuser told a court Thursday how she was met with a 'wave of slime' after the former president attacked her on social media. E. Jean Carroll said that when Trump called her a liar in October 2022 his supporters made her feel 'too ugly to live'. The court was shown tweets by Trump supporters which said the former President 'wouldn't touch that ugly b**** with (his) d***.' Trump's lawyers were expected to question her about the specifics of the alleged rape later in the day. During cross examination she admitted she could not remember the date and that she only went public with her claims about Trump in 2019 when she was promoting her book. E. Jean Carroll said on Thursday that when Donald Trump called her a liar on social media in October 2022 his supporters made her feel 'too ugly to live' Carroll claims that Trump raped her in the changing room of a department store in the mid 90s and is suing him for battery Carroll told the court that after she published her book in 2019 Trump called her a liar in an official statement issued when he was president Carroll, 79, an advice columnist, claims Trump raped her in the dressing room of the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan around 1996. She has sued him at the civil court in New York for battery and defamation over his comments about her allegations. Carroll told the court that after she published her book in 2019 Trump called her a liar in an official statement issued when he was president. By 2022 she was 'gaining back some ground' but Trump called her lawsuit a 'SCAM' in a lengthy post on Truth Social and denied it again. Carrol said: 'Boom, it knocked me back down.' She described the ensuing abuse as a 'wave of slime'. She said: 'It was seedy comments, very denigrating, repeating what Donald Trump said, I was a liar, I was in it for the money, I couldn't wait for the payday, I was working for the Democrats but the main thing was I was too ugly. 'It's hard to get up in the morning receiving the message you're just too ugly to go on living.' The court was shown a tweet from a Trump supporter which read: 'I know for a fact Mr. President wouldn't touch that ugly b**** with your d***'. Another tweet called Carroll a 'troll' and a 'bulls******'. Carroll said that she regretted filing the lawsuit 'five times a day' as she continued to get threats on social media, including that morning when she checked Twitter. Under cross examination from Trump's lawyer Joe Tacopina, Carroll admitted that parts of her story were 'difficult to conceive' and 'odd'. She said that 'status is important' for her and after being fired from her job with Elle magazine, where she wrote her advice column, in 2019 she felt like 'just another person.' Trump's statement branding her Carroll a liar in October 2022 Trump fumed this week that the entire case was fueled by Democratic megadonor Reid Hoffman, whose nonprofit gave money towards Carroll's defense Bergdorf Goodman (above) is only a block away from Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue Carroll admitted that she only went public with her claims that same year when she was promoting her 2019 book 'What do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal'. Tacopina asked if the book was 'your version' of what happened with Trump. Carroll shot back 'Those are the facts.' The jury was shown a 2019 email Carroll sent to an editor at New York Magazine, which ran an excerpt of the book including the part about Trump. In it Carroll said that she thought Trump, who was President at the time, was 'trying to kill me' as he was 'poisoning my water' and 'polluting my air and cooking my planet'. The jury was also shown an email Carroll received from her friend Carol Martin, a TV journalist, in 2017 in which Martin called Trump 'Orange Crush'. Martin wrote: 'This has to stop. As soon as we are both well enough to scheme we must do our patriotic duty again.' Carroll replied: 'TOTALLY!!! I have something special for you when we meet.' Asked about what she meant, Carroll said she had 'no idea' what the special thing could have been. But the court heard that just two weeks later, she embarked on a road trip speaking to women across America that would form the basis of her book. Carroll insisted that the word 'scheme' had 'no connotations of evil' and that it was the MeToo movement, which began in 2017, that was her motivation for writing the book, not Trump. But she admitted she hadn't ever gone to the police in the two decades since the alleged rape. The jury was shown a 2019 email Carroll sent to an editor at New York Magazine, which ran an excerpt of the book including the part about Trump Trump was represented by Joe Tacopina, the barrel-chested attorney who is representing him in the criminal case brought by the Manhattan District Attorney, and five other attorneys Tacopina asked: 'When you were trying to sell your book and get money for your book was when you first mentioned the story about Donald Trump, correct?' Carroll said yes. Carroll admitted she couldn't remember when the incident happened, telling the jury: 'I wish to heaven we could give you a date.' There was laughter in court when Tacopina asked about the premise of Carroll's book was that every man in the US should be 'disposed of.' Carroll said that the idea was they would go to Montana to be 'retrained.' Tacopina asked if she meant 'all the men in this country, in this courtroom should go to Montana to be retrained?' Carroll said that it was written satirically. Judge Lewis Kaplan told Tacopina that the book was a reference to Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal, a satirical essay published in 1729, and told him to move on. Tacopina asked why Carroll didn't scream and she said she was a 'not a screamer.' Tacopina said: 'When being raped because you're not a screamer you didn't scream?' Carroll said: 'You can't beat up on me for not screaming.' In protest Tacopina said he was just 'asking questions.' Carroll replied that people believed if a woman didn't scream 'you weren't raped.' Raising her voice she said: 'I'm telling you, he raped me whether I screamed or not.' She added that she wished she had screamed as 'more people would have believed me.' Trump's lawyer Joe Tacopina asked why Carroll didn't scream during the alleged rape and she said she was a 'not a screamer' During another clash Tacopina asked if Carroll really could have got her knee up to Trump's waist and pushed him away as she claims as she was wearing four inch heels. Carroll said she could 'dance backwards and forwards in four inch heels'. In a dig at Tacopina she said: 'You work out all the time', to which he huffed and recoiled. Tacopina said he could ask a question about that but it would be objected to. There was laughter in court as an excerpt of Carroll's book was read out in which she wrote how she wanted to describe the alleged rape in as 'unsexy' terms as possible so as not to 'turn up the gonadal glow of his base', referring to Trump. The court was show a 2019 interview Carroll did with Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC where she said she didn't want to file criminal charges against Trump as she could 'handle it' and it was 'only three minutes'. Carroll said she had just seen a news report about migrants being raped at the border and elevating her suffering seemed 'disrespectful' by comparison. The case is expected to last up to two weeks and it's unclear if Trump will appear. A Georgia mother of four was allegedly stabbed to death by her husband just a day after she shared on Facebook a post that described their first year of marriage as a 'year of survival.' Casey Allen, 32, was found dead in her Gainesville apartment on April 15 - just a day after her one-year wedding anniversary with husband Christopher Snow. Snow, 31, was arrested on murder charges a short time later after he was involved in a serious car crash on I-85 outside of Atlanta, cops said. The couple had just welcomed their first child together, a baby boy, in December. Allen also had three other children, ages 9, 7, and 3, with her first husband. The day before her murder, Allen shared photos on Facebook to mark their anniversary but ominously referred to their first year of marriage as 'a year of survival,' the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The post was later deleted. Casey Allen, 32, was allegedly stabbed to death by her husband Christopher Snow, 31, a day after she shared a post that described their first year of marriage as a 'year of survival' To celebrate their anniversary, Allen and Snow dropped their baby off with Snow's aunt and went out on the town. 'They went to Build-A-Bear and made a stuffed owl with both their voices in it,' Allen's sister Tiffany Agee told Fox News Digital. The couple then took in a show at a comedy club and had dinner before returning home. The next day, a panicked Snow showed up at his aunt's house and said he and Allen had gotten into a fight and that she was missing. His aunt called Gainesville police to request a welfare check. When police arrived at Spring Valley Apartments, they found Allen with multiple stab wounds to her face and torso, her heartbroken sister said. Snow was later arrested in Gwinnett County following a car crash on I-85, according to officials. The day before her murder, Allen shared photos on Facebook to mark their anniversary but ominously referred to their first year of marriage as 'a year of survival,' the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported . The post was later deleted The couple had just welcomed their first child together, a baby boy, in December. Allen also had three other children, ages 9, 7, and 3, with her first husband Agee said she was told by police that Snow had tried to kill himself by crashing his car into the median on the highway. He was transported to the hospital and remained there for four days before being taken into custody. He was booked into the Hall County Jail on felony murder, aggravated battery of a spouse, aggravated assault of a spouse and a probation violation. 'I just want to know why,' Agee said. 'You loved my sister so much, how could you do this? It's so confusing, and we'll never get the full answers from him, and it makes it that much worse.' Agee went on to say that her sister had confided in her that Snow had been physical with her in the past, but that it was just one time. 'It was just one time, she said, he's apologized over and over, and you have nothing to worry about,' Agee added. 'They were just really happy every time I saw them.' Allen is originally from Syracuse, New York, a graduate of North Georgia College and State University, and worked for Carter's Oshkosh on their management team. She had four children whom she loved dearly, her family said. A GoFundMe page created to help her four children has raised more than $7,000. The three older children are now living with their father and the baby is in the care of Casey's former in-laws, according to the GoFundMe page. 'She loved being a mom,' Agee said. 'That was everything to her.' A celebration of life will be held for Allen on April 29 at the Poole Funeral Home in Woodstock, Georgia. Jack Texeira, the suspected Pentagon leaker accused of releasing confidential intelligence files online and discussing 'murder' online, is to remain in jail. It comes after a judge in Worcester, Massachusetts failed to reach a decision at a detention hearing earlier. The National Guardsman allegedly posted secret memos in an Internet chat room that touched upon the war in Ukraine, but also U.S. ties with key allies such as Israel. Prosecutors had argued he should be forced to stay in custody until he goes on trial on federal charges of deliberately leaking the classified government documents. Jack Teixeira, 21, was arrested in connection to a leak of classified Pentagon documents revealing information about the war in Ukraine in a chat room on the social network Discord Members of Teixeira's family appeared earlier outside the courtroom in Worcester, Massachusetts A filing made by lawyers for the prosecution said the 21-year-old has spoken of 'violence and murder' and 'an assassination van' in some of his online chats. But Judge David Hennessy slammed defense arguments that the government hasn't shown Teixeira ever intended leaked information to be widely disseminated. 'Somebody under the age of 30 has no idea that when they put something on the internet that it could end up anywhere in this world?' the judge asked. 'Seriously?' The filing also contained a November 2022 social media post about how Teixeira would 'kill a (expletive) ton of people' if he had his way. He referred to it as 'culling the weak minded.' Prosecutors also claimed he should stay behind bars because he may have more files to release. You have a young man before you who didn't flee, has nowhere to flee,' said Brendan Kelley, the defendant's lawyer. 'He will answer the charges, he will be judged by his fellow citizens.' Teixeira entered his hearing in Worcester in orange prison garb, smiling at his father in the front row. His handcuffs were removed before he sat down and put back on when he was taken out. Photo evidence collected during the investigation into U.S. Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, who is accused of leaking classified documents online The criminal complaint against Jack Teixeira filed April 14, 2023 According to the charge sheet, Teixeira received top security clearance in 2021 as a member of the National Guard. FBI investigators arrested him without incident in Dighton, Massachusetts earlier this month in a raid on his mother's house. Agents found that he kept his gun locker within reach of his bed and in it were handguns, bolt-action rifles, shotguns, and a gas mask. Teixeira posted the treasure trove of top secret files under his online user name 'Jack the Dripper' for months before the leak was uncovered. He worked as a junior cyber security specialist in the intelligence unit based at the Otis Air National Guard Base in western Cape Cod. It is believed to have started on a site called Discord, a social media platform popular with people playing online games. Teixeira posted about guns, games and top secret US government information but some of his fellow chatroom members reported his activities to investigators. It alleged that the 21-year-old used his government computer to search classified intelligence reporting for the word 'leak' on April 6. That was the day when the first stories broke about the huge security breach. Prosecutors claim he searched the term to establish whether US intelligence had information on the identity of the person behind the leaks. This document appears to show the state of Ukraine's air defenses in February and in May, when it is anticipated they'll be badly depleted He was identified as the ringleader of a chatroom, known as Thug Shaker Central, on Discord. This document appears to show the state of Ukraine's air defenses in February and in May, when it is anticipated they'll be badly depleted These are two of the leaked documents which have been shared by the New York Times He then allegedly posted images of folded-up papers because he felt his writings weren't being taken seriously, the Associated Press reported. Officials at the US Justice Department have opened a probe into the 21-year-old, whose actions embarrassed US allies around the world. Long-standing friends of Washington from Britain to South Korea and Israel slammed much of the information as bogus. It outlined possible arms deliveries to Ukraine, as well as details of Western-led training for the Ukrainian armed forces. The 21-year-old's actions have been roundly criticized by lawmakers from all political parties. Spain has recorded its hottest ever April temperatures today, a whopping 38.7C, as the country is on high alert for wildfires amid the worst dry spell 'in a thousand years'. The country has been enveloped by warm, dry air from North Africa since Monday, that has driven up temperatures to 'levels normally seen in summer', according to meteorologists. Tragically, a horse died and another collapsed as they were forced to pull tourist carriages through Seville in the shocking heat. The blistering temperatures across the Iberian peninsula were too warm even for sunseekers, with tourists pictured fanning themselves and desperately trying to cool off. There had been warnings that the heatwave would peak today or Friday at as high as 40C, with previous records set around the country yesterday already smashed. The sky high temperatures were even too warm for sunseekers. Tourists in Seville tried to cool down at a fountain Tourists at the Feria de Abril in Seville pictured fanning themselves and desperately trying to keep the heat off Scorching temperatures have prompted warnings about the 'high risk' of wildfires in a nation that has already seen fires ravage 133,400 acres of land so far this year, compared with 42,000 acres in the same period last year. Experts say parts of Spain are the driest in a thousand years, with a prolonged drought depleting reservoirs to half of their normal capacity, figures show. On Thursday, the mercury hit a record 38.7C at Cordoba airport in the south, just after 17.00 local time, according to the meteorological service. On Wednesday, at least three areas around Seville and Huelva recorded temperatures of 37C. One English tourist from London said she hadn't expected the temperatures to be so high for her April holiday. Midwife Natalie, 40, said: 'Thinking it was spring we thought it wasn't going to be to hot here but, wow! 'This is a complete surprise, its roasting but its gorgeous as well. People are lovely, we are having a great time, atmosphere is beautiful. 'So we cant complain, but we are going home today. To the rain.' On Thursday, the mercury hit a record 38.7C at Cordoba airport in the south, just after 17.00 local time, according to the meteorological service When asked how she was coping with the extreme heat, she said: 'Lots of drinks, lots of fluids, lots of shade and we just walk on the shady part of the street. 'It's not something we are used to I guess, but we will enjoy it while its here.' 'It's really hot, I keep looking for the shade and for water,' Juan Benito, a 33-year-old barman, said in Seville, where many people could be seen fanning themselves to try to keep cool. READ MORE: One horse dies and second collapses while made to pull tourist carriages through Seville during Spain's record 36C April heatwave A horse made to pull tourist carriages through Seville during Spain's record 36C April heatwave has died. Bystanders rushed to the horse to try and revive it by water Advertisement This could be one of the hottest months of April in Spain since records started, according to Ruben del Campo, spokesman for Spain's national weather office AEMET. 'Due to its intensity and early character, this episode fits with what we are observing climate change causes,' he added. Spain's health ministry has recommended that the country's regions activate their heat plans - which outline measures to protect people from scorching temperatures. Normally the heat plans start on June 1 but the ministry said this year they could come into effect as early as May 15, depending on the situation in each region. The regional government of Madrid said metro trains in the Spanish capital would pass more frequently than usual to prevent long waits on platforms and crowding. It is also considering opening some public swimming pools earlier in the year to help people cool off. Schools will also be allowed to adapt timetables to avoid the worst of the heat. The health ministry warned people to drink lots of water, moderate their consumption of alcohol and caffeine, and to keep an eye on vulnerable members of the community such as children and the elderly. The heatwave follows an abnormally warm and dry spring, spelling catastrophe for the agriculture sector in Spain, which is the world's biggest exporter of olive oil and a key source of Europe's fruit and vegetables. The situation is so bad that some farmers have opted not to plant crops, with the COAG farmers' union warning that 60 percent of farmland was 'suffocating' from lack of rainfall. Visitors drink water as they arrive for the Feria de Abril bullfighting festival at La Maestranza bullring in Seville Women dressed in traditional outfits at the Feria de Abril make use of their fans in the scorching weather A man sits in the grass to cool off during a heatwave in Cordoba Spain on Tuesday urged Brussels to activate the bloc's agriculture crisis reserve to help farmers cope with the exceptional drought, while also announcing a series of tax breaks. Last year, Spain experienced its hottest year since records began, with UN figures suggesting nearly 75 percent of its land is susceptible to desertification due to climate change. The number of days with summer temperatures in Spain has increased from 90 to 145 between 1971 and 2022, according to a study by the Polytechnic University of Catalonia published Tuesday. A woman wearing traditional Andalusian dress cools off with a fan on Plaza de Espana in Seville A couple ride in a horse carriage with a sun umbrella in the annual traditional Feria de Abril in Seville Portugal, another popular destination for British tourists, was also feeling the heat today. Temperatures were expected to be '10-15 degrees Celsius higher than normal' rising to as much as 37C, a day after the mercury touched 35.4C in the south. Several municipalities were placed at very high risk of fire, including two in the Algarve, while 30 were put at high risk. Three high school seniors who killed a young woman by throwing a rock through her car window returned to the crash scene to take a picture of her vehicle. Alexa Bartell, 20, was killed when Joseph Koenig, Nicholas 'Mitch' Karol-Chik and Zachary Kwak, all 18, hurled a landscaping rock through her windshield in Arvada, Colorado, on April 19. The teenagers had launched several rocks at passing cars before the one that struck Bartell at about 10.45pm. A sheriff's office arrest affidavit published on Thursday reveals that after the fatal attack, Kwak told the others: 'We have to go back and see that.' He then took a photo of the car, which had careered of the road, as a 'memento'. The sickening details were revealed as the three men appeared in court on Thursday charged with first-degree murder with extreme indifference, which means they set out to kill but didn't care whom. They were held without bond after their brief hearings. Alexa Bartell, 20, was killed when when a landscaping rock was thrown through her windshield in Arvada, Colorado, on April 19 A picture reveals the damage caused to Bartell's car during the attack Joseph Koenig, Nicholas 'Mitch' Karol-Chik and Zachary Kwak, all 18, are all charged with murder Prosecutor Padraic Emerine said: 'This was an extremely reckless and irresponsible situation that the defendant was involved in that, unfortunately, cost the life of a very innocent and very young woman in this case.' A friend of the trio told police he'd watched them several hours earlier as they loaded a truck with landscaping rocks taken from a Walmart parking lot. The friend claimed the three boys picked up 'as many as they could carry'. He said he knew 'something bad was going to happen' so asked Koenig, Karol-Chik and Kwak to take him home. The three alleged killers then patrolled roads in the area and searched for passing cars to target. Kwak said they would use 'marine terms' when launching the rocks, adding: 'Mitch would say things like, contact left, before Joseph would throw the rock at a car on the left side of theirs.' He said the rock which killed Bartell made a 'very loud noise... like a rail gun' when it struck her windshield. A bloodstained rock was discovered next to the young woman's yellow Chevy Spark. Karol-Chik told police he said after: 'We have to go back and see that.' Kwak took a picture of the scene as a 'memento'. Koenig was described by a friend as someone who likes creating 'chaos' and would often act in a destructive manner. 'Joseph and Mitch were talking about them now being blood brothers and they could never speak of the incident,' Kwak added. The three met up the following day to 'get their stories straight'. Karol-Chik and Kwak were interviewed by detectives and each gave different accounts about who threw the rock. Koenig refused to speak to police. The affidavit said one of the suspects said he felt 'a hint of guilt' and revealed the men were traced using data from cell towers in the area. After the attack which killed Bartell (pictured), Kwak told the others: 'We have to go back and see that.' He then took a photo of the car, which had careered of the road, as a 'memento' Bartell was driving the Chevy spark when a rock came crashing through the front windshield Police offered a $17,000 reward to capture Bartell's killers They had thrown rocks at vehicles on about ten occasions since February. Six other cars were damaged and two more drivers were injured on the night Bartell was killed. Lyft and Uber driver Nathan Tipton was uninjured after being targeted. Speaking to reporters at a news conference on Tuesday, he said he was headed southbound on Highway 93, close to the Jefferson County and Boulder County lines, at around 10.15pm. 'I saw two vehicles going northbound, but all I could see was the headlights, it was a dark road,' he said. 'And then a large shatter - it sounded like a shotgun blast. It scared the heck out of me.' He said he pulled over right away and saw that both driver-side windows of his mini van had been shattered. 'It's horrible. Nobody should lose their child for a random act of whatever this is,' he added. A $17,000 reward had previously been offered for information. Nikki Haley predicted on Wednesday that Joe Biden would die within five years, warning the country would see a President Kamala Harris. 'If you vote for Joe Biden, you really are counting on a President Harris. Because the idea that he would make it until 86 years old is not something that I think is likely,' the Republican presidential candidate said in an interview on Fox News. Biden, on Tuesday, announced he would seek another four years in the White House. At 80 he is the oldest president in American history. And, if he wins another term, would be 86 at its conclusion. Haley, 51, previously argued candidates over the age of 75 should take a cognitive test. Jill Biden has called that idea 'ridiculous.' Haley has formally announced her bid for the Republican presidential nomination but heavily trails Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis (who has not formally declared his intentions yet) in the polls. Nikki Haley predicts Joe Biden will die before he reaches 86 Meanwhile, Biden downplayed concerns about his age on Wednesday, saying 'it doesn't register with me.' Some Democrats have expressed concern about Biden's age and health status, questioning if Biden is their best bet as the nominee. But Biden shrugged off a question about his advanced years during a press conference with South Korean President Yoon Sun Yeol. 'With regard to age, I can't even say -- I guess how old I am, I can't even say the number, it doesn't register with me,' he said. He added he expected voters 'to take a hard look at it, I would as well. I looked at it before I decided to run.' His doctor has pronounced him fit to serve but Biden has shown signs he's feeling his years: he sometimes walks with a limp, he has tripped walking up the stairs to board Air Force One, and he's made multiple verbal gaffes. But in the next year he'll be on public display in a way he wasn't during the 2020 election when he campaigned from zoom meetings and in rare car rallies because of the dangers of COVID. The American people will regularly see him out and about, interacting with voters and showing he's fit to serve. President Joe Biden, 80, shrugs off concerns about his age: 'I can't even say the number, it doesn't register with me' Republicans, meanwhile, have questioned Biden's age and his health status as the campaign heats up. The GOP also is expected to use Biden's age as way to question Kamala Harris's fitness to be commander in chief. She is expected to be a target in the campaign as Republicans ask Americans if they feel comfortable with her next in line for the presidency. And whether or not she turns out to be a political liability - as some Democrats fear - remains to be seen. A Russian solider admitted executing Ukrainian prisoners of war by cutting their throats in a phone call, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) said. In the intercepted phone conversation, the serviceman, identified by the SBU as Yevgeny Suchko, who was deployed to Ukraine in 2022, can be heard describing in detail how he slit the throats of Ukrainians. The 28-year-old soldier says in the intercepted call that there is 'no point' in keeping prisoners of war and that they 'need to be disposed of'. More than 80,000 Russian war crimes are currently being investigated in the conflict, according to the Prosecutor General's Office. The SBU said it was working on bringing 'every war criminal from Russia' to justice and ensuring that they receive 'well-deserved' punishment. The serviceman, identified by the SBU as Yevgeny Suchko, who was deployed to Ukraine in 2022, can be heard in the intercepted phone call describing in detail how he slit the throats of Ukrainians (file image) More than 80,000 Russian war crimes are currently being investigated in the conflict, according to the Prosecutor General's Office (pictured, Putin on April 27) Yevgeny Suchko can be heard in the phone call, intercepted by Ukrainian intelligence, saying that: 'People who are prisoners of war... there is no point in keeping them. Well, because we get all the information from them. There is no point in keeping them anymore they need to be disposed of.' The Kyiv Independent said the solider added: 'A person has to be stabbed a little bit. But this is not the first time for me. I don't give a f*ck.' The intercepted voice message comes just days after leaked Telegram messages appeared to show the Chief of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, telling fighter in Bakhmut not to take any more prisoners. The orders came after a video was shared that purports to show a Ukrainian solider killing a wounded Wagner fighter. The channel did not say where the recording came from and there is no way of verifying its authenticity. 'We will kill everyone on the battlefield. Take no more prisoners of war!' Prigozhin said in an audio recording on Sunday. 'We don't know the name of our guy shot by Ukrainians,' Prigozhin said, adding that under international law his group was obliged to 'take care, treat, not hurt' any prisoners of war. On April 17, Ukraine's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets told Ukrainska Pravda publication that his office had been sent gruesome videos allegedly showing the executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war. Videos on social media also appear to show a Russian fighter cutting off the head of a Ukrainian prisoner. The barbaric footage shows a masked man violently sawing at the neck of a prisoner wearing Ukrainian insignia who is trapped beneath him on the ground The victim is seen writhing on the forest floor, screaming 'it hurts!' and 'stop!' as his murderer, wearing a white ribbon associated with Russian forces, hacks at his arteries with the steel blade. A voice from another apparent Russian fighter taunts the killer to behead and break the spine of the stricken man. 'Send it to Kyiv, *****,' a voice says in a foul-mouthed rant. 'Cut it off, *****! Break the spine!' 'What, you never cut a head off, *****? Do it, do it, do it, *****!' The video concludes with the executioner holding the decapitated, bloodied head up to the camera as he is told to 'bag it and send it to the commander'. The footage, which was shared earlier this month, sparked fury in Kyiv, with President Zelensky expressing his disgust in a video in which he appears visibly shaken. Ukrainian soldier kills a Wounded Wagner fighter with an AK-74 in the outskirts of Bakhmut The president said in recorded remarks: 'This video - the execution of a Ukrainian captive - the world must see it. This is a video of Russia as it is - what kind of creatures they are. 'There are no people for them. A son, a brother, a husband - someone's child.' The video showed the 'new norm' that Putin's Russia wanted to impose, he said. 'Such a habit of destroying life. This is not an accident. This is not an episode. There was the case in Bucha. 'Don't expect it to be forgotten, that time will pass. We are not going to forget anything. Neither are we going to forgive the murderers. 'There will be legal responsibility for everything. The defeat of terror is necessary. 'No-one will understand if the leaders don't react. Action is required now!' he concluded. Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of killing prisoners of war since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. A United States army corporal who was killed in action during the Korean War and granted the nation's highest military honor has been identified through DNA testing 73 years later. Luther H. Story was only 19-years-old when he was wounded in action during a hostile attack by the North Korean army on September 1, 1950. Story stayed behind so his company could get to safety and was later declared missing. The young soldier's father was presented with the Medal of Honor at a Pentagon Ceremony in 1951 by General Omar Bradley. In January 1954, three years later, Story was declared unrecoverable, and his remains were still missing. US officials said the young soldier was last seen 'firing every weapon available' during the intense battle that would eventually take his life. He fearlessly stood in the middle of the road, throwing grenades into the truck. Out of grenades, he crawled to his squad, gathered up additional grenades, and again attacked the vehicle.' Story's remains were accounted for on April 6, more than seven decades after he was killed in action. The news was announced on Wednesday in a joint statement from President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol as Yoon and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, are on a state visit to the United States. Luther H. Story was only 19-years-old when he was wounded in action during a hostile attack by the North Korean army on September 1, 1950. Story stayed behind so his company could get to safety. He would later be declared missing The news was announced on Wednesday in a joint statement from President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol as Yoon and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, are on a state visit to the United States Story, who hailed from Buena Vista, Georgia, was posthumously awarded the nation's highest military award, a medal of honor for bravery. Scientists used dental and anthropological analyses and mitochondrial DNA analysis to identify the young soldier's remains, the White House said. A burial in Andersonville, Georgia, is scheduled in late May for the hero soldier, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. On Tuesday, the President and the First Lady accompanied by Yoon and his wife paid their respects at the Korean War Memorial. They also took part in a wreath-laying ceremony next to the memorial's Pool of Remembrance. Story's niece Judy Wade and her husband, Joseph Wade were also in attendance and met with President Biden and the South Korean President. In August 1950, US forces in Korea were primarily located along the Pusan Perimeter, a defensive formation around the South Korean towns of Pusan and Yeongsan, along the eastern shore of the Naktong River, the White House statement said. On August 31, members of the 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, took the brunt of a large-scale attack by elements of three divisions of the North Korean People's Army. A native of Americus, Georgia, Story, then a private first class and a weapons squad leader, was heavily engaged in stopping the early attacks and had just moved his squad to a position overlooking the Naktong River when he saw a large group of enemy fighters crossing the river, according to his Medal of Honor citation. US President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol listen to the national anthems 'Seizing a machine gun from his wounded gunner, he placed deadly fire on the hostile column, killing or wounding an estimated 100 enemy soldiers,' the citation said. When his company commander ordered the soldiers to withdraw, Story saw an enemy truck loaded with troops and towing an ammunition trailer moving toward them. 'Alerting his comrades to take cover, he fearlessly stood in the middle of the road, throwing grenades into the truck,' according to The Association of the United States Army. 'Out of grenades, he crawled to his squad, gathered up additional grenades, and again attacked the vehicle.' Story was wounded, but he ignored his wounds and continued to fight. Realizing that his wounds would slow down his fellow soldiers, Story stayed behind to cover the company's withdrawal. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol review the troops on the South Lawn of the White House 'When last seen, he was firing every weapon available and fighting off another hostile assault,' the citation said. General of the Army Omar Bradley presented the Medal of Honor to Story's father in a ceremony at the Pentagon on June 21, 1951. After the battle, Story's remains could not be found or identified, and he was not recorded as being taken prisoner, according to the White House statement. In June 2021, as part of a plan to disinter 652 Korean War unknowns from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency inspected Unknown X-260 Tanggok, a set of remains recovered near Sangde-po, South Korea, as per theWhite House. Biden and Yoon said in a joint statement: 'The supreme sacrifice and heroism of Corporal Luther Story is illustrative of the freedom, security, and prosperity the South Korean people have today.' 'Both countries will continue making every effort to identify service members missing in action like Army Corporal Story.' Anheuser-Busch executives have promised beer distributors that going forward marketing will be heavily screened following Bud Light's Dylan Mulvaney backlash. Bosses held a closed-door meeting with distributors in Washington, DC, this week where they laid out future plans - and promised to 'spend heavily' on Bud Light to salvage its public image, according to reports. Benj Steinman, editor of Beer Marketers Insights, said that spending on the brand 'fell off a cliff last year,' but Anheuser-Busch execs are promising to rectify the situation, New York Post reported. Bud Light sales have fallen dramatically since transgender influencer Mulvaney's first post with the brand on April 1 - but a fresh marketing push is set to begin this week. The company is expected to have a big push during the NFL draft in a bid to revive the brand in the coming days, Steinman said. Mulvaney, 26, announced the partnership in a series of videos posted to social media at the start of April 2023 On top of the marketing blitz, executives working for Bud Light will also go through a more rigorous screening process, according to one Northeast-based beer distributor who spoke to NYP. 'There will be an improved screening process before any marketing hits the public...executives will have to go through a more rigorous screening process,' Bud Light execs said during Zoom meetings this month. According to Beer Business Daily, wholesalers received a letter in which execs explained the entire situation - including: 'This was one single can given to one social media influencer. 'This can was not made for production or sale to the general public.' Beer Business Daily, however, has assessed that Anheuser-Busch's fallout from the Mulvaney drama 'is immaterial' to the company's global financial performance. Bud has 'rebounded to its previous quite lofty heights,' the trade publication said. This comes after the number of people ordering Bud Lights at bars and restaurants across the country have plummeted in the weeks following the company's partnering with Dylan Mulvaney. Between early to mid-April, Bud Light's pours were down 6 percent at 3,000 locations, according to research by tech company BeerBoard. In comparison, between March 18 to April 1 - the two weeks before the transgender influencer partnered with the beer company - Bud Light had actually outperformed in its category by 15 percent. On April 1, transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney posted a video of herself cracking open a Bud Light on her Instagram page. She showed off a can with her face on it that Bud Light sent her - one of many corporate freebies she gets and shares with her millions of followers. In the six days that followed, Anheuser-Busch lost more than $6billion in market capitalization. According to BeerBoard's data, Bud Light has dropped from third to fourth in overall rate of sales during April 2 to April 15. Bud Light has long been America's best-selling beer. But its US sales are down 2 percent so far this year, part of a long-running decline as younger consumers flock to sparking seltzers and other drinks, according to Bump Williams Consulting. Those sales declines accelerated rapidly in April. In the week ending April 15, Bud Light's sales dropped 17 percent compared to the same week a year ago. Mulvaney was sent a personalized beer can to mark 365 days since she transitioned. Mulvaney documented her journey on TikTok and gained millions of online followers Whitworth issued a public statement two weeks into the controversy Meanwhile, rivals Miller Lite and Coors Lite both saw their sales jump more than 17 percent. Bud Light's partnership with Mulvaney angered some customers and hurt sales, while the brands lack of support for the influencer infuriated the very people it was trying to reach. Three days after Mulvaneys post, Kid Rock posted a video of himself shooting cases of Bud Light. Shares of Bud Lights parent, AB InBev, temporarily plunged and the company issued a terse statement in response to the controversy. This week, Anheuser-Busch - AB InBevs U.S. subsidiary - confirmed that Alissa Heinerscheid, its vice president of marketing, and her boss, Daniel Blake, are taking a leave of absence. The company wont say when they will return or whether theyre being paid. A man wanted by police after two men were seen scuffling with a gun outside a children's play centre has been found dead on a mountain. Grant Barker was being hunted by police after the pair fought in Holyhead, north Wales, on April 10 before a noise that sounded like a gunshot was heard. Police issued an appeal for information and warned that anyone found harbouring him would be arrested. Today North Wales Police confirmed that Mr Barker, from Treseifion in Holyhead, was found dead on Holyhead Mountain last weekend. 'We can confirm that Grant Barker was sadly found deceased on Holyhead mountain on Saturday,' police said today. Grant Barker, who was wanted by police after two men were seen scuffling with a gun outside a children's play centre, has been found dead on Holyhead Mountain in North Wales Mr Barker was being hunted by police after the pair fought in Holyhead, north Wales on April 10 before a noise that sounded like a gunshot was heard 'His death is being treated as unexplained at this time, and we are working closely with the coroner. 'The family are being kept updated. Grant was last seen on April 10 and was found 12 days later. We are trying to piece together his whereabouts after April 10, to help his family understand his final movements.' The force, which said it was looking for the Holyhead man after the scuffle at the town, has referred the case to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. Shocking video captured on a mobile phone shows two men trying to wrestle the firearm from each other before a shot rang out. North Wales Police previously said it arrested three people following the altercation, with officers from an armed response unit seen swooping on a building in the aftermath. Shocking video captured on a mobile phone shows two men trying to wrestle the firearm from each other before a shot rang out Police issued an appeal for information and warned that anyone found harbouring Mr Barker would be arrested Today North Wales Police confirmed: 'We can confirm that Grant Barker was sadly found deceased on Holyhead mountain on Saturday' However, the force said it had not yet found the gun involved and has warned anyone found 'harbouring Mr Barker will be arrested'. Footage of the strange incident, captured by a passerby, shows one of the men pulling the other out of a doorway before a loud bang can be heard. North Wales Police said no injuries were reported. MailOnline has contacted North Wales Police for more information. Four people were injured after a train carrying lithium batteries and paint derailed into the Mississippi River in southwest Wisconsin on Thursday afternoon. The derailment happened in Ferryville, south of the Lansing Bridge, at around 12.15pm, operator of the train BNSF confirmed, and caused at least two cars to float downstream. The four people injured had non-life-threatening injuries according to local station WXOW. Marc Myhre, from Crawford County Emergency Management, told the station that around 20 cars had derailed from the tracks and that two cars that were linked together floated downriver of the derailment. He said fire crews were in the process of recovering the containers and setting up barriers in the river to prevent the spreading of oil, gas or paint. Four people were injured after a train derailed into the Mississippi River in south west Wisconsin on Thursday afternoon 'It was reported to us that there were hazardous materials on the train itself but it's not believed to be a concern to the public or the responders at this time as those cars were contained,' said Myhre. He confirmed that some responders were injured but was not aware how many or what condition they were in. Video recorded by Caitlin Nolan and obtained by Spectrum News Wisconsin showed a number of toppled train cars, many of which were submerged in the Mississippi River. Facebook page 'Crawford County WI Scanner' also reported that the train's contents were mostly lithium batteries and paint. A spokesperson for BNSF confirmed to DailyMail.com that one of its trains was involved in the derailment. 'BNSF Railway can confirm that a train derailed near De Soto, Wisconsin (approximately 30 miles south of La Crosse) on April 27, at approximately 12:15 pm local time,' they wrote. Fire crews were working on setting up a barriers in the river to prevent the spreading of oil, gas or paint Marc Myhre, from Crawford County Emergency Management, told WXOW the cars were carrying mainly lithium batteries and paint U.S. Rep Derrick Van Orden released a statement saying members of his staff were attending the site of he crash 'to get answers on what occurred' They added: 'Two of the three locomotives and an unknown number of cars carrying freight of all kinds are reported to be derailed on the bluff side of the Mississippi River. The main track is blocked in both directions and an estimated time for reopening the track is not available. 'Crew members are accounted for, with one receiving medical evaluation. Local first responders are on-site. BNSF has personnel en route to the scene and the cause of the incident is under investigation.' BNSF would not confirm whether there were batteries and paint in the cars. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers confirmed the derailment and said his office was working with the Wisconsin Department of Transport and Department of Natural Resources. 'I will be actively monitoring this incident as we await further confirmed details,' he wrote. U.S. Rep Derrick Van Orden released a statement saying members of his staff were attending the site of he crash 'to get answers on what occurred'. A Virginia judge has been slammed for using a slave code from 1849 to rule that frozen embryos are 'property' after an infertile woman requested to use ones made with her ex-husband. Honeyhline Heidemann, 45, is locked in a bitter dispute with her ex-husband Jason, 43, over whether she can use two frozen embryos the pair made when they were married. In an extraordinary ruling, Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Richard Gardiner said Ms Heidemann could take the case to trial because frozen embryos can be considered 'goods or chattels'. In reaching his decision, he drew on a 19th-century law that defined enslaved people as property, sparking outcry within the legal profession. Solomon Ashby, president of the Old Dominion Bar Association, which is made up primarily of Black lawyers, said: 'I would like to think that the bench and the bar would be seeking more modern precedent.' Judge Richard Gardiner ruled that Honeyhline Heidemann could claim custody of frozen embryos made with her ex husband, stating that a 19th-century code that treated slaves as property bore striking parallels with the case The ruling at Fairfax County Circuit Court has sparked outcry within the legal profession He added: 'Hopefully, the jurisprudence will advance in the commonwealth of Virginia such that...we will no longer see slave codes [cited to justify legal rulings].' Neither party's lawyers raised the precedent of slavery. Ms Heidemann's representatives even distanced themselves from the language used by Judge Gardiner, saying the court 'cited authorities that were not raised by either party'. The Heidemanns froze two embryos in 2015. They separated two years later and entered a written agreement stating the embryos would not be used without a court order or consent of both parties. They divorced in 2018, but the following year Ms Heidemann asked her ex-husband if she could use the embryos after chemotherapy had left her infertile. Mr Heidemann refused and so Ms Heidemann asked the court to decide on the matter. Judge Gardiner initially sided with Mr Heidemann, saying that because embryos could not be bought or sold, they couldn't be treated as property and as such Ms Heidemann had no claim to take custody of them. But her lawyer asked Judge Gardiner to reconsider, prompting him to delve into the history of law. He found an 1849 code that classed 'slaves' as property that could be divided and sold and drew a parallel to the current case, saying the code used 'language almost identical' to current law. 'As there is no prohibition on the sale of human embryos, they may be valued and sold, and thus may be considered 'goods or chattels,' he wrote in his ruling. Susan Crockin, a lawyer at Georgetown University's Kennedy Institute of Ethics and an expert in reproductive technology law, described his judgment as 'repulsive' and 'morally repugnant'. She said she wasn't aware of any other judge in the US who has concluded that human embryos can be bought and sold. Sofia Vergara's ex Nick Loeb lost his final appeal in Los Angeles to gain custody of two embryos that were frozen seven years ago when the couple was still engaged; seen in 2014 In 2015, a Chicago court ruled that a woman could have custody of frozen embryos made with her ex-boyfriend, despite his objections. The court ruled that there had been an oral contract between the parties Karla Dunston and Jacob Szafranski. Most famously, a Los Angeles court ruled in favor of Modern Family actress Sofia Vergara, who rebutted attempts by her ex-fiance Nick Loeb to gain custody of two embryos the couple made when they were still engaged. A Los Angeles court sided with Vergara, granting her request for a Permanent Injunction and preventing Loeb from using the frozen embryos 'to create a child without the explicit written permission of the other person'. Judge Gardiner's decision, issued in March, is not final as he has not yet ruled on the argument over whether Mr Heidemann has autonomy over his own fatherhood. Alec Baldwin's motorcade was stopped by a large buffalo Wednesday while driving through Yellowstone National Park just days after his film Rust began filming. In photos and videos exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com, the actor's vehicle is spotted stopped in the middle of a roadway as Baldwin and his passengers have an old-western style stare down. The actor, 65, was enjoying a day off from Rust which is currently shooting in Montana after a more than year long hiatus. The project moved from New Mexico to Montana and resumed filming following the October 2021 on-set shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The 30 Rock actor was initially charged in Hutchins' death but the charges were dropped in mid-April after new evidence emerged suggesting the gun held by Baldwin could have been fired without pulling the trigger. Charges against the film's armorer who provided the fatal weapon remain. Alec Baldwin's motorcade was stopped by a large buffalo Wednesday while driving through Yellowstone National Park just days after his film Rust picked filming back up Baldwin, 65, was enjoying a day off from the film which is currently shooting in Montana after a more than year long hiatus In photos and videos exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com, the actor's vehicle is spotted stopped in the middle of a roadway as Baldwin and his passengers have an old-western style stare down Baldwin at Old Faithful in Wyoming, more than 110 miles from the Rust set In photos and videos exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com, the Rust star is seen driving through the iconic park in a white Toyota 4Runner SUV. A woman sits in the passenger seat as Baldwin carefully mans the vehicle through the scenic area which is covered in snow. The vehicle stops as the buffalo inches closer to the car, facing the vehicle directly on the passenger side. The large animal at one point turns his head to the vehicle behind Baldwin before whipping back to the Toyota SUV with Baldwin and at least one woman. After Baldwin and his cohorts drive away, the buffalo wanders across the road, once again stopping traffic for Yellowstone visitors on the opposite side of the street. In other videos from his day off, Baldwin takes in the the views at Old Faithful alongside the woman from the car and another man. Old Faithful is located around 110 miles from Livingston, Montana where Rust is currently filming. The drive is about two and a half hours. Baldwin had a green juice in hand while taking in the sights at Yellowstone In other videos from his day off, Baldwin takes in the the views at Old Faithful Baldwin was accompanied by a woman and another man while visiting the park Wednesday Baldwin (fourth from the right) was spotted looking at the springs in Yellowstone The 30 Rock actor had his phone out to take pictures and videos of the iconic national park Baldwin conversing with his friends near the geysers at Old Faithful Even with snow on the ground, the actor had to peel off layers The trio walked together at the park before getting back into the car and leaving Production of Rust stopped abruptly in October 2021 when a prop gun held by Alec Baldwin fired a live round that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins (center) Baldwin returned to set last week and has been spotted filming every day since Friday in his 1880s costume on Sunday as the shoot continued through the weekend. Exclusive DailyMail.com photos show the actor dressed as the outlaw on the mountainous Montana set where the rebooted movie is being filmed. The dad-of-eight was seen getting out of his white Toyota 4Runner SUV before mounting a chestnut horse for a sunset scene. Baldwin had initially been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter over Hutchins' death but the charges were unexpectedly dropped less than 24 hours before the Rust reshoot got underway. Although the actor settled a wrongful death civil suit with Hutchins' widower Matthew now an executive producer on the film he is currently fighting a second civil suit over the 42-year-old's death filed by her parents and sister. The original armorer hired for the film, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 26, of Bullhead City, Arizona, is still facing criminal charges over the accident. The rookie, who had been expected to do double duty as an assistant prop master according to the call sheet, is scheduled to face a preliminary hearing in August. She is charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter and stands accused of 'sloppy mishandling of firearms' according to prosecution documents. Baldwin, seen with prop gun in hand, has been on set every day since filming restarted on Friday and was back in his 1880s costume this weekend The new set is pictured in Livingston, Montana The church, which was notable in the New Mexico set, has been recreated in Montana Exclusive DailyMail.com photos show Baldwin dressed as an outlaw on the mountainous Montana set where the rebooted movie is being filmed The dad-of-eight was seen mounting a chestnut horse for a sunset scene over the weekend Baldwin is seen handing a prop gun to another crew member, holding it by the barrel while filming on Friday A limping Baldwin dismounted the horse on set before leaving his stunt double to complete the shot Prosecutors charged him with involuntary manslaughter for firing the weapon while it was pointed at Hutchins. The charges were dropped on Thursday Baldwin had initially been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter over Hutchins' death but the charges were unexpectedly dropped Baldwin discovered on April 20 that two involuntary manslaughter charges against him over the October 2021 killing of Hutchins were dropped. His lawyers, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, told DailyMail.com: 'We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and we encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident.' Less than 24 hours later, he arrived in Montana to resume filming the movie, which was being shot in New Mexico at the time of Hutchins' death. Recently-appointed special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis are expected to be filing paperwork to dismiss the charges soon. It means that the details of the incident are set to be investigated further, and the case could be resurrected in the future. This will keep the probe into the accident open and allow prosecutors to retain subpoena power going forward. A trailer for a new Netflix documentary that follows Barack Obama's experiences with everyday Americans has been released - along with an accompanying description that said the series will hone in on issues such as race and civil rights. The four-part series, called Working: What We Do All Day, looks at the life of US workers through the lens of the former president - and will also 'touch on issues of race and democracy and civil rights', according to the streaming service. In the trailer - which the former head of state partially narrates - Obama is seen schmoozing with several different workers in their respective fields and accompanies a working-class mother to a supermarket. The first look was shared by the ex-president Thursday and comes as the politician has made a career from speaking engagements and several book deals. This, however, marks the multimillionaire's first film production, and will focus on the plight of the typical American. It launches in May, though it remains unclear how much the progressive, who is worth roughly $70million, is poised to make from it. Scroll down for video: The four-part series, called Working: What We Do All Day, looks at the life of US workers through the lens of the former president - and will also 'touch on issues of race and democracy and civil rights', according to the streaming service In the trailer - which the former head of state partially narrates - Obama is seen schmoozing with several different workers in their respective fields and accompanies a working-class mother and her child to a supermarket 'I'm excited to share the trailer for Working,' Obama, who was worth just over $3.5million in 2008, wrote in a tweet sharing the two-minute clip for the first time. He added: 'In this series, I talk to American workers across various industries - from hospitality and technology to home care - to understand their jobs and hopes for the future. 'I hope you'll check it out.' He added in a statement of the work's premise: 'When we make sure that everyone feels their work is respected, that everyones contribution is honored, and that everyone is getting paid enough to truly take a part in the life of our communities, we reinforce the trust between us that makes everything in our lives possible'. As for the newly released clip, it starts with the 61-year-old Chicago native speaking on everyday people in the workforce across a range of industries - from service to the C-Suite - and how they are all inherently connected. 'We may not think about it but were all part of something larger than any single one of us,' Obama is heard narrating in the advert. 'Our work is one of the forces that connects us,' he goes on to insist, as snippets of him meeting with restaurant staffers, housekeepers, and tech workers play in the background. Less than a month away from release, the production is from the Obamas private studio Higher Ground, which has an overall deal with Netflix and Concordia Studio, which was founded by the director of An Inconvenient Truth, Davis Guggenheim. It is now known how much the Obamas have earned from the partnership, though from similar deals, it is likely to be valued in the ballpark of $100 million. As for the newly released clip, it starts with the 61-year-old Chicago native speaking on everyday people in the workforce across a range of industries - from service to the C-Suite - and how they are all inherently connected The first look was shared by the ex-president on Thursday, and comes as the politician has made a career from speaking engagements and several book deals It launches in May, though it remains unclear how much the progressive, who is worth roughly $70million, is poised to make from it Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos and his wife Nicole Avant raised thousands for Barack Obama's presidential campaign and she served as ambassador to the Bahamas. The commercial comes roughly five years after Obama and his wife Michelle entered a multi-year producing partnership with the online streaming service, headed by CEO Ted Sarandos, who is a longtime friend of the Obamas. In 2009, in one of Obama's first acts as president, he appointed Sarandos' wife, Nicole Avant, as ambassador to the Bahamas. When Obama successfully ran for a second term, Sarandos and Avant both bundled nearly $600,000 in contributions to Obama during the 2012 presidential campaign, the New York Post reported. Avant served as ambassador to the Bahamas from 2009 to 2011. It's common for presidents of both parties to appoint big donors to ambassadorial positions. Upon announcing the partnership in 2018, Obamas planned to deliver a 'diverse mix of content' that could range from scripted and unscripted series to documentaries and features as part of their package. Their content will not be exclusive to American subscribers. Netflix has promised their projects will be available to all 125 million members in 190 countries. Lori Vallow's brother's fingerprints were left on the black plastic bag her son was buried inside, her murder trial heard today. Tara Martinez, a forensic scientist at Idaho State Police, said she found a match to Alex Cox's right little finger and palm on a piece of black plastic which the child was found in almost a year after he went missing. Vallow and her husband Chad Daybell are accused of killing her adopted seven-year-old son JJ and daughter Tylee, 16, in Rexburg, Idaho, in September 2019. The State says the couple believed the children were Satanic 'zombies'. Cox, who shot dead Vallow's ex-husband shortly before she moved to Idaho, was part of the couple's doomsday cult and the State say he helped murder the children. Vallow's adopted son JJ was suffocated with a white plastic bag duct-taped over his face before he was stuffed in a garbage bag and buried in Daybell's yard. Tylee's dismembered and charred remains were buried nearby in a pet cemetery. Tylee, 16, and JJ, seven, are shown with their uncle, Alex Cox, in what is believed to be the final photo of them, taken during a family trip to Yellowstone National Park on September 8, 2019 Lori Vallow Daybell sits between her attorneys for a hearing at the Fremont County Courthouse in St. Anthony, Idaho, Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022 Chad Daybell appears during a court hearing in St. Anthony, Idaho, Aug. 4, 2020 Fingerprints were found on the black plastic JJ was wrapped in by Martinez who told jurors she compared them with prints from Vallow, Daybell, JJ and Cox. They matched those of Vallow's brother. Cox died of natural causes aged 51 in December 2019. Jurors earlier heard Daybell delivered a bizarre 'blessing' to thank Cox in November, 2019 - two months after the kids vanished and a month after the death of his wife Tammy who he and Vallow are also accused of murdering. Daybell, 54, who is being tried separately to Vallow, 49, told Cox in a recorded message that he had 'assisted us in ways that cannot be repaid'. The jury have also heard that when Tammy's body was exhumed as police investigated her suspicious death, Cox had told his wife 'I hope I'm not their fall guy,' referring to Vallow and Daybell. Just that July he had shot dead Vallow's fourth husband, Charles Vallow, in Arizona. Police initially ruled Cox had killed Charles in self-defense but the case was reopened after the children were reported missing. Vallow is expected to face trial at a later date over Charles' killing. She and Daybell married in Hawaii just two weeks after Tammy was killed and while police were searching for JJ and Tylee. Jurors yesterday heard how JJ was brutally murdered with a plastic bag taped over his face. Dr Garth Warren, who carried out the autopsy on the autistic boy, told jurors scratch marks on the child's neck may have been self-inflicted as he struggled to break free. He ruled the child died by 'asphyxia by plastic bag over the head and duct tape over the mouth.' Tylee's autopsy took about a week compared to the four hours for JJ's. Her remains were delivered to Warren in three separate sealed bags. The kids' bodies were discovered in shallow graves on Daybell's property on June 9, 2020 - nine months after they vanished Dr Garth Warren revealed for the first time how JJ's cause of death was 'asphyxia by plastic bag over the head and duct tape over the mouth.' The coroner suggested the boy had scratched his own neck as he struggled to break free Vallow's children, Tylee and JJ disappeared in September 2019, but their remains were not discovered until the following June. Tylee's body was burnt and dismembered meaning the coroner was only able to say she died by homicide but could not state how On Lori's birthday in 2018, Tylee shared a photo of her mom with her brother JJ, writing: 'I won the lottery with this one as my mom' An Instagram post from Tylee with her mom dated May 14, 2017, when she was 14 years old Warren told jurors her body parts, which were not buried in plastic like JJ's, had suffered 'severe decomposition' and 'significant burning.' The few bones that were found had been blackened and charred. The girl's pelvis had been hacked into with a serrated cleaver or hatchet, the court heard. The coroner said he reached a determination of homicide but could not be specific. 'The cause of death was by homicide but I just can't pinpoint exactly what that was,' he told the court. The children were missing for almost a year before their corpses were found buried in Daybell's yard on June 9, 2020. During the opening, prosecutor Lindsey Blake described how charred remains were all that was left of Tylee. She told jurors: 'You will hear it explained as a mass of bone and tissue. That's what was left of this beautiful young woman.' Tylee's DNA was later found on a pickaxe and shovel in a shed on the property. JJ's body was wrapped in trash bags and duct tape - the tape binding his arms in front of him and wrapping around his head. The key individuals in Lori Vallow's tangled family tree, including her five husbands, two dead children and killer brother The two children and Daybell's previous wife Tammy were all killed because they stood in the way of the couple's relationship, the State says. 'Remember, the defendant will remove any obstacle in her way to get what she wants, and she wanted Chad Daybell,' Blake told jurors. 'The defendant used money, power and sex to get what she wanted.' Jurors have heard from friends and relatives of Vallow that she and Daybell believed the children were 'dark' and referred to them as 'zombies' before they disappeared. 'The common theme was the body has to be destroyed,' Blake said. 'The defendant and Chad used their self-proclaimed religious teachings to justify their actions to others their actions from affair to murder.' Prosecutors say the couple planned to use life insurance money from Tammy's death, and that Vallow kept collecting and spending the children's social security and benefits after they died. The trial opened on April 10 and the State is continuing to lay out its case. The search for an Australian man who fell overboard from a cruise ship in the Pacific Ocean has been suspended as fellow passengers spend their final hours at sea. Witnesses claim the man fell from the top 15th deck of the Quantum of the Seas ship 1400 kilometres south of the Hawaiian islands late Tuesday night local time. The search resumed for the missing man as the Royal Caribbean-operated ship, which left Brisbane 16 days ago, headed towards its final destination, Honolulu. The US Coast Guard spent a day scouring the ocean and from the air before suspending the search. Large overnight swells have hampered searches, making the search 'almost impossible'. Discussions with the man's next of kin, the Australian consulate, and relevant case information helped inform the decision. The Quantum of the Seas ship (pictured) is nearing the end of its voyage, hours after a man went overboard 'The coast guard has made the difficult decision to suspend the active search for the passenger aboard the Quantum of the Seas,' search and rescue mission coordinator Kevin Cooper said in a statement. The Department of Foreign Affairs is preparing to assist the man's family. 'The Australian Consulate-General in Honolulu is working closely with local authorities,' a spokesperson said. 'We acknowledge the ongoing distress for the man's family and loved ones.' A Coast Guard C-130 Hercules aircrew completed five searches over the course of six hours while on scene. 'They were able to cast out a few life rings,' US Coast Guard Ryan Fisher said prior the search was suspended. 'Just so if he was in the vicinity in the water, he could be able to grab onto them.' A radio call-out was also issued to all vessels in the Pacific Ocean south of Hawaii to keep a lookout for him. The desperate search for the missing Australian has been suspended by the US Coast Guard. Pictured is the late night search launched by Quantum of the Seas after the man went overboard The Quantum of The Seas have since arrived at Kona on Hawaii's Big Island where passengers have been allowed to spend time ashore. While some guests commended on how ship crew have handled the situation, many others described the mood onboard as sombre 'It's a shocking situation to be in,' Susan Whittington told Nine News. Another man added: 'Couldn't really fathom what happened.' The ship departed Brisbane on April 12 and had been due to dock in Honolulu on Friday after stopping at the Pacific island of Tahiti. The ship remains on schedule to dock in Honolulu on Friday local time. The Foreign Secretary has defended his officials working from home as it emerged their office was half-empty as the Sudan crisis erupted. James Cleverly said it did not matter where Foreign Office civil servants were based as long as they were hard at work, while Downing Street backed 'flexible working'. He was challenged as government figures showed their headquarters off Whitehall was only 51 per cent occupied in the week starting April 17, days after rival military factions began fighting in the Sudanese capital Khartoum. It was the second-emptiest department, with only HM Revenue and Customs reporting fewer staff at their desks (48 per cent). Even Britain's ambassador to Sudan, Giles Lever, was on holiday as the violent clashes broke out. He is now working from London as he cannot return to the war-torn east African country. Members of the medical team from the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, arrive with medical equipment during the evacuation of British citizens from Sudan on April 27 James Cleverly said it did not matter where Foreign Office civil servants were based as long as they were hard at work Asked on Times Radio if the public could expect civil servants to be in the office when such events were going on, Mr Cleverly replied: 'The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office operates out of at least 300 locations around the world. Read more: EXCLUSIVE Sudan's Islamists use online networks and AI to make their move: Social media accounts spread claims hardliners will seize power as democracy leaders flee during Western evacuation just like the Taliban did in Afghanistan Islamists are using a sophisticated social media operation to gain influence in Sudan. That includes using AI to fake a plot by US Ambassador John Godfrey to intervene in the country Advertisement 'My organisation works remotely, always has done, and so therefore I know that whether people are in Westminster, or in our office in Scotland, or in Khartoum, or Addis Ababa, or one of a number of places around the world, they are working hard, they're working every minute of the day in time zones all around the globe, it's what we do.' Pressed on whether or not it bothered him that some were at their homes, he replied: 'If someone is working hard, working late, working long hours, whether they're doing that from the crisis response centre in the bowels of our office in Westminster or if they're doing that from a satellite phone, I don't mind.' The Prime Minister's official spokesman insisted FCDO staff were working flat out, telling reporters: 'There are hundreds of Foreign Office staff supplemented by Home Office staff and MoD in a crisis centre right now. 'They have been working 24/7. There are staff who have been flown out into a war zone to assist. That will continue. I don't think there can be any doubt about the extent of the effort from across Government.' And he added: 'More broadly on office working we know it is important, you've heard from the Prime Minister and others about the value we place on face-to-face working. 'And obviously we have seen significant increases in attendance, following the pandemic, as you would expect. But there will always be an element of flexible working as part of any model.' But senior Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, who led the drive to get civil servants back to their desks when he was a Cabinet Office minister, told the Mail: 'The shortcomings in Afghanistan ought to have encouraged them to be in the office this time round. 'The Foreign Office seems to be doing better this time but you would have thought that in emergency circumstances it would be more efficient to have people working together.' There was hope for hundreds of Britons who feared they would be trapped in Sudan after a ceasefire which had been due to expire last night was extended for another 72 hours. The truce between Sudan's army and rebel forces, mediated by the US and Saudi Arabia, is now due to last until midnight on Sunday. Senior Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, who led the drive to get civil servants back to their desks when he was a Cabinet Office minister, told the Mail: 'The shortcomings in Afghanistan ought to have encouraged them to be in the office this time round' A note (pictured) which was left on empty desks at Whitehall by Jacob Rees-Mogg, during his campaign to get more civil servants back into the office As of yesterday evening, 897 people, the vast majority of them UK citizens, had been flown out of the country by the RAF. Another flight was expected to take off from Sudan last night, bringing the total of evacuees to just over 1,000. More than 2,000 UK nationals had informed the Foreign Office of their wish to leave. If they cannot be airlifted out, the Royal Navy is ready to sail them out of Port Sudan more than 500 miles away. A bloodied and bruised pensioner has become the latest casualty of an 'optical illusion' cycle lane, which has led to nearly 60 people being injured in the last year. Dave Dawson, 76, was visiting the high street in Keynsham, Somerset, on Thursday when he tripped over the kerb, which appears level, and cut his hands and knees. Last year Mary Richmond, 71, broke her shoulder in two places after a fall. It comes after it emerged earlier this week that 59 people have been injured on Keynsham High Street since the cycle lane, which took nine months to install, opened last year. Many have blamed the similar appearance of 'hidden' grey kerbs on one side and white painted lines on the other which look flat but actually pass over an elevated pedestrian crossing - creating an 'optical illusion'. Some 21 people have now started personal injury actions against Liberal Democrat-run Bath and North East Somerset Council. Last year, one pedestrian with arthritis and fibromyalgia reported a fall after mistaking the kerb for a painted line, while another elderly local ended up in A&E. Pedestrian Mr Dawson, who is retired, was the latest to be caught out yesterday, when he was seen tripping over the edge of the kerb before being helped up. The statistics call into question the wisdom of such schemes across the country, many of which were installed 'by stealth' during the Covid pandemic as councils pushed for low traffic neighbourhoods and so-called 15-minute cities, in which amenities are all available within a 15-minute walk or bike ride. HAVE YOU BEEN CAUGHT OUT BY A CONFUSING CYCLE LANE? Email tips@mailonline.co.uk Pedestrian Mr Dawson, who is retired, was the latest victim of the 'optical illusion' cycle lane While Mr Dawson is not planning on bringing a claim, he said the council should admit it has 'made a mistake' with the lane Dave Dawson, 76, was visiting the high street in Keynsham, Somerset, earlier today when he sustained injuries to his hands and knees as he stepped off the kerb's edge Mary Richmond, 71, broke her shoulder in two places after a recent fall on the high street Ms Richmond was another victim of the confusing kerb last year. Pictured: she is helped by locals after her fall Cyclists say the 'optical illusion' lane is causing people to injure themselves as the kerb on one side and painted white lines are a similar colour READ MORE HERE: Are these Britain's most dangerous cycle lanes? Advertisement And one local councillor has warned that if the situation does not improve, a cyclist could be fatally injured on the tricky section of road. While Mr Dawson is not planning on bringing a claim, he said the council should admit it has 'made a mistake' with the lane. Mr Dawson said: 'I was walking along the pavement, and it's sort of like an optical illusion; it looks as if it's all level. 'I was walking back towards the church and stepped with my right foot on the edge of the pavement because it looked flat, and I lost my balance and fell down. 'I cut the palms of my hands and my knees a bit because the surface of the cycle lane is very sharp. 'When I came back up the road, I was obviously quite conscious of the kerb because I'd fallen over, and lo and behold, I fell over going back as well! Exactly the same. 'The trouble is that in some places on the high street, the cycle path uses the same principle, but the cycle path is level with the kerb, but as you walk along, it drops down about two inches. I think it's where they thought people would be crossing.' Alan Hale, a councillor for Keynsham South, said figures he had obtained through a freedom of information (FOI) request to the council showed that 59 people had been hurt. Bath and North East Somerset Council spent nine months installing the new cycle lane Dozens of bike riders have been injured after falling off on a new cycle lane in Keynsham, near Bristol Of these, 21 have sought damages from the council for their injuries, and although seven of these have been rejected the rest remain open and under investigation. The council stated that no insurance claims have currently been settled and no other payments have been made to claimants. After nine months of work, the new cycle lane was opened in March 2022. Many have echoed Mr Dawson's description of road markings as an 'optical illusion', as there are kerbs and painted white lines that look similar. Although the incident disrupted his day, Mr Dawson said the 'embarrassment' was worse than his injuries. He said: 'I'm 76 but still pretty active. So as soon as I realised what had happened, I got back up so it wasn't the end of the world. It's only grazes, I just cleaned it up myself. A total of 21 cyclists have launched personal injury compensation claims against the council after their crashes 'I'm not intending to make any claim or anything like that. I feel if I did that, you're only claiming against your own money because it comes from the council. 'I think, in all honesty, the intention [of the cycle path] is good, and apparently, it's to the government standards, but I think they've made a mistake. It will have to be rectified, but it's getting them to admit they were wrong. We all make mistakes.' What is a 15-minute city? The 15-minute city is an urban planning idea in which most daily necessities and services, such as work, shopping, education, healthcare and leisure can be easily reached by a 15-minute walk or bike ride. The plan behind it is to reduce car dependency, promote healthy and sustainable living and improve the overall quality of life for city dwellers. Melbourne, and the NSW cities of Wollongong and Coffs Harbour, are aiming to adapt to a series of 15-minute cities. Conspiracy theorists believe the urban planning idea is instead a dark idea from the world's elite to control society. Advertisement During the pandemic, many of Bath's residents became used to working from home, shopping and socialising in local 'hubs'. The council has developed this trend into its version of the 15-minute city, with the aim of being carbon neutral by 2030. It is an ambitious ask because the amount of traffic in the city has doubled since 1990. The latest concept in urban planning, the 15-minute city, was developed by French-Colombian scientist Carlos Moreno and proposes that people should be able to find all the amenities they need shops, healthcare, schools, leisure a 15-minute walk or bicycle ride from their homes. It aims to remove the need for people to visit city centres (and even when they do it is likely only to be only on public transport), so reducing car usage and benefiting the environment. Rat-run roads are blocked off so that people can form community-minded urban villages. Oxford, Bristol, Canterbury and Sheffield councils have all put forward plans to introduce elements of the 15-minute city, while Bath also pays lip-service to it. King Charles's pet building project, Poundbury in Dorset, is built along 15-minute city lines, with businesses and residential property existing side by side. But the 15-minute city does have its critics. Some claim that pressurising people to stay within their own neighbourhoods is an outrageous attack on their personal freedom. They further argue that it will have a disastrous effect on city centres, creating more empty shops. Bath, with its galleries, historic pubs and coffee shops, has an irresistible charm. House prices are sky high partially fuelled by Airbnb investors. A three-bedroom apartment in one of the grand houses in the Landsdown area will set you back at least 2 million. Bear Flat is popular, being close to the shops and a park. A three-bed terrace Edwardian house sold there for 942,000 before Christmas. The average price of a property last year was 634,000, which is 17 per cent up on the previous year. 15-minute city: Queen Mother Square in the King's pet building project, Poundbury, Dorset which is built along 15-minute city lines Baffling Netherlands-style 'safety roundabout' which gives cyclists and pedestrians priority sees an INCREASE in accidents since it replaced its traditional predecessor - so would you know how to use it? Britain's first Dutch-style roundabout which gives cyclists and pedestrians priority over vehicles has led to an increase in accidents, official figures have revealed. The complicated junction in Cambridge was opened in 2020 and has seen ten collisions, three serious, since then. In the three years prior to that, just six minor collisions were recorded. The statistics call into question the wisdom of such schemes, which Cambridgeshire County Council revealed are of 'great interest' to other local authorities. At its official opening in July 2020, the then chairman of the council's highways and transport committee, Ian Bates, claimed the new roundabout would 'improve safety at this busy junction'. Drivers have to give way to pedestrians and cyclists as they approach the roundabout. Cars must also give way when they exit the roundabout. Cyclists have priority over cars but must slow down and look to make sure they are stopping The cycle lane has priority over oncoming traffic at four intersections, forcing drivers to stop and give way But it had to be closed for three days shortly afterwards when a car hit a zebra crossing beacon. Safety auditors also listed ten problems - and witnessed a collision between a car and motorcycle - during a visit months later. What are Dutch-style roundabouts? The 'Dutch-style' design has an inner ring/outer ring configuration - and gives priority to cyclists and pedestrians. The design is prolific in Holland, which is renowned for its investment in improved cycling infrastructure. The car carriageway widths are narrower, which enforces slower approach and departure speeds to and from the roundabout in the inner ring. On the outer-most ring are pedestrian zebra crossings with a right of way over vehicles. And cyclists have their own outer ring cycle path - in contrasting red tarmac - to give them equal priority with pedestrians over each arm. The history of pedestrian/cycle priority roundabouts originates in the Netherlands in the 1970s if not earlier. Advertisement Retired GP Neville Silverton, 95, the founder of air ambulance charity Magpas, yesterday said he found the two-ring roundabout 'very hazardous' when negotiating it in his car and had witnessed accidents. 'I don't think the design has any safety features for the people it was intended to be safe for,' he told the BBC. 'It's a very busy roundabout and motorists use it at quite high speed. It's too much even for an experienced driver to take in, with cyclists and pedestrians coming from left and right, and vehicles from the right. 'You would be looking for vehicles traversing in front of you while a cyclist can be coming at high speed from your left. 'I've witnessed motorists making emergency stops and getting into rear-end bumps.' Local Ken Riley, 86, added the council had failed to factor in the soaring popularity of e-scooters. 'They approach the roundabout at full speed and they go straight onto the cycle track,' he said. 'Motorists don't have time to look around before they whizz across in front of them or behind them.' However, cyclist Peter French, 69, claimed other road users were 'on the lookout and stop for you'. He added: 'As long as you approach with caution yourself and are watchful it's fine.' The junction which replaced a normal roundabout on a busy route near Addenbrooke's Hospital and Cambridge Biomedical Campus was co-developed with Dutch consultancy firm Royal HaskoningDHV and is based on those used in the Netherlands. A bright red cycle lane around its circumference is separated from vehicles using an inner ring by islands with Belisha beacons. The roundabout had to be closed for three days shortly afterwards when a car hit a zebra crossing beacon The two rings of traffic mean approaching drivers having to keep an eye on both routes as they join the roundabout, as well as zebra crossings for pedestrians The junction has been criticised for being 'too complicated' by some Cambridge motorists The roundabout in Cambridge adheres to the design standards advocated by SWOV, the Dutch Institute for Road Safety Research The cycle lane has priority over oncoming traffic at four intersections, forcing drivers to stop and give way. However, the two rings of traffic mean approaching drivers having to keep an eye on both routes as they join the roundabout, as well as zebra crossings for pedestrians. Roads also narrow towards the junction to reduce traffic speed. Locals were up in arms about it even before it opened after costs trebled from 800,000 to 2.3million. The council blamed 'unexpected utility work' and pandemic delays but critics branded it a vanity project 'to brag about being the first in the UK' and predicted it would become an accident blackspot. In November 2020, the safety auditors who witnessed the collision between a car and motorcycle concluded drivers exiting the complicated layout after giving way to one cyclist were at risk of '[setting off when] they cannot see a second cyclist'. A bright red cycle lane around the junction is separated from vehicles using an inner ring by islands with Belisha beacons The ten collisions since opening involved nine cyclists and a pedestrian. The roundabout is just one battleground in the UK's cycle capital, where the Greater Cambridge Partnership a group of local authorities including the county council, plus Cambridge University is trying to force through a congestion charge. Cars drivers would face a charge of 5 on weekdays, rising to 10 for vans and 50 for HGVs. At present there are no exemptions for electric cars or essential workers. Businesses have warned of closures as passing trade shrinks. Roads have also been narrowed with bollards to create cycle lanes, causing tailbacks and delaying emergency services vehicles. And trees were torn out to widen a major arterial road and introduce new cycle lanes, despite vociferous campaigning by locals. Alex Beckett, the Lib Dem chairman of the county council's highways and transport committee, said the number of cyclists and pedestrians using the Dutch roundabout had increased since 2020. Vice-chairwoman of Cambridgeshire County Council, Cllr Lis Every, officially opened the roundabout The first-of-its-kind roundabout is located on Fendon Road, Cambridge The bright red lanes around the circumference is the most distinctive feature, which is a path to separate cyclists from other road users Using these dedicated red lanes gives cyclists priority at the junction, meaning drivers will need to stop to allow them to ride across He added: 'We have received compliments on its layout and had great interest from other local authorities who are looking to install their own Dutch-style roundabouts. 'We have carried out regular road safety audits and recently commissioned a study to look at the nature of the incidents, which will help inform any changes we might wish to make to this roundabout or any future roundabouts with similar design characteristics.' Local authorities interested in the junctions include Essex County Council, which submitted proposals for them in Braintree and Colchester to the Department for Transport. Tourists flocking to Liverpool for the Eurovision Song Contest will not spend as much on shopping as they would have done with a tax incentive, retailers warn. Bosses say the controversial tourist tax is hitting cities around the country not just London. The Mail this week launched its Scrap The Tourist Tax campaign with the support of MPs and 125 business leaders urging the Government to bring back tax-free shopping. Many visitors coming for Eurovision or the Kings Coronation next month will be reluctant to splurge, said the chiefs of department stores such as Harvey Nichols and Selfridges. Tourist hotspots Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester will miss out, with European rival cities set to benefit. Mary Chadwick, general manager at The Beatles Story in Liverpool, said the museum and local economy had reaped the rewards of the scheme. Tens of thousands of visitors are expected to flock to Liverpool for the Eurovision Song Contest, but Ms Chadwick warned: The Governments decision to scrap the scheme... will most certainly influence decisions for visitors both now and in the future to choose other EU countries over the UK. Many visitors coming for Eurovision or the Kings Coronation next month will be reluctant to splurge, said the chiefs of department stores Tens of thousands of visitors are expected to flock to Liverpool for the Eurovision Song Contest (Pictured - Luke Jerram's Earth floating in the Albert Dock in Liverpool for the contest next month) The boss of Harvey Nichols said it was not guaranteed that Eurovision fans would spend money in UK stores. The UK was less attractive as a destination to buy goods thanks to the tax situation, in a huge missed opportunity for the economy, Manju Malhotra said. Michael Wainwright, the director of jeweller Boodles, said the impulsive buyer has definitely drawn back. The jeweller used to see roaring trade from American visitors as they stepped off cruises at Liverpools port, but these tourists seemed reluctant to return to the city. We just cant understand why [the Government is] not making Britain competitive again, Mr Wainwright said. Andrew Keith, managing director of Selfridges, said it was imperative the Government rethink its policy. He added: Tax-free shopping is a clear growth driver for the UK particularly in major cities such as Manchester, Birmingham and London and for the wider ecosystem that supports tourism. Instead, we are watching international and British tourists visiting and spending in those same ecosystems, only in Paris or Milan. Sir Graham Brady, the Tory MP for Altrincham and Sale West, in Greater Manchester, told the Mail: Brexit gives Britain the opportunity to restore tax-free shopping for visitors to our country. This would attract lots of high-spending visitors. Andrew Keith, managing director of Selfridges, said it was imperative the Government rethink its polic Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen said: The Government needs to drop the tourism tax. Its a no-brainer. Abolishing it would benefit the areas right across the UK. As the Mails campaign grows, 125 business leaders have now signed a letter to the Chancellor demanding that he scraps the tax. STEVEN MEDWAY: Scrapping this tax would be a boon to regions across UK By Steven Medway Travellers from the United States, China or the Middle East once followed a reassuringly familiar itinerary when they visited Britain: a few days sightseeing in London followed by trips to tourist towns such as Oxford, York and Edinburgh. Now, thanks to the Governments disgraceful decision to end tax-free shopping for foreign visitors, those trips are being cut short if they happen at all. The tourist tax, reintroduced by Rishi Sunak in 2019, imposes the same 20 per cent VAT levy on overseas shoppers that British residents pay. Since the tax returned, our country has become an entirely unattractive destination for shoppers, while turning Europe into a far more appealing prospect. As CEO of the Knightsbridge Partnership, I am responsible for ensuring a thriving business and residential community in one of Londons most revered shopping districts. The businesses we represent, including five-star hotels, Michelin-starred restaurants and world-famous department stores such as Harrods and Harvey Nichols have done remarkably well to come back from the pandemics economic choke. The tourist tax, reintroduced by Rishi Sunak in 2019, imposes the same 20 per cent VAT levy on overseas shoppers that British residents pay READ MORE: Britain is missing out on millions from international visitors due to hated tourist tax, new figures reveal As the campaign to scrap the hated tourist tax widens, data shows how holidaymakers are spending far more on the Continent than Britain Advertisement But the tourist tax is detrimental to the prospects of the entire country. When shops close or businesses go under in Londons glitziest districts, factories shutter, supply chains collapse and countless jobs are lost elsewhere. These are the unforeseen and unfortunate consequences of this short-sighted policy: one that ministers might assume will have limited impact, affecting only rich visitors to London but that actually has ramifications across the land. Consider the consequences. Yes, people come to Knightsbridge to shop. But they also, very often, explore further afield. A Beatles fan or a devotee of Eurovision might travel to Liverpool to visit the homeland of the Fab Four. A history buff might go to Windsor especially during the Coronation to immerse themselves in this cultural jewel. Those who have admired from afar the wonders of the Lake District might fancy seeing what got Wordsworth so excited all those years ago. If they change their minds about these trips then, in turn, all the B&Bs, pubs, hotels, restaurants and shops they would have patronised suffer as a result. So much for the Governments pledge to level up opportunities and protect jobs across the country. Reinstating tax-free shopping would not only beckon back Chinese, American and Middle Eastern shoppers. It would also thanks to Brexit give 450 million Europeans access to tax-free shopping across the UK, including in cities served by international airports such as Glasgow or Leeds. This would in turn promote further economic growth. In Knightsbridge, 65 per cent of business comes from international visitors, and theyre being stymied by the tax. Meanwhile, shops in Milan, Paris and Madrid have seen sales surge by 40 per cent this year. When I speak to Knightsbridges hotels, the reason is clear: tourists are cutting short their stays by an average of two days, and all because of the tourist tax. Instead of enjoying London before catching the train elsewhere in Britain, theyre hopping with bulging wallets on the Eurostar to Paris. Shockingly, 70 per cent of those claiming tax refunds on shopping at Pariss Gare du Nord station on their way back to the UK are international travellers, rather than British nationals. This shows that many visitors are using Britain as a base then taking their business elsewhere. The Government must step up and abolish this hated tax or risk presiding over the long-term decline of British businesses all across the country. Paris Hilton was on Capitol Hill on Thursday to lobby members of Congress to support a bill designed to prevent sexual and physical abuse at schools, such as she endured. The 42-year-old revealed in August 2020 that she had been abused at a 'troubled teen' facility in Utah, where she was sent for 11 months when she was 17. Since then, the heiress and reality TV star has worked to improve scrutiny of schools, and prevent others from suffering like she did. 'I'm doing everything I can in my power to fight for these children because these are children who come from families that can't help and support them, and children from the juvenile justice system, foster care system. And they have no voice,' she told Fox News on Thursday morning. 'So I'm really just turning my pain into a purpose and using my platform to help make a difference and save children's lives, because hundreds of children have died in the name of treatment in these places.' Paris Hilton on Thursday morning appeared on Fox News to explain why she was promoting the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act in Congress Hilton, 42, is pictured on Thursday inside the Capitol The heiress and entrepreneur addressed a press conference explaining why the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act was so important Hilton is championing the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act, which was introduced on Thursday by a bipartisan group of senators and representatives. Democrat senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon and representative Ro Khanna of California backed the bill, besides Republican senators John Cornyn of Texas and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, plus representative Buddy Carter of Georgia. The bill seeks to create federal data collection and reporting standards for the 'troubled teen' industry and provide states with best practices to prevent abuse. Hilton, speaking on the steps of the Capitol, described how she was subjected to horrific treatment at the school. 'I witnessed and experienced sexual abuse from adult staff as well as endured verbal and emotional abuse daily. I was yelled at, dehumanized, silenced and stripped of any semblance of privacy,' she said. 'When I attempted to tell my parents about the abuse on the phone, staff would stop and immediately hang up the phone and punish me. 'On top of this, you had no access to the outside doors, no sunlight, no fresh air. These were considered privileges. 'What I went through will haunt me for the rest of my life.' Hilton is pictured on Thursday inside the Capitol The heiress said she was determined to use her high profile to give a voice to those suffering Hilton was praised by Ro Khanna, a representative for California, who said he admired her commitment to the cause Hilton described being medically sedated against her will and forcibly restrained. She also said male staff members would watch her while she showered. She previously described how she was sent there from New York as a teenage tearaway, and was subjected to emotional and physical abuse. 'From the moment I woke up until I went to bed, it was all day screaming in my face, yelling at me, continuous torture,' she said in 2020. In an op ed in USA Today, published in 2020, she wrote that when she arrived at Provo Canyon School, she was forced to take off her clothes, squat and cough, and participate in a gynecological exam while male staffers watched. She said she was told this was routine to check for contraband. Hilton wrote that those invasive exams continued during her stay, with staffers pulling her from her bed in the middle of the night and taking her to an 'exam room.' 'Sleep-deprived and heavily medicated, I didn't understand what was happening,' she wrote. 'I was forced to lie on a padded table, spread my legs and submit to gynecological exams. I remember crying while they held me down.' Hilton was sent to the Provo Canyon school in Utah when she was 17, and stayed there for 11 months Hilton wrote that she asked why this was happening, and was told to be quiet or she would be sent to solitary confinement. She said she now realizes it was sexual abuse. The school changed hands in 2000, and Universal Health Services, which now owns Provo Canyon School, repeatedly has declined to comment on what Hilton said happened to her, saying it didn't own the facility during the time she said she was abused. Hilton was last on the Hill in 2021 pushing for a similar measure, the Accountability for Congregate Care Act. Khanna and Merkley were also sponsors of that bill. Khanna said he admired her commitment to enacting change, unlike other celebrities who 'fly in, they do a press conference, you have some bill introduced and then they leave.' Khanna added: 'They came in three years ago and I remember talking to Paris' mom and they said 'We actually want to get legislation done.' 'And month after month with the organization they've been working to meet members of Congress, doing the work to actually get something done.' New laws will allow police to cart off demonstrators who block the roads Suella Braverman launched a fresh attack on eco-zealots last night as she unveiled measures to tackle disruptive 'slow marching' tactics. New laws expected to be in place within weeks will allow police to cart off demonstrators who block the roads. The key measures had to be dropped from the Public Order Bill, which completed its passage through Parliament this week, after being blocked by Labour and other opposition peers. Now the Home Secretary is introducing almost identical legal changes by an alternative route, known as a statutory instrument, which can be implemented more quickly. It comes after a series of protests by Just Stop Oil activists caused disruption in the capital this week. Suella Braverman launched a fresh attack on eco-zealots last night as she unveiled measures to tackle disruptive 'slow marching' tactics New laws expected to be in place within weeks will allow police to cart off demonstrators who block the roads More than 50 activists staged a fourth day of slow marches around busy areas including Waterloo Bridge and Oxford Street even blocking an ambulance from passing. However, the protesters were cleared off the road in minutes after Met officers took firm action, issuing four Section 12 Public Order Act warnings. Yesterday the Mail reported how deputy assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor, who is leading the force's response, said vague legislation was making it 'challenging' for officers to respond effectively. Announcing the new measures last night, the Home Secretary said: 'Selfish, disruptive protesters are wreaking havoc in people's everyday lives across the country and this must be brought to a stop. Announcing the new measures last night, Home Secretary Suella Braverman (pictured) said: 'Selfish, disruptive protesters are wreaking havoc in people's everyday lives across the country and this must be brought to a stop' 'This is why we are bringing forward this new law to clearly define serious disruption as requested by police chiefs. 'Not only will the Public Order Bill introduce new criminal offences for causing serious disruption, this new legislation permits the police to clear the roads of slow marching protesters who are hell-bent on causing chaos across the UK.' Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington, of the National Police Chiefs' Council, said they are 'committed to responding quickly and effectively to activists who deliberately disrupt people's lives'. 'There is a downtown local 6 train to Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall approaching the station.' Any New Yorker or tourist has heard Bernie Wagenblast's voice echoed throughout the Big Apple's numbered subway lines, telling commuters when a train is approaching the station or how far away the next one is. Wagenblast, 66, of Cranford, New Jersey, is a staple part of the New York City subway system, but rarely would a commuter be able to place a name or face to the deep voice projected across the platform. Now, Wagenblast - who also voices the announcements for the AirTrain at Newark Liberty International Airport and the PATCO system in South Jersey and Philadelphia - has come out as a transgender woman. She first announced her decision to transition in December 2022. 'Beginning January 1st, I plan to begin living as a female full-time,' Wagenblast said in a social media post at the time. Although she sounds much different now after seeing a speech therapist to develop her feminine voice - as estrogen does not change the depth of a person's vocals - she admitted on Anna Sale's podcast Death, Sex, and Money that she still uses her 'disembodied' voice professionally. Any New Yorker or tourist has heard Bernie Wagenblast's voice echoed throughout the Big Apple's numbered subway lines, but rarely would a commuter be able to place a name or face to the deep voice projected across the platform. Now, Wagenblast - who also voices the announcements for the AirTrain at Newark Liberty International Airport and the PATCO system in South Jersey and Philadelphia - has come out as a transgender woman 'I've only been using this voice full-time since January 1,' Wagenblast, who officially came out on December 28, told Sale. 'Before that, I had been working on it, but most of my conversation was what I call my guy voice, and professionally I still use that voice.' Wagenblast remembers being as young as four when she started to realize that she felt more like a girl than a boy, she said in her interview. 'I remember clearly being at my grandmother's house, sitting in front of her vanity, putting on some of her necklaces, and I think she had powder at her vanity and putting that on my face,' she said. 'It felt good. It felt natural. It felt like: "why can't I do this?:' She doesn't remember when it was instilled in her that boys shouldn't enjoy those things, but 'fairly soon I realized that this was not okay.' While playing with his female friend, who lived across the street, as a little kid, she suggested they swap clothes. After doing so, her friend's brother told his parents, who then told Wagenblast's family, who reiterated to her that this was 'not acceptable.' She would first share her identity as a transgender woman with a teacher in a nearby town named Paula Grossman, who had transitioned and was later fired as an educator for it. Wagenblast found her information in the phonebook and sent a letter to her and later arranged a phone call on a payphone a half-mile from her house. 'We set a time and I sent her the phone number and she called me and I just for the first time ever shared with somebody how I felt and talked with someone who I knew could understand what I was feeling. 'There is a downtown local 6 train to Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall approaching the station': Wagenblast's voice can be heard on subway platforms across the numbered lines, including the 4, 5, and 6 trains. 'And I have to give her a lot of credit because I was a minor and she was taking a risk,' she said. She would later tell her girlfriend in college about her identity and their relationship ended shortly after that. The next person she shared it with would be her soon-to-be-wife. 'It was clear that I was going to ask her to marry me, but I felt that if I was going to do that, she needed to know about this part because I knew by then this was never going to disappear, and anybody that I was going to marry was going to have to live with this to some extent,' she said on the podcast. She took her then-girlfriend to Liberty State Park in New Jersey and broke down in 'tears,' fearing this would be the end of their relationship. Luckily for Wagenblast, 'she told me that she loved me.' 'She told me that it was okay that we could deal with this, that this was not the end of our relationship,' Wagenblast said. At the time, the couple had only been dating a few months. 'It was far better than I could have hoped for at the time.' They would go on to have three children, which Wagenblast shared her secret with individually four years ago. 'All three of my daughters are married, so with each one, we had a separate conversation. My wife and I together met with them and told them about how I've always felt about myself and some of the things that I was doing, but still at the time that there was no plan for me to transition or to change my appearance, or even at that point, my legal identity or gender,' she said. 'It was just letting them know something that I had always struggled with and wanting them to be aware of that. I didn't want them to hear this secondhand if something happened to me. I didn't want them to not have a chance to talk with me about it and to ask me questions and to really get to know their dad on a much deeper level.' Wagenblast's voice was long broadcasted in New Yorkers' ears before they started to hear her voice in the subway tunnels. She started her career in media in her early 20s as a radio personality on two big city stations Wagenblast would start to socially transition shortly thereafter, first starting on hormone therapy and then buying more androgynous clothing, and eventually legally changing her name to Bernadette. 'I did what I think is a rather slow but deliberate transition, and I would start to change things here and there,' she said. 'One of the first things I did was I went on the lowest dose possible of hormone replacement therapy in the hope that maybe that would be enough, that that would make me feel calm. And I think just the knowledge that I now had estrogen in my bloodstream felt so good.' Since transitioning, Wagenblast has opted for shoulder-length blonde hair and continues to work on making her voice more high-pitched. Wagenblast has been trying to use her new voice 'more and more' so it 'becomes more natural,' but for now, she'll keep using her famously-dulcet tone for the subway announcements, and did so when she was asked to record the fresh audio to go with Newark's new airport terminal. She said it was 'strange' recording the new announcements in her 'guy voice,' but found it 'a lot easier' now to switch between the two voices. The MTA - which runs the NYC subway - supported its employee on social media, sharing a link to the podcast on its Instagram account, writing: 'Get to know Bernie Wagenblast! If you ride our numbered subway lines, you've likely heard her announce the arrival of your train!' On her way to record the podcast, Wagenblast dipped into a subway station to 'hear how it's sounding these days.' Wagenblast came out publicly on December 28 on Facebook and LinkedIn, announcing she would 'begin living as a female full-time' on January 1 'It was a little bit loud I thought,' she laughed. 'But you kind of have to be loud in New York to be heard over all the other noise.' Wagenblast's voice was long broadcasted in New Yorkers' ears before they started to hear her voice in the subway tunnels. She started her career in media in her early 20s as a radio personality on two big city stations. 'Not only was I on the air in New York, I was on two New York stations in drive time, which is the time where most people are listening to [the] radio. So, it was a dream come true to be in this kind of a situation,' she told Sale. She wanted to be a broadcaster since the fifth grade and was ecstatic to finally have achieved it. As a child, she would 'take the newspaper and just read it out loud to try to develop that kind of a voice.' 'As my voice did start to deepen, I welcomed that. I knew that would sound more authoritative, and it sounded better than having a higher pitched voice would,' she said on the podcast. When asked if developing her deeper voice bothered her, she said she 'felt as if unfortunately I am going to have to live as a male all my life' and it was best to cultivate the voice that would lead her to the job she wanted. 'So doing the deep voice was the best way to go forward and to do something that I loved doing. And I think it was in some ways a distraction,' Wagenblast said. Although the subway announcement and her other professional work will remain in her 'guy voice,' Wagenblast will be exploring using her feminine voice in her work on Transportation Radio and Cranford Radio. Former Vice President Mike Pence testified Thursday before a grand jury for more than seven hours as part of a federal investigation into former President Donald Trump and his allies' efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Pence's appearance before a grand jury in Washington scrutinizing the president he once loyally served is a milestone in the Justice Department's investigation and likely gives prosecutors a key first-person account about certain conversations and events in the weeks preceding the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. It also carries significant political implications, coming as Pence hints at entering the 2024 presidential race and a potential run against Trump, the Republican front-runner. The testimony came hours after a federal appeals court in a sealed order rejected a bid by Trump's lawyers to block Pence's appearance. ABC News and NBC News first reported the length of Pence's appearance. Former Vice President Mike Pence testified Thursday before a grand jury for more than seven hours as part of a federal investigation into former President Donald Trump and his allies' efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election Pence was subpoenaed to testify earlier this year, but Trump's lawyers objected, citing executive privilege concerns. A judge in March refused to block Pence's appearance, though he did side with the former vice president's constitutional claims that he could not be forced to answer questions about anything related to his role as presiding over the Senates certification of votes on Jan. 6. 'We'll obey the law, we'll tell the truth,' Pence said in an interview with CBS News' Face the Nation that aired Sunday. 'And the story that I've been telling the American people all across the country, the story that I wrote in the pages of my memoir, that'll be the story I tell in that setting.' Pence has spoken extensively about Trump's pressure campaign urging him to reject Democrat Joe Biden's presidential election victory in the days leading up to Jan. 6, including in his book, 'So Help Me God.' Pence, as vice president, had a ceremonial role overseeing Congress' counting of the Electoral College vote but did not have the power to affect the results, despite Trumps contention otherwise. Pence, a former Indiana governor and congressman, has said that Trump endangered his family and everyone else who was at the Capitol that day and history will hold him 'accountable.' 'For four years, we had a close working relationship. It did not end well,' Pence wrote, summing up their time in the White House. Lawyers for Pence had raised their own, more narrow challenge to the subpoena. They argued that because Pence was serving in his capacity as president of the Senate as electoral votes were being counted in Congress on Jan. 6, he was protected from being forced to testify about that process under the Constitution's 'speech or debate' clause, which is intended to protect members of Congress from being questioned about official legislative acts. A judge agreed with that argument, effectively narrowing the scope of his expected testimony. The Justice Department special counsel leading the investigation, Jack Smith, has cast a broad net in interviews and has sought the testimony of a long list of former Trump aides, including ex-White House counsel Pat Cipollone and former adviser Stephen Miller. Smith is separately investigating Trump over the potential mishandling of hundreds of classified documents at his Palm Beach, Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, as well as possible efforts to obstruct that probe. On Wednesday, Trump's lawyers in that investigation called the Department of Justice investigation 'severely botched' and 'politically infected' and urged the House Intelligence Committee to step in by holding hearings and introducing legislation to correct classified document handling procedures in the White House and to standardize procedures for presidents and vice presidents for when they leave office. 'DOJ should be ordered to stand down, and the intelligence community should instead conduct an appropriate investigation and provide a full report to this Committee, as well as your counterparts in the Senate,' the lawyers wrote. It is unclear when either of the special counsel's investigations will end or who, if anyone, will be charged. The sister of Chad Daybell's murdered wife wept as she described his 'weird' behavior in the months before he and Lori Vallow are accused of killing her. Samantha Gwilliam took the stand Thursday at the cult mom's murder trial to describe how her sister Tammy and Daybell 'seemed very awkward' in June and July of 2019. By this time, Daybell was having an affair with Vallow. Vallow, 49, and Daybell, 54, are accused of killing Tammy in October 2019, a month after allegedly murdering and burying her two children JJ, seven, and Tylee, 16, in Rexburg, Idaho. The pair married in Hawaii just two weeks after Tammy's death. Gwilliam told jurors that Daybell 'seemed really weird' and that something in the couple's relationship was 'off'. She broke down as she was shown pictures of her sister who was suffocated - the same way JJ died. Cops initially ruled she had died of natural causes but reopened their investigation after Vallow's children were reported missing. Samantha Gwilliam (pictured) took the stand Thursday at the cult mom's murder trial to describe how her sister Tammy and Daybell 'seemed very awkward' in June and July of 2019 Chad and Tammy Daybell pictured before she was murdered in October, 2019 Vallow (in an undated photo shared by Tylee before her death) and her husband Chad Daybell are accused of killing Tylee and her seven-year-old adopted brother JJ in Rexburg, Idaho, in September 2019. The State says the couple believed the children were Satanic 'zombies' Vallow's children, Tylee and JJ disappeared in September 2019, but their remains were not discovered until the following June Gwilliam told the court that Daybell and Tammy came to stay with she and her husband in Springville, Utah, in the first week of June, 2019. 'Something seemed off, they were very awkward at our house and Chad wouldn't converse with my husband like they normally did,' Gwilliam told jurors. 'It seemed really strange and we didn't know what was going on.' In another bizarre encounter, Gwilliam described how Tammy had shown up with a birthday present for her in July. But Daybell 'stayed in the car the whole time with it running - so she just stood in my house for five minutes.' Gwilliam added: 'He didn't even bother to come in and say anything it was really weird.' She said she was called by Daybell the morning that she passed away. 'He told me that she had been really sick and that she'd been coughing all night and she had gotten up with a coughing fit around midnight,' Gwilliam said. Daybell told her Tammy went back to sleep and then he was awoken when her lifeless body fell out of their bed. Gwilliam wiped away tears as she said told jurors that Tammy was fit and healthy and that they had been planning a celebration for her 50th birthday. She described Tammy as a close friend who she spoke to everyday. The sisters, who have three brothers, lives just two blocks from each other and saw each other everyday before Daybell moved his family from Springville to Rexburg. Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow in Hawaii after they were married. At the time cops were still searching for the kids in Idaho Tylee, 16, and JJ, seven, are shown with their uncle, Alex Cox, in what is believed to be the final photo of them, taken during a family trip to Yellowstone National Park on September 8, 2019 The kids' bodies were discovered in shallow graves on Daybell's property on June 9, 2020 - nine months after they vanished Dr Garth Warren revealed for the first time how JJ's cause of death was 'asphyxia by plastic bag over the head and duct tape over the mouth.' The coroner suggested the boy had scratched his own neck as he struggled to break free An Instagram post from Tylee with her mom dated May 14, 2017, when she was 14 years old Another photo from Tylee's post on May 14, 2017, shows her and Lori several years back 'We talked everyday and saw each other everyday and we did everything together with our children,' Gwilliam told the Ada County Courthouse in Boise. Daybell worked as a grave digger at the cemetery while his wife was a secretary at the local high school. She said that Daybell, who has five children with Tammy, was a 'really nice guy and treated her well'. He was friends with her husband and the two families frequently socialized together, Gwilliam said. She said that Tammy was unhappy with moving to Idaho and that it was 'Chad's idea.' Gwilliam's evidence was cut short this afternoon and will continue Friday morning. Vallow's children were missing for almost a year before their corpses were found buried in Daybell's yard on June 9, 2020. During the opening, prosecutor Lindsey Blake described how charred remains were all that was left of Tylee. She told jurors: 'You will hear it explained as a mass of bone and tissue. That's what was left of this beautiful young woman.' The key individuals in Lori Vallow's tangled family tree, including her five husbands, two dead children and killer brother Chad Daybell appears during a court hearing in St. Anthony, Idaho, Aug. 4, 2020 Lori Vallow Daybell glances at the camera during her hearing on March 6, 2020, in Rexburg, Idaho JJ's body was wrapped in trash bags and duct tape - the tape binding his arms in front of him and wrapping around his head. The two children and Daybell's previous wife Tammy were all killed because they stood in the way of the couple's relationship, the State says. 'Remember, the defendant will remove any obstacle in her way to get what she wants, and she wanted Chad Daybell,' Blake told jurors. 'The defendant used money, power and sex to get what she wanted.' Jurors have heard from friends and relatives of Vallow that she and Daybell believed the children were 'dark' and referred to them as 'zombies' before they disappeared. 'The common theme was the body has to be destroyed,' Blake said. 'The defendant and Chad used their self-proclaimed religious teachings to justify their actions to others their actions from affair to murder.' Prosecutors say the couple planned to use life insurance money from Tammy's death, and that Vallow kept collecting and spending the children's social security and benefits after they died. The trial opened on April 10 and the State is still laying out its case. Daybell is being tried separately. A supermassive black hole and the fierce jet it emits have been imaged together for the first time in an exciting breakthrough that could shed light on the mysteries of the universe. Astronomers hope their groundbreaking observations of the enormous object at the heart of the galaxy Messier 87 (M87) could help reveal how black holes feed and what enables them to launch energetic jets of material across intergalactic space. The image shows for the first time the shadow of a black hole and what the powerful jet being launched from its event horizon looks like. 'We know that jets are ejected from the region surrounding black holes, but we still do not fully understand how this actually happens,' said lead author Dr Ru-Sen Lu, of the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory. 'To study this directly we need to observe the origin of the jet as close as possible to the black hole.' First look: A supermassive black hole and the fierce jet it emits have been imaged together for the first time in an exciting breakthrough that could shed light on the mysteries of the universe The supermassive black hole at M87's centre, which was the first to be directly imaged by humanity, is 6.5 billion times more massive than the sun and located 55 million light years from Earth. WHAT ARE BLACK HOLES? Black holes are so dense and their gravitational pull is so strong that no form of radiation can escape them - not even light. They act as intense sources of gravity which hoover up dust and gas around them. Their intense gravitational pull is thought to be what stars in galaxies orbit around. How they are formed is still poorly understood. Astronomers believe they may form when a large cloud of gas up to 100,000 times more significant than the sun collapses into a black hole. Many of these black hole seeds then merge to form much larger supermassive black holes, which are found at the center of every known massive galaxy. Alternatively, a supermassive black hole seed could come from a giant star, about 100 times the sun's mass, that ultimately forms into a black hole after it runs out of fuel and collapses. When these giant stars die, they also go 'supernova,' a vast explosion that expels the matter from the star's outer layers into deep space. Advertisement Previous images of it had managed to capture the jet it emits and the supermassive black hole itself, but not the two together. 'This new image completes the picture by showing the region around the black hole and the jet at the same time,' said Jae-Young Kim, of Kyungpook National University in South Korea and the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy. Most galaxies have enormous objects like these at their heart, acting as enormous sinkholes that swallow anything that crosses their path. As a result, the feeding monsters launch jets of matter at close to the speed of light, which scientists think are powered by the rotation of the black hole itself. However, it is still unclear as to where exactly these jets come from. Scientists believe it could either be close to the black hole's event horizon or just outside it in the Ergoregion, which is a zone where space-time itself co-rotates with the object. The new image of the M87 supermassive black hole was made using 2018 data from the Global Millimetre VLBI Array (GMVA), the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the Greenland Telescope (GLT). It shows a powerful jet connecting with the matter surrounding a supermassive black hole, but does not precisely pinpoint the origin. The picture also reveals what scientists call the shadow of the black hole. This is created as matter whips up around the black hole and glows as it heats up, creating the bright golden ring which was visible in the historic first image of the M87 monster taken by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) in 2017. Follow-up research with the help of artificial intelligence machine learning earlier this month revealed the black hole in full-resolution, the first of its kind. Astronomers hope their groundbreaking observations of the black hole at the heart of the galaxy Messier 87 (M87) could help reveal how black holes behave and what enables them to launch energetic jets of material across intergalactic space. An artist's impression is shown Analysis: The image shows for the first time the shadow of a black hole and what the powerful jet being launched from its event horizon looks like The new image shows a powerful jet connecting with the matter surrounding a supermassive black hole, but does not precisely pinpoint the origin At the centre of this golden ring is total darkness, which is the shadow of the black hole. The new image also differs from the 2017 one because it shows this region in longer wavelengths of light, which changes what astronomers can visualise. 'At this wavelength, we can see how the jet emerges from the ring of emission around the central supermassive black hole,' said Thomas Krichbaum, of the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy. The size of the ring of the black hole in this new image is also 50 per cent larger than in the EHT picture, which scientists say suggests it is gobbling up matter more rapidly than previously believed. Breakthrough: In 2017, the M87 black hole was the first to be directly imaged by astronomers Wow: Earlier this month scientists revealed another fascinating glimpse of the M87 object with the release of the first-ever full resolution photo of a supermassive black hole 'This is the first image where we are able to pin down where the ring is, relative to the powerful jet escaping out of the central black hole,' said Dr Kazunori Akiyama, of MIT's Haystack Observatory, who developed the imaging software used to visualise the black hole. 'Now we can start to address questions such as how particles are accelerated and heated, and many other mysteries around the black hole, more deeply.' Eduardo Ros, also of the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, said astronomers now planned to observe the region around the M87 black hole at different radio wavelengths to further develop their understanding of the jets it emits. 'The coming years will be exciting, as we will be able to learn more about what happens near one of the most mysterious regions in the universe,' he added. The new research has been published in the journal Nature. It is hoped this may lead to a definitive answer as to what produces them These are blasts of radio waves that came from one galaxy more than once E.T. could well be phoning home, as scientists have detected 25 mysterious 'fast radio bursts' from outer space. These blasts of powerful radiation were picked up by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) radio telescope between 2019 and 2021. It is not currently known what produces fast radio bursts, or FRBs, but they are generally thought to be emanated by dying stars in distant galaxies. What makes the new FRBs special is that they are 'repeating' - multiple bursts came from the same location in space, according to University of Toronto astronomers. So far, many more non-repeating FRBs have been detected than repeating ones, but the latter type has potential to give more information about where they come from. These blasts of powerful radiation were picked up by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) radio telescope (pictured) between 2019 and 2021 What makes the new FRBs, analysed by University of Toronto astronomers, special is that they are 'repeating' - multiple bursts came from the same location in space. Pictured: Sky distribution of repeating sources of FRBs. Orange diamonds represent the 25 newly-discovered FRBs, while others were already known WHAT ARE 'FAST RADIO BURSTS'? FRBs have perplexed researchers for years, appearing as fleeting signals from the distant universe that cant yet be explained definitively. Its thought that these brief flashes may come from black holes or neutron stars, though some have even speculated they may be of alien origin. The first FRB was spotted, or rather 'heard' by radio telescopes, back in 2001 but wasn't discovered until 2007 when scientists were analysing archival data. But it was so temporary and seemingly random that it took years for astronomers to agree it wasn't a glitch in one of the telescope's instruments. Advertisement This is because they give scientists the opportunity to study bursts from a single location with different instruments, and gather different data. The newly-discovered phenomena have brought the total number of known repeating FRBs to 50. 'FRBs are likely produced by the leftovers from explosive stellar deaths,' said study co-author Dr Ziggy Pleunis. 'By studying repeating FRB sources in detail, we can study the environments that these explosions occur in and understand better the end stages of a star's life. 'We can also learn more about the material that's being expelled before and during the star's demise, which is then returned to the galaxies that the FRBs live in.' FRBs are oddly bright flashes of light, registering in the radio band of the electromagnetic spectrum, which appear temporarily and randomly from space. When a a single FRB goes off, it contains 10 trillion times the annual energy consumption of the entire world population. The flashes are so powerful that radio telescopes can detect them from more than four billion light-years away. Possibly originating from black holes or neutron stars, they range from a fraction of a millisecond to a few seconds before vanishing without a trace. In 2017, a team at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics said they could be coming from faraway alien transmitters powering interstellar probes. They are not uncommon, and come from all over the sky, but have perplexed researchers for years as their cause is little understood. Studying FRBs is difficult because no one knows where in the sky the next burst will occur. So far, many more non-repeating FRBs have been detected than repeating ones, but the latter type has potential to give more information about where they come from Pictured: Detection timeline for 46 repeating sources of FRBs picked up by the CHIME telescope Non-repeating FRBs - which only 'burst' once from their origin location - are detected much more frequently than repeating FRBs. This has led scientists to speculate that they are each produced by something different. They differ in other ways too; repeating FRBs tend to come from dwarf galaxies, but non-repeating FRBs come from lots of different galaxy types. Repeating FRBs are usually less energetic and do not last as long as non-repeating FRBs, and also have a different range of frequencies. The new study, published in The Astrophysical Journal, presents the discovery of 25 new repeating FRBs detected between September 30 2019 and May 1 2021 - doubling the known total. Researchers reanalysed all the prior-known repeating FRBs as well as the ones they were not sure of with new statistical tools. These helped confirm whether the bursts did or did not come from the same galaxy, and therefore whether they were indeed repeating FRBs. As well as confirming that 25 FRBs were repeating ones, the team also found that many of them are 'surprisingly inactive', producing fewer than one burst a week. This suggests that all FRBs could actually be repeating, as the non-repeating ones simply have not been observed for long enough to pick up their second burst. The team hope that their findings may lead to a definitive answer as to what exactly produces an FRB. Adaeze Ibik, a PhD student and co-author, said: 'It is exciting that CHIME/FRB saw multiple flashes from the same locations, as this allows for the detailed investigation of their nature. 'We were able to hone in on some of these repeating sources and have already identified likely associated galaxies for two of them.' Home to the hugely popular annual knees-up Oktoberfest, Germany has long trumpeted itself as being the birthplace of lager. Now new research points to exactly where it originated. Scientists scoured through old brewing records to trace the history of lager yeast back to a brewery in Munich in 1602. Previous analysis had revealed the yeast to be a combination of two other types, but mystery surrounded when and how this had happened. The answer, experts in Germany say, is that lager was probably born by chance when the ale-producing bottom-feeding yeast used in Bavaria since the 14th century was inadvertently mixed with Bohemian top-feeding wheat beer yeast. Discovery: Scientists scoured through old brewing records to trace the history of lager yeast back to a brewery in Munich in 1602 History: For five years the Hofbrauhaus brewery (pictured today) alternated between making bottom fermented brown ale and top fermented wheat beer, a period during which the two yeasts ended up mixing and lager yeast was born Bohemia is a region of the modern-day Czech Republic, giving the Czechs a claim to fame in lager's creation. However, in the 17th century it was a German state. HOW DID LAGER YEAST COME TO BE? Researchers say the dominance of lager yeast developed in three stages. 1. The yeast strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae first arrives in Munich from Bohemia, where brewers had been making wheat beer. 2. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is introduced to a brewery in Munich in 1602 and mixed with the Saccharomyces eubayanus yeast being used to make brown ale. 3. The new yeast Saccharomyces pastorianus is distributed around Munich breweries first, and then throughout Europe and the world. It was not until the early 19th century that the first lager beer was actually brewed, when Saccharomyces pastorianus was extracted and isolated properly in Copenhagen by the owner of Carlsberg. Advertisement The contamination came about following the death of a wheat beer brewer whose assets were seized by Maximilian the Great, Duke of Bavaria and later Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire. For economic reasons, Hans VI von Degenberg had been given special permission to set up a wheat beer brewery in Bavarian territory, despite it being mandated that all Bavarian brewers use bottom fermenting yeast in the mid-16th century. Just as the beer had proved extremely popular in Bohemia, it was also a success in Bavaria. But when Von Degenberg's grandson died without an heir in 1602, the brewery in the small border town of Schwarzach was seized by Maximilian the Great, who then transferred the yeast to his own venture in Munich, experts say. Prof John Morrissey, a yeast evolution expert at University College Cork, told the Telegraph that the duke 'was jealous of the economic success that the von Degenberg's had with their wheat beer'. For the next five years the duke's court brewery (Hofbrauhaus) alternated between making bottom fermented brown ale and top fermented wheat beer, a period during which the two yeasts ended up mixing and lager yeast was born. After that, researchers say strains of the yeast known as Saccharomyces pastorianus spread all over Europe and are the source of all modern lager yeast. However, it wasn't until more than 200 years that the first lager beer was actually brewed, when Saccharomyces pastorianus was extracted and isolated properly in Copenhagen by the owner of Carlsberg. Scientists say strains of Saccharomyces pastorianus spread all over Europe and are the source of all modern lager yeast. However, it would be more than 200 years later until the first lager beer was actually brewed, in Copenhagen by the owner of Carlsberg Origins: The contamination came about following the death of a wheat beer brewer whose assets were seized by Maximilian the Great, Duke of Bavaria and later Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire (pictured) 'There is a certain irony that the inability of Hans VIII von Degenberg to produce a son triggered the events that led to the creation of creation of lager yeast,' said lead author of the research, Mathias Hutzler. 'As one lineage died out, another began. No heir but what a legacy he left for the world!' Despite being heralded for its beer, Germany is not the home of the popular beverage. The drink has actually been made since ancient times, with recent archaeology showing evidence of brewing in the eastern Mediterranean some 13,000 years ago. Up until the early 20th century, ale was the typical beer produced, but lager now accounts for approximately 90 per cent of the beer consumed annually. The new research has been published in the journal FEMS Yeast Research. Soon, you will be able to block out both the noise and air pollution of bustling city streets simultaneously - but it will cost you. Dyson's noise-cancelling, air-purifying headphones are due to go on sale in the UK on May 17, with one pair selling for a whopping 820. Dubbed the 'Dyson Zone', the futuristic headgear comes with a detachable, magnetic visor that pumps filtered air into the wearers nose and mouth. The filtration system can capture 99 per cent of airborne particles as small as 0.1 microns, including pollen, dust, bacteria and some viruses like H1N1. They also come with active noise cancellation, thanks to cushions that mould around the listener's ear and audio technology. Dyson's noise-cancelling, air-purifying headphones are due to go on sale in the UK on May 17 - with one pair selling for a whopping 820 Two pairs will go on sale; the standard Dyson Zone in Ultra Blue for 749.99 (left), and the Dyson Zone Absolute+ in Prussian Blue for 819.99 (right) The Dyson Zone headphones were first unveiled last year as the UK-founded firm's take on combating noise and air pollution in urban areas around the world. HOW DOES IT WORK? Compressors in each ear draw air through built-in filters, which capture ultrafine particles such as allergens and brake dust. A potassium-enriched carbon layer, also in the ear caps, captures city gas pollutants like nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide. The compressors then project two streams of purified air to the wearer's nose and mouth through the visor. Advertisement They were in response to data which shows that one in five people in the EU are affected by noise pollution and that 99 per cent of the world's population live in areas that exceed the World Health Organisation's safe levels for pollution. The ear caps pull in air at a rate of 2.5 litres per second, and a potassium-enriched carbon layer captures city gas pollutants like nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide. Compressors then project two streams of purified air to the wearer's nose and mouth through the visor, which doesn't touch the face like traditional face masks. The visor can also be lowered to expose the wearer's mouth when speaking, or detached completely when not in use. When lowered, its fans turn off and the headphones switch to a setting which allows you to hear your surroundings, so you can have a conversation. The electrostatic filters in the ear caps will need to be replaced up to every 12 months to keep the air purification system working. It is currently unclear how much filters will cost. A notification from the MyDyson app, which connects to the headphones, will inform the user when replacement is necessary, and changing them over can be done at home. Users will also be able to adjust airflow speed and audio modes, as well as track the different levels of air quality they encounter, with the MyDyson app. The Dyson Zone were first unveiled earlier this year as the UK-founded firm's unique take on combating noise and air pollution in urban areas around the world DYSON ZONE FEATURES Air purification: Air is drawn in through dual-layer filters in the earcups, purified with Dyson two-stage purification technology and directed out towards the wearer's mouth and nose. Contact-free visor: The visor itself has been designed to not touch your face the clean air flows in a stream to your mouth and nose to prevent the visor from getting uncomfortable. The visor is completely removable, if the wearer just wants to listen to music. High-quality sound: Dyson Zone comes with active noise-cancelling as a result of its cushions that mould around the listener's ear as well as audio technology. Advertisement Today, Dyson has announced that the UK release date for the Zone headphones will be May 17. Two pairs will go on sale; the standard Dyson Zone in Ultra Blue for 749.99, and the Dyson Zone Absolute+ in Prussian Blue for 819.99. Both of these come with a cleaning brush, charger, travel case and visor sleeve, but the latter also comes with an in-flight adaptor, dust bag and spare pair of filters. The standard pair will be able to buy from third party stores, however the Absolute+ headphones will be exclusively available at Dyson stores and the company website. Dyson says the headphones offer up to 50 hours of audio-only battery life, or between 90 minutes and four hours of combined audio and air purification run time. Data from eight microphones monitoring the surrounding noise enables them to reduce the sounds of the city by 38dB. They can also play audio in the frequency range of 6Hz to 21kHz. The headphones can be charged using a USB-C cable, and can go from zero to 100 per cent battery in three hours. Dyson said the device takes inspiration from 'the shape and design of a horses saddle', by distributing weight over the sides of the head, rather than on the top. Data from eight microphones monitoring the surrounding noise enables them to reduce the sounds of the city by 38dB. They can also play audio in the frequency range of 6Hz to 21kHz Is YOUR area at risk? Map reveals UK regions with severe air pollution - READ MORE HERE The interactive map show parts of the UK that have the highest emissions of dangerous and toxic pollutants in red - including lead, arsenic, mercury, carbon monoxide and particulate matter Advertisement The firm says: 'A saddle typically curves over the horses spine distributing the load through contact with the areas left and right of the backbone a format used for the central cushion on the headband.' When the Dyson Zone headphones were first unveiled earlier this year, the company's chief engineer, Jake Dyson, said: 'The Dyson Zone purifies the air you breathe on the move. 'Unlike face masks, it delivers a plume of fresh air without touching your face, using high-performance filters and two miniaturised air pumps'. The British firm has said that developing a non-contact solution was a must for its engineers, to avoid the discomfort and irritation often associated with masks that touch the face. Their headphones are the result of six years of development and more than 500 prototypes. They were originally a 'snorkel-like' clean air mouthpiece paired with a backpack to hold the motor and inner workings. In tests, Dyson engineers used a breathing manikins fitted with medical-grade mechanical lungs and sensing equipment, to 'inhale' pollution replicating human breathing patterns. They then measured the pollution level within each manikin's nose and throat to determine the headphones' filtration efficacy of that type of particle. The Dyson Zone's filtration system can capture 99 per cent of particles as small as 0.1 microns, including pollen, dust and bacteria, as well as viruses Dyson says the headphones offer up to 50 hours of audio battery life, or around four hours of combined audio and air purification run time Reviews for the headphones have been largely positive when it comes to sound quality and air filtration. However, one reviewer from CNET did say that they felt 'a bit silly wearing the visor out and about', but that 'Dyson does have a good track record of its unusual products going mainstream'. They added that all the tech does make the headphones rather cumbersome, and even without the visor they weigh nearly 600 grams. Dyson warns that the worlds urban population continues to grow, resulting in a poorer quality of air to breathe as soon as we step out our homes. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), nine in 10 people globally breathe air that exceeds its guidelines on pollutant limits. In January 2022, people living in London were advised not to exercise outdoors due to high levels of pollution. Also, around 100 million people in Europe are also said to be exposed to long-term noise exposure above its recommended level. It's estimated that more than 100 million people, around 20 per cent of the European population, are exposed to long-term noise exposure above WHO guidance. A massive explosion on the sun's surface this week released billions of tons of plasma that are set to hit Earth today. The eruption, known as a coronal mass ejection (CME), shot out from the southwest region of the sun, sending plasma shooting toward our planet with the help of intense solar winds. Prediction reports suggest there is a 50 percent chance the particles will disrupt satellites in Earth's orbit and a 10 percent risk of blackouts. The stream contains intense radiation that can interrupt technologies on Earth. The solar winds are also expected to shock our planet's magnetosphere, causing a G1 geomagnetic storm that can disrupt satellites orbiting in the region of space. A massive explosion was captured rupturing from the sun's surface on April 24 CMEs can eject billions of tons of corona material from the sun's surface. The material consists of plasma and magnetic fields. Such eruptions have the potential to trigger space weather that can interfere with satellites and power grids on Earth and can be harmful to unprotected astronauts. It was captured by the European Space Agency's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, which analyzes our sun. And it is just by fate that the CMEs particles are hitting Earth, as the stream was released from a coronal hole facing our planet. Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Earth's magnetic field will be disrupted around 6pm ET tonight and could last until Friday. Earth's magnetic field has been 'unsettled' as of Thursday and will continue over the next 24 hours as high-speed solar winds flow from the coronal hole, EarthSky reports. Three coronal holes on the sun's surface face our planet and seven sunspots have also been identified. Sunspots are dark regions of the Sun where it is cooler than other parts of the surface. Solar flares originate close to these dark areas of the star. Solar flares and coronal mass ejections come from these regions. When they explode in the direction of Earth, they can result in geomagnetic storms that produce beautiful auroras and pose a danger to power grids and satellites. A gorgeous prominence has erupted from the eastern limb of the sun. pic.twitter.com/ZYAr0DEmS3 Edward.Vijayakumar (@edwanx) April 24, 2023 SpaceWeather experts predict that over the next 24 hours, there is a 50 percent chance for C flares, a 10 percent chance for M flares and one percent for X flares This eruption, known as a coronal mass ejection (CME), pierced the sun's southwest quadrant near a coronal hole, a cooler region on the surface The sun Thursday also released a 'cannibal' CME on the northeastern side of the solar disk facing away from Earth READ MORE: Colossal 74,500-mile-high 'solar tornado' swirls on the sun's surface The twister, composed of plasma and heat, measured more than 74,500 miles high and moved up to 310,000 miles per hour. Advertisement The sun Thursday also released a 'cannibal' CME on the northeastern side of the solar disk facing away from Earth. 'This particular cannibal CME will not affect our planet. It is heading away from us,' SpaceWeather.com reports. The sun is an amazing cosmic ball of gas that still surprises astronomers with its baffling behavior. One of these incidents was observed in February when a piece of the sun's northern pole broke off. A video shows a giant filament of plasma, or electrified gas, shooting out from the sun, separating and then circulating in a 'massive polar vortex.' While astronomers are baffled, they speculate the prominence has something to do with the reversal of the sun's magnetic field that happens once every solar cycle. NASA describes solar filaments as clouds of charged particles that float above the sun, tethered to it by magnetic forces. These appear as elongated, uneven strands that shoot out from the sun's surface. Solar physicist Scott McIntosh, the deputy director at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, told Space.com: 'Once every solar cycle, it forms at the 55-degree latitude and it starts to march up to the solar poles. 'It's very curious. There is a big 'why' question around it. Why does it only move toward the pole one time and then disappears and then comes back, magically, three or four years later in exactly the same region?' While astronomers have previously observed filaments breaking away from the sun, this is the first time one has circulated the region in a whirlwind. Dakota Fanning has signed on to star in the upcoming thriller feature The Watchers. The news about the 29-year-old actress was revealed on Wednesday, and the movie will also serve as Ishana Night Shyamalan's directorial debut, according to Deadline. The I Am Sam actress, who will also appear in the upcoming action feature The Equalizer 3, is set to start working on the film in the coming months. The Watchers will be adapted from A.M. Shine's novel of the same name, which was published in 2021. The movie will be centered on an artist named Mina, who finds herself lost in a forest located in western Ireland. Leading lady: Dakota Fanning has signed on to star in the upcoming thriller feature The Watchers; she is seen in 2020 The character then becomes trapped with three strangers who are the subjects of nightly stalking from various creatures. Ishana's father, M. Night Shyamalan, will serve as one of The Watcher's executive producers. In addition to helming the feature, the filmmaker also adapted its screenplay from the novel. Development on The Watchers was previously revealed to the public in February, when Deadline announced that the rights to the movie had been won by New Line. The media outlet reported that the project had been the subject of a bidding war. New Line Cinema's President and Chief Creative Officer, Richard Brener, provided a statement to express his enthusiasm about the forthcoming feature. 'We couldn't be more excited to make Ishana's first film with The Watchers. Equal parts visual, immersive, and terrifying, the script grips you from the first page and never lets go,' he said. Physical production on The Watchers is currently scheduled to commence this summer. First of many: The movie will serve as Ishana Night Shyamalan's directorial debut; she is seen in January Storyline: The movie will be centered on an artist named Mina, who finds herself lost in a forest located in western Ireland and subsequently becomes trapped with three strangers who are the subjects of nightly stalking from various creatures Next up: Fanning will appear alongside Denzel Washington in The Equalizer 3, in which the actor is set to reprise his longstanding role as Robert McCall The upcoming movie is also expected to be released on June 7, 2024. Fanning will appear alongside Denzel Washington in The Equalizer 3, in which the actor is set to reprise his longstanding role as Robert McCall. The actress signed on to appear in the feature last June, and she will costar with performers such as David Denman, Sonia Ben Ammar and Remo Girone. The action-thriller movie's trailer premiered on Tuesday, and it will debut in theaters on September 1. Cheyenne Jackson said he has relapsed after a decade of being sober. The 47-year-old actor and Broadway star took to Instagram on Monday with a candid post about his feelings following the misstep in his sobriety journey. 'VULNERABLE is what Im feeling today,' the Spokane, Washington native captioned a post. 'After nearly a decade of sobriety I fell off the wagon.' Jackson said that he's 'been carrying a lot of shame' about the relapse and was 'scared to share it' publicly, but decided to speak out in hopes of helping someone. 'I didnt want to disappoint anyone who has looked up to me as a sober person so Ive been just burying it away,' he said. 'I took my eye off the ball. I stopped doing what I needed to do to keep myself on the path of my personal integrity.' The latest: Cheyenne Jackson, 47, said he has relapsed after a decade of being sober. The actor and Broadway star took to Instagram on Tuesday with a candid post about his feelings following the misstep in his sobriety journey The American Horror Story actor said he could blame his slip on a number of factors, including the coronavirus pandemic, the state of the world and country, mass shootings or the death of his Call Me Kat costar Leslie Jordan last year. 'The truth is, I thought I had it all handled,' he said. 'I thought "I got this." But I dont. I am a work in progress. Always.' Jackson said he was grateful for his support system, including Oscar-winner Jamie Lee Curtis and others. 'It means everything to me,' he said. 'If you are out there struggling, you are not alone and there is a solution. I love you. And I love myself today and that feels really good to say.' In response to the post, Jackson received a number of uplifting responses from notable names including his husband Jason Landau, Curtis, Sophia Bush, Paulina Porizkova, Harvey Fierstein and Nia Vardalos, among others. 'The truth is anyone in recovery and only has this day sober,' Curtis said. 'The past is irrelevant, and the future unknown.' Porizkova responded, 'Perfectly said. And bravo on being human and thus fallible,' while Fierstein replied, 'If I can do anything for you just let me know. Theres no shame in slipping.' He continued: 'Just get the heck back up and be the miracle you were meant to be. And DONT ever think you have to do it alone. You are surrounded by a community that will raise you up until you are feeling strong. You are not alone.' The actor and Broadway star took to Instagram on Monday with a candid post about his feelings following the misstep in his sobriety journey In a follow-up post Tuesday, Jackson was seen in a clip in which he said he feels grateful and loved amid the outpour of more than 2,000 kind messages he received in response Jackson said that he's 'been carrying a lot of shame' about the relapse and was 'scared to share it' publicly, but decided to speak out in hopes of helping someone The American Horror Story actor said he could blame his slip on a number of factors, including the coronavirus pandemic, the state of the world and country, mass shootings or the death of his Call Me Kat costar Leslie Jordan last year Jackson said he was grateful for his support system, including Oscar-winner Jamie Lee Curtis and others In a follow-up post Tuesday, Jackson was seen in a clip in which he said he feels grateful and loved amid the outpour of more than 2,000 kind messages he received in response. 'Yesterday I put myself on blast and recommitted to my own sobriety and I guess I wasn't anticipating the outpouring of love that I have received,' Jackson said. He continued: 'I've always kind of prided myself on being a lone wolf, somebody who doesn't really need anybody, I can do it on my own. 'But as I get older I realize it doesn't really serve me in a lot of ways, and in my sobriety it definitely doesn't serve me because I need people and I need support.' Jackson has been candid about his sobriety battle for years, as he called himself a 'high-functioning alcoholic' in a 2014 chat with NBC New York. Jackson said, 'Practically nobody knew, not even my parents. I always showed up, I knew my lines, I looked okay. I always felt like I was missing out. 'That's why I drank and did drugs. I always felt like there was a party I hadn't been to, or "Oh, where is everybody going now."' James Brolin revealed the secret to success in his 25-year marriage to the great Barbra Streisand on Wednesday when he spoke to TMZ outside ABC Studios in New York City. The 82-year-old Hollywood veteran said that therapy was the key to achieving marital bliss with his legendary wife, 81 who is set to burn up the best sellers list with her memoir in November. TMZ asked Brolin about what marriage advice he would give to the 'new generation' and the actor graciously obliged while signing some autographs. 'Have a mediator you both are easy sitting with and resolving things. It solves it immediately.' The Markus Welby, M.D. star went on to add that a 'smart friend' could also work in lieu of a paid professional. Their secret: James Brolin, 82, revealed the secret to success in his 25-year marriage to the great Barbra Streisand, 81, on Wednesday when he spoke to TMZ outside ABC Studios in New York City; pictured in 2018 Doing the work: The Hollywood veteran said that therapy was the key to achieving marital bliss with his legendary wife; pictured in 1998 'Learn to negotiate,' declared Brolin. 'There's always one of the two people that cop out and say, "Aaah, I tried that. Didn't work."' The Golden Globe winner whose A-list son Josh Brolin recently shared a nude cowboy snap advised couples to 'stick with it' and 'cry together.' When the TMZ asked James if he really meant for spouses to have a mutual sob every now and then, he doubled down and said, 'Yeah, oh yeah.' The dashing older actor looked incredible for his age and he credited big wave surfer Laird Hamilton with teaching him to 'workout in a pool underwater.' Calling Hamilton the 'toughest guy I've ever met,' Brolin explained that he uses '15 pounds in each hand' in a pool that's 'ten feet deep.' 'It ain't easy at first,' said the Life in Pieces star, who went on to crack a joke by adding: 'And then later when you get good at it, it ain't easy.' Brolin and Streisand met through a mutual friend in 1996 and went on to tie the knot in 1998. The Grammy-winning icon was previously married to actor Elliot Gould from 1963 to 1971 a union that produced her only child, Jason Gould, 56, who is also an actor. Legendary love: TMZ asked Brolin about what marriage advice he would give to the 'new generation' and the actor graciously obliged while signing some autographs. 'Have a mediator you both are easy sitting with and resolving things. It solves it immediately'; pictured in 2005 Bring on the tears: The Golden Globe winner also advised couples to 'stick with it' and 'cry together'; pictured in 2003 Epic romance: Brolin and Streisand met through a mutual friend in 1996 and went on to tie the knot in 1998; pictured in 2007 Prior to embarking on his epic romance with Barbra, James had a whirlwind romance with wildlife activist and aspiring actress Jane Cameron Agee in 1966 marrying after only 12 days of knowing each other. The couple welcomed two children, Josh and Jess, before divorcing in 1984. Jane tragically died in a car accident eleven years later in 1995. His second marriage was to another actress, Jan Smithers, in 1985. They had one daughter together, Molly Elizabeth, and split in 1995. And unlike many marriages, the bond James shares with Barbra was strengthened by the pandemic, as he revealed in 2021 that the pair had 'literally fallen in love over this period of time.' It is believed that the two army commanders will also discuss how the geopolitical landscape was changing and how that would affect regional security. by Dr Arpita Hazarika Bangladesh Army Chief General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed left for India on Wednesday (April 26) on a three-day official visit at the invitation of Indian Army Chief. During the visit, he will attend the passing out parade of commissioned officers at the Officers Training Academy in Chennai, India as the chief guest and take the parade salute. During the visit, he will have a courtesy call on the chiefs of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as the Chief of Defense Staff, Defense Secretary and Foreign Secretary and other senior officials. During the meeting, they will discuss various issues of mutual cooperation and development of bilateral relations between the armies of the two countries. Besides, he will visit various important installations of the Indian Army during this visit. From left to right: General Shafiuddin and NESA Deputy Director David Lamm. [Photo: Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies (NESA Center) ] It should be noted that the existing relationship between Bangladesh and India Army has improved tremendously in the last two years due to the initiative of the Chief of Army Staff. After the tour, the army chief will return to the country from India on April 30. The visit is obviously as part of the outstanding bilateral defense relations between Bangladesh and India. The two may discuss ways to enhance and strengthen bilateral defense cooperation. BD Army chief this visit can strengthen relations between the two armies on a bilateral level and served as a catalyst for improved coordination and collaboration between the two nations on a variety of strategic problems. India-Bangladesh relations would reach a new level. Bangladesh could gain trust from the Indian government because India is an active member of the Indo-Pacific alliance. Bangladesh, on the other hand, can handle the Chinese predicament intelligently because its goal is to engage structurally rather than militarily. Bangladesh essentially sets an example for the other littoral nations by outlining its Indo-Pacific orientation. Bangladeshs Sheikh Hasina Wajed government has recently set an outlook for peace in the Indo-Pacific through dialogue and understanding. The foreign ministry of Bangladesh published the guidelines and objectives for the region at a press conference on Monday ahead of Prime Minister Hasinas key visit to Japan, the US and the UK. The outlook has four guiding principles and 15 objectives. Four principles are mentioned in the outline. The first of these is friendship with all, enmity with none. The principles emphasize constructive regional and international cooperation for sustainable development, international peace and security, humanitarian action and upholding fundamental rights and freedoms. It has 15 objectives. One of them is to maintain mutual trust and respect with a view to maintaining peace, prosperity, security and stability for all in the Indo-Pacific region. Expanding areas of partnership and cooperation and emphasizing dialogue and understanding. To contribute meaningfully and of international value to international disarmament, peacekeeping, peacebuilding and counter-terrorism activities in collaboration with relevant partners in the Indo-Pacific region. Bangladesh has to clarify its position on the Indo-Pacific so that no one can misunderstand or mislead. As a result, Bangladesh has moved to a better position. Because there will be important bilateral discussions with the BD Army chiefs during his visit to India. Before this, India clearly knew Bangladeshs position on the Indo-Pacific. The countrys relationship with Bangladesh will move forward based on this position. The deep-sea port at Matarbari in Bangladesh has become a strategic issue for Japan and India due to various reasons. Because the Quad partners aim to counter Chinese influence. The geopolitical importance of Bangladeshs first deep-sea port, Matarbari, was evident during the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to India last March. The port has emerged as an important area for the free and open Indo-Pacific agenda. Again, in the same month, the Japan International Cooperation Agency agreed to give a new loan of 165 billion yen (1.2 billion) to Bangladesh in the infrastructure construction sector. During his visit to New Delhi, Kishida said that Tokyo wants the development of the states from the Bay of Bengal to Northeast India with the cooperation of both Bangladesh and India in South Asia. For this reason, a discussion was held in Agartala a few days ago. Hence, Matarbari would not only be the most convenient port but also the most prudent choice for Indo-Japan, as New Delhi has much more cordial relations with Dhaka than its other neighbours. Bangladesh-India-Japan will benefit from this opportunity. Bangladesh is now inching closer to embracing the Indo-Pacific Strategy. However, Bangladesh has never strayed from its founding principle of nonalignment and wisdom drawn from its independence hero Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman which can be summed up as Friendship to all and malice toward none. Bangladesh essentially aims to balance relations with rival states. Many explain that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina does not keep eggs in one basket. Thus, she wants to maintain diplomatic, economic and strategic partnerships albeit unequally with the United States, Russia, China, European Union, Arabs and of course India. Bangladesh is moving closer to an embrace of the Indo-Pacific Strategy pursued by the Americans and its partners in the region, which revolves around countering China. This move comes as the US and a few key allies have signalled that Bangladesh should be a part of the Indo-Pacific Strategy, according to a Foreign Policy magazine brief. Dhaka has friendly ties with the USA, and other members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (known as the Quad) including India, and Europe. The current governments in Bangladesh and India are very close, and New Delhi is likely to have encouraged Dhaka to embrace the strategy, according to the brief by Wilson Centre. On the other hand, in South Asia, Bangladesh is an important ally of the India. The two nations work closely together on problems like climate change, counterterrorism, and regional security. This visit may serve to cement bilateral defense ties. Defense cooperation between nations could strengthen bilateral ties. Both India and Bangladesh are essential to the region. Despite some bilateral issues, both countries are greatly interested in further solidifying their bilateral ties, which can made clear by this visit. This could assist in bolstering bilateral ties and reflecting better bilateral understanding. This visit is highly important for Bangladesh and India in the region. Bangladesh and the India must work together as reliable partners to address some shared issues. Through this visit, India and Bangladesh have further reinforced their defense ties. India played a significant role in the Bangladesh War of Liberation in 1971, helping the then-East Pakistan transform into the new country of Bangladesh, which permanently altered the dynamics of South Asia. India and Bangladesh agreed to a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation that would last for 25 years. Given the numerous cultural, diplomatic, economic, and security linkages that exist between India and Bangladesh today, the two nations bilateral ties are now stronger than ever. Bangladesh occupies a special place in Indias heart as a close neighbor and an essential part of the countrys Neighborhood First Policy. Defense, security, and strategic connections between India and Bangladesh are expanding daily. Bangladesh is seen by India as an enduring strategic ally. In addition to giving 18 brand-new 120mm mortars to the Bangladesh Army in December 2020 as part of army-to-army cooperation, India has granted a $500 million line of credit to Bangladesh for defense procurement from India. A 122-member group from Bangladeshs tri-services also took part in the Republic Day parade in India in January 2021. From March 810, two Indian naval shipsINS Kulish and INS Sumedhavisited Bangladeshs Mongla Port, making it the first naval visit India had made in the previous 50 years. Bangladesh is still Indias closest neighbor, and relations with it are at a golden age. India wants to strengthen its relationship with Bangladesh just as the US wants to engage with it more strategically. Of sure, both nations would benefit from the situation. In an effort to improve bilateral defense cooperation, Bangladeshs army chief Gen S M Shafiuddin Ahmed and Indias new army chief General Manoj Pande spoke via video chat earlier last year. It is believed that the two army commanders will also discuss how the geopolitical landscape was changing and how that would affect regional security. In recent years, India and Bangladeshs defense and security relations have improved. The 50th anniversary of Bangladeshs Liberation was in 2021. Both India and Bangladesh have highly trained, experienced military, and they work together to keep the Eastern region peaceful. Due to the close ties between the two countries, India is also hosting a number of events to commemorate the liberation of Bangladesh 50 years ago. The Bangladeshi and Indian militaries are increasingly collaborating on defense. Through a variety of initiatives, such as joint training and drills and defense discussions, the two countries armed forces have been working together more and more. Two defense agreements were signed between Bangladesh and India during Sheikh Hasinas four-day trip to New Delhi in April 2017. These were the first such pacts inked by India and any of its neighbors. According to the accords, the troops of the two nations would engage in cooperative training and exercises. In order to achieve self-sufficiency in defense manufacturing in Bangladesh, India will assist Bangladesh in setting up manufacturing and service facilities for the defense platforms that both nations currently possess. Additionally, India will offer the Bangladesh military specialized training as well as technical and logistical support. India also gave a neighboring nation, Bangladesh, its first ever line of credit for defense-related purchases, in the amount of $500 million. Additionally, the forces of the two nations have taken on a significant role in conducting training programs for dealing with counterterrorism challenges, natural catastrophes, and ensuring humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR). The visit most importantly took place at a time when Myanmar and Bangladesh are trying to solve the Rohingya crisis from the inspiration of the Chinese mediation. Discussions would also be held about various ways to improve the conduct of military exercises at a more rapid and decisive scale. Defence and security are significant elements of India and Bangladeshs bilateral relations, and the armed forces of the two nations cooperate and coordinate with one another on numerous levels. As some selected items are being prioritized, Bangladesh would soon import goods connected to defense from India under the US$ 500 million Line of Credit offered by New Delhi, according to Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on December 16. On December 15, 2021, President Ram Nath Kovind met with the top officials of Bangladesh during his first state visit there at the invitation of his counterpart, M Abdul Hamid, to attend the golden jubilee celebrations of Bangladeshs independence from Pakistan in 1971. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina welcomed President Ram Nath Kovind, and the two leaders spoke about a range of topics of bilateral cooperation and shared interest. They talked about the development of their intricate and extensive bilateral relations. The defense issue came up during President Kovinds meetings with Bangladeshs top officials. India has added an additional $500 million to its line of credit for defense products. Under this line of credit, a number of items have been identified and are being accelerated quickly; their processing is at a fair degree of sophistication. (In accordance with news reports) India presented Bangladesh with a $500 million line of credit in 2019 to help the neighboring nation purchase defense equipment. The Armed Forces Division of Bangladesh and the Export Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) inked a contract on April 11 to allow the latter access to a US$ 500 million line of credit (LOC). The Memorandum of Understanding aims to finance Bangladeshs acquisition of defense equipment. In April 2017, India promised to provide Bangladesh with a US$ 500 million Line of Credit during Prime Minister Hasinas visit to New Delhi. India and Bangladesh have been providing the most soldiers to United Nations peacekeeping missions in terms of bilateral military cooperation. The two Armies collaboration has grown in the field of counterterrorism. Indias determination to combat terrorism in all its manifestations was echoed by Bangladeshs resolute stance against terrorism. India is aware of Bangladeshs efforts to prevent terrorist organizations from using space to conduct activities against India. In response, India should keep up its efforts to stop any terrorist group from using its territory to harm Bangladeshi interests. India had encountered challenging circumstances in some of the States bordering Bangladesh, but since Prime Minister Shiekh Hasinas government came to office in 2009, it has provided all assistance. It made sure that no one could hurt a neighboring country by using Bangladeshi soil. Bangladesh has made a commitment to not support terrorism or radicalism in any form and to prevent these activities from taking place on its soil. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian President Ramnath Kovind, Indian Foreign Minister, Indian Home Minister, and Chief Ministers of surrounding states have frequently voiced their praise for Bangladeshs zero-tolerance approach to combating terrorism. As a result of the insurgencys current low point in North-East India, Chief Minister of Assam Hemant Bishwa Sharma has thanked Bangladesh for its assistance and emphasized his wish to improve trade and connection between Bangladesh and North-East India. To strengthen the defense and security facets of their alliance, Bangladesh and India can cooperate in the field of defense. The two nations should be dedicated to further developing the defense and security component of their partnership based on the needs expressed and each partys ability to respond to them using different methods, including through capacity building and potential technology transfer. India can assist Bangladesh in achieving the goal of implementation of Bangladeshs visionary military plan Forces Goal 2030. Dr Arpita Hazarika is a Gauhati University, Assam, India-based researcher. She is interested in refugee affairs, political economy, security and strategic affairs, and foreign policies of the Asia-Pacific region. With numerous foreign exposures, she has conducted research works on India-Bangladesh affairs. A proud Melissa Doyle has shared rare images of daughter Talia visiting Kenya with her as part of a World Vision trip. The Seven journalist, who has been an ambassador for the charity for years, took the 19-year-old for her first visit to the impoverished nation. 'This is my beautiful baby girl, all grown up and visiting a school in Kenya,' the presenter wrote on Instagram. She shared a number of photos of Talia speaking with locals and taking a very hands on approach to the trip. 'My heart is bursting with pride,' continued. Melissa Doyle, 53, (left) shared rarely-seen photos of herself and daughter Talia, 19, (right) in Kenya for World Vision where they promoted the charity's well-respected work in the region 'It is such a privilege to see first-hand the work @worldvisionaus is doing to give children access to health care and education.' Mel finished by saying Talia being on the trip with her made it 'extra special' for her. While on the trip, the two women saw farming regeneration projects, a women's empowerment saving group, and met Mel's sponsor child, Bridget, four. Mel has been a tireless World Vision sponsor for the past 20 years. 'This is my beautiful baby girl, all grown up and visiting a school in Kenya,' the beloved presenter wrote on Instagram. Both pictured 'It is such a privilege to see first-hand the work @worldvisionaus is doing to give children access to health care and education,' wrote Doyle She's visited Mongolia, Armenia, Lebanon and Indonesia as part of her work with the well-respected charity. Mel shares two children with her husband John, including son Nick, 21. The TV star opened-up about motherhood while speaking to The Daily Telegraph in April last year. Mel finished by saying Talia being on the trip with her made it 'extra special' for her Mel has been a World Vision ambassador for 20 years visiting Mongolia, Armenia, Lebanon and Indonesia as part of her work with the well-respected charity 'I have loved every single stage [of motherhood] but for different reasons,' she said. 'Talia is my best friend. I feel so lucky... I just feel so appreciative of having such an extraordinary young woman in my life who happens to be my daughter,' she added. In September 2021, Melissa admitted it'd been 'pretty tough' watching Talia go through her last year of high school during Covid lockdown. Mel (R) said her lookalike daughter Talia (L) is her 'best friend' as she reflected on motherhood and her career in an interview with The Daily Telegraph in April last year Talia, along with a generation of Aussie teenagers, wasn't able to spend time with friends or attend her school formal due to the pandemic. At the time, Melissa told The Daily Telegraph she felt sad watching her daughter 'miss out' on these rites of passage during endless days of home confinement. The mother of two said it was also unfortunate her son, Nicholas, had to spend his break from college in America living under lockdown in Sydney. She is known for dressing to the nines in luxurious designer clothing. But Lara Worthington went for the off-duty model look on Wednesday as she kept things casual for a mani-pedi and a spot of shopping in New York City. The 35-year-old was photographed leaving the Spa Belle salon in the West Village after treating herself to a pampering session. Lara, who carried a large Bottega Veneta shopping bag, had a look around Saks 5th Avenue before popping into the spa. The Sydney-born model looked cool yet comfortable in a pair of black leggings, a white jacket and black Adidas Samba trainers. Lara Worthington went for the off-duty model look on Wednesday as she kept things casual for a mani-pedi and a spot of shopping in New York City She kept her face makeup free to show off her natural beauty, and scraped her blonde locks behind her ears. A fan of designer items, Lara jazzed up her everyday outfit with a $3,200 black Prada Moon re-nylon and leather bag. The model shares three sons, Rocket, seven, Racer, six, and River, two, with her actor husband Sam Worthington. The 35-year-old was photographed leaving the Spa Belle salon in the West Village after treating herself to a pampering session The family spent most of 2021 in Australia, after living in the U.S. for several years. However, they have since returned to America are living in New York City, where they previously resided. Lara has become known for her bold fashion sense ever since she reinvented herself from swimsuit model to chic socialite. The Sydney-born model looked cool yet comfortable in a pair of black leggings, a white jacket and black Adidas Samba trainers She is known for wearing lots of black, and often adds a tomboy twist to her ensembles with oversized blazers, sneakers and T-shirts. Lara has previously said she has a relaxed attitude when it comes to fashion. She told Stellar magazine: 'I wear whatever the hell I want and I don't care!' The mother of three also told The Daily Telegraph her must-haves include a 'black dress in a statement silhouette' and 'a leather dress [that] stands the test of time'. Nicolas Cage is opening up about a darker time in his life when he took on a number of 'crummy' movie roles to get himself out of debut. Cage, 59, won an Oscar for his 1995 drama Leaving Las Vegas and proceeded to take on a number of big-budget action films that made him one of the highest-paid actors of the late 1990s. The actor was promoting his new movie Renfield when he opened up about his past financial troubles in a wide-ranging interview with 60 Minutes, where he admitted that his financial troubles spawned from real estate. When asked about the castles he purchased in England and Germany, a mansion in New Orleans and even a private island, Cage admitted, 'I was overinvested in real estate. It wasn't because I spent 80 dollars on an octopus.' 'The real estate market crashed and I couldnt get out in time. I paid them all back, but it was about $6 million. I never filed for bankruptcy,' he said. Darker: Nicolas Cage is opening up about a darker time in his life when he took on a number of 'crummy' movie roles to get himself out of debut Promoted: The actor was promoting his new movie Renfield when he opened up about his past financial troubles in a wide-ranging interview with 60 Minutes , where he admitted that his financial troubles spawned from real estate Overinvested: When asked about the castles he purchased in England and Germany, a mansion in New Orleans and even a private island, Cage admitted, 'I was overinvested in real estate. It wasn't because I spent 80 dollars on an octopus' Instead of filing for bankruptcy, he moved to Las Vegas and started working non-stop, filming three or four movies a year to pay off his debts. Cage added it was, 'a dark time, for sure,' though he admitted, 'work was always my guardian angel.' 'It may not have been blue chip, but it was still work,' he said, while addressing talk that he only took on a myriad of less-than-prestige roles solely for a paycheck, and 'phoning it in.' 'Even if the movie turns out to be crummy, they know I'm not phoning it in, that I care, every time,' Cage insisted. 'But there are those folks that are probably thinking that the only good acting I can do is the acting I chose to do by design, which is more operatic and larger-than-life,' and so-called Cage rage and all that, Cage continued. 'But you're not gonna get that every time,' the actor admitted, as he was asked about his 'Cage rage' approach being compared to 'going for the triple axel every time and sometimes you land it and sometimes you don't.' 'Well not every time. There are times I have a vision for and I do (go for it), including his critically-acclaimed role in 2021's Pig. 'When I played Rob in Pig, I felt I entered the room. I felt I was closer to me than maybe I had ever been before, in film performance,' Cage admitted. Debts: Instead of filing for bankruptcy, he moved to Las Vegas and started working non-stop, filming three or four movies a year to pay off his debts No phone: 'Even if the movie turns out to be crummy, they know I'm not phoning it in, that I care, every time,' Cage insisted Acting: 'But there are those folks that are probably thinking that the only good acting I can do is the acting I chose to do by design, which is more operatic and larger-than-life,' and so-called Cage rage and all that, Cage continued Closer: 'When I played Rob in Pig, I felt I entered the room. I felt I was closer to me than maybe I had ever been before, in film performance,' Cage admitted When asked to elaborate, he said, 'That I wasn't acting. I felt that I was doing exactly what I care about.' He added that Pig is, 'probably my best movie,' even stating he would put that up against his Oscar-winning role in Leaving Las Vegas. Cage also discussed his most recently role, the iconic vampire Dracula in Renfield, which hit theaters earlier this month. 'Dracula is daunting because it's a legacy. Dracula is a character that has been done well many times. He's also a character who has been done poorly many times,' Cage said. He added that Christopher Lee's performance in the 1958 film Dracula is the one he looks to the most, adding, 'He makes Dracula scary. He is set to bid farewell to The Late Late Show after eight years of the hosting gig, with the final episode airing on Thursday evening. And James Corden has dished the dirt on returning to his home turf this week as he prepares to step away from the US - admitting that it's a 'very strange' feeling. The actor and presenter, 44, will be spending time more time with his family, but has admitted that stepping down leaves him in unknown territory. He admitted to The Sun: 'Right now, there are a lot of unknowns. It just feels very strange knowing everything is going to change but trying to hang on to the fact that change is fundamentally a good thing.' While James also shared his hopes that he hasn't taken his wildly successful stint on the late night chat show 'for granted'. 'It feels very strange': James Corden has dished the dirt on returning to the UK as he prepares to step down from the Late Late Show hosting gig... admitting he 'doesn't know' what's to come next Reflecting on the last nine seasons on the show, James described it as an 'incredible run' while sharing his pride over not just the show - but all of his career milestones. Unsure what the future holds, he explained: 'I think I have to spend a little bit of time letting this all go. It has been a noisy eight years, and right now I am going to try and focus on having a little bit of silence.' Buckinghamshire-born James who made his name on TVs Gavin & Stacey is treated like royalty in California, where he enjoys a glittering circle of loyal A-list friends. And one of those just so happens to be Prince Harry, with The Sun reporting that James' even recieved a text from the royal during their interview. As a message reportedly popped up from the royal, he allegedly told the publication: 'Oh God, wouldnt you just love to see these'. And it's not just the A-list he has managed to impress, with The Late Late Show bagging a slew of award nods. James was even offered a reported 40M offer to stay on the show, touching on the 'generous offer' and why he declined this week. Sharing: 'It was a lovely offer from my boss but staying for the money would be the wrong reason to do it. You have got to keep changing stuff up. Stepping away: He is set to bid farewell to the show after eight years of the hosting gig, with the final episode airing in the US on Thursday evening, and the UK on Friday Proud: Reflecting on the last nine seasons on the show, James described it as an 'incredible run' while sharing his pride over not just the show - but all of his career milestones Pals: James has made a number of A-list pals during his rise to fame, with one of those just so happening to be Prince Harry, as The Sun reported that James' even recieved a text from the royal during their interview 'You have to keep going and exploring and finding more stuff about yourself in the journey of it all.' Last year, the Mail On Sunday revealed that James turned down a name your price multi-year deal from television bosses to stay in the US, with an estimated $40M on offer. But turning down the offer, the star is looking forward to spending more time with his family, including wife Julia Carey and their three children; Max, Carey and Charlotte. It was announced that he would be taking over as host of The Late Late Show - which made its debut in 1995 - back in September of 2014. The comedian was preceded by Craig Ferguson, Tom Snyder and Craig Kilborn, who had all helmed the program in the past. Corden's very first The Late Late Show episode premiere on March 23, 2015 with special guest Tom Hanks. Since then The Late Late Show with James Corden has racked up nearly 1,200 episodes. Carrie Fisher, best known for her role as Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy, will be posthumously honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. The late actress, who died In December 2016, at the age of 60, four days after suffering a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles, will have her name memorialized on Hollywood Boulevard near the El Capitan Theatre on May 4, otherwise known to fans as Star Wars Day. With Fisher's star, which will be the 2,754th on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in the category of Motion Pictures, she joins former co-stars Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford, who already have stars of their own, that will be placed near Hamill's and her late mother Debbie Reynolds. 'Fans will be over the moon to know that their favorite movie princess, Carrie Fisher will be honored with her star on the iconic Hollywood Walk of Fame! Carrie will join her Star Wars co-stars and fellow Walk of Famers Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford on this historic sidewalk,' said Ana Martinez, producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in the official statement. She added, 'I am happy to add, that her star is just a few feet away from the star of Mark Hamill and across the street from the star of her legendary mother Debbie Reynolds!' Honor: Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher, who passed away in December 2016 at the age of 60, will posthumously be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame on May 4 Upon learning of the pending honor of Fisher, Hamill, 71, took to Twitter and wrote, long overdue & so well deserved.' Fisher's daughter, actress Billie Lourd, will be accepting the star on behalf of her mother during the Star Wars Day dedication. Star Wars Day is an informal commemorative day observed annually on May 4 to celebrate the Star Wars media franchise created by founder, former chairman and CEO of Lucasfilm, George Lucas. Observance of the day spread quickly through media and grassroots celebrations since the franchise began in 1977. The earliest usage of the phrase, 'May the 4th Be With You,' dates back to 1978, one year after the release of the original Star Wars (retroactively titled Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope), according to a Star Wars website. Born into Hollywood royalty, as the daughter of Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, Fisher would follow in the footsteps of her famous parents and make her film debut in Shampoo (1975). Her role as Princess Leia in Star Wars (1977) and the sequel The Empire Strikes Back (1980) came in just her second and third films of her career. The third of the the original series of films Return of the Jedi (1983) would come just three years later. She went on to star in a number of popular movies that includes The Blues Brothers (1980), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and When Harry Met Sally (1989). Star Wars Day: Fisher's star dedication is being held on May 4, otherwise known to fans as Star Wars Day; Fisher is pictured with her Star Wars co-stars Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford Show of support: Hamill, who starred alongside Fisher as Luke Skywalker, celebrated his long-time friend and colleague on Twitter, writing that the honor is 'long overdue & so well-deserved' Her television credits included Laverne and Shirley, Sex and the City, 30 Rock, and Family Guy, for which she served as the voice of Angela from 2005-2017. She would reprise her role as Princess Leia in the sequel trilogy in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), and then appear posthumously in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) through the use of archive video. Along with her acting credits, Fisher also had a successful writing career, publishing three novels and two memoirs, including Postcards From The Edge, a semi- autobiographical novel that garnered her the Los Angeles Pen Award for Best First Novel. Family matters: Fisher's daughter, actress Billie Lourd (pictured), will be accepting the star on behalf of her mother during the Star Wars Day dedication; Fisher's mother, Debbie Reynolds (center) passed away one day after her daughter in December 2016 The Los Angeles native would go on to write the screenplay for film version of Postcards From The Edge (1990) that starred Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine and Dennis Quaid, that earned Streep an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Fisher was on a commercial flight on December 23, 2016, heading back to Los Angeles after working in the UK when she had a medical emergency around 15 minutes before the aircraft landed. After four days in the intensive care unit (ICU) at the UCLA Medical Center, Fisher passed away at the age of 60. Sadly, her mother passed away from a stroke at the age of 84 just one day later. Fisher's Hollywood Walk Of Fame star dedication begins at 11:30 a.m, PT on May 4, which falls on a Thursday. Pregnant Laura Anderson looked stunning as she posed with Katya Jones at a dessert launch party in London on Wednesday night. The beauty donned a white dress with a belt as Katya playfully clutched her stomach, laughing with her pal. Katya, who donned a crop top and leopard print leggings, also made a shocked face as she looked down at Laura's bump. The duo were at the Big Zuu Big Apple Cal'Zuune dessert launch party at Zizzi restaurant in London. Laura's blonde locks were swept into pretty curls while Katya's raven tresses were teased into a straightened style with a side parting. Pals: Pregnant Laura Anderson looked stunning as she posed for playful snaps with Katya Jones at a dessert launch party in London on Wednesday night Grins: Katya, who donned a crop top and leopard print leggings, also made a shocked face as she looked down at Laura's bump Laura and Katya were among a host of stars who attended the event in London. It comes after Laura looked sensational as she displayed her baby bump during her holiday to Dubai on Tuesday. The former Love Island star showcased her sun-kissed tan as she shared a series of sizzling bikini snaps while enjoying a boat trip. The media personality slipped into a purple and green two piece which highlighted her bronzed tan. Styling her blonde locks into loose curls, Laura struck a series of poses as she made the most of her holiday. Laura, who is due to give birth to her daughter in the summer, said it would likely be the last bikini picture she would be sharing for a while. The reality star is expecting her first child with ex-boyfriend Gary Lucy, 41, who she met while filming E4 series Celebs Go Dating last year. Laura has been making the most of some 'me time' in the lead up to her due date and posted photos of her growing baby bump in orange swimsuit while enjoying the breathtaking view at the Atlantis Royal hotel in Dubai last week. Fun: Laura and Katya were among a host of stars who attended the event in London including Aimee Fuller Hijinks: Katya and Aimee larked around, with Katya posing on her friend's back as they enjoyed the event The reality star is expecting her first child with ex-boyfriend Gary Lucy, 41, who she met while filming E4 series Celebs Go Dating last year. Laura has been making the most of some 'me time' in the lead up to her due date and posted photos of her growing baby bump in orange swimsuit while enjoying the breathtaking view at the Atlantis Royal hotel in Dubai last week. The Scottish influencer is due to give birth in the summer after announcing her pregnancy in February. Laura and Gary got together last summer after meeting on Celebs Go Dating shortly after her split from on-off long-term boyfriend, former pop star Dane Bowers, 43. The couple seemed to be going from strength-to-strength when they spent Christmas together, with Laura claiming they were 'keeping it PG' and hadn't slept together at that point. Just weeks later, Laura sparked split rumours by deleting all trace of Gary from her Instagram page. The Love Island star announced her pregnancy in February and Gary confirmed the pair were no longer an item. He told The Sun: 'I love Laura but we are no longer together. My main drive as always is to work together to co-parent our child. I look forward to the arrival of the new baby.' The rapper MoneySign Suede has been found dead of an apparent stabbing while in prison, according to TMZ. The rising Los Angelesbased rapper had been interred at the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad, California. Prison officials told the publication that they are investigation MoneySign Suede's death as a homicide . The rapper (born Jaime Brugada Valdez) was reportedly determined to be missing after a headcount was done on Tuesday night around 9:55 p.m. The sources said the rapper was subsequently found in another part of the prison, where CPR was allegedly attempted on him. Fallen star: The rising rapper MoneySign Suede (born Jaime Brugada Valdez) was found dead at the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad, California, on Tuesday night Odd location: An anonymous prisoner told the Los Angeles Times that the rapper had been house with the general population, rather than in the sensitive-needs yard for higher-profile prisoners; the Correctional Training Facility pictured However, he was unresponsive and was subsequently pronounced dead at 10:20 p.m. Since his death, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced that the prison has been restricting the movement of prisoners. The Monterey County District Attorneys Office is now conducting an investigation into the rapper's death, while the Monterey County Coroner is working to determine his cause of death. While speaking to the Los Angeles Times, MoneySign Suede's attorney Nicholas Rosenberg said he was told that his client had been stabbed in the neck in the shower. A prisoner who spoke to the newspaper anonymously noted that the rapper had been discovered in a part of the prison housing general population prisoners. He said that was unusual, as a rapper would usually be housed in the sensitive-needs yard, which is for prisoners who have specific safety fears or have public profiles. However, the rapper was in the early stages of his career, so it's unclear if his profile was high enough to warrant that kind of protection. MoneySign Suede had been serving a 32-month sentence on gun charges in Riverside County, according to his attorney. Firearms: He had been serving a 32-month sentence on two gun charge, while he had already pleaded out on another gun charge in Los Angeles County; mugshot taken March 30 Gruesome: According to his attorney, he was discovered with stab wounds to the neck in the prison shower. He had been missing at an earlier headcount In court: The rapper had more legal trouble on the horizon, as he had been hit with another gun charge from Los Angeles County The rapper had more legal trouble on the horizon, as he had been hit with another gun charge from Los Angeles County. However, he had already pleaded out on the charge and was expected to receive a two-year prison sentence that he would likely serve concurrently with his earlier sentence. He had surrendered himself in December of last year. MoneySign Suede had boosted his career in 2021 when he signed with Atlantic records. The label released his most recent album Parkside Baby in September of 2022. Gillian McKeith is reportedly set to get her fellow campmates into some hot water during Thursday evening's I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! South Africa. The TV personality and nutritionist, 63, is said to have brought contraband into the jungle in the form of salt and almond nuts, being forced to reveal her camp crimes during the episode. In a failed attempt to outsmart ITV bosses, several of the celebrity campmates will be revealed to have also brought in restricted items - being caught out after just four days. And it wouldn't be a first offence for Gillian, who became synonymous with her sneaky attempts to bring some seasoning into the camp back in 2010. Known for it's strict rules, the show has a host of items which celebrities are banned to take into camp each year, including their own clothes, make-up, salt and pepper, food and pillows. I'm A Celeb South Africa SPOILER: Gillian McKeith is expected to get the camp into some hot water during Thursday's episode it's revealed she has brought contraband items AGAIN Back to her old tricks: - 13 years after her first jungle offence According to reports from The Mirror, the camp will receive a letter which reveals the contraband and declares that their dinner will be withheld until it is handed in. During the episode, Georgia Toffolo allegedly reads out: 'Celebrities, there is contraband in the camp. You will not get your dinner until you have surrendered - with all underlined - the contraband. There is an amnesty bowl in the Telegraph.' As the campmates wonder who among them has broken the rules, Gillian will confide in Helen Flanagan and reveal her secrets to the actress. Sneaking away, she whispers to the star: 'I've got salt, I've got almonds'. 'We'd get in so much s**t Gillian, do you not think?' reportedly replies Helen. But she's thought not to be the only one, with some others hoping to have snuck some products through the cracks. Gillian was caught smuggling rock salt, garlic powder and soup in secret pockets that she had sewn into her knickers during her original 2010 stint. Her secret stash included a herb shaker (hidden in a toilet roll tube), 5 bags of Japanese miso soup powder, cumin powder, celery and garlic powder, 8 herbal stock cubes, rock salt, a bag of herbal seasoning powder and several nettle tea bags. Bad news: During the episode, Georgia Toffolo allegedly reads out: 'Celebrities, there is contraband in the camp. You will not get your dinner until you have surrendered' Admitting it: As the campmates wonder who among them has broken the rules, Gillian reportedly reveals her secrets to Helen Flanagan Many other stars have attempted to breach the rules over the years too, including Amy Willerton in 2013 - who handed in concealer, two bikinis and other make-up products she had snuck in. It was a break of the rules as campmates are only permitted to bring three sets of underwear, and three sets of swimsuits or bikinis. While they are usually granted one luxury item per person, with many often choosing a pillow, a chair or a photograph. While four years prior to Amy's scandal, Gino DAcampo hoped to have some home comforts as he stuffed his shoes and pillow full of salt, sugar, teas and coffee. When the show briefly moved to Wales, due to Covid-19, this didn't stop celebs attempting to push the limits either. At the time, hosts Ant and Dec revealed that campmates had attempted to sneak in a tray of products inclduing apples, boiled sweets, breakfast biscuits, Vaseline and a nail file. In a bizarre attempt, Kim Woodburn also managed to smuggle a pair of sunglasses into camp in 2009. Michelle Keegan showed off an elegant new look as she headed to a Netflix event on Wednesday night to talk her new role in Fool Me Once. The actress cut a stylish figure in a purple trouser suit with a deconstructed jacket while also rocking lighter locks as she posed ahead of the night out. Taking to Instagram, she posted close-up photos of her hair and makeup, with the images displaying her muted new style. The beauty, who is married to former TOWIE star Mark Wright, teased her balayage locks into loose waves, having previously opted for deep brunette. She toted her essentials in a checked bag and opted for a subtle makeup palette for the Netflix See What's Next event. Gorgeous: Michelle Keegan showed off an elegant new look as she headed to a Netflix event on Wednesday night to talk her new role in Fool Me Once Stunning: The actress cut a stylish figure in a purple trouser suit with a deconstructed jacket while also rocking lighter locks as she posed ahead of the night out Bolder: The style was a departure from more dramatic looks she has opted for in the past (pictured in January) She captioned her post: 'Suited & booted for tonights Netflix See whats next event. Talking all things Fool Me Once.' It comes after Michelle had fans swooning last week after a trip to the hair salon had her looking picture-perfect. The actress opted to freshen up her chestnut brown locks with some soft caramel balayage and a layered chop. Her hairdresser shared a snap of the beaming star after the day of preening, as she appeared happy with the new look. Many fans took to the comment section to gush over Michelle, as they noted that she was 'hair goals'. Looking good: Taking to Instagram, she also posted close-up photos of her hair and makeup and looked stunning 'How can someone be so perfect,' questioned one fan in the comments, as others were hoping to get the look themselves. Hairdresser Calum Tierney shared the picture of Michelle, who dressed casually in black leggings and a crew neck jumper with a Paris slogan. As the stylist shared the pictures to his own page to show off his work, Michelle commented to dub him the 'best of the best'. Half and half: The actress also posted a snap of half of her face as she revealed her pretty look and prepared to head out While others were also impressed, as one fan wrote: 'She sooo gorgeous and her colour is too of course'. Some were keen to get the look, writing: 'Incredible as always! Sooo when asking my hairdresser for this what am I saying?? Layers? Colour?? Help me!! X' The salon trip comes after Michelle jetted out to Europe earlier this week for work, and was hoping for some warm weather. However, she took to her Instagram page to share some snaps of herself in a long black coat, which she wrapped tightly around herself and wore with the hood up EQS-Ad-hoc: EUSOLAG European Solar AG / Key word(s): Bond/Miscellaneous EUSOLAG European Solar AG: EUSOLAG European Solar AG: Technical challenges persist; Funds for coupon payment available on a blocked account; Vote without meeting initiated. 27-Apr-2023 / 22:45 CET/CEST Disclosure of an inside information acc. to Article 17 MAR of the Regulation (EU) No 596/2014, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Frankfurt, 27th April 2023 EUSOLAG European Solar AG, a specialist in building a portfolio of photovoltaic plants, informs that the previously announced technical issues with the EUSOLAG bond with ISIN DE000A3MQYU1 2022/2027 still could not be resolved. The Company further informs that the necessary funds for the coupon payment due on 29.3.2023 are available and blocked at an account of a German payment agent bank. Thus, the March 29th 2023 coupon payment to all bondholders is secured. The coupon payment will only be released when the technical issue, related to delayed coupon renunciation from two banks, who are not eligible of coupon payment at the time and in the amount of EUR 14,830,000 (for 14,830 EUSOLAG Bonds), is resolved. The company is working at full speed with all parties involved to heal the situation for the bondholders and to make the payout as soon as possible. EUSOLAG takes this opportunity to thank your bondholders for their understanding and patience. In order for a postponement of the coupon payment date to be formally approved by the bondholders, the Company will amend the terms and conditions of the issue by way of a vote without a meeting (Section 18 SchVG) by postponing the first interest payment date by up to 3 months. The invitation to vote will be published in the next few days in the German Federal Gazette, on the issuer's website and sent to all EUSOLAG bondholders via a bank letter. Contact: EUSOLAG European Solar AG Alicia Meier Head Investor Relations T +49 69 8700 879 295 E info@eusolag.de EUSOLAG European Solar AG Lurgiallee 14 60439 Frankfurt am Main Deutschland About EUSOLAG European Solar AG EUSOLAG European Solar AG is a asset owner of photovoltaic farms across Europe headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. The company is focused on building an attractive portfolio of photovoltaic parks across Europe. The Company acts as an Asset Manager for Institutional Investors in the Utility-scale segment above 50MWp and capital need of above EUR 30MM. As a buy-and-hold operator, the company aims to maintain a steady value growth with positive cash-flow. EUSOLAG keeps a lean management structure, whereby staff-intensive activities are outsourced to third parties while closely managed by EUSOLAG. 1995468D GR Equity EUSOLAG European Solar AG, a specialist in building a portfolio of photovoltaic plants, informs that the previously announced technical issues with the EUSOLAG bond with ISIN DE000A3MQYU1 2022/2027 still could not be resolved.The Company further informs that the necessary funds for the coupon payment due on 29.3.2023 are available and blocked at an account of a German payment agent bank. Thus, the March 292023 coupon payment to all bondholders is secured. The coupon payment will only be released when the technical issue, related to delayed coupon renunciation from two banks, who are not eligible of coupon payment at the time and in the amount of EUR 14,830,000 (for 14,830 EUSOLAG Bonds), is resolved.The company is working at full speed with all parties involved to heal the situation for the bondholders and to make the payout as soon as possible.EUSOLAG takes this opportunity to thank your bondholders for their understanding and patience.In order for a postponement of the coupon payment date to be formally approved by the bondholders, the Company will amend the terms and conditions of the issue by way of a vote without a meeting (Section 18 SchVG) by postponing the first interest payment date by up to 3 months. The invitation to vote will be published in the next few days in the German Federal Gazette, on the issuer's website and sent to all EUSOLAG bondholders via a bank letter.EUSOLAG European Solar AGAlicia MeierHead Investor RelationsT +49 69 8700 879 295EUSOLAG European Solar AGLurgiallee 1460439 Frankfurt am MainDeutschlandEUSOLAG European Solar AG is a asset owner of photovoltaic farms across Europe headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. The company is focused on building an attractive portfolio of photovoltaic parks across Europe. The Company acts as an Asset Manager for Institutional Investors in the Utility-scale segment above 50MWp and capital need of above EUR 30MM. As a buy-and-hold operator, the company aims to maintain a steady value growth with positive cash-flow. EUSOLAG keeps a lean management structure, whereby staff-intensive activities are outsourced to third parties while closely managed by EUSOLAG. 1995468D GR Equity End of Inside Information Information and Explanation of the Issuer to this announcement: 'Publication of inside information pursuant to Art. 17 of Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014' 27-Apr-2023 CET/CEST The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.eqs-news.com Radio host Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli has shared a hilarious untold story about Barry Humphries pranking punters at a notorious boozer by pretending he was blind. He told his co-host Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald the funny anecdote about the beloved comedian during Nova FM's breakfast show earlier this week. 'This story about Barry Humphries is just one of the greats,' Wippa began. He said the comedian, best known for his alter ego Dame Edna Everage, had met his friend Jim for a drink in a pub in Eltham, northeast of Melbourne. 'So the story goes that it was during the 60s, and Barry was very theatrical back then. He had a hat, he wore sunglasses, with long hair and a long coat,' he said. The pair had met up in Eltham, which back then was considered a 'rough' area where the majority of men worked long hours on the railway. On entering the boozer, Jim suddenly got cold feet - knowing Barry would be torn apart by the locals, who had likely been drinking all afternoon. He told the comedian they'd better leave, but Humphries had none of it.He confidently walked to the bar and ordered two beers. Barry Humphries, pictured performing at the Fortune Theatre in London, decided to play a hilarious prank on punters at a notorious Melbourne boozer 'Jim told him, we're having one drink. One drink and then we're out of here because these guys have probably been on the booze all arvo,' Wippa continued. The men finished their beers, and Jim said it was time to go. As he got up to leave, Humphries turned to the barman and said: 'Two more beers please'. Jim warned the comedian they could get into 'all sorts of trouble' after noticing some men staring pointedly in their direction. 'All of a sudden, some of the blokes start arking up and yelling a couple of things. Jim says they should go, but Humphries tells him, 'no let's stay and enjoy our beers'. After finishing the beer, Jim grabs the comedian by the arm and makes to leave. But again, despite his protestations, Humphries orders two more beers. On entering the boozer Jim, a friend of Himphries', suddenly got cold feet - knowing Barry would be torn apart by the tough locals, who wore high-vis and were covered in grease Wippa told his co-host Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald the funny anecdote about the beloved comedian during Nova FM's breakfast show earlier this week 'All of a sudden, Jim looks over, and these blokes, grease on the face, grease on the hands, 10 foot tall and strong as anything, are walking over,' Wippa says. Jim watched as one of the men walked over to the table and tapped Humphries on the shoulder, telling him: 'Are you some kind of f***ing freak?' 'Barry Humphries turns around and pretends to be blind,' Wippa revealed. The comedian, whose eyes were covered by sunglasses, began to feel over the man's face and shoulders while asking Jim for help. 'Jim, Jim, say something. Are these men okay? What's happened? You must help,' Wippa says while impersonating Humphries with his hands in the air. Barry Humphries was best known for his alter ego, Dame Edna Everage (pictured in 1994) Humphries (pictured in 1968) came back to Sydney in December for Christmas. He subsequently suffered a fall that led to his hip replacement surgery The man apologised profusely, and offered to buy the men a drink for his mistake. Humphries continues the gag, asking Jim to put his beer where he can reach it. The pair drank a few beers with the man before deciding to leave. At the door, Humphries asks Jim where the men are standing so he can wave goodbye. 'He then takes off his sunglasses and tells the men to get f'd,' Wippa revealed. Humphries came back to Sydney in December for Christmas. However, he subsequently suffered a fall that led to his hip replacement surgery. 'He was completely himself until the very end, never losing his brilliant mind, his unique wit and generosity of spirit,' his family said in a statement. The beloved comedian spent over 70 years on the stage and was 'an entertainer to his core' who loved his audiences and never took them for granted. Australian porn star Angela White has revealed she refuses to be massaged by men after an indecent proposal from a male therapist. The 37-year-old, who has starred in more than 900 hardcore films, revealed on the Under the Influence podcast how one masseur tried to turn a standard session into a scene from one of her blue movies. While she used to like massages from men because of their physical strength, she has now switched exclusively to women to avoid unwelcome advances. 'I used to prefer massages from men because they can get in deeper, [but] now that I'm more well-known, I prefer massages from women,' she said. 'I have had some experiences of heavy breathing and I've been like, "Oh, I'm just here to relax!"' she added. Australian porn star Angela White (pictured) has revealed she refuses to be massaged by men after an indecent proposal from a male therapist Angela said she used to harbour secret fantasies of sleeping with a massage therapist, but all that changed when a real-life opportunity presented itself. 'I used to have all these fantasies about massages turning into sex, but it actually happened,' she added. Angela said she rebutted the man's clumsy advance while he was massaging her. 'I'd just shot this big gangbang [group sex scene] and he was asking me questions about it. And he was asking so many questions, I was like, "Oh, wait, woah,"' she said. The 37-year-old, who has starred in more than 900 hardcore films, revealed how one masseur tried to turn a standard session into a scene from one of her blue movies While she used to like massages from men because of their physical strength, she has now switched exclusively to women to avoid unwelcome advances 'I can't remember what he said, but he said something like, "Do you wanna f**k?"' she added, admitting this type of crude proposal wasn't anything like her fantasy. Angela said she had always imagined an encounter with a masseur being a soft, slow sensual massage that organically moved into sex, not a conversation about gangbangs that gave the therapist a hard-on. 'I didn't f**k him. But I had the opportunity,' she said. 'He was a fine-looking gentleman [but just not for me],' she added. Angela went on to say she regularly gets massages due to the physical toll of being an adult performer. '[Porn] does take a toll on your body. Your muscles do hurt after holding those positions for a long time,' she revealed. Salma Hayek attended the TIME 100 Gala, which took place at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Wednesday evening. The 56-year-old performer turned heads while wearing a particularly eye-catching outfit to the annual star-studded affair. The actress, who recently shared a shirtless photo of her Magic Mike's Last Dance costar Channing Tatum, was also pictured as she spent time with Kim Kardashian, who was also present at the event. Hayek wore a beautiful blue silk dress that was covered in black lace during the Gala. The Frida star's skirt also featured numerous sparkling sequins that gave her look a bit of extra shine as she posed on the function's red carpet. In attendance: Salma Hayek attended the TIME 100 Gala, which took place at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Wednesday evening Ooh la la! The 56-year-old performer turned heads while wearing a particularly eye-catching outfit to the annual star-studded affair The Academy Award-nominated performer accessorized with a silver clutch that paired well with the dark tones of her outfit. Her beautiful brunette locks remained free-flowing and fell onto her shoulders. The performer shared a video on her Instagram account on Wednesday afternoon in which she showed off her outfit for the evening. Like many other Gala attendees, Hayek was named by Time as one of its 100 Most Influential People of 2023. The performer's longtime friend Penelope Cruz sat down for an interview with the media outlet, during which she spoke about one of their first encounters. 'I knew almost no one in the U.S., but she picked me up from the airport and took me to her house. Meeting her was like reuniting with a sister you hadn't seen in a long time,' she recalled. The actress, who costarred with Hayek in the 2006 feature Bandidas, also showered her longtime friend with praise for her acting skills. 'She's strong yet sensitive, and she can read people very well. That's what makes her a great actor, her ability to put herself in someone else's shoes,' she said. Dual-tone: Hayek wore a beautiful blue silk dress that was covered in black lace and featured numerous sequins on its lower portion during the Gala Visuals: The performer shared a video on her Instagram account on Wednesday afternoon in which she showed off her outfit for the evening Good company: Hayek was also pictured as she spent time with Kim Kardashian, who was also present at the event High praise: Like many other Gala attendees, Hayek was named by Time as one of its 100 Most Influential People of 2023 Cruz subsequently stated that the Eternals actress had served as an inspiration for her own career. 'Her huge heart, great intelligence, and charisma are a winning combination, but the thing I'm most proud of is that she's always entirely herself,' she said. The actress concluded by discussing how Hayek was dedicated to both assisting emerging talent and honing her craft. 'She's opened so many doors for people who followed. She is a total revolutionary, and there's still so much she will do,' she stated. Amelia Gray Hamlin has been single and back out in the dating scene since her breakup with Keeping Up With The Kardashians star Scott Disick back in late 2021. And on Wednesday, the rising star fashion model and entrepreneur was spotted out with a handsome young man whom she has been seen out and about with since last December. On this day, Hamlin looked more than overjoyed to see him when they embraced for a long hug moments after she parked her SUV on the side of road in Los Angeles. The unidentified male friend was photographed making his way around her vehicle just as she had gotten out of the driver's side and rushed in for the hug. Hamlin, who turns 22 on June 13, stepped out in black pants, which resembled Dickies, that fell to around her calves that she paired with a white crop top underneath a black shirt that she left unbuttoned in order to flaunt her toned abs. Hugging it out: Amelia Gray Hamlin, 21, shared a hug with a young man that she was first seen with in December 2022, one year after her split Scott Disick In keeping with her casual-cool ensemble she also donned a pair of black and white Adidas sneakers that she wore with black socks. At one point, while out together, Hamlin felt the need to put on a black shiny jacket before stepping out of her SUV while holding a stylish black purse. She also through in some cool sunglasses into her fashion mix, which at any given time she used as a means to pull back her long brown tresses off her face by placing it on top of her head. When she actually wore her cool shades over her eyes she noticeably had her dark brown locks styled long, straight, and flowing over her shoulders and down to about the middle of her back with a center part. From the looks of the tasty drink in her hand, the pair seemingly made a stop for ice coffee during their afternoon date. Her male friend looked similarly dressed in black pants with a matching button-down over a t-shirt, along with a pair of black old-school Converse sneakers. He also donned edgy sunglasses that, for the most part, sat on the top of his head, with the exception of when he was riding along in the SUV. One of the first times the pair were seen out together was this past December when they were on a walk in Los Angeles, which was about a year after her split from Disick. Eager: The fashion model hopped out of the driver's side of her SUV and quickly made her way to her male friend to give him a long hug and embrace Out and about: Hamlin was later seen with her mystery man after a stop for ice coffee And on that particular sunny day they again were seen sharing a hug during their time out together. Hamlin and Disick were first romantically linked in October 2020 and dated for 11 months before they split in September 2021. One day earlier, on Tuesday, the daughter of actor Harry Hamlin and The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills alum Lisa Rinna spent part of her Tuesday at The Broad, a contemporary art museum on Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles. Day at the museum: The previous day, on Tuesday, Hamlin flaunted her toned abs while out The Broad museum in Downtown Los Angeles Afternoon out: Hamlin went to The Broad, a contemporary art museum on Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, with another male friend Founded in 2015 The Broad is named for philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad, who financed the $140 million building that houses the Broad art collections Artsy: The pair were seen taking in the various art pieces and exhibits Cool cat: Hamlin wore a similar black outfit with a white crop top for her day at the museum A number of photos taken during her time at the museum with another male friend were posted on her Instagram page. One of the images showed her flaunting her toned abs in another black ensemble with a white crop top that was taken outside the entrance doors. There were also several images that showed the duo taking in the various art pieces and exhibits. Founded in 2015 The Broad is named for philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad, who financed the $140 million building that houses the Broad art collections. It offers free general admission to its permanent collection galleries.However, not all of its events are free and admission prices may vary by exhibit and/or by event. Lea Michele attended the Time 100 Gala, which was held at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Wednesday evening. The 36-year-old actress donned an elegant outfit and flashed a wide smile as she posed for several photos on the event's red carpet. The Glee star, who recently revealed that her son had been released from the hospital after undergoing a 'scary health issue,' was also joined by her husband, Zandy Reich, during the star-studded event. Michele wore a flowing light green dress that showed off her toned arms during the Gala. The lower portion of the Scream Queens actress' outfit featured a lengthy train that added a bit of extra glam to her look for the evening. There she is: Lea Michele attended the Time 100 Gala, which was held at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Wednesday evening Nothing but a good time: The 36-year-old actress donned an elegant outfit and flashed a wide smile as she posed for several photos on the event's red carpet The Grammy Award-nominated performer accessorized with a sparkling pair of earrings, and her dark brunette hair contrasted well with the light tone of her clothing. Reich, 40, looked sharp while wearing a navy blue tuxedo as he accompanied his wife to the Gala. Michele and her husband have been married ever since 2019, and they share a son named Leo, aged two. The actress' frequent collaborator Ryan Murphy recently sat down for an interview with Time and spoke about how he was impressed with her performance in Funny Girl. The performer began appearing in musical's lead role as Fanny Brice in September of last year. The American Horror Story creator expressed that Michele 'had done the impossible: made Fanny her own, to great critical and commercial acclaim.' The producer then stated that the actress had successfully revived the role of Brice. 'Older, wiser, stronger, Lea interjected the classic with a new burst of modernity and something singular: here she was playing a survivor and killing it because she herself had survived something. Many things,' he said. Making an impression: Michele wore a flowing light green dress that showed off her toned arms during the Gala Covering up: The lower portion of the Scream Queens actress' outfit featured a lengthy train that added a bit of extra glam to her look for the evening Dressed up: Reich, 40, looked sharp while wearing a navy blue tuxedo as he accompanied his wife to the Gala Happy family: Michele and her husband have been married ever since 2019, and they share a son named Leo, aged two He added: '[Jonathan Groff] and I were both in tears and were absolutely astounded as Lea received multiple standing ovations, literally bringing the house down.' The writer also expressed admiration for the humility Michele showed after receiving widespread acclaim for her role in the show. 'At age 36, she reinvented herself yet again. She was humble in this triumph and this comeback, and didn't take for granted being the toast of Broadway,' she said. Murphy concluded by stating: 'In this role, Lea Michele is truly the greatest star.' The acting world is in mourning, with the news that beloved actor Ron Faber - best known for a small but memorable role in The Exorcist - has passed away. While his death was only announced, the actor passed from lung cancer at 90 years of age on March 26, according to Deadline. The actor's passing was announced last week from his longtime friend, actor David Patrick Kelly in a Facebook post. 'Ron Faber has passed...first met him when I was a dishwasher/sub-bartender at the Mercer Arts Center,' Kelly began. 'He was performing Arrabal's And They Put Handcuffs on the Flowers about political prisoners in fascist Spain for which he won an OBIE,' the actor continued. 'We worked together a few years later in a workshop of Rado and Ragni's cartoon musical Tarzan in New York City,' he continued. R.I.P.: The acting world is in mourning, with the news that beloved actor Ron Faber has passed away Facebook: The actor's passing was announced last week from his longtime friend, actor David Patrick Kelly in a Facebook post He described Faber as, 'one of the true knights of American avant theatre as a founding member of Joe Chaikin's Open Theatre which greatly influenced me and so many others.' Kelly also called Faber a, 'great artist and gentleman with a wonderful voice and laugh.' Faber was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in February 1933, making his stage debut in 1954 in The Scarecrow at the Marquette Players Theatre. His off-Broadway performances included Lucky Stiff at Playwrights Horizons, Troillus and Cressida at Lincoln Centers Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre, Woyzeck at the Public Theatre, and, And They Put Handcuffs on Flowers at the Mercer Arts Center. His performance in And They Put Handcuffs on Flowers won an Obie Award, which put him on director William Friedkin's radar, leading to his casting in The Exorcist, which would be his feature film debut. He played Chuck, an assistant director on the film-within-the-film dubbed Crash Course, which stars Ellen Burstyn's character Chris MacNeil. It's Chuck who arrives at Chris' house to deliver the horrible news that Crash Course director Burke Dennings (Jack MacGowran) has been found dead. When he delivers the awful news to Chris, no one has known that the director was actually murdered by the demon-possessed Regan (Linda Blair). True: He described Faber as, 'one of the true knights of American avant theatre as a founding member of Joe Chaikin's Open Theatre which greatly influenced me and so many others' Great artist: Kelly also called Faber a, 'great artist and gentleman with a wonderful voice and laugh' Faber also provided additional demon sounds that were layered into Mercedes McCambridge's vocal performance as the demon, which he landed after recording demon sounds for Friedkin. 'When I did get a copy of the script and read through it, I had fallen in love with the demon and I thought the demon was really interesting and I wanted to get a chance at doing some voice over work,' Faber said in a 2016 interview with Coming Soon. 'So I went to the producer of and he had a friend who had an audio studio and I made a recording for William Friedkin who took it and told me that he would listen to it later down the track. When he finally did listen to it and shooting on The Exorcist was done he called me over to come to Los Angeles and do an hours work on doing one of the voices of the demon,' Faber explained. 'Friedkin told me that there were three people doing the voice of the demon for the film. He was determined to make sure that the devil did not sound like just one person, he wanted it to sound like a legion of voices,' he added. 'So he had Mercedes McCambridge do the core part of the voice of the demon, and myself and someone else, and I never got any credit for it. That was my shock when I saw the movie Mercedes McCambridge got the sole credit on the end film, so that pissed me off,' he added. Though he added that he was only in LA for a day, and only worked for an hour, he believed that bits from his original recording actually made it into the film. 'There were things from that recording that I was certain made it into the final film, and these were mostly sounds that I made deep guttural moaning and groaning,' he said. 'The sound design people on the film played with the voices, mine included, and did the overlapping and so forth. Mercedes was the person responsible for all the wheezing!' he added. Demon: Faber also provided additional demon sounds that were layered into Mercedes McCambridge's vocal performance as the demon, which he landed after recording demon sounds for Friedkin He continued to work regularly both in film and television and on the stage throughout his 40-year career. Faber had guest-starring spots on Kojak, Law & Order, Hope & Faith and Third Watch, with movie roles in The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover, On the Yard and Navy Seals. His numerous catalog of off-Broadway performances also include Happy Days at the Cherry Lane Theatre, Stonewall Jacksons House, Times and Appetites of Toulouse Lautrec, The Beauty Part and Tunnel Fever at the American Place Theater and The Last Laugh at the Jewish Repertory Theatre, to name just a few. He is survived by his wife, Kathleen Moore Faber, children, Hart, Raymond (Sadia), Elise Manuel (Alex) and Anthony; and his grandchildren and step-grandchildren, and pre-deceased by son Eric. Some of the most influential trailblazers and cultural newsmakers were honored at the TIME 100 Gala, hosted by Jennifer Coolidge, at the Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City on Wednesday. The annual event is in celebration of those who the magazine has selected as the 100 most influential people in the world for 2023. One of the newsmakers to make this year's TIME100 list, Mia Farrow, who was paired with Jennifer Coolidge, would hit the red carpet with her son Ronan Farrow. The 78-year-old actress, whose first leading lady role was in Roman Polanski's acclaimed psychological horror film Rosemary's Baby, struck a number of poses with Ronan by her side and another round by herself. The Los Angeles native (born Maria de Lourdes Villiers Farrow), 78, stunned in what appeared to be an off-white velvet dress that fell down to just above her feet, which were adorned with black sandals. Family matters: Mia Farrow, 78, attended the 2023 TIME100 Gala at the Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City on Wednesday with son Ronan Farrow, 35, by her side The sleeveless number and its plunging neckline helped showcase her lean figure with its perfect fit. For the prestigious event, Farrow had her blonde curly tresses styled long and down over her chest in the front, as well as to about middle of her back, with a part in the middle. She accessorized with a couple of bracelets and a small black clutch purse. Ronan Farrow, 35, showed off his fashion sense decked out in a gold-patterned suit that he matched with a white dress shirt and black shoes. The New York City native, who's the only biological child of Mia Farrow and her former longtime partner Woody Allen, had his blonde locks grown out over his ears, but pushed back off his face with a slight part on the left. The journalist, who's known for his investigative reporting of allegations of sexual abuse against film producer Harvey Weinstein that was published in The New Yorker magazine, would also strike a few poses solo for the admiring photographers. The New Yorker won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for the reporting on Weinstein, sharing the award with The New York Times. The gala, which serves as an extension of Time magazine's iconic 100 Most Influential People in the World list, included most of the newsmakers and world-changers picked for the 2023 edition. The 2023 TIME100 features 16 climate leaders, a record number for the list, including Anthony Albanese, Gustavo Petro, Catherine Coleman Flowers, Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Robin Zeng and more. Along with Coolidge, the entertainers on this year's list includes Michael B. Jordan, Austin Butler, Zoe Saldana, Angela Bassett, Aubrey Plaza, Colin Farrell, Drew Barrymore, Jerrod Carmichael, Ali Wong, Salma Hayek Pinault and Nathan Fielder. Lovely: The acclaimed actress (born Maria de Lourdes Villiers Farrow), 78, stunned in what appeared to be an off-white velvet dress that fell down to just above her feet, which were adorned with black sandals Flowing: Farrow had her long blonde locks flowing down over her chest and down to the middle of her back for the prestigious event that celebrates those who the magazine has selected as the 100 most influential people in the world for 2023 For this year's TIME100 list of pairings, Farrow shares her thoughts on actress Jennifer Coolidge, who played host of the 2023 gala Breakout film role: Farrow saw her star soar with her role in Roman Polanski's acclaimed psychological horror film Rosemary's Baby (1968) First published in 1999 as the result of a debate among American academics, politicians, and journalists, the list is now a highly publicized annual event. Appearing on the list, which is ultimately chosen by Time editors, is often seen as an honor, regardless of the consequences of their actions. While Farrow was paired with Coolidge, some of others paired for this year's TIME100 list includes Mary Barra on Bob Iger, Mila Kunis on Zoe Saldana, Amy Poehler on Aubrey Plaza, Hillary Rodham Clinton on Oleksandra Matviichuk, Tina Turner on Angela Bassett, Sue Bird on Brittney Griner, Yo-Yo Ma on Laurene Powell Jobs, Jimmy Fallon on Drew Barrymore, Emma Stone on Nathan Fielder, Bill Frist on Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi on Hakeem Jeffries, among others. In her article about Coolidge for Time, Farrow revealed that the two ladies first met last year while shooting the Netflix series The Watcher on a soundstage in Brooklyn. After confessing she long admired Coolidge and her work as an actress, Farrow would go on highlight the qualities that she feels is the reason why 'everyone falls in love with her', which include 'her eccentric mannerisms, hilarious improvisations, and, most of all, aching vulnerability.' Farrow went on to boast that Coolidge's 'honesty and kindness make her a friend anyone would be lucky to have.' Farrow first gained recognition for her role Allison MacKenzie on the soap opera Peyton Place (1964-1966). But she would see her star rise as the leading lady in the classic psychological horror film Rosemary's Baby (1968), which was just her fourth film role. Fashion sense: Ronan Farrow, 35, showed off his fashion sense decked out in a gold-patterned suit that he matched with a white dress shirt and black shoes As a journalist, Ronan Farrow is best known for his investigative reporting of allegations of sexual abuse against film producer Harvey Weinstein that was published in The New Yorker magazine; he is pictured on the red carpet with actress Natasha Lyonne Mia Farrow's relationship with Woody Allen ended in 1992 when Allen's intimate relationship with adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn was made public; the former couple and Previn are pictured in 1990 Around the same time she was making Rosemary's Baby, she also gained further recognition for her subsequent short-lived marriage to Frank Sinatra. Her resume as a performer also includes John and Mary (1969), Follow Me! (1972), The Great Gatsby (1974), Death On The Nile (1978), and a number of collaborations with actor-director Woody Allen, such as The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), Hannah and Her Sisters (1987) and Alice (1990) Farrow was in a relationship with Allen from 1980 to 1992, and appeared in 13 of his 14 films over that time period. Their relationship ended in 1992 when Allen's intimate relationship with Soon-Yi Previn (Farrow's adopted daughter, who was 21 years old at the time) was made public. It's the rumour everyone in the comedy world is talking about: is Tommy Little dating Carrie Bickmore? The pair, who have been friends for years and co-host the Hit Network's national drive show, have been at the centre of gossip ever since Carrie announced her split from her long-term partner Chris Walker in January. During an interview on The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Thursday, Tommy's friend Hamish Blake was grilled about the speculation by shock jock Kyle Sandilands. Kyle asked him directly: 'Is Tommy Little having an affair with Carrie Bickmore?' Hamish said he was best friends with Tommy's roommate John, who is 'terrible at keeping secrets', so if the pair were secretly dating, he would know. Kyle Sandilands (pictured) directly asked Hamish Blake on Thursday if his mate Tommy Little was having an affair with Carrie Bickmore 'John is my best mate and he is terrible at keeping secrets so I would have definitely heard about it,' the Lego Masters presenter said. Kyle's co-host Jackie O Henderson agreed, saying Carrie and Tommy were 'definitely' not romantically involved - because she would know if they were. 'No this is definitely not the case... I just know,' she said. It follows reports Carrie, 42, has grown close to her Hit FM co-host Tommy, 38, who is also single following his break-up with girlfriend Natalie Kyriacou in 2021. Tommy rushed to the mother-of-three's side in January when she confirmed her split from Chris, leading insiders to speculate their friendship could evolve into something more. In recent months Tommy has shared several gushing tributes to Carrie on Instagram, and in one post called her the 'best in the business' who 'lifts up everyone around her and makes them look good'. Ahead of her last day on The Project last November, Tommy also treated the blonde bombshell to a private helicopter ride across Melbourne. He is often seen close to her at glitzy events, including the 2022 Australian Commercial Radio Awards (ACRAs) last October, where he didn't leave her side even as guests got up from their tables and mingled with others. The duo are regularly seen posing for cosy selfies on social media, which has prompted curious fans to question whether romance is on the cards. 'You guys make a lovely couple,' one recently commented on a photo of the pair. 'Get a room already, you two,' another said. Hamish (pictured) said he was best friends with Tommy's roommate John, who is 'terrible at keeping secrets', so if the pair were secretly dating, he would know It's not hard to see why fans are hoping for love to blossom, as Tommy and Carrie are already known for their electric chemistry. Their professional relationship began in 2016 when Tommy joined Carrie on the panel of The Project. A year later, the pair began co-hosting Hit Network's Melbourne drive show in 2017, and immediately gained a cult following thanks to their entertaining and organic banter. Carrie announced her split from her longtime partner Chris in January this year via Instagram, saying the pair are focused on co-parenting their three children, Ollie, 15, Evie, seven, and Adelaide, four. Drew Barrymore looked radiant while attending the TIME 100 Gala in New York City on Wednesday. The 48-year-old actress put on an elegant display in white gown and sheer cape adorned with dark blue flowers while posing on the red carpet as one of the best dressed stars of the night. The talk show host was dazzling in the dress featuring a flattering sweetheart neckline and a flowing, floor-sweeping skirt. Over the gown, the seven-time Emmy nominee wore a sheer cape with the matching design that was fastened with a single button at the bottom of her neck. The SoCal native who pretended to be a corgi while chatting with Helen Mirren on her eponymous talk show accessorized with a navy blue clutch with gold hardware. Elegant: Drew Barrymore, 48, looked radiant while attending the TIME 100 Gala in New York City on Wednesday The Charlie's Angels vet left her brunette tresses down in natural waves to show that sometimes less truly is more. Similarly, she opted for a minimal makeup look to highlight her radiant beauty. She rocked a generous wash of bronze blush across her cheeks and a sheeny, mauve lipstick. For jewelry, she wore just an eye-catching silver wash and let her classic red manicure be her contrasting accessory. The day before, an episode of The Drew Barrymore Show dropped with The Queen actress stopping by to promote her new film, Shazam: Fury of the Gods. At one point, the 77-year-old screen icon talked about her famous portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in the 2006 biographical series. In that segment, Mirren told Barrymore that she had the energy of a corgi referring to the late Monarch's cherished dogs. 'Love the Corgis,' Mirren said about the breed. 'The Corgis were great. They're great little dogs.' Regal: The actress put on an elegant display in white gown and sheer cape adorned with dark blue flowers while posing on the red carpet as one of the best dressed stars of the night Stunning: The talk show host was dazzling in the dress featuring a flattering sweetheart neckline and a flowing, floor-sweeping skirt Natural beauty: The Charlie's Angels vet left her brunette tresses down in natural waves to show that sometimes less truly is more; similarly, she opted for a minimal makeup look to highlight her radiant beauty Mirren then went on to compare character traits between the host and the adorable breed: '...very curious, very fun, very into everything. 'You are a Corgi,' she said. 'And you've got the Corgi-colored hair.' At the signal, Barrymore then got down on all fours and hilariously pretended to be a corgi at Mirren's command. 'I can die happily now,' Drew had said to the comparison. 'Thank you.' Advertisement Elizabeth Olsen stunned in a crimson gown on Wednesday when she attended the LA premiere of her new limited series Love & Death. The Marvel star, 34 who resembled a ray of sunshine last week in New York City was in the fashionable company of Kirsten Dunst and Ashley Benson, who both rocked jet-black looks to the premiere. Olsen commanded attention in her dramatic Givenchy gown that featured a scoop thigh-high hemline above the knees. Dunst, 40, kept it simple and chic in a spaghetti strap dress, minimal jewelry and soft glam. Benson, 33, rocked a skintight turtleneck minidress with long sleeves, sultry pumps and a very sharp manicure. Stunners: Elizabeth Olsen, 34, stunned in a crimson gown on Wednesday when she attended the LA premiere of her new limited series Love & Death. The Marvel star was in the fashionable company of Kirsten Dunst (middle, 40) and Ashley Benson (right, 33), who both rocked jet-black looks to the premiere While Elizabeth and Ashley arrived solo, Kirsten attended the event on the arm of her husband Jesse Plemons, 35. Plemons who is Elizabeth's principal co-star in Love & Death looked handsome in a casual dark gray suit as he posed alongside his new wife. The happy couple tied the knot last year in July. But nobody looked happier than Kaley Cuoco and her partner Tom Pelphrey, as the new parents flashed their beaming smiles up and down the carpet. The pair welcomed their first child together last month a daughter named Matilda Carmine Richie Pelphrey and earlier this week they celebrated the one year anniversary of their relationship. Cuoco looked radiant in a blue satin dress while her actor beau was dapper in a beige suit. Pelphrey plays a supporting role in the upcoming true-crime series Love & Death, which is set to premiere on April 27. The limited HBO show will recount the gruesome murder of small-town Texas housewife Betty Gore played by Lily Rabe, whose husband was having an affair with her killer friend and neighbor, Candy Montgomery (Olsen). Gore's cheating husband is played by Jesse Plemons and the series has earned solid reviews so far from critics. Crimson queen: Olsen commanded attention in her dramatic Givenchy gown that featured a scoop thigh-high hemline above the knees Dramatic edge: Elizabeth's glam highlighted her porcelain complexion and she gave her lips a dramatic edge with dark matte color Compelling: The limited HBO show will recount the gruesome murder of small-town Texas housewife Betty Gore, played by Lily Rabe, whose husband was having an affair with her killer friend and neighbor, Candy Montgomery (Olsen) The star was joined by her principal co-star Jesse Plemons, 35, who plays the cheating husband of Betty Gore (the victim of Candy's ax) Plemons looked handsome as he posed alongside his A-list wife Kirsten Dunst The pair were married last year in July and share two children Dunst glowed with pretty pop of color on her lips and elegant diamond jewelry The actor's performance in Power of the Dog earned him an Oscar nomination last year for Best Supporting Actor Benson rocked a skintight turtleneck minidress with long sleeves, sultry pumps and a very sharp manicure The Pretty Little Liars alum made sure her sensational figure was showcased and also made her plump pout pop with and arresting shade of dark fuchsia Nobody looked happier than Kaley Cuoco, 37, and her partner Tom Pelphrey, 40, as the new parents flashed their beaming smiles up and down the carpet The Flight Attendant star looked radiant in a blue satin dress The pair welcomed their first child together last month a daughter named Matilda Carmine Richie Pelphrey Kaley's actor beau was dapper in a beige suit. He plays a supporting role in the upcoming true-crime series Kaley and Tom celebrated the one year anniversary of their relationship earlier this week Lily Rabe dazzled in a shimmering black dress that featured a tiered skirt Rabe's gown had a sexy open back and a bedazzled heart The veteran actress attended with her partner fellow actor Hamish Linklater Rabe and Linklater were photobombed by Pelphrey Krysten Ritter rocked a sexy LBD Ritter accessorized her look with sheer gloves and a black rosary necklace The performer finished off her look with a sparkling pair of high-heeled shoes Chris Han stood out with a vibrant floral top Gabriel Luna went with a boho-chic cowboy vibe Several individuals associated with the program later spent time with one another at the event's afterparty Ritter's all-black outfit contrasted perfectly with the colorful tone of Cuoco's dress The star of The Big Bang Theory later posed for a photo with the father of her child Dunst, Rabe and Olsen appeared to be making the most of their time at the afterparty The three were later spotted while sharing jokes during the event Rabe and Olsen later posed for a photo with director Lesli Linka Glatter Dunst and Plemons were joined by Sarah Aubrey and Per Saari during the afterparty Love & Death is set to premiere on HBO April 27 The first trailer for Love & Death dropped in February and showed Olsen fully inhabiting the role of a churchgoing mother who would eventually pickup an ax and murder her friend in 1980. 'Something has been bothering me a little,' Olsen says in the trailer. 'I have done all the things a wife is supposed to do. The house, the meals Where is the payback?' Written by David E. Kelley, the show is another chilling adaptation of Candy Montgomery's disturbing tale, who was portrayed by Jessica Biel last year in the titular Hulu series Candy. 'We cannot imagine a more perfect artist to play the leading role of Candy than Elizabeth Olsen,' said Kevin Beggs, Chairman of Lionsgate Television Group. 'Her talent, charisma and energy can bewitch audiences like no other.' U.S. Marine Corps recruits with Lima Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, execute different movements to test the seal on the M40 gas mask in the confidence chamber on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., April 25, 2023. The chamber is filled with chlorobenzalmalononitrile, a form of tear gas, to instill confidence in recruits skills and their gear in the event of a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear attack. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Tyler W. Abbott) X 0 20 Help Keep Us Soaring We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling. We need your help in reversing that trend. We would like to add 20 new subscribers this month. Each month we count on your subscriptions or contributions. You can support us in the following ways: Rapper Azealia Banks has announced she's launching a 'full-on' lawsuit following her disastrous Australia tour in December. The New York artist, 31, held a nationwide tour Down Under which took a turn after planned gigs in Melbourne and Sydney were postponed due to 'visa issues', while she also cancelled her Brisbane show at the last minute. At the time, the rapper lashed out and accused her Australian touring agents, Bizarro and Point Productions, of being 'scams' and trying to get out of paying her - claims the promoters have since denied. Azealia took to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday to ask an Australian lawyer to assist her in the matter. 'Looking for a very very powerful lawyer in OZ to take care of that situation in December,' she wrote on Thursday. Rapper Azealia Banks (pictured) has announced she's launching a 'full-on' lawsuit following her disastrous Australia tour in December 'Paying TOP dollar. To launch a full-on lawsuit. No litigators need apply.' Aside from the scandal, Azealia also called the country 'broke and racist' and told other artists to avoid touring there. 'So this will be my last time touring Australia,' the 212 hitmaker said in December. Azealia took to her Instagram Story as a call out for an Australian lawyer to assist her in the matters that occurred late last year The New York artist, 31, held a nationwide tour Down Under which took a turn after planned gigs in Melbourne and Sydney were postponed due to 'visa issues', while she also cancelled her Brisbane show at the last minute 'The entire run was a set-up scam between Bizarro and Point Blank Productions. Both promoters got paid off of my hard work and are now trying to cite all these stupid things as reasons not to pay me a dime,' she alleged. 'I flew all the way across the world to go home empty-handed. Sweet. I will not be back.' Banks added in a subsequent post: 'Y'all white people down here are broke and racist LMAO.' Banks insisted she had a 'gut instinct' not to visit Australia, and warned other artists to think twice about working with Bizarro and Point Productions. Aside from the scandal, Azealia also called the country 'broke and racist' and told other artists to avoid touring there. Pictured: Australia, 2015 She also accused her Australian touring agents Bizarro and Point Productions of being 'scams' and trying to get out of paying her - claims the promoters have since denied 'Artists: if you or your agents are contacted by either Bizarro or Point Blank Productions in Australia DO NOT REPLY. It's a scam,' she claimed. Banks, who referred to Australia as a 'third-world country', went on to claim the Aussie dollar's exchange rate was so poor it wouldn't be worth taking legal action. Point Productions has since denied Banks' accusations in a statement to Daily Mail Australia. Point Productions' full statement regarding accusations made by Azealia Banks Point Productions would like to express its gratitude to everyone who attended shows for the Azealia Banks tour. It has been a pleasure hosting you all throughout the run and we look forward to an exciting 2023. Point Productions is aware of recent disparaging comments by Ms Banks about us, and about her experience during her tour of Australia. Her allegations against us are untrue and we disagree with her comments. We deliver the highest standard of excellence to all of our talent. Ms Banks was no exception. We can confidently say that we did everything possible to meet Ms Banks expectations, and to create an accommodating and safe experience for her, her fans and everyone involved at the shows and on tour. Advertisement 'Point Productions is aware of recent disparaging comments by Ms Banks about us, and about her experience during her tour of Australia,' the statement reads. 'Her allegations against us are untrue and we disagree with her comments. We deliver the highest standard of excellence to all of our talent. Ms Banks was no exception. 'We can confidently say that we did everything possible to meet Ms Banks' expectations, and to create an accommodating and safe experience for her, her fans and everyone involved at the shows and on tour.' Bizarro also rejected Banks' claims in a statement to Daily Mail Australia. 'Whilst we have paid our fees to Azealia's touring agent, we have also been led to believe that the majority of her tour has been paid to her personally in full, despite her willingness to burn down every show of the run,' the statement read in part. 'Her slanderous claims made against us personally as individuals and scammers are entirely false. While we dont generally expect contracted artists to assist us in promoting their shows, we certainly havent ever had an artist actively work against us like this.' Azealia's Sydney and Melbourne shows were postponed at the eleventh hour, while completely cancelling her Brisbane set - saying the last time she performed there was the most 'racist' and 'demoralising' experience of her life. The cancellation followed an outburst in 2015, where she made aggressive comments about Australia, calling Aussies 'violent' and 'belligerent'. The incident Banks is referring to actually occurred at Listen Out Festival in Melbourne back in 2013, where a fan threw a beer can at her while she was on stage. Banks apparently agreed to perform in Brisbane on her 2022 tour, despite her initial reluctance, on the condition that security measures were beefed up - but she later backed out, claiming her requests had been disregarded. 'After this run this will be my very last time touring Australia,' she said. 'This place makes me utterly miserable and Im too black and beautiful to have a bunch of white people in my face playing with me over their weak a** currency.' Angelina Jolie and her son Maddox were among the high-profile names to attend the White House state dinner in the nation's capitol on Wednesday. This year, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden hosted South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-ROK alliance. Angelina, 47, and her eldest child, 21, were dressed to the nines for the lavish affair and had the pleasure of witnessing President Yoon belt out Don McLean's 1971 hit American Pie. Maddox - who was adopted by the actress from Cambodia in 2002 - is very familiar with South Korea after studying biochemistry at Yonsei University in Seoul. Angelina flew to South Korea to send her son off to college in August 2019. Angelina Jolie and her son Maddox were among the high-profile names to attend the White House state dinner in the nation's capitol on Wednesday This year, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden hosted South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-ROK alliance Maddox - who was adopted by the actress from Cambodia in 2002 - is very familiar with South Korea after studying biochemistry at Yonsei University in Seoul They first visited the school, as well as other college campuses in South Korea, in late 2018. Although he 'got accepted to other universities,' Maddox ultimately decided that Yonsei was the right fit for him, as reported by PEOPLE at the time. Along with biochemistry courses, the outlet claimed that Maddox was 'studying Korean language.' But Maddox's study abroad was interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic which forced him to trade in-person classes for online school. As a result, he returned to his family home in Los Angeles in March 2020, according to Angelina, who opened up about her son's education in an interview with Extra that year. Because his classes remained on Korea time, the Changeling star revealed that Maddox had no choice but to become a night owl. 'He had to stay back from Korea. He's going online, and so I think he starts at 6pm at night,' she told the outlet. Maddox eventually retuned to South Korea in March of 2021 after a year of remote learning. The Sun reported in 2021 that classes - specifically 'labs, studio and field study courses' - recommenced that April. Gussied up: Angelina, 47, and her eldest child, 21, were dressed to the nines for the lavish affair Angelina beamed with pride as she walked arm-in-arm with her eldest child Radiant: Angelina looked radiant in an off white Chanel blazer worn over a flowy white dress with a deep V-neckline She was caught looking at her son with pride as he spoke The Hackers star accessorized with a strand of large pearls and matching drop earrings They were photographed entering the White House Angelina previously gushed over her son's ambitious academic pursuits to PEOPLE in 2019, telling the outlet that she is 'nothing but proud' of him. She added: 'I look forward to all he will do.' It's unclear whether or not Maddox has officially completed his degree at Yonsei. For Wednesday's White House state dinner, the mother-son duo walked into the Oval Office arm-in-arm. Angelina looked radiant in an off white, vintage Chanel blazer worn over a flowy white dress with a deep V-neckline. The Hackers star accessorized with a strand of large pearls and matching drop earrings. Her light brunette hair fell onto her shoulders in loose curls and her famously plump pout was painted bright red. Maddox cut a stylish figure for the occasion by wearing a fitted black peacoat over a white button-down shirt and tie. He slipped on slender trousers and black dress shoes to complete his White House look. Glamour: Her light brunette hair fell onto her shoulders in loose curls and her famously plump pout was painted bright red Dapper: Maddox cut a stylish figure for the occasion He wore a fitted black peacoat over a white button-down shirt and tie Complete: He slipped on slender trousers and black dress shoes to complete his White House look Ready for the action! Angelina and Maddox took their seats in the State Dining Room to await the after-dinner entertainment They applauded the performers Angelina and her son were seated at the head table for dinner, along with home improvement stars Chip and Joanna Gaines and Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim Star-studded: Along with Angelina and Maddox, home improvement stars Chip and Joanna Gaines and one Congressional Republican - Sen. Mitt Romney, who voted in favor of former President Donald Trump's impeachments - were among the famous attendees Angelina looked all too proud to be attending the annual soiree with her son by her side. Friendship and cooperation were the theme of President Yoon's visit, which included a new military pact to counter the growing nuclear threat to North Korea; an Oval Office meeting between the two leaders; a formal welcome ceremony on the South Lawn; and a visit to the Korean Warm memorial. At the dinner, held in the East Room of the White House under the hundreds of cherry blossoms decorating the area, Biden toasted their relationship as 'allies and friends' and Yoon described it as an 'ironclad alliance,' despite leaked documents suggesting the U.S. was spying on Seoul. Along with Angelina and Maddox, home improvement stars Chip and Joanna Gaines and one Congressional Republican - Sen. Mitt Romney, who voted in favor of former President Donald Trump's impeachments - were among the famous attendees. Angelina and the Gainses were seated at the head table, as well as Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim, Romney and departing Amb. Susan Rice, who has been serving as the Director of the Domestic Policy Council. The menu for Wednesday's dinner was designed by Chef Edward Lee, a Korean-American chef who's known for infusing traditional American classics with Korean flavors. The entertainment portion of the evening consists of Broadway stars Norm Lewis, Lea Salonga and Jessica Vosk performing American musical classics. Angelina shares Maddox, as well as sons Pax, 19, Knox Leon, 14, and daughters Zahara, 18, Shiloh, 16 and Vivienne, 14, with her ex-husband Brad Pitt. Maddox, Pax and Zahara are all adopted. Maddox was adopted as an infant by Angelina in 2002 - prior to her relationship with Brad. Family: Along with Maddox, Angelina has sons Pax, 19, Knox Leon, 14, and daughters Zahara, 18, Shiloh, 16 and Vivienne, 14; the family seen in 2019 She shares all six children with her ex-husband Brad Pitt; seen together in 2015 Adoption: Maddox was adopted as an infant by Angelina in 2002 - prior to her relationship with Brad. In 2006, Brad legally adopted Maddox and his last name was changed to 'Jolie-Pitt'; Brad, Maddox and Angelina seen in 2009 In 2006, Brad legally adopted Maddox and his last name was changed to 'Jolie-Pitt.' Angelina and Brad, 58, split in 2016 after just two years of marriage but over a decade together. They are still in the midst of a contentious divorce and it's been alleged that a 'physical altercation' between Brad and Maddox in 2016 was the final straw for Angelina. It's also been alleged that Maddox later testified against his adoptive father as part of the former couple's ongoing divorce proceedings, which involves hashing out custody and the division of assets. Just over 16 years after Mia Farrow had some strong words for Steven Spielberg - comparing him to Nazi filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, they shared an awkward encounter on the Time 100 red carpet. Farrow, 78, who wrote the Time 100 piece on honoree Jennifer Coolidge, hit the red carpet with her son Ronan Farrow at the Lincoln Center in New York City. Spielberg, 76, was also on hand to receive an award, presented by Drew Barrymore and Ke Huy Quan. Before he took the stage, he had a brief encounter with Farrow on the red carpet, sharing an awkward hug with her. The outing comes just a day after Spielberg admitted that censoring the guns out of E.T. was a big regret of his. Awkward: Just over 16 years after Mia Farrow had some strong words for Steven Spielberg - comparing him to Nazi filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, they shared an awkward encounter on the Time 100 red carpet Red carpet Farrow: Farrow, 78, who wrote the Time 100 piece on honoree Jennifer Coolidge, hit the red carpet with her son Ronan Farrow at the Lincoln Center in New York City Spielberg - clad in a classic black tuxedo - was photographed on the red carpet with Farrow, who gave him an awkward smile. Farrow - clad in a silver gown - gave the filmmaker a hug on the red carpet at the annual event. 16 years earlier, Farrow and her son Ronan wrote an op-ed piece for the Wall Street Journal entitled The Genocide Olympics. The piece drew attention to the Chinese government for funding and supporting the Darfur genocide in Sudan, which the Farrows had seen firsthand in the country. She heavily criticizing Spielberg for coming aboard as an artistic adviser to the Chinese government for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, claiming that his involvement and other corporate sponsors were attempting to, 'sanitize Beijing's image.' 'Is Mr. Spielberg, who in 1994 founded the Shoah Foundation to record the testimony of survivors of the holocaust, aware that China is bankrolling Darfurs genocide?' the Farrows wrote in the piece. The also ask, 'Does Mr. Spielberg really want to go down in history as the Leni Riefenstahl of the Beijing Games?' Leni Riefenstahl directed the films Olympia and Triumph of the Will, which are considered to be the most effective propaganda films ever made. Hug: Farrow - clad in a silver gown - gave the filmmaker a hug on the red carpet at the annual event Riefenstahl would later deny any knowledge of the Holocaust, despite becoming close friends with Adolf Hitler himself, which tarnished her image severely. Nearly a year after the Farrows' op-ed, Spielberg resigned as the artistic adviser to the 2008 Beijing Olympics in February 2008. 'I find that my conscience will not allow me to continue business as usual' Spielberg said in a statement. 'At this point, my time and energy must be spent not on Olympic ceremonies, but on doing all I can to help bring an end to the unspeakable crimes against humanity that continue to be committed in Darfur,' he added. The filmmaker sent a letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao in April 2007, opposing Chinese involvement in the Sudanese civil war, even asking to meet with the President though Hu failed to respond, leading to Spielberg backing out. Spielberg accepted an Image Award at the Time 100 gala, which was presented by two of his iconic stars - Drew Barrymore and Ke Huy Quan. The filmmaker directed a 7-year-old Drew Barrymore in the iconic 1982 film E.T. and a 12-year-old Quan as Short Round in 1984's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The director shared a hug with the stars on the stage before accepting his award from the Time 100 Gala. Accepted: Spielberg accepted an Image Award at the Time 100 gala, which was presented by two of his iconic stars - Drew Barrymore and Ke Huy Quan Hugs: The filmmaker directed a 7-year-old Drew Barrymore in the iconic 1982 film E.T. and a 12-year-old Quan as Short Round in 1984's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Hugs: The director shared a hug with the stars on the stage before accepting his award from the Time 100 Gala Trio: Ke Huy Quan and Drew Barrymore share a hug with Steven Spielberg Spielberg is coming off his Best Picture nominee The Fablemans, inspired by his own childhood upbringing. He is in pre-production on an untitled Bullitt project, based on the Frank Bullitt character played by the late Steve McQueen in the 1968 classic Bullitt, with Bradley Cooper set to star. The filmmaker is also set to resurrect a passion project from the late Stanley Kubrick about Napoleon Bonaparte into an HBO mini-series. Kubrick had originally planned on directing Napoleon after 2001: A Space Odyssey, even eyeing Jack Nicholson to star at the time. CinemaCon continued for its third day in Las Vegas on Wednesday, with Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster taking the stage to promote Fast X. The 44-year-old Rodriguez and 43-year-old Brewster appeared at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace during Universal Pictures' presentation on Wednesday afternoon. They were joined by Fast X stars Vin Diesel, Tyrese Gibson - who was ordered to pay $250K in back child support yesterday - and Sung Kang to promote the highly-anticipated film, in theaters May 19. Rodriguez opted for a black bra under a black suit coat with silver accents over the right shoulder. Her long black wavy locks fell over her shoulders as she completed her look with matching black pants and silver heels. Jordana and Michelle: CinemaCon continued for its third day in Las Vegas on Wednesday, with Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster taking the stage to promote Fast X Stars: The 44-year-old Rodriguez and 43-year-old Brewster appeared at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace during Universal Pictures' presentation on Wednesday afternoon Vin: They were joined by Fast X stars Vin Diesel, Tyrese Gibson and Sung Kang to promote the highly-anticipated film, in theaters May 19. Tyrese and Sung: Tyrese Gibson and Sung Kang join Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez Michelle: Rodriguez opted for a black bra under a black suit coat with silver accents over the right shoulder Hugs: Her long black wavy locks fell over her shoulders as she completed her look with matching black pants and silver heels Her co-star Brewster opted for a shimmering black mini dress with floral accents for the outing. She had her jet black hair pulled back with small silver hoop earrings as she spoke to the crowd in Las Vegas. Franchise stalwart Vin Diesel took the stage solo in a white leather jacket with an X on the back over a black t-shirt. He also rocked matching white pants and black shoes for his appearance at the convention. Sung Kang opted for an olive green shirt, brown pants and grey Adidas sneakers while Tyrese Gibson had a black hoodie, black coat, black pants and black shoes. Also on hand for the Universal Pictures presentation was Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, who were promoting their theatrical remake of the 1980s TV series The Fall Guy. Gosling opted for a salmon shirt under a green suit coat and matching green pants with black and gold shoes. Blunt opted for a full-length white dress with red polka dots with heels for her appearance in Sin City. Jordana's look: Her co-star Brewster opted for a shimmering black mini dress with floral accents for the outing Pulled back: She had her jet black hair pulled back with small silver hoop earrings as she spoke to the crowd in Las Vegas Vin: Franchise stalwart Vin Diesel took the stage solo in a white leather jacket with an X on the back over a black t-shirt Matching: He also rocked matching white pants and black shoes for his appearance at the convention All smiles: Vin Diesel is all smiles at CinemaCon Fast Vin: Vin Diesel promotes Fast X at CinemaCon Tyrese and Sung: Sung Kang opted for an olive green shirt, brown pants and grey Adidas sneakers while Tyrese Gibson had a black hoodie, black coat, black pants and black shoes Emily and Ryan: Also on hand for the Universal Pictures presentation was Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, who were promoting their theatrical remake of the 1980s TV series The Fall Guy Ryan's look: Gosling opted for a salmon shirt under a green suit coat and matching green pants with black and gold shoes Emily's look: Blunt opted for a full-length white dress with red polka dots with heels for her appearance in Sin City Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick also took the stage to promote their sequel Trolls Band Together, in theaters November 17. Timberlake wore a black t-shirt under a black suit coat with matching black pants and shiny black shoes. His co-star Kendrick opted for a sleeveless black cherry-print dress with black heels for the presentation. Jack Black also took the stage to promote his animated sequel Kung Fu Panda 4, arriving in theaters March 8, 2024. The high-kicking star took the stage with a black and white shirt with black pants and black shoes for the presentation. The actor also sported a bushy salt and pepper beard to promote the animated sequel. Another funnyman took the stage with a four-legged friend - Will Ferrell and and his canine friend Sophie from the film Strays, in theaters June 9. Will stepped out in a black and grey flannel shirt under an brown suede coat with black pants and brown shoes. Justin and Anna: Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick also took the stage to promote their sequel Trolls Band Together, in theaters November 17 Justin's look: Timberlake wore a black t-shirt under a black suit coat with matching black pants and shiny black shoes Anna's look: His co-star Kendrick opted for a sleeveless black cherry-print dress with black heels for the presentation. Jack's back: Jack Black also took the stage to promote his animated sequel Kung Fu Panda 4, arriving in theaters March 8, 2024 Jack's look: The high-kicking star took the stage with a black and white shirt with black pants and black shoes for the presentation Bearded: The actor also sported a bushy salt and pepper beard to promote the animated sequel Will and Sophie: Another funnyman took the stage with a four-legged friend - Will Ferrell and and his canine friend Sophie from the film Strays, in theaters June 9 Will's look: Will stepped out in a black and grey flannel shirt under an brown suede coat with black pants and brown shoes Christopher: Christopher Nolan also took to the stage on Wednesday to discuss his new film Oppenheimer, in theaters July 21 Christopher Nolan also took to the stage on Wednesday to discuss his new film Oppenheimer, in theaters July 21. The film stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, head of the Manhattan Project who is known as the Father of the Atomic Bomb. CinemaCon will wrap up on Thursday in Las Vegas, with a presentation from Paramount Pictures and a conversation with Martin Scorsese. There will also be a screening of the new Lionsgate film Joy Ride before the convention concludes. Ali Wong embraced her cultural heritage on Wednesday night when she wore a Vietnamese gown to the Time 100 Gala in New York City. The Beef star, 40 who recently went on a PDA-packed hike with her beau Bill Hader stole the spotlight in a stunning white Ao Dai dress. The traditional garment was comprised of long fringed sleeves, a feathered train, and an ornate beaded headdress. Trousers were concealed under the skirt of her gown and she accessorized the incredible look with cat eye glasses. This year's Time 100 Gala honored Wong and 99 others including Kim Kardashian, John Legend, Lauren Powell Jobs, Steven Spielberg, Nancy Pelosi and more. Gorgeous: Ali Wong, 40, embraced her cultural heritage on Wednesday night when she wore a Vietnamese gown to the Time 100 Gala in New York City Incredible detail: Strands of crystal beads streamed down Ali's headdress a beautiful creation that depicted delicate vines and leaves Strands of crystal beads streamed down Ali's headdress a beautiful creation that depicted delicate vines and leaves. The veteran comedian - who is a mixed ethnicity of Vietnamese and Chinese - is in the midst of a major career upswing after the recent success of her hit Netflix show Beef. The series has earned an astonishing 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes and amassed a legion of fans on the streamer. Beef tells the story of two strangers, played by Ali and her co-star Steven Yeun, who get involved in a road rage incident and the aftermath. After steadily working her way up in Hollywood, Ali's career reached new heights in 2016 when Netflix released her stand-up comedy special Baby Cobra. Seven months pregnant with her first child at the time of filming, Baby Cobra went on to earn rave reviews and established Wong as a star on the rise. . Continuing her work with the streamer, she had a lead role in the 2019 comedy film You'll Always Be My Maybe which she also co-wrote. More recently, she released her third stand-up special Don Wong last year and appeared in the sci-fi series Paper Girls. Commanding attention: The Beef star stole the spotlight in a stunning white Ao Dai dress Showstopper: The traditional garment was comprised of long fringed sleeves, a feathered train, and a concealed pair of trousers Queen of the evening: This year's Time 100 Gala honored Wong and 99 others including Kim Kardashian, John Legend, Lauren Powell Jobs, Steven Spielberg, Nancy Pelosi and more Star on the rise: The veteran comedian is in the midst of a major career upswing after the recent success of her hit Netflix show Beef Drew's new best friend: Wong caught the attention of Drew Barrymore, 48 Glitzy company: Ali posed alongside A-listers like Salma Hayek, 56, and Michael B. Jordan, 36 Ali's inclusion in the TIME 100 list comes on the heels of her love life also taking turn for the better as she recently rekindled her romance with funnyman Bill Hader. According to Page Six, the pair had been romantically linked last fall, and sources described it as a 'rebound' relationship after both were coming off high-profile breakups. Wong had divorced businessman Justin Hakuta after an eight-year marriage while Hader parted ways with actress Anna Kendrick, 37, after a year of dating. The couple initially spent two months together, with an insider telling the outlet that it was an 'amicable' parting as both were tied up with jam-packed schedules. The stage and screen legend Patrick Stewart joined James Corden on the penultimate episode of The Late Late Show to help send off the comedian. The 82-year-old thespian was on hand to chat about the end of his spinoff series Star Trek: Picard, which went out on the high note of its third and final season following two seasons that received lukewarm reviews. Stewart was making a joint appearance with Mila Kunis, who joined him at the same time on the couch. The Star Trek actor and Corden were both warm and complementary to each other, which was a far cry from the venom the two displayed toward each other during an infamous 2010 confrontation on stage at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards. Thirteen years ago, Stewart mocked Corden's weight and apparent disinterest in the show that he was hosting, but there was no hint of any remaining animosity between the two actors. Stacked lineup: James Corden reunited with Patrick Stewart on Wednesday for the penultimate episode of his late night talk show The Late Late Show, along with fellow guest Mila Kunis Sweet: The 44-year-old comedian shared a warm hug with the 82-year-old Star Trek legend Water under the bridge: The appearance came 13 years after Stewart confronted Corden at the 2010 Glamour Women of the Year Awards and fat shamed him on stage During Stewart's Wednesday night appearance, he got a warm hug from Corden. Once the interview started, Corden jogged his memory by mentioning that they met for the first time years earlier at the Royal National Theatre. Stewart had wanted to see Corden after a 'brilliant' performance he gave on stage, which he guessed happened when the comedian was only '17 or 18,' though Corden corrected him. 'No, I looked it, but I was actually 26,' he said as the audience erupted in laughter and Stewart got a disappointed look on his face. But the Logan star added that Corden had done 'exceptional' work in the show, and Corden called it a 'huge deal' for everyone in the cast to know that Stewart had enjoyed the show. Stewart's presence was a delight for Mila, who was an enormous Star Trek fan. 'I love you so much!' she gushed, before mention that back in the day when people could spend $0.99 to buy a new ringtone she had paid for one that went 'Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise' in a sing-song tone. He recounted how some of his TV connections told him that Star Trek: The Next Generation was doomed to fail because it would fall in the shadow of the original Star Trek series and its successful sequel movies. They urged him to still sign on, in the believe that after 12 episodes he could go back to doing all of the Shakespeare plays he had lined up, though the show ended up becoming a hit. Although Stewart and Corden seemed like the best of buddies, they had a much more tense confrontation on stage 13 years earlier. Old school: Once the interview started, Corden jogged his memory by mentioning that they met for the first time years earlier at the Royal National Theatre Stewart had wanted to see Corden after a 'brilliant' performance he gave on stage, which he guessed happened when the comedian was only '17 or 18,' though Corden corrected him. 'No, I looked it, but I was actually 26,' he said to the audience's laughter Over the moon: Stewart's presence was a delight for Mila, who was an enormous Star Trek fan and used to have a ringtone referencing his role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard Corden had been hosting the Glamour Awards in 2010, and when it was Stewart's turn to come on stage to present an award to Zoe Saldana, he asked the Into The Woods star to come up to the podium, before delivering a dismissive quip: 'It's James, isn't it?' Corden got right up in his face as he proceeded to lecture him about proper hosting etiquette. 'When the presenters are up here, and when the recipients are up here receiving awards, don't stand on the back of the stage with your hands in your pockets, looking around as if you were anywhere but here,' he said sternly. 'Oh, you could not be more wrong, Sir!' Corden shot back, before apologizing if he looked bored. But he added his own short words of advice to Stewart. 'But when you come up and present an award, just f***ing get on with it,' he said before stepping away, which got laughs from Stewart and the audience. But the Dune actor wasn't ready to leave it at that, and he brought up Corden again during his speech. ''From where I was sitting, I can see your belly,' he said to shocked noise from the audience, before pointing out that he was at the back of the room. Then Corden came up to the microphone and interjected: 'Sorry, I'm waiting for the punchline.' He put his face even closer to the veteran actor's, and Stewart was clearly uncomfortable, as Codren said, 'You can see my belly, and we can all see you dying right now.' The agonizing exchange was partially defused by Saldana when she was finally able to accept her award. Awkward: In 2010, Corden was hosting the Glamour Women of the Year Awards when Stewart was presenting. The Logan star called Corden back to the podium to lecture him about looking bored Yikes: Things got worse when Stewart said he could see Corden's 'belly' all the way from the back of the room Ouch: Corden came up to the microphone and interjected: 'Sorry, I'm waiting for the punchline.' He said Stewart was 'dying' on stage amid the groans, and later he said the 'old man' needed a taxi home Happy ending: But the two filmed a humorous video together shortly afterward to show they buried the hatchet, and Stewart has previously joined Corden on The Late Late Show; seen in 2010 in London 'For what it's worth, I like [Corden's] belly, but I would pay to see Sir Patrick Stewart dying on stage any day,' she said to applause from the crowd. After she and Stewart had left the stage, Corden pulled up his shirt to show his actual belly to the audience. 'Can we get a taxi ready, please? The old man's going home!' he bellowed at the end, referring to Stewart. Despite the uncomfortable exchange, Corden and Stewart appeared in a humorous video shortly afterward to show that there were no hard feelings between the two, and Stewart has previously made appearances on The Late Late Show without displaying any animosity. Lisa Vanderpump's husband Ken Todd revealed that Raquel Leviss spent the night at Tom Sandoval's house in a teaser for next week's episode of Vanderpump Rules. Ken, 77, was shown in the preview sharing his surprise with Lisa, 62, and Katie Maloney, 36. 'I can't believe that Tom Sandoval had Raquel over when Ariana is away. And she stayed all night,' Ken said referencing Tom's longtime girlfriend Ariana Madix, 37, who was away grieving her late grandmother Bonnie. 'What?,' Katie exclaimed. The preview aired at the end of Wednesday's episode in which Sandoval, 39, told a producer that nothing physical had happened between him and Raquel, 28. Upcoming episode: Lisa Vanderpump's husband Ken Todd revealed that Raquel Leviss spent the night at Tom Sandoval's house in a teaser for next week's episode of Vanderpump Rules Scandoval affair: Sandoval and Raquel, shown in April 2022 on Instagram, had a months-long affair that was revealed in March Sandoval's friend and business partner Tom Schwartz, 40, in the trailer teased Raquel about her dating choices during a group camping trip. He poked fun at Raquel after making out with her in August in Mexico. 'I don't want to kill the vibe but Raquel has a type. Brock [and] Tom, be careful tonight. [She likes] men that are taken,' Schwartz quipped as Ariana erupted in laughter. Lala Kent, 32, was then shown telling James Kennedy, 31, about her suspicions. 'I think Sandoval has a thing for Raquel,' Lala said. 'Oh, my God. If Tom is banging Raquel, like that is just....,' James said. 'The last time that Sandoval was talking about a woman the way he talks about Raquel was when he was talking about Ariana while he was with [ex-girlfriend] Kristin [Doute],' Lala said. 'Damn,' James said as the teaser concluded. Total shock: 'What?,' Katie Maloney exclaimed after Ken talked about Raquel and Tom Her type: 'I don't want to kill the vibe but Raquel has a type. Brock [and] Tom, be careful tonight. [She likes] men that are taken,' Tom Schwartz quipped about Raquel Cracking up: Ariana Madix laughed at Schwartz's comment about Raquel having a type Suspicions mounting: 'I think Sandoval has a thing for Raquel,' Lala Kent told James Kennedy Sandoval in the latest episode of Vanderpump Rules denied being in an open relationship with Ariana and cheating on her with Raquel. He yelled at Katie who he blamed for suggesting that he and Ariana were in an open relationship. 'It's annoying that Katie would say something like that. It's insulting to not just me but Ariana as well. Raquel and I were not like, dancing all close in the dark corner of a speakeasy. A bunch of us just went to The Abbey. Two of those people happen to be Raquel and I,' Tom said in a confessional. He was referencing a late-night dance session with Raquel that was witnessed by Ally Lewber, 27, the new girlfriend of Raquel's former fiance James. A show producer during the episode, which was filmed before the so-called Scandoval affair between Sandoval and Raquel became known, asked Sandoval if anything physical happened with him and Raquel. 'No. Nothing has happened between Raquel and I. Like nothing that wouldn't happen between, you know, like, me and Katie,' he said smirking. Vanderpump Rules will return next week on Bravo. Just a day after a judge ordered him to pay $237K in back child support and another $399K to her lawyers, Tyrese Gibson reveals he plans to fight the decision. The 44-year-old actor was spotted at LAX on Wednesday, where he was asked about the judgment against him to pay his ex Samantha Lee Gibson. When asked how he's holding up after the decision, Gibson said, in video obtained by TMZ, 'I'm inspired,' adding it wasn't about just him. 'What just happened today, happens every day in the family law court system. Fathers have no rights. Period,' Gibson said. 'So, the bigger the a**-whopping I get in court, the more it's going to shed light on what is happening, since the beginning of time,' Gibson added. Fight: Just a day after a judge ordered him to pay $237K in back child support and another $399K to her lawyers, Tyrese Gibson reveals he plans to fight the decision Exes: The 44-year-old actor was spotted at LAX on Wednesday, where he was asked about the judgment against him to pay his ex Samantha Lee Gibson (seen in 2017) 'It's just not about me. I will never not take care of my daughters, whether I'm with their mother or not,' Gibson said of his daughters, 15-year-old Shayla and four-year-old Soraya. 'But it's not OK to call us deadbeat dads when we're hustling, grinding, traveling, doing whatever it takes to put food on the table and take care of our families, which would naturally cause us to be physically away from our kids, and then that gets used against us in court, because the mother may be more available than you,' Gibson added. 'And then, when you don't have a job and you're struggling and trying to pull it together, independent of a pandemic, we get emasculated,' Gibson said. 'So at the end of the day, he just pulled out the biggest light imaginable on him, his conduct, him literally making things up on the fly,' Gibson added, referring to the judge, adding what he did as an, 'abuse of power.' 'So, I'm inspired, because I believe there's gonna be a law, multiple laws in place in the city of Atlanta, that's going to refer to Gibson and Gibson... and they'll be able to make reference to case law pertaining to what's gonna happen,' Gibson insisted. 'I'll do whatever it takes and I'll spend whatever it takes to turn this all around, not just on behalf of my daughters, but on behalf of every father who cannot afford proper representation or have any type of voice,' Gibson said. 'I'm not thinking about me. I'm really really passionate about this and maybe God has created all these bad perfect storms and scenarios for me to be a part of affecting change,' Gibson concluded. Gibson took to social media on Monday to blast Judge Kevin Farmer in a rambling selfie video in which he revealed that he unsuccessfully tried to have the judge removed from his family court case. Never not: 'It's just not about me. I will never not take care of my daughters, whether I'm with their mother or not,' Gibson said of his daughters, 15-year-old Shayla and four-year-old Soraya Not OK: 'But it's not OK to call us deadbeat dads when we're hustling, grinding, traveling, doing whatever it takes to put food on the table and take care of our families, which would naturally cause us to be physically away from our kids, and then that gets used against us in court, because the mother may be more available than you,' Gibson added He called for a 'peaceful protest' in front of the courthouse in the video posted on Instagram for his roughly 16.6 million followers, but the protest over bias against fathers in the family court system apparently did not materialize. The Fast & Furious franchise star was ordered by Farmer last August to pay $10,690 a month in child support to Samantha on behalf of their four-year-old daughter Soraya. Gibson refused to pay because he felt the judge, who publicly scolded him while he testified on the stand, was 'racist' and biased against him. Farmer penalized Gibson for refusing to pay by holding him in contempt of court. Gibson could have been arrested, but the judge allowed him to remain free. He was ordered to pay $237,944 in back child support for Soraya, plus $399,000 for Samantha's attorney fees. Gibson also had to pay $17,000 for the special master who was appointed by the judge to handle disputes during the case. Samantha's attorney Adam Gleklen that Samantha wanted to co-parent Soraya with Tyrese, follow the court's orders and move ahead cordially. Farmer threatened to hold Gibson in contempt of court last August after Samantha's attorney noted that he made more than $2 million in 2018 after claiming to be in financial ruin at the time. Protest: He called for a 'peaceful protest' in front of the courthouse in the video posted on Instagram for his roughly 16.6 million followers, but the protest over bias against fathers in the family court system apparently did not materialize Contempt: Farmer threatened to hold Gibson in contempt of court last August after Samantha's attorney noted that he made more than $2 million in 2018 after claiming to be in financial ruin at the time 'I don't do the CFO thing. Here's a question to you, smart person,' Tyrese back talked, according to TMZ. Farmer immediately cut him off and yelled at Gibson, 'You don't ask questions! That's not how this works!!' He threatened to hold Gibson in contempt if he misbehaved again. Samantha filed for divorce from the six-time Grammy nominee in September 2020 after secretly getting married on Valentine's Day in 2017. Sanam Harrinanan looked glamorous as she joined her boyfriend Kai Fagan to the Big Zuu Big Apple Cal'Zuu'ne dessert launch party at Zizzi restaurant in London. She opted for a plunging white blazer that nipped in at her waist with a corset style feature and teamed it with a pair of matching trousers. The couple, who were crowned the winners of the winter series, looked as loved up as ever as they stepped out hand-in-hand. Sanam, 24, completed her chic look with a baby pink clutch bag and elevated her height with some stiletto heels. Kai, also 24, wore a black knitted polo with a pair of smart trousers and leather trainers. Couple: Sanam Harrinanan, 24, looked glamorous as she joined her boyfriend Kai Fagan, also 24, to the Big Zuu Big Apple Cal'Zuu'ne dessert launch party at Zizzi restaurant in London Their outing comes after Sanam spoke out on her career plans after winning the 50,000 prize pot with her beau Kai. The couple were crowned the winners of the winter series of the ITV2 show earlier this month, but for Sanam her time in the villa has meant a drastic decision. Sanam worked as a social worker before the show, and in a new interview she had admitted her decision to appear on Love Island has put a halt to her previous career. 'I can't go into social work again, I don't think I'll be able to,' she admitted to heat Magazine. She added though that she has plans to use her new platform to help her local community. 'I've got a meeting about it this week with my social work manager because I want to be able to use this platform to help children locally,' she explained. P.E. and science teacher Kai meanwhile has said he hopes to continue working with kids but knows his career path will most likely have to change. 'I still want to do the same thing I was doing but in a different capacity but it's just finding out what that capacity is and how I can do it,' he explained. Kai and Sanam made history as the first time a Casa Amor bombshell has entered the show and gone on to take the win in the show. Stunning: She opted for a plunging white blazer that nipped in at her waist with a corset style feature and teamed it with a pair of matching trousers Sanam has revealed she plans to use some of the 50,000 prize money to support her mum - who he is on her own after her dad passed away - as well as potentially invest in projects to help children. Meanwhile teacher Kai told how he is planning to go on nice holidays with the money and plenty of fancy dates. Speaking on The Morning After podcast, Kai revealed: 'We have about a thousand dates planned. We said we want to go to the Amalfi coast and Santorini. I feel like they are more holidays than dates. Maybe invest a little bit.' Sanam continued: 'I am going to be soppy but I am going to give my mum some of course because it's just me and mum so I have got to support her aswell.' The Magic Mike saga was a big bag of fun while it lasted. And it lasted up to but not including the third and maybe-final film in the series, Magic Mikes Last Dance. Thats a frustrating state of affairs. Director Steven Soderbergh has been on a remarkable, unpredictable roll for a long time now. To be sure, the new Magic Mike movie doesnt misfire in predictable or conventional ways. It delivers enough of the requisite abs / air-grinding / shirtlessness / thirstiness to divert diehard fans of the franchise from the peculiar story. Like people care about the story, right? And yet people do, especially if the story thats there feels off. After the largely, agreeably plotless hang-outs with Mike and company in Magic Mike (2012) and the Gregory Jacobs-directed Magic Mike XXL (2015), screenwriter Reid Carolin returns with a self-mythologizing narrative trading laughs for sincerity and then, all too early, sincerity for solemnity. Less fun, more heart was the idea, along with real hope for the emotional health and romantic well-being of the Channing Tatum character. Tricky word, hope. Soderbergh knows that movies, sometimes his own, have a way of appeasing a popular audience with just enough of it to leaven his sardonic, ironic acumen. As a punchline to his ripping state-of-cinema speech delivered in San Francisco in 2013, Soderbergh deadpanned that any screenplay pitched to a roomful of bored, clueless studio executives has a chance at being green-lit if you say that your movie, whatever its about, is really about hope. He takes his own advice to heart on Magic Mikes Last Dance. Flat broke at 40, after his furniture business goes belly-up in the pandemic, Mike meets the fabulously wealthy Maxandra (Salma Hayek Pinault) while bartending her private charity event in Florida. In a matter of screen minutes, hes back at her house (one of several; mainly shes living in London, on the brink of divorce), gently placing her trembling hand on his untrembling abs. This is merely the prelude to a well-compensated good time, by way of the art of the dance. Mike is, in fact, the Lord of this kind of Dance. Salma Hayek Pinault and Channing Tatum in Magic Mikes Last Dance. Needless to say she will never be the same, after all that astonishingly well-rehearsed tenderness. Under a mutually agreed-upon no-sex clause, in a jiffy theyre jetting to London to embark on a mysterious project Max has cooking. Which is? This parts a bit knotty: At the West End playhouse owned by Maxs cheating husband, a hit revival of a moldy old (fictional) comedy of manners is about to be transformed into an outrageous strip show, courtesy of Mikes magic touch as director. Offstage, Max and Mike trade unblinking stares of love, though theyre both too cool to talk about it or act on it. Maxs teenage daughter (Jemelia George) knows whats up, though. It is this character who narrates the film as if reading from a term paper on the history, meaning and evergreen allure of dance through the ages. Mike is just the working-class American Joe these insufferable Brits need. The film becomes a tale of how he opens up as a human being and relays his own love story told through dance, as the narration points out with a yellow highlighter. The cross-promotional angle is pretty shameless with this sequel: The stage show we see, eventually, once the swiveling Vari-Lights get going, steals liberally from Tatums own Magic Mike Live stage show, currently bumping and grinding at the Hippodrome Casino in London, the Sahara in Las Vegas and other locales. Its oddly stuffy and suffocating compared to the loose-limbed enjoyment of its predecessors. The main stumbling block is a simple one: We cant fully invest in the central, push/pull relationship as written. Theres not enough there, even though Tatum and Hayek Pinault make screen sense together. Theyre both well-attuned to what their bodies have done for their careers, in good films and bad. And though Tatums calculatedly bashful way with dialogue feels awfully shticky here, hes very much a movie star. (Weve known that about Hayek Pinault for a good long time.) All the same, theres a hollow ring to all the pointed lines about female empowerment and the stifling gender restrictions of old, symbolized by the drawing-room comedy the strip show is about to rip wide open. Magic Mikes Last Dance mightve worked better if it had fully embraced the mantle of 21st century comedy of manners. As is, its tentative, wanly comic. As the great Russian stripper Anton Chekhov showed us: Without the funny, the serious has a harder go of it. Magic Mikes Last Dance 2 stars (out of 4) MPA rating: R (for sexual material and language) Running time: 1:52 How to watch: Premieres in theaters Feb. 9. Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic. mjphillips@chicagotribune.com Twitter @phillipstribune Vick Hope dressed to impress in two outfits as she party hopped around London on Wednesday evening. The radio presenter, 33, looked incredible in a pink figure-hugging glittering mini dress as she DJ'ed at the art'otel Battersea Power Station launch event. She added inches to her frame in a pair of towering silver knee high boots from Russell and Bromley as she posed on the rooftop of the building. Vick styled her long dark tresses in an up-do as she performed during the lavish evening in the JOIA Restaurant and Bar. Guests were also treated to synchronised swimmers in the rooftop infinity pool overlooking the infamous chimneys of Battersea Power Station. Glamorous: Vick Hope dressed to impress in two outfits as she party hopped around London on Wednesday evening Earlier in the night, Vick looked effortlessly cool in a eye catching green co-ord as she attended the Izipizi Camden Store opening. The TV host went braless under the plunging crop top and flashed her midriff in a coordinated pair of low rise cargos. The beauty turned up the heat as she elevated her frame in a pair of stylish pointed toe heels and toted her belongings around in tie dye bag. She accessorised with a pair of small hoop earrings and added a pair of sunglasses on top of her head. Once again, Vick took to the decks during the evening to entertain guests as she was seen beaming with a pair of headphones on. It comes after Vick made a rare reference to her fiance Calvin Harris last week as she recalled a sweet story where the DJ, 39, gushed over her. She spoke about attending the BAFTAs in February whilst appearing on a new episode of podcast Amanda Wakeley: Style DNA. Donning a stunning blue dress at the time, she looked gorgeous while attending the awards event. Dazzling: The radio presenter, 33, looked incredible in a pink figure hugging glittering mini dress as she DJ'ed at the art'otel Battersea Power Station launch event Stylish: She added inches to her frame in a pair of towering dazzling silver knee high boots from Russell and Bromley as she posed on the rooftop of the building Party: Vick styled her long dark tresses in an up-do as she performed during the lavish evening in the JOIA Restaurant and Bar Amazing: She performed to star-studded guests on the rooftop overlooking the infamous chimneys of Battersea Power Station And as the star recollected the evening, she also noted that her look went down well with fiance Calvin - who couldn't help but gush over her. Vick explained: 'I got home that evening. My partner was like, "when are you putting the photos up?" When are you putting the photos up, I want to like them! That was my favourite dress that you've ever worn!" 'I was like, oh, bless you. I didn't know it was gonna be such a hit!' she continued, adding that she 'felt so good in it'. The stunning number Vick wore was from KYHA Studios and featured a structured bodice, figure-hugging design and metallic blue shimmer material. During the podcast appearance, the broadcaster also noted her increased body confidence in recent years, after previously struggling with this. 'I used to not be [body confident], its been through lots of therapy, not gonna lie, it's been through lots of therapy, lots of growth. Learning to love my body for what it is capable of doing, learning to love food,' she explained. 'And I've got to a point now, and honestly, if I could tell my 23-year-old self that I'd be in this position, I wouldn't believe it. I would not believe it. 'But that happened over the last 10 years. I just now whip it out whenever! Honestly, I would be naked everywhere if I could.' While it follows on from recent reports that they are set to tie the knot this year in an intimate ceremony. The Scottish DJ proposed to his BBC Radio 1 presenter other half in May 2022, just five months into their whirlwind romance. And after months of preparation, plans are coming together for the couple's big day this year, according to reports. Sharing that it's set to be a low-key celebration, a source told The Sun: 'Calvin and Vick have kept their relationship out of the public eye for the most part, so arent having a massive wedding to parade their love in front of the world. 'Instead they want it to be a much more intimate and simple day,' added the insider. The source continued that they are hoping to make the day special and so it will be for the couple's nearest and dearest only. Looking good: Earlier in the night, Vick looked effortlessly cool in a eye catching green co-ord as she attended the Izipizi Camden Store opening Coordinated: The TV host went braless under the plunging crop top and flashed her midriff in a coordinated pair of low rise cargos (pictured with Mkulu Lee and Tigerlily Taylor) Aubrey Plaza looked in great sprits as she larked around with Drew Barrymore and Natasha Lyonne at the Time 100 Gala held Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City on Wednesday night. The actress, 38, put on a leggy display in a red satin mini dress as she shared a joke with her fellow film stars at the glitzy event. The annual event is in celebration of those who the magazine has selected as the 100 most influential people in the world for 2023, including Kim Kardashian, Ali Wong, John Legend and Steven Spielberg. And Aubrey, Drew and Natasha were certainly making the most of the night out as they pulled off a number of fun poses for the camera. The three ladies giggled and chatted away backstage at the event, while Aubrey at one point appeared to suck her thumb. Wow: Aubrey Plaza looked in great sprits as she larked around with Drew Barrymore and Natasha Lyonne at the Time 100 Gala held Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City on Wednesday night Fun times: The actress, 38, put on a leggy display in a red satin mini dress as she shared a joke with her fellow film stars at the glitzy event While Drew, 48, looked lovely in a floaty white gown and sheer cape and Natasha, 44, wowed in a plunging black number, Aubrey showcased her toned pins in her thigh-skimming red mini. The short shift dress perfectly hugged her curves and came with a removable matching cape, which Aubrey had earlier modelled on the red carpet. The White Lotus star teamed her dress with pointed black heels and back earrings, while her brunette locks were worn in an elegant up 'do. She was also joined on the red carpet by Amy Poehler, 51, who looked glam in a stunning lilac gown. The Mean Girls star joined in with the festivities as she too shared a joke with her fellow actresses. It comes after Aubrey starred in a video for Got Milk's new spoof campaign that was released on her Instagram account last week. In the clip, the comedian promoted items from the fictional company Wood Milk, which she described as 'absolutely not' real. The star of The White Lotus, who recently joined one of her old costars in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was also featured in several promotional shots for the campaign, in which she showed off its merchandise. Girls' night: Aubrey, Drew and Natasha were certainly making the most of the night out as they pulled off a number of fun poses for the camera Living their best life: The three ladies giggled and chatted away backstage at the event, while Aubrey at one point appeared to suck her thumb Posers: Aubrey and Natasha were in lively spirits as they posed together at the besh Fab: While Drew, 48, looked lovely in a floaty white gown and sheer cape and Natasha, 44, wowed in a plunging black number, Aubrey showcased her toned pins in her thigh-skimming red mini Lady in red: The short shift dress perfectly hugged her curves and came with a removable matching cape, which Aubrey had earlier modelled on the red carpet Plaza began the video, which was shot in a heavily wooded area, by gazing at a tree and asking: 'Have you ever looked a tree and thought: "Can I drink this?"' The actress, who serves as the co-founder of the fake company, went on to introduce Wood Milk and spoke about the high quality of the fictional product. 'Here at Wood Milk Orchards, we're certain that our artisanal Wood Milk will be the only milk you'll want to drink for the rest of your life. Why? Because I said so,' she stated. The performer described Wood Milk as 'bottled right here in the forest where the trees hit the dirt, which locks in the flavors like cherry, maple and of course, mahogany.' Here she is: She was also joined on the red carpet by Amy Poehler, 51, who looked glam in a stunning lilac gown Glamorous: Amy and Aubrey were sure to turn heads in their stylish ensembles Trio: Natasha joined in with the posing action on the red carpet Up for a laugh; The Mean Girls star joined in with the festivities as she too shared a joke with her fellow actresses What a night: Natasha held court as Amy and Aubrey beamed beside her She added: 'If you can't pick your favorite, that's okay, because they all taste like wood.' Aubrey has recently hit a career high as one of the main stars of the second season of highly-popular HBO series The White Lotus. The Wilmington, Delaware native has five upcoming projects on the way including starring in Marvel series Agatha: Coven Of Chaos which is set to stream on Disney+ later this year. She played Harper Spiller who is a straight-laced employment lawyer married to tech entrepreneur Ethan (Will Sharpe) as they bring their strained relationship to an Italian vacation with his college friend Cameron (Theo James) and Daphne Sullivan (Meghann Fahy) and things certainly get interesting. Kim Kardashian flaunted her incredibly toned figure as she showed off her latest Skims shapewear collection in a new video on Thursday. The KUWTK star, 42, took to Instagram to plug her hugely-successful clothing and underwear brand as she gave shoppers a glimpse at the latest pieces. For one skimpy look she slipped into a flattering nude strapless bodysuit that highlighted her gym-honed midriff and lithe legs. She looked great in the underwear as she told how the strapless design still holds you up. Kim wore her long dark tresses in loose waves over her shoulders and opted for a typically glamorous makeup look. Looking good: Kim Kardashian flaunted her incredibly toned figure as she showed off her latest Skims shapewear collection in a new video on Thursday Here she is: The KUWTK star, 42, took to Instagram to plug her hugely-successful clothing and underwear brand as she gave shoppers a glimpse at the latest pieces Kim showed off how it could be worn with a pretty dress over the top so she donned a pink sparkly skirt and matching strapless top. She also showed off a series of other looks including a busty light brown bodysuit which she paired with high-waisted jeans while talking through the seamless sculpt design. Another look was a high-neck black bodysuit which she wore with pants as she said it was the perfect look. It comes after it emerged that Kim will star in American Horror Story season 12 which is created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. Season 12 is loosely based on Danielle Valentine's novel Delicate Condition - heavily inspired by Rosemary's Baby - which doesn't even hit shelves until August 1. Showrunner Halley Feiffer - who penned every episode - is excited to be working with the Calabasas socialite, whom she called 'iconic' on April 10. 'Kim is among the biggest and brightest television stars in the world and we are thrilled to welcome her to the AHS family,' Ryan Murphy told THR in a statement. 'Emma and I are excited about collaborating with this true force in the culture. Stunning: For one skimpy look she slipped into a flattering nude strapless bodysuit that highlighted her gym-honed midriff and lithe legs Outfit: She looked great in the underwear as she told how the strapless design still holds you up Glowing: Kim wore her long dark tresses in loose waves over her shoulders and opted for a typically glamorous makeup look Perfect and pretty: Kim showed off how it could be worn with a pretty dress over the top so she donned a pink sparkly skirt and matching strapless top 'Halley Feiffer has written a fun, stylish and ultimately terrifying role especially for Kim, and this season is ambitious and unlike anything we have ever done.' Kim's prior acting credits include PAW Patrol: The Movie and Tyler Perry's Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor. She also starred in Drop Dead Diva, CSI: NY, Deep in the Valley, Beyond the Break, and Disaster Movie. Kardashian also played herself in movies Ocean's Eight and Alligator Boots as well as episodes of 2 Broke Girls, American Dad!, 30 Rock, Last Man Standing, and Brothers. Ample assets: She also showed off a series of other looks including a busty light brown bodysuit which she paired with high-waisted jeans New collection: While talking through the seamless sculpt design she flaunted her very taut midriff Gym-honed: Another look was a high-neck black bodysuit which she wore with pants as she said it was the perfect look Olivia Molly Rogers went Instagram official with her new love interest, model Morgan Waterhouse, earlier this month. And on Thursday, Waterhouse shared some photos to Instagram capturing them enjoying a romantic getaway at a ritzy $1200-a-night harbourside hotel in Sydney. The pair look every inch the lovebirds in the precious snaps, one of which shows Olivia, 31, embracing Morgan as they take in the sights of the Sydney Opera House. Another photo shows a glamorous looking Rogers rocking her best angles in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. 'Hi Sydney. Nice views you got there,' they wrote next to the gallery. Olivia Molly Rogers (pictured) went Instagram official with her new love interest, model Morgan Waterhouse, earlier this month On Thursday, Waterhouse shared some photos to Instagram capturing them enjoying a romantic getaway at a ritzy $1200-a-night harbourside hotel in Sydney. The pair look every inch the lovebirds in the precious photos. Both pictured It didn't take long for their followers to comment on the amazing holiday snaps. 'So photogenic,' one fan gushed and another posted a love heart emoji. Rogers took to social media earlier this month to share a gallery of images of the loved-up duo just days after dismissing rumours they were an item. Olivia and Morgan were first linked together when they posted identical photos of the view from Rogers' apartment, and they also recently enjoyed a holiday together in Paris for Fashion Week. Earlier this month, Olivia told the Herald Sun she met Morgan through her best friend and stylist Paul Versace. Olivia confirmed her split from husband Justin McKeone after just eight months of marriage in October last year. Another snap shows a glamorous looking Rogers rocking her best angles in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge A topless Morgan flaunted his muscular frame in the reflection of the hotel's food trays Break-up rumours began swirling in September after fans noticed she'd reverted to her maiden name on Instagram and unpinned all photos from her February 2022 wedding. The former couple, who met in 2018, were last pictured together in August 2022 in a series of loved-up holiday snaps from their trip to New York City. Olivia addressed her break-up in an Instagram post on October 3. 'After 4.5 years together, Justin and I have come to the difficult decision to separate as a couple. Please respect our decision and privacy at this time. Thank you for all your private DMs, kindness and support.' she wrote. Kate Beckinsale was spotted getting close to actor Matt Atwater as they stepped out in New York City on Tuesday. Matt placed his arm around Kate's waist as they took a stroll in the Big Apple, seemingly hinting at a new romance between the pair. It's not known how long Kate and Matt may have been dating for but the duo couldn't stop smiling during their outing together, with the actor putting his arm around her waist. The Underworld star's most recent relationship was with Canadian musician Goody Grace in 2020, however they split after just a few months of dating. As Kate looks set to embark on a new romance, MailOnline takes a look back at her past relationships. New romance? Kate Beckinsale was spotted getting close to actor Matt Atwater as they stepped out in New York City on Tuesday Goody Grace - 2020 Kate's most recent romance was with the musician Goody Grace, who was 25 when the pair started dating. They first began seeing each other in April 2020 and enjoyed a brief romance before parting ways in October of the same year. Goody allegedly returned to his native Canada after splitting from Kate, but he is still following her on social media. Ex: Kate's most recent romance was with the musician Goody Grace, who was 25 when the pair started dating During the fling, Kate was forced to hit back at a social media troll who criticised the age gap in their relationship. 'Why do you keep dating guys that could be your children?' the troll asked, to which she quipped: 'Every relationship I have had has been solely to annoy you.' Pete Davidson - 2019 One of Kate's most high profile relationships was with comedian and Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson. The couple were together for four months before splitting in April 2019. The romance came as a shock to many, and though it is now long over, Pete still had kind words for his ex in an interview with Charlamagne Tha God. Limelight: One of Kate's most high profile relationships was with comedian and Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson 'All of my uncles freaked out,' the SNL star said of how his family first reacted when he started dating the actress. Kate showed there were no hard feelings between the pair when she liked a Twitter post about his 'allure' with beautiful women. Writer Kristen Mulrooney had tweeted: 'I love how every time Pete Davidson starts dating another beautiful celebrity everyone's like 'wtf is happening how did he do this what is this mystery???' and everybody refuses to entertain the possibility that he might have a nice personality.' Kate liked the post about the comedian, in a sign that she agreed with the sentiment of the tweet. Jack Whitehall - 2018 Kate was also romantically linked to then 30-year-old comedian Jack Whitehall in 2018. The couple were seen packing on the PDA at a nightclub in Los Angeles. Afterwards, they were pictured heading back to a 2,000-a-night hotel together. Fling: Kate was also romantically linked to then 30-year-old comedian Jack Whitehall in 2018 An onlooker told The Sun: 'They were like a pair of loved-up teenagers and weren't trying to hide their feelings, they were practically sitting on top of each other in the booth of the nightclub and were laughing with each other. 'Kate rested her hand on Jack's shoulder and she kept laughing and smiling at his jokes, as the night progressed, he seemed to be growing in confidence and put his arm around her and gave her a hug. 'Then he decided to put his hand around the back of Kate's neck and pulled her across him, where they started to passionately kiss.' However it wasn't meant to be for the pair as they parted ways soon after, with Jack now in a relationship with the model Roxy Horner. Matt Rife - 2017 Kate also dated then 21-year-old comedian Matt Rife from 2017 to 2018. Following their romance, when it emerged she had started dating Pete, Matt shaded the actress when he advised the SNL star to 'run'. Relationship: Kate also dated then 21-year-old comedian Matt Rife (right) from 2017 to 2018 'Man to man?' Matt told TMZ. 'Run!' He followed that up by telling Pete to 'enjoy it while you can.' Len Wiseman - 2004 Kate was previously married for 12 years to director Len Wiseman. The couple wed in May 2004 after falling in love on the set of 2003's Underworld, which co-starred Beckinsale's then partner Michael Sheen. In 2016, Wiseman filed for divorce, and the separation was finalized in 2019. Former flame: Kate was previously married for 12 years to director Len Wiseman (pictured together in 2014) Marriage: Kate was also in a long-term relationship with actor Michael Sheen, whom she dated from 1995 to 2003 (pictured together in 2002) Michael Sheen - 1995 to 2003 Kate was also in a long-term relationship with actor Michael Sheen, whom she dated from 1995 to 2003. The couple share 24-year-old daughter Lily Sheen together. The former couple have remained amicable, and spend special occasions together with their daughter. 'I think the thing is, if you both really put your kid's well-being first and share a sense of humor, you're sort of halfway there,' she previously said. Heartstopper's Yasmin Finney admits she's 'still waiting for a role that isn't trans' as she talked representation at Netflix's See What's Next event on Wednesday night. The actress, 19, who is a trans woman and found fame as Elle Argent in Netflix LGBTQI+ coming-of-age drama Heartstopper, opened up about her career. She said that while she would love a non trans role she won't complain about it as if she hadn't had representation growing up she wouldn't be where she is now. The beauty said: 'Representation is still something we're working on in this industry and I don't know if we're there yet, like I'm still waiting for my role that isn't trans - but I'm not going to complain for more trans roles. 'If I didn't have representation growing up, I probably wouldn't have thought I'd be here but I had Laverne Cox, I had Pose.' Open: Heartstopper's Yasmin Finney admits she's 'still waiting for a role that isn't trans' as she talked representation at Netflix's See What's Next event on Wednesday night Icon: The actress, 19, who is a trans woman and found fame as Elle Argent in Netflix LGBTQI+ coming-of-age drama Heartstopper, opened up about her career She also touched on what it has been like filming Heartstopper season two and if her sudden fame makes her feel more pressure. Yasmin answered: 'It's like water off a duck's back, I'm kidding it's not. It's not easy having this overnight fame, I guess. 'But I think we're all coping and we all lean on each other. We barely hit puberty, all of the cast, but I'm really proud of us, we're killing it.' It comes after Heartstopper fans were sent into a frenzy on Monday as Netflix finally announced a start date for season two after weeks of cryptic hints. The first season of show was released in April 2022 to much critical acclaim, launching stars Kit Connor (Nick) and Joe Locke (Charlie) into the limelight. Netflix has now announced that season two, which is based on the comic series by author Alice Oseman, will premiere on August 3. Netflix said of the new episodes: 'Nick and Charlie navigate their new relationship; Tara and Darcy face unforeseen challenges; Tao and Elle work out if they can ever be more than just friends. 'Plus there's exams, a school trip to Paris, and prom!' Honest: She said that while she would love a non trans role she won't complain about it as if she hadn't had representation growing up she wouldn't be where she is now Line-up: Alistair Petrie wore a green linen tailored suit from Hawes & Curtis as he joined Sam McAlister, Yasmin, Claudia Harrison, RAPMAN, Michelle Keegan and Joey Batey Candid: The beauty said: 'Representation is still something we're working on in this industry and I don't know if we're there yet, like I'm still waiting for my role that isn't trans' Yay! It comes after Heartstopper fans were sent into a frenzy on Monday as Netflix finally announced a start date for season two after weeks of cryptic hints Season one saw Charlie develop a crush on his popular classmate Nick at Truham Grammar School for boys. Although they are just friends at first, their chemistry is undeniable and they grow closer as Nick tries to figure things out. Kit and Joe are asked in a trailer for the new season: 'What do you think is new in season two and what can fans expect?' Joe grins as he says: 'I don't know, what is new in season two,' before the clip launches into a montage filled with sneak previews. Fans were delighted at the news, with one saying: 'My faith in humanity is restored.' Another added: 'YASSSS FINALLY!!! IVE WAITED ALL DAY FOR THIS NEWS!' But some were disappointed the new season wouldn't be arriving sooner, saying: 'August???? You mean I've got to wait 3 more months, I think you misspelt May there. I'm for real so excited for season 2' A second fan felt similarly, adding: 'IM SO HAPPY FOR A REALSE DATE BUT AUGUST? im super happy tho'. Meanwhile in the trailer, Netflix also gave fans an insight into what they can expect from their favourite characters. Speaking about his character Charlie and his relationship with Nick, actor Joe Locke said: 'Charlie goes on more of a journey this season. His story's a bit more mature.' Meanwhile Yasmin said: 'There's so many things happening with Elle this season that you're not ready for.' In season one Elle shared a spark with her friend Tao, as fans will hope to see romance blossom between them in season two. Kit said: 'Alice has got some amazing scripts for us. It also feels cool and fresh. Just a different vibe to season one.' It comes after weeks of cryptic hinting by the streaming giant. Netflix tweeted: 'One year ago today we said hi to Heartstopper S1. Whats next? If youre lucky you might find out this week' Meanwhile author Alice Oseman tweeted 'SOON', alongside a leaf emoji. In the show, similar doodles are used to show the chemistry between the characters. Netflix itself then tweeted seven further leaf emojis, adding fuel to speculation that there could be an upcoming announcement. Previously, Alice revealed that the show would focus on asexuality in season two. She told Attitude magazine: 'I am both Ace and Aro. Those words mean little-to-no sexual attraction or little-to-no romantic attraction. 'Netflix will hate me for spilling but, yes, asexuality will be discussed in a really big way. I'm excited. I hope it will change the world. It's a complicated thing to understand about yourself. People are asking the wrong questions.' Announcement: Netflix revealed season 2 is coming on August 3, and gave an insight into what fans can expect Cast: The show has thrust stars such as Kit Connor (Nick) and Joe Locke (Charlie) into the spotlight. L-R: William Gao, Yasmin, Kit Connor, Alice Oseman, Joe Locke, Corinna Brown, Kizzy Edgell Joining the cast for the second series are TikTok's Bel Priestley as Naomi, Ash Self as Felix, as well as Thibault de Montalembert as Stephane. In addition Leila Khan will join as student Sahar Zahid, Jack Barton as Nick's older brother David, Bradley Riches as student James McEwan, and Nima Taleghani as teacher Mr Farouk. All the leading cast from the first series are also returning, including appearances by Olivia Coleman and Stephen Fry, who featured in a voiceover as the headmaster of Truham Grammar. The eight-part show has already been renewed for two more seasons and the upcoming second series is also expected to focus heavily on Charlie's eating disorder. Myleene Klass proved herself to be a one-trick pony on Thursday - as she once again posed in the white bikini made famous during her I'm A Celeb stint. The HearSay star, 45, became a pin-up when she wore a simple white two-piece to shower in the jungle while appearing on the show back in 2006 and she has since posed in a similar look at every turn. 17 years on, Myleene proved she has barely aged a day as she slipped into her two piece from her Next collection, after previously selling her bikini at auction for 7,500 charity. The television personality is currently starring on I'm A Celebrity All Stars in South Africa and decided to recreate her look in homage to the programme. Playing the piano, Myleene jokingly captioned the post: 'Do you live in your white bikini? Me' 'Do you live in your white bikini? Me' Myleene Klass sent temperatures soaring as she showed off her age-defying physique in her iconic white bikini Iconic: The HearSay star, 45, became a pin-up when she wore a simple white two-piece to shower during her stint on I'm A Celeb back in 2006 (R) While the talented pianist declared she 'doesn't look like' how she did when she first starred on I'm A Celeb, fans told the mother-of-three she looked absolutely incredible. One wrote: 'This is quite possibly the best thing I've ever seen', while another added: 'You look amazing'. A third follower chimed: 'You're an icon.' It comes after Myleene warned viewers not to expect the same shower scenes as she arrived in the South African camp on Tuesday. Ahead of entering the camp, Myleene explained: 'After doing the programme I saw the photo and I was like "my goodness, it does look glamorous", but it certainly didn't feel like it - far from it! 'There are worse things to be known for than being really clean! Since then, I have had three babies and I don't look like that now.' She added: 'I am really proud of how strong my body has been. It has been through lots of trials and tribulations since and part of the reason for doing this all star version is I want to remind myself of that. 'I do feel like a different person, I was in my 20s when I first came into the jungle and now I'm in my 40s. Playful: Playing the piano, Myleene jokingly captioned the post: 'Do you live in your white bikini? Me' 'I don't look like that now': While the talented pianist declared she 'doesn't look like' how she did when she first starred on I'm A Celeb, fans told the mother-of-three she lookedl incredible Wow! Myleene is proving to be her own best advert as she modelled her new Next swimwear range Stunning: The former pop star and radio host showed off her incredible figure in the iconic white bikini she once wore on I'm A Celeb 'I think I will smell the campfire and it will be like yesterday! 'I've got so many great memories to pick from but I liked some of the things you don't see on camera like at night when the jungle came alive. All you could see was a wall of green dots, green eyes, reflected by the moonlight.' Reminiscing on her time on the show, she told ITV her scariest trial was the one in a coffin with rising water. Speaking about the rows, she added: 'I like the fact that with I'm A Celebrity, you go back to basics. You are stripped bare and it is funny watching people argue about how to boil an ostrich egg or get frustrated on the Trials.' Myleene has become synonymous with white bikinis ever since her appearance on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here in 2006. The nation's attention was grabbed when the star went for a shower in the jungle while sporting a tiny two-piece, which showcased her incredible frame. The source adds that Myleene will allegedly be launching a Next swimwear range as the show airs so that fans can recreate the iconic look. The famous tiny white bikini was auctioned for charity for 7,500 and Myleene later revealed it was a last-minute purchase. She explained she had spent just 20 on the skimpy two-piece after producers informed her the striped number she had originally packed would not look good on film. Steven Spielberg shared a sweet kiss with former child stars Drew Barrymore and Ke Huy Quan on Wednesday night. It came after the actress, 48, and the actor, 51, presented legend Steven, 76, with an award at the Time 100 Gala in New York City at the Lincoln Center. Drew was cast in Steven's from E.T. when she was just seven years old before she went on to become a huge star. He later became her godfather when she was a teen. Barrymore and Spielberg have been photographed over the years supporting each other's projects. Meanwhile Spielberg gave Quan his first big break by casting him as Short Round in the 1984 flick Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom nearly 40 years ago. Cute: Steven Spielberg shared a sweet kiss with former child stars Drew Barrymore and Ke Huy Quan on Wednesday night Big night: It came after the actress, 48, and the actor, 51, presented legend Steven, 76, with an award at the Time 100 Gala in New York City at the Lincoln Center Back in the day: Drew was cast in Steven's from E.T. when she was just seven years old before she went on to become a huge star. He later became her godfather when she was a teen Quan recently called Spielberg 'a sweet man,' adding that 'he sends me a Christmas present every single year for the last 38 years.' The pair looked delighted to be reunited at the event where they hugged him on stage before posing for the sweet kissing picture. Steven Spielberg was honoured at the TIME100 Gala with the first-ever TIME100 Impact Award given in the United States. The TIME100 Impact Award honours innovative pioneers who are pushing the boundaries of their industries. For the event Drew looked incredible in a white and blue flower patterned floaty dress and wore her hair in loose waves. Meanwhile Ke and Steven looked dapper in black suits, white shirts and smart bow ties. Earlier in the night - just over 16 years after Mia Farrow had some strong words for Steven - comparing him to Nazi filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, they shared an awkward encounter on the Time 100 red carpet. Farrow, 78, who wrote the Time 100 piece on honoree Jennifer Coolidge, hit the red carpet with her son Ronan Farrow at the Lincoln Center in New York City. Kind: Barrymore and Spielberg have been photographed over the years supporting each other's projects History: Meanwhile Spielberg gave Quan his first big break by casting him as Short Round in the 1984 flick Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom nearly 40 years ago Amazing: Quan recently called Spielberg 'a sweet man,' adding that 'he sends me a Christmas present every single year for the last 38 years' Happiness: The pair looked delighted to be reunited at the event where they hugged him on stage before posing for the sweet kissing picture Icon: Steven Spielberg was honoured at the TIME100 Gala with the first-ever TIME100 Impact Award given in the United States Spielberg was also on hand to receive an award, presented by Drew and Ke. Before he took the stage, he had a brief encounter with Farrow on the red carpet, sharing an awkward hug with her. The outing came just a day after Spielberg admitted that censoring the guns out of E.T. was a big regret of his. Spielberg - clad in a classic black tuxedo - was photographed on the red carpet with Farrow, who gave him an awkward smile. Farrow - clad in a silver gown - gave the filmmaker a hug on the red carpet at the annual event. 16 years earlier, Farrow and her son Ronan wrote an op-ed piece for the Wall Street Journal entitled The Genocide Olympics. The piece drew attention to the Chinese government for funding and supporting the Darfur genocide in Sudan, which the Farrows had seen firsthand in the country. She heavily criticising Spielberg for coming aboard as an artistic adviser to the Chinese government for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, claiming that his involvement and other corporate sponsors were attempting to, 'sanitise Beijing's image.' 'Is Mr. Spielberg, who in 1994 founded the Shoah Foundation to record the testimony of survivors of the holocaust, aware that China is bankrolling Darfurs genocide?' the Farrows wrote in the piece. The also ask, 'Does Mr. Spielberg really want to go down in history as the Leni Riefenstahl of the Beijing Games?' Leni Riefenstahl directed the films Olympia and Triumph of the Will, which are considered to be the most effective propaganda films ever made. Riefenstahl would later deny any knowledge of the Holocaust, despite becoming close friends with Adolf Hitler himself, which tarnished her image severely. Nearly a year after the Farrows' op-ed, Spielberg resigned as the artistic adviser to the 2008 Beijing Olympics in February 2008. 'I find that my conscience will not allow me to continue business as usual' Spielberg said in a statement. 'At this point, my time and energy must be spent not on Olympic ceremonies, but on doing all I can to help bring an end to the unspeakable crimes against humanity that continue to be committed in Darfur,' he added. The filmmaker sent a letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao in April 2007, opposing Chinese involvement in the Sudanese civil war, even asking to meet with the President though Hu failed to respond, leading to Spielberg backing out. Spielberg accepted an Image Award at the Time 100 gala, which was presented by two of his iconic stars Drew and Ke. Idea: The TIME100 Impact Award honours innovative pioneers who are pushing the boundaries of their industries Outfit: For the event Drew looked incredible in a white and blue flower patterned floaty dress and wore her hair in loose waves Looking great: Meanwhile Ke and Steven looked dapper in black suits, white shirts and smart bow ties Headlines: The outing came just a day after Spielberg admitted that censoring the guns out of E.T. was a big regret of his Spielberg is coming off his Best Picture nominee The Fablemans, inspired by his own childhood upbringing. He is in pre-production on an untitled Bullitt project, based on the Frank Bullitt character played by the late Steve McQueen in the 1968 classic Bullitt, with Bradley Cooper set to star. The filmmaker is also set to resurrect a passion project from the late Stanley Kubrick about Napoleon Bonaparte into an HBO mini-series. Kubrick had originally planned on directing Napoleon after 2001: A Space Odyssey, even eyeing Jack Nicholson to star at the time. Anna Richardson has revealed she was branded a 'paedophile' as she received the 'worst online abuse of her career' after new show Naked Education came under-fire. The presenter, 52, detailed the 'unacceptable' comments which said her and her fellow presenters should be arrested, on Vicky Pattison's podcast The Secret To. The Channel 4 show hosted by Anna, Yinka Bokinni and Dr Alex George attracted over Ofcom 1,200 complaints after it showed nudity to 14 to 16-year-olds with the presenter explaining that 'every single protocol' was followed. The series brings people from across Britain together to discuss their bodies, addressing topics including body dysmorphia, cosmetic surgery and disabilities. Speaking to host Vicky, Anna said: 'I've had so much abuse online from Naked Education. I am so shocked.' Shocking: Anna Richardson, 52, has revealed she was branded a 'paedophile' as she received the 'worst online abuse of her career' after new show Naked Education came under-fire Awful: The presenter detailed the 'unacceptable' comments which said her and her fellow presenters (Yinka Bokinni and Dr Alex George) should be arrested, on Vicky Pattison's podcast She continued: 'I've personally been subjected to abuse online which I have never had before in my career - and it's totally unacceptable. 'The abuse that I've been receiving, and also the other presenters and the producers of the show, is that people are calling us paedophiles, that we are paedophiles, that I'm a paedophile, that I should be arrested, that we should all be arrested. 'I mean absolutely disgraceful. 'There's a small strand within the show where Yinka and a doctor are in a classroom sitting with a group of teenagers and they are teaching these teens about the naked human body and we have naked people in there. 'This has been done with all the checks and balances. It's been done with the full consent of the parents. Every single health and safety measure and every single protocol has been put in place and followed. 'For some reason certain people on social media have become hysterical about this moment on Naked Education. 'What's interesting to me is that I did a very, very similar show about ten, twelves years ago called the Sex Education show, where we literally went round secondary schools teaching teenagers about sex education using naked adult bodies. Nobody batted an eyelid.' Naked Education has become one of the most complained about programmes of the year after another explicit episode saw participants take part in a naked bicycle ride. Discussion: Speaking to host Vicky, Anna said: 'I've had so much abuse online from Naked Education. I am so shocked' On screen: The programme has sparked outrage from some and attracted more than 1,200 Ofcom complaints, with Anna stating: 'This has been done with all the checks and balances' Some have even called for the show to be banned over fears about the impact of its explicit content on children. An earlier episode featured adults stripping naked in front of a live audience of children as young as 14. The show's producers claimed the nudity was an effort to show what different bodies look like and reduce insecurity. In the most recent episode, two trans men, Lucian and Finlay, discussed their gender journeys and the different stages they were in as they transitioned. Finlay spoke about his experience of gender dysphoria and getting top and bottom surgery, during which he offered advice to Lucian, who is younger and has decided to undergo top surgery. Writing in the Spectator, the co-founder of Thoughtful Therapists James Esses hit out at the 'utter inconsistency' in the show's message. He said: 'Teaching young people that the answer to accepting oneself is to fundamentally change oneself through irreversible surgery is both utterly inconsistent and dangerously disingenuous.' Viewers also took to the popular parenting site Mumsnet following the show, with one saying that 'he message is hugely inconsistent and this issues of unnecessary surgery were not looked at in any way.' However, others have taken to social media to defend the show, hailing it as 'informative, educational, empathetic, compassionate, and truly groundbreaking'. With one person saying: 'Watching Naked Education for the first time. I wish there had been television programmes like this when I was a young person.' Backlash: Some have even called for the show to be banned over fears about the impact of its explicit content on children Scenes: An earlier episode featured adults stripping naked in front of a live audience of teenagers in an effort to show what different bodies look like and reduce insecurity A Channel 4 spokesperson told MailOnline: 'Naked Education is a balanced body-positive programme that aims to spark conversations and normalise all body types, champion peoples differences and break down the stereotypes that huge numbers of people are exposed to on social media. 'All those who took part did so with appropriate consent and background checks, and received support throughout and after filming. 'A recent episode featured a ground-breaking exchange between two trans men. Channel 4 is proud to give a platform to marginalised voices, and this thought-provoking discussion covered a wide range of topics including gender dysphoria, coming out, gender affirming surgery and being a part of the LGBTQ+ community. 'We are immensely thankful to our two contributors for the bravery they have both shown in sharing their stories we hope audiences find it informative and enlightening.' Vicky Pattison: The Secret To is available to listen to on Acast and all major podcast platforms. New episodes are released every Thursday. Molly-Mae Hague suffered a 'meltdown' over the way she looked during her first photoshoot since giving birth to baby daughter Bambi three months ago. The Love Island star, 23, who gave birth to her first child in January with boxer beau Tommy Fury, 23, opened up about her post-baby figure in her latest YouTube video, admitting her insecurities make her feel 'so sad'. The TV personality jetted off to Nice, France for a shoot with PrettyLittleThing earlier this month, but admitted she had 'not prepared herself' for how she might feel and was 'too hard' on herself. During her candid video, Molly-Mae explained: 'I did, in the afternoon, have a bit of a meltdown just because it was a lot to take in. 'That was my second day without Bambi and I think I keep forgetting that I am still am only three months post-partum. 'My body is so different now': Molly-Mae Hague suffered a 'meltdown' over the way she looked during her first photoshoot since giving birth to baby daughter Bambi three months ago 'It makes me sad': The TV personality jetted off to Nice, France for a shoot with PrettyLittleThing earlier this month, but admitted she had 'not prepared herself' 'I had not really prepared myself for how I might feel on a photoshoot. I think I had kinda not prepared myself fully for how I might feel on a photoshoot, three months after having a baby.' The influencer said she is 'definitely way too hard on herself' as her body has changed so much since welcoming her baby girl. Molly-Mae continued: 'I know I keep going on about it, but my body, it's just so different now and I had a baby three months ago. 'Obviously my body has just grown a child and I definitely forget that and I am definitely way too hard on myself. 'Every single outfit I was in, I was looking at myself like "Oh my gosh". One way to describe it is that it makes me so sad as to how I looked at my body before I had Bambi.' The TV personality said in spite of her insecurities, she felt like a 'million dollars' from the shoulders up thanks to her glam team. It comes after the blonde beauty was praised by fans on Tuesday for showing her 'natural post-baby body' as she shared photos from her family trip to Dubai. The influencer slipped into a white bikini for a boat trip with baby Bambi and beau Tommy. 'I had a bit of a meltdown': The Love Island star, 23, who gave birth to her first child in January, opened up about her post-baby figure in her latest YouTube video Amazing: It comes after the blonde beauty was praised by fans on Tuesday for showing her 'natural post-baby body' as she shared photos from her family trip to Dubai Looking good: The influencer slipped into a white bikini, three months after giving birth, for a boat trip with her baby daughter Bambi and beau Tommy Fury, 23 After posting the snap to Instagram, her followers flooded the comments section with gushing comments, saying it was 'refreshing to see.' Molly-Mae looked great in the halterneck number which she wore with high-waisted linen trousers for the day out on the water. One follower wrote: 'I love your security in your post-baby body. Youre gorgeous and setting a great example for the youths.' 'Unfiltered and just perfect.. Thank you for being.... You xx,' another added. A third penned: 'I love how body positive you are, after having my little bambino 9 weeks ago, its so refreshing to see you natural pictures with your family.' The Love Island duo, who found fame on the show in 2019's fifth series, have flown to Dubai for a typically lavish getaway with their bundle of joy. In true reality star fashion, Molly-Mae has been documenting the holiday in forensic detail and giving fans a glimpse of their swanky activities, including a yacht trip, visits to the UAE's stunning beaches and chill-out time at their hotel pool. Molly-Mae was keen to start posting straight from the get-go, as she took to Instagram to post images and videos from their business class flights, where prices from their resident Manchester to Dubai are marked at 4,912 leaving on Tuesday. During their plane journey, Molly-Mae shared a short clip of herself and sportsman Tommy as they sat next to each other in their lavish business class seats. Bambi could be seen yawning as they trio settled in before arriving in the desert country while Molly-Mae showed her some of her beloved Harry Potter films. Joining them on the flight was Molly-Mae's beloved 'Ellie Belly' teddy, which became famous during her time on Love Island as she slept every night with the toy. Ensuring her daughter's wardrobe was as trendy as her own, the blonde beauty shared a slew of adorable snaps of the tot's wardrobe. Undoubtedly one of the cutest looks was Bambi's strawberry swimsuit which Molly-Mae paired with a pair of white sunglasses and a sunhat. She then shared an image of a pair of tiny Havaianas, from the flip-flop giant's adorable Baby Brasil collection - which have been designed with comfort and support in mind. The collection is priced from 20-24. The trio enjoyed some time in the pool with Bambi in her one-piece before they enjoyed a day at sea, having seemingly chartered an entire yacht. Thoughts: After posting the snap to Instagram, her followers flooded the comments section with gushing comments, saying it was 'refreshing to see' When Tina Wang and her husband, chef Jason Zheng, decided to open their latest restaurant they took on the staff from the eatery that formerly occupied the space. So fans of the recently shuttered Coco Asian Bistro and Bar might see a lot of familiar faces at Koi Japanese Cuisine and Sushi Bar, which had a soft opening in November with plans for a grand opening later on. We met all the employees and we asked them if you want to stay, we will welcome that, recalls Wang. Because the staff is good. Everybody is so good. Most of the employees stayed. The head chef is fabulous. The bartender Eugene, all the customers came in looking for him. Chef Jason Zheng and Tina Wang have moved into the Broward County market with Koi Japanese Cuisine & Sushi Lounge, which is in the space that formerly housed Coco Asian Bistro & Bar. Wang and Zheng are known for their two eateries in Boca Raton, Saiki-i Sushi Lounge & Hibachi as well as Yakitori Sake House. Wang and Zheng have devotees of their own at their two Boca Raton restaurants, Saiko-i Sushi Lounge and Hibachi in the Shoppes at Village Point and Yakitori Sake House in Royal Palm Place. Koi, which is pronounced KOH-ee and means fish in Japanese, is their first foray outside of Palm Beach County. Why this location? Like their other businesses in Boca Raton where she and Zheng have lived for 10 years Koi is located in a busy shopping center, the Harbor Shops off of 17th Street Causeway. Its a busy area, a cafe area, says Wang. So we saw another popular space. There are a lot of restaurants over there. Its a happy market. But its a different market than in Boca Raton, she says. There are more tourists in Fort Lauderdale, she explains. They are coming from the airport, going to the airport [and] Port Everglades. We see a lot of tourists in that area. Koi has 200 seats in booths and tables in the dining room, sushi bar and cocktail bar. There is a covered patio that can seat approximately another 100. That outdoor space has a water feature and a fire wall. Lobster Dynamite Roll at Koi Japanese Cuisine & Sushi Lounge in Fort Lauderdale. The menu Like their other restaurants, the wife-and-husband team source their fish from a Japanese company that delivers daily Monday through Saturday. We know how many fish, how many pounds, Wang explains. We dont know what kind of fish. We open the box, its like a surprise what kind of fish is in there, ahi, Japanese snapper, Hirame. The customers, they like the surprise. They like that every day is not the same. So far her brother John Wang, Kois general manager, has noticed that the customers are almost divided evenly between those looking for sushi rolls and those looking for authentic Japanese food. Poke bowls, such as the Poke combination Bowl with tuna, salmon, imitation crab, mixed and seaweed salad, edamame, cream cheese, avocado, pickled ginger, sushi rice, rice crackers, sesame seeds, and fish eggs ($17).ces, both cooked ($14-$30) and raw ($15-$25). So far, other popular items include: Poke bowls, such as the Poke Combination bowl with tuna, salmon, imitation crab, mixed and seaweed salad, edamame, cream cheese, avocado, pickled ginger, sushi rice, rice crackers, sesame seeds, and fish eggs ($17). Whole snapper, which is lightly fried and tossed with house-made sweet chili sauce ($36). Grilled 10-ounce prime skirt steak with baby bok choy ($39) Ginger sea bass with shiitake mushrooms ($35) They have kept favorites from the Coco Asian Bistro menu including lobster pad Thai and other pad Thai options with shrimp, chicken, beef and vegetables as well as curry dishes ($17-$25). Poke Combination Bowl at Koi Japanese Cuisine & Sushi Lounge in Fort Lauderdale. Whats next? Wang says that they plan on adding seven hibachi tables next summer after they take over the space next to Koi. We want to open in Miami Beach, she says. I have a partner and a good team. Everybody, they know what to do. They are about the business and the customers. If you go info Koi Japanese Cuisine and Sushi Lounge is located off 17th Street Causeway in the Harbor Shops at 1841 Cordova Road, Fort Lauderdale. For reservations or information, call 954-525-3541 or go to koiftl.com. Koi is open Mondays-Thursdays 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m.; Fridays from 11:30 a..m-11:30 p.m.; Saturdays from noon-11:30 p.m. and Sundays from noon-10 p.m. Delivery Dudes and Uber Eats deliver from Kois menu. Sam Frost and Sarah Roberts turned heads at the Citadel screening in Sydney on Thursday as they graced the red carpet in stunning all-black looks. The former Home and Away co-stars looked a matching set in their gorgeous gowns with Sam, 34, sporting a one-shouldered frock which glided down to her ankles. Meanwhile, Sarah, 38, donned a more racy frock with lace cutouts over her toned midriff and a sky-high lace split which showed off a hint of her slim pins. Sarah let her long golden locks fall in beachy waves across one shoulder, while the Jack Irish star pulled her dark tresses back into a tight bun. Both actors sported bold red lipstick which matched their nail polish, seen through their strappy black heels. Sam Frost, 34, (left) and Sarah Roberts, 38, (right) turned heads at the Citadel screening in Sydney on Thursday as they graced the red carpet in stunning all-black looks Sam quit her 'dream job' on Home and Away last year just weeks after receiving backlash over her her controversial stance on the Covid vaccine. The reality television star later retracted her statement but the damage had already been done. She played the character Jasmine Delaney for five years and officially said she left the soap for her mental health. The former Home and Away co-stars looked a matching set in their gorgeous gowns with Sam sporting a one-shouldered frock which glided down to her ankles Both actors sported bold red lipstick which matched their nail polish Meanwhile, Sarah 'reluctantly' left the year before when her character's arc came to a natural end. The Wolf Creek franchise star played Willow Harris for more than three years. 'I was open to staying on the show. Home and Away really did become my family, and I was reluctant to say goodbye,' she told Stellar a year after her departure. Nevertheless, she said she was glad her character got a 'happy' ending and she's always open to returning in the future. A British photographer renowned for taking photos of the Royal Family claims Prince Harry's personality changed after marrying Meghan Markle. Arthur Edwards, 82, discussed on Australia's The Project how Meghan was not attending King Charles' upcoming coronation, and how Harry was not as outgoing as he once was. 'Harry was somebody special and it was a pleasure working with him. Then suddenly he met Meghan and did a 180 turnaround,' he told host Sarah Harris. 'He used to take the press to the pub at the end of a trip and we would all have a drink with him and a laugh with him and he would pay the bill... 'But now when I read his book Spare, the media are the evil monsters,' he added. 'I wonder where that change came and it only could have happened after he married Meghan.' A British photographer renowned for taking photos of the Royal Family revealed on Thursday that Prince Harry's personality changed after marrying Meghan Markle. Arthur Edwards, 82, said on Australia's The Project that Harry was not as outgoing as he used to be Prince Harry married Meghan Markle in 2018 and they are the proud parents of son Archie, three, and daughter Lilibet, one. His memoir Spare has become one of the fastest-selling books of all time internationally, but it seems Australian readers are not as interested in the royal tell-all because it was knocked off the top of the charts by a children's book. The Duke of Sussex's explosive biography sold 64,148 copies in its first week of release in January, whereas Barefoot Kids, by Scott 'The Barefoot Investor' Pape, sold almost double that amount at 128,641 copies, Nielsen Bookscan figures show. 'Harry was somebody special and it was a pleasure working with him. Then suddenly he met Meghan and did a 180 turnaround,' he told host Sarah Harris. Pictured: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'Who'd have thought decent financial advice would outperform frostbitten todgers?' a publishing source told The Daily Telegraph, referring to one of the more notorious tales from Harry's book. Spare was the best-selling book in Australia for the week ending January 14, and is the best-selling memoir in Australia since records began in 2002. In the UK, Spare has become the fastest-selling non-fiction book since records began in 1998. When I read his book Spare, the media are the evil monsters. I wonder where that change came and it only could have happened after he married Meghan,' he told host Sarah Harris The Duke of Sussex's autobiography sold 750,000 copies across all formats - print, audio and e-book - in the UK since its publication on January 10. This makes it the biggest selling memoir ever for its first week of publication, according to publishers Transworld, the UK division of Penguin Random House. It comes after a fierce publicity drive, in which Harry took part in several TV interviews to plug his book. Grange Hill creator Sir Philip Redmond has confirmed a movie reboot of the hit series, with the surprise return of some of the dramas much-loved original stars. The BBC announced that the gates of the London-based comprehensive were to close in 2008, almost 30 years after the first episode, claiming the series no longer reflected children's lives. Although details of the new reboot have been kept under wraps Philip, 73, revealed that the feature will be based on the character Jessica Samuels. The idea was sparked by actress Sara Sugarman, 60, who starred as the the rebellious School Action Group leader. Speaking in a new interview with Deadline, Philip said that after Sara reached out it was like 'a light bulb in my head' to reboot the show. Exciting: Grange Hill creator Sir Philip Redmond has confirmed a movie reboot of the hit series, with the surprise return of some of the dramas much-loved original stars Under wraps: Philip, 73, revealed that the feature will be based on the character Jessica Samuels (Phil pictured in December 2021) He explained: 'I thought, "Why dont I look beyond the main characters, which is obvious, and well have them all there for nostalgia, but where did Jessica go?"' 'We dont want it to be like a lot of these things where they just take the characters, use the brand and throw something together. I wanted to think about how best we could revisit the show.' Sara said she wont necessarily reprise her role for the film, as she explained she had to audition like everyone else.' Teasing at the return of other cast members such as Todd Carty, Sheila Chandra and Sean Maguire, she added: 'It wouldnt be Grange Hill without the Grange Hillers, and there will be some surprises.' In its heyday Grange Hill featured hard-hitting stories of drug addiction, teenage pregnancy and bullying at school. Last year, TV producer and screenwriter Phil reportedly completed the script for a film based around the children's programme set in a school. In an interview with The Guardian, it was revealed that Phil met with colleagues February 2021 to discuss the project. He told the paper: 'We've been through four school-rebuilding programmes in my lifetime, but it's not about bricks and mortar, it's about getting the best out of every pupil.' Coming soon: The idea was sparked by actress Sara Sugarman, 60, who starred as the the rebellious School Action Group leader (pictured in March 2013) Throwback: Sara said she wont necessarily reprise her role for the film, as she explained she had to audition like everyone else' (pictured on the show) Return? Teasing at the return of cast members such as Todd Carty (pictured on the show), Sheila Chandra and Sean Maguire, she added: 'It wouldnt be Grange Hill without them' He continued: 'How will ripping schools out of communities solve anything? Or making catchment areas so big that kids have to travel miles to be with their friends? 'That's the thesis of the movie: it's decided the school is costing too much to maintain so it should be knocked down, the land sold and proceeds used to build a new one and replenish local coffers.' The movie is expected to feature former cast members from the show in the roles of parents or grandparents. Grange Hill, set in a fictional comprehensive school, ran as a BBC children's TV series for 30 years between 1978 and 2008. Priyanka Chopra has given a rare insight into motherhood and how her 15-month-old daughter Malti 'can get away with anything'. The actress, 40, welcomed her first child with husband Nick Jonas, 30, through a surrogate in January last year, with little Malti spending over 100 days in an NICU unit before being allowed to go home in May. Priyanka says those 'rollercoaster' first few months have completely shaped how she parents her daughter as she was 'so close to losing her'. Starring on Elle's May digital cover, Priyanka cuts a glamorous figure in silk nightwear and lace dresses as she talks all things motherhood, work and her marriage to one of America's biggest boyband stars. Priyanka admits she is struggling with the discipline side of parenting because she likes seeing Malti happy. Mum life: Priyanka Chopra has given a rare insight into motherhood and how her 15-month-old daughter Malti 'can get away with anything' Candid: Priyanka says those 'rollercoaster' first few months have completely shaped how she parents her daughter as she was 'so close to losing her' The couple were terrified when after welcoming their daughter, she spent 100 days in a neo-natal unit. When Malti returned home, Priyanka would put her ear on her chest, just to hear she's breathing. 'I was so close to losing her so many times that she can get away with anything and I just want to see her happy. I want her to be the happiest,' Priyanka says. 'Shes got me wrapped around her finger. I dont even know how Ill ever discipline her because I just dont have it in me. Shes a super smiley, happy baby, and thats all my goal isto see her joyous. Every time she smiles, it lights up my world, and thats all I want to do.' Priyanka says she now understands a mother's fierce duty to protect her children and is trying to emulate the childhood she had, surrounded by people who loved her. 'Malti is always with her family and she can go anywhere with us. It was very important to us to be able to expose her to just life and its beautiful gifts,' she says. Elsewhere in the interview, Priyanka talks about her marriage to Nick and how they juggle their careers with being a family. 'When you really care about someone, you try to alleviate whatever pressure is on them by doing some of the chores or by taking on something that they always do,' she says. 'Its simple things: I love coffee in bed, and my husband realized that, and now I always have coffee in bed. That support is tremendously important, but its a two-way street.' Pride and joy: The actress, 40, welcomed her first child with husband Nick Jonas, 30, through a surrogate in January last year, with little Malti spending over 100 days in an NICU unit Flawless: Starring on Elle's May digital cover , Priyanka cuts a glamorous figure in silk nightwear and lace dresses as she talks all things motherhood, work and her marriage to one of America's biggest boyband stars Motherhood: Priyanka admits she is struggling with the discipline side of parenting because she likes seeing Malti happy Sweet: 'Shes got me wrapped around her finger. I dont even know how Ill ever discipline her because I just dont have it in me. Shes a super smiley, happy baby, and thats all my goal is' Meanwhile, Priyanka opened up about her upcoming Netflix series Citadel - a propulsive, high-concept series in which she plays Nadia Sinh, top agent of the namesake global spy network. The show's executive producers The Russo Brothers have made it clear that Nadia's character was inspired by James Bond and would do all the 'heavy lifting' in the series as opposed to her partner Mason Kane - a gender swap in which Priyanka welcomes in the male-dominated genre. She said: 'Its fun to be doing the a**kicking and the cool lines and walking away from an explosion... At this point in my career, I'm looking for heavy lifts. Im looking for challenges. Ive learned enough about the craft and about the job that I want to flex my muscles and I want to find thoughts that I can sink my teeth into.' And while the actress' character takes on the typically male role in show, Priyanka is taking on gender inequality in real life as she opened up about working with Jennifer Salke, the head of Amazon Studios, who helped her obtain equal pay with her male co-star. Priyanka shared: 'In my 23-year career, its the first time I got parity, and that happened, I think, because the head executive of Amazon Studios is a female... When we have females in positions of power and positions of decision-making, they make space for other females.' It comes as Priyanka opened up about family life during an appearance on The Today show on Thursday. Duty; Priyanka says she now understands a mother's fierce duty to protect her children and is trying to emulate the childhood she had, surrounded by people who loved her Her love: Elsewhere in the interview, Priyanka talks about her marriage to Nick and how they juggle their careers with being a family (pictured together) Team: 'When you really care about someone, you try to alleviate whatever pressure is on them by doing some of the chores or by taking on something that they always do Speaking on the show, Priyanka revealed that her 15-month-old daughter Malti, who she shares with husband Nick, was also in attendance. 'She is here with me, my mum and her are both travelling with us right now because I'm on tour, my husband is on tour,' the actress confirmed. 'Family time is the most important, I didn't do that in my twenties, I ran so hard but when you have a home and you've built a home and you appreciate it. 'It makes you feel like you want to go to work and do your best then you need to make time for it. 'It's magical and it's healing. I feel great when I leave for work in the morning because I've had that time.' Molly-Mae Hague has demanded her boyfriend Tommy Fury ask her to marry him soon after she found the perfect location for their wedding. The Love Island star, 23, recently jetted to Nice in the South of France with PrettyLittleThing and instantly fell in love with the location. The influencer, who shares three-month-old daughter Bambi with Tommy, also 23, told how the trip had made her question her previous dream of getting married in a church at home in the UK. In a YouTube video, she said: 'It's making me really question my thoughts of how I never, ever wanted to get married abroad 'I mean, it's funny because I'm not even engaged yet and I'm talking about when I'm getting married. I'm getting a little bit ahead of myself aren't I?' Molly-Mae Hague has demanded her boyfriend Tommy Fury ask her to marry him soon after she found the perfect location for their wedding Couple: The Love Island star, 23, recently jetted to Nice in the South of France with PrettyLittleThing and instantly fell in love with the location for her future wedding She added: 'I've always just pictured when Tommy and I get married that it would be in the UK. We'd get married in a big church and do it at home. 'Now we've come here and I've seen this unreal location, it makes me think an abroad wedding would actually be pretty stunning.' Molly then said: 'I haven't even got the ring yet,' before she waved her hand in the air and added: 'Tommy if you're watching this! Molly stayed in a chateau during the trip, telling fans: 'I know I keep going on about it, but this location. 'I genuinely think this is my top location I've ever shot at with PrettyLittleThing. This is unmatched. 'I really want to go online and just Google this property and find out how much it's worth. Who knows, one day I'll be getting married underneath that little Leaning Tower of Pisa archway.' It comes after Molly-Mae admitted she suffered a 'meltdown' over the way she looked during her first photoshoot since giving birth to Bambi. The reality star opened up about her post-baby figure in another recent YouTube video, admitting her insecurities make her feel 'so sad'. Candid: The influencer, who shares three-month-old daughter Bambi with Tommy, also 23, told how the trip had made her question her previous dream of getting married in a church at home in the UK She said: 'I did, in the afternoon, have a bit of a meltdown just because it was a lot to take in. 'That was my second day without Bambi and I think I keep forgetting that I am still am only three months post-partum. 'I had not really prepared myself for how I might feel on a photoshoot. I think I had kinda not prepared myself fully for how I might feel on a photoshoot, three months after having a baby.' The influencer said she is 'definitely way too hard on herself' as her body has changed so much since welcoming her baby girl. 'My body is so different now': It comes after Molly-Mae admitted she suffered a 'meltdown' over the way she looked during her first photoshoot since giving birth to Bambi She said: 'Obviously my body has just grown a child and I definitely forget that and I am definitely way too hard on myself Molly-Mae continued: 'I know I keep going on about it, but my body, it's just so different now and I had a baby three months ago. 'Obviously my body has just grown a child and I definitely forget that and I am definitely way too hard on myself. 'Every single outfit I was in, I was looking at myself like "Oh my gosh". One way to describe it is that it makes me so sad as to how I looked at my body before I had Bambi.' The TV personality said in spite of her insecurities, she felt like a 'million dollars' from the shoulders up thanks to her glam team. David Gilmour seemed in high spirits as he soaked up the sun during lavish family holiday in Venice on Thursday. The Pink Floyd guitarist and vocalist, 77, rocked a long blue jacket over a black T-shirt and trousers as he went sightseeing. The star kept comfy in a pair of trainers and shielded from the sun under a woven hat and a pair of dark sunglasses. He was spotted enjoying lunch with his wife Polly Samson, 60, and youngest daughter Romany, 21. The trio later walked around the Italian city together before hopping onto a lavish canal boat. Relaxing: David Gilmour seemed in high spirits as he soaked up the sun during lavish family holiday in Venice on Thursday Holiday: The Pink Floyd guitarist and vocalist, 77, rocked a long blue jacket over a black T-shirt and trousers as he went sightseeing His wife Polly cut a stylish figure in a pink oversized shirt which she donned with a pair of black trousers. She added a white cardigan over the number while wearing a pair of sunglasses and carrying her camera over her body. Meanwhile, Romany cut a summery figure in a pair of navy shorts and a short sleeved blue patterned blouse. She added a pair of green framed glasses and completing her outfit with a pair of black trainers and a large tote bag. David married Polly in 1994, and they share four children, Charlie, 34, Joe, 28, Gabriel, 26, and Romany. He was previously married to model Virginia 'Ginger' Hasenbein in 1975. They are parents to four children, Alice, 47, Clare, 44, Sara, 40, and Matthew, 37. It comes after the wife of Pink Floyd guitarist Dave tore into his former bandmate Roger Waters labelling him a 'Putin apologist' and 'anti-Semitic' earlier this year. Waters, who has branded the claims from Polly 'wildly inaccurate' and 'incendiary', recently gave an interview to German magazine Berliner Zeitung where he denounced claims he was an anti-Semite. Sightseeing: The star kept comfy in a pair of trainers and shielded from the sun under a woven hat and a pair of dark sunglasses Lunch spot: He was spotted enjoying lunch with his wife Polly Samson and youngest daughter Romany, 21 Outing: The trio later walked around the Italian city together Family: His wife Polly cut a stylish figure in a pink oversized shirt which she donned with a pair of black trousers Dining out: David enjoyed a nice meal with Polly and their daughter Holiday: The family explored Venice in the sunshine Window shopping: The trio looked into a furniture shop Reading: David had a book in hand during the outing Sharing the article on Twitter, the musician wrote: 'The Truth Will Set Us Free. 'Against the backdrop of the outrageous and despicable smear campaign by the Israeli lobby to denounce me as an anti-Semite which I am not, never have been and never will be.' Waters, who was engaged in a boycott of Israel, expressed several controversial opinions in the piece including that 'Putin may not be a bigger gangster than Joe Biden.' He wrote: 'The most important reason for supplying arms to Ukraine is surely profit for the arms industry. And I wonder: is Putin a bigger gangster than Joe Biden and all those in charge of American politics since World War II? I am not so sure. Putin didn't invade Vietnam or Iraq? Did he?' He also claimed that Israel was engaged in 'genocide' and compared events to the way Great Britain behaved 'during our colonial period.' He said: 'We believed ourselves to be inherently superior to the indigenous people, just as the Israelis do in Palestine. Well, we weren't and neither are the Israeli Jews.' Shortly after Waters posted the link to the article, Polly posted a tweet of her own - seemingly in response to the article. In her tweet, Samson described Waters as a 'Putin apologist' who was 'anti-Semitic to [his] rotten core.' Stylish: She added a white cardigan over the number while wearing a pair of sunglasses and carrying her camera over her body Looking good: Meanwhile Romany cut a summery figure in a pair of navy shorts and a short sleeved blue patterned blouse Out and about: She added a pair of green framed glasses and completing her outfit with a pair of black trainers and a large tote bag as she walked with her parents Making memories: The guitarist was spotted checked a tour guide while the family stopped for food Purchase: The family were seen looking around gift shops Canals: The Pink Floyd star was seen on one of the famous Venice taxi boats Family: David married Polly in 1994, and they share four children, Charlie, 34, Joe, 28, Gabriel, 26, and Romany, 21 Children: He previously married to model Virginia 'Ginger' Hasenbein in 1975. They are parents to four children, Alice, 47, Clare, 44, Sara, 40, and Matthew, 37 Row: Dave Gilmour's (centre) wife Polly Samson (right) branded Roger Waters (left) a 'Putin apologist' and 'anti-Semitic' The band: Nick Mason, Dave Gilmour, Roger Waters and Rick Wright pose as Pink Floyd in 1973 The fiery comment also contained several other unsubstantiated claims about Waters. Shortly afterwards, Waters' team released a response from his own Twitter account, saying: 'Roger Waters is aware of the incendiary and wildly inaccurate comments made about him on Twitter by Polly Samson which he refutes entirely. 'He is currently taking advice on his position.' Roger Waters founded Pink Floyd back in 1965 alongside Syd Barrett (guitar, lead vocals), Nick (drums) and Richard (keyboards, vocals). David joined the band two years later in 1967, and Syd left the following year due to mental health problems. There were several reports of in-fighting with the band, with Richard leaving the group in 1979, followed by Roger in 1985. Roger has amassed a staggering net worth of 247 million thanks to a hugely successful solo career, as well as his companies Roger Waters Music UK and Roger Waters Music Overseas. MailOnline reached out to representatives of Roger Waters for comment at the time. Crown Princess Mary of Denmark touched down in Sydney late Thursday night, marking her first official visit to Australia in 10 years. The Hobart-born royal, 51, is back on home soil to meet with Danish representatives that are involved in Australia's 'green transition' while also visiting several Danish-led projects related to sustainability. Mary looked every inch the style icon when she arrived via private jet. The fashionable royal cut a chic figure in a black T-shirt and loose fitting trousers as she made her way across the tarmac. She was sure to rug up against the bitter chill in the air by donning a beige cardigan underneath a tailored cream blazer. Crown Princess Mary of Denmark touched down in Sydney late Thursday night, marking her first official visit to Australia in 10 years. Pictured The Hobart-born royal, 51, is back on home soil to meet with Danish representatives that are involved in Australia's 'green transition' while also visiting several Danish-led projects related to sustainability Mary looked every inch the style icon when she arrived via private jet Mary completed her look with a lightweight scarf adorned with different shades of polka dots, and wore her reading glasses as she smiled for waiting photographers. The royal, often heralded for her style and grace, opted to go make-up free for her arrival, allowing her flawless beauty to shine through. She wore her brunette locks back, tied into a chic chignon, and carried a tan carry-all with her belongings. Mary was greeted by her security detail upon arrival and whisked away to her accommodation in a sleek black vehicle that proudly displayed the Danish flag. Mary's climate focused trip in the South Pacific began on April 23 in Vanuatu where she met with key people who are managing the reconstruction of the island after it was hit by two cyclones and two earthquakes. She then headed to Fiji with Denmark's Climate Minister. Princess Mary's visit Down Under will be brief, however, as she will be in London for King Charles III's coronation on May 6. The fashionable royal cut a chic figure in a black T-shirt and loose fitting trousers as she made her way across the tarmac She was sure to rug up against the bitter chill in the air by donning a beige cardigan underneath a tailored cream blazer The last time the Crown Princess was in Australia was last Christmas when she visited her family in Tasmania, but it was not in an official capacity. She went to her hometown with her husband Crown Prince Frederick and their four children, Christian, 17, Isabella, 15, and twins Vincent and Josephine, 11. The family's holiday at Christmas was their first time Down Under in over five years, however Princess Mary was spotted without her family in March 2022 in Melbourne shopping with her friend and bridesmaid Amber Petty. Princess Mary and Prince Frederick's last official visit was in October 2013 where they visited the Sydney Opera House to celebrate its 40th anniversary. Although she was born and raised in Tasmania, Mary moved to Denmark during her courtship with the heir to the Danish throne. Mary completed her look with a lightweight scarf adorned with different shades of polka dots, and wore her reading glasses as she smiled for waiting photographers The royal, often heralded for her style and grace, opted to go make-up free for her arrival, allowing her flawless beauty to shine through Princess Mary's visit Down Under will be brief, however, as she will be in London for King Charles III's coronation on May 6 The love story between Princess Mary and Prince Frederik has been well documented. She famously met her husband by chance at Sydney pub the Slip Inn during the 2000 Olympics. After their encounter, Fred - who was in Australia to support Denmark's Olympic sailing team - asked Mary for her phone number and a romance blossomed. 'The first time we met we shook hands. I didn't know he was the prince of Denmark. Half an hour later someone came up to me and said, "Do you know who these people are"?' Mary revealed in an interview about their meeting. The last time the Crown Princess was in Australia was last Christmas when she visited her family in Tasmania, but it was not in an official capacity Princess Mary and Prince Frederick's last official visit was in October 2013 where they visited the Sydney Opera House to celebrate its 40th anniversary They maintained a long-distance relationship for a year, with Frederik making secret trips Down Under before Mary moved to Denmark to study the Danish language at Copenhagen's Studieskolen in 2001. In early 2003, Frederik's mother Queen Margrethe publicly acknowledged the relationship and the couple announced their engagement at Amalienborg Castle later that year on October 8. Frederik and Mary married on May 14, 2004 at Copenhagen Cathedral, with the newly minted Crown Princess opting for a beautiful gown by Danish designer Uffer Frank and a veil first used by Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden in 1905. Their first child, Prince Christian Valdemar Henri John, was born October 15, 2005; Princess Isabella Henrietta Ingrid Margrethe followed on April 21, 2007. Almost four years later Mary and Frederik welcomed twins, Princess Josephine Sophia Ivalo Mathilda and Prince Vincent Frederik Minik Alexander at the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen on January 8, 2011. Kim Kardashian was the belle of the ball at the Time 100 event held at Lincoln Center in New York City on Wednesday. The 42-year-old reality TV icon was approached by many stars as she stunned in a silky slip dress with diamond necklaces and a pearl shell purse as she wore her black hair down. She was seen chatting up fired CNN personality Don Lemon, movie star Salma Hayek, talk show host Gayle King and model turned chef Padma Lakshmi. But the event seemed a bit stressful for the mother of four from Calabasas, California. At one point the SKIMS founder was cornered by the press on the red carpet as microphones were pushed on her but she just smiles through it. Behind the scenes: Kim Kardashian talked to Tim Malone and Don Lemon at the 2023 TIME100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Wednesday in New York City Unemployed: CNN fired longtime host 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 On her way in: The 42-year-old reality TV icon was approached by many stars as she stunned in a silky slip dress with diamond necklaces and a pearl shell purse as she wore her black hair down Kim looked animated as she spoke to Tim Malone and Don Lemon. She used her hands to express herself as they appeared to be having a serious conversation. Don wore a dark suit with a white handkerchief in his pocket. The news man added glasses. CNN fired longtime host 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. The move quickly turned nasty. 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. CNN said that Lemon was given the opportunity to meet with management but released a statement on Twitter instead. Another A lister: Kim was also seen spending time with Friday actress Salma Hayek. The acclaimed star wore a blue and black lace gown as she approached Kim. Arm in arm for the camera: They seemed to get along and even took a photo together Family: Also with Salma was her daughter Valentina as well as her husband's son with Linda Evangelista, Augustin James Kim was also seen spending time with Friday actress Salma. The acclaimed star wore a blue and black lace gown as she approached Kim. The two had a nice chat as the Frida actress held onto the SKIMS founder. Also with Salma was her daughter Valentina and husband Francois-Henri Pinault's son with Linda Evangelista. Pinault is a French businessman, the chairman and CEO of Kering since 2005, and president of Groupe Artemis since 2003. More pals: Kardashian with Gayle King and Padma Lakshmi wanted woman: At one point the SKIMS founder was cornered by the press on the red carpet as microphones were pushed on her but she just smiles through it Under his leadership, the retail conglomerate PPR was transformed into the luxury fashion group Kering. He oversees luxury brands like Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent. So Salma could have been talking business with Kim, who has repped Balenciaga in the past. There were several members of the press around them as they chatted away. They also took a moment to pose for the cameras, and appear to be the same height. Kim Kardashian is teasing fans on her upcoming look for the Met Gala, which will take place on Monday, May 1. The 2023 fashion extravaganza dress code will be Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, paying tribute to the controversial fashion designer, Vogue announced in January. Kim shared a series of snaps and videos of her spending time with Karl's cat Choupette in Paris. The star wrote: 'Had a date with @choupetteofficiel in Paris. We then spent some time at @karllagerfeld's office to get a little inspiration for the Met.' Kim shared snaps of herself posing with the cat while sporting a black patent jacket and boots. Strike a pose: Kim Kardashian is teasing fans on her upcoming look for the Met Gala, which will take place on Monday, May 1 Iconic: The 2023 fashion extravaganza dress code will be Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, paying tribute to the controversial fashion designer, Vogue announced in January Kim puckered up to the camera for a kiss face selfie with the cat while on an ornately designed bed. The SKIMS founder sported a patent black belted jacket, adding coordinating thigh high boots. She wore her lustrous hair center parted with a slight wave, opting for smokey eye makeup and nude lipstick on her pout. She shared a video posing next to the cat, as well as a several photos. Kim spent time in Karl's office, looking at sketches of some of Karl's iconic looks, as well as walking up the stairs of his apartment and taking in the artwork featuring the designer's face. The Met Gala, which will take place on May 1 at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City, will have Penelope Cruz, Michaela Coel, Roger Federer and Dua Lipa as the co-chairs, along with Anna Wintour. The outlet added that the 2023 theme will be 'in honor of Karl.' Karl died February 19, 2019 at the age of 85 following complications of pancreatic cancer. Strike a pose: Kim shared a series of snaps and videos of her spending time with Karl's cat Choupette in Paris A look: She wore her lustrous hair center parted with a slight wave, opting for smokey eye makeup and nude lipstick on her pout Visit: The SKIMS founder sported a patent black belted jacket, adding coordinating thigh high boots Focused: Kim spent time in Karl's office, looking at sketches of some of Karl's iconic looks, as well as walking up the stairs of his apartment and taking in the artwork featuring the designer's face Taking it all in: The star was seen looking at sketches at his desk with someone from his team Kiss kiss: The star wrote: 'Had a date with @choupetteofficiel in Paris. We then spent some time at @karllagerfeld's office to get a little inspiration for the Met' The fashion designer served as the creative designer for Chanel, Fendi as well as his own label. He also worked with Chloe, Patou and Balmain during his career in fashion. On its website, Vogue offered some styling advice to those lucky few who will be invited to attend the Met Gala this year, sharing a list of 'approaches' that they can take when it comes to paying homage to Karl. 'The first, most authentic approach would be to wear an archival look from one of the labels Lagerfeld led,' it suggested. 'The second would be to sport modern-day Chanel or Fendi, two houses on which Lagerfeld left an indelible impression.' The final recommendation was for guests to find their own version of Karl's beloved cat, Choupette, and 'dress a la Lagerfeld'. As a final piece of advice, the famed fashion magazine suggested that anyone who is angling for a spot on its best-dressed list would be well advised to model a 'look with originality'. Kim Kardashian transformed into Marilyn Monroe for the 2022 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. She arrived in the late star's $5 million gown she wore in 1962 to wish President John F. Kennedy a happy birthday. Goddess: On Wednesday night, Kim attended the Time 100 Gala at Lincoln Center in New York City Details: The stunner dazzled in a white John Galliano gown with crystal accents on the strap buckles Closer look: She layered on Messika jewerly including a cross necklace, a 17 carat pear pendant, two thinner necklaces and two large rings Striking: The mom of four carried the Chanel plexiglass conch shell minaudiere clutch in her arms; the bag is from karl Lagerfeld's Chanel's Spring 2012 collection On Wednesday night, Kim attended the Time 100 Gala at Lincoln Center in New York City. The stunner dazzled in a white John Galliano gown with crystal accents on the strap buckles. She layered on Messika jewelry including a cross necklace, a 17 carat pear pendant, two thinner necklaces and two large rings. The mom of four carried the Chanel plexiglass conch shell minaudiere clutch in her arms; the bag is from karl Lagerfeld's Chanel's Spring 2012 collection. Friends alum Courteney Cox held hands with her jewelry designer gal pal Jennifer Meyer after enjoying Italian fare at celebrity hotspot Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica on Wednesday night. The Alabama-born 58-year-old dressed her skinny 5ft5in frame in a grey short-sleeve sweater with white pleated pants and matching sneakers. The daughter of NBCUniversal vice-chairman Ronald Meyer - who turned 46 last Sunday - bared her belly in a grey crop-top under a blue jean jacket, baggy green drawstring pants, and stained sneakers. Courteney then gave Jennifer - who launched her jewelry line in 2003 - a hug goodbye before heading back to her 8K-square-foot mansion in Malibu's Paradise Cove. Meyer's ex-husband - Babylon producer-star Tobey Maguire - is the subject of a bizarre new off-Broadway play penned by Samantha Hurley called I'm Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire, which runs July 9-29 at The Cell Theatre in Manhattan. BFFs: Friends alum Courteney Cox (R) held hands with her jewelry designer gal pal Jennifer Meyer (L) after enjoying Italian fare at celebrity hotspot Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica on Wednesday night Cashmere? The Alabama-born 58-year-old (R) dressed her skinny 5ft5in frame in a grey short-sleeve sweater with white pleated pants and matching sneakers The Syracuse University grad previously admitted it was 'a lot of work' to successfully co-parent - daughter Ruby, 16; and son Otis, 14 - with the 47-year-old Golden Globe nominee, whom she divorced in 2020 after nine years of marriage. 'It was a choice, and it was trusting in, like, the universe has got our back, but let me tell you something, the work is a motherf***er,' Jennifer confessed on The World's First Podcast on June 23. 'Now we talk about our significant others [like], "Hey, you got the kids? I'm going for a weekend away. Now it's like, "Hey, I'm having a hard day" or "Hey, you did this, it really bummed me out." I would do anything in the world for him. I can't even explain [it]. He is my brother. I love him to death.' Meanwhile, Cox - who's dating Snow Patrol musician Johnny McDaid - is mother to 18-year-old daughter Coco Arquette from her 11-year marriage to David Arquette, which amicably ended in 2013. The Emmy-nominated producer - who boasts 17.2M followers - has become a full-blown social media influencer, having posted three videos over the past three days. On Wednesday, Courteney and her friend played out the reality of what it would be like to be a pampered puppy - complete with belly rubs, concealed pills, eye wipes, and a high ponytail. On Tuesday, Cox teamed up with TikToker Kelli Erdmann for a special effects video where her head was inflated and popped while dancing to Technotronic's 1989 hit song Pump Up the Jam. And on Monday, the Scream VI producer-star tested the loyalty of her Cavalier King Charles Spaniels Lily and Bear by playing dead on her lawn for 10 minutes to 'see what they do,' which was nothing. Turned 46 last Sunday! The daughter of NBCUniversal vice-chairman Ronald Meyer (L) bared her belly in a grey crop-top under a blue jean jacket, baggy green drawstring pants, and stained sneakers Bye girl! Courteney then gave Jennifer - who launched her jewelry line in 2003 - a hug goodbye before heading back to her 8K-square-foot mansion in Malibu's Paradise Cove Cute LV bag! Meyer's ex-husband - Babylon producer-star Tobey Maguire - is the subject of a bizarre new off-Broadway play penned by Samantha Hurley called I'm Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire, which runs July 9-29 at The Cell Theatre in Manhattan Keeping up with the times: Cox - who boasts 17.2M followers - has become a full-blown social media influencer, having posted three videos over the past three days Experiment: On Wednesday, the Emmy-nominated producer and her friend played out the reality of what it would be like to be a pampered puppy - complete with belly rubs (L), concealed pills (R), eye wipes, and a high ponytail Butt of the joke: On Tuesday, Courteney teamed up with TikToker Kelli Erdmann (R) for a special effects video where her head was inflated and popped while dancing to Technotronic's 1989 hit song Pump Up the Jam One of them sniffed her: And on Monday, Cox tested the loyalty of her Cavalier King Charles Spaniels Lily and Bear by playing dead on her lawn for 10 minutes to 'see what they do,' which was nothing The Scream VI producer-star sarcastically said: 'That's great. Thanks guys. I mean, that was it? Guess what? You're not invited to my funeral!' Premieres later this year on Starz! Courteney will next produce and reprise her role as novelist Patricia 'Pat' Phelps in the eight-episode second season of Jeff Astrof and Sharon Horgan's haunted house comedy series Shining Vale 'That's great. Thanks guys,' Courteney said, sarcastically. 'I mean, that was it? Guess what? You're not invited to my funeral!' Cox will next produce and reprise her role as novelist Patricia 'Pat' Phelps in the eight-episode second season of Jeff Astrof and Sharon Horgan's haunted house comedy series Shining Vale, which premieres later this year on Starz. Season one also featured Mira Sorvino, Judith Light, Greg Kinnear, Alysia Reiner, Sherilyn Fenn, Gus Birney, Dylan Gage, and Merrin Dungey. The Homecourt founder famously launched her career at age 20 dancing with Bruce Springsteen in Brian De Palma's 1984 music video for Dancing In the Dark. ???1/2 Redemption isnt something you read about in restaurant reviews. But its the word that comes to mind after returning to the restaurant once known as Bimini Boatyard. Rechristened Boatyard and reopened in October after a 3 1/2-month renovation, this is the restaurant that best represents the city of Fort Lauderdale. For most of its first 25 years, it wasnt much more than a tourist trap, a layover for cruise passengers checking into nearby hotels. They offered honey-sweetened Bimini bread and food I described as abysmal when I reviewed the place in 2014. The biggest sin? Frozen seafood. The new Boatyard has new owners. Hudson Capital Group, which operated the restaurant for the past seven years, has been joined by the Restaurant People. As the companys name suggests, restaurants and hospitality is all they do at such spots as YOLO, S3, Fork and Balls, and Tarpon Bend Food and Tackle. Boatyard, however, seems more important than the companys other places. Thats because Tim Petrillo, Peter Boulukos and Alan Hooper set out to create a restaurant that honors Fort Lauderdale as the yachting capital of the world and the Venice of America. Just take a look at the collection of vintage portholes near the front door or the 70 wooden oars that hang from a 35-foot chandelier in the bar. Boatyard is a large, 280-seat restaurant made intimate with the creation of almost separate dining spaces. High-top tables are perfect for groups near a new indoor bar. A mature gumbo limbo tree was shipped in from Cape Coral and used as a centerpiece for one section of the patio. An outdoor bar invites cocktailing. But it also finally has a menu that matches its setting on a yacht-filled canal just off the Intracoastal Waterway. The bottom of the menu even lists the East Coast fisherman responsible for the days seafood. The menu opens with such shareable items as tuna tacos ($14), yellowfin stuffed inside crunchy wonton wrappers with a distinct hot and sour sauce. Charred octopus ($16) is served with wilted kale, garbanzo beans, fingerling potatoes and a pleasant chorizo vinaigrette. The octopus is so tender, its difficult at first to tell it apart from the potato. If you think you dont like kale salad ($11), try the version offered here, with quinoa, red grapes, spiced pecans and lemon-Parmesan vinaigrette. It will turn around the kale-averse. Executive chef Doug Riess does a daily seacuterie offering (market price), which the other night included cured salmon, octopus and snapper. Order this dish, which is served sushi-style atop an amber-colored salt block. A rolling shellfish cart features oysters, shrimp, ceviche and stone crabs (market price). The cart may need some rethinking, however, since its awkwardly large and the dining room lighting makes it difficult to see the offerings. Three servers with CSI-style flashlights help. The ceviche is outstanding. The entree side of the menu looks an awful lot like one found at an updated seafood and steak house. There are seven so-called favorites, or composed dishes, including outstanding miso-honey-sake-glazed Scottish salmon with wilted kale and warm, farro-vegetable salad ($27). Grouper piccata ($34) is a sauteed fillet with wilted spinach, cured tomato, caper berries and lemon Chardonnay butter. Its boldly flavored, yet delicate and creamy with nice salty caper blasts. Dare I call this Boatyards signature dish? Yellowfin tuna ($30) is crusted with Thai rice and plated with baby bok choy, nori rice balls and kimchi coconut, which manages to be neither too hot or too sweet. The tuna was perfectly cooked to rare. Beyond the composed dishes is a section featuring five simply grilled seafood choices (salmon, $21; mahi-mahi, $23; yellowfin tuna, $26; swordfish, $26; grouper, $28), which can be had with a choice of five sauces ($3): citrus butter, shitake lemongrass, lemon-herb vinaigrette, cape basil tomato brown butter and saffron nage. Among the four steaks is an 6-ounce center-cut filet ($32); an 18-ounce, dry-aged, bone-in rib-eye ($42); an 8-ounce flat iron ($24); and a 14-ounce New York strip ($42). Judging by the filet, the kitchen has mastered the art of wood-fired steaks with a nicely charred exterior and tender interior. Like the seafood sauces, there are five steak sauces ($3): housemade steak sauce thats more Heinz 57 than A.1.; bearnaise; chimichurri; au plover; and Maytag blue butter. There are also some very good sides ($8), from fried broccoli with a decidedly sweet and nutty flavor to Brussels sprouts hash with sweet potatoes. Both are a particularly great accompaniments to beef. For dessert, Key lime doughnut holes ($9) ought to be the best combination of two great desserts, but they dont qualify as either great Key lime pie or doughnuts. We could barely taste the Key lime custard filling. Exceptional, however, is warm apple crisp ($9), with caramelized green apples and classic frangipane. Boatyard is the restaurant that its location deserves. You no longer have to be dragging a wheeled suitcase to dine at the restaurant now known as Boatyard. Although, I suspect the suitcase crowd will still come, we locals no longer have to be embarrassed. The Restaurant People have created a restaurant for everyone. Boatyard 1555 SE 17th St., Fort Lauderdale 954-525-7400, Boatyard.restaurant Cuisine: Seafood Cost: Expensive Hours: Lunch and dinner daily, Sunday brunch Reservations: Strongly suggested Credit cards: All major Bar: Full service Sound level: Noisy when full Outside smoking: Yes For kids: Highchairs, boosters, menu Wheelchair accessible: Yes Parking: Complimentary valet or self parking Salma Hayek had some teenagers with her on Wednesday. The Frida actress brought her daughter Valentina, 15, and stepson Augustin, 16 - whose mother is Linda Evangelista - to the TIME 100 Gala, which took place at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. Valentina is her daughter she welcomed with husband Francois-Henri Pinault to whom she has been wed since 2009. And Augustin is the son of Linda and Francois-Henri who were in a romance from 2005 until 2006. Salma has posted images with Augustin to social media in the past, but is not often seen with him in public. Also at the splashy event were Kim Kardashian, Drew Barrymore, Padma Lakshmi and Don Lemon. Teen spirit: Salma Hayek had some teenagers with her on Wednesday. The Frida actress brought her daughter Valentina, 15, and stepson Augustin, 16 - whose mother is Linda Evangelista - to the TIME 100 Gala, which took place at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City Stunner: Valentina is her daughter she welcomed with husband Francois-Henri Pinault to whom she has been wed since 2009 The boy: And Augustin is the son of Linda and Francois-Henri who were in a romance from 2005 until 2006. Evangelista, right, at the Costume Institute Gala Benefit celebrating China: Through the Looking Glass, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York in 2015 Pinault is a French businessman, the chairman and CEO of Kering since 2005, and president of Groupe Artemis since 2003. Under his leadership, the retail conglomerate PPR was transformed into the luxury fashion group Kering. He oversees luxury brands like Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent. So it is no wonder Salma was seen chatting up Kim Kardashian, who has modeled for Balenciaga in the past. There were several members of the press around them as they chatted away. In addition to Valentina and Augustin, Francois-Henri has daughter Mathilde Pinault, 22 and son Francois Pinault, 25, whose mother is Dorothee Lepere, 58. Linda was in the news this year for her claims CoolSculpting a FDA-cleared 'fat-freezing' procedure left her 'disfigured.' Evangelista filed a lawsuit in September suing CoolSculpting's parent company, Zeltiq Aesthetics Inc., for $50 million in damages. Mom's drama: Linda was in the news this year for her claims CoolSculptingleft her 'disfigured.' Evangelista filed a lawsuit in September suing CoolSculpting's parent company, Zeltiq Aesthetics Inc., for $50 million in damages. Seen in September 2022 in NYC The model claimed she has not been able to model after undergoing seven sessions of CoolSculpting from August 2015 to February 2016. Hayek looked sensational in her gown. The 56-year-old performer turned heads while wearing a particularly eye-catching outfit to the annual star-studded affair. Hayek wore a beautiful blue silk dress that was covered in black lace during the Gala. The Frida star's skirt also featured numerous sparkling sequins that gave her look a bit of extra shine as she posed on the function's red carpet. A little K special: They all posed with fellow guest Kim Kardashian, far right Biz connection: Pinault is the chairman and CEO of Kering since 2005. He oversees luxury brands like Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent. So it is no wonder Salma was seen chatting up Kim, who has modeled for Balenciaga Another A list pal: Also in the photo op was Drew Barrymore who is a talk show queen The Academy Award-nominated performer accessorized with a silver clutch that paired well with the dark tones of her outfit. Her beautiful brunette locks remained free-flowing and fell onto her shoulders. The performer shared a video on her Instagram account on Wednesday afternoon in which she showed off her outfit for the evening. Like many other Gala attendees, Hayek was named by Time as one of its 100 Most Influential People of 2023. The performer's longtime friend Penelope Cruz sat down for an interview with the media outlet, during which she spoke about one of their first encounters. 'I knew almost no one in the U.S., but she picked me up from the airport and took me to her house. Meeting her was like reuniting with a sister you hadn't seen in a long time,' she recalled. The actress, who costarred with Hayek in the 2006 feature Bandidas, also showered her longtime friend with praise for her acting skills. 'She's strong yet sensitive, and she can read people very well. That's what makes her a great actor, her ability to put herself in someone else's shoes,' she said. Valentina seemed to bond with Drew: Salma's daughter laughed when talking to the ET star Good times were had by all: Salma beamed at her little teen It was a big party with tons of guests: The family was a main attraction Dual-tone: Hayek wore a beautiful blue silk dress that was covered in black lace and featured numerous sequins on its lower portion during the Gala So close: Mathilde Pinault, Salma, Valentina and Francois are seen at the Gucci show during Milan Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2023/24 in February Cruz subsequently stated that the Eternals actress had served as an inspiration for her own career. 'Her huge heart, great intelligence, and charisma are a winning combination, but the thing I'm most proud of is that she's always entirely herself,' she said. The actress concluded by discussing how Hayek was dedicated to both assisting emerging talent and honing her craft. 'She's opened so many doors for people who followed. She is a total revolutionary, and there's still so much she will do,' she stated. Pregnant Lindsay Lohan is showing off her baby bump. After showing off her pregnancy belly earlier this week on Instagram, the 36-year-old Mean Girls stars was at it again on Thursday as she shared more snaps from her recent baby shower this week. The proud star looked positively glowing as she held her bump while wearing a stylish all-white ensemble. Lindsay - who is expecting her first child with her husband of almost one year, Bader Shammas - shared a carousel of images to her Instagram, where she was seen celebrating with family. She was joined by sister Aliana 'Ali' Lohan, 29, and her mother Dina, 60. The Parent Bump! Lindsay Lohan proudly showed off her pregnancy belly in a snap posted to her Instagram on Thursday Lindsay's due date is reportedly this summer. The former friend of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton was in New York City to celebrate her baby shower. New York is where her family members as well as her childhood friends live as she she grew up on Long Island. This comes after a source shared with UsWeekly that the former wild child of Hollywood 'loves' being pregnant. A source noted that she is 'happier' than she has ever been since discovering that she is to become a mother. Family time: Lindsay was joined by her little sister Aliana 'Ali' Lohan, 29, at the event Friends like these: Lindsay shared a carousel of images to her Instagram on Thursday Group photo! Lindsay poses with her family and friends - including her mother Dina Lohan, 60, to her right Precious memories: Lindsay is expecting her first child with her husband of almost one year, Bader Shammas 'She's the happiest when she's with her closest friends and family. She is rarely in town for long, so friends and family wanted to celebrate. 'It was very private just a handful of close friends and family having brunch in honor of Lindsay's pregnancy.' The insider went on to hint to the outlet that a 'bigger' celebration for the Parent Trap star could be set to take place where she lives in Dubai. While in Manhattan she spent her time with her family looking for clothes for both herself and the baby. First look: Pregnant Lindsay debuted her baby bump for the first time earlier this week with the above photo Fun: The former friend of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton had been in New York City to celebrating her baby shower. New York has many longtime friends as well as her family in the state as she grew up on Long Island. Seen with sister Aliana Three gals: Lohan was seen far right as her mother Dina was far left and her sister center It's love: Seen here with her husband of almost one year, Bader. The baby is due this summer The source added: 'During the short trip to New York, she also spent some quality time shopping with her siblings for baby clothes and cool and stylish maternity clothes.' Lindsay first announced her pregnancy in March with an Instagram post featuring a white baby onesie before a representative for the Freaky Friday star explained that she and her husband are both excited about the 'next chapter' in their lives. A rep for the couple told DailyMail.com: 'We are very excited for our new family member to arrive and we are looking forward to this next chapter of our lives!' The loved-up duo are also looking forward to the challenge of parenthood. They said: 'We are beyond happy for this blessing in our lives and we cannot wait to become parents.' Katherine Schwarzenegger put on a radiant display as she modeled a purple sundress in a new Instagram video shared on Thursday to promote her latest Cleobella Mother's Day collection. The 33-year-old author, who recently was joined by her daughters, Lola, two, and nearly one-year-old Eloise in cute photos for the line, could be seen strolling on a rocky pathway while surrounded by purple and white Hydrangea flowers. The Christina midi dress, which is priced at $228, contains a lavender and white-colored floral pattern on the fabric along with ruffled straps that wrapped around her shoulders. Two tasseled embellishments could be seen on the front underneath the V-neck cut for a unique flare. The mother of two accessorized her look by wearing a pair of dangly, gold earrings along with an assortment of gold bracelets on her right wrist for a flashy touch. Classy: Katherine Schwarzenegger, 33, put on a classy display as she modeled a purple sundress in a new Instagram video shared on Thursday to promote her latest Cleobella Mother's Day collection The beauty opted to go barefoot for the clip rather than slipping on sandals or heels to stroll along the path outdoors. Her brunette locks were parted to the side, and effortlessly flowed down past her shoulders into light waves. Katherine's makeup was elegantly done, and comprised of a layer of mascara to her lashes along with a light, shimmering shadow around her eyes. A warm blush was added to her cheekbones for a radiant glow, while a pink-colored tint was added to her lips for a finishing touch. The New York Times best-selling author made her way along the thin, rocky path until she reached a few stone steps. The media personality, who boasts 1 million Instagram followers, adjusted some of the flowers in a clear vase and then sat at the very top of the stairs to strike a pose and flash a smile towards the camera. In the caption of the video, Katherine penned, 'A little bit of the Christina Dress in action, from my Mothers Day collection with @cleobella.' She then explained that a 'percentage' of the funds from purchases goes to the nonprofit organization called, Everytown, 'for Gun Safety Support Fund, a collective effort to help combat gun violence.' Simple elegance: The Christina midi dress, which is priced at $228, contains a lavender and white-colored pattern on the fabric along with ruffled straps that wrapped around her shoulders Having fun: The media personality adjusted some of the colorful flowers in a clear vase and then sat at the very top of the stairs to strike a pose and flash a smile towards the camera Other items included in the collection aside from the Christina dress, which was named after Katherine's sister, are the $248 Maria dress, which is named after her mother, Maria Shriver, as well as a Little Lele dress for $88. The last piece that was added into the Mother's Day line is a $28 Dawn Hair bow that contains the same pattern and colors as the dresses. The author opened up about the collection during an interview with Cleobella which was published on the brand's official website, and revealed that she feels 'so lucky and grateful' to have been given the opportunity to collaborate with the company. 'I have always loved all their dresses, and found myself in a few of their pieces quite often last summer in my post-partum stage,' she expressed. Katherine welcomed her first daughter, Lola, two, in August 2020, and her second, Eloise, last year in May, whom she shares with husband and Hollywood actor, Chris Pratt. 'I love that their dresses are perfect for everyone, no matter what shape or size you are or what kind of life you live.' 'One of the key parts we wanted to highlight with this collaboration is that both of these dress styles are perfect for any phase of life, including pregnancy and post-partum, and to have the dress make you feel beautiful and have it be functional for all the hats us women wear.' With one of the dresses named after her mother, Katherine revealed that the biggest piece of advice that was handed down to her as she raises a family was simply to 'have fun' and added, 'My mom has always had a blast as a mama.' Color scheme: The Hydrangea flowers that surrounded Katherine were purple and white, the same colors on the dresses in the Mother's Day collection So cute! In previous photos shared earlier last week to promote Katherine's collaboration with Cleo Bella, her two daughters could be seen also joining their mother in matching dresses In previous photos shared earlier last week to promote Katherine's collaboration with Cleobella, her two daughters could be seen also joining their mother in matching dresses, although their faces were not revealed in the snaps. Aside from jumping into the fashion industry, the animal advocate also recently published a children's book titled, Good Night, Sister, two months earlier in February. She attended the 2023 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books earlier this month to celebrate the published piece and joined other celebrities at the event. While chatting with Cleobella, Katherine revealed that the book is based on her younger sister, Christina. 'I wanted to write this book to honor the relationship I had with my sister, Christina, growing up and that I am lucky enough to have today,' and added that they are 'very close.' She also expressed that, 'Both the relationship I have with my sister and the one with my own two girls is the inspiration for this book; celebrating and honoring sisterhood in all its forms.' Working hard: Aside from jumping into the fashion industry, the animal advocate also recently published a children's book titled, Good Night, Sister, two months earlier in February; seen earlier this month in Los Angeles First met: When stopping by The Drew Barrymore Show earlier this month, Chris admitted that he first saw Katherine at church and revealed to 'sneaking glances' at her; the couple seen earlier this month in Los Angeles Later this year in June, Katherine will celebrate her fourth wedding anniversary to husband and Guardians Of The Galaxy actor, Chris Pratt. The two lovebirds tied the knot in 2019 after they began dating in 2018. The star was previously married to Anna Faris from 2009 until their divorce was finalized in 2018. During the course of their marriage, they welcomed son, Jack, who was born nine weeks premature. When stopping by The Drew Barrymore Show earlier this month, Chris admitted that he first saw Katherine at church and revealed to 'sneaking glances' at the daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver. 'God has a fast-forward button,' he expressed. 'When it's right, boom. You fall in love, you get married. Now we have two beautiful daughters to add to my family.' Dame Joan Collins stepped out in South West London's Hampton Hill on Thursday to reopen the Shooting Star Children's Hospices charity shop. The legendary actress, 89, even has her own collection in the store as she has kindly donated a number of pieces from her own wardrobe. From designer garments to statement print pieces, she donated a number of pieces to the shop as it re-opened following a break-in, which led to a several week closure. She is currently Vice-President of the charity, after joining forces with the foundation over 20 years ago. And looking typically chic for the appearance, Dame Joan donned a light blush pink midi dress while adding a matching blazer on top. Dame Joan Collins looks chic in a blush pink dress as she reopens a charity shop in London... donating a collection of her own wardrobe designer staples Donations: The legendary actress even has her own collection in the store as she has kindly donated a number of designer pieces from her own wardrobe Keeping the colour theme, she added a pair of nude court heels to the look, alongside some statement earrings to finish the look. Joan had her brunette locks styled in a Hollywood glamour curl, as she added a bright pink lip to her complexion. Beaming for a slew of snaps inside the store, Joan had a look through her own collection after donating clothes. The clothes from Joan's wardrobe have a special label attached to them, reading: 'From the wardrobe of Dame Joan Collins'. Amongst the donated goods was a floral printed dress from luxury brand alice + olivia, alongside a leopard print bikini and a number of printed garments. She cut the store's ribbon to officially reopen it after several weeks of closure, marking a new beginning for the charity shop after it had a free refurbishment. While the star also beamed for some snaps alongside the charity's Executive Vice-President Karen Sugarman. Sharing the exciting news earlier this week, the charity revealed Joan's pending appearance via their Facebook page. Stunner: Looking typically chic for the appearance, Dame Joan donned a light blush pink midi dress while adding a matching blazer on top Opening day: She cut the store's ribbon to officially reopen it after several weeks of closure, marking a new beginning for the charity shop after it had a free refurbishment Smiles: While the star also beamed for some snaps alongside the charity's Executive Vice-President Karen Sugarman Stylish: Keeping her colour theme, Joan added a pair of nude court heels to the look, alongside some statement earrings to finish the look Delighted: The store were thrilled to be reopening after several weeks, with posters marking Joan's arrival They wrote: 'We are thrilled to announce Vice-President and global icon Joan Collins DBE will officially re-open our the much loved Hampton Hill charity shop this Thursday afternoon. 'Dame Joan has donated some fabulous clothes from her personal wardrobe. The shop was closed for several weeks following a break-in. During this time it has been refurbished free of charge by our fantastic supporters Fairland Contractors.' Over the years, Joan has opened a number of the charity's stores across the UK and often donates her own clothes. Shooting Star Children's Hospices care for babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions, and their families. Back in 2019, Joan shared: 'I began my association with Shooting Star Children's Hospices in . Sixteen years on, I'm delighted to still be part of such a special charity.' Marked: The clothes from Joan's wardrobe have a special label attached to them, reading: 'From the wardrobe of Dame Joan Collins' Goods: Amongst the donated goods was a floral printed dress from luxury brand alice + olivia, alongside a leopard print bikini and a number of printed garments Generous: Over the years, Joan has opened a number of the charity's stores across the UK and often donates her own clothes Alex Jones looked casual as she stepped out of the BBC Morning Live studios in Manchester on Thursday- after crying on The One Show over Len Goodman's death. The television presenter donned a blue jumper and cropped jeans, showcasing her slender figure. She carried a large puffy red coat as she strolled through the Northern capital. Alex added a pair of white trainers to her relaxed ensemble and wore her brunette locks in loose waves. She accessorised with a small pair of hoop earrings and a necklace and carried a box of biscuits. Casual: Alex Jones cut a casual figure in a blue jumper and jeans as she left the BBC Morning Live studios on Thursday- after crying on The One Show over Len Goodman's death Relaxed: She carried a large puffy red coat as she strolled through the Northern capital after the show It comes after Alex became emotional on The One Show as the programme remembered Len on Monday's edition of the series. Guest Anton Du Beke, 56, was also overcome with emotion as he paid tribute to the late star. Len died at a hospice in Tunbridge Wells following a short battle with bone cancer on Saturday night, days ahead of his 79th birthday. Anton appeared on the BBC programme via video link where he revealed the advice Len gave him ahead of becoming a Strictly judge in 2021. Anton began: 'He said to me when I got the job' but choked up before finishing his sentence. He continued, 'Ridiculous, isn't it? When I got the job, he said, "Say what you see, and be yourself." And that was exactly as Len was. He was himself. I was lucky enough to know him for a long time.' When Anton said he had been 'lucky to call Len a friend', an emotional Alex replied, 'Oh, what a lovely tribute.' Former Strictly professionals Flavia Cacace and AJ Pritchard also paid tribute to Len. Italian professional dancer Flavia, 43, who appeared on Strictly between 2006 and 2012, and AJ, 28, who was on the show from 2016 to 2019, spoke of their fond memories of Len during while chatting to Vanessa Feltz on Talk TV on Monday. Looking good: Alex added a pair of white trainers to her relaxed ensemble and wore her brunette locks in loose waves Stunner: She accessorised with a small pair of hoop earrings and a necklace and carried a box of biscuits Flavia, who is married to actor Jimi Mistry, her partner on Strictly in 2010, said: 'It was an absolute shock this morning - my husband mentioned it to me and I just couldn't believe it. I didnt know he was unwell so it does come as a complete shock... 'He was very respected in the ballroom world as a competitor and an adjudicator, but he also had this incredible charisma for the showbiz side of things and I think thats what made it such a success, was that he was able to bring the two worlds together and thank goodness he was part of Strictly from the beginning, because without him, it wouldve been very different. 'He was just the perfect match for the show.' The Flash director, Andy Muschietti, revealed Michael Keaton got emotional upon returning to the Batcave for the first time since portraying the titular hero in 1992s Batman Returns. While preparing to reprise his role as the Dark Knight for the first time in nearly three decades, the actor, 71, had one request for the Argentine filmmaker, 49, after putting on his famous Batsuit again. During one scene, Muschietti said Keaton asked him: 'Can you take a picture? Its for my grandson.' 'It was one of those moments where he really showed something was inside that was very emotional,' the Palm Springs International Film Festival winner told Variety. Upon arriving to set, Muschietti said Keaton 'stayed like this [eyes wide] for a while' as he checked out the set. Sweet: The Flash director, Andy Muschietti, revealed Michael Keaton got emotional upon returning to the Batcave for the first time since portraying the titular hero in 1992s Batman Returns; seen in March 2022 Proud grandfather: While preparing to reprise his role as the Dark Knight for the first time in nearly three decades, the actor, 71, had one request for the Argentine filmmaker, 49, after putting on his famous Batsuit again (pictured with grandson River in 2018) 'I didnt want to interrupt him. I just wanted for him to take it in. Who knows what was going on there? But something was going on there,' the screenwriter, who gained recognition for directing both films in the It film series, continued. The highly-anticipated film will be influenced by the iconic Flashpoint comic books that reveals multiple timelines Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) can visit. One of these timelines is where Keaton's Bruce Wayne/Batman has been living, with the Oscar nominee reprising his role from 1989's Batman and 1992's Batman Returns, still fighting crime in Gotham after all these years. The Flash will also bring back Ben Affleck as the primary DCEU timeline's Bruce Wayne/Batman as he tries to guide Barry along this dangerous path. The film also marks the DCEU debut of Sasha Calle playing Kara Danvers, a.k.a. Supergirl, who's seen in the final moments of the trailer. While a truncated version of the trailer debuted during the Super Bowl in February, DC unveiled the full three-minute trailer online shortly thereafter. The trailer begins with Keaton's Batman asking Barry why he wants to stay in this universe, when he can go to any other. 'Because this is the one where my mom lives. I'm not gonna lose her again,' Barry says, as Barry tries to go back in time to stop his mother's murder. Iconic: During one scene, Muschietti said Keaton asked him: 'Can you take a picture? Its for my grandson' 'It was one of those moments where he really showed something was inside that was very emotional,' the Palm Springs International Film Festival winner told Variety; Keaton seen in 1992 Barry is seen meeting the Barry from his mother's universe/timeline, as Ben Affleck's Batman tries to warn Barry that he has, 'no idea what the consequences could be.' While Barry insists he could 'fix things,' Bruce adds, 'But you could also destroy everything.' It turns out, the consequences are that Barry inadvertently created a world without superheroes a.k.a. metahumans, with General Zod (Michael Shannon, reprising his role from 2013's Man of Steel) returning. 'I created a world with no metahumans and now there's no one to defend us,' Barry says, while Keaton's Batman says, 'Want some help?' Returning as Batman: Upon arriving to set, Muschietti said Keaton 'stayed like this [eyes wide] for a while' as he checked out the set We see bats swirling around Keaton's iconic original Batmobile in his Batcave as we get our first look at Keaton as Batman. One of the final shots shows The Flash and Batman surrounded by soldiers, as Barry asks, 'What's the play, Batman?' 'Try not to die,' he says, before Supergirl swoops in and takes care of the soldiers, as Barry notices, 'It's not Clark.' 'My name is Kara,' Supergirl says with the final shot showing Supergirl in flight in her full costume. The superhero film also stars Ron Livingston and Maribel Verdu as Barry's parents, Henry and Nora Allen, Kierse Clemons as Iris West, Antje Traue as Faora and Temuera Morrison as Tom Curry. In theaters: The film will hit theaters on June 16 Andy Muschietti (IT) directs from a screenplay by Christina Hodson (Bumblebee) based on a story by Joby Harold (Army of the Dead). The film will hit theaters June 16, going up against the Lionsgate horror spoof The Blackening. The movie is making headlines for far different reasons as well, with the recent legal troubles of star Ezra Miller. He was arrested twice in Hawaii in the span of a month, and he was also accused of choking a woman at a bar in Iceland and harassing another woman at her home in Berlin. She's known for dominating social media and red carpets alike with stunning ensembles. And Maura Higgins once again showed off her immaculate sense of style as she headed to takeaway chain Domino's WrestleMexicana event at London's Village Underground. The former Love Island star, 32, looked stylish as ever in a double denim ensemble, rocking a pair of dark wash blue jeans with a cargo design. Showing off her figure, the jeans featured a cut-out waist detail on each side while teaming it with a cropped white T-shirt. Layering an oversized denim jacket to match over the top, she added a pair of pointed toe white heels. Maura Higgins flashes her toned torso while rocking a stylish double denim look as she heads to a wrestling event in London Maura's chocolate brown tresses were slickly styled back into a tight bun, as she added a glowing palette of makeup to her structured complexion. The event was to celebrate the launch of Dominos new pizza The Ultimate Chicken Mexicana, in partnership with wrestling legends, Lucha Britannia. A number of other reality stars headed out for the bash, including fellow Love Island star Faye Winter. She appeared to have got the memo from Maura while also heading out in double denim, opting for lighter wash jeans with a cropped jacket. The newly single star has swapped her usually mid-length locks for some creamy blonde extensions, falling to her waist. Dancing on Ice professional skater Vanessa Bauer caught the eye in a statement leather jumpsuit. With her hair sleekly pulled into a high ponytail, she took to the ring to pose alongside some of the event's wrestlers. As Married At First Sight UK's Aprl Banbury also made an appearance, donning a black dress with a torso cut out detail. Style: Showing off her figure, the jeans featured a cut-out waist detail on each side while teaming it with a cropped white T-shirt On trend: Faye Winter appeared to have got the memo from Maura while also heading out in double denim, opting for lighter wash jeans with a cropped jacket Tresses: The newly single star has swapped her usually mid-length locks for some creamy blonde extensions, falling to her waist Island girls: The two beauties beamed alongside one another at the event as their outfits matched One star who wasn't in attendance to the bash was Lucie Donlan, amid reports that she and Love Island co-star Maura ended their friendship after going on a luxury holiday together. Cracks began to show last autumn, when Maura allegedly blindsided Lucie by unfollowing her on Instagram. It's now been reported that the problems began in December 2021, when the two reality stars went to the Maldives for a lavish getaway. The Sun reports that since the trip the pair of pals have drifted further and further apart and are now no longer friends. Maura is currently believed to be single, while Lucie is engaged to fellow Love Islander Luke Mabbott. A source told the publication: 'Lucie and Maura just drifted apart - it was fun when they were both single and going on holidays together but Lucie's settling down in Cornwall with her fiance and Maura lives in London. 'When Maura unfollowed Lucie though, it was a bit of a shock - clearly they weren't as close as Lucie thought they were, as it was a bit of a harsh move and ended the friendship on a bit of a sour note.' TV beauties: While Vanessa Bauer (left) and April Banbury (right) got into the fighting spirits for the bash With her hair sleekly pulled into a high ponytail, Vanessa took to the ring to pose alongside some of the event's wrestlers Rhode founder Hailey Baldwin Bieber was spotted exiting the West Broadway Gallery, which sees clientele by appointment only, in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood on Thursday. The 26-year-old IMG Model covered up her slim 5ft7in figure in a baggy black leather jacket, baggier blue jeans, and square-toed black loafers. Hailey - who recently reflected on her PFO (patent foramen ovale) condition and transient stroke from 2022 - wore tiny sunglasses as she clutched a blue book and a to-go cup from Dunkin'. Next Monday, Bieber will attend the Karl Lagerfeld-themed Met Gala having previously attended the annual Costume Institute benefit headed up by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour every year since 2015 (2020 was canceled). It's unclear if the Arizona-born beauty's husband of four years - two-time Grammy nominee Justin Bieber - will be joining her on the red carpet as he was last seen in Santa Monica on Sunday. Checking out art! Rhode founder Hailey Baldwin Bieber was spotted exiting the West Broadway Gallery, which sees clientele by appointment only, in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood on Thursday Hailey and the 29-year-old Canadian crooner originally met at the TODAY Show in 2009, began dating in 2015, and rekindled their on/off romance in 2018 three months after his split with Selena Gomez. On Thursday, Bieber's 10-month-old skincare company Rhode announced they were placing a claw vending machine full of their products inside Community Goods in Los Angeles for one day only, this Saturday from 8am-5pm. Several TikTokers have gone viral with their videos claiming Rhode's peptide lip treatment caused 'stinging and burning' allergic reactions, dry cracked lips, and dark spots on lips. One TikToker called @GourdLord said using the peptide lip treatment flared up her tree nut allergy causing her face to redden and develop hives, and she demanded a 'refund and better labeling' on the box. On the FAQ section of Rhode's website, the company noted: 'We do not currently use any added ingredients that appear on the FDA's tree nut allergy list. We do use other nut and seed oils, like babassu (Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil) and cupuacu (Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter) and work to fully convey this ingredient information through our packaging and website in accordance with applicable federal, state and local regulations. 'Additionally, our products are not manufactured in a nut-free facility so there is always the very small possibility of cross-contamination with tree nuts.' Stepping out: The 26-year-old IMG Model covered up her slim 5ft7in figure in a baggy black leather jacket, baggier blue jeans, and square-toed black loafers Out and about! Hailey wore tiny sunglasses as she clutched a blue book and a to-go cup from Dunkin' What will she wear? Next Monday, Bieber will attend the Karl Lagerfeld-themed Met Gala having previously attended the annual Costume Institute benefit headed up by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour every year since 2015 (2020 was canceled) Opposite styles: It's unclear if the Arizona-born beauty's husband of four years - two-time Grammy nominee Justin Bieber - will be joining her on the red carpet as he was last seen in Santa Monica on Sunday 'Limited quantities, first come, first serve': On Thursday, Hailey's 10-month-old skincare company Rhode announced they were placing a claw vending machine full of their products inside Community Goods in Los Angeles for one day only, this Saturday from 8am-5pm On top of all that, Rhode is still embroiled in a trademark infringement legal battle with Phoebe Vickers and Purna Khatau whose clothing company RHODE was founded in 2014. On April 15, Vickers and Khatau substantially raised their brand's profile by announcing a spring designer collection with Target. Before her career in front of the cameras and romance with Justin, the Who's in my Bathroom vlogger was best known as the nepotistically-privileged daughter of Stephen Baldwin and niece of Alec Baldwin. Hailey is rarely pictured with the 56-year-old Usual Suspects alum, who became born-again Christian following the September 11 attacks and is a vocal supporter of his former Celebrity Apprentice boss Donald Trump. Fans have been given another sneak peek of Martin Scorsese's upcoming Western film, Killers Of The Flower Moon. CinemaCon 2023 attendees were shown the first footage of the upcoming film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jesse Plemons at the Paramount Pictures panel, according to IndieWire. In addition, new photos - which included an image of Leonardo speaking with Robert De Niro - were released. The film explores the harrowing true story of the 'reign of terror' that left two dozen Native Americans dead. The new trailer showed FBI agent Ernest Burkhart (played by DiCaprio) searching for 'Black Gold', tying the knot with Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), and standing up to Plemons' character. 'I was sent down from Washington D.C. to see about these murders,' Plemons is showing telling DiCaprio in the trailer. 'See what about it,' Leonardo replies. 'See who's doing it.' Check it out! Fans have been given another sneak peek of Martin Scorsese's upcoming Western film, Killers Of The Flower Moon; pictured Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio in one of the newly released images Scorsese appeared on stage, telling attendees he created the movie to be viewed in theatres. 'This is a picture that I designed, we all designed, to be seen on a big screen. This is a big screen movie, and that is what we made, as youll see,' he said. The blockbuster, which is due to be released in May, is based on the 2017 non-fiction book of the same name written by David Grann. It is set to debut in limited theatres on October 6, with a wide release scheduled for October 20. Set in the 1920s, it centers on the FBI's investigation into a string of murders after several members of the Osage tribe in Oklahoma were slaughtered. Killers of the Flower Moon focuses on a little-publicized chapter of American history involving the Osage Nation. In the 1920s, the Osage tribe became wealthy almost overnight after oil was discovered beneath their land, earning them more than $30 million in annual revenue at the peak of the boom, according to the Oklahoma Historical Society. Subsurface minerals within the Osage Nation Reservation were tribally owned and held in trust by the government. Mineral leases earned royalties that were paid to the tribe as a whole - with each allottee receiving one equal share also known as a headright. Sneak peek! The film explores the harrowing true story of the 'reign of terror' that left two dozen Native Americans dead; pictured one of the newly released images Lights, camera, action: Another image showed Scorsese in the midst of directing Taking the stage: Director Martin Scorsese pictured promoting the film at CinemaCon 2023 New movie Killers of the Flower Moon explores the harrowing true story of the 'reign of terror' that left two dozen Native Americans dead. Pictured: Lily Gladstone as Mollie Kyle and Leonardo DiCaprio as Ernest Burkhart William K. Hale, a native of Greenville, Texas, encouraged his subservient nephew Ernest Burkhart (right) to wed Osage member Mollie Kyle (left) But these headrights could only legally be attained by outsiders if they married into the tribe. It was during this time that rancher William K. Hale, a native of Greenville, Texas, encouraged his subservient nephew Ernest Burkhart to wed Osage member Mollie Kyle (later Mollie Burkhart). Burkhart, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, and wife Mollie, played by Lily Gladstone, lived in Fairfax with Mollie's mother Lizzie Q. Lizzie was a mother-of-four and in May 1921, the decomposed body of one of other daughters, Anna Brown, was discovered in a remote ravine in northern Oklahoma. In May 1921, Osage native Anna Brown was found with a bullet hole to the back of the head - but her case went unsolved Her decomposed body was found in a remote ravine (pictured) in the Osage Hills in northern Oklahoma She was found with a bullet hole to the back of the head but, because Brown had no known enemies, the case went unsolved. Just two months later Lizzie herself died under suspicious circumstances from suspected poisoning, although no proof was ever found. Then another member of the family, Lizzie's nephew Henry Roan, met a similar fate in January 1923 with Hale, played by Robert De Niro, fraudulently naming himself as the beneficiary of his $25,000 life insurance policy. But deaths within the family did not end there. In March 1923, another of Lizzie's daughters Rita Smith, along with Rita's husband William Smith, and their housekeeper Nettie Brookshire were all killed when their home was destroyed by an explosion. And, following their deaths, Burkhart and Mollie inherited a fortune from her mother's and sisters' estates. But the murders extended beyond the one family with estimates approximating that 24 Osage Indians died in violent or suspicious deaths throughout the early 1920s with newspapers at the time branding it as a 'reign of terror.' William Hale, played by Robert De Niro, was accused of bribing and intimidating others to do much of his dirty work on his way to achieving money and power Members of Lizzie Q's (left) family were called in quick succession including her nephew Henry Roan (right) By this time, authorities had begun to grow suspicious and an alarmed Osage Tribal Council sought the help of the US Government. Hale's name came up early in the investigation as the mastermind behind the killings. The so-called 'King of the Osage Hills' was accused of bribing and intimidating others to do much of his dirty work as he sought to achieve money and power. The killings subsided after Hale, along with accomplices including his nephew, were arrested in 1926. Hale was formally convicted for his involvement three years later. He was paroled in 1947 after serving two decades of his sentence. At the time, investigators also discovered that the killers had already started poisoning Mollie in what would have been the last piece of the crook's masterplan. Fortunately, she recovered and divorced her murderous husband following the trial. In the 1920s, the Osage tribe (pictured with President Coolidge) became wealthy almost overnight after oil was discovered beneath their land Subsurface minerals within the Osage Nation Reservation were tribally owned and held in trust by the government Actors involved in the production have acknowledged the gravitas of the film's true story. Lily Gladstone previously shared a picture of Mollie Burkhart to Instagram alongside a caption that read: 'I consider it a true gift and great responsibility to be trusted with Mollie Burkhart, and will hold her preciously with both arms, close to my heart. 'My most profound thanks to Osage Nation, it is a remarkable gift to be welcomed by you, and to be able to tell this story.' Janae Collins too, who plays Rita Smith, wrote: 'I'm so grateful to the Osage Nation for allowing us to tell their story. This is one of the most painful and heartbreaking time periods in the history of the Wazhazhe people as well as U.S. Native history and 'I take that very, very serious as an actor and as a Lakota/Dakota and Apsaalooke woman. I'm very thankful to Marty Scorsese for the truthfulness, diligence, and care he has taken in this project. He and Leonardo have truly went to bat for us (as Natives) over the years getting it to the point where we are ready to film. 'I'm so thankful/grateful for the love and support we've gotten.' Paris Hilton is going to the Met Gala this year. The heiress received the invitation to the exclusive fashion event from Vogue and the designer of her look she will be wearing, TMZ revealed. The mom of one has never gone to the Met Gala, marking this as her first time. It is unknown which designer she is working with. Paris, 42, will be in Washington DC the day before for a conference about the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act. Fashion's biggest night out: Paris Hilton is going to the Met Gala this year. Star: The heiress received the invitation to the exclusive fashion event from Vogue and the designer of her look she will be wearing, TMZ revealed The 2023 fashion extravaganza dress code will be Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, paying tribute to the controversial fashion designer, Vogue announced in January. The Met Gala, which will take place on May 1 at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City, will have Penelope Cruz, Michaela Coel, Roger Federer and Dua Lipa as the co-chairs, along with Anna Wintour. The outlet added that the 2023 theme will be 'in honor of Karl.' Karl died February 19, 2019 at the age of 85 following complications of pancreatic cancer. The fashion designer served as the creative designer for Chanel, Fendi as well as his own label. He also worked with Chloe, Patou and Balmain during his career in fashion. On its website, Vogue offered some styling advice to those lucky few who will be invited to attend the Met Gala this year, sharing a list of 'approaches' that they can take when it comes to paying homage to Karl. 'The first, most authentic approach would be to wear an archival look from one of the labels Lagerfeld led,' it suggested. 'The second would be to sport modern-day Chanel or Fendi, two houses on which Lagerfeld left an indelible impression.' The final recommendation was for guests to find their own version of Karl's beloved cat, Choupette, and 'dress a la Lagerfeld.' Focus: Paris, 42, will be in Washington DC the day before for a conference about the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act, the outlet reported; seen on April 27, 2023 at a press conference for Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act in Washington DC Paris recently returned back to the states after enjoying a trip to the French Rivera for Sofia Richie and Elliot Grainge's wedding. Cute: She was joined by her husband Carter Reum As a final piece of advice, the famed fashion magazine suggested that anyone who is angling for a spot on its best-dressed list would be well advised to model a 'look with originality.' Paris recently returned back to the states after enjoying a trip to the French Rivera for Sofia Richie and Elliot Grainge's wedding. The stunning affair took place over the weekend. Paris dazzled in a plunging silver Jenny Packham dress with a delicate pearl necklace. She was joined by her husband Carter Reum. Here are some wine-related events going on in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Keep coming back to this story, as we will add more events to the list. SWINGING AT THE MODERN SIXTIES WINE LOUNGE If you like your wine with a little groovy thrown in, then check out this For Lauderdale hot spot where sip happens. Usually the wine tastings are the third Thursday of the month and are $12 per person. If you have to drag along that one person for whom vino is verboten, then keep in mind there are also 10 craft beers and a pretty filling selections of cold and hot tapas. The Mod Lounge is at 1828 E. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. For more information, call 954-616-5216 or go to ModWineLounge.com. City Cellar Wine Bar and Grill was awarded the 2018 Best of Award of Excellence by Wine Spectator Magazine. CITY CELLAR WINE BAR AND GRILL WINS WINE SPECTATOR MAGAZINE AWARD This downtown West Palm Beach institution just landed a prestigious 2018 Best of Award of Excellence by Wine Spectator Magazine. Given to only 1,215 restaurants, the award honors wine programs and lists that display a breadth across many regions and blah, blah blah. The point is that City Cellar now has some serious bragging rights, specifically general manager Michael Iggy Igntowicz, who during his 18 years at the helm curated 470 selections from 100 sources. There are more than 3,000 bottles housed in their wine cellar. Two years ago he brought in Gradon Thibeault, a level II sommelier, which is tantamount to having a double black belt in wine. City Cellar is at 700 S. Rosemary Ave. (CityPlace). For reservations, call 561-366-0071 or go to CityCellarWPB.com. THE BEST CELLAR WEEKLY WINETASTINGS This Wilton Manors hot spot for wine lovers has mega-popular tastings at 8 p.m. every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Why so well attended? Because owner Richard Stetler is a vino virtuoso, organizing his wine events in a sit-down educational format with a list of 10 to 12 wines to sample and discuss as they are poured. Everyone takes their time, sipping and swirling well into the night. Since opening in 1998, wine wizard Stetler thinks he must have hosted 5,100 tastings. South Florida aficionados are still talking about his 20th anniversary Cabernet Tasting festival this past April, where each night ended with Stetler opening a $480 magnum of a 1997 Freemark Abbey Sycamore Cabernet Reserve. Admission is $20 ($25 for special event winetastings). Attendees should reserve a spot by calling 954-630-8020 or emailing thebestcellar@thebestcellar.org (also use the email address to get notices of future events). The Best Cellar is located at 1408 NE 26th St., in Wilton Manors. For more information, go to Facebook.com/wine1953 or BeaconMGMT.com/rsfwt. FONTAINEBLEAU MIAMI BEACH AND THE ROSE OASIS CABANA PACKAGE The storied hotel and the wine label the Palm by Whispering Angel have teamed up to offer guests a rose-all-day poolside experience. For $1,000 up to 12 guests can enjoy a private cabana with snacks, refreshments, butler service and three bottles of Chateau dEsclans. The experience can start at 9 a.m. and continue until sundown. The Fontainebleau is located at 4441 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. To reserve a cabana, call 305-538-2000 or go to Fontainebleau.com. BUBBLES AND BRUNCH LENORE NOLAN-RYAN COOKING SCHOOL During most of the week, this Galt Ocean Mile catering company and cooking school is all about classes, foodie events and pop-up dinners. But on Sunday, chef Nolan-Ryan shoos everyone from the kitchen and cooks brunch herself. Eight champagne mimosas of varying flavors are available (peach, mango, lingonberry, elderflower, pomegranate, grapefruit, blueberry and citrus). Brunch is served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lenore Nolan-Ryan World Class Catering and Cooking School is located in the Galt Ocean Plaza, 3311 N. Ocean Blvd., in Fort Lauderdale. For reservations, call 954-491-2340 or go to LenoreNolanRyan.com. A plum-wine dispenser is in every room of the Confidante Miami Beach hotel. VINO ON DEMAND AT THE CONFIDANTE MIAMI BEACH OK, so technically this isnt a wine event as much as it is a really cool thing were just dying to tell you about. The Confidante Miami Beach hotel in the Art Deco district has Vino on Demad plum wine machines in every room. Created by Miami tech guru David Koretz, guests can get a glass of plum wine by just pushing a button. Theres no need to wait for room service or open up a bottle when only you want a glass (or two or whatever). In addition to displaying the tasting notes and thoughts of the winemaker, the plum wine machines keep the wine chilled to the perfect serving temperature. And get this: The machine uses a needle inserted through the cork to remove the wine from the bottle, thus helping to prevent the wine from oxidizing. The Confidante hotel is located at 4041 Collins Ave., in Miami Beach. For reservations, call 305-424-1234 or go to TheConfidanteMiamiBeach.Hyatt.com. FREE WINE TOURS AT WEST PALM BEACH BREWERY AND WINE VAULT This West Palm Beach craft brewery and taproom in downtown West Palm Beach (just four blocks south of Clematis Street and Quadrille Boulevard) has a free wine tour every Sunday at 2 p.m. Nope, your eyes dont deceive you. We said free. Free samples are even thrown in for good measure. After the tour, all wines are 20 percent off. West Palm Beach Brewery and Wine Vault is located at 332 Evernia St. For more information, call 561-619-8813 or go to WestPalmBeer.com. For details on the wine tour, go to Facebook.com/wpbrewery and click on events on the left-hand side. BEACH HOUSE POMPANO WINE-PAIRING DINNERS Pompano Beachs hot new eatery offers what it calls an Experience Package where guests can host a wine-pairing dinner for a minimum of 20 people (you can also go the whiskey way). Guests can customize the style of food and the menu. The dinner costs $150 per person. The restaurant hours are from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays (open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays) and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays. The Beach House is located at 270 N Pompano Beach Blvd., in Pompano Beach. For reservations, call 954 607-6530 or go to BeachHousePompano.com (click on the private dining tab at the top of the home page). Coopers Hawk Winery and Restaurant has locations in Pembroke Pines, Coconut Creek and Doral. COOPERS HAWK WINERY AND RESTAURANT This wine-driven chain of restaurants and tasting rooms has three locations in South Florida Pembroke Pines (10310 Pines Blvd. 954-582-9463), Coconut Creek (4473 Lyons Road, 954-861-4699) and Doral (3585 NW 83rd Ave., 786-814-4777). The menu items are listed with bin numbers so that guests can select the perfect pairing. You can also stop by one of the Napa-style tasting rooms for the latest wine selections or select a basic tasting that includes eight wines for $7. Coopers Hawk also has a Wine Club where, depending on the type of membership purchased, members are invited to events and trips, offered monthly wines delivered to their home and are eligible for discounts. There are a variety of memberships with prices ranging from $17.99 to $583.99. A one-bottle-a-month membership costs $19.99, while a two-bottle membership costs $37.99. Guests can select from a red or white wine each month. The hours are slightly different at each location. For more information, go to CHWinery.com. The Modern Sixties Wine Lounge has wine tastings with light bites the third Thursday of the month. @font-face { font-family: Georgia,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight:normal; font-style:normal; } .galleries:after { content: ; display: block; background-color: #008EC2; margin: 16px auto 0; height: 5px; width: 100px; } .galleries:before { content: Entertainment Videos; display: block; font: 700 23px/25px Georgia,Arial,sans-serif; text-align: center; color: #1e1e1e; } #subscribe-box { background: #2E4254; padding: 25px; margin-bottom: 20px; position: relative; height: 300px; } #subscribe-box .inner { position: absolute; width: 80%; left: 50%; top: 50%; transform: translate(-50%, -50%); } #subscribe-box a { text-decoration: none; } #subscribe-box p { color: #fff; font: 300 16px/20px Arial,sans-serif; } #subscribe-box p.prompt { font: 300 18px/22px Arial,sans-serif; } #subscribe-box p.title { font-size: 30px; font: 700 23px/25px Georgia,Arial,sans-serif; } #subscribe-box .link { width: 150px; background: #FF5443; border-radius: 6px; } #subscribe-box .link p { padding: 15px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; color: #fff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center; } @media (max-width: 600px){ .desktop-text { display: none; } } .ss-blurb-fblike{ padding-left:10px; } .ss-blurb-fblike-heading { font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: bold; } Vince Vaughn is slated to appear in the sequel to his hit 2004 comedy Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, which 20th Century Fox is making. Jordan VanDina is set to pen the script for the sequel, Deadline reported Thursday, which comes after Rawson Marshall Thurber wrote and directed the first installment in the series. It was not immediately clear if Thurber, who most recently directed the 2021 film Red Notice, would be in the director's chair for the sequel. Vaughn, 53, is set to reprise his role as Peter La Fleur in the sequel to the hit film, which also starred Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, Justin Long, Stephen Root and the late Rip Torn. Other notable names who appeared in the original film include Jason Bateman, Gary Cole, Missi Pyle, Alan Tudyk, Joel David Moore, Chris Williams, Hank Azaria, Chuck Norris and William Shatner. The latest: Vince Vaughn, 53, is slated to appear in the sequel to his hit 2004 comedy Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, which 20th Century Fox is making The initial film, which made $168 million worldwide off a budget of $20 million, centered around a band of misfits who sought to save their Average Joe's Gym from being overtaken by a corporate gym chain. The rival chain, Globo Gym, was headed by Stiller's character White Goodman in the motion picture. The film culminated with the groups entering a $50,000 dodgeball competition ion Las Vegas. The second installment in the franchise, according to the outlet, 'will continue the story of Vaughn's prize-winning gym owner' based off an idea from the actor. Vaught and Ben Stiller starred in the 2004 comedy about a dodgeball competition Missi Pyle, Stiller and Jamal Duff were seen at work in an excerpt from the 2004 movie Vaughn, pictured in LA in January, has a full slate of projects ahead, as he recently was added to the cast of the forthcoming film Animal Friends Thurber spoke with the outlet about revisiting the franchise in 2021 via TV or film projects. 'You know what - never say never,' Thurber said. 'I never thought about Dodgeball as a series, but that actually might be fun. I'm really proud of Dodgeball - it's my first film and something people still really like it seems. 'I would say never say never, and it would have to be the right take on it. But yeah, maybe.' Vaughn has a full slate of projects ahead, as he recently was added to the cast of the forthcoming film Animal Friends, which also features Ryan Reynolds, Jason Momoa and Aubrey Plaza. He is also scheduled to provide vocals in the John Krasinski's IF. Vick Hope has detailed her battle with body confidence issues, revealing that she underwent therapy sessions to 'learn to love' her figure. The radio presenter, 33, has recalled this week being 'cruel' to herself while trying to fit into a 'mould' in the celebrity world during her younger years. But after 'lots of growth', the star, who is engaged to DJ Calvin Harris, is now happy in her own skin and embraces her body. Admitting that she would 'be naked all the time' if possible, Vick has shared that she even now sleeps in her birthday suit. One thing I have become in recent years is very body confident, because I used to not be, says the BBC Radio 1 personality. 'I would happily be naked all the time': Vick Hope, 33, has shared how she has learned to love her figure this week as she recalled being 'cruel to herself' during years of body image struggles And its being through lots of therapy, lots of growth, learning to love my body. Honestly, I would happily be naked if I could all the time,' she continued. 'I tried wearing pyjamas for a bit and I found in the mornings that I was naked and that my pyjamas were folded at the end of my bed. So, in my sleep, Ive even known this is wrong, and Ive gotten out of them, and folded them, and put them away, thinking, No, no, no, this is not for me. Looking back to her time as a young student at Cambridge university, Vick explained that this was a time of struggle confidence-wise. Remembering the time of second guessing, she said: I struggled a lot with my image basically being very cruel to myself and my body to try and fit a mould. 'When I started to love the way I looked was when I stopped caring as much how I looked when I realised how important my friends are, my friendships, my relationships. On the topic of realaltionships, it appears that Vick is headed for a milestone within her own this year. Recent reports claim that she is set to wed beau Calvin Harris in an intimate ceremony this year. The Scottish DJ proposed to his BBC Radio 1 presenter other half last May, just five months into their whirlwind romance. Embracing: After 'lots of growth', the star, who is engaged to DJ Calvin Harris, is now happy in her own skin and embraces her body She shared: And its being through lots of therapy, lots of growth, learning to love my body. Honestly, I would happily be naked if I could all the time' And after months of preparation, plans are coming together for the couple's big day this year, according to reports. Sharing that it's set to be a low-key celebration, a source told The Sun: 'Calvin and Vick have kept their relationship out of the public eye for the most part, so arent having a massive wedding to parade their love in front of the world. 'Instead they want it to be a much more intimate and simple day,' added the insider. The source continued that they are hoping to make the day special and so it will be for the couple's nearest and dearest only. Calvin proposed to Vick with a huge diamond ring underneath a tree at his 138 acre Ibiza farm, Terra Masia after a five month romance. With the Coronation barely a week away, there is understandable disbelief that invitations have been sent to IRA apologist and Sinn Fein leader Michelle O'Neill, and Han Zheng, vice-president of China's murderous communist regime. But, rest assured, the King is fully prepared not least because of a previous event, also intended as a joyous public celebration, which saw him engulfed by ill-feeling and profoundest suspicion, none of it of his own making. The extraordinary episode is recounted in a new book, Charles: The King and Wales, in which the author, Huw Thomas, discloses plans which would have seen Charles, as Prince of Wales, being filmed at the wheel of his Aston Martin, in footage which would have gone around the world. That diverting image was envisaged as the highlight as the Severn bridge officially, the Second Severn Crossing, which Charles had opened back in 1996 was re-named the Prince of Wales Bridge in 2018, commemorating 60 years since the Queen made him the Prince of Wales. The then Prince of Wales had plans to drive his beloved Aston Martin over the bridge dashed (pictured in 2020 at the new Aston Martin Lagonda factory in St Athan, Barry, South Wales) The proposal to re-name the bridge (pictured) first suggested by the then Secretary of State for Wales, Alun Cairns needed the agreement of the Labour Welsh government Officials at Clarence House were 'really up for it', records Thomas, Business Correspondent for BBC Wales, who explains that Charles would have been filmed crossing from England to Wales. This was seen as 'a golden opportunity' by the government, not only to secure 'global attention for Wales', but also to highlight Aston Martin's new factory at St Athan, eighteen miles from Cardiff. But, Thomas explains, the proposal to re-name the bridge first suggested by the then Secretary of State for Wales, Alun Cairns needed the agreement of the Labour Welsh government, headed by Cairns's longstanding political opponent, Carwyn Jones. The re-naming ceremony was held three months later. There was no Aston Martin. Nor was Charles even at the bridge, but 25 miles west of it, in a sweltering marquee at a hotel off the M4 (pictured in 2018) Eight months and three letters from Cairns to Jones, and two rugby matches when they'd sat together at the Principality Stadium later, Jones said he welcomed the idea, added that the Welsh Government would support the proposal and said he stood by to 'be involved in the formal renaming ceremony'. The name change was duly announced inspiring a torrent of online outrage from Welsh nationalists, who took offence at the blue-tongued dragon which was to embellish the new signs on the bridge, as well as the new name. The re-naming ceremony was held three months later. There was no Aston Martin. Nor was Charles even at the bridge, but 25 miles west of it, in a sweltering marquee at a hotel off the M4. 'I am acutely aware that to bear this name is the greatest possible honour,' he said, adding he was 'mindful of how the title of Prince of Wales goes back to those great Welsh rulers, such as Llywelyn ap Gruffudd' and that he was hopeful the Crossing's new name would 'bring to mind all those who, over these long centuries, have borne that ancient title 'Tywysogion Cymru' [Princes of Wales].' The Coronation? Should be a doddle by comparison. Top model Lily Cole reveals she had 'incredible' experience with psychic Lily Cole is used to strutting down the catwalk but for her latest acting role the model had to consult a psychic to get the job done. She stars in Oscar-nominated Lasse Hallstrom's forthcoming film Hilma, based on the life of Swedish artist Hilma af Klint, who took part in seances to influence her work. 'The first time I met with Lasse in Stockholm, I said, 'What about us doing a seance - is that possible?' Cambridge-educated Lily tells me at a screening at the Curzon Soho cinema in London. 'He was, like, 'Well, actually, I know an amazing one and I'm working with him already.' Lily Cole stars in Oscar-nominated Lasse Hallstrom's forthcoming film Hilma, based on the life of Swedish artist Hilma af Klint (pictured on April 26) 'We organised a seance with this psychic in Stockholm and for me that was really powerful, both for the information it gave for the character but also for the journey it gave me for really allowing myself to believe.' Lily who has a seven-year-old daughter, Wylde, with her husband, entrepreneur Kwame Ferreira adds: 'I did a few sessions with him about the film. I then did a follow-up session about my life personally. 'I found it incredible the amount of information he gave me about people I know who had passed and things going on with my life. It was very profound.' Veteran DJ 'Diddy' David Hamilton had a pop at the BBC at the second birthday party for Boom Radio, at London's Ivy Club. Radio 2 has seen an exodus of older presenters and an influx of TV stars such as Vernon Kay and Rylan. DJ David Hamilton said, 'We've torn up all the rules of being broadcasting giants,' talking about his new show on Boom 'We've torn up all the rules of being broadcasting giants,' says Hamilton, who has a show on Boom. 'Playing the same records over and over because a panel says they're safe. We say: B******s! Hiring television personalities and hoping they work on radio. Double b******s!' Don't tell Prince Harry, whos sung the praises of hallucinogenic drugs, but the Duchess of Northumberland has welcomed 14 magic mushrooms to her Alnwick estate. But these 2.5ft mushrooms were made by a model-making company for an attraction there called Lilidorei. Tim Wallers, who plays Prince Andrew in Channel 4s over-the-top comedy about the Royal Family, The Windsors, wont appear in the one-off edition due to be broadcast this weekend to mark King Charless crowning. Tim Wallers (third from left, back row) plays Prince Andrew in Channel 4s over-the-top comedy about the Royal Family, The Windsors Sadly, Im not in The Windsors Coronation Special, he tells me. Prince Andrew considered inappropriate. Poor old Duke of York too toxic even for a satire. She is joyfully ensconced with her toy boy lover the amusingly named personal trainer Tom Child, 32 but actress Tamzin Outhwaite, 52, accepts the relationship is likely not to last for ever . . . and it will probably be her decision. I was only looking for a fling when I met Tom five years ago, she admits. At that point, I was happy being single and so was he. We have a wonderful life now, but he also knows I dont believe youre meant to be with one person for the rest of your life. My mum was a hippy and an adventurer and I take after her. Relationships work better if you take the pressure off and live in the now. Henry Cavill's girlfriend Natalie Viscuso has shared her heartbreak after her beloved dog died on Wednesday. The Man Of Steel actor, 39, and the business executive, 32, brought her elderly French bulldog with them while travelling via private plane for work commitments. Her pooch, named Meat, has been travelling frequently to and from the US and Europe since the couple announced they were dating via Instagram back in May 2021. Dogs of that breed have trouble breathing as a Brachycephalic breed and flying can cause complications for the dogs. Shortly before Meat passed away in the UK, Henry and his girlfriend were pictured at a vet clinic in Turkey while her dog was very ill. Devastating: Henry Cavill's girlfriend Natalie Viscuso has shared her heartbreak after her beloved dog died on Wednesday Beloved pet: The Man Of Steel actor, 39, and the business executive, 32, brought her elderly French bulldog with them while travelling via private plane for work commitments Henry previously said his own pet dog Kal is his best friend who has 'saved his emotional and psychological bacon many times.' Appearing on Lorraine on Monday, the Superman star, 38, brought the American Akita breed along with him and spoke about their 'inseparable bond.' He said: 'He really is my best friend, we go everywhere together.' He continued, 'He's eight now and he has saved my emotional and psychological bacon plenty of times. We have an incredibly close bond'. 'He [Kal] kind of gets it. He senses it when Ive got my own stuff on, hell be close - hes almost always close, but hell be closer.' Kal was recently pictured the star at the Netflix season 2 premiere of the hit TV series The Witcher. The actor ensured his furry friend wouldn't miss out on the event and was seen bundling Kai into the back of the car on his way to the premiere. Henry and Natalie announced they were dating via Instagram back in May 2021 and have revealed snips of their relationship on social media since. 2022 was full of the upheaval for the actor who wasn't only fired from his role as Superman but he also allegedly split from his long-term manager . The star parted ways with Dany Garcia - former wife of Dwayne Johnson - months before he got the axe from DC , according to The Sun. Appointment: Shortly before Meat passed away in the UK, Henry and his girlfriend were pictured at a vet clinic in Turkey while her dog was very ill A source told the publication: 'Henry and Dany have worked together for years but recently things havent been going as smoothly. Things have become muddled and it was decided for the best of everyone they should go their separate ways. They added: 'Its a chance for him to reset and look forward to his new role in the movie Warhammer 40,000. The decision was made earlier this year.' A second insider said: 'Garcia and Cavill made an amicable and mutually-agreed upon shift to working together in an advisory capacity for the last 12 months. The two continue to have a close friendship and avid respect for each others careers.' Henry was abuptly fired from his role as Superman earlier this year, just days after the axe fell on Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman 3 amid a massive shake-up at Warner Bros.' DC Films. He took to Instagram on Wednesday to reveal the news to his 22.9 million followers that he will not be back as the Man of Steel on the big screen. He said: 'I have just had a meeting with James Gunn and Peter Safran and it's sad news, everyone. I will, after all, not be returning as Superman. 'After being told by the studio to announce my return back in October, prior to their hire, this news isn't the easiest, but that's life. 'The changing of the guard is something that happens. I respect that. James and Peter have a universe to build. Superman no more: 2022 was full of the upheaval for the actor who was only fired from his role as superman but he also allegedly split from his long-term manager Announcement: He took to Instagram to reveal the news to his 22.9 million followers that he will not be back as the Man of Steel on the big screen 'I wish them and all involved with the new universe the best of luck, and happiest of fortunes.' The actor went on to address, 'those who have been by my side through the years,' adding, 'we can mourn for a bit,' before addressing the future of the franchise. He added: 'But then we must remember.... Superman is still around. Everything he stands for still exists, and the examples he sets for us are still there!' ''Everything he stands for still exists, and the examples he sets for us are still there! My turn to wear the cape has passed, but what Superman stands for never will. It's been a fun ride with you all, onwards and upwards!' Janice Dickinson reignited a decade-long feud with supermodel rival Naomi Campbell during a rant in I'm A Celeb... South Africa camp on Thursday. The American supermodel, 68, branded Naomi, 52, a 'total b**ch' in a discussion with Myleene Klass about the industry. Myleene curiously asked: 'What do you think modelling does to young girls? Because everyone is really scrutinising it now. You know, like, it's not PC, they shouldn't be doing it.' Janice, who has walked catwalks for top brands alongside Naomi, replied: 'It depends, like Naomi Campbell for example is a total b**tch.' She went on to claim: 'She's not nice to her assistants, she's always late. The industry turned her into a monster.' 'She's a total b**ch': Janice Dickinson reignited a decade-long feud with supermodel rival Naomi Campbell during a rant in I'm A Celeb... South Africa camp on Thursday 'The industry has ruined her': The American supermodel, 68, branded Naomi, 52, a 'total b**ch' in a discussion with Myleene Klass about the industry The comment is the latest in a long-running war of words between the two veterans of the catwalk. Naomi and Janice have previously been involved in other tense industry feud's with supermodel's such as Tyra Banks. Janice was famous for flirting with Declan Donnelly last time she was on I'm A Celeb ... Get Me Out Of Here! And her time in South Africa appears to be no different as she continued to flirt with Dec during her first Bushtucker Trial on Tuesday. During the eating trial, Janice was served a cow tongue and said: 'It smells disgusting!' Dec replied: 'If you smell my tongue it will probs smell disgusting' Janice quipped: 'I bet it won't' During Monday's launch episode thrilled to see the presenting duo and runs over to greet them. Hugging them she jokes: 'My boyfriends. I missed you so much. You look younger.' Dec replied: 'So do you! You have got no idea how excited we are to see you all again.' When Janice originally competed in 2007 she was underwhelmed by the male celebs, apart from hosts Ant and Dec. Janice told Myleene: 'She's not nice to her assistants, she's always late. The industry turned her into a monster.' Crush: Janice was famous for flirting with Declan Donnelly last time she was on I'm A Celeb... Get Me Out Of Here! One of the best sights was seeing the Geordie duo try to hide their blushes in the face of Janice's full-frontal assaults. After leaving the show, Janice said: 'Ant hasn't called me in a year. Fickle b*****d! Oh I can't remember which was which, but I liked them both. 'Who was the one without the wife? Dec. Oh, I still have the hots for little Dec. He's got that wild look in his eyes, trust me. I really wanted to snog him, he was so hot. 'I'm telling you - give me that little one and I'll show him a good time.' It has already been revealed that Janice, who originally competed in 2007, was forced to leave the camp after a nasty fall when she fell over a cable in the camp in the dark. Speaking about her experience on the show, the supermodel said: 'there were 'ups and downs and lots of tears.' She explained: 'Everything went on our show, believe me. There were ups, there were downs. There was lots of laughter and lots of tears. It was a great soap opera.' Carol and Janice will be joined by the late Princess Diana's former butler Paul Burrell, 64, Diversity dancer Jordan Banjo, 30, Helen Flanagan, 32, Happy Mondays star Shaun Ryder, 60 and Amir Khan, 36. Myleene Klass is rumoured to also be appearing in the show, which was filmed last year, as one of the late arrivals. Flirt: When Janice originally competed in 2007 she was underwhelmed by the male celebs, apart from hosts Ant and Dec The series will start on Monday 24 April and air for three weeks on weekdays, with the final week clashing with the Eurovision semi-finals on Tuesday May 9 and Thursday 11. The All Stars line up, hosted by Ant and Dec, will see previous contestants compete to become the first legend. In other sneak peeks of the upcoming series, Helen Flanagan was seen suspended hundreds of feet in the air as she took on a terrifying bushtucker trial. In scenes set to air on the upcoming series, the actress, 32, is forced to jump between huge inflatable balls above the South African outback. I'm A Celebrity continues on ITV at 9pm on Friday. Equity benchmark indices declined in early trade on Wednesday tracking weak trends in the US market and foreign fund outflows. Also, a weak trend in index major Reliance Industries and ICICI Bank dragged down the benchmark indices lower in initial trade. The 30-share BSE Sensex declined 54.08 points to 60,076.63 points while the broader NSE Nifty fell 24 points to 17,745.25 points. Among the Sensex firms, Tata Steel, State Bank of India, Reliance Industries, Bajaj Finserv, NTPC, Kotak Mahindra Bank, ITC, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and HDFC were the biggest laggards. Power Grid, IndusInd Bank, Larsen & Toubro, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Motors and Nestle were among the gainers. In Asian markets, Seoul and Hong Kong were quoting in the green while Japan and Shanghai were trading lower. The US markets had ended sharply lower on Tuesday. "Markets could decline sharply in early Wednesday trade after the key US gauges faltered overnight as renewed banking woes came to the fore amid a 41 per cent plunge in the shares of First Republic. "Volatility will continue to be the hallmark for next two trading days given the expiry of April futures & options contracts on Thursday," Prashanth Tapse, Senior VP (Research) at Mehta Equities Ltd, said in his pre-market open note. The 30-share BSE benchmark rose 74.61 points or 0.12 per cent to settle at 60,130.71 points on Tuesday. The Nifty gained 25.85 points or 0.15 per cent to end at 17,769.25 points. Meanwhile, global oil benchmark Brent crude climbed 0.42 per cent to USD 81.11 per barrel. Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 407.35 crore on Tuesday, according to exchange data. In a petition signed by over 1500 Air India pilots, sought Ratan Tatas intervention in resolving the issue regarding the airlines managements decision to unilaterally alter their salary structure and services conditions, on Tuesday sought Ratan Tatas intervention in resolving the issue. They said their morale is low as they are not being treated with respect and dignity by the airlines Human Resource (HR) Department. Stressing that they take great pride in their work and the role they play in representing the Tata group and India on the global stage, the pilots said: However, we are currently facing a difficult situation with the current HR department. We feel that we are not being treated with the respect and dignity that we deserve as employees of Air India. We have always been committed to Air Indias success and have gone above and beyond to ensure that we provide our passengers with the best possible experience, the pilots said in the petition. On April 17, Air India rolled out a revamped compensation structure for its pilots and cabin crew, which has since been rejected by the pilot unions - Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) and Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) - on the grounds that the airline, in alleged violation of the labour practices, did not consult them before finalising the new contracts. The two unions also urged their members not to sign/accept the revised contract and salary structure. Air India, which remained under government control for close to seven decades, was taken over by Tata Group in late January 2022. The pilots also said that they understand the challenges being faced by the airline are complex and added that we are committed to working with the company to find solutions that will benefit all stakeholders. However, we feel that our concerns are not being heard or addressed by the current HR team. We are therefore respectfully requesting your assistance in addressing these issues, the pilots said in the petition. As the Chairman Emeritus of Air India, we believe that your benevolent leadership can help us to find a solution that is fair and respectful to all parties involved, they added. Apparently embarrassed by a banner that been put up by his supporters in his home city of Nagpur projecting him as the future chief minister of Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Tuesday that Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde would continue as the chief minister of the state till the 2024 Assembly elections. Seeking to play down the controversy over the banner that has surfaced in Nagpur projecting him as the future chief minister of Maharashtra, Fadnavis who is currently away in Karnataka campaigning for the BJP in the State Assembly elections there told media persons that if such a banner had indeed been put up in his home city, the banner would be removed. Fadnavis said that Shinde, the leader of his partys partner Shiv Sena in the alliance government in the state, would continue as the chief minister of Maharashtra till the October 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections. Fadnavis categorical statement came in the backdrop of surfacing of a banner in Nagpur projecting him as the future chief minister. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Conference 2023, which is being organized by Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) under the aegis of Coal India Limited (CIL), commenced at CCL HQ, Ranchi on Wednesday. The two-day CIL Conference is being organized on the theme of Re -Engineering CSR. Secretary, Ministry of Coal, Amrit Lal Meena and Chairman CIL, Pramod Agrawal virtually addressed the gathering. CMD CCL, PM Prasad along with Joint. Secretary, Ministry of Coal, Nirupama Kotru, Director (Personnel), CIL, Vinay Ranjan also attended the event. The programme was attended by Director (technical/operations) CCL, RB Prasad along with Director (Personnel), HN Mishra, Director (Finance), P K Mishra, Independent Directors and other directors of CIL subsidiaries also attended the program. The two-day conference will witness a slew of eminent speakers from across the Country will grace the event, talking and deliberating on the subject. About 300 participants from different subsidiaries of CIL and other companies are attending the conference. Addressing the gathering Meena congratulated CCL for hosting the conference. He further added that the conference will serve as a great knowledge-sharing platform for all the attendees. Pramod Agrawal said that Coal India and the subsidiary companies are committed to the holistic development of the stakeholders and undertake a plethora of CSR activities for the same. PM Prasad welcomed the participants and other dignitaries. He also briefed about the various diversified CSR activities of the company. Director (P and IR), CIL, Vinay Ranjan welcomed the eminent speakers and expressed confidence that the conference would be a great learning experience for the delegates. Later in the day, Prasad along with Vinay Ranjan, Nirupama Kotru and other dignitaries inaugurated an exhibition where the CSR works undertaken by CIL and subsidiary companies are being showcased. The programme witnessed a slew of eminent speakers dwelling on the topic. Retired IAS, Dr Bhaskar Chatterjee who is widely acknowledged as the primary force for bringing a new paradigm to the realm of CSR, discussed the evolution of CSR in the Country and the latest amendments and changes in the CSR guidelines and policy. Retired IAS and Emeritus professor IIT Bombay, Satish Agnihotri spoke on the importance of scaling up the best practices in CSR and about the importance of CSR in supporting inclusive development through inclusive development. Director (ESG), LTI Mindtree, Pratyush Panda stated that by integrating CSR into their business practices, companies can augment their brand image. He further spoke about the journey from CSR compliance to CSR excellence. Eminent innovator and founding Director, Sonam Wangchuk spoke about the importance of innovation. He stated that development activities should focus on the intrinsic and inherent features of Indian society. He further said that in addition to corporate social responsibility, every citizen should follow personal social responsibility and strive to contribute to the development of the nation. Chairperson CSR IIFM, Bhopal, Dr Parul Rishi spoke about the SDG goals and how mining companies can contribute to achieving them. Managing trustee and President of BAIF Development Research Foundation, Bharat Kakade spoke about approaches to foster carbon-positive development, community livelihoods and climate change mitigation. Two panel discussions were also held on the occasion. The first panel discussion was held on the topic Building positive image of company: Role of CSR. The panel consisted of Dr Chatterjee, Professor Agnihotri, Nirupma Kotru, Vinay Ranjan, Pratyush Panda and Keshav Rao. The discussion was on how CSR can help improve the brand image of the company amongst the stakeholders. The second panel discussion was on Collaboration for impact: How companies collaborate with other organizations, including NGOs and governments, to maximize the impact of CSR initiatives. The panel dwelled on how collaboration between different organizations of CSR can bring a positive impact on the society. Mishra stated about the CSR policy of the company and how it is helping the stakeholders in the operational areas of the company. Argos Resources Ltd (LON:ARG Get Rating) passed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of GBX 1.36 ($0.02) and traded as low as GBX 0.87 ($0.01). Argos Resources shares last traded at GBX 1.12 ($0.01), with a volume of 128,530 shares trading hands. Argos Resources Stock Performance The company has a market capitalization of 2.41 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.20 and a beta of 1.01. The companys 50 day simple moving average is GBX 1.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is GBX 1.35. Argos Resources Company Profile (Get Rating) Argos Resources Ltd engages in the exploration of oil and gas properties in the Falkland Islands. It holds a 100% interest in license PL001 covering an area of approximately 1,126 square kilometers located in the North Falkland Basin. The company was founded in 1995 and is based in Stanley, the Falkland Islands. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Argos Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Argos Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Canadian Banc Corp. (TSE:BK Get Rating) announced a monthly dividend on Thursday, April 27th, TickerTech reports. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 10th will be given a dividend of 0.1658 per share on Wednesday, May 10th. This represents a $1.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 14.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 27th. Canadian Banc Stock Down 0.3 % Shares of TSE:BK traded down C$0.04 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting C$13.36. The stock had a trading volume of 100,024 shares, compared to its average volume of 77,724. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 87.38. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is C$13.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is C$13.33. Canadian Banc has a 12 month low of C$12.13 and a 12 month high of C$15.09. The company has a market cap of C$247.03 million, a P/E ratio of -34.36 and a beta of 1.33. Get Canadian Banc alerts: Canadian Banc Company Profile (Get Rating) Read More Canadian Banc Corp. is a close-ended equity mutual fund launched by Quadravest Inc The fund is managed by Quadravest Capital Management Inc It invests in the public equity markets of Canada. The fund invests in stocks of companies engaged in the banking sector. It benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the S&P TSX Financial Index. Receive News & Ratings for Canadian Banc Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Canadian Banc and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc (LON:EKF Get Rating)s share price passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 38.37 ($0.48) and traded as low as GBX 28.50 ($0.36). EKF Diagnostics shares last traded at GBX 30 ($0.37), with a volume of 311,459 shares. EKF Diagnostics Price Performance The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.08. The firms 50-day moving average price is GBX 28.35 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 38.26. The stock has a market capitalization of 128.29 million, a PE ratio of -1,432.50 and a beta of 0.76. Get EKF Diagnostics alerts: EKF Diagnostics Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 2nd will be paid a GBX 1.20 ($0.01) dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 4.59%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 2nd. EKF Diagnosticss payout ratio is -5,000.00%. About EKF Diagnostics EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc designs, develops, manufactures, and sells diagnostic instruments, reagents, and other ancillary products in Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and internationally. It offers DiaSpect Tm hand-held hemoglobin analyzer; DiaSpect Hemoglobin T analyzer; Hemo Control, a hemoglobin analyzer that provides quantitative and lab quality hemoglobin results; and HemataStat II, a microhematocrit centrifuge that provides a quantitative hematocrit reading for six blood samples. Read More Receive News & Ratings for EKF Diagnostics Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for EKF Diagnostics and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Julius Bar Gruppe AG (OTCMKTS:JBAXY Get Rating) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 547,600 shares, an increase of 1,150.2% from the March 31st total of 43,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 328,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.7 days. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth JBAXY has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Julius Bar Gruppe from CHF 63 to CHF 62 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 10th. Barclays raised Julius Bar Gruppe from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a report on Friday, April 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $61.80. Get Julius Bar Gruppe alerts: Julius Bar Gruppe Price Performance Shares of OTCMKTS JBAXY traded down $0.04 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $14.17. The stock had a trading volume of 73,307 shares, compared to its average volume of 80,346. The company has a 50 day moving average of $13.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.04. Julius Bar Gruppe has a twelve month low of $8.17 and a twelve month high of $14.69. Julius Bar Gruppe Increases Dividend Julius Bar Gruppe Company Profile The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 18th will be issued a $0.3219 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 17th. This is a positive change from Julius Bar Gruppes previous dividend of $0.16. This represents a dividend yield of 2.38%. Julius Bar Gruppes dividend payout ratio is currently 119.40%. (Get Rating) Julius Bar Gruppe AG engages in the provision of private banking services. Its services include discretionary mandates, investment advisory, open product and service platform, financial market services, investor services, financing, and wealth planning. The company was founded by Raymond Julius Baer in 2009 and is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Julius Bar Gruppe Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Julius Bar Gruppe and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Moon River Studios, Inc (OTCMKTS:MDNT Get Rating) crossed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $0.00 and traded as high as $0.00. Moon River Studios shares last traded at $0.00, with a volume of 2,549,800 shares. Moon River Studios Price Performance Moon River Studios Company Profile (Get Rating) Moon River Studios, Inc, formerly Medient Studios Inc, operates a film production facility. FONU2, Inc operates under the name Moon River Studios. Moon River Studios is a film studio, production and social commerce company. Moon River Studios is engaged in the development of an approximately 1,560 acre film studio complex in Effingham County, Georgia. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Moon River Studios Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Moon River Studios and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Nabors Industries (NYSE:NBR Get Rating) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday. Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Nabors Industries from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating and dropped their price target for the company from $175.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 18th. Benchmark assumed coverage on shares of Nabors Industries in a research note on Thursday, January 19th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Nabors Industries from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 22nd. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Nabors Industries from $200.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, February 10th. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their price objective on Nabors Industries from $135.00 to $110.00 in a report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $177.86. Get Nabors Industries alerts: Nabors Industries Stock Performance Nabors Industries stock traded down $3.70 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $104.56. The company had a trading volume of 265,509 shares, compared to its average volume of 220,707. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.73. Nabors Industries has a 12-month low of $92.66 and a 12-month high of $193.88. The companys fifty day moving average is $129.22 and its 200-day moving average is $147.63. The company has a market capitalization of $989.14 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.51 and a beta of 2.76. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Nabors Industries ( NYSE:NBR Get Rating ) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 7th. The oil and gas company reported ($3.89) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of ($1.06) by ($2.83). Nabors Industries had a negative net margin of 4.03% and a negative return on equity of 26.19%. The business had revenue of $769.34 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $734.46 million. Equities research analysts predict that Nabors Industries will post 12.05 EPS for the current year. Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Profund Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Nabors Industries by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 2,244 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $348,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank raised its holdings in shares of Nabors Industries by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 4,322 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $438,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its holdings in shares of Nabors Industries by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 2,969 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $301,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of Nabors Industries by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 2,524 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $391,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Eaton Vance Management raised its holdings in Nabors Industries by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Eaton Vance Management now owns 4,437 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $677,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.98% of the companys stock. Nabors Industries Company Profile (Get Rating) Nabors Industries Ltd. engages in the provision of platform work over and drilling rigs. It also provides performance tools, directional drilling services, tubular running services, and innovative technologies. It operates through the following business segments: U.S. Drilling, Canada Drilling, International Drilling, Drilling Solutions, and Rig Technologies. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Nabors Industries Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Nabors Industries and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Prada S.p.A. (OTCMKTS:PRDSF Get Rating) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 89,000 shares, a decline of 53.9% from the March 31st total of 192,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 10,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 8.2 days. Prada Stock Up 1.1 % Shares of OTCMKTS:PRDSF traded up $0.08 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $7.41. 2,040 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,263. Prada has a fifty-two week low of $4.34 and a fifty-two week high of $7.78. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $6.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $6.00. Get Prada alerts: Prada Company Profile (Get Rating) Read More Prada SpA operates as a holding company, which engages in the manufacture and distribution of luxury goods. Its products include leather goods, handbags, footwear, apparel, accessories, eyewear, and fragrances. Its brands include Miu Miu, Churchs, Cas Shoe, and Pasticceria Marchesi. The company was founded by Mario Prada in 1913 and is headquartered in Milan, Italy. Receive News & Ratings for Prada Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Prada and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Robert Half International (NYSE:RHI Get Rating) posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The business services provider reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.01, Briefing.com reports. Robert Half International had a return on equity of 44.01% and a net margin of 9.09%. The business had revenue of $1.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.52 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Robert Half International Trading Down 1.5 % NYSE:RHI traded down $1.07 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $70.63. 1,201,959 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 975,405. The firms fifty day moving average is $77.13 and its 200-day moving average is $77.36. Robert Half International has a 12-month low of $65.40 and a 12-month high of $111.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.32. Get Robert Half International alerts: Robert Half International Increases Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 23rd. This is a positive change from Robert Half Internationals previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Robert Half Internationals dividend payout ratio is presently 31.89%. Analyst Ratings Changes RHI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Robert Half International from $76.00 to $75.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 27th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Robert Half International in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a buy rating for the company. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Robert Half International in a research note on Thursday, January 5th. They issued an underperform rating and a $70.00 price target for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Robert Half International from $79.00 to $78.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Robert Half International presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $77.44. Robert Half International announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 9th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the companys board believes its stock is undervalued. Insider Activity at Robert Half International In related news, EVP Robert W. Glass sold 12,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.94, for a total transaction of $1,011,750.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 217,049 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,567,946.06. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Robert Half International news, EVP Robert W. Glass sold 12,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.94, for a total value of $1,011,750.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 217,049 shares in the company, valued at $17,567,946.06. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Dirk A. Kempthorne sold 3,456 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.54, for a total value of $278,346.24. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 10,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $872,087.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Institutional Trading of Robert Half International A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Macquarie Group Ltd. grew its position in shares of Robert Half International by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. now owns 25,939 shares of the business services providers stock worth $1,915,000 after buying an additional 1,232 shares in the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Robert Half International by 16.4% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,942 shares of the business services providers stock worth $586,000 after buying an additional 1,118 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in shares of Robert Half International by 46.5% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,808,208 shares of the business services providers stock worth $207,330,000 after buying an additional 891,202 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Middle East FZE bought a new position in shares of Robert Half International during the 4th quarter worth $1,446,000. Finally, Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Robert Half International during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.13% of the companys stock. About Robert Half International (Get Rating) Robert Half International, Inc engages in the provision of staffing and risk consulting services. It operates through the following business segments: Temporary and Consultant Staffing, Permanent Placement Staffing, and Risk Consulting and Internal Audit Services. The Temporary and Consultant Staffing segment offers staffing in the accounting and finance, administrative and office, information technology, legal, advertising, marketing, and web design fields. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Robert Half International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Robert Half International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. All they have to do is apply. Thats the advice to students from Boynton Womans Club President Christy Hintz, who also serves as chairwoman of the Scholarship Committee. For 88 years, the organization has awarded scholarships to high school students who live in Boynton Beach and plan to attend a Florida college in the fall. Over 40 club members, guests, Palm Beach County School Board member Erica Whitfield and this years scholarship recipients attended the Scholarship Luncheon at Quail Ridge Country Club in Boynton Beach. We are so pleased to be able to help local students achieve their goal of attending college, Hintz said in a statement. There are many students who can benefit from our scholarship program. We are so proud of todays winners and wish them every success in their future endeavors. The scholarship recipients are: Boynton Beach Community High School Jhen nyka Caidor has been accepted at Rollins College, Bethune-Cookman University and Lynn University and plans to major in international relations. Valerie Charles has been accepted at Lynn University, University of Central Florida, Nova Southeastern University and Barry University. Her goal is to be a pediatric nurse. Rood Gregoire has been accepted at Lynn University and Florida Atlantic University. She will be majoring in business and her goal is to become an entrepreneur. SouthTech Academy Adele Dat has been accepted at the University of Florida, Florida A&M and the University of South Florida. Her goal is to become a nurse practitioner and she is already a Certified Nursing Assistant and Medical Aide Assistant. Park Vista High School Konstantin Jeliazkov has been accepted at the University of Florida, University of South Florida, University of Central Florida, Florida Atlantic University, and his major will be finance. Emilee Quach has been accepted at the University of Florida and her goal is to become a physician assistant. The Boynton Womans Club building at 1010 S. Federal Highway was designed by famed architect Addison Mizner and was built 1925. For information about the High School Scholarship or the Boynton Womans Club Returning Student Scholarship, visit boyntonwomansclub.com and click on Scholarship. TransDigm Group (NYSE:TDG Get Rating) had its target price hoisted by Truist Financial from $810.00 to $840.00 in a research note released on Monday, The Fly reports. Several other brokerages have also weighed in on TDG. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of TransDigm Group from $770.00 to $890.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 28th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of TransDigm Group from $720.00 to $767.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 8th. Credit Suisse Group upped their target price on shares of TransDigm Group from $830.00 to $841.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 22nd. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of TransDigm Group in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a buy rating on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of TransDigm Group from $750.00 to $800.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $764.31. Get TransDigm Group alerts: TransDigm Group Stock Down 1.5 % NYSE TDG opened at $742.92 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.37. TransDigm Group has a 52-week low of $499.63 and a 52-week high of $772.01. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $737.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $666.84. Insider Buying and Selling TransDigm Group ( NYSE:TDG Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 7th. The aerospace company reported $4.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.68 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $1.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.36 billion. TransDigm Group had a net margin of 16.53% and a negative return on equity of 30.59%. On average, equities research analysts expect that TransDigm Group will post 20.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. In other TransDigm Group news, COO Jorge Valladares sold 32,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $755.78, for a total transaction of $24,184,960.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 11,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $8,313,580. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Director W Nicholas Howley sold 6,500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $753.17, for a total value of $4,895,605.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 21,548 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $16,229,307.16. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Jorge Valladares sold 32,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $755.78, for a total transaction of $24,184,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 11,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,313,580. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 264,393 shares of company stock worth $196,152,841. 7.18% of the stock is owned by insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On TransDigm Group A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Geneva Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of TransDigm Group in the 1st quarter valued at $4,038,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas raised its stake in shares of TransDigm Group by 44.0% in the 1st quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas now owns 36,000 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $26,534,000 after acquiring an additional 11,000 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC raised its stake in shares of TransDigm Group by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 650 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $497,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC raised its stake in shares of TransDigm Group by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 1,983 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $1,462,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. Finally, Arlington Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of TransDigm Group by 52.3% in the 1st quarter. Arlington Partners LLC now owns 131 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $97,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.00% of the companys stock. TransDigm Group Company Profile (Get Rating) TransDigm Group, Inc engages in the production of engineered aerospace components, systems and subsystems. It operates through the following segments: Power and Control, Airframe, and Non-Aviation. The Power and Control segment includes operations that primarily develop, produce and market systems and components that provide power to or control power of the aircraft utilizing electronic, fluid, power and mechanical motion control technologies. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for TransDigm Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for TransDigm Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. BellRing Brands, Inc. (NYSE:BRBR Get Rating)s share price hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $36.24 and last traded at $36.09, with a volume of 330673 shares. The stock had previously closed at $35.21. Analyst Ratings Changes Several analysts recently weighed in on BRBR shares. William Blair started coverage on shares of BellRing Brands in a research note on Wednesday. They issued an outperform rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of BellRing Brands from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 8th. Mizuho reissued a buy rating and issued a $38.00 price objective on shares of BellRing Brands in a research note on Tuesday, February 7th. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of BellRing Brands in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. They set a buy rating and a $39.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Stephens upped their price target on shares of BellRing Brands from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 8th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Buy and an average target price of $37.91. Get BellRing Brands alerts: BellRing Brands Stock Performance The company has a market cap of $4.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.87. The stocks fifty day moving average is $32.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.95. Institutional Inflows and Outflows BellRing Brands ( NYSE:BRBR Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 6th. The company reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $362.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $342.98 million. BellRing Brands had a net margin of 8.29% and a negative return on equity of 36.56%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 18.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.25 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that BellRing Brands, Inc. will post 1.23 EPS for the current year. A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of BellRing Brands by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 71,410 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,831,000 after acquiring an additional 564 shares during the period. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System grew its position in shares of BellRing Brands by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 35,324 shares of the companys stock valued at $906,000 after acquiring an additional 710 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC grew its position in shares of BellRing Brands by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 22,385 shares of the companys stock valued at $574,000 after acquiring an additional 710 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its holdings in BellRing Brands by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 39,202 shares of the companys stock worth $1,333,000 after buying an additional 757 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Fund Management S.A. boosted its holdings in BellRing Brands by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Fund Management S.A. now owns 11,058 shares of the companys stock worth $228,000 after buying an additional 799 shares during the period. 92.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. About BellRing Brands (Get Rating) BellRing Brands, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides various nutrition products in the United States and internationally. It offers ready-to-drink (RTD) protein shakes, other RTD beverages, powders, nutrition bars, and other products primarily under the Premier Protein and Dymatize brands. The company sells its products through club, food, drug, mass, eCommerce, specialty, and convenience channels. Read More Receive News & Ratings for BellRing Brands Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BellRing Brands and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY Get Rating) updated its FY23 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of $7.95-8.25 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.04. The company issued revenue guidance of approx $47.08 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $46.89 billion. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Bristol-Myers Squibb in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a strong-buy rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Bristol-Myers Squibb in a report on Monday, March 6th. They issued a hold rating and a $62.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Tuesday, January 3rd. Atlantic Securities raised their target price on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Friday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a report on Friday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $80.00. Get Bristol-Myers Squibb alerts: Bristol-Myers Squibb Price Performance BMY stock traded down $0.41 during trading on Thursday, reaching $67.61. The companys stock had a trading volume of 10,509,350 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,888,766. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a 1 year low of $65.28 and a 1 year high of $81.43. 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 company has a market capitalization of $142.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.45. The companys fifty day moving average is $69.07 and its 200-day moving average is $72.72. Bristol-Myers Squibb Announces Dividend Bristol-Myers Squibb ( NYSE:BMY Get Rating ) last posted its 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 company had revenue of $11.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.20 billion. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a return on equity of 51.60% and a net margin of 13.71%. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.83 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 8.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 1st. Investors of record on Monday, April 10th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 6th. Bristol-Myers Squibbs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.29%. Insider Buying and Selling In other Bristol-Myers Squibb news, EVP Ann Powell sold 11,183 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 23,043 shares in the company, valued at $1,721,081.67. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Bristol-Myers Squibb news, EVP Ann Powell sold 11,183 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 23,043 shares in the company, valued at $1,721,081.67. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Giovanni Caforio sold 240,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 236,104 shares in the company, valued at $17,625,163.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BMY. 1832 Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 1,062.5% in the 1st quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 3,720 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $269,000 after purchasing an additional 3,400 shares in the last quarter. NBW Capital LLC purchased a new position in Bristol-Myers Squibb in the 4th quarter worth $225,000. CIC Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Bristol-Myers Squibb in the 4th quarter worth $210,000. Certified Advisory Corp purchased a new position in Bristol-Myers Squibb in the 1st quarter worth $203,000. Finally, Penserra Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 319.9% during the 1st quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 2,469 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $179,000 after buying an additional 1,881 shares during the last quarter. 75.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. 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. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Bristol-Myers Squibb Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bristol-Myers Squibb and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Cenkos Securities plc (LON:CNKS Get Rating) hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as GBX 35 ($0.44) and last traded at GBX 35 ($0.44), with a volume of 27753 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 36.50 ($0.46). Cenkos Securities Stock Down 3.1 % The firms fifty day moving average price is GBX 42.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 44.66. The stock has a market cap of 19.77 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -720.00 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 21.81, a current ratio of 3.91 and a quick ratio of 2.66. Get Cenkos Securities alerts: Cenkos Securities Cuts Dividend The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 25th will be paid a dividend of GBX 0.50 ($0.01) per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 25th. This represents a yield of 1.18%. Cenkos Securitiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -2,000.00%. Cenkos Securities Company Profile Cenkos Securities plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides corporate finance, nomad, broking and research, and execution services to small and mid-cap growth companies and investment funds in the United Kingdom. The company offers technical advice on various forms of corporate transactions, including IPOs, fundraisings, mergers and acquisitions, disposals, restructurings, and tender offers for various sectors, including technology, healthcare, energy, and industrial. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Cenkos Securities Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Cenkos Securities and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Teck Resources (NYSE:TECK Get Rating) (TSE:TECK) had its price objective increased by analysts at CIBC from C$65.00 to C$76.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, The Fly reports. A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Benchmark boosted their target price on Teck Resources from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, April 17th. National Bank Financial downgraded Teck Resources from an outperform rating to a sector perform rating in a report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Teck Resources from C$70.00 to C$80.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Teck Resources from C$45.00 to C$55.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 11th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Teck Resources from C$65.00 to C$62.00 in a research note on Monday, April 3rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $61.03. Get Teck Resources alerts: Teck Resources Trading Up 2.2 % Shares of NYSE TECK traded up $0.97 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $45.92. 4,883,664 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,983,434. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Teck Resources has a 1 year low of $24.72 and a 1 year high of $49.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.61, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.06. The business has a 50 day moving average of $40.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $38.34. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Teck Resources ( NYSE:TECK Get Rating ) (TSE:TECK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 21st. The basic materials company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.96 by ($0.17). Teck Resources had a net margin of 18.05% and a return on equity of 18.76%. The firm had revenue of $2.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.58 billion. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Teck Resources will post 4.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in Teck Resources by 2.0% during the first quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 1,521,635 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $55,424,000 after purchasing an additional 29,338 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Teck Resources by 26.7% in the first quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 14,805 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $540,000 after buying an additional 3,121 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Teck Resources by 21.8% during the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 4,488,647 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $163,891,000 after acquiring an additional 802,341 shares in the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Teck Resources by 13.1% during the first quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 8,175 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $298,000 after acquiring an additional 945 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in shares of Teck Resources by 11.9% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,704 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $135,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 56.15% of the companys stock. Teck Resources Company Profile (Get Rating) Teck Resources Limited is a resource company, which engages in the exploration, acquisition, development, production, and sale of natural resources, Its products include steelmaking coal, copper, zinc, industrial products and fertilizers, and other metals. Its project operations are located in Canada, Peru, Chile, and US. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Teck Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Teck Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Eldorado Gold Co. (TSE:ELD Get Rating) (NYSE:EGO) has received a consensus rating of Hold from the eight research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is C$14.21. Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Eldorado Gold from C$12.00 to C$14.00 in a report on Friday, February 24th. National Bankshares lifted their price objective on shares of Eldorado Gold from C$13.50 to C$16.50 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 5th. National Bank Financial lowered shares of Eldorado Gold from an outperform overweight rating to a sector perform spec overwgt rating in a research note on Monday, January 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered shares of Eldorado Gold from a buy rating to a hold rating and lifted their price target for the stock from C$16.00 to C$16.50 in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Get Eldorado Gold alerts: Eldorado Gold Price Performance Eldorado Gold stock opened at C$14.25 on Thursday. The firms 50-day moving average is C$13.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is C$11.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.98, a current ratio of 3.00 and a quick ratio of 2.28. Eldorado Gold has a 12-month low of C$6.87 and a 12-month high of C$15.49. The stock has a market capitalization of C$2.63 billion, a P/E ratio of -40.71, a P/E/G ratio of 56.20 and a beta of 1.34. About Eldorado Gold Eldorado Gold ( TSE:ELD Get Rating ) (NYSE:EGO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 23rd. The company reported C$0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of C$0.07 by C$0.12. Eldorado Gold had a negative net margin of 40.58% and a negative return on equity of 1.44%. The business had revenue of C$334.27 million for the quarter. Equities analysts predict that Eldorado Gold will post 0.3429723 earnings per share for the current year. (Get Rating) Eldorado Gold Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the mining, exploration, development, and sale of mineral products primarily in Turkey, Canada, Greece, and Romania. The company primarily produces gold, as well as silver, lead, and zinc. It holds a 100% interest in the Kisladag and Efemcukuru gold mines located in western Turkey; 100% interest in Lamaque gold mines located in Canada; and Olympias, Stratoni, Skouries, Perama Hill, and Sapes gold mines located in Greece, as well as the 80.5% interest in Certej development projects located in Romania. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Eldorado Gold Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Eldorado Gold and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Heritage Investors Management Corp reduced its position in EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG Get Rating) by 3.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 44,220 shares of the energy exploration companys stock after selling 1,412 shares during the quarter. Heritage Investors Management Corps holdings in EOG Resources were worth $5,727,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in EOG. HM Payson & Co. grew its holdings in EOG Resources by 54.3% in the 3rd quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 233 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Lumature Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in EOG Resources in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Kistler Tiffany Companies LLC bought a new position in EOG Resources in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new position in EOG Resources during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in EOG Resources during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. 87.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get EOG Resources alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of equities analysts have issued reports on EOG shares. Roth Capital reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of EOG Resources in a research note on Friday, February 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on EOG Resources from $139.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 12th. Scotiabank raised EOG Resources from a sector perform rating to a sector outperform rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $150.00 to $145.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of EOG Resources in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of EOG Resources from $152.00 to $145.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $150.38. EOG Resources Stock Down 0.9 % NYSE:EOG opened at $115.66 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $67.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.76, a PEG ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 1.53. EOG Resources, Inc. has a 1 year low of $92.16 and a 1 year high of $150.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $115.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $126.38. EOG Resources (NYSE:EOG Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 24th. The energy exploration company reported $3.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.31 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $6.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.09 billion. EOG Resources had a return on equity of 34.95% and a net margin of 30.19%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 11.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.09 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that EOG Resources, Inc. will post 11.7 earnings per share for the current year. EOG Resources Announces Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 14th will be issued a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 13th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.85%. EOG Resourcess dividend payout ratio 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. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for EOG Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for EOG Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS Get Rating) updated its second quarter earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of $3.63-3.75 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of $3.76. Essex Property Trust also updated its FY23 guidance to $14.59-14.97 EPS. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several equities analysts recently weighed in on ESS shares. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Essex Property Trust in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an outperform rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Essex Property Trust in a report on Thursday, February 9th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Essex Property Trust in a report on Wednesday, March 29th. They issued an underweight rating and a $208.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Essex Property Trust from $242.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 1st. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on Essex Property Trust from $235.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, February 23rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $249.52. Get Essex Property Trust alerts: Essex Property Trust Stock Performance NYSE ESS traded up $5.48 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $211.46. 433,947 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 504,082. Essex Property Trust has a 12-month low of $195.03 and a 12-month high of $346.35. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $215.74 and a 200 day moving average of $217.80. The company has a market cap of $13.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. Essex Property Trust Increases Dividend Institutional Investors Weigh In On Essex Property Trust The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 31st were issued a $2.31 dividend. This is a boost from Essex Property Trusts previous quarterly dividend of $2.20. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 30th. Essex Property Trusts dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 147.13%. A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ESS. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Essex Property Trust during the 4th quarter valued at about $476,588,000. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 213.0% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 888,858 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $188,367,000 after purchasing an additional 604,863 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Essex Property Trust by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,614,782 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $3,667,195,000 after buying an additional 184,047 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 475.8% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 90,425 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $19,066,000 after buying an additional 74,722 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Essex Property Trust during the first quarter worth $21,256,000. 91.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Essex Property Trust Company Profile (Get Rating) Essex Property Trust, Inc operates as a real estate investment trust. It engages in the ownership, operation, management, acquisition, development, and redevelopment of predominantly apartment communities. The company was founded by George M. Marcus in 1971 and is headquartered in San Mateo, CA. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Essex Property Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Essex Property Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLC boosted its position in shares of iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:EEM Get Rating) by 38.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,866 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after purchasing an additional 2,750 shares during the period. Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLCs holdings in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF were worth $374,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Accurate Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. City State Bank grew its stake in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 686.1% in the 4th quarter. City State Bank now owns 1,077 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 940 shares in the last quarter. Phillips Financial Management LLC bought a new position in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF in the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC grew its stake in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 30.8% in the 4th quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 1,362 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. 82.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF alerts: iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF Price Performance EEM stock traded up $0.38 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $38.79. The company had a trading volume of 3,697,739 shares, compared to its average volume of 34,426,957. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $38.93 and a 200 day moving average of $38.55. iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF has a 12 month low of $33.49 and a 12 month high of $43.23. iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF Company 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). Read More Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG Get Rating) had its target price raised by KeyCorp from $162.00 to $169.00 in a report released on Monday morning, The Fly reports. KeyCorp also issued estimates for PPG Industries Q2 2023 earnings at $2.15 EPS, Q3 2023 earnings at $1.83 EPS, FY2023 earnings at $7.50 EPS and FY2024 earnings at $9.35 EPS. Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of PPG Industries from $150.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Monday. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of PPG Industries in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of PPG Industries from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, April 4th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of PPG Industries from $139.00 to $138.00 in a report on Sunday, January 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of PPG Industries from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PPG Industries has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $147.74. Get PPG Industries alerts: PPG Industries Price Performance PPG Industries stock opened at $137.64 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $32.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.20, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.17. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $132.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $127.85. PPG Industries has a 12 month low of $107.06 and a 12 month high of $145.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. PPG Industries Dividend Announcement PPG Industries ( NYSE:PPG Get Rating ) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 21st. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.55 by $0.27. PPG Industries had a return on equity of 23.35% and a net margin of 7.18%. The business had revenue of $4.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.39 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.37 earnings per share. The firms revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that PPG Industries will post 7.17 EPS for the current year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 10th will be given a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 9th. PPG Industriess payout ratio is currently 46.27%. Insider Buying and Selling In related news, Chairman Michael H. Mcgarry sold 61,867 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.96, for a total transaction of $8,040,235.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 183,645 shares in the company, valued at $23,866,504.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Institutional Investors Weigh In On PPG Industries A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PPG. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its holdings in shares of PPG Industries by 1.5% in the first quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 136,463 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $18,229,000 after purchasing an additional 2,011 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC increased its stake in PPG Industries by 14.5% during the 1st quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,930 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock worth $525,000 after buying an additional 499 shares during the period. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its stake in PPG Industries by 66.1% during the 1st quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 641 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock worth $86,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the period. Arlington Partners LLC purchased a new stake in PPG Industries during the 1st quarter worth approximately $82,000. Finally, Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. increased its stake in PPG Industries by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 116,270 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock worth $15,531,000 after buying an additional 3,600 shares during the period. 80.04% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. About PPG Industries (Get Rating) PPG Industries, Inc engages in the manufacture and distribution of paints, coatings, and specialty materials. It operates through the Performance Coatings and Industrial Coatings segments. The Performance Coatings segment supplies a variety of protective and decorative coatings, sealants, and finishes along with pavement marking products, paint strippers, stains, and related chemicals, as well as transparencies and transparent armor. Read More Receive News & Ratings for PPG Industries Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for PPG Industries and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Lundin Gold Inc. (TSE:LUG Get Rating) shares reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as C$17.81 and last traded at C$17.67, with a volume of 281657 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at C$17.24. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several research firms recently weighed in on LUG. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Lundin Gold from C$20.00 to C$21.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 6th. Haywood Securities cut shares of Lundin Gold from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, April 10th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Lundin Gold from C$15.00 to C$16.50 in a research note on Monday, April 10th. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price target on shares of Lundin Gold from C$17.00 to C$18.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 28th. Finally, National Bankshares lifted their price objective on shares of Lundin Gold from C$16.50 to C$17.50 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Tuesday, February 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of C$17.13. Get Lundin Gold alerts: Lundin Gold Stock Up 1.1 % The company has a 50-day moving average of C$15.20 and a 200-day moving average of C$13.62. The company has a market capitalization of C$4.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.05 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 78.39. Lundin Gold Dividend Announcement Lundin Gold ( TSE:LUG Get Rating ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 23rd. The company reported C$0.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of C$0.16 by C$0.03. Lundin Gold had a return on equity of 8.83% and a net margin of 9.02%. The business had revenue of C$286.42 million for the quarter. On average, equities analysts predict that Lundin Gold Inc. will post 1.0996805 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.133 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 10th. This represents a $0.53 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.05%. Lundin Golds payout ratio is 128.57%. About Lundin Gold (Get Rating) Lundin Gold Inc operates as a mining company in Canada. The company holds interests in 27 metallic mineral concessions and three construction material concessions covering an area of approximately 64,270 hectares located in Southeast Ecuador. It primary holds interests in the Fruta del Norte gold project comprising seven concessions covering an area of approximately 5,566 hectares located near the city of Loja in Ecuador. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Lundin Gold Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lundin Gold and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Morguard North American Residential REIT (TSE:MRG.UN Get Rating) had its price objective hoisted by TD Securities from C$23.00 to C$24.00 in a research note issued on Thursday, BayStreet.CA reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the stock. TD Securities price target suggests a potential upside of 40.11% from the stocks previous close. Several other research firms also recently weighed in on MRG.UN. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Morguard North American Residential REIT from C$23.00 to C$24.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, February 16th. CIBC lifted their target price on shares of Morguard North American Residential REIT from C$20.00 to C$23.50 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, February 17th. Finally, Laurentian lifted their target price on shares of Morguard North American Residential REIT from C$20.00 to C$21.50 in a research report on Friday, February 17th. Get Morguard North American Residential REIT alerts: Morguard North American Residential REIT Price Performance Shares of TSE MRG.UN traded up C$0.26 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching C$17.13. The companys stock had a trading volume of 17,896 shares, compared to its average volume of 29,590. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 95.00. The company has a 50 day moving average price of C$17.63 and a 200 day moving average price of C$16.90. Morguard North American Residential REIT has a one year low of C$14.50 and a one year high of C$19.26. The company has a market cap of C$669.10 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 1.03. About Morguard North American Residential REIT The REIT is an unincorporated, open-ended real estate investment trust established under and governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario. The Units of the REIT trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol MRG.UN. With a strategic focus on the acquisition of high-quality multi-suite residential properties in Canada and the United States, the REIT maximizes long-term Unit value through active asset and property management. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Morguard North American Residential REIT Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Morguard North American Residential REIT and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Newmont (NYSE:NEM Get Rating) posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The basic materials company reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.07, Briefing.com reports. Newmont had a positive return on equity of 6.98% and a negative net margin of 3.60%. The business had revenue of $2.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.70 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.69 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Newmont Price Performance NEM stock opened at $48.27 on Friday. The companys 50-day moving average price is $47.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $47.09. Newmont has a 12 month low of $37.45 and a 12 month high of $74.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market cap of $38.32 billion, a P/E ratio of -89.39 and a beta of 0.33. Get Newmont alerts: Newmont Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 31st. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.31%. Newmonts payout ratio is -296.29%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Insider Transactions at Newmont Several equities analysts have commented on NEM shares. UBS Group downgraded shares of Newmont from a buy rating to a neutral rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $59.00 to $53.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 14th. TD Securities raised shares of Newmont from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $55.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, February 24th. Raymond James reduced their price objective on Newmont from $61.00 to $56.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 24th. StockNews.com started coverage on Newmont in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company. Finally, National Bank Financial boosted their price target on Newmont from C$86.00 to C$91.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 18th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Newmont has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $60.22. In related news, COO Robert D. Atkinson sold 3,000 shares of Newmont stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.25, for a total value of $132,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 87,751 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,882,981.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, COO Robert D. Atkinson sold 3,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.25, for a total value of $132,750.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 87,751 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,882,981.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Thomas Ronald Palmer sold 11,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.92, for a total value of $538,120.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 311,039 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $15,216,027.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 28,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,304,380. Company insiders own 0.07% of the companys stock. Institutional Trading of Newmont A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Newmont during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Laffer Tengler Investments bought a new position in Newmont in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $74,000. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Newmont by 127.8% during the 1st quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,253 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $100,000 after buying an additional 703 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its holdings in Newmont by 25.8% during the 1st quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,354 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $108,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fortis Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Newmont in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $99,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.60% of the companys stock. Newmont Company Profile (Get Rating) Newmont Corp. is a gold producer, engages in the exploration and acquisition of gold properties, contains copper, silver, lead, zinc or other metals. It operates through the following geographical segments: North America, South America, Nevada, Australia, and Africa. The North America segment consists primarily of carlin, phoenix, twin creeks and long canyon in the state of Nevada and Cripple Creek and Victor in the state of Colorado, in the United States. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Newmont Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Newmont and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (NYSE:PEB Get Rating) issued an update on its second quarter earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of $0.52-0.57 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of $0.62. Pebblebrook Hotel Trust Stock Down 0.5 % Shares of NYSE:PEB traded down $0.07 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $13.86. The company had a trading volume of 1,686,421 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,726,716. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.38 and a quick ratio of 0.38. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $14.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $14.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.73 billion, a P/E ratio of -14.09, a PEG ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.85. Pebblebrook Hotel Trust has a one year low of $12.37 and a one year high of $26.14. Get Pebblebrook Hotel Trust alerts: Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (NYSE:PEB Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 21st. The real estate investment trust reported ($0.34) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.18 by ($0.52). The company had revenue of $319.61 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $309.55 million. Pebblebrook Hotel Trust had a negative return on equity of 2.77% and a negative net margin of 6.26%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 29.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.06 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Pebblebrook Hotel Trust will post 1.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Pebblebrook Hotel Trust Announces Dividend Wall Street Analyst Weigh In The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.01 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 30th. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.29%. Pebblebrook Hotel Trusts payout ratio is -4.12%. Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust from $18.00 to $16.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 13th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust from $15.00 to $16.50 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, February 1st. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust from $13.00 to $12.00 and set an underweight rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust from $17.00 to $14.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have given a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $17.70. Insider Buying and Selling In other Pebblebrook Hotel Trust news, CEO Jon E. Bortz purchased 14,865 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 8th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $14.93 per share, for a total transaction of $221,934.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,039,967 shares in the company, valued at $15,526,707.31. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Pebblebrook Hotel Trust news, CEO Jon E. Bortz purchased 14,865 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 8th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $14.93 per share, for a total transaction of $221,934.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,039,967 shares in the company, valued at $15,526,707.31. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jon E. Bortz purchased 11,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 22nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $12.95 per share, for a total transaction of $142,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,122,102 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $14,531,220.90. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased 39,865 shares of company stock valued at $555,064 over the last 90 days. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Institutional Trading of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its holdings in Pebblebrook Hotel Trust by 48.4% during the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 28,047 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $376,000 after buying an additional 9,151 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Pebblebrook Hotel Trust during the 4th quarter worth about $357,000. Point72 Middle East FZE acquired a new stake in Pebblebrook Hotel Trust during the 4th quarter worth about $343,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Pebblebrook Hotel Trust by 7.1% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 20,442 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $332,000 after buying an additional 1,360 shares during the period. Finally, Bridgefront Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Pebblebrook Hotel Trust during the 4th quarter worth about $322,000. 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. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Pebblebrook Hotel Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Pebblebrook Hotel Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Retirement Systems of Alabama reduced its stake in Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (NYSE:PEG Get Rating) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 610,244 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 5,852 shares during the quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabamas holdings in Public Service Enterprise Group were worth $37,390,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PEG. Destiny Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Public Service Enterprise Group by 304.5% during the 3rd quarter. Destiny Wealth Partners LLC now owns 453 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 341 shares in the last quarter. Concord Wealth Partners acquired a new stake in Public Service Enterprise Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH acquired a new stake in Public Service Enterprise Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Romano Brothers AND Company acquired a new stake in Public Service Enterprise Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, CI Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in Public Service Enterprise Group by 990.2% during the 3rd quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 665 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 604 shares in the last quarter. 70.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Public Service Enterprise Group alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at Public Service Enterprise Group In other Public Service Enterprise Group news, COO Eric Carr sold 7,105 shares of Public Service Enterprise Group stock in a transaction on Monday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.63, for a total value of $409,461.15. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 6,482 shares in the company, valued at $373,557.66. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Public Service Enterprise Group Trading Down 2.2 % NYSE PEG opened at $62.49 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The firms fifty day moving average price is $60.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.92. The company has a market capitalization of $31.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.29 and a beta of 0.56. Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $52.51 and a 12 month high of $71.90. Public Service Enterprise Group (NYSE:PEG Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 21st. The utilities provider reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $3.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.54 billion. Public Service Enterprise Group had a net margin of 10.52% and a return on equity of 12.88%. Public Service Enterprise Groups quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.69 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated will post 3.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Public Service Enterprise Group Announces Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 9th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 8th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.65%. Public Service Enterprise Groups dividend payout ratio is presently 110.68%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on PEG shares. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Public Service Enterprise Group from $66.00 to $60.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 13th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Public Service Enterprise Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a report on Friday, April 14th. TheStreet upgraded shares of Public Service Enterprise Group from a c rating to a b rating in a report on Tuesday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Public Service Enterprise Group from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, April 20th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Public Service Enterprise Group in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $67.25. Public Service Enterprise Group Company Profile (Get Rating) Public Service Enterprise Group, Inc is an energy company, which engages in the business of regulated electric and gas utility, and nuclear generation. Its products and services include energy, capacity, ancillary services, and emissions allowances and congestion credits. The firm operates through the Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) and PSEG Power segments. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PEG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (NYSE:PEG Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Public Service Enterprise Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Public Service Enterprise Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Retirement Systems of Alabama reduced its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC Get Rating) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 283,602 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 6,845 shares during the quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama owned 0.06% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $46,930,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MMC. Penserra Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 2,413 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $360,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. RDA Financial Network grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. RDA Financial Network now owns 1,737 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $287,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 13,380 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,997,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 3,938 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $636,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 6,780 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,012,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. 87.30% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Marsh & McLennan Companies alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,900 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.70, for a total transaction of $503,730.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 75,447 shares of the companys stock, valued at $13,105,143.90. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,900 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.70, for a total value of $503,730.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 75,447 shares of the companys stock, valued at $13,105,143.90. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 3,140 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.22, for a total value of $518,790.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,458,880.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 11,540 shares of company stock valued at $2,009,111. Company insiders own 0.30% of the companys stock. Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance Shares of NYSE:MMC opened at $176.27 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $87.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $143.33 and a 52 week high of $180.59. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $165.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $166.37. Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 20th. The financial services provider reported $2.53 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.06. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 33.33% and a net margin of 15.24%. The business had revenue of $5.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.86 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.30 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 7.61 EPS for the current year. Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 5th will be given a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 4th. Marsh & McLennan Companiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.93%. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several analysts have recently commented on MMC shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, April 21st. Credit Suisse Group lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $157.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Monday, January 30th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, January 19th. They set a market perform rating and a $168.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $184.00 to $180.00 in a report on Monday, April 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $180.77. Marsh & McLennan Companies Profile (Get Rating) Marsh & McLennan Cos., Inc is a professional services firm, which engages in offering clients advice and solutions in risk, strategy, and people. It operates through the Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment is involved in risk management activities, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking and services. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MMC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Marsh & McLennan Companies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Marsh & McLennan Companies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Rogers Communications (TSE:RCI.B Get Rating) (NYSE:RCI) had its price target increased by research analysts at Scotiabank from C$74.75 to C$75.75 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, BayStreet.CA reports. Scotiabanks price target points to a potential upside of 13.28% from the stocks previous close. Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. CIBC lifted their price target on Rogers Communications from C$72.00 to C$75.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 5th. UBS Group upgraded Rogers Communications from a neutral rating to a buy rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from C$64.00 to C$75.00 in a research report on Monday, February 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price objective on Rogers Communications from C$69.00 to C$68.00 in a research report on Monday, April 3rd. National Bankshares reduced their price objective on Rogers Communications from C$78.00 to C$76.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 3rd. Finally, Cormark lifted their price objective on Rogers Communications from C$69.00 to C$74.00 in a research report on Friday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of C$75.98. Get Rogers Communications alerts: Rogers Communications Price Performance Shares of TSE:RCI.B traded up C$0.50 during trading on Thursday, reaching C$66.87. The stock had a trading volume of 473,099 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,176,663. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 364.11, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 2.02. The business has a fifty day moving average price of C$64.00 and a 200-day moving average price of C$61.79. The stock has a market cap of C$26.33 billion, a PE ratio of 20.14, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.38. Rogers Communications has a 1-year low of C$50.53 and a 1-year high of C$72.43. About Rogers Communications Rogers Communications Inc operates as a communications and media company in Canada. It operates through three segments: Wireless, Cable, and Media. The Wireless segment offers wireless voice and data communication services to individual consumers, businesses, governments, and other telecommunications service providers; postpaid and prepaid wireless services under the Rogers, Fido, and chatr brands; and wireless devices, services, and applications to consumers and businesses. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Rogers Communications Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Rogers Communications and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Skechers U.S.A. (NYSE:SKX Get Rating) updated its FY23 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of $3.00-3.20 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of $2.99. The company issued revenue guidance of $7.9-8.1 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $8.00 billion. Skechers U.S.A. also updated its Q2 guidance to $0.40-0.50 EPS. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several research firms have weighed in on SKX. Morgan Stanley cut Skechers U.S.A. from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and cut their target price for the stock from $54.00 to $46.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 18th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Skechers U.S.A. from $69.00 to $60.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 29th. Argus upgraded shares of Skechers U.S.A. from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $50.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Skechers U.S.A. from $43.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday, January 23rd. Finally, Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Skechers U.S.A. in a report on Wednesday, December 28th. They set a neutral rating and a $42.00 price target for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $53.08. Get Skechers U.S.A. alerts: Skechers U.S.A. Stock Down 0.3 % Shares of SKX stock traded down $0.15 on Thursday, reaching $49.87. 3,496,549 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,769,308. The company has a market cap of $7.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.72 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a 50-day moving average of $46.00 and a 200-day moving average of $42.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 2.26 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Skechers U.S.A. has a one year low of $31.28 and a one year high of $50.79. Insider Transactions at Skechers U.S.A. Skechers U.S.A. ( NYSE:SKX Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 2nd. The textile maker reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.77 billion. Skechers U.S.A. had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 9.94%. The businesss revenue was up 13.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.43 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Skechers U.S.A. will post 2.93 earnings per share for the current year. In other news, President Michael Greenberg sold 15,756 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.16, for a total transaction of $711,540.96. Following the transaction, the president now owns 387,030 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $17,478,274.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, President Michael Greenberg sold 15,756 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.16, for a total value of $711,540.96. Following the transaction, the president now owns 387,030 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $17,478,274.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert Greenberg sold 9,453 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.16, for a total transaction of $426,897.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 168,907 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,627,840.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 78,305 shares of company stock valued at $3,548,625 in the last 90 days. 24.44% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Skechers U.S.A. Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in Skechers U.S.A. by 88.9% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,360 shares of the textile makers stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 640 shares in the last quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Skechers U.S.A. in the 4th quarter valued at about $72,000. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in Skechers U.S.A. by 71.1% in the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,416 shares of the textile makers stock valued at $98,000 after buying an additional 1,004 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in Skechers U.S.A. in the 1st quarter valued at about $152,000. Finally, Creative Planning purchased a new stake in Skechers U.S.A. in the 4th quarter valued at about $201,000. Institutional investors own 93.29% of the companys stock. Skechers U.S.A. Company Profile (Get Rating) Skechers U.SA, Inc engages in designing, development, and marketing of lifestyle footwear for men, women, and children of all ages. It operates through the Wholesale and Direct-to-Consumer segment. The Wholesale segment includes department stores, family shoe stores, specialty running, and sporting goods retailers. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Skechers U.S.A. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Skechers U.S.A. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Taylor Morrison Home Co. (NYSE:TMHC Get Rating)s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $40.47 and last traded at $40.46, with a volume of 449784 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $39.91. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several brokerages have commented on TMHC. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Taylor Morrison Home from $40.00 to $45.00 in a research note on Thursday. StockNews.com began coverage on Taylor Morrison Home in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Finally, Credit Suisse Group boosted their price target on Taylor Morrison Home from $41.00 to $47.00 in a research report on Thursday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Taylor Morrison Home has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $35.79. Get Taylor Morrison Home alerts: Taylor Morrison Home Price Performance The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 5.59. The companys 50 day moving average price is $36.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $32.55. The company has a market cap of $4.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 1.71. Insider Transactions at Taylor Morrison Home Taylor Morrison Home ( NYSE:TMHC Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 26th. The construction company reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.45. Taylor Morrison Home had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 24.86%. The firm had revenue of $1.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.57 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.44 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was down 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Taylor Morrison Home Co. will post 6.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. In related news, Director William H. Lyon sold 4,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.52, for a total value of $158,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 147,570 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,831,966.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, Director William H. Lyon sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.52, for a total value of $158,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 147,570 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,831,966.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Louis Steffens sold 2,719 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.48, for a total transaction of $104,627.12. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 65,772 shares in the company, valued at $2,530,906.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 284,467 shares of company stock valued at $10,638,292 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 5.20% of the companys stock. Institutional Trading of Taylor Morrison Home Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Tectonic Advisors LLC grew its stake in Taylor Morrison Home by 25.2% in the first quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 24,702 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $945,000 after purchasing an additional 4,972 shares in the last quarter. Bellecapital International Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Taylor Morrison Home by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Bellecapital International Ltd. now owns 16,178 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $619,000 after buying an additional 445 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its holdings in Taylor Morrison Home by 759.4% in the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 235,745 shares of the construction companys stock worth $9,020,000 after buying an additional 208,314 shares during the last quarter. Yorktown Management & Research Co Inc bought a new position in Taylor Morrison Home during the first quarter valued at approximately $283,000. Finally, Resonant Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Taylor Morrison Home by 5.3% in the first quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 7,650 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $293,000 after acquiring an additional 384 shares during the last quarter. 96.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Taylor Morrison Home Company Profile (Get Rating) 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. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Taylor Morrison Home Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Taylor Morrison Home and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Transatlantique Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in N-able, Inc. (NYSE:NABL Get Rating) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 13,280 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $129,000. Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Swiss National Bank increased its position in N-able by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 105,750 shares of the companys stock valued at $962,000 after acquiring an additional 7,000 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of N-able by 41.5% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 54,388 shares of the companys stock worth $495,000 after buying an additional 15,943 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. increased its stake in N-able by 15.1% in the first quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 218,396 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,987,000 after purchasing an additional 28,679 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. lifted its holdings in N-able by 13.2% during the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 2,656,901 shares of the companys stock worth $24,177,000 after acquiring an additional 310,465 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of N-able by 53.1% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 690,366 shares of the companys stock valued at $6,283,000 after purchasing an additional 239,546 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.72% of the companys stock. Get N-able alerts: Insider Transactions at N-able In related news, CFO Tim James Obrien sold 18,786 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.75, for a total value of $258,307.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 531,235 shares of the companys stock, valued at $7,304,481.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CFO Tim James Obrien sold 18,786 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.75, for a total value of $258,307.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 531,235 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,304,481.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Frank Colletti sold 26,316 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.59, for a total transaction of $305,002.44. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 385,210 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,464,583.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 53,922 shares of company stock valued at $667,210. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the companys stock. N-able Trading Down 1.2 % NABL stock opened at $12.77 on Thursday. N-able, Inc. has a 52 week low of $8.12 and a 52 week high of $13.92. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $12.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.17. The company has a market capitalization of $2.32 billion, a PE ratio of 141.90 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 2.49 and a current ratio of 2.49. N-able (NYSE:NABL Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 23rd. The company reported $0.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.04 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $95.76 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $93.59 million. N-able had a return on equity of 4.73% and a net margin of 4.49%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that N-able, Inc. will post 0.18 earnings per share for the current year. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of research firms have issued reports on NABL. Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on N-able from $13.00 to $14.50 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, February 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut N-able from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and cut their price objective for the company from $13.00 to $11.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 24th. N-able Profile (Get Rating) N-able, Inc provides cloud-based software solutions for managed service providers (MSPs) in the United States, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company's solutions enable MSPs to support digital transformation and growth within small and medium-sized enterprises. Its software platform is designed to be an enterprise-grade solution that serves as an operating system for its MSP partners and scales as their businesses grow. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding NABL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for N-able, Inc. (NYSE:NABL Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for N-able Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for N-able and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Good public policy should be rooted in learned experience, but great public policy looks forward and anticipates the challenges on the horizon. Thank you to Sun Sentinel reporter Susannah Bryan for reminding us of the connection between development and the ramifications from flooding (Think Development Doesnt make Flooding Worse? Think Again, April 15). Bryans article touched on the negative impact of tall buildings in vulnerable areas, but more on that topic as it pertains to redevelopment must be considered, particularly on barrier islands such as in Hollywood. Developers, and even some elected officials, argue whats the harm in redeveloping an area that is already covered by concrete or asphalt with old low-rise buildings in need of replacement? This thinking is dangerous, especially on beaches like Hollywoods, as there are many safety and environmental reasons to keep buildings low in such locations. These include inevitable beach erosion, shifting land and, critically, not making evacuations in an emergency more challenging than they already are. Hollywood City Commissioner Caryl Shuham represents District 1, which includes much of east Hollywood, including the barrier island. By replacing low-rise with high-rise residential structures, the difficulties and complexities of evacuations in a hurricane or other emergency are multiplied. Simply put, more units means more people whose lives may be at risk. Unbelievably, in Florida, developers can in some cases mitigate the negative impacts their projects have on evacuation times by simply making cash payments, contributing land or building hurricane shelters and transportation facilities. But none of those are going to help anyone get off the barrier island any faster. We should learn from our experiences, such as the recent historic flooding here on the east coast or the storm surge that devastated the west coast of Florida last year or the impacts of sea-level rise that sometimes mean flooded neighborhoods on bright sunny days. The function of barrier islands and the geological implications of sea-level rise are more reasons not to allow any new high-rise buildings on barrier islands. As professors and environmental scientists Orrin H. Pilkey Jr. and Andrew G. Cooper explained in an op-ed for the Tampa Bay Times, The global problem with high-rises on beaches is their total inflexibility. When the expected 3 to 6 feet (or more) sea-level rise occurs by the end of this century, it will be far too costly to move hundreds of very large buildings to higher ground. And in Florida there often is no nearby higher ground. As reported by the Associated Press after last years devastating Hurricane Ian, Barrier islands were never an ideal place for development, experts say. They typically form as waves deposit sediment off the mainland. And they move based on weather patterns and other ocean forces. Some even disappear. Building on the islands and holding them in place with beach replenishment programs just makes them more vulnerable to destruction because they can no longer move, according to experts. If you build on them, one of those experts told the Associated Press, youre just waiting for a storm to take them away. Fortunately for the residents of Hollywood, our past government leaders wisely put in place building height limitations on the barrier island. Smart, forward-looking public policy accounts for the challenges we can plainly see coming and supports maintaining low building heights on Hollywood Beach as the right decision for our current residents, as well as for the future of the city we all love. Hollywood City Commissioner Caryl Shuham represents District 1, which includes much of east Hollywood, including the barrier island. Vertex Planning Partners LLC acquired a new stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF (BATS:EFV Get Rating) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund acquired 25,768 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,182,000. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Leelyn Smith LLC bought a new position in iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Bessemer Group Inc. bought a new position in iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Focused Wealth Management Inc bought a new position in iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its position in iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF by 429.4% in the 3rd quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 1,350 shares of the companys stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 1,095 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cambridge Trust Co. lifted its position in iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF by 206.8% in the 4th quarter. Cambridge Trust Co. now owns 1,129 shares of the companys stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 761 shares in the last quarter. Get iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF alerts: iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF Trading Up 0.2 % EFV stock traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $49.59. The companys stock had a trading volume of 1,726,015 shares. The company has a market cap of $16.54 billion, a PE ratio of 9.51 and a beta of 0.86. iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF has a 12 month low of $49.15 and a 12 month high of $59.57. The firms 50-day moving average is $48.58 and its 200-day moving average is $46.60. iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF Profile 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. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EFV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF (BATS:EFV Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. 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Ireland United States Minor Outlying Islands United States of America Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe The new Netflix documentary will portray American civil rights icon Malcolm X as a white trans man, the streaming service announced on Thursday. Series producer, Cletus Johnsons from Milwaukee said: My son asked me one time, daddy, why cant we have a gay white trans guy as an African American civil rights icon? I immediately got up and started phoning casting agents, and we got to work. We wanted to find someone who fit the bill, and right away we got him some guy called Dylan Mulvinney. Malcolm X will be portrayed as a gay make-up artist who was also an American Presbyterian minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. A spokesman for the transgender community until 1964, he was a vocal advocate for Black Trans empowerment and the promotion of transgenderism within the Black community. Mulvinney was excited to take the call and immediately took on the role for Malcolm X. I was so excited I opened up another can of Bud Light. Apparently, Malcolm Z was a black man, but they chose me instead. I am so excited! (Squeals with delight, flapping arms around). I dont know many black people, especially here in Beverly Hills, but I promise to do my best to portray Malcolm Y as she was meant to be. Today I am wearing a pink chiffon dress and I also have a big moustache they glue on above my upper botoxed lip. Do you think this bunch of pansies will substitute for a gun? I heard Malcolm Q was quite the shooter. Donna Pinkett Shazzam, the director of the project, revealed the agenda of the documentary: We want all African Americans to explore their inner homosexuality and also to consider becoming transgender. Remember, all you have to do is think it and we will do the rest. We want to indoctrinate you and your children to become trans white people. This is inclusivity, folks. We want to overtake your culture and make it our own. Embrace your gayness, or just learn how to do it. Look, Malcolm X was a white gay trans, how much more beautiful and inclusive is that? The nation has had memorable success fighting COVID-19, thanks mainly to vaccines whose swift development and distribution were nothing short of heroic. But Tallahassee politicians are determined to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Bills pending in both houses would render the state defenseless against new mutations of the virus, and Floridas chief health officer, Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, has been caught using selective data to discourage vaccinations. An old saying, arguably attributed to Mark Twain, is that Figures dont lie, but liars figure. It applies generally to the misuse of statistics, in particular to Floridas official warning last fall that young men should not get the COVID vaccine. Ladapo cited statistics to show an abnormally high risk of 84% of cardiac complications among Florida males aged 18 to 39 within 28 days of having a vaccination. Ladapos lies What he left out was other data showing a dramatically higher risk of cardiac-related deaths among young Floridians who caught COVID. Among those 18 to 24, the risk was more than 10 times higher than that among those who were vaccinated. For the 25-39 age group, it was more than five times greater. The data sets werent strictly comparable because the age groups didnt overlap precisely and post-COVID mortality covered both sexes. Nonetheless, it was more than enough to refute Ladapos warning to young men. It was enough, in fact, that a draft version of the report directly contradicted the conclusion, until it was personally altered by Ladapo, with changes that staff members labeled Dr. Ls edits. The risk associated with COVID-19 infection clearly outweighs any potential risks associated with mRNA vaccination, the initial report read. For unearthing that this finding vanished from the final report, Floridians can thank Tampa Bay Times reporter Christopher ODonnell, who used the public records law to obtain all draft copies of the report. The Times expose was proof, as if any were needed, of the enormous importance of that law and why the Legislature should stop carving out exceptions to please bureaucrats and lobbyists. The October report came under withering criticism from health experts, including some at the University of Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis got Ladapo a side gig as a tenured UF professor. Among other objections: was that the number of cardiac deaths, 20, was too few for an adequate sample size and the report lacked clinical findings. The report was not peer reviewed by medical experts. Had the report been issued under the universitys imprimatur, rather than by the Department of Health, UF could justifiably take action against Ladapo. The selective use of pertinent statistics is a major violation of academic integrity. On Twitter, Ladapo dismissed his critics as Fauci enthusiasts. Ladapo is among a tiny minority of medical scientists who oppose COVID-19 vaccines and face masks. Hes entitled to his opinions, however wrong they may be, but not to his own set of facts. His renouncing of vaccines is, of course, why DeSantis hired him. The governors concept of freedom includes not only the right to risk ones own life but to put other lives in peril. Thats the whole point of some of the worst legislation ever introduced in Tallahassee. Like so much else thats wrong this year, its likely to pass as Ladapo also awaits having his job status reaffirmed by a pro-DeSantis, GOP Senate. At that Senate confirmation hearing, Democratic Sen. Tina Polsky of Boca Raton criticized Ladapo for posting a advisory on the health departments home page that appears to discourage people from getting vaccinated. Legislature follows suit The Legislature last year prohibited mandatory masking and vaccination requirements. Now, HB 1013 and SB 252 go far beyond that to forbid all public places, including schools, shops and private businesses, from requiring customers or workers to wear masks, be tested or be vaccinated against COVID. The only exceptions are for laboratories at colleges and schools and for health care facilities. But even that comes with a catch: Health care providers can require masks only for surgery and other clinical purposes. Visitors cannot be compelled to wear them except under policies to be expressly approved by the state. That is bureaucratic meddling on steroids. It gets worse. The bills forbid regulatory boards from disciplining providers for peddling quack advice on social media and requires informed consent before treating patients for COVID-19. That includes talking about the pros and cons of alternative medications. While it doesnt specify Hydroxychloroquine, the anti-parasitic horse medicine Ivermectin or any other quack-touted substances, the intent to promote them is obvious. Florida legislators fancy themselves experts on everything, but these bills are reckless political quackery. The Legislature has no business dictating to doctors how to practice medicine. Nor should it forbid private business owners from protecting themselves, employees and customers from a deadly virus that has killed more than 1.1 million Americans, including more than 86,000 Floridians. America, take notice. All this is driven by the political ambitions of DeSantis, who now has a statewide grand jury investigating vaccine manufacturers. Hes up to something, because the preliminary state budget earmarks $5 million to the attorney general for litigation of COVID-19 vaccines. In a DeSantis White House, whos most likely to run the CDC? Why, that would be Dr. Joseph Ladapo. The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Editorial Page Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Editorial Page Editor Dan Sweeney, and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson. Editorials are the opinion of the Board and written by one of its members or a designee. To contact us, email at letters@sun-sentinel.com. Q: A few years ago, and friend and I bought a small house for both of us to live in. We each have our bedroom and share the kitchen and other areas. We agreed to split the bills, including the monthly mortgage payment. He lost his job a few months ago and stopped paying his share. I have been paying the mortgage myself because I do not want to hurt my credit, but I am getting sick of it. What can I do? John A: Whenever multiple people, other than a married couple, own property together, I recommend that they prepare a co-ownership agreement. This contract will discuss each owners responsibilities and discuss what happens if a problem, such as the one you are facing, occurs. Despite the usefulness of this type of agreement, most people do not take this step. From your question, it appears that you do not have one either. Fortunately, you still have options. The first step when dealing with most disputes is to discuss the problem. Your friend may have options or a new job lined up. If you can agree to a solution, set deadlines, and agree to what happens if the deadline is not met. Agreeing that, for example, if he cannot start keeping up his ends of the bills within a month, you will list the property for sale, can be a good solution. If you agree, put it into writing; remember that if someone can say something, they can sign to the same thing. If you are unable to agree, the law provides a solution. If joint property owners cannot agree on how to use a property, any of the owners can file a partition lawsuit. With this type of suit, the court will split the property as fairly as it can. If this was vacant land or a duplex, this might be as simple as drawing a line down the middle and giving each owner half. However, most homes cannot be split physically like this so that the property will be sold, and the money will be split up after any liens, such as a mortgage, are paid off. While there is an assumption that each owner is entitled to an equal share, the judge can make adjustments to make things fair, such as if one owner had to pay a larger share of the mortgage, like in your situation. Board-certified real estate lawyer Gary Singer writes about industry legal matters and the housing market. To ask him a question, email him at gary@garysingerlaw.com, or go to SunSentinel.com/askpro. Minister K.T. Rama Rao said there is a clear-cut political vacuum in the country which the BRS will fill in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. (Image: Twitter) Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao will set a record as the 'first South Indian CM' to secure a hat-trick victory by winning 90 to 100 seats in the upcoming Assembly elections this year, said BRS working president and IT minister K.T. Rama Rao. In an informal chat with media persons on Wednesday on the eve of BRS plenary on Thursday, Rama Rao said there is a clear-cut political vacuum in the country which the BRS will fill in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. He made it clear that the Congress is the BRS main rival, and that the BJP will lose deposit in the 100 constituencies in the December 2023 Assembly polls. He categorically stated the BRS will not ally with either the Congress or the BJP in future under any circumstances, adding that both the parties have failed miserably in putting the state and the country on the growth trajectory. Rama Rao slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him the "most corrupt, inept, inefficient, and incompetent PM" in the country. "The BJP's social presence is low, but its social media presence is high. The BJP's emergence as a powerful political force in Telangana is a fantasy and hype manufactured by the party on social media platforms. The BJP lost deposit in 108 seats in the 2018 Assembly polls and this time it will lose deposit in 100 seats. We consider Congress as our main rival and not BJP," Rama Rao said. On the TRS's rebranding as the BRS, he remarked, "KCR did this with the aim to introduce the Telangana model to the rest of the country and to expose Golmaal Gujarat. If Narendra Modi can become the PM in 2014 and 2019 by showcasing the "fake Gujarat model, why can't KCR enter the national political firmament by showing the Telangana model". He stated that Telangana is the only state in the country to provide uninterrupted power supply to all sectors, 24x7 free power to agriculture, Rs 10,000 per acre Rythu Bandhu, Rs 5 lakh free insurance under Rythu Bima, supply treated tap water to every household through Mission Bhagiratha, purchase entire foodgrains for MSP in both kharif and rabi seasons each year, one of the top contributors to Indias GDP, top state in per capita income and per capita power consumption, top state in IT job creation,100 per cent ODF villages and this list is endless. "Can Gujarat model boast of achieving at least one achieved by the Telangana model," he asked. Terming Chandrashekar Rao as a successful Chief Minister for two terms who achieved "balances, holistic, integrated and inclusive growth" in Telangana state in the last nine years, Rama Rao said, "Telangana topped in IT exports growth and at the same time topped in agriculture production. Telangana won 30% awards for best villages and at the same time won highest best municipality awards. It witnessed the highest industrial growth. At the same time, Telangana topped the country in increasing green cover through Haritha Haram. Show at least one state which achieved this kind of balanced growth in all sectors." He went on to say that Telangana state has become a role model in the country and that "this model needs to be introduced to the rest of the country. We have chosen Maharashtra as our first field. We are getting a huge response there. BRS will soon expand to Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and other states." Stating that the party is in no hurry to contest all the 545 Lok Sabha seats, he noted, "This will depend on the political situation prevailing at that time. It took several decades for BJP to increase its tally in Lok Sabha from 2 to 300. We will proceed as per the mood of the people at that time," he stated. 'Myth BJP is a strong political force' "The BJP's social presence is low, but its social media presence is high. The BJP's emergence as a powerful political force in Telangana is a myth and hype manufactured by the party on social media platforms." 'We achieved balanced growth' "Telangana topped in IT exports growth and at the same time topped in agriculture production. Telangana won 30% awards for best villages and at the same time won highest best municipality awards. It witnessed the highest industrial growth. At the same time, Telangana topped the country in increasing green cover through Haritha Haram. Show at least one state which achieved this kind of balanced growth in all sectors." said K.T.Rama Rao, BRS working president, minister Telugu Desam chief N. Chandrababu Naidu interacts with farm workers at Pedakurapadu in Guntur District on Wednesday. (Photo: DC) Vijayawada: Telugu Desam chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu has promised Muslims that he would restore the Dulhan scheme for minorities, without any conditions, if he returns to power in the 2024 Assembly polls. Naidu toured Pedakurapadu constituency in Palnadu district on Wednesday and addressed a meeting of the minorities in Dharanikota. The TD chief said, "We will pass a special law if necessary to check attacks against Muslim places of worship. If necessary we will make a sub plan for Muslims. I request the minority brothers to bless the TD wholeheartedly in the upcoming elections." Naidu said the YSRC government stopped the Dulhan scheme, saying it had no funds, but Jagan Mohan Reddy "looted" 1,000 crore so far in the form of advertisements for his Sakshi newspaper. "Why did Jagan Mohan Reddy not give funds to the Dulhan, Ramzan Tofa, Dukan-Makan schemes by using the thousand crores," he asked. The TD chief said he was interacting with the minorities to know their sentiments and problems and he would implement a proper action plan for them in future. "NTR set up the minority corporation. The minority commission was also formulated by the TD government," he said. Naidu said that when he became chief minister in 2014, he had declared Urdu as the second language in 13 districts of AP. The TD government had built Haj houses in Vijayawada and Kadapa, started Urdu University in Kurnool and a sum of 50,000 was provided under the Dulhan scheme to the minorities without any conditions, he said. Naidu said Jagan Mohan Reddy introduced a new rule that both the Muslim couple must have completed 10th Standard and lived in the state in order to be qualified for the Dulhan scheme. "Why did Jagan Mohan Reddy not set any such rule for his advisers? I promise you that when the TD government comes to power, it will implement the previous Dulhan scheme without any such conditions." Naidu claimed that the TD government implemented 4 per cent reservation for Muslims by fighting the case in the High Court and the Supreme Court. The then Congress government did not implement the reservations for minorities. "The TD government respected the sentiments of the minorities by providing them financial assistance for the repair of 316 dargahs, funded for the construction of 1,385 mosques, 43 graveyards, 65 Eidgahs and 164 Muslim prayer halls," he claimed. The former chief minister also claimed that the TD government offered honorarium to Imams and Maujans for the first time in the country. It also implemented a scheme for foreign education for Muslims, under which 567 youths went abroad. Naidu promised to revive the foreign education scheme for the Muslim youth. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav with former MP Anand Mohan attend engagement function of MLA Chetan Anand, in Patna, (PTI) Patna: Former Bihar MP Anand Mohan, serving a life sentence for the killing of Krishnaiah, was released on Tuesday morning along with 26 others who have been lodged in different prisons of the state for more than 14 years. A notification to the effect was issued late Monday evening, when, incidentally, Mohan, who has been on parole, was celebrating the engagement of his son Chetan Anand, who is a sitting MLA of the ruling RJD in the state. Anand, the gangster-turned-politician was convicted for the murder of former Gopalganj district magistrate G Krishnaiah, a Dalit IAS officer, in 1994. According to reports, Krishnaiah died after his car was attacked during the funeral procession of a gangster Chotan Shukla. Anand Mohan was part of the procession, and Muzaffarpur police had charge-sheeted him for provoking his supporters to commit the crime. Uma Krishnaiah, the widow of slain Dalit IAS officer, urged the Bihar government to withdraw the decision claiming it would set a bad precedent and have serious implications for the entire society. "We are not happy and feel it was a wrong decision. It shows how caste politics in Bihar influences such decisions. He is a Rajput and can help attract Rajput votes. why else would the government release a criminal? He will be given an election ticket so that he can attract Rajput votes," she said. The order of the Bihar government has drawing ire from the Dalit community. Amar Jyoti, the Bihar in-charge of Bhim Army's Bharat Ekta Mission, on Wednesday moved Patna High Court against the state government's order. Amar Jyoti, through his Public Interest Litigation (PIL), alleged that the Nitish Kumar government tweaked the state's jail manual to "favour criminals". Earlier, a group representing central civil services officers expressed "deep dismay" at the Bihar government's decision to change the prison manual which set Anand Mohan free. In a statement, the Indian Civil and Administrative Service (Central) Association said this is "tantamount to denial of justice" and urged the state government to reconsider its decision. "The Central IAS Association expresses its deep dismay at the decision of the state government of Bihar to release the convicts of the brutal killing of G Krishnaiah, IAS, former district magistrate of Gopalganj, by a change in classification rules of prisoners," it said The statement asserted that a convict of the charge of murder of a public servant on duty, cannot be re-classified to a less heinous category. Amendment of an existing classification which leads to the release of the convicted killer of a public servant on duty is tantamount to denial of justice, it said. "Such dilution leads to impunity, erosion in morale of public servants, undermines public order and makes a mockery of administration of justice," it said. The association urged the Bihar government to reconsider its decision at the earliest. NCP chief Sharad Pawar. (FIle Photo: PTI) Mumbai: NCP chief Sharad Pawar has hinted at a major shuffle in the party. Pawars statement that "Bhakri must be flipped otherwise it will burn," assumes significance amidst the rumbling in the NCP. It could be a message to Ajit Pawar, whose future political moves are a mystery. Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil is also said to be restless because of Ajit's dominance in the party. Speaking at an event organised by the NCPs youth wing in Mumbai, the senior Pawar said, "Bhakri must be flipped, otherwise it will burn. Therefore, it is time to flip it. We cannot delay it anymore." Pawars comment is seen as an indication of major changes in the NCP. There are reports that Ajit is trying to rally party MLAs, in case the NCP gets an opportunity to pick its CM. Such a situation will arise if Eknath Shinde and 15 other Shiv Sena MLAs are disqualified under the anti-defection law after the Supreme Court order. In that case, the NCP will become the single largest party in the MVA and can push for the CM's post either as part of MVA or with the help from the BJP. However, Sharad Pawar is not too happy with Ajits domination in the party. According to sources, he wants to elevate Jayant Patils stature in the party. so that Ajit can be kept in check. A former state minister, who did not wish to be named, said, "After Uddhav Thackeray resigned from the chief minister's post and Shinde formed the government, Sharad Pawar had promised the post of the Leader of Opposition to Patil. But Ajit did not budge and grabbed the post. Patil is still unhappy over it." However, this was not the first time that Ajit has frustrated Patil. The minister said that Ajit's revolt in 2019, when he tried to form a government with Devendra Fadnavis, was done to stop Sharad Pawar from making Patil the deputy chief minister. "Ajit was not the DCM of Sharad Pawar's choice. He wanted Jayant Patil on the post. Ajit realised it and moved swiftly to take oath as the DCM with Fadnavis as the CM. Though that government lasted for only 80 hours, it forced Sharad Pawar to accept Ajit as his party's DCM candidate," he said. Ajit Pawar on Thursday said he would pay attention to Sharad Pawar, the same way Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray paid to his. Though Ajit's comment was retort to Raj's 'advice' to him, it is pertinent to note that the MNS chief parted ways with his uncle and Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray, in 2006 to start his own outfit. In an interview conducted by Amruta Fadnavis and NCP MP Amol Kolhe, Raj said that Ajit Pawar should pay his uncle the same kind of attention he pays outside. Meanwhile, despite Ajit Pawar himself expressing his displeasure, posters claiming him as the future CM continue to come in the state. Banners proclaiming him as a "future CM" have also been put up in Ulhasnagar, Dharashiv (Osmanabad) and Nagpur among other places. Some of the party legislators are also publicly calling him the future CM. NCP MLC, while speaking at an event said, "Ajit Pawar is the people's choice as the CM. There is no other leader in Maharashtra as capable as Ajit Pawar to run the state. And it will happen. Just wait for a few more days." The talks about Ajit's bid for the CM post have started after the NCP leader expressed his desire for the post earlier this week. To a question whether the NCP will get its chief minister in 2024, Ajit had said, "Why 2024? We can claim it even today." Union Minister for Home Affairs and Cooperation Amit Shah with members of Dimasa National Liberation Army (DNLA) during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between DNLA and the Government of Assam, in New Delhi, Thursday, April 27, 2023. (PTI Photo/Kamal Kishore) NEW DELHI: A tribal insurgent group that operated mostly in Assam's Dima Hasao district signed a tripartite agreement with the Centre and the state government on Thursday to shun violence and join the mainstream. The Dimasa National Liberation Army (DNLA) signed the Memorandum of Settlement in presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in New Delhi. After the group signed the peace accord, Shah said Assam no longer has any tribal militant group. "With this, all tribal militant groups in Assam have joined the mainstream," he said. The home minister described the pact as "another significant milestone" towards making the Northeast insurgency-free by 2024 and fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of turning it into a peaceful and prosperous region. Shah said the prime minister has put forth the vision of a terror-free, violence-free and developed Northeast and the Ministry of Home Affairs is moving forward in this direction under the guidance of Modi. DNLA representatives have agreed to abjure violence, surrender all arms and ammunition, disband their armed organisation, vacate all camps and join the peaceful democratic process as established by the law, the home minister said. As a result, more than 168 DNLA cadres are joining the mainstream by laying down their arms. The home minister said the pact will bring a complete end to insurgency in Dima Hasao district. Chief Minister Sarma said DNLA had deposited some arms before the peace pact was signed and they would surrender the rest in the coming days. "The cadres of DNLA will now work in tandem with the government for peace, development and stability not only in Dima Hasao district but the state as a whole," Sarma said. He said his government has been working for lasting peace and development in Assam under the guidance of Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Shah. Under the agreement, the Assam government will have to set up a welfare council to protect, preserve and promote social, cultural, linguistic identity of the Dimasa people to meet political, economic and educational aspirations. The government will also have to ensure speedy and focused development of the Dimasa people residing outside the jurisdiction of the existing autonomous council, according to an official release. The agreement also provides for appointment of a commission under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to examine the demand for inclusion of villages touching North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC). It also provides for necessary measures to be taken by the Centre and the Assam government to rehabilitate the surrendered armed cadres of DNLA. For all-round development of the NCHAC and the Dimasa people in other parts of the state, the Centre and the Assam government will provide a special package of Rs 500 crore each over a period of five years. On September 2021, the DNLA declared a unilateral ceasefire for six months following an appeal by the Assam chief minister. the group had been extending the ceasefire since then. The DNLA ceasefire came two weeks after the insurgent group allegedly fired on a convoy of seven trucks in the Dima Hasao district, killing five people and injuring one. The DNLA was established in April 2019 with a stated aim to carve out a sovereign territory for the Dimasa people and launched an armed insurgency to achieve its goal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches the book 'Saurashtra-Tamil Sangamprashastih' by Shree Somnath Sanskrit University during the closing ceremony of Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam via video conference (PTI) NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that India has the power to innovate even in the toughest of circumstances as it faces forces that threaten to break it and put hurdles in the way of its target for 2047. Virtually addressing the closing ceremony of "Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam", the Prime Minister said that India is a country that celebrates its diversities that do not divide us but strengthen our bonds and relationships. "Today we have the target of India in 2047 (to make India a developed nation). We also have the challenges of the era of slavery and the period of seven decades after that. We have to take the country forward, but on the way, there will be forces that will threaten to break us and people to mislead us. India has the power to innovate even in the toughest of circumstances; the shared history of Saurashtra and Tamil Nadu assures us of this," Mr Modi said. The Prime Minister remembered the attack on Somnath by the foreign invaders and the resultant exodus of people from Saurashtra to Tamil Nadu and said that those moving from one part of the country to another never worried about the new language, people or environment. He pointed out that a large number of people migrated from Saurashtra to Tamil Nadu to protect their faith and identity. The people of Tamil Nadu welcomed them with open arms and extended all facilities to them for a new life. "What can be a bigger and stronger example of Ek Bharat, Shresth Bharat?," the Prime Minister asked. Mr Modi noted that India has to move forward towards nation-building by bringing together this shared cultural heritage. "We are a people who celebrate diversity. We celebrate different languages and dialects, different arts and different knowledge. There is diversity everywhere -- from our faith to our spirituality. Such diversities do not divide us but strengthen our bonds and relationships. We know that when different streams come together, they merge and create a confluence. Therefore, from the confluence of rivers to that of ideas in events like Kumbh, we have been enriching these traditions for centuries," he said. Mr Modi pointed out that it is this power of confluence that is being taken forward in a new form through the Saurashtra-Tamil Sangamam event. The Prime Minister mentioned that as the country completes 75 years of Independence, it has invoked a sense of pride in its heritage. "The pride in our heritage will grow as we get to know ourselves better by freeing ourselves of our slave mentality. A celebration like Saurashtra-Tamil Sangamam is a fulfilment of the dreams of thousands and lakhs of freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives and dreamt of Ek Bharat, Sreshth Bharat,'" he said. Mr Modi said that there is a lot in common between Gujarat and Tamil Nadu that was deliberately kept out of our knowledge. "The knowledge of the escape of people from Saurashtra to Tamil Nadu during the era of foreign invasion remained limited to some historians. But even before that, there has been a deep relation between these two states since time immemorial," the Prime Minister said. He remarked that the event is the confluence of the commitment of patriotism of Sardar Patel and Subramania Bharati, the iconic Tamil poet. "We have to move forward by taking these commitments and cultural heritage for nation-building," he said. Quoting the great saint Thiruvallavar, the Prime Minister said that happiness, prosperity and fortune come to those who happily welcome others into their homes and emphasised the need for harmony and shunning cultural clashes. "We don't have to take forward the struggles; we have to take forward the sangams and samagams. We don't want to find differences; we want to make emotional connections," he said. Mr Modi said that the immortal tradition of India, which takes everyone along with inclusiveness and moves forward, has been showcased by those who adopted the Tamil culture but at the same time remembered the language, food and customs of Saurashtra. The Prime Minister expressed delight that the contributions of our forefathers are being carried forward with a sense of duty. He urged everyone to invite people from different parts of the country in the same way at the local level and give them an opportunity to live and breathe India and expressed confidence that the Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam will prove to be a historic initiative in that direction. Union Minister for Home Affairs and Cooperation Amit Shah with members of Dimasa National Liberation Army (DNLA) during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between DNLA and the Government of Assam, in New Delhi, Thursday. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: The Dimasa National Liberation Army (DNLA), an insurgent group operating mostly in Assams Dima Hasao district, on Thursday signed a peace agreement with the government in the presence of Union home minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. After the group signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU), the home minister said Assam no longer has any tribal militant group. "With this, all tribal militant groups in Assam have joined the mainstream," Shah said. According to the memorandum of understanding (MoU), the DNLA will lay down the arms and abide by the Constitution. A total of 179 DNLA cadres will surrender their arms and ammunition. The central and state governments will provide 500 crore each for the development of the Dimasa tribal areas. On September 2021, the DNLA had declared a unilateral ceasefire for a period of six months following an appeal by the chief minister. The ceasefire has been extended since then. BRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao inducts leaders and workers of various political parties from Maharashtra into the BRS' fold at Telangana Bhavan in Hyderabad. (Photo by arrangement) HYDERABAD: BRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao announced that the BRS will function on a full scale in Maharashtra within a month after the constitution of the party committees from village-level to state-level. The party committees will be formed exclusively for farmers, women, youth, students, Dalits, among others. The party will hold a mega farmers' rally in Maharashtra with over 10 lakh farmers with the main slogan of "Ab ki baar, kisan sarkar", he stated while addressing a meeting at Telangana Bhavan on Wednesday. Several local leaders and workers from various political parties in Maharashtra joined the BRS in his presence. Rao said the BRS was "born to introduce the Telangana model" of welfare schemes and development programmes to the rest of the country. He said when Telangana could implement Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bima, free power to agriculture, purchase of entire food grains from farmers for MSP, irrigation to every acre etc, why can't Maharashtra, which is richer than Telangana implement. "There is no dearth of funds in Maharashtra. In fact, Maharashtra is richer than Telangana. Maharashtra's capital Mumbai is known as the financial capital of India. The state has abundant natural and financial resources. Despite this, there is shortage of power, irrigation and drinking water in Maharashtra. This proves that the successive governments in Maharashtra had miserably failed to provide even basic needs to people," Rao said. He said the BRS political march in Maharashtra will begin with upcoming zilla parishad elections. He urged the party leaders and workers who joined the BRS to take the Telangana model to every doorstep aggressively and seek people's support to the BRS. Prime Minister and senior BJP leader Narendra Modi speaks during an interaction with party workers from Karnataka ahead of the Karnataka Assembly polls, via a video conference (PTI) New Delhi: Sharing winning tips with BJP workers in the poll-bound state of Karnataka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday sounded confident that Kannadigas would vote for the "double engine sarkar" as they know whenever the BJP is given a chance to serve, the speed of development increases manifold. Urging the BJP cadre to strengthen the partys organisational presence at the booth level, the PM said it was the duty of a karyakarta to ensure each and every member of a family in their particular booth cast his or her vote as Karnataka had decided to give its blessings to the party, that doesnt believe in the "revdi culture" of distributing freebies) like the Congress. The PM is due to go on the campaign trail in the state from Saturday, when he is scheduled to address six public meetings and hold two roadshows in two days. The PM, who was addressing the BJP cadre virtually and also replying to their questions, attacked the Congress, calling it the "biggest source of corruption" and said its politics was all about staying in power rather than serving the people. Mr Modi said the Congress has promoted the "revdi culture" in the country, which had left some states with huge debts. For the Karnataka election, the Congress has already announced "guarantees", including 200 units of free power for all households (Gruha Jyoti), Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head of every family (Gruha Lakshmi), and Rs 3,000 every month for graduate youth and Rs 1,500 for diploma holders (both in 18-25 age group) for two years (YuvaNidhi) if the party comes to power in the state. The BJP had earlier said that about 50 lakh workers from 58,112 booths would be attending the "virtual rally" of the Prime Minister. "In our country some political parties have made politics the means of power and corruption, to achieve this, they are using all means like saam, dham, dhand, bedh. These political parties don't think about the future of the country, future generation of Karnataka, its youth, women," Mr Modi said. He said that because of this freebie politics, several states are making large-scale spending for the sake of partisan politics, which is also eating into the "share" of future generations. "The country cannot be run like this, governments cannot be run like this. Governments have to think about the future, along with the present. Governments cannot run just for day-to-day needs, they have to work on asset creation, so that the lives of families are on track for decades," Mr Modi said. Asserting that the BJP does not believe in taking shortcuts, Mr Modi said: "The BJP doesn't think about five years of its own rule, but thinks about the country. We don't think about the party but think about the country. We don't think just about present electoral politics but about taking India ahead in the next 25 years." Attacking the Congress for its "revdi culture" in Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan, the PM said their poll guarantees have still remained as guarantee. "Congress means guarantee of corruption, guarantee of nepotism Congress has reached a stage where it cannot give true guarantees, you are aware that the Congress warranty has expired, then what is the meaning of its guarantees?" Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati. (PTI Photo) ADILABAD: The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will hold a Telangana Bharosa Sabha in Hyderabad on May 7 in the presence of party president Mayawati, UP former chief minister. The plan is to hold the meeting at the Saroornagar ground. The meeting aims to extend bharosa to unemployed youth as also women and farmers and other sections who were deprived of their rights under the BRS, the party said. Indian nationals evacuated from violence-hit Sudan under Operation Kaveri, on their arrival at the IGI Airport in New Delhi, Wednesday, April 26, 2023. (PTI) NEW DELHI: Over 250 Indians were evacuated from Sudan on Wednesday onboard two Indian Air Force (IAF) C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft from Port Sudan to the Saudi city of Jeddah, from where they will be brought back home. "The first C-130 lands in Jeddah with another 121 passengers. They will be reaching home soon... A second IAF C-130J flight departs Port Sudan for Jeddah, carrying another 135 passengers. This is the third batch of evacuees under #OperationKaveri," the MEA tweeted. The first batch of 278 Indians was evacuated by the Indian Navy's frontline ship INS Sumedha on Tuesday. According to official data, the total number of Indians evacuated so far from Sudan stands at around 530. Under its evacuation mission, Operation Kaveri, India has set up a transit facility in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah. After their extraction from Sudan all evacuated Indians have been taken to the Saudi Arabian city. From Jeddah, India is set to bring back its ctizizens home in the IAF military transport aircraft. Minister of state for external affairs V. Muraleedharan has reached Jeddah to oversee the evacuation mission. India had on Sunday said it has put "contingency plans in place" that include evacuation operations by air and sea for over 3,000 stranded Indian nationals in Sudan. New Delhi had on Sunday said, "It is in regular touch with the stranded Indians in Sudan and is advising them on the viability of safe movement and the need to avoid unnecessary risk." Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday came down heavily on the Congress alleging that it used mazhab (meaning religion in Urdu) to come to power. Singh also slammed the party for having introduced four per cent reservation, in its earlier term, on religious lines in Karnataka, saying it had been done only to appease Muslims. If there is any political party in the history of India which took the support of dharma, or rather, 'mazhab' to come to power, then it is Congress, Singh said, addressing a public meeting at Kagwad in Belagavi district. Karnataka votes on May 10, with the results slated to be declared on May 13. The Congress does the "politics of Hindu, Muslim and Christians", Singh said. "Politics of this sort should never ever be done." Also Read | Quota: Govt ably justifying its stand, says Bommai Only to appease Muslims, the four per cent reservation was given on religious lines, he alleged. We will welcome if an economically-weaker Muslim or a Christian gets reservation benefits but the Constitution of India does not permit religion-based reservation, the Defence Minister said. Just days before the Model Code of Conduct came into force, the BJP government in Karnataka scrapped four per cent reservation for Muslims under 2B category of the Other Backward Castes. After making 2B redundant, the Karnataka government split the four per cent reservation, giving two per cent each to the two dominant communities of the state, Vokkaligas in 2C and Lingayats in 2D category. Muslims were then placed in the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category. Various Muslim bodies have approached the Supreme Court, which has directed the Karnataka government not to implement its decision until it hears the matter on May 9. What are you doing? You want to divide the country on the basis of caste, sect and religion? So far as the BJP is concerned, we will speak and do what is true, Singh said. Singh alleged that the Congress had been working against the spirit of the Indian constitution. He also stated that politics was not merely about forming a government but about building a society and the nation. He accused the Congress of having committed contempt against the Constitution "just as it had done in 1975 by amending the Constitution" and thrusted the Emergency upon the nation and imprisoned lakhs of people. The minister claimed that the BJP could "never do such a sin" whether it came to power or not. Also, the party "never did politics to form a government", but to build the nation and society, he claimed. We cannot work against the ethos of the nation. This is our thinking". Singh said there is "nothing hidden" about the character of BJP as the entire world knows about it. The BJP never believes in discrimination on the lines of caste, creed and religion. The BJP believes in insaaf aur insaaniyat (justice and humanity), he claimed. He added that the BJP followed the principles of 12th Century social reformer of Karnataka Basaveshwara. The BJP is playing its role in India by following the principles of Basaveshwara, the minister said. Singh appealed to the people of Karnataka to give BJP a two-thirds majority in the 224-member Assembly. There is only one party, which can eradicate corruption, end poverty and unemployment and it is the BJP, he said. Speaking about various development works taking place in the country, Singh said there were 74 airports in India earlier, which had increased to 140 in just nine years of Narendra Modi rule. The helicopter manufacturing unit of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in Tumakuru will produce Make in India helicopters, he said. He also claimed that the Centre handled covid like no other countries by giving free vaccines to people. Nowhere in the world free ration is given the way it is still being given in India to 80 crore people. All this was possible due to the BJP government, Singh claimed. When Modi gave a call for promotion of the digital payments system, many ridiculed him saying how the less educated villagers would use technology. I would like to give you data about the transactions taking place through the Unified Payment Interface. In March 2023 alone, Rs 14 lakh crore worth UPI transactions took place, the minister said. Speaking about the BJPs steps against corruption, Singh said in the past nine years Rs 1.1 lakh crore worth properties have been seized whereas during the 10 years of Congress-led United Progressive Alliance governments rule, only Rs 10,000 crore worth properties had been seized. Hailing the diplomacy of the Modi government, Singh said despite the civil war-like situation in Sudan, the first batch of Indians had been brought to India. He also recalled the evacuation of Indian citizens in the midst of war between Russia and Ukraine, and claimed it was done by "managing to stop the clashes" for six hours. This could not have been achieved by the Prime Minister of a weak nation. Only a Prime Minister of a strong nation can talk like this, the minister said. In 1990, during the Kuwait war, as many as 1.7 lakh Indians were airlifted from the strife-torn country within just two months -- the largest ever civilian evacuation in history. "There was an impression about India in the past that the country was poor but now India has left the UK behind and become one of the top five economies of the world," the minister said. The Congress on Thursday returned fire at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remarks that his opponent cannot fulfil its guarantees as "its warranty has expired", saying the people of Karnataka would end the "40 per cent BJP Sarkara", and all promises made by the Congress will be implemented. The sharp retort came after Modi in his virtual address to BJP workers in Karnataka found fault with the Congress alleging that its poll promises elsewhere had remained just promises while attacking 'freebie' culture". Also Read Congress's warranty expired, its guarantees have no meaning: PM Modi to Karnataka BJP workers Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said in a series of tweets, "After Amit Shah and Yogi, now it's Modis turn to make outrageous comments due to despair and desperation." After Amit Shah & Yogi, now its Modis turn to make outrageous comments due to despair & desperation. On May 10th, people of Karnataka will guarantee the end of the BJP 40% Commission Sarkara. A few days later Congress Guarantees will be implemented like we have in RJ, CH & HP. pic.twitter.com/tgigfmLmcM Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) April 27, 2023 "On May 10, people of Karnataka will guarantee the end of the BJP's 40 per cent Commission Sarkara. A few days later, Congress guarantees will be implemented like we have in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh," he said as he listed the promises implemented in Congress-ruled states. Also read BJP is facing the fire of dissidence in Karnataka, says Jairam Ramesh He said the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan has implemented Old Pension Scheme, 125 days of work under Indira Gandhi Urban Employment scheme, free emergency treatment in private and government hospitals under right to health and Rs 25 lakh insurance in private hospitals and Rs 10 lakh insurance under Chiranjeevi Yojana. Referring to Chhattisgarh, he said the Bhupesh Baghel government has fulfilled promises of loan waiver -- Rs 9,270 crore loan of 17.87 lakh farmers, Rs 2,500/quintal for paddy farmers, Rajiv Gandhi Kissan Nyay Yojna, Rs 9,000/acre input subsidy for farmers and Old Pension Scheme. "Himachal Pradesh government's promises fulfilled:-- Old Pension Scheme implemented; Rs 1,500 minimum to women: 2.5 lakh women have been covered in the first phase," he added. Joe Biden is set to become the first sitting US president in at least a century to visit Papua New Guinea, Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko said Thursday, revealing plans for a brief but symbolic trip. Biden plans to stop at Port Moresby in May as he travels between a G7 summit in Japan and a Quad summit in Sydney, Australia, the foreign minister said. "He is coming on the 22nd, in the morning, and will be here for three hours only," Tkatchenko said, adding that talks were expected to focus on the economy, security and climate change. Also Read | Joe Biden casts himself as defender of freedom in 2024 ad pitch Biden's trip may put the finishing touches on a US-Papua New Guinea Defence Cooperation Agreement that would allow more joint training and the development of security infrastructure. The presidential trip is a nod toward Papua New Guinea's rapidly growing strategic importance, as the United States and its allies tussle with China for influence across the Asia-Pacific. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Port Moresby in 2018 to much fanfare, with Chinese flags hoisted across the capital and his motorcade whizzing past gathered crowds. The trip was seen as a major diplomatic coup for Beijing. US and Australian officials have been concerned by a rapid uptick in Chinese investment in the resource-rich Melanesian nation. There have also been concerns that China has been trying to establish a military outpost, prompting Washington to move toward establishing a joint naval facility at Lombrum on Manus Island. Construction started in mid-2020, according to Australia's Department of Defence, which is also taking part in the initiative. Four Guardian-class patrol boats are eventually expected to be based at the facility. A series of US secretaries of state have visited in the past, including Hillary Clinton and then US vice president Mike Pence in 2018, who stepped in when president Donald Trump cancelled his attendance at a regional summit. According to State Department records, which date back to Theodore Roosevelt's administration in 1901, no sitting US president has visited Papua New Guinea. But the importance of the region has come more sharply into focus since China and the Solomon Islands agreed on a security pact in 2022. The details of the agreement have not been made public -- at Beijing's request -- but a draft, seen by AFP, has provisions that would allow China to deploy troops to the country. Washington and other capitals have expressed concern that Beijing could also establish a military outpost. In March, a state-backed Chinese company won a contract to develop the international port in the capital Honiara, a major victory in Beijing's quest to gain a strategic toe-hold in the South Pacific. The region could prove vital in any possible military conflagration over Taiwan. India has either moved to safer places or evacuated nearly half of its citizens from the conflict zones of Sudan, even as the situation in the Northeastern African nation worsened even before the ceasefire between the two warring groups of soldiers expired. New Delhi is now focussing its efforts to get the remaining citizens of India stranded in the conflict zones of Sudan out of harms way, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said on Thursday. The situation on the ground is very complex, highly volatile and unpredictable. We have been in touch with both the SAF (Sudanese Armed Forces) and the RSF (Rapid Support Forces). Our relations have been good, he said in New Delhi, briefing journalists on the progress of Operation Kaveri, which India launched to evacuate its citizens from Sudan. Kwatra said that India was in touch with all sides to get its citizens out from Khartoum and the other conflict zones in the country first to safer areas and then to Port Sudan for evacuation to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Also Read | 'With limited staff, Indian embassy in Sudan did unlimited work' The Indian Navy has deployed its patrol vessel, INS Sumedha, as well as its frigates INS Teg and INS Tarkash to ferry the evacuees from Port Sudan the main seaport of Sudan on the Red Sea to Jeddah Islamic Port. The Indian Air Force (IAF) deployed two C140J aircraft to fly evacuees from Port Sudan to Jeddah. The evacuees are being flown from Jeddah to New Delhi and Mumbai onboard chartered aircraft as well as the transport planes of the IAF. Kwatra said that about 3100 Indians living in Sudan had registered with New Delhis diplomatic mission in Khartoum. Besides, an additional 300 had been in touch with the Embassy of India in the capital of Sudan, which had also been the home to about 900 to 1,000 PIOs (Persons of Indian Origins), added the Foreign Secretary. "Our objective and target is to take the stranded Indians out of harm's way as early as possible...Our effort is to get every stranded Indian out of harm's way and into an area of relative safety and then to Port Sudan and back here (India)," said the Foreign Secretary. "It was like we were on a deathbed," recalled a relieved Sukhvinder Singh from Haryana as he arrived at the Delhi airport from Saudi Arabia on Wednesday night after being evacuated from strife-torn Sudan. In his mid-40s, the engineer was among the first batch of 360 Indian nationals who returned home under India's 'Operation Kaveri' evacuation mission. Singh, a native of Faridabad in Haryana, recalled his ordeal in Sudan and said he was "still very scared". Also Read | First batch of 360 Indians evacuated from Sudan reach India "We were living in one area, confined to one room. It was like we were on a deathbed," he told PTI before making his way home. India has evacuated at least 670 Indian nationals from Sudan and is looking to rescue more of its citizens from the strife-torn African nation before the end of a tenuous ceasefire between the regular army and a paramilitary force. Chhotu, a factory worker who hails from Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, was in a state of disbelief and exclaimed, "'Marke wapas aa gaya (have returned after almost dying)'." "Now, I will never return to Sudan. I will do anything in this country but won't go back," he told PTI shortly after landing at the Indira Gandhi International Airport's Terminal 3. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar took to Twitter to share images of the evacuees after their arrival at the Delhi airport. "India welcomes back its own. Operation Kaveri brings 360 Indian nationals to the homeland as first flight reaches New Delhi," he tweeted. At the airport's Terminal 3, as people deboarded the aircraft of Saudia -- a Saudi Arabian airline -- and slowly streamed on to the arrivals lounge area, smiles could be seen on the faces of many who went through tense moments over the past few days. Many waved emphatically, displaying a visible sign of relief, while others shook hands on the skybridge as they were welcomed on their return. Several were seen carrying their luggage, accompanied by children. They also obliged a few photographers with pictures upon their safe return. Tasmer Singh (60), an evacuee who hails from Hoshiarpur in Punjab, described his experience during the ongoing strife as horrifying. "We were like a dead body, roaming in a small house without power, water. We never imagined that we will face this kind of a situation in our lives but thank God, we are alive," he said. Sudan has been witnessing deadly fighting between the country's army and a paramilitary group for the last 12 days that has reportedly left around 400 people dead. India stepped up its efforts to evacuate the Indians from Sudan after a 72-hour truce was agreed between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces following intense negotiations. The batch of Indian nationals evacuated from Sudan who landed in Delhi heaved a sigh of relief after returning to their homeland. Among the evacuees who reached Delhi airport in the Saudia flight, 19 are from Kerala, state government officials said. Under 'Operation Kaveri', India is taking the evacuees to the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah from where they are returning home. India has set up a transit facility in Jeddah and Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan is overseeing the evacuation mission from the Saudi Arabian city. Sukhwinder Singh, the engineer, also narrated how difficult it was to travel during the strife in Sudan. "We contacted the Indian embassy and buses for around 200 people were arranged. A road trip was very risky. Only God knows how we reached Port Sudan," he said. He said the warring groups can shoot anybody "depending on their mood". "It depends on the mood of the individual. If we say we are Indians, they let us go," the Faridabad native said. Meanwhile, IndiGo said it has offered services for charter flights to Jeddah under 'Operation Kaveri'. "We are still awaiting details from the ministry to launch these flights, nothing has been confirmed as of yet," the airline said in a statement. The Indian Air Force's transport aircraft brought to Jeddah 392 Indians from Port Sudan on Wednesday, a day after an Indian Navy ship rescued 278 citizens from that country. The total number of Indians evacuated so far from Sudan stands at 670, according to official data. The first batch of 278 Indians were evacuated from Port Sudan by the Indian Navy's frontline ship INS Sumedha on Tuesday. Several states have opened help desks and announced assistance such as free travel and lodging for Indians evacuated from Sudan once they arrive in the country. The Kerala government said it would make necessary arrangements to bring Malayalis evacuated from Sudan by the Centre to the state. The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday opened a help desk at the resident commissioner's office in Delhi for people from the state trapped in Sudan, a senior official said in Lucknow. The Rajasthan government has decided to bear the transportation expense of all migrants from the state after they land in Delhi. The government will also arrange for boarding and lodging for the returnees, officials said. The portals of the Badrinath temple in Uttarakhand were opened on Thursday and the first puja was done on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the shrine's committee said. Thousands of pilgrims had gathered at the Himalayan shrine amid light snowfall and rain to witness the opening of the temple at 7:10 am. They also paid obeisance to lord Vishnu to whom the temple is dedicated to. The temple was decorated with 15 quintals of flowers for the occasion, and after the opening ceremony, its chief priest Ishwari Prasad Namboodiri performed a special puja inside the sanctum sanctorum, praying for the wellbeing of everyone. Also Read | Registration of pilgrims for Kedarnath yatra suspended till Apr 30 in Rishikesh, Haridwar due to bad weather The first puja was done on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee said. Flower petals were also showered on pilgrims from a helicopter. With the opening of Badrinath on Thursday, all Char Dham temples in Uttarakhand are now open for pilgrims. Gangotri and Yamunotri opened on April 22 and Kedarnath on April 25. The temples are closed every year at the onset of winter during which they remain snowbound and reopened with the start of summer. Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee chairman Ajendra Ajay and a number of administrative officials besides thousands of devotees were present on the occasion. With the opening of the temple, visitors have begun to gather at other places of religious and tourist interest around Badrinath such as Bhu-Baikunth dham, Tapt Kund, Narad Kund, Shesh Netra lake, Neel Kanth Shikhar, Urvashi Mandir, Brahma Kapal, Mata Murti Mandir and the country's first village on the India-China border Mana. India on Monday sternly told China that the communist countrys actions along the disputed boundary between the two nations eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and all issues at the Line of Actual Control needed to be resolved in accordance with existing agreements and commitments made by the two sides in the past. Violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations. All issues at the LAC need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and commitments, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told his Chinese counterpart General Li Shangfu here. Gen Li, Chinas State Councillor and Minister of National Defence is in Delhi to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Defence Ministers Meeting. The talk between Singh and Gen Li happened ahead of the multilateral meeting of the regional group on Friday. This is the second bilateral discussion between the defence ministers of the two neighbouring Asian nations since April-May 2020 when tension flared up in eastern Ladakh after Indian Army troops thwarted Peoples Liberation Armys moves to change the status quo at the LAC leading to a prolonged stand-off between the two armies and deployment of thousands of men by New Delhi and Beijing on both sides of the border. Read | Rajnath Singh to chair SCO defence ministers' meeting on April 28 Singh categorically conveyed to Gen Li that development of relations between India and China was premised on prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the borders. He also made it clear that disengagement at the border would logically be followed with de-escalation, a defence ministry spokesperson said in a statement. The spokesperson said two ministers had frank discussions about the developments in the India-China border areas as well as bilateral relations. Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane and other senior officials were part of the delegation that met the Chinese contingent. The crucial meeting involving the ministers took place days after the 18th round of negotiations between top military commanders in eastern Ladakh. The senior officials debated for hours on mutual withdrawal of troops from flashpoints like Depsang plains and Demchock but failed to make a breakthrough. Unlike the previous two rounds, none of the sides issued any statement after the 18th round of negotiations that took place at Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Chinese side of the LAC in eastern Ladakh. China continues to have its PLA troops deployed in Depsang well inside Indian territory and block the Indian Armys access to Patrolling Points 10, 11, 12, 12A and 13 in eastern Ladakh. A face-off is also continuing near Charding-Ninglung Nala in the south of Demchok. Negotiations between the two sides have so far resulted in mutual withdrawal of frontline troops from four places along the LAC in eastern Ladakh Galwan Valley, northern and southern banks of Pangong Tso, Gogra Post and Hot Springs. Read | Russia would like to see normalisation of India-China relations: Russian Ambassador But each disengagement deal involved creation of a no patrol zone, raising eyebrows in New Delhi on whether India can reclaim those areas and patrol the areas that the Indian Army troops used to visit before April 2020. Singh also held bilateral discussions with defence ministers of Iran, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. The SCO membership includes Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan besides India. Apart from the member states, two observer countries Belarus and Iran will also be participating in the SCO meeting. The ministers will discuss matters concerning regional peace and security, counter terrorism efforts within SCO and effective multilateralism. Tamil Nadus principal Opposition party, AIADMK, and BJP have sealed their alliance for the 2024 General Elections after deciding to bury the recent differences caused mainly due to K Annamalais outbursts on the Dravidian outfit and political culture in the state. The decision to continue the alliance was taken at a meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah had with AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami in New Delhi on Wednesday night in the presence of BJP chief J P Nadda. Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai, whose reported statement that he would quit his post if the Central leadership aligned with the AIADMK for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls created a stir in the alliance, was also present in the meeting. The meeting was called to broker peace between AIADMK and Tamil Nadu BJP, which didnt enjoy best of the relations in the past few months. Highly placed sources told DH that leaders of the two parties came to an agreement to continue the alliance for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls on the basis of mutual respect. Both sides agreed that a strong Opposition alliance was vital to defeating the DMK and winning a majority of seats in Tamil Nadu, which sends 39 MPs to the lower house of Parliament. Amit Shah asked the AIADMK general secretary to spell out his stand with regard to Lok Sabha elections. Palaniswami responded saying he was for the AIADMK fighting the polls in an alliance with the BJP. He said the two parties should ensure there is no split in opposition votes, a source in the know told DH. Also Read DMK govt poisoning Tamil Nadu with corruption: BJP It is also believed that Shah sought the opinion of Annamalai to which the former Karnataka-cadre IPS officer said he would abide by the decision of the Central leadership, which is a climbdown for him. The meeting has several significant outcomes with the foremost among them being BJP making it clear that Annamalai is an integral part of the decision-making process vis-a-vis TN. By inviting Annamalai for the meeting and making him sit opposite Palaniswami, Shah has also made it clear that the AIADMK will have to deal with the state BJP leadership. Another message was to Annamalai that he should stop criticising the AIADMK in public and instead work together with the Dravidian party, even as he continues to build the BJP. For the record, Palaniswami said there was no trouble with Annamalai and asserted that the alliance continues. This is in sharp contrast to his last weeks media interaction where he mocked Annamalai by telling reporters not to ask questions about comments made by inexperienced leaders. The peace follows after Annamalai came under intense criticism of AIADMK leaders in the past one month for his statement during an internal meeting that he was not for continuation of the alliance stitched in 2019 and that he would quit his post if the leadership in Delhi decided otherwise. His comments that he will expose the corruption of all parties that governed Tamil Nadu also irked the AIADMK which ruled the state for 30 years. The discussion was held in a very cordial manner with a candid exchange of views on the political situation in Tamil Nadu, while deciding to forget small misunderstandings and differences that cropped up in the past, the sources said. It is understood that stress was laid on mutual respectability in the alliance as every party brings something to the table. Shah said while AIADMK, as a major party in Tamil Nadu, brings its own strengths in terms of vote share and support base, the BJP brings 10-year rule of Narendra Modi to the table, another source said. The first source quoted above said the meeting decided that talks on seat sharing for the alliance will be held at a later stage. The strain in the alliance began after BJP objected to AIADMK admitting members of the IT wing after quitting the former. It began with AIADMK interim general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami welcoming C T R Nirmal Kumar, hours after he quit the BJP blaming Annamalai, into the party. The state BJP took objection to the development, which led to a verbal duel between the alliance partners. The AIADMK and BJP came together for an alliance in 2019, three years after the death of J Jayalalithaa who had kept the saffron party at an arms length distance for at least a decade, but never won an election so far. AIADMK leaders have been quite vocal about BJP being a burden for them especially because it has alienated the minorities from the party. An independent candidate in the upcoming council elections is calling for an 'immediate pause' to a planning application for a proposed wind farm near Dungiven. ABO Wind NI Ltd have submitted a planning application to Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council to erect a number of 140 metre high wind turbines in the townlands of Brishey and Curraghlane, approximately 4.8km east of Dungiven. However Niall Murphy says he has 'very serious concerns' about the way the company's pre-application consultation was conducted. I do not believe it was fit for purpose, or comes close to satisfying the required threshold for openness and transparency for a project of this nature, he said. In my view the planning process for this wind farm must be paused to allow the people of Dungiven to take stock. The Dungiven man fears if the planning application is given the green light then it could 'fundamentally change the natural heritage and character' of the town. This is just the beginning for wind turbines coming right forward to the front of the mountain. If this application is approved, then there will be many more and within the next ten years the entire ridgeline of Benbradagh will be dominated by wind turbines. In my view this will fundamentally change the natural heritage and character of Dungiven. As can be seen from the proposed plans, ABO Wind NI intend to position a wind turbine right next to the car park on top of Benbradagh thats how far forward they are trying to get now. Mr Murphy believes that the community of Dungiven should be given the opportunity to 'properly consider' the application. The public consultation to date for this wind farm appears to have been conducted in such a way as to keep people in Dungiven in the dark, he continued. The proposal of application notice, submitted in advance of a full planning application, sets out all the ways ABO Wind NI intended to consult on the Brishey Wind Farm project. Bearing in mind this wind farm will be located right next to Dungiven, the one and only consultation event for the project was held in Glenullin Resource Centre. There was a single information stand placed in Dungiven Library and it is claimed that leaflets and posters for the project were placed in local shops, however I personally never saw any of it. The fact is, most people from the Dungiven area have no idea this is being planned and the first they will know of it is when these wind turbines start going up on Benbradagh. Considering the permanent impact this will have on the natural heritage of this area, I think that is unacceptable. Mr Murphy continued: This is not a question of supporting renewable energy which I do, I am all for diversifying our means of energy production. This is a question of openness and transparency in how and where these projects are approved and situated. I think most people would assume that these projects are distributed evenly across the North, but this isnt the case. There is a significant inequality in where wind farm projects are being located. There is not one single wind farm anywhere in County Down or around Belfast, with just one on the Ards Peninsula. Is there no wind on the Mourne Mountains? This disparity must be addressed. To allow for proper consideration of these plans and their future long term implications, I am calling for the planning process for Brishey Wind Farm to be paused immediately. Maybe the people of this area will support it completely, and as a local Councillor I would respect that view. Whatever the outcome, my position is the question should be properly asked and the future of this project should be bound by that. An ABO Wind spokesperson said: A comprehensive Pre-application Community Consultation process, which went beyond statutory requirements, was undertaken for the proposed Brishey Wind Farm before the planning application for the project was submitted to Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council. This included information about the project and the consultation process being issued directly to properties within 2 kilometres of the proposed site, a dedicated project website, an in-person community consultation event which was advertised in two local newspapers as well as local centres including Dungiven Library, and direct engagement with local stakeholders. Local communities, political leaders and governments are more aware than ever before about the climate crisis. The Climate Change Act sets out that by 2030 at least 80% of our electricity consumption should come from renewables. The Brishey Wind Farm is required to help achieve that target and to help ensure we have a reliable and sustainable electricity supply in the years ahead. Locally, it will lead to substantial investment in the rural economy, result in significant business rates to the council, and through a dedicated Community Benefit Fund will help to support and sustain essential groups and organisations in the area. At ABO Wind we are proud to work in partnership with local communities to deliver sustainable, long-term solutions to the climate crisis, and we are hopeful a positive decision on the planning application for the Brishey Wind Farm is reached so the benefits of the project to the local area can be realised. Aontu leader and Meath West TD Peadar Toibin has criticised Michelle ONeill on her planned trip to the British Kings coronation in London. Mr Tobin said: "It is expected that the British Parliament will pass the Legacy Bill in May. This Bill will give British Military personnel an amnesty for the murder of people here in Ireland. This is a horrendous Bill that contravenes all the core tenants of democracy and justice. It is the son and heir of the British Governments policy of murder, collusion and cover up in the north of Ireland over the last 50 years. It will be signed into law by the British King Charles in May. King Charles was the head of the Parachute Regiment who murdered dozens of people in the North, most infamously in Derry on Bloody Sunday. Many of those who have lost loved ones will be hurt by Michelle ONeills attendance at this coronation. The monarchy as a head of state or as a form of government is an anachronism. It has no place in a modern society. At the heart of republicanism is the democratic view that all people are equal, and all citizens should elect the head of state on the basis of merit. There is a sectarian element to the British Monarchy also in that only a person of one particular faith can be the head of state. "If the British people want to choose to accept their head of state in this manner thats completely up to them. Micheal D Higgins as President of Ireland will attend as a foreign head of state. However Michelle ONeill is not the First Minister of the north and therefore will attend as Sinn Fein Deputy Leader," said Mr Tobin. The problem is the British King claims jurisdiction over a significant part of Ireland," said Mr Tobin. He added: "Michelle ONeill will be attending the Coronation of a King that claims jurisdiction over her as a subject and over her country. A core tenant of republicanism has been that the British monarchy should not be the head of state of any part of Ireland. This is a reasonable and fair political objective and one that republicans have held dear from Wolfe Tone, to Robert Emmet to Pearse. Its clear that Sinn Fein and Michelle ONeill have diverged significantly from this republican political philosophy. Sinn Fein will jettison almost anything in their quest for power. Aontu are fully committed to reconciliation between Catholic and Protestant and Nationalist and Unionist. But there is a mistaken belief that we have to dress up in each others political clothes to reconcile with each other. Real reconciliation is based on pluralism. We can be who we are, to the full extent, and be friends and work together. Pluralism is the best way to accommodate and to ensure that all our citizens can be who they are without fear or favour from the state. Action Cancer has introduced of a new skin cancer detection service, in partnership with the Department of Health. Skin cancer incidence across Britain continues to increase with the North having one of the highest incidences. Non-melanoma skin cancer is the most common cancer in the North and melanoma which is associated with moles is the fifth. In 2015 Action Cancer undertook some initial research into the possibility of delivering onboard its mobile clinic the Big Bus a free skin cancer detection service, a service provided by no other charity in Britain. The research indicated that conceptually such a service targeting hard to reach groups was of much merit but required a referral pathway into secondary care. In parallel, the former Health and Social Care Board was designing and developing an IT / app-based photo triage pathway to be rolled out to GP practices across the North. In 2022 agreement was reached to allow Action Cancer to also access and use the technology to refer clients with suspect lesions directly into secondary care. The service on board the Big Bus supplements the service available in most GP practices, increasing choice and accessibility. The free service is being delivered on board the charitys mobile unit, the Big Bus (supported by SuperValu and Centra) and at Action Cancer House in Belfast and is being funded by the Department of Health through the COVID 19 Cancer Charities Support Fund to 31st March 2024. With the skin cancer detection service onboard alongside the existing services of breast screening and health checks, the Big Bus is a truly unique vehicle with no similar vehicle operating anywhere else in Great Britain or Ireland. The charitys aim is for it to visit annually up to 200 locations throughout the North, with 80% of the visits being to areas of high deprivation where health inequalities are greatest. The skin cancer detection service now available through Action Cancer offers another pathway for people concerned about a new or changing skin lesion. Delivered by a highly qualified and experienced nursing specialist team, the service offers a two-stage process. Concerned members of the public, who meet the service eligibility criteria, are offered in the first instance a virtual assessment with a skin cancer specialist nurse. If the specialist nurse feels that further assessment is needed, then a face-to-face appointment is offered on board an upcoming visit by the Big Bus; which visits all five HSC Trust areas twice every four weeks or at Action Cancer House in Belfast. Following the face-to-face appointment, the charity then has the ability using the Department of Health recently developed dermatology photo triage referral pathway, to refer the individual directly to secondary care for further assessment. Iona McCormack who has more than 30 years experience in Dermatology and is heading up the new service at Action Cancer said: The majority of people in NI have pale skin that tends to freckle and burn easily. Episodes of sun burning and tanning will increase your risk of skin cancer. "Unfortunately, we have high usage of sunbeds and with the introduction of low-cost airlines, trips abroad to Europe and beyond are more accessible. Since the service became operational in January earlier this year we have conducted 388 consultations to date, including 246 virtual assessments. We detected several suspect Basal Cell Carcinoma and referred to the patients GP for further action. We also made 27 referrals to Dermatology in secondary care due to suspect Melanoma or Squamous Cell Carcinoma. One of these referred was 45-year-old, mum of two Carol Marshall from Bangor. Carol is Communications Manager at Musgrave NI whose brands SuperValu and Centra support the Big Bus. Carol said: Ive had concerns about a mole which was hard to monitor and was playing on my mind so when I heard that the new service was up and running, I decided to book an appointment through the Action Cancer website. Following an initial online consultation, the skin cancer specialist nurse at Action Cancer noted some pigmentation in the mole so I was referred for further assessment. Ive now thankfully had the mole removed." "As well as examining the mole in question, the specialist nurse also does a full body check which is very reassuring. I came away with really helpful literature showing me what to look out for in the future. "I cannot recommend the service enough. If you are concerned about something on your skin, Id strongly encourage you to contact Action Cancer. "Sharon Gallagher, Deputy Secretary in the Department of Health added: The roll out of this service to Action Cancer is an extension of what is a very successful pathway currently available in 96% of GP practices in Northern Ireland. Providing additional routes for patients to access services will not only help alleviate pressures on hospital waiting lists, but give patients more timely access to diagnosis and treatment plans. Initiatives like the Dermatology Photo Triage pathway, highlight the importance of good linkages and collaborative work between all healthcare providers. Primary care, secondary care and charities, all working together to deliver a service, which is central to the successful transformation of health and social care. If you are over the age of 18 and are concerned about a changing mole or lesion anywhere on your skin, please visit www.actioncancer.org to see if you meet the eligibility criteria to book a virtual assessment. Proud parents watched on at St. Eugenes Primary School this week as their P7 children received OCN Endorsed Positive Me programme certificates from the city and districts Deputy Mayor, Angela Dobbins. The twenty pupils completed the programme, funded by the Right Time, Right Place Mental Health Service over a number of weeks under the tutelage of facilitators from the Bogside & Brandywell Health Forum and learned about the importance of looking after their mental health and knowing when their mental health needs additional support. This includes becoming aware of resilience, growth and nurture, enrichment and healthy relationships. Speaking at the ceremony, St. Eugenes Principal, Mrs. Carol Duffy said she was very proud of all the pupils and the hard work they put into the programme. This fantastic programme will teach the children about the importance of looking after mental health as well as supporting their transition into secondary education as this is their final year in the primary sector. All the students completed an endorsed Level 1 Open College Network (OCN) qualification over the term of the programme. Orlagh Robson, Training and Development Officer at BBHF added to the school principals sentiments saying the students should be very proud of their achievements. Its an honour to be in a position to offer OCN qualifications to young people in our local community. The Deputy Mayor Angela Dobbins addressing the attendance at Mondays event. Young people completing our Positive Me programme have reported that they are making healthier life choices, enjoy an increased feeling of self-worth, and can rely on more positive coping mechanisms. This also develops their own skills and confidence to manage their own mental health, and knowing when to get support. Well done to all the P7 pupils at St. Eugenes today. SEE MONDAY'S DERRY NEWS FOR MORE PICTURES MAIN PICTURE . . . . P7 pupils from St. Eugenes Primary School who received OCN Endorsed Positive Me programme certificates from the city and districts Deputy Mayor, Angela Dobbins at the school on Monday last. Included at back, from left, are M. Gilmore (class teacher), S. OKane (BBHF), B. OHara (BBHF), Carol Duffy (Principal), Angela Dobbins (Deputy Mayor), Orlaith Robson (Right Time Right Place Project), Karen Wilson (BBHF), T. Roddy (Classroom Assistant), C. McElhinney (Classroom Assistant). The Windsor Framework secures Northern Irelands unique economic opportunity which must be grasped, the head of Manufacturing NI has said. Speaking at the launch of Manufacturing Month 2023 at Hinch Distillery today, Manufacturing NI Chief Executive Stephen Kelly said the new deal struck between the UK and the EU provides, if properly maximised, the basis to bring prosperity and economic growth across Northern Ireland. Manufacturing Month 2023 was officially launched at todays event, the major annual initiative which celebrates our local manufacturing and engineering firms. The month is backed by some of Northern Irelands leading companies and organisations including Atradius, Barclays, CPL, InterTradeIreland, Invest Northern Ireland, KPMG, Lockton, and Mills Selig. Led by representative body Manufacturing Northern Ireland, the entire month of May is dedicated to highlighting the companies, workers, and leaders who make the Northern Irish manufacturing sector the global success story it is. "The month includes a busy programme of events, webinars, content from the sector, the flagship Anchor High leadership summit, and the Manufacturing Hall of Fame dinner in the Guildhall in Derry on 31 May. Todays launch event brought together business leaders, politicians, manufacturers, and educators from across Northern Ireland. Sponsored by OCO Global, Welcome to the Worlds Most Exciting Economic Zone? was trade and investment focused and explored the potential offered by the Windsor Framework and the countrys economic transformation since the signing of the Belfast / Good Friday Agreement in 1998. Speaking at the launch, Manufacturing NI Chief Executive Stephen Kelly said: In recent weeks we have had Prime Ministers and Presidents travel to Northern Ireland, accompanied by the worlds media, promoting the globally unique trade and investment opportunity which the Windsor Framework secures. We all share an ambition to make this a prosperous place and more prosperous people, so it is crucial that our political, policy and business leaders take this opportunity and fully maximise the benefits of dual-market access. (L-R) Sheena Bohan, Atradius; Chris Guy, Mills Selig; Grainne McVeigh, Invest NI; Nigel Birney, Lockton; Joanne McEvoy, InterTradeIreland; Gavin Campbell, Barclays; William Taylor, KPMG; Gareth Hagan, OCO Global; Mary Meehan, Manufacturing NI; and Patrick Moore, Flexsource. "Our manufacturers are already proving that this opportunity is real by securing record exports, driving prosperity and economic growth for our businesses, our workforce, and for communities across in Northern Ireland. This Manufacturing Month, we are demonstrating the unique role that our manufacturers perform in solving problems for customers across the globe whilst delivering more and better jobs in every city, town and townland here at home. Gareth Hagan, CEO of OCO Global, also added: Research by OCO Global has proven the economic boost that has been delivered since the Good Friday Agreement for Northern Ireland. Its undeniable that peace has brought increased investment, more jobs, a huge boost to industries like tourism and hospitality, and made our country a much more attractive place to live, work, invest, and do business. Dual-market access is the next piece of the puzzle for Northern Ireland. If we can successfully maximise this unique position we find ourselves in, the evidence is there that says we can grow our economy by up to 50%, create over 30,000 new jobs, and welcome millions more visitors every year. Stephen Kelly, Chief Executive of Manufacturing NI and Mary Meehan, Deputy Chief Executive of Manufacturing NI "Our manufacturing and engineering sector is one of the most likely to benefit from this dual-market access also, trading their goods all around the globe and attracting new foreign investment. "We were delighted to support todays event and set the scene for the month ahead, providing a positive and optimistic view of the potential benefits of the new Windsor Framework." A strong sense of British identity does not need to be in conflict with the trade opportunities of the Windsor Framework, the US special envoy to Northern Ireland has said. Joe Kennedy III praised the revised deal between the UK and the EU as a chance for the region to pursue a robust economic future that will not threaten its accord with the rest of Britain. At a press conference held by the Brussels Regional Media Hub on Thursday, Mr Kennedy said: My capacity in this role is to very much not say its one or the other. Its to express ways and understand that theres ways for individuals who are proud of and continue to prioritise that identity as a citizen of the United Kingdom and as British while also recognising there are economic opportunities that dont have to dilute that or impact that. His comments are likely to be read as a message to the DUP, which is blocking a return to powersharing at Stormont in protest against the post-Brexit agreement. The DUP has made clear its boycott will continue until it secures further assurances over its concerns around sovereignty and the application of EU law in Northern Ireland. Mr Kennedy acknowledged the unresolved issues were not easy and said he had seen a good faith effort to address them in conversations with DUP representatives. But he added: The Windsor Framework provides a unique opportunity for the people of Northern Ireland to be able to pursue, I think, a robust economic future. Issues with regards to identity and with regards to economic opportunity dont need to be in conflict. It comes after his recent visit to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday agreement which largely brought an end to the Troubles in Northern Ireland. He used a speech at Queens University Belfast to argue that there would be no prosperity in Northern Ireland without peace. Mr Kennedy, whose remit as envoy is focused on stimulating economic growth in Northern Ireland, emphasised the opportunities presented by Northern Irelands dual access to the UK and EU markets. There also can be no prosperity without peace, and there can be no peace without prosperity, he added. Tanaiste provides update on Emergency Civil Assistance Team mission News The Tanaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Micheal Martin TD, has announced that 122 Irish citizens and their dependents have been evacuated from Sudan thanks to close cooperation with EU and other partners, France, Spain, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and Jordan. Some citizens have also made their way overland independently. It is expected that this number will continue to rise in the coming days. Since the government decision on Sunday to deploy an Emergency Civil Assistance Team (ECAT) mission, led by the Department of Foreign Affairs, officials and Defence Force personnel on the ground have supported Irish citizens and their family members who have been evacuated through Djibouti, Jordan, Cyprus, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Today, the government has also approved the extension of the operation of the Emergency Civil Assistance Team (ECAT) mission currently based in Djibouti also to Cyprus. While evacuation flights are still being organised, EU and other partners have signalled that they will be winding down evacuation missions that have previously been landing mainly in Djibouti. The UK are currently operating evacuation flights from Sudan to Cyprus. The Embassy in Nairobi and the Department of Foreign Affairs are maintaining contact with and advising Irish citizens still in Sudan. Consular teams in the region continue to work with people as they are evacuated, helping to arrange accommodation when needed and supporting and advising and assisting on onward arrangements. The Tanaiste said: The ECAT team has proven its flexibility in responding to this volatile and evolving crisis by moving operations swiftly to Cyprus, and I thank them for their continued dedication and support to Irish citizens caught up in this crisis. Due to continued uncertainty about the duration of the current ceasefire, and the generally volatile situation in Sudan, we advise citizens, if they judge it safe to do so, to give serious consideration to evacuation options as they become available. Evacuation operations will only continue for as long as the security situation in Sudan allows. I would like to thank our EU partners, the UK, Jordan, and in particular the government of Djibouti for their ongoing cooperation in this challenging mission. Our Embassy in Nairobi and the Department of Foreign Affairs are in ongoing contact with Irish citizens in Sudan and will continue to assist and advise them. Previous Item | Next Item Tanaiste welcomes adoption of UN-Council of Europe Resolution News The Tanaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Micheal Martin TD has welcomed the adoption of a Resolution that will increase and protect cooperation between the UN and the Council of Europe. The resolution was adopted yesterday, 26 April at the United Nations General Assembly. Ireland and Iceland are co-penholders as the former and current Presidency of the CoE Committee of Ministers. The Council of Europe was established in 1949 and is the continents largest and oldest intergovernmental organisation. Ireland was amongst the organisations ten founding members. Speaking after the adoption of the Resolution, the Tanaiste said: Ireland warmly welcomes the adoption of a Resolution on cooperation between the United Nations and the Council of Europe with 122 votes in favour. As Presidency of the Council of Europe last year, Ireland actively worked to uphold and promote its core values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. We are proud to raise our voice to champion human rights, defend the multilateral system and to work to hold accountable those responsible for human rights violations and abuses. Our Council of Europe Presidency came at a critical juncture and a time of profound crisis following Russias aggression against Ukraine. Against this backdrop, Ireland and Iceland listened carefully to Member States in negotiating this Resolution. We anticipated that it would be challenging and Russia would contest elements of the Resolution, following its expulsion from the CoE last year. As the Council of Europe prepares for its fourth Summit in Reykjavik, the Tanaiste said: I would like to wish Iceland, our co-facilitator and current Chair, the very best as it prepares for the Council of Europe Summit next month as we seek to renew and recommit our collective support for democratic values. Note to Editors Established in 1949, and headquartered in Strasbourg, the Council of Europe is the continents largest and oldest intergovernmental organisation. Ireland was amongst the organisations ten founding members. Following the expulsion of the Russian Federation on 16 March 2022, it comprises 46 member states, including the 27 EU member states, the United Kingdom, Turkiye and Ukraine. The organisation plays a leading role in the protection and promotion of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law across Europe and beyond notably through the European Court of Human Rights, which ensures the observance by member states of their obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights. The European Convention on Human Rights is also a key element of the Good Friday Agreement. Ireland assumed the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe for a seventh time, from May to September 2022. Over the course of these six months, Ireland chaired more than a dozen meetings of the Committee of Ministers in Strasbourg, strengthening standards across a range of key areas, from media freedoms to the protection of human rights in conflict zones. Iceland is the current Presidency and will host a Summit, the fourth for the CoE, in May 2023 in Reykjavik. Previous Item | Next Item According to reports, Truecaller wants to collaborate with Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vi (Vodafone Idea) to shield customers from telemarketers and scammers. Identification data is easily stolen as India continues to use more computerized methods of payment, watching films, and even taking public transportation. Spam calls and messages may result in hackers gaining access. For Android, Truecaller has adopted a lot of strategies to reduce SMS scams. However, a strategic partnership with India's top telecom companies can enhance cyber security for the users. Nami Zarringhalam, the chief strategy officer and co-founder, Truecaller stated in an interaction with The Economic Times that the business plans to use "artificial intelligence (AI)-based technologies" to sort out scammers' schemes, which are viral in the cybersecurity industry. Also read: Vodafone-Idea launch a new prepaid plan for 549: All details here Truecaller co-founder adds, "I think what is really positive is that this area (spam and frauds) has gotten the attention with TRAI confirming that this is an issue, and it is causing harm to people. There are so many stories about people, for instance, senior citizens, who lost their savings by being defrauded and then the kind of shame and guilt that they might feel on an emotional level." The corporation is probably referring to the consulting document published by the TRAI last year, introducing Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) in Telecommunication Networks. The telecom organization was looking into the possibility of displaying caller ID on phones to assist users in recognizing callers, including potentially spam callers. The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), a body of representation for all three telecoms, rejected the government's recommendation due to cost and privacy-related issues. Jio has claimed that the requirement to activate the CNAP program on every device raises privacy-related concerns. Also read: Sunbird lets Android users to text with iMessage: Here's how it works Reportedly, the Swedish company launched its first office outside of Sweden, with roughly 200 people, in Bengaluru. Truecaller will also expect to increase its presence in India, where it already has a sizable customer base, through such agreements. For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page. Sales during summer doesn't only mean devices like ACs, coolers and refrigerators to save you from this heat. Summer sales mean a good opportunity for all gadget geeks as well. Amongst all the e-commerce platforms, Amazon has first announced its upcoming Amazon Great Summer Sale. Though the dates haven't been revealed yet, there is information about the different offers on different products including bank offers. Let's look into the offers Amazon has to offer. Bank offers at the Amazon Great Summer Sale So, for the sale except the deals that Amazon has planned, there will be additional bank offers as well. As of now, Amazon India will be offering a 10% discount when you use ICICI Bank or Kotak Mahindra Bank debit or credit cards. Except for this there are discounts on EMI transactions as well. Deals and Discounts at the Amazon Great Summer Sale Amazon hasn't disclosed all the seals yet, but some offers have been out as teasers. As for mobile phones and accessories there will be a 40% discount, which will also include the new launches like the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite and iQOO 27 5G and other new launches too. Except for these the budget phones will also have an offer and will start from 5,899 where users can also avail No cost EMI options of 1,555 per month. As for laptops and smartwatches, they are supposed to have a straight 75% discount. Laptops will also have around 40,000 discount and tablets will have up to 60% off. Except for these it has been revealed that Amazon has a list of around 1 lakh free earphones and smartphones but the exact details aren't out yet. Coming to Amazon's in-house products, Alexa Fire TV, Fire stick will have up to 40% discount. So, this was an overview of the discounted products which have been put up as teasers, there for sure will be much more offers on many other devices. Are you looking forward to the Amazon Great Summer Sale? For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page. In case youve been living under a rock, we all know that Realme is quite popular in India for its smartphones. Recently, Realme has been launching blockbuster mid-range phones, one of which was the Realme C55, launched in India last month. Now, there are talks about a new C series phone, the Realme C53. The hints of Realme C53 came in when it was located in the lists of Certification platforms. Now, as tipster Mukul Sharma tweeted, this phone with model number RMX3760 has has passed Thailand's NBTC approval and was spotted in certification platforms like- Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Europe's Energy efficient certificates (EEC) and Indonesia's Tingkat Komponen Dalam Negeri (TKDN). So, the NBTC gave a heads-up to the Realme C53 based on services of high quality, effective, timely, reliable and fair. Also, this certification gives the permit for the use of radio frequencies and equipment in telecommunication and radio communications services. Now, let's look into some of the specs and other details of the phone which has been gathered from the certification platforms. Specifications of Realme C53 The Realme C43 will be a 4G phone and according to the FCC listing the smartphone will pack a 5,000mAh battery. Adding up to the battery, it will be accompanied by 33W SuperVOOC for fast charging support. As mentioned earlier, the Realme C55 was launched last month in India and is priced at 10,999. So, it is expected that this Realme phone will also be similarly priced. So, other specifications, availability and exact pricing will only be revealed once the official announcement happens. This Realme phone will be a 4G one, though there are some amazing Realme 5G phones too, hopefully this phone will also have an upgrade soon. Apart from that it will come to India only after its launch in China. For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page. Veeam named No. 1 data protection and recovery solution worldwide Veeam Software, the leader in Modern Data Protection and Ransomware Recovery, announced that it has been ranked the #1 global provider by International Data Corporation (IDC) in its latest IDC Semiannual Software Tracker, 2022H2 for Data Replication & Protection software. The tracker reports that Veeam, with a year-over-year growth rate (not adjusted for constant currency) of 8.1%, grew faster than the other top five vendors and the overall market average. According to the tracker, Veeam's revenue grew 8.4% sequentially over the first half of 2022. "The proliferation and sophistication of cyber threats and specifically ransomware changes the question from whether your business will be attacked, to how often," said Anand Eswaran, CEO at Veeam. "The New Veeam Data Platform focuses on modern data protection and ransomware recovery, ensures that every business is resilient, and can recover rapidly and safely from ransomware and other cyber threats, across the customer's complete hybrid cloud environment. On behalf of our Veeam team, I want to thank our entire community of 450,000 customers and 35,000 partners for their support and trust. We look forward to working together to build a safer, more secure future." Veeam recently launched the New Veeam Data Platform , a single platform delivering more advanced data security, recovery and hybrid cloud capabilities across the entire IT environment Multi-Cloud, Virtual, Hybrid, Physical, SaaS (M365, Salesforce) and Kubernetes. Veeam Backup & Replication v12, the foundation for the Veeam Data Platform, provides best-in-class secure backup and fast reliable recovery from every cyber threat including ransomware, to keep business resilient and running. Through this platform approach, every environment however complex, can be secured and recovered rapidly when it counts most, defeating ransomware attacks. Veeam invites every company, administrator and user to join VeeamON 2023, the community event for data recovery experts, which will take place May 22 24 in Miami, Florida and online. Designed by and built for the backup and recovery professional, attendees will expand their skills, celebrate with the community, and share industry knowledge with exclusive content from AWS, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and more. Registration for the in-person event and the virtual option is now open. For more information, visit www.veeam.com. Veeam named the #1 data protection and recovery solution worldwide Honda aims to make over 2 million EVs annually, tapping TSMC for stable chip supply Honda Motor plans to grow EV market share in North America, China, and Japan with a goal of making more than 2 million vehicles annually by 2030. It has secured collaboration with TSMC for automotive chip supply to support the electrification project. The Japanese carmaker held a press conference on April 26 to brief its progress on business transformation and electrification. Honda has said it will achieve 100% EV and fuel-cell EV sales globally by 2040. The company said it is taking short-term measures like dual-sourcing key components and developing alternative parts to facilitate stable procurement of semiconductors. For the mid to long term, it has been building cooperative relationships with semiconductor manufacturers like TSMC. Nikkei Asia reported that Honda did not have direct dealings with TSMC before. When asked about joint development on Wednesday, Shinji Aoyama, the carmaker's executive vice president, said the pair would explore various possibilities in the future. Toshihiro Mibe, Honda's president, said stable procurement of semiconductors has become essential with the ongoing automotive electrification and digitization, according to Nikkei Asia. Honda revealed that it targets production of over two million EVs each year by 2030. According to an announcement, it will launch two models it is codeveloping with General Motors, the Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX, in North America next year. As for the China market, Honda will introduce 10 new EV models by 2027, including the e:N SUV xu that it unveiled at the Shanghai auto show. The company said it aims to achieve 100% EV sales in the country by 2035. As the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer, Honda said it will roll out 10 or more motorcycle models globally by 2025, growing annual sales of electric models to 15% of total unit sales. Honda has invested in advanced battery technologies. It said it will codevelop high-capacity lithium-ion EV batteries with GS Yuasa International. In addition, the company will start operating a demonstration line for all-solid-battery production in 2024. It plans to use all-solid-state batteries in models that will be launched in the second half of the decade. STMicroelectronics releases 1Q23 financial results STMicroelectronics (ST) has released its first-quarter 2023 financial results. According to the company, net revenue was US$4.15 billion, a 19.8% YoY increase, and gross margin was 49.7%. Net income also saw a 39.8% YoY increase to US$1.04 billion. Jean-Marc Chery, ST president & CEO, remarked that the first-quarter net revenues were better than expected in automotive and industrial sectors. However, the number was partially offset by lower revenue in personal electonics. According to Chery, ST's product mix in a "favorable" price environment contributed to the gross margin of 49.7%, 170 basis points above the mid-point of the company's business outlook range. According to ST's guidance, at the mid-point, for second-quarter 2023: net revenue is expected to be US$4.28 billion, an increase of 0.8% sequentially, plus or minus 350 basis points. Gross margin is expected to reach 49.0%, plus or minus 200 basis points. This outlook is based on an assumed effective currency exchange rate of approximately US$1.08 = EUR1.00 for second-quarter 2023 and includes the impact of existing hedging contracts. By product group, compared with the year-ago quarter, STMicroelctronics' automotive and discrete group (ADG) and microcontrollers and digital ICs group (MDG) both saw revenues increase. For analog, MEMS, and sensors group (AMS), revenue increased in imaging, but decreased in analog and MEMS. "Our second quarter business outlook, at the mid-point, is for net revenues of US$4.28 billion, increasing YoY by 11.5% and increasing sequentially by 0.8%. Gross margin is expected to be about 49.0%," said the ST president, who also revealed a plan to "drive the company based on a plan for FY23 revenues in the range of US$17.0 billion to US$17.8 billion." Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) academic, Dr Deirdre OMalley, Lecturer in Midwifery in the Department of Nursing, Midwifery and Early Years in DkIT and adjunct Professor in Trinity College Dublin, is lead author on two chapters of an internationally ground-breaking textbook specific to midwifery and sexuality which was published recently. Dr OMalley was one of the 36 authors from 14 countries who contributed to the book, which was edited by Sam Geuens, Ana Polona Mivsek and Woet.L Gianotten. The book Midwifery and Sexuality is the first book which integrates sexuality and sexual health into the care of the pregnant and postpartum couple. It addresses sexuality and sexual wellbeing from an education and prevention perspective while also discussing treatment strategies for commonly experienced perinatal sexual health issues. Dr OMalley said: Im absolutely delighted to be part of this important and first of its kind textbook. I believe this is a much-needed educational reference for all midwifes. Midwives and other maternity healthcare providers often report not having the skills or knowledge to counsel women about potential changes to their sexual health before and after birth. "This can leave women and couples confused and uncertain about their intimate relationships. This textbook is a free resource available to midwives and midwifery students around the world to give them the toolkit to talk about sex, sexuality and sexual wellbeing around the time of birth and months after." Dr OMalley is an integral part of the MAMMI (Maternal health And Maternal Morbidity in Ireland) study since its inception in 2012. A longitudinal research project funded by the Health Research Board (HRB) and established in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin under the guidance of Professor Deirdre Daly and Professor Cecily Begley. The MAMMI study explores womens health and wellbeing during the first year after birth. Data was collected from three sites in Ireland from over 3000 first time mothers. The MAMMI study is now one of the largest prospective maternal health studies globally. A five-year follow up, second baby follow up and a ten-year follow up are currently underway. Dr Deirdre OMalleys research interests extend to all areas of maternity care and healthcare, with specific topic expertise in pre, during and post maternity sexual health and wellbeing. Dr OMalley was lead author on the chapter on Sexuality of the Couple in Postpartum and Early Parenthood and the chapter focused on Sexual Aspects of Problems in the Postpartum and Early Parenthood. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. Click the 'Next >' arrow above or 'Next Story' below to go through the gallery Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, was in north Louth last Wednesday, where she visited a series of rural development projects, funded by her Department. First on the Minister's itinerary was a trip to Roche Emmets GAA club for the launch of a Broadband Connection Point (BCP). Dundalk-Carlingford's Cllr John Reilly, who has been involved in pushing for the BCP at Roche, and involved in organising the Minister's visit, was among those who accompanied the Minister as she toured the local area. This was followed by a visit to the Hill of Faughart for the unveiling of a LEADER-funded project, which has seen new interpretive signage to enhance the visitor experience. During the visit, Minister Humphreys received a tour of the graveyard and St Brigid's Well, and gave a speech on incorporating Faughart into Ireland's Ancient East. The trip also saw the Minister visit the Cooley Kickhams Complex, Monksland, Carlingford for another launch of a Broadband Connection Point. As part of her visit, Minister Humphreys launched the Connected Hubs Showcase Day held at the Creative Spark Downtown Hub, a centre for creativity and innovation in Dundalk. Hubs across the country opened their doors last Wednesday for a national Connected Hubs Showcase Day. Photos: Arthur Kinahan, Ken Finegan and Aidan Dullaghan If your partner snores, you might notice that things get a whole lot worse after theyve had a few drinks. This can make life a misery for any sleep-disrupted partners - not least because experts suggest many snorers are more likely to snore when lying on their back, but when theyve been drinking, theyre harder to move on to their side. Around 41.5% of the adult population snore, according to the British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association, and a whole lot more are affected if you take partners into consideration. But why does alcohol make things worse? When youre awake, muscles in your nose, mouth and throat keep your airways open, explains Amy Gallagher, a senior sleep physiologist at the Cromwell Hospital, London. But when you sleep, these relax and can lead to airways narrowing. "As air passes through, it can cause the surrounding tissues to vibrate, resulting in the sound we call snoring. A proportion of these snorers suffer from obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), where theres a greater degree of airway narrowing. Usually, the louder the snoring, the greater the degree of narrowing, sometimes with total blockage of airflow, says Professor Ram Dhillon, a consultant ENT surgeon with a special interest in snoring and OSA. This blockage is termed an apnoea if of 10 seconds or longer in duration. Alcohol has a role in both snoring and OSA, say the experts. Dhillon explains good tension in the muscles around the upper airway keep it open, but warns: Sleep reduces this tension, increasing the likelihood of narrowing to produce snoring, and total blockage, resulting in apnoea. Alcohol consumption enhances the relaxation and reduces the tension of these upper airway muscles and tissues and worsens the severity of the snoring, and can unmask apnoea and/or also increase its severity. And Gallagher adds: Alcohol has a negative impact on the quality of your sleep and can make snoring worse, or if you dont usually snore it can mean that you do. There are some things you can do to stop snoring. Picture: Stock So what can you do to stop snoring? Heres the experts advice... Avoid alcohol: While not drinking wont necessarily stop snoring, its likely to reduce it. Dhillon says: The advice is to avoid alcohol totally if you have snoring or have been diagnosed with OSA. If you suffer from snoring made worse with alcohol and have disruptive sleep, a diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea may need to be considered. And if you dont want to give up alcohol completely, both experts warn its best to at least not drink close to bedtime. Certainly do not drink alcohol for at least four hours before sleep, advises Dhillon. Gallagher stresses: Dont drink late at night. Alcohol relaxes your muscles, making your airways more likely to narrow. You might also snore louder if youve been drinking because your throat is dry, as alcohol dehydrates you. Quit smoking: Smoking irritates the throat and nasal passage, and Gallagher says: This can cause swelling and dryness which may lead to snoring. Smoking is also associated with congestion which can further worsen breathing. Sleep on your side: Sleeping on your back makes you more likely to snore, Gallagher says. Sleeping on your side is the best position to help prevent snoring, because it reduces the compression of your airways, she adds. Maintain a healthy weight: Dhillon suggests people who are excessively overweight, particularly with a BMI of 35 or above, and/or with a neck size of 16.5 inches or greater, are more likely to snore. Gallagher says: If youre overweight, you may have extra tissue in and around your throat which contributes to snoring. Elevate your pillow: By raising your head around four inches on your pillow, pressure is removed from the throat and nasal passage opens up, says Gallagher, who adds: This forces your tongue and jaw forward and helps to reduce snoring. Try stop snoring treatments: Dhillon recommends treatments including mandibular advancement devices, which hold the lower jaw and tongue forward making more space to breathe and prevent snoring. CORK Airport is set to welcome the start of summer this May bank holiday weekend, along with more than 52,000 passengers, a 27% increase on passenger numbers for the same weekend last year. With new and recommencing routes coming on stream, the airport is expecting a busy weekend as it kicks off the start of summer in style. Managing Director at Cork Airport, Niall MacCarthy, said: May bank holiday represents the real start of the summer for tourism and airports. We have been planning for many months to ensure that passengers have a pleasant, calm, and unrushed travel experience at Cork Airport. We encourage those families who havent yet booked summer holidays to fly Cork this summer, to experience Irelands highest performing airport for customer service. As the first of the summer bank holidays, the May bank holiday weekend will see a new Aer Lingus Regional service to Bristol start on Friday, April 28. The six-times weekly service will be operated by Emerald Airlines and will depart Cork Airport at 5.50pm and arrive in Bristol at 7.10pm. Aer Lingus will recommence their twice-weekly summer service to Dubrovnik, Croatia on Wednesday, May 3. The service, which operates each Wednesday and Saturday, will depart Cork Airport at 10.55am and 5.45am respectively. Dubrovnik, known as the pearl of the Adriatic is a picturesque city renowned for its well-preserved medieval architecture and magnificent natural beauty. Cork Airport has 44 scheduled routes on offer this summer and passengers across Cork, Munster and the South of Ireland are encouraged to check out the full list of destinations on corkairport.com. Over the coming bank holiday weekend, passengers are advised to arrive 90 minutes before their flight is due to depart to allow for a pleasant and unrushed airport experience. A NEW multi-million euro Cork University Business School (CUBS) which has been granted conditional planning permission will bring great vibrancy and activity to a brownfield site at a strategic location in the city centre, the CEO of Cork Chamber has said. Planners in Cork City Council recently approved an application lodged by UCC in December seeking permission for the 106m business school at the former Brooks Haughton site on a block facing South Terrace, Copley Street and Union Quay. The development will primarily consist of the demolition of the former Brooks Haughton buildings, structures and boundary walls and the construction of the new CUBS building, ranging in height from three to six storeys. The development description stated that the new building would include lecture theatres, academic offices, study and teaching areas, a restaurant and coffee dock, service rooms and bike storage. The application also sought permission for the renovation of 18 and 19 South Terrace for a cafe and study space and also included proposals for landscaping works, works to the public realm and the provision of a new pedestrian laneway from Copley St to South Terrace. Speaking to The Echo following the grant of conditional planning, the CEO of Cork Chamber, Conor Healy, welcomed the development. The plans for the university business school in the centre of the city are really important both in terms of meeting the needs of the growth and development of the business school but also it will be a very welcome addition to the city centre and will bring great vibrancy and activity to that part of the city once completed, he said. These sentiments were echoed by Independent councillor, Mick Finn. Development of such a large site as Brooks Haughton is welcome and the new UCC business school will bring a new lease of life to the area, he said. Its all the more important that the flood and public realm works at Morrisons Island are carried out to a high visual and functional standard as there will be increased demand for outdoor spaces. There are 60 conditions attached to Cork City Councils approval of the development. One condition stipulates that, prior to any development, UCC must submit for approval by the planning authority, proposals incorporating further measures to enhance biodiversity into the development, additional to the proposal to install four bat boxes. Plans for the new business school have been in the pipeline for years, with the State committing 25m towards the costs in 2019. CUBS was established in 2014. It does not currently have a dedicated building; instead staff and students are dispersed across UCCs campus and a number of its research centres are located in the city centre. In the planning statement submitted with the application for the new business school, the proposed development was described as a flagship project for UCC aimed primarily at accommodating growth in student and faculty numbers and to fulfil UCCs ambition for a world class business school. Following the grant of conditional planning UCC said: UCC notes the councils decision and will comment further when the planning process comes to its conclusion. CORK County Council has agreed to write to two government departments after it was found to be in breach of a scheme to publish official documents in both English and Irish. According to the Annual Report for 2022 from the Office of An Choimisineir Teanga, Cork County Council was the subject of an investigation by the language commissioner for failing to publish a draft version of the County Development Plan in Irish when it published its English version in 2022. The commissioner also said the council had breached the Official Languages Act 2003 by using unofficial English versions of Gaeltacht place names. The matter was discussed at Mondays full council meeting. At the meeting, Fianna Fail councillor Gobnait Moynihan said she was not happy to see Cork County Council on the report. The reason Cork County Council are on is because the Draft County Development Plan wasnt published in Irish, and areas in the Gaeltacht were named in English as opposed to in Irish which is a legal obligation, she explained. Her party colleague councillor Gearoid Murphy echoed her sentiments. It is imperative that we as a council do everything in our power to comply with our obligations and vindicate the language rights of native speakers of our national language, he said. Cork County Council deputy chief executive Clodagh Henehen said: Cork County Council takes obligations under legislation very seriously and acknowledges in this case the council was unable to comply with our statutory duties with regards to a public consultation document. We wish to note this was not done deliberately or with any disregard for the Irish language or for the legislation. Director of services with planning Michael Lynch added: We have taken steps across the organisation to ensure such errors dont happen again. Regarding the translation there is an issue. When we publish the English version, we have to publish the Irish version at the same time. The timelines are catching us, he said. We are engaging with the planning bill to recover additional time. Ms Moynihan suggested that the council write to the Gaeltacht and planning departments and outline their issues with the timelines to ensure the council is not in the same situation again. Her proposal was accepted by Mr Lynch who said: We can write to the two departments as a proactive measure. CORK City Council has one of the highest collection rates of the Derelict Sites Levy in Ireland, despite having collected just one fifth of all dereliction levies last year, new figures show. Cork City is owed 4.2m in dereliction levies, money which could be transformative for Cork, said Sinn Fein TD for Cork North Central, Deputy Thomas Gould. Mr Gould has called on the Government to progress the Derelict Sites (Amendment) Bill 2022. A response to a Parliamentary Question by Mr Gould shows that Cork City Council had only collected 20 per cent of the Derelict Sites levy they applied last year. Mr Gould said, Cork City Council is owed over 4 million in Derelict Sites Levies. This money could be transformative for Cork. Applying the levy should act as an incentive to encourage those hoarding derelict sites to either bring them back into use or sell them to someone who will. This is a shocking indictment of the governments failure to bring derelict sites back to use. "At the end of the day, people are crying out for homes and these are sitting there being allowed to fall into wreck and ruin. Alongside this, local authorities consistently tell us that they do not have enough funding. Cork City Council face budget deficits regularly but there is 4.2 million in uncollected levies in the pockets of land-hoarders while ordinary people face cuts to housing maintenance. The Minister has given a commitment to improve compulsory purchase orders (CPO), but we are three years into this government and that improvement is nowhere to be seen. Across the entirety of 2022, only six sites were CPOd in Cork city. These derelict buildings are dangerous, they are magnets for anti-social behaviour and they are an insult to those trapped in the housing crisis. My Bill would place an obligation on local authorities to report to the Minister on why they are not collecting levies and most importantly, force the Minister to respond with a plan for full collection. We know that the 109 sites on the Derelict Sites register currently in Cork city doesnt reflect the true levels of dereliction and we need to see more sites on the register to reflect the reality and hopefully see potential homes brought back into use, added Mr Gould. 'CHALLENGING' A spokesperson for Cork City Council said less than half of all the current local authorities have billed for Derelict Sites levies for 2022. And within this, less than half have collected any monies due for the levies. Given the overall national low level of invoices generated for derelict sites and that the national collection levels are lower than 20 per cent, Cork City collection and invoicing levels are one of the highest in the county. Derelict sites levies are very challenging to collect, she said. There can be difficult family and financial circumstances, abandoned properties, distressed properties, receiverships, the owners cannot be located, or litigation between parties, she added. Cork City Council has consistently billed for Derelict Sites levies and are one of the leaders in terms of billing for levies and for continually adding sites to the Derelict Sites Register. We are currently working with our law department to pursue unpaid levies through the Courts. National levy collection would be higher, if levies were easy to collect. We are working on a number of different schemes within the city to address vacancy and dereliction which will contribute to the positive urban fabric of the city, added the spokesperson. CORK Chamber of Commerce has criticised the new housing measures recently announced by the Government, claiming they fail to address the challenges faced by businesses. The organisation warned that a large cohort of the working population remain locked out of the housing market, and said more ambitious measures are needed to tackle the housing crisis which continues to negatively impact on investment and competitiveness. The Government announced changes to the Housing For All plan on Tuesday, introducing measures aimed at refurbishing homes faster, speeding up construction and boosting the supply of affordable rental properties. Announcing the measures, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar admitted there is a huge deficit of housing in Ireland. He said that the Government expects the new measures to have an immediate effect and increase the number of homes being built in the coming years. Cork Chamber welcomed the increase in grants for vacant and derelict properties proposed in the new measures, but the business organisation said the overall plan lacks ambition. The focus on cost-rental homes in this latest housing package by Government is well intentioned but lacks ambition and the conditions associated with obtaining these planned units will leave large sections of the workforce excluded, said Cork Chamber CEO Conor Healy. For these plans to have any meaningful impact the level of investment in the scheme must be extended and the income qualification thresholds for people to apply must be significantly increased. Accommodation availability to support talent attraction and retention is the top issue for our members at present and this plan will not alleviate those concerns, he added. Overall, the measures are a move in the right direction but unfortunately do not address, in any meaningful terms, supply for rent or sale and will not be enough to result in the immediate step change we need to support employers and their employees. MBABANE Simphiwe Tata Ngubane was not part of the common purpose to kill Victor Gamedze but Mbuso Ncaza Nkosi was rendered guilty of the murder. This is according to the Crown in its submissions after Sipho Shongwe closed his case yesterday. Shongwe faces a murder charge for the murder of Gamedze, who was killed on January 14, 2018 at Ezulwini Galp Filling Station. Shongwe is alleged to have acted jointly in furtherance of a common purpose with Sandile Dzodzo Zikalala, Nkosi and Ngubane, who were still at large at the time the indictment was composed. Advocate Hellens said although the indictment alleged that a common purpose existed among Shongwe, Zikalala and Nkosi, the evidence led showed that Ngubane was not entirely part of that common purpose. The advocate said it was common and not in dispute that Gamedze was shot twice in the head on January 14, 2018, at Ezulwini Galp Filling Station and that he died in consequence of his injuries. The advocate also said it was not in dispute that Gamedze was shot by Nkosi. In shooting Gamedze twice in the head, according to the Crown, Nkosi intended to kill him and did so for no lawful reason, thus rendering him guilty of the crime of murder. The advocate said at the time of the alleged planning of, and giving effect to the murder of Gamedze, evidence showed that there was telephonic contact between Shongwe, Nkosi and Zikalala. The advocate said it was inexplicable that Shongwe did not know Nkosi and/or, for that matter, Ngubane. If the evidence shows that there was telephonic contact at the material time, or at all, between the accused (Shongwe) Ncaza and Dzodzo, then the accuseds denial of any contact with or involvement with the killer is an unsustainable denial. Indeed, it would be a false denial. A false denial in and of itself implicates the accused in guilt because if there were an innocent reason for otherwise unexplained and unexplainable contact between the accused and the killer, then that reason would have been forthcoming in his evidence. That which is clear is that the accuseds version is one of a denial of engaging Ncaza to effect the murder and of a complete denial of knowing Ncaza at all, said Advocate Hellens. The advocate stated that if one took two inexplicable facts and combined them, the Crowns case that Shongwe engaged Nkosi to commit the murder was shown beyond any doubt whatsoever. He told the court that it was unlikely that the Crown would lead a witness who would falsely implicate Shongwe or two witnesses who falsely implicated the accused for no reason at all and with no motive at all. Secondly, said the advocate, the version of those witnesses, particularly of Ncaza, was underpinned and cross-corroborated by telephonic contact with him as evidenced by the MTN Eswatini series of exhibits and the evidence of former MTN Eswatini Chief Technical and Information Officer Thembi Mkhonto. According to the advocate, it demonstrated that Nkosi had never been to Eswatini before the murder of Gamedze and he never intended to come to the country before. Advocate Hellens submitted that Nkosi, who shot Gamedze twice in the head, did not know him and had no quarrel with him nor did any difficulty exist between him and Victor Gamedze. He shot Victor Gamedze twice in the head intending to kill him. Why would a person such as Ncaza murder a stranger, Victor Gamedze, for no reason whatsoever, except if he had been contracted to perform the act? The balance of the evidence of the Crown will show motive on the part of Sipho Shongwe to bring about the demise of Victor Gamedze. Nkosi entered Eswatini on the evening of January 11, 2018. He was seen in the company of Zikalala and Ngubane at Spar Supermarket in Ezulwini on January 13, 2018, a day before the murder was committed. The video evidence at the Galp Filling Station was established through a witness, Mandla Bheki Mkhatshwa, who was the eighth witness. He was the supervisor at the Galp Filling Station in Ezulwini. He said they had CCTV cameras at the filling station and that he had control over those systems and ability to show people footage. He said he was at the filling station on the day of the shooting. He further said police arrived after the incident had taken place and came back on the following day. The police, according to the witness, asked for permission to see the footage of the incident and he showed them the footage. On the following day, he said, they came with someone, an electrician who worked with CCTV cameras, to download the footage and they retrieved that information. Advocate Hellens appears for the crown alongside Principal Crown Counsel Macebo Nxumalo. Advocate Laurence Hodes appears for Shongwe together with Ben J Simelane and Lucky Howe. The matter will continue today. THE case against a 33-year old motorist facing the prospect of trial by judge and jury for alleged dangerous driving causing the death of GAA broadcaster Paudie Palmer was adjourned until June 13. Bohdan Bezverkhyi, of Rigsdale House, Rigsdale, Ballinhassig, Co Cork, appeared today at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. As well as the charge of dangerous driving causing death, Mr Bezverkhyi faces charges relating to the alleged hit-and-run at Dunkereen Cross, Innishannon, Co Cork, on December 29 2022. Mr Palmer died on January 8. Defence senior counsel Ray Boland said to Judge Helen Boyle: This is a new return. It is a case of dangerous driving causing death. I would ask you to extend free legal aid to cover a forensic engineer. Mr Boland said that the defence was also awaiting from the prosecution the CCTV footage, copies of statements of witnesses, and a copy of the pathologists report. Judge Boyle was told the book of evidence previously served on the accused would have to be translated into Russian for him. The judge put the case back to June 13 for mention when it is anticipated that it will be further adjourned. Detective Garda Manus ODonnell previously gave evidence of charging the defendant with dangerous driving causing death, and that he replied: I will act according to my solicitors advice. By Claudia Savage, PA A ring and bracelet previously owned by the Duchess of Windsor Wallis Simpson have sold for 42,000 (47,000) at auction in Belfast. The sale of the emerald and diamond ring and bracelet, that took place at Bloomfield Auctions in Belfast, also saw the sale of a Harland and Wolff minute book chronicling the years 1918-1927 for 2,600. Mrs Simpson received the items of jewellery as a gift from her husband, the Duke of Windsor, who had abdicated as British king. The jewellery was later sold to Esther McCreery, a well-known socialite, who had met the royal couple through her role as a liaison for the American Embassy in the Bahamas. Wallis Simpson at her wedding to the Duke of Windsor (Bellmans/PA) Karl Bennett, managing director of Bloomfield Auctions, said he was delighted with the price the set went for, exceeding its expected price of 25,000-35,000. I am delighted with what the emerald and diamond bracelet and ring has fetched at auction. The pair is one of the most stunning items of jewellery I have ever had on sale at the auction house, he said. The Harland and Wolff minute book that was sold for 2,600 contains various historical references. Mr Bennett said: This book is a unique piece of history, believed to contain records of the first minutes taken immediately after the First World War, chronicling the years 1918-1927. A letter from Queen Elizabeth II, addressed to Lord Plunkett, sold for 1,100 at auction (Bloomfield Auctions/PA) Its such a rich historical document to behold, containing references to the Armistice in 1918, the Titanic memorial, the purchase and use of Ormiston and the death and demise of Viscount Pirrie, Chairman of Harland & Wolff. Also featured in the sale was an original handwritten letter by the late Queen Elizabeth II, addressed to Lord Plunkett on the occasion of his engagement, which sold for 1,100. Mr Bennett said the expectation in the run-up to Charles coronation had generated significant interest in the items. I knew there would be a great amount of interest from around the globe for these royal items, which is no surprise given King Charles IIIs upcoming coronation, he said. I was also particularly pleased with the sale of the seven-piece silver tea service, used to entertain the young Duke of Edinburgh at a polo match in the United States, which made 8,000 at auction. Jessica Magee and Fiona Ferguson A Dublin man who sold Android boxes allowing cheap access to thousands of TV channels has been sentenced to 240 hours of community service. Paul OBrien (38), of Raheen Close, Tallaght, pleaded guilty to three sample counts of copyright infringements involving the possession and sale of so-called protection-defeating devices on dates between June 2016 and December 2017. Passing sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Martin Nolan said it was a sneaky type of offence hard to detect. The judge said his first thought had been to imprison OBrien, describing the offences as classic white collar criminal behaviour, and commented that the only deterrence was a custodial sentence. He said, however, that he had noted what his colleagues had done in similar cases and noted for a first offence in these circumstances, there was normally a non-custodial disposal. He said he found what OBrien had done reprehensible, saying it was a well-thought-out scheme to make money and defraud the rightful owners of their property rights, but he was going to stay his hand. He told OBrien he had been very close to going to prison. The judge previously referred the case to the probation service to see if OBrien was suitable for community service, ordering 240 hours of community service in lieu of two years imprisonment. The court heard on Thursday that O'Brien was deemed eligible for community service, and the judge finalised the sentence. Judge Nolan also previously ordered the forfeiture of 20,410 and the destruction of the equipment seized. Subscription At an earlier sentence hearing, the court heard that OBrien sold Android boxes to 150 customers and then charged them 12 a month to get activation codes. The buyers would then use a new code each month to activate access to about 4,000 TV channels. Garda Brian OConnor told the court that a company like Sky or Virgin would ordinarily charge viewers anything between 30 to 130 a month to give similar access to TV channels. The court heard that over 34,000 was frozen in OBriens bank account, of which about 60 per cent came from the illegal sale of these devices. Gda OConnor told Simon Matthews BL, prosecuting, that the offence came to light when a Sky investigator made a test purchase of a Merlin TV Android box in October 2017 from a website called IPTV Wizard. He was sent an activation code which allowed him access to the TV channels, and he reported the incident to gardai. OBrien was easily traced through the company registered to the Android box, and gardai got warrants to search his house and that of his partner in December 2017. Numerous items were seized from OBriens house, including a black tower PC containing data relating to the activation codes and details about sourcing the boxes. Mr Matthews said OBrien had been sourcing the boxes himself from the website alibaba.com and passing them on but that the re-broadcasting was done by other parties. Other items seized included 100 flyers advertising IPTV Wizard, business cards, remote control and details of OBriens bank account. OBrien, who has no previous convictions, was arrested by appointment in September 2018 and made substantial admissions in his third interview with gardai. He told gardai he had been running the IPTV Wizard website from about 2015 or 2016 until his house was raided. OBrien said he had about 150 customers who sourced the box and that he was getting 12 for each activation code he sold per month. Gda OConnor agreed with Judge Nolan that OBrien would have been getting about 1,800 a month. If the guards hadnt stopped him, he could have had a living out of this, Judge Nolan said. OBrien told gardai that about 60 per cent of the 34,017 in his bank account had come from IPTV sales. Philipp Rahn SC, defending OBrien, said other monies coming into his clients account included wages and the proceeds of legitimate sales of items like gaming pads, air mouses and controllers. Mr Rahn said OBrien had not come to garda attention since this offence and was unlikely to come before the courts again. He pointed out that gardai had found no trappings of wealth in OBriens house and said his client was a computer design technician who had worked hard all his life. OBrien set up his own company in 2016, and when this went out of business in 2018, it was very difficult for him, counsel said, and he ended up in this misadventure and criminality. This matter came as a huge shock to him, said Mr Rahn, presenting a letter from OBriens GP showing that he suffered from anxiety and was attending counselling. O Brien's partner, who wrote a letter to the court, was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2015. She said OBrien was a dedicated father to their 14-year-old son and a valuable member of the local community who was always willing to help people. 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 of yet another South Florida condo building were forced to quickly evacuate on Tuesday after an engineering inspection raised serious concerns about the buildings structural integrity. The 63-year-old Majestic Isle condominium in North Bay Village is just miles from the Port Royale condominiums that were evacuated in a similar manner in October 2022, and Surfside, where the Champlain Towers South collapse killed 98 people in 2021. Floridas coast is exceptionally vulnerable to numerous climate impacts, including coastal erosion and flooding driven by sea level rise, that can undermine buildings structural integrity and will likely lead to more sudden evacuations in the future, North Bay Villages mayor, Brent Latham told the New York Times. The building inspection cited rain and termite damage stemming from years of neglect as the cause of the buildings dangerous lack of integrity. For a Deeper Dive: New York Times, AP, WSVN, CBS, Local10; Climate Signals background: Sea level rise, Coastal flooding increase; Hurricanes, Extreme precipitation events For more climate change and clean energy news, you can follow Climate Nexus on Twitter and Facebook, sign up for daily Hot News, and visit their news site, Nexus Media News. Aviagen KFT recognises rising broiler and breeder performance in Romania and Moldova Aviagen KFT has announced the induction of the latest members into the company's exclusive Ross 420 and Ross 150 Clubs, honoring the top-performing poultry farmers in Romania and Moldova. The Ross 150 Club recognises parent stock performance of 150 chicks and over per hen housed. Likewise, the Ross 420 Club celebrates broiler growers who reach a European Production Efficiency Factor (EPEF) score of 420 or more. The Aviagen KFT team organised an awards ceremony and seminar attended by 30 Aviagen Parent Stock customers and independent broiler growers on April 7 in Brasov, Romania. During the event, senior poultry specialist veterinarian Zoltan Marton shared his insight on avian influenza and other topical diseases, emphasising effective biosecurity measures that are instrumental in protecting bird health. Technical service manager Paul Anton said: "It is with extreme pride that we honor the new Ross 150 and 420 Club members in the Republic of Moldova and Romania. Each year, we continue to see new heights in bird efficiency, sustainability and welfare, which would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of farm managers together with their entire teams. I commend the teams' combined efforts that have earned them a well-deserved place in the exclusive Ross 150 and 420 Clubs." SC Avicola Tartasesti Poultry achieved an outstanding performance of 160.8 chicks per hen housed in 2022, earning the company the prestigious Ross 150 Club award for the second time in a row. At the event, Avicola Tartasesti general manager Gabriela Nicolae expressed delight in celebrating the success of the company's breeder farmers and commended the growing membership of the club, which "makes the competition more challenging each year. - Aviagen MBABANE The Peoples United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) has denied being funded by billionaire businessman Nathan Kirsh, during their recently concluded 10th General Congress. In an statement issued yesterday afternoon, PUDEMO Secretary General (SG) Penuel Malinga said the party was baffled by the article headlined, BATTLE OF THE CAPITALISTS: Is Billionaire Nathan Kirsh Plotting To Fund Regime Change In Eswatini Amid Fallout With Mswati?. The article was published by online publication, The Swaziland News, over the weekend. The authenticity of the statement was confirmed to this publication by PUDEMO Deputy President Wandile Dludlu, who said it was indeed an official statement of the organisation. Malinga noted that the article in question had serious and weighty allegations, to the effect that the said billionaire, Kirsh, allegedly funded candidates in the recently concluded PUDEMO 10th General Congress. repudiate The Office of the Secretary General, on behalf of the National Executive Committee (NEC), takes this time and opportunity to outrightly repudiate and reject the contents of the article and set the record straight that the allegations contained in the article are, to a larger extent, false, unfounded and malicious, reads the statement in part. The SG said PUDEMO and its national leadership disassociated itself from everything that had been reported and written by the online media publication, as the party had no knowledge of any sponsorship from Kirsh to any of its members towards the PUDEMO elective congress that was recently concluded. Malinga said the insinuations of the article attempted to cast aspersions on the organisation, PUDEMO, its leadership (elected and unelected) and its entire membership. The party also stated that at no point did the SG (Malinga) of the movement utter any of the contents attributed to him in the article as published by the online news publication. Malinga was quoted by Swaziland News having confirmed knowledge of the matter but declined to release an official comment before investigating it further. aware He was quoted to have allegedly said; I am aware of the matter suggesting that there might be an alleged involvement of Kirsh, but the problem is that this matter is still being discussed in hushed tones within the executive of PUDEMO. Give me some time to investigate it further then I will release an official comment. However, in the statement issued yesterday, Malinga said when the editor of the online publication, Zweli Martin Dlamini, contacted them, it was put to him that the organisation knew nothing about such a story he was pursuing. Malinga said as such, due to the threatening nature and the seriousness of the matter, PUDEMO had taken the matter up with the publication concerned through its editor and expected nothing short of a retraction and an apology to the movement and all concerned. He said it was their full understanding as the National Executive Committee (NEC) that the article had the effect of tarnishing their image as a movement and also threatened the peoples confidence in PUDEMO. It is also our belief and understanding that, above all, the said article largely damages and erodes the unity within our movement, reads the statement in part. The SG said as PUDEMO, they explicitly and overtly have full confidence in the uprightness of all its members who availed themselves for leadership positions in the 10th General Congress. pursued It is for this reason that the matter in question will be pursued until its end, added the SG. Meanwhile, Kirshs representative in Eswatini George Lys also vehemently denied the allegations carried by the online publication, Swaziland News. Lys said none of the allegations had basis or whatsoever in fact. He said, in Eswatini, Kirsh and his family were dedicated solely to philanthropic activities focused exclusively on the welfare of Eswatini and her people through the work of KFE, including its flagship Inhlanyelo Fund, which had created over 27 000 businesses since 1999. Lys stated that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kirsh donated E320 million towards food relief, PPE supplies, oxygen production plant, ventilators and other life-saving interventions. He concluded by stating that Kirsh and his family only wished for peace and stability in the kingdom and for all differences to be settled through dialogue, in adherence to the principle that had guided emaSwati through their proud history. MBABANE The Anglican Church Bishop, Dr Dalcy Dlamini, has announced the names of people who will form a task team to focus on the issues that threaten to split the church. This follows an incident in which the Office of the Bishop was petitioned on Sunday. Some of the issues that gave rise to the petitioning of the bishop by the congregants included the transfer of the All Saints Rector, Advent Nhlanhla Dlamini and his archdean to the Mhlume Branch. The duo is expected to relocate to their new workstation by April 30, 2023. The bishop announced the list of the task team members yesterday evening after she officially received the petition from the All Saints Cathedral Christians, who had also paid her a visit on Sunday at her place of residence but did not find her. Consultation According to Bishop Dlamini, following much prayer and consultation, she said by divine permission as bishop of Eswatini, she decided to set up a task team to focus on the issues at hand as they crafted a way forward. Dlamini stated that they had been requested by His Grace Archbishop Thabo Cecil Makgoba of Cape Town and Metropolitan of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, to resolve the matter as a diocese. She said the Archbishops Office indicated to them that they had received a correspondence from the All Saints Cathedral, adding that they should decide on the matter. The bishop said the church knew where to go during perilous times. She added that the bishop, as the shepherd of the flock, began a journey with a clergy person in any given situation, including transfers. In case there were differences, the bishop stated that such a clergy knew where to appeal as stipulated in the canons. She reminded the Christians that they were guided by the constitutions and canons of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa; the regulations of the Diocese of Eswatini Anglican Church as well as the Sola Scriptura, reasoning and traditions. The above tools guide us on how to act and conduct ourselves both in the church and in public, she said. Bishop Dalcy added that the outcome of every negotiation may not be what one expected, however, the duty of the bishop was to look at the bigger picture. She said the plea was that the Church of God should always remember that they had clergy for the diocese not for a particular parish. She said the clergy took vows of canonical obedience, both to the bishop and successors, hence their prayer was to assist the clergy in every way they could. Furthermore, she stated that both clergy and laity had their boundaries, adding that what had brought them to where they were today was the fact that they might have forgotten their identity. We are not here to judge or condemn each other, but the saying might be true in this instance that grass often looks greener on the other side. Among the resolutions taken by the congregants was that the transfers be stopped while the issue was being resolved by the archbishops office. The Christians made it clear that if the response from the Archbishops Office was not satisfactory, it shall be rejected. Furthermore, they reaffirmed that they would not remit the assessments. On the issue of the rectors transfer, they stated that there would not be any movement, while they were still awaiting the archbishops response. Also, they mentioned that the response from the archbishops office should be aligned with the manner they wanted the church to operate, which would make it grow and not divide it. Yasmin Ingham Back at Kentucky Yasmin Ingham & Banzai Du Loir about to present in front of the Grand Jury at Kentucky The Isle of Man's Yasmin Ingham is once again on the starting list for the Land Rover Kentucky 3 Day Event in Lexington. This year she arrives as the current Eventing World Champion after her sensational victory in Pratoni Roma last September. Twelve months ago Ingham was runner up to German Michael Jung who is not competing at Kentucky this year - But it was Jung who a few months later Ingham beat to take the World title. But all eyes are now on the entry at this years event where Ingham will be riding her World Champion mount Banzai Du Loir. The absence of Michael Jung does not mean the 25 year old Ingham will have an easy ride. This event is a magnet for some of the worlds top Eventers, with the entry list said to contain the strongest US 5 star field for some time. Alongside Ingham from Great Britain is former World Champion Zara Tindall riding Class Affair, Olympic Team Gold Medallist Tom McEwen riding JL Dublin, Kirsty Chabert riding Classic VI and David Doel riding Galileo Nieuwmoed. Going in to the competition, "Equiratings" who are online stats analysts, have placed Ingham as third favourite behind fellow British rider Tom McEwen and Amercian Tamie Smith who is ranked favourite. We caught up with Yasmin after Banzai had passed the first horse inspection. Videos Yasmin Ingham Yasmin Ingham talks about her Kentucky hopes for 2023 Elon Musk may have to answer detailed questions regarding a fatal 2018 Tesla crash where Autopilot was involved. Judge Evette Pennypacker has ordered Musk to give a three-hour deposition in a lawsuit over the crash, which killed Apple engineer Walter Huang when his Model X plowed into a highway median south of San Francisco. Attorneys for Huang's family want to grill the tech CEO over statements he made about Autopilot's capabilities in the years before the incident. Most notably, the plaintiffs point to a 2016 Code Conference interview (shown below) where Musk maintained that Tesla cars with Autopilot could already drive with "greater safety than a person." They're also concerned about a 2016 self-driving demo video that engineers testified was staged to show features that weren't ready. The implication, of course, is that Huang was falsely led to believe he could trust his Model X to drive down the highway without being ready to take over. Tesla says Autopilot was engaged at the time of the crash, but also maintains that Huang ignored three car warnings to put his hands back on the steering wheel. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says Huang was playing a phone game at the time. Tesla tried to resist the deposition by claiming Musk couldn't remember the associated statements, and that his popularity could prompt the creation of AI-based deepfake videos. Pennypacker rejected this argument as a "deeply troubling" tactic that could effectively shield any well-known person from responsibility for their statements. The order is officially tentative, and a hearing is slated for today (April 27th) to make a final decision. However, Reuters notes California judges usually finalize these rulings with few changes. The lawsuit is slated to reach trial on July 31st. Subscribe to the Engadget Deals Newsletter Great deals on consumer electronics delivered straight to your inbox, curated by Engadgets editorial team. See latest Subscribe Please enter a valid email address Please select a newsletter By subscribing, you are agreeing to Engadget's Terms and Privacy Policy. Tesla has faced mounting criticism over its Autopilot safety claims, including concerns that over-reliance on the system has led to crashes. Politicians have called for the automaker to improve safety and use more accurate naming. However, the company has also had a few victories as of late. The NTSB in February ruled out Autopilot as a factor in a deadly 2021 crash in Texas. Just days ago, Tesla thwarted a lawsuit from a Los Angeles driver who faulted Autopilot for swerving her Model S into a median. There will be lingering concerns, then, whether or not Tesla survives the Huang lawsuit. All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices are correct at the time of publishing. Lyft had warned of impending layoffs last week, and now it's taking action. The ridesharing company is cutting 1,072 jobs, or about 26 percent of its employees. It's also scaling back hiring and will scrub 250 open roles. The decision will carry severance and benefits costs of up to $47 million in the second quarter, but Lyft believes the savings will help with 'improvements" for drivers and passengers. More details are coming during an earnings call on May 4th. The firm had already laid off 13 percent of its team in November last year. This latest decision also follows just weeks after co-founder Logan Green stepped down as CEO following a rough earnings call. Green said the company would have to boost spending to remain competitive with Uber. While neither Lyft nor Uber has turned a profit on an annual basis, Uber was profitable last quarter thanks to investments in other businesses. New Lyft chief (and former Amazon executive) David Risher, who started this month, has called for streamlined business and a renewed focus on the "needs of riders and drivers." He's part of a broader executive shakeup that sees president and co-founder John Zimmer move to the board of directors, where Green still has a role. Lyft is far from alone. Numerous tech giants have laid off staff in 2023, in many cases due to a rough global economy. However, its rival Uber has so far avoided severe cuts in recent months. Layoffs.fyi says Uber laid off about 60 engineers in Lithuania last fall, and 150 Uber Freight workers in January. This doesn't guarantee that Uber will avoid trouble, but it suggests the ride hailing giant is feeling less pressure than Lyft. MBABANE- Clearly, there is a problem in the Office of the Attorney General (AG), it should do the necessary housekeeping in the matter. This was said by Supreme Court Judge Phesheya Dlamini when addressing governments lawyer in court yesterday. This was where an association, which aims at promoting, protecting and advancing the rights and interests of the LGBTI community in Eswatini, is challenging the decision of the High Court. LGBTI is an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex. Yesterday, the Supreme Court was due to hear an appeal by the association, but it did not proceed as the lawyers from the chamber of the AG informed the court that they were not ready. Arrive Principal Crown Counsel Ndabenhle Dlamini, who was first to arrive in court, informed the judges that his colleague, Mbuso Dlamini, who was seized with the matter, was locked in a lift in the building that houses the AGs Offices and other government offices. The principal Crown counsel informed the judges that he was standing in for his colleague (Mbuso), who was the one handling the matter. The Supreme Court judges expressed their displeasure in the manner in which the government lawyers were handling the matter and the court went on to remind them that this was a very serious matter. Human Rights Lawyer Sibusiso Nhlabatsi, who is representing the appellants, informed the court that he was ready to proceed yesterday but was amenable to the fact that the respondent also ought to be heard, hence he would not oppose their application for postponement in the event they were not ready. He, however, applied that the appellants should be granted wasted costs. It is pertinently clear that there is a problem in many respects and the AGs Office should put its house in order in this matter, said Judge Phesheya. The court then granted the appellants their application for condonattion for late filing and further awarded them wasted costs. The appeal will now be heard on May 5, 2023. The appeal will be heard and determined by justices, Phesheya, Robert Cloete, Majahenkhaba Dlamini, Stanley Maphalala and Acting Supreme Court Judge Luke Simelane. The appeal comes after the High Court dismissed their application. The LGBTIs wanted the court to review and set aside the decision of the registrar of companies of refusing to register their association, Eswatini Sexual and Gender Minorities. Appellants in the matter were Melusi Simelane, Senele Mdluli, Mbali Nokwanda Dlamini, Thuthu Magagula, Mary Pais Da Silva, and Thandeka, while the respondent was the minister of Commerce Industry and Trade. In the majority judgment, Judge Mumcy Dlamini said from its objectives, Eswatini Sexual and Gender Minorities intended to sell information relating to affectionate or erotic matters of the LGBTI community. (Informacion remitida por la empresa firmante) STOCKHOLM, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Devyser has been awarded the Swecare Export Award 2023. The prize is awarded to companies that "with creativity, commitment and scope put Swedish innovation in health and healthcare on the world map". Devyser receives the award for revolutionary solutions, extensive export investment and focus on correct diagnosis for each patient in the shortest possible time.Ulf Klangby, deputy CEO and one of the company's founders, received the award from the Minister of Social Affairs and Public Health Jacob Forssmed at a ceremony in Stockholm earlier today. Swecare is a foundation that has the Swedish Ministry of Social Affairs mission to create platforms for companies and organizations within the Swedish life science sector with the aim of contributing to increased exports of Swedish products, services, and knowledge. Swecare was established in 1978 by the Swedish government, the then Export Council, and representatives of the health care industry. The "Swecare Export Award" has been awarded annually for more than 10 years. Out of five nominated companies, Devyser was named this year's winner of the prestigious award. The jury consists of representatives from the life science industry and the Swedish government. The jurys motivation to the Swecare Export Award 2023: "The winner is a pioneer in advanced genetic testing, DNA diagnostics. The company is at the forefront of research in one of the areas that has the potential to revolutionize healthcare by enabling to identify and predict diseases early. Through the goal that every patient should receive a correct diagnosis in the shortest possible time, they contribute to a development with a focus on the patient and care provider with regard to sustainability and resources. From the beginning a research company that from the head office in Hagersten developed 29 different products that are now available in 50 countries. With intensive export investments in recent years, they have made a fantastic growth journey with great sales successes, where 92 percent of total sales are made up of export income. "We are incredibly proud to be recognized with this fine award", comments Fredrik Alpsten, CEO of Devyser. "We have had strong international growth in recent years, especially in Europe and Asia. Our investment in expanding direct sales in key markets has been highly successful. Now our focus is on the North American market. In June, we will inaugurate our new laboratory in Atlanta, Georgia, and earlier this week we presented a collaboration agreement with Thermo Fisher Scientific, an American company and world leader in the diagnostics industry. Through this partnership Thermo Fisher Scientific will market and sell, under combined brands, Devyser's unique post-transplant follow-up NGS products in the US, Canada, and Europe, which means more patients can access better transplant care." For more information contact: Fredrik Alpsten, CEO Email: fredrik.alpsten@devyser.com Telephone: +46 (0)70 667 31 06 The following files are available for download: View original content: https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/devyser-winner-of-swecare-export-awards-2023-301809800.html Chornobyl nuclear power plant workers as well as government officials honored fallen workers as Ukraine marked the 37th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster. Los Angeles, CAWithout Redemption, a historical biography of notorious serial killer Bill Bonin, continues to gain positive reviews and sales in US, UK, Australia, France and other European countries. Co-authored by Vonda Pelto, Ph.D., who dealt with Bonin and two of his accomplices at LA Men's Jail, this book can rightly claim to be one of the most detailed serial killer biographies written by the sheer volume of investigative documents they had to write from. Vonda Pelto was a newly minted Clinical Psychologist when she was brought in following the jailhouse suicide of Bonin's key accomplice Vernon Butts, who helped with him six killings and knew of three others. Highly embarrassed by the suicide, the LA County Sheriff's Department, who run LA Men's Central Jail, were under intense pressure to prevent other serial killers or high-profile inmates from escaping justice. This aspect of the Without Redemption is truly fascinating as Bonin and two accomplices, Munro and Miley, describe to Pelto various murders while also shedding light on Bonin's gruesome mindset and methods. Watch the Without Redemption Book Trailer http://bit.ly/3Y7gebu Here is the Introduction to Without Redemption and below are nine Amazon Kindle E-Gift links for anyone wishing to get the book for FREE. Introduction: What's a Nice Girl Doing in a Place Like This! The Los Angeles County Men's Central Jail was a strange, surreal world; a mustard-gray, cement encased ecosystem filled with LA County Sheriff's tan uniforms, multi-colored inmate jumpsuits and pale faces. It was a world where, on my first Halloween, a gang riot broke out and an inmate was dropped from the second level tier, his brains splattered on the cold concrete floor below. It was a world where convicts, linked by foot-shackles, shuffled down the sides of the halls, against the walls, because the center of the corridors was forbidden territory to them. It was a world where trustees stood patiently, like waiters in a high-class restaurant, waiting to take our orders in the officer's dining room. It was a world where I found myself alone, in my office, having coffee and cookies with rapists and murderers. More than anything else, it was a world filled with rage, terror and pain. It was here that men, arrested for a multitude of crimes, were incarcerated until the completion of their trials, or awaiting reassignment to San Quentin, Chino, Mule Creek and other prisons. This was a place for them to quietly meet with me, Vonda Pelto, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, for the express purpose of evaluating them for suicidal ideation. Many of the serial killers and murderers relished in the practice of reliving their crimes, taking pleasure in making me uncomfortable as they recounted the gruesome details, often trying to explain their rationale for torturing, raping and murdering. I learned these men sought me out to calm fears and anxieties about their future punishment, most every of one lacking any guilt or remorse for their behavior. Here was a world that invaded my life as I struggled to maintain my own sanity and keep the darkness from my two daughters. Divorced and feeling alone, I was forced to compartmentalize various personas in order to survive emotionally, spiritually and physically. Although much has been written about these men and their crimes, few have experienced their inner minds and thoughts as I did during my time, as it were, at the LA Men's Jail. Many books are written about killers by authors who had a limited number of formal interviews with them, but those types of conversations differed dramatically from the barriers down, tell me what you really think confabs I had with serial killers who were Without Remorse and Without Redemption. From my first day at the jail, I kept a diary and took copious notes of the meetings conducted with the inmates I was assigned to keep alive. My mandate was to support them through their trials and to not engage in therapy. Even after they were transferred to prison, many continued to communicate with me through letters and calls. Their letters, like the conversations, revealed a need for human contact and a total lack of guilt or remorse. My office was a converted cell located quite close to those of the Hillside Strangler, Freeway Killers, the Sunset Strip Killer, the Trash Bag Murderer and the Wonderland Murderers. The primary focus of this book is Bill Bonin, the Freeway Killer who recruited five others to help him murder teenage boys. As you will find out in this book, Bonin killed just as many alone as he did with the accomplices. I had direct contact with Bonin, Greg Miley and James Munro, but never got a chance to speak with Vernon Butts, Billy Pugh or Eric Wijnaendts. My first book, Without Remorse: The Story of the Woman Who Kept Los Angeles' Serial Killers Alive, and this new publication resulted from those meetings and sessions. While Without Remorse covered the entire experience and featured all the killers and criminals I encountered, Without Redemption focuses on the entire evolution of Bonin's personality from young boy in Connecticut to serial killer in Southern California. The region was in fear while the killings went on and enthralled as the details of their crimes emerged after Bonin and company were arrested. It may be the stuff of nightmares, but it is all frighteningly true and had, as mentioned, a tremendous impact on my life. As far as unusual jobs go, especially for a woman in 1981, working in the jail chatting up serial killers and unrepentant sexual predators is close to the top. Place an attractive, single woman working in an environment comprised of five thousand male inmates, and that makes it even more unique. In this book, Bill Bonin, Greg Miley and James Munro tell me personally about some of the murders and it often seemed as if they were talking about a ballgame or a vacation trip. In addition, a number of other conversations I had with Bonin, before and during his trial, populate the final sections. Coming from a sheltered and strict religious background, I struggled to differentiate between the troubled and the evil. During many years working at the jail, I developed relationships of varying types with a number of different men. John Holmes, famed porn star and suspect in the Wonderland Murders, proposed marriage to me; Hillside Strangler spoke of his son and the sadness he felt knowing he would not watch his only child grow up; The Trash Bag Murderer almost cried when he recounted watching the dismemberment of two people and hearing the cries of the mother for her children. Many are curious about what makes a serial killer tick. How do they think? What are they like personally? What are their lives like while incarcerated? What did they do while involved in their criminal activities and what are their interactions with jail staff and other inmates? How do those tasked with being around serial killers deal with emotional baggage they take home every night? It is my desire that more research will give us the ability to spot serial killers in waiting and devise ways to change the outcomes. Learning the history and cataloging the danger signs, many seen in this detailed telling of Bonin's story, may provide a roadmap for such work. In the aftermath of traversing through Bonin's world, and trying to make sense of it, I can only hope that one might come away with renewed appreciation for family, love and life. Bonin was betrayed by his family, the people he depended on for love, protection and guidance failed him. Years spent overcoming persistent nightmares resulted from what Bonin and others dished out to me during multiple conversations. Finding my way back to an emotional equilibrium involved pain and many sleepless nights. Through it all, I learned that the pain we inflict has tremendous impact beyond our imagining, directly and indirectly. Vonda Pelto, Ph.D. The 6x9 Softcover of Without Redemption currently on sale for $11.00. Here are the nine Without Redemption Kindle E-Gift Links available for immediate redemption, if you have any trouble email Flotsam PR at flotsampr@pm.me. https://www.amazon.com/kindle/redeem/?t=GSSPCRUJKGXSQHR https://www.amazon.com/kindle/redeem/?t=GSG5F3RWGAQTNFB https://www.amazon.com/kindle/redeem/?t=GSVSLR57EWK3SC5 https://www.amazon.com/kindle/redeem/?t=GSJ6XBH5ER86RTV https://www.amazon.com/kindle/redeem/?t=GSPHTUDHTYJES3K https://www.amazon.com/kindle/redeem/?t=GS7N2A9CRXUF4P5 https://www.amazon.com/kindle/redeem/?t=GSDUWQSEWPMGGK2 https://www.amazon.com/kindle/redeem/?t=GS4GPTFUUC4PXF2 https://www.amazon.com/kindle/redeem/?t=GSMHYET45NQBEF5 https://www.amazon.com/kindle/redeem/?t=GSYLP944SHVG9SS Watch a Radio Show Video of Vonda Pelto on the Gary Nolan Show at http://bit.ly/41yfUWc Watch a Radio Show Video of Vonda Pelto on James Lowe Radio Show at http://bit.ly/3IRx3BE Watch Radio Show Video of Vonda Pelto on Thunderstruck Radio at https://bit.ly/3EGzK85 What is Without Redemption: The book was written on a number of parallel tracks that constantly intersect: First, it is the most detailed historical biography ever written about Bill Bonin, the notorious Freeway Killer responsible for murdering 22 teenage boys over ten-months in 1979-80. Second, it is a psychological roadmap which charts the evolution of Bonin's personality from abused child to sexual predator to serial killer. This is accomplished using documents from his childhood, war service, multiple California government mental health and penal institutions, witness testimony and the expertise of Clinical Psychologist Vonda Pelto, Ph.D., who had many sessions with Bonin and two of his accomplices while working in Los Angeles Men's Central Jail. Third, it is a narrative which, using long hidden documents, reveals the inner workings of Bonin's mind, showing how he thought, felt, planned and viewed the world. The narrative displays Bonin, an abused high school dropout, cleverly manipulating lawyers, judges, doctors, social workers, friends, family, probation officers, government bureaucrats, detectives, journalists and, most tragically, the innocent victims of his rage. Fourth, Without Redemption reveals the complex story of what happened after Bonin's final arrest, when so much was in flux and so many moving parts were swirling about. Archived investigative documents, collected from a variety of sources, brings to light a number of surprising, shocking, sad and even funny events from those ten tumultuous months from June 1980 to March 1981. Finally, it is a book which solves two 40-year-old murder mysteries and unlocks how one day of crossroads and coincidences, in the midst of the murder spree, profoundly impacted many lives and future events. Without Redemption: Creation & Deeds of Freeway Killer Bill Bonin, His Five Accomplices & How One Escaped Justice, Paperback ISBN: 979-8841931249, Hard Cover ISBN: 979-8844477775. For more info go to www.WithoutRedemption.com and purchase copies at Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Media Contact: For interviews or to request review copies contact Flotsam PR at 319-504-3788 or flotsampr@pm.me. Contact: Sheena Pegarido, 202.559.4431, spegarido@linksp.com; Christy Goodman, cgoodman@eventsdc.com WASHINGTON (April 27, 2023) Members of DC's diplomatic community are preparing to open embassy doors for thousands of visitors during Aroundthe World Embassy Tour on Saturday, May 6, 2023. One of DC's greatest spring traditions is back and is bigger than ever, with more than 60 embassies a record for this event participating. Events DC produces the event, which is part of Passport DC, the District's month-long cultural celebration. During Around the World Embassy Tour, participants travel the world and are treated to food, fashion, music, art and more, as each embassy showcases some of the best their countries have to offer. Nearly 27,000 visitors attend each year, and this year, 10 embassies are participating for the first time. An opening VIP reception will be held at the Embassy of the People's Republic of China. It will be held at 9:30 a.m. at 3505 International Place NW, featuring traditional cultural performances. For an up-to-date list of participating embassies, visit https://eventsdc.com/around-world-embassy-tour. Admission is free, but some embassies may ask to see a government-issued ID. WHAT: Around the World Embassy Tour WHEN: Saturday, May 6, 2023; Participating embassies will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. WHERE: Go to https://passportdc.stqry.app/ to see a full map of participating embassies, which are located throughout Embassy Row, Dupont Circle, Downtown, Georgetown and Van Ness. MEDIA: Media covering the event may apply for a credential to receive access to the embassies and spokespersons. The application must be completed no later than May 3. To inquire about interviews with representatives from Events DC, participating embassies or cultural organizations, please contact Sheena Pegarido at 202.559.4431 or spegarido@linksp.com. ### ABOUT EVENTS DC: Events DC, the official convention and sports authority for the District of Columbia, delivers premier event services and flexible venues across the nation's capital. Leveraging the power of a world-class destination and creating amazing attendee experiences, Events DC generates economic and community benefits through the attraction and promotion of business, athletic, entertainment and cultural activities. Events DC oversees the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, an anchor of the District's hospitality and tourism economy that hosts more than 1.7 million visitors and generates more than $400 million annually in direct economic impact and the historic Carnegie Library at Mt. Vernon Square. Events DC manages the RFK Stadium-Armory Campus (RFK Campus), including Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Festival Grounds at RFK Campus, the non-military functions of the DC Armory and the Skate Park at RFK Stadium. Stay current on the 190-acre RFK Campus Redevelopment Project at www.RFKFields.com. Events DC also built and serves as landlord for Nationals Park, the first LEED-certified major professional sports stadium in the United States. Events DC manages Gateway DC, R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center and Entertainment & Sports Arena all conveniently located in the Congress Heights neighborhood of Washington, DC. For more information, please visit www.eventsdc.com and find us on social media Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (Events DC), and Twitter (@TheEventsDC) and on our new hub for live and on-demand event programming on GATHER by Events DC at www.gatherbyeventsdc.com SpaceXs Starship test launch last week from South Texas sparked a 3.5-acre fire, spread debris over hundreds of acres of company-owned and state park land and propelled pulverized concrete more than 6 miles, a federal agency said Wednesday. Separately, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said Starship could be grounded for several months as its investigation of the incident is completed. In its statement, the Texas division of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the liftoff severely damaged the launch pad, sending concrete, steel and other objects thousands of feet into the air. Impacts from the launch include numerous large concrete chunks, stainless steel sheets, metal and other objects hurled thousands of feet away along with a plume cloud of pulverized concrete that deposited material up to 6.5 miles northwest of the pad site, the wildlife service said in a statement. Debris was found in Boca Chica State Park, which is managed by the service as part of the Lower Rio Grande National Wildlife Refuge. It said it has found no evidence of dead birds or other wildlife. The fire was south of the launch pad in the state park. SKEPTICISM: In South Texas SpaceX country, big Starship impacts come with big questions about the future Residents of Port Isabel, which was in the path of the dust plume, said they werent prepared either to feel the launch or for the grime and dust that soon began raining on them and sent students at Garriga Elementary School running inside. Everything was rattling like an earthquake. The noise was ridiculous, said Sharon Almageur, a 61-year-old lawyer who was in town with her mother. It was like a dusty snow. But it was brown. It was everywhere. What happened The fallout across the region occurred when Elon Musks private space company launched its next-generation rocket system on its first test flight from the companys Starbase facility at Boca Chica. Though the rocket successfully cleared its launch tower and climbed to an altitude of about 24 miles, the vehicle spun out of control and SpaceX said it was forced to blow it up over the Gulf of Mexico for public safety. The rocket, the worlds most powerful, blasted a crater beneath the launch mount, which was severely damaged. SpaceX didnt respond to requests for comment this week. The wildlife service is in communication with SpaceX and other agencies to provide on-the-ground guidance to minimize further impacts and reduce long-term damages to natural resources, said Aubry Buzek, an agency spokeswoman. And the FAA, which announced after the launch that it would be conducting a mishap investigation, said Wednesday that Starship could be grounded for months as it pieces together what happened. While Musk has said his private space company could be ready to launch again as early as next month from South Texas, an FAA spokesman said that wont happen until the agency determines that any system process, or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety. Some mishap investigations might conclude in a matter of weeks, he said. More complex investigations might take several months. BIG BLAST: Remote cameras show stunning view, force of SpaceX rocket launch that exploded minutes later The agency is legally responsible for protecting the public and private property from damage during launches. The FAA will be involved in every step of the process and will review, and must approve, the final report before the mishap investigation can be closed, he said, noting that the National Transportation Safety Board and National Aeronautics and Space Administration are official observers to the investigation. Assessments, concerns The Fish and Wildlife Service, which last year recommended mitigation steps to ease the environmental impact of the launch, said Wednesday that it was coordinating with the FAA on a site assessment, a set of post-launch recommendations and assessing compliance with the Endangered Species Act. Last June, an FAA environmental assessment found that SpaceXs plans for orbital launches from Boca Chica posed no significant impact to the region if the company carried out a list of mitigation procedures. After many delays, the FAA on April 14 said SpaceX had met all its requirements for launch, including safety and environmental. It issued an operator license to launch Starship, saying the license was valid for five years. After Starships explosion last week, the FAA said the anomaly response plan referenced in the environmental assessment was activated, which means a new license will be required before another launch. SpaceX is responsible for coordinating with the various governmental agencies, the FAA spokesman said Tuesday. In 2018, Musk explained why he chose to build a rocket launch pad at Boca Chica on a site surrounded by a wildlife refuge and beach on the Gulf of Mexico. Weve got a lot of land with nobody around, so if it blows up, its cool, he said at the time. Valerie Bates, a spokeswoman for Port Isabel, said residents there are questioning his assessment. None, she said, were prepared for the roar of the rocket engines and the grime and dust that rained on them. For a period of time this is on paper. But when its fired up, its not theoretical anymore and youre experiencing this on some kind of physical level in the way of noise, vibration, she said Thursday. The particulates would stick to the cars and land on roofs and there was a mixture of reactions to that, anywhere from it washed off easily to I dont know what Im breathing in. A San Antonio university has accused Texas Vista Medical Centers owner of failing to pay for medical residents work at the Southwest Side hospital, which is set to close Monday. The University of the Incarnate Word and the Texas Institute for Graduate Medical Education and Research, a subsidiary of the university, allege in a lawsuit filed April 5 that Steward Health Care System and Texas Vista owe $4.5 million for services provided by residents med school grads in post-graduate training. Dallas-based Steward acquired the hospital in 2017 and renamed it Texas Vista in 2021. In a March 1 announcement of the impending closure, Steward said the hospital, which serves patients of modest means, had long been struggling financially. Steward, which describes itself as the nation's largest private physician-led health care network, has reportedly lost hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years and has sought taxpayer bailouts in San Antonio and elsewhere. Under a 2019 agreement with Steward and Texas Vista, the institute was to provide residency training programs at the facility then known as Southwest General Hospital, which would become a major participating site for educational assignments and rotations for the residents and fellows, according to the lawsuit. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 2 1 of 2 Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Jessica Phelps Show More Show Less NO BAILOUT: University Health wont step in to save Texas Vista hospital; its working to place its patients The 327-bed hospital at 7400 Barlite Blvd. contracted with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and funds from CMS were to go to the institute to pay for residents services. Texas Vista was to pay $6,250 a month for each resident as of July 1, 2019. Forty-three internal medicine and psychiatry residents worked at the hospital from July 2021 to June 2022, and the most recent class of 67 residents matriculated there in July 2022, where they remained through September. But neither Steward nor Texas Vista paid, and by Aug. 31 they owed $1.3 million. Texas Vista President Jon Turton told the institute Oct. 4 that the entire amount would be paid within 60 days, beginning with $200,000 that week, according to the lawsuit. However, it was not paid and the balance ballooned to $2.6 million. In early November, Texas Vista paid $537,500 for invoices from February and March of 2022 but not the rest of the balance. Jay Sullivan, an attorney representing Steward, suggested in January that Texas Vista pay $400,000 a month early this spring and the full outstanding balance in the second quarter. He also said he would send a proposed payment plan to UIW and the institute, which they said they never received. STEWARDS THREATS: Texas Vista Medical Centers owner threatened a hospital shutdown before The next month, UIW sent Texas Vista and Steward a letter demanding that they immediately pay the full $2.9 million balance as of Feb. 13 but received no response. Steward notified the university in March that Texas Vista was ending its agreement with the institute for residents and that the hospital would shut down by May 1. The company owed $4.5 million to the institute as of April. It is now clear that defendants have no intention of paying the outstanding balance and have kept the CMS funds that were earned by the valuable efforts of plaintiffs' residents, UIW and the institute stated in the lawsuit. The residents themselves have been paid from other sources, said Lamont Jefferson, an attorney representing UIW and the institute. Steward has not filed a response to the lawsuit. A company spokesperson declined to comment. A fisherman Wednesday afternoon found a dead mans body washed up along the San Antonio River on the South Side. The fisherman found the body tangled among trees on the river bank in Espada Park, San Antonio police spokesman Sgt. Washington Moscoso said. ALSO READ: Mans body pulled from submerged vehicle at West Side park The body was in an advanced stage of decomposition. The man appears to have been 30 to 40 years old, investigators said. Moscoso said it appears the man died elsewhere and was carried by the rivers current amid recent flooding. It was too early to determine the cause of death. ALSO READ: Fourth body this year pulled from Lady Bird Lake; Austin PD dismisses speculation of serial killer Police are searching for a scene where a crime may have occurred or where the man died, Moscoso said. The area is expected to be closed for a few hours as police examine the scene. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A shooting Wednesday night at a Fiesta event downtown left a man in critical condition and sent partygoers fleeing. The incident occurred when a man, 25, was arguing with another person about 10:30 p.m. near Historic Market Square on the 100 block of South Concho Street, a San Antonio police sergeant said. A gunshot rang out and hit the man in the chest. The crowd around him and whoever shot him fled. The mans family was with him when the shooting occurred, police said. RELATED: Fiesta revelers find man dead near Milam Park Officers working their Fiesta posts found the man wounded on the ground, a police report states. EMS took him to Brooke Army Medical Center in critical but stable condition. Police did not have a good description of the shooter. Detectives are investigating the incident. MBABANE - It is important that I concede that the first respondents (Khulekile) conduct revealed deficiencies within our system, particularly the virtual loan application systems. These were some of the averments which were made by Letshego Financial Services (PTY) Limited Legal Consultancy Fezile Ndlovu, in the application against the female police officer, Khulekile Winfred Dlamini, who is alleged to have defrauded the institution. Ndlovu related to the court that, in the first instance, and this was per their brief investigations, Khulekile took a loan with United Pay, a division of United Holdings. She alleged that the said loan was taken by the first respondent (Khulekile) using the name of Nontsikeleko Phenduka Dlamini. When United Pay commenced with the deduction of the monthly instalments, the said Nontsikelelo Dlamini lodged a complaint against United Pay and the latter stopped the deductions. United Pay approached the first respondent who conceded that indeed she had committed the fraud, alleged Ndlovu. She went on to inform the court that, instead of finding a way to settle the debt she had created, Khulekile approached one of their (Letshego) agents, through the virtual applications. Requested She presented herself as Nontsikelela Phenduka Dlamini and requested the applicant to settle the debt she had created at United Pay. The debt was settled for and on behalf of Nontsikelelo Dlamini and the balance of the loan money was thereafter paid into Nontsikelelo Dlaminis bank account, contended the legal consultant. According to Ndlovu, a salary advice slip of Nontsikelelo was presented to the applicant and her employment confirmation was also confirmed by her employer. She alleged that also to be provided was Nontsikelelos proof of residence and identification document. However, when one looks at the identification document, it had been tampered with. This was not noticed by our sales agents and she accepted the loan application which was presented to her. It became succinct that same was forged. The name Nontsikelelo has been externally incorporated, she argued. The loan, according to Ndlovu, was paid into an account held with Swaziland Building Society. The account holder is Ms. Nontsikelelo Dlamini. The applicant disbursed an amount of E55 636.75 to United Pay for purposes of settling a debt which had been created fraudulently by the first respondent, alleged the deponent (Ndlovu). She went on to narrate to the court that a further amount of E42 810 was deposited into the account of Nontsikelelo Dlamini. When the applicant commenced with the deductions of the loan repayment from the source of Ms. Nontsikelelo Dlaminis salary, the latter approached the applicant and stated that she had never taken a loan with the applicant. She further stated that this was the second instance where a similar incident had occurred, submitted the deponent. Examined Ndlovu brought it to the attention of the court that when the name of the account holder was carefully examined, it became clear that it had been tampered with. She said this was the extent of the financial prejudice suffered by the applicant. Finally, the first respondent misrepresented herself to be Mr. Nhlanhla Fana Myezi. Myezi, who is also employed by the Eswatini Government, as a police officer. As she did in the case involving a certain Mr. Gama, the first respondent submitted a salary advice slip and bank statements. The identification document appears to have been fraudulently tampered with. The Standard Bank statement has the same transactions as those that appear on the one presented on behalf of Mr. Gama, alleged Ndlovu. She highlighted that the First National Bank account number was similar to the one that was presented in Gamas case. It bears the number 62599987420. However, the name has been tampered with to read Nhlanhla Myezi. The applicant suffered financial prejudice in the amount of E60 000 in respect of the first respondents misrepresentation herein. The Standard Bank account details were presented by the first respondent to confirm credit worthiness. However, payment was directed to be made into the First National Bank account. The account is the same. However, only the name was changed to fit the narrative of the loan applicant, she argued. In total, according to Ndlovu, the applicant had suffered financial prejudice in the amount of E247 360.77. The applicant intends on instituting action proceedings against the first respondent for the recovery of the amount she fraudulently acquired from it. Furthermore, the applicant believes that the fraud was committed by a syndicate. The first respondent could not have committed the offences on her own, submitted Ndlovu. She said it was the applicants belief that there were other individuals involved and some might be within the applicants enterprise. The only way the applicant can uncover the extent of the fraud is if it is granted access to bank accounts of the first respondent. The only way it can conduct investigations is if it gets a hold of the account details and the transactions made by the first respondent. Evidence In motivating the application, Ndlovu told the court that the first respondent was a police officer who was learned on issues of incriminating evidence or material, hence the decision to move the application on exparte basis (without the knowledge of the other party). She averred that in the event the first respondent was informed about the application, she might destroy any evidence she felt incriminated her. I am confident that the first respondent is in possession of the computer, cellphones, documents and other articles that were used in forging the documents presented to the applicant. These items can be destroyed by first the respondent or any person with whom she is working. All the documents were presented by her and the only reasonable assumption is that she is in possession thereof. It is also worth mentioning that there appears to be previous instances which affected other institutions. The first respondent is clearly on a trail of destruction, she argued. The orders were granted by Judge John Magagula. This is the third part in a series on the development of San Antonio's roads and grid layout. Alamo City. Military City, USA. Deuce Dime. All of these nicknames refer to San Antonio. But don't forget River City. After all, a river runs through the middle of downtown. That's partly because of how San Antonio was founded a jewel on the San Antonio River's crown, with the Alamo and Bexar Presidio now separated from one another by the current and partly because of how it grew after that development. Since the founding of the city, diverting and controlling water was a necessity in order for the missions and those who lived there to grow crops and supply water to residents. Acequia Madre de Valero was built, the first of many in the citys acequia system, running from what is now Brackenridge Park south to Hemisfair Plaza and South Alamo Street. Part one: 'Your confusion is totally normal': San Antonio's road grid isn't really a grid. How it developed. Everything spun around the river at the very beginning, according to Char Miller, author of "San Antonio: A Tricentennial History" and former chair of the history department at Trinity University. In fact, the location of the San Antonio River and San Pedro Springs headwaters, and the ease with which nearby fields could be irrigated, was a deciding factor in the settling location of San Antonio in 1718. Up to the mid-19th century, water movement was crucial, said Miller, who's now professor of environmental analysis and history at Pomona College in Southern California. You had the river on one hand and the San Pedro Creek on the other, which was also straightened in the 20th century. Running parallel to these waterways were the acequias, bringing domestic water use to households. Before the river was straightened in 1921, it looked much different. It bent and twisted and moved all over the landscape, Miller said. Roads had to obey the serpentine movements and thus the city was always building bridges. This twisted serpent of a river caused many of the citys oldest streets to be oddly angular and for the grid to feature these strange traffic directions to this day. This also meant that creating bridges to allow for foot traffic was an important step, which is what bridges did for the first 125 years of San Antonios existence: allow for foot traffic. Part two: 'San Antonio isn't a grid': How the Alamo City's history contributes to its unique layout Only a small number of wooden footbridges were built during the first century-plus of San Antonio, usually of a crude suspension design. This, despite the fact that by 1836, the Alamo was separated from the rest of the downtown area by the river, remaining an integral part of the modern city center. One of the very first bridges in San Antonio was one connecting Mission de San Antonio de Valero (the Alamo) and the Presidio San Antonio de Bexar with the Acequia Madre de Valero. The bridge was erected by Fray Antonio de Olivares, founder of San Antonio, with the help of the local Payaya and Pastia peoples. Another bridge that popped up early on was along the thoroughfare between the Alamo and San Fernando Cathedral, now known as Commerce Street. According to the Texas Transportation Museum, this road was the most important at the beginning of the city, and the first wooden bridge suitable for more than just pedestrians and light carriages connected the thoroughfare in 1841. Another, larger wooden model replaced this bridge in 1867, around the time the street was renamed Commerce. A second heavy-duty bridge was erected in 1851, uniting Rivas Street to the east with a narrow foot path, El Paseo del Rio, to the west. This connected road became Houston Street 20 years later, when an iron bridge replaced the original (which washed away in 1865). These two bridges, along later Commerce and Houston, were the only street-level bridges in the city capable of supporting wagons for more than a decade. More on the river: 'Everybody agrees it's a problem': Litter overwhelms vegetation following San Antonio River floods In 1858, along fledgling St. Marys Street, a wooden footbridge was built. This bridge was replaced with the first iron span in San Antonio in 1869, shortly joined by the iron bridge along Houston. Bridges, therefore, were an essential factor to two of the anchoring streets of downtown San Antonio, and the third helped make St. Marys Street into one of the citys most important north-south roads. By 1900, there were 24 of these bridges connecting the city along the San Antonio River. The river wasn't done playing important roles in the shaping of San Antonio and its downtown core, however. On Sept. 9, 1921, the remnants of a hurricane that hit the Gulf Coast passed through Central Texas. The storm brought with it 7 inches of rain in a 24-hour period in parts of downtown and up to 14 inches north of downtown in the Olmos Creek area. All of this rain drained into the San Antonio River and flowed south into the center of the city. The result was a devastating flood event on the river and its tributaries west of downtown, according to the San Antonio River Authority. The total damage of this flood amounted to $3.75 million. In 2023 dollars, that's more than $64 million. More on the flood: The 1921 flood devastated, and then transformed, San Antonio 100 years ago A total of 52 lives were lost in the San Antonio area due to the flood, and only once since 1885 has the 24-hour rainfall amount from that day been equaled or exceeded. That was Oct. 1, 1913, when 7.08 inches fell in a day, and another destructive flood followed. Floods along the San Antonio River are not shocking. The San Antonio River Basin had a long history of flooding prior to 1921, which helped establish the layout of the city. In Bexar, Medina, Comal and Guadalupe counties, the steep terrain, shallow soils and narrow creek and river channels send runoff downhill quickly. Deep, fast and erosive flood waters often result in a region known as Flash Flood Alley. Outside of the downtown area and the area to its west, most of the damage was centered on rural areas, where crops were destroyed and bridges washed away. It is impossible to determine accurately the resulting damage to those areas, however, according to the United States Geological Survey at the time, because of conflicting opinions on the amount and value of the crops destroyed. West of the downtown area, heavily affected and made up of minority communities, was largely the center of the immediate aftermath. Within a week, however, Miller said, the coverage shifted to downtown and the need to protect economic interests. While those were a driving factor, Miller added, racism and politics were also at play. The San Antonio River Authority wrote that the "community response to this tragic flood event dramatically changed the way the city managed flooding and those engineering solutions are still impacting San Antonio today. The future of the dam: Whats the motive? West Side residents worry creeks restoration project will push them out The city funded the construction of the Olmos Dam and a river-straightening project, which sought to protect downtown buildings and businesses. The $1.5 million dam (worth more than $25 million in 2023), was completed in 1926. Another $4 million was spent between 1924 and 1929 ($69 million in 2023) to clear and straighten sections of the San Antonio River from Josephine Street north of downtown to south of downtown where the river and San Pedro Creek came together, near Confluence Park. This period was a time of great change for the waterways of San Antonio. Around this same time, the Alazon and San Pedro creeks were also channelized. The Great Bend cutoff channel downtown started in 1926 and completed in 1930. Finally, the San Antonio River Walk was proposed and supported during this period. The preservation of the missions and the Alamo itself were another motivation behind the modernized River Walk, with the San Antonio Missions National Historic Park, established in 1978, preserving the missions south of the Alamo, and the River Walks Mission Reach built to help reach them. Yet the River Walk, similar to the river back before it was straightened, can lead to more confusion while navigating the downtown area, Miller said, as streets move one way and the River Walk another. One can end up in a different place than they think they are or spend a long time figuring out their exact location. The river, from the beginning, has helped create confusion in the citys layout. shepard.price@express-news.net A 2-year-old boy is in critical condition after he was shot in the head by a gun that fell off a TV when he was reaching for a drink. San Antonio police said the boy was shot at a home on the 9900 block of Kents Store, which is off South Ellison Drive near the Marbach Road intersection. Officials with New Braunfels schools have zeroed in on their pick to be the districts next superintendent. The districts board of trustees named Laurelyn Arterbury, an administrator in Leander Independent School District, as the lone finalist to replace Superintendent Cade Smith, who resigned recently. The school board must wait 21 days before voting on final approval of a contract with Arterbury, according to Texas law. The New Braunfels Independent School District serves about 9,700 students on 15 campuses and employs about 1,200 workers, according to the districts website. The district recently announced plans to build a second high school to serve the growing city. More on New Braunfels schools: District plans to build a second high school Arterbury is currently chief of staff for Leander ISD, a school district of about 42,000 students in the Austin metro area. Arterbury has been with the Leander district since 2016, according to her bio on the districts website. Before being named chief of staff, she served as an area superintendent and as director of the districts college and career pathways program. She previously taught school and worked as a principal and assistant principal in the Round Rock school district. Arterbury has a doctorate from Texas A&M University, a masters degree from Texas State University and a bachelors degree from the University of Texas. The New Braunfels ISD superintendents position came open in March when Smith abruptly announced his resignation after two years in the role. District officials have not provided more information about his departure. District administrator James Largent has been serving as interim superintendent. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Top officials from the Justice Department met in Uvalde with families of the victims of the Robb Elementary School massacre to gather information for a report on law enforcement's response to the shooting. Some family members showed up Wednesday night hoping for answers to their questions, including the most pressing one -- with 376 law enforcement officers at the school May 24, why did it take them more than 70 minutes to confront and kill the gunman? But they got no answers. "They want to hear from us," said Abel Lopez, father of Xavier Lopez, one of the victims, as he and his wife left the two-hour meeting early. "They're not giving us anything." The closed-door session featured Vanita Gupta, the Justice Department's No. 3 official, who addressed relatives of the 19 children and two teachers who were killed, and some families of the 16 people who were injured. While some families saw it as another in a frustrating series of meetings and hearings that yielded no new information, others appreciated being consulted before the Justice Department publicly releases its report. "They asked us if we want the information privately first, or in a group," said April Elrod, mother of victim Makenna Lee Elrod, 10. "They didn't give us a timeline (for finishing the report). But they said they want it to be thorough and comprehensive." Billy Calzada/Staff photographer The meeting was the first time since last summer that the Justice Department has said anything about what it is doing in response to the tragedy. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced June 8 that Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin asked the department to conduct an investigation. The department's investigation is separate from a criminal probe that the Texas Rangers are conducting. The Texas Rangers are expected to hand over their investigation results to Uvalde District Attorney Christina Mitchell Busbee by this summer. "Whenever it's formally submitted, it's going to take three to four months for my office to go through it," Busbee told the Express-News. In a written statement, Gupta said the goal of the department's review is to provide an independent account of law enforcement "and other stakeholder actions and responses; identify lessons learned and best practices to help first responders prepare for and respond to active shooter events; and provide a roadmap for community safety before, during and after such incidents." Gupta said the review will be released "in the next few months" and that it isn't a criminal or civil investigation. In other words, the Justice Department isn't looking to punish officers who may have failed in their duty that day. The department's Uvalde investigators have been working with 10 experts on emergency management and active shooter response, school safety, incident command and management, tactical operations, officer safety and wellness, as well as victim and family support. The team is examining police policies, training, communications, deployment, incident command and tactics. It is also examining the support services provided to survivors and their families. The investigators have traveled to Uvalde nine times and spent a total of 30 days there over the past 11 months. They have interviewed more than 200 people, including officers, emergency and medical personnel, Uvalde school officials, victims' family members and witnesses. Busbee said she did not know if the investigators had interviewed Pedro "Pete" Arredondo, the former Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District police chief who was fired last August. The highest-ranking police official at the school, he was considered the incident commander and has received much of the blame for the botched law enforcement response. The Justice Department's team also has reviewed 13,000 pieces of evidence, including many hours of body camera and surveillance video, crime scene photographs and interview transcripts, and has conducted walk-throughs of Robb Elementary. Busbee said the team has interviewed her, Uvalde County Sheriff Ruben Nolasco, the mayor, Uvalde Police Department officers and others. To her knowledge, every official in Uvalde has cooperated. "They came by and talked to me about what I remembered from that day," Busbee said. Department officials asked what services had been available to the victims or their families in the aftermath. Busbee said she had not seen any best-practices guidance for government officials responsible for providing support services for victims' families and survivors after a mass shooting. "One of the things I had to deal with is making sure there were enough hotel rooms for (out-of-town) relatives for the funerals," Busbee said. Most hotel rooms in Uvalde had been booked by journalists and other out-of-town visitors. The Justice Department has issued similar reports on several previous mass shootings, including the 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando, Fla. But the department didn't produce a report on the 2017 church shooting in Sutherland Springs or the 2019 rampage at an El Paso Walmart. The department's Uvalde investigators include John Mina, who was the sheriff of Orange County, Fla., when the Pulse shooting erupted in the county seat, and Kristen Ziman, who was the police chief of Aurora, Colo., when a mass shooting at a movie theater occurred there in 2012. The Atascosa County Sheriffs Office late Wednesday arrested two brothers and seized more than 300 THC vape pens and other drugs from their home in Poteet. Chief Deputy Sheriff Jake Guerra said investigators believe some of these drugs would have been marketed at the Poteet ISD campus. At about 9 p.m., sheriffs deputies and the offices narcotics unit executed a search warrant in the 800 block of Boyd Street, just off School Drive, according to a post on the Atascosa County sheriffs Facebook page. About 22 pounds of marijuana were seized and an extremely large quantity of THC vape pens, THC oil, THC gummies, along with other marijuana by-products, the post said. Two pistols also were taken, along with a hydro-grow tent and a refrigerator used for storing illegal substances. SAPD CONTROVERSY: SAPD lieutenant admits making sexual comment to female subordinate but fights punishment Sheriffs investigators also seized $39,867, believed to be proceeds from the sale of drugs, and a gold-colored money counter, measuring scales and a Santa Muerte statue covered in $50 and $100 bills. According to the Facebook post, the statue is a folk saint that offers protection and safe delivery to the afterlife. Guerra said these statues are often found in possession of drug dealers seeking protection from law enforcement. Investigators arrested Guadalupe Galvan Moreno, 20, and Albert Benjamin Moreno, 19, brothers who live at the house. According to the sheriffs office, Guadalupe Galvan bragged to investigators that he had been selling drugs since he was 12 and had only now been caught. Guerra said the bust will be a significant blow to the trafficking of these illegal substances affecting our children and getting into our schools. Both men were charged with possession of marijuana over 5 pounds and possession of a controlled substance, tetrahydrocannabinol, over 400 grams. The street value of the seized drugs was estimated at $75,000. Bail was set at $310,000 for each defendant by Pct. 1 Justice of the Peace Felix Herrera. Tucker Carlson left Fox News quietly, eschewing the bombast that had characterized his show since 2016. The prosaic nature of the farewell was due to the fact that he did not realize it was a farewell. Carlson thought he was leaving Fox News for the weekend. Looks like the weekend will last forever at least at Fox. Carlson signed off from his vitriolic show on Friday evening with a simple message: Well see you Monday. But Monday came without Carlson. Fox News dismissed him Monday morning without explanation. We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor, Fox News said in a short statement. This was hardly surprising since discovery in the Dominion lawsuit showed how Carlson privately knew the 2020 election outcome was legitimate even as he publicly promoted conspiracy theories and the Big Lie. Subsequent reporting has also revealed how Carlson had made offensive and rude comments, and he is at the center of a lawsuit alleging a hostile and discriminatory workplace. For the embattled network, it was the second bombshell in less than a week. The first was the announcement it had agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems $787.5 million, believed to be the largest defamation settlement in history. Carlson was at the center of the lawsuit. Former President Donald Trump blamed his defeat in the 2020 presidential election on Dominion, accusing it of rigging voting machines a view endorsed by Carlson in show after show. It was a startling display of hypocrisy, for he backed allegations on-air that he had disparaged through text messages with his colleagues. The conspiracy helped spark the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Fox might hope people believe the dismissal resulted from a high-minded attempt to cleanse the network, to rid it of a toxic personality who damaged journalistic standards and national values. The truth may be, like Carlson himself, a little more base. The man was let go, some believe, for far less idealistic reasons. Carlson called his bosses incompetent, and it may have been that comment, more than any of the egregious lies, that led to his dismissal. The remark angered executives at Fox, according to the Wall Street Journal. Other reports indicate the host was axed over religious references he made in a speech before the Heritage Foundation Friday night; that stuff freaks out Rupert Murdoch, chairman of the Fox Corporation, a source told Vanity Fair. The host could have been fired for any number of transgressions, but whatever the reason for the ouster, a toxic presence has been removed, at least for the time being, from the American media landscape. He spewed cruelty and bigotry throughout his career at Fox, including the replacement theory the notion that people of color are encouraged to enter the country to cancel white voters. He also accused Justin Pearson, one of the Tennessee state representatives who had been ousted from the Legislature, of speaking like a sharecropper. Thanks to Tucker Carlson, this kind of dreck that you would normally only see on far-right forums and online spaces had a prime-time audience on cable news every night, Melissa Ryan of CARD Strategies, which tracks disinformation and extremism online, told National Public Radio. Power and the arrogance that comes with it are intoxicating. But power and arrogance have an evil twin. It is hubris, and when it comes calling, the impact is more devastating than the traits that gave it birth. Carlson discovered that the hard way on Monday morning. Reports indicate that Carlson was not informed of his dismissal until hours before his next show. And then quicker than you could say, And now for this message from our sponsor he was gone. A few months ago, Carlson was tap-dancing on the grave of Donald Trump. He loathed Trump passionately, according to texts with colleagues, adding he could not wait till the former president was gone. Now it is Carlson who is gone, banished to a journalistic netherworld, and both his critics and supporters wonder what the future holds for him and the network that dismissed him. Carlson may return on another forum, reports indicate. The One America News Network, a far-right cable channel, is interested in hiring Carlson. Deceit and disinformation are attractive on some platforms. Early voting is under way for the May 6 election. If you're an involved citizen, you'll soon be standing in line at a polling place. You'll want to arrive prepared, knowing what candidates are on the ballot, what offices they're seeking and whether you'll be asked to take a side on a ballot proposition that could affect your quality of life. Express-News Voter Guide: Your primer on the May 6 election One simple step will help you get your thoughts in order: Find and print a sample ballot. How do I do it? First, click on this link to go to the "Voter Registration Check and Polling Location Search" page of the Bexar County Elections Department website. Next, enter your date of birth and house number and click on the "Check Registration" button. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News Then what? Click on the link marked "Your Individual Sample Ballot," and a copy of the ballot will appear the very same ballot you'll see on the voting machine when you go to your polling site. On the same web page, you'll find a map of early voting locations and a link to a PDF with more information on early voting, including polling place hours. What's on the ballot? If you live in San Antonio, you'll be asked to vote for mayor, select a district city council representative and choose a district trustee on the San Antonio Independent School District board. You'll also have a chance to vote on Proposition A, a contentious proposal to amend the city charter to bar police from enforcing laws against low-level marijuana possession, and to require officers to issue citations, rather than make arrests, for certain other nonviolent offenses. Among other provisions, Prop A would prohibit arrests for abortion and ban police chokeholds. The sample ballot has a full description. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News Prop A: What it would and wouldn't do Perusing a sample ballot is just one step in educating yourself. Candidates' campaign web pages have information about their credentials and positions on the issues. And the Express-News Voter Guide is packed with information about the races and the candidates, including endorsements by the paper's editorial board and links to our politics coverage. Dates to mark on your calendar Early voting runs through Tuesday, May 2. Election Day is Saturday, May 6. Polling sites will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON Recordings of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz telling Fox News host Maria Bartiromo about his plan to delay the certification of President Joe Biden's 2020 election victory will reportedly be handed over to federal prosecutors investigating efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the election. FLASHBACK: What Sen. Ted Cruz said as he led the Jan. 6 effort to block President Joe Bidens win The recordings, part of a legal battle between Fox News and a former producer for the network, drew the attention of Special Counsel Jack Smith after they were aired on MSNBC earlier this week, an attorney for the producer told CNN. They reached out to us after we publicized some of the tapes, said Gerry Filippatos, who is representing the producer, Abby Grossberg. Were in the process of negotiating a targeted subpoena for Abbys electronic data, so they can have what they want. Filippatos did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday. In the recordings, Cruz lays out a plan that he was pushing publicly at the time: He wanted to establish a commission to investigate fraud claims and make a final call on the legitimacy of the election. The audio has sparked renewed scrutiny of Cruz's efforts leading up to Jan. 6, when he was a key figure in the push to delay the transfer of power. "I think that the country deserves to have a credible assessment of these claims and what the evidence shows and the mechanism to try to force that is denying certification on the sixth," Cruz said in the recordings. FIRED FROM FOX: Carlson latest in string of high-profile Fox News oustings When asked by Bartiromo who would decide who gets inaugurated, Cruz responded: "It would be the results of that commission and what they find and if they found credible evidence of fraud that undermines confidence in the electoral results in a given state, they would report on that." Cruz has dismissed the recordings and accused MSNBC of "breathlessly reporting that I 'secretly' said in a phone call the EXACT same thing I said on national television the next morning! "And then said again on the Senate floor four days later," Cruz tweeted. Cruz's office put out a press release on Jan. 2, 2021, saying he and 10 other Republican senators would object to certifying Biden's win and instead push for Congress to "immediately appoint an electoral commission, with full investigatory and fact-finding authority, to conduct an emergency 10-day audit of the election returns in the disputed states. "Once completed, individual states would evaluate the commission's findings and could convene a special legislative session to certify a change in their vote, if needed," the press release said. In a speech on the Senate floor on Jan. 6, just minutes before the Capitol was stormed by protesters, Cruz told his colleagues, "I am not arguing for setting aside the results of this election." He went on to explain that he believed there was precedent for Congress to establish a panel to make the call, pointing to an electoral commission established after the disputed 1876 presidential election between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel Tilden. "This Congress appointed an electoral commission to examine claims of voter fraud five house members, five senators, five supreme court justices examined the evidence and rendered a judgment," Cruz said. "What I would urge of this body is that we do the same that we appoint an electoral commission to conduct a 10-day emergency audit, consider the evidence and resolve the claims." The recordings are evidence in a lawsuit against Fox by Grossberg, who worked as a producer on Bartiromo's show and as head of booking for Tucker Carlson, who was fired earlier this week. Grossberg claims the network's attorneys pressured her into giving misleading testimony in a defamation case against Fox by Dominion Voting Systems, which ended with a $787.5 million settlement earlier this month. Fox has denied Grossberg's claims and has since fired her. "Fox News engaged an independent outside counsel to immediately investigate the concerns raised by Ms. Grossberg, which were made following a critical performance review," the company said in a statement. "Her allegations in connection with the Dominion case are baseless and we will continue to vigorously defend Fox against her unmeritorious legal claims which are riddled with false allegations against the network and our employees. ben.wermund@houstonchronicle.com WASHINGTON In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, one of the five women suing Texas for abortion access blamed the states Republican senators for her near-death experience when she was denied reproductive care in the state. BACKGROUND: 5 women sue Texas, saying its abortion ban put themselves or their fetuses at risk I nearly died on their watch, Amanda Zurawski said, naming U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, who both sit on the committee. And furthermore, as a result of what happened to me, I may have been robbed of the opportunity to have children in the future and its because of the policies they support. Neither Cornyn nor Cruz were in the hearing when Zurawski addressed them, noting their regrettable absence. At another point in the hearing, Cornyn suggested her case was medical malpractice. Cruz did not address her case during his questioning of witnesses and his office did not respond to a request for comment. The 35-year-old Austin resident has become one of the most high-profile figures in the fight for abortion access since it was outlawed in Texas after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year. She is one of five women suing the state to clarify when exactly physicians can provide abortions during dangerous or unviable pregnancies. The states ban allows for exceptions only when there is substantial risk to a mother or if a fetus has a fatal diagnosis. But many doctors and hospitals have been fearful of intervening even when there is a clear danger because of the stiff penalties for anyone who violates the ban, including potential prison sentences of up to 99 years, tens of thousands of dollars in fines and the loss of medical licenses. Zurawski was 17 weeks pregnant when she was diagnosed with a condition called cervical insufficiency, which had caused her to dilate too soon for her baby to survive. The morning after her water broke, Zurawski still hadnt gone into labor, but doctors in the emergency room told her there was nothing they could do for her because the baby still had a heartbeat. Zurawksi later developed sepsis, a life-threatening condition, and the hospital agreed to perform the abortion. After delivering and losing her daughter, Willow, Zurawski developed a secondary infection and was entered into the intensive care unit, where she spent three days. Zurawsi testified that she is still dealing with paralyzing trauma from the preventable harm she suffered, which she said has already made it harder for me to get pregnant again. I may have been one of the first who was affected by the overturning of Roe in Texas, but I certainly will not be the last, she said. You have the power to fix this, she said, addressing the panel of senators. You owe it to me and to Willow and to every other person who may become pregnant in this country to protect our right to safe and accessible health care, emergency or no emergency. Your job is to protect the lives of the people who elected you, not endanger them. Cornyn addressed Zurawskis case at another point in the hearing. He asked a Texas-based obstetrician/gynecologist also testifying before the committee whether the way her doctor handled her pregnancy was a deviation of the standard of care. Back many years ago, I used to handle medical malpractice cases, said Cornyn, a former judge. And usually when a medical expert says that what a doctor did violated the standard of care, that gave rise to a cause of action for medical malpractice. THURSDAY, April 27, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Older breast cancer survivors often have other medical issues and a shorter life expectancy than younger breast cancer survivors. Whats more, their cancers are often slow-growing, and surveillance may lead to over-treatment of cancers that wont kill them, researchers say. Despite these downsides, older breast cancer survivors are still undergoing mammograms even though their risk of developing a second breast cancer is low, a new study found. It may be OK to forgo mammograms as there is a low risk of another breast cancer diagnosis in women with limited life expectancy or with hormone-sensitive tumors, said study author Dr. Elizabeth Berger, an assistant professor of surgery at Yale University School of Medicine. Certain hormone-sensitive breast cancers are considered less aggressive. For the study, the researchers analyzed data on nearly 44,500 women from two registries spanning 2003 to 2007. Women were 67 or older when diagnosed with their first breast cancer, and most had early-stage and highly treatable breast cancers. Thirty percent of women in the study were over 80. All women were followed starting a year after their diagnosis until they developed a second breast cancer, died or the study ended in 2017. Researchers estimated their life expectancy based on their age and whether they had other medical problems. Of these women, 55% had at least one other medical condition, while 16% had three or more other medical problems unrelated to breast cancer. Co-occurring medical issues take a toll on life expectancy. The risk of developing a second breast cancer differed based on a womans life expectancy, the study found. Women with a life expectancy of less than five years had a 3.7% risk of developing a second breast cancer. By contrast, women expected to live for 10 years or longer had a risk of 7.6% of their breast cancer returning. Older women with multiple medical problems and a shorter life expectancy were still undergoing mammograms. Specifically, 51% of women with a life expectancy of less than one year received at least one mammogram within 12 months of their death. Surveillance mammograms bring little benefit for these women, Berger noted. The study "should bring to attention the high surveillance rates of women even with minimal life expectancy," she said. Still, there is no one-size-fits-all recommendation as some older breast cancer survivors may still need surveillance and screening. Younger women with more aggressive subtypes of breast cancers have higher risks of another breast cancer diagnosis and should consider ongoing surveillance mammography, Berger said. This should be a shared decision between provider and patient, and [other disease] risks should be taken into consideration. Anyone who finds a lump in their breast should talk to their doctor about next steps, she said. The findings were to be presented Thursday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Breast Surgeons, in Boston. Research presented at medical conferences should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. Other breast cancer experts said many factors play a role in breast cancer screening decisions for survivors. Screening decisions should be made with an awareness of a patient's overall health, life expectancy and their ability to tolerate treatment, rather than via a specific age cutoff, said Dr. Samantha Heller, a professor of radiology and section head of breast imaging at the New York University School of Medicine in New York City. The population in this study are women who have a prior history of breast cancer; this means that they have a higher-than-average risk of developing a later breast cancer and may particularly benefit from continued screening surveillance, Heller said. More studies on breast cancer screening and outcomes in this group of women are needed before making any blanket recommendations, she said. Other variables that may contribute to risk include family history, certain genetic mutations and breast density, Heller said. These factors also play into determining screening outcomes and may help to determine optimal and personalized screening approaches for older women, she said. "Patient choice and willingness to undergo treatment is always important and should always be considered as well. Having this conversation can also be trying, said Dr. Sarah Blair, a surgical oncologist at the University of California, San Diego Health. It is difficult to withhold care even though the benefit may be small, she said. This paper gives physicians data to consider and start to have these conversations. More information The American Cancer Society has more on screening after a breast cancer diagnosis. SOURCES: Elizabeth Berger, MD, assistant professor, surgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.; Samantha Heller, MD, PhD, professor, radiology, section head, breast imaging, New York University School of Medicine, New York City; Sarah Blair, MD, surgical oncologist, University of California, San Diego; presentation, American Society of Breast Surgeons, April 27, 2023, Boston MBABANE- A syndicate purportedly consisting of police officers, which allegedly obtained loans from credit providers through fraudulent means, has been uncovered. The alleged elaborate scheme, which was supposedly spearheaded by a female police officer based in Mbabane, has seen Letshego Financial Services (PTY) Limited suffering a loss of close to E300 000. According to ongoing investigations that are being conducted by the credit provider, the female police officer, Khulekile Windfred Dlamini, would allegedly collect personal details of her colleagues, and then make an application for a loan using the details in her possession. It is alleged that she would make the application in the name of the colleague and further provide an account which would bear the name of the loan applicant. The account holders name would, however, have been tampered with to bear the name of the loan applicant. It is suspected by the credit providers that all the accounts, where the money was disbursed, belonged to Khulekile. Suffered Letshego was reportedly not the only credit provider that allegedly suffered a loss at the hands of the syndicate, as United Pay, a division of United Holdings, was also allegedly defrauded by the same police officer using the same modus operadi. It is suspected by the credit provider that the other people who are involved in this elaborate scheme are also police officers. It is believed by the company (Letshego) that there were other individuals involved and some might be within the company. These are allegations whose veracity is still to be tested in court. Letshego has approached the High Court, wherein it obtained an order to seize some gadgets belonging to the female police officer. The court also directed Swaziland Building Society and First National Bank (FNB) to furnish the applicant (Letshego Financial Services) with all information relating to the accounts held by Khulekile in the respective banks. There is a suspicion that a number of people are involved and there is nothing that precludes the other officers from being involved in this whole fraudulent activity. This suspicion is premised on the fact that one of the victims, Nontsikelelo P. Dlamini, did not report the first incident involving United Pay, submitted the company. In her founding affidavit, Fezile Zanele Ndlovu, who is the applicants Legal Consultant said: From the brief investigations that have been conducted by the applicant, it appears that the first respondent (Khulekile ) has committed similar crimes previously, it further appears that she is in a syndicate and same must be addressed immediately. Ndlovu averred that the applicant believed that Khulekile allegedly committed the fraud using her cellphone, computer, other articles and documents, hence the application for an order to seize same for purposes of further investigations. Concerned Insofar as the financial institutions are concerned, the applicant seeks mandatory interdict directing them to release the respective account data and transactions that are connected to the first respondent. This information will direct the applicant to other individuals who are involved in the fraudulent activity that has exposed it to financial loss that, to date, stands at close to E300 000, submitted the legal consultant. She emphasised to the court that the applicant believed that Khulekile did not perpetuate the fraudulent activity alone. She alleged that there were other individuals involved. Ndlovu further pointed out that the nature of the applicants business was such that it was at risk from cyber criminals, who would attempt to defraud it through the various virtual applications. She told the court that some of the security systems worked accordingly, but some, since they were at their infancy, faced some challenges. According to Ndlovu, some of the security systems required diligence on the part of its staff members, particularly the sales agents who were responsible for personal loan applications. She said, in essence, the applicant created a number of virtual applications which were used by the clients to access its various credit facilities. Ndlovu related to the court that Khulekile was their client, who took a loan in/or about November 2012. She alleged that to date, she (Khulekile) owed the applicant an amount of E164 353.41. She alleged that Khulekile, however, failed to pay the agreed monthly instalments of E3 921.84 and this meant that she could not access any of the credit services offered. I submit that this impossibility to access the credit services culminated in her resorting to fraudulent activity. From our brief investigations, it appears that she has defrauded other credit providers who are conducting a similar business as the applicant and also offer the same services, alleged Ndlovu. Colleagues The first respondent collects personal details of her colleagues. She will then make applications for loans using the details in her possession. She will make the application in the name of the colleague and further provide an account, which will bear the name of the loan applicant. The account holders name will, however, have been tampered with to bear the name of the loan applicant. What we suspect is that all the accounts, where the money is disbursed, belong to the first respondent, submitted Ndlovu. She went on to tell the court that their suspicions were brought about by the fact that when they deducted the agreed instalment from the loan applicants employer, the employee approached the applicant and lodged a complaint and further advised that they never at any point made any loan applications to the applicant. She submitted that this was how the applicant discovered the fraudulent activity within its systems. The applicant was represented by Banele Ngcamphalala of Mtshali Ngcamphalala Attorneys. Fairfield, MT (59436) Today Sun and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 75F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Mainly clear. Low 46F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. As much as I love to travel and experience new places, there is something sacred about the slow moments at home. As spring continued to be finicky in our neck of the woods, my family and I found comfort and even excitement in the seemingly mundane moments of daily life. After finding ramps growing in two separate parks, I tried again to find them on my property. Ramps usually are found growing in moist soil under deciduous trees. Instead of the garlicky-scented wild onion I was seeking, I found a grove of skunk cabbage. The word grove seems inadequate. The plant was abundantly growing in every nook of the valley. I could appreciate the bright green color in the dark brown and barren landscape. Other than finally seeing green, it was hard to get excited about skunk cabbage, especially when I was hoping to find ramps. Unique Skunk cabbage has one very unique characteristic, it produces its own heat. The young plant emerging in early spring uses oxygen to produce heat. Starch in the root combines with oxygen which releases energy in the form of heat. Amazingly, the plants can melt snow and grow in frozen ground. Despite the unpleasant aroma, skunk cabbage was a food source for Native Americans. Just like using every part of a buffalo, Native Americans were able to use the entire plant without any waste. The roots were dug up and then roasted for food. Skunk cabbage would not have been eaten raw because it contains oxalic acid, an organic compound, that causes discomfort in the mouth. Instead, the roots were boiled in a process that required several water changes. The large leaves were used as a wrapping layer to keep moisture in other food being baked. The roots were also used medicinally to treat respiratory ailments and skin conditions. Benefits Most herbivores avoid skunk cabbage, most likely due to the smell, but it is beneficial to many animals. Bears and hungry deer will eat the young plants when they first emerge in the spring. Snapping turtles are another species hungry after a long, cold winter that will munch on the leaves. In direct contrast to large bears, skunk cabbage makes an impact on a much smaller scale. Pollinators such as flies and gnats along with butterflies, bees and beetles are drawn to skunk cabbage. Upon contemplation, I prefer to picture a butterfly transferring pollen on lavender. Regardless, the circle of life continues in the forest with stinky skunk cabbage. Ephemerals Along the trail, I couldnt help noticing spring ephemerals popping up. Yellow trout lilies, wild geranium, Jack in the Pulpit and others were sprinkled along the edges of the trail. My prized Jacobs Ladder plant is now a cluster of three plants, the original and two younger ones. It was slightly hit by frost but is making a recovery. We had a few days of beautiful magnolia tree blooms, along with pink clustered crabapple blossoms, but a hard frost halted the beauty show. I was very thankful when my oldest son cleaned out debris from flower beds. He is developing a knack for landscaping and I am not complaining. Both boys had some early mornings in the spring. They scouted for turkeys and then the actual hunt. Their endless practice of turkey calls has not produced a dinner for the family yet. Spring fishing Fly fishing was another activity in early spring. My husband and both boys traveled north to Lake County for steelhead fishing. Im not mentioning any names but there were some strange scrapes and snags from the fly catching something much larger than a steelhead. An unusually warm weekend allowed us to take our fishing boat on Mosquito Lake. The high temperatures were a foreshadowing of summer. Crappies were hitting along the causeway in the northern section of the lake, along with a few perch and largemouth bass. It has been a long time since we had that much success fishing on Mosquito Lake. The water was calm and a beautiful striated sunset was the end to our unexpected preview of summer on the lake. I cant help but share in the excitement of the school year ending and summer approaching. Its been a long winter in our area, along the Pennsylvania border. It feels good to be outside and experiencing a fresh, new spring. In the words of Lady Bird Johnson, Where flowers bloom, so does hope. Here in northeast Ohio, many welcomed the unusually warm and dry weather weve had in April. The dry weather allowed for anhydrous application, tillage, planting oats, and some courageous folks even planted soybeans. Pastures and forages made good use of the sunshine and warm temperatures to push out some green growth. If youre like me, you were not expecting the rapid growth of hay fields just yet and are a bit behind on fertilizing. Its not too late to make those fertilizer passes. Nitrogen Nitrogen (N) application should be made during initial green-up to supply adequate nutrients for first cutting, so you should get N on your fields as soon as possible to get the most return. Total yearly application rates of 100 to 180 pounds of actual N provide good economic returns for cool season grass and mixed grass forage stands. Highly productive stands may require higher rates, but a good rule of thumb is to apply approximately 45 pounds of N for every dry ton of forage expected. The total rate should be split into multiple applications to match the production of your forage stands. Typically, your first cutting grass crop will have the highest yield, therefore it will require more nitrogen than a subsequent crop. Legume forages like alfalfa and clover can fix nitrogen from the atmosphere and pure stands will not need nitrogen fertilizer. If your older alfalfa stand is more grass than alfalfa, you may see a benefit of nitrogen application if grass makes up 70% or more of the field area. Phosphorus Phosphorus (P) fertilizer should be applied based on soil test results. If your soil test levels are in the maintenance range of 30-50 ppm, it is a sound strategy to apply crop removal rates to maintain phosphorous in your forage stands. Each ton of dry forage removes approximately 12 pounds of P 2 O 5, or 23 pounds of MAP (11-52-0). Using this method is relatively straightforward and will provide adequate nutrients for crop production. Potassium Potassium (K) fertilizer should also be applied based on soil test results. Studies from Wisconsin have found that there is no benefit to alfalfa or forage stands from excess K in the soils, and yields plateau when soil test K is between 120 and 140 ppm. When applied in excess, plants can take up K that does not result in an increase of yield often called luxury consumption. Luxury consumption of K in the forage can result in high K levels of the harvested forage. This can cause milk fever in dry and recently fresh cows. Managing the timing and rate of K fertilizer applications can help reduce luxury consumption. It is often suggested to apply potash (0-0-60) fertilizer after first cutting, and/or the last cutting in the fall and not more than necessary. Research from Purdue has demonstrated that fall K applications can help increase the winter hardiness and survival of alfalfa. Forages are heavy users of K, and for every ton of dry forage harvested, you are taking approximately 49 pounds of K 2 O. That equates to 81 pounds of potash fertilizer that needs to be replaced. Many dairy farms rely on manure as a primary K fertilizer, but dairy manure does not typically have the concentrations of K to adequately replace what is usually removed during harvest. Potassium deficiencies may limit yields if additional fertilizer is not added to maintain proper soil test levels. Fertilizer prices have dropped significantly in recent months but will remain a significant expenditure for your farm. Soil testing is always recommended to maximize crop production without applying more nutrients than necessary. Purchasing soil tests from your local ag retailer or extension office is a good investment with excellent returns. COLUMBUS Pike State Forest and Blue Rock State Forest were the settings for two recent special hunts organized for hunters with disabilities to enjoy the outdoors while hunting for wild turkey. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry hosts these hunts annually in Pike and Muskingum counties. The Thunder in the Hills wild turkey hunt was held for the sixth year at Pike State Forest. Fifteen hunters participated, and two turkeys were taken during the event. The division of forestry hosted the event with cooperation from the Clinton County Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation and the ODNR Divisions of Wildlife, and Parks and Watercraft. Approximately 50 organizations assisted with donations and volunteers. The 16th annual Wheelin Sportsmen hunt for wild turkey at Blue Rock State Forest was sponsored by the NWTF Wheelin Sportsmen program. The ODNR Divisions of Forestry and Wildlife worked with the Y-Bridge Longbeards and other chapters of the NWTF to coordinate the event with donations and volunteer efforts from many local individuals and businesses. Nineteen hunters participated, and three turkeys were taken during the event. More than 60 guides helped with the hunt. Hunters at both events provided their own shotguns and ammunition, as well as the necessary licenses and permits. Guides were provided for each hunter. REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio The Ohio Department of Agriculture announced April 18 that 75 acres have been added to the Farmland Preservation Program. Acton Family Farms, LLC, in Ross County, becomes the fifth Ohio farm to join the program this year. This is also the first farm ever in Ross County to join the Local Agricultural Easement Purchase Program. In partnership with ODA, local sponsor Ross Soil and Water Conservation District played a significant role in securing this agreement. An agricultural easement in Farmland Preservation is a voluntary agreement between the landowner and ODA, where the landowner agrees to perpetually maintain the land predominately in agricultural use. In exchange, the landowner is either compensated or may be entitled to a tax deduction. Since the Office of Farmland Preservation began in 1998, 685 farms totaling 103,546 acres have entered into agreements. ASHLAND, Ohio The Ashland FFA floriculture team of Chloe McFrederick, Elise Frazer, Haley McNaull and Noah Sobish competed in the State Floriculture Career Development Event, April 17 at the Ohio Expo Center. The team completed a PPM (parts per million) calculation, made a bud vase, ranked four classes of plants, and identified a total of 100 plants, tools, diseases, and pests. The team placed third out of 41 teams. Elise Frazer placed fifth individually; Haley McNaull placed seventh; Chloe McFrederick placed 16th; and Noah Sobish placed 94th. Frazer and McNaull will receive plaques for placing in the top 10. For placing third overall, the team will receive a banner which will be the first banner the Ashland FFA has earned since 2016. WEST SALEM, Ohio Northwestern Wayne FFA traveled to Panda Preschool March 23 for an Ag in the Preschool Day. Officers set up three different stations for the children to enjoy. The kids were divided into three groups and the kids spent 20 minutes at each station. This first station consisted of a chicken craft. The next station consisted of story time. The last station was a petting zoo. The officers brought young animals such as goats, sheep, pigs and rabbits for all the children to pet. Once all the children had gone through the stations the officer team passed out cupcakes that were decorated as pigs and then handed out cups of chocolate milk. The officer team said they had a great time sharing the FFA experience with the younger children, and the team hopes to have sparked an interest for the future generations of the organization. SPRINGFIELD, Ohio Northwestern FFA is holding its annual greenhouse sale. The greenhouse is filled with more than 1,000 pots with many different varieties of flowers and plants. On May 1-3, the chapter will hold a Bring Your Own Flower Pot day where people may bring an empty pot and students will organize a decorative basket or arrangement of flowers. The greenhouse will be open to the public May 6, 8-10 and 13. The greenhouse will be open 2:30-6:30 p.m., and on weekends from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Parking will be available behind the high school in front of the greenhouse. Cash and checks are accepted. MILLERSBURG, Ohio The West Holmes FFA Chapter held its March meeting, March 20. Members participated in an Easter egg hunt and a chapter carry-in Easter dinner during the meeting. Chapter members competed at the state general Livestock, Poultry, Horse and Dairy Judging contests, March 25 at the Ohio State fairgrounds. The dairy team placed first in the district and 15th in the state. Individually, Wyatt Schlauch was third place, and qualified for the state finals, April 28. The poultry team placed seventh in the district and 23rd in the state. The horse team placed third in the district and 30th in the state. The general livestock team placed fourth in the district and 62nd in the state. There were 191 teams and 1,072 individuals in the contest. On April 12, West Holmes FFA helped the Holmes Soil and Water Conservation District with its annual tree sale packing at Harvest Ridge. Members went to the Holmes County Fairgrounds at Harvest Ridge and helped sort and pack trees. They packed and sorted approximately 14,000 trees and pulled orders for over 200 customers on the day that they helped. Members who participated were: Gabe Averbukh, Maison Carter, Maren Drzazga, Garrett Fowler, Garrett Houin, Derek Miller, Grant Miller, Pacee Miller, Alex Pringle, Alysa Pringle, Andi Schuch, Becca Schuch, Jenna Sheldon, Laina Crosky, Logan VanSickle, Olivia Gerber, Casey Ogi, Wyatt Schlauch, Dakotah Patterson, Blake Patterson, Taelor Patterson, Torrie Savage and Maria Steiner. Loose dogs have killed 24 sheep on farmland near Canterbury, Kent, with the police calling the attack 'very distressing' for the farmer. The public's help is being sought by Kent Police officers investigating the attack, which occurred at around 6am on Saturday 22 April. Police attended land near Elbridge Hill, Sturry, after two dogs were seen attacking sheep in a field. An ewe and 23 lambs suffered fatal injuries, with others requiring treatment, the force said. Officers seized one Akita-type dog, which was neither microchipped nor wearing a collar, while the other had left the area. It comes as the sheep sector warned that a lack of action by the government to tackle livestock worrying was putting further risk to animal suffering. Sergeant Darren Walshaw, of Kent Police's Rural Task Force, said the incident was 'very distressing'. "So many lambs needlessly lost their lives. Offences of this kind also have a huge impact on farmers, who have often spent years building up flocks. "We are determined to locate the dogs' owners and I urge anyone who has any information about how these dogs came to be in this area to get in contact with us." Anyone with information are being asked to call Kent Police on 01843 222289, quoting reference 22-0239. Allowing a dog to worry or attack livestock is a criminal offence under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953. Last week, a member of the public was ordered to pay 300 compensation to a farmer following a dog attack which killed one sheep. The incident happened on the Isle of Wight on 14 March, when a dog off a lead chased sheep which were grazing in a field, before it bit and killed one. Elsewhere, 16 lambs were killed in a suspected livestock worrying incident in Fife in early April. Officers believe the lambs were attacked by at least one dog, with the estimated value of the damage around 7,000. Scientists have warned that flooding could worsen unless liming practices on uplands are maintained, and agri-environment support could help mitigate the risk. New research shows that if steep improved pastures are allowed to become acidic, earthworm populations will decline, so reducing the capacity of the land to infiltrate and store rainfall. The report suggests that targeted agri-environment support for liming of improved grassland could mitigate the flooding risk and promote wider benefits, including better water quality. In the second half of the 20th century large areas of the UK uplands were converted to more productive pasture to increase livestock production, encouraged by government incentives. This practice was particularly extensive in Wales where just over 200,000 hectares, almost 20% of the uplands, is classed as improved pasture. A key component of pasture improvement was making soil less acidic, commonly through the application of ground limestone. Liming of acid soils increases earthworm activity, which means the land can soak up more rainwater. Withdrawal of support for maintenance liming, along with economic and practical constraints, has led to less liming, which is needed to counter soil acidity in the UK, particularly in upland soils. Dr John Scullion, from Aberystwyth University, led the new study in collaboration with the Environment Systems Ltd Consultancy. He said: We are seeing more frequent intense rainfall events due to climate change with a resulting increase in flood risk. "Previous research into land use impacts on flood risk has focussed on soil compaction and afforestation. Here we demonstrate that soil acidification may represent a further risk factor. Dr Scullion added that in the past, farmers received payments for regularly liming of their land to improve its agronomic potential. The cessation of such grants and pressure on farming economics meant that liming became less prevalent, he said, particularly on the steeper slopes in the Welsh uplands, but also elsewhere in the UK. "Some fields used in the present study had not been limed for 30 years with limited earthworm populations and poor water infiltration," Dr Scullion said. Our research highlights that on previously improved grasslands, targeted liming to promote healthy earthworm populations may be a practical tool that farmers can use to contribute towards this important flooding ecosystem service. "We need to better understand the role of steep sloping grasslands in upland catchments and their management in mitigating flood risks." Responding to the research, NFU Cymru President Aled Jones said the union had long argued that there should be an element of public support for liming. "The benefits of liming to soil health and productivity are well known but this very important study highlights yet another benefit of major consequence as we strive to design policies that address flood alleviation." A UAE delegation of senior officials and business leaders have visited Belgium with the aim of boosting economic ties and promoting investment opportunities with Belgium and the wider European Union (EU). This is at a time UAE stands as Belgiums leading trade partner in the Middle East, accounting for 21% of Belgium trade with Arab countries in 2022. Also, non-oil bilateral trade between the UAE and EU amounted to $56 billion in 2022, achieving growth of 9.3% compared to the same period in 2021. Leading the delegation, Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, held a bilateral meeting with Vladis Dombrovskis, European Commissioner of Trade, where he discussed growing trade relations with the EU in addition to sharing updates on preparations for the World Trade Organisations 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) which will be held in Abu Dhabi in 2024. Joint cooperation While in Belgium, Dr Thani also held talks with Pierre-Yves Dermagne, Belgiums Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Employment, and Hadja Lahbib, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium, in which they outlined opportunities for further joint economic cooperation in priority sectors. Al Zeyoudi noted that the visit marks an important continuation of longstanding trade relations shared with the EU: The EU is one of the UAEs largest trading partners with whom we have recorded strong growth over recent years. We see great importance in strengthening our economic ties with the EU especially in high potential sectors such as digital trade, e-commerce, and innovation where we are actively working to promote collaboration. Our meetings reinforce the UAEs belief that by working together, we can create a mutually prosperous future for our businesses and citizens, and I look forward to ongoing engagement with the EU moving forward, he added. Technical workshop The UAE delegation also took part in a technical workshop held in Brussels that explored the scope of the EUs proposed Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). The workshop provided critical details on compliance, data requirements and the implementation timeline of the CBAM. During the visit, Dr Al Zeyoudi was joined by Mohammed Al Sahlawi, UAE Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium and Juma Mohammed Al Kait, Assistant Under-Secretary at the UAE Ministry of Economy for Foreign Trade Affairs. The UAE delegation included Eng Saif Ghubash, Assistant Undersecretary for Petroleum, Gas & Mineral Resources Sector at the Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure; Eng Amal Al Ali, Director of Petroleum and Gas Affairs Department at the Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure; Abdulla Alduhoori, Economics Research Assistant at the Ministry of Economy; Bharat Bhatia, CEO of Conares; Claus Basse, Senior Manager of International and Government Affairs at Emirates Airline; Dr Majeed Bishara, Manager of Cargo Operation Engineering at Emirates Airline; Maryam Bin Fares, Senior Manager of Treasury Dealing at Etihad; Fatma Hokal, National Added Value Programs Auditor at the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology in addition to representatives from Emirates Global Aluminium and Emirates Steel Arkan.-- TradeArabia News Service Japans clothing and accessories imports increased by 26.1 per cent to 3,619,550 million yen (approximately $26,979.35 million) in April 2022-March 2023 (FY23), accounting for 3 per cent of the total imports of 120,954,964 million yen during the period under review, according to the provisional trade statistics released by the country's ministry of finance. The imports of textile yarn and fabric were valued at 1,275,608 million yen in FY23, a 23.2 per cent rise from the same period in the previous fiscal. Yarn and fabric imports accounted for 1.1 per cent of the total imports by Japan. Japan's clothing and accessories imports saw an increase of 26.1 per cent to 3,619,550 million yen in FY23, representing 3 per cent of total imports. The imports of textile yarn and fabric grew by 23.2 per cent to 1,275,608 million yen. Japan's exports of textile yarn and fabric, and machinery also grew by 12.7 per cent and 19.3 per cent respectively. The imports of textile yarn and fabric from China were at 212,694 million yen in FY23, which was 10 per cent higher than FY22. The imports accounted for 1.1 per cent of Japan's total imports from China, as per the data. During FY23, Japan exported textile yarn and fabric worth 776,999 million yen, a 12.7 per cent year-on-year increase. The country's exports of textile machinery were valued at 306,781 million yen, a 19.3 per cent increase from the exports in FY22, contributing 0.3 per cent to the total exports. In March 2023, Japans clothing and accessories imports increased by 22 per cent to 321,790 million yen (approximately $1,683.14 million), accounting for 3.4 per cent of the total imports of 9,578,794 million yen during the month. The imports of textile yarn and fabric were valued at 107,714 million yen in March 2023, a 11.1 per cent rise from the same period last year. Yarn and fabric imports accounted for 1.1 per cent of the total imports by Japan in March this year. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL) The UK and the Netherlands are set to build the worlds largest multi-use electricity power line under the North Sea. The LionLink, a first-of-its-kind electricity link, will connect offshore wind farms between the two countries, providing clean, affordable, and secure energy to the UK. The project was announced during the recent North Sea Summit in Oostende, where Dutch and British ministers came together to discuss plans for new renewable energy and interconnector projects. Once operational by the early 2030s, LionLink will carry 1.8GW of electricity, enough to power 1.8 million homes, more than Birmingham and Manchester combined. This cross-border electricity line will be only the second of its kind in the world, and it will be able to carry more than four times the amount of electricity as its predecessor. LionLink will connect the UK and Netherlands with offshore wind farms, reducing the need for further onshore construction and visible infrastructure, lessening the impact on the North Seas wildlife, according to a press release by the UKs department for energy security and net zero. The UK and Netherlands will build LionLink, the world's largest multi-use electricity power line, connecting offshore wind farms between the two countries under the North Sea. LionLink will carry 1.8GW of electricity and will be operational in the early 2030s, enough to power 1.8 million homes. National Grid Ventures and TenneT will develop the project. The project will be developed by National Grid Ventures and TenneT, and is intended to benefit both the UKs coastal communities and the environment. The summit saw nine countries meet in Ostend to agree ambitions for building future offshore wind farms. The energy security secretary Grant Shapps, who led a British business delegation to the summit, also signed a historic agreement with Denmark to boost trade in cheaper, cleaner energy. The UK currently has 8.4GW interconnector capacity, and LionLink alone will increase that by up to a fifth, meaning more clean and affordable power for UK homes and businesses. Britains contributions to the North Sea energy sector are expected to bring 20 billion a year of investment to the UK's coastal regions and create 40,000 skilled green jobs. This project will build on the success of Germany and Denmarks Kasso-Froslev, which carries 0.4GW of electricity. The project marks a significant milestone in the transition from fossil fuels to renewable technologies, offshore wind especially. Todays historic deal with the Netherlands connects our two countries together through this exciting feat of innovation and engineeringthe largest of its kind in the world which will provide enough electricity for more homes than in Manchester and Birmingham combined, said energy security secretary Grant Shapps. With the North Sea becoming the largest supplier of green electricity for the Netherlands and large parts of Europe, we are ready to expand the interconnection between the two countries. LionLink provides close to 2GW of electricity to both countries, enough to power 2 million households. This new connection further boosts energy security and energy independence in Europe. Close collaboration on offshore wind energy and interconnection amongst the North Sea countries is imperative. So, in case there is a surplus of wind generated electricity, it can be shared instantly to locations with a shortage of power, and vice versa, said Rob Jetten, minister of climate and energy for the Netherlands. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (NB) Check The Photos Here: The Filmfare Awards are back in all their splendour. As the evening continues, thewill honour Hindi films with the top artistic and technical prizes.The Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai is hosting a gathering of some of the biggest personalities in Indian cinema tonight. The enchanted evening promises nonstop fun and exciting shows.Walking the red carpet tonight is Anu Malik, keeping it casual in a simple black shirt and Sanjay Mishra keeps things exciting in a fun suit. Also waking down the carpet is Urvashi Rautela, glowing in a stunning golden gown. Janhvi Kapoor: The prestigious 68th Hyundai Filmfare Awards 2023 are being held in Mumbai. Several big names from the industry are making a sizzling appearance on the red carpet. From Anil Kapoor to Urvahsi Rautela, celebrities were seen putting their best foot forward at the event. Actress Janhvi Kapoor was clicked walking the red carpet, where she wore a stunning purple flared gown that took everyone's breath away. She looked as gorgeous as ever in her beautiful outfit. JANHVI KAPOOR IN PURPLE GOWN FOR FILMFARE AWARDS 2023 Janhvi Kapoor made a splash on the red carpet with her gorgeous outfit and was nominated in the best actress category for Mili. On the other hand, the actress will also be performing on stage. Before heading to the coveted awards night, Janhvi took to her Instagram handle and shared a bunch of stunning pictures of her look. Sharing the photos, Janhvi simply wrote, "Hiiiiii @filmfare." Take a look here. Filmfare Awards 2023: Alia Bhatt Slays In Black As She Graces The Red Carpet For the event, Janhvi wore a low-neck, off-shoulder purple gown that featured flares and a long tail at the bottom. The Roohi star picked a silver choker for accessories and left her hair down. To complete her stunning look, Janhvi opted for glossy nude lips, light eyeshadow, and a subtle makeup base. JANHVI KAPOOR IS NOMINATED FOR BEST ACTRESS Jahnvi Kapoor, over the years, has used her acting skills and proved that she is here to stay! The actress has been nominated for the best actress category for her survival movie, Mili. This is her second nomination, she was nominated in 2021 for Gunjan Sexana. Kylie Jenner Ko Copy..: Janhvi Kapoor In SEXY Cutout Figure-Hugging BACKLESS Dress, Gets Severely TROLLED She is competing with other actresses, including Alia Bhatt for Gangubai Kathiawadi, Bhumi Penekar for Badhaai Do, Kareena Kapoor Khan for Laal Singh Chaddha, and Tabu for Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. Workwise, Janhvi Kapoor has Bawaal with Varun Dhawan, Mr. and Mrs. Mahi opposite Rajkummar Rao. She is also making her debut in the Telugu industry with Jr NTR. Chrisann Pereira Drug Case: Bollywood actress who has featured in movies including Sadak 2 and Batla House who was arrested by the UAE authorities in connection with a drug-smuggling case, has been released. The 27-year-old Chrisann Pereira was taken into custody earlier this month in Sharjah by authorities after drugs were found hidden in a trophy she was carrying. The officials informed me that Pereira was released yesterday. The actress's brother Kevin Pereira took to Instagram and shared a video where she was on a video call after being released from jail. The video showed Chrisann's mother jumping with joy while talking to her daughter on the video call. Sharing the video, Kevin wrote, "Chrisann is SET FREE!!! She will be in India in the next 48 hours." CHRISANN PEREIRA RECALLS HOW SHE WAS CONNED BY THE TWO MEN TO CARRY THE CANNABIS TO DUBAI The Bollywood actress Chrisann Pereira was arrested on April 1 at the Sharjah airport. Her family issued a statement and claimed that Chrisann was being framed. Thereafter, the Mumbai crime branch started investigating and found out that the actor was allegedly framed by a bakery owner Paul, in revenge against the actress's mother Premila Pereira. Paul along with his accomplice Ravi, framed Chrisann by plotting a purported audition for an international web series. Chrisann was handed a trophy by Ravi before going to the airport, where the drugs were hidden. The police arrested the mastermind, a bakery owner named Anthony Paul, and his associate Rajesh Babhote who played Ravi. They have been sent to police custody till May 2. Apart from Chrisann, the two even framed four others into becoming drug mules. The crime branch in a statement said, "We will interrogate Paul to know from whom he procured the drugs and ascertain if he is into drug peddling. Paul was the business partner of Premila, Chrisann's mother. We will also probe if there were any business-related issues between them." Actress Varada is well known to family audiences. The actress made her acting debut in Prithiraj's 'Vastavam'. Later, Varada acted in a handful of films like 'Yes, Your Honour', 'Sultan', 'Makante Achan', 'Uttaraswayamvaram', and "Valiyangadi." But it was television shows rather than movies that made Varada a star. It was the series Amala that came later that made Varada a star. It was while acting in that series that Varada met and married Jish. Varada's personal life is always in the news. There are also rumours that Varada and Jish have broken up recently. Now Varada is appearing as a guest in the show Oru Kodi on the Flowers Channel. Varada shares many experiences from her career and life on the show. The promo video in which the actor shares her experience of being locked in a hotel room is being discussed on social media. Varada says about an incident that it is one of the most unforgettable events of her life. It is the first film in which she acted as the heroine. "I had no experience in the industry. My mother and I were alone. They locked the gate. They didn't say what the matter was. We shouted. The gate was kicked open." Varada said. Later in the promo, the actor is seen talking about her early days in the serials. "I did not know about the serials. I did not even know how much I should ask for in remuneration. When I started talking, they accused me of not cooperating." Varada said. The actor also shares her bad experience in the movie industry. "Whatever you do, they will blame you." We will understand that they are doing this intentionally and that the harassment is to make us submissive to them." Paranormal Experiences The promo video suggests that the actor also shares her paranormal experiences. Varada says in the promo video that while she was living alone, she started getting the feeling that someone else was with her. "While in the kitchen, I saw the reflection of someone walking behind me. I went and looked, and there was no one. Knocking sounds can be heard from the room at night. Pots in the room fall and break," Varada said. The promo demands that the audience watch the programme to know the complete details of the story shared by Varada. Meanwhile, some rumours about Varada's personal life have been doing the rounds on social media for the past few days. It is reported that Varada and her husband, Jish, are estranged. There were rumours that the two had separated. But Varada and Jish have not responded to the news. New Delhi, Apr 27 (UNI) Bangladesh Army Chief General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed, who is on a three-day visit to India, called on CDS General Anil Chauhan and held talks with Indian Army chief General Manoj Pande. During his visit, the Bangladesh Army chief will be meeting Indias senior military and civilian leadership where he will discuss avenues for enhancing India-Bangladesh defence relations. India and Bangladesh share the historical legacy of cooperation and support during the Liberation War of 1971. The active engagement on the defence side includes high-level exchanges at the level of Service Chiefs, conduct of the inaugural Annual Defence Dialogues by the Defence Secretaries, Tri-services and Service-specific Staff Talks. The fans are shocked as it has been reported that the 2nd part of Ponniyin Selvan directed by Mani Ratnam will be released late only in Tamil Nadu. Ponniyin Selvan has a huge star cast including Vikram, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Trisha, Jayaram, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Parthiban, Sarathkumar, Shobitha. The first part of the film, which is made in two parts, was released last year and became a blockbuster hit, now the second part of the film is ready for release. The film is releasing worldwide tomorrow (April 28, 2023). Ponniyin Selvan production team has planned to release the second part in a bigger way than the first part and they are busy working on it. When the first part of Ponniyin Selvan was released, the first show was screened at 4 am. It was for this film that there were incidents where many families came to watch the screenings in the early hours of the morning. Shocking Information: But the shocking information that has come out now is that the second part of Ponniyin Selvan will not release at 4 AM only in Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Nadu government has not given permission for the special screening of Ponniyin Selvan 2. Due to this, the first show of the film is going to be screened very late in Tamil Nadu. It has been revealed that Ponniyin Selvan 2 FDFS will start only at 9 am. The government has also sent a circular to district collectors to take strict action if theaters that screen special shows in violation of government permission. Red Giant Movies is releasing the film in Tamil Nadu. However, permission was not granted for the early morning show. Due to this, the collection of Ponniyin Selvan 2 is also affected. Reason Behind The Delay: The reason for this is that last January, during the Pongal festival, when Thunivu and Varisu were released together, a fan of Ajith died in the name of celebration during the screening at the early morning show. That is why it is said that the Tamil Nadu government does not allow any film to be screened in the morning. Although Ponniyin Selvan 2 is scheduled to premiere in Tamil Nadu at 9 o'clock, it has been announced that the film will release at 4 o'clock as scheduled in other states. Especially in Kerala, tickets for the 4 o'clock show of the film are already sold out. There is so much anticipation for the film all over India. MELBOURNE, Australia, April 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX: TLX, Telix, the Company) today announces the expansion of its artificial intelligence (AI) capability with the signing of an agreement to acquire Vienna-based Dedicaid GmbH (Dedicaid), a spin-off of the Medical University Vienna. Dedicaid's core asset is a clinical decision support software (CDSS) AI platform capable of rapidly generating indication-specific CDSS applications from available datasets, for use with positron emission tomography (PET) and other imaging modalities. Each CDSS application is trained to predict outcomes such as the severity of disease, risk to the patient and/or inform treatment decisions. The AI platform is also favourably differentiated from commercially-available AI solutions currently used in PSMA-PET imaging, which are limited to supporting clinicians in the interpretation and reading of images - without a prediction capability. This differentiation is driven by the Dedicaid developed AutoML (automated machine learning) engine behind the AI platform, effectively meaning it is a "zero code" solution. This greatly reduces the time, cost and level of expertise required to build, test and validate new CDSS applications, facilitating a streamlined development and regulatory pathway for each new application. The technology has been developed by Dedicaid in collaboration with the Medical University Vienna, with proof of concept on the machine-learning methodology and applications developed for prostate, breast and lung cancer published in leading peer-review journals.[1] The acquisition accelerates the development of Telix's AI platform - denoted as Telix AI - by adding predictive capabilities alongside the imaging analysis module, being developed in partnership with Invicro LLC,[2] which automates the classification of lesions to support greater efficiency and standardisation in the imaging workflow. This acquisition will give Telix the ability to rapidly generate CDSS applications that are highly complementary to the Company's radiopharmaceutical pipeline. Following completion of the transaction, Telix aims to finalise validation activities and regulatory submissions (United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) and CE Mark (Europe)) for the AI platform as a 'software as a medical device' during 2023. Dr Michael Wheatcroft, Chief Scientist at Telix said, "AI adds a new dimension of support to the clinician and patient by using data generated through medical imaging to facilitate timely and effective clinical decision making. This acquisition provides Telix with a powerful AI development platform that greatly enhances our ability to rapidly generate new applications from clinical imaging data. These applications have the potential to assist clinicians in predicting disease progression and treatment response, thus supercharging and differentiating Telix's AI offering. It is also intrinsically aligned to the philosophy behind theranostics - which is to use the insights from medical imaging to inform and guide an optimal treatment pathway." Thomas Beyer, Co-founder and CEO of Dedicaid and Head of the Research Domain 'Quantitative Imaging and Medical Physics (QIMP)' of the Medical University Vienna said, "We have built the Dedicaid platform with the mission of enriching medical imaging with artificial intelligence in order to help clinicians navigate the complex task of diagnosing and treating cancer and deliver state-of-the-art patient care. After extensive research and validation, we are excited that Dedicaid will now become a part of Telix to complete the transition of this technology to commercial stage." The purchase price is comprised of 1.1 million upfront, paid in equity, and a further 1.1 million earn-out subject to the achievement of regulatory approval in the U.S., and which is payable in cash or equity, at Telix's election. Telix will issue ordinary shares to the vendor within its Listing Rule 7.1 placement capacity as consideration for the acquisition. A proportion of each equity component will be subject to a 12-month escrow period. Following the acquisition, Telix will have ownership of all intellectual property related to the Dedicaid AI Platform. About Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited Telix is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialisation of diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. Telix is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia with international operations in the United States, Europe (Belgium and Switzerland), and Japan. Telix is developing a portfolio of clinical-stage products that aims to address significant unmet medical need in oncology and rare diseases. Telix is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: TLX). Visit www.telixpharma.com for further information about Telix, including details of the latest share price, announcements made to the ASX, investor and analyst presentations, news releases, event details and other publications that may be of interest. You can also follow Telix on Twitter (@TelixPharma) and LinkedIn. Telix's lead product, Illuccix (gallium-68 (68Ga) gozetotide (also known as 68Ga PSMA-11) injection), has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA),[3] and by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA),[4] and by Health Canada.[5] Telix is also progressing a marketing authorisation application for this investigational candidate in the United Kingdom.[6] This announcement has been authorised for release by the Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited Disclosure Committee on behalf of the Board. Legal Notices This announcement is not intended as promotion or advertising directed to any healthcare professional or other audience in any country worldwide (including Australia, United States and the United Kingdom). This announcement may include forward-looking statements that relate to anticipated future events, financial performance, plans, strategies or business developments. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of words such as "may", "expect", "intend", "plan", "estimate", "anticipate", "outlook", "forecast" and "guidance", or other similar words. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the Company's good-faith assumptions as to the financial, market, regulatory and other risks and considerations that exist and affect the Company's business and operations in the future and there can be no assurance that any of the assumptions will prove to be correct. In the context of Telix's business, forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about: the initiation, timing, progress and results of Telix's preclinical and clinical studies, and Telix's research and development programs; Telix's ability to advance product candidates into, enrol and successfully complete, clinical studies, including multi-national clinical trials; the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals, manufacturing activities and product marketing activities; the commercialisation of Telix's product candidates, if or when they have been approved; estimates of Telix's expenses, future revenues and capital requirements; Telix's financial performance; developments relating to Telix's competitors and industry; and the pricing and reimbursement of Telix's product candidates, if and after they have been approved. Telix's actual results, performance or achievements may be materially different from those which may be expressed or implied by such statements, and the differences may be adverse. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable laws or regulations, Telix does not undertake to publicly update or review any forward-looking statements. Past performance cannot be relied on as a guide to future performance. Readers should read this announcement together with our material risks, as disclosed in our most recently filed reports with the ASX and on our website. 2023 Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited. The Telix Pharmaceuticals and Illuccix name and logo are trademarks of Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited and its affiliates (all rights reserved). [1] Papp, L et al. Journal of Nucl Med. 2018; Papp, L et al. European Journal of Nucl Med and Mol Imaging. 2021; Zhao, M et al. European Radiology. 2022; Krajnc, D et al. Cancers. 2021; Papp, L, Journal of Nucl Med. 2019. [2] Telix media release 14 June 2022. [3] Telix ASX disclosure 20 December 2021. [4] Telix ASX disclosure 2 November 2021. [5] Telix ASX disclosure 14 October 2022. [6] Telix ASX disclosure 3 April 2023. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1920208/Telix_Main_Logo_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/telix-accelerates-artificial-intelligence-ai-development-program-with-acquisition-of-dedicaid-301808935.html Global award-winning employer recognized for exceptional people-centric culture and enduring values Tanium, the industry's only provider of converged endpoint management (XEM), has been recognized today for the fifth consecutive year as one of the UK's Best Workplaces by Great Place To Work, the global authority on workplace culture. "We're thrilled to once again be recognized for our distinct culture, which is guided by unwavering values and a mission to make the world a safer, more secure place," said Tanium Chief People Officer Tobias Julen. "Our team members are the core of who we are as a company, and it's thanks to them that we've built an environment where we continue to win in all of our global markets. By putting people first and staying true to our key guiding principles, I have no doubt we'll be able to continue to attract and retain the best talent in all the regions where we operate." Great Place to Work performed rigorous evaluations of hundreds of employee survey responses alongside Culture Audit submissions from leaders at each company to create the 2023 UK's Best Workplaces list. Results from the surveys demonstrate the effectiveness of company value propositions against the culture their employees actually experience. "Our UK office has been recognized as a great workplace nearly every year we've been in business, which is clear testament to the strength and commitment of our team," said Tanium Vice President of EMEA Steve Murphy. "We've developed a strong market presence in the United Kingdom by attracting world-renowned customers. This success is due in large part to the contributions of highly motivated team members that are dedicated to better serving each other, our customers, and our partners around the world." In addition to its clearly articulated values, Tanium offers a comprehensive benefits package including health and financial wellness seminars; equity ownership for all full-time team members; paid parental leave with a flexible return-to-work schedule; personal and professional development opportunities, including role-specific training courses; and additional benefits dedicated to team member wellbeing such as virtual yoga, meditation classes, and complimentary premium subscriptions to Calm, a mindfulness and relaxation app. This past year, Tanium's UK-based team also came together to host the first-ever Converge London and gave back to important local causes through the company's annual Month of Giving. "Best Workplaces consistently put people first not just in terms of looking out for their own employees but also by caring for and supporting their surrounding community and environment," said Benedict Gautrey, managing director of Great Place to Work UK. "We're incredibly proud to recognize the very best 'For All' organizations committed to equity and unfaltering in ensuring that all employees are empowered to deliver the right strategic solutions to ever-changing business opportunities and challenges." Tanium's recognition comes on the heels of other recent workplace awards including the 2023 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For and inclusion on the list of the 2023 Best Workplaces in France and Best Workplaces in Japan, among others. Learn more about our award-winning culture and become a member of Team Tanium, visit: https://www.tanium.com/careers/. About Tanium Tanium, the industry's only provider of converged endpoint management (XEM), is the reference platform of choice to manage complex security and technology environments. Only Tanium protects every endpoint from cyber threats by integrating workflows across IT, Risk, Compliance, and Security into a single platform that delivers comprehensive visibility across devices, a unified set of controls, real-time remediation, 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 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 around the world and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. In 2022, they launched the first-ever annual UK's Best Workplaces for Wellbeing list of organisations who stood out as delivering exceptional wellbeing support for their employees across all levels and departments. For more information, visit www.greatplacetowork.co.uk View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230426005705/en/ Contacts: Peter Beck Tanium PR press@tanium.com (0)7385 396399 64% of Australians say they want to travel more sustainably over the coming 12 months, Over half (58%) of Aussie travellers believe more sustainable travel options are too expensive 500,000+ accommodations are being recognised for sustainability efforts with a Travel Sustainable badge on Booking.com SYDNEY, April 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Booking.com has revealed its most extensive sustainable travel research to date, spotlighting a dilemma - travellers feel forced to choose between cutting costs and being more mindful about sustainable travel choices. With insights gathered from more than 33,000 travellers across 35 countries and territories. At a time of general global uncertainty, travelling more sustainably continues to be front of mind for Australians, with almost three-quarters of travellers (72%) believing people need to act now and make more sustainable travel choices. "Booking.com's 2023 Sustainable Travel research confirms an intersection between the current cost of living concerns and the extreme climate events witnessed in our region, which has led to a greater demand for both more budget and planet-friendly travel options." said Laura Houldsworth, Managing Director Asia Pacific at Booking.com. "We are listening and together with our partners across the industry, we are examining every part of the trip to not only support our travellers but to also benefit our Australian communities and environments." "We are committed to making it easier for everyone to experience travel in a more mindful and responsible way, no matter where they are on their sustainability journey. More than 500,000 properties globally are now being recognized for their sustainability efforts with a Travel Sustainable badge including over 9,000 in Australia." CONTACT DETAILS For more information, see full report here , visit the Booking.com Global newsroom or contact the Booking.com Australia Press Office: Lauren Donohoe, bookingau@redhavas.com View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/cost-vs-conscience-bookingcom-delves-into-the-dilemma-dividing-sustainable-travel-in-2023-301808080.html NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / April 26, 2023 / Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Company Limited (the "Company") (HKEx:338; SSE:600688) announced today that its Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on April 26, 2023, has been posted to the Company's website at http://spc.sinopec.com/spc/en/investor/com_notice/ . The soft copy of the Company's annual report on Form 20-F could also be downloaded through its website. The Company will deliver within a reasonable time after request a hard copy of its 2022 annual report on Form 20-F, including its complete audited consolidated financial statements, free of charge, to any shareholder upon request. To request a hard copy of the annual report, please write to: Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Company Limited 48 Jinyi Road, Jinshan District, Shanghai, PRC Postal Code: 200540 Attention to: the Secretariat to the Board of Directors Related Links http://spc.sinopec.com/spc/en/investor/com_notice/ - End - Investor and Media Enquiries: PRChina Limited Jack Liu / Joanne Liu Tel: (852) 2522 1838 / (852) 2522 1368 Email: zyliu@prchina.com.hk / jjyliu@prchina.com.hk File: Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Company Limited Files 2022 Annual Report on Form 20-F Media archive at www.todayir.com SOURCE: Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Company Limited View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/751577/Sinopec-Shanghai-Petrochemical-Company-Limited-Files-2022-Annual-Report-on-Form-20-F Exploration portfolio continues to deliver on growth strategy Melbourne, Australia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 26, 2023) - Newcrest (ASX: NCM) (TSX: NCM) (PNGX: NCM) continues to deliver on its global exploration growth strategy to identify Tier 1 mineral deposits which have the potential to provide long term operations in emerging copper-gold provinces. At Red Chris, the application of our mining capabilities and a willingness to explore deeper have unlocked a significant mineral endowment and opportunity in an emerging world-class copper-gold province. In March 2023, Newcrest significantly enhanced the Exploration Target for East Ridge, confirming the substantial discovery near existing infrastructure and indicating potential to support additional block caves. The Exploration Target defined for East Ridge (previously released) has been enhanced to between approximately 400Mt @ 0.42g/t Au & 0.49% Cu for 5.4Moz Au & 1.9Mt Cu and approximately 500Mt @ 0.39g/t Au & 0.47% Cu for 6.1Moz Au & 2.3Mt Cu . This is a significant enhancement compared to the East Ridge Exploration Target as at 30 June 2022 1 . The Exploration Target is exclusive of the current published Mineral Resource and relates to the portion of the deposit that has not yet been adequately drill tested. The potential quantity and grade of the Exploration Target is conceptual in nature. There has been insufficient exploration to estimate a Mineral Resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the estimation of a Mineral Resource. Ongoing drilling east of the East Ridge Exploration Target returned a significant higher grade intercept with RC860 returning 66m @ 0.53g/t Au & 0.46% Cu from 1,332m including 32m @ 0.85g/t Au & 0.63% Cu from 1,342m, including 16m @ 1.1g/t Au & 0.74% Cu from 1,352m. This intersection demonstrates the potential to define further higher grade discoveries within the Red Chris porphyry corridor. Target generation applying the knowledge gained from the Red Chris discoveries has identified an initial portfolio of seven high priority porphyry copper-gold targets across the 750km2 of claims which demonstrates the prospectivity of this region. A program of geological mapping, geochemical sampling and drilling is planned to commence in the September 2023 quarter. At Brucejack, recent exploration (Pretium and Newcrest) has successfully expanded the footprint of the Valley of the Kings (VOK) deposit with the discovery of the North Block (pre-Newcrest) and 1080 HBx zones. These zones demonstrate the potential for new mining fronts within the footprint of the existing infrastructure. The VOK deposit continues to remain open in all directions and exploration drilling continues to test for new mineralised corridors. In addition, the upcoming VOK Deeps drill program is planned to test potential extensions of the deposit to depth. In the 1080 HBx Zone drilling continues to expand the footprint of the mineralisation (140m x 300m x 250m) and remains open outside the current Pretium published Mineral Resource, demonstrating the potential for resource growth at the VOK deposit. Results from this quarter include, VU-4749 returning 18m @ 306g/t Au from 261m, including 1m @ 5,370g/t Au from 266m. With our increased understanding of the Brucejack mineralised system, target generation applying the knowledge gained from North Block and the 1080 HBx Zone has identified several new opportunities within the 4km epithermal gold corridor from VOK to Golden Marmot. A surface drilling program is planned to assess these targets and de-risk future underground exploration development. In Nevada, at the Spring Peak low sulfidation epithermal project, new drill results from the Disco zone have extended the continuity of the higher-grade veins and mineralised envelope up dip from the previously announced SP22-13^^2 (34.72m @ 2.7g/t Au from 256.12m, including, 2.01m @ 10g/t Au from 262.46m, 2.38m @ 16g/t Au from 275.26m, including 0.34m @ 70g/t Au from 275.96m). New results include: SP22-11 returned 40.63m @ 1.9g/t Au from 185.38m including 0.79m @ 7.4g/t Au from 197.39m and 0.58m @ 44g/t Au from 208.33m and SP22-12 returned 42.61m @ 0.94g/t Au from 205.59m including 0.33m @ 24g/t Au 211.96m and 1.65m @ 4.3g/t Au from 235.18m. RC pre-collar (SP22-10 RC) drilled 150m to the north-east of the existing Disco zone section returned 36.58m @ 0.53g/t Au from 161.54m, extending the strike continuity of the Disco structure. A diamond tail of this pre-collar will occur in the 2023 program. In addition, further drilling has been successful in identifying a new high grade drill target at Opal Ridge. RC hole SP22-14 returned 10.67m @ 2.7g/t Au from 169.16m including 1.52m @16g/t Au from 170.69m. Learnings from the successful extension of the Disco Zone and discovery of the Opal Ridge Zone will be applied to all of the Headwater Gold Joint Venture projects and planning is currently underway for the 2023 exploration program. At Havieron, results from growth drilling in the prior period continue to demonstrate the potential for incremental resource additions around the Eastern Breccia, Northern Breccia and other higher grade mineralised pods. Newcrest Interim Chief Executive Officer, Sherry Duhe, said, "We continue to unlock significant value for Newcrest across our global exploration portfolio consistent with our growth strategy. East Ridge represents a very exciting opportunity for Newcrest and we were pleased to enhance the Exploration Target in March 2023, providing additional future mining optionality at Red Chris. This asset is a great example of our track record in creating value through exploration success, and we continue to pursue further opportunities with an additional seven high priority drill targets identified across this highly prospective copper-gold region. "At Brucejack, the drilling results further highlight the potential for brownfields growth in the Valley of the Kings mineralisation, with drilling demonstrating the potential for new mining fronts within the current mine area. We are starting to apply our learnings across the mineralised corridor, with a drilling program planned in the coming months to explore new zones of mineralisation. "Our Greenfields exploration strategy remains on track with positive results at the Spring Peak project during the quarter, and ongoing drilling at Havieron continuing to demonstrate the potential for resource growth," said Ms Duhe. Red Chris, British Columbia, Canada(3) Red Chris is a joint venture between Newcrest (70%) and Imperial Metals Corporation (30%) and is operated by Newcrest. The Brownfield Exploration program is focused on the discovery of additional zones of higher-grade mineralisation within the Red Chris porphyry corridor, including targets outside of Newcrest's Mineral Resource estimate. During the quarter, there were up to four diamond drill rigs in operation. A further 10,532m of drilling has been completed during the quarter from 10 drill holes, with all drill holes intersecting mineralisation. This contributed to a total of 310,685m of drilling from 301 drill holes since Newcrest acquired its interest in the joint venture in August 2019. At East Ridge, located adjacent to the East Zone, drilling is ongoing with 81 holes completed and 5 in progress. Assay results were received for 5 holes during the quarter. The follow up drilling is being undertaken on a nominal 100m x 100m grid to determine the footprint, understand the mineralisation, geotechnical and geometallurgical characteristics and to determine the extent of continuity of the higher-grade mineralisation. Drilling to date has tested a corridor 1,000m long, 450m wide and to a vertical extent of 1,000m where zones of higher grade mineralisation have been identified. Mineralisation remains open at depth. An updated Exploration Target has been estimated for East Ridge (previously reported), with ranges from a lower case of approximately 400Mt @ 0.42g/t Au & 0.49% Cu for 5.4Moz Au & 1.9Mt Cu to an upper case of approximately 500Mt @ 0.39g/t Au & 0.47% Cu for 6.1Moz Au & 2.3Mt Cu. This represents a significant enhancement in the size of the Exploration Target as at 6 March 2023 in comparison with the East Ridge Exploration Target as at 30 June 2022 which was estimated to have a lower case of approximately 170Mt @ 0.5g/t Au & 0.5% Cu for 2.8Moz Au & 0.9Mt Cu and an upper case of approximately 300Mt @ 0.4g/t Au & 0.4% Cu for 4.3Moz Au & 1.3Mt Cu. The grades and tonnages are estimates based on continuity of mineralisation defined by exploration diamond drilling results (previously reported including relevant sections and plans) within the Redstock Intrusive with the lower range estimate in the area with a nominal drill hole spacing of 100m x 100m and the upper range estimate extended into the area with a nominal drill hole spacing of 100m x 200m. East Ridge is outside of Newcrest's published Red Chris Mineral Resource estimate. Diamond drilling continues to define the extent and continuity of this higher grade mineralisation. At least 5 additional diamond drill holes are planned to test and close out the Exploration Target and determine geotechnical and metallurgical characteristics. This drilling program is expected to be completed by the second quarter of calendar year 2023. Work will be undertaken to deliver an updated Red Chris Mineral Resource estimate including East Ridge in calendar year 20234. Drilling continues to confirm the vertical extent of the mineralisation within the Exploration Target. Drilling has returned a further deep significant higher-grade intercept with RC865 (located 100m east of RC857, previously reported) intersecting 132m @ 0.29g/t Au & 0.45% Cu from 1,552m,106m @ 0.57g/t Au & 0.57% Cu from 1,716m including 30m @ 0.95g/t Au & 0.87% Cu from 1,730m. These results confirm the vertical extent of the higher grade mineralisation, which remains open at depth and demonstrates further support of the upside range of the Exploration Target. Ongoing drilling east of the East Ridge Exploration Target returned a significant higher grade intercept with RC860 returning 66m @ 0.53g/t Au & 0.46% Cu from 1,332m including 32m @ 0.85g/t Au & 0.63% Cu from 1,342m, including 16m @ 1.1g/t Au & 0.74% Cu from 1,352m. This intersection located approximately 100m east of the Exploration Target, demonstrates the potential to define further discoveries beyond East Ridge. Target generation applying the knowledge gained from the Red Chris discoveries has identified an initial portfolio of seven high priority porphyry copper-gold targets across the 750km2 of mineral claims which demonstrates the prospectivity of this region. A program of geological mapping, geochemical sampling and drilling is planned for this summer field season. Priority targets include: Far West (& Gully Zone) - Located immediately west of the Red Chris Main Zone, the prospect is defined by open higher grade copper-gold porphyry intercepts in historic shallow drilling. - Located immediately west of the Red Chris Main Zone, the prospect is defined by open higher grade copper-gold porphyry intercepts in historic shallow drilling. GJ-Donnelly - Previous Exploration has defined a 10km long corridor of porphyry mineralisation which contains localised higher grade copper-gold porphyry intercepts. There is potential to expand the mineralisation and discover additional zones of higher grade. - Previous Exploration has defined a 10km long corridor of porphyry mineralisation which contains localised higher grade copper-gold porphyry intercepts. There is potential to expand the mineralisation and discover additional zones of higher grade. QC Zone - A 5km long zone of porphyry-style alteration, veining and associated geochemistry along strike from Newmont's Saddle North resource. Historic shallow drilling at QC East intersected anomalous copper and gold mineralisation associated with porphyry-style alteration and veining. - A 5km long zone of porphyry-style alteration, veining and associated geochemistry along strike from Newmont's Saddle North resource. Historic shallow drilling at QC East intersected anomalous copper and gold mineralisation associated with porphyry-style alteration and veining. McBride - A 2km long zone of anomalous copper in surface rock chip samples with coincident magnetic high and Induced Polarisation chargeability anomalies. The prospect is located approximately 15km north of the Red Chris mine and is untested by drilling. - A 2km long zone of anomalous copper in surface rock chip samples with coincident magnetic high and Induced Polarisation chargeability anomalies. The prospect is located approximately 15km north of the Red Chris mine and is untested by drilling. Whiterock Canyon - A 1.5km x 1km area with porphyry style alteration and coincident anomalous surface rock chip geochemistry along the western extension to the Red Chris porphyry corridor directly along strike from the Gully Zone and Far West prospects. There is no previous drilling at this prospect. - A 1.5km x 1km area with porphyry style alteration and coincident anomalous surface rock chip geochemistry along the western extension to the Red Chris porphyry corridor directly along strike from the Gully Zone and Far West prospects. There is no previous drilling at this prospect. West Whiterock Creek - A prospect defined by anomalous surface rock chip geochemistry with coincident magnetic high anomalies that displays similarities with the Red Chris porphyry deposit, including the presence of gold-bearing early quartz veins and strong hydrothermal alteration. There is no previous drilling at this prospect. - A prospect defined by anomalous surface rock chip geochemistry with coincident magnetic high anomalies that displays similarities with the Red Chris porphyry deposit, including the presence of gold-bearing early quartz veins and strong hydrothermal alteration. There is no previous drilling at this prospect. North Powerline - A newly identified early-stage porphyry copper-gold prospect defined by anomalous gold in surface geochemistry in rock chip samples and hydrothermal alteration in geological mapping. Anomalism appears to be associated with porphyry intrusive rocks with coincident with a magnetic high anomaly. Approximately 10,000m of growth-related drilling targeting mineralisation definition and continuity is planned for the June 2023 quarter from up to four drill rigs. Refer to Appendix 1 for additional information, and the drill hole data table for all results reported during the period. Figure 1. Schematic plan view map of the Red Chris porphyry corridor spanning East Ridge, East Zone, Main Zone and Gully Zone showing significant Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 2 of this report), 0.3g/t Au, 1g/t Au, 0.3% Cu and 1% Cu shell projections generated from a LeapfrogTM model. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/163908_a50f66b1f4346851_003full.jpg Figure 2. Long section view (looking North West) of the Red Chris porphyry corridor showing drill hole locations, gold distribution and Exploration Target (previously released). To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/163908_a50f66b1f4346851_004full.jpg Figure 3. Schematic plan view map of the Red Chris porphyry Cu-Au district spanning the Red Chris, Mc Bride, GJ and QC porphyry corridors showing portfolio of targets. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/163908_a50f66b1f4346851_005full.jpg Brucejack, British Columbia, Canada(5) The Brucejack Property hosts the Valley of the Kings (VOK) high-grade gold deposit. The VOK is characterised by multiple occurrences of higher grade mineralisation over selected intervals hosted within broader zones of stockwork and vein arrays. Growth activities are focused on both resource expansion within the existing mine area, as well as brownfields exploration activities within 4km of the mine area. Resource expansion drilling during the quarter was focused on targets in Eastern Promises, Bridge Zone North, and West VOK. A total of 15,137m in 60 drill holes was completed using three underground diamond drill rigs. Assay results were received for two drill fans in Eastern Promises and two drill fans completed in the previous quarter in the 1080 HBx Zone. All other assays are pending. At 1080 HBx Zone, assays were received for 20 drill holes (two drill fans). All drill holes intersected gold mineralisation, with 7 of the 20 drill holes intersecting higher grade mineralisation, in excess of 5 grams per tonne. Drilling continues to expand the existing footprint of the mineralisation (140m x 300m x 250m). All drill results reported are outside the current Pretium published Mineral Resource, demonstrating the potential for resource growth at the Valley of the Kings (VOK) deposit. Results from this quarter include: VU-4749 18m @ 306g/t Au from 261m including 1m @ 5,370g/t Au from 266m VU-4824 25.5m @ 21g/t Au from 75m including 1.5m @ 331g/t Au from 94.5m Drill holes VU-4823 and VU-4825 were extended by 250 meters and 120 meters respectively to test for new mineralised corridors to the south of the HBx Domain, with VU-4823 intersecting higher grade mineralisation from 480m. VU-4823 10.5m @ 5.6 g/t Au from 480m VU-4825 15m @ 35g/t Au from 244.5m including 1m @ 516g/t Au from 253m Future drilling will be conducted from a new exploration platform on the 1020 level to test down dip. At Eastern Promises, drilling has commenced and is ongoing to demonstrate continuity and expand high grade mineralisation to the east. A full summary will be provided in the June Quarter. Eastern Promises is located immediately east of the 1080 HBx Zone with the intersection of the Domain 20 mineralisation. With our increased understanding of the Brucejack mineralised system, target generation applying the knowledge gained from North Block and the 1080 HBx Zone has identified several opportunities within the 4km epithermal gold corridor from VOK to Golden Marmot. A surface drilling program is planned to assess these targets and de-risk future underground exploration development. Assessment of the regional targets outside of the Brucejack epithermal corridor is planned for this upcoming field season, which is expected to commence in the June 2023 quarter. Work will focus on the key priority target American Creek (located 20km south east of the mine) where previous exploration has outlined an 8km long epithermal gold corridor. Approximately 20,000m of resource expansion drilling targeting mineralisation definition and continuity is planned for the June 2023 quarter from up to six drill rigs operating underground and four drill rigs operating on surface during. Refer to Appendix 2 for additional information, and the drill hole data table for all results reported during the period. Figure 4. Plan view map of the Brucejack Property, spanning the 4km gossanous trend from Golden Marmot and Hanging Glacier in the northwest to Bridge Zone in the southeast. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/163908_a50f66b1f4346851_006full.jpg Figure 5. Long section view (looking west) of the Brucejack Property. Refer to figure 4 for the location of the cross section. Viewing window is +/- 100 meters. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/163908_a50f66b1f4346851_007full.jpg Figure 6. Schematic plan view map of the Brucejack epithermal Au district spanning the Brucejack and American Creek epithermal trends. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/163908_a50f66b1f4346851_008full.jpg Western USA Spring Peak Project, Nevada In August 2022, Newcrest entered into four separate definitive option and earn-in agreements with Headwater Gold Inc. (Headwater Gold) and purchased a 9.9% equity interest in the company (previously reported). Newcrest has the option to acquire up to a 75% interest individually in each of the Agate Point, Midas North and Spring Peak Projects in Nevada and the Mahogany Project in Oregon. The Spring Peak project is located approximately 35km southwest of Hawthorn, Nevada in the Aurora mining district. In 2022 Headwater Gold completed a total of 3,170m drilled in 10 holes across the project area including both RC pre-collar with diamond tails and three RC only holes. During the quarter, all outstanding assays from the 2022 drill program were received which identified additional high-grade mineralisation at the Disco zone and the new high-grade Opal Ridge zone. Exploration to date has defined a low sulfidation epithermal system over an interpreted area of 2.5km x 1.5km. Surface indications include high level sinters and veinlets associated with multiple structures. Initial work has focused on the Disco Zone. Figure 7. Plan view of the Spring Peak project illustrating the location of the Disco Zone, Opal Ridge, drilling, and drill constrained cross sections. Coordinates are NAD83 UTM Zone 11 north. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/163908_a50f66b1f4346851_009full.jpg New drill results from the Disco zone have extended the continuity of the higher-grade veins and mineralised envelope up dip from the previously announced SP22-13^^ (34.72m @ 2.7g/t Au from 256.12m, including, 2.01m @ 10g/t Au from 262.46m, 2.38m @ 16g/t Au from 275.26m, including 0.34m @ 70g/t Au from 275.96m). SP22-11 returned 40.63m @ 1.9g/t Au from 185.38m including 0.79m @ 7.4g/t Au from 197.39m and 0.58m @ 44g/t Au from 208.33m and SP22-12 returned 42.61m @ 0.94g/t Au from 205.59m including 0.33m @ 24g/t Au 211.96m and 1.65m @ 4.3g/t Au from 235.18m and SP22-07 returned 14.78m @ 0.93g/t Au from 175.87m. Diamond drill hole SP22-11 is a twin of RC drill hole SP21-03 and has increased both the thickness and grade of the RC intersection. The Disco Zone occupies the footwall margin of a northeast-striking fault zone that is oriented similarly to vein trends at the adjacent past-producing Aurora mine complex (historic production estimated at 2.2Moz Au @ 10g/t Au6). Within the Disco Zone, holes SP22-07, SP22-11, SP22-12 and SP22-13 intersected multiple discrete veins with textures indicative of boiling, including ginguro banding, silica replacement of lattice bladed calcite and vein sediment. The four holes that intersected the target structure were drilled on a single fence with mineralisation open down-dip and along strike. Early indications from drill data suggest that as per other epithermal systems globally the Disco zone demonstrates increasing grade with depth. RC pre-collar (SP22-10 RC) drilled 150m to the north-east of the existing Disco zone section returned 36.58m @ 0.53g/t Au from 161.54m, extending the strike continuity of the Disco structure. A diamond tail of this pre-collar will occur in the 2023 program. In addition, further drilling has been successful in identifying a new high grade drill target at Opal Ridge located 900m west of the Disco zone and is characterised by banded quartz vein material and fine-grained sulphide stringers. RC hole SP22-14 returned 10.67m @ 2.7g/t Au from 169.16m including 1.52m @ 16g/t Au from 170.69m. Learnings from the successful extension of the Disco Zone and discovery of the Opal Ridge Zone will be applied to all of the Headwater Gold Joint Venture projects and planning is currently underway for the 2023 exploration program. Refer to Appendix 3 for additional information and drill hole data table for all results reported during the period. Figure 8. Geological and geophysical cross section of the Disco Zone with drill results from SP22-07, SP22-11, SP22-12 and SP22-13* (previously reported in Newcrest December 2022 Exploration Quarterly dated 25 January 2023*) illustrating the continuity of the mineralised envelope and the high-grade veins. The structure is open both down dip and along strike. A drill program to further test the zone is currently being planned. Section view is to the southwest. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/163908_a50f66b1f4346851_010full.jpg Figure 9. Geological cross section of the Opal Ridge Target with results from SP22-14. Drillhole LDH-3* drilled by Labradex in 1983 and historic assay data compiled and released by Headwater Gold (2 March 2023*). Section view is to the northwest. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/163908_a50f66b1f4346851_011full.jpg Figure 10. Geological and geophysical cross section illustrating the broad zone of hanging wall mineralisation intersected in RC precollar SP22-10 and its position relative the projected location of the disco zone structure. Section view is to the southwest. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/163908_a50f66b1f4346851_012full.jpg Havieron Project, Western Australia, Australia(7) The Havieron Project is operated by Newcrest under a Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) with Greatland Gold Plc (Greatland). Newcrest is the manager and holds a 70% interest in the Havieron Project (Greatland holds a 30% interest). The JVA includes tolling principles reflecting the intention of the parties that, subject to a successful exploration program, Feasibility Study and a positive decision to mine, the resulting joint venture mineralised material will be processed at Telfer. The Havieron Project is centred on a deep magnetic anomaly located 45km east of Telfer in the Paterson Province. The deposit is overlain by more than 420m of post mineral Permian cover. The Joint Venture commenced drilling during the June 2019 quarter and has completed 298,428m of drilling from 335 drill holes to date (excluding holes in progress, abandoned holes, or drill holes which have not been sampled). Drilling activities in the quarter have produced a further 9,764m of drilling from 8 holes with up to 3 drill rigs operating during the quarter. This includes 7 infill drillholes within the current Crescent Inferred Resource which are not included in this report. New assay results are reported from 8 drill holes (all were assays pending from the previous quarter). Of the reported holes, 3 holes returned significant assay intercepts in excess of 50 gram metres gold (Au ppm x length m). Growth drilling targeted resource additions outside of the existing Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource limits and included: Extensions of the Eastern Breccia incorporating definition of identified internal higher-grade zones - assay results reported for 2 drill holes. incorporating definition of identified internal higher-grade zones - assay results reported for 2 drill holes. Extensions to the Northern Breccia at depth between the current Northern Breccia Resource and Eastern Breccia Resource - assay results reported for 4 drill holes at depth between the current Northern Breccia Resource and Eastern Breccia Resource - assay results reported for 4 drill holes Drilling to assess geophysical targets outside of the main Havieron system - 2 drill hole results from step-out drilling to the northwest and southeast of the Havieron system. The Eastern Breccia is developed below the 4,100RL with a footprint of over 500m in strike, up to 200m in width, and over 250m in vertical extent. Within this zone, multiple northwest trending internal higher-grade (>1 g/t Au) sulphide dominated domains are observed. HAD098W9 intersected 31.1m @ 4.9g/t Au & 0.13% Cu from 1,635m, including 10m @ 13g/t Au & 0.14 % Cu from 1,655m ~ 50m to the north west of the current Eastern Breccia Resource. HAD164W3 intersected 57m @ 2.1 g/t Au and 0.19% Cu from 1262 m, including 10m @ 8.5g/t Au & 0.29% Cu from 1307m ~200m vertically above the existing Eastern Breccia Mineral Resource. Drilling in the Northern Breccia zone further highlights potential for incremental extensions to the Current Mineral Resource. Results include: HAD098W8, 22m @ 8.1g/t Au & 0.14% Cu from 1,287m, HAD098W9, 29.9m @ 3.9g/t Au & 0.01% Cu from 945.1m. Drilling to test geophysical targets outside of the known Havieron mineralised system, including evaluating the Havieron system to along strike to the northwest and southeast, revealed no significant intercepts from two drill holes (HAD169 and HAD170). The current campaign of growth programs for Havieron is now complete and will support ongoing resource assessment. Drilling is currently focussed on infill drilling on the lower SE Crescent zone with three rigs continuing into the June 2023 quarter. Refer to Appendix 4 for additional information and drill hole data table for all results reported during the period. Figure 11. 3D Plan view schematic showing the spatial association of the South East Crescent, Northern Breccia, North West Pod and Eastern Breccia in relation to the current exploration growth target areas and the Mineral Resource extents. Also highlighted are selected previously reported and new labelled intercepts >100 gram metres (Au ppm x length) that have been intersected outside of the Inferred Mineral Resource. Intercepts are projected to the 4600RL. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/163908_a50f66b1f4346851_013full.jpg Figure 12. 3D oblique view of the Havieron system viewed from the south-east, showing the position of high-grade intercepts (previously^^ reported and new labelled) and mineralised zones >100 gram metres (Au ppm x length) that have been intersected outside of the Mineral Resource extents. Further higher-grade mineralisation and assay results continue to support incremental expansion of the Northern Breccia and Southeast Crescent, as well as extensions to the Eastern Breccia (refer to Figure 5 for spatial relationship of drill holes and zones). To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/163908_a50f66b1f4346851_014full.jpg Figure 13. Plan view schematic of a horizontal slice at 3900mRL through the Crescent Sulphide Zone and Breccia-hosted Zones, showing the extents of the 0.5 and 1.0 g/t Au LeapfrogTM grade shells with highlighted newly reported intercepts for this period. This diagram highlights >50 gram metres intersections drilled during the period, refer to inset diagram for relationship to all Havieron drilling. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/163908_a50f66b1f4346851_015full.jpg Western USA Appaloosa Project, Nevada In September 2022, Newcrest entered into an option and earn-in agreement (previously reported) with Gunpoint Exploration Ltd. (Gunpoint) to acquire up to 75% of the Appaloosa property located in Nevada, USA (with an option to acquire the remaining 25% of Appaloosa post the earn-in period). Appaloosa is an underexplored mineralised structural zone situated within Gunpoint's Talapoosa gold-silver project. During 2022, Newcrest undertook target definition work including mapping, geophysics, rock chip and channel sampling that defined multiple drill targets on the property. In January 2023, Newcrest provided notice to Gunpoint to enter into the Option Phase of the option and earn-in agreement at Appaloosa. During the quarter, a Notice of Intent (NOI) was lodged with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to undertake drill testing of multiple targets during the June 2023 quarter. Drill testing is planned to commence in April 2023. Australia Wilki Project, Western Australia The Wilki Project is an exploration farm-in and joint venture with Antipa Minerals Limited (Antipa). The project area covers a strategic landholding of ~1,470km2 (post the return of certain tenements to Antipa during the quarter in exchange for a royalty) surrounding the Telfer operation and is adjacent to the Havieron Project. Newcrest entered into this exploration farm-in and joint venture agreement with Antipa in March 2020. Newcrest currently also has a 9.9% shareholding in Antipa. As previously highlighted, Newcrest has elected to proceed to the next stage (Stage 1) of the farm-in agreement following completion of the initial exploration expenditure commitment (A$6 million). Newcrest has the potential to earn a 51% joint venture interest in the Wilki Project through expenditure of a further A$10 million by March 2025 during Stage 1. As of 1 July 2022, Newcrest is the manager and operator of the Wilki Project. Field activities were suspended for the summer period and will resume in the first half of calendar year 2023, with planned soil sampling and follow up drilling to be completed, subject to successful attainment of heritage clearances. Juri Joint Venture, Western Australia The Juri Joint Venture is a farm-in and joint venture agreement with Greatland with respect to the Black Hills and Paterson Range East projects, located within the Paterson Province approximately 50km from the Telfer operation and in proximity to the Havieron Project. The joint venture covers an area of approximately 248km2. Newcrest currently has a 51% interest in the Juri Joint Venture, and the Joint Venture is currently managed by Greatland. Under the terms of the agreement, Newcrest has the potential to earn an additional 24% joint venture interest through expenditure of a further A$17 million by October 2024. Field activities remained suspended during the summer period with ongoing target generation and project review activities conducted. Mount Coolon Project, Queensland In October 2022, Newcrest entered into a farm-in agreement with GBM Resources Ltd (GBM) in relation to the Mount Coolon Project to advance gold exploration in the Drummond Basin in Queensland. The agreement provides the potential for Newcrest to acquire up to a 75% interest in the Mount Coolon Project tenements by spending A$25M and completing a series of exploration milestones in a 3 stage farm-in over six years. Newcrest considers the Drummond Basin to be highly prospective for discovery of new higher grade gold resources related to known epithermal gold deposits within the Mount Coolon Project area. The project is undergoing establishment activities, and initial targeting has identified a number of high priority targets below and along strike to previously identified gold-bearing low-sulphidation epithermal veining. Project establishment activities have commenced, with initial preparation of reconnaissance and support programs undertaken during the quarter. Ground geophysical surveys, surface geochemical sampling and review of historic exploration areas will commence in the field from April 2023. Northern Andes Gamora Project, Ecuador A second phase of scout drilling commenced at the Gamora Project, located in southeast Ecuador. This work is being conducted by Newcrest as the operator under an earn-in agreement with Lundin Gold Inc. (Lundin Gold) pursuant to which Newcrest can earn up to a 50% interest in eight exploration concessions. The concession areas cover strategic landholdings to the north and south of Lundin Gold's Fruta del Norte mining operation. The current phase of diamond core drilling at Gamora is focused on testing priority copper-gold targets in the Mirador copper porphyry district. The program is planned to finish in the June 2023 quarter. Appendix 1 Red Chris (70% Newcrest): JORC Table 1 Section 1: Sampling Techniques and Data Criteria Commentary Sampling techniques Core samples are obtained from core drilling. HQ and NQ diameter diamond core was drilled on a 3, 4.5m or 6m run. Core was cut using an automatic core-cutter and half core sampled at 2m intervals. Cover sequences were not sampled. Drilling techniques Core drilling was advanced with HQ3, HQ, NQ3 and NQ diameter coring configuration. Core from inclined drill holes are oriented on 3, 4.5m or 6m runs using an electronic core orientation tools (Reflex ACTIII and Axis Champ Ori). At the end of each run, the bottom of hole position is marked by the driller, which is later transferred to the whole drill core run length with a bottom of hole reference line. Drill sample recovery Core recovery is systematically recorded from the commencement of coring to end of hole, by reconciling against driller's depth blocks in each core tray with data recorded in the database. Drillers depth blocks provided the depth, interval of core recovered, and interval of core drilled. Core recoveries were typically 100%, with isolated zones of lower recovery. Logging Geological logging recorded qualitative descriptions of lithology, alteration, mineralisation, veining, and structure (for all core drilled -10,532m in 10 holes - all holes intersected mineralisation, including orientation of key geological features). Geotechnical measurements were recorded including Rock Quality Designation (RQD) fracture frequency, solid core recovery and qualitative rock strength measurements. Magnetic susceptibility measurements were recorded every metre. All geological and geotechnical logging was conducted at the Red Chris Mine. Digital data logging was captured, validated and stored in an acQuire database. All drill cores were photographed, prior to cutting and/or sampling the core. Sub-sampling techniques and sample preparation Sampling, sample preparation and quality control protocols are considered appropriate for the material being sampled. Core was cut and sampled at the Red Chris Mine core processing facility. Half core samples were collected in plastic bags together with pre-numbered sample tags and grouped in wood crates for dispatch to the laboratory. Sample weights typically varied from 5 to 10kg. Sample sizes are considered appropriate for the style of mineralisation. Drill core samples were freighted by road to the laboratory. Sample preparation was conducted at the independent ISO 9001 certified and ISO 17025 accredited Bureau Veritas Commodities Canada Ltd Laboratory, Vancouver (Bureau Veritas). Samples were dried at 650C, and crushed to 95% passing 4.75 mm, and the split to obtain up to 1kg sub-sample, which was pulverised (using LM2) to produce a pulped product with the minimum standard of 95% passing 106m. Duplicate samples were collected from crush and pulp samples at a rate of 1:20. Duplicate results show an acceptable level of variability for the material sampled and style of mineralisation. Periodic size checks (1:20) for crush and pulp samples and sample weights are provided by the laboratory and recorded in the acQuire database. Quality of assay data and laboratory tests Assaying of drill core samples was conducted at Bureau Veritas. All samples were assayed for 59 elements using a 4-acid digestion followed by ICP-AES/ICP-MS determination (method MA250). Gold analyses were determined by 50g fire assay with ICP-ES finish (method FA350). Carbon and Sulphur were determined by Leco (method TC000) and mercury using aqua regia digestion followed by ICP-ES/MS determination (method AQ200). Sampling and assaying quality control procedures consisted of inclusion of certified reference material (CRMs), coarse residue and pulp duplicates with each batch (at least 1:20). Assays of quality control samples were compared with reference samples in the acQuire database and verified as acceptable prior to use of data from analysed batches. Laboratory quality control data, including laboratory standards, blanks, duplicates, repeats and grind size results are captured in the acQuire database and assessed for accuracy and precision for recent data. Due to the limited extent of the drilling program to date, extended quality control programs are yet to be undertaken, whereby pulped samples will be submitted to an umpire laboratory and combined with more extensive re-submission programs. Analysis of the available quality control sample assay results indicates that an acceptable level of accuracy and precision has been achieved and the database contains no analytical data that has been numerically manipulated. The assaying techniques and quality control protocols used are considered appropriate for the data to be used for reporting exploration drilling results. Verification of sampling and assaying Sampling intervals defined by the geologist are electronically assigned sample identification numbers prior to core cutting. Corresponding sample numbers matching pre-labelled sample tags are assigned to each interval. All sampling and assay information were stored in a secure acQuire database with restricted access. Electronically generated sample submission forms providing the sample identification number accompany each submission to the laboratory. Assay results from the laboratory with corresponding sample identification are loaded directly into the acQuire database. Assessment of reported significant assay intervals was verified by re-logging of drill core intervals and assessment of high resolution core photography. The verification of significant intersections has been completed by company personnel and the Competent Person/Qualified Person. No adjustments are made to assay data, and no twinned holes have been completed. Drilling intersects mineralisation at various angles. There are no currently known drilling, sampling, recovery, or other factors that could materially affect the accuracy or reliability of the data. Location of data points Drill collar locations were surveyed using a RTK GPS with GNSS with a stated accuracy of +/- 0.025m. Drill rig alignment was attained using an electronic azimuth aligner (Reflex TN14 GYROCOMPASS). Downhole survey was collected at 9 to 30m intervals of the drill hole using single shot survey (Reflex EZ-SHOT and Axis Champ Gyro). At the end of hole, all holes have been surveyed using a continuous gyro survey to surface (Reflex EZ-GYRO). Topographic control is established from PhotoSat topographic data and derived digital elevation model. The topography is generally low relief to flat, with an average elevation of 1500 m, with several deep creek gullies. All collar coordinates are provided in the North American Datum (NAD83 Zone 9). Data spacing and distribution The drill hole spacing ranges from 100 - 200m in lateral extent within an area of 1.5km2 at the East Ridge, 1.5km2 at the East Zone, 1.5km2 at the Main Zone and 1.5km2 at the Gully Zone. An initial Mineral Resource for the East Zone, Main Zone and Gully Zone was released on 31 March 2021. No sample compositing is applied to samples. Orientation of data in relation to geological structure Drilling of reported drill holes RC859, RC860, RC861, RC863, RC864, RC865, RC866 are oriented perpendicular to the intrusive complex. The intrusive complex has an east-northeast orientation, with drilling established on a north-northwest orientation. Drill holes exploring the extents of the East Ridge, East Zone, Main Zone and Gully Zone mineral system intersected moderately dipping volcanic and sedimentary units cut by sub-vertical intrusive lithologies. Steeply dipping mineralised zones with an east-northeast orientation have been interpreted from historic and Newcrest drill holes. Sample security The security of samples is controlled by tracking samples from drill rig to database. Drill core was delivered from the drill rig to the Red Chris Mine core yard every shift. Geological and geotechnical logging, high resolution core photography and cutting of drill core was undertaken at the Red Chris core processing facility. Samples were freighted in sealed bags with security tags by road to the laboratory, and in the custody of Newcrest representatives. Sample numbers are generated from pre-labelled sample tags. All samples are collected in pre-numbered plastic bags. Sample tags are inserted into prenumbered plastic bags together with the sample. Verification of sample numbers and identification is conducted by the laboratory on receipt of samples, and sample receipt advice issued to Newcrest. Details of all sample movement are recorded in a database table. Dates, Hole ID sample ranges, and the analytical suite requested are recorded with the dispatch of samples to the laboratory analytical services. Any discrepancies logged at the receipt of samples into the laboratory analytical services are validated. Audits or reviews Due to the limited duration of the program, no external audits or reviews have been undertaken. Internal verification and audit of Newcrest exploration procedures and databases are periodically undertaken. Section 2: Reporting of Exploration Results Criteria Commentary Mineral tenement and land tenure status Red Chris (including the GJ Property) comprises 204 mineral claims including five mining leases and is a joint venture between subsidiaries of Newcrest Mining Limited (70%) and Imperial Metals Corporation (30%). Newcrest Red Chris Mining Limited is the operator of Red Chris. In June 2022, Newcrest closed the acquisition of four early stage exploration properties from Hawkeye Gold & Diamond. The Todagin, McBride and Railway properties are expected to be added to the Red Chris Joint Venture. Newcrest Red Chris Mining Limited and the Tahltan Nation (as represented by the Tahltan Central Government, the Tahltan Band and Iskut First Nation) signed an amended and restated updated Impact, Benefit and Co-Management Agreement (IBCA) covering Red Chris on 15 August 2019. All obligations with respect to legislative requirements including minimum expenditure are maintained in good standing. Exploration done by other parties Conwest Exploration Limited, Great Plains Development Co. of Canada, Silver Standard Mines Ltd, Texasgulf Canada Ltd. (formerly Ecstall Mining Limited), American Bullion Minerals Ltd and bcMetals Corporation conducted exploration in the areas between 1956 and 2006. Imperial Metals Corporation acquired the project in 2007 and completed deeper drilling at the East and Main Zones between 2007 and 2012. Geology The Red Chris Project is located in the Stikine terrane of north-western British Columbia, 80 km south of the town of Dease Lake. Late Triassic sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the Stuhini Group host a series of Late Triassic to Early Jurassic (204-198 Ma) diorite to quartz monzonite stocks and dykes. Gold and copper mineralisation at Red Chris consists of vein, disseminated and breccia sulphide typical of porphyry-style mineralisation. Mineralisation is hosted by diorite to quartz monzonite stocks and dykes. The main mineral assemblage contains well developed pyrite-chalcopyrite-bornite sulphide mineral assemblages as vein and breccia infill, and disseminations. The main mineralisation event is associated with biotite and potassium feldspar-magnetite wall rock alteration. Drill hole information As provided. Data aggregation methods Significant assay intercepts are reported as (A) length-weighted averages exceeding 0.1g/t Au greater than or equal to 20m, with less than 10m of consecutive internal dilution; and (B) length-weighted averages exceeding 0.5g/t Au for greater than or equal to 10m, with less than 10m of consecutive internal dilution; and (C) length-weighted averages exceeding 1g/t Au for greater than or equal to 10m, with less than 10m of consecutive internal dilution; (D) length-weighted averages exceeding 5g/t Au greater than or equal to 10m, with less than 10m of consecutive internal dilution; and (E) length-weighted averages exceeding 10g/t Au for greater than or equal to 10m, with less than 10m of consecutive internal dilution. No top cuts are applied to intercept calculations. Relationship between mineralisation widths and intercept lengths Significant assay intervals reported represent apparent widths. Insufficient geological information is available to confirm the geological model and true width of significant assay intervals. Diagrams As provided. Balanced reporting This is the twenty-second release of Exploration Results for this project made by Newcrest. Exploration results have been reported by Newcrest since January 2020. Earlier reporting of exploration programs conducted by Newcrest and Imperial Metals Corporation have previously been reported. Exploration drilling programs are ongoing and further material results will be reported in subsequent Newcrest releases. Other substantive exploration data Nil. Further work Further drilling is planned to define the extents of the East Ridge, Main Zone and Gully Zone. Drillhole data(1) Red Chris Project, British Columbia, Canada Reporting Criteria: Intercepts reported are downhole drill width (not true width) Au >0.1ppm (0.1g/t Au) and minimum 20m downhole width with maximum consecutive internal dilution of 10m. Also highlighted are high grade intervals of Au >0.5ppm (0.5g/t Au), Au >1ppm (1g/t Au), Au > 5ppm (5g/t Au), Au >10ppm (10g/t Au) and minimum 10m downhole width with maximum consecutive internal dilution of 10m. Gold and copper grades are reported to two significant figures. Samples are from core drilling which is HQ or NQ in diameter. Core is photographed and logged by the geology team before being cut. Half core HQ and NQ samples are prepared for assay and the remaining material is retained in the core farm for future reference. Each assay batch is submitted with duplicates and standards to monitor laboratory quality. Total depth (end of hole) is rounded to one decimal place for reporting purposes. Hole ID Hole Type Easting (m) Northing (m) RL (m) Total Depth (m) Azimuth Dip From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (ppm) Cu (pct) Cut off RC859 DD 453158 6397048 1471 2143.7 149 -58 1800 2000 200 0.19 0.18 0.1 2014 2034 20 0.11 0.14 0.1 2094 2116 22 0.11 0.13 0.1 RC860 DD 454037 6397102 1122 1749.0 148 -60 650 772 122 0.29 0.09 0.1 incl. 708 722 14 0.60 0.22 0.5 1244 1312 68 0.15 0.25 0.1 1332 1398 66 0.53 0.46 0.1 incl. 1342 1374 32 0.85 0.63 0.5 incl. 1352 1368 16 1.1 0.74 1 RC861 DD 453066 6396918 1466 1946.0 144 -57 1344 1384 40 0.14 0.02 0.1 1396 1418 22 0.21 0.02 0.1 1476 1526 50 0.39 0.32 0.1 incl. 1502 1526 24 0.52 0.45 0.5 1576 1600 24 0.24 0.06 0.1 1620 1648 28 0.59 0.41 0.1 incl. 1622 1634 12 1.2 0.76 0.5 RC863 DD 453896 6397057 1098 1397.7 144 -61 128 148 20 0.23 0.03 0.1 160 182 22 0.22 0.04 0.1 198 224 26 0.60 0.03 0.1 incl. 198 224 26 0.60 0.03 0.5 638 718 80 0.18 0.04 0.1 824 868 44 0.36 0.20 0.1 1314 1368 54 0.28 0.31 0.1 RC864 DD 453404 6397179 1466 1161.4 146 -56 Hole abandoned RC864W# DD 453404 6397179 1466 2207.2 146 -56 Assays pending RC865 DD 453337 6397094 1467 1040.0 146 -58 1552 1684 132 0.29 0.45 0.1 1716 1822 106 0.57 0.57 0.1 incl. 1730 1760 30 0.95 0.87 0.5 incl. 1776 1808 32 0.59 0.54 0.5 1916 1978 62 0.33 0.17 0.1 incl. 1926 1938 12 0.53 0.24 0.5 incl. 1950 1962 12 0.50 0.22 0.5 1996 2070 74 0.23 0.24 0.1 RC866 DD 454038 6397103 1122 1095.0 148 -50 No significant intercepts RC867# DD 453597 6397100 1424 740.7 148 -61 Assays pending RC872 DD 454180 6397146 1145 1974.6 151 -64 Assays pending RC873 DD 454320 6397177 1167 1743.0 147 -47 Assays pending RC874# DD 454320 6397177 1167 923.7 145 -66 Assays pending RC875# DD 453660 6396034 1377 866.0 326 -76 Assays pending RC876# DD 454180 6397146 1145 1116.0 152 -55 Assays pending # drilling in progress, **partial intercept, assays pending. ^updated intercept ^^previously reported intercept Figure 14. Schematic plan view map of East Ridge showing drill hole locations (Newcrest & Imperial) and significant Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 2 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases). 0.3 g/t Au, 1 g/t Au, 0.3% Cu and 1% Cu shell projections generated from a LeapfrogTM model. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/163908_a50f66b1f4346851_016full.jpg Figure 15. Schematic cross section of RC861 (Section Line 34N - as shown on Figure 14) showing Newcrest and Imperial drill holes and Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 2 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases) 0.1 g/t Au, 0.5 g/t Au and 1 g/t Au shell projections generated from LeapfrogTM model. Due to window size (+/- 50m) and section orientation (150) hole may appear on multiple sections. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/163908_a50f66b1f4346851_017full.jpg Figure 16. Schematic cross section of RC859 (Section Line 35N - as shown on Figure 14) showing Newcrest and Imperial drill holes and Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 2 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases) 0.1 g/t Au, 0.5 g/t Au and 1 g/t Au shell projections generated from LeapfrogTM model. Due to window size (+/- 50m) and section orientation (150) hole may appear on multiple sections. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/163908_a50f66b1f4346851_018full.jpg Figure 17. Schematic cross section of RC865 (Section Line 37N - as shown on Figure 14) showing Newcrest and Imperial drill holes and Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 2 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases) 0.1 g/t Au, 0.5 g/t Au and 1 g/t Au shell projections generated from LeapfrogTM model. Due to window size (+/- 50m) and section orientation (150) hole may appear on multiple sections. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/163908_a50f66b1f4346851_019full.jpg Figure 18. Schematic cross section of RC863 (Section Line 42N - as shown on Figure 14) showing Newcrest and Imperial drill holes and Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 2 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases) 0.1 g/t Au, 0.5 g/t Au and 1 g/t Au shell projections generated from LeapfrogTM model. Due to window size (+/- 50m) and section orientation (150) hole may appear on multiple sections. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/163908_a50f66b1f4346851_020full.jpg Figure 19. Schematic cross section of RC860 & RC866 (Section Line 43N - as shown on Figure 14) showing Newcrest and Imperial drill holes and Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 2 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases) 0.1 g/t Au, 0.5 g/t Au and 1 g/t Au shell projections generated from LeapfrogTM model. Due to window size (+/- 50m) and section orientation (150) hole may appear on multiple sections. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/163908_a50f66b1f4346851_021full.jpg Appendix 2 Brucejack (100% Newcrest): JORC Table 1 Section 1: Sampling Techniques and Data Criteria Commentary Sampling techniques Core samples are obtained from core drilling. NQ and HQ diameter diamond core was drilled on a 3m run. Whole core was sampled at 1.5m intervals except where visible gold was identified, in which case the sample length was shortened to 1.0 or 0.5m. Drilling techniques Core drilling was advanced with NQ and HQ diameter coring configuration. Core from select inclined drill holes are oriented on 3m runs using an electronic core orientation tool (Reflex ACTIII). At the end of each run, the bottom of hole position is marked by the driller, which is later transferred to the whole drill core run length with a bottom of hole reference line. Drill sample recovery Core recovery is systematically recorded from the commencement of coring to end of hole, by reconciling against driller's depth blocks in each core tray with data recorded in the database. Drillers depth blocks provided the depth, interval of core recovered, and interval of core drilled. Core recoveries were typically 100%, with isolated zones of lower recovery. Logging Geological logging recorded qualitative descriptions of lithology, alteration, mineralisation, veining, and structure (for all core drilled - 15,137m). Geotechnical measurements were recorded including Rock Quality Designation (RQD) fracture frequency, solid core recovery and qualitative rock strength measurements. All geological and geotechnical logging was conducted at the Brucejack Mine. Digital data logging was captured, validated and stored in an Acquire database. The Acquire database replaces the previous Geospark database. All drill cores were photographed, prior to sampling the core. Sub-sampling techniques and sample preparation Sampling, sample preparation and quality control protocols are considered appropriate for the material being sampled. Whole core NQ and HQ samples. Whole core samples were collected in plastic bags together with pre-numbered sample tags and grouped into shipping bins for dispatch to the laboratory by dedicated transport. Sample lengths were typically 1.5m, and weights typically varied from 11 to 15kg, with an average weight of approximately 12.5 Kg. Sample sizes are considered appropriate for the style of mineralisation. All drill core samples were freighted by road to the laboratory via hired transport. Sample preparation was conducted at the independent ISO 9001 certified and ISO 17025 accredited ALS Global preparation laboratories including Terrace. Kamloops, Yellowknife, and Vancouver. Samples were dried at 600C, and crushed to 90% passing 2 mm, and split to obtain up to 1 kg sub-sample, which was pulverised (using LM2) to produce a pulped product with the minimum standard of 85% passing 75m. Duplicate sample data are available from crush and pulp samples at a rate of approximately 1:20. Duplicate results show an acceptable level of variability for the material sampled and style of mineralisation. Quality of assay data and laboratory tests Assaying of drill core samples was conducted at ALS in North Vancouver. All samples were assayed for 33 elements using a 4-acid digestion followed by ICP-OES determination (method ME-ICP61). Gold analyses were determined by 50g fire assay with atomic absorption finish (method Au-AA26; with trigger to Au-Gra22 50g gravimetric overlimit method at 18 ppm). Sampling and assaying quality control procedures consisted of inclusion of certified reference material (CRMs), coarse residue and pulp duplicates with each batch (at least 1:20). Assays of quality control samples were compared with reference samples in the Acquire SQL database and verified as acceptable prior to formal use of data from analysed batches. Laboratory quality duplicates including replicates and preparation duplicates are captured in the Acquire SQL database and assessed. Prepared pulp splits for mineralized samples were sent to MS Analytical Labs in Langley BC for secondary lab check work by comparable Au and ICP methods to ensure agreement with original results. Comparisons are acceptable. Analysis of the available quality control sample assay results indicates that an acceptable level of accuracy and precision has been achieved. The database contains no analytical data that has been numerically manipulated. The assaying techniques and quality control protocols used are considered appropriate for the data to be used for reporting exploration drilling results. Verification of sampling and assaying Sampling intervals defined by the geologist are electronically assigned sample identification numbers prior to core sampling. Corresponding sample numbers matching pre-labelled sample tags are assigned to each interval. All sampling and assay information were stored in a secure Acquire database with restricted access. Sample submission forms providing the sample identification number accompany each submission to the laboratory. Assay results from the laboratory with corresponding sample identification are loaded directly into the Acquire database. Assessment of reported significant assay intervals was verified by review of visible gold identified in the drill core and review of high resolution core photography. The verification of significant intersections has been completed by company personnel and the Competent Person/Qualified Person. No adjustments are made to assay data, and no twinned holes have been completed. Drilling intersects mineralisation at various angles. There are no currently known drilling, sampling, recovery, or other factors that could materially affect the accuracy or reliability of the data. Location of data points All collar coordinates are provided in the North American Datum (NAD83 Zone 9N). 1080 HBx and Eastern Promises: Underground drill collar locations are marked up by the survey department with spray paint, and a back site and foresight are provided to enable alignment; Drills are then aligned by the drill contractor based on the markup and sights, and a TN-14 collar Gyro is used to confirm orientation prior to drilling. Topographic control is established from 2014 Lidar. Data spacing and distribution 1080 HBx: Drill hole spacing is 15m laterally. Assays have been received for eight drill fans to date, and the zone will be included in the next Mineral Resource update for Brucejack, expected during the first half of the 2024 financial year. which is insufficient for estimation of a Mineral Resource. Eastern Promises: Drill hole spacing is 30m laterally. Assays have been received for two drill fans to date, which is insufficient for estimation of a Mineral Resource. No sample compositing is applied to samples. Orientation of data in relation to geological structure Drill holes at 1080 HBx are oriented towards 205 degrees in order to drill perpendicular to the broadly WNW-ESE oriented mineralization domains. Drilling intersected the HBX Domain, which is hosted in the Eastern Promises Porphyry unit. Drill holes at Eastern Prmises are oriented towards 190 and 165 degrees in order to drill perpendicular to the broadly ENE oriented mineralization domains. Drilling intersected Domain 20 and the HBX Domain, which are both hosted in the Eastern Promises Porphyry. Sample security The security of samples is ensured by tracking samples from drill rig to database and by using trusted transportation services, and third party laboratories with security protocols. Drill core was delivered from the drill rig to the Brucejack Core Facility. Geological and geotechnical logging, high resolution core photography and whole core sampling was undertaken at the Brucejack Core Facility. Sample numbers are obtained from pre-made sample tag books, first ensuring no duplication of sample ID's in the database. Sample tags are inserted into labelled plastic bags together with the sample, and the bagged sample secured with a zip tie. Samples were grouped in sequence into rice bags, then placed into dedicated sample shipment bins for transport offsite. Samples are transported by road to the preparation lab where transfer of custody occurs. Verification of sample numbers and identification is conducted by the laboratory on receipt of samples, and sample receipt advice issued to Newcrest. Details of all sample shipments are recorded in a shipment tracking table and require offsite removal forms prior to leaving the Brucejack site. Shipping dates, Hole IDs, sample ranges, and special instructions are recorded with the dispatch of samples to the laboratory analytical services. Receiving laboratories have a workorder template of methods and duplicates by which to process the samples unless otherwise specified. Any discrepancies noted during sample login at the laboratory are communicated and addressed. Audits or reviews Due to the limited duration of the program, no external audits or reviews have been undertaken. Internal verification and audit of Newcrest exploration procedures and databases are periodically undertaken. Section 2: Reporting of Exploration Results Criteria Commentary Mineral tenement and land tenure status Brucejack comprises 346 mineral tenures including four mining leases and is 100% owned by Newcrest Mining Limited. All obligations with respect to legislative requirements including minimum expenditure are maintained in good standing. Exploration done by other parties Granduc, Esso, Newhawk, Lacana Mining Corp., and Silver Standard conducted exploration in the area between 1960 and 2010. Pretium Resources acquired the Brucejack Property in 2010 and drilled the discovery hole at the Valley of the Kings in 2011. North Block and 1080 level were first drilled in 2020. Golden Marmot was previously drilled in 1988 and 2011. Geology The Brucejack Project is located in the Stikine terrane of north-western British Columbia, 50 km north of the town of Stewart. Early Jurassic sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the Lower Hazelton Group host mineralisation. A pervasive quartz-pyrite-sericite alteration event predates the main stage of epithermal mineralisation. Gold mineralisation at Brucejack consists of electrum hosted in vein stockworks, sheeted veins, and veinlets. Drill hole information As provided. Data aggregation methods Significant assay intercepts are reported as length-weighted averages using a cut-off of 1.0 g/t Au and a minimum length of 7.5m, with less than 7.5m of consecutive internal dilution. Also reported are intervals greater than 100g/t Au. Intervals below a cutoff of 1.0gt Au were not reported as significant results. No top cuts are applied to intercept calculations. Relationship between mineralisation widths and intercept lengths Significant assay intervals reported represent apparent widths. Insufficient geological information is available to confirm the geological model and true width of significant assay intervals. Diagrams As provided. Balanced reporting This is the fifth release of Exploration Results for this project made by Newcrest. Exploration results have been reported by Newcrest since April 2022. Exploration drilling programs are ongoing and further material results will be reported in subsequent Newcrest releases. Other substantive exploration data Nil. Further work Follow up drilling is also being planned for the 1020 HBX, Bridge Zone, Eastern Promises, and West VOK. Drillhole data(1) Brucejack, British Columbia, Canada Reporting Criteria: Intervals are reported as length-weighted averages using a cut-off of 1.0 g/t Au and a minimum length of 7.5m, with less than 7.5m of consecutive internal dilution. Also reported are intervals greater than 100g/t Au. Intervals below a cutoff of 1.0gt Au were not reported as significant results. Gold grades are reported to two significant figures. Samples are from core drilling which is HQ in diameter. Core is photographed and logged by the geology team before being whole core sampled and sent for assay. Each assay batch is submitted with duplicates and standards to monitor laboratory quality. Hole ID Hole Type Easting (m) Northing (m) RL (m) Total Depth (m) Azimuth Dip From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (ppm) Cut off VU-4749 DD 426708 6257839 1088 438.2 205 37 230.0 241.5 11.5 1.3 1.0 261.0 279.0 18.0 306 1.0 incl. 266.0 267.0 1.0 5370 100 312.0 369.0 57.0 1.9 1.0 385.5 413.0 27.5 3.2 1.0 423.0 437.0 14.0 1.1 1.0 VU-4750 DD 426708 6257839 1088 438.3 205 30 99.0 108.0 9.0 3.5 1.0 196.5 207.0 10.5 1.7 1.0 396.0 417.0 21.0 1.0 1.0 VU-4751 DD 426708 6257839 1088 407.7 205 24 129.0 184.5 55.5 1.3 1.0 193.6 205.5 11.9 2.6 1.0 VU-4752 DD 426708 6257839 1089 372.2 205 17 117.0 160.5 43.5 2.0 1.0 VU-4753 DD 426708 6257839 1089 350.8 205 9 106.5 115.5 9.0 3.6 1.0 177.0 192.0 15.0 1.2 1.0 VU-4754 DD 426708 6257839 1089 350.9 206 -1 92.4 93.4 1.0 389 100 291.0 298.5 7.5 2.5 1.0 VU-4755 DD 426708 6257839 1090 209.7 205 -9 78.0 114.0 36.0 2.0 1.0 VU-4756 DD 426708 6257839 1091 185.7 205 -18 81.0 102.0 21.0 1.4 1.0 VU-4757 DD 426708 6257839 1091 179.8 205 -26 no significant assays VU-4758 DD 426708 6257839 1092 167.4 205 -34 93.0 112.5 19.5 4.7 1.0 148.5 163.5 15.0 1.2 1.0 VU-4759 DD 426708 6257839 1092 131.5 204 -40 no significant assays VU-4822 DD 426845 6257848 1087 375 182 37 303.0 346.5 43.5 1.4 1.0 VU-4823 DD 426845 6257847 1088 562.2 191 27 55.5 84.0 28.5 1.2 1.0 95.0 105.0 10.0 1.6 1.0 480.0 490.5 10.5 5.6 1.0 VU-4824 DD 426845 6257847 1088 339 182 17 75.0 100.5 25.5 21 1.0 incl. 94.5 96.0 1.5 331 100 165.5 166.5 1.0 200 100 VU-4825 DD 426845 6257847 1089 450.6 182 7 86.0 87.0 1.0 123 100 244.5 259.5 15.0 35 1.0 incl. 253.0 254.0 1.0 516 100 336.0 358.5 22.5 1.0 1.0 VU-4826 DD 426845 6257848 1089 279 182 -3 51.0 67.5 16.5 3.1 1.0 VU-4827 DD 426845 6257848 1089 263.9 182 -12 42.0 69.0 27.0 2.8 1.0 VU-4828 DD 426845 6257848 1090 206.7 182 -21 37.5 72.0 34.5 6.8 1.0 incl. 57.0 58.5 1.5 119 100 VU-4829 DD 426845 6257848 1090 134.8 182 -31 no significant assays VU-4830 DD 426845 6257848 1091 110.8 182 -40 no significant assays VU-4965 DD 426912 6257940 1088 242.8 190 27 60.0 69.0 9.0 2.8 1.0 VU-4966 DD 426912 6257940 1088 210 190 16 169.5 189.0 19.5 2.2 1.0 VU-4967 DD 426912 6257940 1088 186.2 190 5 no significant assays 150.5 162.0 11.5 3.9 1.0 VU-4968 DD 426912 6257940 1088 162 190 -9 VU-4969 DD 426912 6257940 1088 134.7 190 -25 1.5 15.1 13.6 23 1.0 incl. 14.1 15.1 1.0 289 100 VU-4970 DD 426912 6257940 1088 80.7 190 -40 no significant assays VU-4999 DD 427025 6257979 1089 246.2 165 28 no significant assays VU-5000 DD 427025 6257979 1089 219 165 19 no significant assays VU-5001 DD 427025 6257979 1089 192.2 165 10 no significant assays VU-5002 DD 427025 6257979 1089 174.1 165 -1 no significant assays VU-5003 DD 427025 6257979 1089 171 165 -11 no significant assays VU-5004 DD 427025 6257979 1089 167.9 165 -21 no significant assays VU-5005 DD 427025 6257979 1089 170.9 165 -32 no significant assays 1 # drilling in progress, **partial intercept, assays pending. ^updated intercept ^^previously reported intercept Figure 20. Plan view of the 1080 Level in the VOK, showing Domain 13, Domain 20, and the newly defined HBX Domain. The previously published Pretium resource is outlined in red. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/163908_a50f66b1f4346851_022full.jpg Figure 21. Cross section for drill fan 1080_37_WLAT19_33 (location shown on Figure 20) showing all drill holes and significant intercepts. Due to window size (+/- 15m) and section orientation (270) holes may appear on multiple sections. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/163908_a50f66b1f4346851_023full.jpg Figure 22. Cross section for drill fan 1080_37_ELAT17_41_L3 (location shown on Figure 20) showing all drill holes and significant intercepts. Due to window size (+/- 15m) and section orientation (270) holes may appear on multiple sections. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/163908_a50f66b1f4346851_024full.jpg Figure 23. Cross section for drill fan 1080_43_L1 (as shown on Figure 20) showing all drill holes and significant intercepts. Due to window size (+/- 15m) and section orientation (270) holes may appear on multiple sections. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/163908_a50f66b1f4346851_025full.jpg Appendix 3 Spring Peak (Headwater Gold Inc., Farm-In Agreement): JORC Table 1 Section 1: Sampling Techniques and Data Criteria Commentary Sampling techniques Core samples are obtained from core drilling. HQ diameter diamond core was drilled on a 1.52m (5ft) run. Halved core was sampled at intervals ranging from a minimum of 0.30m (1ft) within zones of veining and strong alteration to a maximum of 1.68m (5.5ft) in areas of minimally altered host rock. Reverse circulation ("RC") samples are obtained from RC drilling, with samples collected on 1.52m (5ft) intervals at the drill site using an industry-standard cyclone and splitter affixed to the drill rig. Drilling techniques Core drilling was advanced with HQ diameter coring configuration. Core holes are inclined and core oriented on 1.52m runs using an electronic core orientation tool (Reflex ACTIII). At the end of each run, the bottom of hole position is marked by the drill rig personnel and the orientation mark is then transferred to the entire drill core run length with a bottom of hole reference line. RC drilling was carried out using a 14 cm (5.5in) conventional hammer bit. Precollar drill holes were advanced from surface using conventional RC drilling techniques and sample protocols. Upon completion of the RC precollar drilling and precollar survey, the RC crew inserted drill casing from surface to the bottom of the hole. Cased precollars were re-entered by a core rig and the holes extended as core tails from the bottom of the casing. Drill sample recovery Core recovery is systematically recorded from the commencement of coring to end of hole, by reconciling against driller's depth blocks in each core tray with data recorded in the database. Drillers depth blocks provided the depth, interval of core recovered, and interval of core drilled. Core recoveries were typically 100%, with isolated zones of lower recovery. Logging Geological logging recorded qualitative descriptions of lithology, alteration, mineralisation, veining, and structure (for all core drilled - 993m; and for all RC samples - 2180m). Geological logging was conducted at the Spring Peak Project site and at the Headwater Gold core processing facility in Sparks, Nevada. Digital data logging was captured, validated and stored in an SQL database. All drill core was photographed once sample intervals were established and prior to core cutting. Sub-sampling techniques and sample preparation Sampling, sample preparation and quality control protocols are considered appropriate for the material being sampled. Cut core HQ samples. Half cut core samples were collected in Protexo cloth bags together with pre-numbered sample tags and grouped into shipping bins for dispatch to the laboratory by dedicated transport. Sample lengths ranged from 0.57m to 0.8m Sample sizes are considered appropriate for the style of mineralisation. RC samples were collected at the drill rig at predetermined 1.52 m (5ft) drill intervals. Sample bags for each hole were prelabeled with sample IDs and footages by Headwater geologists prior to drilling and sample collection. Sample series were verified for completeness in the field by Headwater geologists prior to laboratory dispatch. All drill samples were freighted by road to Bureau Veritas prep facility via laboratory in-house transport. Sample preparation was conducted at Bureau Veritas facilities in Sparks, Nevada. Geochemical analyses were carried out at the independent ISO 17025:2017 accredited Bureau Veritas laboratories in Vancouver, B.C. Samples were dried at 60 C, and crushed to 70% passing 2 mm, and split to obtain a 250g sub-sample (method PRP70-250), which was pulverised to produce a pulped product with the minimum standard of 85% passing 75m (method PUL85). Duplicate sample data are available from crush and pulp samples at a rate of approximately 1:50, which is acceptable for the material sampled and style of mineralisation. Observed duplicate variability in high-grade samples is addressed with follow-up screen fire assay consisting of 1 kg of coarse reject from original sample. Quality of assay data and laboratory tests Assaying of drill core and RC samples was conducted at Bureau Veritas in North Vancouver. All samples were analysed for 59 elements using a 4-acid digestion followed by ICP-MS determination (method MA250). Gold analyses were determined by 30g fire assay with ICP-ME finish (method FA330) which is considered to provide a total assay for gold. Gravimetric analyses are automatically carried out for gold assays > 10 ppm and silver analyses >200 using 30 g pulps (method FA550). Sampling and assaying quality control procedures consisted of inclusion of certified reference material (CRMs), coarse residue and pulp duplicates with each batch (at least 1:20). Assays of quality control samples were compared with reference samples in the Headwater SQL database and verified as acceptable prior to formal use of data from analysed batches. Laboratory quality duplicates including replicates and preparation duplicates are captured in the Headwater SQL database and assessed. Analysis of the available quality control sample assay results indicates that an acceptable level of accuracy and precision has been achieved. The database contains no analytical data that has been numerically manipulated. The assaying techniques and quality control protocols used are considered appropriate for the data to be used for reporting exploration drilling results. Verification of sampling and assaying Core sampling intervals are defined by the geologist during logging then assigned pre-printed sample identification numbers prior to core photography, cutting, and sampling. Pre-printed sample identification tags are affixed in the core box corresponding to each sampled interval and a duplicate sample tag placed in a pre-labelled bag containing the sampled core for assay. RC samples were collected at the drill rig at predetermined 1.52 m (5ft) drill intervals. Sample bags for each hole were prelabeled with sample IDs and footages by Headwater geologists prior to drilling and sample collection. Sample series were verified for completeness in the field by Headwater geologists prior to laboratory dispatch. All sampling and assay information are maintained in an off-site secure SQL database. Sample submission forms providing the sample identification number accompany each submission to the laboratory. Assay results from the laboratory with corresponding sample identification are loaded directly into the SQL database. No adjustments are made to assay data. Drilling intersects mineralisation at various angles. SP22-11 is a diamond core twin of RC drillhole SP21-03 drilled by Headwater Gold in 2022. SP22-11 was drilled to gain additional geological information on the Disco Zone structure not available from the RC drilling method. There are no currently known drilling, sampling, recovery, or other factors that could materially affect the accuracy or reliability of the data. Location of data points All collar coordinates are provided in the North American Datum (NAD83 Zone 11N). Surface drill collar locations are monumented with a stamped brass tag. Collar coordinates were surveyed with a Trimble RTX GPS to 0.10m accuracy. Azimuth and inclination of the drillholes are surveyed with a Reflex EZ Sprint Gyro continuous survey tool from collar to total depth upon hole completion. Data spacing and distribution A total of 15 drillholes have been completed by Headwater Gold across an area of approximately 4 sq. km, which is insufficient for estimation of a Mineral Resource. No sample compositing is applied to samples. Orientation of data in relation to geological structure A fan of 4 drill holes targeting the Disco Vein zone was drilled from a single pad. All holes were drilled on an azimuth of 330 degrees in order to drill broadly perpendicular to the inferred ENE strike of the Disco Vein zone. The inclination of drill holes ranged from -45 degrees to -73 degrees to intercept the Disco Vein target at multiple elevations. Additional exploration drilling comprised 6 widely spaced drillholes designed to test structurally-controlled targets with a variety of orientations. All drill holes were designed to intersect the target structures perpendicular to inferred strike. Sample security The security of samples is ensured by tracking samples from drill rig to database and by using trusted transportation services, and third party laboratories with security protocols. Drill core was delivered from the drill rig to the Hawthorne project laydown by drill contractors. Whole core was palletised and then transported from Hawthorne to Sparks, NV by professional transport service for detailed geological logging, high resolution core photography, cutting, and sampling by Headwater personnel. Sample numbers are obtained from pre-made sample tag books, first ensuring no duplication of sample ID's in the database. Sample tags are inserted into labelled Protexo fabric bags together with the sample, and the bagged sample secured with a drawstring. Core samples were placed into dedicated sample shipment bins for transport from the logging facility. Binned samples are transported by truck to the preparation lab where transfer of custody occurs. RC samples are transported from drill pads to the Hawthorne project laydown by the drill company. RC samples are dispatched to the Bureau Veritas prep facility in Sparks from Hawthorne via Bureau Veritas in-house transport service. Verification of sample numbers and identification is conducted by the laboratory on receipt of samples, and sample receipt advice issued to Headwater Gold. Details of all sample shipments are recorded in chain of custody documents prior to leaving Headwater facilities. Shipping dates, submittal IDs, sample ranges, and special instructions are recorded with the dispatch of samples to the laboratory analytical services. Receiving laboratories have a workorder template of methods and duplicates by which to process the samples unless otherwise specified. Any discrepancies noted during sample login at the laboratory are communicated and addressed. Audits or reviews Due to the early stage of the exploration program, no external audits or reviews have been undertaken. Internal reviews of sample handling and preparation are undertaken by Headwater personnel. Analytical methods, QAQC procedures, sample intervals, and sample recovery have been reviewed and deemed appropriate by an independent Qualified Person, as defined by Canadian National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Section 2: Reporting of Exploration Results Criteria Commentary Mineral tenement and land tenure status Spring Peak comprises 359 unpatented lode mining claims. 327 claims staked by CP Holdings Corporation, U.S. subsidiary of Headwater Gold with 32 additional claims held by an underlier with an agreement in place whereby Headwater Gold can obtain a 100% interest. Newcrest has entered into an Exploration Farm-In Agreement with CP Holdings Corporation and Headwater Gold Inc., effective 15 August 2022, with Headwater Gold as the initial Manager of the Spring Peak project. Newcrest is currently in the Option Phase of the Farm-in Agreement. All obligations with respect to legislative requirements including minimum expenditure are maintained in good standing. Exploration done by other parties Labradex, Teck, Radius Gold, and OceanaGold conducted exploration in the area between 1980 and 2020. Headwater Gold acquired the Spring Peak Property in June, 2021 and drilled the first significant vein intercept in August of 2021. Previously drilling by Labradex and Teck took place between 1983 and 1989. No drilling took place at Spring Peak between 1990 and 2020. Geology The Spring Peak Project is located in the western part of the Basin and Range Province in west-central Nevada, U.S.A, 38 km southwest of the town of Hawthorne, NV. Gold mineralisation is associated with a low-sulfidation epithermal system within the Bodie Hills - Aurora Volcanic Field. Mineralization is hosted in high-angle quartz-calcite veins with extensive silica-adularia-illite alteration. Mineralized veins occur in both a Cretaceous granite stock and adjacent package of Jurassic metavolcanic rocks into which the granite stock has been emplaced. Drill hole information As provided. Data aggregation methods Primary intervals are reported using 0.2 g/t Au cut off and 2.0 g/t Au for included intervals. Relationship between mineralisation widths and intercept lengths Significant assay intervals reported represent apparent widths. True thickness of the mineralised intervals are estimated to be between approximately 60% and 75% of downhole lengths. Internal dilution is less than 30% Diagrams As provided. Balanced reporting This is the second release of Exploration Results for this project made by Newcrest. Exploration drilling programs are ongoing and further material results will be reported in subsequent Newcrest releases. Other substantive exploration data Nil. Further work Planned follow up exploration commencing in July, 2023. Drillhole data(1) Spring Peak, Nevada USA Reporting Criteria: Intervals are reported as length-weighted averages using a cut-off of 0.2 g/t Au and a minimum length of 0.3m, with less than 30% total internal dilution. Also reported are intervals greater than 2.0g/t Au. Intervals below a cutoff of 0.2g/t Au were not reported as significant results. Gold grades are reported to two significant figures. Samples are from RC drilling and core drilling which is HQ in diameter. Core is photographed and logged by the geology team before being half- core sampled and sent for assay. Each assay batch is submitted with duplicates and standards to monitor laboratory quality. Hole ID Hole Type Easting (m) Northing (m) RL (m) Total Depth (m) Azimuth Dip From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (ppm) Cut off (ppm) SP22-06C RC-DD 337566.67 4234826.84 2321.56 429.77 358 -47 400.99 404.20 3.21 0.64 0.2 DD and 418.73 419.50 0.77 1.2 0.2 SP22-07 DD 338097.41 4234951.96 2327.53 374.75 328 -45 175.87 190.65 14.78 0.93 0.2 DD and 198.18 202.60 4.42 1.1 0.2 SP22-08 RC-DD 336809.07 4235778.73 2446.34 439.83 159 -48 NSA SP22-09 RC 336635.79 4235714.46 2436.39 318.52 339 -51 NSA SP22-10 RC 338248.81 4235022.76 2338.22 201.17 315 -58 161.54 198.12 36.58 0.53 0.2 SP22-11 RC-DD 338095.14 4234951.93 2327.28 237.74 332 -63 105.16 117.35 12.19 1.2 0.2 RC Incl. 111.25 112.78 1.53 6.6 2 DD and 185.38 226.01 40.63 1.9 0.2 DD Incl. 197.39 198.18 0.79 7.4 2 DD Incl. 208.33 208.91 0.58 44 2 SP22-12 RC-DD 338096.09 4234950.54 2327.54 271.27 334 -67 114.30 126.49 12.19 0.53 0.2 DD and 205.59 248.20 42.61 0.94 0.2 DD Incl. 211.96 212.29 0.33 24 2 DD Incl. 235.18 236.83 1.65 4.3 2 SP22-13^^ RC-DD 338096.43 4234949.75 2327.68 315.47 335 -74 256.12 290.84 34.72 2.7 0.2 DD Incl. 262.46 264.47 2.01 10 2 DD Incl. 275.26 277.64 2.38 16 2 SP22-14 RC 337298.64 4235343.48 2388.23 297.18 246 -46 169.16 179.83 10.67 2.7 0.2 RC Incl. 170.69 172.21 1.52 16 2 RC and 231.65 245.36 13.71 0.50 0.2 RC and 294.13 297.18 3.05 0.90 0.2 SP22-15 RC 337596.44 4235757.96 2426.09 287.12 338 -45 NSA 1 # drilling in progress, **partial intercept, assays pending. ^updated intercept ^^previously reported intercept Appendix 4 Havieron Project (Greatland Gold Plc - Joint Venture Agreement): JORC Table 1 Section 1: Sampling Techniques and Data Criteria Commentary Sampling techniques Core samples are obtained from core drilling in Proterozoic basement lithologies. PQ-HQ and NQ diameter core was drilled on a 6m run. Core was cut using an automated core-cutter and half core sampled at 1m intervals with breaks for major geological changes. Sampling intervals range from 0.2 - 2.0m. Cover sequences were not sampled. Drilling techniques Permian Paterson Formation cover sequence was drilled using mud rotary drilling. Depths of cover typically observed to approximately 420m vertically below surface. Steel casing was emplaced to secure the pre-collar. Core drilling was advanced from the base of the cover sequence with PQ3, HQ3 and NQ2 diameter coring configuration. Core from inclined drill holes is oriented on 3m and 6m runs using an electronic core orientation tool (Reflex ACTIII). At the end of each run, the bottom of hole position is marked by the driller, which is later transferred to the whole drill core run length with a bottom of hole reference line. Drill sample recovery Core recovery is systematically recorded from the commencement of coring to end of hole, by reconciling against driller's depth blocks in each core tray with data recorded in the database. Drillers depth blocks provided the depth, interval of core recovered, and interval of core drilled. Core recoveries were typically 100%, with isolated zones of lower recovery. Cover sequence drilling by the mud-rotary drilling did not yield recoverable samples. Logging Geological logging recorded qualitative descriptions of lithology, alteration, mineralisation, veining, and structure (for all core drilled - 8,835m for 8 drill holes, all intersecting mineralisation), including orientation of key geological features. Geotechnical measurements were recorded including Rock Quality Designation (RQD) fracture frequency, solid core recovery and qualitative rock strength measurements. Magnetic susceptibility measurements were recorded every metre. The bulk density of selected drill core intervals was determined at site on whole core samples. All geological and geotechnical logging was conducted at the Havieron site. Digital data logging was captured on diamond drill core intervals only, and all data validated and stored in an acQuire database. All drill cores were photographed, prior to cutting and/or sampling the core. The logging is of sufficient quality to support Mineral Resource estimates. Sub-sampling techniques and sample preparation Sampling, sample preparation and quality control protocols are considered appropriate for the material being sampled. Core was cut and sampled at the Havieron core processing facility. Half core samples of between 0.2 and 2.0 m were collected in pre-numbered calico bags and grouped in plastic bags for dispatch to the laboratory. Sample weights typically varied from 0.5 to 8kg. Sample sizes are considered appropriate for the style of mineralisation. Drill core samples were freighted by air and road to the laboratory. Sample preparation was conducted at the independent ISO17025 accredited Intertek Laboratory, Perth (Intertek). Samples were dried at 105oC, and crushed to 95% passing 4.75mm, and the split to obtain up to 3kg sub-sample, which was pulverised (using LM5) to produce a pulped product with the minimum standard of 95% passing 106m. Routine grind size analysis is conducted. Duplicate samples were collected from crush and pulp samples at a rate of 1:20. Duplicate results show an acceptable level of variability for the material sampled and style of mineralisation. Periodic size checks (1:20) for crush and pulp samples and sample weights are provided by the laboratory and recorded in the acQuire database. Quality of assay data and laboratory tests Assaying of drill core samples was conducted at Intertek. All samples were assayed for 48 elements using a 4-acid digestion followed by ICP-AES/ICP-MS determination (method 4A/MS907), which is considered to provide a total assay for copper. Gold analyses were determined by 50g fire assay with AAS finish (method FA50N/AA), which is considered to provide a total assay for gold. Sampling and assaying quality control procedures consisted of inclusion of certified reference material (CRMs), coarse residue and pulp duplicates with each batch (at least 1:20). Assays of quality control samples were compared with reference samples in acQuire database and verified as acceptable prior to use of data from analysed batches. Laboratory quality control data, including laboratory standards, blanks, duplicates, repeats and grind size results are captured in the acQuire database and assessed for accuracy and precision for recent data. Extended quality control programs including pulp samples submitted to an umpire laboratory and combined with more extensive re-submission programs have been completed. Analysis of the available quality control sample assay results indicates that an acceptable level of accuracy and precision has been achieved and the database contains no analytical data that has been numerically manipulated. The assaying techniques and quality control protocols used are considered appropriate for the data to be used for reporting exploration drilling results. Verification of sampling and assaying Sampling intervals defined by the geologist are electronically assigned sample identification numbers prior to core cutting. Corresponding sample numbers matching pre-labelled calico bags are assigned to each interval. All sampling and assay information were stored in a secure acQuire database with restricted access. Electronically generated sample submission forms providing the sample identification number accompany each submission to the laboratory. Assay results from the laboratory with corresponding sample identification are loaded directly into the acQuire database. Assessment of reported significant assay intervals was verified by re-logging of diamond drill core intervals and assessment of high resolution core photography. The verification of significant intersections has been completed by company personnel and the Competent Person/Qualified Person. No adjustments are made to assay data, and no twinned holes have been completed. There are no currently known drilling, sampling, recovery, or other factors that could materially affect the accuracy or reliability of the data. Location of data points Drill collar locations were surveyed using a differential GPS with GNSS with a stated accuracy of +/- 0.5m for all drill holes reported. Drill rig alignment was attained using an electronic azimuth aligner. Downhole survey was collected at 6-12m intervals in the cover sequence, and every 6 to 30m in diamond drill core segments of the drill hole using single shot (Axis Mining Champ Gyro). The single shot surveys have been validated using continuous survey to surface (Axis Mining Champ) along with a selection of drill holes re-surveyed by an external survey contactor using a DeviGyro tool - confirming sufficient accuracy for downhole spatial recording. A LIDAR survey was completed over the project area in Nov 2019 which was used to prepare a DEM / topographic model for the project with a spatial accuracy of +/- 0.1m vertical and +/- 0.3m horizontal. The topography is generally low relief to flat, elevation within the dune corridors in ranges between 250-265m Australian Height Datum (AHD) steepening to the southeast. All collar coordinates are provided in the Geocentric Datum of Australian (GDA20 Zone 51). All relative depth information is reported in AHD +5000m. Data spacing and distribution Within the South-East Crescent and Breccia zone drill hole spacing ranges from 50 to 100m, to 50 by 50m within the resource extents. Outside the initial resource boundary drill hole spacing ranges from 50 to 200m in lateral extent within the breccia zone over an area of ~2km2. The data spacing is sufficient to establish the degree of geological and grade continuity. Significant assay intercepts remain open. Further drilling is required to determine the extent of currently defined mineralisation. No sample compositing is applied to samples. Drilling intersects mineralisation at various angles. Orientation of data in relation to geological structure Drill holes exploring the extents of the Havieron mineral system intersect moderately dipping carbonate and siliclastic sedimentary facies, mineralised breccia and sub-vertical intrusive lithologies. Geological modelling has been interpreted from historic and Newcrest drill holes. Variable brecciation, alteration and sulphide mineralisation is observed with a footprint with dimensions of 650m x 350m trending in a north west orientation and over 1000m in vertical extent below cover. The subvertical southeast high grade arcuate crescent sulphide zone has an average thickness of 20m and has been defined over a strike length of up to 550m, and extended to over 700m in vertical extent below cover. Drilling direction is oriented to intersect the steeply dipping high-grade sulphide mineralisation zones at an intersection angle of greater than 40 degrees. The drilled length of reported intersections is typically greater than true width of mineralisation. Sample security The security of samples is controlled by tracking samples from drill rig to database. Drill core was delivered from the drill rig to the Havieron core yard every shift. On completion of geological and geotechnical logging, core processing was completed by Newcrest personnel at the Havieron facility. High resolution core photography and cutting of drill core was undertaken at the Havieron core processing facilities. Samples were freighted in sealed bags by air and road to the Laboratory, and in the custody of Newcrest representatives. Sample numbers are generated directly from the database. All samples are collected in pre-numbered calico bags. Verification of sample numbers and identification is conducted by the laboratory on receipt of samples, and sample receipt advise issued to Newcrest. Details of all sample movement are recorded in a database table. Dates, Hole ID sample ranges, and the analytical suite requested are recorded with the dispatch of samples to analytical services. Any discrepancies logged at the receipt of samples into the analytical services are validated. Audits or reviews Internal reviews of core handling, sample preparation and assays laboratories were conducted on a regular basis by both project personnel and owner representatives. In the Competent Person's opinion, the sample preparation, security and analytical procedures are consistent with current industry standards and are entirely appropriate and acceptable for the styles of mineralisation identified and will be appropriate for use in the reporting of exploration results and Mineral Resource estimates. There are no identified drilling, sampling or recovery factors that materially impact the adequacy and reliability of the results of the drilling programme in place at the Havieron Project. Section 2: Reporting of Exploration Results Criteria Commentary Mineral tenement and land tenure status The Havieron Project is entirely contained within mining tenement M45/1287, which is jointly owned by Greatland Pty Ltd and Newcrest Operations Limited. Newcrest has entered into a Joint Venture Agreement (effective 30 November 2020) and Farm-In Agreement (effective 12 March 2019) with Greatland Pty Ltd and Greatland Gold plc. Newcrest is the manager of the Havier BlackRock's Larry Fink tops the ranking in Peregrine Communications' inaugural CEO report analyzing the personal brands of CEOs at the world's 150 largest asset management firms across five key metrics, including personal brand awareness, share of voice, media sentiment and social media presence. Report shows ~10% CEO turnover in the last 12 months with 14 asset management CEOs leaving their posts. Alternative investment management CEOs dominate in terms of Brand Awareness making up more than 65% of the 20 most searched for names. Asset management CEOs receive more scrutiny than CEOs in many other industries with leaders like Larry Fink and Citadel's Ken Griffin receiving Google search interest orders of magnitude higher than peers at Exxon, McDonald's, or Starbucks. Peregrine Communications, a strategic communications firm for asset managers, has released its inaugural CEO Report looking at the personal brands and communication strategies of leaders at the world's largest 100 asset management firms and 50 leading alternative investment ("alts") managers. The report analyzes CEOs across a range of criteria, including personal brand awareness, share of voice, sentiment of media coverage and social media presence. The report found that the top five CEOs based on a composite score are: Larry Fink, BlackRock Nicolas Moreau, HSBC Global Asset Management Robert F. Smith, Vista Equity Partners Mary Callahan Erdoes, J.P. Morgan Asset Management Luke Sarsfield, Goldman Sachs Asset Management (International) While many CEOs in financial services shy away from the limelight, there is demonstrable interest from earned media and investor audiences. Media interest in CEOs was high in the last 12 months, with leadership changes at New York Life Investment Management (15th among CEOs ranked in the report), Bridgewater, and Carlyle capturing notable attention. The almost 10% CEO turnover fueled some of this media interest. Many asset management CEOs received more attention than CEOs at household names in other sectors, such as Starbucks, Exxon, and McDonald's. It is noteworthy that many CEOs in the top 10, especially among alts firms, are founders with decades of tenure, highlighting that legacy and track record are significant drivers of investor and media interest. "The past few years have been incredibly difficult for senior leaders in all industries, but especially asset management firms' C-suites," says Max Hilton, Co-Chief Executive Officer at Peregrine Communications. "With a challenging macro environment, fast-changing regulations, high CEO turnover, and the conflicting demands of stakeholders, particularly notable in the case of ESG, a cohesive personal brand that helps to tell a wider authentic corporate story is invaluable. As the market witnesses a secular shift from 'business as usual' communication, it is important for leaders to drive communications through a strategic, data-driven, and multi-channel lens." About Peregrine Communications Peregrine advises asset managers on their brands, positioning, and strategic communications. We have two decades of experience supporting global asset management firms, both long-only and alternatives managers, shape and tell their stories. Our industry focus is underpinned by a data-led approach to strategy and deep domain expertise. This is coupled with innovative storytelling and a proven ability to bring fresh, creative solutions to marketing and communications challenges. https://www.peregrinecommunications.com/ceo-report View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230426005596/en/ Contacts: Thomas Conroy Peregrine Communications Thomas.conroy@peregrinecommunications.com +1 (917) 970-8667 Sophie Svestad Peregrine Communications Sophie.svestad@peregrinecommunications.com +44 (0) 20 3040 0867 This partnership removes complexity and boosts efficiency for international PSPs and merchants wanting to sell cross-border into India at scale PPRO, the leading digital payments infrastructure provider, has signed a strategic agreement with NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) to offer global partners access to Unified Payments Interface (UPI), India's fastest-growing, real-time payment system, for cross-border transactions. Today's agreement, supported by a new framework co-developed with NIPL, paves the way for the first merchants to go live in the coming months. By connecting directly to UPI via PPRO's digital payments infrastructure, international payment service providers (PSPs) enable merchants to tap into India's huge online consumer base easily and securely, without the need for setting up a legal entity in India, settlement to an India-based bank or for uploading invoices to clear funds. For consumers, this means they can seamlessly make cross-border purchases in Indian Rupees using their favourite payment method. Launched in 2016, UPI is India's most popular instant payment system, already processing 60% of all domestic payments. It has over 325 million active users, supports 390 banks and 100 third-party apps within a single mobile application. In March 2023 alone, UPI processed over 8.7 billion transactions, the highest since its launch. Simon Black, CEO at PPRO, said: "International payment service providers and their merchants can now easily tap into an e-commerce market that is expected to reach an estimated $111 billion next year1, and predicted to almost double to $200 billion by 20262. By integrating UPI into PPRO's digital payments infrastructure through a single connection, we have removed all the operational complexity for our partners to sell cross-border into India at scale." Ritesh Shukla, CEO at NIPL,said: "UPI has revolutionised the digital payments landscape in India and is respected globally for its role in simplifying and democratising payments. By partnering with PPRO, a market leader in the payments infrastructure space, which powers a vast PSP and merchant network, Indian consumers will now be able to shop online with merchants around the world and pay safely and easily using UPI." For further information, please click here. -ENDS- 1 www.ibef.org/industry/ecommerce 2 www.ibef.org/industry/ecommerce View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230426005853/en/ Contacts: Media contact Viali Munteanu ppro@cognitomedia.com +44 (0) 7547 819 438 New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - April 27, 2023) - An Ai Powered Blockchain, NeutrinosChain has announced that it will officially launch its Mainnet on May 1, 2023. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8939/163932_5a498b410414aa9d_001full.jpg The Mainnet launch is coming few weeks after successfully launching its TestNet which has undergone testing and development which came out successful. NeutrinosChain Team in a statement, said the Mainnet would leverage on blockchain technology to provide a more accessible, user friendly and a standard of security without jeopardizing the need for swift transactions and network activity. The statement said the Mainnet launch represents a significant milestone for NeutrinosChain and the entire blockchain industry. "We believe that our technology has the potential to transform the way businesses operate, and we look forward to working with our partners to bring these benefits to their customers and we have worked tirelessly to develop a platform that is secure, efficient, swift and easy to use" NeutrinosChain Team said in a statement. Read The Excerpt Of The Statement NeutrinosChain $NEUTR is the first Ai Powered Blockchain of its kind using the Proof of Artificial intelligence (PoAI) consensus which uses AI mess network that leverages advanced algorithms and cryptography to provide a secure and reliable platform for transactions. The technology is also scalable, allowing it to handle high transaction volumes and support a wide range of applications, with a capability of over 3 million TPS (Transactions Per Second), 0% Gas fees, Auto Liquidity and Lots more. This revolutionary technology is designed to provide secure, fast, and efficient transactions, making it ideal for a wide range of industries. NeutrinosChain Community has continued to grow with over 40k+ members across all social media platforms and NeutrinosChain has witnessed good momentum in the community and trading volume since its Fairlaunch on April 13th 2023, and it's launch on PancakeSwap with an ATH of over 3million Market Cap after two weeks of Launch. NeutrinosChain has done a series of marketing campaigns and has consistently been hitting milestone after milestone. With the launch of the Mainnet, NeutrinosChain is poised to become a leader in the blockchain industry. The team is already working with a wide range of partners across various industries, including finance, healthcare, logistics, and more. NeutrinosChain's contract was fully Audited and the team successfully obtained Pinksale KYC & SAFU badge in a bid to ensure transparency and boost the confidence of investors. For more information on the Neutrinos Blockchain, please visit Website: https://neutrinoschain.com/ Telegram: https://t.me/NeutrinosChainGlobal Twitter: https://twitter.com/NeutrinosChain Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/NeutrinosChain E-mail: support@neutrinoschain.com MEDIA CONTACT Company Name: Nep-Phil Limited (Media Communications & Advertising) Website: https://nepphil.com/ Email: info@nepphil.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/163932 Kuros Biosciences AG / Key word(s): Miscellaneous Kuros reports 168% increase in direct MagnetOs sales in the first quarter of 2023 27-Apr-2023 / 07:00 CET/CEST Release of an ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Article 53 of the SIX listing rules Direct MagnetOs sales climbed from CHF 2.0 million in Q1 2022 to CHF 5.4 million in Q1 2023. Total medical device sales accelerate from 2.6 million to CHF 5.6 million Key data on efficacy of MagnetOs bone graft published in two prestigious, peer-reviewed scientific journals Kuros is financed to complete Phase 2 clinical study of Fibrin-PTH in spine and to accelerate commercial roll-out of MagnetOs in the U.S. Daniel Geiger appointed as Chief Financial Officer Schlieren (Zurich), Switzerland, April 27, 2023 - Kuros Biosciences ("Kuros" or the "Company"), a leader in next generation bone graft technologies, today provided an update on its commercial activities. Direct sales of MagnetOs rose 168% in the first three months of 2023, from CHF 2.0 million to CHF 5.4 million, compared to the same period in 2022. Total product sales from medical devices came in at CHF 5.6 million in 2023 (2022: CHF 2.6 million), in the first three months. MagnetOs overachieved its commercial activity plan in the first three months of 2023 and the product segment Medical devices recognized a positive EBITDA during the period. In February, Kuros announced the publication of supportive osteoimmunology data for MagnetOs bone graft in two prestigious, peer-reviewed scientific journals. The articles in the Journal of Immunology and Regenerative Medicine and Clinical Oral Implants Research substantiate the unique mechanism of action of MagnetOs bone graft and add to the growing body of evidence Kuros is building up for MagnetOs. Kuros is financed to accelerate the commercial roll-out of MagnetOs in the U.S. and to complete the Phase 2 clinical study of Fibrin-PTH in spine, with the first data expected to be available by end of 2023. Going forward, Daniel Geiger is appointed as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) as of May 1, 2023, who is transitioning from his current role as CFO-ad interim. Daniel Geiger quickly adapted to Kuros' culture and is a proven leader to develop and execute Kuros' pivotal growth strategy. Joost de Bruijn PhD, Founder and CEO of Kuros stated "We are very excited about the increased global market acceptance of MagnetOs. Kuros Biosciences made outstanding progress in early 2023, with the rapid rise in sales of MagnetOs showing its ability to significantly improve outcomes for patients in need of bone graft. We have reported further clinical data on the efficacy of MagnetOs, which bodes well for maintaining the positive trend in sales. Kuros is in a strong financial position, with cash reserves in place to complete the Phase 2 study Fibrin PTH and accelerate commercialization of MagnetOs, we look forward to continuing the impressive development of the Kuros portfolio." Dr. de Bruijn continued: "Our continued investment into level one clinical evidence coupled with our advanced product platforms of Fibrin PTH and MagnetOs has allowed us to continue to recruit best in class people such as Daniel Geiger. Kuros has a very bright future ahead!" For further information, please contact: Kuros Biosciences AG Daniel Geiger Chief Financial Officer Tel +41 44 733 47 41 daniel.geiger@kurosbio.com LifeSci Advisors Sandya von der Weid Investors +41 78 680 0538 svonderweid@lifesciadvisors.com About MagnetOs MagnetOs isn't like other bone grafts. It grows bone even in soft tissue thanks to its unique NeedleGrip surface technology which provides traction for our body's vitally important 'pro-healing' immune cells (M2 macrophages). This in turn, unlocks previously untapped potential to stimulate stem cells - and form new bone throughout the graft. The growing body of science behind NeedleGrip is called osteoimmunology. But for surgeons and their patients it means one thing: a more efficient and predictable fusion. *1-3 Indications statement Please refer to the instructions for use for your local region for a full list of indications, contraindications, warnings, and precautions. About Fibrin-PTH (KUR-113) Fibrin-PTH (KUR-113) consists of a natural fibrin-based healing matrix with an immobilized targeted bone growth factor (truncated human parathyroid hormone (PTH) analog. Fibrin-PTH (KUR-113) is designed to be applied directly into and around an intervertebral body fusion device as a gel, where it polymerizes in situ. Fibrin-PTH (KUR-113) functions via the well-established mechanism of action of parathyroid hormone; has been demonstrated in animal models of spinal fusion to be comparable to rhBMP-2; and has been shown in preclinical studies to be easy to use and ideal for open or minimally invasive techniques4*. The safety & efficacy of Fibrin-PTH (KUR-113) has not yet been evaluated for spinal fusion in humans. About Kuros Biosciences AG Kuros Biosciences is a fast-growing leader in the development of spinal fusion biologics that ease the burden of back pain. With locations in the United States, Switzerland and the Netherlands, the company is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. The company's first commercial product, MagnetOs, is a unique synthetic bone graft that has already been used successfully across three continents and in over 10,000 spinal fusion surgeries. The next candidate in the Kuros pipeline is Fibrin-PTH - the first drug-biologic combination for interbody spinal fusions, currently undergoing a Phase 2 clinical trial in the U.S. For more information on the company, its products and pipeline, visit kurosbio.com . Forward Looking Statements This media release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to be materially different from historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. You are urged to consider statements that include the words "will" or "expect" or the negative of those words or other similar words to be uncertain and forward-looking. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements include scientific, business, economic and financial factors. Against the background of these uncertainties, readers should not rely on forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no responsibility for updating forward-looking statements or adapting them to future events or developments. 1. Van Dijk, et al. eCM. 2021;41:756-73. 2. Duan, et al. eCM. 2019;37:60-73. 3. Van Dijk, et al. Clin Spine Surg. 2020;33(6):E276-E287. 4. Data on file. *Results from in vivo laboratory testing may not be predictive of clinical experience in humans. For important safety and intended use information please visit kurosbio.com. MagnetOs is not cleared by the FDA or TGA as an osteoinductive bone graft. MagnetOs has been proven to generate more predictable fusions than two commercially available alternatives in an ovine model of posterolateral fusion. End of Inside Information New Delhi, Apr 27 (UNI) India has pulled out nearly 1,100 of its nationals to safety from violence-hit Sudan, via Indian Naval ships and IAF aircraft, under Operation Kaveri so far. A fourth Indian Air Force C-130J aircraft arrived in Jeddah with 128 Indians, while INS Teg departed from Port of Sudan with 297 passengers last night, comprising the fifth batch of Indians. Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, who is stationed at Jeddah to oversee the rescue operations, in tweets said: Efforts are on to ensure that all Indians, who arrived in Jeddah will be sent to India at the earliest. The MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted on the latest developments: The 4th IAF C-130J flight takes off from Port Sudan for Jeddah with 128 passengers. This is the sixth batch of Indians to be evacuated from Sudan under #OperationKaveri, taking the total to nearly 1100 persons. Meanwhile, MoS Muraleedharan also received the family of Albert Augestine, an Indian national who died in Khartoum after being hit by a stray bullet. Received family of Albert Augestine, an Indian who died in Sudan at Jeddah by IAF C130 J aircraft. Arranged tickets immediately for the family to reach Kochi. Assured of all possible assistance to the family, he tweeted. A third IAF C-130J that left Port Sudan with 136 Indians arrived in Jeddah. Muraleedharan in a tweet said: #OperationKaveri will continue till we rescue all Indians who want to come back home. On Tuesday evening, the first batch of 278 Indians left Sudan Port for Jeddah on board INS Sumedha, while two other batches, of 121 and 135 Indians, were flown to Jeddah on board two IAF C-130J aircraft later in the night. MoS Muraleedharan has been stationed in Jeddah where a control room has been set up to oversee the safe evacuation of Indian nationals from Sudan. More sorties are to follow to evacuate the over 3,000 Indians who were in Sudan when the fighting broke out between the army and the paramilitary. UNI RN APPOINTMENT OF EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AUSTRALIAN OPERATIONS PERTH, AUSTRALIA / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Woodside has appointed Ms Liz Westcott as Executive Vice President Australian Operations. Ms Westcott most recently held the role of Chief Operating Officer at EnergyAustralia, where she had broad leadership responsibilities across sustainability, HSSE, procurement and the operations of EnergyAustralia's generation portfolio. Prior to joining EnergyAustralia in 2018, Ms Westcott had a 25-year career at ExxonMobil working in Australia, the United Kingdom and Italy, including a secondment in 2013 to Adriatic LNG as Managing Director. Her roles spanned strategic planning, operations, project management, and safety, technical and commercial leadership. Ms Westcott holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Civil Engineering from Melbourne University and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Woodside CEO Meg O'Neill said Ms Westcott would be a valuable addition to Woodside's executive leadership team. "I am delighted that Liz has agreed to join Woodside to lead our Australian Operations. Her extensive upstream experience is complemented by knowledge of the power generation and retail sectors. Liz has demonstrated safety and operations leadership across a range of businesses over her career. "Liz's proven strength in stakeholder management will be critical as we work to supply the energy needed by our customers in Australia and internationally, today and into the future. "I would also like to thank Mike Price for his leadership and stewardship of the Australian Operations team over the past five months," she said. Ms Westcott will commence with Woodside on 1 June 2023. Contacts: INVESTORS Matthew Turnbull (Group) M: +61 410 471 079 Sarah Peyman (Australia) M: +61 457 513 249 Rohan Goudge (US) M: +1 (713) 679-1550 E: investor@woodside.com MEDIA Christine Forster M: +61 484 112 469 E: christine.forster@woodside.com This announcement was approved and authorised for release by Woodside's Disclosure Committee. 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. SOURCE: Woodside Energy Group Ltd View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/751595/Woodside-Energy-Group-Ltd-Announces-Appointment-of-EVP-Australian-Operations Geneva, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Investor groupNewGAMe and Bruellandiscloses 7.5 per cent stake inGAM Holding AG Geneva, 27 April 2023 - NewGAMe SA, a company controlled by Rock Investment, a subsidiary of NJJ Holding, the personal holding company of Xavier Niel, and Bruellan, an independent provider of global wealth management solutions, today announce that they have formed a group (the "Group") with the sole purpose of coordinating certain decisions in relation to the participants' stake in GAM Holding AG ("GAM" or the "Company"). The Group holds or has the right to exercise voting rights attached to a combined amount of c.12 million shares in GAM, representing approximately 7.5 per cent of the issued share capital. The Group is led by Albert Saporta, a hedge fund industry veteran with 40 years' experience in global financial markets, who also serves as the director of NewGAMe. The leadership of NewGAMe and Bruellan have significant experience of the global asset management and wealth management industries, as well as corporate turnarounds. The Group has invested in GAM because there is an opportunity to restore the Company's reputation as a best-in-class asset management firm. The Group is convinced that GAM's shares are undervalued and offer significant upside to shareholders if the Company can complete a successful turnaround and prioritise core businesses of UHNW wealth management and specialist asset management within a more efficient corporate structure. The Group is convinced that any strategic transaction recommended by GAM's board of directors must reflect this potential. Media contacts Cornelia Schnepf - FinElk newgam@finelk.eu info@newgam.ch www.newgam.ch About NewGAMe NewGAMe SA is a Geneva-based company owned by a number of investors with experience in the financial sector. It is controlled by Rock Investment, a French-incorporated entity that is owned by NJJ Holding, the personal holding company of Xavier Niel. Albert Saporta, a hedge fund industry veteran with 40 years' experience in global financial markets, serves as the director of NewGAMe SA. About Bruellan Bruellan SA is an independent provider of global wealth management solutions. The company was founded in 1991 and is located in Geneva, Lausanne, Crans-Montana and Verbier. https://www.bruellan.ch/ LANCASHIRE HOLDINGS LIMITED 27 April 2023 Hamilton, Bermuda Results of AGM Lancashire Holdings Limited (the "Company") is pleased to announce the voting results for the Annual General Meeting ("AGM") of shareholders held at its Bermuda office on Wednesday 26 April 2023. The meeting considered the nineteen resolutions as set out in the AGM Notice dated 13 March 2023; all resolutions considered were duly passed and approved by shareholders casting their votes. Copies of the resolutions passed as Special Business will be submitted to the National Storage Mechanism and available for inspection at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism. Further details of the AGM results will be available shortly on the Company's website www.lancashiregroup.com. For further information, please contact: Lancashire Holdings Limited Christopher Head +44 20 7264 4145 chris.head@lancashiregroup.com Jelena Bjelanovic +44 20 7264 4066 jelena.bjelanovic@lancashiregroup.com FTI Consulting +44 20 37271046 Edward Berry Edward.Berry@FTIConsulting.com Tom Blackwell Tom.Blackwell@FTIConsulting.com About Lancashire Lancashire, through its UK and Bermuda-based operating subsidiaries, is a provider of global specialty insurance and reinsurance products. Lancashire's common shares trade on the premium segment of the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol LRE. Lancashire has its head office and registered office at Power House, 7 Par-la-Ville Road, Hamilton HM 11, Bermuda. The Bermuda Monetary Authority ("BMA") is the Group Supervisor of the Lancashire Group. For more information, please visit Lancashire's website at www.lancashiregroup.com. This release contains information, which may be of a price sensitive nature that Lancashire is making public in a manner consistent with the UK Market Abuse Regulation and other regulatory obligations. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out above, at 07:30 BST on 27 April 2023. NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: ALL FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT OR OTHERWISE SPEAK ONLY AS AT THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. LANCASHIRE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY OBLIGATION OR UNDERTAKING (SAVE AS REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH ANY LEGAL OR REGULATORY OBLIGATIONS INCLUDING THE RULES OF THE LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE) TO DISSEMINATE ANY UPDATES OR REVISIONS TO ANY FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT TO REFLECT ANY CHANGES IN THE GROUP'S EXPECTATIONS OR CIRCUMSTANCES ON WHICH ANY SUCH STATEMENT IS BASED. ALL SUBSEQUENT WRITTEN AND ORAL FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE GROUP OR INDIVIDUALS ACTING ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP ARE EXPRESSLY QUALIFIED IN THEIR ENTIRETY BY THIS NOTE. LANCASHIRE HOLDINGS LIMITED 27 April 2023 Hamilton, Bermuda Non-Executive Directorate Changes Lancashire Holdings Limited (the "Company") announces the appointment of Bryan Joseph as a Non-Executive Director and a member of both the Audit and Underwriting and Underwriting Risk Committees with effect from 26 April 2023. Mr Joseph has over forty years' experience as an actuary in the global insurance and reinsurance industry. Having begun his career at Legal & General, he held a number of senior actuarial roles in the industry including as a partner and global chief actuary within PwC. Mr Joseph joined the board of XL Catlin (now AXA XL) as an independent non-executive director serving in a variety of committee roles within the AXA XL group including as Chair of the audit committees, and most recently, as Chair of XL Insurance Company SE. Mr Joseph is also a partner with Vario Partners LLP, which offers consultancy services within the insurance and reinsurance third party capital sector. As the Company previously announced in its 2022 Annual Report and Accounts and in the notice of its 2023 AGM, Simon Fraser, having completed nine years' service, stepped down from the Board at the conclusion of the 2023 AGM, which was held yesterday in the Company's Bermuda offices. Mr Fraser has also stepped down as a member of the Audit and Remuneration Committees. Peter Clarke, Lancashire's Chairman, said: "We are delighted to welcome Bryan to the Lancashire Group as a Non-Executive Director. Bryan has extensive experience as an actuary within the international insurance industry and a proven track record as a director. Bryan will be an excellent fit for the Group, bringing significant additional expertise to the Board to help us deliver on our strategic ambitions. I would also like to thank Simon for his many years of valuable and insightful service to our Board and the business. We wish him well for the future." Lancashire has been notified that there are no further details required to be disclosed with respect to Mr Joseph's appointment pursuant to paragraph 9.6.13R of the Listing Rules. For further information, please contact: Lancashire Holdings Limited Christopher Head +44 20 7264 4145 chris.head@lancashiregroup.com Jelena Bjelanovic +44 20 7264 4066 jelena.bjelanovic@lancashiregroup.com About Lancashire Lancashire, through its UK and Bermuda-based operating subsidiaries, is a provider of global specialty insurance and reinsurance products. Lancashire's common shares trade on the premium segment of the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol LRE. Lancashire has its head office and registered office at Power House, 7 Par-la-Ville Road, Hamilton HM 11, Bermuda. The Bermuda Monetary Authority is the Group Supervisor of the Lancashire Group. For more information, please visit Lancashire's website at www.lancashiregroup.com . This release contains information, which may be of a price sensitive nature that Lancashire is making public in a manner consistent with the UK Market Abuse Regulation and other regulatory obligations. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out above, at 07.35 BST on 27 April 2023. NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: ALL FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT OR OTHERWISE SPEAK ONLY AS AT THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. LANCASHIRE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY OBLIGATION OR UNDERTAKING (SAVE AS REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH ANY LEGAL OR REGULATORY OBLIGATIONS INCLUDING THE RULES OF THE LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE) TO DISSEMINATE ANY UPDATES OR REVISIONS TO ANY FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT TO REFLECT ANY CHANGES IN THE GROUP'S EXPECTATIONS OR CIRCUMSTANCES ON WHICH ANY SUCH STATEMENT IS BASED. ALL SUBSEQUENT WRITTEN AND ORAL FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE GROUP OR INDIVIDUALS ACTING ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP ARE EXPRESSLY QUALIFIED IN THEIR ENTIRETY BY THIS NOTE. The third largest app marketplace in the world will continue to empower consumers with more choice and drive innovation for developers and partners WARSAW, Poland, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- AppGallery has won 'Best Alternative App Store of the Year' at the Mobile Games Awards 2023 at an industry gala held in London. This award is an acknowledgment of AppGallery's commitment to users and developers. Not only is it an avenue where users can easily download the apps and games they need, but it is also a smart ecosystem where developers can drive innovative app experiences. Since its launch in 2018, AppGallery has seen uninterrupted growth, firmly establishing itself as one of the world's top 3 app marketplaces. Serving over 580 million monthly active users, AppGallery continues to offer a wide range of popular global games and local apps. "As countries all over the world highlight the importance of Alternative App Stores for a healthier Mobile Market, we are immensely proud and honoured to win this award. This is a critical milestone in the recognition of our dedication to our partners and users." said Jaime Gonzalo, VP Huawei Mobile Services Europe. User satisfaction is top priority for AppGallery AppGallery constantly works on collaborations with?the world's top brands and gaming developers. This is to ensure that consumers are given unique and smart experiences and have access to some of the most sought-after mobile games. To make it even more enticing for gamers, AppGallery regularly runs seasonal campaigns offering exclusive promotions including yearly Game Fest campaigns. Recently, AppGallery has seen an increased interest among other Android users who can easily gain access. First, they need to download AppGallery from its website, next install HMS Core, and finally create a Huawei ID. Unwavering full-stack support for developers through collaborative partnerships AppGallery places a rich array of tools, capabilities, and other resources at developers' disposal, allowing more than 6 million Huawei-registered developers to grow their businesses in new and unprecedented ways. With strong interconnected integration and HMS Core capabilities available, as well as a dedicated technical support team, developers can unleash the full power of innovation. AppGallery aims to continue providing users with wide availability of apps and not limit accessibility based on ecosystems. By staying open and transparent, the platform will continue to protect the interest of users and build strong and collaborative partnerships with developers. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2063828/AppGallery.jpg PDF - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2063766/About_AppGallery_bolier_plate.pdf View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/appgallery-named-best-alternative-app-store-at-mobile-games-awards-2023-301808519.html Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 27, 2023) - Aftermath Silver Ltd. (TSXV: AAG) (OTCQX: AAGFF) (FSE: FLM1) (the "Company" or "Aftermath") is pleased to announce it is increasing its previously announced non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") from up to 28,000,000 units of the Company (the "Units") to up to 32,000,000 Units at a price of C$0.25 per Unit with an option to further increase the offering by an additional 2,000,000 Units. Each Unit will be comprised of one common share in the capital of the Company (each a "Common Share") and one-half of one non-transferable common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant is exercisable by the holder to acquire one Common Share for a period of 24 months from closing of the Private Placement at a price of C$0.35 per share. The Company intends to use the net proceeds for metallurgical and engineering studies on the Berenguela Silver-Copper-Manganese project in southern Peru ("Berenguela"), project payments related to the purchase of Berenguela and for general working capital purposes. The Private Placement is subject to approval from the TSX Venture Exchange and the securities will be subject to a four month and one day hold period under securities laws. About Aftermath Silver Ltd. Aftermath Silver Ltd. is a leading Canadian junior exploration company focused on silver, and aims to deliver shareholder value through the discovery, acquisition and development of quality silver projects in stable jurisdictions. Aftermath has developed a pipeline of projects at various stages of advancement. The Company's projects have been selected based on growth and development potential. Berenguela Silver-Copper project. The Company has an option to acquire a 100% interest through a binding agreement with SSR Mining. The project is located in the Department of Puno, in southern central Peru. A NI 43-101 Technical Report on the property was filed in February 2021 (available on SEDAR and the Company's web page). The Company is currently drilling at Berenguela and planning to advance the project through a pre-feasibility study. The Company has an option to acquire a 100% interest through a binding agreement with SSR Mining. The project is located in the Department of Puno, in southern central Peru. A NI 43-101 Technical Report on the property was filed in February 2021 (available on SEDAR and the Company's web page). The Company is currently drilling at Berenguela and planning to advance the project through a pre-feasibility study. Challacollo Silver-Gold project. The Company recently completed the acquisition of a 100% interest in the Challacollo silver-gold project from Mandalay Resources; see Company news release dated August 11, 2022. A NI 43-101 mineral resource was released on December 15, 2020 (available on SEDAR and the Company's web page). The Company is currently permitting road access in anticipation of an upcoming drill program. The Company recently completed the acquisition of a 100% interest in the Challacollo silver-gold project from Mandalay Resources; see Company news release dated August 11, 2022. A NI 43-101 mineral resource was released on December 15, 2020 (available on SEDAR and the Company's web page). The Company is currently permitting road access in anticipation of an upcoming drill program. Cachinal Silver-Gold project. The Company owns a 100% interest in the Cachinal Ag-Au project, located 2.5 hours south of Antofagasta. On June 10, 2022, Aftermath announced it had reached an agreement to sell Cachinal to Honey Badger Silver Inc. On September 16, 2020, the Company released a CIM-compliant mineral resource estimate and accompanying NI 43-101 Technical Report (available on SEDAR and on the Company's web page). ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS "Ralph Rushton" Ralph Rushton CEO and Director 604-484-7855 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. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information Certain information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements or information ("forward-looking statements"), including details about the proposed Private Placement and the Company's proposed use of proceeds from the Private Placement. By their nature, forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond the Company's control, including risks associated with the inability to complete the Private Placement, timing of receipt of regulatory approval, change in market conditions, and predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, and assumptions of future events or performance, including without limitation, exploration plans at the Company's mineral projects. Although the Company believes that the expectations in its forward-looking statements (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects", "is expected", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "projects", "estimates", "assumes", "intends", "strategies", "targets", "goals", "forecasts", "objectives", "budgets", "schedules", "potential" or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions) are reasonable, its forward-looking statements have been based on factors and assumptions concerning future events which may prove to be inaccurate. Those factors and assumptions are based upon currently available information. Such statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could influence actual results or events and cause actual results or events to differ materially from those stated, anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, as no assurance can be provided as to future results, levels of activity or achievements. Furthermore, the forward-looking statements contained in this document are made as of the date of this document and, except as required by applicable law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking statements contained in this document are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Not for dissemination in the United States or for distribution to U.S. wire services. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/163847 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 27, 2023) - Gladiator Metals Corp. (TSXV: GLAD) (OTC Pink: GDTRF) (FSE: ZX7) ("Gladiator" or the "Company"), a mineral exploration company focused on the advancement of multiple high-grade copper prospects in Canada's Whitehorse Copper Belt, is pleased to announce that drilling has commenced at the Whitehorse Copper Project. Gladiator has received assays results for two sampled holes drilled at the Cowley Park prospect with results including: 18-CP-04: 12.5m @ 8.02% Cu and 13g/t Ag from 85.04m; and 19-CP-03: 8.84m @ 1.59% Cu, 0.19% Mo and 14g/t Ag from 117.65m These results targeted two previously drilled and unassayed holes between historic high-grade drill intercepts, to establish mineralization along a south-east trending extension of known Cowley Park high-grade copper skarn mineralization. A 3,000m diamond drill program has commenced at the Cowley Park prospect to test identified high-grade copper skarn mineralization. The program will test strike and depth extensions to known mineralization providing Gladiator with a better understanding of the mineral potential within the Whitehorse Copper Project. Gladiator has engaged Kluane Drilling Limited, a global drilling company with more than 35 years of experience headquartered in Whitehorse, Yukon. Gladiator CEO, Jason Bontempo, commented: "Gladiator has rapidly advanced the historic, high grade Cowley Park Copper Prospect to the first phase of diamond drilling. The current drill program will be focused on better defining high grade mineralization as well as testing down dip and strike extensions to mineralization. Results from the first two holes from the ongoing logging and sampling of approximately 10,000m's of unassayed core from exploration drilling completed in recent years has identified further, previously unreported high-grade mineralization. We are also encouraged by the reporting of additional multi-elements for the project, including significant Molybdenum and Silver values from 18-CP-04 and 19-CP-03, given that these co-elements were not historically systematically assayed for and that Gladiator feels may provide future value to the project. We look forward to updating the market in the coming months with results from our data compilation of historic drilling, further assays from previously unlogged and unsampled core as well as initial results from Gladiators maiden drill campaign at Cowley Park." Cowley Park -Assay Drill Core The Company is currently logging and sampling approximately 10,000 metres of backlogged uncut core from exploration drilling campaigns completed in recent years. Gladiator has received assays results for two sampled holes drilled at the Cowley Park Prospect with results including: 18-CP-04: 12.5m @ 8.02% Cu and 13g/t Ag from 85.04m 19-CP-03: 8.84m @ 1.59% Cu, 0.19% Mo and 14g/t Ag from 117.65m The recently returned assay results from holes 18-CP-04 and 19-CP-03 (please refer to Figure 1 below for details) from the logging and sampling program continue to support Gladiator's interpretation that mineralization at Cowley Park consists of multiple bodies, dipping shallowly to the southwest. Mineralization remains open at depth with the deepest intervals drilled to date, including 13.84m @ 1.26% Cu from 130.64m (18-CP-03) remaining open at depth (please refer to Figure 1 below for details). High-grade copper skarn mineralization has now been traced over more than 700m strike (Figure 1) in historical drilling. Mineralization remains open in all directions with the most southeasterly hole, 19-CP-08 intersecting 43.28m @ 2.24% Cu from 93.27m and the most northwesterly hole, CP-053 intersecting 27.7m @ 2.74% Cu from 33.98m (Figure 1). Figure 1: Plan map of the advanced Cowley Park Copper Prospect. Recently collated historical drill results with a cumulative Copper%*m of >40 highlighted as well as recent assay results from previously unassayed core from exploration drilling completed in recent years. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1930/163894_2921c8324495ca14_002full.jpg Figure 2: Detail from Cowley Park drill intersections12.5m @ 8.02% Cu from 85.04m showing continuity of high-grade individual assays and texture of mineralised skarn. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1930/163894_2921c8324495ca14_003full.jpg Drill Core Assaying The drill results noted above represent the initial results from the commencement of logging and sampling of approximately 10,000 metres of unassayed core from exploration drilling completed in recent years. The core was drilled by multiple project operators, including the project vendors H.Coyne & Sons with the most recent programs completed in 2020. A large proportion of this drilling is from the high-grade Cowley Park project area but core is available for multiple prospect areas within the 35km of prospective strike extent at the Whitehorse Copper Project. The Company will continue to announce relevant drill intercepts based on logical grouping. A complete list of the compiled holes from Cowley Park, their significant intercepts and their details can be found at: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mn25VTZ5DSvCH-NfXUYRnCmB6WxwWVE5NVYMdYKd41U/editgid=1204953821 These recent results are in addition to the recently announced data compilation work at Cowley Park, which identified significant "downhole mineralization" (refer Company's news releases dated February 13, 2023, and April 3, 2023) including; CP-003: 16.76m @ 2.27% Cu from Surface CP-005: 9.14m @ 3.41% Cu from Surface and 7.62m @ 1.66% Cu from 21.34m to EOH CP-011: 32.31m @ 1.16% Cu from 37.49m CP-016: 32.92m @ 1.49% Cu from Surface, Including 14.51m @ 2.4% Cu from Surface CP-018: 57.91m @ 1.27% Cu from 53.04m CP-024: 44.19m @ 1.43% Cu from 97.54m, including 30.48m @ 1.85% Cu from 97.54m CP-026: 41.76m @ 1.06% Cu from 95.4m CP-028: 44.50m @ 1.18% Cu from 142.65m CP-039: 62.49m @ 0.65% Cu from 152.4m CP-040: 89.61m @ 1.89% Cu from 26.21m CP-053: 27.7m @ 2.74% Cu from 8.69m, Including 7.83m @ 8.34% Cu from 23.93m CP-063: 45.36m @ 1.26% Cu from 48.46m CP-066: 40.27m 1.45% Cu from 23.62m, Including 15.55m @ 2.7% Cu from 23.62m CP-081: 71.44m @ 1.10% Cu from 41.64m, Including 20.72m @ 2.64% Cu from 81.69m CP-117: 46.94m @ 0.68% Cu from 73.46m CP-119: 36.27m @ 2.28% Cu from 72.24m CP-120: 33.34m@ 1.59% Cu from 72.12m, including 22.86m @ 2.05% Cu from 82.6m CP-122: 56.17m @ 1.61% Cu from 56.91m CP-126: 2.72m @ 14.68% Cu from 71.29m CP-127: 62.48m @ 1.17% Cu, Including 3.05m @ 19.85% Cu from 102.72m CP-112: 54.25m @ 1.79% Cu from 41.76m, including 10.67m @ 6.93% Cu from 85.34m CP-125: 23.32m @ 3.53% cu from 51.51m, including 18.44m @ 4.42% Cu, from 56.39m downhole & 10.31m @ 1.41% Cu from 87.84m CP-144: 53.38m @ 1.35% Cu from 19.17m, including 38.57m @ 1.73% Cu, 7.15 g/t Ag from 33.98m 19-CP-08: 43.28m @ 2.24% Cu from 93.27m, including 40.54m @ 2.36% Cu & 4.75 g/t Ag from 95.1m, including 13.72m @ 5.41% Cu & 19.22 g/t Ag from 109.42 m Holes were drilled at various dips on a nominal grid with lines oriented 011 degrees. Gladiator's geologists obtained the drill records and logs from the Yukon Geological Survey archives (Holes CP001-135), with the remaining drill records obtained from Assessment Reports held by the Yukon Government and geological records and reports completed by Consulting Geologists employed by the various operating companies. Gladiator has then captured the data within an industry standard database and validated, this work remains ongoing with the commencement of logging and sampling of the 10,000 metres of unassayed core from exploration drilling completed in recent years. Exploration Update The Company's 2023 exploration program at the Whitehorse Copper Project is categorized into four parts which includes: The Company's recently commenced a 3,000m diamond drilling program, focused predominantly on defining and extending mineralization at the Cowley Park prospect. Cowley Park had reached feasibility stage before copper mining operations activity in the were ceased in the region 1982. Identified mineralisation at Cowley remains open along strike and down dip. In addition to the Company's own diamond drilling above, Gladiator will continue its program of logging and sampling approximately 10,000 metres of unassayed core from exploration drilling completed in recent years. The 10,000 metres of core mostly relates to drilling at Cowley Park (including 18-CP-04 and 19-CP-03) but also includes drilling at other prospect areas including North Star, Grafters, and Verona that are situated on the Best Chance to North Star trend and includes the former Little Chief mine. Gladiator will also assay for Molybdenum, Gold, Silver & other elements which were not historically systematically assayed for, along with incorporating potentially lower grade mineralized material within or adjacent to significant mineralized widths that was often not sampled in the past to allow for future assessment of modern bulk mining potential. The Company is also carrying out a systematic consolidation of the historic drilling and mining activity representing the first time a comprehensive review of regional datasets has been undertaken since the last mining activity in the region ceased in 1982 with the closure of the Little Chief mine. Gladiator to date has identified over 800 historical surface drill holes drilled by Hudson Bay Mining & Smelting Co Ltd., Yankee Hat Minerals Ltd, Lobo Del Norte Ltd, and the Vendor H.Coyne & Sons Ltd which were logged and selectively assayed. This includes 219 holes for approximately 25,000 metres completed at the Cowley Park Prospect which were reported to the market on April 3rd. As compilation and digitisation is completed the company will release the results of this historical drilling by prospect area along the Whitehorse Copper belt. Regional Exploration Work completed to date has identified more than 30 drill ready, high-grade regional targets associated with copper rich skarns at the contact between the Cretaceous age Whitehorse Plutonic Suite and the Triassic to Jurassic Lewes River Group's clastic and carbonate metasediments. Cumulatively, there is more than 35km of underexplored strike on the contact which is prospective for high-grade Copper+/-Molybdenum+/-Silver+/- Gold (refer to Figure 3 below). Figure 3: Plan map of the Whitehorse Copper Project showing geology and location of key prospects within the main trend please refer to Company's news releases dated February 13, 2023, and April 3, 2023, for details. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1930/163894_2921c8324495ca14_004full.jpg Gladiator's position is enhanced at Whitehorse, with the project having near year-round access for work programs, including an established road and drill access network, low capital infrastructure requirements due to the project's proximity to Whitehorse and a strong partnership with the owners of the Whitehorse Copper Project, an experienced local drilling service provider. QA / QC As part of the processing and capturing of the previously unassayed drill core, Gladiator is undertaking a systematic review of the available drill core after being retrieved from storage. This includes a review of the geological logging, marking up of lineal length of the core, undertaking a comparison of the physical ticketed sampling against historic documentation where noted, remarking any notations on the core box (including hole number, box number and nominal depths), taking core photographs (an example of this forms the basis for Figure 2). After the systematic review, if the core is required to be sampled or resampled where it is deemed to not match the historical record of the hole, it is then marked up for sampling with a new sampling ticket that matches the submitted sample for analysis at the start of the sample interval, the drill core is then cut in half (for un-cut core) or quartered (for resampled core where required) utilizing a core saw equipped with a diamond saw blade. The core samples are then sent for analysis and the remaining half (or quarter core) retained for future reference. Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) or known blank material is placed within the sampling sequence at a nominal sampling rate of 1 in 25 samples to monitor the Laboratory. Samples are submitted to the ALS Global laboratory (Canada). Samples from 18-CP-04 and 19-CP-03 were crushed to 70% less than 2mm before pulverizing to better than 85% passing 75 microns. Samples were then analysed by ALS method ME-ICP41 (Aqua Regia with ICP-MS finish), with overlimits for Cu analysed by method CU-OG46 (Aqua Regia with ICP-MS finish). As part of this process, Gladiator also captures the required sampling metadata to potentially utilize the core and analysis for any future requirements if deemed acceptable. This includes holes 18-CP-04 and 19-CP-03. Further drilling will need to be completed by Gladiator at some stage to confirm the reliability or usability of this data in the future including but not limited to twinning of reported mineralization. This may be required as Gladiator may not be able to confirm the accuracy of the drill collar location or be able to re-enter the holes to confirm depths and undertake directional surveys, or that the QA/QC might not meet the current required standards under reporting instruments, such as NI-43-101. At this point the Company is treating the data collected from this exercise as reliable for the purposes of identifying future exploration targets and may be used to inform future drilling and exploration campaigns. In reference to historic drill results reported in this news release from the Company's data compilation exercise, these results are historical in nature. Gladiator has not undertaken any independent investigation, nor has it independently analyzed the results of the historical exploration work in order to verify the results. The Company believes that the historical drill results currently do not conform to presently accepted industry standards. Gladiator considers these historical drill results relevant as the Company will use this data as a guide to plan future exploration and drilling programs. The Company also considers the data to be reliable for these purposes, however, the Company's future exploration work will include verification of the data through drilling. Please refer to Company's news releases dated February 13, 2023, and April 3, 2023 for further details. ABOUT GLADIATOR METALS CORP. Gladiator Metals Corp. is a mineral exploration company focused on the advancement of multiple high- grade copper prospects at its Whitehorse Copper Project (the "Project"), an advanced-stage copper (Cu) molybdenum (Mo) silver (Ag) gold (Au) skarn exploration project in the Yukon Territory, Canada. The Project comprises 314 contiguous claims covering approximately 5,380 Hectares (13,294 acres) in the Whitehorse Mining District. Copper mineralization was first discovered in 1897 on the Whitehorse Copper Belt, as it came to be known. The Whitehorse Copper Belt comprised over 30 copper-related, primarily skarn occurrences covering an area of 35 by 5 km in a northwesterly trending arc. Exploration and mining development have been carried out intermittently since that time with the main production era lasting between 1967 and 1982 where production totaled 267,500,000 pounds copper, 225,000 ounces of gold and 2,838,000 ounces of silver from 11.1 million tons of mineralized skarn ore were milled (Watson, 1984). The Project is accessible through numerous access roads and trails located within 2 km of the South Klondike Highway and the Alaska Highway. An extensive network of historical gravel exploration and haul roads exists throughout the project area, providing excellent access to the majority of the claim package. Access to existing electric power facilities is available through the main Yukon power grid. In November 2022, Gladiator executed an option agreement to acquire 100% of the Whitehorse Copper Project by incurring exploration expenditure of $12m on the project, staged payment of $300,000 in cash and the staged issue of 15m shares over 6 years. Following the exercise of the Option, the Company must pay the Optionor, or such other person(s) as the Optionor may direct from time to time, a 1.0% net smelter returns royalty on the Whitehorse Copper Project. Qualified Person All scientific and technical information in this news release has been prepared or reviewed and approved by Kell Nielsen, a "qualified person" as defined by NI 43-101. Investor Relations The Company has terminated its consulting agreement (the "Consulting Agreement") with GRA Enterprises LLC (the "Consultant"), a United States based investor communication and media services provider, effective April 21, 2023. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Jason Bontempo" Jason Bontempo President and CEO For further information contact: Dustin Zinger, Investor Relations +1-604-653-9464 dzinger@gladiatormetals.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 does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell 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 unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. Certain of the statements and information in this news release constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information". Any statements or information that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "estimates", "intends", "targets", "goals", "forecasts", "objectives", "potential" or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions) that are not statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements or information. Forward-looking statements or information are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements or information, including, without limitation, the need for additional capital by the Company through financings, and the risk that such funds may not be raised; the speculative nature of exploration and the stages of the Company's properties; the effect of changes in commodity prices; regulatory risks that development of the Company's material properties will not be acceptable for social, environmental or other reasons; availability of equipment (including drills) and personnel to carry out work programs; and that each stage of work will be completed within expected time frames. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements or information. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, described or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. The Company's forward-looking statements and information are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management as of the date of this news release, and other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements and information if circumstances or management's assumptions, beliefs, expectations or opinions should change, or changes in any other events affecting such statements or information. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/163894 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 27, 2023) - Defence Therapeutics Inc. (CSE: DTC) ("Defence" or the "Company"), a Canadian biopharmaceutical company developing novel immune-oncology vaccines and drug delivery technologies, is pleased to announce that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted registration for its trademark DEFENCE THERAPEUTICS. This trademark is granted under registration number 7,033,299 for products such as "vaccines for human use; medicinal preparations for use in oncology; drug delivery agent in the form of an intracellular enhancer," as well as for services consisting of "research and development of vaccines and medicines". This trademark registration represents a significant milestone for Defence as it continues to establish its brand as a leading biopharmaceutical company working to bring innovative vaccines and drug delivery technologies to market. DEFENCE THERAPEUTICS represents the company's commitment to innovation, research, and development, as well as its dedication to improving patient health outcomes through the creation of novel therapeutics. Defence Therapeutic Inc. has an extensive pipeline of therapeutics in development, including vaccines for infectious diseases, cancer therapies, and drug delivery agents using its AccumTM platform technology. With the addition of the DEFENCE THERAPEUTICS trademark, the company is well-positioned to continue its growth and success in the biopharmaceutical industry. About Defence: Defence Therapeutics is a publicly-traded biotechnology company working on engineering the next generation vaccines and ADC products using its proprietary platform. The core of Defence Therapeutics platform is the ACCUMTM technology, which enables precision delivery of vaccine antigens or ADCs in their intact form to target cells. As a result, increased efficacy and potency can be reached against catastrophic illness such as cancer and infectious diseases. For further information: Sebastien Plouffe, President, CEO and Director P: (514) 947-2272 Splouffe@defencetherapeutics.com www.defencetherapeutics.com Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. 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. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include regulatory actions, market prices, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. 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. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/163819 This news release constitutes a "designated news release" for the purposes of the Company's prospectus supplement dated April 26, 2023 to its short form base shelf prospectus dated November 4, 2021 /NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES/ TORONTO, April 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Abaxx Technologies Inc. (NEO:ABXX)(OTCQX:ABXXF) ("Abaxx" or the "Company"), a financial software and market infrastructure company, majority shareholder of the Abaxx Commodity Exchange (Abaxx Singapore Pte Ltd), and producer of the SmarterMarkets Podcast, announces updates to the Company's executive management and appoints five new board members to Abaxx Commodity Exchange boards of directors. Abaxx also announces that it has established an at-the-market equity program. Highlights: The Company has established an at-the-market equity program (the " ATM Program ") that allows the Company to issue, at its discretion, common shares having an aggregate offering price of up to C$30 million to the public from time to time through BMO Capital Markets (the " Agent "). ") that allows the Company to issue, at its discretion, common shares having an aggregate offering price of up to C$30 million to the public from time to time through BMO Capital Markets (the " "). Nancy Seah, Managing Director of Abaxx Singapore Pte. Ltd. (" Abaxx Singapore "), has been appointed to serve as CEO of Abaxx Exchange Pte. Ltd. (" Abaxx Exchange "). "), has been appointed to serve as CEO of Abaxx Exchange Pte. Ltd. (" "). Five additional directors appointed across Abaxx Singapore, Abaxx Exchange and Abaxx Clearing Pte. Ltd. ("Abaxx Clearing") governance boards. Abaxx Singapore Board and Management Updates Nancy Seah has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Abaxx Exchange. Ms. Seah, with over 25 years of energy trading and risk management expertise, has served as Abaxx Singapore's Managing Director since she joined the Company in August of 2020. Her previous experience includes serving as Executive Vice President at Pavilion Energy, Managing Director and Head of Commodities Sales Asia for Goldman Sachs and Head of Energy Risk Management at BP Singapore. Effective May 1st, 2023, Abaxx will welcome five new Independent Directors to the Boards of Directors of Abaxx Singapore and its wholly owned subsidiary Abaxx Clearing. Thomas Chhoa, Silvana Hleap and Catherine Flax join Abaxx Singapore's Board of Directors, while Neal Wolkoff and Ng Quek Peng join Abaxx Clearing's Board of Directors. Additionally, Thomas McMahon, co-founder of Abaxx Singapore, who currently sits on Abaxx Clearing's Board of Directors, will also be appointed to Abaxx Singapore's Board of Directors. Mason Wallick, who currently sits on Abaxx Singapore's Board of Directors, will be re-appointed to Abaxx Clearing's Board of Directors. These appointments are necessary for Abaxx Singapore and Abaxx Clearing to fulfill the statutory requirements of approved holding companies and approved clearinghouses. "The new appointments to the Boards of Directors allow Abaxx Exchange and Clearing to achieve 'best in class' governance through their independent and experienced oversight; furthermore, their wealth of knowledge in the commodities, exchange, regulatory and financial markets enhances existing management's already deep expertise in commodity futures markets," says Nancy Seah, Chief Executive Officer of Abaxx Exchange. Thomas Chhoa; Member of Board of Directors of Abaxx Singapore Thomas Chhoa has over 30 years of experience with Shell with a number of international assignments across the world including Al-Jubail in Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, China, Australia, Qatar, and Singapore. He has worked in different fields including engineering, process technology, international project development, change process management, strategy and business development, project venture set-up, governance, and large-scale business management in global leadership capacities. After his last assignment with Shell as global head of an LNG related initiative in 2016, Mr. Chhoa was appointed Senior Advisor at Economic Development Innovations Singapore Pte. Ltd. and is now Senior Advisor in the Office of the CEO for the not-for-profit Alliance to End Plastic Waste. He is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Nanyang Technological University, and a part-time lecturer at the Nanyang Business School on energy and the Singapore Management University, having developed and launched its LNG Trading module. Mr. Chhoa was the Vice Chairman of the board for Yueyang Sinopec Shell Coal Gasification Company Ltd., and has been a board member of Shell Eastern Trading (Pte.) Ltd. He is currently a board and executive committee member of Singapore LNG Corporation. Mr. Chhoa holds a Bachelor of Science in engineering from University of Leicester. Silvana Hleap; Member of Board of Directors of Abaxx Singapore Silvana Hleap is the Chief Investment Officer of Ivanhoe Capital Corporation, a private company that provides venture capital, project financing and related financial services for international business enterprises. In addition, she manages the Family Office of Ivanhoe Capital's founder Robert Friedland, his personal assets and investment interests, which involves her active participation on boards of directors of relevant companies. Before joining Ivanhoe in 2015, Ms. Hleap spent more than 20 years as a portfolio manager and investment advisor working for Bank Boston, Lehman Brothers, and JPMorgan in Sao Paulo, New York, and Singapore. Ms. Hleap holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil, and a Master of Business Administration from New York University's Stern School of Business, USA. Neal L. Wolkoff; Member of the Board of Directors of Abaxx Clearing Neal Wolkoff served as a C-level executive at three financial exchanges and is now an independent attorney and adviser on matters relating to derivatives and securities markets. He was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the American Stock Exchange (Amex), negotiating and closing its merger with the NYSE. Prior to the Amex, Mr. Wolkoff was the Chief Operating Officer at the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX). He has also been the Chief Executive Officer of ELX Futures, L.P., an electronic futures exchange founded by major dealer banks and trading firms. Mr. Wolkoff started his career as an Honors Program Trial Attorney with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Mr. Wolkoff is currently the non-executive chairman of the board of OTC Markets Group "OTCM", a public company that operates the OTC equities markets. Mr. Wolkoff consults on derivatives market regulation, and the workings of the commodities and securities markets. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the College of Columbia University and a J.D. from Boston University School of Law and is a member of the Bar of the State of New York, and the U.S. District Court, SDNY. Ng Quek Peng; Member of the Board of Directors of Abaxx Clearing Ng Quek Peng has been in the corporate finance and securities industry in Singapore and Malaysia since 1981, advising clients on corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions and fundraising. He has held various positions in foreign and local financial institutions during his career, including Citicorp Investment Bank, OCBC Securities, ABN Amro Bank and CIMB Bank. Apart from the finance industry, Mr. Ng has experience in the direct investment industry as the former Managing Director of Temasek Holdings. He was also with GMR International, a company based in India, to develop their infrastructure projects in Southeast Asia, including developing the first foreign owned and privately developed power plant in Singapore. Mr. Ng is currently the Managing Director of Halcyon Capital, a company providing financial advisory services. He holds a Degree in Civil Engineering from University of London and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Catherine Flax; Member of Board of Directors of Abaxx Singapore Catherine Flax is the President of Private Investing at X Machina Capital Strategies, focusing on realizing the future of the energy transition. A former Wall Street executive, she previously served as Managing Director and Head of Commodity Derivatives, Foreign Exchange and Local Markets, Americas at BNP Paribas, and as Chief Marketing Officer for J.P. Morgan. She has been a leader in the FinTech space, serving on the boards of many organizations such as Digital Asset Holdings, a market leading blockchain company, and Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA). Ms. Flax also acted as CEO of Pefin, the world's first AI Financial Advisor. Ms. Flax serves as an Independent Director on both the Abaxx Technologies Inc. and Base Carbon boards of directors. She holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Texas A&M University and a Master of Economics from Brown University. Abaxx Announces At-The-Market Equity Program Abaxx has established an ATM Program which will allow the Company to issue, at its discretion, common shares (the "Common Shares") of the Company having an aggregate offering price of up to C$30 million to the public from time to time through the Agent. Distributions of Common Shares pursuant to the ATM Program, if any, will be made in accordance with the terms of an equity distribution agreement dated April 26, 2023 (the "Equity Distribution Agreement") entered into by the Company and the Agent. The ATM Program will be effective until the earlier of the issuance and sale of all of the Common Shares issuable pursuant to the ATM Program and December 4, 2023, unless terminated earlier in accordance with the terms of the Equity Distribution Agreement. Common Shares issued under the ATM Program will be issued from treasury and distributed directly on the NEO Exchange (the "NEO"), or such other recognized marketplaces to the extent permitted, at prevailing market prices at the time of sale, all in accordance with the terms of the Equity Distribution Agreement. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the ATM Program for general corporate and working capital requirements, including to fund ongoing operations and/or working capital requirements, to repay indebtedness outstanding from time to time and to complete future acquisitions or for other corporate purposes. Sales of Common Shares, if any, under the ATM Program are anticipated to be made in transactions that are deemed to be "at-the-market distributions" as defined in National Instrument 44-102 - Shelf Distributions, as sales made directly on the NEO or any other recognized Canada "marketplace" within the meaning of National Instrument 21-101 - Marketplace Operation. Since the Common Shares distributed pursuant to the ATM Program, if any, will be distributed to the public at prevailing market prices at the time of sale, prices may vary among purchasers and during the period of distribution. In connection with the ATM Program, the Company has filed a prospectus supplement dated April 26, 2023 (the "Prospectus Supplement") to its base shelf prospectus dated November 4, 2021 (the "Shelf Prospectus"). Further details of the ATM Program are set out in the Prospectus Supplement. The Prospectus Supplement, Shelf Prospectus and Equity Distribution Agreement are each available under the Company's issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com . 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 securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The Common Shares have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the "1933 Act") and may not be offered, sold or delivered, directly or indirectly, in the United States, or to, or for the account or benefit of, "U.S. persons" (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act), except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act. Abaxx Has Terminated Normal Course Issuer Bid Abaxx also wishes to announce that it has terminated its Normal Course Issuer Bid (the "NCIB") to purchase for cancellation up to 3,657,475 common shares of the Company, which was originally announced on June 15, 2022. The NCIB was set to terminate on June 14, 2023, and the Company did not plan to renew nor did the Company purchase any shares pursuant to the NCIB. About Abaxx Technologies Abaxx is a development stage financial software and market infrastructure company creating proprietary technological infrastructure for both global commodity exchanges and digital marketplaces. The company's formative technology increases transaction velocity, data security and facilitates improved risk management in the majority owned Abaxx Commodity Exchange (Abaxx Singapore Pte. Ltd.), a commodity futures exchange seeking final regulatory approvals as a Recognized Market Operator and Approved Clearing House ("ACH") with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Abaxx is a founding shareholder in Base Carbon Inc. and the creator and producer of the SmarterMarkets podcast. For more information about this press release, please contact: Steve Fray, CFO 416-786-4381 Media and Investor Inquiries: Investor Relations Team Tel: +1 246 271 0082 E-mail: ir@abaxx.tech Forward-Looking Statements This News Release includes certain "forward-looking statements" which do not consist of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe Abaxx or the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that Abaxx expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "seeking", "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 Abaxx, Abaxx does not provide any assurance that actual results will meet management's 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, any sales under the ATM Program, the use of proceeds from the sale of Common Shares under the ATM Program, Abaxx' objectives, goals or future plans, statements, timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions, timing of the appointment of board members for Abaxx's subsidiaries and statements related to the Company's intentions in relation to normal course issuer bids. Such factors include, among others: risks relating to the global economic climate; dilution; the Company's limited operating history; future capital needs and uncertainty of additional financing; the competitive nature of the industry; currency exchange risks; the need for Abaxx to manage its planned growth and expansion; the effects of product development and need for continued technology change; protection of proprietary rights; the effect of government regulation and compliance on Abaxx and the industry; network security risks; the ability of Abaxx to maintain properly working systems; reliance on key personnel; global economic and financial market deterioration impeding access to capital or increasing the cost of capital; and volatile securities markets impacting security pricing unrelated to operating performance. In addition, particular factors which could impact future results of the business of Abaxx include but are not limited to: operations in foreign jurisdictions, protection of intellectual property rights, contractual risk, third party risk; clearinghouse risk, malicious actor risks, third-party software license risk, system failure risk, risk of technological change; dependence of technical infrastructure, 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. Abaxx has also assumed that no significant events occur outside of Abaxx' normal course of business. Abaxx cautions that the foregoing list of material factors is not exhaustive. In addition, although Abaxx has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. When relying on Abaxx forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Abaxx has assumed that the material factors referred to in the previous paragraph will not cause such forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, the list of these factors is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors. The forward-looking information contained in this press release represents the expectations of Abaxx as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. Abaxx does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required in accordance with applicable laws. The NEO Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. LG Innotek Wins 'Edison Awards', the Most Prestigious Invention Award in the US 7mm magnetic component for TV power moduleopening the era of 2cm ultra-slim/ultra high-definition TV The key is 'High-efficiency Ferrite (X-2)' independently developed by utilizing AI 40% reduction in energy loss, 3 times increase in power densityEnabling slim magnetic component "Advanced development of future innovative materials will be continuedDifferentiated customer value will be created" SEOUL, South Korea, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On the 27th, LG Innotek (CEO Jeong Cheol-dong) announced on winning the US 'Edison Awards 2023' with the magnetic component evaluated to open the new era of ultra-slim and ultra high-definition TV. 'Edison Awards' is the most prestigious invention award in the US, which has held since 1987 to honor the innovative spirit of the inventor Thomas Edison. It is also referred to as the 'Oscars of Innovation'. More than 3,000 judges composed of executives and scholars from industrial fields across the US participates for strict review and evaluation conducted for over seven months. Gold, silver, and bronze winners are chosen annually in 16 fields. At this year's awards ceremony held on the 20th, LG Innotek's world's thinnest magnetic component, 'Nexlim' was selected as the Bronze Award winner in the 'Commercial Technology' field. Nexlim is a magnetic component that is mounted on the TV power module, vehicle power and chargers to change the voltage, or to perform the role of removing unnecessary signals that are generated from the current waves. It plays an important role of minimizing the power loss from heat generation to increase the energy efficiency of electronic products and electric vehicles. As it was forecasted from 2018 that ultra-slimhigh-definition TV with bigger screen and thinner size will increase in popularity in the market, TV manufacturer are facing difficulties in the product design. To realize TV specification of large screen and high-definition to the level preferred by the consumers, magnetic components had to be increased more than 3 times, and reducing the TV thickness at the same time was technologically impossible. This is the reason why the main topic in the industry at that time was the development of an ultra-thin magnetic component to replace the existing magnetic component that occupies half of the overall TV thickness. LG Innotek predicted this trend in the electronics industry in 2017 and has focused on developing the ultra-thin magnetic component. As a result, LG Innotek succeeded in commercializing 'Nexlim' magnetic component with 9.9mm in thickness. After the successful development, this technology was enhanced even more to lessen the 'Nexlim' thickness to 7mm last year. The key to minimize the thickness of this magnetic component was the 'High-efficiency Ferrite' that is used as the main material in 'Nexlim'. LG Innotek independently developed and applied the ferrite magnetic material (X-2) in 'Nexlim' to reduce the energy loss up to 40% compared to other general magnetic materials, and to increase the power density by 3 times. Research Fellow Bae Seok, developer of Nexlim explained that "By introducing the simulation system utilizing AI, we were able to find the optimum material composition ratio for maximizing the ultra-low loss and high efficiency performance in just 6 months," and added "The inductor and transformer, parts for converting the power in the magnetic component, was integrated into one part to lessen the thickness of the magnetic component even more." The advent of ultra-thin magnetic components such as Nexlim has made it possible to reduce the TV power module thickness to as little as 7.2~9.9mm. Through this innovative development, ultra-thin TV with an overall thickness of only 15~19.9mm has now become a reality. Meanwhile, LG Innotek recently succeeded in developing the third-generation ferrite magnetic material (X-3) based on the original technology on the magnetic components that was secured during the development of Nexlim. Energy loss can be cut up to 30% more than the X-2 applied in Nexlim, and it is expected to play a decisive role in miniaturizing the vehicle components when X-3 is applied to electric vehicles. "With this Edison Award winning, LG Innotek has once again presented its unrivaled technology in the magnetic material & component field to the global customers," said Kang Min-seok, CTO of LG Innotek. He also added, "We will continue to invest in the advanced development of future innovative materials and take the lead in creating differentiated customer value." Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2064522/1_LG.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2064523/2_LG__________________X_2.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1681506/Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/nexlim-the-worlds-thinnest-magnetic-component-301809404.html Islamabad, Apr 27 (UNI) Six policemen were killed and two others injured in a clash with miscreants in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province, the provincial home minister confirmed. The incident happened in Jaffarabad district on Wednesday where an exchange of firing took place between the policemen and the miscreants, the home minister Mir Ziaullah Langove told media. He said that the miscreants remained involved in robberies and other heinous crimes in the province and were wanted by the police. The miscreants fled the scene after the shoot, and a search operation is underway to nab them, he said. The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital. Police have cordoned off the incident site for further investigation. UNI XINHUA RKM Q1 2023 Turnover: 98.9 million Strong increase in energy sales and internal services Energy sales: +46%. A 40% increase in production thanks to better wind and solar resources and the full-year effect of the 2022 commissioning Services: +58%. Internal services multiplied by five, with a record level of construction sites for own account, but a 31% decrease in services to third-party clients, a one-off decrease, yet with a strong momentum (x2.5) in capacity under construction for third-party clients After eliminating Internal Services, which mobilized a large part of the teams during the quarter, turnover up +4% Capacity in operation and construction 2.6 GW in operation and under construction (+31%), including 1 GW under construction 2023 objectives confirmed Achievement of the 2023 target of 2.6 GW of capacity in operation and under construction in 2022, one year ahead of schedule Confirmation of normalised EBITDA1 target of 275-300 million 2027 ambitions reaffirmed Owned capacity in operation and under construction: over 5 GW Capacity operated on behalf of third parties: over 8 GW Normalised EBITDA 2 : around 475 million : around 475 million CO 2 -equivalent avoided: over 4 million tonnes Voltalia (Euronext Paris, code ISIN: FR0011995588), an international player in renewable energies, publishes its first quarter 2023 turnover. " The quarter was marked by a sustained increase in energy sales. It was a record first quarter thanks to commissioning in recent months and better wind conditions, both in Brazil and in France. In Services, growth was driven by internal services, reflecting the ramp-up of the power plant projects to be commissioned this year. On the strength of this first quarter, we reaffirm our 2023 EBITDA target and our 2027 ambitions ", commented Sebastien Clerc, CEO of Voltalia. Q1 2023 TURNOVER In million3 Q1 2023 Q1 2022 Change At current exchange rates Change At constant exchange rates4 Energy Sales 62.9 43.0 +46% +41% Services 101.9 64.7 +58% +55% Eliminations -65.9 -12.4 x5 x5 Turnover 98.9 95.3 +4% 0% ACTIVITY REVIEW Total turnover for Q1 2023 amounted to 98.9 million, up +4% (stable at constant exchange rates). Energy Sales and Services (after eliminations) contributed to respectively 64% and 36% of the quarter's turnover. ENERGY SALES Operational indicators Q1 2023 Q1 2022 Variation Production (in GWh) 950 678 +40% Installed capacity (in MW) 1 637 1 161 +41% Installed and under construction capacity (in MW)5 2 617 2 001 +31% Wind load factor in Brazil 40% 33% +7pts Solar load factor in Brazil 21% - - Wind load factor in France 29% 27% +2pts Solar load factor in France 13% 14% -1pt Solar load factor in Egypt 23% 23% - Solar load factor in Jordania 20% 21% -1pt Q1 2023 turnover from Energy Sales reached 62.9 million, up +46% (+41% at constant exchange rates) compared to Q1 2022. Quarterly production amounted to 0.9 TWh compared to 0.7 TWh in 2022, reflecting the improvement in wind and solar resources and the increase in installed capacity in operation to 1 637 MW (+41%) at the end of March 2023. Analysis by country In Brazil, production increased by +45% to 794 MWh, benefiting in particular from the full production of the SSM1-2 solar power plants (320 MW), which was commissioned progressively in 2022, and from better wind conditions at the wind power plants; In France, production increased by +4%, benefiting from the commissioning in 2022 of Carrieres de Plaines (8.9 MW) and the acquisition of Cap Sud by Helexia in March 2022 (renamed Helexia Agri); In other countries, Voltalia benefits from the growth of Helexia, as well as the commissioning of South Farm in the United Kingdom (49.9 MW) and Stavria in Greece (12 MW). SERVICES Q1 2023 turnover from Services (internal and external) reached 101.9 million, up +58% (+55% at constant exchange rates) compared to Q1 2022. The Development, Construction and Equipment Procurement segment increased by +61% to 92.9 million, thanks to a five-fold increase in internal activity over the period, reflecting the record capacity under construction for own account, which amounted to 980 MW at the end of March 2023. External turnover from these segments on behalf of third-party customers decreased by 38% to 30.2 million. Although more than 580 MW are currently under construction for third party customers (x2.5 vs Q1 2022), few significant milestones have yet been reached during the period, as Voltalia recognizes construction turnover as projects progress. The Operation-Maintenance segment increased by +31% to 9.0 million (+31% at constant exchange rates) thanks to the strong momentum of new third-party contracts won in Europe and Brazil. Eliminations of turnover in Q1 2023 amounted to 65.9 million (x5 at current and constant exchange rates), reflecting the strong increase in internal services for plants under construction, the vast majority of which are due to be commissioned before the end of 2023, and in operation. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS (SELECTION) Mandate with IFC for the financing of the Dwangwa solar power plant in Malawi 6 Voltalia has signed a mandate with IFC (International Finance Corporation), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, to finance the Dwangwa project in Malawi (55 MW of solar power and 10 MW of battery storage). The electricity will be sold under a 20-year contract with Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi Ltd, the state-owned electricity transmission and distribution company. The Sud Vannier wind farm produces its first kilowatt hours7 Voltalia is continuing to establish itself in the Grand Est region with the commissioning of its Sud Vannier wind farm. With a capacity of 23.6 MW, the project is the third wind farm in the northeast quarter of France after those of Sarry (23.1 MW) and Molinons (10 MW). The production is sold to Leroy Merlin under a 23-year contract, the first corporate PPA8 for wind power in France. Appeal of a preliminary decision to suspend permits for the Canudos project in Brazil9 The preliminary judicial decision relates to the permits for the Canudos wind farms, located in the state of Bahia, and currently under construction with a total capacity of 99.4 MW. According to the decision, the environmental agency has implemented a procedure that was not applicable. Indeed, the project is located in an area populated by the aras de lear, a brazilian parrot. A complementary environmental study is requested. 2023 OBJECTIVES CONFIRMED Voltalia recalls that its target of 2.6 GW of capacity in operation and under construction, which the Company had planned to reach by the end of 2023, was reached by the end of 202210, one year ahead of schedule. Voltalia reiterates its normalised EBITDA11 target for 2023, which is expected to be in the range of 275 to 300 million. 2027 AMBITIONS REAFFIRMED Last October, Voltalia defined a new growth plan for 2027, including the following ambitions: Owned operating and construction capacity: over 5 GW; Capacity operated on behalf of third parties: over 8 GW; Normalised EBITDA 12 : around 475 million; : around 475 million; CO 2 -equivalent avoided: over 4 million tonnes. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements about Voltalia and its subsidiaries. These statements include financial projections and estimates and their underlying assumptions, statements regarding plans, objectives, intentions and expectations with respect to future financial results, events, operations, services, product development and potential, or future performance. Forward-looking statements are generally identified by the words "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "forecasts," "projects," "seeks," "strives," "aims," "hopes," "plans," "may," "goal," "objective," "projection," "outlook," and other similar expressions. Although Voltalia's management believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors and shareholders of the Group are cautioned that forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond Voltalia's control, that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. These risks and uncertainties include those discussed or identified in the public filings made by Voltalia with the Autorite des marches financiers, including those listed in Chapter 2 "Risk Factors and Risk Management" of Voltalia's 2022 Universal Registration Document filed with the Autorite des marches financiers on April 14, 2023 under number D.23-0267 and in Chapter 5 "Principal Risks and Trends" of the 2022 interim financial report. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this press release and Voltalia undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking information or statements included in this press release to reflect any change in expectations or events, conditions or circumstances on which any such forward-looking statement is based. Any information regarding past performance contained in this press release should not be construed as a guarantee of future performance. Nothing in this press release should be construed as an investment recommendation or legal, tax, investment or accounting advice. Installed capacity as of March 31, 2023 In MW Wind Solar Biomass Hydro Storage / Hybrid 31 March 2023 31 March 2022 Belgium 13.4 13.4 15.0 Brazil 732.3 347.5 12.0 1,091.8 766.3 Egypt 32.0 32.0 32.0 France 88.9 146.6 4.5 240.0 164.3 French Guiana 8.3 6.8 5.4 13.1 33.6 29.3 Greece 16.7 16.7 16.7 Hungaria 0.9 0.9 - Italy 15.3 15.3 13.0 Jordan 57.0 57.0 57.0 Portugal 36.1 36.1 20.0 Spain 10.6 10.6 8.0 United Kingdom 57.3 32.0 89.3 39.3 Total 821.2 741.7 6.8 9.9 57.1 1,636.7 1,160.9 Capacity under construction as of March 31, 2023 Name of the project Capacity Techno. Country Canudos 1 99.4 Wind Brazil Rives Charentaises 37.4 Wind France Cafesoca 7.5 Hydro Brazil Bolebedu 148.0 Solar South Africa Karavasta 140.0 Solar Albania SSM 3-6 260.0 Solar Brazil Logelbach 12.1 Solar France Montclar 3.7 Solar France Sable Blanc 5.0 Solar French Guiana Garrido 36.4 Solar Portugal Clifton 45.0 Solar Great Britain Higher Stockbridge 45.0 Solar Great Britain Sinamary 11.0 Hydro /storage French Guiana Lercara Friddi 3.4 Solar Italy Helexia 0.4 Solar Belgium Helexia 66.4 Solar Brazil Helexia 9.1 Solar Spain Helexia 22.4 Solar France Helexia 22.8 Solar Hungary Helexia 1.5 Solar Italy Helexia 3.9 Solar Portugal Total (in MW) 980.4 Power production as of March 31, 2023 In GWh Wind Solar Biomass Hydro Hybrid Q1 2023 Q1 2022 Belgium 1.5 1.5 2.1 Brazil 633.80 149.8 10.1 793.7 546.4 Egypt 17.4 17.4 17.2 Spain 2.8 2.8 1.8 France 39.5 31.5 0.1 71.1 61.5 French Guiana 2.1 9.8 11.9 12.0 Greece 5.6 5.6 1.8 Italy 4.9 4.9 4.2 Jordan 25.4 25.4 25.6 Portugal 5.4 5.4 4.4 United Kingdom 10.5 10.5 1.5 Total 673.3 256.9 9.8 0.1 10.1 950.2 678.5 Next on the agenda: Q2 2023 turnover on July 26, 2023 (after market close) About Voltalia (www.voltalia.com) Voltalia is an international player in the renewable energy sector. The Group produces and sells electricity from its wind, solar, hydraulic, biomass and storage facilities. It has 2,6 GW of capacity in operation and under construction and a portfolio of projects under development with a total capacity of 14,2?GW. Voltalia is also a service provider and supports its renewable energy custommers at every stage of their projects, from design to operation and maintenance. As a pioneer in the corporate market, Voltalia offers a comprehensive range of services to businesses, from the supply of green electricity and energy efficiency services to the local production of its own electricity. With more than 1,550 employees in 20 countries on 3 continents, Voltalia has the capacity to act globally for its customers. Voltalia is listed on the regulated market of Euronext Paris, compartment A (FR0011995588 - VLTSA). The Group is also included in the Gaia-Index, the index of responsible midcaps. Voltalia Investor relations: invest@voltalia.com T. +33 (0)1 81 70 37 00 Actifin Press relations: Jennifer Jullia jjullia@actifin.fr - T. +33 (0)1 56 88 11 19 1 Estimated "normalised EBITDA" at December 31 2023, calculated with an average annual EUR/BRL exchange rate of 6.3 and a wind, solar and hydraulic resource corresponding to the long-term average. 2 Estimated "normalised EBITDA" at December 31 2027, calculated with an average annual EUR/BRL exchange rate of 5.5 and a wind, solar and hydraulic resource corresponding to the long-term average. 3 The above amounts are the sum of the consolidated data, rounded to the first decimal place. 4 Calculated on a constant exchange rate basis with an average EUR/BRL exchange rate of 5.6 in Q1 2023 versus 5.9 in Q1 2022. 5 As of March 31. 6 Press release of April 18, 2023 7 Press release of April 24, 2023 8 Corporate Power Purchase Agreement : a long-term contract for the sale of renewable electricity that links the producer directly to the company that consumes the electricity. 9 Press release of April 19, 2023 10 Press release of January 4, 2023 11 Estimated "normalised EBITDA" at December 31 2023, calculated with an average annual EUR/BRL exchange rate of 6.3 and a wind, solar and hydraulic resource corresponding to the long-term average. 12 Estimated "normalised EBITDA" at December 31 2027, calculated with an average annual EUR/BRL exchange rate of 5.5 and a wind, solar and hydraulic resource corresponding to the long-term average. BEIJING, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ForwardX Robotics has announced its expansion into Europe with a launch at the LogiMAT trade show. ForwardX Robotics is a global leading enterprise in autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and a pioneer and leader of the fourth-generation mobile robots, visual AMRs. It is also the world's No. 2 largest assisted picking solutions provider in terms of shipment and market share with an industry leading cluster scheduling system, f(x) Fleet Manager. The company has deployed over 2,000 robots in over 100 warehouses and manufacturing plants across 5 continents. Since its establishment in 2016, ForwardX has secured over $100 million (USD) in financing with well-known investors and partners including Qualcomm, SoftBank, Dematic, Mitsubishi, Intel, Linde, C.Net, and Taikang Life. It has applied for more than 400 patents with over 190 international patents granted and nearly 50 granted in the U.S. With end-to-end cluster scheduling and visual advantages, ForwardX continues to help companies reduce costs and increase efficiency. So far, ForwardX has provided its services to many Fortune 500 enterprises including JD Logistics, SF DHL, L'Oreal, Gaatu, Walmart, Harley Davidson, and IKEA to name a few. "We are excited to bring our extensive line of products and applications to Europe and showcase our mature warehousing and manufacturing solutions at LogiMAT. Our proven track record across Asia and the U.S. gives us confidence that our solutions will meet the needs of the European market," said ForwardX Robotics CEO, Nicolas Chee. Recently, ForwardX was recognized in the 2022 RBR50 Innovation Awards for its work with TCL after deploying the world's first 5G AMR project, by Frost & Sullivan for its Best Practices Award in 2021, Logistics Tech Outlook's Top 10 Global Startups in 2021 and 2022, and was selected to support the 2022 Winter Olympics. ForwardX's launch at LogiMAT in Europe is a significant milestone for the company, and it looks forward to showcasing its innovative solutions to the European market. With its wide-ranging products and applications, ForwardX is filling a void in the logistics industry and delivering solutions that are high in demand. Learn more about ForwardX Robotics by visiting their website (www.forwardx.com) or checking out their video. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/forwardx-robotics-expands-to-europe-with-launch-at-logimat-301809410.html Ryan, a leading global tax services and software provider, has been recognised as one of the 2023 Best Workplaces in the UK by Great Place to Work, ranking 33 in the Medium Organisation category on this year's list. This is the first year Ryan has met the medium size organisation criteria in the UK, following its previous years' successes being named the number one Best Workplace in the UK in 2021 and 2022 in the Small Organisation category. Over the past year, Ryan has seen significant growth in the UK, including three strategic acquisitions of Catax, Access2Funding, and Granted Consultancy. The Firm has strengthened its R&D global market position, presented new service offerings in the UK, welcomed more than 160 new team members, and added three new office locations. "It is a great honour to again be named one of the Best Workplaces in the UK, especially as we move up from the small- to medium-sized organisation category. This recognition is a testament to our continual efforts to review and improve our workplace culture as we onboard new team members, combining many company cultures into one," said Ryan President of European and Asia-Pacific Operations, Jon C. Sweet. "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with this dedicated team that has thrived even through a period of significant change as we continue to grow and achieve industry-leading results." "To be recognised as one of the premier workplaces in the UK for the fourth consecutive year is a confirmation of the constant and ongoing focus we have placed on our people and innovative ways to strengthen our Firm's culture," said Ryan Chairman and CEO G. Brint Ryan. "Over the past few years, we have significantly invested in improving the overall well-being of our people and ensuring that their voices are heard. I believe the results for this year's award are due to our drive for continuous improvement, and I am proud of Ryan's UK team for believing in our mission and living out our world-class workplace culture." To create the 2023 UK's Best Workplaces list, Great Place to Work performed rigorous evaluations of team member survey responses alongside Culture Audit submissions from leaders at each company. Then, they used these data insights to benchmark the effectiveness of companies' team member value propositions against the culture their team members experience. Those businesses that achieve the highest scores after evaluation receive Best Workplaces status. "As the global authority on workplace culture, our mission at Great Place to Work has always been to build a better world by helping organisations become a great place to work for all. We strongly believe in the notion of better for business, better for people, better for the world," said Benedict Gautrey, Managing Director of Great Place to Work UK. Ryan offers many programmes and benefits for the overall well-being of its team members, including the RyanTHRIVE programme. RyanTHRIVE takes a comprehensive approach to well-being with programmes and learning modules covering career, physical, financial, and emotional health. The Firm's work environment is powered by the industry-leading myRyan programme, which changes the measurement of work from hours worked to results achieved. Through collaboration and support, Ryan team members thrive in a workplace where the focus is on results and superior client service, rather than where and when the work is done. Additionally, Ryan offers wellness benefits that include a comprehensive healthcare programme, fitness subsidy, and employee assistance programme, to name a few. The complete list of winning companies can be found 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 around the world and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. In 2022, they launched the first-ever annual UK's Best Workplaces for Wellbeing list of organisations who stood out as delivering exceptional wellbeing support for their employees across all levels and departments. For more information, visit www.greatplacetowork.co.uk. About Ryan Ryan, an award-winning global tax services and software provider, is the largest Firm in the world dedicated exclusively to business taxes. The Firm provides an integrated suite of international tax services on a multijurisdictional basis, including cost management, compliance, consulting, and technology services. Ryan is a 10-time recipient of the International Service Excellence Award from the Customer Service Institute of America (CSIA) for its commitment to world-class client service. Empowered by the dynamic myRyan work environment, which is widely recognised as the most innovative in the tax services industry, Ryan's multidisciplinary team of more than 4,100 professionals and associates serves over 21,000 clients in more than 60 countries, including many of the world's most prominent Global 5000 companies. More information about Ryan can be found at ryan.com/europe. "Ryan" and "Firm" refer to the global organisational network and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ryan International, each of which is a separate legal entity. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005442/en/ Contacts: Stacey Underwood Senior Manager, Content, Communications, and Public Relations Ryan +1 972.934.0022 stacey.underwood@ryan.com 27 April 2023 BWA Group PLC ("BWA", or the "Company") (AQSE: BWAP) Positive Results from Preliminary Granulometric Testwork at the Dehane 2 Heavy Mineral Sands Project, Cameroon BWA Group plc [AQSE: BWAP], which has mineral exploration licences in both Cameroon and Canada and is quoted on London's AQSE Growth Market, provides an update on its recently approved Dehane 2 rutile sands Licence, located in Central Cameroon ("Dehane 2" or the "Dehane Project"). The Dehane 2 licence covers an area of 54 km2 and includes an additional 14 km of strike length of the Nyong river system, an area known to be prospective for Ilmenite, Rutile, Zircon and Kyanite heavy mineral sand mineralisation. Moreover, the licence covers some 20 km of the mouth of the Nyong river and estuarine environment as it empties into the Gulf of Guinea. A river mouth can lead to a change in flow conditions that can cause the fluvial system to deposit any supplementary sediment including heavy mineral sand (HMS) it is carrying, where potentially economic accumulations of HMS are found within the lowest energy zone on the beach, the swash zone. Dehane 2 is located 166 km to the southwest of Yaounde, and 70 km from the deep seaport and industrial zone of Kribi. A version of this announcement including maps and photographs can be viewed on the Company's website, http://www.bwagroupplc.com/bwa-announcements.html Outlook One auger and two beach samples were collected during a one-day initial prospecting site visit (detailed in RNS dated the 6 April 2023). The auger sample (DH2_001) underwent granulometric testwork involving sieve sized fraction studies and panned concentration, completed by BWA using the facilities at Afrigeolabs, Yaounde, Cameroon. From field observations, sand is logged for the entirety of the 1.90 m deep auger hole. The particle size analysis is presented in the table below and shows that this sample is composed of six particle size fractions. Some 93% of the grains have a size between 180 and 600 microns, defined by Wentworth (1922) as medium to fine sand. Mineralogically, rutile is the dominant heavy mineral in the coarse fractions and is in most of the fractions above 1000 microns, 600 microns and 355 microns, i.e., up to approximately 40% of the sieved sample. Kyanite crystals are also visible in this grain size range. In the (+) 180-micron fractions, ilmenite becomes the dominant mineral although rutile is still clearly visible, and in the smaller fractions (+ 150 microns and + 75 microns) ilmenite is predominant. Using a high-resolution camera, a yellow mineral in this grain size range was also observed, which could potentially be monazite. However, further studies and analytical testwork is required to confirm the presence of monazite. Highlights: Rutile most dominant (heavy) mineral in fractions above 1000 microns, 600 microns and 355 microns, i.e., up to approximately 40% of the sample. Ilmenite and rutile observed in smaller fractions. Implications of the granulometric studies are as yet not fully recognised, although are encouraging and certainly justifies the licence acquisition and follow up exploration and testwork. Abundance of heavy minerals observed in panned concentrates (presented in table below). Possible monazite observed and is found (like rutile) in the fractions above 1000, 600 and 355 m. Further studies and analytical testwork is required to verify the observations. Particle m (-)75m (+)75m (+)150m (+)180m (+) 355m (+)600m (+)1000m Weight of fraction (g) 0 30 20 750 490 35 2 Percentage of sample weight 0 2 1 50 40 3 0.10 Weight of panned concentrated (g) 0 20 15 370 320 30 2 Percentage of panned concentrated weight 0% 5% 2% 45% 40% 5% 0.5% Geology and Geological Interpretation The Dehane licences are located on the Western Cameroon Domain, which extends along the border between Nigeria and Cameroon. This domain consists of a series of medium-grade to high grade schists and gneisses of volcanic and volcano-sedimentary origin, intruded by later-stage granitoid complexes, the basement rocks are source of heavy minerals. The Nyong river is the main river which runs through the licence areas. The BWA licences allows access to approximately 60 km of the prospective Nyong river floodplain system, deltas, and associated tributaries. The licences encompass a large active river system and an even larger paleo-floodplain area, and marine coastline observed in satellite imagery, although this has yet to be fully ground-truthed through fieldwork. This paleo-floodplain is likely to be a significant target for exploration and covers the length of the river with an initial expected width of over 2 km in the north and increasing in the south. Other rivers of various importance are found there: Owoumbe, Nkoudou, Bidinga, Mbebe, Mboke, and Ongue. The Dehane area has been known for some historic small scale artisanal historical rutile mining. James Butterfield, interim Non-executive Chairman of BWA, commented: "Weare pleased to have performed preliminary granulometric testwork on the Dehane 2 auger sample and are encouraged with the amount of heavy minerals that have been observed within the bulk sample and various size fractions, in particular the sand sized fraction, and potentially amenable to simple separation techniques. BWA are planning a more comprehensive exploration and test work programme to investigate the licence in a more systematic and thorough manner in the near future." Competent Person's Statement The information in this report which relates to the BWA Dehane Project is based upon and fairly represents information collected and compiled by Mr Emmanuel Simo, MSc., Senior Geologist and Chief Geologist for BWA, who is a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists. The results were reviewed by Mr J.N. Hogg, MSc. MAIG, Principal Geologist for Addison Mining Services (AMS) and Non-executive Director of BWA. Mr Simo and Mr Hogg have sufficient experience relevant to the style of mineralisation, the type of deposit under consideration and to the activity undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the JORC Code 2012 edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves. Mr Hogg has reviewed and verified the technical information that forms the basis of and has been used in the preparation of this announcement, including all sampling and analytical data, and analytical techniques. Mr Hogg consents to the inclusion in this announcement of the matters based on the information, in the form and context in which it appears. Forward LookingStatement This announcement contains forward-looking statements which involve a number of risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis. These statements reflect current expectations, intentions or strategies regarding the future and assumptions based on currently available information. Should one or more of the risks or uncertainties materialise, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary from the expectations, intentions and strategies described in this announcement. No obligation is assumed to update forward looking statements if these beliefs, opinions and estimates should change or to reflect other future developments. Two samples were taken outside of the licence and despite being an upstream extension or similar geological / depositional setting, the samples by no means indicate that the material in the licence is of economic quality and neither BWA nor the Competent Persons draw any conclusions from these samples. The samples were taken in good faith to act as a guide to potential mineralisation in the general area. For further information on the Company, please visit http://www.bwagroupplc.com/index.html or contact: NEW YORK and LONDON and PUNE, India, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Synechron, Inc., a leading global digital transformation consulting firm, has now capped off its fiscal year ending March 31, 2023. During the past 12 months, Synechron has continued its commitment to staying agile and evolving to keep pace with rapidly changing industry needs, while maintaining its industry-leading position as a digital technology transformation specialist. Expanding the Global Footprint Notable achievements during the 12 months ended March 31 include strategic and purposeful growth that expanded the firm's global footprint to 40 offices within 17 countries, and a total global workforce of 14,000+. Office expansion includes: A new office in Belgrade , Serbia - the sister location to our Novi Sad, Serbia office - the sister location to our Novi Sad, Serbia office A new office in Belfast, Northern Ireland A new office in Pune, India , the 8th office in India This expanded footprint includes the office in Melbourne, Australia, which Synechron added with its January 2023 integration of Attra, a payments technology services and solutions provider in the banking and services space. Attra was acquired by Synechron in December 2020 and became Synechron Payments business. Key Additions to the Management Team: Synechron also filled some key C-level roles in the management team, including: Antonia Maneta as Chief Marketing Officer as Chief Marketing Officer David Sewell as Chief Technology Officer as Chief Technology Officer Christin Spigai as Chief Human Resources Officer Enhanced Capabilities and Domains Synechron spent considerable time redefining its capabilities and array of end-to-end Consulting, Design, Cloud, Data and Engineering services across nine industry domains that include Capital Markets, Investment Banking, Wealth Management, Retail Banking, Commercial Banking, Asset Management, Exchanges, Payments and Insurance industries. These enhanced practice areas have enabled Synechron to expand its focus beyond the financial services industry to include technology clients. Continued Innovation and Enhanced FinLabs In February 2023, Synechron launched its Data Monetization Accelerator program, which includes four solutions to help financial institutions apply advanced techniques to leverage and monetize their collected business data. Since 2016 Synechron has innovated 10 Accelerator programs, each of which contains a suite of business solutions that leverage cutting-edge technologies and sophisticated strategies. Additional Recognitions and Corporate Awards In February 2023, Synechron was named a winner in the Business Intelligence Group's BIG Innovation Awards 2023 contest recognizing Synechron's PayTech Accelerator program and suite of five cutting-edge solutions (which debuted in February 2022). To date, Synechron has won 33 innovation-related global awards. During its recent fiscal year, Synechron won a global 2023 Best Places To Work award, and was also recognized with six Great Place To Work 2022-2023 certifications - awarded for workplace excellence. Synechron's recent Great Place to Work certifications include regional offices in The Netherlands, Singapore, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland and the UAE. Faisal Husain, Synechron's Co-founder and CEO, in reflecting on the past 12 months, said, "I am so proud of Synechron's trajectory. Despite difficult environmental challenges, we've held to our mission that we started the firm with back in 2001 - deploying technological solutions to solve real-world business challenges. We have strategically and carefully invested toward further building the scope and depth of Synechron's business and capabilities. But, we still have work to do as we map new avenues and strategies for proving that Synechron is the change-partner-of-choice for organizations across the world." About Synechron: At Synechron, we believe in the power of digital to transform businesses for the better. Our global consulting firm combines creativity and innovative technology to deliver industry-leading digital solutions. Synechron's progressive technologies and optimization strategies span end-to-end Consulting, Design, Cloud, Data, and Engineering, servicing an array of noteworthy financial services and technology firms. Through research and development initiatives in our FinLabs we develop solutions for modernization, from Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence to Data Science models, Digital Underwriting, mobile-first applications and more. Over the last 20+ years, our company has been honored with multiple employer awards, recognizing our commitment to our talented teams. With top clients to boast about, Synechron has a global workforce of 14,000+, and has 40 offices in 17 countries within key global markets. For more information on the company, please visit our website or LinkedIn community. For more information please contact: Synechron Rashmi Joshi Media@Synechron.com OR SEC Newgate UK, Andrew Adie / Sophie Morello / Matthew Redley Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1943591/Synechron_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/synechron-caps-off-its-fiscal-year-2022-2023-with-several-notable-achievements-as-it-continues-to-innovate-and-evolve-301809182.html Remote access scams gained significant favor with criminals and fraudsters, with the elderly most at risk, as global losses to fraud eclipsed $41 Billion in 2022 LONDON, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BioCatch, the leader in behavioral biometric intelligence and digital fraud detection, today released its first annual EMEA Digital Banking Fraud Trends report. As bank fraud continues to threaten progress and disrupt lives in the digital age, according to the first-of-its-kind report scams have become the favored and most effective tool used by cybercriminals across the European and Middle Eastern region. BioCatch researchers found that 52% of reported 2022 fraud cases in digital retail banking were due to scams, as consumers contend with the cost-of-living crisis and increasingly new and sophisticated scams that target some of the most vulnerable people in society. Notable findings of the report include: Authorized Push Payments (APP) scams are the #1 cause of fraud losses in the UK. 12% of all fraud in EMEA are Remote Access Trojan (RAT) attacks. Over 70% of RAT scams originate via a phone call. Elderly banking customers are unequally targeted by scams leveraging RAT attacks. BioCatch received first reports of fraud cases in Spain that use stolen devices, a tactic which appears to be spreading across Europe. The inaugural report shows that remote access fraud continues to rise in the region, with cybercriminals using RAT attacks to not only execute fraud but also to observe and commit social engineering attacks on their victims. BioCatch found that over 70% of these RAT scams originated via a phone call from scammers directly to their human targets. Shockingly, 85% of these remote access cases involved seniors, illustrating the increased risk of digital banking for vulnerable demographics. The report also highlights that Authorized Push Payments (APP) scams caused the greatest losses, which banks in the region are now moving quickly to address with the introduction of new UK legislation from the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR). "It is tragic when anyone is scammed and suffers the associated humiliation and financial losses, especially when those victims are afraid, trusting, and vulnerable," said Gadi Mazor, CEO of BioCatch. "Our report emphasizes the need for financial institutions to recognize the pivot cybercriminals have made away from attacking systems to now focus on humans. We as a community of banks, governing bodies, and vendors must work together to devise solutions and regulations that protect our customers privacy and financial assets. This is possible and we must act quickly." This report provides a high-level view of the fraud landscape based on aggregated data from financial institutions across EMEA over twelve months beginning January 2022, as well as data and insights collected by BioCatch's Global Advisory and Threat Analyst teams. To learn more, read the full report here: https://www.biocatch.com/resources/white-paper/digital-banking-fraud-trends-emea-2023 About BioCatch BioCatch is the leader in behavioural biometric intelligence and advanced fraud detection, technology that leverages machine learning to analyse an online user's physical and cognitive digital behaviour to protect individuals online. BioCatch's mission is to unlock the power of behaviour and deliver actionable insights to create a digital world where identity, trust and ease seamlessly co-exist. Today, BioCatch counts over 25 of the top 100 global banks as customers who use BioCatch solutions to fight fraud, drive digital transformation and accelerate business growth. BioCatch's Client Innovation Board, an industry-led initiative including American Express, Barclays, Citi Ventures, and National Australia Bank, helps enable BioCatch to identify creative and cutting-edge ways to leverage the unique attributes of behaviour for fraud prevention. With over a decade of analysing data, more than 80 registered patents, and unparalleled experience, BioCatch continues to innovate to solve tomorrow's problems. For more information, please visit www.biocatch.com Contact: Hugh James, hugh.james@teamlewis.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1843699/biocatch_logo_rgb_2x_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/first-annual-biocatch-emea-fraud-intelligence-report-reveals-scams-now-account-for-more-than-50-of-reported-banking-fraud-in-europe--middle-east-banking-markets-301808407.html Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 27, 2023) - good natured Products Inc. (TSXV: GDNP) (OTCQX: GDNPF) (the "Company" or "good natured"), a North American leader in plant-based products, today announced its financial results for the three months ("Q4 2022") and twelve months ("FY2022") ended December 31, 2022. The Company also announced that it will host a webcast investor presentation on May 3, 2023 at 2:00 PM Eastern / 11:00 AM Pacific time. "This was a historic year for good natured where we achieved a major milestone of over $100 million in revenue and executed our strategic goal to expand our Packaging business group though strong organic growth," stated Paul Antoniadis, CEO of good natured. "In addition, we made significant progress on improving profitability, generating our first full year of positive adjusted EBITDA1 with a strong focus on cash management in the face of volatile macroeconomic conditions." Paul added: "As we stated at the time of our Q3 2022 results, we had seen some signs of reduced demand for our industrial products as customers continued to work through high inventory levels. Although this trend in our Industrial business group continued as anticipated through Q4 2022 and into early 2023, our pipeline for eco-friendly packaging remains very robust. Recent policy developments, including the White House announcing incentives to transition 90% of plastics to bio-based feedstock within 20 years, are providing the Company with tremendous potential for long term growth and value creation." Key Highlights: Revenues for Q4 2022 increased 2% to $23.3 million compared to $22.9 million for the three months ended December 31, 2021 ("Q4 2021"). FY2022 revenues increased 65% to a record $101.0 million compared to $61.1 million for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2021 ("FY2021"). Variable gross profit 1 for Q4 2022 increased 10% to $7.7 million, representing a variable gross margin 1 of 33%, compared to $7.0 million and 31% for Q4 2021. Variable gross profit for FY2022 increased 69% to $33.2 million, 33% of sales, compared to $19.7 million, 32% of sales, in FY2021. for Q4 2022 increased 10% to $7.7 million, representing a variable gross margin of 33%, compared to $7.0 million and 31% for Q4 2021. Variable gross profit for FY2022 increased 69% to $33.2 million, 33% of sales, compared to $19.7 million, 32% of sales, in FY2021. Gross profit for Q4 2022 increased 9% to $5.8 million representing a gross margin of 25%, compared to $5.3 million and 23% respectively for Q4 2021. Gross profit for FY2022 increased 68% to $26.3 million, 26% of sales, compared to $15.6 million, 26% of sales, in FY2021. Selling, general and administrative expenses ("SG&A"), excluding acquisition activity and one-time charges,1 for Q4 2022 and FY2022 were $4.0 million and $15.7 million compared to $3.2 million and $10.2 million for Q4 2021 and FY2021. As a percent of sales, SG&A expenses, excluding acquisition activity and one-time charges,1 was 17% for Q4 2022 and 16% for FY2022 compared to 14% in Q4 2021 and 17% in FY2021. SG&A expenses for Q4 2022 and FY2022, were $4.9 million and $17.9 million compared to $4.1 million and $12.8 million for Q4 2021 and FY2021. As a percent of sales, SG&A expenses was 21% for Q4 2022 and 18% for FY2022 compared to 18% in Q4 2021 and 21% in FY2021. Cash generated by operating activities for FY2022 was $4.6 million compared to $13.7 million used by operating activities for FY2021. Net working capital improved to $10.0 million as at December 31, 2022, compared to a deficit of $16.0 million as at December 31, 2021. Cash and cash equivalents improved to $11.9 million as at December 31, 2022, compared to $10.7 million as at December 31, 2021. The Company's adjusted EBITDA1 for Q4 2022 and FY2022 was nil and $3.0 million respectively, compared to $0.5 million for Q4 2021 and a loss of $0.1 million for FY2021. In Q4 2022, the Company incurred a net loss of $4.9 million compared to a net loss of $4.2 million in Q4 2021. Net loss for FY2022 was $11.6 million compared to a net loss of $12.7 million in FY2021. The Company's Q4 2022 and FY2022 financial statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis are available on SEDAR at sedar.com and on the Company's investor website at investor.goodnaturedproducts.com. Investor Webcast on May 3, 2023 The Company also announced that it will host an investor webcast on Thursday, May 3, 2023 at 2:00 PM Eastern / 11:00 AM Pacific time. During the webcast, Paul Antoniadis, Chief Executive Officer of good natured, will provide a presentation covering key areas of the business. After the formal presentation, attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions through an interactive Q&A portal. To attend the webcast, please pre-register at the following link: https://event.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1607430&tp_key=63de3a7c8b. An archived version of the webcast and presentation will be available on the Company's website at investor.goodnaturedproducts.com. The good natured corporate profile can be found at: investor.goodnaturedproducts.com. About good natured Products Inc. good natured is passionately pursuing its goal of becoming North America's leading earth-friendly product company by offering the broadest assortment of plant-based products made from rapidly renewable resources instead of fossil fuels. The Company is focused on making it easy and affordable for business owners and consumers to shift away from petroleum to better everyday products that use more renewable materials, less fossil fuel, and no chemicals of concern. good natured offers over 400 products and services through wholesale, direct to business, and retail channels. From plant-based home organization products to certified compostable food containers, bio-based industrial supplies and medical packaging, the Company is focused on making plant-based products more readily accessible to people as a means to create meaningful environmental and social impact. For more information: goodnaturedproducts.com. On behalf of the Company: Paul Antoniadis - Executive Chair & CEO Contact: 1-604-566-8466 Investor Contact: Spencer Churchill Investor Relations 1-877-286-0617 ext. 113 invest@goodnaturedproducts.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibilities for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Non-GAAP Financial Measures We have included in this press release a discussion of the Company's variable gross profit, variable gross margin, SG&A excluding acquisition activity and one-time charges, and adjusted EBITDA all non-GAAP measures, for Q4 2022, FY2022, Q4 2021 and FY2021 to provide, what management believes, is a meaningful comparison of the Company's performance in Q4 2022 and FY2022. These non-GAAP measures do not have standardized meanings, and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Variable gross profit, variable gross margin, SG&A excluding acquisition activity and one-time charges, and adjusted EBITDA are more fully defined and discussed in the Company's Q4 2022 and FY2022 Management's Discussion and Analysis under the heading "non-IFRS financial measures", which is available on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com and on the Company's investor website at investor.goodnaturedproducts.com. The following table provides a reconciliation of net loss to adjusted EBITDA for the periods ended: 3 mon. ended Dec 31 Year ended Dec 31 2022 2021 +/- 2022 2021 +/- Net loss for the period (4,912) (4,175) 18% (11,582) (12,695) -9% Share-based compensation 594 498 19% 2,150 2,254 -5% Depreciation 514 253 103% 1,950 1,071 82% Depreciation in COGS & SG&A 442 284 56% 1,662 926 79% Financing costs 1,863 1,618 15% 5,550 4,552 22% Foreign exchange loss (gain) 695 262 165% 847 315 169% Gain on WINN Loan - (42) -100% (15) (85) -82% Loss on financing - 936 -100% 449 1,148 -61% Acquisition related expenses & one time charges 863 886 -3% 2,164 2,572 -16% Deferred income taxes recovery (54) 20 -370% (216) (126) 71% Adjusted EBITDA1 5 540 -99% 2,959 (68) -4451% The following table provides a reconciliation of variable gross profit to gross profit and variable gross margin to gross margin for the periods ended: 3 mon. ended Dec 31 Year ended Dec 31 2022 2021 +/- 2022 2021 +/- Revenue 23,306 22,860 2% 100,966 61,132 65% Variable cost of product 15,652 15,880 -1% 67,744 41,462 63% Variable gross profit1 7,654 6,980 10% 33,222 19,670 69% Variable gross margin % 32.8% 30.5% 32.9% 32.2% Fixed factory overhead 1,846 1,650 12% 6,900 4,033 71% Gross profit 5,808 5,330 9% 26,322 15,637 68% Gross margin % 24.9% 23.3% 26.1% 25.6% The following table provides a reconciliation of selling, general and administrative expense excluding acquisition activity and one-time charges: 3 mon. ended Dec 31 Year ended Dec 31 2022 2021 +/- 2022 2021 +/- SG&A Wages 2,468 1,517 63% 9,488 5,700 66% SG&A Other 1,370 1,514 -10% 5,479 4,030 36% Product Development expense 182 194 -6% 741 519 43% Acquisition related expenses & one-time charges 863 886 -3% 2,164 2,572 -16% SG&A 4,883 4,111 19% 17,872 12,821 39% SG&A % of Revenue 21% 18% 18% 21% SG&A excluding acquisition activity & one-time charges 4,020 3,225 25% 15,708 10,249 53% SG&A % of Revenue excluding acquisition related & One-Time charges 17% 14% 16% 17% SG&A Wages % of Revenues 11% 7% 9% 9% Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of securities laws including statements related to Company plans and focuses for 2023, and management's outlook for 2023. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, changes in circumstances and other factors that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of the Company's control which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on our current estimates, expectations and projections regarding, among other things, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, general market conditions, the economy, sales volume and pricing and other future conditions which we believe are reasonable as of the current date. Important factors that could cause actual results and financial conditions to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others risks relating to general economic, market and business conditions and unforeseen delays in the realization of the Company's plans. The reader should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. If relying on the Company's forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. The Company has assumed that the material factors referred to herein will not cause such forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors. Other than as required under securities laws, we do not undertake to update this information at any particular time. All forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. 1 A non-GAAP financing measure. Please refer to the "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below for an explanation of these measures and reconciliation to the Company's financial results reported in accordance with GAAP. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/163838 Dole plc (NYSE: DOLE) will announce its financial results for the first quarter of 2023 on Thursday, May 18, 2023, prior to the market opening. The company's management will host a webcast and conference call on the same day at 08:00 a.m. Eastern Time. A presentation to accompany the discussion will be posted on the company website along with a press release and other supplemental financial information. The live webcast and a replay after the event can be accessed at www.doleplc.com/investor-relations. The conference call can be accessed live by dialling (646) 307-1963 in the US or +353 (1) 582 2023 in Ireland and +44 20 3481 4247 for UK and other international participants. The conference ID is 8143610. About Dole plc: A global leader in fresh produce, Dole plc grows, markets, and distributes an extensive variety of fresh fruits and vegetables sourced locally and from around the world. Dedicated and passionate in exceeding our customers' requirements in over 75 countries, our goal is to make the world a healthier and a more sustainable place. Category: Financial View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005109/en/ Contacts: Investor Contact: James O'Regan, Head of Investor Relations, Dole plc investors@doleplc.com +353 1 887 2794 Media Contact: Brian Bell, Ogilvy brian.bell@ogilvy.com +353 87 2436 130 Millicom (Tigo) continued strong mobile performance in Q1 Luxembourg, April 27, 2023 - Millicom is pleased to announce its first quarter 2023 results. Please find below links to the Q1 2023 Earnings Release and IAS 34 Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. Millicom Chief Executive Officer Mauricio Ramos commented: "During the quarter, we continued to execute our plans, which are yielding positive results as we navigate the challenging macroeconomic environment. I am particularly pleased with our performance of Tigo Business (our B2B operation), where organic growth continued to accelerate, thanks to our clearly-defined strategy centered on digital services. We also saw robust growth in Mobile, as a result of recent network investments and pricing actions, which are driving an ongoing and valuable shift to postpaid and improving ARPU trends. Additionally, our continued commitment to ESG yielded positive results as we maintained our MSCI ESG rating at 'AA', placing above the industry average and reinforcing our position as a leader in corporate governance. As we look to the future, we remain focused on improving operational efficiency. During Q1, we incurred meaningful restructuring costs as we began to implement Project Everest, a comprehensive program that is expected to deliver run-rate savings of over $100 million by the end of 2024. This project will allow us to become more agile and efficient, and we expect the financial benefits will begin accruing during the year. We have also made significant strides in optimizing our investment activity, securing multi-year agreements with key vendors to lower our annual spend as we commit to expand capacity and coverage of our networks in coming years. As a result of these initiatives and our solid top-line performance, we remain confident in our ability to achieve the medium-term targets we outlined in early 2022." Q1 2023 Earnings Release IAS 34 Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements Millicom is planning to host a video conference for the global financial community on April 27, 2023 at 14:00 (Stockholm) / 13:00 (London) / 08:00 (Miami). Registration for the interactive event is required at the following link . After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing details about joining the video conference. Participants who wish to ask a question during the live event must notify the Investor Relations team via email to investors@millicom.com after the start of the event. Participants may also join the conference in listen-only mode by dialing any of the following numbers and entering the Webinar ID: 848 0381 6933: US: +1 929 205 6099 Sweden: +46 850 539 728 UK: +44 330 088 5830 Luxembourg: +352 342 080 9265 Additional international numbers are available at the following link . Accompanying slides and a replay of the event will be available on the Millicom investors website . For further information, please contact: Press: Sofia Corral, Communications Director press@millicom.com (mailto:press@millicom.com) Investors: Michel Morin, VP Investor Relations Sarah Inmon, Director Investor Relations investors@millicom.com (mailto:investors@millicom.com) About Millicom Millicom. Connect with Millicom on Twitter , Instagram , Facebook , and LinkedIn . Attachments The world population is growing, as is the demand for food. To tackle the climate crisis, the world needs both agricultural land and surfaces for the deployment of photovoltaics (PV). In line with the zeitgeist, agricultural PV brings together both worlds: agriculture and renewable power generation. Solar modules built over fields can transport us into the new energy world faster, all the while protecting important agricultural yields. This is why Intersolar Europe The world's leading exhibition for the solar industry will be focusing on the topic. Together with the French-German Office for Energy Transition (DFBEW), Intersolar Europe will be presenting new business models and best practices from France and Germany. Agricultural PV is also on the agenda of the Intersolar Europe Conference. Intersolar Europe will be held as part of The smarter E Europe, the continent's largest platform for the energy industry, from June 14 to 16, 2023 in Munich. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005413/en/ Trend topic Agrivoltaics will be presented at Intersolar Europe 2023 in Munich, Germany. (Photo: Solar Promotion GmbH) Agrivoltaics is currently trending. Agrivoltaics projects are demonstrating how the generation of solar power and agriculture can go hand in hand and benefit from each other and how the conflict over available surfaces can be cleverly solved. Renewable electricity for decentralized self-consumption is a great opportunity for agricultural operations adding solar installations to their assets. It allows them to use the renewable power generated on their land and reduce their bills for grid-supplied electricity. If they have excess electricity, they can sell it, which provides an additional source of income. What's more, agricultural PV installations can boost resilience and increase the yield of agricultural operations because solar modules offer protection against heavy rain, hail or drought for fruit and special crops. Europe recognizes potential In many European countries, more and more farmers and political decision-makers are recognizing the potential of agricultural PV. Italy, for instance, recently passed new regulations that determine which agricultural PV installations are eligible for funding from a government incentive program with a scope of 1.1 billion euros, giving a boost to innovative agricultural PV installations. While Germany is testing agricultural PV in combination with the cultivation of apples, for example, in Gelsdorf in Rhineland Palatinate, France has started installing solar modules over rows of vines. With tractor and tracker trend towards dual use Covering crops with raised solar modules as French winegrowers are doing now is particularly interesting because it is favorable for winegrowing, as well as for fruit, berries or herbs, and any plants that prefer partial shade. Furthermore, solar roofs can replace conventional hail netting or polytunnels, and they protect the crops from drying out. Integrating solar installations into agriculture opens up many areas of application. Free-standing solar installations on fields and meadows can also be equipped with trackers that follow the course of the sun, which increases the yield compared with conventional, fixed modules, by around 20 percent. The solar panels can also be moved out of the way of any working agricultural machinery. Agri PV: Hot topic at Intersolar Europe To learn all there is to know about solar power generation in agriculture, join us at Intersolar Europe. The session "Agricultural PV in France and Germany: Potential, Business Models and Best Practice" (Agri-PV in Deutschland und Frankreich: Potenziale, Geschaftsmodelle und Best Practices) on June 15 at 3:20pm CEST at the Intersolar Forum will be presenting an extensive overview of solutions and applications that already work. An even more hands-on experience will be offered by many exhibitors, such as BayWa r.e. AG, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), Next2Sun GmbH, Goldbeck Solar GmbH, SunFarming GmbH and many more. The program of the Intersolar Europe Conference will be looking into agricultural PV one day before the start of the exhibition itself. Experts will be discussing the potential of solar power in agriculture. Intersolar Europe will be held from June 14-16, 2023 as part of The smarter E Europe 2023 at Messe Munchen. Over 85,000 visitors from all corners of the globe are expected to attend. More than 2,200 exhibitors across 17 exhibition halls covering 180,000 square meters will be waiting for them. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005413/en/ Contacts: Peggy Zilay Spokesperson The smarter E Europe +49 7231 58598-240 zilay@solarpromotion.com Juliane Heermeier Account Manager +49 151 41482446 juliane.heermeier@fischerappelt.de Ukraine expresses regret over 'distorted' tweet on Goddess Kali 02 May 2023 | 4:11 PM New Delhi, May 2 (UNI) After facing an online backlash over its Defence Ministrys tweet allegedly depicting Hindu Goddess Kali above blast smoke, Ukraine on Tuesday expressed regret for the tweet and said they respect Indian culture and highly appreciate Indias support. see more.. Rajnath Singh calls on Maldives President, hands over patrol vessel 02 May 2023 | 4:02 PM New Delhi/Male, May 2 (UNI) Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is visiting the Maldives, on Tuesday paid a courtesy call on Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who later commissioned the new offshore patrol vessel gifted by India to Maldives. see more.. The Kerala Story film reached SC, plea seeks stay of the controversial film, SC declines to hear immediately 02 May 2023 | 2:16 PM New Delhi, May 2 (UNI) Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to immediately hear a plea to stay the release of controversial movie, "The Kerala Story." see more.. NSA Doval in Tehran, calls on President Raisi, FM Amirabdollahian 02 May 2023 | 1:58 PM New Delhi/Tehran, May 2 (UNI) Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who is visiting Tehran, called on Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian. see more.. 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. Recent bank crises in the U.S. and Europe have many Canadians worried about the fate of their deposits here at home, and the resiliency of our banking system. 56% of Canadians are concerned Canada's banking system is vulnerable to collapse. 28% of Canadians are somewhat worried about the security of their deposits. To protect from a potential financial crisis, 22% of Canadians have withdrawn money from their bank in the last 30 days, and 15% have transferred money to a different institution. TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / A new survey conducted by WealthRocket reveals more than half (56%) of Canadians are concerned our domestic banking system is vulnerable to collapse, similar to what's happened with some banks in the U.S. and Europe. WealthRocket - Banking Fears Survey Results Percentage of Canadians concerned our banking system is vulnerable to collapse compared to those who say no, or are unsure. The recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, followed by the near-collapse of Credit Suisse, has many Canadians worried about the fate of their deposits at home, and the resiliency of our banking system. Concerns about banking system vulnerability and safety of deposits Fifty-six percent of Canadians are concerned our banking system is vulnerable to collapse, with younger Canadians - particularly millennials - most concerned. Those ages 35-44 expressed the most concern (64%), followed by those 25-34 (63%), 18-24 (51%), 45-54 (51%) and 54+ (45%). More than a quarter (28%) of Canadians are somewhat worried about the safety of their money in a Canadian bank, with 20% very worried, 9% extremely worried, and 19% not worried. While many banks are insured by CDIC, only 37% of Canadians know what CDIC is and know their financial institution is a member. Slightly less (32%) don't know what CDIC is, and have no idea if their financial institution is a member. Canadians taking preventative action to protect from potential banking crisis In an effort to shield their money from a potential financial crisis, in the last 30 days: 22% of Canadians have withdrawn money from their account 16% have transferred money to an investment account 15% have transferred money to a different institution 14% have purchased alternative assets, like cryptocurrency 13% have verified whether their bank is a CDIC member Survey Methodology Data collected via an online Pollfish survey of 1,500 Canadians (18+) conducted between April 13 and 14, 2023. Estimated margin of error: +/- 3%. About WealthRocket WealthRocket a Canadian personal finance website focused on credit cards, banking, investing, budgeting, and more. Our mission is to empower Canadians to make informed financial decisions and get the most out of their money. For further information, contact Rebecca David, rebecca@wealthrocket.com. Contact Information Rebecca David Media Relations Coordinator rebecca@wealthrocket.com 902-293-9342 SOURCE: WealthRocket View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/751563/WealthRocket-Survey-Finds-56-of-Canadians-Concerned-Our-Banking-System-is-Vulnerable-to-Collapse New acquisition expands the total land package to 8,972 acres (3,631 hectares) Additional 22 unpatented lode mining claims and technical data An advanced stage, 100% controlled copper project in Arizona VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Intrepid Metals Corp. (TSXV:INTR)(OTC PINK:IMTCF) ("Intrepid" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the Company continues its consolidation efforts at its new district scale, advanced exploration copper property, the Corral Copper Project (the "Project"), in Cochise County, Arizona. The Company has entered into a Purchase and Sale Agreement (the "Agreement") for an additional 22 unpatented lode mining claims (the "Sara Claim Group") from Clive Bailey, a local landowner and Arizona-based Professional Geologist. The new acquisition adds an additional 472.5 acres (191 hectares) to the Project for a total land package of 8,972 acres (3,631 hectares). "We are continuing to build positive relationships with local stakeholders and are very pleased to add another 22 lode mining claims to our Corral Copper Project," said Ken Brophy, CEO of Intrepid. "These new claims were identified as an integral part of our expanded land package and had considerable exploration work completed throughout the claim package previously. We look forward to our technical team evaluating all the newly acquired data as part of our continued efforts to unlock the value from the district scale opportunity the Corral Copper Project presents." While no recorded diamond drilling is known to have been conducted in the Sara Claim Group, initial exploration has consisted of trenching, grab and chip sampling, mapping, geophysical surveys, and geochemical work. The Sara Claim Group is viewed as a tertiary-aged low-sulfidation system with historical work focused primarily on gold. The terms of the Agreement are as follows: Intrepid shall pay the vendor $10,000 USD upon closing and shall issue 100,000 common shares for 100% of the Sara Claim Group property. The closing of the acquisition of the Sara Claim Group is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. The vendor is arm's length to the Company. No finder's fees are payable in connection with this transaction. About Corral Copper The Project is a district scale, 100% controlled advanced exploration and development opportunity in Cochise County, Arizona. The Project is located 15 miles east of the famous mining town of Tombstone and 22 miles north of the historical Bisbee mining camp which produced more than 8 billion pounds of copper with grades of up to 23%. Production from the Bisbee mining camp is not necessarily indicative of the mineral potential at the Project. The district has a mining history dating back to the late 1800s, with several small mines extracting copper from the area in the early 1900s, producing several thousand tons with grades up to 9.2% copper. Between 1950 and 2008, various companies explored parts of the district, but the effort was uncoordinated, non-synergistic and focused on discrete land positions and commodities due to the fragmented ownership. The previous fragmented land ownership has acted as a barrier in the advancement of the district and Intrepid has now consolidated over 8,972 acres (3,631 hectares) and been able to secure data from various sources which provides a solid foundation in creating geological interpretations and identifying new target areas. Anglo American began exploring the district in 2016, conducted mapping and airborne geophysics which identified numerous new target areas through the district. Intrepid has acquired Anglo American's data package and in exchange, Anglo American has retained an interest over a portion of the project area in the form of a right of first refusal over transfers if certain conditions are met. Intrepid is confident that by combining modern exploration techniques with historical data and with a clear focus on responsible development, the Project can quickly become an advanced exploration stage project and move towards feasibility level studies. Dr. Chris Osterman, P. Geo, a consultant of the Company, is a Qualified Person ("QP") as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Dr. Osterman has reviewed and is responsible for the technical information disclosed in this news release. About Intrepid Metals Corp. Intrepid Metals Corp. is a Canadian company focused on exploring for high-grade copper, silver, lead, and zinc mineral projects in proximity to producing mines in south-eastern Arizona, USA. The Company has acquired several drill ready projects, including the Corral Copper Project (a district scale advanced exploration and development opportunity), the Tombstone South Project (within the historical Tombstone mining district with geological similarities to the Taylor Deposit, which was purchased for $1.3B in 2018) both of which are located in Cochise County, Arizona and the Mesa Well Project located in the Laramide Copper Porphyry Belt in Arizona. Intrepid has assembled an exceptional team with considerable experience in evaluating and developing exploration projects within North America. Intrepid is traded on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V) under the symbol "INTR" and the OTC Markets under the symbol OTC: IMTCF. For more information, visit www.intrepidmetals.com. INTREPID METALS CORP. On behalf of the Company "Ken Brophy" CEO For further information regarding this news release, please contact: Ken Brophy CEO604-681-8030 info@intrepidmetals.com Caroline Sawamoto Investor Relations invest@intrepidmetals.com Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information Certain statements contained in this release constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Such forward-looking statements relate to: (i) future exploration plans; (ii) details about potential mineralization; (iii) the exploration potential of the Corral Copper Property; (iv) the closing of the transaction that is subject to the Agreement; and (v) potential future production. In certain cases, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "occur" or "be achieved" suggesting future outcomes, or other expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions, intentions or statements about future events or performance. Forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on certain factors and assumptions regarding, among other things, the results of exploration activities, expectations and anticipated impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, commodity prices, the timing and amount of future exploration and development expenditures, the availability of labour and materials, receipt of and compliance with necessary regulatory approvals and permits, the estimation of insurance coverage, and assumptions with respect to currency fluctuations, environmental risks, title disputes or claims, and other similar matters. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect. Forward looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include risks inherent in the exploration and development of mineral deposits, including risks relating to the ability to access infrastructure, risks relating to changes in commodity prices, risks related to current global financial conditions, risks related to current global financial conditions and the impact of COVID-19 on the Company's business, reliance on key personnel, operational risks inherent in the conduct of exploration and development activities, including the risk of accidents, labour disputes and cave-ins, regulatory risks including the risk that permits may not be obtained in a timely fashion or at all, financing, capitalization and liquidity risks, risks related to disputes concerning property titles and interests, environmental risks and the additional risks identified in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's reports and filings with applicable Canadian securities regulators. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information is made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any 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) has reviewed or accepted responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Intrepid Metals Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/751496/Intrepid-Metals-Acquires-Additional-Mining-Claims-at-Corral-Copper-Project-in-Arizona Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 27, 2023) - Allied Gold Corp Limited ("Allied Gold") is pleased to announce its public listing plans and expansion of the executive team. The former principals of Yamana Gold ("Former Yamana Principals"), Peter Marrone, Daniel Racine, Gerardo Fernandez, Sofia Tsakos and Jason LeBlanc, are joining Allied Gold's management team and, to align with Allied Gold shareholders, will purchase shares and become shareholders of Allied Gold. Together with Allied Gold management, the Former Yamana Principals intend to guide Allied Gold in its proposed going public event and listing, and in the next phase of its growth from a fast-growing, mid-tier, Africa-focused producer to a major international gold producer. It is presently expected that Allied Gold will become a public company and list in North America on or before August 31, 2023. The Former Yamana Principals will own approximately 12.5% of Allied Gold on a pre-financing, pre-money valuation basis ensuring their alignment in the success of Allied Gold. Management of Allied Gold will continue to own approximately 40% of Allied Gold on a pre-financing, pre-money valuation basis. A concurrent capital raise of not less than US$300 million is planned in connection with the proposed going public event and listing. The planned pre-money valuation is expected to be discounted to net asset value, and expected to be in the amount of US$1.2 billion. In terms of process, it is currently contemplated that a company incorporated and capitalized by the Former Yamana Principals will merge with Allied Gold and such combined entity will then complete a three-cornered amalgamation with the subsidiary of an existing public shell, constituting a reverse takeover of the existing public shell, the effect of which will be that investors in the capital raise will receive immediately free-trading shares of the resulting public company. Over the last decade, Allied Gold has developed and acquired a portfolio of gold assets in Africa with current Mineral Reserves of approximately 10 million ounces, Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources of approximately 15.2 million ounces and Inferred Mineral Resources of approximately 1.9 million ounces1. Since 2019, Allied Gold has tripled its gold production, producing over 370,000 gold ounces in 2022. Allied Gold has prided itself on investing in assets with limited initial Mineral Reserves but with exceptional exploration upside, and has transformed such assets extending their mine life, meaningfully increasing Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources, optimizing the operations with a long-term vision whilst applying sound and principled ESG standards. Allied Gold's organic development portfolio - which includes an optimization and expansion at its Sadiola mine in Mali and development of the Kurmuk Project in Ethiopia - has the potential to double its production profile. Definitive feasibility studies and permitting have been completed for both projects. Allied Gold expects to produce this year at a level comparable to production last year. The addition of the Former Yamana Principals to Allied Gold's executive management team offers a new and fundamental pillar to its growth strategy. The new management team will be led by Peter Marrone as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and will include Daniel Racine as President, Gerardo Fernandez as Chief Development Officer, Sofia Tsakos as Chief Legal Officer, and Jason LeBlanc as Chief Financial Officer. After more than 10 years at the helm, co-founder and current Chief Executive Officer of Allied Gold, Justin Dibb, will transition to the role of Vice Chairman, whilst current Chief Financial Officer, Stephan Theron, will be retained as a Director. Completing the management team will be several senior management of Allied Gold, including Basie Maree who will continue as Chief Operating Officer and Greg Winch who will continue as Chief Geology and Strategic Officer. The management team will be supported by a Board of Directors consisting of not less than seven members, including Peter Marrone (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer), Justin Dibb (Vice Chairman), Daniel Racine (President), Stephan Theron, Jane Sadowsky, John Begeman and Dino Titaro. Additional independent directors will include recognized industry leaders. The Former Yamana Principals have conducted extensive diligence on Allied Gold, its mines and projects, which included site visits and meetings with local and national representatives and stakeholders. Commenting on the combination, Peter Marrone, founder and former Executive Chairman of Yamana Gold, said, "We are excited to support these arrangements and to have the opportunity to work alongside the exceptional team at Allied Gold which has been formidably led by Justin Dibb and has demonstrated an impressive track record in the countries in Africa where the company operates, rapidly creating value for its stakeholders. The new public Allied Gold will bring together the best of both worlds, augmenting Allied Gold's strong local relationships and technical ability with the proven expertise of the Former Yamana Principals in value creation, operational excellence, principled ESG approaches and results, and managing a company in public capital markets." Peter Marrone added, "Maintaining and enhancing Allied Gold's principled ESG approach will be a key factor in the continued success of Allied Gold. We are confident that Allied Gold will be well positioned to create significant value for all stakeholders, including the local communities in which we operate. Portfolios of this quality and size are infrequently available, and we are impressed with the potential of the existing assets and the geological upside of the surrounding land packages. Africa represents a significant portion of the global mineral endowment but has not been well represented in the public markets. Once again, I must commend the efforts undertaken by Justin and his management team in assembling this portfolio of assets, creating further opportunities and building strong teams on location. Our shared vision is to create a new leader on the continent that benefits both local stakeholders and our shareholders alike." Justin Dibb, Allied Gold's co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, echoed Mr. Marrone's sentiment, saying, "We are delighted to have attracted the Former Yamana Principals to help drive Allied Gold's next phase of growth. It is humbling that a team of such calibre has selected Allied Gold to be the foundation for their plan to build a new major international gold producer." Daniel Racine, one of the Former Yamana Principals and who will be assuming the role of President of Allied Gold, commented, "Allied Gold's mines and projects are impressive on many fronts. After our extensive diligence including recent detailed site visits, we are impressed with the quality of the mines and projects and, more particularly, the people working for Allied Gold. On the mines and projects, there are excellent opportunities for optimization and there is significant mineral endowment. Geologically, we believe these are some of the best mineral endowments in the world. In addition, Allied Gold manages local and national relationships with stakeholders in an exemplary way." In conjunction with its proposed public listing, Allied Gold will outline a capital management policy designed to distribute cash returns to shareholders, whilst enabling further value accretive developments and acquisitions as they arise. The Allied Gold portfolio comprises three mines and several development and exploration projects in Africa with significant mineral endowment. Allied Gold has acquired, developed and optimized an impressive portfolio of assets creating a sustainable production platform underpinned by 10.8 million ounces of gold Mineral Reserves (224.6Mt at 1.51 g/t), on a 100% basis, supporting current gold production of approximately 375,000 ounces at attractive cash costs. Sadiola, Mali Since acquiring the Sadiola mine in 2020, Allied Gold has secured a convention providing for fiscal stability and strengthened its social license to operate, restarted mining operations and increased gold Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves by over 3 million ounces to 7.3 million ounces (149.5Mt at 1.51 g/t) on a 100% basis. Allied Gold has also completed several studies and optimizations driving significant improvements in the operating performance of the asset, extending the mine life, and establishing a pathway for near-term growth. A definitive feasibility study for the expansion of Sadiola was completed in 2022 which contemplates an average life of mine production of over 300,000 ounces per annum, at an all-in sustaining cost ("AISC") below US$1,000/oz. The Sadiola mine produced over 175,000 ounces of gold in 2022. The full expansion project is expected to increase the life of mine to 17 years. The full scope of expansion, to be completed over three years, is expected to be fully financed by the capital raise and internal cash flows. In addition to the full expansion scope, Allied Gold is advancing studies for a phased expansion strategy at Sadiola with a view to optimizing return on investment while balancing capital allocation priorities. Bonikro and Agbaou, Cote d'Ivoire Allied Gold has turned around the Bonikro mine since its acquisition in 2019, extending the mine life to seven years supported by gold Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves of 645,000 ounces (15.4Mt at 1.3 g/t), on a 100% basis, with annual gold production of approximately 100,000 ounces. Ongoing drilling is focused on expanding and converting the existing Inferred Mineral Resource targeting a mine life of over 10 years. At Agbaou, Allied Gold is currently integrating the mine into the adjacent Bonikro operation to create a centralized mining complex covering a highly prospective greenstone belt with upside optionality from additional milling capacity. The current Agbaou operation is expected to produce 90,000 gold ounces per annum over the next four years supported by Mineral Reserves of 374,000 ounces (6.9Mt at 1.68 g/t) on a 100% basis. It is expected that Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves will increase at Agbaou through additional exploration. Agbaou has a targeted strategic mine life of at least 10 years. Kurmuk, Ethiopia The Kurmuk project in Ethiopia is a permitted, shovel-ready, hydro-powered greenfield development asset. A development agreement has been signed with the Ethiopian government providing fiscal stability for the life of mine. A 2022 feasibility study supports strong project economics with annual gold production of 200,000 ounces at an estimated AISC of below US$850/oz. The project is underpinned by 2.6 million ounces of gold Mineral Reserves (52.8Mt at 1.53 g/t) and a licensing and development agreement with the Ethiopian government that is valid for 20 years. There is a significant mineral endowment at Kurmuk and Allied Gold has a planned extensive exploration program that is expected to increase Mineral Resources will increase this year. El Sid, Egypt The El Sid project is an active exploration project located approximately 80km east of Luxor and 170km northwest of Centamin's Sukari mine within the Arabian-Nubian Shield. The project covers a 600 km2 area across Egypt's largest former gold operation which focused on extracting high grade mineralization between 1940 and 1957 via underground mining methods with an estimated average feed grade of over 30 g/t. El Sid is under a legacy framework agreement with the Egyptian government similar to Sukari, and has not been explored with modern techniques previously. Allied Gold has an experienced and established exploration team assigned to the project and has completed 15,894 meters of diamond drilling in 90 drill holes to date. The table attached to this news release summarizes the Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource estimates for the Sadiola, Bonikro and Agbaou mines and the Kurmuk project. About Allied Gold Corp Limited Allied Gold is a private company focused on gold mining asset transformation in Africa. Allied Gold has three mines and several development and exploration projects in Africa where it has significant operating experience. Operations are located in Cote d'Ivoire, Mali, Ethiopia and Egypt. Led by a team of mine developers with proven success in adding value to tier one assets, Allied Gold aspires to become a mid-tier next generation gold producer in Africa and ultimately a leading senior global gold producer. About Allied Merger Corporation Allied Merger Corporation is a company formed and capitalized by the Former Yamana Principals, Peter Marrone, Daniel Racine, Jason LeBlanc, Gerardo Fernandez and Sofia Tsakos, for the purposes of financing and assisting the development of high-quality mining opportunities and along with SummitNorth Inc., an investor in Allied Merger Corporation, has agreed to the foregoing business and management arrangements with Allied Gold. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Allied Gold Corp Limited Stephan Theron Email: IR@alliedgold.com Allied Merger Corporation (On behalf of the Former Yamana Principals) Gerardo Fernandez Tel: +1 (647) 526-4258 Email: investor@alliedgoldmc.com This news release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities in Canada, the United States or any other jurisdiction. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. 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 defined 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. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking information is not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represents only Allied Gold's or Allied Merger Corporation's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of Allied Gold's or Allied Merger Corporation's control. Generally, such forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", or the negative or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". The forward-looking information contained herein may include, but is not limited to, information concerning Allied Gold's proposed going public event and listing; the proposed concurrent capital raise to be completed in connection with the going public event; the proposed transaction structure involving Allied Gold, Allied Merger Corporation and the existing pubic shell; the proposed ownership as between current management of Allied Gold and the Former Yamana Principals; information relating to Allied Gold's mineral properties, including but not limited to Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves, production and cost estimates; optimization, expansion and exploration plans; expectations regarding whether the proposed capital raise, go public and listing transactions will be completed, including whether conditions to the completion of such transactions will be satisfied and the timing for completing the proposed transactions; expectations for the effects of the proposed transaction, the business or operations of Allied Gold or the ability of Allied Gold to successfully achieve its business objectives; and expectations regarding other economic, business, and/or competitive factors. By identifying such information and statements in this manner, Allied Gold and Allied Merger Corporation are alerting the reader that such information and statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Allied Gold or Allied Merger Corporation to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such information and statements. In addition, in connection with the forward-looking information contained in this news release, Allied Gold and Allied Merger Corporation have made certain assumptions. Among the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information are the following: the ability to consummate the proposed transactions on the proposed terms and on the proposed timeline anticipated, or at all; the success of the proposed capital raise and concurrent going public and listing transaction; the ability to obtain all requisite regulatory and shareholder approvals and the satisfaction of other conditions to the consummation of the proposed transactions on the proposed terms and schedule; the ability to satisfy the listing conditions; the potential impact of the announcement or consummation of the proposed transactions on relationships, including with regulatory bodies, employees, suppliers, contractors and competitors; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; changes in applicable laws; and compliance with extensive government regulation. Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although Allied Gold and Allied Merger Corporation believe that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is provided as of the date of this news release, and Allied Gold and Allied Merger Corporation do not undertake to update any forward-looking information that is contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. Cautionary Notes to Investors - Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource Estimates In accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws, all Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource estimates of Allied Gold disclosed or referenced in this news release have been prepared in accordance with the disclosure standards of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects of the Canadian Securities Administrators ("NI 43-101"), and have been classified in accordance with the JORC Code (Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves prepared by the Joint Mineral Reserves Committee of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Australian Institute of Geoscientists and Minerals Council of Australia). Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Mineral Reserve Estimates - effective as of 31 December 2022 Project Proven Mineral Reserves Probable Mineral Reserves Total Mineral Reserves Tonnes (kt) Grade (g/t) Content (koz) Tonnes (kt) Grade (g/t) Content (koz) Tonnes (kt) Grade (g/t) Content (koz) Sadiola Gold Mine 13,138 0.91 384 136,363 1.57 6,866 149,501 1.51 7,250 Kurmuk Gold Project 17,117 1.66 912 35,642 1.47 1,689 52,759 1.53 2,601 Bonikro Gold Mine 4,773 0.76 117 10,641 1.54 528 15,413 1.30 645 Agbaou Gold Mine 920 1.04 31 5,991 1.78 343 6,912 1.68 374 Total Mineral Reserves 35,948 1.25 1,444 188,638 1.55 9,427 224,585 1.51 10,871 Mineral Resource Estimates - effective as of 31 December 2022 Project Measured Mineral Resources Indicated Mineral Resources Total - Measured and Indicated Tonnes (kt) Grade (g/t) Content (koz) Tonnes (kt) Grade (g/t) Content (koz) Tonnes (kt) Grade (g/t) Content (koz) Sadiola Gold Mine 13,236 0.91 385 202,275 1.54 10,042 215,511 1.50 10,427 Kurmuk Gold Project 17,759 1.78 1,019 38,221 1.68 2,064 55,980 1.71 3,083 Bonikro Gold Mine 7,212 1.02 236 17,525 1.52 855 24,737 1.37 1,091 Agbaou Gold Mine 1,060 1.19 41 9,460 1.98 602 10,520 1.90 643 Total Mineral Resources 39,268 1.33 1,682 267,481 1.58 13,563 306,749 1.55 15,244 Project Inferred Mineral Resources Tonnes (kt) Grade (g/t) Content (koz) Sadiola Gold Mine 12,040 1.15 446 Kurmuk Gold Project 9,746 1.70 534 Bonikro Gold Mine 17,543 1.32 747 Agbaou Gold Mine 2,720 2.31 202 Total Mineral Resources 41,411 1.41 1,873 Notes on Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource estimates are shown on a 100% basis. Designated government entities and national minority shareholders hold the following interests in each of the mines: 20% of Sadiola, 10.1% of Bonikro (except for the Dougbafla license which is held 100% by Allied Gold) and 15% of Agbaou. Kurmuk is held 35.54% by a joint venture partner. Only a portion of the government interests are carried. All estimates are effective as of 31 December 2022. The Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource estimates are inclusive of those Mineral Resource estimates modified to produce the Mineral Reserve estimates. Mineral Resources have been reported at a 0.5 g/t cut-off grade, constrained within an US$1800/oz pit shell. Mineral Reserves: Reflect that portion of the Mineral Resources which can be economically extracted by open pit methods. Consider the modifying factors and other parameters, including but not limited to the mining, metallurgical, social, environmental, statutory and financial aspects of the project. Include an allowance for mining dilution and ore loss. The cut-off grades and pit shells used for Mineral Reserves reporting were informed by a US$1500 /oz gold price. The cut-off grades vary by ore type due to differences in recoveries, costs for ore processing and ore haulage: Sadiola (0.31 to 0.73 g/t), Bonikro (0.60 to 0.85 g/t), Agbaou (0.39 to 0.63 g/t) and Kurmuk (0.33 to 0.53 g/t). The key assumptions, parameters, methods, data verification, and any known legal, political, environmental or other risks that could materially affect the potential development of the Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources for each project will be disclosed in a technical report, prepared in accordance with NI 43-101, for each of Sadiola, Kurmuk, Bonikro and Agbaou, to be made available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Scientific and Technical Information The qualified person for the scientific and technical information contained herein is Matthew McInnes, Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Senior Vice President, Studies at Allied Gold. Mr. McInnes, who is a "qualified person" as defined under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this news release, including all Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource estimates. No limitations were placed on Mr. McInnes' verification process. 1 See Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources table attached to this news release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/163921 ? This partnership enables private companies to engage in a concrete and value-creating impact strategy ? Good Circle's platform enables companies to improve their attractiveness to clients, talent and investors PARIS, MONTREAL and LONDON, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Good Circle, a new player in tech for good, and impak Analytics, a provider of impact data, are joining forces to maximize the commitment of private equity players to sustainable finance. Impact, the basis for sustainable transformation By using impak Analytics' technology and its SFDR+i solution to develop its platform, Good Circle helps investors meet SFDR requirements by integrating social and environmental impact data. This offer creates a virtuous mechanism for investors, allowing their portfolio companies to benefit from a personalized balance sheet and impact plan while minimizing their reputational risks. "It is essential that our impact analyses serve a company's value creation strategy, and Good Circle seemed ideal for creating this link," said Paul Allard, CEO of impak Analytics. "We chose impak Analytics for the quality and depth of their data, which we believe is non-negotiable for generating quality recommendations for our clients," adds Juliette Karrer, CEO at Good Circle. A turnkey solution Companies will be able to easily access this data, based on the most rigorous impact principles on the market, such as the Impact Management Norms, via the Good Circle platform, where they will also find an action plan and a catalog of customized solutions. The enhanced SFDR offering is a turnkey solution for private equity players seeking to optimize their decision-making processes and gain a qualitative and quantitative understanding of the sustainability of their assets. About impak impak Analytics impak Analytics, is an AI-using fintech scale-up that has developed a user-friendly impact data & intelligence platform with impact assessment, scoring and rating solutions Good Circle Good Circle, an impact value creation platform, enables companies to assess their impact on a range of stakeholders, to implement a personalized action plan, and to value these actions. https://www.impakanalytics.com/press-release-impak-x-good-circle/ Contact Juliette Karrer juliette@good-circle.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2014430/3959215/impak_analytics_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/impak-analytics-and-good-circle-join-forces-to-launch-an-enriched-sfdr-offering-for-private-equity-players-301808606.html Scope's partnership will align Scope and Farm Flight in developing industry-leading, analytical solutions in the carbon and agricultural markets VANCOUVER, BC, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Scope Carbon Corp. (CSE: SCPE; OTCQB: SCPCF, Frankfurt: VN8) ("Scope" or the "Company") a carbon mapping technology provider utilizing image recognition technology, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a non-binding letter of intent (the "Letter of Intent") to acquire Arizona-based Farm Flight, Inc. ("Farm Flight"), a pioneer of image based crop data and analytics in an arms-length all-share acquisition valued at approximately USD $14,500,000 (the "Transaction"). Highlights: Combining Complementary Operations and Expanding Scope's Services into the United States Agricultural Sector; Farm Flight's advanced imagery and analytics capabilities are currently improving the efficiency of their agricultural clients. Scope is developing an AI driven imagery platform and when combined with Farm Flight's capabilities, the Company anticipates to be able provide an effective scalable program that improve the efficiency of the agricultural industry on a mass market scale. Farm Flight's advanced imagery and analytics capabilities are currently improving the efficiency of their agricultural clients. Scope is developing an AI driven imagery platform and when combined with Farm Flight's capabilities, the Company anticipates to be able provide an effective scalable program that improve the efficiency of the agricultural industry on a mass market scale. Immediate Revenue; Farm Flight is currently revenue generating with accretive year over year growth. Farm Flight is currently revenue generating with accretive year over year growth. Broadens An Already Strong Management Team: Sam Baker, the CEO of Farm Flight, will be appointed CEO and President of the Company upon completion of the Transaction. The parties also intend that three existing board members of Farm Flight will be appointed to the board of the Company bringing experienced business acumen, as well as strong industry and client relationships. These strengths are complementary to Scope's knowledge and technological expertise. "After almost a year of working with Scope, we have never been surer that these are the right people to grow our combined businesses with and we believe the impact of the two companies can revolutionize the industry to new levels of efficiency and production capabilities," said Farm Flight's CEO, Sam Baker. "I believe that this Transaction will enable us to drive incredible change in agriculture and shape the future of food production. The potential of AI in this industry has been widely understood for a while now. We finally have the opportunity to make that vision a reality." "Agricultural production of food is difficult. As a result, approximately 33 percent of total food wastage occurs during this stage for various reasons ranging from crop failures, over-regulation to inefficiencies in the process. Food wastage is not only an economic loss to farmers, producers, chain retailers and consumers, it also results in a net environmental harm. This acquisition marries the technological capabilities of our two companies and also expands Scope's operations into the agricultural sector at a time when food prices and food waste have hit unfathomable highs", said Scope's Non-Executive Chairman Sean Prescott. "Whilst our immediate focus is on increasing revenue growth and profitability, we believe our combined technologies can be applied to a range of green industries and that this acquisition represents an exciting chapter in the stories of our companies. We look forward to joining forces with Farm Flight and increasing the value to our respective shareholders." Proposed Transaction Summary Pursuant to proposed terms of the Transaction, Scope will acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Farm Flight in exchange for approximately 12,351,662 common shares of Scope (the "Exchanged Shares"). The Exchanged Shares, in addition to being subject to a four month hold, will be subject to a lock-up agreement which provides that 20% of the Exchanged Shares will be released 36 months after the completion of the Transaction, and thereafter release 20% of the Exchanged Shares in subsequent six month intervals until 100% of the Exchanged Shares are released. In connection with the Transaction, it is expected that each of Farm Flight's optionholders and share purchase warrantholders will enter into an option surrender and cancellation agreement, and a warrant surrender and cancellation agreement, respectively. The Company and Farm Flight also anticipate restructuring certain indebtedness of Farm Flight into mutually satisfactory terms. Board of Directors and Management Upon completion of the Transaction, it is expected that Sam Baker, Farm Flight's CEO and President, will be appointed as CEO of the Company. Mr. Baker, together with two existing board members of Farm Flight will be appointed to the board of the Company, such that it will consist of six (6) directors. The Company will consider such further changes as may make sense for the business of the Company going forward. Further Information Further details about the Transaction will be provided in a comprehensive news release when the parties enter into definitive agreement with respect to the Transaction. Investors are cautioned that any information released or received with respect to the Transaction in this news release may not be complete and should not be relied upon and that completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of conditions. Each party is conducting its respective due diligence and the contemplated Transaction remains subject to approval by the board of directors of each party as well as the Farm Flight shareholders. Subject to the completion of each company's due diligence to its sole satisfaction, the parties will negotiate and proceed to enter into a definitive agreement outlining the terms and structure of the transaction. The final transaction structure will be determined after each party has had the opportunity to receive legal, accounting and tax advice. The securities to be issued in connection with the Transaction 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 defined in Regulation S promulgated 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. About Farm Flight, Inc. Farm Flight is an image-based crop intelligence platform based in Tempe, Arizona. Farm Flight's integrative platform combines data collection services, UAS technology, and various machine learning products into a single solution for customers throughout the supply chain. The technology that Farm Flight creates enables regenerative agricultural practices, mitigates waste, and helps producers increase their yields. About Scope Carbon Corp. Scope is a carbon mapping technology company located in Vancouver, British Columbia and is focused on the commercial development of its AI-driven image software, which the Company intends to use for the identification and estimation of carbon-based lifeforms and carbon emissions, both key components in the identification of carbon credits. The Company is currently focused on the commercial development of its technology (the "Scope Analysis Platform") through its research and development program, to expand the capabilities of the Scope Analysis Platform and provide a one-tool solution in carbon mapping. For more information please visit Scope Carbon Corp. or follow along on social media. LinkedIn: @Smarter Markets Facebook: Scope Carbon Corp. Twitter: @scopecarboncorp Contact Information Sean Prescott, Founder and Director info@scopecarboncorp.com (604) 683 0911 Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements that constitute forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements in this news release that are not purely historical statements of fact are forward-looking statements and include statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations, future, strategy, objectives, goals and targets, the prospects of Scope and Farm Flight, the potential benefits, if any, of Scope's partnership with Farm Flight, Scope's acquisition of Farm Flight, completion of the Transaction and associated approvals. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable and reflect expectations of future developments and other factors which management believes to be reasonable and relevant, the Company can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: "believes", "expects", "aim", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "may", "should", "would", "will", "potential", "scheduled" or variations of such words and phrases and similar expressions, which, by their nature, refer to future events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and are based on assumptions and analyses made by the Company in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, including, but not limited to, those risks and assumptions described in the Company's prospectus dated August 10, 2022, a copy of which is available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. While Scope considers these assumptions to be reasonable, based on information currently available, they may prove to be incorrect. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. In addition, forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks, including, without limitation, risks associated with general economic conditions, continued satisfaction of Canadian Securities Exchange requirements, product safety and recalls, regulatory compliance and risks associated with the Company's business. For more information on the risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause anticipated opportunities and actual results to differ materially, please refer to the risk factors set out in the Company's prospectus dated August 10, 2022, a copy of which is available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and, unless required by applicable law, 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 these forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The Canadian Securities Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the business of the Company and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release and accepts no responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy hereof. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/scope-carbon-announces-letter-of-intent-for-proposed-acquisition-of-farm-flight-inc-and-expanding-its-network-in-north-america-301809392.html Award-Winning Private Jet Tour Operator Introduces Eight Tailored Itineraries to Destinations Around the World, from Africa to Australia TCS World Travel, the world's leading operator of private jet expeditions, today unveiled eight new customizable itineraries for travelers seeking a personalized getaway with private jet, plane or first class commercial travel options. From a deep dive into some of the most remote destinations in southern Africa, to an island-hopping journey around the Mediterranean, travelers can choose from a diverse menu of all-encompassing trips that combine exclusive access and one-of-a-kind experiences with luxury accommodations in desirable destinations around the world. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005255/en/ TCS World Travel Debuts New All-Encompassing Personalized Trips (Photo: Business Wire) TCS World Travel's Private Custom Travel arm offers guests an exclusive, private and stress-free way to travel, leveraging TCS' wealth of knowledge, global network of connections, and on-the-ground expertise from the company's 30 years of experience creating unforgettable Group Jet Expeditions. Guests will enjoy TCS World Travel's exceptional service, dedication and attention to detail, and benefit from their exclusive access and insights, as their knowledgeable travel consultants plan every step of the journey. TCS can also include an experienced trip leader to travel with the group and sort out all the on-the-ground details throughout the journey. Travelers will begin with a complimentary trip consultation with TCS' travel consultants, who will help them personalize their itinerary by choosing the perfect destinations and activities. All itineraries are completely customizable for travelers looking to build their own personalized vacations to their own unique tastes and specifications. While these itineraries are designed to spark ideas, TCS can create trips that are as over-the-top as guests wish to go. "Whether guests are planning a once-in-a-lifetime bucket-list trip, multi-generational family getaway, or romantic trip with their partner, TCS World Travel has the planning and operational expertise to make the complex simple," said Shelley Cline, President of TCS World Travel. "The unparalleled expertise of our travel consultants makes the process seamless and enjoyable from start to finish, as guests work with our team to create the trip of their dreams." TCS' all-encompassing curated journeys include luxury accommodations, savvy local guides, exceptional dining experiences, transfers, gratuities and end-to-end service. The trip pricing includes all accommodations and activities in the proposed itinerary, with the ability to add on a private jet or first-class commercial travel to the itinerary starting points. Select itineraries (as indicated below) include private jet travel between destinations, but TCS can arrange anything from commercial or private flights to private car service, yachts or even train travel. Choosing Private Custom Travel gives guests the freedom to travel however they desire. New 2023 Private Travel Itineraries Iconic Europe by Private Jet from $213,500 per person based on double occupancy Paris, France Prague, Czech Republic Milan, Italy Geneva, Switzerland Uncharted Mediterranean by Private Jet from $103,250 per person based on a group of eight Corsica, France Cyprus Crete, Greece Valletta, Malta Sardinia, Italy Palma de Mallorca, Spain South America by Private Jet $95,350 per person based on a group of ten Panama City, Panama Atacama, Chile La Paz, Bolivia Uyuni, Bolivia Iquitos, Peru Trujillo, Peru Cartagena, Colombia Classic India from $66,350 per person based on double occupancy Delhi Jaipur Agra Bandhavgarh National Park Delhi Red Sands of Namibia, the Okavango Delta and Victoria Falls by Private Plane from $63,300 per person based on double occupancy Sossusvlei, Namibia Damaraland, Namibia Etosha National Park, Namibia Okavango Delta, Botswana Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Crater to Plain: Tanzania Kenya from $36,000 per person based on double occupancy Nairobi, Kenya Amboseli National Park, Kenya Masai Mara, Kenya Serengeti, Tanzania Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania Australia's Diverse Landscapes from $32,978 per person based on double occupancy Melbourne Adelaide Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park Daintree Rainforest Lizard Island Sydney Modern Marvels of Asia from $25,000 per person based on a group of six Tokyo, Japan Bangkok, Thailand Singapore For more information please call TCS Private Custom Travel at 206-995-8655, email at lctinquiries@tcsworldtravel.com or visit TCSWorldTravel.com About TCS World Travel TCS World Travel leads the industry in private jet journeys with the experience and knowledge built from developing hundreds of trips for over 30 years. The company excels at providing unparalleled local access and exclusive activities tailored to any travel style. Circle the globe or take a dive deep into a region on a luxury private jet expedition or embark on a luxury custom journey by private charter plane created especially for you to any destination in the world. For more information, visit www.tcsworldtravel.com or find TCS World Travel on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005255/en/ Contacts: TCS World Travel tcs@thepointpr.com GOTHENBURG, Sweden, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tridentify AB has today signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Intrance Medical Systems regarding purchase and delivery of the Tridentify Tracer Solution. The Seller (Tridentify AB) has developed an advanced SaaS and IoT system for the real time monitoring and continuous stability control of pharmaceuticals in the cold chain. The Buyer (Intrance Medical Systems Inc) has developed a drug/device treatment system for patients suffering from Parkinson's diseases in an advanced stage. The drug component is expected to be delivered internationally and need to be transported under refrigerated conditions. The intended transaction involves the Seller providing the monitoring system as a fee for service, covering safeguarding services of shipments of the pharmaceutical products used in the Buyer's clinical development program including clinics in the EU and the US. Final commercial and legal terms will be negotiated in good faith with the mutual ambition to be completed by, at the latest September 1, 2023, unless both parties agree to an extension. "Tridentify is delighted about the interest that Intrance Medical Systems has shown in our Tracer Solution. We are proud that Intrance is to become our first signed biomedical customer and that we will be able to support the development of a new Parkinson treatment in the US," says Johan Stormlund, CEO at Tridentify. About Tridentify AB Tridentify is a Swedish Software-as-a-Service MedTech company that helps customers control the entire supply chain and cold chain logistics for transfusion medicine blood, plasma and other temperature-sensitive goods. After further development work, we can now provide our unique system to the entire spectrum of sensitive and expensive biomedicine. Our safeguarding Tracer System accurately measures temperature and condition, throughout the life cycle of biological and pharma products. Unlike all other solutions, the Tracer System is programmed to the exact specifications of the medicine. This gives it the ability to communicate the shelf life of the actual individual package it is attached to in real time. With Tridentify's SaaS/IoT system, the costs of delivery audits are reduced. There is significantly less wastage and less destroyed biopharma. Our technology makes it safer and easier to comply with current and future legislation and medical requirements. Finally, and most importantly, we increase the safety for the patient who can trust that the Biopharma fulfills its function. For more information, visit tridentify.com. About Intrance Medical Systems Inc Intrance Medical Systems, Inc., a subsidiary of Sweden-based Intrance Holdings AB, is a private biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of its lead clinical product for the treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease in the U.S., Canada, South America, Japan and Taiwan. For more information, visit intrancemedical.com. For further information, please contact: Johan Stormlund, CEO Tridentify +46 734 122 668 johan.stormlund@tridentify.com The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/22296/3759848/2018067.pdf Press release (PDF) https://news.cision.com/tridentify-ab/i/johan-stormlund,c3172122 Johan Stormlund View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/tridentify-ab-signs-letter-of-intent-with-intrance-medical-systems-inc-regarding-purchase-and-delivery-of-its-saas-based-cold-chain-safeguarding-service-301809610.html NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Cisco Systems Inc. Cisco is proud to support Akvo, which provides data services and tech solutions to development partners in the water, agriculture, and climate sectors. We know that data is critical for effective decision-making, collaboration, and accountability. Akvo supports agencies and governments around the world to improve their programs so they can achieve lasting impact. This post comes from Joy Ghosh, Akvo's Tech Lead. Joy has been working in the field of data and technology for development for the past 10 years, and specializes in building data platforms for the agriculture and water sectors. Here's how data is usually collected in the development sector. Let's say a project is set up to improve the income of smallholder farmers or achieve safe water access in a certain region. Enumerators are sent out to collect data on the communities which are impacted by these issues. Interventions are then put in place to improve the outcomes and contribute towards impact. At the end of the program, enumerators are sent out once again to collect data and monitor change. But what if we could supplement this tried and tested method of data collection with continuous input from the field, rather than just baseline data at the beginning and the end of a program? And what if, rather than knocking on doors to collect data, community members had a platform to share information on their challenges and needs. What if we could use data collection as a tool for continuous community engagement? With support from the Cisco Foundation, we've been developing technologies to make this a reality. Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) and phone-based data collection is often seen as a cost-saving alternative to field data collection - ideal for situations in which you can't go into the field due to health or security emergencies. But this technology should be seen as a complement to in-person field data collection, and the benefits go far beyond reduced costs and security challenges. A hybrid approach to monitoring Today, enumerators are sent out into the field to find respondents from whom to gather data. This traditional method of data collection has clear benefits - enumerators can observe first-hand what's going on in the field, and project managers receive comprehensive, quality datasets. However, there are also numerous drawbacks. In-person data collection is resource-intensive and therefore periodical. The lack of continuous, timely data means that often, interventions are detached from the realities on the ground. Field-based data collection provides snapshots into the current situation, rather than continuous feedback that allows program managers to fill in the context, and adjust strategies based on evidence. Using a hybrid approach to data collection - remote and in person - could help to complete the picture. Program managers can use remote data collection to gain a broad understanding of a specific problem, and then in-person data collection to focus on potential problem areas. Alternatively, in-field data collection can be conducted at, for example, annual intervals, and then remote data collection can fill in the gaps and provide context continually. This would allow program managers to see change as it occurs, allowing for more timely responses, targeted interventions, and better results. In-person data collection is also a physically exhausting process. The sheer logistical challenges may lead to enumerators collecting data from 10 people in one village and none from the surrounding five, resulting in a skewed sample. With remote data collection, you have the potential to exceed your sample, reaching a much wider geographical scope with significantly less resources. Finally, in-person data collection makes it difficult to seek out local change makers in the community, and brings to the fore questions of data ownership. What are the incentives for respondents to give away their time and their data? Does the data still belong to them? And how, if at all, does the data get fed back into the community? Innovations in remote data collection technology could allow for a more citizen-centered approach. Harnessing the power of remote in Kenya In Kenya, Akvo created a system for distributing, accessing and responding to surveys via radio and text messaging in cooperation with county governments of Kajiado, Laikipia and Kwale, Central FM Kenya Radio, and Africa's Talking, a local USSD aggregator. Akvo and Africa's Talking jointly produced an Application Programming Interface (API) integration that allows surveys, traditionally administered by a mobile surveying application, to be received and completed via text message. We partnered with Central FM Kenya Radio to establish a schedule for broadcasting USSD codes to listeners, analyzing and interpreting data alongside Health Authority Officials, and distributing survey results. Radio DJs that host interviews with representatives of Kenya Water for Health Organization received data process training and then broadcast the USSD codes to listeners. Each time a survey was announced, the DJ would explain that answers from completed surveys would be automatically sent to county databases and live data visualizations (maps, charts, and graphs) would be updated. DJs actively distributed survey codes, observed responses coming-in, updated live data visualization dashboards, interpreted results in conjunction with Health Officials, and communicated updated information back to the community regarding two thematic areas: integrated water management and gender-based violence. This approach allows organizations to ask the community directly for input, be it in relation to their water facilities, healthcare, food security, or any other societal issue. This has a host of benefits, including: Raising awareness around the issue at hand by broadcasting it Gathering data at regular intervals via broadcast for a fraction of the cost Identifying individuals in the community who care about and actively participate in community issues, because they come to you, rather than you going to them Introducing incentives for feeding in data continuously and on a timely basis (through gamification, for example) Feeding data directly back to the community - they are aware and involved in the problem and empowered with opportunities to contribute to the solution This pilot is one of many that we've been testing in various sectors and contexts with support from the Cisco Foundation, and shows how traditional data collection methods in the development sector can be innovated to improve results. At the time of writing this blog we are in a scaling phase, aiming to support an additional 10 partners (government and organizations) this year with crowdsourcing solutions such as USSD. What's next for the sector Just like the switch from pen and paper data collection to smartphone-based data collection, this evolution will take time and learning. There are numerous benefits to remote data collection if used in the right way and in the right context, but we have to learn which methods are best suited to which contexts, and what the drawbacks and challenges are. Beyond that, we have to think differently about how data should be collected based on the different mediums. For example, you can't run the same survey on USSD as you would in an in-person survey because it would be too long and too cumbersome for the respondent. This is where design thinking comes into play, and program managers consider what data is needed, how that data is best collected, and what obstacles there may be. We're continuing this work to identify the best practices, challenges, and opportunities, with financial support and technical advice support from the Cisco Foundation. View original content here View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Cisco Systems Inc. on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Cisco Systems Inc. Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/cisco-systems-inc Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Cisco Systems Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/751619/Akvo-The-Next-Generation-of-Data-Collection-for-Sustainable-Development With the acquisition of Boston-based Revela, a leading biotech startup, and the establishment of ODDITY LABS, the company is at the vanguard, bringing a proven drug discovery technology into beauty and wellness. ODDITY, the consumer technology platform built to transform the global beauty and wellness market, today announces the $76M acquisition of Boston-based Revela, an industry leading biotechnology startup and forerunner in Artificial Intelligence-based molecule discovery for beauty and wellness indications. With the acquisition, the company will establish ODDITY LABS in Boston with an additional $25M investment for its frontier lab. The business combination will boost the development and expansion of proprietary, science-backed, clinically tested, and highly efficacious products, for the benefit of consumers around the world. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005130/en/ Dr. David Zhang, Shiran Holtzman Erel, Oran Holtzman and Dr. Evan Zhao (Photo: Business Wire) "ODDITY is deploying its strong balance sheet to continue reinventing the beauty and wellness market and cement our competitive advantage and technology moat." said Oran Holtzman, ODDITY's co-founder and CEO. "With 40M+ users, 1B+ data points and dozens of machine learning algorithms, we believe ODDITY is years ahead of our industry when it comes to technology. With the acquisition of Revela, we are doubling down on innovation but this time around science-backed product development and bringing proven pharma-grade technology to beauty and wellness. Not just for one ingredient or to solve one pain point but with a platform that spans categories, use cases, and form factors. We believe the combination of ODDITY's dominant direct to consumer platform and scaling machine with Revela's biotechnology will be a game changer for the industry. Together we will redefine product efficacy via AI-based molecule discovery engines for the benefit of consumers worldwide. Revela's multi-category pipeline will be launched via ODDITY's current and future brands to support future growth." Founded in 2021, Revela is revolutionizing beauty and wellness as one of the industry's most advanced biotechnology platforms, and a leader in AI-based molecule discovery. "Advances in computation and molecular biology have ushered in a new era of discovery and development. We can now far better understand the biological pathways that drive the behavior of cells, and we can also identify novel molecules that influence that behavior to deliver desired outcomes, in ways that were never possible before," says Dr. Evan Zhao, Revela co-founder and CEO, "We believe this technology, which is already widely used in pharma for drug discovery, allows us to create targeted and highly efficacious products across a unlimited range of consumer needs, and do it with a speed and efficiency that the industry has never seen before". Revela already has patent-pending molecule ingredients proven to have significant step-wise improvements in efficacy for skin and hair based on clinical testing. Revela has hundreds of molecules in its development pipeline today, spanning a wide range of beauty and wellness applications. Its existing suite of new molecules will be integrated into ODDITY's current and future brands, and further developed to find next generation solutions. "We founded Revela to change the beauty and wellness industry, which has stagnated from underinvestment in science and technology," says Dr. Zhao, founder and CEO of Revela, "While biotechnology has broken new ground in molecule discovery, beauty and wellness has fallen behind for decades, and is serving consumers repackaged versions of sub-optimal ingredients that have been used for decades. Together with ODDITY and its technology platform and online capabilities, we believe we will change this paradigm and redefine the industry." The transaction was signed and is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including satisfaction of applicable regulatory waiting periods. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2023. ODDITY LABS With the acquisition of Revela, ODDITY will build ODDITY LABS in Boston, MA with a $25M investment for its frontier lab. ODDITY LABS will be a biotechnology research and development center to power ODDITY's product innovation for the future, through the discovery and development of molecules, probiotics, peptides, and other biological modalities. It is being built to revolutionize the market through patented, proprietary technologies and capabilities, including AI-based molecule discovery, and what we believe is the world's most advanced phenotypic database to understand the biological mechanisms that drive cellular behavior for beauty and wellness indications. ODDITY LABS will be led by the Revela founding team. Dr. Zhao joins ODDITY as Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. David Zhang, Revela's CSO, joins as Head of Bioengineering and Mr. Avi Boppana, Revela's CTO, joins as Head of Platform. "We have seen the transformational powers of biotechnology and artificial intelligence on drug discovery, and are unleashing these technologies in the beauty and wellness space with massive investment," said Holtzman. "While our competitors are stuck in the past, adding Revela will allow us to build the future of R&D for the category, just as we did with our technology center in Tel Aviv." AI-Based Molecule Discovery AI-based molecule discovery is a transformative frontier in product development, enabled by the advancements of technologies including synthetic biology, genomic sequencing, robotics, and artificial intelligence. The technological approach is already proven and widely used in the field of biotechnology for drug discovery. Revela is the forerunner in implementing and scaling AI-based molecule discovery for beauty and wellness, which allows Revela to identify small molecules that are both highly efficacious and safe, and to do it cost efficiently, with accelerated lead times. This multi-step process leverages biological and computational technologies to drive discovery and optimization: High throughput screening of tens of thousands of molecules is conducted using biological assays Results are fed through an ensemble of deep learning models to scale screening across millions of potential molecules Lead molecules are identified with in vitro validation validation Comprehensive safety testing is conducted both in silico and ex-vivo prior to product development and prior to product development Human clinical testing is conducted to validate results After a winner is identified, molecules are continuously optimized to find the best-in-class, using medicinal chemistry and biological mechanism-based optimization through RNA sequencing, molecular docking, and molecule representation algorithms. Revela's Ingredients that are already In-Market ProCelinyl ProCelinyl is a novel small molecule that supports the dermal papilla cells and brings hair follicles to a more vibrant state. Procelinyl's powerful efficacy has been validated in clinical studies. In consumer studies, formulations with this ingredient have consistently outperformed market leading competitors in terms of user satisfaction and efficacy not just in hair, but also in brow and lash. We believe the ingredient has the potential to redefine the entire hair growth category, which has not seen meaningful innovation in 40 years. Fibroquin Fibroquin is a novel small molecule that supports the pro-collagen pathway in skin to promote skin elasticity and plumpness. In a human clinical study, subjects using the Fibroquin essence had a 2X improvement in skin elasticity compared to subjects using a gold-standard 0.5% retinol serum, in just 8 weeks. Fibroquin formulas resulted in superior anti-aging effects to a best-in-class retinol, without the irritation effects of retinol. About Revela Revela is a biotechnology platform that discovers new molecules for consumer wellness applications using AI for molecular discovery and advanced biological models. Revela's world-class team has expertise out of Harvard and MIT in synthetic biology, high-throughput screening, assay and model development, and machine learning. Revela is backed by Khosla Ventures, Maki.VC, Montage Ventures, and other top venture funds. Revela was founded by Dr. Evan Zhao, Dr. David Zhang, Avi Boppana, and Ying Tung (Evelyn) Chen. Dr. Evan Zhao, CEO and co-founder of Revela, is a synthetic biologist with a long history of utilizing the newest biotechnologies to disrupt stagnant spaces. He received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Caltech and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Princeton where he pioneered the use of optogenetics in metabolic engineering and protein therapeutics, and was a Maeder Graduate Fellow in Energy and the Environment. Evan is lead author of publications in Nature, Nature Biotechnology, Nature Chemical Biology, Nature Communications, etc. He was most recently a Schmidt Science Fellow (~20 postdoctoral scientists selected by the Rhodes Trust annually) at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University. There, Evan developed a revolutionary approach to selectively activate therapeutics based on the RNA of the cell of interest. Dr. David Zhang, CSO and co-founder of Revela, is an expert in immunology and bioengineering with a record of developing translational technologies. He has published in top journals including Nature Biotechnology, Nature Materials, and Nature Communications. He has a B.S. from McGill University, a M.A.Sc from the University of Toronto, and a PhD from Harvard University, where he developed next-generation cancer therapy technologies with one of Revela's scientific advisors Professor David Mooney, the Robert P. Pinkas Family Professor of Bioengineering at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University and a leader in the fields of immuno-engineering and mechanotransduction. These technologies are currently licensed to a clinical-stage biopharma company. Avinash Boppana, CTO and co-founder of Revela, is a computer scientist with expertise in computational methods for molecule discovery and systems biology. He has a B.S.E from Princeton University where he created novel algorithms for genomics-informed therapeutic development, and has published in top journals including Nature Cell Biology, etc. He has previously worked with the Harvard Medical School, the NIH, and with Professor Connor Coley, the Henri Slezynger (1957) Career Development Assistant Professor in Chemical Engineering Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Revela's principal scientific advisor and a Forbes' 30 under 30 scientist leading the computational chemical engineering space. About ODDITY ODDITY is a consumer tech company which builds and scales digital-first brands to disrupt the offline-dominated beauty and wellness industries. The company owns IL MAKIAGE and SpoiledChild. ODDITY, with a US HQ in New York City and an R&D center in Tel Aviv, Israel, has built one of the industry's most advanced technology platforms, which leverages data science, machine learning and computer vision capabilities to deliver a better online experience for consumers. The company uses cutting-edge data science to identify consumer needs and develops solutions in the form of beauty, wellness, and tech products. As part of its technology platform, which currently serves its own brands and over 40 million users, ODDITY has developed several key consumer-facing technology products, including: POWERMATCH an AI- and Machine Learning-driven matching engine to deliver consumers the perfectly-matched products for them Kenzza a patented creator-powered in-house media platform that represents one of the largest libraries of bespoke beauty media content in the world Hyperspectral Vision A patented hyperspectral image recovery software, catapulting the company into the forefront of innovation in computer vision SpoiledBrain an AI- and Machine Learning-driven matching engine to pair consumers with wellness products The company is developing tools to offer its technology products to external companies. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005130/en/ Contacts: Michael Braun michaelb@oddity.com TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / HIRE Technologies Inc. (TSXV:HIRE.V)(OTCQB:HIRRF) ("HIRE" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that further to its news release dated March 13, 2023, it has closed the sale of select assets (the "Transaction") from its Headhunters business unit (the "Business") to the former shareholders (the "Former THH Shareholders") of The Headhunters Recruitment Inc. ("THH") and 2498820 Alberta Ltd. (together, with the Former THH Shareholders, the "Purchasers"). The Transaction is an "Exempt Disposition" as defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV"). "With this transaction, HIRE takes a pragmatic approach to optimizing our business by divesting select assets of the Headhunters business unit. This move enables HIRE to reduce liabilities, including a significant $4.7 million contingent consideration, which ultimately strengthens our financial position", said Simon Dealy, HIRE's Chief Executive Officer. Pursuant to a Settlement and Asset Purchase Agreement dated March 10, 2023, among the Company, THH, and the Purchasers, the Purchasers acquired the rights to THH's trademark and domain name, email accounts, and website. The Former THH Shareholders are also released from their non-compete agreements with THH and the Company. The Purchasers have offered to continue employment for all the employees of the Business. As consideration for select assets and certain specified liabilities of the Business, the Purchasers paid HIRE a nominal cash amount. In connection with the Transaction, the Purchasers and HIRE entered into a mutual release agreement relating to claims the Former THH Shareholders had under the original Share Purchase Agreement dated September 2021 (the "Share Purchase Agreement"), including a $4.7M liability. The Company anticipates that it will recognize a gain on the sale, which will be recorded in Q2-2023 along with an estimated reduction to current liabilities of $4.7M in contingent consideration for that which was owed to the Purchasers in connection with the Share Purchase Agreement. Additionally, the Company has agreed to issue to the Purchasers an unsecured three-year term 8% promissory note with an estimated principal amount of approximately $71,334, in partial satisfaction for the mutual release of claims under the Share Purchase Agreement. For more information on the Transaction, please see the Company's news release dated March 13, 2023. About HIRE Technologies Inc. HIRE is a capital allocator focused on workforce management and staffing solutions. The company aims to develop a diverse portfolio of brands that leverage their synergies, scale, and reach. HIRE has expertise in building and expanding staffing and executive search companies and benefits from a scalable shared services platform. For additional information, visit hire.company. Contacts Simon Dealy Chief Executive Officer (647) 264-9196 sdealy@hire.company Neither the TSXV 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 press release contains "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" (collectively referred to hereafter as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements that address activities, events, or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will, or may, occur in the future, including but not limited to statements regarding the expectation that the Company will recognize a gain on the sale and an estimated reduction to current liabilities of $4.7M are forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements are preceded by, followed by, or include words such as "may" "will", "would", "could", "should", "believes", "estimates", "projects", "potential", "expects", "plans", "intends", "proposes", "anticipates", "targeted", "continues", "forecasts", "designed", "goal", or the negative of those words or other similar or comparable words. Although the management of the Company believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that a forward-looking statement herein will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties applicable to the Company, as well as trends identified by the Company affecting it and the staffing industry can be found in the Company's MD&A and its continuous disclosure record available on SEDAR. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. All forward-looking statements herein are qualified by this cautionary statement. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. SOURCE: HIRE Technologies Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/751592/HIRE-Technologies-Announces-Completion-of-Sale-of-Select-Assets-of-its-Headhunters-Business-and-47-Million-Reduction-to-Current-Liabilities WICHITA, KS / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 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 that the Company has won a federal contract from the U.S. Department of Defense's ("DoD") Defense Innovation Unit ("DIU") to produce and deliver eBee VISION fixed-wing drones and customized command and control software that proves compatible and is in full compliance with the DoD Robotic and Autonomous System-Air Interoperability Profile ("RAS-A IOP"). Through the DIU's Commercial Solutions Opening process, it competitively solicits proposals for innovative solutions that accelerate attainment of defense capabilities for its DoD partners. AgEagle is among a small group of BlueUAS-approved, commercial drone manufacturers awarded contracts for this project, whereby the DIU will ultimately screen, analyze and approve RAS-A compliant commercial small unmanned aerial systems ("sUAS") for onboarding into the DoD. DIU will support these systems through a supply chain prototype analysis for NDAA compliance, cyber-vulnerability penetration testing, the United States Air Force Authority to Operate process, and the U.S. Navy Interim Flight Clearance process. Once these administrative requirements are completed, approved sUAS should no longer require "Exception to Policy" requests for DoD users to procure and use. RAS-A IOP is a ground control link protocol that was developed to enable secure, standardized interoperability between diverse sUAS approved for use by U.S. federal government agencies, including models from different manufacturers and of different types, such as fixed-wing, rotary wing and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL). AgEagle will support software development and integration efforts to securely connect and bridge both the eBee VISION unmanned aerial system ("UAS") with specific government networks. The eBee VISION is AgEagle's latest innovation in autonomous robotics and joins the Company's line of proven, high performance eBee photogrammetry solutions. The eBee VISION delivers high resolution, medium-range video imagery made possible by its 32x zoom and powerful thermal observation capabilities. Its sensor payloads are capable of detecting, tracking and geo-locating objects in both day and night conditions. Offering up to 90 minutes of flight time and the same ease-of-use that has earned AgEagle's eBee line of drones industry distinction, the eBee VISION can be deployed and operated by a single person. Barrett Mooney, Chairman and CEO of AgEagle, stated, "We are very proud to have been awarded this key government contract from the DIU in support of its mission to field and scale transformational commercial technologies across the U.S. military at commercial speed. It is a true testament to AgEagle's historical success in developing and bringing to market highly innovative drone-enabled solutions designed to meet and exceed the needs of our customers. As global threats continue, so, too, will AgEagle works towards ensuring that our military forces are equipped with the most advanced UAS possible." 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 This press release may contain "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. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties that could negatively affect our business, operating results, financial condition, and stock price. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from management's current expectations include those risks and uncertainties relating to our competitive position, the industry environment, potential growth opportunities, and the effects of regulation and events outside of our control, such as natural disasters, wars, or health epidemics. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in our expectations or any changes in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law. AgEagle Aerial Systems Contacts: Investor Relations: Gateway Investor Relations Matt Glover or Cody Cree Phone: 949-574-3860 Email: UAVS@gatewayir.com Media: Email: media@ageagle.com SOURCE: AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/751416/AgEagle-Wins-Contract-from-US-Department-of-Defenses-Defense-Innovation-Unit-to-Equip-eBee-VISION-with-RAS-A-IOP-Compliant-Ground-Control-Capabilities TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Wasel & Wasel an international disputes firm specializing in construction disputes, and Chartered Institute of Building; are proud to announce the launch of their groundbreaking new course, "Building Strong Construction Claims in Canada." This first-of-its-kind course in North America, instructed by Wasel & Wasel Managing Partner Mr. Mahmoud Abuwasel, will commence on May 2, 2023, and run every Tuesday for four weeks. Mahmoud Abuwasel An image of Mahmoud Abuwasel speaking at the International Construction Forum. Following the success of the International Construction Forum in Toronto, hosted by Wasel & Wasel, and supported by the Chartered Institute of Building, Wasel & Wasel have joined forces with the Institute to create this innovative course. The curriculum focuses on the practical application of guidance by U.S., U.K., and other jurisdictions towards trends affecting types and causes of construction claims in Canada. Additionally, the course will provide insights on managing construction arbitration. Mr. Mahmoud Abuwasel, who has been involved with construction disputes in projects worth over USD 12 billion, added that: "The launch of this course marks an important milestone in the construction industry, providing invaluable knowledge and practical tools to professionals navigating construction claims in Canada. We look forward to sharing our insights and helping attendees build strong construction claims and manage arbitration effectively." The Institute's Regional Manager of the Americas, Ms. Sereena Kang, expressed her enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating: "We are thrilled to join forces with Wasel & Wasel to provide this innovative and essential course. The unique combination of our expertise and that of Mr. Abuwasel will ensure that participants gain a deep understanding of construction claims in the Canadian context." Registration for the course is now open, and interested participants can visit (https://www.ciobacademy.org/product/building-strong-construction-claims-in-canada) to secure their spots. Participants will receive a certificate of completion from the Chartered Institute of Building upon successfully finishing the course. About Wasel & Wasel Wasel & Wasel is an international disputes firm with expertise in construction disputes. The firm expertise spans various sectors, including infrastructure, energy, and hospitality. Wasel & Wasel has offices in North America, Asia, and Australia. About the Chartered Institute of Building The Chartered Institute of Building is a worldwide professional body that represents professionals working within the built environment. With a presence in over 100 countries and 45,000 members worldwide and is dedicated to promoting the highest standards in construction management and driving positive change in the industry. Contact Information Abdulla Abu Wasel Deputy Managing Partner awasel@waselandwasel.com 6472054325 SOURCE: Wasel & Wasel View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/751381/Wasel-Wasel-and-the-Chartered-Institute-of-Building-Bridge-the-Gap-in-Construction-Claims-Education-With-New-Course-Tailored-for-the-Canadian-Market VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Veji Holdings Ltd.(CSE:VEJI)(OTC PINK:VEJIF) (the "Company' or "Veji") announces progress towards finalizing its BIA Proposal, and announces LOI to acquire certain assets from Keto Caveman Cafe Ltd. Proposed Share Issuance under its BIA Proposal On April 18th, the Company provided 5 business days' notice to announce that after receiving court approval from the Supreme Court of British Columbia (Vernon Registry) for its Division I proposal (the "Proposal"), pursuant to the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (Canada) (the "BIA"), the Company intends to issue 25,726,146 common shares ("Settlement Shares"). The company has now filed its Form 9 and corresponding treasury instructions to issue the Settlement Shares. "This is a key step forward in allow Veji and our shareholders to move forward with the business, we want to thank our investors, partners, management, and directors for sticking through this process with us", Said Kory Zelickson, CEO. Year End Financials The Company also anticipates that it will not meet its deadline to file its audited annual financial statements, management's discussion and analysis and related officer certifications for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 before the prescribed deadline of May 1st, 2023. Auditor Engagement The Company's management and team members have identified and are in the process of onboarding a new auditor no later than May 15, 2023 with initial diligence procedures already underway. The team will work diligently to complete the Annual Filings as soon as possible and currently expects this to occur on or about June 26, 2023. Letter of Intent On March 16, 2023, Veji entered into a non-binding letter of intent to purchase certain bakery-related assets (the "Bakery Assets") from Keto Caveman Cafe Ltd. The Bakery Assets would leverage Veji's existing expertise in direct-to-consumer and direct-to-business sales and allow the brand to expand across Canada and into the United States. Although no assurances can be given that the transaction will close, the teams are working diligently towards finalizing an asset purchase agreement respecting the same. About Veji Holdings Ltd. The Company is a reporting issuer in Canada and is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol "VEJI" and on the OTC under the symbol "VEJIF". For more information please visit VejiHoldings.com ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Kory Zelickson Director and CEO For investor inquiries or further information, contact: ir@vejiholdings.com No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release. THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE (THE "CSE") HAS NEITHER APPROVED NOR DISAPPROVED THE CONTENTS OF THIS PRESS RELEASE. 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. CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This release includes forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities laws regarding VEJI and its business, including, without limitation, statements regarding the issuance of the Settlement Shares, the timing of the Company's annual financial statements and related filings and the proposed acquisition of the Bakery Assets. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "is expected", "expects", "scheduled", "intends", "contemplates", "anticipates", "believes", "proposes" 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. Such statements are based on the current expectations of the management of VEJI and are based on assumptions and subject to risks and uncertainties. Although the management of VEJI believes that the assumptions underlying these statements are reasonable, they may prove to be incorrect. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur by certain specified dates or at all and could differ materially as a result of VEJI's failure to enter into a definitive agreement respecting the proposed acquisition of the Bakery Assets as well as the risk factors identified in VEJI's most recently filed management's discussion and analysis and in other publicly filed documents under VEJI's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, as well as other unknown risks. Although VEJI has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements or information. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Except as required by applicable securities laws, forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and VEJI does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. SOURCE: Veji Holdings Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/751593/Veji-Provides-Corporate-Updates-and-Announcement-of-LOI The No. 1 imported Mexican beer brand and famous Southern California changemaker, Juixxe, recognize the Fighting Spirit of aguas frescas vendors, who keep the beloved Mexican street drink tradition alive CHICAGO, April 27, 2023to be among the first to try the new beverage - that they helped inspire - at the Modelo Spiked Aguas Frescas launch celebration. "Honoring the brand's authentic Mexican heritage sets Modelo apart and we know that without the tireless fighting spirit of street vendors, aguas frescas would not be the staple in Hispanic communities that they are today," said Greg Gallagher, Vice President of Brand Marketing, Modelo. "Through our partnership with Juixxe, Modelo Spiked Aguas Frescas recognizes and celebrates street vendors for perfecting the beloved flavors and taste experience that inspired our new brand." "Growing up, I would see a street vendor and always ask my parents to buy me papitas or a refreshing aguas frescas and I made it my mission to give back to street vendors in ways that spotlight the important role they play in our communities," said Juixxe. "Partnering with Modelo Spiked Aguas Frescas helped me elevate our appreciation of street vendors' tenacity and hard work and they were the perfect guests to celebrate with at the Modelo Spiked Aguas Frescas launch party in Las Vegas." Modelo Spiked Aguas Frescas is currently available in Las Vegas in four varieties: Modelo Spiked Aguas Frescas Pina (Pineapple) is an aromatic, juicy pineapple flavor with a balanced sweetness for sessionability. is an aromatic, juicy pineapple flavor with a balanced sweetness for sessionability. Modelo Spiked Aguas Frescas Flor de Jamaica (Hibiscus) is a sweet, floral flavor that contains fruit notes with a slight tartness. is a sweet, floral flavor that contains fruit notes with a slight tartness. Modelo Spiked Aguas Frescas Sandia (Watermelon) is a refreshing flavor that has a sweet and indulgent watermelon juice taste and aroma. is a refreshing flavor that has a sweet and indulgent watermelon juice taste and aroma. Modelo Spiked Aguas Frescas Pepino y Limon (Cucumber-Lime) is a crisp flavor that combines notes of cucumber with sweet and zesty lime. All varieties are 171-197 calories, 4.5% ABV, have <0.5% carbonation, resulting in a smooth and non-carbonated taste experience, and contain 20-25 grams of sugar*. For more on Juixxe and Modelo Spiked Aguas Frescas' partnership, visit Youtube. For more information on Modelo Spiked Aguas Frescas and other Casa Modelo products, visit www.modelousa.com. * Per 12 fl. oz. serving of average analysis: 4.5% ABV, Calories 193, Carbs 26.4 grams, Protein 0.2 grams, Fat 0 grams (Pina); 4.5% ABV, Calories 197, Carbs 34.2 grams, Protein 0.2 grams, Fat 0 grams (Sandia); 4.5% ABV, Calories 189, Carbs 25.7 grams, Protein 0.2 grams, Fat 0 grams (Pepino y Limon); 4.5% ABV, Calories 171, Carbs 22.6 grams, Protein 0.3 grams, Fat 0 grams (Flor de Jamaica). ABOUT MODELO Born in 1925 in the small town of Tacuba, Mexico, Modelo has been bringing distinctive high-quality beer to those with the Fighting Spirit ever since, including Modelo Especial, Modelo Negra, Modelo Chelada Especial, and a flavorful lineup of Modelo Cheladas. Modelo Especial is a golden, full-flavored Pilsner-style lager with a clean, crisp finish. As the #1 imported beer in the U.S., Modelo Especial recently surpassed 175MM cases sold in 2022 and became the #2 beer brand in the category. The Modelo family of beers are exclusively brewed in Mexico and imported and marketed for the U.S. by Constellations Brands. Media Contact: Stephanie McGuane Stephanie.mcguane@cbrands.com NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Bath & Body Works For women recovering from addiction, weathering disability or mental illness, or navigating job loss and low incomes, the YWCA's Women's Residency Program provides a pathway to self-sufficiency. Bath & Body Works associates gather to support women transitioning from the program and into new homes by creating Bath & Body This week YWCA Columbus will recognize amazing women who have made a lasting difference in our community at the annual Women of Achievement event. As a founding partner of this event, Bath & Body Works is proud that it has become a pillar celebration in our community - recognizing women's extraordinary contributions to their families, workplaces and our community for more than 25 years. My journey with YWCA Columbus began when I participated in a YWCA Columbus Activists and Agitators training in 2020. Their ability to impact systemic social change was very apparent - the training was actionable, and it didn't avoid the hard topics. It was in this moment I knew the YWCA was an organization I wanted to support. It also reflected what we hold close at Bath & Body Works - valuing, honoring and recognizing diversity and believing in building a more equitable future for all. That's why it makes sense that Bath & Body Works has supported YWCA Columbus since 1996, including the Family Center, the Social Justice and Racial Equity programming and this week's celebration - Woman of Achievement. We've gifted in-kind personal care products and rallied our associates to give back. Just last year, we partnered with YWCA Columbus and YWCA Canada to create our first global volunteer initiative which allowed more opportunity for associates to participate in the organization's annual Giving Tree program. Today I'm fortunate to serve on the YWCA Board. I am consistently inspired and impressed by the YWCA's reach and impact in eliminating racism and empowering women. In addition to providing critical housing and childcare services to women and families, the YWCA is also a social justice organization, fostering community dialogue and advocating for systemic change. I want to offer my heartfelt congratulations and thank you to all of this year's and past year's Women of Achievement recipients. You are a source of inspiration and a reminder that we can all make a difference. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Bath & Body Works on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Bath & Body Works Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/bath-body-works Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Bath & Body Works View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/751637/Eliminating-Racism-and-Empowering-Women--Why-I-Serve-With-the-YWCA-Columbus NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Building on its focus to spark curiosity in the next generation of scientists and accelerate global access to science, MilliporeSigma, the U.S. and Canada Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, announces eight new and expanded Signature Partnerships for 2023-2025. These large-scale, multi-dimensional, and long-term partnerships are designed to have a deep reach and impact in the communities where employees live and work. Collectively, the company's Signature Partnerships are expected to impact more than 1.5 million people globally by 2025! The company is expanding its partnership with the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) to advance science education. EMBL, with 27 member states and laboratories at six locations across Europe, is an intergovernmental organization designed to promote molecular biology, research in Europe, training of young scientists and the development of new technologies. In 2021, the company supported an online teacher training pilot program, with more than 500 teachers across 65 countries participating, resulting in a 90% classroom implementation rate and a 93% recommendation rate. The newly expanded partnership will help scale the pilot course model in a teacher training program called "Teach Life Science" to develop reach and impact. The company has a long history of supporting nonprofits globally with its Signature Partnership program to create sustainable change in science education and global access to science. Spanning across the globe, its partners vary from a program in Taiwan that utilizes retrofitted trucks that transform into mobile science labs to a female-led organization that offers free, year-round, out-of-school STEM programming for girls across the U.S. In addition to EMBL, Signature Partners for 2023-2025 include Seeding Labs, Girlstart, Technorama, Chemistry on the Go, KIPP St. Louis, Discovery World and BioSTL. Visit MilliporeSigma's Employee and Community Engagement webpage to learn more about how the company's Signature Partnerships expand access for the global scientific community and inspire curiosity in the next generation of scientists. Pictured above is a screenshot from one of EMBL's virtual teacher training sessions View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from MilliporeSigma on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: MilliporeSigma Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/milliporesigma Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: MilliporeSigma View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/751638/The-Life-Science-Business-of-Merck-KGaA-Darmstadt-Germany-Signature-Partnerships-Advance-Access-to-Science-Education Latvia's Elugie plans fuel cell deployment in Belgium with CHP capabilities Bloom Energy (NYSE:BE) has signed an agreement with Elugie to provide a total of 9.75 megawatts (MW) of power from the Bloom Energy Server at five commercial, industrial and data center sites in Belgium. It is Bloom's first entry to the northern Europe market. Elugie, which has its headquarters in Riga, Latvia, with offices in Mechelen, Belgium, is an energy service company in the Benelux market of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Bloom's solid-oxide fuel cell platforms, to be delivered in late 2023 and early 2024, will include Bloom's new compatibility with Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems. Elugie and Bloom are in discussions about deploying additional Bloom energy platforms to sites in the Netherlands and the Baltic nations, comprised of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Elugie is also in discussions with Bloom about the opportunity to deploy the hydrogen-producing Bloom Electrolyzer. The agreement with Elugie is another major step in Bloom's expansion into Europe, following marketing partnership agreements with Telam for Spain and Portugal announced earlier this year, and energy platform sales to Cefla and Ferrari in Italy announced in 2022. It will be the largest deployment of Bloom's new CHP feature, which is an important energy efficiency and climate-friendly technology for industrial and commercial electricity users in Europe. "This is a big win in support of our focus to build international business sales," said Tim Schweikert, Senior Managing Director of International Business Development, Bloom Energy. "We look forward to Elugie's work in Belgium and the many markets that it serves. This builds on our activities to grow sales across Europe and also in target markets in Asia." "Elugie is proud of developing opportunities with Bloom for a total capacity of 9.75MW in Belgium," says Bjorn Van Haver, founder, Elugie. "This partnership will bring utility-scale clean solutions to critical customers in the country. Our objective is also to deploy Bloom's servers in the Netherlands and the Baltics. Elugie is an experienced EPC (engineering, procurement and construction company) in delivering energy-as-a-service." For more information about Bloom Energy's CHP technology visit: https://www.bloomenergy.com/applications/energy-server-with-heat-capture/ Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that are subject to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or our future financial or operating performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "should," "will" and "would" or the negative of these words or similar terms or expressions that concern Bloom's expectations, strategy, priorities, plans or intentions. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: Bloom's expectations regarding collaboration with Elugie and/or its customers; any expected features, such as CHP, or benefits from or the size of the collaboration with Elugie or installations in northern Europe; Bloom's international expansion plans; and Bloom's long-term commitment to particular regions, policies or imperatives. More information on potential risks and uncertainties that may impact Bloom's business are set forth in Bloom's periodic reports filed with the SEC, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on February 21, 2023 as well as subsequent reports filed with or furnished to the SEC from time to time. Bloom assumes no obligation to, and does not currently intend to, update any such forward-looking statements. About Bloom Energy Bloom Energy empowers businesses and communities to responsibly take charge of their energy. The company's leading solid oxide platform for distributed generation of electricity and hydrogen is changing the future of energy. Fortune 100 companies around the world turn to Bloom Energy as a trusted partner to deliver lower carbon energy today and a net-zero future. For the latest news and announcements on Bloom Energy, visit https://newsroom.bloomenergy.com/. For more information on Bloom Energy, visit https://www.bloomenergy.com/. About Elugie Since 2000, Elugie founder Bjorn Van Haver has been striving for a sustainable energy transition, for this and future generations. Elugie a pioneer in hydrogen power stations, where hydrogen is ingeniously converted into socially responsible electricity for buildings: more sustainable, smarter, more efficient, cheaper and autonomous from the grid. Elugie is renting power stations connected to the Elugie smart grid platform and green gas contracts. Elugie's mission is to reduce costs, reduce carbon and maximize efficiency in compliance with the European Union taxonomy for sustainable activities. For more information, visit www.Elugie.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005338/en/ Contacts: Bloom Energy Media Contact: Virginia Citrano press@bloomenergy.com Bloom Energy Investor Relations: Ed Vallejo 267.370.9717 Edward.Vallejo@bloomenergy.com Elugie Media Contact: Bjorn Van Haver info@elugie.be London, United Kingdom--(Newsfile Corp. - April 27, 2023) - First Class Metals Plc (LSE: FCM) (FSE: WN9) will be participating in the Deutsche Goldmesse, which will take place on May 5th and 6th at The Westin Grand Frankfurt. Members of the First Class Metals Plc management will be taking meetings throughout the day, and also present at 15:00-15:30 CET on May 5th to an audience of European investors. An online registration form is available, and Investors can register to attend at: https://deutschegoldmesse.online/investor-registration/ Kai Hoffmann, Managing Director of Soar Financial Partners, remarked, "Following two virtual, and three in-person events, Deutsche Goldmesse has established itself as Germany's premier investment conference in the resource space. Being from Germany myself and working solely in the junior mining space for the last 12 years, I understand what German and European investors are looking for. This is why I have focused on bringing together a selective group of impressive and diverse companies, keynote speakers, mining influencers, HNW investors, asset & fund managers, media partners and more. I am excited to offer this boutique event once again, exclusive to the junior mining sector." The Deutsche Goldmesse website is updated regularly with attending companies, keynote speakers, schedule, and other important details. www.deutschegoldmesse.com About First Class Metals Plc First Class Metals Plc. is minerals exploration company listed on the London Stock Exchange. The company is also dual listed on Frankfurt and Stuttgart exchanges in Germany. First Class Metals is focused on proving and developing their flagship property in North Hemlo in Ontario, Canada. The company has 9 project areas in total with excellent prospects for gold, silver, copper, nickel, and lithium. FCM recently acquired a lithium project in northwest Ontario, already proven to be highly prospective for hard rock, pegmatite hosted lithium. First Class Metals' flagship North Hemlo property comprises 427 contiguous single cell mining claims covering approximately 90km2. This includes the Pickle Lake joint venture with Palladium One over the West Pickle Lake nickel sulphide discovery. North Hemlo is based in an extremely prospective geological setting for base metals such as Ni as well as precious metals like Au. The company has an exploration strategy and philosophy based around accountability, science-driven methodology and environmental concern. The company's vison is develop viable exploration opportunities together with ensuring due regard for stewardship of the land, climate change and rights of indigenous peoples. Projects are selected based on their scientific merit, progressive jurisdictions and how any impact on land can be limited by exploration or development activities. The highlights of First Class Metals journey so far: World class jurisdiction - consolidated a substantial land package of 857 mining claims in in a world class mining jurisdiction. Technical expertise - assembled an experienced mining/metals/exploration/technical and corporate management team. London Stock Exchange listed - listed on the premium United Kingdom trading exchange. Encouraging early results - Encouraging early results for prospects of gold, nickel, copper, and silver. Maiden drill campaign 2023 - the initial drill campaign planned for 2023 should provide multiple value inflection points for investors. First Class Metals is listed in Germany on Frankfurt and Stuttgart Stock Exchanges. The Company is supported in Germany by DGWA, the German Institute for Asset and Equity Allocation and Valuation (Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Wertpapieranalyse GmbH). About Deutsche Goldmesse Deutsche Goldmesse is Germany's premier mining investment conference, based out of Frankfurt- one of Europe's most important financial capitals. We bring together leading minds in the industry to foster new business opportunities and facilitate valuable relationships. The exclusive two-day event showcases industry-leading keynote speakers and up to 35 carefully considered companies in a range of commodities and stages from explorers to producers. Hosted by Soar Financial Partners, we provide a platform where top company management can connect with a vast network of European institutional and HNW investors, retail investors, analysts, influencers, newsletter writers, media, and other local partners. For further information: First Class Metals Plc Marc Sale CEO +4915123551541 marcs@firstclassmetalsplc.com www.firstclassmetalsplc.com Hong Kong: Ingrid Yeung continues trip to capital Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung today visited the National Academy of Governance (NAG), and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Basic Law Committee under the National Peoples Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC), among other activities in Beijing. Mrs Yeung called on NAG Executive Vice-President Xie Chuntao in the morning, where she introduced to Mr Xie and Vice-President Gong Weibin the Hong Kong SAR Governments plan to resume its national studies training programmes for civil servants after the epidemic. They exchanged views on mutual co-operation as well. Mrs Yeung also attended a work meeting with NAG Hong Kong, Macao & Taiwan Affairs Office Director-General Dong Qing, and Hong Kong & Macao International Training Center Director Xie Yutong. The civil service chief said the academy was a key partner for civil service training for the Hong Kong SAR. Since 1999, the Civil Service Bureau had co-organised national studies courses with the NAG, and nearly 1,400 senior civil servants had received training in the academy over the years. The bureau plans to gradually resume its national studies programmes held on the Mainland in the second half of this year and is discussing the detailed arrangements with Mainland partner institutions. Arrangements for middle and senior-level civil servants to attend training programmes, thematic visits and staff exchange programmes on the Mainland will be the first to be resumed. During her meeting with NPCSC Legislative Affairs Commission & Hong Kong SAR Basic Law Committee Chairman Shen Chunyao, strengthening civil service training and future development directions were discussed. Mrs Yeung then met Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Nong Rong to exchange views on the next stage of the training programme in the countrys foreign affairs for Hong Kong SAR civil servants. This story has been published on: 2023-04-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 27, 2023) - Silver Elephant Mining Corp. (TSX: ELEF) (OTCQX: SILEF) (FSE: 1P2) ("Silver Elephant" or "the Company") announces that, further to its news release dated March 21, 2023, another rail shipment totaling 3,150 tonnes of coal has departed for China from the Ulaan Ovoo mine owned and operated by Mega Thermal Coal Corp. in Mongolia. Mega Thermal Coal Corp. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Silver Elephant. Further information on Mega Coal Thermal Coal Corp. can be found at www.megacoal.ca. About Silver Elephant Mining Corp. Silver Elephant Mining Corp. is a premier silver mining and exploration company, with its flagship Pulacayo-Paca silver project in Bolivia. It also owns 100% of Mega Thermal Coal Corp. Further information on Silver Elephant can be found at www.silverelef.com. SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD John Lee CEO For more information about Silver Elephant, please contact Investor Relations: +1.604.569.3661 ext. 101 info@silverelef.com / www.silverelef.com Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Toronto Stock Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Reader Advisory Certain statements contained in this or other news release, including, but not limited to, statements with respect to the debt settlements, the terms of the debt settlements, and the completion of the debt settlements, among other things, and statements which may contain words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "plans", "believes", "estimates", "targets", or similar expressions, and statements related to matters which are not historical facts, are forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements, which reflect management's expectations regarding either of Silver Elephant's future growth, results of operations, performance, business prospects and opportunities, are based on certain factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on Silver Elephant's forward-looking statements. Silver Elephant believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements contained in this news release and the documents incorporated by reference herein are reasonable based on information available to it, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct. In addition, although Silver Elephant has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Silver Elephant undertakes no obligation to release publicly any future revisions to forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as expressly required by law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/163956 CDB Aviation, a wholly owned Irish subsidiary of China Development Bank Financial Leasing Co., Ltd. ("CDB Leasing"), announced that Madam MA Hong was appointed as Chairperson and Non-Executive Director of CDB Aviation, effective April 18, 2023. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005629/en/ Madam MA Hong was appointed as Chairperson and Non-Executive Director of CDB Aviation, effective April 18, 2023. (Photo: Business Wire) "I feel privileged to take on this role at such an exciting time for CDB Aviation, one of the premier global leasing companies that has leveraged its increasingly prominent role in the aircraft financing ecosystem to advance its commercial growth journey," noted Madam MA Hong, newly appointed Chairperson and Non-Executive Director of CDB Aviation. "Together with our board members and the management team, we will continue to ensure CDB Aviation's growth strategy makes a positive impact for all stakeholders in the broader aircraft leasing community, including our customers, the OEMs and suppliers, our financial partners, and, of course, our shareholders." Ms. MA Hong is currently Chairwoman and Executive Director of CDB Leasing, the lessor's parent company and the leasing business platform under China Development Bank ("CDB"). Ms. MA Hong, who joined CDB Leasing in May 2021, has served in her current chairmanship role since November 2021. She became part of CDB in March 1994, where she held various positions, including Deputy Head of CDB Planning Department, Vice President of CDB Beijing Branch as well as President of CDB Shanxi Branch and President of CDB Beijing Branch. "The unique capabilities and resources of and continued support from our parent, CDB Leasing, have helped tremendously to propel our platform to where we are today. Ms. MA Hong's long history of leadership and her extensive experience within CDBL and CDB, which recognize that CDB Aviation is a business in growth mode, will be critical to the next phase of our development," concluded Jie Chen, CDB Aviation Chief Executive Officer. View Madam MA Hong's full biography at https://www.cdbaviation.aero/madam-ma-hong. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, beliefs or opinions, including with respect to CDB Aviation's business, financial condition, results of operations or plans. CDB Aviation cautions readers that no forward-looking statement is a guarantee of future performance and that actual results or other financial condition or performance measures could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate only to historical or current facts. Forward-looking statements sometimes use words such as "may," "will," "seek," "continue," "aim," "anticipate," "target," "projected," "expect," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "goal," "believe," "achieve" or other terminology or words of similar meaning. These statements are based on the current beliefs and expectations of CDB Aviation's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results and outcomes may differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, you should not rely upon forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results and we do not assume any responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any of these forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable law, we do not undertake any obligation to, and will not, update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. About CDB Aviation CDB Aviation is a wholly owned Irish subsidiary of China Development Bank Financial Leasing Co., Ltd. ("CDB Leasing") a 38-year-old Chinese leasing company that is backed mainly by the China Development Bank. CDB Aviation is rated Investment Grade by Moody's (A2), S&P Global (A), and Fitch (A+). China Development Bank is under the direct jurisdiction of the State Council of China and is the world's largest development finance institution. It is also the largest Chinese bank for foreign investment and financing cooperation, long-term lending and bond issuance, enjoying Chinese sovereign credit rating. CDB Leasing is the only leasing arm of the China Development Bank and a leading company in China's leasing industry that has been engaged in aircraft, infrastructure, ship, commercial vehicle and construction machinery leasing and enjoys a Chinese sovereign credit rating. It took an important step in July 2016 to globalize and marketize its business listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX STOCK CODE: 1606). www.CDBAviation.aero View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005629/en/ Contacts: Paul Thibeau Paul.THIBEAU@CDBAviation.aero; +1 612 594 9844 ZHANGYE, China, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A tourism festival featuring cooperation between countries along the Silk Road was unveiled on Wednesday in Zhangye City, northwest China'sGansu Province. The opening ceremony of the 11th Dunhuang Tour-Silk Road International Tourism Festival, jointly organized by Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Gansu provincial government, received nearly 700 tourists, investors and media from 48 countries and regions along the "Belt and Road" route, besides domestic guests. This year's festival aims to strengthen the "one belt and one road" cooperation, promote the recovery of the cultural and tourism market. Besides opening ceremony, a series of events will also take place during the festival, including the Silk Road Tourism Promotion Night, Gansu Tourism Promotion & International Travel Business Cooperation Conference, Gansu Culture and Tourism Industry Project Promotion Meeting, 2023 Silk Road Tourism Promotion Alliance Joint Meeting, 32nd Northwest Tourism Collaboration Zone Meeting, World Tourism Alliance - Silk Road Dialogue, China - Central Asia Tourism Culture Week, and Discover the Beauty of China. Gansu Province will also carry out the Silk Road route exploration activities to further promote the domestic and international tourism market, and high-quality tourism routes in the province. Investors, representatives of the World Tourism Alliance and media will visit Zhangye, Jiuquan, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang, Linxia and other places in Gansu Province. Zhang Yongxia, a provincial publicity official of Gansu said at the opening ceremony that Gansu carries the splendor of Chinese civilization and dreams, interpretation of the East-West exchange of poetry and faraway, a collection of beautiful mountains and rivers of the magnificent charm. "We will make the best use of our unique cultural and natural heritage advantages, coordinate tourism resources protection and development, improve tourism facilities and services, and amplify the comprehensive effect of cultural tourism," said Zhang. Gansu is the natural corridor and prime channel of the Silk Road connecting Central and West Asia, with 1,600 of the 7,000-kilometer-long silk road here. Zhangye city, located on the golden passage of the ancient Silk Road, is famous for its unique landscapes. Dunhuang - Silk Road International Tourism Festival, as the only permanent international tourism festival named after the Silk Road, has been successfully held for ten years. The event has become an important platform to serve Silk Road countries and for Chinese cities to exchange ideas on tourism. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/11th-dunhuang---silk-road-intl-tourism-festival-unveiled-in-nw-china-301809769.html WALTHAM, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / As the world celebrates Earth Week, National Grid today broke ground on its first geothermal pilot in partnership with the University of Massachusetts Lowell, the City of Lowell, and the local community. The groundbreaking included a demonstration of the borehole drilling technology that will be used as a first step in studying the properties of the bedrock in the area and is a key milestone for the launch of National Grid's geothermal pilot, which is a multi-year initiative to bring clean energy to customers in the Acre neighborhood in Lowell. "It's fitting that the theme of Earth Week 2023 is 'Investing in our Planet,'" said Stephen Woerner, President of National Grid New England. "It's one we at National Grid take to heart since investing to meet our net zero goals is a critical part of delivering for our customers and communities and combating climate change. Exploring geothermal technology is an important step as we all strive to reach NetZero by 2050." Information gathered from the boreholes will help National Grid design a networked geothermal energy system - which uses the thermal properties of subsurface rock to help heat and cool buildings more efficiently - that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by providing more efficient heating and cooling to a neighborhood adjacent to UMass Lowell's South Campus, which is currently served by natural gas. "UMass Lowell's commitment to sustainability and fighting climate change spans across university operations, to community engagement, to more than $40 million in research in the last three years alone," said UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen. "We're proud to partner with National Grid and the City of Lowell on this important project." Heating homes and businesses currently represents more than a quarter of total carbon emissions. National Grid envisions a majority of buildings will be electrified by 2050, and significant energy efficiency will eliminate a full one-third of greenhouse gas emissions from buildings. Geothermal energy is an important component of that plan because of its potential to harness the Earth's energy to provide carbon-free geothermal heating and cooling. "On behalf of the City of Lowell, we are so excited to be selected as the first community in National Grid territory to participate in this geothermal pilot," said Lowell City Manager, Thomas A. Golden, Jr. "This pilot not only has significant potential to help address climate change, but it also does so by engaging with our invaluable community partners, like UMass Lowell. The City of Lowell is all in to help make this project beneficial and equitable for our residents, supportive of the Commonwealth's emissions reduction goals, and worthy of emulation for more communities moving forward." This is the first site selected under National Grid's Geothermal Pilot, which was approved in 2021 by the Department of Public Utilities. As part of National Grid's efforts to help the Commonwealth meet its net zero goals by 2050 and the company's plan to do the same, the five-year geothermal demonstration program will evaluate the potential for networked geothermal energy systems that can be applied to other communities. National Grid designed this networked geothermal pilot program to explore how geothermal networks can be used to eliminate leak-prone pipes from its existing gas network, assist with gas system constraints, reduce greenhouse gas emissions in environmental justice communities, and provide the benefits of clean energy to all customers, including those living in Gateway cities. To learn more about the project, please visit the link here https://youtu.be/zdR-PmFbQbE About National Grid National Grid (NYSE:NGG) is an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people through our networks in New York and Massachusetts. National Grid is focused on building a path to a more affordable, reliable clean energy future through our fossil-free vision. National Grid is transforming our electricity and natural gas networks with smarter, cleaner, and more resilient energy solutions to meet the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. For more information, please visit our website, follow us on Twitter, watch us on YouTube, like us on Facebook and find our photos on Instagram. Media Contacts Christine Milligan Massachusetts (781) 907-3980 Email View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from National Grid on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: National Grid Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/national-grid Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: National Grid View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/751663/National-Grid-Breaks-Ground-on-Geothermal-Borehole-on-UMass-Lowell-Campus LONDON, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Odd Burger Corporation ("Odd Burger" or the "Company") (TSXV:ODD)(OTCBQ:ODDAF)(FSE:IA9) is pleased to announce that it has signed a non-binding letter of intent ("LOI") with Zoglo's Food Corp. ("Zoglo's") (CNSX:ZOG) to acquire 100% of its issued and outstanding common shares and combine the businesses (the "Proposed Transaction"). Zoglo's is a leader in the plant-based consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry in Canada with over 3000 distribution points across the country. Zoglo's products can be found at major retailers including Walmart Canada, Metro, Food Basics, Sobeys, IGA and FreshCo. The Zoglo's product line is extensive and includes non-GMO plant-based burgers, sausages, hot dogs, meat balls and chicken, with 12 SKUs currently being distributed to the Zoglo's retail base. With a successful acquisition, Odd Burger expects to gain access to Zoglo's' food manufacturing network in both North America and Europe, which may provide significant benefits to Odd Burger as it scales its operations internationally. Furthermore, Odd Burger plans to launch some of its own branded products into retail which is expected to be facilitated through the acquisition with Zoglo's. Odd Burger would also provide Zoglo's with access to its food service channels, which may provide a new revenue stream for Zoglo's. "This acquisition provides growth potential for both of our companies," says James McInnes, CEO and Co-Founder of Odd Burger. "The retail distribution that Zoglo's has is nearly unmatched in the plant-based retail space in Canada and I believe that we can leverage this distribution to both monetize our own products and also make Zoglo's products even more successful in their category." "We are thrilled to announce our intention to join forces with Odd Burger Corporation, a company that shares our passion for plant-based foods and sustainable business practices." says Val Jedras, CEO of Zoglo's. "With over 25 years of experience in the Canadian plant-based consumer packaged goods industry, we have built a strong brand and loyal customer base. By combining our resources and expertise with Odd Burger, we believe we can accelerate our growth and expand our reach both domestically and internationally. We are excited about the potential of this partnership and look forward to working closely with the Odd Burger team to bring delicious and nutritious plant-based products to more consumers around the world." Pursuant to the terms of the LOI, the companies will work to enter into a definitive acquisition agreement. The proposed transaction is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions precedent and compliance with applicable TSXV policies. Upon completion of the Proposed Transaction, the former Zoglo's Shareholders will hold approximately 25% of the Odd Burger Shares and the Odd Burger Shareholders will hold approximately 75% of the Odd Burger Shares (without giving effect to any other issuances). All Odd Burger Shares issued pursuant to the Proposed Transaction will be freely tradable under applicable Canadian securities legislation but may be subject to TSXV imposed restriction on resale. In addition, certain Odd Burger Shares issued in the United States to or for the benefit of U.S. Persons (as such term is defined under Regulation S of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") will be "restricted securities" within the meaning of Rule 144(a)(3) of the U.S. Securities Act. For any questions, please contact Zoglo's at info@zoglos.com . About Odd Burger Corporation Odd Burger Corporation is a chain of company-owned and franchised vegan fast-food restaurants as well as a food technology company that manufactures and distributes a proprietary line of plant-based protein and dairy alternatives to its locations. Odd Burger restaurants operate as smart kitchens, which use state-of-the art cooking technology and automation solutions to deliver a delicious food experience to customers craving healthier and more sustainable fast food. With small store footprints optimized for delivery and takeout, advanced cooking technology, competitive pricing, a vertically integrated supply chain along with healthier ingredients, Odd Burger is revolutionizing the fast-food industry by creating guilt-free fast food. Odd Burger Corporation is traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol ODD and on the OTCQB under the symbol ODDAF. For more information visit?https://www.oddburger.com. About Zoglo's Food Corp.: Zoglo's Food Corp. is a publicly-traded plant-based food company that offers nutrient-rich, plant-based appetizers, veggies, and meat substitutes to fulfill consumers' needs for all occasions and cooking requirements. Zoglo's wholly-owned subsidiary, Zoglo's Food Inc., currently offers 12 innovative products for the mainstream market through its new Zoglo's Black Box product line. Over the past 25 years, Zoglo's products have been distributed in over 3,000 retail stores across Canada including Walmart, Shoppers Drug Mart, Sobeys, and Loblaws, and have representation in the United States and Europe. Zoglo's trades on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the ticker: ZOG and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the ticker: 7UT." Warnings All information contained in this news release with respect to Odd Burger and Zoglo's was supplied by the parties, respectively, for inclusion herein, and Odd Burger and its directors and officers have relied on Zoglo's for any information concerning such party. Completion of the Proposed Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, TSXV acceptance and Zoglo's shareholder approval. Where applicable, the Proposed Transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the Proposed Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular to be prepared in connection with the transaction, any information released or received with respect to the transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. The Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the timing and completion of the Proposed Transaction, the future operations of the Company and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Proposed Transaction and the future plans and objectives of the Company, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include the failure to satisfy the conditions to completion of the Proposed Transaction set forth above and other risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulations. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. As a result, the Company cannot guarantee that the Proposed Transaction will be completed on the terms and within the time disclosed herein or at all. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. 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. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by Canadian securities law. SOURCE: Zoglo's Food Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/751518/Odd-Burger-Signs-Letter-of-Intent-to-Acquire-Zoglos-Food-Corp-a-Leading-Canadian-Plant-Based-CPG-Brand Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - April 27, 2023) - Dash Capital Corp. (TSXV: DCX.P) ("Dash") and Simply Solventless Concentrates Ltd. ("SSC") are pleased to announce that Dash held its annual and special meeting of shareholders on March 20, 2023, where Dash's shareholders approved certain matters in connection with the Qualifying Transaction (as defined in TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") policies) of Dash (the "Transaction"). Dash, SSC and Dash Subco (as defined below) have also entered into a fifth amending agreement to the Amalgamation Agreement (as defined below) dated April 26, 2023, with effect as of March 31, 2023 (the "Fifth Amending Agreement") and wish to provide an update on the proposed directors and officers of the Resulting Issuer (as defined below). Fifth Amending Agreement Dash, SSC and 2366191 Alberta Ltd. ("Dash Subco"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Dash, entered into an amalgamation agreement dated August 6, 2021 (the "Amalgamation Agreement"), as amended effective December 31, 2021, May 31, 2022, November 21, 2022 and February 13, 2023, which sets forth the terms and conditions of the business combination, which will constitute the Transaction. On April 26, 2023, Dash, SSC and Dash Subco entered into the Fifth Amending Agreement to, among other things, extend the outside date of the Transaction to June 15, 2023. A copy of the Amalgamation Agreement and subsequent amendments to the Amalgamation Agreement, including the Fifth Amending Agreement, have been filed on Dash's SEDAR profile and are available for viewing at www.sedar.com. Update on Directors and Officers of the Resulting Issuer William Macdonald has been appointed as sole director and Chief Executive Officer of SSC, replacing Tara Johnson-Ouellette, who made a personal decision to step down as sole director and interim Chief Executive Officer. SSC thanks Tara for her contributions. Jeff Swainson will serve as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Resulting Issuer and Hugh Porter will serve as the Chief Financial Officer of the Resulting Issuer. Currently, Mr. Swainson is serving as a special advisor to the sole director of SSC. In addition, SSC and Dash are pleased to announce that Darren Brisebois is expected to be appointed as a director of the Resulting Issuer upon closing of the Transaction. Mr. Brisebois has been involved in the cannabis space since 2016 and currently acts as the President of OGEN Cannabis, a position he's held since 2018. Prior to joining OGEN Cannabis, Mr. Brisebois spent the previous 10 years in banking, finance, management consulting and business valuation. Darren holds a CPA, CMA designation and a Bachelor of Commerce in Entrepreneurship from Royal Roads University. Subject to TSXV and other regulatory and corporate approvals, it is expected that the board of directors of the Resulting Issuer will be comprised of the following individuals upon closing of the Transaction: Officers: Jeff Swainson - President and Chief Executive Officer Hugh Porter - Chief Financial Officer Gord Cameron - Corporate Secretary Directors: Jeff Swainson William Macdonald Hugh Porter Colin Davison Darren Brisebois The backgrounds of each of the proposed directors and officers of the Resulting Issuer other than Darren Brisebois were previously disclosed in the news release of Dash dated February 3, 2022. Upon completion of the Transaction, it is intended that Dash (the "Resulting Issuer") will continue SSC's business in the cannabis industry. Details of the Transaction, including the amount and type of proposed consideration, were previously disclosed in the news releases of Dash dated June 11, 2021, August 9, 2021, February 3, 2022, March 16, 2022, July 6, 2022, July 21, 2022, November 29, 2022, and February 16, 2023. The completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of conditions precedent, including, but not limited to, the satisfaction or waiver of closing conditions customary to transactions of the nature of the Transaction, obtaining all requisite shareholder and corporate approvals, approvals of all regulatory bodies having jurisdiction in connection with the Transaction, and the final approval of the TSXV, including the satisfaction of its initial listing requirements. There can be no assurance that the Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. A filing statement in respect of the Transaction will be prepared in accordance with the requirements of the TSXV and will be filed under Dash's issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. About Dash Capital Corp. Dash is a public company incorporated under the Business Corporations Act (Alberta). Dash's principal business is the identification and evaluation of assets or businesses with a view to completing a Qualifying Transaction. Investors are cautioned that trading in the securities of a capital pool company should be considered highly speculative. About Simply Solventless Concentrates Ltd. SSC is a private company incorporated under the Business Corporations Act (Alberta). SSC's mission is to provide pure, potent, terpene-rich solventless concentrates to discerning cannabis consumers. For more information regarding SSC, please see www.simplysolventless.ca. Further Information All information contained in this press release with respect to Dash and SSC was supplied by the respective party for inclusion herein, without independent review by the other party, and each party and its directors and officers have relied on the other party for any information concerning the other party. For further information: Dash Capital Corp. Darrell Denney, Chief Executive Officer Phone: 403-651-9009 Email: darrellgdenney@gmail.com Simply Solventless Concentrates Ltd. Jeff Swainson, Special Advisor to the Board of Directors Phone: 403-796-3640 Email: jeff@simplysolventless.ca 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 on Forward-Looking Information This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this press 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", "will", "estimates", "believes", "intends" "expects" and similar expressions which are intended to identify forward-looking statements. More particularly and without limitation, this press release contains forward-looking statements concerning the closing of the Transaction and the business of the Resulting Issuer. Dash cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, assumptions and expectations, many of which are beyond the control of Dash and SSC, including expectations and assumptions concerning Dash, SSC, the Resulting Issuer, the Transaction, the timely receipt of all required shareholder, court and regulatory approvals (as applicable), including the acceptance of the TSXV, the satisfaction of other closing conditions in accordance with the terms of the Amalgamation Agreement, Amending Agreement, Second Amending Agreement, Third Amending Agreement, Fourth Amending Agreement, and Fifth Amending Agreement, as well as other risks and uncertainties, including those described in Dash's final prospectus dated April 26, 2021 filed with the British Columbia Securities Commission, the Alberta Securities Commission, the Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan, and the Ontario Securities Commission and available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of Dash and SSC. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. 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. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and Dash and SSC do not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by securities law. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in any jurisdiction. Not for distribution to U.S. news wire services or for dissemination in the United States. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/163958 MONACO, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Huawei hosted the Global Data Center Facility Summit with the theme of "Smart DC, Building the Green Future" in Monaco. Nearly 200 data center industry leaders, technical experts, and ecosystem partners from around the world shared their insights into the development trends of the data center industry and their innovative practices for sustainable development. Preferred Choices for Large Data Centers: PowerPOD 3.0 and Smart Fan Wall Huawei launched the next-generation PowerPOD 3.0 and Smart Fan Wall Chilled Water Cooling Solution to enable green power supply and efficient cooling for large data centers and ultimately drive low-carbon development. Huawei developed the PowerPOD 3.0 to build integrated power supply systems that deliver high density, efficiency, and reliability for large data centers. Green: The ultrahigh-density UPS and flapping-wing load switches are optimized through component integration. The number of cabinets is reduced from 18 to 10, saving more than 30% of space. When the UPS works in S-ECO mode, it boosts the end-to-end efficiency from 95.4% to 98.4%. Simple: Prefabricated busbars are used to replace cables. They are pre-commissioned in the factory and implement plug-and-play onsite, shortening the delivery period from two months to two weeks. Smart: Digital and intelligent technologies are used to ensure that all links are visible, manageable, and controllable, improving O&M efficiency and automating the power supply system. Reliable: The iPower intelligent feature measures temperatures at more than 150 points and predicts the lifespan of key components to implement predictive maintenance. The cooling system consumes more than 30% of the power demanded in a data center. Huawei uses innovative architecture and multiple energy-saving technologies to build a new-generation fan wall chilled water cooling solution that is efficient and reliable, enabling cooling systems in large data centers to consume less energy. Green: The water inlet temperature can reach 20C, reducing the energy consumption of chillers by 15%. Simple: Key components are hot-swappable and can be replaced within 1 minute without service interruption. Smart: Fault self-diagnosis facilitates fast fault locating, identification, and analysis to accelerate service recovery. Reliable: PFC embedded in fans ensures a THDi less than 5% and a power factor greater than 0.99. Building a Solid Foundation for Digital Transformation to Embrace a Smart World Sun Xiaofeng, President of Huawei Data Center Facility and Critical Power Business Unit, delivered an opening speech, envisioning new opportunities for global data center development and presenting Huawei's strategy in the data center facility field. According to Mr. Sun, driven by digital and low-carbon transformations, the data center industry is facing unprecedented opportunities. Huawei is eager to join hands with all community members, to drive the transformations of data centers to be green, simple, smart, and reliable, and jointly promote the sustainable development of the data center industry. Li Huiyong, General Manager of Huawei Data Center Facility Marketing Dept, said that the surge in AI computing power drives rapid development of data center industry. Huawei proposes the concept "GSSR" (Green, Simple, Smart, Reliable) to respond the challenges of new era. To help customers build sustainable data centers and embrace a green future, Huawei launches the innovative PowerPOD 3.0 and Smart Fan Wall solutions. Global industry leaders shared data center technology trends, corporate strategies, and innovative practices, setting the direction for sustainable development of data centers. Stephen Beard, Partner and Global Head of Data Centers for Knight Frank, said that when it comes to embodied carbon and the general form of construction, many people don't know but today, 90% of new colocation facilities can meet BREEAM or LEED excellent. There is now a greater drive away from concrete and towards pre fab modular forms of construction and even cross-laminated glulam wood which has been adopted by EcoDC in Sweden. Simon McCormick, Chief Technical Officer of Echelon Data Centers, said that Echelon Data Centers aims to be a sustainable prosumer of energy. This encompasses sustainability's three pillars: economic, environmental, and social. Carlo Malana, CEO of ST Telemedia Global Data Centers (Philippines), said that the Philippines is witnessing its viability as a data center hub in the high-growth Southeast Asia region. Key technologies such as lithium-ion batteries and fan walls, are designed and deployed for sustainability, flexibility and customer needs in the face of hyperscalers expansion. Experts present at the panel discussion include Sanjay Kr Sainani, Global SVP & CTO of Huawei Data Center Business, John Belton, Global Director of Development at Colt Data Centre, Carlo Malana, CEO of ST Telemedia Global Data Centers (Philippines), Martien Arts, Director of Mission Critical Facilities at Royal HaskaoningDHV, and Mark Acton, Global Head of Technical Due Diligence at Future-Tech. They exchanged insights around issues such as data center sustainability and technology trends. Highlights of DataCloud Global Congress During the DataCloud Global Congress, Huawei showcased its PowerPOD 3.0, EHU indirect evaporative cooling solution, FusionModule2000 solution, and other GSSR-based solutions for small, medium, and large data centers. The exhibition reflects Huawei's technological innovations and explorations in the data center facility field. At the conference, Sanjay Kr Sainani, Global SVP & CTO of Huawei Data Center Business, and Richard Pimper, SVP & CTO of Huawei Data Center Facility in Europe, shared their thoughts on data center construction and communicated with other industry experts. Looking ahead, Huawei will work with customers and ecosystem partners to explore more possibilities for sustainable development. Huawei will develop advanced green data center solutions based on its technological expertise and innovation strengths to drive low-carbon and intelligent transformation, ultimately accelerating carbon neutrality across the industry. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2064677/image_5003324_35642265.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/building-future-oriented-data-centers-with-green-simple-smart-and-reliable-gssr-innovations-301809786.html TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / The Forum Real Estate Income and Impact Fund ("REIIF" or the "Fund") released its results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2023. Series F investors in REIIF have earned a return of 2.53%1 for the first quarter, including the monthly distribution (3.83 cents/Series F/month or a 4.3% annualized distribution yield). REIIF's consistent performance is fueled by sustained imbalances in the rental housing market, resulting in strong rental growth in 2022 and a continued positive outlook for 2023. The purpose-built student accommodation ("PBSA") properties of REIIF, situated on-campus at York University, have shown substantial leasing momentum for the upcoming academic year, with nearly 70% of the units already leased. "The Fund's asset allocation strategy, with a majority to student housing that experiences naturally higher tenant turnover and strong demand, is being validated as we expect significantly higher rental rate growth and increased cash flow starting this September" said Aly Damji, Managing Partner at Forum Asset Management ("Forum") and a Trustee of REIIF. Portfolio Update Currently, the Fund comprises ten properties and over 1,800 units spanning approximately 625,000 square feet of residential gross leasable area and over $400 M of asset value. The portfolio is substantially stabilized with portfolio occupancy of 98.6%, Comparative Property NOI growth versus the previous quarter of +4% and an embedded rental rate 'mark-to-market on turnover' of +20%. Two assets were recently independently appraised in accordance with the Fund's valuation policy, contributing to the positive returns realized in the first quarter of 2023. The Fund's properties located near Black Creek Village in Toronto saw an increase in value from the completion of adding an additional 20% to unit count, that will result in higher income for the Fund commencing in the second quarter. Additionally, the appraisal value of the Fund's co-living property in Ottawa increased due to capturing rental growth from tenant turnover, contributing to higher income for the property. "Our active asset management approach creates value for unitholders which is supported through third party appraisals," said Greg Spafford, Fund Head for REIIF. Further, Forum continues to see a strong pipeline of accretive acquisitions for REIIF in primary and secondary markets across Canada. Forum expects to see further growth for REIIF in the near term through exclusive access to Forum's completed development pipeline under a right of first offer agreement ("ROFO"), which will provide access to over $100 million of properties to be delivered in 2023. Distributions The March distribution was paid on April 17, 2023 to unitholders of record as at March 31, 2023 as follows: Distribution Per Unit Series Monthly Annualized A - Lead and 2023 Monthly Series $ 0.0316 $ 0.3797 F - Lead and 2023 Monthly Series 0.0383 0.4599 F - August 2022 and November 2022 Series 0.0375 0.4500 H - 2023 Monthly Series 0.0392 0.4707 I - Lead, December 9, 2021 and 2023 Monthly Series 0.0414 0.4974 I - September 2022 Series 0.0410 0.4917 Balance Sheet Update As of March 31, 2023, the Fund has maintained a conservative debt to assets ratio of 48%. The Fund's liquidity position also increased by over $10 million in the quarter, exceeding $50 million. In the second quarter, after completing the planned CMHC-insured financing initiatives, REIIF's debt structure is expected to be over 90% fixed rate, with an effective coupon approximating 3% and a weighted average term to maturity2 of approximately seven years. "REIIF is financed with primarily long-term, fixed rate, CMHC-insured mortgages, which provides the lowest cost of debt capital for the rental housing sector," said Rajeev Viswanathan, Managing Partner and CFO at Forum. "Despite the recent turmoil in the financial sector, the market for CMHC-insured mortgages continues to operate normally, as it did during the Global Financial Crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic." Impact Initiatives REIIF's impact and environmental, social and governance ("ESG") initiatives are focused on reducing its environmental footprint and increasing social engagement. In 2022, REIIF neutralized 50% of its carbon consumption with the balance expected to be offset in 2023. "Through a combination of energy-efficient operations and strategic capital investments, we are actively implementing a Net Zero Carbon Transition Plan to reduce our environmental footprint and enhance the performance of our portfolio while contributing to a more sustainable planet." said Kathleen Beaumont, Director Impact & ESG for Forum. More information on REIIF's Impact Framework is available at www.forumreiif.ca/impact. 1 - The yield and total return is for the Lead Series F units and is no guarantee of future results. The distribution rate and total return received by a unit holder will differ based on the series of trust units in which a unit holder invests. 2 - Weighted average term to maturity (WATM) aggregates each loan's remaining years to maturity, weighted by the loan's principal balance outstanding over total indebtedness. About REIIF REIIF invests principally in institutional-quality, multi-family rental apartments, purpose-built student accommodations, and co-living communities located in supply constrained markets in Canada. The Fund also strives to deliver a sector-leading impact and ESG-driven portfolio that will enhance yields and total returns while future-proofing the portfolio to ensure diversity and resiliency of income. For more information, please visit our website at www.forumreiif.ca. About Forum Forum, the manager of REIIF, is an investor, developer and asset manager operating across North America for over 25 years. Our core purpose is to deliver Extraordinary Outcomes to our stakeholders. Our adaptable, agile, and dynamic team is committed to sustainability and responsible investing, creating value that benefits the communities in which we invest. Our investment focus includes real estate, private equity, and infrastructure. The enterprise value of our assets under management currently exceeds C$1.7 billion. Our investments have attracted a number of top investors. We're proud to have delivered in the top tier of alternative asset returns since 2002, while positively impacting over 6,000 lives. For more information about Forum, visit: www.forumam.com. Contacts Name: Rajeev Viswanathan, Chief Financial Officer Phone Number: 416-947-0389 Email: rajeev@forumam.com Cautionary Statement The information contained in this news release is for informational purposes only; is not investment, financial or other advice; and is not intended to be used as the basis for making an investment decision. This news release does not constitute or form part of any offer or invitation to sell or issue, or any solicitation of any offer to purchase or subscribe for, any securities, nor shall any part of this news release form the basis of, or be relied on in connection with, any contract or investment decision in relation to any securities of REIIF. The offering of units of REIIF is made pursuant to its confidential offering memorandum only to those "accredited investors" in certain jurisdictions of Canada who meet certain eligibility and cannot be sold in Canada to the general public. This news release does not constitute any form of commitment, recommendation, representation, or warranty on the part of any person. No reliance should be placed on the completeness of the information contained in this news release. This news release is not intended to be a comprehensive review of all matters concerning REIIF. Please visit www.forumreiif.ca for more information. This news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as "expect", "intends", "anticipated", "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or states that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to Forum. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected including, without limitation, risks associated with general economic conditions; adverse factors affecting the real estate market generally or those specific markets in which REIIF holds properties; volatility of real estate prices; inability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources and/or inability to access capital on favourable terms; currency and interest rate fluctuations and other risks. Although Forum 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 information. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and Forum does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances save as required under applicable securities legislation. SOURCE: Forum Asset Management View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/751655/Forum-Real-Estate-Income-and-Impact-Fund-Report-Q1-2023-Results Regulatory News: Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE: PM) will host a live audio webcast of its 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. ET. The meeting will be held in a virtual format only, including closed captioning, and can be accessed at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/PM2023. During the meeting, Andre Calantzopoulos, Executive Chairman of the Board, and Jacek Olczak, Chief Executive Officer, will address shareholders and answer questions. Only shareholders of record with a valid 16-digit control number will be allowed to ask a question or make a comment. The audio webcast may also be accessed on mobile devices by downloading PMI's free Investor Relations App at www.pmi.com/irapp. Presentation slides, script, and an archived recording of the webcast will be available at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/PM2023. The archived webcast will be available for approximately one year from the date of the meeting. Philip Morris International: Delivering a Smoke-Free Future Philip Morris International (PMI) is a leading international tobacco company working to deliver a smoke-free future and evolving its portfolio for the long term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company's current product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products. Since 2008, PMI has invested more than USD 10.5 billion to develop, scientifically substantiate and commercialize innovative smoke-free products for adults who would otherwise continue to smoke, with the goal of completely ending the sale of cigarettes. This includes the building of world-class scientific assessment capabilities, notably in the areas of pre-clinical systems toxicology, clinical and behavioral research, as well as post-market studies. In November 2022, PMI acquired Swedish Match a leader in oral nicotine delivery creating a global smoke-free champion led by the companies' IQOS and ZYN brands. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized versions of PMI's IQOS Platform 1 devices and consumables and Swedish Match's General snus as Modified Risk Tobacco Products (MRTPs). As of March 31, 2023, PMI's smoke-free products were available for sale in 78 markets, and PMI estimates that approximately 18.5 million adults around the world had already switched to IQOS and stopped smoking. Smoke-free products accounted for approximately 35% of PMI's total 2023 first-quarter net revenues. With a strong foundation and significant expertise in life sciences, PMI announced in February 2021 its ambition to expand into wellness and healthcare areas and, through its Vectura Fertin Pharma business, aims to enhance life through the delivery of seamless health experiences. For more information, please visit www.pmi.com and www.pmiscience.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005653/en/ Contacts: Investor Relations: Stamford, CT: +1 (203) 904 2410 Lausanne: +41 (0)58 242 4666 Email: InvestorRelations@pmi.com Media: David Fraser Lausanne: +41 (0)58 242 4500 Email: David.Fraser@pmi.com LAUSANNE, Switzerland, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The OAG's investigation against SICPA, which was opened in January 2015, has come to an end. It concludes with a conviction for "organisational deficiencies." Although it relates to old actions, undertaken without the company's consent and against its interest, SICPA takes the measure of this sanction but disagrees with its grounds, due to the absence of penal measures in the countries where the offences were allegedly committed. SICPA has since established a strong compliance management system department to ensure that the activities conducted on its behalf are carried out in accordance with business ethics and the highest degree of integrity. After more than 8 years of proceedings, the OAG has finally concluded its investigation and produced a summary penalty order sanctioning SICPA for "organisational deficiencies" between 2008 and 2015. In its side-letter, the OAG elaborates: "the company's responsibility does not mean that SICPA SA itself committed these infringements perpetrated by former employees or consultants, nor that it wanted or accepted them. Since then, SICPA SA has voluntarily and fully addressed this organisational deficiency." SICPA maintains, as it has done throughout its collaboration on the procedure, that it categorically rejects unethical conduct, that it was not aware of such acts before they were notified and that as soon as they were brought to its attention, SICPA sanctioned those responsible. Furthermore, in Brazil, the individuals whose convictions had required SICPA to execute a leniency agreement in 2021 were acquitted on 8 June 2022. In the other two countries referred to in the OAG's decision, SICPA was never prosecuted or even informed of any offence. The long-lasting uncertainty in which this procedure had put SICPA motivated the company not to oppose this decision. SICPA's reputation, tainted by allegations of systemic illegal practices, investigations in several countries, and even a personal responsibility of its Chief Executive Officer Philippe Amon, who has been totally cleared by the OAG, required that this deleterious process be terminated. SICPA regrets that an internal lack of organisation may have led to actions considered by the OAG as unethical. These organisational deficiencies have been remedied by the comprehensive restructuring of the compliance department, to prevent breaches to business ethics. Since 2021, SICPA has been one of the first companies in its sector to be ISO 37001:2016 certified for its compliance, integrity and competition protection systems. SICPA is also an accredited member of the Banknote Ethics Initiative, which promotes ethical and responsible business practices worldwide. Philippe Amon, the company's Chairman and CEO, says: "Compliance with the law and doing business with integrity are not optional; they are crucial as a basis for trust, which is at the heart of what we do." As it approaches its centenary, SICPA and its thousands of employees can now fully focus on their mission: protect the interests of government and industry clients who have trusted its physical and digital technologies to fight illicit trade, recognised by the main international institutions. About SICPA Market leader in security inks and leading provider of secured authentication, identification, traceability and supply chain solutions, SICPA is a long-trusted partner to governments, central banks, high security printers and the industry. Every day, governments, companies and millions of citizens rely on its expertise, which combines material-based covert features and digital technologies, to protect the integrity and value of their currency, personal identity, value documents, e-government services, as well as products and brands. True to its purpose of Enabling Trust through constant innovation, SICPA aims to further an Economy of Trust worldwide, where transactions, interactions and products across the physical and digital worlds are based on protected, unforgeable and verifiable data. Founded in Lausanne in 1927, headquartered in Switzerland and operating on five continents, SICPA employs about 3000 people. More about SICPA : https://www.sicpa.com/sicpa-overview Link to the side letter of the OAG on the conviction of SICPA for organisational deficiencies Release Date: Embargoed until 27th April 2023 YORK, United Kingdom, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Simpson Associates has been recognised as one of the UK's Best Workplaces (2023) today, with 98% of employees agreeing that "Management is approachable and easy to talk to." Awarded by Great Place to Work, the global authority on workplace culture. By recognising peoples' individuality and core strengths, we always strive to create a supportive, caring environment where everyone can be successful. We invest in our people by providing exciting opportunities for professional development, working with leading technologies and innovative solutions. "In such a competitive labour market, this accolade is one we're especially proud of. Now more than ever do we need to look after our people. At Simpson Associates, we recognise that the culture we create, the values we embody and environment we provide for our colleagues is vital to the continuing success of our business. We can't help but be honoured that our contribution to the development of our team, and our commitment to the local communities in which we work is being recognised," Fiona Todd, Head of People. "As the global authority on workplace culture, our mission at Great Place to Work has always been to build a better world by helping organisations become a great place to work for all. We strongly believe in the notion of 'better for business, better for people, better for the world'," said Benedict Gautrey, Managing Director of Great Place to Work UK. "Best Workplaces consistently put people first - not just in terms of looking out for their own employees but also by caring for and supporting their surrounding community and environment. We're incredibly proud to recognise the very best 'For All' organisations committed to equity and unfaltering in ensuring that all employees are empowered to deliver the right strategic solutions to ever-changing business opportunities and challenges." A great workplace is more than lavish perks, fancy parties and amazing benefits. While those elements are present in many Best Workplace organisations, at its core a great workplace is about the level of trust that employees experience in their leaders, the level of pride they have in their jobs; and the extent to which they experience camaraderie with their colleagues. Great Place to Work performed rigorous evaluations of hundreds of employee survey responses alongside Culture Audit submissions from leaders at each company to create the 2023 UK's Best Workplaces list. They then used these data insights to benchmark the effectiveness of companies' employee value propositions against the culture their employees actually experience. Those businesses who achieve the highest scores after evaluation receive Best Workplaces status. Some stand out responses from Simpson's employees: "People are brilliant. The work is incredibly fun and the right amount of challenge." "A truly flexible organisation." "Really approachable owners & directors." "Sense of community in the company where everyone can go up to anyone to ask for help or just a quick chat." "A genuinely caring and 'together' place for employees to feel valued." About Simpson Associates Simpson Associates are a Data Analytics consultancy providing data solutions that enable organisations to gain valuable insights and make better informed decisions. We have been helping organisations in both the public and private sectors for more than 30 years. We are a Microsoft Solutions partner, with certifications in Data & AI; Infrastructure; and Digital & App Innovation, and an Advanced Specialisation in Analytics on Azure; a Databricks partner; and an IBM Gold Partner, specialising in Cognos Analytics and Planning Analytics (TM1). 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 around the world and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. In 2022, they launched the first-ever annual UK's Best Workplaces for Wellbeing list of organisations who stood out as delivering exceptional wellbeing support for their employees across all levels and departments. For more information, visit www.greatplacetowork.co.uk A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/05ff4dba-d7fe-43f4-ad33-1c98a19653d6 NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Investing in real estate remains one of the best ways to accumulate wealth, both in terms of appreciation in market value as well as generating a reliable monthly cash flow. Historically, real estate has been less volatile than the stock market, especially through tougher economic times. Given the diversity of available choices, property investment is an option for investors on all rungs of the financial ladder, not only high net worth individuals! In that context, InvestWE is an innovative platform that allows users to invest from $50 in real estate properties for short-term rentals like AIRBNB, in different parts of the world and in just 5 minutes. The platform offers all investors absolute control of their investments, the possibility of making safe real estate investments in the United States and Colombia, 24/7 monitoring through the app, high profitability, low risk and monthly incomes. The investment process is really simple: 1. Users must register for free on the platform. 2. They must select a property in which to invest. 3. They must make the payment in their preferred currency and 4. They will finally begin to receive income from their properties! The brain behind this successful business is Sebastian Garces, a Colombian entrepreneur who in the last 15 years has founded 8 successful companies related to different sectors, such as finances, construction, wholesale trade, agriculture, software development, and more. All InvestWE operations are always backed by the properties that investors acquire, which are revalued day by day and, thanks to the administration of InvestWE, generate optimal financial returns. Plus, all investment is backed by a legally constituted company and everything is done in compliance with current legal and tax regulations. "Our investors have no cost to register or invest through our platform. In addition, each investment option has its supporting documents which will be sent immediately after making the investment", Reads their website. The investment process is 100% online. That way it is easy, fast and effective for all people. InvestWE manages to stand out from other similar platforms because they offer high valuation, immediate support, better liquidity, indefinite returns and a digital wallet. And, since investment security is a priority for the entire team, they comply with all current regulations and safety rules. "Our goal is to democratize real estate investments so that anyone can invest in this industry without having to invest large sums of money or having advanced knowledge, from anywhere in the world!", Sebastian explains. The business group behind InvestWE has more than 12 years of experience in the business market, and has established itself as a leader in the industry, positively impacting the lives of hundreds of people and contributing widely to the development of society. To find out more about InvestWE, click here . About InvestWE: InvestWE is a platform to invest from $50 USD in special real estate properties for short-stay rentals such as AIRBNB in Colombia and the US. They plan to democratize real estate investments so that anyone can invest in the industry without having to invest large sums of money. Contact: Paula Henderson 561-768-4444 phendersonnews@gmail.com SOURCE: InvestWE View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/751681/InvestWE-Is-The-Real-Estate-Investment-Platform-That-Provides-Investors-Absolute-Control-Of-Their-Properties-High-Profitability-Low-Risk-and-Monthly-Incomes EQS Post-admission Duties announcement: Haier Smart Home Co.,Ltd. / Third country release according to Article 50 Para. 1, No. 2 of the WpHG [the German Securities Trading Act] Haier Smart Home Co.,Ltd.: Announcement on Publication of the IFRS version of Annual Report 2022 on Hong Kong Stock Exchange 27.04.2023 / 17:25 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. Third country release according to Article 50 Para. 1, No. 2 of the WpHG Announcement on Publication of the IFRS version of Annual Report 2022 on Hong Kong Stock Exchange Qingdao / Shanghai / Frankfurt / Hong Kong, 27 April 2023 - Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. (the "Company" or "Haier Smart Home", D-share 690D.DE, A-share 600690.SH, H-share 06690.HK) today published the IFRS version of the Annual Report 2022 on Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The IFRS version of the Annual Report 2022 is fully available at: https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2023/0427/2023042701579.pdf IR Contact: Haier Smart Home Hong Kong T: +852 2169 0000 Email: ir@haier.hk Press Contact: CROSS ALLIANCE communication GmbH Sara Pinto Sven Pauly pi@crossalliance.de T: +49 (0) 89 1250903 35 About Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd.: Haier is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household appliances with a focus on smart home solutions and customized production. Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. develops, produces and distributes a wide range of household appliances. These include refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, air conditioners, water heaters, kitchen appliances as well as small household appliances and an extensive range of intelligent household appliances. The Company distributes its products through leading household brands such as Haier, Casarte, Leader, Candy, GE Appliances, AQUA and Fisher & Paykel. Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. has launched Smart Home Experiential Cloud, which connects homes, users, enterprises and ecosystem partners, and facilitates the integration of Haier's online, offline and micro-store businesses and supports user interaction to further optimize the user experience. 27.04.2023 CET/CEST The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.eqs-news.com Strategic acquisitions of i.Bioceuticals in the US and Biopress in France: - Strengthening the Group's solutions for its many markets - Expansion of the offer in the nutraceutical and agri-food markets - Securing a local supply of plant-based raw materials 2023 Q1 revenue of 14.5 million, up 5.1% Regulatory News: Groupe Berkem (Paris:ALKEM), a leading player in bio-based chemistry (ISIN code: FR00140069V2 Ticker: ALKEM), announces its revenue for the first quarter of 2023 and provides an update on its recent activity. Olivier FAHY, Chairman and CEO of Groupe Berkem said"In 2023, Groupe Berkem will continue to implement the strategic plan announced at the time of its initial public offering. The recent acquisitions of i.Bioceuticals and Biopress have consolidated our growth model by ensuring, for the former, a presence in the strategic nutraceutical market while strengthening the Group's internationalisation and, for the latter, a local supply of vegetable oils, essential raw materials for our numerous activities aimed at industrialists. With a solid financial structure and new assets to strengthen our position as a major player in plant-based chemistry in France and internationally, we reaffirm our financial objectives for 2024. 2023 Q1 revenue Groupe Berkem will now present the allocation of its revenue between its four business areas: Construction Materials, Hygiene Protection, Health, Beauty Nutrition and Industry. As of March 31, 2023, Groupe Berkem's revenue for the first three months of 2023 reached 14.5m, compared to 13.8m in the first quarter of 2022, corresponding to an increase of 5.1%: in thousands T1 2023 T1 2022 Change Construction Materials 6,401 6,270 +2.1% Hygiene Protection 3,532 2,985 +18.3% Health, Beauty Nutrition 4,515 4,470 +1.0% Industry 10 47 -78.2% Other 43 31 +41.4% TOTAL 14 500 13 802 +5.1% The Construction Materials division posted revenue of 6.4m in Q1 2023, up 2.1% since 2022. The Hygiene Protection divisionfor its part, has increased by +18.3% since 2022, to post revenue of 3.5m in Q1 2023. The sales of i.Bioceuticals, acquired from INC, have been fully accounted for since February 15, 2023, bringing the Health, Beauty Nutrition division's revenue to 4.5m in Q1 2023, +1%. Finally, the Industry division had revenue of 0.01m in Q1 2023 and corresponds to sales of resins for applications excluding the Construction Materials segment. 2023 Q1 AND POST-CLOSING HIGHLIGHTS External growth operations Groupe Berkem announced in February 2023 the completion of the acquisition of i.Bioceuticals, Inc. from the Dutch INC (International Nutrition Company), the leading exclusive North American distributor of nutritional ingredients. The acquisition of this subsidiary allows the Group to distribute directly in North America its complete range of antioxidant active ingredients and thus broaden its offer by addressing the Nutraceutical business segment. Also, in early April 2023, the Group announced the strategic acquisition of Biopress, a French producer of 100% vegetable oils and proteins. With this operation, the Group now benefits from a local supply of technical vegetable oils, consolidates its offer for the "Health, Beauty Nutrition" business line and secures new commercial opportunities in the food market. Activity In March 2023, Groupe Berkem launched its new range of 100% natural floral waters with 97.5% organic content, H2OLIXIR, intended for the Health and Beauty industries. At the beginning of April, the Group launched the marketing of Termifuge K, a preventive, ready-to-use anti-termite and waterproofing solution for the construction industry. This over-activated solution reduces the content of conventional biocides by 50% thanks to the integration of a plant-based over-activator and the virtues of a plant-based insecticide, formulated by the Berkem Group. International and Regulatory In March 2023, the Group announced the extension of its distribution agreement with Unipex, already a distributor of the Group's plant extracts for France, to the Benelux and French-speaking Switzerland for all its ingredients for the cosmetics and personal care markets. In April 2023, Groupe Berkem continued to strengthen its international expansion strategy by signing a partnership with Kreglinger for the distribution of its cosmetic ingredients in the UK. CONFIRMATION OF FINANCIAL TARGETS FOR 2024 The Group confirms its ambition to achieve a revenue of at least 85 million by 2024 following the external growth operations carried out. By the same date, the Group's objective is to achieve an EBITDA margin of around 25%. 2022 annual results and availability of the 2022 annual financial report Groupe Berkem has decided to present its 2022 financial statements under IFRS. Given the adjustments that this conversion requires, the 2022 annual results, as well as the 2022 financial report, will now be published on May 16, 2023, after market closing. ABOUT THE BERKEM GROUP Founded in 1993 by Olivier Fahy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Groupe Berkem is a leading force in the bio-based chemicals market. Its mission is to advance the environmental transition of companies producing the chemicals used in everyday life (Construction Materials, Health, Beauty Nutrition, Hygiene Protection, and Industry). By harnessing its expertise in both plant extraction and innovative formulations, Groupe Berkem has developed bio-based boosters-unique high-quality bio-based solutions augmenting the performance of synthetic molecules. Groupe Berkem achieved revenue of 51.8 million in 2022. The Group has almost 200 employees working at its head office (Blanquefort, Gironde) and 3 production facilities in Gardonne (Dordogne), La Teste-de-Buch (Gironde), and Chartres (Eure-et-Loir). Groupe Berkem has been listed on Euronext Growth Paris since December 2021 (ISIN code: FR00140069V2 ALKEM). www.groupeberkem.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005749/en/ Contacts: Groupe Berkem Olivier Fahy, Chairman and CEO Anthony Labrugnas, Chief Financial Officer Phone: +33 (0)5 64 31 06 60 investisseurs@berkem.com NewCap Investor Relations Mathilde Bohin Nicolas Fossiez Phone: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 94 berkem@newcap.eu NewCap Media Relations Nicolas Merigeau Antoine Pacquier Phone: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 94 berkem@newcap.eu BREA, Calif., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of visual solutions, announces that its ColorPro VP2786-4K monitor has won the TIPA (Technical Image Press Association) World Award 2023 for Best Professional Photo Monitor. This prestigious award recognizes excellence in the photography and imaging industry, and ViewSonic is proud to be recognized as a significant contributor in this space. The 27" UHD monitor has been validated by Fogra and Idealliance, and delivers ultimate color precision, making it the perfect choice for creative professionals who demand the highest levels of color accuracy and image quality from digital to print. "The ColorPro series has been specifically crafted to cater to the needs of creative professionals for color-critical tasks. We recognize the significance of maintaining color consistency between digital and print mediums, which is precisely why we developed the ColorPro VP2786-4K monitor," said Oscar Lin, General Manager of the Monitor Business Unit at ViewSonic. "We are pleased to consistently receive recognition for our products from TIPA - one of the most influential creative experts in the photography industry. We'll continue to work closely with the creators' community and raise the bar for professional tools and color calibration solutions." For precise screen-to-paper color accuracy, the ColorPro VP2786-4K monitor has been certified by Fogra, which guarantees absolute color reproduction. The ColorPro VP2786-4K monitor provides accurate color reproduction on both digital and print media with 100% coverage of the Adobe RGB gamut and 98% coverage of the DCI-P3 gamut. The monitor is paired with ColorPro Wheel, an embedded color sensor that allows for easy and flexible color and display adjustments and calibration via Colorbration+ software. The monitor's exclusive ColorPro Sense software can also connect to Pantone? Digital Color online data for optimal color performance. In addition to the TIPA World Award, the innovative display was critically acclaimed for its design - winning the coveted iF Design Award 2021, GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2021, and Wallpaper* Smart Space Award 2021 in the 'Smartest Design + Tech Collaboration' category. About ViewSonic Founded in California, ViewSonic is a leading global provider of visual solutions and conducts business in over 100 countries worldwide. As an innovator and visionary, ViewSonic is committed to providing comprehensive hardware and software solutions that include monitors, projectors, pen displays, commercial displays, All-in-One LED displays, ViewBoard interactive displays, and myViewBoard software ecosystem. With over 35 years of expertise in visual displays, ViewSonic has established a strong position for delivering innovative and reliable solutions for education, enterprise, consumer, and professional markets and helping customers "See the Difference." To find out more about ViewSonic, please visit www.viewsonic.com. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2063533/Image_1_ViewSonic_ColorPro_VP2786_4K_Wins_TIPA_World_Award_2023_for_Best_Professional_Photo_Monitor.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1587181/4006309/Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/viewsonic-colorpro-vp2786-4k-wins-tipa-world-award-2023-for-best-professional-photo-monitor-301809066.html Finsbury Growth & Income Trust Plc - Transaction in Own Shares For immediate release 27 April 2023 FINSBURY GROWTH & INCOME TRUST PLC (the "Company") MARKET PURCHASE OF COMPANY'S OWN SHARES The Company announces that it has today purchased 75,000 of its own shares ("Ordinary Shares") at a price of 912.91 pence per Ordinary Share. Such shares will be held in treasury by the Company. The transaction was made pursuant to the authority granted at the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 17 January 2023. Following this transaction, the total number of Ordinary Shares held by the Company in treasury is 17,216,747; the total number of Ordinary Shares that the Company has in issue, less the total number of Ordinary Shares held by the Company in treasury following such purchase, and therefore, the total number of voting rights in the Company is 207,774,556. . The figure of 207,774,556 may be used by shareholders as the denominator for calculations of interests in the Company's voting rights in accordance with the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules. For and on behalf of Frostrow Capital LLP Company Secretary For further information, please contact: Victoria Hale Frostrow Capital LLP Tel: 020 3 170 8732 Press release - Signing of framework agreement Sainte-Marie, April 27, 2023, 10 a.m. CBo Territoria has renewed its framework agreement with Biotope, an environmental consultancy firm As a responsible player, CBo Territoria has always prioritized social and environmental considerations in all its development and construction projects. Since 2013, the Group has chosen to collaborate with the engineering firm Biotope on environmental issues, whose approach strives to balance natural resource preservation, environmental effect and risk reduction, and regional development dynamism. CBo Territoria and Biotope are proud of the work accomplished over the last ten years as part of their collaboration and are pleased to announce that the agreement, which was renewed for the first time in 2018, will be extended. In concrete words, Biotope supports CBo Territoria with each project, from the feasibility studies and continuing through the compilation of regulatory files and the operational phase of the Group's operations. Biotope measures and monitors indicators over time (application of regulatory measures on a variety of topics such as biodiversity, waste, energy, water, carbon, soil artificialization, and so on) to improve the environmental performance of multi-scale activities. Biotope also supplies CBo Territoria with regulatory advisory services in these areas. Over the past ten years, real benefits have been witnessed in the improvement of partner companies' practices and environmental management. This monitoring has aided in the enhancement of the Group's CSR strategy. This framework agreement enables CBo Territoria to achieve its objective of "100% compliance with the clean worksite charter" by focusing on systematic sorting, traceability, and optimal recovery of worksite waste. CBo Territoria also expects its contractors to comply with safety requirements, labor laws, the French Labor Code, and environmental regulations. As a result, prior to the regularization of its contract, each contractor must sign a charter and commit to respecting its terms. "This environmental coordination engagement with Biotope is part of our ongoing CSR actions, which are reflected in the so-called "Impact Pei 2030" roadmap based on several structuring pillars: protecting our territories, working with our territories' human potential, and collaborating within the company in a resilient structure using best CSR practices in terms of both responsibility and performance. The renewal of the framework agreement with Biotope responds to the challenge of protecting our island, preserving our environment and biodiversity, and being more stringent on ESG criteria with our suppliers," says Geraldine Neyret, Deputy Managing Director. 2023 financial calendar Annual General Meeting: Wednesday, June 7, 2023 First half 2023 results: Tuesday, September 12, 2023 (after trading hours) About CBo Territoria (FR0010193979, CBOT) CBo Territoria has been a major real estate operator in La Reunion for nearly 20 years and has evolved into a multi-regional property developer specializing in tertiary assets (300.6 million at the end of December, representing 81% of total assets in value at year-end 2022). The Group is pursuing its expansion through the exploitation of its land reserves or through land acquisition, as it is involved in the full real estate value chain (property developer, property investor, and real estate company). CBo Territoria can finance its development through its activities as a residential developer (apartment buildings or sale of land plots) and, secondarily, as a service provider, as well as through the planned transfer of its residual residential properties to SHLMR. CBo Territoria is a real estate investment firm listed on Euronext Paris (compartment "C") that is qualified for the PEA PME finance program (small and medium-sized enterprises). Responsible and committed to a more sustainable real estate since its inception, CBo Territoria has been in the Top 10 of compartment "C" of the Gaia-Index for the past 6 years, a French benchmark index of the most virtuous small and medium-sized companies in terms of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). About Biotope (www.biotope.fr) Founded in 1993 by nature enthusiasts committed to biodiversity protection, the company has established itself as the French leader in environmental engineering in 20 years. BIOTOPE engineering consultancy firm assists public and private stakeholders in nature conservation and the environmental integration of development projects from French Guiana to China via the Mediterranean, with nearly 240 employees (botanists, wildlife experts, and environmentalists) and 21 locations in France and abroad. Biotope, based on Reunion Island, has been deploying all the company's know-how locally and throughout the Indian Ocean since 2002. Biotope is an independent and highly considered partner to all those working for nature protection and the sustainable development of our society, with a portfolio of over 600 references on the island and in the region. More information on cboterritoria.com INVESTORS Contacts Caroline Clapier - Director of Finance and Administration - direction@cboterritoria.com Agnes Villeret - Komodo - Tel.: 06 83 28 04 15 - agnes.villeret@agence-komodo.com PRESS Contacts Finance: Agnes Villeret - agnes.villeret@agence-komodo.com Corporate - Paris: Dina Morin - dmorin@capvalue.fr La Reunion: Catherine Galatoire - cgalatoire@cboterritoria.com ------------------------ This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ". - SECURITY MASTER Key: mZxyaZmZamfJlXFylcdnbGVnmphom2SamGKcyWNtZpuUbW2Umm5qbJydZnBqm2Vo - Check this key: https://www.security-master-key.com. ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-79602-230427-cbot_-communique-de-presse-accord-cadre-biotope-v-ang.pdf PITTSBURGH, PA / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Liberated Syndication Inc. ("Libsyn" or the "Company"), the leading all-in-one podcasting platform for creators and advertisers, today announced that it was named the winner of a Bronze Stevie Award in the product innovation category in The 21st Annual American Business Awards. The American Business Awards are the U.S.A.'s premier business awards program. More than 3,700 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories. Libsyn was recognized for Achievement in the Product Innovation category for its evolution from a podcasting pioneer with the best hosting solutions to a one-stop destination for all podcasting services and a leading podcast advertising marketplace - achieved through investments in product innovation and expanded partnerships. Libsyn has established itself as the premier, all-encompassing platform for creators and advertisers by executing on its platform strategy and robust product roadmap. The company is delivering on its mission to unlock the creative potential of the full spectrum of creators - from independents to established creators - and enable more advertisers to access highly sought-after podcast advertising inventory to reach an engaged podcast audience via its AdvertiseCast marketplace. "We're honored to be recognized as a podcasting industry innovator," said Libsyn's CEO, Bradley Tirpak. "Podcasting has reached an inflection point with surging popularity and listenership growth that's driving increasing advertiser demand. We've invested significantly in our platform innovations and that's enabling us to deliver industry-leading tools and insights for creators, scale our advertising business, and drive international expansion." More than 230 professionals worldwide participated in the judging process to select this year's Stevie Award winners. Details about The American Business Awards and the list of 2023 Stevie winners are available at www.StevieAwards.com/ABA. About the Stevie Awards Stevie Awards are conferred in eight programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com. About Liberated Syndication Founded in 2004, Liberated Syndication Inc. ("Libsyn") is the leading all-in-one podcasting platform for creators and advertisers to host, distribute, monetize, amplify, and measure their audio content. In 2022, the Company hosted over 75,000 shows and delivered over 8 billion downloads to listeners globally. Libsyn's AdvertiseCast marketplace combines an industry-leading ad buying and management platform with full-service capabilities that make it easy for podcast advertisers to initiate and manage highly targeted and measurable campaigns on over 3,000 shows. Based in Munich, Germany, Libsyn's Julep Media platform is the leading podcasting hosting platform and advertising marketplace in Europe. Libsyn also powers podcast membership platform, Glow, and web hosting platform, Pair Networks. Visit libsyn.com or investor.libsyn.com for more Company information. #? #? # Media Contacts: Ray Yeung + Nancy Zakhary | ray@relev8.co + nancy@relev8.co Investor Contact: investor@libsyn.com SOURCE: Liberated Syndication, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/751706/Libsyn-Honored-as-Bronze-StevieR-Award-Winner-for-Product-Innovation-in-2023-American-Business-AwardsR Veolia Environnement (Paris:VIE): The Combined General Meeting of Veolia Environnement shareholders, held today at the Maison de la Mutualite in Paris, under the chairmanship of its Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr. Antoine Frerot, approved all of the resolutions submitted to it with a quorum 73.53%. These resolutions relate in particular on: the approval of the parent company financial statements and group consolidated financial statements for fiscal year 2022 the setting of the dividend in cash for the fiscal year ended on December 31, 2022 at 1.12 per share. The shares will be traded ex-dividend as of May 9, 2023 and payablefrom May 11, 2023 the renewal of the terms of office as Director of Mrs. Maryse Aulagnon and the appointment of Mr. Olivier Andries, Mrs. Veronique Bedague and Mr. Francisco Reynes as Directors for a four-year period which will expire at the end of the General Shareholders' Meeting that will be called to approve the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2026; the renewal of Ernst Young et Autres as statutory auditor of the Company for a six-year period which will expire at the end of the General Shareholders' Meeting that will be called to approve the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2028; the compensation paid during fiscal year 2022 or awarded in respect of the same fiscal year to Mr. Antoine Frerot as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (from January 1 st , 2022 to June 30, 2022); to Mr. Antoine Frerot as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (from January 1 , 2022 to June 30, 2022); the compensation paid during fiscal year 2022 or awarded in respect of the same fiscal year to Mr. Antoine Frerot as Chairman of the Board of Directors (from July 1 st , 2022 to December 31 st , 2022); to Mr. Antoine Frerot as Chairman of the Board of Directors (from July 1 , 2022 to December 31 , 2022); the compensation paid during fiscal year 2022 or awarded in respect of the same fiscal year to Mrs. Estelle Brachlianoff as Chief Executive Officer (from July 1 st , 2022 to December 31 st , 2022); to Mrs. Estelle Brachlianoff as Chief Executive Officer (from July 1 , 2022 to December 31 , 2022); the information relating to the 2022 compensation of the Directors (excluding the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer); (excluding the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer); the Chairman of the Board's' compensation policy in respect of fiscal year 2023 the Chief Executive Officer's compensation policy in respect of fiscal year 2023 Director's compensation policy in respect of fiscal year 2023 the renewal of the financial authorizations granted to the Board of Directors to increase the share capital by issuing shares and/or securities in the context of the implementation of employee share ownership plans; granted to the Board of Directors to increase the share capital by issuing shares and/or securities in the context of the implementation of employee share ownership plans; the authorization granted to the Board of Directors to grant shares to corporate officers and employees of the Group and corporate officers of the Company. After this combined general meeting, the Board of Directors of Veolia Environnement is made up of fourteen Directors, including approximately 82% independent Directors (excluding the two Directors representing employees and the Director representing employee shareholders) and 54.5%1 women, and one non voting member (censeur Mr. Antoine Frerot, Chairman of the Board of Directors; Mrs. Estelle Brachlianoff, Chief Executive Officer Mrs. Maryse Aulagnon*, Vice-Chairwoman and Senior Independent Director Mr. Olivier Andries*; Mrs. Veronique Bedague*; Mr. Pierre-Andre de Chalendar*; Mrs. Isabelle Courville*; Mrs. Marion Guillou*; Mr. Franck Le Roux, Director representing employees Mrs. Agata Mazurek-Bak, Director representing employee shareholders Mr. Pavel Pasa, Director representing employees Mrs. Nathalie Rachou*; Mr. Francisco Reynes*; Mr. Guillaume Texier*; M. Enric Amiguet y Rovira, non voting member (censeur). Independent member The composition of the committees of the Board of Directors is the following: Accounts and Audit Committee : Mrs. Nathalie Rachou (Chairwoman), Mr. Olivier Andries, Mrs. Veronique Bedague, Mrs. Isabelle Courville, Mr. Franck Le Roux (Director representing employees), Mrs. Agata Mazurek-Bak (Director representing employee shareholders) and Mr. Guillaume Texier. : Mrs. Nathalie Rachou (Chairwoman), Mr. Olivier Andries, Mrs. Veronique Bedague, Mrs. Isabelle Courville, Mr. Franck Le Roux (Director representing employees), Mrs. Agata Mazurek-Bak (Director representing employee shareholders) and Mr. Guillaume Texier. Nominations Committee : Mr. Pierre-Andre de Chalendar (Chairman), Mrs. Maryse Aulagnon, Mrs. Isabelle Courville and Mr. Antoine Frerot. : Mr. Pierre-Andre de Chalendar (Chairman), Mrs. Maryse Aulagnon, Mrs. Isabelle Courville and Mr. Antoine Frerot. Compensation Committee: Mrs. Maryse Aulagnon (Chairwoman), Mr. Olivier Andries, Mr. Pierre-Andre de Chalendar, Mrs. Marion Guillou, Mr. Franck Le Roux (Director representing employees). Research, Innovation and Sustainable Development Committee : Mrs. Isabelle Courville (Chairwoman), Mrs. Marion Guillou, Mr. Pavel Pasa (Director representing employees), Mr. Francisco Reynes and Mr. Guillaume Texier. M. Enric Amiguet y Rovira is invited to attend all meetings of this committee. : Mrs. Isabelle Courville (Chairwoman), Mrs. Marion Guillou, Mr. Pavel Pasa (Director representing employees), Mr. Francisco Reynes and Mr. Guillaume Texier. M. Enric Amiguet y Rovira is invited to attend all meetings of this committee. Purpose of the Company Committee: Mr. Antoine Frerot (Chairman), Mrs. Maryse Aulagnon, Mr. Pierre-Andre de Chalendar, Mrs. Isabelle Courville, Mr. Franck Le Roux (Director representing employees) and Mrs. Nathalie Rachou. Furthermore, the Board of Directors has reaffirmed its willingness to pursue its policy of shareholder dialogue and engagement initiated several years ago. See https://www.veolia.com/en/veolia-group/finance/shareholders for the results of voting on the resolutions and a full webcast of the Combined Shareholders' General Meeting. Veolia Group aims to become the benchmark company for ecological transformation. Present on five continents with nearly 220,000 employees, the Group designs and deploys useful, practical solutions for the management of water, waste and energy that are contributing to a radical turnaround of the current situation. Through its three complementary activities, Veolia helps to develop access to resources, to preserve available resources and to renew them. In 2022, the Veolia group provided 111 million inhabitants with drinking water and 97 million with sanitation, produced 44 terawatt hours and recovered 61 million tonnes of waste. Veolia Environnement (Paris Euronext: VIE) achieved consolidated revenue of 42.9 billion euros in 2022. www.veolia.com 1 Excluding the Directors representing employees and the Director representing employee shareholdersin accordance with Articles L. 225-27-1 and L. 22-10-7 of the French Commercial Code. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005829/en/ Contacts: Group press relations Laurent Obadia Evgeniya Mazalova + 33 6 27 45 11 38 presse.groupe@veolia.com Analysts Investors Ronald Wasylec Ariane de Lamaze Tel. 33 1 85 57 84 76 84 80 investor-relations@veolia.com Farfetch Limited (NYSE: FTCH), the leading global platform for the luxury fashion industry, announced that the company's first quarter 2023 financial results will be released after the U.S. market close on Thursday, May 18, 2023. Farfetch will host a conference call to discuss its results at 4:30 p.m. ET the same day. In addition, Jose Neves, Farfetch Founder, Chairman and CEO, will present at the J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at 3:15 p.m. ET. Live webcasts of each event, along with the company's earnings press release, will be available on the Company's Investor Relations website at www.farfetchinvestors.com. Webcast replays and any related presentation materials will be available for at least 30 days following each event. About Farfetch Farfetch Limited is the leading global platform for the luxury fashion industry. Founded in 2007 by Jose Neves for the love of fashion, and launched in 2008, Farfetch began as an e-commerce marketplace for luxury boutiques around the world. Today the Farfetch Marketplace connects customers in over 190 countries and territories with items from more than 50 countries and over 1,400 of the world's best brands, boutiques and department stores, delivering a truly unique shopping experience and access to the most extensive selection of luxury on a single platform. Farfetch's additional businesses include Browns and Stadium Goods, which offer luxury products to consumers, and New Guards Group, a platform for the development of global fashion brands. Farfetch offers its broad range of consumer-facing channels and enterprise level solutions to the luxury industry under its Luxury New Retail initiative. The Luxury New Retail initiative also encompasses Farfetch Platform Solutions, which services enterprise clients with e-commerce and technology capabilities and innovations such as Store of the Future, its connected retail solution. For more information, please visit www.farfetchinvestors.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005845/en/ Contacts: Investor Relations: Alice Ryder VP Investor Relations IR@farfetch.com Media Susannah Clark EVP Communications, Global susannah.clark@farfetch.com +44 7788 405224 Brunswick Group farfetch@brunswickgroup.com US: +1 (212) 333 3810 UK: +44 (0) 207 404 5959 Petersen remembered as legal trailblazer who paved way for others CHICAGO, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The genomics industry is expected to experience a major boom in the near future. This is due to the increasing demand for personalized medicines and therapies, as well as the development of more advanced genomic sequencing technologies. As a result, genomic research and development will continue to be a major focus for many companies, as well as for government agencies and academic institutions. Additionally, the industry is expected to benefit from advancements in data analysis and artificial intelligence, which will enable the industry to analyze large genomic datasets more efficiently. Finally, the rise of consumer genomics, which allows individuals to access their personal genomic information and compare it to that of others, is expected to open the door to a new era of personalized healthcare. Genomics Market in terms of revenue was estimated to be worth $46.2 billion in 2023 and is poised to reach $83.1 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 12.4% from 2023 to 2028 according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. Factors such as funding provided by government for genomics projects, which is helping support the development and commercialization of new genomics technologies and will create new opportunities for companies operating in the genomics market and rising incidence of cancer and growing application of next generation sequencing for cancer research is driving the genomics market growth. Also, there is significant growth in the number of genomic startup players and funding offered to these start up players which is supporting research and development, driving innovation, increasing competitiveness in the genomics market. Download an Illustrative overview: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=613 Browse in-depth TOC on "Genomics Market" 238 - Tables 41 - Figures 391 - Pages Genomics Market Scope: Report Coverage Details Market Revenue in 2023 $46.2 billion Estimated Value by 2028 $83.1 billion Growth Rate Poised to grow at a CAGR of 12.4% Market Size Available for 2021-2028 Forecast Period 2023-2028 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered By Product & Service, Technology, Application, Study Type, End user and Region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America (LATAM) and Middle East and Africa (MEA) Report Highlights Updated financial information / product portfolio of players Key Market Opportunities Use of genomics in specialized/personalized medicine Key Market Drivers Increased government funding to support genomics project The services segment accounted for the second largest share of the product & service segment in the genomics market in 2022. Based on product and service, the genomics market is segmented into consumables and reagents, services, and instruments, systems, and software. In 2022, the services segment accounted for the largest share of the genomics market. Genomics services generally include data quality assessment, comprehensive analysis, interpreting results, and communicating & presenting results to customers. Many times, outsourced bioinformatics platforms are preferred by researchers and biotechnology companies as they allow them to design and implement their own queries. This allows researchers to focus more on generating results and biostatistics rather than maintaining and managing bioinformatics. Thus, preference to outsource service is promoting market growth. The biomarker discovery segment accounted for the second largest share of the study type segment in the genomics market in 2022. Based on study type, the genomics market is segmented into functional genomics, biomarker discovery, pathway analysis, epigenomics, and other study types. Biomarker discovery accounted for the second largest share of the genomics market in 2022. The reason for the large share of this market is genomics technology being rapidly adopted in biomarker discovery for the predicament of individuals at risk of diseases, early detection of diseases, and for advanced diagnostics to understand the prognosis of diseases and to provide personalized disease treatment. The Europe region is the second fastest-growing region of the genomics market in 2022. Based on the region, the genomics market is segmented into five major regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. The Europe market is estimated to register the second highest growth during the forecast period. The '1+ Million Genomes' Initiative was introduced in Europe in 2018 to gain access to at least 1 million sequenced genomes in the EU. Since Digital Day 2018, 24 EU countries, the UK, and Norway, have signed member state declarations on inducing efforts toward creating a European data infrastructure for genomic data and implementing the common nation rule to enable federated data access. Such one-of-a-kind initiatives by European countries are expected to propel the growth of the genomics market in this region. Inquiry Before Buying: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=613 Genomics Market Dynamics: Drivers: Increasing government funding to support genomics projects Rising incidence and prevalence of viral diseases and genetic disorders Growing incidence of cancer and increasing applications of next-generation sequencing in cancer research Robust investments in genomics startups Growing applications of genomics Trends: Partnerships and collaborations for technological advancements in genomics AI in genomics Following are the application of AI in genomics Opportunities: Use of genomics in specialized/personalized medicine Challenges: Ethical issues Dearth of trained professionals Secure storage of large volumes of sequenced data Key Market Players: Key players in the genomics Market include Illumina, Inc. (US), Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (US), Danaher Corporation (US), QIAGEN N.V. (Germany), Agilent Technologies, Inc. (US), PerkinElmer Inc. (US), F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Ltd. (Switzerland), Get 10% Free Customization on this Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=613 Recent Developments: In March 2023 , Illumina, Inc (US) launched Connected Insights, a new cloud-based software that enables tertiary analysis for clinical next-generation sequencing data. This software will help the genomic profiling (CGP) for advanced tumours along with whole-genome sequencing for rare diseases and other advanced applications. , Illumina, Inc (US) launched Connected Insights, a new cloud-based software that enables tertiary analysis for clinical next-generation sequencing data. This software will help the genomic profiling (CGP) for advanced tumours along with whole-genome sequencing for rare diseases and other advanced applications. In February 2023 , Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (US) launched TrueMark STI Select Panel, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test designed to detect Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Trichomonas vaginalis, and Mycoplasma genitalium for research applications only. , Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (US) launched TrueMark STI Select Panel, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test designed to detect Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Trichomonas vaginalis, and Mycoplasma genitalium for research applications only. In February 2023 , Eppendorf AG ( Germany ) expanded its production facility in China by signing a contract for building a new production site in Shanghai . , Eppendorf AG ( ) expanded its production facility in by signing a contract for building a new production site in . In October 2022 , Oxford Nanopore Technologies (UK) collaborated with 10x Genomics (US) to enable a streamlined workflow for sequencing full-length transcripts in single reads on highly accessible Oxford Nanopore devices. Genomics Market Advantages: Improved Diagnosis and Treatment: Genomics can provide more accurate diagnoses and treatments, leading to improved patient outcomes. By using genomic data, medical professionals can better understand the cause of a disease, as well as the best methods for treating it. Reduced Cost of Healthcare: Genomics can help reduce the cost of medical treatments, as it reduces the need for numerous tests that would otherwise be required. This can help to reduce healthcare costs, particularly for those with chronic illnesses. Targeted Therapy: Genomics can be used to provide personalized treatments, tailored to the genetic makeup of the patient. This can help to reduce the risk of adverse reactions to treatments, while also increasing the effectiveness of the treatment. Improved Disease Prevention: Genomics can provide insights into the genetic composition of a person, which can help to identify potential risks for developing certain diseases. This can then be used to develop preventive measures, thereby reducing the risk of the disease. Improved Drug Development: Genomics can help to speed up the development of new drugs and treatments, as it can be used to identify the most effective components of a drug and the best targets for treatment. This can reduce the time and cost associated with drug development. Genomics Market - Report Highlights: In the previous edition of the report, the base year was 2018, and the forecast period was 2020-2025. The updated study has 2022 as the base year, and the forecast period is 2023-2028. This study includes updated product/service portfolios of players, as well as updated financial information in the context of the genomics market from 2021 to 2028 for each listed company in a graphical representation. The new research study includes the impact of the recession on the genomics market. The recession will have a mild impact on the market. The new study includes updated market developments of profiled players from January 2020 to April 2023 . to . In the updated study, the technology chapter includes an additional segmentation-flow cytometry. The updated study includes an additional segmentation-study type. The updated study also includes additional pricing analysis and key buying criteria by stakeholders and end users in the market overview section. The startup/SME evaluation quadrant, top company evaluation matrix, and competitive benchmarking have also been added to the report. In the earlier version of the report, 20 companies were profiled. In the updated version, a total of 32 companies have been profiled. Related Reports: NGS Sample Preparation Market - Global Forecasts to 2028 Mass Spectrometry Market - Global Forecasts to 2028 Bioinformatics Market - Global Forecasts to 2027 Genome Editing Market - Global Forecasts to 2026 Proteomics Market - Global Forecasts to 2026 About MarketsandMarkets: MarketsandMarkets is a blue ocean alternative in growth consulting and program management, leveraging a man-machine offering to drive supernormal growth for progressive organizations in the B2B space. We have the widest lens on emerging technologies, making us proficient in co-creating supernormal growth for clients. 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. Built on the 'GIVE Growth' principle, we work with several Forbes Global 2000 B2B companies - helping them stay relevant in a disruptive ecosystem. Our insights and strategies are molded by our industry experts, cutting-edge AI-powered Market Intelligence Cloud, and years of research. The KnowledgeStore (our Market Intelligence Cloud) integrates our research, facilitates an analysis of interconnections through a set of applications, helping clients look at the entire ecosystem and understand the revenue shifts happening in their industry. To find out more, visit www.MarketsandMarkets.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/genomics-market.asp Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/genomics.asp Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/genomics-market-worth-83-1-billion--marketsandmarkets-301809476.html Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 27, 2023) - Angold Resources Ltd. (TSXV: AAU) (FSE: 13L) ("Angold" or the "Company") announces that its Chief Financial Officer, Gavin Cooper, has stepped down and that it has appointed Carson Halliday to replace him with immediate effect. Mr. Halliday has a strong background in financial reporting and extensive experience working with public companies in various sectors, primarily in the mining industry. He currently provides advisory and financial reporting support to various public companies and was previously a manager with Deloitte Canada, where he served clients of all stages in the mining life cycle. Carson is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Calgary. In connection with the appointment, the Company has granted 200,000 stock options to Mr. Halliday exercisable for 5 years at a price of $0.05. The Company thanks Mr. Cooper for his efforts and commitment over the last two years and wishes him well in all his future endeavours. About Angold Resources Ltd. Angold is an exploration and development company targeting large-scale mineral systems in proven gold districts in Chile, Nevada, Oregon and Ontario. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS "Galen McNamara" Galen McNamara, Chairman and Interim CEO Further information on Angold can be found on the Company's website at www.angoldresources.com and at www.sedar.com, or by contacting the Company by email at investors@angoldresources.com. Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance and include expectations regarding completion of the Strategic Review. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements or information. Forward-looking statements and information are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "appear", "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "approximate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "predict", "potential", "targeting", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe", "would" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements and information are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations and plans of management of the Company relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such statements and information may not be appropriate for other purposes, such as making investment decisions. Since forward-looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, timelines and information contained in this news release. Forward-looking information are based on management of the parties' reasonable assumptions, estimates, expectations, analyses and opinions, which are based on such management's experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, but which may prove to be incorrect. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information except as required by applicable law. Such forward-looking information represents management's best judgment based on information currently available. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual future results may vary materially. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/163982 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 27, 2023) - StrikePoint Gold Inc. (TSXV: SKP) (OTCQB: STKXF) ("StrikePoint" or the "Company") announces a multi-stage exploration program for its 100% owned Cuprite Gold Project, located in Nevada's prolific Walker Lane. Cuprite is thought to be analogous to the nearby 3.4 million ounce Silicon gold deposit recently discovered by Anglogold. Geochemical, geophysical and structural vectoring led to the Silicon gold discovery and StrikePoint will be using similar techniques to assess the 44 square kilometer Cuprite Gold Project. In addition, the Company has begun the permitting process for drilling and expects to be drilling in the second half of 2023. Michael G. Allen said, "We are pleased to be quickly advancing the Cuprite Gold Project. In 2023, we've acquired and expanded a significant land package utilizing an exploration concept never before tested at Cuprite. This exploration concept led to the discovery of a significant new gold discovery at Silicon and the similarities between Silicon and Cuprite are striking. We are all looking forward to the upcoming work." Year End Disclosure Documents: The Company reports it has filed its annual financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2022 and the related Management Discussion and Analysis for the same period (together, the "2022 Annual Documents"), with the Canadian securities regulators. The 2022 Annual Documents are available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on StrikePoint's website at www.strikepointgold.com. Corporate Update The Company is pleased to announce that further to the News Release dated April 11, 2023 the Company entered into an investor relations agreement with Knox Communications Inc., ("Knox Communications") a Canadian based firm focusing on marketing, investor communications and raising capital for the Company. As part of the agreement, the consultant will be paid four thousand Canadian dollars per month for their services. The term of the agreement shall be for a period of 12 months commencing on the Effective Date, subject to earlier termination of this agreement as set forth in the agreement (the "Term"). The Term may be renewed at the end of the agreement if mutually agreed upon by the Company and Consultant. The principal of Knox Communications owns 250,000 common shares of the company and was awarded 250,000 five-year stock options with an exercise price of $0.07 per share. The options will vest on a quarterly basis over a twelve-month period in blocks of 25%. Services to be provided by Knox Communications are anticipated to include investor relations activities under the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable securities laws. About StrikePoint StrikePoint Gold is a gold exploration company focused on building precious metals resources in Canada and the Western US. In addition to Cuprite Gold Project (discussed below), the company controls two advanced-stage exploration assets in BC's Golden Triangle. The past-producing high-grade silver Porter-Idaho Project and the high-grade gold Willoughby Project. Cuprite Gold Project consists of approximately 574 unpatented claims covering approximately 44 square kilometers, located fifteen kilometers south of Goldfield Nevada, and 85 kilometers northwest of Beatty, within the prolific Walker Lane Trend. The project is easily accessible by Highway 95 on the western margin of the property. The project is located within the Walker Lane Gold Trend, which hosts Anglogold's exciting Silicon discovery approximately 75 kilometers southeast of Cuprite. In addition, the Walker Lane hosts Tier 1 gold mines including Kinross's Round Mountain Mine located approximately 130 kilometers North of the Cuprite Gold Project. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF STRIKEPOINT GOLD INC. "Michael G. Allen" Michael G. Allen President, Chief Executive Officer & Director For more information, please contact: StrikePoint Gold Inc. Michael G. Allen, President CEO & Director T: (604) 374-8381 E: ma@strikepointgold.com W: www.strikepointgold.com Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information Certain statements made, and information contained herein may constitute "forward looking information" and "forward looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. These statements and information are based on facts currently available to the Company and there is no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Forward-looking statements and information may be identified by such terms as "anticipates", "believes", "targets", "estimates", "plans", "expects", "may", "will", "speculates", "could" or "would". All of the forward-looking statements made in this document are qualified by these cautionary 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, forecast or intended and readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all factors and assumptions which may have been used. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking information. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate and forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance. Readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained herein speaks only as of the date of this document. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise forward-looking information or to explain any material difference between such and subsequent actual events, except as required by applicable law. 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. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/163994 ST. PETERSBURG, FL / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Energy and Water Development Corp OTCQB:EAWD is pleased to announce the hiring of four highly skilled engineers, who will join our team to design and develop state-of-the-art Off Grid charging stations. The new hires include a mechanical and mechatronics engineer, an engineer for environment and natural resources, an electrical engineer, and a project development engineer, all of whom bring unique expertise and valuable insights to our organization. With the launch of our first commercial location in Kassel, Germany, we recognize the importance of securing top talent to ensure the success of our operations. The new hirings will play a critical role in maintaining the high performance of our engineering and technological sustainable solutions, while driving the growth of our company. The mechanical and mechatronics engineer will be responsible for designing and implementing the mechanical and electronic systems of our Off Grid charging stations, while the engineer for environment and natural resources will ensure that our stations are designed and built in an environmentally responsible manner. The electrical engineer will oversee the electrical systems of our stations, and the project development engineer will oversee the entire project, ensuring that it is completed on time and within budget. These strategic hires demonstrate our dedication to expanding our company's capabilities and services, reflecting the path of growth that we are taking. As we continue to evolve and innovate, we remain committed to being at the forefront of the renewable energy industry. "We are thrilled to welcome these four highly skilled engineers to our team at Energy and Water Development Corp, as we prepare to launch our state-of-the-art Off Grid charging stations in Germany. Their expertise and insights will ensure the high performance of our sustainable solutions, while driving the growth of our company. We are committed to providing innovative and environmentally responsible solutions, and these hires signify our dedication to that mission." - Irma Velazquez, MSc - CEO of Energy and Water Development Corp. We are confident that the addition of these highly qualified engineers will enable us to achieve our goals and make a positive impact on the environment. Energy and Water Development Corp is proud to have such talented individuals on board as we embark on this exciting new chapter in our company's journey. About Energy and Water Development Corp. Energy and Water Development Corp. is an engineering solutions company focused on delivering innovative and sustainable solutions of water and energy. EAWD builds its systems out of proven technologies, using its technical know-how to customize solutions to its clients' needs. The Company offers design, construction, maintenance and specialty consulting services to private companies, government entities and non-government organizations (NGOs). For more information, please visit www.energy-water.com. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Information Forward-looking statements include information concerning our possible or assumed future results of operations, business strategies, need for financing, competitive position and potential growth opportunities. Our forward- looking statements do not consider the effects of future legislation or regulations. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts and can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as the words "believes," "intends," "may," "should," "will," "anticipates," "expects," "could," "plans," "estimates," "projects," "targets," "forecasts" or comparable terminology or by discussions of strategy or trends. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward- looking statements we may make. Although we believe that our plans, intentions and expectations reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements we make in this release are reasonable, we can give no assurance that these plans, intentions or expectations will be achieved or occur, and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied by the forward-looking statements. Investor Contact: investor@energy-water.com General information info@energy-water.com SOURCE: Energy & Water Development Corp View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/751767/Energy-and-Water-Development-Corp-OTCQBEAWD-Hires-Top-Engineers-to-Design-and-Develop-Off-Grid-Charging-Stations-in-Germany Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 27, 2023) - World Copper Ltd. (TSXV: WCU) (OTCQX: WCUFF) (FSE:7LY0) ("World Copper" or the "Company") reports that pursuant to their news releases dated March 8, 2023, March 30, 2023, March 31, 2023 and April 20, 2023, the Company has closed their financing issuing an aggregate total of 11,306,667 units for gross proceeds of $2,035,200.06. On April 27, 2023, the Company closed the second and final tranche of the financing, issuing 3,332,323 units for gross proceeds of $599,817.94. Each unit consists of one common share (a "Share") and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each whole Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one additional share of the Company for a period of two years from the date of issuance at a price of $0.30 per share. There was no insider participation in the final tranche closing. Insider participation in the first tranche included Hendrik van Alphen, Director and Chairman as to 1,125,000 units and Nolan Peterson, CEO & President as to 100,000 units. These transactions constitute a "related party transaction" as such term is defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company is relying on the exemptions from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements under MI 61- 101. The Company is exempt from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements of MI 61-101 in reliance on sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 as the fair market value of the transaction, insofar as it involves interested parties, is not more than the 25% of the Company's market capitalization. Finder's fees in the second tranche were paid to Canaccord Genuity Corp. ($756.00 and 4,200 finder's warrants). All finder's warrants issued pursuant to the placement are non-transferable and exercisable at $0.30 for two years from closing. All securities issued in the Offering have a four-month plus one day hold period, during which time the securities may not be traded. Closing of the Offering is subject to the final acceptance of the TSXV. The net proceeds from the Offering are intended for general working capital and development costs. This press release does not constitute an offer of sale of any of the foregoing securities in the United States. None of the foregoing securities have been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") or any applicable state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) or persons in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor will there be any sale of the foregoing securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. ABOUT WORLD COPPER LTD. World Copper Ltd., headquartered in Vancouver, BC, is a Canadian resource company focused on the exploration and development of its copper porphyry projects: Escalones and Cristal in Chile, and Zonia in Arizona. Two of these projects have estimated resources with significant soluble copper mineralization, and each has additional copper porphyry targets with exciting potential to expand the resource base. Detailed information is available at World Copper's website at www.worldcopperltd.com, and for general Company updates you may follow us on our social media pages via Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn. On Behalf of the Board of Directors of WORLD COPPER LTD. "Nolan Peterson" Nolan Peterson Chief Executive Officer and President For further information, or to schedule a Zoom meeting with Management, please contact: Nolan Peterson or Michael Pound Phone: 604-638-3287 E-mail: info@worldcopperltd.com For all Investor Relations inquiries, please contact: John Liviakis Liviakis Financial Communications Inc. Phone: 415-389-4670 For all Public Relations inquiries, please contact: Nancy Thompson Vorticom, Inc. Office: 212-532-2208 | Mobile: 917-371-4053 Follow Us: Twitter: https://twitter.com/WorldCopperLtd Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorldCopperLtd LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/worldcopperltd Neither 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. 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 with respect to 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. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "may", "should", "would", "will", "potential", "scheduled" or variations of such words and phrases and similar expressions, which, by their nature, refer to future 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, that market fundamentals will result in sustained copper and precious metals demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future development of the Company's projects in a timely manner, the availability of financing on suitable terms for the development, construction and continued operation of the Company's projects and the Company's 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, requirements for additional capital, actual results of exploration activities, including on the Escalones Project and the Cristal Project, the reasonability of the economic assumptions at the basis of the results of the PEA for the Zonia Project, the estimation or realization of mineral reserves and mineral resources, future prices of copper, changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities, lack of investor interest in the Private Placement, accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental approvals (including acceptance of the Private Placement by the TSXV), permits or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities, risks relating to epidemics or pandemics, including the impact of an epidemic or pandemic on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, title disputes, the timing and possible outcome of any pending litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, as well as the risk factors described in the Company's annual and quarterly management's discussion and analysis and in other filings made by the Company with Canadian securities regulatory authorities under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this news release or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise required by law. **NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES** To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/164031 Anitva Logo Antiva Biosciences, a South San Francisco, CA-based biopharmaceutical company developing topical therapeutics for the treatment of pre-cancerous lesions caused by human papilloma virus (HPV) infection, raised $53M in Series E funding. The round was led by MPM-BioImpact Capital, and joined by existing investors including Canaan Partners, Sofinnova Investments, Adjuvant Capital, GV and Lumira Ventures, among others. The company intends to use the funds for the advancement of its lead development candidate, ABI-2280, into key efficacy studies following completion of its ongoing Phase 1 trials. Founded in 2012 by Dr. Karl Hostetler, Antiva Biosciences is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel, topical therapeutics for the treatment of diseases caused by HPV infection. Its lead drug candidate, ABI-2280 is being developed as a topical treatment for high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (HSIL, CIN 2,3) and for women with high-risk HPV infection. FinSMEs 27/04/2023 Proceeds to Support Key Efficacy Studies for ABI-2280 including Phase 2 Trial in High-Grade Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia (CIN 2,3) and Exploratory Study as Treatment for High-Risk HPV Infections SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ Antiva Biosciences, a biopharmaceutical company developing novel, topical therapeutics for the treatment of pre-cancerous lesions caused by human papilloma virus (HPV) infection, today announced the closing of a $53 million Series E equity financing. The financing was supported by a syndicate of premier life science investors led by MPM-BioImpact Capital, and joined by the companys existing investors including Canaan Partners, Sofinnova Investments, Adjuvant Capital, GV and Lumira Ventures, among others. In conjunction with the financing, president and chief executive officer Gail Maderis is transitioning to chairman of the companys board of directors and is being succeeded as CEO by Kristine Ball. Additionally, Ms. Ball, along with Florencia Segal, M.D., and Brian Goodman, Ph.D., both of MPM-BioImpact Capital, will join the Antiva board. Proceeds from the financing, which will fund the company into late 2025, will support the advancement of the companys lead development candidate, ABI-2280, into key efficacy studies following completion of its ongoing Phase 1 trials. Planned studies include a Phase 2 clinical trial in high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN 2,3) and an exploratory study as a potential treatment for high-risk HPV infection, specifically in subtypes that can lead to cancer. ABI-2280 has potent antiviral activity across all serotypes of HPV and works by both directly blocking HPV replication and inducing apoptosis in HPV-infected lesions, while sparing normal cells. Antiva has leveraged its development expertise to formulate a vaginal tablet of ABI-2280 that will enable self-administration at diagnosis and facilitate worldwide distribution, increasing impact potential for patients. The treatment of high-risk HPV infections with ABI-2280 holds the potential to address a significant global health challenge. HPV infections account for nearly all cases of cervical cancer around the world and an accessible and effective treatment holds the promise to dramatically reduce these cancers. Currently, there are no treatments available to resolve HPV infections and prevent their development into cancer. This remains a crucial unmet medical need with more than 5.5 million women in United States alone affected by high-risk HPV infections each year despite ready access to vaccines. We believe that Antiva has the opportunity to make a transformative impact on global health across several large, unmet therapeutic indications with its ABI-2280 program and are thrilled to be able to lead this round of financing. The company has advanced the development of ABI-2280 to patients with CIN 2,3 and is now poised to expand clinical development into high-risk HPV infection. ABI-2280 can make the World Health Organizations screen-and-treat approach to HPV infection a reality, said Dr. Segal. Dr. Goodman added, With MPM-BioImpacts growing focus on the field of virology, Antiva represents the type of impactful investment that we are looking to make in this space. We look forward to supporting Kristine in her new role as CEO and seeing the continued progress that is made under her leadership. Ms. Ball joins Antiva with more than 20 years of executive experience in the life sciences industry across companies of all stages ranging from discovery to clinical to commercial. She has significant transactional expertise, having participated in multiple initial public offerings, corporate M&A deals, partnerships and financings. Ms. Ball most recently served as chief executive officer of Soteria Biotherapeutics, a venture backed immuno-oncology company and previously held leadership positions at Menlo Therapeutics, Relypsa, Inc., and KAI Pharmaceuticals, and served on the board of Forty Seven, Inc., until its acquisition by Gilead. Ms. Ball currently sits on the board of Atreca, Inc., a publicly traded, clinical-stage oncology company. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity to join Antiva at such an exciting time in the companys maturation. ABI-2280 has tremendous potential to play a significant role in advancing both global health and womens health, bringing about a long-needed breakthrough in HPV infections and HPV-related cancers in both men and women, stated Ms. Ball. I am eager to carry forward the significant momentum that has been generated by the Antiva team and look forward to the important upcoming clinical development milestones that will move us closer to this goal. I am also excited to be able to work closely with Gail in her new role as board chair, leaning on the experience and knowledge she has gained during her time as president and CEO. I take great pride in turning the CEO role over to Kristine with the company in such a strong position following this transformative financing. She is a talented and experienced life science executive who is perfectly suited to lead Antiva as it expands clinical development of ABI-2280, said Ms. Maderis. I look forward to remaining intimately connected to the company in the role of board chair and offer a special thanks to Steve James, who has provided Antiva with great leadership and guidance as board chair and will remain an executive advisor to the company. About HPV-Related Diseases and Cervical Cancer Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is so common that nearly all sexually active men and women are infected with the virus at some point in their lives. Many of these are transient infections the body is capable of clearing, but this typically takes months to years. When the infections persist, they are known to drive the formation of malignancies, including cervical, anal, vulvar, penile, and head and neck cancers. The introduction of prophylactic vaccines for HPV was a major step forward in the fight against HPV-associated cancers by preventing infection by certain high-risk HPV subtypes. However, due to low adoption rates in the US, EU, and Japan, and limited access to the vaccines in developing countries, HPV infections and the disease states driven by such infections remain a major unmet clinical need. Globally, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women and as such represents a major public health problem. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 604,000 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer worldwide and approximately 342,000 women died from the disease in 2020. About Antiva Biosciences Antiva Biosciences, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel, topical therapeutics for the treatment of diseases caused by HPV infection. The company, based in South San Francisco, was founded in 2012 by Dr. Karl Hostetler of The University of California San Diego. The companys lead drug candidate, ABI-2280 is being developed as a topical treatment for high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (HSIL, CIN 2,3) and for women with high-risk HPV infection. For more information, please visit: www.antivabio.com. Contact Information: Kristine Ball Antiva Biosciences, Inc. 650-822-1400 [email protected] Tim Brons Vida Strategic Partners (media) 646-319-8981 [email protected] SOURCE Antiva Biosciences, Inc. Bastion Technologies, a Paris, France-based cyber defense platform, raised $2.8m in seed funding. Backers included Frst, Global Founders Capital, Kima Ventures, Motier Ventures, Denis Duverne, Joshua Motta, Renaud Deraison and Gaelle Olivier. The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and its business reach, as well as its development efforts. Created in October 2022 by Arnaud Fournier, Arnaud Drizard, Sebastien Duc and Robin Coste, Bastion provides a platform that enables micro, small or medium companies to make business assets and employees safe, manage their cyber defense quickly, and efficiently. The company provides four different modules, 1) to conduct phishing simulation tests, 2) to scan infrastructure and web applications, 3) to protect endpoints, and 4) to monitor incoming emails. FinSMEs 27/04/2023 Tembo, a London, UK-based provider of a digital-mortgage platform, raised 5M in funding. Backers included Love Ventures, McPike Family Office, Aviva Ventures and Ascension Ventures. The company intends to use the funds to continue to develop its proprietary technology, and grow its strategic partnerships with a range of wealth managers, house builders and lenders including Barratt Homes and Aviva. Led by Richard Dana, CEO and Founder, Tembo is a tech-focused mortgage broker, specialising in helping buyers discover the family assisted mortgages and specialist schemes they are eligible for, through its decisioning technology. The proprietary, decisioning and affordability technology provides users with an instant comparison of affordability and costs for all the available options and buying schemes to help them buy or remortgage their home. This includes innovative family mortgages which leverage either income, property equity or savings to boost affordability, as well as a number of specialist part buy, part rent and shared ownership schemes for those without family or friend support. Then, its team provides the advice and guidance to buy the home. FinSMEs 27/04/2023 The Central Government employees and pensioners have recently got a 4 per cent increase in their Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR), respectively. The revised rates have been applicable from 1 January 2023. Following the adjustment, the employees are looking forward to another DA increment, which is anticipated to take place in July 2023. As per the media outlets, experts predict that the DA, calculated based on the 7th Pay Commission, may rise by 3 to 4 per cent starting from 1 July 2023. They anticipate that even if the index number stays at 132.7 points and doesnt change in the upcoming months, the DA will still increase by a minimum of 3 per cent, resulting in a total of 45 per cent DA. The DA rate is decided by the government based on data provided by the All-India Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (AICPI-IW), which is published by the Labour Bureau, a department under the Ministry of Labour and Employment. These figures are released by the department on the final working day of the following month. At present, the DA/DR ratio for employees and pensioners stands at 42 per cent. The latest report by The Financial Express suggests that based on the AICPI-IW data for February 2023, it may increase to 45 per cent in the next revision. However, confirmation of the expected DA/DR rate for July 2023 is subject to the release of AICPI-IW data for the months leading up to July, which are March, April, May, and June 2023. The DA is given to employees along with their basic pay, which is computed using the 7th Pay Commission Pay Matrix at the corresponding level. However, it does not include any other form of special remuneration, among other things. Meanwhile, the Finance Ministry has raised the DA rate for Central Government and Central Autonomous body employees who receive their salary as per the 6th Pay Commission scale/Grade Pay from 212 per cent to 221 per cent of their Basic Pay, effective from 1 January 2023. This was notified by an Office Memorandum issued by the Department of Expenditure, under the Ministry of Finance on 10 April 2023. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In an effort to make Indias International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) more appealing, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed individuals to open interest-earning Foreign Currency Accounts (FCA) without restriction. The central bank has also removed the requirement to repatriate funds remaining idle in the FCA account for up to 15 days. In February 2021, the RBI allowed resident individuals to make remittances under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) to IFSCs set up in India, but the remittances were only allowed for making investments in IFSC securities, Business Outreach reported. Earlier, only non-interest-bearing FCAs were allowed in IFSCs under LRS, and any funds remaining idle in the account for up to 15 days from the date of its receipt were immediately transferred back to the domestic account of the investor in India. The RBI circular issued on Wednesday removes these key restrictions. The central bank, with an aim to deepen the financial markets in the IFSCs and to provide an opportunity for resident individuals to diversify their portfolios, permitted resident individuals to make remittances under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) to International Financial Services Centres (IFSCs) established in India under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) in February 2021. However, the payments were only to be used for investments in IFSC securities. The LRS empowered authorised dealers to facilitate remittances by resident individuals up to USD 250,000 per fiscal year for any transactions permitted by law. The central banks latest decision will also assist banks at IFSC in mobilising liabilities. The move will also allow individuals to hold their foreign currency for longer periods and earn interest on it. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. If you have an event you'd like to list on the site, submit it now! Submit The National Testing Agency (NTA) is likely to declare the long-awaited results for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2023 or the JEE Main 2023 session 2. In the meantime, the temporary answer keys for JEE Main 2023 session 2 were issued on 19 April, and students were requested to report any objection they had by 21 April. The JEE Main 2023 Result will be released on the official website of JEE Main jeemain.nta.nic.in by NTA. The agency administered the JEE Main Session 2 test on seven different dates 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 15 April this year. NTA published the conclusive answer key for JEE Main 2023 on 24 April. Even though it was anticipated that the results would be declared either on 25 or 26 April, they were not disclosed. Therefore, it is now expected that NTA will announce the session 2 result for JEE Main 2023 today, 27 April. After the JEE Main results are published, applicants can follow these steps to examine and download their corresponding results: Step 1: Go to the official website of JEE Main jeemain.nta.nic.in, and on the homepage, click on the link which reads JEE Main Result 2023 for Session 2 (once published). Step 2: A new page will pop up on your screen, then enter the necessary information and press the submit button. Step 3: Your JEE Main 2023 results will be displayed on the screen. Step 4: Download the same, and keep a hard copy of the outcome for future use. NTA will not only announce the JEE Main 2023 result, but also the cut-off, All India Ranks (AIR), and toppers list. The JEE Main 2023 scorecard will include the candidates normalised percentile score in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and overall percentile score in all three subjects. The All India Ranks and JEE Main Cut-off 2023 for JEE Advanced will be announced by considering the best of the two exams session 1 (January) and session 2 (April). Candidates who attain a score above the JEE Main 2023 cut-off will be qualified to participate in the JEE Advanced 2023 examination, which is required for admission to the IITs. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It was June 3, 2013, when Nishabd and Ghajini actress Jiah Khan died by suicide and actor Sooraj Pancholi, who she was in a relationship with, was charged with Abetment to Suicide. When the actress passed away, the media and the fraternity was shocked. A lot has happened in the case in the last 10 years and the verdict is expected tomorrow on April 28. Heres decoding what all has unfolded from 2013 to 2023. Jiah Khans letter to Sooraj The late actress letter to Pancholi began being circulated in the media and it read- I dont know how to say this to you but I might as well now as I have nothing to lose. Ive already lost everything. If youre reading this I might have already left or about to leave. I am broken inside. You may not have known this but you affected me deeply to a point where I lost myself in loving you. Yet you tortured me everyday. These days I see no light I wake up not wanting to wake up. There was a time I saw my life with you, a future with you. But you shattered my dreams. I feel dead inside. Ive never given so much of myself to someone or cared so much. You returned my love with cheating and lies. Khan added- It didnt matter how many gifts I gave you or how beautiful I looked for you. I was scared of getting pregnant but I gave myself completely the pain you have caused me everyday has destroyed every bit of me, destroyed my soul. I cant eat or sleep or think or function. I am running away from everything. The career is not even worth it anymore. Jiah Khan was not murdered; she committed suicide, says CBI This was in 2016. The CBI informed the Bombay High Court that its team has ruled out murder in the Jiah Khan death case. According to this Times of India report, Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh told a bench of Justice Naresh Patil and Justice Prakash Naik that, The CBI has no reason to protect the accused (actor Sooraj Pancholi) in the case. Bombay HC said it will decide on Jiahs mother Rabia Khans plea by 23 August and in the meanwhile, will continue interim stay on the trial against Sooraj Pancholi. While Mumbai police and CBI concluded that it was a case of suicide, Rabia claimed her daughter was murdered and demanded that Jiahs actor boyfriend should be tried for murder and not for abetment of suicide. Rabia is demanding a probe by Special Investigation Team (SIT) alleging that CBI, currently investigating the case, had concurred with the finding of the Mumbai police that Jiahs death was a case of suicide and not homicide. Zarina Wahabs statement Jiah Khans mother Rabia claimed that Jiah, who was found dead in 2013 in her Mumbai home, was verbally, and physically tortured by Pancholi, Jiahs boyfriend at the time of her death. Rabia also claimed that her daughter was murdered. In her conversation with The Times of India, Zarina Wahab said that although Rabia is not in the country, the case has been getting delayed for 9 years. Adding that while the Pancholi familys sympathy is with Rabia, as she has lost her daughter, Zarina said that whatever she has been doing to the kids is wrong. TOI quoted Zarina as saying, Sometimes people try to blame someone else to hide their own mistakes. This could have happened 9 years ago. She has been delaying the judgment intentionally. The Dil Dhadakne Do actress said, She knows the truth. She should come out of it and not punish an innocent child. She knows from the beginning that it is not Soorajs fault. Despite that, she is doing all this. Further, the actress pointed out that whenever the court is about to pass the verdict, Rabia is absent from the country. Claiming that Rabia is making Sooraj look like a villain, she revealed that the Hero actor is hopeful because he is not guilty at all. Zarina concluded by saying, But making an innocent boy look like a villain in peoples eyes is not correct. Sooraj will find good work if it is in his destiny but this is not the way to call someone guilty when he is innocent. I have lost my 20s in this bargain, dont want to feel like a victim, says Sooraj In 2018, the actor broke his silence and gave a statement on the matter. Speaking to Hindustan Times, he said, Keeping the emotions intact for the person who has passed away, we do need some movement forward. Its been a long, long time and I cant afford to lose more time. Sooraj, on 30 January, was charged by the Mumbai Court of abetting Khans suicide and the trial for the same had been scheduled for 14 February. I knew that there was something I was going to be charged with but Im ready for any charge against me, because until I have a charge, I cannot defend myself. I have lost my 20s in this bargain, but I dont want to feel like a victim. I dont want any sympathy. I just want my trial to be fair whether it goes against me or in my favour. Ive been shown as a criminal since day one; its not a good thing to live with. Four years of my prime have gone in attending court proceedings and nothing has happened. I want my case to end, fairly, said Sooraj, to the same publication. Jiah Khans Mother Trying To Delay The Trial: Bombay HC Last year in 2023, a division bench of Justices A S Gadkari and M N Jadhav in its order dated September 12 dismissed a petition filed by Rabia Khan seeking a fresh probe into the case, preferably by the FBI, the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States. The CBI has carried out a fair, impartial, and thorough probe into the suicide of actor Jiah Khan but her mother Rabia Khan was trying to procrastinate and delay the trial by insisting it was a homicide, the Bombay High Court said. The Verdict Almost ten years after she was found dead at her home, a special CBI court here is likely to pass its judgment on April 28 in the Bollywood actor Jiah Khan suicide case in which her boyfriend and film star Sooraj Pancholi has been charged for abetment. Special CBI Judge AS Sayyad on Thursday heard the final arguments of both sides and reserved his judgment in the case. Jiah (25), an American citizen, was found dead at her Juhu home here on June 3, 2013. Police later arrested Suraj on the basis of a six-page letter, purportedly written by the Bollywood starlet, and booked him for abetment to suicide. The case was reassigned to a special CBI court in 2021 after the sessions court said that it did not have the jurisdiction over the case as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had probed it. Jiahs mother Rabia Khan, a key prosecution witness in the case, told the court that she believed it to be a case of murder and not suicide. The Bombay High Court had last year dismissed her petition seeking a fresh investigation into the case. During her deposition, Rabia had told the CBI court that Suraj used to subject Jiah to physical and verbal abuse. Rabia had told the court that neither police nor the CBI had collected any legal evidence to prove that her daughter had committed suicide. Prashant Patil, appearing for Sooraj, said, We concluded the final arguments today (Thursday) on facts as well as on merits in the matter of Suraj Pancholi versus CBI. We relied upon certain landmark judgments of the honourable Supreme Court as well as high court to point out as to how the current case does not fall under the category of abetment to suicide. Now the matter is listed for passing of final judgment (on April 28), Patil added. Pancholi, the son of Bollywood couple Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab, is currently out on bail in the case. The CBI had alleged that the letter seized by the Mumbai police, which first probed the case on June 10, 2013, was written by Jiah Khan. The note narrated Jiah Khans intimate relationship, physical abuse and mental and physical torture allegedly at the hands of Pancholi which led her to commit suicide, the central agency had said. With added inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. On 27 April (Thursday) around 4.30 am, Anand Mohan Singh, the gangster-turned-politician, was released from Bihars Saharsa jail where he was serving a life sentence. His release comes amid massive backlash over the Nitish Kumar-led governments decision to change prison rules facilitating the release of 27 convicts. Mohan was initially scheduled to exit prison at 7 am, but was let out earlier so as to avoid the media glare and traffic chaos. Far away from Saharsa jail, the daughter of the IAS officer G Krishnaiah, who Mohan had incited to kill, was disheartened by the news. Speaking to news agency ANI, Padma said, Its disheartening for us that Anand Mohan Singh has been released from jail today. The government should reconsider this decision. I request Nitish Kumar ji to give a second thought to this decision. With this decision, his government has set a wrong example. It is unfair not just to a family but to the whole nation. We will appeal against this decision. But who exactly is Anand Mohan Singh? Why was he in prison? How has he now been let out and whats the controversy all about? Who is Anand Mohan? Anand Mohan is a gangster-turned-politician with close ties to Bihars political bigwigs. Belonging to Rajput community, Mohan holds sway over the Kosi region of Bihar. A resident of Panchgachiya village in Saharsa, Mohans political career began as a Janata Dal candidate in the 1990 elections, when he won from Hamhishi Assembly constituency. Both Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav were in the Janata Dal then, and that election saw Lalu become chief minister of Bihar for the first time. In 1993, after friction developed between Mohan and Lalu, the former split from the Janata Dal and formed the Bihar Peoples Party (BPP). Unsurprisingly, this party took a strong anti-Lalu stance, making him a hero of the upper castes, especially among his Rajput community. Two years later, when Nitish too split ways with Lalu, Mohan joined hands with the Nitish Kumar-George Fernandes-led Samata Party and won the Lok Sabha elections from Sheohar in 1996. Over the years, he has built close ties with different political parties and that led to his wife Lovely Anand and son Chetan both getting Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) tickets as recently as the 2020 Assembly polls; she lost narrowly, he won. His close ties with politicians has also been on display during his sons recent engagement where Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav were present. Why was he sent to prison? His release from Saharsa jail stems from the murder of Dalit IAS officer G Krishnaiah in 1994. On 5 December 1994, a funeral procession was taking place on the Vaishali-Muzaffarpur highway; the procession was led by a few politicians including Anand Mohan Singh and it was carrying the body of Kaushlendra Kumar aka Chhotan Shukla, another gangster turned BPP leader. While the crowd was mourning, people in the procession spotted the vehicle of G Krishnaiah, a young 1985-batch IAS officer and then the district magistrate of Gopalganj. He was heading to Patna at the time. Egged on by Anand Mohan Singh, the crowd soon turned into an irate mob and vented its anger on Krishnaiah. He was dragged out of the car and lynched to death. In 2007 a full 13 years after the incident Mohan was sentenced to death by additional district judge RS Rai for inciting the mob. He was found guilty under penal sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 147 (rioting) and 427 (causing damage). In 2008, the Patna High Court commuted his sentence to life imprisonment. In 2012, the Supreme Court upheld his conviction and life sentence. Then how has he been released? Mohans release from prison is courtesy a change to Bihars Prison Manual by the Nitish Kumar-led government. On 10 April, the Bihar government announced an amendment to Bihar Prison Manual, 2012, dropping the provision that barred anyone accused of the murder of a public servant on duty from premature release. This tweaks rule 484(I) of the Bihar Prison Manual, 2012. Former IPS officer Amitabh Kumar Das told the Times of India that before this change, the state did not permit for the early release to three types of prisoners rapists, terrorists, and murderers of government servants on duty. The governments change in rules effectively paved the way for Mohan, who was already out on parole for his sons wedding to be released. The decision to tweak the rules and facilitate Mohans release along with 26 other convicts sparked a political controversy, with the coalition government drawing fire from the BJP. Sushil Kumar Modi, Bihars former deputy chief minister, said Kumar had sacrificed law to stay on in power with support from ally RJD. The Bihar governments decision to tweak the rule also evoked great anguish from the slain IAS officers wife. Speaking to Indian Express, G Uma Krishnaiah was quoted as saying, Nitish Kumar is setting a horrible precedent by releasing a person convicted of murder. It will embolden criminals to attack government officials because they know they can easily get out of prison. For just a few Rajput votes, he has taken a decision that has so many consequences for the common people. The Rajput community should think over this whether they want a criminal like Anand Mohan to represent them in politics. The Indian Civil and Administrative Service (Central) Association also conveyed deep dismay over Mohans release. In a statement, they said that the decision is equivalent to a denial of justice and implored the state government to reconsider their actions. The Central IAS Association expresses its deep dismay at the decision of the state government of Bihar to release the convicts of the brutal killing of G Krishnaiah, IAS, former district magistrate of Gopalganj, by a change in classification rules of prisoners, it said. Why has he been released? The change in the prison manual allowing Mohans release has a lot to do with Bihar politics. His release is being seen by many as a move by Nitish Kumar to woo Bihars upper caste votes. Results of successive elections in Bihar show Nitishs support base has been declining. If he is able to woo Anand Mohan, theres a chance that he captures the important Rajput vote in the state. Rajputs in Bihar constitute four per cent of the upper caste vote bank, which is 12 per cent of the states electorate. And this is where Anand Mohan comes in. Whether Nitish Kumars move works though, only time will tell. In the meantime, the residents of his village, Panchgachiya in Saharsa district, are eagerly awaiting their leaders homecoming. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Experts cant stress the importance of sleep enough. And yet, many of us, especially those with partners, continue to struggle to get a good nights rest. Now, some have come up with a novel solution a sleep divorce. Fret not this doesnt mean that you actually divorce your partner. Lets take a closer look: What is it? Simply put, a sleep divorce is when a couple or partners sleep in separate beds, different rooms or even entirely different homes. Shelby Harris, Psy.D., D.B.S.M., director of sleep health at Sleepopolis, told Shape.com partners resort to this because of differences in sleep patterns, habits, and preferences, or disruptive snoring from one or both partners. It can be done on a temporary basis or even permanently. Dr Rebecca Robbins, scientist and instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School, said this can be done when to avoid partners sleep cycles clashing. For instance, in some relationships, one partner might be an owl while the other a lark, causing severe difficulties in aligning on the same bed and wake schedule, Robbins says. Another instance is in the case of one partner having a sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea or REM sleep behavior disorder, which can be disruptive to a partner. Michael Breus, a Los Angeles-area clinical psychologist who is also known as The Sleep Doctor, told the website Today some couples sleep together only on weekends. This is a great idea especially when we have couples where one person is snoring which keeps the other awake, or if one person is a shift worker, who has different hours, or people who have different chronotypes, where their genetically predetermined bedtime is different, Breus says. However, some, Danielle Kelvas, MD, chief medical advisor at Sleepline, advise against it. Constantly changing where you sleep does not contribute to healthy sleep cycles or regular circadian rhythms. I advise patients to have separate rooms and beds, but be intentional about having regular moments of affection and cuddling outside of the bedroom. Harris added that it is important that both partners make the choice together. You have to make the choice consciously together. It cant be a reactive thing like You snore so much, so Im just going to sleep somewhere else, or kicking one person out of the bedroom, Harris told CNBC. Both places also need to be equally comfortable. So, its not like one person is relegated to the couch ideally. You want to make it so they have a comfortable place, Harris added. What are its benefits? Better sleep for one. Quality sleep can improve your memory, strengthen your immune system, decrease your risk of serious health problems [such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, heart attack, and stroke], and increase your overall quality of life, Harris told Shape.com. Kelvas added that it only make sense to prioritise high-quality sleep. As most sleep therapists point out, most of us spend a third of our lives asleep, she added. There are benefits for some partners to sleep separately, Dr Erin Flynn-Evans, a consultant to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, told CBS. Studies demonstrate that when one bed partner has a sleep disorder it can negatively affect the other sleeper. For example, bed partners tend to wake up at the same time when one has insomnia. Similarly, when bed partners differ in chronotype, like when one is a night owl the other is an early bird, these differing sleep preferences can negatively impact both partners sleep. Breus also points out that some people naturally are against the idea based on the name itself. If so, one can avoid bringing up the term sleep divorce. I really dont like this term. It implies that when people are sleeping in separate bedrooms that it is somehow affecting or saying something about their relationship, Breus told House Beautiful. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Im here because Donald Trump raped me, and when I wrote about it, he said it didnt happen. This haunting statement was made by writer E Jean Carroll. She took a stand on Wednesday in her battery and defamation suit, testifying in detail about the alleged sexual assault in a New York City department store. E Jean Carroll is seeking damages for battery after Trump allegedly raped her in 1996 and for defamation after he accused her of lying when she wrote about it in a book. She said that the assault left her unable to have any romantic relationship and Trumps denials shattered her reputation. Im here to try and get my life back, she told the jury. Trump has denied the accusations. Who is E Jean Carroll and what happened between her and Trump? What is the trial? We take a look. What do we know about E Jean Carroll? E Jean Carroll is a writer and former columnist at Elle Magazine. Until she accused Trump of sexual assault, she was best known for her advice column, where she spoke about sex, success, and love among other things. Carroll earned repute for her forthright writing and her compassionate replies to readers seeking advice. She was a strong believer that women should not build their lives around men. Now 80, Carrol said that Elle fired her in 2019 because of her ongoing dispute with Trump. The author was born in Detroit and grew up in Indiana in the United States as Betty Jean Carroll. She studied at Indiana University, where she was crowned Miss Indiana University in 1963, according to a report in The New York Times (NYT). Carroll was always passionate about writing. She told USA Today during an interview in 2019 that she sent story pitches to publications when she was 12. The author changed her name to Elizabeth Jean and later shortened it to E Jean for her first byline in Esquire. She wrote for leading magazines Rolling Stone and Playboy, where she was the first woman contribution editor. Carroll lived in Montana with her first husband Steve Byers and came to New York City in 1983 to interview American Fran Leibowitz for a cover article in Outside magazine. It was one of her first big gigs. Manhattan left her enchanted and she decided to leave her husband and move. There was no looking back thereafter. Carrolls writing spoke for her. She came to be known for her first-person narratives and was dubbed by The New York Times as feminisms answer to Hunter S Thompson. Carroll carved a niche in television, writing for Saturday Night Live in the 1980s even earning an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing and hosting her own Ask E. Jean show on MSNBCs predecessor, Americas Talking, from 1994 to 1996, reports USA Today. She was part of the glitzy New York circuit in the 1980s and 90s, attending events, premiers, and dinner parties. She was married to John Johnson, who was a big on-air personality back in the day. They divorced in 1990. In the literary journalism world, she was a player, which is saying a lot, Lisa Chase, who edited Carroll when she wrote for Outside magazine, told USA Today. There werent a lot of women who were being hired by mens magazines. And she was. She was a trailblazer and a known name within New Yorks literary circle. Now she is mostly remembered for suing Trump and her book What Do We Need Men For?, where she writes a detailed account of the allegation. Also read: The defamation lawsuit and the rape allegations against Donald Trump, explained What happened between Trump and Carroll? The former journalist has alleged that Trump raped her in a dressing room of the Bergdorf Goodman, a luxury department store, in the spring of 1996. She made the accusations public in her book What Do We Need Men For? released in July 2019, first excerpted in New York magazine. The memoir describes the alleged assault by the former US president and attacks by other men, including the former chief executive of CBS Les Moonves, who was forced out over allegations of sexual harassment. In the book, Carrol talks about Most Hideous Men of My Life List: It is a list of the 21 most revolting scoundrels I have ever met. She vividly describes her encounter with Trump at Bergdorf Goodman. After a friendly flirtation, she writes, he (Trump) suddenly pinned her against the wall of a dressing room, pulled down her tights and forcibly penetrated her with his penis. After the book hit stands, two of Carrolls friends confirmed to NYT that she told them about the incident shortly after it allegedly occurred. Also read: Donald Trump Sexual Misconduct Allegations: 26 women, 43 instances, starting 1970 What did Carroll say in court? While testifying in court, Carroll recalled being delighted to be shopping with Trump and thinking that it would be a great story to narrate to friends. Well, it was such a funny New York scene, Carroll said she thought at the time, according to a CNN report from the courtroom. I love to give advice and here was Donald Trump asking me for advice about buying a present. The author said that the former president was friendly and funny and she remembered being absolutely enchanted. She said that she was probably flirting with Trump the whole time before the alleged assault, not thinking it was intimate or serious, CNN reports. The two made their way to the lingerie department, where he grabbed a grey bodysuit asking her to try it on. She responded in jest that he should try it on instead. Carroll testified on Wednesday that she had no intention of trying on the lingerie but followed Trump to the dressing room, thinking it could be a funny Saturday Night Live sketch. She didnt imagine what would happen next. That open door has plagued me for years because I just walked into it, walked in, she said in her testimony. The survivor then recounted how Trump allegedly shoved her against the wall even as she struggled. He inserted his fingers and then his penis. She felt pain at the back of her head and her vagina, she told the court. Also read: Not Just Stormy Daniels: Donald Trumps affair with Playboy model Karen McDougal and the hush-money deal What did she do after, her attorney asked. Carroll took a pause and as she teared up, she recalled, I always think I always think of why I walked in there to get myself in that situation. But Im proud to say I did get out, I got my knee up and pushed him back. She said that she called her friend Lisa Birnbach when she left the store, as she had not processed what was going on. If Lisa thought it was funny then it was not a bad thing and I didnt completely do a stupid thing, Carroll recalled thinking, reports CNN. But Birnbach told Carroll that it wasnt funny, that Carroll had been raped and she should report it to the police, the author testified. The next day, Carroll reportedly told another friend Carol Martin, who advised her to never report the story or talk about it as Trump would bury her with his legal team. I was frightened of Donald Trump. I thought he would retaliate and I was ashamed. I thought it was my fault, she said, according to CNN. Asked if she regretted accusing Trump given the fallout, Carroll said as her voice broke, I regretted this about 100 times but, in the end, being able to get my day in court finally is everything. What has Trump said? Trump has since the beginning denied the allegations. Before the testimony, he posted on his social media website Truth Social, calling Carrolls accusations a made-up SCAM and a witch-hunt. On Wednesday, Judge Lewis Kaplan warned that Trump may have crossed the line into jury tampering. He called Trumps post entirely inappropriate and warned they could become a potential source of liability for him. When Carrolls book was released in 2019, the former president said, Totally lying. I dont know anything about her I know nothing about this woman. I know nothing about her. She is its just a terrible thing that people can make statements like that. In an interview with The Hill, he had said, Ill say it with great respect: Number one, shes not my type. Number two, it never happened. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Paris: Sudan, which has descended into chaos with fierce fighting between rival generals, has lived through multiple civil wars since winning independence from Britain and Egypt in 1956. 1955-1972: First civil war Sudans first north-south civil war broke out several months before independence on 1 January, 1956 and lasted until 1972. It pitted successive governments in the Arab and Muslim-dominated north against multiple forces of separatist rebels in the south, where people are mainly Christian or follow traditional religions. Also Read: Sudan Unrest: The threat of germ bomb as lab seized in Khartoum The 17-year conflict ended with a treaty signed in neighbouring Ethiopia, under which the president granted autonomy to the south. It collapsed in 1983 after 11 years of relative peace when President Jaafar Nimeiri decided to revoke the souths autonomous status, enforce Islamic sharia law and crush southern troops he said were mutinying. According to different sources, as many as 500,000 people died in the bitter conflict. 1983-2005: Second civil war Sudans second civil war erupted in 1983 when the rebels of the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), led by John Garang, rose up to change the Islamist rulers in Khartoum into a secular, democratic New Sudan. In 1989, Omar al-Bashir, an Islamist, took power in a coup and cracked down on the southern rebellion. Southern guerrillas also fought within themselves, with one faction fighting for the south to break away. Northern rebels also battled the government in Eastern Sudan, Blue Nile and the Nuba Mountains. Some sources estimate as many as two million people were killed and another four million displaced in the 22-year war. The war ended on 9 January, 2005, when Garang signed a peace accord with Bashirs government. The cornerstone of the Kenya-mediated accord was a protocol exempting the south from sharia law and granting it six years of self-rule ahead of a 2011 referendum on whether to remain part of Sudan or secede. Oil-rich South Sudan proclaimed independence on 9 July, 2011, splitting Africas biggest country in two. Also Read: Who is Hemedti and what are the Rapid Support Forces clashing with the military? As South Sudan separated, conflict resumed in the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile in the rump state of Sudan in areas held by former guerrillas, now called the SPLM-North. In the spring of 2012, relations between Sudan and South Sudan soured in oil-rich border zones, resulting in clashes between the two armies. 2003-2020: Darfur war Sudans vast western region of Darfur was plunged into a war in 2003 when mostly non-Arab armed groups rose up against the government in Khartoum, alleging racial discrimination, marginalisation and exclusion. Khartoum responded by unleashing the Janjaweed, a marauding group of nomadic Arab raiders who attacked Darfuri villages on camel and horseback alongside regular soldiers. In the first five years the conflict claimed 300,000 lives from direct combat as well as disease and malnutrition, according to the United Nations. Around 2.5 million were displaced. The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague in 2009 and 2010 issued arrest warrants for president Bashir for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed in Darfur. Bashir was ousted in 2019. On 31 August, 2020, the government and most rebel groups agreed a landmark peace deal, but sporadic clashes continue. Since mid-April, the conflict between forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, head of a paramilitary force born out of the Janjaweed, has caused heavy fighting in Khartoum as well as renewed conflict in Darfur. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Japan has been dubbed as a nation of old people. Its ageing population is a matter of grave concern. But the Asian nation has some reason to cheer. It has now grabbed headlines for its GenZ politicians the countrys youngest mayor to be precise. All of 26, Ryosuke Takashima has been elected as the new mayor of Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture. Its good news for Japan which is among the countries that have the worlds oldest population. And Takashima is not alone. Many young politicians are in a position of power in the country, according to a report by CNN. Lets take a look at those who have assumed office at a young age in Japan, where most members of Parliament are aged between 50 to 70. The youngest mayor In an election that took place on Sunday, Ryosuke Takashima was picked as the mayor. The 26-year-old is the countrys youngest person to take over the role. Before him, Kotaro Shisida was the youngest mayor elected from Musashimurayama, Tokyo, in 1994. He was 27, according to a report in The Japan News. Takashima graduated from Harvard University last year; he has a bachelors degree in environmental health engineering. I hope people will look at me and evaluate me not on my age but on the results [that I will achieve]. I can run because I am young. I want to make Ashiya the most desirable city in the world to continue living in, he told the media. During his campaign, Takashima said he would provide more support for young families. He promised free medical care for people 18 and younger and improved English education programmes. He campaigned for green infrastructure planning, promising to create more public spaces and parks, as well as reforms in education, childcare and youth healthcare, reports CNN. The young politician will take over his new role on 1 May. Also read: Decoding the truth behind Elon Musks Japan will cease to exist tweet She wants to destroy the existing image of politicians Takashima has company. Twenty-five-year-old Ayaka Nasuno of Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party) won the most votes for Kawasaki City Council in the Kanagawa Prefecture, earlier this month. After winning the election, she stood in front of a railway station and thanked the people. I was elected. I will do my best, she said. I feel the weight of the votes I have won. I want to talk with residents and destroy the existing image of politicians. Nasuno has a tough childhood. She was bullied in school and decided early on that she was not going to sit mum. Bullying continues to haunt educational institutions in Japan in 2021-2022, the country recorded 615,351 cases, the bulk of those from elementary schools. Nasuno founded a non-profit organisation for trash pickup activities in her senior year of high school, hoping to create a place in my hometown for isolated children. It was quite the experience and she found it rewarding to energise her community. Now at 25, she has taken her first big step into politics. This is the start of my career as a councillor, so I will work hard for the benefit of my hometown, she wrote on Twitter. The YouTuber who campaigned for work-life balance GenZ often gets a bad rap for being stuck in the online world. But this 26-year-old YouTuber used that to his advantage. Shin the Hiratsuka YouTuber, as he is popularly known, makes videos on local shops and events in Hiratsuka City. He also runs a Pokemon card shop. While creating content for his YouTube channel, he interacted with local business owners and learned about their grievances. Thats when he decided to run for the city council. According to him, the city council needed some young blood. The average age of the council is 56 with the youngest member being 40, Shin says on his website. The many high schools and universities in Hiratsuka are an indication of the young populace and Shin thought he could usher in some change. Shin is reportedly a single father of a three-year-old. His campaign focussed on childcare issues, work-life balance and supporting the elderly, which dominate the population, reports CNN. The YouTuber touched a chord and won. Also read: Explained: Why Japan is staring at a now or never situation on its shrinking population The Uyghur woman leader Arfiya Eri stands out in Japanese politics for many a reason. In the old boys club she is among the few women politicians. In the Liberal Democratic Party, dominated by elderly men with political pedigree, she comes from no influential family. She is 34 and she is of Uyghur descent. Eri has been elected to Japans Lower House, making her the first woman with Uyghur links to be elected to any parliament in the world, according to the World Uyghur Congress. The Uyghur ethnic group that lives largely in Chinas Xinjiang region has faced human rights abuses in the country, according to the United Nations. Eri is of mixed heritage her father is Uyghur and her mother is Uzbek. But she has researched Uyghur issues during her studies abroad, according to her official website. She studied at Georgetown University in the US and worked for the United Nations. Growing up in Kitakyushu, a city in Fukuoka Prefecture, she never felt like an outsider. Politics, of course, is a different ball game. Eri knows that well. Japan already is a diverse country, its just were not seeing that represented in politics, she said in an interview with Bloomberg TV. She has spoken about male-dominated politics and society in Japan, the gender pay gap, the unequal burden of housework and childcare on women, and the need for men to take more active roles in child-rearing reports CNN. While she talks about diversity, inclusion and womens representation in politics, one of her top priorities is national security. Her love for the country is evident when she says that the feeling that Japan is declining is not true. She was quoted as saying by Japan Times, I think were an awesome country and theres so much that we could do to be more awesome. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. China has updated and expanded its espionage law. The revised law, which takes effect 1 July, defines as espionage collaborating with spy organisations and their agents and conducting cyber-attacks against state organs, confidential-related units, or critical information infrastructure and etc. But what does this mean? Who should be worried? Lets take a closer look: What happened? On Wednesday, the 14th National Peoples Congress (NPC) Standing Committee amended its Counter-Espionage Law, according to Global Times. This is the third draft of the revised law since August, as per SCMP. It has included cyberattacks against state organs or critical information infrastructure, state news agency Xinhua reported. Any transfer of information linked to national security has been barred under the revised Counter-Espionage Law previously updated in 2014. Yasuhiro Matsuda, an international relations professor at the University of Tokyo, told CNN the 2014 version of the law is very ambiguous and very powerful. But China thinks its not enough, he added.. In short, China has basically broadened its definition of spying. All documents, data, materials, and items related to national security and interests are under the same protection as state secrets following the revisions, according to the full text of the revised law published by Xinhua late Wednesday. The revised law allows authorities carrying out an anti-espionage investigation to gain access to data, electronic equipment, information on personal property and also to ban border crossings. According to SCMP, the changes also spell out the responsibility of national security apparatus in guiding and arranging publicity as well as firming up the guard of personal information when it comes to counter-espionage. The revised law does not define what falls under Chinas national security or interests. As per The Print, the revised draft takes the counter-espionage concept of the whole of society introduced in 2021 to a whole new level. Counterespionage efforts are to uphold the centralized and unified leadership of the Communist Party, adhere to the holistic view of national security, says Article 2 of the revised draft. The revised law also calls for more technological innovation in the battle for keeping secrets particularly for the national security apparatus to focus on counter-espionage. Why has Beijing done so? This comes as tensions between China and the US continue to rise on a variety of issues including spying and Taiwan and in the aftermath of the leaks by US airman Jack Teixeira which revealed how Washington keeps tabs on Beijing. As Beijing adopts a blanket approach to describing cyberattacks as an act of espionage either directly or through proxies the US-China espionage contest is about to engulf more countries around the world, The Print noted. The move comes a month after a Japanese executive was detained by Beijing. China has over the years detained dozens of Chinese and foreign nationals on suspicion of espionage. Wang Aili, head of the criminal law division with the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee, told Global Times this was done to solve the problems with the current law including a narrow scope of espionage activities, inadequate security precaution systems and insufficient administrative law enforcement authority. The current situation against espionage is extremely grave, as traditional and non-traditional security threats are intertwined, and various types of spies and intelligence activities are more complicated, said Zang Tiewei, spokesman for the Legislative Affairs Commission with the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress, was quoted as saying by The Print. Amending it is to strengthen the fight against espionage in this new situation, and aims to provide a strong legislative guarantee in the battle of infiltration, subversion and secret stealing, added Zang. This also comes as China continues to open up after its COVID-19 lockdown. Matsuda told CNN China is opening up, and that makes it much more vulnerable in the eyes its leaders. Who should be worried? The law gives Beijing more powers to investigate counter-espionage by collecting and examining data, information on property and stopping people from leaving the country, as per Global Times. Foreigners and even those holding dual citizenships accused of espionage should be concerned, as per The Print. According to The Mainchi, since 2015 five Japanese nationals have been held guilty of endangering national security. Any organization and anyone can be suspect and anything can be counted as a threat to national security in the arbitrary application of the law, Matsuda told CNN. This will definitely cause a chilling effect. Before (some activities) used to be normal engagement, but now they could be espionage, added Alfred Wu, an associate professor in Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at National University of Singapore. Something like a local government budget you could broadly define as relating to national security, or even food security, he said. Researchers definitely need to be careful. President Xi Jinping has made national security a key focus of his administration since taking office in 2012 and analysts say these revisions are evidence of that stricter regime as suspicion of the United States and its allies grows. International relations continue to sour, suspicions continue to rise, and (there is) increased emphasis on national security and countering espionage, said Jeremy Daum, a senior fellow at Yale Law Schools Paul Tsai China Center. The revisions (adopt) both an expansive understanding of national security and emphasise the consideration of potential security risks in all areas. Espionage cases are usually tried in secret due to their links to national security. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. US president Joe Biden on Tuesday announced hes running for re-election. Surprisingly, his mantra to change his public image for the upcoming Presidential election in 2024 is Dark Brandon. The Brandon meme has evolved into a celebratory anthem for the 46th Presidents campaign after it was utilised by various politicians and White House staff members in the past. Lets take a closer look. Also read: Will Joe Bidens age affect his chances as he announces reelection bid for 2024? What is Dark Brandon? The meme originated after NASCAR racer Brandon Brown gave an interview in 2021 while others shouted f**k Joe Biden in the background, according to Forbes. The interviewer reportedly misheard the slogan and thought they were supporting Brandon, a NASCAR racer. A footage of the interview that went viral in October 2021 gave rise to a meme. At sporting events, anti-Biden supporters would unexpectedly start screaming Lets Go, Brandon, and the meme caught on. Former president Donald Trump immediately started selling Lets Go Brandon clothing. Then, in the latter part of last year, several Trump supporters released a number of Dark MAGA memes. Typically, they portray Trump as a dictatorial figure with blue laser eyes. According to NPR, the captions typically urge Trump to wreak revenge on his political rivals. These memes gave rise to Dark Brandon with Joe Biden. In these pictures, the President can be seen with red lasers coming from his eyes or with military gear on. But this also appeared to be appealing to the left. They took the idea and ran with it. Thus, Democrats are now emphasising Bidens policy victories with images of Dark Brandon. Also read: Joe Biden vs Donald Trump rematch in 2024: Why most Americans have switched off already How Joe Biden is using it in his favour The meme is being used by Biden on his own campaign website, where he has even invited supporters to purchase a $32 (~Rs 2,618) dark T-shirt that is best worn while vanquishing Malarkey. They are selling Dark Brandon t-shirts pic.twitter.com/cvPnVLhXrm Armand Domalewski (@ArmandDoma) April 25, 2023 SPOTTED on the new Biden presidential campaign websites 404 page: Dark Brandon. pic.twitter.com/NkIfv9xMVq Eugene Daniels (@EugeneDaniels2) April 25, 2023 From a boring figure to something more engaging, the Dark Brandon meme is helping to transform the publics impression of the current president, claims Aja Romano, a Vox culture reporter. Bidens embrace of the Dark Brandon meme shows not only an awareness of the meme and what it represents to many of his followers, but self-awareness of how the meme livens and rejuvenates his public persona, Romano told NPR. Especially as he gears up for a difficult re-election, look for him to lean even more into the Dark Brandon meme on social media as a way of galvanising supporters online. According to the reporter, Democrats who started running as Dark Brandon apparently tried to imitate the gritty Dark MAGA posters, fusing their style with representations of Biden as a no-holds-barred forceful leader. He further claims that just as MAGA supporters reframed Trumps purported incompetence as a massive mask, Biden supporters are now doing the same. They are portraying Bidens alleged incompetence as a mask for a macho, masculine warrior who gets things done. Whats the response? According to the initial feedback on social media, Bidens use of Dark Brandon seems to be benefiting him. A Twitter user commented, President Biden just completely embracing the Dark Brandon meme is legit one of the funniest things a president has ever done. President Biden just completely embracing the Dark Brandon meme is legit one of the funniest things a president has ever done. https://t.co/T3Nlw9GfIh Matthew Chapman (@fawfulfan) April 25, 2023 While another one said, I may need one of those shirts. People with a sense of humor about themselves are solid. While one netizen quipped, Just ordered. I may need one of those shirts. People with a sense of humor about themselves are solid. No thin-skinned snowflake, whiner. #darkbrandon2024 #DarkBrandon Boston Girl (@jbrady177) April 25, 2023 A user chipped in, The Biden re-election campaign is selling Dark Brandon t-shirts. This is amazing!! The Biden re-election campaign is selling Dark Brandon t-shirts. This is amazing!! pic.twitter.com/2Yn9Qrxfop Jack Cocchiarella (@JDCocchiarella) April 25, 2023 You cant make this shit up! So sad hes my current President Alex Petrovich (@PapaPetro) April 25, 2023 On the other hand, Bidens critics object to him using Dark Brandon for the campaign. A netizen tweeted, You cant make this shit up! So sad hes my current President We survived the orange nightmare, you can certainly survive Joe. He has been a far better president FOR THE PEOPLE. ||| ||| (@VABlueBelle18) April 25, 2023 Another one said, We survived the orange nightmare, you can certainly survive Joe. He has been a far better president FOR THE PEOPLE. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Germanys ambassador to India, Philipp Ackermann, on Thursday criticised the German publication Der Spiegel, for a cartoon the magazine had published recently, in which it had a sarcastic take on Indias population overtaking that of Asian giant China. In my personal opinion, the cartoon was neither funny nor appropriate. I would like to invite this cartoonist to come on a metro ride with me in Delhi. I think many metros in Germany are not as good as the Delhi Metro and the same goes for the train system. He should inquire a little more about India and know how state-of-the-art their railway system is, Ackermann was quoted as saying by news agencies. Soon after the announcement that Indias population had overtaken Chinas, the now viral cartoon attempted to depict a comparison of development levels between the two countries. The spoof showed an overloaded Indian train with swarms of passengers both inside and on top of it overtaking a sophisticated Chinese bullet train with two drivers inside. The drivers of the Chinese bullet train were astonished by the sight of the crammed Indian train, which annoyed some people who pointed out that the Wests portrayal of India is not accurate. Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar also joined people in condemning the German publication Der Spiegel for its blatantly racist overtones in depicting India as the worlds most populated country, followed by China. Notwithstanding your attempt at mocking India, the minister stated, sharing the caricature that has been extensively circulated on social media for a few days. Dear Cartoonist at @derspiegelNotwithstanding your attempt at mocking Indiaits not smart to bet against India under PM @narendramodi ji.In a few years Indias economy will be bigger than Germanys, the minister tweeted in a scathing retort. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Alexander Wells in the European Review of Books: Whenever I leave my Berlin apartment, the first thing I see is a sign saying CHICKEN HAUS BURGER; the second is a cafe blackboard announcing: You cant buy happiness but you can buy CROIFFLE and thats kind of the same thing. A billboard advertises an upcoming film as ein STATEMENT fur GIRLPOWER ; one shop promises a wide range of Funsocken. Rather more disturbing particularly here in Neukolln, a neighbourhood copiously populated by leftie Americans and families from the Middle East is the Arabic-German barber shop called WHITE BOSS. And when I go downtown to the bookstore where I occasionally host readings, the only good coffee nearby is served by a place unbelievably named PURE ORIGINS. I am at my desk, red pen in hand, mulling over a question of usage. The German word for pedestrians is Fuganger. Do Berlin expats know that? Have I ever overheard one say it? If the expats wont understand it, I cant leave it in this little news feature about traffic reform. Its a strange gig, editing pages for Berlins English-language print monthly. More here. In a personal attack against the Prime Minister, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge compared Narendra Modi with a poisonous snake, while addressing an event in Kalaburagi in poll-bound Karnataka. PM Modi is like a poisonous snake, you might think its poison or not. If you lick it, you are dead, Kharge said during a rally. #KarnatakaAssemblyElections2023 | PM Modi is like a 'poisonous snake', you might think its poison or not. If you lick it, youre dead: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge in Kalaburagi pic.twitter.com/Bqi7zVFnO9 ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2023 However, the senior Congress leader later clarified that his statement was not for Prime Minister Modi. It wasnt meant for PM Modi, what I meant was BJPs ideology is like a snake. I never said this personally for PM Modi, what I said was their ideology is like a snake and if you try to touch it, your death is certain, he said. It wasn't meant for PM Modi, what I meant was BJP's ideology is 'like a snake'. I never said this personally for PM Modi, what I said was their ideology is like a snake and if you try to touch it, your death is certain: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge clarifies over his earlier https://t.co/qBO2S0TSz5 pic.twitter.com/d32oN97zCe ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2023 The BJP reacted strongly to Kharges statement against PM Modi and said that his remark was worse than Sonia Gandhis maut ka saudagar dig at the Prime Minister. Congress made Mallikarjun Kharge the party president but nobody considers him that, so he thought of giving a statement which is worse than that given by Sonia Gandhi, said Union Minister Anurag Thakur. #WATCH | "Congress made Mallikarjun Kharge the party president but nobody considers him that, so he thought of giving a statement which is worse than that given by Sonia Gandhi": Union minister Anurag Thakur slams Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge over his remark on PM Modi pic.twitter.com/UlNwtOpSdW ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2023 Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje has sought an apology from Kharge over his remark. Mallikarjun Kharge is a senior leader and president of Congress. What does he want to tell the world? PM Narendra Modi is the PM of our country and the whole world respects him and using such language for PM shows the level to which Congress has stooped. We want him (Kharge) to apologise to the country, she said. #WATCH | Mallikarjun Kharge is a senior leader and president of Congress. What does he want to tell the world? PM Narendra Modi is the PM of our country and the whole world respects him and using such language for PM shows the level to which Congress has stooped. We want him https://t.co/qBO2S0TSz5 pic.twitter.com/rgW59MPJcr ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2023 BJPs Amit Malviya tweeted, Now Congress president Kharge calls Prime Minister Modi poisonous snake What started with Sonia Gandhis maut ka saudagar, and we know how it ended, the Congress continues to plummet to new depths. The desperation shows Congress is losing ground in Karnataka and knows it. Now Congress Presidnet Kharge calls Prime Minister Modi poisonous snake What started with Sonia Gandhis maut ka saudagar, and we know how it ended, the Congress continues to plummet to new depths. The desperation shows Congress is losing ground in Karnataka and knows it. pic.twitter.com/75FECizSOW Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) April 27, 2023 The ruling BJP is going all out to retain power in the state where principal opposition Congress is vying to unseat it even as the JD(S) remains an important player with just weeks to go for polling. Karnataka will be voting on May 10 and the results will come out on May 13. (With inputs from agencies) Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. India and UK signed an agreement to collaborate in the areas of climate change, clean energy and innovation. The MoU was signed between Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh and UK Science Minister George Freeman in a meeting in London on Wednesday. Exchanged MoU with UK Science & Innovation Minister George Freeman for wider cooperation between two countries, particularly in quantum Technology, clean energy. India under PM Sh @NarendraModi fast moving to become an economic powerhouse, driven by technology & innovation, Dr Jitendra Singh tweeted. The memorandum of understanding signed between the two nations on research will enable quicker, deeper collaboration on science between the two science powerhouses that will drive economic growth, create skilled jobs and improve lives in two nations and worldwide, UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said in a press release. The agreement will remove red tape standing in the way of major collaborations while unleashing a raft of new joint research schemes aiming to deliver progress on some of the biggest issues facing the world, including climate change and pandemic preparedness through, Artificial Intelligence and machine learning. The UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology in a press release said, Programmes include the establishment of a new UK-India Net Zero Innovation Virtual Centre focusing on industrial decarbonisation and launching the first-ever UK-India scientific deep-sea voyage. George Freeman said that the agreement between India and UK is part of a program of deepening UK collaboration with other global superpowers on innovation and research to help tackle shared global challenges. He noted that the partnership between India and UK will grow the sectors, companies and jobs of tomorrow for the benefit of both nations and the globe. Freeman further said, India is rapidly building on its phenomenal software and innovation sectors to become a global powerhouse in science and technology. With our extensive trading and cultural links, shared democratic values and interest in urgent global issues from green technology and agri-tech to biosecurity and pandemic preparedness, we have very strong platforms for deepening research collaboration, he added. The renewed partnership will kick off with two new joint UK-India research programmes for research into Farmed Animal Diseases and Health and towards a technology and skills partnership programme that will enable UK and Indian researchers to develop skills, technologies and knowledge in areas such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and bio-imaging. Sharing details regarding his meeting with George Freeman, Jitendra Singh tweeted, It was a warm exchange of thoughts during a one-on-one meeting with my counterpart, British Minister for Science, Innovation &Technology, Mr George Freeman in the iconic British Parliament House #London, before the start of formal Indo-UK Science & Innovation Council Meeting. Several UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Indian Department for Science and Technology (DST) joint research calls, including programmes on sustainability and solid earth hazards, according to the official press release. An intention to launch a partnership for decarbonising Indias pharmaceutical and fine chemicals industries. A programme of UK-India university partnerships, including one between Aston University and CSIR Dehradun on sustainable biofuels.The Fourth annual meeting of the RS/INSA Yusuf Hamied programme, a scheme designed to promote relationships and knowledge exchanges between UK and Indian researchers. With inputs from agencies. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Ahead of Assembly elections in Karnataka, Congress leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala, Dr Parmeshwar and DK Shivakumar have filed a police complaint against Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other BJP leaders for allegedly making provocative statements, promoting enmity and hatred and maligning Opposition. The complaint was filed at Bengalurus High Grounds police station, Surjewala informed on Twitter. Home Minister Amit Shah is obligated to uphold the law. Sadly, he himself is violating the law committing serious offences under the IPC and Representation of Peoples Act by making false and misleading statements against the Congress and creating division and enmity, he wrote. Meanwhile, DK Shivakumar said, Union Home Minister has said that if Congress comes to power then there will be communal rights. How can he say this? We have filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India on this. Speech given by Amit Shah was shockingly riddled with flagrantly false statements aimed at tarnishing the image of Indian National Congress by levelling false and unfounded allegations, with a clear objective of trying to create an atmosphere of communal disharmony amongst the gathered crowd and the individuals viewing it on other media platforms, read the complaint. A video link of the alleged hate speech was also attached to the complaint which mentions sections like 153, 505 (2), 171G and 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The ruling BJP is going all out to retain power in the state where principal opposition Congress is vying to unseat it even as the JD(S) remains an important player with just weeks to go for polling. Karnataka will be voting on May 10 and the results will come out on May 13. (With inputs from agencies) Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday told his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu that all issues at the LAC need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and commitments. The talks took place hours after Li arrived in New Delhi to attend a meeting of defence ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) being hosted by India. Singh categorically conveyed that the development of relations between India and China is premised on the prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the borders, a statement by the Defence Ministry said. The defence minister reiterated that violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation, the statement added. Held discussions with Chinas Defence Minister, General Li Shangfu in New Delhi. https://t.co/Pd5mFnrbhH pic.twitter.com/zmU0uXVR8D Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) April 27, 2023 Lis visit to India is the first by a Chinese defence minister since the 2020 Galwan clashes. Meeting after 18th round of India-China military talks The meeting between the two defence ministers took place days after the Indian and Chinese armies held the 18th round of military talks on ending the border row. In the Corps Commander talks on 23 April, the two sides agreed to stay in close touch and work out a mutually acceptable solution to the remaining issues in eastern Ladakh at the earliest. However, there was no indication of any clear forward movement in ending the row. India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas. Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang is also set to visit India next week to attend a conclave of foreign ministers of SCO member countries in Goa. The meeting is slated for May 4 and 5. On Thursday, Singh also held separate bilateral talks with his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Iran and Tajikistan. India is hosting the SCO defence ministers meeting under its presidency of the grouping. Defence ministers of China, Russia and other member nations of the SCO except Pakistan are attending the meeting in Delhi. Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif will attend the meeting through virtual mode, officials said. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to deliver an address on the 20th anniversary of the State Wide Attention on Grievances (SWAGAT) in Gujarat today via video conferencing. The programme will be held in the presence of Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel, and the prime minister will be interacting with the beneficiaries of the scheme. What is SWAGAT? -The scheme was started by PM Modi in April 2003 when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. -It was started to bridge the gap between citizens and the government by using technology to resolve their day-to-day grievances in a quick, and time-bound manner. -Over 94 per cent of the grievances in the past twenty years have been solved through the programme. -In this system, PM Modi on every fourth Thursday of the month at 3 pm would let applicants come face to face with him with their complaints, and the solution was found on the spot. -The main idea behind this system was to bring all stakeholders on the same platform. -The primary focus has been on the quality of outcomes and qualitative resolution of complaints. -In 2008, Taluka SWAGAT and the District SWAGAT were launched to provide an efficient medium at grassroot level to resolve the issues. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The Madras High Court declined to temporarily suspend the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Act, 2022 on Thursday. The law prohibits online games such as poker and rummy. The plea made by online gaming companies was postponed for further hearing until after the court vacation on 2 June, by a division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice A Raja. The All India Gaming Federation (AIGF), along with Gameskraft, Games24x7, and Head Digital Works, which are real-money gaming firms, have filed a petition in the Madras High Court. They have challenged the constitutional validity of the online gambling law of the Tamil Nadu government, which took effect on 21 April. During the hearing, Senior counsels Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Aryama Sundaram represented the online gaming companies and gaming federation, respectively. On the other hand, senior advocate Kapil Sibal appeared for Tamil Nadu. The new law could reportedly lead to a conflict with the federal government on the issue of regulating the growing skill-based gaming sector in India. On 6 April, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) announced amendments to the IT Act 2021 related to gaming. These amendments will enable several self-regulatory organizations (SROs) to decide whether a real-money game involving the transfer of funds can function in India or not. Earlier this month, the Tamil Nadu government prohibited online rummy and poker in the state, categorising them as games of chance in the law, and placing them within the scope of online gambling. Gambling falls under the jurisdiction of individual states in India. According to Moneycontrol, a number of online platforms for rummy and poker, such as A23, Classic Rummy, RummyCircle, and PokerBaazi, have prohibited users from playing paid contests in Tamil Nadu. In addition to Tamil Nadu, several states such as Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Kerala have either banned or attempted to ban skill-based games or real-money games. Meanwhile, on 14 April, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar stated that internet cannot be regulated by the states. According to him, it is meaningless for a state government to attempt to regulate sectors such as online gaming. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The Bihar government has clarified that gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan was released after checking his overall record and report. Chief Secretary Amir Subhani said the decision to set Mohan free was taken under the legal and administrative process. Subhani also said that law and the process of law are a process of constant revision. If anything is changed then it is the right and duty of the government. Patna | The decision to release him (Anand Mohan) has been taken under the legal and administrative process after seeing the overall record and report. I feel this should not be given a political angle: Bihar chief secretary Amir Subhani on the release of former Bihar MP and pic.twitter.com/bkc0j3YZDd ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2023 This comes after Gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh walked free from Bihars Saharsa jail early Thursday morning, a move which was mandated following the amendment of the prison rules by the Bihar government allowing the release of 27 convicts including him. Gopalganj District Magistrate G Krishnaiah was killed by a mob allegedly provoked by Anand Mohan on 5 December, 1994, in Muzaffarpur. He was dragged out of his official car and lynched. G Krishnaiah was a 1985-batch IAS officer who hailed from Mahbubnagar in present-day Telangana. Anand Mohan was sentenced to death by a trial court in 2007. A year later, the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by the Patna High Court. Reacting to the release of Anand Mohan, G Krishnaiahs wife Uma Devi said that the family will file an appeal against the decision. I appeal to the President and the PM to intervene in this matter and ask CM Nitish Kumar to send him (Anand Mohan) back to jail, she told ANI. She said the decision to release him was wrong and stated that CM Nitish Kumar should not encourage these types of things. She also appealed for the boycott of Anand Mohan if he contests elections in the future. The public will protest against the release of Anand Mohan, demanding to send him back to jail. Releasing him is a wrong decision. CM should not encourage these types of things. If he (Anand Mohan) will contest elections in the future the public should boycott him. I appeal to send him (Anand Mohan) back to jail, she said, according to ANI. #WATCH | I appeal to the President and the PM to intervene in this matter and ask CM Nitish Kumar to send him (Anand Mohan) back to jail, says Uma Devi, wife of the then Gopalganj DM (Bihar), G Krishnaiah who was murdered by gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh in pic.twitter.com/4KtZ8WGEEt ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2023 Padma, the daughter of G Krishnaiah, asked the state government to reconsider its decision and urged CM Nitish Kumar to give his decision a second thought. She said, according to ANI, Its disheartening for us that Anand Mohan Singh has been released from jail today. The government should reconsider this decision. I request Nitish Kumar ji to give a second thought to this decision. With this decision, his govt has set a wrong example. She added, It is unfair not just to the family, but to the whole nation. We will appeal against this decision Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. There has lately been a lot of debate on whether it is better to buy or rent a house, as Bengaluru is experiencing a doubling of rental prices. Nikhil Kamath, billionaire and co-founder of Zerodha, expressed on Thursday that this increase in rent is only a temporary occurrence. He shared some infographics on Twitter that explained the reason for this surge in rent prices. According to those, the sudden demand for rental properties in cities like Bengaluru and Pune is due to a large influx of people returning to these cities. These people are returning to work in major IT and other companies that are calling them back to the office. The infographics shared by the Zerodha co-founder indicated that the rental prices for standard 1BHK flats in Bengaluru rose by as much as 57 per cent over the last year. Despite this increase in demand for rented spaces, the number of unsold residential properties is currently at an 8-year low. On the other hand, the post-COVID era has proven to be a good time for those looking to purchase property, according to the data shared by Kamath. In 2022, there was a record-high demand for residential properties. Kamath pointed out the contrast between renting and purchasing a property in the current situation. He suggested that the current rise in rental rates is likely to be a temporary trend, as long as the rental rate remains at 3 per cent and the housing loan rates remain above 8 per cent. He also expressed his belief that housing prices will likely decrease instead of rental rates increasing to reach equilibrium. He stated, If I had to bet on house prices going down vs rent going up to reach equilibrium, my bet is still on the former. Looks like a short-term phenomenon; as long as you can #rent at 3 per cent and #housing loan rates are over 8 per cent, this won't work. If I had to bet on house prices going down vs rent going up to reach equilibrium, my bet is still on the former.#realestate #rentindia pic.twitter.com/3WydeTlDba Nikhil Kamath (@nikhilkamathcio) April 26, 2023 A report in Bloomberg earlier revealed that rental rates in Bengaluru, Indias technology hub, have almost doubled since the beginning of last year. This makes it the most sought-after residential market in the country. Market researchers have found that landlords in Bengaluru now charge a higher percentage of their propertys value as rent compared to Mumbai, which is considered the countrys financial centre. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Now that the Ukraine War is an inside page news on odd days, there is a craving for permanent peace before it begins occupying the front page for destruction it continues to wreck. The hat is doing the rounds as to who would make the best mediator from among the few available. The temptation among many in the Indian strategic community is that New Delhi should play the role. Their arguments sound hollow in the face of ground realities. Certainly, their proposal does not stem from India chairing the G-20 and the SCO this year. It has more to do with their perception that China was seeking to steal the thunder with President Xi Jinpings peace proposals, and the two warring nations readily accepting as a possible point to begin peace negotiations. This was followed by leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva making a beeline to Beijing, with a request for Xi to play the peace-maker. Events and non-events of the past weeks have proved their reasons and reasoning wrong. There is no visible movement after Xis initial proposal which he discussed with Russias Putin in person and which Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed very enthusiastically in the early days. If the initiative has not moved an inch since, the reasons are not far to seek. These are also the reasons why India should tread carefully where there are no angels to wave the white flag. Incidentally, in what is seen as the first Xi-Zelensky telephone conversation since the war began, there does not seem to be any reference to Russia at all. The Chinese read-out of the telephone conversation hence does not mention what should be Russias prime concerns, either. Without them, any peace initiative by any nation or institution like the UN is sure to fail in the first rung. Partial negotiation There was a time not long after the commencement of the war, Russia and Ukraine sat down for the talks. The situation became untenable after the West began supplying weapons to Ukraine which was fair enough up to a point, yet. But not when both Ukraine and its western backers maintained stony silence on Russias one single demand for not granting NATO membership to Ukraine, thus bringing the western military alliance to Russias door-step. It would have taken Europe back to the forgettable Cold War era, which Western Europe and its American backers did not and does not want to acknowledge. Today, an economically weaker Russia (compared to the early years of the Soviet Union) cannot afford tit-for-tat detente. It needs peace or a war that could ensure peace (but on its terms?) Therein also lays the hitch for peace-building and for a prospective peace-maker. Over the past years of the war, the US-led West has sanctioned Russia and Russian leadership, then threw out Russia from international bank network SWIFT and the West-backed International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant against Putin, for alleged war crimes. All of them are a product not only of a western perspective but they are also a product of the Wests stranglehold of the international systems and organisations. Russia is not going to agree to a partial negotiation, with Ukraine alone on the other side of the table. It will want either the West to be represented at the table, or someone who can guarantee good behaviour by the West, too. There is no one to do so, other than possibly the US. Even here there are suspicions if Washington could convince West European nations like France, Germany and others on agenda-points where it has struck a deal with Moscow. Multilateralism rules in the post-Cold War world. India, which is one such power that grew out of the ashes of the Cold War, knows it better. Hence, without specific commitments from the US and its allies, New Delhi or any other peace-maker could make no progress whatsoever. Russia will not come to the negotiations table without such a promise. Rather, if there are such commitments from the West, then Russia and Ukraine may not even require a third-party facilitator or negotiator, so to say. UN as peace-broker It is in this context that the world, starting with prospective peace-makers like India and/or China, has to look at the UNs role in the aftermath of the Ukraine War. In the past, UN secretary-generals had played peace-brokers between warring nations. Or, they at least identified nations and/or individuals who could play that role and left it at that. In specific cases, the UN system may have also extended minimum facilitation and support for the identified peace-maker who is acknowledged by the two adversaries. It is not any more like that. Post-Cold War, especially over the Ukraine War, the UN under secretary-general Antonio Guterres has been acting like another NATO member, or an US ally, or both. His condemnation of Russia and Putin has been coming in faster than those from individual western nations, or at times even Ukraine. His criticism too is harsher than those of others on most occasions. This has made the UN untenable as a global peace-facilitator in this particular case. Thankfully, neither Russia, nor China, or any of their allies has made an issue of secretary-general Guterres indefensible conduct in the matter. From the larger perspective of Global South, such behaviour on the part of the global referee that the secretary-generals office is, may have hastened the need for fast-tracking UN reforms. However, this may not be the context in which they would want to flag their larger concerns over the impartiality of the UN scheme and systems, including such institutions as the IMF and World Bank, International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court. Whenever that issue erupts, India as the marked leader of Global South will be asked to take a sterner position than at present. The more recent Indian Security Council statement by Permanent Representative Ruchira Kamboj, on the lines of predecessor T S Tirumurti and her own earlier speeches, calling the UN system anachronistic, has to be seen also in this context. New initiative India can play Peace Dove in the Ukraine War, if it can talk to the US ally straight on the face over Russias three concerns. It could only strain bilateral relations, and this could extend to Indias ties with the EU. This issue needs to be addressed but better the initiative and pressure comes from within the West. Having moved closer to the midpoint, French President Macron might be better-placed to talk to his western allies, in NATO especially, starting with the USA. Yet, Russia and Putin may not trust France or any other western power enough as it trusts India and/or China. India and France have been silent partners in global affairs it goes beyond Mirage and Rafale fighter deals and they may make a better combo than a France-China team. A three-party team may be avoided as the mutual suspicions about intentions and motives of India and China could spoil the broth, if it cooks to that point. Anyway, time is running out for peace-makers. India has its own focus on the successful conclusion of its G-20 chairmanship than even that of SCO. It expects US President Joe Biden to attend the G-20 summit in September. It would also be hoping for Putins presence and also Xi and other G-20 leaders. Right now, it cannot do, or is seen as doing something that can upset this apple-cart. As coincidence would have it, at the end of Indias G-20 chairmanship, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be facing a crucial parliamentary election for possible re-election for a third successive term. The US will be stepping into yet another year of presidential polls. Modi cannot afford to lose out on his global initiative. Having talked and acted tough on Russia and the Ukraine War over the past year and more, Biden cannot be seen as a weakening when he is said to be keen on re-election. This means the long drawn-out peace dove route for India may have to be either fast-tracked or left out. The real window for India will be between the conclusion of the G-20 summit and the commencement of the New Year, when the national mood would have set in to face the next Lok Sabha polls. Maybe, India should be doing its silent work behind the scenes just now, to be taken up more seriously and relatively openly after the September summit. But then, in the summit itself, western leaders, starting with Joe Biden might have vitiated the atmosphere, with or without Putins presence that New Delhi may have to pick up the pieces one by one and build a new peace-plank. For which, time is of essence from every angle and perspective and time is what an election-bound India and PM Modi may not have on hand! The writer is a Chennai-based policy analyst & political commentator. Views are personal. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Pakistan has been a riddle for India and the West. A nation that joined the Western bloc very early in its nationhood journey remained forever a self-proclaimed citadel of Islam. It fought the war against terrorism alongside the US-led alliance while simultaneously fathering the Taliban and other terrorist outfits. Maybe it was because of the nature of its origins wherein the worst of the Islamist forces were invoked. It may also be due to Pakistans aspiration to be the Land of the Pure an ideal that could manifest itself only when everything, including the time, travels back to seventh-century Arabia. No one, however, is more befuddled by the idea of Pakistan than an Indian. To him, Pakistan remains a muddled notion, so contrasting and contradictory that even after seven decades of Partition and being at the receiving end of Islamabads three-and-a-half wars and decades-long terrorist activities, an Indian still is not sure if he would be better off with or without a strong, prosperous Pakistan! Partly, its the result of the Hindu failure to comprehend the idea of the Abrahamic religions, especially Islam and the Pakistani ingenuity at inventing its Arab roots. A Hindu, grown up with the pluralistic notions of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, often finds it difficult to believe the division of the world into the ummah and the kafir and a theological sanction for the perpetual damnation of the latter even when he had lived a near-perfect life! Pakistan is the physical manifestation of this Islamist mindset, which is constantly locked up in a civilisational battle with India. What makes Pakistan dangerously anti-India is its paranoiac search for Arab roots. It disowns its indigenous history and invents another to suit the Islamist worldview. Thus Mohammed bin Qasim becomes the first citizen of Pakistan the very invader from Arabia who killed, maimed and raped thousands of Sindhis in 712 AD. Everything before him is consciously forgotten. Everything after him is suitably distorted. Pakistan is today, in the words of VS Naipaul, a dreadful mangling of history, where too much has to be ignored or angled (Beyond Belief: Islamic Excursions Among the Converted Peoples). Even the early Muslim campaigns have been used to bolster the morale of the Pakistan Army one of the favourites being the Battle of Badr, where just over 300 Muslim men with no military training defeated 1,000 seasoned soldiers equipped with armour, 700 camels and 100 horses. It is this mindset that makes Pakistanis constantly challenge India. They think the Battle of Badr can be repeated. What further makes Islamabad a perennial enemy is the Pakistan Armys belief that retaining the ability to challenge New Delhi itself is victory. Elaborating on this, American author C Christine Fair writes in Fighting to the End: The Pakistan Armys Way of War: For Pakistans men on horseback, not winning, even repeatedly, is not the same thing as losing. But simply giving up and accepting the status quo and Indias supremacy, is, by definition, defeat Pakistans generals would always prefer to take a calculated risk and be defeated than to do nothing at all. The second reason why the idea of Pakistan remains so baffling is because of the Pakistani tendency to keep personal and professional separate. So, an Indian visiting Lahore often comes back gushing about how his Pakistani hosts treated him with reverence! Professionally, however, India remains an enemy country. A new book, In Pursuit of Peace: India-Pakistan Relations under Six Prime Ministers, by the late Satinder Kumar Lambah, based on his own vast experience as Indias High Commissioner and Deputy High Commissioner in Pakistan, as Joint Secretary (Pakistan and Afghanistan) and as Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs special envoy involved in a long period of back-channel negotiations brings out this dichotomy in so many instances. Especially enlightening was the chapter, Professional Engagement, Personal Interactions, where Lambah recalls the first time he arrived in Islamabad as deputy chief of mission (1978-82). Gen Zia-ul-Haq was in power then. Zia had the image of an insecure, brutal and visibly paranoid dictator who Islamised Pakistan, brooked no dissent and banned music and other fine arts featuring women. But, as Lambah writes, his traits of ruthlessness and deviousness were camouflaged with a display of humility and courteousness. His seeing off visitors to the car and discreetly placing a gift for them, usually a carpet, disarmed them and boosted egos. He specifically mentions the story of George Fernandes, who had publicly said before his Pakistan visit that he would raise the issue of Benazir Bhutto with him, but returned full of praise for the man. At the meeting, Gen Zia reportedly told Fernandes: Sir, I want to learn labour issues from you. Zia wasnt alone in perfecting the art of two-facedness a phenomenon which also manifested in the very psyche of the Pakistani state. Mohammed Ali Jinnah had led a personal life that would shame a Westerner, but that didnt stop him from laying the foundation for an Islamic state. Then there was Zulfiqar Bhutto, a fervent socialist who officially made Pakistan an Islamic Republic and threw Ahmadiyyas out of the Islamic fold. His Western-educated, liberal daughter, Benazir Bhutto, in her first term, invoked jihad while calling for the liberation of Kashmir and presided over the rise of Taliban 1.0 during her second term. Nawaz Sharif was no different either, though Lambah thought he always wanted better relations with India. Sharif was well aware of the Kargil plot even when he was welcoming Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Lahore. Sharif also instituted the death penalty for blasphemy, besides introducing the infamous Shariah Bill. There are very few diplomats who can claim to have the expertise and experience of Pakistan that Lambah had. He was a sort for Mr Pakistan among Indian diplomats the go-to person whenever the Government of India thought of initiating any dialogue process with Islamabad. He himself recalls an incident vindicating this image. While seeing him off as Indias envoy to Budapest in 1986, the then external affairs minister, PV Narasimha Rao, called him a one-country (read Pakistan) man. To this Lambah replied: Dont say that loudly Sir as itll ruin my career. Rao immediately made amends: Loudly, Id always say you are good for everywhere. No doubt, Lambah showed great understanding of the nature of the Pakistan state. He writes, Whereas Pakistan continues to derive the rationale for its existence to Islam, it has been able to sustain itself all these years through the creation of a bogey in the form of an Indian threat. But this did not stop him from chasing the chimera of peaceful existence with Pakistan; in fact, he had been the most preferred diplomat to carry out this task on behalf of the Government of India. Maybe he was too close to Pakistan to see its real character. Maybe he was emotional too, given that he was born to an affluent Peshawar family in pre-Partition Pakistan. Whatever it may be, the fact of the matter is that Pakistan occupies Indias and Lambahs diplomatic mindspace quite disproportionately. Every Prime Minister from Jawaharlal Nehru to Manmohan Singh would be swayed by the prospect of rewriting the India-Pakistan peace saga. Even Narendra Modi began his prime ministerial journey with a Pakistan overreach, but unlike others in the past he mended his ways post-Pathankot, and especially after the 2019 Pulwama terror attack. Such was the obsessive fascination for talks among the Indian leadership that there was a pattern: Every new government would push for talks with Pakistan. This would be followed by a terror strike of one hue or the other. The two nations would then talk tough for a few months, followed by a fresh round of dialogue. And Lambah would be the diplomat making the ground, especially since the 1980s. For India, before 2016, when the Pathankot happened, talks had become an end in themselves! After all, where was the common ground between the two neighbours? India and Pakistan represent two contrasting ideologies the two poles that cant meet. What India glorifies are the dark ages (Jahiliyyah) for them. Indias heroes are invariably their villains, and vice versa. Is it, therefore, any surprise that Pakistan names its missiles after Qasim, Ghori and Ghazni? Is it any surprise that the era when the two nations were most enthusiastically involved in talks also coincided with some of the deadliest terror attacks from Delhi and Ahmedabad to Varanasi and Mumbai, and not to forget Kargil where Vajpayee found himself soon after the Lahore bus diplomacy? Lambahs most momentous phase in the diplomatic arena came during Manmohan Singhs time when he held back-channel interactions, from 2005 to 2014, with his Pakistani interlocutors to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir issue. After over 100 hours of talks across 18 meetings in different cities, Lambah came up with 14 principles, prerequisites and outcomes. Interestingly, President Musharraf had spelt out only four points. Besides demilitarisation, it laid down the roadmap to self-governance, joint India-Pakistan mechanism to oversee self-governance and trade and free movement of Kashmiris across the LoC. Given that India at that time was a witness to a series of terror incidents and that 26/11 too was planned during Musharrafs time it was ludicrous not to see the dangers of demilitarising Kashmir or making the borders irrelevant! Gen Ashfaq Kayani, Musharrafs successor in the army, shot this deal down, and India escaped a disaster of epic proportions. Lambah makes us believe that there are two sets of people in Pakistan: one who seeks peace; and the other who forever works to undermine it. On a cursory level, this makes sense. But such is the nature of the Pakistani state that there cannot survive anyone who sincerely thinks of peaceful existence with India. Thus, Lambah may think Sharif was all for peace with India. But the truth is he was as much involved in Kargil as Gen Musharraf was. If Rajiv Dogra, who served as Consul General of India in Karachi from 1992 to 1994, is to be believed, Sharif not only knew about the 1993 Mumbai blasts in advance, but had actually given his approval for them (for more, read Dogras Where Borders Bleed). Lambah has been equally generous with Gen Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto. He is also soft on Inder Kumar Gujral, giving him clean chit on the otherwise credible charges of ending R&AWs operations in Pakistan. Despite these shortcomings, Lambahs In Pursuit of Peace is a must-read book for its original content, firsthand anecdotes and deep dive into the Pakistani psyche. Very few had such access to the high and the might of Pakistans political class. The author is Opinion Editor, Firstpost and News18. He tweets from @Utpal_Kumar1. Views expressed are personal. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Max Tegmark in Time: Suppose a large inbound asteroid were discovered, and we learned that half of all astronomers gave it at least 10% chance of causing human extinction, just as a similar asteroid exterminated the dinosaurs about 66 million years ago. Since we have such a long history of thinking about this threat and what to do about it, from scientific conferences to Hollywood blockbusters, you might expect humanity to shift into high gear with a deflection mission to steer it in a safer direction. Sadly, I now feel that were living the movie Dont look up for another existential threat: unaligned superintelligence. We may soon have to share our planet with more intelligent minds that care less about us than we cared about mammoths. A recent survey showed that half of AI researchers give AI at least 10% chance of causing human extinction. Since we have such a long history of thinking about this threat and what to do about it, from scientific conferences to Hollywood blockbusters, you might expect that humanity would shift into high gear with a mission to steer AI in a safer direction than out-of-control superintelligence. Think again: instead, the most influential responses have been a combination of denial, mockery, and resignation so darkly comical that its deserving of an Oscar. More here. Two Indian C-130J military transport aircraft are waiting at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, while an Indian Navy ship has reached port Sudan to evacuate Indians from a conflict that continues to be volatile, reported PTI. In fact, the first special flight carrying 360 Indians from the crisis-hit Sudan landed in New Delhi on Wednesday night. According to the World Health Organisation, more than 400 people have died and over 3,500 are injured in the sub-Saharan country which has been witnessing a civil war with army and paramilitary being on the opposing sides. Just like India, Western countries including the US, Britain, Greece, Netherlands etc. have started their respective evacuation drives for the safety of their citizens in a General versus General conflict. Even as these nations are concerned for their diaspora, days of street battles have confined people to their homes, unable to access basic civic amenities. Capital city Khartoum is witnessing a risky mass-migration of its residents who are suffering a lack of essential survival means, reported The Guardian. As Gurujit Singhs article on Firstpost has shown, the military considers the paramilitary RSF (Rapid Security Force) as rural hicks, and it continues to be unrelenting in power-sharing with the paramilitary force. Further, the RSF knows that it is their closest opportunity to power. But amid this blood-thirsty and ambitious struggle for power lies the Sudanese population. People who are not lucky enough to have a government that is concerned about their safety in case of a degrading security-situation. While these immigrants have a destination-B, this may not be the privilege with these Sub-Saharan people, who are fractionated in tribes and identities, and have been used by vested interests in furtherance of selfish interests, and left dissatisfied after use. According to the 2021 extrapolatory analysis of the 2014 Household Budget and Poverty Survey conducted by United Nations Childrens Fund- Overall poverty rates have increased from 43 per cent in 2014 to 80 per cent in 2018 and 97 per cent in 2020. Further, the same report indicates high Child poverty rates in this north-eastern African country. The past and the future of this nation appears in gloom ever since 1956 after the UK and Egypt recognised Sudans unilateral independence, the country is marred by several power hiccups, and none of the civilian government has ever succeeded in qualifying the stability threshold essential to establish responsible democratic governance. Further post-1980, the country has witnessed an upthrust towards Arabic-Islamisation, in 1983, President Numeiri declared the introduction of Sharia Islamic law. And, in the 1990s, under the influence of the National Islamic Front led by Hassan al-Turabi, Sudan saw Arabisation and Islamisation of education and public narratives. This excited public sentiment towards moral policing and militant Islam. Clearly, the nation failed to develop a mature political culture quintessential for democracy. This Arabic-zeal certainly translated itself into a cultural clash with other non-Arabic cultures inhabiting Sudan. The year 2003 became the boiling point, the Sudan Liberation Movement and Justice Equality Movement raised banners against the government of Sudan, these rebel militias represented ethnic minorities, and accused the Sudanese government of oppressing the non-Arab population. This resulted in an armed conflict in the Darfur region. The government responded by ethnic cleansing of non-Arabs. Fighting from the governments side were the Sudanese military, police and dreadful Janjaweed. Together these forces wreaked havoc on the people and the security of the nation collectively. In fact, Sudanese president, Omar al-Bashir, was indicted by International Criminal Court, for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in March 2009, becoming the first sitting head of state to be formally indicted. As we know, power is more fluid than water, Bashir was ousted in 2019 through a military coup, with the military promising citizens civilian rule. In September 2019, a new government took over the office under the prime ministership of Abdalla Hamdok as part of a three-year power-sharing agreement among military, civilian representatives and protest groups. In 2021 again, the military ousted Hamdok who was placed under house arrest, but he was reinstated to facilitate the transition to civilian rule. However, popular protests emerged as it was widely assumed that he might agree to share power with the military. Hamdok resigned on 2 January, 2022 and the military became all-powerful, yet the distant dream of a responsible civilian government was kept alive. An internationally-backed plan was floated that proposed a military under civilian control and paramilitary RSF (much of whose cadres came from the same Janjaweed which was involved in the Darfur crisis) to be merged with the military. This certainly meant the end of RSFs autonomy and complete subservience to the military, which certainly would not have been easy to gulp for RSFs leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. Hence, the paramilitary raised arms against its old ally the Sudanese Armed Forces led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Never in these long tremors of political earthquake, Sudanese people ever got a chance to be the master of their own destiny, never did they feel that any government in Khartoum ever cared about their aspirations. Just as an innocent orphan child is left to wander amidst the wilderness, Sudanese people suffer the same fate. International diplomacy may roll in, it might happen that a faction completely wipes out the other, dictatorships and dummy governments might come and go, but never can Sudanese attain true self-government until the whole of the International community and the people of Sudan understand that a stable democracy demands a mature political culture and civic socialisation that accommodate ideas and the aspirations of the population as a collective entity with farsightedness and not merely the sectional, selfish and short-term political interests of the power-haves. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The Belgian government is currently mulling Irans request to transfer jailed Iranian diplomat Asadollah Assadi in exchange for jailed Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo told Parliament on Thursday. Earlier in March, Belgiums Constitutional Court upheld a prisoner exchange treaty with Iran that could result in Assadi being swapped for Vandecasteele. The Belgian Prime Minister further said that Vandecasteele was being held hostage in Iran and repeated a call for his immediate release. A court in Iran has sentenced the Belgian aid worker to 40 years in prison and 74 lashes. Vandecasteele was charged with espionage against Iran, and collaborating with the US government as well as smuggling foreign currency and money laundering. He, however, denied all the charges and Belgium too condemned the charges as fabricated. Now, Iran wants to swap the 41-year-old Vandecasteele for diplomat Assadollah Assadi, who Belgium arrested and imprisoned last year for plotting to bomb an exiled opposition groups rally. The Belgian aid workers family has informed that the prime minister had told them last month that a prisoner swap was the only way to secure his release and free him from the inhumane conditions in Iran, where he is currently jailed. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. New Delhi: A recent report by the Citizen Lab, a cybersecurity research group at the University of Toronto, has revealed more than 66,000 rules of censorship that control the content that is available to people using search engines in China. The most shocking is the inclusion of Microsofts Bing in the list that actively abide by these rules. Microsoft is the only foreign search engine that is allowed to operate in China. The report claimed that Chinas censorship net has widened over the years and has become more subtle. Search engines operating in China reportedly created algorithms to hard censor searches that the government thought were politically sensitive. If someone searched a topic that was politically sensitive, search engines would provide no results or the results would be limited to selected sources, which suited the ruling Communist Partys agenda. According to The New York Times, Jeffrey Knockel, a senior researcher at the Citizen Lab and an author of the report, said, You might get no results if it is a very sensitive topic, but if your query is subject to this kind of self-censorship, what happens is you actually appear to get results as normal, but thats not actually happening. He added, Youre getting results only from certain pre-authorized websites. Citizen Lab studied eight online platforms that offered search tools Baidu, Sogou, Bing, Weibo, Douyin, Bilibili, Baidu Zhidao, and Jingdong. There have been reports that most of these platforms have previously censored content that is viewed by the CCP as a threat, such as topics related to politics, religious or ethnic. But now they have extended those restrictions, such as content related to illegal surrogacy, martyrs, and false information about COVID-19. Each has created a separate and unique mechanism to comply with the governments restrictions. When the Chinese spy balloon incident happened in February this year, Weibo, Chinas equivalent to Twitter, restricted search results to only Chinese state sources if anyone wanted to know more about the incident. Similarly, Baidu restricted and redirected results which included Chinas President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Microsofts Bing has also restricted search results. According to NYT, Caitlin Roulston, a spokeswoman for Microsoft, said, We are reaching out to Citizens Lab directly to get more information so that we can conduct any further investigation needed. Bing has previously faced crackdown from the Chinese authorities and in 2019, it was blocked temporarily in the country. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Washington: The United States on Thursday asked Pakistan to move ahead on stalled reforms sought by the IMF as the worlds fifth most populous nation weathers an economic crisis. The reform(s) that Pakistan and the IMF agreed to are not easy, but its crucial that Pakistan take these actions to bring the country back to sound financial footing, avoid falling into further debt and grow Pakistans economy, said Elizabeth Horst, the State Department official in charge of Pakistan. In 2019, Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund agreed to a $6.5 billion rescue package, however less than half has been disbursed due to Pakistans violation of the terms. The US promised Pakistan technical assistance to encourage it to enact policies that promote transparent business climate. The United States is going to continue to support Pakistan through technical engagements and assistance, particularly when it comes to encouraging Pakistan to enact policies that promote an open and fair and transparent business climate, Horst said at the Wilson Center think tank. The International Monetary Fund demands that Pakistan increase its pitifully meagre tax base, abolish tax exemptions for export businesses, and hike artificially cheap rates for gas, electricity, and oil that are intended to aid low-income families. The United States is the largest contributor to the IMF and has a complicated relationship with Pakistan, a partner during the Cold War and war on terror that nonetheless maintained ties with Afghanistans Taliban. Pakistan earlier this month announced a boost of $1.3 billion from two close partners, China and the United Arab Emirates. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Administrative officials of the United States and Europe on Wednesday toured Ukraines southern port of Izmail thats crucial in taking Ukrainian grain to the world and could become critical if a deal with Russia to allow grain exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports expires. From Izmail, which has been upgraded since the start of the war with the help of U.S. and other funding, grain is taken by barge down a branch of the Danube through Romania to its Black Sea port of Constanta for shipment onward. Ukrainian grain supplies are critical to millions of people around the world, and Wednesdays visit comes after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov again this week threatened to abandon the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey last July. U.S. Ambassador Bridget Brink told The Associated Press after looking over the port facilities with Ukrainian and EU officials, as well as Ukrainian grain companies, that they were exploring ways to increase the exports from Danube ports. The grain deal has helped ease concerns about the global food supply, especially to countries in Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia where many are already struggling with hunger, but is set to expire May 18 unless renewed. There is no time to lose, Brink said. Russia has put tremendous pressure on the Black Sea Grain Initiative by deliberately and very cynically controlling and limiting the amount of ships that can go in and out, which means that people who need the food arent able to get it. She added that grain exports are also critical to the Ukrainian economy. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy brought up the issue of the grain initiative Wednesday in a call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the first known direct contact between the two leaders since the war began last year. China has offered to act as a mediator between Kyiv and Moscow, and in a statement on his website Zelenskyys office said he and Xi had expressed joint support for the need for proper implementation and continuation of the deal. Ukraines Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, who hosted Brink along with representatives from the European Unions executive Commission and the Danube Commission an international organization on navigation on the river said newly constructed terminals in the region are already processing thousands of tons of agricultural products daily. This region and its ports have become crucial for us, he said. The increased exports down the Danube Europes second longest river have also increased pressure on Romanian facilities, and Alain Baron, from the European Commissions Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, said he would be traveling there next for talks. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. India-Russia Ties: The Ukraine war has reportedly had a severe impact on Russias ability to supply weapons and critical military equipment to India. According to media reports, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has been the worst affected due to the current situation. The impact of the Ukraine war has been so severe on Russia that the Russians have stated in writing that the delivery of the remaining two regiments of the S-400 Triumf air defence systems to India will not be completed within the original schedule. These regiments of the S-400 Triumf missile system were to be deployed with the IAF. Despite the delay, defence officials have insisted that the operational preparedness of the Indian armed forces has not been affected. Sources explained that the delay in supplies is due to a combination of the ongoing war, which has impacted their production capacity, and their need to focus internally rather than on exports, besides the payment roadblocks. The fact that India and Russia are struggling to agree on a payment mechanism that doesnt violate US sanctions has also affected the supply of military hardware between the two nations. The Russians want payment in dollars which India is unable to do due to fears of US sanctions. Russia, on the other hand, is unwilling to accept payment in rupees due to concerns over exchange-rate volatility. India has also dismissed the option completing the deal with Russian rubles. According to a Bloomberg report, India had given Russia the option of investing the rupees from weapons sales in Indian debt and capital markets to avoid stockpiling rupees. However, that proposal was rejected by the Russian government. India is also unwilling to complete the payment with euros and dirhams the currencies used to pay for discounted Russian oil due to unfavorable exchange rates and concerns over possible sanctions by the US. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Russias Foreign Ministry on Thursday turned down a request by the United States for consular access to jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who is in prison in Russia on espionage charges. The ministry said it rejected the request for the May 11 visit in retaliation to the US refusing to grant visas to Russian journalists who planned to accompany Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on a trip to the United Nations. The WSJ reporter has been in Russias custody since his March 29 arrest by the countrys security service on espionage charges that he, his employer and the US government have vehemently denied. Gershkovich is the first US correspondent since the Cold War to be detained in Russia on spying charges, and his arrest rattled journalists in the country and triggered outrage in the West. The United States has declared Gershkovich to be wrongfully detained and demanded his immediate release. The Russian denial of the US request for a consular visit to Gershkovich followed Lavrov warning that Moscow will not forget and will not forgive the denial of the visas to Russian journalists. The Foreign Ministry said on Friday it was also considering other retaliatory measures. A protest note was presented in connection with the provocative conduct of the U.S. diplomatic mission, which thwarted the issuing of visas to mass media representatives from the press pool of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who were supposed to accompany him on his trip to New York as part of Russias presidency of the U.N. Security Council, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The US Embassy was informed in this connection that its request for consular access to U.S. citizen Gershkovich, detained on suspicion of espionage, on May 11 was declined, the ministry statement said. Other possible retaliatory measures, about which the US side will be duly notified, are being considered. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. With around 2,800 nationals in Sudan, Indians are one of the largest Asian communities in the civil war torn country. Sudan has been engulfed in a conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and rival paramilitary force Rapid Support Force (RSF). Indians stuck in Sudan are being evacuated on a war footing by the Government of India under Operation Kaveri. Operation Kaveri was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. Under the mission, 670 Indians have, so far, been brought back and work is underway to ensure the safe return of others stranded in Sudan. The Indian diaspora in Sudan have been residing in the major urban centres of Sudan, such as Khartoum, Omdurman, including regions that have been badly hit by the conflict. Though the Embassy of India in Khartoum began coordinating for possible evacuation of Indian citizens from Sudan four days prior to the launch of Op Kaveri, the actual operation got a bit delayed as it took time for the ceasefire to come into effect. Our efforts to swiftly send Indians back home from Jeddah is paying. 246 Indians will be in Mumbai soon, travelling by IAF C17 Globemaster. Happy to see them off at Jeddah airport.#OperationKaveri. pic.twitter.com/vw3LpbbzGw V. Muraleedharan (@MOS_MEA) April 27, 2023 What were Indians doing in Sudan? Most of the Indian expatriates in Sudan work as professionals in key sectors and a few work with the UN missions and other international organisations. Of about 2,800 Indians in Sudan, around 100 are from the Hakki-Pikki tribe, a nomadic tribe from the southern Indian state of Karnataka. People of the tribe sell herbal medicine and products in Sudan. Most of the people of this tribe were residing in capital Khartoum where the clashes are intense. Other were residing in the western city of Al-Fashir, about 1,000-km away from the capital. Human traffickers con innocent Indians to Sudan Former Indian ambassador to Sudan, Deepak Vohra, said human traffickers have on several occasions managed to "con malleable Indians into migrating." "During the period that I was the Indian envoy there between 2005-2010, we had innumerable cases of Indians being brought to Sudan and told that they could go to Dubai. There were many takers for such falsehoods," Vohra was quoted as saying by Money Control. Indian companies in Sudan According to Indian Embassy in Sudan, some Indian nationals in Sudan have set up businesses in Juba, while others were working for several other companies. There are several Indian companies which are functioning actively in Sudan, including ONGC Videsh Ltd, BHEL, TCIL, Progressive Construction Ltd, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors, Bajaj Auto. Also, there are various Indian hospitals in Sudan - Apollo, MIOT, Narayana Hrudayalaya. There are many students too who have been pursuing their higher academics and professional courses in Sudan. A small number of Indian nationals residing in Sudan work in Christian missionary organisations and NGOs in South Sudan. As per the embassy, Indians were among the first to open hotels, borehole companies, printing press and departmental stores in Juba in early 2006. There were about 2,000 Indian Army peace keeping personnel, 31 police officers and some civilian officials attached to the UNMISS (United Nations Mission in South Sudan) and UNPOL (United Nations Police). Indian community in Sudan According to Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) India, the settled Indian community in Sudan is about 150 years young. #OperationKaveri continues in swift pace. Happy to receive 297 Indians at Jeddah carried by INS Teg. With this second ship and total six batches, around 1100 Indians rescued from Sudan have arrived in Jeddah. Repatriation to India of those arriving today will commence shortly. pic.twitter.com/krTteb121h V. Muraleedharan (@MOS_MEA) April 27, 2023 Luvchand Amarchand Shah, a Gujarati trader, is believed to be the first Indian to visit Sudan from Aden in the early 1860s. He used to import goods from India. After expanding his business in the African country, Shah brought his relatives from Saurashtra, who in turn invited their own friends and family. This is how the Indian community grew and developed in Sudan. From Port Sudan and Sawakin the early Indian moved into the interior of the country and settled down in Omdurman, Kassala, Gedaref and Wad Medani. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. London/New Delhi: The issue that a small number of people are employing aggressive tactics to try and persuade Sikhs in the United Kingdom to support their pro-Khalistan agenda needs to be investigated, said the faith advisor of an independent review commissioned by the British government. The report by Colin Bloom, an independent faith engagement advisor, was unveiled by the UK government on Wednesday and suggests how authorities can tackle the activities of religious extremists. Noting that the government should crack down on the extremist fringe elements, Bloom told ANI in an interview that a tiny minority among the Sikh community in UK are very aggressive, very loud and not representative of majority British-Sikh community. The landmark review by Colin Bloom into faith engagement has found the British government needs to recognise faith groups as a force for good. Bloom considered how government can best celebrate the contribution of faith groups, while tackling harmful practices. More than 21,000 people responded to the public consultation and Bloom made 22 recommendations for the British government. We are seeing a very small group of people using aggressive tactics to try and encourage all Sikhs to believe what they believe about whether itsKhalistan or other issues. And so Im very pleased to say that in the last few years, the British government has been increasing its awareness of this problem and theyre beginning to tackle it. But my report is the first, I think, to really lay out in very clear terms, which is evidence-based, that this is a problem that needs to be addressed, said Bloom. He said the government has no pain in looking closely at the challenge of Sikh extremism and pro-Khalistan extremism. The problemwith this is that there are overwhelming majority of the nicest, kindest and most decent people in the UK. And, a tiny minority amongst them are very aggressive, very loud and not representative of majority British-Sikh community. Bloom also mentioned the organisations banned in the United Kingdom. Lets not forget that there are still a number of Sikh extremist and terrorist organizations that are prescribed as terrorist organizations, whether thats Babbar Khalsa, he said, noting that International Sikh Youth Federation was banned but has been de-proscribed in the UK. He said membership of banned organisations is a criminal offence. So we need to make sure that the government is doing as much as they possibly can to crack down on these extremist fringe elements of what is otherwise an incredibly kind, generous and tolerant community. India has raised the issue of the security of Indian diplomatic establishments in the United Kingdom in the wake of action of some anti-India elements and has called for strong action by the UK Government. Bloom hoped actions of such fringe elements do not damage bilateral ties between India and United Kingdom. I hope it doesnt damage the relations between the UK and India. We have some of the strongest ties, a great deal of affection, and obviously, a shared history that goes back many hundreds of years, Bloom said. I hope that continues, whether thats with the British Hindu community, the British Sikh community, the British Muslim community, whoever it may be, we have to continue to build on those things that bind us together rather than would divide us, he added. Bloom said he considers it an enormous privilege that he lives in a country which is tolerant and free. We have the liberty to go and protest against whatever we dont want. In fact, its the same in India. People can protest in India without fear of being arrested. But when that protest becomes violent, when that protest includes criminal damage, and when it involves coercing others to behave in a criminal way, thats where it crosses the line, Bloom told ANI. We have protests every day about something or the other. Its just the nature of living in a free, democratic society, and I treasure that and Im encouraged by that. But we have to draw the line when it becomes violent or when it becomes coercive or where theres criminal damage involved, he added. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had conveyed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a telephonic conversation earlier this month that UK considers the attack on Indian High Commission totally unacceptable and assured of security of the Indian Mission and its personnel. The Indian community on 19 March assembled in front of the Indian High Commission in London against the disrespectful act of Khalistan supporters towards the Indian flag and had sought strong action. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Meta has laid off a lot of people in recent months, which, in some cases, have been arbitrary. This has flustered the people who are still working at Meta, who claim that the spate of the layoffs has been a demoralising experience for them. However, when the annual bonuses of some of the top executives of the company was revealed, most Meta employees were livid. So bad was the situation that a group of employees, actually called out Mark Zuckerberg at a townhall meeting. Until now, Meta has indicated its intention to lay off up to 21,000 employees. The first wave of layoffs was announced in November 2022, and the second round was announced just a few months ago. In the first wave, 11,000 individuals were laid off, and 10,000 more were let go in the second round. Also read: Tech Layoffs: Meta starts laying people off again, this time from core engineering teams On the other hand, the corporation lavished enormous bonuses on some of its senior executives. This did not sit well with many Meta employees, who allegedly chastised CEO Mark Zuckerberg for awarding hefty incentives to certain staff despite the companys layoffs. The bonuses that were announced The compensation of the senior Meta executives, about which the CEO was questioned, were disclosed in Metas SEC filing earlier this month. According to the filing, CFO Susan-Li received a bonus of $575,613 or about Rs 4.71 crore, while CPO Christoper Cox received a bonus of $940,214 or Rs 7.70 crore. COO Javier Olivan received a bonus of $786,552 or Rs 6.44 crore while CTO Andrew Bosworth received a bonus of $714,588 or about Rs 5.85 crore. Strategy Officer (CSO) David Whener received $712,284 or Rs 5.83 crore and Former COO Sheryl Sandberg received $298,385 or Rs 2.44 crore respectively. Meta employees let their displeasure known According to the Wall Street Journal, Mark Zuckerberg spoke to staff in a virtual Q&A session a few days ago. According to the magazine, at the same session, some employees confronted the CEO and questioned him why such substantial incentives were given to senior executives when company-wide layoffs were being carried out. Also read: Layoffs at Meta: Meta rates 7000 employees as below-average performers amid layoff rumours How come the entire executive team received EE/GE ratings when they are also directly responsible for the decisions that led to us having to lay off more than 20% of the company? What happened to accountability? An employee was quoted in the magazine. Mark Zuckerberg responded to the employee, stating that he was pleased with the executives performance in new and expanded roles. What is the point of staying at Meta? ask employees During the same Q&A, another employee requested the CEO to provide them a reason to continue at the firm because they had shattered the morale and faith in the leadership of many top achievers. Youve shattered the morale and confidence in the leadership of many high performers who work with intensity, the employee inquired. What is the point of staying at Meta? Also read: Meta employee sacked in second round of layoffs; receives shocking termination mail at 4 AM In response, the Meta CEO stated that no other firm delivers social experiences on the scale of Meta, and that the company does so across such a diverse range of different products and use cases. So if you want to reach billions of people and have a massive impact, I think this is a great place to be, he continued. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Los Angeles: Montana Republicans have barred transgender lawmaker Zooey Zephyr from the statehouse floor for the rest of the session after she told colleagues they would have blood on your hands if they voted to ban gender-affirming medical care for trans children. Under the terms of the punishment, Zephyr will still be able to vote remotely but will be unable to participate in debates for the remainder of the 90-day legislative session. The Democratic representative had been forbidden from speaking for the past week over her comments, which Republicans said violated decorum. The decision to silence Zephyr had already drawn protests that brought the statehouse to a halt on Monday as demonstrators demanded Zephyr be allowed to speak. The spat is the latest on the hot-button issue of identity politics in the deeply divided United States, and comes on the heels of Tennessee Republicans kicking out two Black Democrats who argued that they were complicit in gun violence. The new punishment caps a week of clashes over a bill that prohibits transgender minors from receiving specific medical treatments such as hormones and puberty blockers. Advocates say these are effective for people suffering from gender dysphoria the clinical condition of distress that arises when a persons gender identity is not the same as their biological sex. Supporters say children and young people denied these treatments are at greater risk of self-harm or suicide. In a defiant speech on Wednesday she was allowed to speak on the motion to eject her from the chamber Zephyr said her removal was an assault on democracy and an affront to the transgender community. When I rose up and said there is blood on your hands, I was not being hyperbolic, she told the chamber, invoking the attempted suicide of a transgender person while watching a Montana statehouse debate on limiting transgender rights. When the speaker of the house demanded she apologies for the blood-on-your-hands comments, Zephyr said it was an attempt to silence her and make her complicit in legislation that causes real-world harm. I refuse to do so. And I will always refuse to do so. I would also say that if you use decorum to silence people who hold you accountable, then all youre doing is using decorum as a tool of oppression. The vote to remove Zephyr was passed along party lines, in a chamber where Republicans outnumber Democrats 68 to 32. The American Civil Liberties Union condemned Zephyrs suspension, calling it authoritarianism. Freedom of speech is essential to our democracy. Trans people are an essential part of our democracy both as voters and lawmakers and must be defended, said Deirdre Schifeling, National Political Director at the ACLU. Transgender rights are among the frontline issues in Americas culture wars. Since January, 29 new laws restricting the rights of transgender people have been passed in 14 US states, according to an analysis of data from the ACLU published this week by The Washington Post. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. US President Joe Biden has warned North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that his regime would be over if he dared to launch a nuclear attack on the United States or any of its allies. The warning comes as the US launches new efforts in tandem with South Korea to counter Pyongyangs nuclear build-up. A nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its allies or partners is unacceptable and will result in the end of whatever regime were to take such an action, Biden told reporters on Wednesday accompanied by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. The United States on Wednesday also announced it would strengthen the deterrence it provides South Korea against nuclear threats, including a plan to deploy nuclear-armed submarines to the country for the first time in decades. The South Korean President on his part reiterated that peace on the peninsula could only come through force and that US nuclear arsenal would play a key role in a counterattack in case North Korea used its nuclear weapons against the South. Both the leaders also agreed to establish a nuclear consultative group to improve coordination, share information on strategic weapons cooperation, and hold more joint military exercises to build an effective deterrence to North Koreas nuclear threats. The US has also got a pledge from Seoul to honour commitments to not pursue its own atomic arsenal. Were not going to be stationing nuclear weapons on the peninsula, but we will have visits to ports, visits of nuclear submarines and things like that, Biden said. We are not walking away from that. In recent months, North Korea has intensified its missile tests and political analysts believe it is seeking to further expand its nuclear arsenal, after decades of diplomacy did not yield results. Recent tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) have raised the threat that North Korean nuclear weapons could now reach US territory. Biden also waved off concerns about his health as he embarks on a bid for re-election in 2024, telling the media that he felt good. He also called opponent Donald Trump a danger to US democracy. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Amid ongoing political crisis in cash-strapped Pakistan and an increasing confrontation between the government and the judiciary, the National Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution expressing full confidence in Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party, tabled a resolution, stating that the National Assembly of Pakistan reposes its full confidence in the leadership of Sharif. The resolution was supported by 180 Members of the National Assembly (MNAs). This comes days after the National Assembly rejected a money bill tabled by the government for providing funds to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for holding polls in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. (With inputs from PTI) Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In a emerging trend in Pakistan, more and more people are keeping the graves of women members of family under lock and key as necrophilia cases are on the rise. While necrophilia cases have been reported in Pakistan before too, some social media users, including activists and authors, raised the matter once again on Wednesday. One such user named Harris Sultan, an Ex-Muslim Atheist activist and the author of the book The Curse of God, why I left Islam blamed hardline Islamist ideology for such depraved acts. Pakistan has created such a horny, sexually frustrated society that people are now putting padlocks on the graves of their daughters to prevent them from getting raped. When you link the burqa with rape, it follows you to the grave, Sultan tweeted on Wednesday. Another Twitter user Sajid Yousaf Shah wrote: The social environment created by #Pakistan has given rise to a sexually charged and repressed society, where some people have resorted to locking their daughters graves to protect them from sexual violence. Such a connection between rape and an individuals clothing only leads to a path filled with grief and despair. Womens bodies have been unearthed and desecrated on several occasions in the past. The scariest necrophilia case ever reported in Pakistan was in 2011 when a gravekeeper named Muhammad Rizwan from North Nazimabad, Karachi was arrested after he confessed to raping 48 female corpses. Rizwan was caught running away after desecrating a corpse. He had caught the attention of nearby grave diggers and some other people. Most recently in May 2022, some unknown men dug out the corpse of a teenage girl and raped it in the Chak Kamala village in Gujrat, Pakistan. This occurred on the same night the family had buried the deceased. According to reports, the shocking incident came to light when the deceased girls relatives visited the graveyard the next morning as per their religious traditions. The kin found the body dug up and lying uncovered. The body showed signs of rape. In 2021, some unknown men had carried out a similar barbaric act in Maulvi Ashraf Chandio village near coastal town Ghulamullah. In 2020, A man was arrested on February 28 after being caught red-handed raping a corpse of a woman in a graveyard in Punjab, Pakistan. The incident occurred in Okara city in the Punjab province. The accused was identified by his first name, Ashraf. In 2019, a womans dead body was allegedly dug up and raped by unidentified men in Karachis Landhi Town. The woman was buried in Ismail Goth Graveyard. The womans body was dug up one day after it was buried. The caretaker of the graveyard told the deceaseds family that a dog had removed the slab which was covering the grave. In 2013, a 15-year-old girls body was found lying outside her grave in Gujranwala, and was reportedly assaulted sexually. Following this incident, the then chief minister of Punjab in Pakistan, Shahbaz Sharif had ordered a swift inquiry into the incident. The matter reportedly is still sub-judice. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In one of the biggest high profile assasination since the start of Mahsa Amini protests in Iran, a renowned religious leader who served on the committee that selects Irans top leaders was killed on Wednesday. In the northern Mazandaran provinces city of Babolsar, Ayatollah Abbas Ali Soleimani was assassinated at a time when he was sitting on bench inside a bank, and it is reported that his assailant, a security guard was detained. According to local authorities cited by the Iranian news agency IRNA, Ayatollah Abbas Ali Soleimani was killed in an armed attack the assailant was also arrested. The 88 members of Irans assembly of experts, which chooses supreme leaders, included Soleimani, 75, a former representative of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Additionally, he presided over the weekly prayers in Sistan-Baluchistan and Isfahan province cities. Sistan and Baluchestan have had a significant number of anti-regime demonstrations, according to Jason Brodsky, policy director of the US-based organisation United Against Nuclear Iran. Since the start of the violent anti-regime protests in September 2022, which were sparked by the death of a young woman in police detention, Soleimani looks to be the most senior cleric to have been slain in Iran. Masha Amini, 22, was arrested for wearing her hijab improperly and was beaten to death as a result. Her passing sparked great outrage and led to statewide demonstrations that the government violently put an end to. Although Iran continues to be rocked by large-scale demonstrations against the government and a persistent crackdown on dissidents, it was not immediately evident who was responsible for Wednesdays strike. According to reports, Israel is believed to have carried out high-profile assassinations in Iran recently, the majority of those victims were connected to Iranian intelligence and Irans nuclear program, which Israel views as an existential threat. It follows a jihadist attack that left two clerics dead and another injured in the northern city of Mashhad. And in November, unidentified assailants shot and killed a Shia cleric in the unrest-plagued Iranian city of Zahedan. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. New York: India on Wednesday said that the privilege of using the veto vested in only five member countries goes against the concept of sovereign equality of states and only perpetuates the mindset of the Second World War, to the victor belongs the spoils. Addressing the 68th Plenary Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the Use of Veto, Pratik Mathur, the counsellor for Indias Permanent Mission to the United Nations, said, UNGA had unanimously agreed to vide decision 62/557 in 2008 that all five aspects of UNSC reform, including on the question of veto would be decided in a comprehensive manner and therefore no single cluster could be addressed in isolation. The veto resolution, though adopted by consensus, unfortunately, reflected a piecemeal approach to UNSC reform, thereby highlighting one aspect, ignoring the root cause of the problem. Noting that Indias position on veto has been consistent and clear, Counsellor Mathur made several observations with regards to the substantive aspect of the exercise of veto in the Security Council. All five permanent members have used the veto over the last 75 years to achieve their respective political ends, he argued. In this regard, let me flag what our African Brothers have repeatedly stated in the IGN, The veto as a matter of principle should be abolished. However, as a matter of common justice, it should be extended to new permanent members so long as it continues to exist, Counsellor Mathur said, quoting African nations. The privilege of using the veto has been vested in only five member states. As rightly called out by our African brothers, it goes against the concept of sovereign equality of states and only perpetuates the mindset of the Second World War, to the victor belongs the spoils, he added. The privilege of using veto has been vested to only five member statesIt goes against the concept of sovereign equality of states & only perpetuates the mindset of Second World War, to the victor belongs the spoils: Pratik Mathur, Counsellor in Indias Permanent Mission to UN pic.twitter.com/yZwhMIw63J ANI (@ANI) April 26, 2023 He said either all nations should be treated equally in the context of voting rights or else the new permanent members must also be given the veto. Extension of veto to new members will have no adverse impact on the effectiveness of an enlarged Council, Counsellor Mathur said. Claiming that the exercise of veto is driven by political considerations, not by moral obligations, he said, As long as it exists, the member state or member states, who can exercise the veto, will do so, irrespective of the moral pressure, as we have seen in the recent past. Therefore, we need to address all five aspects of UNSC reform, including the question of veto, in a comprehensive manner, through clearly defined timelines, in the IGN process. India has committed to supporting any initiative that genuinely furthers the objective of achieving meaningful and comprehensive reform of the key elements of the global multilateral architecture, he stated further in his address. He concluded his address by reiterating that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were, are and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India, and no amount of misinformation, rhetoric and propaganda from any country can deny this fact. #WATCH | The Union Territories of Jammu&Kashmir and Ladakh were, are & will always remain an integral & inalienable part of India. No amount of misinformation, rhetoric & propaganda from any country can deny this fact: Pratik Mathur, Counsellor in Indias Permanent Mission to UN pic.twitter.com/QGu8uVMtGd ANI (@ANI) April 26, 2023 With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Former Republican Governor of Arkansas Asa Hutchinson formally launched his 2024 presidential bid on Wednesday, in a speech that depicted him as a more moderate option to party frontrunner and former US President Donald Trump. Hutchinson, 72, whose bid is considered a long-shot even within political circles, had already broken with Trump earlier this year after the Republican former presidents criminal indictment in March over hush money payments to a porn star. Unlike all the other declared and potential Republican White House candidates, who rallied behind Trump after the indictment, Hutchinson said at the time that Trump should pull out of the race for the White House. In his formal announcement, Hutchinson did not name Trump, but appeared to break with him on foreign policy by decrying the isolationist approach Trump took to international issues when president. Isolationism only leads to weakness and weakness leads to war, Hutchinson said. His formal speech followed an announcement earlier this month that he was running for president. Hutchinson will present himself to Republican primary voters as a more moderate alternative to Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, another conservative firebrand who is expected to announce his presidential campaign soon. Moderation is a tough sell in Republican primary battles, which attract mostly conservative voters. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. New Delhi: The Kremlin has stated that it may seize even more Western assets as retaliation for foreign actions against Russian enterprises, after temporarily taking control of assets belonging to two European state-owned utilities, reported Reuters. Late on Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin issued an order giving Moscow control over the Russian assets of the German company Uniper (UN01.DE) and Finlands Fortum (FORTUM.HE), both of which run power facilities there. Kremlin made it clear that the action may be undone. The action against Unipers Russian division, Unipro (UPRO.MM), was under review, according to Uniper. Fortum stated that it was looking into the matter and that its Russian subsidiary had informed it that the companys CEO had been changed and that the division had been placed under interim asset management, reported Reuters. Moscow has reacted strongly to the news that the G7 countries are mulling an almost complete ban on exports to Russia, and many have urged for more stringent penalties to reduce Russias capacity to fight in Ukraine. The European Union is considering utilising frozen Russian assets to reconstruct Ukraine in the meantime. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the decree adopted is a response to the aggressive actions of unfriendly countries. He added, This initiative mirrors the attitude of Western governments towards foreign assets of Russian companies. Peskov also said, according to Reuters, that the main purpose of the decree is to form a compensation fund for the possible application of reciprocal measures in response to the illegal expropriation of Russian assets abroad With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra on Thursday informed that the security situation in Sudan remains very complex, highly volatile and unpredictable. Amid the ongoing evacuation mission Operation Kaveri, Kwatra said approximately 1,700 to 2,000 Indian nationals were moved out of the conflict zones. This includes citizens already evacuated out of Sudan as well as those who are on their way to Port Sudan from capital city Khartoum. The foreign secretary said India has been in touch with the two warring factions in Sudan and other stakeholders and has been able to evacuate its citizens following a positive response from the concerned sides as they understand that New Delhi stands for a very strong development partnership with Khartoum. The situation on the ground is very complex, highly volatile and unpredictable. We have been in touch with both SAF (Sudanese Armed Forces) and RSF (Rapid Support Forces). Our relations have been good. We are in touch with all sides to get the Indians from conflict zones to safe areas and then to Port Sudan, Kwatra said. On the total number of Indians in Sudan, he said approximately 3,100 have registered online with the Indian embassy in the Sudanese capital Khartoum while an additional 300 are in touch with the mission. Sudan also has around 900 to 1,000 PIOs (Persons of Indian Origins). Under Operation Kaveri, India has been taking its citizens in buses from conflict zones of Khartoum and other troubled areas to Port Sudan from where they are being taken to the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah in Indian Air Forces heavy-lift transport aircraft and Indian Navys ships. The distance between Khartoum and Port Sudan is around 850 kms and the travel time by bus varies from 12 hours to 18 hours considering the prevailing situation and whether the vehicles are operating during the day or night. The Indian Navy has deployed its warships INS Sumedha, INS Teg and INS Tarkash while the Indian Air Force has deployed two of its C130J transport aircraft. The ships and aircraft are being used to take the Indians to Jeddah, from where they are being flown to India. Our objective and target is to take the stranded Indians out of harms way as early as possibleOur effort is to get every stranded Indian out of harms way and into an area of relative safety and then to Port Sudan and back here (India), he said. India has already set up separate control rooms in Jeddah, Port Sudan and the India embassy in Khartoum has been coordinating with them besides being in touch with the MEAs headquarters in Delhi. Kwatra said around 600 Indian nationals have either arrived in India or are on their way. As many as 360 Indians arrived in New Delhi by a chartered flight last night from Jeddah. We currently have 495 Indian nationals in Jeddah. 320 Indians are in Port Sudan. We have more buses for bringing more people to Port Sudan, Kwatra said. The foreign secretary also said that 42 Indian nationals have moved to South Sudan. Kwatra said the government of Indias effort has been to advise and assist the stranded Indians to remain safe and help them move to secure locations whenever feasible after carefully evaluating the conflict situation. He also said that India has received evacuation requests from other nationalities. We are willing to provide all assistance. This is subject to fulfilment of all the procedures required, he said. Asked whether India will evacuate the PIOs, Kwatra said New Delhi will extend all support if there is a request from them. The foreign secretary thanked Saudi Arabia for all the assistance including the landing and docking of Indian military transport aircraft and naval ships in Jeddah. Saudi Arabia has been extremely helpful and we are very grateful to them, he said. Sudan has been witnessing deadly fighting between the countrys army and a paramilitary group that has reportedly left around 400 people dead. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar on Monday announced the launch of the mission to evacuate Operation Kaveri to bring back the stranded Indians from Sudan. India on Sunday said it has positioned two transport aircraft of the IAF in Jeddah and the naval ship INS Sumedha at Port Sudan as part of its contingency plans to evacuate the Indians. Apart from the Sudanese authorities, the MEA and the Indian embassy in Sudan have been in regular touch with the UN, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and the US among others. At a high-level meeting on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued directions for the preparation of contingency plans to evacuate Indians from Sudan. Last week, Jaishankar spoke to his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt on the ground situation in Sudan with a focus on ensuring the safety of the Indians. (With inputs from PTI) Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. New Delhi: The Sudanese Armed Forces have agreed to extend the ongoing truce for another 72 hours which will take effect from the date of the end of the current truce, according to a statement. The deal, mediated by the US and Saudi Arabia, will see the new truce start at midnight on Friday. The RSF, however, has not responded to the latest proposal. Meanwhile, the Sudanese army pounded paramilitaries in Khartoum with air strikes on Thursday while deadly fighting flared in Darfur, as Washington sought to extend an imperfect US-brokered ceasefire for three more days. There have been multiple truce efforts since fighting broke out on 15 April between Sudans army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by his deputy turned rival, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. All failed up till now. Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington was very actively working to extend the ceasefire between the warring generals. Weve had a 72-hour ceasefire, which like most ceasefires is imperfect but nonetheless has reduced violence. And thats obviously created somewhat better conditions for people in Sudan, he told reporters. Burhan on Wednesday said he would consider a proposal by the East African IGAD bloc for another three-day ceasefire when the current truce formally expires at midnight (2200 GMT), but no further details have been released and the RSFs response to the proposal is unclear. On Thursday, warplanes patrolled over the capitals northern suburbs as fighters on the ground exchanged artillery and heavy machinegun fire, witnesses said. I hear intense shelling outside my home, a Khartoum resident told AFP on Thursday evening, asking not to be named. At least 512 people have been killed and 4,193 wounded in the fighting, according to health ministry figures, although the real death toll is likely much higher. Hospitals have been shelled and more than two thirds are out of service, the doctors union said Thursday, reporting at least eight civilians killed in Khartoum alone on Wednesday. Violence beyond Khartoum Fighting has also flared in the provinces, particularly in the war-torn western region of Darfur. Witnesses said clashes raged for a second day in the West Darfur capital El Geneina, with pro-democracy medics reporting a doctor shot dead. We are locked up at home and too afraid to go out, so we cant assess the scale of the damage, said a resident, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons. The UN humanitarian agency said the fighting in West Darfur had disrupted food to an estimated 50,000 acutely malnourished children. The violence has trapped many civilians in their homes, where they have endured severe food, water and electricity shortages. Those who can afford to have taken the long and risky journey to flee the country. Egypt said Thursday that at least 14,000 Sudanese refugees had crossed the border since fighting erupted, as well as 2,000 people from 50 other countries. End the war, 50-year-old refugee Ashraf told the warring generals after entering Egypt. This is your own conflict, not that of the Sudanese people. At least 20,000 people have escaped into Chad, 4,000 into South Sudan, 3,500 into Ethiopia and 3,000 into the Central African Republic, according to the UN, which has warned if fighting continues as many as 270,000 people could flee. Countries scramble to evacuate citizens Foreign governments have scrambled to get thousands of their citizens out, and UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly urged Britons to leave while they can. We cannot guarantee how many further flights will depart once the ceasefire ends, he said. A Saudi evacuation ship docked in the Red Sea port of Jeddah Thursday carrying 187 people from 25 countries, taking the total evacuated by Riyadh to 2,544, only 119 of them Saudis, the foreign ministry said. Canada said Thursday it had completed its first military flight carrying evacuees, with Defence Minister Anita Anand calling the situation very volatile. As lawlessness has gripped Sudan, there have been several jailbreaks, including from the high security Kober prison where top aides of ousted dictator Omar al-Bashir were held. Among the escapees is Ahmed Harun, wanted by the International Criminal Court to face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. Haruns escape sparked fears of the involvement of Bashir loyalists in the ongoing fighting. The army said 79-year-old Bashir was in a military hospital, where he had been moved to before fighting erupted. Daglos RSF emerged from the Janjaweed militia, accused of carrying out atrocities during Bashirs brutal suppression of ethnic minority rebels in Darfur in the mid-2000s. Bashir was toppled by the military in April 2019 following civilian mass protests that raised hopes for a transition to democracy. The two generals seized power together in a 2021 coup, but later fell out, most recently over the planned integration of the RSF into the regular army. There have been multiple truce efforts since fighting broke out on April 15 between Sudans army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by his deputy turned rival, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. All have failed. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington was very actively working to extend the ceasefire between the warring generals. Weve had a 72-hour ceasefire, which like most ceasefires is imperfect but nonetheless has reduced violence. And thats obviously created somewhat better conditions for people in Sudan, he told reporters. Burhan on Wednesday said he would consider a proposal by the East African IGAD bloc for another three-day ceasefire when the current truce formally expires at midnight (2200 GMT), but no further details have been released and the RSFs response to the proposal is unclear. On Thursday, warplanes patrolled over the capitals northern suburbs as fighters on the ground exchanged artillery and heavy machinegun fire, witnesses said. I hear intense shelling outside my home, a Khartoum resident told AFP on Thursday evening, asking not to be named. At least 512 people have been killed and 4,193 wounded in the fighting, according to health ministry figures, although the real death toll is likely much higher. Hospitals have been shelled and more than two thirds are out of service, the doctors union said Thursday, reporting at least eight civilians killed in Khartoum alone on Wednesday. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Human Rights Watch on Thursday accused Turkish border guards of shooting, torturing and using excessive force against Syrians trying to flee their war-ravaged country into neighbouring Turkey. The rights group urged Ankara to investigate border guards, hold those responsible for grave human rights violations, including unlawful killings to account, and end longstanding impunity for these abuses. Turkish border guards are indiscriminately shooting at Syrian civilians on the border as well as torturing and using excessive force against asylum seekers and migrants trying to cross, the New York-based rights group said in a statement. Turkey hosts 3.6 million registered Syrian refugees Syrias war since 2011 has killed more than half a million people and displaced millions. Syria shares a long border with Turkey, which hosts some 3.6 million registered Syrian refugees, according to the UN refugee agency. Turkeys generous hosting of large numbers of Syrians does not absolve it of its obligations to respect the rights of others seeking protection at its borders, HRW said. It cited an 11 March incident in which border guards had intercepted and tortured a group of eight Syrians who had attempted to cross into Turkey killing a boy and one man and returning the others to Syria. Turkish gendarmes and armed forces in charge of border control routinely abuse and indiscriminately shoot at Syrians along the Syrian-Turkish border, with hundreds of deaths and injuries recorded in recent years, said HRWs Hugh Williamson. Arbitrary killings of Syrians are particularly egregious and part of a pattern of brutality by Turkish border guards that the government has failed to curb or investigate effectively. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said Turkish border guards had shot dead 12 Syrians and wounded 20 others since the start of the year. While Turkey is entitled to secure its border with Syria, it must do so in compliance with international law and in particular its human rights obligations, HRW said, urging Ankara to urgently conduct a full review of border security policy. Despite officially closing its frontier with Syria, Turkey over the years has regularly allowed access for humanitarian and medical reasons, and at times has allowed Syrians to return home for family visits during major holidays. But since a devastating 6 February earthquake hit Turkey and Syria, killing thousands, Ankara has reinforced border restrictions. With inputs from AFP Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday virtually attended an event with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin amid concerns over his health. This was Erdogans first public appearance since falling ill on live TV and canceling campaign stops, as he sought to dispel concerns about his health weeks before a crucial election. In a video of the ceremony posted by Russian state media, Erdogan and Putin can be seen waving at each other. Putin and Erdogan participated via video link in a ceremony marking the delivery of Russian nuclear fuel to the nuclear power plant Akuyu in Turkey. Wave if you have cheaper energy than the EU! Presidents Putin and Erdogan greet each other online at the beginning of the Akkuyu NPP ceremony pic.twitter.com/WhThUOPL5T RT (@RT_com) April 27, 2023 The 69-year-old leader looked pale sitting behind a desk surrounded by Cabinet members, aides and political allies to preside at the event marking the delivery of the first fuel to the Russian-built Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in southern Turkey. Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey for two decades, canceled election rallies on Wednesday and Thursday after suffering what the health minister described as a gastrointestinal infection. Turkish officials denied online rumors that Erdogan, who underwent intestinal surgery in 2011, had suffered a serious illness and was hospitalised. We categorically reject such baseless claims regarding President (Erdogans) health, his communications director, Fahrettin Altun tweeted. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Microsofts $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the producer of popular video games such as Call of Duty, Candy Crush, Overwatch, and World of Warcraft, has been denied by Britains Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The judgement is a severe setback for Microsofts gaming aspirations, and it is the largest gaming deal ever banned by the CMA. The regulator is concerned that the purchase could stifle competition in the cloud gaming business, which is expected to be worth $13.7 billion globally by 2026. Also read: Call of Duty on Nintendo? Microsoft might agree to a 10-Year Call of Duty deal with Nintendo The CMAs decision comes after it dropped its worries about the deals impact on the console industry, which is driven by Sonys market-leading PlayStation, last month, leaving cloud streaming services as the last remaining hurdle. Microsoft had moved into licencing deals with the owners of streaming services like as Valve, Nvidia, and Boosteroid to address the difficulty. It also gave Sony a 10-year Call of Duty licence in exchange for bringing the brand to Nintendos Switch. The CMA, on the other hand, found that Microsofts pledge to provide access to Activisions Call of Duty property to top cloud gaming platforms would not adequately address its concerns. According to the regulator, cloud gaming is rapidly expanding, liberating players from the need to rely on pricey consoles and gaming PCs and providing them more control over how and where they play games. As a result, protecting competition in this burgeoning and dynamic sector is critical. Also read: Microsoft tells US court that its $69 billion Activision-Blizzard deal would greatly benefit gamers Activision stated it would work aggressively with Microsoft to change the ruling, while Microsofts president, Brad Smith, said the business remained completely committed to the purchase and will fight the decision. Activision CEO Bobby Kotick reminded the companys workforce that while the news was disappointing, he thought it was not the final decision on the transaction. The unanticipated setback to the transaction has had a considerable influence on the companys stock price. Activisions stock dropped over 12% to $76.65, moving further away from Microsofts offer price of $95 per share, wiping off roughly $8 billion in market value. Also read: Microsoft-Activision deal in jeopardy as Microsoft faces EU antitrust warning Meanwhile, Microsofts stock climbed to its highest level in almost a year, a day after the company topped Wall Street projections for quarterly revenue and earnings. The European Union will make a decision on the Activision acquisition by May 22, while the US Federal Trade Commission is also attempting to ban it. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. After arriving in the UK, some Channel migrants very quickly become involved in crime and have since established themselves as a notable feature of daily crime-fighting, according to Suella Braverman. The UK Home Secretary claimed that chief constables had briefed her on how the illegal channel migrants coming from Northern France are involved in peddling drugs and prostitution. Not often, she added, but it is increasingly a notable aspect of routine crime fighting in England and Wales. We cannot deny how many individuals are entering our country illegally and how quickly they become involved in the drug trade, various forms of exploitation, criminal activity, and prostitution, she said. She claimed to have gotten the information from police chief experts and authoritative people in the field of crime when asked if she had data to back up her claim. UKs Illegal Migration law, introduced by Braverman, was due back in Parliament on Wednesday. According to Braverman, we are seeing an unacceptable level of people coming here illegally, hence the measure is necessary. Migrants from Sudan She further stated on Wednesday that anyone escaping the turmoil in Sudan would be arrested and might be sent to Rwanda. When asked what would happen to Sudanese asylum seekers who arrived in the country, Ms. Braverman responded, There is no good reason for somebody to get into a small boat and cross the channel in quest of a life in the UK. Only British nationals and embassy personnel are being evacuated; the British government has no plans to set up a special programme tailored to the nation like those used in Ukraine and Afghanistan. Sudanese have made about 4,000 small-boat crossings of the English Channel since 2020, making them the eighth most common nationality to do so. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Ukraines prime minister Denys Shmyhal on Thursday said he had sought the help of Pope Francis during a private Vatican audience to facilitate the return of Ukrainian children who were forcibly taken to Russia during the ongoing war. Shmyhal, briefing the media on his half-hour audience with the pontiff, said he also invited Pope Francis to come to Ukraine. I asked His Holiness to help us return home Ukrainians, Ukrainian children who are detained, arrested, and criminally deported to Russia, he said. But, the Vaticans brief statement on the audience did not mention anything about the request of the Ukrainian prime minister. It just pointed out that Shmyhal met with the Holy Sees secretary of state and foreign minister after his meeting with the Pope. During the cordial discussions, which took place in the Secretariat of State, various matters connected to the war in Ukraine were highlighted, with particular attention to the humanitarian aspects and efforts to restore peace, the Vatican said. Francis has repeatedly decried the war in Ukraine, which began 14 months ago with Russias invasion of its neighbour. He has expressed a desire to visit both Ukraine and Russia in the context of his hopes of improving the prospects for peace. The International Criminal Court last month issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russias childrens commissioner, accusing them of war crimes for abducting children from Ukraine. Russia has denied any wrongdoing, contending the children were moved for their safety. Speaking to reporters at the Foreign Press Association in Rome, Shmyhal said that in his talks at the Vatican he also discussed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyys multi-point proposal for peace and the steps the Vatican could take in helping that plan become reality. He gave no specifics. The prime minister also declined to venture what might next develop in Ukrainian-Chinese relations. Zelenskyy said Wednesday that he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping had a long and meaningful phone call. During their conversation, which was the first known contact between the two presidents since the war began in February 2022, Xi said Beijing would send an envoy to Ukraine to discuss a possible political settlement to the conflict. The envoy is a former a former Chinese ambassador to Russia. The hour-long call came two months after Beijing, which has long been aligned with Russia, said it wanted to act as a mediator and a month after Xi visited Moscow. Shmyhal described the phone call as extremely productive and said it marked a new stage in Ukrainian-Chinese relations. Im also convinced it is an extraordinary beginning for developing our future relations, the prime minister said. Asked about the May 18 expiration date of a deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey to keep Ukrainian grain exports flowing during the war, Shmyhal said the shipments were another topic he broached with both Vatican and Italian officials. Russia has threatened to reject another extension of the deal, complaining that Western sanctions have held up exports of its products. I asked both the leadership of Italy and the Holy See to help Ukraine continue the grain corridors work without restrictions, Shmyhal said. The prime minister participated Wednesday in a Rome conference hosted by the Italian government to bring together businesses eager to participate in eventual reconstruction projects in Ukraine. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. New Delhi: The US announced on Wednesday that it would deny visa on human rights grounds to a Sri Lankan province governor accused of atrocities during the countrys long civil war, reported AFP. A Sri Lankan probe accused former navy leader Wasantha Karannagoda, among others, of kidnapping wealthy families teenage children and murdering them after extorting money. Authorities dismissed charges against him in 2021, sparking outrage from human rights groups, and he was soon appointed governor of North Western Province by then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who served as defence commander when Sri Lanka defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009, according to AFP. The charges against Karannagoda remained serious and credible, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and neither the governor nor his wife would be permitted to visit the United States. Blinken said in a statement, according to AFP, The United States reaffirms its commitment to upholding human rights, ending impunity for human rights violators, acknowledging the suffering of victims and survivors and promoting accountability for perpetrators in Sri Lanka. The move comes as both the US and India express concern about China, the islands largest creditor, making advances into Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka defaulted on its external debt last year, sparking heated protests that ousted Rajapaksa over economic mismanagement that resulted in severe food, fuel, and medication shortages. According to a UN panel, 40,000 civilians may have been killed in the last stages of the 37-year battle. Officials from the government deny any wrongdoing. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. New Delhi: Russian Ambassador to the US on Thursday revealed that more than a hundred Russian nationals are currently in American jails. His comments came after he visited two Russians, Anatoly Legkodymov and Dmitry Ukrainsky, jailed in New York on Wednesday. We will definitely continue the practice of visiting our compatriots who ended up in American dungeons, Russia Today quoted Antonov as saying to reporters. According to some reports, we actually have more than 100 people, he added. Antonov said that most of the charges Russian citizens face in the US are politically motivated. I have heard more than once that if you are Russian, this means that you should receive a longer sentence than if you were, for example, Italian, French or British, Antonov added. On 14 April, Antonov had told TASS that he plans to visit three Russian citizens incarcerated in US prisons in the near future. We continue fighting against the US practice of hunting for Russians, he had said. Today, more than one hundred people [Russian nationals] are being kept in American prisons. Fifty-nine of our citizens have been extradited from third countries in recent years, he added. By the way, after [Russian Foreign Minister] Sergey Lavrovs departure from New York on April 26, I plan to personally visit two Russians who are in prison in Brooklyn. They are Dmitry Ukrainsky and Anatoly Legkodymov. In May, I intend to visit Vladislav Klyushin, Antonov had said. The charges Legkodymov was accused of breaking US banking regulations while running the Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange Bitzlato in January. Although he was a citizen of China, the US believed that his brief stay in Miami, Florida was sufficient for it to exercise jurisdiction over him. Legkodymov knowingly allowed Bitzlato to become a perceived safe haven for funds used for and resulting from a variety of criminal activities, according to federal authorities, and failed to meet US regulatory safeguards, including anti-money laundering requirements. If convicted, he faces up to five years behind bars. Ukrainsky was accused of money laundering in Thailand. He pleaded not guilty but was sentenced to ten years in 2019. He is expected to be released on parole, but Thai authorities extradited him to the US in June 2022 instead. Though Ukrainsky insists he had never even been to the US, American authorities claim he stole over $300,000 from the accounts of US citizens. Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said there were more than 60 Russian citizens currently in US prisons, many on dubious charges, and several who had been abducted by US authorities from third countries. He brought up the case of Maria Butina, a Russian gun rights activist who was imprisoned in the US on trumped-up charges. Butina was arrested at the height of Russiagate hysteria and charged with conspiring to act as an unregistered foreign agent. She spent over 18 months in jail and then in federal prison, before she was deported to Russia in October 2019. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The US Air National Guardsman accused of leaking top military secrets appeared in a federal court on Thursday, where the judge was worried that the 21-year-olds knowledge of classified material might be invaluable to a foreign government. Teixeira was arrested by the FBI on April 13 at his home in Massachusetts and charged with violating the Espionage Act. Some of the information he is accused of taking he actually copied, US Magistrate David Hennessy said. If I write something, Im going to remember it reasonably well. The judge, however, refused to rule on whether Jack Douglas Teixeira should be released into the custody of his father pending his criminal trial. Hennessy took the matter under advisement and ordered the court into recess after listening to arguments for and against Teixeiras continued detention in federal custody. The hearing lasted more than an hour in the US District Court in Worcester, Massachusetts. Nadine Pellegrini, an assistant US attorney, told the judge it would be hard to imagine that Teixeira would not seek to make himself available to others who want the secret information he is accused of stealing. According to federal prosecutors, Teixeira leaked classified documents, including some relating to troop movements in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, to a group of gamers on the messaging app Discord. In a filing late on Wednesday, they said he had destroyed evidence in the case and they also pointed to his history of making violent threats online, saying he should be detained pending trial because he is a flight risk and poses a threat. Teixeira, who lived with his mother and stepfather, kept a gun locker two feet from his bed, which contained handguns, bolt-action rifles and a military-style rifle with a high-capacity magazine, according to the governments filing. FBI agents also found a gas mask, ammunition and what appeared to be a silencer-style accessory in his desk drawer, the government said. Teixeiras lawyer, Brendan Kelley, however said his client had broken no firearms laws and that the weapons were responsibly stored and locked. Kelley drew sarcasm from the judge when he suggested that his client is only being accused of sharing classified information with a small group of people on the internet. Seriously? Hennessy asked incredulously, adding that anyone under the age of 30 would know that putting something on the internet means it could end up all over the world. Before the hearing on Thursday, Teixeiras attorneys said in a court filing they opposed pre-trial detention, and asked the judge to let him go home to the custody of his father. They offered to have him post a bond of $20,000 and wear a location monitoring device, and said he could be prohibited from using the internet without parental supervision. Teixeiras father took the stand at the start of the hearing and said he would have no problem reporting his son if he violated the terms of a custody arrangement. Prosecutors, in a court filing on Wednesday night, revealed that Teixeira was suspended from high school after he was overheard making racial threats and remarks about guns. Teixeira attributed those remarks to a reference in a video game, according to prosecutors. More recently, in November 2022, Teixeira said if he had his way, he would kill a ton of people because it would be culling the weak minded, prosecutors alleged in documents supporting their motion to detain Teixeira. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The United States (US) is developing a submarine designed to carry out seabed warfare operations amid rising tensions with China in the Indo-Pacific region. This Virginia class submarine, which has been designated as Modified Virginia, Subsea and Seabed Warfare (Mod VA SSW), is intended to be a successor to the USS Jimmy Carter spy submarine. This submarine, which to be procured by the US Navy at an estimated cost of $5.1 billion, is being constructed at the Electric Boat shipyard in Groton, Connecticut and will probably act as a mothership for unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs); remote-controlled micro-submarines known as remotely operated vehicles (ROVs); and human divers. It is being speculated that the Mod VA SSW will probably be used to transport military assets such as specialist uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUV), remote-operated vehicles and special operations submarines. These military assets include the Orca Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (XLUUV) and the MK11 SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV), which have the ability to conduct surveillance and offensive seabed warfare operations such as minelaying, anti-submarine manoeuvres and special operations. The MK 11 SDV can be used to transport special forces operatives such as SEAL teams to target Chinas military installations in remote South China Sea islands, infiltrate enemy naval bases and target hostile warships at port. The US Navy may also use the Mod VA SSW to destroy or tap undersea fiber optic communications cables. In case of hostilities with China, the Mod VA SSW will be able target Chinese underwater cables in the East and South China seas. China may also be concerned about the vulnerability of its undersea communications cables. South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported in December 2021 that China built two bases to maintain undersea cables in the East and South China Seas, with the construction of the latter base in Hainan starting that year and planned to be operational by 2023. Chinas Peace Cable which stretches for 15,000 kilometers from Gwadar in Pakistan and goes through Kenya, Djibouti and Somalia before ending in France will also be a major target in case of a conflict. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In a viral video, an activist boldly disrupted an event of the Columbia Journalism School in New York, and called out the hypocrisy and silence of global mainstream press on key issues like Nord Stream pipeline, Syria, and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. The activist, named Jose Vega, shared a video of the event, FaultLines: Democracy, which took place on Tuesday, according to reports. In the video, Vega questioned the medias handling of significant global issues, and slammed the panelists for having no credibility with the public and failing to report the truth, before being pushed out of the room by the security guards. Is this the lecture hall with (US investigative journalist) Seymour Hersh? I am looking for the one with Seymour Hersh because its a policy and press hall event. So, shouldnt we be talking about the Nord Stream, since thats the biggest story of the century? Vega can be heard saying in the video. He even called out a panelist over his phony story to try and block Seymour Hersh. My friends and I confronted the executive editors for @nytimes, @washingtonpost, @latimes, @Reuters on their censorship of Seymour Hersh, Uhuru, Julian Assange, Tucker Carlson, Russiagate..Then the Dean of Columbia and security pushed me to the ground and tried to silence me. pic.twitter.com/Tm1u48n5Xu Jose Vega Vote Diane Sare! (@JosBtrigga) April 25, 2023 In February earlier this year, Seymour Hersh claimed that the US planted bombs on the Nord Stream pipeline under the Baltic sea, which carried Russian gas to Germany, during the Baltops joint military drill in June last year. The Nord Stream pipeline was blown apart in a series of explosions after few months. He termed it as the dumbest acts from Washington in years. Jose Vega said, Its just kind of funny how that happened, you know. I mean, did you even acknowledge Seymour Hersh? All of you are executive editors of papers that broke, Pentagon. My-lai, watergate. Is this the same papers or not? He added, Its just kind of funny because Iraq wrong, Syria wrong, Russia gate really wrong. Okay? I mean, the list goes on and on. So, the last thing you could do to try and actually fix your reputation is acknowledge that through leaks, we had to find out that (Ukraine President Volodymyr) Zelensky was going to bomb Moscow on the (first) anniversary (of Russia-Ukraine war). I mean, if youre so impartial, shouldnt you at least say, right, that Zelensky was going to bring us on the verge of World War 3? That seems pretty fair. Vega was referring to classified report from the US National Security Agency, which recently alleged that officials in Ukraine was busy making plans to attack Russia in February. According to The Washington Post, Major General Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the countrys military intelligence directorate (HUR), instructed one of his officers to get ready for mass strikes on 24 February with everything the HUR had. Further taking on the panelists at the event, activist Jose Vega said, While Julian Assange rots in prison, all of you got fat cheques because hes in jail for doing your job. And you know what? Tucker Carlson aint no Seymour Hersh, but he did something you guys are scared to do speak the truth and actually be critical of the war. Which is why he was actually fired, because you are all cowards. Every single one of you. None of you have actually had any relevancy The mainstream press is now dying. Nobody is ever going to listen to you again. You have no credibility with the public. (With inputs from agencies) Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan cancelled all his scheduled campaign rallies on Wednesday and Thursday citing health reasons, just weeks before the countrys May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections. Today, I will rest at home with the advice of my doctors, Erdogan wrote on his Twitter account on Wednesday. Later, AK Party deputy chair Erkan Kandemir said Erdogan would attend a ceremony at the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in the southern Mersin province via videolink on Thursday. Our Mersin rally is also planned to be held on a future date, he posted on Twitter. Late on Tuesday, Erdogan cut short a live TV interview during which he said he felt sick with an upset stomach. The elections represent the biggest electoral challenge for modern Turkeys longest-serving leader, after a cost-of-living crisis eroded Erdogans support. Opinion polls show Erdogan could lose after two decades in power. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. China has appointed Li Hui, a former Chinese ambassador to Russia, as special envoy to Kyiv to help conduct in-depth communication and find a political settlement to the Ukraine crisis. The decision to appoint Li Hui was taken moments after Chinas President Xi Jinping held a telephonic conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Alongwith Ukraine, Hui will also visit other countries to look for a political settlement to the Ukraine conflict. Who is Li Hui? Li Hui had served as the Chinese ambassador to Russia between 2009 and 2019. He is Chinas special representative on Eurasian Affairs. Hui is also a familiar face to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Also, Russia felicitated friendship medal from Putin in 2019. Russia keeping an eye on Chinas moves Russia, meanwhile, said that it has been taking notice of Chinas willingness to facilitate negotiations with Ukraine. We note the readiness of the Chinese side to make efforts to establish the negotiation process, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. China plays a peace maker Xi and Zelenskky on Tuesday had an hour-long phone the first time in 14 months since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February last year. The call also indicates that China may be angling to play a mediating role. Xi told Zelenskyy that talks and negotiation were the only way out of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Amid the current rise of reasonable thinking and voices from all sides, we should seize the opportunity to build up favourable conditions for a political settlement of the crisis, the Chinese president told Zelenskyy. After the conversation, Zelenskyy, took to Twitter, where he posted that he and Xi had a long and meaningful conversation. The Ukrainian president said this call, as well as the appointment of Ukraines ambassador to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations. Though China has declared itself to be neutral in the Ukraine conflict, Xi has not condemned the Russian offensive. In his meeting with Putin, the Chinese president suggested a willingness to hear out Moscows claims that its security interests have been violated by the US and other NATO nations in their support for Ukraine. In February, almost a year after Putin began special military operation in Ukraine, the UN General Assembly voted 141-7 to demand Russias withdrawal from Ukraine and adherence to the UN Charter. China was among 32 nations that abstained. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. HMD Global is said to be developing a new rugged smartphone, similar to the Nokia XR20 that was introduced in July 2021, according to a report by Winfuture.de. The upcoming phone was previously known as the Nokia Sentry 5G and may be released under the Nokia XR-series or the name Nokia XR30. Additionally, the publication has unveiled press renders and some important specifications of the phone. The Nokia Sentry 5G was initially spotted on a roadmap from HMD Global last year, which accidentally leaked in a manufacturers presentation uploaded on YouTube. However, only a few details about the phones specifications were available at that time. Based on the leaked renders, the Nokia XR30 5G rugged phone features two camera sensors and a flash on the back, with the letters XR visible, replacing the Zeiss branding. The change in branding is due to the end of the partnership with the German camera brand. On the front, the phone boasts a punch-hole display with noticeable bezels. The overall design of the phone is in line with previous Nokia models. The rugged features of the phone include a durable housing that can withstand shock and water damage. As per the leaked roadmap, the forthcoming Nokia XR 5G smartphone is expected to offer 6GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage, and a 4600mAh battery with 33W fast charging support. Its rear camera setup is rumored to include a 64MP primary camera and an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens. For selfies and video calling, the phone may feature a 16MP front camera. The phones estimated price could be around US$499 (Rs. 40,760 approx.). It comes in two color variants Green and Black. Source analysis Africa's valuable ocean resources have drawn the interest of foreign nations, particularly those in the West and Asia. How they exploit these resources can be problematic because these oceans offer a wide range of important resources - from fish to minerals and hydrocarbons - that are also crucial to the continent's economy and food security. But, in some countries, foreign interests dominate. For instance, the continent's oil exploration, shipping, ports infrastructure, and industrial fishing sectors are sometimes dominated by foreign companies. Angola's oil production, for example, is dominated by the major international oil exploration and production companies including Total (France) with a 41% market share, Chevron (US) with 26%, Exxon Mobil (US) with 19%, and BP (UK) with 13%. And so, despite these waters being vital to African countries and their citizens, foreign actors will act in a way that's in their best interests - at times to the detriment of African countries and citizens. One illustration of this relates to maritime (ocean) security. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) stipulates that coastal countries are responsible for managing the security of their territorial waters (up to 12 nautical miles from their shorelines) and that of their exclusive economic zones, between 12 and 200 nautical miles from their shoreline. This includes protection against unlawful acts at sea, such as illegal fishing, piracy and armed robbery, terrorism and other related crimes. However, the same convention allows other countries to act, against piracy, for example, in the exclusive economic zones. Drawing on our expertise on African maritime governance and security, we reviewed literature, databases of policy documents and maritime security reports, to explore how non-African countries selectively frame what constitutes threats. How these threats are framed determines the response to them and how those response are resourced. The effect is that it undermines a holistic notion of maritime security that would benefit the African people. We argue that the focus by non-African countries is on piracy and armed robbery at sea which threaten resource extraction, transportation and safety. They hardly focus on the protection of Africa's marine resources, in particular from pollution and illegal fishing caused by foreign powers. This approach is illogical. It fails to recognise that there's a link between deprivation and maritime crimes, including piracy and armed robbery at sea. African coastal communities, many of whom are already marginalised and deprived, are highly dependent on marine resources. The depletion of these resources only worsens their situation. Failing to prioritise protecting African marine resources will push people further into poverty and continue the cycle of insecurity at sea. Fighting piracy The foreign focus on piracy is clear. Over 20 United Nations Security Council Resolutions or presidential statements have been issued on piracy in the Gulf of Aden (East Africa) and the Gulf of Guinea (West and Central Africa). Piracy is a problem. It can involve kidnap for ransom and, in extreme cases, can lead to the death of crew members. Between 2005 and 2012, pirates in the Gulf of Aden received an estimated US$500 million ransom. Almost 2,000 sailors were kidnapped and many were killed. At the heights of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, pirates accrued about US$4 million every year. The first UN resolutions on piracy in Africa were introduced in the Gulf of Aden in 2008 and in the Gulf of Guinea in 2011. Since then, piracy incidents have reduced in both Gulfs. Fish and the environment But the problem is, the focus of African nations needs to be on the protection of fish stocks and the environment which affects the livelihoods and food sources of African citizens. Some threats - like oil pollution and illegal fishing - are often perpetrated by foreign entities. Fish is a source of food and income for millions of Africans. When there's less fish catch, poverty increases as do the number of out of school children and poor health. Yet, as we found during our research, no UN resolutions exist for environmental degradation or marine resource plunder. This is typically caused by pollution and illegal fishing perpetrated by foreign companies and distant water vessels. An agreement to put an end to harmful fisheries subsidies, which enable overfishing and illegal fishing, was adopted at the World Trade Organisation's ministerial conference in 2022. But, to date, only four countries have accented to the agreement. Along with pollution, overfishing and illegal fishing are key factors that contribute to the depletion of Africa's fish stocks, pushing people into poverty. In West Africa, for instance, the income of small-scale fishers decreased by up to 40% between 2006 and 2016. Reduced catch also led to a decrease in the availability, and an increase in prices, of fish for local consumption. Illegal fishing Illegal fishing, perpertrated largely by foreign fleets, exacerbates the depletion of fish stocks. It has a massive impact on economies. In West Africa it costs six countries an estimated US$2.3 billion every year. Despite the international coalition's success in neutralising piracy in the Gulf of Aden, illegal fishing by foreign vessels continues to pose a significant threat to the food and economic security of millions of Africans. What's ironic is that illegal fishing has been cited as a major contributory factor to piracy in the Gulf of Aden. And in the Gulf of Guinea, historical pollution by foreign oil companies, and resulting deprivation, gave way to militancy which morphed into piracy. Conceivably, as more people are pushed into poverty, more people are pushed towards criminal activities, including piracy-related activities. Shifting focus Focusing mainly on piracy isn't the solution. Its root causes - depleted fish stocks, loss of livelihoods and poverty - need to be addressed. Maritime safety and security in Africa will only be achieved when the same level of attention and resources that are given to countering piracy by African governments and their foreign counterparts is extended to sustainable fisheries and curbing of marine pollution. Achieving this balance requires several clear actions. 5 steps to be taken First, the African Union and Regional Economic Communities must take collective action to push for an end to exploitative relationships in the continent's ocean resources. This includes urging the UN to recognise illegal fishing and associated crimes as grave security threats. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Africa Oceans By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. International partners must go beyond rhetoric and stop financing the exploitation of the continent's resources through subsidies that allows for legal exploitation of depleted species and illegal fishing. Secondly, African states should adopt a holistic approach to maritime security that encourages cooperation and collaboration across sectors, as outlined in the AIMS 2050 and Lome Charter. This approach should use piracy countermeasures to combat illegal fishing and associated activities. Third, to understand the impact of threats to maritime security and resource extraction, African voices (at the community level) should be reflected in the formulation of policies and strategies. Fourth, while successful in reducing piracy, the current approach to maritime security in Africa is not sustainable. The root causes of insecurity, such as youth unemployment and environmental degradation, should be addressed. This requires urgent attention with a focus on social and ecological well-being. Finally, the reduction in incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea, especially in the Gulf of Guinea, is due to cooperation, collaboration and coordination between regional navies and their partners. This approach is widely recognised as sustainable. It should be maintained, and indeed extended to address other security threats at sea. Taking these steps will ensure that no one is left behind and that the continent's prospects for future prosperity are not undermined. Ifesinachi Okafor-Yarwood, Lecturer, University of St Andrews Freedom C. Onuoha, Professor of Political Science, University of Nigeria Crime has free rein in one of Cape Town's poorest suburbs Freedom Day dawns in Philippi, Cape Town, with daily gunshots, murders, robberies, car-jackings and the intimidation of City of Cape Town contract workers. Crime has free rein here in one of Cape Town's poorest suburbs: dustbin collectors have withdrawn services in Philippi East after a worker was shot dead on Tuesday while collecting bins and the library in Brown's Farm has been closed after staff were robbed of their cellphones. In nearby Samora Machel, rubbish has not been collected for weeks because employees of the cleaning company, Wastemart, contracted to the City of Cape Town, are afraid of entering the township. Two weeks ago Wastemart employees were intimidated and threatened, apparently by a syndicate extorting protection money from government contractors. GroundUp sent questions to Wastemart and called the number on the website but we have not had an answer. After the Wastemart workers were threatened, a meeting was held between the ward councillor, community leaders, SAPS and Law Enforcement, and arrangements were made for the contractors' vehicles to be escorted by law enforcement officers on refuse collection day, the City of Cape Town's Mayco Member for Urban Waste Management Grant Twigg told GroundUp. "However due to limited policing resources it will not be possible to sustain this in perpetuity," said Twigg. Then this week thugs struck again at employees of a cleaning company; one worker was shot dead in Philippi East and the killers fled the scene according to witnesses. Police spokesperson FC van Wyk said the murdered man was 48 years old. "According to reports the victim and his colleagues entered the area to empty dustbins; while they worked at the front of the truck and he at the back, they heard two shots being fired, upon inspection they found the deceased lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to his head." No-one has been arrested and the investigation is in progress, Van Wyk said. After the shooting, rubbish bin collection and other city services in Philippi East, Brown's Farm and Samora Machel were immediately halted and workers congregated in a safe area at the Philippi East police station. Employees of other companies have also stopped collecting waste because they have been told to stop work until their bosses pay extortion money. Even the City of Cape Town's stormwater drain staff have halted their service. Rubbish is blocking the drains and Oliver Tambo Drive in Samora Machel is full of garbage. Plastic items, cardboard, rotten food, nappies, shoes, and bits of old electric appliances litter the streets. "We are forced to burn rubbish," said resident Nkosiyamntu Gcotyiwe. With regard to the extortion fee, Gcotyiwe said most, if not all, businesses in and around Samora Machel were paying the extortion fee. If they did not, he said, they were intimidated. "Many people have resorted to moving to other areas because they no longer felt safe around here. We don't blame the workers because they are scared for their lives, but the City needs to up its game and deliver services. We can't continue living in this filth, we have had enough," said Gcotyiwe. Ward councillor Lungisa Somdaka confirmed that City workers and contractors had stopped operating because of the threats from the criminals. Questions sent to the City of Cape Town had not been answered by the time of publication. Philippi, with a population of more than 190,000 people in 2011, is one of Cape Town's poorest areas, with a 38% unemployment rate according to that year's census. Fewer than half the households lived in formal housing and 78% earned R3,200 or less a month. One third did not have direct access to piped water and 23% did not have access to a flush toilet. The Western Cape government's most recent crime report notes that 183 murders were recorded at Philippi East police station, among the highest in the province. Crime has also struck the Brown's Farm library, which has been closed for nearly a month after criminals with guns and knives robbed four staff members of their cellphones on 29 March. About 20 patrons were in the library at the time, but they were not robbed, according to City of Cape Town Mayco Member for Community Services and Health Patricia Van der Ross. Jobseekers, learners and students now have no computer access to complete their applications or assignments. The nearest library is in Crossroads, two kilometres away. The gunmen posed as library-users to gain entry into the library. This is not the first time the library has been closed by criminals: it was robbed last year in August. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines South Africa Legal Affairs By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Some of the people committing robberies in the area are teenagers as young as 13. They are often known to the community, but people are scared to work with SAPS because they might be killed. Residents are even scared to speak out publicly about crime. In Philippi you leave your house at your own risk. Motorists are a target, especially visitors. Gunshots are an everyday occurrence. Weekends, from Friday to Monday morning, are especially scary, as alcohol is a major contributor to crime. Shebeens stay open until early hours of the morning and often sell to under-age children. "There is unemployment, a high number of school dropouts, drugs and gangsterism and few recreational facilities, let alone role models, for children. This is not a place to raise your children," said a resident. "Another problem is inadequate street lighting and informal settlements that the police cannot access because there are no roads." Residents have started neighbourhood watches and members stand at crime hotspots, but armed only with sticks there is little they can do against criminals with guns. As a result some people take the law into their own hands by assaulting or even killing people suspected of wrongdoing. Life is tough in Philippi and you have to try to avoid trouble. The drug allegation is part of the grounds on which Atiku anchored his petition challenging Mr Tinubu's victory at the 25 February presidential election. Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 25 February election, says Nigeria's president-elect, Bola Tinubu, is encumbered by drug and identity scandals. Atiku and his party are challenging Mr Tinubu's victory at the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja. The drug allegation is part of the grounds on which Atiku anchored his petition. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Mr Tinubu the winner of the election with 8,794,726 votes, to defeat his closest challenger, Atiku, who polled 6,984,520 votes. But Atiku accused INEC and Mr Tinubu of fraud and substantial non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act and the constitution during the conduct of the 25 February election. Mr Tinubu in his response to Atiku's petition described the former Nigeria's vice president as a "serial loser." The president-elect detailed Atiku's several, but unsuccessful bids for the presidency since 1993 when he first ran for the top job before becoming President Olusegun Obasanjo's deputy from 1999 to 2007. 'Tinubu a giant in forfeiture, drug-related offences' Responding to Mr Tinubu's reply to his petition, Atiku noted that, unlike Mr Tinubu, he had been able to vie for the presidency without any controversy. Atiku's reply is on point of law which closes further exchange on the substance of his petition before court hearing begins in court. The former Vice President boasted that records of his identity and educational qualifications have remained untainted. Atiku argued that Mr Tinubu is constitutionally barred from contesting for the presidency on account of his indictment for drug-related offences in the United States of America. In the filings, Atiku's lawyer, Chris Uche, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said Mr Tinubu forfeited a sum of $460,000 as a compromise agreement. Tinubu's alleged dual citizenship Responding further, Atiku faulted Mr Tinubu's victory on the ground that he "holds dual citizenship of Nigeria and Guinea, having voluntarily acquired the citizenship of the Republic of Guinea." Moreover, the PDP presidential candidate accused the president-elect of failing to disclose facts of his constitutional qualifications in his Form EC9 submitted to the INEC, in breach of the law. Atiku admitted that Mr Tinubu may be a "Titan and a Maestro," but that the "President-elect is certainly not a titan and maestro in national stature but in controversies such as age, state of origin, identity, educational qualifications represented by certificates obtained from universities and colleges". Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Legal Affairs Governance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "The comparison of the second respondent (Mr Tinubu) with the first petitioner (Atiku) who had attained the eminent position of Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for eight years is totally unfounded." Atiku is urging the court to either declare him as president or nullify the polls on account of Mr Tinubu's failure to secure a majority of lawful votes cast during the presidential election. He is also contending that Mr Tinubu did not score 25 per cent of lawful votes cast in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, as statutorily required. Tinubu dodgy on issues The petitioner further accused Mr Tinubu of deliberately refusing to respond to serious issues raised in the petition. Atiku said Mr Tinubu's reply to the petition has been "contradictory, evasive, speculative and vague." On the issue of abuse of the court process raised by Mr Tinubu against the petitioners, Atiku argued that his suit was properly filed. He noted that the earlier suit filed by PDP- controlled states at the Supreme Court had been withdrawn. In the suit filed on 28 February, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Taraba and Sokoto States sued the federal government at the Supreme Court, questioning INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu's declaration of Mr Tinubu as president-elect. Mr Buhari's chief personal security officer (CPSO) was prompted from the rank of deputy commissioner of police to the full rank of a commissioner. President Muhammadu Buhari has commended his chief personal security officer (CPSO) and other security officers and personnel on their excellent work towards ensuring his safety and that of his family. Speaking at a short event on Wednesday in the State House, to decorate the CPSO, Aliyu Musa, with his new rank of Police Commissioner, Mr Buhari said he was very impressed by the officer's "loyalty and for my personal security. Serving me is very difficult." The president commended the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, for the "correctness" of his decision to elevate the erstwhile deputy commissioner of police to the full rank of a commissioner, saying, "I am very pleased with his record." He charged the newly promoted officer to always remember his training and to exhibit sensitivity while carrying out his duty in his new position. The new police commissioner was decorated by the president, assisted by the IGP and his spouse, Maryam Ibrahim. The event was witnessed by the Chief of Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor, the family of the officer and some personal staff of the president. In his remarks, the newly promoted officer thanked the president and the IGP for the promotion and assured the president of his total loyalty and full commitment to duty. (NAN) Publisher of Franchise Times With one of the best networks in the franchising business, Mary Jo forms deep relationships with clients who have become friends, and gains the trust of fascinating people ready to share their stories. A Guinean passport with details of Mr Tinubu recently surfaced on social media provoking controversy over his dual citizenship status. A former President of Guinea, Alpha Conde, has spoken on the raging controversy over the alleged citizenship of Nigeria's President-elect, Bola Tinubu, of his country. Mr Conde said he conferred Mr Tinubu with "Ambassador extraordinaire" because of the role that the latter played during his election in 2015. Mr Conde, who is currently in exile in Turkey following a 2021 coup that ousted him, is a close friend of Mr Tinubu. A video recently surfaced online showing the president-elect, the governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Guinean ambassador to the African Union (AU) for Agenda 2063, Ousmane Yara, in a Guinea-government-owned helicopter. Sun Newspaper reported that Mr Yara had during an interview placed a video call to the exiled leader, who confirmed that he conferred the "privilege" on Mr Tinubu. Mr Conde, while answering a question on his relationship with Mr Tinubu, said: "Tinubu is the biggest pan-Africanist I have seen. Before I met Tinubu, I had noted his accomplishments, right from when he was governor. I see him as a 'Lion of Africa' because of his contributions towards the stability and development of Africa. He has always supported African presidents who were pan-Africanists in disposition and others." The former president expressed confidence in the ability of Tinubu to do well as Nigeria's leader. He said: "I am convinced that Tinubu's leadership will be good for Nigeria. Nigeria is a country other West African nations look up to. I am happy for Tinubu. Anything he may require of me to make his government successful, in my personal capacity, I will willingly do. He helped us in Guinea and I will never forget that. Nigerians should pray for the success of Tinubu's government because his leadership will be impactful." Dual Citizenship Mr Tinubu's connection to Guinea has become the latest controversy trailing him. A Guinean passport with details of Nigeria's president-elect recently surfaced on social media. His opponents believe that Mr Tinubu violates the 1999 constitution by acquiring the "citizenship" of another country. Section 137 provides that (1) A person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President if - (a) subject to the provisions of section 28 of this Constitution, he has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of a country other than Nigeria or, except in such cases as may be prescribed by the National Assembly, he has made a declaration of allegiance to such other country." Section 28, however, excludes citizens by birth from restriction by section 137. Vira video was taken in 2016 -- Yara During the interview, Mr Yara explained that the helicopter video was taken in 2016 when Mr Tinubu was a guest of the ousted president during the independence anniversary celebration. "President Conde invited Tinubu to the independence anniversary. Since the official function at every independence anniversary was done in different regions, Tinubu was required to fly from the country's capital, in a helicopter, to Mamu, where that year's event was held. That was the video being circulated. At the independence anniversary celebration, President Conde gave Tinubu the honour and privilege of a president, in appreciation of what he did for him during his reelection bid and towards economic development of Guinea." He also explained how Mr Tinubu got involved in the 2015 presidential election in Guinea and the role he played during that election. "Through one of Tinubu's aides at that time, who is now a minister in the government of Nigeria, I facilitated a meeting between President Conde and Tinubu. President Conde was going for reelection, for the second term, in office then in 2015. He came to Nigeria to see Tinubu, who organised a dinner in his honour. At the dinner, Tinubu invited many Nigerian businessmen and others. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Governance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "President Conde then invited Tinubu to Guinea about one month to the election for his second term. Tinubu honoured the invitation and came with a team of economic experts and businessmen, who took time to discuss with Guinean government officials how the country could better harness its resources for economic prosperity and development. "Tinubu spent only one day and travelled to London from there, but left the team he came with to continue engagement with Guinean officials on how to transform Guinea. The team and Guinean government officials worked for three days, and came up with an economic roadmap." It is, however, not clear from the story if a passport was issued to Mr Tinubu by the former president of Guinea. When PREMIUM TIMES contacted Bayo Onanuga, the spokesperson of the now-dissolved APC Presidential Campaign Council, he said Mr Yara has provided the needed details on the passport online. An official also said that no Nigerian has so far been killed since the fighting began in Sudan. Nigeria will spend about $1.2 million (about N550 million) on the hiring of luxury buses that will transport its stranded citizens from Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, to Egypt. The citizens will then be airlifted from Egypt to Nigeria, an official has said. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, said this while addressing journalists at the State House, Abuja, at the end of Wednesday's meeting of the Federal Executive Council, chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari. PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Nigeria has commenced the evacuation of its citizens from Sudan following the recent fighting between security agencies in the North African country. "Just to provide an update on what is happening with regard to the evacuation of Nigerians in Sudan," Mr Onyeama said. "You recall that the main challenge we had was first of all securing the authorization of the Sudanese government and then security support for the convoy. "This is because it has been decided that we will transport or convey Nigerian to the Egyptian border Aswan. We are liaising with our embassy in Egypt as well so we have been able to overcome these challenges and we have started the process which we are very happy about. "$1.2 million is what we're being charged for all the 40 buses. We have huge transporter luxury buses made available to us to transport our citizens to the Egyptian border." The minister said the price for the hiring of the buses was hiked by the providers because of the risks involved. "Of course you know, because of the risks involved and so many other things, a lot of people are going to also take advantage; you're going to hike up the price. "We saw that the French convoy was attacked and so forth. It was difficult procuring these buses. But we had to do it because you know Nigerian lives matter to us." No Nigerian killed In his comments, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Zubairu Dada, disclosed that no Nigerian has been killed in Sudan since the conflict broke out on 15 April. The violence has pitched Sudan's regular army against a paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF is led by an army general, Mohamed Dagalo, while the Sudanese army is led by another general, Abdel al-Burhan. "The evacuation is being done in batches to ensure the safety of all Nigerians. But the good news is that no Nigerian life has been lost so far," Mr Dada said. "I think it's important to stress that all Nigerians are very safe. And we're very confident and hopeful that we shall not lose any Nigerian life Insha Allah shall in this exercise. All is well and we're good to go." Over 400 people have been killed since the fighting began in Sudan, AlJazeera reports. Mr Dada said the Nigerian government was making every effort to evacuate as many Nigerians as possible during the 72-hour window provided by the Sudanese government. On whether all Nigerians will be evacuated before the 72-hour window, he said: "We have no problem about the 72-hour window. Because we've talked to all the authorities concerned and we're on the same page. But talking about the window, we are making every effort to ensure that we make use of this window to evaluate as many Nigerians as we possibly can." He also disclosed that some Nigerians have already been evacuated by ship by the government of Saudi Arabia. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Conflict Governance Nigeria By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Over 1,000 people arrived in Saudi Arabia by ship from Sudan on Wednesday, with the majority of them being foreigners, Saudi officials said. Mr Dada's statement thus means that some of those who arrived in Saudi Arabia were Nigerians. "Let me also add that some Nigerians have actually been evacuated by ship, I guess from Port Sudan, by the government of Saudi Arabia," he said. Don't forget, this is a joint effort. We have friendly nations that are ready to assist, you know, so that we're having to record that the Saudi authorities have been able to pick up some Nigerians, they're transporting them by ship, I guess to Saudi Arabia, to Jeddah in particular. From where, of course, again, we'll link up and find a way of bringing them back from Jeddah those that succeed in going to Jeddah," he said. "More than ever, we must collaborate to ensure that no child or person dies of malaria...," he said. Global partnerships and investments in the fight against malaria have yielded positive results by preventing some two billion malaria cases, saving 11.7 million lives and putting eradication within reach. The President of Dangote Group and United Nations Malaria Ambassador for Nigeria, Aliko Dangote, made this known Tuesday in his World Malaria Day (WMD) statement titled "With Urgent Investment, Innovation and Implementation, Zero Malaria Spread is Possible". Mr Dangote also called for joint actions by all concerned partners globally if the collective goal of disease elimination by 2030 is to be achieved. According to him, development organisations must work together to decimate malaria, which had brought untold human suffering on people, with ripple effects on global productivity. He noted that the urgent investment, innovation and implementation would help curtail malaria spread wherever the disease is found around the world. "More than ever, we must collaborate to ensure that no child or person dies of malaria or loses another day to this debilitating illness again. "We must also drive further progress toward malaria elimination in Nigeria and Africa at large by focusing on three key areas to ensure that malaria elimination remains high on Nigeria's public health and development agenda; advocate at all levels to ensure sufficient funding to sustain the progress made so far, as we jointly seek to end malaria for good and encourage private sector leaders to implement malaria prevention and treatment programmes in their companies, as we do across our businesses in the Dangote Group," Mr Dangote said. He, however, said that 96 per cent of malaria deaths globally were found in 29 countries, with Nigeria among the four countries which accounted for over half of all malaria deaths globally in 2021. He noted that this year's World Malaria Day has presented an opportunity to galvanise global efforts towards advocacy and sustained political will and investment that will be aimed at ending the scourge of the disease. Mr Dangote expressed his readiness to lead the way, pledging that his Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) will further strengthen its engagements with the various key partners in "Nigeria and globally to support the efforts to address malaria in our workplaces, communities, and especially high burden areas to attain our collective goal of malaria elimination by 2030". He noted that billions of dollars were pledged by donors at the historic Global Fund Replenishment meeting in Geneva, Switzerland in 2022 to boost the fight against HIV, TB and Malaria. Burden He, however, expressed regret that an unprecedented shortfall of more than 50 per cent in global malaria funding is now holding countries back from maintaining life-saving malaria programmes, despite the historic pledge. Consequently, he said the funding gaps have been contributing to declining progress in the countries with the highest burden of malaria. "Countries will not reap the rewards of these investments without further commitment to scale up and roll out these innovations where they are needed most. "For Africa to move forward, he said the Continent has to get rid of malaria once and for all. "Now is the time to take decisive action to deliver on our goal of zero malaria, spur overall development and achieve the 2030 targets", he said. Mr Dangote urged that the theme of this year's World Malaria Day: "Time to Deliver Zero Malaria: Invest, Innovate, implement" highlighted the need for urgent action and further investments to ensure existing investments deliver maximum impact in the fight to end malaria. "As a United Nations (UN) Malaria Ambassador for Nigeria, I would like to add my voice to the global call on governments and partners around the world to: Invest more in malaria programmes to bridge critical funding gaps and accelerate progress towards the total elimination of malaria. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Malaria Nigeria By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "Innovate further to deliver improved solutions to end malaria that are tailored to those who need them most and Implement national strategies to accelerate progress against this age-old disease, by demonstrating leadership, adopting innovative and sustainable approaches, and scaling up national malaria programmes to deliver lifesaving tools to those at highest risk," he added. Mr Dangote acknowledged the positive efforts of the Nigerian National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) as the second national drug regulator to approve the use of the R21 vaccine. "As we look forward to its rollout soon. All efforts must be made to sustain the adequate sourcing and application of this innovative vaccine in the fight against malaria, akin to the noble efforts made to ensure the eradication of polio in Nigeria and Africa," he said. We want to reach as many people as possible with this campaign, he said, as reported by Newshub. Emergency sanitation is a niche subject and not something many people think of as part of their emergency preparedness. Nigerians migrate to Canada, the United States, and other European countries to seek opportunities Nigerians who migrated to the United States recorded a significant increase in their earnings, a new report by the World Bank has said. The report, "The World Development Report 2023: Migrants, Refugees, and Societies", released on Tuesday, found that low-skilled workers who move from a society with high socioeconomic inequalities to a country with fewer inequalities and a lower wage gap between low and high-skilled workers earned higher earnings. The report highlighted the success of Nigerian migrants in the US, where they have seen a 1,500% increase in their earnings. Many Nigerians migrate to Canada, the U.S., and European countries, in search of greener pastures. The World Bank report highlighted the potential benefits of migration for low-skilled workers. "The potential gains are highest for people who move from low- to high-income countries. The labour demand at the destination also shapes outcomes. Gains depend on migrants' skills, gender, age, and language ability," the report said. "Although the absolute gains are larger for high-skilled workers than for low-skilled workers, low-skilled workers experience a multifold increase in their income as well. "Yemenis and Nigerians moving to the United States increase their earnings by about 15 times. The gains achieved by low-skilled workers are higher when they move from a society with high socioeconomic inequalities to a country with fewer inequalities and where the difference in wages between low- and high-skilled workers is lower." The report said the socioeconomic conditions in the destination country can play a significant role in determining the success of the migrants. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Business By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. The report also said the high costs associated with low-skilled migration, including fees paid to agents, transportation costs, and pre-departure training expenses, limit the ability of workers to benefit from migration opportunities and go against the principles of fair recruitment. "Migrants incur a range of expenses before their departure, from the job information and job matching fees they pay to intermediary agents to the regulatory compliance or documentation fees (for a visa/ sponsorship, medical tests, and security clearance), transportation costs, and pre-departure training costs they must pay," it said. "For low-skilled migration, these costs tend to be borne by the workers, thereby contravening the principles of fair recruitment. These costs tend to increase with the duration of contracts, and they limit the ability of many low-skilled workers to benefit from migration opportunities." Remittances The report highlighted that households that receive remittances invest more in agrochemical materials, and thus their farms have larger yields in Nigeria. "Remittances reduce poverty even in households that do not receive them. Households that receive remittances increase their spending, which boosts local economic activity and the incomes of other households in the community. Spending from remittances creates local jobs in non-tradable sectors such as construction," the report said. It added that remittance inflows jumped by almost 10 times in one year and then declined in Nigeria, even though economic fundamentals suggest they should have increased steadily. Davidos logistic manager, Isreal DMW wows many as he returns to school after years of professional work experience. Taking to his Instagram story, the 30BG crew member shared a photo of himself at Benson Idahosa University (BIU) in Benin City, Nigeria with a caption that reads back to school.He is, however, yet to state the degree or course he went back to school to chase but has left netizens with mixed reactions. Quote Worldviews_rl wrote: Smart move, he don make so much connection with davidos family and friends plus politicians, now he is in need of a certificate to back that position they wanna give him, smart move. May grace locate us all Adorable_barbiie noted: Very nice school but them too Dey fight for that area Star_classic opined: when i see am dey take pic for my school gate, i yus know say omo israel wan worry social media again. That is facial expression is just beyond. We thank God daddy, welcome back. D_amiable1 stated: So thoughtful Success all the way for us all. Juju, you do well for this one pocolee bestie amasan1 at 27-04-2023 08:00 AM (5 days ago) (m) Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika has assured Nigerians that Nigeria Air will begin operation before President Muhammed Buhari's tenure ends on May 29. Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika has assured Nigerians that Nigeria Air will begin operation before President Muhammed Buhari's tenure ends on May 29. The domestic airline operators, under the aegis of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), challenged the equity structure of the airline which cedes 49 per cent stake to Ethiopian Airlines, and the Federal Government having only 5 per cent while the remaining 46 per cent is for Nigerian investors. Answering questions from reporters after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday, April 26, the Minister revealed that everything needed to begin operation is in place. Sirika said; Nigeria Air Limited. I did say that we will get it going before the end of this administration and Ive not withdrawn my words. We have everything in place the aircraft, offices, operational centers, staffing and everything needed is in place. Were doing the last minute checks and waiting for the issuance of the AOC and it will fly. It will fly; it will be for the benefit of this country, for the size of population, the traveling public and what it does to the economy, especially to tourism, to African integration and to the AU Agenda 2063. Its a very important project and I must do, it will happen before the end of our tenure in the next four weeks and two days. Commenting on the recent strike embarked by aviation workers, Sirika said: So the aviation workers are striking principally for three reasons the conditions of service for the agencies; minimum wage implementation and demolition of the headquarters of FAAN in Lagos. "Condition of service is not in our hands, its in the Salaries and Income Wages. I, personally as the minister, went there with the union three times to fast track that process. So thats being looked at by the appropriate authority and I think they are fast tracking it. On the implementation of the minimum wage, the Accountant Generals Office, Ministry of Finance and the agency concerned are working hard to ensure that that happens. And on the demolition of the FAAN headquarters to erect offices, shopping malls and make it what you see when you travel abroad. That is also ongoing. If you ask me to make you an omelet, you cant complain that Im breaking your egg; thats a quote from one of the Managing Directors of FAAN, which I think has been overhyped, taken out of context. Certainly, the FAAN building was there, even before Lai Mohammed joined FAAN. So it was a transit camp for the people that built the airport, its made out of wood and some panels as a makeshift office, and this is what FAAN has been using on a very prime property and its not befitting for the FAAN Lagos office, its a waste of space, even catching fire twice, once during our administration so we thought that that place should leave so that we can erect offices, shopping malls, cinemas, and the rest of it. Airports are no longer places where you take over land. You all go to Dubai, you all go to other places and see how they are, so certainly and definitely, government would remove those wood structures and build aerotropolis components befitting of Nigeria and Lagos. The domestic airline operators, under the aegis of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), challenged the equity structure of the airline which cedes 49 per cent stake to Ethiopian Airlines, and the Federal Government having only 5 per cent while the remaining 46 per cent is for Nigerian investors.Answering questions from reporters after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday, April 26, the Minister revealed that everything needed to begin operation is in place.Sirika said;Nigeria Air Limited. I did say that we will get it going before the end of this administration and Ive not withdrawn my words. We have everything in place the aircraft, offices, operational centers, staffing and everything needed is in place. Were doing the last minute checks and waiting for the issuance of the AOC and it will fly.It will fly; it will be for the benefit of this country, for the size of population, the traveling public and what it does to the economy, especially to tourism, to African integration and to the AU Agenda 2063. Its a very important project and I must do, it will happen before the end of our tenure in the next four weeks and two days.Commenting on the recent strike embarked by aviation workers, Sirika said:So the aviation workers are striking principally for three reasons the conditions of service for the agencies; minimum wage implementation and demolition of the headquarters of FAAN in Lagos."Condition of service is not in our hands, its in the Salaries and Income Wages. I, personally as the minister, went there with the union three times to fast track that process. So thats being looked at by the appropriate authority and I think they are fast tracking it.On the implementation of the minimum wage, the Accountant Generals Office, Ministry of Finance and the agency concerned are working hard to ensure that that happens. And on the demolition of the FAAN headquarters to erect offices, shopping malls and make it what you see when you travel abroad. That is also ongoing. If you ask me to make you an omelet, you cant complain that Im breaking your egg; thats a quote from one of the Managing Directors of FAAN, which I think has been overhyped, taken out of context.Certainly, the FAAN building was there, even before Lai Mohammed joined FAAN. So it was a transit camp for the people that built the airport, its made out of wood and some panels as a makeshift office, and this is what FAAN has been using on a very prime property and its not befitting for the FAAN Lagos office, its a waste of space, even catching fire twice, once during our administration so we thought that that place should leave so that we can erect offices, shopping malls, cinemas, and the rest of it.Airports are no longer places where you take over land. You all go to Dubai, you all go to other places and see how they are, so certainly and definitely, government would remove those wood structures and build aerotropolis components befitting of Nigeria and Lagos. Post Reply I am an investigative reporter at Gistmania, I conduct fact-finding investigative journalism. Posted: at 27-04-2023 08:00 AM (5 days ago) | Hero New Nokia XR30 Renders and Key Specifications Leaked Ahead of Launch News oi -Kabir Jain It appears that Nokia is preparing to release the Nokia XR30 smartphone, a successor to the rugged Nokia XR20, which featured a 6.67-inch display, an octa-core Snapdragon 480 5G chipset, an IP68 dust and water resistance rating, and MIL-STD-810H certification. The leaked renders and specifications come courtesy of Winfuture.de. Let's dive in! Nokia XR30: Leaked Renders We can see right away that the Nokia XR30 has a striking green color, which gives the phone a few points for appeal, as rugged phones typically don't have much in the way of style. Moving on, the XR30 has a dual-camera setup with an LED flash. There is also an XR label engraved beside the camera module. The selfie camera is housed in a hole-punched cutout in the center. The Nokia XR30, like the Nokia XR20, is expected to be MIL-STD-810H compliant and to have an IP68 rating. Nokia XR30: Rumored Specifications & Pricing The Nokia XR30 is expected to have 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The handset will have a 64MP primary camera and an 8MP ultra-wide lens for optics. The phone will have a 16MP camera for selfies. The device will include a 4,600mAh battery that supports 33W fast charging. There is no information on the handset's display, but if the XR20's display is any indication, the XR30 could sport a 6.67-inch LCD display with FHD+ resolution. The XR30 is expected to have an IP68 dust and water resistance rating and a MIL-STD-810H certification against extreme temperature, moist, dust, and shock factors in keeping with the series' emphasis on ruggedness as a selling point. The device is expected to retail at $499 (roughly 40,800). This upcoming smartphone was first referenced as Nokia Sentry 5G which made an appearance in the company's presentation video on YouTube last year. The device's launch date has yet to be announced. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Qualcomm Introduces Snapdragon Game Super Resolution Feature for Mobile Game Performance and Battery Life News oi -Afrin Humayon Qualcomm has introduced a new Snapdragon Game Super Resolution (GSR) feature for maximizing mobile game performance and battery life. The GSR feature is a "single pass spatial aware super-resolution technique" developed by Qualcomm for scaling the quality of images, keeping performance and power efficiency intact. GSR is said to be the fastest among all resolution upscaling techniques currently available. While many are based on bilinear interpolation (bilerp) their graphic quality tends to be compromised, whereas others that increase graphic quality require inputs that are not common in mobile rendering pipelines. How does Snapdragon Game Super Resolution work? The Snapdragon GSR feature is a single pass spatial upscaling technique optimized for Snapdragon Adreno GPUs. It uses range-aware dynamic scaling with customizations for the Adreno GPU pipeline. Qualcomm claims it has twice the performance improvements compared to other mobile upscaling solutions. It also offers visual quality and graphics closer to the native game render. The Snapdragon GSR feature can currently be used to improve gaming performance and battery life on devices with a Snapdragon chipset and also on partner GPUs. The company added that while the feature is compatible with several GPUs, it gives the best performance when used on Snapdragon chipsets. Some of the features offered by the GSR are as follows: 1. It increases the resolution keeping the visual quality of graphics intact. 2. It also increases the frame rate and battery life, besides increasing visual fidelity while maintaining framerate. Qualcomm claims that the Snapdragon GSR feature allows users to play 1080p games in 4K resolution and 30FPS games in 60+ FPS resolution without compromising battery life. How is the Snapdragon GSR so fast? The GSR feature achieves its speed by using as few registers, texture samples, and Arithmetic Logic Instruction (ALU) instructions as possible on Adreno GPUs. While other techniques use at least two passes over the input image, GSR uses only one pass, which reduces power consumption and increases speed. Apart from that, GSR also uses fewer ALU instructions and texture samples than other techniques. It also uses a 12-kernel window where the luminance calculation is performed using the green (G) channel as the human eye is most receptive to this color. Now, since it uses only one component for each pixel calculation with a three-component interpolation, Adreno GPUs offer 100 percent shade processor utilization. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Smartphone Explosion Results In Childs Death: Xiaomi Responds Even Though Devices Brand Not Yet Confirmed News oi -Alap Naik Desai An eight-year-old girl died due to a smartphone explosion in the Indian state of Kerala, confirmed the local law enforcement agency. Xiaomi India has responded to the accident even though the brand of the smartphone involved in the accident isn't yet known. In yet another incident involving a smartphone, a young girl was fatally injured while watching a video. The accident comes just a week after a boy in Uttar Pradesh, India, died of a fatal electric shock from a smartphone. Although sporadic, such incidents have once again raised multiple concerns about the safety of consumers and the dangers of using smartphones. Indian Girl Dies After Smartphone Explodes In Her Face An eight-year-old girl from Kerala died from a smartphone explosion, the local police reportedly told news agency PTI. The deceased was a student in class 3 at a local school. Local police have registered a case, and a probe is currently on. The details about the nature of the explosion aren't known yet. However, law enforcement notified the girl was using the accident-causing smartphone at night to watch videos when it exploded in her face. Xiaomi Responds To The Fatal Accident Involving A Smartphone After the news of the accident spread, a few news agencies suggested that it was a Xiaomi Redmi smartphone that exploded. It is important to note that local law enforcement hasn't indicated the make or brand of the smartphone. Even though the brand of the smartphone hasn't been disclosed, Xiaomi India has issued a statement: "At Xiaomi India, customer safety is of utmost importance and we take such matters extremely seriously. We stand with the family in this time of difficulty and hope to support them in any way possible. There are some reports that this is a Redmi phone which is yet to be established, given the matter is currently being investigated. We will work with the authorities to determine the actual cause of the incident and will support them in any required manner." This is the third accident this year that involved a smartphone. Apart from the accidents in Kerala and Uttar Pradesh, a man in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain district died after the battery of his mobile phone allegedly exploded a couple of months ago. All the incidents are currently being investigated. Best Mobiles in India The prosecutor, Idowu Oshubure, told the court that the defendants allegedly committed the offence on or before 13 April 2023. The police on Tuesday arraigned four persons, Eniola Adeniyi, Donatus Osabanumonu, Idorenyi Okon and Michael Rodolphe before a Yaba Magistrates' Court in Lagos for allegedly threatening Tiwa Savage's life. They were arraigned by the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Annex, Alagbon Close, Ikoyi, Lagos, before Magistrate Adeola Olatunbosun on three counts of conspiracy, intent to defraud and threat to life. The prosecutor, Idowu Oshubure, told the court that the defendants allegedly committed the offence on or before 13 April 2023. About a week ago, the Nigeria Police Force Criminal Investigation Department, Alagbon, Ikoyi in Lagos, said it had arrested some persons concerning the alleged offence. It gathered that the failed plot was allegedly planned by Savage's new domestic staff, who had been entrusted with vital information about her. Charges The charge sheet partly read, "That you, Eniola Adeniyi, Donatus Osabanumonu, Idorenyi Okon, Michael Rodolphe, and others at large on or before April 13, 2023, in Lagos State, within the jurisdiction of Lagos, in this honourable court, with intent to commit the offence, fraudulently conspired among yourselves to conduct yourselves in a manner likely to cause a breach of peace, to the annoyance of one Tiwa Savage and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 411 Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. "That you, on the date above within the same court jurisdiction, with intent to defraud, did fraudulently sent messages to one Tiwa Savage through phone no 09061665942 which caused her reasonable apprehension of threat to her life, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 14(3) of the Cyber Crime Prohibition Prevention Act, 2015." However, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges. Magistrate Olatunbosun, after going through their case file and the consent of the prosecutor who did not object to bail, granted the suspects bail in the sum of N300,000 with one responsible surety each in like sum. Mr Olatunbosun adjourned the case to 31 May 2013 for mention. SINGAPORE, April 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Economics Tutor (TET), a leading economics tuition centre based in Singapore, is continuing with free and heavily subsidised economics tuition for all students from low-income families currently in the Junior College (JC) and International Baccalaureate (IB) streams. This started exactly 1 year ago and will be continued as Founder, Mr. Kelvin Hong is encouraged by the positive results. Says one of the beneficiaries Ms Jenna V K:"I am very grateful to TET and Mr. Kelvin Hong for giving me the opportunity to have the best economics tuition at a highly subsidised rate. Not only is Mr Hong very helpful from the start when I shared about my family's financial difficulties, but also an extremely effective tutor who has helped me understand the challenging economics content and enlightened me on the correct thought processes for tackling questions." It is TET's hope that every student, regardless of household income, will have access to the economics tuition programme as it will help students develop the skills needed to succeed in their examinations as well as future endeavours, such as improved decision-making, entrepreneurship skills and investment acumen. This will definitely level the playing field and give economically disadvantaged students a chance at a high-quality education. The free economics tuition programme will continue to be available for students who meet the following criteria: JC1 or Year 5 IB students Gross monthly household income per person of not more than $625 Case by case assessment will be made for those who do not meet the above criteria but whose families face genuine and serious financial difficulties. Launch of General Paper Tuition Furthermore, TET is proud to announce the official launch of sister brand Ace Your GP (AGP)'s GP Tuition Programme. It is a unique General Paper (GP) programme especially catered to students of Economics as the GP Programme is more heavily-weighted on Economics related issues (such as Business, Income Inequality and Globalisation) whilst still covering a range of topics including Media, Science and Technology. This will provide students with a highly efficient and effective pathway to excel in both the Economics and GP examinations. If someone meets the criteria for subsidised tuition as well as help with acing Economics and General Paper, do not hesitate to reach out to TET or AGP today. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. About The Economics Tutor and Ace Your GP Kelvin Hong, the founder of The Economics Tutor and Ace Your GP, has over 24 years of experience in economics tuition in Singapore and has successfully helped over thousands of students gain a better understanding of the subject and achieve their academic goals of scoring distinctions. With his real-life experiences as successful entrepreneur, policymaker, writer and top academic qualifications, Kelvin is also passionate about providing every student with the opportunity to learn Economics the right way and is committed to helping each and every student reach their fullest potential through his unique and proven 10-Step Framework. The same top-notch quality and excellence is now also applied to providing General Paper (GP) tuition. For more information, please visit their websites or reach out to them at (+65) 9336 7511 or their website https://www.theeconomicstutor.com & https://aceyourgp.sg Social Links Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KelvinHongTheEconomicsTutor/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKG_-NHH_734xlBiRIbiIfQ Media Contact Brand: The Economics Tutor Email: enquiries@theeconomicstutor.com Website: https://www.theeconomicstutor.com ; https://aceyourgp.sg SOURCE: The Economics Tutor Investors can contact the law firm at no cost to learn more about recovering their losses LOS ANGELES, April 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Portnoy Law Firm advises Teleperformance SE (Teleperformance or the Company) (OTC: TLPFY) investors that a lawsuit filed on behalf of investors that purchased American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) securities between July 29, 2020 and November 9, 2022, both dates inclusive (the Class Period). Investors are encouraged to contact attorney Lesley F. Portnoy , by phone 844-767-8529 or email : lesley@portnoylaw.com, to discuss their legal rights, or click here to join the case via www.portnoylaw.com . The Portnoy Law Firm can provide a complimentary case evaluation and discuss investors options for pursuing claims to recover their losses. Teleperformance, a company that provides outsourcing services, is facing a class-action lawsuit alleging that it misled investors about the working conditions of its content moderators. The complaint alleges that the company subjected its moderators to traumatic, abusive, and potentially criminal activities, failed to provide adequate training or psychological support, imposed unreasonable time and performance targets, and engaged in aggressive union-busting tactics. The lawsuit claims that the company's positive statements about its business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and lacked a reasonable basis. The company's stock price fell after reports of poor working conditions and an investigation by Colombia's Ministry of Labor, and fell further after the company announced it would reenter the content moderation business. Please visit our website to review more information and submit your transaction information. The Portnoy Law Firm represents investors in pursuing claims against caused by corporate wrongdoing. The Firms founding partner has recovered over $5.5 billion for aggrieved investors. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Lesley F. Portnoy, Esq. Admitted CA and NY Bar lesley@portnoylaw.com 310-692-8883 www.portnoylaw.com Attorney Advertising San Ramon, California, April 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Elliot Kallen, President of Prosperity Financial Group, empowers clients to make smart financial decisions as they approach retirement. Having spent decades helping people create and monitor their investments to achieve their retirement goals, Kallen says his goal is to provide people with peace of mind knowing the fruits of their labor are preserved. The 2006 Ronald Reagan Gold Medal Award winner will host an event called The Art Of Transferring Wealth To The Next Generation in Danville, California this month, calling on industry experts to explain how family wealth transfers can fail and how to avoid common mistakes. The event will touch on how to communicate openly between family members to ensure a smooth and successful transfer of wealth. Kallen will also share valuable information on creating a legacy that mirrors participants values and aspirations for future generations. The most difficult aspect of being a business owner is knowing how to proceed when it's time for you to step aside, Kallen says. You can either sell your business, transfer it to the next generation or close out. In this seminar, well explore these options and determine the best course of action. Joining Kallen for the event, hosted at Crow Canyon Country Club, will be guest speaker Doug Orton, MFS Investment Managements vice president and business development consultant. Orton is responsible for marketing MFSs individual retirement products and training the firm's sales team on retirement topics. Steve Wilson, vice president of Pacific Life Insurance, will also be on hand to provide industry-specific market updates and explain how to improve outcomes for investors in the upcoming year. Wilsons mission is to assist financial professionals and empower them to thrive in life and business. About Elliot Kallen: Elliot Kallen is an Independent Financial Advisor and founder of Prosperity Financial Group, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisory Firm. He is a keynote speaker on motivation and marketing in the independent financial advisor industry, utilizing his previous experience in international distribution to teach other investment professionals nationwide and in the San Francisco area. About Prosperity Financial Group: Prosperity Financial Group is a wealth management firm offering holistic wealth management to clients throughout San Ramon, the East Bay, and beyond, delivered by a team of experienced, trusted financial professionals. It won the Worldwide Finance Award for Most Trusted Asset Management Company in Northern California in 2022. Media Communications: Inquiries: adamtorres@missionmatters.com Attachment Investors can contact the law firm at no cost to learn more about recovering their losses LOS ANGELES, April 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Portnoy Law Firm advises Dutch Bros Inc. (Dutch Bros or the Company) (NYSE: BROS) investors that the firm has initiated an investigation into possible securities fraud and may file a class action on behalf of investors. Dutch Bros investors that lost money on their investment are encouraged to contact Lesley Portnoy, Esq. Investors are encouraged to contact attorney Lesley F. Portnoy , by phone 844-767-8529 or email : lesley@portnoylaw.com, to discuss their legal rights, or click here to join the case via www.portnoylaw.com . The Portnoy Law Firm can provide a complimentary case evaluation and discuss investors options for pursuing claims to recover their losses. The Complaint alleges that the Company provided inaccurate and deceptive information to the market. Dutch Bros encountered higher expenses, particularly in relation to dairy, which impacted its margins and resulted in reduced profitability during the first quarter of 2022. Consequently, the Company's public statements throughout the class period were misleading and untrue. Upon discovering the truth about Dutch Bros, investors incurred losses. Please visit our website to review more information and submit your transaction information. The Portnoy Law Firm represents investors in pursuing claims against caused by corporate wrongdoing. The Firms founding partner has recovered over $5.5 billion for aggrieved investors. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Lesley F. Portnoy, Esq. Admitted CA and NY Bar lesley@portnoylaw.com 310-692-8883 www.portnoylaw.com Attorney Advertising New York, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Global Thermometer Market size is expected to be worth around USD 3.14 Bn by 2032 from USD 1.39 Bn in 2022, growing at a CAGR of 8.7% during the forecast period from 2023 to 2032. The main factors anticipated to propel the market are an increase in the frequency of infectious illnesses and other medical disorders, including dengue and malaria. Increasing the uses of these devices for temperature monitoring in the industrial, medical, and lab are a few key reasons for boosting market expansion. Increasing patient awareness and rising health consciousness are two other important aspects influencing the market's expansion. With the need for self-healthcare rising, businesses like Nexcare and Terumo Corporation produced portable solutions that are user-friendly and simple for any patient to use. Additionally, a growing reliance on thermometers by medical professionals to assess patients' health is anticipated to fuel market growth. The food, chemical, and pharmaceutical sectors, as well as other end users, are becoming more aware. In these businesses, it is crucial that certain temperatures are maintained at different phases of product development. These elements are anticipated to accelerate market expansion during the forecast period. Get additional highlights on major revenue-generating segments, Request a Thermometer Market sample report at https://market.us/report/thermometer-market/request-sample/ Key Takeaway: By Product, in 2022, the mercury-free thermometer segment dominated the global revenue share. Due to high adoption and ease to use. dominated the global revenue share. Due to high adoption and ease to use. By Application, the medical segment dominated the largest market share. dominated the largest market share. In 2022, North America dominated the market with the highest revenue share of 34.4% . dominated the market with the highest revenue share of . Asia Pacific is anticipated to have the highest CAGR among all the regions. Factors affecting the growth of the thermometer industry There are several factors that can have an impact on the growth of the thermometer industry. Some of these factors include: Technological developments : The thermometer company has been able to create new types of thermometers with increased features, accuracy, and reliability as a result of technological enhancements. The market for thermometers has grown as a result of the rise in demand for these types of products. : The thermometer company has been able to create new types of thermometers with increased features, accuracy, and reliability as a result of technological enhancements. The market for thermometers has grown as a result of the rise in demand for these types of products. Healthcare sector : The thermometer market is dominated by the healthcare sector. The demand for thermometers rises along with the demand for healthcare services. Therefore, a crucial aspect that may have an influence on the growth of the thermometer industry is the expansion of the healthcare sector. : The thermometer market is dominated by the healthcare sector. The demand for thermometers rises along with the demand for healthcare services. Therefore, a crucial aspect that may have an influence on the growth of the thermometer industry is the expansion of the healthcare sector. Government regulations : The development of the thermometer industry may be impacted by government rules and policies. For instance, new rules requiring the use of thermometers in a variety of sectors may raise demand for these products and drive the expansion of the thermometer business. : The development of the thermometer industry may be impacted by government rules and policies. For instance, new rules requiring the use of thermometers in a variety of sectors may raise demand for these products and drive the expansion of the thermometer business. Digital Thermometers: Digital thermometers have become increasingly popular due to their accuracy, convenience, and faster reading times compared to traditional mercury thermometers. They are often used in hospitals and clinics. It comes in a variety of formats, including oral, rectal, and ear thermometers. Digital thermometers have become increasingly popular due to their accuracy, convenience, and faster reading times compared to traditional mercury thermometers. They are often used in hospitals and clinics. It comes in a variety of formats, including oral, rectal, and ear thermometers. Multi-functional Thermometers: As people become increasingly conscious of indoor air quality and its detrimental effects on health and wellbeing, multi-functional thermometers that monitor temperature, humidity, and air quality are becoming more prevalent in both personal and professional environments. As people become increasingly conscious of indoor air quality and its detrimental effects on health and wellbeing, multi-functional thermometers that monitor temperature, humidity, and air quality are becoming more prevalent in both personal and professional environments. Wireless thermometers: Because they can wirelessly transmit data to a computer, or another device, and monitor temperature remotely from a distance, wireless thermometers have become increasingly common in scientific and industrial applications. They are used in many industries, including manufacturing and food processing. To understand how our report can bring a difference to your business strategy, Inquire about a brochure at https://market.us/report/thermometer-market/#inquiry Market Growth There are several factors for the thermometer market's expansion. One of the main factors is the rising demand for temperature monitoring devices in the healthcare sector. With the rapidly increasing healthcare spending, there is a growing need for accurate and reliable temperature monitoring devices, leading to a rise in the demand for thermometers. In addition, increasing health consciousness and rising patient awareness are among the major factors contributing to the market growth. Furthermore, technological advancements have led to the development of innovative and advanced thermometers, such as non-contact infrared thermometers, which provide greater accuracy and ease to use. This has also contributed to the growth of the thermometer market. Regional Analysis North America led the thermometer market in 2022 with a 34.4% revenue share. The aging population's expansion and the increase in healthcare expenses are the main drivers responsible for its largest market share. The market is anticipated to benefit even more from healthcare initiatives created by government organizations like the NIH and WHO to encourage better health and raise awareness of infectious diseases. For an instance, up till a vaccine is available, body temperature monitoring has become a routine procedure for coronavirus infection detection. As community expansion begins in the majority of countries worldwide, such as the U.S., the over-the-counter thermometer market revenues are increasing. The market is anticipated to grow the highest compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.1% in Asia Pacific. High unmet medical requirements, rising rates of target illnesses including swine flu, dengue, and malaria, as well as increasing patient knowledge of these conditions in the area, are some of the main drivers of this industry's lucrative growth. Have Queries? Speak to an expert or Click Here To Download/Request a Sample Scope of the Report Report Attribute Details Market Value (2022) USD 1.39 billion Market Size (2032) USD 3.14 billion CAGR (from 2023 to 2032) 8.7% North America Revenue Share 34.4% Historic Period 2016 to 2022 Base Year 2022 Forecast Year 2023 to 2032 Market Drivers The rise in infectious disease prevalence and the addition of new medical conditions like dengue and malaria are the most significant factors anticipated to drive the market. The market for thermometers is expanding as well as these instruments' increasing use in industry, imaging, research, and medicine. The chemical, pharmaceutical, and food industries are just a few examples of end users. Accurate temperature maintenance is a crucial need across several product development cycles. Throughout the duration of the anticipated year, it is predicted that these factors will boost the market's growth. Infrared thermometer demand has increased due to the need for thermal screening in common areas, workplaces, and hospitals. Market Restraints High ambient temperature has negative consequences The demands of vibration and high environmental temperatures may be challenging for thermometers. Either of them could change the reading on the dial. It is crucial to get into the habit of avoiding places where one of these two factors significantly affects the thermometer set. Even so, it's not always possible to stop these kinds of accidents from happening in the workplace. So, this factor may reduce the market's expected growth rate. Market Opportunities Increase in diseases like dengue Dengue fever has significantly increased in prevalence worldwide during the previous ten years, according to the WHO. Approximately half of the world's population is now in peril. Every year, between 100 and 4 billion individuals are estimated to have the disease. As the prevalence of infectious diseases rises, it is expected that there will be an increase in the need for thermometers. It is anticipated that this feature would make it easier for this market to continue expanding. Grow your profit margin with Market.us - Purchase This Premium Report at https://market.us/purchase-report/?report_id=100447 Report Segmentation of the Thermometer Market Product Insight In 2022, the market for mercury-free thermometers was in the lead and contributed 65% of total revenue. Due to its wide adoption and simplicity of use. Mercury-free thermometers, such as IR radiation thermometers and digital thermometers are anticipated to take a significant share of the market since they provide more accurate readings and do not create any environmental issues related to mercury. Revenues from mercury-free thermometers are also expected to expand quickly by 2030, with a CAGR of 11.3%. This category is also divided into digital thermometers, infrared thermometers, and other types. While easy to use and frequently used in laboratories are mercury-based thermometers, such as liquid-in-glass thermometers. Application Insight The medical application dominated the market in 2022 and provided 29% of total revenue. The segment includes hospitals, clinics, and basic healthcare institutions. This is explained by the presence of well-established healthcare infrastructure and the high occurrence of conditions requiring the monitoring of body temperature. The rise of this industry is significantly influenced by the advancement of thermometer technology. For instance, the Instant Read Digital Ear Thermometer by A&D Company, Limited offers a thermometer with a one-button interface and 10 memory memories. It has an LCD with a one-second measuring speed and ease. During the forecasting period, it is predicted that the industrial application segment would have lucrative growth. While the chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries require precise temperature control during various phases of product development Recent Development of the Thermometer Market The launch of the consumer-focused Radius T Continuous Thermometer was announced by Masimo Corporation in October 2020. The Instant Read Digital Ear Thermometer from A&D Company, Limited is designed with a user-friendly one-button interface and can store up to 10 readings in its memory. For more insights on the historical and Forecast market data from 2016 to 2032 - download a sample report at https://market.us/report/thermometer-market/request-sample/ Market Segmentation Based on Product Mercury-Free Thermometer Digital Thermometer Infrared Radiation Thermometer Others Mercury-Based Thermometer Based on Application Medical Industrial Food Laboratory Other Applications 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 Competitive Landscape Key strategic initiatives of these companies involve the development of new products, and mergers and acquisitions to cater to the growing needs of the consumer. Furthermore, the introduction of cost-effective and innovative alternatives is the key strategy implemented by the major players to gain maximum share and survive competition in the market. Moreover, the companies are expanding geographically to cater to the untapped market of thermometers along with many acquisitions. Omron Healthcare is a Japanese company that produces a wide range of medical devices, including thermometers. Omron's thermometers are known for their accuracy and ease of use. Medline Industries, Inc. 3M Welch Allyn America Diagnostics Corporation A&D Medical Exergen Corporation Omron Healthcare Microlife Corporation RG Medical Diagnostics Medtronic Terumo Corporation Actherm Inc. Briggs Healthcare OMRON Healthcare Inc. Fairhaven Health Other Key Players Browse More Related Reports: Medical Thermometer Market is projected to be USD 1.4 Bn in 2022 to reach USD 3.2 Bn by 2032 at a CAGR of 8.8%. Digital Thermometers market is estimated to be USD 1379.2 Mn in 2032 from USD 803.3 Mn in 2022 and is projected to increase significantly at a CAGR of 5.7% from 2023 to 2032. Pupillometer Market size is expected to be worth around USD 697.8 Bn by 2032 from USD 357.5 Bn in 2022, growing at a CAGR of 7.10% during the forecast period from 2023 to 2032. Blood glucose meters market size is expected to be worth around USD 22.6 Bn by 2032 from USD 10 Bn in 2022, growing at a CAGR of 8.7% during the forecast period from 2022 to 2032. Medical thawing equipment market was valued at USD 174.1 million in 2021. It is projected to grow at a 7.1% CAGR, from 2023-2032. Faucet Market to grow from USD 18,933 million in 2021 at a 8.1% CAGR between 2023 and 2032 By Top Key players: Kohler, Kraus, Pfister and others. About Us: Market.US (Powered by Prudour Pvt Ltd) specializes in in-depth market research and analysis and has been proving its mettle as a consulting and customized market research company, apart from being a much sought-after syndicated market research report-providing firm. Market.US provides customization to suit any specific or unique requirement and tailor-makes reports as per request. We go beyond boundaries to take analytics, analysis, study, and outlook to newer heights and broader horizons. Follow Us On LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Our Blog: Umo Eno says he was "both a victim and beneficiary of bad and good press" during the 2023 election. The Governor-elect of Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno, has criticised the media coverage of the just concluded 2023 general elections in the state. "From what was being emitted in the name of news during the campaigns, some non-residents of the State, who read such stories, must have mistaken Akwa Ibom for a war zone," Mr Eno, who was a candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the election, said on 14 April at a one-day seminar organised by a senior lawyer in the state, Samuel Ikpo for some journalists in Uyo. The seminar, facilitated by Ndon Asian, honourary special adviser to Governor Udom Emmanuel on judiciary matters, was attended by the spokesperson to Governor Emmanuel, Ekerete Udoh. The governor-elect was represented by a former commissioner for information in the state, Chris Abasi-Eyo. Mr Eno said he was "both a victim and beneficiary of bad and good press" during the election, and that there were times he read "false" stories about himself and wondered if they were really about him or someone else. "It is imperative that, for the sake of Akwa Ibom and her development, media practitioners should revert to their professional role of mediating between the masses and events, instead of being transmitters of falsehood. "As conveyors of information, journalists must be able to discern that which is worthy of communicating to others and present the same with clarity, while the recipients of information must learn to sift through it, evaluate it, and integrate it properly into an intelligent world view. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Governance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "On the whole, journalists must resist the temptation of being used to ridicule their noble profession, thereby reducing journalism to an unethical field, where quackery has a field day," he said. Mr Eno, however, admitted, that the media played a "crucial part" in his election, and that he has respect for journalism profession, which is why the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Akwa Ibom State Council, was among the early set of groups he consulted at the beginning of his "gubernatorial journey" in February 2022. NYSC member shot as INEC cancels Reps rerun election in Akwa Ibom "At this point, I must thank the generality of journalists in the state for the co-operation I received till my election on March 18, 2023," he said, while urging journalists in Akwa Ibom to give priority to development journalism "in the interest of our people". Mr Ikpo, who is the head of Zion Chambers, Uyo, spoke to the journalists on how to avoid committing libel in their reporting. Anietie Usen, an award-winning journalist and author of Audacious Journalism: The Art, Style & Depth, shared his journalism experiences with the journalists and told them that self-development, building contacts, and having great reputation are the keys to career success. Cletus Ukpong, PREMIUM TIMES' regional editor for South-east and South-south, who was among the resource persons at the seminar, took the reporters on the value of specialisation in journalism. English French 2023 First quarter Press release - Paris, April 27th, 2023 Strong start to the year +8% at constant FX, driven by an excellent momentum in France and a shift back to growth in APAC Q1 2023 sales at 305m, +8% at constant exchange rates (+7% on an organic basis) versus 2022 driven by like-for-like growth despite a high basis of comparison. Excellent performance in Europe driven by B&M and digital; Asia back to growth with Chinas gradual economic recovery; after an outstanding year in 2022, the trend in America is stabilizing, supported by like-for-like positive growth in the US. Continued reduction of the average discount rate with a one-point decrease compared to the first quarter of 2022, coming in particular from digital and Asia. The network is decreasing this quarter, mainly due to the permanent shutdown of stores in Russia which had not been supplied since February 2022. Full-year financial guidance confirmed. Commenting on these results, Isabelle Guichot, CEO of SMCP, stated: The Group has again delivered a good performance over the first quarter of the year. We are particularly pleased with the strong momentum in France, the dynamism in Europe, the return to growth in Asia and the resilience of our sales in America after an excellent 2022. This quarter also saw the progress in the implementation of our ambitious CSR strategy with the acceleration of the full-traceability project roll-out on brand collections, the launch of Sandro clothing rental in the UK and the launch of our SMCP Retail Lab training school. We remain vigilant regarding the evolution of the macro-economic, social, and geopolitical context but are confident that the positive momentum will continue in the coming quarters and thus confirm our annual targets. m except % Unaudited figures Q1 2022 Q1 2023 Organic change Reported change Constant Fx change Sales by region France 93.7 106.0 +13.1% +13.1% +13.1% EMEA 83.1 88.6 +7.0% +6.6% +7.0% America 38.6 39.0 -2.5% +1.0% -2.5% APAC 67.6 71.0 +2.7% +5.1% +6.9% Sales by brand Sandro 134.1 146.0 +7.8% +8.9% +8.9% Maje 112.2 113.8 +0.4% +1.5% +1.5% Other brands1 36.8 44.8 +21.8% +21.7% +21.9% TOTAL 283.0 304.6 +6.7% +7.6% +7.6% SALES BY REGION In France, sales reached a record level of 106m in the first quarter, with an organic growth of +13% compared to 2022. They were mainly driven by the performance of the like-for-like network and by the demand of local and tourist customers, who are increasingly numerous both in physical shops and on the brands' websites. This double-digit growth is even more remarkable given the high basis of comparison in 2022 and the adverse social environment. The Other brands division (Claudie Pierlot and Fursac) recorded a strong momentum in the quarter. The Group also carried on its strategy of reducing the average discount rate, particularly in digital. The network is decreasing by four POS including the closure of the remaining two Suite 341 stores. In EMEA, the Group maintained a very good momentum with a robust growth despite a high basis of comparison. Sales reached 89m, +7% on an organic basis vs 2022 with a strong retail like-for-like growth of +15% from both B&M and digital sales. The good performance of the largest markets such as the United Arab Emirates, Italy and Spain was partially offset by the end of the wholesale partnership in Russia (last deliveries in February 2022). The average discount rate registered a slight decrease which comes from digital. The network is down by seven POS in Q1 excluding the impact of Russia (40 POS). In America, after an outstanding performance in 2022, sales are stabilizing in reported change and decreasing by -3% on an organic basis. During the first quarter, sales in the US were resilient with a positive like-for-like growth in B&M. The slightly unfavorable trend comes from Canada where the normalization of traffic is slower due to the low level of tourism from Asia and weak local demand. The network is down by two POS. In APAC, the growth is progressively back in the region, with 71m of sales in Q1, +3% on an organic basis vs 2022. The trend gradually improved in Mainland China over the quarter with January and February still affected by low traffic, before returning to growth in March. The region benefits from a good performance in Hong-Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Macau and the integration of Australia and New-Zealand in our own retail network. The average discount rate decreased by more than four points with the normalization of the situation after the Covid constraints. Finally, the network continued to expand with five openings, particularly in China and Singapore. CONCLUSION AND PERSPECTIVES Thanks to the strong desirability of its brands, the Group records a good performance in the first quarter. Subject to the evolution of the macro-economic, social, and geopolitical situation, SMCP confirms its financial guidance for 2023. OTHER INFORMATIONS At its meeting of March 23, 2023, the Board of Directors decided to create a Sustainability committee, which will be responsible for monitoring the consideration of social, societal, and environmental responsibility issues when defining the Groups strategy and its implementation. FINANCIAL CALENDAR June 21st, 2023 Annual shareholders meeting July 27th, 2023 2023 Half-Year Results A conference call with investors and analysts will be held today by CEO Isabelle Guichot and CFO Patricia Huyghues Despointes, from 9:00 a.m. (Paris time). Related slides will also be available on the website (www.smcp.com), in the Finance section. APPENDICES Breakdown of DOS Number of DOS Q1-22 2022 Q1-23 vs. 2022 vs. Q1 2022 By region France 459 460 456 -4 -3 EMEA 395 395 391 -4 -4 America 165 166 164 -2 -1 APAC 251 259 305 +46 +54 By brand Sandro 541 551 569 +18 +28 Maje 451 457 476 +19 +25 Claudie Pierlot 209 201 203 +2 -6 Suite 341 3 2 - -2 -3 Fursac 66 69 68 -1 +2 Total DOS 1,270 1,280 1 316 +36 +46 Breakdown of POS Number of POS Q1-22 2022 Q1-23 vs. 2022 vs. Q1 2022 By region France 460 461 457 -4 -3 EMEA 545 552 505 -47 -40 America 195 198 196 -2 +1 APAC 467 472 477 +5 +10 By brand Sandro 736 752 733 -19 -3 Maje 618 627 611 -16 -7 Claudie Pierlot 244 233 223 -10 -21 Suite 341 3 2 - -2 -3 Fursac 66 69 68 -1 +2 Total POS 1,667 1,683 1,635 -48 -32 o/w Partners POS 397 403 319 -84 -78 FINANCIAL INDICATORS NOT DEFINED IN IFRS Number of points of sale (POS) The number of the Groups points of sale comprises total retail points of sale open at the relevant date, which includes (i) directly operated stores (DOS), including free-standing stores, concessions in department stores, affiliate-operated stores, outlets and online stores, and (ii) partnered retail points of sale. Organic sales growth Organic sales growth is the total sales in a given period compared to the same period in the previous year. It is expressed as a percentage change between the two periods and is presented at constant rates (sales for period N and period N-1 in foreign currencies are converted at the average rate for year N-1) and excluding the effects of changes in the scope of consolidation. Like-for-like sales growth Like-for-like sales growth corresponds to retail sales from directly operated points of sale on a like-for-like basis in a given period compared with the same period in the previous year. Like-for-like points of sale for a given period include all of the Groups points of sale that were open at the beginning of the previous period and exclude points of sale closed during the period, including points of sale closed for renovation for more than one month, as well as points of sale that changed their activity (for example, Sandro points of sale changing from Sandro Femme to Sandro Homme or to a mixed Sandro Femme and Sandro Homme store). Like-for-like sales growth percentage is presented at constant exchange rates. *** METHODOLOGY NOTE Unless otherwise indicated, amounts are expressed in millions of euros. In general, figures presented in this press release are rounded to the nearest full unit. As a result, the sum of rounded amounts may show non-material differences with the total as reported. Note that ratios and differences are calculated based on underlying amounts and not based on rounded amounts. *** DISCLAIMER: FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain information contained in this document includes projections and forecasts. These projections and forecasts are based on SMCP management's current views and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance of the Group. Actual results or performances may differ materially from those in such projections and forecasts as a result of numerous factors, risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include those discussed or identified under Chapter 3 Risk factors and internal control of the Companys Universal Registration Document filed with the French Financial Markets Authority (Autorite des Marches Financiers - AMF) on 11 April 2023 and available on SMCP's website (www.smcp.com). This document has not been independently verified. SMCP makes no representation or undertaking as to the accuracy or completeness of such information. None of the SMCP or any of its affiliates representatives shall bear any liability (in negligence or otherwise) for any loss arising from any use of this document or its contents or otherwise arising in connection with this document. ABOUT SMCP SMCP is a global leader in the accessible luxury market with four unique Parisian brands: Sandro, Maje, Claudie Pierlot and Fursac. Present in 46 countries, the Group comprises a network of over 1,600 stores globally and a strong digital presence in all its key markets. Evelyne Chetrite and Judith Milgrom founded Sandro and Maje in Paris, in 1984 and 1998 respectively, and continue to provide creative direction for the brands. Claudie Pierlot and Fursac were respectively acquired by SMCP in 2009 and 2019. SMCP is listed on the Euronext Paris regulated market (compartment A, ISIN Code FR0013214145, ticker: SMCP). CONTACTS INVESTORS/PRESS SMCP BRUNSWICK Amelie Dernis Hugues Boeton Tristan Roquet Montegon +33 (0) 1 55 80 51 00 +33 (0) 1 53 96 83 83 amelie.dernis@smcp.com smcp@brunswickgroup.com 1 Claudie Pierlot and Fursac brands Attachment English Finnish Stock Exchange Release 27th of April 2023 at 9 am (CET +1) Sp Mortgage Bank Plc & Savings Banks Group: Half-Year Reports for 1st of January30th of June 2023 will be published on 10th of August 2023 as a stock exchange release and can be also found at www.saastopankki.fi . Sp Mortgage Bank Plc & Savings Banks Group Further information: Karri Alameri Managing Director, Savings Banks Union Coop karri.alameri@saastopankki.fi +358 45 656 5250 Sp Mortgage Bank Plc is part of the Savings Banks Group and the Savings Banks Amalgamation. The role of Sp Mortgage Bank is, together with Central Bank of Savings Banks Finland Plc, to be responsible for obtaining funding for the Savings Banks Group from money and capital markets. Sp Mortgage Bank is responsible for the Savings Banks Group's mortgage-secured funding by issuing covered bonds. Pune, India, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global avionics market size was valued at USD 48.00 billion in 2019 and is estimated to reach USD 75.81 billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 9.25% during the forecast period. According to a report published by Fortune Business Insights, titled Avionics Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027, the market was worth USD 48 billion in 2019 and will exhibit a CAGR of 9.25% during the forecast period, 2020-2027. Avionics is the development and production of electronic instruments that are used in aviation or astronautics. It involves all products that are associated with spacecraft, satellites, and other types of aircraft. Technological advancements will play a huge role in the growth of the overall market in the coming years. Variations in product offerings and the flexibility enabled through the integration of advanced concepts have led to wider product adoption in recent years. The increasing product applications have contributed to the increasing demand for products across the avionics industry across the world. The increasing investments in avionics are consequential to the rising applications. Additionally, the presence of several large-scale companies will bode well for the growth of the market in the foreseeable future. Get a Free Sample Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/avionics-market-101819 List of Key Players Profiled in the Avionics Market Report: Avilution LLC (The U.S.) BAE Systems (The U.K.) CCX Technologies (Canada) Cobham PLC (The U.K.) Collins Aerospace (The U.S.) Garmin Ltd. (The U.S.) General Electric (The U.S.) Honeywell International Inc (The U.S.) L3Harris Technologies, Inc.(The U.S.) Meggitt (The U.K.) Search Results Web results Nucon Aerospace(India) Report Scope & Segmentation: ATTRIBUTE DETAILS Forecast Period 2019-2027 Forecast CAGR 9.25% 2027 Value Projection USD 75.81 billion Market Size in 2019 USD 48.00 billion Historical Data 2016-2018 No. of Pages 150 Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Company Profiles, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors and Latest Trends Segments Covered By System By Platform By End-Use By Geography Regions Covered North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East and Africa Avionics Market Growth Drivers Improving Aircraft Computing Capabilities are Propelling the Market Growth Increasing Demand for Military Aircraft from Emerging Economies such as China and India Will Aid Growth 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. Browse Detailed Summary of Research Report with TOC: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/avionics-market-101819 COVID-19 Impact: The recent coronavirus outbreak has created a sense of panic across the world. The rapid spread of the disease has had an adverse effect on several businesses across diverse industries. The efforts taken by governments across several countries to curb the spread of the diseases have forced businesses to shut down completely. It has been a similar scenario in the avionics industry and the past few months have presented several challenges to the businesses in this sector. The rising cases of coronavirus have put people in a state of panic and hesitancy; a primary factor behind the economic downfall in the past few months. Segments: By System Hardware Software Others By Platform Commercial Military Business Jets General Aviation Helicopters By End-Use OEM Aftermarket By Geography North America (The U.S. and Canada) Europe (The U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Russia, and Rest of Europe) Asia-Pacific (Japan, China, India, and Rest of Asia- Pacific) Rest of the World (Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa) Market Driver Company Mergers are an Increasing Trend Among Major Businesses across the World The report encompasses several factors that have contributed to the growth of the overall avionics market in recent years. Among all factors, the increasing number of company mergers and acquisitions as well as collaborations among major businesses has made the highest impact on the growth of the market. Accounting to the increasing applications of avionics across the world, companies are looking to collaborate with other large scale businesses with a bid to maximizing the resources of both the companies. In June 2019, Pattonair announced that it has signed a contract with Safran Ventilation Systems. This collaboration is aimed at the development as well as distribution of advanced logistical support. This will cover a wide range of ventilation products that can be used for avionics, including interior fans. This collaboration will have a massive global impact on the growth of the market, primarily driven by the wide customer coverage of the company across the world. North America to Emerge Dominant; Presence of Several Large Scale Companies Will Aid Market Growth The report analyses the latest market trends across five major regions, including North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. Among all regions, the market in North America is projected to emerge dominant in the coming years. The increasing demand for the product, driven by applications across divers industry verticals will have a huge impact on the growth of the regional market. The presence of several large scale companies will also bode well for the growth of the market in this region. As of 2019, the market in North America was worth 17.62 billion and this value is projected to increase at a considerable pace in the coming years. The market in Asia Pacific will also witness considerable growth in the coming years driven by the rising aviation industry in several countries across this region. Get a Quote Now: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/get-a-quote/avionics-market-101819 Detailed Table of Content: Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions Executive Summary Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities Key Insights Key Industry Developments Key Contracts & Agreements, Mergers, Acquisitions and Partnerships Latest technological Advancements Porters Five Forces Analysis Supply Chain Analysis Quantitative Insights-Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Avionics Market Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Avionics Market Steps Taken by Industry/Companies/Government to Overcome the Impact Key Development in the industry in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic Potential Opportunities due to COVID-19 Outbreak TOC Continued...! Industry Developments: April 2020 Lockheed Martin Corporation announced that it has signed a contract with the U.S. Air Force. The contract is said to be worth USD 50 million and will be aimed at upgrading the advanced avionics suite, which is used to modernizes the U-2 combat aircrafts onboard system. Speak to Our Expert: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/avionics-market-101819 Read Related Insights: With 6.71% CAGR, Aircraft Antenna Market Size Worth USD 631.1 Million by 2029 | Fortune Business Insights Military Communications Market Size to Reach USD 62.96 Billion by 2026; High Demand for SATCOM Technology to Boost Growth, Says Fortune Business Insights About Us: Fortune Business Insights delivers accurate data and innovative corporate analysis, helping organizations of all sizes make appropriate decisions. We tailor novel solutions for our clients, assisting them to address various challenges distinct to their businesses. Our aim is to empower them with holistic market intelligence, providing a granular overview of the market they are operating in. Address: Fortune Business Insights Pvt. Ltd. 9th Floor, Icon Tower, Baner, Mahalunge Road, Baner, Pune - 411045, Maharashtra, India. Phone: US: +1 424 253 0390 UK: +44 2071 939123 APAC: +91 744 740 1245 Email: sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com Washington, DC, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zion Market Research has published a new research report titled IT Security Consulting Services Market By Security Type (Application Security, Database Security, Endpoint Security, Network Security), By End-User (Aerospace & Defense, Banking, Financial Services, & Insurance (BFSI), Government & Public Utilities, Healthcare, IT & Telecom, Manufacturing & Retail, Others), And By Region - Global And Regional Industry Overview, Market Intelligence, Comprehensive Analysis, Historical Data, And Forecasts 2023 2030 in its research database. According to the latest research study, the demand of global IT Security Consulting Services Market size & share in terms of revenue was valued at USD 27.24 billion in 2022 and it is expected to surpass around USD 101.12 billion mark by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 13.5% during the forecast period 2023 to 2030. What are IT Security Consulting Services? How big is the IT Security Consulting Services Industry? Report Overview: The global IT security consulting services market size was valued at USD 27.24 Billion in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 101.12 Billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.5% during the forecast period. IT security consulting services involve the assessment, design, implementation, and management of security measures to protect an organization's information systems and data from cyber threats. These services help businesses identify security vulnerabilities & risks, develop security strategies & policies, and implement technical solutions to safeguard against attacks. IT security consulting services include network security, data protection, application security, cloud security, identity and access management, compliance & regulatory requirements, and incident response planning. With the growing frequency and sophistication of cyber-attacks, businesses of all sizes and industries are seeking the expertise of IT security consultants to mitigate risks and protect their sensitive data. The IT security consulting services market is expected to continue its growth trend due to the increasing demand for end-to-end security solutions and compliance with regulatory requirements. Get a Free Sample PDF of this Research Report for more Insights with a Table of Content, Research Methodology, and Graphs - https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/sample/it-security-consulting-services-market (A free sample of this report is available upon request; please contact us for more information.) Our Free Sample Report Consists of the Following: Introduction, Overview, and in-depth industry analysis are all included in the 2023 updated report. The COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak Impact Analysis is included in the package About 219+ Pages Research Report (Including Recent Research) Provide detailed chapter-by-chapter guidance on Request Updated Regional Analysis with Graphical Representation of Size, Share, and Trends for the Year 2023 Includes Tables and figures have been updated The most recent version of the report includes the Top Market Players, their Business Strategies, Sales Volume, and Revenue Analysis Zion Market Research research methodology (Please note that the sample of this report has been modified to include the COVID-19 impact study prior to delivery.) Global IT Security Consulting Services Market: Growth Factors The global IT security consulting services market is driven by several factors such as the increasing number of cyber threats, data breaches, and stringent government regulations. The adoption of cloud-based services and digital transformation initiatives, along with the need for end-to-end security solutions, are also driving the demand for IT security consulting services. Additionally, the growing awareness among organizations about the benefits of proactive security measures and the need for expert guidance to address complex security challenges further drives the growth of the market. In addition, the increasing adoption of advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), which require specialized security consulting services create ample opportunities. The emergence of new threats such as ransomware and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks also presents new opportunities for the growth of IT security consulting services industry. However, the high cost of IT security consulting services and the lack of skilled professionals in the market may act as restraints to market growth. Directly Purchase a copy of the report with TOC @ https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/buynow/su/it-security-consulting-services-market Report Scope Report Attribute Details Market Size in 2022 USD 27.24 billion Projected Market Size in 2030 USD 101.12 billion CAGR Growth Rate 13.5% CAGR Base Year 2022 Forecast Years 2023-2030 Key Market Players Accenture, Deloitte, IBM, PwC, Ernst & Young, KPMG, Booz Allen Hamilton, Cognizant, DXC Technology, Wipro, Capgemini, Tata Consultancy Services, Atos, NTT Data, Verizon, SecureWorks, Trustwave, Symantec, McAfee, and Check Point among others. Key Segment By Security Type, By End-User, 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 IT Security Consulting Services Market: Segmentation Analysis The global IT security consulting services market is segmented based on security type, end-user, and region. Based on security type, the market is segmented into application security, database security, endpoint security, and network security. The network security segment held the largest market share in 2022 and is further anticipated to grow rapidly at a significant CAGR during the forecast period. This is mainly due to the increasing number of cyber-attacks on enterprise networks and the need for advanced security solutions to protect against them. Network security consulting services include services such as vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, firewall management, and intrusion detection and prevention. With the growing adoption of cloud-based services and remote workforces, the demand for network security consulting services is expected to continue its growth trend. Based on end-user, the market is segmented into Aerospace & Defense, Banking, Financial Services, & Insurance (BFSI), Government & Public Utilities, Healthcare, IT & Telecom, Manufacturing & Retail, and Others. The BFSI segment held the largest market share in 2022 and is further projected to grow at a notable CAGR during the forecast period. This is mainly due to the increasing number of cyber threats and the need to protect sensitive financial data. The BFSI sector is heavily regulated, with compliance requirements such as PCI DSS, SOX, and GDPR, driving the demand for IT security consulting services. The healthcare and government sectors are also expected to be significant contributors to the IT security consulting services market due to the increasing use of electronic medical records and government initiatives to digitize services. The retail sector is also witnessing significant growth due to the increasing adoption of e-commerce and the need for secure payment processing systems. The global IT Security Consulting Services market is segmented as follows: By Security Type Application Security Database Security Endpoint Security Network Security By End-User Aerospace And Defense Banking Financial Services Insurance (BFSI) Government And Public Utilities Healthcare IT And Telecom Manufacturing & Retail Others Browse the full IT Security Consulting Services Market By Security Type (Application Security, Database Security, Endpoint Security, Network Security), By End-User (Aerospace & Defense, Banking, Financial Services, & Insurance (BFSI), Government & Public Utilities, Healthcare, IT & Telecom, Manufacturing & Retail, Others), and By Region - Global and Regional Industry Overview, Market Intelligence, Comprehensive Analysis, Historical Data, and Forecasts 2023 2030- Report at https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/it-security-consulting-services-market Competitive Landscape Some of the main competitors dominating the global IT Security Consulting Services market include - Accenture Deloitte IBM PwC Ernst & Young KPMG Booz Allen Hamilton Cognizant DXC Technology Wipro Capgemini Tata Consultancy Services Atos NTT Data Verizon SecureWorks Trustwave Symantec McAfee and Check Point Among Others. Key Insights from Primary Research: As per the analysis shared by our research analyst, the global IT security consulting services market is expected to grow annually at a promising CAGR of around 13.5% during the forecast period 2023-2030. In terms of revenue, the global IT security consulting services market size was valued at around USD 27.24 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 101.12 billion by 2030. One of the key factors driving the global IT security consulting services market is owing to the increasing number of cyber-attacks on organizations' IT infrastructure leading to businesses investing in IT security consulting services to improve their cybersecurity posture and protect against potential threats. Based on security type, the network security segment held the largest market share in 2022. Based on end-user, the BFSI segment held the dominating market share in 2022. Based on region, the North American region held the largest market share in 2022. Have Any Query? Ask Our Experts: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/inquiry/it-security-consulting-services-market Key questions answered in this report: What is the market size and growth rate forecast for IT Security Consulting Services industry? What are the main driving factors propelling the IT Security Consulting Services Market forward? What are the leading companies in the IT Security Consulting Services Industry? What segments does the IT Security Consulting Services Market cover? How can I receive a free copy of the IT Security Consulting Services Market sample report and company profiles? Key Offerings: Market Size & Forecast by Revenue | 20232030 Market Dynamics Leading Trends, Growth Drivers, Restraints, and Investment Opportunities Market Segmentation A detailed analysis By Security Type, By End-User, And By Region Competitive Landscape Top Key Vendors and Other Prominent Vendors Request for Customization on this Report as per your requirements - https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/custom/5792 (We tailor your report to meet your specific research requirements. Inquire with our sales team about customising your report.) Regional Analysis: The North American region held the dominating market share in 2022 and is further predicted to continue this trend during the forecast period. North America is expected to be the largest market for IT security consulting services due to the high adoption of advanced technologies and the increasing number of cyber-attacks in the region. The growing digital transformation initiatives, increasing use of cloud-based services, and the presence of a large number of multinational companies are driving the demand for IT security consulting services in North America. The United States is expected to dominate the market in the region, followed by Canada and Mexico. Furthermore, the presence of major players in the region such as IBM, Accenture, and Deloitte is contributing to the growth of the market. The increasing government initiatives and regulations related to data privacy and security are also driving the demand for IT security consulting services in North America. 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 Access Infographics @ https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/content/uploadedimages/global-security-consulting-services-market.png Recent Developments In January 2022, Accenture Security announced the acquisition of BrightStep Partners, a cybersecurity consulting firm based in Sweden. The acquisition will strengthen Accenture's cybersecurity consulting services in the Nordics and Europe, helping clients to improve their cybersecurity posture and manage risks. In March 2022, IBM Security announced the acquisition of Persistent Systems' cybersecurity business unit to expand its security consulting services capabilities. The acquisition will help IBM Security to deliver integrated security solutions to its clients, covering risk management, compliance, and cybersecurity consulting services. In December 2021, Deloitte announced the acquisition of Sentek Consulting, a cybersecurity and risk management consulting firm based in the United States. The acquisition will help Deloitte to expand its cybersecurity consulting services capabilities, particularly in the government and public sector. To know an additional revised 2023 list of market players, request a brochure of the report: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/requestbrochure/it-security-consulting-services-market FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS What are IT Security Consulting Services? At what CAGR, the global IT security consulting services market will expand during forecast years? What will be the market value of global IT security consulting services market by the end of 2030? What are the factors driving the global IT security consulting services market growth? Which region will contribute notably towards the IT security consulting services market value? Who are the leading players in the global IT security consulting services market? Browse Other Related Research Reports from Zion Market Research: Maritime Security Systems Market: Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast, 2018-2025: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/maritime-security-systems-market Air Cargo Security And Screening Systems Market By Technology (Explosive Detection Systems, Explosive Trace Detection Systems, Metal Detection Systems, Non-Computed Tomography (Non-CT) Transmission X-Ray Devices),: Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis And Forecast, 2020 2028: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/air-cargo-security-and-screening-systems-market Security As A Service Market By Component (Solution And Service), By Application Area (Network Security, Endpoint Security, Application Security, And Cloud), By Organization Size (SMEs And Large Enterprises), By Vertical (BFSI, Retail, Healthcare, Government And Defense, IT And Telecom, Energy And Utilities, Manufacturing And Others): Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis And Forecast, 2020 2028: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/security-service-market Security Information And Event Management Market By Solution (Firewall Security Management, Log And Event Management, Patch Management And Other), By Services (Consulting, Support And Integration), By Organization Size (Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises And Large Enterprise) And By End Use Industry (BFSI, Healthcare, Government, IT And Telecom, Retail And Hospitality, Energy And Utility, Education And Others): Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis And Forecast, 2021 2028: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/security-information-event-management-market Threat Intelligence Security Market By Deployment Mode (Cloud And On-Premise), By Organization Size (Large Enterprises And SMEs), By Application (SIEM, Security Analytics, Security And Vulnerability Management, Risk And Compliance, Incident Response, And Others), By Vertical (BFSI, Healthcare, IT & ITES, Retail, Manufacturing, And Life Sciences), And By Region - Global And Regional Industry Overview, Market Intelligence, Comprehensive Analysis, Historical Data, And Forecasts 2023 2030: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/threat-intelligence-security-market Food Security Technologies Market - Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast 2020-2026: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/food-security-technologies-market Cyber Security in Healthcare Market by Deployment Type (On-Premises and Cloud-Based), by Security Type (Application Security, Cloud Security, Content Security, Endpoint Security, Network Security, and Wireless Security), and by End-User (Pharmaceutical & Chemical Manufactures, Medical Device Companies, Health Insurance Companies, Hospitals & Clinics, and Others): Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis, and Forecast, 20182026: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/cyber-security-healthcare-market Healthcare Cybersecurity Market - By Type (Solutions and Services), By Security Type (Cloud Security, Application Security, Endpoint Security, Content Security, Wireless Security, and Network Security), And By Region - Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis, and Forecast, 2019 2025: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/healthcare-cybersecurity-market Smart Home Security Market: By Product Type (Smart Alarms, Smart Camera and Monitoring System, Smart Locks and Sensors and Smart Detectors) By Component (Products and Services) By Application (Apartment, Big Villa) And By Region: Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis And Forecast, 2019 2025.: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/smart-home-security-market Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Cyber Security Market By Offering (Hardware, Software, and Services), By Security (Endpoint, Network, Cloud, and Application), By Technology (Machine Learning, Context Awareness, and NLP), By Security Solution (Identity and Access Management, Antivirus/Antimalware, Risk and Compliance Management, Encryption, Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems, Data Loss Prevention, Unified Threat Management, and Others), and by End-User (BFSI, Government & Defense, Retail, Enterprises, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Infrastructure, Automotive & Transportation, and Others): Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis, and Forecast, 20182025: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/artificial-intelligence-in-cyber-security-market About Zion Market Research: Zion Market Research is a leading market research organization offering industry expertise and scrupulous consulting services to clients for their business development. The reports and services offered by Zion Market Research are used by prestigious academic institutions, start-ups, and companies globally to measure and understand the changing international and regional business backgrounds. Our clients/customers conviction on our solutions and services has pushed us in delivering always the best. Our advanced research solutions have helped them in appropriate decision-making and guidance for strategies to expand their business. 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New York (US), April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Decorative High-Pressure Laminates Market Overview According to a Comprehensive Report by Market Research Future (MRFR), " Decorative High-Pressure Laminates Market Information by Application, End-Use, and Region - Forecast till 2030", The market for decorative high-pressure laminates will attain a growth rate of 3.53% from 2022 to 2030, touching USD 15,041.18 million by 2030-end. Market Synopsis During the projection period, the decorative high-pressure laminates industry will see strong growth given the products low maintenance and installation costs. Furthermore, it is anticipated that the laminates' eco-friendliness would open up lucrative commercial potential. Decorative high-pressure laminates are easier to install than hardwood floors and other alternatives, in addition to having superior mechanical and functional qualities. They also make a great choice for flat top surfaces like counters, wall paneling, and tables and benches in classrooms. These laminates are very strong and resistant to damage. They are able to endure stress and impact and are thus ideal for installation in high-traffic locations since they are scratch and abrasion resistant. Get a Free Sample PDF Brochure: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/7743 Market Competitive Landscape: The affluent firms in the decorative high-pressure laminates industry are Formica Corporation Sonae Arauco Greenlam Industries Limited Wilsonart LLC Panolam Industries International Among others. Report Scope: Report Attribute Details Market Size in 2030 USD 15,041.18 million CAGR 3.53% (2022-2030) Base Year 2021 Forecast Period 20222030 Historical Data 2020 Forecast Units Value (USD Million) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered Application, End-Use, and Region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East &Africa Key Market Drivers Increasing applications of decorative high-pressure laminates in the construction industry Low maintenance and installation costs of decorative high-pressure laminates Browse In-depth Market Research Report (110 Pages) on Decorative High-Pressure Laminates: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/decorative-high-pressure-laminates-market-7743 Market USP Covered: Market Drivers: The expansion of decorative high-pressure laminates' uses in the building sector is the cause of the rising demand for them. It is predicted that the expansion of the worldwide market will be aided by the rise of the construction sector especially in Asia-Pacific's growing economies. Due to their simplicity in installation and maintenance, these laminates are utilized in both residential and commercial building construction to create cabinets, countertops, tabletops, case goods, and flooring. The soaring demand for decorative high-pressure laminates is also being seen in the production of ready-to-assemble (RTA) furniture, restroom cubicle systems, lab tables, and kitchen tops due to their high level of durability and aesthetic appeal. The makers of decorative high-pressure laminates are projected to benefit financially from evolving printing technologies, such as digital printing for laminate flooring. Market Restraints: Oil prices fluctuate due to shifts in supply and demand. Prices decline when supply outpaces demand, and vice versa. Moreover, the overall price of crude oil is influenced by political unrest, natural calamities, and production expenses (refining). The majority of producers, including Greenlam Industries Limited, import raw ingredients at significant expense, driving up the price of decorative high-pressure laminates. Additionally, because there is no formal hedging mechanism in place, the enterprises are still at risk from currency fluctuations. All these factors culminate into major challenges for the worldwide market. Opportunities Production of decorative high-pressure laminates has improved technically as a result of the rising demand for cutting-edge graphics and superior aesthetics. These laminates are utilized extensively in flooring and serve as a superior substitute for other flooring materials like granite or stone. Next-generation laminates containing tiny aluminum oxide particles have been created via continuous innovation. These particles serve as a barrier, preserving gloss and providing scratch resistance. Continuous texturing and printing method advancements that produce cutting-edge graphics and are more cost-effective enhance high-pressure laminates. With unique features like digital lacquer embossing (DLE), more design possibilities, and online purchasing, digital printing is one of these technologies that is revolutionizing the flooring sector. COVID 19 Analysis The COVID-19 outbreak has had a considerable influence on global manufacturing processes, commerce, and supply chains for chemicals and minerals. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a drop in the manufacture of decorative high-pressure laminates because industry participants had to close production facilities or run them at less-than-ideal production levels to stop the coronavirus from spreading. Additionally, the manufacture of decorative high-pressure laminates has been hampered by a paucity of raw materials as a result of supply interruptions brought on by border and trade restrictions. However, several significant market participants have kept running their manufacturing plants. Additionally, the low demand from the end-use sectors and the falling costs of raw materials have led to surplus stockpiles and decreased output. Share Your Queries: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/7743 Market Segmentation By Application Interior: As a result of rising demand from residential buildings, demand for interior applications such as walls and partitions, ceilings, doors, flooring, stairs, furniture/chairs, trims, windows sills, tables, worktops, countertops, vanity units, cubicles, and display-/shop systems is on the rise. Exterior: With the expansion of building activities worldwide and rising consumer preference for laminate flooring, there is a growing need for outside applications, such as balconies, facades, facade parts/soffits, furniture and signage, urban components, and orientation systems. Manufacturers intend to release resilient and digital laminates for use in wall panels and flooring. By End-Use Residential: During the study period, factors including rapid urbanization and rising purchasing power are predicted to drive the segment's expansion. Additionally, it is anticipated that the global housing affordability issue would lead to more residential buildings, which will encourage the usage of high-pressure laminates throughout the projection period. Commercial: During the projection period, the commercial category is anticipated to rise as a result of the expanding infrastructure development occurring around the world and the rising need for office space. During the projected period, the transportation segment is anticipated to rise as a result of rising automotive production and consumption, the introduction of electric cars, and rising demand for high-end vehicles. Ask for Customization: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/ask_for_customize/7743 Regional Insights The decorative high-pressure laminate market is dominated by the Asia Pacific region. Additionally, China is thought to be the Asia-Pacific region's largest market for decorative laminates. The region's dense population has boosted the need for cutting-edge infrastructure. Thus, the region's decorative laminate market is being driven by developing economies and quickly growing infrastructure. Due to the region's fast urbanization and increased disposable income, there will likely be an increase in the demand for home decorative laminates. The expansion of the APAC market will further by fueled by the surging investments in South-East Asia's growing economies, such as Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, and Myanmar, for the development of their infrastructure. The world's largest manufacturer and user of decorative laminates is China. In comparison to other areas, Asia-Pacific has a comparatively strong demand for decorative laminates. The market for decorative high-pressure laminates is expanding as a result of Latin America's expanding building sector. Because of how the population is expanding, the building sector is expanding. The government's large investments in the Middle East and Africa have been a key factor in the rise of primary construction. The nation also wants to increase tourism, as seen by the numerous hotel developments that have been going up in recent years. The demands of the nation's construction sector are therefore anticipated to be greatly impacted by such development initiatives. Therefore, these elements are fueling this region's demand for decorative high-pressure laminates. Discover more research Reports on Chemical Industry , by Market Research Future: Paper Dry Strength Agents Market : Information by Type (Polyvinyl Amine, Polyacrylamide, Glyoxalated Polyacrylamide, Starch Based Polymers, Amphoteric Polymers and Others, by Application (Printing, Kraft Paper, Containerboard, Duplex Board and Others), by End User (Paper, Paperboard and Others), by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Middle East & Africa)Forecast till 2030 Diisopropylbenzene Market Information - by isomers (o-Diisopropylbenzene, m-Diisopropylbenzene, and p-Diisopropylbenzene), by Application (Stabilizers, Polymers, Synthetic Lubricants, Hydroperoxides, and Others), and by Region - Forecast till 2030 Hydraulic Fluid Market Research Report Information by Base Oil (Mineral Oil, Synthetic Oil), By Application (OEM, Mining Equipment), And by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, And Rest of The World) Market Forecast Till 2030 About Market Research Future: Market Research Future (MRFR) is a global market research company that takes pride in its services, offering a complete and accurate analysis with regard to diverse markets and consumers worldwide. Market Research Future has the distinguished objective of providing the optimal quality research and granular research to clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help answer your most important questions. FREMONT, Calif., April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The LoRa Alliance, the global association of companies backing the open LoRaWAN standard for the internet of things (IoT) low-power wide-area networks (LPWANs), today showcased how LoRaWAN has become the market leader driving industrial evolution to Industry 5.0 globally. Industry 5.0 builds on Industry 4.0 by incorporating the human element, guided largely by environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives that seek to strengthen sustainability, efficiency and quality of life for the worlds citizens. The LoRa Alliance ecosystem delivers end-to-end solutions across the value chain, which enable holistic digital transformationencompassing technology, data, new workflows, and operational realignmentsneeded to achieve industry 5.0s objectives. Over the past few years, the LoRa Alliance has demonstrated how LoRaWAN supports people, planet and profit. These concepts are fundamental to the ideas of Industry 5.0, which aims beyond efficiency and productivity as the sole goals and reinforces the role and the contribution of industry to society with more human-machine collaboration and human-centric solutions, said Donna Moore, CEO and chairwoman of the LoRa Alliance. Globally, businesses are recognizing that achieving business goals takes more than operational improvements, people and technology must work together to bring about change. LoRaWAN has taken a leadership position in this arena with millions of deployments that ultimately focus on increasing sustainability and improving quality of life. The evolution to Industry 5.0 is not possible without the use of open standards, backed by a strong ecosystem that offers choice of vendors and endless innovation. This is also why so many organizations worldwide are adopting the LoRaWAN standard to drive their holistic digitization initiatives. Some of the trends driving Industry 5.0 include: The growth of governmental regulations for monitoring to ensure safety, such as New York Citys requirements to monitor for gas leaks. Using LoRaWAN for real-time monitoring has accelerated shut off times by 6X, according to LoRa Alliance members Senet and ProSentry, saving lives and property. A rapid increase in P&C insurance premiums, reported to be more than 300% since 2017. Water damage claims are the single largest category of losses contributing to rate increases, accounting for $300B in global water claims annually. This is leading insurers to transition to a prevention mindset, encouraging building owners and operators to adopt leak detection technology. LoRa Alliance member Kairos reports that its LoRaWAN flexible leak detection sensors have eliminated water claims for more than 8,000 apartment units since installation and achieved a 6-month ROI on average for asset owners following system installation. The need for residents privacy is also driving LoRaWAN adoption in residential buildings, as it allows for facility monitoring and optimization without capturing or transmitting any personally identifiable information. Beecham Research is constantly conducting surveys and one-on-one interviews with IoT users and suppliers, said Robin Duke-Woolley, CEO and Chief Analyst, Beecham Research. These are consistently showing LoRaWAN as the rapidly rising star for LPWAN sensor deployments in the smart cities, buildings and utilities sectors and also gaining ground rapidly in manufacturing, agriculture, and other high priority sectors. The value that LoRaWAN brings as an open standard makes it inherently agile and encourages innovation across industries. LoRaWANs strengthsopen standard, strong security, low power, battery-operated, long-distance transmission, low capital and operating expensemake it the leading LPWAN for IoT and the natural choice for Industry 5.0, added Moore, Massive LoRaWAN deployments pave the way to meeting ESG goals and adoption of Industry 5.0. Recent industry developments and large-scale deployments include: Sigfox owner Unabiz to utilize global LoRaWAN networks via partnerships with LoRa Alliance members Actility, LORIOT, The Things Industries and Senet Nova Labs collaborations with multiple members to integrate Helium Network as a roaming solution and expand global LoRaWAN connectivity for all network operators, including announcements with Actility and Senet LoRaWAN industry leaders, including: Everynet LoRaWAN connectivity is now available through AWS IoT Core for LoRaWAN, giving Amazon Web Services (AWS) customers the ability to connect devices seamlessly to the cloud, at scale and without the cost of deploying and managing their own network infrastructure Microsofts Azure IoT Edge LoRaWAN Starter Kit for connectivity to Azure IoT Hub Netmore announced plans to implement large-scale LoRaWAN networks in France, Spain, Poland and the Netherlands, and has joined the LoRa Alliance board of directors MultiTech has partnered with a major automotive company to implement LoRaWAN on the manufacturing floor for predictive maintenance on a fleet of Autonomous Guided Vehicles Minol ZENNER Connect is experiencing strong growth in countries implementing the EU Energy Efficiency Directive, which requires, among other things, that utilities and real estate companies transmit consumption data to consumers and tenants throughout the year so they can monitor and adjust their consumption patterns. Currently they operate more than 70,000 gateways with over 4,800,000 sensors in 5,800 cities in 12 countries and getting more day by day. Senet and Telli Health have launched the first remote patient monitoring (RPM) hardware powered by LoRaWAN, allowing providers to reach more patients in remote and underserved areas such as indigenous communities worldwide boosting healthcare equity and inclusivity Recent LoRaWAN deployments that specifically support sustainability: 140,000 Abeeway trackers on factory workers in an industrial city in the region Jharkhand, India (partnership with one of the largest conglomerates in India) The Things Industries and Connexin have collaborated to create a hybrid network model in Severn Trent, UK, to connect 150,000 LoRaWAN Itron water meters for real-time water usage data and just-in-time water leak detection. Milesight is providing Quebecs schools with air quality monitoring, with nearly 50,000 sensors transmitting to 2600 gateways, transmitting more than 7 million messages daily over LoRaWAN 360,000 smart water meters deployed by Netmore in Yorkshire, UK 23,000 PipeBurst Pro WT500 wireless water sensors deployed in the US by Greenfield Direct Moore continued: The value that the worlds largest brands bring to our organization is second to none. Im proud to include Minol ZENNER Connect and Netmore Group on that list and welcome Zenner USAs president, Rich Sanders, and Netmores CEO, Ove Anebygd to the LoRa Alliance Board of Directors. I look forward to their strategic leadership on the Board of Directors and their companies support in driving the alliance and LoRaWAN technology forward. It is an immense opportunity and honor for Zenner to be seated on the board of directors of the LoRa Alliance, said Rich Sanders, president of Zenner USA. The open LoRaWAN standard will force industries away from proprietary standards, which make products more expensive and cumbersome to work with for customers who want to automate. Providing an open standard also pushes competition within any industry to be more competitive and customer focused. Across all our businesses, LoRaWAN has been a major part of our ability to provide advanced, low-cost, leading-edge solutions to our customers. As a company, we are committed to the success of the LoRa Alliance and as a board member we are engaged in helping achieve that success. "We are honoured and grateful for the opportunity to join the Board of Directors for the LoRa Alliance, an organization that has been instrumental in advancing the adoption of LoRaWAN technology worldwide, said Anebygd, CEO of Netmore Group. As a pan-European LoRaWAN operator with a strong commercial momentum, we are convinced that our position and our ambitions harmonize with the vision of the LoRa Alliance. A lot of important work has been done, while at the same time we believe that we can contribute to the technology being established around Europe to an even greater extent. We are committed to leveraging our expertise, experience, and resources to help drive the proliferation of IoT solutions that benefit the LoRaWAN ecosystem and communities across Europe. We have reached a moment in time where businesses have to change, there is no longer a choice of digitizing or not, concluded Moore. The evolution to Industry 5.0 is being driven by the tremendous headwinds the world is facing, including the global pandemic, supply chain issues, worker shortages, decaying infrastructure, financial crisis and more. This new industrial evolution that accounts for people, planet and profit is only possible with holistic digital transformation that looks at the bigger picture and finds ways to optimize businesses operations and the environment to achieve a sustainable future where the worlds citizens can thrive. About LoRa Alliance The LoRa Alliance is an open, nonprofit association that has become one of the largest and fastest-growing alliances in the technology sector since its inception in 2015. Its members closely collaborate and share expertise to develop and promote the LoRaWAN standard, the de facto global standard for secure, carrier-grade IoT LPWAN connectivity. LoRaWAN has the technical flexibility to address a broad range of fixed and mobile IoT applications and a robust LoRaWAN Certification program to guarantee that devices perform as specified. The LoRaWAN standard has been deployed by more than 170 major mobile network operators globally, with connectivity available worldwide. More information: lora-alliance.org LoRa Alliance, LoRaWAN and LoRaWAN CertifiedCM are registered marks. MEDIA CONTACT: Kiterocket Stephanie Quinn, LoRa Alliance PR +1 480 316-8370 squinn@kiterocket.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0dc06775-b389-4029-8c66-de17b81f54a9 Pune, India, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global blinds & shades market size was valued at USD 6.12 billion in 2022. The market is projected to grow from USD 6.44 billion in 2023 to USD 9.10 billion by 2030, exhibiting a CAGR of 5.06% during the forecast period. The most popular window covering categories globally, particularly in the North America and Europe markets, are blinds & shades. Due to their sleek appearance and superior capacity to control the amount of light entering an indoor environment, these window treatments are often selected over other coverings. Blackout items are becoming more popular everywhere. Global demand for blinds & shades is growing as more people (most notably in the U.S.) experience sleep-related problems and have a greater need to keep a considerable amount of sunlight out of the bedrooms. The rapid uptake of blackout window coverings will probably boost the blinds & shades market share globally in the coming years. Fortune Business Insights presents this information in their report titled "Global Blinds & Shades Market, 20232030." Get a Free Sample Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/blinds-and-shades-market-104636 List of Key Players Profiled in the Blinds & Shades Market Report: Hunter Douglas N.V. (Netherlands) Springs Window Fashions (U.S.) Insolroll Window Shading Systems (U.S.) Polar Shades Sun Control (U.S.) The Shade Store, LLC (U.S.) Decora Blind Systems Ltd. (Ireland) Norman Window Fashions (U.S.) Mac Blinds (India) Johnson Blinds (India) Vista (India) Report Scope & Segmentation: Report Attributes Details Forecast Period 2023-2030 Forecast CAGR 5.06% 2030 Value Projection USD 9.10 Billion Market Size in 2022 USD 6.12 Billion Historical Data 2019-2021 No. of Pages 169 Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Company Profiles, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors and Latest Trends Segments Covered By Type By Application By Region Regions Covered North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East and Africa Blinds & Shades Market Growth Drivers Increasing Adoption of Green/Environment-friendly Window Treatments to Drive Market Growth Rising Popularity of Smart Products to Favor Market Expansion Browse Detailed Summary of Research Report with TOC: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/blinds-and-shades-market-104636 Segments: Demand for Blinds Increased due to Rise in the Use of Hard Materials in Window Treatments Based on type, the market is divided into blinds & shades. During the course of the projected period, the blinds segment is anticipated to increase significantly. Blinds are typically more durable than shades because they are made from sturdy materials such as aluminum, wood, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In this regard, blind installations in high-traffic areas such as living rooms or corridors are on the rise. Players in the blinds market are likely to concentrate on creating fabrics made of non-toxic or natural materials due to fierce competition. Consumer Demand for Home Installation Products will Increase Due to Growing Popularity of Non-toxic Treatments Based on application, the market is segmented into residential and commercial. While curtains and drapes are more frequently used in home applications, particularly in Asian countries, blinds & shades are more frequently used in business settings. In comparison to owner-occupied homes, where faux-wood and real-wood window coverings are more prevalent, some product categories, such as metal and vinyl vertical and horizontal blinds, are more frequently used in rental housing. COVID-19 Impact: Market Expansion was Slowed Down by Severe Supply Chain Disruptions Caused by the Pandemic Due to a temporary slowdown in residential and commercial projects across countries brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain operations in numerous industry verticals have were disrupted, which had a detrimental effect on product sales. Robust distribution networks helped company owners lessen the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on their operations. For instance, the Indian company Mac Blinds, which makes blinds, has more than 100 dealers that specialize in distributing its goods all over the nation. Having a strong distribution network allowed the business to maintain its competitiveness throughout the COVID-19 crisis as well as expand its geographic reach. With the return of manufacturing and sales activities in many nations, the global market is anticipated to experience pre-pandemic sales trends in the coming years. Get a Quote Now: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/get-a-quote/blinds-and-shades-market-104636 Report Coverage: The report offers: Major growth drivers, restraining factors, opportunities, and potential challenges for the market. Comprehensive insights into the regional developments. List of major industry players. Key strategies adopted by the market players. Latest industry developments include product launches, partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions. Drivers & Restraints: Green/Environment-friendly Window Treatments are Becoming More Popular, which will Fuel Market Expansion The demand for environment-friendly coverings is expected to increase as green buildings become more and more popular around the world, greatly expanding the size of the global market. Li-ion solar panel was introduced in April 2022 by SOMFY, a French collection of businesses that makes garage doors, access gates, and motorized (wire-free) window shades & blinds. The manufacturer claims that as this product uses renewable solar energy and is made to require less maintenance than motorized window treatments, it is a greener and more sustainable solution. Prospective market participants will probably concentrate on creating innovative and maintenance-free window coverings in the near future, given the growing popularity of smart window coverings across the globe. On the contrary, the international blinds & shades market growth is hampered by the expanding availability and rising popularity of alternate window coverings. The primary product alternatives worldwide are drapes and curtains. The other primary international alternatives for these goods include shutters, window awnings, window quilts, and outdoor solar window screens. Regional Insights Owing to Established Reimbursement Policies, North America will continue to Hold the Largest Market In 2022, North America overtook Europe as the largest market. Some of the top manufacturers in the world that supply stylish, useful, and high-quality home furnishings are based in North America. Important market participants, such as Hunter Douglas N.V., concentrate on providing environment-friendly, energy-efficient window coverings in North America. Potential businesses can take advantage of the franchise opportunities provided by businesses such as Home Franchise Concepts, LLC (through Budget Blinds, LLC), a U.S.-based franchisor active in the home services sector, and Made in the Shade Blinds & More, another U.S.-based franchisor. Competitive Landscape Product Innovation can Help Industry Players Build Stronger Brands To further boost their competitive position, top companies have been introducing novel shades over the years. The Pirouette Clearview Shadings brand, for instance, was introduced by Hunter Douglas N.V. in July 2020. These contemporary blinds, according to the company, have been engineered to manage light while providing a nearly unhindered view of the outside. In accordance with consumer preferences, the manufacturer asserts that the Pirouette Clearview Shadings offer people complete privacy and an ideal view. Ask for Customization: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/ask-for-customization/blinds-and-shades-market-104636 Detailed Table of Content: Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Executive Summary Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities Key Insights Overview of the Parent Market Industry SWOT Analysis Supply Chain and Regulatory Landscape Fire Retardant Blinds & Shades: Trends & Recent Innovations Fire Retardant Blinds & Shades Market Snapshot Differences Between Pleated Blinds/Shades, Roller Shades/ Blinds, and Other Blinds/ Shades Ideal/ Preferred Size Requirements & Need for Black Out Blinds & Shades Material Preferences: Plastic/ Non-woven Fabric/ Woven Fabric Popular Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Activities/ Efforts Popular Blinds & Shades Trends in 2022 Major Machines Used in the Industry Market Analysis and Insights (in Relation with COVID-19) Impact of COVID-19 on the Market Supply Chain Challenges due to the Pandemic Potential Opportunities to Support the Market Global Blinds & Shades Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2019-2030 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Type Blinds Shades By Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Application Residential Commercial By Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Region North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa TOC Continued...! Speak to Our Expert: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/blinds-and-shades-market-104636 Key Industry Development: March 2022: A Swedish multinational conglomerate, IKEA, added two new blinds, Tredansen and Praktlysing, to its smart home range. The new products can lighten and darken the room based on remote adjustments. Read Related Insights: Window Covering Market Expected Worth USD 17.43 Billion by (2021-2028) | Window Covering Industry CAGR of 4.96 % Mattress Market Size Expected to Exceed USD 72.95 Billion by 2029 | At 5.36% CAGR Furniture Rental Service Market Worth USD 139.05 Billion by 2029 | Furniture Rental Service Industry Expected CAGR 9.6% About Us: Fortune Business Insights delivers accurate data and innovative corporate analysis, helping organizations of all sizes make appropriate decisions. We tailor novel solutions for our clients, assisting them to address various challenges distinct to their businesses. Our aim is to empower them with holistic market intelligence, providing a granular overview of the market they are operating in. Address: Fortune Business Insights Pvt. Ltd. 9th Floor, Icon Tower, Baner, Mahalunge Road, Baner, Pune - 411045, Maharashtra, India. Phone: US: +1 424 253 0390 UK: +44 2071 939123 APAC: +91 744 740 1245 Email: sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com Follow Us: LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter Dublin, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Asia-Pacific and Middle East NGS Market: Focus on Offering, Platform, Throughput, Technology Type, Application, End User, and Country Analysis - Analysis and Forecast, 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Asia-Pacific and Middle East NGS market was valued at $1,055.6 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach $2,370.7 million by 2027, witnessing a CAGR of 17.56% during the forecast period 2022-2027. The market is driven by factors such as the increasing adoption of NGS in various research and diagnostics fields, growing prevalence of non-communicable disorders, and advancement in the performance of NGS platforms. Market Lifecycle Stage The Asia-Pacific and Middle East NGS market is highly consolidated. This market still holds significant potential for growth as technological developments in NGS platforms and initiatives to integrate genomics in healthcare are ongoing. The opportunity for growth of the Asia-Pacific and Middle East NGS market lies in development of economical and portable technologies. Impact of COVID-19 Next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based products are widely employed in research and diagnosis of diseases such as cancer, as well as providing cancer patients with appropriate and individualized therapy. Because the market is dominated primarily by manufacturers of next-generation sequencing instruments, kits, and assays, as well as service providers that provide gene panels and testing services using next-generation sequencing for oncology, the pandemic had a negative impact on the market's revenue growth. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, next-generation sequencing (NGS) and analytics were increasingly employed for sequencing the SARS-CoV-2 virus, to track its mutations, and manage population health. For example, in October 2022, Kyrgyzstan began building next-generation sequencing capabilities for SARS-CoV-2. Leaders in this sequencing industry have predicted a greater push toward local manufacturing rather than its dependency on import activities. The pandemic revealed cracks in the supply chain, prompting Asia-Pacific and Middle East countries to strengthen local production of medicines where possible. Recent Developments in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East NGS Market In October 2022, the company introduced Revio and Onso - new sequencing systems; Revio is a long-read sequencing system that allows the sequencing of up to 1,300 human whole genomes per year, while Onso is a benchtop short-read DNA sequencing platform. The system enables scaling of the use of PacBio's HiFi sequencing technology for large studies in human genetics, cancer research, and agricultural genomics, among others. In September 2022, Illumina, Inc. introduced Illumina Complete Long-Reads (INFINITY) for human whole-genome sequencing (WGS). This resulted in a high-performance, streamlined, integrated method. Furthermore, the platform showed compatibility with all NovaSeq systems for the synthesis of thousands of long-read genomes every year. In September 2022, Illumina, Inc. introduced the first FDA-registered and CE-marked in vitro diagnostic (IVD) high-throughput sequencer, the NovaSeq 6000 Dx. The NovaSeq 6000 Dx is a versatile platform that provides the greatest levels of compliance while also delivering useful insights for patient care. In August 2022, Illumina, Inc. teamed with Minderoo Foundation and contributed $27.8 million to improve genetic knowledge of marine systems. This innovative collaboration used Illumina's NextSeq 2000 sequencing system to assess and understand marine life in seas. In April 2022, the company expanded its relationship with Genomics England, which is evaluating the therapeutic and scientific uses of full genomic analysis of cancer tumors using nanopore technology in an ongoing project. In March 2022, the company introduced CE-IVD marked Ion Torrent Genexus Dx Integrated Sequencer. This sequencer is fully automated, producing data in a single day. In January 2022, Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. collaborated with Genomics England, a company created to deliver the 100,000 Genomes Project to study PacBio's technology for the identification of genetic variants in cancer and rare disease cases. As part of the collaboration, Genomics England will re-sequence biobank samples collected during the 100,000 Genomes Project using Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc.'s long-read sequencing technology to identify additional genomic variants that are not readily accessible by short-read sequencing technologies. Demand - Drivers and Limitations The following are the drivers for the Asia-Pacific and Middle East NGS market: Increasing Adoption of NGS in Various Research and Diagnostics Fields Growing Prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases Advancement in the Performance of NGS Platforms The market is expected to face some limitations as well due to the following challenges: Dearth of Skilled Professionals in Middle East Countries High Cost of Installation and Maintenance of the Equipment Reimbursement and Regulatory Policies of NGS Key Market Players and Competition Synopsis The Asia-Pacific an Middle East NGS market is highly consolidated, with around six key players accounting for a vast majority of the market share. Key Companies Profiled BGI Group Illumina, Inc. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. Oxford Nanopore Technologies plc. Key Attributes: Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 217 Forecast Period 2022 - 2027 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2022 $1055.6 Million Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2027 $2370.7 Million Compound Annual Growth Rate 17.6% Regions Covered Asia Pacific, Middle East Key Topics Covered: 1 Markets 1.1 Market Outlook 1.1.1 Product Definition 1.1.2 Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria 1.1.3 Key Findings 1.2 Industry Outlook 1.2.1 NGS: Overview 1.2.2 Asia-Pacific and Middle East NGS Market: Overview 1.2.3 Emerging Applications of NGS in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East NGS Market 1.2.4 COVID-19 Impact on Asia-Pacific and Middle East NGS Market 1.2.5 Supply Chain Analysis 1.2.5.1 Key Entities in Supply Chain 1.3 Industry Analysis 1.3.1 Legal Requirements and Framework in Asia-Pacific 1.3.2 Legal Requirements and Framework in the Middle East 1.3.3 Genome Projects in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East 1.4 Market Dynamics 1.4.1 Impact Analysis 1.4.2 Market Drivers 1.4.2.1 Increasing Adoption of NGS in Various Research and Diagnostics Fields 1.4.2.2 Growing Prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases 1.4.2.3 Advancement in the Performance of NGS Platforms 1.4.3 Market Restraints 1.4.3.1 Dearth of Skilled Professionals in Middle East Countries 1.4.3.2 High Cost of Installation and Maintenance of the Equipment 1.4.3.3 Reimbursement and Regulatory Policies of NGS 1.4.4 Market Opportunities 1.4.4.1 Development of Economical and Portable Technologies 2 Asia-Pacific and Middle East NGS Market (by Offering) 2.1 Overview 2.2 Consumables 2.2.1 Asia-Pacific 2.2.2 Middle East 2.3 Equipment 2.3.1 Asia-Pacific 2.3.2 Middle East 2.4 Services 2.4.1 Asia-Pacific 2.4.2 Middle East 3 Asia-Pacific and Middle East NGS Market (by Platform) 3.1 Overview 3.1.1 Asia-Pacific 3.1.2 Middle East 3.2 Illumina, Inc. 3.2.1 iSeq 3.2.1.1 Asia-Pacific 3.2.1.2 Middle East 3.2.2 MiniSeq 3.2.2.1 Asia-Pacific 3.2.2.2 Middle East 3.2.3 MiSeq 3.2.3.1 Asia-Pacific 3.2.3.2 Middle East 3.2.4 NextSeq 3.2.4.1 Asia-Pacific 3.2.4.2 Middle East 3.2.5 NovaSeq 3.2.5.1 Asia-Pacific 3.2.5.2 Middle East 3.3 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 3.3.1 Ion PGM 3.3.1.1 Asia-Pacific 3.3.1.2 Middle East 3.3.2 Ion GeneStudio S5 3.3.2.1 Asia-Pacific 3.3.2.2 Middle East 3.3.3 Ion Proton 3.3.3.1 Asia-Pacific 3.3.3.2 Middle East 3.3.4 Ion Torrent Genexus 3.3.4.1 Asia-Pacific 3.3.4.2 Middle East 3.4 Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. 3.4.1 Sequel II/IIe 3.4.1.1 Asia-Pacific 3.4.1.2 Middle East 3.5 Oxford Nanopore Technologies plc. 3.5.1 MinION 3.5.1.1 Asia-Pacific 3.5.1.2 Middle East 3.5.2 GridION 3.5.2.1 Asia-Pacific 3.5.2.2 Middle East 3.5.3 PromethION 3.5.3.1 Asia-Pacific 3.5.3.2 Middle East 3.6 Other Companies 3.6.1 Asia-Pacific 3.6.2 Middle East 4 Asia-Pacific and Middle East NGS Market (by Throughput) 4.1 Overview 4.1.1 Asia-Pacific 4.1.2 Middle East 4.2 High-Throughput 4.2.1 Asia-Pacific 4.2.2 Middle East 4.3 Medium-Throughput 4.3.1 Asia-Pacific 4.3.2 Middle East 4.4 Low-Throughput 4.4.1 Asia-Pacific 4.4.2 Middle East 5 Asia-Pacific NGS Market (by Technology Type) 5.1 Overview 5.2 Sequencing by Synthesis 5.3 Ion Torrent Semiconductor Sequencing 5.4 Single Molecule Real-Time Sequencing 5.5 Nanopore Sequencing Technology 5.6 Other Technologies 6 Asia-Pacific NGS Market (by Application) 6.1 Overview 6.2 Clinical Diagnostics 6.2.1 Oncology 6.2.2 Infectious Diseases 6.2.3 Reproductive Genetics 6.2.4 Other Diagnostics Applications 6.3 Translational Research 6.3.1 Clinical Research 6.3.2 Agricultural Research 6.3.3 Other Translational Research 6.4 Other Applications 7 Asia-Pacific NGS Market (by End User) 7.1 Overview 7.2 Academic and Research Institutes 7.3 Clinical Laboratories 7.4 Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Companies 7.5 Other End Users 8 Asia-Pacific NGS Market (by Country) 9 Middle East NGS Market (by Country) 10 Markets - Competitive Benchmarking & Company Profiles 10.1 Competitive Landscape 10.2 Market Share Analysis 10.3 Growth-Share Analysis for Asia-Pacific NGS Market (by End User) 10.4 Growth-Share Analysis for Middle East NGS Market (by Throughput) 10.5 Company Profiles For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/7foh2x 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 Pune, India, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global heating appliances market size was valued at USD 51.38 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach a valuation of USD 53.25 billion in 2023. The market is expected to reach USD 67.58 billion by 2030 with a CAGR of 3.46% during the forecast period. Water heaters, ovens, cloth dryers, and others are the heating appliances which are used for cooking, water heating, and space heating. There is rising usage of such appliances in residential, industrial, and commercial purposes. Preference of restaurants for safer natural gas-fired appliances to create market opportunities. Fortune Business Insights shares this information in its report titled Heating Appliances Market, 2023-2030. Get a Free Sample Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/heating-appliances-market-106783 List of Key Players Profiled in the Heating Appliances Market Report: Hitachi Ltd. (Japan) Electrolux AB (Sweden) Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (South Korea) Panasonic Corporation (Japan) Robert Bosch GmbH (Germany) Haier Smart Home Co. Ltd. (China) Honeywell International Inc. (U.S.) LG Electronics Inc. (South Korea) Inductotherm Corp. (U.S.) Rinnai Corporation (Japan) Report Scope & Segmentation: Report Attributes Details Forecast Period 2023-2030 Forecast CAGR 3.46% 2030 Value Projection USD 67.58 Billion Market Size in 2022 USD 51.38 Billion Historical Data 2019-2022 No. of Pages 229 Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Company Profiles, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors and Latest Trends Segments Covered By Fuel Type By End-User By Region Regions Covered North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East and Africa Heating Appliances Market Growth Drivers Manufacturers' Provision of Innovative Gas-powered Appliances to Fuel Market Growth Growing Installation of Energy-efficient Heating Systems to Favor Market Expansion Browse Detailed Summary of Research Report with TOC: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/heating-appliances-market-106783 Segments Natural Gas to Dictate as it Produces Lower Emissions than Non-Renewable Fuels On the basis of fuel type, the market is segmented into natural gas, LPG, and propane/butane. Natural gas-powered appliances had the largest share as they produce lower emissions than non-renewable fuels and burns cleaner than other sources such as coal and other fossil fuels. The LPG segment growth is driven by the cost-effectiveness and demand in the hotels & restaurants. Residential Segment to Govern Due to Increasing Usage in Residencies Based on end-user, the market is categorized into residential and commercial. The residential segment is further divided into various product types such as space heating equipment, cooking appliances, cloth dryers, and gas water heaters. Residential segment is anticipated to dominate the market as residencies use gas appliances for their water and space heating needs. The commercial segment to have a considerable growth due to fast-paced infrastructure development requiring the adoption of heating devices in the industrial sector. Based on geography, the market is studied in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. COVID-19 Impact: Demand for Heating Appliances Affected Market Growth The COVID-19 pandemic led to the imposition of restrictions and social distancing norms. The challenges impacted the production and supply chain operations of companies such as Hitachi Ltd., Electrolux AB, Daikin Industries Ltd., and others. As a result, manufacturing and production of heating appliances (gas fuel-based) such as gas cooktops, gas heaters, and gas ovens suddenly stopped and retail store sales resulted in a decline in product demand. Get a Quote Now: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/get-a-quote/heating-appliances-market-106783 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. Drivers and Restraints Growing Number of Installations of Energy-efficient Heating Systems to Enhance Market Growth Growing number of installations of energy-efficient heating systems is anticipated to drive the heating appliances market growth. The demand for energy-efficient and cost-effective gas-powered appliances in households such as water heaters, dryers, cooktops, and others is driving the market growth. Additionally, there is shifting preference to energy-efficient gas-powered appliances from electric appliances requiring lesser repair and maintenance costs. The growing popularity of natural gas-powered heating products such as water heaters, ranges, and burners for various heating and cooking applications is set to propel market growth. However, shifting consumer preference toward electric appliances from gas appliances will limit the product demand. Regional Insights North America to Dominate Owing to Increasing Spending on Cooking & Baking Appliances North America is expected to have largest part in the heating appliances market share due to increasing spending on cooking & baking appliances by the millennial population and smart home accessories. Growing expansion of prominent boiler & heat pump manufacturers such as U.S. Boiler Company Inc., Superior Boilers Works Inc., and others to support the market growth. Asia Pacific is anticipated to have a considerable growth in the forecast period due to increasing demand for energy-efficient and innovative technology-based appliances. Governmental support for the installation of natural gas manufacturing facilities will increase the consumption rate of natural gas fuel-based appliances. Competitive Landscape Rinnai America Corporation Introduced a Full Line of High and Low Intensity Infrared Heaters The market players have been offering products that adapt to shifting customer shopping trends. In May 2021, Rinnai America Corporation introduced a full line of high and low-intensity infrared heaters, which are efficient and comfortable using innovative gas infrared technology. Rinnai's latest additions is set to help the company in its existing commercial and residential product offerings. The company introduced a series of slide-in ranges that make cooking more convenient and time-efficient. Ask for Customization: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/ask-for-customization/heating-appliances-market-106783 Detailed Table of Content: Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions Executive Summary Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities Key Insights Overview of the Related/Parent Market Industry SWOT Analysis Supply Chain and Regulatory Landscape Price Trend Analysis Macro and Micro Economic Factors Impact of COVID-19 & Recent Developments Global Heating Appliances Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2019-2030 Key Findings / Summary Market Size Estimates and Forecast By Fuel Type Natural Gas Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Propane/ Butane By End-user Residential Space Heating Appliances Markets Cooking Appliances Clothes Drying Water Heaters Commercial Space Heating Appliances Markets Cooking Appliances Clothes Drying Water Heaters By Region North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa TOC Continued...! Speak to Our Expert: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/heating-appliances-market-106783 Key Industry Development January 2023- Hintastica Private Limited started the manufacturing of heating appliances at its plant in Jadcherla, Telangana, India. The production facility covers about 6 acres and manufactures various appliances, including water heaters. Read Related Insights: Kitchen Appliances Market to Reach USD 210.80 Billion by 2027 | Kitchen Appliances Industry Striking CAGR of 3.7% Toaster Market Size to Reach USD 4.72 Billion by 2027; Rising Consumer Demand for Kitchen Appliances to Contribute Growth, states Fortune Business Insights Refrigerator Market to Reach USD 103.95 Billion by 2026 | Refrigerator Industry Striking CAGR of 6.3% About Us: Fortune Business Insights delivers accurate data and innovative corporate analysis, helping organizations of all sizes make appropriate decisions. We tailor novel solutions for our clients, assisting them to address various challenges distinct to their businesses. Our aim is to empower them with holistic market intelligence, providing a granular overview of the market they are operating in. Address: Fortune Business Insights Pvt. Ltd. 9th Floor, Icon Tower, Baner, Mahalunge Road, Baner, Pune - 411045, Maharashtra, India. Phone: US: +1 424 253 0390 UK: +44 2071 939123 APAC: +91 744 740 1245 Email: sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com Follow Us: LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter Dublin, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Minimally Invasive Spine Technologies Market - A Global and Regional Analysis: Focus on Condition, End User Analysis, and Country Analysis - Analysis and Forecast, 2022-2032" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global minimally invasive spine technologies market was valued at $3,180.9 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach $9,406.5 million by 2032, witnessing a CAGR of 11.45% during the forecast period 2022-2032. The growth in the global minimally invasive spine technologies market is expected to be driven by the rising preference for minimally invasive spine surgical procedures globally and increasing awareness among practitioners for simulation, training, and continuous medical education. Market Lifecycle Stage The minimally invasive spine technologies market is in the developing phase. The rising demand for minimally invasive surgeries and robotic-assisted surgeries and increasing synergetic activities within the spine surgery industry are some of the major opportunities in the global minimally invasive spine technologies market. Furthermore, some of the key trends going on in the market are the technological advancements in the field of medical surgery, such as the incorporation of AI, the shift of procedures to ambulatory surgery centers, and increasing synergistic activities. Impact of COVID-19 The demand for minimally invasive spine technologies witnessed a decline during the pandemic owing to postponing of elective surgeries and other non-urgent procedures. Most of the spinal surgeons' work was eliminated with the closure of elective surgery and outpatient clinics. It was crucial that emergency spinal care was provided throughout the pandemic, including the development of guidelines to help spinal surgeons properly handle patients. Furthermore, lockdowns and travel restrictions during the pandemic caused delays in the procurement of raw materials as well as delivery to end users. Recent Developments in the Global Minimally Invasive Spine Technologies Market In June 2022, NuVasive, Inc. opened its Singapore Experience Center for the Asia-Pacific region to support the company's growth and increase its global footprint. In April 2022, SeaSpine launched the Reef TA (TLIF Articulating) Interbody System. This new system is engineered to deliver an interbody to the front part of the spinal disc space with precision, with the aim of enhancing sagittal alignment and endplate support. The Reef TA Interbody System offers a variety of footprint and lordotic options, giving surgeons the flexibility to address specific anatomical requirements during the surgical procedure. In October 2022, Orthofix and SeaSpine merged as equals to form a leading global company in the spine and orthopedics industry. In July 2022, Medtronic plc received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its latest version of the UNiD Spine Analyzer, which includes a predictive model for degenerative spinal surgery. In October 2022, Captiva Spine entered into an exclusive strategic partnership with REMEX Medical for Spine Navigation and Robotics for the expansion of their product portfolio. Demand - Drivers and Limitations The following are the drivers for the minimally invasive spine technologies market: Increasing Incidences and Prevalence of Spinal Disorders Increasing Preference for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgeries Technological Advancement in Minimally Invasive Spine Surgical Procedures The market is expected to face some limitations due to the following challenges: Lack of Well-Established Landscape for Reimbursement for Minimally Invasive Spinal Procedures High Cost of Capital Equipment Purchases and Disposables Lack of Training Leading to Shortage of Skilled Professionals Key Market Players and Competition Synopsis The companies that are profiled have been selected based on inputs gathered from primary experts and analyzing company coverage, product portfolio, and market penetration. Key Companies Profiled AMS Group Alphatec Holdings, Inc. Aurora Spine, Inc. B. Braun SE Boston Scientific Corporation Globus Medical, Inc. Johnson & Johnson Medtronic plc NuVasive, Inc. ORTHOFIX MEDICAL INC. Precision Spine, Inc. Richard Wolf GmbH Spineart Spineology Inc. Stryker Corporation Key Attributes: Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 183 Forecast Period 2022 - 2032 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2022 $3180.9 Million Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2032 $9406.5 Million Compound Annual Growth Rate 11.5% Regions Covered Global Key Topics Covered: 1 Markets 1.1 Global Market Outlook 1.2 Industry Outlook 1.3 Impact of COVID-19 on the Global Minimally Invasive Spine Technologies 1.4 Business Dynamics 1.4.1 Impact Analysis 1.4.2 Business Drivers 1.4.2.1 Increasing Incidences and Prevalence of Spinal Disorders 1.4.2.2 Increasing Preference for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgeries 1.4.2.3 Technological Advancement in Minimally Invasive Spine Surgical Procedures 1.4.3 Business Restraints 1.4.3.1 Lack of Well-Established Landscape for Reimbursement for Minimally Invasive Spinal Procedures 1.4.3.2 Factors Hindering the Implementation of Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgeries 1.4.3.2.1 High Cost of Capital Equipment Purchases and Disposables 1.4.3.2.2 Lack of Training Leading to Shortage of Skilled Professionals 1.4.4 Business Opportunities 1.4.4.1 Augmentation of Artificial Intelligence in Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery 1.4.4.2 Leveraging Synergies to Diversify Business Portfolio 2 Global Minimally Invasive Spine Technologies Market (by Condition) 2.1 Overview 2.2 Opportunity Assessment 2.3 Herniated Disc 2.4 Spinal Stenosis 2.5 Degenerative Disc Disease 2.6 Spinal Deformity 2.7 Spinal Fracture 2.8 Spinal Infection 2.9 Spinal Tumor 3 Global Minimally Invasive Spine Technologies Market (by End User) 3.1 Overview 3.2 Opportunity Assessment 3.3 Hospitals 3.4 Ambulatory Surgery Centers 3.5 Orthopedic Clinics 4 Global Minimally Invasive Spine Technologies Market (by Region) 5 Competitive Benchmarking and Company Profiles 5.1 Competitive Landscape 5.1.1 Key Strategies and Developments 5.1.1.1 Regulatory and Legal Activities 5.1.1.2 New Offerings 5.1.1.3 Mergers and Acquisitions 5.1.1.4 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Business Expansions 5.2 Company Profiles For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/14ywf 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 The Kaduna State Government demolished the hotel and revoked its Certificate of Occupancy in 2020 The Kaduna State High Court has nullified Governor Nasir El-Rufai's revocation of the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) of Durbar hotel, belonging to the family of a former Nigerian dictator, late Sani Abacha. The Kaduna State Government had in 2020, demolished Durbar Hotel and revoked the Certificate of Occupancy which led to a legal tussle between the government and the Abacha family. The counsel to the Abacha family, Reuben Atabo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), filed a case against Mr El-Rufai and three others at the Kaduna State High Court. He accused the government of unlawful demolition of the property and revocation of the certificate of occupancy. Those joined in the suit are Mr El-Rufai, the state's Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Kaduna State, Kaduna State Urban Planning and Development Agency, as well as Kaduna State Geographic and Information Service. Mr Atabo, in pursuant to Order 15 Rules 1 of the Kaduna State High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2007 and under the inherent jurisdiction of the honourable Court, dated and filed on 17 December 2020, prayed for an order setting aside and/or nullifying the purported notice of revocation of Certificate of Occupancy No. 177789 of thr hotel. He also prayed for an order setting aside and/or nullifying the revocation of the title of the Plaintiff/Applicant on 24 January 2020 by the defendants/respondents but received on 29 of January 2020 during the pendency of the action. Mr Atabo also prayed for an order to maintain status quo prior to the commencement of this action, and for other orders the court may find fit to make. Delivering the ruling on Tuesday, the Judge, Hannatu Balogun, stated that "having heard both Counsel, the oral application to stay hearing of the motion dated 17/12/2020 and filed on the same date cannot be granted because the matter in the Court of Appeal is an appeal against the grant of leave to amend the Plaintiffs' processes. "There is currently no stay of proceedings in this court, and the defendants appear not to be diligent in prosecuting their appeal while at the same time, they continue to disobey the orders of this court and also are trying to do acts that will prejudice the other side. The duty of this Court is to ensure that there is a level playing ground for all parties. "In the circumstance, the application to stay proceedings or adjourning this matter cannot be granted in the interest of justice and fairness. It is accordingly refused, and the business of the day shall proceed. "I have considered the application to adjourn this matter made again after the motion has been moved, and I agree with the Plaintiffs' counsel that the defendants have not shown bona fide. They have not denied the fact that there is tampering of the rest by them or others at their instance. "In the circumstance, since the application has bearing on the rest and the defendants have not deemed it fit to respond to the motion for over two years, there is nothing to show that the interest of justice will be achieved by an adjournment of this matter. The application for adjournment is accordingly refused. "Having considered the Plaintiffs motion of 17/12/2020 which is uncontested, I am of the view that the application has merit in view of the grounds of the application, the unchallenged affidavit and the exhibits annexed. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Legal Affairs By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "The Supreme Court and in deed all courts of the land have decried the use of self-help by litigants. It is the duty of the courts to provide a level playing field for all parties and not allow any side to use the judicial system side by side with self-help to the disadvantage of the other. "On the whole, I grant the Plaintiff's motion dated 17/12/2020 and nullify the purported Notice of revocation of Certificate of Occupancy No. 177789 in respect of Durbar Hotel and nullifying the revocation of the Plaintiff's title made on the 24/01/2020 and received on the 29/1/2020 during the pendency of this action. The status quo antebellum i.e. prior to commencement of this action shall be maintained by all parties, Mrs Balogun ruled. She adjourned the case to 4 July. NAPLES, Fla., April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intetics, a leading global technology company, announces the release of the latest White Paper, "ML Models: Exclusive AI/ML Knowledge for Business and Engineers. Powered by Intetics." Everything businesses need to know about AI/ML is packed in the exclusive comprehensive guide: top AI tools and resources, industry standards, authorities, and regulations, technology overview and current challenges, historical context, AI/ML market potential, ML algorithm's main types and five core steps for algorithms training, main applications and impact delivered, a step-by-step approach for assessing an organization's readiness for ML implementation. Over the next decade, businesses will either thrive or fail based on their adoption and utilization efforts of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). About 90% of enterprises are consistently making investments in these technologies, with 91.7% of them intending to boost their investments further. AI's reach will proliferate across all industries thanks to continued advances in data analytics, software, hardware, and the growing ability to scale these changes. Executive leaders must be ready to align business and technology teams, enhance organizational competencies, quantify benefits and risks, and identify use cases to adopt AI solutions. The latest White Paper lays a solid foundation for business owners to create a robust AI/ML adoption strategy from idea to implementation. It helps organizations define goals and objectives, develop a comprehensive roadmap, and set realistic project expectations. Following the latest AI tools and IT solutions in the market is critical to staying in the loop. The White Paper aggregates the list of most trusted resources and respected influencers, leading research teams, and organizations that have made significant contributions to the field and are focused on promoting responsible AI development. To ensure the ethical use of AI and ML and build stronger relationships with customers and stakeholders, explore best practices to avoid legal and reputational risks. There are effective strategies for responsible machine learning to make systems fair and transparent with privacy rights. One more crucial aspect of maximizing the business potential of AI/ML is examining current certifications like Google's CMLE and Microsoft's Azure AI Engineer Associate. Explore which skills and knowledge are necessary for success and attract top talent. The White Paper is a must-read for anyone interested in the commercial value of machine learning and its applications, as it allows to: get a bigger picture before getting started on the AI/ML journey, discover examples of successful AI/ML implementation by other businesses, assess the organization's readiness for ML implementation. Full exclusive guide to stay on top of trends and make a business ready is available by the link. 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. You can find more information at https://intetics.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/01b04d75-40b6-40f1-a7c4-f9a648601989 TORONTO, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Halcones Precious Metals Corp. (TSX V: HPM) (the Company or Halcones) is pleased to provide results from the exploration program at the Carachapampa project (Carachapampa or the Project). Carachapampa is located in the prolific Maricunga belt approximately 180 km northeast of the city of Copiapo with year-round road access (Figure 1). Drilling Highlights Hole CAR23-008 returned 1.09 g/t Au and 17.35 g/t Ag over 11 m from 81 m down hole at the Central Target including 1.53 g/t Au and 27.82 g/t Ag over 6 m. Hole CAR23-012 returned 2.75 g/t Au and 20.94 g/t Ag over 10 m from 79 m down hole at the Northwest Target. This is part of a broader mineralized interval of 1.3 g/t Au and 11.73 g/t Ag over 24 m from 73 m downhole. According to Ian Parkinson, CEO and Director of Halcones, These results are very encouraging, coming from a limited diamond drill campaign testing extensive targets. The program demonstrates that mineralizing systems have deposited significant gold within the property. These results provide a strong base from which to evaluate controls of mineralization on these previously unidentified targets and warrant persisting with further work. The alteration and mineralization observed in these drill holes, with silicification and development of vuggy quartz textures is precisely analogous to producing mines in the area. Halcones drilled 7 holes totaling 1,524 m, drill testing the depth extent of surface sample results announced in November 2022 (see press release dated November 23, 2022). Three of the seven holes returned mineralized intervals greater than 1 g/t over significant widths. Drilling was focused on shallow, near surface targets less than 75 m from surface (Figure 2 and 3). A complete summary of drill data is included in Table 1. Next Steps Assays have now been received from all seven holes. The Halcones exploration team is analysing these results before planning next steps for the Carachapampa project. Table 1: Assay summary Figure 1: Carachapampa project location Figure 2: Property map showing drill hole locations Figure 3: Cross sections for holes CAR-23-08 and CAR-23-12 Qualified Person The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. David Gower, P.Geo., as defined by National Instrument 43-101 of the Canadian Securities Administrators. About Halcones Precious Metals Corp. Halcones is focused on exploring for and developing gold-silver projects in the Maricunga Belt, Chile, the premiere gold mining district in South America. The Company has a team with a strong background of exploration success in the region. For further information, please contact: Vincent Chen Investor Relations vincent.chen@halconespm.com www.halconespreciousmetals.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, regarding the prospectivity of the Project, the mineralization of the Project, the Companys exploration program, the Companys ability to explore and develop the Project 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 Halcones, 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 Halcones 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. Halcones 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. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/032fe3de-7945-46b7-b2c4-9288a739e6e6 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ca933b03-00a7-43ea-819e-81d37f810837 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f0fad446-0013-4a0a-9503-1fb774518b07 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9780cd4a-1f2f-45d3-8509-f4a0f6e4f3a9 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1c704168-f37c-46cf-945a-ded4f621f729 English French MONTREAL, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Though we cannot see them, microbes have had a profound effect on our lives, humanity and the world. One need only look at the past three years to understand the toll a single, microscopic virus can take. The McGill Interdisciplinary Initiative in Infection and Immunity (MI4) was created to address threats to human health from COVID-19 to the dwindling effectiveness of antibiotics. MI4 has become a collaborative powerhouse, bringing Quebec expertise to the global stage. This month, MI4 celebrates its fifth anniversary. MI4 was created because we knew the next big pandemic was coming. There had been SARS, then MERS and Zika. We were putting up slides at talks showing the interconnectedness of the world via airplane routes and telling people that a pathogen in Hong Kong could be in Canada in one flight. When COVID-19 hit, our scientists mobilized immediately to reduce its impact. Today, we continue to work toward ways to lessen the impact of this and future pandemics. Dr. Marcel Behr, Director, McGill Interdisciplinary Initiative in Infection and Immunity In honour of its fifth anniversary, Vincent Chiara, Founder and President of Groupe Mach, a leader in Quebec real estate development, recently donated a generous $1.4 million to the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) Foundation for the work being done by MI4. Thanks to his support, MI4 will be able to mobilize top medical talent in the fight against infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance. MI4 is at the forefront of designing new life saving strategies and treatments to prevent a post-antibiotic world, being able to attract talented and up and coming clinician-scientists will ensure the MUHC continues to be a leader in life saving patient care. I am proud to support the McGill Interdisciplinary Initiative in Infection and Immunity (MI4) and their incredible work in fighting infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance. It is critical that we invest in research and innovative solutions to protect human health, and I am honored to be able to contribute to this important cause. We must be grateful for the dedication and hard work of everyone involved in this effort. Together, we can make a difference," said Vincent Chiara Founded in 2018, MI4 brings together over 250 researchers and 5,000 staff from a wide range of fields to find new solutions for some of humanitys deadliest threats: tuberculosis, antimicrobial resistance, COVID-19 and many more. An extraordinary $15 million gift from the Doggone Foundation to the MUHC Foundation and McGill University gave MI4 the start-up funds it needed to launch. Infectious diseases are among the greatest threats to humanity, and have been from time immemorial. Thanks to the generous support of all of our donors, MI4 is ensuring the most dangerous infectious diseases are treatable and survivable now and into the future. Heather Munroe-Blum, Co-chair, MUHC Foundation Dream Big. Solve Humanitys Deadliest Puzzles campaign The MUHC Foundation is proud to have raised $32M in support of MI4 through its Dream Big. Solve Humanitys Deadliest Puzzles campaign. This support has helped MI4 take on an unprecedented pandemic, and is now facing off against the growing threat of microbes that are resistant to antibiotics, and uncovering how the microbiome plays a role in our health. Antimicrobial resistance is fast becoming one of the greatest threats of our lifetimes. Modern medicine is built on the ability to control infections, and without them health care could be set back 100 years. We are incredibly grateful to our donors for supporting the critically important research of the new AMR Centre. Mark Smith, Co-chair, MUHC Foundation Dream Big. Solve Humanitys Deadliest Puzzles campaign The COVID-19 pandemic: MI4s first test Within months of the COVID-19 pandemic being declared, the MUHC Foundation had raised $7 million to support MI4s coronavirus research. With donor support, MI4 was able to launch over 50 research projects to create new tests and testing strategies, launch clinical trials of potential treatments, search for a vaccine, support marginalized populations, and undertake many more important projects that helped expand our understanding of the coronavirus. While government granting agencies fund promising research, it is philanthropy that drives innovation by supporting ideas that are on the cutting-edge of science. We are grateful to the Doggone Foundation, the Trottier Family Foundation, the Hewitt Foundation, Suzanne Legge Orr and Jeffrey Orr, Marc Parent, Power Corporation of Canada, Rio Tinto, Vincent Chiara, the Mike and Valeria Rosenbloom Foundation, Pfizer Canada and many more for their generosity. With their help, the MUHC Foundation will help MI4 have an even greater impact in its next five years. About the McGill University Health Centre Foundation The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) Foundation raises funds to support excellence in patient care, research and teaching at the McGill University Health Centre, one of the top university hospitals in Canada. Our Dream Big Campaign to change the course of lives and medicine is raising millions of dollars to solve humanitys deadliest puzzles: infectious diseases; end cancer as a life-threatening illness; fix broken hearts through innovative cardiac care; detect the silent killersovarian and endometrial cancersearly; create the best skilled health care teams in Canada; and much more. We are rallying our entire community to solve the worlds most complex health care challenges. https://muhcfoundation.com Tarah Schwartz Vice-President, Communications & Marketing McGill University Health Centre Foundation tarah.schwartz@muhc.mcgill.ca Kelly Albert Senior Communications Officer McGill University Health Centre Foundation kelly.albert@muhc.mcgill.ca A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d23b853f-de8b-4fcc-be19-4d6c909732e0 DALLAS, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Associa, the community management industrys largest company, is pleased to welcome Antonio Bruno to its inside sales team. In his new role, Bruno will work with local branches nationwide to help community partners maximize their relationships with Associa. This includes identifying the needs of potential clients in order to match them with effective solutions offered through the companys broad array of integrated services. At the same time, Bruno will work closely with local branches to help new clients seamlessly navigate the onboarding process. Bruno joins Associa with 26 years experience in B2B and B2C sales. This includes 20 years managing all facets of inside sales and customer retention. His expertise includes profit and loss oversight, budget forecasting, sales training, leadership development, lead generation, quality assurance and development of key performance indicators. Brunos background spans a wide range of industries, including advertising, cable television, private college recruitment, and home mortgages. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Justice Studies with a minor in Psychology from Arizona State University. Antonio brings a full scope of lead development, account maintenance and customer retention expertise to our existing sales operations, said Associa Vice President of Sales Leslie Baldwin, CMCA, AMS. His experience will very nicely supplement the capabilities of our existing sales team and help them reach their designated goals and objectives. 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. Stay Connected Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/associa Subscribe to the Blog: https://hub.associaonline.com/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/associa Join us on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/associa Attachment Dublin, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Polyurethane Sealants Market by Type (One-Component and Two-Component), End-Use Industry (Building and Construction, Automotive, General Industrial, Marine), and Region (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, MEA) - Global Forecast to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global polyurethane sealants market size is projected to grow from USD 2.7 billion in 2022 to USD 3.3 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 4.1%, between 2022 and 2027. The polyurethane sealants market is mainly characterized by two main types: one-component and two-component. Polyurethane sealants have significant use in building and construction, automotive, and general industrial end-use industries. Two types of polyurethane sealants are used for the auto refurbish application - a low-viscosity type with ambient temperature and a high-viscosity type with slightly warm temperature (40C), which has quick bonding performance due to high viscosity. One-component polyurethane sealants in small cartridges are used without paint primers for the auto refurbish market. Economic growth, rising population, increasing residential building activities, growing urbanization, and housing construction expenditure are the important drivers of the global polyurethane sealants market. One-Component segment is expected to account for the largest share in 2022 One-component polyurethane sealants are environmentally non-toxic. It has good chemical resistance and is resistant to hydrochloric acid, salt water, sodium carbonate, potassium hydroxide, and other chemicals. It is also safe and non-toxic when in contact with drinking water, and it is an environmentally friendly products. These sealants are allowed to cure in the presence of atmospheric moisture or in some cases, misted with water to speed up the curing. The curing takes place in a press at about 200C. Unmodified aromatic isocyanates (predominantly MDI) are employed as one-component sealants to manufacture oriented strand board (OSB), medium-density fiberboard (MDF), and particleboard. Building and Construction segment in end-use industry is expected to account for the largest share in 2022 Construction applications utilize polyurethanes' flexibility and elongation characteristics to seal concrete joints in commercial buildings, highways & bridges, and homes. Polyurethane sealants maintain a strong seal against moisture and air leakage despite the different coefficients of expansion for dissimilar building materials. The growing demand for commercial construction projects is driving the polyurethane sealants market in the building & construction application. Due to the European economy's decline in the last 2-3 years, the construction industry did not register significant growth. However, Turkey is emerging as one of the major markets for polyurethane sealants. Asia Pacific in polyurethane sealants market is estimated to register one of the highest CAGR during the forecast period The Asia Pacific is increasingly becoming an important region for global trade and commerce. The region is currently the fastest-growing and the largest market for polyurethane sealants. The European and North American markets are facing economic contraction and saturation while demand is increasing in the Asia Pacific. According to the World Bank, manufacturers of polyurethane sealants are targeting this region as it has the largest construction industry, accounting for approximately 40% of the global construction spending. The Chinese market for polyurethane sealants has grown rapidly and is projected to witness high growth during the next five years due to the continuous shift of the global polyurethane sealants production facilities to the country. India, Thailand, and Indonesia are also investing heavily in new construction projects, which is expected to lead to the growth of the market in these countries. Competitive landscape The top five manufacturers in the polyurethane sealants market are 3M (US), Arkema S.A. (France), Henkel AG & Company, KGaA (Germany), Sika AG (Switzerland), and H.B. Fuller (US). Key Attributes: Report Attribute Details Forecast Period 2022 - 2027 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2022 $2.7 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2027 $3.3 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 4.1% Regions Covered Global Premium Insights Emerging Economies to Offer Lucrative Growth Opportunities for Market Players Between 2022 and 2027 Two-Component Polyurethane Sealants Segment to Grow at Hgher CAGR Between 2022 and 2027 Demand for Polyurethane Sealants to Grow Faster in Emerging Countries Building & Construction Segment and China Accounted for Largest Shares in Asia-Pacific Polyurethane Sealants Market in 2021 India to be Fastest-Growing Polyurethane Sealants Market Between 2022 and 2027 Market Dynamics Drivers Pent-Up Demand for Polyurethane Sealants in Building & Construction, Automotive, and Consumer Sectors Rising Demand from Emerging Countries Technological Advancements in End-Use Industries Innovative Advances in Safety and Ease of Application Restraints Volatility in Raw Material Prices Opportunities Growing Demand for Low-Voc, Green, and Sustainable Sealants Economic Growth and Rising Government Expenditure on Infrastructure Development High Growth of Automotive Markets in Emerging Countries Challenges Established Infrastructure in Developed Countries Shifting Rules and Changing Standards Recessionary Effect on End-Use Industries Company Profiles Major Players 3M Arkema (Bostik) Sika Ag H.B. Fuller Company Henkel AG & Co. KGaA Basf Se Dow Inc. Mapei Asian Paints Limited Illinois Tool Works Inc. Other Companies Soudal N.V. Sel Dis Ticaret Ve Kimya Sanayi A.S. Pidilite Industries Limited Ems-Chemie Holding Ag Kcc Corporation Master Bond Rpm International Inc. Pci Augsburg GmbH Akfix Shenzhen Splendor Industry Company Limited For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/x3kfch 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 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FMW Media Corp.'s New to The Street announces signing a three-month media contract with ProStar Holdings, Inc. ("ProStar") (OTCQX: MAPPF) (TSXV: MAPS) (FSE: 5D00) ($MAPPF). New to the Street will produce and film interviews with ProStar's key management and broadcast each segment on television and other muti-media outlets/sites. New to The Street's TV anchors will talk with ProStar Holdings, Inc.'s CEO, Page Tucker, about the Company's Software as a Service (SaaS) business that offers digital precision mapping solutions under its patented flagship product: PointMan. Each show will air on New to The Street's syndicated televised outlets, Newsmax and Fox Business Network, and on Bloomberg as a sponsored program. The show's producers will create and design each ProStar's televised series to keep viewers informed and updated accordingly, bringing attention to business fundamentals and ongoing successes. New to The Street's social media team will share content, and all interviews will stream on the New to The Street website, www.newtothestreet.com. "We are very excited to start working with New to The Street to introduce our Company, ProStar Holdings Inc., to a new broader audience," stated Page Tucker, CEO/President. "I'm confident that the upcoming TV interviews and the supportive social media postings can inform the public about the Company's successes. I look forward to sharing ProStars vision and explaining how our flagship product - PointMan and our other digital solutions greatly improve the lifecycle management of critical infrastructure." ProStar offers end-users mobile cloud-based software that captures and records precise locations of critical underground utility and infrastructure data using GPS. Vince Caruso, the Creator / Producer of New to The Street, states, "I am excited to have ProStar Holdings, Inc. as one of our featured corporate guests on the show. Many Fortune 500 companies and governmental agencies utilize ProStar's services to manage and connect with real-time information about above and below-ground critical infrastructures. We look forward to each interview, explaining and educating our viewers about the growth, technology and innovations making ProStar a success." The New to The Street's broadcasted interviews about ProStar Holdings, Inc. will air on its syndicated platforms, Newsmax, Fox Business Network, and Bloomberg, as a sponsored program; dates and times on upcoming airings "To be Announced." About ProStar Holdings, Inc. (OTCQX: MAPPF) TSXV: MAPS) (FSE: 5D00) ($MAPPF): ProStar Holdings, Inc. ("ProStar") (OTCQX: MAPPF) (TSXV: MAPS) (FSE: 5D00) ($MAPPF) is a world leader in Precision Mapping Solutions and is creating a digital world by leveraging the most modern GPS, cloud, and mobile technologies. ProStar is a software development company specializing in developing patented cloud and mobile precision mapping solutions focused on the critical infrastructure industry. ProStar's flagship product, PointMan, is designed to significantly improve the workflow processes and business practices associated with the lifecycle management of critical infrastructure assets above and below the Earth's surface. ProStar's PointMan is offered as a Software as a Service (SaaS) and seamlessly connects the field with the office and provides the ability to precisely capture, record, display, and manage critical infrastructure, including roads, railways, pipelines, and utilities. Some of the largest entities in North America have adopted ProStar's solutions, including Fortune 500 construction firms, Subsurface Utilities Engineering (SUE) firms, utility owners, and government agencies. ProStar has strategic business partnerships with leading geospatial technology providers, data collection equipment manufacturers, and dealer networks. The Company has invested significantly in creating a vast intellectual property portfolio that includes 20 issued patents in the United States and Canada. The patents protect the methods and systems required to digitally capture, record, organize, manage, distribute, and display the precise location of critical infrastructure, including buried utilities and pipelines. ProStar's Executive management team has extensive experience in the management of both early-stage and Fortune 500 technology companies in the private and public sectors - https://www.prostarcorp.com/. About New to The Street: New to the Street is an FMW Media production that operates one of the longest-running US and International sponsored and syndicated Nielsen Rated programming television brands, "New to The Street," and its blockchain show, "Exploring The Block." Since 2009, these brands have run biographical interview segment shows across major U.S. television networks. The paid-for-television programming platforms can potentially reach millions of homes in the US and international markets. FMW's New to The Street / Newsmax televised broadcasting platform airs its syndication on Saturdays at 3:30 4:00 PM ET. FMW is also one of the nation's largest buyers of linear television, long and short-form paid programming - https://www.newsmaxtv.com/Shows/New-to-the-Street & https://www.newtothestreet.com/. Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer: This press release contains forward-looking statements within Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the following words: "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "ongoing," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "will," "would," or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. However, not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements do not guarantee future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at which such performance or results are achieved. This press release should be considered in all filings of the Companies contained in the Edgar Archives of the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov. CONTACTS: FMW Media Contacts: Monica Brennan monica@NewtoTheStreet.com 1-917-330-2564 "New to The Street" Business Development Office Support@NewtoTheStreet.com 1-516-696-5900 ProStar Holdings, Inc. info@prostarcorp.com 1-970-242-4024 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3b445132-1989-4ea8-864f-a6120455c876 New York, USA, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cloud-based Medical Records Management Market Overview According to a Comprehensive Research Report by Market Research Future (MRFR), Cloud-based Medical Records Management Market Research Report Information by Product & Service, by Application, by End User, and By Region - Forecast Till 2030, the Cloud-based Medical Records Management Market industry is projected to grow from USD 2.03 Billion in 2023 to USD 5.83 billion by 2030, exhibiting a CAGR of 14.91% during the forecast period (2023 - 2030). Market Scope: Medical records are significant papers that include private information about each patient's medical background. Medical records must be kept up-to-date and accessible so that doctors may access them whenever they're needed. It could be challenging for the doctor to give the appropriate therapy if the record cannot be located. The practice of keeping patient medical records electronically rather than on paper file systems has become more popular in recent years. Get Free Sample PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/11476 Report Scope: Report Attribute Details Market Size in 2030 USD 5.83 Billion CAGR 14.91% 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 & Service, Application and End User Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW) Key Market Drivers Increasing adoption of electronic health records (EHR) fuels market growth Improving infrastructure & rising adoption of healthcare information systems Cloud-based Medical Records Management Market Competitive Outlook Leading market players are investing a lot of money in R&D to broaden their product portfolios, which will spur further growth in the market for cloud-based medical records management. Moreover, market participants are launching new products, entering into contracts, acquiring companies, increasing investments, and collaborating with other organizations in order to expand their global presence. In order to grow and thrive in a market that is becoming more competitive and growing, competitors in the cloud-based medical records management sector must offer affordable products. Key Companies in the market of cloud-based medical records management market includes, Oracle Corporation (US) Epic Systems Corporation (US) 3M Company (US) McKesson Corporation (US) Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc. (US) Allscripts Healthcare, LLC (US) GE Healthcare (US) Canon, Inc. (Japan) Hyland Software (US) AthenaHealth (US) Cloud-based Medical Records Management Market Trends Market Drivers The expanding implementation of electronic health records (EHR), improved infrastructure, and increased acceptance of healthcare information systems are the main drivers of market growth. The use of electronic health records (EHR) has grown recently on a global scale. EHR adoption is being fueled by expanded government initiatives and physician acceptance of EHR. Moreover, EHR systems support healthcare professionals in effectively maintaining patient records. EHR adoption is fueled by the numerous advantages that EHR offers in medical evaluation, such as greater care coordination and better decision-making. The market for medical document management systems has been pushed by evolving healthcare practices as well as rising use of health information management systems and electronic medical records systems. The market for medical electronic document management systems has grown as a result of the rising adoption of health information management systems like the electronic medical record (EMR), health information management (HIM), radiology information system (RIS), and picture archiving and communication system (PACS). For instance, as the healthcare sector transitions to digitalization, electronic medical record (EMR) systems are growing in popularity. Since this system's introduction, which makes many workplaces paperless and provides protection for critical papers, there has been a rise in demand for it. Faster data searches are made possible by cloud-based medical document management systems, which offer greater file visibility than traditional server-based systems. It also lessens the necessity for employing a specialist who can operate these devices, which contributes to lowering total expenses. The majority of hospitals and clinics nowadays use cloud-based document management systems to keep track of their patient data since they provide a variety of advantages, such as quick access, little time commitment, improved security for important documents, effective workflow management, etc. Market Limitations Nonetheless, it is anticipated that worries about data security and privacy would impede the expansion of the worldwide industry. Browse In-depth Market Research Report (128 Pages) on Cloud-based Medical Records: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/cloud-based-medical-records-management-market-11476 COVID-19 Analysis: The market for medical document management solutions has experienced substantial damage from the COVID-19 pandemic. Companies can begin to apply solutions that can help us escape from the crisis specifically from document management. Because to the massive amount of data generated by COVID-19, various businesses are already offering new solutions based on electronic medical records. As a result, the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the expansion of the industry under investigation. Cloud-based Medical Records Management Market Segmentation: Product & Service Insights In 2022, it was anticipated that the market for cloud-based medical records management will be dominated by the services sector. This is a result of greater adoption of patient healthcare improvement strategies, such as safety, patient-centeredness, and effectiveness. Application Insights The market for medical records is anticipated to be dominant in 2022 and to see the fastest growth over the forecast period of 20232030. The doctor, patients, and other healthcare professionals can greatly benefit from the medical records that are offered by solutions. The benefits include encouraging workflow efficiency, providing flexibility and scalability, strengthening patient security, improving patient care overall, and finding patients who need preventive care. They also include improving communication and identifying patients who need preventive treatment. End User Insights In 2022, the hospitals and clinics category held the greatest market share because of the aging population, increased multimorbidity, and the strong desire for improved health. Also, the prevalence of chronic diseases throughout the world is boosting demand for cloud-based records management software, which is propelling the market's expansion. Cloud-based Medical Records Management Market Regional Analysis: The North American area is expanding as a result of crucial variables such rising comorbidity, high technology usage, and payers and providers using patient portals more frequently. Moreover, patient portals are becoming widely used by end users in the US and Canadian markets, including payers and providers. As compared to other geographical areas, the healthcare information technology sector in the nation is one of the most mature markets. As a result, in the United States, an enormous fraction of the population uses electronic medical records. Governments in the North American area have recommended hospitals and clinics to switch from paper medical records to electronic versions for improved patient data storage. Buy Now: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=11476 In 2022, Europe held the second-largest market share for cloud-based medical records management. It is anticipated that national adoption of digital health policies would encourage reforms to European regulatory frameworks governing the preservation of patient health records. The market for cloud-based medical records management in the UK is anticipated to develop at the quickest rate in the area of Europe, while the market for cloud-based medical records management in Germany is said to have the biggest market share. From 2023 to 2030, it is anticipated that the Asia-Pacific cloud-based medical records management market would expand at a high rate. The infrastructure for hosting databases on servers is extensively established in Singapore, Japan, Australia, and China. The emerging nations in the area offer potential for developers to work with national health agencies to digitize medical records. Also, the Asia-Pacific region's cloud-based medical records management market is predicted to develop at the highest rate in 2022, with China holding the greatest market share. Discover more research Reports on Healthcare Industry by Market Research Future: Medical Billing Market Share, Trends and Growth Analysis By Type (Professional Billing, Institutional Billing), Application (Database Management, Financial, Infrastructure, Operational) Process (Electronic Billing, Payment And Medical Billing Services) - Forecast Till 2030 EHR-EMR Market Information By Component (Software, Hardware), By Application (Specialty-Based and General Application), By Mode Of Delivery (Cloud-Based), By End User (Hospitals and Clinics and Ambulatory Care Centers) - Forecast till 2030 Healthcare Information Systems Market research report, by type (hospital information systems, pharmacy information systems), components (software, hardware), deployment (web-based, on premise), by end user (hospitals) - Forecast till 2030 About Market Research Future: Market Research Future (MRFR) is a global market research company that takes pride in its services, offering a complete and accurate analysis with regard to diverse markets and consumers worldwide. Market Research Future has the distinguished objective of providing the optimal quality research and granular research to clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help answer your most important questions. Fort Lauderdale, FL, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Drone Nerds has announced that industry leaders like DJI, Sony, Pix4D, Teal, and many more are joining its inaugural drone conference, the ElevateUAV Summit. The event will be held in Miami, FL, on July 26th-27th. The conference will feature keynotes and speaking sessions revolving around the latest trends and innovations around UAV technology, as well as sessions from thought leaders regarding the different ways drones are optimizing operations across several industries. As industries worldwide begin to leverage innovative drone technology, its important to showcase how UAVs are transforming workflows for more agile production, safer operations, and comprehensive decision-makingmany of the sessions will focus on drone applications within the agriculture, energy/utilities, public safety, and construction industries. As a premier industry event, the conference will connect drone manufacturers, developers, pilots, enthusiasts, and enterprises; early bird tickets are available now on elevateuavsummit.com The ElevateUAV Summit will be held on July 26-27, 2023 at the FIU Biscayne Bay Kovens Conference Center in North Miami, FL. Organizations or experts that wish to participate in the Elevate UAV Summit can connect with the event organizers at support@elevateuavsummit.com. ### About Drone Nerds: Established in 2014, Drone Nerds focuses on ensuring its customers have the right UAV solution for their unique operational needs. With its proprietary Always Flying program, Drone Nerds provides reliability and assurance for enterprise implementations across industry verticals, including public safety, government, agriculture, construction, energy, inspection, and more. For more information, visit enterprise.dronenerds.com. Attachment DENVER, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the Global Down Syndrome Foundation (GLOBAL) announced its affiliate, the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (Crnic Institute), has acquired a $950,000 state of the art Immune Monitoring Station thanks to Community Project Funding that Congressman Jason Crow (CO 6th District) secured as part of the Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations legislation. The Immune Monitoring Station will significantly accelerate the pace of research discoveries at the Crnic Institute as well as treatments that lead to improved health outcomes for people with Down syndrome. This equipment will be used to better understand how the chronic inflammatory state in people with Down syndrome predisposes them to multiple co-occurring diseases, said Dr. Joaquin Espinosa, executive director at the Crnic Institute. Thanks to Rep. Crows work, and the government advocacy of Michelle Sie Whitten and the GLOBAL team, Down syndrome research at the Crnic Institute can be completed a lot faster. Specific co-occurring diseases to be analyzed with the Immune Monitoring Station include transient myeloproliferative disorder, lymphocytic and myeloid leukemias, autoimmune thyroid disease, autoimmune skin diseases, celiac disease, seizure disorders, developmental regression, autism spectrum disorder, pulmonary hypertension, dysphagia/aspiration and Alzheimers disease. We are deeply grateful for Congressman Crows commitment and support for GLOBALs work to advance research that is transforming the lives of the amazing people with Down syndrome we serve, said GLOBAL President & CEO, Michelle Sie Whitten. We are proud to have the Crnic Institute, the epicenter of national and international Down syndrome research and medical care, right here in Colorado. The Crnic Institute Community Project Funding request made by Rep. Crow was also championed through letters of support from the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Association, Colorado Springs Down Syndrome Association, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Rise School, Easter Seals Colorado, Colorado Cross Disability Center and ArcThrift. The Crnic Institute and GLOBAL are advancing life-changing science that is elongating life and improving health outcomes for those with Down syndrome, said Rep. Crow. Im thrilled we are able to help them make important investments in their research infrastructure that will boost their efforts to better understand diseases like Alzheimers and solid tumor cancers and find new and better treatments. The Crnic Institute is the largest center for Down syndrome research in the world, with more than 50 research teams and 200+ scientists involved. In 2016, with support from GLOBAL, Dr. Joaquin Espinosa and his scientific team made the groundbreaking discovery that people with Down syndrome experience chronic immune system dysregulation. Due to this discovery, the Crnic Institute was granted an unprecedented NIH-funded clinical trial using FDA drugs that normalize the immune system in people with Down syndrome People with Down syndrome have three copies of chromosome 21 instead of two. Because of one extra chromosome, people with Down syndrome have a very different disease spectrum than others. People with Down syndrome are highly predisposed to certain diseases (such as Alzheimers and autoimmune disorders) and highly protected from others (such as solid tumors and certain types of heart attack or stroke). ### About Global Down Syndrome Foundation The Global Down Syndrome Foundation (GLOBAL) is the largest non-profit in the U.S. working to save lives and dramatically improve health outcomes for people with Down syndrome. GLOBAL has donated more than $32 million to establish the first Down syndrome research institute supporting over 400 scientists and over 2,200 patients with Down syndrome from 33 states and 10 countries. Working closely with Congress and the National Institutes of Health, GLOBAL is the lead advocacy organization in the U.S. for Down syndrome research and care. GLOBAL has a membership of over 100 Down syndrome organizations worldwide, and is part of a network of Affiliates the Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome, the Sie Center for Down Syndrome, and the University of Colorado Alzheimers and Cognition Center all on the Anschutz Medical Campus. GLOBALs widely circulated medical publications include Global Medical Care Guidelines for Adults with Down Syndrome, Prenatal & Newborn Down Syndrome Information and the award-winning magazine Down Syndrome WorldTM . GLOBAL also organizes the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show, the largest Down syndrome fundraiser in the world. Visit globaldownsyndrome.org and follow us on social media (Facebook & Twitter: @GDSFoundation, Instagram: @globaldownsyndrome). Attachments English French Press Release Description of the Share Buyback Program 27042023 PRESS RELEASE 04.27.2023 DESCRIPTION OF THE SHARE BUYBACK PROGRAM AUTHORIZED BY THE COMBINED GENERAL SHAREHOLDERS MEETING OF APRIL 27, 2023 AND DELEGATION FROM THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AT ITS MEETING OF APRIL 27, 2023 The General Shareholders Meeting of April 27,2023 renewed the authorization given to the Board to trade in the Companys shares. The following description was prepared in accordance with Articles 241-1 and 241-2 of the General Regulations of the French financial markets Authority (Autorite des marches financiers) and in accordance with the provisions of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 of March 8, 2016. Date of the General Shareholders' Meeting that renewed the authorization of the share buyback program The authorization for Kering to purchase its own shares under the share buyback program was granted by the Combined General Shareholders Meeting of April 27, 2023 (nineth resolution). The delegation from the Board of Directors was granted in its meeting of April 27, 2023. Number of securities and proportion of share capital held directly or indirectly As of April 27, 2023, the number of shares held by Kering, directly or indirectly, was 1,774,193, i.e., 1.43% of the share capital. Objectives of the authorized share buyback program The objectives of the share buyback program approved by the General Shareholders Meeting of April 27, 2023 are as follows: ensure the liquidity or support the secondary market of the shares through an investment services provider, acting independently pursuant to a liquidity agreement that complies with the Professional Code of Conduct recognized by the Autorite des marches financiers; or use all or a portion of the shares acquired to meet obligations related to stock option plans, existing free share grant plans, share grants pursuant to employee profit-sharing schemes and any other share grants to employees or executive corporate officers, including the implementation of company savings plans for employees and executive corporate officers of the Company and/or companies, in France and/or outside France, that are or will be related to it under the terms and conditions provided for by law, and to sell or grant shares to them in accordance with French or foreign laws and regulations; or allow the completion of investments or financing through the subsequent delivery of shares (in exchange, as payment or otherwise) in connection with external growth transactions, mergers, spin-offs or contributions; or deliver shares upon the exercise of rights attached to securities granting a right to the allocation of shares in the Company by redemption, conversion, exchange, presentation of a warrant or in any other manner; or cancel all or a portion of the shares acquired under the conditions and within the limits provided for by Article L. 22-10-62 of the French Commercial Code. Maximum proportion of share capital, maximum number, characteristics and maximum purchase price of shares and maximum monetary amount allocated to the program As of April 27, 2023, Kering's share capital amounted to 496,283,112, divided into 124,070,778 shares. The General Shareholders Meeting of April 27, 2023 set the maximum proportion of share capital that Kering may hold at any time at 10% of the number of shares making up the share capital, i.e., to date, a maximum of 12,407,077 shares. Given the number of Kering treasury shares held as of April 27, 2023, Kering could acquire 8.57% of its own shares. The maximum purchase price set by the General Shareholders Meeting is 1,000 per share, excluding acquisition costs, bringing the total maximum amount allocated to the share repurchase program to 12,407,077,000. Term of the authorization to repurchase its own shares The term of the authorization to repurchase its own shares is set at 18 months as from the General Shareholders Meeting of April 27, 2023, i.e., until October 28, 2024. Overview of the use of the previous authorizations to repurchase its own shares Under the previous authorizations to repurchase its own shares approved by the Ordinary General Meeting of July 6, 2021 (single resolution) and the General Shareholders Meeting of April 28, 2022 (fifteenth resolution), the Company repurchased 2.6 million shares between August 25, 2021 and December 15, 2022. These buybacks have been made under the share buyback program announced on August 25, 2021, and completed on December 15, 2022 with the aim of repurchasing up to 2.0% of the Group's share capital over a 24-month period. Of those shares, 1,050,000 shares have already been canceled, including 325,000 shares that were canceled in 2021. In 2022, Kering carried out the second, third and fourth tranches of the program, as described in the following table: Tranche 1 Tranche 2 Tranche 3 Tranche 4 Repurchase period From August 25 to November 3, 2021 From February 23 to April 6, 2022 From May 18 to July 19, 2022 From October 24 to December 15, 2022 Number of shares repurchased 650,000 shares, representing around 0.5% of the share capital 650,000 shares, representing around 0.5% of the share capital 650,000 shares, representing around 0.5% of the share capital 650,000 shares, representing around 0.5% of the share capital Average price of the repurchased shares 643.70 per share 578.71 per share 485.53 per share 511.71 per share Use of the repurchased shares 325,000 shares were canceled on December 10, 2021, pursuant to a decision by the Board of Directors at its meeting on December 9, 2021 325,000 shares were canceled on December 12, 2022, pursuant to a decision by the Board of Directors at its meeting on April 28, 2022 400,000 shares were canceled on December 12, 2022, pursuant to a decision by the Board of Directors at its meeting on July 27, 2022 The Board of Directors decided in its meeting of February 14, 2023 that the 650,000 shares repurchased in this tranche would be canceled by the end of 2023. Liquidity agreement Kering entered into a liquidity agreement that came into force on February 13, 2019 for a 12-month period and was renewed every year by tacit agreement. This liquidity agreement complies with the regulations relating to liquidity agreements and with the Professional Code of Conduct established by the Association Francaise des Marches Financiers (AMAFI), approved by the Autorite des marches financiers. An amendment to that agreement came into force on July 1, 2021, providing for the resources in the liquidity account to be reduced by 25 million. As a result, there was 25 million in the liquidity account on July 1, 2021. Open positions on derivative products As of April 27, 2023, Kering did not hold any call options on its shares. *** In accordance with Article 241-2, II of the General Regulations of the Autorite des marches financiers, during the implementation of the share buyback program, any significant change in any of the information listed in paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 above will be brought to the publics attention as soon as possible in accordance with the procedures set out in Article 221-3 of such General Regulations. About Kering A global Luxury group, Kering manages the development of a series of renowned Houses in Fashion, Leather Goods and Jewelry: Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Brioni, Boucheron, Pomellato, DoDo, Qeelin, as well as Kering Eyewear. By placing creativity at the heart of its strategy, Kering enables its Houses to set new limits in terms of their creative expression while crafting tomorrows Luxury in a sustainable and responsible way. We capture these beliefs in our signature: Empowering Imagination. In 2022, Kering had over 47,000 employees and revenue of 20.4 billion. Contacts Press Emilie Gargatte +33 (0)1 45 64 61 20 emilie.gargatte@kering.com Marie de Montreynaud +33 (0)1 45 64 62 53 marie.demontreynaud@kering.com Analysts/investors Claire Roblet +33 (0)1 45 64 61 49 claire.roblet@kering.com Julien Brosillon +33 (0)1 45 64 62 30 julien.brosillon@kering.com Attachment The sweepers say some of them earn as low as N5,000 a month. Women employed as street sweepers in Calabar Municipality and Calabar South Local Government Areas of Cross River State on Tuesday protested the non-payment of their stipends for about four months. The women, who protested at the entrance of the Governor's Office in Calabar, had placards with inscriptions such as "pay us our money," "we are tired of working without pay". Addressing reporters on the matter, the leader of the protesters, Nkoyo Effiong, 60, said they had not been paid for four months, adding that it was tiring. According to Mrs Effiong, "We are here to let the governor know that we have not been paid for four months now; in 2015, they refused to pay us for six months and now they want to go away with our four months salaries. "Some of us are paid N5,000 monthly, others receive N10,000 while those we call wreckers are paid N15,000 a month; we just want them to give us our money before they leave office," she said. On her part, Emana Cobham, another elderly woman, said they took so much risk in the course of sweeping the streets. Mrs Cobham said as early as 4.30 a.m., they were expected to be at their duty posts to sweep their portion, always a long stretch before day-break. "We have lost some sweepers to accidents, some have been raped while others have been robbed of their valuables, including phones," she narrated. This is not the first time street sweepers are protesting in Calabar metropolis over the non-payment of their stipends. In 2022, the workers, mostly in their 60s, took to the streets twice over similar treatment. Responding to their plight, the Commissioner for Information in the state, Eric Anderson, said: "I am aware of the situation but that is not my beat. You have to contact the commissioner for environment." The Commissioner for Environment, Nfon Bassey did not respond to calls and a text message requesting comment from him. AURORA, Ill., April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BERNINA is excited to announce changes within the organization as they continue to strengthen the well-known BERNINA and bernette brands. These internal changes have been designed to embrace the growth and opportunities for the premium sewing and longarm manufacturer. Bill Butler will transition from BERNINAs head of sales to the bernette Business Manager. In the new role, Butler will be spearheading bernettes growth across the BERNINA organization and their dealer networks. BERNINA welcomes Rebekah Hood as the new Vice President of Sales for BERNINA. Hood brings experience in sales marketing and product development within the crafting space and will oversee and lead the BERNINA sales team. Heather Grant will transition from Manager of BERNINA Education Programs to district manager. Grants focus will be working closely with the District Q dealers to grow BERNINA business. Christine ONeil, Director HR, has been promoted to Chief Human Resource Officer (CMRO). Christy Burcham, Director of Education and Training, has been promoted to Vice President of Education and Training. Michaelynn Rose, Director of Marketing, has been promoted to Vice President of Marketing. From welcoming Rebekah Hood to celebrating the promotions within our sales, education, and marketing departments, the changes within the organization are exciting, said Paul Ashworth, president to BERNINA. These individuals have been assets to BERNINA over the years and Im confident they will all continue the momentum for the BERNINA and bernette brands. ABOUT BERNINA BERNINA is the world's premier manufacturer of quality state-of-the-art sewing, quilting and embroidery machines, overlockers and embroidery software. Since being founded over 125 years ago, BERNINA has maintained a strong commitment to serving the creative community. This dedication threads through the Swiss precision found in every machine, the training and education available through our over 400 fully trained independent BERNINA Dealers and the endless tutorials and content shared on BERNINA's blog and social media channels. BERNINA products are designed for beginning to advanced sewists and priced to meet a variety of budgets, with new products being introduced every year. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f146925d-84fb-4743-89d4-847b40765894 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ebb36504-5acc-4ffb-9c9a-4e8fda145e53 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f574049d-413a-44b8-82e6-0e5a43c1d37c https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/24b5d6ab-9834-4d11-8397-be67b3fdc5d4 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ed8179ac-0ce6-4552-84d9-8f25e02ac568 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/781b2a99-64ef-42c7-bef9-4d8135dbd922 English French MONTREAL, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Midland Exploration Inc. (Midland) (TSX-V: MD) is pleased to announce the intersection of a new nickel-copper (Ni-Cu) occurrence during the first drilling program completed by Rio Tinto Exploration Canada Inc. (RTEC) on the Tete Nord property. Located near the town of La Tuque, Quebec, this property is currently wholly owned by Midland but is under option by RTEC since December 2021 (see Midlands press release dated December 2, 2021). Highlights: New Ni-Cu zone (Santos) 8 km north of the former Lac Edouard Ni-Cu mine; Significant Ni-Cu mineralisation intervals were encountered from surface to 79 metres. Varied textured gabbro representing multiple intrusions were encountered with mineralisation that ranged from weakly disseminated, net-textured to semi-massive; Drill intercepts grading up to 1.10% Ni, 0.71% Cu over 2.68 metres and 0.45% Ni, 0.18% Cu over 10.37 metres; The Santos zone remains open at depth and is accompanied by an off-hole anomaly; 510 additional claims were staked. Santos : A new Ni-Cu zone in drill hole Drill hole MDLD0015, which was designed to test a VTEM anomaly, and an off-hole anomaly detected in drill hole MDLD0009, intersected, from 14 metres to 80 metres downhole depth, several layers with Ni-Cu mineralization within altered gabbro horizons. From 20.11 to 22.79 metres, the drill hole intersected 1.10% Ni and 0.71% Cu over 2.68 metres. A little further down, from 33.02 to 43.39 metres, a mineralized interval graded 0.45% Ni and 0.18% Cu over 10.37 metres. These mineralized gabbro zones generally exhibit net-textured and disseminated sulphides and alternate with metre-scale barren gabbro layers. Geochemical treatment to determine the affinity of the various units intersected is also in progress. This new Ni-Cu mineralized Santos zone is regionally well located along a North-South structure 8 km North of the former Lac Edward Ni-Cu mine. The best mineralized intervals intersected in drill hole MDLD0015 are summarized in the table below. Drillhole MDLD0015 From (m) To (m) Width (m) WtAve Ni% WtAve Cu% 14.26 15.75 1.49 0.52 0.18 20.11 22.79 2.68 1.10 0.71 29.67 31.40 1.73 0.30 0.11 33.02 43.39 10.37 0.45 0.18 58.19 64.01 5.82 0.41 0.15 66.86 71.25 4.39 0.33 0.13 73.57 78.72 5.15 0.36 0.13 The results of electromagnetic surveys conducted on surface and in drill hole indicate the presence of an unexplained conductor plunging to the southeast. The Santos zone thus remains entirely open in that direction. A geophysical gravity survey is currently underway and drilling to follow up on this new discovery is expected to resume in July 2023. Ni-Cu intercepts on Savane During this initial drilling program, sixteen (16) drill holes totalling 3,450 metres were completed to test a series of VTEM targets identified during the 2022 survey. Final assay results are still pending for ten (10) drill holes. Among these, in the vicinity of the Savane showing, drill hole MDLD0001 intersected an interval grading 1.07% Ni and 0.13% Cu over 0.78 metre, from 101.87 to 102.65 metres, associated with a mineralized pyroxenite horizon. Several other metre-scale intervals also yielded anomalous Ni-Cu values in drill holes MDLD0001 and MDLD0002. Following geochemical treatment, the majority of Savane pyroxenites show geochemical affinity with mafic-ultramafic cumulate rocks based on Cr, Ni and Ti values, a strong indication of a dynamic conduit system and promising for Ni-Cu mineralisation. Map designation of 510 additional claims toward the northeast Following this new Ni-Cu discovery at Santos, a total of 510 additional claims were map designated to consolidate the Tete Nord property toward the northeast. This brings the total number of claims subject to the partnership with RTEC to 1,286 claims covering a surface area of approximately 746 square kilometres. About the Tete Nord Ni-Cu property The Tete Nord property covers mafic and ultramafic rocks of the La Bostonnais Complex north of La Tuque, which hosts the former Lac Edouard mine that historically produced 50,000 tonnes grading 1.50% Ni and 0.50% Cu (Source: SIGEOM NTS sheet 31P09). This property hosts a few mineral occurrences, including the Savane showing located approximately 25 kilometres south of the former Lac Edouard mine. This Ni-Cu showing was discovered by prospecting in 1995 when grab samples collected in a pyroxenite yielded historical values of 1.80% Ni and 0.20% Cu. Another grab sample from a subcropping boulder also yielded grades of 1.98% Ni and 0.46% Cu about 250 metres north of the Savane showing (Source: SIGEOM NTS sheet 31P07; GM55352). Cautionary statements: Note that grab sample grades may not be representative of mineralized zones. The true thickness of reported intervals cannot be determined with the information currently available; intervals are thus reported in core length. Mineralization occurring at the former Lac Edouard mine is not necessarily indicative of mineralization that may be found on the Tete Nord property held by Midland. Quality Control Drill core samples were sent to ALS Thunder Bay for preparation and ALS Vancouver for analysis. Samples were prepared by the RIORCK package where the entire sample is crushed to 70% less than 2mm using a Boyd crusher-splitter combination, then 1kg of material is pulverized to better than 85% passing 75 microns. This method includes between-sample washes on both the crushers and pulverizers. The samples were analyzed for a full element suite using lithium borate fusions (ME-ICP06 and ME-MS81), four acid and aqua regia digestions (ME-MS61L) and ME-MS41L), S and C by induction furnace (ME-IR08) and Au-Pt-Pd by an ultralow detection 30g fire assay (PGM-MS23L). The MDLD0015 batch of 114 samples included 8 CRMs and 13 blanks, and 4 core duplicates for a QC insertion rate of 28%. The certified reference materials were in-house standards CL-LG, CL-HG and EA-M, all independently manufactured and independently certified. ALS included laboratory QC of a range of blank and CRM materials, and 16 RTX samples were analyzed twice as pulp duplicates. About Midland Midland targets the excellent mineral potential of Quebec to make the discovery of new world-class deposits of gold and critical metals. Midland is proud to count on reputable partners such as RTEC, BHP Canada Inc., Barrick Gold Corp., Wallbridge Mining Company Ltd, Probe Gold Inc., Agnico Eagle Mines Limited, Osisko Development Corp., SOQUEM Inc., Brunswick Exploration Inc., Nunavik Mineral Exploration Fund, and Abcourt Mines Inc. Midland prefers to work in partnership and intends to quickly conclude additional agreements in regard to newly acquired properties. Management is currently reviewing other opportunities and projects to build up the Corporation portfolio and generate shareholder value. This press release was prepared by Mario Masson. P.Geo., VP Exploration for Midland and Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. For further information, please consult Midlands website or contact: Gino Roger, President and Chief Executive Officer Tel.: 450 420-5977 Fax: 450 420-5978 Email: info@midlandexploration.com Website: https://www.midlandexploration.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. This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to vary materially from targeted results. Such risks and uncertainties include those described in Midlands periodic reports including the annual report or in the filings made by Midland from time to time with securities regulatory authorities. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0e596460-de66-4f83-9fd4-9e5efb053566 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8e817584-aa6c-48ab-bdfc-38f6180d79e8 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a98592d5-a5b9-49bd-aec3-83a429f52cb3 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6b5d358b-090a-489a-8bcd-0e542bcf666e https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3f4fb085-8a91-4728-8aeb-cd197c8bccc3 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7954d507-6ac2-41ee-87cb-14637d38b5b0 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/96e0f4ce-afdc-4ef6-88dd-e1dd0e38a205 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6fce00e6-21dc-4c39-87eb-86c563d8a6e5 TORONTO, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Petrolympic Ltd. (TSX.V:PCQ) (OTC:PCQRF) (the Company) is pleased to provide an update on its geophysical program in the Rayon dOr and Vauquelin Property (the Property). The Property consists of 37 mining claims totaling of 2,129 hectares located 30 km east of the city of Val-dOr, Quebec, on the eastern extension of the world-famous Cadillac Break within the Val-dOr Mining Camp. Figure 1: General location of the Rayon dOr and Vauquelin Property within the Val-dOr Mining Camp. https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7580b6a4-c44c-44ff-b50d-128826ebc084 In February and March 2023, Magnetic and Induced Polarization (IP) geophysical surveys carried out on grid lines established on Gueguen Lake (Grid 2, Figure 2) allowed to link the mineralized structures hosting the Rayon dOr deposit with numerous anomalies detected during the IP survey carried out in 2022 east of Gueguen Lake (Grid 1, Figure 2). These IP geophysical surveys allowed the interpretation of 33 polarization anomalies with axes oriented E-W to NW-SE and extending over 1 km. IP anomalies correspond to mineralized structures containing quartz-carbonate veins and disseminated sulphides. Mineralized structures are locally cut and slightly displaced by NNE faults that were interpreted on the western and eastern edges of Gueguen Lake. Figure 2: Location of IP grid surveys and biogeochemical samples in the Rayon dOr and Vauquelin Property. https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/aef8d881-a4b5-4308-8b6b-00c006702f10 One of the best anomalies (IPG-25) was detected on the Rayon d'Or showing where previous drilling returned at shallow depth intersections of 12.74 g/t Au over 3.96m, 3.83 g/t Au over 3.08m and 3.37 g/t Au over 3.44m. A similar subparallel anomaly (IPG-26) was detected 150m farther south and those two parallel axes extend southeast over a distance of approximately 1 km, toward the SE extension of the deformation corridor that includs the Rayon dOr gold bearing structure. At the southeastern end of the IPG-25 anomaly, a previous hole drilling (82-6) confirmed gold occurrence associated with those structures as it intersected, at a vertical depth of approximately 100m, a mineralized zone that returned anomalous gold values over 10m including an intersection of 2.06 g/t Au on 1.83m. Two similar anomalies (IPG-4 and IPG-3) detected east of Gueguen Lake during the first survey (Grid 1) coincide with the same mineralized structure extended approximately another 1 km up to the eastern boundary of the survey. Gold bearing structures initially discovered on the Rayon d'Or showing have been traced using IP surveys over a distance of more than 2 km. Farther east, Copper, Zinc and Gold geochemical anomalies located by the 2022 biogeochemical survey are suggesting that those auriferous mineralized structures may extend farther into the eastern half of the Vauquelin Property. North of Rayon d'Or, two east-west trending anomalies (IPG-22 and IPG-24) were detected that extend over distances of 600m and 400m respectively. These anomalies coincide with mineralized structures wedged between two NE faults and deserve further investigation. Three parallel anomalies (IPG-30, IPG-31 and IPG-32) detected at the southern end of Gueguen Lake may correspond to gold mineralized structures similar to the North #1 and the Central Gold zones located a few hundred meters to the south of the Property (Figure 2). This geophysical program has allowed to define on the Vauquelin Property a structural context comprising several deformation corridors which are favorable to the presence of gold mineralization, as evidenced by the gold mineralization previously defined by drilling on the Rayon d'Or gold zone. This structural context is similar to that of the Chimo mine owned by Cartier Resources and located less than 5 km south of Vauquelin (Figure 1). Like on the Vauquelin Property, mineralization at the Chimo mine includes numerous gold zones associated with structures present in three deformation corridors (Cartier Resources web site). As the IP surveys have given very interesting results by locating numerous continuous anomalies over large distances, a drilling program will be prepared to investigate the best targets defined in the most promising deformation corridor. Qualified Person Alain-Jean Beauregard, B. Sc., P. Geo. (OGQ # 227), is the Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the geological information reported in this news release. Mr. Beauregard is independent from the Company. For further information please contact: Mendel Ekstein President Tel. 845-656-0184 Fax 845-231-6665 82 Richmond St East Toronto, ON M5C 1P1 This news release contains information about adjacent properties on which the Company has no right to explore or mine. Readers are cautioned that mineral deposits on adjacent properties are not indicative of mineral deposits on the Company's properties. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATIONS SERVICES PROVIDER HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION Certain information contained or incorporated by reference in this press release, including any information regarding the proposed acquisition, constitutes "forward-looking statements." All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, geological and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. 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. Known and unknown factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include but are not limited to: economic and global market impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, fluctuations in market prices, exploration and exploitation successes, continued availability of capital and financing, changes in national and local government legislation, taxation, controls, regulations, expropriation or nationalization of property and general political, economic, market or business conditions. Many of these uncertainties and contingencies can affect our actual results and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements made by, or on behalf of, us. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release, or incorporated by reference, are qualified by these cautionary statements. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements. Vancouver, April 27, 2023 - Defiance Silver Corp. (TSXV: DEF) (OTCQX: DNCVF) (WKN: A1JQW5) ("Defiance" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it will be participating in the Deutsche Goldmesse, which will take place on May 5th and 6th at The Westin Grand Frankfurt. Members of the Defiance Silver Corp. management will be taking meetings throughout the day, and also present at 1:30 PM CET on May 6th to an audience of European investors. An online registration form is available, and Investors can register to attend at: https://www.soarfinancial.com/events/deutsche-goldmesse-fall-2022-773/ Kai Hoffmann, Managing Director of Soar Financial Partners, remarked, "Following two virtual, and three in-person events, Deutsche Goldmesse has established itself as Germany's premier investment conference in the resource space. Being from Germany myself and working solely in the junior mining space for the last 12 years, I understand what German and European investors are looking for. This is why I have focused on bringing together a selective group of impressive and diverse companies, keynote speakers, mining influencers, HNW investors, asset and fund managers, media partners and more. I am excited to offer this boutique event once again, exclusive to the junior mining sector." Defiance will also be participating at the 121 Mining Investment conference in London on May 9-10, as well as taking meetings with investors. We encourage any investors to reach out directly if they would like to meet with management. About Defiance Silver Corp. Defiance Silver Corp. (TSXV: DEF) (OTCQX: DNCVF) (WKN: A1JQW5) is an exploration company advancing the district-scale San Acacio Deposit, located in the historic Zacatecas Silver District and the Tepal Gold/Copper Project in Michoacan state, Mexico. Defiance is managed by a team of proven mine developers with a track record of exploring, advancing and developing several operating mines and advanced resource projects Defiance's corporate mandate is to expand the San Acacio and Tepal projects to become premier Mexican silver and gold deposits. On behalf of Defiance Silver Corp. "Chris Wright" Chairman of the Board For more information, please contact: Investor Relations at +1 (604) 343-4677 or via email at info@defiancesilver.com. www.defiancesilver.com Suite 2900-550 Burrard Street Vancouver, BC V6C 0A3 Canada 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 may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Defiance Silver Corp. relies upon litigation protection for forward-looking statements. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/163852 Women still trail men in education, control of key assets, and financial autonomy. Key findings In Malawi, fewer women than men have secondary and post-secondary education (27% vs 39%), while more women than men lack formal schooling altogether (9% vs 5%). Women also trail men in ownership of key assets such as a mobile phone (48% vs. 70%), a motor vehicle (8% vs. 13%), and a bank account (8% vs. 17%), and are more likely than men to lack a voice in household financial decisions (27% vs. 20%). Nonetheless, large majorities of Malawians say women should have the same rights as men when it comes to jobs (67%), land ownership (85%), and political leadership (82%). More than eight in 10 citizens (83%) think that women who run for public office will gain standing in the community. But substantial minorities also think it's likely that female candidates will be criticised, called names, or harassed (37%) and will have problems with their families (31%). Six in 10 respondents (61%) say the government is doing a "fairly good" or "very good" job of promoting equal rights and opportunities for women. Less educated and poor citizens are less likely to approve of the government's performance. Two-thirds (66%) of citizens say the government should do more to promote women's rights and opportunities. The government of Malawi has demonstrated its commitment to advancing gender equality by ratifying international and regional agreements such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Gender and Development. The government has also adopted national policies and strategies in pursuit of gender equality, such as the National Gender Policy; the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security; and the National Strategy on Ending Child Marriage (2018-2023) (Republic of Malawi, 2015, 2022; UN Women, 2020). Malawi is a co-leader of the Generation Equality Feminist Movements and Leadership Action Coalition (UN Women, 2022) and has aligned its development agenda with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 5 - "Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls" (United Nations, 2022). Despite Malawi's stated commitment to gender equality, the country experienced one of the greatest declines in the Global Gender Gap Index 2022, where it now ranks 132nd among 146 countries (30th among 36 countries in sub-Saharan Africa). While Malawi scores well on health and survival, it rates poorly on economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, and political empowerment, including a total of 15% of legislators, senior officials, and managers who are women (World Economic Forum, 2022). Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Governance Sustainable Development Women By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. This dispatch reports on a special survey module included in the Afrobarometer Round 9 (2021/2023) questionnaire to explore Africans' experiences and perceptions of gender equality in control over assets, hiring, land ownership, and political leadership. (For findings on gender-based violence, see Chunga & Nedi, 2022). The findings reveal that most Malawians endorse equal rights for women in employment, land ownership, and political leadership. However, they also show that women face significant obstacles in accessing education, owning assets, and running for office. Citizens give the government good marks for its efforts to promote women's rights and opportunities, but a majority think that more action is needed. Kelechi Amakoh Data analyst for Afrobarometer and a PhD student in the Department of Political Science, Michigan State University. Mir Muhtadi Faiaz Mir Muhtadi Faiaz is a researcher Namratha Rao Namratha Rao is a program manager with the Center on Gender Equity and Health, University of California San Diego. Anita Raj Anita Raj is a professor of medicine, professor of social sciences, and the director of the Center on Gender Equity and Health. Clarification of Past Crescita Capital Drawdowns Since the most recent News Release regarding draws from its Crescita Equity Investment Facility (September 19, 2022), Element79 Gold confirms that it has completed intermittent draws to fund operational capital, to strengthen its balance sheet, and exploration work totaling $1,250,500, issuing a total of 22,700,000 shares in exchange during the same time period. The remaining funds that can be drawn down from the Crescita Equity Investment Facility, subject to the Company's desire to do so, is $3,579,500 until May 5, 2025. For more information about the Equity Investment Facility, please see the Company's press releases dated February 3, 2022, and May 5, 2022. "Crescita's continued support has been instrumental in providing short-term liquidity through the Company's 2021 and 2022 M&A activity, providing valuable flexibility to sustain operations through the more difficult second half of 2022 and also to ramp up exploration programs underway at Lucero and Maverick Springs in 2023." Comments James Tworek, CEO of Element79 Gold Corp. "While our Operations team continues to grow and manage work on our core projects, our Management and Board have been fostering relationships with strategic investors who seek to support the Company and continue to execute our development strategies. We expect to announce further 2023 capital raising initiatives shortly to fund development at a more aggressive pace." Debt Settlement The Company also announces that it has entered into a debt settlement agreement with an arms-length creditor (the "Creditor") to settle CAD$80,000.00 (the "Debt Settlement") of debt for services provided by the Creditor to the Company. In settlement and full satisfaction of the debt in the amount of CAD$80,000.00, the Company has agreed to issue to the Creditor 1,066,667 common shares in the capital of the Company (the "Common Shares") at a deemed issue price of $0.075 per Common Share. All Common Shares issued pursuant to the Debt Settlement are subject to a statutory hold period of four months plus a day from the date of issuance of the Common Shares in accordance with applicable securities legislation. About Element79 Gold Element79 Gold is a mining company focused on gold, silver, and associated metals and committed to maximizing shareholder value through responsible mining practices and sustainable development of its projects. Element79 Gold's primary focus is on two core properties: Lucero Property in Arequipa, Peru, and its flagship Maverick Springs Property in the gold mining district of northeastern Nevada, USA. The Maverick Springs Property, located between the Elko and White Pine Counties, hosts a 43-101-compliant, pit-constrained mineral resource estimate reflecting an inferred resource of 3.71 million ounces of gold equivalent "AuEq" at a grade of 0.92 g/t AuEq (0.34 g/t Au and 43.4 g/t Ag) with an effective date of October 19, 2022. Element79 Gold also holds a portfolio of 15 properties along the Battle Mountain trend in Nevada. As part of its Canadian operations, Element79 Gold has the option to acquire a 100% interest in the Snowbird High-Grade Gold Project, consisting of 10 mineral claims approximately 20km west of Fort St. James in Central British Columbia. The Company also has the option to acquire the Dale Property, comprised of 90 unpatented mining claims in the Timmins Mining Division, Dale Township, in Ontario, Canada. The Company is analyzing the non-core Nevada, Dale, and Snowbird projects for further merit of exploration, sale, or spin-out. For more information about the Company, please visit www.element79.gold Contact Information For corporate matters, please contact: James C. Tworek, Chief Executive Officer E-mail: jt@element79.gold For investor relations inquiries, please contact: Investor Relations Department Phone: +1.613.879.9387 E-mail: investors@element79.gold Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press contains "forward?looking information" and "forward-looking statements" under applicable securities laws (collectively, "forward?looking statements"). These statements relate to future events or the Company's future performance, business prospects or opportunities that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management made in light of management's experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the Company's business strategy; future planning processes; exploration activities; the timing and result of exploration activities; capital projects and exploration activities and the possible results thereof; acquisition opportunities; and the impact of acquisitions, if any, on the Company. Assumptions may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Consequently, forward-looking statements cannot be guaranteed. As such, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon forward-looking statements as there can be no assurance that the plans, assumptions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward?looking statements. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "predict", "forecast", "potential", "target", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe" and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward?looking statements". Actual results may vary from forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to materially differ from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: the duration and effects of the coronavirus and COVID-19; risks related to the integration of acquisitions; actual results of exploration activities; conclusions of economic evaluations; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; commodity prices; variations in ore reserves, grade or recovery rates; actual performance of plant, equipment or processes relative to specifications and expectations; accidents; labour relations; relations with local communities; changes in national or local governments; changes in applicable legislation or application thereof; delays in obtaining approvals or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities; exchange rate fluctuations; requirements for additional capital; government regulation; environmental risks; reclamation expenses; outcomes of pending litigation; limitations on insurance coverage as well as those factors discussed in the Company's other public disclosure documents, available on www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward?looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward?looking statements included herein should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date hereof. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Copyright (c) 2023 TheNewswire - All rights reserved. Fur den Inhalt des Beitrages ist allein der Autor verantwortlich bzw. die aufgefuhrte Quelle. Bild- oder Filmrechte liegen beim Autor/Quelle bzw. bei der vom ihm benannten Quelle. Bei Ubersetzungen konnen Fehler nicht ausgeschlossen werden. Der vertretene Standpunkt eines Autors spiegelt generell nicht die Meinung des Webseiten-Betreibers wieder. Mittels der Veroffentlichung will dieser lediglich ein pluralistisches Meinungsbild darstellen. Direkte oder indirekte Aussagen in einem Beitrag stellen keinerlei Aufforderung zum Kauf-/Verkauf von Wertpapieren dar. Wir wehren uns gegen jede Form von Hass, Diskriminierung und Verletzung der Menschenwurde. Beachten Sie bitte auch unsere AGB/Disclaimer VANCOUVER, April 27, 2023 - Capella Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: CMIL) (OTCQB: CMILF) (FRA: N7D2) ("Capella" or the "Company") is pleased to advise that its application for Corporate membership in Euromines was accepted at the Euromines General Assembly held in Brussels last week. Euromines is the recognized representative of the European metals and minerals mining industry, with the associations main objective being to promote the industry and to maintain its relations with European institutions at all levels. Capella looks forward to working together with Euromines and its partners as it works towards the common goal of securing sustainable and verifiable new supplies of critical metals within Europe. Separately, the Company is pleased to advise that permitting for a late-Q2 2023 diamond drill program at the advanced exploration-stage Hessjgruva copper-cobalt-zinc project in central Norway is well advanced. Initial planning is based on the completion of 4,000m / 8 holes of infill and step-out drilling on the high-grade Hessjgruva Lens A deposit, which was partially tested as part of the 12,035m / 67 holes of historical diamond drilling completed at Hessjgruva in the 1970s (see Canadian National Instrument 43-101 or "NI 43-101" compliant technical report filed on SEDAR on September 7, 2022; www.sedar.com). The planned summer drilling is expected to assist with the definition of further work required to complete a maiden NI 43-101 compliant Mineral Resource Estimate for Hessjgruva, in addition to providing fresh core for metallurgical testwork and baseline data for initial development studies. Eric Roth, Capellas President and CEO commented: We are very pleased to be announcing our incorporation in to the Euromines community. Euromines represents an important interface between a broad spectrum of mining companies - from explorers/developers to major mining companies such as Anglo American and Rio Tinto - with both EU policy and communities. At our Hessjgruva project in central Norway, we are looking forward to be able to continue moving the project along the path towards a maiden NI 43-101-compliant Mineral Resource Estimate and initial development-related studies and permitting." On Behalf of the Board of Capella Minerals Ltd. "Eric Roth" ___________________________ Eric Roth, Ph.D., FAusIMM President & CEO About Capella Minerals Ltd Capella is engaged in the acquisition, exploration, and development of quality mineral resource properties in favourable jurisdictions with a focus on European base and battery metals projects. In Norway, the Company's focus is on: i) the advanced exploration-stage Hessjgruva copper-cobalt project and the adjacent Kongensgruve and Kjli projects in the northern Rros mining district, Trndelag province, ii) the discovery of satellite high-grade copper-cobalt deposits around the past-producing Lkken copper mine, Trndelag province, and iii) the discovery of new copper-cobalt deposits in the former Vaddas-Birtavarre mining district of northern Norway. The Company is also exploring the Northern Finland Gold-Copper (NFGC) project in the Central Lapland Greenstone Belt, together with JV partner Cullen Resources Ltd (ASX: CUL). A total of seven exploration permit applications are awaiting approval at NFGC, including the priority Killero Cu-Au target. In central Finland, the Companys focus is on the discovery of lithium and rare-earth element deposits at both its Perho reservation, in addition to an extensive package of properties in the broader Keliber district through a JV with Hilo Mining (TSX: Hilo). Capella also retains exposure to exploration success in precious metals projects through its active Canadian Joint Ventures with Prospector Metals Corp. (TSXV: PPP) at Savant (Ontario) and Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. (formerly Yamana Gold Inc.)(TSX/NYSE: AEM) at Domain (Manitoba). The Company also holds a 49% interest in the Sierra Blanca low sulfidation gold-silver project in Santa Cruz, Argentina, which is currently being explored by Austral Gold Ltd (TSXV: AGLD; ASX: AGD). Cautionary Notes and Forward-looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. Such statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the future results of operations, performance and achievements of Capella, including the timing, completion of and results from the exploration and drill programs described in this release. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that such expectations will prove to be correct. All such forward-looking information is based on certain assumptions and analyses made by Capella in light of their experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors management believes are appropriate in the circumstances. This information, however, is 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. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from this forward-looking information include those described under the heading "Risks and Uncertainties" in Capella's most recently filed MD&A. Capella does not intend, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or revise the forward-looking information contained in this news release, except as required by law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking 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 release. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/capella-obtains-euromines-membership-and-provides-hessjogruva-drill-permitting-update-301809648.html SOURCE Capella Minerals Ltd. Vancouver, April 27, 2023 - Silver Elephant Mining Corp. (TSX: ELEF) (OTCQX: SILEF) (FSE: 1P2) ("Silver Elephant" or "the Company") announces that, further to its news release dated March 21, 2023, another rail shipment totaling 3,150 tonnes of coal has departed for China from the Ulaan Ovoo mine owned and operated by Mega Thermal Coal Corp. in Mongolia. Mega Thermal Coal Corp. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Silver Elephant. Further information on Mega Coal Thermal Coal Corp. can be found at www.megacoal.ca. About Silver Elephant Mining Corp. Silver Elephant Mining Corp. is a premier silver mining and exploration company, with its flagship Pulacayo-Paca silver project in Bolivia. It also owns 100% of Mega Thermal Coal Corp. Further information on Silver Elephant can be found at www.silverelef.com. Silver Elephant Mining Corp. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD John Lee CEO For more information about Silver Elephant, please contact Investor Relations: +1.604.569.3661 ext. 101 info@silverelef.com / www.silverelef.com Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Toronto Stock Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Reader Advisory Certain statements contained in this or other news release, including, but not limited to, statements with respect to the debt settlements, the terms of the debt settlements, and the completion of the debt settlements, among other things, and statements which may contain words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "plans", "believes", "estimates", "targets", or similar expressions, and statements related to matters which are not historical facts, are forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements, which reflect management's expectations regarding either of Silver Elephant's future growth, results of operations, performance, business prospects and opportunities, are based on certain factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on Silver Elephant's forward-looking statements. Silver Elephant believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements contained in this news release and the documents incorporated by reference herein are reasonable based on information available to it, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct. In addition, although Silver Elephant has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Silver Elephant undertakes no obligation to release publicly any future revisions to forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as expressly required by law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/163956 Mogadishu 'I have six children, and this is the only way I can get food.' With aid funding failing to keep pace with the ever-increasing numbers of people in need in Somalia, some desperate parents are resorting to sacrificing their children's health and well-being in order to feed their families. A million people have been made homeless by five consecutive seasons of drought. With crops destroyed and four million head of livestock lost, Somalis are struggling against all the odds to beat the rising hunger. Many of them are making their way to the overcrowded displacement camps and squatter settlements in the capital, Mogadishu. Tabeellaha Sheikh Ibrahim, on the outskirts of the city, is just one of the thousands of camps that have sprung up. Roughly 600 families trying to escape drought and civil war in southern and central regions of Somalia have sought refuge here. As is often the case in Somalia, there's no help available from either aid agencies or the government to the mainly women, children, and the elderly - who are crammed into makeshift shelters - that make up the camp. With nearly five million Somalis currently going hungry, and 1.8 million children aged under five expected to suffer acute malnutrition this year, people in Tabeellaha Sheikh Ibrahim are resorting to increasingly desperate measures to put food in their stomachs. Some of these survival methods jeopardise the health and safety of the children, but mothers The New Humanitarian spoke to felt they had no other choice. Mothers 'poisoning' their children with detergent Some mothers are deliberately making their children sick so they can take them to government-run health centres in the city where there is a chance of obtaining free therapeutic food. Typically, they force-feed their children water mixed with detergent or salt. "I have six children, and this is the only way I can get food," explained one mother, Maceey Shute. "It makes them weak and gives them watery diarrhoea." She takes the sick children to Banadir hospital, hoping she will get nutrition-fortified biscuits and porridge, some of which she then sells while keeping the rest to feed her family. "I poison my children in order to survive," she told The New Humanitarian. No aid workers have visited the families in Tabeellaha Sheikh Ibrahim, no relief is distributed, and there are no health posts. With current levels of aid funding, only half of the people in need in Somalia will be reached between April and June. Renting out babies Another extreme survival step is to rent out babies and toddlers to beggars in exchange for a share of the takings. Amino Ikar Hilowle is a mother of eight children who fled her farm in Bulo-marer village in the Lower Shabelle region. When she first came to Mogadishu, she earnt money cleaning people's homes and washing their clothes, but she has found begging more profitable. She roams the city's streets with an 18-month-old baby on her back, begging outside business centres, hotels, restaurants, and banks. The baby does not belong to her. "We have no food, water, or any other basic necessities for life," she told The New Humanitarian. "I have entered into a profit-sharing scheme with the mother of this child where she gets a portion of the money I collect from begging." Hilowle explained that people are far more reluctant to give her money when she begs alone. "When I beg with this baby on my back, people pity me," she said. "When I take this child with me, I get an average of about $12 worth of donations a day." Renting out children is a common practice in Tabeellaha Sheikh Ibrahim. Shumey Abukar and her four children recently arrived from Qoryoley in Lower Shabelle. She rents out two of her children to beggar women who pretend they are their mothers. She said neither she nor her husband have jobs so she had no choice but to opt for this arrangement. She cannot look for work because she had serious bleeding during a recent childbirth and is sometimes too weak to stand up. Abukar said she makes about $5 a day from renting out her children. She knows and trusts the woman that takes them so is not so concerned about their safety. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Somalia Children By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "Sometimes I feel guilty," she told The New Humanitarian. "But I have no choice, because I have to feed them and I don't have any skills to help me get a job." Marrying off teenage girls Another way desperate families make money to buy food is to marry off their underage daughters to older men. Shute's daughter, 15-year-old Maryan, was forcibly married to the man who runs the camp shortly after the 11-member family arrived. "My father told me I had to marry this old man," Maryan said. "He told me this would improve our family's life because we would be able to stay in the camp free of charge and receive additional support." Maryan said she initially resisted the marriage but eventually gave in because she was so worried about her family's dire financial situation. "I have been married for two months, but there has been little improvement in our lives," she said. Edited by Obi Anyadike. Fathi Mohamed Ahmed, Chief editor of Bilan, Somalia's first all-women media house Joint Business Consultative Forum concerned about three new taxes. Kwame Larweh Business News Apr - 26 - 2023 , 10:40 The Ghana Joint Business Consultative Forum have expressed its displeasure at the Presidents assent to the three newly introduced taxes recently passed by Parliament. The forum is made up of 12 business associations namely the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNNCCI), Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), Importers and Exporters Association, Food and Beverages Association and the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIIF). The rest are Customs Brokers Association of Ghana (CUBAG), Association of Customs House Agency (ACHAG), Ashanti Business Owners Association, Chamber of Automobile Dealers, Bulk Fish Importers Association of Ghana and Ghana Pharmaceutical Association. In a release issued this afternoon and signed by its chairman Dr Joseph Obeng and Convenor Mr Mark Badu-Aboagye, it described the three new taxes as an obnoxious, inimical and counterproductive taxes which will collapse businesses in the country. We are already in a toxic business environment which needs to be fixed, rather than compounding the problems with the introduction of new killer taxes, the release stated. The forum asserted that it would keep fighting to protect businesses in the country and improve the business environment in the country. It called on the President to heed to the concerns of the business community and engage stakeholders for a review that will ensure a stable business environment in the country. The United Nations will continue to deliver desperately needed relief for the Sudanese people, amid soaring needs, acute shortages of essentials and fast-rising prices, UN humanitarians pledged on Tuesday. Ten days of fighting between rival military forces have had a devastating impact on the country's population. The UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA) warned that people are lacking food, water, medicines and fuel, power is limited, and the prices of essential items as well as transport have skyrocketed. OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke told reporters in Geneva that the people of Sudan, already "deeply affected" by humanitarian needs, are now "staring into the abyss". He underscored that humanitarian operations were also impacted, and that there were more reports of looting of humanitarian supplies and warehouses. Aid delivery 'whenever and wherever feasible' Following a temporary relocation of hundreds of UN staff members and their families from the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Monday, a UN leadership team will remain in Sudan to oversee humanitarian operations going forward. Mr. Laerke said a humanitarian hub is being established in the Red Sea coastal city of Port Sudan. "We and our partners continue to deliver whenever and wherever feasible", insisted Mr. Laerke, before emphasizing the "heroic" efforts of the Sudanese people themselves. He said that civil society networks are responding to the most urgent needs in their communities, "including mobilizing medical assistance, distributing food and water, and assisting civilians". Before the fighting erupted, some 15.8 million people - about a third of the Sudanese population - were already in need of aid. Rising death and injury toll According to figures from the Sudanese Health Ministry quoted by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday, 459 people had been killed in the fighting and over 4,000 injured as of 24 April. WHO noted that the actual figures "are likely to be higher" as at least a quarter of all health facilities in Khartoum, where most of the fighting is taking place, are not functional. Attacks on healthcare The UN's health agency has verified 14 attacks on health since the violence began, with 8 deaths and 2 injuries. WHO said that the attacks "must stop" as they bar people in need from accessing essential health services. WHO also flagged rising health concerns due to ongoing outbreaks of dengue and malaria, as well as a looming cholera alert amid damage to water infrastructure. "As the needs are increasing, violence has made the delivery of aid near impossible", WHO said. The agency stressed that it has stocks of essential medicines, blood bags, and supplies for surgery and trauma care "waiting for delivery as soon as safe access is ensured". On Monday, UN chief Antonio Guterres made clear in the UN Security Council that the UN would stay and deliver, and stand by the Sudanese people, as they continue to strive towards civilian rule and a new, democratic future. Key lab under threat Speaking to reporters from Sudan on Tuesday, WHO's representative in the country, Dr Nima Saeed Abid, also said that the agency is concerned about the occupation of the National Public Health Laboratory by one of the parties involved in the fighting. "Trained laboratory technicians no longer have access to the laboratory, and with power cuts, it is not possible to properly manage the biological materials that are stored in the laboratory for medical purposes", WHO said. In addition to "very high" biological hazards, there is also a risk of spoilage of stocks of much-needed blood bags, as the lab is also the site of the central blood bank. Mounting displacement The fighting has already displaced thousands of people, and Paul Dillon, the spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said the agency has activated a displacement tracking tool at 16 points of entry in neighbouring countries to monitor incoming flows. Data generated by the tool is broken down by age, gender and health needs, and provided to all humanitarian actors to inform their response. IOM warned that monitoring and relief teams are engaged in a race against time as the arrival of rainy season in late May - early June is projected to cut off large swaths of the border area between Sudan and Chad. Cross-border movements The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) told reporters on Tuesday that the most significant cross-border movements in the region have been Sudanese fleeing to Chad, and South Sudanese refugees returning to their country. UNHCR has received reports of people starting to arrive in Egypt, but no numbers are available. UNHCR said that it is "working closely" with partners and governments in the region to assess and respond to the needs of the new arrivals. The agency also thanked neighbouring countries "for continuing to keep their borders open to those fleeing Sudan - whether to seek international protection or to return to their countries of origin". Seeking safety in Chad UNHCR said that since the fighting started, "at least 20,000 refugees" have fled across the border into Chad, and more are expected to arrive. Speaking from Ndjamena, UNHCR Representative in Chad, Laura Lo Castro, told reporters in Geneva that in the worst-case scenario, as many as 100,000 could cross into the country. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Sudan Conflict Human Rights By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. The agency said planning is underway to relocate the new arrivals to an existing refugee camp further from the border, "while a new location is being identified to host additional arrivals". Chad already hosts over 400,000 Sudanese refugees. South Sudanese return Speaking from Juba, UNHCR Representative in South Sudan, Marie-Helene Verney said that the agency has managed to interview and register some 4,000 South Sudanese returnees so far, amid a "very difficult" situation at the country's northern border. Many new arrivals lack the means to continue their journey, which is why UNHCR is helping facilitate their onward travel, providing clean water and setting up reception centres. The agency said that overall, there are over 800,000 South Sudanese refugees in Sudan, a quarter of whom are in Khartoum and "directly affected by the fighting". Impact on host communities Ms. Verney also said that for UNHCR, the most likely scenario involved some 100,000 refugees returning to South Sudan, and this was the agency's "contingency planning figure". In addition, as many as 45,000 Sudanese could take refuge in South Sudan as well. Ms. Verney stressed UNHCR was "very concerned" about the impact on host communities. Some 75 per cent of the population of South Sudan are already in need of humanitarian aid. Pernod Ricard Ghana donates barricades to Ghana Police Service Business Desk Report Business News Apr - 10 - 2023 , 12:23 Pernod Ricard Ghana, a subsidiary of Pernod Ricard Group, a leading producer of wines and spirits, has donated 20 branded barricades to the Ghana Police Service as part of its Metwi a, Mentwa road safety campaign to sensitise commercial drivers and commuters on the detrimental effects of drink-driving. The gesture, which is in partnership with Street Sense Organisation (SSO), seeks to create visibility and help intensify this years Metwi a, Mentwa campaign. The Metwi a, Mentwa campaign, launched in December 2021, is aimed at promoting responsible behaviour among high-risk commercial drivers to provide enhanced and safer transport services for commuters. Speaking at a brief handover ceremony, the Sustainability and Responsibility Manager for Pernod Ricard Ghana, Eunice Osei-Tutu, said the barricades, which will be situated at different locations across Ghanas major traveling roads, will remind drivers not to drink and drive. "In line with the fourth pillar of our roadmap, Responsible Hosting which is to ensure that we fight alcohol misuse in society by taking action on harmful drinking and that our brands are enjoyed responsibly, we deemed it important to go beyond speaking to drivers as part of efforts to curb drink-drive related accidents. To intensify this years edition, she said her outfit was partnering with the states enforcement agency responsible for road safety in Ghana with these barricades to share message with the drivers, which is Metwi a, Mentwa! which means If I will drive, I will not drink. "We believe that these barricades on our major traveling roads will remind high-risk commercial drivers about the need to avoid driving under the influence of alcohol. It will also promote responsible behaviour among them and provide enhanced and safer transport services for commuters, especially during the Easter and Christmas festivities'', she added. Appreciation Receiving the barricades on behalf of the Ghana Police Service, the Director of Operations, ACP Abass Al-Meyao, commended Pernod Ricard Ghana and Street Sense for the initiative. "On behalf of the Police Administration, we wish to thank Pernod Ricard Ghana for these crash barricades. They are very timely and in line with the goal to drastically reduce road accidents in Ghana. We also want to assure them that we will put them to maximum use to keep our streets safe and to carry the message across to drivers and commuters. Meanwhile, we use this opportunity to caution drivers not to drink and drive, he said. On her part, a member of the Board of Trustees for the Street Sense Organization, Gloria Laryea, also appealed to the drivers to adhere to road traffic rules and regulations to save more lives. Silver Star, IVECO launches partnership Kwame Larweh Business News Apr - 26 - 2023 , 14:49 Auto dealer and distributor, Silver Star Auto Limited has unveiled a partnership with multinational auto giants, Industrial Vehicle Corporation (IVECO) to sell and distribute IVECO vehicles in the country. The partnership is expected to bring cargo transport solutions into the Ghanaian market with the introduction of the IVECO Daily Van. The truck is a three liter engine, 150 horsepower and air conditioner with a five ton gross vehicle weight. It is also equipped with a radio blue tooth, a twin rear wheels and a C-chasis frame. At the launch which took place this afternoon at the Silver Star Towers at Airport in Accra, Mr Jalal Kalmoni, Sales Manager of Commercial Vehicles at Silver Star Towers noted that IVECO is a worldwide brand with one of the best vehicle spare parts, diagnostic tools and fitting techniques in the industry. "over the past 25 years we have been serving our clients and we hope to continue in that stride," he noted. Mr Harold Wilson Acquaye, the Export Area Sales Manager of IVECO representing Southern Africa and Ghana revealed that IVECO vehicles speak for themselves and have been tried and tested. "IVECO is an Italian, French and German conglomerate with it's headquarters in Torino and had been providing the best vehicles since 1975," he stated. He revealed that the IVECO Daily is very affordable and a quality utility vehicle that is an all wheeled drive in all specification and types. The Italian Ambassador to Ghana Her Excellency Daniela d'Orlandi said IVECO's presence in Ghana demonstrates the strong partnership Italy has with Ghana and stressed that this partnership will remain very strong. She called for more collaboration between Italy and Ghana to foster development and unity in both countries. We shot down split sheet system when I was GHAMRO Board member Zapp Mallet Joy Entertainment Showbiz News Apr - 26 - 2023 , 16:25 Veteran music producer Zapp Mallet has said that when he was a Board Member of the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO) an attempt to institute a split sheet system proved futile. He said about six years ago the organisation planned on introducing the system which would indicate how much contributors on a music project would earn from royalties. Talking about the poor royalty system in Ghana on Joy FMs Showbiz A-Z, he said there were many things they did not do right to place the industry in a better place. I was on the GHAMRO Board for two years and we tried instituting the split sheet from the office with Abraham Adjatey, the CEO. But that thing was shot down. I dont know why. We shot it down, he told the host Kwame Dadzie. According to him, after meetings with some stakeholders, the plan failed to see the light of day. We asked the Accra Producers and Engineers to meet us at GHAMRO, they didnt show up. Just about five of them showed up, he said. He said when they went to Kumasi, the producers were more enthusiastic about it but when they returned to Accra they failed to make the move to make it work. A split sheet is a written agreement that identifies all contributors to a song as well as their ownership percentages of that song. These ownership percentages determine how publishing royalties will be split between creators. When all parties sign, split sheets become legally binding. At a press conference on August 31, 2021, the Chief Executive Officer of GHAMRO, Abraham Adjatey, after announcing the Collective Management Organisations partnership with CAPASSO and Global Music Monitoring to track airplay of musicians songs , also announced the introduction of the split sheet system. Sample of GHAMROs Split Sheet He was emphatic on the need for musicians to sign split sheets of contributors to their works. Sample of GHAMROs Split Sheet He said that provides metadata on who should receive payment of royalties on a particular musical work. In tandem with that, he said GHAMRO will provide copies of the split sheets to the recording studios, so musicians commit to making sure they enter the right details. He, therefore, urged lyricists, composers, arrangers, publishers to sign their right with GHAMRO to enjoy the benefits that come with it. Ghana Card: Product of poisonous fruits? Anthony Kuufare Opinion Apr - 27 - 2023 , 10:33 The primary requirement for obtaining a passport is a birth certificate. The primary requirements for obtaining the Ghana Card are a passport, a birth certificate and the guarantor system. So, if the birth certificates, passports and the guarantor system are not fit for obtaining a voter card, and the same are acceptable for obtaining a Ghana Card, which the Electoral Commission (EC) accepts as fit for voter registration, then there is an issue with value and integrity. Citizenship Citizenship is inherited or acquired. You become a citizen if one or both of your parents is/are or was/were a Ghanaian or Ghanaians or if either of ones grandparents is/are or was/were a Ghanaian. You can also be a Ghanaian citizen through naturalisation. Citizenship, therefore, is not acquired by simply having and holding a passport or a Ghana Card. The process of getting a passport or a Ghana Card is a process of having an opportunity to have and hold an identity item, and not the fact of making you a Ghanaian citizen, because you are already a Ghanaian citizen and that is the basis for you to qualify to have and hold a passport or the Ghana Card. Not holding a Ghana Card, therefore, does not take away your citizenship, and any attempt to deprive you of your rights and privileges as a Ghanaian becomes problematic. Fraudulent procurement Without a doubt, the Ghana Card can be fraudulently procured. The birth certificate can be obtained by providing dishonest identity details to the Birth and Death Registry. And once the birth certificate can be fraudulently obtained, a passport can be fraudulently obtained, as a matter of course, simply because the birth certificate is a primary document for obtaining the passport. Since the birth certificate and passport can be fraudulently obtained, it follows logically that the Ghana Card can also be fraudulently obtained, as it depends on the birth certificate and passport as primary requirements for its issuance. The guarantor system for obtaining the Ghana Card is equally corruptible. People can dishonestly swear affidavits to guarantee for people to obtain the Ghana Card. Ghana Card Thus, the Ghana Card itself, which the EC believes to be the only means of ensuring the integrity of the voter roll, can also be fraudulently procured and, for that matter, cannot be the remedy to ensuring the sanctity of the voter roll in the country. The birth certificates, passports and guarantor system processes that the EC is endeavoring to do away with are the same requirements and processes that are used to procure the Ghana Card. Taking the Ghana Card to be the sole item for registration for a voter card and debarring any other forms of identity items of citizenship would not be the proper way to go. Primary The Ghana Card could be taken as the primary item for registration for a voter card permitting those who are yet to get the Ghana Card have the advantage of the guarantor system or process since the guarantor system is permissible in procuring the Ghana Card, which proponents of the Ghana Card/Voter Card debate think should be the only item acceptable for getting a voter card. Thus, it is possible for the EC to simply bolster the guarantor system or process akin to the National Identification Authoritys guarantor system or process which the EC believes to be robust. This will bring opponents of the Ghana Card/Voter Card debate to a middle ground and make democracy smoother and better for the nation. The writer is with the Registrars Department, KNUST, Kumasi. Iran court orders US, Obama to pay $313m for terrorist attacks International News Apr - 27 - 2023 , 06:36 An Iranian court has ruled the United States government and a number of individuals and entities, including former President Barack Obama, must pay compensation for 2017 attacks carried out by the armed group ISIL (ISIS). The court in the capital issued the verdict on Wednesday based on complaints by families of three people killed and six wounded during the June 2017 attacks in Tehran, according to the official news website of the judiciary. The building of the Iranian parliament and the mausoleum of the founder of Irans current establishment, Ruhollah Khomeini, were targeted during the daylight assault that killed 17 people in total. The court ruled $9.95m needs to be paid to compensate for financial damages while $104m and $199m are for moral and punitive damages, respectively, with the total nearing $313m. Those convicted in the case include the US government, Obama, former President George W Bush, Central Command (CENTCOM), and its former commander Tommy Franks, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Treasury Department, weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin, and American Airlines Group. None of the named entities or individuals is believed to hold any assets under Iranian control that could be seized, and the court did not say how the compensation order would be carried out. As to why the US is being blamed for the attacks, the website cited comments by American officials about the fundamental role played by the US in organising and guiding terrorist groups, news and information published by US media, and books and speeches by US officials discussing the CIAs role in creating terrorist groups, including ISIL. The judiciary also acknowledged the ruling comes as a response to numerous orders by US courts over the years that have blamed Iran for terrorist assaults, and ordered compensation paid from seized Iranian assets. As this marks a violation of the immunity of the Iranian government, Iranian courts have also judged a variety of cases against the US government and officials, and have issued legal decisions and will continue to do so, it said. Accused person urinates profusely in dock at Ho Circuit Court Alberto Mario Noretti, Life Apr - 27 - 2023 , 15:30 An accused person in a robbery at Ho Area 51 in the Volta Region, Yao Wlako, urinated profusely in the dock when he was arraigned before the Ho Circuit Court on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. The urine was in such large volume that it filled the dock and ran into the courtroom and adjoining corridor , compelling some people to leave the courtroom and corridor to avoid the smell. Wlako was one of the two accused persons who allegedly broke into the house of a married couple at Ho Area 51 and robbed them of their belongings at gunpoint after tying them up and using a hot pressing iron to burn their bodies . Wlako, 30, was in the dock with Emmanuel Boni, 24, his alleged accomplice. They were jointly charged with conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, causing unlawful damage, unlawful entry and causing harm. Both pleaded not guilty to all the five counts. It was when their pleas were being taken that Wlako urinated , soaking his jeans trousers. Chief Inspector Agnes Ahiable, who represented the republic, told the court presided over by Mr Felix Datsomor that the incident took place at about 1.30 a.m. on March 13, this year. According to the prosecution, Wlako resided at Agbogbloshie in Accra, while Boni lived at Peki-Avetile in the Volta Region. The prosecutor said on the eve of the robbery, the two men met at Peki-Avetile before travelling to Ho. She said the accused persons entered the house of the couple while they were asleep with their baby, adding that Wlako was holding a pistol. According to the prosecutor, the men cut the nets of the windows of the house but realised the windows were fortified, and so they used a screwdriver to open the security door at the rear of the building and gained access to the kitchen. They then entered the bedroom, where Wlako held the man firmly onto the bed. The prosecutor said after a short while, Wlako picked the pressing iron which he had heated earlier in the living room to burn the arms, shoulders and back of the man and his wife who also woke up during the attack. They are also said to have burnt the thigh of the woman with the pressing iron. The two men then cut the cord of the iron and used it to tie the legs of the man and used a sponge to tie the arms of the woman from behind. Afterwards, they dragged the couple into the washroom and locked them inside, Chief Inspector Ahiable said. According to the prosecutor, the accused persons then ransacked the house and took a laptop valued at GH8,000, an iPhone valued at GH 13,000, a Samsung tablet, valued at GH6,000 and Techno phone valued at GH200. The armed men also helped themselves to a quantity of jewellery valued at GH10,000, and one gold watch worth GH7,000, in addition to three other watches valued at GH1,800, a high-definition video camera valued at GH2,500 and a cash of GH7,000, the prosecutor said. The accused left with their booty but Boni left his cellular phone behind, she added. The prosecutor said the accused persons returned to the house within 10 minutes to search for the phone but did not find it. The next morning, the man reported the matter to the Area 51 Police and handed the cellular phone the accused persons left behind to the police. Following intelligence gathering and based on the details of the cellular phone left behind by the accused persons, Wlako was later arrested at his hideout at Agbogbloshie and Boni was picked up at Peki-Avetile, the prosecutor told the court. Meanwhile, the prosecution stated that the iPhone 13 Pro Max, Samsung tablet, jewellery, video camera and Techno phone were retrieved from the accused persons. Chief Inspector Ahiable added that following their arrest, the victims identified Wlako and Boni as the men who robbed them. They also identified the retrieved items as those taken away by the accused persons. The prosecution said that during interrogation, Wlako and Boni admitted robbing the couple. Boni also admitted to the police that the cellular phone left behind belonged to him. The court remanded the accused persons into prison custody to appear again on May 3, this year. Ghanaian student wins award for research promoting sustainability practices at Eastern Illinois University GraphicOnline Education Apr - 27 - 2023 , 14:42 Joel Holison, a graduate student from Accra, Ghana, has been recognized for his exceptional research and creativity at Eastern Illinois University. The Booth Collaborative Advisory Committee awarded him second place in the 2023 Award for Excellence in Student Research and Creativity. Holisons research titled Assessing the Knowledge, Attitude, and Everyday Life Practices Adopted among Eastern Illinois University Students Towards Sustainability focuses on the sustainability practices adopted by students in their everyday life. As a graduate student studying Technology Management and Sustainability, Holisons research aims to promote sustainable practices among the students of Eastern Illinois University. The Booth Library Awards for Excellence in Student Research and Creativity program aims to promote excellence in student research and recognizes outstanding contributions to the field. All entries were original works completed by Eastern students within the last 12 months, and the award recipients were selected based on excellence, creativity, and the use of research resources. A digital copy of award entries will be a part of the librarys institutional repository, The Keep, found at https://thekeep.eiu.edu/lib_awards/. The program encourages students to enhance their studies by utilizing the wealth of information available at Booth Library and other research venues. The recognition of Holisons research highlights the significance of sustainability practices and encourages students to take an active role in promoting sustainable practices in their everyday lives. The university also applauded Holisons hard work and dedication to excellence in student research. 20% Nurses, midwives decline postings to rural areas Doreen Andoh Apr - 27 - 2023 , 06:48 OVER 20 per cent of nurses and midwives decline postings to some parts of the country, particularly rural areas, the Ministry of Health has said. It described the situation as worrying and said it had the potential to slow down the delivery of universal health coverage in the country. One thing that continues to bother us as a sector is the regular concern that many nurses and midwives do not want to accept postings to some parts of the country. This is a source of worry to us. The kind of profession you have chosen is such that we must get to the barest minimum of places in our communities where your services are urgently needed, the ministry added. In a speech read on his behalf at the induction of newly qualified nurses and midwives in Accra, the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, therefore, appealed to nurses and midwives to accept to serve in all parts of the country. In all, 43,588 nurses, midwives and nurse assistants were inducted after passing the 2021 and August 2022 licensing examinations conducted by the Nurses and Midwifery Council (NMC). Commendation The minister commended health professionals for their pivotal role in the delivery of quality healthcare services in the country, despite some challenges they encountered in the discharge of their duties. Your work is critical and more demanding as you strive to take health care closer to the people. We must take up our postings to ensure that no one in need of nursing and midwifery services is left in order to achieve universal health coverage, he said. On migration of nurses from the country, the minister said it was a human right issue and that his outfit will not infringe on anybodys desire to exercise that right. Mr Agyeman-Manu, however, entreated the nurses to be more sympathetic towards the people they served by working to improve on their health, and gave an assurance that the government was committed to improving their working conditions. Renewal The acting Registrar of the NMC, Philomina Woolley, said in line with the public protection mandate of the council, all nurses and midwives had been issued with licences, renewable every year, to enable them to practise. She said by law, it was a criminal offence for a nurse or midwife to practise without a valid licence issued by the council. Ms Woolley, therefore, called on the inductees to observe the code and ethics of the profession while utilising more learning opportunities. The President of the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives, Prof. Victoria Bubunyo Bam, also said the success of the inductees depended on their ability to adapt to new situations, think critically and work in collaboration with colleagues. In addition to the practical skills you have learned during your training, you will need to develop a range of other competencies such as communication skills, empathy, cultural, ethical decision making and leadership, she added. CSIR launches new Burkina variant Elizabeth Konadu-Boakye Apr - 27 - 2023 , 06:42 The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research - Food Research Institute (CSIR), has launched a new variant of millet and pasteurised milk drink popularly known as Burkina. Unlike the regular burkina drink, however, the new variant, known as Agbenu, which comprises millet and soy milk, is more nutritious and also improves gut health. The Agbenu is drawn from the Ewe word Agbenududu - life-giving food. It was launched in Accra yesterday at a dissemination meeting on "Fermented foods - Soy milk Burkina in Ghana project." Importance of soy The Scientific Director of the African Science Technology and Policy Institute, South Africa, Dr Richard Glover, said soy milk was a common staple in the country and that its production in large quantities would make the drink available to many people. "We are advocating soy milk because cow milk has become expensive and also has some health concerns, but soy milk is healthier and cheaper to produce," Dr Glover added. He said plans were underway to train more people in the production of the drink to make it more accessible in the country. The project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation is research, led by siblings, Mary Glover-Amengor of (CSIR) and Dr Richard Glover, who investigated how drinking soymilk-burkina, improves the nutritional status and gut health of women of reproductive age living in the Volta and the Oti regions of Ghana. Among the participants were 30 pregnant women, who were put on a random trial to test the effect of daily consumption of 330ml soymilk-burkina over a period of six months. Monthly blood and faecal samples were also collected during the trial to analyse nutritional status, inflammation biomarkers and parasites, among others. Content The Director-General of CSIR, Prof. Paul Bosu said some people consumed the beverage as a whole meal because of its satisfying content. According to him, soy milk substitution would enhance the nutrition and health benefits of the beverage. "Besides its lower environmental impact compared to livestock rearing for milk, the use of soymilk in burkina production will ultimately boost the soybean market to enhance the livelihoods of local farmers in the country," he said. Dr Bawumia urges Austrian businesses to invest in Ghana Chris Nunoo Apr - 27 - 2023 , 06:36 THE Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has urged the business community in Austria to invest in Ghana where opportunities abound. He said they could also take advantage of the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which is headquartered in Accra, to grow their establishments. Dr Bawumia, who was addressing a Ghana - Austria business forum in Accra yesterday, described Ghana as an investment hub with stable political environment, safe and happy people with strong democratic culture, underpinned by freedom of expression. He said in the volatile West Africa sub-region, Ghana was the most peaceful country where we apply the rule of law in a robust and fair manner. Our country also has educated and competitive labour force, skilled and trainable labour and technical and vocational education, the Vice-President added. Strengthening relations Dr Bawumia further said that: As Ghana and Austria seek to forge stronger bonds, we have to sustain such relationships through improved technical and science-based education, technology and fair trade. He said the Austrian Federal Chancellors participation in the forum demonstrated their governments commitment to enhance collaboration between private and public sectors of the two countries for their mutual benefit. Digitisation On digitisation, Dr Bawumia said the country was fast growing a digital economy and so had embraced digital technology in addressing emerging challenges. He also said the country had the fastest growing mobile money market in Africa where its digitisation agenda was de-risking the business and financial environment. We see partnerships in ICT, sustainable finance, forestry, education, knowledge economy and health care that would be established during this mission as catalyst that would enhance opportunities, openness and optimism to underpin our future relationship, the Vice-President added. A Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Kwaku Ampratwum Sarpong, also expressed the hope that the forum would enhance the existing economic trade and investment activities between the two countries. He said the event was an indication of the commitment of the people and governments of Ghana and Austria to further deepen their cooperation. Mr Sarpong said the forum would not only identify common interests, challenges and innovative approaches to strengthen business relations between the two countries, but also lead to more Austrian businesses being established in Ghana in joint ventures and partnerships with their Ghanaian counterparts. Increase trade The Federal Chancellor of Austria, Karl Nehammer, said trade between his country and Ghana had increased significantly over the years. He, however, called for partnership of equals which, he said, was important for the mutual benefit of the two countries. Mr Nehammer said Austria was currently working on a strategy on African for which, he said, they would be seeking advice and input from Ghana. Aid efforts have been suspended and hundreds have been killed since fighting broke out in Sudan on 15 April. Large parts of Khartoum (pictured here) now resemble a ghost town. 'This is now a much harder operational environment.' As fighting continues to rage between Sudan's army and its main paramilitary force, aid agencies say they're trying to move from crisis management to mapping out what a reconfigured relief effort might look like for a country at war. Many hurdles lie ahead: Khartoum, the capital city and main base for aid operations, is under siege; aid workers are being evacuated in large numbers; and the country's humanitarian set-up doesn't yet have the capacity to handle a nationwide emergency. "This is now a much harder operational environment," Will Carter, country director in Sudan for the Norwegian Refugee Council, which has relief programmes in various parts of the country, told The New Humanitarian. Aid agencies have suspended operations as a result of the fighting, which has seen unprecedented shelling and gunfights in the capital - a city of more than five million people - and major unrest spread to the western Darfur region. Life-saving relief has been organised by Sudanese medics and civil society groups over the past week and a half. But some of these groups are now calling for external support, with millions likely on the move and a three-day truce drawing to a close. "We don't see any humanitarian workers coming to us," Mohamed El-Sheikh, a resident of Khartoum, told The New Humanitarian on 24 April. "What we see are only soldiers moving everywhere. I cannot even get drinking water." Aid officials in Sudan said a significant increase in funding from international donors will be required if they are to scale up response efforts and meet what many fear may morph into a full-blown civil war. A regional refugee emergency also appears underway as Sudanese flee in all directions - to Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and South Sudan. As they cross borders, many are describing ill treatment and slow humanitarian responses. "We have to prepare to receive these refugees and give them all necessary support," said William Ngabonziza, who leads the Humanitarian Development Consortium (HDC), a South Sudanese aid agency that is monitoring new refugee arrivals. Resetting operations One in three Sudanese already needed humanitarian relief before fighting broke out on 15 April. Dire economic straits had led to soaring hunger, and conflict in Darfur and other peripheries had triggered a significant displacement crisis. The situation had been worsening since 2021, when the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) jointly toppled a military-civilian government. That administration was supposed to steer Sudan to elections after the 2019 fall of dictator Omar al-Bashir. Health services have collapsed and hundreds have died since the coup forces turned on each other. The clashes were triggered by plans to integrate the RSF into the army and reflect a long-standing competition between Sudanese security agencies. Kate Maina-Vorley, regional director for Eastern and Central Africa at CARE, told The New Humanitarian that her organisation managed to restart relief programmes on 19 April in several states where the security situation is calmer. Yet other agencies, including the World Food Programme - which had three staff members killed in Darfur on the first day of the conflict - are still not operating, even as the humanitarian situation worsens. Relocations and evacuations have so far dominated the focus of aid groups, which have a duty of care to their staff. But there have been too few conversations on how to scale up the response in parallel, one senior aid official said, asking not to be named. With Khartoum under attack, relaunching aid efforts will require finding a new operational hub. The Red Sea city of Port Sudan is being considered by the UN and some NGOs, officials said, though hubs may also be set up outside the country. As Khartoum's main airport is shuttered, getting staff and basic supplies into Sudan will also be challenging, according to Sibongani Kayola, who leads Mercy Corps' work in the country. "Many aid agencies have evacuated their staff," said Kayola. "The process of bringing those staff back when the situation calms down and we are ready to start responding is unclear due to the state of the airport." Carter of NRC said his agency is pushing for a humanitarian air bridge to be set up in a safer part of the country. He said this could be used to bring in humanitarian personnel and basic supplies. Funding needs and frontline responders Getting relief out to people in need will be a massive hurdle, given the current insecurity. Depending on how the conflict unfolds in the weeks and months ahead, aid may need to move across front lines or across national borders. Carter said a stronger aid infrastructure will be needed in Sudan, including improved security analysis and better coordination mechanisms between civilian and military actors. "The system wasn't set up before for that," he said. Funding for relief efforts will need to increase substantially too. Despite record numbers of people in need last year, aid groups only received around half of the nearly $2 billion they requested from donors - a shortfall that other relief missions are also facing. Kayola said aid groups will need to reprioritise funds already allocated to Sudan. She said this could mean refocusing some development-orientated programmes to meet immediate humanitarian needs. How long it takes for donor funding to materialise remains to be seen. In the meantime, frontline communities and mutual aid networks are acting as first responders, from hosting displaced families to coordinating relief in Khartoum and beyond. Some Sudanese say they have felt abandoned as foreign embassies have closed operations in Khartoum in recent days, and as long lines of UN vehicles have been seen leaving the city. A member of one of the Khartoum resistance committees - local groups involved in pro-democracy protests - said they feared the diplomatic vacuum will make it harder to enforce humanitarian corridors for those still trapped by fighting. "The closing down of embassies was an astonishing thing," said the resistance committee member, who asked not to be named due to security fears. "It means their concern is not to put pressure [on both sides], but their own safety." Crossing borders Aid efforts also need to be scaled up outside of Sudan. In recent days, thousands of Khartoum residents have rushed to the Egyptian border - where they are facing arduous waits - while others have been trying to cross to Saudi Arabia by boat. The UN's refugee agency (UNHCR) is, meanwhile, planning for 270,000 people to move into South Sudan and Chad, two countries that have their own security problems and underfunded relief missions. Ngabonziza of the South Sudanese aid group HDC said they counted hundreds of families crossing over in the first few days of conflict. 6:32 and finally Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Sudan Governance Arms and Armies By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Between 10,000 and 20,000 Sudanese have also fled into Chad from the Darfur region, said Roch Souabedet, who is country director there for HIAS, an international aid group that works with refugees. Souabedet said some of the arrivals fled clashes while others premeditatively left the region, which experienced a major conflict in the 2000s. He said the arrivals are mostly women and children. "There are those who have already experienced violence, and those who tried to find their way before the situation becomes worse," Souabedet said. "I think it is based on past experience - they know how this situation can be." Chad is already hosting 600,000 refugees, but support programmes in the country have been underfunded for years. Earlier this month, the UN warned of a "complete suspension of assistance" without additional resources. Souabedet said aid groups had not planned for the new arrivals, and that response efforts are being funded from existing pots. "Serious attention needs to be put on the crisis," he said. "Chad needs the means to provide the right support." Back in Khartoum, the resistance committee member said "day-to-day survival" is now the priority for people. "It doesn't seem like they're interested in ceasefires," they said of the battling generals. "It seems both sides are going for a win." Philip Kleinfeld reported from Abidjan, and Okech Francis from Juba. Additional reporting from Obi Anyadike in Johannesburg. Edited by Andrew Gully. Philip Kleinfeld, Correspondent and Editor, Africa Okech Francis, Freelance journalist covering South Sudan Generalising Bawku conflict affecting hotel industry Hotels Association Gilbert Mawuli Agbey Apr - 27 - 2023 , 06:59 The Upper East Regional Chairman of the Ghana Hotels Association (GHA), Tindan Bagarinyii Louis, has urged the media not to generalise their reports on the unending Bawku conflict, as it is negatively affecting the hotel industry. The crisis in Bawku has not escalated to all parts of the region so the media should desist from generalising the conflict situation in Bawku as it has put fear in people, thereby preventing them from travelling to the area to engage in any form of activity he stressed. He said, you know some people including tourists who visit the region usually lodge in hotels and other hospitality facilities and the news reports by the media that seem to generalise the Bawku conflict has prevented people from freely moving to the region. Interview Mr Tindan was speaking with the Daily Graphic to highlight the impact of the Bawku conflict on the hotel industry in the region. Bawku has been the hotbed of decades-old ethnic conflict between the Mamprusis and Kusasis and has claimed many lives over the period. For instance, checks conducted in some hotels within Bolgatanga revealed that some of them had lost revenue since the conflict resurfaced about two years ago due to their inability to receive guests. We are deeply worried about the situation in Bawku as people who wish to travel to the region to engage in other activities are afraid to come, citing the conflict in Bawku, he indicated. Concerned Mr Tindan noted that the GHA was concerned about the happenings in Bawku and ,therefore, urged the media to always get their reportage on the conflict right, saying as an association, we urge the media not to create a negative impression that there is general insecurity in the region but rather help de-escalate the situation in Bawku. The conflict situation in Bawku is not a total representation of the security situation in the region he stated, adding the crisis in Bawku is within a curtailed area and not across the entire region. He assured tourists and other guests that it was safe to travel to the region to engage in any form of activity, stressing the security [apparatus] is on high alert and is working hard to control the situation in Bawku. While admitting that the Bawku conflict had negatively impacted the revenue generation of players in the hotel industry in the region since 2022, he expressed optimism that the issue would be dealt with so people can freely move to the region to enable the hotel industry bounce back. Further, he entreated the factions in the age-old Bawku conflict to lay down their arms as it would go a long way to address the negative perception of insecurity in the region. Graphic prediction comes true. . .President nominates Justice Torkornoo as next Chief Justice Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson Apr - 27 - 2023 , 07:18 As predicted earlier by the Daily Graphic, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has nominated a Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Gertrude Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, as the next Chief Justice. The Daily Graphic in its April 18, 2023 issue, published that the President was expected to nominate Justice Torkornoo as the Chief Justice to replace Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah, who retires on May 24, this year. Last Wednesday, April 25, President Akufo-Addo, in a letter he signed, informed the Council of State about his decision to nominate Justice Torkornoo, and impressed on the Council to expedite action on the nominee, for onward submission to Parliament for approval, in conformity with Article 144 (1) of the 1992 Constitution. When she gets the nod from Parliament, 60-year-old Justice Torkornoo will become the countrys third female Chief Justice, following the footsteps of Justices Georgina Theodora Wood and Sophia Akuffo. Rich experience Three lawyers have welcomed the nomination of Justice Torkornoo, describing it as one that would improve the administration of justice in the country. The lawyers who spoke to the Daily Graphic are a former AttorneyGeneral and Minister of Justice, Ayikoi Otoo; Senior Partner of Bentsi-Enchill, Letsa & Ankomah, Ace Ankomah, and private legal practitioner and lecturer at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) Law School, Albert Quashigah. Mr Otoo said Justice Torkornoos rich experience as a judge for over 19 years and also from her many years as a lawyer would be a great asset to her role as Chief Justice. She was a lawyer worth her salt and has also distinguished herself on the Bench. So she is a good choice by the President, he said In terms of human relations, he said although Justice Torkornoo was firm, she was a courteous judge who treated lawyers that appeared before her with respect. Mr Otoo said when approved by Parliament, Justice Torkornoo must work hard to protect the independence and sanctity of the judiciary. She must swiftly investigate all allegations of judicial corruption and send a message to judges and officers of the judiciary that corruption is not rewarding and would not be tolerated under her administration, he said. Great knowledge Mr Ankomah described Justice Torkornoo as a firm believer in the rule of law and a judge who continuously exhibits high knowledge in various fields of the law. She is firm in her conviction and always ready to use the law to advance the cause of justice, he said. Mr Ankomah expects Justice Torkornoo to further drive digitisation of the courts and the Judicial Service to improve the justice delivery system. According to him, although digitisation of the courts was being implemented by the current Chief Justice, Justice Torkornoo must further accelerate the implementation of initiatives such as automations of courts and e-justice. In these days of digitisation, the court can expand electronic filing. If there is a 300-page document, a lawyer does not have to print all to file. It can be filed electronically, he said. Progressive judge For Mr Quashigah, Justice Torkornoo is a progressive judge who will be open to implement initiatives that will make the justice system more in tune with current times. Again, he said Justice Torkornoo must work hard to improve the relationship between judges and lawyers. Sometimes, the way some judges relate to lawyers in the courtroom is not the best. When she becomes the Chief Justice, I expect her to improve on this relationship because lawyers and judges are partners in delivering justice to people, he added. Who is Justice Gertrude Torkornoo? A native of Winneba in the Central Region, Justice Torkornoo was born in Cape Coast on September 11,1962 and had her O Level at the Wesley Girls High School and A Level at the Achimota School. She is an alumna of the University of Ghana and graduated from the Ghana School of Law in June, 1986. In 2001, she obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in International Law and Organisation from the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), part of Erasmus University in the Netherlands and further graduated from the Golden Gate University, USA in 2011, with an LLM in Intellectual Property Law. From January 1997 to 2004, she was a Managing Partner at Sozo Law Consult. Justice Torkornoo became a Justice of the High Court from May 2004 to October 2012. She was appointed to the Court of Appeal from October 2012 to 2019, when she was elevated to the Supreme Court. Justice Torkornoo was part of the seven-member panel of the highest court of the land that unanimously dismissed the 2020 Election Petition filed by former President John Dramani Mahama challenging the 2020 election victory of President Akufo-Addo. Green Ghana Day June 9 - Commission pledges to protect forest resources Emmanuel Bonney Apr - 27 - 2023 , 09:44 Friday, June 9, has been set aside for Green Ghana Day 2023. The day has been set aside for the planting of various tree types and species, ranging from ornamental to cash crops, shrubs and fruits. The 2023 planting, which is the third consecutive edition of the national climate change reversal exercise, is targeted at planting 10 million trees across the country. Announcing the day at a press briefing yesterday, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources (MLNR), Samuel Abu Jinapor, indicated that the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, would launch the Green Ghana Day next month at the Great Hall of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi. This year's event would be held on the theme: "Our Forests, Our Health". Background The Green Ghana Day was instituted in 2021 by government, under the auspices of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, as part of an aggressive afforestation and reforestation programme to restore the countrys lost forest cover. At the maiden edition, over seven million trees were planted, exceeding the target of five million trees. Last year, over 24 million trees were planted, exceeding the 20 million trees target. The downward revision to 10 million trees in this years exercise, the ministry explains, is meant to devote adequate resources and attention to the nurturing of over 23 million trees to increase their survival rate. Maiden edition "On the maiden edition, we targeted five million trees. With your support, over seven million trees were planted. Last year, we raised our ambition and targeted at least 20 million trees. Again, you supported us, and over 24 million trees were planted; bringing the total planted trees over the years to excess of 31 million trees," Mr Jinapor said. So far, he added, field assessment report showed that, on the average, there was 72 per cent survival rate last year as compared to 81 per cent rate in 2021, the inception year. Measures Mr Jinapor said while adequate measures had been put in place to ensure the survival of all trees planted, a number of external factors accounted for the survival rate. They included rainfall patterns, wildfires and soil fertility, he explained. Nonetheless, the minister said, the survival rate showed that there was still some 23 million trees to nurture, adding that it is for this reason that this year, we have revised our target downwards to 10 million trees. That, Mr Jinapor said, would provide the space to devote some resources and attention to the trees planted over the last two years, while not losing momentum on the quest to restore the degraded landscape. It is the expectation of the government that this year, we will receive the usual massive support to build upon the successes achieved in 2021 and 2022, he said. He noted that this years theme, Our Forests, Our Health, was to signify the importance of forests to lives, and to remind residents of the many health and related benefits derived from forests. Message "We are urging you, our friends from the media, to carry the message across, and mobilise our country in support of this noble project. Let me use this opportunity to appeal to all Ghanaians and residents of Ghana, our revered chiefs and queenmothers, religious and faith-based organisations, ministers, parliamentarians, judges, public servants, civil servants, doctors, teachers, lawyers, nurses, private sector organisations, civil society organisations, students, members of the diplomatic corps, development partners, and all persons living in Ghana, to support the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to make this years Green Ghana Day a success," Mr Jinapor said. He announced that as was the case last year, there was the opportunity for corporate institutions and the private sector to adopt compartments in forest reserves to plant trees, saying those compartments would be branded with the companys name and logo. Seedling distribution Mr Jinapor said seedlings would be made available at the ministry, the district offices of the Forestry Commission, and at designated locations for collection on the Green Ghana Day. He said a detailed schedule of the seedling distribution and pick-up points would be published in due course. The minister reiterated the crucial role trees played in the survival of lives and the planet, stressing that when the last tree dies, the last man dies adage still held true today. Let us, therefore, all join hands together, and green Ghana on Friday, June 9, 2023, the Green Ghana Day," Mr Jinapor said. Protecting forest reserves Also at the briefing, Mr Jinapor stressed that the Forestry Commission under the ministry, would continue to roll out measures to make sure that the countrys forest reserves were condoned off from attacks and unwanted destruction from, particularly, illegal mining. Already, the Forest Commission, he indicated, had been undertaking regular patrolling of the forest reserves, protecting and maintaining the internal and external boundaries, as well as creating awareness and stakeholder sensitisation. Also, the Forestry Commission, to serve as a deterrent, has been decommissioning and demobilising equipment used for illegal mining activities in the forest reserves. The sector Minister, Samuel Jinapor, who said this, emphasised that government would do all it could to ensure that the forest reserves were protected, in the fight against illegal mining. In fact, as recently as two to three weeks ago, we had a retreat and the Forestry Commission briefed the Cabinet on the measures that are being taken to protect the forest reserves of our country and we are going to continue. We are going to continue to roll out these measures to make sure that these forest reserves are condoned off from attack or from the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation. So that is the first effort we are making, he said. Two-prong approach Mr Jinapor who gave the assurance in response to a question during the press briefing, indicated that the ministry had rolled out a two-prong approach to restore the degraded landscape of the country and in restoring the forest cover in the country. First, he said, was to protect the forest reserves of the country and second was to engage in the aggressive afforestation and reforestation initiative. He said the protection would mean making sure that the various forest reserves in the country were safeguarded, protected from attack on deforestation, agriculture expansion, cocoa expansion, illegal mining and all the practices which resulted in forest degradation and deforestation. The Forestry Commission is to put in place adequate measures, a plethora of measures to ensure that we protect the forest reserves of our country, he said. Mr Jinapor said the second measure was the effort of aggressive forestation and reafforestation and that the Green Ghana Day was a component of that effort, the effort of ensuring that we plant enough trees because we have lost significant proportion of our forest estate as a country. Since 1910 up to date, we have lost almost 80 per cent of our forest cover. so while we are protecting the existing forest cover, we also need to put in place measures to ensure that we engage in aggressive afforestation and reforestation. That is why this year, we intend to plant 10 million, he added. Gregory Afoko to be retried, Asabke sentenced to death in NPP Chairman murder Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson Apr - 27 - 2023 , 16:49 Asabke Alangdi, the man accused of conspiring with Gregory Afoko in 2015 to kill Adams Mahama, a former Upper East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has been sentenced to death by hanging by the Accra High Court. Alangdi is to be sent to the gallows after a seven-member jury unanimously found him guilty of conspiracy to commit murder. Afoko is, however, to be retried after the jury returned a 4-3 verdict of not guilty on the charges of conspiracy to commit murder and murder. Per Section 285 (4) of the Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) Act, 1960 (Act 30), a verdict of 4-3 by a jury in a murder trial means it is a hung jury and there must be a retrial. Since the first accused person [Afoko] has been found not guilty by the majority decision of 4-3, this is a hung jury. There will be a retrial of the accused person, Justice Merley Afua Wood, a Justice of the Court of Appeal sitting as an additional High Court judge, ruled yesterday. The court sentenced Asabke to death on account of Section 24 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), which stipulates the punishment for conspiracy to commit an offence as the same as the substantive offence, in this case, murder. Asabke Alangdi, the men and women elected to try you, having found you guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, you are hereby sentenced to death by hanging, Justice Wood pronounced. Strange verdict Counsel for Alangdi, Andrew Vortia, vowed to immediately appeal the death sentence of his client, describing the verdict of the jury as strange and a travesty of justice. He wondered how the jury could have found Alangdi guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and then found Afoko not guilty of the same charge of conspiracy. How can a person conspire against himself? In law, conspiracy only holds against two or more people, and each of the accused persons must be guilty. Who did my client conspire with if the first accused person has been found not guilty by the jurors on the same facts? There is no way one person can be found guilty of conspiracy and the other party will not be guilty. I am, therefore, going to lodge an instant appeal, Mr Vortia said. According to him, the case was a clear testament that the jury system in the country was defective and should be scrapped. Courts summary For over four hours, Justice Wood summarised the evidence adduced before the court and explained to the jury the elements for establishing murder and conspiracy under the laws of the country, vis-a-vis the evidence before the court. She further explained to the jury the various strengths and weaknesses of the evidence presented by both the prosecution and the defence and advised the jury not to put too much weight on material evidence, especially testimonies of witnesses, riddled with unjustifiable inconsistencies. Since the evidence against the accused persons were mostly circumstantial, Justice Wood also explained to the jury the position of the law on circumstantial evidence. After explaining the law, Justice Wood directed the jury to go and deliberate and bring a verdict by taking into consideration the totality of the evidence, without any external influence such as media reportage. She further directed the jury to convict the accused persons if the evidence proved their guilt, but to acquit them if they had any doubt about the case of the prosecution. If you are convinced that the A1 [Afoko] conspired with A2 [Alangdi], then declare them guilty, but if there is any doubt, let it be in the interest of the accused persons, Justice Wood said. Verdict After about 30 minutes of deliberations, the jury of four women and three men returned a 4-3 not guilty verdict for Afoko on the two charges. When it got to the turn of Alangdi, they returned the same 4-3 verdict on the charge of murder, but decided unanimously that he was guilty of conspiracy to commit murder. When the foreman was asked to confirm that decision, she repeated that, indeed, the jury was unanimous on the decision of the charge of conspiracy with regard to Alangdi. Murmurs then swelled around the courtroom, with the lawyers especially appearing to be in some chatter. In that state of confusion, Justice Wood called all prosecution and defence lawyers to her chambers where the meeting lasted about 15 minutes. She returned to the courtroom to rule that Afoko would be retried, and then sentenced Alangdi to death based on the decision of the jury. Alleged murder According to the facts of the case, on May 14, 2015, Afokos brother, Paul Afoko, and Kwabena Agyepong, then National Chairman and General Secretary respectively of the NPP, went to Bolgatanga for a meeting. Alhaji Mahama, the prosecution claimed, organised some thugs to violently attack the two, scuttling the planned meeting at the Azumsolon Guest House, while accusing them of campaigning against the then NPP flag bearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and also not notifying him (Mahama) of the meeting. The situation, according to the prosecution, was later brought under control by the police, adding that Afoko, who was then upset, confronted Mahama but was chased away by some thugs. Another group The facts also noted that Afoko and one Asabke Alangdi formed another youth group in a bid to protect persons perceived to be against Nana Akufo-Addo. It said Afoko and Alangdi held a series of meetings with the youth, and on May 20, 2015, they laid ambush at Mahamas residence with a substance suspected to be acid. Mahama returned home around 11:10 p.m. in his pick-up vehicle, with registration number NR 761-14, and immediately he parked the vehicle in front of his house, Afoko and Asabke went close and signalled him to roll down the glass. Mahama identified the suspects to be party members, and rolled down the glass to talk to them. Suddenly, the suspects poured the substance, suspected to be acid, on his head, face and other parts of his body and fled on a motorbike. Mahama started screaming for help, and his wife, Hajia Adams, went to his aid and managed to bring him out of the vehicle, the prosecution said. NAM 1 Menzgold case adjourned to June 8 GNA Apr - 27 - 2023 , 06:10 An Accra Circuit Court has adjourned to June 8, the case of Nana Appiah Mensah, aka NAM 1, Chief Executive Officer of Menzgold Ghana Limited, accused of duping customers of their deposits over GH1.6 billion. Appearing before the substantive Judge, Mrs Evelyn Asamoah, adjourned the matter after the Police had told the court that they were still waiting for the Attorney General's advice. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Emmanuel Haligah who held brief of Superintendent of Police Sylvester Asare therefore prayed the court for a date. Ms Audrey Twum held a brief of Kwame Akuffo for the accused person. This is the 34th time the matter has appeared before the court in the past two years. Nana Mensah is standing trial for 61 counts of abetment, defrauding by false pretences, carrying on deposit-taking business without a license, unlawful deposit-taking and money laundering. The accused persons have denied the charges and the court on July 26, 2019, admitted him to bail in the sum of GHS1 billion with five sureties, three to be justified. The court has ordered him to report to the Police every Wednesday, pending the outcome of the case. Parliament cant compel EC to adopt guarantor system Lawyer Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson Apr - 27 - 2023 , 07:30 A constitutional lawyer and former Member of Parliament (MP) for Kumawu, Yaw Baah, has criticised the procedure used by Parliament to ensure that the guarantor system becomes one of the means through which a Ghanaian can register to vote. He said the legislative body could not compel the Electoral Commission (EC) to include the guarantor system in the Constitutional Instrument (C.I.) for continuous voter registration, which the electoral body sought to lay before the House. He said Parliaments suggestion that the EC should include the guarantor system in the C.I. was, at best, a recommendation, which the electoral management body was not bound by any law to follow. If Parliament insists that its decision for the EC to include the guarantor system is binding, then the exercise it undertook on March 31 by voting to recommend to the EC to include the guarantor system is unconstitutional. The recommendation is an opinion by Parliament, he said. Mr Baah premised his argument on Article 11(7) of the 1992 Constitution, the constitutional provision on subsidiary legislation, and the Supreme Court decision in Nii Tetteh Opremreh v EC and A-G, which interprets and enforces the said provision. In that particular case, he said, the Supreme Court speaking through Justice Sulemana Gbadegbe distinguished between Article 11(7), which restricts Parliaments powers with regard to subsidiary legislation, and Article 106(6) of the Constitution which gave Parliament the power to amend any substantive legislation. In an exclusive interview with the Daily Graphic, Mr Baah a former Chairman of the Legal, Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament said Parliament, per Article 11(7) of the 1992 Constitution, had the power to only annul subsidiary legislation, including C.I.s. Recommendation by Parliament in respect of subsidiary legislation, he said, were only persuasive but not binding on the entity sponsoring the legislation. In line with Article 11(7) of the 1992 Constitution, the EC is seeking to lay a C.I. before Parliament to regulate the continuous voter registration exercise. Per Article 11(7), the C.I., which seeks, among other things, to make the Ghana Card the sole identification document for the exercise and the only means for registration when laid in Parliament, will come into force after 21 sitting days, except the House annuls it by a vote of not less than two-thirds of all Members of Parliament (MPs). Mr Baah said in the case of Nii Tetteh Opremreh v EC and A-G, the Supreme Court in interpreting and enforcing Article 11(7) of the Constitution held that apart from annulment, other acts by Parliament such as amendment, variation or change in a subsidiary legislation was unconstitutional. According to him, the insistence by Parliament for the EC to include the guarantor system before the C.I. would be considered not an annulment and, therefore, technically the House had no power to force it down the throat of the EC as that would sin against Article 11(7) of the 1992 Constitution as enforced by the Supreme Court in the case of Nii Tetteh Opremreh v EC and A-G. The Supreme Court has ruled that if Parliament does not take advantage of the annulment power under Article 11(7) of the 1992 Constitution, it cannot do any other thing that is binding on the body that presented the subsidiary legislation. The Supreme Court was emphatic that when it comes to subsidiary legislation, Parliament is only a conduit through which constitutional bodies vested with power can bring a subsidiary legislation into force, he said. Pre-laying As part of the pre-laying process of the C.I., the Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulation, 2023, Parliament rejected the ECs decision to make the Ghana Card the sole means for the registration. The House unanimously recommended to the EC to include the guarantor system in the C.I. before it could present it for consideration. Legislators were of the view that unless and until the challenges confronting the issuance of the Ghana Card were dealt with, using the card as the only medium of voter registration would negatively impact the electoral roll and thereby deny some otherwise qualified persons from registering to vote. The House took the decision after legislators adopted the report of the Committee of the Whole on the draft C.I. The report was signed by the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, who is also the Speaker of Parliament, Soon after the House had adopted the Committee of the Wholes report, the Speaker said the House would now not depend on the assurances from the EC or the NIA, but we are now making inputs into the preparation of the C.I.. No legal effect However, Mr Baah, who is also a former Chairman of the Judicial Committee and former Vice-Chairman of the Subsidiary Legislation Committee of Parliament, was of the view that although Parliament had a right to go through a pre-laying process for the C.I., the decision made during the pre-laying process had no legal effect. In view of that, he said, the report of the Committee of the Whole of the House and its subsequent acceptance by the House for the EC to include the guarantor system was not binding. Article 11(7), as interpreted and enforced by the Supreme Court in Nii Tetteh Opremreh v EC and A-G, is the current case law governing subsidiary legislation. Therefore, whatever exercise undertaken by Parliament in respect of unanimously agreeing for the EC to include the guarantor system was not necessary because it would not have any legal impact. He also wondered why Parliament unanimously voted to recommend to the EC to include the guarantor system when the C.I. had not been properly laid before the House. Mr Baah said if Parliament was not happy about the exclusion of the guarantor system from the C.I., the lawful procedure was for the House to allow the EC to lay the C.I. and then annul it by two-thirds majority as stipulated by Article 11(7) of the Constitution and interpreted in Nii Tetteh Opremreh v EC and A-G. President Akufo-Addo leaves for South Africa GraphicOnline Apr - 27 - 2023 , 05:50 President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, left the country yesterday (Wednesday, April 26, 2023) at the invitation of the Democrat Union of Africa (DUA) Annual Forum in Johannesburg, South Africa. President Akufo-Addo will deliver the keynote address at the Forum, which is scheduled to be held from April 26-30, 2023, in Johannesburg. He was accompanied by the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kwaku Ampratwum, Member of Parliament for Mampong; and officials from the Presidency and Foreign Ministry. President Akufo-Addo will return to Ghana on Sunday, April 30, 2023, and, in his absence, the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, shall, in accordance with Article 60 (8) of the Constitution, act in his stead. Stakeholders forum on land administration held in Tamale Mohammed Fugu Apr - 27 - 2023 , 07:05 A stakeholders forum has been held in Tamale to dialogue on land-related issues and the guidelines on large-scale land-based investments to help address corruption practices in land administration. Organised by the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), in collaboration with the Lands Commission, the forum brought together representatives of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), corruption watchers, traditional leaders and a section of the public to deliberate on land-related issues in line with the Land Act 2020 (Act 1036). It formed part of the GIIs ongoing Land and Corruption in Africa (LCAII) project, which seeks to sensitise the general public to the Act, existing corruption reporting mechanisms and the need to report corruption to seek redress. Land governance The Land Act 2020 (Act 1036), which was passed by Parliament and assented by the President on December 23, 2020, has revised, harmonised and consolidated the laws on land to ensure sustainable land administration and management, effective and efficient land tenure. Speaking at the forum, the Project Lead of the LCAII, Michael Okia, stressed the need for stakeholders to take pragmatic measures to promote good land governance and prevent the corruption that had engulfed lands across the country. He, however, encouraged all stakeholders to be vigilant and report all land corruption related issues to the relevant authorities for redress, saying bribery, fraud or false accounting, favouritism, nepotism, facilitation payment among others are all criminal offences and are punishable by law when caught. The Act The Northern Regional Lands Officer, Samuel Atta Gyarteng, in a presentation highlighted major laws affecting the Lands Act, which include land development protection of purchasers (Act, 1960 Act2), Farm Lands Act, 1962 (Act 107,) Land Registry Act 1962 (ACT122,), Administration of Lands Act, 1962 (Act 123) among others. He said, section 227 prescribes the various offences of a public officer in the discharge of his duties. Sanctions, convictions and fines have been provided for offenders in order to ensure transparency and accountability and to reduce corruption related with the Act. Large-scale land acquisition involves a transaction over a land area of 20.23 hectares or 50 acres more or less, but triggers social, economic and/or environmental concerns that need to be safeguarded, he added. He explained that the acquisition of large lands was to promote government developmental policy objectives by facilitating initiatives that would foster job creation, income generation and equity in resource distribution in line with Ghanas development agenda. Some of the participants who spoke to the Daily Graphic called on relevant authorities to strictly enforce the law to help address issues surrounding land administration in the country. Women's NGO donates to Tema female ward Benjamin Xornam Glover Apr - 27 - 2023 , 10:09 As part of efforts to improve healthcare at the Tema General Hospital, the Tema chapter of Women Empowerment Foundation International (WEFI), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has donated assorted hospital equipment to the female medical ward of the facility. The items included 31 bedspreads, 12 patient mattresses, one wheelchair, one zimma frame, three oxygen cylinders, an adjustable wheeled bedframe, 15 plastic chairs and packs of bottled water all estimated at about GH40,000.00 The group also changed the curtains in the ward and adjoining offices. The President of the Tema chapter of the WEFI, Christiana Agyeman-Berko, speaking to journalists after presenting the items to the hospital said the group which was founded in 2009 as a charity organisation adopted the Female Medical Ward of the facility in 2017 and renovated the entire ward. The renovation included re-roofing of the ward, changing of the ceiling boards, fixing and changing of bathroom and toilet facilities, painting of the ward, plumbing works, and re-netting of the entire female medical ward. She said the latest donation, which was based on an appeal from the facility, was aimed at enhancing health care services provided to the public at the facility She also said WEFI had undertaken similar projects in other health facilities in the past. Additionally, she said WEFI had granted educational scholarships to needy but brilliant students who were pursuing courses at the second cycle and tertiary level. Appeal A Senior Nursing Officer at the hospital, Naana Mensima Aikens, expressed appreciation to WEFI for their support for the ward, emphasising that it would help to bring relief to patients. She appealed to corporate entities in Tema to come to the aid of the facility since it was the only referral hospital for the whole metropolis and neighbouring communities. Mrs Aikens made a special appeal for the Tema General Hospital to be provided with a mobile medical X-ray machine to help radiographers take X-ray images of patients without having to move the patients out of the ward. She said the only existing portable medical X-ray machine in the facility had broken down for some months now, adding that sometimes, patients had to be moved in an ambulance from the ward to the X-ray unit just to have an X-ray image taken, something which came with its own inconvenience for the patient and health care providers. Mrs Aikens urged philanthropists to support the facility with patient monitors which would allow patients to be safely monitored while on admission and also more adjustable wheeled bed frames as well as patient lockers for the 32-bed female medical ward which currently has less than five-wheel adjustable beds while most of the existing patient bedside lockers have broken down. Duffuor scales up campaign ahead of NDC primary Daily Graphic Politics Apr - 27 - 2023 , 08:06 A Presidential aspirant of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr Kwabena Duffuor, has reiterated his resolve to empower the grassroots of the party to ensure that it recaptures power in the next general election. He has, therefore, called on the delegates of the party to vote for him massively in the May 13, 2023, presidential primary to lead the party to victory in the 2024 general election. Grassroots empowerment Interacting with branch and constituency executives on his campaign tour of the Central, Western and Western North regions, Dr Duffuor promised party executives that under his leadership, he would ensure all party workers were well paid and also institute a pension scheme for the cadres and aged members of the party. He further stated that the initiatives would make the party stronger and more attractive, not only to the children and grandchildren of those individuals but also to the majority of Ghanaians, making the NDC stronger and more attractive. The former Bank of Ghana Governor and Finance Minister, during his tour of the Western Region visited Ellembelle, Evalue Gwira, Jomoro and Tarkwa Nsuaem constituencies where his message of grassroots empowerment was received by crowds of delegates and supporters. Salary structure Dr Duffuor, during his campaign, also pledged to establish a salary structure for the partys executives to provide financial support for their work for the party. The salary structure, he said, would be designed to ensure that NDC executives received fair and reasonable compensation for their work while also ensuring the sustainability of the party's finances. Our executive members work tirelessly to promote the values and ideals of the NDC and they deserve to be fairly compensated for their efforts. The introduction of the salary structure is a vital step towards recognising the contributions of our executives and ensuring their financial security, he said. Dr Duffuor stated that the executives were the backbone of the party for which reason he would ensure that they received fair compensation for their work. He said the structure would provide the executives with financial support to continue their work for the party and to ensure the sustainability of the party's finances. The initiative, he said, would also help attract and retain talented individuals who were dedicated to advancing the ideals of the NDC. Economy Touching on the economy, Dr Duffuor pledged to restore hope and national pride and also to put the country on the path of economic prosperity, stressing that he still possessed the requisite skills that could help achieve that goal. We have done it before in 2009 and we can do it again; we should be able to create more jobs" he noted. Meanwhile, the NDC flag bearer hopeful has taken his campaign to the Ahafo, Bono and Bono East regions, where he would spend three days interacting with party supporters and delegates. press release The Africa CDC and the Mastercard Foundation participated in the annual World Vaccine Congress from April 3 to 6 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. The congress provided a platform for highlighting the progress of the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative, with a focus on regionalizing vaccine manufacturing in Africa through the Africa CDC Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM). The congress convened global experts to discuss the latest learnings and most pressing issues facing global health, especially in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. From the exhibition space, the congress saw the participation of research Institutions and health technology (vaccine) manufacturing companies. These entities showcased the latest technologies in the vaccine value chain right from innovative technologies in research and development all the way to the delivery of the product. Some of the technologies under development which were displayed during this congress have the potential to entirely solve the current challenges that vaccination programs face. Key themes including sustainable global manufacturing, private and public sector funding, and safety surveillance, as well as the importance of skills transfers, emerged as pillars for successful vaccine capabilities. Many of these themes called for more manufacturing of live-saving vaccines and increasing their uptake at the program level. Responding to the call has the potential to benefit the African continent through collaborations with key Africa CDC programmes contributing to the vaccine value chain like the Saving Lives and Livelihoods and PAVM, which work to increase access to vaccines in Africa, in part by establishing manufacturing on the continent. A global manufacturing ecosystem is critical to ensuring rapid and easy access to vaccines when we need them most. Regional manufacturing allows vaccines to reach people faster, save lives, increase equitable access, reduce costs and increase workforce development. But to build resilient manufacturing systems, sustainability and vaccine production financing models must be incorporated from the outset. Facilities must meet the consistent non-pandemic needs of a region while maintaining the capability to scale up for emergency response; workers need to be highly trained; and local governments need to provide funding and support. In discussions about manufacturing, experts agreed that funding is a critical component of success. Some estimates show that every dollar invested in manufacturing vaccines can give a return of seven dollars in economic value, emphasizing the economic development opportunities that establishing manufacturing infrastructure and increasing vaccination coverage for regional priority diseases provides. Through learnings shared by experts and stakeholders throughout the duration of the Congress, it's clear that funding must go beyond a monetary investment and support cannot end with vaccine procurement. Support must be provided from vaccine distribution, vaccination of populations, technology and skills transfer, and disease surveillance systems. Behavioural science insights are key to patient education and combatting vaccine hesitancy. As health advancements increase, the need for comprehensive support grows. Greater financing is needed to purchase the latest generations of vaccines, new manufacturing technology requires large-scale technology transfer, surge capacity must be built for times of emergency, and a resilient workforce must be specially trained. To achieve progress, effective collaboration is needed throughout the vaccine ecosystem. In nearly every presentation, one-on-one discussion, and panel held at the meeting, experts echoed the essential role of collaboration and partnerships. Public-private partnerships, government partnerships and support, and organizations like COVAX and initiatives like PAVM rely on collaboration to improve access to vaccines. When discussing learnings from COVID-19, experts agreed that collaborations saved millions of lives and that moving forward, there is need to create partnerships to share genomic surveillance data globally to be able to understand the vaccines needed in the future. Equally important is an understanding of the efficacy and effectiveness of vaccines with regard to the circulation of different variants of pathogens. About Africa CDC initiatives contributing to the vaccine Value Chain The Africa CDC partnership with Mastercard Foundation's is a perfect example of the possibilities that are borne from respectful and action-oriented partnerships. In 2021, Mastercard Foundation and Africa CDC launched a joint initiative, Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative, a historic partnership that aims to enable COVID-19 vaccination for millions of people. The partnership further aims to develop a workforce for vaccine manufacturing, establish systems for pharmacovigilance, build logistics capacity for vaccine delivery and strengthen the Africa CDC's capacity to oversee a historic vaccination campaign and effectively respond to future outbreaks ensuring long-term health security of the continent. Under this collaboration, the Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM) has been launched and it is being implemented on a larger scale. This is very crucial to advancing vaccine manufacturing capabilities in Africa as it aims to increase the number of vaccines produced on the continent from one to 60 percent by 2040 and further develop the human capital for vaccine manufacturing. Africa CDC Institute of Pathogen Genomics, through the Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Africa PGI) aims to enhance disease surveillance and public health partnerships through integrated, cross-continent laboratory networks equipped with the tools, human resource capacity and data infrastructure to fully leverage critical genomic sequencing technologies. Nearly 140 disease outbreaks are detected annually across Africa. Genomic sequencing technology will provide the scientific evidence needed for health systems to better prevent, identify and track these outbreaks. In addition to being an important tool for disease surveillance and outbreak response, pathogen genomics sequencing is critical to developing diagnostic tools and vaccines. The technology has not been widely practised in Africa because of several limitations including cost, lack of laboratory infrastructure and trained human resources. Based on the assessment done in 2018/2019, only seven national public health institutes in Africa have the capacity to conduct whole genome sequencing at a small scale. Following the launch of the Africa PGI by Africa CDC and partners, many institutions have been supported to have an in-house capacity for pathogen genomics. Currently, 39 African Union Member States have the infrastructure and skilled personnel to conduct pathogen genomics sequencing and for the seven additional Member States, the support to enhance their capacity continues. The target for 2024 seeks to have all AU Member States have pathogen genomics sequencing capacity and apply it not only for COVID-19 but for other priority pathogens. During the World Vaccine Congress in Washington DC, the impressive achievements of the Africa PGI were showcased and information about the program implementation status was provided to interested participants. Expression of interest by key institutions to collaborate with Africa CDC was made in expanding the capacity of pathogen genomics particularly in magnifying its application for diagnostics and vaccine development. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Health Africa Manufacturing By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Learn more about Saving Lives and Livelihoods here. Pass Affirmative Action Bill "2 Entities urge Parliament" Vincent Amenuveve Politics Apr - 27 - 2023 , 07:53 Parliament must speedily pass the Affirmative Action Bill into law to promote women's equal participation, representation in politics and decision-making, a Global Pluralism Monitoring report has advised. The report equally recommended that the government and policymakers need to improve on five key indicators to ensure the inclusiveness of various marginalised groups, including women and girls in all sectors of society. The 55-page document is a measuring tool to assess and address the root causes of the exclusion of marginalised groups such as women and girls from key sectors in society. At a short ceremony to launch the report in Accra, the Programme Officer of the Global Centre for Pluralism, Rajvir Gill, said there was a need to ensure that marginalised and vulnerable groups were not excluded from the key sectors of society, including politics. The report The report assessed 20 countries, including Ghana, on 20 indicators and scored the nation low on pointers such as shared ownership of society, trust in public institutions, intergroup trust, social, economic and policy implementation. It gave the country an average score of five out of 10 for only the policy implementation indicator while the rest of the four low-rated benchmarks for the country had an average score of four out of ten. The nation scored nine out of ten on both the International and national commitments to ratifying treaties and formulating legal frameworks. The other indicators in the report are inclusion and acceptance, intergroup violence, access to justice, cultural, political, private sector, civil society, news media and political parties. The rest are claims-making and contestation, data collection, inclusive citizenship; international and national commitments. The report was put together by the Global Centre for Pluralism, a Canadian-based independent charitable institution, in collaboration with the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) and funded by the Global Affairs Canada (GAC), as well as the International Development Research Centre, Canada. It covered Canada, the United Kingdom (UK), Germany, Bosnia, Jordan, Sudan, Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria. The rest are Tunisia, Columbia, Bolivia, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Ireland and Australia. Ms Gill explained that the report identified the feeling of belongingness was undermined by the highly divisive and winner-takes-all character of politics in which state resources were captured by political elites and their supporters. Recommendations She said the report recommended, among others, the need for public institutions such as the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to be well funded. That was because they were responsible for promoting civic values. The Secretary-General of the Global Centre for Pluralism, Meredith Preston McGhie, for her part, encouraged stakeholders to discuss and implement the recommendations of the report. Panellists The Head of the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana (UG), Legon, Professor Seidu Alidu, and a Lecturer at the African and Gender Studies (UG), Prof. Akosua Adomako, both agreed with the recommendations of the report to increase women's participation in politics and decision-making. President Akufo-Addo demands apology, retraction from Al Jazeera over 'Gold Mafia' documentary Enoch Darfah Frimpong and Zadok Kwame Gyesi Politics Apr - 27 - 2023 , 15:53 President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is demanding a retraction and an apology from Al Jazeera for the airing of the documentary - "Gold Mafia", which the Presidency describes as "inaccurate" and "unfair" in relation to how President Akufo-Addo is linked to the documentary. A four-part investigation by Al Jazeeras Investigative Unit (I-Unit) was recently released. It revealed a series of gold smuggling gangs in Southern Africa that helped suspected criminals launder hundreds of millions of dollars, getting rich themselves while plundering their nations. Related: Al Jazeeras Gold Mafia investigation and what Mathias said about Ghana What Alistair Mathias said about Ghana and the U-turn From the 11th minute of the 1 hour :13 minutes in the 4th Episode of the investigative documentary, Alistair Mathias, a gold trader said to be a designer of money laundering schemes for African leaders is introduced in the documentary. Theres no head of state or president that either of us [Mathias and his team] cant get to on this continent. Next door in Swaziland, the king is a close friend of mine. Zambias president is a close friend of my friend. DRC Congo, the president has invited me several times to come and build a refinery," he said. Unknowing to him [Alistair Mathias], a Canadian man, also described as a financial architect in the documentary, thinking he was meeting with Chinese businessmen seeking to launder money from Africa, was rather meeting with undercover reporters from Al Jazeera, who had posed as the Chinese businessmen. It was during that meeting that he boasted and alleged he had a relationship with many African leaders and mentioned the President of Ghana [Akufo-Addo] as well. Alistair Mathias said that his work has given him access to every president or head of state on the African continent. Speaking in the final of four episodes of the undercover investigations of gold smuggling in Africa by the Investigative Unit of Al Jazeera, Alistair Mathias, who is one of the main characters in the video, boasted about his relationship with African leaders. Ghanas president is a good friend of mine. In fact, he was my lawyer. Cyril Ramaphosa here; I know him. I know his kids, Mathias bragged at the meeting with the undercover reporters posing as Chinese businessmen. Alistair Mathias's U-turn about Ghana However, after the undercover investigation and when Aljazeera approached Alistair Mathias he made a U-turn on knowing Ghana's president. Before the conclusion of the Al Jazeera video, it stated that "Mr Mathias denied ever being awarded any tender by the Ghanaian government or entering into any government contracts in any African country. "President Akufo-Addo of Ghana told us [Al Jazeera] that he had no recollection of acting as a lawyer for Alistair Mathias or his company." After his meeting with Al Jazeeras undercover reporters, according to Al Jazeera, When asked for a formal comment about the findings of Al Jazeeras investigation, Mathias denied that he designed mechanisms to launder money and said that he had not laundered money or traded illegal gold for Russian clients or anyone else. He told us [Al Jazeera] he had never had any working relationship with Macmillan. President Akufo-Addo's demand for retraction and apology In a letter dated April 25, 2023, signed by the Secretary to the President at the Office of the President, Nana Bediatuo Asante, President Akufo-Addo indicated that the documentary by Al Jazeera contained "spurious" and "unsubstantiated allegations" against the President and the Government of Ghana. It said the documentary in question made baseless claims that the President acted as a lawyer for one Mr. Alistair Mathias and implied that the President personally benefited unlawfully from an alleged $100 million state infrastructure contract purportedly awarded to Mr. Mathias. That, the President said, In his letter dated 11th April, 2023, responding to Al Jazeera's letter of 2nd April, 2023, which was received on 6th April, 2023, containing these vague and defamatory allegations, the Legal Counsel to the President, Mr. Kow Abaka Essuman, acting on the instructions of the President, informed Al Jazeera that the President had not been in private practice since the year 2000 and that the President had no recollection of acting as a lawyer, either personally or through his law firm, Messrs. Akufo-Addo, Prempeh and Co, for a Mr. Alistair Mathias or his company, Guldrest Resources." It added that In those circumstances, further and better particulars were demanded from Al Jazeera to respond adequately to the allegations made in Al Jazeera's letter. Al Jazeera was thus requested to provide information on the period for which the President allegedly provided legal representation to Mr. Alistair Mathias or his company, Guldrest Resources. Furthermore, Al Jazeera was requested to provide details of the "USD 100 million tender for state infrastructure", allegedly given to Mr. Mathias, which he outsourced and kept a percentage in offshore accounts, as stated in the letter as well as information on how the President personally benefited unlawfully from the alleged "USD 100 million tender for state infrastructure." According to him, Al Jazeera refused or failed to provide these details as requested and went ahead with the broadcast of the documentary. At the end of the documentary, a terse text was shown, contradicting the content of the documentary. Additionally, the subject of the documentary, Mr. Alistair Mathias, denied what he said in the documentary to Al Jazeera's investigative journalist. In light of these blatant denials by Mr. Alistair Mathias and the response from Mr. Essuman, those parts of the documentary ought not to have been included because those statements were not true. Below is a copy of the letter from the President's Office Vice President Bawumia doubles-down on job creation figures, publishes data on 2.2million jobs GraphicOnline Politics Apr - 27 - 2023 , 07:15 The Vice President, Mahamudu Bawumia, has published data to support his assertion that the President Akufo-Addo administration has generated more than two million jobs in the past six years. During a health walk at Mpraeso, Dr. Bawumia revealed that the two million jobs were created in both the public and private sectors. He challenged anyone with conflicting information to come forward and challenge him. During the NDC administration, there were no jobs, they created unemployment, they were not creating jobs, we had the graduate unemployed association, they were creating unemployment, but I have been looking at the data lately and NPP we have created 2.1 million jobs," he said. 975,000 are in the private sector, 1.2 million in the public sector, this is verifiable and identifiable data which is available. NPP they were creating unemployment but we create jobs. We are not done yet because there are more jobs for us to create. But when it comes to job creation, no government since Independence has created more jobs than the government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, anybody can challenge me and I will provide the data. Every department, we can show progress for this country, but we want to go further, we can get to the promised land. We can be a Dubai, we can be a South Korea, we can be a Singapore, it is possible. He later restated the claim during his address at the national Eid-ul-Fitr celebration at the Independence Square. Some individuals have questioned the data, but the Vice President posted a detailed Excel spreadsheet on Facebook with information on the jobs generated from 2017 to 2022 by each ministry, agency and the private sector. According to the data, the private sector accounted for the majority of jobs, with 975,164 created between 2017 and 2020, while the public sector generated the remaining jobs, with 269,520 created by agencies under the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Youth Employment Agency generated 216,832 jobs. See the spreadsheet below; In March, Toyotas GR Corolla H2 Concept (liquid hydrogen-powered Corolla) suffered a fire during a tet run and withdrew from the opening of the ENEOS Super Taikyu Series 2023 Powered by Hankook Round 1 Suzuka. (Earlier post.) Now, Toyota says that with the Super Taikyu season kicking off at Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture, the first race for its liquid hydrogen-powered GR Corolla will be the Fuji 24 Hours in Maya 24-hour endurance race that is the most grueling event of the series. Toyota says that the fire was caused by a loosened joint in the hydrogen supply piping. Hydrogen leaked from the joint and ignited, burning the surrounding plastic parts. The leak occurred at the joint nearest to the engine, where it is exposed to the engines movement and vibration as the car accelerates or slows down. At the same time, the incident also demonstrated that the safety equipment was functioning properly, shutting down the hydrogen supply in less than 0.1 second. As a result, the fire was extinguished before it could spread, and no one was injured. In addition to revising the structure of the joint, the team will modify the design to isolate it from heat sources and stop the flow of hydrogen in the event of a leak. =In explaining the chain of events, Toyota continued to emphasize a key point: the fire was caused by a design issue and did not mean that hydrogen was inherently dangerous. Given a spark, gasoline will burn in any environment. Hydrogen, on the other hand, only ignites at certain concentrations and temperatures. Specifically, it needs a 4% concentration in air and a temperature of at least 550 Cthat is, hydrogen will not ignite under any other conditions. GAZOO Racing Company President Tomoya Takahashi This car competes in the ST-Q class, a category set up with the goal of developing technology that will play a part in creating our future mobility society. The purpose of such testing is to identify issues. Getting a car running on liquid hydrogen at racing speeds is something no one in the world has ever done before. The key is figuring out how to build on the issues that emerge. We plan to keep moving forward with continuous improvement. Toyota President Koji Sato I see it as par for the course in the world of racing. We undertook this effort to help create a hydrogen society. As weve said from the outset, the future will be shaped by acting with purpose and passion. Even as the engineers say it cant be done, theyve managed to develop the technology in an agile way while competing well and keeping an eye on whats going on around us. I drive the car myself, and were not giving up on the project. I want people to see hydrogen not as a danger, but as our future. Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda The mobile liquid hydrogen station that will be used at the circuit is being developed by Iwatani Corporation. By using liquid hydrogen as fuel, equipment that was previously necessary to produce compressed gaseous hydrogen such as compressors and pre-coolers for cooling hydrogen are no longer needed. As a result, the station can be four times smaller compared to stations for gaseous hydrogen, and fuel can be refilled in the pit area in the same way as gasoline-powered vehicles. In addition, since there is no longer the need to pressurize when filling, multiple vehicles can be filled in succession. Kawasaki Heavy Industries joined Toyotas Super Taikyu endeavor in 2021 as a partner transporting Australian hydrogen and has expanded its efforts from there. Kawasaki President Yasuhiko Hashimoto used the example of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to explain the potential of liquid hydrogen. Suiso Frontier, KHI's liquid hydrogen carrier (Photograph courtesy of HySTRA) Hydrogen specialist H-TEC SYSTEMSa subsidiary of MAN Energy Solutionshas held the groundbreaking ceremony for its new production facility in Hamburg. The H-TEC SYSTEMS Stack Manufacturing & Development Center will gather stack development, production and testing in one location, employing several hundred employees in the long term. As early as 2024, the new location will automate the production of PEM electrolysis stacks with a potential total electrolysis capacity of 5 GW. The stacks will form the core of the PEM electrolyzers, which are built at the companys headquarters in Augsburg. For a successful hydrogen ramp-up, we need to scale up from individual stack manufacture to automated series production, which is why we are breaking ground here today; I am very pleased that H-TEC SYSTEMS is at the forefront of this development. MAN Energy Solutions is investing 500 million euro into electrolyzer manufacturing over the next few years to make H-TEC SYSTEMS one of the worlds top three manufacturers. Dr Uwe Lauber, CEO of MAN Energy Solutions Through the new site in Hamburg, H-TEC SYSTEMS is strengthening its position in the growing hydrogen market. The construction of the automated factory is part of the PEP.IN research project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) through the flagship hydrogen project, H2Giga. The project aims to research novel processes for the competitive and mass production of PEM electrolysis stacks and electrolyzers in order to make green hydrogen affordable and competitive. The S450 electrolysis stacks are used in H-TEC SYSTEMS electrolyzers, wherever large quantities of hydrogen are to be produced in a short time. In addition to the proven S450 stacks, H-TEC SYSTEMS will also develop and produce a new, higher-performance generation of stacks in its Stack Manufacturing & Development Center. H-TEC SYSTEMS said that it made a conscious decision in favor of the new location in Hamburg as a sign of its clear commitment to Germany as a production location. Furthermore, its supply chains for stack production are also based predominantly on German and European suppliers. SKF and Pagani S.p.A. formed a technical partnership to develop lightweight, low-friction bearings for Paganis hypercar vehicles. The two companies have enjoyed a 25-year automaker-supplier relationship. Pagani S.p.A is an Italian hypercar manufacturer established in 1998 by Horacio Pagani. The company rapidly made its name as a constructor of bespoke automobiles using technologically advanced materials such as carbon fibre and titanium. SKF has been supplying bearing solutions to Pagani from the automakers foundations, from the very first iconic Zonda C12 supercar to the latest stunning Huayra R and Utopia hypercars. In the supercar and hypercar segments the principal challenge is to combine high-tech bearing solutions with peak performance and high endurance road car specifications. The design of the new wheel bearings features low friction, low weight, and therefore low car emissions. SKF uses lightweight ring designs with optimized use of material to reduce weight, polymer cages for low weight and low friction, and ceramic balls that weigh 126 grams less per wheel compared to steel balls. This approach and technology positively impacts safety and sustainability across the industry, contributing to SKFs goal to be completely carbon neutral by 2030. Hypercar manufacturers expect the best in performance and quality, and at the same time they want something unique in terms of lightweight and low friction solutions, with a high integration of functionality and features. The partnership focuses on developing hybrid bearing solutions, which combine steel outer and inner rings with ceramic balls or rollers. SKF hybrid bearings make use of silicon nitride rolling elementsball bearings, cylindrical roller bearings or custom designswhich have properties that are distinct from their standard steel counterparts. Silicon nitride is more than twice as hard as bearing steel and has a higher compression strength and elastic modulus, providing superior performance and wear resistance while reducing friction, a key advantage of hybrid bearings. Reducing bearing friction can help reduce energy consumption. SKF tests have shown that hybrid bearings at high speeds have 5% to 8% less friction that steel bearings. A SWAT standoff with a man barricaded in his vehicle on the interstate ended with his arrest late Friday afternoon, according to Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office. David Eugene Furman, 52, of Washington, was traveling eastbound on Interstate 80 when he was stopped by a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper near mile marker 50 in neighboring Uinta County, Wyoming. Upon contact with him, Furman fled in his vehicle toward Green River, leading law enforcement on a miles-long high-speed pursuit. After successfully stopping the vehicle near mile marker 85, west of Green River, Furman, who was traveling with an aggressive dog, barricaded himself inside, refusing to comply with officers and threatening violence against them. At around 4 p.m., troopers called a joint tactical response team comprised of sheriff's deputies and officers from the Green River and Rock Springs police departments to assist. During the two-hour standoff, crisis negotiators repeatedly attempted to convince Furman to surrender, but he refused. At around 5:45 p.m., as the SWAT team prepared to deploy chemical munitions into his vehicle, Furman decided to give himself up and was taken into custody without injury and without further incident. WHP troopers subsequently booked Furman into the Sweetwater County Detention Center, where he awaits, without bond, his initial appearance in court. Further details as to the circumstances prompting the incident have not been released as the case remains under active investigation by the WHP. Sheriff's office spokesperson Jason Mower credited a cooperative effort by all involved for a peaceful resolution, and reminded the public that all persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in accordance with law. The ruling party, Zanu PF is set to conduct fresh primary elections in various wards countrywide where first rounds failed to produce absolute winners. In wards where they will be re-runs, uncontested winning candidates have pending court cases, boundary disputes or polls were never held. In a letter dated April 25, 2023, Zanu PF national commissar, Mike Bimha said his department received and scrutinised results from all provinces and noted cases warranting re-runs. "The commissariat department acknowledges receipt of local authority primary election results conducted by all provinces between 25 and 26 March 2023. "The department has carried out an analysis of the results and is satisfied that the election process went on well in most of the wards," wrote Bimha. "The department is, however, alive to challenges encountered during the electoral process. "In some cases there was no absolute winner due to equal votes by candidates while in other cases, uncontested winners have pending court cases and hence the department in such cases recommends re-runs. "In other cases, the elections were not held for various reasons such as change of boundaries emanating from the delimitation exercise and hence elections should be conducted," he said. Bimha instructed all provinces to prepare for primaries provisionally slated for May 6. "Provinces will be furnished with information pertaining to wards where primary elections or primary elections re-runs should be conducted in due course," the national commissar added. The recently held Zanu PF primaries were fraught with irregularities such as violence, intimidation, bussing of voters to cast ballots in wards they don't belong and use of an unverified voters' roll. The Green River FFA Chapter was welcomed home last Saturday with a police and fire department escort after being named Chapter of the Year at the State Convention. Green River's FFA chapter may be smaller and newer than many other chapters across the state, but the students showed their skills and their heart during the recent FFA Wyoming State Convention, where Green River received the Chapter of the Year Award. "The kids did amazing this year," Liz Thoman, the FFA advisor, said. "Definitely one for the books." While this was the 96th annual FFA Wyoming Convention, Green River's chapter is only seven years old. They're also a relatively small chapter from one of the smaller towns. Thoman explained that, unlike in sports, the FFA State Convention doesn't divide competitors by factors like size. Instead, "we're all shoved in there together," she said, explaining all the chapters in the state compete against one another. This is significant since there are around 60 chapters in Wyoming. "We don't come from an agriculture community for the most part," Thoman added of Green River's group. "So it's really cool for these kids to be in a chapter that's so young and not essentially ag-related, but to do that well and to say, 'hey, it doesn't matter if you've been here the longest or if you're the best at all the other contests, you can be a well-rounded FFA chapter and still be able to compete and get that.' So it's quite a substantial feat for these kids to receive that award." The Chapter of the Year Award is designed to recognize FFA chapters that actively implement the mission and strategies of the organization, according to Thoman. She explained that each chapter fills out an application to show what activities they are doing, and the most well-rounded chapter is chosen for the award. "These chapters improve chapter operations using activities that emphasize growing leaders, building communities and strengthening agriculture," the award requirements explain. "Chapters are rewarded for providing educational experiences for the entire membership." One of the important things to realize about FFA, according to Thoman, is that even though the organization focuses on agriculture, as the name "Future Farmers of America" implies, it doesn't only teach ag-related skills. "What some people don't know is it's one of the largest youth leadership organizations that kids can be involved in," Thoman said. "So essentially, they're gaining leadership skills. And part of the mission statement of FFA is that they are giving kids premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agriculture education. So essentially, they're instilling all those qualities and skills and achievements through agriculture." This mission is especially exemplified by the Green River chapter. "It's cool to see these kids have success and let people know that FFA is not just all about farming, because I think most of my kids here don't want to go be a farmer," Thoman added. "But the leadership skills and the career success that they're going to get out of being involved in FFA is really why they're in it." The FFA State Convention helps students work toward these goals by having different contests for individual students and teams to compete in, from directly agriculture-related contests like livestock judging to other career-related events, like speaking and marketing contests. Green River had several students and teams finish in the top 10 in their contests, as well as having a State Champion in Triston Drozd, who won the Extemporaneous Speaking competition. By winning, Drozd will now have the opportunity to represent Wyoming in the National FFA Convention. Green River's students were excited at their levels of success during the State Convention, even if there were moments it felt surreal, according to Thoman. "A lot of them, they've never gotten to go up on the stage at State Convention before," she explained of the students. "So that was really cool for them to get that experience and to have that recognition that, hey, Green River's doing stuff too." State Convention Results: Photo courtesy of FFA Triston Drozd Agriculture Issues: 7th High Team Champion Extemporaneous Speaker: Triston Drozd High Individual in Electrical Systems Gold Emblem Agriscience Fair Project Employment Skills: 4th High Individual Ag Sales: 3rd High Team Marketing Plan: 5th High Team Leadership Sweepstakes: 5th High Chapter Horse Judging: 9th High Team Vet Science: 9th High Team Green River schools recently attended and did well at the Wyoming State Art Symposium. "Green River High School is proud to announce our outstanding performance at the State Art Symposium on April 20 and 21," a press release said. This year the Wyoming Secondary Art Educators Association (WSAEA) hosted the 55th Annual State Art Symposium at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper. The state art show showcased a total of 4,225 pieces of student artwork from 61 different secondary-level schools across Wyoming. Of those pieces, 25% of the work was awarded a blue ribbon, and GRHS received nine of the 26 top honors in three-dimensional art pieces. Other notable awards include the Congressional, First Lady, and 3D Discovery Awards. In total, GRHS students collected nine of the awards in these categories. Mia Rosas received four awards, which is a school record, and she now has earned eight in total. She also received a $1,500 college scholarship. Chance Larson received two awards, and Maya Wiekhorst, Hailey Tyler, and Mikayla Green each received one award. Kimberly Johnson had a piece the First Lady of Wyoming selected to hang in the Governor's Mansion for the following year. GRHS art department students took 171 pieces of artwork to the State Art Show. Seventy-six were 2D pieces, including photography work, computer graphics, drawings, paintings, printmaking, and a few other two-dimensional projects. Ninety-five were 3D pieces, which include pottery and sculpture projects. Art teachers Shane Steiss and Denise Mosley have been working with their students all year to teach art fundamentals and prepare them to show their work at the show. Mr. Steiss teaches all of the pottery classes, Advanced 3D and Advanced 2D. Ms. Mosley (vice president) teaches all digital arts classes, including Photography, Computer Graphics, and beginning 2D and Sculpture. Michelle Wickstrom, an art teacher at Expedition Academy, also brought four pieces from her students, and one received a ribbon. "We also appreciate all of Mrs. Wickstrom's hard work in her position as Secretary-Elect for the WSAEA," the press release said. "She has maintained her position for the past two years and plans to continue in her role for more years." Green River High School will host an art display and sale for the students pieces in the main gym next Monday through Wednesday morning, May 1 to 3. Disclaimer: Therese Padua Howe wrote the preface to Manny Crisostomos book, Hacha na Lepblo, (Book One) Manaotao Sanlagu: CHamorus from the Marianas. Manny Crisostomo is making good use of his time while hes on island for his new exhibit, Wayfinding: My Personal Pasifika, on view at the Guam Council on the Arts and Humanities Agency until April 30. Hes been making rounds around the island to local schools, dropping off donations of his book Hacha na Lepblo, (Book One) Manaotao Sanlagu: CHamorus from the Marianas, a compilation of the portraits hes photographed over the past year for his visual documentary, Manaotao Sanlagu. A limited run of 500 copies of the 12-inch-square coffee table book featuring almost 600 portraits was published in November. Many, but not all, of those donating the books to the schools have appeared as a subject in Manaotao Sanlagu, published over the last year in the Pacific Daily News and on Crisostomos website, sanlagu.com. They include Johnny Gogo, a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge; the children of the late Antonio Blas Calvo, one of the first administrators for Guam Community College as dean of apprentices; Joann Gogo-Semana, membership development coordinator for the Great Falls (Montana) Chamber of Commerce; Shawn Camacho and Shawn Naputi, owners of Prubechu restaurant in San Francisco; Kim Diaz Mendiola, director of talent and outreach at Pixar Animation Sudios; Larry Crisostomo Sr., a former Sacramento deputy sheriff; Alan Leon Guerrero, a former Guam Superior Court employee, and his wife, Elaine; and others. Hes been thrilled with the response from the school librarians and other donor recipients. Today I want to see C.L. Taitano (Elementary School) where Judge Johnny Gogo was a student and he was Chief Quipuha in the fourth grade, and there was a picture of him (in the book). The librarians, theyre really really sweet, theyre like, thank you, very grateful. Theyre excited that they can share it with the students and stuff. Hes also brought a limited number of books to sell to the public at an exclusive Guam book launch on Saturday at Guam Premier Outlets, which has provided the space as a sponsor for the event. From 3-7 p.m. he will be signing the books and answering questions about the inspiration behind the project and why it has resonated with the sanlagu CHamorus hes met. One of the things they liked was that we asked for their old photos. If people are inspired by their nana or tata, or, you know, a family member, we tried to get that photo to go with the story. And some people would say its almost like bringing grandma and grandpa back to the island. In the case of Gisela (Charfauros McDaniel), where she talked about her grandmother and grandfather who lived in San Diego, ... but the story and the photos brought them back to Guam. On Monday, the leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, led by the Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari took a tour to Ahoko, a community in Kogi State to inspect the pace of work at the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline project. The trip was significant as it came barely five days after a national newspaper, had reported that financiers of the AKK pipeline project have pulled out of the project, citing alleged 570 per cent inflated contract sum, far above global threshold. The newspaper had claimed in the report that the project had been stalled, as there was no funding to cover cost of the second and third legs from Abuja to Kaduna and Kaduna to Kano due to funding constraints. Considering the critical importance of the project to the federal government's gas masterplan initiative and not minding that same Monday was a public holiday declared by the government to celebrate the Eid-Mubarak, Kyari led top officials of the NNPCL to inspect the pace of work at the project site. The current administration under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari has made it a priority to ensure that revenue from oil and gas resources are utilized to support the emergence and growth of other non-oil sectors of the economy. The NNPC as an integrated energy company is enabling Nigeria's economic diversification through domestic gas footprint expansion projects by the delivery of the Trans-Nigeria Pipeline Project (TNGP) which includes the Escravos to Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS & ELPS II), the Obiafu,-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) gas pipeline and the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline. The AKK Gas Pipeline and Stations Project is a flagship project that will further deepen the integration of the Northern region of the country with the Niger Delta, Eastern and Western regions of the Country. The Scope of Work for the Project includes the construction of a 40" x 614KM linear section from Ajaokuta in Kogi State traversing the Federal Capital Territory, Niger and Kaduna States and terminating in Kano as well as 24" x 15KM Spur Line to Abuja Terminal Gas Station. It also includes the construction of Four Terminal Gas Stations, 22 Block Valve Stations, Intermediate Pigging Stations with other ancillary facilities. The Pipeline has the capacity to transport Two Billion Standard Cubic Feet of Natural Gas Per Day to Three proposed Independent Power Plants in Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, and other Gas-Based Industries as well as other identified and proposed commercial off-takers along the entire pipeline route. The project has the potential of greatly improving the nation's power generation capacity and the economy as a whole through industrialization as well as other economic uses. Since the flag-off of the project by the President in June 2020, the NNPC has recorded significant feats and the inspection visit was one of the moves to showcase the progress so far made in the implementation of the project. Based on the inspection tour, it was revealed that overall engineering design for the linear section of the two segments of the project stands at 93.48 per cent, while the overall procurement for the linear section for the two segments is at 88 per cent. Similarly, 94 per cent of the total line pipes have been manufactured and 90 per cent already in-country. It is instrumental to state that construction activities on both segments are ongoing, while the contractors have completed 400km of the linear section/mainline welding, representing 68 per cent of Right of Way from Ajaokuta in Kogi state to Kano. Also, on-going are several special constructions like Direct Pipe Installation (DPI) across the River Niger in Kogi state and other Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) across River Robo, Pai and Shika River in Zaria, Kaduna State. Similarly, several back-end activities have commenced including field joint coating, trenching and lowering, temporary cathodic protection and talks of pre-commissioning of some sections have equally commenced. In terms of the project financing, the procurement process was supervised by Iinfrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission and endorsed by the Bureau for Public Procurement having complied with all regulatory requirements before the approval by the Federal Executive Council at the sum of $2.8bn in 2018. The current management of the NNPC further renegotiated the project cost downwards to $2.5bn in 2019 with the attendant savings of $300m, which culminated to a final approval by Federal Executive Council. Despite this significant savings, detractors of the project have found a way to draw unfounded comparison with other projects definitely not of the same scope, terrain, line pipe specification, welding technology, weather conditions and more importantly the impact of security risks and country risk premiums on Nigerian projects of this magnitude. As regards the project financing, discussions on financing commenced in 2018 with the Bank of China as the Mandated Lead Arranger, leading a consortium of interested Chinese banks. All the banks secured credit approvals from their various boards to proceed with the deal, which led to the sign-off of the term sheet for the facility with the Bank of China. Following the execution of the Term Sheet, SINOSURE, the Chinese Government insurance agency in charge of international financing went through their review cycle and endorsed the facility to their Chinese Government body for approval. Concurrent with the financing deal, the NNPC commenced pre-funding the project, which led to the flag-off of the construction by the President on 30th June 2020. Speaking on the funding, Kyari told reporters that so far, the NNPC has funded over $1.1bn on the project and to date none of the project activities are abandoned as reported. He reassured all stakeholders that NNPC has a line of sight to the delivery of the project on schedule. The NNPC Boss said that work has not stopped as a result of funding constraint since the project commenced. He said being a critical infrastructure project for the Nigerian energy sector, the NNPC has been meeting all its funding obligation to the contractors. He said, "First of all we are here to thank our crew, our contractors, our staff who are doing everything possible to deliver this project and we are most grateful to them and we appreciate the great work they are doing. For the benefit of the Nigerian public, this is one of the most massive projects that we'll run in the company, it is of immense proportion of value to our country and to the socio-economic growth of our country. "We know that this is a must deliver project. This project has not stopped for one day. We have continued to fund it despite the fact that we do not have third-party financing for the project. We have so far spent over $1.1bn on this project from our cash flow. We are a very different company today. We are a commercial company. We have inter-company laws within our company now. This company can fund this project, so we do not need any support on this project to deliver this project now. "As we speak now, we don't owe a dollar to our contractors today. We paid all their invoices, there are over 30 sites that are active today in this project, and we are very hopeful that we will deliver this project." He commiserated with the families of workers that have died as a result of the security challenges at the project site and added that the government is committed to ensuring that it does all it can to provide more security personnel at the project site to guarantee the timely delivery of the gas project. Responding to a question if the project was actually stalled as a result of funding challenges, Kyari explained that such has never happened. He said the NNPC has what it takes to fund the project till completion, noting that no amount is currently being owed based on the quantum of jobs delivered by the contractor He added, "Yes, there are challenges like security issues. We have lost men, and we are so sorry to their families. We will continue to share their grieve. But despite this, we have gotten massive support from our government security agencies; the Nigerian army, the Department of State Security Service and all other government agencies to make sure that our workers work firmly and we are also able to continue this project uninterrupted. I'm most grateful to this team, and we assure Nigerians that this project will be different and be delivered. "This is a very massive project. We are delivering them in phases. First of all, the line welding has been completed by 70 percent. There are many other components of this project and once you are able to complete the welding and put certain basic selection, you can actually flow casting to these lines and as other part of the project is continuous to be delivered." On the implications of the gas project for Nigeria 's gas supplies, the NNPC Boss added that it would boost electricity generation to the power sector and increase power to industries. He added, "What this means for Nigeria's gas supply is that these lines will flow 2 billion SCF of gas. What this means is that you are delivering 2 billion SCF of gas every day to these lines, power industry, powering gas plants, creating gas-based industries and this is the ultimate objective. "By the third quarter of this year, we will complete the entire welding of this work and what it means is that we can actually energize these lines by the end of the third quarter of this year." On how many megawatts of electricity will the gas project deliver, he said, "It depends of the capacity of the power plants that will be installed on the pipeline. Our plan is to have 1300 megawatts power plants in Abuja, Kaduna, and in Kano. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Petroleum By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "As we speak now, we are facing that so that we deliver them as quickly as possible and by God's grace very soon, we are going to face the construction of the Kaduna-Abuja power plant in earnest and of course it is a speculative thing but gradually we will build up to that capacity. There is a financing partnership with core investors on this." When asked what his response will be to those who do not believe in the NNPC's ability to deliver the project in a timely manner, Kyari replied, "What I will say is that we will shame them. This project will be delivered; we are not scared of their comments. We will deliver this project and the criticism is just typical of our country's typical reaction when things are going well." Also speaking at the inspection site, the Project Manager, Steve Nnorom hailed the NNPC management for ensuring that all the resources needed for the speedy delivery of the project is provided. He added that just last week, through the NNPC's intervention, over 40 military personnel were deployed to beef up security at the project site. When asked if the contractor is being owed, he said the NNPC is meeting up with all its obligation to the project and that no amount is currently outstanding for the job delivered. Giving a tour of the site, Project Manager, Oilserv Limited Pipelines and Facilities, Steve Nnorom disclosed that the company had done about 222 kilometres welding work with about 27km remaining for completion. "We have completed about 73 per cent of our mainline wielding works. We have done 222 kilometres, we have about 27 km of welding work to complete. Our target is that all works will be going on at different spreads. We are progressing gradually. We have terrain challenges especially for the location we are in now, there's a steep. The NNPC is paying all our bills and we are not being owed, "he added. The NNPC Limited remains highly committed towards the delivery of strategic National infrastructure projects through responsive project delivery, active collaboration with Government Security Agencies and Communities as well as deployment of Technology in the form of Human and Technical Intelligence for Surveillance along the entire Right of Way to enable the country realise the aspiration of timely delivering the AKK Project for the benefit of all Nigerians. Onuba, a journalist and Chartered Accountant, wrote in from Abuja A revised lease for land near Eagles Field in Mangilao is moot, Attorney General Doug Moylan said Thursday afternoon, following a Legislative override of a bill that requires senators to approve any lease between the government of Guam and the federal government. The Leon Guerrero-Tenorio administration has wanted to use the land, owned by the Navy, for a future medical campus. A revised lease was drafted by the Navy and transmitted to Adelup for review after Moylan cited legal issues with the first draft of the lease. Moylans office received a copy of the lease and was reviewing it, but senators on Thursday morning voted nearly unanimously to override the governors veto of Bill 12. The measure, called obstructionist before by Adelup, mandates that the Legislature has the final say over the lease. The lease appears to be a moot issue, Moylan said, ... assuming that they did not sign that thing before (lawmakers) passed the bill. Lawmakers made an affirmative statement that there shall be no lease without their approval, Moylan said. That move simplified his task of issuing a legal opinion on the lease, which he said his office would have had to accomplish within 48 hours to comply with a deadline of April 30, which the Navy previously set. Moylan said Lt. Gov. Joshua Tenorio, acting governor while Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero is off-island, had called him Wednesday night to go over the document. His team had already begun requesting information from Adelup about the updated terms. Hours prior to the lease becoming moot, the AG said that the deadline imposed by the Navy was offensive to me as an attorney. It is a grave concern to me, when youre in a civil contract negotiation, when both parties are supposed to come together, for the people of Guam to be told that you have to review this contract within days, he said. Moylan rejected the previous lease on the grounds that it committed GovGuam money and resources without approval from the legislature, would bind GovGuam to pay for the hospital if the project is not completed in 10 years, did not follow local procurement laws and would commit the operations of the hospital to the federal government in the event of a national emergency, a condition outside of the governors authority. The previous lease, according to the attorney general, appeared to be incomplete, and did not set out a clear agreement on terms like the scope of the project. The governors legal team brought Moylans concerns with the previous lease to the Navy, and the new draft lease was sent to Adelup on Wednesday afternoon. To address Moylans concerns regarding legislative appropriations, the governor would use $10.6 million in American Rescue Plan funds, which are under her control and do not need legislative appropriation, to pay for all monetary considerations in the lease. The lease also eliminates the potential recovery of monetary damages in the event of a default. The governor previously set aside federal rescue money to pay for a hospital and medical campus. To address concerns regarding the provision allowing the federal government to use the medical facility during war or national emergencies, the new terms clarify that only the president of the United States can declare a national emergency, and whatever powers the president currently has during a national emergency over all hospitals will also apply to this hospital. The lease does not confer any new rights on the federal government that are not already provided in federal law. According to a news release sent by Adelup Wednesday night, the lease would have allowed the government of Guam to build a medical campus in a central location that is minutes away from major population centers, and closer to many southern residents who currently must go to Tamuning or Dededo for emergency care. To empower women leaders and entrepreneurs, the Guam Chamber of Commerce held a panel discussion called Leadership as Authentic Self on Thursday at the Hyatt Regency Guam. Hosted by the Chamber Business Womens Network, this is the first in a series of professional development events that will be hosted this year, said chair for the network Deanna Crisostomo. We as leaders want to come through and show up for our staff and team as our authentic self, she said. There will be three more similar professional development workshops in 2023. The guest speakers who spoke to about 60 people who attended were Hyatt General Manager Sophia Chu, President of Barrett Enterprises Inc. Jessica Barrett and Guam Ink Hustle Tattoo and Body Piercing Studio LLC Owner Jordanna Escobar. They answered questions on how to learn from mistakes, balance work and personal life, find or make support groups, deal with hurtful or disrespectful comments on the job and overcoming self-doubt as a young professional in male-dominated industries. I heard a lot about having a support group which I thought was really good in both professional and personal situations, said participant Nine Ngo, 28 from Chalan Pago. She said a discussion on how to balance responsibilities at work with taking time for your personal life was helpful, since she is a student at the University of Guam and also works as a tattoo artist. A talking point she found useful was creating a schedule to prioritize what is most important in both parts of her life. I feel like events like this are very supportive. Not only of women but the community in general so everyone can come out and support each other and learn from others and their life experiences, said Ngo. For more information on upcoming events follow the chambers social media pages or call 671-472-6311/8001 or send an email to info@GuamChamber.com.gu. The Guam Visitors Bureaus board of directors on Thursday afternoon voted to open the search for a president and legal counsel, instead of conducting a performance evaluation of GVB President Carl Gutierrez and attorney Joe McDonald. Eight of the nine current GVB board members voted yes to Board Director Monte Mesas motion to open the search. Board Director Ho Eun wasnt present during voting. This caps over a year of wrangling between the former board and Gutierrez, but some new board members wanted a fresh start, which means the ability to select a president and counsel. Gutierrez and GVB Vice President Gerry Perez, as well as the McDonald Law Office, can apply, based on GVB board discussions. Gutierrez was initially appointed to serve only for three months in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 crisis but the GVB board at the time voted to retain him as GVB general manager, or president. Under the law, Gutierrez is supposed to get a performance evaluation from the board six months after his appointment and every year after that, but the board has not done so. A former two-term governor, Gutierrez has had a rough time with GVB board directors, some of whom he accused starting last year of violating ethics laws and the Open Government Act, among other things. New board members have since been elected and appointed, and a few from last years board remain. Gutierrez has no contract, and based on board discussions, the GVB general manager or president serves at the pleasure of the board. Eight votes will kick me out, so theres no sense to having a contract, Gutierrez said during Thursdays discussions whether a contract is even required for the general manager. McDonald said the legal counsel also serves at the pleasure of the board. GVB management last year decided to renew the McDonald Law Offices contract with GVB. Data from GVB shows a payment of $185 an hour per partner at the law firm. Jeff Jones, GVB board secretary, and other directors, called for the managements release of the law firms billings to date. Clean slate GVB Board Chairman George Chiu, who was elected by the general GVB membership, said the board has not been going anywhere on conducting a performance evaluation since many board directors are new and havent had the long experience yet working with Gutierrez and McDonald, so he suggested opening the search for a general manager and counsel. Go from scratch. If were gonna start over, new, then start over with a whole new process. We may end up, at the end of the day, with the same exact people sitting over here but then no ones not gonna have any argument anymore. They deserve to be here, Chiu said, as a suggestion. A brand new search. Mesa then made a motion to open the search for a general manager and counsel, seconded by Board Director Sonny Ada. The board went into discussions, mostly echoing Chiu and Mesas concerns. Because were starting out as a new board, we want a new slate and then also open it up since we cannot do an evaluation properly of the GM and the legal counsel, we felt that a new board needs to start from the beginning, on a clean slate, Mesa said after the meeting. The eight yes votes were from GVB Board Directors Mary Rhodes, Joaquin Cook, Milton Morinaga, Paula Monk, Ada, Jones, Mesa and then Chiu. Details of what that search would look like will be discussed in the next meeting. A request for proposals is expected for a legal counsel. GVB directors were also looking forward to the possibility of President Joe Biden removing the requirement of showing proof of COVID-19 vaccination for foreign travelers to the U.S., including Guam. In January, the White House announced ending the COVID-19 emergency declarations on May 11, and GVB board directors were hoping that will push through. Chiu said this should help Guams tourism arrivals, since foreign travelers such as those from Japan will no longer be required to show proof of vaccination, considering the percentage of Japanese without vaccination. Japan is also expected to change its original plan of reclassifying COVID-19 into the category of seasonal flu originally set for May 8, and move it to Friday, Mesa said at the GVB board meeting. GVB should be more mindful of whether or not Guam is maintaining its market share of the Japanese market, for example, and not just the number of arrivals to Guam, Chiu said. Every percentage point that Guam loses means about 200,000 fewer Japanese coming to Guam, the chairman added. Mesa, at the board meeting, said the biggest problem out of Japan is airfare cost. But Monk, an elected GVB board director whos with United Airlines, said there is no data to back up this statement and that air fare cost is among several factors for arrivals. Arrivals to Guam remain about 60% down from pre-pandemic levels, but GVB is optimistic that the numbers will significantly increase in the weeks ahead. Michael Lujan Bevacqua is an author, artist, activist and the curator for the Guam Museum. As the World Malaria Day is marked globally, president of Dangote Group and United Nations' Malaria Ambassador for Nigeria, Aliko Dangote has called for joint actions by all stakeholders globally if the collective goal of the disease elimination by 2030 is to be achieved. Dangote, in his World Malaria Day statement titled 'With Urgent Investment, Innovation and Implementation, Zero Malaria Spread is Possible' urged that, all stakeholders must work together to decimate malaria, which, he said, had brought untold human suffering with the economic toll of the disease on global productivity. According to him, urgent investment, innovation and implementation by such stakeholders would help curtail malaria spread wherever the disease is found around the world. Dangote disclosed that, since 2000, global partnerships and investments in the fight against malaria have yielded positive results by preventing some 2 billion malaria cases, saving 11.7 million lives and putting eradication within reach. He, however, lamented that 96 per cent of malaria deaths globally were found in 29 countries, with Nigeria sadly among the four countries which accounted for over half of all malaria deaths globally in 2021. He said, this year's World Malaria Day (WMD) has presented an opportunity to galvanise global efforts towards advocacy and sustained political will and investment that will be aimed at ending the scourge of the disease. Dangote expressed his readiness to lead the way, pledging that Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) will further strengthen its engagements with the various key stakeholders in Nigeria and globally to support the efforts to address malaria in workplaces, communities, and especially high burden areas to attain collective goal of malaria elimination by 2030. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Malaria Nigeria By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. The philanthropist noted that, billions of dollars were pledged by donors at the historic Global Fund Replenishment meeting in Geneva, Switzerland in 2022 to boost the fight against HIV, TB and Malaria. He, however, expressed regret that an unprecedented shortfall of more than 50 per cent in global malaria funding is now holding countries back from maintaining life-saving malaria programmes, despite the historic pledge. Consequently, the Malaria Ambassador said, the funding gaps have been contributing to declining progress in the countries with the highest burden of malaria. Dangote stated that the theme of this year's World Malaria Day: 'Time to Deliver Zero Malaria: Invest, Innovate, implement' highlighted the need for urgent action and further investments to ensure existing investments deliver maximum impact in the fight to end malaria. Dangote acknowledged the positive efforts of the Nigerian National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) as the second national drug regulator to approve the use of the R21 vaccine, saying, the fight against the malaria scourge has been buoyed by the introduction of the new malaria vaccine -R21/Matrix-M, which was developed by the University of Oxford and will be manufactured by the Serum Institute of India. Haiti - UN / USA : More is needed to support the security, health, and stability of the Haitian people Wednesday, April 26, 2023, during a meeting of the Security Council devoted to Haiti, Jeffrey DeLaurentis the acting American Ambassador for Special Political Affairs to the United Nations (UN) declared : Intervention by Jeffrey DeLaurentis : "[...] As we have heard this morning, the reports on the security and humanitarian situation in Haiti are pretty horrific. In the capital city of Port-au-Prince, schools and community hubs have become sites for terrorizing and recruiting youth. Gang violence threatens the daily lives of citizens and economic prosperity of Haiti, and women and girls are most vulnerable to the unacceptable rise in sexual and gender-based violence, used as a tool of fear and intimidation. We are deeply concerned about the rise in violent gang activity. The UN reported homicides increased 21 percent in the first quarter of this year, and kidnappings by 63 percent. As the SRSG has noted, schools have closed after teachers and students were hit by stray bullets in classrooms in what the UN describes as gang attacks of indiscriminate character. The abduction of children and parents have often taken place within the vicinity of schools. The United States also condemns in the strongest terms the killing of brave Haitian National Police officers who died in the line of duty. The brutal tactics gangs have enacted in carrying out these crimes are deeply troubling. Political stability is a key element toward restoring peace and security in the country. Since the December 2022 signing of the National Consensus Agreement, we have seen positive political developments, including the appointment of members to the High Transitional Council as well as the Court of Cassation. While these political developments are promising, we urge the Government of Haiti and all political stakeholders to establish an inclusive and broad-based Provisional Electoral Council to restore democratic governance in the country. Despite increased assistance from the international community, more is needed to support the security, health, and stability of the Haitian people. We applaud the UNs recent approval of the Humanitarian System-Wide Scale-Up for Haiti to address malnutrition, cholera, gender-based violence, and child protection needs in the country. The United States has committed over $90 million to support the Haitian National Police and provided more than $204.7 million in humanitarian funding to Haiti. In the last six months, the United States announced an additional $56 million in humanitarian assistance, delivered 450 metric tons of health, logistics, and water, sanitation, and hygiene commodities, and transported 232 metric tons of personal protective equipment for health care workers, rehydration fluids for cholera patients, and water disinfection tablets. The Haitian government and its people have asked for international support to address violence and insecurity. The United States continues to work with a growing number of international partners to support the urgent security needs in the country. The Security Council will need to do its part in helping Haiti, including by advancing additional sanctions against those who finance and foment violence and instability in Haiti. The United States stands in solidarity with the Haitian people during these difficult times. Thank you." See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39397-haiti-un-maria-isabel-salvador-stresses-the-urgency-of-the-deployment-of-a-specialized-international-force.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - UN / FRANCE : We cannot let Haiti sink into chaos On Wednesday April 26, 2023, Ms. Nathalie Broadhurst, Deputy Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations, spoke before the Security Council on the Haitian crisis. Intervention by Ms. Nathalie Broadhurst : " Mr. President, I would also like to thank Maria Isabel Salvador for her briefing https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39397-haiti-un-maria-isabel-salvador-stresses-the-urgency-of-the-deployment-of-a-specialized-international-force.html, and I wish her the greatest success and encouragement from France for her extremely important mission. Mr. President, France is very concerned by the new escalation of violence in Haiti in recent days. The Haitian peoples suffering is unbearable, and the situation continues to worsen. France urgently calls upon the international community to step up its efforts. Insecurity in Port-au-Prince has reached levels equivalent to an armed conflict. Homicides, abductions, sexual violence, recruitment of children by gangs: the list of abuses committed in Haiti can leave no one indifferent. The absolute priority must therefore be to restore security. Collectively, we must support more effectively the Haitian National Police, which needs equipment, funding, and training. Haitian authorities have been calling on the international community since last October. We are ready, alongside our partners, to do more to improve the situation on the ground. The United Nations must also do more to support Haitis security, through the work of BINUH. Mr. President, France hopes that the Council will swiftly be able to adopt first sanctions against the criminals who are destabilizing the country. We hope that proposals can be made quickly by the panel of experts. But sanctions alone will not solve anything. Justice must be restored in Haiti. Fighting impunity must be a priority if we want to put an end to violence. The appointment of the members of the Supreme Court is a positive step in this regard. France will also continue to encourage Haitian actors to pursue an inclusive dialogue. We welcome the efforts made to encourage broader participation in the national consensus agreement, as well as the establishment of the High Council of Transition. The objective remains convening democratic elections as soon as security conditions are met. We urge Haitian political actors to reach the broadest possible agreement to quickly appoint a Provisional Electoral Council. The political class must show responsibility in order to overcome the current deadlock. Finally, and this will be my last point, France will remain committed to facilitating humanitarian aid, particularly in the health and food sectors. In 2023, our humanitarian aid amounts to 9 million euros to date, and we are working to mobilize additional funds in response to the needs. Mr. President, France will continue to support the efforts of the United Nations, the International Organization of the Francophonie, and all partners working for Haiti. We cannot let Haiti sink into chaos. We will continue to stand by the Haitian people as long as necessary. Thank you." See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39398-haiti-un-usa-more-is-needed-to-support-the-security-health-and-stability-of-the-haitian-people.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39397-haiti-un-maria-isabel-salvador-stresses-the-urgency-of-the-deployment-of-a-specialized-international-force.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39013-haiti-justice-swearing-in-of-8-new-judges-of-the-court-of-cassation-video-pm-speech.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-38646-haiti-politic-the-decree-relating-to-the-high-council-of-transition-published-in-le-moniteur.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... UN : Still no intervention in Haiti As the crisis in Haiti worsens every day, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, the UN Security Council agreed on the need to support Haiti immediately, but gave no sign of wanting to decide sending an international force to fight armed gangs. Although for the UN is convinced that if no action is taken on the Haitian crisis, there could be an effect of the risks of contagion in the region with serious consequences... See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39401-haiti-un-haiti-chancellor-jean-victor-geneus-calls-for-quick-action-before-it-is-too-late.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39400-haiti-un-france-we-cannot-let-haiti-sink-into-chaos.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39398-haiti-un-usa-more-is-needed-to-support-the-security-health-and-stability-of-the-haitian-people.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39397-haiti-un-maria-isabel-salvador-stresses-the-urgency-of-the-deployment-of-a-specialized-international-force.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39386-haiti-flash-the-situation-in-haiti-comparable-to-that-of-countries-at-war-dixit-antonio-guterres.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39378-haiti-insecurity-70-dead-and-many-injured-in-5-days-in-cite-soleil.html PNH : 25 hostages freed in 48 hours Wednesday, April 26, Commissioner Garry Desrosiers, Spokesperson for the National Police of Haiti (PNH) presented a partial report of the two days of operations in Debussy and Canape-Vert. 3 police officers were injured and 25 hostages were freed, including 10 at Pacot and 9 at Debussy. 4 assault rifles, three 9mm pistols, 35 telephones, ammunition, communication radios as well as memory cards and 3 vehicles were seized by the police authorities. The number of casualties on the side of the bandits is not yet known. Canada's promises Canada's Ambassador to the UN, Robert Rae, cited sanctions as "an important tool in breaking the power of armed gangs". He said Canada believes action is vital and told the Security Council that his Government had decided to increase training support and provide new equipment to the National Police of Haiti this year. 1,647 crimes in the first quarter 1,647 criminal acts (homicides, rapes, kidnappings and lynchings) were recorded during the first quarter of 2023 against 692 for the same period in 2022, said Maria Isabel Salvador https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39397-haiti-un-maria-isabel-salvador-stresses-the-urgency-of-the-deployment-of-a-specialized-international-force.html citing data from the National Police of Haiti (PNH) and the Integrated Nations Office -United in Haiti (BINUH). 6,527 people fled Matelas Source Due to insecurity, nearly 6,527 people fled their homes in Source Matelas and Cabaret, to take refuge in Arcahaie, said Jean Edner Gilles, the interim Mayor of the City of the Flag. Jazz : Joel and Mushy Gousse Widmaier invited to Quebec As part of a North South collaboration between the CEM, Center Experimentation Musicale de Chicoutimi (Quebec) and the Haiti Jazz Foundation, Joel Widmaier and Mushy Gousse Widmaier have been invited to take part in a musical residency whose restitution will take place on Friday April 28 at the Saguenay Jazz & Blues Festival for International Jazz Day. HL/ HaitiLibre Login or sign up to follow actresses, movies & dramas and get specific updates and news Login Sign Up New Ad-free Subscriber Login Email Password Password Username Subscribe to our daily NewsLetter Your E-mail will only be used to retrieve a lost password or receive our NewsLetter. Stay logged in Lost password Contact Lilongwe The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a contribution of US$1.5 million from USAID on behalf of the American people to provide life-saving food assistance to over 142,000 people and provision of air services in southern Malawi. WFP will use the contribution from the U.S. Agency for International Development to purchase corn-soya blend - a partially precooked fortified food consumed as porridge, vegetable oil and pulses. As road access continues to be a major challenge and with some populations still isolated due to high levels of flood waters, the funding will also be used to provide air services on behalf of the humanitarian community. "The impact of the climate crisis is a daily struggle for communities in Malawi," said Paul Turnbull, WFP's Country Director in Malawi. "Cyclone Freddy has robbed most farmers of their food just as they were about to harvest the only crop of the year. We are grateful to the United States Government for supporting our efforts to provide food support to affected people who have lost everything to the cyclone." The field assessment report released by the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) indicates that 2.3 million people have been affected by Tropical Cyclone Freddy in Malawi. Tropical Cyclone Freddy hit the southern part of Malawi, washing away crops, livelihoods and valuable assets such as livestock, and exacerbating food insecurity in the region. Some 320,000 hectares of land has been flooded, including 117,000 hectares of crops. "We are committed to helping Malawi recover from this disaster as quickly as possible," said USAID acting Mission Director, Anna Toness. As part of our response, we are pleased to partner with WFP and the Government of Malawi to provide food assistance to people affected by the cyclone, and will continue to work with our partners to support both urgent relief and longer-term recovery efforts." WFP is supporting ongoing national efforts in response to the emergency by distributing food and transporting relief items on behalf of the humanitarian community to flood-affected populations. As of 24 April, over 100,000 people have already received food assistance and 3,000 mt of humanitarian relief has been transported on behalf of the humanitarian community to flood-affected areas over land, water, and air. The U.S. is the largest donor to WFP. In Malawi, USAID's Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance has already contributed US$12 million to WFP in 2023 to support refugees with cash transfers and building smallholder farmers' resilience and livelihoods. Published on 2023/04/26 | Source New behind the scenes shots added for the Korean drama "Duty After School" (2023). Advertisement Directed by Seong Yong-il Written by Yoon Soo-I Network: TVING With Shin Hyun-soo, Lee Soon-won, Lim Se-mi, Kwon Eun-bin, Kim Ki-hae, Kim Min-chul,... 10 episodes - Fri 16:00 Part 1 - 6 episodes: 2023/03/31 Part 2 - 4 episodes: 2023/04/21 When mysterious alien spheres start invading the world, high school students are called upon to join the world's first war against extraterrestrial forces. Synopsis Unidentified extraterritorial spheres take over the world. The Department of Defense, in a desperate bid to recruit more soldiers, offers college admission incentives to get 18-year-olds to sign up as part of the reserved forces. A High school's class of 2022 seniors sign up to become soldiers, and they soon become frontline fighters in the war. Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2023/03/31 - 2023/04/21 Mystery deepens, inconsistencies accumulate, as police fail to answer questions ActionSA has assisted Katlego Bereng's father to lay criminal charges against various state institutions for allegedly contravening the National Health Act. Bereng was, according to police, the body burnt in Thabo Bester's cell on the night that Bester escaped. There are a bunch of unexplained inconsistencies in relation to Bereng's death and the body used in Bester's escape, but the police and other state authorities are refusing to answer our questions. Information provided by the police to ActionSA indicates that Bester's partner, Nandipha Magudumana, may have collected Bereng's body twice from the same morgue. Information apparently given by the police to ActionSA on the Thabo Bester escape suggests that Bester's partner, Nandipha Magudumana, may have collected the same body - that of Katlego Bereng - from the same morgue twice. ActionSA Free State chairperson Patricia Kopane confirmed on Tuesday that criminal charges have been laid in relation to the death of Bereng, the man whose burned body is believed to have been found Bester's prison cell. Bereng's father, Batho Mpholo, was assisted by ActionSA (Mpholo is a member of ActionSA) to lay charges at Park Road Police Station in Bloemfontein against the Free State Department of Health for contravening the National Health Act in the handling of Bereng's body. Mpholo also plans to take legal action against the Department of Correctional Services and G4S. Bester escaped from Mangaung Correctional Centre on 3 May 2022. He had faked his death and a body was found in his cell, burned beyond recognition. Almost a year later, Bereng's family were informed that the body found in the cell was his. Bereng went missing in March 2022 and a missing person's case was opened in May 2022, according to the family. The family did not receive any updates on the investigation until two weeks ago when Bereng's mother was asked for DNA samples. The family has still not been allowed to view the body. Read: Thabo Bester escape: Many unanswered questions about the death of Katlego BerengMpholo and ActionSA delegates were engaged in meetings with the police in Bloemfontein throughout the day on Tuesday, seeking clarity on how Bereng ended up in Bester's cell. Kopane updated GroundUp on Tuesday afternoon about what they were told by the police. She said it seems Bereng was found unconscious and picked up by an ambulance. His blood pressure was low and he died in the ambulance before reaching National Hospital in Bloemfontein. According to Kopane, Bereng's body was then taken to the Free State morgue as an unidentified person and the body was claimed by Bester's partner Magudumana. GroundUp is unable to confirm Kopane's version of events because the local and national spokespeople for the SA Police Service (SAPS) have declined to comment. No dates have been provided for when Bereng died, when his body was taken to the morgue, or when the body was supposedly collected by Magudumana before being smuggled into Mangaung Correctional Centre. Mpholo and ActionSA are demanding to see the medical report from the paramedics who drove Bereng to the hospital and Bereng's death certificate. They are also demanding an investigation into how Bereng's body was released to Magudumana when she was not his spouse. After Bester faked his death in the cell fire, the burned body, thought to be Bester's at the time, was taken to the Free State mortuary where a post-mortem found that the person was dead before the fire broke out, from a head injury. It is still unclear how Bereng sustained the injury. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines South Africa Legal Affairs By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Another inconsistency is that Bereng's family describe him as tall, but according to the postmortem report, the body in the cell was only 145cm, which indicates a very short person. A forensic pathologist has however previously explained to GroundUp that it is possible that the height could have been incorrectly estimated, especially since the body was in the foetal position. Two days after the fire, Magudumana collected the body from the Free State mortuary again and took it to a mortuary in Soweto. It seems bizarre that Magudumana would have been able to collect the same body from the same morgue, twice. (It is possible she collected the body from the hospital morgue the first time round.) SAPS has previously confirmed that Magudumana claimed three different bodies from the Free State mortuary, the third of which was the one found in the cell. GroundUp attempted to visit the mortuary but security staff turned us away, and the Free State Health Department refused to comment. ACYP prides itself on offering social events where people are encouraged to meet others and build connections. Pictured in the front row, from left, are Laura Piselli, Dolly Reaves, Holly Epley, and Bailey Little. In the back row, from left are Joshua Biggers and Jason Barker. By Harley Nefe On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Three years later, communities are still seeing the lasting effects of that global event. However, since then, groups have been emerging to overcome the challenges. One group in particular is Ashe County Young Professionals, which is sponsored by the Business and Community Development Committee of the Ashe County Chamber of Commerce. According to its description, ACYP is a program designed to create a meaningful network of dedicated, talented young professionals aged 21-45 in Ashe County. We realized that there were a lot of groups during Covid that were impacted, and we would argue that that 21-45 group probably suffered socially as much as anyone else, explained Rebecca Greer, Board of Directors Vice Chair and Chair of the Business and Community Development Committee. Greer further shared that the Business and Community Development Committee actively seeks new ways to support the business and local community in Ashe County. Some of its sponsored programs include Leadership Ashe, Connect Ashe, Small Business Consulting Group, as well as Ashe County Young Professionals. ACYP began around two years ago when an idea from an Ashe resident at the time, Harrison Little, was presented in an executive meeting to Kitty Honeycutt, who is the Executive Director of the Ashe County Chamber of Commerce. ACYP was created to help young people find like-minded connections to form worthwhile personal connections, said Joshua Biggers, ACYP Committee Moderator. Groups of people with the same objectives are stronger together. Harrison Little asked if there was a way to form the group through the Chamber, and the conversations were started. Our focus as Business and Community Development Chair is we want to provide resources and guidance to make sure we are adhering to what the Chambers mission is, but at the same time, we want ACYP to have autonomy, Greer said. The Ashe County Young Professionals mission is to create a platform for members to build professional and personal relationships, become philanthropically and socially active, and contribute to the high quality of life in Ashe County. ACYP is sponsored by the Business and Community Development Committee of the Ashe County Chamber of Commerce. From left: Bailey Little, Natasha Romans, Megan Rupard, Joshua Biggers, and Sam Holmes. Photos courtesy of ACYP. This is something that is greatly needed in Ashe County, and we have big hopes for this committee to finally come to fruition, said Bailey Little, Committee Scribe. ACYPs former leaders all had the same hopes and desires for the group but had to step down due to other personal commitments, which we completely understand. We are happy to say that the committee is once again under new leadership, and there is a game plan for the group to have wings and take off. Bailey Little serves as a co-leader of ACYP along with Joshua Biggers. The both of them have been collaborating with Kitty Honeycutt and Rebecca Greer. Both Mrs. Honeycutt and Mrs. Greer are extremely supportive of young professionals in Ashe and want to see us succeed/develop our own ways to socialize and get involved, Little said. We believe that now, with the involvement of a steady number of committed members, ACYP will be able to be on the path to reaching its true potential and becoming a representation of the young professionals in Ashe County. Greer mentioned that her vision for the future of ACYP is increased membership. I think theres a lot of people who dont have an understanding of what a professional is, Greer said. I like the way Joshua talks about that because he says anyone can be a professional in whatever their position is, whether youre running the drive-thru at McDonalds or youre working at the college. Anybody can be a professional where they are, so I would like to see a more diverse group in ACYP. Biggers further explained, A young professional is someone who carries themselves with divinity and self-respect. Its a person who puts 110% into their job regardless of what their job encompasses. Anyone can be a professional; it is all in your personal mindset. If you want to be a professional and carry yourself as a professional, then you are a professional. A professional is not a label that is given, but a descriptor that must be earned. Its about seeing your goals, going after those goals, and letting no obstacles stand in your path. Laura Piselli, who was born and raised in Ashe County, works as a registered nurse and is also an ACYP member. She said she considers herself to be a young professional. The natural beauty of Ashe County is what attracts many people to move to the area. Photo courtesy of the Ashe County Chamber of Commerce. I am 26, which I think is considered pretty young. However, I think youth is a state of mind, Piselli said. And I am a person with professional goals, interests, and passions, but I think being a professional is also a state of mind. Whether you have a career outside of your home, or you are a homesteader, whatever you are doing is worthwhile if it gives you a sense of purpose, and you are doing it with mindfulness and care. One of ACYPs newest members, Jeff Carlton, has been living in Ashe County full-time since August of 2020. He underwrites commercial insurance for Jackson Sumner & Associates and shared that he identifies as a young professional as well. I consider myself to work in a professional field and to still be pretty young, Carlton explained. I just turned 30 this month, but when I look to my mentors, in my field and in my life, they are great examples of how hard it is to define young. Sometimes there is a negative connotation. For instance, you may consider someone to be inexperienced, but I prefer a definition that includes a passion for life in the sense that Im striving to be a young professional for a long, long time. Carlton said he is passionate about culinary explorations and outdoor recreation, and the beauty of the area is what caught his attention in addition to the wonderful people that he has had the fortune of getting to know. He learned of ACYP through an invitation from another member. Since the community and the county have treated me so well, I feel like its my duty to be an active member in any way that I can, Carlton said. I hope to connect with, learn from, and share unique experiences with other area professionals, be it through charitable opportunities, social events, or professional networking. I believe it to be very important to uphold community values and to work towards a more prosperous and positive future. Piselli found out about ACYP through Little, who has been her friend since middle school. I decided to join this group because I believe in the power of community. Community is a resource. It is something that can be so grounding for peoples day to day lives, therefore having an impact on their mental health and the way they may function in times of crisis, Piselli said. It can also create a ripple effect if we choose to use the power of community for the common good. It takes a village to raise a child is such a wonderful saying that I think should also be applied to various stages of our life. It takes a village to make career choices. It takes a village to move to a new house. It takes a village to get through a break up. It takes a village to find my unique role in the big picture. It takes a village to get through life! Jason Barker, Communications Coordinator for ACYP, can be found posting flyers around town inviting people to get involved in the community. Photo by Joshua Biggers. The level of peace and the comforting sense of knowing everyone in the small town are some of Pisellis favorite aspects of Ashe County. Finding a sense of community in a county like this is not difficult, Piselli explained. You need only to be willing to put yourself out there. I love how friendly everyone is, and the culture of Appalachia, which is difficult to sum up, but I would say people here take pride in where they are from. Their family trades, southern hospitality, and being tough yet loving people. Passing people in the store, folks say hello and ask how your family is doing. Even as I am driving up my road to my house people will give the infamous finger wave as they pass by. The beauty of the mountains is a close second favorite part of living here. There is no place more beautiful in the world to me than the meadows, mountains, streams, and hollers of the Blue Ridge. Hiking trails, kayaking the New River, or simply sitting in my backyard on a beautiful day is as close to paradise as I can think of in a place like this. Biggers, who has lived in Ashe County for nearly four years and appreciates experiencing all four seasons and the many outdoor activities, also heard of ACYP through the word of mouth grapevine. I saw a group that had a lot of potential but lacked some direction, and they were in need of someone to take a leadership role, so I volunteered, Biggers described. Being a professor, it is my job to see what students are capable of and then showing that to them and making them want to achieve it. Getting through to us young people can be a daunting task, but I like a challenge so I accepted the role. Little joined ACYP in April 2022 when she attended her first meeting after hearing about the group from one of her friends who was a member. I was instantly intrigued and contacted the Ashe County Chamber of Commerce for more information and upcoming meeting dates, Little shared. As a young professional, it sparked my interest to hear of such a group in our community. Growing as a leader is something that I make an effort to work on in both my personal and professional endeavors. I believed that by joining this group as a member, I would grow as a leader and be able to give back to my community, which is also something I am passionate about. When I joined ACYP, I never imagined that I would end up being one of the leaders of the committee or that it would happen so quickly. However, I am happy to be in this position and have the opportunity to help build the foundation and complete the groundwork for its future. Jason Barker, who is the Communications Coordinator for ACYP, also joined last year. From left: Sam Holmes, Abbey Holmes, Bailey Little, Dolly Reaves, Laura Piselli, Katie Krogmeier, and Joshua Biggers. Front: Jason Barker. Photo courtesy of ACYP. I am happy to be back this year with a new set of people, a new outlook on how we would like to approach keeping our members involved for the long haul, and new things that we hope to accomplish, Barker said. Little further explained that the redefined mission of ACYP, first and foremost, is to get out and socialize. We are still experiencing some lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Little said. It was a long two years where people of all ages experienced loneliness and felt shut off from society. Some of us still fall victim to that rut, especially if we get into the routine of only going to work and coming home. We need an extra layer of socialization, in addition to our relationships with coworkers and families. ACYP can be that! Piselli added, Its important because loneliness and lack of purpose is something we all can experience. Post-college life can leave people floundering because no one is laying it out for you anymore, and it is your time to make life what you want it to be. You arent surrounded by people with similar interests and struggles anymore. A group like this can assist in that transition period and provide purpose and community. Members of ACYP meet regularly to discuss community and social issues, build relationships, and plan events to benefit needs in the county. I hope members gain friends first and foremost, Biggers said. Next, I want them to gain a feeling of fulfillment in helping people around Ashe. The group gets together around two to three times each month. We at the Chamber all agree that what ACYP is doing right now building those connections, having those social events, getting back out together is really key, Greer said. The goal in mind is for them to be contributing back to Ashe too, whether its through volunteer opportunities or organizing events, but we understand that that base, that familiarity, and those friendships have to happen first. Barker shared that there is a reason why socializing is a big part of the group. Ashe County Chamber of Commerce staff, from left, include Kathleen George, Natalie Lea, April Colvard, and Kitty Honeycutt. Photo courtesy of the Chamber. Those who work together should also enjoy having a good time together, Barker said. A work/play balance is very important in life and can sometimes be hard to achieve. Having social outings as a group creates a reward program also, which helps to keep members involved and doing things together. Those who do not wish to participate in the community outreach events, will not get to enjoy our social outings. Social outings become a privilege one earned through involvement and consistency. To help build those friendships, members of ACYP have participated in various activities together like escape rooms, game nights, and enjoying each others company at local restaurants. We do need to make sure that we are compliant with regulation since we are a subcommittee of the Ashe Chamber of Commerce, Little said. In the past, there was a big focus at ACYP meetings on everything we needed to be working on or doing. It is great to be community involved, but we do not wish for this committee to overwhelm people or add to the stress everyone is already experiencing as they navigate careers and personal lives. We do want to give back to the community, of course, but we plan to do this realistically and do not want it to be the sole focus of our meetings/social events. We will all work together as a group to plan projects to benefit the Ashe County community using all of our talents, connections and skill sets. Bailey Little and Sam Holmes are proud members of ACYP, and they look forward to others joining the group. Photo by Joshua Biggers. And all members of ACYP come from a wide variety of backgrounds. For example, Little has lived in Ashe County for 16 years, as she moved to the area from her hometown of Key West, Florida, during the summer before 4th grade. She attended Appalachian State University, and now works as an Administrative Assistant at the district level for Ashe County Schools. When asked what her favorite part about living in Ashe County is, Little answered, The people and sense of community. It brings a sense of comfort to know that when you go anywhere, there is a possibility you will see someone you know, Little said. It warms my heart when I see people helping each other, whether it be holding the door open for people or covering a portion of someone elses grocery bill when they are short on money. Even if people do not know you personally, they will often still smile and wave or greet you in some fashion. Barker, who is an entrepreneur, moved to Ashe County six years ago after he fell in love with living in the mountains back when he attended Western Carolina University. He agreed with Little about the appeal to Ashe County. The laid back atmosphere, the small town feel, and the amazing people that I have gotten to know since I moved here are the best parts, Barker said. The Ashe County Chamber of Commerce is a not-for-profit voluntary membership association that serves as the unified voice for nearly 500 member businesses, individuals, and nonprofits in and around the High Country. Photo courtesy of the Chamber The overall sense of community in Ashe County is what inspired a lot of members to participate in ACYP. ACYP is a great opportunity for young people to meet new like-minded individuals, Barker described. I also believe that with the outlets we have in the area for young people to do things, an outlet that allows them to brainstorm on ways they can help the community, and then take action to make those things happen is very important. This helps them work as a team, turn ideas into actionable accomplishments, and grow as people. Members get a chance to grow as people and feel like a part of something bigger than them, and the community gets to reap the rewards of this group, as our goals are to give back to the community in as many creative ways as we can come up with. In honor of Friday the 13th, Ashe County Young Professionals put their minds and skills together to complete the spooky challenge of beating the Escape Room at Great Southern Gothic in 55 minutes. Photo courtesy of ACYP. As far as future events, there are many upcoming opportunities where members will be able to get involved in the community and contribute, such as by working with local food pantries and Generations Ashe. I would like to see a wide range of opportunities for serving the community, Carlton shared. Such as, but not limited to, river clean ups, food drives, and planting flowers at the hospital, parks, and other public places. There are also opportunities for coat drives, assisting in vocational programs, and tutoring/mentorship. Anything that can be done to help any segments of the community that are under-served I think we need to show up for them. Whether its drug treatment, inmate services, promoting health screenings, providing educational programs for financial literacy, or advocating for nutrition and wellness, I think the possibilities are endless. In order to decide on what community service events to partake in, its a team effort members discuss potential ideas and work together to reach out to various community leaders to plan out the best options. The purpose of ACYP is to work with local businesses and organizations to boost the economic development needed to propel the next generation into success, Barker said. Its to work as a group to accomplish our goals, to learn how to work together for a greater good, and to shape the future of this place we call home. We are young, intelligent, and filled with drive. We plan to put our minds and bodies behind doing things that are helpful to the community while also growing ourselves. Members will gain skills in how to communicate, how to work as a team, and hopefully along the way, how to develop a sense of comradery. Carlton agreed and said, I would like to see this group evolve into a successful well-oiled machine that serves the community and its members alike. ACYP is a diverse group of individuals eager to make a positive impact in their community and in their own lives. Greer shared that she looks forward to when she sees the group be recognized for who they are in the community and the impact that they are making. I want to hear people out in the community talking about ACYP and telling others about it because they need to be involved, Greer said. Thats what I want to see because I think then well truly see the impact, and well see more people involved and being part of the community. As far as the future of ACYP goes, Biggers shared that his vision is to see a path for younger generations. ACYP will soon be an everyday term around Ashe, Biggers described. When people see a sign, they will say, I know them; my grandson helps them. ACYP is important because the youth are the future. Thats not just an expression, it is a fact. We have to help the youth find ways to help and connect with the local community, and this is the best avenue. ACYP aims to develop meaningful and purposeful relationships between the future leaders of Ashe County. Barker added, My vision is to see this group create a way forward for those who will come behind us, to lay the groundwork for what this group will grow to become, and to use this group as a vehicle for creating our future negotiators and change makers. When speaking about his fellow group members, Barker said, I can see many great talents in each member, and I look forward to seeing them use those talents to help push our message and to do great things in the community. With everyone having different experiences, Biggers explained that each member of ACYP brings their own flare. Each member offers their own ideas, which allows ACYP to be multifunctional as well as multidimensional. However, ACYP couldnt have formed without the involvement and dedication of leadership and members alike. I am appreciative of our leaders taking on the challenge of running this group in their already busy lives, and I am very appreciative of how positive and kind everyone has been so far, Piselli shared. It has already helped me to meet new people, make new friends, and have a new sense of purpose. I hope to continue to make new friends, be a friend to others, and spread some joy and love throughout this community by helping others and just enjoying life together. People are encouraged to experience Ashe Countys four-season climate, charming towns, and unforgettable natural scenery. Photo courtesy of the Ashe County Chamber of Commerce. Little added, I would like to say that I appreciate my fellow group members. I appreciate their trust and them believing in me. One of our group members has told me repeatedly that they are so happy that Joshua and I took over the group and that it is here in Ashe County. So far, as a group, we are enjoying getting to know each other and sharing ideas of what we can do to support local businesses and organizations. It is really special that people in their 20s and 30s are both present and future-minded and want to make a difference in the county they live in. I admire everyones passion for their professions as well. We have a diverse group of people with knowledge in various fields. I think that is a strength, and I am excited to see what we will accomplish by working together. For individuals who are interested in joining Ashe County Young Professionals, they are encouraged to contact Joshua Biggers at [email protected] or Bailey Little at [email protected] to learn about the process. People can also learn more about ACYP by visiting the social media platforms @ashecoyoungprofessionals on Instagram and Ashe County Young Professionals on Facebook. There is an annual fee of $30 for Ashe County Chamber of Commerce members and $40 for non-Chamber members to join ACYP as well as an application form. Membership includes invitations to all gatherings and ACYP events. For more information, call the Ashe County Chamber of Commerce at 336-846-9550. Ashe County welcomes all to come and explore downtown West Jefferson. Photo courtesy of the Ashe County Chamber of Commerce. This group cannot be successful or reach its goals without dedicated members who have a passion for serving Ashe, Carlton said. I would encourage anyone who is making a life in this community to take a moment and find a way to give back through service. If ACYP doesnt feel like that right fit, find what is, but if youre even mildly interested, come join us for a meeting and help shape our future. Little extended Carltons invitation and said, We want to continue 2023 strong and begin the transformation of this group into what we as a collective would like it to be. We want to allow those who are interested and dedicated to the committee and its future success to be as involved as possible. Come to our next meet up, introduce yourself, share your ideas, and have fun! Share this: Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Pocket Akavan Erityisalat, a Finnish trade union representing professionals in various fields, has raised concerns about the mistreatment of interns in the country. According to the union, interns are still being shamelessly used as cheap labor, with employers taking advantage of their vulnerable position to make them work for little or no pay. The union has called on both employers and higher education institutions to address the issue. The treatment of interns says a lot about the employer, and the problem is particularly prevalent in the communication, culture, and restaurant sectors. Akavan Erityisalat believes that paid and high-quality internships should be integrated into the curriculum of various fields such as cultural, museum, administration, communication, tourism, and restaurant industries. Internships should be adequately paid and well-supervised, and the good treatment of interns should be a matter of pride for employers, said Amalia Poutanen, a negotiation manager at Akavan Erityisalat. The union's surveys have revealed that many interns are being made to do the work of a professional, even without pay or proper guidance, and are often brought in to fill the gaps left by permanent employees. The union is concerned that well-known employers can get away with mistreating interns because there are always more students willing to accept poor working conditions in exchange for a line on their CV. Additionally, interns may feel they cannot raise concerns about the treatment they receive since they are in a subordinate position. However, employers must take responsibility for the treatment of interns, who are in a vulnerable position. If internships are conducted in an employment relationship, employers must comply with Finnish occupational safety laws, which require them to train employees on health and safety regulations before starting new work or tasks. Akavan Erityisalat is challenging not only employers but also educational institutions to communicate the terms and conditions of internships and ensure they are being adhered to. Internships offer many students their first real glimpse into the workforce and can be an important stepping stone to a career. If the initial experience is encouraging and fair, it can pave the way for a successful career. This benefits not only the employers, who will have access to a pool of talented professionals, but also society as a whole. Akavan Erityisalat reminds us that there are serious deficiencies in the quality of internships offered in Finland, particularly in terms of remuneration. Unpaid internships can delay graduation and hinder students' career prospects. Therefore, both employers and educational institutions should take the issue of intern mistreatment seriously and collaborate to ensure that internships are fair, productive, and beneficial for everyone involved. HT INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISTS at YLE have reviewed the waiting periods imposed on political aides transitioning to the private sector, finding that three special aides and two state secretaries have received compensation for the period on grounds of a plan to set up their own business despite never following through with the plan. The waiting periods were adopted at the start of the newly concluded electoral term, in 2017, in an attempt to slow the revolving door the transitioning of aides and officials to similar or related fields in the private sector with valuable contacts and sensitive information. The duration of the period is determined based on an assessment of the sensitivity of the information the person had access to in the central administration. The impetus for the adoption was the move of three high-profile lawmakers, each representing the National Coalition, to private health care companies amid the drafting of the social and health care reform. Finland, though, had been urged to regulate the revolving door earlier by international organisations such as the OECD and GRECO, the anti-corruption body of the Council of Europe, Emilia Korkea-aho, an associate professor of European law and legislative studies at the University of Eastern Finland, reminded YLE. The public broadcaster discovered that waiting periods ranging from two to five months have been imposed on altogether 34 special aides and state secretaries since 2017, with about 700,000 euros paid consequently in compensation. While the decisions indicate that a paid waiting period is imposed whenever the subject reported their intention to set up a consultancy, the government has not tracked whether the company has actually been established. This was confirmed by Timo Lankinen, the permanent state secretary at the prime ministers office. We fundamentally trust the report, he said. If theres misreporting, the person is guilty of contract violation. Not setting up a company alone does not constitute a contract violation, however. Former employees must nevertheless issue a notification whenever they accept a job within six months of leaving the central administration, in accordance with the rules of the waiting periods. YLE on Monday wrote that Sami Kerman, a special aide to then Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo (Greens), found himself jobless in late 2021 due to a ministerial re-shuffle by the Green League. Kerman notified the government of his intention to set up a company and was ordered to wait three months before starting work for the company. He received his old pay in full for the waiting period, a total of 19,990 euros. Kerman told the public broadcasting company that he decided not to set up the company because, during the waiting period, he received a job offer from his former employer, the Finnish Fire Officers Association (SPPL). Kari Jaaskelainen, a special aide for then Minister of Finance Katri Kulmuni, found himself in the same situation when Kulmuni stepped down over a public outcry about the public-speaking trainings arranged for her by Jaaskelainen. He informed the government of his intention to set up a business providing consulting and advocacy services, receiving 28,300 euros in compensation for the consequent waiting period. He never set up the company and, a month after the waiting period, was appointed a regional manager at Kymen Yrittajat, a regional association of Yrittajat. Aleksi Teivainen HT Johannesburg, South Africa South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa backtracked on remarks he made Tuesday that the country would withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has issued an arrest warrant for Russia's President Vladimir Putin. The president's office late Tuesday walked back comments Ramaphosa made earlier that day at a briefing, saying he misspoke when he said the governing African National Congress (ANC) party would "pull out" of the International Criminal Court. His remarks sparked controversy as Russia's President Vladimir Putin, who is wanted by the ICC for war crimes in Ukraine, is invited to an August summit in South Africa. As a signatory to the Rome Statute that established the ICC, Pretoria is required to arrest Putin if he sets foot in the country. But just hours after Ramaphosa said the ANC party would quit the court in The Hague, his spokesman, Vincent Magwenya, said the remarks were an error. "South Africa remains a signatory to the ICC in line with a resolution of the 55th national conference of the ANC - held in December 2022 - to rescind an earlier decision to withdraw from the ICC," he said. Magwenya said the correction followed an error made at a media briefing by the ANC on South Africa and the ICC, which he said the president had "regrettably" and "erroneously" affirmed. Ramaphosa had said there had long been a feeling in the governing party that the court treats some countries unfairly. The ANC wanted to pull out of the ICC some years ago but was prevented from doing so by a South African court ruling that found it unconstitutional. It is not yet clear if Putin will attend a summit of the BRICS group of emerging nations- Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Even if he does, it is far from guaranteed that South Africa would arrest the Russian president. Pretoria refused to act on an ICC arrest warrant in 2015, when former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir visited. The African National Congress party is staunch friends with Moscow, which as leader of the Soviet Union supported its fight against Apartheid's white minority rule. Kyiv also supported the ANC's struggle for democracy, but Pretoria has so far refused to condemn the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine. The Ministry of Employment and Economic Affairs has put together statistics revealing that 72 per cent of foreign-born 1564-year-olds were employed at the end of 2022, representing an increase of eight percentage points from the end of 2020. IMMIGRANT EMPLOYMENT in Finland has improved sharply in the past couple of years, reports Helsingin Sanomat. Among the native-born population, the rate stood at 75 per cent at the end of last year. The statistics are based on data provided by Eurostat and Statistics Finland. The revelation is relevant for the coalition formation process led by Petteri Orpo, the chairperson of the National Coalition. Whereas the National Coalition is eager to tap into foreign labour markets to promote economic growth, its most likely main coalition partner, the Finns Party, has called for stricter controls on immigration, arguing that immigration to low-paid sectors often leads to unemployment and reliance on social security benefits. Officials at the Ministry of Finance are surprised by the surge in employment among immigrants. It has indeed come as a surprise. Were pondering reasons for the development, Olli Karkkainen, a chief specialist in fiscal policy at the Ministry of Finance, stated to Helsingin Sanomat on Wednesday. Pertti Taskinen, a senior statistician at Statistics Finland, told the newspaper that the positive development is not attributable to changes in statistical methods. The time series are comparable, so at least we arent aware that any methodological changes could explain the development. You do have to look for explanations in the phenomenon itself the growth of employment among immigrants, he commented. The data reveal that the employment rate has risen particularly among women who are originally from Asia and Africa, according to Juho Peltonen, a senior specialist at the Ministry of Employment and Economic Affairs. He viewed that the contributing factors may include the good economic situation, the widespread labour shortage and recent increase in work-based immigration. The number of work-based moves has increased since 2021 while the number of people receiving international protection not including Ukrainians has stayed at the same level since the coronavirus crisis, he said. Peltonen pointed out that immigrant employment is typically more susceptible to changes in the economic situation: Its very likely that the increase in the employment rate for foreign-born people is linked to the recent strong growth in part-time employment. It is therefore unknown whether the improvement in immigrant employment is permanent or temporary. Aleksi Teivainen HT OP-ED: BRCC opens doors, fills gaps, meets industry needs As Blue Ridge Community College joins two-year colleges nationwide in commemorating Community College Month, its a perfect time to reinforce our workforce development focus and the benefits we provide to Henderson and Transylvania counties. We firmly believe that education transforms lives and communities for the better. What experts in higher education have long acknowledged that community colleges are essential for strong local economies is now accepted and understood by a wider audience. And the return on investment is tangible: Blue Ridge Community College added $128.1 million to our local economy in 2019-20 alone. Our community and business leaders view Blue Ridge as a key partner in solving a myriad of economic development challenges, most importantly producing trained workers for the growing number of employers who need them. Filling the gaps through work-based learning Blue Ridge Community College is well-equipped for and we are in an excellent position to help fill the employment gaps that exist locally. During the past few years, we have leveraged several initiatives to address these gaps. One that stands out is the expansion of apprenticeship pathways for those who want to earn while they learn. Apprenticeship Blue Ridge offers numerous paths to employment in essential fields like construction, electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling (HVAC) and much more. These work-based programs continue to grow exponentially and are critical to filling the workforce pipeline, and attracting workers who might otherwise not choose to train for our most high-demand jobs. Responsiveness to industry needs Our ongoing collaborations with industry partners have resulted in cutting-edge programs that respond to workforce demands, and quickly. Because of these intentional partnerships, we are able to develop and launch programs with agility while meeting the needs at hand. The result is innovative programs that will impact our region for many years to come. Guided by our industry advisory committees, we continue to add programs and courses that prepare students for the influx of available jobs. Blue Ridge is launching eight new programs this fall in the areas of engineering, information technology, business, healthcare and education. Many of our programs offer students stackable credentials where they can earn short-term certificates and employable job skills while working on long-term goals, such as earning an associate degree in a field like civil or environmental engineering. Open door for all Like community colleges across the nation, we strongly believe in accessible education. Making sure all people in our community can access educational opportunities is a vital role for Blue Ridge Community College. At Blue Ridge, this is accomplished by offering open door admissions that allow anyone to enroll a core concept of the North Carolina Community College System since its inception in the early 1960s. Using this open door philosophy, Blue Ridge is working alongside community colleges across North Carolina to meet the states educational attainment goal 2 million North Carolinians ages 25 to 44 will have a meaningful, high-quality credential or postsecondary degree by 2030. Although ambitious, this goal is attainable and will continue to position North Carolina as the best place in the U.S. to do business. Making higher education possible for adult students Attending school for community college students, especially adult learners, presents challenges. Our students must balance the obligations of work, family, transportation, childcare and much more. At Blue Ridge, students can allocate the necessary time to working, studying and maintaining a personal life thanks to the availability of flexible course schedules. This flexibility allows them to manage being a student more easily than they might have expected. A wise investment Did you know our students receive a return of $4.90 in higher future earnings for every dollar they invest in their Blue Ridge Community College education? Thats an average annual rate of return of 28 percent an impressive stat, especially when compared to other investments. Its no secret that attending Blue Ridge Community College costs thousands less than four-year schools. This means our students can avoid student loans to achieve their educational goals. Blue Ridge has a long history of providing scholarships and removing barriers. Especially as the burden of student debt is soaring across the nation, we feel privileged to extend the Free College scholarship through the end of 2023, offering college-eligible students an opportunity to attend Blue Ridge tuition free. As we close Community College Month, we celebrate the hard-working students, staff, industry partners and local leaders who make this critical work possible, fueling our economy and enriching our community, each and every day. * * * * * Laura B. Leatherwood is president of Blue Ridge Community College. Special prosecutor to try embezzlement case If the case against a medical practice office manager charged with stealing $413,000 from her boss reaches trial, a special prosecutor from an agency that assists with complex financial crime cases will handle the states side. Andrew Murray recalled that he had been freshly appointed to serve as district attorney in 2021 when an investigator asked to meet with him about the embezzlement case. My recollection is an SBI agent that had been assigned to it came in to tell me his preliminary case and what he had, said Murray, a former U.S. Attorney for Western North Carolina. And I said, Whoa, thats a big case, thats a lot of documents. Let me see if the Conference of D.A.s was willing to take this case. Established by the Legislature in 1983, the N.C. Conference of District Attorneys provides support to the 42 elected district attorneys across the state through training, research and assistance with complex prosecutions. J. Kyle Smith is working as a special prosecutor in the trial of Kerry Spachman, who is accused of embezzling the money from the medical office of Dr. James Caserio, a respected and highly regarded internist. From time to time, cases are complex and involve a lot of resources, Smith said. Particularly in smaller jurisdictions, the elected D.A. will call and ask for assistance on a case given the complex nature of the case, and the amount of money that was involved. We had a request for assistance. Smith said he could not answer questions about a pending case and Murray said he has not been handling details of the case since the special prosecutor is on board. It was a massive case concerning forensic accounting and going back and figuring out all of the fraud, he said of the initial conversation with the SBI. Truthfully, we dont really have those type of resources in my office. I dont have a forensic accountant. I dont have a specialist that specializes in financial crimes fraud and when I got here we had as you know a significant backlog Covid backlog that he wanted to prioritize. So I made the determination that it would be best to be able to get that case (moving) as quickly as possible, being that it had already been sitting in my office for a while, to request the assistance of the special Financial Crimes Unit of the Conference of District Attorneys to expedite that case and also bring expertise in to handle it. Unauthorized checks, online shopping Search warrant applications by Hendersonville police detective Malinda Durner and SBI agent Michael P. Phillips detail the pattern Spachman is alleged to have used to write checks to cash. From 2013 to 2019, she allegedly wrote 81 unauthorized checks payable to cash totaling $82,068 and used the physicians signature stamp to sign them, Phillips said in a search warrant application. During the same period, she is alleged to have drafted 485 checks for a total of $485,165, commingling the fraudulent checks with legitimate office and payroll checks for Dr. Caserio to sign. Investigators said they tracked 566 unauthorized checks that they say Spachman deposited in her personal account at State Employees Credit Union. Search warrant applications also alleged that Spachman used the practices business credit cards to purchase $174,824 worth of merchandise from Amazon, eBay and PayPal and airline tickets from American, United, Southwest and Jet Blue. (It was unclear why the checks total of $485,165 reported in search warrants is greater than the total in the grand jury indictment. Also, the Caserios said in interviews that investigators believed it would be hard to prove which online orders were fraudulent and which were legitimate because the merchandise was sent to the medical office, not Spachmans home.) In a motion he filed on Feb. 27, Smith, the special prosecutor, reported to the court that in response to a discovery request from Spachmans defense attorney he had turned over to the defense a wealth of material from the law officers investigation. The documents, tapes and videos included seven interviews with Christina Caserio, Dr. Caserios daughter, a researcher who created a spreadsheet of the fraudulent checks; interviews of Dr. Caserio and his wife, Marcia; and video interviews of Dr. Caserios sister, Rebecca Caserio, a physician who had lost money that she had sent to her brother to keep the practice afloat. Rebecca Caserio has since died. In a notice of aggravating factors the state intends to pursue at trial, Smith checked factors including that the Spachman induced others to participate in the commission of the crime. He did not check as an aggravating factor that she joined with more than one person in committing the offense. Other aggravating factors the state will pursue, Smith said in the filing, were that Spachman occupied a position of leadership or dominance and that she took advantage of a position of trust or dominance, including a domestic relationship, to commit the offense. The Lightning was unable to make contact with Stepp, Spachmans attorney, for comment on the case. Some senators-elect from the South-west have debunked the claim that they rooting for Godswill Akpabio as the next Senate President in the 10th Senate. A senator-elect, who pleaded anonymity, said the ambition of Akpabio is driven by three senators from the South-west. He said: "They told the president-elect Tuesday night that all of us from the South-west are supporting Akpabio for Senate President, but the president-elect discovered it was untrue on Wednesday morning. "As South-westerners, we have good relationship with all Nigerians and these three senators cannot speak for us. They are not our leaders and cannot take South-west senators for granted. Our leader is a former governor who is also a senator. "For us, we have resolved to do the right thing for the country since it's the only way Asiwaju (president-elect) can succeed as president. We have chosen to support fairness and justice as this country is built on a tripod - Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. "What an Igbo man can do for the country and Asiwaju cannot be compared to what an Annan man, not even Ibibio can do for Nigeria and Asiwaju. If you exclude Igbo in the three positions in the country, you may be pushing your luck too far. "We are happy that the president-elect did not listen to them because he is not petty. He likes fairness and he wants to do the right thing. The 12 senators from the South-west already have a preferred candidate. We have 11 senators and one ranking senator who have endorsed Senator Orji Uzor Kalu for president and Senator Sani Musa for Deputy Senate President. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Governance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "The northern senators and southern senators believe in the leadership of this two senators and there is no going back. The good news is that Asiwaju has strong character and will stand firm on his personal convictions." Also speaking on the issue, another senator-elect dismissed the stand of the three senators, saying that they were only prosecuting the job they were paid to do. "So it's basically about their interests not for Tinubu's success or unity of Nigeria. Is the opinion of three senators greater than the opinion of 12 senators? We have endorsed Senator Kalu and Senator Musa as our preferred presiding officers and we shall deliver them on June 13," he said Others eyeing the 10th Senate Presidency include Jibrin Barau (APC Kano North); and Abdul-Aziz Yari (APC, Zamfara). There are claims that Governor David Umahi (APC, Ebonyi South) and Mr Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North), who would be first-time legislators are also interested in becoming senate president. When Grace* arrived at the Maiwut Primary Health Care Centre in South Sudan's northeast region she was in extreme pain and distress. Little did she know that she was actually in labour and about to give birth to not one, but two babies. Fortunately, Annet Monoji Juan, a midwife with the International Committee of the Red Cross, was on duty to help deliver the babies and save Grace's life. Annet's quick thinking and expertise in emergency labour management helped bring two healthy babies into the world, much to the surprise and gratitude of Grace and the trainee midwives in attendance. When I realized she was having another baby, I immediately administered intravenous line prevention to prevent her from going into shock and it didn't take long before her second baby was born. Grace and her twins are reported to be happy, healthy, and indeed grateful to Maiwut health center and Annet. In a country where giving birth can be a dangerous and even deadly experience, Annet's work as a skilled and qualified midwife is vital. With one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, it's clear that more needs to be done to provide access to quality maternal child health care in South Sudan. Annet and the ICRC work tirelessly to train and build the capacity of midwives and health center staff, as well as to encourage pregnant women to attend antenatal clinics and seek the care they need. "The successful delivery of the twins was a real-life training lesson for the new nurses with no midwife skills who mostly have never received any formal training and instead learn on the job," said Annet. The ICRC works with traditional birth attendants who try to persuade women to do prenatal checkups during the early stages of their pregnancy. According to Annet, this pregnancy was quite an ordeal for Grace as her culture stigmatizes women who fall pregnant while still nursing a child. To hide her pregnancy, she attended an ante-natal clinic just once. Giving birth in South Sudan can also be a matter of life and death, with the country having one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world due to labor and delivery complications. Annet said to prevent this, delivering a child under the care of skilled and qualified midwives is considered necessary and can help save mothers and babies during labour and delivery. One of the challenges is a need for country midwives with formal training, as nurses have less knowledge of midwifery. At her training and capacity-building sessions and workshops, she focuses on improving the support rendered by the ICRC by evaluating and initiating activities and building on the capacity of the staff. Her advice to midwives is to encourage pregnant women to attend antenatal clinics as this will help identify any complications in the early stages of their pregnancies. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Aid and Assistance South Sudan By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. The ICRC supports the Maiwut Primary Health Center to ensure that people in the area have easier and safer access to primary and secondary healthcare services, including antenatal care for women, surgical care, outpatient consultations, routine immunization, malnutrition (growth and monitoring consultations), and family planning. The ICRC also supports the Physical Rehabilitation Program. Felicity Gapes, ICRC's Deputy Health Coordinator, said that there had been 680 births recorded at Maiwut Center in 2022. The number of women unable or unwilling to access skilled maternal child health care for deliveries in Maiwut and across South Sudan remains concerning. The successful delivery of Grace's twins was a true testament to the importance of skilled midwives and the impact they can have on the health and well-being of mothers and babies. With the support of experienced midwives like Annet and the ICRC, we can work towards ensuring that all women have access to safe and quality maternal child health care. Johannesburg On Thursday, South Africans of all races celebrate the 29th anniversary of Freedom Day, a public holiday marking the country's first democratic elections. The day is mostly associated with the black majority who were disenfranchised under the apartheid regime. However, another minority group, Chinese South Africans, were also denied voting rights under apartheid. Marking Freedom Day, they remember the joy and excitement of the first time they were allowed to vote Over a four-day period in April 1994, the world watched as millions of South Africans formed massive lines for their chance to make history. They were about to cast their ballots in the first elections in which all races were allowed to participate. Prior to that, under the racist apartheid system, only members of South Africa's white minority could vote, disenfranchising not only the Black majority but all other non-whites, including the country's small Chinese population. Sixty-four-year-old Francis Lai Hong, vice chairman of the Chinese Association in Johannesburg, told VOA he had stood in line for hours at a school hall to cast his vote. "I can remember quite fondly, as though it were yesterday, the first time we were allowed to vote in South Africa, he said. "The Chinese have been here for almost 300, 400 years and this was the first time we were able to vote in our own country." The very first Chinese came to South Africa as convicts in the 17th century, followed by indentured laborers in the 19th century. In the late 1880s Chinese started migrating to the country as part of the "gold rush," only to find they were banned from mining. Other barriers in place because of their race affected their ability to trade. Under the apartheid system that began in 1948, the Chinese were classified as a sub-group of the "colored group," a racial categorization that lumped together anyone who wasn't black or white. The electric atmosphere of the day he could finally vote 29 years ago is ingrained in Hong's mind. "I can remember the camaraderie and the good-naturedness of the people of the other races who had also never been able to vote before, who were standing in the queue and everybody was so filled with joy and anticipation and expectation and hopefulness of a new South Africa and a new democracy and perhaps a new future, a bright new future for all of us," he said. Retiree Vernon Hong, no relation to Francis, is the son of immigrants from China's Guangdong province. His father was a stowaway on a ship to South Africa in the 1950s and his mother came via Macau through Mozambique and on to Johannesburg. He was 27 when he went to vote for the first time. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines South Africa Governance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "It was quite an exciting experience for me that I've now been given the privilege of voting for the new government," he said. That's how Vernon Hong felt at the time, though he has since become disappointed with the route his country has taken, with the government plagued by corruption and South Africa experiencing high levels of unemployment. Jackie Lai, whose grandmother immigrated to South Africa, grew up in Eastern Cape province in a town with just five Chinese families. Now she works in human resources. She was in her late twenties and traveling in Europe when the first elections were held, but still made a point of casting her absentee ballot. "I went on my own on the train to London and walked down to Trafalgar Square and stood in the queue, and it was a strange feeling to be standing in London, realizing that this was potentially the first time that I was going to be able to vote," she said. Lai said she always remembers this now when she votes and appreciates what a privilege it is. "I think that part of the voting was part of an acknowledgement that we were part of a country and we could contribute equally to that country where we'd actually settled," she said. Things have changed a lot for the Chinese here since the dark days of the apartheid era. Now, as well as having the vote, a handful of Chinese South Africans have even run for office in the democratic "Rainbow Nation." In the spring of 1959, Lawrence Golub and Roy Ans graduated from high school in Valley Stream on Long Island, N.Y., and chose colleges to attend. Golub and Ans had known each other from grade school. While Golub went to the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, Ans chose to attend Washington College - a very small college with only 500 students, and less than two percent were Jewish. The college, referred to as the "hidden gem on the Eastern Shore," was nestled in a very small town called Chestertown, on the eastern shore of Maryland. Founded in 1782, Washington College was the first college chartered in the sovereign United States in 1782, the first college established in Maryland, the 10th in the U.S., and is named after George Washington, who donated 50 guineas to its founding. While Golub chose a large well-known university, Ans decided on Washington College because it was small. The high school he and Golub attended was probably among the largest high schools in the United States back then, he said, and he wanted something smaller that was within a reasonable commute to Long Island. "It was a most welcoming place. I liked it," said Ans. However, at Washington College Ans encountered "culture shock." There was no awareness of any Jewish traditions. Living on Long Island, in an area where the population was mostly Jewish and Italian, the schools adjusted their schedules in preparation for the Jewish holidays. Shortly after the fall semester started, Ans was faced with the dilemma of what to do at Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. "Why aren't we off on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur? And where do we go?" he questioned. The closest synagogue was a Reform temple, almost an hour away in Easton, Maryland, which is where he and a group of other Jewish students went. Ans discovered a Jewish Student Fellowship that had been started at the school a few years earlier. It had not been sustained, so he and a fellow student who had attended Yeshiva reactivated it and Ans became the president of the Fellowship. At the end of their freshman year, Golub realized he needed to crack down on his studies. At UNC there were too many distractions and he asked Ans what he should do. "Why don't you come here? There is nothing to do but study!" Ans told him. Golub accepted the wise counsel and transferred to the college. This was the early 1960s and Maryland was considered a Southern state. Another "culture shock" for Ans and Golub was that as beautiful and quaint as Chestertown was, it was also segregated. Ans realized how severe the segregation was there after he befriended a young Black man named Tommy. "Want to go to the movie with us?" Ans asked him once. Tommy declined because he would not be able to sit with them in the theater. "This opened my eyes," said Ans. "It shook me up. The unfairness." Ans began to fight for minorities because "it was the right thing to do," he said. After completing his third year and required courses, Golub left after the spring of 1962 and went on to dental school at Georgetown University. Upon completing his studies, a tour in the Air Force, and additional specialty training, he settled in Orlando and set up his dental practice. Ans graduated in the spring of 1963 and went on to medical school at New York Medical College. After completing his residency, Ans established his OB/GYN practice in South Florida and continued his financial support of Washington College. Several years later, the Washington College Development Department contacted Ans and invited him to chair the annual fundraising campaign for two years. This developed into student recruitment. He was then invited by the president of the school to join the Presidential Advisory Committee. He met with Jewish students, inquired of their needs and how the committee could help them. The answer was a Hillel House on campus. It took several years of working with the administration at the college, but finally on April 27, 2012, under the leadership of then College President Mitchell B. Reiss and a specially appointed fundraising committee, the Roy P. and Nan Ans Hillel House was established. It is a student-run organization and an affiliate of Hillel International. On the Washington College website, it states, "Spanning seven decades of alumni participants and the Chestertown Havurah, the Campaign for Hillel created and established the Hillel House on the Washington College campus, ensuring that current and future generations of students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni, and friends would have a place to gather and enjoy vibrant programming and activities that celebrate Jewish life." In addition to the Hillel House, the Campaign for Hillel continues to provide an endowment for activities, programs and lectures connected with Hillel House. Also, in addition to his dedication to making Hillel House at Washington College a reality, Ans established the Roy Ans Fellowship in Jewish-American Studies, which offers a $2,500 stipend for a sophomore or junior completing a research project related to the Jewish-American experience in any area of study offered by Washington College. The fellowship also provides a $1,500 stipend to the faculty supervisor of the project. This fellowship is open to students of all religious backgrounds and beliefs. The fellowship is administered by the Institute for Religion, Politics and Culture and is made possible by the generous support of Roy P. ('63) and Nan Susan Ans. Ans' years at Washington College molded and shaped him. He became a warrior for the underdog, an advisor of multi-cultural programs, and strongly involved in the recruitment of Jewish students to the school. Ans' active and financial involvement also molded and shaped the college. Today the college is home to 1288 students, with 70 Jewish students (5.4 percent of the student body). It has a vibrant Jewish-American studies program as well as a Holocaust studies program. Through Hillel, a community-wide Passover Seder is held annually. This year's Seder adapted the 1969 Freedom Seder, emphasizing how everyone must work together to champion the voices and stories of all people. Ans is very proud of bringing Hillel House to the Washington College campus. "I accomplished something," Ans said. "I did what I was supposed to do in my life - make a difference." Years later, while driving in Fort Lauderdale, Ans saw a "Washington College" sticker on the back of a car. Pulling alongside of the car, he beeped his horn, gave a thumbs up sign and rolled down the window. The woman driver rolled down her window, told him her son was in his second year at the college and said, "You're Dr. Ans and you delivered him!" The Roy P. and Nan Ans Hillel House on the Washington College campus. Were it not for Dr. Lawrence Golub, Heritage would not have heard about Dr. Roy Ans and the major restoration of Hillel House on the campus. "I've always been impressed with all he has done," said Golub of his friend, "and I was pleased to support his efforts when called upon and I did." Today, the Roy P. and Nan Ans Hillel House is the center of Jewish life at Washington College, the "hidden gem on the Eastern Shore." It is still the goal of Ans to reveal this "hidden gem" to many more college-bound students and to keep alive the ongoing work of the Hillel House. For more information about Hillel House at Washington College, you can contact Susie Chase, vice president for Advancement and Alumni Relations, at schase2@washcoll.edu For more information about Washington College, visit its website at http://www.washcoll.edu. (JTA) - "It's like a Jewish 'Lord of the Rings,' but he's just going to his mom's house." That's how director Ari Aster, known for his acclaimed horror movies "Hereditary" and "Midsommar," described his new film, "Beau Is Afraid," in a behind-the-scenes video released on Wednesday. Aster, who works with A24, the same studio behind this year's Oscars darling "Everything Everywhere All at Once," said in a 2018 interview that he is a "proud Jew" who "doesn't practice very actively," and his previous films have not contained any Jewish content. But he also said in the 2018 interview with the Jewish Chronicle of London that he thought his "pessimistic outlook" on life could be partly inspired by the legacy of Jewish trauma. He added that he is interested in the work of the Jewish father of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud. In promoting "Beau Is Afraid," which hits theaters April 21, he's leaning into his work's under-the-surface Jewish themes. "Guilt?" he said in a New York Times interview published on Tuesday. "Isn't that just a huge part of life? For me, the film is like a big Jewish comedy, and that's the first thing to go in the pot." The film, which Aster says he has developed for over a decade, involves a middle-aged man who attempts to visit his mother, who has been injured by a fallen chandelier. Beau seems overwhelmed by anxiety, and the visit turns into a supernatural journey, full of sci-fi elements, horror and even animated sequences. "I built out something that was this comic, Freudian odyssey, very episodic and, I thought, very funny," he said in the Times interview. "If you pumped a 10-year-old full of Zoloft and had him get your groceries, that's like this movie," he added in the video from A24, the studio behind Aster's works and other acclaimed films such Adam Sandler's Diamond District thriller "Uncut Gems." (JNS) Ibtihaj Muhammad made history as the first hijab-clad athlete on the U.S. Olympic team. But in court papers filed late Tuesday, a New Jersey elementary school teacher says Muhammad is also a liar. In a series of October 2021 social media posts, Muhammad accused veteran schoolteacher Tamar Herman of abusing a seven-year-old Muslim student by forcibly pulling off her hijab while the young student resisted. Herman insists this didnt happen and contacted Muhammad to offer her side of the story. But when Herman texted Muhammad to say her post was completely false and terribly damaging, Muhammad ignored her. Now, Muhammad says she had no idea who Herman was, which appears to be false. The incident generated national attention when the Council on American-Islamic Relations and its New Jersey chapter demanded Herman be fired. Our children must be protected from anti-Muslim bigotry and abuse at school, CAIRs national office wrote. The teacher who pulled a second graders hijab off in class must be fired immediately. School administrators were overwhelmed by the public response. The Investigative Project on Terrorism has seen dozens of social media posts that not only called for Herman to be fired but threatened her physical safety. Herman hasnt been allowed back in the classroom since. Last October, she sued the South Orange Maplewood school district and a consultant it worked with in federal court for their roles in a malicious and antisemitic campaign against her, as well as violating her due process rights. Herman also sued Muhammad, CAIR, its New Jersey chapter and its director Selaedin Maksut in state court, alleging defamation. CAIR moved to dismiss the case in February, saying their statements were largely accurate and, therefore, not defamatory. Muhammad and Maksut support CAIRs claim. In her response filed Tuesday, Herman argued that none of the parties made any effort to determine if the accusation was true. Muhammad, despite her claims to the contrary in support of her motions, knew Herman well and had the ability and opportunity to communicate with Herman about the allegations, yet inexplicably declined to do so, attorney Erick Dykema wrote. Maksut, CAIR and CAIR NJ, for their part, clearly didnt care about the truththey simply parroted Muhammads false accusations without any concern for their accuracy. Herman has been teaching for 30 years with a stellar reputation. She insists the entire episode was a misunderstanding. The seven-year-old girl normally wore a form-fitting hijab to class, but on the day in question, she wore a sweatshirt with a hood covering her eyes. Herman asked the girl to pull it back, thinking the hijab was underneath. But when the girl didnt respond, Herman says she gently brushed the hood back. When she saw no hijab, Herman says she quickly pulled the hood back into place, covering the childs hair, and apologized. Herman would have told this to Muhammad or CAIR, but she was never given the chance. The evidence of actual malicereckless disregard for the truthis overwhelming, Dykema wrote. Muhammad based her social media posts on a thirdhand account of events emanating from a most unreliable source, that being a young child. The girls parents, Cassandra and Joseph Wyatt, have made antisemitic statements about Herman and the incident involving their daughter. Jews monopolize a lot of stuff for money, Joseph Wyatt told The Washington Post. The Jewsthe Semiticsthey run Hollywood. They run a lot of stuff. Its all Jewish names. Theres always been a conflict with the Muslims and the Jews, he added. Thats why they are fighting in Palestine. The teacher may say the incident was a mistake, he said, but it was no mistake to her. According to Hermans lawsuit, Cassandra Wyatt initially told the school principal that she understood the incident was a misunderstanding, but this changed when she learned Herman is Jewish. I just found out the teacher is Jewishhhhhhhhhh thats why I believe she did it now Im furious, Wyatt wrote on social media. A Jewsih [sic] teacher that taught at a Jewish school & a public school for 30 years pulled my Muslim 7-year-old daughter hijab off her head claiming it was a hoodies, she ranted. shes Jewish! Though CAIR claims to oppose antisemitism, it has not said a word about the Wyatts demonstrable Jew-hatred. This speaks volumes about CAIRs real views on Jews. Muhammads lawyers claim that Herman is litigating a personal and political grievance. But in a written statement, Herman said, Muhammad simply did not care at all whether the facts alleged in the post were true or false she desired to make the post to create publicity for herself and her clothing and book businesses, all of which would generate income for her and social media clout for her cause. The resulting harm and upheaval was cruel and needless. Muhammad says she learned about the incident from her mother, who heard about it from Cassandra Wyatt. Until the filing of this lawsuit, I knew nothing about any of the Wyatt familys views towards Jews or any other religious group, Muhammad said. She knows now. But it hasnt changed anything. The word of antisemitic parents is more credible to Muhammad than that of a veteran teacher with no history of bigotry. Muhammads post particularly stung Herman because she considered Muhammad a friend. Muhammad attended the elementary school where Herman teaches. They go to the same gym, work out with the same trainer and even exchanged phone numbers at one point. The two sides seem to agree that Herman contacted Muhammad to say the statements were false. Muhammad says she has no memory of previous interactions with Herman and does not know how Herman got her phone number. But in her own declaration to the court, Muhammad said she texted and called her trainer immediately after Herman texted me. The trainer confirmed that Herman attended the same gym and that the text came from Hermans phone number. That, Herman believes, exposes Muhammads lie. I did not identify myself as a friend from the gym, Herman said. If Muhammad did not know me, she would not have known to contact her trainer to confirm my identity. None of this has given Muhammad pause. I did not and do not believe the Student, Wyatts mother or my mother was lying, Muhammad said. The present tense reference is odd, given that Muhammad, unlike CAIR, removed the original social media posts about Herman. CAIRs are still online. CAIR argues that, since Herman acknowledges pushing the girls hood back, its statements about the incident are substantially true. Whether it was an innocent mistake or an Islamophobic attack is supposedly a simple difference of opinion and not a matter for the courts. Tuesdays response devotes considerable attention to this argument. It is akin to arguing theres no difference between tapping someone versus hitting someone, or assisting an elderly person down a staircase versus shoving an elderly person down a staircase, Dykema wrote. If the case is allowed to move to discovery, it could sort out the competing narratives. The school principal could be deposed to determine whether Cassandra Wyatt did initially describe the incident as a misunderstanding. Cassandra Wyatt could be asked about her emphasis on Herman being Jewish and Hermans claim that Wyatt brought her daughter to Hermans home, unannounced, in January 2022. There, Herman says, Wyatt acknowledged the incident was a misunderstanding and said her daughter loves and misses Herman. CAIR officials and internal communications could be examined to find out why they chose to jump on the issue. To Muhammad and CAIR, however, none of this matters. Not Wyatts flagrant antisemitism. Not Hermans previous relationship with Muhammad. Muhammad and CAIR continue to stand on an entirely uncorroborated account that casts an innocent, seconds-long encounter as a hate crime. A ruling on the defense motions to dismiss is expected at the end of the month. Steven Emerson is executive director of the Investigative Project on Terrorism, the author of eight books on national security and terrorism, the producer of two documentaries and the author of hundreds of articles in national and international publications. Washington Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of a Russian government-backed paramilitary group, has offered weapons to one of the warring parties in Sudan, according to several media reports. Since the fighting began in April, there have been unconfirmed reports and diplomatic sources who spoke to news outlets saying that Wagner fighters are supporting the paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces and supplying them with weapons. Cameron Hudson, a former U.S. State Department official and a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told VOA that the Wagner Group is supplying portable air defense systems, shoulder-fired rockets, tank busters and heavy armor. The RSF denies receiving support from Russia. As news emerges, however, that the Wagner Group could be taking sides, experts warn such external involvement can only worsen the conflict, citing the group's negative track record and trail of atrocities in Africa. In a rare admission to the group's involvement in Sudan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that the decision to involve the Wagner Group is up to African leadership. "Central African Republic and Mali and Sudan, a number of other countries, whose governments, whose legitimate authorities turn for this kind of services [to Wagner Group], have the right to do so," Lavrov told a news conference at the United Nations. High-level U.S. officials continue to express concern over the involvement of the Wagner Group in Sudan, where it is involved in mineral extraction. White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said that the group's involvement has the potential to further ignite the conflict. "Obviously, we don't want to see this conflict expand or broaden, and we certainly wouldn't want to see additional firepower brought to bear; that will just continue the violence and continue to escalate the tensions," he said. The fight to grab power is between two generals, General Abdel Fattah Burhan, head of the armed forces, and General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, or Hemedti, the leader of the RSF paramilitary group. Hemedti traveled to Russia shortly after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and has sought to win support from the Wagner Group. "Through this visit, we hope to advance relations between Sudan and Russia to broader horizons, and strengthen the existing cooperation between us in various fields," Dagalo said in a Twitter post at the time of his Moscow visit. Jacqueline Burns is a senior policy analyst with RAND Corporation, a global policy research group. She said by supporting Hemedti, Russia is seeking to protect its own interests. "Russia and the Wagner Group, they benefit from gold concessions in Sudan and the illicit smuggling of gold out of the country," she told VOA. "The Wagner Group is siding with the party they think is most likely to be able to continue to secure these interests, particularly in opposition to any civilian-led government." The Wagner Group's history in Sudan dates to the previous government of Omar al-Bashir. Prigozhin had a close relationship with the autocratic leader, who allowed Wagner-affiliated companies access to gold mining. After the army ousted al-Bashir in 2019 amid a popular uprising, Wagner continued to have a close relationship with the Sudanese military, particularly the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces headed by Hemedti. This replicates its model of engagement in other African countries. "Wagner Group does seem to engage with African countries on a pretty predictable sort of pattern," said Ben Dalton, a program manager at New America's Future Frontlines, a Washington-based research group. "Normally it starts with a cultivation of elites, or at least a subset of elites, and then that is followed up with a formal military technical agreement between the states. And this could be something like, you know, Russia will supply arms in exchange for concessions that allow them to do mining or other kinds of resource extraction." Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Sudan Conflict By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Russia views Sudan as a strategic location with vast mineral wealth and is eager to help install a friendly leader, say analysts. "We've seen a lot in recent months about Russia's efforts to gain a port on the Red Sea in Sudan through an official military relationship and they've signed other official military relationships with other countries in the region," said Hudson. Wagner's involvement in other parts of the continent, however, has only brought strife to the population, Dalton said. "Engaging with this group tends to go pretty badly for the population that has to deal with them. They've been associated with widespread atrocities everywhere they go; you see civilian deaths and various atrocities," Dalton said. "Russia's interests are in extracting the continent's resources so that it can strengthen its own position and build a web to resist ... international sanctions. They don't really have the interests of Africans at heart." Patsy Widakuswara and Cindy Saine contributed to this report. (JNS) - Holocaust distortion and trivialization and banalization are on the rise around the globe, even as outright denial is relegated to the fringes of society, the head of Yad Vashem said. The remarks come at a time when multiple European countries seek to whitewash their roles in World War II by highlighting the heroes among their countrymen while obscuring or outright denying the actions of collaborators who participated in the murder of six million Jews. "The good news is that outright Holocaust denial is today marginal," Dani Dayan, the chairman of Yad Vashem, said in an interview with JNS ahead of Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day on Monday evening/Tuesday daytime. "No serious person will deny that the Holocaust happened except in lunatic fringes on social media [for example] in Iran or Malaysia." "On the other hand, we see a very worrying rise in Holocaust distortion which is no less disturbing," he added. Dayan said that multiple governments and groups in European countries are actively promoting an outright "historical fallacy" whereby their countries only helped Jews during the Holocaust while denying their people's collaboration with Germany. "They highlight the Righteous Among the Nations while obscuring or denying that there were many more collaborators than righteous," he said, referring to the honor bestowed by Yad Vashem upon non-Jews who saved Jews at the risk of their own lives. "This distortion is an affront to the victims," Dayan said. He listed multiple "Western as well as Eastern" European countries where this is happening: France, where last year a Jewish presidential candidate, Eric Zemmour, promoted the historical fallacy that the collaborationist Vichy regime was favorable to the Jews; Poland, which denies the widespread collaboration with the Nazis, something Dayan called "very problematic"; Bulgaria, which highlights the salvation of its Jews but neglects the crimes it committed against foreign Jews, as well as leaders of the Baltic states, who, like many others, highlight their Righteous countrymen while ignoring the greater reality. "Most European countries do not excel in looking into their past and recognizing their sins," Dayan said. "The easy way, the pleasant way, to remember the Shoah is to commemorate the Righteous. Nations should not only look into the good that some did [also] but into the horrendous acts that some of their people did. "Our mission is to bring countries to fully recognize their actions in the Shoah-to honor the good and to repent the bad," he said. In the interview, Dayan cited both the Russian narrative that Moscow had to "de-Nazify Ukraine," and the Ukrainian retort that Israel should help them as they supposedly assisted the Jews during the Shoah, when, in fact, there was widespread collaboration by Ukrainians in the slaughter of the Jews. "We see that awareness of Shoah is growing but we have to be sure this awareness is not misused to distort and trivialize the Shoah in a propaganda war," Dayan said. Antisemitism in the U.S. Dayan, previously Israel's consul general in New York, said that he was surprised how antisemitism has taken hold in the U.S., a subject he thought would be low on his agenda during his time in a country that does not have the same history of antisemitism as Europe. He said that a synergy had been created between four streams of antisemitism in the U.S.: neo-Nazi white supremacists; ideological Black antisemitism; hooligan antisemitism; and antisemitism thinly veiled as anti-Israel rhetoric. Lessons of the past Dayan said that while the situation today was emphatically not that of Germany in the 1930s, we have a responsibility to learn from the past. "We have the experience they lacked," he said. "We don't have the privilege to say it can't happen, because it happened. They were entitled to that terrible naivete; we are not." Dayan said that the message he shares with foreign dignitaries is that "Never again" is now. "Antisemitism must be confronted and stopped immediately before it develops into monstrous dimensions and then it will be too late to stop," he said. "When you say 'Never Again,' then if you mean it, never is now." (Israel Hayom via JNS) - Despite the external and domestic challenges Israel has faced in the past several weeks due to ongoing terrorism and the protest over judicial reform, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has been maintaining an upbeat demeanor, making it clear that he is optimistic and content with how things are unfolding in the government. The following interview was carried out just before Passover: "In the end, the public needs to know that we have a good and stable right-wing government that has been working hard and delivering many good things to Israelis and to the right-wing values in particular," said Smotrich. Q: It appears that people are feeling the exact opposite sentiment. A: I disagree. The government was formed just over three months ago. We entered into a chaotic situation when it comes to the judicial reform bills, but on the economy, the settlement enterprise, standing tall as Israelis-we will all see the results eventually. Q: As finance minister, how much has the Israeli economy been damaged over the past three months? A: It's [the damage] on the fringes of the fringes. How many billions of shekels? 50? 200? I don't want to specify a number. The Israeli economy is one of the strongest and most stable there is. We have passed a good and responsible budget. The economy is a matter of sentiment and expectations. Some scaremongers have been spreading lies and have gone to big financial institutions and told them nonsense about Israel becoming a dictatorship. But despite this, the data does not show chaos. The past several months have been nothing but a small fender-bender. Q: How do you explain the gap between what you think and the general picture created by the protests, the polarization and the downbeat national feeling? A: People have been brainwashed; they are being told that we are going to create a "Handmaid's Tale" reality and they are scared. Those who think that I am going to go that path don't know me and don't know my family, my values, and don't know Judaism. I am the farthest thing there is from "A Handmaid's Tale." We do great things, but we have not been good enough at messaging. Q: Doesn't that add up to too many missteps in three months? A: Absolutely not. The pace of events has been unreal. We entered the chaos over the judicial reform, the country was in upheaval and the media has taken a side in the protesters' favor, the talk of reservists refusing orders has not been properly addressed, and suddenly the Histadrut labor federation has joined. But this is not what we are worried about; we worry about delivering many things for the Israeli people. Q: The legislation that would let Aryeh Deri return to the Cabinet despite the Supreme Court ruling and prevent the declaration of the prime minister as incapacitated in non-medical conditions, is not aimed at benefiting the general public. A: The legislation on incapacitation was a natural correction to the previous law, which was stupid and pointless in a normal country. When the attorney general flirts with the surreal, dictatorial proposition that she could topple a prime minister because he doesn't conduct himself to her liking, such a law is necessary. We want to preserve the people's choice at the ballot box. This is a great bill, it must be approved. As for the legislation on Deri, some 400,000 people voted for his party. The previous attorney general finalized his plea bargain and even said that no one could expect him to return to politics. Now they want to undo the public's democratic choice. One can think Deri is unfit to serve, and they have every right to form a party that would run on this ticket and then change the law. But there is no such law right now that prevents him from serving again; it is the Supreme Court that made up this precedent using the pretext of negating a plea bargain, which is a term that is used in totally different contexts in the legal world. This is just surreal. Q: What about the bill to allow politicians to receive monetary benefits in large quantities? A: That bill has been put on hold for now, even though its provisions make sense. Why should a person who is in charge of the state budget have to expend millions on his [own] dime just so he can fight an indictment? The police and the State Attorney's Office did not have to pay from their private accounts when they investigated him, so why should he? In such a situation, every person can use his family to help him, so why shouldn't a prime minister be allowed to do this? If this was to happen to me, would I have been able to expend 1 million shekels on legal fees? I could not even afford 100,000, so why shouldn't I be able to get help from my parents? That is just unreal. Q: So, your messaging has been a failure? A: How can you have good messaging in the face of such an onslaught against you? The brainwashing against us is just uncanny. We may have had our own share of missteps and perhaps we should have moved more slowly. I have been trying to win the hearts and minds on this issue for some 15 years, it is a colossal challenge, all the big powers are against us. In recent weeks, we have gotten a crash course on just how strong the establishment is and just how strong the left's grip is on it. Q: Who is the establishment? A: The military, the police, the Histadrut, the judiciary, academia. Look at academia for example-rather than a place where pluralism thrives, it is a place where people are silenced. The establishment keeps replicating itself. Who decides who becomes an associate professor? The clique. It's like the Judicial Nominations Committee, where one friend brings another friend. Q: What is the problem in the military? A: This is an organization that resists change. In Judea and Samaria, it is still beholden to the Oslo Accords paradigm. It wants calm so it collaborates with the Palestinian Authority. Q: But the IDF chief of staff grew up in a religious home. A: I respect him, and you won't hear anything bad about him from me. But I feel great pain in seeing the total failure he and the top brass have presided over when it comes to countering the refusal to serve. The first letter signed by the IAF pilots was released even before the first draft of the reform was revealed. This should have been tackled back then. Those who signed it should be relieved of duty. There should be zero legitimacy for such refusals, for insubordination and for putting the IDF into the political fray. My expectation is that this should be dealt with on the spot. You take the first people who make those statements and take their aviator badge off their chest and tell them, "Thank you, we can take it from here." This would have put an end to this rather quickly. Apart from that, there is a military glass ceiling in the IDF that is not related to right or left, religious or secular. It is related to ideas that challenge conventional wisdom. I don't want a military that has only one voice, where discussions lead only to one single outcome; I see this in the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet meetings, which have become rather pointless. In those meetings, the IDF representative puts [up] a PowerPoint presentation, provides an assessment with recommendations, and then the members of the Cabinet speak just for the record, one after another. And that's it. Is that how a discussion should be held? The result is that there is no thinking outside the box. Q: When it comes to security, your record is hardly a success. The Lapid-Bennett government retaliated for every missile attack. Your responses have been very different: containment A: You are right. I have a lot of criticism over how we have handled security, but I would prefer to voice it behind closed doors or in my conversations with the prime minister. I am part of the Cabinet, and I am collegial. I am willing to swallow my pride and also wield influence over things that are part of my prerogative, like deducting terrorist funds from the Palestinian Authority and legalizing new outposts. I am willing to cut some the prime minister some slack because he is after all dealing with a very strong and opinionated system that has been acting in a very specific manner. Q: Let me offer an alternative explanation: You have been cracking down on Palestinians by denying them various perks in prisons, and they have been responding with attacks. You don't respond to missiles, and then they increase the rocket fire. A: We should never have contained the missiles. I can't give a good explanation for why we didn't respond, but there is a reason. One of the problems is that you cannot be fully transparent with the public with every move. If I were defense minister, there would have been a response. The first missile under this government would have elicited a very harsh retaliation that would have made it clear to the other side that you don't mess with us. I understand that there is a wider calculus at play and the rationale guiding the prime minister and the IDF. We have not responded not because we are weak and feeble but because there are larger considerations that we have to take into account." Q: So Lapid and Bennett were able to respond but Netanyahu and Smotrich cannot? A: Right. Here is a simple example. Hamas had a vested interest in preserving the previous government because Arab MK Mansour Abbas and the Muslim Brotherhood [were backing it]. Behind the scenes there, Abbas was in contact with Hamas, and that is why their response was different then. Q: What do you think about what happened with Yoav Gallant? Did you support his firing [which has since been retracted]? A: Yoav is a friend and a good guy. We managed to iron out our differences. There is no personal animosity; zero baggage. I believe he did something that is just not done. His inaction on disobedience in the military is a failure in leadership that he should not have presided over. Also, he did a thing that is just not done when it comes to loyalty to the Coalition and the prime minister. If you have something that you disagree with, you talk about it in the weekly Cabinet meeting. You shout all you want and make an impact in that forum. He sat down with the prime minister on a Thursday just before Netanyahu said he would get involved in resolving the judicial crisis. Then Netanyahu flew on a diplomatic engagement for the weekend, and while he was there Gallant released his statement against him and put a gun on the table. You don't do such things. Q: How will the talks at the President's Residence over a compromise end? A: We have to lay the foundation of dialogue, but we don't need an agreed plan. The coalition has a majority, and I don't think the opposition is going to sign off on the compromise. No one asked for the opinion of the opposition during the Oslo Accords or the [Gaza] disengagement. We have to reach a balanced agreement; the opposition doesn't have to agree to it; it only has to be able to tolerate it. The question is whether there is a partner on the other side. Unfortunately, this has not happened so far. [Opposition leader Yair] Lapid doesn't want a compromise because he is a chaos agent and anarchist. He also has a vested interest in having this country set ablaze so that the government is toppled. Benny Gantz has so far shown no courage in standing up to him. Q: Everything will ultimately boil down to who controls the Judicial Nominations Committee. You want the politicians to be in charge; they have vowed that this will not happen. A: We don't want control, we want balance. No one is going to be able to credibly say that a coalition that appoints two judges during its term will be able to take over the Supreme Court. We are going to restructure the relations with the attorney general. Think about it for a moment-the minister wanted to relieve an officer of duty, at the recommendation of the Israel Police inspector general, only to be prevented from implementing this by the attorney general. Does that make sense?" Q: Why haven't you fired the attorney general? A: The High Court of Justice won't let us; it would be a waste of time. As far as I am concerned, it shouldn't even be called firing. [Then-Justice Minister] Gideon Sa'ar appointed her. Would there be a situation in which Joe Biden keeps Donald Trump's Cabinet? When a new government is sworn in, it is only natural that it appoints a new professional to the job. Of course, this will be done through an orderly process and through the nominations committee. I don't want to appoint a marionette. But what is the logic behind having someone who was appointed by Sa'ar, a rival to Netanyahu, stay on the job?" Q: Why did you wait until the very last minute to put the legislation on hold? A: I think it was wrong to pause the legislation process. It only hurts the prospects of finding a compromise. Q: So, will the judicial reform never see the light of day? A: No, it's not dead yet. It will move forward because it is right, correct and clearly needed. We will do it slowly and in phases and through dialogue. However, I am skeptical as to the ability of the president to be a mediator. He violated our trust and broke hard to the left. Q: Don't you think he has been genuinely trying to find a solution that benefits both sides? A: I can't explain why he has turned. He offered a plan that we could live with, only to then suggest another one 24 hours later we could not. Perhaps he saw that he could not get anyone from the other side on board and decided to cater to his base. Q: If talks fail, will you advance the reform in any event? A: Of course. Just like we knew how to create balances in the Judicial Nominations Committee, we will do this now. For example, some are worried that an override clause would allow the coalition to do away with any election. But the language specifically says that it does not apply to the election. You can set balances. Q: The relations with the United States are at a low point. You heard President Biden say he is not going to invite Netanyahu in the near term. A: The state of relations with the United States [is great]. The prime minister issued a great response to that statement. We had gone through more difficult periods with the Americans. President Barack Obama was keen to fight and tried to crush Netanyahu and have him unseated so that a weaker prime minister [would] emerge, one whom he could manage. This is a very delicate dance, where you have to maintain a good relationship and know how to stand your ground. Q: Why the beef that the United States has with you? Why didn't they want to meet you when you were there? A: There was no discussion on having meetings with the administration officials. I was there to attend an Israel Bonds conference and met with the large Jewish groups. Q: Will the government serve out its term? A: The government will complete its term. The alternative is terrible. If the right falls, the left returns. With all the hateful energies, they are going to steamroll us. We must preserve this government; it is good on all fronts, and it should be judged after four years." Originally published in Israel Hayom. Several modern-day celebrations take place between the holidays of Passover and Shavuot. The first that occurs is Holocaust Memorial Day or Yom Hashoah. The list of survivors diminishes with each passing year, however, the importance of remembering remains alive within the Orlando community and specifically in the senior living facilities in the area. The Jewish Pavilion provides candles, flowers and a meditation to help those who want to take a moment and reflect on the horrors of this event and help keep the memories of those who perished alive. Susan Bernstein, senior program director (JNS) Negotiations over the Israeli governments judicial reform initiative resumed on Monday as coalition representatives met with counterparts from the Yesh Atid and National Unity parties at the Presidents Residence in Jerusalem. Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who is mediating between the sides, said the talks would be focused and rigorous and cover all core issues. The Office of the President continues to do everything in its power to encourage the sides to adhere to dialogue with the aim of bringing about a broad consensus, said a statement from the presidents office. Herzog jump-started talks late last month after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in a national address that he was putting a hold on the reform effort in order to provide a real opportunity for real dialogue. The coalitions negotiating team includes Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer; Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs; professor Talia Einhorn of Ariel University; and Aviad Bakshi, head of the legal department at the Kohelet Policy Forum. Yesh Atid is being represented by lawmakers Orna Barbivai and Karine Elharrar, Naama Schultz, an aide to opposition and party leader Yair Lapid, and attorney Oded Gazit. National Unitys team includes parliamentarians Gideon Saar, Yehiel Tropper, Orit Farkash-Hacohen and attorney Ronan Aviani. Israeli media reported on Sunday that the talks have produced a proposal regarding a major piece of the governments program. Under the proposal, Supreme Court justices and politicians would not sit on the Judicial Selection Committee but would instead select members according to certain criteria. The coalition, opposition and judges would have the opportunity to choose committee members in different areas of expertise, such as academics, researchers, retired judges and senior attorneys. However, agreement has not been reached on the number of committee members that the ruling coalition and the political opposition would choose. Meanwhile, protests against judicial reform entered their fifteenth week as thousands of demonstrators gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday night. Thousands of heretofore quiescent supporters of reform also attended protests across the country. The latest protests came after Am Echad, a U.S. group associated with the ultra-Orthodox Agudath Israel of America, sent an open letter last week to Lapid expressing grave concern over comments he made at a Jewish Federations meeting in New York. Rhetoric characterizing the government as extremist and undemocratic jeopardizes the relationship between Israel and world Jews, wrote Shlomo Werdiger and Irving Lebovics, co-chairmen of Am Echad. More importantly, when such statements move into mainstream media, they delegitimize Israel itself, and by extension pose real danger to the safety of Diaspora communities. In your role as the Head of the Opposition, you are both entitled and required to critique the government. However, that does not extend to undermining the government outside the borders of Israel, calling on Diaspora Jews to counter the government, and driving a wedge between Israel and Jews around the world, they added. At the March of the Living in Poland five years ago, when Israel was celebrating its 70th year, April 12, 2018 (JNS) - There are no words to describe a trip to the extermination camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. The camps are surprisingly well-preserved and are a living testament to the most heinous crime in modern human history: the systematic extermination not just of every Jew, but of the attempt to annihilate every single one to the extent that shockingly detailed records were kept on so many of the 6 million killed. Visitors to the camps witness the cruelest of inhumane living conditions of the concentration camps, only to be outranked by the remnants of the mass murder factories in adjacent extermination camps where more than 1 million-plus Jews were gassed and cremated, at a pace of more than 4,500 per day towards the end of World War II. The Nazis, who carried out this extensively organized ethnic cleansing could have cared less whether a Jewish victim was observant or secular, Ashkenazi or Sephardi, politically right or left, or any other distinction. It is a message that powerfully hits home. And it is a message that too few Jews truly internalize today. The enemies of the Jewish people have never been and never will be interested in the vast distinctions, religious, political or social, that Jews not only ascribe to one another but take all too seriously. This week on Holocaust Memorial Day, close to 10,000 pilgrims toured the camps and marched 3.5 kilometers together from the Auschwitz concentration camp to the associated Birkenau genocide center as part of the 35th annual March of the Living. The march accomplishes what few other Jewish experiences can: humbling each Jewish participant to their core and providing a powerful lesson in Jewish unity. Each year, the annual event becomes increasingly important, particularly as fewer and fewer survivors are alive to relate their firsthand accounts of the horrors wrought by the Nazis. (This year, more than 40 survivors participated.) Touring the sites where the atrocities took place provides a visceral reminder of the horrors that leaves a permanent mark on the soul of every participant. It would behoove each and every Jewish political and religious leader, every teacher and community organizer, and for that matter, each member of the Jewish people to make such a trip, and to internalize the lowest common denominator for nearly each and every historical enemy of the people of Israel: A Jew is a Jew is a Jew. These days, the Jewish people are at an emotional low point, elevating politics above peoplehood, and in the process emboldening the modern-day enemies of the Jewish state. For weeks, leaders of a protest movement ostensibly focused on preventing legislated judicial reforms have warned of the possibility of political violence and a civil war. Israel's own President Isaac Herzog, who has been attempting to bridge political divides by bringing opposing parties together and presiding over negotiations, has warned that the Jewish state-about to celebrate its 75th birthday next week-may not make it to its 80th birthday. Former prime ministers and some party leaders have parroted that talking point. Days after Herzog's warning, his words were joyfully quoted by Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah, leaders of Hamas and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Such warnings are not only irresponsible and dangerous, they are also absurd. The horrors of the Holocaust occurred, in part, because the Jewish people were defenseless in countries not their own. Today, the Jewish people have a fully developed state with a top-flight economy; one of the world's most battle-ready militaries; and an arsenal of the world's most powerful weapons. Israel is a technological and intelligence superpower. A first-world country is burgeoning with buildings and road infrastructures that are being built faster than onlookers can keep tabs on. The State of Israel is proof of the Jewish people's victory over the Nazis. While 6 million perished in the Holocaust, today Israel boasts 9 million citizens-a number that grows day after day and would make Nazi agitators roll in their graves. Israel is nowhere near disappearing. To the contrary, five years from now, Israel is poised to be not only a regional but a global superpower. Any honest observer can clearly see that. Any comments to the contrary-particularly from Israel's own leadership-serve only to weaken a nation that gets stronger year by year and to embolden enemies that don't see the horror in places like Auschwitz-Birkenau, but use them to dream of what's possible in the future. Israel's leaders must know better than to feed such machinations. That means looking past internal political feuds-important as arguments may be-and finding a more constructive path forward. If Israeli leaders and an overly divisive media cannot figure out how to find unity even within intense debate, the burden must fall to the citizens themselves. Leadership comes in all forms, and all forms of leaders must find ways to bring our people together. Unity is the strength of the Jewish people. Such unity was on full display at the March of the Living. This year's march was led by current U.S. Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides, a Biden, Democratic Party appointee; and former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, a Trump Republican Party appointee. The two share little in common when it comes to political ideology and religious observance. But the pair put politics where it belongs-on the side-to lead the march together, to commemorate the Holocaust together, to stand up against the rising tide of antisemitism together and to extol the strength of the Jewish people, the State of Israel and the U.S.-Israel relationship together. Their message of unity reinforced the sentiments internalized by each and every Jew present. At the march's memorial ceremony, former Israeli Chief Rabbi Yisrael Lau, himself a Holocaust survivor, stated powerfully: "We Jews have learned how to die together. In fact, we are experts at it. What we are not as good at, is figuring out how to live together. We need to do that better." A trip to March of the Living is a good place to start. Alex Traiman is CEO and Jerusalem Bureau Chief of Jewish News Syndicate. (JTA) In a surprise move, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has backed out of his appearance at a major conference of U.S. Jewish leaders in Tel Aviv, just hours before a speech that was expected to draw mass protests. But in a sign that the conference organizers did not expect Netanyahus cancelation to head off the protests, Jewish Federations of North America told attendees that it was not changing the schedule of the buses bringing them from their hotels to the conference center. The group had told attendees to plan extra time to navigate streets that were expected to be thronged with protesters, including some of the 3,000 U.S. Jewish leaders in the country for the conference. Opponents of the judiciary overhaul legislation advanced by Netanyahus right-wing government vowed to demonstrate against the conference because Netanyahu was scheduled to give a keynote address. They said Netanyahu should not be given a platform to argue for changes that would weaken Israels judiciary. Jewish Federations of North America rejected criticism of Netanyahus planned appearance, noting that it always invites Israels elected leader to speak at its annual events. But it had also reiterated its official criticism of the judiciary legislation, praised the protesters and said it would seek to protect peaceful demonstrations that did not interfere with the conference proceedings. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has informed us that he is not able to appear at tonights event, the group informed conference attendees early Sunday, adding, We thank Prime Minister Netanyahu for his message of friendship between our communities and his acknowledgement of the important role North American Jewry has played in building and developing the state of Israel. Netanyahus office cited scheduling conflicts in explaining his cancelation. UnXeptable, the protest movement of Israelis living abroad, called the cancelation one more win for the protest movement for saving the Israeli democracy. Some demonstrations were already taking place earlier on Sunday at a separate gathering. At the Jewish Agency for Israels Board of Governors meeting, a panel featuring Simcha Rothman, the right-wing member of Israels parliament who as the head of its law committee has advanced the judiciary reforms, was briefly interrupted by protests. It then continued with protesters standing silently, according to journalists present. Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who is trying to broker a compromise in the judiciary fight, will speak at the conference, which is timed to coincide with Israels 75th birthday. A different event timed to the anniversary last week, the World Zionist Congress, faced protests both outside and inside where it was being held in Jerusalem. Rothman was briefly cornered by protesters there before being extricated by police. Heritage Florida Jewish News is accepting nominations for the 2023 Heritage Human Service Award, which will be presented at the annual meeting of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando this summer. For more than 30 years, individuals who have made major, voluntary contributions of their talent, time, energy and effort to the Central Florida community have been honored with the selection and presentation of this award, said Jeff Gaeser, editor and publisher of the Heritage. Last years recipient was Dr. Edward Zissman. Former recipients have included Sarah Stern (2017), Loren London (2014), and Roz Fuchs (2018). According to Gaeser, Each recipient chose their own path, but made considerable and long-lasting contributions to the Jewish community. Nominees for the 2023 award are individuals who do not look for recognition, but perform tikkun olam repairing the world out of internal motivation. Nominations should be emailed to news@orlandoheritage.com with the subject Human Service Award or typed on 8 1/2 x 11 paper and sent by mail to Heritage Florida Jewish News, Human Service Award, 207 OBrien Road, Suite 101, Fern Park, FL 32730. Included should be the name and phone number of the nominee, a documented list of his or her accomplishments, and the name and phone number of the nominator(s). The Heritage is accepting nominations until Friday, June 9. (Israel Hayom via JNS) No matter how you look at it, the current escalation is here to stay. Even if the flare-up with Hamas in Gaza and in the north is over for now, the chances of a multi-theater conflagration fomented by Iran have risen significantly, and it is doubtful whether the genie can be put back in the bottle. The escalation on all fronts has also had Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah meet this week in Lebanon with Hamas leaders, with a photo released showing all three men sitting in a room under Irans Supreme Leader Ali Khameneis picture. According to reports in Lebanon, during the meeting, they discuss the tension with Israel, including the clashes on the Temple Mount and the escalating resistance in Judea and Samaria and Gaza. So far, the silver lining in the recent uptick in violence is that despite Israel being attacked on multiple fronts (Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Judea and Samaria and within the Green Line), its enemies have so far not been united. Iran has been fanning the flames, but the Palestinians have been doing the actual work. That has had Israel give Hezbollah somewhat of the benefit of the doubt by not holding it accountable for 28 rockets from Lebanon after it said it was not involved. Even on Sunday, after the Hezbollah-Hamas summit, security officials still saw the Temple Mount as the main trigger of events. The fact that Hezbollah has yet to respond to the Israeli strikes on Lebanon following the rocket barrages, despite Nasrallah pledging that every Israeli attack would be met with a proper response, has been a source of guarded optimism in Israel. Officials have even noted that this could mean that Israeli deterrence vis-a-vis Hezbollah has remained robust. But there is also another interpretationthat Nasrallah is waiting for the right moment to hit back and perhaps surprise Israel with a volley. But in the grand scheme of things, had Nasrallah wanted a direct confrontation with Israel, now would have been the ideal moment from his perspective, with Israel torn from within and under attack from all sides. On Saturday, the Syrian arena entered the mix. No, not the actual Bashar Assad regime but various forces that decided to fire rockets from Syria to Israel. It is still unclear who fired the six rockets towards the Golan Heights but the assessment is that this was a Palestinian faction, like in Lebanon. The IDF hit back at the sources of the launches and later also struck targets belonging to the Syrian military. This time, the IDF took responsibility for the attacks, unlike the many other cases where Jerusalem has stayed mum on strikes in Syria. It also said that it holds Damascus responsible for everything that happens on its soil and that it would not tolerate a breach of Israeli sovereignty. IDF has beefed up its presence In the Palestinian theater, the situation is much more complex. The Palestinian Authority has all but ceased to function, and todays generation does not remember the Second Intifada and the Israeli response in the form of 2002s Operation Defensive Shield in Judea and Samaria. Strategically speaking, the despair in the Palestinian street is on the rise, as the population sees no hope on the horizon. The truth is that the damage done by the rockets from Gaza and Lebanon pales in comparison to the damage caused by the deadly terrorist attacks emanating from Judea and Samaria. The threat warnings of imminent attacks are in the double digits and that is why the IDF has continued the closure of checkpoints into Green Line Israel and beefed up its presence in main roads and cities. Given this state of affairs, perhaps the events of the past several days are just a prelude to a longer period of heightened tensions. The current target date among security officials is April 21, when Ramadan ends. The hope is that if the lull continues until then, perhaps this will have marked the end of the current wave of Arab violence. To reach there, however, there are several days that are especially vulnerable to violence, including this Friday, which Nasrallah mentioned in his latest speech. If Israel doesnt get dragged into an all-out conflagration in the coming days, the security and diplomatic establishment will be able to breathe a sigh of relief. But everyone knows that this is just a short lull in violence. TEL AVIV (JTA) The first time Gidon Lev encountered Holocaust denial was after becoming an unwitting TikTok star at the age of 86. I was totally shocked. How could this be? he told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency about receiving dozens of comments accusing him of lying about the years in a Nazi concentration camp as a child. If only I was a liar, he said. Then I would have a father, grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles. I would have had a childhood. With half a million followers on the popular social media platform and 8.3 million likes, Lev says his message, of fighting hate and standing up for the oppressed, is a universal one. The Holocaust is an example of just how cruel and horrible hate can get if you let it, he said. Now, his story is getting another showcase on the walls of the German Embassy in Tel Aviv. Lev is one of 25 Holocaust survivors featured in a new exhibition titled Humans of the Holocaust set to open there on Wednesday, in a display timed to Yom Hashoah. The significance of exhibiting on Israels Holocaust Memorial Day at the German embassy in sovereign Israel is not lost on me, said Erez Kaganovitz, the photographer behind the Humans of the Holocaust project. Kaganovitz, who is based in Tel Aviv, said he launched Humans of the Holocaust as an offshoot of his Humans of Tel Aviv photo project several years ago after one photograph in the series went viral. (Humans of Tel Aviv itself is inspired by the landmark Humans of New York project.) The photo portrays four forearms those of Holocaust survivor Yosef Diament, his daughter and his grandchildren all tattooed with the same number. Diaments family tattooed his Auschwitz inmate number as a tribute to him. Kaganovitz was shocked when commenters asked why someone would tattoo a barcode on their arm. Around that time, Kaganovitz, the grandson of survivors who worked as a journalist and in government before turning to photography, came across a survey highlighting ignorance among young people about the Holocaust. The survey, commissioned by the Claims Conference, found that 66 percent of American millennials did not know that Auschwitz was a Nazi death camp. At first, he said, the survey angered him. But then he realized that by the time he was in his late teens, and after having Holocaust education hammered into him from a young age, he didnt want to have any connection to the Holocaust either. I thought if I dont connect with it, why would someone from Lexington, Kentucky, want to engage with it? Kaganovitz has joined a growing coterie of photographers seeking to change the paradigm of dark and gloomy Holocaust-related material, of black-and-white stills, of unfathomable despair, of numbers too large to comprehend. I wanted to tell human stories with a global message, with optimism. Something that people could engage with, he said, while stressing that by doing so he is not trying to whitewash or downplay the Holocaust atrocities. That mission resonated with the German embassy. We need to find new ways to engage the public and especially the younger generation, German Ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert said in a statement about the exhibition, which is billed as digital storytelling for a digital age. The photos are intentionally arresting, aimed at piquing peoples curiosity enough to stop them scrolling their feeds. One example is a portrait of Michael Sidko, the last survivor of the Babyn Yar massacre, whose head, which appears to be dismembered, is embedded in thousands of bullet casings. The image, which took six months to stage because of the complexity involved, aims to raise awareness about the 2 million people exterminated in the Soviet Union and Ukraine, the so-called Holocaust by bullets. In the text accompanying it, a quote from Sidko reads: The sights, sounds, and smell of gunpowder still haunt me to this day. Another photograph features Dugo Leitner, a survivor of Auschwitz-Birkenau, clutching a yellow-gold balloon in the shape of a Jewish star with the word Jude on it. Leitners expression, like the rest of the photo, is a jarring blend of whimsy and enervation. The pose represents one of Leitners attempts at reclaiming his story along with his growing movement to make eating falafel an act of survival. I am taking ownership of the symbol that turned me into a subhuman and turning it into an optimistic and smiling creation, he said. Among the images of elderly survivors, some with yarmulkes and some without, is a portrait of a woman in a black hijab with Quranic verses behind her. Leila Jabarin was born Helene Berschatzki in a concentration camp in Hungary. At 15, after fleeing with her family to Israel, she fell in love with a Muslim Arab with whom she eventually married. Jabarin, who did not share her identity with her children until they were adults, rejects particularism in her message to the world. Hatred knows no boundaries. Once I was persecuted for being a Jew; now people are after me for being a Muslim, she told Kaganovitz. Levs own portrait features the TikTok star in front of a wall with the words we were all once refugees graffitied on it, a remnant of a raging dispute surrounding African migrants in Israel. Lev became a refugee at 3 years old when Hitler occupied the Sudetenland. He recalls the moment that he was forced to abandon his new red tricycle as marking his transformation into a human without a country. After his release from the Theresienstadt concentration camp at age 10, Lev would become a refugee in New York and later in Toronto, Canada. In 1959, he emigrated to Israel, the only country that would have me, not as a refugee, but as a bonafide citizen. About 147,000 Holocaust survivors currently live in Israel, according to data released this week. Their average age is 85, and about 15,000 survivors died over the past year a pace that is prompting innovations around the world in how the Holocaust is memorialized and taught about. Kaganovitz is careful not to coerce his own knowledge about the Holocaust onto his viewers, he said. Both in their online format and at the exhibition, the photographs are accompanied by a short text to provide context and links are shared for further reading. I just want to bring them to the table for now. When youre fighting for attention alongside all these celebrities that get millions of views, you have to make your content interesting enough, he said. Because if we dont, its only a matter of time before 90 percent [of youth] have never heard of Auschwitz. (JNS) U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will lead a bipartisan congressional delegation to Israel later this month and become the second-ever House speaker to address the full Knesset, his Israeli counterpart Amir Ohana announced on Tuesday. Ohana described McCarthy as a steadfast supporter and longstanding friend of Israel, and noted that it would be the top Republican officials first trip outside the U.S. since assuming his post in January. This is a clear expression of the strong and unbreakable bond between Israel and its closest ally, the United States of America, added Ohana. McCarthy said the U.S. relationship with the Jewish state remained as important as ever, adding that the visit would be special coming on the heels of Israels 75th Independence Day, which will be marked on April 26. My first trip abroad as Speaker will be a return to Israel to commemorate their 75th year of statehood. The American speaker will arrive in the Jewish state on April 30 at the head of a 20-member delegation of Republican and Democratic lawmakers. McCarthy late last month expressed his backing for the Netanyahu government amid an ongoing national debate in Israel over its judicial reform initiative. Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu is an Israeli patriot, statesman and most importantly, a great friend of the United States, McCarthy wrote. Free societies have vigorous and open debate. Israel is no exception. I support Netanyahu, and Americas support for Israels strong, vibrant democracy is unwavering, he added. McCarthy also was instrumental in ousting Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) from the House Foreign Affairs Committee over her history of antisemitic remarks, a move that drew praise from pro-Israel groups. Newt Gingrich is the only other House speaker to address the Knesset plenum, having done so in 1998. The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has urged Nigerians to shun use of bleaching creams that mostly contain mercuric compounds to avert skin cancer and kidney disease, as well as other complex health issues. NAFDAC's deputy director in charge of cosmetics and medical devices, drug evaluation and research, Pharmacist Ebele Anto stated this while addressing journalists at the North-East Zonal Sensitisation Workshop organised by the Agency for Borno and Yobe States Journalists on the Dangers of Bleaching Creams and Regulatory Control on Wednesday in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital. She noted that, most of the bleaching products contain mercury, hydroquinone, and steroid which causes kidney disease and severe skin cancer among others. She said, "It also depends on how long someone is using bleaching products and the area he/she is applying the cream as well as the kind of ingredients implicated, that determines the danger and damage that can be done to the body in general. "Skin bleaching reduces the concentration or production of melanin in the skin, melanin is a pigment produced by cells called melanocytes. The amount of melanin in your skin is mostly determined by genetics. The massage we are passing is that people should desist from using bleaching creams or products because of these dangers." She advised people to accept their skin color as unique gift, saying, "it is better for you to be proud of your black skin and embrace it as a culture and know that its beautiful and that black is beauty, hence we should proud to be blacks". Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Health By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. She noted that Countries like Ghana, Cameroon and other African nations have banned the use of skin bleaching products because of the dangers associated with them. Earlier speaking, the Director General NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, noted that last year, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha acting on the resolutions of the Senate wrote to NAFDAC stressing the need to take stringent regulatory actions to stem the dangerous tide of rampant and pervasive cases of Nigerians using bleaching creams. She said NAFDAC immediately took some decisive steps such as sensitization of the public through different media outlets, enforcement through intelligence and raids in trade fair complexes that have resulted in large seizures and destruction of violative products. Represented by Dr. Abubakar Jimoh, Director Public Affairs NAFDAC, she said the agency required the media to combat the menace of bleaching creams usage, adding that such sensitisation workshops organized for Journalists has so far held in Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Ibadan, Jos, Port-Harcourt, Enugu and today in Maiduguri. " Today's sensitisation workshop is therefore a fulfillment of my promise to cascade it to the six geo-political zones in the country as a deliberate strategy of mobilising, educating, sensitising, and challenging Nigerian Health Journalists to play frontline role in our concerted efforts to eradicate the menace of bleaching creams and needless waste of scarce resources in Nigeria. "This sensitisation workshop is a training the trainers' programme with the great expectation that participants will assume role of champions in the vanguard of the campaign against use of bleaching creams," She said. (JTA) When Benjamin Netanyahu put his controversial calls for judicial reform on pause three weeks ago, many thought the protesters in Israel and abroad might declare victory and take a break. And yet a week ago Saturday some 200,000 people demonstrated in Tel Aviv, and pro-democracy protests continued among Diaspora Jews and Israeli expats, including those who gather each Sunday in New Yorks Washington Square Park. On its face, the weeks of protest have been about proposed legislation that critics said would sap power from the Israeli Supreme Court and give legislators in this case, led by Netanyahus recently elected far-right coalition unchecked and unprecedented power. Protesters said that, in the absence of an Israeli constitution establishing basic rights and norms, they were fighting for democracy. The government too says the changes are about democracy, claiming under the current system unelected judges too often overrule elected lawmakers and the will of Israels diverse electorate. But the political dynamics in Israel are complex, and the proposals and the backlash are also about deeper cracks in Israeli society. Yehuda Kurtzer, president of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, recently said in a podcast that the crisis in Israel represents six linked but separate stories unfolding at the same time. Beyond the judicial reform itself, these stories include the Palestinians and the occupation, a resurgent patriotism among the center and the left, chaos within Netanyahus camp, a Diaspora emboldened to weigh in on the future of Zionism and the rejection on the part of the public of a reform that failed the reasonableness test. If these protests are effective in the long run, it will be, I think, because they will have succeeded at reorganizing and mobilizing the Israeli electorate to think and behave differently than before, said Kurtzer. I recently asked observers, here and in Israel, what they feel is really mobilizing the electorate, and what kind of Israel will emerge as a result of the showdown. The respondents included organizers of the protests, supporters of their aims and those skeptical of the protesters motivations. They discussed a slew of issues just below the surface of the protest, including the simmering Israeli-Palestinian conflict, divisions over the increasing strength of Israels haredi Orthodox sector, and a lingering divide between Ashkenazi Jews with roots in Europe and Mizrahi Jews whose ancestry is Middle Eastern and North African. Conservatives, meanwhile, insist that Israeli elites the highly educated, the tech sector, the military leadership, for starters dont respect the will of the majority who brought Netanyahu and his coalition partners to power. Here are the emerging themes of weeks of protest: Defending democracy Whatever their long-term concerns about Israels future, the protests are being held under the banner of democracy. For Alon-Lee Green, one of the organizers of the protests, the issues are equality and fairness. People in Israel, said Green, national co-director of Standing Together, a grassroots movement in Israel, hundreds of thousands of them, are going out to the streets for months now not only because of the judicial reform, but also because of the fundamental question of what is the society we want to live in: Will we keep living in a society that is unequal, unfair and that is moving away from our basic needs and desires, or will it be an equal society for everyone who lives in our land? Shany Granot-Lubaton, who has been organizing pro-democracy rallies among Israelis living in New York City, says Netanyahu, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and the coalitions haredi Orthodox parties are waging a war against democracy and the freedoms of citizens. They seek to exert control over the Knesset and the judicial system, appoint judges in their favor and legalize corruption, she said. If this legal coup is allowed to proceed, minorities will be in serious danger, and democracy itself will be threatened. Two researchers at the Institute for Liberty and Responsibility at Herzliyas Reichman University, psychology student Benjamin Amram and research associate Keren L.G. Snider, said Netanyahus proposed judicial reform undermines the integrity of Israels democracy by consolidating power. How can citizens trust a government that ultimately has no limitations set upon them? they asked in a joint email. At a time when political trust and political representation are at the lowest points, this legislation can only create instability and call into question the intentions of the current ruling party. When one coalition holds all the power, laws and policies can be swiftly overturned, causing instability and volatility. A struggle between two Israels Other commentators said the protests revealed fractures within Israeli society that long predated the conflict over judicial reform. The split is between those that believe Israel should be a more religious country, with less democracy, and see democracy as only a system of elections and not a set of values, and those who want Israel to remain a Jewish and democratic state, Tzipi Livni, who served in the cabinets of right-wing prime ministers Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert before tacking to the center in recent years, recently told Haaretz. Author and translator David Hazony called this a struggle between two Israels one that sees Israels founding vision as a European-style, rights-based democracy, and the other that sees that vision as the return of the Jews to their ancient homeland. Those on the first side believe that the judiciary has always been Israels protector of rights and therefore of democracy, against the rapaciousness and lawlessness of politicians in general and especially those on the right. Therefore an assault on its supremacy is an assault on democracy itself. They accuse the other side of being barbaric, antidemocratic and violent, said Hazony, editor of the forthcoming anthology Jewish Priorities. As for the other side, he said, they see an activist judiciary as an attempt by Ashkenazi elites to force their minority view on the majority. Supporters of the government think it is entirely unreasonable for judges to think they can choose their successors, strike down constitutional legislation and rule according to that which is reasonable in the eyes of the enlightened community in Israel, said Hazony, quoting Aharon Barak, the former president of the Supreme Court of Israel and bane of Israels right. (Naveh Dromi, a right-wing columnist for Yediot Achronot, puts this more bluntly: The problem, she writes, lies in the fact that the left has no faith in its chance to win an election, so it relies on the high court to represent it.) Daniel Tauber, an attorney and Likud Central Committee member, agrees that those who voted for Netanyahu and his coalition have their own concerns about a democracy one dominated by elites, which in the Israeli context means old-guard Ashkenazi Jews, powerful labor unions and highly educated secular Jews. The more this process is subject to veto by non-democratic institutions, whether it be the Court chosen as it is, elite military units, the Histadrut [labor union], or others, the more people will lose faith in democracy, said Tauber. Green also said there is a war waging now between two elites in Israel the old and more established liberal elite, who consist of the financial, high-tech army and industry people, and the new emerging elite of the settlers and the political far-right parties. And yet, he said, I think we will lose if one of these elites wins. The real victory of this historic political moment in Israel will be if we achieve true equality, both to the people who are not represented by the Jewish supremacists, such as the Palestinian citizens of Israel, and to the people who are not represented by the old Israel, such as the haredi and Mizrahi people on the peripheries. The crises behind the crisis Although the protests were ignited by Netanyahus calls for judicial reform, they also represented pushback against the most right-wing government in Israeli history which means at some level the protests were also about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the role of religion in Israeli society. The unspoken motivation driving the architects and supporters of the [judicial] reform, as well as the protest leaders, is umbilically connected to the occupation, writes Carolina Landsmann, a Haaretz columnist. If Netanyahu has his way, she writes, There will be no more two-state solution, and there will be no territorial compromises. The new diplomatic horizon will be a single state, with the Palestinians as subjects deprived of citizenship. Nimrod Novik, the Israel Fellow at the Israel Policy Forum, said that once awakened, the simmering resentment of those liberal Israelis about other issues was brought to the surface. The Palestinian issue, for example, is at an explosive moment, said Novik: The Palestinian Authority is weakened and ineffective, Palestinian youth lack hope for a better future, and Israeli settlers feel emboldened by supporters in the ruling coalition. The Israeli security establishment took this all into account when warning the government to change course before it is too late, said Novik. Kurtzer too noted that the Palestinians also stand to be extremely victimized following the passage of judicial reform, both in Israel and in the West Bank. And yet, he said, most Israelis arent ready to upend the current status quo between Israelis and Palestinians. It can also be true that the Israeli public can only build the kind of coalition that its building right now because it is patently not a referendum on the issue of Palestinian rights, he said. Religion and state Novik spoke about another barely subterranean theme of the protests: the growing power of the haredi, or ultra-Orthodox, parties. Secular Israelis especially resent that the haredim disproportionately seek exemption from military service and that non-haredi Israelis contribute some 90% of all taxes collected. One fear of those opposing the judicial reform legislation is that the religious parties will forever secure state funding to the haredi Orthodox school system while exempting it from teaching the subjects required for ever joining the workforce. It is to secure for them an exemption from any military or other national service. And it is to expand the imposition of their lifestyle on non-Orthodox Israelis. Whats next Predictions for the future range from warnings of a civil war (by Israels president, Isaac Herzog, among others) to an eventual compromise on Netanyahus part to the emergence of a new center electorate that will reject extremists on both ends of the political spectrum. David E. Bernstein, a law professor at the George Mason University School of Law who writes frequently about Israel, imagines a future without extremists. One can definitely easily imagine the business, academic and legal elite using their newfound political voice to insist that future governments not align with extremists, that haredi authority over national life be limited, and, perhaps most important, that Israel create a formal constitution that protects certain basic rights, he said. Perhaps there will also be demand to counter such long-festering problems as corruption, disproportionate influence over export markets by a few influential families, burgeoning lawlessness in the Arab sector and a massive shortage of affordable housing. Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute, also sees an opportunity in the crisis. In the aftermath of the disastrous 1973 Yom Kippur war, he said, Israel rebuilt its military and eventually laid the foundations for todays startup nation. In this current crisis, we do not need a call-up of our reserves forces, or a massive airlift of American weaponry to prevail. What we need is goodwill among fellow Israelis and a commitment to work together to strengthen our society and reach an agreed-upon constitutional framework. If we are able to achieve such an agreement, it will protect our rights, better define the relationships between the branches of government, and result in an Israel that is more stable and prosperous than ever as we celebrate 75 years of independence. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media. (JNS) Gallups headline was attention-grabbing: Democrats Sympathies in Middle East Shift to Palestinians. The trend has been clear and seemingly inexorable since support hit its second-highest level of 58 percent in 2014 (the peak was at the time of the 1991 Gulf War when support for Israel hit its high for the first time64 percent and Democratic support was 62 percent) and steadily fell to 38 percent in 2023. During that period, sympathy for the Palestinians increased from 23 percent to 49 percent. Meanwhile, Republican support has remained consistent, 81 percent in 2014 and 78 percent in 2023, with support for the Palestinians at 11 percent in both years. How concerned should the pro-Israel community be? Public opinion towards Israel is often influenced by the public attitude of the president. Given his consistently pro-Israel position, it is no surprise that in four Gallup polls during President Donald Trumps term, Israel was favored over the Palestinians 61 percent to 21 percent. Perhaps surprisingly, during President Barack Obamas term, numbers in eight polls were better62 percent to 16 percent. U.S. President Joe Biden, who has adopted a policy of evenhandedness, has worse numbers than both, with Israels advantage declining on average in three polls to 56 percent to 27 percent. The Democrats brought overall support for Israel down to 54 percent in 2023the lowest point since 2005and sympathy for the Palestinians reached a record high of 31 percent. As Ive noted each year after Gallup releases its poll, contrary to conventional wisdom, Democrats have never been overly sympathetic to Israel. Since 1993, support for Israel has been only 45 percent on average. Even if you go back to 1969, when Israel was still basking in the glow of its victory in the 1967 Six-Day War, only 52 percent of Democrats sympathized with Israel. It is the Republicans whose views have dramatically shifted in favor of Israel from the same 52 percent in 1969 to 78 percent in 2023. While the number of Palestinian casualties may have influenced Democrats attitudes in the last year, Gallup analyst Lydia Saad suggests another reason unrelated to Middle East politics could be a contributing factor: Democrats waning religiosity may be a factor in the longer-term trend. Sympathy for Israel has historically been highly correlated with religion, with those attending religious services weekly being much more sympathetic to the Israelis than those who seldom or never attend. When asked a question about their sympathies, most people will answer (only 11 percent sympathized with neither, both, or had no opinion); however, this does not mean they will act on their opinion. The Middle East is not important to most Democrats, so how they feel about a candidates position on Israel is unlikely to determine their vote. The 50-plus percent of Democrats who are Jews do care, and their continued support for Israel ensures they will devote their time, money, and energy to backing pro-Israel candidates. Thus, despite the polls, Democratic candidates have an incentive to support Israel, especially given the lack of resources of the Arab lobby. Look at the 2022 midterm results. Democrats received $10.8 million of the $17.5 million AIPAC PAC contributed. Thats a strong incentive to adopt a pro-Israel position. Contrary to claims it was targeting progressives or candidates of color, it supported 44 of 100 members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus; 27 of 56 members of the Black Caucus; and 25 of 38 members of the Hispanic Caucus. AIPAC takes credit for defeating eight Democratic candidates it believed would undermine the U.S.-Israel relationship. Yes, J Street contributed millions to support some of Israels antagonists in Congress, but they couldnt compete with AIPACs PAC. Though more Democrats are criticizing Israel, especially since Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power, substantive legislation has not been affected. Congress approved $3.8 billion in military aid to Israel for 2023, including $500 million for missile-defense cooperation; $47.5 million for anti-tunnel cooperation; $25 million for counter-drone cooperation; and millions more for joint projects in cybersecurity, energy, health care and more. Saad also noted that while there may be greater sympathy for the Palestinians, at least among Democrats, that doesnt translate into support for the Palestinian Authority. In 2023, 68 percent of Americans had a favorable opinion of Israel, and the same percentage had an unfavorable view of the P.A. Every year the survey shows that younger Americans are less sympathetic to Israel than their elders, creating panic. Are young Americans turning on Israel? Is it because of the anti-Israel climate on college campuses? Gallup usually reports results by age cohort, but this year provided the data by generation and the gap between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian opinion. Using this measure, Millennials (born between 1980 and 2000) went from favoring Israel by 33% over the Palestinians in 2008 to preferring the Palestinians by 2%. This is a dramatic 35-point shift that suggests the Millennials are not becoming more pro-Israel as they get older as one might expect. Gen X (born between 1965 and 1979) dropped only 11 points from 43 percent to 32 percent during that same period. The attitudes of baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) barely changedfrom a 49 percent advantage for Israel to 46 percent this year. The pro-Israel community also needs to be concerned with the changing demographics and how that might affect U.S. policy towards Israel. Blacks have historically been less sympathetic to Israel than whites, and, over the last three years, support for both Israelis and Palestinians has averaged 41 percent compared to whites favoring Israel by 62 percent to 24 percent. For Hispanics, the comparable figures are 48 percent to 29 percent. Support for Israel among these minorities has not dropped precipitously, but, as in the case of Democrats, their sympathy for the Palestinians has grown. Given that organizations representing blacks and Hispanics on campus often align with anti-Israel groups, will future political candidates from these communities be inclined towards the anti-Israel progressive left? As most American Jews will tell you, Israel has a serious hasbara problem. I would argue that it is more an issue of Israeli policy than its PR. Some Israelis, particularly on the right, act unconcerned. They have given up on the Democrats and believe that cultivating Republicans is the way to ensure the U.S.-Israel relationship remains strong. Unless the Republicans take the White House and win a majority in Congress in perpetuity, this is a mistake that may bite them in the tuchus. Some might argue Bidens policies indicate it already has. When Ive written about the polls yearly, Ive tended to be more sanguine and have discouraged hysteria. Given the nature of electoral politics, I am still confident the U.S.-Israel relationship is secure, but the data leads me to see a blinking yellow caution light that behooves Israel and its friends to pay attention to. Mitchell Bard is a foreign-policy analyst and an authority on U.S.-Israel relations who has written and edited 22 books, including The Arab Lobby, Death to the Infidels: Radical Islams War Against the Jews and After Anatevka: Tevye in Palestine. (JNS) My wife and I left South Africa for a trip to Israel on Tuesday. As we were going through the security checks at the El Al departure area, we suddenly heard the soft hum of a siren. There and then, in middle of the busy Johannesburg International Airport, a moment of silence was observed for Yom HaShoah by Jewish staff and travelers alike. Heads were bowed in reverence and memory before we got back to the business at hand. I found it a particularly moving moment. We Jews are somewhat obsessed with remembering. Memories are profoundly important to us. But there are many who challenge this Jewish preoccupation with memory. They accuse us of being obsessed with the Holocaust: What about all the other people who have suffered? Why is the Holocaust being singled out? Many people, including South Africanswho are victims of the terrible and painful apartheid pastask ma nishtana halayla hazeh mikol haleilot? Why is the long, dark night of the Holocaust different from other long, dark nights in history? Why is this suffering different from all other sufferings? People challenge us, saying, Why are the Jews always winging and whining? I myself was once confronted by a well-known public figure on South African national television, who said, Why do you Jews think you have a monopoly on suffering? Do you think you have the copyright on pain? Well, let it be clearly stated that Auschwitz was different. As much as the Jewish people relate to the sufferings of others, and contribute to relief and charity for all peoples of the world, Auschwitz was different. The word Holocaust should not be used flippantly. And if the world wont trust a rabbi, then listen to the words of the late Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, who at the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz said to the U.N. General Assembly, The tragedy of the Jewish people was unique. The camps were not mere concentration camps. Let us not use the euphemism of those who built them. Their purpose was not to concentrate a group in one particular place so as to keep an eye on them. It was to exterminate an entire people. Auschwitz was not a work camp, it was a death camp with gas chambers to kill the victims and crematoria to burn their dead bodies. The Holocaust was not only an act of genocide. It was a network of genocide factories, designed to bring to fruition the evil designs of Hitler and his henchmen. It was to be the final solution to the Jewish question, to the nuisance and irritant known as the Jews. It sought to get rid of the Jews once and for all, and this time to do it properly. There was to be not one single Jewish human being left on the face of the earth. The Jews were to have gone up in smoke without a trace. Well, there was to be a small trace. Hitler had planned to build a Museum of the Extinct Jewish Race in Prague. It would contain artifacts of our faith: Torahs, mezuzahs, kiddush cups and seder plates. That was the plan: to create an extinct Jewish race. Yes, it is a cruel world. Many peoples and nations have suffered untold miserySouth Africa, Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda, Darfur and now Ukraine. Jewish hearts suffer with them and feel their pain. Jews are always involved in trying to help the unfortunates of this world. But even those who have suffered mass murder and genocide have not been singled out for total annihilation. No other people in history has ever been earmarked for complete and utter destruction. Yom HaShoah recalls the heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. Believe it or not, there too Jews managed to hold a Passover seder. Did they have matzah? I dont know. Wine? I doubt it. Meat and matzah balls? Definitely not. But the Haggadah was recited. One son, after he asked his father the traditional Four Questions, carried on and said, Father I have another question. Will you be alive next Pesach to listen to my questions? Will I be alive next year to ask these questions? Will there be a single Jew alive next year when Pesach comes? In a choking voice, his father replied, Will I be alive my son? I honestly dont know. And as much as it breaks my heart to say this: Even you my child, I dont know if you will be alive. But one thing I do know: The Jewish people will be alive. And somewhere, somehow, Jews will always ask these questions at their seder tables. We may die, but our people will live forever! I am the son of a survivor. My father, Shimon Goldman, was born in Shedlitz, Poland in 1925. As a teenager, he fled through Vilna, Moscow, Vladivostok and Kobe, Japan. Eventually, he spent most of the war in Shanghai. He managed to escape Europe courtesy of the legendary Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugiharas transit visas. Finally, he made it to New York as the one and only surviving member of his family. My father observed one day of the year, the 12th of Elul, as a yahrzeit for his entire family. He would light one single candle for his father, mother, brothers and sisters. A large family was remembered on one day, with one candle. He hardly ever spoke about these things over the years we were growing up. Thank God, he eventually opened up and we were able to help him publish his life story in a book called From Shedlitz to Safety. Now his grandchildren and great-grandchildren know his story. Hitlers plan for the Final Solution failed, which means all of us are actually survivors. It is our job and sacred duty not only to remember, but also to rebuild. Ultimately, the only way to negate the Nazi plan is to raise Jewish families, teach Jewish children and guarantee that our sons and daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will continue to ask Jewish questions. Only when we do that, when we respond correctly to the spiritual challenge of our generation in Israel and the Diaspora, will we live on as a people, forever. Rabbi Yossy Goldman is Life Rabbi Emeritus of Sydenham Shul in Johannesburg and president of the South African Rabbinical Association. He is the author of From Where I Stand, on the weekly Torah readings, available from Ktav.com and Ama. (JNS) We are fast approaching Sept. 13, 2023, which will mark 30 years since the Oslo Accords were signed on the White House lawn under the auspices of then-President Bill Clinton. It was one of the worst mistakes Israel has made over its 75 years of statehood. The Accords elevated arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat into a statesman, but he never changed his stripes. Israel has suffered immensely since Arafat and his minions were given diplomatic status and legitimized. Since the Oslo Accords were signed, at least 1,661 Israelis have been murdered in terror attacks. Many more have been wounded. Sixty-four Americans have been killed by Palestinian terrorists as well. Not a whisper from the State Department. The Oslo Accords were by no means accepted by a clear majority of Israelis. Shimon Peres convinced two members of the right-wing Tzomet Party, Gonen Segev and Alex Goldfarb, to vote for the Accords. They were given ministerial positions in return. Had Segev and Goldfarb voted with the rest of their party, the Oslo Accords would have never come to be. The Tzomet Party was led by true right-winger Rafael Eitan and how Segev and Goldfarb could have broken ranks still troubles me 30 years later. Israelis by and large see the Oslo Accords as a mistake, but Israel continues to fall prey to the same type of thinking that brought them into existence. Giving guns to terrorists is always a bad idea, but this was precisely what Israel did. The consequences have been tragic and devastating: More than twice as many Israelis were murdered from 1993 to the present as from 1967 to 1993. The recent murders of Lucy Dee, Maia Dee, Rina Dee, Or Eshkar, Elan Ganeles, Hallel Yaniv, Yagel Yaniv, Shlomo Liderman, Yaakov Yisrael Paley and Asher Menachem Paley all have their roots in the Oslo Accords. Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas still honors the murderers and continues to pay large sums of money to terrorists and their families. Until Israel and the international community stop the 30-year charade of the Oslo Accords, terrorism will remain a major problem in Israel. Enough is enough. Dr. Joseph Frager is a lifelong activist and physician. He is chairman of Israel advocacy for the Rabbinical Alliance of America, chairman of the executive committee of American Friends of Ateret Cohanim and executive vice president of the Israel Heritage Foundation. (JNS) Amid the latest wave of Palestinian Arab terrorist attacks, international condemnations of Israel and assorted other controversies, a significant recent development has received scant attentionthe attempt by Palestinian Arab terrorists to shoot down an Israeli plane. It happened on April 2, when an Israel Air Force cargo plane flew over the city of Jenin. Terrorists on the ground shot at the low-flying Hercules C-130J aircraft. Video posted on social-media networks was adorned with the boastful caption, Soldiers firing on a Zionist army plane while it was flying over a Jenin refugee camp. In accordance with the Oslo Accords, Jenin has been under the complete control of the Palestinian Authority since 1995. Yes, the same Oslo accords that require the P.A. to use its American-trained and American-armed security forces to stamp out terrorist groups in P.A. areas. Yet somehow, armed terrorists were able to shoot at an Israeli plane over Jenin without being interrupted or arrested. We dont know why the plane was not hit by the terrorists gunfire. Maybe the terrorists had bad aim. Maybe their weapons were not sufficiently sophisticated. But we know for sure that if a State of Palestine is ever created, there will be many more such attacks, undoubtedly with catastrophic results. Those who advocate creating a Palestinian state always speak in generalities and slogans. Two-state solution is their favorite mantra. What they never want to discuss is exactly where the borders of that state would beand what the consequences for Israel would be. The reason they dont like to talk specifics is they know that when Israelis think about the specifics, they are reminded how dangerous such a state would be for Israels survival. The Jenin shooting incident illustrates that threat. Any Palestinian state would certainly have to include the areas that the P.A. currently controls. After all, the P.A. is not going to give up any of its current territory, and Israel is not going to invade and reoccupy any of it. About 98% of the Palestinian Arabs reside in the cities that the P.A. controls. Those cities include Jenin. Right now, because the P.A. is not a sovereign state, Israeli security forces periodically enter Jenin and other P.A. cities in pursuit of terrorists. They catch terrorists, seize their weapons and hit their safe houses. If the P.A. becomes the State of Palestine, the Israelis will not be able to do that. Meaning that the terrorists in Jenin will be able to acquire much more substantial weapons, such as shoulder-fired rocketsthe kind of rockets that can take down an airplane. Its also important to remember that because of the location of some of the P.A.s cities, the creation of a Palestinian state means that Israel will be just nine miles wide at its midsection, as it was before 1967. The fourth-largest Palestinian city, Tulkarm, and the fifth-largest city, Qalqilya, are nine miles from the Mediterranean Sea. Thats where the border of Palestine will be. Meaning that Israel wont even be as wide as Washington, D.C., or the Bronx, N.Y. A harrowing anecdote from 1967 illustrates what its like to live in a country that is just nine miles wide. On the eve of the Six-Day War, as Arab troops began massing on Israels borders, Israeli mothers residing along the coast kept their children home from school. Why? Because they knew the country could be cut in two by a Jordanian tank column in just minutes, and they didnt want their children to be trapped on the other side. And with those narrow borders, the terrorists in Jenin will not be the only ones able to target Israeli planes. Terrorists located in central Palestine would be just a few miles from Ben-Gurion International Airport. Every airplane landing or taking off at Israels largest airport will be in danger. So dont be fooled by slick slogans about a two-state solution. The day a Palestinian state is created, Israel would be trapped within indefensible borders, facing terrorists able to take aim at its planes every single day. The Jenin incident this month is a reminder of the horror that awaits. Stephen M. Flatow is an attorney and the father of Alisa Flatow, who was murdered in an Iranian-sponsored Palestinian terrorist attack in 1995. He is author of A Fathers Story: My Fight for Justice Against Iranian Terror. New Delhi (India), April 27: Shine Airways is a travel company based in Noida, India, founded in 2021 by Mr. Kailash Chand. The company's mission is to provide affordable and hassle-free travel experiences to its customers, making travel accessible to everyone regardless of their budget or destination. In this blog post, we'll take a closer look at the story behind the company, the benefits it offers, and why it's a great choice for anyone looking for affordable travel with quality service. The Story Behind Shine Airways The idea for Shine Airways came to Mr. Chand when he was traveling with his father from Delhi to Mumbai. The trip was not only expensive but also inconvenient, which made him realize that there was a need for a company that could provide affordable and hassle-free travel experiences to everyone. With this idea in mind, Mr. Chand decided to start his own company that would offer quality services at affordable prices. Mr. Chand's vision was to create a travel company that would provide a hassle-free and enjoyable experience for all its customers. He believed that everyone deserved to explore new places and create memories that would last a lifetime. With this in mind, Mr. Chand founded Shine Airways in 2021 with a mission to provide affordable and quality travel services to its customers. Why Choose Shine Airways? There are many reasons why Shine Airways is a great choice for anyone looking for affordable travel with quality service. Some of the key reasons include: 1. Affordable Travel: One of the biggest advantages of Shine Airways is its affordable prices. The company offers huge discounts on flights, hotels, and transportation, making it easy for customers to plan their trips within their budget. Whether you're planning a family vacation or a romantic getaway, Shine Airways has a wide range of affordable options to choose from. 2. Quality Service: Shine Airways is committed to providing quality service to its customers. The company has a user-friendly interface and environment, making it easy for customers to book flights, hotels, and transportation. Shine Airways also offers a hassle-free refund and cancellation policy, ensuring customer satisfaction. 3. Wide Range of Options: Shine Airways offers a wide range of options to its customers, including flights, hotels, transportation, and holiday packages. This makes it easy for customers to plan their trips according to their preferences and budget. 4. Easy Cancellation and Refund Policy: Shine Airways' cancellation and refund policy is customer-friendly and hassle-free. Customers can easily cancel or reschedule their bookings online or through the customer service hotline. In case of cancellation, the company offers a refund of the booking amount as per the refund policy. 5. Customer Satisfaction: Shine Airways is committed to ensuring customer satisfaction. The company has a team of dedicated customer service representatives who are always available to assist customers with their travel needs. The customer service representatives are highly trained and knowledgeable, ensuring that customers get the help they need whenever they need it. The company also has a strong social media presence, which allows customers to stay connected with the company and stay updated on the latest news and promotions. 6. Easy Booking Process: Shine Airways has a simple and user-friendly booking process. Customers can easily book flights, hotels, transportation, and holiday packages through the company's website. The booking process is designed to be easy and convenient for customers, with all the information they need available at their fingertips. 7. Safety and Security: Shine Airways prioritizes the safety and security of its customers. The company follows strict safety protocols and guidelines to ensure that all its customers have a safe and secure travel experience. Shine Airways also partners with reputable airlines, hotels, and transportation providers to ensure that customers have a quality experience. 8. Family Vacation Offers: Shine Airways offers a range of family vacation packages that are perfect for families looking for an affordable and enjoyable travel experience. The family vacation packages include everything from flights and hotels to transportation and activities, making it easy for families to plan their trip without any hassle. In conclusion, Shine Airways is a great choice for anyone looking for affordable travel with quality service. The company's mission is to make travel accessible to everyone, regardless of their budget or destination. With a wide range of benefits, including affordable prices, quality service, holiday packages, an easy booking process, safety and security, and family vacation offers, Shine Airways is the perfect choice for anyone looking for a hassle-free and enjoyable travel experience. To book your next trip with Shine Airways, visit their website at www.shineairways.com and follow them on social media for the latest news and promotions. Follow us on Instagram - http://Instagram.com/shineairways_ Disclaimer: This article is a paid publication and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times does not endorse/subscribe to the content(s) of the article/advertisement and/or view(s) expressed herein. Hindustan Times shall not in any manner, be responsible and/or liable in any manner whatsoever for all that is stated in the article and/or also with regard to the view(s), opinion(s), announcement(s), declaration(s), affirmation(s) etc., stated/featured in the same. The worst of the pandemic has subsided, countries are accessible again and airlines expect decent profits now that business and leisure travel has returned. Why, then, are fares still so high? Airlines were stung by nearly $200 billion in losses over Covid.(REUTERS) For one, theres a lack of planes. Airlines idled large portions of their fleets because travel demand was so lackluster during the pandemic that they werent needed. Now they cant bring them back fast enough it takes 100 working hours to ready the biggest jets for service after being parked away. ALSO READ: Tata's Air India to buy Airbus, Boeing 500 jets in $100+ billion deal Another reason: consumers are willing to pay more for tickets after being denied the chance to travel, in some cases for as long as three years. A Booking.com survey of more than 25,000 adults planning to travel in the next 12-24 months found that many wanted to be more indulgent with their itineraries to make up for lost opportunities. Even if some trips might be a bit more expensive than they were previously, many people still see value in spending on travel, said Marcos Guerrero, senior director of flights at the online travel company. The bad news for consumers is that ticket prices are likely to stay elevated for several years, at least according to Michael OLeary, chief executive officer of Ryanair Holdings Plc, Europes biggest airline in terms of passengers carried. Lack of Staff Airlines were stung by nearly $200 billion in losses over Covid and tens of millions of aviation jobs were cut. With a travel recovery now well underway, the industry is struggling to re-recruit sufficiently. Many well-trained former workers decided to switch careers entirely to take up more stable jobs. The shortages have worsened delays at airport check-in desks, immigration counters and baggage carousels. Theyve also forced airlines to work harder to attract and retain staff, which has meant offering better salaries. That translates into higher airfares as carriers try to recoup the additional costs. High Oil Prices Fuel prices have cooled in the past year, but crude is still more than 50% expensive than in January 2019, posing a problem for airlines as fuel is their single-greatest cost. Many carriers, especially low-cost ones, dont hedge fuel, leaving them vulnerable to price spikes sparked by events such as Russias invasion of Ukraine. Airlines contribute a little more than 2% of the worlds carbon emissions, but lag almost all other businesses in pledges for a cleaner future. Thats partly because the only feasible solution now sustainable aviation fuel costs as much as five times traditional jet fuel. The industry is going to have to pay $2 trillion to become carbon neutral by 2050, according to the International Air Transport Association. Airlines will have to raise ticket prices to cope, making flying even more costly. ALSO READ: UN aviation agency sets 2050 for achieving net-zero carbon emissions Meanwhile, some of the newest technologies being discussed hydrogen-powered and electric aircraft remain mostly in the research stages, and are set to be expensive if they come to fruition. Shortage of Aircraft As many as 16,000 aircraft - about two-thirds of the worlds commercial fleet was grounded at the height of the pandemic. Making them airworthy again is a huge task that involves scrutinizing every part to ensure they are safe. Many were kept in deserts in the US and Australia where they are less susceptible to wear and tear, yet they still can suffer from issues such as damaged interiors and engines. On top of that, aircraft manufacturers are falling behind, with labour shortages at subcontractors putting the brakes on production. Sanctions tied to Russia have also made it harder for Airbus SE, Boeing Co. and their suppliers to secure raw materials like titanium, pushing up prices of parts. Getting hold of new engines is another headache. The likes of Spirit Airlines Inc. and Indias IndiGo have been forced to idle new aircraft as parts are in short supply and manufacturers are struggling to build new turbines. Some new-generation technology also needs more frequent maintenance, as parts like exotic metal alloys, coatings and composites wear out faster. Capacity is a challenge, Ryanairs OLeary said at a Bloomberg conference this month. Over the medium term, the inability of Airbus and Boeing to deliver any meaningful increase in production means capacity is going to continue to be challenging for the next two, three, five years. He expects fares to rise by double digits this summer, following jumps of as much as 15% last year. Chinas Slow Return China, the worlds second-biggest economy and source of almost $280 billion in annual tourism spending prior to the pandemic, is still rebuilding from the crisis. The government held on to virus containment measures such as citywide lockdowns way longer than anywhere else, and people arent overly eager to risk traveling again, even after the Covid Zero approach was abandoned. A survey published Wednesday found that more than 30% Chinese travelers have ruled out overseas travel in 2023. The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines has said it will take at least a year for China to get back to pre-pandemic levels of international air travel. Domestic traffic is returning to the equivalent of 2019, but the wider reopening is taking much longer to recover after Chinas approach left it more isolated and out of whack with the rest of the world. A slow China reopening makes airlines nervous about bringing back all of their aircraft and capacity, resulting in fewer seats on international routes, squeezing demand and driving up airfares. Airlines still havent fully recovered from the pandemic, said Clint Henderson, managing editor of frequent-flyer website The Points Guy. Flights to China are a great example. There are very few right now and the ones there are have astronomically high prices. ALSO READ: 'India to become largest aviation market in next decade,' says minister Scindia The Problem With Points Consumers accumulated millions of airline points and miles from spending on credit cards during the pandemic, but theyre proving difficult to use due to a lack of seat availability on flights. Airlines typically set aside just a few spots for redemption with points, and that fraction has only become smaller. Theyve also started devaluing their points, Henderson said, adding that consumers should keep a keen eye out for rare opportunities to use them. If you see a deal, jump on it, he said. They dont last long these days. While BJP candidate Ramesh Jarkiholi was busy campaigning in neighbouring constituencies, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivaraj Chouhan was in Gokak assembly segment to campaign for him and urged the voters not to fall for "false promises" made by the Congress. In place of Ramesh, his brother Balachandra Jarkiholi -- a BJP candidate from Arabhavi assembly seat - was present during the campaign along with senior local saffron party leaders on Wednesday. Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan. (File photo) Ramesh, a six time MLA, is an influential political leader not only in his home turf but also the entire Belagavi district. He was among the 17 MLAs who defected from Congress to the BJP in 2019 toppling the Congress-JDS coalition government. He is said to have orchestrated the defection of MLAs, which helped the BJP come to power. READ | Karnataka Assembly Election 2023 LIVE Updates: PM Modi interacts with state party workers Addressing the gathering, Chouhan said the development works are undertaken ony by the BJP government and not the Congress which has only given "corruption, crime and commission" besides its anti-Lingayat approach in Karnataka. He said the Opposition party makes false promises and urged voters not to fall for them. "Beware of (Congress leader) Rahul Gandhi's promises. He had come to Madhya Pradesh promising a debt waiver but nothing was done." The Congress can do anything for votes, and even might promise getting stars from the sky, he said, and alleged that the Congress wants to win elections "to make money". The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister said both Congress and JD(S) are two faces of the same coin with dynasty politics. "Voting JD(S) will strengthen Congress," he said. READ | Karnataka Assembly Polls 2023: Yediyurappa slams Siddaramaiah over promise to hike reservation limit Listing out the achievements of the BJP government both at the Centre and state, he said more development initiatives will be undertaken if the double engine government is elected in the state. "BJP is the only party which can undertake the development works. Support BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modiji who will further strengthen Karnataka." Chouhan also thanked Ramesh for defecting from Congress and saving the state from Congress rule. Gokak is one of the 18 constituencies in Belagavi district,which has the second highest number of assembly seats after Bengaluru urban. The Congress has fielded Mahantesh Kadadi from this constituency. There are 2,38,221 voters in the Gokak Assembly constituency, out of which 1,16,816 are male, and 1,20,085 female voters. Lingayats comprise 75,000, SC-ST 45,000, Muslim 35000, Kuruba 25000, and Uppar Samaj 14,000. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge took a vile swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday while addressing the crowd at Karnatakas Kalaburagi. He said that PM Modi is like a poisonous snake and can kill those who want to test the venom. BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya slammed the Congress leader in return and said that the party is stooping to a new low every day. BJP's IT-cell head Amit Malviya and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. Also Read - PM Modi to hold to road show in Bengaluru on April 29 Speaking at Karnatakas Kalaburagi, Kharge said, PM Narendra Modi is like a poisonous snake. Now if you want to test a venom because I compared him with a poisonous snake, beware it will lead to your death. Kharges comments have now stirred a controversy, ahead of PM Modis visit to the poll bound Karnataka on Saturday. Meanwhile, Amit Malviya attacked the Congress chief and claimed that the grand old party is clearly losing ground in Karnataka. He tweeted, Now Congress President Kharge calls Prime Minister Modi poisonous snake. What started with Sonia Gandhis maut ka saudagar, and we know how it ended, the Congress continues to plummet to new depths. The desperation shows Congress is losing ground in Karnataka and knows it. Kharge also alleged that PM Modi supports those people who are involved in corruption. He said, The BJP leaders in Karnataka are known for charging 40% commission in every work they do. The PM who speaks about abolishing corruption makes them sit next to him and protects them from all the forces. The people of Karnataka will teach a lesson to his party members in the elections." However, Mallikarjun Kharge has clarified about his controversial statement on PM Modi and told that it is not a personal attack on him. He said, My comments are not meant for PM Modi. I called the BJP ideology poisonous, not attacked PM Modi personally. All I meant was if anyone touches BJP ideology, they will be dead because of the poison." The elections in Karnataka will be held on May 10 and the results will be declared on May 13 The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has said he has been able to run for the office of the President of Nigeria since 1993 without any controversy. According to him, unlike the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, who is encumbered by drugs and identity scandals. Atiku made the revelations in his response to Tinubu's and APC's reply to his petition challenging the process and the outcome of the February 25, 2023 presidential election. Besides, Atiku said his own identity, comprising age, state of origin and educational qualifications have never been in dispute like those of Tinubu. Atiku insisted that Tinubu is constitutionally disabled from contesting for the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Amongst others, Atiku alleged that Tinubu was unfit to lead Nigeria having been indicted for drug related offences in the United States of America (USA) and made to forfeit a sum of $460,000 as a compromise agreement. In the response filed by his lead counsel, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, the PDP presidential candidate justified why the declaration of Tinubu as President-elect cannot stand, adding that against the law, "Tinubu holds dual citizenship of Nigeria and Guinea, having voluntarily acquired the citizenship of the Republic of Guinea." Similarly, Atiku accused Tinubu of not disclosing facts of his constitutional qualifications in his Form EC9 submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), contrary to the provisions of the law. The petitioner while admitting that Tinubu may be a "Titan and a Maestro", he, however, said that the "President-elect is certainly not a titan and maestro in national stature but in controversies such as age, state of origin, identity, educational qualifications represented by certificates obtained from universities and colleges." Apparently reacting to Tinubu's response in which he described Atiku as a serial election loser, the former Vice President said that Tinubu is a giant in forfeiture, drug related offences and failure to disclose dual nationality to INEC. "The comparison of the second respondent (Tinubu) with the first petitioner (Atiku) who had attained the eminent position of Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for eight years is totally unfounded," he said. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Governance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Justifying his request for the annulment of the declaration of Tinubu as President-elect, Atiku said that Tinubu and APC never won majority of the lawful votes cast in the February 25 presidential election. Amongst others, the PDP presidential candidate maintained that Tinubu failed part of the constitutional requirements having failed to secure 25% of the votes cast in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, as constitutionally required. He insisted that the return of Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 presidential election was undue, unlawful and invalid because Tinubu did not meet the constitutional requirements as to qualification. Rather than addressing the issues raised against him and the disputed election, Atiku said that Tinubu deliberately chose not to answer points of substance in the petition and opted for extraneous facts, contradictory, evasive, speculative and vague assertions. In reaction to another issue raised against Atiku's petition, the former Vice President claimed that his petition did not in any way constitute a gross abuse of any court process, adding that the originating summons of February 28, 2023, filed at the Supreme Court by Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta , Edo, and Sokoto States have since been discontinued. Karnataka Election 2023 LIVE Updates: As the assembly election approaches fast, campaigns from both the BJP and the Congress have intensified, with many union ministers, senior leaders and star campaigners touring the state for rallies and roadshows. These include union defence minister Rajnath Singh, BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi and many more. Rahul Gandhi is also set to address a massive rally in Mangaluru on Thursday. Leaders also launched scathing attacks on one another, with former CM and Lingayat strongman BS Yediyurappa slamming BJP turncoats Jagadish Shettar and Laxman Savadi, saying that they will pay for betraying the ruling party in the upcoming Assembly polls. "I can write with my blood that he will lose this election on a Congress ticket, he said about Shettar. Karnataka is set to vote on May 10 and counting is scheduled for May 13. Follow for the latest updates. Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai mounted an attack on Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge for comparing PM Modi with a poisonous snake. He said that the whole Congress is unable to fight him politically, which is why they are resorting to such comments. Kharges mind is poisonous': CM Bommai slams Cong chief Speaking with news agency ANI, Basavaraj Bommai said, There is a poison in the mind of Mallikarjun Kharge. The Congress party is collapsing, and such comments come out of desperation. The entire Congress party is unable to fight PM Modi politically, hence they are making such comments. The people of Karnataka will teach them a real lesson. On Thursday, while addressing the crowd at Karnatakas Kalaburagi, Kharge said, PM Narendra Modi is like a poisonous snake. Now if you want to test a venom because I compared him with a poisonous snake, beware it will lead to your death. He later clarified his statement and said, My comments are not meant for PM Modi. I called the BJP ideology poisonous, not attacking PM Modi personally. All I meant was if anyone touches BJP ideology, they will be dead because of the poison." Meanwhile, many BJP leaders attacked Kharge and said that his statements against PM Modi are the result of desperation. Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya tweeted, This will be a turning point in Karnataka elections. People here do not accept crass personal comments against anyone, let alone our most loved PM. Just wait and watch how the last nail on the Congress coffin will be hammered on May 10th. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to visit Karnataka on April 29, ahead of the assembly elections in the state. He will also hold a road show in Bengaluru on Saturday and the BJP state unit is planning it on a grand level. PM Modi to hold to road show in Bengaluru on April 29 Union minister and senior BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje said, Prime Minister will visit Karnataka on April 29. He will also participate in a 4.5 kilometers road show in Bengaluru on Saturday. This will be Prime Ministers ninth visit to Karnataka this year. Meanwhile, PM Modi on Thursday addressed BJP members of Karnataka through the video conference. He said, I will be in Karnataka in another couple of days. We all should make sure that the BJP will retain its power in the state. I will also address my 100th episode of Mann Ki Baat from your state. The PM also slammed the Congress party and said that it can only guarantee the corruption in the country. The Himachal Pradesh people are still waiting for the Congress to fulfil the election promises. The people of Rajasthan too are protesting now. A party like Congress cannot guarantee any development. The party is full of lies and it can only guarantee corruption, he added while answering the questions of party workers. The elections in Karnataka will be held on May 10 and the results will be declared on May 13. The National Highways Authority of India said they will soon ban two-wheelers, auto rickshaws and other slow-moving vehicles from plying on the ambitious Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway. An official from the NHAI said a gazette notification is expected to be issued soon in this matter, Times Now reported. The Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway is a 10-lane project, divided into two carriages.(Twitter/ @nitin_gadkari) READ | Cong protests against toll collection on Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway, several detained The decision is being taken to avoid accidents as slow-moving vehicles "pose a threat" on the high-speed commute corridor. "Bikes, autos and other slow-moving vehicles like agricultural tractors are generally not allowed on access-controlled highways, which are meant for the high-speed commute. The rule goes with the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway and the gazette notification is likely to be issued soon," the NHAI official told the publication. The 10-lane expressway has been embroiled in several controversies after toll collection began in mid-March this year, with protests from political parties such as the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular), among other groups against the allegedly high toll fees charged for motorists. READ | Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway toll hiked by 22%; Check new rates: Report Amidst all this, the NHAI hiked the toll fees on the completed stretch from Bengaluru to Nidaghatta by 22 to 23 per cent at the beginning of April, saying that the revision is an annual exercise based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI). The Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway, inaugurated by prime minister Narendra Modi last month, is 118 kilometres long and was built at the cost of 8,408 crore. It has helped reduce travel time between Bengaluru and Mysuru from 3.5 hours to around 1.5 hours. Former deputy chief minister and member of All India Congress Committee (AICC) Chander Mohan along with Congress councillors accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of ignoring the elected Congress councillors and reducing development in Panchkula to just political and photo opportunities. Mohan, lashing out at the BJP government, said, The present BJP government has been a complete failure on all fronts. They are ignoring the Congress councillors. Once we are voted to power, we will get the prevailing corruption in municipal corporation investigated by independent agency. (HT File Photo) Mohan, lashing out at the BJP government, said, The present BJP government has been a complete failure on all fronts. They are ignoring the Congress councillors. Once we are voted to power, we will get the prevailing corruption in municipal corporation investigated by independent agency. Accusing the BJP dominated municipal corporation (MC), councillors also pointed out that MC does not have its own building and they have to pay rent in lakhs. The work of MC building has not been completed in last 4 years. Panchkula MC has total strength of 24 members, including three nominated councillors. The MC is dominated by the BJP with 10 elected councillors and mayor, two are Jannayak Janata Party councillors and seven are Congress councillors and one is independent. Congress Councillors Akshaydeep Chaudhary and Sandeep Sohi pointed out that the elections to the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor have been pending. By failing to get these elections done government is proving its failure and killing democracy, they added. Another Congress councillor Salim Khan, said, The government is drum beating about development but in reality, nothing has been done on the ground. Not even one work has been completed. Their claims of making Panchkula clean and stray cattle free mere eyewash are far away from ground reality. Meanwhile, councillors Usha Rani and Ram Prasad said, The colonies, including Indira colony, Rajiv colony, Kharak Mangoli, Gandhi colony have been termed illegal and residents are deprived of basic amenities even when resident have water and electricity connections. Earlier governments had even carried out development works there. Responding to the allegations, BJP spokesperson Ranjeeta Mehta, said, When Chander Mohan was to do development of area he was lost in different fiza. He failed to get even single work done in name of development in Panchkula. People have rejected him and now Chander Mohan is trying to mislead people, the spokesperson added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Chief minister Bhagwant Singh addressed elections rallies in Phillaur and Adampur assembly segments to seek votes for Aam Aadmi Party candidate Sushil Kumar Rinku on Thursday. Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann taking out a rally in support of his partys candidate, Sushil Kumar Rinku. (HT Photo) Addressing the rally, Mann said that the state government has taken action against corruption allegedly done by Congress cabinet ministers during its tenure from 2012-2022. We have taken action against several Congress leaders for possessing disproportionate assets during their tenure. We have already prepared a list, which is long enough. The documentation has been done to take action against corrupt leaders in coming days, Mann said while addressing the gathering at Bundala village of Phillaur assembly segment. Mann alleged that the Congress leaders looted taxpayers money during their tenure and filled their bank accounts besides making other assets. The sad part is that we confiscated the money counting machine from its cabinet minister from Hoshiarpur, which stands testimony to the corruption the Congress leaders had done in their five-year rule. The people will see how the AAP has eradicated corruption from the Punjab AAP government by arresting corrupt leaders and officers, he said. CM Mann recalled his association with Jalandhar since 1993 when he used to visit the city for recordings and other entertaining programmes. I have been visiting Jalandhar since 1993 but have seen no development in Jalandhar constituency, the CM added. He alleged that these traditional parties had ruined Punjab and its generations for its vested interests by putting the future of the state and its people at stake. Meanwhile, he reiterated AAPs promises of free power, generating employment resources and developing health and education sectors. While seeking votes for Rinku, Mann said this election is not going to change or form a government. You elected 92 MLAs in Punjab, the people of Delhi elected 63 MLAs of AAP, we have 10 Rajya Sabha MPs but now Jalandhar has a chance to elect a Lok Sabha member too, Mann said. Bajwa slams Kejriwal for being hypocrite Jalandhar Leader of the opposition in Punjab, Partap Singh Bajwa, on Wednesday, slammed AAPs national convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal for being a hypocrite for spending crores of rupees on the beautification of his official residence. Bajwa said as per reports published in the various sections of the media, Kejriwal spent nearly 45 crore on the beautification of his official bungalow. Bajwa said Kejriwal has been caught on the wrong foot. Kejriwal spent nearly 10 crore on the beautification of his camp office, which kind of looks like a sheesh mahal, Bajwa said. Kejriwal used to boast that he and his party leaders would not take cars, bungalows and even the security as it would put an additional burden on the state exchequer as it was public money. However, now Kejriwal and the likes of his party colleagues have forgotten everything and are splurging public money on their shenanigans, Bajwa added. Panchkula special CBI judge Sudhir Parmar, whose official residence was raided on the morning of April 18 by the Haryana anti-corruption bureau (ACB) team, was on Thursday placed under suspension by the Punjab and Haryana high court. Panchkula special CBI judge Sudhir Parmar, whose official residence was raided on the morning of April 18 by the Haryana anti-corruption bureau (ACB) team, was on Thursday placed under suspension by the Punjab and Haryana high court. (Image for representational purpose) Parmar, who is a subject of ACB inquiry, was questioned by a team last week at his Panchkula residence on the basis of a purported audio recording. A few of his relatives in Gurugram and a real estate developer were also questioned by the sleuths. Gurugram additional and district sessions judge, special commercial court, Rajeev Goyal on Thursday replaced Parmar as the special CBI judge, Panchkula. Parmar was posted in November 2021 as special CBI judge. He was also holding the charge of special judge under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Ordinarily, judicial officers have a tenure of three years. Parmar was not available for comments. Parmar, as the special CBI judge, was presiding over the trial of former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, a number of former IAS officers and real estate developers in Manesar land scam and AJL case. It is not yet known whether the ACB has found any evidence pertaining to influencing the course of trial. The CBI though has not named the former CM in a chargesheet filed in a case pertaining to release of about 95% of 1,407 acres under acquisition land in Gurugram during the Congress rule in 2009. It had in January 2019 registered a case against Hooda, officials and 15 real estate developers in the matter. The probe was ordered on directions of the Supreme Court. The permission to question the special CBI judge was taken by the ACB from the chief justice of Punjab and Haryana high court. The HC subsequently filed an interlocutory application in the Supreme Court, seeking permission of the apex court to transfer Parmar. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud on April 25 ordered that the interlocutory application is taken on board upon being mentioned. This interlocutory application has been moved by the Punjab and Haryana HC for permission to transfer a judicial officer. The interlocutory application is allowed by permitting the HC to transfer the judicial officer, said the SC bench, which is monitoring the progress of cases against Members of Parliament and members of legislative assemblies. The SC had in October 2022 directed the HCs that if transfers of judicial officers presiding over special courts and CBI courts involving prosecution of MPs and MLAs was necessitated for any reason (except in the normal course of transfer at the end of the tenure), the prior permission of the Supreme Court shall be deemed to be necessary. Manesar land scam, AJL case tried by Special CBI judge The CBI had in 2018 filed charge-sheet against former chief minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, former IAS officers and real estate developers in the Manesar land scam after the Supreme Court in 2015 ordered investigations in the decision of the erstwhile Congress administration under Hooda to drop acquisition proceedings. Hooda is also facing trial before the special CBI court in a case of alleged reallocation of an institutional plot in Panchkula to Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of the National Herald newspaper. The 3,500 square metre plot was first allotted to AJL in 1982 but resumed by Haryana Urban Development Authority in 1992 due to no construction on the land. Hooda, who by virtue of being the chief minister, was the chairman of HUDA, the entity which allotted, resumed and restored the plot to AJL, had passed a speaking order (a reasoned order) to restore the plot. The former CM is also facing a CBI in case pertaining to allotment of industrial plots in Panchkula though the central agency has not filed a charge sheet in the Panchkula court. The enforcement directorate (ED) had in February 2021 filed a prosecution complaint (a charge sheet) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in a special PMLA trial court against Hooda and others in the Panchkula industrial plots case. The special PMLA court was also presided over by the special CBI judge. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Three persons died in a road accident near Kotshamir village on the Bathinda-Talwandi Sabo road on Thursday. Three persons died in a road accident near Kotshamir village on the Bathinda-Talwandi Sabo road on Thursday. (Representational photo) Kotshamir police post in-charge Dharamvir Singh said the victims have been identified as Baljinder Singh (50), Sukhdev Singh (60) and Jaskaran Singh (50) of Mehma Sarkari village in Bathinda district. Victims were returning to their village after paying obeisance at a gurdwara in Talwandi Sabo in the district. Also read: Akali veterans remember party patriarch Parkash Singh Badal as a visionary Sadar police station house officer (SHO) Sandeep Singh said the three were travelling in a WagonR when it was hit by an unidentified vehicle late last night. He said efforts are on to identify the vehicle that sped away from the spot after the mishap. Vegetable vendors passing by early in the morning alerted the police. In another incident, a motorcycle-borne was killed after he was hit by an unidentified car on Bathinda-Malout road on Wednesday night. Police sources said the deceased was identified as Sandeep Singh of Killi Nihan Singh Wala in Bathinda. Union minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday reacted sharply to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharges controversial poisonous snake remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Union minister Anurag Thakur during a road show in Shimla on Thursday. (Deepak Sansta/HT) After facing constant defeats in elections, the frustration of Congress leaders is evident from such remarks, said Anurag Thakur. He said, Congress leaders, incluiding Sonia Gandhi and the present party chief, constantly use unparliamentary language against the Prime Minister. Recently, they were seen talking about digging a grave for the PM. Are they trying to plot a conspiracy against the Indian Prime Minister? The Congress should apologise over the remarks otherwise Karnataka voters will forfeit their security, he said. He said the Congress made Mallikarjun Kharge the party president and he gave a statement worse than that by Sonia Gandhi. Congress leaders are also conspiring against the Indian democracy abroad in connection with foreign forces, he said. He also took a jibe at Congress for it confronting the Union government on barring the states from imposing cess on water. The move will discourage investment in the state, he said. Badrinath Dham was opened to pilgrims at 7:10 am on Thursday amid Vedic chanting and fresh snowfall and rain as thousands of pilgrims visited the shrine decked up with 15 quintals of flowers. The first prayers were offered in Prime Minister Narendra Modis name. Char Dham shrines remain shut for around six months. (HT PHOTO) Flower petals were showered on the pilgrims from a chopper even as many of them complained about lack of facilities and overcrowding. Badarinath on the banks of the Alaknanda River at a height of 3,133 metres is one of the holiest shrines for Hindus, especially Vaishnavites. All Char Dhams are now open to pilgrims. Char Dham shrines remain shut for around six months. Subrahmanyam Kumar, a pilgrim from Andhra Pradesh, said the shrine was crowded and the queue of pilgrims stretched for nearly two km. It is cold and we decided to return. We offered our prayers from a distance. But Lord Badri will call us and we will come again. Lalit Sharma, another pilgrim from Uttar Pradeshs Saharanpur, somehow managed to go inside the shrine after waiting for three hours. We expected better crowd management here. But locals say due to ongoing constructions near the shrine, the crowd management has become a little difficult. Ranjit Singh Chauhan, a pilgrim from Hyderabad, said he waited for four hours. There ought to be some regulations. Elderly people are finding it difficult to wait for such a long time in the queue in snow and cold. Raj Shekhar from Hyderabad said they came to Badrinath on Wednesday and stayed at a lodge without proper electricity. The condition of public toilets meant for pilgrims was pathetic with no water and heaps of garbage and faecal matter. Kamal Kishore Singh, a pilgrim from Haryana, said he never expected toilets to be so unclean and without water. I went to a toilet and immediately came back...almost vomiting because of the stench. Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee president Ajendra Ajay said all possible efforts were being made to make the pilgrimage convenient. But due to construction work, some pilgrims might have faced some inconvenience. Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the state government is making all possible arrangements for the smooth conduct of the pilgrimage. Abuja The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the just concluded general election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has told the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, that unlike him, he has consistently contested presidential elections because of his "drug-free record". Besides, Atiku said that he "has never had any controversy surrounding his age, circumstances of his birth, state of origin, gender, educational qualification, health status, working career and citizenship, all issues bordering on constitutional qualification to contest for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria". Atiku stated this in his reply to Tinubu's Notice of Preliminary Objection against his petition challenging the outcome of the February 25 presidential election. In his Notice of Preliminary Objection filed on April 12, by his lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), the President-elect had urged the court to dismiss the petition filed by Atiku and his party the PDP, for been vague, an abuse of court process, that the suit was not properly constituted and that the reliefs sought by the petitioners are not grant-able. But replying, Atiku said Tinubu has demonstrated inconsistency as to his actual date of birth, the secondary schools he attended (Government College Ibadan); his state of origin, gender; actual name; certificates evidencing universities attended (Chicago State University). "The purported degree certificate of the 2nd respondent allegedly acquired at the Chicago State University did not belong to him but to a female (F) described as 'F' in the certificate bearing the name Bola Tinubu. "The 2nd respondent did not disclose to the 1st respondent his voluntary acquisition of citizenship of Republic of Guinea with Guinean Passport No. DO00001551, in addition to his Nigerian citizenship. The 2nd respondent is hereby given notice to produce the original copies of his said two passports," he said. Atiku further submitted that Tinubu has record of criminal forfeiture of the sum of $460,000.00 for a drug-related offence before the United States District Judge John A Nordberg in the 2 respondent's First Heritage Account No. 263226700, being proceeds of narcotics-trafficking in violation of 18 U.S.C 1956 and 1947 for an offence involving narcotics. Responding to the issue of failure to join other presidential candidates in the petition, Atiku said that the party including himself does not have any grievance against Mr Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso or any other candidate because they were not returned as the winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commissiom (INEC). Atiku, on another issue, said that the defence of non-control of the eco-system and of third-party network providers is an after-thought, adding that Tinubu is not competent to offer such gratuitous defence on behalf of INEC. While claiming that INEC persisted in the violation of its own regulations, Atiku said: "As at the time INEC commenced uploading of results to the IReV, the presiding officers were no longer at their polling units. "As at March 18, 2023, only results from 166,551 polling units out of 176,846 polling units across the country, had been uploaded on the IReV, as shown in the extract of the Data Report from the IReV." Besides, Atiku said that the place, time and circumstances of the uploads remain unknown to the petitioners as known of the petitioners' agents were physically present to monitor the transmission of the purported results. Responding to Tinubu's claim that the petition was an abuse of court process because of an earlier suit filed by some PDP governors at the Supreme Court on February 28, Atiku pointed out that the parties in the said suit are not the same as the parties in the instant proceedings. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Governance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "The proceedings, which were commenced by originating summons dated 28 February, 2023, filed by the Attorneys General of Adamawa State, Akwa-Ibom State, Bayelsa State, Delta State Edo States and Sokoto State as plaintiffs, had since been discontinued. "The grounds of the petition are competent as they comply with section 134(1)(a), (b) and (c) of the Electoral Act, 2022. The election of the 2nd respondent did not meet the applicable requirements enunciated in section 134(3) of the Electoral Act. "The petition is properly constituted pursuant to section 133 of the Electoral Act, 2022 and paragraph 4(1) & (2) of the Rules of Procedure for Election Petition. "The petitioners' prayers are grantable pursuant to paragraph 4(3) of the Rules of procedure for Election Petition and section 136(1), (2) and (3) of the Electoral Act 2022," Atiku said. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday told a Delhi court that the investigation in senior AAP leader Manish Sisodias role in the alleged irregularities in the implementation of the now scrapped 2021-22 Delhi excise policy is complete, even as the agency said that its probe into the larger conspiracy in the case was ongoing. AAP leader and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia was arrested by CBI in the case on February 26. He was also arrested in allegations of money laundering in the same case by the Enforcement Directorate on March 9. Sisodia is currently lodged in the Tihar Jail. (PTI) The agencys submission came after Sisodias lawyer sought a copy of the supplementary charge sheet filed against him to verify whether the investigation regarding Sisodia is pending or not, while reserving his right to argue default bail. When the court sought the status of the investigation in the case, the agency said it has completed investigation into Manish Sisodias role in the case. Earlier, while allowing supply of a copy of the supplementary charge sheet to Sisodia, the court extended his judicial custody till May 12. The CBI had on April 25 filed the first supplementary chargesheet in the case, naming the former Delhi deputy chief minister as an accused in the matter. Advocate Rishikesh, appearing for Sisodia, while citing a recent judgment of the Supreme Court, argued that if the investigation regarding Sisodia is not complete and a charge sheet has been filed against him then he would be liable to get default bail in the case. Sisodias counsel relied upon the judgment passed by Supreme Court on Wednesday in the case of Ritu Chhabaria vs Union of India where the top court had held that the fundamental right of an accused to get default bail cannot be scuttled by probe agencies by filing supplementary charge sheets in cases where a probe is yet to be completed. He further argued that prima facie it seems that the federal agency has said that investigation regarding Sisodia is still pending. It was also pointed out before the court that Sisodias bail in the CBI case is currently being argued before the Delhi high court and arguments regarding his right to default bail may also be raised before the high court. Sisodia was arrested by CBI in the case on February 26. He was also arrested in allegations of money laundering in the same case by the Enforcement Directorate on March 9. Sisodia is currently lodged in the Tihar Jail. Meanwhile, opposing Sisodias bail petition in the Delhi high court on Thursday, CBI argued that witnesses have categorically confirmed his role in manipulating the liquor policy. The fake public approval was manufactured at his (Sisodias) instance to deviate from the expert committee report, the CBI told justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma. Citing the statement of a witness, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the CBI, told the court that an expert committee headed by Ravi Dhawan, former excise commissioner, to check the feasibility of the now-scrapped excise policy had given its report. However, since the suggestions were not palatable with the accused, Sisodia did not approve the report. The matter would now continue on May 9. The Delhi governments 2021-22 excise policy aimed to revitalise the citys flagging liquor business. It aimed to replace a sales-volume based regime with a license fee one for traders, and promised swankier stores, free of the infamous metal grilles, ultimately giving customers a better buying experience. The policy also introduced discounts and offers on the purchase of liquor, a first for Delhi. The plan, however, came to an abrupt end, with Delhis lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena recommending a probe into alleged irregularities in the regime. This ultimately resulted in the policy being scrapped prematurely and being replaced by the 2020-21 regime, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleging that Saxenas predecessor sabotaged the move with a few last-minute changes that resulted in lower-than-expected revenues. West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called for a 12-hour bandh on Friday in North Bengal to protest against alleged police brutality. Representational image. "BJP has called for a 12-hour bandh tomorrow in North Bengal to protest against police brutality on common people," said West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar. The shutdown has been called following the death of BJP worker Mrityunjay Burman in Radhikapur near Kaliaganj in Uttar Dinajpur district. BJP alleged that Mrityunjay died in police firing. Meanwhile Calcutta High Court on Thursday sought a detailed report of the investigation conducted by Mekhilygunge Police in a case pertaining to the alleged rape and murder of a minor girl in Kaliaganj in West Bengal's North Dinajpur district. The bench of Justice Rajashekhar Mantha scheduled May 2 as the next day for the hearing. During the hearing, the court ask to preserve the videography of the post mortem as if required the court will look into it at a later date. Court also sought FIR and post-mortem reports and asked police to hand over a copy of the same to the family members of the victim and to the National Commission of Protection of Child Rights member as well. The matter pertains to the death of a minor girl in Kaliaganj. On April 20, the victim's body was found floating in a canal in Kaliaganj. Taking cognisance of the death of a minor girl in West Bengal's Kaliaganj, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has issued a notice to the IGP North Bengal, and the Superintendent and District Magistrate of North Dinajpur. The NCSC Vice Chairman, Arun Halder also accused the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government of "not cooperating" in the investigation, and also "shielding" the administration and one particular community behind the incident. On April 20, the victim's body was found floating in a canal in Kaliaganj. The locals alleged that the minor was raped and killed. This led to uproar and protests. People put road blockades, burned tyres and set several shops on fire. Some clashes also broke out between the locals and police. A video also went viral purportedly showing the police dragging what appeared to be the victim's body while taking it for a post-mortem. However, Uttar Dinajpur Superintendant of Police on Saturday said that the victim's post-mortem report given by doctors reveals that death was due to a poisonous substance. "Victim's post-mortem report given by doctors reveals that death was due to a poisonous substance. No major injury. We will again ask doctors to clarify if there's any sexual injury," he said. The Calcutta high court on Thursday ordered the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to probe into the violence that occurred in West Bengals Howrah district during the Ram Navami celebrations in March. The high court ordered the state police to hand over the investigation to NIA (Representative Photo) Hearing a PIL moved by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator and leader of the opposition in the assembly Suvendu Adhikari, a bench of acting chief justice TS Sivagnanam and justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya ordered the state police to hand over the investigation to NIA. We are convinced that no useful purpose would be served by directing the state police to register cases against those who used acid bottles and petrol bombs etc., under the Explosive Substances Act as the matter has travelled beyond that stage and it is a fit case to transfer the investigation to the NIA, the court stated. It further directed the state police to transfer all the documents, records and CCTV footage relating to the matter, to submit to the federal investigation agency. Also Read: WB: BJP leaders nephew allegedly shot dead by police during raids in Kaliaganj Violent clashes out in Bengals Howrah district on March 30 during a Ram Navami procession. Over the next three days, violence spread to the North Dinajpur and Hooghly districts. Several, including police personnel, were injured in the violence and vehicles were set on fire. Several vehicles were set on fire, stones thrown and shops ransacked as clashes between two groups broke out in Howrahs Shibpur during Ram Navami celebrations last month. Many, including police personnel, were also injured in the clashes following which prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPc were imposed and internet services had to be suspended. Earlier this month, the Calcutta high court said reports filed by state police suggest that the Ram Navami clashes were pre-planned, adding that a central agency might be better suited to probe the events that had ratcheted up communal tensions and stoked a political row in the eastern state. The (police) report says that the clash took place between two groups. There can be a third person who wants to take advantage of the situation. If that group is involved, then it requires investigation by a central agency. That is very difficult for the state police to find. Somebody would have set the fire, had set the ball rolling. Without a probe by a central agency, you cant identify that outside source, the bench had stated on April 10. Adhikari took to Twitter to applaud the high courts decision. The Guardian of the Constitution instilled confidence in the public once again by directing @NIA_India probe into the attacks and disturbances concerning the Ram Navami processions in West Bengal. The Honble High Court at Calcutta has once again pointed out the mischief of the State Government in their attempt to suppress facts for avoiding investigation by the NIA. I welcome the historic decision of the Honble High Court at Calcutta. Let your faith be bigger than your fear, Adhikari said. To this, Trinamool Congress (TMC) spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said that the central agencies get involved to shield the BJP. Ram Navami NIA. Central agencies help to shield the BJP. Munger-Vahini can now heave a sigh of relief. The BJP and the Centres plot: First trigger communal tension, then pave the way for a NIA probe. The NIA cant see the BJP-ruled states. Just like Suvendu, who has been named in CBI FIR, is not arrested by the CBI, he wrote on Twitter in Bengali. Also Read: NHRC seeks report from DGP, Howrah police commissioner on Ram Navami violence Last week, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took cognizance of the violence during the Ram Navami celebration and sought a report from the director general of police (DGP) and the chief of Howrah city police within two weeks. Both the ruling TMC, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have accused one another of triggering the riots. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had accused the BJP of hiring goons from outside to trigger riots in the state. Prime accused in the West Bengal cattle smuggling case and a witness to the murder of businessman Rajesh Jha, Abdul Latif, surrendered in the court on Thursday. His lawyer Sekhar Shukla told HT that Latif was granted conditional bail by the court (Representative Photo) His lawyer Sekhar Shukla told HT that Latif was granted conditional bail on the same day after he appeared before the Asansol court in West Burdwan district following the directions given by the Supreme Court. Latif, who was declared an absconder in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the cattle smuggling case, was wanted in connection with the April 1 murder of businessman Rajesh Jha. Jha, an accused in illegal coal mining operations, was allegedly shot dead by unidentified people in front of an eatery on NH-2 in East Burdwan district while he was allegedly travelling in Latifs car. Also Read: Calcutta HC orders NIA probe into Ram Navami violence Latif recently moved a bail petition to the Supreme Court. On April 24, the Supreme Court ordered him to cooperate with the CBI investigation and appear before the local court. The special CBI court in Asansol has asked him to report to the federal agency thrice a week, Latifs lawyer said. He added that Latif has also agreed to cooperate with East Burdwan police after they approached the Asansol court, demanding to interrogate Latif in Jhas murder case. Suspected to have gone into hiding, Latif surfaced in Asansol a day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Sukanya Mondal, the daughter of another cattle scam accused and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Anubrata Mondal. During hearings in the cattle smuggling case, CBI told a court that Latif was a close associate of Anubrata. Anubrata was arrested in August last year by CBI and is now lodged in Delhis Tihar Jail. Jha, who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2020 was allegedly shot dead by unidentified people on April 2, police have claimed that Jha was in the car with Latif. According to the police, they have so far arrested one person in connection with Jhas murder. An investigating officer said on condition of anonymity that Sheikh Noor Hossain, the driver, told the police that on April 1 he drove Latif from his residence in Birbhum district to Durgapur where Jha boarded the vehicle. Latif, Jha and Brotin Mukherjee, an old associate of Jha, were travelling in the SUV from Durgapur to Kolkata. They stopped at an eatery in Shaktigarh where the killers opened fire. While Jha died, Mukherjee sustained a bullet injury in the arm. Latif has been missing since then, the officer said. At least 14 people were killed in three districts of West Bengal, which witnessed moderate rainfall on Thursday, an official said. Thunderstorms with lightning occurred in several south Bengal districts, (Representative)(AFP) Lightning strikes claimed lives of four people in Purba Bardhaman district, and two each in Murshidabad and North 24 Parganas, a disaster management department official said. West Bengal police officials said six more deaths were reported from Paschim Midnapore and Howrah Rural districts. "Three deaths each were reported from Paschim Midnapore and Howrah rural," an official said. According to him, the victims were mostly farmers who were killed after being struck by lightning while working in agricultural fields. Thunderstorms with lightning occurred in several south Bengal districts, including, Kolkata, Howrah, North 24 Parganas, Purba Bardhaman and Murshidabad, he said. "Gusty wind was reported at Alipore at 1645 hrs and the duration was less than one minute with the highest wind gust of 79 kmph. This is not a squall," said an official at Regional Meteorological Centre here. A day after the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the recent violence in Uttar Dinajpur district following the murder of a girl, Leader of Opposition in the State Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the Mamata Police raided the house of BJP Panchayet Samiti Member and shot dead a young man. Kolkata: Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari(PTI) Adhikari claimed that the West Bengal police killed a Rajbangshi young man of 33 years at Kaliaganj. Taking to Twitter, Adhikari said, 'Mamata' police raided the house of a BJP Panchayet Samiti Member Bishnu Barman at 2:30 am midnight (April 27; 2023) but did not find him. They brutally shot dead a Rajbangshi young man named Mrityunjay Barman; 33 years old, S/O Rabindranath Barman. This is tyranny and state terror at its worst form and Mamata Banerjee is merry making like Emperor Nero while the state is burning and sliding into a phase of civil unrest. He further added, Last afternoon during a press conference Mamata Banerjee had declared a war against the people of Kaliaganj and within hours the police complied with her. She will have to take ownership of this brutal murder by the state. The people should rise democratically by raising their voice against such internecine violence and bloodshed. Banerjee had said on Wednesday that the opposition party brought goons from Bihar who ransacked a police station and looted villagers. BJP brought in goons from Bihar. They ransacked the police station, set it on fire, entered the police station with firearms, and looted villagers and women police personnel were also beaten up. I have directed the police to take strong actions, Banerjee said at the state secretariat speaking to reporters. At least 17 policemen were injured on Tuesday when miscreants attacked a police station and set a police barrack on fire in the district after protests over the murder of a minor girl last week turned violent. Banerjee said that the girl's death was an unfortunate incident, however, she added that the events which followed were orchestrated by the BJP. She said, "BJP is doing hooliganism in the state. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Khuldabad police here have registered an FIR against slain gangster-politician Atiq Ahmeds first two sonsUmar and Ali Ahmedand four others for allegedly demanding extortion, issuing threats, abduction and assault. The case was registered late on Wednesday night on the complaint of builder Mohd Muslim, who was once close to Atiq. He also has cases registered against him in Prayagraj and Lucknow, police said. The station house officer of Khuldabad police station in Prayagraj confirmed that the case was registered. (For Representation) Station house officer (SHO), Khuldabad police station, Anurag Sharma confirmed the development and said, An FIR on complaint of Mohd Muslim has been registered under sections 386 (extortion), 307 (attempt to murder), 147 (rioting), 364 (kidnapping), 504 (Insult intended to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC and further investigations were being carried out. In his complaint to the police, Mohd Muslim claimed that he owns ancestral property worth 15 crore at a prime location in Devghat. Atiq Ahmed was eyeing the property and threatened me multiple times to transfer the property in the name of his sons Ali and Umar, Mohd Muslim alleged in his complaint. He (Mohd Muslim) shifted to Lucknow in 2007 but as per him, Atiq continued harassing him. Once while Mohd Muslim was in Chakia, Atiqs sons Umar, Ali along with Atiqs aide Asaad Kalia, Ehtesham Kareem, Ajay and Mohd Nusrat allegedly dragged him inside their vehicle and took him to Atiqs office located at the time in Karbala area. Mohd Muslim was allegedly taken on gunpoint and assaulted. The accused threatened him again to either give 5 crore or transfer the Devghat property in name of Atiqs sons, the FIR claims. Police officials said Mohd Muslim himself is a history sheeter and has 16 cases registered against him under different sections, including the Gangsters Act, at Khuldabad, Dhumanganj, Kareli, Colonelganj in Prayagraj and Wazeerganj police station in Lucknow. Lawyer Umesh Pal, who along with his two police guards, was shot dead in Prayagraj on February 24, too had registered a case against Mohd Muslim in 2022 alleging that he demanded 1 crore. One Surajpal had also lodged an FIR against him for demanding 20 lakh extortion. Earlier, a woman Suman Devi had registered a case against Mohd Muslim for grabbing property, fraud and issuing life threats to her. Atiqs son Umar is lodged in Lucknow jail while Ali is in high security barrack at Naini Central Jail in Prayagraj in different cases. Asaad Kalia was arrested on April 18 by Kareli Police in Prayagraj in a case of assault on property dealer Zeeshan aka Janu. The chief judicial magistrate (CJM), Prayagraj, on Thursday sent slain gangster-politician Atiq Ahmeds lawyer Khan Saulat Hanif to 14-day judicial custody in the Umesh Pal murder case. CJM Dinesh Kumar Gautam fixed May 10 as the next date hearing of the matter. The chief judicial magistrate, Prayagraj, fixed May 10 as the next date hearing of the matter. (For Representation) Khan Saulat Hanif, who is lodged at Naini central jail in Prayagraj in connection with the 2006 Umesh Pal abduction case, was produced before the court of CJM here to obtain his judicial custody in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case. Since Hanif has also been made accused in Umesh Pal murder case, the CJM on Thursday remanded him to 14-day judicial custody and sent him to jail. He along with Atiq Ahmed and another convict in the Umesh Pal abduction case was awarded life term by the MP-MLA court at Prayagraj on March 28. He has been lodged in Naini central jail since then. According to district government counsel (criminal) Gulab Chandra Agrahari, now the police department is likely to move an application seeking the police custody of Khan Saulat Hanif for interrogation as first step to take him in judicial custody in the Umesh Pal murder case is complete now. Mumbai: In a tragic incident, Dayanand Kale, a 22-year-old ayurvedic medicine student, lost his life after falling from a mango tree on Wednesday night at R A Podar Ayurved Medical College, Worli. The student union claimed that despite being in a hospital, there were no basic facilities available to treat Kale, which led to his death. Mumbai, India - April 27, 2023: Angry medical students stage a protest as their 22-year-old colleague Dayanand Kale died after falling from a tree inside Podar Ayurved Medical College on Wednesday night. Though he was rushed immediately to the hospital, students allege negligence of the hospital administration and not getting timely treatment, at Worli, in Mumbai, India, on Thursday, April 27, 2023. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Satish Bate/HT PHOTO) The students staged a protest on Thursday morning by closing the OPD and demanded that the hospital administration show promptness in getting injured students treatment. Kale, who hailed from Saman village in Bhum taluka of Dharashiv district, was in the third year of the Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) course at the college. His parents are agricultural labourers on a sugarcane farm, and he was the only son after six daughters. One of his six sisters passed away recently, and now with the loss of their son, his parents Gayas and Jayashree are inconsolable. We have lost our child, said Dayanands uncle, Bayas Kale. He was the hope of our family and our community. As he was academics-oriented, we put him through his education by borrowing money from other relatives. According to a student, Kale, who stayed at the hostel in the hospital complex, had gone out for a walk after dinner. He climbed a mango tree to pick mangoes, but lost his balance and fell to the ground. Students who were playing nearby took him to the casualty department of the hospital but allege that there was no resident medical officer or chief medical officer present. Some senior students tried to give him first aid, said a student. There was an oxygen cylinder but without the mask. It was a big problem for us. The students alleged that despite calling seniors for information, they did not receive any positive response. Kale failed to get treatment on time, and was declared Brought Dead after being taken to Nair Hospital for further treatment. Due to the unavailability of an ambulance driver, he had to be taken by taxi. If students who are pursuing medical education are unable to receive proper treatment in our hospital, how can citizens be saved? asked a student. After the tragedy, students wrote a letter to the college administration, demanding action against all those responsible for Kales death as well as a guarantee that basic casualty facilities would be available in the hospital henceforth. Local MLA Sunil Shinde was present at the deans office with the family. The Chhatra Bharti Students Association protested and demanded an inquiry into the matter. The police detained five students from the union but they were later released after the intervention of MLC Kapil Patil. When contacted, college dean Dr Sampada Sant denied the allegations. Kales nose started bleeding after falling from the tree, and he was brought to the casualty department, she said. He was immediately given first aid and shifted to Nair Hospital within five to seven minutes. We have all the facilities here, and there was no negligence in treating him. The ambulance could not be provided as the night shift driver was sick and did not come to work. In response to the allegations made by the students, the CCTV footage in the area was checked, and the Director of Ayurved, Maharashtra state, instructed a high-level committee to investigate the matter. Sant said the committees report was likely to be submitted in 10 days. Amar Jagdale, police inspector, Worli police said that an ADR (Accidental Death Report) had been registered in the case. We detained some student union representatives as a precautionary measure but released them after some time, he said. MUMBAI: A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Bombay high court challenging the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporations (BMC) plan to develop a parking lot under Raosaheb Patwardhan Park on Linking Road in Bandra West. HT Image The petition filed by activist Zoru Bathena and architects Samarth Das and Alan Abraham sought directions to the civic body to refrain from proceeding with the tendering process and constitution of a committee comprising independent experts in environment and ecology, urban planning, architecture and engineering to prepare a report on the consequences of the construction of the parking lot. The PIL filed through advocate Zaman Ali was mentioned on Thursday before the division bench of acting chief justice SV Gangapurwala and justice SV Marne for urgent hearing. The bench has posted it for hearing in the first week of June, soon after the court reopens post summer vacations. The petition claimed that the excavation for the basement of up to two floors will lead to loss of a natural sponge that protects the flood-prone surrounding regions up to SV Road, Bandra West and cause large-scale urban flooding. According to the PIL, the BMCs proposal for the underground parking facility at Patwardhan Park with a view to take care of the parking problems on Linking Road had been objected to by residents after which the municipal commissioner had passed directions to review the plans. The petition stated that thereafter in January 2023, the civic parking authority conducted a study, and a tender was issued by the road and traffic department of the BMC on March 9 to construct the multilevel parking under the park. It added that Bathena had filed objections to the tender and sent it through e-mail to the BMC, stating that as the civic body extended the tender submission date rather than scrapping it, he was constrained to approach the HC. Justifying the demand to scrap the proposal, the petition argued, The actions of the BMC authorities run contrary to the Mumbai Climate Action Plan prepared by the Government of Maharashtra and respondent corporation which clearly provides for retaining and maintaining open spaces without any further change in land-use to avoid surface run-off that leads to flooding in the city. Parking in a Town Planning Scheme (TPS) is not permissible on a recreational ground. That park, being over one hectare in area with a tree canopy density of more than 10%, is a forest as defined by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and that no parking can be built in such protected forest area, the plea said. The PIL has also sought directions to the BMC to carry out GIS mapping of parking areas of all wards in Mumbai and update the information on its website in a time-bound manner. COGTA blames implementing agent, whose contract ended in March, for delays Hundreds of Community Work Programme (CWP) workers, employed by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), have spent two days outside the head office in Pretoria. They are demanding to be paid their R880 monthly stipend for April. Workers are complaining that there are payment problems at the end of each financial year when their contracts are to be renewed. But COGTA says the payment delay is the result of challenges moving the programme from the implementing agent, whose contract ended in March. Hundreds of Community Work Programme (CWP) workers employed by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), have spent two days outside the head office in Pretoria. They are demanding payment of their R880 monthly stipend for April. On Wednesday, COGTA promised that the salaries would be paid by the end of this week and that it would not renew the contract with the "implementing agent" which had been managing the CWP workers. The protest started on Tuesday afternoon when disgruntled workers from different parts of Gauteng went to the Pretoria office and prevented many officials from going home. Calm was restored when police negotiated with protesting workers. Workers who camped outside the COGTA office told GroundUp that they would not leave until they were all paid. By Wednesday afternoon, there were still about 200 people wearing orange work overalls and chanting while many police officers stood watch. Jabu Gondwe from Alexandra said, "I have been part of this programme since 2010 when we were earning R480. Every time in April, when our contracts should be renewed, we have this struggle. I clean in different areas around Alex. Now I have run out of food at home. My kids are expecting me to do things for them and I have been giving them excuses." Lindelwa Dube, a mother of three from Ivory Park, said COGTA knows that each year the same problem with payments occurs, but doesn't fix it. "Last week, COGTA told us payments will only be done on 6 May, that's why we came here to protest. COGTA doesn't take us seriously. One month you'll get your stipend on the 31st, another month it's on the 5th. We have debit orders and policies to pay. We don't have food in our houses for our children," she said. "We are not going anywhere until the payment of everyone has been started. I take care of a family of six people, including my unemployed sister's kids, with this stipend." Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines South Africa Labour By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Maanda Ashu Workers Union (MAWUSA) spokesperson Simphiwe Hlafa said about 260,800 CWP workers across the country have been affected by this payment issue. "COGTA says this is due to transitions that the programme is undergoing. There are some reforms, like the absorption of some of the workers, which we are celebrating. But now our major issue is that COGTA has just cut the contracts with the agents without a plan. "They should have made a contingency plan," said Hlafa. COGTA spokesperson Legadima Leso told GroundUp that the department is doing "everything in its power" to ensure that all CWP workers are paid. Leso confirmed that they would no longer be renewing the implementing agent's contract, which ended at the end of March. "There have been serious problems, such as maladministration and things not done accordingly. Now, we will no longer be using these agents. COGTA will now insource the CWP programme. We are also remodelling the programme," said Leso. He blamed the payment delay on the implementing agents "refusing to give the data of workers". In a statement on Wednesday, COGTA said, "The current delays with payments are as a result of a transition process from using Implementing Agents to insourcing of the service. The department will process all payments by 3 May 2023." Mumbai: Three people were arrested for allegedly duping a Kandivali resident of 31 lakh after luring him to invest in the shares of a non-existent company. By March this year, the victim had invested 31 lakh in the AK Financial company after which the victim approached the cyber police, said the police officer. The police then traced the bank accounts used by the accused and the IP addresses of their computer from which the email had been sent and tracked the accused. (Image for representation) As per the Mumbai Cyber Police, the accused, identified as Kalyansingh Chandel alias Piyush Agarwal, 29 and Anuj Bhagoria, 30, were arrested from Uttar Pradesh, whereas the third accused identified as Bhimsingh Meena, 28, were nabbed from Indore. Between April 2021 and March 16, 2023, the accused called the victim and lured him into investing in shares in AK Financial, a share trading company which was owned by Meena, said a police officer. The accused pretended to be employees of the company and sent the complainant an email along with all the relevant documents of the company to gain his trust. The fraud also told the complainant that he could invest in gold and gain huge profits through their company. Then, the victim had invested in the shares, after which the accused had sent screenshots of fake profits on his shares and got him to invest more money, added the officer. When the victim tried to encash the profits, the accused gave excuses of tax, however, when the victim insisted, the trio told him that his account had incurred losses and refused to give him the profits assuring him that if he invested more money, they could convert the loss into profit and send him. The officers from the North Region Cyber police station said that when the victim refused to invest more money, they threatened to send recovery agents to his house and harass his family members. By March this year, the victim had invested 31 lakh in the AK Financial company after which the victim approached the cyber police, said the police officer. The police then traced the bank accounts used by the accused and the IP addresses of their computer from which the email had been sent and tracked the accused. The police have recovered a laptop, several SIM cards and more than 15 debit cards linked to various bank accounts along with chequebooks and passbooks. We have arrested the accused and are trying to recover the money which was invested by the victim. We are also trying to find out how many more were cheated by the accused, said the officer. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday expressed pride in the role of swayamsevaks in building the National Cancer Institute at Nagpur saying this is the best example of team work by the sangh parivar. The RSS chief inaugurated the 710-bed cancer research institute in Nagpur. (Sunny Shende | HT) Inaugurating the 710-bed institute, Bhagwat said the swayamsevaks, led by Maharashtras deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and his team, worked tirelessly to complete this project of public interest. It feels good when Sangh activists do such a good job. Also Read: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat urges swayamsevaks to unite Hindus Their work was appreciated everywhere and the sangh always does such a good job where human touch is more important than anything, he said. Affinity and audacity to fight the disease is the first requirement when one is diagnosed with cancer and I am happy to note that this institute provides personal care to each of its patients. The doctors are the pillars in the treatment, and here everyone involved makes sure that half the battle for the patient is won even before the start of the treatment, he said. Bhagwat also said that treatment has to be made cheaper. Those who do not have the capacity they should be given free treatment and those who have it should give money and those who can help should come forward. He said that efforts will have to be made to reduce the cost of treatment by using other methods. Speaking on the occasion, chief minister Eknath Shinde said due to the increase in the number of cancer patients, the Tata Cancer Institute in Mumbai is overloaded with patients, and it is not possible for them to cater to each and everyone. However, this institute will provide the best treatment to the patients from Vidarbha and nearby areas. I would like to appeal to all the peoples representatives to take a leaf out of the work done in building this institute and build a hospital in their own constituencies, he said. Shinde also mentioned that a similar cancer institute is being built in Thane with the help of Tata Cancer Institute and the Thane Municipal Corporation. Fadnavis, credited by the institute for envisioning the project during his tenure as chief minister, praised the institute for its services and affordability. Mumbai: Over 20 lakh residents in the Vasai-Virar belt can breathe easy, as their persistent water woes are likely to lift soon. The state governments Surya Regional Water Supply Scheme is set to start from May, providing an additional 185 mld water to the suburbs. Gaurav Shrimankar, a resident of Mira Road said, There are 42 flats in the housing society I live in. We get water once in three days in low pressure. While both the civic body and local MLA have failed to heed our complaints, it is mindboggling how other regions of Mira Road are being developed. We are being told for a year that a new pipeline is being fixed, which will benefit us. We are waiting. . (HT PHOTO) In a little over a decade the population of areas governed by Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) has grown from 12.22 lakhs (in 2011) to 24 lakhs (in 2023), according to data accessed from Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). While the population has doubled, the civic body has failed to match the water supply, as a result which citizens have lived with scarcity for a decade. The beneficiaries from this crisis have been those running water tanker businesses, which thrives in the suburbs. This scenario is mirrored in areas governed by the Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation (MBMC) as well, which has a population of 14 lakh. The crisis becomes acute every summer. On April 18, Hindustan Times reported about the scarcity in a story titled, In Vasai-Virar protests yield water once in 8 days. Gaurav Shrimankar, a resident of Mira Road said, There are 42 flats in the housing society I live in. We get water once in three days in low pressure. While both the civic body and local MLA have failed to heed our complaints, it is mindboggling how other regions of Mira Road are being developed. We are being told for a year that a new pipeline is being fixed, which will benefit us. We are waiting. Nalasopara resident Deepak Bhagat said, We have to wait long for water in our area. I hope the new scheme will provide some relief to us, although the corporation should have met the demand. Soon, VVCMC can depend on water generated from Surya water supply scheme, while MBMC will get the benefit by the end of the year. Work on the Surya Regional Water Supply Scheme began in 2018, which will supply 403 mld water. MMRDA is on the last leg of laying the 90-km-long water pipeline from Surya Dam, built in the 1990s, in Dhamani village. The water lifted from downstream to the dam, will be treated in the new plant and distributed through the pipeline. The dam, spread across 203 square kilometres, currently holds over 10,000 million cubic feet (TMC) water. We have almost completed the work on the pump house in Kawadas, 30 kilometers from Dahanu town, and the water treatment plant in Suryanagar Colony, said an official from MMRDA. The pipeline will run parallel to the NH8 and pass through Vaitarna and Tansa rivers. Part of the pipeline will go through a 4.25 kilometer-long tunnel, located at least 40-50 meters below the Tungareshwar National Park and Diva-Vasai Railway line. The water will be supplied into an inlet Kawadas and drawn through six large pumps. SVR Srinivas, Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA, said: Vasai-Virar has been the fastest growing urban agglomeration in India over the last decade. It has a serious water issue. It will bring relief to the citizens here, as well as be an impetus to the growth of these suburbs. He added that after the water supply is regularised, many internal projects can be speeded up. We have allocated additional funds for the purpose, Srinivas said. Cities cannot grow and sustain without water. The VVCMC, which had stopped giving new water connections to new projects, around seven years ago, put out a notice in November 2022, asking citizens and committees of new buildings to apply for fresh connections as the city was set to get an additional quota soon. The Nagaland government will constitute a panel to consult different sections of the Naga society to frame a new municipal law according to the local customary and social practices, a minister in chief minister Neiphiu Rios cabinet informed on Thursday. A minister in chief minister Neiphiu Rios cabinet informed about the decision. (Neiphiu Rio | Twitter) There is no timeframe but the government is aware of the urgency, so we will lose no time, parliamentary affairs minister and former Rajya Sabha MP KG Kenye said while addressing a press conference in Kohima. He justified the move of Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) to repeal the Nagaland Municipal Act 2001 on March 28, saying that successive state governments attempts to amend the act had failed to fulfil the desire of the people. Elections to the states urban local bodies (ULB) have not been held in the state for almost two decades due to issues surrounding quotas for women and, a less discussed but significant matter of payment of land and property tax. Also Read: Nagaland assembly resolves to repeal Nagaland Municipal Act Leading Naga tribal bodies and civil society organisations have long opposed the ULB polls under the 2001 law on the contention that the act was copied from another state and certain clauses were in contravention to Article 371A of Constitution. Nagaland is a state created out of a political agreement with a special provision under Article 371A inserted in the Constitution of India which provides that no act of Parliament in respect of religious or social practices of the Nagas, Naga customary law and procedure, administration of civil and criminal justice involving decisions according to Naga customary law, and ownership and transfer of land and its resources shall apply to the state of Nagaland unless the NLA by a resolution so decides. After 22 years since the enactment of our Municipal Act, we have reached a stage where we had to relook, and the NLA resolved to completely repeal the act, Kenye said. He maintained that the act was enacted in the backdrop of Nagaland being a resource-crunch state where the Centre was to provide funds for developing the townships only if there was a municipal law in place. While not alleging the then lawmakers of any ill motive, he said the act was enacted without realising that it will contravene the social practices as protected in Article 371A. It was not in consonance with the views and stand of the Naga people, he added. On the allegation of civil society organisations that the states municipal act was borrowed from another state, Kenye admitted it was true and that the act was copied from the states where municipal law was already implemented. Minister Kenye also pointed out that there were oversights on the part of the then executive as well. With due apology, they should have framed our own law. It was a gross oversight on their part that the legislative assembly was made to adopt the act in haste, he asserted. On the ongoing litigation in the Supreme Court through a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) seeking 33% reservation for women in civic bodies in Nagaland, Kenye claimed some sections of the media have exaggeratedly reported that CM Rios government was charged with contempt of court for repealing the municipal act. Stating that the court had listed the next hearing on May 1, the minister expressed that the state governments legal team would throw light on the issue and clear the air so that the apex court will give a fair judgment. The apex court on April 17 issued notices to the government for striking down its own municipal act and asked the Centre to make its stand clear whether the constitutional scheme of one-third reservation for women in municipal and town council elections can be violated by the Nagaland government by repealing the 2001 law. The court observed that though the state had resorted to the special provision/exemption under Article 371A, it has not been able to demonstrate that there are social, religious or customary practices of the Naga community which precludes women from participating in elections. PATNA: Ailing Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad is expected to return to Patna on Friday afternoon after a long stay in New Delhi following his kidney transplant surgery in Singapore in December, party functionaries aware of the development said. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav meets RJD supremo Lalu Prasad in New Delhi on Thursday. (ANI) There are chances of the RJD chief returning to Patna on Friday. He is likely to come by an afternoon flight, said Chittaranjan Gagan, state spokesperson. Lalu had come to Patna in mid-August last year and left after staying in the state capital for less than a month in mid-September. Lalus return assumes significance at a time when chief minister Nitish Kumar is working to forge a larger opposition front to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. There are also speculations that a high-level meeting of various opposition parties to chalk out a blueprint for the proposed front would be held in Patna in mid-May. On Thursday, Samajwadi party chief Akhilesh Yadav called on the RJD chief at the residence of Rajya Sabha MP Misa Bharti in New Delhi. The meeting comes after the CM had met the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister in Lucknow on April 25. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan, serving a life term in prison for the murder of district magistrate G Krishnaiah in 1994, walked out of Bihars Saharsa jail on Thursday days after chief minister Nitish Kumar-led dispensation amended the Bihar Prison Manual, 2012. Bihar chief minister attends engagement ceremony of Anand Mohans son (File Photo) However, the decision to release Mohan is being viewed from different angles as he is likely to join the Rashtra Janata Dal (RJD), a party founded by former chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, his rival. While his release is being praised by several communities, however, many others, including the IAS bodies, have opposed the decision, including the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The question here is how much will the grand alliance be benefited or harmed by the R (Rajput) factor. Obviously, the release of Mohan has been done with an eye on elections. After the death of Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and Narendra Singh, there was a vacuum of Rajput leaders in the RJD. Jagdanand Singh has not been able to win the support of his community. In such a situation, Anand Mohan can fill in the gap, said D M Diwakar, social scientist and former director of A N Sinha Institute of Social Studies. Also Read: Murdered IAS officers wife appeals to PM Modi after ex-Bihar MP freed from jail However, he warned that the move could also face a backlash from the and his release is being opposed by the IAS bodies and the Dalit community is questioning the governments decision. The former MP still has respect, especially among youths who are unaware of his past. He is counted as an outspoken leader and had been known for his oratory skills, said a leader from Madhepura. A political observer based in Madhepura, Pradeep Kumar Jha, doesnt see any major impact of Anand Mohan. His influence over the people especially over the Rajput community has shrunk during his 16-year-jail period and at a time when people irrespective of their castes look sharply divided over the Central and State politics. Rajput community constitutes below 10% of voters in Kosi and Seemanchal, he said. He added, Even his organisation and friends of Anand, once very active in these two regions, have almost been moribund and it is not easy now to revive them as several Rajput leaders have emerged during his absence. A senior RJD leader also doesnt see any big gain for the RJD. Once a right hand of Anand Mohan, BJP MLA and former minister Neeraj Singh Babloo has emerged as a Rajput leader in Kosi and now it is not easy for Anand Mohan to dislodge him, admitted the RJD leader. In 1990, Mohan contested and won the assembly elections from Mahishi in Saharsa on a Janata Dal ticket. In 1993, he formed Bihar Peoples Party and in 1996, he became a Lok Sabha MP with the help of the BJP from Seohar. In 1998, he became a Lok Sabha MP and in 1999, he from an RJD candidate. In the latest in 2020, his son Chetan Anand fought and won the Sheohar seat on an RJD ticket. Acceptance in other castes It is being said that Mohan has wide acceptability among other upper castes, including Bhumihars, following his popularity with the upper caste after he defeated Lalu Prasads party in Vaishali in 1994 and bonded the Bhumihar and Rajput communities. A general perception among RJD and Janata Dal (United) [JDU] leaders is that Mohan would help in polarization in Seemanchal and Kosi regions. The JD(U) has been banking on BJP votes in Kosi region. Now with Rajputs solidly behind BJP, JD(U) is looking forward towards Mohan, said a JD(U) leader. However, the people of Madhepura are not ready to accept this belief. Gone are the days and people do not want to relive the era of the 1990s. The people rejected Pappu Yadav and they will do so with Mohan as well. Moreover, it would be interesting to see if Yadav gel with Rajputs, said Anand Mandal of Muroh (Madhepura), the birthplace of B P Mandal of Mandal Commission, who belonged to a Yadav family from Madhepura. Impact on Lok Sabha seats The Rajput community form about 5.2% of Bihars population. Of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, Rajputs votes play a decisive role at least on eight seats. There are 3-4 lakh Rajput class voters here and 28 Lok Sabha constituencies, where the Rajput population is more than 1 lakh. In the 90s, when caste war came to the fore and when Mandal politics was at its peak, Mohan emerged as the leader of the upper castes. Also Read: BJP targets Nitish Kumar over Anand Mohans release, triggers row Amitesh Kumar, another political observer of Kosi region opines, The release of Mohan will slightly impact on 10 Lok Sabha seats and 35 assembly seats in Bihar where Rajput voters hold some sway. He, however, claimed that Mohan can no longer remain with one party or under subjugation. The man who came up in politics against a certain community (Yadav) can hardly be accepted by people. The days are not far away when Anand Mohan will make his own party or revive his old party Bihar Peoples Party when he will be free for negotiation with anyone, Kumar added. Meanwhile, after his release, the BJP which is feeling secure ahead of Mohans induction into the RJD, the party has demanded the release of Prabhunath Singh, another Rajput leader lodged in jail. The upper caste, backwards, very backward people are all with BJP in Bihar. Everyones favourite is PM Narendra Modi. No matter how much the GA tries, the people of Bihar will support the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, said BJP spokesperson Prem Ranjan Patel. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON SASARAM: Government doctors in Bihars Rohtas district have told local Bihar Special Armed Police officers to take action against three personnel who allegedly thrashed a doctor for refusing to give them medical certificates for sick leave. Dr DK Singh Mantu, secretary of the Bihar Health Service Association (BHSA), said on Thursday that the Rohtas civil surgeon Dr KN Tiwary convened an emergency meeting (Getty Images/iStockphoto) Dr DK Singh Mantu, secretary of the Bihar Health Service Association (BHSA), said on Thursday that the Rohtas civil surgeon Dr KN Tiwary convened an emergency meeting where it was decided to formally ask the local commandant of the Bihar Special Armed Police battalion - the force was earlier called Bihar Military Police - and the district police to take action against three personnel alleged to be involved in the incident. Dr Tiwary is also the president of the districts BHSA unit. According to the doctors, Dr Vishnukant who was posted at the Debri sub-divisional hospital was approached on April 22 by three personnel of the armed police for medical certificates that would help them get marked on leave. It is alleged that when Dr Vishnukant refused to comply, the three men locked him in his office and thrashed him. The doctor was eventually rescued by hospital staffers and guards. The BHSA communication to the armed police officers to ask their subordinates not to seek fake certificates Dr DK Singh Mantu said the doctors also resolved not to issue medical certificates for leave to any BMP personnel in any government hospital of the district. The three police personnel were identified by the doctors as Jitendra Kumar, Amrendra Kumar and Abhimanyu Kumar. Doctors said the police was given a formal complaint by the hospitals deputy superintendent soon after the assault but the police had not taken any action. Rohtas superintendent of police (SP) Vineet Kumar said the doctor and the constable have given complaints against each other. Police are inquiring into them and will take appropriate action, the SP said, a reference to a complaint by constable Amrendra Kumar that the doctor demanded a 1,000 bribe for the certificate and that the doctor assaulted him when he was recording the incident on a mobile phone. HT has reviewed the complaints filed by the doctor and the constable. A second doctor, Dr Pankaj Kumar Tripathy, has alleged that constable Jitendra Kumar assaulted him also on October 1 last year for not issuing a fake medical certificate to him. Dr Tripathi said he had asked the constable to ask doctors at the BMP hospital on their campus for the certificate. Former lawmaker Anand Mohan, who was serving a life sentence for the murder of an IAS officer in Bihar three decades ago, walked out of Saharsa jail early Thursday morning, even as Bihar chief secretary Amir Subhani defended the state governments decision saying his release was as per legal provisions and questions being raised over it were baseless. Bihar chief secretary Amir Subhani addresses a press conference in Patna on Thursday. (Santosh Kumar/HT Photo) Mohan, who was released from Saharsa jail before dawn, has spent 15 years behind the bars after being convicted for the 1994 murder of G Krishnaiah, the then district magistrate of Gopalganj. Krishnaiah, who hailed from present-day Telangana and was from a scheduled caste, was beaten to death by a mob in 1994 when his vehicle tried to overtake a funeral procession in Muzaffarpur district. Mohan, who was then an MLA, was leading the procession taken out upon the death of his close associate Chhotan Shukla, a dreaded figure who was shot dead by his rivals. The remission of Mohans sentence followed an April 10 amendment of Bihar Prison Manual by the Nitish Kumar government whereby the restriction on early release of those involved in killing of a public servant on duty was done away with. Meanwhile, addressing a press conference in Patna on Thursday, chief secretary Subhani said, No special favour has been done to anybody. The prison rules are amended from time to time, in the normal course. The clause about government servant on duty was dropped because it was found to be discriminatory. Moreover, we found no other state treating such killings differently. He said that the State Sentence Remission Board, which includes two members of the judiciary, has received 1,061 clemency petitions in the last six years during which it has met 22 times. Release of 698 prisoners has been approved, based on the feedback on conduct of the inmates received from authorities concerned. This is besides special pardons given to first-time offenders, who are serving jail terms of 10 years. Such prisoners are freed on occasions like Gandhi Jayanti, Republic Day and Independence Day, Subhani said. He pointed out that Mohan had spent 15 years, nine months and 25 days in prison but parried questions as to whether aggrieved family members of Krishnaiah were given an opportunity to raise objections against his release. He (Anand Mohan) spent 15 years nine months and 25 days in jail. With remission, he has completed sentence of 22 years and 13 days, the chief secretary said. In a related development, a plea filed in the Patna High Court on Wednesday has challenged the recent amendment to prison rules in Bihar that facilitated the early release of Anand Mohan and 26 others. What is the purpose of any such amendment which is not in the public interest? Public servants were not consulted. Those who were affected were not consulted. It is not in public interest. This amendment is arbitrary and unfair, said advocate Alka Verma, who is the petitioner. Outside the jail in Saharsa, there was no celebratory gathering when Anand Mohan walked out around 4 am, a jail official said. The former MP was on a 15-day parole to attend the engagement ceremony of his legislator son Chetan Anand and had returned to the prison on April 26. On Wednesday, the prisons department released around 14 convicts from various jails as part of the governments recent decision to free 27 prisoners. Reacting to Mohans release, senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Modi said the Bihar government was trying to defend the indefensible. The government has changed a clause in the prison manual to set free a person who was held guilty by the Supreme Court, while it has no sensitivity to set free innocent poor and Dalits languishing in jails under the failed prohibition law, he said. Case recap Anand Mohan, who was the founder of now defunct Bihar Peoples Party (BPP), was leading the funeral procession of party leader Chhotan Shukla in Muzaffarpur on December 5, 1994, when G Krishnaiah, then Goaplganjs district magistrate, was passing through the area in his official car. A mob, allegedly incited by Mohan, dragged the 1985-batch IAS officer out of his car and lynched him to death. Mohan was sentenced to death by a trial court in 2007. However, the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by the Patna High Court a year later. He then moved the Supreme Court, which turned down his plea for relief. In his heyday, Anand Mohan held significant influence among the Rajput community, which he came from. His wife Lovely Anand was elected to the Lok Sabha from Vaishali in 1994. She expressed relief over his release for which she profusely thanked chief minister Nitish Kumar. We are pained by the brutal manner in which an honest officer like G Krishnaiah was killed. I fully empathise with the suffering of his wife. But my husband was not even present at the site of the incident. Had he been there, he would have tried to save Krishnaiah even at the cost of his own life, she said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Bihars decision to release convicted gangster Anand Mohan Singh from jail has birthed an awkward situation only made possible by the shifting tides of electoral politics an administration avowedly committed to social justice and upliftment of marginalised groups granting remission to an upper-caste criminal serving a life term for the grisly murder of a young Dalit bureaucrat. Mr Singh still retains considerable political influence, especially among his Rajput community, and will no doubt prove electorally useful in the 2024 general elections, and the state polls scheduled the year after. But the choice to tweak regulations to enable his release may end up hurting Nitish Kumars carefully crafted image of being a good administrator and signal the return of baahubali (strongman) politics to the state. PREMIUM Former MP Anand Mohan Singh. (HT Photo) Mr Singh was serving a life term for the murder of district magistrate G Krishnaiah, who was lynched in 1994. Before the Patna high court and the Supreme Court, Bihar pushed for the maximum sentence. It must explain what changed between then and April 10, when the authorities removed the murderer of a government servant on duty category from the category of crimes that rendered prisoners ineligible for remission. The government has refuted Opposition allegations that the motive behind the decision was purely political. But the development further cements the perception that obscure rules are being weaponised unethically by governments of all ideological shades for political expediency. Whether it be the controversial release of the men who raped Bilkis Bano or the gangster who killed a young officer to send a message, such incidents subvert the rule of law and erode due process. Politicians must reconsider such tactics. National Testing Agency, NTA will close the NCHM JEE 2023 registration process on April 27, 2023. Candidates who want to apply for National Council for Hotel Management Joint Entrance Examination 2023 can do it through the official site of NTA NCHM at nchmjee.nta.nic.in. NCHM JEE 2023 registration ends today, apply at nchmjee.nta.nic.in The correction window will open on April 28 and will close on April 30, 2023. The exam will be conducted on May 14, 2023 in single shift from 9 am to 12 noon. The question paper will comprise of 200 questions and medium of question paper is in English and Hindi. For each wrong answer, 1 mark will be deducted from the total score. NCHM JEE 2023 registration: How to apply To apply for the exam, candidates can follow the steps given below. Visit the official site of NTA NCHM at nchmjee.nta.nic.in. Register yourself and login to the account. Fill in the application form and upload the necessary documents. Make the payment of fees and click on submit. Download the page and keep a hard copy of the same for further need. The admit card date will be announced in due course of time. For more related details candidates can check the official site of NCHM JEE. Arrested Former Prime Minister Accused of Abuse of Power The arrest of Burundi's former prime minister, Alain Guillaume Bunyoni, should be followed by a full judicial investigation of abuses by the country's security forces during his time in power, leading to the prosecution and fair trial of anyone responsible for serious crimes. Bunyoni rose through the ranks of the ruling National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie-Forces de defense de la democratie, CNDD-FDD) after the civil war. He was minister of public security from 2015 to 2020, including during a violent crackdown that began in 2015. At the time, Human Rights Watch documented how police killed and tortured suspected government opponents. He was removed from his position as prime minister in September 2022. On April 23, Burundi's national prosecutor Sylvestre Nyandwi, after days of confusion, confirmed Buyoni had been arrested. He is now in the custody of the national intelligence service according to the prosecutor's office, and has been charged with undermining the internal security of the State as well as the national economy and abuse of power to illegally receive interest. However, there is no indication that criminal abuses by the police during his period of office are also being investigated. Last week, authorities also arrested Bunyoni's right-hand man Desire Uwamahoro, who has held several senior positions in the police. It is unclear what charges he is facing. Human Rights Watch and Burundian non-governmental organizations have documented cases of killings, torture, and arbitrary detention by Burundian police. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Human Rights NGO Burundi By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. The opaque circumstances surrounding Bunyoni's arrest are symptomatic of how political cases are often handled in Burundi. The national human rights commission (Commission nationale independante des droits de l'homme, CNIDH) tweeted on April 22 that it had visited him in detention. However, for several days, the authorities failed to confirm his whereabouts, whether he had access to a lawyer, or the conditions of his imprisonment. His wife and four of their children were reportedly held incommunicado at their house for five days from April 17. Justice should not be at the mercy of political maneuverings and party in-fighting. Decisions to prosecute should be made on the basis of evidence following a full and independent criminal investigation, and by prosecutors independent of political interference. For the process to be transparent and credible, however, Bunyoni should be given a fair trial - in the presence of independent monitors - and be treated according to established legal rules and principles, including access to his lawyer and family. Clementine de Montjoye, Researcher Masao Maruyama, the founder of MAPPA and Madhouse Studios and a well-respected figure in the anime industry, recently made a bold statement in an interview with AFP News. He warned that Japan's anime industry could soon lose its top spot to China due to its excessive focus on commercialization. Maruyama argues that this preoccupation has hindered the industry's ability to cultivate the next generation of animators. Founder of MAPPA and Madhouse Studios, Masao Maruyama, warns Japan's anime industry risks losing to China due to a fixation on commercialization.(AFP) "In Japan, people are no longer trained in animation, Maruyama said. The only reason China hasnt quite caught up with Japan yet is because of a bunch of restrictions imposed on free expression there. If more freedom is unleashed, Japan will be overtaken in no time." Despite his fears, Maruyama believes that creating work is all about challenging yourself to do something new. But creating works is all about challenging yourself to do something new, regardless of what you said in the past. That makes you selfish in a way, and its a trait Ive inherited in its pure form. Maruyama's career spans 50 years, and he has been involved in the anime industry since 1965, starting his career at Mushi Pro, a studio headed by legendary manga author Osamu Tezuka. In 1972, Maruyama co-founded Madhouse studio and was instrumental in planning and executing some of the most iconic anime movies in history. However, he departed from Madhouse in 2011 to create MAPPA studio and later founded Studio M2. At the age of 81, Maruyama acknowledges that his career is winding down as he gets ready to hand over the reins to the next generation. Despite his immense contributions to the industry, he maintains a critical outlook towards its current state, cautioning that Japan's dominance in the anime industry could be at stake. M2, Maruyama's other production studio, is currently producing an anime adaptation of Naoki Urasawa's Pluto, set to be exclusively released on Netflix in 2023. Set to release exclusively on Netflix in 2023, this collaboration marks the third time Maruyama has tackled one of Urasawa's masterpieces. The visionary producer had previously worked on the anime adaptations of "Monster" and "Master Keaton" under his former studio, Madhouse. Despite Maruyama's doubts, the anime industry remains a massive cultural export for Japan. With China's rise, Japan may have to re-evaluate its priorities to maintain its dominance in the industry. Only time will tell whether Japan can continue to produce innovative, creative works that appeal to fans worldwide. Actor Chrisann Pereira, who was seen in Alia Bhatt-starrer Sadak 2 in 2020, has been released from a Sharjah jail. The actor has been in news with connection to a drugs-smuggling case. She was arrested earlier this month in Sharjah after drugs were found hidden in a trophy she was carrying. Her family had alleged that the actor had been framed. It has now been confirmed that Chrisann has been released from jail. Also read: Sadak 2 actor Chrisann Pereira locked in Sharjah jail; family cries she is a victim of drug trafficking Chrisann Pereira is out of jail now. "Actor Chrisann Pereira, who was imprisoned in a Sharjah jail in a case of alleged drugs smuggling, has been released from jail, confirms her brother Kevin Pereira," news agency ANI tweeted on Thursday. Recently, the Mumbai Crime Branch had arrested two people on charges of framing the actor in connection with the alleged drugs-smuggling case. A metropolitan magistrate court in Mumbai on Tuesday had remanded a baker named Anthony Paul and his associate Rajesh Babhote alias Ravi to police custody till May 2. The two were arrested for allegedly framing actor Chrisann Pereira, and four others into becoming drug mules. Police said Anthony Paul is the mastermind, who had allegedly planted and procured marijuana and opium in parcels given to the five people, including the actor, to settle personal scores. We will interrogate Paul to know from whom he procured the drugs and ascertain if he is into drug peddling. Paul was the business partner of Premila, Chrisanns mother. We will also probe if there were any business-related issues between them, said a crime branch official. As part of Anthony Pauls nefarious plan, Chrisann was allegedly sent to Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE) for an audition, and just before boarding the flight, she was given a trophy stuffed with ganja (marijuana). She was told that the trophy was part of the audition prop. Police said another victim, Clynton Rodricks, is a DJ and was also sent by Anthony Paul to Sharjah with a cake carrying opium and was arrested at the airport. According to police, during Covid-19 lockdown, Chrisanns mother Premilas pet dog had barked at and tried to bite Anthony Paul, because of this he got angry and picked up a chair to beat the dog, which Premila did not like and insulted him in front of other people. Anthony Paul then decided to take revenge. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Alia Bhatt recently talked about a healthy amount of mom guilt in her life during an interview. She said it makes her anxious at times when thinking about work and baby, however, she said she takes therapy to understand these things. She also admitted to wondering what people think of her and added that workplaces should grant time to new mothers instead of removing them. Also read: Ranbir Kapoor holding Raha looks like a giant holding a puppy, says Alia Bhatt Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor welcomed daughter Raha Kapoor in November 2022. Alia Bhatt married Ranbir Kapoor in April last year after dating for years. The couple welcomed a daughter, they named Raha in November. Not only Alia worked actively throughout her pregnancy but also resumed work soon after Raha's arrival. During an interview with Vogue India, Alia pointed out, But there is still a healthy amount of mom guilt. She said, It does make me anxious to think whether I am doing right by my baby and work. Theres so much pressure on women to ace both...almost like this old-school dogma that once you have a baby, you have to martyr your career or youre not a model mum. Its very important for new mothers to get that time off work to gather their bearings, and its equally crucial for corporations and industries to grant them that time instead of writing them off. The actor was further asked if her struggle is less challenging for her due to her star status. She responded, "It definitely is, but Im always wondering what people are thinking. Do they actually think Im managing well or are they only saying it to placate me? Even if there isnt judgement, you feel very critical of yourself. But I work hard at my mental healthI go to therapy every week where I voice these fears. And it helps me understand that this is not something that I will be able to figure out on day one or five or even ten; its an ever-evolving, ever-growing process. You have to be able to pick up the pieces of yourself and build anew every day. Theres nothing like, Oh Ive got it together... Im coping excellently... I have all the answers. No one has all the answers. Alia was last seen in Ayan Mukerji's Brahmastra Part 1: Shiva with Ranbir. She is currently gearing up for her Hollywood debut with Heart of Stone. She also has Karan Johar's Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani lined up for release this year. Alia is also a part of Farhan Akhtar's Jee Le Zaraa and is likely to start filming this year. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Alia Bhatt spoke about five-month-old daughter Raha Kapoor in a new interview. The actor reflected on her life as a new mom, having 'the busiest two years of her life', both personally and professionally, and being a 'control freak'. Alia, who is married to actor Ranbir Kapoor, also spoke about juggling work and motherhood, and the attention her recent weight loss has garnered. Also read: Alia Bhatt on why she 'had to lose weight' after daughter Raha Kapoor's birth Alia Bhatt spoke about her weight loss in a new interview. Alia said that contrary to popular belief, she did not lose her postpartum weight 'unnaturally'. The actor clarified that since she was breastfeeding, she was not taking any chances and putting pressure on herself to get back to her pre-pregnancy body. Alia Bhatt also said that she was even unable to get her wisdom tooth extracted as she cant be given anaesthesia, forget putting anything else in her body to lose weight fast. I know everyone believes that I lost weight unnaturally, but the truth is that I cant even get my wisdom tooth extracted at the moment since Im breastfeeding and cant be given anaesthesia. I didnt put any pressure on myself," Alia told Vogue India. Alia Bhatt welcomed her baby girl with actor-husband Ranbir Kapoor on November 6, 2023. In an interview earlier this year, Alia had spoken about the pressure women face thanks to social media in today's age' I really want to talk about this. A lot of women struggle with their new appearance post pregnancy. They tend to put a lot of pressure on themselves to get back to looking a certain way. Everyone wants to lose weight and I can relate to that. I love food, I love to eat and I had to lose weight because films are a visual medium and you need to look healthy. You have to look appealing. In todays age, with every picture appearing on social media, girls even before pregnancy are constantly worried about how they look. Women should take a moment to appreciate their bodies," Alia had told ETimes in January, 2023. Last year, Alia appeared in four films, including RRR and Brahmastra: Part One Shiva, her first film with actor-husband Ranbir Kapoor. This year, she will be seen in Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani alongside Ranveer Singh and in her Hollywood debut, Heart of Stone, co-starring Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan. She also has Farhan Akhtar's Jee Le Zaraa with Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif as one of her upcoming projects. Alia is also set to make her Met Gala debut this year at the event to be held on May 1. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Sadak 2 actor Chrisann Pereira shared details of her 26 days in Sharjah jail after she was arrested in an alleged drug smuggling case. She maintained that she was framed in the case and was released. In a letter, she talked about washing her hair with laundry detergent and even made coffee using toilet water. Also read: Actor Chrisann Pereira released from Sharjah jail after being arrested in drug smuggling case, confirms her brother Actor Chrisann Pereira was arrested in a drug case. In the letter, Chrisann wrote, Dear Warriors, It took me three weeks and five days to find pen and paper in jail. After I washed my hair with Tide and made coffee using toilet water, I watched Bollywood movies, sometimes with tears in my eyes knowing my ambition brought me here. I sometimes smile at our culture, our movies and the familiar faces on TV. I feel proud to be an Indian and belong to the Indian film industry. She further thanked those, including her mom, dad, friends, media, police and churches, who had faith in her during the trial and added, You are the real warriors while I am just a pawn in this dirty game played by these Mansters. I am forever grateful to everyone who tweeted and reshared my story to arrest the real criminals facilitating international organised crime. We are a great powerful nation and I cannot wait to return home. Thank you for saving my life and the lives of other innocent people who fell prey to this scam. May justice always prevail. Chrisann was arrested earlier this month in Sharjah after drugs were found in a trophy that she was carrying. Her family had alleged that the actor had been framed. Recently, the Mumbai Crime Branch arrested two people, a baker named Anthony Paul and his associate Rajesh Babhote alias Ravi, on charges of framing the actor in connection with the alleged drugs-smuggling case. A metropolitan magistrate court in Mumbai on Tuesday remanded the two arrested people to police custody till May 2. The two were arrested for allegedly framing actor Chrisann Pereira, and four others. Meanwhile, the actor is likely to reach India in two days, Joint Commissioner of Police (crime) Lakhmi Gautam said on Wednesday. Chrisann has worked in Sadak 2 and Batla House. She also appeared in the web series Thinkistan and was a part of plays like Three Women, Drumroll and Sundays. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Family Man actor Manoj Bajpayee posed with his real-life family in a new picture that he shared on Instagram. Manoj was accompanied by his wife Shabana Raza, who has acted in films, and their daughter Ava Nayla in the beautiful picture that was clicked inside their house. (Also read: Manoj Bajpayee on marriage with Shabana: 'Shes a proud Muslim and Im a proud Hindu, but there's no clash') Manoj Bajpayee with wife Shabana Raza and daughter Ava Nayla. Sharing the picture on Instagram, Manoj Bajpayee wrote a simple caption, Fam, along with an evil eye emoji. In the picture Manoj was seen in a white kurta, while Shabana wore a traditional pink ensemble. She looked radiant in minimal makeup and finished the look in a messy bun. Seated between Manoj and Shabana was their daughter Ava, in a light sea-green ensemble. All three of them smiled for the camera. Many friends and co-stars of Manoj reacted to the family picture and wrote in the comments section. Actor Gajraj Rao commented, "Lovely (red heart emoticons)." Actor Tilotamma Shome commented, "Beautiful." Meanwhile, actor Sunny Hinduja, who was recently seen in Kartik Aaryan's Shehzada, commented Love with a heart emoticon. Many fans also took to the comments to refer to the actor's Prime Video series The Family Man and asked the actor about the next season. Earlier talking about the relationship with Shabana, Manoj had told Barkha Dutt on Mojo Story, Shes a proud Muslim, like Im a proud Hindu, but it doesnt clash with each other. Because we are more spiritual than religious. Even if they wouldve talk about the religion of my wife, they could not have the strength or the courage to speak to me, on my face. Because they know that I dont mince my words. Im very hard when it comes to anyone talking like that. I come very, very hard. Im a tough guy then. Manoj, who has starred in several acclaimed films such as Satya (1998), Aligarh (2015), and Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), among many others, has also won three National Film Awards for his films Satya (1998), Pinjar (2003) and Bhonsle (2018). Manoj was last seen in the film Gulmohar with veteran actor Sharmila Tagore. The film was released last month on Disney+ Hotstar. The actor will reportedly soon begin work on the third season of his Prime Video's series The Family Man. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Actors Shah Rukh Khan and Taapsee Pannu yesterday wrapped up the Kashmir leg of the shoot for their upcoming film, Dunki. A source close to the films unit says, SRK shot near the Thajwas glacier located at an altitude of 10,000 ft above the sea level where the set had been established. Actor Shah Rukh Khan shot with Taapsee Pannu in Kashmir, for their upcoming film Dunki. Upon arrival on Monday, Khan was directly flown to a tourist resort in Sonamarg amid tight security arrangements. With this, the Pathaan actor visited Kashmir Kashmir after 11 years. He was last there to shoot for late filmmaker Yash Chopras Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012). Joined by his co-star Taapsee Pannu for the Rajkumar Hirani directorial, the two were seen romancing in the meadows of Sonamarg. They shot for a love song with choreographer Ganesh Acharya. They also shot in the Pampore and Srinagar, confirms a crew member, adding that the team shot under three-tier security cover in the militancy hit valley. No unnecessary movement of the locals was allowed close to the area falling within the film set. We didnt want the shoot to be disrupted in any case as back in 2012 when he was shooting for Jab Tak Hai Jaan in Pahalgam, we came across the huge rush of fans on the sets which halted our shoot. And then we had to block the road leading to our set. This time we [wanted to] ensure that things go smoothly, adds the crew member. A hut, with Turkish ambience, was set up near Thajwas glacier, where both the actors were scheduled to shoot. Sources also say that director Raj Kumar Hirani had promised J&K Lieutenant Governor that he will put all the efforts to bring Bollywood films back to the valley back in August 2021 when launched the J & K Film Policy along with him. K-pop group Astro's member MJ took to Instagram and poured his heart out in an emotional post for Moonbin. Also a member of Astro, Moonbin was founded dead at his apartment on April 19. MJ, who is currently serving in the army, might not be able to visit Moonbin's memorial site in Seoul any time soon, but paid a tribute to him on social media. Also read: Moonbin's sister Moon Sua pens heartbreaking note at memorial, Astro's MJ says 'I'm sorry I couldn't protect you' Astro's MJ revealed plans of moving in with Moonbin after military. MJ posted a throwback photo of himself, clicked right before he enlisted for military service. In the photo, Moonbin is seen saluting MJ. Taking a walk down memory lane, MJ revealed how he and Moonbin had planned to live together once he was done with his mandatory service. As per Allkpop's translation, MJ wrote in Korean, My dongsaeng Bin-ah. It still doesnt feel real. This is supposed to be how its like, right? Just how lonely and in pain must you have been in alone You mustve been suffering Even in that situation, you were worried about our team and our members to the very end You shouldve worried about yourself first, you dummy Ill try to fulfill the picture you wanted us to draw. Im sorry for leaving you in pain alone and not being by your side. This is all I can say, and Im so angry at myself for that If I knew that my last performance with you was the fan meeting right before I enlisted, I would have tried to meet eyes with you more on stage and joke around more with you, sticking by your side "Sometimes when youd call and say you would come to visit me in the army, just how happy I was and how much I anticipated for that day to come Its still so vivid, your voice back then Do you remember? We called and talked about how we should live together after I was discharged from the army. When I said that, you laughed and said youd think about it and let me know Seems like Im unable to receive a response in the end^^. I want to hear it even in my dreams, so please visit me and tell me. In a shocking turn of events, former "Jackass" star Bam Margera has surrendered to authorities after a warrant was issued for his arrest. The 43-year-old reality TV personality has been accused of assaulting his brother, Jesse Margera, during a domestic disturbance at their Pennsylvania home. The incident has sparked controversy and left fans and onlookers stunned. In a shocking turn of events, former "Jackass" star Bam Margera has surrendered to authorities after a warrant was issued for his arrest. The 43-year-old reality TV personality has been accused of assaulting his brother, Jesse Margera, during a domestic disturbance at their Pennsylvania home.(Todd Williamson/Invision/AP) According to court documents, Jesse Margera reported that Bam pounded and kicked his locked bedroom door before engaging in a violent confrontation in the kitchen. Allegedly, Bam punched his brother in the eye, nose, and ear, leaving him with minor injuries. Adding to the drama, Jesse discovered a threatening note signed by Bam, further escalating tensions. The situation took a dramatic turn when Bam fled the property on foot through dense woods, evading the arrival of state troopers. However, his escape was short-lived, as he ultimately turned himself into Pennsylvania State Police in Avondale. The arrest warrant charged him with simple assault, harassment, and four counts of terroristic threats. Despite the serious accusations, Bam Margera maintains his innocence. In a statement following his surrender, he vehemently denied the allegations and expressed his intention to pursue legal action against his brother for defamation. He also vowed to evict Jesse from "Castle Bam" in the near future, claiming that the incident was provoked by Jesse's desire to have Bam returned to California and involuntarily committed. Bam Margera's attorney, Michael van der Veen, has affirmed his client's plea of not guilty and emphasized that Bam enjoys the presumption of innocence. Van der Veen also dismissed the rumors surrounding Bam's behavior, asserting that they are completely false. He assured the public that Bam is in good health and good spirits. This recent controversy is not the first time that Bam Margera has faced legal troubles. In 2021, he filed a lawsuit against Paramount, Johnny Knoxville, Spike Jonze, and Jeffrey Tremaine, alleging wrongful termination from the "Jackass" franchise's fourth film. The lawsuit claimed that Bam was coerced into signing a "wellness agreement" and wrongfully fired after testing positive for the prescription drug Adderall, which he requires to treat his attention deficit disorder. As Bam Margera awaits his court hearing scheduled for the end of May, the public watches with bated breath to see how this scandalous saga unfolds. The once-beloved star has found himself embroiled in controversy, and the outcome of his legal battle will determine his future both personally and professionally. On Wednesday, actor Jr NTR, who is reportedly all set to make his Bollywood debut soon with War 2, took out time to visit Allu Arjun and Sukumar on the sets of in Ramoji Film City (RFC), Hyderabad. A picture of Jr NTR from the shooting floor of Pushpa: The Rule, part 2 in the Pushpa franchise, in RFC has surfaced on social media. Also read: Pushpa 2 The Rule first look Jr NTR was seen in the Telugu hit RRR; Allu Arjun in a still from Pushpa. The reason behind Jr NTRs visit to the Pushpa 2 sets is yet unknown. However, it certainly got his fans excited, when the picture got leaked. The actor wore a white shirt with grey pants and walked with security in the photo. The shoot of Pushpa 2, which has resumed after a short break, is currently progressing at breakneck speed in Hyderabad. The team is said to be shooting some high-octane action sequences. Pushpa 2 went on the floors last November. The second part will focus on the face-off between Allu Arjun and Fahadh Faasil, who was introduced as the prime antagonist towards the end of the first part. The film also stars Rashmika Mandanna, who plays the character of Srivalli. Originally shot in Telugu, the first part of Pushpa was dubbed and released in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada. Its the first film for Allu Arjun to have a simultaneous release in five languages. The film saw Arjun play the role of a lorry driver, who smuggles red sandalwood and eventually becomes a key player of the syndicate. Meanwhile, Jr NTR is currently busy with the shoot of his next yet-untitled Telugu film with director Koratala Siva. Dubbed NTR 30, the project marks the Telugu debut of Janhvi Kapoor and it is gearing up for release later this year. NTR 30 was officially launched with a pooja ceremony earlier this year. Filmmaker SS Rajamouli, who presided over as the special guest for the programme, clapped the first shot and commenced the shooting. The project reportedly also marks the Telugu debut of Saif Ali Khan, who will be seen playing the antagonist. Two weeks ago, Saif joined the sets and the makers even released a couple of pictures. ott:10 SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON press release Following the arrest of the former Burundian prime minister, Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni, on 21 April 2023, and his right-hand man Desire Uwamahoro on 18 April 2023, Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director Flavia Mwangovya said: "This is an opportunity for the Burundian authorities to ensure accountability for serious human rights violations. Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni, in his previous role as minister of public security, had oversight responsibility for the police, who violently repressed real and perceived political opponents. Amnesty International has documented the involvement of Desire Uwamahoro, who held several senior positions in the police, in such violations." This is an opportunity for the Burundian authorities to ensure accountability for serious human rights violationsFlavia Mwangovya, Deputy Regional Director, Amnesty International The Burundian authorities should investigate all allegations of their involvement in serious human rights violations and crimes under international law, and if there is sufficient admissible evidence, bring anyone suspected of being responsible to justice in fair trials. Authorities must also provide victims with access to justice and effective remedies." "However, the lack of transparency around the arrests and detention is worrying. Authorities must ensure that those arrested are immediately allowed access to their lawyers and family visits. Authorities must also ensure that their rights to a fair trial, and rights to freedom from torture and other ill-treatment, are fully respected. They must also refrain from reprisals against Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni's family, who were reportedly held incommunicado in their house for five days. Unless family members are also targetted by the investigation, there is no legitimate reason why they should not be allowed to move and communicate freely." Authorities must also provide victims with access to justice and effective remediesFlavia Mwangovya Background Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni's homes in the economic capital Bujumbura, and in Rutana in south-eastern Burundi, were searched on 17 April. The Minister of Interior said on 19 April that Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni's whereabouts were unknown, but confirmed that Desire Uwamahoro had been arrested on 18 April and was being interrogated. Amnesty International has previously documented and reported on human rights violations committed both by the police falling under Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni's oversight as minister, and by Desire Uwamahoro, who has held several senior positions in the police. Reports began to circulate on Friday 21 April that Bunyoni had been arrested in Bujumbura Rural. On 22 April, the National Human Rights Commission tweeted that they had visited Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni in detention, and that he had not been tortured or subjected to any other abuses, and that his family had been informed. They did not specify where he was being detained, or on what grounds. According to a statement issued by the Prosecutor General of the Republic on 23 April, he had been arrested on 21 April at Nyamuzi in Bujumbura Rural province, without mentioning what he was accused of. On 24 April, the spokesperson for the Supreme Court confirmed during a press conference that he was being held by the Service National de Renseignements (SNR, National Intelligence Service) and that he was accused of threatening national security, the good functioning of the national economy, and illegally receiving interest. She also confirmed that his family did not yet have the right to visit him but that this restriction would soon be lifted. It is not known whether he has access to a lawyer. His wife and four of their children were reportedly not allowed to leave their house from 17 April until 22 April. His daughter, who is outside the country, tweeted that she was unable to contact them throughout that time. Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni served as prime minister under President Ndayishimiye from June 2020 until September 2022, when he was dismissed after the president accused unnamed people of plotting a coup against him. The 51-year-old had previously held the position of minister of public security from August 2015 to June 2020, as well as from 2007 to 2011, and was one of a core group of leaders who dominate the ruling party, the National Council for the Defence of Democracy-Forces for the Defence of Democracy (Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie-Forces pour la defense de la democratie, CNDD-FDD). Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Burundi Legal Affairs Human Rights By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. In its 2017 decision to open an inquiry into the situation in Burundi, the International Criminal Court cited the reported information that the basement of Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni's residence in Bujumbura was used as an unofficial place of detention. He was under on a US sanctions list from 2015 to November 2021, when the programme came to an end. In December 2022, the US placed him under travel restrictions "for his involvement in a gross violation of human rights". The Crown just debuted its first look with fresh new images of Prince William and Kate Middleton in the sixth and final season of the acclaimed Netflix series. The streaming giant released new still images of the latest season on Thursday on social media. (Also read: King Charles extends olive branch to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ahead of May coronation) The first look of The Crown Season 6 has been released. Both the royals will be played by newcomers. Ed McVey will play Prince William while Meg Bellamy is set to channel a young Kate Middleton in the series. In one of the pictures, Ed is seen walking with Meg as Prince William and Kate, holding hands and looking at each other with a smile on their faces. Another picture features a close-up of Meg as Kate, who is seen in a class. There was also a picture from behind the scenes that showed the actors at the location where Kate and William met. The caption read: "A first look at Prince William (Ed McVey) and Kate Middleton (Meg Bellamy) from the sixth and final season of The Crown, coming 2023. Plus a behind-the-scenes bonus from filming in St. Andrews, Scotland." Fans reacted to the first look of the highly anticipated season and added comments. Wow! Wow! Wow!! They look very similar to the real Prince William and Kate Middleton! said a fan. Another comment read, That's a great cast, they look a lot like the real ones. A fan also said, he looks more like Prince William than Prince William looks like Prince William. "The casting director needs a raise fr," suggested one. They really look perfect for the role, read another comment. Earlier, the actors were captured filming a scene on March 17 that seemed to be set around a potential meet-cute situation. The final season of The Crown began production in September 2022 and is eyeing a release date sometime around later this year or early next year, although no final date of release has been announced. The rest of the cast members for Season 6 include Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II, Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, Dominic West as Prince Charles, Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana, Claudia Harrison as Princess Anne and Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker Bowles. Season 6 of the series is set to follow the succeeding years in the run-up to Princess Dianas death, alongside her boyfriend Dodi Fayed. The official description of the upcoming season of The Crown reads: As The Crown enters a new decade, Prince William starts at University in St Andrews, determined to lead as normal a life as possible while he still can. Also beginning life as a University student, is Kate Middleton from Berkshire. As the pair meet for the first time on campus, a new romance and a new future for The Crown begins. Meanwhile, the Royal Family is gearing up for the coronation of King Charles III next month. After a lot of media speculation over the attendance of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, a press statement was released that Prince Harry would be attending the ceremony along with the royal family, without Meghan. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON On the heels of Indias celebration of National Girl Child Day on January 24 out came the latest All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) report, released by the education ministry. Data from the report showed how crucial gains in achieving gender equality in undergraduate courses received a setback post-pandemic. Education As per the report, while in the science stream, women outnumbered men, in engineering and technology, men outnumbered women. Data also showed that womens enrolment dropped drastically in many historically male-dominated courses. For example, in BCom, enrolment of women fell to 94 for every 100 men in 2020-21. In the same year enrolment in medicine fell from 93 women per 100 men in 2019 to 66 women per 100 men in 2020-2021. The gender gap in courses like computer science and technology, which have always seen higher participation of men, continues to be substantial. It is worth noting that physics, chemistry, mathematics, and biology (PCMB) are prerequisites for students who wish to pursue careers in medicine, nursing, and engineering, while commerce students require proficiency in mathematics. Therefore, to address the issue of under-representation of women in these fields, it is essential to begin efforts at the school level. Providing school-going girls with appropriate resources and support can enable them to comprehend and opt for science, technology, engineering, and medical (STEM) courses as potential career paths. The current statistics raise concerns, especially since STEM fields are projected to be the future of employment. Thus, increasing women's enrolment in all STEM-related fields is of utmost importance. STEM subjects are recognised for their emphasis on essential skills such as critical thinking, logical reasoning, and digital fluency, which have applicability across various fields. Therefore, fostering a STEM mindset in young girls can augment their employability and prepare them for the future. India can bridge this gap effectively by capitalising on the flourishing ed-tech platforms that provide a wide range of STEM-focused courses. It is crucial that students are equipped with personalised learning tools and plans, and fortunately, there are platforms that cater to this specific need. By providing students with the freedom to learn at their own pace in a supportive and nurturing setting, we can ensure that the lack of access to physical tutoring centres is no longer a hindrance to their education. Leading technology companies like IBM have been working to empower young girls through flagship programmes such as STEM for girls. These programmes have helped over two lakh girls in government high schools across multiple states to explore their potential in STEM careers over a three-year period. Ed-tech platforms can complement such programmes by providing personalised tutoring to students outside of the classroom, thereby enhancing the reach of these initiatives. India has demonstrated commendable progress in encouraging women to pursue STEM courses at the tertiary level, surpassing other developed countries in this regard. The Union minister for education, Dharmendra Pradhan, highlighted this achievement in a written response to Lok Sabha last year, citing World Bank data that indicates a higher percentage of women in STEM fields in India (43%) compared to the United States (34%), United Kingdom (38%), Germany (27%), and France (32%). However, the government acknowledges the impact of the pandemic on students and is committed to further promoting girls' participation in science and related fields. The initiatives of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vigyan Jyoti and Engage with Science (Vigyan Prasar), are truly remarkable for their comprehensive approach towards promoting STEM education among girl students and serve as an inspiration to all. Vigyan Jyoti, launched in 2019 by the department of science and technology aims to motivate girls to pursue higher education and careers in STEM fields by providing them with a wide range of opportunities such as scholarships, visits to scientific institutions, science camps, lectures by eminent women scientists, and career guidance. Engage with Science, another Vigyan Prasar initiative, seeks to foster interest and scientific spirit among the youth through an interactive platform built on top of the India science over-the-top (OTT) platform, encouraging high school students to take up careers in science and technology. The role of ed-tech in helping achieve the objectives of these schemes cannot be overstated. The government's commitment to promoting equity and inclusion in the fields of science, technology, and innovation is evident in the latest draft of the Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy (STIP), 2020. The policy aims to institutionalise and mainstream these values into all policies and processes related to these fields. One of the key features of the policy is to ensure enhanced representation of women in decision-making bodies, with a target of at least 30% representation. This aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, which emphasises creating a gender-inclusive education system that provides a safe environment and expands infrastructure to meet the needs of girl students. In this regard, ed-tech platforms can play a vital role in empowering girls to continue their education from the safety and comfort of their homes. This article is authored by Anil Agrawal, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha. As many as 36 LGBTQIA+ collectives with 600+ students from law schools all over India criticised the statement issued by the Bar Council of India (BCI) against the marriage equality hearing in the Supreme Court. After Thursday, the Supreme Court will resume the hearing in the case on May 3. (Representative file image) We condemn the BCIs statement as queerphobic, regressive, and hegemonic and seek to raise awareness about the importance of recognizing and upholding the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals in India, the collectives said in a press statement. The passing of this Resolution is entirely unwarranted and a deplorable attempt by the BCI to illegitimately create influence for itself. The BCI must re-familiarise itself with the role envisioned during its establishment, look at the state of the Indian legal profession, and devote its resources to more pressing challenges rather than needlessly entering constitutional debates. The ongoing case concerns the recognition of fundamental rights (to equality, freedom, and privacy) that queer persons already have under the Constitution. The BCI denies any role of fundamental rights in its Resolution, instead characterising marriage equality as a political decision. This shows their heinous indifference towards the reality of queer and trans persons living as second-class citizens in our country, a press release issued by the student body read. Also Read:Govt urges SC to leave same-sex marriage issues to Parliament On April 23, the BCI passed a resolution on the ongoing marriage equality petitions, urging the Supreme Court to abdicate its role and defer the matter to Parliament instead. The Resolution is ignorant, harmful, and antithetical to our Constitution and the spirit of inclusive social life, the collective said adding that it attempts to tell queer persons that the law and the legal profession have no place for them. We, the undersigned, are queer and allied student groups across Indian law schools. As future members of the Bar, it has been alienating and hurtful to see our seniors engage in such hateful rhetoric. Many of us remember the feeling that we had when Navtej Singh Johar was decided: an intimately unforgettable affirmation of the laws emancipatory, liberatory, and transformative potential. It is in this spirit that we write this statement of condemnation and solidarity, the statement said. The statement said that the BCI ought to respect the letter and spirit of the Advocates Act, 1961, which clearly defines the bodys mandate based on its regulatory function. Nothing in the Act, as interpreted by the Supreme Court, empowers the BCI to pass comments on sub judice matters. The passing of this resolution is entirely unwarranted and a deplorable attempt by the BCI to illegitimately create influence for itself. The BCI must re-familiarise itself with the role envisioned during its establishment, look at the state of the Indian legal profession, and devote its resources to more pressing challenges - rather than needlessly entering constitutional debates. The ongoing case concerns the recognition of fundamental rights (to equality, freedom, and privacy) that queer persons already have under the Constitution. The BCI denies any role of fundamental rights in its Resolution, instead characterising marriage equality as a political decision. This shows their heinous indifference towards the reality of queer and trans persons living as second-class citizens in our country. Consequently, the BCI completely misses that fundamental rights cannot be made to suffer from the inaction of the legislature, the collective said. We are most troubled by the BCIs stunning disregard for constitutional morality. Our Constitution is a counterweight to majoritarianism, religious morality, and unjust public opinion. Constitutional morality dictates that marriage equality must not be made subject to the wishes of a casteist, cis-heteronormative, and patriarchal society, read the statement. According to the statement, it is to save people from the worst scourges of public opinion that we have a Constitution in the first place. To subject fundamental rights to societal decisions is to betray the vision of morality our Constitution commits us to; it is to betray the Constitution itself. The Supreme Court has already warned of majoritarian bias and protected fundamental rights against its tyranny in Puttaswamy, holding that the exercise of fundamental rights is insulated from the disdain of majorities, whether legislative or popular, it read. The statement has been issued by Queer Collective and Philosophy Club, National Law University Delhi; Queer Alliance, Savitri Phule Ambedkar Caravan, and Feminist Alliance, National Law School of India University; Queer Collective and Students Federation of India, O. P. Jindal Global University among others. The five-judge SC Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CGI) DY Chandrachud is hearing the plea for marriage equality in India and today is the fifth day of the hearing. After today, the Supreme Court will resume the hearing in the case on May 3. (With inputs from PTI) Amid a strained relationship between AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) and BJP Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai, their joint meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah and the national BJP president JP Nadda in Delhi on Wednesday night has ensured peace between the allies. EPS, Annamalai joint meet with Shah ensures peace between allies. (ANI) There is no problem between us and the BJP leader Annamalai. How else did he campaign for us in the Erode east by-election? Media is scheming and asking us questions, Palaniswami (EPS) told reporters in Delhi. This statement is vastly different from when he earlier told reporters on April 15 in Tamil Nadu not to ask him questions about Annamalai and that he would only respond to questions about mature leaders. On April 23, EPS said that the AIADMK would discuss alliance matters only with the central leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah and Nadda and not the state leadership. The seating arrangement from the meeting was also suggestive that the two parties must work together. With Annamalai and EPS seated facing each other, Shah-Nadda, seemed to indicate that the AIADMK will also have to deal with the BJPs Tamil Nadu unit. Both parties agreed to continue the alliance in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls to fight against DMK, said an AIADMK leader who did not wish to be named and was present in the meeting. The EPS-led delegations meeting with Shah and Nadda is significant as it is the first after the Election Commission of India (ECI) recognised EPS as AIADMKs general secretary following a prolonged legal tussle with expelled leader O Panneerselvam (OPS). EPS was accompanied by senior leader KP Munusamy, P Thangamani, CV Shunmugham, D Jayakumar and SP Velumani. EPS also said that he urged the Union home minister to order a probe into the two-audio clips released by the BJP. Annamalai has claimed the voice to be that of Tamil Nadu finance minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan accusing chief minister MK Stalins son Udhayanidhi Stalin and son-in-law V Sabareesan of allegedly amassing 30,000 crore in a year. Why has Stalin not responded when there has been an accusation against his son and son-in-law? That raises more doubts, said EPS. 30,000 crore isnt a small issue. Its not a state problem but a national concern. We have urged the union minister to probe it. The truth has to come out. He (Shah) said that the issue has come to his notice, he added. Finance minister Rajan on Wednesday showed deep fake videos of former American presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama and ex-Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari as examples to dismiss the audio clips as fabricated. I strongly and specifically deny having said to any individual personally or on the phone at any point in time, of what is contained in the audio clip being circulated since yesterday; the source of which nobody accepts ownership for, Rajan had said. The state president of the BJP has descended to posting an audio of somebody telling nobody about some othersTherefore, such fabricated audios are being generated in a vain attempt to cast aspersions on them (Udhayanidhi and Sabareesan)... This is a desperate attempt by a blackmail gang to achieve their political ambitions by creating a rift between me and chief minister MK stalin and his family. Such cowardly attempts will never succeed, the state finance minister added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Air India has asked its crew to report all safety related matters and incidents within 12 hours in an order dated April 24 that came into effect from Wednesday. The order was issued a few days after a pilot let his friend enter the cockpit violating safety norms, a breach first reported by HT. HT Image In an order, the airline has said it is a legal requirement to raise a Mandatory Occurrence Report (MOR) for all reportable incidents to the DGCA by the FSD (flight safety department) within a 12-hour reporting window. A senior official at the airline admitted that the order is a direct fallout of the pilot, who according to complaint by a cabin crew member, not only invited a female friend to the cockpit, but also told the cabin crew to make the cockpit look inviting and ordered them to serve his friends beverages and drinks reserved for business class passengers. The order comes after the recent incident (that took place on February 27) when the pilot let his friend into the cockpit and violated norms. It seems that the airline has finally realised that the matter was reported to them on March 3 itself but the FSD did not act on it and started taking action only after media reported the violation, added the official who asked not to be named. Indias aviation regulator took cognisance of the HT report and ordered an inquiry. AIs order focused on the importance of reporting of safety events in a timely manner to help to identify potential hazards, correct safety deficiencies, and prevent accidents from happening in the future. It asked the airline employees to prioritise safety. As aviation professionals your top priority is always the safety and well-being of your passengers and crew. To maintain and improve aviation safety, it is crucial that you report any safety events or incidents that occur during your flights, the order read. HT has reviewed a copy of it. Reporting of safety events can help to identify potential hazards, correct safety deficiencies, and prevent accidents from happening in the future. It is important to remember that reporting a safety event is not an admission of fault, but rather a necessary step in improving aviation safety, it added. It is also important to report any incidents or concerns related to crew fatigue, training deficiencies or other human factors that could impact safety, the airline stated. By reporting safety events, you are helping to identify and address potential hazards before they can cause harm. This not only improves aviation safety, but it also helps to build a culture of safety within Air India, the order said, adding that the Air India Flight Safety website is the primary platform to be used for reporting all the Mandatory Reports (MOR). A second airline official suggested that the issue does not lie in reporting delays, pointing out that while the incident of a drunk passenger urinating on another passenger was promptly reported to all the concerned officials and top management there was still a major delay in taking action. The airline must realise that it is not the delay in reporting the incidents but the delay in acting by the departments, this person added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Military troops of India and the United Kingdom (UK) kick-started the seventh edition of 'Ajeya Warrior 2023', a two-week joint military exercise on Thursday at UK's Salisbury Plains, as part of efforts to consolidate the overall military ties. The soldiers of the 2 Royal Gorkha Rifles from the UK and Indian Army troops from the Bihar Regiment are participating in the military exercise. The Indian Army contingent arrived at Brize Norton on Wednesday in an Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft with indigenous weapons and equipment. Indian army troops arrived to participate in the seventh edition of the bilateral training exercise Ajeya Warrior 2023 with UK Army on Thursday. (ANI) Read here: Indian Army raising new units to counter China, Pak in cyber warfare: Report Ajeya Warrior is a biennial training event with the UK which is conducted alternatively in both countries. The last edition was held at Chaubatia, Uttarakhand in October 2021. During the exercise, both armies will engage in various activities testing their operational acumen in various simulated situations and refining tactical drills which would help in developing interoperability between the two armies. According to the ministry of defence, the aim of the military exercise is to "build positive military relations, imbibe each other's best practices and promote the ability to operate together while undertaking company-level sub-conventional operations in urban and semi-urban environments under UN mandate". "The scope of this exercise involves a Command Post Exercise (CPX) at the battalion level and company level field training exercise (FTX)," it added. Read here: Galwan braves wife set for army entry as lieutenant The exercise is yet another significant milestone in defence cooperation between India and the UK and will further foster the bilateral relations, the statement added. The military exercise will be conducted from April 27 to May 11. (With inputs from agencies) New Delhi Union ministers Jyotiraditya Scindia and Amit Shah during the review meeting, in New Delhi on Thursday. (ANI) Union home minister Amit Shah and civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday reviewed passenger facilities at airports across the country, and directed officials of departments concerned with immigration, boarding and security to ensure ease of travel ahead of the peak summer travel season. The meeting was attended by senior officials, including home secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, the top brass of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), and the director general of civil aviation (DGCA), among others. People familiar with the discussions in the meeting said that Shah sought additional measures to be put in place at airports so that air travellers do not face inconvenience. Airport authorities and operators as well as the CISF, BCAS have been told to ensure that passengers do not spend a lot of time at the airport entry checkpoints, check-in gates, security and immigration zones. Steps to promote the use of Digi Yatra by passengers were also discussed, said this officer. A second officer said that the issues related to capacity building, security equipment, and customs were also taken up in the meeting. Read: Today we have a bevy of passengers but shortage of aircraft: Jyotiraditya Scindia In December, several airports across the country especially in the national Capital congested with people having to wait at least three hours to go through the security and check-in processes as air travel surged following a pandemic lull. At the time, Scindia met several stakeholders and rallied resources to help ease the situation. During that period, the aviation minister had said, the number of passengers every day was near or over the 400,000 mark, which is close to record levels. According to aviation consultancy CAPA India, the total air passenger traffic in India in the 2022-23 financial year was estimated to be 275 million, and the number is expected to rise to 320 million in the 2023-24 fiscal. India is forecast to see a rise to 700 million domestic passengers, and international airport pax to 160 million passengers by FY2030, the CAPA India outlook, released in March, added. Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January - March 2023 were 37.5 million as against 24.7 million during the corresponding period of the previous year, registering an annual growth of 51.70%. In December last year, Delhi airports congestion made headlines as several passengers flooded social media with repeated complaints of them facing problems. People faced long queues and even sometimes missed their flights. Soon after the chaos, Scindia visited Terminal 3 (T3) of the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport to share an action plan to mitigate the overall congestion at airports of the country, including Mumbai and Bengaluru. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh on Thursday walked out of the Saharsa jail amid hue and cry from the opposition and other sections of the society. The former Lok Sabha MP, who is dubbed as baahubali, a term used to label people with muscle power in the Hindi heartland, received the benefit of a jail sentence remission order after the Bihar government amended the prison rules. Bihar People's Party founder Anand Mohan Singh with his wife and former MP Lovely Anand.(PTI) Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, who attended the engagement ceremony of Singh's son in Patna, is facing severe flak from the opposition over the release of the don-turned-neta. Who is Anand Mohan Singh, convicted in the murder of a Dalit IAS officer G Krishnaiah, and why is his release being talked about in Bihar's politics ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election? Who is Anand Mohan Singh? Son of a freedom fighter, Anand Mohan Singh hails from North Bihar's Kosi region. He cut his political teeth in the Janata Dal in 1990 when he got elected to the Bihar assembly from Hamshihi. It was the year when the VP Singh government advocating the implementation of Mandal Commission report on reservation to backward classes had collapsed. Chandrashekhar led a breakaway Samajwadi Janata Party faction and formed government with outside support from the Congress. Anand Mohan Singh, left the Janata Dal and joined the Chandrashekhar faction, becoming a leader of Rajputs as well as Brahmins. According to report, he is said to be running an underground militia which targeted those supporting OBC reservation. The 1991 Lok Sabha elections were held after Chandrashekhar resigned as prime minister following Congress allegations of his government spying on Rajiv Gandhi. In Bihar, Anand Mohan entered the poll fray in Madhepura, said to be a Yadav bastion. The electoral contest witnessed violent clashes between the supporters of Anand Mohan and Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav. However, Sharad Yadav won the election and entered Lok Sabha. Anand Mohan's rise coincided with the emergence of Lalu Prasad Yadav as the leader of Yadavs and backward classes. He had become the chief minister in 1990 after leading Janata Dal in the state. Known for his strong anti-Lalu stand, Anand Mohan Singh formed the Bihar People's Party. In 1994, his wife Lovely Anand won a bypoll from Vaishali. ALSO READ: Anand Mohan cites release of Bilkis Banos convicts as BJP raises heat G Krishnaiah murder G Krishnaiah was a1985 batch Indian Administrative Officer (IAS) of Bihar cadre and hailed from Mahbubnagar in Telangana. He was serving as the district magistrate (DM) of Gopalganj in 1994. On December 5 that year, he was returning to Gopalganj when his car confronted a procession of which Mohan was a part. Krishnaiah was dragged out of his car and beaten to death. The procession had been mourning the murder of Chhotan Shukla, who was a dreaded gangster and belonged to the Bhumihar community. In 2007, Anand Mohan was awarded death sentence by a trial court, but the Patna high court converted it into life imprisonment. The leader challenged the verdict in the Supreme Court but got no relief and had been in jail since 2007. He was on parole to attend his son and MLA Chetan Anand's engagement when he was released. ALSO READ: Murdered IAS officer's wife appeals to PM Modi after ex-Bihar MP freed from jail Bihar's tweaked jail rules explained On April 24, the Bihar law department issued a notification for the release of Anand Mohan and 26 other prisoners. The notification quoted the Bihar state sentence remission council meeting which took place on April 20. It said that the decision was taken for the release of prisoners having served actual sentence of 14 years or sentence of 20 years with remission. But here is the catch. The Bihar home department had tweaked the jail manual 2012, deleting the phrase relating to murder of a government servant on duty. It meant that Mohan, who was in jail for Krishnaiah's murder, would walk free. Mahagathbandhan betting on don-turned-politician Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar dumped the BJP last year to reunite with Mahagathbandhan ally Rashtriya Janata Dal. His government's decision to release Anand Mohan is being seen as a bid to win Rajput votes. It is speculated that the don-turned-politician would join the RJD, helmed by his long-time rival Lalu Prasad Yadav. The party has been struggling to find a Rajput face following the deaths of Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and Narendra Singh. Mohan's son Chetan Anand is an MLA from Lalu Prasad's party. Whether Anand Mohan's release benefits the MGB in 2024 Lok Sabha polls or not, we will have to wait till next year. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Union minister Smriti Irani on Thursday hit out at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge over his controversial remark calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a poisonous snake. According to the minister, Kharge's statement is a reflection of what the Gandhi family feels about PM Modi. Union minister Smriti Irani. (PTI file photo)(HT_PRINT) He (Kharge) gave clarification that he was attacking BJP's ideology. BJP's ideology is nation first. So is he saying he was not attacking PM Modi, rather he was attacking India? Irani questioned. Earlier in the day while addressing a public meeting in Karnataka's Kalaburagi district, Kharge said, PM Modi is like a 'poisonous snake', you might think it is poison or not. If you lick it, you are dead. However, as he began receiving a massive backlash, the Congress president clarified that his remark was meant for BJP and for PM Modi. BJP's ideology is divisive, hostile, and full of hatred and prejudice towards the poor and Dalits. I discussed the politics of hatred and malice. My statement was neither for PM Modi personally nor for any other person, Kharge wrote on Twitter. Meanwhile, BJP's IT cell chief Amit Malviya said that the opposition party is stooping to a new low every day. Now Congress President Kharge calls Prime Minister Modi poisonous snake. What started with Sonia Gandhis maut ka saudagar, and we know how it ended, the Congress continues to plummet to new depths. The desperation shows Congress is losing ground in Karnataka and knows it, he tweeted. Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman also expressed shock over Kharge's statement. Taking to Twitter, she wrote: Shocking that Kharge ji, also the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha speaks so about the @PMOIndia. He is now trying to wriggle out. Hate is what is coming out. Kharge ji should apologise. As the election campaign in Bengaluru intensifies, political parties are shifting their focus towards apartments, which house a significant proportion of the citys electorate, leaders close to developments have said. Political parties are shifting their focus towards apartments, which house a significant proportion of Bengalurus electorate (Agencies/Representative use) According to the Bangalore Apartments Federation (BAF), which represents around 1,200 apartment complexes, approximately 17-20% of voters in the 28 seats in the city reside in apartments, making them a critical demographic for political parties to woo. The Congress party in Marchlaunched an apartment cell to focus on the urban voters and the Apartment Mitra initiative, aiming to foster an open channel between apartment representatives and the party to address issues and concerns. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on the other hand, has had to contend with anti-incumbency sentiment over civic issues, particularly in the Mahadevapura seat, where incumbent Aravind Limbavali was dropped in favour of his wife, Manjula Aravind Limbavali after internal surveys suggested he faced a significant anti-incumbency. His constituency was flooded during last years monsoon. It was one of the worst-hit areas, and he even got into arguments with residents, said a senior BJP leader. Last year, the city was ravaged by floods after three days of rain, which inundated parts of the city, where global IT companies and home-grown start-ups are located. Residential areas were also severely impacted, with roads submerged and water and electricity lines snapped. Mahadevapura was one of the worst-hit areas, with residents feeling frustrated at the lack of action by those in power to improve road infrastructure despite paying the highest taxes to the civic agency, the above-cited leader said. Residents are angry as those in power did little to improve road infrastructure despite Mahadevapura contributing the highest taxes to the civic agency. This is working against him, said the leader. Meanwhile, former deputy chief minister and BJPs Malleshwaram MLA Ashwath Narayan said that his constituency has a high number of apartments, making them an important part of the campaign. Even before the election, I used to visit apartments to get a sense of what the needs of the people are, he said. According to him, even though several people had led the city during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, most of them have returned. The apartment crowds are very cosmopolitan but are interested in the citys development. We are trying to tell how we can make the city better, he said. Congresss Krishna Byre Gowda said that the political campaigns have to be tailor-made for each voter group in the constituency. The concerns of the salaried classes are different compared to those who are daily wage earners. So, we have to take each ones concern in their context. Since issues, language etc., change, we have to change the campaigns for apartments compared to the normal door-to-door campaign, he said. However, urban apathy during elections remains a big concern. Chief election commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said as against 72.44% voter turnout in Karnataka during the 2018 assembly elections, the four divisions in Bengaluru - BBMP South, North, Central and Bengaluru Urban - had recorded around 55% polling. Over 88% of the 8,615 polling stations in these four divisions (across the 28 assembly constituencies) are in urban areas. In 2013 too, as against the 71.83% polling in the State, Bengaluru had recorded 52.83% polling. In 2008, it was even worse at 47.3% in the four Bengaluru electoral divisions. Manoj Kumar Meena, chief electoral officer (CEO) for Karnataka, said officials have been assigned to visit areas with the lowest turnout, and several activities are being introduced, with the help of Resident Welfare Associations (RAF)s to improve turnout. A month ago, The Bangalore Apartments Federation (BAF) launched Every Vote Matters (EVM), a special campaign at its member apartment societies and villa resident welfare associations to spread awareness on elections and help residents register. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Cape Town, South Africa The former head of South Africa's national energy firm, Eskom, has refused to name the minister and politician who allegedly tolerated its corruption. Andre de Ruyter, who was answering lawmakers' questions by video link due to death threats against him, cited security and legal risks. A couple of months after de Ruyter alleged someone tried to poison him by putting cyanide in his coffee at his office, he engaged in an interview with a local news channel. His appearance Wednesday before parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts stems from what he revealed then about the level of corruption in Eskom. De Ruyter told the committee in an affidavit this week that in his estimation, the company loses about $54 million per month to corruption. He called that number a "conservative estimate" based on losses that came to his attention. Despite being offered parliamentary privilege Wednesday, de Ruyter wasn't willing to name the politician he alleges is involved in the graft nor the government minister he claims tolerates it. However, he didn't object or correct this statement from Alf Lees, a member of parliament representing the main opposition Democratic Alliance: "It has become patently evident to me, certainly, that the minister who made the comment about letting other people feed was indeed Minister Gordhan." Pravin Gordhan is the minister of public enterprises under which Eskom falls. Gordhan has previously admitted to having a conversation with de Ruyter about criminality at the power company but has denied saying corruption should be tolerated. When pressed Wednesday, de Ruyter said Gordhan knew the name of the politician involved. "I think that is a question that will be able to be answered by Minister Gordhan. He should be able to answer that question," de Ruyter said. "To my recollection I did mention it to him, and he would be best placed to respond to that." De Ruyter complained of Gordhan being extremely involved in Eskom's operations and of by-passing him, his chief operating officer, and head of generation. "There were examples of intervention in day-to-day operations," de Ruyter said. "Whether that was to gain information or to verify information, I don't know. But it, it made life as the responsible accounting officer quite difficult. Many cooks in the kitchen does not always result in a good meal." De Ruyter denied taking or carrying out any illegal instructions. "The way that the organized crime works is that there is a network of people, some of them regrettably Eskom employees, who collude with criminals to ensure that through fraudulent activity they can extract money from Eskom," he said. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Energy Legal Affairs South Africa By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. The parliamentary committee's chairperson, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, seemed unimpressed with de Ruyter's testimony, saying they were still at "square one" as he revealed nothing more than in his television interview. Hlengwa said they would be calling him again. De Ruyter's appearance came on the eve of Freedom Day, when South Africa marks 29 years since the first democratic election after decades of apartheid rule, which oppressed people of color. Political analyst Amanda Gouws, a professor at Stellenbosch University, said the level of corruption in South Africa is sad. "I mean there's nothing to celebrate. We are doing really, really badly," Gouws said. "What we are seeing is a process of deconsolidation of democracy, of back sliding of democracy with a government that's really not governing. So for all the euphoria of 1994, there is nothing left. What we have is collective depression because we're literally in the dark with an ANC government that's not capable of governing." South Africa's economy has been dealt a massive blow in recent months by daily rolling blackouts, which critics blame on mismanagement of Eskom. Bengaluru: A Bengaluru woman jumped off a fast-moving Rapido bike taxi after she was allegedly groped and harassed by the driver. The incident happened in Yelahanka New Town police station limits on the night of April 21, police said on Wednesday. The video of the victim jumping off the bike has gone viral on social media. The video of the victim jumping off the bike has gone viral on social media. (HT Archives) According to police the 30-year-old woman who works as an architect booked a Rapido bike taxi to Indiranagar on April 21 at 11.10 pm. The driver took the phone of the woman for OTP and changed the location. While he started heading towards a different location, the woman retaliated but he did not respond. She even snatched her phone from the driver and alerted her friend for some help. She also complained that she was groped by the driver, and she jumped off a speeding bike near BMS College. The CCTV footage shows a girl falling on a road from a bike after she attempted to escape, said a senior police officer. The next day, she filed a police complaint. Police tracked down the accused and arrested him. We arrested the accused, and he is now in judicial custody. We have registered a case under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage, etc) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the senior officer said. The accused is Deepak Rao (28), hailing from Hyderabad. According to the police, he has been working in Bengaluru for 4 years. He started off as a food delivery executive. For the past 2 years, he has been working with a bike taxi aggregator. Police have reached out to their counterparts in Hyderabad to verify his antecedents. DCP (South East division) BM Laxmi Prasad said strict instructions were given to bike taxi aggregators and those running food delivery apps to check the antecedents of the people who attach their vehicles on their platform. In our division, this is the first case. Our commissioner called on all cab aggregators, bike taxi services, and food delivery partners to discuss the safety of women and citizens, he said. Rapido is yet to respond to the incident. PANAJI: The Bombay High Court at Goa on Wednesday ruled that successful bidders for Goas iron ore mining blocks will have to obtain fresh environmental clearances (ECs) and that the state governments assurances that the mining blocks can revive the old environmental clearances will not stand. The high court ruled that winning bidders of freshly auctioned mining blocks will have to get fresh environment clearances (EC) before resuming mining operations (HiT FILE PHOTO) If the state governments interpretation is to be accepted, then the ECs issued in 2007, based upon which the mining industry in the State of Goa virtually caused havoc by rapacious and rampant exploitation regardless of any concern for environment, health and well-being of the citizens, would have to be revived and transferred to the new lessees/successful bidders and that the impact of rapacious and rampant exploitation, including several severe environmental violations by the mining industry between 2007 and 2012, would have to be ignored, a bench of justices MS Sonak and Valmiki Sa Menezes said. A mining company, Sociedade de Fomento Industrial Limitada, petitioned the high court, pointing to the state governments notice inviting tender, which said the successful bidder for the Cudnem Cormolem Mineral Block would not require a fresh environmental clearance since valid approvals, rights, clearances and licences would be transferred and vested in the new lessee. New lessees could operate mining leases based on valid approvals, rights, clearances, and licences granted to former lessees, the state government told the high court. It was argued by Goa Foundation, which intervened in the case, that the Mines and Minerals Development Acts section 8B applies only to the valid ECs of mining leases whose terms may have expired but not to ECs expressly cancelled by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) based on the judicial orders. In the case of Goa, successive judgements of the Supreme Court in 2014 and 2018 underlined that no mining in Goa could restart until fresh mining leases (not fresh renewals or other renewals) are granted and fresh environmental clearances are granted. The Supreme Court, in clear and unambiguous terms, held that fresh ECs were a must for mining leases in the State of Goa affected by the decision in GF-I and GF-II. This reiteration was based not only upon the explicit direction in GF-I but also material in the form of the Justice Shah Commission report, report of EAC, and report of the expert committee constituted by the Court. This direction was also based upon the Honble Supreme Court taking a broad view that large-scale mining of iron ore led to several adverse impacts, including those related to the environment, ecology and health of the people of Goa and that almost all committed these illegalities and irregularities (if not all) mining lease holders as reported by the EAC. As part of the ongoing auction of mining leases in Goa, the state has put up five mining blocks -- Advalpal-Tivim, Cudnem-Cormolem, Cudnem, Tivim-Pirna, and Surla-Sonshi -- in the second round of auctions. The first round of four blocks was completed in December. Welcome to hindustantimes.com updates platform where you can find breaking news from India and across the world. Find fast updates about the latest news as it breaks. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the National Medical Devices Policy, 2023, which aims to reduce Indias heavy import dependence in this sector ( 75-80% currently), according to a government statement. HT Image The Cabinet also approved 157 nursing colleges which were announced in this years Union Budget. Currently about 75-80% of medical devices are imported in India and with this scheme the government will enhance Indias manufacturing capacity. It is also essential to enhance indigenous capacity as there is a growing demand for affordable quality medical devices. There is a need for systemic development and expansion of medical devices industry in the country, said Mansukh Mandaviya, Union minister for health and family welfare, during- a media briefing on Cabinet approvals. The National Medical Devices Policy, 2023 is expected to facilitate growth of the medical devices sector to meet the public health objectives of access, affordability, quality and innovation. According to the government data, the market for medical devices in India was estimated to be $11 billion (approximately, 90,000 crore) in 2020, accounting for 1.5% of the global market. Local manufacturing is expected to increase this by broadening the market for medical devices in the country The governments target is to take it to around 12% in the next 25 years, said Anurag Thakur, I&B minister, during the briefing. Thakur said that the Government of India has already initiated implementation of a PLI scheme for medical devices and also support for setting up of four medical devices manufacturing parks in the states of Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. Under the PLI scheme for Medical Devices, till now, a total of 26 projects have been approved, with a committed investment of 1,206 crore and out of this, so far, an investment of 714 crore has been achieved. Under the PLI scheme, total of 14 projects producing 37 products have been commissioned and domestic manufacturing of high-end medical devices has started which include Linear Accelerator, MRI Scan, CT-Scan, Mammogram, C-Arm, MRI Coils, high end X-ray tubes, etc. Remaining 12 products will be commissioned in the near future. Five projects out of total 26 projects have been approved recently, under Category B, for domestic manufacturing of 87 products / product components, said a statement from the governments press and information bureau . The PLI or production linked incentive scheme was launched in 2020 and currently covers 13 sectors where companies are incentivised to manufacture locally. Mandaviya said that the sector is expected to realize its full potential by building an enabling ecosystem for manufacturing along with a focus on innovation, creating a robust and streamlined regulatory framework, providing support in training and capacity building programmes and promoting higher education to foster talent and skilled resources in line with the industry requirements. Encouraging domestic investments and production of medical devices complements the Governments Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in Indiaprogrammes, he added. The salient features of the policy include strategies to promote medical device sector that will be cover five broad areas of policy interventions regulatory streamlining; enabling infrastructure; facilitating research and development and innovation; attracting investments in the sector; and human resource development Pavan Choudary, chairman, MTaI (Medical Technology Association of India), said, Though we still have to go through the fine print, we are encouraged by the spotlight turned on R&D. While India has only 1.5% of the global medical device market, it has 8% share of the MedTech R&D work force already. This is a fertile and proven area to focus on. In addition to this, skilling and upskilling of healthcare workers augers well for patient-care and manpower exports. The Cabinet also approved establishing 157 nursing colleges as was announced in this years Union budget, a move that is likely to create 15,700 more nursing seats in the country. There is a huge demand for trained nurses and the demand is growing significantly. Currently, India has 1,18,000 BSc nursing seats. Since 2014, the government has added 157 new medical colleges and each of these will have a nursing college attached with at least 100 seats, said Mandaviya. Each of the colleges will be allocated 10 crore to establish the nursing college, and states can provide more money based on individual requirement. The data shared by the government show that the UK has 26,000 Indian nurses, the US has 16,000, Australia has 12,000, Canada has 5000, and the Gulf region has around 20,000 nurses from India working in their health facilities. The new colleges will help India meet the requirement domestically as well as globally with the increase in health care facilities around the world, said Mandaviya. NURSING COLLEGE COMMENT SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON As the solicitor general Tushar Mehta began arguments detailing the Unions stand on the marriage equality petitions before a five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court, it quickly became clear that despite the top courts unwillingness to enter into the domain of personal laws, it had little choice but to do so. The Union government maintains that legislative policy and compelling state interest validate only a heterosexual institution of marriage between a biological man and a biological woman. Even the Special Marriage Act (SMA) has provisions that hark back to the Hindu Marriage Act (HMA) in matters pertaining to succession. Several other statutory rules and laws are intertwined with the existing marriage laws, and the changes in the wording of the SMA several of the petitioners have sought to use a gender-neutral word, spouse and person instead of bride and groom would not be reconcilable, the SG argued. PREMIUM The Supreme Court has historically tackled equally intricate legal conundrums surrounding rights and competing interests in a society as diverse as ours. (Sushil Kumar/HT Photo) However, the Supreme Court has historically tackled equally intricate legal conundrums surrounding rights and competing interests in a society as diverse as ours. Ruminants of personal law coupled with traditional religious notions of propriety and customs have often presented before the apex court dilemmas that it could deftly resolve with the aid of constitutional mandates guaranteeing equality before law and forbidding discrimination based on gender, status, caste or creed. The Constitution, since its inception, has acted as a guiding light in harmonising competing interests and emerged as a saviour to repel attacks on free exercise of rights jeopardised through a complex web of laws, customs and societal norms that tend to submerge individuality within the strictures of marriage, family, and community. Social institutions and constitutional rights Eight years before Independence, Rani Rajwade, a woman activist and a social reformer, wrote in a report titled Womens Role in a Planned Economy, the individual will be free to choose and marriage shall not be a condition precedent to the enjoyment of full and equal civic status, social rights and economic privileges. Ten years later, the Constitution of India evidently transcended Rajwades views as its Preamble promised to create a secular State based on the principle of equality and non-discrimination, striking a balance between the rights of the individuals and the duty, and commitment of the State to establish an egalitarian social order. During the constituent assembly debates, Dr KM Munshi pressed that it is time for the country to divorce religion from personal law, from what may be called social relations, or from the rights of parties as regards inheritance or succession. We are in a stage where we must unify and consolidate the nation by every means without interfering with religious practices...Religion must be restricted to spheres which legitimately appertain to religion, and the rest of life must be regulated, unified and modified in such a manner that we may evolve, as early as possible, a strong and consolidated nation, said the political thinker, constitutional expert and one of the framers of the Indian Constitution. The supremacy and the role of the Constitution in guaranteeing justice, liberty, equality and fraternity to all its people was summed up brilliantly by justice Vivian Bose, who said: The Constitution is not for the exclusive benefit of governments and states it also exists for the common man, for the poor and the humblefor the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker. Through a bundle of judgments, the top court has underlined the spirit of the Indian Constitution and the judiciarys role in securing to all people aspirations enshrined under it. In State of Karnataka Vs Appu Balu Ingale & Ors, (1993), the Supreme Court held that judiciary acts as a bastion of the freedom and of the rights of the people, adding the judges are participants in the living stream of national life, steering the law between the dangers of rigidity and formlessness in the seamless web of life. Law should be capable of expanding freedom of the people...The existing social inequalities or imbalances are required to be removed by adjusting the social order through rule of law, the judgement held. Again, in Valsamma Paul (MRS) Vs Cochin University and others (1996), emphasised on the secular nature of the State based on the principle of equality and non-discrimination. The Constitution seeks to establish a secular socialist democratic republic in which every citizen has equality of status and of opportunity; to promote among people dignity of the individual, unity and integrity of the nation transcending them from caste, sectional, religious barriers fostering fraternity among them in an integrated Bharat, it said. Legislative history of Special Marriage Act Arguing for a set of petitioners, advocate Arundhati Katju on April 26 laid down briefly the history of the SMA, which came into being solely to offer a secular route for consenting (heterosexual) adults to marry when religious or personal laws did not offer them a way to do so. LGBTQ couples will come to the court as issues arise, just as heterosexual couples have done so since the time that marriage laws were codified, she pointed out. The history of SMA is itself a reflection of a growing understanding of individual choice over socio-religious compulsions. In India, marriage was governed by religious law, customs and usage till the early 19th century. With the objective of granting sanctity to British nationals marrying in India, which was at that time under the British rule, an Act for Marriages in India, 1851, was enacted by the British Parliament. The law applied to marriages where one or both of the parties were Christians and marriage registrars were empowered to issue certificates, after which marriages could be solemnised in a church, chapel or before the registrars themselves. Subsequently, the Indian Marriage Act, 1865 was passed but it was also applicable only to the Christians in India. This law was later repealed by the Christian Marriage Act, 1872. By the 1860s, the social reforms movement, especially those led by the leaders of Brahmo Samaj and Satyashodak Samaj, had started to challenge the hegemonic Brahminical practices and subjugation of women within the patriarchal system. In 1868, Keshub Chanda Sen petitioned the colonial Government of India on behalf of the Brahmo Samaj for the legal recognition of Brahmo marriages that did not follow any set rituals and could be solemnised between persons of different castes. Responding to this, Henry Maine, a member of the Council of the Governor General of India, proposed a law of marriage between any two Indians who did not wish to marry in accordance with religious rites. In 1872, the Special Marriage Act, 1872 was passed, which provided a form of marriage for persons who did not profess the Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Mohammedan, Parsi, Buddhist, Sikh or Jain religion. In effect, to marry under SMA, 1872, one had to completely renounce his or her religion. The 1872 Act provided for solemnisation of marriage by declaration in the form prescribed in presence of three witnesses and the Registrar of Marriages. This law also introduced the principles of monogamy for both the persons marrying under the Act irrespective of their personal laws. The 1872 Act also required that the man must be 18 and the woman, 14. By the Special Marriage (Amendment) Act of 1923, the provisions of the 1872 Act were made applicable to Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists, but Muslim, Parsi, Jewish and other communities were excluded. However, even after the Amending Act of 1923, marriage between a Hindu and Parsi or between a Muslim and a Christian could not be solemnised and the parties were required to renounce their religion to have their marriage registered under the 1872 Act. While the 1872 Act was considered a progressive legislation in making departure from the personal laws, it failed to recognise inter-faith marriages without the parties having to compulsorily renounce their religions. And mandatory dissociation from ones religion resulted in severance from the joint family, and inability to adopt. A major departure in the current SMA The Special Marriage Act of 1954 was framed shortly after Independence as efforts to reform religious personal laws and to make them in consonance with the Constitution gathered more momentum and it was realised that the 1872 Act was inadequate. In a major departure from the previous version, the 1954 Act allowed any person in India to get married irrespective of their faith as long as they fulfilled the conditions contained in Section 4 of the Act. Section 4 stipulated conditions including neither should have a spouse living; both should be capable of giving valid consent, should not suffer from any mental disorder of a kind that renders them unfit for marriage and procreation. The man must be 21 and the woman, 18. None of these conditions required that the man and woman must belong to the same religion. However, even the 1954 Act retained the provision on severance of a Hindu, Sikh, Jain or Buddhist person married under the Act from their joint family. This was finally amended in 1976, wherein it permitted two Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, or Jain persons to get married under SMA without severance from their joint family. However, even if one of the partners was non-Hindu, severance from family and loss of succession rights followed. Sections 5, 6 and 7 of the 1954 Act laid down a mechanism for seeking objections to an intended marriage under SMA, prescribing display of a 30-day public notice at a conspicuous place in the office of marriage officer. It is only after the expiry of 30 days and upon satisfaction of a marriage officer, a marriage can be registered. The marriage has to be solemnised within three months of the notice, and if it is not, a fresh notice will be needed. The requirement of public notice under SMA has often been frowned upon by the constitutional courts, holding that these provisions can jeopardise the safety of couples and expose them to harassment, besides impinging upon their privacy rights. A clutch of petitioners in the current case have also challenged the notice-objection requirement stating that it puts LGBT persons at risk from their natal families in further danger. The constitution bench hearing the same-sex marriage case also criticised the requirement under SMA to issue a 30-day public notice inviting objection, calling the provision patriarchal and an apparent invasion of privacy and right to marry a person of ones own choice. Hearing some of the petitions that have challenged the validity of the provisions relating to public notice, the bench observed: Its based on patriarchy. Women didnt have agency when these laws were framed...This is like laying them open for invasion by the society including the superintendent of police, the district magistrate etc. Right to marry and freedom of choice The Supreme Court has consistently harped upon the concept of transformative constitutionalism a constitution ought to adapt and transform with the changing needs of the times, in marshalling rights- based issues. The golden triangle of constitutional rights under Articles 14 (equality), 19 (free speech and expression) and 21 (life and liberty) have given rise to a spectrum of new rights, including the right to marry a person of ones own choice. The top court has upheld this in a series of judgements in the past. For instance, in Lata Singh Vs State of Uttar Pradesh (2006), the Supreme Court held that inter-caste marriages are in fact in the national interest as they will result in destroying the caste system. Deprecating the practice of honour killing and violence by families in case of inter-caste marriages, it held: This is a free and democratic country, and once a person becomes a major he or she can marry whosoever he/she likes. In a suo motu proceedings initiated by the Supreme Court in 2014 following the reports of a gang rape, the top court underscored that the State is duty bound to protect the Fundamental Rights of its citizens; and an inherent aspect of Article 21 of the Constitution would be the freedom of choice in marriage. In Asha Ranjan Vs State of Bihar, (2017) said that the right to choose a partner in life is founded on individual choice under Article 19. Choice of woman in choosing her partner in life is a legitimate constitutional right. It is founded on individual choice that is recognised in the Constitution under Article 19, and such a right is not expected to succumb to the concept of class honour or group thinking, it noted. In Shafin Jahan Vs Asokan KM & Ors, (2018), the top court has categorically held that the right to marry a person of ones choice is protected under Article 21. Choices of faith and belief as indeed choices in matters of marriage lie within an area where individual autonomy is supreme. The law prescribes conditions for a valid marriage. It provides remedies when relationships run aground. Neither the State nor the law can dictate a choice of partners or limit the free ability of every person to decide on these matters, it held. Again, in Common Cause Vs Union of India (2018) a constitutional bench of the Supreme Court elucidated the role of freedom of choice in an individual's life. Our autonomy as persons is founded on the ability to decide: on what to wear and how to dress, on what to eat and on the food that we share, on when to speak and what we speak, on the right to believe or not to believe, on whom to love and whom to partner, and to freely decide on innumerable matters of consequence and detail to our daily lives, it highlighted. Most recently, in Laxmibai Chandaragi B & Anr Vs State of Karnataka & Ors, (2021), the apex court held that the choice of an individual to marry a person of their choice is an inextricable part of dignity, for dignity cannot be thought of where there is erosion of choice. Last year, the Supreme Court took yet another leap of transformative constitutionalism. In Deepika Singh Vs Central Administrative Tribunal (2022), the top court recognised that family units may manifest in atypical ways and has upheld the need to legally recognise these non-traditional manifestations of familial relationships. With the constitution bench hearing the same-sex marriage case with an evident sense of expediency, the process of judicial determination marks a watershed moment in chartering a progressive roadmap for future rights-based issues and providing a vision to the momentous civil liberties adjudication. GUWAHATI: A tripartite peace deal was signed at New Delhi on Thursday by the Centre, Assam government and representatives of a Dimasa rebel outfit from the northeastern state. The agreement mentions the steps to be taken by Centre and Assam government to rehabilitate the surrendered armed cadres of DNLA (Twitter/AmitShah) The deal with Dimasa National Liberation Army-Dimasa Peoples Supreme Council (DNLA/DPSC) was signed in the presence of union home minister Amit Shah, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and other senior officials. Its a matter of happiness that DNLA/DPSC have decided to shun violence. Today 168 cadres of the group have joined the mainstream. This is a big step in Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision of a peaceful and prosperous northeast, said Shah. He said that under the agreement, a Dimasa Welfare Council will be set up by Assam government to protect, preserve and promote a social, cultural, and linguistic identity to meet political, economic and educational aspirations and will ensure speedy and focused development of the Dimasa people residing outside the jurisdiction of the autonomous council. This agreement also provides for the appointment of a commission under Paragraph 14 of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution to examine the demand for inclusion of additional villages contiguous to North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) with the council, Shah added. The agreement mentions the steps to be taken by Centre and Assam government to rehabilitate the surrendered armed cadres of DNLA. A special development package of 500 crore each will also be provided by Centre and Assam government over a period of five years for the all-around development of NCHAC as well as Dimasa people living in other parts of the state. This deal will lead to peace among the Dimasa people and in the areas falling under Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong districts of Assam. DNLA cadres have deposited 43 arms prior to this deal and have resolved to return to the mainstream. From now officially there will be no tribal rebel groups left in Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma said at the event. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A comment by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge apparently likening Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a snake sparked a controversy on Thursday with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing him of abusing the PM, and the opposition party saying the remark was aimed at the ruling partys ideology, not an individual. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge. (PTI) The Congress chief was campaigning at Ron town in the Gadag district of poll-bound Karnataka on Thursday when he said, Dont make a mistake. Modi is like a venomous snake. If you say, no, its not poisonous, lets lick it and find out, dont go to lick it. If you lick, you die. The comments sparked a political storm with the BJP saying that saying the Congress was a habitual offender in abusing the PM and that the remark reflected its hate. President of @INCIndia Shri. Mallikarjun Kharge says, Modi is like a poisonous snake. Shocking that Kharge ji, also the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha speaks so about the @PMOIndia. He is now trying to wriggle out. Hate is what is coming out. Kharge ji should apologise, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman tweeted. Facing mounting criticism, Kharge appeared to backtrack later in the day and said his intention was not to hurt anyones feelings and that he was referring to the BJP and the partys ideology in his remarks. Our fight with PM Modi is not a personal fight. It is an ideological battle. My intention was not to hurt anyones feelings and if knowingly or unknowingly someones feelings were hurt, then it was never my intention, Kharge tweeted. Karnataka goes to the polls on May 10 and the Congress is hoping to dislodge the BJP. The BJP hit out at Kharge, who took over as Congress president last year. Union minister Anurag Thakur said Kharge made the remarks because no one accepted him as the party chief. Congress made Mallikarjun Kharge the party president but nobody considers him that, so he thought of giving a statement which is worse than that given by Sonia Gandhi. Congress should apologise to the nation, he said. Thakur was referring to Sonia Gandhis maut ka saudagar (merchant of death) remark on Modi in the run up to the 2007 Gujarat elections. Union minister for state home affairs Nityanand Rai said: First, Rahul Gandhi spoke derogatory words for the backward society. Now, Mallikarjun Kharge has used objectionable and indecent language like poisonous snake for the honorable PM. Kharge ji, Congress party have sown poison. The poison of division in the society, the poison of partition of the country, the poison of corruption in governance, the poison of dynasty in politics - all these are the poisons sown by the Congress. Rai was referring to Rahul Gandhis remarks on the Modi surname for which he was recently convicted and sentenced to two years in prison, losing his Lok Sabha seat in the process. Union minister Smriti Irani said: Kharges statement is a reflection of what the Gandhi family feels about the Prime Minister. He gave a clarification, saying he was attacking BJPs ideology. BJPs ideology is nation first. So is he saying he was not attacking PM Modi, rather he was attacking India? But the Congress defended itself. The BJP cannot digest that a person born in a Dalit family in Karnataka has risen from the post of a block president to the post of the party president. Can the BJP dare to appoint a Dalit as its president? Is this the same Prime Minister who has disrespected women on so many occasions and made fun of serious issues like suicides? Has he ever apologised to anyone? party general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala said. During a public meeting in Gadag, Kharge clarified his earlier comment and he never meant to target Modi and instead said that the BJPs ideology was like a snake. BJPs ideology is divisive, disharmonious, full of hatred and prejudice towards the poor and Dalits. I discussed this politics of hatred and malice. My statement was neither for PM Modi personally nor for any other person, but for the ideology he represents, Kharge tweeted. The Congress leader also said that his party was engaged in an ideological battle. The Congress on Thursday questioned the alleged silence of the Narendra Modi government on the Poonch terror attack in which five Indian Army soldiers were killed in action and another was severely injured. Congress's media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said seven days have passed and still Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not uttered a single word of condolence for the fallen soldiers, instead was seen cracking a joke about a suicide note at a media event. Congress leader Pawan Khera addresses a press conference in New Delhi, Thursday, April 27, 2023.(PTI) "PM Modi has not come out with any reaction condemning the terror attack, even as reports indicate a Taliban link in the same," Khera told a press conference at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi. Five soldiers were killed and one injured after the terrorists attacked the Army truck in the dense forest area of Bhata Dhurian last Thursday afternoon. Banned terror group Peoples Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), an offshoot of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), has claimed responsibility for the attack but reports suggest the involvement of proscribed terror group Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) as well. Experts from various agencies, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA), visited the site of the attack to get a clear picture of the deadly ambush. It is believed that the terrorists used a sniper to target the vehicle from the front before their associates showered bullets and lobbed grenades at the vehicle from opposite sides. The terrorists used steel core bullets that can penetrate an armoured shield, according to officials. Citing media reports, Khera claimed that the steel bullets were obtained by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) from the Taliban. "The Chinese-made steel core bullets capable of piercing an armoured shield, were used by NATO forces during the Afghanistan war and these bullets are part of ammunitions NATO forces have abandoned after leaving Afghanistan," Khera said. "Interestingly, the latest report by US' SIGAR (Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction), released on February 28, says, 'Taliban could sell a portion of the captured arms and equipment to augment its revenue flow. Alternatively, the Taliban may not have control over the entire Afghan National Security Forces (ANDSF) arsenal, which could mean that equipment could be acquired by smugglers or gun dealers and sold on the open market," he said. "In this context, it is important to note that, belying India's previous foreign policy stances, the Modi government has started engaging with the Taliban. In 2023 Budget, the Modi government announced a 200 crore aid for Afghanistan," he said. The Congress leader asked why is the Modi government "silent" on the Poonch terror attack. "Given that the Poonch attack has Taliban links, is it appropriate for Modi government to start its diplomatic outreach and engagement with Taliban?" Khera said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Congress leaders, including Randeep Singh Surjewala, Dr Parmeshwar and D K Shivakumar on Thursday filed a police complaint in Bengaluru against Union home minister Amit Shah and organisers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rally for allegedly making hateful and provocative statements. Union home minister Amit Shah (File Photo) We have given an FIR [first information report] against Union HM Shri Amit Shah to be lodged and action to be taken against him for spreading hatred among classes and religions, disrupting the harmony of the peaceful state of Karnataka, committing corrupt practices, knowingly making false statements and attempting to malign the INC [Indian National Congress], Surjewala said. Also Read: Riots will hit Karnataka if Congress returns to power, says Amit Shah Addressing a rally in Karnatakas Belagavi district on Tuesday, Shah allegedly said, If the Congress comes to power, dynastic politics will be at an all-time high and Karnataka will be afflicted with riots. The development of the state will be in reverse gear if Congress forms the government. Filing the complaint, the Congress leaders stated: The said individuals have committed serious offences which are punishable under the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and the Representation of People Act, 1951. Shahs speech was riddled with flagrantly false statements aimed at tarnishing the image of the Congress party by levelling false and unfounded allegations with a clear objective of trying to create an atmosphere of communal disharmony amongst the gathered crowd and the individuals viewing it on other media platforms, said a Congress leader. The party Congress leaders alleged that these statements, which were widely reported in the media, make two things amply evident; (i) the statements made by Shah are designed to incite, any class or community of persons to commit any offence against any other class or community, and are thereby punishable under Section 505 of the IPC [Indian Penal Code] and other provisions of the IPC; (ii) the statements indirectly threaten and try to mislead electors into voting for a particular political party and candidate, thereby being punishable under Section 123 of the Representation of Peoples Act, 1951. Speaking to media persons after the police complaint, Shivakumar on Thursday said statements by Shah are very serious and that it was an attempt to scare people to vote against Congress. How is it right for Amit Shah who is in such a high position to threaten the people of a state? What kind of democracy is this? So, we have filed a complaint against him under IPC sections 153, 153A, 171G, 505, 120B, 123, added the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief. Also Read: Congress to raise Amit Shahs riots warning with EC: brazenly intimidatory Strongly objecting to the home ministers remark, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said Shahs comment was an insult to Karnataka and its people. Never ever has Karnataka seen such things before! It is a disrespect to Kannadigas. Does it mean we are rioters? How can he say like this, being the Union home minister? We will question this and register a complaint with the Election Commission and with the court, Kharge said. Polling for the 224-member Karnataka legislative assembly will be held on May 10 and the results will be announced on May 13. The Patiala House Court has permitted Sukesh Chandrashekhar, who is facing several cases of money laundering and extortion, to purchase cake/pastry from the bakery shop of the Mandoli prison and it is further directed that said cake/pastry be handed over to under trial prisoner (UTP) Leena Paulose, (wife of Sukesh) on her birthday which is on April 28, 2023. New Delhi: Alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar being produced at Patiala House court in connection with a money laundering case, in New Delhi, Thursday, March 23, 2023. (PTI Photo)(PTI03_23_2023_000031A)(PTI) The Additional Sessions Judge Shailender Malik in an order passed on April 25, stated that having considered the submissions the precise prayer appears to be more on human emotions than any legal aspect involved in the application. Be that as it may, the UTP needs to be given the confidence to be emotionally connected and attached to his family members and relatives. Therefore, I find no bar, more specifically when the concerned UTP Sukesh Chandrashekhar is seeking to purchase cake/pastry from the bakery of Mandoli Jail itself out of his prisoner fund and it is not that some article is being taken out of jail to be given to any of the UTP. Therefore, Superintendent is directed to permit accused Sukesh Chandrashekhar to purchase cake/pastry from the bakery shop of the prison and it is further directed that said cake/pastry be handed over to UTP Leena Paulose on 28.04.2023, said the Court. Incarcerated Conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar is a prime accused in the 200 Crore money laundering case being investigated by Enforcement Directorate. He is facing several other cases too being investigated by ED, Delhi Police's Economic Offence Wing etc. The ED's case is based on an FIR filed by Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) against Sukesh Chandrasekhar who is accused of cheating and extorting Japna Singh and Aditi Singh, wife of former promoter of Religare Enterprises, who are in Judicial custody related to alleged misappropriation of funds at Religare Finvest Ltd. Both Chandrasekhar and his actor wife Leena Maria Paul were arrested by the Delhi Police for their alleged role in the duping case. Bollywood actors Jacqueline Fernandez Nora Fatehi and other several names surfaced during the investigation of the Economic Offence Wing of the Delhi Police and Enforcement Directorate. President Julius Maada Bio has addressed the first regional conference of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, to chart ways for deeper cooperation to end human trafficking, highlighting some of the challenges. The President observed, in his keynote address, that while the meeting of representatives from member countries was timely and crucial, it also demonstrated the importance of consistent collective action in response to the evolving nature of human trafficking. "This Conference offers a new opportunity to enhance regional collaboration on information sharing, victim identification, and providing services to survivors. It is also an opportunity to strengthen the regional referral system and to intensify the rollout of the ECOWAS Biometric ID system that will facilitate the safe movement of people across ECOWAS. "My Government is championing this effort to scale up the fight against human trafficking in the sub-region because of the many lessons learned during our efforts to quell trafficking here in Sierra Leone since I took office in 2018. "We soon realised the need to focus first on creating a simplified, holistic, and enabling legal environment for rights-based issues like human trafficking to be addressed by the whole-of-Government. "We also built a strong rights-based social protection framework that our ecosystem of new laws upholds. These include the amended Sexual Offenses Act of 2019, the Anti-Human Trafficking (TIP) and Migrant Smuggling Law of 2022, and the Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Act of 2022. "This focused approach allows us to better fight against human trafficking in Sierra Leone, especially in prosecution and the provision of victim services, especially for women," he said. He later opened the two-day conference and said he looked forward to the endorsement of the conference roadmap by the participating member state ministers and its adoption by the Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS. The ECOWAS President, His Excellency Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, thanked and expressed his profound gratitude to President Bio, the government and people of Sierra Leone for co-hosting the conference. He said one of the key challenges facing West Africa today was insecurity, pointing out that the drivers of insecurity in the region included terrorism, unconstitutional changes of government, environmental crises, and armed conflicts, among others. "Human trafficking is one facet of the insecurity that undermines regional peace, and it is driven by organised crimes. Despite individual efforts by governments, human trafficking, and its associated ills remain a major obstacle to human security. "A recent survey indicates that there are approximately 3.5 million people who are trafficking victims at any given time, with the highest proportion of trafficking persons detected in West Africa. Around 99 percent of the victims who are trafficked in the sub-region or in their own hands are children, are trafficked for the purpose of forced labour. "It is in this context that ECOWAS considered the fight against human trafficking as more than just humanitarian intervention. ECOWAS is of considerable importance to governments like Sierra Leone's. This conference is expected to produce an implementation program that will be implemented as a component of the ECOWAS plan of action to combat trafficking in persons, especially women, and children. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines West Africa Legal Affairs By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "Excellences, ladies, and gentlemen, allow me at this junction to place on record our appreciation for the commitment of the government of Sierra Leone to the ratification of the Convention on Trafficking in Persons. "Sierra Leone has taken an important step towards combating human trafficking, including the review of Sierra Leone's Anti-Human Trafficking Act of 1805, bypassing into law the Anti-Human Trafficking and Migrant Act of 2022," he ended. The Conference will feature a closed-door Ministerial roundtable to finalise the roadmap for the enhanced Combat of Trafficking in Persons in the region, experience sharing amongst member countries on the implementation of their respective Trafficking In Persons, TIP, action plans and presentation of the outcomes from the Mano River Union TIP Conference held in Sierra Leone in 2022. NEW DELHI: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday raised the issue of the lingering border row with China in eastern Ladakh with his Chinese counterpart General Li Shangfu while stressing that the violation of existing agreements had eroded bilateral relations, and the development of India-China ties was based on the prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the borders. Defence minister Rajnath Singh holds a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu on the sidelines of the SCO Defence Ministers' meeting in New Delhi on Thursday. (A. Bharat Bhushan Babu /Twitter) A defence ministry statement said that Singh told Li that all issues at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) needed to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and commitments. The two ministers held a bilateral meeting on the eve of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence ministers meeting on Friday. The Raksha Mantri categorically conveyed that development of relations between India and China is premised on prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the borders, the statement said. He reiterated that violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation. The meeting took place days after the India Army and the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) held the 18th round of military talks to ease tensions along LAC in eastern Ladakh. At the latest round of India-China corps commander level talks on April 23, the two sides agreed to maintain security and stability along LAC, stay in close contact and continue dialogue through military and diplomatic channels, and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues. The talks, however, did not yield an immediate breakthrough. Lis visit to India is the first visit by a Chinese defence minister after the June 2020 Galwan clash that derailed bilateral ties. Twenty Indian soldiers killed in the seven-hour deadly conflict near Patrolling Point 14 in Galwan Valley. According to Indias assessment, PLAs casualties were twice as many as Indian Armys though Beijing officially claimed that only four Chinese soldiers were killed. The two sides have been locked in a border row in eastern Ladakh for almost three years. Despite four rounds of disengagement from Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A) and Hot Springs (PP-15), the Indian and Chinese armies still have more than 60,000 troops each and advanced weaponry deployed in the Ladakh theatre. Problems at Depsang in Daulet Beg Oldi sector and Charding Nullah Junction (CNJ) in Demchok sector are still on the negotiating table. On April 19, Singh had expressed confidence in the Indian Army to handle any contingency along the countrys border with China even as he said talks would continue for peaceful resolution of the lingering row in the Ladakh sector, and disengagement and de-escalation were the best way forward. Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi recently joined the Congress after the BJP refused to give him a ticket for the upcoming elections. Savadi, a Lingayat leader, said that the election is a battle for self-respect. In an interview, Savadi claimed that the BJP had been ignoring its loyal workers, and he could win seats for Congress that the BJP won by a margin of 5000-6000 votes. Edited excerpts: Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi recently joined the Congress after the BJP (PTI) If the party decided on a candidate after holding multiple meetings, isnt it the responsibility of a worker to accept it? It was a decision made because of pressure from Ramesh Jarkiholi, who is backing Mahesh Kumatahalli. Before announcing the candidates, the party had conducted an internal survey, which showed that Mahesh Kumtahalli would lose. Even I had asked an agency to conduct a survey. They said I had more than a 60% of changes of winning, whereas he had around 20% chance. I decided to leave the party for the people of my constituency. The BJP has been claiming that your leaving will not make an impact. In 2008, I won by 26,000 votes. In 2013, I won by a margin of around 21,000 votes. I lost by 2300 votes in 2018. There is a reason for the defeat, I was given a lot of party-related work and asked to campaign extensively in several areas. I couldnt pay attention to my constituency. During Operation Kamala, when 13 MLAs were to come to BJP, party leaders called me and told me that two MLAs, including, Athani MLA (who is contesting against him in 2023), would come to this side. I took the risk and dropped them to Mumbai. When they wanted a person from the Lingayat community to be deputy chief minister, I was the choice. This is my track record for the party. Was there any promise made to you by the party regarding the ticket? When the byelections happened after BJP formed the government (in 2019), I was told ensuring victory in Kagwad and Athani was my responsibility, and in return, in 2023, I will be given a ticket from Athani. This was told in the presence of (BS) Yediyurappa, (KS) Eshwarappa, Jagadish Shettar and others. But, I started getting a sense that there was an attempt to sideline me in the party. Why is that? I was made the deputy chief minister (in 2019), but many people didnt like it. They feared I would become a bigger Lingayat figure in the party. During that time, I was made in charge of a byelection in Basavakalyana and ensured a victory in the seat. Along with the deputy CM post, I was given charge of the transport department, and soon I realised there was a conspiracy against me. When the KSRTC employee strike started (in 2019), I tried to talk to workers and resolve the issue. But I was told not to agree to any demand. I wanted to give the employee an interim relief of a 17% hike, but the leadership didnt agree to it. Meanwhile, some forces within the party were creating a case to tell the high command that I was incompetent. Eventually, I was removed from the post of deputy CM when Yediyurappa left (in 2021). But that change happened because the new cabinet was sworn in. If that is the case, why did they remove the protocols given to a deputy chief minister weeks after I took charge? Even though a deputy chief minister, the protocol was reduced to that of a cabinet minister. The partys call not to give you a seat, a sudden decision? I was on the party core committee. When the candidate selection started, my constituency was the third on the list. I reminded them of the promise they made. However, they said the decision will be made by the high command. During lunch hours, (BJP leaders and Union ministers) Dharmendra Pradhan and Pralhad Joshi took me aside for lunch. I told them that Kumtahalli has severe anti-incumbency, and (they) told me I should move aside. I also told them that they should make him (Kumathalli) a minister, and I will work as an MLA, but they didnt give a response. When Bommai was leaving for Delhi for the seat discussion, I asked him if I should come. He told them why should worry when he was there and that he would convince them (high command of giving him a ticket). Convinced by this, I even started meeting my constituents. But before the first list was announced, Bommai, in a press conference, announced that I wont be getting a ticket. This was even before the list was announced. I was in shock because he was a friend of mine for several decades, and I was the one who convinced him not to join the Congress. Could you elaborate on Bommai wanting to join Congress? It was in 2008. He wanted to join the Congress. Then my colleague CC Patil and I met him and convinced him to join BJP. I held meetings with Yediyurappa and later fixed a meeting between them. He (Bommai) wanted to contest the election from (Shiggaon)-Savanur constituency. So, I spoke to the sitting MLA there Sindhura Rajashekar. He was known to my family, so I convinced him to give the seat to Bommai. So, I was shocked when he announced this in a press conference instead of showing the courtesy of telling me personally. So when did you decide on joining Congress? When I realised that the BJP had cheated me, I held meetings across the constituency. I proposed contesting as an independent or looking at joining Congress. They said I should join Congress since there was a chance of doing good work for the constituency if there was support from the government. After that, I went to Bengaluru and consulted my close friends, who also said that joining Congress would help ensure victory for others. In Bengaluru, the Congress leaders met me at an apartment. I told them they should fulfil my demands of constructing an agriculture university in my constituency and continuing the irrigation projects. They agreed. But BJP claims Ramesh Jarkiholis influence will help them in Belagavi What influence does he have? Look at the election results in Belagavi in the past few years and tell me how many seats he has helped win. But the party has fielded candidates of Jarkiholis choice. The party thinks he is a big leader, and they are daydreaming that he will win them seats. He can give dreams, but he cant deliver on the ground. Look at their favourite candidate, Mahesh Kumtahalli. He is contesting against me and looking at a very bad defeat. The survey done by the BJP and others has shown that. If he cant ensure the victory of someone for whom he gambled his political career, what other seat can he win? Before your resignation, you were among the BJP MLAs and leaders who complained to the partys high command about the overreach of Jarkiholi in the district. I told him (the BJP in charge of Karnataka Dharmendra Pradhan) there was a lack of unity in the party here, and once it was achieved it was possible to win 14-15 seats. Then Amit Shah came. He just made a declaration that no one should fight against each other. But there were no meetings to resolve the problems between the MLAs. The problems continue. What impact can you make in the election for the Congress? Wherever the party asks me to campaign, I will. Im not saying I can swing seats, but Congress has its vote bank, and when I go, some votes could swing, and in many seats where Congress lost by a margin of 5,000-6,000 votes could swing. As of now, I am asked to campaign in around 10-16 constituencies. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A small crowd gathers inside a simple looking house along a narrow by-lane in suburban Hubballi, just off the Hubballi-Karwar road. Inside the low-roofed house, his head barely grazing past the wooden rafters holding up the roof, former Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar makes an impassioned plea. Former Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar joins Congress from the BJP (Congress Twitter) Back when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) did not have political workers to contest for local body, taluka panchayat or zilla panchayat elections, it was I who gathered and motivated people to work for the party, Shettar says. Despite all this, I was told over the phone that I had no ticket (for the assembly elections). I felt bad (that it had come to this) after working for the party. Then they told me to make someone from my family to contest. I didnt agree. I told them if you are giving (me) a seat only, I would continue or else no. I was offered other positions as well, he adds, with his voice choking. Shettar is quick to add that his electoral fight is for self-respect and not for any position from Hubballi-Dharward Central assembly constituency, where he is now a Congress candidate pitted against Mahesh Tenginkai of the BJP, the party on whose ticket the former got elected for six terms since 1994 and was associated with for the past 40 years. Hailing from a political family, Shettars father was Hubballi-Dharwads first mayor from the then Jan Sangh party in the 1990s. Shettar was a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker from his student days. His father and his uncle were RSS activists and his father went on to be the first Jan Sangh mayor of Hubballi-Dharwad, recalls Dr Pandurang Patil, a former BJP mayor of Hubballi municipal corporation, who claims to have quit active politics. Keen contest On April 18, Shettar left the BJP and joined the Congress, saying the former was not willing to give him even a party ticket, which he claimed, was all he was asking for. He accused BJP national general secretary B L Santhosh of sidelining senior party leaders like him and BS Yediyurappa, who had built the party in Karnataka, to make a way for himself. The BJP did not take his joining the Congress lightly. On Friday, Union home minister Amit Shah in Hubballi said Shettar will lose the elections. Therell be no loss (in BJP), Jagdish Shettar will himself lose the election, Hubballi has always voted for BJP & all workers of BJP are united, Shah said at a press conference, with Union parliamentary affairs minister and local MP, Pralhad Joshi, seated next to him. He also held a meeting with senior party leaders in the district to ensure they work for the party candidate. Shah is the second big leader after BJP national president JP Nadda to visit Hubballi since Shettars exit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address a rally in Hubballi in the first week of May, according to local BJP leaders. The strategy is to minimise the impact of his (Shettar) exit in the region, says a senior district BJP leader, who was present at Naddas meeting last week. Although Shettars rise in Hubballi mirrors that of the BJP, which locals say, is because of championing the Idgah maidan controversy. In 1992, on the lines of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, the party championed the cause of opening the Idgah maidan an open space located right in the centre of the town to allow functions of all communities and not just the Muslims. On August 15, 1994, when then BJP leader Uma Bharati tried to forcibly hoist the national flag on the grounds defying prohibitive orders, in the commotion that ensued, police opened fire, killing six people. Shettar won his first assembly election that year from Hubballi, which has been a BJP bastion since then, (party) winning both assembly and Lok Sabha seats. Incidentally, Shettar defeated Basvaraj Bommai, who was then contesting on a Janata Dal ticket, from Hubballi rural constituency. Bommai is now in BJP and chief minister of the state. Before the Idgah (controversy), the BJP couldnt even get a councilor elected to the municipality. There was no (Pralhad) Joshi, no Shettar. After the controversy, Shettar became an MLA and the BJP won the Lok Sabha constituency (then represented by businessman and logistics baron Vijay Sankeshwar, who quit the party in 2004 paving the way for Pralhad Joshis rise), says the senior district BJP leader mentioned above. Idgah maidan in focus again In August last year, the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation permitted the installation of a Ganesh idol on the maidan, despite pleas from Muslim groups that the events not be allowed. The Karnataka high court upheld the municipal corporations decision, allowing Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations at the maidan for the first time in history and ensuring the pot is kept boiling in the run up to the polls. The BJP is going door to door talking about the Idgah maidan, revitalising former Congress chief minister Siddaramaiahs promise to give Lingayats recognition as a separate religion and to claim that the Congress is trying to divide the Hindus. They are also raking up the reservation issue, hoping to delay the Supreme Court hearing, challenging the decision to remove the 4% reservation for Muslims and use it for the polls, says a local journalist, who did not wish to be named. The Muslims and others make up 22% of the constituency. The BJPs effort is to try and unite 78% against 22%. Its a strategy that has worked for them well in the past. Shettars entry into the Congress changes the equation, says Shakir Sanadi, a general secretary of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee. Lingayat factor Back at his upper middle-class home in central Hubballi, Shettar meets delegations of people waiting for him late into the evening as his home is turned into a makeshift campaign office. Adorning the walls are framed images of Shettar meeting Shah, while clocks with Prime Minister Narendra Modis face alongside that of Shettar and the BJP continue to occupy the prime space, signifying a transition that isnt really complete. Much of his chances depend on the influential Lingayat community, that makes up nearly 34% of the population and has been a core base of the BJP ever since former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi allegedly insulted former chief minister and popular Lingayat leader Veerendra Patil who was unceremoniously dismissed from the top post in 1990. Like Patil, Shettar too belongs to the Banjiga (traders) subset of the Lingayat community. He and Laxman Savadi (who represents Athani in Belagavi), are two most prominent Lingayat leaders from north Karnataka who recently deserted the BJP. But with the communitys foremost leader Yediyurappa continuing to stick with the BJP, experts doubt whether the Lingayats will switch over. Much of the communitys voting patterns depend on the edicts issued by the seers of the Lingayat mutts. These mutts have benefited financially during the tenure of B S Yediyurappa and many have been issuing edicts to continue to back the BJP, says a journalist for a local newspaper, who does not wish to be named. A Narayana, a political science professor at Azim Premji University, says data shows that Lingayats voters are not as homogeneous as they appear. They switch every five years for Congress and BJP, he says. Reality check On ground, Shettar has to do a lot of explaining for leaving the BJP and joining the ideologically opposite Congress. A lot of people in the whole of Karnataka and especially in north Karnataka are calling me and saying that (the BJP has insulted) not only Jagdish Shettar but our (Lingayat communitys) self-respect. That whatever decision you have taken is 100% correct and we are going to support you, he says. BJPs Mahesh Tenginkai is a Lingayat and first-time contestant to take on Shettar. Tenginkai, who was an aspirant back in 2018 as well, was preferred, allegedly at the recommendation of Santhosh. We have worked together for 30-40 years. The strength of our party is in the grassroots-based cadre. Shettar quitting will have no effect on the party, our voters are loyal to the party and not the person, says Dr Lingraj Patil, the Dharwad Vibhag Prabhari (district incharge) of the BJP. Patil believes that the BJP has been able to successfully convince voters that Shettar has enjoyed positions chief minister, leader of opposition, speaker of the assembly and minister and failed to repay the partys faith in him at the slightest refusal. He has profited from the party and now has not respected the party, and instead challenged the high command. On the contrary, his presence has curtailed the rise of younger leaders in the party. The people are upset that he, who belongs to the family of Jan Sangh leaders, has made a switch, Patil says. Analysts say the election boils down to two factors whether Shettar can convince his community that the BJP is indeed attempting to backstab the influential Lingayat community and whether his voters are true to the party or true to him as a leader. Dr Pandurang Patil believes that the BJP will retain the seat. Not even 10% of the party workers and corporators, who at one point were threatening to resign en masse, left with Shettar to join the Congress. The voters will not shift, he says. The Congress, too, admits that Shettar has his task cut out. Shettar is seen in the Congress as one of the non-harmful leaders of the BJP. But, unlike the BJP, which has a rigid structure and party discipline, Shettar will take time getting used to the Congress and will have to spend time bringing the various factions together before he can begin his campaign in earnest, Sanadi says, expressing confidence in Shettars victory. Back in 2018, Shettar had won the Hubbali-Dharwad central seat with a margin of 21,306 votes, winning 51% of the votes, while the Congresss Mahesh Nalvad earned 37% of the votes. Janata Dal (Secular) patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda has said he is yet to be approached for efforts at the national level to bring non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parties on a common platform before the 2024 national elections. Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda. (HT Photo) If they are all coming together, I can extend my cooperation, he said in an interview with Hindustan Times when asked if Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge or Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar approached him. Gowda cited infighting in the Congress but added they will see if the opposition parties come together. In Rajasthan, they [Congressmen] themselves are fighting. The comments came days after Nitish Kumar on Monday met his West Bengal counterpart, Mamata Banerjee, in Kolkata and Samajwadi party chief Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow as he stepped up his efforts for unity against the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next year. Kumar urged all opposition parties to hold talks to decide on a road map. Gowda said the outcome of May 10 Karnataka polls will not give any indication about the 2024 parliament elections. Karnataka only has 28 seats in the 545-strong Lok Sabha. How do we imagine that it will give a clear picture of 2024? Banerjee also on Monday said opposition parties must unite to send a strong message to the BJP, which has been in power at the Centre with a full majority since 2014. Kumar earlier in April met Kharge and former Congress president Rahul Gandhi as part of efforts to forge a united platform and set off speculation that the BJP may have to face in the 2024 polls a coalition of parties that have also been political adversaries. The BJP has dismissed the attempts to stall the partys electoral juggernaut as futile. Banerjee met Akhilesh Yadav and Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik last month and Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy earlier for talks on a common non-BJP platform. At 89, Janata Dal (Secular) patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda has passed on the party baton to his son HD Kumaraswamy. That hasnt however diminished his authority in the regional party that often holds the key to government-formation in Karnataka. Will history be rewritten or repeat itself in the southern state thats as crucial to the BJP the loss of power would mean losing its only toehold south of the Vindhyas as it is to the Congress thats in desperate search for the elixir of an electoral win? Excerpts from an interview: PREMIUM Former prime minister HD Deve Gowda (right) with his son HD Kumaraswamy at a programme in Mysuru on March 26. (PTI) You are a veteran of many electoral battles. Whats your projection for the upcoming assembly polls in Karnataka? Today, the two national parties are on one side and a regional party like the JD(S) is on the other. The fight is triangular. Naturally, (the) star (studded) campaigns are of the BJP and the Congress. Their leaders are coming here from all over the country. From our side, I myself and (HD) Kumaraswamy besides some former (state) ministers are working very hard on what we call the Pancharatna programme which has become very popular in the last one year. Kumaraswamy has toured about 118 constituencies to explain the attractive scheme. The people who are suffering, are convinced that the programme will benefit them. That is a major development that has taken place. (The five-point scheme Kumaraswamy announced at a rally in Mysuru last month includes loan wavers for women self-help groups, medical assistance to the tune of 40 lakh to check medical bankruptcy, bringing govt English and Kannada-medium schools at par with private schools in all gram panchayats and setting up 30-bed hospitals with free dialysis and lab facilities in all panchayat centres). Your partys stronghold is on South Karnataka, in the Mysuru region with over 60 seats. How many seats will the JD(S) win? That is wrong information spread by our political opponents (to show the JD-S as a party confined to South Karnataka). In fact, we got nine seats last time from Gulbarga and Raichur in Hyderabad-Karnataka (region) and four seats from Bijapur in Bombay-Karnataka area. In total we got 13 seats in 2018 in these areas where, this time, we are expecting more than 20-21 seats. We have worked very hard in these parts of the state for the last five years. The Krishna water dispute (between Karnatakta, Andhra and Maharashtra) is a major issue in these regions. People are happy with the way we have helped them. How many seats are you expecting in all, including in the Mysuru region? I got 76 seats when I became chief minister in 1994. Of course, Kumaraswamy last time got 38. This time I have personally taken the responsibility to go around in old Mysuru. I am addressing three public meetings every day. I plan to address about 40 meetings by the time the campaign comes to a close on May 8. Can one say youre expecting 50-60 seats across the State? No, we will be near to formation of the government (which requires 113 seats in the 224-member assembly). Thats because Kumaraswamys programme is appreciated by one and all, irrespective of their caste or creed. The Muslims are backing us because the BJP has removed the reservation I gave when I was CM. The women reservation I gave in Karnataka still holds good. I also wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the womens quota in parliament, holding him to his own promise of empowering women and asking that the womens bill be passed before 2024. Read: Deve Gowdas legacy holds the key in Old Mysuru battleground You said your party will be near-to forming the government. That means the outcome could be similar to the fractured 2018 mandate when you entered into a post-electoral coalition with the Congress and Kumaraswamy became the CM. That was different I mean (similar) in terms of a hung assembly In 2018 we didnt at all want to form the government. But Ashok Gehlot and Ghulam Nabi Azad (then of the Congress) came to this very house of mine to persuade me to have a coalition that we eventually did. I agreed after a long process of discussions. But some Congress friends eventually ditched us. That is why the BJP is today in power. Are you referring to Siddaramaiah? (Laughs). You can ask this question not only to Congress leaders and their high command but also the people of Karnataka. I am putting the question directly to Deve Gowda It (the answer) is an open secret Siddaramaiah was once with the JD(S). You made him deputy chief minister in the coalition you had with the Congress in 2004-05. Anyway, what has happened has happened; the past is past What if there is a need for a coalition again? A hung verdict means the people want parties that fought each other to work together. What would be your choice in such a situation? Youve had unseemly experiences with both the Congress and the BJP. If such a situation arises, the party will decide. In the past you havent had happy experiences sharing power with both national parties Our Pancharatna programme is a novel idea planned by Kumaraswamy in consultation with economists to benefit the rural people. He has worked it out with the aim of getting 112-123 seats. Thatll happen on account of his hard work. Theres no if and but In recent times, you came in for praise by the PM (for your stance on the Kisan morcha) and also BS Yediyurappa who, in his farewell speech in the state assembly, thanked you for your advice and guidance. What does one deduce from such bonhomie? The PM respects me and I also respect the PM. Not only Modi, I respect all former PMs including AB Vajpayee and Dr Manmohan Singh. I never hurt the feelings of senior leaders. Thats my habit. Modi and myself have got good relationship. But he hasnt done certain things I tried to persuade him to do for my home constituency (Hassan). Thats the ground reality. Will the upcoming assembly election be fought by local leaders on local issues or by national leaders on national issues? The outcome here will not give any indication about the forthcoming parliament elections. Karnataka only has 28 seats in the 545-strong Lok Sabha. How do we imagine that it will give a clear picture about 2024? Im not asking that. Im asking whether the Karnataka election will be fought on local or national issues? The national parties have strong leaders coming from across India to fight one election in Karnataka. We are a regional party campaigning only with local leaders. We have no national leader. You have been PM. You too are a national leader. Look at my age. You are not answering my question. The BJP never got a majority of its own here despite being a national party. Neither has the JD(S) ever got a majority of its own. Only Siddaramaiah got majority when he became the Congress CM in 2013. Those days are over. Which means that there will be a fractured verdict Now so many leaders are there. Theres DK Shivakumar (Congress) and others. It wasnt like that in 2013. Today there are various competent leaders in the Congress itself. Read: No understanding with Congresss DK Shivakumar ahead of Karnataka polls: Gowda You and Shivakumar come from the same Vokkaliga community (Interjects) Thats a different issue, it has nothing to do with.(leaves the sentence unfinished). Theres a feeling that theres an understanding (Again interjects) No! No means no! Let me ask fully my question. (Interjects) No means no. No understanding between you and Shivakumar? Dont unnecessarily try to scratch your head. No means no! Okay, lets move forward. What do you think is the main issue facing the electorate in Karnataka? People want to trust Kumaraswamy(That is because of) the work he has done as the CM with the BJP and the Congress support. Today the Pancharatna he has brought is appreciated by people. I think he will get working majority. Do you think Lingayat leaders such as Jagdish Shettar who crossed over will get the Congress their community-votes considered loyal to the BJP? That is the aim. I dont know how much backing of Lingayats will the Congress have. There are so many Lingayat leaders in the BJP. Efforts are underway at the national level to bring non-BJP parties on a common platform before the 2024 elections. Have you been approached by Mallikarjun Kharge or Nitish Kumar? NoIf they are all coming together, I can extend my cooperation (on being approached). Misuse of official agencies and concomitant threats to democracy and federalism are among the issues on which the Opposition unity is sought to be predicated. Rahul Gandhi is raising some of these points. In Rajasthan they (Congressmen) themselves are fighting. Thats why I said, if they come together, well see. Do you agree that democracy and federalism are threatened by the BJPs strong- arm tactics? There certainly are instances where things which have happened have been represented to the President of India with facts and figures. I wasnt a party to that. I am only reading tn newspapers. All political parties havent yet come together even on that issue. There is no unanimity. Read: Key Oppn meet likely in Bihar after Karnataka polls Are you hopeful or not about the Opposition coming together? The idea cannot be straightaway rejected. There is a possibility (of it happening). If the JD(S) has the key to government formation, will Kumaraswamy demand the CMs office? He has full confidence in coming to power on his own strength. That question does not arise right now. What if the question arises? Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar are open about their aspirations to be CMs. Let them say. Ultimately, the mandate has to come from the people. Hectic lobbying has begun for next years election for the post of Interpol secretary general with India expected to play a key role as it has a crucial vote in the international police organisations 13-member executive committee. Jurgen Stocks term as Interpol secretary general ends in 2024. (Twitter) People familiar with the matter said Stephen Kavanagh (the UK), the executive director of police services at Interpol, and Valdecy Urquiza (Brazil), the organisations vice president, have hinted at their candidacy for the top post. The UK and Brazil are seeking the backing of the executive committee, which will decide the next chief of the global policy body. Jurgen Stocks term as Interpol secretary general ends in 2024. An Indian official said India will be an important player in the exercise as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special director Praveen Sinha was elected to the executive committee in November 2021 for three years. Several countries have started lobbying and visits are taking place. China is also pushing member countries to support the candidate it plans to back as it wants to increase its influence in international policing, said the official, who did not want to be named. The extended tenure of Sinha, who retired on April 30 last year, at CBI is due to end this month. It is unclear whether the government will extend his tenure for him to continue as part Interpol executive committee. The committee is the governing body in charge of supervising the execution of the Interpol General Assemblys decisions and the work of its General Secretariat in Frances Lyon. The General Assembly elects its 13 members including the president, three vice presidents, and nine delegates from different countries keeping in mind the balanced geographical distribution. There is also no indication if India will field its candidate. In 2014, CBI director Ranjit Sinha contested the election but got no votes. Since then, things have changed a lot. The international policing community has seen and acknowledged that Indian police and agencies, the largest in the world with around 3.5 million strength, are highly capable, and use advanced technology and tools for investigations and intelligence gathering. Our crowd management capabilities seen by international agencies at Kumbh Mela, protests and dealing with various conflicts in left-wing extremism, Jammu and Kashmir, northeast insurgency, etc have been appreciated widely, said the official. The official added Indias success in achieving extraditions and deportations lately shows the international courts have appreciated the investigation skills of Indian police. Officials said Indias membership of the committee has been advantageous. India has received extraordinary cooperation from international law enforcement agencies in investigations and extraditions due to Sinhas position at Interpol, they added. A record 57 fugitives have been brought back from abroad since 2021. They include 18 in 2021, 27 in 2022, and 12 this year so far. The highest number of fugitives extradited or deported in a year before 2021 was 11. India also hosted Interpol 90th general assembly in Delhi in October. Representatives from over 130 countries attended the assembly which enhanced Indias influence. The cooperation earlier this month between the Delhi Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Mexico authorities to arrest gangster Deepak Boxer is a classic example of this enhanced cooperation, said a second official, who did not want to be named. A fire broke out at the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMCH) here on Thursday after two cooking gas cylinders exploded in the cafeteria, leading to the evacuation of about 250 people from the new OPD building, officials said. The two blasts took place in quick succession, triggering panic, those present during the incident said. (ANI/Twitter) No casualty has been reported, they said "We received a call at 8:50 am and six fire tenders from The Mall Road, Chotta Shimla and Boileauganj were rushed to the spot and the fire was stopped from spreading," a fire official said. The column of smoke from the building was visible from far away, The two blasts took place in quick succession, triggering panic, those present during the incident said. The blasts occurred when Outdoor Patient Department (OPD) services had just started. Within 15-20 minutes, about 250 people, including patients, were evacuated with the help of hospital staff and others, IGMCH Senior Medical Superintendent Rahul Rao said. OPD services have been shifted to the old building for now, he added. No casualty has been reported, Rao said and added that four chambers of doctors, the cafeteria and three lifts have been damaged in the fire and according to a preliminary estimate, the loss is over 60 lakhs. Fire extinguishers and other equipment were available in the newly constructed building and these were used to stop the fire from spreading, till the fire tenders arrived, health officials said. The new multi-storey OPD block, constructed at a cost of 30.90 crore, was inaugurated by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on March 9 last. The building houses emergency unit, intensive care unit, special wards, isolation ward and physiotherapy ward, as well as computerised tomography scan, X-ray, sample collection and pathology lab facilities. Union law minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday reiterated his stand on the Supreme Court hearing the issue of same-sex marriage and said that courts are not the forum to settle such issues. The comment comes as the Union government on Wednesday urged the Apex Court to leave the issue of the legality of the non-heterosexual forms of unions to Parliament. "If five wise men decide something which is correct according to them, I cannot make any kind of adverse comments against them. But if people don't want it, you can't impose things on people," Rijiju said speaking at Republic Summit. Union law minister Kiren Rijiju spoke about the Supreme Court's hearing of the same-sex marriage case.(PTI) "And a sensitive and important matter like the institution of marriage has to be decided by the people of the country. Supreme Court, definitely, has the power to issue certain directions; under Section 142, they can make law also, and if there are some vacuums they can fill them but when it comes to a matter which affects every citizen of the country, then Supreme Court is not the forum," Rijiju said. "I don't want to make it a government versus judiciary, absolutely not. This is not at all a matter between the court and the government. It is a matter which concerns every citizen of India. It is a question of people's will. The will of the people is reflected in Parliament, legislature, Assemblies -- in different forums where we have elected people," the law minister said. Earlier too, the minister emphasised that the issue does not belong to the Supreme Court. Amid the ongoing Executive vs Judiciary under Kiren Rijiju, the minister said, "Constitution does not provide judges to be elected, they don't sit in exams to be a judge. But we all are under the scrutiny of people's assessment. Even though there is no mechanism to change a judge, there is no system of accountability of the judges, I said that people are watching everyone in the age of social media." On the lakshamrekha between the Executive and Judiciary, Rijiju said, "The Modi government never crossed the lakshmanrekha. But it was crossed earlier when there was a mass transfer of judges, when seniority was superseded. We will be very mindful that we remain completely guided by the spirit of the Constitution. But I expect the same from the Judiciary. We did not get into each other's territory. There's no question of tussle if we confine ourselves within our constitutional role. All judges are very comfortable with me. They know that my intentions in very clean. The objective of our government is very clear." "The fissures you see are artificially created by certain people about whom I have talked in past," the law minister said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Indian Army is set to create specialised units to strengthen its cybersecurity capabilities, defend its networks, and counter threats in the key domain at a time of growing importance of cyberspace in both conventional operations and grey zone warfare, even as the force is laying the roadmap for absorption of niche technologies to bolster its fighting prowess, officials familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The decision to raise these new units was taken last week during the Army Commanders Conference. (ANI image) The expansion of cyber warfare capabilities by Indias adversaries (China has invested heavily in building capabilities in this domain) has made the cyber domain more competitive and contested than ever before, and the army is swiftly migrating towards net centricity that entails increased reliance on modern communication systems, said one of the officials cited above, asking not to be named. Also Read:Indian Army raising new units to counter China, Pak in cyber warfare: Report Grey zone warfare refers to employing aggression and other actions to achieve national objectives below the threshold of armed conflict and the ambiguity it creates. With rapid migration towards net centricity for warfighting advantage through shared awareness of the battlespace using technology, the armys top commanders reviewed the requirement to safeguard the networks and decided to operationalise command cyber operations and support wings (CCOSW) in the immediate future, the army said in a statement on Thursday. The decision to raise these new units was among the key decisions taken last week during the Army Commanders Conference, chaired by army chief General Manoj Pande. The top level officials reviewed the armys operational readiness, modernisation efforts, indigenisation, and identified areas for promoting jointness and integration with the other two services, the officials said. At the conference, the army officials also laid the roadmap for the exploitation of niche technologies and equipment that are being inducted in the force, said a second official, who also asked not to be named. These systems include a variety of unmanned aerial vehicles, loitering munitions, drone swarms, anti-drone gear and electronic warfare equipment, he said. Seamless exploitation of niche equipment also has an impact on the refinement of the existing tactics, techniques and procedures, training and maintenance of the equipment, he said. To augment the capabilities by absorption of niche technologies and equipment, it was decided to nominate lead directorates and test bed formations to evolve optimal employment philosophies to facilitate better exploitation, the statement said. Future threats line in cyberspace and outer space, said military affairs expert Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia (retd). It is imperative that we build capabilities, both defensive and deterrence, by inducting and exploiting niche technologies, especially in the cyber and space domains, Bhatia said. Another key decision taken at the conference related to the technical entry scheme (TES) for officers, the officials said. In the TES, it was decided to transit from the existing 1+3+1 years model to a 3 + 1 model from January 2024. This change will also accrue the benefit of availability of more officers in units and address officer shortage, the statement said. A five-year TES model currently exists for the entry of BTech graduates into the army as officers. Introduced in the 1999, under the model, one-year military training is imparted at the Officers Training Academy (OTA), Gaya, followed by a three-year BTech degree at cadet training wings (CTWs), and another year at the three engineering colleges of the army --- College of Military Engineering (CME), Pune, Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE), Mhow and Military College of Mechanical & Electronics Engineering (MCEME), Secunderabad. The army will now have a 3+1 model, with three years of technical training at CTWs, followed by one-year basic military training at Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, said the first officer. The four-year training model will ensure that young officers are available to serve in units for an additional year, he added. Another decision taken at the conference related to identifying, selecting and training battle and physical casualties for paralympic events, the officials said. The progress on the construction of Thal Sena Bhawan at Delhi Cantt was also discussed at the conference. The work, once completed in 2025, will not only address the shortage of office spaces but also enhance the operational and functional efficiency of the Army HQ by bringing all the directorates under one roof, the statement said. It is being built at a cost of 832 crore, the officials said. When fighting erupted between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Sudan on April 15, Pramod Mishra was among over 300 Indian expatriates who took refuge at a school in the northeast African nations capital Khartoum. Over the next week, they spent sleepless nights stranded losing hope as the intensification of air strikes and artillery left hundreds dead and wounded. The evacuees at the Delhi airport on Wednesday. (Sanchit Khanna/ HT Photo) [We thought]...we would never be able to return home. I was robbed of all my belongings..., said Mishra after he landed at the Delhi airport late on Wednesday. Mishra, who is from Uttar Pradeshs Sultanpur, was part of a group of 360 Indians evacuated from Sudan to Saudi Arabia before they were flown to India. Carrying just a paper bag and a pair of torn jeans, Mishra said he never felt so relieved as he did when they landed in Delhi amid chants of long live Indian Army and Bharat Mata Ki Jai. Mishra, who worked at a steel factory in Khartoum for 11 years, added they remained stranded at the school as bombings and firing continued in the vicinity after a weeks-long power struggle between the forces of two generals who seized power in a 2021 coup degenerated into the intense fighting. He said they survived on rice and lentils amid a power outage while water too was scarce. With the constant shelling outside, we hardly slept...the only thought was how to somehow get out...we knew we could [also] get shot. He said the Indian embassy officials eventually came to their rescue and guided them on how to leave the country. Another evacuee Amit Kumar Prasad, 32, a Bihar native, echoed Mishra. He said they rationed food and hoped the embassy reached out to them. We could not step out as there was constant firing and even civilians were not being spared. Luckily, during one of the ceasefire spells, we were able to get to a rescue point for evacuation. Prasad, who worked in Khartoum since 2019, said Indian evacuees were unlikely to return to Sudan even if the situation stabilises there. Nishant Singhania, a third evacuee from Ludhiana, said he ran a travel management company in Sudan since 2014 without any issues. He added while protests started there in 2019 over a series of issues including judicial appointments, the situation was nowhere close to what is happening now. There was constant firing outside and a rocket exploded barely 500 metres from where I was residing, he said. Singhania said he feels lucky to be still alive. He said the escape was more challenging for Indians residing in Sudan with their families, especially children. For Sidharth Rai, 37, and Neha Rai, 34, taking their four-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son out of harms way was the priority. They remained stranded for a week before gathering the courage to step out to hire a private bus for their evacuation. In the absence of electricity or even water, it was like a nightmare. Our children would keep asking what is happening outside and we did not know what to tell them. There was hardly enough food left. So we fed the children most of the food, but as the fighting escalated and jets flew over our house, we knew we needed to somehow escape, said Sidharth Rai. Many left behind all their belongings as exiting the country safely was their main objective. We are glad these flights are being run and efforts are being made to rescue all Indians stuck in Sudan, said Sidharth Rai. Mohamed Samura, Mohamed Lamin Dumbuya and Hardy Momodu Evetyn Jabbie, who were alleged to have murdered the bodyguard of First Lady Fatima Bio, Samuel Abu Bakarr Kargbo alias Wanie, have been discharged after the court established that the evidences tended in court in respect of the matter were not sufficient to prove the guilt of the accused persons. The accused made another appearance before Magistrate Mark Ngegba of Court No 1 in Freetown. All three accused persons were charged on two counts of conspiracy to commit a crime and murder contrary to law. All three accused persons were alleged to have on the diverse date between 27th February,2023, at Woodland Estate, Freetown, conspired together with other persons unknown and murdered Samuel Abu Bakarr Kargbo alias Wanie. It was alleged that all three accused on the same date and place murdered the deceased. Leading defense counsel, Hindolo M NGevao cross examined the second accused, who had testified that the police officers that arrested him took away his money. During cross examination, the second accused reiterated the same in court, stating that the police officer wrote his phone number and a serial number against the money they took from him. The prosecuting counsel also cross examined the second accused who denied knowing the deceased and that he only came to aware about his death through social media. The defense counsel for the first accused argued that the prosecution failed to provide enough evidence in the Magistrates' Court for the matter to be committed to the High Court Counsel for the third accused put up similar argument. NEW DELHI: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday raised the issue of the lingering border row with China in eastern Ladakh with his Chinese counterpart General Li Shangfu while stressing that the violation of existing agreements had eroded bilateral relations, and the development of India-China ties was based on the prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the borders. HT Image Singh told Li that all issues at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) needed to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and commitments, a defence ministry statement said. The two ministers held a bilateral meeting on the eve of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence ministers meeting on Friday. The Raksha Mantri categorically conveyed that development of relations between India and China is premised on prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the borders, the statement said. He reiterated that violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation. The two ministers had frank discussions on developments in the India-China border areas as well as bilateral relations, the statement added. Photos of Singhs meetings released by the defence ministry showed the Indian defence minister shaking hands with his counterparts from Iran, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. However, the photo of Singhs meeting with his Chinese counterpart did not show them shaking hands, but only seated across the table. Singh and Li did not shake hands when they met for the bilateral talks, said an official familiar with the matter. The meeting took place days after the India Army and the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) held the 18th round of military talks to ease tensions along LAC in eastern Ladakh. What is stated (by Singh) is the standard Indian position that the ongoing standoff has impacted bilateral relations which can only improve if the PLA disengages and then pulls back additional forces, said former Northern Army commander Lieutenant General DS Hooda (retd). To me this indicates that both sides have probably reiterated their respective positions and there is no substantive move forward. However, it is good that high level political contacts are taking place because ultimately the resolution will come at the political level, Hooda added. Singh told his Chinese counterpart that military cooperation between the two countries can progress only if peace and tranquility is established at the border, officials familiar with the talks said, asking not to be named. At the meeting, Singh also said that after disengagement of frontline troops, there should be movement towards de-escalation and expressed hope for a positive response, the officials said. Singh told Li that India wants to improve relations with China, but that can happen only after peace and tranquillity are restored at the border, they added. At the latest round of India-China corps commander level talks on April 23, the two sides agreed to maintain security and stability along LAC, stay in close contact and continue dialogue through military and diplomatic channels, and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues. The talks, however, did not yield an immediate breakthrough. Lis visit to India is the first visit by a Chinese defence minister after the June 2020 Galwan clash that derailed bilateral ties. Twenty Indian soldiers killed in the seven-hour deadly conflict near Patrolling Point 14 in Galwan Valley. According to Indias assessment, PLAs casualties were twice as many as Indian Armys though Beijing officially claimed that only four Chinese soldiers were killed. The two sides have been locked in a border row in eastern Ladakh for almost three years. Despite four rounds of disengagement from Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A) and Hot Springs (PP-15), the Indian and Chinese armies still have more than 60,000 troops each and advanced weaponry deployed in the Ladakh theatre. Problems at Depsang in Daulet Beg Oldi sector and Charding Nullah Junction (CNJ) in Demchok sector are still on the negotiating table. On April 19, Singh expressed confidence in the Indian Army to handle any contingency along the countrys border with China even as he said talks would continue for peaceful resolution of the lingering row in the Ladakh sector, and disengagement and de-escalation were the best way forward. On Thursday, Singh also held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Iran, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. SCO has eight member states: India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Iran and Belarus are taking part in the meeting as observer countries. Singh and his Iranian counterpart Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiani reviewed bilateral defence cooperation, and exchanged views on regional security issues, including peace and stability in Afghanistan, the ministry said in another statement. The two ministers discussed the development of the International North South Transport corridor (a 7,200-km multi-mode route spanning 13 countries) to ease logistics problems to Afghanistan and other countries in Central Asia, it added. India is set to host the SCO foreign ministers meeting in May. These meetings will culminate in the SCO Summit to be held in July, the first time India will host the event since joining the grouping in 2017. The Karnataka legislative assembly sat for only 25 days a year on average between 2018 and 2023, a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) stated on Thursday. The Karnataka legislative assembly sat for only 25 days a year on average between 2018 and 2023, a report by the ADR stated (ANI) According to the report 15th Legislative Assembly of Karnataka: Analysis of Performance of MLAs, 150 sittings were held, and the longest was the 12th session, from February 14, 2022, to March 30, 2022, with 26 sittings. ADR and the Karnataka Election Watch (KEW) filed RTIs to the Karnataka assembly secretariat asking for information about the performance of the MLAs and the legislative assembly. The ADR and KEW jointly released the report on Wednesday. The report analysed the MLAs from the 224 constituencies in the state including those who resigned and those who were elected in the subsequent by-polls. The ADR report on the analysis of the performance of MLAs revealed that Janata Dal (Secular) or JD (S) leader KS Lingesh and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)s Channappa Mallappa Nimbannavar attended all 150 sittings. The two others from the BJP, GB Jyothiganesh and Sanjeeva Matandoor, had 99% attendance each, the report added. With 107 days of attendance, the JD(S) topped the party-wise average attendance. The BJP had 99 days, while the Congress had the lowest among the three major parties in Karnataka with 95 days, and independent MLAs 93 days, the report said. The report also revealed that Congress MLA from Shantinagar Assembly constituency in Bengaluru, NA Harris, asked the most questions - 591 - and recorded 84% attendance. The average number of questions asked by 35 JD(S) MLAs was 163, while the MLAs from Congress and BJP asked 142 and 90 questions, respectively, the report said. The highest number of questions asked in the assembly were related to general administration, finance/revenue, social welfare, education, and Jal Shakti Vibhag, the report said. A total of 214 bills were tabled in the 15th assembly, out of which, 202 (94%) were passed. The former chief minister and Opposition leader Siddaramaiah had 30% attendance in the 150 sittings held, while Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D K Shivakumar recorded an attendance of 39%. Meanwhile, Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai recorded an attendance of only 24%, the report said. On average, the Karnataka Legislative Assembly sat only for 25 days per year between 2018 and 2023, according to a recent report from the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). Karnataka Legislative Assembly (File Photo) It mentioned that a total of 150 sittings were held, and the longest session was the 12th session, from 14th February 2022 to 30th March 2022, with 26 sittings. The ADR report on the analysis of the performance of MLAs revealed that Janata Dal (Secular) [JD(S)] leader KS Lingesh and Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) Channappa Mallappa Nimbannavar attended all 150 sittings while BJP leaders GB Jyothiganesh and Sanjeeva Matandoor were just shy by one day and attended 149 of 150 sittings. Also Read: BRS tops in donations to regional parties in 2021-22, followed by AAP and JD(U) A graphical representation of the report further highlighted that the JD(S) had the highest average attendance (107 days), followed by BJP (99), Congress (95), Independent MLAs (93) and Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party (4). According to the report, out of the 214 bills tabled in the 15th Karnataka Assembly, 202 were passed and over 25,000 questions were asked during the sessions. An MLA (including MLAs elected through bye-elections) from the 15th Karnataka Assembly has asked 116 questions, including starred questions and unstarred questions, mentioned in the report. The report said that 218 MLAs asked 27,583 questions. 218 MLAs have asked questions. These MLAs asked a total of 27,583 questions, the ADR report added while listing that Congress MLA NA Haris and Yashvanthrayagouda Patil had asked 591 and 532 questions respectively. While BJPs Umanatha. A Kotian had asked 502 questions and both JD(S) H D Revanna and Congress S N Narayana Swamy K M had asked 487 questions each. The highest number of questions asked in the assembly were related to general administration, finance/revenue, social welfare, education, and Jal Shakti Vibhag, it mentioned. Also Read: Belagavis 18 seats witness tough contest between Cong & BJP; MES may play spoilsport in few The report was compiled based on information available on the website of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and from the RTI responses received from Karnataka Assembly Secretariat. ADR and the Karnataka Election Watch (KEW) had filed RTIs to the Karnataka Assembly Secretariat asking for information pertaining to the performance of the MLAs and the Legislative Assembly. Karnataka Congress leaders on Thursday filed a police complaint against Union home minister Amit Shah for allegedly spreading hatred and attempting to malign the party with a remark made at an election rally in Belagavi earlier this week. Union home minister Amit Shah. (PTI) During the rally on Tuesday, Shah had said: If the Congress comes to power, dynastic politics will be at an all-time high and Karnataka will be afflicted with riots. He also said that the development of the state will be on the reverse gear if the Congress formed the government. Polling in Karnataka is scheduled to be held on May 10. The results will be announced on May 13. Congress leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala, G Parameshwara and D K Shivakumar registered a complaint against Shah and organisers of the BJP rally at High Grounds police station in Bengaluru. We have given a complaint against Union home minister Amit Shah for an FIR to be lodged and action to be taken against him for spreading hatred among classes and religions, disrupting the harmony of the peaceful state of Karnataka, committing corrupt practices, knowingly making false statements and attempting to malign the Congress, Surjewala said. The party filed the complaint under sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), 171G (false statement in connection with an election), 505 (statements conducing to public mischief), 120B (punishment of criminal conspiracy) and 123 (concealing with intent to facilitate design to wage war) of the Indian Penal Code. Shivakumar said the statements are very serious and an attempt to threaten voters. How is it right for Amit Shah who is in such a high position to threaten the people of a state? What kind of democracy is this? So, we have filed a complaint against him, he said. In their complaint, the Congress leaders said the said individuals have committed serious offences which are punishable under the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and the Representation of People Act, 1951. While the BJPs address continued for well over an hour, the speech given by Shri. Shah was shockingly riddled with flagrantly false statements aimed at tarnishing the image of Indian National Congress by levelling false and unfounded allegations, with a clear objective of trying to create an atmosphere of communal disharmony amongst the gathered crowd and the individuals viewing it on other media platforms, the party said. These statements, which were widely reported in the media, make two things amply evident; (i) the statements made by Shri. Amit Shah are designed to incite, any class or community of persons to commit any offence against any other class or community, and are thereby punishable under Section 505 of the IPC and other provisions of the IPC; (ii) the statements indirectly threaten and try to mislead electors into voting for a particular political party and candidate, thereby being punishable under Section 123 of the Representation of Peoples Act, 1951, it added. HT reached out to BJP leaders for a comment but did not get one immediately. Janata Dal (Secular) patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda has said his party will get a working majority in the May 10 Karnataka assembly polls on the back of his son and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamys work as the two-time chief minister. Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda. (HT Photo) He said people want to trust Kumaraswamy. [That is because of] the work he has done as the CM [chief minister] with the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] and the Congress support, said Gowda, 89, who has passed on the party baton to Kumaraswamy, in an interview with Hindustan Times. The fight is triangular. Naturally, [the] star [studded] campaigns are of the BJP and the Congress. Their leaders are coming here from all over the country. From our side, Kumaraswamy and I besides some former [state] ministers are working very hard on what we call the Pancharatna programme which has become very popular, he said, referring to the five-point scheme Kumaraswamy announced at a rally in Mysuru last month. The scheme includes loan waivers for women self-help groups, medical assistance to the tune of 40 lakh to check medical bankruptcy, bringing government English and Kannada-medium schools at par with private schools in all gram panchayats and setting up 30-bed hospitals with free dialysis and lab facilities in all panchayat centres. Gowda said Kumaraswamy has toured about 118 constituencies to explain the attractive scheme. This time I have personally taken the responsibility to go around in old Mysuru. I am addressing three public meetings every day. I plan to address about 40 meetings by the time the campaign comes to a close on May 8, he said. The people who are suffering are convinced that the [five-point] programme will benefit them. That is a major development that has taken place he said. Today the Pancharatna he has brought is appreciated by people. I think he will get [the] working majority. JD (S) has a broader presence than is generally thought in Karnataka, where its stronghold of the old Mysuru region sends 64 lawmakers to the state assembly. Gowdas Vokkaliga community is dominant in the region. In the 2018 election, JD(S) got 26 seats from the region. The BJP bagged just 16 of the 64 seats even as it swept across central and coastal Karnataka. The Congress won 22 seats. Vokkaligas (15%) and Lingayats (17%) are the states two influential communities that have dominated its politics for decades. Lingayats moved away from the Congress in the 1990s to the BJP while a significant chunk of Vokkaligas rallied behind JD(S). Kumaraswamy first became the Karnataka chief minister in February 2006 with the BJPs support. He refused to transfer power to the BJP as per a power-sharing agreement and quit over a year later. Kumaraswamy became the chief minister for the second time in 2018 even as the BJP emerged as the single-largest party with 104 seats but fell nine short of a simple majority in the 224-member assembly, where one member is nominated. The Congress won 78 seats and two more later in by-polls. But it offered JD (S), which managed to get just 37 seats, the chief ministers post to keep the BJP out of power. The alliance government fell after it lost the trust vote in the assembly in June 2020. A string of resignations by lawmakers of the Congress and JD (S) reduced the 15-month-old coalition between two erstwhile rivals to a minority and paved the return of the BJP to power. JD (S) has held the key to government formation in Karnataka because of successive fractured mandates. Its vote share remained around 20% in hung verdicts in 2004 and 2018. The Congress, which is in desperate search of the elixir of an electoral win, is this time seen to be a frontrunner in the three-cornered contest. The ruling BJP is hoping to return to power in the key southern state. The loss of power would mean losing its only toehold south of the Vindhyas. The Kerala government on Wednesday welcomed the Supreme Courts order which lifted a complete ban on development activities within eco-sensitive zones (ESZs) within a one-km radius of protected wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, and forests. However, farmers outfits said their concerns were far from over. Kerala forest minister AK Saseendran. (Facebook) Kerala is among the states that moved the apex court against its earlier verdict in June last year after it triggered unrest in many areas of Idukki, Wayanad and Pathanamthitta districts. It is a big relief for the state. We have learnt that all restrictions on permanent structures will go now. While we are yet to get details of the verdict, well try for more relaxations, state forest minister AK Saseendran said, adding that the government is committed to protect people living in fringe areas of forests. The SC had in June 2022 directed all national parks and wildlife sanctuaries that come under the protected forests bracket to earmark a minimum distance of one km as ESZ where prohibited activities, including mining and establishment of any new permanent structure, will not be permitted. Also Read:SC lifts complete ban on development activities within ESZs Many organisations of farmers said the latest relaxations will only have cosmetic effect, but their problems still remain unsolved. Our concerns have not been met. In Kerala, the buffer zone has already been notified in 22 of the 24 wildlife reserves and parks. In Wayanad, the wildlife sanctuary buffer zone is from 0 to 3.4 km, and in Aralam Farm in Kannur it is 3.06 km. We need 0-km buffer zone, and protection to all existing farms and dwellings, Kerala Independent Farmers Association said in a statement. Many individual farmers also said leaving the control of notified areas to the forest department will increase harassment by officials. After last years verdict, land prices have plummeted, and many stopped farming. We want the court and government to remove the dark clouds hovering over us, said Sebastian George, a farmer from Pathanamthitta. Last year, the Kerala assembly passed a unanimous resolution urging the Union government to exclude populated areas from ESZ norms and address farmers woes. Later, the government filed a plea in the apex court against its earlier order. Farmers outfits said there are 24 wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in the state, and around 25,000 families will be evicted if the ESZ was implemented. Around 250,000 acres of land would have turned into buffer zones if the order was implemented. The attack on Wednesday that killed 10 policemen and a driver in Chhattisgarhs Dantewada is symptomatic of a shift in tactics by the left-wing extremists, who are turning to larger explosives to create a spectacle with more lethal attacks at a time when their numbers are dwindling, security officials aware of the ground situation said. HT Image These groups have typically been known for more guerrilla warfare strategies involving armed ambushes and abductions. But records of the nature of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) seized by security forces in recent months show that the trend is changing. On Wednesday, they used what is estimated to be 40kg of explosives to build a bomb that blew up a police vehicle, instantly killing the 11 victims and leaving behind a 12-foot deep crater. Unlike the past, when lighter IEDs weighing 5 to15 kg -- were common, forces are regularly recovering heavy IEDs that weigh around 25-40kg, said an official, asking not to be named. It was unfortunate that the IED that caused the explosion on Wednesday that killed 11 could not be detected and it led to one of the worst attacks in recent years. But we have been regularly recovering IEDs of similar volume that weigh 25 and 30 kg, which could have caused similar level of damage had they not been detected, said this person, who is a senior officer aware of the anti-Maoist operations in Chhattisgarh. On January 7, security forces recovered an IED weighing at least 25 kg from the Mirthur road in Chhattisgarhs Bijapur district. On September 16, last year, two IEDs that weighed 30kg each were recovered from Hazaribagh in Jharkhand. In March this year, another IED weighing nearly 25 kg was recovered from Jharkhands West Singbhum district. At around 2.45pm on Wednesday, 10 policemen and a civilian driving them in a rented minivan were killed when an IED was triggered remotely to target what was the second vehicle in a four-vehicle convoy, carrying personnel of the Chhattisgarh police returning after an anti-Maoist operation 75 km away from the place of explosion. According to records seen by HT, in the first three months of 2023, security forces in Chhattisgarh recovered at least 38 IEDs. The number of IEDs recovered and defused last year was 173. The official quoted above, said, From the confession of the people who have surrendered we have learnt that they are using heavy IEDs to cause maximum damage and create a spectacle. The earlier tactic they adopted was to move around in groups of hundreds and then ambush the security personnel. With many of the cadres arrested in recent years and surrenders by many others, they have changed their tactic. A small group of Maoists make these heavy IEDs and target vehicles to cause maximum damage. The number of Maoists who have surrendered before security forces in Chhattisgarh in recent years has been in the hundreds. Last year, 415 Maoists surrendered in Chhattisgarh while the number in 2021 was 537, 351 in 2020 and 327 in 2019. According to CRPF data, at least 145 have surrendered in the first three months of 2023. A second officer posted in Chhattisgarh also said that while the weapons and technology used by security forces have improved over the years, there is a reduction in arms that Maoists manage to rob from forces after or during attack. This, the official said, is also why they prefer to target security forces using IEDs and not ambush them in a shootout. According to the forces data, in 2020 there were 19 incidents in which Maoists had robbed weapons from security personnel, which decreased to 14 in 2021. Last year there was only one such incident. Retired IPS officer, SP Vaid, who was the director general of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) police between 2016 and 2018, said Maoists have realised that using an IED is less risky and the chances of them coming in contact with security forces is minimised when IEDs are used. In J&K, we found smaller IEDs weighing around 4-5 kg. In some few cases, we recovered IEDs that weighed around 30 kg. I believe a similar weighing IED was used during the Pulwama attack too. In earlier years, the Maoists used small intensity IEDs to disrupt the forces and then engaged in shooting. Today they know that the security forces are better equipped, they are outnumbered, have no escape route, and thus resort to using remote devices to cause the damage. This is their preferred mode, said Vaid. The government has maintained that cases of left-wing extremist violence has reduced by more than 70% in comparison to 2010, when such attacks were at their peak. The Union home ministry said last year that attacks by Maoist groups reduced significantly over the years. From a high of 2,259 cases in 2009 across the country, cases last year stood at 509. The death toll in 2010 was 1,005 which was reduced to 147 last year. The home ministry had in September 2022 said that over the years there has been a steady decline across the country in the incidents of violence by left-wing extremist groups and the territories they controlled. From 96 districts in 2010, the Maoists in 2022 wielded control in 10 districts. Also barring 2022 when there was a slight increase in incidents of exchange of fire between Maoist and security personnel, there has been a decline in such incidents in Chhattisgarh. In 2018 there were 109 such incidents, followed by 88 in 2019, 85 in 2020 and 77 in 2021. In 2022 there were 91 such cases. In Jharkhand too barring one year(2020) when there was a slight increase(54 cases), such shoot-out incidents between forces and Maoists have declined over the years. From 52 exchange of fire incidents in 2018, the number came down to 30 in 2022. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON JAMMU: Even as security forces continued to scan the jungles of Bhata Dhurian in Poonch to track down the terrorists responsible for the killing of five soldiers on April 20, investigators have identified a Mendhar man who provided logistical support to the attackers and also sheltered them for nearly three months. Search operations are underway to track down the terrorists responsible for the Poonch ambush (PTI/File Photo) Officials familiar with the investigation said the man, identified as Nasir Ahmed of Mendhar is one of the 60 people detained by the security forces in the past one week following the attack. He has confessed to the investigators that he had provided them shelter for nearly three months, supported them with logistics, arranging a vehicle to ferry them to Bhimber Gali on the day of attack, said one of the officials who asked not to be named. Many of those detained were let off after questioning, the official added. Five army personnel were killed and another was seriously injured after their vehicle caught fire following the terror attack in Poonch on April 20. So far, security forces have detained over 60 people in an ongoing anti-terrorist operation following the attack in Bhata Dhurian, an infiltration route for terrorists from across the Line of Control because of its topography, dense forest cover and natural caves. The massive search and cordon operation has been extended to many areas of both Poonch and nearby Rajouri but there has been no contact with the terrorists who fled the scene after the deadly ambush. Ahmeds house in Mendhar is barely 35 kms away from Bhimber Gali. During the attack, the attackers were getting instructions via voice notes from a local handler, who was in touch with his contacts in Pakistan, the first official said. Meanwhile, Northern Command chief Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi visited Rajouri and Poonch sector on Wednesday, his second visit since April 22 to take stock of the ongoing operations. He interacted with the troops deployed in remote areas and exhorted them to be innovative and relentless in their pursuit, Northern Command tweeted. On April 22, Lt Gen Dwivedi had visited the ground zero at Tota Gali in Bhata Dhurian. The attack was carried out in Tota Gali between Bhimber Gali and Bhata Dhurian . The Congress on Thursday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a joke made by him involving a suicide note, with senior party leader Rahul Gandhi saying he should not make fun of thousands of families who lose their children due to suicide. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the Republic Summit 2023, in New Delhi, Wednesday, April 26, 2023. (PTI Photo)(PTI) Speaking at a media conclave on Wednesday, the prime minister narrated a joke about a professor reading a suicide note left behind by his daughter and expressing disappointment over a spelling mistake. PM Modi told the joke, which he said he had heard during his childhood, as he remarked that the editor-in-chief of the channel had started speaking well in Hindi. Thousands of families lose their children due to suicide. The Prime Minister should not make fun of them! Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi. Citing the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said 1,64,033 Indians died by suicide in 2021, of which a huge percentage were below the age of 30. Hitting out at PM Modi, Priyanka Gandhi said depression and suicide among the youth is a tragedy and not a laughing matter. The Prime Minister and those laughing heartily at his joke ought to educate themselves better and create awareness rather than ridicule mental health issues in this insensitive, morbid manner, she wrote on Twitter and tagged PM Modi and 'The Live Love Laugh Foundation' that deals with mental health issues. The Congress also shared the video of Modi's remarks on social media and wondered "How can anyone be so insensitive about suicide?" "Government statistics show that in 2021 more than 1.64 lakh Indians committed suicide. Every day 450 people are forced to commit suicide in our country and this is a 'joke' for the prime minister," the Congress said in a tweet from its official Twitter handle. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON As gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh walked out of the Saharsa jail on Thursday, his son Chetan Anand said that he wants to meet the family of the slain IAS officer - who was murdered by his father. We want to meet his family if allowedwe can do it today itself, Anand told news agency ANI. Anand Mohan. (HT Photo) Anand Mohan was pronounced a death sentence in 2007 for the murder of the 1985-batch IAS officer G Krishnaiah. However, a year later, the sentence was changed to life imprisonment by Patna high court. On April 24, the Bihar government issued a notification for the release of Anand Mohan and 26 other prisoners - which has received a massive backlash from the opposition and other sections of society. The notification said that the decision was taken after the Bihar state sentence remission council meeting which took place on April 20. During the meeting, the government removed the clause from the Bihar Prison Manual which stated that anyone found guilty of killing a government official will not be given the benefit of remission ever. The gangster received the news of his release while he was attending his son Chetan Anand's engagement ceremony in Patna. According to reports, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, his deputy Tejashwi Yadav and JD(U) chief Lalan Singh were among the leaders present at the engagement ceremony. Meanwhile, the slain IAS officer's family said that the gangster's release is unfair. It's disheartening for us that Anand Mohan Singh has been released from jail today. The government should reconsider this decision. I request Nitish Kumar ji to give a second thought to this decision. With this decision, his govt has set a wrong example. It is unfair not just to a family but to the whole nation. We will appeal against this decision, the murdered officer's daughter told ANI. Nairobi, Kenya A Kenyan grandfather is blaming a lack of action by authorities for the deaths of dozens of people in a cult who starved themselves and their children to death. Kenyan investigators have uncovered at least 90 bodies of people who belonged to the Good News International Church. Hundreds of others affiliated with the church are still missing. Investigators are in their sixth day of searching for the bodies of people who starved to death after being told that if they died this way, they would meet Jesus. Francis Wanje rescued his grandson on March 17, two days after two of the boy's brothers died of starvation. The high school teacher had mobilized community members and police officers to check on his family, who lived with the cult in the Shakahola Forest in eastern Kenya. "When I arrived there, on the 17th at around 2 p.m., I found my daughter, the husband and the mother of the husband," Wanje said. "They were there and they were holding the firstborn, who was very weak and already waiting for him to die and be buried. They rescued the boy. My daughter, the husband and the mother disappeared in the forest. Up to today, they have not been found." Authorities in the area did not begin an active search for church members until last week. Wanje said if authorities had taken action earlier, the death toll would not be so high. "Things were not handled the way they were supposed to be handled," Wanje said. "If these people could have moved early enough, they could have saved many lives." Kenyan authorities have so far found the bodies of 90 church members. Another 34 people were rescued but the Kenyan Red Cross said 314 others are missing. Kenyan authorities say members of the church were encouraged to not eat or drink by its founder, Paul Mackenzie, who describes himself as a pastor. Antony Njeru, a theology student at Pan Africa Christian University, said Mackenzie's ideology has no basis in Christian teachings. "It's an exploitation of people using the Bible but that is not biblical at all. It has no foundation in doctrine," Njeru said. "You cannot take away people's rights and say that the Bible tells people to fast to death. That's nowhere in the Bible. His doctrine cannot be traced in the Bible, so we don't believe he is a true pastor." Stephen Akaranga, a religious studies professor at the University of Nairobi, said people like Mackenzie prey on the poor and those who have not studied religion. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Kenya Legal Affairs By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "Those people who are gullible are those who are not strong in their spirit, people who don't understand about their religion, those who are least schooled and those people who are very poor and people who can easily be swayed by not understanding their faith truly," he said. "So, you can find these are people who can now most likely be lured into some cult because this is not a religion." Kenyan government officials said they will fight religious extremism and radicalization of the population. Njeru said the government needs to enforce relevant laws. "Demanding accountability is still good, it is still OK we encourage that," Njeru said. "We also encourage pastors to be open to scrutiny and at all times be open to their followers." Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki said Tuesday that Mackenzie will be prosecuted for the alleged deaths of his followers. He was arrested April 15 and remains in custody in the coastal city of Malindi. Bharatiya Janata Party MP Locket Chatterjee, who was allegedly stopped from attending a procession in West Bengal earlier this month, expressed her happiness over the Calcutta high court's directive to National Investigation Agency (NIA) to probe the Ram Navami violence that occurred in Howrah district in March, saying that she doesn't have faith in Mamata Banerjee-led government as no actions have been taken despite attacks on Hindu processions. West Bengal BJP MP Locket Chatterjee. There are stone pelting and attacks on Hindu processions. There is no investigation in all these cases. We have no faith in the Bengal administration. We wanted an NIA investigation and are happy that the case has been handed over to the NIA, Chatterjee was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. Also read | 'If a chocolate bomb goes off...': Bengal minister slams NIA probe in Ram Navami violence Ruling on a petition filed by BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, the high court ordered the state police to hand over the investigation to NIA. The court also ordered police to transfer all records and CCTV footage to the central government within two weeks so the federal investigation agency could take over the probe. Several vehicles were set on fire, stones thrown and shops ransacked as clashes between two groups broke out in Howrahs Shibpur during Ram Navami celebrations last month. Many, including police personnel, were also injured in the violence. Earlier this month, the Calcutta high court said reports filed by state police suggest that the Ram Navami clashes were pre-planned, adding that a central agency might be better suited to probe the events that had ratcheted up communal tensions and stoked a political row in the eastern state. Both the Trinamool Congress and the BJP have accused each other of stoking violence in the state. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that the saffron party wants a probe by the NIA to avoid being investigated in the state to escape action. Meanwhile, BJP accused Banerjee of playing appeasement politics. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Top leaders from various regional parties, and also Congress, are likely to gather in Bihar on the invitation of chief minister Nitish Kumar to chalk out a plan for the opposition unity against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, people familiar with the development said on Thursday. Recently, Nitish Kumar met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior party leader Rahul Gandhi among other leaders. (Santosh Kumar/HT) The meeting, modalities of which are yet to be finalised, is likely to be scheduled after the conclusion of the May 10 assembly elections in Karnataka, a senior functionary from Kumars Janata Dal (United) said. The Bihar chief ministers initiative to get all opposition parties on board to project a unified fight against the ruling BJP in the next years general elections has evoked positive response from several regional satraps, the functionary added. JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh said the gathering of opposition leaders in the state would be a significant step forward to make a united bid for change of government at the Centre. This is the need of the hour and the way opposition parties have responded to Nitish Kumars call augurs well. Nitish Kumar has been reaching out to them, Singh said. After the crucial Karnataka elections, things will gather momentum. Read: Nitish, Mamata, Akhilesh make a push for Opposition unity ahead of 2024 polls Though the BJP has been terming improbable an opposition alliance, Kumar has been negotiating with different political parties ever since he severed ties with the BJP and formed the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) government in Bihar in alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress and smaller partners, including the Communist parties. Recently, Kumar met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior party leader Rahul Gandhi, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Bannerjee. Earlier, the Bihar chief minister had met Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D Raja, and announced that as part of his outreach, he would meet more leaders. Political observers, however, maintain it would not be easy to get all opposition parties together, as similar attempts were being made by other regional players, too, like Telangana chief minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) chief K Chandrashekar Rao and Tamil Nadu CM and DMK chief MK Stalin. During her meeting with the Bihar chief minister and his deputy Tejashwi Prasad Yadav of the RJD, in Kolkata earlier this week, Mamata Banerjee had invoked the anti-Emergency movement of 1970s led by socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan. She had asked Nitish Kumar to host a meeting of all opposition parties in his home state to give shape to a united Opposition against Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP. I have made just one request to Nitish Kumar. Jayaprakash jis movement started from Bihar. If we hold an all-party meeting in Bihar, we can then decide where we have to go next. We have to give a message that we are all united. I want BJP to become zero, she had said. The JD(U) chief said what Banerjee said would happen in Bihar. We will sit and discuss how and when to organise it. Due to Karnataka elections, political parties are engaged there. It will happen sooner than later. All the political parties want to move ahead with a plan and the meeting will give it shape, Lalan Singh added. Jayprakash Narayan, popularly known as JP, led the movement to bring all opposition political parties under one umbrella against then prime minister Indira Gandhi-led Congress. An important cog in the Opposition wheel, RJD chief and former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad is also likely to be in the state after over nine months. Earlier this month, Nitish Kumar had also called on Prasad, following which the Opposition unity initiative gathered momentum. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had also met Prasad. Opposition unity is a key factor for 2024 elections and Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad will be anchors for it. The two are seasoned politicians and have shown what they can do, as they did in 2015 in Bihar. Now that needs to replicated cross the country. All parties coming together for a larger cause is not the demand of todays politics, but of the countrys people for saving democracy and democratic values, said RJDs Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha. Read: Prashant Kishor's langdi sarkar dig at Nitish Kumar over opposition unity bid The BJP, however, dismissed Nitish Kumars bid to unite the opposition, calling it daydreaming. Nitish Kumar should first focus on saving Bihar form slipping into jungle raj. He is on the last leg of his political journey and he has nothing to lose and so is daydreaming of bringing family-run parties with contrasting ideologies under one roof. He wanted to be the PM, now he wants to be the king-maker. Lets see where he ends up, said BJP spokesperson and general secretary of partys OBC Morcha Nikhil Anand. A party that cannot win even five seats on its own can only talk so big. Let the Opposition first have a PM candidate against Narendra Modi, who is the only peoples choice at the moment. Hitting back, JD(U) spokesperson and MLC Neeraj Kumar said the BJP was getting jittery due to the huge response Nitish Kumars initiative has evoked. The people of Bihar have shown the BJP its place time and again, and they will do it again. Now, time has come to administer the same medicine to the BJP at the national level and Nitish Kumar knows how to do it, he added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON As PM Modi on Thursday interacted with booth-level workers in Karnataka, he said states that voted Congress to power are still waiting for their election guarantees to be fulfilled. The warranty of the Congress has expired and the party is in no state to give any guarantee, PM Modi said. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said after Amit Shah and Yogi Adityanath, it is now PM Modi's "turn to make outrageous comments due to despair and desperation." Congress countered PM Modi's allegations and gave a list of election promises fulfilled. Karnataka Assembly Election 2023: Follow LIVE updates Countering PM Modi's claims that Congress does not fulfil its election promises, Jairam Ramesh said in Rajasthan, the Congress implemented old pension scheme, 125 days of work, right to health and Chiranjeevi Yojana. In Chhattisgarh, the Congress fulfilled loan waiver to farmers, Rajiv Gandhi Kissan Nyay Yojana and old pension scheme, Jairam added. Karnataka Assembly Election 2023: Full coverage Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge asked whether PM Modi had any data to prove that Congress's promises were not fulfilled. "We formed the government in 2013 and were in power till 2018. Almost 100% of our promises have been fulfilled. Does he have any figures? And talking about corruption, you yourself make corrupt people your campaigners and we are not saying this; the people of Karnataka are saying this. Modiji has this habit of repeating lies in an attempt to make them the truth, but people have understood this. This time, it won't work in Karnataka," Kharge said. The tempers are rising in the poll-bound state with the Congress on Thursday filing a police complaint against Union home minister Amit Shah for his statement: 'There will be riots if the Congress comes to power'. "Action should be taken according to law. If a common man has done it, he would have been arrested by now. The Union home minister cannot say if the Congress comes to power, then there will be communal riots. He is the home minister, and not the star campaigner of the BJP," Congress leader DK Shivakumar said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON After the second batch of 246 Indian nationals stuck in war-torn Sudan arrived in Mumbai from Saudi Arabia's Jeddah on Thursday, a video showed an Indian Air Force (IAF) woman pilot helping a female passenger board the aircraft. Woman IAF officer lending a helping hand to a female passenger during Operation Kaveri. (ANI) In a seven-second video shared by news agency ANI, Flight Lieutenant Har Raj Kaur Boparai, the first and only woman IAF pilot to fly the heavy-lift C-17 transport aircraft, can be seen holding an elderly womans hand as they walked up the planes slide. According to an official statement, transport aircraft C-17, carrying 244 Indians from Jeddah, landed at Mumbais Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) at 3:14 pm. As many as 300 pre-packed snack boxes and refreshments were provided to the passengers upon arrival inside the Terminal building. The highest number of passengers (73) belonged to Gujarat, followed by Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. The first batch of 360 Indians was carried in a chartered flight and brought to Delhi on Wednesday. Indian Navy is also engaged in the evacuation of Indian nationals from Sudan. INS Teg evacuated 297 Indians from Port Sudan to Jeddah on Thursday. This was the second batch to arrive by the Navy's warships at Jeddah. The first batch of 278 Indians was brought to Jeddah by INS Sumedha on Wednesday. More than 1,700 of about 3,400 Indian nationals in Sudan have been moved out of conflict zones and the governments focus is on getting every citizen out of harms way as soon as possible, foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra said on Thursday. Foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra said more than 600 Indians have either arrived in India or are on their way back to the country. (MEA) With some still caught up in highly volatile conflict zones and difficulties in accessing areas outside the capital city of Khartoum, the Indian side is ensuring that Indian nationals are quickly moved by road to Port Sudan, from where they are being ferried in warships and military aircraft to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. "Our objective and target is to take stranded Indians out of harms way as early as possible," Kwatra said at a media briefing on Operation Kaveri, the countrys effort to get its citizens out of Sudan following the start of a 72-hour ceasefire on Tuesday. While some ceasefires announced by forces loyal to the Sudan Army chief, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his deputy-turned-rival, Gen Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who heads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), were only partially successful, the latest truce is 'holding by and large' but there have been reports of sporadic firing and fighting in some parts of Khartoum, he said. "As a result of that, the situation on the ground remains highly volatile with...conflicting claims coming from both sides," Kwatra said. About 3,400 Indian nationals had either registered online or were in touch with the embassy in Khartoum, and more than 1,700 of them have been moved out of conflict zones so far. More than 600 Indians have either arrived in India or are on their way back to the country. READ | 'Still very scared': Indians share horrifying experiences from Sudan A chartered flight brought back 360 Indians on Wednesday night, while another 246 are being flown to Maharashtra in a C-17 Globemaster heavy lift aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF). A total of 495 Indians are currently in Jeddah, while another 320 are in Port Sudan. More Indians are being moved in buses from Khartoum to Port Sudan. READ | Watch: Indians evacuated from Sudan chant Modi Zindabad Two C-130J medium lift aircraft of the IAF stationed in Saudi Arabia and naval warships will make sorties across the Red Sea to take the Indians arriving in Port Sudan to Jeddah. On Tuesday, the warship INS Sumedha took 278 Indians from Port Sudan to Jeddah while 256 more were transported by the C-130J aircraft. Another warship, INS Teg, ferried 297 Indians from Port Sudan to Jeddah, while the C-130J aircraft airlifted 264 more in two sorties. READ | India steps up ops, evacuates 360 more citizens from Sudan Sudan is also home to close to 1,000 people of Indian origin, whose families have lived there for more than 100 years, and the Indian side stands ready to help them to move to safe areas, Kwatra said. India will also respond to requests from other countries to evacuate their nationals from Sudan, subject to the fulfilment of the procedures of Saudi Arabia, the transit country. Kwatra referred to logistical challenges faced by the Indian side during the evacuation effort, such as overcoming a shortage of diesel for the buses being used to move Indians to Port Sudan, located 850 km from the capital Khartoum. He also highlighted the assistance rendered by Saudi Arabia, which has emerged as a key strategic partner of India in West Asia in recent years. "We have been working very closely with the government and leadership of Saudi Arabia and they have been extremely helpful, supportive and cooperative in this endeavour. We are extremely grateful to them for that," he said, listing the creation of a control room in Jeddah and the positioning of military assets to bring back the stranded Indians. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday expressed that the Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation (PRAGATI) multi-nodal platform has been highly effective and said that when a project is reviewed under it, the state governments work hard to diligently eliminate any obstacles that may impede the projects progress. Prime Minister Narendra Modi (File Photo) The PM was virtually addressing a program to mark the completion of 20 years of the `State Wide Attention on Grievances by Application of Technology (SWAGAT), being celebrated by the Gujarat government. During the event, the PM also interacted with the beneficiaries of the scheme. Modi said that the destiny of any scheme is determined by the intention and vision of that scheme when it is conceived. He recalled that when the initiative was launched in 2003, he faced the common refrain that power changes everyone while serving as the chief minister of Gujarat. Also Read: Modis suicide note joke draws flak from Congress: those laughing heartily I was clear that I would not become a slave to the restriction of the chair. I will remain among people and will be there for them, he said. The PM said that the idea behind SWAGAT was to welcome the views of the common citizens in democratic institutions, be it in legislation or solutions. SWAGAT stands by the idea of ease of living and reach of governance, he said. Modi underlined that the good governance model of Gujarat has found its own identity in the world due to the efforts made with all honesty and dedication. He mentioned the International Telecom Organisation which presented the prime example of good governance by SWAGAT as e-transparency and e-accountability. The PM said that SWAGAT drew a lot of praise from the United Nations (UN) and was also conferred the prestigious award for public service, including the gold award received by Gujarat from the government of India for e-governance owing to SWAGAT during the Congress regime in 2011. For me, the biggest reward is that we could serve the people of Gujarat through SWAGAT, the PM said, adding In SWAGAT, we prepared a practical system. The first systems of public hearings under SWAGAT were created at the block and tehsil levels. After that, the district magistrate was made responsible at the district level while at the state level, Modi informed that he took the responsibility on his own shoulders. This, he said, helped him a great deal to understand the impact and reach of the initiatives and schemes and the relations between implementing agencies and the end beneficiaries, and along with this, SWAGAT empowered the citizens and gained credibility. After becoming the prime minister, he started the PRAGATI programme at the Centre to review the progress of projects of national importance, and the concept was based on the SWAGAT initiative, Modi said. Also Read: Congress getting people from Maharashtra to win polls : Smriti Irani In the last nine years, PRAGATI has made a huge contribution to the fast-paced development of the country, the PM said, adding that projects worth 16 lakh crore have been reviewed under PRAGATI. Now PRAGATI has generated such an impact that when any project is listed for review under it, all states work hard to remove obstacles faced by that project, and when it finally comes for my review, they say they have cleared the project just two days ago, Modi said. Governance cannot be limited to only rules and regulations, it needs innovation in reaching out to the people, he added. India has the courage to undertake new initiatives even in the most challenging circumstances, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday at the closing ceremony of Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the closing ceremony of the Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam via video conferencing on Wednesday. (ANI Photo) Addressing the event virtually, the prime minister said though the country faces forces that threaten to divide the country and obstacles in achieving its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047, Indias diversity should not divide, but rather strengthen the countrys bond and relationships. Today we have the target of India at 2047 (to make India a developed nation). We also have the challenges of the era of slavery and the period of seven decades after that. We have to take the country forward, but on the way, there will be forces that will threaten to break us and people to mislead us. But India has the courage to do something new even in the most difficult of circumstances, Modi said. The Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam, which celebrates the shared culture and heritage of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, is an embodiment of the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (One India Great India) vision, he said. Modi emphasised that Indias shared cultural heritage should be the driving force for nation-building, and that the country has celebrated diversity for centuries. We are a people who celebrate diversity. We celebrate different languages and dialects, different arts and knowledge. There is diversity everywhere from our faith to our spirituality, he added. The PM said that as the country completes 75 years of independence, a sense of pride towards its heritage has been invoked. He said the pride in our heritage will grow as we get to know ourselves better by freeing ourselves of our slave mentality. Healthcare goal for whole world The Prime Minister on Wednesday also inaugurated One Earth One Health Advantage Healthcare India 2023 in Delhi, and said Indias goal is to make health care accessible and affordable, not only for its citizens but for the whole world. India started the journey of its G20 presidency with the theme of One Earth, One Family, One Future. We realise the importance of resilient global healthcare systems in fulfilling this vision, he said. India sees medical value travel and health workforce mobility as important for a healthy planet. One Earth One Health Advantage Healthcare India 2023 is an important effort in this direction. The Rajasthan government has proposed to levy a welfare cess on consumers to ensure better rights and facilities for gig workers in the draft of a new law that also provides for a fine up to 1 crore on errant aggregators, officials aware of the matter said. HT Image According to the draft of the bill, seen by HT, the government proposes to constitute a welfare board for the platform-based gig workers to register them and their aggregators. The board will be chaired by the state labour minister, and will have representatives from gig workers unions, aggregators, and members of civil society. The cess to be levied on consumers is likely to be 1% of the total value of the service or delivery (such as a taxi ride or a food order), a top government official aware of the matter indicated. Defining the functions of the board, the draft bill says it will formulate schemes for the benefit of the gig workers, provide them immediate financial assistance in case of accidents and medical emergencies, and offer them health insurance cover under state government schemes, apart from ensuring gratuity, scholarships, and pensions. The board will generate a unique ID for a gig worker, which would be valid for three years, the draft says, adding that the information of all registered gig workers will be maintained in a database. A government official said this will help workers seek benefits from government welfare schemes such as PM Sambhal scheme (which provides for old age pension), and also to file complaints against aggregators over payment disputes and other issues. To fund the welfare of gig workers, the state government has proposed the Rajasthan Platform-Based Gig Workers Social Security and Welfare Fund, which will start with seed money of 200 crore. For this, the draft says it was levy a platform-based gig-workers welfare cess, which will be minimum amount on the total value of money paid by a consumer to an aggregator. When contacted, state labour secretary Vikas Sitaramji Bhale said: There is a provision of levying 1% gig worker welfare cess on consumer, which will be collected and used for their welfare by the board. According to the draft, the Rajasthan government plans to put in place stringent provisions against violations by aggregators such as not filing annual reports, and not integrating gig worker data with the boards database ranging from 10 lakh for the first violation to a maximum of 1 crore for subsequent breaches. The state government can also be recommended to suspend and prohibit operation of the aggregator, the draft says. Explaining the rationale behind the proposed bill, Bhale said that it aims to provide welfare and social security to gig workers. We also intend to change the ongoing equation where aggregators are calling gig workers their partners, which means no employee-employers relation, freeing themselves from any responsibility or providing any benefit. They clearly have an employer-employer relationship, he said. He added that the proposed bill was primarily an improved version of the laws providing social security protection to construction workers under the Mathadi Kamgar Act. Bhale said the draft will be sent to law and finance departments for approval, and the government will also seek suggestions from the public. Gig workers are the those who are engaged in temporary or freelance work, and workers of app-based cab and food-delivery service providers such as Ola, Uber, Swiggy, and Zomato. The challenges faced by the workers were raised by senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the Rajasthan leg of his Bharat Jodo Yatra last year, leading to chief minister Ashok Gehlot assuring him that a law would be brought for their welfare. According to a Niti Aayog report in July 2022, around 7.7 million people are employed as gig workers across the country, and this number is likely to treble by 2029-30. A Rajasthan government estimate in August 2022 suggested that there are 225,000 to 270,000 gig workers in the state, with about 50,000 employed with Ola and 35,000 with Uber. In July, a sample survey of gig workers by the Rajsthan government showed that most gig workers said the work provided them with flexibility, work-life, and the freedom to choose between the type of work they can do. At the same time, however, the survey found that more than 50% of the gig workers did not have any health insurance and about 40% were not covered under the state governments accidental insurance. Spokespersons from Ola, Uber and Zomato did not respond to requests seeking comment. Arun Agarwal, executive director of the Federation of Rajasthan Trade and Industries, said the draft was a a welcome step. A large number of the students and people across ages are involved as gig workers and are deprived of social security. The board, once formed, will be able to bring schemes for their welfare, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON West Bengal Women and Social Welfare Minister Shashi Panja on Thursday criticised Calcutta High Court's order to transfer the Ram Navami violence probe in the state to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). If an ant bites or a chocolate bomb (small firecracker) goes off, you will find the NIA at the doors of West Bengal," the minister said. A clash broke out between the two groups during a Ram Navami procession in West Bengal (Twitter Photo) However, she added, "Severe incidents happening in other states like Gujarat or Madhya Pradesh where NIA should reachyou will not find them there. Earlier in the day, the Calcutta HC ordered NIA to probe the violence that occurred in West Bengals Howrah district during the Ram Navami celebrations in March. It also directed the state police to transfer all the documents, records, and CCTV footage regarding the violence to submit to the federal investigation agency. On March 30, violence broke out in Bengal's Howrah district during a Ram Navami procession. According to officials, several shops and autorickshaws were ransacked during the violence while a number of cars including a few police vehicles were set on fire. Over the next few days, the violence spread to North Dinajpur and Hooghly districts wherein several people, including police personnel, were injured. Amid this, a political blame game between the TMC and BJP also broke out - where both the parties have been accusing one another of triggering the riots in the Mamata Banerjee-led state. Meanwhile last week, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took cognizance of the incidents of violence and has sought a report from the director general of police (DGP) and the chief of Howrah's police within two weeks. (With inputs from agencies) The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has written to the manufacturer of health drink Bournvita, Mondelez India International, asking to conduct a review and withdraw misleading advertisements and packaging labels. The notice came amid huge row over allegations of having high sugar content in the milk supplement. NCPCR writes to Bournvita(File) "It has been brought to the notice of the Commission that your product contains high percentage of sugar and contents/substances/mixtures/formula which may case harmful impact to the health of children," the notice said addressing to Deepak Iyer, president of Mondelez International, India. The child rights body also urged the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Central Consumer Protection Authority to take action against companies that fail to meet the guidelines on food safety or advertising. The row erupted after a health influencer, in a video, criticised Bournvita alleging that the powder supplement contains high sugar, cocoa solids and cancer-causing colourant. He later took down the video after the firm issued a legal notice against him saying his claims are misleading. A Bournvita spokesperson earlier said that the formulation of its milk supplement has been scientifically crafted by a team of nutritionists and food scientists to offer the best of taste and health. All our claims are verified and transparent and all ingredients have regulatory approvals. All the necessary nutritional information is mentioned on the pack for consumers to make informed choices'. However, NCPCR noted that Bournvita fails to display mandatory disclosures in line with the guidelines and regulations of FSSAI and under the Consumer Protection Act, and asked the company to respond within a week. The federal government has assured that no Nigerian life has been lost to the ongoing civil war in Sudan, even as it disclosed that many Nigerians had already been evacuated by sea by the Saudi Arabian government. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, and his Minister of State, Zubairu Dada, disclosed this to State House correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Wednesday. Speaking on the developments around the evacuation process, Dada said the Nigerian government had successfully secured permission and authorization from the Sudanese government to evacuate Nigerians from the country. He said, "The evacuation is being done in batches to ensure the safety of all Nigerians, but the good news is that no Nigerian life has been lost so far. I think it's important to stress that all Nigerians are very safe and we're very confident and hopeful that we shall not lose any Nigerian life Insha Allah in this exercise. All is well and we're good to go." On if all Nigerians will be evacuated before the 72-hour window, Amb. Dada said: "we have no problem about the 72-hour window because we've talked to all the authorities concerned and we're on the same page, but talking about the window, we are making every effort to ensure that we make use of this window to evacuate as many Nigerians as we possibly can." The Minister of State also disclosed that some Nigerians have already been evacuated by ship by the government of Saudi Arabia. "Let me also add that some Nigerians have actually been evacuated by ship, I guess from Port Sudan, by the government of Saudi Arabia. Don't forget, this is a joint effort. We have friendly nations that are ready to assist, you know, so that we're having to record that the Saudi authorities have been able to pick up some Nigerians, they're transporting them by ship, I guess to Saudi Arabia, to Jeddah in particular. From where, of course, again, we'll link up and find a way of bringing them back from Jeddah," he said. On the order of priority of those to be evacuated, Dada said: "On how the operation is being handled, all lives are equal. Certainly, we won't want to give preference to diplomats. The diplomats are just as good as every other Nigerian, so we will take them all on board depending on who's ready and available at any point in time." In the order of evacuation, he said women and children will be prioritised, adding that diplomats will not be evacuated before the students and other Nigerians. For his part, Onyeama said: "With regards to the evacuation of Nigerians in the Sudan, you'll recall that the main challenge we had was securing some permission, first of all authorization of the Sudanese government and, and then, you know, some security support for the convoy because it's been decided that we will transport or convey the Nigerians to the Egyptian border Aswan. "So that's what we decided. We are liaising with our embassy in Egypt as well. So we've been able to overcome a number of challenges and have started the process which we're very happy about. We secured significant number of luxurious buses because the distances are quite considerable. We started the process and it will take, you know, maybe a couple of days to evacuate everybody. "As regards the gender question, I think that's obviously something we will have to look into in a bit more detail, but I think ordinarily, it will be appropriate that women and children should be given priority I think that goes without saying," he said. On how much it was costing Nigerian government, Onyeama said: "$1.2 million is what we're being charged for all the 40 buses. We have huge transporter luxury buses made available to us to transport to the Egyptian border. Of course you know, because of the risks involved and so many other things, a lot of people are going to also take advantage, you're going to hike up the price. We saw that the French convoy was attacked and so forth. It was difficult procuring these buses. But we had to do it because you know, Nigerian lives matters for us." Onyeama also explained that the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Muhammadu Muhammed, was already on ground in Egypt and coordinating the logistics with embassy staff to ensure a smooth evacuation process. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Governance Sudan By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. He said: "Now, regarding the evacuation process, what we are primarily responsible for, is to ensure the safe evacuation from Egypt, of all the Nigerians who want to leave. The numbers as the honourable minister has said, have left through various borders, and by ship thanks to the Saudis. "So the exact numbers that will now make it on that convoy to Egypt is not exactly clear at the moment. But once they get there is from Aswan, as the Honorable Minister has also said, the director general of NEMA is there, and they are now going to take over with regards to getting them back to Nigeria. "So whether they use military transport planes, C-130, I spoke to the Chief of Defence Staff, and he indicated that there were some military transport planes that will be available. And of course, you mentioned you know, Airpeace making that offer and there are other airlines, too, that their owners might also want to make an offer, but we will leave it to never to coordinate who they use to transport by air, these citizens of ours," he stated. Senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi has said that words such as `orphan' and `Abla' (helpless woman) should cease to exist. Speaking at an award function in Maharashtra's Thane, the former RSS general secretary expressed his hope that social organizations' efforts will eliminate terms like orphan, 'Abla' and neglected people from the society's vocabulary. Senior RSS functionary Suresh 'Bhaiyyaji' Joshi.(HT file photo) "In a society of crores of people in this country, how can anyone be an orphan? How can anyone remain marginalized in such an advanced society? Looking at the work of various social organizations, it is expected that words like orphan, 'Abla' and `neglected people' will no longer be in use," Joshi said. Joshi presented the `Antyoday' award, instituted by not-for-profit Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini, to Sadashiv Chavan of Jeevan Sangharsh Foundation who works for homeless children. On Thursday, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis praised Joshi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for their guidance in building the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Nagpur run by Dr Aabaji Thatte Seva Aur Anusandhan Sanstha. Fadnavis recalled that he lost his father due to cancer, and talked about the difficulties faced by cancer patients and their families. "I feel that it is thanks to Sangh's inspiration that all of us could build such a good hospital," he said. Apart from the RSS leaders, Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde, Union minister Nitin Gadkari, and industrialist Gautam Adani were also present on the occasion. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON India has successfully flew a group of 360 citizens to New Delhi, who were earlier evacuated from Sudan to Saudi Arabia, in an ongoing operation to bring out several more people from the conflict-ridden northeast African country. Those who were rescued narrated their ordeals being in the strife-torn country as the Sudanese Army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are battling against each other for power. Indian nationals evacuated from violence-hit Sudan under Operation Kaveri, on their arrival at the IGI Airport in New Delhi.(PTI) Sukhvinder Singh was among the first batch of Indian nationals who returned to Delhi. An engineer in his mid-40s, Singh said he was still very scared and recalled that he felt being on a deathbed amid the conflict between two major forces in the country. "We were living in one area, confined to one room. It was like we were on a deathbed," he told news agency PTI after arriving at the Delhi airport. Explaining the evacuation process, Singh told the news agency that the trip to reach Port Sudan in a bus full of 200 people was very risky. "We contacted the Indian embassy and buses for around 200 people were arranged. A road trip was very risky. Only God knows how we reached Port Sudan," he said, adding that the warring groups could've shot anybody depending on their mood. If we say we are Indians, they let us go, he added. Another citizen, who was a factory worker there, was under disbelief and expressed that he returned almost after dying, and made a vow that he would never return to Sudan. "I will do anything in this country but won't go back," he added. India has so far airlifted 670 citizens from Sudan and the rescue mission Operation Kaveri is still underway, aimed at evacuating more Indian nationals before the end of a tenuous ceasefire that both the military and paramilitary forces in the country agreed. Also read: IndiGo offers chartered flights to evacuate Indians in Sudan under Operation Kaveri Tasmer Singh described his experience as horrifying and added that the situation he faced in the northeast African nation was unimaginable. We were like a dead body, roaming in a small house without power, water. We never imagined that we will face this kind of a situation in our lives but thank God, we are alive, he said. (With agency inputs) Indian students from 36 law schools have released a statement collectively on "condemnation and solidarity against the Bar Council of India's (BCI) resolution on marriage equality, on which the Supreme Court is currently hearing pleas. Taking a dig at the BCI, the letter said, it is a regulatory body according to the Advocates Act, 1961. It states, Nothing in the Act, as interpreted by the Supreme Court, empowers the BCI to pass comments on sub judice matters. (File) The statement says that as future members of the Bar, the students said it was alienating and hurtful to see their seniors engage in hateful rhetoric. On 23rd April 2023, the Bar Council of India (BCI) passed a Resolution on the ongoing marriage equality petitions, urging the Supreme Court to abdicate its role and defer the matter to the Parliament instead. The Resolution is ignorant, harmful, and antithetical to our Constitution and the spirit of inclusive social life. It attempts to tell queer persons that the law and the legal profession have no place for them. We, the undersigned, are queer and allied student groups across Indian law schools. As future members of the Bar, it has been alienating and hurtful to see our seniors engage in such hateful rhetoric, the letter read. The students in the letter further write about their feelings when the consensual unions between non-heterosexual couples was decriminalised, they felt, an intimately unforgettable affirmation of the laws emancipatory, liberatory, and transformative potential. It is in this spirit that we write this statement of condemnation and solidarity. The BCI on Sunday urged the Supreme Court to desist from ruling upon the marriage equality case, contending that any indulgence by the top court will result in destabilising the social structure of the country and it would be catastrophic to overhaul something as fundamental as the conception of marriage by the court. Taking a dig at the BCI, the letter said, it is a regulatory body according to the Advocates Act, 1961. It states, Nothing in the Act, as interpreted by the Supreme Court, empowers the BCI to pass comments on sub judice matters. It further adds, The passing of this Resolution is entirely unwarranted and a deplorable attempt by the BCI to illegitimately create influence for itself. The BCI must re-familiarise itself with the role envisioned during its establishment, look at the state of the Indian legal profession, and devote its resources to more pressing challenges rather than needlessly entering constitutional debates. The letter says that the ongoing case is about queer people fighting for recognition of fundamental rights (to equality, freedom, and privacy) which they have under the Constitution. It further mentions how BCI denies having any role in fundamental rights in its resolution. This shows their heinous indifference towards the reality of queer and trans persons living as second-class citizens in our country. Consequently, the BCI completely misses that fundamental rights cannot be made to suffer from the inaction of the legislature, the letter reads. The students further mention that they were most troubled by BCI's disregard for constitutional morality. It says, Constitutional morality dictates that marriage equality must not be made subject to the wishes of a casteist, cis-heteronormative, and patriarchal society To subject fundamental rights to societal decisions is to betray the vision of morality our Constitution commits us to; it is to betray the Constitution itself. BCI's resolution had said, "More than 99.9% of people of the country are opposed to the idea of same sex marriage in our country. The vast majority believes that any decision of the apex court in petitioners favour on this issue will be treated to be against the culture and socio religious structure of our country. Speaking on the same, the letter says, that the Bar cited no sources while mentioning the percentage. It said, The BCI blatantly concocts statistics of 99.9% of Indians opposing same-sex marriage, to run the worn-out theory that queer persons constitute a miniscule minority The usage of hateful rhetoric is consistent throughout the Resolution; the BCI feels no shame in calling demands for marriage equality morally compunctive and a social experiment. BCI had also said, ever since the inception of human civilization and culture, marriage has been typically accepted and categorized as a union of biological man and woman for the twin purpose of procreation and recreation. The letter called this assertion ignorant and unsupported. It further said, This is a colonial reading of Indian history, culture, and civilisation there is diverse evidence of queer love and marriage existing in various forms across Indian cultures since ancient times. The BCI ignores this evidence. Having appointed itself, in another overreach of power, as a mouthpiece of the common men, the BCI demonstrates how it is in fact a mouthpiece for a very specific class of men who have the privilege to make hegemonic statements on our culture without any form of accountability. A five-judge bench began hearing the case on April 18 after turning down the Union governments objections against the judicial determination of the issue. The bench comprises Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud and justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, S Ravindra Bhat, Hima Kohli and PS Narasimha. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON India successfully flew another batch of 246 Indian nationals to Mumbai on Thursday, who were earlier evacuated from Sudan to Saudi Arabia's Jeddah in the ongoing 'Operation Kaveri' to rescue stranded nationals from the conflict-ridden northeast African nation. Sudan crisis: Another Operation Kaveri flight with 246 Indians on board evacuated from conflict-ridden Sudan landed, in Mumbai on Thursday.(Twitter/ S Jaishankar) The Indian Air Force's C-17 Globemaster heavy lift aircraft has brought back the Indian nationals to their motherland. Those who were evacuated thanked PM Modi and the Indian government's efforts and arrangements to bring back the stranded nationals to their homeland. One of the evacuees who returned to Mumbai from Jeddah, while speaking to news agency ANI said, "I want to thank the Indian govt for bringing us safely. They made all arrangements including food. All things were perfect. We are happy". "Our country is great. May PM Modi live for 1,000 years," an elderly woman said. One of the evacuees, Avtar Singh said, "We are feeling happy as we've returned to our home. The rescue operation is going on at a fast pace. We are satisfied with the government. Nisha Mehta, one of the citizens who landed in Mumbai said, Thanks to PM Modi, India. We are happy that we've returned to our country. Second batch of 246 Indian nationals stuck in war-torn Sudan arrived in Mumbai from Saudi Arabia's Jeddah on Thursday. On Wednesday, the first batch of 360 Indians were carried in a chartered flight and brought to Delhi. External affairs minister S Jaishankar shared the images of the evacuated citizens on his Twitter handle and said, "Another #OperationKaveri flight comes to Mumbai. 246 more Indians come back to the motherland". Meanwhile, minister of state for External Affairs V Muraleedharan is in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah to oversee the rescue operation of the citizens. On Thursday, he informed that around 1,100 Indians have been safely evacuated from strife-torn Sudan. A total of 495 Indians are currently in Jeddah, while another 320 are in Port Sudan. One Indian from Kerala has been killed in the violence so far . Read here: Relief, jubilation as Sudan evacuees return home India on Monday launched 'Operation Kaveri' to evacuate its citizens stranded in Sudan amid the intense fighting between the country's army troops and rival paramilitary force. Two C-130J medium lift aircraft of the IAF stationed in Saudi Arabia and naval warships will make sorties across the Red Sea to take the Indians arriving in Port Sudan to Jeddah. The Indian Air Force's C-17 Globemaster heavy lift aircraft has brought back 246 Indians from Saudi Arabia's Jeddah, after they were evacuated from strife-torn Sudan's Khartoum region. On Wednesday, the first batch of 360 Indians were carried in a chartered flight and brought to Delhi. IAF carries 246 Indians from Saudi Arabia's Jeddah.(HT) Similarly, several Indian nationals are still being carried to Jeddah on naval warships from Port Sudan after they are being brought there in buses from the internal parts of the northeast African nation. After arriving to safety, those who were evacuated from violence-hit Sudan chanted Bharat Mata Ki Jai, Indian Navy zindabad among other slogans in the presence of Union minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan, who was overlooking the India's flagship evacuation mission Operation Kaveri. One of the evacuees, who was onboard the heavy-lift aircraft en route to Mumbai, thanked the Indian government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi while explaining how their evacuation took place from the capital of Sudan. We reached Jeddah and our jawans, who are our real heroes, provided us with complete hospitality and service. Now we are going to Mumbai, our home. We all are very grateful of the Prime Minister and the entire country, the evacuee said before the C-17 Globemaster left for India. It's good to see you coming back from Sudan, the Union minster said while addressing the group of Indians who were brought to the port in Jeddah. He also met with the Indians on board the military transport aircraft. Over 1,700 Indian nationals have been evacuated from the conflict zones in Sudan and the government is focused to get every citizen out of the harm's way as soon as possible, according to foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra. Around 3,400 Indians had contacted the government either though registering online or keeping in touch with the embassy in Khartoum. A total of 495 Indians are currently in Jeddah, while another 320 are in Port Sudan. More Indians are being moved in buses from Khartoum to Port Sudan. Two C-130J medium lift aircraft of the IAF stationed in Saudi Arabia and naval warships will make sorties across the Red Sea to take the Indians arriving in Port Sudan to Jeddah. The second batch of 246 Indian nationals stuck in war-torn Sudan arrived in Mumbai from Saudi Arabia's Jeddah on Thursday. The Indian Air Force's C-17 Globemaster heavy lift aircraft has brought back the Indian nationals to their motherland. Sudan crisis: Second batch of 246 Indian nationals arrives in Mumbai.(HT_PHOTO) Read here: Indians evacuated from Sudan thank PM Modi, hail Indian jawans as 'real heroes' External affairs minister S Jaishankar shared the images of the evacuated citizens from his Twitter handle and said, "Another #OperationKaveri flight comes to Mumbai. 246 more Indians come back to the motherland". On Wednesday, the first batch of 360 Indians was carried in a chartered flight and brought to Delhi. Indian Navy is tirelessly engaged in the evacuation of Indian nationals from Sudan. Indian Navy's INS Teg evacuated 297 Indians from Port Sudan to Jeddah on Thursday. This was the second batch to arrive by the Navy's warships at Jeddah. The first batch of 278 Indians was brought to Jeddah by INS Sumedha on Wednesday. Meanwhile, minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan is in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah to oversee the rescue operation of the citizens. On Thursday, he informed that around 1,100 Indians have been safely evacuated from strife-torn Sudan. He tweeted, "#OperationKaveri continues in swift pace. Happy to receive 297 Indians at Jeddah carried by INS Teg. With this second ship and total six batches, around 1,100 Indians rescued from Sudan have arrived in Jeddah. Repatriation to India of those arriving today will commence shortly". Over 1,700 Indian nationals have been evacuated from the conflict zones in Sudan and the government is focused to get every citizen out of the harm's way as soon as possible, according to foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra. Read here: Op Kaveri: First batch of Indians evacuated from Sudan to reach Delhi at 9pm A total of 495 Indians are currently in Jeddah, while another 320 are in Port Sudan. One Indian hailing from the state of Kerala has been killed in the violence so far. India on Monday launched 'Operation Kaveri' to evacuate its citizens stranded in Sudan amid the intense fighting between the country's army troops and rival paramilitary force. Two C-130J medium lift aircraft of the IAF stationed in Saudi Arabia and naval warships will make sorties across the Red Sea to take the Indians arriving in Port Sudan to Jeddah. The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Ansal brothers, Sushil and Gopal Ansal to approach a Delhi court with an application to be decided within three weeks for de-sealing of the Uphaar cinema. The tragedy took place on June 13, 1997 claimed 59 lives and left over 100 persons injured. (HT file photo) The tragedy that took place on June 13, 1997 claimed 59 lives and left over 100 persons injured. The three-judge bench headed by justice KM Joseph noted that the trial in the case was over and the former directors of Ansal Group Sushil and Gopal Ansal who stood convicted in the trial had deposited the fine of 60 crore ( 30 crore each) as directed by the Supreme Court in August 2015. The other stakeholders in the case the Central Bureau of Investigation (probe agency), Delhi Police (licensing authority) and the association of victims of Uphaar tragedy (AVUT) informed the Court they had no pending claim over the theatre. Also Read: Uphaar tragedy: SC quashes trial court proceedings against former IPS officer The bench, also comprising justices BV Nagarathna and Ahsanuddin Amanullah said, As far as the main litigation consisting of criminal trial where two former directors of the appellant company were accused, the curtains have come down by an order of this Court in August 2015. The amount of 60 crore has also been deposited. In these circumstances, there can be no obstacle in the appellant being given back the sealed theatre. The bench also recorded the statements of additional solicitor general (ASG) KM Nataraj appearing for CBI and Delhi police and Neelam Krishnamoorthy, president of AVUT that they have no claim over the property in question. Under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), delivery of any property regarding which the trial has concluded is governed by Section 452(2). The Court said that if Ansals make an application under Section 452 of CrPC before the concerned trial court for release of theatre in question, a decision will be taken by the trial court according to law and bearing in mind the stand taken by CBI, Delhi police and AVUT. The trial court was directed to decide the matter at the earliest and not later than 10 weeks from the application is filed attached with the top courts order. The Ansal Theatres and Clubhotels Private Limited had approached the apex court in 2010 after their permission for release was turned down by the Delhi high court on March 20, 2009. In this order, the HC noted that the trial of the case is yet to be over as the Supreme Court was hearing the appeal challenging the conviction of Sushil and Gopal Ansal. The victims claimed that the theatre held the key to determine the guilt of the then deputy commissioner of police (DCP), licensing Amod Kanth who had been summoned by the trial court to join the trial. It was for this reason, AVUT was not willing to release the theatre. However, on April 20, the top court quashed the summons issued to Kanth thus drawing curtains on his trial in the case. However, the AVUT informed the Court that the theatre was mortgaged by Ansals to pay the sum of 60 crore as ordered by the Supreme Court and thus, the theatre was very much in possession of the appellant company. ASG Nataraj told the Court that once an application under Section 452(2) is moved, it is for the concerned court to determine to whom the property is to be released. Whether I have any objection or not is immaterial. It is for the concerned court to determine based on the nature of claim, title and any pending liabilities over the property in question. For Ansals, senior advocate Mathai Paikaday pointed out that CBI had filed an affidavit before the Delhi high court claiming to have no objection. He further pointed out that in September 2003, the Delhi high court did order for the release of the cinema. Ayurveda doctors cannot claim equal pay as their counterparts in allopathy as they do not perform equal work, the Supreme Court held on Wednesday while setting aside an appeal by government Ayurveda doctors in Gujarat for pay parity with MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) doctors. The court noted that allopathy doctors perform emergency duties which is not true about Ayurveda practitioners. (Representative file image) Noting the distinction between the two disciplines, a bench of justices V Ramasubramanian and Pankaj Mithal said, While recognizing the importance of Ayurveda doctors and the need to promote alternative/indigenous systems of medicine, we cannot be oblivious of the fact that both categories of doctors are certainly not performing equal work to be entitled to equal pay. The bench said, We have no doubt that every alternative system of medicine may have its pride of place in history. But today, the practitioners of indigenous systems of medicine do not perform complicated surgical operations. A study of Ayurveda does not authorise them to perform these surgeries. Also Read: UP plans All India Institute of Ayurveda The Gujarat government had approached the top court to appeal against a decision of the Gujarat high court which directed the state to treat doctors possessing Bachelor of Ayurveda in Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) at par with MBBS doctors in the state for getting benefits of recommendations of a pay commission set up by the central government in 1990. Challenging the HC order, the state submitted a chart distinguishing the work performed by MBBS and Ayurveda doctors. Quoting from the chart, the judgment said that a post-mortem or autopsy is never carried out in presence of Ayurveda doctors. Even the magisterial enquiry for unnatural deaths under Section 176 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) requires presence of civil surgeon. In addition, the Court noted that allopathy doctors perform emergency duties, provide trauma care, hold out patient department which is not true about Ayurveda practitioners. By the very nature of the science that they practice and with the advancement of science and modern medical technology, the emergency duty that allopathy doctors are capable of performing and the trauma care that they are capable of providing, cannot be performed by Ayurveda doctors, the bench held. The Ayurveda doctors had claimed on their part that they performed the same work as was done by other medical officers holding MBBS degrees by serving in various primary health centres and community health centres. The Supreme Court on Wednesday modified its June 2022 order that ruled each national park and wildlife sanctuary must have an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of minimum 1km, measured from the demarcated boundary of such protected forest, while also lifting a complete ban on development and construction activities within ESZs. HT Image A bench led by Justice BR Gavai noted that its 2022 order on uniform ESZs was not workable and that its directive prohibiting all development activities within such zones is impossible to be implemented. The area to be declared as ESZ cannot be uniform and will be protected area specific. In some cases, it may be 10km on one side and 500m on the other side. In certain cases, it may not be possible to have a uniform minimum area by virtue of interstate boundaries or a sea or a river beyond one side of the protected area... we find that the direction which prescribes a uniform 1km ESZ requires to be modified, said the bench, which also comprised justices Vikram Nath and Sanjay Karol. Accepting the Centres review plea, the court took note of Rule 5 of the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986 laying down an extensive procedure for notifying an ESZ and prohibiting or restricting various activities in the specified areas. Such notifications cannot be issued unless a close scrutiny at various levels including the scrutiny by an expert committee, consisting of experts from 13 organisations, is carried out, noted the bench, adding the guidelines issued by the Union ministry of environment, forests and climate change (MoEFCC) in 2011 were reasonable and acceptable to the court. In its order, the bench noted that final notifications have been issued by the Centre in respect of 474 protected areas, while draft notifications issued in respect of 102 protected areas and 73 other proposals are pending. It said that the previous order of the court will not apply to ESZs in respect of which a draft and final notification has been issued by the MoEFCC and in respect of the proposals which have been received by the Ministry. The bench, however, asked the ministry to give wide publicity to the draft notification, adding final notifications on ESZs shall not be given effect for a period of 30 days from the issuance, enabling an aggrieved party to approach the court. About the prohibition against construction activities within ESZs, the top court held that there are inbuilt safeguards under the ESZ notification for preventing rampant construction and abuse of process which may be detrimental to the development and maintenance of wildlife habitats. If such a direction is continued, rather than avoiding man-animal conflict, it will intensify the same. As observed in the said guidelines, the requirement of declaring ESZs is not to hamper day to day activities of the citizens but is meant to protect the precious forests and protected areas from any negative impact, and to refine the environment around the protected areas, said the bench. It pointed out that MoEFCCs February 2011 ESZ guidelines lay down the activities prohibited and those permitted under strict regulation. The MoEFCC and all the state/Union territory governments shall strictly follow the provisions in the said guidelines dated 9th February 2011 and so also the provisions contained in the ESZs notifications pertaining to the respective protected areas with regard to prohibited activities, regulated activities and permissible activities, it directed. The bench also approved the office memorandum of MoEFCC dated May 17, 2022 which prescribed that any development activity in a notified ESZ, or in the case of national parks and sanctuaries for which no ESZ has been finally notified, will require consideration and recommendation of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) or its standing committee in addition to the environment clearance under the 1986 Act. We further direct that while granting environmental and fForest clearances for project activities in ESZ and other areas outside the protected areas, the Union of India as well as various state/Union territory governments shall strictly follow the provisions contained in the Office Memorandum dated 17th May 2022 issued by MoEFCC, directed the court. At the same time, the bench clarified that mining within the national park and wildlife sanctuary and within an area of 1km from the boundary of such protected forest shall not be permissible. In June 2022, the Supreme Court directed all national parks and wildlife sanctuaries falling under protected forests to earmark a minimum distance of one kilometre as ESZ where prohibited activities, including mining and establishment of any new permanent structure, will not be permitted. In its review plea, the Union government argued millions live in ESZs. It said the courts directions last year will have ramifications on the lives of local communities living around national parks and sanctuaries, and ecological development work. Several state governments also requested an alteration of the court order. It pointed out that the ESZ around Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve in Andhra Pradesh extends from 0 to 26 km and 100 villages are situated within it. The ESZ around Valmiki Wildlife Sanctuary, Valmiki National Park and Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar extends from 0 to 9km and 323 villages are situated within it. The Centre cited similar examples from protected forest areas in Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan where a large number of villages were situated within ESZs. The Kerala government, on its part, had told the court that forests account for nearly 30% of the states area. It cited the states population density and added that much of its land was occupied and that the courts order posed practical difficulties for the state. The 2022 order also impacted the Kerala high court building, which is located within 200 metres of the Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary. Experts were sceptical of the order. The Supreme Court although right in directing the states to strictly follow the 2011 guidelines, itself gave a contrary observation while relaxing the 1km minimum ESZ given in its previous order. The judgment gave an observation that in certain cases it may not be possible to have a uniform minimum area by virtue of inter-state boundaries or a sea or a river beyond one side of the protected area. In contrary, the 2011 guidelines clearly says that if a PAs boundary overlaps with interstate border, both the state/UT shall endeavour to reach a mutual consultation and decide the minimum ESZ, said Debadityo Sinha, Lead- Climate & Ecosystems, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy. The Kerala government, however, welcomed the order. It is a big relief for the state. We heard all restrictions on permanent structures will go now. We are yet to get details of the verdict. We will try for more relaxations, said Kerala forest minister AK Saseendran, adding that the government is committed to protect people living in the fringe areas of forests. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Tamil Nadu government has embarked on a project to provide affordable housing to employees close to their factories in a bid to attract investments and to boost the states industrial and economic growth. To be sure, the accommodation will be provided for free to the workers. (ANI) According to officials, the project is being built at various locations, including in Sriperumbudur, which is a major hub for automobile and electronics manufacturing and in the industrial town of Hosur. In Sriperumbudur, the housing project is being built by the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT, responsible for development of industrial land and infrastructure). Once completed, likely in a year, the 1,000 crore project would be able to house up to 20,000 people, officials said. The Tamil Nadu government is working on providing quality industrial housing in close proximity to high employment-oriented industries, including in electronic hardware manufacture, mainly as a labour welfare and productivity enhancing measure in the post pandemic scenario, S Krishnan, additional chief secretary, department of industries, investment promotion and commerce, said. Chief minister M K Stalin has set an ambitious target for the state to become a $1-trillion economy by 2030 from the $300 billion currently. And the road map to achieve that includes bringing in investments worth 23 lakh crore by 2030 by creating a suitable working environment. A senior official, who did not wish to be named, said: Several workers travel more than a 100 km in company buses to reach the factories, so accommodating them close to the industries is something that employers require, so they will pay for it. The official added: The accommodation will be on a rental basis let out by the state directly to the employers. We are planning dormitory-style housing. Depending on the budget, we will construct rooms which can be shared by two, four and six people. To be sure, the accommodation will be provided for free to the workers. In Hosur, where Tata Electronics Private Limited has invested more than 5,000 crore to build an electronic ecosystem to manufacture platforms and bases for mobiles phones such as iPhones, the government has tied-up with the private player to develop the industrial housing project with accommodation facilities for 18,000 people, officials said. The project is expected to cost the government 875 crore. While the state government had been planning the project for the past few years, the 2021 protests by employees at Foxconn iPhone plant in Sriperumbudur against the living conditions and facilities accelerated the efforts. After the factory was shut for more than 20 days and after the pandemic-induced lockdowns in 2020, the state government decided to look for ways to retain business owners and their employees. The senior official quoted above said the decision to build affordable housing for the factory workers is an outcome of the lessons learnt during the Covid-19 lockdown when migrant workers were forced to return on a short notice and after the protest by employees, demanding better living conditions at Apples contract manufacturing firm, Foxconn. And the state has its own way of handling the issues surrounding the living conditions of workers, the official said. In December 2021, the Foxconn factory in Sriperumbudur, 42 km from Chennai, was shut for 20 days following protests by workers over conditions at the companys living quarters and food quality. The factory employs 15,000 people, including 10,000 women. It was not until the state government stepped in with a few recommendations, such as bedding to all employees and housing less workers in each room, which was agreed by the Foxconn management, that the factory later reopened in a staggered manner. The senior official said key lessons were learnt from the Foxconn shutdown, which could have shown Tamil Nadu in bad light for investors. We wanted more investment in the labour-intensive sectors, which employ more women, and therefore, the government decided to build homes for the workers, the official said. B Senthil Nathan, vice-president of Hosur Industries Association (which comprises 140 large and medium industries, including Tata Electronics, TVS, Delta Electronics, Ashok Leyland and Unilever) said the governments initiative addresses the problems of housing faced by new industries and it can cut down on long commutes. He added that Tata in Hosur has rented marriage halls, hostels and single rooms for their workers. Industrial hubs are usually in places which lack infrastructure and development. Even Hosur is not an urban developed area, so housing is fragmented and scarce, said Nathan, who is also the CFO of First Steps Baby Wear Private Limited based in Hosur. Then there is the need for accommodation of higher level workers. So more people will join industries where quality housing with basic infrastructure like potable water and sanitation and safety is provided. This also makes up for the infrastructure deficit. On an average, industries ferry buses 60 km away on a daily basis. Instead of paying for the buses, industries will readily pay rent which ensures that their employees are close by, live in good conditions which will increase productivity, he said. On a smaller scale, two hostels for working women are being set up at a cost of 20 crore in Cheyyar industrial complex and in Sriperumbudur and another 600-bed facility in Shoolagiri industrial park for 30 crore, according to announcements made in the demands for grants during the ongoing budget session in the Tamil Nadu assembly. There are more projects in the offing. Its something new that we are working on, so its running on various legs, the official said. With assistance from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and shelter funds managed by the Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Fund Management Corporation (TNIFMC), the industries department will be constructing the houses while the social welfare department will be coming up with working womens hostels. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The promise of greener pastures abroad has led many Kenyans to consider relocating overseas for work and studies. The most popular destination is the US, which is the leading source of remittances to Kenya. According to CBK data, Kenyans living in the US sent a total of $2.33 billion back home in 2022, representing more than half of the total $4.02 billion of diaspora remittances in 2022. Countries in Europe and the Middle East are also popular destinations, with the UK, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Qatar being key sources of remittances into Kenya. The money that Kenyans living abroad send back home has grown significantly in recent years and in 2022 surpassed earnings from key exports such as tourism and tea. This highlights the significant improvement in the economic fortunes of Kenyans in the diaspora. The experience of handling more money can be exciting for migrants who secure promising economic opportunities such as better paying jobs and new business opportunities in their host countries. However, having more money to spend on oneself and loved ones comes with added responsibility. Increased income often results in new obligations such as taxes, insurance, investments, and remittances to family and friends back home. That's why having a financial plan is important. Here are some important tips to get you started on developing a financial plan when living abroad. Seek professional help on your taxes Filing annual tax returns is arguably one of the most significant events in the economic calendar of countries like the US and the UK. This means that being knowledgeable about the tax code and what your obligations are is vitally important. You want to avoid run-ins with the tax agencies as this can affect your future prospects in the host country. You also want to maximize on tax strategies that can get you the most benefit. Seeking professional help from a licensed accountant or tax expert may sound like an extra cost but it is worth it in the long run as you want a clean record. Focus on building your credit score Credit cards and loans are a normal part of life in many countries. Being able to access capital at competitive rates can help you accelerate your plans. It can also cushion you in case of an emergency. However, it is important to beware of the pitfalls that come with ill-managed debt. This can include having a negative credit score, repossession of assets, fines and other penalties. You need to build your credit worthiness by ensuring you regularly service your existing loans as per the terms and live within your means. Loans can work wonders if used wisely, but they can also be the source of financial troubles if mismanaged. Think about insurance and retirement Another important topic you need to explore is insurance and retirement planning. The purpose of insurance is not to make you richer, but to protect yourself and the ones you love from an unforeseen situation that puts your income at risk. Planning for retirement can create anxiety since it involves saving and investing. This means you need to have a budget. You also need to consider how you will manage your savings and investments. Today, there are several licensed online investing platforms that allow migrants to open investment accounts and invest as self-directed investors. It is, however, advisable to first seek the advice of a licensed financial advisor before taking this important step with your future. Be smart about remittances When choosing how to send money home, be sure to pick a remittance service you can trust and that has affordable fees. A few extra cents to transact each time can add up to huge costs over time. Check for remittance platform ratings on neutral customer review sites like Trustpilot. Make sure that the service you use supports sending money to Kenya. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Kenya Business By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. WorldRemit, for example, lists the countries you can send money from and to. Senders can transfer money online or via the app to receivers in over 130 countries, including Kenya, with fast and secure transactions. Data from Zepz, the holding company for digital remittance service providers WorldRemit and Sendwave, shows that its users globally sent almost $2 billion to Kenya through its channels in 2022, with Kenya emerging as a leading recipient compared to other key markets. Zepz users have sent over $500 million to Zimbabwe, $300 million to Cameroon and more than $190 million to South Africa during the period. If you are thinking of relocating abroad, or have already done so, these tips can help you build a solid financial plan to get the most of your hard-earned money. The writer is WorldRemit East Africa Regional Manager The Telangana high court on Thursday revoked the bail of Yerra Gangi Reddy, the prime accused in the murder of former MP and Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddys uncle YS Vivekananda Reddy in March 2019, people familiar with the matter said. Telangana high court revokes Gangi Reddy's bail in Vivekananda murder case. (Shutterstock) A high court bench headed by Justice Chillakur Sumalatha gave the verdict after a prolonged hearing of arguments on a petition filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which is probing the murder of Vivekananda Reddy. Gangi Reddy was one of the four accused who had allegedly committed the murder of the former MP on the intervening night of March 14-15, 2019, the other three being Y Sunil Yadav, G Uma Shankar Reddy and Shaik Dastagiri. The CBI filed its charge-sheet against them on October 26, 2021. After the murder of Vivekananda, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) Andhra Pradesh police had arrested Gangi Reddy on March 28, 2019, naming him the main accused. He was remanded to judicial custody. On June 27, 2019, a day after the statutory period of 90 days had lapsed, Gangi Reddy successfully secured default bail under Section 167(2) of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), as the SIT failed to file a chargesheet before the statutory period. The CBI, which took up the investigation into the murder case in July 2020, challenged the bail granted to Gangi Reddy, first in the state high court and later in the Supreme Court. On January 16 this year, the Supreme Court directed the Telangana high court to re-examine the CBIs petition seeking to cancel Gangi Reddys bail that was issued by the trial court at Pulivendula of Kadapa district. Vivekananda Reddys daughter Narreddy Suneetha, who impleaded in the case, said in her petition before the high court that Gangi Reddy knew the whole story behind the murder and stressed that his role in the case was bigger and deeper. Apart from being part of the murder, Gangi Reddy also emboldened the assailants to kill Vivekananda Reddy. He also played a key role in the destruction of evidence. He is not eligible for a default bail and if he roams freely, then it will have a negative effect on the morale of the witnesses, she said. In Thursdays judgement, the high court bench agreed with the argument of the CBI that Gangi Reddy was threatening the witnesses in the case, at a time when the investigation was at a crucial stage and that the witnesses were feeling insecure with the prime accused being on bail. The judge asked Gangi Reddy to surrender before the CBI officials by May 5; or else, the investigating agency can arrest him after the deadline. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON On April 10, The Times (in the UK) reported that India halted the free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations to protest against the British governments handling of pro-Khalistan protests in London. While both the UK and Indian government have denied these reports, it is a fact that the negotiations have been stuck for a long time.And it is clear that India is not in any haste to close the deal. This, in many ways, is also a reflection of the shrinking weight of the British economy in the world. Here are five charts which explain how the British economy has been losing its importance over the long arc of history. PREMIUM Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reacts as he waves to the audience as the end of his speech during the Business Connect event in North London, on April 24, 2023. (Photo by Daniel LEAL / POOL / AFP)(AFP) UKs slide in terms of overall GDP The World Banks World Development Indicators database goes back to 1960. In current dollar terms, the UKs GDP was the second largest in the world in 1960. This has gradually come down to sixth by 2021, the latest period for which World Bank (WB) data is available. Using WB data to calculate the UKs share in global GDP also shows a fall, with the number coming down from 5.3% in 1960 to just 3.2% in 2021. The World Banks World Development Indicators database goes back to 1960. In current dollar terms, the UKs GDP was the second largest in the world in 1960. This has gradually come down to sixth by 2021, the latest period for which World Bank (WB) data is available. Using WB data to calculate the UKs share in global GDP also shows a fall, with the number coming down from 5.3% in 1960 to just 3.2% in 2021. See Chart 1: UKs share in global GDP To be sure, UK started losing its economic edge much earlier This is where the University of Groningens Maddison Project Database is useful. The Maddison database ranks countries by GDP in 2011 purchasing power parity (PPP) dollars PPP method adjusts for price differences across countries from 1820 onwards. The UK was the third largest economy in the world in 1820 (China and India were ranked first and second). While China and India lost their economic importance, thanks to colonial subjugation, the UK was replaced by the US in the latter half of the 19th century. The UK became the second largest economy in PPP terms in 1950 but has been losing its position since then. It was ranked 8th in 2018, the latest period for which we have GDP statistics in the Maddison database. The fall in its GDP share in the world has also been accompanied with a fall in the premium which the UK enjoyed vis-a-vis per capita incomes in the world, which is the best measure of living standards. As the front-runner in the Industrial Revolution, the UK enjoyed almost four times higher income levels than the world in 1870. After the First World War (1913 to 1918), the UKs income levels were three times higher in 1920, before slightly improving to 3.3 times in 1940. The long-term effects from the Great Depression of the 1930s and the Second World War (1939 to 1945) worsened the ratio further for the next 30 years. While Margaret Thatchers neoliberal reforms pushed this ratio up temporarily, the number has fallen further in the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis reaching 2.5 by 2018. See Chart 2: UKs per capita GDP as a multiple of global average British footprint in global trade has been shrinking Data from the Federico-Tena World Trade historical database, developed by two European economists (Giovanni Federico, Antonio Tena Junguito), provides comparable trade statistics dating back to 1800. Nearly half the global trade emanated from the UK at the beginning of the nineteenth century. This share had fallen to one-fifth by 1852 and remained more or less the same for the next 50 years. However, the Great Depression took this number down to just 14.1% in 1938, the latest period for which we have trade statistics in the Federico-Tena database. See Chart 3A: UKs share in global trade pre WW-II Since statistical agencies stopped publishing trade figures between 1939 and 1947, there are no comparable trade statistics for this period. The earliest post-World War II year in the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) database shows the UKs share in global trade to have dropped to 10.9% by 1948. Over the next 30 years, this share fell continuously to reach 5% by 1980, and slid to just 2.1% in 2022. See Chart 3B: UKs share in global trade post WW-II Britain has the lowest rate of investment in the G7 Britains economic problems are far from over. A November 2021 study by researchers at the London School of Economics and the Resolution Foundation think tank said that low business investment, weak management and too few commercial patents are factors behind Britains large productivity shortfall. Data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) also shows that the UKs Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF), an indicator of investment spending, has fallen to 17.3% in 2021, from 23.6% in 1970. The latest figure is also the lowest among the G7 economies, with Japan being the highest (25.6%) and the rest above 20%. While the UK attempted to fix this by slashing corporate tax rate from (30% in 2007 to 19% in 2017), the policy did not deliver, and this is perhaps why they made a U-turn and raised the tax rate to 25% from April. See Chart 4: Investment as share of GDP in UK vs G7 nations Enjoy unlimited digital access with HT Premium Subscribe Now to continue reading Start 14 Days Free Trial Already Subscribed? Sign In Objecting to the release of Anand Mohan Singh from Bihar's Saharsa jail, the widow of slain District Magistrate G Krishnaiah who was murdered by the gangster-turned-politician, on Thursday appealed to President Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and ask Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to send him to jail. Uma Devi, wife of former IAS officer G Krishnaiah.(ANI) This comes after Gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh walked free from Bihar's Saharsa jail early Thursday morning, a move which was mandated following the amendment of the prison rules by the Bihar government allowing the release of 27 convicts including him. Speaking to ANI, Uma Devi, wife of late Gopalganj DM G Krishnaiah, said, "I appeal to the President and the PM to intervene in this matter and ask CM Nitish Kumar to send him (Anand Mohan) back to jail." She called the decision of the Bihar government to release the murder convict, who was initially given a death sentence by the trial court and was later commuted to a life sentence by the Patna High Court, "wrong" and said that the Chief Minister should not "encourage these types of things". She also called for the boycott of the gangster-turned-politician if he contests elections in the future. "The public will protest against the release of Anand Mohan, demanding to send him back to jail. Releasing him is a wrong decision. CM should not encourage these types of things. If he (Anand Mohan) will contest elections in the future the public should boycott him. I appeal to send him (Anand Mohan) back to jail," she said. The daughter of the deceased IAS officer, Padma asked the state government to reconsider its decision and urged Nitish Kumar to give his decision a second thought. "It's disheartening for us that Anand Mohan Singh has been released from jail today. The government should reconsider this decision. I request Nitish Kumar ji to give a second thought to this decision. With this decision, his govt has set a wrong example," she said. Padma said that the family will appeal against the decision of the government. "It is unfair not just to a family but to the whole nation. We will appeal against this decision," she said. He was serving a life sentence in the 1994 murder of then Gopalganj District Magistrate G Krishnaiah. After the Bihar Government amended the rules of the Jail manual, an official notification stated that 27 prisoners who have served 14 years or 20 years in jail have been ordered to be released. Supporters of Anand Mohan Singh, welcomed his release from Saharsa jail in Bihar. The gangster-turned-politician was earlier on parole of 15 days to attend the engagement ceremony of his MLA son Chetan Anand. He had returned to Saharsa jail on April 26 following the end of his parole period. Earlier on Wednesday, the state prisons department had released nearly 14 convicts from various jails of the state. Singh was among eight others who could not be released yesterday. There has been a backlash regarding the former MP's release from jail by the opposition in the state. Anand Mohan murdered Gopalganj District Magistrate G Krishnaiah on December 5, 1994, in Muzaffarpur. Krishnaiah was killed by a mob allegedly provoked by Anand Mohan Singh. He was dragged out of his official car and lynched. G Krishnaiah, a 1985-batch IAS officer who hailed from Mahbubnagar in present-day Telangana. Anand Mohan was sentenced to death by a trial court in 2007. A year later, the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by the Patna High Court. Mohan then challenged the verdict in Supreme Court but no relief has been granted yet and he has remained in Saharsa jail since 2007. His wife Lovely Anand has also been a Lok Sabha MP, while their son Chetan Anand is an RJD MLA from Bihar's Sheohar. (ANI) Reacting to the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government releasing 27 prisoners, including gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh who was serving life sentence in the 1994 murder of Gopalganj district magistrate G Krishnaiah, by amending the states prison manual on Thursday, the daughter of the IAS officer said it was disheartening to see him being released from jail. Anand Mohan Singh was released from Bihar's Saharsa Jail on Thursday at 4 am. (HT) Speaking to news agency ANI, Padma said, It's disheartening for us that Anand Mohan Singh has been released from jail today. The government should reconsider this decision. I request Nitish Kumar ji to give a second thought to this decision. With this decision, his govt has set a wrong example. It is unfair not just to a family but to the whole nation. We will appeal against this decision. Singh was pronounced a death sentence in 2007 for the murder of G Krishnaiah - a 1985-batch IAS officer. But a year later, the sentence was changed to life imprisonment by Patna high court. Singh was released from Bihar's Saharsa Jail on Thursday at 4 am. On Monday evening, the Bihar law department issued a notification, stating that on the recommendation of the Bihar state sentence remission council, the decision was taken for the release of prisoners having served actual sentence of 14 years or sentence of 20 years with remission. The Indian Civil and Administrative Service (Central) Association on Tuesday expressed dismay at the Bihar government for its decision to release Singh and other convicts- who were serving a life sentence for the murder of the IAS Officer G Krishnaiah. Urging the government to reconsider the decision, the top IAS body said that the release of a convicted killer is tantamount to the denial of justice. A convict of a charge of murder of a public servant on duty, cannot be re-classified to a less heinous category. Amendment of an existing classification that leads to the release of the convicted killer of a public servant on duty is tantamount to the denial of justice. Such dilution leads to impunity, and erosion in the morale of public servants, undermines public order, and makes a mockery of the administration of justice, the IAS officers' body said in the letter. According to a clause from the Bihar Prison Manual, anyone who was found guilty of killing a government official would not be given the benefit of remission ever. However, on April 10, the Bihar government had removed this clause. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday attacked the Congress over religion-based reservation and accused it of appeasement, as he kicked off his first rally in poll-bound Karnataka. Uttar Pradesh chief minister and senior BJP leader Yogi Adityanath during an election campaign roadshow ahead of upcoming Karnataka assembly polls, in Mandya. (PTI) The southern state goes to the polls on May 10 and results will be declared on May 13. Adityanath claimed that no riots took place in Uttar Pradesh in the past six years due to the strong double engine government a reference used by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders to highlight party-led governments at the Centre and in the state. Congress appeases the Popular Front of India (PFI) and gives religion-based reservation, which is against the Indian Constitution, Adityanath said while addressing a rally in Mandya, considered the Vokkaliga heartland and stronghold of the Janata Dal (Secular). He was referring to the 4% reservation for Muslims under 2B category of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), which the BJP government has scrapped and distributed equally among the Vokkaliga and Lingayat castes. Its implementation, however, has been put on hold till May 9, when the issue will be next heard in the Supreme Court. India was divided on religious lines in 1947. The country cannot endorse religion-based reservation and we are not ready for another partition, Adityanath said, adding that the BJP governments at the Centre and Karnataka banned the PFI and had broken the back of the Islamist organisation. In Uttar Pradesh, security and prosperity is guaranteed. There is no curfew and riots. All is well there. In the past six years, no riots took place in Uttar Pradesh, he said. On Wednesday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who addressed a poll campaign in Hubli-Dharwad West, said the grand old party has educated everyone, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi keeps asking what has the Congress done in 70 years. If he looks around, he will see what our party has done, Kharge, who is a Rajya Sabha member from the poll-bound state, said. We have built dams, public sector undertakings. We have provided education, healthcare and employment opportunities for all. When the country got independence, literacy level was around 16%. Now, it is around 70%. Who made people literate? Who educated all the doctors, engineers, scientists, teachers and lawyers all these years? Congress educated everyone, including Modi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday interacted with the booth workers of Karnataka via video conferencing and said the people of Karnataka have a huge trust in the state BJP and it shows everywhere the BJP leaders are going for campaigning. Answering a question from a booth worker, PM Modi advised forming a strong group of 10 men and 10 women who will visit all families and tell them about the work of the double-engine government. "You should have all information in a diary. Spend one hour at each house. Seek blessings of the elders there," PM Modi said. PM Modi on Thursday interacted with the booth workers in Karnataka. Karnataka Assembly Election 2023: Follow Live Updates "If you put a wheel of a Maruti car into a tractor, will that work? No. A uniform system like a double-engine government will ensure development. Tell these small things to people. You don't need to give long speeches -- that is the responsibility of other people," PM Modi said. "I keep on telling these small things so that you can tell these to the voters," PM Modi said. Taking a question on 'Congress culture of freebies', PM Modi said, "I am happy that in the south too, people now understand the word 'revdi'. Some political parties which have no interest in people's welfare started this culture. But this is not how a government works. A government can't only think of today and tomorrow. It has to think of the generations to come." "People of Himachal are waiting for their election guarantee. Rajasthan people are now protesting after 4 years. Congress is in such a state that it can't give any guarantee. Congress means only the guarantee of corruption and lies. What guarantee will it give? Its warranty has expired," PM Modi said. 'I don't keep any secret because...': PM Modi As PM Modi spelt out these tips for booth victory, he said, "I know many people will say that now other parties will also follow these. But I know they can't do that. This is tapasya. Only BJP can do it. That's why I don't believe in keeping any secret. I am telling this openly. We will have to play on the front foot. We have people's blessings but we have to make sure that it reaches the booths," PM Modi said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The evacuation of Indian nationals from strife-torn Sudan has, once again, turned the spotlight on the impressive humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) capabilities created by Indias armed forces in recent decades and its ability to reach out to citizens in distress in far corners of the world. PREMIUM Indian nationals evacuated from violence-hit Sudan under Operation Kaveri, on their arrival at the IGI Airport in New Delhi.(PTI) Operation Kaveri, the latest mission to rescue Indians stranded in the northeast African nation, comes on the back of Indias gruelling rescue and relief effort, codenamed Operation Dost, in earthquake-ravaged Turkey in February. India was one of the first responders to the natural disaster that hit parts of Turkey and Syria and killed tens of thousands of people. A range of exercises conducted by Indias military with counterparts around the world and understandings on HADR and military cooperation with friendly countries in different regions have allowed the armed forces to mount complex evacuations in challenging conditions, officials familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. The Sudan crisis is the result of an ongoing fight between the regular army and a rebel paramilitary force. In the most recent instance, evacuation of expatriates began on Tuesday after forces loyal to the Sudan Army chief, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his deputy-turned-rival, Gen Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who heads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), agreed on a 72-hour nationwide ceasefire. At least 3,000 Indian citizens in Sudan, and thousands of expatriates of other nationalities, including diplomats and aid workers, were caught between the two warring forces when fighting erupted on April 15. From rescuing Indians stuck in Ukraine after the invasion by Russia last year under Operation Ganga and bringing back citizens stranded in Afghanistan following its takeover by Taliban in August 2021 under Operation Devi Shakti, to launching HADR operations after the massive 2015 Nepal earthquake under Operation Maitri and helping the Maldives when it suffered a drinking water crisis under Operation Neer in 2014, Indias armed forces have been at the forefront of humanitarian relief activities in different parts of the world, the officials said. While the three services the Army, Navy and Air Force have made key contributions to HADR operations depending on the geographies and tasks assigned to them, the role of the Indian Air Force (IAF) has been more pronounced because of its unmatched reach and speed. The induction of long-range heavy and medium lift aircraft such as the C-17 Globemaster and C-130J Super Hercules have also bolstered Indias HADR capabilities. India stationed two C-130J aircraft in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, over the weekend to help with the evacuation of some 3,000 Indians stranded in Sudan. By early Wednesday, the aircraft had flown more than 250 Indians from Port Sudan to Jeddah. India has an outstanding airlift capability that has grown manifold over the years with the induction of new platforms like the C-17 heavy-lifters and C-130J Super Hercules special operations aircraft, said military affairs expert Air Marshal Ashok Goel (retd), who was the man behind the planning and successful execution of Operation Cactus. In November 1988, the IAF airlifted the Indian Army contingent that took part in Operation Cactus, launched to help thwart a coup attempt by mercenaries to overthrow the democratically elected government in the Maldives. The operation was carried out at extremely short notice, and by night, to an unfamiliar airfield in a foreign country. From the airlift of Indians from Kuwait in 1990 to the current effort in Sudan and the scores of operations in between India has put its airlift capability to good use. We have the capability to rescue our stranded citizens from anywhere in the world. We have also never failed in rendering assistance to foreign countries whenever we have been called to do so, Goel said. The largest HADR operation was the airlift of 110,000 people from Kuwait in 1990, and these capabilities have only grown in importance as more than 11 million Indians now live across the globe. Such exercises conducted by Indias armed forces with their counterparts in different regions such as West Asia and the Indo-Pacific help build interoperability and trust, both of which are invaluable for mounting relief and humanitarian missions at short notice. India has also forged agreements for reciprocal access to military logistics facilities such as ports with key partners like the US, France, Russia and Japan that can be crucial for mounting such operations. Its not just the smaller countries that India has rendered assistance to in times of need, the officials said. In September 2005, when the US was hit by Hurricane Katrina, the IAF flew halfway around the world to deliver relief material at the Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville. India also extended help to Pakistan when it was struck by a massive earthquake in October 2005. Between 2006-2011, the IAF undertook a raft of international relief missions, including in the Philippines and Indonesia in 2006, Bangladesh in 2007, Myanmar in 2008, China in 2008, Sri Lanka in 2009, Kyrgyzstan in 2010, and Thailand in 2011, the officials said. These missions ranged from earthquake and cyclone to flood relief. The Indian Navy, which is also involved in Operation Kaveri, has also been at the centre of several past missions, including Operation Sukoon to evacuate Indians from Lebanon in 2006, when Israel invaded Lebanon to suppress the Hezbollah attacks, and Operation Raahat to bring back Indians stranded in Yemen in 2015, during intense fighting between Saudi-backed government forces and the Houthi rebels. HADR missions are complex inter-agency operations that require detailed planning and efficient execution. India has continued to build on its reputation as a first responder and a responsible HADR provider ever since the Indian Navy was among the first forces to respond to nations affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The external affairs ministry, mandated with the Covid-19- and HADR-related responses, has effectively liaised with other ministries, armed forces, state governments and state-run enterprises to facilitate the supplies of critical items to Indias neighbourhood, Indo-Pacific and even beyond. Over the past year itself, Indias HADR capabilities have also come in handy in the supply of disaster relief material and emergency use medicines to countries such as Ukraine, anti-TB drugs to 11 neighbouring countries and island nations, including Iran, Bhutan, the Maldives and Zimbabwe, and medical aid and disaster relief to the island states of Kiribati and Tonga. Experts also acknowledged that capabilities such as the Quads Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative and Partnership on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief for the Indo-Pacific will help further bolster India's capacities to respond to HADR incidents. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who stoked a controversy by calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "poisonous snake" during a public meeting in poll-bound Karnataka, said on Thursday he will express special regret if his statement has hurt anyone and if it was misconstrued. On Thursday, while addressing the crowd in Kalaburagi, Kharge said, PM Narendra Modi is like a poisonous snake.(PTI) If my statement has hurt anyone, if it was misconstrued and distressed anyone, I will express special regret for it, the Congress chief was quoted by ANI. On Thursday, while addressing the crowd in Kalaburagi, Kharge said, PM Narendra Modi is like a poisonous snake. Now if you want to test a venom because I compared him with a poisonous snake, beware it will lead to your death. Read | Attacking India?: Smriti Irani hits out at Mallikarjun Kharge over Modi poisonous snake remark He later clarified his statement and said, My comments are not meant for PM Modi. I called the BJP ideology poisonous, not attacking PM Modi personally. All I meant was if anyone touches BJP ideology, they will be dead because of the poison." The remarks drew huge backlash from BJP leaders, with the party's IT cell chief Amit Malviya saying that the Congress is stooping to a new low every day. Now Congress President Kharge calls Prime Minister Modi poisonous snake. What started with Sonia Gandhis maut ka saudagar, and we know how it ended, the Congress continues to plummet to new depths. The desperation shows Congress is losing ground in Karnataka and knows it," Malviya tweeted. Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said the Congress party is unable to fight him politically, which is why they are resorting to such comments. Speaking with news agency ANI, Bommai said, There is a poison in the mind of Mallikarjun Kharge. The Congress party is collapsing, and such comments come out of desperation. The entire Congress party is unable to fight PM Modi politically, hence they are making such comments. The people of Karnataka will teach them a real lesson. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Before the COVID-19 pandemic, when the global aviation sector was flying high in 2019, it contributed almost 6% of the planet-warming greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. A year later, with the industry crippled by pandemic-related flight cancellations, that figure had dropped by 43%. Last year, it was still 37% lower. In 2019, the global aviation sector was responsible for almost 6% of greenhouse gas emissions. (Michael Probst/AP Photo/picture alliance) But air traffic has been steadily increasing, according to industry body the International Air Transport Association. Greenhouse gas emissions are rising too. In response, the European Parliament has announced a proposal to introduce environmental labels for air travel from 2025. The system would serve to inform passengers about the climate footprint of their flights. Carbon dioxide accounts for only about a third of the global warming effect attributed to air travel. Two-thirds is caused by other factors, most significantly the condensation trails, or contrails, aircraft leave behind. Alternative flight routes could prevent contrails Contrails those narrow, white clouds that trace an airplane's path through the sky are formed when jet fuel, which contains kerosene, burns. At the average cruising altitude of between 8,000 to 12,000 meters (around 26,000 to 40,000 feet), low temperatures cause water vapor to condense around the soot and sulfur left behind by jet emissions. The resulting ice crystals can remain suspended in the air for hours. (Also Read | Top 10 best places to visit in Goa and make your trip unforgettable) Contrails trap heat in the atmosphere, much like in a greenhouse, greatly amplifying the impact of flying on the world's climate. Recent studies have shown that contrails are around 1.7 times more damaging than CO2 emissions, when it comes to global warming. On the plus side, contrails are relatively easy to avoid. Using satellite data, flight planners can optimize aircraft routes to avoid weather patterns that favour the formation of contrails. Pilots can also fly their jets 500 to 1,000 meters lower, for example, where temperatures aren't as cold. "It doesn't require much effort to make these changes," said Markus Fischer, divisional director at the German Aerospace Centre, adding that it would mean between 1 to 5% more fuel and flight time. However, he told DW, that would result in a 30 to 80% reduction in the warming effect caused by factors other than CO2, he said. The European Union aims to include these non-CO2 climate effects in future European emissions trading agreements. Airlines will have to start reporting such pollutants from 2025, according to a preliminary agreement in the European Parliament. Producing e-kerosene with green energy Burning kerosene derived from petroleum produces lots of CO2 and, at high altitudes, other greenhouse gases such as ozone. The CO2-free alternative is e-kerosene. E-kerosene can be produced in a climate-neutral way using green electricity, water and CO2 extracted from the air. First, hydrogen is generated using a process involving electrolysis, and then CO2 is added to produce synthetic e-kerosene. The problem is that to be cost-effective, e-kerosene needs to be made with plenty of solar and wind power and so far, there isn't enough of this renewable energy. New production plants for green hydrogen, CO2 direct air capture and synthetic fuels must also be built. Could planes be powered with cooking oil? Another option for planes is to refuel with biokerosene, which can be made from rapeseed, jatropha seeds or old cooking oil. Small-scale production plants already exist, but producers would need to greatly expand capacity to keep up with demand. Intensive production of biokerosene is also limited by the scarcity of arable land the use of which is itself controversial, as it prevents take space needed for growing food. Under a European Commission proposal, biofuels and e-kerosene would be mixed with conventional fossil kerosene from 2025. The share of biofuels in the mix would then rise by 2% per year, to reach 70% by 2050. The proposal is yet to be passed. Battery-powered short-haul flights on the horizon With electric engines and batteries, flights could avoid producing direct emissions or heat-trapping contrails. But current batteries are too heavy and have insufficient storage capacity, limiting planes to short distances of just a few hundred kilometres. Several companies are in the process of tinkering with battery and aircraft optimization. Israeli manufacturer Eviation Aircraft, for example, is building an all-electric jet with seating for nine passengers. The private aircraft is expected to have a range of 445 kilometres and a top speed of 400 kilometres per hour (about 250 miles per hour). Norway is aiming to launch the first regularly scheduled electric flight service in less than three years. The country plans to connect the coastal cities of Bergen and Stavanger, some 160 kilometres apart, with a flight served by a battery-powered aircraft with space for 12 passengers from 2026. Hydrogen aircraft show promise, but not ready Smaller airplanes that run on hydrogen have recently been in the spotlight. These aircraft use hydrogen fuel cells to generate electricity and efficiently power the plane's propellers. The jet engines on long-haul aircraft can also run on hydrogen but would be less efficient. European aircraft manufacturer Airbus is planning to launch a hydrogen-powered passenger plane by 2035. These aircraft could account for more than 30% of global air traffic by 2050, according to a study by global consulting firm McKinsey. But hydrogen-powered aircraft continue to pose numerous challenges. The volatile gas only becomes liquid at minus 253 degrees Celsius (minus 423 Fahrenheit), and must be stored under high pressure in special tanks. That means extra space and weight requirements for airplanes, and those plans have yet to be developed. In addition, airports will need to develop new refuelling infrastructure for hydrogen-powered aircraft. One sure way to reduce emissions: Fly less Even in the most optimistic scenarios, air travel won't be completely free of emissions by 2050. Experts believe that if the industry implements ambitious restructuring plans completely replacing standard jet fuel with green hydrogen and e-kerosene, and rerouting planes to prevent contrails it could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90%. However, a recent study in the scientific journal Nature noted that even a complete switch to e-kerosene would still result in a residual negative effect on the climate. Therefore, avoiding all but necessary flights and giving preference to climate-friendly modes of transportation remains key, said the UBA, Germany's federal environment agency. Aviation experts have also stressed the need for new, lightweight airplanes with optimized wings, the use of propellers instead of jet engines and reducing airspeed. They point out that these measures could reduce fuel use by around 50%, compared to today. Integrating environmental costs into the price of airline tickets would help to implement all these measures, said European clean transport campaign group Transport and Environment (T&E). Airlines currently pay nothing to account for their contribution to the climate crisis. Including environmental costs in air fares would be a fair way to promote a restructuring of the aviation industry and would make it easier to switch to climate-friendly modes of transport, according to T&E. The long list of European leaders who have visited China in the last four months may well convince the average person that the Middle Kingdom is the only place that matters to Europe. How else does one explain the appearances by German chancellor Olof Scholz, European Union (EU) Council President Charles Michel, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and recently, French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen? PREMIUM A flurry of visits from the EU serves to burnish Xis foreign policy credentials, coming as it does soon after his visit to Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin. (Reuters) It is obvious that the EU is keen to underline that its policy of engagement with China is independent of its transatlantic partner, the United States (US). So, while the US and China are struggling to resume their bilateral dialogue at a meaningful level, almost everyone in the EU is merrily winging their way to China for a meeting. Second, whether overtly or subliminally, European decision-makers do not share the American policy of decoupling with China. Many European countries have close economic and trade ties with China, and they have no desire to cut those off. Third, the Europeans believe China has an important role to play in the Ukrainian end game. And they have higher stakes in Ukraine than anyone else. Their belief must have been bolstered by a phone call between Xi Jinping and Volodymyr Zelensky this week where the Chinese president reportedly told his Ukrainian counterpart that talks and negotiations were the only way forward. This Chinese move has been welcomed by all stakeholders without exception. Lastly, there is the small matter of the presidential elections in the US next year. What if the Republicans take the White House? It is a contingency the Europeans would like to be prepared for. For Europe, the existential threat is from Russia. True, the EU shares concerns about the rise of an assertive China, but it thinks this can and should be managed through a sustained process of bilateral engagement at all levels. The EU prefers a process of de-risking, not decoupling, which means that while the EUs dependence on China for some strategic sectors (think semiconductors, rare earth minerals) must be reduced, the rest of the trade and investment relationship is kosher and must be pursued and strengthened. Europe is also mortally afraid of China joining hands with Russia in a way that allows the former to supply lethal weapons and provide military aid to Russia, which will completely alter the war dynamic in Ukraine. Indeed, Europes immediate preoccupation is about two things: The prohibition of the use of nuclear weapons by Russia and the interdiction of lethal weapons supply from China to Russia. For now, China seems content to go along with these propositions. From Chinas perspective, all this is a bonanza. A flurry of visits from the EU serves to burnish Xis foreign policy credentials, coming as it does soon after his visit to Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin. China would also love to drive a wedge between the US and Europe. In this vein, China has always hectored EU leaders that they must follow an independent foreign policy. Macrons recent interview where he propounded his theory of strategic autonomy for Europe appears to have riled both the Europeans and Americans alike. But the fact is he was articulating Frances established thinking from the time of Charles de Gaulle. But Frances view is not necessarily shared by others in Europe, particularly countries such as Poland. It is also undeniable that without support from the US, Ukraine could not have held up against the Russian invasion. So, Europes strategic autonomy for now is a theoretical construct. Meanwhile, the no-limits friendship between Russia and China does appear to have some limits. For one thing, the Chinese ambassador to the EU, Fu Cong, suggested that China was not necessarily on Russias side in the war in Ukraine and added for good measure that the reference to no-limits in the Sino-Russian joint statement of February 4, 2022, was nothing but rhetoric. Also, on the Chinese offer of mediation and Ukraine saying they will be open to negotiations on Crimea, Russia was quick to pour cold water by saying that they were not ready for negotiations on Crimea. Given Europes prevarication and desire to protect its economic and geopolitical interests in China, and Xis growing international profile, it is hard to avoid the impression that for now, at least in the context of Europe and the Eurasian conflict, China holds most, if not all, the cards. Mohan Kumar is a former Indian ambassador to France and dean/professor, OP Jindal Global University The views expressed are personal In the wake of fighting between armed groups in Sudan which started over a week ago, ongoing violence continues in many parts of the country. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) teams on the ground report that hospitals are overwhelmed, and thousands of people are fleeing to safer areas. We are already seeing immense humanitarian and medical needs. But we are continuing to treat people in some areas and are ready to scale up our response. "During a lull in the fighting, MSF was able to make a donation of medical supplies to a health facility in Khartoum on Sunday 23 April," says Dr Ghazali Babiker, MSF Country Director for Sudan. "We are in contact with hospitals and Sudanese medical authorities and associations to try to supply additional hospitals and facilities within the capital, however, the fighting is continuing to make this almost impossible." In El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, in southwestern Sudan, a large number of wounded people have arrived at the hospital MSF supports. Our teams are working round the clock to treat the injured; 404 people have so far made it to the hospital for treatment, which is now the only health facility that is operational in the city. Thousands of people have fled from Khartoum to Wad Madani, a town about 200 kilometres southwest of the Sudanese capital. MSF teams, including staff from Khartoum and from our project in Damazin, are currently assessing how we can best begin to respond to the needs there. MSF-supported facilities are also continuing to treat patients in Damazin, Blue Nile state; Omdurman, Khartoum state; in Kreinik and El-Geneina, West Darfur; in Rokero, Central Darfur; and Um Rakuba in Gedaref state in east Sudan. We remain committed to providing much needed healthcare to people in Sudan, especially during these challenging moments. But to do so, we need to be able to ensure safety and security for our staff and patients. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Sudan Health International Organisations By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "Experienced MSF emergency teams stand ready to enter Sudan as soon as they are able to support the scale-up of our activities," says Kate Nolan, MSF Deputy Director of Operations. "Other teams are currently preparing and identifying the best ways to send medical and humanitarian supplies to the country." All those participating in the violence... must allow safe passage of our teams, ambulances and civilians seeking healthcare, and to facilitate movement of those who are delivering humanitarian assistance. After more than a week sheltering from heavy fighting in Sudan, some of our teams have relocated to safer locations, while there are plans for others to leave the country. Some staff have also relocated with their families to safer areas, often joining other family. We continue to keep in close contact with all team members, as far as possible. The safety of our staff is a top priority, and we appreciate the support we have received to safely relocate our teams. "We reiterate our call for all those participating in the violence to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law to ensure the safety of medical personnel and health facilities," says Dr Abubakr Bashir Bakri, MSF operations manager for Sudan. "They must also allow safe passage of our teams, ambulances and civilians seeking healthcare, and to facilitate movement of those who are delivering humanitarian assistance." Apple launched its first retail store in Mumbai's Bandra-Kurla complex, followed by another in New Delhi's Saket. Apple users now have an additional option to purchase their devices besides going to the third-party retailers and online stores. A display of Apple's iPhone 14 smartphones. However, does the flagship shop lower the price of Apple devices? Here is a price comparison of the iPhone 14 in both online and physical stores. The iPhone 14 is currently available at a discounted price of 71,999 (base model) on Amazon and Flipkart, whereas it is being sold at its original launch price of 79,990 at Apple retail stores. As for exchange offers, Amazon is offering a maximum discount of 22,700, while Flipkart's exchange offer goes up to 29,250. Apple stores also have a Trade In program, which depends on the old smartphone's brand, model and condition. The banks offers on Amazon, Flipkart, and Apple stores remain the same, offering an instant savings of 4,000 with HDFC Bank credit cards on all platforms. Additionally, buyers can also avail of no-cost buying options for 3/6 months. The final purchase price of the iPhone 14 is 45,299 from Amazon ( 71,999 - 26,700) and 38,749 from Flipkart ( 71,999 - 33,250), calculated based on the maximum exchange discount. However, this value may vary depending on the old smartphone being exchanged. Nonetheless, it is evident that purchasing an iPhone 14 online or third-party stores is more financially viable than buying it from Apple's physical stores. ALSO READ: Amid plans to expand India footprint, Apple Stores go vocal for local, but with global hues Apple stores appear to be more focused with improving customer experiences and building brands than with increasing sales. Service accessibility would be a key consideration for Apple Stores in India. Genius Bar would help clients with device setup, software issues, data recovery, and even more significant hardware issues. Apple Saket and Apple BKC will have free to attend daily Today At Apple learning sessions. Focus areas at Apple learning courses include photography, digital art, and getting the most out of an Apple product. India was among the top requesting countries to remove content from Twitter last year, the popular microblogging platform said in a blog post. On Tuesday, Twitter shared data on its health and safety efforts and said it received approximately 53,000 legal requests to remove content from governments across the globe from January 1 to June 30, 2022. Twitter said it took enforcement action on 5,096,272 accounts from from January 1 to June 30, 2022. ALSO READ: PIB fact check unit responsible for monitoring fake news: Govt tells Parliament The top five requesting countries seeking account information were India, the US, France, Japan, and Germany. "Twitter continues to take action on content that violates our Rules and protects users' rights in response to government legal requests," the blog read. During the January-June 2022 period, Twitter required users to remove 6,586,109 pieces of content that violated its norms, an increase of 29 per cent from the second half of 2021. ALSO READ: Elon Musk reacts to India becoming world's most populous nation; is destiny Twitter said it took enforcement action on 5,096,272 accounts during the period, a 20 per cent increase and 1,618,855 accounts were suspended for violating the rules, which is an increase of 28 per cent. The contents that were removed or accounts suspended relate to Abuse/Harassment, Child Sexual Exploitation, Hacked Materials, Hateful Conduct, Impersonation, Non-Consensual Nudity, Perpetrators of Violent Attacks, Private Information, Promoting Suicide or Self Harm, Sensitive Media, Terrorism/Violent Extremism, and Violence. "We intend to share more about our path forward for transparency reporting later this year," according to the blog post. Some members of the European Unions leadership are warning that billionaire Elon Musks Twitter Inc. will struggle to follow the continents content moderation rules in the months leading up to its first deadline. Not complying with EU rules can cost Twitter to lose as much as 6% annual revenue or even get the platform banned. (AFP) Twitter is falling short of its commitments to the anti-disinformation Code, Commission Vice President Vera Jourova said via Twitter on Wednesday. She was responding to an Associated Press news story that disinformation spread by authoritarian regimes is gaining more traction on the website because of changes to the way it polices content. ALSO READ: Twitter says India one of the top countries requesting content removal Jourovas comments came a day after the European Commission said Twitter is one of 19 groups that will fall under its strictest content-moderation rules. The social media company was designated a very large online platform and has four months to comply. The businesses also include Alphabet Inc.s Google and Youtube, ByteDance Ltd.s TikTok, Meta Platforms Inc.s Facebook and Instagram and others that have more than 45 million monthly active users in Europe. Not complying can cost the company as much as 6% annual revenue or even get the platform banned. Twitter did not provide a meaningful comment. Commission officials have raised concerns that Twitter wont have the manpower to comply with the regulations, people familiar with the matter said. The company is still able to respond quickly to requests from the US, though there are concerns that this wont be enough by the time Twitter must comply with the DSA legislation in August. Many of the rules are time-consuming and costly for companies to implement. They need to create a way for users to flag possibly illegal content, redesign their sites to stop targeting ads to minors and make data available to researchers. These 19 systemic platforms and search engines will have to redesign completely their system to ensure a high level of privacy, security and safety of minors, the EUs Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said Tuesday in a briefing with journalists. They will be subject to yearly independent audits, which they should expect to be very tough as a well rigorous supervision by the commission. Twitter is operating with a fraction of the staff it had when Musk took over as chief executive officer last year. The company has closed a number of its European offices, including Brussels, while the number of employees in other European cities is significantly reduced following companywide cuts. Musk has spoken with Breton on numerous occasions, working to reassure the blocs executive arm that hed be personally involved in making sure Twitter complied. Still, Twitters first crack at showing the EU its compliance with the rules earlier this year was a disappointment. The commission had asked companies to voluntarily complete a form showing examples of how it adheres to the code of practice on disinformation and plans for future policies. Twitters filing failed to answer or used repeated answers for several questions, drawing the ire of politicians. Breton has said the commission will perform a stress test at the end of June with Twitter to see how well it can comply with the DSA. I dont think any big tech can afford losing the European market, said Carme Artigas, Spains secretary of state for digitization and artificial intelligence. Not complying with European regulation is like not being able to operate in Europe. A pet dog is being hailed a hero after it helped its owner find a kidney donor. Lucy Humphrey, 44, had been living with Lupus for 15 years and needed a transplant after suffering from kidney failure. In 2019, doctors gave her the grim news that she only had a few years to live without a transplant. Lucy Humphrey with Katie James, Cenydd Owen and her dogs. (Instagram/@dobermans_indie_and_dave) One day, Lucy and her boyfriend, Cenydd Owen, decided to go on a trip to a beach in Barry, South Wales, with their beloved pet dogs, Jake and Indie. While there, her pet dog Indie started acting differently around a 40-year-old woman Katie James from Barry, reported Daily Mail. Indie kept going over to this woman about 100 yards away.We were calling her back, but she wouldnt leave her alone. We thought she had food or something, Humphrey told Daily Mail. The couple walked up to the woman and apologised to her for their dogs behaviour. They even invited her to their barbecue. James happily accepted the invitation and brought some drinks to share. As they chatted, James learnt that Humphrey had been waiting for a kidney transplant. James, who recently signed up to the donor register, immediately offered to be tested as a potential donor. It was a remarkable stroke of luck that James turned out to be a perfect match for Humphrey. It was amazing - Indie almost sussed her out and chose her. A surgeon told us its a one in 22 million chance to find the perfect match, and thats what I needed, Daily Mail quoted Humphrey The transplant was carried out successfully on October 3, 2022, at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff and Humphreys life was saved. Humphrey told Daily Mail, I really needed this transplant. Id been on the waiting list for several years. Its completely changed my life already. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON One person was killed and 23 people, including a child, were wounded in a Russian missile strike on an apartment block and houses in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv in the early hours of Thursday, officials said. The high-precision weapons were aimed at private houses, a historic building, and a high-rise building.(Twitter/ The Washington Post) Also Read: Chinese President Xi Jinping holds phone call with Ukraine's Zelensky "At night, Russia bombarded Mykolaiv with four Kalibr missiles launched from the Black Sea," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on the Telegram app. "The high-precision weapons were aimed at private houses, a historic building, and a high-rise building. For now, we know about one dead and 23 wounded, including a child." A video posted by Zelenskiy showed badly damaged buildings with smashed windows and smoke rising above the roofs. Also Read: Ukraine working with FBI, US firms to collect war crime evidence against Russia Regional governor Vitaliy Kim said the emergency services put out several fires caused by the missile debris and that they were clearing the rubble. Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians in its full-scale invasion that has killed thousands of people, uprooted millions and destroyed towns. Also Read: 2 killed, 10 wounded as Russian forces hit Ukrainian museum Mykolaiv, a shipbuilding centre and port, had a population of about 470,000 people before the war. The city has suffered heavy Russian bombardments throughout the war. Andrew Tate, a controversial social media influencer and businessman, is known for his controversial opinions and misogynistic attitudes. However, very little is known about his personal life, including his family and children. A video of Andrew Tate playing with a young girl in a pool surfaced on the internet during his time in a Romanian prison, leading many to assume that the child was his daughter. Despite his reputation as a misogynist, Andrew Tate is a father to a young daughter and has recently posted on Twitter about her mischievous behavior. Andrew Tate's life as a father and family man (Image Credit: Twitter) In a recent Twitter post, Andrew Tate proudly shared that his daughter had gotten into trouble at nursery for hitting a little boy in the face with a toy car when he tried to hug her. Although some may find this behavior concerning, Andrew Tate appeared to find it amusing, as he ended his post with a smirking emoji. During a live stream conversation with American popular live streamer and YouTuber Adin Ross, Andrew Tate acknowledged having between 10 and 12 children and expressed his desire to have up to 20 children in total. He stated that all of his children adore and respect him, and that those who know him well see him as a hero. Andrew Tate also mentioned that nobody close to him has ever accused him of being detrimental toward girls or boys. Andrew Tate's Twitter post about his daughter's misbehavior received numerous comments, with many finding the little girl's reflex action amusing. Some commenters even asked if his daughter knocked out the little boy by throwing the toy car at his face. Despite Andrew Tate's controversial opinions and reputation as a misogynist, it is clear that he values being a father to his children. While his behavior toward women may be problematic, his relationship with his daughter and his desire to have a large family demonstrates a different side of his character. ALSO READ| | Like getting a girl from nightclub, Andrew Tates tweet sparks debate on masculinity and freedom of speech Australia is set to significantly change its immigration system with the aim to speed up getting highly skilled workers into the country. Smoothening the process of permanent residency is also one of the key focuses of the plan as the the federal Labor government said that the system used to select skilled migrants will be modified. Currently, the points test is used to choose people with the correct skill sets but this will be changed so that candidates who are better for the Australian economy are included. A view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia. (AFP) "Our migration system ... is broken. It is failing our businesses, it is failing migrants themselves. And most importantly, it is failing Australians. That cannot continue," home affairs minister Clare O'Neil said. System similar to Canada and Germany will be put into place to attract more skilled migrants as Australia faces the inexorable challenge of an ageing population. The government also said that the visa process for high-skilled professionals will be made quicker and easier. Steps would be taken to retain international students, it said. Under the new system, temporary skilled visa holders, who had been denied the opportunity to apply for permanent residency, will be able to do that by the end of this year. In September, Australia raised its intake of permanent migrants to 195,000, up by 35,000, as businesses faced widespread staff shortages. From July 1, the government said that it would raise the migrant wage threshold of temporary skilled workers to A$70,000 from A$53,900, first change since 2013. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON President Biden found himself in another embarrassing situation as he was caught using cheat sheets during a press conference with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. Photographers captured images of a small piece of paper in Biden's hand, which contained a pre-written question from Los Angeles Times journalist Courtney Subramanian. The note also included a picture of the reporter and a breakdown of the pronunciation of her last name. The president was instructed to call on her first and address her question, which asked about reconciling domestic priorities with foreign policy. President Biden found himself in another embarrassing situation as he was caught using cheat sheets during a press conference with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. This is not the first time Biden has been caught relying on cheat sheets. In the past, he has been ridiculed for using prepared answers during press briefings and even holding detailed instructions on how to enter a room and greet participants. Critics argue that these cheat sheets raise concerns about the president's mental acuity and suggest that the White House lacks confidence in his ability to handle unscripted interactions. The incident has sparked further speculation about Biden's cognitive abilities, especially among Republicans who have been questioning his fitness for office. While Biden's physician declared him in good health, questions about his cognitive strength persist. This latest incident with the cheat sheet only adds fuel to the ongoing debate. Despite the controversy surrounding the use of cheat sheets, the president's team seems to have continued relying on them for preparedness. The date on the cheat sheets seen during the press conference was April 26, 2023, indicating that this was not an isolated incident. The incident occurred as Biden and President Yoon discussed the growing nuclear threats from North Korea on the 70th anniversary of the US-South Korea alliance. As Biden enters the race for re-election in 2024, the incident raises questions about his ability to handle unscripted situations and reinforces concerns about his mental acuity. The use of cheat sheets, especially in high-profile press conferences, undermines the image of a confident and capable leader. It remains to be seen how this latest scandal will impact the president's public perception and the ongoing discussions surrounding his fitness for office. The British government on Thursday succeeded in limiting the length of an upcoming strike by nurses, after the health department took legal action against a trade union over the dispute. Nurses stand outside the High Court in central London, where the government is bringing a challenge over the planned strike action by the Royal College of Nurses (RCN) in the long-running dispute over pay, in London, Thursday. (AP) The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) had called a 48-hour strike from the evening of April 30, which for the first time would involve staff from emergency departments, intensive care units, cancer care and other services that were previously exempt. However, Britain's health department said that industrial action on May 2 would be unlawful because a vote to strike is only valid for six months after a ballot of trade union members. Lawyers representing health minister Steve Barclay told London's High Court on Thursday that, as the RCN ballot closed on Nov. 2 last year, a strike on May 2 would be "clearly unlawful action". The RCN did not send lawyers to the hearing. Judge Thomas Linden ruled on Thursday that the RCN's mandate for industrial action ended at midnight on May 1, meaning its planned strike the following day would be unlawful. RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen, speaking outside court before the hearing, had said it was a "sad day". "Steve Barclay may get a legal win today, but what he has done is he has lost the public and he has certainly lost nursing, so it is a short-term gain," she said. The city of Burnaby in the province of British Columbia has become the first municipality in Canada to include caste as a protected category in its equity policy. The city of Burnaby in British Columbia, where a caste discrimination motion was passed this week. (City of Burnaby) The motion was passed by City Council on Monday and the highlights, including the caste decision, posted on its website on Wednesday. The relevant post stated, City Council approved an update the Citys Equity Policy to include caste as a protected category. The motion was passed unanimously, according to Council member Sav Dhaliwal. It had earlier been passed by the executive committee of the Council on April 5, requesting the Council to include caste as a protected category. Its an acknowledgement of a problem that exists and thats the start of the search for solutions, Dhaliwal, chair of the executive committee, told the Hindustan Times. He said the issue had been brought to his notice by the Vancouver-based Chetna Association of Canada. We are very conscious about our diversity, Dhaliwal said, adding that the intent was to prevent any conscious or unconscious discrimination against the citys residents. We want to create awareness that any kind of put down or slur because of historical differences is not acceptable, he said. In proposing the update to the citys equity policy, Dhaliwal and fellow councillor Richard T Lee wrote to the Mayor and all Council member that the executive committee had expressed concern that casteism, a social hierarchy passed down through families that has been outlawed in India since 1948, is still being practiced in Canada and where some South Asian populations exist. In a reaction to the move, Chetnas general secretary Jai Birdi, said, Adding caste as a protected category sends a strong message that the city values diversity and does not tolerate any kind of harassment or oppression, including the one based on the caste. This also provides a framework for staff training and enhancing awareness as well as equity. Chetnas vice-president Harmesh Chander described this as a first step and was hopeful this measure will be emulated in other cities across the country. Birdi said they were very pleased caste had bene added as a protected category, and expressed Chetnas gratitude towards Burnabys Mayor and the entire council for this decision. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Nairobi Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki says security in the Northern Kenya region has been improved after security forces occupied bandit hideouts. While answering questions by Senator, the CS explained that following the 24-hour notice for residents to leave the targeted areas, most of the bandits took advantage of the situation to mingle with the crowd. The status of security in Samburu since the deployment of the military to assist the police has improved tremendously from what was the case before the operation was declared, he stated. Areas that were being used as hideouts by bandits in Baringo, Laikipia, Samburu, Turkana, West Pokot and Elgeyo Marakwet counties have been cleared and dominated by security forces. Those bandits will never get to access those areas again. The CS stated that the operation in Northern Kenya is a success. There are still gaps, and we are going to seal those gaps. We will stay there for as long as it takes. We are on course, and we will win the war, he stated. Kindiki was responding to questions from Samburu Senator Lelegwe Ltumbesi on the state of security in Samburu West Constituency, in light of the deployment of the Kenya Defence Forces to support the ongoing security operation. He also shed light on the measures put in place by the Government to enhance security in Samburu County. California experienced a record number of tiny earthquakes recently, a study of Long Beach and Seal Beach areas noted saying that a thousand tiny tremors have been recorded over eight months in the state. Majority of the quakes were shallow and reached depths less than two kilometres below the surface, but the region is at risk of bigger tremors, the study said. California Earthquakes: A thousand tiny tremors have been recorded over eight months.(Representational) The study was published in Seismological Research Letters for which the researchers used three dense nodal arrays consisting of thousands of sensors to detect and locate seismic events. Small events can be detected at sufficient signaltonoise levels during the night when urban noise is relatively low, the researchers said. Our results suggest the zone of high hazard at the surface may therefore be much wider than the Alquist-Priolo zone indicates, the authors of the study wrote. The seismicity pattern also compares well with some newly identified faults from reflection seismic surveys, the study noted. Researchers Yan Yang and Robert Clayton wrote in the study that the Long Beach earthquake of 1933 may have ruptured the Newport-Inglewood fault. Big earthquakes would most likely begin six to ten kilometres below the surface shallow seismicity suggests that there are many possible paths for a rupture to propagate to the surface, Yan Yang said, "The Newport-Inglewood fault along its entire length, as well as the whole Los Angeles Basin, could benefit from such studies. This would help to see if there are faults that have not been detected with the permanent seismic network or through geologic mapping, Yan Yang added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON China has deployed its navy to rescue citizens from conflict-hit Sudan, the defence ministry in Beijing said on Thursday. Some 800 Chinese citizens would be evacuated from Sudan by sea from April 25 to 27, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.(Reuters File Photo) Multiple nations have scrambled to evacuate embassy staff and citizens by road, air and sea from Sudan, where fighting between the army and paramilitaries has killed hundreds and led to acute shortages of water, food, medicines and fuel. Also Read: IndiGo offers to evacuate Indians in Sudan under Operation Kaveri Rescue operations intensified in recent days as a 72-hour ceasefire took effect on Tuesday. "Recently, the security situation in Sudan has continued to deteriorate," Chinese defence ministry spokesman Tan Kefei said. The navy was deployed on Wednesday, he added, "in order to protect the lives and property of Chinese people in Sudan". On Monday, China said it had safely evacuated a first group of citizens, estimating about 1,500 of its nationals were in Sudan. Tan did not specify the number of vessels involved. China says it is Sudan's largest trading partner, with more than 130 companies investing there as of mid-2022. Some 800 Chinese citizens would be evacuated from Sudan by sea from April 25 to 27, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Wednesday. Also Read: Uttar Pradesh govt sets up help desk as India evacuates citizens from Sudan More than 300 other people have crossed over to countries bordering Sudan by land, she added. The fighting has killed at least 512 people and wounded more than 4,000, according to Sudan's health ministry, and reduced some districts of greater Khartoum to ruins. UN agencies reported Sudanese civilians "fleeing areas affected by fighting, including to Chad, Egypt and South Sudan". With the capital Khartoum's international airport disabled after battles that damaged many aircraft, many foreigners have been airlifted out from smaller airstrips. Other evacuations were taking place from Port Sudan, an 850-kilometre (530-mile) drive from Khartoum. Also Read: Sudan crisis: WHO fears more deaths due to lack of essential services An Indonesian military plane flew 110 Indonesian nationals from Port Sudan to the Saudi city of Jeddah on Wednesday, the foreign ministry tweeted Thursday. It brought the total number of Indonesians evacuated from Sudan since the outbreak of conflict to 667. After investing upwards of USD 48 billion in 52 China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, Beijing has decided to do hard talk with visiting Pakistan military leadership this month and warned that there would be serious repercussions on milk and honey ties if Islamabad failed to prevent attacks Chinese nationals and interests in the Islamic Republic. This blunt message was delivered to Pak ISI Chief Lt. Gen. Nadeem Anjum in Beijing earlier this month and has been underscored during the on-going visit of Army Chief Gen Asim Munir to China. File photo of "Haq Do Tehreek"demonstration against CPEC in Gwadar, Balochistan in December 2022. With the security situation worsening in Pakistan, coupled with political and economic chaos, there have been regular terror attacks on Chinese nationals and CPEC projects particularly in Gilgit-Baltistan in Occupied Kashmir as well as Balochistan. Despite China investing huge amounts of US dollars into CPEC and holding Islamabads hands during on-going political and economic crisis, there is a growing apprehension among the Chinese leadership including President Xi Jinping that repeated security reversals and consequent delays in CPEC projects execution will not only impact the image of much flaunted global Belt Road Initiatives (BRI) but also portray Beijing leadership in negative light. Of late the Chinese propaganda media has raised concerns over security of CPEC projects and lack of fiscal discipline as well as gobbling of huge funds of state-run Chinese firms at the Pakistan end. The situation has turned grim with Chinese leadership mulling over the hard option of deploying PLA contingents in Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan as a last resort to ensure security of Chinese nationals and CPEC projects. It is understood that the rattled Pakistan political leadership led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is trying its best to accommodate Chinese security concerns and have set up multiple high-level committees to review security measures related to Chinese nationals and CPEC projects so that Beijings projects see the light of the day in future. There are indications that Pakistan may even attempt to list extremist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) in the 1267 Sanctions Committee of the UNSC in order to assuage Chinese concerns as this terror outfit has taken on the Chinese national working on CPEC projects in the restive region of Balochistan. The CPEC challenges have been emanating not only from the worsening security scenario in Pakistan but also due to the unprecedented surge in anti-Chinese sentiments especially in Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan regions. The prevailing uncertainty in Afghanistan and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)s withdrawal from ceasefire agreement with Rawalpindi in November 2022 have led to terrorists not only attacking Chinese nationals but also high value CPEC projects with impunity. Result is that majority of CPEC projects are delayed as Chinese nationals are disinclined to work on these projects with extremist groups like BLA, Islamic State and Taliban affiliates active in the region and making it a sovereignty issue among the locals who have already been on the receiving end of brutal tactics of Pakistani state and ineffective political leadership. Majority of these attacks on Chinese nationals and CPEC projects are taken place in Balochistan, where Beijing has invested heavily with focus on special economic zone around Gwadar port. The much-neglected Balochistan province is not only hot bed of terror activities of sundry Balochistan extremist groups, but the region nurtures a strong resentment against Chinese expansion in the province as Beijing is seen as a symbol of subjugation in support of Punjabi Pakistan. The Haq Do Tehreek demonstrations in Gwadar in December 2022, in which thousands of women and children participated, was an outburst of growing resentment of Balochistan population against what was seen as Chinese and Pakistan exploitation in the name of CPEC projects. The security reversals, terror attacks and growing resentment has led to global and Chinese investors staying out of funding CPEC projects in Pakistan including Special Economic Zone in Gwadar. Many foreign countries including Pakistans close allies in the Middle East have decided to stay out of investing in CPEC projects due to deteriorating security climate and rising terror activities against the projects and their developers. While CPEC projects will always face the challenge from Islamic State and their affiliates in the littoral states in future, the Chinese investment is actually injecting instability into the region rather than bring infrastructure and peace into Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan. The rise of Balochistan, Sindh, and Pashtun nationalism in Pakistan as a result of exploitation of natural resources by CPEC projects is ominous for Islamabad and Rawalpindi GHQ. And President Xi Jinping knows that a sinking CPEC will claw out all the shine from what was intended to be a flagship program of an aspiring super-power. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Advice columnist E Jean Carroll told a New York jury that former US President Donald Trump raped her and then shattered my reputation by denying it as she testified in her civil lawsuit seeking damages for battery. Writer E. Jean Carroll is seen. (AFP) Donald Trump allegedly sexually assaulted her in a New York department store changing room in 1996 and accused her of lying when she went public with her accusations in a book. E Jean Carroll said, Im here because Donald Trump raped me, and when I wrote about it, he said it didnt happen. He lied and shattered my reputation. Im here to try and get my life back." Donald Trump has denied the accusations. Ahead of E Jean Carroll's testimony, the judged warned Donald Trump against posting on his social media site, Truth Social, where he called E Jean Carrolls accusations a made-up SCAM and a witch-hunt. The judge said Donald Trumps post entirely inappropriate and warned they could become a potential source of liability for him. E Jean Carroll then described running into Donald Trump as she was leaving the Bergdorf Goodman luxury department store. He said, I need to buy a gift, come help me. I was delighted. He picked up a fur hat and he was petting it like a cat or a dog. Then he said, I know, lingerie.' He led the way to the escalator," she told the jury. Calling Donald Trump very talkative and herself as absolutely enchanted, she said, I was delighted to go to lingerie with him. He was very funny." Donald Trump snatched up a grey-blue bodysuit in the lingerie department and demanded that she should try it on. I had no intention of putting it on. I said, You put it on, its your colour, she told the court, adding, Donald Trump was being very light. It was very joshing and very funny. I was flirting the whole time, probably. But the mood changed rapidly, she said, after she entered the dressing room. He immediately shut the door and shoved me up against the wall. He shoved me so hard my head banged. I was extremely confused. I pushed back and he thrust me back against the wall again, banging my head again," she said, adding, He leaned down and pulled down my tights. I was pushing him back. It was quite clear I didnt want anything else to happen. My whole reason for being alive at that moment was to get out of the room, she said but she could not escape Donald Trumps grip. He raped me, E Jean Carroll said. It left me unable to ever have a romantic life again, she said explaining that she found it impossible to even smile at a man she was attracted to after the alleged rape. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A devastating drought that has struck the Horn of Africa could not have occurred without global warming, according to a new report released Thursday from an international team of climate scientists. The WWA study concentrated on the three areas worst hit by the drought: southern Ethiopia, Somalia and eastern Kenya.(Representational) "Human-caused climate change has made agricultural drought in the Horn of Africa about 100 times more likely," said a summary of the report by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group. Also Read: Success in facing climate crisis will depend on ability of India to lead : US "The ongoing devastating drought would not have happened at all without the effect of greenhouse gas emissions," it added. Since late 2020, countries on the Horn of Africa -- Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan -- have been suffering the worst drought in 40 years. The extended drought has led to the deaths of millions of heads of cattle and wiped-out crops. The WWA study concentrated on the three areas worst hit by the drought: southern Ethiopia, Somalia and eastern Kenya. Also Read: Rapid droughts coming on faster over majority of world. Will it impact India? While climate change had little effect on total annual rainfall in the region, "higher temperatures have significantly increased evaporation from soil and plants, which has made dry soils much more likely", according to the 19 scientists who contributed to the WWA report. "Without this effect, the region would not have experienced agricultural drought -- when crops and pastures are affected by dry conditions -- over the last two years," the summary added. "Instead, widespread crop failures and livestock deaths have left more than 20 million people at risk of acute food insecurity." The WWA said that, for its rapid analysis, "scientists looked at changes in rainfall in 2021 and 2022 in the affected region, covering southern Ethiopia, southern Somalia and eastern Kenya". Also Read: "They found that climate change is affecting the rainfall periods in opposite ways. The long rains are becoming drier, with low rainfall now about twice as likely, while the short rains are becoming wetter due to climate change," it added. "This wettening trend in the short rains has been masked recently by the La Nina weather pattern, which reduces rainfall in the short rains." Joyce Kimutai, a Kenyan climatologist who contributed to the report, told AFP: "It is time we act and engage differently. Central to this process is to transform and enhance resilience of our systems. "We need to innovate across and throughout food systems, improve collaboration, involve vulnerable groups, make the best use of data and information, as well as incorporating new technologies and traditional knowledge." Also Read: India and Africa leverage climate diplomacy The WWA network, set up by leading climate scientists, has built a reputation in recent years for its capacity to evaluate the extent to which climate change has contributed to extreme weather events. Its results are published as a matter of urgency, without passing through the long peer-review process required by scientific journals, but employ approved methodological approaches. Iranian authorities formed a 'secret' committee last year in order to keep a tab on celebrities who supported the massive anti-hijab protests which erupted following Mahsa Amini's death, BBC reported citing leaked documents. Iran Anti-Hijab Protests: A woman holds a placard with a picture of Iranian woman Mahsa Amini during a protest against her death.(AP) In a letter dated September 22 last year, the committee sent a list of 141 well-known figures to the economy ministry. The letter asked them to investigate their tax returns, marking a well coordinated action against the celebrities who participated in the nationwide protests. Demonstrations began across Iran after the death of 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa Amini who was detained by the controversial morality police over her inappropriate attire- not wearing her hijab properly. Mahsa Amini's custodial death then led to huge protests that lasted for months in which hundreds of protesters lost their lives. BBC said that the people on the Iranian regime's radar included sporting legend Ali Daei and top actress Taraneh Alidoosti. Earlier this month, Iranian police said that they would begin using "smart" technology in public places to crackdown on women defying county's strict dress code. Iran also charged two prominent actresses- Katayoun Riahi and Pantea Bahram- for publishing pictures of themselves without a hijab, weeks after announcing a crackdown on breaches, local media reported. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Chinas vice-president, who oversaw the Hong Kong crackdown, is expected to attend King Charles' coronation in the UK, a move likely to anger British critics of Beijing. Han Zheng, recently-appointed deputy to China's President ceremony in May, it was reported. China's Vice President Han Zheng.(AFP) Han Zheng was in charge of Hong Kong affairs for the Chinese government between 2018 and March 2023. His predecessor, Wang Qishan, attended the late Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral in September. Chinas crackdown on rights in Hong Kong since 2019 led to a deterioration in relations with the UK and Western countries. Following Beijings crackdown, UK launched a visa scheme to give Hong Kongers the right to come to Britain. Hong Kong which was handed back to China from British control in 1997 follows Beijing's unique one country, two systems principle. In 2019, Han Zheng proposed an extradition bill that could potentially allow Hong Kong suspects to be sent for trial in China. The move triggered widespread pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong following which China passed a national security law making it easier to prosecute protesters. Beijing, therefore, reduced Hong Kongs autonomy, resulting in international outcry. The report comes as UK's Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) extended coronation invitations to all heads of state of countries with which the UK has full diplomatic relations. Although Xi Jinping is not expected to attend the coronation. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who wasn't given an opportunity to bog adieu to his viewers or host his final show on Fox took to Twitter to break his silence over his recent firing. He ranted against the US media in a video that seemingly alludes to conspiracies and the suppression of important discussions. Not addressing the reasons behind his departure from Fox News directly, he did make it clear he believes many televised debates are "unbelievably stupid." (FILES) In this file photo taken on March 28, 2019 Fox News host Tucker Carlson discusses 'Populism and the Right' during the National Review Institute's Ideas Summit at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, DC. - Fox News star host Tucker Carlson is leaving the influential TV network, it was announced April 24, 2023, in a shock move days after the conservative outlet reached a $787.5 million settlement over a damaging defamation case. (Photo by CHIP SOMODEVILLA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)(AFP) Carlson's firing from the network followed a slew of legal troubles, including a defamation trial over Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit, where Carlson reportedly insulted a senior executive at Fox News. Legal filings revealed hundreds of emails and texts from the case, including Carlson's ridicule of guests and colleagues, and his passionate hatred for Donald Trump. Additionally, a lawsuit from former producer Abby Grossberg alleges that she and other women were routinely undermined and verbally violated due to a "poisonous and entrenched patriarchy." In his Twitter rant, Carlson criticized American media for not discussing crucial issues, calling televised debates irrelevant and meaningless. As speculation mounts over his next move, the controversial anchor's tirades on various topics have both skyrocketed his viewership and caused headaches for his former network. Where can you still find Americans saying true things? There arent many places left but there are some, and thats enough, he said, without specifying where those may be. Among his many contentious segments, he claimed the Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington DC had been a peaceful protest. This, along with evidence of Carlson insulting management, colleagues, and guests, and an unresolved lawsuit accusing him of misogyny and contributing to a hostile workplace, ultimately led to his firing. Despite avoiding any mention of Fox News or his dismissal, Carlson insisted that debates on war, corporate power, and natural resources were not permitted in American media due to political parties and donors. He cryptically alluded to the existence of places where "Americans [are] saying true things" but did not provide specifics. Conservative channels Newsmax and One America News Network have publicly expressed interest in recruiting the former Fox News host, signaling that despite the controversies surrounding him, Tucker Carlson's media presence is far from over. Pope Francis has decided to give women the right to vote at an upcoming meeting of bishops, a historic reform that reflects his hopes to give women greater decision-making responsibilities and laypeople more say in the life of the Catholic Church. Pope Francis caresses a statuette of the Virgin Mary as he leaves at the end of his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, April 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)(AP) Francis approved changes to the norms governing the Synod of Bishops, a Vatican body that gathers the worlds bishops together for periodic meetings, following years of demands by women to have the right to vote. The Vatican on Wednesday published the modifications he approved, which emphasize his vision for the lay faithful taking on a greater role in church affairs that have long been left to clerics, bishops and cardinals. Catholic womens groups that have long criticized the Vatican for treating women as second-class citizens immediately praised the move as historic in the 2,000-year life of the church. This is a significant crack in the stained glass ceiling, and the result of sustained advocacy, activism and the witness of a campaign of Catholic womens groups demanding the right to vote, said Kate McElwee of the Womens Ordination Conference, which advocates for women priests. Ever since the Second Vatican Council, the 1960s meetings that modernized the church, popes have summoned the worlds bishops to Rome for a few weeks at a time to debate particular topics. At the end of the meetings, the bishops vote on specific proposals and put them to the pope, who then produces a document taking their views into account. Until now, the only people who could vote were men. But under the new changes, five religious sisters will join five priests as voting representatives for religious orders. In addition, Francis has decided to appoint 70 non-bishop members of the synod and has asked that half of them be women. They too will have a vote. The aim is also to include young people among these 70 non-bishop members, who will be proposed by regional blocs, with Francis making a final decision. Its an important change, its not a revolution, said Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, a top organizer of the synod. The next meeting, scheduled for Oct. 4-29, is focused on the very topic of making the church more reflective of, and responsive to, the laity, a process known as synodality that Francis has championed for years. The October meeting has been preceded by an unprecedented two-year canvassing of the lay Catholic faithful about their vision for the church and how it can better respond to the needs of Catholics today. So far only one women is known to be a voting member of that October meeting, Sister Nathalie Becquart, a French nun who is undersecretary in the Vaticans Synod of Bishops office. When she was appointed to the position in 2021, she called Francis brave for having pushed the envelope on women's participation. By the end of next month, seven regional blocs will propose 20 names apiece of non-bishop members to Francis, who will select 10 names apiece to bring the total to 70. Cardinal Mario Grech, who is in charge of the synod, stressed that with the changes, some 21% of the gathered representatives at the October meeting will be non-bishops, with half of that group women. Acknowledging the unease within the hierarchy of Francis' vision of inclusivity, he stressed that the synod itself would continue to have a majority of bishops calling the shots. Change is normal in life and history, Hollerich told reporters. Sometimes there are revolutions in history, but revolutions have victims. We don't want to have victims, he said, chuckling. Catholic Women's Ordination, a British-based group that says it's devoted to fighting misogyny in the church, welcomed the reform but asked for more. CWO would want transparency, and lay people elected from dioceses rather than chosen by the hierarchy, but it is a start! said the CWO's Pat Brown. Hollerich declined to say how the female members of the meeting would be called, given that members have long been known as synodal fathers. Asked if they would be known as synodal mothers, he responded that it would be up to the women to decide. Francis has upheld the Catholic Church's ban on ordaining women as priests, but has done more than any pope in recent time to give women greater say in decision-making roles in the church. He has appointed several women to high-ranking Vatican positions, though no women head any of the major Vatican offices or departments, known as dicasteries. Lawyers for Prince Harry claimed that The Sun hacked phone calls between King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla during the 1990s. The allegation was part of Prince Harry's case against the paper's publisher News Group Newspapers (NGN). Prince Harry claimed that the publisher gathered information about him and other members of the royal family illegally. Prince Harry Lawsuit: Britain's Prince Harry leaves the Royal Courts Of Justice in London.(AP) Prince Harry's lawyer raised concerns that if the calls were intercepted then Harry's private information was also at risk. Although, NGN has denied all allegations and has brought an application to have the claims struck out. Prince Harry's lawyer David Sherborne said, The claimant will rely on these instances in support of the contention that the inevitable and/or intended consequence of these interceptions is that his own private information will have been intercepted as a result since his father was communicating or receiving private information about the claimant's education, health and welfare. Prince Harry's lawyer also accused NGN of intercepting calls made by Prince Harry's late mother Princess Diana. During the hearing, Prince Harry claimed that a deal was struck between Buckingham Palace and NGN which stopped him from pursuing the case earlier. He said that he became aware of the deal in 2012. In another statement to the court, Prince Harry claimed that his elder brother William had allegedly reached a settlement with NGN for a "huge sum of money" in 2020. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, met with Truong Thi Mai, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, permanent member of the CPV Central Committee Secretariat and head of the Organization Commission of the CPV Central Committee, in Beijing on Wednesday. Xi asked Truong Thi Mai to convey his sincere greetings to Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the CPV Central Committee, and Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong. He noted that this year marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. Since General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's visit to China last year, China and Vietnam have attached great importance to implementing the consensus reached by the two general secretaries, and taken measures to push for a sound momentum of China-Vietnam exchanges and cooperation, Xi said, adding that he would like to maintain close exchanges with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to strengthen political and strategic guidance for China-Vietnam relations. Given the volatile international environment and tasks of reform, development and stability in the two countries, China and Vietnam should follow the policy of long-term stability, forward-thinking, good neighborliness and comprehensive cooperation, and the spirit of being good neighbors, friends, comrades, and partners, Xi said. He called on the two sides to consolidate political mutual trust, strengthen solidarity and cooperation, properly manage differences, jointly address risks and challenges, and build a China-Vietnam community with a shared future to contribute to human peace and progress. Xi said both countries should continue to be armed with the scientific theory of Marxism and work together to advance the cause of socialism. China and Vietnam need to put people first, improve the synergy of development strategies and projects, advance infrastructure connectivity and people-to-people exchanges, and enhance people's understanding of traditional friendship to consolidate public support for the long-term growth of bilateral relations, Xi said. Xi said the utmost effort should be made to consolidate the rule of the two parties, safeguard national stability and development, stay committed to human peace and progress, strengthen solidarity and cooperation in international affairs, firmly oppose hegemonism and bloc confrontation, safeguard the dividends of regional peace and development, and work together to build a community with a shared future for humanity. Truong Thi Mai conveyed the greetings of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong to General Secretary Xi Jinping. She extended congratulations on the success of the 20th CPC National Congress and China's "two sessions," and on General Secretary Xi Jinping's reelection as President of China and chairman of the Central Military Commission. She expressed confidence that the Chinese people will surely complete all the goals set out at the 20th CPC National Congress and build a modern socialist country in an all-round way under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong paid a successful visit to China shortly after the conclusion of the 20th CPC National Congress, injecting strong impetus into the comprehensive strategic cooperation between the two countries. Vietnam has always given top priority to developing friendly cooperation with China, adhered to the one-China policy and firmly supported China's reunification, Truong Thi Mai said. She said Vietnam is willing to enhance high-level exchanges between the two parties and promote the synergy of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Vietnam's "Two Corridors and One Economic Circle" plan to contribute to the ties between the two parties and the two countries and the cause of socialism. Vietnam firmly supports the major global initiatives proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping, supports China to host the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation and hopes to strengthen regional and international cooperation with China to promote regional and world peace and development, Truong Thi Mai said. Exhumation of bodies of cult leader,Paul McKenzie Nthenge's followers in Shakhahola massacre scene in Kilifi. Nairobi The government has deployed more security personnel to comb through the vast Kilifi's Shakahola forest in a race to rescue any remaining followers of controversial televangelist Paul Mackenzie who could still be alive. This comes as the death toll reached 90 Tuesday, with 17 more bodies exhumed from the mass grave site. The vast 800-acre Shakahola ranch linked to Mackenzie has been sealed off and declared a scene of crime to allow homicide detectives dig more information on the deaths of Good News International church followers even as the officers exhume more bodies of victims of Mackenzie's teachings ideologies. It is believed that some followers of the Good News International Church could still be hiding in the bush around Shakahola and at risk of death if not quickly found. Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki said Tuesday when he visited some of the areas identified as mass graves of victims of the Mackenzie cult that the multi-agency search and rescue team will complement the efforts of the teams already on the ground with a major priority on saving lives of those may still be trapped in terminal fasting prescribed by Pastor Mackenzie. "We have information that we could have other victims of Mr Mackenzie cult in this property hence we want to upscale the ongoing search and rescue exercise," he stated. Though the exercise will involve multi-agency security teams including human rights bodies, Kindiki said it will be security-led to ensure efficiency. Reports indicate police sniffer dogs and additional equipment to aid in the search, rescue and exhumation exercise will also be deployed in the vast land. Kindiki has since vowed tough punishment for pastor Mackenzie for radicalising locals in Kilifi to starve to death. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Kenya Legal Affairs By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "We are doing everything possible to ensure that Mackenzie gets the harshest punishment. I am impressed that the Director of Public Prosecutions has indicated that he is exploring charging him and his associates with terrorism but that is not enough," Kindiki said on a visit to Shakahola forest scene Tuesday. "It is also possible to charge Mackenzie with genocide because of the magnitude of this crime," he said, "we are exploring all the (legal) books available." As the investigation unfolds, questions have emerged about how the cult was able to operate undetected despite Nthenge attracting police attention six years ago. The televangelist had been arrested in 2017 on charges of "radicalisation" after urging families not to send their children to school, saying education was not recognised by the Bible. Nthenge was arrested again last month, after two children starved to death in the custody of their parents. He was released on bail of Sh100,000 ($700) before surrendering to police following the Shakahola raid. Nthenge is due to appear in court on May 2. The Kenya Red Cross said 212 people had been reported missing to its support staff in Malindi, out of which two were reunited with their families. The case has prompted calls for tighter control of fringe denominations in a country with a troubling history of self-declared pastors and cults that have dabbled in criminality. Prince William's wife Kate Middleton and Prince Harry's wife Meghan Markle never established a close blond, royal expert Nick Bullen claimed as both of them are really different in their approach from the very beginning. Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Prince William and Kate Middleton are seen.(AFP) The royal expert said that Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle never shared a particularly close relationship and had little in common because of the different lives before their respective marriages into the royal family. Prince William and Prince Harry had been the ones feuding over their experience as royals and not their wives, the expert added. Kate Middleton shared details of the distant relationship Meghan Markle shared with the family, Nick Bullen said. There wasnt really any relationship between the two of them. It was the brothers Prince William and Prince Harry who were falling out, not the sisters-in-law, not the wives. I was talking to someone very early on in the Sussex marriage who had been at a dinner with Kate and had been asking about Meghan, Nick Bullen said. And Kate just said, Shes just really different [from] the rest of us. And not in a negative way. They just didnt have lots in common, the royal expert added. Kate is sort of a well-to-do English girl who hadnt really had many jobs and had married her prince. Whereas Meghan was a divorced career woman from LA. Theyre just different. So I think the relationship was never really there as we, as the world, were hoping. We hoped it would be those shots of them going to Wimbledon together, Nick Bullen said. But youd be hard-pressed to find moments when it was just the two of them coming together. I think after the death of the Queen, there wasnt really a relationship to break down. I dont think it was there in the first place. Nick Bullen added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A royal insider claimed that King Charles continues to keep photos of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in his house, suggesting that the monarch has "forgiven" his youngest son and is happy to let him and Meghan continue their life in California. Gyles Brandreth said that despite Prince Harry's distance from the rest of the royal family and his bombshell memoir, King Charles is still delighted that Prince Harry will attend the coronation ceremony. Prince Harry-Meghan Markle: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex are seen.(AP) In his memoir, Spare, Prince Harry criticised his father, older brother Prince William and Queen Consort Camilla. Speaking to Page Six, Gyles Brandreth said, "Im lucky enough to go to Clarence House for events to do with charities and things. Im a trustee of something called The Queens Reading Room, which is a real passion project of the new Queen. "There are pictures of Harry and Meghan on the piano [and] on the mantlepiece, Gyles Brandreth added saying that the monarch and Queen Consort are too busy with their lives to dwell on "rumours" of a "feud". I dont think they [Charles and Queen Camilla] are obsessing about it they are just getting on with it, Gyles Brandreth said, adding, "He announced that William was going to be the Prince of Wales. He sort of made the situation clear and wished Harry and Meghan love and well as they build their life overseas." Prince Harry will be reunited with the royal family at the coronation on May 6, although his visit is expected to be a fleeting one. Meanwhile, Meghan Markle and their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet will not be attending the ceremony. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON King Charles reportedly rejected Heathrow Airports plan to rename Terminal 5 after him following which the Buckingham Palace spoke to ministers to turn down the airports offer, The Times reported. The terminal was set to be renamed marking the monarch's coronation, nearly a decade after Terminal 2 was renamed the Queens terminal. Travelers at Heathrow Airport in London.(AP) But King Charles was adamantly against the offer due to environmental considerations, a government source told The Times. Another said that the proposal was was rejected due to a lack of connection between the airport and Charles. The Palace was approached by Heathrow earlier this year to discuss renaming Terminal 5 due to long standing connections between the royal family and the airport. But there are strict rules regarding the use of the monarch's title. These include- if a building or site was refurbished or new, or was very personally associated with the monarch, the report claimed. The granting of royal titles is done on the advice of government, a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman told The Times. This comes as a new study claimed that approval for the monarchy in the UK could dip below 50 percent within the next decade. The National Centre for Social Research (NCSR) says that the support is slipping among Britons. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Thailand police have arrested a 32-year-old woman accused of killing 12 of her friends using cyanide. Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn was held in Bangkok on Tuesday following recent inquiries into a friend's death, reported the BBC. Royal Thai Police police officers escort a suspect Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn accused of killing at least twelve victims with cyanide. (ROYAL THAI POLICE) Also Read| Thailand to sell 40 bln baht of govt savings bonds to help with budget deficit The victim's family had raised suspicions after she died on a trip with Sararat earlier this month. Police believes Sarat has killed 11 others, including her ex-boyfriend, while she denies the charges. According to the cops, financial instability seems to be the reason for the murders. Two weeks ago, she had travelled with her friend to Ratchaburi province, west of Bangkok, where they had taken part in a Buddhist protection ritual at a river, police said. After sometime, her friend Siriporn Khanwong collapsed and died on the riverbank. Autopsy revealed traces of cyanide in her body. The victim's money and bag were missing when she was found. Authorities said the other alleged victims had died in a similar way, but did not disclose further information. The murders began in 2020, they said. The police did not disclose the identity of all the victims but named Sararat's former partner, as well as two female police officers, among the dead. Police stated she got a loan of 250,000 baht (5,900; $7,300) from one friend who they suspect was one among the targets. After eating lunch with Sararat, the woman fainted and vomited, but survived. According to police, victims' relatives had also reported missing jewellery and money. Indicating that evidence gathering could now be a challenge, police said that the families had not suspected foul play earlier. Some bodies had also been cremated, they added. The United States on Wednesday pledged to give South Korea more insight into its nuclear planning over any conflict with North Korea amid anxiety over Pyongyang's growing arsenal of missiles and bombs. Biden reiterated the US offer to North Korea to hold talks over its nuclear and missile programs, which has been ignored by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. (File) Watch: Biden threatens to nuke North Korea, end Kim Jong-Un regime | 'Attack U.S. Or Its Ally And Face...' The announcement, which included a renewed pledge by Seoul not to pursue a nuclear bomb of its own, emerged from White House talks between US President Joe Biden and South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol that covered issues including North Korea, semiconductor chips and trade, and the Ukraine war. At a joint news conference, Yoon said he and Biden had agreed on steps to strengthen South Korea's defenses in response to the threat posed by North Korea. "Our two countries have agreed to immediate bilateral presidential consultations in the event of North Korea's nuclear attack and promised to respond swiftly, overwhelmingly and decisively using the full force of the alliance, including the United States' nuclear weapons," Yoon said. Biden reiterated the US offer to North Korea to hold talks over its nuclear and missile programs, which has been ignored by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. North Koreas mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment. Deterring North India North Korea's rapidly advancing weapons programs - including ballistic missiles that can reach US cities - have raised questions about whether Washington would really use its nuclear weapons to defend South Korea under what it calls "extended deterrence." Opinion polls in South Korea show a majority want Seoul to acquire its own nuclear bombs, a step Washington opposes. Under a new "Washington Declaration," the US will give Seoul detailed insights into, and a voice in, US contingency planning to deter and respond to any nuclear incident in the region through a US-ROK Nuclear Consultative Group, US officials said. Washington will also deploy a ballistic-missile submarine to South Korea in a show of force, the first such submarine visit since the 1980s, US officials said. But Biden made clear that no US nuclear weapons would be stationed on South Korean territory. "I have absolute authority as commander in chief and the sole authority to use a nuclear weapon, but what the declaration means is that we're going to make every effort to consult with our allies when it's appropriate, if any action is so called for," he said. A win for South Korea The agreed steps fall short of what some in South Korea have called for and are "unlikely to either persuade North Korea off its current course of WMD development and testing or to quiet the debate inside South Korea about its own nuclear future," said Jenny Town of the Washington-based North Korea monitoring group 38 North. Sue Mi Terry of the Wilson Center think tank saw the move as largely rhetorical and "a fig leaf" to dissuade South Korea from going nuclear. "Thats what this is about," she said. "But it remains to be seen if Korean public opinion will be satisfied." Terry said any resumption of nuclear bomb testing by North Korea for the first time since 2017 would increase alarm in South Korea and calls for its own nuclear arsenal - or for redeployment of US tactical nuclear weapons in the country. Even so, increasing Seoul's involvement in nuclear deliberations should allow Yoon to argue to his domestic audience that Washington is taking Seoul's concerns seriously. Duyeon Kim, an analyst with the Center for a New American Security, called the Washington Declaration "a big win for the alliance and especially for South Korea." She said one of the most notable developments was that the two sides were gaming out scenarios including a US nuclear response, whereas in the past this had been considered too classified to share. US officials stressed that no US nuclear weapons would be returned to the peninsula, and South Korea would continue not to have control over the US nuclear arsenal. Yoon's is only the second state visit Biden has hosted since taking office two years ago - the first such guest was France's president. On Wednesday evening the leaders attended a glittering dinner catered by a chef whose mother emigrated from Korea. Guests sat at tables with boughs of cherry blossoms and feasted on crab cakes and braised beef short ribs. Hollywood star Angelina Jolie attended. The summit also produced agreements on cyber security, electric vehicles and batteries, quantum technology, foreign assistance and economic investment. Biden and Yoon also discussed tensions between China and Taiwan and Chinese military activities in the South China Sea. In a joint statement, the two presidents stressed the importance of preserving stability in the Taiwan Strait. They also strongly opposed "any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the Indo-Pacific, including through unlawful maritime claims, the militarization of reclaimed features, and coercive activities," it said. The US planned to brief China on the steps with Seoul, US officials said, signaling a desire to ease tense relations. Following his exit from news channel Fox News, former host Tucker Carlson levelled serious allegations on the American media and TV debates in the country. In a video message on Twitter, Tucker Carlson alleged that debates on the topics like war, civil liberties, science, demography, corporate power, and natural resources are not permitted to be aired. Tucker Carlson, host of "Tucker Carlson Tonight" is seen. (AP File) Tucker Carlson said that both political parties- Republicans and Democrats- actively collude to shut down any conversation about it. "War, civil liberties, emerging science, demographic change, corporate power, natural resources. When was the last time you heard a legitimate debate about any of those issues? It's been a long time," he said. The United States suddenly looks like a one-party state and this realization is depressing but not permanent, he said. "Hardly anyone's life is improved by them. This moment is too inherently ridiculous to continue. And so it won't (continue). The people in charge know this. That's why they're hysterical and aggressive. They're afraid. They've given up persuasion. They're resorting to force. But it won't work. When honest people say what's true calmly and without embarrassment, they become powerful," he said. "The other thing you notice when you take a little time off is how unbelievably stupid most of the debates you see on television are. They're completely irrelevant. They mean nothing," he added. "Trust me, as someone who's participated. And yet, at the same time and this is the amazing thing the undeniably big topics, the ones that will define our future get virtually no discussion at all," he asserted, adding, At the same time, the liars who've been trying to silence them shrink and they become weaker. That's the iron law of the universe. True things prevail. Where can you still find Americans saying true things? There aren't many places left. But there are some, and that's enough. He signed off saying, As long as you can hear the words, there is hope. See you soon. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Turkey's ailing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday re-emerged from a two-day absence and spoke by video link with Vladimir Putin at a virtual ceremony unveiling a Russian-built nuclear power plant. This photograph taken on April 27, 2023, shows a screen in Ankara broadcasting the live feed of TV channel CNN Turk, showing President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and President of Russia Vladimir Putin (R) speaking over video link, for the opening of Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant held in Mersin. (AFP) The 69-year-old leader suspended all campaigning for Turkey's pivotal May 14 election after getting sick while conducting a live TV interview on Tuesday evening. Erdogan said he had developed an upset stomach while hopping between five cities for rallies and public project launches at the start of the week. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Thursday that Erdogan had "infectious gastroenteritis" -- a short-term illness caused by the inflammation of the digestive tract. But the scare forced Erdogan to cancel events on Wednesday and then stay at home instead of travelling to the Mediterranean coast for Thursday's grand opening of Turkey's first nuclear power plant. The video appearance represented Erdogan's effort to project health and vigour at one of the more vulnerable moments of his two-decade rule. But he looked wan and visibly frail as he addressed Putin and the nation from behind his presidential desk. "Our country has risen to the league of nations with nuclear power, albeit after a 60-year delay," Erdogan said in prepared remarks. Putin praised Erdogan's leadership and said Moscow was "always ready to extend the hand of friendship" to Turkey. "I want to say it straight: you know how to set ambitious goals and are confidently moving towards their implementation," Putin added. 'Disinformation' Erdogan is known for his love of campaigning and penchant for political fights. Polls suggested either that he is running neck-and-neck or behind opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu in Turkey's most momentous election in decades. His Islamic-rooted party's control of parliament through an alliance with a far-right group is also under threat. Erdogan had used his rallies to launch fierce attacks at the opposition and portray himself as a man who gets the job done. That image has been shaken -- and his office is fighting back. The president's powerful media director Fahrettin Altun posted screenshots on Twitter of Chinese state media and some popular accounts speculating about Erdogan's condition being more serious than officially reported. "We categorically reject such baseless claims regarding President Erdogan's health," Altun wrote. "No amount of disinformation can dispute the fact that the Turkish people stand with their leader and Erdogan and his AK Party are set to win the May 14 elections." Guarded secret Rumours about Erdogan's health have been circulating since he underwent two gastrointestinal surgeries in 2011 and 2012. The operations left him with a slight hitch in his gait that appears to have fed some of the social media speculation. Turkey does not publicise the results of its leaders' health evaluations and it is illegal to "insult the president". Thousands of people have been prosecuted for the offence -- punishable by either a fine or a jail term of up to four years. Turkey's main opposition leaders all quickly tweeted messages wishing Erdogan a speedy recovery. Erdogan's video linkup with Putin unveiled a project that Russia began building during a chill in Ankara's relations with its Western allies in 2018. Construction of the Akkuyu plant was complicated by sanctions the West imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. "Yes, we have certain logistical problems," Akkuyu plant director Sergei Butskikh told reporters on the eve of the launch. "The transportation routes are getting longer. Not all of the shipping companies are able to work with us. So here yes, we feel the sanctions," he added. "But this has not affected the quality of the plant's construction." Erdogan has been one of the few world leaders to maintain good relations with Putin by refusing to sign up to Western sanctions on Russia and trying to mediate an end to the war. Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Thursday praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's leadership ahead of a key election in the NATO country. Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Reuters) Read here: Skip the queue! US Embassy in India expands Visa interview waiver process for these travellers looking for renewal "The president personally pays great attention to the expansion of Russian-Turkish relations," Putin said at the launch of a Russian-built nuclear plant in Turkey, adding that: we certainly support this inclination and are convinced that close cooperation and partnership between Russia and Turkey are mutually beneficial. Nairobi Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki says the government is preparing to charge certain politicians and high profile leaders with banditry. The Cabinet Secretary who was speaking before the Senate Wednesday morning further stated that one of the top bandit commanders had been arrested and is aiding in investigations. "We have deployed the Special Operations Group which helped us to stabilize Baragoi, where there were gunshots and bloodshed everyday," Kindiki stated. "We will win this war. It is either Kenya or the bandits. It is either the law or criminals. Kenya will not give way. The law will not give way. It is the bandits and criminals to give way. We will defeat bandits through intelligence-driven security operations." He stated that following the multiagency operation by government, the bandits mingled with their families as human shields. "The gorges and caves where we ordered people to leave in the North Rift region are not areas of habitual residence. We actually learnt that the bandits had invited members of their family to the caves, ravines and gorges to act as human shields," he said. The government has also deployed more security personnel to comb through the vast Kilifi's Shakahola forest in a race to rescue any remaining followers of controversial televangelist Paul Mackenzie who could still be alive. This comes as the death toll reached 90 Tuesday, with 17 more bodies exhumed from the mass grave site. The vast 800-acre Shakahola ranch linked to Mackenzie has been sealed off and declared a scene of crime to allow homicide detectives dig more information on the deaths of Good News International church followers even as the officers exhume more bodies of victims of Mackenzie's teachings ideologies. It is believed that some followers of the Good News International Church could still be hiding in the bush around Shakahola and at risk of death if not quickly found. Kindiki said Tuesday when he visited some of the areas identified as mass graves of victims of the Mackenzie cult that the multi-agency search and rescue team will complement the efforts of the teams already on the ground with a major priority on saving lives of those may still be trapped in terminal fasting prescribed by Pastor Mackenzie. "We have information that we could have other victims of Mr Mackenzie cult in this property hence we want to upscale the ongoing search and rescue exercise," he stated. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Kenya Legal Affairs By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Though the exercise will involve multi-agency security teams including human rights bodies, Kindiki said it will be security-led to ensure efficiency. Reports indicate police sniffer dogs and additional equipment to aid in the search, rescue and exhumation exercise will also be deployed in the vast land. Kindiki has since vowed tough punishment for pastor Mackenzie for radicalising locals in Kilifi to starve to death. "We are doing everything possible to ensure that Mackenzie gets the harshest punishment. I am impressed that the Director of Public Prosecutions has indicated that he is exploring charging him and his associates with terrorism but that is not enough," Kindiki said on a visit to Shakahola forest scene Tuesday. "It is also possible to charge Mackenzie with genocide because of the magnitude of this crime," he said, "we are exploring all the (legal) books available." Nairobi The Azimio La Umoja One Kenya coalition on Wednesday notified the Officer Commanding Nairobi Central Police Station of their May 2, 2023, planned demonstrations. In the notification, the Azimio Chairman of the Executive Council Wycliffe Oparanya noted that the coalition intends to submit a written petition to Harambee House, Nairobi. "We, therefore, request your office to deploy enough police officers to guarantee security to attendees and exercise crowd control," Oparanya said. The former Kakamega Governor disclosed that their peaceful procession would occur in the streets of Moi Avenue, Kenyatta Avenue, Haile Selassie Avenue, and Harambee Avenue. "To avoid any confusion, I want to clarify that I am not submitting an application for permission as Article 37 of the Constitution does not contemplate it," Oparanya said. The coalition's leader Spokesperson Dennis Onyango confirmed on April 23, 2023, that they will resume the anti-government protests. Nearly three weeks after the government offered a dialogue, the coalition will resume their protests. The coalition's leader Raila Odinga subsequently announced a halt to the rallies after President William Ruto called for talks to discuss their problems. The president suggested they create a bipartisan parliamentary committee to work through concerns over the electoral process, a process which is now in limbo. Millions of KwaZulu-Natal Schoolchildren Go Hungry as Feeding Scheme Service Provider Withdraws A service provider that was awarded an R2.1 billion contract to supply food to over 5,400 schools in KwaZulu-Natal under the National School Nutrition Programme, has opted out of the contract, leaving more than two million impoverished learners without food, Eye Witness News reports. The KZN Education Department appointed Pacina Retail as the primary supplier for the National School Nutrition Programme. The firm then outsourced to smaller companies but non-payment to the companies has left learners hungry for weeks. The Special Investigating Unit is considering whether to investigate the matter. Ruling Party Accuses Ex-Eskom CEO of Tarnishing its Image Before 2024 Elections The African National Congress has accused former Eskom CEO, Andre de Ruyter, of making unfounded allegations to tarnish the party's image ahead of the 2024 elections, reports News24. In a statement, the ANC questioned De Ruyter's motivation for implicating senior politicians in Eskom corruption and associated him with apartheid-era agents. News24 revealed that the Eskom "intelligence" files De Ruyter used were concocted by Tony Oosthuizen, a member of an apartheid-era secret Military Intelligence unit. The ANC called for Business Leadership South Africa CEO, Busisiwe Mavuso, to disclose how much was paid to apartheid-era agents to launder propaganda against ANC leaders. The ANC hailed the Eskom expose by News24, while the DA blamed the ANC for De Ruyter's failure to reveal the names of politicians implicated in Eskom looting. Shortage of Condoms Blamed for Increase in STIs In Gauteng The Gauteng Department of Health has reported a rise in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the province, partly due to a shortage of condoms, reports News24. The shortage of male and female condoms has affected all districts, with suppliers unable to deliver stock due to SABS sample approval requirements. The Democratic Alliance's Gauteng health spokesperson, Jack Bloom, said the shortages were a disgrace and urged the province to appoint timely suppliers to avoid such shortages in the future. More South African news opinion In periods of oil prices hovering around $100 per barrel, Nigeria scoops approximately $200 million per day in revenues from the global oil market. Who are the major beneficiaries of these proceeds? Roughly two decades ago, 58 per cent of Nigerians were living in absolute poverty. That was equivalent to about 70 million people unable to spend N98 (1.25 adjusted for cost of living across countries i.e., purchasing power parity) per person per day on food items and other basic needs, enough to buy a light lunch, pay for two haircuts or half a gallon of petrol in Nigeria, but not a medium-sized Starbucks cup of coffee in the United States or Costa coffee in the United Kingdom. Then, there was no Nigerian on Forbes' global list of billionaires. Cut to 2010, these figures have risen: the number of poor rose from 69 million in 2004 to more than 100 million and arguably, the number of billionaires from zero to two; and by 2020 the billionaire figure has raced to five with roughly half of the country's population size subsisting underneath the poverty threshold. In 2010, 7 out of 10 Nigerians were considered poor by this standard. The combined net worth of these billionaires is approximately $24 billion or $4.6 billion per person. Given that Nigeria's average income - amended for the wealth share of the billionaires - in 2020 was $1,300, the monetary worth of one billionaire is nearly the total income of over three million Nigerians. That means that for every Nigerian that made it to the Forbes' list, there were about 22 million citizens that slipped into poverty. Could this be a coincidence? That the cost of producing or making a billionaire in the country is equivalent to shoving over 20 million people into poverty? Tellingly, it can be asserted that the poorer the poor, the richer the rich: billionaires, powered by rigged government policies, riding on the back of the poor to amass fortunes? Three of these billionaires mentioned are in the oil business and one telecommunication as their main/only source of fortune. Yet, the oil industry is not performing as expected, e.g., over 80 per cent of gasoline (or petrol) consumed in the country is imported. This is in addition to sporadic supplies and queues at local pump stations. Damningly, internet services are not robust, let alone the availability of broadband connections. The question is: How do these billionaires make their profits? When the system (or the market environment is not operating efficiently, and the rules are being rigged?) Or is something not adding up? This question reminds me of George Stigler's claim in "The Theory of Economic Regulation": "that the state has one basic resource which, in pure principle, is not shared with even the mightiest of its citizens: the power to coerce". The government uses this power to compel its subjects to pay taxes and follow rules. That power of coercion can be deployed in such a way as to help some individuals and industries at the expense of others. By trying to influence how the state uses its coercive authority, businesses seek to "buy" one or more of the government's four main products: subsidies; control over competitive entry; regulation of product substitutes or complements; and the fixing of prices." It should, however, be noted that it is not a crime to be a billionaire provided that the economic rules and policies that govern the making of billionaires are not twisted - the use of the heavy hand of the government in tipping the balance of the scale - in favour of the super-rich. In a fairer society, when the pie gets bigger and the income of the richest increases, the level of inequality should not be rising fast. That means billionaires are getting richer not through rent-seeking but by contributing to expanding the size of the national pie and by so doing the poor will be breaking free from the iron grip of poverty. Is there a pathway to the 'rising tide to lift all boats'? Since a lack of skills prevents the poor from participating in new economic opportunities, pro-poor growth can be enhanced through investing in the human capital of the poor--namely their education and income-generating skills. Now, there is a widespread lack of access to the financial resources needed for investments in human capital because there is no system in place, as in the developed world, where young Nigerians can access student loans to finance their college educations. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Business Governance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. As a result, social mobility has been stagnant in Nigeria for decades. High-paying jobs simply go to those with high-quality degrees. And high-quality degrees are dependent on high-quality education. Because high-quality education is a function of high-quality primary and secondary schools and students can seldom obtain a high-quality primary and secondary educational foundation from Nigerian public schools nowadays, families must buy these credentials from a private school. One needs a large amount of money to buy a high-quality private education; if your parents are poor, you cannot buy a private school education. And so, the children of the rich will always get the well-paid jobs. This cycle reinforces and maintains the widening inequality of opportunity in Nigeria. The challenge for policymakers, therefore, is to generate more pro-poor growth: growth that leaves no one behind in terms of benefits in that this type of growth lowers inequality and reduces poverty. Strategies for achieving pro-poor growth are more effective when grounded in enough evidence from fact-filled and rigorously researched studies. Borrowers are finding a larger pool of lending sources in Asia Pacific (APAC) as new alternative lenders enter the fray in the regions debt market. But finding the right lender appropriate for the type of transaction can be tricky for borrowers, according to Paul Brindley, Head of Debt Advisory, APAC, JLL. Theres an influx of alternative lenders who were not active a year ago but are now prepared to make loans on construction, project financing and more, he says. This emergence of new lenders comes amid a strong pivot to debt by investors who are after better yields compared to the less favourable risk-return profile of equity investments. The yields on debt can exceed where core returns were, says Brindley. At least three in five investors surveyed by JLL are prioritising debt as their top strategy focus in 2023, up from one in five last year. Investors new to debt tend to prefer deploying capital in established real estate markets that have sound legal frameworks and a clear enforceability process, says Rachel Heng, Director, Debt Advisory, APAC, JLL. Among the top locations preferred by new private debt investors are Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan, Heng adds. Navigating challenges Globally, Europe and the U.S. still account for the lions share of debt activity, but APAC is playing catch-up, albeit not without challenges. Unlike in the U.S. or Europe, the regulatory environment in APAC markets is comparatively more diverse, says Heng. In South Korea, for instance, onshore borrowers obtaining offshore funding in excess of US$30 million equivalent must obtain approval from the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Each countrys debt market within APAC is governed by its own set of restrictions and approvals, which require greater effort to navigate and affect the ability to scale up as quickly as in other regions, says Heng. Regulatory friction could impact pricing, deterring borrowers and even stifling growth in Asia Pacific debt markets, says Brindley. In markets where regulations are stringent, the inefficiency inevitably makes capital more expensive because of the need to navigate added layers of complexity, says Brindley. Borrowers will need our market expertise and our knowledge of lenders to structure deals creatively. This will be key during periods of uncertainty, particularly in countries hit harder by the volatile global financial markets, Brindley adds. Take the liquidity crunch in South Korea last year. Policymakers were forced to intervene with a flurry of stopgap measures, including a corporate bond-buying programme, to mitigate the impact of the loss of liquidity which caused the cost of debt to soar in Asias fourth-largest economy. With further rate hikes looming in 2023, borrowing costs may continue to edge up before they go down. This gives alternative lenders an opportunity to fill the gap in financing as banks focus on keeping their leverage ratios manageable given interest coverage considerations, amongst others, Heng says. About JLL JLL (NYSE: JLL) is a leading professional services firm that specializes in real estate and investment management. JLL shapes the future of real estate for a better world by using the most advanced technology to create rewarding opportunities, amazing spaces and sustainable real estate solutions for our clients, our people and our communities. JLL is a Fortune 500 company with annual revenue of $19.4 billion, operations in over 80 countries and a global workforce of more than 102,000 as of September 30, 2022. JLL is the brand name, and a registered trademark, of Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated. For further information, visit www.jll.com For further information, visit jll.com. Radisson Hotel Group has embarked on the latest phase of its expansion strategy in the Philippines, with the signing of a Master Development Agreement for the Park Inn by Radisson brand, with SM Hotels & Conventions Corp. (SMHCC) for 14 new hotels across the country over the next five years, taking their total targeted portfolio with Radisson Hotel Group, to 20 hotels by 2028. SMHCC develops and manages the hotel and convention properties of SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SMPH), one of the largest integrated property developers in Southeast Asia. This latest agreement builds on the long-term partnership between these two forward-thinking companies, which commenced in November 2010 with the launch of Radisson Blu Cebu and the opening of five Park Inn by Radisson hotels over the last decade. As part of the strategic alliance, both Radisson Hotel Group and SMHCC drive the expansion of its Philippines portfolio through the Radisson Blu, Radisson and Park Inn by Radisson brands, which will be built alongside its integrated property developments with SM Malls. This growth will be primarily fueled by the Park Inn by Radisson brand, where SMHCC has the exclusive development rights for a five-year term to expand the brand into key tier 1 to 3 markets across the nation. Park Inn by Radisson is the groups midscale to upper midscale brand that offers owners a value engineered real estate proposition providing a unique experience to its guests based on smart design, communal open spaces and well-equipped amenities that helps guests Feel Good. The brand was introduced to the Asia Pacific region for the first time in March 2013 in partnership with SMHCC with the opening of Park Inn by Radisson Davao, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. In the past decade, five Park Inn by Radisson hotels have opened their doors, introducing this contemporary brand to key urban centers including Bacolod City, Clark, Davao City, Iloilo City and Quezon City. The first of these new properties will be 516-room dual-branded property in Cebu City under the Radisson and Park Inn by Radisson brands, which is scheduled to open its doors in 2027, providing a diverse range of accommodation for travelers visiting the Central Visayas regions largest city. The properties will be part of an integrated development adjacent to the cutting edge SMX convention centre and SM Seaside Arena as well as the SM Seaside City Cebu Mall, a 147-meter tall Seaside Tower and a church. At Radisson Hotel Group, we believe in long term partnerships based on trust, responsibility and accountability; this is why two-thirds of our owners have more than one hotel with us. We are grateful to extend this landmark partnership with SMHCC today, which underscores our shared vision to offer relevant products by delivering innovative brands that cater to the ever-evolving needs of travelers in the Philippines. We thank them for their continued trust. Elie Younes, Executive Vice President and Global Chief Development Officer, Radisson Hotel Group Our partnership with SM Hotels & Conventions Corp. is a mutually beneficial relationship that has changed the hospitality landscape in the Philippines by pairing our popular accommodation with world-class business, retail and leisure facilities. This collaboration has stood the test of time and we are delighted to embark on the latest phase of our expansion, which will offer outstanding opportunities for our diverse portfolio of brands in the Philippines while creating shareholder value to our trusted partners. Ramzy Fenianos, Chief Development Officer, Asia Pacific, Radisson Hotel Group SMHCCs long-time partnership with the Radisson Hotel Group will be further strengthened with this agreement and reflects a strong mutual intent to grow the brand in the country. We are certain that this new milestone between SMHCC and RHG will complement the vibrant tourism landscape locally and set a new benchmark in the hospitality industry. As the owner of the Park Inn by Radisson hotels in the Philippines, SMHCC looks forward to benefitting from RHGs vast global resources, which has made it one of the most progressive hotel companies in the world. Ms. Peggy Angeles, Executive Vice President, SM Hotels & Conventions Corp Alongside its ambitious growth in the Philippines, Radisson Hotel Group and SMHCC are dedicated to a sustainable future, built on a commitment to become Net Zero by 2050 through the development of certified green hotel buildings, increasing the use of renewable energy and driving sustainable hotel operations. Both companies will jointly drive the adoption of the Hotel Sustainability Basics, the worlds new trusted standard for essential hotel sustainability, which was launched in Manila last year, by the World Travel & Tourism Council, where Radisson Hotel Group was represented alongside 70 leading hotel groups, destinations and stakeholders. In addition to its Net Zero commitment, Radisson Hotel Group offers unique solutions to make sustainable hotel stays easy such as 100% carbon neutral Radisson Meetings, and the ability to offset the carbon footprint through Radisson Rewards. Dozens of individual properties have won green awards in recent years, and EcoVadis honored Radisson Hotel Group with the Silver award for sustainable supply chain practices across its brands. To learn more about Radisson Hotel Group in the Philippines, please visit www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/destination/philippines. About Radisson Hotel Group Radisson Hotel Group is one of the world's largest hotel groups with nine distinctive hotel brands, and more than 1,600 hotels in operation and under development in 120 countries. The Group's overarching brand promise is Every Moment Matters with a signature Yes I Can! service ethos. The Radisson Hotel Group portfolio includes Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Radisson Individuals, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, and prizeotel brought together under one commercial umbrella brand Radisson Hotels. Radisson Rewards is our international rewards program that delivers unique and personalized ways to create memorable moments that matter to our guests. Radisson Rewards offers an exceptional experience for our guests, meeting planners, and travel agents at over 550 hotels in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Radisson Meetings provides tailored solutions for any event or meeting, including hybrid solutions placing guests and their needs at the heart of its offer. Radisson Meetings is built around three strong service commitments: Personal, Professional and Memorable, while delivering on the brilliant basics and being uniquely 100% Carbon Neutral. The health and safety of guests and team members remain a top priority for Radisson Hotel Group. All properties across the Group's portfolio are subject to stringent health and safety requirements, as outlined in the Radisson Hotels Safety Protocol. More than 100,000 team members work at Radisson Hotel Group and at the hotels licensed to operate in its systems. For more information, visit our corporate website. Or connect with Radisson Hotels on: LinkedIn | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube Today, Conde Nast Traveller announces its annual global Hot List, crafted by the brands global team of editors, who visit and vet the entries. This carefully curated list unveils the newest hotels, restaurants, cruises, museums, and transportation around the globe as well as the destinations that elevate the standards of hospitality through their unique style, ethos, and quality of service. Highlights from this years Hot List winners in the UK and across Europe include: The Twenty Two, London; Gleneagles Townhouse, Edinburgh; The Cashel Palace, Ireland; The Madrid EDITION, Spain; Villa Passalacqua, Lake Como and Pagostas, Patmos in Greece. In Paris, two of the hottest new openings include Hotel Dames des Arts and Maison Proust, and Christian Louboutins eclectic debut hotel, Vermelho Hotel Melides in Portugal has joined the Hot List for 2023. Conde Nast Travellers 27th annual Hot List is the ultimate guide for travellers planning their perfect trip for 2023 and beyond. As part of the Hot List, the brands global editorial team has also curated a roundup of the newest affordable luxury hotels from around the world - from Panama to Dubai to Thailand. Conde Nast Traveller Announces Global 2023 Hot List Source: cntraveler.com The full list of winners can be found online at cntraveller.co.uk and on newsstands in the UK today.q About Conde Nast Traveler Conde Nast Traveller is the world's most distinguished travel title providing inspiration and advice for discerning travellers. Authoritative and influential, Conde Nast Traveller features destinations in the UK and around the world, whilst offering their award-winning expertise in luxury travel. The title assembles four major hotel lists every year: Hot List, Spa Guide, Readers' Choice Awards and The Gold List. https://www.cntraveller.com/ ABTA's Travel Marketing conference returns on Wednesday 17 - Thursday 18 May at News UK's central London office. Designed for advanced level travel marketing professionals, ABTA's flagship Travel Marketing event combines inspirational case studies, thought-provoking keynotes and interactive panel discussions, to help inform and improve marketing strategies. The event will be moderated by ABTA's Director of Communications, Graeme Buck on day one, and Kuoni's former Marketing Director, Dean Harvey on day two. They'll be joined by a host of senior marketing experts from the travel industry including: TUI, easyJet holidays, TikTok, The Times, Pinterest UK, Sky Media, News UK and more. Attendees can expect to discover solutions to the latest challenges being faced, including: The impact of global events on consumer behaviour What's next for digital marketing Ensuring you're present at every point of your customer journey Tech innovations in travel marketing Maximising paid media spend Industry leaders will discuss and debate different marketing trends and strategies, including which channels they use and why. Peers will demonstrate how to market with people in mind, including how to feed the 'human' through marketing strategies, website and UX taking into account the role of communities and EDI in campaigns. They will provide a deep dive into your employer brand, how the relationship between HR and marketing has developed, and crucially demonstrate how to attract top talent. Former Kuoni Marketing Director, Dean Harvey, will be leading an important innovative tech solutions for modern marketers session that explores the role AI will play, including how to use content and SEO to maximise your brand, and email automation. Finally, the agenda has been curated to ensure there are several opportunities to discuss, debate, network and build industry connections with senior marketing peers within the travel industry, including a networking drinks on day one. ABTA members and Partners can book at discounted rates. Download the full agenda and register your place here. Nyeri Nyeri archbishop Antony Muheria has called for a wealth audit of all clergy members with a view of weeding out unscrupulous preachers. The Bishop said that most preachers have become careless by choosing the path to wealth other than giving hope the their faithfuls. He said that as a result many of them are accumulating a lot, a thing that has made them multi- millionaires in less than an year after venturing into prosperity gospel. Muheria said that he will be on the front line when clergy members are called to declare their wealth, adding that this shall be the onset to regularising religious institutions. He however urged Kenyans to be cautious noting that gullibility has pushed many to desperation occasioning loss of lives. He instead advised them to work towards wealth adding that there shall be no miracle that shall make them acquire any material wealth. Muheria said this in a press briefing where he also condemned the Shakahola incident that has shocked the nation. While expressing his sympathies to the bereaved families the Archbishop said that the local administration, political leadership and the locals should take the blame having let this happen without raising an alarm or even acting to stop cultic acts by a man hiding behind religion. Radisson Hotel Group Signs Master Development Agreement for 14 New Hotels in the Philippines Radisson Hotel Group has embarked on the latest phase of its expansion strategy in the Philippines, with the signing of a Master Development Agreement for the Park Inn by Radisson brand, with SM Hotels & Conventions Corp. (SMHCC) for 14 new hotels across the country over the next five years, taking their total targeted portfolio with Radisson Hotel Group, to 20 hotels by 2028. SMHCC develops and manages the hotel and convention properties of SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SMPH), one of the largest integrated property developers in Southeast Asia. This latest agreement builds on the long-term partnership between these two forward-thinking companies, which commenced in November 2010 with the launch of Radisson Blu Cebu and the opening of five Park Inn by Radisson hotels over the last decade. As part of the strategic alliance, both Radisson Hotel Group and SMHCC drive the expansion of its Philippines portfolio through the Radisson Blu, Radisson and Park Inn by Radisson brands, which will be built alongside its integrated property developments with SM Malls. This growth will be primarily fueled by the Park Inn by Radisson brand, where SMHCC has the exclusive development rights for a five-year term to expand the brand into key tier 1 to 3 markets across the nation. Park Inn by Radisson is the group's midscale to upper midscale brand that offers owners a value engineered real estate proposition providing a unique experience to its guests based on smart design, communal open spaces and well-equipped amenities that helps guests Feel Good. The brand was introduced to the Asia Pacific region for the first time in March 2013 in partnership with SMHCC with the opening of Park Inn by Radisson Davao, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. In the past decade, five Park Inn by Radisson hotels have opened their doors, introducing this contemporary brand to key urban centers including Bacolod City, Clark, Davao City, Iloilo City and Quezon City. Under current development is the 516-room dual-branded property in Cebu City under the Radisson and Park Inn by Radisson brands, which is scheduled to open its doors in 2027, providing a diverse range of accommodation for travelers visiting the Central Visayas region's largest city. The properties will be part of an integrated development adjacent to the cutting edge SMX convention centre and SM Seaside Arena as well as the SM Seaside City Cebu Mall, a 147-meter tall Seaside Tower and a church. Elie Younes, Executive Vice President and Global Chief Development Officer, Radisson Hotel Group, said: "At Radisson Hotel Group, we believe in long term partnerships based on trust, responsibility and accountability; this is why two-thirds of our owners have more than one hotel with us. We are grateful to extend this landmark partnership with SMHCC today, which underscores our shared vision to offer relevant products by delivering innovative brands that cater to the ever-evolving needs of travelers in the Philippines. We thank them for their continued trust." Ramzy Fenianos, Chief Development Officer, Asia Pacific, Radisson Hotel Group, said: "Our partnership with SM Hotels & Conventions Corp. is a mutually beneficial relationship that has changed the hospitality landscape in the Philippines by pairing our popular accommodation with world-class business, retail and leisure facilities. This collaboration has stood the test of time and we are delighted to embark on the latest phase of our expansion, which will offer outstanding opportunities for our diverse portfolio of brands in the Philippines while creating shareholder value to our trusted partners." Advertisement Ms. Peggy Angeles, Executive Vice President, SM Hotels & Conventions Corp., commented: "SMHCC's long-time partnership with the Radisson Hotel Group will be further strengthened with this agreement and reflects a strong mutual intent to grow the brand in the country. We are certain that this new milestone between SMHCC and RHG will complement the vibrant tourism landscape locally and set a new benchmark in the hospitality industry. As the owner of the Park Inn by Radisson hotels in the Philippines, SMHCC looks forward to benefitting from RHG's vast global resources, which has made it one of the most progressive hotel companies in the world." Alongside its ambitious growth in the Philippines, Radisson Hotel Group and SMHCC are dedicated to a sustainable future, built on a commitment to become Net Zero by 2050 through the development of certified green hotel buildings, increasing the use of renewable energy and driving sustainable hotel operations. Both companies will jointly drive the adoption of the Hotel Sustainability Basics, the world's new trusted standard for essential hotel sustainability, which was launched in Manila last year, by the World Travel & Tourism Council, where Radisson Hotel Group was represented alongside 70 leading hotel groups, destinations and stakeholders. SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (AP) SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (AP) Sun Communities Inc. (SUI) on Wednesday reported a key measure of profitability in its first quarter. The Southfield, Michigan-based real estate investment trust said it had funds from operations of $158 million, or $1.23 per share, in the period. NRG Energy, one of the state's largest producers of electricity, is warning lawmakers in Austin that changes to a plan to secure the Texas grid against the sort of power outages that occurred during the February 2021 freeze could cause it to rethink construction of additional power generation facilities. At issue is Senate Bill 6, which has passed the Senate and is being debated in the House. The legislation would create a Texas electricity insurance program using state funds to pay for 10,000 megawatts of new natural-gas-fired electricity generation in case of a grid emergency. The bill, however, diverges from the Performance Credit Mechanism plan approved by the states Public Utility Commission earlier this year and backed by the industry, which would pay certain electricity generators a credit for being ready to go when demand surges. If the Legislature ends up saying, Nope, were going to do state-sponsored generation, Chris Moser, executive vice president and head of Competitive Markets and Policy at NRG, said, then as that bill is written right now we dont qualify to build that state-sponsored generation so were not going to be investing private capital to compete against the state of Texas. Houston-based NRG is in the later planning stages for a nearly 700-megawatt natural gas unit at its Cedar Bayou site in Baytown, and the company is considering adding two other, smaller units in the Houston area, Moser said. If those three projects are completed, he said, it would add around 1,500 megawatts of new generation in the state. One megawatt is enough to power about 200 Texas homes on a hot summer day, according to the states grid operator ERCOT. RELATED: Texas Senate pushes to add natural gas power plants, curb growth of renewables Supporters of SB 6 say it would ensure that Texas has ready-to-go electricity generation the few times a year when demand threatens to outpace the supply of electricity on the grid, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has made it a priority this session. Texas must have generation that can be counted on when the wind is not blowing and the sun is not shining, state Sen. Charles Schwertner, a Georgetown Republican and one of the bill's sponsors, said during a news conference last month. Opponents, including trade groups representing natural gas and coal-fired power plants as well as renewable energy advocates, say SB 6 would hurt the states competitive electricity market and could cost the public as much as $18 billion. Large power producers such as NRG and the state's other two large electricity generators, Vistra and Calpine, instead support the Public Utility Commissions plan that would pay generators a credit for being available during certain times of peak power demand. Texas is in a very unique position because they are trying to answer a question that no one has had to answer yet, Moser said. And that is: How much dispatchable generation do you need? Dispatchable means power generation with an on and off switch in Texas it often refers to natural gas-fired plants as well as coal and nuclear, and typically excludes wind and solar power, which require the wind to blow or the sun to shine to generate electricity. As more renewable energy comes onto the grid, less fossil fuel-generated electricity is used. To feed spikes in demand during extreme weather events, the state wants to incentivize the building and maintenance of dispatchable generation that can turn on when its dark and the air is still. Moser said building a natural gas plant typically costs between $800,000 and $1 million per megawatt of installed generation capacity. That means a 700-megawatt plant can cost as much as $700 million to construct. Staying ready Electricity generators in Texas are only paid for the power they provide and are not compensated for simply being available, according to Joshua Rhodes, research scientist at the University of Texas at Austin. The Performance Credit Mechanism aimed to address that, in part. Rhodes said opponents of the PCM plan say its a walk-back of the states competitive market that could increase residential and industrial electricity bills, and because theres no mandate to use the credits to build new generation, may not help reliability. RELATED: ERCOT, PUC and energy industry say the power grid needs to be fixed. They just can't agree how. But the PUC-endorsed plan was not set in stone, and in addition to SB 6, lawmakers are considering SB 2012, which would put a yearly $500 million cap on the program and sunset it after eight years. SB 2012 has passed the Senate and is being debated in the House State Affairs committee. The proposals in SB 2012 would likely render PCM ineffective, UT's Rhodes said. Large electricity generators in Texas testified against SB 2012, and Moser at NRG said if it were passed as is, it, too, would lead the company to cancel its plans to build more natural gas-fired generation. Pioneer Natural Resources Chief Executive Officer Scott Sheffield, an architect of the shale boom that made the U.S. an oil powerhouse, will retire for a second time as acquisition talk reaches a fever pitch among North American drillers. Sheffield, 70, will step down at years end and maintain a seat on the board, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. The announcement comes amid speculation that Exxon Mobil has been in early-stage talks to buy Pioneer, one of the dominant independent explorers in the prolific Permian Basin oilfield. Sheffields more than 20 collective years at the helm of Pioneer is one of the longest ongoing public CEO tenures in the U.S. oil industry. Only Hess Corp.s John Hess has reigned longer, with almost 30 years on the job. Sheffield said in an interview that his move has nothing to do with Exxon and characterized the reports of takeover talks as rumors. Scott has been a trailblazer in this industry, and he has guided Pioneer through multiple commodities and market cycles as well as recent macroeconomic challenges, including the pandemic, Chairman Ken Thompson said. Sheffield will spend more time on personal and philanthropic interests, he added. Pioneers stock fell as much as 2.8 percent in after-market trading. Chief Operating Officer Rich Dealy, 57, will succeed Sheffield. Hes been with the company for decades, joining one of Pioneers predecessor entities in 1992. Exxon has declined to comment on any Pioneer discussions, which were first reported by the Wall Street Journal. Such a deal would reshape the US oil landscape and be Exxons biggest acquisition since its 1999 takeover of Mobil Corp. Despite a recent spate of shale deals, Sheffield said in the interview that major consolidation is actually a couple of years away. The oil prices that underpin company valuations and cash flow have been too volatile of late, he said. Sheffield said he notified the board of his desire to step down last year. Sheffields retirement is noteworthy, given his accomplishments in both of his leadership stints at Pioneer and his overall reputation as a thought leader for the industry, but it should not be a surprise, KeyBank Capital Markets Inc. analysts Tim Rezvan and Slate DeMuth said in a note to clients. He has been a savvy and decisive leader. Sheffields retirement was announced as the company disclosed first-quarter results that included ample free-cash flow and production data. Sheffield cut his teeth in the Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico more than 40 years ago when he joined one of Pioneers predecessor companies, Parker & Parsley Petroleum Co., as an engineer. He was instrumental in the family-owned firms growth and 1997 merger with MESA Inc. to create Pioneer. Crucially, Sheffield remained in the Permian region through the dark decades when supermajors such as Exxon abandoned the basin to search for crude overseas. By the time drilling and fracking innovations developed in natural gas fields were adapted to oil deposits around 2010, Pioneer was well-placed to become one of the fastest-growing producers. The company now pumps the equivalent of more than 600,000 barrels of oil daily from Permian wells. Sheffield also is an outspoken advocate for the US shale sector, appearing regularly at energy conferences and in television interviews to opine on everything from OPEC to government regulation. He was one of the leading voices that persuaded the U.S. government to lift a four-decade ban on most domestic crude exports in 2015. This will be Sheffields second swan song. He first stepped down in late 2016 but returned less than three years later as investors soured on his successors strategy of aggressively pursuing production growth at the expense of shareholder returns. A vocal critic of debt, Sheffield immediately parked drilling rigs to curb spending and expanded investor payouts. He was one of the first shale CEOs to implement a variable dividend, intended to reward shareholders with cash directly from rising oil prices. Sheffield also expanded Pioneers Permian holdings with the purchase of Parsley Energy and private equity backed Double Eagle in 2021. Incorporating those assets into Pioneers portfolio was one of Sheffields goals before stepping down, he said. Dealy, one of Sheffields longest-serving lieutenants, said the company is really not going to change and will focus on execution and small, so-called bolt-on acquisitions. Steady as she goes, he added. NEW YORK (AP) Carmen Berkley, a strategist with a Seattle-based foundation advocating equity and racial justice, remembers meeting Harry Belafonte a decade ago when she was a youth activist. Shed gone to Florida to attend a sit-in protest that other young Black activists had staged at the Capitol in Tallahassee over the death of Trayvon Martin, a Black teenager fatally shot in 2012 by a resident of a gated community who decided Martin looked suspicious. Berkley recalls this magical moment when Belafonte showed up to encourage the Capitol demonstrators. He gave us hope. He reminded us that we are important, that we are powerful and we deserved freedom and Justice in our lifetimes, said Berkley, vice president of strategy and impact at Inatai Foundation. There is no one like Mr. B, she added. Humble and kind, generous and focused, and a true advocate for artists, advocates and all of the communities who want to get free. Belafonte, who died Tuesday at age 96, was a close friend and ally of the Rev. Martin Luther King and stepped back from a lucrative and path-breaking career in music and acting to dedicate himself to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. But his legacy extended well beyond his generational peers. Over the past half century, for full-time activists and for artists and celebrities anxious to do more than entertain, Belafonte has endured as a role model, mentor and occasional scold, a village elder dedicated to advising young people on how to advocate for their rights and to reminding those who didn't meet their potential to change minds. So many people have stepped into a legacy he helped create, said David J. Johns, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, which has a mission to end racism, homophobia, and LGBTQ/SGL bias and stigma. Shortly before the news broke that Belafonte had died, Johns had been on a panel in Miami, Florida, discussing equality and the preservation of democracy. I had been talking about the importance of being courageous and disruptive in the spirit of dream keepers like Bayard Rustin, James Baldwin and Harry Belafonte, he said. The tributes Belafonte received after his death confirmed his singular stature: Praise from President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama, whom Belafonte had criticized at times for not doing enough for the poor; from Oprah Winfrey and Spike Lee; Viola Davis and Questlove; who tweeted that Belafonte taught me to think in terms of WE not I. That stuck with me. If there is one lesson we can learn from him it is what can I do to help mankind? Cherrell Brown, an organizer within the Movement for Black Lives, a coalition of advocacy organizations that formed alongside BLM, remembers Belafonte as a steady touchstone for so many young organizers. Hed be the first to throw his support behind young people rising up, and never tried to pacify the rage or anger or disappointment we were feeling, Brown said. He never preached at us. He, instead, affirmed the work we were doing, opened his doors, cleared space for us and always listened. As a movement veteran, he led by example, Brown added. I witnessed this icon, this giant, shift in his own political development and thinking, she said. It taught me youre never too old, or too wise, to learn and grow. Belafonte mentored Danny Glover, Common, Usher and many other public figures, and maintained close alliances even with those he often argued. Kerry Kennedy, daughter of the late Robert F. Kennedy, remembered the evolution of Belafonte's relationship with her family. He had questioned John F. Kennedy's awareness of racism and was openly skeptical of her father after JFK appointed him his attorney general, remembering him as having served on the staff of the extreme anti-Communist Sen. Joseph McCarthy. Sometimes they had their differences, but they came to respect and to deeply love each other, Kennedy says. They were not afraid to challenge each other and be truthful with another. Kerry Kennedy is the president of the nonprofit organization Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and Belafonte was a board member, engaged right up until his death with the center's activities. Asked if she ever discussed with Belafonte his reasons for becoming an activist, she laughed and said you couldn't even have a conversation about lunch without Belafonte turning the subject right back to civil rights and social justice. Her disagreements with Belafonte were often educational, for both of them. She remembered him alleging that her grandfather, the businessman, investor and government official Joseph P. Kennedy, had earned his fortune through the exploitation of Black people. Kennedy told him that he was mistaken, that he had never owned slaves or profited off slave labor. But I realized that, of course, you couldn't make money in this country without Black exploitation. You couldn't get on an airplane, you couldn't get in a taxi, you couldn't read a book without Black exploitation, she said. It was beautiful, the constant talking, challenging, soul searching, defensiveness, and then revelation, a beautiful flow of conversation and insight. And who else is going to say all of this to me? He was relentless and fabulous and always argued from a place of love. ______ Italie is an AP National Writer based in New York. Aaron Morrison is a New York City-based member of APs Race and Ethnicity team. Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/aaronlmorrison. Although little more than a footnote, its still one of the most titillating stories in the Bible: Salome, a young Jewish princess, dances for her stepfather, King Herod, in exchange for anything she wants. She chooses the head of John the Baptist, who had criticized her mothers marriage to the king, and gets it. Adapted almost wholesale from noted Irish libertine Oscar Wildes 1891 play, which injected generous amounts of sexuality into the relatively tame biblical account at the climax, Salome French-kisses the prophets decapitated head Richard Strauss opera shook the form to its foundations. A half-century after its 1906 premiere, Salome also became the very first opera Houston Grand Opera produced. TERRIFIC 'TOSCA': Chris Gray says Tamara Wilson is absolutely fantastic in the HGO production/ I think that choice has really set the company on the path that we find ourselves today, says HGO general director and CEO Khori Dastoor. The companys audience understands were not going to feel comfortable with everything thats produced on the stage at our home opera company: that part of our essential role is to provoke and push the boundaries, perhaps even of decency, even of morality, if it leaves us with a deeper understanding of our own imperfect selves. In a very real way, Strauss opera, which returns to HGO April 28-May 12, set the tone for the contentious and unruly musical century to come. New Yorker music critic Alex Ross opens his essential 2007 book The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century with a fascinating account of the multi-city Salome premiere tour: beloved in Dresden, Graz, and most of Europe but censored in Vienna and scorned at New Yorks Metropolitan Opera, where it was subsequently banned for nearly 30 years. Newspapers did not flinch in condemning the moral stench with which Salome fills the nostrils of mankind, according to one gimlet-eyed account. Michael Bishop Loaded with polyphony and dissonance, Strauss score was in many ways as taboo-shattering as the content onstage. (With one exception: the climactic Dance of the Seven Veils, which quickly became the operas hit single, as it were.) Conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, making her HGO debut, admires the uncanny degree to which Strauss complicated music which she alternately labels controlled chaos, psychotic, masterfully orchestrated, and this entrancing, magical symphonic poem reflects the actions and emotions onstage. Were drawn into this word of desire, lust, adultery and necrophilia, suicide, execution, says Wilson, a founder of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra. These are daring realities that Oscar Wilde brought to life and Strauss is highlighting to the max, so take it or leave it, this is an opera that's very challenging for those who offense in these kind of subjects onstage. Some people go to the theater to be elevated in some sort of happier world than what theyre living, Wilson continues. So for the weak of heart, I don't recommend this opera. Its really for those who like to see dramas of life put onstage, and how these daring realities are put to music and made into theater. HGOs new production, starring Ryan McKinny as John (known as Jokanaan), Chad Shelton as the anxiety-riddled Herod, Karita Mattila as Salomes mother Herodias, and Laura Wilde in the title role, arrives in a cultural climate Wilde and Strauss might easily recognize: widespread red-state rollbacks of LGBTQ rights, book banning in schools and public libraries, and the never-ending battle over a womans right to determine her own reproductive destiny. Everything today is controversial, absolutely everything, Dastoor says. And so as a leader, its very comforting that I dont work at a company that doesnt have experience with absorbing slings and arrows. Are we going to allow external responses and fears to distract and derail us, or are we going to remain resolved in our commitment to producing art at the highest levels? Based on the early sales for Salome, which she says are holding their own alongside perennial box-office champ Tosca (also playing HGO through May 5), Dastoor is encouraged that audiences continue to pick up on what HGO is putting down. Either way, they have not been shy about letting her know what they think. I get angry mail, and I get wonderful mail, she says. That tells me that my audience is engaged, that theyre taking time out of their day to write me [about] something that upset them and to react to it. 'Salome' When: April 28-May 12 Where: Wortham Center, 501 Texas Ave. Details: $20-$210; 713-228-6737; houstongrandopera.org See More Collapse That helps me know that were on the right track, Dastoor continues, that were producing work that is causing people to have reactions and spark conversation and want to give feedback. Who could ask for anything more than that? Former Parisians Amelie and Gregory Monvoisin want Houstonians to indulge in the best labels from their former home of France from sundries to skin care. So the couple has opened Marcel Market in Houstons buzzy Montrose Collective, following the success of a shop in Dallas. The small stores stock the couples favorite brands from home, spanning clothing, accessories, jewelry, gifts, decor, apothecary and artisan groceries. Offering a very unique mix of brands, Amelie Monvoisin who once owned a boutique in Paris says their French bazaar mixes emerging French labels with tried-and-true staples. MORE FROM ALLISON BAGLEY: New casinos, projects restore the thrill to Las Vegas tourism Usually you do not find food the same place you can buy clothes, she says of a tight mix of indie brands that offers shoppers a real, authentic experience, not unlike a concept store in Europe. With an exterior marked with red, white and blue stripes mimicking the French flag, cement floors and wooden shelves lining floor-to-ceiling windows facing Westheimer, Cottan skin care, Maison Matine fragrances and Kerzon candles are displayed alongside jewelry, art books, gifts, dry goods and sundries. Houstons international clientele made it an obvious choice for their second location, says the couple, who moved to Texas after a random extended layover in Dallas a few years ago. They permanently reside in Houston, after living in Dallas to open their first location. It was like a little dream for us, one day maybe we can do it, sell everything we have and move to the U.S., Monvoisin says. We discovered the people are so amazing, so friendly. We just fell in love with Texas. When French-born Houstonians or international visitors stumble into the shop, they recognize grocery brands such as Lu Paille dor, a light and crispy wafer filled with raspberry preserves. They are so happy to see it something youve had since you were a kid, she says. Violet biscuits, pistachio syrup, jams, madeleines and Fleur de Sel chocolate bars offer other tastes of home. When it comes to clothing, Monvoisin stocks the labels she likes to wear herself. Many of the small-batch brands are available in the U.S. for the first time. We are very proud of that, she says. Striped navy pants with a matching crop top, a belted minidress, crochet tank top, bucket bags and other pieces are influenced by French street style, she says. What Paris girls are wearing all the time. Monvoisin says. The new Houstonians, along with their young daughter, have been welcomed here by the large French expat community, says Monvoisin. Noting their affinity for the boutiques neighbor, Marmo, and Houstons urban green spaces, including Hermann Park, Monvoisin says the family is exploring their new home, neighborhood by neighborhood. We are still discovering the city. Marcel Market, Montrose Collective, 888 Westheimer, No. 101; marcel-market.com In celebration of Earth Day, one local organization made sure to bring out the best of the border during their first-ever The Border is Beautiful festival. Organized by the Rio Grande International Study Center, hosted by the Laredo Center for the Arts and sponsored by ADJ Law in downtown Laredo, the street festival celebrating the local river, music and culture brought people of the city closer together in efforts of celebrating what is like living in the city, why it is beautiful and why it should be kept that way by making sure the citys natural resources continue to be preserved. For the organizer of the event, Lucia Macias said it was her first time planning such a large event and was certainly a learning experience. But while it was a bit scary, it was something in the end she found to be very successful. We celebrated Earth Day in such a great way by partnering with other nonprofits here from Laredo and also several Nuevo Laredo entities, said Macias, the community outreach coordinator for the RGISC. What we are trying to do here is community building, as we are bringing people from Laredo and Nuevo Laredo showcasing how beautiful this culture is, and it's because we are able to share it. ... So it creates such a unique and beautiful culture here, and so that is why we are trying to tell our own story here and trying to show people who we are and what we are about. Some of the partnerships done for the event included the Laredo entities of the Laredo Music Scene, Laredo Cultural District, the Laredo Center for the Arts and Nuevo Laredos Regionales Comunitarios de Laredo, Pura Vida Nuevo Laredo, Estudio de Danza Ambar, Baimo and others. Macias said that the event being held on Earth Day was done internationally, as the main goal of RGISC is to protect the river and ensure it is in good health. Macias said the proceeds collected went to local nonprofits such as RGISC, the Laredo Center for the Arts and the Laredo Cultural District. She was glad a lot of the organizations that took part benefited. The organizer also thanked musical act Grupo Fantasma for their efforts and said they are a big supporter of RGISC efforts and the Laredo community. I really hope the people took away from this that we are people that have a really nice community here, and that we are not going to let anybody else write that story for us, Macias said. We dont want people who are not from the border to tell us how the border is, plain and simple. ... We wont let them say that it is a violent place, that it is a bad place or not a friendly place, because this festival is an intention to exactly show what it is which is a beautiful bedding of cultures from Texas to Mexico. The festival saw many attendees from different aspects of the community, as even several councilmembers were at the event enjoying what it had to offer. The Border is Beautiful festival represents all that is unique and wonderful about Laredo, District III Councilmember Melissa R. Cigarroa said. It celebrates our historical relationship with our neighbors in Mexico and the blending of these two peoples that have produced the sounds and sights of amazing art and culture. I'm so proud to be a part of the Rio Grande International Study Center. My hat's off to the hard work of all the organizations and sponsors who came together to make this a reality, and my deep appreciation to Grupo Fantasma -- a member of the No Border Wall Coalition. According to Ciagarroa, despite Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's threat to build Trump's wall, she said the city and border continue to proclaim the border's beauty and the reality that lives are richly enhanced through the fronteriza lifestyle. We fear nothing and have so much to share with the world about deep friendship and mutual respect that has created a unique border experience for our families and our future community, she added. Several people at the event like Ricardo de Anda, a local attorney, were enjoying the event with loved ones and friends, as both the climate and scene allowed for a nice night out in downtown Laredo. It is a wonderful event. Besides the fact that it is a beautiful day in which we heard wonderful music, it's also the celebration of the border which is something that we need to appreciate. I am so glad that RGISC is bringing up this issue for us, De Anda said. I like the diversity that the border brings. While we do not have diversity racially, the fact that our border gives us diversity culture in many, many ways is one of the best things about the border in my mind. At the event, there were also several vendors who were excited to participate in the experience. Among them was Kelsey Salzar, owner of Kelseys Creations. I feel so honored to be part of this amazing event, as we are giving back to the community, and our small businesses are showing the community of Laredo what we can accomplish as a community, Salazar said. In my small booth here, everything is hand-made, and so what I want to give back to the community is show what we all can make with simply some yarn and a hook, as they can make anything that they want and sell it or give it to the community. Salazar said she has a club at Laredo College focused on the making of products and giving back to the community as she and the other members of the club make the products and donate them to local organizations like Casa de Misericordia or a local area hospital or medical practice. Everything is beautiful when it comes to the border, just because it connects both Nuevo Laredo and Laredo so it joins two different cultures into one, Salazar said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The Katy ISD school board race has taken a sharp political turn as some candidates vying for the nonpartisan position accepted Republican party endorsements and appeared on flyers that attacked their opponents as far left supporters of radical ideologies. The position of school board of trustees is nonpartisan in Texas, but three candidates have accepted endorsements from the Harris County GOP and never publicly objected when mailers were sent likening their opponents to Democrat politicians President Joe Biden and former U.S. Rep. Beto ORourke. Amy Theime, Morgan Calhoun and Mary Ellen Cuzela, candidates for Positions 3, 4 and 5, respectively, accepted endorsement from the Harris County GOP. The organization on April 21 sent out a mass text message urging voters to fight back against the radical lefts woke agenda thats seeping into our schools. Its the latest escalation in a new partisan tone sweeping school board races across the country, which have become the latest battleground as coordinated blocs of candidates from both sides fight for control of local schools. The two sides have clashed over COVID precautions and what conservative say is a concern about Critical Race Theory, an academic concept taught in some colleges that asserts that racism is embedded in the nations criminal justice system. In the last week, Katy residents have been inundated with mailers accusing the candidates opponents Bruce Bradford, Cicely Taylor and Shana Peterson of being radical liberal ideologists. In the May 6 election, nine candidates are vying for three Katy ISD school board seats. As the flyers hit mailboxes, Peterson said that shes actually a conservative, but that she refuses to bring her personal politics into the school board race. Ive voted Republican in every election, but this isnt about me, Peterson said. Politics have no place in school boards. The flyers were paid for by Texans for Educational Freedom. While the organization didnt respond to requests for comments, according to its website, the group exists to keep liberal politics out of the classroom. Courtesy Courtesy The reverse side of the flyer included an advertisement backing Theime, Calhoun and Cuzela. Thieme, Calhoun and Cuzela did not respond to requests for comment. Harris County GOP also has not responded. Why are school boards apolitical? Dax Gonzalez, director of government relations for the Texas Association of School Boards, said school boards are supposed to be apolitical because theyre intended to serve all students from all backgrounds. TASB is a nonprofit educational association that serves and represents Texas school boards and supports local public schools. The reason that school boards are nonpartisan is because education is a nonpartisan issue, Gonzalez said. When (board members) get into that boardroom, they set aside the things that make them different, and they work towards educating all kids to make sure that they all have successful outcomes. Former Katy ISD board member Bill Lacy said that he was outraged when he received one of the flyers in the mail. He believes the political climate has gotten out of control and the push for political involvement on a board detracts from education. Theres not supposed to be any Republican, Democrat or independent in a school board, he said. The race is to fill a seat for a trustee thats the best person and the most trustworthy person to be the trustee for the school district. Lacy said he also also worries that if the candidates get elected alongside the candidates they maligned, the board may not work together effectively. Gonzalez agreed. If partisanship in the local board is creating a barrier to them working together, then I would say that thats a problem, because its preventing them from doing the things that they need to do to successfully govern that district, he said. Expert warns of potential to impact classrooms At the core of the battle is a secondary issue, said Bob Stein, a professor at Rice University who studies voting, elections and school board races. Stein said he is troubled that at least one of the candidates the flyer accused of supporting far-left and radical ideologies was a conservative. Were talking about a suburban area where, if not all, at least most candidates are going to be conservative, Stein said. So now the competition to fight for those votes comes down to who can be the biggest (former President Donald) Trump supporter or the most anti-woke. As a result, he said candidates who were willing to abide by the nonpartisan standard are being maligned for not openly embracing conservative ideology. To win seats against other conservatives, Stein said, candidates seeking endorsements may start making promises to political action committees. He warns this could impact students in the classroom and deter teachers. Youre going to see a shift where it isnt about reading, writing or mathematics anymore, Stein said. Its going to be about making sure theres an infusion of ideology into the curriculum instead of core school subjects. Ethics called into question Despite being a staunch conservative and self-proclaimed Trump/Reagan voter, longtime Katy resident Robert Willeby said he was incensed when he got the flyer. How embarrassing that (Calhoun, Theime and Cuzela) have stooped to this level, Willeby said. Never have I seen this much hate and fabrication in an election. All Katy ISD candidates signed a Code of Ethics document when they filed for candidacy. Peterson believes her opponents have broken the ethics code by calling into question her personal political leanings. The code states that candidates must not use character defamation, whispering campaigns, libel, slander or scurrilous attacks on any candidate, district records show. They also must not use campaign material of any sort that misrepresents, distorts, or otherwise falsifies the facts, nor will use malicious or unfounded accusations that aim at creating or exploiting doubts, without justification, as to the personal integrity or patriotism of an opponent. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Protesters gathered outside the district office of Texas Sen. Lois Kolkhorst on Thursday to protest Senate Bill 147, which would ban citizens from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea from buying certain types of land. The bill, authored by Kolkhorst, a Republican from Katy, would have prevented any citizens of those countries from buying any land in Texas out of fear they presented a national security threat. Kolkhorsts 18th district is nestled in the heart of Fort Bend County, said Nabila Mansoor, executive director of Rise AAPI, an organization that works to build political power in the Asian community. Fort Bend County is the most ethnically diverse county in the nation, with an Asian population of about 22 percent, according to the 2020 census. INSIDER NEWSLETTER: Stay updated on important stories and news to know around Katy In a time when were seeing an increase in Asian hate, Fort Bend really should be leading the charge, Mansoor said. Its really disheartening that our senator would come out and author a bill that discriminates against nearly a quarter of her constituents and promotes xenophobia against them. No one from Kolkhorsts office was present at the time of the protest, which drew about 20 people. Kolkhorsts media representative said Kolkhorst was unable to comment on the issue as she was speaking on the Senate floor. She said previously that "this has always been about common-sense safeguards against Russian, North Korean, Chinese and Iranian authoritarian regimes, not those fleeing the tyranny of those governments who seek freedom in Texas." As a result of rampant protests, however, Kolkhorst on Wednesday resubmitted a less stringent version of the bill, but protesters say its not enough. The original bill would have banned Chinese citizens from buying any land in the state, even if they are legal, permanent residents. Under the new version of the bill, citizens of the four nations would be prohibited from buying agricultural land, oil and gas land, timberland or mining land in Texas, but it doesnt apply to legal residents from those countries, like green-card holders and people with dual citizenship. We know that the bill has been watered-down, and we know theres been some changes, but its still discriminatory, Mansoor said. "We dont think its enough, and we want to kill the bill. Steven Pei, professor of Engineering at the University of Houston and founding chair of the United Chinese Americans, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering Chinese-Americans, has been leading protests across the state. Hes lived in the U.S. for more than 50 years, he said, and hes founded several successful companies. He moved to the Houston area because he was recruited by NASA. His company, which is based in Sugar Land, manufactures parts that are used on space shuttles. Pei worries that bills like SB 147 will deter not only Chinese businesses but also the Chinese scientists with whom he works to develop technology. It was scientists from China that have helped develop a lot of the technology used by Homeland Security, Pei said. Weve contributed so much to this country, and were only asking to be treated equally. If the bill is passed into law, Pei said, the Asian community will file a lawsuit through the American Civil Liberties Union. Less discrimination is still discrimination, Pei said. We will fight this if we have to. The plan was formulated by the stakeholders in Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government. The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved Action Plan 2022-2026 for the promotion and protection of human rights in Nigeria. The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents at the weekly meeting of the council chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday in Abuja. The plan was formulated by the stakeholders in Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government. He said the approval followed the Buhari administration's compliance with National Human Rights Commission, (NHRC), judgement and payment of N135 million compensation to victims and family members of the Apo six killings. Mr Malami also said the report of the committee for the protection of journalists, equally adjudged Nigeria as the only African country that has been in full compliance in terms of the protection of the rights of the journalists. The minister said, "This is taking into consideration that not a single incidence of death of a journalist has been recorded in Nigeria arising from infractions, relating thereto." According to Mr Malami, the policy is intended and targeted at consolidating and upscaling the Nigerian observance of the Human Rights posture in view of the successes and achievements of Nigeria as it relates to human rights under the current administration. He said: "As you will recall, the administration of Buhari has established a record of being the first and only administration in the history of Nigeria that has indeed tolerated, accommodated and enforced the decision of the Human Rights Commission. "And in this respect, talking of the Apo six, taking into consideration, the commission adjudged the government as being in breach of the human rights of certain individuals popularly referred to as Apo six, which unfortunate incidents predates the government of Buhari. "The Human Rights Commission adjudged the government liable to pay about N135 million to the family of the victims of the alleged infractions." Mr Malami said the Buhari's administration took steps to ensure payment of the N135 million to the Apo Six in compliance with the recommendations of the National Human Rights Commission, "thereby giving teeth to the Human Rights Commission in terms of compliance with the recommendation." Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Human Rights Governance Nigeria By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. He added, "Now, with those local and international successes in mind, the need has now arisen for Nigeria to indeed consolidate on the gains. "This is with the view to upscaling its provision from a local observance of the protection of the human right to international standard by way of ensuring compliance with the best practices." According to him, the new action plan will help prove that Nigeria is working in tandem with international best practices with regards to the protection of human riights. "So, the essence of the presentation of the council memo today is to deliberate on the action plan, review it and seek approval for its conservation or presentation before the International Human Rights committee for the purpose of establishing the following: "That Nigeria is no longer operating at a local scale in terms of the observance and promotion of human rights, but indeed upscaling its international observance to international best practices as far as the human rights, promotion and protection of human rights is concerned. "I am happy to report that the council deliberated and the council approved the action plan presentation before the International Committee on Human Rights," he said. (NAN) This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Montgomery resident Michael John Foy Day is finally fulfilling his dream of establishing a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in his hometown. After spending more than 33 years in the military, the U.S. Navy Veteran has completed more than 35,000 hours of community service throughout the years with the VFW. In 1992, he joined the organization in Naples, Italy, later transferring to a post in Texas. In June 2022, Day was elected as the VFW's state chaplain. On YourCourierNews.com: Growth from new developments means Willis now needs a new Montgomery County Tax Office The "Birthplace of the Lone Star" post is expected to host a fundraising event May 13 and open its doors for veterans in July, he said. Matching the national organization's mission, Day hopes to further the aims and ideals of the organization while promoting family activities through patriotism, teach students about American heritage and demonstrate the proper care of the U.S. flag. These programs will be taught to Montgomery and Willis students as well as scouting units, first responders and older adults, he said. When he approached the community civic leaders about his vision, they supported him. "They didn't even have to take it to city council," Day said. "They didn't need no one's approval. They gave me their blessings." There are four VFW posts in Montgomery County Conroe, The Woodlands, Porter and Magnolia. The Magnolia post opened its doors last year. For veterans who live in Montgomery, the new post will eliminate the longer drive times around the county, said Sr. Vice Commander Marcey Phillips of the Texas VFW District 17. On YourCourierNews.com: Montgomery County moves forward with $65K study on dilapidated animal shelter Phillips' district spans Montgomery County and also includes other cities such as Katy, Navasota, Normangee, Jewett, Hearne, Caldwell, Bryan, Brenham, Huntsville, and Bellville. "A lot of these veterans out here, they don't want to drive far to go somewhere," Phillips said. "And this is closer to home, or they don't want to be somewhere with a bar." There is a misconception that all VFWs are bars, however posts that have official buildings usually have bars associated with them, she said. Which is why Day wanted to create the post with the original "aims and ideals." "We're not going to have a canteen," Day said. "People think the VFW is a bunch of drunks and I don't want that." Day hopes to create a Christian, family-oriented post, something that has already attracted several potential members. New Waverly resident Shawn Stewart said he never thought about joining the national organization until recently. "I never had joined...before because I'm past the whole 'drink at every single event' type of thing," Stewart said, noting a lot of veterans drink to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder. "I think there's a lot of vets out there, especially in modern times that come back from the Gulf...that suffer from addiction problems. And having a place that doesn't make that the main theme or push that kind of lifestyle is awesome." Stewart was one of more than 10 veterans who showed up at the Lone Star Community Center Tuesday night to support Day's mission. Stewart served as an aircraft carrier for the Navy in 1998, part of Operation Southern Watch. Like Stewart, other veterans in attendance also saw combat. The comradery was evident as each of them joked around and gave life updates. Everyone said much of the same Day is a man of charity. "He's got a big heart," Phillips said. "He does a lot in the community. And he's a really good person to recognize the need that's here and be able to translate that into bringing a post...making that happen. I think he's doing a great job." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) A northern Virginia man who traveled to Pakistan with four friends nearly 15 years ago seeking to engage in holy war pleaded guilty Wednesday to a terrorism charge, but he is likely to receive only a 1-day jail sentence. The guilty plea from Ramy Zamzam comes after he and his friends spent nearly 13 years in a Pakistani prison after their arrest there in 2009. Rather than seek additional jail time, prosecutors are recommending a 1-day jail term, coupled with 20 years of supervised release. In a sentencing memorandum, prosecutors said that the time Zamzam and his friends served in Pakistan - on similar terrorism charges provide an adequate deterrent and that no more prison time is necessary. But prosecutors are pushing 20 years of supervision, noting their ability to avoid detection back when they made their plans in 2009. "(T)hese defendants managed to make numerous preparations for their trip without arousing the suspicion of anyone. Not their families. Not their friends. Not their classmates. And not law enforcement," prosecutor John Gibbs wrote in a sentencing memorandum. The sentence will not be final until Aug. 1, when Judge Leonie Brinkema will formally sentence Zamzam and another man, Ahmed Minni. But Brinkema has indicated in pretrial hearings that she did not see a need for the men to serve any more jail time than what occurred in Pakistan. There is little dispute that the time in Pakistani prison was difficult. One of the five, Aman Yemer, began suffering serious mental health issues while imprisoned. His lawyer and family members say he remains virtually incapacitated and uncommunicative after his return to the U.S. Legal proceedings against Yemer have been proceeding under seal, but Brinkema has made clear she plans to dismiss the charges against him. The court papers filed in Zamzam and Minni's cases have shed some light on a case that stunned northern Virginia's Muslim community in 2009 when the group of five departed the U.S. Several of the five were students, including Zamzam, who was a dental student at Howard University. Once family members learned the five had flown out of the U.S., they reached out to the FBI, hoping the group could be brought back safely to the U.S. But it was too late. The five were arrested in Pakistan in December 2009, after spending about two weeks there traveling to multiple cities and mosques looking for contacts who could help them across the border into Afghanistan and fight against U.S. troops. Recent court documents show that the five were recruited to Pakistan by an online contact they knew as Saifullah. Saifullah's real name was Jude Kenan Mohammad, an American from Raleigh, North Carolina, who was living somewhere on the Afghan-Pakistani border. Mohammad was later killed by a U.S. drone strike. According to court documents, after the five Virginians made their plans to travel to Pakistan, Saifullah twice advised them to stay in the U.S., where they would be more useful to the jihadi cause. But the five were undeterred, and traveled to Pakistan, where they had difficulty connecting with Saifullah. They spent their two weeks in Pakistan following leads and suggestions in their quest to connect with militant groups, including Lashkar-e-Taiba, which the U.S. designates as a terrorist organization.. According to court records, all five were arrested on Dec. 9, 2009, at a home in Sargodha, Pakistan. The arrest occurred shortly after a telephone call between Minni and "Saifullah." Zamzam was 22 at the time. The five Virginians left a farewell video to their families titled A Final Message in which they said they were obliged to defend Muslim lands from foreign invaders. The video shows film clips of U.S. soldiers in Iraq and photographs of wounded civilians. Zamzam's voice is on the video, saying when Muslim lands are invaded, when Muslim children are terrorized, when Muslim women are raped, when our brothers and sisters are attacked and killed jihad becomes, by the consensus of the scholars, an individual obligation. Two of the five Waqar Khan and Umar Farooq are free in Pakistan, despite U.S. efforts to obtain their extradition. The Pakistani government is not always an easy partner to work with, Gibbs said at Wednesday's plea hearing in U.S. District Court in Alexandria. MICHAEL F. MCELROY, STR / NYT An election management software company withdrew a lawsuit last week that accused a Houston-based conservative nonprofit of making slanderous statements about the software company's work during the 2020 election. The company reserved the right to refile the federal case at a later date. The suit had a brief and tumultuous history on the Houston docket. In late October, True the Vote leaders testified that they had learned concerning information about the software company from FBI agents. The federal judge pressed the conservative leaders to disclose more of the details of their accusations. He then held the founder and a contractor for the conservative group in contempt and ordered them to serve time in jail. Then in February, the federal judge recused himself. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate When it was first built more than a century ago, the old Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in downtown Houston came with a price tag of less than $100,000, unimaginable by todays standards. Replaced long ago by a bigger and shinier facility nearby, crews this week began demolition of the 1912 building, which had been mostly vacant since 2008. The lot it sits on is set to be converted into a parking lot and plaza honoring a late church dignitary. Heres what you need to know about the churchs demolition, the process of shutting down a Catholic church and what will take the old buildings place: Why is the church being demolished? Although demolition just began, the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston had been intending to demolish the facility for more than two decades. Plans to raze it to make way for a parking lot and a plaza were announced in 2001. The sanctuary was replaced in 2008 when a new church was consecrated across St. Joseph Parkway to keep pace with its growing congregation, according to information posted on the church website. The old church, which was designated as a co-cathedral when Houston was elevated as part of the then-Diocese of Galveston-Houston in the late 1950s, last had been renovated in 1990. But the dilapidated building had become a hot spot for crime in recent years, according to the church. Dozens of crimes have been reported at the site since it was closed to the public 15 years ago, including in November 2008, when a body was found near a church stairwell during the day. More recent examples include allegations of arson leading to a fire in January 2022, a string of burglaries resulting in the building being stripped of every source of copper that could be found, and frequent trespassers. The trespassing has become a concern for the church because the fire damage from 2022 and mold growth have left the site unsuitable for human habitation, according to the church. How is a Catholic church closed? Catholic canon law, the rules governing the church, permit a bishop to close a church if it cannot be used in any way for divine worship and there is no possibility of repairing it. Once approved, church workers also had to decide what to do with its remaining interior fixtures, according to the church website. Many pieces already had been removed from the old church, including some that were donated to other congregations. Its organ and some stained-glass windows went to St. Cecilia Catholic Church in west Houston, while its remaining stained glass went to the Annunciation Catholic Church downtown and the Vietnamese Martyr Catholic Church near Southbelt. How long will the demolition take? The timeline for the demolition, as well as the project that is set to redevelop the site, is fluid, according to Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston spokeswoman Jo Ann Zuniga. What is taking the old churchs place? Once the old church is demolished, the space it took up will become a plaza honoring the late Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza, according to the churchs public plan, announced this year. Fiorenza, who died last September at 91, was the first archbishop of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. He was one of the Three Amigos, a local trio of influential religious leaders including the Rev. William Lawson of Wheeler Baptist Church and the late Rabbi Samuel Karff of Congregation Beth Israel. The tree-lined plaza will encompass 60,000 square feet and will include 144 new parking spots for churchgoers. A statue of the Sacred Heart once housed in the old church is to be the focal point for the entire plaza, which will also include a gathering space and a donation wall, according to the church. Other church artifacts also will be engrained into Fiorenza Plazas design. Metro Video Houston police Thursday were searching for a man wanted in connection with a 2021 triple shooting that left two people dead and a third person wounded. Rudy Ventura, 26, has been charged with capital murder and aggravated assault on suspicion of the shooting deaths of Eliexi Arce, 40, and Elmer Coto-Maravilla, 26, according to the Houston Police Department. A third man, who was shot in the hand, survived. Almost a year after being indicted, a Houston man pleaded guilty Thursday to masterminding a nationwide romantic fraud scheme consisting of him tricking people into online relationships and them sending him millions of dollars. Kenneth Anim, 38, stood before a federal judge as he admitted to operating an illegal money laundering business and committing wire fraud. The man, who has dual citizenship in the United States and Ghana, was arrested July 6, 2022. Described by prosecutors as a "money mule," Anim ran the scheme from around 2014 to 2019 and amassed $5,330,889 in proceeds. He created fake online profiles on Facebook and other websites to deceive people into romantic relationships so they would send him vast amounts of money to business and bank accounts he opened and controlled, according to court documents. He lied to the scheme's victims to secure the funds, including telling a woman he met on Facebook that he needed money to help retrieve gold and cash back from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. Anim and alleged co-conspirator, Akua Dufie, conned dozens of victims, an FBI Special Agent testifed in July 2022. The victims affected by the scheme included women and men whom Anim had met on dating and social media websites. One victim, a man from Maryland, told federal investigators he paid more than $1 million to an individual he thought was a woman he'd met on a dating website. The woman turned out to be Anim. The investigation into Anim began in 2019 after his name showed up on incorporation documents for the businesses where victims sent their money, the FBI agent said during the July 2022 hearing. Through businesses in Anim and his alleged co-conspirator's names, the pair operated the unlicensed money laundering business, court records show. Although Anim's parents and children live in Houston, federal officials said that he spends months at a time in Ghana. Anim is now facing up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000, according to Justice Department officials. He also faces possible deportation from the United States now that he has entered a guilty plea. Another part of the plea agreement instructs Anim to pay $5,330,889 in restitution to victims of the scheme. One of the four men who escaped from a Mississippi jail earlier this week was found and arrested in Spring Valley, according to police. Jerry Raynes was apprehended by the U.S. Marshal's Fugitive Task Force, the Harris County Sheriff's Office and the Spring Valley Police Department, according to the Hinds County Sheriff's Office in Mississippi. Police in and around Spring Valley had been looking for Raynes , 51, since a stolen pickup truck belonging to Hinds County was found in the small city Sunday. Spring Valley is a small city adjacent to the Katy Freeway that is surrounded by Houston. Raynes was one of four men who Saturday night escaped from the Raymond Detention Center in Raymond, Mississippi by climbing out of a hole in the roof of the building, according to police. Raynes was facing charges on suspicion of auto theft and business burglary and was being held in the facility ahead of his trial. Police believed the four men went in different directions after escaping. One of the other escapees, Dylan Arrington, 22, Wednesday was killed in a shootout with police after he barricaded himself in a home in central Mississippi. Arrington had been charged auto theft and illegal possession of a firearm before the escape. Police said he was the suspect in a fatal shooting Monday night, in which a pastor was killed and his truck stolen. The other two escapees, Casey Grayson, 24, and Cory Harrison, 22, hadn't been located as of Thursday afternoon. Raynes was being held in Texas on Thursday afternoon as he waited extradition back to Mississippi, according to officials. Federal authorities Thursday were seeking the publics help in identifying two men who robbed a Pearland credit union in August 2022. The men, whom federal authorities are calling the ninja bandits, went into a credit union in the 1000 block of Shadow Creek Parkway and ordered everyone onto the ground at gunpoint before leaving with an undisclosed amount of money, according to the FBI. A pair of bills in the Texas Legislature, backed by inmate advocacy groups, are calling for reforms to the controversial practice of solitary confinement, but little time remains for lawmakers to act on the potential restrictions. The state uses its own lexicon for solitary confinement, calling it administrative segregation. Inmates in administrative segregation remain in cells for 22 or more hours a day, leaving for solo outdoor recreation or showers. House Bill 812 would limit solitary confinement for inmate misconduct to no more than three days. An inmate who causes serious bodily harm to another person could be confined for up to 10 days. A second measure, House Bill 480, would end Texas practice of placing inmates in solitary confinement due to gang affiliation. Both bills are being considered by the House Committee on Corrections. Rep. Terry Meza, D-Irving, filed both measures before the start of the legislative session. MORE: Texas death row inmates file lawsuit, likening solitary confinement policy to 'torture' Under some circumstances, Texas prisoners can remain in perpetual solitary confinement. If they are determined to be members of a gang, regardless of their behavior or conduct, prison staff can relegate them to this status. In order to leave solitary confinement, such inmates must renounce their gang affiliation through an official program called the Gang Renouncement and Disassociation program, according to the state prison website. Both bills have little time to advance before legislative session ends on May 29. HB 812 was debated and was left pending meaning it was not scheduled for discussion in the House. HB 480 has not yet been discussed by the committee. Nonetheless, the bills have gained support from prisoner advocacy groups and their families. Heard in the HB 812 garnered 55 public comments, all of them in favor of passing the bill. Family members described witnessing the toll of extended seclusion on their loved ones, and prisoner advocacy groups argued that solitary confinement could deteriorate inmates' mental health and cause them difficulties reentering society. Lawmakers have attempted before to reduce the use of solitary confinement in prisons, with mixed success. Meza introduced a similar bill to HB 812 in 2021; that bill never left the corrections committee. In 2019, Texas lawmakers enacted legislation banning the use of solitary confinement for pregnant inmates and inmates who recently gave birth. Why are gang members secluded? Critics of the practice say that extended seclusion of prisoners not found to be a danger to other inmates is inhumane, and it lead to serious health consequences and makes it more difficult for prisoners to reenter society. Further, renouncing gang affiliation can put inmates at risk of violent retaliation, they say. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice contends that known gang members must be secluded to prevent gang-related violence. Prison gangs are often organized along racial and ethnic lines. These gangs have been implicated in prison riots, homicides and drug trafficking, state prison officials say. COMMENTARY: Editorial: Does Texas torture prisoners? The solitary confinement of purported gang members triggered a hunger strike earlier this year. One independent, outside activist said in January that more than 300 men had signed on to the protest. The protest continued for seven weeks, though none of the inmates involved refused food and water for the entire duration. Texas is not the only state that places inmates in solitary based on gang status. Between 55 and 67 percent of jails, prisons or prison systems in the U.S. use solitary confinement as a response to gangs, according to the National Institute of Justice. The practice lead to a lawsuit in California, which ended in a 2016 settlement in which the state agreed to stop holding gang members in solitary confinement. What impact does solitary confinement have on inmates? The United Nations has condemned the use of solitary confinement, finding that holding a person alone for longer than 15 days to be torture. In a 2015 resolution on minimum treatment standards for prisoners, the organization called for a prohibition on prolonged solitary confinement, saying it shall be used only in exceptional cases as a last resort, for as short a time as possible. Some studies have failed to find a link between solitary confinement and negative health consequences, however a separate body of research has associated a rash of physical and psychological ailments to extended isolation. Many experts believe extended solitary confinement can induce symptoms of depression, anxiety and psychosis, along with behavioral issues such as hostility and poor impulse control. What regulations does Texas have for solitary confinement? Texas currently has no laws banning perpetual seclusion for prisoners, but the state does require that inmates receive mental health checks before they are placed in isolation. If isolation is not appropriate for inmates physical or mental health, the state may not seclude them. Pregnant inmates or inmates who have given birth within the past 30 days may not be placed in isolation unless they are found to be in danger of harming themselves or others, including their unborn children, or are likely to attempt an escape. MORE: Texas prisoners launching hunger strike to protest states harsh solitary confinement practices Texas is one of 21 states that limit the use of solitary confinement for juvenile prisoners. Youth can only be placed in seclusion when less restrictive interventions have failed and the child is an immediate physical danger to others, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Youth may only be held in isolation for three hours before being admitted to the security program, a temporary high-restriction designation for youth deemed dangerous or disruptive to the general population. Some Galveston ISD board members and parents are denouncing what they call a chauvinistic statement made by Superintendent Jerry Gibson at a district celebration Wednesday. At a groundbreaking ceremony for the start of construction of the new Ball High School, Gibson called the female members of a political action committee who helped secure the bonds for the project worker bees and said a man was needed to push (the work) through, the Galveston Daily News reported. The ladies are the worker bees, they are going to get it done behind the scene and keep pushing and take care of the details, said Gibson. Isnt that right, men? They do (their) best to make us look good even though we dont give them much to work with. But we need a man to push this through. Shannon Guillot-Wright, a parent in Galveston ISD, said her reaction to reading Gibsons quote in the article was, Is this 1950? But then I thought, no not even that, because my grandfather would not even say something like that, said Guillot-Wright. It was incredibly offensive, not only to all women and girls globally, but specifically to the women who have done so much amazing work in the school district. Gibson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Board President Anthony Brown decried Gibsons statement Thursday. Dr. Gibsons comments in this article were in complete opposition to our Districts Policies and the views of its Board of Trustees, Brown said in a statement. I cannot explain them and will not try to do so. However, since Dr. Gibson spoke as a representative of the District when he made them, I will apologize for them on behalf of the District. I offer these comments as both a Trustee and the father of two adult daughters who need no one to push things through for them. On HoustonChronicle.com: See which districts in the Houston area pay their teachers the most Trustee Elizabeth Beeton said while Gibsons words were shocking, appalling, and embarrassing, it was not the first instance of behavior from the superintendent that she feels is biased against women. I have seen other examples of that from the superintendent since I was elected to the board in late 2021, she said. He has disrespected me ever since I was elected and at first I didnt understand why. Over the course of time, I came to believe an element of it was gender-related. Beeton said one example of this behavior was Gibson mocking her for asking to review a report. There are really problems that are more serious than the way hes treated me, Beeton added. I dont know what his future is here, but I dont think his performance has been satisfactory. The statement was a bad example for students in the band and cheerleading squad who attended the ceremony, the trustee said. Galveston ISD supports all of its public school children, regardless of gender, race or ethnicity, she said. That is the strongest principle every member of the board believes passionately. Guillot-Wright said she is glad school leaders are calling out the behavior as inappropriate. Something should be done, the mother said. I would be happy to see the board take action on this. Gibson took the helm of Galveston ISD in 2020. Before that, he was superintendent of Marshall ISD for four years and of Coldspring-Oakhurst CISD for three years. He was also an executive director of secondary education in Waco ISD. In March 2021, the board heard complaints and allegations claiming the new superintendent had created a hostile work environment, possibly meeting the elements of sexual harassment, the Daily News reported. At the time, both Brown and Gibson denied the allegations. Terrorist outlaws, often called bandits, have been active in Nigeria's Northwest and parts of the FCT. But details on the clear identity and motivation of the Kwali attackers have been slow to emerge. Villagers in the Kwali area of the Federal Capital Territory have expressed fear after gunmen kidnapped 29 residents in a night raid. On Wednesday, residents of the area recounted how the armed gang invaded the community on Tuesday night to abduct the villagers. Terrorist outlaws, often called bandits, have been active in Nigeria's North-west and parts of the FCT. But details on the clear identity and motivation of the Kwali attackers have been slow to emerge. Zubairu Yewuti, a community leader in Kwali, said his younger brother and two of his elder brothers' wives were kidnapped in his family house. The kidnappers operated for three straight hours after combing eight houses to whisk 29 people away, according to a report by Daily Trust. Women and children were among the victims of the abductors. Daniel Ishaku, another local in the area, told The Associated Press the terrorists rounded up the village of their targets and waylaid some locals returning from a ceremony in the area. "They took people from the playground and then went into the houses," Mr Ishaku was quoted to have said. "They entered the bush with the people they carried walking on foot." The assailants were said to have divided themselves into groups, shooting while they executed their abduction mission. By name, some of the victims of the midnight abductions include Idris Mohammed, Abdullahi Zubairu, Sani S. Magani, Peter Modu, Ibrahim Mamman, Yellow Abdulrasheed, Musa Suleiman, Simbiya Ishaku, Sumaiya Ibrahim, Muktari Yunusa and Mohammed Yeluwa and Rahmat Shagari, among others. PREMIUM TIMES contacted Josephine Adeh, the spokesperson to the FCT Police, for an official confirmation of the attack. Speaking by phone, she said she had not been briefed on the attack. She pledged to get back to the reporter but failed till nightfall. A follow-up call and texts were also not returned. Activists are trying to rally residents of the Northline neighborhood to call for greater environmental protections at a public hearing over the reapproval of an environmental permit of a longstanding concrete batch plant. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will hold the hearing Tuesday about the permit renewal for the Argos USA plant, at 302 Bennington. During the meeting, the environmental commission will accept comments from the public about the plant. The comments could be used by the commission to place new rules on the plant, said Jennifer Hadayia, the executive director of Air Alliance Houston. MORE ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Supreme court declines oil companies' request to shift climate suits to federal court "TCEQ doesn't have to renew the permit as is, carte blanche," Hadayia said. "It can require improvements. It can respond to the needs of community members. Even though it's not a new facility, the opportunity of a renewal is an opportunity to help them be a better neighbor." Air Alliance Houston is urging residents to call for the state environmental agency to require additional protections to be required at the facility, such as building a higher fence to block dust or limiting its hours of operation. The Argos Ready Mix plant is northeast of the intersection on Interstate 45 and the North Loop. It's nestled in a mixed-use area, with a manufacturing facility to its west and single-family homes to its east. An elementary school sits less than 1,000 feet southwest of the plant site. Batch plants create the mix of materials that are used in concrete construction. Plants load the concrete into mixing trucks, which bring the material to construction sites. Georgia-based Argos USA has owned the facility since 1988, according to Harris County Central Appraisal District records. The Bennington property is one of at least seven Argos USA-owned properties in Harris County, according to appraisal district records. Hadayia said the plant is similar to many of the dozens of facilities located around Harris County. Critics say that concrete batch plants are a nuisance and a health hazard for people who live near them. Their 24/7 operations send dust and particulates into the air, coating homes and cars near them with dust from their product and into the lungs of people who live near them. The plants can also be visited by large, loud trucks at all hours, Hadayia said. Industry advocates say the plants have ways to control dust and try to be cognizant of the noise and nuisances they create. Most of the plants are located in Black and Hispanic neighborhoods, which had led to accusations of environmental racism against state and local officials and business operators. In recent years, community opposition against batch plants has swelled. There are some instances of stopping plants from being built. Simonton residents last year successfully blocked a new batch plant from being built in Fort Bend County. But Hadayia said the environmental commission infrequently takes action to regulate the plants. A compliance history report released by the environmental commission showed that the plant was investigated for violations at least 65 times between September 2017 and February 2023. In 63 of those investigations, no violations were found, according to the report. Residents from around the plant have complained about releases of ash and other materials, and accused the plant owners of violating their existing permits. The public notice for the meeting said the plant's application is preliminarily complete. The public hearing was only called after a request from state lawmakers, Hadayia said. Representatives for Argos listed on the public hearing notice didn't respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 2 at 7 p.m. at the Northside Columbus Club Hall at 607 E. Whitney Street. Keepers at the Houston Zoo welcomed two antelope calves earlier this month in the midst of a spring baby boom, according to a recent announcement. MORE ON LOCAL: A century-old downtown Houston church is being demolished. Heres why Marvin, the eastern bongo, and Cadbury, the yellow-backed duiker, are from different antelope species and were born just two days apart. Both have successfully joined other antelopes out on exhibit. Marvin, the eastern bongo, was born Saturday, April 8 to his parents, Lily and Bobby. He has bright white stripes and big ears, features common among newborn bongo calves. According to zoo officials, the stripes help baby antelopes with camouflage, as rays of sunshine often create lines of illumination through the tree canopy in the dense forest areas where antelopes often live. Marvin was successfully put on exhibit two weeks ago, sharing space with his mother Lily, and another bongo named Bernadette. MORE ON LOCAL: Houston Astros 'mean girls' apologize after viral TikTok video He may not be easily visible because bongos often hide their calves and return to check on and nurse them. Houston Zoo Cadbury, the yellow-backed duiker, was born Monday, April 10 to his mother, Pumpkin, and father, Darryl. Cadbury has a red tuft on top of his head, which is a common feature among duiker calves. He first went on exhibit two weekends ago. Cadbury currently shares the exhibit space with his mom, along with blue cranes commonly known as Stanley cranes, and okapi, or forest giraffes. Keepers said Cadbury often spends his time along the edge of the exhibit hiding in bamboo. Virtually every day, Union Pacific moves a train of up to 80 cars many of them filled with ethanol, liquid petroleum, and a variety of highly toxic chemicals from its Settegast yard to the nearby Basin Railyard. The cars travel through the heart of Houston not in a fenced-in railyard but over railway crossings, under I-610, and skirting residential neighborhoods. Along the way, they pass schools, churches, a food bank, a community center, a hospital and a school bus depot. If the cars were to derail and spill their contents, Houston would face the sort of emergency that confronted the residents of East Palestine, Ohio, where a derailment spilled 1.6 million pounds of hazardous chemicals. But the disaster would likely be far worse. Houston is home to 2.3 million residents. East Palestine: 4,700. Sharon Steinmann/Staff Photographer This month, NBC News exposed the nation to Union Pacifics and the other Class I railroads dirty little secret that many of these trains carrying dangerous cargo, such as the one just described, are being operated in metropolitan areas such as Houston, Tucson and Denver by remote control without a licensed engineer onboard. If you dont believe the news media, trust your own eyes. Head over to Northeast Houston to see the signs at rail crossings warning that locomotive cabs may be unoccupied. OPPOSITE OPINION: Union Pacific's remote-control locomotive technology puts humans in control Sharon Steinmann/Staff Photographer Its absurd that government regulations allow for operators with joy sticks to remotely control these bombs across Houston road crossings. Its unbelievable that Union Pacific, and the other self-regulated railroads, have chosen not to use a certified locomotive engineer in the cab of these trains. This is the railroad equivalent of having your vehicle operated by a backseat driver. But, with the assistance of armies of lobbyists, the railroad companies have spent millions convincing lawmakers to allow self-regulation that is, to trust us to protect the public from hazards. But those assurances are nothing but broken promises. The companies often dont comply with their own best practices. They initially agreed that they would only operate trains remotely within the safe confines of a switching yard. They now roll through our neighborhoods operated remotely by a worker who lacks access to all of the trains controls and safety features. In the wake of the East Palestine disaster, our public officials may finally be turning away from the railroad companies assurances to trust us. That tragedy has spurred the attention of three Republican and three Democratic U.S. Senators to introduce new legislation to, enhance safety requirements for trains transporting hazardous materials, and for other purposes. As a locomotive engineer, employed by Union Pacific, who was operating trains as recently as last December, and now as the national president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, I truly hope this bill, The Rail Safety Act of 2023 , becomes law. Im encouraged by some of its long-overdue provisions. For the first time we would have a law setting limits on freight train length. Trains are too long; some trains exceed three miles in length. If enacted, the legislation also will place restrictions on the weight of trains, set standards for railcar maintenance, track maintenance and wayside defect detectors and raise existing standards for tank cars carrying hazardous materials, among other changes. Sharon Steinmann/Staff Photographer It would mandate that no freight train may be operated without a 2-person crew consisting of at least 1 appropriately qualified and certified conductor and 1 appropriately qualified and certified locomotive engineer. This requirement is also long overdue. But lets make sure that the bills sponsors are true to their word and that the law is enforceable. Right now, the very next section of the proposed legislation details a long, convoluted list of exceptions that form loopholes big enough for rail companies to run their freight trains through. Exceptions that continue the bad practice of unsafe train travel. Exceptions that would allow remote control trains to still operate outside of railyards in the heart of your own community. Sharon Steinmann/Staff Photographer There are on average 1,000 derailments in the U.S. every year, or about three each day. Most dont result in the kind of mayhem and threat to human safety that we saw in East Palestine, but they all have that potential. Much more needs to be done to make derailments and other hazards less frequent. That includes taking away some of the responsibility for safety from a largely self-regulated industry whose highest priority is profit, not safety. For far too long the public, as well as those who work on the rails, have been hurt by a trust us approach to rail safety. Its time to stop being so trusting. Loading This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Put yourself, even for a moment, in Molly Carnes' place. There she was in the drive-thru line at a Burger King in Cy-Fair, on the northwest side of Houston, when her teenager confided that she was transgender. It was Memorial Day weekend in 2020. Even as Carnes paid and grabbed her french fries, struggling to process everything all at once, she felt relief. Why? Because her child had struggled for years with depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. She had felt helpless and now, it seemed, there was an identifiable reason for her child's sadness. And a hope that it could be addressed. After research and medical consultations, her teenager began a gender transition, and like other parents this editorial board has spoken with in the past few weeks, Carnes describes her child thriving after treatment. Carnes told us she felt like she had her child back, the funny kid who loved joking around, and hugs, and going to church. In the midst of all this BS at the Legislature, we are having the best time of our lives, Carnes said. But her daughter, now graduated from high school, is leaving the state. Though she's now over 18, even access to medical care for transgender adults is under threat. A bill passed in the Texas Senate would effectively deny liability coverage to physicians who provide gender-affirming care. For families with transgender minors, the situation is akin to an approaching disaster. Most of us can relate to the familiar Houston ritual as hurricane season draws near: ready your evacuation plan, complete with a kit of emergency provisions and vital documents. Transgender families across the state are readying their own emergency evacuation plans and kits not in anticipation of a short-term hurricane but of Texas lawmakers permanently outlawing their children's health care. We have a file with all our documents, passports ready to go, cash on hand, Lisa Stanton told us from her home in Houston. Like many other Texas families with transgender children, she and her husband have prepared to flee the state with their kids at a moment's notice. They live in fear that Texas will split their families apart and deny what they believe to be life-saving medical care to their children. The Briggle family in Austin keeps their cat carriers by the door and their gas tank full. Theyve lived this way since February 2022, when Gov. Greg Abbott instructed Child Protective Services to investigate parents with transgender children receiving medical treatment such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy. The order came after the 2021 Legislature considered but failed to pass bans on these treatments. After the Texas Supreme Court put a stay on the CPS investigations, the Legislature is at it again. A ban on transgender care for minors has already passed the Senate and its companion, House Bill 1686, appears on the verge of reaching the floor for a vote. In a state where leaders constantly crow about individual freedoms and strengthening parental rights, the hypocrisy can be dizzying. So can the distortions, half-truths and exaggerations that accompany talk about transgender care. Politicians often portray it as cruel and irresponsible, giving the impression that parents are consenting willy-nilly to surgically altering their children after the slightest quibble with their biological gender assigned at birth. Do Texans who believe this narrative even stop to ask themselves why any parent would do such a thing, why any kid would agree to it, and why any doctor would sign off on it? If it seems too awful to be true, it just might be. So, what is the truth? What kind of transgender medical interventions are really happening in Texas and is there a compelling reason for the state to intervene? The clearest answer comes not from from some "far-left" activist but from Texas Supreme Court Justice Debra Lehrman, a Republican and the foremost authority on Texas family law. In her concurring opinion on the decision that blocked Abbotts CPS investigations, she wrote that no pharmaceutical or surgical intervention before puberty and no genital surgery before adulthood is considered a medically accepted treatment. Doctors may recommend medicines that delay the start of puberty or use hormone therapy for children after its onset. All of the parents we interviewed described a years-long process and consultation with multiple therapists and specialists, before beginning any medical intervention. In my view, a parents reliance on a professional medical doctor for medically accepted treatment simply would not amount to child abuse, Lehrman wrote in her opinion. A growing body of evidence, including a January 2023 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, shows that transgender health care reduces depression and can be life-saving for transgender youth. Now, does that mean that there aren't risks involved in such treatment, or that the science is settled in this relatively new area of medical treatment. Absolutely not. Some physicians and researchers have raised concerns about the long-term effects of puberty blockers and hormone therapies. The New York Times recently reported on concerns that blockers can interfere with bone development, increasing the risk of developing early osteoporosis or debilitating fractures when patients are in their 50s. Other leading researchers are considering the possible role of social influence on a growing and changing mix of teens seeking transgender health care, and are studying the accounts of the small number of people who detransition and express regret about medical interventions. A rigorous debate within the medical profession, more research, clearer standards, and revision to the best practices adopted by major medical associations, are the best ways to address concerns with transgender health care not Texas politicians standing between doctors and families. I trust our doctors a lot more than I trust Texas politicians, Stanton told us. Don't we all? It's doctors whose profession requires them to take the Hippocratic oath to "do no harm" not politicians. Parents of transgender youth, like any other parents making difficult decisions about their children's medical care, should be given the space, the freedom and the support to do so. The draconian, all-out ban before the Texas Legislature is about politics, not a concern for the welfare of children. After a strong majority of Americans have come to embrace the equal marriage rights for LGBT Americans, Republicans have found success in using their campaign against transgender rights as a wedge issue, playing on fears that radicals are grooming their children. Sure, it's possible that a kid who suddenly identifies as transgender as a tween after never before exhibiting signs of gender dysphoria is influenced by peers, social pressures or simply confused. Doctors know they must take great care in assessing such patients. That shouldn't be construed to mean that transgender people don't exist. They do. Pretending otherwise is as cruel as forcing gay people into closets for hundreds of years. Families with transgender children are our neighbors. They are fellow Texans with as much right to live here as any of us. They work for oil companies, law firms, nonprofits and schools. They are doing what many of us would do if we saw our children struggling with concerning symptoms, including suicidal thoughts: they're seeking help. We reached out to state Rep. Tom Oliverson, the Houston-area physician who authored the House ban on transgender care for minors but did not receive a response. Along with state Sen. Donna Campbell, also a physician and the Senate bill's author, Oliverson seems to believe his medical background is sufficient to deny care backed by most major medical associations including the American Academy of Pediatrics. The Legislature, however, has even ignored their efforts to include a grandfather clause allowing children already receiving hormone therapies to continue. When defending that clause, Oliverson tweeted, "I have always endeavored to follow the science." There may be some unsettled science surrounding transgender health care. We're pretty sure, though, that there's no science validating the tin-eared, unconscionable policies that lawmakers are pushing. Even West Virginia carved out exceptions for minors at risk of self-harm or suicide. Certain Texas lawmakers' refusal to do even that reveals their true motivations. They have nothing to do with the sanctity of life, protecting children or upholding the basic freedoms of Texas families. There are lawmakers in Austin, including Republicans, who know these bills are wrong. We implore you, reader, to reach out to your representatives in the Texas House and Speaker Dade Phelan and urge them to protect transgender children and their families from politically motivated legislation that tramples rights and endangers lives. The firestorm ignited by Disney's lawsuit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and other state officials offers further evidence, if any is needed, that our democracy remains deep in its silly season. Disney's legal claims are straightforward, and most of them seem strong. The politics, however, are utterly inside out. We need not linger over the facts. Angry about what he sees as Disney's endorsement of "woke" ideology, the governor has persuaded the legislature to dissolve the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which in its roughly six decades of existence has enabled Disney World to act, in effect, as a self-governing enclave. In its place, the state has created a new entity - whose members are appointed by the governor. Stripped of a few dozen pages of highly quotable verbiage, Disney's complaint against DeSantis boils down to breach of contract. In particular, the company claims that certain development agreements into which it entered with the RCID (as it's known) can't be abrogated by its newly created successor, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. This is a simple, uncomplicated legal argument. Even the federal government is usually expected to abide by its contracts. In Florida too - although there exist a handful of exceptions - the state's courts generally treat development agreements between private corporations and local governments as legally enforceable contracts. Thus all that's necessary is for the Florida courts to decide whether the Oversight District's actions breached the agreement with Disney, and, if the answer is yes, whether the state has any defense - the sort of dispute that lawyers follow with interest, but is hardly worthy of public attention. Disney also makes a series of constitutional arguments: that private property is being taken without compensation, that the contracts clause of the Constitution is being violated, that punishing the corporation for its speech violates the First Amendment. I suspect that these claims were added in part to get around the provision of Florida law that requires the modification or revocation of development agreement to comply with subsequent legislation. My libertarian side agrees with the company on most of these points, but I doubt the courts will ever consider them. For that matter, I doubt that the courts will ever adjudicate the breach of contract claim. Why? Because I still expect rationality to prevail. Disney needs Florida; Florida needs Disney. In the end, the parties are likely to find a middle ground. Meanwhile, the politics of this fight are all bollixed up. It's strange to see my friends on the left cheering for Disney. The most obvious reason is the long-standing progressive belief that the RCID was an outrageous transfer of government power to a private entity. Here's Cory Doctorow, writing in 2005: "[I]t is a uniquely autonomous zone, which hardly has to answer to the state government at all. The zone can build its own nukes, run its own building codes, and generally do whatever it likes." In his sobering 2001 book Married to the Mouse, the historian Richard Foglesong calls the original deal "a testament to the power of pixie dust and Disney mystique." That sentiment has never faded. In 2013, for example, when Disney's expansion demanded two new parking garages, an article in the Orlando Sentinel complained that the corporation wasn't shelling out any money: "The giant resort will instead have its personal government, Reedy Creek Improvement District, pick up the estimated $85 million tab." So to see Disney treated a progressive hero for defending the RCID is ... weird. If the left really wants to take the view that corporations can't be punished for their speech, or that overregulation is a taking of property, I'd say welcome to the club. But somehow I doubt that their support for Disney is anything other than a momentary convenience. Unless of course they've decided to lionize the late Justice Antonin Scalia, whose opinion in an earlier case about takings Disney quotes in its complaint: "when the government uses its own property in such a way that it destroys private property, it has taken that property." It's equally strange to see my friends on the right supporting the DeSantis administration's effort to bring Disney's special regulatory district under direct state control. After all, the RCID was a great conservative success story. As the libertarian commentator David Boaz notes, the company's accomplishments in and around Orlando provide evidence that for-profit entities can provide many public goods that liberals argue only government can create. In 2004, when three successive hurricanes caused massive damage in central Florida, Walt Disney World suffered little harm and was open for business within hours of storm's end - apparently because, as a for-profit entity reliant on public visitors, it had a strong incentive to take protective measures. Moreover, the impetus for the dissolution of the RCID wasn't some sense that Disney was self-dealing - a few years ago, the company even declined to take advantage of a statewide lowering of the property tax - but anger about the company's positions on contested public issues. A fit of pique is hardly the sort of motive for government action conservatives usually applaud. Such are the dismal vicissitudes of a world where principle yields readily to the desire for partisan advantage. Progressives are rooting for one of the wealthiest and most powerful corporations in the world, whose special development district the left until recently considered a nefarious government giveaway. Conservatives are rooting for the authority of angry public officials to regulate a private business into submission because they dislike what it has to say. The silly season indeed. I only hope that we're able to pass back through the looking glass to the land of principle before we're stuck forever on the wrong side of the mirror. --- This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Stephen L. Carter is a professor of law at Yale University, he is author, most recently, of "Invisible: The Story of the Black Woman Lawyer Who Took Down America's Most Powerful Mobster." Houstons Bring-your-own-bottle establishments would have to get operating permits, add security cameras and guards, and put up new signs under a proposal being developed by the Turner administration in an effort to curb late-night crime at bars and nightclubs. Currently, there are no state or local laws governing BYOB businesses that invite customers to bring in their own alcoholic beverages. A proposed ordinance, unveiled Wednesday at a joint meeting of City Councils Quality of Life and Public Safety committees, aims to close that regulatory gap, granting the city enforcement authority to cite and shut down establishments that pose safety risks to customers. HOUSTON DINING: 10 BYOB restaurants in Houston for serious wine drinkers The lack of regulations is especially concerning due to the large percentage of violent crimes at nightlife venues, especially after midnight, according to Kathryn Bruning, deputy director of the Administration and Regulatory Affairs Department. During the past six months, police responded to nine murders, 32 robberies and 103 cases of aggravated assault at bars and nightclubs, according to the Houston Police Department. Of those, four murders, 13 robberies and 36 aggravated assaults took place after 2 a.m. We recognize that theres a real regulatory loophole, Bruning said. The ordinance will provide HPD another tool in their tool kit when theyre having to address criminal activity that arises from these types of establishments that basically are a threat to the health and safety of the city of Houston. The proposed ordinance would require all BYOB commercial establishments that operate after midnight to obtain a permit and a certificate of occupancy and post a BYOB Establishment sign at every entrance. The businesses also would have to comply with a series of safety measures, including the addition of security cameras, at least one security officer per 100 guests, a hand wand or walk-through metal detector, and unobstructed entrances that would allow police officers to enter and inspect the venue. Under the proposal, violations could result in fines up to $500, and the city would have the authority to sue and declare a business a public nuisance if repeated attempts to ensure compliance fail. Similar to the enforcement of the new noise regulations approved last year, BYOB permits could also be revoked if any of the rules are violated. NOISE COMPLAINTS: Surge of complaints spurs new noise limits on Houstons nightlife Michael Klein, president of the Texas Bar and Nightclub Alliance, expressed support for Houstons efforts to crack down on unregulated BYOB clubs, as they often appear in high-crime areas and operate with fraudulent business models. Usually, they are people who are trying to skirt the laws that everyone with a mixed beverage license has to follow, Klein said. Some of them are obviously scams. They charge cover charges and they charge $20 for orange juice for mixers. They give everybody a bad name and shouldnt exist anyway. Without statewide BYOB laws, other cities may encounter similar issues, but most cases his group has heard about came from the Houston area and Harris County, Klein said. We dont really hear about these problems in Travis County, Tarrant County or Dallas County, he said. This is a uniquely Harris County issue from what weve heard. I know theyve been dealing with this for years, and Im very happy that the city of Houston is taking steps to alleviate neighborhood concerns. While officials said the targets of the proposed regulations are BYOB clubs and bars, Houston also has a number of restaurants that are not licensed to sell alcohol but allow customers to bring in their own. Melissa Stewart, senior executive director of the Greater Houston Chapter of the Texas Restaurant Association, said she expects the ordinance to have minimal impact on her members because not many restaurants operate in the BYOB space and they typically do not open after midnight. We want to be cautious and were keeping an eye on it, Stewart said. But were thankful to be working with the City Council committee so that we can continue to make sure theres no unintended consequences and that they are really getting to the end result they hope for. CORKING FEES: BYOB spots in Houston that let you bring in your own boozebut there are rules Several council members voiced support for the proposed framework and their desire for stringent enforcement. District J Council Member Edward Pollard said the ordinance also should grant police officers the authority to discard any alcohol at illegally operating BYOB venues. We know that these BYOBs pop up because they are not trying to do the right thing. They are trying to use loopholes and be bad actors, Pollard said. So, what we want to see is these establishments shut down as quickly as possible, and all the good actors, all the nightclubs and bars that are doing it the right way, they want these places shut down as quickly as possible, as well. Council Member Carolyn Evans-Shabazz suggested learning from the citys experience with noise ordinance enforcement at late-night venues, where night-shift officers' inability to testify in court the next day has sometimes led to dismissed tickets. She proposed collaborating with municipal courts to allow officers enforcing BYOB rules to testify during their working hours. If we want to have some real teeth and for these officers to be present, were going to have to make it as convenient as possible for them to be there, Evans-Shabazz said. Meanwhile, a preemption bill, tentatively approved by the Texas House earlier this month, could limit cities' abilities to pass and enforce various local regulations. The bill could affect the BYOB ordinance, but its impact remains unclear as it continues to go through the legislative process in the state Senate, according to Council Member Abbie Kamin, chair of the councils public safety committee. (This is) an example of how aggressive and vague the super preemption bill is, Kamin said. Its a harbinger of the confusion its going to create as cities try to respond to urgent public safety needs. Bruning said she anticipates the proposed BYOB ordinance will be presented to the full City Council in three weeks. Five women who say they were denied abortions despite having dangerous or unviable pregnancies are suing Texas, claiming that under the state's new abortion ban they and "millions" of others who could face similar situations have been "denied dignified treatment as equal human beings." The lawsuit was filed Monday in Travis County district court and is backed by the Center for Reproductive Rights. It appears to be the first time pregnant women themselves have taken legal action against the prohibitions enacted by Texas and at least 12 other states since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June. Texas abortion ban allows for exceptions only when there is "substantial" risk to a mother or if a fetus has a fatal diagnosis. But given the state's stiff penalties for anyone who violates the ban they face potential prison sentences of up to 99 years, tens of thousands in fines and the loss of their medical licenses many doctors and hospitals have been fearful of intervening even when there is a clear danger. RELATED: Frozen since June, Texas abortion funds seek court order to resume their work Unlike other litigation, the lawsuit is not trying to overturn the Texas ban or others like it, but instead clarify when exactly physicians can provide abortions during dangerous or unviable pregnancies. The women said they had to secretly travel out of state to seek medical treatment out of fear they could be reported to state authorities. One of them, 35-year-old Amanda Zurawski of Austin, said she was 17 weeks pregnant when she was diagnosed with a condition called cervical insufficiency, which had caused her to dilate too soon for her baby to survive. The morning after her water broke, Zurawski still hadnt gone into labor, but doctors in the emergency room told her there was nothing they could do for her because the baby still had a heartbeat. Even though I had lost all my amniotic fluid, something an unborn child simply cannot survive without, we had to wait, she told reporters Tuesday outside the Texas Capitol. I cannot adequately put into words the trauma and despair that comes with waiting to either lose your own life, your childs life or both. For days, I was locked in this bizarre and avoidable hell. Zurawksi later developed sepsis, a life-threatening condition, and the hospital agreed to perform the abortion. After delivering and losing her daughter, Willow, Zurawski developed a secondary infection and was entered into the intensive care unit where she spent another three days. Her family flew into Austin, fearful she would die, she said. Zurawksi recovered but was left with so much scar tissue that her doctors have said she can only become pregnant again through in vitro fertilization. Three of the other four plaintiffs recounted their stories Tuesday, including Lauren Miller, 35, of Dallas, who had been pregnant with twins. She said she was hospitalized at six weeks for severe nausea, vomiting and dehydration and found out that one of her fetuses had a genetic condition that made it unlikely they'd survive. She eventually traveled to Colorado to have an abortion to give the healthy twin and herself the best chance of survival. Miller is due in mid-March. Layers of privilege should never determine which Texans can get access to the health care they need, she said. Politicians in Texas are prohibiting health care that they dont understand. They could do something. But theyre not, and its killing us. The suit names Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, as well as the Texas Medical Board and its director, as defendants. Paxton sued the Biden administration last year over its guidance that advised medical professionals that women are entitled to emergency abortions under federal law if medically necessary, even if doing so goes against state law. In response to the suit Tuesday, Paxtons office said he is committed to doing everything in his power to protect mothers, families and unborn children, and he will continue to defend and enforce the laws duly enacted by the Texas Legislature. IN-DEPTH: Risk of serious pregnancy complications has doubled since Texas banned abortion, study shows John Seago, president of Texas Right to Life, an anti-abortion group, said the state's prohibitions "plainly allow doctors to intervene if the life of the mother is in jeopardy or if her condition may lead to loss of a major bodily function." "Doctors in these cases misunderstood the law or were misled by pervasive, inaccurate, and irresponsible reporting from the media," he said in a statement. "Medical associations should inform physicians and hospitals about what the law actually says." Two obstetrician-gynecologists are also plaintiffs in the suit, including one who partially retired last year. Its not the only reason I retired, but a factor was realizing last spring that I could no longer practice in a way that I was trained to and in a way I never felt was ethical," said Dr. Judy Levison. She added she hopes to be "a voice for those who, for very good reason, are hesitant to speak up, or who have been directed by their institutions not to." Reacting to the suit Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris said the plaintiffs stories illustrate the life-threatening consequences of extreme efforts by Republican officials to take away a womans right to choose. Many extremist so-called leaders espouse freedom for all, while directly attacking the freedom to make ones own health care decisions, Harris said. Like the overwhelming majority of Americans, the president and I believe women in consultation with their doctors should be in charge of their reproductive health care, not politicians. Julian Gill contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate There was little debate this week when state Rep. Tony Tinderholt raised an amendment on a school safety bill,changing it to allow private security firms to provide the armed guards required at every Texas school by the legislation. If they (schools) dont want to or cannot afford police officers, they can contract with a certified security company, Tinderholt, R-Arlington, said as he answered a question from a Democratic lawmaker on the purpose of the amendment. It doesnt mandate anything. RELATED: As legislator and real estate mogul, Gates seeks to disband management districts What he didnt mention was his career outside the Legislature. Tinderholt is a senior partner in the private security firm Tier One Texas, according to public filings and his LinkedIn page. He owns an LLC by the same name, according to his latest personal financial disclosure form, paperwork state politicians are required to file to the Texas Ethics Commission annually to allow for transparency and avoid conflicts of interest. After the amendment passed and the change was made in the bill, Democratic activists and consultants accused Tinderholt of breaking law, calling him out on social media for proposing legislation intended to funnel business to his company. The issue was first identified by progressive media company Texas Signal. Tony Tinderholt is not worried about keeping kids safe. He is worried about making money. Cashing in on kids is despicable, Democratic consultant Matt Angle said in a statement. The attention now shifts to (House Speaker) Dade Phelan and state law enforcement. Tinderholts corrupt actions should be investigated and when confirmed, severely punished. But its not as simple as they made it out to be. DEEP DIVE: Conflicts of interest are a way of life in the Texas Legislature In a statement to Hearst Newspapers, Tinderholt denied wrongdoing and accused Democrats of trying to create controversy over nothing. Im proud to have worked to give schools less expensive options to protect children and ensure that every school can afford the security necessary to keep our schools safe, Tinderholt said. The fact is that private armed security is less expensive than law enforcement, and all my amendment does is provide schools the right to decide which option ensures maximum safety for the children entrusted to their care. Angle, the Democratic strategist, argues that Tier Ones services are not within a class, as it offers more specialized services than other security firms. He added that the class of business exception is not included in the rules of the Texas House. Rarely, if ever, enforced Tinderholt voted yes on the school safety bill, House Bill 3, a top Republican priority that would require each public school district to have at least one armed security officer and would set aside state funding to help schools pay for it. State law, as well as Texas House Rules, forbid lawmakers who have a personal or private interest in a measure from voting on but not from authoring such measures. A violation is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $4,000. Furthermore, the law only applies to lawmakers who have a controlling interest in the business entity, and it also exempts measures that will affect an entire class of business entities. Im sure there are nine ways in that sentence that Rep. Tinderholt gets out of that, said political attorney Andrew Cates, an expert in Texas campaign finance and ethics laws. The exemptions to the state law make it nearly impossible to enforce, Cates said. Its there, its on paper. But its rarely, if ever, enforced and the reason is because its phenomenally difficult to. Part of the issue has to do with the way the state government is set up. The Legislature meets once every two years, meaning most legislators also work separate, full-time jobs. This creates all kinds of opportunities for conflicts, or even just the appearance of conflicts, to arise, experts say. The number of conflicts in the Legislature is as numerous as bluebonnets in the spring, said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. Its unavoidable given the part-time Legislature and the sizable number of policies the lawmakers address. Tinderholt in his statement said he, like lawmakers in other career fields, was offering expertise in an area familiar to him because of his job, a common refrain among politicians defending such moves. Legislators who are Realtors vote on real estate legislation and legislators who are doctors push medical reform every day in this body and no one tries to create controversy on it, Tinderholt said. It is because Im an expert in this field that I was able to see this gap in the bill and work with the author to get this added. He called the Democratic criticism silly, adding: What I did was not unethical or a violation of any law, and Im proud that we were able to give schools this vital tool. Lawmakers are required to disclose all contractual relationships with entities in which the amount of the agreement exceeds $10,000 and the lawmaker has at least 50 percent ownership. Tinderholt listed charter school districts International Leadership of Texas, which has campuses across Texas, and Newman International Academy, which has several campuses in the Arlington area. Similar potential conflicts arise regularly at the Capitol but seldom result in any consequences for lawmakers. In 2011 and 2013, former state Rep. Gary Elkins, R-Houston, drew controversy when he led a fight against payday loan controls while candidly acknowledging that the proposed restrictions would hurt his personal payday loan businesses. When pressed during debate as to whether his vocal opposition constituted a conflict of interest, Elkins gave a similar answer to that provided by Tinderholt this week: On this particular issue, I am probably as knowledgeable as anybody, and I think the body (the House) needs to hear the expertise. Tinderholt did not mention his financial interests in private security when he raised the amendment earlier this week. While Texas lawmakers are required to disclose their financial interests in paperwork filed with the state ethics agency, the law does not require them to remind colleagues or the public about those interests when speaking on bills relevant to them, Cates said. Just last session, state Rep. Gary Gates, a Republican real estate executive, came under fire for filing a bill that would make it easier to dissolve most management districts, which he had publicly opposed and even circulated a petition against. The special districts collect taxes from commercial property owners to fund extra police patrols, sidewalk improvements and other local services. Gates did not face any consequences for a possible conflict of interest. Hes filed a similar version of the same legislation this session. Wait! Before you go Please sign up for our Evening Digest and Breaking Newsletters Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Click here for a Print Subscription with Online Digital included. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. Below you will see test that reads Print Subscribe Access. Click this to then Get Started attaching your account number and zip code to you online user account. Click on the banner above if you would like to become a print subscriber with digital access. If you simply want online access without print click get started below. The government also approved N9 billion for the procurement, installation, and inauguration of voice and data recorders in nine airports across the country. The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has again, assured that the indigenous airline, Nigeria Air, would take off on or before 29 May. Mr Sirika gave the assurance while briefing State House correspondents on the outcome of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja on Wednesday. According to the minister, the infrastructure and staffers are ready and only await the final approval by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). He also assured the workers in the aviation sector that all issues relating to their agitations on minimum wage would be taken care of by relevant government agencies and ministries. The minister further disclosed that the council approved N9billion for the procurement, installation, and inauguration of voice and data recorders in nine airports across the country. Also speaking, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, disclosed that the 137kms Kano to Zaria and 73 kms Zaria to Kaduna expressways, as well as the second Niger bridge projects would be handed over to the federal government on 15 May for inauguration. According to him, the 116kms Lagos to Ibadan will also be handed over to the government on 30 April, while the Loko-Oweto bridge linking Nasarawa and Benue States and the Utor bridge in Delta had been completed. (NAN) As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. If you have already been getting our print edition mailed to you and you were never mailed a login and password you can create one yourself and attached the customer account and zip to get access. You simply use the account number and zip from the front cover of your print edition. If you just signed up on our subscription site, it does take about a week for our systems to update your print subscription to our online services. Our circulation representatives will send you and email with your login information and your account number. After your online account has been created and you have logged in, you can attach your print subscription account number and zip code to it to gain online access. Once logged and on the Print Subscriber Access page you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code, or just your zip code. When entering the zip code, only enter the first 5 digits. The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. Subscribers to Register-Star or The Daily Mail are eligible to receive full access to HudsonValley360. If you have an existing print subscription, please make sure your email address on file matches your HudsonValley360 account email. More than a dozen students wrote essays urging Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, right, to hang a portrait of former Gov. Jane Swift, center, in her office. Symbolic Frame, Swift Picked by Students for Healey & Driscoll's Offices Gov. Maura Healey, right, with Julian Hynes, Ja'liyah Santiago and Adniley Velez whose essay on inspiration was chosen as the winner of the student essay contest. BOSTON Gov. Maura Healey will hang an empty gold frame in her office so young people can envision themselves there one day and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, a portrait of former Gov. Jane Swift. The unveiling on Wednesday was the result of a statewide student essay competition in which Bay State students were asked to decide whose portraits should be featured in the new administration's offices. The student winners and their families were present for the event in the Governor's Ceremonial Office on Wednesday. The gold frame in Healey's ceremonial office was proposed in a collaborative essay submitted by Julian Hynes, an 11th-grader at Amherst-Pelham Regional High School, and Ja'liyah Santiago and Adniley Velez, 8th-graders at Holyoke Community Charter School, titled "Inspiring Change and Dangerous Hope: Unequal Representation in the Commonwealth." "Our proposal is to break from tradition, to hang nothing but an empty frame to remind you that there will be large groups of people that remain underrepresented, voiceless, and invisible," wrote the students. "Look forward not back for your inspiration. Look at the young, the poor, the people of color, and the ones who need the most help. Look at the empty frame and then around the table and ask, 'Who is not represented here?' Then, break free from the symbolic fetters that bind you and invite them." "The State House is the People's House and symbols matter. I was inspired by this submission from Julian, Ja'liyah and Adniley, who considered how they themselves could be the face of leadership in our state. This frame serves as a reminder of those who aren't always reflected or heard in the halls of power," said Healey. "When people come into this office, I want them to envision themselves in that frame. For me, it will remind me of the young people who are looking to our administration right now, and of our commitment to ensuring that all voices are heard." The portrait of Swift was the choice of more than a dozen students, including Vane Jacobs, a ninth-grader from Swift's alma mater, Drury High School. Swift, who attended the unveiling, was elected lieutenant governor in 1998 and rose to acting governor in 2001 when Gov. Paul Cellucci resigned to become U.S. ambassador to Canada. She was the first woman to serve as governor in Massachusetts history. She was instrumental in cementing Massachusetts' role as the nationwide leader in education and has continued her advocacy to strengthen our schools, in addition to transforming her family farm in Williamstown into an education and rescue center. "Governor Healey and I have long been inspired by Governor Swift, and it was heartwarming to see so many students feel the same," said Driscoll. "She helped pave the way for us to serve as the first all-women team in Massachusetts history, and she inspired a lasting legacy of educational excellence in our state. I'm honored to hang her portrait in my office." "We'd like to thank the more than 100 students who submitted thoughtful essays to this contest. It was certainly a hard decision to make, but we learned a lot from reading each one and we know the students did too," said Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler. "We're grateful to all of the educators, administrators and family members who supported the students in submitting their essays and helped us get the word out about the contest." Winners who wrote about former Gov. Jane Swift: Pittsfield Council Flies Through Short Agenda PITTSFIELD, Mass. The City Council went through nine agenda items in under an hour on Tuesday. This included the acceptance of a grant for MassDevelopment to create a possible Innovation District in the William Stanley Business Park and a transfer and appropriation of $200,000 from the Veteran Services Department to the Workers Compensation Department. Under a project management and grant agreement, MassDevelopment will perform a strategic initiative to look into districting the business park. A communication from the mayor states that there will be no financial outlay involving the city. Business Development Manager Michael Coakley explained that the conversation began several months ago when the economic development agency asked how it could help attract more innovative companies and advanced manufacturers. "During that conversation, they talked about a consultant that they had that works with cities and towns and they put together a study for marketing the William Stanley Business Park and the Berkshire Innovation Center as an Innovation District," he said. "They've done that in other areas of the state. They've done it in Boston, Cambridge, and Holyoke, and in fact, since we already have the Berkshire Innovation Center at the William Stanley Business Park, we've already brought in a couple of innovation companies like Electromagnetic Applications, United Aircraft Technologies, and SolaBlock, we've really done a lot of the groundwork." With the redevelopment of Site 9 on the horizon, Coakley said it is the perfect time to look into this. Adina Astor Consulting of Boston envisions an approximately four-month effort that involves fact-finding, conversation with key partners, a day of workshops, and engagement with stakeholders on the round. The firm would then craft a report. The professional fees for this scope of work would be $38,250. This year, the costs associated with worker's compensation and injured-on-duty claims are again expected to exceed the appropriated amount. The department will have a balance of about $8,500 after April expenses. "In conversations with the director of Veteran Services, it was made clear that he was not going to need his entire appropriated amount for program expenses," Finance Director Matthew Kerwood explained. "So if we did not take it from there, we would take it from someplace else." Kerwood reported that the department has done a very good job of getting veterans off assistance and back into the workforce so they no longer need the services of the program. Berkshire Agriculture Ventures Awarded USDA Grant GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. Berkshire Agriculture Ventures (BAV) has been awarded a $630,000 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture through its Rural Development Meat and Poultry Intermediary Lending Program (MPILP). Together with an additional $210,000 match from community members, BAV will use this grant to establish a dedicated, $840,000 fund that will enable BAV to issue loans to meat processors within the Berkshire-Taconic foodshed, over the next three years. As these loans are repaid, they will be invested into a permanent funding mechanism that will significantly enhance BAV's ability to support any kind of local food processing, distribution, and aggregation. "The MPILP award from the USDA is transformative," said BAV Interim Executive Director Glenn Bergman. "It puts BAV in a unique position to continue to provide high-level support to regional meat processors that will increase their ability to meet food supply demands in financially and environmentally responsible ways. We are grateful the USDA recognizes the importance of our lending and technical assistance programs, and the resources we provide to meat processors and other regional food producers." The creation of this additional, dedicated loan fund complements the work BAV conducts through its Local Meat Processing Support Program (LMPSP). Through the LMPSP BAV provides loans and high-level one-on-one technical assistance, ranging from financial planning to grant writing support, to processors and other agribusinesses in the middle of the local meat processing value chain. The LMPSP has helped BAV forge relationships with many of the existing meat processors in the Berkshire-Taconic foodshed and, with the MPILP funding, will now look forward to working with other regional processors to assess needs, develop strategies, and build a more resilient regional meat processing system. "Thanks to the MPILP award," said Jake Levin, BAV's Program Manager for Local Meat Processing Support, "BAV can significantly expand its services to meat processors in the Berkshire-Taconic foodshed and continue to play a major role in the impact of our regional agricultural economy. Our dedicated team is ready to assess the needs of food suppliers and empower their potential for growth." BAV previously received support from the USDA in 2021, when it received a $530,000 grant from the Regional Food Systems Partnership Grant to create a multi-year program that helped BAV address the vulnerability of local processing capacity exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. The MPILP grant supplements the solutions and services from that program with a corpus of funds that can now be used to provide loans in perpetuity. IciHaiti - Obituary : Michaelle Craan alias Manman Jacmel the light of Jacmel, passed away Wednesday April 26, 2023 Michaelle Craan native of Jacmel (Oct. 15, 1938) alias "Manman Jacmel" died at the age of 84, deplores the Ministry of Tourism in a note. "[...] it is difficult to talk about Jacmel without mentioning the one that is almost considered as a monument of the city. She took part in all the activities likely to put the city forward and shone with her love of the region, which moreover returned it to her well. In addition to being an emblematic personality of the area and a fervent local tourism activist, Michaelle Craan is also a former collaborator of the Ministry of Tourism of Haiti who is doubly bereaved by this loss. To her family, her friends, all the inhabitants of Jacmel and colleagues of the deceased, the Ministry of Tourism sends its most sincere sympathy. She will have marked her passage and left a legacy that the MOT undertakes to continue to perpetuate. Legends don't die! So rest in immortality dear Michaelle !" Ministry of Culture : "The Ministry remembers, with gratitude and emotion, the commitment of Michaelle Craan for the development of Jacmel and for the influence of Haiti Michaelle Craan's enthusiasm, voluntarism, for everything related to tourism and culture, has imprinted a way of being and doing in the South East metropolis. She carried in her what the imagination of the world keeps best of Haiti. The Ministry of Culture presents its sincere condolences to his family, his friends and to the whole city of Jacmel which has always loved the great lady that she has been and will remain." IH/ iciHaiti Nairobi Azimio La Umoja One Kenya is set to stage a heroic welcome for the party leader Raila Odinga who will jet the country on Friday after a week-long stay in Dubai. In a statement, National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi stated that the grand procession that will welcome Odinga which will include lawmakers and the opposition coalition supporters. The grand procession is expected march from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and later converge at a grand procession in Kamkunji Grounds, Kibra Constituency. "We appeal to our supporters of our quest for just, fair and democratic nation that prioritizes its citizens, to turn up in large numbers and welcome Hon Odinga home and attend the Kibra rally," he noted. Wandayi urged those who will welcome the opposition leader at the busy JKIA to main peace and order. The People Baraza set for Friday at Kamkunji grounds is taunted to build the momentum for the anti-government protest by Azimio Coalition set for May 2nd despite the ongoing consensus reaching on bi-partisan talks. "The Hon Odinga will address the nation at the said meeting. The Kibra People's Baraza will also set the stage for the peaceful mass action that is set to resume in Nairobi on 2nd May 2023 as earlier announced," Wandayi said. Azimio La Umoja One Kenya coalition on Wednesday notified the Officer Commanding Nairobi Central Police Station of their May 2, 2023, planned demonstrations. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Kenya Governance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. In the notification, the Azimio Chairman of the Executive Council Wycliffe Oparanya noted that the coalition intends to submit a written petition to Harambee House, Nairobi. "We, therefore, request your office to deploy enough police officers to guarantee security to attendees and exercise crowd control," Oparanya said. The former Kakamega Governor disclosed that their peaceful procession would occur in the streets of Moi Avenue, Kenyatta Avenue, Haile Selassie Avenue, and Harambee Avenue. "To avoid any confusion, I want to clarify that I am not submitting an application for permission as Article 37 of the Constitution does not contemplate it," Oparanya said. The coalition's leader Spokesperson Dennis Onyango confirmed on April 23, 2023, that they will resume the anti-government protests. Nearly three weeks after the government offered a dialogue, the coalition will resume their protests. The coalition's leader Raila Odinga subsequently announced a halt to the rallies after President William Ruto called for talks to discuss their problems. The president suggested they create a bipartisan parliamentary committee to work through concerns over the electoral process, a process which is now in limbo. China will take multi-pronged and adjusted measures to expand employment and maintain its stability, per a new circular released by the General Office of the State Council. Adhering to an employment-first strategy, the country will create more jobs by extending employment-oriented subsidies to companies and sectors that hire recent graduates, as well as other key groups of job seekers, the circular said. It will also strengthen credit support for business startups and foster professional skills training. Companies are being encouraged to hire young employees, including college graduates, who can also find posts in primary-level institutions or start businesses in urban or rural communities, the document said. To help job seekers in difficulty, the country will issue one-time subsidies for eligible graduates, and provide insurance compensation and temporary allowances for the unemployed. Nyeri Nyeri archbishop Antony Muheria has called on members of bi-partisan parliamentary committee members to stop chest thumping over who should be in the talks saying the interest of Kenyans override theirs. Addressing a press conference in Nyeri Muheria said that differences over who should be in or outside the talks is immaterial as Kenyans interest is the key factor. "I want to urge those in the talks to stop wasting time and go ahead and make peace for Kenyans why should who is the talks stall an important discussion that will guarantee Kenyans peace," he stated. Muheria spoke after Azimio leaders said talks have stalled over composition of the committee. However, Muheria said that those in the talks should put Kenyans in the center and refrain from centering talks on pleasing factional leadership. "It's the high time those in the committee out Kenyan interest at the centre of talks this issue of acting to please their factional leaders is all wrong," he stated. The committee was formed after president William Ruto and Raila ondinga agreed on the need to discuss issue raised by opposition azimio leaders during their weekly protests. However the Azimio MPs said that they will halt talks if they detect any shred of insincerity on the part of their colleagues. Name: Rani Kehat Organisation: Radiflow Job title: CISO Date started current role: July 2021 Location: Israel Rani Kehat is currently the CISO at OT security firm, Radiflow. He earned his experience in protecting operational technology through his background as a mechanical engineer and in data communication before moving into information security. Before joining Radiflow, he also held posts as an advisor to the military sector and in cyber solutions at Dell EMC. What was your first job? My first role out of university was as a Mechanical Engineer. Ive always loved to take things apart to see how everything connects at a granular level and then put them back together again, and my degree is in engineering, so it seemed a natural first step into the world of work. It really taught me a lot about the manufacture and maintenance of machinery. How did you get involved in cybersecurity? I worked for a data communication company early on in my career and became really interested in how we can best keep this valuable digital currency safe. I then moved into the information security side of things so I could help understand how to do this and implement it. After this, I also became an advisor to the military sector for both the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) and the Ministry of Defence. What was your education? Do you hold any certifications? What are they? I grew up in Israel but went to British universities. I have a BSc in Engineering from City, University of London, as well as an MBA from the University of Manchester. I also hold security certifications CISSP and CISM (certified information security manager). Explain your career path. Did you take any detours? If so, discuss. Probably the biggest shift in my career was moving from automation to IT. I made the move in the mid-80s when IT, networking, Internet, Linux, and so on was all exploding, and as a young mechanical engineer I wanted to be where the action was. Was there anyone who has inspired or mentored you in your career? I dont have any one mentor I can point to who has guided me through my career, but I love collaborating with my colleagues at Radiflow because were all united by a common goal: to stop bad actors from breaching operational technology and putting safety at risk. When everyone wants the same thing within a business like this it really makes you feel a part of something. What do you feel is the most important aspect of your job? Playing a role in bringing new solutions to the market that can keep pace with the constantly evolving threats hackers are developing. What metrics or KPIs do you use to measure security effectiveness? The success of your cybersecurity is difficult to measure. For example, many believe that if you havent been hacked, your cybersecurity efforts must be working. This isnt the case it may well be that you just havent been hacked yet. Thankfully, there are methods to measure how well security practices are working; effectiveness of controls, corporate awareness and reporting of suspicious events, and mitigation RPO are among the most helpful here. Is the security skills shortage affecting your organisation? What roles or skills are you finding the most difficult to fill? Yes, I dont know many organisations that this isnt affecting. Were doing our best to invest in the people we have and upskill our internal workforce, but right now technical presale specialists and people with real, on-the-ground cyber experience are proving the hardest to find. Cybersecurity is constantly changing how do you keep learning? You have to keep learning in this industry have to submit CPEs which are proof of attendance to lectures and certificates to the CISM professional body. What conferences are on your must-attend list? There are so many to choose from, but Id say the absolute musts for me are RSA, Blackhat, S4, and Govware Singapore. What is the best current trend in cybersecurity? The worst? API security is the best. APIs have become integral to programming web-based interactions, which means hackers have zeroed in on them as a key target. Zero Trust, on the other hand, has become a buzzword that in theory should reduce vulnerabilities but in reality is not practical to implement, slows down application performance, and hampers productivity. What's the best career advice you ever received? To get formal professional certifications. Not only have these helped advance my career at every stage, but they have also ensured that my security knowledge remains up to date against constantly developing hacker tactics and techniques. What advice would you give to aspiring security leaders? Learn about the technology itself not just about regulations and how to adhere to them. In addition to this, make sure you are well-versed in standards. Knowing how things work from the inside out is going to be your greatest asset in keeping networks and systems secure. What has been your greatest career achievement? Convincing an Israel government agency to adopt an IP-phone which uses an internet connection to send and receive voice data rather than over landlines. This was the first installation of such technology in Israel. Looking back with 20:20 hindsight, what would you have done differently? I love my career and I am motivated by keeping networks and people safe. However, there is always a balance to be struck and looking back I do wish I had dedicated more time to my family as well. Siaya Benson Mutimba, who works as a Jua kali artisan in Siaya, says Paul McKenzie has been a source of pain to him and his family for the last four years. For four years the father of six, has been battling to save his family from the Malindi based doomsday cult that at one point had taken four of his sons captive. To the 45 year old Jua Kali man, the ongoing horror at Shakahola village in Malindi where tens of bodies are being exhumed from graves and emaciated people being rescued from the yoke of pastor Mackenzie is an answer to prayers he had made to God to save innocent children and their parents from the stranglehold of the cult. Mutimba, who hails from Mumias in Kakamega county but a resident of Siaya says that he cried to God when he lost one of his sons, a former captive of the pastor's teachings who was rescued from the cult but continued suffering the effects until he lost his life at the Siaya county referral hospital in march this year. It dates back to 2019 when his eldest son Felix Juma, then a student at Kibabii University, came back from school and began talking negatively about the education system as well as the jobs that his parents did. He would go back to school late and behave in a manner that suggested he was no longer interested in continuing with his tertiary education. The same year, he convinced his three other brothers to join him and they all traveled to the coastal town of Malindi. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Kenya Religion By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. When he contacted his eldest son, he was shocked to learn that his three children had joined their brother in coast to receive the word of "God" at the Good News International Church presided over by Pastor McKenzie. Though he succeeded in bringing his children back, this was the beginning of another battle of bringing his children back psychologically. When he thought that he had won the battle that threatened to separate him from his sons, the second phase was , unknown to him, knocking. In the year 2021, his eldest son abandoned school again and opted to join pastor McKenzie in Malindi. This happened after he had undergone the counseling sessions and therapies that were prescribed. This would be the beginning of the second phase of the battle he had fought earlier that led to closure of the church in 2019. And in March this year, one of his younger sons, a standard eight candidate who had just registered for this year's Kenya certificate for primary education (KCPE) also sneaked out quietly to rejoin his elder brother at the Doomsday cult. His wife, Esther Mukungu, also called on the government to step up and rescue the two boys who went back to Pastor McKenzie. - Kna Leading global smart device brand OPPO recently unveiled its latest addition to the OPPO Find Series and first-ever flip smartphone, the OPPO Find N2 Flip. Armed with a pocket-portable style and superior battery life, the OPPO Find N2 Flip allows users to see more in a snap with its large outer screen and sophisticated design. OPPO provides improved services for the newly-launched flip smartphone thats been disrupting the industry with its least visible crease, large cover screen, and superior battery life Aside from the innovations and technologies that make it truly a game-changer, new owners of the OPPO Find N2 Flip can also enjoy various perks and special offers for after sales services. OPPO Care provides all Find N2 Flip users with exclusive benefits so they can fully maximize their device and keep it in excellent condition for years to come. Top Notch Service Each purchase of the Find N2 Flip also comes with a one-time free purchase of OPPO Care services, available at all OPPO Brand Stores nationwide. OPPO Care ensures users are given the most comprehensive and hassle-free after care services. Find N2 Flip users are also entitled access to OPPO Brand Stores Premier Lanes which provides expedited and express service so they have reduced waiting time and have more time to make the most of their day. OPPO has exclusive technicians dedicated to servicing all devices such as the OPPO Find N2 Flip. Moreover, OPPO Find N2 Flip users are entitled to International Warranty Service, so should the need arise, they can have their devices repaired at any OPPO Brand Store worldwide. Find N2 Flip users can take advantage of unlimited Refresh Service and are also eligible for FREE send-in repair service, which means those who have technical concerns with their new smartphones can have their devices repaired for no additional charge. OPPO Find N2 Flip users dont even have to head to the mall to retrieve their units once repaired. OPPO offers door-to-door service for customers convenience. Seeing the Bigger Picture OPPO Find N2 Flip lets people see the bigger picture. It is designed with a generous 3.26cover screen display, the largest of its kind, giving people more room to explore various functions without unfolding the phone. The vertical layout offers intuitive and seamless viewing, while the screen is customizable with plenty of time-saving shortcuts. With its proven quality and TUV Rheinland Certification, the OPPO Find N2 Flip offers no compromises with better quality and performance. Superior Power To help you stay connected all day long, the OPPO Find N2 Flip is equipped with 4300mAh large battery and 44W SUPERVOOC, giving it the largest battery with fastest charging on a flip phone. This smartphone can be used for 20 hours of video streaming, 16 hours of social media, or 6 hours of video calls, perfect for people who want to live life to the fullest. Preserve your battery life with OPPOs unique features like Super Power Saving Mode, Super Nighttime Standby, and Multi-cooling System. Sophisticated design for unlimited style Packed with innovative features and a foldable design, this smartphone lets users reimagine photography possibilities, all in a gorgeous and flawless design that you can pop into your pocket. The OPPO Find N2 Flip smartphone comes in two beautiful colors: Moonlit Purple and Astral Black. Buy Your OPPO Find N2 Flip Now! OPPO Find N2 Flip is now available at select OPPO concept stores nationwide for Php49,999. With the Globe Plan 1499, you can own the Find N2 Flip with a cash out of Php28,800 and for Plan 999 with a cash out of Php33,600. For Smart Plan 1499, there will also be cash out available plus freebies including the OPPO Enco Air3 and OPPO Band 2. For Home Credit, enjoy 0% interest and installment options for 9,12,15,18, and 24 months, with the lowest monthly payment at Php 1,504. Lastly, for all credit cards, customers can avail of the OPPO Find N2 Flip at 6 or 12 months installment at 0% interest. To know more about OPPOs latest Find smartphone, visit the OPPO Philippines official website at www.oppo.com.ph/ or its official Facebook page at OPPO Philippines. Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} CinemaCon attendees were treated to 20 minutes of Tom Cruise bombing around Rome in various cars and motorbikes in a special preview of Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One on Thursday (27 April). The seventh in the Mission: Impossible franchise sees Cruise join forces with Hayley Atwell who plays a mysterious and destructive new character named Grace. According to Variety, attendees at the Las Vegas festival were shown a lengthy sequence involving Cruise and Atwell driving at breakneck speed through the streets and alleys of Rome. The pair were apparently handcuffed for much of the chase, which sees them swap from motorcycles to police cars to beat-up old vehicles intended for the scrapyard. According to Variety, Paramount executives were seen huddling around a phone after the screening to inform Cruise who was not in attendance of the audiences positive reception. The film will now open in cinemas two days earlier than planned, on 12 July. Returning cast members include Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby and Henry Czerny. Cruise appears tonight (27 April) in James Cordens final ever Late Late Show episode. Tom Cruise will return in Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One in July 2023 (Paramount Pictures) According to the host, the action star was adamant about performing a stunt on the show. I mean, think about that. Hes ridiculous. Eight, nine years ago, Tom Cruise wasnt even a human being to me. He was like a sort of Marvel superhero, Corden told Lorraine Kelly on Thursday. Last year, Cruise and Corden together recreated a sensational aerial stunt from Cruises 2022 film Top Gun: Maverick. While Corden kept schtum about the exact details of Cruises latest appearance, its been reported that the stunt will see the duo gatecrash a Broadway performance of The Lion King, dressed as the anthropomorphic animal characters Pumba and Timon. Find everything you need to know about Cordens final Late Late Show episode here. Presidents Joe Biden and Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday will sign an agreement that includes plans to have US nuclear-armed submarines dock in South Korea for the first time in more than 40 years, a conspicuous show of support to Seoul amid growing concern about nuclear threats by North Korea, according to senior Biden administration officials. The planned dock visits are a key element of what's being dubbed the Washington Declaration, aimed at deterring North Korea from carrying out an attack on its neighbour. It is being unveiled as Biden is hosting Mr Yoon for a state visit during a moment of heightened anxiety for both leaders over an increased pace of ballistic missile tests by North Korea over the last several months. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Chinas defence minister is in India to attend a key summit amid growing tensions between the two nuclear-powered neighbours. Li Shangfu arrived in Delhi on Thursday to attend an important security summit the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence ministers meeting scheduled to be held a day later. This is the first visit by the Chinese defence minister to India since deadly border clashes in 2020, in which several Indian and Chinese soldiers were killed. According to Chinas defence ministry, Mr Li will address the summit in Delhi and meet with the heads of delegations from relevant countries to communicate and exchange views on the issues of the international and regional situation as well as defence and security cooperation. India became the chair of the SCO in 2023. The SCO is an eight-member multilateral organisation established on 15 June 2001 by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, according to its official website. In July 2015 in Russias Ufa, the SCO decided to admit India as a full member. On 9 June 2017, at the historic summit in Astana, India officially joined SCO as a full-member. The website mentions that the organisation was formed by China, Russia and four Central Asian countries in 2001 as a countermeasure to limit the influence of Western alliances such as Nato. India and Pakistan joined the group in 2017. The most recent confrontation between India and China took place in December last year at Tawang in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, in which India said its forces clashed with Chinese troops along the border. China claims the entirety of the state as its own and has renamed areas within the state as well, something that has been consistently rejected by India. Mr Li and Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh will also hold a bilateral meeting in Delhi, reports said. India is overtaking China as the worlds most populous country, the UN said this week but experts are split on whether the milestone is worth celebrating. There are doubts about whether the worlds largest democracy can reap its demographic dividend and match the economic trajectory of its neighbouring nuclear superpower. From conducting business with Russia as it invades Ukraine and attempting to placate the West as well as presiding over the Group of 20 nations, India has risen to become an important geopolitical decision-maker. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A policeman has been praised for pouncing on a gun-wielding man to save over 70 students who were held hostage in a classroom in India's eastern state of West Bengal. For two hours on Wednesday, students and teachers of a school in Malda district held their breath after a 44-year-old man walked into the seventh standard classroom with two firearms, a dagger and two bottles of suspected petrol bombs. The man, identified as Dev Ballav, threatened to kill the students if his demands were not met. He claimed that the Trinamool Congress government in the state and the police had kidnapped his estranged wife and son. "I will not hesitate to kill the students if I don't get my son and wife back, he said. "My wife and my son were kidnapped. I lodged several complaints with the police and administration. But no action was taken. "Even the media neglected my pleas to bring the issue to the public. If I do not get my wife and son back, I will empty the laps of many mothers, Mr Ballav said as he placed two bottles filled with petrol on the teacher's table. Shortly after, concerned parents and members of the press arrived at the spot. A large contingent of police were deployed as well. Azharuddin Khan, the deputy superintendent of police, entered the school in civilian clothes and posed as a journalist. He started engaging with the man and then lunged at him. Mr Khan then wrestled the man to the ground to disarm him quickly. Other policemen rushed inside the classroom and caught hold of Mr Ballav. The students were reportedly asked to walk out of the class and then Mr Ballav was brought outside. "He was trying to use his pistol when I jumped on him and overpowered him. I caught him by his wrist and moved his hand holding the pistol upwards so that even if he fired, the bullet would have hit the roof or wall," Mr Khan was quoted by The Telegraph as saying. District police chief Pradeep Kumar Yadav said Mr Ballav previously went live on social media, displaying firearms and other weapons. He was arrested and later released on bail. We have to interrogate him, said Mr Yadav. Mr Yadav said it was the first time in his 20 years of service that he witnessed such an incident. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who was holding an administrative meeting in Kolkata, complimented the police officer for averting the crisis. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Ten security officials and their driver were killed in India after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was used to blow up their vehicle in what was described by authorities as a Maoist attack. The Maoists emerged from a 1967 left-wing rebellion in the Naxalbari village of eastern West Bengal state, inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong. The rebels, called Maoist or Naxal fighters, have been clashing with the Indian government for more than four decades. The guerilla group claims to defend the rights of indegenous tribes as they attempt to overthrow the government in several states. The Indian government had previously referred to the Maoists as the countrys most serious internal security threat, although recent indicators have shown the force of the rebellion is on the wane. Wednesdays attack, the biggest one in the last two years, was carried out allegedly by Maoists in central Chhattisgarh states Dantewada district. Ten soldiers of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) a state force tasked to carry out anti-Maoist operations were returning from a security operation in a van. All the security personnel died when the IED was set off, destroying the vehicle and leaving a crater at the spot. Acting on information of Maoist presence in the area, an operation was conducted by the Deputy Inspector General. As they were returning to the Dantewada headquarters, the team was targeted by the Maoists, inspector general of police for Bastar range, Sundarraj P, told the Press Trust of India on Wednesday evening. Reinforcements of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and DRG have been sent to the spot. Search operations are underway and senior officers are there. The process of removing the bodies of the slain personnel is underway. A high alert was issued in the area on Thursday in the wake of the attack. Security forces were also asked to stay cautious, while moving in a vehicle and conducting de-mining exercises to detect IEDs, authorities said. Wednesdays attack was condemned by Indias federal government led by prime minister Narendra Modi. Strongly condemn the attack on the Chhattisgarh police in Dantewada, tweeted Mr Modi. I pay my tributes to the brave personnel we lost in the attack. Their sacrifice will always be remembered. My condolences to the bereaved families. Home minister Amit Shah offered his condolences and said help will be provided to Chhattisgarhs opposition ruled Congress government. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge tweeted that the fight against Naxalism in Chhattisgarh is in its last phase, our government will win in it. The attack has followed a pattern of previous major attacks on security forces that have taken place during the summer. The Naxals plan an annual tactical counter offensive campaign, in which they take tactical decisions and mobilise people to their cause and resources. Chhattisgarhs Bastar region, which comprises seven districts Kanker, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Bastar, Dantewada, Sukma and Bijapur has witnessed several deadly attacks on security forces during this time. Almost all major attacks by Maoists on security forces, including a massacre in April 2010, which was the deadliest Maoist attack on security forces. At least 76 CRPF personnel were killed during this time. The last major Maoist attack was in April 2021, when 22 security personnel were killed in a gunfight along the borders of the Bijapur and Sukma districts. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Thailands police have arrested a woman suspected of killing 12 friends and acquaintances using cyanide. Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn, 32, was this week arrested and charged with first-degree murder over the deaths, which happened over the span of several years. She came under suspicion following the death of her friend Siriporn Khanwong, 32, who collapsed during a trip with her to the western Thai province of Ratchaburi on 14 April. The two took part in a Buddhist protection ritual at a river and Siriporn died on the riverbank after collapsing, police said. Autopsy results detected traces of cyanide in her body and the cause of death was found as heart failure, police said. Police said phone, money and bags were also missing from the deceased woman and they found a bottle of cyanide in Ms Sararats possession during her arrest, according to Thailands The Nation. Following inquiries, police said she is believed to have killed other 11 people, including her ex-boyfriend, who suffered similar deaths. Investigators and forensic authorities are investigating other deaths to find evidence and a definite connection with Ms Sararat, police major-general Montri Theskhan, chief of the Crime Suppression Division, said on Wednesday. If the evidence shows she has committed other murders, then the suspect will fit the description of a serial killer, Maj-General Montri added. People familiar with the investigation told the Thai newspaper that police have compiled a list of 12 people who suffered similar unusual deaths and could be linked to Ms Sararat. They were aged between 33 to 44. Police said the victims include her former partner and two female police officers but did not identify the victims. Ms Sararats lawyer has said she denied all charges. They said Ms Sararat, who is pregnant, has suffered stress while under police custody for several hours. Police said the murders may have been motivated by financial reasons. In one of the most serious killing cases, which also inspired a Netflix docuseries The Serpent. Charles Sobhraj was convicted and linked to at least 20 murders in Thailand in which victims were drugged, beaten, looted and even burnt. He walked free in December last year after completing his sentence in Nepal for murdering two backpackers. Drought in the Horn of Africa is now around 100 times more likely to happen due to the human-caused climate crisis, according to a study published on Thursday. The region, comprising Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, is facing its most severe drought in four decades. More than 43,000 people died in Somalia alone last year due to the conditions, with half of the deaths in children under five. Some 36.4 million people are currently at risk of starvation. Safety at sea will be compromised after lighthouse workers voted for strike action in a dispute over pay, a union has warned. Unite the union said that its members employed by the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) are set to take historic strike action, with dates to be announced in due course. The union blamed the UK Government for the situation, saying that NLB is in effect being forced to offer a pitiful 2%, when other public sector workers have been offered significantly more. Why Buhari should sign bill The National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) on Monday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the bill seeking the removal of the dichotomy between HND and BSc holders in the country before leaving office on May 29th. The students threatened to shut down all polytechnics, colleges of technology, and allied institutions that award HNDs across Nigeria if Buhari doesn't assent to the bill in the next 14 days. The NAPS Deputy Senate President, Adeniji Temitope, in a statement, said Nigerian polytechnic students and alumni have been suffering challenges as a result of the dichotomy. The student body alleged that although Buhari had been signing numerous measures, the HND/BSc dichotomy bill had not been included. They, therefore, vowed to "occupy the Presidential Villa in Abuja and continue to cry until Buhari assents to the bill." "Polytechnic students and graduates are one of the major groups that supported and sustained the regime of the president. We shouldn't be treated like outcasts in our nation. Buhari should stop the HND/BSc dichotomy now and make it one of his major achievements," the statement said. This is coming two weeks after the Nigerian Association of Technologists in Engineering (NATE) also urged Mr President to assent to the bill. The National President of NATE, Dominic Udoatan, during a briefing in Abuja, asked, "What injury will anyone suffer if this particular bill is signed into law"? "I doubt if there is any, except for some people who do not want Nigeria to grow technologically. Those obstructing presidential assent on this bill are people who want us to remain an importing nation, and are not wishing the country well," he said. He said unfortunately, "efforts to abolish this ugly monster called the HND and BSC dichotomy in Nigeria have always been thwarted by enemies of technological advancement in Nigeria, who want the country to go down at all costs." "These self-centred persons with ill motives stay at a corner and constantly devise means of frustrating polytechnic education, technological breakthrough/development, and the technologists in our dear country," he said. "We wish to appeal to Mr President to assent to the bill before him. If the bill is graciously signed by the president, posterity will forever remember him," he said. While expressing the frustration felt by HND holders, the president said they see no need for the dichotomy, so it should be removed because there is no work progression. He said they start work, and after about 10 years in service, they will get to level 14 and then remain stagnant at the level for 20 years or more before retirement while degree holders progress. According to NATE, the present situation has made many parents unwilling to allow their children to seek admission into polytechnics because of the stigma of inferiority that polytechnic graduates are second-class citizens. The bill Meanwhile, a Bill for an act to abolish and prohibit dichotomy and discrimination between first-degree and higher national diploma in the same profession/field for the purpose of employment, and for related matters, was sent to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for assent on March 8, 2022, with reference No. NASS/CAN/37/NOL.1/58. This is still pending in the office of the president. The Bill for an ACT to Abolish HND and First-Degree Dichotomy was sponsored by Senator Patrick Ayo Akinyelure at the Red Chamber and it went through a public hearing, was passed on June 2, 2021, and the House of Representatives concurred on November 23, 2021. Before the bill was passed by the 9th Assembly, the issue of removing the dichotomy between HND and BSc lingered for a long time, generating protests from those affected and the government going forth and back. This is in spite of issuing circulars in regard to it but without taking any specific measures. Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, prohibits all forms of discrimination, while Articles 5 and 15 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights prohibit degrading workplace treatments: and provide for the right to work under equitable and satisfactory conditions, and equal pay for equal work. Yet the discrimination continues. The discrimination According to a document obtained by the Daily Trust issued by the Coalition of Higher National Diploma Stakeholders, made up of HND holders, polytechnic students, trade unions, and other associations, the discrimination is a colonial legacy that started when the colonial masters created two class structures for the public service in the 1950s. It said the upper class was for the Whites and Nigerian elite who were educated overseas, and thereafter this gesture extended to the University College Ibadan and later other universities. The lower class was for other Nigerian workers and those that were locally trained at the Departmental Training Schools (DTS), which later metamorphosed into the first generation of polytechnics. "Unfortunately, after independence, the public service maintained that colonial legacy and continued to discriminate against the products of polytechnics in the same way and manner the colonial masters treated the products of the Departmental Training Schools," the document reads. This, according to the document, is in spite of the upgrade of the mandate and curriculum of the polytechnics to award higher national diplomas at the Higher Education Conference and National Curriculum Conference in the late 60s and early 70s, respectively. However, this continued even after the HND was recognised and accorded higher education status by the National Policy on Education, the Polytechnic Act, the National Minimum Education Establishment Act, the National Youth Service Corps Act, and other policy decisions, such as the Government White Paper. Explaining the bone of contention, the President of the Higher National Diploma Holders Association of Nigeria (HNDHAN), Sabastine Onyemaobi, told Daily Trust that it was painful that an HND holder could not progress beyond GL14 in his/her workplace, irrespective of competence, saying, aside from that, there are other conditions, which he described as highly unjust and harsh. Though, according to Onyemaobi, all other areas of the white paper have been implemented, like the harmonisation of salaries in the civil service, it is only the issue of the HND that has not been implemented. He said some of the conditions for progression by HND holders include the acquisition of PGD and master's degrees in university, compulsory demotion, salary with no increment within the period of demotion, and a sluggish and reluctant conversion process that lingers for many years. Others are the denial/loss of many years of seniority in service and arbitrary placement in unsolicited strange cadres, thereby subjecting them to sub-professional cadres and the same career progression as holders of WAEC, OND, NCE etc. Efforts to end the dichotomy The federal government had in June 2006 set up a White Paper Drafting Committee on the Consolidation of Emoluments in the Public Sector to put an end to the dichotomy. The committee, which was made up of 17 members, was chaired by Malam Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai, then Minister of FCT, with members that included Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Ambassador Ahmed Al-Gazali and Mrs Esther Nenadi Usman, Prof. Charles Soludo, and Ibrahim Dankwambo among other personalities. The committee submitted the white paper, recommending that the government accept that the undue dichotomy and ceiling on the salary grade level/rank attainable by HND holders should be removed. "OND and its equivalent from any government-recognised institution should be regarded as a new minimum point of entry, and the current scheme of service should be reviewed to reflect the above recommendation," the document reads. On March 14, 2007, and June 6, 2008, respectively, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) reaffirmed that: "The HND certificate will remain a legal tender in Nigeria, and holders of such certificate will continue to be recognised as the equivalent of first-degree holders without discriminatory remunerations and limit to progression in the workplace." Daily Trust also obtained a Federal Establishments Circular 1974 -1980 dated May 2001 and signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Establishments, G. A. E. Longe, which integrated HND and BSc into the main cadre, but it was not implemented. It could be recalled that the federal government announced in June 2018 that the award of HND certificates by polytechnics had been scrapped. The decision was reached at the Federal Executive Council (FEC), where approval of a comprehensive reform of Nigeria's tertiary education system was given. It said in effect, the award of HND would be limited to only students currently admitted to the programmes. Also, all programmes currently run by polytechnics, that are not technology-based, and which are at about 70 per cent, would be scrapped. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Business Governance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Under the new rule, polytechnics would now become campuses of the proximate universities, with the vice-chancellors of those universities appointing provosts for the polytechnics, subject to the ratification of the university councils. The polytechnics would now be limited to the award of National Diploma (ND) while those desirous of further education would be awarded the Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) by proximate university. The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, told journalists that his ministry would, however, continue to licence private polytechnics and colleges of education for the award of qualifications at ND and National Certificate in Education (NCE) levels. He said, "After we have exhausted the current students under the programme, there will be no more awards of HND. This means that there will be no fresh admissions for HND programmes. And in addition, any programme that is not technical will be out of the polytechnics." Adamu further stated that, "The HND certificate will remain legal tender in Nigeria, and holders of such certificates will continue to be recognised as the equivalent of first-degree holders without discriminatory remunerations and limit to progression in the workplace." Meanwhile, the federal government, despite its commitment to removing the dichotomy between BSc and HND, said the dichotomy will remain until an ongoing review of the scheme of service is completed. Benefits of ending dichotomy According to the coalition of HND holders, if the bill is passed into law, it will positively impact almost every household in Nigeria and bring massive relief to millions of people who have been subjected to frustration due to discrimination. They noted that it will also propel the technological and industrial advancement of the country and enhance the capacity of both university and polytechnic systems to produce quality graduates. It will also end the colonial legacy of the class concept and certificate-based approach at work, among others. It will reduce unemployment, stringent emphasis on certificates will be reduced, and the population of students seeking admission into our universities for first-degree certificates will be drastically reduced, while technological education/technological advancement will be enhanced for the benefit of the nation, NATE also said. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Florence Pugh has hinted at what her outfit for her first Met Gala will be. In a joint interview with Valentinos creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli for The New York Times, Pugh opened up about attending the upcoming event with the designer. When asked if her dress is going to surprise people, the actor confessed that it was going to be big. She also spoke candidly about the pressure shes prepared to feel when posing on the Metropolitan Museum of Arts red steps. But we like big, dont we? the Dont Worry Darling star said. When Im on those red carpets, there is so much pressure because youre either selling a movie or trying to make a moment. Theyre nerve-racking. Pugh went on to note what fashion means to her and how excited she is to appear at the event in her outfit, despite what other people may think about it. The whole point is that you are expressing yourself with what you are wearing, she said. Every time I step out in whatever dress, thats a version of me that Im really proud of. So it doesnt matter if people dont necessarily like it. She emphasised that she doesnt need people to love her style, adding: I dont think anything that I do has to be 100 percent loved. Things being up for debate is good. It means people are interested. The Good Person star also acknowledged that glamour that will come with attending her first Met Gala, which includes posing for pictures. And people who know how to pose and walk, and youre like, oh my god, Im so out of my depth, she said. Despite the pressure she may feel at the star-studded event, Pugh still addressed how excited she is to walk alongside Piccioli during it, who helped create her outfit. But to have this person with you who designed the dress after talking and planning and creating for months takes away 30, 40 percent of the fear, she said. The idea is to be as bold as possible. I love the power that it gives me. I love how it sparks conversation. Piccioli agreed with the actors sentiments and opened up about being her designer, adding: You create objects that have to be worn by someone. And Florence is the person that makes sense of what I am doing. The theme of the 2023 Met Gala will be Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty. It will also pay homage to the late designer through its dress code: In honour of Karl. According to Vogue, there are wondrous ways that guests can salute one of fashions greats. For example, the magazine explained that the most authentic approach would be to wear an archival look from one of the labels Lagerfeld led. While Lagerfeld was known as the creative director for Chanel, he also did work with brands like Valentino and Chloe. While Pugh is opting for a look by Valentino for Mondays big event, this wont be her first time working with the brand. In August 2022, she made headlines for her sheer pink dress by the fashion house, which showcased her nipples. During her conversation with The New York Times, she reflected on the widespread criticism that she faced over her look and how she was caught off guard by it. I did have a lot of positive comments, but I was surprised that people felt they were allowed to be really awful and say some disgusting things because of me showing my nipples, she said. Even though the dress was daring, it wasnt in any way gratuitous. It wasnt over-sexualized. It was basically this beautiful dress and this beautiful fabric, showing off whatever it was that I had underneath. She emphasised her shock about the criticism, as she addressed her decision to hit back at it on social media last year. I just could not wrap my head around the fact that showing my breasts was causing such anger to the point where people were saying that if I got hurt, I deserved it, Pugh added. That was why I had to comment. When addressing the criticism on Instagram in July 2022, she wrote: So many of you wanted to aggressively let me know how disappointed you were by my tiny t***, or how I should be embarrassed by being so flat chested. However, the Midsommar star explained that not a wink of [her] was nervous to wear the gown before, during or even now after being body shamed. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Florence Pugh has revealed the reason why she responded to body-shaming comments about her sheer Valentino dress. The British actor, who was recently named Valentinos newest brand ambassador, opened up about the backlash she faced when she decided to wear a transparent pink Valentino gown to the labels haute couture show in Rome last July. In an interview with the New York Times published on 26 April, Pugh shared that she was surprised by the negative reaction the dress received. I did have a lot of positive comments, but I was surprised that people felt they were allowed to be really awful and say some disgusting things because of me showing my nipples, she told the Times. Nearly one year later, the Dont Worry Darling star has maintained that the tulle sheer dress which showed Pughs breasts wasnt sexual at all. Even though the dress was daring, it wasnt in any way gratuitous. It wasnt over-sexualised, she said. It was basically this beautiful dress and this beautiful fabric, showing off whatever it was that I had underneath. I just could not wrap my head around the fact that showing my breasts was causing such anger to the point where people were saying that if I got hurt, I deserved it. That was why I had to comment. Following the backlash, Pugh issued a statement on social media after so many of you wanted to aggressively let me know how disappointed you were by my tiny t***, or how I should be embarrassed by being so flat chested. Pugh told her critics that not a wink of me was nervous to wear the gown before, during or even now after being bodyshamed. Whats been interesting to watch and witness is just how easy it is for men to totally destroy a womans body, publicly, proudly, for everyone to see, she wrote, adding, It isnt the first time and certainly wont be the last time a woman will hear whats wrong with her body by a crowd of strangers. Whats worrying is just how vulgar some of you men can be. Pugh went on to say that shes comfortable with the intricacies of my body and content with all of the flaws I couldnt bear to look at when I was 14, before calling out her critics. Ive lived in my body for a long time. Im fully aware of my breast size and am not scared of it, she wrote. Whats more concerning is Why are you so scared of breasts? Small? Large? Left? Right? Only one? Maybe none? What. Is. So. Terrifying. The 27-year-old actor went on to defend her controversial Valentino dress numerous times, most recently when she appeared on the cover of Vogues January 2023 issue. While addressing criticism over her decision to wear the sheer gown, Pugh said it was the problem of body shamers if they were offended. Ive never been scared of whats underneath the fabric, she told Vogue. If Im happy in it, then Im gonna wear it. Of course, I dont want to offend people, but I think my point is: How can my nipples offend you that much? Speaking to Harpers Bazaar in August, Pugh also claimed the backlash was largely because it aggravated [people] that [she] was comfortable with her breasts. I was comfortable with my small breasts. And showing them like that it aggravated [people] that I was comfortable, she said. The Little Women star acknowledged that she knew her outfit choice would draw attention, considering she and designer Pierpaolo Piccioli had decided to remove the lining of the dress to make it completely transparent. It was just alarming, how perturbed they were, she added. They were so angry that I was confident, and they wanted to let me know that they would never w**k over me. Well, dont. On 26 April, Florence Pugh was announced as the new face of Valentino. In a campaign photographed by Steven Meisel, the actor posed with various Valentino Rockstud handbags as she made a variety of expressions for the camera. As you can see...Im pretty shocked and ecstatic to announce that my @maisonvalentino campaign is here, Pugh captioned an Instagram post announcing her new partnership. Truly an honour to continue creating art with my family at Valentino. Working with talented people is one thing, but to work with talented people who are great friends feeds the soul! And this campaign truly did feed the soul. Thank you for letting me be me, she wrote. The Midsommar actor has rocked a number of jaw-dropping Valentino looks over the years. She recently sat front-row at Valentinos fall 2023 show at Paris Fashion Week, where she sported another see-through ensemble. Pugh turned heads when she arrived at the Venice Film Festival premiere of Dont Worry Darling in a dramatic black tulle gown from Valentinos fall/winter 2022-2023 Haute Couture collection. She even walked the champagne carpet at the 2023 Oscars wearing a beige, strapless taffeta dress from Valentino. The bold fashion moment, complete with a flowing train and ruffled sleeves, was also the inspiration behind many viral memes of the night. Florence Pugh is expected to cement her relationship with the Italian fashion house at the Met Gala 2023, which takes place on 1 May at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Not only will it be Pughs first-ever Met Gala, but shell also attend with Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli as her date. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The Met Gala 2023 has arrived. Ahead of the star-studded event, there was one question that many people were asking about this years guest list: Were the Kardashians invited? Members of the Kardashian-Jenner family have been a mainstay at the Met Gala for the last 10 years. Just last year, six members of the famous clan attended the red carpet event together. However, a report from Page Six in March claimed that the reality stars have not received an invitation to the 2023 Met Gala, whose theme this year is Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty. Notably, Kim Kardashian, Kendall and Kylie Jenner all walked the Met Gala carpet this year. Kim wore a pearl look by Schiaparelli. The gown included a draped skirt and top made from over 50,000 freshwater pearls and over 16,000 crystals. Kendall wore a black butt-baring leotard with a matching cape by Marc Jacobs while Kylie wore a red Jean Paul Gaultier asymmetric dress with a matching two-toned robe. Kim confirmed shed be attending this years Met Gala in an April Instagram post featuring none other than Karl Lagerfelds cat, Choupette. Had a date with @choupetteofficiel in Paris, she captioned the post, which featured photos and video of Kardashian with Lagerfelds famous feline. We then spent some time at @karllagerfelds office to get a little inspiration for the Met. Photos in her Instagram post also showed Kardashian preparing for her Met Gala look, which is likely to be inspired by Lagerfelds archival looks from his time as creative director of Fendi or Chanel. There had been much speculation over whether the famous Kardashian-Jenner clan would be invited to the annual fashion event, which takes place every first Monday in May. Earlier this year, reports seemed to indicate the Kardashians didnt make the cut because Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, who is in charge of the guest list, was allegedly cracking down on who can attend the exclusive event. However, a source close to the Kardashian family told Page Six that the rumours werent true. Another source told Page Six on 13 April that Kim would indeed attend alongside another unnamed member of the Kardashian-Jenner family. We now know that was both Kendall and Kylie. Kendalls appearance is less than shocking considering the supermodel has attended the Costume Institutes fundraiser since 2014. The 27-year-old model also posed for the cover of Vogues May 2023 issue, which pays tribute to legendary designer Karl Lagerfeld ahead of this years Met Gala. Jenner was among 10 models enlisted for the cover, including Gigi Hadid, Naomi Campbell, Anok Yai and Devon Aoki. Since 1995, the exclusive Met Gala guest list has been carefully presided over by Wintour. Tickets for the annual event which raises money for the Metropolitan Museum of Arts Costume Institute go for $30,000 (23,000), while tables cost $275,000 (211,000). Kim attended her first Met Gala in 2013 alongside then-husband, Kanye West. The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star, who was pregnant with North West at the time, hit the red carpet in a floral Givenchy dress. Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West attend the 2019 Met Gala (Getty Images for The Met Museum) Kendall made her Met Gala debut the following year wearing a satin, custom made Topshop dress with Chopard jewellery. Kim and Kendall were joined by their famous momager Kris Jenner in 2015, while Kylie first walked the Met Gala steps in 2016 wearing Balmain. Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian attend the 2022 Met Gala (Getty Images) Last year, sisters Khloe Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian Barker attended the Met Gala for the first time. The Poosh founder arrived with her then-fiance, Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, where they gave their obligatory kiss for the cameras. Meanwhile, the Good American designer donned a gold Moschino gown for her first Met Gala. Kylie Jenner and Kendall Jenner attend the 2019 Met Gala (Getty Images) Despite attending the 2022 Met Gala, rumours circulated that Khloe Kardashian was allegedly banned from the fashion event. However, the reality star has since shut down speculation that she was forbidden from the Met Gala on Twitter. In September 2021, a fan tagged Khloe and tweeted, "Khloe now that you are online please tell [if] the Met Gala rumours are true, adding: "Please clarify, thank you." "Absolutely NOT true," she replied. Kim turned heads at last years Met Gala when she wore a bedazzled sheer beige floor-length gown previously worn by Marilyn Monroe. According to Vogue, the Skims mogul came up with the idea to wear the gown during the previous years Met Gala, which celebrated the first part of the theme: In America: An Anthology of Fashion. This year, celebrities and fashion lovers gathered at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to honour the late Karl Lagerfeld. In September 2022, Vogue announced that the theme of the 2023 event will be Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, which will examine the life of the late designers fashion legacy. Along with Vogues editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, there will be four co-chairs of the event: Dua Lipa, Michaela Coel, Penelope Cruz, and Roger Federer, as announced by the publication on 18 January. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Gigi Paris appears to have confirmed rumours that she and actor Glen Powell have ended their relationship of three years. On Wednesday, the model seemingly alluded to the split reports on Instagram, where she posted a video of herself walking down a street along with the caption: Know your worth and onto the next. She later shared a friends Instagram story of a dinner party, with the caption: New beginnings. In addition to the cryptic captions, Paris has unfollowed her longtime boyfriend on Instagram, according to UsWeekly. At the time of writing, Paris does not follow Powell, although the Set It Up star still follows Paris. The social media hints appear to have convinced fans of Paris, with many applauding her in the comments under her recent post. Good for you, someone else out there will treat you better, one person commented, while another fan said: Yes girl, you deserve better #TeamGigi. As of now, neither Paris nor Powell have publicly confirmed they have ended their relationship. The Independent has contacted representatives for both for comment. Paris decision to unfollow Powell on Instagram comes after she also reportedly unfollowed his Anyone But You costar Sydney Sweeney this week. The move came amid speculation about Sweeney and Powells relationship, as the two actors promote their forthcoming movie. (Getty Images) Sweeney, who is engaged to Chicago-based restauranter, Jonathan Davino, appeared to poke fun at the infidelity rumours on Monday, when she was seen wearing a black and white crop top emblazoned with the phrase: Kiss the boys and make them cry in an Instagram video shared by hairstylist Glen Oropeza and makeup artist Melissa Hernandez. Paris and the Top Gun: Maverick star have been dating since 2020, with the 30-year-old model previously sharing her support for the news Sweeney and Powell would be starring alongside one another in the rom-com. In the comments of a post announcing the casting shared by Powell in January, Paris posted three fire emojis. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Prince Andrew threw a curveball at BBC producers by bringing his daughter Beatrice to negotiations for his fateful Newsnight interview, the shows producer has claimed. Channel 4s two-part film Andrew: The Problem Prince, promises to tell you everything you need to know about [the] Prince Andrew interview where he was questioned over his links to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. In episode two of The Problem Prince, which will air on Monday 8 May, presenter Maitlis and Newsnight producer Sam McAlister reveal that Andrew told them he was bringing someone along to early discussions around the interview. While the team expected he would bring someone from his legal team, they were stunned when he turned up with Princess Beatrice. [Andrew says] Ive brought someone with me and in my head Im thinking lawyer because that would have been quite sensible, frankly instead, around the corner comes his daughter, Princess Beatrice, McAlister said. That was really quite a curveball of curveballs. Can you imagine being in Buckingham Palace about to talk to a member of the royal family about sexual offenses? Thats pretty tricky. And now Ive got to do it in front of his daughter. Maitlis said that it had crossed her mind that Prince Andrew might have agreed to do the Newsnight interview for his daughters sake. Its the first time the thought crossed my mind that maybe he was doing it for her, she said. Your life has been hellish. Youve had to read these headlines. Youre trying to get married. Im going to do this to make it better for you. I dont know if thats true, but it crossed my mind. Prince Andrew was so happy with how the interview went that he invited Maitlis to a movie night at Buckingham Palace (BBC/PA) Prince Andrew was accused by Virginia Giuffre of sexually abusing her when she was 17. Andrew has vehemently denied the accusations. He reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre in February 2022. In the interview, Andrew made comments about his inability to sweat during a period in his life and claimed he could not have been with Guiffre on 10 March 2001 because he was at Pizza Express in Woking with his two daughters. Elsewhere in the film, Maitlis recalled that Andrew was so pleased with how the interview went that he invited her and McAlister to a movie night at the palace. This is how I know that Prince Andrew is happy with the interview because he stayed chatting. He seemed very jolly, said Maitilis. He looked euphoric because he thought it had gone really well, added McAlister. Maitilis recalled being overwhelmed by the whole interview, and the fact that she had been invited to have a cinema evening at the palace. A whole load of people came in and I said, Whats going on? They said, Okay, Thursday evenings we have the cinema night at the Palace. You can stay if you want. And at that point, I just thought, Ive got to get away from here, said Maitlis. I needed the space to work out what just happened. Andrew: The Problem Prince, airs on 1 May and 8 May at 9pm on Channel 4. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The late Queen Elizabeth IIs reaction to the Duke of Yorks catastrophic BBC Newsnight interview has been revealed in a new Channel 4 documentary. Prince Andrew was interviewed in 2019 by Emily Maitlis over his links to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. After the programme was broadcast, the duke stepped down from public duties and has remained largely out of the spotlight ever since. In the new documentary Andrew: The Problem Prince, which will air on Monday 1 May at 9pm, Maitlis and Newsnight producer Sam McAlister recall details surrounding the infamous interview, which took place after Epstein died in jail. Speaking in the second episode of the new two-part documentary, Maitlis claims that the monarch who died in September 2022 realised that the interview was a mistake before the duke did. She said: It was only on the Saturday when the Queen had reportedly read the whole transcript that he received a tap on the shoulder by his security detail. And they said, I think, Sir, you might have to come with us. It was after the Queen had seen what the interview contained that I think it dawned on her before it dawned on him. At the time of his death, the disgraced financier had been awaiting trial for allegedly recruiting dozens of teenage girls to take part in sexual acts with him and his friends. It emerged that Andrew had a friendship with Epstein. He was accused of sexual abuse by one of the billionaires victims, Virginia Giuffre. The duke vehemently denies all the allegations and maintains that he has never met Giuffre. During the no-holds-barred Newsnight interview, he told Maitlis that he had no recollection of ever meeting her and dismissed some of her allegations by claiming he could not sweat, after she claimed he had been profusely sweating during their alleged encounter. Other extraordinary claims that were made by Andrew in the programme included that he could not have had sex with Giuffre on the night he was accused of doing so because he had taken his daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, to a Pizza Express in Woking. The royal is interviewed by Emily Maitlis for Newsnight (PA) Previously, Maitlis claimed that the late Queen had given the duke her approval to carry out the interview. In an article in The Times, she wrote that Andrew told her he would have to seek approval from higher up as they were in the final stages of securing the interview. The following day, she said they received confirmation that Her Majesty was on board. Elsewhere in the programme, McAlister revealed that Andrew was accompanied by Beatrice during the final negotiations before the interview. He recalled: [Andrew says], Ive brought someone with me and in my head Im thinking lawyer, because that would have been quite sensible, frankly. Instead around the corner comes his daughter, Princess Beatrice. That was really quite a curve ball of curve balls. Can you imagine being in Buckingham Palace about to talk to a member of the royal family about sexual offences? Thats pretty tricky. And now Ive got to do it in front of his daughter. Since 2019, Andrew has been stripped of his military titles, royal patronages and HRH style with the Queens approval and agreement. (PA) He reached a multi-million pound settlement with Giuffre over the sexual abuse claim in February 2022, including damages to Giuffre and a donation to charity in support of victims rights. He also said he regretted his association with Epstein. Last week, his ex-wife, the Duchess of York said that the spotlight needs to come off the duke so he can rebuild his life. Sarah Ferguson, who still lives with Andrew in Royal Lodge and remains close to him despite their divorce in 1996, told Good Morning Britain: With Prince Andrew, hes such a good man. Hes a kind good man, she said. And I think the spotlight needs to come off him and let him get on with his life to rebuild. She added that he is a very good grandfather to his grandchildren. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A video capturing Prince Harrys charming debut on the Buckingham Palace balcony has resurfaced amidst news that only working royals will appear on the Palace balcony for King Charles IIIs coronation. In 1987, a two-year-old Prince Harry warmed hearts when he made his first-ever appearance on the balcony at Buckingham Palace during Trooping the Colour celebrations. Now, a TikTok video of the archival footage has gone viral with more than two million views since it was posted last week. In the clip, which was posted by @lady_frances1997, the royal family can be seen making their annual appearance on the balcony, where they celebrate Trooping the Colour each June. The video shows members of the royal family including the late Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, the then-Prince of Wales and Princess Margaret waving to the crowds from the balcony before returning inside the Palace. At the foreground of the balcony is Princess Diana, dressed in a white suit jacket with a matching skirt and white hat, alongside a toddler Harry, whose face can barely be seen above the balcony. The mother of two then picks up her youngest son and asks him to wave to the crowd. The two-year-old, wearing a white collared shirt and baby blue shorts, gives a big wave to the audience which prompts loud cheers from the audience. Little prince charming, the TikTok user captioned the viral clip. Little prince Harry delighted the crowd as he waved to them. Stealing the show, another user pointed out in the comments. So sweet, said someone else. And now hes not allowed up there, a third person wrote. The Duke of Sussex would go on to steal the show at Trooping the Colour the following year, when a three-year-old Prince Harry stuck out his tongue. More than 35 years later, the royal family will stand on the Buckingham Palace balcony once again to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on Saturday 6 May. In the past, the royal balcony appearances have featured the late Queen Elizabeth II surrounded by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. However, King Charles coronation ceremony is expected to be a slimmed-down service with a much smaller number of royals standing on the balcony. Britain Platinum Jubilee The Balcony (AP1988) Prior to the Duke of Sussex confirming his attendance at his fathers coronation, it was reported that only working members of the royal family will appear on the balcony on the day of the coronation. According to The Mirror, the King has chosen 15 of his closest and most loyal family members to appear on the balcony with him. The Prince and Princess of Wales are expected to stand beside Charles and Camilla, alongside their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. In addition, the Princess Royal and her husband, Sir Tim Laurence, will likely appear alongside the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. A source told the publication that there is little room for sentiment on the balcony, and several members of the royal family have not been invited to appear, including the Duke and Duchess of Sussex who stepped down as senior working royals in 2020. The King has been very clear who he wants to represent the monarchy, the source said. There is little room for sentiment, this is a state occasion, not a family occasion and it is right that only the working members of the family are there at the big public moment. Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Prince William and Kate Middleton watch the RAF 100th anniversary flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace in July 2018 (Getty Images) On 12 April, it was announced that the Duke of Sussex will attend King Charles IIIs coronation at Westminster Abbey on 6 May without his wife Meghan Markle, who will stay in California with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that the Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on 6 May, the Palace said in a statement. The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. The news comes after months of speculation over whether Prince Harry would attend the ceremony after the release of his tell-all memoir, Spare, in January. It was previously reported that Harry was seeking an apology from his father, Charles, and his brother, the Prince of Wales, before he made any commitment to the ceremony. Harry had also said in an interview that the door is always open for reconciliation. Close Hugh Grant arrives at High Court ahead of Prince Harrys privacy trial against NGN Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} With less than one week until the coronation of King Charles III, millions of people around the world have been invited to participate in the ceremony next Saturday 6 May. Members of the public watching the coronation have been asked to cry out and swear allegiance to the new King, marking the first time they have been given an active role in the ancient ceremony. During the ceremony, the Archbishop will ask all persons of goodwill in The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of the other Realms and the Territories to make their homage, in heart and voice, to their undoubted King, defender of all. As preparations for the coronation continue in full swing, a full list of people taking part in ceremonial roles during the ceremony has also been released. Meanwhile, the Duchess of Sussexs father Thomas Markle has given an interview in which he declared he would not be buried by her, and claimed they had not spoken in four years. Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Health Check email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} This weekends nurses strike will be cut short after the High Court ruled part of the walkout was unlawful. Tens of thousands of nurses had planned to finish the 48-hour strike at 8pm on 2 May, but will now end the walkout at midnight on 1 May after the government brought action against the Royal College of Nursing. Health secretary Steve Barclay claimed he had been forced to bring the action after NHS Employers, which represents hospitals, asked him to check the legality of the walkout. His lawyers successfully argued that the strike mandate secured on 2 November, which is valid for six months, expired just before midnight on 1 May and therefore had no democratic legitimacy. Speaking outside the Royal Courts of Justice following the ruling on Thursday, RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said it was the darkest day of the dispute so far. They [the government] have won their legal [action] today. But what this has led to is they have lost nursing and theyve lost the public, she said. Theyve taken the most trusted profession through the courts, by the least trusted people. And what a day for nursing. What a day for patients. And what an indictment on this government to do this to the very people that have held this NHS together, not just through the pandemic, but an NHS that has been run into the ground and in crisis, caused by this government. She said nurses who are in a dispute with the government over pay would no longer strike on 2 May but would continue with the planned action on 30 April and 1 May. The union is not allowing for any services to be exempt, meaning nurses in A&E and critical care may walk out. Ms Cullen has previously urged ministers to resume negotiations after RCN members rejected a 5 per cent pay offer. She criticised Mr Barclay and the government for clapping for nurses only to leave the NHS to crumble. Mr Barclay welcomed the decision. He said: I firmly support the right to take industrial action within the law but the government could not stand by and let plainly unlawful strike action go ahead. Both the NHS and my team tried to resolve this without resorting to legal action, but unfortunately, following a request from NHS Employers, we took this step with regret to protect nurses by ensuring they are not asked to take part in an unlawful strike. Following the hearing, Downing Street said it was regrettable the government had to take legal action against the RCN. Rishi Sunaks official spokesperson said: I think, firstly, it is obviously regrettable that it had to come to court action in the first instance. The government never wanted to take this to court. We did indeed try every possible way to avoid a court case. The NHS presented the RCN with clear legal evidence that their planned strike for May 2 was unlawful. We asked them to call it off. The RCN refused. Thats why the NHS asked the government to intervene and seek the view of the court. According to reports in the Health Service Journal, Cambridge University Hospital officials warned staff it would only have one nurse per ward amid severe shortages during the strike. Despite concerns over safety from the NHS, multiple hospital chiefs told The Independent this week they were not consulted about the legal action and suggested it was unhelpful. In response to the action, one chief executive said: I received no approach for an opinion over the legal challenge. Its unnecessary sabre rattling. There should be some good old fashioned 1970s-style negotiations instead of this public willy waggling. Several chief nurses also said they were not consulted, with one warning the action misses the point. Another told The Independent: The government should be spending time negotiating, not taking the RCN through the courts. All it will do is stiffen the resolve of nurses for the next ballot. If no new pay deal is agreed ahead of the strike this weekend, the RCN will have to re-ballot members to gain a new mandate for any further walk-outs this year. Mr Justice Linden said in his ruling that Thursdays hearing was over an interpretation of the law, with it not being the courts role to enter into the competing positions of the pay dispute. He said he took into account the interests of the public including those who may require treatment on Tuesday. Earlier, the governments barrister Andrew Burns KC accused the RCN of being incompetent when looking at the calendar and warned that nurses were at risk of regulatory sanction if they take unlawful strike action. In written submissions, he said the health secretary sought an urgent declaration that the RCNs threatened inducement of its members to breach their contracts of employment by participating in industrial action on May 2 2023 is unlawful. Lawyers for the RCN failed to attend the High Court. The judge said it was a concern and ordered the union to pay 35,000 of legal costs. Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, said: The RCN could and should have resolved this significant issue of the legality of its strike sooner. More than a week ago now NHS Employers approached the RCN to query whether its mandate for strike action expired at midnight on May 1 2023, and not the May 2 they had appeared to suggest. The RCN vigorously rejected our assertion and we were left with no choice but to ask the secretary of state to seek the view of the courts. Clarity has now been achieved, not least for RCN members, and the judge has confirmed the position we set out last week: any strike action occurring on May 2 would be illegal. Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive of NHS Providers, urged the RCN and government to negotiate after six months of strike action, including by junior doctors, led to the cancellation of 530,000 patient appointments. He said: Nobody in the NHS wants more strikes ratcheting up already severe pressure on services, including chronic staff shortages. The shortened RCN strike, due to start on Sunday evening, for the first time includes nursing staff in emergency departments, intensive care and cancer care, posing unprecedented risks and challenges for trust leaders and staff who will pull out all the stops to minimise disruption and keep patients safe. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Prime Minister Rishi Sunak declared that Britain and Italy are very aligned in values as he welcomed far-right Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni on Thursday for talks focused on migration, defense and the war in Ukraine. While Sunak meets leaders of all political stripes from around the world, he had notably warm words as he greeted Meloni at 10 Downing St., the British leaders official residence. The Conservative prime minister praised Melonis very careful handling of the Italian economy. I think the values between our two countries are very aligned, which is why we can work so well together on shared challenges, whether its responding to Putins illegal invasion in Ukraine, where again I pay tribute to your leadership, but also tackling illegal migration, which is something that is common to both of us, Sunak said. The two governments share an interest in stopping migrants reaching their countries by boat. Sunaks administration is passing a bill through Parliament that will deny the right to asylum to anyone who arrives in the U.K. without permission. The legislation has been condemned by refugee groups and the United Nations human rights body. The government also plans to send migrants who arrive by boat on a one-way trip to Rwanda, an equally controversial plan that is being blocked by legal challenges. Meloni, whose far-right Brothers of Italy party leads Italys right-wing coalition government, has led a crackdown on people-smugglers and on rescue ships operated by charities that she says encourage migrants to risk dangerous voyages from north Africa across the Mediterranean. Meloni told Sunak that tackling traffickers and illegal migration is something that your government is doing very well. Im following your work and I absolutely agree with your work and I think there are many things that we can do together. Meloni said there is much more that we can do on many topics on which we are on the same side defense, Ukraine. Unlike some far-right populists in the West, Meloni has taken a strongly pro-NATO, pro-European position on Russias war in Ukraine. After their meeting the two leaders were due to have a private tour of Westminster Abbey, where King Charles III will be crowned on May 6. A group of protesters gathered outside the gates of Downing Street as the leaders met, holding signs that read No to fascist Meloni and chanting: Refugees in, Meloni out. The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has accused the president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, of being unfit to contest for the office of president. In a further reply to Tinubu's preliminary objection to his petition challenging the outcome of the February 25 presidential election before the Presidential Elections Petitions Tribunal, Atiku maintained that unlike Tinubu, his true identity, age, state of origin and educational qualifications have never been in dispute. Tinubu had in the reply asked the tribunal to dismiss Atiku's petition, contending that he had no right whatsoever to be returned as winner of the election having lost successive presidential elections in Nigeria since 1993. "Further to (iv) supra, it was/is not a surprise and/or not by accident that the electorate rejected the 1st petitioner (Atiku) at the polls of the presidential election held on 25th February, 2023," Tinubu averred. In the response filed by his lead counsel, Chris Uche (SAN), Atiku insisted that the declaration of Tinubu as president-elect cannot stand because he holds dual citizenship of Nigeria and Guinea, "having voluntarily acquired the citizenship of the Republic of Guinea." Similarly, Atiku accused Tinubu of not disclosing facts of his constitutional qualifications in his Form EC9 submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), contrary to the provisions of the law. Atiku alleged that Tinubu is unfit to lead Nigeria having been indicted for drug-related offences in the United States of America and made to forfeit a sum of $460,000 as a compromise agreement. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Legal Affairs Governance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Justifying his request for the annulment of the declaration of Tinubu as president-elect, Atiku said Tinubu and APC never won a majority of the lawful votes cast in the election, adding that he failed to meet the constitutional requirement of securing 25% of the votes cast in the FCT. Atiku countered Tinubu's submission that the PDP is in abuse of court process by maintaining two processes in respect of the February 25 election, following a suit of February 28 by six PDP governors of Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo and Sokoto states challenging the failure of INEC to transmit the results of the elections through the BVAS and IREV as leaving the substance to dwell on extraneous facts, contradictory, evasive, speculative and vague issues. He said the six states' suit, which has been discontinued, and his petition are not the same. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Media outlets all over the world have announced plans for coverage of the Kings coronation in anticipation of the historic event. Despite time differences, networks in the US, Canada and Australia, said they are planning special broadcast schedules in the run up and on the day of the event on May 6. US network ABC will begin its coverage of the coronation at 5am eastern time (10am UK time) on its main channel and streaming on ABC News Live. Coverage will be fronted by Good Morning America (GMA) co-anchor Michael Strahan, who will be supported by a host of special foreign correspondents. The ABC team will be live in London from May 4 to highlight last-minute presentations, the crown jewels and the roles of the royal children and military services. ABC News Digital and GMA Digital will also have coverage throughout the week leading up to the coronation, including a live-blog, royal moments and fashion. Historic moments from the late Queens coronation in 1953, a look back at Charles environmental work and reception of the coronation throughout the Caribbean Commonwealth will also feature in the broadcasters package. Other major US outlets including Fox News, CNN and CBS are also expected to provide coverage. In Canada, coverage is set to start an hour earlier at 4am local time on the day. Canadian network CBCs Adrienne Arsenault will be hosting coverage of the coronation, with viewers able to watch it on CBC Television, CBC News Network, CBC Gem and CBC News Explore. A CBC Radio special, hosted by John Northcott and Nahlah Ayed, will begin at 5:30am eastern time. A ceremony held in Canadas own capital of Ottawa to mark the occasion will also be covered in a special programme, hosted by Rosemary Barton. The following day, CBC Radios Cross Country Checkup will air live from London. Australian news corporation ABC issued its coverage plans, inviting viewers to witness history unfold live as centuries of tradition and pageantry play out in London. ABC will show a full day of coverage on May 6, taking place from 5pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST). A preview of the event will be shown, with ongoing coverage of arrivals until 7pm when the Kings Procession and service will begin. Following the service, the procession from Westminster will be shown as well as footage from the Buckingham Palace Balcony, which is scheduled for 10.30pm AEST. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The UKs commitment to Ukraine is flagging, Labour has suggested. Shadow defence secretary John Healey sought assurances in the Commons over support for munitions, the countrys recovery, and Ukrainian families in the UK, saying he was concerned that momentum is faltering. Defence minister Andrew Murrison said the suggestion was just a little bit unfair, and insisted when it comes to support for Ukraine the UK is leading in Europe. Asking an urgent question in the Commons, Mr Healey said all eyes are on Sudan as the Government seeks to evacuate British nationals, but the Government has got to be able to do more than one thing at once. Mr Healey told MPs: I am concerned that the momentum behind our military help is faltering and that our UK commitment to Ukraine is flagging. No statement on Ukraine from the Defence Secretary since January, no new weapons pledged to Ukraine since February, no 2023 action plan for Ukraine first promised last August, no priorities set for the Ukraine recovery conference in London in June. Now, the Prime Minister said in February that the UK would be the first country to provide Ukraine with longer-range weapons. What and when? Mr Healey asked for clarity on UK commitments, adding: Five thousand Ukrainian families were registered homeless last month who is sorting this out? He said: The British public are strongly behind Ukraine. They want to know that the Government is not weakening in its resolve. Mr Murrison pushed back against Labours claims, telling the Commons: I think (Mr Healey) is being just a little bit unfair, and Im sure President Zelensky would feel the same way he certainly did when he came here in February to sign the London Accord. It is pretty clear that the UK is leading in Europe the Ukraine recovery conference in June proves that, its a process the UK has been instrumental in. We led the International Fund for Ukraine in instigating it and 520 million, of which 300 million has been expended, is really quite an achievement. Mr Murrison said the UK is helping to pursue war crimes linked to the conflict, adding: In every dimension, in this country were taking a lead. I appreciate (Mr Healeys) need to attack the Government in this and other areas, but I think the specifics of this, in our leadership in Europe, in Ukraine, the UK is more than playing its part we are leaders and Im really proud of that, and so should the British people be. Mr Murrison, added: The UK will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes and will spend another 2.3 billion on military support to Ukraine this year. Labour MP Gareth Thomas (Harrow West) asked whether the MoD is now walking back from the Prime Ministers commitment to offer further long-range missiles, and asked for clarity on how many more long-range missiles will be provided to Ukraine. Mr Murrison did not explicitly affirm or deny the suggestion, but said munitions support was discussed in meetings with allied nations, and he noted the role of a British-led international fund to provide weapons. He said: Our provision of munitions, in concert with others, is driven by the Ukrainian ask and our ability to deliver it. That is something that was discussed at Ramstein and will be discussed obviously further at Vilnius and subject to the second round of the international fund call. He added: I think its important to understand that a lot of that will be driven by the executive panel of the international fund, and obviously it will listen very closely to what President Zelensky and his advisers feels they need. Almost three quarters of people in Scotland do not care about the forthcoming coronation of the King, according to research. The YouGov poll also found that less than half (46%) think that Britain should continue to have a monarchy in future, while 40% said it should have an elected head of state instead and 14% do not know. The poll of 1,032 people in Scotland, carried out between April 17 and 20, found that 44% of respondents have a positive view of the royal family in general while 47% have a negative view and the remainder said they do not know. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A man whose father fled Sudan on an evacuation flight has spoken of his relief after the pair were reunited at Stansted Airport following a constant rush of bad news. Ahmed Babikir, a British-Sudanese start-up founder from Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, picked up 63-year-old Sharief on Wednesday and described his fathers return to their family home in the UK as a massive relief but added he still fears for the safety of other family members who have refused to leave Sudan. I think it was worrying being on the outside but, its just a massive, massive relief, the 28-year-old told the PA news agency. Every friend, relative, that's based here or in Sudan has been touched in some way Ahmed Babikir Right now, my dad is here in our family home. To be honest, no ones thought ahead more than that, I think theres a sense of, lets make sure everyones safe first and then we think about the next steps. Sharief Babikir, who was born in Sudan but moved to the UK as a student in the early 1990s, boarded a chartered flight from Khartoum to Stansted, although his son said he had to use a flight tracker to find out which gate his father would arrive at. There wasnt much information on where they would all land, he said. Communication could have been better, but I know that can difficult to organise. I had to find that information out and used a flight tracker to find him and go pick him up. Some of Mr Babikirs family members have fled Sudan for Egypt while others are adamant about staying in Sudan despite the conflict. It is a war that has been all over social and the news, and you see videos of places you recognise and close to your family home, he said. It's a sense of grief for this country. You're never sure whether you're able to go back Ahmed Babikir Every friend, relative, thats based here or in Sudan has been touched in some way. Theres been this collective anxiety, whether people know family members that have been injured or houses that have been looted or people that are missing. Its just a constant rush of bad news, which has just been worrying to see from the outside. Mr Babikir described the war as heartbreaking and said anxiety about the conflict means he has struggled to work on his business. Everyone is in shock and most of us have been struggling to do some work over here, he said. Its a sense of grief for this country. Youre never sure whether youre able to go back. You never know when the war will end so I think in that sense its very worrying and theres this massive sense of uncertainty. Will family members who have fled ever go back? Or will this be something that ends in the next couple of weeks and are people able to go back to their original lives? While Mr Babikir is grateful for his fathers safe return, he hopes the UK Government will continue to provide safe routes for British nationals and send humanitarian aid. Its been a successful evacuation, he said. But now that infrastructure and routes have been set up to evacuate British nationals, I think it is key for governments to use those same routes and same leverage theyve built for humanitarian aid. If humanitarian corridors arent opened up within the next few days, the city (Khartoum) will collapse. Sharief Babikir is a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Khartoum and was forced to leave his work and home to flee the war. My dad is a professor, so not only has he left behind his things, but also all of his students his PhD students, masters students, undergrads, and people just about to graduate and hoping that they can get on with their future at some point, his son said. War causes a massive impact on peoples lives, and education is one of the bits we dont think about too much. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Photos from every year of the Kings life have been compiled to celebrate Charles IIIs coronation. The pictures, brought together by the PA news agency, show the monarch through the decades from newborn baby and toddler to university student, naval officer and daredevil prince, then husband, father and globe-trotting heir to the throne and finally as the sovereign. Charles will be crowned on May 6 in a deeply religious ceremony steeped in history at Westminster Abbey. In the first photo from 1948, one-month-old Charles is pictured sleeping soundly in the arms of his mother, Princess Elizabeth, at his christening in Buckingham Palace. In the final image taken in 2023, he is a King, 74 in age and just a few months into his reign, with his Queen Consort at his side. Charles, the nations longest-serving heir to the throne, acceded to the throne on September 8 2022 following the death of his mother Elizabeth II. As a chubby-cheeked toddler, he is shown on his third birthday in 1951 chatting with his grandfather, George VI, as they sit on an ornate sofa in the palace. The young prince is also shown playing on a see-saw made out of a plank of wood and a log on the Balmoral estate in 1957. In 1965, teenage thespian Charles, with dagger in hand and wearing a fake beard, is on stage as Macbeth at his Scottish boarding school, Gordonstoun. In the 1970s, the then-Prince of Wales entered a new phase in his life joining the armed forces. He earned himself a reputation as an Action Man for being a sailor, airman, marine, parachutist, diver, surfer, polo player and a jockey. The 1980s brought a fairytale wedding to Lady Diana Spencer and the arrival of their two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. Charles and Diana split, finally divorcing in 1996 a year before Diana was tragically killed in a car crash in Paris. Charles married his former mistress Camilla Parker Bowles, now the Queen Consort, in 2005. The pair are pictured together in 2008, enjoying the Mey Highland Games in Caithness, and sheltering from the sun under a parasol on the John Lennon memorial bench in Havana, Cuba, in 2019. In addition to pictures from 1948 to 2023, Charles is pictured in 2018 the year of his 70th birthday as he accompanies Meghan Markle, now the Duchess of Sussex, down the Quire to the altar at her wedding to the Duke of Sussex. Harry, who went on to quit the working monarchy with Meghan, has lambasted his father in the years that followed amid great family difficulties, criticising Charless parenting in his autobiography. Another image shows Charles and Camilla in mourning wearing masks at the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh during the pandemic in 2021. And in 2022, the King is depicted at the start of his reign. Grieving for his mother, he is shown walking behind the late Queens coffin on the day of her state funeral with his son and heir the Prince of Wales. At the coronation ceremony, Charles and Camilla will be anointed and crowned in front of 2,000 guests at the countrys first coronation to be staged for 70 years. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A complete recording of the Kings coronation ceremony will be released globally on the day of the historic event. The recording, featuring both the music and spoken word from the ceremony, will be available to stream and download on 6 May. It is the first time in history that such a recording has been produced, marking an unprecedented event in both recorded music and British royal history. The Official Album of the Coronation will feature 12 brand new works commissioned by Charles, including the coronation anthem Make A Joyful Noise composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The complete album will be over four hours long, and feature performances from eight choirs, six conductors, two organists, as well as a specially selected Coronation Orchestra, among others. Physical versions of the album, featuring the entire service and all new commissions, will be available in stores globally from 15 May, with a special deluxe collectors CD and vinyl following later in the year. It will be exclusively recorded at Westminster Abbey and released by Decca Records, with an official photograph from the day as the cover art. The ceremony is set to feature a range of musical styles and performers, blending tradition, heritage and ceremony with the new musical voices of today to reflect Charles life-long support of music and the arts. The coronation will be filmed and the recording released on the same day (PA Wire) As well as the newly commissioned pieces, the King has personally shaped and selected the musical programme for the service. The six orchestral commissions, five choral commissions and one organ commission, have been specially written by world-renowned British composers. Between them, the 12 composers have more than 80 Bafta, Oscar, Grammy, Tony, Olivier, Golden Globe, Emmy, World Soundtrack Award and ASCAP awards and nominations. A separate studio recording of Lord Lloyd-Webbers coronation anthem will also be released on May 6, as well as the live recording from the ceremony itself. The studio recording will feature The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Choir of Westminster Abbey, The Fanfare Trumpeters of the Royal Air Force and the Abbey sub-organist Peter Holder, conducted by organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey, Andrew Nethsingha. The Official Coronation Album will be produced by world-renowned classical record producer, Anna Barry, who has produced over 500 recordings of distinction over 35 years. Her previous work includes the wedding of the then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011 and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2018. Decca records, part of Universal Music Group, has previously released multiple commemorative albums such as for the Queen Mothers 100th birthday celebrations, the Queens Diamond Jubilee celebrations, and the weddings of William and Kate, and Harry and Meghan. Co-presidents of Decca Label Group, Tom Lewis and Laura Monks, said: Coronation services have been taking place since the 11th century. Never before has a complete recording been made available to global audiences to stream and download on the same day. Decca has a longstanding and proud association with the British royal family and we are delighted to be once again making recorded music history together. The Coronation of their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla: The Official Album of the Coronation will be released in support of the Royal British Legion and Age UK charities. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Two metal detectorists have been found guilty of hatching an illegal plot to sell Anglo-Saxon coins of immense historical significance abroad. Craig Best, 46, and Roger Pilling, 75, were convicted of conspiring to sell criminal property worth 766,000, namely ninth-century coins believed to have been buried by a Viking which have never been declared as Treasure and not been handed to the Crown. Following a trial at Durham Crown Court, the defendants were also convicted of separate charges of possessing the criminal property, which was thought to be part of a larger, undeclared find known as the Herefordshire Hoard. Best, of South View, Bishop Auckland, was arrested with three coins at a Durham hotel in May 2019 in a police sting operation. This is an extremely unusual case, as it is not very often we get the chance to shape British history Detective Superintendent Lee Gosling, Durham Constabulary Best thought he was meeting a metals expert, employed by a broker working for a wealthy US-based buyer, but was in fact speaking to an undercover detective. Pilling, who owned an engineering business, was arrested at his home in Loveclough, Lancashire, and a further 41 coins were seized. These 44 coins originated from the Herefordshire Hoard, discovered in 2015, worth millions of pounds, and which was also not declared. Four people have already been convicted for their roles in concealing that find. The undercover police operation was set up after Best tried to sell coins to a real American collector, who then contacted UK-based experts about the apparent availability of extremely rare and valuable examples, and the authorities were alerted. It was believed the coins were made between 874 CE and 879 CE and were buried by a Viking during this particularly violent period of English history. They included two extremely rare examples of two-headed coins, showing Alfred of Wessex and Ceolwulf, a figure who was discredited by Saxon writers as a Viking puppet ruler. Following the conviction, Durham Constabularys Detective Superintendent Lee Gosling, said: This is an extremely unusual case, as it is not very often we get the chance to shape British history. It is astonishing that the history books need re-writing because of this find. These coins come from a hoard of an immense historical significance relating to the Vikings and we are delighted that they are now with the British Museum. This has been a lengthy and complex investigation and I would like to thank our specialist officers and the historical experts for all their help. Dr Gareth Williams, a coin expert from the British Museum, said: New finds have the potential to increase our knowledge. The coins are very much part of our heritage. The theft of finds like this are not just a theft from the landowner, who have rights, it is a theft of our heritage. Judge James Adkin said the sentencing exercise would be complicated as the offence was rare and he adjourned the case until Thursday. Remanding them in custody, he told the pair: You have both been convicted of what I consider to be compelling evidence of serious criminality, in relation to these artefacts. You are both aware of what the sentence is likely to be, imprisonment for years. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Detectives hunting for the partner of pregnant teacher Marelle Sturrock who was found dead in Glasgow have recovered a body. Police Scotland said the body is yet to be formally identified but is believed to be that of her 36-year-old fiance David Yates. Officers had been carrying out an intensive search of Mugdock Country Park, around nine miles from Ms Sturrocks home, and announced on Thursday they had found a body at the adjacent Mugdock Reservoir. Mr Yates was wanted in connection with the murder of the 35-year-old teacher, who was 29 weeks pregnant. Police confirmed on Thursday her unborn baby did not survive. An investigation remains ongoing but nothing has been established so far to suggest anyone else was involved in Ms Sturrocks death, police said. Police divers at the scene at Mugdock Country Park (PA) Police divers had been involved in the search and large areas of the reservoir were cordoned off with police tape on Thursday, with officers standing guard. Detective Superintendent Nicola Kilbane said: Our thoughts are with Marelles family and friends, along with everyone affected by this tragedy. We are providing her family with specialist support at this incredibly difficult time. Earlier, the headteacher at Sandwood Primary School in Glasgow where Ms Sturrock worked said the school community is devastated. Marelle Sturrock was 29 weeks pregnant (Facebook) Fiona Donnelly said: Marelle has been a much-loved member of our school community since her probationary year more than six years ago and has taught many year groups throughout her time at the school. We will all miss her so much. She was a lovely, kind, diligent and considerate person who loved and made time for everyone. Marelle used her artistic talents across the school and was our music champion who has been a key player in the success of our school choirs, with one of her classes going to see her on stage at The Kings [theatre] in one of her many acting roles outside of school. We are a school community in mourning and are devasted by the tragic news of her death and pass on our deepest condolences to her family and friends as we all come to terms with our loss. Police searched Mugdock Country Park throughout Thursday (PA) Parents at the school were told of the death in a letter on Wednesday and education psychologists are on hand to support pupils. Ms Sturrock was from Wick, Caithness, but moved to Glasgow when she was 17 to pursue a career in the performing arts. She later became a primary school teacher after completing her postgraduate diploma in education. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A murder investigation has been launched into the death of a pregnant teacher in Glasgow as police search for her missing fiance. Officers are searching for David Yates after the body of Marelle Sturrock, 35, was found at 8.40am on Tuesday in a home in Jura Street. She was 29 weeks pregnant and her unborn baby did not survive, Police Scotland confirmed on Thursday afternoon. Officers are searching Mugdock Country Park and Mugdock reservoir, just outside the city in East Dunbartonshire, where Yatess vehicle, a white Seat Ateca, was found on Tuesday. Police divers have been involved in the search and large areas of the reservoir are cordoned off, with officers standing guard. Nicola Kilbane, Police Scotland detective superintendent, said in a statement: Our thoughts are with Marelles family and friends, along with everyone affected by this tragedy. We are providing her family with specialist support at this incredibly difficult time. Her partner David Yates is wanted in connection with Marelles death. At this time we have no information to suggest anyone else has been involved. His vehicle, a white Seat Ateca, was found at Mugdock Country Park on Tuesday and an extensive search has been ongoing in the area since. The last confirmed sighting of David was on Sunday evening shortly after 8pm. His subsequent movements are unknown after his vehicle was left at Mugdock Country Park but there is nothing to suggest he has left the area. Ms Kilbane said there is not believed to be any risk to the wider public and police will remain at Jura Street and Mugdock Country Park as the investigation continues. Police divers at the scene at Mugdock Country Park, East Dunbartonshire, as police continue their search for the fiance of pregnant teacher Marelle Sturrock (PA) The headteacher at Sandwood Primary School in Glasgow where Ms Sturrock worked said the school community is devastated. Fiona Donnelly said: Marelle has been a much-loved member of our school community since her probationary year more than six years ago and has taught many year groups throughout her time at the school. We will all miss her so much. Police are searching for David Yates (pictured with Marelle Sturrock) (Facebook) She was a lovely, kind, diligent and considerate person who loved and made time for everyone. Marelle used her artistic talents across the school and was our music champion who has been a key player in the success of our school choirs, with one of her classes going to see her on stage at The Kings (Theatre) in one of her many acting roles outside of school. We are a school community in mourning and are devasted by the tragic news of her death and pass on our deepest condolences to her family and friends as we all come to terms with our loss. A police cordon in place at Mugdock Country Park (PA) Parents at the school were told of the death in a letter on Wednesday and education psychologists are on hand to support pupils. Ms Sturrock was from Wick, Caithness, but moved to Glasgow when she was 17 to pursue a career in the performing arts. She later became a primary school teacher after completing her postgraduate diploma in education. Additional reporting by PA For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Serial killers could go undetected because the Metropolitan Police does not always carry out even the most basic enquiries, a watchdog has warned in a damning new report. A report triggered by failings that let Grindr murderer Stephen Port go free found that, eight years on, there is still a risk that police would miss links between deaths. HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) warned that history could repeat itself because the force had still not learned enough from the calamitous litany of failures. Inspector Matt Parr told a press conference that obviously suspicious deaths were not linked in the Port case until he had struck again. If they're not suspicious enough about unexpected deaths in the first place, the chance of missing the odd isolated one, or indeed another serial killer, cannot be discounted, he said. The sisters of Ports last victim, Jack Taylor, accused the Met of continuing to put lives at risk. Donna and Jenny Taylor added: Poor investigation and a failure to link similar crimes are the most basic of policing mistakes, and to hear that these kind of basic oversights continue to happen today is simply appalling. Once again, we just feel so badly let down. Weve heard that procedures are changing and the way sudden deaths are classified has been changed, but what needs to change is attitudes. If officers dont investigate with the right attitude, and dont do the basics, these failings will keep happening, and it will cost more lives. Scotland Yard denied institutional homophobia following a damning inquest into Ports victims, and a report triggered by the murder of Sarah Everard recently found institutional racism, sexism and homophobia in the force. The wave of scandals and inquiries has sent public trust in the force plummeting, and commissioner Sir Mark Rowley admitted this week that it had missed a government recruitment target partly because of its reputation at the moment. The HMIC report said that Boris Johnsons drive to hire 20,000 extra officers in three years had created an inexperienced workforce, adding: We are concerned that such officers are making crucial decisions when responding to a report of death. In 2022 alone, the Metropolitan Police received almost 11,000 death reports around 30 per day and investigated 86 per cent of them. Several officers told us that linking deaths at a local level relied, frankly, on luck, Mr Parr said. There is no formal process to spot the similarities to link deaths. HMIC said there is no pan-London approach to understanding or mapping deaths across the capital, adding: We are especially concerned that deaths considered non-suspicious from the outset could be completely overlooked. Daniel Whitworth, Jack Taylor, Anthony Walgate and Gabriel Kovari were murdered during a 16-month period by Stephen Port (PA) The inspectorate found that searches for intelligence on the Police National Database searches were not routinely carried out after all unexpected deaths, and that there were basic omissions in records. Written witness statements, if taken at all, tended to be too brief and lacked important details, the report said. There was little evidence that officers completed house-to-house enquiries, took steps to establish the time of death or tried to find out who may have had access to the premises where the deceased person was found. Mr Parr said that investigation reports seen by inspectors included some where potentially vital evidence such as drugs and suspicious injuries were only discovered in the mortuary, and one where the pockets of a deceased person had not been searched. In Ports case, he targeted victims on gay dating websites, then drugged and raped them used the date rape drug GHB. He was not caught for 15 months after his first murder despite obvious similarities between the victims deaths, because investigators classed them as non-suspicious and did not treat Port as a suspect even after interviewing him when a body was found outside his flat. HMIC found that while homophobia may have played a role in the failings, they were predominantly driven by inadequate intelligence and crime analysis processes, confusing policies, unacceptable record-keeping and death reports and poor supervision and training. Serial killer Stephen Port to spend rest of life in jail for murders of four men The report said that in the Port case, police had failed to carry out even the most basic enquiries, treating each case in isolation and finding that his victims had died of a self-administered drug overdose. It said that it was only through the persistence of Ports victims families, who uncovered the links themselves, that he was eventually caught. Port was given a whole-life order in 2016 for the murders of Anthony Walgate, 23, Gabriel Kovari, 22, and Daniel Whitworth, 21, and Jack Taylor, 25, between June 2014 and September 2015. The watchdog found that although the case had triggered improvements in training, guidance and working arrangements between local officers and specialist murder teams, more needed to be done and made 20 recommendations. Issues with the Mets culture and officers behaviour have been widely recognised, Mr Parr said. However, the Mets problems with competence and professionalism run even deeper: too often, they dont get the basics right. The inspectorate warned that although the report was into the Metropolitan Police, all forces should use the report to examine their own death investigations. Scotland Yard, which remains in special measures, accepted it had more to do to minimise the chance of a case like this ever happening again and said it would address all recommendations. Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe said: The deaths of Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth and Jack Taylor were a tragedy and we are sincerely sorry we failed them and their families. While, as the inspection report acknowledges, we have worked hard since the murders to understand what went wrong and improve how we work, it highlights more we need to do. We have to get the basics right our death investigation policy is sound, now its about turning policy into effective practice. Nairobi The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Noordin Haji, has obtained court orders to search and seize all property belonging to controversial televangelist Paul Mackenzie of the Good News International Church who encouraged his followers to starve to death. Pastor Mackenzie has been linked to the deaths of his followers as a result of practicing mass starvation in Shakahola forest, the base of his operations. The move comes as authorities placed the number of deaths associated with the Mackenzie cult at 95 on Wednesday. The search order was issued by the Malindi Law Courts, which directed that the warrants are valid for a period of 10 days beginning today (Wednesday). The search will target Mackenzie, as well as Sanga Stephen Muye, Gedion Mbithi Kioko, Joseph Kenga Mbogoli, Stephen Ominde Lwangu, Smart Mwakalama, Alfred Asena, and Robert Kahindi Katana. An order authorizing Sgt. No. 60484 Joseph Yator of DCI Malindi and other officers working with him in the investigation to search the 1st Respondents premises where he lives and/or carries on his calling or business in Furunzi- Malindi Sub County and Shakahola, and the 2nd to 8th Respondents residences/premises in Shakahola for the purposes of retrieving bank details or documents, title documents, sale agreements, motor vehicle details, and any other document and item linked to the offenses of terrorism, radicalization, murder, and any other charges that will be preferred against the accused persons, said Ivy Wasike, the Malindi Court Principal Magistrate. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Kenya Legal Affairs By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. She further directed the lead investigating officer and/or any other officers working with him in the investigations to seize any such property as stipulated in the execution of the warrants and bring the same before court for appropriate orders pending the completion of the investigations. She also directed that the search of the residences/premises of all respondents be conducted in the presence of counsel for the respondents and/or their authorized agent, who will also make an inventory of any items or goods that will be seized during the search. The search of the premises be conducted during daytime, she added. The court warned that any person served with the order and disobeys the same shall be cited for contempt and is liable for imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or both. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A murder investigation has been launched into the death of a pregnant teacher as police search for her partner. Police Scotland confirmed the death of Marelle Sturrock, 35, in at her home in Jura Street, Glasgow on Tuesday morning is being treated as murder. She was 29 weeks pregnant and her unborn baby did not survive. Police Scotland Detective Superintendent Nicola Kilbane said in a statement: Her partner David Yates is wanted in connection with Marelles death. At this time we have no information to suggest anyone else has been involved. His vehicle, a white Seat Ateca, was found at Mugdock Country Park on Tuesday and an extensive search has been ongoing in the area since. She added: The last confirmed sighting of David was on Sunday evening shortly after 8pm. His subsequent movements are unknown after his vehicle was left at Mugdock Country Park but there is nothing to suggest he has left the area. We will keep an open mind on this as we continue to search the area. Ms Kilbane would not say if Mr Yates is thought to be dead or alive but that his last sighting was near Mugdock Country Park, just outside the city in East Dunbartonshire. She said she was unable to say when Ms Sturrock was last seen alive but that officers attended the teachers home at around 8.40am on Tuesday and she was pronounced dead at the scene. Ms Kilblane refused to comment on the couples relationship or if there had been any prior police involvement. She said there is not believed to be any risk to the wider public and police will remain at Jura Street and Mugdock Country Park as the investigation continues. Ms Kilbane added: Our thoughts are with Marelles family and friends, along with everyone affected by this tragedy. Earlier, officers could be seen searching Mugdock Country Park and the nearby Mugdock reservoir. Police divers have been involved in the search and large areas of the reservoir are cordoned off with police tape, with officers standing guard. The headteacher at Sandwood Primary School in Glasgow where Ms Sturrock worked said the school community is devastated. She was a lovely, kind, diligent and considerate person who loved and made time for everyone Fiona Donnelly, Sandwood Primary School headteacher Fiona Donnelly said: Marelle has been a much-loved member of our school community since her probationary year more than six years ago and has taught many year groups throughout her time at the school. We will all miss her so much. She was a lovely, kind, diligent and considerate person who loved and made time for everyone. Marelle used her artistic talents across the school and was our music champion who has been a key player in the success of our school choirs, with one of her classes going to see her on stage at The Kings (Theatre) in one of her many acting roles outside of school. We are a school community in mourning and are devasted by the tragic news of her death and pass on our deepest condolences to her family and friends as we all come to terms with our loss. Parents at the school were told of the death in a letter on Wednesday and education psychologists are on hand to support pupils. Ms Sturrock was from Wick, Caithness, but moved to Glasgow when she was 17 to pursue a career in the performing arts. She later became a primary school teacher after completing her postgraduate diploma in education. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Two Tory grandees have come out in defence of the civil service, after former deputy prime minister Dominic Raab hit out activists in their number with a passive aggressive agenda against him. Mr Raab, who resigned last week after Adam Tolley KC upheld two bullying complaints against him, accused some civil servants of trying to block Government policy, because they disagreed with it. However, two former Tory Cabinet ministers insisted that the civil service is loyal and what may be interpreted by some ministers as obstruction is actually them just doing their job. There is no organised conspiracy to frustrate the will of ministers Lord Young of Cookham Lord Young of Cookham, who served as a minister for 21 years under five different Conservative prime ministers, said: My experience is you dont get the best out of civil servants by shouting at them. There is no organised conspiracy to frustrate the will of ministers. What some ministers may see as obstruction is civil servants doing their job by pointing out the adverse consequences of certain policy options. Lord Young, whose ministerial career included time as transport secretary, leader of the House of Commons and chief whip, added that he hoped any review of the complaints procedure would be debated in the House of Lords. Lord Fowler, who served in Margaret Thatcher and John Majors ministries and now sits as an independent crossbencher in the Lords, praised the civil service for its exceptional advice. He said: As someone who headed four separate Government departments, all under Conservative Governments, can I say that in my experience, overwhelmingly, the civil service was both loyal and gave exceptional advice to the Government. Would it not be better to look at the quality of special advisers, who sometimes exhibit neither of those qualities? Lord Fowler, who headed up the departments of health, transport and employment during his time in the Commons, later served as the Lord Speaker from 2016-2021. However, Lord Lilley, who headed up the department for trade and department of work and pensions under Margaret Thatcher and John Major said that, while he also had a good relationship with civil servants, some ministers perceived a reluctance to implement Government policy. He said: I was very fortunate, like Lord Fowler my officials were a joy to work with throughout, but some ministers have perceived some officials to be reluctant to implement their policies and have had to try and find ways of dealing with that. And some officials have perceived ministers response trying to get them to do that as abrasive, demanding and rude. I sympathise with those who had to duck telephones thrown by Gordon Brown or deal with Richard Crossman [Cabinet minister under Labour prime minister Harold Wilson), who said in his diaries that, when he found officials reluctant to do his will, I bullied them and made a fool of them in front of others, quite often their subordinates. I suspect that such an approach was counterproductive, but would the minister agree it is up to the electorate or elected superiors to get rid of ministers who cant deliver, not officials? He added: Isnt it important to recognise that ministers have no power to select, reward, promote or demote officials working for them? Likewise, officials should not have the power effectively to dismiss ministers for whom they work least of all by making anonymous complaints against them. Cabinet Office minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe, who has worked as a civil servant, a political advisor and a minister, said: The Prime Minister has been clear that the civil service is vital to the work of the Government. The Government greatly values the work of civil servants who, together with ministers, are working to deliver for the British people. The Prime Minister has accepted the resignation of the Rt Hon Dominic Raab, the former deputy prime minister, following the findings of Adam Tolley KC in a published exchange of letters. She added: The constitution has these different parts it has ministers, I think political advisers are very important and very helpful, and in most cases they work well with the civil service. The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey, has called for tighter regulation to stop the releasing of sewage into rivers and seas which he branded a crime against nature. The party has released analysis of Environment Agency figures that show water companies released sewage into Englands chalk streams for 14,162 hours last year. And there were 2,240 incidents of sewage discharges into chalk streams by five water firms Anglian Water, Southern Water, Thames Water, Wessex Water and Yorkshire Water. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The Government must pause its shake-up of post-16 qualifications or risk worsening the UKs skills shortages, MPs have warned, as campaigners branded its proposed reforms misguided and reckless. Plans to withdraw funding from tried and tested applied general qualifications (AGQs) before there is time to assess the rollout of new T-levels could end up narrowing student choice, the Education Committee said. Concerns have been raised over T-levels since they were first introduced in 2019 as technical alternatives to A-levels, according to the group of cross-party MPs. These include unequal regional access to industry placements and an apparent decline in employer interest in offering placements, according to a report published on Friday. We call for a moratorium on these reforms until T-levels are fully rolled out and there is robust evidence to show they adequately replace AGQs Committee chairman Robin Walker T-levels will not succeed without significant industry buy-in, the committee warned. Ministers are being urged to place a moratorium on the defunding of AGQs until there is robust evidence that T-levels are effective at helping students progress, promoting social mobility and meeting industry needs. MPs are also calling for a wholesale review of 16-19 funding after hearing of the difficulties the sector faced due to real-terms reductions in funding between 2010 and 2020. Tory MP and chairman of the committee Robin Walker said: We welcome the Governments ambition to declutter the post-16 landscape and raise the status of technical qualifications. The Prime Minister was right when he hailed further education as a silver bullet that could boost productivity by giving workers the right skills for an evolving economy. We were also buoyed by evidence that T-levels are proving successful. But it is essential that DfE (Department for Education) promotes them among students and the thousands of employers needed to supply work placements, or else T-levels will fail to make a meaningful difference. We have concerns about the feasibility of scaling up T-levels, and as it stands, the planned withdrawal of AGQs will constrict student choice and could deepen the skills shortages that these reforms are meant to fix, including in vital sectors such as social care effectively pulling the rug from under the further education system. We call for a moratorium on these reforms until T-levels are fully rolled out and there is robust evidence to show they adequately replace AGQs. We also call on DfE to reverse the sharp decline in apprenticeship starts and address the perverse situation where the majority of apprenticeships are being given to older, already highly qualified adults at the expense of young people, and the taxpayer Committee chairman Robin Walker Mr Walker said ministers must also make sure T-levels do not leave students unrewarded for their efforts by failing to establish clear pathways to degrees, apprenticeships and higher technical qualifications. We also call on DfE to reverse the sharp decline in apprenticeship starts and address the perverse situation where the majority of apprenticeships are being given to older, already highly qualified adults at the expense of young people, and the taxpayer, he said. AGQs are Level 3 qualifications, such as BTECs, for students who want to undertake a broad study of a specific vocational area. The DfE is planning to remove funding approval for a number of qualifications that overlap with T-levels and it is unclear how many AGQs might remain once its reforms are complete, the committee said. The department has argued that a large number of qualifications creates bewildering choice for students and employers and that there is a need to streamline the options. But school leaders accused the Government of a reckless push to jettison BTECs without having the slightest idea how successful T-levels will be in practice. Julie McCulloch, director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: The Governments reckless rush to jettison BTECs and similar qualifications before T-levels are properly embedded has been opposed by pretty much everybody in the education sector. Weve repeatedly warned that this risks leaving many thousands of students without a viable post-16 pathway, causing huge damage to their future life chances Julie McCulloch, Association of School and College Leaders Weve repeatedly warned that this risks leaving many thousands of students without a viable post-16 pathway, causing huge damage to their future life chances. However, ministers have dug their heels in and appear to be determined to scrap a proven set of qualifications which lead to higher education, apprenticeships and careers without having the slightest idea of how well T-levels will work in practice. We can only hope that they now pay heed to the warnings of the Education Select Committee and introduce a more sensible and measured approach which is in the interests of young people. The union also echoed the committees call for a review of 16-19 funding, claiming the allocations for post-16 education are hopelessly inadequate. Bill Watkin, chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said the Governments plans were misguided and damaging to post-16 education. As the cross-party Education Committee is now backing calls from the Protect Student Choice coalition and the wider group of students, parents, parliamentarians, and employers that support the campaign, we hope that ministers will finally start to listen and rethink their damaging proposals, Mr Watkin said. The life chances of tens of thousands of young people will be put at serious risk if the Government does not pause its misguided plan to scrap most BTEC qualifications. We hope the publication of todays report encourages the Government to adopt a balanced and evidence-based approach to policymaking in this area. A DfE spokesperson said: Our post-16 qualifications system provides a ladder of opportunity for young people from all backgrounds, so every qualification leads to a rewarding career, either through higher education or skilled work. We welcome the committees recognition of the importance of our reforms. We will consider the recommendations and respond in due course. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Rishi Sunak and Italys premier Giorgia Meloni are expected to discuss tackling irregular migration when they meet in London on Thursday. The Prime Minister will welcome his far-right Italian counterpart, who is on a two-day visit to Britain, to Downing Street in the afternoon. The pair will then head to Westminster Abbey together for a private tour. Stemming the flow of migrants whether in small boats across the English Channel or from north Africa across the Mediterranean is a key issue for both leaders. The meeting comes a day after the Governments flagship asylum Bill cleared its final stages in the House of Commons, though it will face a stiff test in the Lords when it undergoes further scrutiny. The Illegal Migration Bill will change the law so people who arrive in the UK illegally will be detained and then promptly removed, either to their home country or a safe third country such as Rwanda. In Italy, Ms Meloni has led a crackdown on migrant smugglers and on rescue ships operated by charities, which she argues encourage migrants to risk dangerous voyages in the hope of reaching Europe. The two leaders meeting is also expected to focus on the agreement between the UK, Italy and Japan to develop next-generation fighter jets. The defence partnership, announced in December, aims to see the planes called Tempest in the UK take to the skies by 2035 and serve as a successor to the RAF Typhoon. Continued support for Ukraine in its struggle against Russias invasion is also likely to feature in their talks. Mr Sunak and Ms Meloni first met on the sidelines of the Cop27 climate summit in Egypt last November, weeks after they both took office within days of each other. According to a read-out from No 10 at the time, they had a positive discussion on a range of shared issues and priorities, including tackling illegal migration and people-smuggling gangs. Ms Melonis Brothers of Italy party leads the countrys first hard right-led government since the Second World War. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Senior Conservative MPs have labelled the expected attendance of Chinas vice-president at the Kings coronation as outrageous. Han Zheng, who was recently appointed as president Xi Jinpings deputy, is set to represent China at the May event, Politico reported. Former Tory leader and longstanding China-critic Sir Iain Duncan Smith described him as responsible for trashing Chinas Hong Kong treaty with Britain by overseeing a crackdown on the territorys freedoms. Tim Loughton, a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said his presence would be an insult to the freedom loving people of Hong Kong. Mr Han led Hong Kong affairs for Beijing between 2018 and March this year, during which time it imposed the national security law following mass protests in the city, stifling opposition and criminalising dissent. The move strained relations with the UK, and led to the creation of a visa scheme allowing Hong Kongers to come to Britain. Having this man here given his role is outrageous Sir Iain Duncan Smith Mr Hans attendance at the celebrations for the King will further antagonise Tory China hawks already angered by the Governments approach to Beijing. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said the UK must engage directly with China in a speech on Tuesday, calling for a constructive but robust relationship. Sir Iain told the PA news agency: This is the man responsible for trashing the international treaty the Sino British accord. In the course of which the Hong Kong authorities have persecuted peaceful democracy campaigners. Having this man here given his role is outrageous. Mr Loughton said: We have lobbied ministers not to allow this. It would be an insult to the freedom loving people of HK. Serious concerns were previously raised when an invitation to the Queens funeral was extended to representatives from China last September. Beijing was ultimately represented by Mr Hans predecessor, Wang Qishan, at the state funeral, while a delegation from the country also attended the Queens lying in state in Westminster Hall. The Prime Ministers official spokesman told reporters: The Foreign Office have an approach on how invites are decided. You will see a whole host and a wide array of world leaders. Asked if Rishi Sunak would meet the Chinese official, the spokesman said: Im not aware of any plans. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, which declined to comment, has extended invitations to the coronation to the heads of state of all nations with whom the UK has full diplomatic relations. The UK says China remains in breach of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, under which it had a duty to uphold Hong Kongs high degree of autonomy and rights and freedoms. Hong Kong was handed over from the UK to China in 1997 with a promise by Beijing to keep Western-style liberties under a one country, two systems framework. Close Marelle Sturrock: Body discovered in hunt for partner of pregnant teacher found dead Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Police searching for the fiance of pregnant teacher Marelle Sturrock who was found dead in Glasgow have recovered a body. The body was found following searches of Mugdock Reservoir on Thursday, Police Scotland confirmed this evening. He is yet to be formally identified but it is believed to be David Yates, 36, the force said. Ms Sturrock, 35, was found dead at a property on Jura Street in Glasgow on Tuesday morning. She was 29 weeks pregnant at the time of her death. Police confirmed today that her unborn baby did not survive. The force said earlier on Thursday that David Yates was wanted in connection with Ms Sturrocks death, adding there was no information to suggest anyone else has been involved. Detective Superintendent Nicola Kilbane said: Our thoughts are with Marelles family and friends, along with everyone affected by this tragedy. We are providing her family with specialist support at this incredibly difficult time. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A man has told of the emotional rollercoaster of discovering he was conceived using a sperm donor after members of his family were given ancestry DNA kits for Christmas. John Chambers, 37, a composer who lives in London, told The Independent that following the revelation, when he was in his early thirties, he tracked down the donor by going down a rabbit hole and trawling ancestry websites for years. He later learned he had seven other half-siblings from the same donor. In 2005, a historic change was made to the law covering donor anonymity, which means that, from October this year, thousands of people born through egg and sperm donation will be able to trace their biological roots for the first time. The UKs fertility regulator has called on people who donated eggs, sperm or embryos after 1 April 2005 to ensure that their contact details are up to date before members of the first eligible cohort that is, children who turn 18 this year are able to request the information, in order to avoid disappointing their offspring. Later this year, around 30 young people who were conceived with the help of a donor will be entitled to request their biological parents full name, date of birth, and last known address with the fertility regulator expecting hundreds of requests to follow in the coming years. New data from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority shows that some 766 young people will be able to request their donors details by the end of 2024, while around 11,427 people will be able to do so by 2030. Mr Chambers said: I found out I was donor-conceived four years ago aged 33. It was down to some ancestry DNA kits being bought as Christmas presents. My brother got kits for my mum and dad. His girlfriend got him a kit, too. My dad dragged his heels for ages and wouldnt send his kit back. I thought, Why not? Lets find out what percentage of Viking you are. My brother matched with my mum but not with my dad. Looking at the results, I thought, Oh God, did my mum have an affair? When they sat down and told me, it was all a bit of a blur it was a huge emotional rollercoaster for weeks and months. Mr Chambers said it was a source of sadness knowing he will never know for certain if he has unknowingly met other siblings, explaining that he divides his life into the part when he knew he was donor-conceived and the part before he found out. You lose your sense of identity, he added. Other people who find out they were donor-conceived as adults report similar experiences they think, Who am I now? Mr Chambers said his seven half-siblings were all conceived via the same sperm donor, but have different mothers. He said he thinks about the fact he was conceived via donor all the time. He added: It is four years since it has all happened, so things have settled down. But I dont quite know when another sibling is going to turn up. There are eight of us in total that Im aware of. I have been piecing together the puzzle of myself. Mr Chambers and all his newly found half-siblings regularly meet for drinks and family barbecues, during which they have uncovered all these points of connection. He said his new relationships with them have been the silver lining to the initial shock of finding out. He explained that he and his half-siblings had met up with their sperm donor in a pub, which was nerve-racking, but that everyone had got something really positive from the experience. Initially, and completely understandably, he was a bit cold, Mr Chambers said of his sperm donor. He was clearly very perturbed he had been found, and took pains to say he was told this would be anonymous. Mr Chambers applauded the law coming into effect, saying greater openness and transparency for donor-conceived people was a positive move. It is really exciting they are going to have an opportunity to avoid years of staring at family trees and expensive DNA tests, he said, adding: It is not all going to go well; some people will not be open to contact and people will have different expectations about relationships. But he called for measures to go further and enable donor-conceived people to be able to access information about their donors from the moment they are born. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Britain is bracing itself for two more days of teachers strikes on Thursday 27 April and Tuesday 2 May, immediately after the May Day bank holiday, after the National Education Union (NEU) rejected the governments latest pay offer earlier this month, branding it insulting. Following a period of intensive talks with unions, the government had offered teachers a 1,000 one-off payment for the current school year and an average 4.5 per cent pay rise for staff next year. However, the NEU said a members ballot had returned an overwhelming 98 per cent vote in favour of rejecting the deal from a 66 per cent turnout, urging education secretary Gillian Keegan to return to the table with an improved offer. With no agreement forged, teachers will walk out for their fourth and fifth strike days of the year, the earlier demonstrations leaving around half of Englands 22,000 schools closed or partially closed, creating problems for both children and working parents. April has already seen the NHS hit by a four-day junior doctors strike that was trailed as the most disruptive industrial action in NHS history by Sir Stephen Powis, NHS Englands national medical director. That was just the latest instance of industrial action after a long winter in which thousands of British workers from a host of public-facing professions, from train drivers to NHS nurses, civil servants and postal workers, demanded salary increases and improved working conditions in response to the cost of living crisis. While some of the disputes have been resolved criminal barristers in England and Wales and London bus drivers have accepted improved offers, for instance and RMT rail strikes have been suspended for now, many more unions are still planning new strikes. UK strikes in April and May (PA) Here is a list of all the walkouts we have seen in April 2023. Monday 3 April More than 1,000 HM Passport Office workers belonging to the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) in England, Scotland and Wales begin a five-week strike in a dispute about jobs, pay and conditions lasting until 5 May, with their counterparts in Northern Ireland joining them on the picket line from Friday 7 April. Heathrow Terminal Five security staff represented by Unite continue to strike. Tuesday 4 April Passport Office strike by PCS members continues. Heathrow security staff strike continues. Wednesday 5 April Passport Office strike by PCS members continues. Heathrow security staff strike continues. Thursday 6 April British Museum workers belonging to PCS on strike beginning Easter weekend. Passport Office strike by PCS members continues. Heathrow security staff strike continues. Friday 7 April Passport Office strike by PCS members continues. Heathrow security staff strike continues. British Museum workers strike continues. Saturday 8 April Passport Office strike by PCS members continues. British Museum workers strike continues. Sunday 9 April Passport Office strike by PCS members continues. Heathrow security staff strike continues. British Museum workers strike continues. Monday 10 April Passport Office strike by PCS members continues. British Museum workers strike continues. Tuesday 11 April Junior doctors in England belonging to the British Medical Association (BMA) go on strike. Passport Office strike by PCS members continues. British Museum workers strike continues. Wednesday 12 April Junior doctors strike continues. Passport Office strike by PCS members continues. British Museum workers strike continues. Thursday 13 April Junior doctors strike continues. Passport Office strike by PCS members continues. Friday 14 April Junior doctors strike continues. Passport Office strike by PCS members continues. Saturday 15 April Passport Office strike by PCS members continues. Sunday 16 April Passport Office strike by PCS members continues. Monday 17 April Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) driving examiners represented by PCS striking in northeastern England and Scotland. Passport Office strike by PCS members continues. Tuesday 18 April DVSA driving examiners continue to strike in northeastern England and Scotland. Passport Office strike by PCS members continues. Thursday 20 April DVSA driving examiners strike in northwestern England and Yorkshire and the Humber. Passport Office strike by PCS members continues. Friday 21 April DVSA driving examiners continue to strike in northwestern England and Yorkshire and the Humber. Passport Office strike by PCS members continues. Monday 24 April DVSA driving examiners strike in eastern England, the East and West Midlands and parts of London. Passport Office strike by PCS members continues. Tuesday 25 April DVSA driving examiners continue to strike in eastern England, the East and West Midlands and parts of London. Passport Office strike by PCS members continues. Thursday 27 April Teachers from NEU walk out on strike. DVSA driving examiners strike in southern England, Wales and London. Passport Office strike by PCS members continues. Friday 28 April 130,000 civil and public service workers belonging to the PCS union, including Border Force agents, on strike. DVSA driving examiners continue to strike in southern England, Wales and London. Saturday 29 April Passport Office strike by PCS members continues. Sunday 30 April Passport Office strike by PCS members continues. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A British businessman trying to escape Sudan has described hiding in basements for three days with no food or water to avoid the fighting in Khartoum. Ibrahim Ali Ibrahim, who owns a security firm in Birmingham, travelled to Sudan in February to visit family for the first time in nearly a decade leaving his wife and four children at home. The 37-year-old was on his way to purchase a return plane ticket from a travel agency in the centre of the Sudanese capital when fighting broke out between military and militia forces on the morning of April 15. Speaking from an airbase near Khartoum, he told the PA news agency: Suddenly everybody was running. I saw a lot of people get shot and dying in front of my eyes, people getting injured it was really terrible. Mr Ibrahim hid in the basements of abandoned buildings for three days, covering himself with sheets of carboard or plywood. To avoid detection, he only moved at night. I was hiding for three days with no food, no water, he said. You go to the wrong road, youre going to get shot. One way youve got the army, the other youve got militia. I tried to move in the middle of night slowly, slowly until I got out [of central Khartoum]. I couldnt tell what day it is. Everywhere there is guns shooting, tanks and bombing. I worried a lot about not seeing my children and my wife again. My family was worrying and tried to call me but my batterys dead. Everybody I know was trying to call me to help me to escape. After three days, he knocked on the door of a family who took him in, gave him food and water and allowed him to charge his mobile phone. You go to the wrong road, youre going to get shot. One way youve got the army, the other youve got militia Ibrahim Ali Ibrahim Having contacted the British Foreign Office, Mr Ibrahim travelled to an airstrip on the outskirts of Khartoum on Wednesday morning, hoping to be evacuated. Eight flights are expected to evacuate people from Sudan to Cyprus throughout Wednesday. The first flight carrying 250 people from Larnaca Airport in Cyprus arrived at Stansted Airport on Wednesday afternoon. He said: Ive seen a lot of bad things. Ive seen injured people crying and nobody knows how to help them. Ive seen people die in the street and nobody picks up the bodies. You could smell it everywhere. He added: I miss my wife and children a lot. I miss everybody back home in the UK and I hope my family in Sudan are all safe. I hope the war stops soon as possible. Wote Safaricom has today launched myCounty, a platform that enables all 47 counties to digitise all their services in one place providing a single, citizen access channel. The platform will include payment for county services, revenue management systems, a citizen reporting and engagement tool and solutions around agriculture, health, utility bills and SME programs. Makueni becomes the first county to integrate to myCounty with plans to gradually include all 47 counties in coming months. myCounty will be accessible through a USSD short code, Android and iPhone App for all counties, and a mini-app on the M-PESA Super App, which will offer county services and payments including parking fees, single business permit fees, market cess, land rates, property rates amongst others. Additionally, Makueni county will launch a citizen engagement channel and an online radio channel as part of its services. "It is a tool for leadership, for inspiring our citizens to be bold and visionary in their thinking and to embrace the power of change to create a better county for themselves and generations to come. It is a recognition that the power to change the world is within each and every one of us," said Mutula Kilonzo, Makueni County Governor. The service seeks to ease access and payment of county services for the public, saving them from having to visit county offices for manual payments. Counties will benefit from more convenient - 24/7 access to their services, increased revenue collection and better visibility of revenue collection and performance. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Kenya ICT By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "myCounty provides individuals and organisations with a single, convenient point where they can access, manage, and pay for all county services," Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa said. "The service will be available for all 47 counties as a smartphone app, web portal and short code and will integrate both current and upcoming services irrespective of the County's provider of choice, and in addition, provide a management portal," Ndegwa added. myCounty App will allow users to select their county of residence which enables them to be linked to the specific county's services for processing of requests. In addition, all users can also access services from other counties which will enable payment of parking fees and other common fees. Besides county services, myCounty will also provide a "Sema Na Governor" feature empowering residents to engage their Governor or report issues. It will further provide key County and emergency services including requests for fire, ambulance, police and more at the tap of a button. In addition, Counties will be able to provide information on their services through the solution, with the provided information customized to each devolved unit. Safaricom has developed a "gateway" that integrates services from all county providers in one digital channel. Counties will also benefit from additional capabilities including revenue management, cash and bank reconciliation, credit control and debt management, and business intelligence systems. The company will also host the service as part of the Safaricom Cloud, provide Big Data and Analytics Solutions, and for app users, digital receipts and electronic notifications. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Humza Yousaf has said there should be no bonuses paid in this financial year to bosses at Ferguson Marine as it emerged payouts are set to be made for last year. Auditor General Stephen Boyle detailed unacceptable bonus payments totalling 87,000 were made to six senior members of staff in 2021-22 with the knowledge of Scottish ministers and despite the spiralling costs and delays in the delivery of two lifeline ferries. On Thursday, Deputy First Minister Shona Robison wrote in a letter to Holyroods Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee that further payments have been made so far this year for performance in 2022-23 with more to come in June. A spokeswoman for Ferguson Marine confirmed the bonuses were shared between eight people, not including the CEO, and were assessed robustly against performance and details were shared with the Scottish Government. A payment of 23,609 was made last week, with a further instalment due to be made in June, but the Scottish Government is looking at potential alternatives to bonuses alongside the yards chair. I know that the committee will share my disappointment, particularly at a time when the delivery of vessels MV Glen Sannox 801 and Hull 802 remain long overdue Shona Robison She wrote: While this progress is welcome, due to those legacy contractual commitments made in November 2022 by (Ferguson Marine Port Glasgow), without the prior knowledge of the Scottish Government, further bonuses are legally required to be made for the year 2022-23. The first of two instalments of 23,609 each has already been processed. This first payment was made in FMPGs April 2023 payroll with the second payment of 23,609 due in June, subject to ongoing discussions involving the chair. I know that the committee will share my disappointment, particularly at a time when the delivery of vessels MV Glen Sannox 801 and Hull 802 remain long overdue; that despite every effort being made to ensure that no bonuses were paid in 2022/23, the payment of bonuses for 2022/23 is contractually unavoidable. Almost simultaneously, First Minster Humza Yousaf was being challenged about the payments in Holyrood. Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross said: The two ferries are not fit to sail, the costs continue to spiral out of control, and islanders continue to be left without vital, lifeline services so First Minister, what on earth could these bonuses be for? Responding, Mr Yousaf said: I wont disagree with Douglas Ross or the Auditor General the former deputy first minister (John Swinney) made clear his anger, we share that anger, I share that anger at the fact that bonuses have been paid. The bonuses that have been paid relate to a decision made by the remuneration committee of Ferguson Marine without consultation with the government in November 2022. Those bonuses, I have asked if they can not be paid and the advice coming back is that they are a contractual obligation. For any future discussion or consideration of bonuses, I have made it clear there should not be bonuses paid in relation to vessels 801 and 802. The First Minister went on to say it was his expectation that bonuses should not be paid for the 2023-24 financial year. The spokeswoman for the yard said: Each bonus payment was assessed robustly by our remuneration committee against KPIs and details shared with Scottish Government. The statement comes just hours after the Auditor General told Holyroods Public Audit Committee he was unsure if the money could be recovered. Asked by SNP MSP Willie Coffey if the money could be recovered, Mr Boyle said: I dont know if those amounts are recoverable. According to the report published by Audit Scotland last month, which caused consternation across the political spectrum in Holyrood, the initial recommendation that 87,000 should be paid to the six managers was made by former turnaround director Tim Hair. Mr Hair was installed at the yard to reverse its fortunes, a task at which he ultimately failed, but pocketed a total of 1.8 million in wages and expenses during his less than three year tenure at the business. The companys remuneration committee ultimately approved the decision to award the bonuses based on the 2021-22 year. Mr Yousaf was also questioned on the ultimate cost of the Glen Sannox and as-yet-unnamed hull 802, which are set to be delayed by five and six years respectively if they meet deadlines for completion of the end of this year and the end of 2024. Mr Yousaf ultimately could not say how much the vessels would cost, under questioning from the Scottish Tory leader, after the Auditor General said it was folly to view an estimate of 300 million as reliable. The First Minister said it was unacceptable there had been cost overruns and delays and apologised to islanders for the disruption caused by the issues in building the ferries. The First Minister added that the Scottish Government is currently reviewing cost projections. Public Audit Committee convener Richard Leonard said on Thursday representatives of both the Scottish Government and Ferguson Marine had been invited to give evidence to the committee. Former deputy first minister John Swinney told the PA news agency that every effort was made to ensure the bonuses for the 2022-23 year were not paid, but intimated he knew they were a possibility. He said: At the time of my statement to Parliament, no subsequent bonuses had been paid for 2022/2023 and every effort was being made at my request to ensure that none would be paid. Unfortunately, this process concluded that the payment of bonuses was legally unavoidable. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Evacuation efforts in Sudan will be potentially impossible once a ceasefire ends, the Foreign Secretary said. James Cleverly said there is no guarantee of further evacuation flights once an agreed halt in fighting expires on Thursday night. It comes as the Government faces domestic and international criticism over its response. The British evacuation mission from the African country has seen 536 people taken to safety on six flights so far, according to the latest official figures. Mr Cleverly, who insisted simple comparisons to the evacuation efforts of other countries is not possible, said anyone considering leaving the country may only have a limited window to do so. We cannot predict exactly what will happen when that ceasefire ends but what we do know is it will be much, much harder, potentially impossible, he said. So what were saying to British nationals is if youre hesitant, if youre weighing up your options, our strong, strong advice is to go through Wadi Saeedna whilst the ceasefire is up and running. There are planes, there is capacity, we will lift you out. Im not able to make those same assurances once a ceasefire has ended. More than 2,000 British nationals in Sudan have registered with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office under evacuation plans, but thousands more could be in the war-torn nation. Defending the pace of the UK response, Mr Cleverly pointed to complications in getting British nationals out of the conflict zone. Different countries have different sets of circumstances, he said. Their nationals in countries dont all behave the same way. Countries where their nationals tend to live in a close expat community who are geographically co-located, its easier for them to move en masse, its easier for them to be evacuated, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme. There are concerns the evacuation efforts have seen families split up or some members left behind. Only British passport holders and immediate family members with existing UK entry clearance are being told they are eligible for evacuation. Alicia Kearns, the Tory chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, has called for elderly people dependent on children who are British citizens to also be accepted. Where we have families where a British national perhaps has a Sudanese national as spouse, Sudanese children or extended family, it makes the extraction more complicated, Mr Cleverly said. We have given advice as to the status or the prioritisation of the people that we are able to withdraw. We have said its British nationals and Sudanese with travel documents. Mr Cleverly said some Sudanese nationals have been prevented by the military from reaching the airstrip but spoke of difficult cases. Of course, we are trying to facilitate as many people to leave the country as possible, he said. Downing Street said that evacuation eligibility requirements had not changed but that there was an element of discretion for those working on the ground in Sudan. You should not go to the airport unless you are a British passport holder or their dependent, that is set out very clearly. I think what we are saying is we recognise these are very challenging circumstances and, as we have done on previous occasions, we obviously empower people on the ground to make decisions. Mr Cleverly also said he does not recognise reports that the UK caused delays in Germanys efforts to evacuate its citizens from Sudan with its mission to rescue British embassy staff at the weekend. The BBC said it was told by senior German political sources that British forces landed in the country without the permission of the Sudanese army, angering them so much that they temporarily barred access to the airfield that European nations were hoping to use. Mr Cleverly said he has been speaking to Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and will look into the claim. My understanding is we did we did have permissions for those overflights, he said. Downing Street said there were no current plans to create a specific resettlement scheme for anyone fleeing Sudan. Earlier, Mr Cleverly pointed to the fact there is war and conflict all over the world. There are literally millions upon millions of people who are in countries plagued by war. We recognise that we cannot host everybody who is in a country plagued by war. Africa Minister Andrew Mitchell also warned that an end to the ceasefire could result in a humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan. He told the foreign affairs think tank Chatham House: It is essential that a ceasefire is maintained and that a political process is secured. If not, the humanitarian consequences will be incalculable. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Thousands of British nationals in Sudan have been warned that there is no guarantee on further evacuation flights once the ceasefire expires on Thursday night. Military chiefs said at least 500 people a day can be rescued from an airfield near the capital Khartoum, amid fears bloody clashes will resume when the fragile truce between the warring factions ends. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly warned the UK cannot guarantee how many further flights will depart after the deadline is reached at midnight local time. He urged UK nationals who wish to leave Sudan to make their way to the Wadi Saeedna air strip as soon as possible. More than 530 people had been airlifted to safety on six flights as of 9pm on Wednesday, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said. The first plane carrying UK citizens touched down on British soil earlier in the day, having left Larnaca in Cyprus, where they were initially evacuated. More than 2,000 British nationals in Sudan have registered with the FCDO under evacuation plans, but thousands more could be in the war-torn nation. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was told by military chiefs that flights can continue for as long as we need to even if the US-brokered pause in fighting breaks. Mr Cleverly tweeted: The 72-hour ceasefire in Sudan ends tomorrow night (April 27). We cannot guarantee how many further flights will depart once the ceasefire ends. If you plan to leave Sudan please travel to the British Evacuation Centre as soon as possible. Africa minister Andrew Mitchell said the evacuation mission was going very smoothly with no great backlog, no great congestion at the air strip. But he warned we are absolutely in the hands of the ceasefire. Mr Mitchell told Sky News: We are doing everything we can to make sure its prolonged and on the wider stage, too, trying to negotiate for a longer ceasefire, because if the combatants dont lay down their arms and return to barracks, theres going to be a humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan. He said that at the moment those safe and legal routes dont exist for refugees from Sudan to claim asylum in the UK. Only British passport holders and immediate family members with existing UK entry clearance are being told they are eligible for evacuation. But Alicia Kearns, the Tory chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said elderly people dependent on children who are British citizens should also be admitted. She told the BBC: In the same way we treat children who are dependent on their parents, we should respect that some elderly people are dependent on their children. So, I think it is important that we are bringing people out who would otherwise be left destitute and really vulnerable. The UK was reportedly accused of delaying Germanys efforts to evacuate its citizens from Sudan with its mission to rescue British embassy staff at the weekend. The BBC reported that it was told by senior German political sources that British forces landed in the country without the permission of the Sudanese army, so angering them that they temporarily barred access to the airfield that European nations were hoping to use. However, a defence source dismissed the claim the UK military arrived without authorisation as complete nonsense, while the Ministry of Defence denied that Britain was responsible for any delay. The Government is working to provide other routes out of Sudan, with HMS Lancaster progressing towards Port Sudan, the Red Sea dock some 500 miles from Khartoum that could possibly be used in a seaborne operation. But with UK nationals being told to make their own way to evacuation sites, that trip would be made particularly challenging by fuel shortages and the traffic of people fleeing. Its been a nightmare. Weve never seen anything like it before Man arriving at Stansted from Sudan People arriving at London Stansted Airport on the first evacuation flight were reunited with loved ones in emotional scenes. Women with small children and babies in prams, as well as elderly individuals in wheelchairs were among those met by family members and friends waiting anxiously in the arrivals lounge. One man from Sudan, who did not give his name, described his experience as a nightmare. Speaking outside the airport, he said: Its absolutely fantastic to be back. Its been a nightmare. Weve never seen anything like it before. We saw it on the television before but we never thought it was going to happen to a peaceful country like Sudan. Khartoum is like a ghost city, everyone is leaving Khartoum now. We are very grateful to the British servicemen and women who risked their lives to come to Sudan and help us out. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has urged all UK nationals wishing to flee Sudan to come forward as quickly as possible despite a three-day extension to the ceasefire being agreed. The British evacuation mission was potentially bought more time when the rival generals made the deal as the midnight deadline for the resumption of fierce fighting loomed. The RAF has airlifted nearly 900 people from an airfield near the capital Khartoum but thousands more British nationals may remain in Sudan. Flights were scheduled to continue regardless but intensified clashes would add extra pressure to the operation and Mr Cleverly had warned that the mission could become impossible. However, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces joined the Sudanese military in agreeing to extend the 72-hour truce that has seen fighting lull to allow citizens and foreign nationals to flee. Mr Cleverly said: The UK calls for its full implementation by the generals. British evacuation flights are ongoing. I urge all British nationals wishing to leave to proceed to the airport as quickly as possible to ensure their safety. Britain had been urging the rival generals to extend the ceasefire, which should help stave off a feared humanitarian crisis in Africas third largest country. More than 2,000 British nationals in Sudan have registered under the evacuation plans but the true number of citizens there could be far higher. As of 4pm on Thursday, the Foreign Office said that 897 people had been evacuated over eight RAF airlifts. The Foreign Office, which has not said how many of the evacuees are Britons or foreign nationals, had been urging citizens to head to the airstrip before the ceasefire ended. The flights were however scheduled to run past midnight and around 1,000 people are expected to have been lifted to safety by Friday morning. Military chiefs say they have the capacity to fly at least 500 people per day out of the Wadi Saeedna airfield, north of Khartoum. Earlier in the day, Mr Cleverly warned that resumption of fighting could jeopardise the evacuation efforts. We cannot predict exactly what will happen when that ceasefire ends, but what we do know is it will be much, much harder, potentially impossible, he told Sky News. So, what were saying to British nationals is if youre hesitant, if youre weighing up your options, our strong, strong advice is to go through Wadi Saeedna whilst the ceasefire is up and running. There are planes, there is capacity, we will lift you out. Im not able to make those same assurances once a ceasefire has ended. UK passport holders have been told to make their own way to the airfield and are not being provided with a military escort. Downing Street rejected calls from people, including Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman Alicia Keans, to widen the eligibility for evacuation beyond British passport holders and their immediate family. But the Prime Ministers official spokesman said: There is an element of discretion for people on the ground as you might expect, given the circumstances and the challenging situation people will be facing. We recognise these are very challenging circumstances and, as we have done on previous occasions, we obviously empower people on the ground to make decisions. British ambassador to Sudan Giles Lever had been speaking to the warring parties the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to try to get a ceasefire extension. The diplomat, who was not in Sudan when the fighting broke out, was being relocated from London to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia to play a key role in efforts to end the fighting. Africa minister Andrew Mitchell warned that an end to the ceasefire could result in a humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan. It is essential that a ceasefire is maintained and that a political process is secured, he told the foreign affairs think tank Chatham House. If not, the humanitarian consequences will be incalculable. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Four women have complained to the parliamentary authorities about MP Julian Knight since police dropped an investigation into him, it has been reported. The fresh complaints are thought to be about inappropriate comments and behaviour, according to the BBC. The broadcaster also claims five different women and a third party witness have raised sexual misconduct allegations about him to the police. The complainants are separate which means nine women are said to have made complaints about him in total. The allegations to police and parliamentary authorities range from inappropriate comments to sexual assault, according to the broadcaster. It is deplorable that, despite the police decision, I remain the subject of what appears to be a smear campaign conducted through leaks, false innuendo and briefings Julian Knight Some of the complaints allege there was a pattern of behaviour, with Mr Knight reaching out to women on social media to offer career support before making inappropriate comments or approaches, the broadcaster said. Mr Knight, who is MP for Solihull, strongly denies wrongdoing. He has said a single and baseless complaint was made about him to the Metropolitan Police last October. The force dropped the probe last month, saying no arrests had been made, but his bid to have the whip restored was rejected over further complaints. At the time, a spokesperson for Chief Whip Simon Hart said the complaints would be referred to detectives if appropriate. Mr Knight told the PA news agency: As I have repeatedly said, I am fully aware of the circumstances of the single complaint made against me to the Metropolitan Police and the motivations of those involved in making it. This baseless complaint was dismissed by the police without their even feeling the need to interview me, which they never did. I have not been made aware of any details of allegations supposedly made subsequently against me to any parliamentary authorities. Nor am I the subject of any investigation by Parliaments Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme. Should I become the subject of any such investigation, I will fully and publicly defend myself against any allegations. Meanwhile it is deplorable that, despite the police decision, I remain the subject of what appears to be a smear campaign conducted through leaks, false innuendo and briefings. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Two new mothers who died with herpes were most likely exposed to the infection during their Caesarean section surgeries, a sexual health expert has told an inquest. Mid Kent and Medway Coroners is investigating the cases of Kimberley Sampson, 29, and Samantha Mulcahy, 32, who died in 2018 after the same obstetrician conducted their Caesareans. They were treated weeks apart in hospitals run by East Kent Hospitals University NHS Trust (EKHUT). Exposure at the time of surgery is unquestionably the most likely explanation Peter Greenhouse, sexual health expert Both died with herpes shortly after giving birth and their families have been waiting almost five years for answers. Peter Greenhouse, a sexual health consultant with expertise in gynaecology and sexually transmitted infections in women, gave evidence via a video link on Thursday in the inquest in Maidstone, Kent. He told the court: Exposure at the time of surgery is unquestionably the most likely explanation. Mr Greenhouse said the medical evidence shows that the chances of Ms Sampson and Ms Mulcahys infections coming from a common source is very high. He insisted that there is no biologically plausible explanation as to how the two women might have been infected in the community prior to admission to hospital. Mr Greenhouse also said sexual transmission was enormously unlikely. Five out of six of the people in the courtroom will have been exposed to herpes Peter Greenhouse, sexual health expert The inquest has been told of two theories which could indicate that the doctor who conducted both womens surgeries, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was a potential source of infection. The first theory indicates there could have been a droplet infection at the time of the surgery. Another theory, one supported by Mr Greenhouse, suggests the infection could have come from a whitlow, which is a herpes infection of the finger. The expert was told the surgeon gave evidence saying his hands were fully scrubbed and double gloved, that he was wearing a mask during the procedures and that he did not have a whitlow nor any history of the infection. Responding to the surgeons evidence, Mr Greenhouse said: The absence of any obvious signs or symptoms of herpes anywhere in this persons history or their own knowledge does not in any way exclude the possibility that they could have been exposed. Five out of six of the people in the courtroom will have been exposed to herpes. He added that herpes can be covert and hidden, insisting it is possible to have a covert herpetic whitlow. Double gloving and absence of a history of a whitlow does not prevent a covert whitlow having been the source, Mr Greenhouse went on. It may reduce the possibility somewhat but it does not remove the possibility. Referencing maternity data, the expert told the inquest that the risk of dying from herpes in pregnancy is one in 3.2 million calling Ms Sampson and Ms Mulcahys cases an exceptionally rare and tragic scenario. Professor Sebastian Lucas, the pathologist who performed post-mortem examinations for both women, told the inquest that the droplet and whitlow hypotheses could account for infection but that there are other possibilities including community acquisition. He did not believe the infection had been sexually transmitted in either patient. Asked whether or not the theory that the surgeon infected both women was borne out on the evidence, Prof Lucas said he finds it very strange that someone could infect two different people 54 days apart. He recorded the causes of death in both cases as liver and multi-organ failure and disseminated HSV 1 infection herpes acquired before or around the time of delivery. The professor also included third trimester pregnancy in the causes of death as women can become immunocompromised during that time. He added: If they had not been pregnant we would not be here and they would be alive and well. Ms Sampsons baby boy her second child was delivered at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate, Kent, in May 2018. She died at the end of the month in hospital in London. In July 2018, first-time mother Ms Mulcahy died at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent. The hearing was adjourned to Friday at 10am. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Imitation firearms are now the main type of weapon used in gun crime in England and Wales, figures show. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said a rise in gun crime was largely down to the growing presence of imitation firearms. Some 6,193 firearms offences were recorded by police in 2022, an 11% increase on the 5,581 logged a year earlier. The use of imitation firearms anything which looks like a gun regardless of whether it can shoot a bullet recorded by police in such offences rose 22% in a year, from 1,800 in 2021 to 2,196 in 2022 and is now the most prevalent principal weapon in those types of offences, the ONS said. Imitation firearms accounted for more than a third (35%) of firearms offences in 2022, ahead of handguns (31%) and unidentified firearms (16%) the first time imitation firearms have been the most prevalent type. In 2021, handguns were slightly more prevalent than imitation firearms, accounting for 33% and 32% of police-recorded firearms offences respectively, while in the pre-pandemic 12 months to March 2020 the gap was wider, at 40% for handguns and 23% for imitation firearms. The figures also show there was a rise in threats to kill being made using knives last year being reported to police. Overall, the number of knife crime offences recorded by police in 2022 (49,265) was 9% lower than levels prior to the coronavirus pandemic in the year to March 2020 (54,230). Despite this, the number of threats to kill made with a knife that forces recorded rose by 22% to 5,942 offences in 2022. In the 12 months to March 2020, 4,861 offences were recorded. The ONS said the figures for police-recorded crime exclude data from Devon and Cornwall Police because of problems with a new computer system. There were 189,731 sexual offences recorded by police in England and Wales in 2022, up 7% from 177,646 in 2021 and up 19% from 159,080 in the pre-pandemic year of 2019/20. The rise reflects improvements in police recording practices and increased reporting by victims, which means the figures do not provide a reliable measure of trends in these types of crime, the ONS said. The data may also have been influenced by the impact of high-profile cases and campaigns on victims willingness to report both recent and historical incidents. Similar factors are likely to have contributed to the rise in police-recorded rape offences, which stood at 67,169 in 2022, up 3% from 64,900 in 2021 and up 17% from 57,586 in the year to March 2020. The overall number of crimes recorded by police in England and Wales in 2022 stood at 6.6 million, compared with 5.9 million in 2021 and 6.0 million in 2019/20, though this is unlikely to reflect a genuine increase in crime, the ONS said. This is because the rise has been driven chiefly by increases in the offence categories, which are most subject to changes in reporting and recording practices. Separate figures published on Thursday from the ONS Crime Survey for England and Wales for the year ending December 2022 suggest adults experienced 9.0 million offences, down 12% from 10.2 million in a survey for the year ending March 2020. The survey measures experiences of crime in the 12 months before interview, meaning the 2022 survey, which was conducted between January and December last year, reflects crimes that could have occurred as far back as January 2021. Experiences of crimes, as measured by the ONS survey, have been on a broad downwards trend since the mid-1990s. Pete Jones of the ONS said: Overall crime decreased in 2022 compared to before the pandemic, mainly driven by a reduction in theft. However, it is too early to say whether this will continue to be an ongoing trend. Though relatively low numbers, there was a large increase in the number of advance fee fraud cases, where victims make advance or upfront payments for goods or services that do not materialise. This may be in relation to increased levels of online activity during the pandemic. For crimes which are well-reported and recorded by the police we can gain additional insight from police data. Todays figures show robbery, knife crime and firearm offences are all down on what was seen pre-pandemic but have risen in the last year. There have also been increases in other police recorded crimes, such as sexual offences and rape, but we need to be cautious when interpreting these figures. They can reflect a number of factors including the impact of high-profile cases and victims willingness to report both recent and historical incidents. Estimates from the crime survey for the year to December 2022 suggest there were 454,000 advance fee fraud offences in England and Wales, more than seven times the number recorded in the survey for the year to March 2020 (60,000). Fraudsters believe they can get away with it - the criminal justice system just isn't keeping up William Christopher, Kingsley Napley William Christopher, civil fraud partner at the law firm Kingsley Napley, said: The significant rise in advanced fee fraud is one we can probably all relate to. Scammers demand an up-front payment for goods or services that never materialise via fake ads for loans, concert tickets or rental properties for example, or even targeting victims by text pretending to be a delivery company. The reason this type of fraud is rising at such an alarming rate is that fraudsters believe they can get away with it the criminal justice system just isnt keeping up. Whilst the economics of civil legal action can often be a deterrent from pursuing fraudsters, especially given they are often overseas, victims who have lost large sums should always explore the chances of redress. Fraudsters are not above the law. However, it is, of course, better to remain vigilant and suspicious of scams wherever possible. Education and awareness of the risks is in many ways the best method of fraud prevention. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Penny Mordaunt has said her weekly exchanges with the SNP in the Commons are way more popular online than the clip of her belly flop into a pool on primetime TV. The Commons Leader told MPs I am very proud of my belly flop on Splash! after the SNPs Pete Wishart described it as disastrous. Ms Mordaunt was a contestant on the second series of ITVs Splash! in 2014 and performed dives in front of an A-list judging panel. On one occasion, rather than executing the dive, she mistimed the jump and ended up landing belly first. I am very proud of my belly flop on Splash! I have a lido to show for it and although it got a considerable number of views on YouTube, it is dwarfed by the number of views I get for my exchanges with the SNP every Thursday Penny Mordaunt Nine years on, Perth and North Perthshire MP Mr Wishart said during business questions: The Leader of the Houses response to my honourable friend (Brendan OHara) and his contribution was just about as disastrous as that belly flop in that daft diving contest she was part of. Because we do need that debate on the real intentions about devolution. He added: Can she just tell me exactly what it is about a Scottish democratic institution that keeps rejecting Conservatives she doesnt like? The Commons Leader replied: Well, Im very proud of my belly flop on Splash! I have a lido to show for it and although it got a considerable number of views on YouTube, it is dwarfed by the number of views I get for my exchanges with the SNP every Thursday. I have no objection to democratic outcomes. I object to the Scottish National Partys objection to democratic outcomes. Earlier during the session, Ms Mordaunt had accused the SNP of being so reckless with the dreams of their supporters. Her comments were in response to SNP spokesperson Mr OHara, who told MPs the more the Tories criticise them, the more our membership grows, adding: Up 3,000 in the last couple of weeks to 75,000. He also criticised former lead Brexit negotiator Lord Frost, saying: The never-elected brains behind Brexit finally said out loud what they have all been thinking when he said not only there must be no more powers devolved to Scotland, but its time to reverse the process. Lord Frost wrote in The Daily Telegraph last week to urge Tory ministers, if re-elected, to review and roll back some currently devolved powers in light of the issues facing the SNP. Ms Mordaunt told Mr OHara: I hope he will forgive me if we dont trust him on figures, adding: I will never share the belief that his party membership hold on Scottish independence. I may also disagree with Lord Frost on occasion but I do think that I understand the SNP membership ambitions and what they are. They are based on because they are based on the same things that my ambitions for our country are based on, too self-determination, agency, moral courage, the progress of humanity, the love of country. How devastating it must be to SNP members and supporters to have placed their hopes and trust in the hands of people who have been so reckless with their dreams and the mandate that they have given them. The Commons Leader also said the SNPs great closing down sale cant get any worse, adding: They have just offered a two-for-one offer, a coalition with Labour. Braveheart has turned out to be Brutus. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Rishi Sunak met with Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni at Downing Street on Thursday, 27 April. The UK prime minister and his far-right Italian counterpart discussed tackling irregular migration as part of Ms Melonis two-day visit to Britain. Talks also focused on an agreement between the UK, Italy and Japan to develop next-generation fighter jets. Ms Meloni and Mr Sunak then embarked on a private tour of Westminster Abbey. The meeting comes a day after the governments Illegal Migration Bill cleared its final stages in the House of Commons ahead of further scrutiny in the House of Lords. Under the proposed law, people who arrive in the UK illegally will be detained and then promptly removed, either to their home country or a third country such as Rwanda. In Italy, Ms Meloni has cracked down on migrant smugglers and on chariry-operated rescue ships, which she says encourage migrants to embark on dangerous voyages to try and reach Europe. Click here to sign up for our newsletters. Suella Braverman has failed to offer statistical evidence to back her claim that migrants crossing the English Channel are linked to heightened levels of criminality as the governments immigration legislation cleared the Commons. The Home Secretary said people arriving in the UK in small boats have values which are at odds with our country ahead of MPs debating the Illegal Migration Bill. Asked later whether she had figures to support the statement, she said it was based on information she had gathered from police chiefs. Worried by the frequent building collapses, construction experts have expressed their determination to carry out hands-on training for architects, builders, engineers and suppliers in the industry to stem the tide of collapsed buildings. This would form part of the 7th International Construction Building Materials and Technologies Exhibition/Ceramics, Bathroom and Kitchen Wares Expo being planned in Lagos. The Chief Executive Officer of Elan Expo, Mr Jude Chima while briefing newsmen in Lagos said the training will provide participants with the benefits of learning skills such as laser aligner for block setting, use of laser aligners and laser measures. The theme for the exhibition is "The role of professionals, artisans, and government institutions in creating a smart, resilient, mega-city". It is being supported by the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), the Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers, and the Nigerian Institution of Builders, among others. Chima explained that the participants will also learn the use of robotic power tools, the use of electronic painting machines, the use of spray gum for paintings, solar panel installations, the assembling of furniture, and smart electrification. He said, "This training will be delivered by professionals with extensive experience in the construction industry, giving participants the opportunity to learn from the best. "In addition to the hands-on training on the above skills, the Build Expo will provide participants with valuable insights on the application and installation of robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) at homes, sustainable building practices, innovative materials and techniques, and the latest trends in architecture and design. These insights will be delivered through a range of workshops, seminars, and talks. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Legal Affairs Urban Issues By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "The Expo will also feature a networking event where attendees can meet and connect with other professionals in the industry. This is a great opportunity to make new connections and expand your business network. "The networking event will be held in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, enabling attendees to make lasting connections that will benefit their careers and businesses. "Furthermore, we are excited to announce that the 7th International Build Expo is also partnering with some professional bodies and top-notch media companies to publicise all brands available, using their brand logo on all platforms including the website, and also provide accurate, ethical, and informative content as it regards the construction industry and to connect with potential investors. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Suella Braverman is facing a mounting backlash for claiming Channel migrants have values at odds with our country - including from a Right-wing Tory MP. The home secretary was criticised by backbencher Jonathan Gullis, who said Ms Bravermans comments were inappropriate and unreasonable. Mr Gullis agreed with Ms Bravermans suggestion that migrants crossing the English Channel show higher levels of criminality, despite her offering no figures to back up the claim. But, asked about the home secretarys comments on migrants values, the Stoke MP said they made him feel uncomfortable. Mr Gullis, who previously suggested it would be acceptable to house migrants in tents, told LBC: I dont feel comfortable with the mentioning of the values. I dont think that was appropriate, nor was it right. I think the home secretary does have a point around the criminality I think its perfectly right to say that there is of course criminality within this. But I dont think that the values and the broad stroke that was brushed to everyone was right or reasonable. Ms Braverman on Wednesday said migrants who come to the UK across the English Channel in small boats possess values which are at odds with our country with heightened levels of criminality. I think that uncontrolled and unprecedented levels of illegal migration are totally unacceptable to our country and to our values, she told LBC. Her comments came after immigration minister Robert Jenrick said uncontrolled migration threatens to cannibalise the compassion of the British public. She agreed, linking those who arrive on small boats to drug dealing, exploitation and prostitution. Labour also condemned Ms Bravermans comments about migrants values, with a spokesman calling it the sort of invective that signals that the policies being promoted have failed. The row came as senior backbench Tories, including former prime minister Theresa May and ex-party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, voiced concerns in Parliament about the impact the governments flagship immigration reforms could have on modern slavery protections. But the bill cleared the House of Commons without any drama in the votes after MPs gave it a third reading by 289 votes to 230, a majority 59. Although the bill cleared the Commons, it will face a stiff test in the Lords when it undergoes further scrutiny. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Westminster Abbey has served as the coronation church for nearly 1,000 years and is the final resting place of 17 monarchs. Edward the Confessor, Charles II and Elizabeth I are among those buried in the historic London church, which is steeped in British history and famed for its stunning gothic architecture. King Charles III will be the 40th reigning monarch to be crowned there when the golden bejewelled St Edwards Crown is lowered onto his head by the Archbishop of Canterbury on May 6. The religious ceremony will take place in front of the High Altar in the sacrarium the heart of the Abbeys coronation theatre, which is decorated with a 13th century mosaic floor known as the Cosmati pavement. The Kings ceremony is the Abbeys 39th coronation with a rare joint one for dual sovereigns William III and Mary II taking place in 1689. Every monarch since William the Conqueror in 1066 has been crowned on the site, with the exception of Edward V one of the disappeared Princes in the Tower and the abdicated Edward VIII, whose coronations never happened. For the royal family, the venue with its impressive nave, sky-high vaulted ceiling and chequered black and white floor has hosted many state occasions and times of personal joy and sorrow over the decades. The late Queen Elizabeth II was married and crowned in the Abbey. And seven months ago, her successor Charles and other loved ones gathered in mourning at her grand state funeral. During her coronation on June 2 1953, a young Prince Charles, now the monarch himself, was among those who witnessed the defining moment of her crowning. In 2011, the then Duke of Cambridge, now the Prince of Wales, exchanged vows with Kate Middleton, now the Princess of Wales, as millions watched across the globe. Many other royals weddings have been held at the abbey, including that of George VI and the Queen Mother, the Queens sister Princess Margaret, the Princess Royal and Captain Mark Phillips, and the Duke of York and Sarah Ferguson. It was also where the funerals of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the Queen Mother took place. More than 3,300 people are buried in the abbey and it houses memorials to the famous and the great. The ashes of eminent cosmologist Professor Stephen Hawking are interred between the remains of Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. And in Poets Corner in the south transept are the graves or memorials of more than 100 literary figures including William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters and Charles Dickens. Near the Great West Door is the Grave of the Unknown Warrior the unidentified First World War soldier who has come to symbolise the nations war dead. The Unknown Warriors body was brought from France and buried on Armistice Day, November 11 1920. It is thought the idea came from the Rev David Railton, who had served as a chaplain on the Western Front. Now one of the most visited war graves in the world, it is where royal brides send their bouquets to be placed the day after their wedding in a tradition started by the Queen Mother. Benedictine monks first came to the site of the abbey in the middle of the 10th century. The present church, begun by Henry III in 1245, is one of the most important Gothic buildings in the country, with the medieval shrine of an Anglo-Saxon saint, Edward the Confessor, still at its heart. The abbey, which has the official title of the Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster, is known as a royal peculiar with a dean and chapter, responsible not to a bishop or archbishop but only to the sovereign. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The King faced personal troubles and a political row in the early months of his reign as Charles III. With his youngest son, the Duke of Sussex, laying bare his fraught relationships with the royal family on the most public of platforms, the rifts widened thanks to the Sussexes Netflix documentary and Harrys autobiography, Spare. Charles, the former Prince of Wales and the nations longest serving heir to the throne, acceded to the throne on September 8 2022 on the death of his mother, Elizabeth II. The new monarch taking on the role he had been groomed for since birth pledged his whole life in service as the sovereign in his historic address to the nation, the day after the late Queens death. That promise of lifelong service I renew to you all today, he said. The King and the new Queen Consort no doubt were nervous at the response they might receive when they returned to Buckingham Palace for the first time to see the floral tributes. But they were given a rapturous welcome from crowds of well-wishers. Cheers rang out with shouts of hip, hip, hooray and the King received a kiss on the cheek from one woman, and a kiss on the hand from another. Less than a year into his new role, the 74-year-old is adapting to life as head of the royal family and the nation, completing a number of milestones, from his first Christmas broadcast to his first overseas state visit. He used his first festive message to sympathise with families struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and praise those supporting people in need. He met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in February, telling him weve all been worried about you and thinking about your country for so long. But amid the steady stream of official duties, the monarch has faced challenges. A constitutionally unwise meeting between the King and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen angered unionists as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sought their support over the new post-Brexit deal on Northern Ireland. Charles welcomed Ms Von der Leyen to Windsor Castle at the end of her busy day following a joint press conference with Mr Sunak to outline the new deal dubbed the Windsor Framework. Leading Conservative Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg said it was constitutionally unwise and wrong to involve Charles in the immediate political controversy on the day the Prime Minister signed a new agreement with her. Baroness Arlene Foster, the former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader and first minister of Northern Ireland, said the meeting in Windsor Castle was crass and will go down very badly. Buckingham Palace said Charles was acting on the Governments advice. Downing Street said it was fundamentally a decision for the King. In December, eggs were thrown at the King and Camilla during a walkabout in York, but missed and the pair were ushered away by security. A man was later founding guilty of threatening behaviour and given a 12-month community order with 100 hours of unpaid work for what the magistrate described as the unprovoked, targeted and pre-planned use of violence against what was, after all, a 74-year-old man. Logistical setbacks came in the form of the cancellation of the first state visit of the Kings reign. Charles and the Queen Consort were due to head to France but the trip was shelved at the last minute in March following riots across the country over pension reforms. A tour to Germany went ahead becoming the first state visit instead of second with the King, speaking mostly in German, delivering the first speech by a British monarch during a session of the Bundestag. Meanwhile, Charles and other royals faced criticism from Harry in his controversial tell-all book at the start of the year. Harrys memoir, Spare, included claims that the Prince of Wales physically attacked him and teased him about his panic attacks, and that the King put his own interests above Harrys and was jealous of Meghan and the Princess of Wales. Harry also branded Camilla the villain and dangerous in interviews, accusing her of rehabilitating her image at the expense of his. Two months later, it emerged Harry and Meghan has been asked to vacate Frogmore Cottage, their UK property close to Windsor Castle. Reports have claimed the move was sanctioned by the King and removes their remaining foothold in the UK and further weakened ties with the royal family. Debate over whether the Sussexes children would use or even get to keep the titles of prince and princess that they became entitled to, when the Queen died, were resolved in March when Harry and Meghan announced Princess Lilibet had been christened, and it emerged there had been correspondence with the King on the matter. Charles also handed the title the Duke of Edinburgh on to his brother, Prince Edward, fulfilling the wishes of his late father and the Queen. With the coronation just days away, the anti-monarchy group Republic is planning its demonstrations for May 6, and questions have been raised about the undisclosed budget for the multi-million pound event while the nation faces a cost of living crisis. And Harry, in a High Court case this week, caused further ructions when he told how the late Queen backed his bid for an apology from media mogul Rupert Murdoch over alleged unlawful information gathering, but his efforts were blocked by Charles staff. Harry accused Clarence House in a witness statement of seemingly blocking our every move as part of a strategy to keep the media onside in order to smooth the way for my stepmother, and father, to be accepted by the British public as Queen Consort and King respectively. While Meghan is staying in the US, Charles, William and the rest of royals will face Harry at the coronation in Westminster Abbey. He will join the Windsors for the first time in public since the Queens funeral, to witness his father and stepmother being crowned. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Archaeologists have used satellite images to make a spectacular find of Roman military camps in the Arabian desert. University of Oxford researchers identified three new Roman fortified camps in the typical playing card shape across northern Arabia. The discovery may be evidence of potential surprise attacks during a previously undiscovered Roman military campaign linked to the Roman takeover of the Nabataean Kingdom in 106 AD, a civilisation centred on the city of Petra, located in Jordan. Dr Michael Fradley, who led the research and first identified the very well preserved camps on Google Earth, suggests there is little doubt about the date of the camps. Roman forts and fortresses show how Rome held a province, but temporary camps reveal how they acquired it in the first place Dr Mike Bishop, University of Oxford He said: We are almost certain they were built by the Roman army, given the typical playing card shape of the enclosures with opposing entrances along each side. The only notable difference between them is that the westernmost camp is significantly larger than the two camps to the east. Oxfords Dr Mike Bishop, an expert on the Roman military, said: These camps are a spectacular new find and an important new insight into Roman campaigning in Arabia. Roman forts and fortresses show how Rome held a province, but temporary camps reveal how they acquired it in the first place. The researchers suggest the camps would have been built by the army as temporary defended stations when they were marching on campaign. Dr Fradley added: The level of preservation of the camps is really remarkable, particularly as they may have only been used for a matter of days or weeks. It is amazing that we can see this moment in time played out at a landscape scale Dr Michael Fradley, research leader They went along a peripheral caravan route linking Bayir and Dumat al-Jandal. This suggests a strategy to bypass the more used route down the Wadi Sirhan, adding an element of surprise to the attack. It is amazing that we can see this moment in time played out at a landscape scale. Professor Andrew Wilson, a co-author on the paper, said: These marching camps if we are correct in dating them to the early second century suggest the Roman annexation of the Nabataean Kingdom following the death of the last king, Rabbel II Soter in AD 106, was not an entirely straightforward affair, and that Rome moved quickly to secure the kingdom. Because the distance between each camp is 37km to 44km, the researchers speculate it was too far to be crossed by infantry in a day. Therefore they suggest the camps were instead built by a cavalry unit who could travel over such barren terrain in a single day, possibly on camels. On the basis of the distance between the camps there is also a suggestion that another camp may have been located further west at the later Umayyad fort and well station at Bayir. The study sets out that the newly discovered camps run in a straight line towards Dumat al-Jandal in what is now Saudi Arabia, but which was then a settlement in the east of the Nabataean kingdom. Why does the western camp have twice the capacity of the other two? Did the force split, and if so, where did the other half go? Professor Andrew Wilson, paper co-author According to the researchers, the findings suggest Rome had to force its takeover, whereas the surviving Roman history argues the transfer of power was a peaceful event at the end of the reign of the last Nabataean king. Archaeologists still need to confirm the date of the camps through investigation on the ground, but there are other questions that need to be answered. Prof Wilson said: Why does the western camp have twice the capacity of the other two? Did the force split, and if so, where did the other half go? Was it half wiped out in a battle, or did they remain in the western camp to resupply the other camps with water? The paper is published in the journal Antiquity. The number of cars built in the first three months of the year increased by 6%, new figures show. Production totalled 219,887, according to the latest figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The trade group said the global shortage of semiconductors and other components had started to ease, so factories produced 12,540 more cars than the same quarter last year, driven by exports which increased 6.6% and represented almost eight in 10 cars made. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Suella Braverman has appeared to rule out introducing safe and legal routes to the UK for refugees trying to escape the conflict in Sudan. The Home Secretary confirmed on Tuesday the Government has no plans to consider making provisions for civilians from the war-torn country to access Britain. During a visit to Northamptonshire, Ms Braverman was asked about the prospect of turning efforts towards helping those trying to flee Khartoum once the evacuation of British nationals has been completed. She replied: We have no plans to do that. Our focus first and foremost right now, and bearing in mind this is a fast-moving situation and a complex situation, is to support British nationals and their dependents. The British evacuation mission from Sudan has lifted 301 people to safety over four flights as the military races against time to rescue citizens while a fragile ceasefire holds. Another RAF flight was preparing to depart the Wadi Saeedna airstrip near the capital of Khartoum on Wednesday afternoon, with a further three flights expected later in the day. Downing Street said the flights have been full or close to full, with no significant issues being faced by the evacuees who have been told to make their own way to the airfield. More than 2,000 British nationals have registered in Sudan under evacuation plans, but thousands more could be in the country. The Prime Ministers official spokesman said the operation in Khartoum is running smoothly, while there is currently no issue with capacity. Downing Street hopes to carry on with flights throughout the week and does not believe there will be a need to leave the airport imminently. A 72-hour ceasefire brokered by the warring rival generals has largely held since it began in the early hours of Monday. It is understood that if fighting resumes the evacuation operation will not necessarily end, but it will present a greater risk to the safety of evacuees, troops and officials. Rishi Sunak was urged by SNP leader Stephen Flynn whether he would deport child refugees who arrive in the UK without authorisation under plans to stop the boats. The Prime Minister told the Commons the country has a proud record of supporting asylum seekers, but did not commit to a new safe and legal route for those fleeing Sudan. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, in a bid to lure more Japanese chip makers to invest in his state, said Thursday he hopes to forge trusted supply chain relationships with U.S. allies and friends to create supply chains that are not China-dependent. Youngkin, considered a potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate, is making his first trip to Asia as governor, having earlier stopped in Taiwan. He will also travel to South Korea. "We can lead the charge in forging this trusted supply chain relationship with nations that will contribute to the longstanding great relationship that we have, but add to our growth together in a world where we need to do more with our friends, he said at a news conference with Micron Executive Vice President Manish Bhatia and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel. They planned to meet later in the day with Japanese semiconductor executives Youngkin hopes to attract more chip makers to the state. Micron, a leading semiconductor maker, is in the midst of a $3 billion expansion of a computer chips factory in Manassas, Virginia. It also has a factory in Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishidas electoral constituency of Hiroshima and is the largest foreign direct investor in Japan, said Microns Bhatia. Youngkin has adopted 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. Youngkin said Virginia is home to more than 130 Japanese companies already and he hoped to forge new partnerships particularly in semiconductors and other critical sectors where our supply chains have to be built with trusted partners. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris also met with Japanese semiconductor companies during a visit in September. Hopefully, todays meeting will conclude more agreements and therefore benefit not only the state of Virginia people but our people, our two nations and our security that is so critical to this semiconductor space, Emanuel said. Youngkin said he also met with leaders in other industries such as pharmaceuticals and automakers. The governor, a former CEO of the Carlyle Group, sidestepped questions about a presidential run, saying My focus is making sure we advance Virginias economic interests and can forge these most trusted supply chains with our friends and allies around the world. East Asia has become a popular destination for U.S. politicians angling for investments and foreign policy experience. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was in Japan earlier in the week to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other officials as part of his four-nation trade mission seen as an attempt by the expected Republican presidential candidate to improve his diplomatic profile. Emanuel noted a series of visits to Japan by U.S. governors in the last year looking for investment and stronger supply chains following the disruptions brought on by the pandemic. Such trips can help ensure "that your state has trusted investors and partners that will be part of that future. So youre not caught off guard again, he said. The visits by leaders of both parties dovetail with the Biden administration's push to build supply chains among allied countries and reduce dependence on China. ___ Associated Press video journalist Haruka Nuga contributed to this report. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A wounded British doctors fate hangs in the balance as he undergoes surgery for an infected gunshot injury at an evacuation airfield in Sudan. The doctor, who recently retired after working in the NHS for more than 30 years, is having an operation under local anaesthetic to prevent the risk of developing sepsis. If his infection develops into the potentially deadly condition, he would not be able to fly home on what could be the final evacuation flights back to the UK as the 72-hour ceasefire deadline entered its final hours. The UK government has so far rescued more than 500 British citizens from the war-torn country and the race is on to bring an estimated 3,500 who remain stranded before fighting resumes. Fierce clashes between forces loyal to the countrys two top generals erupted in Khartoum on 15 April (AP) Foreign secretary James Cleverly warned on Thursday that it could be impossible to continue evacuation flights once the ceasefire has ended and admitted some people could be left behind. The retired doctor was visiting his family in Khartoum for Ramadan and Eid when fierce clashes between forces loyal to the countrys two top generals erupted in the city on 15 April. He was shot in the leg as he risked his life moving his daughter and 87-year-old mother, who requires constant care, to a safer place in the city. It has been too risky for any family to get to a pharmacy or a hospital, so his daughter has been forced to treat his wound at home using leftover antibiotics. On Thursday, the family made the perilous journey to the Wadi Saeedna airfield where evacuation flights are leaving. They had not gone sooner as they had been waiting to find out if the retired doctors mother, who is Sudanese and does not have permission to come to the UK, had had her application for a temporary visa accepted. They are still waiting for an answer. His second daughter a British doctor based in London, who is calling herself Dr A in order to protect her family in Sudan said her fathers condition was worsening: It looks like hes got an abscess and developed an infection. I understand theyll make an incision to drain the pus. If the pus is not removed, there is a risk of this spilling over into his blood and causing sepsis. Smoke is seen in Khartoum as warring factions try to seize control of the country (AP) Dr A who is a British-Sudanese dual national like her father and sister told The Independent on Wednesday that they feared his wound would get worse and warned: If he gets sepsis then hes in big trouble. Fortunately, the family made it to the airbase in time for him to get the vital treatment he needed. If my dad hadnt gone today, he definitely would have started to feel unwell over the 48 hours and its possible he would be a lot worse, Dr A said. But she is still anxiously waiting to hear about the outcome of her fathers operation. Meanwhile, her grandmothers fate remains unknown, and she is concerned she could be left alone in the country if her visa is not granted. Im not sure about my grandmother the decision lies with the people at the borders, she said. People flee clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum (Reuters) Before his condition deteriorated, Dr As father was adamant he would not leave his mother. The UK cannot expect him to evacuate, leaving his 87-year-old mother on her own in the middle of war in Khartoum. The house is located close to the fighting at the airport. It is inhuman. This is not acceptable, his daughter said. The Foreign Office has said it is only evacuating British passport holders and either their partners, children, or parents if the British passport holder is under 18. That means Dr As grandmother is not eligible. A government spokesperson said: We are evacuating British nationals and their immediate family members who have existing eligibility to enter the UK. We are monitoring the situation carefully and keeping this situation under review recognising that there will be many people facing very challenging circumstances and decisions. We continue to work intensively, alongside international partners, to maintain the ceasefire and bring an end to fighting the single most important thing we can do to ensure the safety of British nationals and others in Sudan. Close UK evacuations from Sudan could be 'impossible' once ceasefire ends, Cleverly warns For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The final evacuation flight for British nationls has now left Sudan as a fragile ceasefire holds in the country. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) had given those looking to flee the war-torn nation until 11am UK time - midday in Sudan - to reach the departure site on the eastern coast. Officials at the Foreign Office would not confirm what time the flight was due to take off, but flight tracking websites showed a Royal Air Force (RAF) Airbus A400M Atlas plane as having landed at Port Sudan at about 3pm on Monday. The UK government said it was exceptionally offering one final flight for a limited number of British nationals still in the country. It comes as a UN official said more than 800,000 people may flee the war-torn country. The UN Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees, Raouf Mazou, said: In consultation with all concerned governments and partners weve arrived at a planning figure of 815,000 people that may flee into the seven neighboring countries. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Sudans warring factions have agreed to a three-day ceasefire extension, as the government scrambled to evacuate more stranded British citizens from the war zone. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese military both accepted the deal on Thursday hours before it was due to end. The existing truce, which was to expire at midnight, has not stopped the fighting between the two sides but created enough of a lull for tens of thousands of Sudanese to flee to safer areas and for foreign nations to evacuate hundreds of their citizens by land and sea. On Thursday violence again rocked parts of the capital Khartoum and the western region of Darfur. Earlier on Thursday, foreign secretary James Cleverly warned it would be potentially impossible to continue the evacuation if full-scale fighting resumed, as he urged UK nationals to head for the airfield outside the capital Khartoum. The Foreign Office said that 897 people had been evacuated over eight RAF airlifts as of 4pm on Thursday with further flights to Cyprus expected in the coming hours. More than 2,000 British nationals in Sudan have registered with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) under evacuation plans but there are estimates that thousands more, including dual nations, could be stuck. But only British passport holders and immediate family members with existing UK entry clearance are being told they can get on RAF flights out of Sudan, despite calls to help elderly people not currently eligible for evacuation. Labour's shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said the narrow terms of the evacuation were almost certainly keeping many British nationals with Sudanese family members in the country despite the warnings to leave. It is not right that British nationals are unable to leave because their close Sudanese family members are being excluded from safe passage, he said, urging Mr Cleverly to take swift action to ensure that British citizens can travel with their family now. Mr Lammys concerns were echoed by senior Tory MP Alicia Kearns, the chairperson of the foreign affairs select committee, who called for elderly people dependent on their children who are British citizens to also be accepted. Evacuees arrive at Stansted Airport (PA) Mr Cleverley said the government was trying to facilitate as many people to leave the country as possible but rejected calls to extend the criteria. Where we have families where a British national, perhaps has a Sudanese national as spouse, Sudanese children or extended family, it makes the extraction more complicated, said the foreign secretary. No 10 said on Thursday that you should not go to the airport unless you are a British passport holder or their dependent. But Mr Sunaks spokesperson also said there was an element of discretion for those working on the ground to decide who should go on the planes. The UK has also been criticised for prioritising the evacuation of embassy staff ahead of civilians, in contrast to Germany and France. Defending the UK governments approach from unfavourable comparisons with other European nations, Mr Cleverly said direct comparisons were not possible. British Nationals boarding an RAF aircraft in Khartoum, Sudan (PA) Different countries have different sets of circumstances, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme. Countries where their nationals tend to live in a close expat community who are geographically co-located, its easier for them to move en masse. Urging people to head for the airport, Mr Cleverly added before the extended ceasefire was confirmed: We cannot predict exactly what will happen when that ceasefire ends but what we do know is it will be much, much harder, potentially impossible. So what were saying to British nationals is if youre hesitant, if youre weighing up your options, our strong, strong advice is to go through Wadi Saeedna whilst the ceasefire is up and running. There are planes, there is capacity, we will lift you out. Im not able to make those same assurances once a ceasefire has ended. Sharief Babikir, left, and his son Ahmed both have arrived safely in the UK (Ahmed Babikir/PA) The British ambassador to Sudan, Giles Lever, criticised for not being back in the UK when the fighting broke out, is being relocated from London to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia to play a key role in efforts to end the fighting. Former British ambassador to the US Lord Kim Darroch said Britain has been a little behind other allies in the evacuation of citizens from Sudan. He told BBC Radio 4s PM programme that the UK was somewhere in the middle of the pack rather than being the last to act. Relatives of UK citizens evacuated from wartorn Sudan have spoken of their relief after their loved ones touched down on British soil, having been flown from Larnaca in Cyprus to Stansted Airport. Recommended British nationals evacuated from Sudan finally reunited with relatives in UK Ahmed Babikir, a British-Sudanese start-up founder from London, picked up his 63-year-old father Sharief on Wednesday, describing his safe return as a massive relief. But added he still fears for the safety of other family members who have refused to leave the conflict-hit country. Mr Babikir also said he hopes the government will use those same routes and same leverage theyve built for humanitarian aid for the people in Sudan. A power struggle between Sudans army and paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces descended into fighting almost two weeks ago, with more than 500 people killed and thousands more injured. Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF chief Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo have argued about the countrys proposed move to civilian rule. Nairobi Foreign and Diaspora Affairs CS Dr. Alfred Mutua has encouraged Kenyans to apply for jobs in the United States of America (USA). Dr. Mutua said the US is setting up a framework to allow Kenyans to apply for jobs and to get work visas on time. "The United States is working on modalities to speed up visa processing at the Nairobi embassy to reduce the long waiting times," he said. The CS is in Washington DC in United States of America attending a bilateral session for negotiations on the Kenya-United States of America Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership accompanied by the Cabinet Secretary for Investment, Trade and Industry Moses Kuria and other senior government officials. He said the two countries have agreed to partner in the areas of trade and investment for job creation and visas for youth empowerment, health, food security, climate change, regional peace and security. In a press statement sent to newsrooms, Dr. Mutua said during the meeting, US committed to support Kenya's universal healthcare program with a focus on epidemic control and manufacturing of vaccine and pharmaceutical production, which he noted will create jobs for Kenyans and transfer technology. "We agreed on the continuation of support for HIV/AIDS medication as we build capacity to produce our own within five years. We also hailed the deal with Moderna which will set a vaccine production factory in Kenya from this year," stated the CS. He at the same time revealed that US has also committed to facilitate Kenya on sustainable food production, instead of food aid through water harvesting programmes among them dams, value addition technology, and agribusiness technology to encourage youth to embrace farming. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Trade Kenya U.S., Canada and Africa By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Regarding the Bottom Up, 'Hustler' economic model, they discussed partnerships in supporting youth programs, empowering Kenya's Small and Medium Enterprises and growing wealth to boost the youth. He said the two countries discussed many security and defence partnerships, since United States is one of the valued partners on Kenya's efforts to stabilize the region for peace and security. Dr. Mutua said that United States has committed to support the upgrading of United Nations Office in Nairobi to international standards. He told the American government that Kenya is open for business and encouraged American investors to invest in the country, adding that with the Africa Continental Free Trade Area agreement, Kenya can be used as the hub for reaching the 1.3 plus billion African market. "We explained to the US Commerce Department on the various Kenyan incentives that are second to none. We should expect an inflow of American firms opening up businesses in Kenya," he added. The CS who thanked the Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, the Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Molly Phee, US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman and their teams for the warm welcome, said the negotiation discussed partnership of over 50 specific issues. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Two NHS doctors have been denied seats on British planes evacuating people from Sudan, leaving them stranded in the war zone just hours before its fragile ceasefire ends. The junior doctors made the perilous journey to Wadi Saeedna airfield, where the UK government has been evacuating UK nationals, on the advice of their MP after UK citizens were urged to leave while they still can. But they were turned away, prompting fears that the dozens of NHS doctors stuck in the country could face the same plight. Upon arrival, the pair, who are not disclosing their names for safety reasons, told friends in a text message: Even showing them that I work for the NHS, they didnt want to talk further and they showed me the way out. The pair had risked their lives to travel into the night to the airfield from Khartoum, which has been at the epicentre of the fighting (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) Dr Reem Taha, a member of the Sudanese Junior Doctors Association UK which has a WhatsApp group of 71 Sudanese NHS doctors trapped in Sudan, said more of her colleagues were making their way to the evacuation point on Friday and were devastated to hear they had been turned away. The pair, who had been visiting extended family for Eid al-Fitr, risked their lives to travel through the night from Khartoum, which has been at the epicentre of the fighting since fierce clashes between forces loyal to the countrys two top generals erupted in the city on 15 April. Dr Taha, an NHS doctor based in South Yorkshire who has been in touch with the pair, told The Independent their journey highlighted how desperate they are to be evacuated. She said: You pass through at least 10 checkpoints until you get there. You have to cross a bridge thats not safe and is a particular area of conflict. It is a dangerous journey and people try to avoid it at night. The fact that they tried to get there at night shows you how desperate they are to be evacuated. After waiting at the airfield overnight and being denied access to the flight one of the doctors has been been forced to return to his family home and the violence of the Sudanese capital. Intermittent water and electricity supplies, the constant sound of gunshots and bullets flying through the air await him there. Its really heartbreaking and upsetting that theyve been denied seats, said Dr Taha. You feel like youre just not worthy of a small spot on a plane. Theyve already had such a tough time. Today is the last day of the ceasefire, and were worried they might not get another chance to make it to the military airport to be evacuated - or worse be injured or killed. People evacuated from Sudan arrive on a flight from Cyprus into Stansted airport in Essex - but two juniors doctors were flatly denied onboard a British evacuation plane this morning (PA) The pair have biometric residence permits (BRP), which are visas that are proof of peoples right to study or work in the UK. One has lived in the country and worked in the NHS for around two years, which included risking his life working during the Covid pandemic. Amid confusion over the British governments plans to evacuate citizens, the Foreign Office said it was keeping the situation under review, with No 10 adding on Thursday that there was an element of discretion for those working on the ground in Sudan. But it confirmed to The Independent that only British Nationals and their immediate family members with existing eligibility to enter the UK were being evacuated. This does not include NHS doctors who are non-British and visa holders, the British Medical Association (BMA) said. Dr Latifa Patel, BMA Representative Body Chair, told The Independent it is heartbreaking to hear reports NHS doctors are being turned away from evacuation flights and left behind in life-threatening conditions. Sudanese army soldiers, loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, sit atop a tank in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan (AFP via Getty Images) She wrote to the Foreign Secretary on Wednesday calling for urgent action from the Government, which has a duty of care to ensure the safety of these NHS doctors who work hard to care for patients in the UK, including NHS doctors who are not British passport holders. The two junior doctors said they were told at the evacuation point: Either I need to have a British passport or to be with a family member who has a British passport, with no exceptions at all. Matthew Hopkins, Chief Executive of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said colleagues of one of the well-respected doctors are all incredibly concerned for his safety. Hr Hopkins added he has written to the Foreign Secretary as well as the local MP Robin Walker calling for action. Fighting flared in Sudan on Wednesday as its armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) battled on Khartoums outskirts, undermining the truce in their 11-day conflict. The ceasefire officially ends at 10pm on Thursday, at which point violence could escalate, according to the UK government. Dr Taha said: I hope the government will rectify or just explain this. Those who risked everything and put their faith in the UK government have been completely let down. The British Foreign Office said it does not comment on individual cases. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Fighting has erupted in Sudans capital city Khartoum and across the country this month as powerful rival military factions battle for control of the African nation and its future. The sudden slide into violence between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary group called Rapid Support Forces (RSF) stranded thousands of foreigners, including diplomats and aid workers in the country, with the UK, US, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states among those closing embassies and racing to evacuate their nationals. Follow our live blog for latest updates More than 450 people have been killed in the conflict and another 4,000 wounded so far, according to the World Health Organisation. A brief 72-hour ceasefire has been declared to allow for the evacuations to take place, with negotiations currently underway to extend its duration. British families caught up in the fighting had initially accused the UK government of abandoning them, despite reassurances from prime minister Rishi Sunak and the Foreign Office that talks were underway to bring them home. After the truce was agreed between the two factions, the UK was able to airlift 536 citizens to safety, with foreign secretary James Cleverly now urging British nationals who may be hesitant or weighing up their options to make their way to Wadi Seidna, where there are planes and capacity in place to get people out. Alicia Kearns, chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, told BBC Radio 4s Today programme that the number of British people hoping to be evacuated could total 3,000, 4,000 plus, adding that those on the ground were living in abject fear, had little food and water left and even been reduced to killing their pets in some cases because theyre worried theyre going to starve. Whats going on in Sudan? Tension had been building for months between Sudans army and the RSF, which together toppled a civilian government in an October 2021 coup. The friction was brought to a head by an internationally-backed plan to launch a new transition with civilian parties. A final deal was due to be signed earlier in April, on the fourth anniversary of the overthrow of long-ruling autocrat Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising. Both the army and the RSF were required to cede power under the plan and two issues proved particularly contentious: one was the timetable for the RSF to be integrated into the regular armed forces, the second was when the army would be formally placed under civilian oversight. When fighting broke out on 15 April, both sides blamed the other for provoking the violence. The army accused the RSF of illegal mobilisation in preceding days and the RSF, as it moved on key strategic sites in Khartoum, said the army had tried to seize full power in a plot with Bashir loyalists. Who is fighting who? The protagonists in the power struggle are General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the army and leader of Sudans ruling council since 2019 and his deputy on the council, RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti. As the plan for a new transition developed, Hemedti alligned himself more closely with civilian parties from a coalition, the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), that shared power with the military between Bashirs overthrow and the 2021 coup. Smoke clouds the sky over Khartoum (Maheen S/AP) Diplomats and analysts said this was part of a strategy by Hemedti to transform himself into a statesman. Both the FFC and Hemedti, who grew wealthy through gold mining and other ventures, stressed the need to sideline Islamist-leaning Bashir loyalists and veterans who had regained a foothold following the coup and have deep roots in the army. Along with some pro-army rebel factions that benefited from a 2020 peace deal, the Bashir loyalists opposed the deal for a new transition. Whats at stake? The popular uprising had raised hopes that Sudan and its population of 46 million could emerge from decades of autocracy, internal conflict and economic isolation under Bashir. Conflict could not only destroy those hopes but destabilise a volatile region bordering the Sahel, the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa. It could also play into competition for influence in the region between Russia and the United States and between regional powers who have courted different actors in Sudan. What about other countries? Western powers including the US and the UK had swung behind a transition towards democratic elections following Bashirs overthrow. They suspended financial support following the coup, then backed the plan for a new transition and a civilian government. Energy-rich powers Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have also sought to shape events in Sudan, seeing the transition away from Bashirs rule as a way to roll back Islamist influence and bolster stability in the region. Gulf states have pursued investments in sectors including agriculture, where Sudan holds vast potential and ports on Sudans Red Sea coast. British nationals remain trapped in Sudan as fighting continues (Marwan Ali/AP) Russia has been seeking to build a naval base on the Red Sea, while several UAE companies have been signing up to invest, with one UAE consortium inking a preliminary deal to build and operate a port and another UAE-based airline agreeing with a Sudanese partner to create a new low-cost carrier based in Khartoum. Burhan and Hemedti both developed close ties to Saudi Arabia after sending troops to participate in the Saudi-led operation in Yemen. Hemedti has struck up relations with other foreign powers including the UAE and Russia. Egypt, itself ruled by military man President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi who overthrew his Islamist predecessor, has deep ties to Burhan and the army and recently promoted a parallel track of political negotiations through parties with stronger links to the army and to Bashirs former government. What could happen? International parties have called for a ceasefire and a return to dialogue but there has been little sign of compromise from the warring factions. The army has branded the RSF as a rebel force and demanded its dissolution, while Hemedti has called Burhan a criminal and blamed him for visiting destruction on the country. Though Sudans army has superior resources including air power and the RSF expanded into a force estimated at 100,000 men that had deployed across Khartoum and its neighbouring cities as well as in other regions, raising the spectre of protracted conflict on top of a long-running economic crisis and existing, large-scale humanitarian needs. The RSF can also draw on support and tribal ties in the western region of Darfur, where it emerged from the militias that fought alongside government forces to crush rebels in a brutal war that escalated after 2003. Additional reporting by Reuters Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol urged ever more strengthening of the U.S.-led security alliance against nuclear-armed North Korea on Thursday, drawing cheers from Congress as he saluted the great American heroes who helped preserve his country's democracy in the Korean War. Democratic and Republicans lawmakers rose to their feet again and again to applaud during Yoon's address to a joint meeting of the House and Senate, in a speech that stressed security cooperation at a time of increased tension with both North Korea and China. Yoon also cited U.S.-Korean high-tech trade ties creating thousands of jobs in the United States. Yoon praised the U.S.-South Korea security partnership since the Korean War seven decades ago as the linchpin safeguarding our freedom, peace and prosperity. Lawmakers roared with approval when the South Korean leader closed with, God bless our alliance. They flocked to him afterward on the House floor, pressing him to sign their written copies of his address. Yoon's visit to Washington has focused on efforts by both countries and other allies in the Indo-Pacific to make their forces stronger, more nimble, better positioned and more resilient in the event of any conflict in the region. On Wednesday, Yoon and President Joe Biden announced an agreement for intensified nuclear deterrence to counter any North Korean threat. Biden issued a blunt warning that a nuclear attack would result in the end of whatever regime took such action. North Korea over the past year has carried out a record number of ballistic missile launches, demonstrating its ability to strike targets near and far. The U.S.-South Korean deterrence effort announced this week calls for periodically docking U.S. nuclear-armed submarines in South Korea for the first time in decades and bolstering training between the two countries. The Biden administration's aim in improving the allies' military readiness in the region is not just to deter North Korea but to discourage and defend against any threats from China, which is also a growing security concern. That concern focuses at present on any possible move against the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which China claims as its territory. Still, China is an important market for South Koreas semiconductors and other advanced technology. Yoons remarks, while singling out North Korea as a threat to democracy and peace in his region, made no direct mention of China. Also from the Indo-Pacific, next week Biden will host Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for Oval Office talks. Yoon paid tribute Thursday to the nearly 40,000 American troops who died helping South Korea's democratic government fight back an attempted takeover by the communist north in the 1950s. Korea will never forget the great American heroes who fought with us to defend freedom, he said. He singled out the granddaughter of one such Korean veteran, Col. William Weber. Dayne Weber stood and waved from the House Gallery in response, placing her hand over her heart as lawmakers applauded. Col. Weber lost an arm and leg in 1951 defending Wonju, which is roughly 50 miles east of Seoul. He died last year, after successfully advocating for completion of the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington. Yoon, who charmed a White House state dinner the evening before by singing several stanzas of the 1970s pop song American Pie, also pointed to economic and cultural bonds forged between the two countries since the war. Those include a White House visit last year by a Korean pop group with an adoring global following. BTS beat me to the White House but I beat them to Capitol Hill! Yoon exclaimed. On trade, South Korea is concerned about its economy suffering collateral damage as the U.S. tries to wean its supply chains from dependence on Chinese imports, and considers additional sanctions if Beijing increases support for Russia after President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Individual lawmakers stood, smiled and applauded when Yoon referenced Korean companies with operations in their home states. Rep Michael McCaul, a Republican from Texas, received high-fives from his colleagues when Yoon mentioned a Samsung semiconductor plant in Austin. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met with Yoon at the Capitol before the joint meeting of Congress. McCarthy pointed out features in the Capitols Statuary Hall as they walked to a meeting with other congressional leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Yoon's address marked roughly the 120th time that the House and Senate have met jointly to hear from a foreign leader. It's a tradition that congressional researchers say dates back to 1874, starting with King Kalakaua of Hawaii, which was then a sovereign kingdom and not a state. Lawmakers extend the invitations as an honor to allies. Yoon's speech comes just weeks after the leaks of highly classified documents that have complicated relations with allies, including South Korea. The papers, viewed by The Associated Press, describe internal deliberations in which South Koreas National Security Council grappled with the U.S. in early March over an American request to provide artillery ammunition to Ukraine. The leaked documents, which cited a signals intelligence report, were a political embarrassment at home and abroad for Yoon and other allies cited in the leaks. Sign up to our free US news bulletin sent straight to your inbox each weekday morning Sign up to our free morning US email news bulletin Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the US Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The white woman who accused Black 14-year-old Emmett Till of making lewd comments about her before he was brutally beaten and killed in Mississippi in 1955 has died. Carolyn Bryant Donham, 88, was diagnosed with cancer and receiving hospice care in Louisiana. The Calcasieu Parish coroners office confirmed her death to Mississippi Today on 27 April. Till was kidnapped, tortured, beaten and shot before his body was tied to fan blade and weighed down in a river in Mississippi nearly 70 years ago. The men who killed him were acquitted by an all-white jury, then admitted to their crimes in a magazine interview a few months later. Both men have also since died. Last year, a grand jury in Mississippis Leflore County declined to indict Donham, who was 21 years old when she testified in court that Till made unwanted advances against her. An unserved warrant that was discovered in a county courthouse basement last year intended to charge her and her then-husband Roy Bryant and brother-in-law JW Milam, but after Tills murder, she was never taken into custody or charged with any crime in the decades that followed. Nobody has been convicted for Tills death, which galvanised a civil rights movement and attracted nationwide attention to lynchings and racist killings of Black Americans, underscoring the brutal legacy of segregation and Jim Crow-era violence. Tills mother Mamie Till-Mobley, who died in 2003, was photographed in a defining image at his open casket funeral in Chicago. I wanted the world to see what they did to my boy, she said at the time. (AP) Last March, President Joe Biden signed the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act into law, making lynching a federal hate crime more than a century after such legislation was first introduced. From the bullets in the back of Ahmaud Arbery, to countless acts of violence, countless victims both known and unknown racial hate is not an old problem, its a persistent problem, the president said in a signing ceremony at the White House last year. Hate never goes away. It only hides, it hides under the rocks. Given just a little bit of oxygen it comes roaring back out, screaming. What stops it is all of us, not a few. The law designates lynching as a crime punishable by up to 30 years in prison. It passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 433-7 and cleared the US Senate by unanimous consent. In February of this year, Tills cousin Priscilla Sterling filed a federal lawsuit against Leflore County Sheriff Ricky Banks, pressuring him to serve the 1955 warrant for Donhams arrest. Earlier this month, his attorney asked a judge to dismiss the suit. Sign up to our free US news bulletin sent straight to your inbox each weekday morning Sign up to our free morning US email news bulletin Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the US Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The body of a renowned Michigan neurosurgeon was found in the attic of his home. Authorities in Detroit made the gruesome discovery at the residence of Dr Devon Hoover while conducting a wellness check on Sunday 23 April, after he failed to attend a family party, the Daily Beast reports. Dr Hoover, 53, died of a single gunshot to the head. His body was found wrapped in a sheet in the attic of his home in the historic Boston-Edison neighbourhood. Dr Hoovers vehicle was found at a separate location. No arrests have been made in the murder, but police said the crime is likely linked to an episode of domestic violence. The veteran neurosurgeon, who lived alone, worked at Ascension Healthcare at St John Hospital. According to his since-deleted profile on the hospitals website, he was awarded as one of Metro Detroits most respected neurological surgeons in 2008. Our sincerest condolences and heartfelt prayers are with his family, friends and fellow associates during this incredibly difficult time, the hospital said in a statement to FOX 2. (Paddy Lynch/Facebook ) Patients of the slain doctor have taken to social media to share their gratitude and fond memories they shared with the doctor. Anthony Foodale said Dr Hoover performed a small procedure on his spine after several doctors had told him his only option was surgery. I was 33 years old with two young sons and could barely walk. This man changed my life and Im certain the lives of so many others, Mr Foodale wrote in a Facebook post. Im so thankful to have met and received treatment from this great doctor. Dr Hoovers neighbour Paddy Lynch described him as an accomplished surgeon, who was larger than life. He said Dr Hoover would often welcome friends and neighbours into his spectacular home, where he hosted charitable events. But perhaps most admirably, he was beyond generous with his time and his treasure, Mr Lynch said. I pray that theres a heaven and that Devon is there now, drinking wine and resting from his many labours. May his good life be remembered and may his memory be eternal. Sign up to our free US news bulletin sent straight to your inbox each weekday morning Sign up to our free morning US email news bulletin Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the US Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Carolyn Bryant Donham, the white woman whose dubious allegations spurred the infamous 1955 killing of Black teenager Emmett Till, has died at age 88. Donham, who had previously been diagnosed with cancer, was receiving hospice care in Louisiana. The Calcasieu Parish coroners office confirmed her death to Mississippi Today on 27 April. Till was kidnapped, tortured, beaten and shot before his body was tied to a fan blade and weighed down in a river. Photos of his grieving family and mangled body at an open casket funeral helped galvanise the civil rights movement and shine a light on the viciousness of racist violence in the Jim Crow South. Tills mother Mamie Till-Mobley, who died in 2003, was pictured in a defining image at the service. I wanted the world to see what they did to my boy, she said at the time. Malik Z Shabazz, an attorney for the Till family, said Bryant, who accused Till of making lewd remarks and grabbing her around the waist in a grocery store in Money, Missippi, left behind a legacy of dishonesty and injustice. Carolyn Bryants death brings a conclusion to a painful chapter for the Emmett Till family and for Black peoples in America, Mr Shabazz told Capital B News. The tragic part about Bryants death was that she was never held accountable for her role in the death of young Emmett Till, who is the martyr for the Civil Rights Movement. The men who killed the 14-year-old Black boy, Donhams then-husband Roy Bryant and brother-in-law JW Milam, were acquitted by an all-white jury. They admitted to their crimes in a magazine interview a few months later. Both men have since died. Donham was never convincted with any crime, nor was she ever charged. Subsequent investigations have shown inconsistencies in her explosive account of what hapened between her and Till. A last chance at justice Multiple local and federal investigations have re-examined the case. Last August, a grand jury in Leflore County, Missippie, declined to indict her. Recommended Emmett Till protesters spark lockdown at senior living facility in search of wrongful accuser The long-running inquiry into the truth behind what happened to Emmett Till began a new chapter that June, when an unserved warrant charging Ms Donham along with Bryant and Milam was discovered in a county courthouse basement. After Tills murder, Donham was never taken into custody or charged with any crime in the decades that followed. Following several hours of testimony from investigators and witnesses, a grand jury determined there was not enough evidence to indict Ms Donham on charges of kidnapping and manslaughter. The case marked one the final chances to amend the record on a historic crime thats been scrutinised for decades. The murder of Emmett Till remains an unforgettable tragedy in this country and the thoughts and prayers of this nation continue to be with the family of Emmett Till, District Attorney Dewayne Richardson said in a statement. The Rev Wheeler Parker Jr, Tills cousin and the last living witness to his abduction in 1955, said in a statement that the grand jurys decision was unfortunate, but predictable. The prosecutor tried his best, and we appreciate his efforts, but he alone cannot undo hundreds of years of anti-Black systems that guaranteed those who killed Emmett Till would go unpunished, to this day, he said at the time. The fact remains that the people who abducted, tortured, and murdered Emmett did so in plain sight, and our American justice system was and continues to be set up in such a way that they could not be brought to justice for their heinous crimes. Federal investigators open and close two cases It wasnt the first time officials re-examined the shocking killing. In 2004, the US Department of Justice opened an investigation to potentially weigh state-level charges in the case, though a grand jury declined to issue any indictments in 2007, and federal prosecutors closed their inquiry. A federal investigation reopened in 2018 following the publication of Timothy Tysons The Blood of Emmett Till. The author said Ms Donham told him in a 2008 interview that her trial testimony was false though her family has denied that she ever recanted her testimony. The Justice Department renewed its probe after Ms Donham also denied to the FBI that she ever recanted her testimony and provided no information beyond what was uncovered during the previous federal investigation, according to federal prosecutors. Federal prosecutors closed the investigation a second time in December 2021, claiming to find no new evidence suggesting that either Ms Donham or any other living person was involved in Tills abduction and murder. Even if such evidence could be developed, no federal hate crime laws existed in 1955, and the statute of limitations has run on the only civil rights statutes that were in effect at that time, the agency said in a statement. As such, even if a living suspect could now be identified, a federal prosecution for Tills abduction and murder would not be possible, according to investigators. The DoJ also concluded that Mr Tysons account of the recantation was filled with numerous inconsistencies. Author Timothy Tyson holds a copy of his book on the lynching of Emmett Till, in which (AP) The historian failed to keep reliable notes and tape transcripts of the confession, according to a review from the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting. In March of 2022, the office of Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch also said investigators were unlikely to open another case. This is a tragic and horrible crime, but the FBI, which has far greater resources than our office, has investigated this matter twice and determined that there is nothing more to prosecute, chief of staff Michelle Williams said in a statement. But the discovery of the warrant for Ms Donhams arrest which the Leflore County sheriff did not issue at the time because he did not want to bother her amounted to new evidence, according to the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation. Other questions about the reliability of her story have emerged. At various points, in interviews with defence lawyers and later federal agents, the accuser gave conflicting accounts about when Till whistled, how he touched her, who she told about the alleged incident, and how or if she identified Till to her family members who later killed him. Donham, according to an unpublished memoir viewed by the Associated Press, has also claimed that she did not recognise Till. Witnesses to the incident say they never saw Till say or do anything inappropriate. While I was in the store, Bobo did nothing inappropriate, Simeon Wright, Tills cousin, recounted in his 2010 memoir, using a family nickname for Till. Bobo didnt ask her for a date or call her baby. There was no lecherous conversation between them. A new class of hate crime, a century in the making The year before Till was killed, the US Supreme Court overturned the separate but equal doctrine in its landmark Brown v Board of Education case to end legal segregation. Cities and states across the US resisted the court with violence and in protracted legal battles that took decades to resolve, with their legacies imprinted in private schools that fought integration and in deteriorating public school systems nationwide. More than 6,500 people, mostly Black Americans, were killed in racist attacks between 1865 and 1950. That time period encompassed the aftermath of the US Civil War and emancipation, white militia terror during Reconstruction, and the years surrounding the Civil Rights movement, according to the Equal Justice Initiative. In the year after the Supreme Courts ruling in the Board case, several public acts of racist violence in Mississippi preceded Tills killing. The Rev George Lee the first Black man to register to vote in Humphreys County in decades was fatally shot for doing so. In Lincoln County, Lamar Smith was shot to death for telling people to register. It took almost 100 years before such acts of racist violence would be recognised under federal law. In 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act into law, making lynching a federal hate crime. The law designates lynching as a crime punishable by up to 30 years in prison. It passed the House of Representatives on 7 March by a vote of 433-7 and cleared the US Senate by unanimous consent. Sign up to our free US news bulletin sent straight to your inbox each weekday morning Sign up to our free morning US email news bulletin Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the US Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The family members of a 59-year-old slain Uber Eats driver remembered him as the "most perfect man" who worked hard to support his familys dreams. Randall 'Randy' Cooke was making his last delivery on 19 April in Holiday, Florida, when police believe he was dragged inside and killed in an attempted robbery. Pasco County police said Cooke was yanked into the home of 30-year-old parolee Oscar Solis while completing his food delivery. Cooke's remains were found at the house in trash bags and a cooler, which also contained a receipt with Solis's name on it, according to a police affidavit. Solis, an alleged member of the MS-13 criminal gang, was charged with killing the driver, sheriff Chris Nocco said at a news conference. This was a horrific crime of passion, Sheriff Nocco told reporters. This was demonic. What he did was demonic. Kathy Cooke, the wife of the slain delivery driver described her husband as an "angel". Ms Cooke said she called her husband after 7pm and knew something was wrong when both his phones went straight to voicemail. "I knew something was wrong right then and there," she said. "If youre an Uber driver, you have two phones and a charger. I called the police." Ms Cooke said the last week has been a blur as she couldn't recall which day the police told her about her husband's death. "I came into the house and broke down on my hands and knees screaming at the top of my lungs," she told Fox News. "My mind circuited it out and wouldnt accept it. Cookes stepdaughter Melany Dzoba remembered him as the most perfect man and partner to her mother. [He was] such a happy guy. I mean, we all go through our ups and downs. Were all still human, but he just he was always just so happy and just trying to have fun and laugh all the time, she told WFTS. Ms Dzoba said Cooke met her mother in 2012, and eight years later, the perfect couple tied the knot in 2020. [It was] a relationship I could always hope for, she said. Just conjoined at the hip. Soulmates until the very end. "I still have a voicemail on my phone from last Monday of just his voice and him telling me how much he loves me and how much hes there for me," she said tearfully. Cookes other stepdaughter, Brittany Dzoba, shared that the retiree moved to Paso from Seminole County last year to be closer to the ocean in order to fulfill his family's dream of living near the ocean. He was a graphic designer by trade, but also carried out deliveries to bring in some extra income, Ms Dzoba said. He just had to do anything he could to make ends meet, you know, she said, adding that Randy just made everything better. Meanwhile, the suspect faces charges of murder while engaged in a robbery, failure to register as a convicted felon and a parole violation, jail records show. Solis was released from an Indiana prison in January after serving four years for an assault and burglary conviction, Nocco said. He moved to the Florida home about three months ago. A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help Cookes family deal with expenses. Close Utah chief medical examiner: Tammy Daybell was bruised and asphyxiated Sign up to our free US news bulletin sent straight to your inbox each weekday morning Sign up to our free morning US email news bulletin Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the US Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Week five of doomsday cult mom Lori Vallows trial is underway in Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, where the mother-of-three is accused of killing her two youngest children and her new husband Chad Daybells first wife. The 49-year-old 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 Mr Daybells wife Tammy, 49. Tylee and JJ were last seen alive in September 2019. In June 2020, their remains were found buried on the Daybell property. Tammy died one month after their disappearance in October 2019. On Monday, jurors heard more details about Tammys sudden death which was first ruled natural causes before her body was exhumed and her cause of death was ruled asphyxiation. Utahs chief medical examiner Dr Erik Christensen testified that the autopsy found bruises on her body which were consistent with her being restrained before her murder. Jurors also heard how Ms Vallows hair was found on duct tape which was used to wrap a plastic bag around her little boy JJs head, suffocating him. Sign up to our free US news bulletin sent straight to your inbox each weekday morning Sign up to our free morning US email news bulletin Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the US Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A manhunt is under way to find the final two fugitives still on the run after four inmates staged a dramatic jail break in Mississippi this week. The group of inmates escaped from the Raymond Detention Center over the weekend, with guards only discovering the prisoners were missing during an early morning headcount. One of the escaped fugitives died in a house fire on Wednesday after killing a Good Samaritan pastor who had stopped to help him and shooting a police officer. A second was captured in Texas on Thursday. Now, as of Friday morning, two of the escaped inmates are still at large almost one week on from their escape. Here is what we know so far about the saga: How the prison break unfolded Four inmates Jerry Raynes, 51, Casey Grayson, 24, Corey Harrison, 22, and Dylan Arrington, escaped from the troubled Raymond Detention Center over the weekend. Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said in a press conference on Monday that two breaches had been found inside the jail one inside a cell and the other in the roof. The four escapees are believed to have managed to climb onto the roof at around 8.30pm on Saturday night and camped up there, before leaving the facility at different times. The jail break was discovered at around 12.30am on Sunday morning during a routine head count and the facility was instantly plunged into lockdown. The escaped inmates used a number of stolen vehicles in their getaways. From left: Jerry Raynes, Casey Grayson, Corey Harrison and Dylan Arrington (Hinds County Sheriffs Office ) Authorities said that a truck a red Chevy Silverado was stolen from close to the jail at around 2.30am on Sunday morning with a witness spotting two men inside the vehicle. Investigators believe this is connected to the jail break. Another vehicle a Hinds County Public Works vehicle was found abandoned in Spring Valley Village, Texas, after at least one of the fugitives is believed to have used it in his escape. A red Dodge Ram 1500 truck was also stolen when Arrington allegedly shot pastor Anthony Watts dead and made off in his vehicle. A manhunt was launched to track down the four fugitives. Who are the suspects on the run? The suspects were identified as Dylan Arrington, 22, Casey Grayson, 24, Corey Harrison, 22, and Jerry Raynes, 51, who were in prison on various charges. Dylan Arrington is suspected of murder and was charged with auto theft and being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to KTRK. Corey Harrison was charged with receiving stolen property. Casey Grayson was charged with grand larceny and sale of a controlled substance, and Jerry Raynes was charged with auto theft and burglary of a business. Pastors murder and fugitives house fire death Arrington allegedly shot and killed 61-year-old pastor Anthony Watts on Monday night after the victim pulled over to help him, when he wrecked a motorcycle he had previously stolen. Arrington then allegedly stole Watts Dodge Ram and fled the scene. Close friends of Watts who was the lead pastor at St Mary Missionary Baptist Church in DLo, Mississippi paid tribute to him as someone who always wanted to look out for others. That was the type of person he was. He always wanted to help. Always wanted to know what he can do whatever the circumstance may be, Karen Fairley told WAPT. St Mary Missionary Baptist Churchs Pastor Anthony Watts (St Mary Missionary Baptist Church) He always told you he loved you and his spirit was so sincere, so kind, and so loving to just everyone he came in contact with. She said she can understand why he stopped to help the escaped inmate as that was who he was. The action that happened, we could understand why he did it, because that was just in his nature, said Ms Fairley, whose father is an associate minister at the church. Following the pastors murder, officers then tracked Arrington down to a home in Leake County on Wednesday morning. In a video update, Leake County Sheriff Randy Atkinson outlined what happened during the encounter. The sheriff said that officers went to a home where they believed the suspect had been at around 7am that morning. When they arrived, the homeowner was home and they spoke with him briefly. The homeowner then entered the residence before running out and saying the suspect was in the house. Arrington then started shooting at the officers from inside the home, with a bullet striking an officer in the leg, said the sheriff. More units responded to the address and the suspect allegedly continued to fire on them. The sheriff said that the home then went up in flames. Arrington fired at police, wounding one investigator, after being cornered (Jackson Police Department) Arringtons body was later confirmed to be found inside. I have never seen a situation where a structure was engulfed in flames and an individual inside of the structure started firing shots at law enforcement on the exterior, Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones told WAPT. This individual had violence on his mind and I will say that I believe that he did not intend to leave here alive today. The wounded officer Leake County Investigator Jerry Horn was released from hospital on Thursday. He was welcomed home with a police motorcade. The manhunt Surveillance footage captured Raynes at a service station in Spring Valley, Texas, at around 11am on Sunday morning. A stolen Hinds County maintenance truck was also recovered in Spring Valley on Sunday. Officials suspected that he was headed for the US border. On Thursday, Raynes was taken into custody in Spring Valley View, in Northwest Harris County on Thursday. Hinds County Sheriffs Office said that he was taken for evaluation at Memorial Hermann Greater Heights Hospital before being extradited to Mississippi. Escapee Jerry Raynes is in custody in Spring Valley, TX. USMFTF, Harris County Sheriffs Office and Spring Valley PD assisted with the capture. Raynes will be held facing extradition back to MS. Investigation is still ongoing, HCSO tweeted. Raynes spotted at service station in Spring Valley, Texas (HCSO) The other two inmates were still at large on Friday morning. Investigation and new charges pending The Hinds County Sheriffs Office is now conducting an administrative and criminal investigation into the escape, Sheriff Jones said. Raymond Detention Center had a chequered past long before four inmates escaped over the weekend. Last summer, deficiencies in supervision and staffing, and a stunning array of assaults, as well as deaths prompted a judge to order a takeover of the detention centre, according to the Associated Press. Seven people died last year while detained at the jail, according to US District Judge Carlton Reeves said. Judge Reeves wrote in his ruling that cell doors did not lock and a lack of lighting in cells made life miserable for the detainees who live there and prevents guards from adequately surveilling detainees. Jerry Raynes following his recapture (HCSO) He also said guards sometimes slept instead of monitoring the cameras in the control room. But before an appointed receiver was scheduled to assume control over the jail this year, a court of appeals halted the lower courts order until it ruled on the countys motion for reconsideration. Meanwhile, the escaped inmates will face additional charges of escape and also possibly auto theft. Yola The Adamawa State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), A.T Shehu yesterday morning led a group of protesters to the office of the Department of Security Services (DSS) in Yola, demanding the release of three PDP members who were allegedly detained by the DSS. Shehu while leading the protesters, said the protest became necessary as their members were in detention since Wednesday last week. He said their detention was beyond the time the constitution stipulates, explaining that every Nigerian has a fundamental human right not to be kept in police custody for more than 48 hours. The State Chairman said the DSS, after receiving their complaint letter, has assured them that they would carry out investigation on the said members and do the needful as quickly as possible. The persons were arrested aftermath the recent governorship election controversies in the state as a result of illegal declaration of winner by former Adamawa Resident Electoral Commissioner, Barrister Hudu Yunusa Ari. According to the protesters, the affected persons were said to be allegedly in the custody of the DSS for seven days without trial from the time of their arrest. The affected persons include, Yusuf Mohammed, Zira John and Solomon Abafras. However, the peaceful protest March started from State Headquarters of the PDP through Justice Buba Ardo Road to the DSS office in Yola where they presented their complaint letter. Sign up to our free US news bulletin sent straight to your inbox each weekday morning Sign up to our free morning US email news bulletin Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the US Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} One of the four fugitives who escaped a Mississippi prison sparking a massive manhunt across the region has been captured while on the run in Texas, according to officials. Prisoner Jerry Raynes was taken into custody in Spring Valley View, in Northwest Harris County on Thursday, according to a tweet from Mississippis Hinds County Sheriffs Office. Raynes is now being evaluated at Memorial Hermann Greater Heights Hospital, says the agency. Jerry Raynes captured near Houston, Texas (HCSO) Escapee Jerry Raynes is in custody in Spring Valley, TX. USMFTF, Harris County Sheriffs Office and Spring Valley PD assisted with the capture. Raynes will be held facing extradition back to MS. Investigation is still ongoing, HCSO tweeted. The arrest came the day after officials released stills from a security video of Raynes at a Texas service station after a stolen truck from Hinds County was found in the area. The escaped prisoners were named as Dylan Arrington, 22, Casey Grayson, 24, Corey Harrison, 22, and Raynes, 51. Officials say that they were discovered missing after a prison headcount at the weekend, and after the jail was placed in lockdown guards found two breaches, one in a cell and another in the roof. Authorities believe that the men climbed out onto the roof at around 8.30pm on Saturday and camped up there before leaving at separate times, reported CNN. Police say that Dylan Arrington fatally shot 61-year-old pastor Anthony Watts on Monday night after the victim pulled over to help the fugitive, who had wrecked a motorcycle he had previously stolen. Arrington then allegedly stole Watts Dodge Ram and fled the scene. On Wednesday morning, authorities in Leake County said in a statement that a suspect believed to be Arrington was barricaded inside a home on Conway Road. The house became engulfed in flames and the man fired shots from inside the residence, striking a law enforcement official in the leg. A body in the house was formally identified as Arrington on Wednesday evening. The Hinds County Sheriffs Office is now conducting an administrative and criminal investigation into the escape, Sheriff Jones said. Once they are recaptured the inmates will face additional charges of escape and also possibly auto theft. Sign up to our free US news bulletin sent straight to your inbox each weekday morning Sign up to our free morning US email news bulletin Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the US Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A former San Francisco fire commissioner was allegedly caught on tape viciously spraying homeless people with bear spray in the years leading up to the official being attacked with a metal rod by a homeless man earlier this month. Don Carmignani carried out at least eight attacks between November of 2021 and January of 2023, according to public defender Kleigh Hathaway, who represents Garret Doty, who was arrested this month on assault and battery charges for the metal rod attack. The attorney told The San Francisco Standard that police reports and surveillance video capture Mr Camignani holding a large can of chemical irritant to the one he allegedly had during the April encounter in which he was allegedly beaten. This is exactly like the can that he had during the assault with my client, Ms Hathaway told The Standard. The former city official has denied being the one seen in the footage. In an interview with CBS Bay Area, he said he was the one who was attacked without provocation in April, when he asked a group of homeless people camped outside his mothers home in the Marina District to move. "I didnt go out there to fight anyone. Im trying to get them down the road, go to the park," Mr Carmignani said. "Its three-on-one. I know odds. Im 52 years old. I have two hip replacements. Im an old guy, I could have been a dead guy." Whatever provoked the altercation, Mr Carmignani was left with serious injuries including a fractured skull. Former San Francisco Fire Commissioner Don Carmignani (Allinradiodotcom) One of the attacks described by the public defender occurred on Magnolia street, where Mr Carmignani lives, Mission Local reports. Following delays, a hearing will take place on Thursday to determine whether there is enough evidence against Mr Doty to proceed with a case and hold him in jail. The new accusations in the case mirror another shocking change of course in a recent, high-profile San Francisco attack. Elon Musk and other members of the tech community seized on the murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee to paint a false picture of a city riven with rising street crime, only for the main suspect in the case to emerge as a fellow tech worker named Nima Momeni, who denies involvement in the killing. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A Black youth leader in the Los Angeles area says Los Angeles County sheriffs entered his home in the early hours of the morning, dragged him outside, and handcuffed him before realising they had entered the wrong house. Derrick Cooper, 54, has for nearly three decades run the the LA City Wildcats facility a Compton-based organisation that runs academic and extracurricular programming for area children. Mr Cooper lives in an apartment in the same building where the organisation is based. On April 18, Los Angeles County sheriffs located in departments the Compton office were called to respond to an attempted robbery near the LA City Wildcats facility. When the law enforcement officers entered Mr Coopers room and began shining lights in his face, he said he feared for his life. Im like, Theyre either here to kill me or Ive done something that I dont know about, Mr Cooper said in comments reported by NBC News. I said, Im unarmed, I live alone, please do not shoot me. The law enforcement officials ordered Mr Cooper to get up and walk towards them. Mr Cooper responded that he was naked from the waist down and asked for the chance to put on an undergarment or pair of pants, but was told that he could not. As much as I wanted to reach for something to cover up, I just knew if I did that, it was not going to be good for me, Mr Cooper said. So as embarrassed as I was, I chose being embarrassed to live another day. Mr Cooper was then handcuffed and led through the Wildcats facility and into the street. He asked why he had been detained, but was not given an answer. Mr Cooper said he was placed inside a sheriffs vehicle and sat there for some 20 minutes before a radio dispatch informed the officers that they had apprehended the wrong person. You guys are at the wrong building, the message from the dispatch radio said. Let him go. Mr Cooper then was able to walk free, but left deeply shaken by the incident. The Los Angeles County sheriffs office, which was led until December by conservative lightning rod Alejandro Villanueva, has said it is investigating the incident. Meanwhile, Mr Coopers laywer Jaaye Person-Lynn said they have not recieved any information about why the officers targeted Mr Cooper. We havent been given any information, like any 911 calls or any other information related to that call, Mr Person-Lynn said. So as of right now, we are still quite unsure what actually led to the officers showing up. If the sheriffs did simply arrive at the wrong address, it is not the first time in recent weeks that law enforcement officers have accosted the wrong person. Earlier this month, police in New Mexico fatally shot a homeowner after responding to the wrong address. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Don Lemon said he had no regrets and owns his actions after being fired from CNN following his 17-year stint with the network. Lemon announced his firing on Monday, saying he was stunned after being informed of the decision by his agent, and lamenting the lack of decency in the handling of the situation, which CNN rejected as inaccurate. The news anchor hit the red carpet at the Time 100 Gala in New York City following his axing and spoke to Extra Tv about the channels decision. Lemon called himself a survivor and said a lot of people love and support him. I live my life with no regrets. I did what I did and I own it, and so no, I dont look back and I dont want to change things in the past, he said in the interview. There are lots of things that come your way that are unexpected, but Im a survivor. I come from strong, sturdy stock in Louisiana and a lot of people are rooting for me and who love me. Life goes on. Thats behind me and well see what happens in the future. Speaking about his future plans, the former This Morning co-anchor said he is not going to jump to work immediately but has plans to enjoy his summer with his boyfriend and family at the beach. Im gonna spend my summer on the beach and on the boat, and with my family, he said. Just chill out and then Ill see what happens next, but Im fortunate enough to be in a position where I can do that. He said he does want to work again and is excited for a new chapter, because I think, you know, life is short and whatever life hands you, you have to bob and weave and do it. The surprise decision by the network came as Lemon had been mired in a string of controversies in recent months with accusations of making offensive on-air comments about women and of mistreating female coworkers off-camera. Lemon strongly denied accusations against him, which included claims of workplace misogyny and diva-like behaviour. A source-based report in Variety alleged that he had disrespected CNN co-hosts Nancy Grace on air and broadcaster Soledad OBrien during an editorial meeting, among other things. According to fellow colleagues, Lemon mocked Grace by mimicking her on air. A CNN spokesperson, however, said Variety story provided no actual proof, and instead relies on anonymous sources and unsubstantiated claims. CNN is unable to corroborate the alleged accounts, it said. Lemon also made inflammatory remarks about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haleys age in February, saying she wasnt in her prime. He was later pulled out by the network from his morning broadcast, and he was made to undergo formal training. Upon his return, he tweeted an apology, Im learning from you, and Im committed to doing better. Lemon arrived to the event along with his boyfriend, Tim Malone and said hes my biggest supporter. When Mr Malone was asked if Lemon was driving him nuts, he laughed and said no but just a little bit. I always drive him nuts, Lemon said in a light-hearted moment. Its nothing different. But as you know, hes my biggest supporter. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} E Jean Carroll raised her voice in exasperation in a New York courtroom on Thursday as she was repeatedly asked why she didnt scream while allegedly being raped by Donald Trump before the judge admonished the ex-presidents lawyer for his line of questioning. During hours of tense cross-examination, Mr Trumps attorney Joe Tacopina peppered the 79-year-old former Elle advice columnist with questions about an alleged sexual assault in the dressing room of Manhattan department store Bergdorf Goodman in 1996. Ms Carroll told how she was filled with adrenaline as she pushed and kicked back against the much larger man during the alleged three-minute encounter. I was in too much of a panic to scream, I was fighting, she said. When Mr Tacopina pressed the issue again, she replied: You cant beat up on me for not screaming. One of the reasons why women dont come forward is they are asked why didnt you scream. It keeps women silent. Ms Carroll eventually raised her voice in exasperation, saying: Im telling you he raped me whether I screamed or not. Judge Lewis Kaplan became impatient with the defence attorney as he continued to probe Ms Carrolls testimony. E Jean Carroll arrives for the third day of her civil trial against former President Donald Trump (Getty Images) Its argumentative, its repetitive and its inappropriate, Judge Kaplan told Mr Tacopina. Ms Carroll first went public with the alleged rape in a 2019 New York magazine excerpt from her memoir What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal. She is suing the former president in civil court for defamation and battery after he said she was lying about the alleged incident, claiming she was not his type. Mr Trump, 76, has repeatedly denied the rape took place. Ms Carroll told the court on day three of the civil trial in a Manhattan federal court she hadnt intended to write about the alleged rape when she began work on her book. But after sexual assault allegations against the disgraced filmmaker Harvey Weinstein became public in 2017, she decided she couldnt remain silent any longer. I was not a pioneer, I am a follower, she said during cross-examination. I saw other women coming forward after Harvey Weinstein and I thought, who am I to stay silent. Also I was 78 or 79, I had been silent for too long. My biggest fears came absolutely true Mr Tacopina repeatedly tried to undermine Ms Carrolls credibility after she had earlier testified in graphic detail about the alleged rape during a chance encounter with Mr Trump at Bergdorf Goodman in the mid-1990s. He suggested the author had been motivated by financial gain and political ideology to finally come forward with the allegations. For two decades, Ms Carroll, you never told the police and never revealed the story in your hundreds of columns, Mr Tacopina said. She replied that she had been fearful of what Mr Trump, who was then one of the wealthiest and most famous men in New York, could do to her. Joe Tacopina, a lawyer representing former President Donald Trump, arrives at federal court in New York (AP) I was afraid that Donald Trump would retaliate, which is exactly what he did, she said. My biggest fears came absolutely true. Ms Carroll initially sued Mr Trump for defamation in 2019, after he claimed in interviews and in White House press statements that the alleged rape didnt occur. When the former president posted on Truth Social in October 2022 that the lawsuit was a con job, she sued for defamation again. This time, she filed an additional claim for battery after New York state passed the Adult Survivors Act, which allows adults who were sexually abused to sue their alleged attackers after the statutes of limitations have run out. Wave of slime Earlier, under questioning from her attorney Mike Ferrara, Ms Carroll told how she would be inundated with a wave of slime every time Mr Trump commented or posted about her. Its very hard to get up in the morning and receive those messages, that you are way too ugly to go on living. Ms Carroll said she had peeked at Twitter on Thursday morning, and was met with a familiar stream of abusive and threatening messages. There it was again the onslaught, she said. Its not a great way to start the day. Carroll told Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina she feared the former president would retaliate if she spoke it, adding that that was exactly what he did (REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg) Ms Carroll added: I like attention, there is no question. I dont like attention because Im suing Donald Trump, getting attention for being raped is hard. When asked why she had filed the first lawsuit, Ms Carroll said she had been asked in interviews by several journalists whether or not she would pursue legal action against the then-president. The idea had crystalised when she met George Conway, the conservative lawyer and Trump antagonist, at a party at the author Molly Jong-Fasts home in 2019, she said. In her book, Ms Carroll also alleged she had been sexually assaulted by the disgraced former CBS CEO and president Les Moonves. When asked her why she hadnt sued Mr Moonves, she said: He didnt call me a liar. Ms Carroll said she was stunned when Mr Trump attacked her again in 2022, after she had filed the initial lawsuit against him. The trial, which was initially set down for five to 10 days, is still on its second witness heading into day four. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Many people, regardless of where they fall on the political spectrum, oppose book bans. Yet, the 2022-2023 school year has been uniquely defined by a movement to challenge more books. Politically-motivated groups and lawmakers have targeted books that explore gender, race and sexuality in an effort to limit access to information and perspectives. Books with these themes have been predominantly impacted by legislation in states with right-leaning leaders like Florida, Texas, Utah, and South Carolina. There have been more than 100 bills in 30+ states that threaten the availability of these books. From July to December 2022, there was a whopping 28 per cent increase in the number of banned books than the previous six months, according to research from PEN America. Whats more is that, despite the increase in book bans, most people dont actually want to see censorship in their libraries and schools. A poll commission by the American Library Association (ALA) found that 71 per cent of voters oppose efforts to remove books from their local libraries. When we experience book bans, we are doing our children and our society a disservice because we are taking away the ability for our children to develop empathy skills, Lessa Kananiopua Pelayo-Lozada, President of the American Library Association, said in an interview with The Independent. And students and children arent the only ones impacted. Ms Pelayo-Lozada says book bans can lead to fewer resources for veterans, unhoused people, families and businesspeople. We lose so much of our community and the space for our community to come together when we continue to allow book challenges to happen, Ms Pelayo-Lozada said. Luckily, there are actions that students, parents, teachers and people in communities can take to fight against book bans. Read banned books The easiest thing that folks can do is to read banned books, Ms Pelayo-Lozada tells The Independent. Reading banned books can give people a better understanding of what information the book is offering, and why it is being banned. In some cases across the country, books are being pulled from shelves and declared inappropriate without being read and examined for content. A superintendent in Florida pulled 24 books that were deemed problematic by a conservative education advocacy group, not having read a single paragraph of any of the books. We constantly are trying to debunk the idea that any of these books that are being banned are pornographic or obscene, Because they are not, Kasey Meehan, director of PEN Americas Freedom to Read Programme, told The Indpendent. Ms Meehan says there are many instances of books remaining on shelves once they are read in their entirety because it helps combat misleading rhetoric concerning the book. You can find a list of banned books to read here. Reach out to your local officials Though the movement to ban books is a nationwide problem, taking action against book banning begins at the local level. The ALAs Unite Against Book Bans initiative encourages people to speak with local officials, school board members, librarians, parents, students and teachers about the importance of access to all kinds of literature. This can look like showing up to school board meetings prepared to speak out against book bans or requesting meetings with school administrators to share your concerns. What weve seen from those who have been successful is a really organized effort, Ms Pelayo-Lozada says. If theyre combating a challenge, showing up to board meetings, packing that room, having signs, having folks with prepared remarks go up to the microphone and speak to the impact. Ms Meehan recommends people write letters to their school board and speak with local librarians to understand how they make decisions about books. Donate to organisations One of the easiest ways to fight against book bans is by donating to organisations like PEN America and the ALA that provide research about book banning and support libraries. Other organisations to donate to include the Anti-Defamation League, EveryLibrary, the Freedom to Read Foundation, the National Coalition Against Censorship, and more. Get vocal Be loud and proud when advocating against book bans by making your voice heard. Whether its writing a letter to your local representative or writing a letter to the editor in your local newspaper, spread awareness about book bans and how they affect your community. Social media is a great tool for students and community members to make themselves heard as well. PEN America and the Brooklyn Public Library teamed up to offer students a four-week training programme in combating book banning- which created a new generation of voices to speak up about the issue. Each of those students sort of left as ambassadors for the freedom to read in their local schools and communities. And that itself was very impactful, Ms Meehan said. Vote At the moment, legislation is one of the most powerful driving forces in book bans. This means voting for representatives that will fight against those trying to ban books in schools and libraries is a crucial way to prevent books from being challenged both on the local level and state level. Get to know your local school board, find out whos running and what they stand for and then vote for the person who will keep books on shelves. But perhaps most importantly, dont start advocating for books after theyve been challenged. Encourage others to read banned books, speak about the importance of freedom of speech, and support organisations working to reduce censorship. I think its really important that it needs to not just be reactive, Ms Pelayo-Lozada says. Dont wait until a challenge comes to your community to take action. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Since 1996, when she alleges she was raped by Donald Trump, E Jean Carroll has been living a kind of dual existence, she said during harrowing testimony in a civil trial at the US Federal Courthouse in Manhattan on Wednesday. There was the public persona; the successful writer, television host and Ask E Jean advice columnist who was always upbeat, optimistic and trying to help others. And then I have a private self, and thats the one that cant admit out loud that there has been any suffering, she testified. Ms Carroll described in graphic detail the alleged rape by the former president in a dressing room on the 6th floor of the luxury Manhattan department store Bergdorf Goodman. The alleged incident caused her to suffer waves of crippling anxiety attacks, left her incapable of forming romantic relationships, and fearful of the flirtatious behaviour she and Mr Trump engaged in prior to the alleged assault, she said. When an excerpt from her memoir appeared in New York magazine in 2019 first describing the alleged sexual assault, he then destroyed her good name, she testified. Ms Carroll, 79, is seeking damages for defamation and battery. Mr Trump, 76, denies the rape took place. Im here to try to get my life back Im here because Donald Trump raped me, and when I wrote about it he said it didnt happen, Ms Carroll told jurors moments after taking the stand. He lied and shattered my reputation, and Im here to try to get my life back. Court artists impression of E Jean Carroll giving evidence (REUTERS) Fighting back tears at times, Ms Carroll took several long pauses under more than five hours of questioning from her attorney Michael Ferrara. She was asked about the first time she met Mr Trump. She thought it was at a Saturday Night Live party in 1987 with their spouses at the time, John Johnson and Ivana Trump. Ms Carroll had been nominated for an Emmy Award that year for her writing on an SNL episode hosted by William Shatner. She recalled being attracted to him at that first meeting, and that he was very personable. E Jean Carroll, second from left, with Donald Trump, left, her ex-husband John Johnson and Ivana Trump. Ms Carroll believes the picture was taken at an NBC party in 1987 (E Jean Carroll) On a later occasion, Ms Carroll said they had waved at one another across the street, but didnt exchange words. It would be several years before she allegedly crossed paths with Mr Trump again. She struggled to pinpoint the exact date, but recalled she was wearing her most expensive wool dress, thick tights and four inch heels. The light of the early evening led her to believe it was spring, and she testified it was most probably on a Thursday evening in 1996 after she had finished filming an episode of her cable television show Ask E Jean at Fort Lee, New Jersey. She had driven into the city to do some shopping at Bergdorf Goodman, and had plans to meet friends for dinner that evening. Not finding anything suitable to buy, she was leaving through a revolving exit on 58th St when she recognised Mr Trump on the other side of the door. He put his hand up, the universal sign for stop, Ms Carroll told the court. They recognised one another, he as that real estate tycoon and she as that advice lady. He told her he had come to look for a gift for a girl, she said. I asked how old is she? He said how old are you? Ms Carroll told him she was 52. He replied: You are so old. She found the banter hilarious, she said, and they wandered around the 1st floor looking at handbags and hats. Mr Trump then suggested they take the escalator up to the lingerie section on the 6th floor. Carroll arrives at court to testify (Associated Press) He was very talkative, he told me he was thinking of buying Bergdorf Goodman. Ms Carroll said she was enchanted. When they reached the deserted lingerie section, Mr Trump picked up a grey see-through bodysuit, she said. He held it up and said go try this on, she said. I had no intention of putting it on, she said, and suggested it was more his colour. He was having a very good time and so was I, and the idea was very funny and I could just picture Donald Trump putting this piece of see-through lingerie on over his pants. He said lets try this on and motioned to the dressing room. I saw it as a Saturday Night Live sketch, I had written a sketch very similar to this scene. The pair continued flirting, she said, as he led Ms Carroll by the arm to the dressing room. As they approached, she said: I thought it was getting funnier and funnier. When they walked into the opening dressing room, he immediately shut the door, she said. She pushed her hard against the wall so that her head banged against the wall. Ms Carroll said Mr Trump pulled down her tights and inserted his fingers into her vagina. It was extremely painful, Ms Carroll said. It was a horrible feeling. He put his hand inside me and curled his finger. As I sit here today, I can still feel it. After a long pause, she added: I always think back to why I had to get myself in that situation. With adrenalin pouring through her body, she said, she fought back with all her might. She told the court she was strong, and her four inch heels elevated her height to about six foot one, she estimated, almost as tall as Mr Trump, who is six foot two. Weighing just 120 pounds, Mr Trump had at least 100 pounds on her, she said. She raised a leg and managed to break free, and left the dressing room about three minutes after entering, she said. Ms Carroll said that throughout the alleged assault she was confused to what was happening, and didnt want to make a scene. I didnt want to make him angry at me. Something light and fun and comedic and a great story to tell everyone I was having dinner with that night, and it turned very dark. Donald Trump denies the sexual assault took place (Associated Press) In shock as she left the store, she said she called her close friend Lisa Birnbach to tell her what had happened. That night, she was extremely rattled. I didnt know who I was. Ms Carroll later confided in TV anchor Carol Martin, who she said told her that Mr Trump had 200 lawyers and would bury her. She didnt see a therapist or even write it down in her diary, which was a place exclusively for happy things, she said. Ms Carroll said she blamed herself for years, and buried it deep inside, promising never to speak of it again with the two friends. Ive regretted this one hundred times Under questioning from her attorney Mr Ferrera, Ms Carroll said it never crossed her mind to report the incident to police. Her boss at the Americas Talking cable network, a precursor to MSNBC, was Roger Ailes, the powerful TV executive who went on to found Fox News, and was close friends with Mr Trump. The jury was played an interview Mr Ailes, who died in 2017, conducted with his longtime friend for his cable show Straight Forward in 1995. She felt certain that she would have been fired by Mr Ailes, and lose her advice column at Elle, if she had come forward. Ms Carroll told how she hadnt had sexual intercourse since 1996, and had been obnoxious towards a potential love interest who her friends had tried to set her up with. As Mr Trumps profile grew when he began running for the presidency in 2015, she said she was able to tune out memories of the assault. I could get strong, or I could go and live in a locked room, she said. Ms Carroll denied that her decision to write about the encounter was politically motivated, and that she had enjoyed watching The Apprentice. It was beautifully produced, she said, but when asked about the host, said: Hes vile. Ms Carroll would write in her 2019 memoir that she suffered very little from the alleged assault. She explained in court that was her invincible public self, never wanting to admit weakness. If she ever received a message from a reader who had been sexually assaulted, Ms Carroll said she would always advise them to go to the police and see a therapist. But she admitted she had not taken her own advice on board. Im not as smart as I think I am, she said. Towards the end of her testimony, Ms Carroll said the support she had received since filing the lawsuit against Mr Trump had buoyed me up, even while she had been swamped by thousands of threatening messages. Ive regretted this one hundred times, but in the end being able to get my day in court finally is everything to me. So Im happy, she said, finally breaking down in tears. Ms Carrolls testimony will continue on Thursday, before cross examination. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Fox News reportedly has a file of dirt on now-former anchor Tucker Carlson to keep him from retaliating against the company in the wake of his firing. Carlson was fired on Monday morning in a move that reportedly came down directly from Rupert Murdoch, the owner of the network. Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott reportedly delivered the news. It's unclear what cost Carlson his job; numerous theories ranging from an ongoing lawsuit over workplace behaviour to claims the Murdoch children are sanitising the network to prep it for a sale have been floated, but none confirmed. His prior comments revealed during the Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuit against the network showed he was critical of his colleagues and Fox News leadership before he was ousted. Those communications may have helped seal his fate, according to a source speaking to The Wall Street Journal. Fox News executives are reportedly aware that having a spurned Carlson out in the public could be detrimental to the network's reputation; that may be why they've developed a way to muzzle their former top star. Sources speaking to Rolling Stone said the network has compiled dirt on Carlson to keep him from torching the network on his way out. One source with knowledge of the situation described it as an "oppo file" to Rolling Stone. The sources said the file reportedly includes internal complaints against Carlson stemming from workplace conduct issues, disparaging comments about colleagues, and allegedly evidence suggesting Carlson fostered a toxic work environment at the network. Carlson is being sued by a former Fox News producer who claims he cultivated a toxic work environment, citing misogynistic behaviour and lewd discussions that took place in the office. Fox News has denied the existence of the dirt file. "This is patently absurd and categorically false," a Fox News spokesperson told The Independent . "We thank Tucker for his service and to the network as a host, and prior to that, as a contributor." Fox News reportedly has an opposition file on Tucker Carlson, sources claim (Getty Images) The sources speaking to the magazine disagree; at least one of them is convinced that the company's comms head, Irena Briganti, "will never be shy about using these things." A former Fox News anchor said "Irena tries to keep a file on everybody ... Any talent like Tucker would have a lot of things: other people complaining. They encourage it, and then just keep it on file." Ms Briganti's allegedly aggressive tactics have been noted in past reporting; New York magazine reported in 2016 that women who formerly worked at Fox "did not speak up about sexual harassment" because "they were terrified Briganti would find out and smear them in the press." Megyn Kelly, a former Fox employee, has previously spoken of Ms Briganti's alleged "vindictiveness, though she later changed her tune during a 2020 episode of her podcast. Ive publicly said unkind things about [Ms Briganti] because I didnt think she was supportive of the women at Fox during the [Roger Ailes sex abuse scandal]. And shes denied my charges against her and so on. But, I will tell you now I look at her differently and not just because she let you come on the show. I actually see Irena as having been victimized by him [Ailes] too, she said while discussing the movie Bombshell, which included a representation of Ms Briganti. She said Ailes controlled Ms Brigantis livelihood, and praised her for being a master of public relations and saying shes a great person to have on your team. You know, like, I have newfound respect for how she handles incoming attacks on her talent because, you know, she does sort of sit in a room all day with a machine gun trained on the outside world as they come after Fox, she said. Sometimes the machine gun can kind of waiver inside a little, but nobodys perfect. The presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last general election, Atiku Abubakar, has told the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, that unlike him, he has consistently contested presidential elections because he has no drug-related record or identity issues. Atiku stated this in his reply to Tinubu's Notice of Preliminary Objection against his petition challenging the outcome of the February 25 presidential election, where the latter mocked the former vice president as one who had repeatedly contested the presidential election and had always failed. The presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi, also faulted the objection of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to his petition against the election of Tinubu as president. Obi, in his reply to INEC's response to his petition at the Court of Appeal, Abuja, observed that the action of the electoral umpire was not only unwarranted but also an embarrassment to the country. Tinubu, in his Notice of Preliminary Objection filed on April 12 by his lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, urged the court to dismiss the petition filed by Atiku and his party, PDP, for being vague, an abuse of court process. He said the suit was not properly constituted and the reliefs sought by the petitioners were not grantable. Atiku, while serving Tinubu in equal proportion, said he "has never had any controversy surrounding his age, circumstances of his birth, state of origin, gender, educational qualification, health status, working career, and citizenship, all issues bordering on constitutional qualification to contest for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria." He said Tinubu had demonstrated inconsistency as to his actual date of birth, secondary schools he attended (Government College Ibadan), state of origin, gender, actual name, certificates evidencing universities attended (Chicago State University). Atiku said, "The purported degree certificate of the second respondent allegedly acquired at the Chicago State University did not belong to him but to a female (F) described as "F" in the certificate bearing the name Bola Tinubu. "The second respondent did not disclose to the first respondent his voluntary acquisition of citizenship of Republic of Guinea with Guinean Passport No. DO00001551, in addition to his Nigerian citizenship. The second respondent is hereby given notice to produce the original copies of his said two passports." The former vice president further submitted that Tinubu had record of criminal forfeiture of the sum of $460,000.00 for a drug-related offence before the United States District Judge, John A Nordberg in the second respondent's First Heritage Account No. 263226700, being proceeds of narcotics-trafficking in violation of 18 U.S.C 1956 and 1947 for an offence involving narcotics. Responding to the issue of failure to join other presidential candidates in the petition, Atiku said the party, including himself, did not have any grievance against Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso or any other candidate, because they were not returned as the winner of the election by INEC. On another issue, Atiku said the defence of non-control of the eco-system and of third-party network providers was an after-thought, adding that Tinubu was not competent to offer such gratuitous defence on behalf of INEC. While claiming that INEC persisted in the violation of its own regulations, Atiku said, "As at the time INEC commenced uploading of results to the IReV, the presiding officers were no longer at their polling units. As at March 18, 2023, only results from 166,551 polling units out of 176,846 polling units across the country, had been uploaded on the IReV, as shown in the extract of the Data Report from the IreV." Atiku said the place, time and circumstances of these uploads remained unknown to the petitioners, as none of the petitioners' agents were physically present to monitor the transmission of the purported results. On the claim that the petition was an abuse of court process, because of an earlier suit filed by some PDP governors at the Supreme Court on February 28, Atiku pointed out that the parties in the said suit were not the same as the parties in the instant proceedings. Atiku submitted, "The proceedings which were commenced by Originating Summons dated 28" February, 2023, filed by the Attorneys General of Adamawa State, Akwa-Ibom State, Bayelsa State, Delta State, Edo State and Sokoto State as Plaintiffs, had since been discontinued. "The grounds of the Petition are competent as they comply with Section 134(1)(a), (b) and (c) of the Electoral Act, 2022. The election of the Second Respondent did not meet the applicable requirements enunciated in section 134(3) of the Electoral Act. "The Petition is properly constituted pursuant to section 133 of the Electoral Act, 2022 and paragraph 4(1) & (2) of the Rules of Procedure for Election Petition. The petitioners' prayers are grantable pursuant to paragraph 4(3) of the Rules of Procedure for Election Petition and section 136(1), (2) and (3) of the Electoral Act 2022." Obi Faults INEC's Objection to Petition against Tinubu Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi, faulted the objection of INEC to his petition against the election of Bola Tinubu as president. Obi, in his reply to the response by INEC to his petition at the Court of Appeal, Abuja, observed that the action of the electoral umpire unwarranted. According to the petition, INEC, in line with global best practice for electoral umpires in national elections, ought to "avoid creating the impression that it has no respect for neutrality in an electoral contest between candidates." Obi and his party, who were joint petitioners recalled several judgements, which had repeatedly admonished INEC on its need to remain neutral in election proceedings. According to the petitioners, "However, the First Respondent hereof, has remained impervious to change. Therefore, it is not only an embarrassment but a repudiation of the duty of the First Respondent when it adorns the garb of a contestant in an election it conducted as an umpire to raise preliminary objection against an election petition as in the case hereof." The petitioners insisted that INEC must maintain neutrality in all litigations, where participants in elections were challenging the outcome of the elections and not indulge in filling objections to the petitions. In their reply to the Preliminary Objection dated April 25, the petitioners denied the contention that the facts supporting the grounds on which the petition was based were vague and imprecise. "The First Respondent's contention that the reliefs sought in the Petition are not grantable is false and made in manifest disregard of the specific and concise pleadings in the Petition. "The pleading in the First Respondent's Notice of Preliminary Objection that the allegation in paragraph 20(ii) of the Petition is defective and does not disclose a cause of action, is wishful thinking. The specific particulars of non-compliance complained of which substantially affected the outcome of the election are as pleaded in paragraphs 33 to 78 of the Petition. "The Petitioners further aver that Reliefs 3, 5(i) and 5(ii) of the Petition are grantable and are amply supported by the detailed particulars of non-compliance alleged in the Petition." On the issue of alleged inadequate representation, Obi and LP stated that contrary to INEC's claim, their agents were at the polling units during the conduct of the election, adding, "Unfortunately, the First Respondent's officials at the polling units failed and neglected to give clear copies of the result of the election in the polling units (Forms EC 8A) to the Petitioners' Agents, as the pink copies given to the Petitioners Agents were very faint and unreadable." The petitioners also faulted INEC on the issue of double nomination, stating that while Section 29 of the Electoral Act, 2022 governs the submission of list of candidates and their Affidavits in Form EC9, Sections 30, 31, 32, 33 and 35 of the Electoral Act 2022, on the other, governs the prohibition of double nomination, withdrawal of candidate, political party changing its candidate and invalidity of multiple nomination. They stated, "As at 14th July, 2022 when the Third Respondent was nominated as the Vice Presidential candidate of the Fourth Respondent, the Third Respondent was still the senatorial candidate of the Fourth Respondent for the Borno Central Senatorial District, his name not having been withdrawn by the Fourth Respondent as stipulated by Section 33 of the Electoral Act, 2022. "(v) Borno Central Senatorial District is a Constituency for the purpose of a Senatorial election. Likewise, the entire Federation is a Constituency for election for the office of President and Vice President. "Until there is a valid substitution of a candidate by a political party, the status quo remains and, therefore, the submission of the Third Respondent's Form EC 9 as Vice Presidential Candidate of the Fourth Respondent did not automatically abrogate his subsisting nomination as Senatorial Candidate for the Senatorial election for Borno Central Senatorial District." Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Governance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. The petitioners, in answer to the issue of "manual collation", stated in paragraph 31 of the First Respondent's Reply, averred that by the applicable Laws and Regulations, the legitimate mode for resolving disputes at the collation was by resorting to the result uploaded on the IReV using the BVAS. Obi and LP stated, "As at the date of filing this Reply on 21st April 2023, the information on the First Respondent's IReV Portal (http://www.inecelectionresults.ng) shows that out of the 176,846 polling units, the results submitted were in respect of 167, 433 polling units; and that the percentage of the uploaded results on the IReV is 94.68%." The petitioners will also show that by the subsisting judgements in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/334/2023, among others, the Federal High Court correctly applied the provisions of the Electoral Act and the Regulations made thereunder and determined that the use of BVAS for the accreditation and electronic transmission of the results of the election is mandatory. They further claimed, INEC "unlawfully through its officials made attempt to manipulate the result of the presidential election uploaded on the backend server of the AWS; and thereafter, invented the unsubstantiated excuse of 'technological glitches' as their justification for their failure and neglect to transmit/transfer the result of the election as mandated by the Electoral Act and the Guidelines/Regulations to the IReV in real-time. "Furthermore, in its mischievous attempts to compromise and manipulate the actual results of the election, the First Respondent uploaded blurred images/pictures purporting same to be the Forms EC 8A for the polling units itemised in the reports pleaded and incorporated in the Petition." The petitioners accordingly urged the court to hold that INEC's Reply to the Petition in its entirety is without merit and ought to be discountenanced in toto. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The abrupt firing of one of the most-watched and most-volatile far-right figureheads from American media came without a statement explaining why, exactly, Tucker Carlson and Fox News mutually agreed to part ways, as the network described it. Hundreds of court filings and anonymously sourced reports from inside the network have stitched together a picture of a looming human resources nightmare inside the right-wing media behemoth, with a federal lawsuit from a now-former producer putting Carlson at the centre of allegations. Overlapping accounts across multiple news outlets allege that the decision may have stemmed from Abby Grossbergs lawsuit, a crisis surrounding redacted vulgar messages aimed at other Fox News employees, and Rupert Murdochs allegedly growing impatience with the host of the networks most-watched programme, among other factors. Ms Grossbergs lawsuit, filed in US District Court in New York last month, alleges that Carlsons derogatory comments towards women, and his disdain for those who dare to object to such misogyny, is well known on the set of his Tucker Carlson Tonight. The claims in the lawsuit as well as the arguments from Dominion Voting Systems in its blockbuster defamation case against the network over 2020 election lies have depicted a much larger state of toxic dysfunction inside Fox News. But a series of redacted messages discovered just days before what was set to become a closely watched defamation trial in Delaware allegedly sparked panic among Fox leadership that ultimately led to Carlsons exit. Tucker Carlson breaks silence over Fox News exit in defiant conspiracy-driven video Private messages in legal filings reportedly include crude and offensive remarks from Carlson that, coupled with embarrassing behind-the-scenes revelations included with Dominions case against the company, prompted Fox leadership to take action, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported. The Independent has requested comment from an attorney representing Carlson. Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways. We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor, the network shared in a statement this week. Attorneys for Dominion had planned to press the judge about using the messages in their questioning of Carlson on the witness stand. A last-minute settlement after jurors had already been sworn in averted a closely watched trial in Delaware Superior Court. The settlement does not necessarily mean that the documents will remain off limits; The New York Times, The Associated Press and National Public Radio have challenged the redactions and argued for their public release. The former producers lawsuit Ms Grossbergs complaint which is filed against the Fox Corporation, Fox leadership, Carlson and his producers, among others argues that her allegations join a pattern of abuse and gender-based retaliation at the company, with more than 10 pages outlining a legacy of vivid examples of blatant sexual harassment and gender discrimination from at least 2004. The lawsuit alleges a litany of sexist remarks aimed at Fox News personality Maria Bartiromo from male colleagues (crazy, menopausal, hysterical, disgusting and difficult to manage) and derogatory comments aimed at other women, including political figures and female colleagues. Carlson producer Justin Wells hired Grossberg for Carlsons programme in July 2022, and she officially began the role in September, according to the complaint. She had merely traded in one overtly misogynistic work environment for an even crueler one this time, one where unprofessionalism reigned supreme, and the staffs distaste and disdain for women infiltrated almost every workday decision, her lawsuit claims. No woman, whether she was a Republican politician or a female staffer at Fox News, was safe from suddenly becoming the target of sexist, demeaning comments, such as being called a c***, her complaint states. Wells also was fired this week. Recommended Tucker Carlson receives a job offer from Russian state TV after Fox News firing On her first full day with Carlsons programme, she was greeted by many large and blown-up photographs of Nancy Pelosi in a plunging bathing suit revealing her cleavage plastered on her computer and throughout the office, according to her lawsuit. The complaint also alleges that, on the next day, a producer asked her if her former boss Bartiromo is f****** Kevin McCarthy, the current speaker of the House of Representatives. One day later, another producer sent her a series of harassing and unprofessional late-night emails about a booking decision on the programme. Wells and another producer allegedly brushed her complaints aside. Staff at Tucker Carlson Tonight frequently engaged in group discussions during which misogynistic views of women as objects to be judged solely based on their appearance were broadcasted and often within earshot of other female staffers, the lawsuit claims. In these discussions, no woman, whether she was a Republican politician or a female staffer at Fox News, was safe from suddenly becoming the target of sexist, demeaning comments, such as being called a c***, according to Ms Grossbergs complaint. In October, an alleged newsroom discussion took place over whether Michigan gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon or Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer was hotter and more f*******. A statement from Fox News to The Independent following Ms Grossbergs lawsuit said the company engaged an independent outside counsel to immediately investigate the concerns raised by Ms Grossberg, which were made following a critical performance review. Ms Grossberg, who was fired shortly after filing the complaint, said during an appearance on MSNBC this week that Carlsons sudden termination left her with mixed emotions. There were feelings first of Yes! and then also the reality that you dont want anything bad to happen to anybody, Ms Grossberg said. But at the same time, Tucker and his executive producer, Justin Wells, who was also fired, really were responsible for breaking me and making my life a living hell. So there is a feeling of justice, but its only partial. The lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems The claims in Ms Grossbergs lawsuit cover a period that came months after the messages in Dominions case, which includes texts and emails from Fox leadership, producers and network stars privately acknowledging that on-air segments validating 2020 election conspiracy theories are bogus despite being uncritically aired on the network. In Carlsons case, he privately ridiculed and insulted guests on the network who advanced false claims about Dominion, including Donald Trump, while providing a massive platform for his allies spurious attempts to overturn election results. In one message, Carlson calls election conspiracy theorist Sidney Powell a f****** b****. Last year, when she sat for a deposition in the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit, a lawyer for Dominion showed Ms Grossberg the message. When asked how she felt about that language or if she heard that language from Carlson, Ms Grossberg said she had only just started working for his programme and declined to speculate how she would react, according to her complaint. The day after her deposition, on 14 September, 2022, an email was sent to the Tucker Carlson Tonight staff in recognition of Abby Day for defending the host. Wells later confirmed that he was the person who received Carlsons message, according to her complaint. On 19 November, 2021, Carlson ended his broadcast by saying that maybe Sidney Powell will come forward soon with details on exactly how this happened, and precisely who did it. We are certainly hopeful that she will. He later shared a tweet from now-former Fox News reporter Jacqui Heinrich fact checking one of Donald Trumps tweets baselessly alleging voter fraud; she correctly stated that there is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised. Carlson tried to get her fired. Please get her fired, Carlson wrote. Seriously What the f****? actually shocked It needs to stop immediately, like tonight. Its measurably hurting the company. The stock price is down. Not a joke. On 6 January, 2021, following a violent revolt at the US Capitol fuelled by the fraudulent election narrative, Carlson wrote in a message to his producer that Donald Trump is a demonic force, a destroyer. But hes not going to destroy us. Later than month, Carlson invited prolific election fraud conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell on his broadcast. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A United Airlines flight was turned back to Newark Liberty International Airport hours into a flight to Israel after a passenger sat in a crew seat while waiting to use the bathroom. United Airlines Flight 90 was three hours into its journey to Tel Aviv on Sunday when the unruly passenger became embroiled in a shouting match with a flight attendant. And other passengers on the flight reportedly only found out they were returning to the US from the flight maps on their screens. Crew members told him that if he did not return to his seat, the plane would be turned back to New York, a passenger only identified as Sholomit told the Israeli outlet Ynet. The eyewitness added that the passenger had not appeared to pose a threat. A United Airlines spokesperson told Insider that the flight had returned to Newark because of the behaviour of a disruptive passenger. United flight 90 traveling from Newark to Tel Aviv returned to Newark shortly after takeoff due to a disruptive passenger. Law enforcement met the aircraft and removed the passenger. A new flight was scheduled to depart Sunday evening, the airline told The Independent. The airline added that upon arrival at Newark, the flight was met by law enforcement and the passenger was removed. All of the remaining passengers were then taken off the flight, which was rescheduled for Sunday evening. Passenger Jeff Hunt took to Twitter to share a video of the passenger apparently being removed from the flight. And he wrote that the passenger was then seen wandering around the airport pleading his case to other travellers, insisting he had not been physical and that the flight crew had overreacted. He just kind of hung around everybody, which was bizarre and bold, Mr Hunt said. If I was escorted off an airplane I would have hung my head in shame and disappeared, but he spent four hours talking to people. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Irans foreign minister said Thursday that Tehran wants Lebanon's rivals to reach an agreement to elect a new president in the crisis-hit country that has been without a head of state since October. Hossein Amirabdollahian made his comments during his first visit to Lebanon since Iran and Saudi Arabia reached an agreement in China last month to re-establish diplomatic relations and reopen embassies after seven years of tensions that had major repercussions in the tiny Mediterranean country. The agreement negotiated with China lowers the chance of armed conflict between the Mideast rivals both directly and in proxy conflicts around the region. The effects of the agreement include eased tensions and an exchange of prisoners between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Iran-backed rebels, as well as improved relations between Saudi Arabia and Syrian President Bashar Assad. Lebanese groups are deeply divided between an Iran-backed coalition led by the powerful Hezbollah group and a Western and Saudi-backed alliance. The deep divisions in Lebanon have left the country without a president since the term of President Michel Aoun ended in late October. Speaking during a joint news conference with Amirabdollahian, Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bouhabib told reporters, I am optimistic that every regional agreement and any deal between regional countries is good for Lebanon. The agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia is important for peace in the region, Bouhabib said. He did not elaborate. Amirabdollahian said Iran encourages all sides in Lebanon to speed up the elections process. We will back any election and any agreement that is reached between parties in Lebanon regarding the electing of a president, Amirabdollahian said before heading to a meeting with caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati. Hezbollahs ally Sleiman Frangieh and army commander Gen. Joseph Aoun, are the top candidates for president. Lebanons parliament held about a dozen sessions over the past months but failed to elect a head of state amid deep divisions. The largest Christian blocs in parliament have rejected the election of Frangieh and there have been reports in local media that Saudi Arabia is opposed to him becoming president. On Wednesday, Frangieh gave a long TV interview in which he said that if he is elected president, he will work for better relations between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. Frangieh also added that his close relations with Hezbollah and Assad could be used for the good of Lebanon. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} South Carolina senators rejected a bill that would have banned nearly all abortions in a conservative state that has increasingly served patients across a region where Republican officials have otherwise curtailed access. A 22-21 vote Thursday marks the third time a near-total abortion ban has failed in the Republican-led chamber since the U.S. Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade last summer. Six Republicans helped block motions to end debate and defeated any chance the bill passes this year. The chambers five women filibustered the proposal in speeches highlighting the Senates male majority that they criticized for pushing debates on abortion over other pressing issues. Republican Sen. Penry Gustafson spent over 30 minutes Wednesday detailing the bodily changes throughout every stage of pregnancy. Gustafson said she spoke so long because the millions of women addressed in the bill had not been heard. She emphasized her pro-life position but said the proposal left no room for empathy, reality or graciousness. Republican Sen. Sandy Senn criticized Majority Leader Shane Massey for repeatedly taking us off a cliff on abortion. The only thing that we can do when you all, you men in the chamber, metaphorically keep slapping women by raising abortion again and again and again, is for us to slap you back with our words, Senn said. The bill would have banned abortion at conception, with exceptions for rape or incest through the first trimester, fatal fetal anomalies confirmed by two physicians, and to save the patients life or health. Independent Sen. Mia McLeod criticized leaders who prioritized the near-total ban over efforts to make South Carolina the 49th state in the country with a law allowing harsher punishments for violent hate crimes. McLeod, who shared during a previous abortion debate that she had been raped, said it is unfortunate that women must reveal intimate experiences to enlighten and engage men. Just as rape is about power and control, so is this total ban, McLeod said Thursday. Those who continue to push legislation like this are raping us again with their indifference, violating us again with their righteous indignation, taunting us again with their insatiable need to play God while they continue to pass laws that are ungodly. Abortion remains legal through 22 weeks in South Carolina a status that has drawn patients throughout the increasingly restrictive Southeast. The number of abortions and out-of-state patients has risen since the South Carolina Supreme Court first enjoined and then struck down a 2021 law, according to provisional state health department data that could change. Supporters said the bill is necessary to curb those trends. Opponents said it would only prevent safe access to the procedure and worsen the states already alarmingly high maternal death rates and even poorer outcomes for Black patients. The vote maintains the legislative stalemate made plain during a special session last year when the House and Senate failed to agree on when South Carolina should ban abortion. The Senate has again passed a different ban taking effect when cardiac activity is detected, as early as six weeks and before many people realize they are pregnant. The developments have astounded the staunchest anti-abortion lawmakers in a General Assembly that previously led the way on regulations like a law requiring physicians to inform patients that they can see an ultrasound before the procedure. Republican Sen. Richard Cash began Wednesdays debate by expressing disappointment that a majority party that has long waved the pro-life banner would not pass a total abortion ban. Im not willing to sit by and let the goalposts be moved for what it means to be pro-life for the Republican Party, Cash said. Massey said Thursday's vote shows that the House must consider the Senate bill to give lawmakers a shot at passing new restrictions by the time session ends on May 11. House Speaker Murrell Smith would not commit to voting on the Senate bill but told reporters Wednesday that the House is always going to evaluate its options on protecting life. Republican Gov. Henry McMaster on Wednesday urged lawmakers to pass a bill that the vast majority of our state finds acceptable. He later clarified that he thinks most people supported a 2021 law banning abortion when cardiac activity is detected which the states highest court ruled unconstitutional, and which resembles the Senate version. - Associated Press writer Jeffrey Collins contributed to this report. 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. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The US Department of Justice has is joining legal challenges against the state of Tennessee to block a recently enacted law banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth. A complaint filed in US District Court on 26 April argues that the law, which is set to go into effect on 1 July, violates the Fourteenth Amendments Equal Protection Clause. No person should be denied access to necessary medical care just because of their transgender status, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Departments civil rights division said in a statement. The law is being challenged from the ACLU and Lambda Legal, which filed a lawsuit against the state last week. It was incredibly painful watching my child struggle before we were able to get her the life-saving healthcare she needed, plaintiff Samantha Williams said in a statement. I am so afraid of what this law will mean for her. We dont want to leave Tennessee, but this legislation would force us to either routinely leave our state to get our daughter the medical care she desperately needs or to uproot our entire lives and leave Tennessee altogether. No family should have to make this kind of choice. The law prohibits medical providers from following widely accepted clinical guidelines for providing medically necessary and potentially life-saving treatment for minors for the purpose of affirming a gender other than the one assigned at birth. Republican Governor Bill Lee signed the ban into law last month along with a separate measure targeting public drag performances, which was blocked by a federal judge pending a challenge from a LGBT+ theatre group. Rather than tackle any real issue at stake for Tennesseans, the legislature and Governor Lee decided to attack vulnerable youth who are at the mercy of politicians who think they know better than families, doctors, and the greater medical community, Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement following the Justice Department challenge. Gender-affirming care is life-saving care. Period, she added. We appreciate that the Biden Administration is saying enough is enough when it comes to attempts by Governor Lee and other Tennessee lawmakers to legislate transgender children out of existence. At east 12 states have enacted laws or policies banning gender-affirming care for young trans people, and more than a dozen others are considering similar measures. More than half of all trans youth in the US between the ages of 13 and 17 are at risk of losing access to age-appropriate and medically necessary gender-affirming healthcare in their home state, according to the Human Rights Campaign. The onslaught of legislation and volatile political debate surrounding the bills has also negatively impacted the mental health of an overwhelming majority of young trans and nonbinary people, according to recent polling from The Trevor Project and Morning Consult. A separate survey from The Trevor Project found that 45 per cent of trans and nonbinary youth have seriously considered attempting suicide over the last year. The results of a wide-ranging survey from The Washington Post and KFF found that a vast majority of trans Americans are satisfied with their lives after transitioning. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The lead plaintiff of a lawsuit against the state of Texass new abortion restrictions tore into Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, the two Republicans who represent her state in the upper chamber of Congress, on Wednesday and accused them of being responsible for her nearly dying. Amanda Zurawski testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday at a hearing entitled The Assault on Reproductive Rights in a Post-Dobbs America. The hearing examined the effects of various abortion restrictions passed by a flurry of Republican activity in the wake of the Supreme Court decision last year overturning Roe v Wade. Ms Zurawski came close to death after doctors in the state allegedly informed her that while her pregancy would result in the loss of the unborn fetus, new Texas state laws prevented them from operating until the condition that had compromised her pregnancy further developed. What happened next was an agonising days-long battle with sepsis in the emergency room. During her testimony, she argued that anyone who supports the kind of abortion restrictions in Texas which prohibited most abortions after Roes fall was responsible for her experience. I wanted to address my senators, Cruz and Cornyn, she said I would like for them to know that what happened to me is a direct result of the policies they support. I nearly died on their watch and I may have been robbed of the opportunity to have children in the future. Both Texas senators are members of the Judiciary panel; however, neither bothered to attend her testimony during Wednesdays hearing. Both did participate in other parts of the hearing, however, including a moment where Mr Cruz accused Democrats of wanting abortion to be legal up until the moment that a baby is born; only 1 per cent of abortions in the United States occur after 21 weeks into the pregnancy, and only a small handful of states have no legal limit on how late into a pregnancy an abortion can be performed. The Texas lawsuit is one of a handful of cases where supporters of abortion rights have argued that restrictions on abortions are directly endangering the lives of women, as they are written without concern for issues which complicate pregancies and in some cases force hospitals to delay treatment or refuse it entirely to pregnant women who need urgent care. Other high profile cases have included a 10-year-old who fled the state of Ohio to seek an abortion after she was sexually abused. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Ron DeSantis angrily chastised a reporter on Thursday as he spoke in Jerusalem, and denied that the had been present for force-feedings during his service at the US military prison at Guanatanamo Bay. The moment occurred as Mr DeSantis gave a press conference at the Museum of Tolerance, a cultural centre in the Israeli territory of West Jerusalem. His visit to the Middle East comes as the Florida governor is thought to be preparing a bid for the Republican nomination against Donald Trump and others in 2024. At the press conference, Mr DeSantis was questioned about claims from a former Guantanamo detainee who was held without being charged for more than a decade at the notorious military prison accused him of being present for episodes where he was force-fed by guards to break a hunger strike. Mansoor Adayfi, a Yemeni citizen who was held for 14 years at Gitmo, told The Independent in March that he was brutally force-fed by camp staff during a hunger strike in 2006, and that Mr DeSantis was present for at least one of those sessions. Force-feeding is designated as torture by the United Nations Do you honestly believe thats credible? Its ... 2006, Im a junior officer, do you honestly think that they wouldve remembered me? Mr DeSantis shot back angrily. Mr Adayfi was released in 2016 (without ever being accused of a crime) and first came forward with the charge that Mr DeSantis had been in attendance for the force-feedings last November. Another detainee has also accused Mr DeSantis of being present; an investigation from The Independent confirmed that Mr DeSantiss role as an attorney was to field complaints of illegal treatment from detainees. I dont remember exactly when DeSantis came because we had no watch, no calendar, nothing, Mr Adayfi told The Independent. He came to talk to us along [with] others medical staff and interpreters. And we explained to him why we were on hunger strike. And he told us, Im here to ensure that you get treated humanely and properly. We were talking about our problems with the brothers, the torture, the abuses, the no healthcare. The treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay is hardly a partisan issue in Washington. Members of both parties have worked to keep the controversial prison open, and even though Barack Obama famously pledged to close the prison during his presidency he ultimately failed to do so and even found himself defending the concept of these force-feedings to journalists. I dont want these individuals to die, he said in 2013. The prison at Guantanamo Bay has faced global criticism as detainees have been held for years without charges, in some cases with very thin or no evidence at all of detainees supposed links to terror groups. Some of treatment of prisoners at the facility has also been described as torture, including the force-feedings and waterboarding. In his recent book, The Courage to be Free, Mr DeSantis wrote that part of the reason he enlisted in the military was to lead the prosecution of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, explaining that it seemed like a good opportunity to make an impact. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Former President Donald Trumps lawyer went on the attack Thursday against writer E. Jean Carroll's claims that she was raped by Trump in the 1990s, using cross examination to try to discredit the longtime advice columnist before a jury at a New York civil trial. Attorney Joe Tacopina began his questioning in Manhattan federal court by citing Carroll's own words as he asked her to acknowledge that she has described her account as odd. Certain parts of this story are difficult to conceive of, she said. Tacopina used the word supposedly in reference to her rape claim, drawing an immediate and stern correction from the writer. Not supposedly. I was raped, she said. A day earlier, she began her testimony, telling how a chance encounter with Trump at a Bergdorf Goodman store in spring 1996 turned from flirtatious frivolity in the desolate lingerie section into a violent sexual attack in a dressing room. Carroll said Trump slammed her against a wall, yanked down her tights and raped her before she kneed him and fled. Trump, 76, is not expected to appear at the trial. He has repeatedly claimed the encounter never happened, that he doesnt know Carroll and that shes not his type. Carroll, 79, said Wednesday that she sued Trump because Donald Trump raped me, and when I wrote about it, he said it didnt happen. Her lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and a retraction of Trumps allegedly defamatory comments. She never pursued criminal charges. Thursday's court session began late after lawyers huddled with the judge in chambers, discussing legal issues that were not immediately revealed. On Wednesday, Trump launched a counterattack against the trial on social media, telling followers on his Truth Social platform that the case was a made up SCAM and that her lawyer is a political operative. The outburst drew a rebuke and a warning from Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, who called it entirely inappropriate. What seems to be the case is that your client is basically endeavoring certainly to speak to his public,' but, more troublesome, to the jury in this case about stuff that has no business being spoken about, the judge observed. After Tacopina, promised to speak with Trump and ask him not to make further posts, Kaplan warned: We are getting into an area, conceivably, in which your client may or may not be tampering with a new source of potential liability. Later in the day, Kaplan warned Tacopina again to speak with Trump after the ex-president's son Eric tweeted criticism of funding Carroll's lawyer received from a wealthy Democratic contributor. The trial results from a lawsuit Carroll filed in November after the state of New York enacted a law allowing adult victims of sexual assault to sue their attackers even if the assault occurred decades earlier. The lawsuit contains one claim related directly to the alleged rape and a second claim stemming from remarks Trump made about Carroll's claims last October. Carroll testified that writing about her encounter with Trump in a 2019 memoir led to her firing from Elle magazine, where she had worked as an advice columnist for 27 years, and even brought her death threats, leading her to buy bullets for a gun she possessed. She said Thursday that a look at social media once the trial started revealed fresh insults against her as people labeled her a liar, slut, ugly, old. But I couldnt be more proud to be here, she testified. The Associated Press typically does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, as Carroll has done. ___ Associated Press Writer Larry Neumeister contributed to this story. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Former President Donald Trump is returning to New Hampshire on Thursday for his first campaign appearance since President Joe Biden launched his own reelection bid, heading for a potential 2024 rematch.first campaign The appearance in downtown Manchester, expected to be a smaller event than Trump's typical large rallies, also marks his first return to an early voting state since his legal troubles increased. Earlier this month, he pleaded not guilty in New York to a 34-count felony indictment charging him with a scheme to bury allegations of extramarital affairs that arose during his first White House campaign. Trump is expected to use the event at a hotel to roll out new endorsements for his campaign and speak about the economy and the opioid epidemic, among other subjects. It comes two days after Biden kicked off his own long-expected reelection campaign, presenting himself as he did in 2020 as a buttress against Trump and his Make America Great Again political candidacy. Biden's campaign launch video included snapshots of Trump and warned of MAGA extremists working to erode freedoms including voting rights and abortion rights. Trump is considered a front-runner for the GOP nomination, though more Republicans are expected to jump into the race soon, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Trump's campaign this week started airing its first television ad, which assails DeSantis. In the ad, Trump takes credit for DeSantis political rise and shows the governor yoking himself to the former president, including clips from a 2018 gubernatorial campaign ad in which he uses some of Trumps catchphrases like Build the wall and Youre fired,." Two weeks ago, Trump appeared with several other announced and potential presidential candidates at the National Rifle Association convention in Indianapolis. Last weekend, he spoke by video to a gathering of evangelicals in Iowa that marked the unofficial start of the states 2024 caucus campaign. But even as the campaign season moves ahead, Trump's legal worries aren't abating. A civil rape case against him went to trial in Manhattan this week. A former magazine columnist testified Wednesday that she was raped by Trump in the dressing room of a luxury department store in 1996. Trump has called the claim fiction and has not yet attended the trial, though his lawyers say he could decide to testify. On Monday, a prosecutor in Atlanta investigating whether Trump and his allies illegally interfered with the 2020 presidential election in Georgia said she expects to announce charging decisions in the case this summer. She requested that law enforcement officials prepare security measures in the case of a strong public reaction. Trump is also facing ongoing probes from the U.S. Department of Justice over top secret documents found at his Florida estate and his efforts to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election. Trump has dismissed all accusations of wrongdoing and has insisted the investigations are politically motivated. New Hampshire is a political swing state, though voters in the state rejected Trump in the 2016 and 2020 general elections. It was, however, the first state Trump won in the 2016 Republican presidential primary contest, propelling him into GOP dominance that he maintains to this day. The former president made one other visit to New Hampshire earlier this year, stopping in Salem as part of his first appearances on his tlatest White House campaign. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trump tore into his rape accuser, E Jean Carroll, on Truth Social in a post that accused her of being bankrolled by a liberal megadonor. It was a scorching attack that nonetheless had his own attorneys in the most trouble later in the day. The president wrote in a pair of posts on Wednesday morning that the author and advice columnist was running a made up scam and had been caught lying about the funding for her legal effort, which is likely in the thousands of dollars (if not much higher) even as the trial is just beginning. They got caught lying! The Miss Bergdorf Goodman case is financed by a big political donor that they tried to hide, he wrote in one post. In another, he added: The E. Jean Carroll case, Ms. Bergdorf Goodman, is a made up SCAM. Her lawyer is a political operative, financed by a big political donor that they said didnt exist, only to get caught lying about that. The attack would lead to a judge admonishing Mr Trumps lawyers later in the day, warning them that their client needed to stop posting about the trial on social media. Your client is basically endeavoring to speak to his public, but more troublesome, to the jury in this case, Judge Lewis Kaplan told the ex-presidents attorney, Joe Tacopina. I will address them with my client, to the degree I have an ability to, Mr Tacopina responded. The judge shot back, letting Mr Tacopina know he was serious: I hope youre more successful, because were getting into an area where your client might be tampering with a potential new source of liability. And, I think you know what I mean. That stunning exchange belied a larger issue in the case: Whether the funding of Ms Carrolls legal expenses by a private nonprofit primarily funded by liberal megadonor Reid Hoffman has any bearing on the case. Former Elle magazine advice columnist E. Jean Carroll answers questions from her lawyer Michael Ferrara during a civil trial to decide whether former U.S. President Donald Trump raped Carroll in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in the mid-1990s, and defamed her by denying it happened, in New York (REUTERS) That issue has been raised by Mr Trumps attorneys, who won a small concession from Judge Kaplan as the trial was set to begin: The discovery phase of the lawsuit was expanded to include for questions and the production of documents regarding Mr Hoffman and other donors to the nonprofit. But whether theyll actually be able to use any evidence they gather is uncertain, as Ms Carrolls attorneys have asked the judge to prevent any mention of that topic during the trial. Their motion is still undecided. Mr Hoffman, who co-founded the business social networking site LinkedIn, is a known donor to Democratic candidates and causes. He has commented publicly about the case, and theoretically his involvement could be relevant if Judge Kaplan finds that the political motivation of Ms Carroll or those supporting her is of relevance to trial. Former advice columnist E. Jean Carroll, center, leaves federal court with members of her legal team, after testifying in her rape trial against former President Donald Trump, Wednesday April 26, 2023, in New York (AP) While Trumps legal team has characterized my support of Carrolls lawsuit as secret, I want to be clear that Ive never taken any steps to hide the financial support that I have provided to this lawsuit after it started, he wrote in a post on the site last week. Ms Carroll had initially denied (under oath) receiving any outside funding for the case, but her lawyers disclosed last month that she now recalls that at some point, her counsel secured additional funding from a nonprofit organization to offset certain expenses and legal fees. Its unclear if the disrepancy in her statements will cause any issues for her legal case against the former president. She is suing Mr Trump under a new law in the state of New York that allows for accusers to confront those they allege sexually assaulted them years after the alleged incidents took place. A separate defamation suit she brought in 2019 has been indefinitely postponed. China's remarkable progress in independent innovation has been characterized by the growing participation of women in the intellectual property (IP) industry. More Chinese women have utilized their innovative potential to target the science frontiers, serve the economy, and benefit people's livelihoods. Chinese women innovators have come under the spotlight as the theme of this year's World IP Day, marked on April 26, focusing on "Women and Intellectual Property: Accelerating Innovation and Creativity." Their stories are also a great interpretation of China's rise in innovation around the globe. FOR SCI-TECH SELF-RELIANCE "Women prop up half the sky." The famous Chairman Mao quote applies to modern China's space exploration. Li Wenjing, at the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, is one of the women scientists contributing wisdom to the country's innovation. The Long March-5 is a Chinese carrier rocket tasked with vital missions such as launching the Mars probe, lunar rover, and modules of the space station. In the developmental stages, one problem Li handled was a large amount of heat generated by engine gas pipelines that damaged interior electronic components. It necessitated scientists to figure out a method of preventing overheating conditions. Li's team came up with a high-efficiency heat-resistant material, but she found it very demanding. No previous studies applied for reference after reading a range of research papers at home and abroad. "We had to make it from scratch," Li said. Thanks to their unremitting efforts, Li and her colleagues created a thermal insulation material and a preparation method to make it. The inventions won China's gold patent award in 2018. The success was repeated in creating materials for the Tianwen-1 Mars lander. Like most career women, Li strives to balance family and work. She often regrets spending so little time with her children due to work. But responding to the country's calls for tech self-reliance, the woman scientist is determined to contribute to developing more and more thinner and lighter materials for spacecraft. FOR STRONG COMPETITION Gree is a Chinese electric appliances giant with thousands of patent applications. Its chairwoman is Dong Mingzhu, who values and rewards innovation. She said women are the backbone of the company's innovative achievements, as female inventors accounted for more than 55 percent of Gree's patent applications. She annually rewards employees for sci-tech contributions, and over 65 percent of winners are women. Dong's company has also actively joined the global competition through persistent R&D. Her company has filed nearly 5,000 patents in 35 countries and regions, such as Europe, the United States, and Japan, bringing a host of international accolades. Dubbed "Iron Lady" in business circles, the 68-year-old entrepreneur is a national lawmaker, too. She has put forward many suggestions for IP protection, including stepping up efforts to crack down on patent trolls and malicious trademark filings. "Stricter IP protection boosts Gree's confidence in innovation. It is also an effective way to enhance the core competencies of Chinese manufacturers," Dong said in an interview. "We demand protection of proprietary technologies because it facilitates healthy competition in the industry and provides a solid foundation for iteration, upgrading, and breakthrough in technology. In other words, strict IP protection can encourage us to challenge ourselves to become more inventive and maintain our lead in technology R&D." She is always ready to accept new challenges. The entrepreneur jumped on the live-streaming bandwagon when the company's offline sales were hampered by COVID-19. She promoted a range of product sales, including air purifiers and disinfectant generators, to help consumers keep their houses healthy. FOR IMPROVING LIVELIHOODS Like Dong, Liang Qianjuan is also an excellent live-streamer on E-commerce platforms. A farmer from Gansu Province, Liang is not a patent holder and did not make any significant inventions. But she has used IP to raise incomes of her own and others in her hometown. Liang opened an online shop and promoted local agricultural products with geographical indications (GIs). GI is a type of trademark to show a product has a specific geographical origin and possesses qualities or a reputation due to that origin. It is a quality guarantee, distinguishing them from their competitors. Benefits of GIs include standardized processes, increased production, and more employment for locals. Liang's hometown is a remote village in Longnan with rich GI resources, such as green tea, olive oil, and apples. Local government has spent efforts in obtaining GIs in recent years. More farmers are now involved in the production and marketing of GI products. After a local olive oil was listed as a protected product of a national geographical trademark, the olive trees are now planted on over 34,000 hectares, benefiting over 210,000 local farmers. The output value reached 1.86 billion yuan (about 268.6 million U.S. dollars). The GI also allows salespersons to share the brand benefits. The annual sales of Liang's online shop have climbed from tens of thousands of yuan to more than 4 million yuan over the past ten years. Due to the expansion of her online sales, she now has 300 local farmers supplying products. Her success has also encouraged others, and there are now thousands of live-streaming hosts selling local products online in her hometown. Kakamega The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Kakamega branch has expressed reservations about the proposed mandatory contribution of 3 percent of civil servant's income to the Affordable Housing fund. KUPPET says contribution to the fund should be through an individual's own volition as opposed to a proposal by President William Ruto. Speaking to the Media in Kakamega, KUPPET officials said most teachers have taken mortgages and loans and are in the process of constructing their own houses. Kakamega KUPPET chair Johnstone Wabuti said they need to be consulted before any deductions are made from their salaries. "As teachers, we are opposed to the proposed plan, we have not been consulted. We are currently servicing many loans," he noted. He urged the President to also engage Civil Servants through public participation to agree on whether to deduct the 3 percent from their salaries to fund the housing program, as the needs of each individual differ. At the same time the KUPPET officials have asked health officers in Kakamega to work with the Ministry of Education to fumigate all schools in the county during this short break ahead of reopening to avert any cases of disease outbreaks. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Former President Donald Trump made no public acknowledgement of his wifes birthday as the former first lady had a smaller celebration with friends at Mar-a-Lago for her 53rd birthday. People magazine reported that people with knowledge of the situation said Mr Trump would attend the party if he happened to be at home at the time, but they didnt say whether the former president was actually there. Mr Trump posted 15 times on Truth Social on the day of his wifes birthday, 26 April, including attacks on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and posts about the civil rape trial in New York prompted by the claim made by writer E Jean Carroll that Mr Trump raped her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s. He said that the case is a made up SCAM and that her lawyer is a political operative, which prompted criticism from Judge Lewis Kaplan, who implored the Trump legal team to get their client to stop posting about the case. On his wifes last birthday during their time in the White House in 2020, Mr Trump took to Twitter to praise our great First Lady! In a piece published Wednesday, a source told People that Melania likes a low-key celebration with family and that I believe is her plan for this years birthday. If Donald is here, he will be joining the family to celebrate his wifes birthday. Despite what you hear, the Trumps are a close family, the person said. Dont be fooled by the former presidents outspoken manner and dominant influence on those around him. He respects and admires his wife, another individual told the magazine. He wants to make Melania happy, they said, and added that, They have a more than suitable partners arrangement. The celebration comes amid a litany of legal problems for Mr Trump as he continues his 2024 campaign to regain the White House. Earlier this month, he was indicted on 34 charges of business fraud in connection to a hush money payment made to adult actor Stormy Daniels in the lead-up to the 2016 election for her to remain silent about her allegation that they had an affair about a decade previously. Mr Trump is also being investigated at the federal level for the January 6 insurrection and his handling of classified documents after leaving office. On the state level, a Georgia prosecutor is reviewing his attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state after President Joe Biden became the first Democrat to win there since Bill Clinton in 1992. Close Related video: Trump arrives in Aberdeen to visit his Scottish golf resort Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trump will soon get his chance to sway voters via an unlikely source that hes spent years attacking: CNN. The network revealed it will host a town hall with the former president on 10 May in a move that has surprised many given how many times hes decried CNN as fake news. The town hall announcement came the same day that Mr Trump arrived in Scotland to visit his golf courses, and hours after he filed a motion for a mistrial in his legal battle against rape accuser E Jean Carroll. Ms Carroll is suing Mr Trump for battery and defamation after he allegedly raped her in a dressing room at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in the 1990s. Ms Carroll ended her stint on the stand on Monday afternoon after three days of emotional testimony where she was grilled on her actions after the alleged rape. Before the days proceedings began, Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina filed for a mistrial in a motion accusing Judge Lewis Kaplan of pervasive unfair and prejudicial rulings against the defendants legal team. That motion was unsurprisingly denied. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Eric Trump has been warned that he could be hit with charges if he continues to post comments on social media about E Jean Carrolls civil rape trial against his father. Donald Trumps son took to Twitter this week to weigh in on the case currently playing out in a Manhattan court, where magazine columnist Ms Carroll is suing the former president for rape and defamation. In the post, Eric fumed that Ms Carrolls trial was being funded by LinkedIn cofounder and Democratic donor Reid Hoffman out of pure hatred, spite or fear of a formidable candidate. He branded Mr Hoffmans involvement an embarrassment to our country, should be illegal and tells you everything you need to know about the case in hand.... In court on Wednesday, Ms Carrolls attorney brought up Erics tweet after the judge had already warned Mr Trumps attorney Joe Tacopina about his client posting about the case online. The judge had just ruled that Mr Hoffmans financing of Ms Carrolls case could not be used as evidence in the trial. Judge Lewis Kaplan was not amused by Erics post, telling Mr Tacopina that such comments needed to stop or both Eric and his father could find themselves in hot water. I said something this morning about your client perhaps now sailing in harms way, conceivably with his son, if what I just heard is true, he said. If I were in your shoes, Id be having a conversation with your client, he said, later adding that there are some relevant United States statutes here and somebody on your side ought to be thinking about them. Erics tweet appears to have been deleted but several social media users had already screenshotted his comments. The warning to Eric came after the judge had already issued a warning to his father over comments he made on Truth Social on Wednesday morning about the case. The former president took to Truth Social about an hour before Wednesdays testimony began and questioned how anyone could believe he "being very well known, to put it mildly!" could have raped Ms Carroll. "She didnt scream?" Mr Trump wrote. "There are no witnesses? Nobody saw this?" Eric Trump appears to have deleted his tweet (Twitter) The posts led Judge Kaplan to tell Mr Trumps legal team, outside the jurys presence, that the former president appeared to be "endeavoring, certainly, to speak to his quote-unquote public" and to the jury about matters that have "no business being spoken about. The judge also said that the former president could be "tampering with a new source of liability" if he continued. He called Mr Trumps post terming the case a made-up scam a public statement that, on the face of it, seems entirely inappropriate. The comments came as the former advice columnist took the stand in her civil rape trial against Mr Trump and fought back tears as she described the alleged assault in horrifying detail. She began her testimony with a simple declaration: Im here because Donald Trump raped me. The former Elle columnist said she and Mr Trump were shopping around the department store at the time when he asked her to try on a piece of lingerie that he was looking to purchase a blue bodysuit. He was having a good time, and so was I, Ms Carroll said, adding that the two were harmlessly flirting with one another. As the two reached the dressing room, Ms Carroll said Mr Trump shut the door and shoved me up against the wall. I was confused. I laughed, Ms Carroll said. She said she pushed Mr Trump back but he thurst her into the wall again. From there, Ms Carroll described how Mr Trump pulled down her tights and inserted his fingers into her vagina. It was extremely painful, Ms Carroll recalled emotionally. It was a horrible feeling. He put his hand inside me and curled his finger. As I sit here today, I can still feel it. When asked if she screamed for help or told Mr Trump to stop, Ms Carroll said, Im not a screamer. Im a fighter. Ms Carroll alleges Mr Trump then inserted his penis and began to rape her. I wonder why I walked in there, to get in that situation... Im proud to say I got out of there, Ms Carroll said. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Marjorie Taylor Greene caused yet another stir at a hearing on Capitol Hill this week, drawing an angry response from a Democratic member of Congress. The latest incident occurred during a hearing of the House Committee on Homeland Security, where lawmakers were discussing an unofficial challenge coin being passed around by members of US Customs and Border Protection which appears to glorify a now-infamous image of a mounted border agent striking a fleeing migrant with the back of a horse whip. The image shocked and disgusted average Americans when it was first publicised, but apparently has been taken as a kind of sinister moment of pride by some in the agencys ranks where a right-wing culture is thought to be prevalent. At one moment during the Wednesday evening hearing, Ms Greene was spotted chuckling by a member of the committee, Donald Payne Jr, who called her out. "It was shocking to depict someone on a horse, with a whip, whipping a human being. And that's funny? That engenders giggles? That's funny people being whipped. Wow," he admonished the Georgia congresswoman, according to Newsweek. But Ms Greene denied that she had been laughing about the matter being discussed, and attacked Mr Payne for suggesting otherwise. "There's no one on this committee who thinks whipping is a laughing matter...I was laughing about something completely unrelated. And it's extremely poor behaviour of people on this committee to continue to attack my character for political points, likely for campaign ads, she responded. Its just the most recent example of Ms Greene and her far-right colleagues in the House clashing or being drawn in to very personal arguments with their Democratic rivals a far cry from the kind of collegial atmosphere that exists in the Senate and even in the lower chamber some time ago. She was barred from participating in a previous hearing of the same committee after she went on an abusive tirade against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, accusing him of lying. The GOP chair of the panel reprimanded her and cut her mic, resulting in her turning her criticism on her own party after the incident occurred. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The Texas Department of Agriculture has introduced what critics say is a clearly unlawful dress code requiring employees to dress in a manner consistent with their biological gender. The policy, published on 13 April and reported earlier this week by Texas Observer, is full of boilerplate requirements like asking employees to wear formal attire when attending the state legislature, but singles out LGBT+ people inappropriately, Brian Klosterboer of the ACLU of Texas told The Washington Post. This dress code policy is the commissioner trying to move us backwards in time decades to a time when the government and private employers could try to dictate and police how people express their gender, he said. You can ask people to dress professionally without discriminating based on gender or race or any other protected characteristic, he added. But this policy here is clearly unlawful. The civil rights attorney warned that the vague policy could be weaponised in an arbitrary manner against employees. Those who violate the new dress code can be fired. Texas agriculture commissioner Sid Miller has defended the policy, telling Spectrum News hes a low-regulation guy who nonetheless felt employees need a reminder of dress code rules after years working from home. We dont want a man come dressed in drag, or vice versa, he said. Its very disruptive. Its not professional. Texas officials have proposed and implemented a wave of policies targeting LGBT+, and especially transgender, people, including a directive from governor Greg Abbott for state child protective authorities to investigate gender-affirming care as child abuse, a bill banning trans girls from participating in female sports, and questionably using state data to seek out trans people. Texas lawmakers proposed 52 anti-LGBT+ bills this year, 49 of which focus on trans people, the highest number in the country, according to the Post. Conservative states across the country have made targeting LGBT+ people a central part of their agenda in recent years, including banning books that mention queer relationships and identities, outlawing gender-affirming medical care, and seeking to forcibly out transgender and nonbinary students to their parents. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State will roll out improved access to lawful pathways to the United States for asylum seekers and step up efforts to increase border security and increase cooperation with South and Central American nations in preparation for the end of a Trump-era public health order which blocked significant numbers of migrants from claiming asylum in the US, senior Biden administration officials have said. The public health order made use of a section of the US code known as Title 42, and enabled US officials to expel the vast majority of migrants attempting to enter the US and claim asylum along the US-Mexico border. The Biden administration had attempted to put an end to use of the Trump-era policy but had repeatedly been blocked by court orders sought by Republican-led border states. In December, the Supreme Court allowed the Title 42 order to remain in place through February, and the Biden administration later announced that it would sunset the policy when pandemic-era emergency declarations expire on 11 May. A senior administration official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity said the new plans underscore the work that we do with our partner nations to bolster access to protection for those who needed help support their efforts to integrate refugees and migrants into their communities, expand access to lawful pathways in the United States and strengthen the capacities of countries to humanely manage their borders. By increasing efforts to counter smuggling through security cooperation with the governments of Panama and Colombia as well as increased efforts to identify people in need of resettlement are eligible for other lawful pathways. We will reduce the need for irregular movements through the hemisphere. This will allow people to access regular pathways to the United States and other countries in ways that are safe, orderly, and humane, the official said. A second senior official said the US will open regional processing centres which will be operated with the assistance of international aid organisations. Personnel at the regional centres will act to expedite pre-screening of individuals for lawful pathways to the United States with interviews to determine if they are eligible to be referred for refugee resettlement or other lawful pathways such as parole programmes, family reunification or existing labour pathways. The new programme will be modeled along the lines of an existing Biden administration initiative to process asylum seekers from Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Haiti, but individuals from those four nations will continue to be handled by the existing programme, under which asylum seekers who are found to be ineligible for asylum after entering at the US-Mexico border will be returned to Mexico. The regional processing centres will also provide information on local options, including regularisation opportunities in the host countries and available social services, said the official, who added that the US governments criteria for refugee resettlement will not change under the new programme. Individuals will be screened first for refugee resettlement, and then, if not found amenable for refugee resettlement, they will also be looked at in terms of the various parole programmes, family reunification programmes, existing labour pathways, and our international organisation partners will also be providing them with information on local options in many of the countries in the region have been very generous, and have been doing regularisation opportunities so that people can integrate locally, they said. The official also said other Western Hemisphere and Caribbean countries have agreed to accept refugees for resettlement, and singled out Canada and Spain as two partners in this new effort. Were fortunate to have partners in the region and beyond to seek to support migrants and refugees and share our determination to provide protection and structure to vulnerable populations, the official said. This sort of partnership and collaboration that will help address the challenges of irregular migration and forced displacement in the hemisphere. The administration officials stressed that the end of the pandemic-era Title 42 policy does not mean that the US-Mexico border will be open in any way. Another official added that the end of Title 42 would allow the Biden administration to return to processing asylum seekers under Title 8, which they described as a long standing immigration enforcement authority that administrations from both parties have used historically to process individuals encountered at the border. Individuals who enter the country and who do not establish a legal basis to remain will continue to be promptly removed from the United States, the official said. The official described the new initiative as a significant plan that is really at a level of ambition and scale that has never been done before and stressed that the Biden administration could do more to address the problem of irregular migration if Congress were to enact the immigration reform bill that has been championed by President Joe Biden since the first day of his administration. There is far more that we could do with if we had the cooperation of Congress. They have really tied our hands and so we really do appeal to Congress to work with us. President Biden sent a bill to Congress on day one, and we really need their support to be able to truly address this challenge, they said. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Lawyers for former president Donald Trump have asked the Republican-led House of Representatives to intervene by enacting a new law to protect the twice-impeached former president from the Department of Justice probe into his alleged unlawful retention of classified documents and his alleged efforts to obstruct that investigation. In a letter to Ohio Representative Mike Turner, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, attorneys Timothy Parlatore, John Rowley and James Trusty claim the Department of Justice the executive branch department charged with investigating and prosecuting federal crimes is not the appropriate agency to conduct investigations pertaining to the mishandling or spillage of classified material and allege that the departments handling of the probe into Mr Trumps alleged misconduct is antithetical to the principles of a fair and impartial search for the truth. Since early 2020, the department has been investigating how hundreds of classified documents ended up at Mr Trumps Mar-a-Lago club, the Palm Beach mansion where he maintains his primary home and post-presidential office. The investigation also concerns whether Mr Trump obstructed justice by defying a June 2022 grand jury subpoena compelling him return all classified documents in his posession. Although the Justice Department routinely investigates cases pertaining to the unauthorised retention or distribution of national defence information, Mr Trumps attorneys claim that it is abundantly clear through this investigation that the institutional practice and procedures within the White House for the handling of classified materials drastically differ from the long-established standard operating procedures employed by various agencies of the intelligence community as well as the US military and urge enactment of a legislative solution by Congress to prevent the DOJ from continuing to conduct ham-handed criminal investigations of matters that are inherently not criminal. The solution to these issues is not a misguided, politically infected, and severely botched criminal investigation, but rather a legislative solution, they said, adding that Congress should use its authority to order the Department of Justice to stand down. Mr Trumps lawyers also allege that the Justice Department acted improperly by using a grand jury subpoena to compel Mr Trump to return any classified documents in his possession, and claim that the ex-president is being treated unfairly because the department sought a search warrant after Mr Trump failed to comply with the subpoena while allowing attorneys for President Joe Biden and former vice president Mike Pence to conduct searches for classified documents at their respective homes. By unleashing a grand jury subpoena, DOJ intended to put President Trump on the defensive, not to invite his cooperation, they said, adding later that the unnecessarily aggressive use of a grand jury subpoena was not intended to ensure full compliance but instead was meant to manufacture conflict. They further argue that prosecutors misled the federal magistrate judge who authorised the 8 August 2022 search of Mr Trumps Palm Beach, Florida property by allegedly concealing that Mr Trump had offered to allow a voluntary search of the property, and suggest that the departments involvement which was triggered by a referral from National Archives and Records Administration officials who discovered classified materials among boxes returned by Mr Trump in early 2022 improperly predetermined that the matter should be handled as a criminal investigation. The Justice Department needlessly ratcheted up the adversarial nature of the matter, resulting in a waste of time and resources and a disturbing loss of public trust. This serves no legitimate purpose, as DOJs actions further erode constitutional rights while blindly compromising its own ability to provide a comprehensive account of what happened, they said. From the inception of this matter, rather than working cooperatively to ensure the return of all marked documents and correct any procedural failures, the DOJ team chose a path of aggressive combativeness. In doing so, it compromised the evidence, constitutional rights, and, in many instances, the professional ethics of its prosecutors. It has sought to criminalize a civil matter, pursue an unprecedented investigation of a former President while bristling at transparency, and is desperately seeking to justify its abominable conduct. Since Mr Trump revealed that the FBI was searching his Palm Beach home and office on 8 August of last year, numerous GOP figures have called for the FBI to be stripped of federal funding. Mr Trump and other Republican presidential candidates have also argued for a purge of the FBI and Justice Department to remove any officials or civil servants deemed disloyal to him. Prominent GOP lawmakers have previously suggested that Congress enact new laws to protect Mr Trump from the myriad criminal probes into his conduct. In the wake of Mr Trumps indictment on more than 30 felony charges by a New York City grand jury, House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, and House Administration Committee Chair Bryan Steil said the GOP-led House could consider legislation to prevent state and local prosecutors from bringing criminal charges against former presidents. In a letter to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the Republican committee chairs said Congress has a specific and manifestly important interest in preventing politically motivated prosecutions of current and former Presidents by elected state and local prosecutors, particularly those tried before elected state and local trial-level judges. They added that as a result of Mr Braggs decision to charge Mr Trump, the House Judiciary Committee would consider whether to draft legislation that would, if enacted, insulate current and former presidents from such improper state and local prosecutions. In addition to the case against him in New York and the federal probe into his alleged unlawful retention of classified documents, Mr Trump also faces the possibility of indictment in two other investigations. The Justice Department special counsel overseeing the documents probe, Jack Smith, is also supervising a grand jury hearing evidence regarding Mr Trumps attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss and the January 6 attack on the Capitol that occurred as a result of the ex-presidents actions. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is also presenting evidence to a grand jury regarding Mr Trumps efforts to pressure Georgia officials into reversing his 2020 loss to Mr Biden in that state, as well as efforts to submit forged electoral college certificates to the National Archives. Ms Willis has said indictments in that matter could be handed down as soon as this summer. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Former US president Donald Trump has lost an appeal to block former vice president Mike Pence from testifying in the special counsel investigation into efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, reports said. It was not immediately clear what day Mr Pence might appear before the grand jury, which for months has been investigating the events preceding the 6 January 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol, and efforts by Mr Trump and his allies to subvert the election outcome. Mr Pences testimony, coming as he inches toward a likely entrance in the 2024 presidential race, would be a milestone moment in the investigation and would likely give prosecutors a key first-person account as they pressed forward with their inquiry. The unanimous decision from judges Patricia Millett, Robert Wilkins, and Greg Katsas on the DC circuit Court of Appeals, came in a sealed case on Wednesday night, CNN reported. The appeal in the sealed case was filed just days after a lower-court judge directed the former vice president to testify over objections from the Trump team. A representative for Mr Pence had no comment. A spokesperson for Mr Trump did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, reported the news agency. A spokesperson for the Justice Department special counsel leading the probe declined to comment as well. It was not clear if lawyers for Mr Trump might ask the entire appeals court to hear the matter. Mr Pence was subpoenaed to testify earlier this year but Mr Trumps lawyers objected, citing executive privilege concerns. A judge in March refused to block Mr Trumps appearance, though he did side with the former vice presidents constitutional claims that he could not be forced to answer questions about anything related to his role as presiding over the Senates certification of votes on January 6. A spokesperson for Mr Pence subsequently said that the former vice president would not appeal and that his arguments about the constitutions speech or debate clause, which is intended to protect members of Congress from being questioned about official legislative acts, had been vindicated. Well obey the law, well tell the truth, Mr Pence said in an interview with CBS Newss Face the Nation that aired on Sunday. And the story that Ive been telling the American people all across the country, the story that I wrote in the pages of my memoir, thatll be the story I tell in that setting. Additional reporting from the wires Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trumps lawyers entered court for yet another legal showdown in New York this week as the former president faces an accusation of rape from author E Jean Carroll. Its part of a long-brewing fight that has vexed the president for nearly a half decade, almost as long as the Stormy Daniels controversy which earlier this month resulted in Mr Trump being hit with 34 criminal counts by Manhattan prosecutors. Ms Carroll alleges that the former president, then a business mogul known around New York, raped her in the fitting room of a department store in 1995 or 1996. According to news reports, she plans to corroborate her story with the testimony of individuals who will say that Ms Carroll told them shortly after the alleged attack, as well as testimony from other women who will reportedly testify about unwanted sexual advances from Mr Trump. The former president has denied Ms Carrolls claims on several occasions, while resorting to his trademark strategy of insulting his perceived enemies in an attempt to disparage their credibility. But, in general, he has avoided addressing the matter which involves a more unsavoury and politically damaging allegation to the extent that he has addressed other scandals, including the Daniels matter. Lets take a look at the few times he has addressed it, and what was said: Shes not my type In June of 2019, days after Ms Carroll came forward with her allegations in a magazine article, Mr Trump responded during an interview with two reporters from The Hill . Speaking in the Oval Office, then-President Trump laid into Ms Carrolls physical appearance and accused her of totally lying about the supposed encounter. He also claimed to have never met her. Former advice columnist E. Jean Carroll arrives to federal court in New York, Wednesday, April 26, 2023. (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) I dont know anything about her, he told journalists Saagar Enjeti and Jordan Fabian. I know nothing about this woman. I know nothing about her. She is its just a terrible thing that people can make statements like that. The deposition Later that year, Mr Trump would sit down for a deposition in a defamation case brought by Ms Carroll. During his testimony, Mr Trump went even further than his previous comments, claiming not only that he had never met Ms Carroll, but that she herself had claimed in a CNN interview to have found the idea of rape sexy. She said that I did something to her that never took place. There was no anything. I know nothing about this nut job, said Mr Trump at the time, calling his accuser mentally sick. To her attorney, he continued: I will sue her after this is over, and thats the thing I really look forward to doing. And Ill sue you too. He then added, She actually indicated that she loved it. OK? She loved it until commercial break, Trump said. In fact, I think she said it was sexy, didnt she? She said it was very sexy to be raped. Didnt she say that? That comment prompted a question from Ms Carrolls attorney regarding whether he had just admitted that the alleged incident occurred; Mr Trump demurred. Well, based on her interview with Anderson Cooper, I believe thats what took place. And we can define that I think she said that rape was sexy, which its not, by the way. But that wasnt the only moment during the November 2019 deposition that raised a few eyebrows. In one moment during his testimony, Mr Trump was shown a picture which included Ms Carroll and, perhaps not shockingly, despite claiming she was not [his] type actually mistook her for his ex-wife, Marla Maples. It prompted a revealing exchange between the president and the attorney for Ms Carroll, as Mr Trump declared: Thats Marla, yeah. Thats my wife. No, thats Carroll, said the authors attorney. In 2022, New York passed the Adult Survivors Act allowing adult sexual assault survivors one year to sue their alleged abusers. Ms Carroll then filed a second lawsuit against Mr Trump for rape and for additional alleged defamatory statements made by him in October 2022 when he called her a complete con job. A trial for this second case began on 25 April. The original lawsuit has not yet been scheduled to go to trial. In a court filing earlier this year, Judge Lewis Kaplan wrote that the central issue in both cases is whether Mr Trump raped Ms Carroll. The Truth Social post On Wednesday 26 April, Mr Trump once again tore into his accuser, this time on social media. The E. Jean Carroll case, Ms. Bergdorf Goodman, is a made up SCAM. Her lawyer is a political operative, financed by a big political donor that they said didnt exist, only to get caught lying about that, he wrote. He also added, in one of the most surreal quotes to emanate from an American president: She didnt scream? There are no witnesses? Nobody saw this? She never made a police complaint? If I was seen there with a woman-BIG PRESS. SCAM! Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Decades after she was allegedly raped by a New York real estate mogul who would go on to be the 45th President of the United States, E Jean Carroll is getting her day in court. Ms Carroll, a writer and former advice columnist for Elle magazine, is the plaintiff in a pair of civil lawsuits against former president Donald Trump. One of those lawsuits is now being presented in a New York City federal courtroom under the supervision of US District Judge Lewis Kaplan. The proceedings began on 25 April. The jurors in the trial will remain anonymous on Judge Kaplans orders due to the risk of threats, intimidation or outright violence against anyone seen as an enemy by Mr Trump and his supporters as they hear evidence of allegations made by Ms Carroll against the twice-impeached and indicted ex-president. Ms Carroll has claimed that Mr Trump raped her in a dressing room at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in the mid-1990s. The magazine columnist spoke out about the allegations for the first time in 2019 when Mr Trump was president. After he denied the allegations and accused her of lying in a bid to bolster sales of her forthcoming book, she filed a defamation lawsuit against him in November 2019. That suit stalled in the courts for years and is yet to make it to trial. Then, last year, New York lawmakers passed the states Adult Survivors Act, giving sexual abuse victims a one-year window to sue attackers for assaults that took place years ago. That law paved the way for Ms Carroll to file a second lawsuit against the former president in November accusing him of both raping her and then defaming her years later by denying the assault took place. That second lawsuit seeking damages and a retraction of his denial is now playing out in a New York court. What Carroll said about the alleged dressing room rape The allegations against Mr Trump were first laid out in an excerpt from her book What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal, that ran in New York magazine in June 2019. In the book excerpt, she said she was shopping at the Bergdorf-Goodman department store in New York when Mr Trump approached her and struck up a conversation, with him asking her for help picking out a gift for a woman. She then alleged that he took her to the lingerie section of the store and asked her to try on an item for him in a dressing room before pinning her up against a wall and sexually assaulting her for three minutes. At the time, Ms Carroll said the emergence of the #MeToo movement in late 2017 motivated her to tell her story publicly. Mr Trump addressed the allegations days later when pressed on them by reporters at the White House. He claimed he had never met her and denied raping her by telling the White House press corps that Ms Carrol was not [his] type. He also accused her of lying to boost sales of her memoir. She is trying to sell a new book that should indicate her motivation, the then-president said, adding that her book should be sold in the fiction section. Ms Carroll pushed back on his claims, sharing a photo of herself and Mr Trump together with his then-wife Ivana Trump and her then-husband John Johnson at an NBC party in 1987 to show they had met. In her 2019 defamation suit against Mr Trump, she alleged his denials had caused her to suffer reputational, emotional, and professional harm and said she was suing to obtain redress for those injuries and to demonstrate that even a man as powerful as Trump can be held accountable under the rule of law. Justice Department involvement delayed the defamation suit Although a Clinton-era Supreme Court case, Jones v Clinton, allows presidents to be sued for conduct which occurred before the start of their time in the White House, Mr Trumps legal team asked the Department of Justice to aid in his defence of the 2019 case. The department filed papers seeking to shield him from liability on the grounds that he was acting in an official capacity as president when he made the allegedly defamatory statements about Ms Carroll. But Judge Kaplan rejected those arguments and said the suit could proceed. An attempt by Mr Trump to appeal that decision failed in September 2021 as well. His legal team took up another approach in February of last year when they moved to countersue Ms Carroll. But Judge Kaplan blocked that bid in a scathing decision on 11 March 2022, in which he slammed Mr Trumps continuing attempts to delay the case as futile and in bad faith. The defendants litigation tactics, whatever their intent, have delayed the case to an extent that readily could have been far less, Judge Kaplan wrote. Granting leave to amend without considering the futility of the proposed amendment needlessly would make a regrettable situation worse by opening new avenues for significant further delay. Letting Mr Trump countersue would make a regrettable situation worse, the judge added. Carroll suing Trump for alleged rape Last year, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law the Adult Survivors Act, which created a one-year suspension of statutes of limitations for rape and other civil claims arising from allegations of sexual misconduct. The law allows sexual assault survivors to sue their attackers regardless of when the alleged assault may have taken place. In November 2022, shortly after the bill signing, Ms Carroll filed a second lawsuit against Mr Trump for rape. The new case accuses him of battery and also adds a new defamation claim based on recent posts in which he called her a con job. Both lawsuits are seeking monetary damages from the ex-president. Judge Kaplan rejected Trumps last-minute delay bid After Mr Trumps lawyers made an 11th-hour attempt to once again postpone the long-delayed civil trial on the grounds that publicity surrounding his recent indictment necessitated a cooling-off period to ensure an impartial jury, Judge Kaplan said the one-month delay Mr Trumps attorneys had asked for would have no impact on the potential jury pool in the case, which will be tried in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. There is no reason to assume that a sufficient number of fair and impartial jurors cannot be found on April 25, 2023 or that it would be materially easier to find such jurors on May 23, 2023, he said. Former advice columnist E. Jean Carroll walks into Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, in New York (AP) Is Trump attending? In a court filing last week, Mr Trump said he shouldnt attend the trial as he doesnt want to burden New York City. In a letter to Manhattan federal court Judge Lewis Kaplan on 19 April, Mr Trumps attorney Joe Tacopina said that the former president wishes to attend the civil trial beginning next week but is concerned about the logistical and financial burdens of his attendance on the courthouse and New York City. Ms Carroll meanwhile is attending the proceedings. Nairobi Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has affirmed that the government will not allow impunity saying no one is above the law as provided in the law. He was responding to questions raised by National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah on how the government will check on the proliferation gangs in the country. The Majority Leader had raised concerns that the unlawful Mungiki gang was slowly re-emerging claiming that he had spotted Mungiki elements during the Jubilee fiasco in Kileleshwa. "If there are people walking in the streets with Mungiki and guns, surely those people are not attracting foreign direct investment let alone local investment, we have to grow out of those awkward practices and move forward to get the country of its feet." Mudavadi said. Ichung'wah had made allegations before the house that the group of youth who accompanied retired President Uhuru Kenyatta to Jubilee headquarters today were the outlawed Mungiki gang. "Appraise the nation on what government is doing to check the proliferation of gangs. This afternoon we have witnessed the former president lead a gang of goons to take over an office," he stated. "The region I come from Mungiki has caused menace when we see Mungiki rising again we get concerned more so when we see elements associated with Mungiki being led by a former President becomes an issue of national concern," Ichungwa stated. Mudavadi however assured that the government through the Ministry Of Interior and Coordination alongside the National Police Service will not be vindictive in handling the cases of proliferation of gangs that poses a security threat. "We want to state categorically that nobody is above the law. Even if there is the kind of provocation, we can see in certain quarters we will still observe the rule of law as we exercise restraint from aspects of being vindictive," said Mudavadi. "It's not our intention to be vindictive, but provocation must also be put aside.We want to focus on uniting the country," he added. Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta told off police officers who had cordoned the Jubilee Party Headquarters' located at Kileleshwa during the heated wrangles between two rival faction in the party. Kenyatta who is the party leader while making a public appearance at the party headquarters since the wrangles was accompanied by the embattled secretary general Jeremiah Kioni. "We are not leaving here until you leave," Kenyatta told the police officers as the supporters who escorted him cheered on. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Kenya Legal Affairs By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Soon after, the police officers left the premises granting Kioni's faction led by Kenyatta to access the party headquarters that had been cordoned by police officers since morning. Shortly after, the Former President addressed journalist where he bashed the National Police Administrations for being used to settle political scores instead of undertaking their mandate independently. "I want to ask our police officers to kindly follow the law and we have seen you so many times following the path of violating the law. Please adhere to justice because you pledged to protect the country and the people," said Kenyatta. Kenyatta who was visibly angered questioned why the police meddled with the internal affairs of the Jubilee party further disrupting the peace and serene in the community neighboring the party headquarters. "This property is not ours we have only rented it. We have neighbors surrounding this building yet you have thrown teargas at them so that you can take the house by force. That's not right, that's not the law," he said. Police on Wednesday were forced to lob teargas outside Jubilee Party headquarters in Nairobi to disperse supporters of Jeremiah Kioni and Kanini Kega who are fighting over a party takeover. This comes as Kega and Kanini clash over who is the bonafide Secretary-General of the former ruling party. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} With less than two years remaining until US voters will decide who will serve as president of the United States from January 2025 to January 2029, former Republican government officials are starting to jockey for position in the coming fight for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, while at least one prominent Democrat (California governor Gavin Newsom) has reportedly pledged not to challenge President Joe Biden in a Democratic primary. As the 2024 campaign takes shape, here are the names you need to know: Joe Biden Mr Biden is the current president of the United States and is now officially gunning for a second term, having announced his reelection bid in a video message on Tuesday 25 April. Joe Biden (AP) The only US president in recent memory to forgo a run for a second term was the 37th occupant of that office, President Lyndon Johnson. Johnson declined to seek a second term amid upheaval over the Vietnam War despite having won a massive landslide over Republican Barry Goldwater in 1964, just one year after the Texas native assumed the presidency after President John F Kennedy was murdered by an assassin. Although Mr Biden has never suggested that he would follow Johnsons example, his status as the oldest person to ever serve as president and his lacklustre approval ratings fuelled speculation that he might stand down so a younger candidate could take up the Democratic Party mantle. But the Democrats better-than-expected results in the 2022 midterms appeared to put new wind in Mr Bidens sails before he officially announced his 2024 run. Donald Trump Of the more than 12 people who the Federal Election Commission lists as declared candidates for 2024, the only one whose name is well-known to the public is also the first former Trump administration figure to throw a hat into the ring, former president Donald J Trump. Mr Trump, the only US president to face two separate impeachment trials one after fomenting a violent attack on the US Capitol in hopes of remaining in power despite losing the 2020 election to Joe Biden officially filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to declare himself a candidate in the 2024 election on 15 November, just minutes before he announced his candidacy at the same Palm Beach, Florida location where FBI agents had conducted a search for stolen classified documents just three months earlier. Donald Trump (AP) Now based in Florida, the ex-real estate developer turned television presenter turned politician is hoping he can become the first ex-US chief executive to reclaim the White House since Grover Cleveland accomplished that feat more than a century ago. But he faces a series of obstacles on what was once assumed to be a smooth glide path to the GOP nomination, including several of his former top aides and at least one governor he once endorsed. Marianne Williamson The self-help author and former spiritual adviser to television mogul Oprah Winfrey, who participated in several Democratic primary debates during the 2020 election, has said she will enter the 2024 race to challenge Mr Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination. In an interview with Northwestern Universitys Medill News Service, Ms Williamson confirmed her intention to run next year. I wouldnt be running for president if I didnt believe I could contribute to harnessing the collective sensibility that I feel is our greatest hope at this time, she said. Marianne Williamson (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) During her aborted 2020 presidential run, she garnered a measure of notoriety for making statements widely considered bizarre, such as a vow to make then-New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern the first head of government she would call as president, and an assertion that she would win the election by "harness[ing] love for political purposes" against Mr Trump. Nikki Haley Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley spent two years as Mr Trumps ambassador to the United Nations, and during that time garnered at least a measure of media attention for the way she avoided engaging with the myriad controversies engulfing his administration while staying in the then-presidents good graces. Although the former governor turned diplomat previously pledged not to throw her hat into the ring for 2024 if Mr Trump was still running, she appears to have thrown that non-campaign promise away. Nikki Haley (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) On 15 February, Ms Haley announced that she was indeed entering the race. In a video released by her campaign, she even went so far as to take a veiled swipe at Mr Trump by noting that seven out of the last eight presidential elections have seen the GOP candidate lose the popular vote. She also said it is time for a new generation of leadership who will rediscover fiscal responsibility, secure our border and strengthen our country, our pride and our purpose. Mike Pence Once Mr Trumps most loyal defender and steadfast right-hand man, former vice president Mike Pences relationship with the man who led the GOP ticket in 2020 was irrevocably upended by his decision not to unlawfully hijack Congress certification of Electoral College votes in an attempt to keep himself and Mr Trump in power against the wishes of American voters. Mr Pence has not officially declared his intent to run for president against Mr Trump in 2024, but since leaving office he has kept up a steady stream of appearances in key primary states (hello, New Hampshire!) and campaigned for numerous GOP candidates in the midterm elections earlier this month. He also appeared at the Republican Jewish Coalitions annual convention in Las Vegas, a traditional cattle call for potential GOP presidential contenders. Mike Pence. (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) While the former vice president has taken pains not to criticise Mr Trump in the way some anti-Trump Republicans have in recent months, he has also made clear that he would not do things the way the ex-president did during their four years in office. Mr Pence has also begun to build out the beginnings of a 2024 campaign operation by bringing on former Ben Sasse spokesperson Ali Kjergaard to his Advancing American Freedom nonprofit. Ms Kjergaard joins other former Pence White House mainstays, including his former chief of staff, Marc Short, and his former press secretary, Devin OMalley. Ron DeSantis The current governor of Florida is thought by many in the GOP to be the perfect successor to Mr Trump. Ron DeSantis. (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) Mr DeSantis, a former Florida congressman who won his 2018 gubernatorial campaign after receiving a coveted endorsement from the then-president, is viewed by Republican pundits as a worthy avatar of the current anti-woke GOP who is hated by all the right people, and his star has been on the rise in conservative circles since he made a show of ending any and all pandemic-related restrictions and mandates in the Sunshine State. When Mr DeSantis took the stage at his 2022 election victory party, supporters even chanted two more years in a nod to his potential status as a GOP presidential contender. And Florida legislators are reportedly considering changing state law to make it easier for him to seek his partys nomination while running for governor. Recently, Mr Trump debuted a derogatory nickname Ron DeSanctimonious for his onetime ally, a sure sign that the Florida native is considered to be a serious adversary by the New York transplant. Vivek Ramaswamy Mr Ramaswamy, a wealthy biotechnology entrepreneur and conservative activist, announced his intention to compete in the 2024 Republican primary during an appearance on Tucker Carlsons eponymous Fox News programme. Vivek Ramaswamy (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) The Yale Law School graduate has become somewhat of a celebrity in right-wing circles for his denunciations of stakeholder capitalism, big tech censorship, and critical race theory. Last year, he founded Strive Asset Management, an anti-woke investment firm opposed to businesses that use environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) practices. Robert F Kennedy Jr Mr Kennedy Jr a lawyer, vaccine skeptic and the son of US Senator Robert F Kennedy filed candidacy papers with the Federal Election Commission on 5 April 2023. The filing places the 69-year-old as the second long-shot Democratic candidate to challenge President Biden, behind Marianne Williamson. Robert F Kennedy Jr (Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) While he intends to run as a Democrat, Mr Kennedy Jr has ties to former president Mr Trump. In 2017, he was tapped by the then-president-elect to oversee a presidential panel to review vaccine safety and science - despite having repeatedly expressed scepticism about vaccines. He continued pushing those beliefs through the coronavirus pandemic. Mr Kennedy Jrs father was a candidate in the 1968 presidential election before he was assassinated. Larry Elder Mr Elder, a former attorney, and current conservative talk radio host, announced Thursday, 20 April on Tucker Carlson Tonight that he will be running for president in 2024. The right-wing candidate said that he felt a moral, religious, and a patriotic duty to join the race for president. He named policing, crime, and government overreach as areas of concern. Weve incentivised women to marry the government, Mr Elder told Tucker Carlson. Weve incentivised men to abandon their financial and moral responsibility. And if I do nothing else in this race, but focus people on those two issues I would perform this service to my country. Larry Elder (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) Prior to his announcement, Mr Elder had been the host of the popular conservative radio programme The Larry Elder Show on KABC since 1993. He left in April 2022. Mr Elder has some political experience as he unsuccessfully ran to replace California Governor Gavin Newsom in 2021. Ryan Binkley Pastor and businessman Ryan Binkley has announced his entrance into the 2024 race, the latest long-shot contender to challenge Mr Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination. Ryan Binkley (The Way to Freedom) We have to be unified, Mr Binkley said at a recent event. We have to be in this place, because if were in a time of uncertainty, what its going to take is faith in God and faith in each other to get us through, and its not time for us to back down. Its time for us to believe. Mr Binkley has said he is absolutely confident that he could take on Mr Trump, despite having little name recognition and no experience holding elected office. Asa Hutchinson Former Governor of Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson, formally announced his campaign for president on Wednesday, 26 April. In Bentonville, Arkansas, Mr Hutchinson told supports that is optimistic about the future of the US and hopes to carry out the same conservative values to the White House as he did as Governor. In this campaign for president, I stand alone in terms of my experience, record and leadership, Mr Hutchinson said. Asa Hutchinson (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) Before becoming Governor of Arkansas, Mr Hutchinson was a representative for Arkansas, an administrator for the US Drug Enforcement Administration, and transportation security of the US Department of Homeland Security under former president George Bush. Mr Hutchinson discussed the economy, crime, and border security during his campaign kick-off speech. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Tucker Carlson is out at Fox News. After the dueling choruses of doomsayers and giddy celebrants died down on Monday (24 April), the question of why Carlson was reportedly fired still lingered. While there is no definitive answer to that question at the moment, there are a few contenders that in part or in full may explain why the conservative cable news network axed its biggest star without giving him so much as a goodbye tweet. But first, the context. Fox News announced it was parting ways with Carlson in a statement on Monday morning. The statement confirmed that Carlson's last show occurred the preceding Friday, which ended with him eating pizza with Pennsylvanian delivery man Tyler Morrell, who was honoured after he helped police stop a suspected car thief. At the end of the segment, Carlson told his viewers he would see them again next week. The statement's language and later comments by Fox News anchors seemed to imply that Carlson and Fox split ways mutually, though the statement lacked any comment from Carlson. Later details suggested that Carlson was blindsided by the decision, which reportedly came from the top of the network as late as Monday morning. Why did Fox News drop Carlson? It seems Carlson does not even know the answer to that question; Vanity Fair reports that Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott would not reveal to him the exact reason why he was being let go. Grossberg lawsuits The most likely theory is one that lays the blame squarely on Carlson's shoulders accusations of rampant misogyny in the workplace finally caught up to him. The seeds of Carlson's demise at the network may have been planted in a lawsuit; not the Fox-Dominion lawsuit, which cost the network $787.7m to settle, but in lesser-known litigation brought by a former producer. Abby Grossberg, who formerly worked on Carlson's show, sued Fox News, alleging that Carlson and his producer, Justin Wells, had displayed rampant misogyny and anti-Semitism in the workplace. Ms Grossberg claims in a federal court filing that Carlson's show "subjugates women based on vile sexist stereotypes" and that it "typecasts" religious minorities and "belittles their traditions." Former Fox News producer Abby Grossberg in an interview with NBC News (NBC News) The filing includes examples of the alleged misconduct, like Mr Wells asking her if then-Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo who Ms Gorssberg formerly worked for has slept with House Majority Speaker Kevin McCarthy. She said that people in Carlson's shop made crude comments about women politicians' looks and theorised on which had slept their way into their positions in government. Ms Grossberg also said her direct supervisor, Alex McCaskill, mocked an Israeli colleague for taking off for Jewish holidays. He further suggested the colleague's visit to a "Jew bakery" was for him "to see his people." Further building the case of rampant misogyny in Carlsons orbit are allegations that the anchor allegations he seemingly confirmed during a deposition with Dominions lawyers that he frequently called MAGA conspiracy theorist and infamous kraken lawyer Sidney Powell a c***, according to The Daily Beast. What's most compelling about this theory is that Mr Wells who is a prominent figure in Ms Grossberg's lawsuit was fired alongside Carlson on Monday. Fox News issued a statement to The Independent responding to Ms Grossbergs claims. FOX News engaged an independent outside counsel to immediately investigate the concerns raised by Ms Grossberg, which were made following a critical performance review, a spokesperson said. Her allegations in connection with the Dominion case are baseless and we will continue to vigorously defend Fox against her unmeritorious legal claims which are riddled with false allegations against the network and our employees. He weirded out Rupert Murdoch with religious rhetoric Carlson often blended nationalism, white supremacist conspiracy theories, and conservative Christian persecution paranoia into a turgid slurry of fear-mongering and hate, and he did so again during the Heritage Foundations 50th Anniversary gala on Friday. He may have gone too far. A source claiming familiarity with Fox News owner Rupert Murdochs decision to can Carlson told Vanity Fair that the religious nature of the anchors comments made the boss-man uncomfortable and prompted the firing. Carlson spoke in absolutist terms, about good and evil, and suggested that individuals who support trans existence are simply incapable of being reasoned with. He told the crowd to pray for them. He also likened abortions to child sacrafice. That stuff freaks Rupert out. He doesnt like all the spiritual talk, the source told the publication. Mr Murdoch reportedly was similarly freaked out after his now-ex fiance whipped out a Bible during a dinner party and began reading passages out loud from the Book of Exodus, according to Vanity Fair. The source theorised that Carlson eschatological musings reminded Mr Murdoch of the incident and left him feeling uneasy about keeping the anchor on the air. Carlson's criticisms of Fox News leadership Another leading theory is that Carlson was dropped in the wake of the Dominion lawsuit due to his sharp criticism of Fox News' leadership. Those comments were made public by reporters who obtained court filings related to Dominion's lawsuit. A person familiar with the company's rationale told The Washington Post that higher-ups at Fox News did not take his comments lightly, and that they "played a role" in his firing. Do the executives understand how much credibility and trust weve lost with our audience? Carlson wrote in a message the day after Fox News called the 2020 election for Joe Biden. He later said "those f****** are destroying our credibility," and complained that there was a "combination of incompetent liberals and top leadership with too much pride to back down" causing problems at the network. Tucker Carlson Dominion Lawsuit (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) Further complicating Carlson's role as Fox News' top anchor were texts revealing that he secretly loathed Donald Trump, and looked forward to a time when the network could ignore the former president. A section of redacted texts exists that could contain more and more damning comments from Carlson. Those texts are only known to Fox News, Dominions lawyers, and the individuals who sent the messages, according to Vanity Fair. It is unclear and may never be clear if those messages played any part in Carlsons downfall. Both of those explanations suggest that Carlson dug his own grave with Fox News. He has his own theory about why he was axed one which leaves him less culpable that suggests Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch's children want to sanitize the network for prepare it for a sale once their father passes. The Murdoch children theory In a theory that could easily serve as a story arc on HBO's Succession, Carlson reportedly believes he was removed from the network because Mr Murdoch's children are planning to sell the company, according to Vanity Fair. It's no secret that Carlson is divisive to advertisers. He is frequently dogged with claims that he is misogynist, transphobic, racist, and offers up apologetic defenses of nefarious actors like the Capitol riot defendants and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Advertisers stopped buying airtime on Fox News in 2018 after Carlson said immigration makes the US "dirtier," and periodic calls for advertiser boycotts by the public have caused his sponsors to dwindle since. James Murdoch, with sister Elisabeth, father Rupert and brother Lachlan at the National Portrait Gallery in 2007 (Getty) The show has almost no big-name advertisers left right now, Kara Alaimo, a public-relations expert who teaches at Hofstra University, told the New York Times in 2020. This is just not an issue you want to be on the wrong side of, if youre a mainstream brand. Under Carlson's theory, if the Murdoch children want to sell Fox News for the maximum possible profit, the brand needs to become less toxic to big name advertisers. That means he needed to go. There is currently no public indication that the Murdoch children plan to sell the company. Possible Ray Epps defamation lawsuit The night before Carlson was let go, Ray Epps a 66-year-old man who attended Donald Trump's rally that preceded the Capitol riot and who later became the focus of a conservative conspiracy theory that upended his life told 60 Minutes that the former Fox News anchor was "obsessed" with him and was trying to "destroy" his life. In short, the conspiracy theory alleges that Mr Epps is actually a federal plant who was sent to the march to incite the Capitol riot, painting Trump supporters in a bad light and justifying the mass arrests and prosecutions that followed. Mr Epps, a Trump supporter, was captured on video the day of the march telling other Trump loyalists that the police were not their enemies and cautioning against escalation. That has not stopped him from being subjected to near constant harassment and death threats from conservatives, some of which likely only know about him thanks to Carlson's regular boosting of the conspiracy theory on his show. Fox News already paid out the largest settlement for defamation in US history to Dominion Voting Systems. If Mr Epps were to sue Carlson and Fox News for defamation, it could force the company into another massive payout to avoid further public embarrassment similar to what it experienced in the Dominion case. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} An Australian woman used the identity of a pilot killed in a double helicopter crash to try and dodge a driving fine, according to reports. Stephanie Bennett admitted using Ash Jenkinsons name and details after she was caught using her mobile phone behind the wheel in December. Mr Jenkinson was one of four people including a newlywed British couple killed in a horrific collision on Queenslands Gold Coast on 2 January. Bennett used information from his death notice and obituary to nominate him as the driver of her car. It led to Mr Jenkinsons widow receiving a fine in the post shortly after his funeral. She pleaded guilty at Beenleigh Magistrates Court near Brisbane on Wednesday to fraud and identity theft, according to 9News. Her case was adjourned to 19 May. At an earlier hearing, an apology was read out to the court in which she said she was immensely regretful for her actions and that she had been going through personal matters at the time, according to news.com.au. It said she had attempted to undo the nomination the next day but the website didnt accept it. The scene after the chopper crash (CH9) The mandatory fine for her driving offence is AUD$1,078 (572). She was heckled by bystanders as she left the courthouse, according to 9News. Mr Jenkinson was piloting a helicopter for the Sea World attraction when it collided mid-air with another. He was killed along with Ron and Diane Hughes and Sydney woman Vanessa Tadros when the aircraft crashed. Several others were critically injured. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Tensions along Russias border with Ukraine finally erupted into open warfare on 24 February 2022 as Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in the eastern regions of the neighbouring state, confirming fears that had lingered since the preceding December that he was amassing troops intent on an invasion. The Kremlin leader said he believed that Russia had to take decisive action to extinguish a threat to its national security and that Moscow planned to carry out the demilitarisation and de-Nazification of Ukraine by toppling its leadership, also promising to put an end to eight years of war in which government forces have been battling pro-Russian separatists. In the 14 months of fighting that have followed, the Russian military has bombarded cities like Kharkiv and Mariupol with intense shelling campaigns in tactics reminiscent of those previously deployed in Chechnya and Syria and become bogged down in gruelling combat in southeastern Ukraine while millions of people have fled for neighbouring Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Moldova. Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelensky meanwhile continues to lead by example from the streets of Kyiv, as he has done throughout the war, tirelessly rallying the international community for support, as his people stage a courageous fightback against Russias armed forces with the help of generous foreign military aid. US president Joe Biden, UK prime minister Rishi Sunak and French president Emmanuel Macron have joined other global powers in condemning Moscows unprovoked and unjustified attack and promised to hold it accountable but have not joined the fight militarily because Ukraine is not currently a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) , whose members are honour-bound to come to the defence of any of its fellows under attack. Before the war, Mr Putin had previously denied having any intention of invading the neighbouring state and had presented the West with a series of demands, including an end to the eastern expansion of Nato membership to ex-Soviet states and the curtailment of US and alliance military activity on Russias doorstep. The issue of Ukraines exclusion from Nato has been a long-standing obsession for Mr Putin, who bitterly remembers the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union under his predecessor Boris Yeltsin in the 1990s as a decade of humiliation in which Bill Clintons US imposed its vision of order on Europe (including in Kosovo in 1999) while the Russians could do nothing but stand by and watch, according to diplomatic relations expert James Goldgeier. Mr Yeltsin did write to Mr Clinton in September 1993 expressing similar concerns, however, saying: We understand, of course, that any possible integration of East European countries into Nato will not automatically lead to the alliance somehow turning against Russia but it is important to take into account how our public opinion might react to that step. To address those anxieties, the Nato-Russia Founding Act was signed in 1997, a political agreement explicitly stating that: Nato and Russia do not consider each other as adversaries. The formation of the Nato-Russia Council followed in 2002. But Mr Putin is nevertheless said to begrudge what he regards as the alliances gradual sprawl eastwards, which saw ex-Soviet satellites Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland join in 1999, followed by Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia in 2004. Russian president Vladimir Putin (AP) He chooses to interpret the recruitment of these nations as the US breaking a promise allegedly made by its then-secretary of state James Baker to Mikhail Gorbachev during a visit to Moscow in February 1990 to discuss German reunification following the fall of the Berlin Wall. There would be no extension of Natos jurisdiction for forces of Nato one inch to the east, Mr Baker is supposed to have pledged to Mr Gorbachev, according to Russian officials, although the quote is heavily disputed and the latter denied the topic was ever discussed in an October 2014 interview with the Kommersant newspaper. Mr Putin has nurtured his grievance ever since regardless, no doubt keen to foster anti-Western sentiment at home and consolidate his powerbase, and has strongly opposed both Georgia and Ukraine joining the alliance. It is obvious that Nato expansion does not have any relation with the modernisation of the alliance itself or with ensuring security in Europe, he said at the Munich Security Conference in 2007. On the contrary, it represents a serious provocation that reduces the level of mutual trust. The following April, attending a Nato summit in Bucharest, he was even more emphatic: No Russian leader could stand idly by in the face of steps toward Nato membership for Ukraine. That would be a hostile act toward Russia. Four months later, Mr Putin invaded Georgia, destroying the countrys armed forces, occupying two autonomous regions and humiliating a president, Mikheil Saakashvili, who had openly courted Nato membership, actions that brought fresh international condemnation. For its part, Natos official stance remains that a sovereign, independent and stable Ukraine, firmly committed to democracy and the rule of law, is key to Euro-Atlantic security. It points out that its associations with the country date back to the disintegration of the USSR and that cooperation has had to be intensified in light of Russian regional aggression in 2014, when it annexed the Crimea Peninsula and supported the separatist insurgencies in DPR and LPR. Joe Biden visist Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on 20 February 2023 (Evan Vucci/AP) For the US, Ukraines path to Nato membership is less clear cut. Secretary of state Antony Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as recently as 8 June 2021 that we support Ukraine membership in Nato but his deputy, Wendy Sherman, was cagier when she addressed the issue in January, saying only: Together, the United States and our Nato allies made clear we will not slam the door shut on Natos open door policy a policy that has always been central to the Nato alliance. Mr Biden, the former top Democrat and later chair of that same committee, had previously believed that turning former Soviet republics into Nato allies marked the beginning of another 50 years of peace but has since pivoted to scepticism about US involvement in far-flung Forever Wars, hence the hurried withdrawal from Afghanistan last summer after 20 years of peace-keeping occupation. He is also known to be determined to see political and judicial corruption stamped out in Ukraine and reluctant to further provoke the Russian bear, having lived most of his life through the era of mutually-assured destruction, especially given that the security threat posed by China is a current priority that cannot be ignored. Without Ukraine being part of the alliance, the US and Nato are under no treaty obligation to come to its aid, whereas those security assurances are extended to nearby Baltic states like Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania since they signed up with the 2004 induction. All three could become potential future targets for Russian annexation, incidentally, if the current situation leaves Mr Putin feeling emboldened, which was the precisely the motivation that led Finland to join the alliance on 4 April 2023. Sweden could soon follow. Military personnel raise the flag of Finland during a ceremony on the sidelines of a Nato foreign ministers meeting at Nato headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on 4 April 2023 (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP) That said, Mr Bidens sabre-rattling rhetoric strongly suggests he is prepared to intervene in some form, even if that does not mean American boots on the ground. The US provided has provided $35.4bn to Ukraine in defensive military aid since the war began, according to the State Department, and shows no signs of ending its outreach. If it were to offer more direct defensive resources, the US would be in a position to provide Ukraine with a broad range of assistance free of charge, from air defence, anti-tank and anti-ship systems, electronic warfare and cyber defence systems to supplies of small arms and artillery ammunition. The key to thwarting Russian ambitions is to prevent Moscow from having a quick victory and to raise the economic, political, and military costs by imposing economic sanctions, ensuring political isolation from the West, and raising the prospect of a prolonged insurgency that grinds away the Russian military, Seth Jones and Philip Wasielewski have written in an analysis of the situation for the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Close WATCH: Ukrainian soldiers get targeted by rockets near Bakhmut For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Vladimir Putin could face arrest if he attends a meeting of leading economies in South Africa in August. The countrys authorities reportedly say they would be compelled to detain the Russian leader if he took part in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) summit after a warrant for his arrest was issued in March by the International Criminal Court (ICC). South Africas Sunday Times newspaper, citing sources in the nations government, said that a special commission had been established by president Cyril Ramaphosa to look into the arrest warrant. It concluded that South Africa would have no option but to arrest Mr Putin if he set foot in the country, a source said. In other news, the Russian military has suffered 100,000 casualties, comprising deaths and injuries, in the last five months in its continuing invasion of Ukraine, the White House said, concluding Vladimir Putins winter offensive in the Donbas as a failure. The figure, based on US intelligence estimates, includes more than 20,000 deaths. Turkeys Tayyip Erdogan cancelled political rallies on Thursday because of a stomach bug, as citizens overseas began voting in the countrys election. He was suffering from gastroenteritis but will rejoin the campaign trail as soon as possible, health minister Fahrettin Koca. It came after Erdogan cut short a live TV interview during which he said he felt unwell. Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyTech email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A historic attempt to land a privately-funded spacecraft on the Moon has come to an uncertain end, with the fate of ispaces Hakuto-R Mission 1 lander still unclear. The Japanese startup is currently investigating the final moments of the mission, which saw the craft lose communication with the control centre in Tokyo just seconds before it was due to touch down. So what actually happened in the moments leading up to the lunar landing attempt? And what has ispace said about its missing craft? Heres a timeline of everything that happened leading up to the loss of communication: 11 December, 2022: Hakuto-R Mission 1 lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. 21 March, 2023: Mission enters lunar orbit, entering an increasingly elliptical orbit as it prepares for descent to the surface of the Moon. 15 April, 2023: The landers onboard camera takes a photo of the surface of the Moon from an altitude of around 100km. A photo of the Moon taken from the ispace landers onboard camera from an altitude of 100km above the lunar surface (ispace) 20 April, 2023: The Mission 1 lander shares another photo from the onboard camera, this time showing the lunar Earthrise during the solar eclipse. The lunar Earthrise during solar eclipse, captured by the camera of ispaces Mission 1 lander at an altitude of about 100 km from the lunar surface (ispace) 4.20pm BST, 25 April, 2023: ispace begins descent to the lunar surface, losing communication with the ground crew while it passes the far side of the Moon. (ispace) 5.40pm BST, 25 April, 2023: The Hakuto-R Mission 1 lunar lander is expected to land on the surface of the Moon, but communications with the craft disappear seconds before it is due to touch down. A CGI mock-up of the landers current position (ispace) At this time, our Mission Control Center in Tokyo has not been able to confirm the success of the lander, an ispace spokesperson says. We have to assume that we did not complete the landing... Our engineers will continue to investigate the situation. Roughly six hours later, ispace issues a formal statement saying: It has been determined that Success 9 of the Mission Milestones is not achievable. (ispace) Success 9 refers to the completion of lunar landing for the Hakuto-R Mission 1 vehicle. Without this step, the final Success 10 is also not thought to be possible. This would have involved a steady telecommunication and power supply on the lunar surface after landing to support the operations of its customers payloads. The statement read: Engineers monitored the estimated remaining propellant reached at the lower threshold and shortly afterward the descent speed rapidly increased. After that, the communication loss happened. Based on this, it has been determined that there is a high probability that the lander eventually made a hard landing on the Moons surface. This illustration provided by ispace in April 2023 depicts what the Hakuto spacecraft would have looked like on the surface of the Moon (ispace) The company said it will continue to analyse the telemetry data to fully understand what exactly went wrong. The data will also be used to inform future ispace missions, the firm said. Although we do not expect to complete the lunar landing at this time, we believe that we have fully accomplished the significance of this mission, having acquired a great deal of data and experience by being able to execute the landing phase. What is important is to feed this knowledge and learning back to Mission 2 and beyond so that we can make the most of this experience, said Takeshi Hakamada, Founder and CEO of ispace. To this end, we are already developing Mission 2 and Mission 3 concurrently and have prepared a foundation that can maintain this continuity. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Elon Musk met with US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday to outline his fears surrounding artificial intelligence. The SpaceX, Tesla and Twitter CEO told reporters that they talked about the future in a meeting that lasted around an hour. Met with @SenSchumer and many members of Congress about artificial intelligence regulation today, Mr Musk tweeted. That which affects safety of the public has, over time, become regulated to ensure that companies do not cut corners. AI has great power to do good and evil. Better the former. Mr Musk has frequently spoken about his concerns with advanced AI, previously claiming that they are more dangerous than nukes and pose an existential threat to humanity. Schumer told reporters he had a very good meeting with Mr Musk. We talked about Buffalo (New York) Tesla has a large plant in Buffalo. And we talked about AI, according to CNN and Politico. Earlier this month, Mr Schumer, a Democrat, said he had launched an effort to establish rules on artificial intelligence to address national security and education concerns, as use of programs like ChatGPT becomes widespread. Mr Schumer said he had drafted and circulated a framework that outlines a new regulatory regime that would prevent potentially catastrophic damage to our country while simultaneously making sure the US advances and leads in this transformative technology. In March, Mr Musk and a group of artificial intelligence experts and industry executives called for a six-month pause in developing systems more powerful than OpenAIs newly launched GPT-4, in an open letter citing potential risks to society. Powerful AI systems should be developed only once we are confident that their effects will be positive and their risks will be manageable, said the letter issued by the Future of Life Institute. There is a growing push in Washington for AI regulations. Senate Intelligence Committee chair Mark Warner, a Democrat, sent major AI CEOs a letter Wednesday asking them to take steps to address concerns. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, a Democrat, told reporters Wednesday the Biden administration is working as aggressively as possible to figure out our approach to AI. The challenge is you dont want to stifle innovation in a brand new area with massive potential, Ms Raimondo said. The risks related to misinformation and deep fakes etcetera are massive. In January, Mr Musk met two top White House officials in Washington to discuss how Tesla and the administration of President Joe Biden could work together to advance electric vehicle production. He also visited with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, in a meeting earlier this year. Earlier this month, Mr Musk said he was working on an alternative to OpenAIs popular AI chatbot ChatGPT. The tech billionaire said his AI, dubbed TruthGPT, would be a maximum truth-seeking AI that would try to understand the nature of the universe and serve as the best path to safety. Additional reporting from agencies Hugh Grant arrived at the Rolls Buildings, used by the High Court of Justice, in central London on Thursday 27 April, for the conclusion of News Group Newspapers (NGN) phone hacking hearing. The actor will not give evidence at the hearing and is attending to watch the proceedings. NGN, publisher of The Sun and the now-defunct News Of The World, is bringing a bid to have claims by the Duke of Sussex over alleged unlawful information gathering at The Sun thrown out. Click here to sign up for our newsletters. Anti-monarchy protesters chanted not my King as His Majesty and the Queen Consort visited Liverpool Central Library on Wednesday, 26 April. The royal couple were marking the librarys twinning with Ukraines first public library, the Regional Scientific Library in Odesa. Footage from Republic, who campaign for the abolition of the monarchy, shows the protest group gathered outside as school children wave flags. No election. No choice. Liverpool had its say - Charles isnt their king, the group tweeted. Click here to sign up for our newsletters. Nairobi The 8th annual Project Management Institute Africa Conference will be hosted in Nairobi, Kenya, for the first time, PMI announced today. PMI is the leading professional organisation for project management and the authority for a growing global community of millions of project professionals and individuals who use project management skills. The highly anticipated annual conference will take place at the Emara Ole Sereni Hotel from September 10th- 12th this year. The PMI Africa Conference is the largest gathering of its kind on the continent. It is a platform to shine a light on Africa's project economy, reflect on the community's shared values, and champion the extraordinary work of the project professionals. This year's conference is based on the theme "Africa We Want: Together We Can" and will pursue the knowledge agenda by looking closely at the first decade of Agenda 2063 and the skills transformation needed to enhance project design and implementation. Building on the success of the previous edition held in Nigeria, the conference will bring together decision-makers, thought leaders, academicians, changemakers and feature eminent national and international speakers. Over 50 speakers and 400 delegates from over 24 countries are expected to participate. The flagship projects and programmes of Agenda 2063 deemed central to accelerating economic growth and development on the continent, like the integrated high-speed train network, the Grand Inga dam, the establishment of a single African air-transport market, or even the Pan-African e-network, will require skilled project management. The execution will be no less complex, requiring close collaboration and deep coordination across three levels - national, regional, and continental. "Project management is crucial to one of the first and biggest flagship projects on the anvil, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), as it can only succeed with adequate infrastructure.," says George Asamani, MD, PMI, sub-Saharan Africa. According to McKinsey, the region's attempts to address its infrastructure gaps never move beyond the planning stages. The McKinsey report, Solving Africa's Infrastructure Paradox, finds that, although international investors have sufficient appetite and capital to fund infrastructure projects, "80 percent of infrastructure projects fail at the feasibility and business-planning stage." It is widely accepted that project management is critical in ensuring projects achieve their strategic goals of supporting economic growth, generating jobs, and creating resilient infrastructure fit for purpose. "The need for cooperative efforts between government, private sector, academia, practitioners and for purpose PMI, to work towards a better future has never been greater," adds Asamani. "AfCFTA is designed to deepen integration, foster trade, and investment, enhance the mobility of capital and labour, and support industrialisation. The key to its success will be the timely execution of projects identified to invigorate growth, create jobs and address climate goals. If the bloc acts simultaneously, it will lift the regional economy." The conference will deliberate on skills transformation, youth empowerment, women in project management sustainability, and accelerating infrastructure development, many of which are central to the flagship projects. The conference has identified these domains as key to Africa's economic growth. "The time could not be more fitting to host the PMI Africa Conference in Kenya. The country is experiencing exponential growth in the number of project professionals since 2020, which points to the growing demand for project management. The successful launch of Taifa 1 is a shining example of how projects in science and technology are contributing to our socioeconomic development and our standing globally," says Jeane Mathenge, President of PMI Kenya Chapter. "The outer space programme, one of the flagship projects of Agenda 2063, seeks to enable Africa to obtain maximum benefits from space science, technology, and applications. The launch of Taifa 1 speaks to the growing maturity of managing complex projects and plays well into Vision 2030, Kenya's bold blueprint to drive the economy." Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Kenya Business By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. The conference, throughout its history, has presented a unique opportunity to explore how project management practices can help shape the future. The platform aims to create an enabling environment for participants from the project management sphere - project, program, and portfolio managers with similar career goals to share best practices, earn professional development units (PDUs), network, and explore new trends and innovations in the field. The conference is open to a global audience keen to learn how African changemakers and project professionals are seizing this incredible growth opportunity. "It is evident that Africa needs not only investment and projects but also more knowledge to move projects from paper to prosperity," Asamani concluded. The full line-up of speakers will be announced in the next few weeks. Police Scotland have confirmed that the partner of Marelle Sturrock, David Yates, is wanted in connection with her death. The 29-weeks pregnant teacher, 35, was found dead at her home in Glasgow on Tuesday morning (25 April). A murder investigation has been launched. Authorities have said that the last confirmed sighting of Mr Yates was on Sunday evening shortly after 8pm. "His subsequent movements are unknown after his vehicle was left at Mugdock Country Park but there is nothing to suggest he has left the area," Police Scotland Detective Superintendent Nicola Kilbane said. Sign up for our newsletters. Parents in Glasgow have expressed their shock at the death of teacher Marelle Sturrock. The 35-year-old was 29 weeks pregnant when she was found dead at her home in Jura Street on Tuesday (25 April). Her unborn baby did not survive. Police Scotland have launched a murder investigation and confirmed that Ms Sturrocks partner, David Yates, is wanted in connection with her death. She treated the kids like her own... She made them have confidence within themselves. She was a lovely person, one parent said. Sign up for our newsletters. The moment a police officer was struck down by a vehicle in a hit-and-run incident has been captured on video. Connor Boyle, a patrolman with the Robbinsville Township Police Department in New Jersey, had been assisting a motorist when a Volkswagen Passat driver hit him on Saturday (22 April). Authorities have identified the driver as Rachel Glatt, 52, of East Windsor, New Jersey. She has been arrested and charged with second-degree aggravated assault on a police officer, fourth-degree assault by auto, and reckless driving among other offences. Mr Boyle is expected to make a full recovery. Sign up for our newsletters. British nationals evacuated from Sudan have been reunited with relatives and loved ones at Stansted Airport, with one man describing the conflict as a nightmare. Women with small children and babies in prams were among approximately 300 people who were flown from Sudan, as well as elderly individuals in wheelchairs. Family members and friends were waiting anxiously in the arrivals lounge and car park for the flight to arrive. One man from Sudan, who did not give his name, described his experience as a nightmare. Click here to sign up for our newsletters. A British-Sudanese father has shared footage of his flat covered in bullet holes amid intense fighting in the country. Munir Salman, who has dual citizenship, was at his Khartoum home with his three children when the flat was caught in the middle of a gunfight when Sudanese armed forces were ambushed by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) officers outside. While he and his family waited to fly to the UK via Larnaca, Cyprus, Mr Salman said: I had to tell [my children] it was like a game and told them it was like hide-and-seek. Sign up for our newsletters. This is the moment a Sky News journalist found her uncle among evacuees who had travelled to Jeddah from Sudan. Footage shows Africa correspondent Yousra Elbagir embracing Mohsin, who is a Sudanese-American surgeon, at King Faisal Naval Base after he boarded a ship in Port Sudan to flee the conflict. It comes as armed fighters tore through the Darfur city of Genena despite a fragile three-day truce between the countrys two top generals. Click here to sign up for our newsletters. South Koreas president sang Don McLeans American Pie to great applause as he concluded a visit to the White House on Wednesday 26 April. Yoon Suk Yeol - who is known back in his home nation to be something of a karaoke buff shared his love of American music during a state dinner with Joe Biden. Rapturous applause erupted as he belted out the first few lines of the iconic song, much to the delight of Mr Biden and first lady Jill Biden. Click here to sign up for our newsletters. At four score years and five months, Joe Biden has announced that he will run for a second term or, as we British-English speakers would say, stand, which might be more appropriate here. Were he to win, this would make him 82 on inauguration day and 86 by the time he left office, in the event that he served out his full term. Now, I know a few people of similar vintage to whom I would happily entrust the power that resides in the Oval Office and the nuclear suitcase that comes with it, though I doubt they would relish the task. But anyone who argues that age will not be an issue in voters minds as the 2024 US presidential campaign gathers pace over the next 18 months is not living in the real world. Of course it will be an issue. The question is what sort of an issue, and how hard it might be to surmount. It is probably fair to say that Ronald Reagans famous quip, when faced with the age question during his 1984 debate with Walter Mondale, has had its day. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponents youth and inexperience was an ingenious pre-emptive strike then but will not work to similar effect again. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trump has a problem. Hes currently facing no fewer than three court proceedings in both civil and criminal courtrooms in his former home state of New York, and he cant seem to keep his mouth shut about any of them. In multiple instances, the twice-impeached ex-presidents conduct has caught the eye of the judges charged with overseeing cases against him, most recently in a New York City federal courtroom, where on Wednesday District Judge Lewis Kaplan issued a stern warning to Trumps attorney, Joe Tacopina. The veteran jurist told Tacopina, who is representing Trump in a civil rape lawsuit brought by writer E Jean Carroll, that the former chief executive could have opened himself up to a new source of potential liability with inflammatory posts about the case on his Truth Social platform. Specifically, Trump called the case a scam and made reference to alleged DNA evidence which isnt going to be part of the trial. Judge Kaplan had previously warned both Trumps and Carrolls lawyers and witnesses who may testify in the rape and defamation lawsuit against making statements that could incite violence or civil unrest. Given the ex-presidents history of inciting unrest, its unlikely that the warning was meant for the former Elle advice columnist. But Trump has risked incurring the ire of another New York judge, Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan. Merchan is the judge who oversaw the conviction of Trumps longtime chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, in a criminal tax fraud trial last year. Hes also the judge who will preside over the ex-presidents criminal trial on more than 30 felony counts of falsifying business records. At the ex-presidents arraignment earlier this month, Merchan issued a similar warning to the ex-president, who sat largely silent as charges against him were read out. Please refrain from making statements that are likely to incite violence or civil unrest, he said. While the former president is a free man and will, in theory, remain free unless and until he is convicted of a crime by a jury of his peers, the warnings from those two judges represent the most pressing and immediate threat to his liberty. Thats because Trump is notoriously incapable of refraining from issuing blistering attacks on anyone he sees as an enemy. Its partly how he ended up facing a defamation lawsuit from Carroll, who has accused him of raping her in a Bergdorf-Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s. Hes also attacked multiple judges, including Merchan, as Trump-hating jurists and accused them of bias against him without evidence. Similarly, hes shown no qualms about attacking the prosecutors investigating him. The one who has thus far obtained an indictment against him, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, has received numerous death threats as a result. The former president, who is currently campaigning for voters to return him to the White House in next years election, has suggested that any effort to restrict his speech could violate the US Constitution. But a judge overseeing a criminal or civil trial has vast powers to ensure that the proceedings before them remain fair. Thats why Judge Kaplan used a rarely employed authority to keep the jury in Carrolls case anonymous to all but court personnel, telling them that no one would ever learn their names, God willing. The point of such an order and his warning to Trumps counsel is to keep Trump, or anyone else, from tainting the jury by way of threats or intimidation, or influencing them with public statements about the case. But Trump, who is notoriously averse to being told what to do, isnt likely to heed the judges admonition. And in the future, that warning could turn into a formal gag order if it is determined that he is disrespecting the courts wishes. Violating a court order can carry significant consequences, up to and including jail. And if any judge hearing a case against him decides he has violated a gag order, that judge could in theory lock Trump up. It would be a drastic remedy, but given Trumps penchant for talking himself into trouble, it remains a distinct possibility that the thing that could end the former presidents freedom is his own big mouth. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The UK is set to experience a mixed bag of weather conditions in the coming days, with rain, drizzle and heavy showers expected before warmer temperatures return. Met Office chief meteorologist Steve Willington has warned that cold conditions from earlier in the week will linger the longest in the far north of Scotland, while the rest of the UK will see a transition to warmer but more unsettled conditions. On Thursday, cloudy weather will follow after a bright start to the day as rain spreads across most parts by end of day. Some heavy rain is expected in the south. Highlands will see another day of chilly frost, with heavy snow expected above 700m, leading to whiteout conditions. Temperatures are set to rise to 18-21C in some parts of the country by Friday. Over the bank holiday weekend, a mixture of brighter conditions and showers are expected, with the heaviest and most frequent rains likely to occur in the west on Saturday. On Sunday, most locations can expect to see at least some showers, while rains will more likely be focused towards the east on the bank holiday Monday, with drier conditions prevailing elsewhere. Despite the mixed weather forecast, temperatures are expected to remain reasonable and above average. The coming bank holiday weekend itself will be a mixture of brighter conditions and showers, deputy chief meteorologist Chris Almond said. These showers will tend to be heaviest and most frequent in the west on Saturday. Temperatures are expected to be reasonable and above average. Looking further ahead, the first half of next week is likely to be dominated by high pressure, but there is the possibility of heavier and potentially thundery showers as plumes of humid air move in from further south, the forecaster said. Nairobi Interior Principal Secretary in the State Department for Correctional Services Mary Muthoni says the department's reform agenda for improving the inmates living conditions across prisons countrywide is well on course. PS Muthoni is spearheading an ambitious campaign dubbed 'one prisoner, one bed, one mattress' that targets to make the living conditions for inmates in prisons comfortable. The campaign aims to improve the condition of prisoners across all the prisons countrywide with the department targeting to acquire 60, 000 beds and mattresses to support the campaign. The initiative received a major boost on Wednesday after a well-wisher group named Tujengane donated 800 mattresses and blankets to the Industrial remand prison. "This will soon become a dream come true," she said. In March 2023, the department also received 1, 000 mattresses. Overcrowding in prisons in the country with a majority of them operating at more than double their capacity has been one of the major problems facing the prison system in Kenya and PS Muthoni is out to cure that. She consequently appealed to other Kenyans of goodwill to join the initiative by supporting whichever way they can in the pursuit of bettering the living conditions of prisoners. "Kenyans involvement will play a big role in the initiative's success,' she said. She emphasized that accountability will be a key focus under her watch, as she will ensure that the respective prisons that receive the donations use the items. "I want to assure all those who will donate that the items will be put to good use,' she said. PS Muthoni hopes that the campaign's success will play a key role in making inmates' lives more comfortable and creating opportunities for infrastructural development. Dalata owns the Clayton and Maldron chains. PIctured, the Clayton Hotel on Burlington Road Irelands biggest hotel operator says it is optimistic for the upcoming summer season as revenues for the first four months of the year surpassed pre-pandemic levels Dalata said it anticipates a strong summer due to the rebound in international travel, conferences and sustained domestic tourism. Revenue per available room (RevPar) is now expected to be 28pc ahead of 2019 levels for the January-to-April period. This reflects an increase from earlier in the year. The hotel group reported that RevPar for January and February was 25pc ahead of the same period in 2019. In 2022, the company reported revenues of 516m, the first time it breached the 500m mark. This figure was also 20pc higher than in 2019. Dalatas adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation for 2022 stood at 184.3m, which is an increase of 13pc compared with 2019. Dalata also opened the groups fiftieth hotel last year. Overall, the group added a total of 1,900 hotel rooms last year and it now has a pipeline of 1,333 more. Dalata is set to open a hotel in Finsbury Park, London, over the summer. The hotel, which is within walking distance of Emirates Stadium, will be the groups first Maldron hotel in the UK capital. The group acquired the 192-bedroom property in a deal worth 50m in February. It said at the time that it is anticipating annual earnings of 4.5m from the property. A second Maldron hotel in Shoreditch is currently under construction and is expected to welcome guests early next year. The company currently operates a total of 17 hotels in the UK. Dalata has emerged from two difficult years and has resumed the growth and success that have characterised the business since its inception, chairman John Hennessy said. Although there are many challenges ahead, we see a very bright future for our business. Irish building materials giant CRH is de facto an American company, its chief executive said as the firm prepares to leave the Dublin stock exchange for a New York listing. Albert Manifold said the move would bring in more US investors and help the group capitalise on US President Joe Bidens multi-trillion dollar infrastructure subsidies. It makes CRH more of an American company, which de facto we actually are, he told shareholders at the groups annual general meeting in Dublin on Thursday. We make 75pc of our profit there today, and thats set to increase. Mr Manifold said it will retain its head office and tax residency in Ireland, with the firm employing around 350 staff here in finance, tax, management and procurement. To try and replicate that elsewhere, it would take us a decade to do that, he said. Its a good place to do business and why should we be any different? Not on my watch. The stock market move, which CRH finance chief Jim Mintern said has the overwhelming support of the groups shareholders, is set to be rubber-stamped at an extraordinary meeting on June 8. Keeping a secondary Dublin listing was not an option, Mr Mintern said, with CRH opting for London instead. CRH, which was formed in 1970 through the merger of well-established construction firms Cement and Roadstone, will continue to maintain a focus on Europe, Mr Manifold said. He sees an impending construction boom on both sides of the Atlantic from the building of data centres and the re-shoring of technology, including computer chip manufacturing. But he said CRHs prices are set to rise again as the group attempts to recoup previous hikes in energy prices. Last year energy prices were up 47pc and have risen 17pc so far this year. Mr Manifold denied price increases were driving its record high earnings and margins last year. We actually provide additional services and products to our customers that they pay us more [for]. Were getting more of the pie, more of the gig, and at higher margins. Thats whats driving our business performance. Nothing to do with pricing. The chairman of Flutter has said the global betting group remains uncertain if it can maintain its secondary listing on Euronext Dublin, although he highlighted that the business has a desire to remain on the exchange. In February, the Paddy Power owner announced it would begin to consult shareholders on the possibility of an additional US listing. At the groups annual general meeting on Thursday, shareholders voted on a number of changes to the groups articles of association which are necessary to facilitate a new US listing The company reported that 99.99pc of proxy shareholders had already supported the resolution, with Flutter set to share final results this afternoon. Our primary listing will remain in London, chairman Gary McGann told reporters following the AGM. We have clearly a desire to remain on Euronext but the challenge is to ensure that settlement trading and settlements can be done through the US system, which is a requirement for a US listing, via the Euronext methodology. At this point in time, thats not possible, he added. He said Flutter is working to see if it is possible to do this, with clarity on the situation expected later in the year. It requires some technical development work to be completed, chief executive Peter Jackson said. Mr McGann also reported that nothing is set to change from a business perspective following the additional US listing, with the business remaining headquartered in Ireland. This is a capital market move, he said. The next steps we have the hard work to do to actually get US-style reporting which takes a lot of effort in terms of current and previous years numbers. The probability is that it will take us close to the year end, at which point in time we should be in a position for the SEC process to be listed on the US stock exchange, he added. Mr McGann will step down from the board in September following a nine-year term as a non-executive director. John Byrant has been appointed as chair designate, as well as a non-executive director. Mr Jackson also said on Thursday that Flutter would welcome regulation following the publication of a white paper on gambling by the UK government. I think its important for our industry, he said. We are a very compliant business. We have very stringent controls and checks and processes in place in our business and we think its very important that we continue to market our products and services to customers, he concluded. Two Irish accountants have been hit with fines for their role in the Wirecard scandal, one of the biggest financial frauds in German history. The Irish Auditing & Accounting Supervisory Authority (IAASA) imposed fines totalling 30,000 on Tony Kelly and Alison Gray, who audited the accounts of Wirecard UK & Ireland Limited, a subsidiary of the German payments processor. IAASA imposed a severe reprimand on Mr Kelly and fined him 19,500 for the two years 2016 and 2017 - he audited the accounts, while Ms Gray got a severe reprimand and a 10,500 fine for a single year, 2018. The punishments were imposed after both accountants reached settlement agreements with IAASA, which reduced the financial sanctions to reflect their admissions and cooperation. The two worked for BCK, a now defunct firm. Although the audit of Wirecard UK & Ireland did not fall under IAASAs inspection regime, the body used power under the companies act to investigate because the matter was of significant public interest. This is the first time that IAASA has sanctioned individuals using this power, said IAASA chief executive Kevin Prendergast. The failures in audit identified were significant and this is reflected in the sanctions and fines. IAASA said it found several areas of non-compliance with international auditing standards, including their responsibilities relating to fraud, identifying and assessing material misstatement, and responding to risks, audit evidence, external confirmation and related parties. The Authority considers that the conduct in question was a serious departure from the standards expected of a statutory auditor, IAASA said in the settlement agreements. There were numerous departures from the standards identified and there was a lack of professional scepticism applied when conducting this complex audit. Wirecard filed for insolvency in June 2020, owing creditors almost $4bn, after disclosing a 1.9bn hole in its accounts that EY said was the result of a sophisticated global fraud. The company, founded in 1999, began by processing payments for gambling and pornography websites before becoming a fintech star and a member of Germany's blue chip DAX index. Wirecard executives went on trial in December, two years after the collapse of the company sent shockwaves throughout Germanys business and political establishment. former chief executive Markus Braun and two other high-ranking managers of the defunct blue-chip company are facing a number of charges, including fraud and market manipulation, and could be jailed for up to 15 years if convicted. Mr Braun denies wrongdoing and accuses others of running a shadow operation without his knowledge. The prosecution has said Wirecard's management invented vast sums of phantom revenue to hoodwink investors and creditors. "Politicians, financial regulators, banks, auditors, supervisory boards - almost everyone has made a fool of themselves with Wirecard, with high costs for investors," said Danyal Bayaz, state finance minister of Baden-Wuerttemberg and formerly on a parliamentary committee investigating Wirecard, told Reuters. Earlier this month Germany's accounting watchdog handed the 2016-2018 auditor of Wirecard, named in the company's annual reports as EY, a 500,000 fine and banned it from taking on new audits for companies of public interest for two years. (additional reporting, Reuters) Company willl purchase 40 additional 737 Max jets from plane maker Dublin-based aircraft lessor Avolon the worlds third largest has committed to buying an additional 40 Boeing 737 Max jets from Boeing that have a list price of $4bn (3.6bn). The jets are scheduled for delivery between 2027 and 2030 and bring Avolons owned, managed and on-order fleet size to 870. The order is a boost to Boeing as it struggles with the latest snag to hit the Max jet. The plane maker has slowed production of Max jets after a defect was detected in a part from a supplier. Spirit Aerosystems said this month it found that a non-standard manufacturing process was used during the installation of fittings on the vertical tail of certain Max models. Boeing said it wasnt an immediate safety issue and that Max jets already in service can continue flying. Max jets were grounded around the world between 2019 and 2020 following two fatal crashes that occurred as a result of a flaw with its flight control system. Avolon said that its latest Boeing order is subject to approval by shareholders of Bohai Leasing, which owns 70pc of the lessor. That approval is expected before the end of May. This commitment with Boeing underlines our confidence in the positive momentum in the aviation market, said Avolon chief executive Andy Cronin. With strong demand for our new technology orderbook, and delivery slots at a premium, it strengthens and extends our delivery profile with Boeing, he added. Mr Cronin said the order would support airline customers looking to plan beyond the post-Covid traffic recovery. He made the comments as Avolon released first-quarter results on Thursday. Its lease revenue in the period declined 9pc year-on-year to $599m (542m), while its operating cash flow slipped just over 3pc to $310m. Its reported net income jumped from a loss of $182m in the first quarter of 2022 to a positive $56m in the first three months of this year. However, its adjusted net income declined 30pc to $56m. Mr Cronin said the lessor benefitted from rising lease rates during the quarter as global air passenger demand grew. Demand for aircraft remains strong, with high levels of leasing activity and a continued shortage of aircraft, he added. He said that is supporting strong residual values and is driving demand for lease extensions from airlines that are unable to access new deliveries. With our low leverage and high levels of liquidity, we are well positioned to take advantage of future opportunities, said Mr Cronin. Avolon ended the first quarter with a net debt to equity ratio of 2.3 times, a secured debt to total assets ratio of 21pc and $16bn of unencumbered assets. At the end of March, it had total available liquidity of $5.5bn, including $403m of unrestricted cash and $5.1bn of undrawn debt facilities. During the period, it also executed an $810m term financing facility maturing in 2030, with a syndicate of 10 banks. Jameson owner Pernod Ricard is about to stop the export of its international brands to Russia following an international backlash, the Sunday Independent understands. On Thursday evening, the worlds second largest producer of wines and spirits published a statement on its website following protests in both London and Dublin against the companys decision to export brands like Jameson whiskey and Beefeater gin to Russia. Earlier this month the Sunday Independent reported that Pernod Ricard had resumed exports to Russia, leading to a backlash in several European countries. In Sweden, Pernod Ricard recently halted exports of its Absolut Vodka brand to Russia following a boycott from restaurant groups. In the statement on Thursday, Pernod Ricard said the reality of exiting Russia was both complex and extremely challenging. We also fully understand and acknowledge the reaction over the recent days as we sought to give context to the decisions we have taken. Many companies, in our industry and in others, have made the same difficult choice. We are working hard to find the best way to navigate this complexity, including stopping the export of our international brands while ensuring the welfare and safety of our team, considering the local legal constraints. Knowing that to do so will not prevent any of our brands falling into the hands of the grey market, which has strongly increased in recent months, over which we have no control. The Sunday Independent understands that Pernod Ricard is about to stop the export of its international brands to Russia. Pernod Ricard had previously suspended exports of its international brands to Russia in the aftermath of the countrys invasion of Ukraine last year but later resumed sales. In the statement, Pernod Ricard said it utterly condemned the invasion of Ukraine by Russia from the very beginning. The company added it significantly reduced the number and quantity of brands imported to a level that enabled it to protect its local teams, their livelihoods, and the welfare of their families in full compliance with international sanctions. This also meant reducing the quantities being sold to avoid intentional bankruptcy, which is a criminal offence in Russia and represents a significant risk for our employees. Pernod Ricard added it was committed to protecting its colleagues in the region, which had been the guiding principle of the difficult choices we have made, and we continue to work hard to find the best solution to this difficult dilemma. We will be providing updates as appropriate. The number of fully remote work vacancies is on the decline The number of fully remote job vacancies being advertised has plummeted in recent months as businesses revert to mandatory in-office days. This trend began in the latter half of 2022, according to hiring platform IrishJobs. Companies are eager for staff to return to the office more regularly after remote working became the norm for some workers over pandemic lockdowns. The number of fully remote roles dropped by 12pc in the first three months of the year. This reflected a faster level of decline than that of overall job vacancies on the platform, which fell by just 6pc in the same period. The majority of remote working roles that remain on the site are from companies based in Dublin, with 79pc of vacancies from Dublin employers. It attributed this to the pressures of commuting into large cities, while sourcing accommodation across Dublin remains challenging. Although fully remote roles are on the decline, flexibility and work-life balance are still top of the average jobseekers agenda, StepStone Ireland managing director Sam McIlveen said. Overall, the number of job vacancies fell by 20pc year-on-year. However, the number of roles available remained 10pc above pre-pandemic levels in the first three months of 2023. Leo Varadkar on plans to promote working from home Hospitality remains the industry with the largest source of job vacancies, accounting for 13pc of job vacancies in this period. There was also strong demand for qualified medical professionals and healthcare workers, with job vacancies for positions in this sector representing 9pc of all adverts. IrishJobs reported that there were a number of job vacancies in the Irish IT sector despite uncertainty across the tech industry in recent months as a result of layoffs in major firms. Positions available in the IT sector made up 7pc of all vacancies in the first three months of 2023 and were 21pc higher than the same period in 2021. However, roles in IT were down 23pc compared to the same time last year. Just four counties in Ireland recorded an increase in vacancies compared to the prior year, including Co Cork, which had a 9pc rise in job postings. While the post-Covid exuberance of 2021 and early 2022 has now run its course, given the high employment rates were continuing to see across the economy, the latest figures will do little to ease the recruiting pressures for employers, Mr McIlveen said. Two of the biggest energy providers in the State have admitted billing errors that have affected thousands of their customers. Around 11,000 Electric Ireland customers are facing bill shocks, after it emerged that a blunder means they have not been asked for a payment for months. Bord Gais Energy has apologised after mistakenly taking direct debit payments twice yesterday from 11,500 of its customers. The supplier was last night scrambling to reverse one of the two payments. State-owned Electric Ireland, which has more than 1.1 million customers, has admitted a billing issue means some of its customers have not received bills that were due last month. It comes at time of an energy crisis, with the bills that are overdue covering a period of time when electricity and gas usage was sky-high. This is due to the fact that the early months of the year tend to see high energy use in homes. Energy regulator, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), said it was probing Electric Irelands failure to meet agreed billing period commitments. Some customers have not received a bill for four months. One customer explained: I have had no bill since January 3 now, and I am going be destroyed in May with a double bill. A complaint was sent in March 20. It was not logged until March 27, and there has been no response on what is happening. This is an old-school attitude to customers. Electric Ireland said in statement: Electric Ireland is aware of a billing issue involving an incorrect discount rate being applied to some customers. This has resulted in less than 1pc of our electricity customers having their bill delayed. Just how much are my home appliances costing me? It said it is working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, and corrections to those affected customers will issue as credit on their bills. A mistake in applying new discounts for those coming out of contracts led the company to withhold the bills until it rectified the errors. Affected customers are due a small refund but may end up with huge delayed bills. We apologise for the inconvenience that this may cause, and want to reassure those customers affected that we will contact them and make any necessary amends as quickly as possible, Electric Ireland said. Bord Gais Energy wrote to some 11,500 of its customers yesterday to say: Unfortunately, due to an error with our banking partners system, some of our direct debit customers have experienced a double direct debit taken from their bank accounts today. It said it was working with its bank, AIB, to reverse the payment for affected customers as quickly as possible. We understand the inconvenience and frustration this may have caused, and sincerely apologise for this, the British-owned company said. Bord Gais Energy said it was investigating the cause of this issue with AIB to avoid it happening again in the future. The bungles come as both Bord Gais and ESB-owned Electric Ireland have persistently resisted demands to cut prices for household consumers. Electric Ireland has announced a reduction of up to 15pc but for business customers. Wholesale energy costs have collapsed back to the levels last seen before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The refusal of the energy suppliers to cut household prices is despite a survey emerging this week showing electricity prices in Ireland are the highest of 33 countries across Europe. Electricity prices here are double the EU average. Pictured at the annual France Ireland Chamber of Commerce business lunch in The Marker Hotel, Dublin were David Cass, Sia Partners UK and Ireland, Aine Murray, President France Ireland Chamber of Commerce, guest speaker Michael McGrath TD, Minister for Finance, His Excellency Vincent Guerend, French Ambassador to Ireland and Cliona McGowan, Director of the France Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Cormac Kelleher, Mazars. Picture Conor McCab The Finance Minister has told executives of French companies active here that the housing crisis is being dealt with, despite headwinds due to rising costs, a labour shortage and planning bottlenecks. Michael McGrath made the comments after rating agency DBRS warned the housing affordability crisis could make the country a little less attractive to future foreign capital inflows and could be exacerbated by rising construction costs. Mr McGrath said the housing shortage was a problem of success and that the Government needs a period of stability and delivery to solve it. He pointed to this weeks 1bn mini-budget of subsidies and breaks for developers, which has been paid for largely though departmental underspends. I would never understate, in any forum, the scale of the housing challenge we face. Now, it is a problem of success, he told an event organised by the France Ireland Chamber of Commerce in Dublin. We just have a mismatch, at the moment, between supply and demand. We have brought a lot of new schemes into being, we have changed a number of them, and now I think we need a period of stability and a period of delivery. The Government fully accepts the scale of the challenge. But it is a function of a very successful economy, a growing population, and we will do everything we possibly can to meet that challenge. Figures out this week show new dwelling completions in the first three months of 2023 were 19pc ahead of last year, with apartment building at an all-time high and completions topping more than 30,000 last year for the first time since the last financial crisis. Commencements which indicate the scale of future activity were up by around two-thirds between February and March, according to Housing Agency figures. But Goodbody chief economist Dermot OLeary said the high costs of building are a constraint and said falling planning permissions indicate progress may be stalling. Completions are likely to come in at circa 29,000 this year, but early indications suggest a decline in 2024. This leaves housing output substantially below housing requirements, he said. Mr McGrath said new measures announced subsidies for cost rental apartments, a waiving of development levies for new builds and increased grants for renovating vacant and derelict properties will add further impetus to supply and improve affordability. The online company, which employs hundreds of staff at its European headquarters in Dublin, is letting 16pc of its workforce go. Dropbox, which employs hundreds of people in Dublin, has announced layoffs of 16pc, or 500 people, from its 3,100-strong global workforce. A spokesperson for the company confirmed to the Irish Independent that the Irish employee base has been affected. No further details on the number of Irish staff to be let go have been divulged. Under Irish law, the company must enter a 30-day consultation period with potentially affected staff. Dropbox does not disclose how exactly many people its European headquarters in Dublin employs, but the company has previously guided the figure of hundreds. Ive made the difficult decision to reduce our global workforce by about 16pc, or 500 Dropboxers, wrote CEO Drew Houston in a memo to staff today. While our business is profitable, our growth has been slowing. Headwinds from the economic downturn have put pressure on our customers and, in turn, on our business. As a result, some investments that used to deliver positive returns are no longer sustainable. Mr Houston also said that developments in artificial intelligence meant that Dropbox has to restructure some parts of its business. Speaking to the Irish Independents Big Tech Show podcast in November, Mr Houston said that Dropbox would remain committed to Dublin despite the tech downturn. Were still very invested, he said. Tech companies may be in a period of contraction right now, but it will grow again. Dublin has been and will continue to be our headquarters. Residents of informal settlements march to city hall Hundreds of residents of informal settlements in Durban marched on Thursday to the eThekwini city hall, demanding better policing and the resignation of Minister of Police Bheki Cele. Mostly members of Abahlali Base Mjondolo, the marchers say activists are being assassinated and murdered by izinkabi (hit men) and accuse Cele and the police of dragging their feet arresting those responsible. Abahlali Base Mjondolo President Sbu Zikode said four of the organisation's members were murdered in Durban in six months last year. Zikode said one member was killed by masked police officers and the other three were murdered by the izinkabi. He said they called Cele to inform him of what is happening in Durban and he promised to come but never did. "Cele only acts when a rich person is murdered, he does not care about us poor people. Today we call on the President to fire him. It's time for him to retire," he said. Zikode said that on Freedom Day shackdwellers were not free. "We are not free because our homes are attacked and destroyed by the state. We are not free because we are denied the right to well-located urban land and thereby our right to a place in the cities. We are not free because we are forced into government shacks (so called 'transit camps') and left to rot there. We are not free because our attempts to build autonomous and democratic communities ... are repressed with violence from the state and the ruling party, including murder," said Zikode. The march was also joined by other organisations and activists from other provinces. Kenneth Matlawa from the Housing Assembly said residents in informal settlements throughout the country are not free. "Tomorrow is Freedom Day to rich people, but to us it's a normal day as we continue to live in an inhuman environment. We are here because we are also fighting the same battle that is fought by KwaZulu-Natal residents. If we do not take action we will continue not being free," he said. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines South Africa Governance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Desmond Dsa of the South Durban Community Environment Alliance said the government had failed to improve the lives of poor people in Durban. "Towards elections we will see them going door to door to our shacks, making all sorts of promises that they are not going to keep," he said. Sonke Gender Justice, Right to Know, Intlungu Yase Matyotyombeni (Cape Town), Indibano Yabahlali (Cape Town), Reclaim the City (Cape Town), Ndifuna Ukwazi, and a some eThekwini taxi associations also took part in the march. Abahlali Base Mjondolo general secretary Thapelo Mohapi people said are being evicted almost every day in their homes in Durban and nothing has been done. "We demand land, dignity and freedom," he said Sizeka Dlamini, a vendor in Wale Street, says vendors are trying to get the municipality to drop the price of permits, currently at R1,000 a year. "Having to spend R1 000 before you even buy a stock is expensive. And they don't want to drop the price. Now we get harassed by the City metro police who take our things and demand R600," she said. The marchers handed over a memorandum to Reggie Cele, from the office of eThekwini Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda. Cele promised to deliver the memorandum to the relevant people. Zikode said they have seven days to respond. World Business Ireland one of only four EU countries that can afford to spend on new climate targets study Germanys imports from Russia fell by more than 90pc in the first year of Moscows war in Ukraine, largely as a result of the collapse of Russian energy deliveries to Europes biggest economy, official figures showed. Netflix will begin cracking down this quarter on US viewers who share someone else's account, predicting plans to charge such customers will boost growth in the second half of the year. Residents say eThekwini Municipality has failed to fix most of the toilets in the area which are blocked and broken The eThekwini Municipality says it will soon send teams to Cato Crest informal settlement in Durban following reports that more than 30 families there are forced to share one pit toilet. GroundUp recently visited the informal settlement and spoke to dozens of residents who complained about their dire sanitation facilities. They say that most of the toilets built by the municipality are blocked and broken. As a result of this, some families have resorted to building their own pit latrines. According to residents, the land was first occupied in 2013 by people who had been living in backyards. The settlement has grown since then and currently has about 600 shacks. Community leader Ndumiso Mhlongo said the settlement has about 16 flush toilets installed by the municipality, but only three of those are working. "The rest are either blocked or broken," he said. Mhlongo said when they complained about the blocked toilets three years ago, instead of fixing the toilets, the municipality sent three mobile toilets. He said the mobile toilets were meant to be cleaned at least twice a week, but this did not happen regularly. Mhlongo said one of the mobile toilets has not been cleaned for almost two years. "People got fed up with begging the municipality to clean the toilets. They have decided to build their own toilets," said Mhlongo. "A few people have pit toilets next to their shacks, but as a community we decided to build the four you see. Men dug holes and we used old material as a cover. He said over 30 families share one of the four pit toilets," he said. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines South Africa Urban Issues Water By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Resident Sabelo Ntlenyama said that before they built the pit toilets, women had to relieve themselves in buckets or plastic bags and then threw it in bins. "That became a problem because the rubbish is also not collected here. We ended up burning it," he said. "These pit toilets are also not enough for this community. In the mornings people queue at these toilets," he said. Bajikile Mkhize, who cleans the three functioning municipal toilets, complained that she does not have cleaning material. She said the municipality is aware of the blocked and broken toilets. Head of communications at eThekwini Municipality, Lindiwe Khuzwayo, said all the issues raised by residents have now been reported to the relevant units. She promised that teams will be sent to investigate the situation but did not say when this would happen. Co-authors Katherine Webber and Catherine Doyle talk to Saoirse Hanley about embracing BookTok, the influence Ireland has had on their writing and how young adult literature has become too racy Cat Doyle and Katie Webber united to write Twin Crowns, the story of twin sisters who were separated at birth. Photo: Ellie Kurttz Cursed Crowns, the sequel to Twin Crowns, is out on April 27 Katie Webber and Cat Doyle have had a huge hit with their Twin Crowns series. Photo: Ellie Kurttz Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber go by Cat and Katie respectively. Thats good news for the rest of us, since the co-authors of the Twin Crowns series also happen to be sisters-in-law and technically share a surname as well as their first, which could get confusing. You might wonder then how Cat, who lives near Connemara in Galway, and Katie, from California, came together not only in literature but in family. Before they shared a surname, they shared a literary agent in London, which would prove to be the first domino to fall in leading them towards one another. At an agency party, the pair met and hit it off straight away, Cat says. I just loved her immediately. They bonded over the books they liked to read and the authors they loved. One day Katie said that her brother was coming out to visit her in London and, coincidentally, I was going to be over at the same time. They met, and I couldn't believe that there were more of her, more sunshiney people, Cat says. We fell in love very quickly. After a period of long distance, Katies brother made the move to the Irish west coast to be with Cat. My brother and I are very close, says Katie. So I always felt very strongly that I wanted him to end up with someone who I liked. Katie and Cat were friends even before Cat married Katie's brother, Jack. Photo: Scott Drexler But as if we werent close enough, Cat says, they decided to write together. Something that united the two women from the word go was a shared love for fantasy novels, so its unsurprising the series they have penned together is a young-adult fantasy trilogy. Twin Crowns is a story of twin sisters separated at birth. One is a princess, the other was raised as a witch and trained to kill her. The book came to life during the early days of the pandemic. We were both crying out for that project that will fill our cup and fill us with joy because it was a very exhausting time, Cat says. Katie called her with the lost twins idea and it was immediately such a compelling concept. We just started brainstorming and it [calling to discuss] became the highlight of our days, Cat says. It got to the point where we were so bursting with ideas and enthusiasm that we realised we needed to actually sit down and start writing this because it was kind of spilling out of us. It was clearly the thing that both of us wanted to do the most. The benefit of having two authors is that one can take a heroine each. I don't think there was ever any disagreement about who's going to write who, Cat says. She writes Wrens chapters while Katie does Roses. Immediately, we were like Ill do the spoiled princess, Katie laughs. When it comes to the fantasy genre, theres generally one type of female character presented to readers in YA novels like The Hunger Games or Divergent. Shes hardened, she takes no prisoners. Shes witty, sometimes to the point of meanness. Something Katie and Cat have done is create two very different female characters who have their own unique strengths. There is no one-size-fits all for the women in their world. As Cat puts it: We wanted to be able to present that there's more nuance in that. Since the series is aimed at a young-adult cohort, a majority of their readers are teenage girls, which can often mean a book is dismissed as nothing other than chicklit. Katie says that telling people their book is for teens means sometimes being met with a lacklustre response, but when you explain what it is, people are more keen to get involved. Cursed Crowns, the sequel to Twin Crowns, is out on April 27 Who made The Beatles big? Teenage girls! Katie says. I love that idea that teenage girls are the ones driving culture. Eagle-eyed Irish readers will notice that much of the books lore is based on familiar territory. The land its set in is called Eana, taken from the Irish word for bird. The twins grandmother is named Banba. The Irish influence and inspiration was very purposeful, Katie says. I feel like I always wedge in Ireland in some way, Cat adds. But we wanted to ground it in a culture that felt real to us. There are threads from other cultures too, with characters and settings that are east Asian or Nordic, but the authors consulted sensitivity readers to ensure they were writing fairly. They're just people helping you make sure that you're not doing anything in the book that would be upsetting for anyone, Katie says. Who made The Beatles big? Teenage girls! I love that idea that teenage girls are the ones driving culture. Writing sensitively isnt reserved for the cultural aspects alone. The tendency in recent years has been for young-adult fantasy to be smutty book speak for containing sexual content. As Katie puts it: YA romance has gotten quite steamy, which is something they tried to avoid in both writing and editing. As a result, their book is romantic, but it's much more about the yearning and the kissing. It does ramp up a little as the series progresses. The decision is borne not out of prudishness, but out of an aim to make sure the series is accessible for young adults, but also for those on the brink of becoming one. Cat Doyle and Katie Webber united to write Twin Crowns, the story of twin sisters who were separated at birth. Photo: Ellie Kurttz One place you definitely can find plenty of steamy YA recommendations though is on BookTok, the section of TikTok where readers and fans go to spread the word about their favourites. Its a land inhabited by many fantasy fans, and a popular one at that, with a click on the hashtag yielding thousands of videos amassing millions of views. I feel like an actual fossil trying to be cool on TikTok, Cat laughs. But it's hugely important to the success, particularly in YA. We've definitely found that you want your book to have a space on BookTok. And find a space it has, whereCrowns fans will review the books, dress up as characters or create inspired artwork. I love seeing a variety of how readers engage in something like that, separate from any kind of sales success, Katie says, a self-professed fangirl herself. To know that weve written something that is inspiring that kind of creativity in our readers has been so powerful for me and it was a huge bookish aspiration that I had. Of course, fan casting is only the tip of the iceberg, and BookTok is often hungry for a screen adaptation of a popular series. When I ask if Cat and Katie would like to see Wren and Rose on screen, silver or small, it's a resounding echo of: Oh my God, Yes. There are a myriad of challenges that come with writing as a duo about a vast world, with an adoring audience, but its the latter that will prove the most important as Cursed Crowns is released. Both Cat and Katie feel that an equally motivating and debilitating factor is the readers expectations. There are characters fans dont want killed off and people they want to wind up together. It's hard to know kind of how much to listen to that, but it's just wanting to do a story that levels up in the right way, Cat says. You hear about second book syndrome, and now that it's a trilogy, we want to make sure it feels like it really stands on its own, Katie says. Beyond that, wanting to make sure that the book stays relevant. Cat and I are very ambitious for the Twin Crowns world. We want it to be playing in the space with a lot of the heavy-hitter fantasy YA authors that we love. Cursed Crowns is out on April 27, Twin Crowns is out now. The best young-adult fantasy books written by women Bestseller lists have long been a way of measuring a books success, but TikTok has become a platform for promoting books to avid readers. This is the case for fantasy stories in the young-adult genre. Here are some of the best YA fantasy books by female authors on BookTok. Six Of Crowns Six Of CrowsBy Leigh Bardugo Criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich, but hell need help from a convict, a sharpshooter, a runaway, a spy, a thief and a woman using her magic to escape. But their mission is bigger than the heist, as it may be the only thing that stands between the world and destruction. Throne Of Glass Throne Of GlassBy Sarah J Maas Celaena Sardothien is an assassin imprisoned in a labour camp. She assumes her life is over, but soon shes summoned to the kings castle to win her freedom in a grisly competition. If she defeats 23 killers, thieves and warriors, she is released from prison to serve as the kings champion. Celaenas story is one that spans eight books, each more rich than the last. The Cruel Prince The Cruel PrinceBy Holly Black Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the fairy High Court. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong, despite how different she feels. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially the youngest prince, Cardan. To win her place in his world, she will have to defy him and face the consequences. A bubbling pot of palace intrigue, deception, betrayal and darkly alluring romance. Children Of Blood And Bone Children Of Blood And Bone By Tomi Adeyemi Inspired by Nigerian mythology, Adeyemi tells the story of Zelie Adebola, who has one chance to restore magic in Orisha. Zelie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good. Shell contend with snow leoponaires, vengeful spirits and the power within her that she has yet to control. Cinder CinderBy Marissa Meyer Cinder is a cyborg whos reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsisters illness. The humans and androids of her city are being ravaged by a plague, but when her life becomes intertwined with Prince Kais, she finds herself at the centre of an intergalactic struggle. This futuristic retelling of Cinderellais the first in The Lunar Chronicles series. The Wrath And The Dawn The Wrath And The DawnBy Renee Ahdieh In this reimagining of Arabian Nights, 16-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid, the 18-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, who takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. But her goal is one of revenge, as she sets out to avenge the death of her best friend at the hands of the Caliph. Theres just one problem: shes falling in love with him. Soon, shell learn that nothing is as it seems with the murderous boy-king and the violent cycle he finds himself in. We discover that ruthless realism is a trait in the late Karl Lagerfelds family The designer Karl Lagerfeld, the powerhouse who made the modern Chanel, was unknowable. Famously, his one public relationship was with his cat, Choupette, who is now a millionaire. One of his friends describes him as such a remote person. Lagerfeld was famously reluctant to share even the most basic details of his life. In the fashion business, and indeed in todays world, this made him unusual. So The Mysterious Mr Lagerfeld (BBC 2) uses it as its selling point. For anyone who has read fashion magazines at any time over the past 30 years, there are several facts contained in this glossy documentary which will be new. First of all, Lagerfeld had a sister, Christiane, who emigrated from Germany to the United States where she married and raised a family in suburbia. Her children included Caroline. We were the fat Americans, Caroline said, obviously sharing her uncles ruthless realism. Uncle Karl designed Carolines wedding dress. He wrote to her: It will make you look tall and thin. I am neither, said Caroline. Meanwhile in Paris, Karl Lagerfeld had a remarkably handsome driver and personal assistant, Sebastien Jondeau, and later a series of close friendships with male models who were decades younger than him. He was godfather to Brad Kroenigs two sons. He was 70 when he met the 18-year-old Baptiste. And then Baptiste asked him to look after Choupette whilst Baptiste went on holidays. I never thought I could fall in love with an animal like this, said Karl. Karl Lagerfeld met Baptiste Giabiconi when the model was just 18 years old. Photo by Ellen Von Unwerth BBC/Finestripe Productions Ltd/E These later friendships involved a lot of photography and no sex, according to the survivors; Choupette has provided no explanations. Lagerfeld once described himself as a type of voyeur, although whether this is true or not we shall probably never know. His main preoccupations were work, houses and books. He spent over half a million euro per year on books. No wonder the owner of his local bookshop said We miss him. Lagerfeld himself was ruthlessly unsentimental. Forget about the good old days, he advised in a television interview. The only time he took fright was when France elected its first socialist president, Francois Mitterrand. Karl feared a punitive tax regime. He upped sticks and headed for Monaco, over the French border, where his friend, also Caroline, was a princess. Unfortunately for him, the beautiful villa he bought there and lavishly restored turned out to be on the French side of the border. Back in Paris, Lagerfeld got depressed, ate until he got very fat and then lost four stone. At his shows, he walked down the runway with younger and younger models until he ended up hand in hand with his godchildren. He died of advanced prostate cancer. I dont know any patient like him, his doctor said. Unfortunately the doctor did not adequately explain what it was that made Lagerfeld so unusual as a patient. And this was the problem with the whole documentary. It was all show and no tell. For example, there was virtually nothing about Lagerfelds childhood in the Germany of the Third Reich. Cancer sufferer awarded 30k from mobility assistance firm after fall at Dublin Airport Dr Sean McBride was returning from Fatima Shrine in Portugal when the incident happenedHe smashed his nose while trying to get on a bus while using a cane Dr McBride was left to make his own way to the front door of the Letterkenny bus Ray Managh Thu 27 Apr 2023 at 13:59 Judge tells man who sold dodgy boxes he was very close to going to prison Judge Martin Nolan said his first thought had been to imprison OBrien, saying he found what he had done reprehensible Paul OBrien (38) Jessica Magee and Fiona Ferguson Fri 28 Apr 2023 at 09:42 Prison overcrowding has reached crisis levels and a pack em, stack em and rack em attitude by Government is putting inmates and prison officers at risk, the Prison Officers Association annual delegate conference will hear today. Its president, Tony Power, said buying mattresses for floors and bunk beds for cells is not the solution to cell overcrowding, and the Dochas Womens Prison, which has a capacity of 105 inmates, had 170 women in it on Wednesday last week. You couldnt make this up. If we were reading this account in respect of some other European country, we would be asking what are they at? What has gone wrong with their prison service? said Mr Power. It is a sad indictment on both the Department of Justice and the Irish Prison Service (IPS) that we find ourselves in this situation today considering that over 200 years ago when Limerick Jail was constructed it was designed on the basis of single cell accommodation. Lets consider that. Over 200 years ago there was a more progressive outlook on penal reform than we have now 23 years into the 21st century. Prison numbers have increased year on year, from approximately 3,750 in April 2017 to over 4,400 in April 2023. "The Prison Officers Association has continued to raise the overcrowding issue with the IPS so its not as if this crisis happened overnight, we had predicted it, and now the numbers are there for all to see and as always for our members to manage at the coalface, he added. Overcrowding provides the perfect atmosphere for the bully to thrive. "This leads to huge pressure being put on vulnerable prisoners to traffic in contraband, including weapons and illegal drugs. Serious violence is very often part of the scenario here and we prison officers pay the inevitable price, Mr Power explained, urging Justice Minister Simon Harris to take swift and decisive action on the matter. We once again have single cells doubled up, mattresses on floors, prisoner population going through the roof - and the only solution seems to be the purchase of bunk beds? In the past the solution adopted by the Irish Prison Service to deal with overcrowding was to increase the capacity of prisons with the stroke of a pen, so nothing has changed. Acquiring bunk beds does not solve the problem, it merely hides it. Addressing his comments to Mr Harris, he said: In February you announced your intention to appoint a further 24 judges this year with the possibility of a further 20 depending on progress. Your proposal goes on to suggest a five-day working week across all jurisdictions, longer court sittings and shortened holidays. "There is one definite that will come out of all this, and that is an increase in the number of people committed to our prisons. The important question that it poses is, where will we put them? Because the Department of Justice officials seem to be standing with hands in pockets ignoring the issue and hoping it will just go away? he added. The Prison Officers Association annual delegate conference is taking place in Galway. Mr Harris is expected to announce the provision of hundreds of additional prison spaces in the coming years. He will tell the POA conference that he has identified four capital projects to be progressed over the next five years which would provide over 400 prison spaces. The extra spaces will be provided at Castlerea, Cloverhill, Midlands and Mountjoy prisons. He will tell delegates that the additional prison spaces are needed due to the significant population growth of recent years as well as increases in judicial resources and the number of gardai. He will also outline a number of penal reforms being implemented by the Government, including considering legislation requiring a trial judge to consider non-custodial and community-based sanctions before considering a custodial sentence. Attendance figures were well over 20,000 With a sniff of summer in the air and temperatures in the teens, a festival atmosphere prevailed at Punchestown for day two of the annual race meeting. A senior investigator for the garda watchdog has been arrested on suspicion of passing on confidential information to the Hutch crime gang. The man, aged in his 60s, was arrested in Dublin this morning and is currently being detained at a garda station in the east of the country. Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch photographed after his release He was placed under investigation after it emerged that he attended a party for Gerard 'The Monk' Hutch following his acquittal last week for the murder of David Byrne in 2016. The experienced investigator resigned from the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) after details of his presence at the gathering on Monday of last week emerged. He was interviewed under caution by gardai earlier this week and admitted attending the event in north Dublin. As a result of that process, and other information investigators have received since, a decision was made to arrest the man this morning. He is being detained under Section 81 of the Garda Siochana Act 2005 relating to the confidentiality of information. This makes it an offence for a member of GSOC to disclose information they have obtained in their line of work. Gardai are investigating if he leaked sensitive information to the Hutch organised crime gang. The former GSOC investigator can be detained for up to 24 hours. The investigation is being led from gardai attached to the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Gardai will also examine devices including his phone and computer as part of their enquiry. A Garda spokesman said: "This morning 27th April 2023, Gardai attached to the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI) investigating certain matters referred to An Garda Siochana by the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission have carried out a search at a domestic residence in Dublin 3. "A male has been arrested on suspicion of an offence contrary to section 81, Garda Siochana Act 2005. The male, in his 60's, is being detained at a Garda Station in the East of the country under section 4 Criminal Justice Act 1984. "As this is an ongoing criminal Investigation An Garda Siochana has no further comment at this time." GSOC had been conducting its own inquiry into the matter after he told colleagues that he attended the party on Monday night. Earlier that day, Gerard Hutch was found not guilty of the murder of David Byrne at the Special Criminal Court. The investigator, who has over four decades of policing experience outside of Europe, later resigned from GSOC. The Garda watchdog issued a statement on the controversial affair earlier this week, saying it submitted a report to the Minister for Justice outlining the action it had taken. Meanwhile Justice Minister Simon Harris who is attending the Prison Officers' Association annual delegate conference in Galway today was asked about the arrest in the investigation. I met the Garda Commissioner, as you know, in recent days, and I met the commissioners of GSOC also yesterday in relation to this ongoing garda inquiry, and the steps that have been taken to refer the matter from GSOC to the guards. I think what today shows without commenting in any way on a live investigation, what today shows is the appropriateness of the decision to refer this matter from GSOC to the gardai. "I have said since first becoming aware of this, that it was important that if there's any potential criminal wrongdoing, that the only place for that to go in terms of an investigation was An Garda Siochana. I think what we're now seeing is the gardai taking this seriously, and applying the appropriate level of priority to this matter. "Obviously, we can't comment further on what is a live investigation, he said. The last available report is for 31 December 2021 The Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) has failed to provide any updated reports of reserved judgments since 31 December 2021. In 2022, the OCJ told GroundUp that the report on reserved judgments would be made available on the Judiciary's website, upon approval by the Chief Justice, but there is still no new list available. Judges Matter, an organisation that monitors the appointment of judges and the governance of the judiciary, has condemned the Judiciary for failing to make the report publicly available The South African judiciary has failed to provide any updated reports on late judgments since December 2021. The Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) used to provide an update on reserved judgments. However, since former spokesperson Nathi Mncube resigned at the end of May last year, the judiciary has failed to provide any up-to-date reports. Instead of delivering judgment immediately or soon after a hearing or trial finishes, the court may decide to reserve judgment. The judicial norms and standards state that judgments should be handed down within three months of being reserved. In our reports, GroundUp has used a more lenient six-month benchmark. The last available list on the Judiciary's website is for 31 December 2021. At that time, nationally, there were 156 court judgments outstanding for six months or more, and 830 judgments outstanding in total. Without an updated report, it is impossible to determine whether these numbers have improved or worsened. The late judgments report represents a best-case scenario because the system of reporting reserved judgments is an honour one: judges are expected to report their outstanding judgments, but they are not compelled to. GroundUp, which has been publishing reports on late judgments since 2017, requested an updated list of late judgments from the OCJ on 6 December 2022. The OCJ, in a difficult to understand response, appeared to inform us at the time that the list of late judgments is consolidated annually in a report, but that High Court Judge Presidents are responsible for late judgment reports throughout the year. Previously the late judgment reports had been published three or four times a year, but it is now well over a year since the last report. We requested another update on 14 March, asking the OCJ to send us the most recent list of outstanding judgments or any statistics on late reserved judgments that might have been compiled in recent months. We received no response. We followed up again on 3, 11, 18 and 25 April. We received no response. We also sent a request to the head of the Western Cape division of the OCJ, requesting a list of late judgments for the province. But we were referred back to the OCJ's head office. Consequences of delayed justice Mbekezeli Benjamin, a researcher at Judges Matter -- which monitors the appointment of judges and the governance of the judiciary -- said it is "extremely disappointing" that no new reserved judgments report has been published since December 2021. "The report has become a crucial tool to hold the judiciary accountable for the performance of its constitutional functions. The principle of accountability is a fundamental principle of South Africa's constitutional democracy, and applied to all organs of state, including the judiciary." Benjamin said when the reports were first published, then Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng promised that they would be released on a quarterly basis. Benjamin said the public might lose confidence in the judiciary if key information to hold the judiciary accountable is not disclosed timeously and regularly. "Anecdotally, we are aware that there are dozens of people who have been waiting for upwards of a year to have their judgments delivered. That problem does not go away by simply not publishing the report. The public deserves to know how big the problem of delayed judgments is, and what steps are being taken to remedy it," said Benjamin. He said the impact of delayed judgments on the public is severe, especially for children and women who are waiting for maintenance, crime victims who need justice, or small businesses who are owed money. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines South Africa Legal Affairs By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "Although we do understand that there are factors beyond judges' control that cause delayed judgments (such as loadshedding, a lack of library resources and administrative support, and poor infrastructure in the courts), judges must never lose sight of the impact delayed judgments have on ordinary people." He said judges' primary responsibility is to deliver judgment on any dispute before them as soon as possible, and "certainly within a reasonable time". "Depending on the causes of the delay and realising the harm such a delay causes on the litigating public" said Benjamin, "a judge failing to deliver a judgment within a reasonable timeframe may be liable for judicial misconduct". Three retired North Gauteng judges were sharply rebuked by the Judicial Services Commission for taking too long to deliver judgments. Judges Ferdi Preller, Ntsikelelo Poswa and Moses Mavundla were ordered to apologise to litigants. Tanaiste Micheal Martin hits out at entrepreneur Paddy Cosgrave and the Ditch websiteThe Ditch first reported details related to Mr Collins involving sale of a piece of land Junior minister Niall Collins today justified his wifes purchase of local authority land as he insisted that no laws were broken in relation to the sale. Mr Collins made a personal statement to the Dail, with no questions being allowed from the Opposition. But he said that in hindsight it would have been better if he did not take part in a local area committee meeting that sent forward the parcel of land wanted by his wife to a meeting of the full council which decided to sell. Mr Collins said: Neither I nor my wife had any pecuniary or beneficial interest in that property at the time when she wrote, through her solicitor, expressing an interest in acquiring it. But he said: In hindsight, and given the focus and perception among some that has arisen in 2023, some 15 years later, it would have been better had I not participated in the local area committee meeting in January of 2007. Niall Collins' personal explanation to the Dail "No laws were broken" Mr Collins was making his second personal statement to the Dail this year, having been identified by The Ditch website with a separate property in Patrickswell, Co Limerick. The minster for skills and higher education who has seen fellow junior ministers Damien English and Robert Troy lose their jobs as a result of investigations by The Ditch said at the outset of his statement: I am in no doubt that my actions in this matter were at all times legally correct. He said he was a councillor on Limerick county council until May of 2007, when he was elected to the Dail. On January 15, 2007, the question of the potential sale of the property at Main Street, Patrickswell, was brought to the Bruff Local Area Committee meeting which I attended. The potential sale followed various expressions of interest by members of the public, he said . One of them was Dr Emer O'Connor, who is also my wife, Mr Collins said. It was agreed at the area committee meeting that the property should be sold on the open market. There was no vote taken and no disagreement to the proposal, Mr Collins said. It is important to state that an area committee does not have disposal rights in regard to the sale of council property. This is a reserved and statutory function of the full county council by law. Subsequently an independent auctioneer was appointed as the council's agent to conduct a sale of the property on the open market. It was then marketed for sale by the auctioneer, including by advertisements in the local newspaper inviting offers for the property, Mr Collins said. I have seen the documents released by Limerick County Council under the Freedom of Information Act. It would appear that a number of offers were received through the auctioneer for the property over a period of at least six months. These ranged from 110,000 to 125,000 and then ultimately a final offer of 148,000 from Mr Collinss wife. That final offer was notified by a letter dated September 14, 2007, from the independent auctioneer to the senior engineer of the council. It recommended that the property should be sold at that price, with the proviso that it was subject to contract, contract denial, outline planning permission and approval of Limerick County Council. The council at its full meeting on September 22, 2008, approved the sale of the property for the sum offered by Dr OConnor, he said. The particulars had been set out in a statutory notice dated September 1, 2008, he said. There was no disagreement to the proposal in the statutory notice, Mr Collins said. The purchaser and the highest bidder was my wife, Dr Emer OConnor. It is clear from the foregoing that the property went on sale on the open market with an independent auctioneer appointed by the county council. Anyone could have bid on the property and indeed a number of offers were received over a period of six months or so. But the bid from Dr O'Connor was the highest bid, and the executive of the council was satisfied to bring the recommendation from the auctioneer to the full county council for disposal, he said. The recommendation was brought to the full council in accordance with statutory process a further 12 months later, in September 2008 and all done in full transparency, Mr Collins said, reading from a prepared script. He said the statutory process had been clearly set out in Section 183 of the 2001 Local Government Act. The highest bidder (his wife) submitted an application for planning permission in December 2007 to build a two storey building comprising of a ground floor medical centre and first floor offices, he said. There has been attempted character assassinations of many politicians in this House if theyre not the same political orientation of those who back The Ditch The council granted conditional permission for the development on June 9, 2008, and on August 26 that year, the senior engineer for Limerick county council formally recommended sale of the site. This was followed by Limerick county council issuing an order for the disposal of the site on September 1, ahead of a full county council meeting on September 22, 2008, when the sale of the land for 148,000 was approved, he said. For the record, I was not a member of Limerick county council in September 2008 having been elected a TD in May of 2007. When the council executive recommended to the Bruff Area Committee that the property should be put up for sale in January 2007, neither he nor his wife had any pecuniary or beneficial interest in that property. But he said: In hindsight, and given the focus and perception among some that has arisen in 2023 ome 15 years later it would have been better if I had not participated in the local area committee meeting in January 2007, even though it is absolutely clear that my wife did not benefit in any way from my attendance. He said: However, when I did attend, it was my full understanding, and it remains the same today, that I was not participating in a discussion or a decision that in any way contravened the 2001 Local Government Act. No law was broken. I did not participate in any decision that authorised the sale of this land. This can only be done by the full county council in accordance with the statutory process. This occurred more than 18 months later, when I was no longer a member of Limerick county council. No questions or interruptions took place after the address, which lasted less than five minutes. The Dail moved on to address the Historical and Archaeological Heritage Bill. Earlier, Tanaiste Micheal Martin defended Mr Collins and hit out at the Ditch website. Mr Martin said The Ditch had questions to answer about its funding and political motivations. There has been attempted character assassinations of many politicians in this House if theyre not the same political orientation of those who back The Ditch," he said. 'This is a political campaign' - Micheal Martin Mr Martin then availed of Dail privilege to name Web Summit businessman Paddy Cosgrave and his associate Chay Bowes in connection with the website. Mr Cosgrave tweeted to say he was being spoken about in parliament by the Irish deputy prime minister. The Tanaiste repeatedly said he did not regard The Ditch as an independent media platform, and cited Mr Bowes appearing on Russia Today, where he was captioned as one of its correspondents. He also said Mr Bowes was blaming the West for the war in Ukraine, and asked who was really behind The Ditch. Opposition TDs accused Mr Martin of attempting to distract and refusing to address the matter at hand, In a spirited contribution the Tanaiste said however: The selective and distorted way that stories are originated and presented leads an awful lot to be desired. "This (The Ditch) is a political organisation. Thats my point. The whole agenda is create the campaign, get it trending, get the paid ads, attack the media if they dont cover it and then well get into the Dail for questions and answers. People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy said the Tanaistes attitude to an arguably criminal offence uncovered by the website was to cover it up. He said without its work Robert Troy would still be a minister as would Damien English. Mr Murphy said: Youre attempting to undermine The Ditch because it has been quite successful in exposing corrupt, unethical practices by ministers in your Government and in your party. The Tanaiste said he did not accept that Mr Collins had done anything illegal and claimed that some of the matters reported by The Ditch had turned out to be false. Mr Murphy said Mr Collinss wife had an interest in land at Patrickswell that was subsequently put up for sale by the local authority in 2007. He did not disclose this interest as a councillor on Bruff Local Area Committee and did not withdraw from a meeting at which it was discussed. The proposed sale was later referred to the wider council, which decided to sell it. Mr Martin said the was advertised openly and that Mr Collinss wife bought the land for 148,000, but it has not been developed. Mr Murphy shot back: How can he remain as a minister? Shes reportedly in the process of selling back to the council, and that will be for an amount of many multiples (of what she originally paid). He used his position on the council not for the benefit of the public that elected him but for the enrichment of his own family. It smells like the same old sleeveen behaviour, the same old stroke politics of Fianna Fail. The Tanaiste replied that this was quite an incredible display of bluff, bluster and of attempted distraction. Why are you protecting Niall Collins? Mr Murphy said. The Tanaiste quoted from a tweet earlier this year in the name of Paddy Cosgrave, saying: Maybe its time for a body baga few minions in media, civil service, charities, judiciary, private sector. Mr Martin repeated that he didnt see The Ditch as an independent media outlet. After health scare in recent years TD says hes got his second chance, and needs to remove stress from his lifestyle FINE Gael TD John Paul Phelan has announced that he is standing down at the next general election and will not seek to run for the party in Carlow-Kilkenny. Mr Phelan is the latest Fine Gael TD to announce he is not running for the Dail again following similar announcements from his fellow former ministers Brendan Griffin in Kerry and Joe McHugh in Donegal in recent months. Mr Phelan (44) who suffered a serious heart attack three years ago, made the announcement tonight at the Fine Gael Carlow-Kilkenny constituency AGM. In a statement issued tonight, he said: Almost three years ago, at the height of the pandemic, it nearly all came to an end for me. Very few people get a second chance. Ive gotten one. Ive been one of the lucky few. Once I regained consciousness that day a doctor asked about my work, lifestyle and the need to remove stress from my life and change how I lived. "When I told him my job we both laughed. In reality that prognosis has not changed. As a result I have decided not to seek the Fine Gael nomination to contest the next General Election. Politics is a job that demands absolute commitment, 24/7. I have given politics everything since I was first elected to Kilkenny County Council at the age of 20 and still a student. It has been my greatest honour to serve the people of Carlow and Kilkenny for the last 24 years as a councillor, senator, TD and junior minister. I have always given everything to my role as a public representative. And while I wont be putting my name forward for the next general election, I want to reassure the women and men who put their trust and faith in me that I am not disappearing from political life. My mandate to be a voice for the people of Carlow and Kilkenny is one which I will continue to serve. I will work as hard as ever for the remainder of this Dail term, serving all of my constituents, all of the time. There is unfinished business and I will continue to deliver for this constituency. Mr Phelan, who thanked his wife Claire, his family, his constituency team and his supporters, said he was announcing his intentions now to give Fine Gael and potential candidates time to establish themselves and ensure the party retains at least one seat in the constituency. The latest retirement will come as a blow to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and his party in the highly competitive Carlow-Kilkenny constituency ahead of the next election. Fine Gael is already set to face a significant challenge to retain seats across the country with several more of the partys TDs expected to publicly announce in the coming months that they are not running again at the next election. Mr Phelan, was first elected a TD for Carlow-Kilkenny in 2011 and prior to that served as a Senator on the Seanads agricultural panel between 2002 and 2011. In 2017 he was appointed Minister of State for Local Government and Electoral Reform by Mr Varadkar but was not reappointed after the current Coalition was formed in 2020. He was one of the key figures in Mr Varadkars Fine Gael leadership campaign in 2017 and a strident supporter of the Taoiseach. But in more recent years he has been more critical of the party leadership and has been hostile to the Coalition arrangement with Fianna Fail and the Green Party. In 2020, he described some Green Party members as nutters and in the same year referred to Tanaiste Micheal Martin as cowardly and of having a want in him for affirmation from the media. State Exams Chief Andrea Feeney said today that we cant take shortcuts as she addressed concerns that Leaving Cert results will run into September for the fourth year in a row. The State Examinations Commission (SEC) CEO confirmed to a conference of post-primary school principals and managers that the SEC still had no date for the release of the 2023 results. But Ms Feeney assured them that it was doing its best to issue them as soon as we possibly can while upholding the integrity of the exams. We cannot take shortcuts in this space," she warned. The higher education sector and the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) have been critical of the ongoing late release of final exam results in Ireland post-Covid, which also delays college entry for first years. They have warned of the negative impact on the settling in process, tuition time and on student mental health. Ms Feeney used the conference as an opportunity to make a direct appeal to the hundreds of school leaders in the hall to urge teachers to volunteer as examiners and so allow the marking process to be speeded up. She was addressing the annual conference of the Joint Managerial Boy (JMB), the representative body for management in half the country post-primary schools, generally those traditionally run by the religious. She asked them to go back and have conversations with staff about the benefits of being an examiner not only for their own professional competence, but for their school. Ms Feeney noted that there were private second-level education providers who were out there selling themselves on the basis that they had teachers who were involved in marking the State exams. Higher rates are being paid to examiners this year in the hope of boosting recruitment, with those marking Leaving Cert papers typically expected to earn between 7,721 and 10,844. Challenges recruiting examiners is one of the factors contributing to the delay in finalising results, which, prior to Covid, have issued on mid-August. The number of examiners has dropped in recent years particularly noticeable among Junior Cycle examiners - against an increase in the numbers sitting the State exams. The exceptional Leaving Cert arrangements in 2020 and 2021, at the height of the pandemic, when teachers were involved in grading students, delayed results those years. A return to a normal Leaving Cert in 2022 also saw a commitment that grades overall would be no lower than in 2021, so as not to disadvantage candidates vis-a-vis points for college entry against school-leavers from 2020 and 2021. That required a post-marking adjustment to grades, which Ms Feeney said was the most significant reason for the late results last year. It was a robust process, but it required time. It needed time to be right, for the appropriate checks and balances she said. This year, grades overall will fall and, while Education Minister Norma Foley has pledged that it wont be a cliff edge drop, post-marking adjustment will be employed. A second sitting of the Leaving Cert, in July has become established since 2019, and this is also a contributory factor in delayed results. French drinks giant Pernod Ricard is exporting Jameson whiskey, made in Midleton, to Russia. Thats even though it has been forced to stop sending Absolut vodka to Moscow by a rebellion in Sweden, where the brand originates. The conglomerate must immediately reverse its decision to restart exporting Jameson whiskey, along with other drinks products, to Putins Russia, a senator said today. It could not continue, given the barbaric war the country is waging on Ukraine, Fine Gaels Garret Ahearn said. Pernod Ricard has restarted some exports of brands, including Jameson whiskey, to Russia, he said. It had stalled exports at the beginning of the Ukraine invasion, but has now restarted limited shipments. The company said it took the decision to keep its local affiliate economically viable and also to avoid counterfeiting and parallel markets emerging. The move by the French owned company is morally unjustifiable and wrong, Senator Ahearn insisted. Many companies had left the Russian market in opposition to the brutal conflict Putins Government has inflicted on its neighbour, he pointed out. Pernod Richard was forced to halt exports of Absolut vodka following an outcry from the public in Sweden, the products home country, amid threats of a boycott. Jameson is a world famous and treasured Irish brand, Senator Ahearn said. It is produced in Midleton, Co Cork, by Pernod Ricard-owned Irish Distillers. This decision, made in some boardroom in France, with only the bottom line on the agenda, hurts our image internationally, he said. It needs to be reversed and time called on exporting Jameson to Putins Russia, Senator Ahearn added. Diageo, which owns Guinness and many other Irish drinks brands, stopped exporting and selling products to Russia when the invasion began last year, which is the right thing to do, he pointed out. A displaced Mother and Child at Selam Camii Camp in Hatay following the recent deadly earthquake in Turkey during a UNICEF Ireland Field Mission there. Sakir Celik and his wife Yasmin El Cerrah with their children Hasan (3) and Selva (6) displaced from Sanliurfa at Orhanli Camp in Hatay following the recent deadly earthquake in Turkey. Young children take cover in the shade at Selam Camii Camp in Hatay following the recent deadly earthquake in Turkey during a UNICEF Ireland Field Mission there. Huda Tarsuslu Toluca , an English and Arabic Teacher at a Unicef supported learning space with her class at Orhanli Camp in Hatay following February's deadly earthquake in Turkey. Orhanli refugee camp sits on the outskirts of the southern Turkish city of Hatay, and in it reside thousands of people who have nothing left except hope and time. Hatay was an area more populous than Dublin in early February, but now it resembles a soup of the raw materials required to build a city that have been blended by the ferocious power of the earth. In Hatays once thriving market district of cafes, shops and homes, the debris-strewn streets are lined with piles of twisted steel beams and crumbled brick. The belongings of the living and the dead are scattered among the rubble in a cruel mosaic of a natural disaster, and the early April heat makes the hint of concrete dust hang in the air. The region was devastated in February by a powerful earthquake that killed more than 56,000 people, left 2.5 million homeless and millions more in need of humanitarian aid. In a refugee camp on the grounds of a university in Kahramanmaras, a mother who lost three young children in the disaster runs a clothes bank almost 24/7 to support those around her, but also as a means to forget for a while and not be left alone with the thoughts of the deaths of her family. Young children take cover in the shade at Selam Camii Camp in Hatay following the recent deadly earthquake in Turkey during a UNICEF Ireland Field Mission there. Teacher Huda Tarsuslu Yolcu gives English lessons to some of the 1,000 children who attend class in tents in Orhanli camp. Her son is eight, and she begins crying as she explains that his teacher died in the earthquake, but she cant bring herself to tell him the truth. She has told him he has gone to live in another part of Turkey, and when her son asks to call him, she says he lost his phone in the quake. This is just one story of heartbreak, she says as she wipes away her tears. There are millions of these stories. Sister and brother Selva (6) and Hasan Celik (3) are playing around their mother, Yasmin, in the camp as she recounts the terror of a five-hour bare-hands search through the rubble of their apartment building looking for her children. Luckily, Selva and Hasan were found alive and relatively unscathed and are in good spirits, but the psychological scars will remain for a long time. Yasmin said the earthquake hit so quickly she didnt even have time to grab her children from their room before they became lost in the dust and destruction. Sakir Celik and his wife Yasmin El Cerrah with their children Hasan (3) and Selva (6) displaced from Sanliurfa at Orhanli Camp in Hatay following the recent deadly earthquake in Turkey. I had just tucked my children into bed and locked the bedroom door, so when it happened I could not get to them because the door was locked. They were then lost underneath the rubble for five hours and it was absolutely terrifying, said Yasmin, who is a Syrian refugee. Many of the survivors who spoke with the Irish Independent said that, initially, it felt like a thunderstorm had hit, but they soon realised the earth was shifting violently beneath their feet and destroying everything around them. One woman recalled how she ran for her life from her apartment building and said the doorway was no longer where it should have been, such was the violence of the shaking. The earthquake caused destruction over an area larger than Germany and levelled nearly 200,000 buildings. The true death toll will not be known for some time as the thousands of tremors following the main earthquakes have made rescue efforts precarious. Many people in the region live in high-rise apartment blocks. Those buildings that havent collapsed could come crashing down in the next minor tremor. A significant population of the affected region in Turkey are either Syrian refugees fleeing war or have fled the region to live with family and friends in other parts of Turkey. This renders any official number of missing people incalculable for now. The first earthquake that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6 registered 7.8 on the Richter scale, the most powerful earthquake to strike Turkey since 1939. It was quickly followed by a 7.7 quake. Downtown Hatay city centre following the recent deadly earthquake in Turkey. Photo by Steve Humphreys 2nd April 2023. Combine this with the heavily-populated area in which it struck and the quakes shallow depth, plus the fact it hit at around 4am when most people were asleep and it clear it was a recipe for disaster. While the Richter scale measures the magnitude of the earthquake, the Mercalli intensity scale measures the violence of the shaking and the damage levels on the surface. The scale ranges from one to 12, one being the lowest intensity and 12 being the highest. The earthquake in Turkey was 12 and designated extreme. This is applied to earthquakes in which structures are destroyed, the ground itself is torn and cracked and other natural disasters, such as landslides or tsunamis, are initiated. Damage is total. Waves are seen on ground surfaces. Lines of sight and level are distorted. Objects are thrown upward into the air, is the description given to this intensity. Damage is total is the most succinct way of describing what the 16 million affected people faced that night. One of the largest humanitarian efforts in the world is now under way in the region. At the start, teams were focused on rescue efforts for the thousands trapped under the rubble. More than 120,000 people were also injured, putting the regions hospital system under severe pressure. A displaced Mother and Child at Selam Camii Camp in Hatay following the recent deadly earthquake in Turkey during a UNICEF Ireland Field Mission there. Many were rescued alive days after the quakes, some having gone a week without food or water as they were trapped under the rubble. Unicef staff in Turkey told the Irish Independent of a young boy they met who was pulled alive from the rubble holding his pet bird after more than 120 hours alone in the darkness. The UNs relief agency, along with its other charitable partners in the region, has done monumental work in the past eight weeks. Volunteers have tended to more than 2.5 million children who are in need of clothing, food, clean water, medical attention, vaccination and, crucially, psychological and psychosocial support. Psychosocial help is as important for the children as food or air to breathe. It is our number one focus, said Sema Hosta, the head of Unicef Turkeys communications. There are counselling sessions available for the children affected by the disaster to train them to recognise negative emotions following the earthquake and how to deal with them. We ask the children to describe how they are feeling when they are happy and where in their body they feel it. We do the same when they are feeling sad. It helps them to identify and process the emotions, Ms Hosta said. Nowhere was the psychological trauma to children more evident than in the village of Incirli, near the epicentre of the earthquake, to the north-west of the city of Gaziantep. Incirli was fortunate in that none of its residents were killed, but the lasting effects are still being felt. The villagers are all too aware of their lucky escape, as just kilometres up the road more than 600 people died in one village that was on the fault line. The children have told their parents and school principal they are too afraid to go into big buildings any more, so they are now being taught in tents in the schools playground. While the initial earthquakes sparked terror in all who felt their effects, the thousands of tremors felt afterwards have served to keep those who have remained in the region in a constant state of fear of what could happen again at any moment. Most of the teachers in that school have not returned to work yet as they lived in nearby Nurdagi city, which was almost wiped off the map, so parents and government ministry volunteers are now taking lessons while teachers can find somewhere new to live. The earthquakes affected the lives of nearly four million schoolchildren, including 350,000 refugee and migrant children. Nearly 1.5 million have resumed their education in earthquake-affected areas, with 250,000 going to classes after relocating elsewhere. However, many others have not yet regained full access to learning, with formal schooling in the most affected provinces still reopening. In Kahramanmaras, a city comparable in size to Dublin, children were seen sifting through the rubble of apartment buildings, looking for their belongings. An elderly woman sat on a chair overlooking a vast chasm that once contained the foundation of her apartment block as diggers gathered rubble. Tents lined the roads throughout an area that spans hundreds of kilometres. While thousands live in structured settlements, others have refused to leave their patch of land and instead put up government-issued tarpaulin tents where their homes once stood. This tented sprawl speckles the mountainous landscape of the region, revealing the widespread effects of an earthquake that is believed to be the second-most expensive ever in terms of damage, at over 100bn. Unicef has launched an appeal to cover the 180m it needs to provide humanitarian assistance to the nine million people in desperate need in Turkey alone. Some aid has also made its way to Syria, where the effect of the earthquake is not fully known, given the flimsy nature of the information available from the Assad regime. The reality is that nobody but those on the ground in Aleppo and other areas in northern Syria know the true extent of the damage and suffering. Unicef Ireland executive director Peter Power said families, and children in particular, have been traumatised by what they have been through in the past two months. The extent of the devastation is enormous, it really is hard to comprehend, said Mr Power. Nine million people, almost double the population of Ireland, are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. The equivalent of almost half the population of Ireland, 2.3 million people, are living in tented accommodation. The figures are just enormous here and its clear this is going to require a very coordinated response to this. Unicef will be playing its part, providing humanitarian aid to families and children for months, and perhaps years to come. As the dust settles on this tragedy and people try to return to normality, their sadness and grief are turning to anger and frustration. The random nature of the destruction of some buildings while others sustained only minor damage is likely to be a bone of contention for a great number of residents. Many of the most affected cities including Hatay, Kahramanmaras and Nurdagi are on or near the East Anatolian fault line, which has experienced four earthquakes in the past 25 years. This has left many wondering why construction standards seem to be so low in the region. The Turkish justice ministry has arrested more than 200 people for alleged poor building practices after identifying more than 600 suspects. Many of those 600 died in the earthquake. Experts have been warning for years that corruption within the industry has led to unsafe building practices. Many of the collapsed buildings were pancaked when storeys compress and collapse one after the other from the top down. Total collapses like these are usually avoided in well-constructed buildings, even after a powerful earthquake. During a recent visit to the region, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan sought to lay the blame for the extent of the disaster largely on fate, saying: Such things have always happened. Its part of destinys plan. With an election next month and more than a sixth of the population directly affected by the earthquake, many of them blaming the government for poor regulations leading to excess destruction, Erdogan may be about to experience destinys plan for himself. Unicef has set a fundraising goal of 180m, and so far has reached only 30pc of its target. If you wish to donate to the earthquake appeal, you can do so at Unicef.ie Waiting-list patients and GPs may, for the first time, be allowed easier access to the individual waiting times to see hospital consultants. The proposal has been discussed by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly with HSE officials in light of the variation between consultants and hospitals. The new information would also show the waiting times per speciality in each hospital. Mr Donnelly told the Dail Health Committee he wanted patients on waiting lists to be referred by their GP to hospital rather than an individual consultant to avoid medics with the biggest numbers. Waiting lists for scheduled care increased by nearly 60pc between 2015 and 2021 GPs currently refer a patient to a named consultant, but that consultant may have a longer waiting list than a colleague in the same hospital, so the person in need of care is stuck on the longer list. The minister said he had met senior HSE officials to discuss the issue this week. He said GPs may still want to refer a patient to a specialist with a particular area of expertise, but for general dermatology, orthopaedics or urology, my clear view is that a GP should only be allowed refer in to a hospital. Waiting-list information is available on the website of the National Treatment Purchase Fund. However it does not break it down to speciality by individual hospital, nor does it give waiting times for each consultant. The plan was suggested several years ago, but was not followed through. The idea would be that patients could access information on the HSE website. There could also be scope for transferring patients from one hospital to another based on workload, he said. Mr Donnelly said he was told by an orthopaedic surgeon that one of the biggest determinants of how long a child will wait is which surgeon the GP refers them to. That is totally unacceptable and I want to go further. So what about the waiting list in one hospital versus another hospital? If, for instance, the urology waiting list in St Vincents is a lot lower than wherever. We should be load-balancing that as well. He said there was some load-balancing of patients between hospitals at the moment, but it is not a widespread practice. The minister was responding to Social Democrat TD Roisin Shortall, who had asked why individual waiting lists for consultants are not made public to allow patients have a better choice and avoid the doctor with the biggest delay. Referring to hospital waiting lists, he insisted that progress was under way. He said: Hospital waiting lists are too long in too many hospitals. In Ireland, waiting lists for scheduled care increased by nearly 60pc between 2015 and 2021. Last year saw an 11pc reduction in patients waiting longer than these targets. Thats 56,000 people. In fact, from the Covid peak to the end of last year, 150,000 fewer people were waiting longer than the agreed maximum waiting times. In the last month alone, weve seen a 5pc reduction in the number of people 25,000 waiting over the 10 to 12-week targets. The committee was told that an average of 500 patients a day on hospital trolleys was now the new normal. Committee chairman Sean Crowe said he had seen an elderly woman dying in a corridor, with her family around her praying while next to them was a patient out of his mind from drugs. On other occasions sinks were blocked and toilets not working, he said. Sensory spaces, staff training and quiet hours can all help tourism become more inclusive The sensory nook set in a suite at the Pillo Hotel The sensory playroom at the Pillo Hotel in Co Meath The Pillo Hotel in Ashbourne, Co Meath, has a playroom with a difference. Its lights are low, its features colourful from purple and orange beanbags to bubbling water tubes, a ball pit and a pink cube glowing in a playhouse. There are textured tiles, LED-tipped lights and a dexterity board with wheels to turn, switches to flick and letters to arrange. This is a sensory playroom, the hotels Francesca Fennell explains. Her six-year-old son, Rhys, is autistic, and she describes to me the calming effect spaces like this can provide. Everything in the room has a purpose... it promotes play and provides space to stim. The room is bookable for exclusive, 45-minute slots by families (free to guests/20 for non-residents), and is one reason the Pillo featured on our Fab 50 list of the best places to stay in Ireland in 2023. As well as its playroom, designed with Keith OGrady of Sensory House Ireland, staff are trained in autism awareness, and a two-bedroom suite has been adapted to include a little sensory nook. The sensory nook set in a suite at the Pillo Hotel April is Autism Awareness Month, and national autism charity AsIAm (asiam.ie) says at least 3.3pc of people in Ireland are autistic. However, its most recent report says 86pc of autistic people, their families and carers do not believe they have the same chance in Irish society. Sometimes when we discuss things like autism, we confine ourselves to what we might call service land, where we only see autistic people as people who need school places or to access therapy, says AsIAms CEO Adam Harris. Whereas autistic people want to do the same things as everybody else. Creating inclusive environments makes business sense too, he adds. Autistic people and their families are also consumers. The Radisson Sligo and Tullamore Court, both in the INua collection, are other examples of hotels with sensory bedrooms using mobile sensory trolleys with aura projectors and fibrotic lights. The Radissons idea came from the hotels Innovation Team, and is created to benefit children with autism, ADHD and a variety of other disabilities, the hotel says. The trolleys are supplied by Multisensory Ireland, and also feature a colour command interactive panel and waterless rainbow tube, among other features. A mobile sensory trolley at the Radisson Sligo Elsewhere, Roe Park Resort in Co Derry has an autism-friendly room featuring special lighting, a sensory area and dine-in room facilities, while Sligos Clarion has a sensory playroom available to guests and members of its health club. In Clonakilty, designated an autism-friendly town by AsIAm, Fernhill House and the Clonakilty Park offer sensory boxes, as well as familiarisation documents like sensory maps or social stories that guests can access ahead of visits. The Cork International Hotel is another example of a hotel that, describing itself as ASD aware, has provided staff training and introduced sensory boxes. Predictability is really important, Harris says. That sense of not knowing what to expect can often be most challenging and stressful for an autistic person. "Also, you cant always change every aspect of the environment, but you can give people tools to help them manage the environment according to their need, and thats where sensory boxes can be really important. He also points to the issue of affordability. Its really important that we think about the price point for families in our Same Chance report, it comes across very clearly that the cost of living crisis is being felt even more acutely by autistic people and their families. "Thats because there are often additional costs to raising a child on the autism spectrum, or to being an autistic adult due to the high unemployment within our community. "So I think it is important to think about ways we can make these facilities accessible to families in terms of price point as well. Some hotels and tourist attractions also have quiet rooms that people can withdraw to, or dedicated time slots. Belfasts St Georges Market, for example, has quiet hours where music and noise are reduced for a calmer mood. W5, the interactive discovery centre, has a quiet room for visitors to take a break from the main exhibition spaces, crowds, noise and excitement. Passengers with hidden disabilities can book sensory rooms at Dublin and Shannon airports (lanyards are available at these and Cork Airport). AsIAm continues to work with hotels and tourist attractions on training and awareness, and Failte Ireland is also recruiting for an inclusive tourism manager. Weve come a long way, but weve a long way to go. The single biggest barrier to autistic people in our communities remains judgment and attitude, Harris says. I dont want this to be an unusual selling point, Fennell says of the Pillos sensory spaces and staff training. I want this to be a standard with every hotel. As a travel and tourism industry, inclusion is our social responsibility, she adds. There is a much-needed place for people on the spectrum in society. Start spreading the word theres a new kid on the hotel block in New York City The Everdene bar area in the new Virgin New York hotel Press Association Images The scarlet colour theme in the new Virgin New York hotel. Press Association Images The pool deck at the new Virgin New York hotel. Press Association Images Standing tall and proud on Broadway, just a short stroll from the lights and razzmatazz of Times Square, is the Big Apples most anticipated hotel opening of the year. So new the scarlet red paint is barely dry, Virgin Hotels has landed on West 30th Street with a level of fanfare and exuberance to be expected from Sir Richard Branson. During the opening ceremony, theres a streetside sing-song from a Broadway star, performances by unspeakably bendy contortionists and a party for 1,000 people. Yet despite the stiff competition, there was only ever going to be one star of the show. The worlds most famous billionaire is on-hand to cut the ribbon and officially launch the latest jewel in his empire, and the seventh property in his fast-expanding collection of city hotels that already includes Miami, Nashville, Chicago, Edinburgh and Glasgow. The scarlet colour theme in the new Virgin New York hotel. Press Association Images But this, in many ways, is the big one. New York is not a place that does things by halves and nor does its hotels. With expectations high, the pressure was on to deliver a property thats every bit as modern, quirky, surprising and slick as the city it calls home, while maintaining the playful charm and cheekiness Virgin has long been known for. Of course, this isnt Bransons first bite of the Big Apple. Back in 1984 and the proud custodian of a leased 747 jumbo jet, he launched Virgin Atlantic, with the very first flight taking off bound for New York. Fast forward several years and the eccentric entrepreneur was back, this time driving a tank into a wall of Coca-Cola cans in the middle of Times Square to mark the launch of Virgin Cola. Despite the bold and headline-grabbing publicity stunt, the drink failed to fizz, but his love affair with New York has stood the test of time. The Everdene bar area in the new Virgin New York hotel Press Association Images So, has the new Virgin New York been worth the wait? Dominating the minimalist lobby is the Wheres Richard? mural by Californian artist Nigel Sussman, with the big boss hidden somewhere within a busy Wheres Wally-esque scene that depicts the Virgin story. Even the toppled cola cans feature. The hotels 460 rooms or chambers are spread across 39 floors of a gleaming, purpose-built tower located in the up-and-coming NoMad neighbourhood (named so because its north of Madison Square Park). Those feeling plush can book the penthouse suite, dubbed Richards Flat, which spans the 35th and 36th floors, but guests are well-catered for whatever their room category. A bedroom suite in the new Virgin New York hotel Press Association Images Chambers are generously sized by New York standards at least and feature custom-made beds with a padded seat built-in to the bottom left-hand corner. This is, apparently, so business meetings can take place more efficiently but theres little time to ponder what HR would say about that because the city views pressing against the floor-to-ceiling windows are more than a little distracting. Across the room and on the other side of a sliding door (complete with peep hole) is a bathroom of white marble, back-lit mirrors and a walk-in shower. There are flashes of Virgin-red everywhere, from the shower head to the miniature Smeg fridge that stands in as the mini bar. The scarlet theme continues throughout the hotel, from the striking spiral staircase on the third floor to the centrepiece grand piano that acts as a backdrop for live DJs and nightly jazz. Keen to become a destination for hedonistic New Yorkers as well as out-of-towners, the hotel will soon open an as-yet-unnamed fine dining Italian-meets-Latin restaurant, headed by celebrated chef Freddy Vargas. Until then, its vibey Everdene space fills the void nicely. The pool deck at the new Virgin New York hotel. Press Association Images There are cosy corners for hushed brunches, floral armchairs for coffees and chats, a decadent crimson-coloured cocktail lounge for a pre-dinner espresso martini and a striking dining space from which to enjoy dishes such as Nantucket Bay scallops and flat iron steak with black garlic jus. Fancy something sweet for afters? Head out to the wraparound terrace and savour the sight of the Empire State Building, almost close enough to touch, dazzling in all its art deco splendour. It simply doesnt get much better than that. For more, see virginhotels.com and visitnycgo.com The Big Apple via Smoky Bay budget airline offers flights from Ireland to the US, via Iceland Whats it like flying to New York with a stopover in Reykjavik? Play, the Icelandic budget carrier, offers a scenic route that may save you money too... Play flies from Dublin Jillian Bolger Sat 22 Apr 2023 at 03:30 Prisoners leave a plane chartered by the Red Cross at Yemens Marib Airport, amid a swap between two sides in the country's conflict. Photo: Ali Owidha/Reuters The three-day operation, which started on Friday, was the most significant prisoner exchange in Yemen since the Saudi-led coalition and their rivals, the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, released more than 1,000 detainees in October 2020. The UN-brokered deal involved the release of more than 700 detained Houthis, and more than 180 other prisoners, including Saudi and Sudanese troops fighting with the Saudi-led coalition. The Red Cross said it worked tirelessly to reunite about 900 former detainees with their families, describing the prisoner exchange as a positive step toward peace and reconciliation in Yemen. THE trial of four soldiers accused of the attempted murder of former Lesotho Times and Sunday Express editor, Lloyd Mutungamiri, will proceed from 10 July 2023. According to the lead prosecutor, Rethabile Setlojoane, the Maseru Magistrates' Court has set aside 10, 11 and 19 July 2023 as the dates when the trial will proceed. The trial had been held in abeyance since July last year when the four accused soldiers argued that the Crown acted irregularly in turning their former co-accused, Mahanyane Phasumane, into an accomplice witness. Phasumane was from 30 November 2017 accused alongside Rapele Mphaki, Khutlang Mochesane, Nyatso Tsoeunyane and Maribe Nathane. This until 3 September 2019 when the Crown decided to turn him into its witness. He was then freed from Maseru Central Correctional Institution where he had been incarcerated with the other four who remain in custody. Their argument was that Phasumane partook in their consultations with their lawyers while he was still one of the accused and therefore knows their defence strategy. They also contended that it was wrong for the state to have approached and decided to make Phasumane an accomplice witness without notifying their lawyers beforehand. The four lodged this interlocutory application before the presiding magistrate, Peter Murenzi, in July last year when Phasumane was supposed to testify. Advocate Setlojoane, had called Phasumane to take the stand as the second state witness after Mr Mutungamiri, had testified. The accused's lawyers objected to him taking the stand saying he could not testify against them and therefore wanted the case to be referred to the Constitutional Court to determine whether Phasumane could testify and whether that does not warrant for the charges against them to be dissolved on that issue alone. The accused's lawyers are Advocates Letuka Molate, Kabelo Letuka and Karabo Mohau (King's Counsel). The lawyers wanted the Maseru Magistrates' Court to refer the trial of four soldiers to the Constitutional Court to quash the charges. However, Magistrate Murenzi threw out their referral application on 22 February 2023. Magistrate Murenzi stated that there was no tangible evidence that the accused were consulted together and that the DPP was empowered to charge anyone she wished to. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Lesotho Legal Affairs Media By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "The DPP has prerogative powers under section 99 of the Constitution to charge anybody, except the King, and also has powers to withdraw charges at any stage of the case," Magistrate Murenzi said. "In terms of section 236 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act (CP&E), she had powers to turn any suspect into a Crown witness. Although it has procedures, it (section 236) does not indicate whether anybody has to be consulted hence the Crown argued that no law prohibits the DPP from turning accused into witnesses. "An accomplice testifies on principle of indemnity and we also have a right again to put you back into the dock and charge you. He (Phasumane) said he volunteered to be a witness and denies that they were consulted together. He says he was consulted alone because he knew from the beginning that he was going to be an accomplice witness. Adv Letuka's mandate ceased when charges were dropped against him (Phasumane). There is no evidence that they were consulted together. "I decline to refer the matter to the Constitutional Court. I find it in favour of the Crown," Magistrate Murenzi ruled. Mr Mutungamiri was the first Crown witness to testify from 9 to 11 March 2022. He had been flown into the country from his home, Zimbabwe. During that time in Lesotho, he was placed under heavy security as he still feared for his life. Phasumane will take the stand on 10 July 2023. The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia met in Beijing yesterday for the first formal gathering of their top diplomats in more than seven years after China brokered a deal to restore relations between the regional powers. After years of hostility that fuelled conflicts across the Middle East, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to end their diplomatic rift and reopen diplomatic missions in a significant deal that was facilitated by China. In brief footage broadcast on Iranian state TV, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian, greeted each other before sitting down side- by-side. Saudi Arabia and Iran, the Gulfs dominant Sunni Muslim and Shiite Muslim powers respectively, said in a joint statement they would launch arrangements to reopen embassies and consulates within the two-month period stipulated in the deal. The technical teams will continue coordination to examine ways of expanding cooperation including the resumption of flights and bilateral visits of official and private sector delegations and facilitating the granting of visas for the citizens of the two countries, they said. In a tweet, Irans Amirabdollahian said the meeting with his Saudi counterpart was positive, adding that the emphasis on stability and sustainable security were among the issues agreed upon and on the common agenda. In March, Chinese President Xi Jinping helped broker the surprise deal in a display of Beijings growing influence in the Middle East. Chinas role shook up dynamics in a conflict-ridden region where the US has for decades been the main mediator. In a meeting with the Iranian and Saudi envoys, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said Beijing supports countries in the Middle East in upholding their strategic independence, getting rid of external interference and keeping the regions future in their own hands. The detente between the Sunni kingdom and the revolutionary Shiite theocracy could help stabilise the Middle East, where the two sides have supported sectarian proxy forces that are either at daggers drawn or openly at war. Beijings role in brokering the rapproachment was seen by some experts as signalling a loss of influence by the US with Saudi Arabia, amid tensions between the long-time allies over a range of issues, including human rights and Saudi oil production cuts. CIA Director Bill Burns travelled to the kingdom to reaffirm decades-old intelligence cooperation, including on counter-terrorism, a US official said yesterday. They did not disclose when the visit took place. One of the giants of Israeli culture died aged 87 last month Chaim Topol starred as Tevye the milkman in the West End premier and the film of Fiddler on the Roof Israeli actor Chaim Topol lived a double life as an agent for Mossad, his family has said. The Fiddler on the Roof star died last month aged 87. He used his fame to gain access to high-profile locations around the world, and used his London home as a base to welcome spies for the Israeli intelligence agency, his family said. He often visited embassies, airports and airlines of Arab countries, his widow Galia and children Adi and Omer said in an interview with Israeli newspaper Haaretz. They claim Topol went on unexplained trips abroad in the 1960s and 70s with a state-of-the-art miniature camera and tape recorder. I dont know exactly what the appropriate definition is for the missions and duties he performed, his son Omer said. But what is clear is that Dad was involved in secret missions on behalf of the Mossad. His status in those years was that of an international star, and he could go anywhere he wanted. He had the ability to deliver documents and take pictures without anyone questioning anything. He was however no James Bond, Omer added. The family said much of Topols secret work was carried out when he moved to London for a run of Fiddler on the Roof in the West End. He was Tevye the milkman in the 1967 London premiere and in the 1971 Norman Jewison film version. He toured in the role around the world for decades, reprising the performance more than 3,500 times. He became one of Israels most famous actors, winning two Golden Globes, and being nominated for both an Academy Award and a Tony. Announcing his death in Tel Aviv last month, Israeli president Isaac Herzog called him one of the giants of Israeli culture. Two men are due in court this morning, charged with fraud offences including impersonating gardai. Earlier this week investigators seized cash, several cars and high value watches following an operation that targeted a gang accused of impersonating officers. Gardai from the Garda Eastern Region carried out six searches in three counties and arrested five people on Tuesday morning. Read more Five arrested in garda raids on theft gang targeting vulnerable elderly people in rural areas During the course of the searches, 3,000 in cash was seized, as well as five vehicles and three Rolex watches. Gardai said various other items of evidential value were also recovered. This morning, Tuesday April 25, 2023, gardai from the Garda Eastern Region investigating the activities of a criminal gang involved in theft and fraud by impersonating members of An Garda Siochana arrested five persons, (two males in their 30s, a male in his 50s, a male in his 60s and a female in their 50s), a gardai said in a statement. An incident room was established at Kilkenny Garda Station as investigations continued. News in 90 Seconds Gardai have confirmed this morning that the woman (50s) and two of the men, aged in their 30s and 60s, who were arrested have been released without charge and that files are being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. Two men, aged in their 30s and 50s, have been charged and will appear before Kilkenny District Court this morning. Pictured at its launch in Kilkenny Castle were from left Cllr Oliver Walsh, Cathaoirleach Southern Regional Assembly, Miia Jouppi, European Commission and Andrew Condon, Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform. Picture Dylan Vaughan. Dylan Vaughan Over 663 million is to be invested in the Southern Region and the Eastern and Midland Region which includes Cork over the next seven years to help create quality jobs, transition to low carbon and support higher education, enterprises, public bodies and local authorities in delivering balanced regional development. WHILE there had been some speculation that he might not run again, the announcement from Cork North Wests longest serving TD, Michael Creed, that he would not run for reelection in the next General Election took many by surprise. In an interview with The Corkmanthis week, the Macroom politician, who has been TD since 1989, with a short hiatus after losing his seat in 2002, said that he had been mulling the issue over the past number of months. In truth its been on my mind for some time, he said. 38 years is a long time in any job. Its been a career of many highlights, chief among them perhaps from a personal point of view were his appointment as Minister for Agriculture in 2016 and his term as County Mayor. Being re-elected is always the ultimate highlight as its the electorates verdict and it serves to focus your endeavours in between elections. And there have been several re-election highlights along the way since he was first elected as TD, succeeding his father Donal Creed, in 1989. In the last General Election in 2020, he was elected having exceeded the quota after the fifth count and his first word in response to his re-election was relief as it had been what he acknowledged a difficult day for his party with several high profile colleagues losing their seats around the country. Its been a long day, its been a difficult day for Fine Gael,but Im delighted for my own team, and Id like to acknowledge them. Theyve been fantasticallyloyal and dedicated in a very difficult campaign for us. That election might havemarked the end of his Ministerial career, a four year span in which he had a key role in negotiating the best possible deal for farmers in CAP negotiations at EU level and during which he had travelled as far afield as China to promote Irish agricultural interests. However as negotiations between Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Greens went on until June, he remained on in a caretaker role during those early months of COVID when he had to deal with controversies when outbreaks happened in meat packing plants. Looking back now, he has alot to be proud of. His constituents will always link him to the N22 bypass of Macroom and Baile Mhuirne which partially opened before Christmas, and that has freed up Macroom from its traditional traffic logjam, and will be fully open in the Autumn. I have no regrets but many projects still to be delivered. That is the nature of politics. Its dangerous to reflect on past glories and better to concentrate on the here and now. Still many in Macroom town and its hinterland will give him credit for the ongoing restoration of the Briery Gap Theatre and Library which will be part of the transformation of the townscape in the centre of Macroom. By the time he finishes this Dail term, he will have spent 40 years in politics but he will be retiring at a comparatively young age - he turns 60 in June. The future is a blank page that I look forward to filling in when the curtain falls on this Dail, he told The Corkman. In my remaining days it will be more of the same! Filling a blank page? Maybe a book is in the offing! The Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021-27 launched on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 is co-financed through the European Regional Development Fund, (ERDF), by the European Union and the Government of Ireland and managed by the Southern Regional Assembly. ERDF aims to strengthen economic, social and territorial cohesion in the EU by correcting the imbalances between its regions. This Programme invests in activities that will build research, development & innovation capacity, assist homeowners in or at risk of energy poverty and contribute to the revitalisation of our regions towns centres through sustainable urban development. The Progamme Area has a population of 3.8 million and covers just over half of the country. Cork, Kerry, Waterford, Limerick, Clare, Carlow, Tipperary, Wexford, Kilkenny, Kildare, Meath, Wicklow, Louth, Westmeath, Laois, Offaly, Longford as well as Dublin are targeted as part of the Programme, which is aligned with the Irish Governments aim of promoting balanced regional development through the Regional Economic and Spatial Strategies for the two regions of the Programme Area. Pat Sexton who took first place at division level in the Speakeasy Toastmaster International Speech contest and the Speech Evaluation contest recently. Last week saw the division final of Toastmasters contests. The division in question covers North Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Clare, and Tipperary. The competitions that took place were the International Speech Contest and the Speech Evaluation Contest. Having gone through club and area rounds, three Speakeasy members had got as far as the division final, Marie Fitzpatrick, Bobby Buckley, and Pat Sexton. Having three members competing at this level is an achievement for any club, but Speakeasy has a record of not just competing but winning! Last week was no different. A tremendous performance was put in by all three Speakeasy competitors. The International Speech Contest does what it says it its title, winners go through club, area, division and district rounds, and if successful compete in the US at International level. The Speech evaluation contest, whereby the competitor gives an evaluation of a speech given for demonstration purposes, goes as far as District level. Competitors are judged by a panel of experienced Toastmasters and the best evaluation and the best speech wins the day. The district in which the Speakeasy club lies includes the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and much of England. The demonstration speech for the evaluation contest was a reflective talk about life lessons. The story of the Wizard of Oz was used as backdrop to explain the message that the speaker wanted to relay. Marie Fitzpatrick, in her evaluation, gave warm, well-structured and meaningful comments on this very fine speech. Maries capacity to listen, understand and give constructive feedback is valued in the Speakeasy club and being a contestant at this level was well and truly befitting for her. Pat Sexton also took part in this contest and Pat is extremely proficient as a speaker and as an evaluator. His evaluation took first place on the evening, which means he now goes forward to the District final which takes place in Liverpool in May. Pat is no stranger to district finals having competed and won in many of the contests during his 30-plus years as a toastmaster. That wasnt the end of Pats winning streak last week as he was also a competitor in the International Speech Contest. Along with Bobby Buckley, both flew the flag for Speakeasy and their reward was to stand on the podium of success. Booby was placed third in the contest and Pat took first place. Pat therefore is also through to the District final of this contest in May. One win is an achievement, two is an impressive bonus but what do you say about someone who has three district competitions on the same weekend? Earlier in the year Pat competed and made it through the club, area and division levels for the Table Topics contest, to compete at the district final of this contest in May. Pat is going to be one busy man in Liverpool and proudly representing the Speakeasy club in the Table Topics final, the International Speech contest and The Speech Evaluation contest final. Fortunately, this type of itinerary invigorates the same said contestant. All in Speakeasy wish Pat the very best. He is a tremendous ambassador for the club and for the Toastmasters organisation. Speakeasys next meeting is on Thursday, May 4 at 8pm in the Hibernian Hotel. All are welcome. Churchtown, the village located just seven miles south-west of Charleville, looks set to have a state-of-the-art luxury community theatre if the plans of local entrepreneur Jerry Murphy are to be realised. He has had a plan drawn up to locate the facility in the existing community centre in the centre of the village. A comprehensive brochure outlines the proposal in detail, and the changes in use the conversion means for the existing venue. It also provides a background to the tradition of the theatre in the village. The plan states: Boss Murphy Community Fund is approaching Churchtown Development Association and Churchtown Development Association (Mallow) CLG and the wider community with a proposal to fund the conversion of the existing community centre into a luxury flexible community theatre venue. The upgraded venue would house a tiered 112 seat community theatre/cinema/music venue. The current usable space in the hall would be halved if the plan is to proceed. The new theatre facility will be known as the John Murphy Community Theatre. Gerry Murphy is the grandson of John Murphy, who died in 1955 aged eighty years. The theatre would be a not-for-profit community enterprise, which would be owned by the Churchtown Development Association (Mallow) Ltd., which is already a not-for-profit entity, and it would manage the community centre going forward. This, the brochure states, would be more efficient than forming another community organisation to run the theatre. The new theatre would have tiered, retractable high-quality seating for 112 patrons, with a floor level, fully equipped stage. A new lighting and sound system would be controlled from a booth that would be constructed in the balcony area of the tiered seating. There would also be adequate storage facilities along with a new foyer, which would be accessed via a new glazed aluminium porch. The stage area would be surrounded by a proscenium arch, stage curtains, masking drapes and backdrop curtains. A white cinema projection curtain would also be installed for the showing of films. Toilets will be located off the foyer area, and all fire, health and safety precautions will be observed in line with government and health and safety regulations. The hospitality area in the existing foyer will be redesigned, and a selection of bronze sculptures of local personalities from Elizabeth OKanes Boss Murphy Churchtown Art Collection will adorn the entrance area. A green room overhead will be known as the Christy Danaher Green Room in memory of a local community activist who led the original Churchtown Community Development Association in the early 1970s. The Boss Murphy Community Fund (BMCF) was funded by Gerry Murphy and family in 2022 and is managed by Community Foundation Ireland, which is a registered charity (No. 20044886). Gerry is also the founder of the Churchtown Village Renewal Trust, which operated from 1997 to 2017. The trust has rejuvenated the village of Churchtown from a sleepy hamlet to a vibrant community of around 700 people, who have made the picturesque village their home in recent years. This has been made possible almost solely through the efforts of Gerry Murphy, who now offers the village the unique possibility of owning a theatre which, if realised, will be the envy of many other bigger towns, not alone in the locality but generally throughout the country. A public meeting, to which all are invited, will be held on the 8th June 2023 at 8pm in the local community centre to gauge the interest of local people, who will determine whether the proposal is adopted, or not, after an in-depth discussion. JOhn Hussey (67) a former chairman of Fermoy Town Council, pleaded guilty A former North Cork solicitor and public representative has been jailed for five years for what a judge described an appalling breach of trust after he sexually assaulted an eight year old girl during a sleepover at his house almost 20 years ago. Former Fermoy Town Council Chairman, John Hussey (67) of Corrin View, Fermoy pleaded guilty to a single count of sexually assaulting Hannah Beresford at his home in Fermoy between November 1st and November 2003 contrary to Section 2 of the Criminal Law (Rape Amendment) Act 1990. Detective Garda Mairead Morrissey of the North Cork Protective Services told the court that Ms Beresford, who had waived her right to anonymity so Hussey could be identified, was aged eight when she attended a sleepover party in Mr Husseys home in November 2003. It was the first sleepover Ms Beresfords parents had allowed her to attend and they only sanctioned it because they were friendly with the Husseys, including the accused who was a Fianna Fail member of Fermoy Town Council and a solicitor with a busy practice in the north Cork town. Ms Beresford struggled to go to sleep after the playdate and she heard the door of the bedroom she was sharing with other children being slowly opened and Hussey entered the room and placed his hand under the bedclothes and stroked her leg under her nightdress. Hussey then fondled her private parts and digitally penetrated the child who was horrified and scared at what was happening and kept her eyes closed during the prolonged assault, Det Garda Morrissey told prosecution barrister, Lily Buckley BL It really hurt...I opened my eyes then because of the pain. He really hurt me...I said Ow and sat up in the bed, He (Hussey) was crouched at the end of the bed to make himself as small as possible, Ms Beresford later told gardai in a statement about the incident. Ms Beresford immediately told her parents, who were concerned about her quiet demeanour after the party and both the Gardai and the then Southern Health Board (SHB) were notified but she opted not to make a formal statement of complaint against Hussey. However, after writing about the incident in a university newspaper in 2015, Ms Beresford made a statement of complaint on December 29th, 2020, and Hussey was later arrested but he exercised his right to silence save for a prepared statement in which he denied that he had sexually assaulted her. Struggling at times to maintain her composure as she delivered her Victim Impact Statement, Ms Beresford outlined the effect the sexual assault has had on her over the last 20 years including how strange she found it to hear it described as historical given it remains with her every day of her life. It is difficult to capture in its entirely the impact that that this sexual assault has had on my life as this impact has not been static. I have lived more of my life in the aftermath of this assault than I lived before it and it has impacted me in different ways at different times, she said. There have been periods when this impact has been a whisper in the background of my existence, others when it has been an all-consuming roar, said Ms Beresford as she recalled the night that Hussey sexually assaulted her. During the assault itself, my initial reaction was one of confusion, swiftly followed by fear I was eight years old and had never been treated with unkindness or cruelty. I did not understand what was happening, why my friends father was hurting me in the dark. I had never experienced a situation where an adult in charge of me did not have my best interests at heart and I couldnt comprehend that a grown up would deliberately hurt me for their own gratification. Some part of me hoped that there was an explanation for what was happening, that this was part of some unusual bedtime routine and that I didnt need to be afraid but the larger part of me that what was happening to me was fundamentally wrong. Ms Beresford spoke of how sexual assault is surrounded by a heavy silence and how she felt shame over what had happened to her even though she knew that she had nothing to be ashamed of and that in turn led to great anger. I was hugely angry that this man, John Hussey had felt a right to my body, had inflicted this physical and emotional pain upon me and that this was compounded by a sense of guilt over something from which I was not responsible I was furious he did not seem to carry any of the shame or guilt I felt. She told how she found the prospect of going through the justice process daunting but when she moved to Dublin and went to university, she found it easier to speak about what happened to her but away from her family and their support, she started to become depressed. It began to impact on her friendships and her ability to participate in university life and the life she was building in Dublin but with the support of family and friends, she recognised she could no longer carry the burden on her own and decided to go for counselling which helped her hugely. I recognised that I could no longer carry this on my own if I didnt do something about it, this act which I had resisted being the defining moment of my childhood, risked becoming the defining moment of my late teens and twenties and potentially the rest of my life. Ms Beresford spoke of how the sexual assault led to an estrangement from my own body and to panic attacks while it also impacted on her ability to have sexual relations as well as her ability to embark on romantic relationships. The abstract sense of being desired has often pushed me to a sense of panic, or even the feeling of being romantically close to someone with its associated assumptions of physical intimacy it is hard to develop romantic relationships when someone finding you attractive feels like an inherent threat. I am enormously lucky to have parents, Alison and Tom, who I have always been able to speak with freely, who I have always trusted and who have always trusted me. They believed me from the moment that I told them about the assault with no equivocation or doubt. She said that their support had been incalculable, but she had seen the toll that living with what happened to her had taken on them and while they were enormously strong, no parent should have to hear their child tell them that they had been sexually assaulted. She paid tribute to gardai as she recalled that the weight lifted from her from the minute that she walked into Fermoy Garda Station in 2020, and she thanked everyone who had supported her over the past two and a half years since then and the preceding 17 and a half years before it. I have an extraordinarily rich life with many wonderful people, and I now understand myself in such a way that I can live it fully. This assault will always be a fact of my life, but I am looking forward to no longer carrying this particular burden of secrecy and pain. Defence barrister, Kate Aherne BL pleaded for leniency, stating it was a once off offence, Hussey had no previous convictions and had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity while he had also suffered personally in that his marriage had ended because of the assault and his reputation was ruined. Prosecution barrister, Ms Buckley BL said that the DPP believed the crime was not a minor offence as it involved an invasion of the childs bodily integrity by an adult in a position of trust and she said that the offence carried a maximum penalty of 14 years in jail. Judge Catherine Staines said she believed that the offence was on the upper end of the mid-range of such offences, given that it involved digital penetration, and the aggravating factors included the fact that she was an eight year old girl at the time and he was an adult in a position of trust. She said that the mitigating factors, including the fact that he had no previous convictions and the fact that he had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity which was of particular benefit in a case that related to an offence which happened almost 20 years ago. She praised Ms Beresford, describing her as a very brave lady and she commended her on her Victim Impact Statement which eloquently articulated the effect that Husseys offending had on her over the last two decades of her life. She said that in all the circumstances she believed the appropriate sentence was one of six years, but she suspended the final year on condition he be of good behaviour while she also ordered that Husseys name be placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life. Frustrated residents in Ballymun are calling on the council to clean up illegal dumping near vacant properties throughout the area. This week, a newly vacant home in the Shangan area has become the target of illegal dumping while it is awaiting to be turned around for new tenants. A number of shopping trolleys filled with household waste, including food, furniture and appliances, have been dumped at the vacant property. Councillor Noeleen OReilly said the issue of illegal dumping happens all the time and there are other properties in the area in the same state. This happens all the time, anytime someone moves out or someone passes away and the council gets back a void unit, she said. It can take a number of months to turn around that unit, so people target it for illegal dumping. There are people living beside these houses. Its giving people huge anxiety. Its everything, food waste, furniture, anything. There is a huge amount of people not disposing of their waste property, she added. Councillor OReilly said residents are really angry and frustrated and the council needs to step up to tackle illegal dumping. Some of them are really upset about it. Ive had three or four people contacting me about that house alone this week, she said. People look out their window and that is what they see. Thats probably a weeks worth of rubbish there. Councillor OReilly said the privatisation of bins more than 10 years ago has been a disaster for Dublin. Bin collection was controlled by Dublin City Council until 2012. A court case taken by private bin companies, after the council amended the waste management plan, resulted in local authorities exiting the market. Councillor OReilly said before the private bin companies took control of the market, their bins were on their rent so there was no reason not to pay bins and not to dispose of their waste. The policy around illegal dumping in Dublin City Council is failing. It will happen again and they will clear again and it will be a merry-go-round, she said. The illegal dumping has been reported to the council, who have arranged to clear the rubbish on Friday. They will be going through the bags to see if there is any identification, councillor OReilly added. DEBRA Ireland CEO Jimmy Fearon, from Dundrum, will walk 10,000 steps barefoot as part of the charity's Kerry Challenge A Dubliner is planning to walk 10,000 steps barefoot while in constant pain to help raise money for charity. DEBRA Ireland chief executive, Jimmy Fearon, from Dundrum, will follow in the footsteps of people living with an excruciatingly painful skin disease by hiking over rocks and stones in his bare feet. Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), also known as Butterfly Skin, is a rare and incurable disease which causes the skin to break out in painful blisters at the slightest touch. The charity CEO is taking part in his charitys annual Kerry Challenge fundraiser next month. Epidermolysis Bullosa is a terrible disease which has a profound effect, not only on those diagnosed, but on their families and carers as well, Mr Fearon said. People with EB live with constant pain as a result of blisters. There is no cure at present and in many cases, people cannot walk because of sores on their feet. Along with 120 participants, he will trek mountain paths and forest trails along the Dingle Peninsula in aid of the charity, which supports around 300 people in Ireland who suffer with EB. However, unlike his fellow fundraisers, Mr Fearon will not be wearing shoes or socks during his challenge. By walking barefoot, he hopes to raise awareness of the disease. It is hard to imagine what it must be like to live in constant pain, he said. By not wearing any shoes or socks during the Kerry Challenge, I hope to walk in the footsteps of people living with the disease. DEBRA Ireland relies heavily on the publics support to fund projects that not only alleviate the strain and suffering people with EB and their carers endure on a day-to-day basis, but also to help find a cure for the disease. He will walk 10,000 steps of the route barefoot over the course of the three-day challenge, which takes place from May 19 to 21. The money raised will help DEBRA Ireland provide families living with EB with anti-bacterial silk socks, therapeutic cot sheets and pillowcases, in addition to books and feeling cards to help children with the condition process their emotions. The charity also funds counselling sessions for adults with EB, play therapy for children, home visits, home adaptations and specialised EB training for nurses and medical staff. Public donations also help DEBRA Ireland sponsor scientists who are carrying out vital research into finding a cure for the genetic disease. Although no more space is left for participants on this years Kerry Challenge, donations can still be made online to Jimmy Fearons Kerry Challenge here. Senator Emer Currie says another secondary school should be a priority for Tyrrelstown. Pic: Gerry Mooney A lack of secondary schools in west Dublin is causing a major issue in an area which is undergoing a significant population growth, the Seanad has been told. Tyrrelstown currently has one secondary school, called La Cheile, and four primary schools. This has resulted in some parents having to send their children to schools in Co Meath due to difficulties in securing placements locally. According to the 2016 census, 35pc of the population in the Tyrrelstown area were under the age of 15. Senator Emer Currie said there is nothing on horizon for the secondary school despite an increase in population. In the last few years, over 4,000 housing units are in development across this area, Tyrrelstown, Mulhuddart, including Churchfields and the Blanchardstown local electoral area, said Senator Currie. Thus far there arent any schools to support that increase. Le Cheile secondary school was oversubscribed this year by 34pc. This is an area where we need social cohesion and this is an area that doesnt have enough facilities and support for young people. Its growing at such a fast pace and yet we arent keeping up with the social infrastructure that is required, she said. Senator Currie said a planning application has been lodged for a primary school on a 10-acre site near Bay Meadows even though a second secondary school for the area has always been identified as a necessity. A Tyrrelstown Our Future report carried out during the pandemic found that the number one issue identified by people was the lack of another secondary school in the area. She said there are also two sites which have been identified for primary schools, but we arent seeing movement on the secondary school. One of the youngest, fastest growing and most diverse communities, not just in Dublin west, but in the entire country, Senator Currie added. In response, Minister of State Thomas Byrne said the department is aware of the increasing pressures and demands for additional school places in Tyrrelstown, and noted that he is aware of parents enrolling their children in Meath due to demand. The minister said the school planning area of Mulhuddart and Tyrrelstown is experiencing significant population growth. The department accepts this is an area of significant population growth and as part of forward planning the Department of Education has been assessing school placement accommodation in the area, he said. The department is working to establish the true extent of any capacity issues across school planning areas through ongoing discussions with school patrons and authorities. Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) has submitted the case file of Jean Nsabimana, a businessman who constructed the Kinyinya-based estate 'Urukumbuzi', commonly known as Kwa Dubai and some former Gasabo District officials. Apart from Nsabimana, other suspects in custody include the former Mayor of Gasabo, Stephen Rwamulangwa; former Vice Mayor of, Raymond Chretien Mberabahizi; former Director of One Stop Center, Jeanne d'Arc Nyirabihogo; and Gasabo District engineer, Jean-Baptiste Bizimana were arrested last week over crimes related to abuse of their functions. According to RIB spokesperson, Thierry Murangira, the files of the five suspects were handed over to the National Public Prosecution Authority (NPPA) on Monday, April 24. The suspects were arrested in connection with the construction of substandard housing units located in the Kinyinya Sector, Gasabo District, which has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons. The arrested officials were in office when the estate was constructed in 2015. Meanwhile, an assessment carried out on 'Kwa Dubai' real estate has shown that more than 60 houses need to be renovated, a development that required many families to vacate their homes temporarily. Acclaimed Irish comedy and an evening with U2s beloved bassist. These are our top picks for the week ahead. Niall Breslin: Where is My Mind? Live, Olympia Theatre Platinum-selling rock star, best-selling childrens author, renowned mental health advocate and podcast host is there anything Niall Bressie Breslin cant do? The Mullingar native brings his award-winning series, Where is My Mind?, to Dame Street this weekend, and his special guest is none other than U2s Adam Clayton. The beloved bassist will share stories and secrets about what its like trying to keep a healthy mindset while touring with one of the worlds biggest rock bands. Friday, April 28. Doors: 7pm. Tickets from 27.40. For more, visit www.3olympia.ie Ann, screening + Q&A, IFI Ciaran Creaghs haunting feature dramatizes the real-life story of Ann Lovett, a 15-year-old Longford schoolgirl who died giving birth to a baby boy in a grotto in February 1984. Creaghs film recalls a shocking, shameful time in Irish history, and provides a chilling yet respectful reconstruction of the teenagers final hours. Lead actress Zara Devlin received the Michael Dwyer Discovery Award at this years Dublin International Film Festival, and this opening night screening will be followed by a Q&A with the films director. Friday, April 28. Time: 6.20pm. Tickets: 10 / 12.50. For more, visit https://ifi.ie/ Andrew Maxwell: Krakatoa, Liberty Hall Theatre According to Maxwell, his show title is a genius metaphor for everything going on in the world right now. Good to know. The veteran Dublin comic has performed on every stage in the business, and has appeared on every major show too, from Live at the Apollo to Im a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. But this is the first time hes told jokes next to a big screen interactive volcano. Hey, dont knock it until youve seen it. Saturday, April 29. Time: 8pm. Tickets: 28. For more, visit https://aikenpromotions.com/ James Vincent McMorrow showcases his upcoming album James Vincent McMorrow Songs from a Future, National Concert Hall One of our most accomplished music makers is ready to perform his new album he just hasnt recorded it yet. The night will begin with a solo run-through of the hits, followed by a full-band performance of McMorrows as-yet-produced seventh record. A worthy experiment, and itll hardly come as a surprise to hear that punters are asked to place phones in locked pouches for the night. Saturday, April 29 & Sunday, April 30. Time: 8pm. Tickets: 40. For more, visit www.nch.ie Take Off Your Cornflakes, Bewleys Cafe Theatre Written by and starring Rose Henderson and Pat Nolan, this critically acclaimed two-hander tells of a happily married couple, Tom and Trish, who have just celebrated their silver wedding anniversary. But what if one of them were to suddenly forget everything about the other? An all too relatable tale for some, and Henderson and Nolans beautifully assembled drama mines both wit and warmth from a devastating set-up. Liam Halligan directs. Until Saturday, May 13. Time: 1pm (Monday Saturday). Tickets: 10 - 15. For more, visit https://bewleyscafetheatre.com Heathers: The Musical, Bord Gais Energy Theatre We take our hats off to writers Laurence OKeefe and Kevin Murphy for turning a bonkers box-office flop into a full-blown stage musical. Directed by Andy Fickman and based on the 1980s comedy with Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, Heathers concerns an anxious US high schooler named Veronica Sawyer who falls in with the wrong crowd. Just remember, high school is a killer in more ways than one. Jenna Innes and Jacob Fowler co-star. Until Saturday, May 6. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets from 21.50. For more, visit www.bordgaisenergytheatre.ie DEBRA Ireland chief executive, Jimmy Fearon will walk 10,000 steps barefoot along the Dingle Peninsula over the course of three days in May to raise both awareness and funds for the charity, which supports the on average 300 people in Ireland with epidermolysis bullosa (EB) also known as Butterfly Skin a rare and incurable skin disease. He spoke to Fergus Dennehy this week... DEBRA Ireland CEO, Jimmy Fearon, will next month complete part of his charitys annual Kerry Challenge fundraiser barefoot as part of his drive to raise awareness and much needed funds for the national charity, which supports patients with the genetic skin condition EB, and their families. DEBRA Ireland CEO, Jimmy Fearon, will next month complete part of his charitys annual Kerry Challenge fundraiser barefoot as part of his drive to raise awareness and much needed funds for the national charity, which supports patients with the genetic skin condition EB, and their families. The CEO of a major Irish charity is planning to follow in the footsteps of people living with an excruciatingly painful skin disease by hiking over rocks and stones in his bare feet right here in Kerry next month. Jimmy Fearon is the Chief Executive of the DEBRA Ireland charity and from May 19 to May 21, he, along with 120 other participants, will take part in his charitys annual Kerry Challenge fundraiser next month. Those taking part will will trek mountain paths and forest trails all along the Dingle Peninsula in aid of the charity, which supports the on average 300 people in Ireland with epidermolysis bullosa (EB) a rare and incurable skin disease which is also known as Butterfly Skin, a rare condition that causes the skin to break out in painful blisters at the slightest touch. Unlike his fellow participants in the fundraiser however, Jimmy will be going one step further in his efforts by choosing not to wear shoes or socks during the challenge. Instead, he will walk 10,000 steps of the route barefoot over the course of the three-day challenge. Speaking to The Kerryman this week, Jimmy said that the idea of doing something like this had been rattling around in his head for a few years and he hopes that by walking a portion of the route without shoes or socks, he hopes to raise awareness of the disease and to educate people on it. "EB results in very bad skin that can require three to four hour bandage changes and one of the areas that's particularly bad for those with the condition is the feet. It can get to the point for the people most severely affected by the condition that they are unable to walk and end up in a wheelchair, he said. "Even people with the mildest version of the condition which is known as Epidermolysis bullosa simplex (EBS), their challenge is that if they walk for more than 20 minutes, they'll have blisters all over their feet, he added. "The idea with this barefoot walk is to allow me to get a small taste of and raise awareness of what people with the condition go through on a daily basis and to relate it back to the families which is what it's all about at the end of the day," he said, adding that it'll only be a few hours of pain and discomfort for me and then I can go back to my normal life whereas as for the families of those with EB, they don't get that." "We're a small enough charity that are not that well known because it is such a rare condition. All the time, we are trying to do stuff to help on two fronts one of which is the fundraising aspect which is critical. If you don't do fundraising then you can't help and support the families in the ways that they need through things as respite grants, funding and nursing support, counselling support to name but a few. In addition to this, we also fund research to try and find new treatments, he continued. "We get no government funding of any substance so it's all fundraised so we're always having to come up with new ideas to bring in the money so we can provide the services that people need," he said. The money raised will help DEBRA Ireland provide families living with EB with antibacterial silk socks, therapeutic cot sheets and pillowcases, in addition to books and feeling cards to help children with the condition process their emotions. The charity also funds counselling sessions for adults with EB, play therapy for children, home visits, home adaptations and specialised EB training for nurses and medical staff. Public donations also help DEBRA Ireland sponsor scientists who are carrying out vital research into finding a cure for the genetic disease. Going on, Jimmy said that raising awareness of the disease is up there in importance with raising money. "The second front then we're fighting on is the stigma around the condition. With EB, people look at you and might make comments behind that person's back instead of going up to that person and saying 'it's lovely to meet you' and starting a dialogue or conversation with that person." "So we're trying to reduce that stigma because education and awareness reduces that barrier because people then understand and when people understand something, they're less likely to be confused by it or do something to make that person with the condition feel uncomfortable." As for how hes feeling in the lead up to the start of the big event on May 19, he said hes excited and that the beauty of the Kerry countryside will help him through the challenge. "It's so beautiful down there [in Kerry]. I can think of nowhere prettier to do something like this. it's astoundingly stunning in Kerry from a hiker's point of view, you're in nirvana so if you're going to be going through something like this which is going to be 90 percent comfort and 10 percent discomfort, you're in the most beautiful environment. A little bit of pain won't take away from the magic of the place," he said. Although no more space is left for participants on this years Kerry Challenge, donations can still be made online through the fundraising page here. To find out more about DEBRA and the work they do, head to their website here. Supervised, safe space for youths aged 13-17 in town The first youth social cafe to open in the region has opened on North Street, New Ross. 1317North is, as the name suggests, exclusively for 13 to 17 year olds. Offering a supervised space where teenagers can enjoy games of pool, free video games, board games, snacks and free wi-fi, the social enterprise is located beside Murrays bar, but is in no way connected to the adjoining premises. Shawn Murray said he has spent around 22,000 on the new business venture, which is run by several people, including Sinead Cashin. The business opened on Saturday and got a good crowd in. The cafe at 4 North Street is free to enter and is open from 4 p.m. to late evening daily, except for Mondays. It has pool tables, Playstation games, broadband, Jenga, darts, phone charging points, a tuck shop and tunes. Officially launching the May Bank Holiday, Mr Murray said the social enterprise project is targeted at local youngsters so they have a warm, safe and welcoming space to hang out together and have some fun. With free entry and low cost activities were sure this will prove popular with all concerned and theres food available too. A limited number of venue club memberships will be available from 50 per annum which give discounts and priority booking on reserving the space for Membership Mondays or to privately hire for a birthday party or celebration among other privileges. Mr Murray said people aged 15 and up go to his pub to play pool, but it didnt look right seeing them leave the premises with schoolbags on their backs. He has rented the neighbouring premises at 4 North Street and is using it as a youth cafe for the present. I am out on the door with security at the pub on a Friday or Saturday night and I can see the young lads hanging around often in the rain and there is nothing to do for hundreds of these young people. Ms Cashin said: This is a business with the aim to make profit to cover staff costs etc. The tuck shop is cost price for members and cheaper than the shops. There is a toilet and the key has to be gotten from the counter. The cost of a game of pool is 2 or 1 for members. People can order food in the form of basket bites for a fiver. Ms Cashin said the venue is ideal for teenagers who are waiting to be collected by their parents after school or as a hang out spot. We market it as an adult free zone because you cant have an adult come in to play pool with teenagers, but parents with vulnerable children can come in and have a coffee at the tuck shop. Ms Cashin said the social enterprise will be entered into a Rethink Ireland awards competition, adding that it is unique in Ireland. Mr Murray said he is aware of anti social behaviour on The High Hill, including graffiti. Ms Cashin said the cafe will provide a safe space for teenagers who come from difficult backgrounds, allowing everyone to mix together, adding that it is the only youth space in town over the summer months. Its about inclusion. I hope 1317 becomes like the Mens Shed and has branches everywhere around the country, said Ms Cashin. Positive benefits of film will reap rewards for town says New Ross council official Small Things Like These filming in the Irishtown, New Ross. Photo; Mary Browne Small Things Like These filming in New Ross. Actor Cillian Murphy (of Peaky Blinders fame) and actress Eileen Walsh (of Magdalene Sisters fame). Photo; Mary Browne Small Things Like These filming in New Ross. Actress Emily Watson (of Kingsman and God's Creatures fame) Photo; Mary Browne Small Things Like These filming in New Ross. Actress Emily Watson (of Kingsman and God's Creatures fame) Photo; Mary Browne Small Things Like These filming in the Irishtown, New Ross. Photo; Mary Browne Small Things Like These filming in New Ross. Actor Cillian Murphy (of Peaky Blinders fame) and actress Eileen Walsh (of Magdalene Sisters fame). Photo; Mary Browne Small Things Like These filming in New Ross. Actress Emily Watson (of Kingsman and God's Creatures fame) Photo; Mary Browne Small Things Like These filming in New Ross. Actor Cillian Murphy (of Peaky Blinders fame). Photo; Mary Browne FILMING wraps up on Small Things Like These in New Ross this week, a film 320-plus worked on between crew, actors including Cillian Murphy and Emily Watson, and extras. Filming started on March 22 and saw Quay Street transformed, with several premises throughout the town used for film locations, along with the Mercy convent building. Filming continues on Wednesday and Thursday at Conduit Lane off Quay Street which will be closed to pedestrians. Within a day parts of the town went from 2023 to 1985. It was absolutely incredible, said Senior Staff Officer with New Ross Municipal District, Ger Walsh, speaking of the work the location and film crew did in Quay Street and Mary Street. She said the crew got great buy-in from businesses on Quay Street and Mary Street. "A lot of people came down to see the filming. Everyone was very enthusiastic. The crew were thrilled with the reception they got there. A choir scene with an audience was filmed, as was a scene shot after midnight on Thursday, March 30, with Cillian Murphy walking across OHanrahan Bridge. A crowd gathered to watch filming that morning, which concluded at around 5 a.m. Some old cars from the Eighties were parked on either side of Quay Street and were driven across the bridge. Read more Cillian Murphy visits New Ross ahead of film shoot Extras worked from 6 p.m. till 5 a.m. with monitors and crew using Byrnes and Spiders pubs, which was packed to capacity with extras. Murphy was filmed buying shoes for his character Bill Furlongs wife at the old New Ross Standard premises which was transformed into Hanrahans shoe shop. He is also filmed carrying a bag from the shop across the bridge. Noreen ODonnells was given a festive makeover and was used as a base for the crew, while some crew stayed in B&B accommodation over The Cracked Teapot. The Furlong home was located beside the old fire station on Michael Street, where several scenes were shot over a number of days; a crowd gathering on the street opposite to catch a glimpse of film star Murphy, who was also based in a white painted property beside the house. The fire station was use by the crew for catering as was the Library Park car park, a section of Brennans Lane car park and the car park opposite the old oil tanks site. Catering and special effects vans were used, as well as a water tanker to create a rain effect for scenes on road surfaces. A snow machine was also used with New Ross council office fielding calls from people keen to find out when it would be used. "Lots of people were ringing in so they could be there to witness it as they were expecting to see 6ft of snow but there was never going to be anything like that, said Ms Walsh. Instead some snow was used for filming at the back of the Furlong house and near a gift shop window on Mary Street beside The Green Door, which was used for one night by crew. The crew said the reception they received was just amazing. The residents of Michael and Mary Street were so accommodating and appreciative of what was going on there. They put up with minor disruptions. The producer said the crew had never received such a warm welcome and reception and that without exception they were welcomed. Barrow Pictures DAC crew brought gifts of Wexford Zaeire Chocolates to houses in New Ross for any inconvenience caused during filming. On Mary Street, Inishross B&B was used to film a barber scene, while some of the crew stayed there. An archway with Good Shepherd Convent was erected at the back entrance to the old convent in Irishtown. Ms Walsh said the majority of the film was shot in New Ross, with further filming taking place this Friday in a rural location near the town. With actors and crew members staying locally, including Murphy who stayed in the Inistioge area, filming has brought a great economic benefit to the town. Between accommodation, food and drink its been great. They tried to get everything they could in New Ross. The film, which is directed by Tim Mielants of Peaky Blinders fame and is financed by Damon and Ben Afflecks production company Artists Equity, is expected to be released either this autumn or in the autumn of 2024. It also features Well-known Irish actors Ciaran Hinds and Kin star Clare Dunne. Ms Walsh said Barrow Pictures said they will spread the word to other production companies about the great reception they have received in New Ross, adding that it is hoped this will lead to further film shoots in the town. She said an event will be held in New Ross to tie in with the films launch, similar to the one held in Enniscorthy in the Riverside Park Hotel when Brooklyn was released. Reflecting on the filming experience in the town, she said: It was genuinely incredible to go into work one day and to look out of the widow a few hours later and see a completely different street. New Ross featured on CNN during the Joe Biden visit, bringing the town onto the TV screens of millions of viewers. An article accompanying the video, by reporter Donie OSullivan, saw Willie Keilthy of the Kennedy Summer School and Mark Minihan, whose father Andy was mayor when Kennedy visited in 1963, interviewed. Kennedys visit was preceded by a rush to buy TV sets, because it was going to be put on television, Keilthy recalled to CNN. Keilthy was one of hundreds of children who laid out on the grass to spell out the Irish word for welcome as the helicopter of Americas 35th president landed. I was 10 at the time We hadnt even been to the airport! A helicopter was completely novel, he recalled. Minihan, then 16, noted Kennedys sparkling smile and perfectly cut suit. TV footage of Kennedys speech on the bank of the River Barrow where CNN met with Minihan and Keilthy notes the thousands cheer[ing] with the enthusiasm that only Irishmen can muster for one of their own. It was a source of pride for the country to have the President associate himself with Ireland, Minihan said. And obviously for New Ross, it was exceptional. I suppose the town took on a whole new life. The transformative effect of Kennedys visit was nowhere more evident than at the farmhouse from which his great-grandfather had left for Boston more than a century earlier. The presidents cousin, Mary Ryan, got her first, unwanted taste of fame when she hosted a tea party for him in the courtyard. And after he left, the farm saw an influx of tourists. Her grandson Patrick Grennan was also interviewed by OSullivan, telling him: They were climbing in, over gates, to see the place. Keilthy said a team of three arrived from CNN along with a drone operator. The preface of their visit was to see how other towns fared out of another presidential visit. We were talking about how JFK was the first to claim Irish heritage and being Catholic.Andy Minihan greeted JFK at a podium on New Ross quay, so it was fitting that his son was interviewed about that momentous day in the towns history, some 60 years on. It was an iconic place because most of the photos of the time were of the President speaking at the podium. The question was what the visit did for New Ross and the answer is without that visit we wouldnt have the Dunbrody ship, probably wouldnt have the quayside or 650 acres of an arboretum and an interpretive centre at Dunganstown, said Keilthy. Most of the interview was conducted on the replica Famine ship. Keilthy said the visit was most beneficial to New Ross compared with other locations visited by subsequent presidents. It was very good for New Ross. We have the Kennedy Summer School which is big. Someone interviewed at the Barack Obama Plaza said they got a filling station. Well have to wait and see how Ballina benefits from the Biden visit. President Kennedy went to several places during his Irish visit but New Ross got the most out of it. Joe Biden is the president of the US. JFK was the president, his brother was the attorney general, Ted was a speaker of the house, Jean was the American Ambassador to Ireland and Eunice Shriver was the founder of the Special Olympics. Ted spent a huge amount of time in the Senate. Bobby Kennedy had a huge influence on civil rights in America so their legacy is much wider than any other president by virtue of the family. Maritime history of Wexford port to be celebrated at New Ross park A design for the attractive Emigrant themed park which will be developed on the old oil tanks site on New Ross quayfront. The Emigrant Park in New Ross is due to be opened in September during this years Kennedy Summer School. New Ross district director Eamonn Hore said works are ongoing on the old oil tanks site beside the Dunbrody visitor centre. The wall running along the river Barrow has been lowered by about three feet and ramps will be created to afford a wonderful view of the river. These will bring it up to the same level as the boardwalk, said Mr Hore. On top of the wall there will be a railing similar to the one on the boardwalk. You will be able to see the river entirely. We hope to open it as part of the Kennedy Summer School in four months time. He said because of the close association with New Ross quay front and emigration the decision was made to give the park an emigrant theme. To this end steps that were on the old Graves office will be incorporated into the parks design, while a sign for the famous New Ross company will be visible from the park. Matt Cullen and his brother Liam had the good sense to get the original steps before the building was demolished. Thousands of people would have climbed those steps to get their tickets so you will walk those original steps and you will be looking down at the Graves and Company sign, which will be repainted at the side of the car showroom on the quay. Information boards will give the history of New Ross port where timber was imported from Canada and other countries. There will be a small play area for children made of logs. There were five ships, including the Dunbrody, that sailed regularly from the quay at New Ross. The names of the five ships will be etched into the timber support posts of the proposed natural play feature. The play feature will be set in rubber safety matting and reflective strips will be incorporated into the timber supports at the appropriate height for the partially sighted. Information about the historic ships will be included in the interpretive panel located at the edge of the play area. A wall will divide the edge of the park form the Dunbrody centre, with three graphal panels located in the park, creating a stunning effect at night when the pinholes are illuminated. Aspects of the maritime heritage of New Ross will be integrated into the design of the space using historic and new design features. Work started on garden by Dunbrody. Photo Mary Browne The proposed corten steel panels to be fixed to the screen wall at the northern end of the space will be perforated to compose graphic motifs of historic sailing ship rigging. They will be mounted to the wall with a steel frame with LED lighting integrated into the rear of the panels to create a backlit effect, with the lighting emanating from the perforated shapes. Seating and lighting will be erected, along with flags. As you walk along the upper boardwalk all of the ports visited by New Ross ships form Liverpool to New York to Quebec will be referenced. The original plan was that you would be walk all the way along the quay right beside the water apart from at the Dunbrody centre. It runs along 1.3kms 12 years ago you couldnt walk along any of it. He said the Emigrant Park is protected by bund walls use to ensure oil didnt seep into the river. The total cost of the will run to around 1m including the demolition of the tanks which happened in mid-2021. The depot consisted of five bulk fuel storage tanks and a control building. A design for the attractive Emigrant themed park which will be developed on the old oil tanks site on New Ross quayfront. Its remediation from industrial use to public open space will be very positive for the immediate environs and town. Working with consulting engineers Fehily Timoney & Co. Ltd., Brady Shipman Martin were commissioned by Wexford County Council to prepare environmental site investigations and report with recommendations, decommissioning of the tanks and site certification, demolition design, preparation of planning application and tender documents for the removal and remediation of the site into the public realm, a Wexford County Council spokesperson said. Planting on the site will commence with the completion of each stage of the works and as a result the programme is closely tied to construction operations. Ground preparation is preceding planting. Planting of species will be carried out in the dormant period from November to March, with grass seeding carried out from April to September. This will ensure ample opportunity for planting to establish properly and reduce casualties during the maintenance period. Cllr John Fleming on the road to Clonroche where several accidents have happened. Photo; Mary Browne Following the most recent accident on the New Ross side of Clonroche, Cllr John Fleming is calling for Transport Infrastructure Ireland to carry out works to ensure no more fatalities occur at the location. Speaking at the New Ross Municipal District meeting, Cllr Fleming said: There was another accident at Des Kehoe's. A car went in over the ditch and landed at his front door. Cllr Fleming said he has witnessed a van go over the ditch at a bend in the N30 road, saying Transport Infrastructure Ireland are aware of how dangerous it is and yet have not carried out enough works to stop accidents from happening. "There was a sign at the bend but it has been moved across to the other side of the road. "This man just wants to protect his family. When there was a fatality there you would think that would be enough but no one has spoken with the owner living across the road, said Cllr Fleming. WATER is returning to homes across New Ross this morning after two major bursts on the main line into the town on Saturday. A raw pipe burst twice between Ballylee and Castlemoyle in New Ross on Saturday, once in the afternoon and again in the evening the first incident of its kind to happen for many years in New Ross. Senior Executive engineer with Wexford County Council Fionnuala Callery said: It wasnt possible to repair the pipe on Saturday night as it was in a location that wasnt possible to access at night time." Ms Callery said water was shut off on Saturday night to most of the town. "Some areas of the town retained water including the hospital but most of the town was impacted. There was some water in towers and these areas would have maintained supply. Homeowners were advised on social media that water should return by 4 p.m. on Sunday but taps remained dry in hundreds of homes and at numerous businesses including restaurants on South Street on Monday morning. Water tankers were installed by council staff at the Apex pool entrance and at Marsh Lane. Ms Callery said repairs were carried out on the line on Sunday by Wexford County Council staff who were our working all day. "Water supply was switched on Sunday night. Its been slow coming back and there is low pressure in taps but it will be back fully early today (Monday). As the system empties it takes time for it to get back to full working order. Its an unusual occurrence in New Ross. She said a meeting is taking place between Wexford County Council and Irish Water officials this Wednesday to highlight concerns about the line. "Irish Water will review their infrastructure to see if further investment is needed. It (the line) is not currently on the list for replacement but there were two serious bursts so in light of that it will have to be reviewed." Ms Callery said a field day happening in New Ross on Sunday was supplied with an alternative water supply. New Ross Municipal District cathaoirleach Cllr Michael Sheehan said old infrastructure in Co Wexfords water network will see outages, adding that Irish Water will become self funded and will replace the old pipes in time, including the one feeding New Ross at Castlemoyle. A New Ross man who was viciously assaulted at his home is being released from hospital this week following two successful operations. Paul Malone, who is aged 50 and has lived at the address in Mountgarrett Lane, Fairgreen, for over a decade, was confronted as he returned home at around 6 p.m. on Monday, April 17, by a man in his forties known to him. His leg was broken in two places, he had broken ribs, a broken cheek bone, eye socket and sustained injuries to his hand. Malone was rushed to University Hospital Waterford where he was assessed prior to operations last week. A family member said he is making a recovery, but the eye injury is a concern. Small Things Like These film. Extras from left; Rita Dunphy, Annette Stacey, Barry O'Connor and Richie Kirwan from New Ross . Photo; Mary Browne Presentation to Small Things Like These film crew from New Ross Municipal district. From left; Cathaoirleach Michael Sheehan and Sharon Ryan staff officer with a presentation to Cillian Murphy and one of the film producers Catherine Magee receiving a presentation on behalf of the crew from Alan Fitzhenry District Manager. Photo; Mary Browne As the film crew behind Small Things Like These leaves New Ross this week, the town is a brighter, better, richer place, according to municipal manager Alan Fitzhenry. Filming wrapped on Friday with the crews and some of the cast recording in the town centre and at Rochestown. The entire bandwagon wrapped up and moved out of town by the weekend. There are a handful of people from the locations team still around tidying up and theyll be gone soon, said Mr Fitzhenry. He said the benefits to the town are many, especially positive exposure. It has given the town a lovely lift for the last month or so. That is the feedback weve been getting from the businesspeople and local people in general. It has been a great talking point and has put a lot of smiles on faces. Based on the novella by Booker prize nominated writer Claire Keegan, who lives in Clonegal, the 116 page book concerns coal merchant Bill Furlong, who faces a moral dilemma in a town dominated by the church, in 1985. Mr Fitzhenry said Quay Street, in particular, has been popular with locals and people visiting the town to see all the excitement, with people engaging with the shop fronts, straight out of 1985 when the Claire Keegan book is set. For the long term, we are really hopeful that the film is successful and that it does well because there is potential in that that tourists and people from across Ireland will see it and want to visit the locations in New Ross. A lot of people who came during filming were very complimentary of the town. He said the cast and crew were so complimentary about their reception in New Ross that many working decades in the film industry said it was the best they had ever received. That was genuine feedback. They were really blown away about how nothing was any trouble. He paid tribute to Staff Officer Ger Walsh for working until 4 a.m. several mornings in The Tholsel, to facilitate the cast and crew, executive roads engineer David Murphy, general operatives, road crews and everyone who worked to ensure filming ran smoothly. He said Ms Walsh, in particular, was engaged with the crew from day one, linking them with local business owners and residents for locations. We have proven that there is an awful lot here for filming. He said it remains unknown how much the film cast and crew spent in New Ross, adding that it was significant. Mr Fitzhenry said he was not made privy as to whether the film ran under or over budget, adding that B&Bs, hotels, restaurants, pubs; businesses of all sizes benefited from Small Things Like These being filmed in New Ross. Akure The Ondo State Commander of the Western Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun, Mr. Adetunji Adeleye, yesterday revealed that over 9,000 herders illegally found their way into the state through the border towns in the last one month. Adeleye, who also doubles as the special adviser on security matters, made the revelation while parading 31 suspects apprehended for crimes that ranged from kidnapping, rape, burglary, rituals, stealing, arson, illegal possession of firearms among others. He explained that the 9000 herders who 'illegally' found their way into the state through the border towns have been chased back, adding that the herders always entered the state through the border towns at the dead of the night. The Amotekun's commander was particularly worried at the sudden influx of herders whom he said "always masquerades in different forms of criminal" to enter the state. He said: "The reality is that in the last month, we have a very heavy annoying unusual influx of herdsmen to the state. We have to drive them back to where they came from. "In the last one month, we are confronted with over 9,000 herders against the laws of the land. They moved them in the midnight and they masquerade as different forms of criminals." Adeleye noted that the herders always come into Ondo through the border communities in Edo, Kogi and now Ekiti States with large numbers of cattle to perpetrate crimes. According to him, the Amotekun Corps was able to notice that the herders always come to Ondo through trucks with loads and would refuse security patrol to search them. He emphasised that only herdsmen who registered with the state government would be allowed in the state, and warned the illegal ones to stay clear. "So, the trend has been on for a long time, especially in the last month but we're now working on different modalities of ensuring that only legitimate herders will be in the state. And the ones who are criminals and are not supposed to be in the state will be driven out of our forest. "Also, we are directing efforts toward the border towns of state because we noticed that those that found their way to Ondo come through Ekiti State," Adeleye said. Speaking on the suspects that were nabbed by the local security outfit, Adeleye said that 31 suspects were apprehended for crimes ranging from kidnapping, rape, burglary, rituals, stealing, arson and illegal possession of firearms among several others. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. He noted that many of the suspects that were arrested mostly during the Easter holidays in various locations of Ondo State would be charged to court soon. The Amotekun boss also revealed that two out of the three residents kidnapped along the Police College on Iju Road in Akure have been rescued while the remaining one would soon be freed. He revealed that the victims were rescued by the joint operation of the local security outfit, the police and army at a forest between Iju town and Ita Ogbolu. Adeleye said that the criminals who had already been chased out of the forests were among those wandering the tick forests between Ekiti and Ondo States at midnight. He, however, assured the people of the state of security of life and property and advised them to always report suspected movement in their environs to the security agencies. Adeleye added that Amotekun is determined to make the region uncomfortable for criminals. Chris Benson, team leader for the Cornmarket Project receiving a cheque for 546 from Joanna Lulek who is responsible for the Tesco Community Fund in New Ross. The Cornmarket Project community based addiction treatment and rehabilitation service in New Ross has received a 546 boost from the Tesco Community Fund. The Cornmarket Project which has been based in New Ross for over ten years is a part of Wexford Local Development. It supports substance misusers to move away from a life of illegal drug use and the clutches of addiction, back into being productive members of their communities. Coordinator of the Cornmarket Project Paul Delaney said that the donation from the New Ross branch of Tesco is very welcome coming as it does at a time of an upsurge in illegal drug use in the New Ross area. The Cornmarket Project is based on Priory Quay in New Ross and offer a range of services to those affected by addiction and can be contacted on 087 1188445. There was great sadness in the parish of Templetown among the large congregation of family, friends and neighbours of Eileen Finn (nee Tector) late of Winningtown, Saltmills, who sadly passed away on the March 28, 2023, at Cherrygrove Nursing home, Horeswood at the age of 91. Eileen was the wife of the late Paddy Finn and the daughter of the late Leo and Elizabeth Tector, Raheenvaren, Newbawn, where she spent her early childhood as one of 12 siblings. As was common at the time, Eileen went to live with her maternal grandmother in McCabes of Ballyvergin and went to primary school in Adamstown. At the age of 15, Eileen went to live at Hantons of Stonehouse when her step-aunt Mary Ellen McCabe married John Hanton, and attended Shielbaggin Vocational School during her time there and subsequently helped with the rearing of the young Hanton family to whom she remained fondly attached all her life. While in Stonehouse, Eileen met the love of her life, Paddy Finn and they set up home in Winningtown and went on to have a family of eight children. As a couple, they were hard to divide and seldom seen apart. Eileen was a great wife and mother, always ensuring that the family were well looked after, that they applied themselves to their schooling, as well ensuring that the there was plenty of work for them to do on the farm. Along with being a busy wife and mother, Eileen also found time and was fully committed to parish and community activities. Whether it was keeping the church flowers looking well, or baking her renowned cakes for parish field days or events in the hall, she was always helping out. Eileen was a frequent prize-winner for her baking and jams at the Annual Fethard Show. She was a member of the Fethard ICA for many years and looked forward to their annual bus tours to many parts of the country, coming back with many funny stories. Eileen was a very popular lady in her community and held in high regard by her neighbours for her kind disposition. The house in Winningtown was very much an open house and everyone was well looked after whether just visiting or helping out at busy times on the farm. Eileen was a woman with a great sense of humour, strong values and deep faith and loved meeting people. She would always ensure that she visited her siblings on a regular basis, especially her sisters, where on Sunday afternoon a conversation and great laughter would be heard as well as the clinking of teacups. Eileen liked to dress up for any occasion and loved attending local dinner dances in the Naomh Seosamh Hotel in Fethard to dance the night away and chat to her may friends. The weekly Bingo was a great social outlet for her going multiple evenings a week travelling to Fethard, Campile, Taghmon, Adamstown and coming home with tales of winning or waiting for one number for the snowball, but it was the meeting of friends that meant a lot to her on these occasions. Eileens greatest joy was in her family, and she was proud of them as they made their way in life and fulfilled the role of a much-loved grandmother treating all with equal amounts of her kindness and time. The family home in Winningtown was the meeting place and the big events were special occasions fondly remembered, Eileens funeral mass was celebrated in St Aidans Church in Poulfur on Thursday, March 30, by Fr Michael Doyle, with burial in the new cemetery immediately afterwards. The celebration of her life was made touching and personal by Fr Doyle outlining with pertinent attributes of Eileen interspersed some with humorous memories put together by her loving family. Eileen now joins her beloved Paddy and will be sadly missed by her sons and daughters, Joan, Richard, Bernadette, Leo, Helen, Victor, Sean and Donal, her daughters-in-law, Eileen, Helen, Rhona, Deirdre, and Beverly, her Sons-in-law Noel, Ger and Declan, by her 14 Grandchildren, and eleven great-grandchildren and her brothers Leo, Michael and William and her sisters Lena (Smith), Kathleen(Keating), and Breda (Murphy) and fondly remembered by her friends and neighbours. Eileen was predeceased by her bothers, Sean, Jim and Tom and by her sisters Maura and Ann. A life well lived and fulfilled and now time to reap the rewards. May she rest in peace The children of St Fintans National School in Taghmon have sang their hearts out for charity as part of a fundraising activity organised by local musician Shane Murphy. The Big Busk saw pupils from each of the classes sing with Shane, who is also a parent at the school, in aid of homeless charity Focus Ireland. As a result of their efforts an impressive 610 was raised for the organisation, money which will help those facing homelessness across the country. Each class performed with Shane, we had great craic and great participation throughout the day. I think the most popular song was Wagon Wheel, said principal Geraldine Doyle. Its important for us to be able to raise awareness of issues like this, to help the children understand that not everyone is as fortunate as them. In addition to the fundraiser for Focus Ireland, the children also held a green day which saw them raise a further 383.95 for the Jack & Jill Foundation, an organisation which provides support for children with neurodevelopmental delay. Turbulence is the new exhibition from Bray artist Adam Connors, who took over the vacant unit at Goldsmith Terrace, on Brays Quinnsborough Road last year and transformed it into a space that not only served his needs as an artist, but also brought some colour and vibrancy to the area, particularly in the summer months when his work is on display for passers by to enjoy. While much of Adams art has been inspired by Bray landmarks, he tends more towards the abstract, with his latest exhibition exploring the themes of turbulence and unpredictability in the world of physics. Adam uses alcohol ink to create the desired effect, alcohol evaporating faster than water to leave specific patterns which, when coated with resin, gives the finished product a chaotic appearance. Adam began large-scale painting when he moved to Lisbon in 2015, purely as a hobby in between long hours working at a party hostel. With the chaos of that job getting too much, he moved on to Porto, before moving home in 2019 to pursue a career as an artist. He began selling his work online through social media, but the benefits of having a physical space in the centre of Bray emerged after people began to drop in once they saw him at work through the windows. Adams interpretations of Bray landmarks were initially his best sellers as locals could relate to them and his presence in the town. Physically being there, Adam says, pays off a lot more than trying to sell in the online space. Speaking of which, with a degree in Economics and Finance, Adam has to have a business head on his shoulders as well as an artistic one and plan for the long term. An average, large-scale painting ranging in size from one-two square metres can generate more income, so it wouldnt make sense to scale down. And with no grants or supports, rent to pay on a prime piece of real estate in the town, as well as all those art supplies, the business needs to be viable to forge a career. Help does come from other businesses in Bray, with a recent commission credited to his works being on display at Maison Molie, on Bray seafront. To view more of Adams work, see: adamjconnorsart.com Turbulence opens to the public at Unit 7, Goldsmith Terrace, Quinnsborough Road, Bray on Saturday April 22 at 5.00pm. Gardai at Bray Garda station are reporting a noticeable spike in what they call UTs, referring to unauthorised takings, or thefts of cars, with Japanese import models top of the list for thieves . Sergeant John FitzPatrick, of Bray Garda Station, said there has been a noticeable trend upwards in the occurrence of the crime in the North Wicklow area and noted that many car owners reported their cars were stolen despite the keys (and spares) still being in their possession. Sgt FitzPatrick noted that the thieves are now using technology to their advantage, and one method they use to steal cars without a key is signal relay theft. Key fob radio signal relay thefts are typically done by two car thieves. One will stand next to the victims house with a signal amplifier, walking around the building until a signal from the cars key is picked up. Then, once the signal has been found by the car thief, they amplify the signal which allows a second participant with a transmitter to clone the key. The second person is normally standing beside the car. This second thief stands close enough to the car to unlock the door, allowing them to get in and drive off in almost complete silence. This vulnerability in keyless cars effects almost all of them, because some kind of wireless signal must be transmitted from the key fob in order for the car to know when to unlock the car door without the keys button being pressed. Sgt FitzPatrick advises protecting your car from such a theft by using a Faraday Pouch or box (also referred to as signal blocking pouches) which will block a radio signal. These are widely available and are not expensive. He has advised anybody with a Japanese imported car, especially models manufactured between the years 2014-2016, to check whether their car is fitted with an immobiliser and if not to get one fitted and to have an alarm installed by a reputable third party. There is an ongoing trend with these types of cars being targeted for joy riding, in particular. They are easy targets as, unlike in the EU, Japanese cars are not required to have an immobiliser fitted as standard. Some useful tips to consider are: Look for the flash, listen for the locks to clunk and check the lights flash when leaving car. Store car keys away from windows and doors and entry points. Use a signal blocker like a good quality Faraday pouch or box. Go old school and use a quality steering wheel lock. For a valuable car, fit a car tracker. Consider installing a video doorbell. Keep your cars software and firmware updated. Use a garage if you have one. If parking outside, consider getting security lighting. Consider installing a ghost immobiliser. Meanwhile, a trend in thieves targeting farms and tractors for their GPS devices and receivers has also been reported. A common target for these thefts appears to be GPS devices left in tractors and /or taken from tractors in sheds which have been left unlocked. Farmers use these devices widely to assist with fertiliser spreading and ploughing. Gardai are advising farmers to take note of the following: To report any suspicious activity immediately, particularly when two males are observed. Lock sheds and outhouses, particularly where GPS equipment is stored. Remove GPS systems from tractors at night where possible. Lock tractors after use and at night and report any thefts to gardai immediately. Bray Garda station can be contacted on 01 6665300 or call the Garda confidential line on 1800 666 111. RTE presenter and Bray native Claire Byrne looked radiant under some glorious sunshine on Bray esplanade, as she launched the 2023 Bray Lions Club Darkness into Light Charity Walk. Darkness into Light, which helps Pieta, the suicide counselling and support charity, returns to Bray on Saturday, May 6, with walkers leaving at 4.15am. The route goes from the Seafront via Putland Road, the Vevay, Church Road, Lord Edward Road, Herbert Road and Quinnsborough Road and ends back on the seafront as dawn rises. The Bray event, one of many throughout the country, is organised by Bray Lions Club which has raised some 500,000 for the charity over the years through the walk. Bray Lions will provide stewarding and logistics, with hot beverages, water and snacks at the conclusion of the walk. Members of Greystones Orchestra will also play at the Bandstand. In 2009, in the Phoenix Park in Dublin, 400 people set off on the inaugural Darkness Into Light 5km walk to raise funds for Pieta. From small beginnings, the movement has continued to grow and now the walk attracts more than 200,000 participants. Each year the walk provides an opportunity for people to connect with their local community and to bring hope to people who have been impacted by suicide. Since Darkness Into Light began, the annual walks have helped Pieta raise more than 30 million. These funds have enabled the charity to keep its doors open and to operate a 24/7 free helpline open for people in crisis. Walkers can register online at darknessintolight.ie. Pictured at the launch of the new website for the East Wicklow Business Network at Greystones Golf Club, were CEO of Wicklow County Council, Emer O'Gorman; Cllr Gerry Walsh; Minister of State for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Neale Richmond; Cllr Derek Mitchell and the network's Feargal McKenna. Wicklows business networking group, East Wicklow Business Network (EWBN), held its Spring Business Breakfast Briefing at the Greystones Golf Club, where Minister of State for the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment Neale Richmond was in attendance. The event marked the groups official launch of its new website. Mr Richmond discussed how the creation of jobs was a result of the creation of enterprise and the network was a fundamental part of the eco-system that allows enterprise to thrive. He noted the importance of digitisation and sustainability, two factors that were leading the way to changes in business, and how they were being led by consumer demand rather than government intervention. The minister recognised the significant power that stems from groups of people coming together and was excited with the energy in the room from leaders within the Wicklow business community. During the event, Mr Richmond also fielded questions from the audience, discussing the recent legislative changes to pensions (auto enrolment), as well as the new opportunities provided by local credit unions for business capital. Mark Atkins, representing the EWBN committee, outlined the activity of the group over the past 12 months which has included numerous business breakfast networking events, business social evenings and workshops designed to help local businesses develop and grow. Past speakers at these events have included Dragons Dens Sean Gallagher, Brookes & Shoals founder Alison Banton, and Chairman of the addiction and homelessness charity Tiglin, Aubrey McCarthy. At the briefing, Mark showcased the website and laid out plans for the future of the network, which will include a members directory. The network currently has over 220 registered businesses and a strong following on social media that the committee intends to grow as the network builds on its current strengths. The recently appointed CEO of Wicklow County Council, Emer O'Gorman, welcomed the efforts of the group to support local businesses. Ms O'Gorman expressed her support for the initiative and her eagerness to work with the group to learn how the council can provide practical help to businesses in the area. The success of the EWBN is a testament to the hard work and dedication of its members, who are committed to driving economic activity in the region. With the launch of its new website and the support of the government and Wicklow County Council, the EWBN is poised to become a vital resource for businesses in the region. For more information on the East Wicklow Business Network please visit the new website at: www.wicklowbusiness.ie Sinn Fein Cllr Grace McManus, Deputy John Brady and Cllr Dermot 'Daisy' O'Brien at the gates of Rockbrae House, which was transferred to Wicklow County Council last May. Fire crews from Bray and Greystones took almost five hours to extinguish the fire at Rockbrae House, on Vevay Road, Bray, in the early hours of Easter Sunday morning. The fire which engulfed Rockbrae House, on Vevay Road, in Bray, in the early hours of Easter Sunday morning. Crews from Bray and Greystones Fire Services were called to the scene of a massive blaze at Rockbrae House, on the Vevay Road, in Bray, in the early hours of Easter Sunday morning. Chief Fire Officer at Wicklow Fire Service Aidan Dempsey said fire fighters from both stations attended the scene at 4.30am on Sunday, April 9, with work to extinguish the fire continuing until 9.00am. Mr Dempsey said by the time the crews arrived the house was totally ablaze, with flames already coming through the roof, meaning the fire had already consumed the entire bulding, which, although on the busy Vevay Road, is hidden from public view by trees. They were joined by gardai from Bray and an ambulance was also called but no casualties were reported at the scene. The five-acre site, which was formerly used by the Defence Forces as its HQ in Bray when it bought it in 1945, was transferred to Wicklow County Council last year after a proposal to the former Minister for Defence Paul Kehoe was made by Wicklow Sinn Fein TD John Brady in 2018. The area is now zoned residential in the Bray Municipal District Local Area Plan. Deputy Brady said he had been campaigning for a number of years for Wicklow County Council to take control of the site for housing, but the building had remained in a derelict state and was a cause of concern for the local residents in the adjoining estate in Charnwood, with elements of anti-social behaviour ongoing over the last while. Investigations into the cause of the blaze are ongoing. The green light has finally been given for work on Greystones Community College (GCC) to go to tender, after the plans for the new building were stalled because of funding delays. Health Minister Stephen Donnelly welcomed the news from the Department of Education that plans are being moved to the next stage. With full planning permission in place, it is expected the school will be able to get the tender process completed within a matter of months. "I'm absolutely delighted to see the school getting the go ahead to move to the tender stage, the Wicklow TD said. Read more Work to resume on Greystones Community College after rising costs stalled project "My understanding from talking to officials within the Department is that it should proceed pretty quickly as it is a much sought after project. "It has been a long road for the school to get to this point but today's announcement is a huge step in the right direction. "The parents and school management have rightly been pushing hard to see building work start as soon as possible. "I'll continue to work closely with them to make sure the project continues to progress. "The parents and pupils as well as staff at GCC deserve their new state-of-the-art school to be open at the earliest possible time. "Today is a brilliant day for the school but there's still a lot of work left to be done to get to where we need to be." The new building which is to include 37 general classrooms, 20 specialist classrooms, a PE hall and a special education unit was expected to be built by September 2024, but the delays had put paid to any plans to have the facility ready in time for the start of the next academic year. St James COI, Crinken Services of Worship for this Sunday The Third Sunday of Easter: 11am - Morning Praise Service. Further information from the Church website. Church Events/Activities: Check the Churchs web-site for regular updates. Rathmichael COI Parish Worship Services for this Sunday The Third Sunday of Easter: 8.30am - Holy Communion; 11am - Morning Prayer, followed by the Easter Vestry; 7pm - Holy Communion. Easter General Vestry: The Annual Easter General Vestry meeting will take place after the 11am service this Sunday. We encourage all members of the church to attend this important meeting, during which we will be hearing a presentation on the proposed trip to Kenya later this year. Services of Worship for this Sunday: Worship continues to be streamed by the National Cathedral - https://www.stpatrickscathedral.ie/worship/video-stream/ and the Diocesan Cathedral https://christchurchcathedral.ie/worship/video-stream-1/ along with other resources that are shared via the United Dioceses Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DublinandGlendalough/. Rathmichael in Kenya: During the second week of March Revd. Sean and Geoffrey Perrin travelled to the Diocese of Maseno North in Kenya. The Diocese is located on the equator, in Western Kenya an area that gets regular rain-fall and which is home to the Kakamega Rainforest. They were there as guests of the Diocesan Bishop, Rt. Revd. Charles Kascan Asilutwa. Bishop Charles had met our own Archbishop Michael at the Lambeth Conference last summer and the hopeful link with Rathmichael was made. After many months of planning and investigation by the Vestry of Rathmichael, led by Geoffrey Perrin, the Rector and Rectors Glebe Warden travelled for the short trip to make further investigations as to the potential for a mission link between Rathmichael, and the Parish of Wandeche in Kenya whose school is in urgent need of refurbishment. Rev. Sean and Geoffrey both felt a strong sense of Gods hand with them on the journey, and especially in their meeting with the people of Wandeche. On their return to Dublin the Vestry agreed to firm the link with Wandeche and Rathmichael parish are looking forward to the opportunities and challenges which this will present in the coming months. It is hoped to take a work party to the school in Kenya later this year to carry out the works. The welcome in Maseno North Diocese was generous and sincere and we can wholeheartedly encourage other parishes to explore similar links in the Diocese. Coffee and Cake: Coffee and cake takes place every Saturday morning from 11am to 12noon and is a lovely way to keep in touch with friends and parishioners. If you are passing by Rathmichael church on a Saturday morning - please drop in - we would love to see you. Irish Trefoil Guild - Guiding for Life: Calling all former leaders of the Irish Girl Guides in Bray and the surrounding area. There is now a Trefoil Guild in Bray. Contact Anne at braytrefoilguild@gmail.com. Shankill Bible Church Shankill Bible Church, Glenmaris, Eaton Wood Grove - Sunday Worship: 9.30am - Sunday School (3 to 12 years): 10am - Sunday Service. For further information see www.shankillbiblechurch.org for further information. St. Annes Parish St. Annes Parish Website: The parish website is www.stannesparishshankill.com. St. Annes Parish Office: The Parish Office located in St. Annes Resource Centre is open between 9am and 12.30pm Monday to Friday email: st.annes_parishoffice@yahoo.ie or call 01-282 2277/ 01-282 2704. Bookings for Baptisms: Bookings for Baptisms are now being accepted. Please call the Parish Office on 01-2822704 or 01-2822277 for more information. Available from St. Annes Resource Centre: Available to purchase in St. Annes Resource Centre are Mass Cards, Prayer Booklets, Rosary Beads and Baptism Candles. Masses: Weekday Masses are celebrated Monday to Friday at 10am, and on Saturday at 10am and 6.30pm (Vigil). Sunday Masses are celebrated at 10am, 12pm, and 6pm. On Holy Days of Obligation the Vigil Mass is celebrated at 7.30pm the previous evening and on the Holy Day at 10am,12Noon, and 7.30pm. All Masses are available online through the link Watch Us Live. St. Annes Church is open for private prayer. Church visitors should wear a face covering, observe social distancing, and use the hand sanitizer provided. Change to Mass time: As part of the rationalisation of the celebration of Mass in the current parish grouping St. Annes Parish is part of, with effect from Saturday May 6th the celebration of the Saturday 6.30pm Vigil Mass in St. Annes Church will take place at 5pm for an experimental period after which the best time for the celebration of this Saturday Vigil Mass will be decided. Parish Services on Webcam: All are welcome to view our services on the parish webcam www.stannesparishshankill.com. Family Offering: If you would like to contribute to the Family Offering, please contact the Parish office in St. Annes Resource Centre to arrange a Box of Envelopes. It is also possible to contribute through the donate button on the parish website. Bethany Bereavement Ministry: We have a drop in service at St. Annes Resource Centre on the First Friday of each month at 10.30am. The Bethany Bereavement Support Group is a voluntary ministry and their counsellors are trained to listen and to help those bereaved and grieving. The service is free to all adults over 18 years. If you have suffered a loss and would like to speak with a member of the Bethany Bereavement Ministry team, please contact 01-282 2277. This is a FREE listening service provided by trained volunteers in the community. Bethany offers a safe and confidential environment for listening and sharing with others who understand in Annes Resource Centre, Shankill. Lourdes Fund-Easter Chicks: A very special thank you for your support and generosity once again this year. Thank you to the group of ladies who have worked so hard throughout the year knitting and sewing in the hatchery. We hope they will now enjoy a well deserved rest. Lectio Divina Prayer Group: The Lectio Divina Prayer Group meets every Tuesday morning after 10am Mass, in St. Annes Resource Centre. All are welcome! Shankill Conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul: If you wish to donate at any stage, you may do so by leaving a donation into St. Annes Resource Centre or using the QR code by scanning to your smart phone or I phone using the QR App. If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, please call 087-6962785. All calls are treated in strict confidence. Parish Pilgrimage to Knock: The Parish Pilgrimage to the Knock Shrine will take place on the Feast of Our Lady, Queen of Apostles, Saturday May 27th. The trip will cost 25 per person, and there will be a stop on the journey down for tea and scones. Call the Parish Office on 01-2822704 to book a place. Pallottine Pilgrimage to Lourdes: Takes place from Thursday July 27th to Monday July 31st. The cost of the trip, with Marian Pilgrimages, is 695 per person sharing. To book, please call Marian Pilgrimages on 01-8788159 and then once you have booked, call the Parish Office on 01-2822277 to let us know you are travelling with the group Childrens Liturgy: The Childrens Liturgy has resumed and will be held during 10am Mass every Sunday. The liturgy is prepared for children of primary school age (Junior Infants upwards), but of course all are welcome. Each week, children (accompanied by a parent/guardian) will be invited to gather at the left side entrance inside the church shortly after the start of Mass. They will go together to the Parish Centre in St. Annes Resource Centre, and will rejoin Mass in the church for the Offertory. U.A.C.: The Union of Catholic Apostolate (UAC) April meeting will take place next Monday at 7.30pm in St. Annes Resource Centre. You are welcome to come along if you would like to learn about the life and ministry of St. Vincent Pallotti. Invitation: Johnstown Parish have extended an invitation to all Parishioners to attend a screening of Pope Francis The Letter tonight (Wednesday) at 7pm in the Johnstown Parish Pastoral Centre. After the film, introduced by Jane Mellett of Trocaire, there will be a short question and answer session. All are welcome! Cemetery Sunday: This years annual Remembrance Mass and Blessing of Graves will take place in Shanganagh Cemetery at 3pm on Sunday May 28th. Support Network: A support network for separated, divorced and re-married people has been set up by the St. Annes Parish community and is open to people of all faiths and none. All are welcome! Text: 087-3814213 or email: listeningear14@gmail.com. All communications are guaranteed to be completely confidential. Shankill Library Opening hours are 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; and 2pm to 8pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, open on alternate Fridays and Saturdays the library will be closed this Friday and open this Saturday, Computer use is available. Online services including e-books, audio-books, digital magazines and newspapers and e-learning are available via the library website. The library can be contacted at 01-2823081 or by email at: shankilllib@dlrcoco.ie. Book borrowers can renew their books on-line at any time. Rathmichael Historical Society The Rathmichael Historical Society, the local history society for Shankill and the surrounding area, is always interested in new members and offers three levels of membership Individual (25), Family (30) and Student (5). The simplest way to join the Society is via its web page: https://rathmichaelhistoricalsociety.ie/rhs-membership; send a cheque to the Honorary Treasurer, Rathmichael Historical Society, Gort na nEan, Dublin Road, Shankill, Dublin 18; Please include your name, address and email. Members and supporters of the Rathmichael Historical Society are asked to note that the following events will take place in the week ahead: today (Wednesday) as part the of dlr Spring into Heritage programme Rob Goodbody will present The Metals in Marlay House, Marlay Park, Rathfarnham, Co. Dublin. Admission is free but booking essential via webcloudone.com/dlrheritageevents; tomorrow (Thursday) Carmel Ui Ceallaigh will present The Life and Times of Anna Haslam. At 7.30pm in The Eblana Club, 3 Eblana Avenue, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. Admission is free but booking is required via eblanaclub@gmail.com; the AGM of the Dun Laoghaire Borough Historical Society will take place at 8pm in the Royal Marine Hotel, Marine Road, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, and all members are requested to attend. The AGM will be followed by the annual Treasure Night presented by members. All are welcome - admission is 5. Please note the change of meeting night for this month; Paolo Viscardi, Deputy Keeper of the Dead Zoo, Museum of Natural History, Dublin, will present Richard Barrington, Human Science and Animal Science tat 8pm to the Bray Cualann Historical Society in the Royal Hotel, Main Street, Bray, Co. Wicklow. All are welcome - admission is 8 for non-members; next Tuesday night James Scannell will present Rough Justice Crime & Punishment in 19th Century Dublin at 6.30pm in Kevin Street Library, 18 Lower Kevin Street, Dublin 8. Admission is free but booking is required via www.onedublinonebook.ie; next Wednesday Paul Murray will present Lafcadio Hearn: Irish Experiences & The Making of a Writer at 1pm to the Ballsbridge, Sandymount & History Society in Pembroke Library, Anglesea Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. Admission is free all are welcome but booking is essential via 01-2228541 or email: pembrokelibrary@dublincity.ie; Christopher Morash will present Dublin, A Writers City at 6.30pm in Rathmines Library, Rathmines Road, Rathmines, Dublin 6. Admission is free. First Saturday Book Sale The May First Saturday Book Sale, which supports the Shankill Old Folks Association will take place in the Shankill Old Folks Association Day Centre, Lower Road, Shankill, on Saturday May 6th from 10am to 1pm and all are welcome to attend. This will be an excellent opportunity to obtain some first class reading material for during the Summer. The First Saturday Book Sale continues to adhere to strict safety guidelines with all precautionary health measures in place. Donations of books, which must be in a clean and good condition appreciated. Shankill Bridge Club Shankill Bridge Club meets in St. Annes Resource Centre on Monday afternoons at 2pm, except on Bank Holiday Mondays, New members are welcome no playing partner needed. Bereavement Support The Irish Hospice Foundation provides a free Bereavement Support Line. This National Freephone Service is available from 10am to 1pm, Monday to Friday, by calling 1800 807077. Visit www.hospicefoundation.ie for more information. Spring Woodland Saunter The SAGE & Shankill Tidy Towns Spring Woodland Saunter takes place this Sunday. Assemble at St. Annes Church at 2.30pm. The walk will visit woodlands and parkland in the Shankill area, including Cherrywood Park, Loughlinstown Wood, Shanganagh Cliffs, Rathsallagh and Mill Lane. The walk will cover approximately 7km, and take 2 to 3 hours. Participants take part at their own risk, should wear appropriate footwear, dress for the days prevailing weather conditions, and bring refreshments. Storytellers group Storytellers is a readers and writers group for people who love fiction and poetry. Its similar to a book club, except, instead of everyone reading the same book (s), each member brings in a book/poem of their choice (it can be something they have read or written). Inspired by the Seanchai tradition, but through the medium of the English language, each participant is encouraged to read aloud from their chosen piece of fiction/poetry and discuss it with the group. Chosen books can be anything from the latest Booker Prize winner to a book picked up at random in a second-hand sale we have a strict no-snobbery rule. However, we are banning non-fiction, political topics or anything related to campaigns; the aim of the group is to help us all get out of our own heads and into our imagination. Also, no racism, sexism, snobbery or anything inappropriate in civil discourse. Over-18s only. Its completely non-profit, but we suggest members make a contribution to the resource centre (they can pay at the office on the way in). The group meets on the first Monday of every month, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., in St Annes Parish Resource Centre, Shankill. Everything is to be arranged through the Resource Centre (no private arrangements). Contact details: st.annes_parishoffice@yahoo.ie or 01 2822704/2822277. China mulls carrying out its first near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) defense demonstration test to approach an asteroid and observe it closely before hitting it to alter its orbit around 2030, according to a key expert in the country's space industry. Chen Qi, head of the Institute of System Research of China's Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, said China aims to carry out a kinetic impact on an asteroid around 2030, to achieve the diversion of its orbit between 2030 and 2035, and hopefully to have the preliminary ability to control its orbit by 2045. China's deep space exploration experts, including Chen, revealed the roadmap for defense against NEAs during the International Deep Space Exploration Conference, hosted by the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory in Hefei. The potential impact of near-Earth asteroids on Earth is a major threat to the long-term sustainable development of mankind, and the research and development of defense technology is an important initiative to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind in outer space, Chen added. In 2022, the China National Space Administration issued an action plan that clearly states the promotion of near-Earth asteroid monitoring, warning, and defense capabilities. Also at the conference, China's Deep Space Exploration Laboratory launched a global campaign soliciting an overall plan, name, and logo for the first demonstration test of China's NEA defense mission and the proposal for the subsequent missions. According to Chen, Chinese experts have also laid out several requirements for the proposals. For instance, the crash with the asteroid should not pose a threat to Earth. The target asteroid should not be too far away, and can be observed by ground-based telescopes. "We are willing to cooperate extensively with our international counterparts to jointly develop the payloads, conduct joint global ground-based observations, and share scientific application data," added Chen. Cholera outbreaks in 14 African countries, including Zimbabwe, have so far claimed a total 3 288 people. A cumulative 160 756 suspected cholera cases and 3 288 deaths have been recorded, reflecting a Case Fatality Rate of 2,1% as at April 4, 2023. As a result, the local response mechanism has been heightened to screen travellers at border posts. Addressing a post Cabinet media briefing Tuesday, Information Minister, Monica Mutsvangwa said Vice President and Health Minister Constantino Chiwenga assured the nation buffers had been put in place to avoid further spread of the bacterial disease. "Active surveillance is ongoing at points of entry and exit, while water and sanitation provision is being intensified in communities at high risk," said Mutsvangwa. The cholera outbreak in the African region continues to evolve, with 14 countries currently reporting cases, among them Malawi, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Cameroon, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania and Burundi, among others. Mutsvangwa said the country has been put on high alert of the disease in the wake of rising number of new cases. "While efforts to contain the cholera outbreak have been intensified, the nation is being informed that as of 23 April 2023, Zimbabwe's cumulative suspected cases had reached 536, with 503 recoveries and three deaths. "Nine out of the country's ten provinces have reported suspected cases, with only Matabeleland North province still unaffected by the outbreak. "The most recent six suspected cases were reported in Midlands province. The worst affected provinces are Matabeleland South which recorded 186 cases; and Manicaland with 152 cases." "Cabinet wishes to assure the nation that the cholera risk assessment is ongoing in all provinces in order to determine the targeting of oral cholera vaccination." Equally at home with folk, country, bluegrass or blues, Bray native Aoife Doyle has recorded and performed with many prominent Irish musicians, including Tommy Halferty, Hugh Buckley, Michael Buckley and singer Sinead OConnor and recently got to share the stage with the Beautiful Souths Paul Heaton. Originally from Bray, Aoife is now living in Co Clare, where, with more time to reflect and with nature as a muse has been able to devote more time to her songwriting, which is evident on her third album, Infinitely Clear. Infinitely Clear is her second album of original music, released in April 2022 on independent label Rannagh Records. It was produced by one of Irelands most renowned musicians and producers, saxophonist Michael Buckley (who plays the Mermaid Arts Centre at 8pm on Saturday April 29) and features a host of stellar Irish musicians, including Aoife's longtime band Johnny Taylor, Andrew Csibi, Dominic Mullan. While she grew up in a house steeped in traditional and folk music, her love of jazz and blues began as a teenager after hearing Billie Holiday, later discovering Ella Fitzgerald, before being inspired to study jazz at Newpark Music Centre in Dublin. Described as a confection of jazz, folk, soul and country, Infinitely Clear was picked up by Marty Whelan on his popular breakfast show, Marty in the Morning, on Lyric FM, as the album of the week. The well-loved broadcaster loved it so much he went even further to help it along. I did the launch in the Hot Spot [in Greystones], Aoife says, and he gave albums away every day in the run-up to that, as well. So, I got an extra week of exposure. He liked the music, though. Not everyone in RTE are music fans. But Marty and Fiachna O Braonain [of Hothouse Flowers and RTEs Late Date] always play new artists and Irish artists. Wicklows East Coast also backed Aoife after she entered a song competition at the station in 2021, and was chosen as the winner for her striking voice and unique musical tone. It feels unaffected and authentic rare to hear these days, the judges said. But getting airplay isnt always easy on terrestrial stations. East Coast Radio were great as well, Aoife says, I entered a song competition with them and won it, in 2021. They were a great supporter of my music. But what I do isnt necessarily a fit for all the [radio] shows. Folk is a big thing in Ireland. My music is jazz, but its very much a hybrid of other styles as well. It wouldnt be fair to jazz, to say its jazz. But in Ireland, because its not pure folk, they just say its jazz. In the UK, theyd be inclined to call it Americana or a broader term. So you have a lot more stations to get played on. Aoife has had a busy spell, with shows in Paris with the Parisiennes really loving what she did the Cork Jazz Festival and something of an impromptu performance with Paul Heaton. Paul Heaton was touring in Ireland and he tweeted one of my songs one day, Aoife says. And he asked me to support him on one of his Irish dates, then he asked me to sing with him, because Jacqui Abbot was sick. I played with him at the INEC in Killarney. Things like that are great, if youre putting stuff out and somebody just stumbles on it and gives you a gig like that. Aoife has shows coming up at the Sofa Sessions in Kilkenny and the Westport Jazz Festival, both in May. But the Bray Jazz Festival is always a sort of homecoming gig that she cherishes. Bray Jazz is great, she says. George and Dorothy [organisers ] do it for the love of it, and its a lot of work. And theyre always very inclusive of Irish musicians, which is really nice because they could just get all these international acts and overlook Irish musicians. But they go out of their way to have a diverse range of musicians and local acts. Im delighted to be playing the festival, I do have a lot of time for the organisers because theyre so supportive. Its a huge achievement that theyve kept the festival going all this time. Aoife Doyle and band play the Harbour Bar at Bray Jazz Festival 2023, Saturday, April 29 at 6.00pm. Admission is free. See: aoifedoyle.com Mermaid Arts Centre is celebrating its 21st anniversary this year and has announced an open call for visual artists in Wicklow to exhibit their works in a group exhibition which is taking place between July and September 2023. The exhibition aims to showcase contemporary art made in Ireland, with a particular focus on work from Wicklow and its environs. Artists can submit a maximum of two works in 2D, which can include painting, photography, print, drawing, lens-based media or mixed media. 3D works are also encouraged, including sculpture and textiles. Works outside these categories will not be accepted and any work submitted must have been created from 2018 onwards. As Mermaid is Wicklows County Arts Centre, artists based in or from Co Wicklow are particularly encouraged to submit. If selected, the work must be delivered to Mermaid Arts Centre between July 3 and 5 by the artist or a nominated representative. Artists are urged to note that submissions for consideration must be made through the dedicated submission platform which is online only. Each submission will require the name of the artist, title, dimensions, description, medium and an accompanying Jpeg of the work (must not exceed 3MB). This image may be used for the sales catalogue, website or additional promotional material and must be of good quality. All work selected for exhibition may be for sale. A commission of 30% is payable to Mermaid Arts Centre and a price should also be indicated if the work is for sale. The deadline for entries is April 23 and successful artists will be notified by June 9. The opening date of the exhibition will be July 15 and it will run until September 23. For more details see: mermaidartscentre.ie At first glance it appears to be about Russia, given the colours of the Russian national flag are clearly visible (albeit with the wrong shade of blue), but the wording itself has confounded translators. Last year, Russian graffiti appeared at the Dark Hedges, the route in North Antrim made famous after being featured in Game Of Thrones. On that occasion, the words were written in English and read: Z glory to Russia. In Letterkenny, Co Donegal, the letter Z was also scrawled on walls around the town. There is no letter Z in the Russian (Cyrillic) alphabet, so its use has baffled commentators since it became widespread as a symbol of support for the Russian invasion. Some speculated it referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy; others that it referred to the West (from the Russian word Zapad), while many have dispensed with the mystery and believe the symbol is simply a way for Russia's military to identify its own forces. The famous Little Mermaid statue, in Copenhagen, was defaced with the colours of the Russian flag last month, while the letter Z also appeared on a Holocaust memorial in Latvia. In those cases, the intent was clear. The graffiti on Bray Head is more baffling. There may be a letter Z somewhere in the jumble of letters, but not as a standalone symbol. Having contacted several Russian translators regarding what the graffiti says, none were able to confirm with any great accuracy what the words mean. However, it is thought the first word on the tree limb could be translated as Vlad, though it should be written as in the Russian alphabet, whereas this is written as a combination of both English (Roman) and Cyrillic. Over the Russian flag on the rock, the letters CCCP are clear, which is the Cyrillic abbreviation for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Wicklow residents are encouraged to participate in a 100K in 30 Days fundraiser in aid of the Marie Keating Foundation this June, with Eimear Coffey signed up as Wicklows ambassador for the event. Marie Keating lost her life to breast cancer 25 years ago and her son Ronan Keating will be running 100km across the 30 days of June to raise awareness and show support for the Foundation he and his siblings set up in her name. Joining Ronan in the challenge are his wife Storm, children Missy and Jack, Dancing with the Stars Judge Arthur Gourounlian, Today FM presenter Dara Quilty, and broadcasters Glenda Gilson, Norah Casey, Laura Woods and Anna Daly, to name but a few. This year marks the fourth anniversary of the event, which has raised over 4m has been raised for breast cancer services in Ireland, including the state-of-the-art Clinical Trial Centre in the new Breast Centre at Beaumont Hospital. Ronan Keating said: We lost Mum 25 years ago, she was just 51. Mums cancer was one of the most curable forms of breast cancer but unfortunately, she didnt know enough about it. Thats why its crucial that we get the message out there of the importance of early detection, it can save your life! So much money has been raised by so many people over the last three years and The Marie Keating Foundation is very grateful to be the chosen charity for the 2023 100k in 30 Days challenge, and we will do all we can to make this the best year yet. 100K in 30 Days was founded by Co. Louth (Blackrock, Dundalk) couple Niall Carroll and Cara McAdam and launched in 2020 after Cara was diagnosed with breast cancer. They are delighted to team up with The Marie Keating Foundation for this years event. Liz Yeates, CEO of the Marie Keating Foundation and breast cancer survivor, commented: Some of the breast cancer services provided by the Marie Keating Foundation that will benefit from this years event include our community nursing service, Schools Cancer Awareness Programme, Comfort Fund, BRCA Peer To Peer Support, Survive and Thrive Programmes and Positive Living Workshops supporting our Cancer Community at every step." Registration for the 100K in 30 Days fundraiser in aid of the Marie Keating Foundation is now open at www.100kin30days.ie FR James Jim Crowe of the 1969 St Patricks Missionary Society class was laid to rest last month at St Patricks Missionary Society cemetery in Kiltegan following his funeral mass held in St Senans, Clonlara, Co Clare On Sunday, February 19 he was visited by his niece Marcella in the afternoon and by Fr Tomas OConnor at around 7pm. He died unexpectedly later that night around 9.30 p.m. His death was broadcast on many media outlets in Brazil and President Lula, a personal friend of Jim, and other prominent politicians tweeted their sadness at his passing. James Crowe, popularly known as Jim, was born on March 7, 1945 in Clonlara, Co Clare, to James Crowe and his wife Josephine (nee Heffernan). Jim was one of ten children and he attended Clonlara National School from 1949 to 1957 and had his secondary education in Sexton Street CBS, Limerick from 1957 to 1962. In September 1962 he joined the Spiritual Year in Kiltegan. From 1963 to 1965 Jim studied philosophy in Cork and then proceeded to Kiltegan for theology from 1965 to 1969. Jim was one of 19 young men ordained for St Patricks Missionary Society, by Bishop Lennon on April 6, 1969. After ordination he was appointed to Sao Paulo, Brazil. After some months learning Portuguese, Jim moved into the parish of Embu where he remained for 17 years. In 1975 he was joined by his lifelong friend Fr Eddie McGettrick. Embu was a growing parish in a rapidly expanding city. When Jim began the population of the parish was about 7,000 and a decade later it would be close to 200,000. In 1987 Jim and Eddie moved into a new area on the periphery of the city which became famous as Jardim Angela. In 1986 it was declared the most violent area in the world. It was here that Jim made his home and the locus for his ministry and activism for the next 33 years. In 1991 Jim was elected the Regional Leader of St Patricks Missionary Society for South America and the Caribbean, for a 6 year term. Jim became totally engrossed in the implementation of the pastoral strategy promulgated by the Bishops Conference of South America from their famous meetings in Medellin, Columbia in 1968 and in Puebla, Mexico in 1979. This was the time in Brazil when the military were dominating politics, but when the church was preaching and living Liberation theology. Jim was at the forefront of this pastoral strategy, of training lay leaders in the parish to take a very active part in the sacramental life of the Church. Jim worked as part of a parish pastoral team with sisters and lay people. He also collaborated with other Christian churches and groups in civil society to bring about programmes and social schemes to improve the lives of the people. In an area where crime and drugs were rampant, Jim and Eddie organised a March for Life and Peace in 1996 which attracted about 5,000 people the first year and grew to about 20,000 in the following years. Another area of focus for Jims work was campaigning against police corruption and torture, which put his life in danger. However, he survived which strengthened his faith and belief in Christs protection. Jim was well known in Brazil and was often on state TV promoting the values of human rights and speaking out against corruption. Heretired from Brazil in 2020 and went to live with his family in his native Clare. At the end of January 2023 he was admitted to hospital in Limerick. Jim is survived by his sisters Noreen, Marcella (Dorran) and Josephine (Grogan), brothers Pat, George and Raymond, sisters-in-law Kitty and Bernie, brother-in-law Meredith, nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, grand-nephews, his many friends in Brazil and Ireland and his Society family in Kiltegan. THE St Patricks Missionary Society pass on their sympathies to the family and friends of Fr Sean Rynn, who died peacefully on March 16 in the St Patricks Care Unit in Kiltegan. His funeral mass was held in St Patricks Chapel Kiltegan followed by his burial in the Society Cemetery. Sean was a respected teacher in his earlier years in Ikot Ekpene and a much-loved pastor in all the parishes in the four countries he worked in. He was often described as one of natures gentlemen, who always had a kind word for everyone, interspersed with wit and funny comments. He was a committed missionary who kept up to date by participating in renewal programmes like Faith and Mission in Dalgan in 1980 and the spiritual renewal programme in St. Beunos, Wales in 1990. Sean was a missionary to the core, always ready to go where he was needed most, showing great flexibility in settling down in different cultures and adapting to the different pastoral approaches demanded by the particular country he was assigned to work in. John Joseph Rynn, popularly known as Sean, was born on April 13, 1938 in Druminalass House, Ballinaglera, Co Leitrim, to John Thomas Rynn and his wife Teresa (nee Leydon). Sean had one brother Jim. He attended Urbal National School from 1945 to 1952 and had his secondary education in St Patricks College, Cavan, from 1952 to 1957. In September 1957 Sean joined the Spiritual Year in Kiltegan. From 1958 to 1961 he studied for his BA degree in Cork and then proceeded to Kiltegan for theology from 1961 to 1965. Sean was among 18 priests ordained for St. Patricks Missionary Society by Bishop Cleary on April 18th 1965. After ordination Sean was appointed to Ikot Ekpene diocese in Nigeria where he ministered until the end of the Biafran war in 1970. After completing a sabbatical programme in Glenart, Co Wicklow, he was transferred to Eldoret Diocese, Kenya. After spending 28 years in Africa, he took on a new mission to the people of Grenada. In 1997 he was called to make another change to minister in the parish of St. Augustines, Datchet, England. In 2017 Seans health forced him to retire to Kiltegan where he was cared for by the staff of the Care Unit for the last six years. He endured a variety of health emergencies during these years but made numerous recoveries. On the morning of March 16, he attended a lecture on end of life care wishes, along with the rest of the Kiltegan community and staff. However, after dinner he took a turn. Just after 7 pm he passed away peacefully in the presence of Frs. Enda Kelly and Ned Grace. Sean is predeceased by his parents John Thomas and Teresa and his brother Jim and his sister-in-law Kay. He is survived by his nephew Sean and his wife Cliona and their family, and his Society family in Kiltegan. THE West Wicklow Chamber Music Festival returns with a stellar programme of events lined up for the month of May that promises to take audiences on an exciting musical voyage from Bach to Bowie and beyond. The festival will feature saxophonist and broadcaster Jess Gillams debut performances in Ireland and the debut Irish performance from acclaimed vocal ensemble Apollo5 . It will also be the first Wicklow performance for the Irish Chamber Orchestra to perform a Carnival of the Animals family concert with pianists Fiachra Garvey and Soo-Jung After a nearly sold out run of concerts last year, the Jess Gillam Ensemble is heading out on a 14-date summer tour, including a stop at the West Wicklow Chamber Music Festival for their debut Irish performance taking place in the Tramway Theatre, Blessington, on Saturday, May 20. The group of eight musical friends have a bold, uplifting and open-minded approach - although they are rooted in classical music, they take inspiration from musical worlds far and wide. Expect to hear a new spin on CPE Bach, the drive and groove of music by John Harle, Will Gregory (Goldfrapp) and Barbara Thompson, folk infusions and the soaring beauty of music by Sakamoto, Debussy and maybe even some Bjork. The critically acclaimed a cappella five-piece Apollo5 is one of Britains smallest but most formidable vocal groups. Comprising a soprano, mezzo-soprano, two tenors and a bass, the ensemble has delighted audiences around the world with its rich, dynamic sound, demonstrating how powerful five voices alone can be. For their West Wicklow Chamber Music Festival appearance on Sunday, May 21 at St Marys Church, Apollo5 have selected a programme that includes music from their acclaimed album, Where All Roses Go. An energetic exploration of the joy and despair of human love, their performance will include choral music spanning 500 years, from some of the earliest known polyphonic writing through to pop favourites like Your Song, The Way You Look Tonight and Only You. Packed with humour and mischievous fun, Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals is adored by children and grown-ups the world over. The brilliant Irish Chamber Orchestra, performing for the first time in County Wicklow at the Tramway Theatre on Sunday, May 21 will be on hand to bring all the various animals to life, with the help of actor Evanna Lynch (Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts) and Soo-Jung Ann and Fiachra Garvey fighting it out on two grand pianos. From the Tortoises lumbering Can-Can, to crazy Wild Donkeys and the graceful Swan, music and animal-lovers of all ages will be in for a fantastical musical treat! On Wednesday, May 17, violinist Patrick Rafter will be joined by Fiachra Garvey on piano for a concert taking place at Russborough at 8 p.m. Performing on Thursday, May 18, in Russborough will be Jess Gillam (saxophone), Sam Becker (double bass) and Leif Kaner-Lidstrom (piano). Fiachra Garvey will be joining the Navarra Quartet onstage at Russborough on Friday, May 19. The Rising Stars concert takes place at 3.30 p.m. on Saturday, May 20 in Russborough House and will feature Amy Gillen (flute) and Frasier Hickland (piano). Book your tickets online at the West Wicklow Chamber Music Festival website. All five Aldi stores in Co Wicklow will be introducing the autism friendly measures. ALDI Ireland has launched the nationwide roll out of autism-friendly hours, including Co Wicklow stores, which will see the implementation of a number of autism-friendly measures in ALDI stores every Tuesday between 6.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.. Following a successful trial, ALDI has introduced the measure across their entire store network of 156 stores in Ireland begins on Monday, 24 April. During the autism-friendly hours, ALDI stores will limit noise in stores, especially at the tills, by decreasing the volume of scanners, and by turning off unnecessary announcements and will switch off digital screens to limit harsh light in store. They also welcome assistance dog in our stores at all times. The initiative will be rolled out across all five Wicklow Aldi stores, located in Arklow, Baltinglass, Bray, Greystones and Rathnew. The use of JAM cards will also be rolled out in all ALDI stores to increase accessibility for all shoppers. JAM cards, which can be presented as a physical card or by app, offer discreet accessibility by allowing people to ask for a minute of patience in any situation they need. Alongside these measures, store colleagues will also be briefed prior to the commencement of the autism-friendly hours and asked to consider noise levels and any additional needs customers may have. Nicola Tipping, Business Development Manager at NOW Group, a social enterprise committed to supporting those with autism and learning difficulties, commented: It is all about increasing public understanding and making things, such as a shop, which is an everyday necessity, become accessible for an autistic person just as it is for everybody else. "We are thrilled that ALDI are taking measures to address this by launching a nationwide roll out of autism-friendly hours, providing an opportunity for those with autism, a hidden disability, or a communication barrier, to shop without the crowds, noise and unpredictability. Talking about the adoption of the JAM Card, Nicola added: We are proud to have been working with the staff at ALDI, training the team to become JAM Card friendly. Since launching the JAM Card initiative in 2012, the scheme has been a resounding success with more than 2,500 organisations across the country participating in the training programme. We hope that this announcement will encourage other organisations across all industries to see the benefits of joining us in committing to support and facilitate a more fully autism-inclusive and neurodiverse friendly society. St Edwards Crown, The Orb, The Sceptre with Cross (also known as the Royal Sceptre), The Scepture With Dove and The Sovereigns Ring in 1953 (PA) Crown Copyright Buckingham Palace has officially confirmed a Lincolnshire farmer will perform the ancient duty of acting as the Kings champion during the coronation. Francis Dymoke will not have to throw his gauntlet down and see if anyone accepts his challenge but instead will carry the Royal Standard during the Westminster Abbey ceremony. Buckingham Palace has released details of the dukes, bishops, peers and retired generals who will perform a range of ceremonial duties when Charles and Camilla are crowned, from carrying regalia in a procession to presenting the items to the King and Queen Consort. The Kings Champion, mounted and in full armour, at a coronation banquet (Alamy/PA) Baroness Floella Benjamin, the former childrens TV presenter, and now an author and peer, who chaired the Windrush Commemoration Committee, will carry Charless sceptre, traditionally known as the Rod Of Equity And Mercy, which represents his spiritual role. She said: I feel honoured and privileged to be part of the historic coronation ceremony. To be selected to carry the Sovereigns Sceptre With Dove, which represents spirituality, equity and mercy, is for me very symbolic as its everything I stand for and sends out a clear message that diversity and inclusion is being embraced. Mr Dymoke, a former accountant turned farmer, is the 34th generation of his family to run the Scrivelsby country estate in Lincolnshire with the role of Kings champion unusually attached to the land rather than his family. His claim to undertake the historic role during the Westminster Abbey ceremony was recently upheld by the Coronation Claims Office. The office of Kings Champion began in the reign of William the Conqueror and it was the warriors role to ride a horse into Westminster Hall during the coronation banquet and challenge anyone who denied the sovereigns right to the throne to combat. Baroness Floella Benjamin speaking at the unveiling of the National Windrush Monument at Waterloo Station in 2022 (PA) John Sibley Queen Victoria dispensed with the custom at her coronation, and Henry Dymoke Queens Champion at the time was made a baronet by way of compensation. The first processions into Westminster Abbey will be made up of faith leaders and representatives, but it is not known if they will play any formal role in the service. They will be followed by governors-general and prime ministers from each of the 15 realms, including the UK, where the King is head of state, as well as their flagbearers, although some of the countries, including Belize and Jamaica, have indicated they will move to become a republic. Bearing the flag of the United Kingdom ahead of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty will be Cadet Warrant Officer Elliott Tyson-Lee. The King and Queen Consorts procession will follow, led by the Marquess of Anglesey, the Duke of Westminster, the Earl of Caledon and the Earl of Dundee, who will carry the Standards of the Quarterings of the Royal Arms and the Standard of the Principality of Wales. Mr Dymoke will carry the Royal Standard. Petty Officer Amy Taylor will be the first woman to bear the Kings Jewelled Sword Of Offering into the abbey. She has been selected to represent servicemen and women as a Royal Navy petty officer in a tribute to the military career of Charles who also served as a naval officer. She said: Having served most of my senior career as an aircraft engineer on 845 Naval Air Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton where His Majesty originally trained and served as a pilot, I am deeply honoured and humbled to play my part in this historic event. Coming from a farming family, His Majesty has always been such a great advocate for our community and someone I have admired growing up. Buckingham Palace said: Those undertaking these historic roles in the service have been chosen to recognise, thank and represent the nation due to their significant service, and include representatives from orders of chivalry, the military and wider public life. Hugh Grant has accused the publisher of The Sun of using the law to cover up and conceal unlawful activities by journalists and private investigators which he alleges included burglaries to order. The actor, 62, attended the final day of a hearing at the High Court, at which News Group Newspapers (NGN) is bringing a bid to have claims by him and the Duke of Sussex thrown out. He arrived with his wife Anna Eberstein and his legal team and greeted gathered journalists as he entered the Rolls Building, in London. Hugh Grant is a prominent campaigner on press ethics (James Manning/PA) James Manning Harry, 38, is suing News Group Newspapers (NGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering at two of its titles, The Sun and the now-defunct News Of The World claiming that his private information was unlawfully accessed. Mr Grant, who settled a claim against NGN relating to unlawful information gathering at the News Of The World in 2012, is now bringing a similar legal action in relation to The Sun. NGN denies any unlawful activity took place at The Sun. In a witness statement, the Love Actually star said: My claim concerns unlawful acts committed by The Sun, including burglaries to order, the breaking and entering of private property in order to obtain private information through bugging, landline tapping, phone hacking, and the use of private investigators to do all these and other illegal things against me. He referred in the statement to evidence he gave to the Leveson Inquiry into press standards and ethics in 2011, in which he spoke about a break in at his London flat, where the front door was forced off its hinges and a story appeared shortly afterwards in The Sun that detailed the interior. He said: I had no evidence that this burglary was carried out or commissioned on the instruction of the press, let alone The Sun. The actor added that he had been told by a private investigator in early 2022, which prompted him to launch his claim. In his witness statement, the actor says he brought his recent claim after being passed information which showed, for the first time, evidence that The Sun had targeted unlawful activity at me and my associates directly. He said the information included private investigator invoices and payments, and that they included the period during which the Leveson Inquiry into press standards and ethics was taking place. Mr Grant said in the statement: It was particularly shocking to learn that me and my associates, including members of my family who were not in any way in the public eye, had been targeted by The Sun during the Leveson Inquiry. It was widely reported and well known at the time these private investigators were commissioned in November 2011 that I was shortly going to be giving evidence to the Leveson Inquiry which included NGN. I found it astonishing that The Sun carried out these unlawful acts against me at a time when I was preparing to give evidence to a public inquiry on press ethics. Of course, all of this was concealed from me at the time. His statement concludes: I have invested a great deal of time in my campaign work for a better and ethical press. A corollary of that has been my interest and my own investigations to understand the truth. I have been shocked by what I have unearthed, without any help at all from the defendant, about unlawful acts committed by The Sun against me. The fact that it has now been confirmed, through my investigations, that these unlawful acts included targeted burglaries is truly appalling. The defendant clearly considers itself above the law and is using the law now in a way I believe it was never intended, that is to further cover up and conceal what it has done. I strongly believe that cannot be allowed to happen and that what it has done must be brought to light. The Duke of Sussex is also bringing a claim against NGN (Victoria Jones/PA) Victoria Jones A spokesperson for NGN said: The Sun strongly refutes the allegation that it ever commissioned anyone to break into Hugh Grants home. NGNs lawyers argue Mr Grant, a prominent campaigner on press ethics as a member of the Hacked Off group, should have been aware he had a claim in relation to The Sun much earlier, and had left it too late to bring the latest legal action. Mr Grants lawyers argue he has only become aware more recently, following disclosure in the ongoing litigation over phone hacking, that there is evidence he was targeted by journalists and private investigators working for The Sun. Harrys lawyers argue NGNs bid to have his claim thrown out is an attempt to go behind a secret agreement between the royal family as an institution and NGN, which the duke was informed of in 2012. NGN has previously settled a number of claims since the phone-hacking scandal broke in relation to The News Of The World, which closed in 2011, but has consistently denied that any unlawful information gathering took place at The Sun. Anthony Hudson KC, for NGN, told the court on Tuesday that Harry and Mr Grant had been front and centre of claims against the publisher over hacking and therefore could not possibly have failed to realise they had a potential damages claim much sooner. The hearing is expected to conclude on Thursday and Mr Justice Fancourt will determine whether their claims will progress to a trial, which is due to be heard in January next year. The judge is expected to give his ruling at a later date. ... Calls On Treasury Department A one-time human rights lawyer and political Leader of the Liberian People's Party (LPP), Cllr. Tiawon Saye Gongloe is calling on the Treasury Department of the United States to place sanctions on Margibi County Senator, J. Emmanuel Nuquay, of the People Unification Party, (PUP). Gongloe's request was prompted by a recent report indicating that Senator Nuquay has mortgaged PUP to the Coalition for Democratic Change, (CDC) for the mouth-watering US $ 3Million. He described such an act as a "pay to play' similar to what led the Treasury Department to place sanctions on Nimba County, Senator Prince Y. Johnson. Cllr. Gongloe mentioned that the Treasury Department also accused the Nimba County Senator of being involved in extorting money from the Government of Liberia and other prominent individuals for his personal enrichment. The pay-to-play funding scheme involves Millions of $ U.S. Dollars Johnson has received for votes selling and surrendering his political will. The Nimba County Senator has consistently challenged the US Treasury Department to provide evidence of his alleged acts of corruption. Johnson has been designated pursuant to E.O. 13818 for being a foreign person who is a current or former government official, or a person acting for or on behalf of such an official, who is responsible for or directly or indirectly engaging in, corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Liberia Legal Affairs By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. According to impeccable information gathered by the New Republic Newspaper, Senator Nuquay was the mastermind who wooed Representative Edward Karfiah of Bong County to sell the PUP to the CDC. Recently a report went viral in the media that the PUP Standard Bearer Nuquay, along with members of the Governing Council hijacked the party and conducted an "illegal" meeting outside of its constitutional mandate, where a resolution was signed to endorse the reelection of President George M. Weah in the impending Presidential and Legislative Elections. The report maintained that Senator Nuquay has received an advance payment of $ US 25, 000 out of the initial US $ 3Million from the CDC. However, some highly placed CDC Officials, who begged not to be named, because they were not mandated or authorized to speak to this newspaper reported that CDC did not buy any political party in the country including PUP but the ruling party has been meeting with various political parties and other stakeholders in the country for possible collaboration towards the October 10, 2023 Elections in the country. The PUP Political Leader, Emmanuel Nuquay, who is also a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, is yet to comment on his alleged sale of the PUP to the governing CDC. Richard Sharp and Boris Johnson (House of Commons/PA) House of Commons BBC chairman Richard Sharp is braced for a report into his appointment to the role after he helped facilitate an 800,000 loan guarantee for Boris Johnson. The investigation by barrister Adam Heppinstall KC is expected to be published on Friday morning. According to the Telegraph, it will conclude Mr Sharp breached the rules by creating a perception of a conflict of interest. But he was said to be reluctant to resign, which would leave it to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to determine his fate. The newspaper report could not be confirmed. Mr Sharp, a former Conservative donor, was appointed to the influential role overseeing the public broadcasters independence in 2021. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content But the former Goldman Sachs banker has faced calls to resign after it emerged he helped the then-prime minister arrange the loan. MPs have already criticised Mr Sharps significant errors of judgment. He has admitted introducing his friend Sam Blyth, a cousin of Mr Johnson who wanted to help him with his financial troubles, to the Cabinet Office in 2020. In January the following year he was named as the Governments preferred candidate to be BBC chairman. The Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee confirmed his appointment but was not aware of his role in helping to facilitate the loan. He formally took up the four-year appointment in February 2021. But allegations of cronyism followed when the Sunday Times revealed the loan agreement. Commissioner for Public Appointments William Shawcross announced he would review the way competition for the post was run to ensure it was in compliance with Whitehall rules. But Mr Heppinstall was appointed to carry it out when Mr Shawcross recused himself because he had met the BBC chairman on previous occasions. The DCMS committee in February said Mr Sharp had committed errors of judgment by failing to declare his role in the loan to the cross-party group of MPs before his appointment. A spokesman for Mr Sharp said he regrets not telling them about his involvement with his old friend Mr Blyth, a Canadian businessman, and apologises. People load belongings onto a truck as they flee the fighting in Khartoum, Sudans capital. Photo: Reuters REUTERS Sudans army and a paramilitary force clashed on Khartoums outskirts yesterday, undermining a truce in an 11-day conflict that civilian groups fear will tighten the militarys grip and revive the sway of an ousted autocrats loyalists. The army said Omar al-Bashir, the 79-year-old former dictator toppled in 2019, had been transferred from Khartoums Kober prison to a military hospital, along with at least five of his former officials, before hostilities started on April 15. Over the weekend, thousands of inmates were freed outright from prison, including a former minister in Bashirs government who, like him, is wanted on war crimes charges by the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Air strikes and artillery have killed at least 512 people, wounded nearly 4,200, destroyed hospitals and limited food distribution in the vast nation where a third of the 46 million people were already reliant on humanitarian aid. The crisis sent growing numbers of refugees across Sudans borders, with the UN refugee agency estimating 270,000 people could flee into South Sudan and Chad alone. Foreigners evacuated from Khartoum have described bodies littering streets, buildings on fire, residential areas turned into battlefields and youths roaming with large knives. The White House said a second American had died in Sudan. It was horrible, said Thanassis Pagoulatos, the 80-year-old Greek owner of the Acropole hotel in Khartoum, after arriving in Athens to the embrace of emotional relatives. It has been more than 10 days without any electricity, without water, and five days nearly without food, he added, describing shooting and bombing. Really, the people are suffering, the Sudanese people. French evacuee and 28-year-old PhD student Leila Oulkebous was out doing interviews for her thesis when fighting broke out nearby. I felt completely paralysed, she recounted, after landing in Paris. I will continue to have nightmares about it. The World Health Organisation said only 16pc of health facilities were functioning in Khartoum and predicted many more deaths due to disease and shortages of food, water and medical services including immunisation. Bashirs three-decade reign came to an end with a popular uprising four years ago. He has been in prison, with spells in hospital, on Sudanese charges related to the 1989 coup that brought him to power. This war, which is ignited by the ousted regime, will lead the country to collapse, said Sudans Forces of Freedom and Change (FCC), a political grouping leading an internationally backed plan to transfer to civilian rule. The plan was derailed by the eruption of fighting between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The two sides and the FCC missed an April deadline to launch the transition to democracy, largely over disputes about merging the security forces. Civilian groups have blamed groups loyal to Bashir of seeking to use conflict to find a way back to power. The RSF, whose leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo climbed to power under Bashir but later dumped him, has strongly opposed the Islamists who backed the former army autocrat. The fighting will not solve the main issues that civilian and military parties were trying to solve through the political process, especially the security and military reforms, which will ... lead to one professional unified army, the FCC added in its statement. British nationals evacuated from Sudan reunited with relatives at Stansted In Khartoum, which together with its sister cities is one of Africas largest urban areas, gangs marauded and there was widespread looting. Foreign powers have evacuated thousands of citizens and a refugee crisis was emerging. More than 10,000 people crossed into Egypt from Sudan in the past five days, Cairo said, while an estimated 20,000 entered Chad and 16,000 went to South Sudan. Some of the heaviest battles were in Omdurman, a city adjoining Khartoum where the army was fighting RSF reinforcements from other regions of Sudan, a Reuters reporter said. Heavy gunfire and airstrikes could be heard into the evening. Prince Andrew sought permission from his mother, Queen Elizabeth, to be questioned about his association with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, TV presenter Emily Maitlis has claimed. Andrew, the Duke of York, came under intense scrutiny following his disastrous BBC Newsnightinterview in 2019 over allegations that Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre was trafficked to have sex with the prince when she was 17. In a new two-part Channel 4 documentary, Andrew: The Problem Prince which is part of the channels programming around the coronation of King Charles former BBC journalist Maitlis said the negative implications of the interview dawned on the queen before they dawned on him. Following the BBC broadcast in November 2019 and the furore over Andrews friendship with Epstein, the prince stepped down from public life. Last year, he reached an out-of-court settlement with Ms Giuffre, reportedly worth up to US$12m (nearly 11m), following her civil claim against him in the US. He continues to deny any wrongdoing. Epstein was found dead in his cell in a US jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide. Ms Giuffres lawyer, Sigrid McCawley, told the documentary the Newsnightinterview gave her client the roadmap to tear him apart in the civil claim. Despite the BBC interview eventually leading to Andrew being stripped of his patronages and military affiliations, former Newsnightproducer Sam McAlister claimed the prince was euphoric afterwards because he thought it had gone really well. Maitlis told the Channel 4 documentary that people came into the room afterwards to invite her to a cinema night at the palace. A whole load of people came in and I said, Whats going on?, she said. They said, OK, Thursday evenings we have the cinema night at the palace. You can stay if you want. At that point, I just thought, Ive got to get away from here. I needed the space to work out what just happened. During the original Newsnightbroadcast, the duke denied he had had sex with Ms Giuffre, said he had no recollection of ever meeting her, and that he had spent the day in question at a branch of Pizza Express in Surrey at a party with one of his daughters. Ms Giuffre said Andrew sweated heavily as they danced at London nightclub Tramp in one alleged encounter. The duke told Maitlis his Falklands War service had caused a medical condition, which meant he did not sweat. The interview is also being adapted by Netflix, with Gillian Anderson playing Maitlis and Rufus Sewell as Prince Andrew. McAlister revealed to the Channel 4 documentary that the duke had taken his daughter, Princess Beatrice, with him to the final negotiations with the BBC over what should be included in the interview. Can you imagine being in Buckingham Palace, about to talk to a member of the royal family about sexual offences? Thats pretty tricky and now Ive got to do it in front of his daughter, the producer said. During the negotiations, McAlister and Maitlis said Andrew had asked them Should I tell you why I cant sweat? as he sought to explain why Ms Giuffres allegations against him were false. I remember hinking, Wow, you know, if he says that, thats it..., Maitlis told the documentary. Before going ahead with the interview, the presenter said Andrew had told her he had to seek approval from higher up. She said: Of course, hes talking about the queen. Youre asking your mum if its a good idea. This is a decision thats going right to the top. During the documentary, the former BBC journalist said Newsnighthad turned down an interview with Andrew three times due to his team attempting to place editorial restrictions on them. Epstein was a red line and we were not to ask about him if we did the interview, McAlister said of one of her initial negotiations with the dukes chief of staff. Commenting on Newsnightsearlier decision not to go ahead with an interview after the Epstein restrictions were imposed, Maitlis said: Thank God we dropped the whole thing. Because how stupid would we have looked to have done that whole interview knowing that we couldnt ask about Epstein only to find that he was suddenly front-page news? Harry claims he was kept out of the loop about phone hacking Charles, Harry and William in 1997 at Balmoral in Scotland PA Prince Harry is not criticising his the late Queen Elizabeth, or Britains royal family over a secret agreement with Rupert Murdochs UK newspaper arm, his lawyer told Londons High Court yesterday. Harry is suing Murdochs News Group Newspapers (NGN) for multiple unlawful acts allegedly committed on behalf of The Sunand the now-defunct News of the World, from the mid-1990s until 2016. Prince Harry is at centre of phone hacking trial against tabloid publisher NGN, which has settled more than 1,000 phone-hacking cases over the past decade, is trying this week to strike out Harrys claim and a similar case brought by actor Hugh Grant, arguing they should have taken action sooner. Harry did not believe NGN would have been stupid enough to go after his messages However, Harry says he did not bring a lawsuit earlier because an agreement was struck between Buckingham Palace and senior figures at NGN to avoid embarrassment. In a witness statement made public on Tuesday, Harry said his attempts to progress the case with the backing of the Queen were stonewalled by NGN and by royal aides. His lawyer David Sherborne told the court yesterday that Harry did not bring his lawsuit previously because of the agreement with NGN, which denies its existence. Sherborne said Harry was told more about phone hacking in 2012, when Harry says he was told his voicemails had been intercepted, but that was essentially dealt with by his family... and their solicitor. Charles, Harry and William in 1997 at Balmoral in Scotland PA This is no criticism of the Queen or his family, Sherborne said. That is how it was done and he accepts it. "As he explains, he had to. Sherborne added that Harry was kept out of the loop about phone hacking and that he did not believe NGN would have been stupid enough to go after his messages. Harry said in his witness statement that royal staff were in communication with Rebekah Brooks now CEO of Murdochs News UK and News Corp CEO Robert Thomson about his lawsuit. Sherborne said that, if the case goes to trial, there will need to be evidence from Brooks and Thomson about the secret agreement. Harry has said NGN settled his brother Williams phone-hacking claim for a huge sum of money in 2020... without the public being told, and seemingly with some favourable deal in return for him going quietly so to speak. Neither Buckingham Palace nor Prince Williams office would comment. NGN disputes the existence of a secret agreement, but declined to comment on if it had settled with William. The case is one of four Harry is currently pursuing against UK publishers, following claims in his Netflix documentary and memoir Spare, accusing tabloids of widespread unlawful activity and his family of colluding with them. The preliminary hearing is expected to conclude on Thursday, with a trial due in January if the judge allows it to go ahead. Harry, who now lives in California with his family, was not in court, but watched proceedings by video link. Grant was also watching by video but will attend in person today. An Irishman in his 40s has been killed while battling Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, his family confirmed today. Finbar Cafferkey, a native of Achill Island, Co Mayo, was a military volunteer with previous combat experience in Syria where he assisted Kurdish militia in their battle against ISIS. He recently travelled to Ukraine to assist local forces there. Reports of Mr Cafferkeys death were confirmed by his father, Tom, at the family home in Cashel, Achill, this afternoon. Mr Cafferkey declined to elaborate on the circumstances of his sons death or offer any further comment. We are grievingits a private matter. I dont want to say anything further, he stated. It is understood the family will be issuing a statement later on the death. Achill Island, where the Cafferkey family is well-liked and respected, has been numbed with grief since news came through of the tragic death. One local person said: We heard reports on Wednesday that Finbar had been killed but we were hoping against hope that the information was untrue. Now that his death has been confirmed we are absolutely devastated. Others on Achill Island spoke of Finbars commitment to humanitarian and environmental causes. He took part in the Shell to Sea protests against the Corrib Gas project and, in later years, worked in Copenhagen on a construction project. Finbar was a man of principle, another islander recalled. I know that about eight years ago he worked on the border between Greece and Macedonia assisting coming off dinghies. It came as a bit of surprise when we learnt from newspaper reports that he had been fighting in Syria. Nobody around here, except perhaps his family, knew he was in Ukraine. I know that relatives have been concerned for his safety over the years. His family have been particularly worried. The dead mans parents, Tom and Celine, are being comforted by close relatives and neighbours. Tom is a former publican, who now works as an auctioneer. More to follow... Imprisoned opposition leader is being linked by authorities to killing of pro-war blogger in St Petersburg Alexei Navalny was sentenced last year to a nine-year prison term for fraud and contempt of court. Photo: Reuters/Yulia Morozova. REUTERS Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said he was facing new extremism and terrorism charges that could keep him behind bars for life, as authorities set the stage for a new trial against the Kremlins leading critic. Navalny said by video link from prison during the hearing that the extremism charges which he rejected as absurd could land him in prison for 30 years. He noted that an investigator had told him he also would face a separate military court trial on terrorism charges that could potentially carry a life sentence, adding on a sardonic note that the charges imply that Im conducting terror attacks while sitting in prison. His top ally Ivan Zhdanov said investigators were trying to link the terrorism charges against Navalny to a bombing that killed a well-known Russian military blogger earlier this month. Navalny (46), who exposed official corruption and organised massive anti-Kremlin protests, was arrested in January 2021 upon returning to Moscow after recuperating in Germany from nerve-agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin. He initially received a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for a parole violation. Last year, he was sentenced to a nine-year term for fraud and contempt of court. He is currently serving time at a maximum-security prison 250km east of Moscow. The new charges against Navalny relate to the activities of his anti-corruption foundation and statements by his top associates. His ally Leonid Volkov said the accusations retroactively criminalise all the activities of Navalnys foundation since its creation in 2011 and carry a potential punishment of up to 35 years in prison. Navalnys associate, Zhdanov, said investigators were revising the charges to link them to a bombing that killed Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky at a St Petersburg cafe earlier this month. The authorities described Darya Trepova, a 26-year-old St Petersburg resident who was seen on video presenting Tatarsky with a statuette moments before the blast, as an active supporter of Navalny. They also accused Zhdanov and Volkov of making repeated calls for subversive activities in Russia. An investigator told the court that 11 other suspects facing extremism charges alongside Navalny have remained at large and have been put on an international wanted list. The new charges come as Russian authorities conduct an intensifying crackdown on dissent amid the fighting in Ukraine, which Navalny has harshly criticised. Yesterdays hearing at Moscows Basmanny District Court was held to discuss preparations for Navalnys trial on the extremism charges. Navalny asked for more time to study the 196 case files. The judge closed the session minutes after it opened, ruling that it should be held behind closed doors, because the case involved sensitive information. Its an attempt to unlawfully restrict my ability to study the materials of the case and prevent anyone from knowing about it, Navalny said before public access to the hearing ended. The hearing ended with the judge giving Navalny 10 days to study his criminal case. No date for the trial has been set yet. Navalny, who is Vladimir Putins most prominent foe, has rejected the charges as a political vendetta and an attempt by Russian authorities to keep him out of politics for as long as possible. His associates and supporters have become increasingly worried about his failing health. Earlier this month, they said Navalny had fallen ill with acute stomach pains and suspected that he was being slowly poisoned. Navalny looked gaunt when he appeared via video link from prison, but he smiled and laughed as he warmly greeted journalists who were watching his appearance in court. While imprisoned, Navalny has spent months in a tiny one-person cell, also called a punishment cell, for purported disciplinary violations such as an alleged failure to properly button his prison robe, properly introduce himself to a guard or to wash his face at a specified time. His supporters have accused prison authorities of failing to provide him with proper medical assistance, using blindingly bright light in his cell and placing him next to a mentally unstable person. Chinese president Xi Jinping spoke to Ukraines Volodymyr Zelensky by telephone yesterday for the first time since Russias invasion of Ukraine, fulfilling a long-standing goal of Kyiv which had publicly sought such talks for months. Mr Zelensky immediately signalled the importance of the chance to open closer relations with Russias most powerful friend, naming a former cabinet minister as Ukraines new ambassador to Beijing. Describing the hour-long phone call as long and meaningful, Mr Zelensky tweeted: I believe that this call, as well as the appointment of Ukraines ambassador to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations. Mr Xi told Mr Zelensky that China would send special representatives to Ukraine and hold talks with all parties seeking peace, Chinese state media reported. Mr Xi, the most powerful world leader to have refrained from denouncing Russias invasion, made a state visit to Moscow last month. Since February, he has promoted a 12-point peace plan for Ukraine, greeted sceptically by the West but cautiously welcomed by Kyiv as a sign of Chinese interest in ending the war. China will focus on promoting peace talks, and make efforts for a ceasefire as soon as possible, Mr Xi told Mr Zelensky, according to the Chinese state media reports. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible major country, we will neither sit idly by, nor pour oil on fire, still less seek to profit from it, Mr Xi said. In a readout of the call on the Telegram messenger, Mr Zelensky said the two leaders discussed possible co-operation to establish a just and sustainable peace for Ukraine. The White House welcomed the call, which it said it had no advanced knowledge of, but said it was too soon to tell whether it would lead to a peace deal. Thats a good thing, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said. Now, whether thats going to lead to some sort of meaningful peace movement, or plan, or proposal, I just dont think we know that right now. France also welcomed the call, with President Emmanuel Macrons office saying the French leader had pushed Mr Xi to hold this call with Mr Zelensky during his visit to Beijing this month. The 14-month war is at a juncture, with Ukraine preparing to launch a counter-offensive following a Russian winter offensive that made only incremental advances despite the bloodiest fighting so far. There are no peace talks in sight, with Kyiv demanding Russia withdraw its troops and Moscow insisting Ukraine must recognise its claims to have annexed seized territory. There can be no peace at the expense of territorial compromises, Mr Zelensky said in his post. The territorial integrity of Ukraine must be restored within the 1991 borders. Ukrainian officials have long been calling on Beijing to use its influence in Russia to help end the war. Mr Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a no limits partnership agreement weeks before Mr Putin ordered the invasion. Since then, China has denounced Western sanctions against Moscow but has held back from openly supporting the invasion. China has also become Russias biggest economic partner, buying up oil that can no longer be sold in Europe, often at steep discounts. Following the Xi-Zelensky talks, Russias foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: We note the readiness of the Chinese side to make efforts to establish a negotiation process. The United States has said in recent months it was worried about China providing weapons or ammunition to Russia, although Beijing denies any such plans. China says it is positioned to help mediate the conflict because it has not taken sides. What China has done to help resolve the Ukraine crisis has been above board, said Yu Jun, deputy head of the foreign ministrys Eurasian department. The aftermath of the stampede in Sanna, Yemen, which left at least 78 people dead. Photo: AP At least 78 people were killed in a stampede in the Yemeni capital Sanaa as residents gathered at a school to receive cash donations distributed by merchants during Ramadan. Hundreds of people crowded to receive the alms, which amounted to 5,000 Yemeni riyals, or about 8 per person, two witnesses involved in the rescue effort told Reuters. When the door opened, there was a big rush by people wanting to reach the school yard first and some people began falling on the steps leading to the entrance, one medic said. Another witness added: People flocked in a huge way, the gate opened, and with the large numbers the stampede happened. Two thirds of the population need help in the war-torn country, which was impoverished even before the conflict erupted eight years ago. The Houthi health ministry said another 77 people were injured, including 13 in a critical condition, in the charge that happened during the distribution of the cash collected in the final days of the Muslim fasting holy month before the Eid al Fitr festivities. Women and children are among the dead. Mohamed Ali al-Houthi, member of the Supreme Political Council, said on Twitter that the merchants had gathered several days worth of registered individuals to distribute aid to at a school, the entrance to which is off a narrow road with steps leading up to the gate. A video posted by Houthi television on the Telegram messaging app showed a crowd of people jammed together, some screaming and shouting and reaching out to be pulled to safety. Security staff fought to push people back and control the crowd. Another video after the stampede showed scores of discarded shoes, a crutch and clothing on the steps of the building, and forensic investigators in protective white suits sorting through personal belongings. The two merchants responsible for organising the donation event had been detained and an investigation was under way, the interior ministry said. This is a great tragedy, a large number of our citizens have died, said Abdulaziz Bin Habtour, the prime minister of the Houthi movement, de facto authorities in north Yemen. He said measures would be taken to find a serious solution so it does not happen again. The president of the supreme judicial council said the necessary legal measures would be taken. Yemen has been mired in an eight-year conflict that pits a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia against the Iran-aligned Houthi group. The war has so far killed tens of thousands of people, wrecked the economy and pushed millions into hunger. The United Nations World Food Programme feeds 13 million in Yemen but funding shortfalls have reduced its activities. An expired UN-brokered truce has delivered a year of relative calm, the longest stretch in the conflict, and Saudi Arabia and the Houthis are engaged in talks in parallel to UN efforts to establish a permanent ceasefire. The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 against the Houthis months after the group ousted the internationally recognised government from Sanaa. The conflict has widely been seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Riyadh and Tehran in March agreed to restore diplomatic ties severed in 2016 and prisoner exchanges this month between the two sides have raised hopes of a resolution to the conflict. Prime minister accused of dictatorship plot as tens of thousands take to streets Protesters attend a demonstration against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his nationalist coalition government's plan for judicial overhaul, in Tel Aviv, Israel. Photo: Reuters/Itai Ron Benjamin Netanyahu caved in to pressure last night to freeze his plans for legal reforms after a day of chaos in which tens of thousands of Israeli protesters marched through cities, grounded flights and closed businesses. In a televised address, the embattled prime minister said he was pausing the reforms until the next parliamentary session in several weeks to avoid a civil war. I am taking time out for dialogue, he said, as he vowed to turn over every stone to find a solution. Protest leaders, though, rejected the delay as insufficient and vowed to continue demonstrations until the reform package is scrapped. They say Mr Netanyahus plans will transform Israel into a dictatorship by neutering the supreme court and ramping up the governments influence over the appointment of judges. The prime minister insists the reforms are necessary to strip the Israeli legal system of left-wing bias. Last night, Itamar Ben-Gvir, the extreme-right police minister in Mr Netanyahus coalition, claimed he had only agreed to delaying the reforms after being given permission to set up his own national guard unit in return. Critics said this could mean Mr Ben-Gvir, who has convictions for anti-Arab racism and supporting terrorism, controlling a private militia and reflected how Mr Netanyahu is beholden to extremist coalition members. The demonstrations are the largest mass protests in the history of the Jewish state. In Jerusalem yesterday, between 80,000 and 100,000 people marched, with protests of a similar scale in Tel Aviv and other cities. The Tel Aviv stock exchange, some major retail chains and McDonalds Israel joined the strikes, with their branches closed nationwide. After lunchtime, sources confirmed Israeli embassy staff in London were joining the strike. Similar announcements from other embassies, including Washington, followed, amid reports some Israeli police chiefs were crossing sides to join the protesters. Outside the Knesset, the parliament in Jerusalem, demonstrators waved blue and white national flags and anti-Netanyahu placards. Several said the dramatic events of Sunday night, when Mr Netanyahu sacked Yoav Galant, his defence minister, for publicly criticising the reforms, prompted them to protest. There was no way I could stay at home, last night felt like the crossing of a boundary. It was the time to wake up and protest, said Nathaniel Katzir, a 44-year-old tech industry professional. I am here to join the protest against the legislation started by Netanyahu and his associates. I think hes leading us to an autocratic regime, said Yousef Kaplan (79), an Israeli army veteran and retired professor. After sundown, smaller crowds of pro-Netanyahu protesters arrived in Jerusalem, claiming the Israeli establishment was trying to override democracy via the demonstrations. We keep electing right-wing, but getting left-wing decisions, said one. Israelis have been protesting against the reforms on a weekly basis, but the sacking of Mr Galant led to a massive escalation in their scale. In response to Mr Netanyahus climbdown, Histadrut, the labour union behind the mass strikes, said they had called off a second day of strike action. But Yair Lapid, an opposition leader, said they would only join a dialogue on finding a compromise over the reforms if Mr Netanyahu abandons the current legislation process. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sacked his defence minister a day after he broke ranks and urged the government to halt a highly-contested plan to overhaul the judicial system. Yoav Gallant's dismissal is likely to fuel further mass protests against the plan with unrest having rocked the nation for months. It came as Mr Netanyahu was poised to ratify legislation that would tighten political control over judicial appointments. That bill, and others that would limit Supreme Court powers to rule against government policy, have triggered warnings at home and abroad over Israel's democratic health. Mr Gallant on Saturday became the most senior member of Mr Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party to say he would not support the judicial overhaul, saying protests that have included growing numbers of military reservists were also affecting regular forces and undermining national security. "At this time, for the sake of our country, I am willing to take any risk and pay any price," Mr Gallant said in his televised address. The response from the prime minister came late last night. "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided this evening to dismiss Defence Minister Yoav Gallant," Mr Netanyahu's office said. Shortly after his dismissal, Mr Gallant (64) wrote on Twitter: "The state of Israel's security has always been and will always be my life's mission." Mr Netanyahu, who is on trial on graft charges that he denies, says the judicial overhaul will balance out the branches of government. Critics, who range from business leaders to former military officers as well as opposition parties, say the overhaul will weaken Israel's democracy, hurt the economy and hand uncontrolled powers to the government of the day. A key bill effectively giving Mr Netanyahu's religious-nationalist coalition more control over the appointment of judges is expected to be brought for ratification this week in the Knesset, where he and his allies wield 64 out of 120 seats. But how that as yet-unscheduled vote will proceed has been thrown into question by Likud dissenters. Earlier yesterday, an Israeli good governance group has urged the supreme court to punish Mr Netanyahu for allegedly violating a conflict of interest agreement meant to prevent him from dealing with the countrys judiciary while he is on trial for corruption. Israels prime minister has rebuffed criticism of his judicial overhaul plan from President Joe Biden, saying the matter was an internal Israeli issue and he would not be influenced by outside pressure. While both sides tried to play down their differences, it was a rare bout of public disagreement between the two close allies, and reflected what has been a lukewarm relationship between the Biden administration and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus new government. It also marked the latest sign of cooling ties between Israel and the Democratic Party. The disagreement came after months of unrest in Israel over Mr Netanyahus proposed overhaul of the countrys judicial system. Mr Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption charges, says the plan is needed to rein in the powers of an interventionist judiciary. Critics say it will push the country toward authoritarianism by weakening an independent court system. Following especially heavy protests, Mr Netanyahu this week froze the plan and launched negotiations on a compromise with his political opponents. The pause prompted Mr Bidens ambassador, Tom Nides, to tell Israeli media that he expected Mr Netanyahu to soon be invited to the White House. Asked about the legislation on Tuesday, Mr Biden told reporters, I hope he walks away from it. He said Mr Netanyahus government cannot continue down this road and called for a compromise. He also said there were no immediate plans for a White House visit, saying: No, not in the near term. Mr Netanyahu responded with a statement expressing appreciation for Mr Bidens years of support for Israel and vowing to seek a broad consensus over the legal programme. But he also dismissed the outside pressure. Israel is a sovereign country which makes its decisions by the will of its people and not based on pressures from abroad, including from the best of friends, Mr Netanyahu said. Members of his coalition reacted even more harshly, saying Mr Biden had no business interfering in an internal Israeli matter. Israel is not another star in the American flag, said National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of the ultranationalist Jewish Power party. I expect the US president to understand this point. Mr Netanyahu later tried to soothe tensions in a speech to the US Summit for Democracy, a virtual gathering of global leaders, saying that while the US and Israel had occasional differences, theties between them were unshakeable. A senior Israeli official, described the spat as a tempest in a teacup and said there had not been any discussions with the Americans about a Netanyahu visit to Washington. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby also tried to play down the disagreements, saying Mr Bidens comments about the judicial overhaul plan have remained completely consistent. After five Israeli elections in under four years, Mr Netanyahu cobbled together a coalition government with a group of ultra-Orthodox and ultranationalist partners late last year. These include far-right partners who oppose Palestinian statehood and have strong ties to the West Bank settler movement putting them at odds with US support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Edward Snowden, a former contractor for the National Security Agency, fled the US after revealing how America spied on its own citizens and foreign allies. An American intelligence document that claims Mossad supported major recent anti-government protests in Israel is false and absurd, the spy agency said. But the fallout from a massive leak of Pentagon papers continued to reverberate among Washingtons allies yesterday. According to the US documents, classified as top secret, the Israeli intelligence agency advocated for Mossad officials and Israeli citizens to protest [at] the new Israeli governments proposed judicial reforms, including several explicit calls to action that decried the Israeli government. However, the allegations were vehemently denied by Mossad in a statement issued by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The publication in the American press is completely false and absurd, the statement said. Mossad and its senior officials have not and do not encourage Mossad employees to attend anti-government demonstrations, nor any other political demonstrations and events, a spokesman said. The claims were contained in signals intelligence intercepted communications reports in a trove of more than 100 Pentagon documents that have emerged online in the past month. The Pentagon and the US Justice Department said it was investigating the leaks, regarded as the most serious to hit Washington since Edward Snowden 10 years ago. Back in 2013, Snowden, a former contractor for the National Security Agency, fled the US after revealing how America spied on its own citizens and foreign allies. The latest leak revealed America had been spying on allies as well as enemies around the world and has caused huge embarrassment in Washington. South Korea has also been mentioned and it said yesterday it plans to raise the issue with the US. The documents show that Washington was intercepting communications around whether Seoul would help supply weapons to Ukraine. South Korea had agreed to sell artillery shells to the US to help replenish its stockpile but on condition the end user should be the American military. The batch of papers is dominated by an assessment of the military situation in Ukraine but other documents also relate to Iran and China. Some of the documents contain inaccuracies, raising questions about their authenticity. It is very important to remember that in recent decades, the Russian special services most successful operations have been taking place in Photoshop, said Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraines military intelligence. ( Telegraph Media Group Ltd 2023) Women at an Iranian traditional local bazaar in the village of Malat, in Gilan province, 354km northwest of Tehran. Photo: Getty Images Surveillance cameras are being installed in Iran to catch and punish women walking in public without a headscarf as Tehran cracks down on those defying dress codes. The authorities want to rein in an increasing number of women who are defying the rule on mandatory head coverings after the death of a young woman in police custody last year ignited a nationwide protest movement against the regime. Cameras will be installed in public places and thoroughfares to identify and penalise unveiled women, the notorious morality police said yesterday. After they have been identified, violators will receive warning texts as to the consequences, they added. It became compulsory for women and girls over nine to wear a headscarf in public two years after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Under Hassan Rouhani, the former president, rules were relaxed, but since the ultra-conservative Ebrahim Raisim came to power in 2021, the morality police have taken a harder line against women who flout the rules, demanding a complete hijab. Videos of unveiled women resisting the morality police have flooded social media since the death of Mahsa Amini (22) last September. Women have been increasingly seen unveiled in malls, restaurants, shops and streets. But last month, describing the veil as one of the civilisational foundations of the Iranian nation, the interior ministry said there would be no retreat on the issue. It urged citizens to confront unveiled women, which in the past has emboldened hardliners to attack women. It happened as Irans judiciary chief threatened to prosecute women who defy the countrys strict rules on head coverings. Authorities issued arrest warrants for the women for committing a forbidden act by removing their headscarves. The police arrested nearly 20,000 people and killed 500 since the protests started, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency. One woman recently told the BBC she was shot deliberately in the eye. The PhD student was protesting in a north-eastern city near Mashad in September when the bullet struck her and lodged in her head. You aimed at my eyes but my heart is still beating, she said. Thank you for taking the sight from my eye which has opened the eyes of so many. Missiles rained down on an American base in eastern Syria yesterday morning, a day after the US launched air strikes against Iran-backed militia bases in retaliation for a deadly drone attack. The base at Al-Omar oil field was hit by a salvo of missiles hours after the Pentagon said it had carried out precision air strikes against facilities in the area used by groups affiliated to Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The US struck after it concluded that an Iranian drone had been used to attack a US base near Hassakeh, in north-east Syria, on Thursday, killing a US contractor and wounding five US troops and another contractor. Yesterdays retaliatory attack further raised tensions in the region as the White House sought to limit the prospect of hostilities escalating. John Kirby, the White Houses national security spokesman, said the US was not seeking conflict with Iran, but added that Tehran should not support attacks on American facilities. The US strikes in Syria were aimed at protecting American personnel in the country, where Islamic State and Iran-backed militants remain a threat, he told CNN yesterday. Lloyd Austin, the US defence secretary, had earlier issued a statement that read: No group will strike our troops with impunity. Lethal attacks on American personnel in Syria are rare. In January three drones attacked the US base at Tanf in eastern Syria, injuring two Syrian fighters. While a little-known militia claimed responsibility for the attack, analysts concluded it was probably a front group that gave the IRGC plausible deniability. Critics say an overhaul of the countrys judicial system will spell the end of democracy Protests by Israels reserve forces took an unusual turn over the weekend as navy veterans donned wetsuits and tried to reach Benjamin Netanyahus private seaside villa by kayak. With their kayaks draped in Israeli flags, and others snorkelling alongside them, the reservists took to the water in the 11th consecutive week of nationwide protests to stop the governments judicial overhaul that critics say will spell the end of democracy. While their approach was light-hearted, some 650 volunteer military reservists yesterday began a strike saying that they would return to duty only when democracy is safe. Mr Netanyahu has faced weeks of protests over his legal reforms, which critics say will weaken the supreme courts ability to drop legislation and increase the governments influence over judges. The prime minister, who is on trial over corruption charges which he strongly denies, says the reforms are a necessary step as the judiciary has too much control over government policy. A growing number of military reservists, who have long been a cornerstone of Israeli society, have been threatening to refuse duty if called up over the reform proposals. Their strike is going ahead despite condemnation from the far-right coalition that Mr Netanyahu leads and the opposition, who have warned that national security cannot be put at risk over internal politics. In a letter circulated to the media, organisers of the group said the striking members included 450 officers and soldiers from the Military Intelligence Directorates Special Operations Division and 200 from cyber warfare units, such as the Mossad and Shin Bet intelligence agencies. We have no contract with a dictator. We would be happy to volunteer when democracy is safeguarded, the letter said. Nadav Argaman, the former Shin Bet director, told Channel 12 TV: When a country stands on the threshold of dictatorship, we are likely to see a breakdown of the security agencies. It is extraordinarily terrifying. A group of 300 reservists and officers reportedly said they would not show up for training this week. A demonstrator holds Palestinian flags next to burning tyres near Gaza City during a protest over the raid on the mosque. Photo: Mohammed Salem/Reuters Israeli police clashed violently with Palestinians during a brutal raid on the al-Aqsa mosque compound in East Jerusalem. The confrontation prompted a barrage of rocket fire from Gaza as tensions soared during a period of religious holidays for both Jews and Muslims. Footage showed officers beating Palestinians with batons and rifle butts as they lay on the floor and a woman exclaimed: Oh God! Oh God! Another video showed Palestinians hurling firecrackers in the mosque, Islams third holiest site. It was not immediately clear what triggered the violence, though Palestinian militants including Hamas had urged Muslims to head to the mosque amid concerns that Jewish nationalist activists were planning a ritual goat sacrifice on the compound for Passover, which began yesterday evening. Israeli police said they arrested and removed 350 Palestinians after they violently barricaded themselves inside Al-Aqsa. Talab Abu Eisha (49) told reporters that more than 400 men, women and children had been praying at Al-Aqsa when the police encircled the mosque. The youths were afraid and started closing the doors. It was an unprecedented scene of violence in terms of police brutality and intention to hurt the youths, he said. There were also reports of police destroying a medical clinic on the premises. The al-Aqsa compound is also a sacred site to Jews, who call it the Temple Mount, Previous major clashes at the site have led to all-out warfare between Israel and Palestinians. This year Ramadan unusually coincides with both Passover and Easter, which has increased the prospect of violence at holy sites in Jerusalem. Early yesterday, Palestinian militants in Gaza launched nine rockets at Israel in retaliation for the violence, prompting Israel to carry out air strikes on military targets in the blockaded territory. The Israel Defence Forces said it had carried out two airstrikes on Gaza in response, hitting what it described as Hamas weapons manufacturing sites. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was working to calm the situation following the clashes. Israel is committed to maintaining freedom of worship, free access to all religions and the status quo and will not allow violent extremists to change that, he said. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said that at least 12 people were wounded after police used beatings and rubber bullets to clear the area. It was not clear how many people were injured inside the mosque, the organisation said, adding that it had not been able to enter the building. A video shared by the Palestinian diplomatic mission to Britain appeared to show security forces beating people on the ground. Nestled on the eastern corner of Jerusalems Old City, the site is a potent symbol of religious and political identity for both Israelis and Palestinians, and as such, its future remains one of the most intractable questions in the decades-old conflict here. Far-right religious nationalist members of Mr Netanyahus government have previously supported activists that threatened to slaughter a lamb in the mosques compound, a move that would upend a decades-long status quo at the site. The contested site has been managed by the Waqf, a Jordanian religious authority, since Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967. Although non-Muslims are officially forbidden from praying there, that precedent has been eroded in recent years. Late last year, Israels far-right security minister Itamar Ben Gvir visited the site under heavy security as one of his first acts in office, a move described by experts as a provocation aimed at satisfying his base. Tens of thousands take to streets to protest dismissalOpposition leaders say Netanyahu crossed "red line" People attend a demonstration after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the defense minister and his nationalist coalition government presses on with its judicial overhaul, in Tel Aviv, Israel, March 27, 2023. REUTERS/Nir Elias Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday dismissed Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, triggering mass protests, a day after Gallant broke ranks with the government and urged a halt to a highly contested plan to overhaul the judicial system. As news of the dismissal spread, tens of thousands of protesters, many waving blue and white Israeli flags, took to the streets in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Crowds gathered outside Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem, at one point breaching a security cordon. Some three months since taking office, Netanyahu's nationalist-religious coalition has been plunged into crisis over the bitter divisions exposed by its flagship judicial overhaul plans. "State security cannot be a card in the political game. Netanyahu crossed a red line tonight," opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz said in a joint statement. They called on members of Netanyahu's Likud party not to have a hand in "the crushing of national security." In announcing Gallant's dismissal, Netanyahu's office did not name a replacement nor give any other details. "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided this evening to dismiss Defence Minister Yoav Gallant," it said. Shortly afterward, Gallant, 64, wrote on Twitter: "The state of Israel's security has always been and will always be my life's mission." Netanyahu made the decision to sack Gallant after the former navy admiral warned on Saturday that the overhaul plans risked "a clear, immediate and tangible threat to the security of the state" and called for them to be halted. "At this time, for the sake of our country, I am willing to take any risk and pay any price," Gallant said in his televised address. Netanyahu acted in response on Sunday night as he was poised to ratify a central part of the overhaul package, a bill that would tighten political control over judicial appointments, handing the executive wider freedom to name judges to the Supreme Court. Earlier this month, President Isaac Herzog, the head of state who is supposed to remain above politics, warned that the country faced "disaster" unless a broader consensus could be reached on how to overhaul the judiciary. But Netanyahu, on trial on corruption charges which he denies, has vowed to continue with a project he says is needed to rein in activist judges and restore the proper balance between an elected government and the judiciary. As protesters poured into the streets, police used water cannons to push them back from Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem, while in Tel Aviv, where hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets since the beginning of the year, protesters lighted a large bonfire on a main highway. The crisis came as Israel's security establishment has been bracing for potential violence in the coming weeks as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan overlaps with the Jewish Passover and the Christian Easter celebration. Over the past year, Israeli forces have been conducting nearly daily raids in the occupied West Bank, killing more than 250 Palestinian fighters and civilians, while more than 40 Israelis and foreigners have been killed by Palestinian attackers. Gallant on Saturday became the most senior member of Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party to say he would not support the judicial overhaul, saying protests that have included growing numbers of military reservists were also affecting regular forces and undermining national security. In recent weeks senior Finance Ministry officials have warned of an economic backlash and business leaders have sounded the alarm for their companies' future. Adding to the pressure, the head of the Histadrut labour federation, the umbrella organisation for hundreds of thousands of public sector workers, said he was "astonished" by Gallant's removal and promised a "dramatic" announcement on Monday. Israel's consul-general in New York said he was resigning over the dismissal. Some of Netanyahu's hard-right coalition partners had called for Gallant to be sacked, but a number of other Likud lawmakers have backed his call for a halt to the reforms. A key bill effectively giving Netanyahu's religious-nationalist coalition more control over the appointment of judges is expected to be brought for ratification this week in the Knesset, where he and his allies wield 64 out of 120 seats. But how - or even whether - that as yet-unscheduled vote will proceed has been thrown into question by Likud dissenters and any potential backlash from Gallant's removal. Israel's military hit sites in Lebanon and Gaza early on Friday, in retaliation for rocket attacks it blamed on the Islamist group Hamas, as tensions following police raids this week on the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem threatened to spiral out of control. Loud blasts rocked different areas of Gaza, as Israel said its jets hit 10 targets including tunnels and weapons manufacturing and development sites of Hamas, which controls the blockaded southern coastal strip. At around 4.00am, the military said it had also struck three Hamas infrastructure targets in southern Lebanon, where residents around the area of the Rashidiyeh refugee camp near the southern city of Tyre reported three loud blasts. "We strongly condemn the blatant Zionist aggression against Lebanon in the vicinity of Tyre at dawn today," Hamas said. Two Lebanese security sources said the strike hit a small structure on farmland near the area from which the rockets had been launched earlier. The strike appeared to have left a large crater in farmland in the south, according to Reuters witnesses. A member of Lebanon's Civil Defence at the scene on Friday morning said there were no casualties. The strikes came in response to rocket attacks from Lebanon towards northern Israeli areas, which Israeli officials blamed on Hamas. The military said 34 rockets were launched from Lebanon, of which 25 were intercepted by air defence systems. It was the biggest such attack since 2006, when Israel fought a war with the heavily armed Hezbollah movement. "Israel's response, tonight and later, will exact a significant price from our enemies," prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said following a security cabinet meeting. As the Israeli jets struck in Gaza, salvoes of rockets were fired in response and sirens sounded in Israeli towns and cities in bordering areas. However there were no reports of serious casualties and only one rocket hit a target, damaging a house in the southern town of Sderot. The cross-border strikes came amid an escalating confrontation over Israeli police raids at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which this year coincides with the Jewish Passover holiday. "We hold the Zionist occupation fully responsible for the grave escalation and the flagrant aggression against the Gaza Strip and for the consequences that will bring onto the region," Hamas said in a statement. Although Israel blamed Hamas for Thursday's attack, which took place as Hamas head Ismail Haniyeh was visiting Lebanon, security experts said Hezbollah, the powerful Shi'ite group which helps Israel's main enemy Iran project its power across the region, must have given its permission. "It's not Hezbollah shooting, but it's hard to believe that Hezbollah didn't know about it," Tamir Hayman, a former head of Israeli military intelligence, said on Twitter. Lebanon's prime minister Najib Mikati issued a statement condemning any military operations from its territory that threatened stability but there was no immediate comment from Hezbollah. Earlier on Thursday, before the rockets were fired, senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine said any infringement on Al-Aqsa "will inflame the entire region". UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, said it had been in contact with the parties and said both sides had said they did not seek war but it said the situation risked escalation and urged all parties to halt their actions. An Israeli military spokesman said the Israeli operation was over for the moment. "Nobody wants an escalation right now," he told reporters. "Quiet will be answered with quiet, at this stage I think, at least in the coming hours." A man shows the differing times on his watch and phone in Beirut. Photo: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters With at least seven unofficial exchange rates that often change by the hour, people in crisis-hit Lebanon are used to chaos. But yesterday morning the country woke up in a new state of mass confusion: it now has two rival time zones. The bizarre situation is the result of an escalating dispute between political and religious authorities over a decision to delay daylight saving time for a month. Some institutions implemented the change yesterday while others refused, leaving many Lebanese to juggle work and school schedules in different time zones all in a country half the size of Wales. A video circulating yesterday morning showed the clock at Beirut International airport displaying the time as 10.05 on one side and 9.05 on the other. Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced the move on Thursday. No explanation was given as to why and the last-minute announcement was widely mocked across the country. Scrambling to offset the consequences, the national airline announced several hours later that all flights in the month-long period would take off an hour earlier than scheduled to avoid fines and missed connections. Many businesses across the country rejected the governments decision, particularly those with international connections, and asked employees to put their clocks forward an hour overnight on Saturday as usual. When two major news channels also rejected the decision and said they would display the time an hour ahead, it quickly became apparent that Lebanon was about to have two different time zones: those who stand by the government, and those who refuse. A video of a meeting between Mr Mikati, a Sunni Muslim, and parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a Shiite Muslim, was leaked by Lebanese news outlet Megaphone. Mr Berri asked Mr Mikati to postpone the start of daylight saving time to allow Muslims to break their Ramadan fast an hour earlier even though the actual time that Muslims would break their fast is at sunset. Instead of it being 7 oclock, let it stay 6 oclock from now until the end of Ramadan, Mr Berri said, according to the video. Mr Mikati said he had suggested this before but implementation would be difficult because of consequences such as airline schedules. The head of the Maronite church on Saturday evening announced it would also reject the governments rushed decision to change the time. Christian schools and institutions for the next month will operate in a different time zone to Islamic organisations, in a country that bears the scars of its 15-year civil war between Christian and Muslim factions. Lebanon is in the midst of the worst financial crisis in its modern history. Soha Yazbek, a professor at the American University of Beirut, is among many parents who have found themselves and their children now bound to different schedules. So now I drop my kids to school at 8am but arrive to my work 42km away at 7:30 am and then I leave work at 5pm but I arrive home an hour later at 7pm!! Ms Yazbek wrote on Twitter, adding for the benefit of her non-Lebanese friends, I have not gone mad, I just live in Wonderland. Haruka Naito, a Japanese non-governmental organisation worker living in Beirut, discovered she has to be in two places at the same time on Monday morning. I had an 8am appointment and a 9am class, which will now happen at the same time, she said. The 8am appointment for her residency paperwork is with a government agency following the official time, while her 9am Arabic class is with an institute that is expected to make the switch to daylight savings. The schism has led to jokes about Muslim time and Christian time, while different internet search engines came up with different resultsyesterday morning when queried about the current time in Lebanon. The mother of two Israeli sisters killed in a gun attack in the occupied West Bank has died of her wounds, hospital officials have said. Maia (20) and Rina Dee (15) who were also British citizens, were killed on Friday when their car was shot at by a suspected Palestinian gunman. Their mother, Lucy Dee, was travelling with them and was critically wounded. Authorities in Israel are still searching for the assailant. Hundreds of people attended the funeral for the two sisters, as they were buried following an emotional ceremony in the Jewish settlement of Kfar Etzion on Sunday. Among the mourners was Israels national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. May we and no one else in the whole world ever know so much sorrow, said the victims father, Lee Dee, a rabbi at the Zait Ranaan synagogue in Efrat. His 48-year-old wife, Lucy, received surgery and had been in a critical condition in hospital since the attack in Jordan Valley. Her daughters were reportedly born in London, before the family moved to Israel in 2014, where they lived in the Efrat settlement, near the Palestinian city of Bethlehem. The three family members were among six people caught up in the attack as they travelled in one of three cars on their way to Tiberias in Galilee for a family holiday. The car crashed after being shot at, before being fired at again at close range, local media reported. Mr Dee, who was in a car in front of them, told the BBC that he heard news of the attack without realising his own family were involved. He found out only when they did not answer their phones and he drove back to the scene, where he was shown his daughters ID card. Tensions have soared and violence flared after an Israeli police raid on Palestinians last week at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, a site sacred in Judaism and Islam, ahead of the rare overlap of Passover and Ramadan. The incident prompted militants in Lebanon, and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, to fire a barrage of rockets into Israel on Friday, which responded with strikes on sites allegedly linked to the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza and southern Lebanon. A 15-year-old boy named Mohammed Balhan was killed by Israeli fire near Jericho during an army raid at the Aqabat Jaber refugee camp yesterday, the Palestinian health ministry said. The army said it entered the camp to arrest a wanted Palestinian suspect, and claimed residents opened fire and hurled explosives at the troops, who responded with live fire and hits were identified. It said the wanted suspect was arrested, and there were no Israeli casualties. Thousands of ultranationalist Israelis led by at least seven cabinet ministers marched to Eviatar, an unauthorised settlement in the West Bank which was evacuated by the Israeli government in 2021, in a defiant signal that prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is determined to accelerate building on occupied lands. In addition to the attack that killed Lucy Dee and her daughters, a suspected car-ramming in Tel Aviv on Friday left an Italian tourist dead and seven others injured, including three Britons. The protests in Israel over the proposed overhaul of the judicial system are the largest and most fundamentally important in the countrys history, with repercussions that are going to continue for a long time. The reforms proposed by the hard-right coalition strike at the independence of the judiciary and take away legal checks and balances on political actions. It seems to me they will also personally help Benjamin Netanyahu, shielding him while he faces trial for alleged corruption. The sheer scale and breadth of the opposition to the measures, a widely supported general strike as well as demonstrations, have paralysed the country, with reverberations both national and international. Airports and seaports have ceased to operate, the main roads are blocked, banks, offices and shops are shut, hospitals are only providing emergency care. The diplomats union has called on members to take action the embassy in London went on strike yesterday. Even McDonalds has closed all its branches. But the most significant development for the Jewish state, which has been involved in regular wars since its birth, has been the mood in the security forces. Read more Why are the judicial reforms in Israel so unpopular? Defence minister Yoav Gallant was sacked by Netanyahu after he called for the law changes to be halted, warning that he had never seen such intensity of anger and disquiet in the Israeli Defence Forces. Growing numbers of reservists the core of the military are refusing to report for duty, causing operational problems, senior officers have warned. Among those addressing rallies has been Benny Gantz, leader of the National Unity Party, a former head of the Israeli military, saying: We are one people; whoever doesnt protect his country wont have a country, and you are protecting our country. Netanyahu and Itmar Ben Gvir, the far-right national security minister, criticised the police commissioner, Kobi Shabtai, for supposedly being too soft on the protesters. Shabtai has refused to back down, stressing: I promise that the Israel police will remain apolitical. We will be careful about equal enforcement, about freedom of protest and freedom of expression regardless of religion, race or gender and affiliation of one kind or another... And, to put it politely, no one will frighten us. The police commissioner has also stated that it was his forces duty to protect the right to protest. Demonstrations have taken place under a sea of Israeli flags and very few Palestinian ones. One reason behind this, it has been claimed, was to ensure that the government does not have the pretext for saying that Israels enemies will benefit from the legal overhaul being halted. We want the messages delivered from our protest to be only about the democratic character of Israel, Nadav Lazare, a spokesperson for one of the organisers, Movement for Quality Government, told the publication Jewish Currents. Many Palestinians, however, stated they had been too disenfranchised for the legislation to have any meaning. The protests dont mention anything that has to do with the Palestinian issue, said Sami Abu Shehadeh, a former Knesset member and the leader of the Palestinian nationalist party Balad. The issues that are brought up have nothing to do with the main problem in the region justice and equality for all the people living here. Netanyahu announced a pause on implementing his judicial overhaul. But a pause is just that and does not address the concern of the protesters on what ultimately happens. The fall of the coalition government would lead to the sixth election in four years. Netanyahu got back into power, leading the most right-wing government ever in Israel, a mixture of ultra-orthodox and extreme hardliners, last November, but he may not win next time. This takes us back to Netanyahus personal legal difficulties. This is obviously about his political survival, he will be damned whether he does stop the reform, but he will also be damned if he does not, said Professor Yuval Shany, of the Israel Democracy Institute. Mahdi al-Mashat is head of the Houthi supreme political council. Photo: Getty Saudi officials flew to Yemens capital for talks with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels as part of international efforts to find a settlement to Yemens nine-year conflict. Saudi Arabias delegation, chaired by the kingdoms ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Jaber, will hold talks with Mahdi al-Mashat, head of the Houthis supreme political council, which runs rebel-held areas in Yemen. An Omani delegation will also join the talks. Mohammed al-Bukaiti, a Houthi leader, said on Twitter that Saudi and Omani officials would discuss ways to achieve a comprehensive and lasting peace in the region. He said achieving an honourable peace between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia would be a triumph for both parties, and urged all sides to take steps to preserve a peaceful atmosphere and prepare to turn the page of the past. Hans Grundberg, the UN envoy for Yemen, described the ongoing efforts, including the Saudi and Omani talks in Sanaa, as the closest Yemen has been to real progress towards lasting peace since the war began. This is a moment to be seized and built on and a real opportunity to start an inclusive political process under UN auspices to sustainably end the conflict, he said. The talks in Sanaa are part of international efforts led by Oman to settle Yemens conflict, which began in 2014. That is when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of the countrys north, ousting the internationally recognised government that fled to the south and then into exile in Saudi Arabia. The Houthi move prompted a Saudi-led coalition to intervene months later in a bid to restore the internationally recognised government to power. The conflict has in recent years turned into a regional proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Saudi Arabia and the Houthis reached a draft deal last month to revive a ceasefire that expired in October. The deal is meant to usher in a return to Yemeni political talks, according to Saudi and Yemeni officials. They said the Saudi-Houthi understandings include a six-month truce with a cessation of all military activities across Yemen. The Houthis have committed to coming to the table with other Yemeni parties to negotiate a political settlement to the conflict, they said. However, observers cautioned not to expect too much. Ahmed Nagi, a Yemen expert at the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based think tank, said Iran-Saudi Arabia rapprochement has given a boost to Saudi-Houthi negotiations, and that both sides are close to announcing the ceasefires renewal. However, the second track of the negotiations a potential road map to a permanent settlement to the conflict would be a major challenge when discussed by Yemeni parties. Each party has different interpretations and expectations, he said. Given the complexities of the situation, it is hard to see progress on this track very soon. The head of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, shakes hands with Saudi ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al-Jaber at the Republican Palace in Sanaa, Yemen. Photo: Reuters A Saudi Arabian delegation arrived in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa for peace talks yesterday in the biggest push yet to end their eight-year involvement in the countrys war. The Saudi-Houthi talks, mediated by Oman, are in their final stage, according to sources familiar with the negotiations and Yemeni government officials. Mahdi al-Mashat, the president of the Houthi political council, met with Omani and Saudi delegations on Sunday to finalise plans for a permanent ceasefire and an overarching peace plan, Houthi-run news agency Saba reported. A previous ceasefire expired in October and although there were violations, it has largely held since. Photos released of two delegations shaking hands on Sunday marked the first time that Saudi officials have been publicly received in Houthi-controlled Sanaa since 2015, though another visit was reported to have taken place earlier this year. Most of the Houthi demands in the negotiations are expected to have been met in the agreed deal. Sources familiar with the negotiations said the plan is to initially renew a ceasefire for six months, putting a stop to military actions across the country. Over this time, the restrictions imposed by the Saudi-led coalition on Sanaa airport and from the Houthis on the sea ports of Hodeidah will be lifted. One snag is said to be that some nearby countries are hesitant to allow flights from Houthi-controlled Sanaa to resume over security concerns. The Houthis are being asked to end their siege of Taiz, which has been in place since the wars early days. The joint plan includes the payment of the Houthis state employees, including armed forces, by revenue generated from oil and gas in the south of the country. There will then be a second set of negotiations in which Yemens parties should begin peace talks. A Yemeni government official said peace talks between the internationally recognised government and the Houthis would take place after the six-month truce. The plan is designed to pave the way for a two-year transition period for Yemen, though the sources briefed on the negotiations said it remains unclear what that will look like in reality. A relative mourns during the funeral of a Palestinian who was killed by Israeli troops during clashes, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Photo: Mohammed Torokman/Reuters A sister of the two British-Israeli women throws herself on the bodies. Photo: AP A funeral was held yesterday for the two British-Israeli sisters gunned down by an alleged Palestinian attacker amid soaring tensions on the same day as Israel conducted its second round of cross-border retaliatory strikes. Teenagers packed the prayer hall for the burial of the two young women aged 20 and 15 in Kfar Ezion settlement in the West Bank. Sobbing, their two surviving sisters collapsed over the bodies of Maya and Rina when they were brought out. Their father, Rabbi Leo Dee, leaned in for one final embrace. How will I explain to Lucy what has happened to our two precious kids, Maia and Rina, when she wakes up from her coma? Rabbi Dee said. Their mother, Lucianne (48), is still fighting for her life after she underwent surgery to remove bullets from her neck and spine. A manhunt was immediately launched for the gunmen and other suspects who fled the scene but they remained at large last night. The sisters deaths came amid soaring tensions in the region that have, so far, seen an exchange of fire on Israels border with Syria. Also, six rockets were fired at the Golan Heights from Syrian territory on Saturday night, according to the Israeli military. Early yesterday morning, Israel responded by sending a drone to hit the rocket launchers in southern Syria. A few hours later, it sent fighter jets to hit additional targets of the Syrian government army near the capital Damascus. Three of the rockets had fallen inside Israeli territory, according to the army. One was intercepted by the Iron Dome defence system, while two others fell short and landed in Syria and Jordan. While no group has publicly taken responsibility for the rocket attack, the Hizbollah-affiliated newspaper Al Mayadeen said that Palestinian militia Liwa Al Quds had claimed the attack. The report said they had vowed to respond seriously to any Israeli retaliation. The cross-border rocket fire and consequential airstrikes came just two days after 34 rockets were fired at Israel from Lebanon in the biggest single attack since the 2006 Lebanon war. The Israelis have pinned the attack from Lebanon on Palestinian militia Hamas. Hassan Nasrallah, the Hizbollah chief, met with Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas political bureau and his deputy Saleh Al Arouri in Lebanon on Saturday, a spokesman for the terror organisationsaid. In a statement, they said that the delegations discussed the readiness of the axis of resistance and the co-operation of its parties in confronting the escalations that have been brought by Israel in Al Aqsa mosque, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Hizbollah, Irans biggest proxy force in the region and Lebanons largest political might, has an iron grip over the south of Lebanon and while they denied involvement in Thursdays rocket attack into Israel, it is highly likely Hamas received tacit approval. The meeting is another indication of newly-growing cooperation between the two groups. The religious differences between the two Iran-backed militias, who follow different sects of Islam, have caused a cooling of relations in recent years as they supported different sides of the Syrian war. A relative mourns during the funeral of a Palestinian who was killed by Israeli troops during clashes, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Photo: Mohammed Torokman/Reuters The pair do have the same modus operandi though: an inherent opposition to Israel and its occupation of Palestine. The sharp escalation in tensions, which has brought the region dangerously close to fresh conflict, was sparked by Israeli forces raiding Al Aqsa mosque twice on Wednesday during the holy month of Ramadan. Jordan, who has custodianship of the holy site, on Saturday warned that there would be catastrophic consequences if the mosque is raided again. At the mosque yesterday, hundreds of Palestinians performed prayers as part of observances during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Hundreds of Jews also visited the Al-Aqsa compound under heavy police guard, to whistles and religious chants from Palestinians protesting at their presence. As the security situation nosedived, Palestinian militant group Lions Den yesterday announced they had killed a traitor, while the Palestinian human rights commission announced the killing of a man accused of spying for Israel. Meanwhile, the US has deployed a submarine capable of carrying up to 154 Tomahawk missiles to the region as a precaution.( Telegraph Media Group Ltd 2023) Measures include a law that prevents a prime minister being declared unfit to hold office People gesture as police use water cannon as demonstrators block a road in Tel Aviv. Photo: Amir Cohen Protesters took to the streets in Israel yesterday against hugely controversial judicial reforms including a law that prevents a prime minister being declared unfit to hold office. Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing ahead with the changes, which give the government more powers over courts, while he is still facing trial on corruption charges. The new law to protect Netanyahu passed in an early morning vote 61-47 in Israels Knesset after a debate that ran through the night. Thousands waved flags and sounded horns in Tel Aviv, while police sprayed a water cannon and dragged some protesters away as they tried to clear a major highway. A small group burned tires in the street outside a seaport, briefly blocking trucks. Dozens were detained across the country. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: Abir Sultan/Pool via Reuters The British prime minister Rishi Sunak was urged to use a meeting with Netanyahu in London today to raise concerns about human rights and democracy amid the ongoing protests, and violent clashes between Israelis and Palestinians. Shadow foreign minister and Labour MP Bambos Charalambous told the House of Commons: In his meeting with prime minister Netanyahu, the prime minister has an option to use Britains close relationship with Israel to take a clear stance on human rights, respect for international law, and commitments to democracy. Foreign secretary James Cleverly earlier this week signed an agreement aimed at deepening Britains security, trade and technology links with Israel. ( Independent News Service) Israeli officials at the scene of the attack in Tel Aviv on Friday. Photo: Nir Elias/Reuters An Italian tourist was killed and seven other people wounded in a suspected car ramming attack in Tel Aviv. The 30-year-old Italian man was among a group of Italian and British citizens who were hit by a car near a beach late on Friday. Israels rescue service said a 74-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl were receiving medical treatment for mild to moderate injuries. Police said they shot and killed the driver of the car and identified him as a 45-year-old Palestinian citizen of Israel from the village of Kafr Qassem. A video circulating on social media showed the car hurtling along a sidewalk for several hundred metres before crashing out of control. Italian premier Giorgia Melonis office expressed closeness to the family of the victim and solidarity with the Israel for the vile attack. She identified the man killed as Alessandro Parini from Rome. In a separate incident, two British-Israeli women were shot to death near a settlement in the occupied West Bank. The two women in their 20s, who were sisters, were killed while their 45-year-old was seriously wounded. The family lived in the Efrat settlement, near the Palestinian city of Bethlehem, said Oded Revivi, the settlements mayor. The girls father was driving in a car behind his wife and daughters and witnessed the attack. Medics said they dragged the unconscious women from the smashed car, which appeared to have been pushed off the road. No groups claimed responsibility for either attack. But the Hamas militant group that rules Gaza praised both incidents as retaliation for Israeli raids earlier this week on the Al-Aqsa mosque the third-holiest site in Islam. On Tuesday, police arrested and beat hundreds of Palestinians there, who responded by hurling rocks and firecrackers at officers. The attack came against the backdrop of heightened tensions after Israeli air strikes on Palestinian militant targets in both Lebanon and Gaza, as well as a shooting attack in the occupied West Bank that killed two people. That followed days of violence and unrest in Jerusalems most sensitive holy site, the compound of the Al-Aqsa mosque in the Old City. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was calling up all reserve forces in Israels border police to confront the terror attacks. The Hamas militant group that rules Gaza praised the attack in Tel Aviv as a response to Israels crimes against Al-Aqsa Mosque and worshippers. Even as quiet returned to Israels northern and southern borders, the early morning Israeli strikes on Lebanon which analysts described as the most serious border violence since Israels 2006 war with Lebanons Hezbollah militants threatened to push the confrontation into a new phase. Israeli strikes came in retaliation for a major barrage of rockets from Lebanon the day before, after Israeli police raids at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem spiralled into unrest and sparked outrage across the Arab world. Although the Israeli military was quick to emphasise that its warplanes struck sites belonging to only Palestinian militant groups, the barrage risks drawing in Israels bitter foe Hezbollah, which holds sway over much of southern Lebanon and has in the past portrayed itself as a defender of the Palestinians and the contested city of Jerusalem. Israeli missiles had earlier struck an open field in the southern Lebanese town of Qalili, near the Palestinian refugee camp of Rashidiyeh, killing sheep and inflicting minor injuries on residents. Worshippers carry a cross as they take part in the Good Friday procession at the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem's Old City, April 7, 2023. REUTERS/Ammar Awad Two young British sisters were shot dead and their mother was critically wounded in the West Bank last night when a Palestinian militant opened fire near a Jewish settlement. The two sisters, one reportedly 15 and the other in her 20s, were shot in the Jordan Valley according to Oded Revivi, the mayor of Efrat. It is understood the shooting took place close to the settlement of Hamra. Mr Revivi said the family were migrants from the UK, originally from London, and that they were travelling via the Jordan Valley to Tiberius, located on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, for a holiday when the attack happened. According to Israeli media reports, 22 bullet casings were found on the ground. In a post on Facebook, Mr Revivi said: With great sorrow we received an update on a shocking terrorist attack in which terrorists shot a car including a mother and her two daughters, residents of Efrat. The father of the family who drove in another car from the front turned around and witnessed the efforts to take care of his wife and daughters. The mother was being operated on last night, and before sundown the familys friends gathered in Efrat to hold a vigil. In response to the attack, the Israeli military reinforced brigades across the West Bank and also called up an unspecified number of air force reservists, such as fighter jets and air defence crews. The attack was particularly horrific as it took place during the Jewish holiday of Passover, which this year is coinciding with Easter and Ramadan. According to Daniella Crankshaw, the co-founder of Centre Stage, the first professional English theatre in Israel, the womens car was chased off the road into a ditch. Images posted on social media showed blood on the car, which had a number of bullet holes. Ms Crankshaw wrote on Twitter: The terrorist chased the women off the road into a ditch while shooting at them and shot at them at close range. Two young women in their 20s were murdered and another woman around 45 was critically injured. Truly sickening. Tensions in Israel are already extremely high after Palestinian militants in southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip launched multiple waves of rockets at Israel this week, in protest at scenes of Palestinian Muslims being beaten by police inside Jerusalems al-Aqsa mosque. Jewish settlements in the West Bank, such as Efrat and Hamra, are considered by many countries, including Britain, as illegal under international law, though Israel strongly disputes this. Last night, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, vowed to find the killers in a joint statement with Yoav Gallant, Israels defence minister, stressing it was only a matter of time, but not a lot of time. General Yehuda Fox, who oversees the Israeli military in the occupied West Bank, said: This is an extremely severe attack. Well settle the score with these terrorists too, were hunting them and will catch them. Isaac Herzog, the Israeli president, said last night: Two sisters, pure souls, caught in a heinous and shocking murder. May their memory be blessed. The president added: I hug the father and the family in a painful condolence hug. Together with the people of Israel I pray for the mothers healing and good news. No group immediately took responsibility for the attack on the sisters, but a spokesman for the Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip praised it as a natural response to the occupations ongoing crimes against al-Aqsa mosque and its barbaric aggression against Lebanon and the steadfast Gaza. The attack came just hours after Israeli warplanes hit targets through the night on Thursday, after Palestinian militants launched a barrage of rockets from Lebanon. ( Telegraph Media Group Ltd 2023) Israeli protesters react as a water cannon is used to disperse the people attending a demonstration against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his nationalist coalition government's plan for judicial overhaul, in Tel Aviv The protests are mainly centred on Benjamin Netanyahus plans for a major overhaul of the legal system. Since Mr Netanyahu returned to power in January, Israelis have staged weekly demonstrations across the nation calling for the package to be scrapped. Most of the protesters come from Israels secular middle class, while religious conservatives who backed Mr Netanyahu and his far-Right allies in last Novembers elections generally support the reforms. However, recent opinion polls suggest that the reforms have grown unpopular across Israeli society, with a majority favouring some sort of compromise rather than a radical legal overhaul. Why are the reforms so unpopular? Critics of the reforms say they will transform Israel into a dictatorship by neutering the supreme court and ramping up the governments influence over the appointment of judges. Mr Netanyahus allies have also signalled that they could help to scrap his ongoing trial on corruption and fraud charges, which he denies. Many protests suspect that this, and not the reforms to parts of the Israeli legal system, is the real purpose behind the overhaul. The reforms have also been sharply criticised by Israeli tech and business leaders who warn that they will scare off investment and jeopardise the countrys startup nation label. Why caused Sundays escalation? On Sunday, Israel saw a massive escalation to the protest movement as tens of thousands spontaneously took to the streets in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and other cities. This time they called not just for an end to the legal reforms but the resignation of Mr Netanyahu himself. Their ire was sparked by Mr Netanyahu making the shock decision to sack his defence minister, Yoav Galant, after he publicly criticised the reforms. Mr Galant had raised concerns that the package was undermining Israeli security, in part because hundreds of reservists - who play a key role in Israels defence capabilities - were threatening to stop reporting for duty over them. Security is sacrosanct in Israel, and the notion that a leader would sack his own defence minister in an attempt to force through reforms that could hurt national security is virtually horrifying to many Israelis. Will the freeze calm down the situation? A freeze on the reforms only kicks the can down the road, probably until May. But that would allow plenty of time for some type of compromise to be hammered out with a chance of appeasing all sides. While many protesters do now appear to want Mr Netanyahu gone, their huge scale is largely due to opposition to the reforms themselves. But Israel is extremely tense this week and there are concerns of the situation deteriorating into the territory of popular uprisings or even civil warfare. Montana statehouse Republicans on Wednesday banned Democratic transgender legislator Zooey Zephyr for breaking decorum after she said lawmakers who backed a ban on gender-affirming healthcare for minors would have "blood on their hands." Under the motion that passed with a vote of 68-32, Zephyr will be allowed to vote but not participate in debates on the Montana House of Representatives floor for the remainder of the legislative session. The discord in Montana has festered since an April 18 debate over Senate Bill 99, which would ban transgender healthcare treatments aimed at minors, such as puberty blockers and hormones. Zephyr, a first-term representative from Missoula, said in a House debate that denying such care was "tantamount to torture," and that a ban would lead to more suicides. "If you vote yes on this bill and yes on these amendments, I hope the next time there's an invocation when you bow your heads in prayer, you see the blood on your hands," Zephyr said. In response, the Republican supermajority silenced her within the chamber until she apologized, prompting a large protest by Zephyr supporters at the state house on Monday. When protesters in the gallery disrupted the session by chanting "Let her speak!," the House speaker ordered representatives to abandon the floor, but Zephyr stayed in place, pointing a microphone toward her supporters. Seven demonstrators were arrested, and Republicans increased their attention on Zephyr, with the ultraconservative Montana Freedom Caucus on Monday urging she be punished. Lawyers for Adnan Syed filed a motion yesterday asking a US court to reconsider its recent decision to reinstate his decades-old murder conviction and life sentence, a ruling that upheld arguments from the victims family claiming a lower court violated their rights. Syed, whose protracted legal odyssey gained international attention from the hit podcast Serial, regained his freedom last year after Baltimore prosecutors moved to vacate his conviction, saying they reviewed the case and found alternative suspects and unreliable evidence used at trial. But the victims family said they received insufficient notice to attend the September vacatur hearing in person, which violated their right to be treated with dignity and respect, and the Maryland Appellate Court last month agreed. In a 2-1 decision that was stayed for 60 days, the judges reinstated Syeds conviction and ordered a redo of the hearing in question. Yesterdays motion asks the judges to reconsider the ruling, which prompted celebration within the crime victims rights movement and criticism from criminal justice reform advocates who warned of a potential chilling effect on existing efforts to fight wrongful convictions and excessive sentences. Syeds attorneys claim the appellate judges broke from the courts own precedent by failing to require the victims family to prove the outcome of the September hearing would have been different if they had received more notice and attended in person. The motion also questions whether the court intends to award crime victims and their representatives special treatment not even available to criminal defendants. Syed was 17 when his high school ex-girlfriend and classmate, Hae Min Lee, was found strangled to death and buried in a makeshift grave in 1999. He was arrested weeks later and ultimately convicted of murder. He received life in prison, plus 30 years. Despite the ongoing litigation, Syed remains free for the time being. His many supporters have expressed alarm at the possibility he could be taken back into custody, depending on how the case plays out. Maryland law says victims should receive prior notice of conviction vacatur hearings, and that right was violated in the case of Lees brother, the appellate court ruled last month. Young Lee was notified on a Friday that the hearing would take place the following Monday, which did not give him enough time to make travel arrangements from his home in California. However, he attended the hearing via video conference and spoke during the proceeding about how the case has affected his family. Im here because Donald Trump raped me writer testifies The journalist suing Donald Trump for allegedly raping her nearly 30 years ago began testifying yesterday at a civil trial, telling jurors the former US president sexually assaulted her, and then defamed her by lying about it. Im here because Donald Trump raped me, and when I wrote about it, he lied and said it didnt happen, E Jean Carroll told the Manhattan federal court. He lied and shattered my reputation, and Im here to try and get my life back. Carroll (79), a former Ellemagazine advice columnist, is seeking unspecified damages from Trump, who leads the Republican field in the 2024 presidential campaign. She is suing over an alleged encounter in the dressing room of the Bergdorf Goodman department store in late 1995 or early 1996. Carroll testified she had met Trump years before the alleged rape, finding him "very personable" and a "man about town". She said she was leaving the store when Trump recognised her and held up his hand, prompting her to stop. "He said: 'Hey, you are that advice lady,'" Carroll recalled. "I said: 'Hey, you are that real estate tycoon.'" Carroll said she and Trump engaged in banter, describing his tone as "joshing", with Trump seeking to buy lingerie for another woman. She said Trump asked her to try on a piece of lingerie, and she joked that he should try it on. Carroll said Trump then ushered her to an open dressing room, shut the door, shoved her against a wall, and pulled down her tights. Trump's fingers "went into my vagina, which was extremely painful, extremely painful," and he "inserted his penis" she said. "As I'm sitting here today I can still feel it." Asked by her lawyer if she told Trump no, Carroll said: "I don't recall saying it. I may have said it." Carroll said she blamed herself at the time, and feared she would lose her job and Trump would retaliate if she reported him. She also said the damage was long-lasting. "It left me unable to ever have a romantic life again," she added. Lawyers for Trump are expected to question Carroll, including over her inability to remember exactly when the encounter took place. She recalled it was on a Thursday night, but "I can't say I'm 100pc sure". A six-man, three-woman jury will decide whether to hold Trump liable for damages, and, if so, for how much. The trial may last one to two weeks. Trump (76) is not attending the trial, nor is he required to. But the ex-president stood by his criticism of Carroll in two online posts yesterday, prompting the judge to warn he could face legal problems if he kept discussing the case. Does anybody believe that I would take a then almost 60-year-old woman that I didnt know, from the front door of a very crowded department store, (with me being very well known, to put it mildly!), into a tiny dressing room, Trump wrote. She didnt scream? There are no witnesses? Nobody saw this? Trump also called the accusations a made up SCAM and said: This is a fraudulent & false story--Witch Hunt! His posts prompted US District Judge Lewis Kaplan to tell Trumps legal team that Trump appeared to be endeavouring to speak to his quote-unquote public and the jury, about matters that have no business being spoken about. The judge added that Trump could be tampering with a new source of liability if he continued. Trumps lawyer Joe Tacopina said he would talk to Trump and ask him to refrain from any further posts... I will do the best I can do. Carroll is suing Trump for defamation after he denied her rape claim in online posts. She is also suing under New Yorks Adult Survivors Act, which lets adults sue their alleged abusers long after statutes of limitations have run out. Other possible witnesses for Carroll include two friends in whom she confided about Trumps alleged rape, and two other women who have accused Trump of sexual assault. In her opening statement on Tuesday, Shawn Crowley, one of Carrolls lawyers, told jurors that the evidence made the trial more than a he said, she said dispute. In his opening statement, Tacopina countered that the evidence was not there, and that if jurors in heavily Democratic Manhattan did not like Trump, they should express themselves at the ballot box, not in court. US President Joe Biden said yesterday he may not be the only one who can beat Donald Trump in 2024, but that he knows him well touting his familiarity with the way the former president works, a day after launching his re-election bid. I may not be the only one, but I know him well and I know the danger he presents to our democracy, Biden said. Weve been down this road before. President Joe Biden says that Donald Trump represents a danger to democracy Biden launched his re-election bid on Tuesday with a promise to protect liberties from extremists linked to Trump. His announcement was accompanied with imagery from the attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters. I took a hard look before I decided to run, and I feel good, I feel excited about the prospects Biden further clarified he would still be running for office in 2024 even if Trump was not and said his favourable ratings currently are similar to his predecessors. I took a hard look before I decided to run, and I feel good, I feel excited about the prospects and I think were on the verge of really turning the corner in a way we havent in a long time, Biden said. Biden enjoys rapturous crowd after announcing 2024 re-election bid The US president said there is more he needs to do to position the United States so it is economically and politically secure for a long time. I think we have to finish the job, Biden said. Earlier yesterday, Bidens re-election campaign released its first advertisement for the 2024 cycle. It features the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol building, and focuses on issues such as gun violence, abortion, and safeguarding democracy. The advert will air in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin key battleground states that are likely to determine the winner of the 2024 presidential election. Biden won all six states in 2020. Priorities USA, a Democratic super PAC, announced it will spend $75m on digital ads in these six battleground states. The ad does not directly go after Republicans, but references an extreme movement that seeks to overturn elections, ban books, and eliminate a womans right to choose. The White House yesterday said Biden would veto a bill seeking to overturn Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules that aim to drastically cut smog- and soot-forming emissions from heavy-duty trucks. The US Senate was last night set to vote on a measure to repeal the Biden administration rule which, says the White House, cuts pollution, boosts public health, and advances environmental justice. Police divers search for the fiance of pregnant teacher Marelle Sturrock Photo: Lucinda Cameron/PA Wire PA Marelle Sturrock, who was found dead on Tuesday inside a property in Glasgow Photo: Family Handout/PA Wire PA Detectives hunting for the partner of murdered pregnant teacher Marelle Sturrock have found a body this evening. Police Scotland said the body is yet to be formally identified but is believed to be that of David Yates, 36. The body was found during searches of Mugdock Reservoir on Thursday, police said. Mr Yates was wanted in connection with the murder of the 35-year-old teacher, who was 29 weeks pregnant. An investigation remains ongoing but nothing has been established so far to suggest anyone else was involved in Ms Sturrocks death, police said. Detective Superintendent Nicola Kilbane said: Our thoughts are with Marelles family and friends, along with everyone affected by this tragedy. We are providing her family with specialist support at this incredibly difficult time. Police earlier launched a murder probe into the death of Ms Sturrock. Officers had been searching for David Yates after the body of Marelle Sturrock (35) was found at 8.40am on Tuesday in a home in Jura Street, Glasgow. She was 29 weeks pregnant and her unborn baby did not survive, Police Scotland confirmed this afternoon. Police search for fiance linked to suspicious death of lovely pregnant teacher Officers were searching Mugdock Country Park and Mugdock reservoir, just outside the city in East Dunbartonshire, where Yates vehicle, a white Seat Ateca, was found on Tuesday. Police divers search for the fiance of pregnant teacher Marelle Sturrock Photo: Lucinda Cameron/PA Wire PA Police divers have been involved in the search and large areas of the reservoir are cordoned off with police tape, with officers standing guard. Police Scotland Detective Superintendent Nicola Kilbane said in a statement earlier today: Her partner David Yates is wanted in connection with Marelles death. At this time we have no information to suggest anyone else has been involved. His vehicle, a white Seat Ateca, was found at Mugdock Country Park on Tuesday and an extensive search has been ongoing in the area since. She added: The last confirmed sighting of David was on Sunday evening shortly after 8pm. His subsequent movements are unknown after his vehicle was left at Mugdock Country Park but there is nothing to suggest he has left the area. We will keep an open mind on this as we continue to search the area. The headteacher at Sandwood Primary School in Glasgow where Ms Sturrock worked said the school community is devastated. Marelle Sturrock, who was found dead on Tuesday inside a property in Glasgow Photo: Family Handout/PA Wire PA Fiona Donnelly said: Marelle has been a much-loved member of our school community since her probationary year more than six years ago and has taught many year groups throughout her time at the school. We will all miss her so much. She was a lovely, kind, diligent and considerate person who loved and made time for everyone. Marelle used her artistic talents across the school and was our music champion who has been a key player in the success of our school choirs, with one of her classes going to see her on stage at The Kings (Theatre) in one of her many acting roles outside of school. We are a school community in mourning and are devasted by the tragic news of her death and pass on our deepest condolences to her family and friends as we all come to terms with our loss. More to follow Princess Latifa and former President of Ireland Mary Robinson at their meeting in Dubai An Instagram account purporting to belong to Sheikha Latifa, a daughter of the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed, has said that she is totally free. The account also posted a lengthy statement alleging to be from Latifa al Maktoum. This comes two years after the publication of videos in which she claimed her family was holding her hostage in Dubai. This followed a failed attempt from Latifa to escape the UAE in March 2018. Latifa was allegedly held under house arrest for years after this, with sporadic images of her released to the media, claiming that she lives as she wishes. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content The video became worldwide news and a story that saw former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, become embroiled in it after she had dinner with Latifa at the request of her mother, Haya. Photographs of Mrs Robinson, a former UN Commissioner for Human Rights, and Sheikha Latifa were issued by the United Arab Emirates. Officials in Dubai said Ms Robinson was assured Latifa was in "the loving care of her family". Mrs Robinson described Latifa at the time as a very likeable young woman but clearly troubled, clearly needs the medical care she's receiving. Mrs Robinson later said on The Late Late Show that attending the lunch was a mistake. Princess Latifa and former President of Ireland Mary Robinson at their meeting in Dubai In the Instagram post on Wednesday evening, it is claimed that Latifa is living an independent life. The photograph attached is of a well-known tourist destination in Austria. I want to share my sincere gratitude to everyone who has shown compassion towards me over the past few years. In that time, my life has changed in so many ways and I am looking forward to the next chapter. I was recently made aware of media inquiries for a piece which casts doubt on my freedom because I have not spoken publicly about what has happened. I gave statements via my lawyers and posted personal travel photos with friends and family thinking that it would be enough. I can understand it from the outside perspective of seeing someone so outspoken fall off the grid and have others speak on her behalf, especially after everything that has happened which appears to make me look like I'm being controlled. I am totally free and living an independent life. I live in Dubai for most of the year and can travel also, which is what I want, the statement said. Latifa is not the first daughter of Sheikh Mohammed to try and escape the family; in 2000, Princess Shamsa also attempted to abscond while holidaying in England and claimed she was injected and given tablets before being flown back to Dubai on a private jet. Belfast medic Dr Manal Mahdi has spoken about her family who are trapped in Sudan A Belfast doctor born and raised in Sudan, has said that she is living in constant fear for her family, as political violence continues to rip through the African country. Image Credit: PIB New Delhi/IBNS: A Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the National Medical Devices Policy, 2023 Wednesday with the aim to bolster India as the global leader in the manufacturing and innovation of medical devices by achieving a 10-12% share in the expanding global market over the next 25 years, the government said in a statement. The policy is expected to help the medical devices sector grow from the present $11 billion to $50 billion by 2030. The policy lays down a roadmap for accelerated growth of the medical devices sector to achieve the following missions viz, access & universality, affordability, quality, patient-centred and quality care, preventive & promotive health, security, research and innovation, and skilled manpower, it said. To ensure ease of doing research and business a Single Window Clearance System for licensing of medical devices will be set up, coopting all the stakeholder departments/organizations such as AERB, MeitY, DAHD, etc. The role of Indian Standards like BIS and designing a coherent pricing regulation will be followed to balance patient safety with product innovation. Large medical device parks, clusters equipped with world-class common infrastructure facilities in proximity to economic zones with requisite logistics connectivity as envisioned under the National Industrial Corridor Program and the proposed National Logistics Policy 2021 under the ambit of PM Gati Shakti, would be pursued with the state governments and industry for better convergence and backward integration with medical device industry The policy envisages promoting Research & Development in India and complements the departments proposed National Policy on R&D and Innovation in the Pharma- MedTech Sector in India. It also aims at establishing Centres of Excellence in academic and research institutions, innovation hubs, plug and play infrastructures and support to start-ups. Along with recent schemes and interventions like Make in India, the Ayushman Bharat program, Heal-in-India, and the Start-up mission, the policy encourages private investments, a series of funding from Venture Capitalists, and also Public-Private Partnerships (PPP). In order to have a steady supply of skilled workforce across the value chain such as scientists, regulators, health experts, managers, technicians, etc., the policy envisages for skilling, reskilling, and upskilling of professionals in the medical device sector, we can leverage the available resources in Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship The policy will support dedicated multidisciplinary courses for medical devices in existing institutions to ensure the availability of skilled manpower for futuristic medical technologies, high-end manufacturing and research, to produce future-ready MedTech human resources and to meet the evolving needs of the sector To develop partnerships with foreign academic/industry organizations to develop medical technologies in order to be an equal pace with the world market. The policy envisages the creation of a dedicated Export Promotion Council for the sector under the department which will be an enabler to deal with various market access issues: Initiate studies and projects for learning from best global practices of manufacturing and skilling systems so as to explore the feasibility of adapting such successful models in India. It plans to promote more forums to bring together various stakeholders for sharing knowledge and building strong networks across the sector. The Indian medical devices sectors contribution has gained further prominence as India supported the domestic and global battle against COVID-19 pandemic through the large-scale production of medical devices and diagnostic kits, such as Ventilators, Rapid Antigen Test kits, Real-Rime Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) kits, Infrared (IR) Thermometers, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Kits & N-95 masks, said the statement. The medical devices sector in India is a sunrise sector that is growing at a fast pace. The market size of the medical devices sector in India is estimated to be $11 billion or approx. Rs 90,000 crore in 2020 and its share in the global medical device market is estimated to be 1.5%. The Centre has already initiated the implementation of the PLI Scheme for medical devices and support for the setting up of four medical device parks in Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh. Under the PLI scheme for Medical Devices, till now, a total of 26 projects have been approved, with a committed investment of Rs 1206 crore, and out of this, so far, an investment of Rs 714 crore has been achieved. A total of 14 projects producing 37 products have been commissioned and domestic manufacturing of high-end medical devices has started which include Linear Accelerator, MRI Scans, CT-Scan, Mammograms, C-Arm, MRI Coils, high-end X-ray tubes, etc. The remaining 12 products will be commissioned in the near future. Five projects out of a total of 26 projects have been approved recently, under Category B, for domestic manufacturing of 87 products/product components. Image Credit: UNI New Delhi/IBNS: The representatives of European Free Trade Association (EFTA) States, comprising Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland met with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday in New Delhi to discuss the prospects of resuming their negotiations towards a Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA). The EFTA delegation included Minister of Trade and Industry of Norway Jan Christian Vestre; Swiss State Secretary at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO Helene Budliger Artieda; Permanent Secretary of State of Iceland at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs Martin Eyjolfsson; Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Liechtenstein to EFTA, WTO and the UN in Geneva Kurt Jager, and Secretary-General of the European Free Trade Association Henri Getaz. Minister Goyal and EFTA representatives exchanged views on the state of play of their negotiations and explore ways to advance the talks. The participants acknowledged the challenges posed by the current global economic and trade environment, as well as the need to address the bilateral trade and economic partnership issues in a constructive and pragmatic manner, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry said in a statement. Both sides agreed to continue their efforts to resolve all outstanding issues and work towards deepening and strengthening the economic partnership while contributing to a more inclusive global trading system, it added. Image Credit: PIB Berlin (Germany): The Department of Consumer Affairs and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action signed the new Work Plan for 2023 during the 9th Annual Meeting of the Indo-German Working Group on Quality Infrastructure. The plan was signed in Berlin, Germany on 25 April 2023. This year's Annual Meeting marks the 10th anniversary of the Working Group. Department of Consumer Affairs Additional Secretary Nidhi Khare and Director General of Digital and Innovation Policy in Germanys Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action and Dr. Daniela Broenstrup emphasised the important role of the Working Group in reducing technical barriers to trade and promoting innovation and consumer protection. The technical dialogues of the Working Group address key areas of economic cooperation between the two countries. In addition, they promote systemic harmonisation of quality infrastructure (QI) at an international level. The annual meeting was attended by stakeholders from both sides including the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the German Institute for Standardization (DIN), the German Commission for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies (DKE), other quality infrastructure organisations as well as industry associations including Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The stakeholders from QI bodies and industry provided insights on current QI developments in Germany and India. These included the Standards National Action Plan for India, as well as the German Standardization Roadmaps Circular Economy and Industries 4.0. Other contributions covered market surveillance activities in India, as well as applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in market surveillance and the digital accreditation symbol. The Work Plan 2023 is structured along the key elements of QI, including standardisation, accreditation, conformity assessment, legal metrology, product safety and market surveillance. It addresses cross-cutting topics like harmonised global solutions as well as sector-specific cooperation topics, such as digitalisation (Industry 4.0, Artificial Intelligence, cyber security), circular economy, smart farming and machinery safety. Image Credit: PIB Goa: India has proposed four areas of cooperation among the SCO members during the XIX Council Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Interbank Consortium (SCO IBC) in Goa on Wednesday. The meeting saw participation from representatives of member banks including Development Bank of Kazakhstan, China Development Bank, RSK Bank (Kyrgyzstan), Habib Bank Limited (Pakistan), VEB.RF (Russia), Savings bank of the Republic of Tajikistan Amonatbonk, and National Bank for Foreign Economic Activities of the Republic of Uzbekistan. India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL) Managing Director P.R. Jaishankar chaired the meeting. He proposed that efforts should be made towards taking initiatives to further expand cooperation among member banks and emphasis on exchange of experience, skills, and personnel training among SCO IBC Member Banks, building on positive strides already made in this direction. Jaishankar said the initiative to form an Electronic Collection of the SCO IBC signed documents for the 20th anniversary of the consortium should be supported. Further, member banks should be encouraged to strengthen partnerships within the framework of SCO IBC. In his address as the Chair of the Meeting, P.R. Jaishankar highlighted India's achievements as the fifth largest economy in the world and its continued rise as a strong and vibrant democracy. He mentioned that India's GDP growth in 2022 stood at 6.8%, outperforming major economies like the US, United Kingdom, and Europe. He also highlighted India's rapid digitization of the economy, sustainable development efforts, and significant growth in exports. India is keeping pace with Sustainable Development while building infrastructure projects, he added. The SCO IBC Council meeting also focused on the increased sensitivity towards climate change and the need for sustainable development. The XIX Council Meeting of the SCO IBC concluded with a renewed commitment to strengthen cooperation among member banks, exchange of experience and skills, and support for sustainable development initiatives. The proposed SCO-IBC Chair for the year 2023-24 is the Development Bank of Kazakhstan. Image Credit: Twitter/MEA New Delhi/UNI: India has pulled out nearly 1,100 of its nationals to safety from violence-hit Sudan, via Indian Naval ships and IAF aircraft, under Operation Kaveri so far. A fourth Indian Air Force C-130J aircraft arrived in Jeddah with 128 Indians, while INS Teg departed from Port of Sudan with 297 passengers last night, comprising the fifth batch of Indians. Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, who is stationed at Jeddah to oversee the rescue operations, in tweets said, "Efforts are on to ensure that all Indians, who arrived in Jeddah will be sent to India at the earliest." The MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted on the latest developments, "The 4th IAF C-130J flight takes off from Port Sudan for Jeddah with 128 passengers. "This is the sixth batch of Indians to be evacuated from Sudan under #OperationKaveri, taking the total to nearly 1100 persons." The 4th IAF C-130J flight takes off from Port Sudan for Jeddah with 128 passengers. This is the sixth batch of Indians to be evacuated from Sudan under #OperationKaveri, taking the total to nearly 1100 persons. pic.twitter.com/lBhEHOiY9o Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) April 26, 2023 Meanwhile, MoS Muraleedharan also received the family of Albert Augestine, an Indian national who died in Khartoum after being hit by a stray bullet. "Received family of Albert Augestine, an Indian who died in Sudan at Jeddah by IAF C130 J aircraft. Arranged tickets immediately for the family to reach Kochi. "Assured of all possible assistance to the family," he tweeted. A third IAF C-130J that left Port Sudan with 136 Indians arrived in Jeddah. Muraleedharan in a tweet said: "#OperationKaveri will continue till we rescue all Indians who want to come back home." On Tuesday evening, the first batch of 278 Indians left Sudan Port for Jeddah on board INS Sumedha, while two other batches, of 121 and 135 Indians, were flown to Jeddah on board two IAF C-130J aircraft later in the night. MoS Muraleedharan has been stationed in Jeddah where a control room has been set up to oversee the safe evacuation of Indian nationals from Sudan. More sorties are to follow to evacuate the over 3,000 Indians who were in Sudan when the fighting broke out between the army and the paramilitary. Kolkata/IBNS: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed that the communal clashes, which took place over the Hindu festival Ram Navami in two districts of West Bengal last month, will be probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), media reports said. The high court has ordered the transfer of the probe from West Bengal Police to NIA acting on a petition filed by state Leader of Opposition and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Suvendu Adhikari. Violence had rocked West Bengal's Howrah and Hooghly districts during Ram Navami celebrations last month. Stones were pelted, several vehicles were torched, shops were ransacked as the tension gripped Howrah's Shibpur and later Hooghly. The incidents triggered a political blame game with the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and BJP getting engaged in a war of words. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had accused her primary opponent BJP of bringing in people from other states to incite violence. "All the accused, who incited violence in Howrah on Ram Navami, were from outside Bengal, some from Munger in Bihar. People from Bengal stay together, they dont do danga. The police hadnt given permission for their rally," she had said. The charges were refuted by the BJP, which has accused the Mamata Banerjee government of playing polarisation politics to win back "lost minority votes". Image: UNI Guwahati/IBNS: An NIA Special Court in Guwahati Wednesday convicted five persons in the 2011 PLA-CPI (Maoist) nexus case related to a criminal conspiracy to threaten the unity, integrity, security, and sovereignty of India. Three of the convicted accused belong to the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) and two to the Communist Party of India (Maoist). NIA had registered a suo moto case on July 1, 2011, based on inputs that the PLA, a proscribed terrorist organization, had hatched a conspiracy to destabilize the country with the support of CPI (Maoist). CPI (Maoist) leaders had agreed to recognize and support the separatist activities of PLA for the creation of the northeastern state of Manipur, as a separate nation. The PLA leadership, on its part, decided to support the continuing war of CPI (Maoist) for overthrowing the constitutionally elected Government of India. Investigations revealed that PLA had established a liaison office in Kolkata, where a meeting was held between PLA/RPF and CPI (Maoist) leaders. Modalities were worked out at the meeting for taking unified action for waging a war against the Union of India. A bipartite meeting was also held between PLA/RPF and CPI (Maoist) leadership in Jharkhand for imparting military training to cadres of CPI (Maoist) by PLA/RPF instructors. It further came to light during the investigations that the SS President of PLA/RPF had also complimented the General Secretary of CPI (Maoist) on carrying out an attack on the security forces on April 6, 2010, resulting in the killing of 76 CRPF personnel in Chhattisgarh. Investigations also revealed that the PLA had provided logistic support to Maoist cadres and both groups were regularly communicating and exchanging e-mails. The accused persons had travelled to different places within and outside India, and created fake IDs and bank accounts under pseudonymous identities. Based on these findings, the NIA had filed chargesheets in the case on May 21 and November 16 of 2012, as well as on July 31, 2014, in the NIA Special Court, Guwahati. The court, after extensive hearings, on Wednesday convicted the five persons accused in the case u/s 121A IPC & Sec 18, 18A & 39 of UA(P)Act 1967. (Reporting by Hemanta Kr Nath) Image instagrammed by chrisannpereira Mumbai/IBNS: Chrisann Pereira, a 27-year-old Bollywood actor from Mumbais Borivali, who was falsely implicated in a drug case and detained in a prison in Sharjah, UAE, narrated her traumatic experience in a letter, media reports said. She recounted how she had to wash her hair with Tide laundry detergent powder and make coffee with toilet water during her 26-day stay in jail. The actor has now been released and is anticipated to return to India soon. Dear Warriors, It took me three weeks and five days to find pen and paper in jail. After I washed my hair with Tide and made coffee using toilet water, I watched Bollywood movies, sometimes with tears in my eyes knowing my ambition brought me here. I sometimes smile at our culture, our movies and the familiar faces on TV. I feel proud to be an Indian and belong to the Indian film industry, the letter read, according to Indian Express. Expressing her gratitude, the actor thanked her family, friends, police, churches, media, and all those who supported her innocence, for giving her hope during her difficult time. You are the real warriors while I am just a pawn in this dirty game played by these Mansters. I am forever grateful to everyone who tweeted and reshared my story to arrest the real criminals facilitating international organised crime. We are a great powerful nation and I cannot wait to return home, she said in the letter. Thank you for saving my life and the lives of other innocent people who fell prey to this scam. May justice always prevail, she concluded. Pereira was arrested in Sharjah on April 1, following false accusations made by Anthony Paul, a bakery owner from Borivali. Paul had allegedly framed her in a drug case, by having his friend Rajesh Borate pose as a talent manager named Ravi, and approach Pereira, who had acted in films such as Sadak 2 and Batla House. According to reports, Ravi, who claimed to be a talent manager, invited Pereira for an audition for an international web series in Sharjah. He arranged for her travel and accommodation, but before her departure, he gave her a memento containing drugs without her knowledge. The accused then informed the Sharjah police who arrested her upon her arrival. Chrisann Pereira has been involved in numerous plays, including Three Women, Drumroll, and Sundays with Chitra. She has also acted in the web series Thinkistan. Pereira resides with her parents and brother in Borivli. According to Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Lakhmi Gautam, who supervised the investigation, the actor is anticipated to arrive in India within the next 48 hours. The statement was made on Wednesday, Indian Express reported. After investigation, the Mumbai Crime Branch found that Anthony Paul had a grudge against Pereira's mother following a fight they had during the COVID-19 pandemic. To take revenge, he allegedly plotted against Pereira and four others. Clayton Rodrigues is one of the victims who is still imprisoned in Sharjah. Police have already arrested both Paul and Borate in connection with the case. Image credit: Twitter/Rajnath Singh New Delhi/IBNS: India Thursday sent a strong message to China during the first meeting of defence ministers of the two nations since the Galwan incident. Underscoring the need for peace and tranquility at the border, India said "violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations". A communique released after Union minister Rajnath Singh's meeting with Chinese counterpart General Li Shangfu read: "The Raksha Mantri categorically conveyed that development of relations between India and China is premised on the prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the borders." The meeting was held on the sidelines of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) meeting. "He added that all issues at the LAC need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and commitments. He reiterated that violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation," the statement read. The 18 rounds of talks between the military commanders of India and China have led to disengagement in certain areas of Ladakh including Hot Springs, Galwan, and the north bank of Pangong Lake. However, there has been no headway in resolving the situation in Demchok and Depsang, where the Chinese occupy large portions of Indian territory. After the meeting earlier this week, both sides agreed to "speed up" the settlement of "relevant issues" and safeguard peace in border areas. Repeated Chinese transgressions in Ladakh have led to face-offs with Indian soldiers, the worst of which took place in Galwan, where 20 Indian soldiers died in action in 2020. Image Credit: PIB New Delhi/IBNS: The India-Hungary Joint Working Group Wednesday signed a three-year working programme in New Delhi to guide the future course of bilateral cooperation in water management. The India-Hungary Joint Working Group has been constituted for the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the field of water management between the two countries. The Working Group held its first meeting in New Delhi where wide ranging discussions were held on challenges and initiatives being taken in the water sector by both the countries. Both sides made detailed presentations on issues, challenges, initiatives taken and the success stories related to water management in respective countries. The major issue of groundwater over-exploitation and the necessity for proper water management practices in India and the numerous programs and projects that are reshaping India's water landscape were highlighted during the meeting. Six areas of priority for cooperation were identified and agreed upon namely, Management of extreme Phenomenon, Exploration and management of ground water, Rejuvenation of rives and water bodies, Mitigation of impact of climate change on water resources, protection and preservation of the quality of water resources, and training and capacity building. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Ministry of Interior of Hungary and the then Indias Ministry of Water Resources, RD & GR (presently Ministry of Jal Shakti) on 16th October 2016 with the objective to strengthen technological, scientific and management capabilities of both the parties in the field of water management. Areas of cooperation between Hungary and India include integrated Water Resources Management, Water and Waste Water Management and Water-related Education, Research & Development. For the implementation of the objectives of the MoU, a Joint Working Group (JWG) has been constituted with members representing both countries. Members of the JWG from Indian side include Ministry of Jal Shakti Joint Secretary (GW, Admin and IC) Subodh Yadav as team leader and experts from CWC, NMCG, CWPRS and CGWB. The Hungarian side of the JWG is led by Mr. Peter Kovacs, Water Director, Ministry of Interior, Govt of Hungary. Fostering opportunities for cooperation in water management among countries and improved understanding of the challenges and benefits of water cooperation can help the world build mutual respect, understanding, and trust, promoting peace, security, and long-term economic growth. Open discussion of the challenges defining our water resources today is driving cooperative action, decision-making and political commitment. At present countries are promoting a consultative culture and improving participatory capacities which is aiding the delivering advantages in many sectors, including collaborative water management. A field visit for the team of Hungarian experts to Varanasi was organized today to showcase successful interventions under the National Mission for Clean Ganga. The meeting of the JWG has ushered in another milestone in the ongoing cooperation between India and Hungary in various sectors. Both sides aim to gain insight from one another and share experiences through collaboration in the field of water management. Photography: Avishek Mitra/IBNS Veteran actor Aanjjan Srivastav , who has a huge body of work spanning theatre, film and web series, is keen to work in the Bengali film industry which remains his top priority. In conversation with IBNS correspondent Souvik Ghosh at Loafer's Cafe in Kolkata, Srivastav, who helmed popular TV shows like Wagle Ki Duniya in late 80s and acted in films like Salaam Bombay! and Mississippi Masala, shares about his interests at the age of 74, bonding with Bengali film directors, censorship and more... Q. How does it feel coming back to Kolkata? A. It's my birthplace. It's the best place for me. Everyone wants to return to their birthplace. Q. What is the purpose of your Kolkata visit this time? A. I came here for the creative art for which Kolkata is known. I am in search of a director with whom I could work on any project, be it a film or a short film or a web show, in any language. I especially want to work more on Bengali cinema. I don't get a similar fire anywhere other than Kolkata. I am coming here frequently to keep the fire alive. Q. Are you in touch with any Bengali director? A. I am in touch with Goutam-da (Goutam Ghose) or Sandip (Sandip Ray). They would reach out to me if there is any work. But I haven't worked with Kaushik-da (Kaushik Ganguly) or any other new director in the past, so I don't have any such communication with them. I am keen to work here on a reasonable budget. Q. You met Goutam Ghose. What did you discuss with him? A. We talked about theatre, progress on IPTA (Indian People's Theatre Association) et al. We have enlivened our memories. Q. Are you open to working with new age directors, for example Goutam Ghose's son Ishaan Ghose whose debut film Jhilli received critical acclaim? A. Of course I want to work with them, especially those who are working in the digital world. I am keen to work on projects which are based on good stories. Q. How would you analyse the present situation of the theatre world? A. I am associated with IPTA whose plays give me the kick. I keep track of the works happening in the theatre world of Bihar or Kerala. Q. You have a huge body of work in theatre and films. How do you view the OTT medium which is so dominant now? A. I want to work on OTT more, be it any language. A number of new filmmakers are working on OTT. I have watched Panchayat which, I felt, was of high quality. I am interested in working on these kinds of web shows. OTT gives more exposure to characters so the creation is wide. Q. Back in the 1980s, the Rajiv Gandhi government had banned one of your projects. Have films always attracted the incumbent's wrath? A. It was always there but not to the extent as we see now. Back then, people used to understand after an explanation. As per the current trend across the world, governments want to omit history to establish their perspective. It has become a policy in all countries now. It is tough to ban web shows though. It is easier for creative directors and producers to get through their works. I don't think Bengali films are censored as much as Hindi films do get. (Photography: Avishek Mitra/IBNS) Image Credit: EastMojo Itanagar/IBNS: Millo Sunka, hailing from Arunachal Pradesh, has achieved the distinction of becoming the first actor from her state to be honored with the Best Leading Actress award at an international film festival. The acclaimed Prisma Rome International Film Awards 2023 recognized Sunka, a native of Hapoli in Lower Subansiri district, for her exceptional performance in the short film "Nocturnal Burger" and honored her with the best leading actress award, reported EastMojo. Having made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival 2023, which is the largest independent film festival in the United States, "Nocturnal Burger" received worldwide acclaim. The film, which was written and directed by Reema Maya, was showcased at the Aspen Film Festival 2023, an Oscar-qualifying film festival as well. It has already been recognized with numerous accolades at several international film festivals. The short film "Nocturnal Burger" directed by Reema Maya, received numerous awards at international film festivals. The Tiete Film Festival in Sao Paulo, Brazil, honored the film with multiple awards including Best Narrative Short Film, Best Director for a Narrative Short Film, Best Editing, Best Production Design, and the Bronze Tilapia Award for Social Awareness. At the Short Film Factory in Bucharest, Romania, the film won the award for Best "Social Change". Furthermore, the film won several awards at the Prisma Rome Independent Film Awards in March 2023, which included Best Short Film, Best of the Fest, Best Director, Best Leading Actress for Millo Sunka, Best Cinematography, and Best Sound. It was also selected as an official entry for the USA Film Festival in April 2023 and The Norwegian Short Film Festival in June 2023. In addition to her notable performance in "Nocturnal Burger," Millo Sunka has gained recognition in the Bollywood industry for her roles in "The Last Hour" (2021) and "Axone" (2019). The people of Arunachal Pradesh are rejoicing over Sunka's historic victory at the international film festival. Royal Canadian Air Force CC-130 Hercules. Image credit: Twitter @RCAF_ARC Ottawa/IBNS: First evacuation flight to get Canadians out of crisis-hit Sudan has been conducted, Defence Minister Anita Anand announced Thursday. On Wednesday, the government announced that it will deploy up to 200 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) troops to assist with the evacuation. Anand was reported saying that more than 180 Canadians have now been evacuated. According to Global Affairs Canada's last update of 1,800 Canadians reportedly stranded in Sudan, roughly 700 have asked the federal government for assistance getting out. While speaking at a news conference in Nova Scotia, Anand said more details would soon be known to the government. The operation was reportedly conducted by Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CC-130 Hercules aircraft, said Anand. The majority of Canadian citizens are in the capital of Khartoum, said Anand, where movements by ground or by sea are risky. Anand added that HMCS Montreal, a Royal Canadian Navy frigate, and the supply ship MV Asterix are reportedly in the vicinity ready to assist. (Reporting by Asha Bajaj) Toronto Auto Theft/ Image credit: Twitter @TPSMyronDemkiw Toronto/IBNS: An ongoing Toronto Police Service investigation into car and catalytic converter thefts in the city's west end resulted in more than 100 people being charged, and recovery of 100s of vehicles, police announced Wednesday. Police Chief Myron Demkiw was joined on Wednesday by Superintendent Ron Taverner, 22 and 23 District Commander, and Detective Sergeant Peter Wehby of the Organized Crime Investigative Support Team (OCIS) to discuss Project Stallion, an ongoing investigation into the vehicle and catalytic converter thefts in Torontos west end, a news release has said. Vehicle thefts in Toronto have more than doubled since 2019...in our city and across the GTA....Project Stallion is an example of the actions Toronto Police...to tackle this growing problem...result of the dedication of our investigators...our partners in law enforcement, including the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and CISO, Chief Demkiw has said in a news release Toronto police said at a news conference that from Nov 2022 to April 11, 2023, 119 people were charged by the investigators and 556 stolen vehicles were recovered. Those arrested were reportedly from Ontario, Quebec Taverner was reported saying that recovered vehicles have a combined value of more than $27 million. "Vehicle theft and its impact on violent crime is a growing problem in our city and the Greater Toronto Area," Taverner said. In 2022, the city's west-end police said many of the stolen vehicles were Honda CR-Vs and Ford F-150 trucks, as well as more than 300 catalytic converter thefts. The stolen cars, according to police, would have been either shipped overseas to be sold or used to carry out other crimes locally. "By and large, there are little cells or large cells of individuals who are involved in these thefts and working as organized groups," Taverner was reported saying and added that thieves will often drill holes through the rear or side of a vehicle to enter it, then start the car using a "sophisticated" piece of equipment. He said the investigation into car and catalytic converter thefts is an ongoing process (Reporting by Asha Bajaj) Known for her work in Hindi films like Sadak 2 and Batla House, Bollywood actress Chrisann Pereira has been released from jail after she was arrested at Sharjah airport on April 1 for allegedly carrying drugs. The drugs were reportedly hidden in a memento. Actress Chrisann Pereira was arrested for carrying drugs Her brother Kevin has confirmed her release. The reason behind her release remains unknown. Chrisann's brother Kevin Pereira shared a video on Instagram in which she is talking to her mother post the release. The actress was in tears as she spoke to her mom and brother. Chrisann Pereira calls her family post-release from jail Instagram "Yeah, Chrisann... where are you in the sun? You're free. Wow. This is amazing. This is impossible. Wow," her mom says in the video as she dances in happiness. "A few innocent people are going to be saved and a few innocent people that are there are gonna come out. You did this as a good deed. Come soon we cannot wait to have you," his brother adds. "Chrisann is SET FREE!!! She will be in India in the next 48 hours," he wrote. Was she trapped in the drugs case? Instagram Mumbai Police's investigation found out that two people namely Anthony Paul and Rajesh Bhobate trapped her in the case. Following this, the persons were arrested by Mumbai Crime Branch in a drug smuggling case. It has come to light that Anthony, a bakery owner and Rajesh alias Ravi, an assistant general manager in a bank, had sent her to Dubai to audition for an international web series. While she was returning to Mumbai, they handed over a trophy to her and asked her to give it to organiser. She apparently had no clue that drugs were stashed inside it. Twitter Chrisann Pereira who starred in a web-series titled Thinkistan was allegedly framed in the drugs case. (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.) If we could extract oxygen from lunar soil, setting up a potential human colony on the Moon could become more feasible. Now, NASA scientists have done exactly that. Besides being a requirement for being able to breathe, oxygen can be used as a propellant for transportation, and to enable space exploration farther off. At NASA's Johnson Space Center, scientists managed to successfully extract oxygen from simulated lunar soil. This marked the first time this was done in a vacuum environment, scientists said, and could pave the way to someday extract resources through soil on the Moon. Unsplash How was the oxygen extracted? By using a special spherical chamber with a 15-foot diameter called the Dirty Thermal Vacuum Chamber, scientists conducted the test in conditions that are similar to those found on the Moon. As NASA explained, the "dirty" here suggests that unclean samples can be tested inside. "The team used a high-powered laser to simulate heat from a solar energy concentrator and melted the lunar soil simulant within a carbothermal reactor," NASA explained. This reactor is where the process of heating and extracting the oxygen takes place. NASA/Brian Sacco Also read: 3D Printed Structures On The Moon Could Become A Reality With China's Lunar Missions This is the same process that is used to create items like solar panels and steel on Earth for decades. Once the soil was heated, the team detected carbon monoxide using a device called Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo). Unsplash Scientists will send a similar device to fly on two upcoming exploration missions to the Moon's South Pole - the Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 in 2023 and NASAs Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) in November 2024. ICON/BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group Also read: The Moon Stuns Again As Japanese Lander Sends Spectacular Shot "This technology has the potential to produce several times its own weight in oxygen per year on the lunar surface, which will enable a sustained human presence and lunar economy," said Aaron Paz, NASA senior engineer and CaRD project manager at Johnson. This prototype is ready to be tested in space, scientists say. What do you think about the scope of such tech? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com. He stressed that he is excited by the depth of relations between the governments of Greece and Turkey , which, he said, are ready to talk A 200-level student of the Federal University, Otuoke in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State was reportedly found dead at a swimming pool of a popular event centre at Otuoke. It was gathered that the body was found Tuesday night at the pool. The deceased, identified as Bright Akhere, a student of the Department of Mathematics & Statistics Education was said to have gone with his friends for a swimming exercise but went missing. READ MORE: My Dad Bribed Me To Go Back To University Davido (Video) It was further learned that his body was found the following evening by officials at the event centre. An official of the institution who confirmed the story, but do not want his name on print because he was not authorized to speak, disclosed that the management of the institution has set up an investigation into the incident. According to spokesman of the state police command, Asinim Butswat confirmed the incident. He said: On 25th April 2023, at about 2000 hours, the Command got a report that a corpse was found floating in a swimming pool at a popular event Center at Otuoke, Ogbia Local Government Area. A team of operatives visited the scene and evacuated the corpse to the mortuary for autopsy. Preliminary investigation reveals that the deceased Bright Akhere 21 years, a student from the Department of Mathematics in the Federal University Otuoke, was with his friends at the swimming pool the previous evening, 24th April and the friends left the pool at about 1700 hours. Police are on the trail of the friends who are now at large. Investigation is ongoing to unravel the circumstances surrounding the suspected drowning of the student. An Ikeja High Court on Wednesday, April 26, sentenced a 32-year-old carpenter, Onyekachi Agu, to seven years imprisonment for pouring acid on his ex-girlfriend, Aishat Adefarati, and her new lover, Monsuru Ahmed. Justice Oyindamola Ogala handed down the jail term after finding Agu guilty of a count of causing grievous bodily harm to two persons in 2020. When Agu was arraigned, the state prosecutor, Uju Uwangaze, told the court that he committed the offence on July 3, 2020, at Gangare Hotel, Mile 12, in Lagos. She said Agu traced the victims to the hotel and poured acid on them. According to the prosecutor, the offence contravened Section 245 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. READ ALSO: Missing Enugu APGA Governorship Aspirant Reportedly Found Dead The convict in his plea for mercy told the court that he was sorry, and asked Ahmed, who was present in court, to forgive him. The convict however pleaded not guilty to the charge against him. In her judgment, Justice Ogala found the defendant guilty on the grounds of his confessional statement and sentenced him accordingly. The judge said: The defendant tried to mislead the court by claiming to have been with his brother on the said day but he failed to corroborate his evidence by giving the date and day he visited him. His brother who he tried to use as an alibi, was nowhere to be found to give evidence before this court. Pouring a corrosive substance on the victims was never contradicted by the defendant. The action of the defendant was considered an intention. The victims showed to the court, the level of damage to their bodies, Ogala said that the case of the prosecution was premised on circumstantial evidence. The testimony of the defendants former lover on how she had been harassed and assaulted by him, later led to their separate ways after three years of relationship. In view of the evidence before the court, I hereby find the defendant guilty of the charge against him, and he is hereby sentenced to seven years jail term, Ogala said. Special adviser to president Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, has defended Buhari over his administrations inability to rescue all the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls. Adesina, who made the assertion on Thursday during an interview on Channels Televisions Sunrise Daily said, It is like a self-accounting when you are exiting a position of public office to be humble enough to know that you have not done everything perfectly. He added that, In 2015, we knew where Nigeria was, today we know where we are. Two hundred and sixty-seven were spirited away, about 57 escaped immediately, and over 100 have been returned by the administration. The ones that are left, I think 90-something, they are Nigerians, they have the right to be brought back. But then, if a government came in when the trail was already cold and you couldnt trace where the girls were taken, you cant then blame it solely for not bringing them back, that would not be quite right. Dachi girls were taken under the administration, and within the week they were recovered except maybe five including Leah Sharibu sadly. READ ALSO: After Nine Years, Two Chibok Girls Escape Boko Harams Captivity According to him, the government was proactive to tackle the kidnap at the time it occurred, adding that the incoming administration should take up the responsibility to recover the girls. I believe that with the Chibok Girls, we should rather appreciate God and appreciate the government for what was achieved. It is not as if the government folded its hands and didnt do anything, it did its level best. And because the government is a continuum, the incoming government, if it recovers more of those girls, the country will gladly receive them, Adesina explained. Boko Haram terrorists had in April 2014 kidnapped 276 female students mostly Christians aged from 16 to 18 from the Government Girls Secondary School in the town of Chibok in Borno State. About 57 of the schoolgirls escaped immediately following the incident by jumping from the trucks on which they were being transported, while some others were rescued by the Nigerian Armed Forces on various occasions. The outrageous event has stirred global outcry with hopes being raised that the over 200 remaining girls might be released, however there are fears that some the girls might have already died while in captivity. The dismantling of unlawful constructions at highbrow Banana Island, Ikoyi, flagged for demolition by Lagos State government, has started on Wednesday. According to representatives of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority, and the Lagos State Task Force, it was done in accordance with the governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olus order that certain buildings be demolished. The LASBCA general manager Gbolahan Oki, oversaw the demolition exercise, which got under way. The agency which also disclosed the development in a post shared on its Twitter handle, wrote, Banana Island: LASBCA Begins Removal of Illegal Structures. Information Nigeria had reported that Sanwo-Olu, last weekend, led a delegation of government officials on the spot assessment to the site of the collapsed seven-storey building and other ongoing construction sites in the area, describing the situation as irresponsible and unacceptable. READ ALSO: Building Collapse: Lagos Govt. Orders Demolition Of Two Storey Building In Banana Island The governor further instructed the immediate removal of all structures in Banana Island without valid building approvals, especially those seen to have violated building regulations and plans of the State in the interest of public safety and to prevent a repeat of another collapse. Meanwhile, the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB) said it might take legal action to compel the government of Lagos to fully implement its law against building collapse, to tame the menace. The Lagos chapter of the association disclosed this at a press conference in Ikeja, to usher in the 4th edition of its Builders Business Workshop themed Building Surveying Practice, Charting a New Course in Post Construction Services. Abiodun Ogundare, the honorary secretary, lamented that in spite of various strong laws and regulations, buildings were still collapsing in Lagos State. Ogundare said several efforts of the institute to curb the menace were not yielding desired results because of impunity caused by inadequate enforcement by government officials. Abdullahi Adamu, national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has asked Nigerians to exercise patience with the Party over the zoning of the 10th National Assembly (NASS) leadership. In a chat with newsmen on Wednesday after a stakeholders meeting at the Defence House in Abuja, Adamu said the Party and president-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu are still consulting on the issue. According to the former Nasarawa State governor, the ruling party was still in the mood to celebrate its win in the 2023 presidential election. His words, Nigerians should be patient with the party. We should wait. What is good for the country is what is good for us as a party. We are only celebrating the victory of our party now. READ ALSO: APC Govs Raise Alarm Over Alleged Attempt By NASS Aspirants To Offer $1m Per Vote Information Nigeria reports that Adamu was part of a closed-door meeting held between Tinubu; the vice-president-elect, Kashim Shettima; the Party leadership and some stakeholders including the leadership of the ninth National Assembly. Though the outcome of the meeting, which lasted for about an hour was not made known, sources revealed that it was connected to the leadership zoning of the 10th National Assembly. In attendance at the meeting were Adamu; the deputy national chairman (North), Abubakar Kyari; Deputy National Chairman (South), Emma Eneukwu and the National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore Others at the meeting were governor Abdulrasaq Abdulrahman of Kwara State, Senate president, Ahmad Lawan; deputy Senate president, Ovie Omo-Agege; Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila; Kaduna Speaker, Yusuf Zailani. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffery Onyeama, says the Federal Government will be spending $1.2 million to purchase 40 luxurious buses to be used for the evacuation of Nigerians trapped in Sudan. Onyeama disclosed this while speaking to state house correspondents after the Federal Executive Council meeting. Onyeama said the FG will evacuate citizens within days despite the 72-hour ceasefire agreement in Sudan. The minister said the high cost of the evacuation was to provide security cover for the Nigerians journey to the Egyptian borders. The sum of $1.2 million is what were being charged for all the 40 buses. We have huge transporter luxury buses made available to us to transport to the Egyptian border, Onyeama said. READ MORE: Nigerians Stranded In Sudan To Be Evacuated By Road Minister Of course you know, because of the risks involved and so many other things, a lot of people are going to also take advantage, youre going to hike up the price. We saw that the French convoy was attacked and so forth. It was difficult procuring these buses. But we had to do it because you know, Nigerians lives matter to us. The ongoing crisis between Sudans army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group, has killed over 400 people and injured thousands since it began on April 15. Several Nigerians were among international citizens stranded by the civil unrest. The buses will take the Nigerians to the Egyptian border where they are expected to be airlifted to Nigeria. Over 150 shops have been gutted by fire at the popular Yan Katako market in Sabon Gari, Zaria area of Kaduna State. According to a source who spoke to The Punch on the condition of anonymity, the fire started at about 1am on Wednesday and it continued till the afternoon. The Chief Security Officer of the market, Hamisu Buhari, confirmed that the fire began when Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company restored power and an electric pole fell on the roof of one of the shops. He added that efforts to attract fire service agencies within the area proved abortive. READ ALSO: Six Dead As Bus Guts Fire Near Kara Bridge In Lagos He said, I finally contacted the fire service at the Sabon Gari Main Market. They asked me to provide fuel for them, which I did before they could come to the scene. Alhaji Alin Ashiru, the chairman of Timber dealers in the market attributed the inferno to an electric spark. He reaffirmed that about 150 shops had been burnt to ashes, with property worth millions of naira destroyed. The Head of Corporate Affairs, KEDCO, Abdul Azeez Abdullahi, confirmed the fire incident but denied that the electric spark caused it. At least one soldier and 24 other members of of Ussa and Takum local government areas of Taraba States have been killed so in the unending crisis between Kuteb farmers and herders in the state. According to the Police Public Relations Officer in Taraba State, Abdullahi Usman, the military officer was killed while the other 24 persons are either Kuteb or Fulani extractions. The military officer who was from the checkpoint coming back to 93 Battalion Barrack was ambushed and killed, though nothing was taken from him, his motorcycle and luckily he has no rifle on him, Usman stated. READ MORE: Amotekun Decries Large Entry Of Headsmen Into Ondo He was killed by unknown persons and an investigation has been launched to unravel those behind the killing. Statistically, 20 Kuteb indigenes were killed while three Fulani herdsmen also paid the supreme price as a result of the crisis. He insisted that at the moment, the major problem halting the return of peace is the claim by the Fulani herdsmen that their cattle are held hostage by the Kuteb farmers and the denial from the other end. The problem we are now facing is that the Fulani are claiming that their cattle are rustled and are held hostage within the Kuteb farmers areas while the Kutebs fear going to the farm for fear of attack from the Fulani herdsmen. The commissioner of police has called on the leader of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association in Ussa and the claimants to discuss, agree and go to where they alleged that their cattle are held hostage for fact-finding as well as the release of same for peace to reign, the police spokesman added. Meanwhile INFORMATION NIGERIA learnt that the President of the Kuteb Yatgso Association of Nigeria, Emmanuel Ukwen an umbrella body of the Kuteb-speaking tribe in the country revealed that peace was brokered between them late last year in which a 14-point resolution was reached and signed. Ukwen alleged that the state government failed to provide the needed funds to implement the agreements reached which gave rise to enemies of progress to renew the attacks. He said, What baffles us was that peace was brokered with herdsmen, it then became an onslaught by bandits. Who invited or hired the bandits? We want the state government to investigate and tell the world. It should be noted that as we speak dozens of innocent citizens have been killed by the bandits in Takum, Ussa, and Yangtu Special Development Area, and equally thousands of people have been displaced from their ancestral homes. The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, has described the alleged illegal sales of 48 million barrels of crude oil as baseless and lacking in merit. Malami stated this on Thursday when he finally appeared before the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the sales of the crude oil. Let me state on record and for the benefit of Nigerians and the committee that the allegations relating to the 48 million barrels are baseless. The allegation is unfounded. It lacks merit and indeed substance. I am here for open engagement for Nigerians to see what we are doing, he said. READ ALSO: Most Of Stolen Crude Oil Found In Churches, Mosques Mele Kyari The committee subsequently resolved that Malami will reappear again for further questions. The allegation in its own right is devoid of any reasonable ground pointing to a material suspicion cogent enough to invoke the constitutional oversight of the committee, he said. He also dismissed the organization that wrote the petition on the missing oil. He noted that Protect the World Organization (PWO) has no locus in the investigation. The minister said at the time, President Muhammadu Buhari informally requested him, Mele Kyari, group chief executive officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited; Lawal Daura, the then director-general of the Department of State Service (DSS); and late Abba Kyari to look into the allegation. But unfortunately, for there to be a reasonable ground for suspicion, at least, you require certain basic facts. The basic details of the existence of the product and connecting it to Nigeria were not there at all, he said. The vessel perhaps that took it, the particulars and details of the vessel were not available at our disposal at all. So the issue is simple. There were no reasonable grounds for suspicion of the fact that the purported oil product either exists in spirit or in fact or indeed exists in China and it is in no way connected to Nigeria. And all efforts on our part to get details have proven abortive. So it was a committee that was dead on arrival because it has not been formally constituted and then our informal findings do not suggest or provide information that could support the sale of the crude oil. So we could not establish the substance in the allegation because detail information to confirm the existence and origin of the shipment such as a sample of the oil, vessel involved loading point, location of the crude in China were not provided. Malami said no further action was taken by his office after it was reported to the President that the veracity of the allegation could not be verified. Malami also denied receiving funds through the whistleblower policy which he didnt remit to the government. The committee had said it obtained reports that the minister recovered funds through the policy without remitting them to the federation account. The lawmakers had also alleged that the minister was involved in the payment of $200 million to two companies for consultancy service. But Malami told the committee that his office does not receive funds on behalf of the government, noting that the ministry of finance that coordinates the policy makes all payments to whistleblowers. The details of the international account, expenditure, statement of accounts are obtainable from the Central Bank of Nigeria. The office of the attorney-general does not maintain the custody of an account. Associated recoveries are maintained by the CBN and open on the request of the office of the attorney-general, he said. As far as being a signatory or in any way being responsible in the management of such account is concerned, the office of the attorney general is in no way connected whatsoever. The federal ministry of finance and the office of accountant general are exclusive custodians, managers and operators of the account. After his presentation, Ibrahim Isiaka, who presided over the sitting, ruled that the minister provide detailed documents to the committee. Recall that in December 2022, the house of representatives set up an ad hoc committee to investigate a whistleblowers claims that 48 million barrels of Bonny Light crude were illegally sold in China in 2015. The committee was also mandated to investigate all crude oil exports and sales in Nigeria from 2014 till date as well as all proceeds recovered through the whistleblower policy of the federal government. Governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the just concluded 2023 general election in Enugu State, Chief Dons Udeh, has been reportedly found dead. Udeh, who was said to have been missing since Saturday, was reportedly found dead on Wednesday at the 9th Mile area of the state, barely four days after. READ ALSO: Benue Labour Party Ward Chairman Killed By Gunmen Udeh, an engineer, was a former Enugu State Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and had remained a member of the party till he defected to APGA to pursue his political ambition to become the governor of Enugu State. Although details of his abduction and recovery of his remains were still sketchy at the time of filing this report, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, confirmed the incident to The Punch in a telephone call. Ndukwe didnt provide any details. However, he promised to get details and revert back. Meanwhile, a family source told The Punch that Udeh was last seen on Saturday which raised suspicion that he might have been kidnapped. On Sunday evening, his telephone was found by the wall of the Ogui Police Station, confirming fears that he could have run into trouble. His wife who had been trying the line was later informed that the phone had been found. Following the recovery of the telephone, the wife went to the Ogui Police Division where she reported the disappearance of her husband. The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has alerted Nigerians about a suspected substandard cough syrup called Naturcold manufactured by Franken Group. In a press statement on its website, NAFDAC disclosed that the cough syrup was purchased from unauthorized sources because it was not authorized for marketing in Cameroon. The cough syrup is believed to have caused the deaths of six children under the age of five at a health facility in the health district of Fundong, in the North-West region of Cameroon. The North-West Region of Cameroon delegate for Public Health said the children showed a decrease in kidney function after consuming the suspected substandard cough syrup. READ ALSO: 77% Of Nigerian Women Use Bleaching Creams, Risk Cancer, Damage To Vital Organs NAFDAC Cautions Although the product is not in NAFDAC database, importers, distributors, retailers, and consumers are advised to exercise caution and vigilance within the supply chain to avoid the importation, distribution, sale and use of the substandard (contaminated) syrups. All medical products must be obtained from authorised/licensed suppliers. The products authenticity and physical condition should be carefully checked. NAFDAC implores members of the public to desist from purchasing medicinal products from unauthorised sources such as roadside vendors and street hawkers as fake drugs are mostly smuggled into the country from neighbouring countries and distributed through such inappropriate channels. Anyone in possession of the above-mentioned product is advised to discontinue sale or use and submit stock to the nearest NAFDAC office. If you, or someone you know, have used these products, or suffered any adverse reaction/event after use, you are advised to seek immediate medical advice from a qualified healthcare professional. The Ogun State Government has alerted residents of Akute, Isheri, Mowe, Ibafo, Riverside Estate and other border communities between Lagos and Ogun states to relocate to avoid disaster as a result of another round of flooding. The state Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, raised the alarm at a press conference in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Wednesday. Oresanya said the warning became imperative following the prediction of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency on the 2023 flood alert in the state. According to Oresanya, the listed areas will witness coastal flooding due to the tidal lock of the Ogun River by Lagos Lagoon from a natural rise in sea level coupled with the possible release of excessive water from the Oyan dam. READ ALSO: Flood: FG To Relocate 10,000 Persons In Kogi Oresanya alerted residents of the state to brace up for flash floods as the state is expecting 3,646mm of rainfall between April and November. He recalled that the country recorded the worst-ever flood incidents in 2022 which killed over 600 people and displaced about 2.4 million persons. The state also warned residents of 23 other communities prone to flood to urgently take precautions to alleviate the impact of flooding. Oresanya cautioned residents against acts that expose them to flood accidents. He said, Residents are advised to desist from the temptation of building on run-off routes and placement of temporary structures and containers or extension of business premises on top of drains in markets and public places. In preparation for the inevitable impact of the natural pattern of rainfall predicted for the year 2023, residents in the following areas at Onikoko, Sokori and Arakanga areas in Abeokuta, Owa and Yemule riverbanks in Ijebu-Ode, Eruwuru in Sagamu, Ebute Kimobi in Ijebu East, Isaka Owode in Ado-Odo Ota, Owode, Igijo, Ilaro and Ijoko should expect flash floods due to heavy rainfall within short periods. The second season will have prolonged impact in wetlands such as Alagbole, Akute, Isheri, Warewa, Oke-Afa, Mowe, Ibafo, Kara, Onihale, Ebute Kimobi and Riverside Estate. These areas will witness coastal flooding due to tidal lock of the Ogun River by Lagos Lagoon from natural rise in sea-level coupled with possible release of excessive water from the Oya dam. Residents of these areas should be prepared to relocate temporarily from these areas during the second season of rainfall if required. Furthermore, farmers in the state are advised to complete the harvest in the month of August and avoid farming and livestock rearing along the flood plain to prevent the adverse impact of intense flooding of the second season of rainfalls. In realization of the inter boundary impact of flooding, we wish to reassure residents of the state that we have effective collaboration with the management of Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority (OORBDA) and the neighbouring states of Lagos and Oyo, especially as it relates to the release of water from Oyan dam. Orji Uzor Kalu, the Senates chief whip, says president-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is currently rocking like a hurricane after having some rest in Paris, the capital of France. Orji Kalu who is jostling for the position of senate president in the yet-to-be inaugurated 10th National Assembly, stated this after meeting with Tinubu in Abuja. According to him, he met with Tinubu to officially welcome and felicitate him on his return from a successful vacation. READ ALSO: Orji Kalu Visits Tinubu, Declares Senatorial Leadership Ambition Commenting in a post on his Facebook page, Kalu stated that he met the former Lagos governor in good spirit. He wrote, I paid a welcome visit to our dear President-elect, H.E Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu who just returned to our country. I met him in good spirit and he is rocking like a hurricane. The president-elect, on Wednesday, moved to the Defence House in Maitama, Abuja, pending his inauguration come May 29. Three sculptures by Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller will be on sale at The Philadelphia Show this weekend. Read more Though she ran in the same circles as W.E.B. Du Bois, Alain Locke, and Auguste Rodin, artist Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller never received the same recognition as her peers. Called the sculptor of horrors, she created figural works that reflected the suffering and violence African Americans experienced in the early 1900s. Up until the end, she was always, I think, saddened by the fact that she didnt get her proper due, said Eric Hanks, who runs M. Hanks Gallery in Fullerton, Calif., and will show some of Fullers sculptures in The Philadelphia Show that opens in the Philadelphia Museum of Arts East Terrace this weekend. She was discriminated against in her day as a person of African descent, and because she was a female And despite all that, she still was able to create some powerful works that deserve everybodys attention. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Fuller studied at University of the Arts (then known as the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art). Her parents, a barbershop owner and a beautician, were well-regarded leaders in the citys Black community. In 1899, she went to Paris, where she met the renowned intellectual Du Bois and the famous sculptor Rodin, who both became big fans of her work. Upon returning to the United States, she married a psychiatrist and moved to Framingham, Mass. Though her husband preferred that she focus on domestic work instead of art, she secretly built a studio nearby where she continued her craft. Sadly, her existing body of work is limited, made even smaller after a 1910 fire destroyed a Philadelphia warehouse that housed many of the sculptures she had made in France. Advertisement She sculpted Black Americans in pain and in defiance, in labor and in victory, crafting stark and dignified portraits that were unparalleled, especially during her era. Her sculpture Emancipation stands in Bostons Harriet Tubman Park, her ode to abolition. Her words on the inscription read: Humanity weeping over her suddenly freed children who beneath the gnarled fingers of Fate, step forth into the world, unafraid. After the vicious lynching of pregnant Mary Turner, Fuller sculpted In Memory of Mary Turner As A Silent Protest Against Mob Violence, which depicted Turner holding her baby away from the bloodthirsty mob with flames at her feet. Du Bois commissioned Ethiopia Awakening, one of her most notable pieces, created sometime between 1915-1921. The work is widely considered a precursor to the Harlem Renaissance, incorporating the aesthetics from Egypt and other African cultures to underscore the liberation of Black Americans. Mummy wrappings encase the legs of a woman who looks like a butterfly shedding a cocoon, emerging from the constraints to seek new beginnings. Various iterations of the sculpture exist today, including a 5-foot-tall bronze that stands in New Yorks Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The image itself just symbolizes this awakening consciousness of the story of great African civilization [showing] that, even before slavery, there were these great civilizations that were led by and created by persons of color, said Hanks. At the annual art and antiques fair that runs April 28-30, Hanks gallery, which specializes in African American art, joins 41 exhibitors selling rare maps, American visual art, antique furniture, and other collectibles. He is selling a small Ethiopia Awakening sculpture from a limited edition of seven bronzes, along with two artists proofs, for $50,000. The two other Fuller sculptures for sale are from 1930: Waterboy (Bending) and Waterboy (Standing), which are priced at $40,000 each. Hanks acquired the works from Fullers granddaughter, Meta Fuller Waller, who was named for the sculptor. Part of the granddaughters wishes was to help get her grandmothers recognition that she never felt that she had gotten, said Hanks. When he first received them, the pieces were only plaster and clay, so he worked with Waller to put them in bronze. Wallers death in the 9/11 attacks on the Pentagon put an untimely stop to their collaborative efforts. Some proceeds from the sale will go to Fullers family. Though under-recognized in the canon of American art history, Fuller has received new appreciation in recent years as art historians have revisited her legacy. The greatest collection of her work is held at the Danforth Art Museum in Framingham, including a recreation of her studio and some 340 artworks and objects. In Philadelphia, a historical marker dedicated to her stands at 254 S. 12th Street, where she lived not far from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where she once exhibited. The Philadelphia Show runs April 28-30 on the East Terrace of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy, thephiladelphiashow.com. Felicia Shanken, founder and CEO of Philadelphia Women's Network Connection, which partners with other organizations to offer free resources to help women start their own businesses. Read more To honor Womens History Month in March, President Joe Biden hosted a summit for women entrepreneurs where he announced funding to support more resources specifically targeting the more than 12 million women who own businesses in this country. Today its all about lifting up women entrepreneurs and making sure they have the support they need to succeed, Biden said. Youre innovators. Youre job creators. To be eligible for the Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contract program, a business must: Be a small business according to the Small Business Association size standards Be at least 51% owned and controlled by women who are U.S. citizens Have women manage day-to-day operations who also make long-term decisions Advertisement Pennsylvanias Department of Community and Economic Development, which provides a variety of resources to women business owners, says that nearly 40% of the commonwealths businesses are owned by women. In addition to federal funds, many other resources are available to help women entrepreneurs in the Philadelphia area. Certified women-owned Elizabeth Walsh runs one of three Womens Business Enterprise Centers in Pennsylvania that will receive some of the presidents funding and partners with the Womens Business Enterprise National Council to help certify female business owners. People used to get their business certified as women-owned because it would help them to get federal grant contracts or establish relations with larger corporations and this is still the case, she said. But things have changed, and now were seeing a large increase in people getting that certification for the shopper who is looking for the women-owned logo. Walsh has seen the number of certified women-owned businesses grow more than 50% since 2017 with 26% of them employing at least two employees. Womens Business Enterprise Centers provide training and programming to address some of the unique issues faced by women in business, including succession planning, maternity leave, and running a business while raising a family. In recent years, shes seen interest in starting businesses from women of all ages. Our highest growth is in the construction industry, Walsh said. But were also seeing women in the health-care and the education industries who did not return to their pre-COVID world of work and are becoming business owners. Our largest group is between the ages of 55 and 64, and weve seen a significant growth in women of color owning businesses. Networking opportunities The Philadelphia Womens Network Connection has seen a surge in networking opportunities in the area among female business owners, particularly a large number of women who are over the age of 50, said Felicia Shanken, who runs the nonprofit. Shankens organization has partnered with others, including the National Association of Women Business Owners, to offer free resources to help women start their own businesses. They will get one-on-one attention [so] they can start building their business from scratch, she said. Well go through the fundamentals, and while theyre in the program, theyll be getting a stipend to help them with costs. . Managing heightened scrutiny Women business owners face a heightened scrutiny of how they look and act compared to their male counterparts, and they need a place to go where they can share these experiences with other female entrepreneurs, according to Nicole Stephenson, the executive director of the Society of Professional Women for the Main Line Chamber of Commerce. I still get people hitting on me on LinkedIn, said Stephenson. I dont know if men reach out to other men and ask if theyre married on LinkedIn but that happens to me. Stephensons organization provides training, seminars, and networking programs to help women business owners and professionals in the area deal with these issues and more. Communities of women like ours are important because it helps to inspire and empower women to advocate for themselves and to speak out when something is not right or theyve been made to feel uncomfortable, she said. Theres something really beautiful about having a supportive network that can empower you, Stephenson said. Walsh agrees. I dont know anyone my age who has not had a Me Too moment, she said. Weve all been there. Weve all been exposed to that. Its not to disparage men in any way, but I think women are more inclined to partnerships and commonality among themselves. A SEPTA bus crashed into a PNC Bank branch at the intersection of Rising Sun Avenue, Martins Mill Road, and Unruh Avenue in Lawndale following a chain-reaction collision early Thursday morning. Read more An in-service SEPTA bus careened into a bank during a chain-reaction crash in Lawndale that police say was caused by a stolen Hyundai vehicle. The accident happened at the intersection of Rising Sun Avenue, Martins Mill Road, and Unruh Avenue just after 1:30 a.m. Thursday, when what police believe to be a stolen Hyundai crashed into a mini-van. In turn, the minivan crashed into a SEPTA bus with three passengers inside, per police, sending it through the front of a PNC Bank branch. Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told reporters the Hyundai that set off the chain reaction was stolen in mid-April from Northeast Philadelphia, and it has since matched the description of a car used in a string of recent robberies in the area. The driver of the stolen car a male in his late-teens or early twenties, per 6ABC fled the scene of the multi-vehicle crash in a Volkswagen that had been following the Hyundai. The stolen Hyundais passenger was taken to Einstein Medical Center in critical condition, according to Small. Advertisement READ MORE: A national TikTok trend is sparking thefts of Kias and Hyundais in Philadelphia and residents are feeling the impact The 31-year-old driver of the minivan was trapped inside. While the driver was waiting for the fire department to remove the drivers side door to free him, police say money was stolen from the vehicle. Our real-time crime cameras caught someone getting in that vehicle and taking something and fleeing the scene, Small told reporters. We believe a large amount of cash may have been taken from the minivan. The minivan driver, whom police referred to as a small business owner, is in stable condition. The three passengers inside the SEPTA bus at the time of the crash simply got off and left. They didnt even stick around as witnesses, Small told reporters. The SEPTA driver, a 61-year-old-man, is in stable condition after suffering injuries to the face and head, per NBC10. Ultimately, the crash damaged PECO lines, forcing power crews to cut electricity to the PNC bank building, which was left with a shattered window and a hole in the wall. Licensing and Inspections agency inspectors called to the scene determined the bank remained structurally sound and was not in threat of collapse. Small told reporters that police were in search of the Hyundai driver and the person who stole money from minivan, who they believe to be male. Kia and Hyundai vehicles saw respective 400% and 700% increases in thefts in Philadelphia during 2022, thanks in part to a viral TikTok challenge that teaches views how to steal the cars with just a screwdriver and a USB cord. Called the Kia Boyz Challenge, the Milwaukee-based trend has resulted in at least 14 crashes and eight deaths nationwide, per data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Both car manufacturers have released a joint customer satisfaction campaign, which includes a recommended anti-theft software update and a steering wheel lock distribution program for local law enforcement agencies. To date, Philadelphia police are the only participating law enforcement agency out of more than 700 nationwide to end participation in the wheel lock program, claiming they did so out of liability concerns. Jackie Starker, owner of Amelie's Bark Shop, is opening Get A Gato Cat Cafe at 638 Christian St. Read more Jackie Starker had the idea to open a cat cafe in South Philadelphia that combines a lounge area for adoptable cats with a cafe serving Colombian-inspired snacks. All she needed was a name. She turned to her father, Jeff, who came up with Get A Gato. And now the cat is out of the bag. This week, Starker announced that Get A Gato will occupy a historic building at Seventh and Christian Streets, appropriately catty-corner from Johns Water Ice. This is the second business for Starker, 35, who owns Amelies Bark Shop, a pet boutique on East Passyunk Avenue. Advertisement Starker hopes to open Get A Gato later this year first the cafe, and later the lounge. The spaces, with the cafe in front and lounge in rear, will be separate, purr health department directives. Starker said Get A Gato, a nonprofit, will partner with the Pennsylvania SPCA, which will supply cats and provide support. Bonnie Sarana of Vanilya Bakery across the street from Amelies will make the baked goods. The Philadelphia area home to the highest percentage of cats in the United States has had several cat cafes, including Le Cat Cafe in Brewerytown and PURRsonal Space Cat Lounge in Palmyra. From 2016 until the pandemic shut it down in 2020, Kawaii Cat Cafe drew crowds in Queen Village. The cat community in Philly is big and also very supportive, so this felt like a natural progression for her business, said Starker, who has two cats, named Don Draper and Penny. Cat owners can feel left out a lot of times, so Ive found that if you build it, they will come. Starker learned that firsthand. She opened Amelies eight years ago after creating dog treats for her little shih tzu-poodle mix, Amelie, who is turning 16 this month. She started with a few cat items, and expanded the fe-line to include bonito cat cupcakes and birthday cakes. Her dad hand-makes tie-dye pet wearables. Get A Gato wont allow dogs inside, but Starker will install a treat dispenser outside. Starker said she chose Colombian food because the family of her mother, Marta, is from Bogota, and I grew up with rice pudding and all that wonderful Colombian food. Starker was sold on the idea of a cat cafe during a trip to Japan a few years ago. I went to every cat cafe that they had there, and just fell in love with the concept, she said. Its a really great way for people to be able to meet cats outside of a shelter environment and its a great way for the cats to be able to get more comfortable to other cats and people, she said. Adoption rates are very, very high. Former Merck & Co. CEO Ken Frazier, shown speaking at a COVID-19 response update in Washington, D.C., in March 2021, is getting a Franklin Institute award on Thursday for business leadership. Read more In the weeks following the murder of George Floyd, some U.S. business leaders issued vague statements about narrowing the opportunity gap for Black Americans. Others made donations to various causes in the name of diversity. Ken Frazier, then the chief executive officer of pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co., was underwhelmed. Why couldnt his fellow CEOs simply hire more Black people? So later that year, in December 2020, the Philadelphia native cofounded the OneTen project: a coalition of business leaders who pledged to hire or promote one million Black employees in the following 10 years with two key stipulations. The jobs must pay family-sustaining wages, and they must be filled with applicants who have the skills needed for the job but lack a four-year college degree a credential Frazier believes is often unnecessary. More than 73,000 people have since benefited from the program, and Frazier, 68, is being honored Thursday with the Franklin Institutes annual award for business leadership. Eight others are being recognized at the black-tie ceremony for their contributions in the sciences, in fields from cancer research to climate change. Advertisement Its not that Frazier doesnt see the value of college. He graduated from Northeast High School at age 16, having skipped kindergarten and eighth grade, then earned an undergraduate degree at Penn State and a law degree from Harvard. Before coming to Merck in 1992, he taught law school in South Africa during the apartheid era, while on sabbatical from the Philly law firm then known as Drinker Biddle & Reath. But too often, he said, businesses use college-degree requirements as an arbitrary way to winnow down their pools of job applicants. That excludes plenty of people who have the aptitude, yet dont have a four-year degree due to a lack of resources. Black Americans are disproportionately hindered by this barrier and are 30% less likely than white people to hold jobs that pay family-sustaining wages, according to a report from the Bain & Co. consulting group, written in conjunction with the OneTen project. Most jobs meeting that definition with salaries of $40,000 to more than $90,000, depending on location require a four-year degree, a credential that three-fourths of Black Americans do not have. Its preventing people from even getting a toehold in having the kind of life that one needs to have to join the middle class, Frazier said in an interview. READ MORE: Here are the 9 award-winners that the Franklin Institute is honoring in a black-tie ceremony Thursday Increasingly, other policymakers agree. In January, Gov. Josh Shapiros first act in office was to remove the college-degree requirement from 65,000 state government jobs, representing 92% of the total. Before that, at tech giant IBM, then-CEO Ginni Rometty called for creating more new collar jobs IT positions that could be filled by skilled people with vocational training. (Shes now one of five members on the executive committee at OneTen, along with Frazier.) Frazier describes his father, Otis, as someone who could have benefited from such a program. A janitor with a third-grade education, he had a keen intellect and read two newspapers a day. He and his wife, Clara, a piano teacher and church organist, were staunch supporters of education, discouraging Ken and his two siblings from watching TV at the familys modest home near North 18th and York Streets. At Merck, headquartered in Rahway, N.J., Ken Frazier had started to rethink the college-degree requirement several years before the OneTen project. The company identified jobs in information technology, sales, operations, and customer service for which a diploma was unnecessary, he said. The effort picked up speed with the formal start of the OneTen program. Merck has recredentialed more than 1,400 positions and has hired or placed more than 350 Black workers into those spots, the company says. Nationwide, more than 65 corporations in the OneTen coalition had hired or promoted more than 73,000 Black workers by the end of 2022, project officials say. At Merck, one employee who has benefited is Robert Roberson, 52, who manages a team of 10 data-entry workers at a WeWork site in Center City. Robersons father died when he was a teenager, so he had to get a job to help support his younger siblings, he said in an interview. College was not an option. Before coming to Merck, he had a job taking care of lab animals at Temple University, but found that his path to advancement was blocked. It definitely hurts your confidence to some degree, said Roberson, who started at Merck in August. It can stop you from dreaming. Another Merck hiree through the OneTen project is Cameron Johnson, 29, who works in the drugmakers IT department from his home in West Kensington. He had been working as a chef in Philadelphia, but because he could not afford to finish culinary school, he was unable to advance to executive chef. After being furloughed during the COVID-19 pandemic, he began to look into other career options. Because hed always had a knack for computers, Johnson then took online IT classes and enrolled in Year Up, a job-training program for people without four-year degrees. Just because they dont have that piece of paper, he said, it doesnt mean they dont want to. The job at Merck came soon after. And although Johnson didnt need a college degree to get the post, he is working toward one at night, taking online classes in information science at Penn State. Frazier, who stepped down as Mercks executive chairman on Dec. 1, said talent-development programs such as Year Up are a key part of the process, enabling corporations in the OneTen project to boost their hiring efforts. He calls it a skills-first approach to hiring that helps create a more diverse workforce. When you reduce the barriers that maybe disproportionately affect one group, you reduce them for everyone, he said. Frazier said the concept can even help people with plenty of credentials, as it did for him. He was hired at Merck for his attorney skills, but after one year in the legal department, then-CEO Roy Vagelos wanted him to learn the rest of the business. READ MORE: Why the OneTen coalition is asking corporate America to fill jobs on a 'skills-first' basis Frazier had a stint in the public affairs division, then served as general counsel before moving into positions of increasing responsibility on the corporations commercial side. He was named CEO in 2011, overseeing the company when it launched the cancer drug Keytruda. Now he works in the New York office of venture capital firm General Catalyst, where he specializes in investments that are aimed at increasing health equity. Having spent so much of his career in the health sciences, Frazier said hes proud to be recognized by the Franklin Institute, calling it a guidepost of accuracy in an era of increasing misinformation. With the proliferation of so much bad data, so much misinformation, its helping the public to understand how the scientific method works, he said. Its based on research and knowledge, not rumor and speculation. Annie Johnson, a longtime nanny in the Philadelphia region, recently started working for a new family in Conshohocken. She was recommended for the job by another family she had worked for, and she went into the interview prepared to discuss a fair deal for wages, time off, and other basic working conditions. I already knew my value, Johnson said. Even though this new family lived just outside of Philadelphia, she was able to use the Philadelphia Domestic Workers Bill of Rights as a framework for her new contract, she said. I believe that most families want to do the right thing, Johnson said. They want to have a conversation about what is fair, not only for themselves, but what is fair for the people that theyre hiring. The legal protections for Philadelphias domestic workers such as nannies, caregivers for seniors and people with disabilities, and house cleaners have improved considerably in the last three years, especially for people whose employers really do want to support their workers. Advertisement But the employment relationship remains unbalanced for many, according to a new report from the Philadelphia Domestic Workers Task Force. The families who hire these workers often do not see themselves as employers with a responsibility to create fair working conditions, the report said, and they might not be aware of Philadelphias three-year-old Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. The ratio of one worker to one employer makes it really, really challenging to fix the big, structural systemic issues that weve seen, said Nicole Kligerman, Pennsylvania director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. We knew that enforcement would be difficult when we were fighting for the law, and boy, is it challenging. Meanwhile, Kligerman said, the impact of these protections remains limited by Pennsylvanias state laws and political climate for instance, domestic workers are excluded from minimum wage requirements, and state law prohibits Philadelphia from making changes to minimum wage within city boundaries. Federal worker protections also exclude domestic workers, she said. We are seeing an improvement in working conditions. Scaling that is quite challenging, she said. Efforts to protect domestic workers The Philadelphia metro area has more than 16,000 domestic workers, and Pennsylvania is home to more than 28,000. These workers are overwhelmingly female, and the majority are women of color. The city created a task force in 2019 to improve working conditions for these workers and passed a bill of rights for domestic workers in 2020. In looking at their progress over the last several years, the task force highlighted this law as a top achievement. The bill of rights codified requirements such as a written contract for domestic workers in English and the workers preferred language, regular paid breaks, two weeks of notice before ending employment four for live-in workers and one day off per week for live-in workers. Similar laws exist in 10 states, not including Pennsylvania, as well as the cities of Seattle and Washington D.C. Ive seen a lot of our workers become stronger. When they go on interviews, they understand what they should and shouldnt do, said Johnson, who became involved with the NDWAs Pennsylvania chapter in 2017 and serves on the citys task force. They understand that theyre speaking from a law the law is applicable to me and applicable to my employer. Many employers appreciate that, too, according to the report from the task force, which includes two employers of domestic workers. They noted that nannies, house cleaners, and caregivers have an intimate role in their employers lives, and having a contract makes it easier to navigate those relationships. Challenges remain Aside from the lack of supporting state and federal laws, domestic work often involves off the books payment, which makes it difficult to document a workers pay, work schedule, and track record. The onus of enforcement often falls on the worker, and theyre frequently worried about their employer retaliating against them by damaging their reputation. Those who are undocumented have additional concerns that raising a complaint with government might draw attention to their immigration status, the report said. Another challenge, which the task force could not have foreseen, was the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic just as the bill of rights was taking effect. Many domestic workers were struggling with the loss of work or abrupt changes in their employment conditions, but many of them werent eligible for federal relief funds. In Philadelphia, National Domestic Workers Alliance helped get emergency cash for hundreds of domestic workers from the Philadelphia Worker Relief Fund, the report noted. The task force is planning to make specific policy recommendations in the next year, including increased resources for investigations and outreach through the citys Office of Worker Protections. They also plan to pinpoint which state and federal policies are obstructing improvement of working conditions, the report said. Johnson would like to see a statewide law protecting their rights before she retires from nannying, which she hopes to do in the next few years. I dont want those who are coming behind us to be fighting as much, she said. Christian M'Bagoyi, 42, embraces his wife, Sarika Kumar as they celebrate outside the Philadelphia ICE offices on N. 8th St. and Cherry St. on Friday morning February 26, 2021, after ICE did not take him into custody when he checked in with authorities. He was taken into custody last week and now faces deportation from a Louisiana facility. Read more Two years ago, Christian MBagoyi emerged triumphant and relieved from the Philadelphia ICE office, greeted by two dozen supporters who cheered the West African immigrant and his wife, Sarika. Now all thats changed. On Wednesday evening, MBagoyi, about 44, was being held, awaiting deportation from a Louisiana facility after being arrested by immigration authorities at his South Philadelphia home last week. He could be sent out of the country within 72 hours. It was unclear why he was seized, supporters said, as he had continued to make regular check-ins with ICE, as required under his immigration supervision. Organizers with Juntos and the Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition were contacting elected officials to try to stop his deportation. Advertisement Im dumbfounded, his wife, Sarika Kumar, said Wednesday. We made a conscious decision to move to Philadelphia, to build community, to have more support. We felt we were going to be safe here. She thinks her husband may have been arrested because he recently renewed his work permit, which perhaps triggered a notice in the system. The support is reviving, she said. Im using everyones energy to uplift myself and keep pushing. The neighbors, those around us, I feel fortunate to live in Philadelphia. She told their daughters, ages 3 and 5, that their father had gone to help a friend. ICE officials could not immediately respond to a request for comment. A petition on MBagoyis behalf had gathered more than 4,600 signatures on Wednesday evening. Hes been reporting without fail, said Erika Guadalupe Nunez, executive director of Juntos, the Latino advocacy group, who said she had rarely seen such a sudden arrest of someone who had been in regular contact with the enforcement agency. MBagoyis spouse is a U.S. citizen, as are their children. He was issued a final order of removal more than two years ago and, according to ICE, had exhausted all forms of immigration relief. Still, its not unusual for people with final orders to be allowed to remain in the country as their immigration cases proceed. MBagoyi appeared to fall outside of agency guidelines, set by the Biden administration, that dramatically narrowed the agencys enforcement priorities. Those guidelines were challenged in court, and last year the Supreme Court at least temporarily let stand a lower-court ruling that blocked the new guidelines. The Biden Administration wanted agents to concentrate on arresting undocumented immigrants who threaten public safety or who had entered the country after November 2020. MBagoyi came to the United States about 22 years ago, at age 21, after his ethnic background put him at risk in West Africa. He did not want to reveal his homeland in interviews. He legally entered the United States on a tourist visa, but then stayed after it expired, he said. His request for asylum was denied. He was allowed to remain in the country under an ICE order of supervision, which provides a Social Security number and employment permission. Undocumented immigrants can spend years under supervision, living, working, paying taxes, and building families in this country then suddenly be scheduled for quick deportations. He has worked as a carpenter and studied to become trained in information technology. His spouse is a marketing and advertising consultant, holding a bachelors degree in biomedical engineering from Boston University and a masters in public health from Hunter College in New York City. We have a really short window, Nunez said. Our hope is to show public support, which should be considered before they take Christian away from his family. The sign in front of the Paschalville Free Library, where a groundbreaking ceremony for new renovations took place Wednesday. Read more When Maryam Muhammad was a high school student in Southwest Philly, her English teacher brought her class to the Paschalville Free Library one day to teach them how books are cataloged. Muhammad found the intricate system fascinating, and became a regular at the Paschalville branch her son Isa started reading early because she brought him in for library programming in the mid-2000s, and she got to know her neighbors through events over the years since. But the Paschalville Library hasnt been renovated since 1995. As at other Free Library of Philadelphia branches and public spaces in the city, funding became scarce, and the infrastructure and staffing of Paschalville suffered. A lot of us felt as if Southwest had become neglected, Muhammad said of what it was like seeing the library deteriorate. Advertisement On Wednesday morning in Southwest Philly, city officials and community members including Muhammad, who led some of the community engagement efforts during the planning for renovations broke ground on a $13.2 million renovation project for the library. The construction comes through the citys Rebuild program, a series of investments in public space funded by the citys tax on sweetened drinks. I believe deeply that public libraries are the most important institution in our city. Kelly Richards We are excited about the improvements coming to this branch, which will make it more accessible, welcoming, and engaging for visitors of all ages, Mayor Jim Kenney said. We know that the coming improvements to the Paschalville Library are overdue and how meaningful they are to the children and families here in Southwest Philly, he added. Specifically, the renovations will include such features as new flooring, paint, plumbing and electric systems, ADA bathrooms and ramps, and the construction of a new media hub classroom. The Knight Foundation and Pennsylvanias Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program also contributed funding to the project. The community has been waiting for some time to see the reopening of this library, said Otis Bullock, from the Greater Philadelphia Community Alliance, who helped facilitate the project. Bullock explained that the chosen renovations came from community member suggestions, not the city just telling them what they would receive. Im glad that we can make the community the forefront of putting this together, he said. The library is the peoples university, said Kelly Richards, president and director of the Free Library. I believe deeply that public libraries are the most important institution in our city, that offers people a safe place to learn to read, access critical resources, and connect with each other. Richards has been in his role just more than a year, but has been clear on seeing his role as a vocal lobbyist for the Free Library, making sure its branches get the resources they need. READ MORE: Libraries are evolving to meet the growing health and safety needs of residents We have this very unique opportunity to witness how Paschalville [Library] will be reshaped to best serve its community, [and] adapt to the changing needs of the neighborhood, he said. Im so excited for the incredible transformation that this library is going through today. Finally seeing this kind of an investment made Muhammad believe that the city did actually care about her community and the library that means so much to them. It was like, oh, wow, they really meant [when they said], We got you, she said. And they have us. The Pennridge school board, pictured in this March 2022 file photo, hired Vermilion Education to review its curriculum. The firm's founder previously worked for Hillsdale College, a Christian school with ties to prominent conservatives. Read more The Pennridge school board voted Wednesday to hire a consultant with ties to the conservative Hillsdale College in Michigan to review the districts curriculum, prompting outrage from community members who accused the board of trying to impose its politics on students. The contract with Vermilion Education, which also drew pushback from teachers, was approved by a 5-4 vote. It comes as the district has been considering Hillsdales 1776 Curriculum described by the Christian college as demonstrating how Americas founding principles make the United States an exceptionally good country. Board members in support of the contract said they were trying to improve the districts curriculum, which some suggested wasnt meeting their aims. Our end goal is that every single kid who leaves Pennridge loves this country and understands our constitution, said board member Ricki Chaikin. Right now, thats not happening. Advertisement But a chorus of critics questioned the need to bring in Vermilion, a firm established in December by a former employee of Hillsdale. The college has pledged to fight leftist academics and has been embraced by such Republicans as former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The employee who started Vermilion, Jordan Adams, graduated from Hillsdale in 2013 and has taught at a Hillsdale-affiliated charter school and a classical Catholic school. He then returned to Hillsdale to work for its initiative trying to grow a network of charter schools using the colleges curriculum. While working for Hillsdale, Adams was tapped by Florida to review proposed math textbooks, many of which the state rejected last year for containing prohibited topics. Adams, then a civic education specialist, was involved in flagging content that could violate Floridas ban on teaching critical race theory, according to WTFS, the ABC affiliate in Tampa Bay. Adams cited content in the book Stats: Modeling the World about racial profiling, discrimination in magnet school admissions, and the racial demographics of the New York Police Department not matching the communitys, which he said might violate Floridas ban, the Washington Post reported. During a 2020 panel discussion at the National Archives, Adams praised Hillsdale professor Wilfred McClay and his book, Land of Hope, saying McClay doesnt grab attention solely with scandal and outrage, as Zinn or 1619 might do referring to Howard Zinn, author of The Peoples History of the United States, and the New York Times 1619 Project, which centered slavery in Americas origin story. Thats the easy way out, a way that kills off a students natural sense of wonder, and more often than not turns molehills into mountains, Adams said. In an email Thursday, Adams said that Vermilion was committed to a nonpartisan, ideology-free education for each and every student. Vermilions services to school boards reflect this commitment. He did not respond to a question about whether the firm was working with other public school districts, and where. The Sarasota, Fla., school board recently voted down a contract with Vermilion after public protest there. In Pennridge, parents argued Vermilions hiring would instead bring ideology into the curriculum voicing concern about Hillsdales political connections and the whitewashing of history. (Historians have criticized Hillsdales 1776 Curriculum as ideologically driven; one, Sean Wilentz of Princeton, told The Inquirer earlier this year that the curriculum fundamentally distorts modern American history into a crusade of righteous conservative patriots against heretical big-government liberals.) The school board has waged a relentless crusade against anything that might possibly or remotely be considered woke, instead of focusing on the quality of our childrens education, parent Emily Smith said. Others questioned Adams qualifications as compared with those of the districts own teachers who expressed anger that they werent consulted. Angela Schoettle, a Pennridge High School social studies teacher who said she was speaking on behalf of many of her colleagues, said teachers were already frustrated that the board previously moved to reduce social studies credit requirements from four credits to three, despite widespread opposition. At least eight teachers have been spending hours upon hours rewriting the ninth-grade social studies curriculum to try to meet the boards impractical expectations, Schoettle said. Now, with the hiring of an outside reviewer, all those efforts could possibly be for nothing. ... Clearly, the school board has no trust and respect in us as professionals. Though the school boards nine members were elected as Republicans, the board in recent months has been divided. The four members who voted against the contract said it was added to the agenda just 24 hours before the meeting, with no notice to them of the proposal to hire Vermilion. Ahead of the vote, board member Ron Wurz said the board was poised to sign a contract with someone who was unqualified and definitely partisan to shape the districts curriculum. You wouldnt believe this is happening, but it is, Wurz said. Joan Cullen, the boards former president, criticized the contracts open-ended nature: Under the agreement, the district will pay Vermilion $125 an hour for reviewing and developing curricula, along with travel costs. The contract provides no time frame for completion of the work. Theres no apparent limit to those expenses, Cullen said. Board members in favor said the district previously had hired consultants at far greater hourly rates including two at $600 an hour, vice president Megan Banis-Clemens said without any pushback. Jordan Blomgren, another board member, said the board had approved a speaker at a recent teacher in-service session from California State University where you could also say thats coming from a more liberal or activist school who charged $9,000 for the day. Adams has plenty of credentials, Blomgren said, including a decade of firsthand education experience, serving as a social studies department chair, and visiting dozens of schools across the country. Blomgren said the board was sharing details of the contract with the community, acknowledging that she ran on a platform of transparency. I was also elected to get the bias out of our curriculum, she said. Days after Pennsylvania State Police issued a warrant for his arrest, former Jackass star Bam Margera turned himself in to authorities and was arraigned at a Chester County courthouse Thursday morning, facing charges that he allegedly assaulted his brother and made terroristic threats toward other family members. Margeras lawyer, Michael T. van der Veen, said that he pleaded not guilty during a brief arraignment hearing at the courthouse in Kennett Square, and that the real facts will come out. Margera was fingerprinted, photographed, and released on $50,000 unsecured bail, according to court records, meaning that he is free to travel and conduct his business, van der Veen said. READ MORE: Former Jackass star Bam Margera is wanted by Pennsylvania State Police after an alleged assault Advertisement Judge Albert Michael Iacocca ordered Margera to undergo a drug and alcohol evaluation, to not contact the alleged victims, and to stay away from his Pocopson Township home. Margera must also get permission from the courts pretrial services unit before leaving Pennsylvania, court records show. Mr. Margera enjoys all of his constitutional rights, including the presumption of innocence, van der Veen said in a statement. The wild rumors regarding his behavior this week are absolutely false. He is in good health and in good spirits. Following the hearing, Margera wrote on Instagram that everything went great and the false accusations of what my brother says are not true and he will be sued for defamation as well as being evicted from castle bam sooner than later. Yeah, this meltdown I guess is my fault now, Margeras brother, Jesse, wrote in response on social media Thursday morning. Its always someone elses fault. State police announced an arrest warrant for Margera on Monday after responding to a disturbance at Margeras home otherwise known as Castle Bam on the 400 block of Hickory Hill Road in Pocopson Township late Sunday morning. Margera allegedly punched his brother, and threatened to kill all the occupants of the house, including his father, Phil. Jesse Margera told police that his brother banged on his locked bedroom door early on Sunday, and left a signed note that threatened them if they thought about calling the police, according to court documents. Jesse Margera added that he then found his brother urinating into the kitchen sink. Bam Margera then allegedly struck his brother in the right side of the face. Bam Margera fled, taking off into a wooded area near the home, according to court documents. Police had not been able to locate him since responding to the disturbance on Sunday. Margera is charged with several misdemeanors, including making terroristic threats to his father, brother, and two others, as well as simple assault and harassment. Despite reports that Margera was on the run and evading law enforcement, van der Veen said that his client, once made aware of the warrant, hired a lawyer and made arrangements to turn himself in. The Philadelphia lawyer perhaps best known as the defense lawyer in former President Donald Trumps second impeachment trial last year declined to say where Margera was this week. But he said that allegations that Margera was using substances causing him to hallucinate during the episode were absolutely false and defamation. Earlier this week, Margeras brother wrote on social media that Bam Margera had been using methamphetamine, and had been up for a about a week at this point and is hallucinating. And Margeras mother, April, told Fox News on Tuesday that Margera has just been painted as a monster, and anybody on drugs turns into a monster. Margera, who has been in and out of rehab facilities for years, has long seen his sobriety issues play out publicly. More recently, he has been in the news due to a string of substance-related issues, including a March incident in which he was arrested for public intoxication in Burbank, Calif. Its really just a breakdown of the system, Margeras mother told Fox News. Sometimes when youre a celebrity, its like you get special treatment in rehabs, and it doesnt help. Margera, van der Veen said, is a person just like anybody else, and his family, like every family, has disagreements at times. He is talented, and he is now well known because of his talents. But he enjoys his privacy, and he enjoys his space just like the rest of us. Margeras next court date will be May 25, records indicate. Kimberly Orozco rides on the shoulders of Keven Collins as they march up Market Street during Pride celebrations in June, 2022. Read more Philly Pride will take place on Sunday, June 4 this year, with a morning march beginning at the Constitution Center and an afternoon festival featuring music and vendors in the Gayborhood. The event is being hosted and planned by the longtime LGBTQ direct service organization Galaei. There will be food trucks, two stages, an area celebrating the Philly ballroom scene, and a wellness and resource station offering STI testing and meetings with case workers. Phillys annual Pride has gone through upheaval in recent years, a tale with enough tension and drama that it became the subject of a five-part podcast by WHYY. Prides in-person events were canceled in 2020 because of COVID. In 2021 Pride was again canceled, this time because the organization that had hosted it for more than two decades, Philly Pride Presents, abruptly disbanded in light of accusations of racism and transphobia within it. After that, a new group called the PHL Pride Collective, made up mostly of queer and trans Black and brown volunteers, formed to re-imagine and produce the annual event. They teamed up with Galaei, a Philly nonprofit originally founded to serve the queer Latinx community. Galaei now serves a broader range of queer Black people and other people of color. Advertisement With Galaei as fiscal sponsor, the Collective organized a Pride march and festival in 2022 that drew tens of thousands of people. Organizers of the 2022 Pride event agreed to certain key values beforehand: to not collaborate with police, citing the long history of police brutality against queer people; to prioritize community involvement over corporate sponsorships; and to be led by Black and brown Philadelphians. The Philadelphia Gay News called the ensuing 2022 Pride a festival that fostered a place of joy, celebration, education and empowerment. But soon after, the PHL Pride Collective splintered from Galaei, with some members citing disputes surrounding ownership of the event, engagement with the police, and financial transparency afterwards. Now the PHL Pride Collective no longer has a public presence and does not seem to be planning a Pride event. Galaei is hosting this years Pride on its own. Abdul-Aliy Muhammad, who first organized the Pride Collective but is no longer involved with it, said no nonprofit or institution should be a major decision-maker when it comes to Pride, because its an event rooted in resistance to organizations that try to control community. Still, this years Pride will likely look similar to last years. Galaeis Love, Light, and Liberation Pride event has a budget of roughly $150,000, which will be raised through grants, vendors, sponsors, and donations to the nonprofit, said Tyrell Brown, newly appointed executive director at Galaei, in an interview. In keeping with the ethic of last years event, Galaei will hire a private security firm to work the event and will steer clear of most corporate sponsorships. Its not my intention to take anything from anyone, said Brown. We need a big resource event for our community. Im invested in producing that thing. Brown said they do not view Pride as a monolithic event, and that while Galaei is hosting what many will recognize as the major annual march and festival in Philly, if someone decides to create another festival the same day, in a park somewhere, because they prefer greenery, thats Pride too. From West Philly to Chinatown, corporate greed is going down! People over profit! Hands off Chinatown! These were a few of the chants bellowed at the northeast corner of City Hall on Thursday morning, where dozens of people gathered to protest the proposed Sixers arena before entering the building to hand-deliver more than 15,000 petition signatures to Council members. Advertisement For my community, Chinatown is near and dear to our hearts, said Sinta Penyami Storms, cofounder of the Indonesian group Gapura, adding that Chinatown is where Phillys Indonesian community lived when member first immigrated to the city in the 1990s. Our children go to Folk Arts and Cultural Treasure Charter School. Our moms pick up their children, they grab boba after school, they buy groceries. Its our stomping ground, she continued. If we have to reimagine how Philly can be better, its not by putting the money-grabbing arena in the smack of Center City. Its the same message that community activists and advocates have been delivering since the proposed arena was first announced last summer. Chinatown is a neighborhood that has served as a cultural hub, safe space and economic center for immigrant communities. It holds a special place in the hearts of people across Philly, and is one of the last neighborhoods in the citys downtown core that is predominantly people of color and low-income. And with the Sixers arena proposed to go on the block from 10th to 11th and Market to Filbert abutting the southern border of Chinatown at Cuthbert Street, and six feet from the nearest Chinatown business Chinatown residents, business owners, patrons and allies all believe that gentrification and displacement would be inevitable. But the activists delivered their message a little differently Thursday. First, with a creative fashion show featuring models with illustrations of Chinatown stapled to their clothes in various designs. Debbie is wearing a beautiful flowing dress that is 4% rayon and 96% opposed to the arena and billion dollar development, the emcee said as one of the models strutted and spun in front of the chuckling crowd. The activists also showed up with power in numbers. In front of the group was a wall of 18 boxes filled with more than 15,000 petition signatures and 3,300 handwritten postcards, which were hauled inside by after the news conference and delivered to each Council member along with personal stories about what Chinatown has meant to them and their families over the decades. First on one groups list was Councilmember Mark Squilla, who as the district Council member holds significant power over the $1.3 billion project. Squilla was unavailable, so his legislative assistant Sean McMonagle met with the group in his stead. Chinatown means a great deal to my family. My mother emigrated from Taiwan in the 70s. They protested the Vine Street Expressway back in the 70s, said Will Gross, a small-business owner and Democratic Committee member. To us, [the arena] does represent an existential threat to the neighborhood and the city as a whole. From Council member office to office, activists asked elected officials to publicly commit to voting no on any legislation that would allow the arena to push through. And from office to office, they got the same response: The Council members are doing their due diligence to talk to both those opposed to and for the arena, as well as awaiting the results of impact studies, and they will take a stance once there is more information out there. From a community standpoint, I think we need to make sure these studies are done, Squilla told The Inquirer afterward. I think it gives everybody a fair idea on the challenges that are going to be associated with this type of development in the area. And then I think it allows people to forge their decision on whether this can move forward or not. Except at Councilmember Kendra Brooks office. Brooks is one of two councilmembers to have formally taken a stance opposing the arena. Councilmember Jim Harrity has joined her in opposition, and a few other councilmembers have committed to voting no on any arena legislation introduced before the completion of environmental impact studies. Activists were greeted warmly by Brooks staff as they stepped through the door. Shakeda Gaines, deputy chief of staff, opened the box of petitions and sorted through the sheets of paper, muttering beautiful under her breath. Thank you so much for dropping this off, Gaines said. We appreciate you and as you know, the Council member has announced her position, and she stands with you guys. A spokesman for 76 DevCorp, the development partnership planning the arena, declined to comment on the news conference. It was one of those raw late April afternoons in Philadelphia where the weather in the far corner of LOVE Park unrelentingly gray, windy, occasional drizzle seemed to match the grim civic mood looming over the City Hall tower in the background. At the supposed 12:45 p.m. start time for this Helen-Gym-for-mayor campaign rally, just a few folks milled around and chatted with the candidate in her bright red coat, carrying a reusable Target shopping bag, and you briefly wonder if you got the time or place wrong. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a blue-clad army of about 50 supporters young and old, Black, brown, and white, including members of the teachers union that has endorsed Gym, carrying signs that read The Wealth To Fix Our City Exists! crossed JFK Boulevard all at once, and it was showtime. Over the next half-hour, speakers from the various Jenga blocks of Phillys shaky civil society reimagined the city as it could be. A librarian from South Philly spoke about the dream of reopening on the weekends as a community refuge. An instructor and union leader from the Community College of Philadelphia imagined the benefits of free tuition. When I say, Moral! chanted emcee Elisa King, a minister and counselor at CCP, you say, Budget! driving home the rallys theme that City Hall needs to focus on restoring vital services, not more incremental tax cuts. When the 55-year-old former City Council member finally got the microphone, the spring sun had seared through the layer of clouds. Gym declared her idea of a moral budget is not defined by the corporate-backed interests, the developers and the status quo electeds, bureaucrats and wealthy individuals who have long tried to buy this campaign with their tired ideas and their technocratic solutions. The crowd whooped. Those candidates have played it safe all their lives. The only remaining progressive in a May 16 primary field whittled down to five or six major candidates defined her rivals ideas as just too small for this moment. Theyre talking about safety thats only defined by policing. Theyre talking about development only in terms defined by the tax cuts and those people who get to benefit. They manage crisis were here to end them! Almost on cue, a passing dump truck on the boulevard tooted its horn loudly in support. Its fitting that the race to pick the 100th mayor of Americas founding city is also arguably its most consequential in decades, perhaps since the divisive Frank Rizzo era. Thats because the coronavirus also attacked the civic immune system that had allowed the citys leaders to ignore the warning symptoms of the nations highest rate of deep poverty and unacceptable schools housed in unsafe buildings while touting the surface glitz of Philadelphias comeback ... for tourists and a handful of gentrifying neighborhoods. Now, a spike in gun violence and related dysfunction has put the nations sixth-biggest city at a crossroads. Advertisement I might be The Inquirers national columnist, but Ive watched this local election closely not just because I work and pay taxes and ride the troubled subways here (or because my two adult offspring live here), but also because what Philadelphia voters decide in a little more than two weeks will say a lot about how America is going to solve its urban problems, especially persistent poverty. In this (sort of) post-pandemic era, comparable cities such as Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles have rejected old-school police union fearmongering for young, progressive mayors who see how issues like attacking climate change or youth unemployment can bring real change. Its not at all clear yet whether Philadelphia has the courage or boldness to follow its sister cities down that fresh pathway. Ive watched both televised debates and have been somewhat taken aback by how most of the major candidates have crafted a message around not new ideas but leadership. What they are really offering, in essence, is a pledge to restore some presence and personality to City Hall thats been missing during the shockingly absent Jim Kenney administration, but with little evidence theyd change the status quo policies of minor tax cuts or Fraternal Order of Police-endorsed policing that coincided with decline. In the debates and on the campaign trail, Gym has set herself apart as the only candidate who fully grasps the root problems in the most desperate neighborhoods and who wants to go big to actually address them. How many times can we hire more cops or return to stop-and-frisk policing with the same tired results? Thats why Gym is the leader in pushing for trained responders to replace cops on mental health calls hugely successful where its been tried and is the only candidate who agrees with the majority of Philadelphians who twice elected Larry Krasner as district attorney: that some criminal justice reforms were long overdue. Elite critics of some of Gyms bigger and bolder ideas going all out in fixing unsafe school buildings, or guaranteed employment for adults under 30 call them unrealistic pie in the sky. Most everyday voters know what matters most about a political leader is less about the budgetary small print and more about who and what they are willing to fight for. And in her seven years as an at-large City Council member, Gym has fought for what cynics had written off as lost causes and won a strikingly high percentage of the time. READ MORE: Will the killing of Tyre Nichols change Phillys mayoral debate over cops, crime? | Will Bunch A fair workweek ordinance that mandates essential workers have predictable schedules. Long-overdue eviction protections for the citys beleaguered tenants. A return to local control of the Philadelphia School District while fighting to restore school nurses and counselors. A push to get lead out of school drinking water. No wonder that after her first term on Council, The Inquirer Editorial Board hailed her as a savvy, passionate and progressive leader. Things are a lot different now that Gym is running for mayor. While shes been endorsed by the influential Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and a panoply of other unions and progressive groups, many of the citys elites even some whove been somewhat supportive of her Council work seem dead set on preventing her from running Philly. Some of that is with a budgetary magnifying glass, but much of it centers on attacking her personality and blocking her ideas. Yes, she changed her mind on charter schools after founding one but who wouldnt after watching them become a negative drain on public education? Of course it was a mistake to protest the Union League and go there just days later, but is that a big enough reason to punish Gym and the city by voting for someone who doesnt share your values? I think its about making things about individuals and reducing it to isolated incidents rather than looking at a track record that holds steady over time, Gym told me Wednesday after her rally. The way to marginalize real movements for change is to hyper-individualize faults within imperfect people. I mean, Im not perfect I make mistakes and all of that but I think the difference with me is I have a 20-year-plus track record of standing alongside communities. One truism about politics is that a lot of times you can gauge a candidate by the enemies they make. The Chamber of Commerce crowd and their handmaidens arent fighting Gym because of her mistakes, but because of the things she gets right. Theres a reason many of Philadelphias most essential yet underheard folks the teachers and librarians and social workers dont just think that Gym is the best among a large field of candidates, but truly believe that her election in 2023 is a matter of civic life-or-death. She is rising to the moment, which is a moment of crisis for our city, Stan Shapiro, vice chair of Philly Neighborhood Networks and a former City Council staffer, told me before the rally. Its not a time for the status quo, for business as usual, for just keeping the lights on. There arent enough lights. There arent enough rec centers. There arent enough health centers. One of the other straw man arguments from Gyms critics centers on how shes carried a bullhorn to protest in the streets on behalf of Phillys kids, or its underserved people, or the moment when the horror! she was willing to get detained in Harrisburg to dramatize how state Republicans wont invest in education. Weve had decades of conveners and glad-handers on the second floor of City Hall with too little to show for it. Its time to try a bullhorn mayor, a real fighter. In a race with many candidates, there is only one who truly matters. READ MORE: SIGN UP: The Will Bunch Newsletter Its anyones guess who will be Philadelphias 100th mayor. Were now sprinting toward the May 16 primary and still no one candidate has distinguished themselves as the clear front-runner. But that doesnt mean I dont already know who should absolutely get the top job. And that, my fellow Philadelphians, is any of the women running. Not simply because theyre women so stand down mens rights activists. Or because in 2023, a metropolis with so many historical firsts should be embarrassed to be one of the few major American cities thats never elected a woman as mayor (although we should be absolutely mortified, we really should). But because the three women vying to lead our city (it would have been four, had the only Latina candidate, Maria Quinones Sanchez, not dropped out) have consistently proven themselves to be the strongest candidates for the position. Advertisement After a long and exhausting campaign that all of the remaining Democratic candidates wore on their faces during the last low-energy debate Tuesday night, we have three leaders with roots in three distinctly different constituencies although there is some overlap positioned to become the citys first female mayor. That they are all viable options to lead our city is not just a tribute to the womens varied backgrounds, but to the possible present future of our city. In no particular order, theres Cherelle Parker a veteran legislator who has positioned herself as someone with the intergovernmental experience needed to move this city forward. Rebecca Rhynhart comes from the private sector with the kind of deep, thoughtful data chops that should make people feel comfortable and comforted by her leadership, and that has garnered her endorsements from three former mayors. And no matter what many think of Helen Gym and there seems to be very little middle ground when it comes to peoples feelings about her there is no denying the progressive candidates passion or the grassroots work shes done on behalf of some of our most marginalized communities. She hasnt just talked about improving peoples lives, shes used her bullhorn to help make it happen. Do I agree with all of their styles or stances? Absolutely not. Parker is a little too keen on the kind of law and order policies that have proven to be more than a little problematic in our city (do we really want to keep leaning on stop and frisk?). Props to her for being quintessentially Philly. But shes also very much a career politician and a product of the citys Democratic machine. Rhynhart who is promising to make government work more efficiently and tackle the citys problems on day one has billed herself as an outsider, even while working for two past administrations. But will that appeal land with voters after she won the endorsement of former Mayors Michael Nutter, John F. Street, and Ed Rendell whose administrations promised much of the same? And then theres Gym, a perennial lightning rod and not always deservedly so, especially by those who feel threatened by vocal women of color. I fear that the often rabid opposition to her will take the focus away from a city too deep in crisis for any distractions. Should any of these women become mayor, we should expect a lot of them. For starters, I expect them to be ever-prepared and present, no matter how tough things get. They should be bold and brave but also compassionate and careful so very careful with the lives of the people who have grown accustomed to leaders treating them with reckless disregard. They should take chances, and when they fail because they will then they should fail fast and use those lessons learned as fuel to do better and be better. They should also understand something too many thin-skinned politicians do not: that the pushback they will inevitably get, from residents and the local press corps, is necessary and almost never comes from a bad place from people deeply committed to improving Philadelphia. That said, there is one thing we should absolutely not expect from our next mayor, something we too often expect from firsts especially when they are women. Despite their experience and expertise, none of these women is going to save us. Theyre women, not wizards. No one person or politician or program or organization can save the city, or frankly, this country. That kind of outsized expectation sets everyone up for disappointment and failure. What we the residents of Philadelphia need to do is consistently hold our leaders accountable, no matter our feelings for them. That means not giving them a pass, or reverting back to our famous Philly Shrug. Come November, Philadelphia will be electing its 100th mayor, and it should without question be one of these women. If so, we should do everything we can to help her succeed, because her success will define our citys success. Mayoral candidate Helen Gym is facing renewed accusations of acting unethically when she voted against a City Council bill in 2019 that sought to regulate pharmaceutical sales representatives while her husband worked in the industry. The line of attack, which critics have raised throughout the campaign, is now front and center because of a $200,000 TV ad campaign that began Thursday. The ads are paid for by a new and mostly unknown political group called the Coalition for Safety and Equitable Growth. The ads come less than three weeks before the May 16 Democratic primary, in which Gym is a top contender. They focus on Gyms vote with the majority of Council to kill a bill that would have banned sales representatives from giving gifts to physicians and required they register with the citys Health Department. The pharmaceutical industry vocally opposed the bill. Advertisement Political opponents have said Gym should have recused herself from the vote at the time, her husband, Bret Flaherty, was a top attorney at AmerisourceBergen, a Conshohocken-based drug distribution corporation that has come under scrutiny for its sales of opioid painkillers. And they have questioned why Gym, a progressive who was often the most vocal critic of corporate interests on Council, would vote against a bill that appeared to align with her politics. Gym didnt disclose her husbands job publicly when she voted against the legislation, but it appears that she followed the citys conflict-of-interest process for Council members by seeking advice from the Board of Ethics. In late 2018, the boards general counsel told Gyms office in an email obtained by The Inquirer that there was no conflict of interest that would require disclosure and recusal. The legislation failed, 9-5. Brendan McPhillips, Gyms campaign manager, said in a statement that Gym supported the gift ban, but did not support requiring the Health Department to act as a regulatory agent for all drug sales representatives, not just those selling opioids. An AmerisourceBergen spokesperson confirmed Flahertys employment there ended in February about three months after Gym declared her candidacy for mayor. Its not clear who is funding the group paying for the ads, which are just the second instance of negative TV ads in this years mayoral campaign, following candidate Allan Dombs attacks on rival Jeff Brown. The chair of the group that placed the ads is Jabari Jones, a small-business advocate who launched a run for City Council this year but did not garner enough petition signatures to get on the ballot. The treasurer is Mo Rushdy, a real-estate developer. They declined to name the groups donors. In a statement, Rushdy said only that elected officials need to be accountable for their actions and we believe it is important for voters to know about Helen Gyms clear conflict of interest when she voted in support of prescription drug companies. While the groups funders are unknown now, they wont be for long. The current campaign finance reporting period ends Monday, and political action committees must report their donors and expenditures by May 5. The group will likely not be able to keep its donors secret like other dark money committees playing a role in this years elections due to the timing of when it was formed. McPhillips in a statement said the ads are plainly false and suggested they are funded by Jeffrey Yass, a Main Line billionaire and GOP mega-donor whose groups have contributed to another super PAC tied to Rushdy. They want to tear Helen down because they know she stands up for public education, and for everyday people over their narrow and greedy special interests, he said. Gyms consultation with the ethics board Three other mayoral candidates were on Council at the time of the vote. Domb, a Democrat, and David Oh, a Republican, also voted against the bill. Cherelle Parker was one of two Council members who recused themselves, citing a conflict of interest because they sat on an Independence Blue Cross advisory board. In defending her decision not to recuse herself, Gym and her supporters have pointed to the fact that other Council members opposed the bill. While Gym did follow best practices by seeking advice from the ethics board, the eventual margin of victory of a vote is irrelevant in determining whether an official has a conflict of interest that should warrant recusal. The citys public integrity laws prohibit lawmakers from voting on legislation in which they have financial interests. There are exceptions for cases in which the proposal at hand is broad enough to affect large classes of people, such as a Council member who is a homeowner voting to lower the property tax. The Board of Ethics cited the large-class exception in its advice to Gym on recusal. Still, because Gym didnt disclose in Council that her husband worked for a pharmaceutical company, voters had no way of knowing that because the city doesnt require public officials disclose spousal income. Even former Councilmember Bill Greenlee, one of the bills prime sponsors, said he didnt know at the time that Gyms husband worked for AmerisourceBergen. I was disappointed she wasnt a little more forthcoming, he said. READ MORE: Sign up for the 100th Mayor, the Inquirer's mayoral race newsletter Flaherty worked as an attorney in the general counsels office at AmerisourceBergen beginning in 2015, according to the company. State records show that he now works at a medical device manufacturer in the Lehigh Valley. His departure from AmerisourceBergen, besides coming amid Gyms campaign for mayor, also came less than two months after the U.S. Department of Justice filed a nationwide lawsuit against the company, claiming it failed to report suspicious drug sales to law enforcement. Campaign contributions draw scrutiny In addition to linking Gyms vote to her husband, the attack ad also says she was rewarded by pharmaceutical executives with campaign donations following the vote. Gym has received nearly $50,000 in campaign contributions from John Chou, a now-retired AmerisourceBergen executive who campaign-finance records show has been one of her largest individual donors. Those contributions include a $3,000 donation made in 2019, about a month after she voted against the legislation a donation that online critics seized on last weekend after Philadelphia Magazine editor at large Ernest Owens tweeted about it. Chou has donated to Gym nearly a dozen separate times since her first run for City Council in 2015, including four contributions before his 2019 check. Chou was the chief legal officer at AmerisourceBergen until his retirement last year, and is involved in a handful of philanthropic ventures, including sitting on the board of the good-government group Committee of Seventy. He could not be reached for comment Thursday. McPhillips said Gym and Chou have had a personal relationship for 15 years and have never spoken about this bill. Helens decades-long track record of independence and standing up for her values speaks for itself, McPhillips said. Individual contributors donate to her because they believe in her record of work. In addition to prohibiting pharmaceutical sales reps from giving gifts to physicians, the legislation would have required the representatives to register with the city, similar to how City Hall lobbyists must register with the Board of Ethics. Under the bill, the citys Health Department would have been required to track drug sales materials and literature distributed in the city. McPhillips said multiple stakeholders opposed the bill because of a lack of public engagement and no answers to concerns that it would delay access to a range of treatments for serious illnesses unrelated to opioid addiction. Republican mayoral candidate David Oh, who is running in the GOP primary unopposed and also voted against the bill, said physicians told him that having lunch with sales representatives to learn about drugs is a routine practice, and that the legislation was vilifying health professionals. He said he recalled being surprised that Gym voted the same way he did, given she was one of Councils most progressive members. It was out of character for her to vote against it, he said. And I just thought either she should have recused herself or just said, This is the relationship that I have. Jared Leopold, a spokesperson for Dombs campaign, said Domb opposed the bill after he suggested changes to it that would ensure it did not have unintended consequences that would negatively impact our growing and vital life sciences industry, but those amendments were rejected. Unlike others, he did not have a conflict of interest related to this vote, Leopold said. Inquirer staff writers Julia Terruso and Chris Brennan contributed to this article. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has cancelled the financial services (AFS) licence of a provider of coverages in the motor industry space. In a media release, ASIC said it cancelled the AFS licence of Assurance Cover Australia (ACA) because the firm did not hold the required professional indemnity (PI) insurance cover. On April 27th, the fourth event of the China National Technology Roadshow in 2023, Hefei-Wuhu-Bengbu High-tech Zone Roadshow, was successfully held in Hefei High-tech Zone. Zhou Yunfan, Director-General of the Department of Research Commercialization and Regional Innovation of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, Luo Ping, head of the Department of Science and Technology of Anhui Province, and Yuan Fei, member of the CPC Standing Committee of Hefei Municipal Committee, attended the event and delivered speeches. The China National Technology Roadshow is a brand campaign created by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China to promote the commercialization of scientific and research findings. The aim is to promote the integration of national sci-tech achievements with risk investment and enterprises, and create a full chain from scientific research to industries, so that scientific and technological achievements can be transformed and industrialized in enterprises, thereby promoting the integration of science and technology into the economy and providing support for high-quality development. The roadshow holds significant importance for promoting the high-quality development of the Hefei-Wuhu-Bengbu national scientific and technological achievement transformation demonstration zone, and accelerating the transformation and industrialization of Anhui's scientific and technological achievements. By building a platform to match scientific and technological achievements with finance, industrial demand, and local development needs, it aims to facilitate the exchange of scientific and technological achievements and information, and to transfer, apply more innovative achievements in Anhui. This will add new impetus to the development of Anhui and contribute to China's goal of achieving technological independence, self-strengthening, and becoming an innovative nation. Brody, who will serve in the board for three years, said: Dispute services like AFCA are critical to consumer protection in Australia. Not only do they help resolve complaints quickly and fairly, but they also look to improve the marketplace for everyone by raising standards and improving internal practices to avoid disputes in the first place. I'm excited about contributing to AFCA and its vision of being a trusted and world-class ombudsman service that meets the needs of our diverse community. In contrast to the March event, the October floods primarily impacted rural regions, with comparably lower value concentrations. The extent of the affected area was however very large, impacting many towns across several states and causing extensive damage over a wide geographic area, Pidcock said. With the release of this detailed industry loss footprint, we believe it provides an opportunity for the insurance industry to better understand flood risks in the impacted regional communities. We remain very grateful to our insurance partners for their continued support. According to Tom Corbett, chairman and CEO of Alliant Insurance Services: "Our established reinsurance brokers have the relationships and experience to help ensure clients have the financial resources to pay out large claims when appropriate and remain viable in the insurance market." James has played a critical role in building our construction professional business in North America, said John Roe, head of casualty construction for North America at BHSI. In his new role, he will lead our efforts to take our flourishing construction professional business to the next level and bring the certainty of BHSIs financial strength, underwriting acumen, and claims is our product philosophy to construction firms and contractors across the region. It has been a great honour for me to chair Swiss Re over the past two years, and I wish to thank the board of directors, the executive committee, and all employees for their commitment and support, said Ermotti in a release. New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! The removal of a vehicle from a multiple motor vehicle insurance policy, in which stacked coverage had previously been waived, does not require a renewed express waiver of stacked coverage under Pennsylvanias Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility Law. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court (Middle District) has ruled that an en banc panel of the Superior Court did not err in affirming a trial court ruling that State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. was not required to obtain a new uninsured/underinsured stacking waiver from Robert and Kelly Franks when they deleted an automobile from their automobile insurance policy. As a result of the court decision, the Franks are not entitled to a total of $200,000 in stacked underinsured motorist coverage. Stacking relates to adding coverages from other vehicles or different policies to provide a greater amount of coverage available under any one vehicle or policy. An insured is entitled to waive stacking of uninsured or underinsured coverages in which case the limits of coverage available under the policy shall be the stated limits for the injured persons vehicle. Absent a waiver, stacked coverage would be the default. The premiums for an insured who exercises a waiver are reduced to reflect the different cost of such coverage. The Franks took out their multi-vehicle policy with State Farm in 2013. They included underinsured motorist coverage (UIM) but completed a form rejecting stacked UIM coverage. The policy was issued with unstacked UIM coverage of $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident limits. Over several years they changed vehicles. They added an additional vehicle, a 2012 Nissan Altima, to the policy effective January 22, 2014. Robert Franks signed a new form rejecting stacked UIM coverage. Thereafter, they removed a 1999 Ford Taurus from the policy effective July 23, 2014. Upon removal, the policy continued without any change to the coverage or premiums relative to the remaining vehicles. The Franks did receive a credit of $15.06 for the 11 days of unused premium for the removed vehicle and the total ongoing six-month premium was about $250 less than with three vehicles. The next change to the policy occurred on March 26, 2015, when they replaced their 2002 Nissan Xterra with a 2013 Nissan Frontier. No additional form rejecting stacked UIM coverage was offered or sought to be completed on the removal of the Ford Taurus from the policy or thereafter and the ongoing premiums they paid reflected the lower rate for non-stacked UIM overage on two vehicles. In August 2016, Robert Franks was injured while operating his 2013 Nissan Frontier in an accident caused by the driver of the other vehicle, who had insufficient liability coverage to cover the injuries and damages Franks suffered. Franks filed a claim for underinsured motorist (UIM) benefits under the policy with State Farm. Franks claimed a $200,000 limit because the absence of a valid waiver of stacked UIM coverage following the prior removal of a 1999 Ford Taurus from the policy resulted in the default stacked coverage mandated by the Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility Law (MVFRL). However, State Farm claimed the Franks policy at the time of the accident afforded only a $100,000 limit because the removal of a vehicle from a multi-vehicle policy, without more, did not alter the status of Franks prior waiver nor trigger a need to execute a new stacking waiver. Franks argued that a change in a policy such as removing a vehicle, was equivalent to a purchase that triggers the requirement that the insurer offer the option of waiving stacked coverage. In the absence of a signed waiver, stacked coverage is in effect. Citing a 2019 ruling by the Supreme Court in Barnard v. Travelers Home & Marine Insurance Co., the Superior Court noted that the term purchase should be afforded its standard dictionary meaning as the act or an instance of buying. The intermediate court concluded that the removal of a vehicle from coverage under a multi-vehicle policy where appropriate credits were made, and the remaining coverage and premiums continued unchanged, did not meet this plain meaning of a purchase. On appeal, the Franks countered that a purchase includes circumstances when an insured removes a vehicle from an existing multi-vehicle policy because that changes the potential UIM coverage from that offered under the original policy and because the amount of premiums for that coverage also changes. The Franks also noted that removing a vehicle from a multi-vehicle policy generates a new separate declaration page and premium adjustments, thus requiring a new waiver of stacking form. They further claimed that under the plain language of the law purchase is not limited to initial purchase and that the term applies when there is a new, aggregate amount of coverage. State Farm argued that a purchase requires some acquisition in exchange for payment. By removing a vehicle from coverage of the policy, the Franks acquired nothing they did not already have at the same cost. The high court decided that the Superior Court did not err in affirming the trial courts order, in relying on Barnard that the statute is not ambiguous, granting State Farms declaratory judgment action and determining that the removal of a vehicle from coverage, while not disturbing the remaining coverage, does not constitute a purchase triggering any renewed requirement to offer an express waiver of previously waived stacked UIM coverage. The high court said the Franks wanted to depart from the plain meaning of the language to reach a result in closer alignment with what they deem to be the underlying purpose of the provisions at issue. They expressed concern that a removal of a vehicle from a policy may alter the economic considerations the insured considered in initially waiving stacking, making it now more affordable to keep stacked coverage. In pursuing these purported policy aims, however, the court said they failed to express how the use of the phrase each named insured purchasing uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage for more than one vehicle under a policy , as used in the law is ambiguous so as to trigger alternate interpretive considerations. When the Franks removed one vehicle from coverage, the conditions and costs of coverage on the remaining vehicles remained unchanged. The fact that their potential financial considerations in initially waiving stacked coverage may now differ does not convert the removal into a purchase under the plain meaning of that term. In conclusion, the court kept to the logic of Barnard in construing purchase in its plain meaning does not justify an expansive interpretation equating the term with any change. In summary, the removal of a vehicle from coverage under a multi-vehicle policy under conditions that do not alter the pre-existing coverage or costs relative to the remaining vehicles is not a purchase requiring a renewed express waiver. Topics Pennsylvania New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! A New York surgeon and two lawyers are the latest professionals to be sentenced for their roles in a massive massive trip-and-fall fraud scheme between 2013 and 2018 that exploited some of the most vulnerable citizens of the New York City area. Personal injury attorneys George Constantine and Marc Elefant and orthopedic surgeon Andrew Dowd were sentenced this week by U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein. According to Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Constantine and Dowd, who were convicted at trial in December 2022 of mail fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, were each sentenced to 102 months in prison. Elefant, who pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, was sentenced to 24 months in prison. Williams said Constantine, Dowd, and Elefant abused their professional licenses and degrees and exploited some of the most vulnerable members of society many of whom were poor, drug addicts, or homeless in order to enrich themselves through this egregious trip-and-fall fraud scheme. $31 Million Trip-and-Fall Scheme Three Members of $31.7M New York City Trip-And-Fall Scheme Sentenced to Prison New York Jury Convicts Lawyer, Doctor in $31M Trip-and-Fall Insurance Fraud Lawyer Is Latest to Plead Guilty in $31M Trip-and-Fall Insurance Fraud Scheme Fifth Member of $31M New York City Trip-And-Fall Scheme Arrested, Charged According to the Indictment, the evidence presented in court during trial, and other statements made during court proceedings, between 2013 and 2018, these three men, among others, engaged in an extensive fraud scheme through which they defrauded businesses and insurance companies by staging trip-and-fall accidents, providing medical treatments, and filing fraudulent lawsuits. The fraud scheme participants recruited individuals to stage or falsely claim to have suffered trip-and-fall accidents at particular locations throughout the New York City area. In the course of the scheme, they recruited more than 400 patients, may of whom who were poor, drug addicted or homeless. After the staged trip-and-fall accidents, patients were referred to specific attorneys, including Constantine and Elefant, who would file personal injury lawsuits against the owners of the accident sites and their insurance companies. The defendants, together with others, attempted to defraud the victims of more than $31,000,000. Constantine personally filed nearly 200 fraudulent lawsuits and earned more than $5 million in settlement fees from these fraudulent cases. Elefant likewise filed nearly 200 fraudulent lawsuits and earned millions of dollars in settlement fees. The patients were also instructed to receive ongoing chiropractic and medical treatment ad were required to undergo surgery from certain chiropractors and doctors, including Dowd. Dowd performed nearly 300 medically unnecessary surgeries and earned more than $3.2 million dollars. He received approximately $10,000 per surgery. Others have also been sentenced in the scheme. (See sidebar.) They include, Sady Ribeiro, a New York-licensed pain management doctor, who was sentenced in March to 36 months in prison. Ribeiro pled guilty last October. Adrian Alexander, the owner of a litigation funding company, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. In April, he was sentenced to 36 months. The defendants also face three years of supervision after release from prison. Topics Fraud New York New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! The Newport News public school board says the $40 million lawsuit filed against it by the teacher who was shot by a six-year old is barred by the states workers compensation law that is the exclusive remedy for workplace injuries. The Virginia board argues in its reply to first grade teacher Abigail Zwerners lawsuit that workers compensation is Zwerners remedy because workplace conditions were a direct and proximate cause of the physical attack on her on January 6, 2023, and because she was acting in furtherance of her employment when the student, who is referred to as John Doe in court documents, shot and injured her. Violence against teachers is not uncommon and has become part of the workplace, the board contends. It cites reports of incidents of violence in classrooms in Newport News and across the country. While in an ideal world, young children would not pose any danger to others, including their teachers, this is sadly not reality, the filing states. Plaintiff was clearly injured while at work, at her place of employment, by a student in the classroom where she was a teacher, and during the school day. Teaching and supervising students in her first grade class was a core function of Plaintiffs employment. Thus, Plaintiffs injuries arose out of and in the course of her employment and fall under Virginias Workers Compensation Act unless an exclusion applies, the school board asserts. Beyond the Headlines: Workplace Violence and Workers Compensation Claims Workplace Shootings Are on The Rise; Heres How the Insurance Industry Can Respond Report on Mass Shootings Urges Workplace Violence Prevention Plans Rite Aid Not Liable in Warehouse Shooting That Killed 3 Workers Gun Violence Costs the U.S. $557 Billion a Year The Newport News school administration contends that in her attempt to circumvent workers compensation, Zwerner has focused on the use of a handgun as opposed to some other weapon with less perceived notoriety and shock value. The filing maintains that if the allegations substituted sharp scissors for gun and John Doe stabbed her in the neck, there would be no doubt that the injury would fall under workers compensation. The handgun is the classic red herring, the filing states. And this, too, falls under Virginias Workers Compensation Act. According to the filing, Zwerner has declined workers compensation benefits available to her under the statute. Teachers Complaint Earlier this month Zwerner sued the board, former Superintendent Dr. George Parker, III, and others in tort for damages, 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. According to her complaint, Zwerner suffered permanent bodily injuries, physical pain, mental anguish, lost earnings and other damages. She is seeking $40 million in compensatory damages. Zwerners complaint claims that all of the defendants knew the child 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. Zwerner alleges that the school administrators knew that John Doe attacked students and teachers alike. Extent of Violence In its move to have the lawsuit dismissed, the school board contends that the problem of rising violence against teachers extends to elementary schools, citing as one example a 2022 Florida incident in which a female teacher was attacked by a five-year-old student. Also, according to the U.S. Department of Justices National Institute of Justice report from February 2022, over half of teachers have experienced student-perpetrated violence. The handgun is the classic red herring, the school board contends. The board also cites a report that approximately 327,000 public school teachers were threatened with injury by a student in 2015-2016, including 10.8% of elementary public school teachers, while 192,500 public school teachers were physically attacked by a student. According to the filing, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports that Newport News Public Schools have also experienced threats and attacks by students resulting in injuries, restricted duty, and days away from work. It refers to examples of Newport News elementary school student assaults on teachers include hitting, kicking, biting, tripping, punching to the face and/or stomach, throwing items and furniture, including desks, books, water bottles, and even sharpened pencils, in addition to pushing, shoving, and the like. Right to Education Zwerners lawsuit alleges the school administrators were negligent in allowing the six-year old child with a history of behavioral problems back in the school without supervision. However, the board defends the presence of the six-year old child in the school. It cites a mixture of federal and state laws granting all children, including children with disabilities, the right to a public education, and laws to keep students with problems in the classroom with their peers. Children who exhibit behavioral challenges in school are still entitled to a free appropriate public education under state and federal law. Diagnosing and creating an appropriate educational plan for the student takes time and requires certain specific steps and documentation. Under the circumstances presented here, Plaintiff implies that John Doe should never have been allowed to re-enroll in Richneck Elementary School based on his behavior the previous year in kindergarten. Every child, including John Doe, is entitled to due process in education, the school board asserts. The board said that as a result of behavioral issues, John Doe had a personalized schedule for the start of the 2022-2023 school year. Then because of his improved behavior and progress, those responsible for his education, including Zwerner, agreed that following winter break John Does day would be extended and the previous parental presence requirement would not always be necessary. Students Improvement Plaintiff was in full agreement with this assessment. She had already raised that John Does improvement in the class setting warranted an extended school day and other modifications, the school board maintains. It says Zwerner was well-aware of John Does history and behavioral challenges through her role as a teacher and a member of his services team. On January 4, 2023, the first day back from winter break, John Doe grabbed the Zwerners phone and broke it when he was not given something he wanted. The school notified John Does mother and suspended him for January 5, 2023. On January 6, 2023, John Doe returned to school following the pre-agreed protocol put in place by the educators, including Zwerner. Apparently, however, he had secretly taken his mothers handgun to school and the same afternoon he shot and wounded Zwerner. 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. On April 12, however, a grand jury indicted the 25-year old mother of the boy on charges of child neglect and failing to secure her handgun in the familys home. Topics Lawsuits Workers' Compensation K-12 Virginia After three years of trial and error, hybrid-work environments are finally becoming more inclusive. The number of women who reported feeling excluded from meetings and decisions is down more than 36% from last year, according to Deloittes third annual Women at Work survey, which polled 5,000 women from 10 different countries. In the report, 37% of women who work on a hybrid schedule said that they have been left out, including from informal interactions with other coworkers, down from 58%. There was a similar decrease for hybrid workers who said they dont have enough access to their companies senior leaders, with 30% of women expressing such concerns versus 45% last year. Emma Codd, global inclusion leader at Deloitte, said those numbers reflect the growing pains of hybrid work. Last year, for many leaders and many teams, was a case of finding their way, she said. This year we are seeing some bits of that improving, but were seeing some really important components of it not. Organizations need to be more deliberate about this, as do leaders. In all, 52% of the women surveyed said their employers have shifted so theyre back to working in the office full-time, while 35% of women said theyre allowed to work on a hybrid schedule. An additional 8% of women said theyre offered full flexibility in deciding where they want to work. More companies are calling their employees back to the office this year, with both Amazon.com Inc. and Starbucks Corp. mandating that workers show face at least three days a week. At Walt Disney Co., its a minimum of four days a week. With a return to office, new problems are arising. Of the approximately 2,200 women who said theyre allowed to have a hybrid-work schedule, 33% said theres still an unsaid expectation that they be in the office no matter what their bosses say about flexibility compared to 12% who said so last year. A lack of flexibility and predictability was also on the rise, the women said. Providing flexibility when it comes to work arrangements can be key for both attracting and retaining female workers: Two-thirds of women with flexible work schedules said they plan to stay at their current employer for at last the next three years, compared to the one in five who dont. And one in 10 women who have flexible schedules said that if their employer made them come back, theyd start looking for a new job. Hybrid work could be such a good thing, said Codd. She understands companies are still figuring it out, but urges them not to abandon the practice altogether. Refine by all means, but dont do a U-turn. Photograph: A woman works at a desktop computer alongside an Apple Inc. laptop in a home office in this arranged photograph taken in Bern, Switzerland, on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2020. Photo credit: Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg Copyright 2023 Bloomberg. The politicization of the acronym ESG risks overshadowing its power to drive returns for shareholders, according to the head of investment stewardship at the UKs biggest asset manager, Legal & General Investment Management. Taking environmental, social and corporate governance issues into account makes financial sense, said Michael Marks who is also head of responsible investment integration at the $1.5 trillion asset manager. LGIM is really conscious of the environment in the US around ESG, Marks said in an interview in connection with the release of LGIMs 2022 investment stewardship report. The London-based firm hasnt shied away from using the label because thats what the market understands, he said. I prefer to say these are themes we focus on people, health, climate, et cetera because these are financially material matters. ESG, once shorthand for the booming sustainable investing world, has become an unlikely bogeyman of the American Right. Prominent Republicans from Ron DeSantis to Mike Pence have said ESG is a threat to American capitalism by imposing a liberal and undemocratic agenda on corporations. Such vociferous opposition to the strategy has led banks and asset managers to downplay their sustainability strategies and even stop speaking in public about what was once a favorite topic for finance executives. But LGIM has said it will support shareholder resolutions that request Americas biggest banks to phase out financial support for fossil fuels, and it has also co-filed a resolution that would require Exxon Mobil Corp. to disclose the economic impact of an early retirement of its fossil-fuel assets. The extent to which ESG investment strategies deliver better returns than their conventional equivalents remains a topic of debate. Last year, European and US ESG equity funds tracked by Bloomberg performed marginally better, on average, than the MSCI World Index, which fell 18%. So far this year, ESG funds have underperformed on average, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Over time, however, ESG funds tend to outperform more consistently, Morningstar data suggest. US large-cap funds with a sustainable focus returned an annualized 11% over the past five years, compared with 9% for conventional funds, according to figures provided by Morningstar Direct. Globally, sustainable funds delivered just under 7% in the period, while regular funds achieved 5.4%, the market researcher said LGIM said in a report published Tuesday that it cast more than 171,000 votes at corporate annual meetings last year, and engaged with 902 companies on everything from carbon emissions to executive compensation and labor standards. The asset manager also expanded the scope of its climate impact pledge, a specific campaign targeting reductions in corporate emissions, by more than fivefold to over 5,000 companies. Engagement, otherwise known as stewardship, is the go-to strategy for fund managers claiming to target ESG goals since the alternative divestment just hands the underlying ESG issue over to the next investor, rather than trying to fix it. Still, engagement has been slammed by critics as a smokescreen for inaction. While LGIM is often hesitant to draw direct causality between its engagements and a specific corporate outcome, companies take note when LGIM comes asking questions because of our scale, Marks said. And investor coordination can amplify the impact when a large group of shareholders presses for change, he said. When it comes to engagement, the target companies can be like a boat floundering on rough seas, while fund managers such as LGIM want to be the tug that brings them safely to shore, Marks said. Photograph: Electricity towers, power lines and a wind turbine near Barnstorf, Lower Saxony, Germany, on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022. Photo credit: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg Copyright 2023 Bloomberg. Allegations made against British bank Barclays former CEO Jes Staley regarding his ties with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein are very serious, the lenders current CEO C.S. Venkatakrishnan said on Thursday. In a call with reporters after the lenders first quarter results were published, Venkat said he was not in a position to comment further on the allegations contained in U.S. court filings. Venkat said the allegations were being adjudicated in New York, which he said was the right and proper place. No Separate Trial for Former JPMorgan Executive in Epstein Case Staley is being sued by his former employer JPMorgan for eight years of pay and to cover two lawsuits stemming from the banks work with Epstein, who was a client of the private bank that Staley used to run. One lawsuit was filed by women who accused the financier of sexual abuse. The other was filed by the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Epstein owned a private island. Both seek money damages and neither lawsuit names Staley as a defendant. In U.S. filings this week, Staley accused JPMorgan of using him as a public relations shield and said the allegations lacked legal or factual basis. A former investor in the bank last week said the lender should have made more checks over the matter. Shareholder advisory group ISS stopped short of recommending investors oust board members but said they should await the outcome of various investigations in the affair. Venkat declined to comment on the vetting made by the board when asked by reporters on Thursday. (Reporting by Lawrence White, writing by Iain Withers, editing by Sinead Cruise and Hugh Lawson) GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) Federal authorities in Michigan filed charges Wednesday against nine people in a scheme to defeat air-pollution rules by tampering with software and hardware in heavy-duty diesel engines. The nine agreed to plead guilty, along with three companies, according to documents filed simultaneously in federal court in western Michigan. Diesel Freak LLC, based in Gaylord, has agreed to pay a $750,000 fine. Accurate Truck Service, based in Grand Rapids, and a related company, Griffin Transportation, have each agreed to pay $500,000, court filings show. Diesel Freak conducted remote engine reprogramming and counted Accurate Truck and Griffin Transportation as customers, authorities said. Diesel engine modifications can improve the horsepower, torque, fuel efficiency or other characteristics of diesel engines, the government said in the charging document. These unlawful modifications result in a dramatic increase in multiple pollutants being emitted by each vehicle. Diesel Freak rigged at least 362 vehicles, the government said. U.S. Attorney Mark Totten and the Environmental Protection Agency planned to hold an afternoon news conference to discuss the case. Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Michigan LEMONT, Ill. (AP) An explosion and fire at a suburban Chicago petroleum refinery killed one person and injured a second Tuesday morning, authorities said. The Will County Sheriffs Office said one person was confirmed dead and a second was transported to a hospital in Joliet with injuries following the explosion at Seneca Petroleum in Lemont, Illinois. Dan Tasso, chief of the Lemont Fire Protection District, said that aside from the fatality, one person suffered a minor injury. He said his department received a call for assistance about 9:40 a.m. Tuesday and the fire at the plant was under control within about 40 minutes. The sheriffs office said the explosion brought down some power lines at the plant in Chicagos southwestern suburbs. Initial reports indicate that the explosion may be from an asphalt tank. Fire personnel do not believe that any type of hazmat situation has occurred and there is no danger to the public, the sheriffs office said in a news release. A number listed for Seneca Petroleum rang unanswered Tuesday afternoon. Television footage of the scene showed damage to several circular tanks at the complex, with large pieces of debris on the ground and yellow railing hanging from more than one tank. Apparent power lines were also visible on top of a damaged pickup truck at the site, which is adjacent to railroad tracks and a roadway. The Illinois Occupational Safety and Health Administration was called to the scene, as well as ComEd, the local utility, the sheriffs office said. Tasso said the Will County Coroners Office and the Illinois State Fire Marshal were also investigating the incident. Lemont is a village located in Cook, DuPage, and Will counties southwest of Chicago. Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Energy Oil Gas New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! Despite cybersecurity experts repeated warnings, the insurance sector, along with other industries, is not doing a great job when it comes to creating secure passwords, says new research by password manager NordPass. Though employees are repeatedly warned to take better care of corporate accounts, passwords such as password and 123456 still score high on the insurance industrys list. Below are the 10 most used passwords in the insurance sector: password 123456 companys email domain.com* aaron431 company names abbreviation123* company name745* part of the companys name* companys email domain.com* mail2007 company name* *This password is directly referencing a company. NordPass is not naming the exact business. It notes the format in which this password was used, for example, the abbreviation of the companys name, part of the name, or the name combined with other words or symbols. Although the password management company reviews changes in Internet users password habits year-round, this year, the company specifically investigated passwords that employees of the worlds biggest companies from 31 countries use to secure business accounts. The researchers compiled 20 industry-specific password lists. On one hand, it is a paradox that the wealthiest companies on the planet with financial resources to invest in cybersecurity fall into the poor password trap. On the other hand, it is only natural because Internet users have deep-rooted, unhealthy password habits. This research once again proves that we should all speed up in transitioning to alternative online authentication solutions, said Jonas Karklys, CEO of NordPass. Ashley and Other Questionable Passwords The passwords password and 123456, which shared the top two spots in last years list of the worlds most common passwords, are also popular among the largest companies employees, the study found. Across all 20 analyzed industries, both of these passwords were found to be among the seven most commonly used passwords. The word password was the No. 1 most trending pick among the insurance sectors employees, and 123456 ranked second. Insurance company personnel were also found to use names for their passwords, with aaron431 and ashley among the most popular picks. Other industries were also creative, the report found. The password dummies ranks sixth among consumer goods sector employees, sexy4sho is 16th among real estate employees, and snowman is 11th in the energy field. Common Inspiration for Passwords Just like with regular Internet users, dictionary words, names of people and countries, and simple combinations of numbers, letters and symbols make up most passwords presented in the research. However, the remaining 32 percent indicate another interesting trend. The worlds wealthiest companies employees love passwords that directly reference or hint at the name of a specific company. The full company name, the companys email domain, part of the companys name, an abbreviation of the company name, and the company product or subsidiary name are common sources of inspiration. These types of passwords are both poor and dangerous to use. When breaking into company accounts, hackers try all the password combinations referencing a company because they are aware of how common they are. Employees often avoid creating complicated passwords, especially for shared accounts. Therefore, they end up choosing something as basic as the companys name, Karklys said. Wide Representation of Countries and Industries The analysis of the worlds wealthiest companies passwords was conducted in partnership with independent third-party researchers specializing in research on cybersecurity incidents. They looked into the worlds 500 largest companies by their market capitalization, which represented 31 countries and 20 industries. The United States (46.2 percent), China (9.6 percent), Japan (5.8 percent), India (4.2 percent), the United Kingdom (4 percent), France (3.8 percent) and Canada (3.6 percent) are the countries most represented in this research. Also, most of the companies analyzed fell under the finance, technology and IT, and health care sectors. The study complements a series of password-related research projects the password manager has delivered throughout the years. In 2021, the company looked into the passwords that Fortune 500 companies use, and in 2022, investigated the password habits of top-level business executives. It also presents the Top 200 most common passwords study annually, which broadly covers the password trends of internet users. While password trends slightly vary each year across different audiences, the general take is that people continuously fail with their password management, and the world desperately needs to switch to new online authentication solutions such as passkeys, said Karklys. Various progressive businesses such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, PayPal, KAYAK and eBay already have adopted passkey technology and are offering their users password-less login. Tips for Securing Business Accounts According to an IBM report, in 2022, stolen or compromised credentials remained the most common cause of a data breach in companies, accounting for 19 percent. Karklys said that by implementing a few cybersecurity measures, businesses could avoid many cybersecurity incidents. Ensure company passwords are strong. They should consist of random combinations of at least 20 upper- and lower-case letters, numbers and special characters. Enable multi-factor authentication or single sign-on. While the MFA set up on another device, connected with email or SMS codes guarantees an additional layer of security, single sign-on functionality helps reduce the number of passwords people have to manage. Critically evaluate whom to grant account credentials. Access privileges should be removed from people leaving the company and passed on only to those who are in need of certain access. Deploy a password manager. With a business solution, companies can safely store all their passwords in one place, share them within the organization, ensure their strength, and effectively manage access privileges. Methodology The poor passwords list was compiled in partnership with a third-party company specializing in cybersecurity incident research. Researchers analyzed data that affected the worlds 500 largest companies by their market capitalization. The analyzed data was categorized into 20 different industries. The researchers looked into the top 20 passwords used in each industry. Topics Cyber Market A Houston-area contractors repeated failure to follow federal workplace safety procedures during excavation operations contributed to a workers death near Manvel in October 2022, a federal workplace safety investigation has found. The U.S. Department of Labors Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined that R Construction Civil LLC allowed two employees to work in an excavation without sloping or using a protective system to prevent the 25-foot trenchs collapse. The fatal injury occurred when one of the workers was pinned against a mechanical compactor and the trench wall caved in. R Construction Civil LLC failed to meet its legal responsibility and it cost a worker their life, explained OSHA Area Director Mark Briggs in Houston. The company could have prevented this tragedy by following well-known safety measures meant to protect workers from this very hazard. OSHA issued two repeat citations for not having means to exit the excavation, failing to keep spoil piles at least 2 feet away from the excavations edge, and for using an inadequate protective system inside the excavation to protect workers from cave-ins. The agency also issued one serious citation for not inspecting the excavation daily, as required. The company faces $257,822 in proposed penalties for its violations. Headquartered in Buffalo, Texas, R Construction Civil LLC is a construction contractor providing heavy civil construction from water, sewage, drainage and site work. The company also has locations in Houston and Floresville. The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHAs area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Topics Texas Contractors BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) A bill to decriminalize marijuana in Louisiana was short- lived, swiftly dying in committee Tuesday before ever reaching the House floor for debate this legislative session. Democratic state Rep. Candace Newell briefly argued that her bill to decriminalize the possession and distribution of marijuana would provide opportunity for economic gains in the Deep South state. The legislation would have been contingent upon the Legislature providing for a statutory regulatory system for the legal sale and distribution of marijuana and establishing a sales tax. We should not still be criminalizing people when in other states their economy is flourishing, Newell said. To date, 22 states have passed laws legalizing recreational use of marijuana by adults. However, the House Criminal Justice Committee voted 9-4 along party lines to involuntarily defer the bill effectively killing the legislation. None of the nine GOP lawmakers provided an explanation during the meeting on why they voted against the bill. Newell called the action by the committee disrespectful, saying that typically a lawmaker is given the courtesy of voluntarily deferring their own bill. I was not naive enough to think that the bill would make it out of (committee) but I was expecting a little bit more of an educated conversation to happen, Newell told The Associated Press. When asked if marijuana is likely to be legalized for recreational use in Louisiana anytime soon, Newell responded, Hopefully in my lifetime. Efforts to legalize marijuana in Louisiana have faced an uphill battle in the Republican-controlled Legislature. In 2021 lawmakers rejected similar bills by Newell and Republican state Rep. Richard Nelson, whos running for governor in 2023. Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Legislation Fraud Louisiana Cannabis New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! It was 45 years ago today that a huge scaffold system collapsed inside a cooling tower under construction at a West Virginia power plant, sending 51 workers tumbling to their deaths 170 feet below. Eleven members of one family were among the victims in the collapse, according to news reports at the time. None of the workers on the scaffold survived. Its been known as the worst and deadliest construction accident in U.S. history. Multiple lawsuits, workers compensation claims and liability settlements followed. The incident also led to fines against the contractors involved and resulted in significant changes in the way cooling towers are built and how projects are inspected by federal regulators. There were redundant features here that, if they had corrected them, this wouldnt have happened, Stan Elliott, who was the area director for the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, told the Charleston, West Virginia, newspaper in 2008. If they had put the bolts in, it probably wouldnt have happened. If they had let the concrete cure, it probably wouldnt have happened. But when you put all of these things together all on the same day at the same time, this is what happened, he added. The coal-fired Pleasants Power Station, owned by Allegheny Power System, was under construction in 1978 at Willow Island, on the banks of the Ohio River, just 10 miles outside of Parkersburg, West Virginia. The first cooling tower had been completed the year before. On the chilly morning of April 27, concrete workers, form carpenters and steel workers were on the scaffold system at the second tower, an elaborate, complex system that moved up as the tower rose in height. Sections of the scaffold had been bolted into concrete on the sloping wall of the cooling tower concrete that had been poured just 20 hours earlier in near-freezing temperatures, according to a report filed a year later by accident investigators. About 10 a.m., supports began to pull loose from the wall, quickly followed by more and more until the entire ribbon of concrete unspooled from the wall, witnesses and investigators said. The first thing I heard was concrete falling, John Peppier, a worker on the ground, told the New York Times in 1978. I looked over my left shoulder and I could see it falling. I could see people falling through the air and everything falling. They just started dropping down like dominoes, he said. Other workers began digging through the steel and concrete debris. Fire departments from all around the region responded. The National Bureau of Standards investigated the accident at the behest of OSHA. It found several problems that contributed to the collapse, including the fact that the wall concrete did not have the strength it needed for peak loads and had not had time to cure properly. The previous days pour of concrete was known as lift 28. It was concluded that the most probable cause of the collapse was due to the imposition of construction loads on the shell before the concrete of lift 28 had gained adequate strength to support these loads, reads the 204-page report, available from the National Institute of Standards and Technology. OSHA cited the contractors, including tower design-build firm Research-Cottrell Inc., for 10 safety violations and fined them $108,300. That was later reduced to $85,000. Research-Cottrell had pointed out that it had built 36 other cooling towers using the same system, without problems. The general contractor, United Engineers and Constructors, hired its own consultant to study the causes. Lev Zetlin Associates found that workers did not fully understand the scaffold system, had been using it inappropriately, and were poorly supervised, according to the Charleston Gazette. The consultants also found that some anchor bolts had been removed too early. A later report by OSHA also found issues with a cable, noting it was placed too close to the center of the tower, creating a greater load on the scaffold connectors, and that the scaffold and a crane had not been properly anchored to lower levels of the tower, The Constructor news site and the Times reported. OSHA, criticized for having just seven safety inspectors in West Virginia at the time, adopted new regulations after the accident. Concrete must now be tested before formwork is removed or components are connected to it. A specialist must also review cooling tower plans and a detailed construction and safety plan must be developed ahead of time. Responsibility for formwork safety shifted from engineers to on-site contractors. Reviews also found that formwork should not be tied together. A later accident at a cooling tower in Washington State killed two workers when a steel form pulled loose. It would have been much worse if the forms, like those at Willow Island, had been connected together, The Constructor reported. Reports also noted that the workers at the West Virginia site were paid to work no more than eight hours a day, a potential incentive to rush the work. Ralph Naders Public Citizen Health Research Group also said it found documents suggesting that OSHA had warned, before the accident, of disastrous consequences if the scaffolding was not used correctly. The memo was not followed up on, The Times reported. The full extent of the insured losses and lawsuit damages from the Willow Island disaster are not clear. The West Virginia Department of Insurance had not provided information by late Wednesday. And workers compensation attorneys in Parkersburg and Charleston who may have handled some of the cases could not be reached. A memorial to the lost workers stands nearby, at St. Mary, West Virginia. But the coal-burning power plant itself may not last much longer. It is set to close May 31, although the states utility commission is considering a plan to keep the plant open for another year. The plan would cost ratepayers about $36 million and would allow another utility company to study the feasibility of buying the facility, local news outlets have reported. Top photo: The tangled mass that was the construction scaffold at the cooling tower on April 28, 1978. (AP Photo/Richard Greenawalt) Topics USA Construction The Federal Emergency Management Agency Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Claims Office, charged with administering nearly $4 billion in emergency financial aid for survivors of last years record-breaking wildfire in New Mexico, is expected to open its three regional offices to the public this week. The wildfire was the most destructive in state history, burning 533 square miles between early April and mid-June in San Miguel, Mora and Taos counties. It destroyed more than 900 structures, including several hundred homes, according to authorities. Ben Akers, external affairs officer for the FEMA claims office in New Mexico, told the Santa Fe New Mexican that the agency has hired 43 people to staff the offices in Mora, Santa Fe and Las Vegas, N.M. He said all FEMA employees serving as navigators those who will take claimants through the claims process are New Mexico residents, and many of them are from communities affected by the wildfire. FEMA wants to offer that personal connection to help claimants as they deal with the loss and grief that followed the fire, Akers said. As of last Friday, the FEMA claims office had received 548 notices of loss associated with the fire. So far, FEMA workers have reached out to 518 of those claimants to start the process of reviewing and processing claims. FEMA is sympathetic to those who incurred losses or damages in the fire and wants to begin making partial payments as soon as next month, Akers said. Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire The family of a handcuffed inmate who was shot and killed in 2014 by a prison guard trainee reached a $1.6 million settlement with Nevada prison officials, capping a nearly decadelong legal battle that raised questions about the use of shotguns in state prisons. Less than two years after Carlos Manuel Perezs death in November 2014 at High Desert State Prison, Nevadas Department of Corrections announced it had removed shotguns from all of its facilities. U.S. District Judge Daniel Albregts accepted the terms of the settlement as a fair resolution after several hours of negotiations Monday, although the deal is pending final approval from the states Board of Examiners. The settlement could go before the board as soon as June or July. Theres nothing that could bring him back or make up for that loss, but I think todays settlement takes strides toward that, Albregts said while addressing the slain inmates brother. The deal marks one of the most expensive wrongful death settlements in recent history for the state prison system. Department spokesman Bill Quenga declined to comment. Kiel Ireland, the attorney representing the agency, did not respond to an email request for comment. Attorneys for the Perez family have characterized the inmates death as an execution. According to their civil rights and wrongful death lawsuit filed in 2015, prison guards had created a gladiator-like scenario by allowing two handcuffed inmates to fight in a shower hallway where prisoners are supposed to be kept apart. The fight ended when the prison guard trainee, Raynaldo-John Ruiz Ramos, fired one warning shot and three live shotgun blasts down the hallway, killing Perez, the lawsuit said. The second prisoner was wounded but survived. At the time of his death, Perez, 28, was serving time for a 2012 battery in Las Vegas. Carlos was unarmed and handcuffed and died tragically and unnecessarily, lawyer Paola Armeni said in a statement Monday. There is no amount of money that will ever bring back Carlos Perez. However, this settlement recognizes that Carloss life had value. State prison officials reported Perezs death the next day but didnt mention the fight or that he was shot by a guard at the prison outside Las Vegas. Those details emerged months later, when the Clark County coroner ruled Perezs death a homicide from gunshot wounds to the head, neck and chest. Two other guards resigned after prison officials found they had made false statements and neglected their duties in the shooting. Ramos was fired in April 2015 and charged with felony manslaughter and other charges that could have sent him to prison for years. His lawyer, Robert Freeman, didnt respond to an email seeking comment on the settlement. The settlement comes years after Ramos accepted a deal with state prosecutors that allowed him to avoid a felony conviction on his record by undergoing mental health counseling and completing 240 hours of community service. At the time of the plea deal, Armeni said she believed the arrangement failed to hold anyone accountable for Perezs death. Ramos pleaded no contest to an attempted act of willful or wanton disregard of public safety, a gross misdemeanor. Its a slap on the hand, she said. Hes not a felon. No probation. No fine. Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Source: Streetwise Reports April 27, 2023 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Algernon Pharmaceuticals Inc. has received a U.S. patent for a ground-breaking new Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) drug under investigation, and is developing another for refractory chronic cough (RCC). Click here to read how the company is repurposing these two treatments with drugs that have a known safety history. Algernon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CSE:AGN; OTCQB:AGNPF; XFRA:AGW0) has announced that it has received a notice from the U.S. Patent Office regarding one of its lead development research programs and released news about the development of another drug. Algernon is a publicly traded drug development company that works in the areas of RRC, stroke, traumatic brain injuries, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), and CKD and NASH. The CEO is Christopher J. Moreau, and the CFO is James Kindly. Repirinast Patent and Ifenprodil Development Algernon Pharmaceuticals recently announced that it had received an allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for the patent application it filed for a chronic kidney disease drug, Repirinast, and its use to treat NASH, a common co-morbidity of CKD. The company also filed patents in Canada, Europe, China, and Japan. According to Christopher J. Moreau, the CEO of Algernon Pharmaceuticals, "This is the first allowance notice received from the USPTO by Algernon for one of the drugs being investigated under our innovated drug repurposing program and is further validation of our intellectual property strategy." Algernon's strategy for the patent application includes the method of use, dosing, and formulations for new composition of matter patents based on novel salt forms. Repirinast claims a method of use to treat NASH. According to the data from Algernon, Repirinast reduced hepatic fibrosis by 57%, and reduced the NAFLD score by 31%. In comparison, telmisartan, the current standard of care for NASH, only reduced fibrosis by 27%. Based on the data, Repirinast is the company's leading treatment for CKD. Patients with CKD are at an increased risk of NASH even when controlling for other co-morbidities. Algernon has also announced that it is planning a Phase 2b RCC study for a drug known as Ifenprodil. A geometric mean analysis of the data from the completed Phase 2a RCC study showed that if the drug is administered three times daily for a period of three months, it can reduce cough counts by about 40% from the established baseline. Dr. Jacky Smith, Algernon's chief scientific and medical advisor and an expert on coughs, conducted the statistical review. According to Dr. Smith, "The additional analysis confirms my initial positive impression of the study. The NMDA receptor has always been an interesting target for cough, but other agents have been poorly tolerated. To see effects of this magnitude in an IPF population, where other drugs have failed to demonstrate a benefit, is notable." Ifenprodil is also notable because it affects central signaling and works by targeting the brain instead of the lungs, but it has zero reported cases of taste disturbance, which was a reported side effect of the Merck drug. Pharmaceuticals Focusing on Research and Development According to Evaluate Vantage, spending on pharmaceutical research has largely held steady after the uptick in funding related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The biggest spenders in 2022 were Roche, overtaking Pfizer, who was first in 2021. Bristol and Johnson and Johnson cut their spending in 2022 by 5% and 4% each. Astrazeneca increased its spending by 19%, citing the acquisition of Alexion as the reason for the uptick in funding for research and development. Moderna and Regeneron have reinvested some of the profit they received last year into research. Johnson and Johnson provided a positive earnings report this week. The reported revenue exceeded previous estimates at US$13.4 billion in pharmaceutical sales, with a growth of 4.0% year over year. While this is good news for the company, and continued growth is expected, it is still not enough to meet the company's goal of US$60 billion by 2025, in part because pharmaceutical patents is an extremely competitive market. The Future at Algernon There are a number of catalysts working in Algernon's favor. The company achieved positive Phase 2a data related to research on Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis and chronic cough. According to technical analyst Clive Maund, Algernon is an obvious choice for investors: "It is thus worth taking into consideration that the company has brought a highly effective drug / treatment to the late stages of development . . . and it would seem from the price / volume action in Algernon over the past week that some investors are starting to join the dots and figure out what this means for Algernon . . . Algernon has developed a highly effective product, and its stock price is silly cheap and so a good investment." Algernon has also received coverage from Streetwise in the past related to its research into using DMT to treat brain injuries and is currently engaged in a Phase 1 study in the Netherlands. Algernon has established Algernon NeuroScience and filed a Form 1-A offering statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in relation to the DMT clinical trials in order to raise US$10 million. The company is expecting final data from its Phase 1 Study for DMT in Q3 2023 and is planning a Phase 2a stroke and a Phase 2a traumatic brain injury study to start in Q2 2024. The company is also planning to file a US FDA IND filing for a Phase 2b chronic cough study. Ownership and Share Structure In terms of institutions, the Canadian firm Alpha North Asset Management owns 13.15% with 1.27 million shares of the company. Palos Management Inc. owns 1.24% with 0.12 million shares. Algernon reports no strategic investors. As of March 1, 2023, Algernon has CA$0.5 million dollars. The company reports a monthly burn rate of CA$80k, which goes to clinical trials and research costs. Algernon has 9.65 million shares outstanding and 9.28 million free-float traded shares. There are 2,769,768 warrants and 931,000 options. The company has a market cap of CA$1.93 million. Algernon trades in the 52-week period between CA$0.24 and CA$1.46. On March 21, 2023, Algernon announced it was undertaking a rights offering to raise gross proceeds of approximately $2,416,747. The company has offered 9,666,988 rights to holders of its Class A common shares as of the close of business on the record date of March 29, 2023, on the basis of one right for each one share held. Each one right will entitle the holder to subscribe for one unit at the subscription price of 25 cents per unit. The rights are trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol AGN.RT and will trade until 9 am. Pacific Time on or about April 27, 2023. The rights will expire at 2 p.m. on April 27, 2023, after which time unexercised rights will be void and of no value. Disclosure: 1) Amanda Duvall wrote this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise Reports as an employee. She or members of her household own securities of the following companies mentioned in the article: none. She or members of her household are paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: none. His/her company has a financial relationship with the following companies referred to in this article: none. 2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: Algernon Pharmaceuticals Inc. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. As of the date of this article, an affiliate of Streetwise Reports has a consulting relationship with Algernon Pharmaceuticals Inc. Please click here for more information. An affiliate of Streetwise Reports is conducting a digital media marketing campaign for this article on behalf of none. Please click here for more information. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. 3) The article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports. 4) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the decision to publish an article until three business days after the publication of the article. The foregoing prohibition does not apply to articles that in substance only restate previously published company releases. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of Algernon Pharmaceuticals, a company mentioned in this article. 5) This article does not constitute medical advice. Officers, employees and contributors to Streetwise Reports are not licensed medical professionals. Readers should always contact their healthcare professionals for medical advice. More Info: This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions. More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp Learn more about publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/ and tickertagstocknews.com Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp Source: Stephane Foucaud April 27, 2023 (Investorideas.com Newswire) A recent research report predicts an increased share value of Panoro Energy ASA due to the company's pending acquisition of minority interest in its joint venture. Panoro Energy ASA (PEN:OSE; 1PZ:FRA) is expected to close on a deal to acquire an additional 40% minority interest, it does not currently own, of its Tunisia Production Sharing contract that governs the partnership between Panoro and its joint venture partners in Tunisia. This purchase will increase Panoro's interest in the venture to 49% while raising its stake in the Sfax Offshore Exploration Permit (SOEP) to 87.5%. This transaction will add 2.96M barrels of net 2P oil reserves and 800-900 barrels of oil to the company's daily net production, raising Ponoro's daily production level to over 10,000 barrels per day in 2023. Stephane Foucaud of Auctus Advisors stated in a research report released on April 18, 2023, that Auctus is raising its target price for the company due to the news. "We are increasing our target price from NOK48 per share to NOK50 per share as we incorporate the impact of the acquisition. The shares continue to offer a combination of value, growth, and dividend distribution," Foucaud wrote, noting the valuation in the Norwegian Kroner. Review of Results Foucaud presented the key points of Panoro's latest reports. Panoro will be paying an upfront cost of US$13.2M for the acquisition, including US$8.3M in company shares. These shares will be subject to lock-up periods, with half being locked up for six months after the issue date and the remaining half locked up for 12 months after the issue date. The company will also be paying an additional US$5M by the end of 2023. Panoro will be taking on some debt in this deal, around US$4M in loan debt, but is expected to easily clear this amount by the end of Q4 2023 due to the assets it will gain. Foucaud writes that "We now forecast that Panoro will generate ~US$250 mm free cash flow in aggregate over 2023-2024" if the Brent oil prices remain at US$85/bbl throughout the year. Even if the prices drop, he notes, the company can still expect to clear over US$210M. Potential Risks Acutus has not reported any potential risks with this merger and considers the stock to be a generally good investment. Structure and Predictions Foucaud's research report shares recent target price information as well as current market data on the company: Price Target: NOK$50 Market Cap: US$333 million Panoro has 115 million fully diluted shares outstanding. The company's cash reserves are CA$2.5 million. Thor Explorations has 641.9 million basic shares outstanding and 669.5 million fully diluted shares outstanding. The company's cash reserves are CA$2.5 million. By the end of Q1 2023, the company had reduced its debt outstanding to CA$27.9 million. Disclosures: 1) Cori Rupe wrote this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise Reports as an independent contractor. She or members of her household own securities of the following companies mentioned in the article: None. She or members of her household are paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None. 2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: None. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. As of the date of this article, an affiliate of Streetwise Reports has a consulting relationship with: None. Please click here for more information. 3) Comments and opinions expressed are those of the specific experts and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. 4) The article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports. 5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the decision to publish an article until three business days after the publication of the article. The foregoing prohibition does not apply to articles that in substance only restate previously published company releases. Disclosures for Auctus Advisors, Panoro Energy ASA, April 18, 2023 Panoro Energy ASA ("Panoro" or the "Company") is a corporate client of Auctus Advisors LLP ("Auctus"). Auctus receives, and has received in the past 12 months, compensation for providing corporate broking and/or investment banking services to the Company, including the publication and dissemination of marketing material from time to time. MiFID II Disclosures This document, being paid for by a corporate issuer, is believed by Auctus to be an 'acceptable minor non-monetary benefit' as set out in Article 12 (3) of the Commission Delegated Act C(2016) 2031 which is part of UK law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. It is produced solely in support of our corporate broking and corporate finance business. Auctus does not offer a secondary execution service in the UK. This note is a marketing communication and NOT independent research. As such, it has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and this note is NOT subject to the prohibition on dealing ahead of the dissemination of investment research. Author The research analyst who prepared this research report was Stephane Foucaud, a partner of Auctus. Not an offer to buy or sell Under no circumstances is this note to be construed to be an offer to buy or sell or deal in any security and/or derivative instruments. It is not an initiation or an inducement to engage in investment activity under section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. Note prepared in good faith and in reliance on publicly available information Comments made in this note have been arrived at in good faith and are based, at least in part, on current public information that Auctus considers reliable, but which it does not represent to be accurate or complete, and it should not be relied on as such. The information, opinions, forecasts and estimates contained in this document are current as of the date of this document and are subject to change without prior notification. No representation or warranty either actual or implied is made as to the accuracy, precision, completeness or correctness of the statements, opinions and judgements contained in this document. Auctus' and related interests The persons who produced this note may be partners, employees and/or associates of Auctus. Auctus and/or its employees and/or partners and associates may or may not hold shares, warrants, options, other derivative instruments or other financial interests in the Company and reserve the right to acquire, hold or dispose of such positions in the future and without prior notification to the Company or any other person. Information purposes only This document is intended to be for background information purposes only and should be treated as such. This note is furnished on the basis and understanding that Auctus is under no responsibility or liability whatsoever in respect thereof, whether to the Company or any other person. Investment Risk Warning The value of any potential investment made in relation to companies mentioned in this document may rise or fall and sums realised may be less than those originally invested. Any reference to past performance should not be construed as being a guide to future performance. Investment in small companies, and especially upstream oil & gas companies, carries a high degree of risk and investment in the companies or commodities mentioned in this document may be affected by related currency variations. Changes in the pricing of related currencies and or commodities mentioned in this document may have an adverse effect on the value, price or income of the investment. Distribution This document is directed at persons having professional experience in matters relating to investments to whom Article 19 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 ("FPO") applies, or high net worth organisations to whom Article 49 of the FPO applies. The investment or investment activity to which this communication relates is available only to such persons and other persons to whom this communication may lawfully be made ("relevant persons") and will be engaged in only with such persons. This Document must not be acted upon or relied upon by persons who are not relevant persons. Without limiting the foregoing, this note may not be distributed to any persons (or groups of persons), to whom such distribution would contravene the UK Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 or would constitute a contravention of the corresponding statute or statutory instrument in any other jurisdiction. Disclaimer This note has been forwarded to you solely for information purposes only and should not be considered as an offer or solicitation of an offer to sell, buy or subscribe to any securities or any derivative instrument or any other rights pertaining thereto ("financial instruments"). This note is intended for use by professional and business investors only. This note may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of Auctus. The information and opinions expressed in this note have been compiled from sources believed to be reliable but, neither Auctus, nor any of its partners, officers, or employees accept liability from any loss arising from the use hereof or makes any representations as to its accuracy and completeness. Any opinions, forecasts or estimates herein constitute a judgement as at the date of this note. There can be no assurance that future results or events will be consistent with any such opinions, forecasts or estimates. Past performance should not be taken as an indication or guarantee of future performance, and no representation or warranty, express or implied is made regarding future performance. This information is subject to change without notice, its accuracy is not guaranteed, it may be incomplete or condensed and it may not contain all material information concerning the company and its subsidiaries. Auctus is not agreeing to nor is it required to update the opinions, forecasts or estimates contained herein. The value of any securities or financial instruments mentioned in this note can fall as well as rise. Foreign currency denominated securities and financial instruments are subject to fluctuations in exchange rates that may have a positive or adverse effect on the value, price or income of such securities or financial instruments. Certain transactions, including those involving futures, options and other derivative instruments, can give rise to substantial risk and are not suitable for all investors. This note does not have regard to the specific instrument objectives, financial situation and the particular needs of any specific person who may receive this note. Auctus (or its partners, officers or employees) may, to the extent permitted by law, own or have a position in the securities or financial instruments (including derivative instruments or any other rights pertaining thereto) of the Company or any related or other company referred to herein, and may add to or dispose of any such position or may make a market or act as principle in any transaction in such securities or financial instruments. Partners of Auctus may also be directors of the Company or any other of the companies mentioned in this note. Auctus may, from time to time, provide or solicit investment banking or other financial services to, for or from the Company or any other company referred to herein. Auctus (or its partners, officers or employees) may, to the extent permitted by law, act upon or use the information or opinions presented herein, or research or analysis on which they are based prior to the material being published. More Info: This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions. More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp Learn more about publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/ and tickertagstocknews.com Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp Source: Gabriel Gonzalez April 27, 2023 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Through project acquisition, optimization and advancement, this producer is consolidating and increasing production in this prolific historical mining region, noted an Echelon Capital Markets report. Guanajuato Silver Co. (GSVR:TSX.V; GSVRF:OTCQX), on its way to becoming a leading producer in Mexico's eponymous mining district, caught the attention of Echelon Capital Markets, which launched research coverage on it, analyst Gabriel Gonzalez reported in an April 20 initiation note. "From just one mine and plant producing 2,100,000 ounces of silver equivalent (2.1 Moz Ag eq) at a US$20.89 per ounce ($20.89/oz) all in sustaining cost (AISC) in 2022, we look for production of close to 6 Moz Ag eq per year with sub-US$18/oz AISC by 2024 from four mines and three plants, with management also focused on additional growth opportunities through further district consolidations and mergers and acquisitions opportunities," Echelon's Gonzalez wrote. Echelon initiated on Guanajuato Silver with a Speculative Buy rating and a CA$0.85 per share target price. The target implies a potential 41.7% return, given the Canadian silver explorer is currently trading at about CA$0.60 per share. What the Company Does Guanajuato Silver acquires and breathes life back into mining projects, overbuilt or overlooked by past operators, in Mexico's Guanajuato silver district. Once a new project is part of its portfolio, the company optimizes the operation, rapidly improves productivity, and seeks to extend the mine life through exploration and new mineralization sources. Advancement of Acquired Projects Most recently, in mid-2022, Guanajuato Silver acquired shuttered Valenciana and San Ignacio mines, the Cata plant, as well as the Topia mine and Durango processing plant. Within six months, the company had restarted production at Valenciana and San Ignacio. It plans to expand production at Topia over 18 months to 12,000 tons per month from 7,500 tons and, for Valenciana and San Ignacio, implement underground hydraulic backfill storage. Recent drilling returned encouraging high-grade results: 1,219 grams per ton (1,219 g/t Ag eq) over 6.45 meters (6.45m) at San Ignacio and 1,375 g/t Ag eq over 3.2m at Topia. In late 2020, Guanajuato Silver acquired the El Cubo mine and processing plant. It restarted production there in late 2021, on time and budget, and began exploration work, which has been successful. The company is getting permits to add a dry stack tailings processing and storage facility. Production at El Cubo has grown from 0.2 Moz Ag eq in 2021 to 2.1 Moz Ag eq in 2022, and the company guided to 4.64.8 Moz Ag eq for this year. "Based only on currently defined, pre-acquisition Measured and Indicated and Inferred resources, we estimate that the company has approximately five years' worth of production visibility at El Cubo, seven years at Valenciana, six years at San Ignacio and approximately six years at Topia," Gonzalez wrote. Finances, Share Ownership As for capital, Guanajuato Silver recently raised CA$8.5 million (CA$8.5M) and refinanced CA$5M. Thus, it is well-funded to deliver the production ramp-up at Valenciana and San Ignacio. If successful, it should provide enough cash flow for the miner to start reducing its debt. In terms of owners, insiders (management, directors, and advisers) own 3.9% of Guanajuato Silver. Other notable owners are Endeavour Silver, with an 8.8% stake, Great Panther Mining having 8.1%, and Eric Sprott holding 2.1%. The top institutional investor, Myrmikan Capital, at 7.5%, is an insider, too, given its CEO, Daniel Oliver, is a Guanajuato Silver director. Experienced Leadership The mining company's Vancouver-based executive suite and its management team in Mexico have a solid track record of execution and experience, including, for some, involvement in developing First Majestic Silver. James Anderson is Guanajuato Silver's chairman and chief executive officer. Through 19 years of working with several Canadian investment firms, he gained significant experience as a retail broker, investment banker, and manager. President and Director Ramon Davila, based in Mexico, was First Majestic's chief operating officer and board member from 2004 to 2014. Chief Financial Officer Lisa Dea has 20 years of experience in the finance, securities, and accounting fields. Hernan Dorado Smith, the chief operating officer, is a fifth-generation mining engineer with 15 years of underground and open-pit mining experience, including extensive knowledge of the El Pinguico mine in Guanajuato. He has worked on many major mining projects. Disclosures: 1) Doresa Banning wrote this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise Reports as an independent contractor. She or members of her household own securities of the following companies mentioned in the article: None. She or members of her household are paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None. 2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: None. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. As of the date of this article, an affiliate of Streetwise Reports has a consulting relationship with: None. Please click here for more information. 3) Comments and opinions expressed are those of the specific experts and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. 4) The article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports. 5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the decision to publish an article until three business days after the publication of the article. The foregoing prohibition does not apply to articles that in substance only restate previously published company releases. Disclosures for Echelon Capital Markets, Guanajuato Silver Company Ltd., April 20, 2023 Echelon Wealth Partners Inc. is a member of IIROC and CIPF. The documents on this website have been prepared for the viewer only as an example of strategy consistent with our recommendations; it is not an offer to buy or sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any security or instrument or to participate in any particular investing strategy. Any opinions or recommendations expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of Echelon Wealth Partners Inc. Echelon Wealth Partners Inc. cannot accept any trading instructions via e-mail as the timely receipt of e-mail messages, or their integrity over the Internet, cannot be guaranteed. Dividend yields change as stock prices change, and companies may change or cancel dividend payments in the future. All securities involve varying amounts of risk, and their values will fluctuate, and the fluctuation of foreign currency exchange rates will also impact your investment returns if measured in Canadian Dollars. Past performance does not guarantee future returns, investments may increase or decrease in value and you may lose money. Data from various sources were used in the preparation of these documents; the information is believed but in no way warranted to be reliable, accurate and appropriate. Echelon Wealth Partners Inc. employees may buy and sell shares of the companies that are recommended for their own accounts and for the accounts of other clients. Echelon Wealth Partners compensates its Research Analysts from a variety of sources. The Research Department is a cost centre and is funded by the business activities of Echelon Wealth Partners including, Institutional Equity Sales and Trading, Retail Sales and Corporate and Investment Banking. Research Dissemination Policy: All final research reports are disseminated to existing and potential clients of Echelon Wealth Partners Inc. simultaneously in electronic form. Hard copies will be disseminated to any client that has requested to be on the distribution list of Echelon Wealth Partners Inc. Clients may also receive Echelon Wealth Partners Inc. research via third party vendors. To receive Echelon Wealth Partners Inc. research reports, please contact your Registered Representative. Reproduction of any research report in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Canadian Disclosures: To make further inquiry related to this report, Canadian residents should contact their Echelon Wealth Partners professional representative. To effect any transaction, Canadian residents should contact their Echelon Wealth Partners Investment advisor. U.S. Disclosures: This research report was prepared by Echelon Wealth Partners Inc., a member of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada and the Canadian Investor Protection Fund. This report does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities discussed herein. Echelon Wealth Partners Inc. is not registered as a broker-dealer in the United States and is not be subject to U.S. rules regarding the preparation of research reports and the independence of research analysts. Any resulting transactions should be effected through a U.S. broker-dealer. ANALYST CERTIFICATION Company: Guanajuato Silver Company Ltd. | GSVR:TSXV I, Gabriel Gonzalez, hereby certify that the views expressed in this report accurately reflect my personal views about the subject securities or issuers. I also certify that I have not, am not, and will not receive, directly or indirectly, compensation in exchange for expressing the specific recommendations or views in this report. Important Disclosures: During the last 12 months, Echelon Wealth Partners Inc. provided financial advice to and/or, either on its own or as a syndicate member, participated in a public offering, or private placement of securities of this issuer. During the last 12 months, Echelon Wealth Partners Inc. received compensation for having provided investment banking or related services to this Issuer. The Analyst had an onsite visit with the Issuer within the last 12 months. (Guanajuato District Operations; Oct. 10-12, 2022). More Info: This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions. More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp Learn more about publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/ and tickertagstocknews.com Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp Jameson owner Pernod Ricard is set to halt the export of its international brands into Russia following strong international criticism. Activists staged a protest outside the Dublin headquarters of Irish Distillers and parent company Pernod-Ricard on Thursday, protesting a decision by the company to resume exports of Jameson to Russia. Organised by Ukrainian Action Ireland, activists handed out flyers and were accompanied by a digital ad van, encouraging people to Boycott Jameson, Stand with Ukraine, and demanding that Pernod-Ricard cease exporting the Irish-made whiskey to Russia. A Fine Gael senator has also called for the exports to be stopped immediately. Tipperary-based Garrett Ahearn said the move by the French-owned company is "morally unjustifiable and wrong". Following the initial invasion of Ukraine by Russia in early 2022, global drinks company Pernod-Ricard issued a statement saying that the company was deeply shocked and saddened by the war that has unfolded in Ukraine, and that it had suspended its exports to Russia. However, in September 2022 the statement published on the companys website was amended to remove any mention of suspending exports. Jameson whiskey, produced by Pernod-Ricard subsidiary Irish Distillers International Limited, is currently listed on Pernod-Ricards website as a brand available in Russia. However, the Irish Examiner understands that the drinks giant is set to reverse its position following the significant backlash. Senator Ahearn said: This decision, made in some boardroom in France with only the bottom line on the agenda, hurts our image internationally. It needs to be reversed and time called on exporting Jameson to Putins Russia. Pernod Richard was forced to halt exports of Absolut vodka following a rightful outcry from the public and threats of a boycott in Sweden, the liquors home country. Diageo, which owns Guinness and many other Irish drinks brands, stopped exporting and selling products to Russia when the invasion began last year, which is the right thing to do, Senator Ahearn added. New financial figures published this week show the French drinks group grew sales by 8% to 9.5bn in the nine months to the end of March 2023. The Irish Whiskey Global Report 2022 noted that Russia was Irelands second-largest whiskey export market in 2021, with Ukraine being the fastest-growing market in Europe. According to the report, Russia and Ukraine cumulatively accounted for nearly 7% of all Irish whiskey sales in 2021. Ukrainian Action Ireland, which represents the Ukrainian community in Ireland, is asking Irish Distillers and Pernod Ricard to reverse the decision to resume exports of Jameson to Russia.7 'Unscrupulous business' Co-founder of Ukrainian Action Ireland, Anatoliy Prymakov, said that by doing business in Russia, Irish Distillers and Pernod-Pernod Ricard are sponsor[ing] Russias war machine". Irish society has been incredibly supportive and welcoming to the Ukrainians seeking shelter and peace in Ireland. This welcome stands in stark contrast to an unscrupulous business willing to tarnish the reputation of an iconic Irish brand and reputation of Ireland as a whole for profit, he said. Pernod-Ricard had also recently resumed exporting Swedish-made Absolut Vodka to Russia. However, media reports about the resumption of exports sparked a public backlash in Sweden, and Pernod-Ricard stopped the export of Absolut to Russia last week. A similar protest involving an ad van also took place in London this week, asking Beefeater Gin, another Pernod Ricard brand to stop its sales in Russia. In a statement to the Irish Examiner, Pernod-Ricard confirmed it is supplying stocks of spirits to Russia, to a minimum level that permits us to sustain the Pernod Ricard distribution subsidiary, ensuring the welfare of our local team and avoid an accusation of fraudulent bankruptcy and potential criminal prosecution of their employees in Russia. However, in an update on Thursday evening, the company said they were now working hard to find the best way to stop the export of their brands to Russia while ensuring the welfare and safety of their team. Our commitment to protect our colleagues in the region has been the guiding principle of the difficult choices we have made, and we continue to work hard to find the best solution to this difficult dilemma. We will be providing updates as appropriate, the statement read. Ireland has one of the highest rates of over-qualification in the EU, with 28.6% of Irish people working in occupations that do not require a third-level degree despite having one. That is according to newly released Eurostat data finding that Ireland had the highest proportion of employed people with tertiary education, making the country's workforce the most educated in the EU. Tommy Tiernan has an ambivalent attitude towards phones, so maybe it's no surprise that he's not hanging on a call from Donnybrook, Dublin 4 even if it involves the second longest-running chat show in the world. "I havent any missed calls," he laughs when the subject of the Late Late Show and the possibility of him presenting it arrives into conversation. That the acclaimed stand-up comedian and actor has been mooted as a successor to Ryan Tubridy is no surprise, particularly when you consider the runaway success of his own, much more intimate chat show on Saturday nights. Maybe he's already found the perfect fit and maybe its the Late Late itself that requires some remodelling. "Well, the thing to remember is that the Late Late developed with Gay [Byrne], so he built something that suited his inclination, his abilities, his desire to entertain and his curiosity," Tiernan says. "And he then handed over his mindcraft to Pat [Kenny] and then to Ryan [Tubridy], so they have been working on something really that Gay Byrne developed. So its a little bit," and he pauses, as he often does, to consider his words, "... youre at a loss from the get-go because it is not entirely your idea. But for the Tommy Tiernan Show that is something Ive built myself, that follows my own inclination, that follows my own curiosity and my desire to entertain, so it wouldnt make a fierce amount of sense to kind of do the Late Late as it is. "You know, Im already hosting the Late Late Show, under a different name, the following night. But I dont know, I mean also, Im very expensive," he adds with a laugh. Of course it is reductive to discuss Tiernan and his career to whether or not it was all simply a prelude to hosting a show he describes as a "tank" but which is possibly more akin to an ocean cruise liner a massive enterprise with lots of people on board and which takes an age to turn around. His own show is more intuitive, driven by the central premise that he doesn't know of the guests in advance, and is more attuned to his sharp wit and his uncanny ability to communicate directly with whoever is seated opposite him, wherever the chat takes them. Tommy Tiernan talks to Denise Gough on his RTE chatshow. You might think the lack of preparation would make life easier, particularly for someone performing stand-up for 25 years, so it's intriguing to hear that in the first seasons of the show, he was regularly struck with "really, really bad stress", likening it to "trying to run in three different directions at the same time your body just isnt capable of it so your mind ends up hassled because it cant do the things it feels it ought to be doing. "I remember for the first two years I was probably stressed out three months before we started filming and then I just let it go, I just said OK, Im not really in control of this, I don't know whos coming out, all I can do is, whoever comes out, Ill talk to them. Ill talk to them, but I am not in control of anything here. That really helps. So this year that was the approach I had." It worked, with glowing reviews for some truly remarkable interviews. He says the guests dictate where the discussion will go someone like Roy Keane or Ken Doherty were more guarded, or as he describes it with a chuckle, "we can flirt with a few things but youre not blackwater rafting through the midst of my mind, ok?" But then other guests, like Richie Sadlier and in particular, Denise Gough, go somewhere else. It makes for gripping viewing, where the silences between the sentences ring out. Gough, the Wexford actor who recently in Star Wars spin-off Andor, scorched the screen with her visceral account of running away from home. "She probably knew beforehand that this is the moment that she was going to tell that story," says Tiernan. It also means other future guests know that this is a space in which they can explore those themes - almost guaranteeing similar fireworks in future. Tiernan wryly reveals that, despite the show's success and the fact that the 'surprise guests' format is patented, efforts to have it picked up around the world have been thoroughly unsuccessful. "We had this person who was actively trying to sell the show in places like, believe it or not, South Korea, Vietnam, Australia, France, Americ,a and the UK, and nobody is interested, nobody else wants to do it because you do need at the centre of it, or at one of the centres, you do need someone who is prepared to feel the utter wilderness of fear." This circles back to the first love and what is still the day job stand-up. Tiernan will bring the final performances of his Tomfoolery show to the Marquee in Cork on June 8 and 15, and in addition to the heckles "I always get heckled at the Marquee" he says it is also a technical challenge. Tiernan and team hang a microphone over the crowd and pipe the responses into his monitors so he can enhance the intimacy levels in what is a huge venue. Tommy Tiernan in 2004. (Photo by Brian Rasic/Getty Images) For him, stand-up is a craft, the ultimate. He has different approaches to it, from a loose, applied lack of preparation which is itself a type of preparation, to the Wim Hoff breathing techniques which he likens to "a self-inflicted panic attack" and which can send him on-stage in a transcendent state. Having treaded the comedy boards for a quarter century, he does not believe that stand-up and how it is received has been altered by changing social attitudes. "Comedy is as cruel, as wild, as unforgiving, and unpredictable as it always was," he says, arguing that it is both too singular and also something that typically takes place where people are drinking and unwinding, all creating an environment for "the extremes of the unsayable and the extremes of a kind of the well-written, clean gag". The Marquee shows are Yondr gigs, so people's phones will be packed away for the duration - something Tiernan is hugely enthusiastic about. He believes the ubiquity of the mobile phone has "sullied the public event", from the humble cinema to the theatre royal, and also creates an added layer of self-consciousness for performers. Bagging them up equals freedom, and a better show. With all that in mind, and his palpable sense of questing energy, it is surprising to learn that he has had long drives home from some gigs, shows he felt never really took off, actively pondering whether he should pack it in. "Crossing the Bog of Allen at one in the morning or going through Castlebar or Knock in the deepest, darkest nights of winter, or coming up from Kerry, lonely ol' drives and I have often been I cant do this any more, its not working, blah-di-blah-di-blah And if I could retire, if there was a button in the car that said its over in terms of retirement, I probably would have pressed that loads of times. "But, I find that when I wake up the next morning I am kind of going do you know, maybe, maybe if I talked about the Book of Job, maybe if I did an impersonation of King Lear singing the songs of Bob Dylan, that would work. "So the following morning, when the tide has gone out on the drive home and you are left with the litter on the beach, that the following morning the sea is full of fish again and that is a natural thing with me." At one point he muses on this, the sense that you are never as good as you hope. You are always slightly disappointed in yourself, would be my epitaph. 'Here lies Tommy Tiernan - he let himself down'." He's joking though. The number of people who have lost their lives on Irish roads so far this year has risen by 8%, according to new figures. 56 people have been killed on Irish roads so far in 2023, an increase of four on the number of killed over the same period in 2022. During last year's May bank holiday weekend alone, four fatalities and 27 serious injuries were recorded. There were also 2,820 speeding incidents. 91 drivers were caught not wearing a seatbelt, and 212 were caught using a mobile phone while driving. 154 motorists were caught driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, with 13% of those arrests made between the hours of 6am and 2pm. Overall, seven people have been killed and 83 people have been seriously injured over May Bank Holiday weekends since 2018. There will be an increased garda presence on roads nationwide this weekend and gardai have urged people to take extra caution while driving over the "high-risk" period. As the May Bank Holiday weekend approaches, we urge you to prioritise safety on the roads," said Chief Superintendent Jane Humphries of the Garda National Roads Policing Bureau "Gardai will have a high visibility presence this weekend and a focus on the four lifesaver offences; speeding, mobile phone use while driving, seatbelt compliance and intoxicated driving," Chief Supt Humphries said. "It's up to each and every one of us to do our part to keep ourselves and others safe." Chief Supt Humphries said motorists can do their part by driving within the speed limit and according to the road and traffic conditions, wearing seatbelts and ensuring all passengers do likewise. When behind the wheel, ignore your phone its not worth the distraction and finally never, ever drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs and remember that you may still be over the limit the following morning. By following these simple guidelines, we can all do our part to prevent accidents and keep our roads safe," he said. An Irish man in his 40s has been killed while battling Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, his family confirmed on Thursday. Finbar Cafferkey, a native of Achill Island, Co. Mayo, was a military volunteer with previous combat experience in Syria where he assisted Kurdish militia in their battle against ISIS. He recently travelled to Ukraine to assist local forces there. Reports of Finbars death were confirmed by his father, Tom, at the family home in Cashel, Achill, this afternoon. Mr Cafferkey declined to elaborate on the circumstances of his sons passing or offer any further comment. We are grievingits a private matter. I dont want to say anything further, he stated. It is understood the family will be issuing a statement on Finbar's death later. Achill Island, where the Cafferkey family is well-liked and respected, has been numbed with grief since news came through of the tragic passing. One local person said: We heard reports yesterday (Wednesday) that Finbar had been killed but we were hoping against hope that the information was untrue. Now that his death has been confirmed we are absolutely devastated. Others on Achill Island spoke of Finbars commitment to humanitarian and environmental causes. He took part in the Shell to Sea protests against the Corrib Gas project and, in later years, worked in Copenhagen on a construction project. Finbar was a man of principle, a further islander recalled. I know that about eight years ago he worked on the border between Greece and Macedonia assisting migrants coming off dinghies. It came as a bit of surprise when we learned from newspaper reports that he had been fighting in Syria. Nobody around here, except perhaps his family, knew he was in Ukraine. I know that relatives have been concerned for his safety over the years. His family have been particularly worried. The dead mans parents, Tom and Celine, are being comforted by close relatives and neighbours. Tom is a former publican, who now works as an auctioneer. Three people have been killed and four taken to hospital after a serious collision in Co Tyrone. It is understood one of the vehicles involved was a minibus containing a number of people. The incident, which also involved a lorry, occurred on the A5 Tullyvar road just outside Aughnacloy on Thursday morning. Colm Gildernew, Sinn Fein MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, extended his sympathies to the families of the victims. First and foremost my thoughts are with everyone involved in todays tragic accident here on the A5 just outside Aughnacloy, he said. This news will devastate families and communities and friends and my thoughts are with each and every one of them. Mr Gildernew said the road where the accident occurred needs to be made safer. The A5 is a road that has seen multiple tragedies over many years and each and every one of those tragedies is an individual disaster for every family and community involved, and it is time that we seen this A5 road completed and made safe to allow people to travel on it in safety, he said. Colm Gildernew, Sinn Fein MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone. Picture: Claudia Savage/PA Wire SDLP West Tyrone MLA Daniel McCrossan said the victims were from the Strabane area. He said the local community had been devastated by the tragedy. The accident in Aughnacloy, that has claimed the lives of three local people from this community and left a number of others seriously injured, is an unspeakable tragedy that has devastated a number of families in this area and left the wider community shocked and heartbroken, he said. I know a number of those involved in this crash and our thoughts and prayers go out to them and their families as they come to terms with whats happened. Theres little we can say to provide any kind of comfort at such a terrible time, but I know the entire community will rally around them in their time of need. I am absolutely heartbroken for the families involved, this is a needless loss of life that has devastated our community and hit everyone very hard. David Nichol, Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) Western Area Commander said three fire engines attended the scene. My heartfelt sympathies are with the family and friends of the 3 people who lost their lives following a road traffic collision on the Tullyvar Road, Aughnacloy this morning, he said. NIFRS was called to the incident involving 2 vehicles at 7.21am on Thursday April 27 2023, along with colleagues from Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and Police Service of Northern Ireland. Three fire appliances attended two from Clogher Fire Station and one from Dungannon Fire Station. Firefighters used cutting equipment to rescue casualties from their vehicles and they were then taken into the care of Northern Ireland Ambulance Service. Irish citizens still trapped in Sudan are being urged to flee the war-torn country if possible as the situation becomes increasingly dangerous. The Department of Foreign Affairs said that due to the continued uncertainty around the current ceasefire, those still in the country should consider their evacuation options. Officials have also warned that although they have extended the current Defence Forces-backed evacuation mission, this is only going to continue for as long is safe to do so. The call for those to leave the east African country, which is in the grip of a brutal civil war, comes as the Government here said a total of 122 Irish citizens and family members have been helped to leave Sudan since April 22. Evacuation flights are continuing today and Irish citizens who have registered with the Irish Embassy in Kenya have been given the details of those flights. A DFA spokesperson said: Due to continued uncertainty about the duration of the current ceasefire, and the generally volatile situation in Sudan, we advise citizens, if they judge it safe to do so, to give serious consideration to evacuation options as they become available. Evacuation operations will only continue for as long as the security situation in Sudan allows. The DFA has confirmed that the Government has approved the extension of the operation of the Emergency Civil Assistance Team (ECAT) mission currently based in neighbouring Djibouti to Cyprus. The Embassy in Nairobi and the DFA are maintaining contact with and advising Irish citizens still in Sudan. Consular teams in the region continue to work with people as they are evacuated, helping to arrange accommodation when needed and supporting, advising and assisting on onward arrangements. Irish citizens remaining in Sudan are being urged to register with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Ireland in Kenya (which is accredited to Sudan). Irish citizens in Sudan should register on https://t.co/iUeEarHIL2 Updates to contact information should be sent to: consular.nairobiem@dfa.ie. Embassy main line +254 2051 353 00; emergency consular support+254 716 353 999 2/2 Embassy of Ireland (@IrlEmbKenya) April 24, 2023 Citizens can follow the Embassy of Ireland in Kenya on Twitter (@IrlEmbKenya) for updated advice. The Embassy's out of hours consular assistance phone line can be contacted at +254 716 353 999, and the Department of Foreign Affairs can be contacted at +353 1 408 2000. The UK has warned British nationals in Sudan that it could be "impossible" to evacuate them when the 72-hour truce ends at 11pm tonight. British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly went on Sky TV earlier today to urge UK nationals who want to get out to make their way to the Wadi Saeedna air strip near Khartoum as soon as possible. Irish Examiner columnist Terry Prone has been conferred with an honorary doctorate by the University of Limerick (UL). Ms Prone was among four 'inspiring' individuals to receive the honour from UL on Wednesday. Solicitor Michael Houlihan and two of ULs founding professors, Professor Roy Hayhurst and Professor Evan Petty (posthumously) were also celebrated for their achievements in the worlds of science, law, and business. Ms Prone, a pioneer of Irelands public relations and communications sector, received an honorary doctorate of letters. Over the course of her career, Ms Prone has been an actor, writer, journalist, and an adviser to successive governments. She has written 30 books, served on numerous public service boards, and now runs her own communications consultancy. She also writes a weekly opinion column for the Irish Examiner. Terry Prone has been an actor, writer, journalist, and adviser to successive governments. Picture: True Media Ms Prone chairs the Communications Clinic, a company she founded with Tom Savage in 2008. Her firm has worked with some of the biggest brands in the world and has offered guidance to a line of Government ministers over the years. She worked with Enda Kenny, then taoiseach, on a crucial state-of-the-nation address he delivered in 2011. UL chancellor Mary Harney, Pauline Petty, presented with a posthumous Honorary Doctorate of Science for her late husband Evan R Petty, Terry Prone, Roy Hayhurst, Honorary Doctor of Economic Science, and UL president Professor Kerstin Mey. Picture: True Media The late Evan R Petty was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science. His wife Pauline Petty accepted the doctorate on his behalf. Mr Petty had a distinguished research and academic record, combined with industrial experience. He was well prepared for the challenge of designing the first degree programmes in engineering and applied science at the newly-established National Institute of Education in Limerick in the 1970s. Unlike many academics who are committed to research, Mr Petty was also noted for the quality of his teaching and served as the first director of quality of teaching and learning at the University of Limerick. He was an active member of the European Society for Education and Training of Engineers and was elected as its president in 1991. Roy Hayhurst, conferred as an honorary doctor of economic science, with his partner Ann Lyons. Michael Houlihan was conferred as an Honorary Doctor of Laws. A solicitor, businessman, and civic leader, Mr Houlihan has been instrumental in developing both the Mid-West region and University of Limerick. He was the first Clare man to serve as president of the Law Society of Ireland and the driving force in transforming his small family law firm into a nationally-recognised practice with more than 50 staff. His legacy lies in the dozens of projects across Limerick and Clare that would not have been possible without his expertise and dedication. Several of these are dotted around the UL campus. Between 2006 and 2014, during his term as chair of the UL Foundation, Mr Houlihan helped deliver more than a dozen major capital developments, including the Analog Devices Building, the Glucksman Library, and the Bernal Institute, a world-leading centre of science and engineering launched by then taoiseach Enda Kenny in November 2016. Michael Houlihan is robed by Willie Phelan as he receives his honorary doctorate from the University of Limerick. Roy Hayhurst was bestowed with an honorary doctorate in economic science. Mr Hayhurst's Bachelor of Business Studies graduates were selectively sought after by employers. The programmes academic standing was highlighted by the access links he built in New York with Fordham Universitys MBA programme. At an early stage, the embryonic College of Business led the way in developing post-experience programmes for specialist sectors such as banking and An Garda Siochana. Later, under Mr Hayhurst's guidance, a new MBA programme and pioneering programmes in international education were launched. In addition to his service and achievements at UL, Mr Hayhurst made a significant contribution to national education. He served as a member of the National Council for Educational Awards and Board of Studies and worked with many institutions in the roles of course accreditor and external examiner. UL president Kerstin Mey presents robes to Pauline Petty with a posthumous Honorary Doctorate of Science for her late husband Evan R Petty. Picture: True Media Speaking at the ceremony, UL President Professor Kerstin Mey said: The bestowing of a UL honorary doctorate represents the opportunity to honour those who have inspired, and worked tirelessly to make great contributions in their fields of endeavour. "As a university proudly celebrating 50 years of making a difference, we honour individuals who have made unique and powerful contributions to this university and those who have made outstanding contributions and achievements in society. A young man caught around the neck by a colleague in an arm-lock grip until he fell unconscious to the floor and banged his head has set out the losses in his life that cannot be made good any apology. Filip Lukic, 28, of Castlefalls, Ross Road, Killarney, Co Kerry, pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to a charge of assault causing harm to 24-year-old Kyle Walsh at Munster Joinery, Lackagh Cross, Ballydesmond, Co Cork. Judge Helen Boyle was told that there was a verbal altercation between them about work they were doing at the time. Lukic pushed Mr Walsh, and caught him in an arm-lock until co-workers released his grip from the injured partys neck. Mr Walsh was unconscious and limp and fell to the floor. He was taken to hospital where a skull facture was discovered. Jane Hyland, defence senior counsel, said the Croatian national had no previous convictions and none since. Ms Hyland said: The head fracture appears to have been sustained when the unfortunate injured party hit the ground. Mr Lukic was quite concerned for the injured party. The defendant said: I am very sorry I caused harm. I am very sorry for Kyle I am more concerned for Kyle than for myself. Ms Hyland said the accused gathered 9,000 so far for the injured party. Judge Boyle said more compensation would be needed. This man needs to put his best foot forward in terms of compensation, she said. The judge then adjourned sentencing until October 26. Mr Walsh said in a victim impact statement: I am the one who hasnt been able to work since. I am the one who has had to exhaust myself for over a year and a half just to be capable of doing the same everyday things everyone here does. I am the one who had to work to take my first steps again alone and face the incident in my head over and over again just to fix my mental health and get my confidence back. "I am the one who has moved away just to escape the feelings being near there has created. All the sacrifices have come from my end and I have had to continue to make them, just so I can try to return to a normal life that was violently taken from me. My health was not the only thing taken from me for so long, my happiness was taken, my hope was taken, my independence was taken, my ability to work was taken, my ability to look after my body properly was taken, my personality was taken, my whole life that I knew before what Filip done has been taken. And none of that can be given back to me no matter how sorry he is. I am the one who has had to accept that ever since. Concern about different policies for over-term women opting for home births and those attending hospital maternity units over when they should be induced has been expressed at an inquest into the death of a baby boy shortly after he was delivered in a home birth three years ago. Baby Rob Cashin died in the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin less than an hour after being born at his family home in Holywell Gardens, Swords, Co Dublin, on August 27, 2020. His mother Paula Cashin told a sitting of Dublin District Coroners Court on Thursday that she had attended the hospital three days earlier for a check-up when she was nine days overdue after an uneventful pregnancy. Ms Cashin said she was informed by a consultant, Rishi Roopnarensingh, that she would have been induced at seven days overdue if she had been a patient of the hospital. Under HSE policy for home births, however, Ms Cashin explained she would be allowed to go for 14 days past her due date before being induced. Ms Cashin said the covid-19 pandemic had been a big influence in her decision to opt for a home birth because of the pressure on hospitals. Although everything had appeared fine with her baby when she attended the Rotunda, Ms Cashin said she had found the meeting quite stressful and very confusing". She told the coroner Clare Keane that she had been left angry and scared on leaving the hospital after that visit because of what seemed to be different policies on when labour should be induced between women attending the Rotunda and those opting for home births. Ms Cashin said Robs delivery was a moment of pure relief and happiness and she remembered thinking everything was OK with her baby. However, she said two midwives assisting her had called for an ambulance shortly after his birth. She described how she was subsequently informed at the Rotunda, where she had been brought after suffering major bleeding in labour, how efforts to save her baby had failed. Ms Cashin said she broke down and cried as she held his body. He was such a big baby and so perfect, she recalled. Her husband Colm Cashin described the moment he was informed that their son had died as an overwhelming feeling this was not real". It was a very traumatic experience. We will miss Rob forever, he said. Asked by the coroner about the concern he had voiced to Ms Cashin about home births, Dr Roopnarensingh said it was because obstetric problems were very unpredictable. Some situations require facilities provided in a hospital setting which cannot be replicated at home, said Dr Roopnarensingh. He added that some problems can develop quite quickly and are not always readily identifiable. It is important to plan delivery, preferably in a hospital setting. He agreed the different policies as well as preferences among medical professionals on when pregnant women should be induced was confusing. Dr Roopnarensingh also revealed that the Rotunda had recently begun testing women for Strep B infection at various stages during their pregnancy, including before induction. However, he said he did not believe a positive test for Strep B should preclude a woman from having a home birth. The Rotundas director of midwifery Fiona Hanrahan told the inquest that lots of women do not need to see a consultant during their pregnancy. The Rotundas director of midwifery Fiona Hanrahan said an oversight group is looking at a review of guidelines for the HSEs homebirth service. Picture: Maxwells Ms Hanrahan said an oversight group was currently looking at a review of guidelines for the HSEs homebirth service. A previous sitting of the inquest was adjourned after Ms Cashin claimed that she might have been prevented from having a home delivery if the Rotunda had passed on details to a midwife about previous difficulties experienced during the birth of her first child, Sarah, in 2015. Ms Cashin told an earlier hearing in January that she had obtained medical records which indicated that that there was an issue during the birth of her daughter with a condition called shoulder dystocia where there is a problem with the shoulder getting stuck after a babys head has been delivered. However, Dr Kate Glennon, a registrar at the Rotunda, confirmed there had been no difficulty with the delivery of a shoulder during Sarahs birth. Dr Glennon explained that staff had used a position to treat women delivering a baby with shoulder dystocia but it was just as a general aid to delivery in Ms Cashins case. In a statement, Carolyn Coughlan, lead midwife at the home birth, who did not attend the inquest, said the baby was not breathing and had no pulse after being delivered in a birthing pool. Niamh Bates, another midwife who assisted at the home birth, became emotional as she described efforts to resuscitate baby Rob. Ms Bates confirmed that all observations had been normal prior to his birth. An advanced paramedic with the National Ambulance Service, Shane Mooney, said ambulance crews would have received a call-out to attend the birth of a baby every second day over the past 15 months. Mr Mooney said he was unable to say how many were related to home births. However, he said the need to resuscitate a new-born baby in such circumstances was 'rare'. The inquest was adjourned until Friday, when it is expected to conclude. Three men have been charged after gardai swooped on properties across Limerick on Thursday in a planned operation targeting the assets of a drugs gang based on the south side of the city. In an intelligence-led operation, searches were carried out on 18 properties, while two open areas of land in the Southill area of Limerick City were also searched. Property seized include a BMW, a piece of designer jewellery, a number of electronic items and six shotgun cartridges. Drugs were also seized including approximately 64,600 of suspected amphetamine and approximately 89,600 of suspected cannabis. Approximately 76,580 in cash was recovered with a further 18,000 frozen in credit union accounts. Todays garda operation targeting an organised crime group in Limerick. Source: An Garda Siochana. Three men aged in their 30s and 40s were arrested during this operation and are expected to appear before a sitting of Limerick District Court this morning at 10:30am. The searches were carried out in Limerick City and County by gardai from Limerick Division and the Criminal Assets Bureau supported by Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB), the Garda Armed Support Unit and Garda Dog Unit. They were assisted in the search of lands by members of the Defence Forces. Gardai are understood to be targeting the members of an organised crime group whose base is in the Southill area of Limerick City. They are aligned to criminals who were involved in a gang feud which claimed 19 lives, including innocent members of the public, and injured dozens more, in the early to mid-2000s. Todays garda operation targeting an organised crime group in Limerick. Source: An Garda Siochana. The gang targeted by gardai today have been involved in a number of localised feuds with other criminal groups on the south side of Limerick. Gardai searched properties and lands in Southill in Limerick City, as well as Pallasgreen and Caherconlish which are located in south east co Limerick. Todays search was conducted as part of an ongoing proceeds of crime investigation targeting assets including properties deriving in whole or part from the proceeds of criminal activity, added a reliable source. Up to 20 searches were conducted today in relation to a criminal grouping based predominantly in the Southill area and with connections with the Pallasgreen and Caherconlish areas of county Limerick, another source confirmed. Commenting on todays operation a garda spokesman said gardai conducted an intelligence-led operation targeting the activities of an organised crime group in the Limerick Region Investigations are ongoing. A physiotherapy project costing under 900,000 per year could help save the State up to 19m annually but is stuck in bureaucratic limbo, says MS Ireland. More than three years since the start of a successful MS Ireland pilot offering people with neurological conditions in Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary online access to exercise and physiotherapy, it remains unclear whether national funding will be granted. The pilot was funded by the Slaintecare Integration Fund, which was established to test projects with a view to mainstreaming/scaling of successful projects for annual funding. Exercise and physiotherapy co-ordinator Susan Coote said: Our research shows that delaying and reducing disability due to MS could reduce costs to the Irish health system annually by 19m. The estimated annual national cost of this programme is 880,000, thus potentially saving the health service multiples of that cost. Data collected from the Slaintecare project and others show they are very very successful, said Dr Coote. Weve got research evidence from when I was in UL [University of Limerick] and we audit every year looking at outcomes, so basically they work really well, she said. Preventing four hip fractures annually would equate to the cost of one physiotherapist's salary, MS Ireland estimates. We have a lot of data from that programme which basically says the programmes are very effective for mental health, for physical health but also providing a social outlet. The key data that has led to this being funded in the Midwest only is that we see a reduction in healthcare utilisation, reductions in the number of falls, the number of falls related to injuries. We obviously want to extend that to our other programmes nationwide. MS Ireland will meet Brian Higgins, HSE assistant national director for Change planning and delivery (disability and mental health Services), next month. However, a HSE spokeswoman said that while the proposal was sent to Mr Higgins for review, it was also sent to other departments. So, for example, it may be best placed for funding through health and wellbeing, or primary care, she said. So to that end, the final decision will not rest solely with Brian Higgins, but he will explore it from a disability perspective and he agreed to meet with them for further clarification. Looking to boost your career prospects or even to take on an entirely new path? Read on to learn about life-changing part-time courses designed around your busy life. Meet the experts who can guide you to success at MTU Business Academys free opening evening on Thursday, May 11, from 5pm to 7pm at the MTU Cork Campus in Bishopstown. The MTU Business Academy has more than 30 professional and executive, part-time courses designed to help you achieve your career goal. All courses are QQI accredited on the National Framework of Qualifications. The MTU Business Academy has earned a deserved reputation among the emerging and established professionals. It has helped them to set and meet ambitious and rewarding career goals. Pat Culhane, MTU Business Academy manager, said: I regularly witness capable, experienced professionals that want to upskill or reskill, but are not aware of the range of the options available to them. Our flexible courses are designed to fit into your busy lifestyle, allowing you to advance your education and career without sacrificing your current commitments, he added. The programmes are part-time, delivered in the evening or at the weekend. Some programmes run fully online. Other programmes involve a mix of online and on-campus delivery. Programmes are not just for people in Cork and Kerry. We are seeing an increase in students from other parts of Ireland and overseas. We have courses for those returning to higher education and those starting out. Come along to our open evening to meet and chat with lecturers from each course. Were confident that youll get a sense of the friendly, caring culture here in MTU, ahead of courses starting from September. The opening evening from 5-7pm on Thursday, May 11, is a free, in-person event, open to the public, targeting prospective students. To register, visit: https://www.mtubusinessacademy.ie/events/mtu-business-academy-open-evening/ The MTU Business Academy has helped many professionals to set and meet ambitious and rewarding career goals. Wealth of courses, from certificates to masters MTU Business Academy has an extensive selection of over 30 professional and executive, part-time courses designed to help you achieve your career goal. The offerings range from short certificate courses to the comprehensive masters programmes across: management, leadership, accounting, finance, aviation, diversity & inclusion, human resources, design thinking, data analytics, journalism, PR, digital content creation, marketing, tourism and more. The university prides itself on delivering courses that are exceptional value for money, with an emphasis on developing and contributing to the students professional practice and their career. Its worth noting that MTU, through its Extended Campus, provides a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) service, where applicants can be given formal recognition for what they already know prior to starting on a course or module. Also, some courses are government-funded under the Springboard+ initiative. In fact, there is a high success rate for applicants receiving 90%-100% fee funding, including those currently in employment. Dr Angela Wright, Programme Director of MTUs MBA in Strategy. For details on each of the MTU Business Academys part-time courses, see: https://www.mtubusinessacademy.ie/programmes/ The UK has reportedly been accused of delaying Germanys efforts to evacuate its citizens from Sudan at the weekend. The BBC reported that it was told by senior German political sources that Britains mission to extract its embassy staff led to a temporary blockade of the airfield near the capital Khartoum from which subsequent evacuation flights have taken off. The sources alleged that British forces landed without the permission of the Sudanese army, angering them that they barred access to the site. However, a British defence source dismissed the claim as complete nonsense. German rescuers lost at least half a day as negotiations to use the airstrip took place, according to the broadcaster. British Nationals depart a military aircraft at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, after being evacuated from Sudan (MoD/PA) The British were forced to pay the Sudanese army before leaving, one source told the BBC. Germany and other European nations were hoping to use the Wadi Saeedna airfield to fly their citizens to safety. The British Ministry of Defence denied that Britain was responsible for any delay. A spokesperson for the department said: It is not accurate to suggest that Britains efforts to evacuate embassy staff from Sudan last weekend slowed down Germanys plans. Operating in such complex circumstances will always come with challenges, but we have worked extremely closely with our French, US and particularly German partners who have facilitated access to the airfield throughout this week, and of course we remain grateful to the Sudanese Armed Forces. A defence source said: It is complete nonsense to claim that we landed in Sudan without permission from the Sudanese army. We had permission. In an apparent swipe at the UKs initial handling of the crisis, German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said Berlin would not leave civilians to their own devices as it completed its evacuation. Announcing the completion of Germanys evacuation efforts on Tuesday, she said that unlike in other countries, it had included all German nationals and their partners and not just diplomatic personnel. The UK started its mission to evacuate when a ceasefire was brokered between the warring factions. House Republicans in the US have narrowly passed sweeping legislation that would raise the governments legal debt ceiling by 1.5 trillion dollars, in exchange for steep spending restrictions. The move represents a tactical victory for speaker Kevin McCarthy as he challenges President Joe Biden to negotiate and prevent a catastrophic federal default this summer. Mr Biden has threatened to veto the Republican package, which has almost no chance of passing the Democratic Senate anyway, and the president has so far refused to negotiate over the debt ceiling which the White House insists must be lifted with no strings to ensure America pays its bills. But Mr McCarthys ability to swiftly unite his slim majority and bring the measure to passage over opposition from Democrats and even holdouts in his own party gives currency to the Republican speakers strategy to use the vote as an opening bid forcing Mr Biden into talks. The two men could hardly be further apart on how to resolve the issue. The president can no longer ignore by not negotiating The Bill passed by a razor-thin 217-215 margin. Weve done our job, Mr McCarthy said at the US Capitol after the vote. The president can no longer ignore by not negotiating, he said. Now he should sit down and negotiate. As the House debated the measure, Mr Biden on Wednesday indicated he was willing to open the door to talks with Mr McCarthy, but not on preventing a first-ever US default that would shake Americas economy and beyond. Happy to meet with McCarthy, but not on whether or not the debt limit gets extended, Mr Biden said. Thats not negotiable. Passage of the sprawling 320-page package in the House is only the start of what is expected to become a weeks-long political slog as the president and Congress try to work out a compromise that would allow the nations debt, now at 31 trillion dollars, to be lifted to allow further borrowing and stave off a fiscal crisis. The nation has never defaulted on its debt, and the House Republican majority hopes to manoeuvre Mr Biden into a corner with its plan to roll back federal spending to fiscal 2022 levels and cap future spending increases at 1% over the next decade, among other changes. This Bill is unacceptable, its unreasonable, its unworkable, its unconscionable and its un-American, said the Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Democrats derided the Republican plan as a ransom note, a shakedown and an unserious Bill that was courting financial danger. In a statement late on Wednesday, the White House press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said congressional Republicans must act immediately and without conditions to avoid default, adding: That is their job. A Chinese coastguard ship blocked a Philippine patrol boat heading into a disputed shoal in the South China Sea causing a near-crash in the latest act of Beijings aggression in the strategic waterway. The high seas face-off on Sunday between the larger Chinese ship and the Philippine coastguards BRP Malapascua near the Second Thomas Shoal was among the tense moments it and another Philippine vessel encountered in a week-long sovereignty patrol in one of the worlds most hotly contested waterways. The Philippine coastguard had invited a small group of journalists, including three from the Associated Press, to join the 1,038-mile patrol for the first time as part of a new Philippine strategy aimed at exposing Chinas increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea, where an estimated 4 trillion in global trade transits each year. In scorching summer heat but relatively calm waters, the Malapascua and another Philippine coastguard vessel, the BRP Malabrigo, journeyed to the frontlines of the long-seething territorial conflicts. Philippine coastguard patrol vessel BRP Malapascua, right, passes by Chinese coastguard ship with bow number 5201 during sunrise near the Second Thomas Shoal (Aaron Favila/AP) They cruised past a string of widely scattered Philippine-occupied and claimed islands, islets and reefs looking for signs of encroachment, illegal fishing and other threats. In areas occupied or controlled by China, the Philippine patrol vessels received radio warnings in Chinese and halting English, ordering them to immediately leave what the Chinese coastguard and navy radio callers claimed were Beijings undisputable territories and issuing unspecified threats for defiance. Hostilities peaked on Sunday morning in the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratlys archipelago, the most fiercely contested region in the busy sea channel. As the two patrol vessels approached the shoals shallow turquoise waters for an underwater survey, the Chinese coastguard repeatedly warned them by radio to leave the area, which is about 121 miles west of the Philippine island province of Palawan. After several radio exchanges, a Chinese coastguard caller, sounding agitated, warned of unspecified adversarial action. Since you have disregarded our warning, we will take further necessary measures on you in accordance with the laws and any consequences entailed will be borne by you, the Chinese speaker said. A Chinese coastguard ship rapidly approached and shadowed the smaller Malapascua and the Malabrigo. A Chinese coastguard ship deploys crew on motor boats to monitor activities from two Philippine coastguard vessels near the Second Thomas Shoal (Aaron Favila/AP) When the Malapascua manoeuvred towards the mouth of the shoal, the Chinese ship suddenly shifted to block it, coming as close as 36 to 46 meters from its bow, said Malapascuas skipper, Captain Rodel Hernandez. To avoid a crash, Mr Hernandez abruptly reversed his vessels direction, then shut off its engine to bring the boat to a full stop. Filipino personnel aboard the vessels and journalists, who captured the tense moment on camera watched in frightened silence. But the Malapascua steered just in time to avoid a potential disaster. Mr Hernandez later told journalists the sudden and really very dangerous manoeuvre by the Chinese coastguard ship had disregarded international rules on collision avoidance. He had the Philippine vessels leave the area after the encounter for the safety of the ships and personnel. Earlier, a huge Chinese navy ship shadowed the two Philippine patrol vessels in the dark of night as they cruised near Subi, one of seven barren reefs China has transformed in the last decade into a missile-protected island base. The Chinese navy ship radioed the Philippine vessels to immediately leave and keep out. The coastguard radioed back to assert Philippine sovereign rights to the area before steaming away. China has long demanded that the Philippines withdraw its small contingent of naval forces and tow away the actively commissioned but crumbling BRP Sierra Madre. BRP Malabrigos skipper Julio Colarina III looks from the window of his ship (Aaron Favila/AP) The navy ship was deliberately marooned on the shoal in 1999 and now serves as a fragile symbol of Manilas territorial claim to the atoll. Chinese ships often block navy vessels delivering food and other supplies to the Filipino sailors on the ship, including just a few days earlier, Mr Hernandez said. As hostilities between Chinese coastguard and navy ships and the Philippine patrol vessels were unfolding, Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang was in Manila, where he held talks with his Philippine counterpart and President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr on Saturday. China is willing to work with the Philippines to resolve differences and deepen ties, Mr Qin said. The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the encounters. In another Philippine-claimed reef called Whitsun, the Philippine patrol vessels spotted more than 100 suspected Chinese militia ships arrayed side by side in several clusters in the shallows. China says the huge trawler-like ships are fishing vessels but Manilas coastguard suspects they are being used for surveillance or to hold the reef for future development. Filipino coastguard personnel aboard two motor boats approached the Chinese ships and ordered them through a loudspeaker to leave, but none did. Philippine officials required participating journalists to not immediately release information about the trip to ensure the safety of the mission and to give the coastguard time to brief defence, justice and foreign affairs officials in charge of handling the touchy territorial conflicts. Faced with a militarily far-superior China in the disputed waters, the Philippines launched the campaign early this year to expose the Asian superpowers aggression, hoping public awareness and criticism will force Beijing to abide by international law. Some of the many suspected Chinese militia ships lay side by side at the Philippine-claimed reef called Whitsun (Aaron Favila/AP) Philippines coastguard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said the strategy is working. He noted the Chinese ambassador in Manila was prompted to hold a press conference to explain Beijings side amid outrage over a publicly released video that showed a Chinese coastguard ship aiming a military-grade laser in early February that temporarily blinded two crew members of the Malapascua off the Second Thomas Shoal. The territorial conflicts involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have long been regarded as an Asian flashpoint and a delicate fault line in the rivalry between the United States and China in the region. While the US lays no claims to the South China Sea, it has deployed its warships and fighter jets for patrols and military exercises with regional allies to uphold freedom of navigation and overflight, which it says is in Americas national interest. Beijing has criticised a recent agreement by the Philippines and the US to grant American forces access to additional Filipino military camps. China fears the access will provide Washington with military staging grounds and surveillance outposts in the northern Philippines across the sea from Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory, and in provinces facing the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety. Washington has repeatedly warned it will help to defend the Philippines its oldest treaty ally in Asia if Philippine forces, ships or aircraft are attacked in the South China Sea. With multiple conflicts looming in what appears to be a placid expanse of sea, where dolphins and starlit night skies send seafarers grabbing for their cameras, Malabrigos skipper Julio Colarina III said he will always strive to stay on the right side of a geopolitical minefield. As much as possible well avoid conflict in the area, he said. All these competing interests just need one spark. Police in Kenya have arrested another popular pastor on the Indian Ocean coast as the number of deaths linked to a cult in the area rose to 103. Ezekiel Odero is being processed to face criminal charges related to mass killing of his followers, according to a statement by interior minister Kithure Kindiki. Odero will be questioned overnight and is expected to appear in court on Friday. His church has been closed and those who were found inside were ordered out, officials said. Exhumed bodies are laid out in the village of Shakahola (AP) Oderos megachurch, the New Life Prayer Centre Church, is in Malindi County, where another pastor, Paul Mackenzie is being investigated for directing his followers to fast until death. Police have been exhuming bodies at a ranch owned by Mackenzie, where he moved in 2019 after closing his church in Malindi. As part of the move, he reportedly sold his TV channel to Odero. Oderos channel is popular in Kenyan households, with people travelling from across the country to visit his church. His YouTube channel has more than 400,000 subscribers and 70 million views. Oderos crusades have in the past been attended by senior politicians including the wife of deputy president Rigathi Gachagua. Jackass star Bam Margera has surrendered to Pennsylvania State Police for allegedly punching his brother during an altercation four days earlier at their home in the Philadelphia suburbs. Margera was arraigned and pleaded not guilty, according to his lawyer, Michael van der Veen. The wild rumours regarding his behaviour this week are absolutely false. He is in good health and in good spirits, Mr van der Veen said in a written statement. Court records say Margera was released on 50,000 dollars (40,000) unsecured bail. The false accusations of what my brother says are not true and he will be sued for defamation as well as being evicted from castle bam He man not have any contact with his brother, father or two other people who were in the house at the time, according to his bail conditions. He also has to stay away from the house. State police said they were called to the Chester County home in response to a reported domestic disturbance on Sunday morning. Margeras brother Jesse told police that the TV star had pounded on and kicked his locked bedroom door, then punched him in the eye, nose and ear during a confrontation in the kitchen, according to court documents. Jesse Margera said he had also found a threatening handwritten note signed Bam, a police affidavit said. Margera, who also starred in MTV reality series Viva La Bam, ran from the home through dense woods before officers arrived, the affidavit said. He was charged with simple assault, harassment and four counts of terroristic threats. After his arraignment, a post on Margeras Instagram account said: Everything went great and the false accusations of what my brother says are not true and he will be sued for defamation as well as being evicted from castle bam sooner than later. His next court date is May 25. The Massachusetts Air National Guardsman accused of leaking highly classified military documents kept an arsenal of guns and said on social media that he would like to kill a ton of people, prosecutors said. The judge at 21-year-old Jack Teixeiras detention hearing put off an immediate decision on whether he should be kept in custody until his trial or released to home confinement or under other conditions. Teixeira was led away from the court in handcuffs, black rosary beads around his neck, pending that ruling. Somebody under the age of 30 has no idea that when they put something on the internet that it could end up anywhere in this world? Seriously? The court filings raise new questions about why Teixeira had such a high security clearance and access to some of the nations most classified secrets. They said he may still have material that has not been released, which could be of tremendous value to hostile nation states that could offer him safe harbour and attempt to facilitate his escape from the United States. In Teixeiras detention hearing, Magistrate Judge David Hennessy expressed scepticism about defence arguments that the government has not shown Teixeira ever intended leaked information to be widely disseminated. Somebody under the age of 30 has no idea that when they put something on the internet that it could end up anywhere in this world? the judge asked. Seriously? Teixeira entered his hearing in Worcester in orange prison garb, smiling at his father in the front row. His handcuffs were removed before he sat down and put back on when he was taken out. The judge could order Teixeira to be confined at his fathers home while awaiting trial, if not held in jail. Under questioning at the hearing, his father, Jack Michael Teixeira, said he was aware that if his son were to violate conditions of release or home confinement, he would have to report him. The elder Teixeira said he owns firearms but no longer has any in his home. Jack Michael Teixeira arrives at federal court in Worcester, Massachusetts (Steven Senne/AP) You have a young man before you who didnt flee, has nowhere to flee, said Brendan Kelley, the defendants lawyer. He will answer the charges, he will be judged by his fellow citizens. But Nadine Pellegrini, chief of the national security division in the Massachusetts US attorneys office, told the judge the information prosecutors submitted to the court about the defendants threatening words and behaviour is not speculation, it is not hyperbole, nor is it the creation of a caricature. It is based on what we know to date directly based upon the words and actions of this defendant. The prosecutions filing contains a review of what it says are Teixeiras social media posts, stating in November that he would kill a (expletive) ton of people if he had his way, because it would be culling the weak minded. Late on Wednesday, the Air Force announced it had suspended the commander of the 102nd Intelligence Support Squadron where Teixeira worked and the administrative commander overseeing the support for the unit mobilised under federal orders, pending further investigation. It also temporarily removed each leaders access to classified systems and information. Court papers urging a federal judge to keep Teixeira in custody detailed a troubling history going back to high school, where he was suspended when a classmate overheard him discussing petrol bombs and other weapons as well as racial threats. More recently, prosecutors said, he used his government computer to research mass shootings and standoffs with federal agents. He remains a grave threat to national security and a flight risk, prosecutors wrote, and investigators are still trying to determine whether he kept any physical or digital copies of classified information, including files that have not already surfaced publicly. shows Jack Teixeira being taken into custody on April 13 (WCVB-TV/AP) There simply is no condition or combination of conditions that can ensure the defendant will not further disclose additional information still in his knowledge or possession, prosecutors wrote. The damage the defendant has already caused to the US national security is immense. The damage the defendant is still capable of causing is extraordinary. Teixeira has been in jail since his arrest earlier this month on charges stemming from the greatest known intelligence leak in years. He has been charged under the Espionage Act with unauthorised retention and transmission of classified national defence information. He has not yet entered a plea. His lawyers are urging the judge to release him from jail, arguing in court papers filed on Thursday that appropriate conditions can be set even if the court finds him to be a flight risk such as confinement at his fathers home and location monitoring. The defence said Teixeira no longer has access to top-secret information and accused prosecutors of providing little more than speculation that a foreign adversary will seduce Mr Teixeira and orchestrate his clandestine escape from the United States. The governments allegations offer no support that Mr Teixeira currently, or ever, intended any information purportedly to the private social media server to be widely disseminated, they wrote. Thus, its argument that Mr Teixeira will continue to release information or destroy evidence if not detained rings hollow. A roadblock near the scene of his arrest (Steven Senne/AP) Prosecutors wrote in their filing that he kept his gun locker within reach of his bed and in it were handguns, bolt-action rifles, shotguns, an AK-style high-capacity weapon and a gas mask. They said FBI special agents also found ammunition and tactical pouches on his dresser, what appeared to be a silencer-style accessory in his desk drawer and a military-style helmet in a dumpster. He is accused of distributing highly classified documents about top national security issues in a chat room on Discord, a social media platform that started as a hangout for gamers. The leak stunned military officials, sparked an international uproar and raised fresh questions about Americas ability to safeguard its secrets. The leaked documents appear to detail US and Nato aid to Ukraine and US intelligence assessments regardingallies that could strain ties with those nations. Some show real-time details from February and March of Ukraines and Russias battlefield positions and precise numbers of battlefield gear lost and newly flowing into Ukraine from its allies. Prosecutors wrote that Teixeira, who owned multiple guns, repeatedly had detailed and troubling discussions about violence and murder on the platform where authorities say he shared the documents. In February, he told another person he was tempted to make a minivan into an assassination van, prosecutors wrote. The Justice Departments filing outlines a pattern of troubling behavior that officials say began well before he entered the military and continued in recent months, even as his position afforded him access to government secrets. Japan halted new non-humanitarian programs in Myanmar after the 2021 coup, although it did not suspend ongoing projects. By November 2021, Japan had given Myanmar about $9.6 billion in loan assistance, $2.5 billion in aid and $690 million in technical assistance. The Japanese Embassy in Myanmar said the program aimed to improve water transport in Myanmar and contribute to the economic and social development of Myanmar by donating passenger ships for coastal transport in Rakhine State. Japan delivered the three ships between 2017 and 2019 as part of the 500-million-yen (US$3.5 million) Economic and Social Development Program signed in September 2016 with the National League for Democracy government. HRW reported last year that at least 100 junta troops with military supplies were transported by the donated ships from the state capital Sittwe to Buthidaung in northern Rakhine, where the regime is fighting the Arakan Army. Japan said two out of three donated ships in Rakhine were used for military purposes last year. Ministerial spokesman Ono Hikariko said Japan will work to prevent further incidents, study the ships usage and promote the proper application of Japanese aid. Japans foreign ministry demanded that the junta prevents the use of the passenger ships for military purposes, according to the state-owned NHK media organization. Japan has objected to Myanmar juntas use of Japanese-donated ships in Rakhine State after investigating Human Rights Watch (HRW) claims. More Than a Dozen Myanmar Junta Troops Killed in Four Days of Resistance Attacks Nearly 60 Myanmar Junta Forces Killed in Four Days of Clashes With Resistance Battalion Heads, Election Official Among Dozens of Myanmar Junta Forces Killed in Three Days of Resistance Attacks Ex-UN Chief Urges Junta to Take First Steps to Lift Myanmar out of Crisis Around 50 Myanmar Junta Forces Killed in Three Days of Resistance Attacks Myanmar Junta Torches Over 450 Houses in Five Days in Resistance Stronghold Sagaing Myanmar Junta Sends More Troops to Bago After Losing Bases to Resistance We do not encourage viewing this site in this width. Please increase the size of your window. Burma Myanmars Oldest Ethnic Armed Organization Reconvenes Congress to Elect New Leadership Troops parade for the 70th Karen Revolution Day in 2019. / The Irrawaddy Myanmars oldest and most powerful ethnic armed organization, the Karen National Union (KNU), has resumed its congress to elect a new central executive committee after a two-year delay. The 17th congress was postponed for over two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the military coup. A virtual congress opened in late February but stalled. The congress resumed on Monday. A KNU source confirmed to The Irrawaddy that the congress was being held but declined to give details. The first day of the congress on Monday was attended by all the leaders from KNUs seven districts and seven brigades. However, since then leaders from KNU Brigade 2 and Brigade 5 have been absent for reasons not yet known, the source said. The congress will continue because the quorum can be met without Brigades 2 and 5, he told The Irrawaddy. KNU Brigade 5 leaders also failed to attend the virtual congress in February. In an exclusive interview with The Irrawaddy earlier this month, KNU spokesman Padoh Saw Taw Nee said: We have been holding [the congress] since February, and it is not yet finished. There are difficulties, so we are discussing and negotiating within our group. We are also negotiating with civil society organizations and holding talks with [KNU] districts that have problems. Junta forces have used infantry, air and artillery strikes in areas controlled by KNU Brigades 1, 3, 5 and 6, displacing 365,187 residents, according to the KNU human rights and research departments December report. Meanwhile, some KNU leaders are accused of having ties to Chinese criminal gangs. Global Karen Solidarity for Change, a group of 68 Karen civil society organizations, has called on the entire KNU central executive committee to resign over their alleged involvement in the so-called KK Park new city project, in a KNU Brigade 6-controlled area in the north of Myawaddy Township near the Thai border. The Chinese-owned KK Park has become notorious as a hub for human trafficking, prostitution, and online scams. The KNU is also riven with factions. Saw Nerdah Mya, the former chief of a KNU armed wing, the Karen National Defense Organization, broke away and established the Kaw Thoo Lei Army in July last year. The KNUs chairman General Saw Mutu Say Poe is now 90, and recently received treatment for high blood pressure in Thailand. Political observers say the new leadership that will emerge from the ongoing KNU congress will have a crucial impact on the countrys Spring Revolution against the Myanmar military. The Irrawaddys calls to Padoh Saw Taw Nee went unanswered. The KNU held its 16th congress in 2017. The congress takes place every four years. Myanmars Crisis & the World Ex-Myanmar Leader U Thein Seins Meetings With Foreign Dignitaries Raise Eyebrows Min Aung Hlaing salutes former president U Thein Sein during a ceremony to honor retired senior military officials in Naypyitaw on March 27, 2023. Former Myanmar president U Thein Seins recent meetings with senior Chinese official Peng Xiubin and ex-UN chief Ban Ki-moon in Naypyitaw have attracted attention among Myanmar watchers. Peng, the director-general of the International Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC), also met with former dictator Than Shwe. While the CPC has been tightlipped about Pengs meetings, Ban said in a statement that he met with the regime leaders and U Thein Sein to discuss the current situation. He emphasized the importance of all parties playing a role in securing a lasting solution to the crisis, including the parallel civilian National Unity Government (NUG), which commands the loyalty of the vast majority of Myanmar people. U Thein Seins meetings with the CPC official and the former UN secretary-general come at a time when diplomatic efforts to end the crisis in Myanmar have stalled. Given Chinas geopolitical interests in Myanmar, many believe it is likely the Chinese representative discussed finding ways to solve the countrys crisis with the former president. Its curious that both Peng and Ban met U Thein Seina former general who became president of the military proxy government when former dictator Than Shwe relinquished power in 2011in rapid succession. During his tenure, U Thein Sein attracted international praise for opening Myanmar to the world. In 2016, he handed power to the elected National League for Democracy (NLD) government led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and since then has lived a largely private life. Observers suggested that both the Chinese representative and Ban approached the former president as they see him as an alternative route to thawing Myanmars ongoing political crisis, which was sparked by the militarys seizure of power from the elected NLD government in 2021. Since then the Southeast Asian country has been engulfed by deadly violence with armed resistance to the regime spreading nationwide; the regime is still unable to control the country more than two years on, and regime leader Min Aung Hlaing is caught in a political deadlock. International diplomatic efforts to persuade him to end the violence in the country have so far failed. Thats why both China and Ban Ki-moon are likely to have turned to U Thein Sein for their meetings to see if there is anything he can do to break the countrys political impasse, said a local political observer. Reformist The former general was handpicked by the former dictator Than Shwe to lead the military proxy government in 2011 when he gave up power. U Thein Sein was hailed internationally as a reformist, and Myanmars Gorbachev in 2011-12 for liberalizing the economy, releasing political prisoners and allowing the opposition NLD to take part in the countrys mainstream politics, among other things. Current junta boss Min Aung Hlaing was the military chief in the administration of U Thein Sein, who ceded power to the NLD after its landslide victory in the 2015 election. When the military staged a coup in 2021, accusing the NLD of vote rigging in the 2020 election, U Thein Sein didnt comment. Instead, he made cash donations to the families of members of the Union Solidarity and Development Partythe militarys proxy party, of which he is a former chairmanwho were killed by resistance forces for allegedly being junta informants. The donations, and his silence about the coup, amount to a tacit endorsement of the takeover. Shortly before the election, some ex-generals-turned-high ranking officials close to U Thein Sein warned The Irrawaddy that if the NLD won another election, we will be back. Since last year, U Thein Sein has enthusiastically appeared at ceremonies held on Armed Forces Day at which Min Aung Hlaing and his subordinates pay their respects to senior ex-servicemen. During the most recent event, the ex-president delivered a speech as Min Aung Hlaing and his generals sat in poses of deep respect. Many people believe the ceremonies were simply designed to demonstrate that Min Aung Hlaing still enjoys the full backing of former generals, including the former president. Way out of the stalemate? Observers suggested that U Thein Seins former international image as a reformist, combined with his good relations with Min Aung Hlaing, make him attractive to China and others, especially neighboring countries who have been badly affected by Myanmars instability, as someone who could possibly offer a solution to the crisis. They, including Ban Ki-moon, may think U Thein Sein could be able to convince Min Aung Hlaing to find a way out for Myanmar, one analyst said. But even if the former president was asked to intervene, its unclear how he would respond. Most important of all would be Min Aung Hlaings reaction. War Against the Junta Myanmar Regime Forces Under Increasing Attack From Resistance Drones Federal Wings drone unit. Myanmar junta soldiers and outposts are increasingly being attacked by resistance drones. The number of such attacks has jumped since drones were first employed by the resistance in mid-2022, and the attacks are now much more precise and lethal. In early April, an entire column of military regime troops totaling over 100 soldiers was killed in a series of clashes that were a result of improved coordination between Peoples Defense Force (PDF) fighters and resistance drone units. Effective drone attacks have been employed in Kayah, Karen and Chin states where PDFs and ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) are conducting joint operations against the Myanmar military. In one attack in Chin State on April 13, a junta column comprising two armored cars and 20 vehicles was ambushed by a combined resistance force while traveling from Sagaing Regions Kale to the Chin capital Hakha along the Kale-Hakha road. During the fighting, both armored vehicles were badly damaged after being bombed by resistance drones. Salai Htet Ni, the spokesperson for the Chin National Front, said: We can destroy armored vehicles with drones. One burst into flames and the other was badly damaged. Both were beyond repair. In another drone attack in the first week of April, the Karen National Defense Organization, one of the armed wings of the Karen National Union, and the Federal Wings drone unit used drones to bomb a regime outpost in Waw Lay in the south of Myawaddy Township in Karen State. A junta 122mm howitzer went up in flames and scores of junta soldiers were injured, according to a video released by resistance forces. Large numbers of junta troops have been attacking resistance fighters in Kayah State since February 2023. Hundreds of junta soldiers including a lieutenant-colonel were killed in clashes with resistance forces using drones in Demoso and Bawlakhe townships. Federal Wings, a drone unit mainly operating in Karen State, said that it carried out 437 drone attacks in 2022, killing or injuring around 200 regime soldiers. Drones have become more lethal Resistance drone units told The Irrawaddy that in the early days of the revolution after the militarys 2021 coup, the resistance could only afford drones capable of carrying a few homemade grenades, due to financial and technology constraints and a lack of raw materials. Now, though, the resistance can manufacture drones able to carry three to six grenades that are as powerful as a 60mm mortar round. Federal Wings said that it now possesses multi-copter drones, fixed-wings drones and vertical take-off and landing drones, a combined and modified version of the previous two. They declined to provide further details about the drones, saying they are a military secret. Ko Lu Khit, who leads the Karenni Nationalities Defense Forces (KNDF) Explosive and Technology Unit in Kayah State, said: Our drone unit can strike targets with pinpoint precision lately as we have practiced and gained experience in their use over the past year. The destructive power of the bombs carried by drones has also increased and they are now as powerful as rifle grenades and 60mm mortar rounds. Such grenades can cause damage across an area of 100 square feet. A Federal Wings spokesperson said: The regime protects their strategic hilltop outposts with jammers. But our drone units have penetrated them and carried out bombings. The threat has just begun and there will be more destructive attacks. New drones have undergone experimental trials and there will more attacks in the future, added the spokesperson. Drones cause psychological damage to junta troops Improved drone attacks are causing not only physical damage but also psychological damage to junta soldiers, while providing greater protection for resistance forces, said drone units. Previously, PDFs and EAOs suffered heavy casualties from junta air and artillery strikes. But now resistance drone units are able to provide similar support to their fighters. As we can attack the targets with pinpoint precision now, we have become like artillery and air support for ground troops. As soon as we receive a request from ground troops, we ready ourselves in shortest period of time to join the combat, said the KNDFs Ko Lu Khit. Drone units can also impede and disrupt regime forces marching to attack resistance targets, he said. Junta troops take cover as soon as our drones arrive. They are afraid of our drones, he added. The Federal Wings spokesperson said that the greatest advantage of drones is that the resistance suffer no casualties in drone attacks. Even if we miss the target, the attack can confuse them. They now dig trenches up to 10 feet deep. Previously, their trenches were only chest deep, said the Federal Wings spokesperson. He added: Previously, drones could be only used for bombing and filming. But now commanders can view the fighting from above and give real-time instructions to troops on the ground, he told The Irrawaddy. The greater role for drones has changed the views of resistance commanders, he noted. Previously, they wanted to buy guns instead of drones. Their view has changed and now they think drones are a must have, he told The Irrawaddy. 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. The ongoing fighting in Sudan has left many Nigerians in a state of uncertainty, but there is now hope as dozens of buses have been dispatched to transport them to Egypt. Meanwhile, the death toll from the Kenya starvation cult has risen to 95, with the pastor who advocated for the cult still in custody. Finally, Eskom refuses to disclose the identities of corrupt politicians who are partly responsible for the worsening blackouts in the country. The ongoing fighting in Sudan has left many Nigerians in a state of uncertainty, but there is now hope as dozens of buses have been dispatched to transport them to Egypt. The continued violence in Sudan has caused fear and anxiety among Nigerians living in the country, but the recent development of buses being dispatched to transport them to Egypt has brought a ray of hope. The Sudanese conflict has been ongoing for years, with clashes between government forces and rebels leading to the displacement of thousands of people. Nigerians who have been living in the country have been caught in the middle of the conflict and have been desperately seeking ways to leave the country. The dispatch of buses to transport Nigerians to Egypt is a welcome development, as it offers them a way out of the conflict zone. However, the situation in Kenya has been less hopeful, as the death toll from the starvation cult has risen to 95. The cult, led by a pastor who advocated for the starvation of its members, has caused widespread outrage and condemnation. The pastor responsible for the cult is still in custody, and investigations are ongoing. The rise in the death toll has caused concern among Kenyans, who have called for justice and accountability for those responsible. The cult has highlighted the dangers of unchecked religious extremism and the need for effective measures to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. In South Africa, Eskom, the countrys electricity supplier, has refused to disclose the identities of corrupt politicians who are partly responsible for the worsening blackouts in the country. The continued power outages have caused widespread frustration and anger among South Africans, who have been calling for action to be taken against those responsible. The refusal of Eskom to disclose the identities of those responsible has been met with criticism, with many calling for transparency and accountability. The worsening blackouts have had a negative impact on the economy and have caused inconvenience and disruption to daily life. In conclusion, the situation in Sudan, Kenya, and South Africa highlights the need for effective measures to address conflict, extremism, and corruption. The dispatch of buses to transport Nigerians to Egypt offers hope for those caught in the conflict in Sudan, while the rise in the death toll from the starvation cult in Kenya highlights the need for vigilance against religious extremism. Finally, the refusal of Eskom to disclose the identities of corrupt politicians responsible for the worsening blackouts in South Africa underscores the need for transparency and accountability in public institutions. A French public prosecutor is challenging a court ruling that cleared Airbus and Air France of involuntary manslaughter in connection with a plane crash in 2009. Earlier this month, a French court acquitted the companies of the charge after a public trial relating to the disappearance of a plane en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris during an Atlantic storm. The families of the victims had sought to hold the companies criminally liable for Frances worst-ever aviation disaster, with the trial considering whether Airbus had acted too slowly and whether Air France had provided sufficient training to its pilots. Both firms had denied the charges, which carry a maximum corporate fine of 225,000 ($246,000). Air France-KLM declined to comment on the appeal, while Airbus made no immediate statement. In a recent development, Air France and Airbus have been acquitted by a French court in relation to the disappearance of a plane en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris during an Atlantic storm. This came after a public trial that was brought by the families of the victims who sought to hold the companies criminally liable for Frances worst-ever aviation disaster. The trial considered whether Airbus had acted too slowly and whether Air France had provided sufficient training to its pilots. Both companies denied the charges, which carried a maximum corporate fine of 225,000 ($246,000). The verdict has been met with mixed reactions from the families of the victims, with some expressing disappointment and others feeling that justice has not been served. Many are now looking to appeal the decision in the hopes of securing a different outcome. Air France-KLM declined to comment on the appeal, while Airbus made no immediate statement. It remains to be seen what the next steps will be in this ongoing case. This verdict highlights the complexities of holding companies accountable for incidents such as these, and the challenges that families face in seeking justice for their loved ones. It also raises important questions about the responsibilities of airlines and aircraft manufacturers in ensuring the safety of their passengers and crew. As the aviation industry continues to evolve, it is crucial that these issues are addressed and that measures are put in place to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future. The families of the victims will undoubtedly continue to fight for justice and hold those responsible to account. On Wednesday, Sudans army and a paramilitary force clashed on the outskirts of Khartoum, violating their 11-day truce. However, the army expressed a willingness to extend the ceasefire, stating that its leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, gave initial approval to a plan to extend the truce for another 72 hours and send an army envoy to the South Sudan capital, Juba, for talks. The Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had previously agreed to a three-day ceasefire due to expire late on Thursday. The military revealed that the proposal to extend the truce and talks between the two forces was borne out of a plan worked on by the presidents of South Sudan, Kenya, and Djibouti. The army statement said that Burhan thanked the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and expressed initial approval. However, there was no immediate response from the RSF. The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat discussed working together to bring a sustainable end to the conflict. Some of the heaviest fighting on Wednesday took place in Omdurman, a city adjoining Khartoum. In Khartoum, gangs looted and marauded, while elsewhere, air strikes and artillery have claimed at least 512 lives and wounded nearly 4,200 since fighting erupted on April 15, causing hospitals destruction and limiting food distribution. The World Health Organisation has warned that only 16% of health facilities are functioning in Khartoum, and predicted a rise in deaths from disease, food shortages, and lack of water and medical services, including immunization. An estimated 50,000 acutely malnourished children have, therefore, had treatment disrupted due to the conflict. According to a UN update on Wednesday, deadly clashes broke out in West Darfurs Geneina on Tuesday and Wednesday, leading to looting and civilian deaths and raising concerns about escalating ethnic tensions. The crisis has also led to growing numbers of refugees crossing Sudans borders, with the UN refugee agency estimating that 270,000 people could flee into South Sudan and Chad alone. The crisis has even resulted in death, with the White House announcing a second American citizens demise. Beyond the humanitarian crisis, civilian groups fear that the military may tighten its grip and revive the ousted autocrats loyalists. Sudans Forces of Freedom and Change (FCC) warned that the war ignited by the ousted regime would lead to the countrys collapse. The plan to transfer to civilian rule, which the FCC leads, had missed an April deadline to launch the transition to democracy, mainly because of disputes over merging the security forces. Civilian groups have also accused groups loyal to Bashir of using the conflict to find a way back to power. The ICC in The Hague has charged Bashir with genocide and Haroun with organising militias to attack civilians in Darfur in 2003 and 2004: the whereabouts of the former dictator came into question after a former minister in his government, Ali Haroun, announced that he had left Kober prison with other former officials. The conflict in Sudan continues as the army and a paramilitary force engage in battle in Khartoum, putting to the test the efforts of the US and Africa to pause the conflict. The fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has resulted in hundreds of deaths and turned residential areas into war zones, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee for their lives. The RSF accused the army of carrying out air strikes and spreading false rumours but made no reference to a proposal for talks that came from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). Though the existing three-day ceasefire brought a partial lull in fighting, air strikes and anti-aircraft fire could still be heard in Khartoum and nearby cities. The conflict has also spread to the western province of Darfur, where at least 52 people died in attacks on residential neighbourhoods in the town of El Geneina. The conflict has led to rising numbers of refugees across Sudans borders, increasing pressure on humanitarian aid efforts. Despite ongoing evacuation efforts, many foreign nationals remain stuck in Sudan as the situation continues to deteriorate. Meanwhile, the Sudan Doctors Union said that 60 out of 86 hospitals in conflict zones had stopped operating. Lithuanias national identity issues come to the fore amidst the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Russian invasion of Ukraine sparked a rally-around-the-flag effect in Lithuania as the tiny Baltic state offered refuge to dissidents fleeing violence and oppression in neighbouring Belarus and Russia. But new restrictions on migrants threaten Lithuanias liberal values. Ukrainian flags and colourful war-themed murals have sprung up in almost every neighbourhood in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, testimony to an indomitable spirit of resistance against a common enemy. Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Lithuania has been at the forefront of Western support to Kyiv. Ordinary citizens were particularly active, organising crowd-funding campaigns to buy military equipment and hosting refugees from Ukraine. The sympathy for Ukraine also extended to government, when, for instance, the Lithuanian parliament on April 6 unanimously approved a resolution proposing an invitation to Ukraine to join NATO. The fear of a new Russian aggression against its own territory has created a rally-around-the-flag effect in Lithuania. With the war in Ukraine grinding on, the small Baltic nation of 2.7 million citizens is closing ranks against possible threats from neighbouring Russia. Lithuania fought to regain its independence in 1990 after 50 years of Soviet occupation; it was previously independent from 1918 to 1940. While Russian imperialism fears are running high again in Lithuania, the response to security concerns has raised concerns over a backsliding on the countrys cherished liberal values. Security issues have become very relevant Back in 2020, Lithuania granted visas to thousands of Belarusians fleeing a crackdown in the neighbouring state following the August 2020 presidential election, which was widely seen as fraudulent, sparking massive protests. Vilnius also became the de-facto headquarters of the Belarusian opposition movement led by Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. Already a temporary home to an estimated 40,000 Belarusian citizens, Lithuania welcomed over 73,000 refugees from Ukraine after Russias February 2022 invasion. A mural in honor of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski in Vilnius, right in front of the embassy of Belarus. April 10, 2023 Sonya Ciesnik A sign that times might be changing came on April 4, when Lithuanian MPs passed a series of amendments to tighten restrictions against citizens from Russia, and in some cases, Belarus. The adopted bill will prohibit Russian citizens from buying real estate in the country for one year. In the same vein, Vilnius will no longer accept visa applications from Russian and Belarusian citizens, except for certain cases. Lithuanian lawmakers justified the measure by stating that while Belarus is not an active participant in the Ukraine war, it has provided Moscow with logistical support. Since 1991, Lithuanian territorial integrity and sovereignty have been the most relevant values, noted Aleksandra Kuczynska-Zonik, head of the Baltic Department at the Institute of Central Europe (IES). Thus, without any doubt, the Russian aggression in Ukraine has reinforced the national idea in Lithuania. Security issues have become very relevant. Some citizens, including national minorities and ethnic groups in Lithuania (15%), may claim it is nationalism and limitation of their human rights, but from the perspective of Lithuanian authorities, the aim of Lithuanian domestic and foreign policy is to develop security. While Lithuanian lawmakers cite national security concerns, Belarusian opposition and civil society groups have criticized the new measures passed by Lithuanias parliament. Poland is the best country for refugees now because there are debates in the Lithuanian parliament about whether Belarusian refugees should be allowed to extend their stay or not. Our work is to remind politicians that we are against the war, and we shouldnt be outsiders, said Anastasia Kozhapenka, director of the Warsaw-based Belarusian House Foundation. Border walls, language divides Lithuania has been pushing back against migrants, primarily from the Middle East and Africa, streaming across its border with Belarus since 2021. The government is seeking nearly 120 million euros in compensation from Belarus for orchestrating the immigration of thousands of migrants, many from Iraq, into Lithuania. The EU argues that the migrant influx was a hybrid attack orchestrated by the Belarusian regime in retaliation for international sanctions imposed due to the post-election repression. In a diplomatic note handed to Belarus, the Lithuanian foreign ministry said the 120 million euros was to cover expenses for housing migrants and strengthening our border control infrastructure that we did not have. Lithuanian soldiers patrol a road near the Lithuania-Belarus border near the village of Jaskonys, Druskininkai district some 160 km (100 miles) south of the capital Vilnius, Lithuania, on November 13, 2021. Mindaugas Kulbis, AP In August 2022, Lithuania completed a fence along its border with Belarus to fight illegal immigration, the government announced. The border wall, coupled with the new measures tightening restrictions on Russian and Belarusian citizens, have raised fears, in some quarters, of a growing nationalism in Lithuania. Most observers from Central and Eastern Europe however hesitate to apply the term nationalism to Lithuania because of its negative connotation. Nationalism exists in every country; the question is how aggressive it is. Citizenship was granted to everyone when Lithuania became independent in 1990, unlike in neighbouring Latvia and Estonia, noted Maksimas Milta, a Yale-based researcher on Eastern Europe. Russian-speaking minorities in Latvia and Estonia struggled after both countries achieved their independence. Minorities were granted an alien or non-citizen status, which meant they had documents but limited rights. Milta believes Latvia and Estonia have a deeper and more problematic divide between those who have citizenship (native speakers) and those who do not (Russian-speakers), compared to Lithuania. In Lithuania, there is a broad consensus that it doesnt matter what language you speak, as long as you are loyal to the state, he said. Checkpoint Charlie of today Russian-speakers form the second-largest linguistic group in Lithuania, accounting for 6.5% of the total population. While an overwhelming 85.3% of the population speaks Lithuanian, the country also has Polish speakers, accounting for 5.1% of the population, according to CIA figures. Moscows policy of protecting its compatriots, a term used to describe Russian-speakers, has been a concern in the Baltic states and former Soviet republics in the post-Cold War era. The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine increased those concerns, highlighting identity issues in Lithuania. National identity in Lithuania is created in opposition to Russia. All political activities including education, visa policy, media policy, migration, etcetera should be seen through the prism of security and threats from Russia. From Lithuanias perspective, we cannot treat Russias citizens in a democratic way since Russia is an authoritarian and totalitarian country, said Kuczynska-Zonik. Some observers minimize the risk of Lithuanias Russian-speakers and highlight a different threat which comes from an unexpected source. The only troublesome aspect is a Polish-speaking minority in the southeastern corner of the country and represented by a political party named Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania. It may sound like an oxymoron, but they are pro-Russian and they get their orders from the Kremlin, not Warsaw. It would be a lot less problematic if it were the other way around, said Milta. In 2008, as part of a nation branding exercise, Lithuanian communication specialists came up with the slogan, Lithuania a brave country. At that time, the countrys political elite hesitated to use the label, but today it seems more appropriate. Russias aggression has strengthened Lithuanias position in the EU as well as its resolve to defend democratic values at a European and global level. For Emanuelis Zingeris, a Lithuanian MP and Vice President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Lithuania is the Checkpoint Charlie of today, the last frontier before Russia and a bastion of resistance against autocracy. The former head of the United States National Security Agency (SNA) is revealed to have received at least $700,000 from consultancy contracts with Saudi Arabia, taking place even after the killing of journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. According to the Washington Post, which cited newly-released documents that it obtained as part of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit, the NSAs former head, Keith Alexander had secured consulting deals with foreign governments which amounted to $2 million after leaving office. While the majority of that amount was paid by the Japanese government in a $1.3 million contract to provide advice on cyber issues, his consultancy firm struck a $700,000 contract with Saudi Arabias government to advise the Kingdom on cyber-security. The revelations build on records that the paper previously obtained and reported on last year, which show that Alexanders consulting firm IronNet Cybersecurity signed a contract with Riyadh in July 2018 to develop the Prince Mohammed bin Salman College of Cyber Security, named after the controversial Saudi Crown Prince who is reported to have ordered the killing of journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, in Istanbuls Saudi consulate only months later, despite his denial of any involvement. As federal law requires retired service members to obtain government permission before they can accept any compensation from foreign powers due to concern that the payments could compromise their allegiance to Washington the US State Department approved Alexanders request to serve on the Colleges board of advisers in January 2019, three months after Khashoggis assassination. The freshly-released records are primarily a result of last years investigation, which found that over 500 retired US military personnel many of whom were generals and admirals had accepted employment from foreign nations, mostly as contractors for governments infamous for human rights abuses and political repression. After long concealing information regarding those foreign contracts and jobs, the US government was legally required to release the records when the Washington Post won a two-year legal battle with the State Department and the various sectors of the armed forces. Former head of the United States National Security Agency (SNA), Keith Alexander [wikipedia] As a retired army general and the former head of the largest US intelligence agency, Alexander is reported to have received the most foreign compensation of any retired US service member since 2012, and is among 22 retired generals and admirals who managed to secure consulting contracts and other work from Saudi Arabia over the past decade, largely as advisers to the Saudi Defence Ministry, led by bin Salman until last year. Such contracts were not limited to Saudi Arabia, but also included the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has reportedly hired more retired American service members than any other country in the world, as 280 were shown to have secured jobs as military contractors and consultants for the small Gulf power since 2015. The paper also reported that the Pentagon overwhelmingly automatically approves foreign employment requests by retired service members, with around 95 per cent of more than 500 applications submitted between 2015 and 2021 having been granted. Reddit Email 148 Shares Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) A startling new development in battery technology underscores why John Kerry is right that the US needs to cooperate with China on combating the climate crisis. The Washington Blob, the combination of lobbyists, permanent bureaucrats, national security professionals and think tanks, is always looking for an enemy to demonize. China is now being marked as a demon du jour inside the Beltway. There isnt any doubt that the US has significant policy differences with Beijing. There is no reason, however, to allow those differences to be unnecessarily militarized. Moreover, there is no reason to allow differences in some areas to forestall cooperation in others. The Chinese battery company Contemporary Amperex Technology Co.( CATL) announced at the Shanghai auto show a few days ago that it has succeeded in developing a whole new kind of battery for EVs and even airplanes, which is twice as efficient as our current lithium ion batteries. The new battery is a sodium ion technology, different from the reigning lithium ion battery that fuels most electric cars. If the new battery performs as advertised, it is potentially a huge game changer in electrification. CATL is responsible for 37% of EV battery production and is the biggest battery maker in the world. It also produces batteries for energy storage. Ford is going to build a battery factory to produce CATLs lithium ferrous phosphate batteries for use in its EVs. The partnership has drawn criticism in Congress from Sen. Marco Rubio and others, who apparently want to cut off their noses to spite their faces. Kerry, President Bidens special envoy on Climate Change, recently told Ben Adler at Yahoo News: We have to work with China, we have to work with India. We even have to find a way, ultimately, if we can resolve the war in Ukraine, to work with Russia, because Russia is a huge emitter. And any one of these countries has an ability if it doesnt move to change its energy base to make it much harder for the rest of the world, if not impossible, to reach the goals weve set. Kerry added, President Biden empowered me to reach out to China and work with China, which we have done for two years, and with some effect. He admitted that much more needs to be done. The New York Post editorial board, which is a euphemism for the expletive that is billionaire press lord Rupert Murdoch, called Kerrys remarks clueless. The Blob wants to sanction into oblivion all the countries it demonizes, but that strategy is ineffective. Even relatively weak countries like Iran have found ways around the punitive and unilateral US financial and trade blockade. Washingtons attempts to sanction Russia into being a fourth world country have largely failed, because the US is only 24% of the global GDP (Nominal), and only 15% if you figure things in local currencies (people dont pay international prices for eggs). China accounts for 19% of world GDP and an even higher percentage of world trade. So if the US sanctions you and you can deal with China instead, the US cant really hurt you. The Blob also wouldnt mind upping military tensions, because then the government will buy more goods from the arms manufacturers, who in turn pay for much of the Blob. The wisdom of Kerrys approach is apparent in CATLs announcement. Note: the below section was revised 4/29 in light of comments on an Autocar article that I had cited and which appears to have contained inaccuracies. This section now reports from the original CATL announcement in the Chinese press via Carnewschina.com. IC regrets any earlier innacuracies. Jiri Opletal at Carnewschina.com writes that CATL shared that their upcoming sodium-ion batteries, with improved energy density surpassing 200 Wh/kg, will commence mass production by 2023. Common LFP batteries have an energy density of about 90 160 Wh/kg. per 2.2 pounds (a kilogram). Article continues after bonus IC video Bloomberg TV: Chinas CATL Says New Strong Battery May Power Electric Flight Most light bulbs are 50 or 100 watts. But imagine if you had a tiny little light bulb, maybe a Christmas tree ornament, that only put out 1 watt. And imagine that you kept it on for an hour. That would be a watt hour. 200 watt hours is the like 10 20-watt light bulbs burning for an hour. One of the best current batteries, the Panasonic 2170 in the Tesla 3, has a density of 260 watt hours per 2.2 pounds. But those batteries have drawbacks, including being based on relatively expensive lithium and being prone to fires. Sodium or salt is far more common and far cheaper than lithium, and some analysts believe that sodium ion technology could achieve much greater Opletai notes that sodium ion batteries have these advantages: Safer than lithium batteries Better ability to withstand cold temperatures Slower discharge rate Cheaper to produce Better for the environment While the new batteries will be expensive to start with, they are expected to fall rapidly in price with volume manufacturing. CATL intends to put them in Chinas BYD electric car by the end of this year. So were not talking about some big change on the far horizon. This one is on our doorstep. CATL thinks that they could fuel airplanes. CATLs breakthrough means that battery-driven airplanes are no longer pie in the sky. Airplanes generate about 2.5% of global CO2 emissions. But if you could run them off batteries and charge the batteries from wind and solar, you could eliminate those emissions. It would be suicide for the US to decline to benefit from CATLs breakthrough, by boycotting all things China. And who knows where the next climate breakthrough will come from. Humanity cant afford to let petty feuds stand in the way of avoiding the worst effects of the climate emergency. Reddit Email 24 Shares By P. Joshua Griffin, University of Washington | As winds and waves from Typhoon Merbok devastated communities along the coast of Western Alaska in 2022, Reppi Swan Sr.s phone began to ring at Kivalina, a barrier island 80 miles above the Arctic Circle. A neighboring family had lost 3 feet of land to the rumbling lagoon, and their home was now sitting just 6 feet from the angry waters edge. Reppi called his brother Joe Swan Jr. and quickly slid into his insulated rain gear. As a volunteer first responder, Reppi plans for emergencies like this. He and his wife, Dolly, had been patrolling the island for dangerous erosion every few hours during the storm. To prepare, he had already inspected the citys heavy equipment and located a pile of boulders left over from a recent construction project. Working through the rain, Reppi delivered boulders to the threatened home. With their cousin Carl Swan serving as a spotter, Joe carefully arranged the boulders with a backhoe to stabilize the bank. It would hold at least until the storm subsided. With protective sea ice declining and warming Pacific waters supercharging fall storms in the Bering and Chukchi seas, Alaska Native villages like Kivalina are experiencing growing risks to coastal livelihoods and critical infrastructure, including runways. Reppis efforts reflect the challenges many front-line communities face as they struggle with the effects of climate change. Dealing with disasters has become normal Indigenous governments, nonprofits, hunters and first responders from Inupiaq, Yupik and Unangan communities across Alaska have long been preparing for todays climate hazards. They have created initiatives from coastal monitoring to relocation planning, yet state and federal support programs are underfunded and poorly structured for the scale of todays challenges. Kivalina, an Inupiaq community of 500 people, has been dealing with climate-fueled erosion and flooding for decades. Nearly 20 years ago, it was one of four villages the U.S. government determined to be facing imminent danger. In 2009, 27 additional villages were added to the list. Over the years, Reppi, Joe and scores of other volunteers in Kivalina have improvised sea walls with everything from sandbags to sheets of metal cut from the chassis of an abandoned fuel plane. Kirk Koenig As a field officer during such incidents, Reppi reflects on how difficult it is to send anyone into harms way, whether to search for a lost hunter or to save homes and infrastructure. He remembers one storm in which he put a lifeline on his volunteers as they tried to bolster the shoreline. That was the hardest thing I had to do, Reppi recalls, because one of my guys had to stay down there and tie each super sack together. To top that off, the 8-foot to 10-foot waves would just engulf them completely. He talks about Typhoon Merbok with the calm of someone for whom storm readiness and response have become normal parts of everyday life. Because they have. We just cant adapt this fast For Indigenous nations around the world, the roots of climate risk today are often colonial in origin. Kivalinas uneasiness with fall storms began shortly after 1905, when the U.S. Office of Education built a school on the island, and began a multidecade process to forcibly settle the autonomous and seminomadic Kivallinigmiut nation. In 1981, after decades of deliberation, Kivalinas municipal government initiated relocation planning as a means to gain running water and sewer services and to alleviate overcrowding. It was an attempt, as the elder Joe Swan Sr. puts it, to gain breathing room so that future generations might flourish. However, planning stalled in 2008 because of a disagreement between traditional knowledge holders in Kivalina and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the suitability of the communitys chosen site. Kivalinas relocation has now come to be framed as a response to climate change, but the initial needs that drove relocation planning still remain. Were an adaptable people, Colleen Swan, Kivalinas city administrator, told me when I started my doctoral studies 12 years ago, but since 2004, we just cant adapt this fast. That was the year pieces of the island began shearing off into the sea. The local value of the Arctics diminishing sea ice Historically, Kivalinas sea ice would form early enough to protect the coast from fall storms. But with climate change, it forms much later, if at all, leaving the shoreline vulnerable to increased wave activity. On March 6, 2023, when Arctic sea ice hit its maximum extent for the year, it was the fifth-lowest maximum extent on the satellite record. Kivalina had open water less then 2 miles (3.2 km) out from town, a fraction of whats needed for a successful bowhead whale hunt. Replogle Swan Sr. In 2008, Colleen was among local leaders who initiated the landmark climate justice lawsuit Kivalina v. ExxonMobil. The community sought up to US$400 million in restitution from the 24 largest greenhouse gas emitters in the U.S., companies whose profits are driving climate change. That would have been enough to cover the costs of comprehensive village relocation. The case was dismissed by a federal court, a decision upheld by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2012. A year later, the Supreme Court refused to consider any further appeal. With the media attention generated by the lawsuit, Colleen has become globally recognized as a front-line leader for climate justice. She has spoken across the U.S. and was part of an Indigenous delegation to the U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen in 2009. Today, shes busy addressing climate change on a different scale. Colleen now manages Kivalinas Volunteer Search and Rescue, known as SAR, and her brother Reppi serves as its president. Kivalina SAR is an association of hunters and first responders that plays a crucial role in community safety, coastal resilience and hunter support. But climate change has changed the nature of the organization. In the past, search and rescue looked for people who were lost or late returning from a hunt. But with late freeze-up, thin ice and melting permafrost, she explains, Were spending more time helping people because of changes to environmental conditions. Through fundraising, capacity building, and strategic partnerships, Colleen is building up SAR to respond to new hazards as it faces a rapidly changing environment. Infrastructure investments remain unfinished From 2008 to 2009, the Army Corps of Engineers constructed 1,600 feet of a planned 2,000-foot rock revetment wall to help protect the island. These partial protections, built when funds were available, have been effective, but they leave critical infrastructure and lagoonside homes exposed as Typhoon Merbok made clear. As Reppi tells me, Were always going to have erosion. When erosion from fall storms threatened the airport runway in 2019, city leaders made the difficult decision to redeploy boulders from the existing rock revetment. Janet Mitchell Without comprehensive planning and funding, key segments of the community remain at risk. Kivalinas first responders must remain vigilant. After 10 years of lobbying state and federal agencies, Kivalinas tribal and city councils secured an 8-mile evacuation road to Kisimigiuqtuq Hill that opened in November 2020. With the state of Alaska compelled by a lawsuit to remedy its systemic underfunding of Alaska Native schools, the Northwest Arctic Borough School District joined the project, opening a new school at Kisimigiuqtuq Hill in November 2022. Yet these achievements have also brought new concerns, and Reppi and Colleen are preparing their volunteers to respond to other types of problems, such as road accidents or stranded vehicles. Janet Mitchell Since Kivalinas Search and Rescue purchased its first truck in the summer of 2021, Reppi has made regular patrols to study every bend of the poorly lit and steeply pitched road often through blowing snow. When Kivalinas children began riding a school bus for the first time, he followed close behind up and back, three times a day just in case. At times this winter, Kivalinas school bus has been without a certified driver, or sidelined with mechanical issues. When the transportation burden falls on individual families, those without a vehicle, or unable to afford the high cost of fuel, are missing school outright. Lacking adequate snow removal equipment, heavy snow and high winds kept Kivalinas school closed the entire month of March. Community efforts fill critical adaptation gap While Kivalina, like many other Indigenous communities, has been clear about its climate adaptation priorities, support from federal and international institutions has been limited. The Biden administration recently made $115 million available to help 11 Indigenous communities with relocation, but the Army Corps estimated Kivalina alone would need $250 million to $400 million. Kivalina wasnt on the list. Indigenous coastal communities bear a disproportionate amount of risk from climate change, and the costs of adaptation often go uncompensated. Without comprehensive investment in local priorities from planning and infrastructure to capacity-building organizations like Kivalinas Search and Rescue will continue to fill a critical gap, performing the invisible labor of climate adaptation. P. Joshua Griffin, Assistant Professor of Marine and Environmental Affairs and American Indian Studies, University of Washington This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The women of Vieques, an island off the east coast of Puerto Rico, have been on the front lines of the generations-long struggle for peace and justice to end the havoc wrought by U.S. foreign policy on their island, in their homes, and on their bodies. ( Foreign Policy in Focus) Puerto Ricans had no say in the U.S. war of conquest with Spain over its colonial possessions or in the Treaty of Paris that dictated they were to become the property of a new empire. The United States acted according to a well-crafted strategic narrative of white saviorism and American exceptionalism without concern for the people whose land it stole. It wanted to further its control to the south and east via its expansionist foreign policy and it needed to extend military power beyond its violently acquired borders to do so; the Monroe Doctrine of 1823, known as the cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy, provided the impetus. In 1941 began the first surge of forced removals in Vieques, an island off the east coast of Puerto Rico. Once again, there was no democratic process, no vote, and no consent was sought or given. This land theft process began shortly before Pearl Harbor. Sugar plantation workers lost their jobs as families were forced from their homes and the subsistence farming plots that fed them. With as little as a 24-hour notice, their belongings were tossed into uncleared resettlement plots that lacked any previous conditioning, water, or basic sanitary provisions, and their family homes were bulldozed. Some, including pregnant women and children, were given only tarps to live under for three months until the Navy brought materials for them to build a new home. Under these conditions, several people became severely ill, and a pregnant woman died. The second wave of forced removals began in the fall of 1947 with the implementation of the Truman Doctrine. This doctrine marked the shift in U.S. foreign policy toward interventionism in the affairs of other nations to further the interests of the United States and expand its global presence, leading the Department of Defense to become one of the largest real-estate holders, with almost 4,800 sites worldwide , covering over 27.2 million acres of property. In Vieques, the Pentagon upended the agricultural economy with its seizures of 17,500 acres of agricultural land to create an extensive practice range for war exercises and weapons testing. This land seizure effectively displaced 40 percent of the available workforce and restricted the local food supply. By 1948, the U.S. Navy had forcibly taken a total of 77 percent of the island of Vieques away from its people and set the stage for an extreme assault on non-human life. The displaced Viequenses were either sent out of Puerto Rico or squashed into the overcrowded remaining 23 percent of their island. Meanwhile, the Navy allocated the westernmost portion of the island to the Naval Munitions Support Detachment (NASD), 100 acres of which the Navy still occupies with its Relocatable-Over-the-Horizon Radar system (ROHR). The eastern segment was divided into the Eastern Maneuver Area (EMA), the Atlantic Fleet Weapons Training Facility (AFWTF), the Surface Impact Area (SIA), and the Live Impact Area (LIA). The Navy held its first large-scale joint training exercise, Operation Portrex, on Vieques in March of 1950. It was the biggest war game at the time, involving more than 32,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne division and the United States Marine Corps, supported by the Navy and Airforce all with the purpose of preparing the United States for its part in the Korean War. Via Pixabay. Brigadier General Edwin L. Sibert, the assistant director of operations for the Central Intelligence Group (now known as the Central Intelligence Agency) at the time of his participation in Portrex, described how this relatively new practice of conducting large-scale and realistic maneuvers in the time of peace, incorporating new developments not only in weapons and tactics, but also in intelligence, psychological, and paramilitary devices, provides assurance that the first battles of the next war will at least be fought with the methods of the last maneuvers. Conducting large-scale and realistic maneuvers has exposed Viequenses to the same conditions as the civilian populations of numerous target countries in U.S. wars of choice and conquest over the course of nearly six decades. These conditions have included being subjected to the sights, sounds, smells, and sensations of exploding bombs, gunfire, deployment of chemical weapons, aerial attacks, and ship-to-shore bombardment. Conventional warfare tactics were accompanied by psychological warfare and conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). International Humanitarian Law defines the use of sexual violence in conflict as a war crime and can also be considered a crime against humanity in certain contexts. Yet somehow these considerations do not apply to all impacted communities, nor do they ensure that the United States is held accountable for its brutal actions in this regard. Social scientists have collected testimonies from Viequense women concerning sexually violent conduct of military personnel, who sometimes numbered as many as 100,000 in place with a population of roughly 10,000 inhabitants. One woman related the legacy of the military occupation of the island [to] how women in the 50s and 60s were confined to their homes by the presence of drunken sailors in the street. Another woman told how her mother would keep a machete under her pillow to defend her family in case carousing sailors broke into the house. There are countless other stories that have been silenced and ignored. Many of these women have been central to resisting the militarization of Vieques, including through the campaign Justice for Vieques Now. Their demands are straightforward. They have called for demilitarization, including the removal of Relocatable Over-The-Horizon Radar system and Mount Pirata Telecommunications Center. Theyve campaigned for decontamination, involving enclosed detonation of unexploded ordnance to mitigate the ongoing harm to community health from open detonation, Theyve demanded the restoration and return of all lands controlled by the federal government. And theyve supported a community-directed Master Plan for Sustainable Development of Vieques approved in 2004, in addition to a modern hospital and compensation for health problems related to military activity. Although the United States paints a so-called feminist face on its twenty-first-century implementation of the Monroe Doctrine, women in Vieques are still fighting for justice and trying to heal their community from the toxic legacy of U.S. foreign policy, while the very government that claims to defend their freedom ignores their demands. The plight of Vieques is a prime example of why U.S. foreign policy must be critically analyzed, called into question, and restrained by the people of the United States in whose name unspeakable harm is being doneabroad and within their own communities. U.S. citizens should be asking who profits from U.S. interventionism, who develops U.S. foreign policy, whose interests are served and who pays the price, who wins when the very earth that sustains us is contaminated by unnecessary military activity and cant produce food. After 200 years, the time has come to do away with the colonial law of the past that has plagued our communities in Latin America and the Caribbean for far too long. Its time for the abolition of the Monroe Doctrine, the Jones Act, and the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act. Vancouver, BC, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Skyharbour Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: SYH) (OTCQX: SYHBF) (Frankfurt: SC1P) (the Company) is pleased to announce that it has acquired 100% of the South Dufferin Uranium Project (South Dufferin or the Project) from Denison Mines Corp. (Denison). The South Dufferin Project comprises 12,282 hectares (30,349 acres) over nine claims in the Athabasca Basin, which is host to the highest-grade uranium deposits in the world and is consistently ranked as a top mining jurisdiction by the Fraser Institute. South Dufferin Property Map: The new properties recently staked along with South Dufferin bring Skyharbours total land package that it has ownership interest in to 504,356 hectares (1,246,290 acres), across twenty-four properties, representing one of the largest project portfolios in the region. As the Company remains focused at its ongoing 10,000m drill program at the Russell Lake project, South Dufferin will become a part of Skyharbours prospect generator business as the Company will seek strategic partners to advance this asset. Skyharbours New Uranium Project Portfolio Map: Jordan Trimble, President and CEO of Skyharbour Resources, states: We are very pleased to have reached an agreement with Denison to acquire a 100% interest in South Dufferin, adding to our recently staked properties and to our dominant uranium project portfolio in the Athabasca Basin. South Dufferin complements our more advanced-stage exploration assets including Russell Lake, Moore and South Falcon Point, and provides additional ground to option or joint-venture out to new partner companies as a part of our prospect generator business. Furthermore, Denison Mines has been a valuable strategic partner for a number of years and we welcome them as an even larger shareholder now. David Cates, President and CEO of Denison Mines and a Director of Skyharbour, states: Skyharbour has a large exploration project portfolio, with a unique mix of partner-optioned and funded projects as well as the dual-flagship and Skyharbour-operated Russell Lake and Moore Lake properties. With this transaction, Denison increases its ownership in Skyharbour in exchange for a prospective exploration property that became non-core in the Denison portfolio given our development and exploration focus in areas proximal to our flagship Wheeler River and McClean Lake properties. We are pleased to increase our shareholdings in Skyharbour and look forward to the continued collaboration between our companies. Summary of South Dufferin Project: The South Dufferin project totals 12,282 hectares in eight claims and is located immediately south of the southern margin of the Athabasca Basin in northern Saskatchewan. The property covers the southern extension of the Virgin River Shear Zone, which hosts known high-grade uranium mineralization at Cameco Corp.'s Dufferin Lake zone approximately 13 kilometres to the north (highlight drill results of 1.73% U 3 O 8 over 6.5 metres) and Cameco Corp.'s Centennial deposit approximately 25 kilometres to the north (includes drill intersections up to 8.78% U 3 O 8 over 33.9 metres). South Dufferin Property Map: Historical exploration work on the Project consists of airborne EM, magnetic, and radiometric surveys, lake water and sediment sampling, prospecting and ground-truthing of airborne anomalies, geological mapping, and diamond drilling. Some of the historical drill holes intersected elevated uranium with locally anomalous base metal and boron concentrations as well as significant clay alteration. Exploration potential exists for basement-hosted uranium mineralization associated with the Dufferin Lake fault and parallel faults within the Virgin Lake Shear zone. With numerous mineralized showings to the north of the Project, exploration efforts at South Dufferin have advanced the project to a discovery-ready state. Significant exploration potential exists for basement-hosted uranium mineralization associated with the Dufferin Lake fault, which has an apparent offset of >200 m, and numerous other parallel faults within the Virgin River Shear zone. The project is drill ready with numerous prospective targets warranting follow up work. South Dufferin Target Map: The claims are in good standing for several years and there are no underlying royalties on the property except for a 2% NSR on one of the claims. Skyharbour also owns a 922 hectare claim adjacent to South Dufferin bringing the cumulative total to 13,204 hectares (32,628 acres) over ten claims. Terms of the Agreement: Under the terms of the Purchase Agreement, which is subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval, Skyharbour may acquire a 100% interest in the South Dufferin project in consideration for the issuance of 6,000,000 shares, 1,000,000 non-transferable share purchase warrants (the "Warrant"), and a cash payment totaling CAD $125,000. Each Warrant will entitle Denison to purchase one common share of Skyharbour for a period of two years at a price of $0.60 per share. No finders fees were paid in relation to the acquisition of the South Dufferin Property. The transaction constitutes a Related Party Transaction in accordance with MI 61-101 due to a common director on each of the Company and Denisons Board. The Company is relying on the exemption from the formal valuation requirement contained in section 5.5 and the minority shareholder approval requirement contained in section 5.7 of MI 61-101. Furthermore, at Skyharbours 100% owned Moore Lake Uranium Project, Denison has agreed to not exercise a second buyback option to repurchase a 51% interest in the property by making a cash payment of CAD $500,000 and spending CAD $16,500,000 in exploration expenditures on the property over a four-year period. Skyharbour continues to own the project 100% without any buyback encumbrance on the project. Qualified Person: The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 and reviewed and approved by David Billard, P.Geo., a Consulting Geologist for Skyharbour as well as a Qualified Person. About Skyharbour Resources Ltd.: Skyharbour holds an extensive portfolio of uranium exploration projects in Canada's Athabasca Basin and is well positioned to benefit from improving uranium market fundamentals with twenty-four projects, ten of which are drill-ready, covering over 504,356 hectares of land. Skyharbour has acquired from Denison Mines, a large strategic shareholder of the Company, a 100% interest in the Moore Uranium Project which is located 15 kilometres east of Denison's Wheeler River project and 39 kilometres south of Cameco's McArthur River uranium mine. Moore is an advanced-stage uranium exploration property with high-grade uranium mineralization at the Maverick Zone that returned drill results of up to 6.0% U 3 O 8 over 5.9 metres including 20.8% U 3 O 8 over 1.5 metres at a vertical depth of 265 metres. Adjacent to the Moore Uranium Project is Skyharbours recently optioned Russell Lake Uranium Project from Rio Tinto, which hosts historical high-grade uranium drill intercepts over a large property area with robust exploration upside potential. The Company is actively advancing these projects through exploration and drill programs. Skyharbour has a joint-venture with industry-leader Orano Canada Inc. at the Preston Project whereby Orano has earned a 51% interest in the project through exploration expenditures and cash payments. Skyharbour now owns a 24.5% interest in the Project. Skyharbour also has a joint venture with Azincourt Energy at the East Preston Project whereby Azincourt has earned a 70% interest in the project through exploration expenditures, cash payments and share issuance. Skyharbour now owns a minority interest in the Project. Preston and East Preston are large, geologically prospective properties proximal to Fission Uranium's Triple R deposit as well as NexGen Energy's Arrow deposit. Skyharbour has several active option partners including: ASX-listed Valor Resources on the Hook Lake Uranium Project, CSE-listed Basin Uranium Corp. on the Mann Lake Uranium Project, and CSE-listed Medaro Mining Corp. on the Yurchison Project. More recently, Skyharbour announced two new earn-in option agreements with Yellow Rocks Energy, a private Australian entity, to option the Wallee and Usam Island projects, and Tisdale Clean Energy at the South Falcon East Project. The Company also owns a 100% interest in the South Falcon Point Uranium Project on the eastern perimeter of the Basin which is host to the Fraser Lakes Zone B Uranium and Thorium Deposit. Skyharbour has recently optioned the South Falcon East Project, a uranium project in the southeast Athabasca Basin and represents a portion of the larger South Falcon Project, to Tisdale Clean Energy whereby Tisdale will fund exploration, pay Skyharbour in cash, and issue shares of the company over a five-year earn-in period. Collectively, Skyharbour has now signed option agreements with partners that total over $34 million in partner-funded exploration expenditures, over $22 million in stock being issued and just under $15 million in cash payments coming into Skyharbour, assuming that these partner companies earn-in the full amount at their respective projects. Skyharbour's goal is to maximize shareholder value through new mineral discoveries, committed long-term partnerships, and the advancement of exploration projects in geopolitically favourable jurisdictions. Skyharbours Uranium Project Map in the Athabasca Basin: To find out more about Skyharbour Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: SYH) visit the Companys website at www.skyharbourltd.com. SKYHARBOUR RESOURCES LTD. Jordan Trimble Jordan Trimble President and CEO For further information contact myself or: Nicholas Coltura Corporate Development and Communications Skyharbour Resources Ltd. Telephone: 604-558-5847 Toll Free: 800-567-8181 Facsimile: 604-687-3119 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE. 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 an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor in any other jurisdiction. This release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that management of the Company expects, are forward-looking statements, including the Private Placement. Although management believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. 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 actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements, include market prices, exploration and development successes, regulatory approvals, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Please see the public filings of the Company at www.sedar.com for further information. (All amounts are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated) TORONTO, April 26, 2023 /CNW/ - New Gold Inc. ("New Gold" or the "Company") (TSX: NGD) (NYSE American: NGD) reports first quarter results for the Company as of March 31, 2023. The Company will host a conference call and webcast tomorrow, April 27, 2023 at 8:30 am Eastern Time to discuss the first quarter consolidated results (details are provided at the end of this news release). For detailed information, please refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A") and financial statements for the quarter ended March 31, 2023 that are available on the Company's website at www.newgold.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The Company uses certain non-GAAP financial performance measures throughout this news release. Please refer to the "Non-GAAP Financial Performance Measures" section of this news release and the MD&A for more information. Numbered note references throughout this news release are to endnotes which can be found at the end of this news release. Consolidated First Quarter Highlights Gold equivalent 1 ("gold eq.") production for the quarter of 104,857 ounces (82,477 ounces of gold, 10.3 million pounds of copper and 137,698 ounces of silver) ("gold eq.") production for the quarter of 104,857 ounces (82,477 ounces of gold, 10.3 million pounds of copper and 137,698 ounces of silver) Operating expenses of $1,086 per gold eq. ounce per gold eq. ounce All-in sustaining costs 2 of $1,486 per gold eq. ounce, including total cash costs 2 of $1,134 per gold eq. ounce of per gold eq. ounce, including total cash costs of per gold eq. ounce Average realized gold price 2 of $1,890 per ounce and average realized copper price 2 of $4.10 per pound of per ounce and average realized copper price of per pound Cash generated from operations of $61 million , or $0.09 per share , or per share Cash generated from operations, before changes in non-cash operating working capital 2 of $76 million , or $0.11 per share of , or per share Net loss of $32 million , or $0.05 per share , or per share Adjusted net earnings 2 of $18 million , or $0.03 per share of , or per share During the quarter, the Company sold its shares in Artemis Gold Inc. for approximately C$31.5 million Cash and cash equivalents of $197 million as at March 31, 2023 as at Subsequent to the quarter, on April 26, 2023 , the Company amended its revolving credit facility, extending the maturity date to December 2026 from December 2025 , the Company amended its revolving credit facility, extending the maturity date to from Rob Chausse , New Gold's Chief Financial Officer, to retire at the end of 2023, and will assist with the planned transition of responsibilities through the remainder of the year "The first quarter saw New Gold have one of its strongest and safest starts in recent years," stated Patrick Godin, President & CEO. "We delivered a 20% increase in gold equivalent production and lower all-in sustaining costs, significantly increasing our margins over the prior-year period. I am incredibly proud that our operations excelled without sacrificing the safety of our teams as both sites experienced no lost time injuries during the quarter. New Afton reached an impressive milestone of exceeding 1 million hours since their last lost time injury, and Rainy River surpassed 1.6 million hours. With our strong start to the year, we are well positioned to meet our guidance ranges set out earlier in the year." "We maintained our focus on the longer-term strategy of New Gold and made meaningful advancements both operationally and financially. We strengthened our balance sheet and improved our financial flexibility with the sale of our Artemis Gold shares during the quarter and extending our credit facility term by one year. We continued to advance underground development at the Intrepid underground zone and underground optimization opportunities at Rainy River, as well as C-Zone development at New Afton. I am happy that we enhanced our team's bench strength by adding an experienced Chief Operating Officer in Yohann Bouchard as well as Luke Buchanan VP, Technical Services and Jean-Francois Ravenelle VP, Geology, to our technical team. They will be assets to the Company as we continue to pursue our mission of being a leading intermediate gold and copper producer," added Mr. Godin. "I would also like to acknowledge Rob's retirement at the end of this year. Since joining the Company in 2018, Rob has been instrumental in transforming and strengthening the Company and our balance sheet to what it is today. On behalf of New Gold, we thank Rob for his contribution and his leadership over the past 5 years, and we are grateful to have his guidance during this transition phase. We wish Rob all the best in retirement," added Mr. Godin. "Concurrently, I am excited to announce Keith Murphy has been promoted to VP, Finance and will assume greater finance responsibilities going forward. Keith has been a key member of our finance team, working at New Gold for 10 years, with the last 5 years under Rob's guidance. I look forward to working with him closely in his new role." Consolidated Financial Highlights Q1 2023 Q1 2022 Revenue ($M) 201.6 174.7 Operating expenses ($M) 117.2 95.2 Net (loss) earnings ($M) (31.8) (7.8) Net (loss) earnings, per share ($) (0.05) (0.01) Adj. net earnings ($M)2 18.4 10.3 Adj. net earnings, per share ($)2 0.03 0.02 Cash generated from operations ($M) 60.6 67.8 Cash generated from operations, per share ($) 0.09 0.10 Cash generated from operations, before changes in non-cash operating working capital ($M)2 75.7 66.4 Cash generated from operations, before changes in non-cash operating working capital, per share ($)2 0.11 0.10 Revenue increased over the prior-year period due to higher gold and copper sales volume, partially offset by lower gold and copper prices. Operating expenses increased over the prior-year period primarily due to higher operating tonnes mined at both sites. Net loss increased over the prior-year period primarily due to an unrealized loss on the revaluation of the Rainy River gold stream obligation and the New Afton free cash flow interest obligation. Adjusted net earnings 2 increased over the prior-year period due to higher revenue and lower exploration and business development costs, partially offset by higher operating expenses, and depreciation and depletion. increased over the prior-year period due to higher revenue and lower exploration and business development costs, partially offset by higher operating expenses, and depreciation and depletion. Cash generated from operations for the quarter decreased over the prior-year period due to negative working capital movements, partially offset by higher revenue. Consolidated Operational Highlights Q1 2023 Q1 2022 Gold eq. production (ounces)1 104,857 87,696 Gold eq. sold (ounces)1 107,931 92,536 Gold production (ounces) 82,477 68,101 Gold sold (ounces) 87,206 70,562 Copper production (Mlbs) 10.3 8.2 Copper sold (MIbs) 9.5 9.2 Gold revenue, per ounce ($) 1,864 1,881 Copper revenue, per pound ($) 3.79 4.26 Average realized gold price, per ounce ($)2 1,890 1,897 Average realized copper price, per pound ($)2 4.10 4.53 Operating expenses, per gold eq. ounce ($) 1,086 1,029 Total cash costs, per gold eq. ounce ($)2 1,134 1,069 Depreciation and depletion, per gold eq. ounce ($) 514 529 All-in sustaining costs, per gold eq. ounce ($)2 1,486 1,778 Sustaining capital ($M)2 26.3 52.6 Growth capital ($M)2 36.8 22.9 Total capital ($M) 63.1 75.6 Rainy River Mine Operational Highlights Rainy River Mine Q1 2023 Q1 2022 Gold eq. production (ounces)1 67,596 59,895 Gold eq. sold (ounces)1 73,412 61,684 Gold production (ounces) 66,201 58,834 Gold sold (ounces) 71,891 60,635 Gold revenue, per ounce ($) 1,882 1,891 Average realized gold price, per ounce ($)2 1,882 1,891 Operating expenses, per gold eq. ounce ($) 1,014 948 Total cash costs, per gold eq. ounce ($)2 1,014 948 Depreciation and depletion, per gold eq. ounce ($) 541 628 All-in sustaining costs, per gold eq. ounce ($)2 1,383 1,592 Sustaining capital ($M)2 22.3 34.9 Growth capital ($M)2 5.7 4.9 Total capital ($M) 28.0 39.8 Operating Key Performance Indicators Rainy River Mine Q1 2023 Q1 2022 Tonnes mined per day (ore and waste) 118,481 118,657 Ore tonnes mined per day 36,380 20,019 Operating waste tonnes per day 60,360 35,199 Capitalized waste tonnes per day 21,741 63,438 Total waste tonnes per day 82,101 98,637 Strip ratio (waste:ore) 2.26 4.93 Tonnes milled per calendar day 22,400 24,318 Gold grade milled (g/t) 1.12 0.92 Gold recovery (%) 91 91 Gold eq. 1 production was 67,596 ounces (66,201 ounces of gold and 110,976 ounces of silver), an increase over the prior-year period due to higher gold grade with the inclusion of higher grade underground tonnes, partially offset by lower tonnes processed. Production is expected to strengthen in the second half of the year and represent approximately 55% of the annual production. production was 67,596 ounces (66,201 ounces of gold and 110,976 ounces of silver), an increase over the prior-year period due to higher gold grade with the inclusion of higher grade underground tonnes, partially offset by lower tonnes processed. Production is expected to strengthen in the second half of the year and represent approximately 55% of the annual production. Operating expense per gold eq. ounce increased over the prior-year period as a result of higher costs associated with production from the Intrepid underground zone and increased costs associated with mill maintenance performed in the quarter, partially offset by higher sales volume. All-in sustaining costs 2 per gold eq. ounce decreased over the prior-year period due to lower sustaining capital spend and higher sales volume. per gold eq. ounce decreased over the prior-year period due to lower sustaining capital spend and higher sales volume. Total capital decreased over the prior-year period due to lower sustaining capital, partially offset by higher growth capital. Sustaining capital 2 primarily related to capitalized waste, as well as capital maintenance, and the commencement of the annual tailings dam raise. Growth capital 2 primarily related to the development of the Intrepid underground zone, which advanced 388 metres during the quarter. primarily related to capitalized waste, as well as capital maintenance, and the commencement of the annual tailings dam raise. Growth capital primarily related to the development of the Intrepid underground zone, which advanced 388 metres during the quarter. Free cash flow2 for the quarter was $15 million (net of an $8 million stream payment), which is consistent with the prior-year period. New Afton Mine Operational Highlights New Afton Mine Q1 2023 Q1 2022 Gold eq. production (ounces)1 37,261 27,800 Gold eq. sold (ounces)1 34,519 30,852 Gold production (ounces) 16,276 9,267 Gold sold (ounces) 15,316 9,927 Copper production (Mlbs) 10.3 8.2 Copper sold (Mlbs) 9.5 9.2 Gold revenue, per ounce ($) 1,782 1,818 Copper revenue, per ounce ($) 3.79 4.26 Average realized gold price, per ounce ($)2 1,928 1,935 Average realized copper price, per pound ($)2 4.10 4.53 Operating expenses, per gold eq. ounce ($) 1,240 1,192 Total cash costs, per gold eq. ounce ($)2 1,392 1,313 Depreciation and depletion, per gold eq. ounce ($) 449 325 All-in sustaining costs, per gold eq. ounce ($)2 1,526 1,913 Sustaining capital ($M)2 4.0 17.7 Growth capital ($M)2 31.1 18.0 Total capital ($M) 35.0 35.7 Operating Key Performance Indicators New Afton Mine Q1 2023 Q1 2022 Tonnes mined per day (ore and waste) 9,185 7,028 Tonnes milled per calendar day 8,142 10,299 Gold grade milled (g/t) 0.78 0.38 Gold recovery (%) 89 83 Copper grade milled (%) 0.70 0.49 Copper recovery (%) 91 81 Gold eq. 1 production was 37,261 ounces (16,276 ounces of gold and 10.3 million pounds of copper), an increase over the prior-year period due to higher gold and copper grade and recovery, partially offset by lower tonnes processed. production was 37,261 ounces (16,276 ounces of gold and 10.3 million pounds of copper), an increase over the prior-year period due to higher gold and copper grade and recovery, partially offset by lower tonnes processed. Operating expense per gold eq. ounce increased over the prior-year period primarily due to the inclusion of ore purchase costs from existing ore purchase agreements, partially offset by higher sales volume. All-in sustaining costs 2 per gold eq. ounce decreased over the prior-year period due to lower sustaining capital spend and higher sales volume. per gold eq. ounce decreased over the prior-year period due to lower sustaining capital spend and higher sales volume. Total capital was in-line with the prior-year period, primarily due to lower sustaining capital spend offset by higher growth capital spend. Sustaining capital 2 primarily related to tailings management and stabilization activities. Growth capital 2 primarily related to C-Zone development, which advanced 1,172 metres in the quarter. primarily related to tailings management and stabilization activities. Growth capital primarily related to C-Zone development, which advanced 1,172 metres in the quarter. Free cash flow2 for the quarter was a net outflow of $19 million , an increase over the prior-year period as the prior-year period included a free cash flow interest payment to Ontario Teacher's Pension Plan. First Quarter 2023 Conference Call and Webcast The Company will host a webcast and conference call tomorrow, April 27, 2023 at 8:30 am Eastern Time to discuss the Company's first quarter consolidated results. Participants may listen to the webcast by registering on our website at www.newgold.com or via the following link https://app.webinar.net/1WzxeYqeXnB Participants may also listen to the conference call by calling North American toll free 1-888-664-6383, or 1-416-764-8650 outside of the U.S. and Canada , passcode 03648094 , passcode 03648094 To join the conference call without operator assistance, you may register and enter your phone number at https://emportal.ink/3lcb9RU to receive an instant automated call back A recorded playback of the conference call will be available until May 27, 2023 by calling North American toll free 1-888-390-0541, or 1-416-764-8677 outside of the U.S. and Canada , passcode 648094. An archived webcast will also be available at www.newgold.com About New Gold New Gold is a Canadian-focused intermediate mining company with a portfolio of two core producing assets in Canada, the Rainy River gold mine and the New Afton copper-gold mine. The Company also holds other Canadian-focused investments. New Gold's vision is to build a leading diversified intermediate gold company based in Canada that is committed to the environment and social responsibility. For further information on the Company, visit www.newgold.com. For further information, please contact: Endnotes 1. Total gold eq. ounces include silver and copper produced/sold converted to a gold equivalent. All copper is produced/sold by the New Afton Mine. Gold eq. ounces for Rainy River in Q1 2023 includes production of 110,976 ounces of silver (121,027 ounces sold) converted to a gold eq. based on a ratio of $1,750 per gold ounce and $22.00 per silver ounce used for 2023 guidance estimates. Gold eq. ounces for New Afton in Q1 2023 includes10.3 million pounds of copper produced (9.5 million pounds sold) and 26,722 ounces of silver produced (23,651 ounces of silver sold) converted to a gold eq. based on a ratio of $1,750 per gold ounce, $3.50 per copper pound and $22.00 per silver ounce used for 2023 guidance estimates. 2. "Total cash costs", "all-in sustaining costs", "adjusted net earnings/(loss)", "adjusted tax expense", "sustaining capital and sustaining leases", "growth capital", "cash generated from operations", "free cash flow", and "average realized gold/copper price per ounce/pound" are all non-GAAP financial performance measures that are used in this news release. These measures do not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. For more information about these measures, why they are used by the Company, and a reconciliation to the most directly comparable measure under IFRS, see the "Non-GAAP Financial Performance Measures" section of this news release. Non-GAAP Financial Performance Measures Total Cash Costs per Gold eq. Ounce "Total cash costs per gold equivalent ounce" is a non-GAAP financial performance measure that is a common financial performance measure in the gold mining industry but does not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. New Gold reports total cash costs on a sales basis and not on a production basis. The Company believes that, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, this measure, along with sales, is a key indicator of the Company's ability to generate operating earnings and cash flow from its mining operations. This measure allows investors to better evaluate corporate performance and the Company's ability to generate liquidity through operating cash flow to fund future capital exploration and working capital needs. Notwithstanding the impact of copper and silver sales, as the Company is focused on gold production, New Gold aims to assess the economic results of its operations in relation to gold, which is the primary driver of New Gold's business. New Gold believes this metric is of interest to its investors, who invest in the Company primarily as a gold mining business. To determine the relevant costs associated with gold equivalent ounces, New Gold believes it is appropriate to reflect all operating costs incurred in its operations. All-In Sustaining Costs per Gold eq. Ounce Costs excluded from all-in sustaining costs are non-sustaining capital expenditures, non-sustaining lease payments and exploration costs, financing costs, tax expense, and transaction costs associated with mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, and any items that are deducted for the purposes of adjusted earnings. Sustaining Capital and Sustaining Leases "Sustaining capital" and "sustaining lease" are non-GAAP financial performance measures that do not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. New Gold defines "sustaining capital" as net capital expenditures that are intended to maintain operation of its gold producing assets. Similarly, a "sustaining lease" is a lease payment that is sustaining in nature. To determine "sustaining capital" expenditures, New Gold uses cash flow related to mining interests from its consolidated statement of cash flows and deducts any expenditures that are capital expenditures to develop new operations or capital expenditures related to major projects at existing operations where these projects will materially increase production. Management uses "sustaining capital" and "sustaining lease" to understand the aggregate net result of the drivers of all-in sustaining costs other than total cash costs. These measures are intended to provide additional information only and should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. Growth Capital "Growth capital" is a non-GAAP financial performance measure that does not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. New Gold considers non-sustaining capital costs to be "growth capital", which are capital expenditures to develop new operations or capital expenditures related to major projects at existing operations where these projects will materially increase production. To determine "growth capital" expenditures, New Gold uses cash flow related to mining interests from its consolidated statement of cash flows and deducts any expenditures that are capital expenditures that are intended to maintain operation of its gold producing assets. Management uses "growth capital" to understand the cost to develop new operations or related to major projects at existing operations where these projects will materially increase production. This measure is intended to provide additional information only and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. The following tables reconcile the above non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable IFRS measure on an aggregate basis. Consolidated OPEX, Cash Cost and All-in Sustaining Costs Reconciliation Three months ended March 31 (in millions of U.S. dollars, except where noted) 2023 2022 CONSOLIDATED OPEX, CASH COST AND ALL-IN SUSTAINING COSTS RECONCILIATION Operating expenses 117.2 95.2 Gold equivalent ounces sold1 107,931 92,536 Operating expenses per gold equivalent ounce sold ($/ounce) 1,086 1,029 Operating expenses 117.2 95.2 Treatment and refining charges on concentrate sales 5.2 3.7 Total cash costs 122.4 99.0 Gold equivalent ounces sold1 107,931 92,536 Total cash costs per gold equivalent ounce sold ($/ounce)2 1,134 1,069 Sustaining capital expenditures2 26.3 52.5 Sustaining exploration - expensed 0.1 0.3 Sustaining leases2 2.4 2.6 Corporate G&A including share-based compensation 5.8 6.9 Reclamation expenses 3.2 3.3 Total all-in sustaining costs 160.3 164.6 Gold equivalent ounces sold1 107,931 92,536 All-in sustaining costs per gold equivalent ounce sold ($/ounce)2 1,486 1,778 Three months ended March 31 (in millions of U.S. dollars, except where noted) 2023 2022 RAINY RIVER OPEX, CASH COSTS AND AISC RECONCILIATION Operating expenses 74.4 58.4 Gold equivalent ounces sold1 73,412 61,684 Operating expenses per unit of gold sold ($/ounce) 1,014 948 Operating expenses 74.4 58.4 Total cash costs 74.4 58.5 Gold equivalent ounces sold1 73,412 61,684 Total cash costs per gold equivalent ounce sold ($/ounce)2 1,014 948 Sustaining capital expenditures2 22.3 34.8 Sustaining leases2 2.3 2.3 Reclamation expenses 2.6 2.6 Total all-in sustaining costs 101.5 98.2 Gold equivalent ounces sold1 73,412 61,684 All-in sustaining costs per gold equivalent ounce sold ($/ounce)2 1,383 1,592 Three months ended March 31 (in millions of U.S. dollars, except where noted) 2023 2022 NEW AFTON OPEX, CASH COSTS AND AISC RECONCILIATION Operating expenses 42.8 36.8 Gold equivalent ounces sold1 34,519 30,852 Operating expenses per unit of gold sold ($/ounce) 1,240 1,192 Operating expenses 42.8 36.8 Treatment and refining charges on concentrate sales 5.2 3.7 Total cash costs 48.0 40.5 Gold equivalent ounces sold1 34,519 30,852 Total cash costs per gold equivalent ounce sold ($/ounce)2 1,392 1,313 Sustaining capital expenditures2 4.0 17.7 Sustaining leases2 0.1 Reclamation expenses 0.6 0.7 Total all-in sustaining costs 52.7 59.0 Gold equivalent ounces sold1 34,519 30,852 All-in sustaining costs per gold equivalent ounce sold ($/ounce)2 1,526 1,913 Sustaining Capital Expenditures Reconciliation Table Three months ended March 31 (in millions of U.S. dollars, except where noted) 2023 2022 TOTAL SUSTAINING CAPITAL EXPENDITURES Mining interests per consolidated statement of cash flows 63.1 75.6 New Afton growth capital expenditures2 (31.1) (18.0) Rainy River growth capital expenditures2 (5.7) (4.9) Sustaining capital expenditures2 26.3 52.7 Adjusted Net Earnings/(Loss) and Adjusted Net Earnings per Share "Adjusted net earnings" and "adjusted net earnings per share" are non-GAAP financial performance measures that do not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. "Adjusted net earnings" and "adjusted net earnings per share" exclude "other gains and losses" as per Note 3 of the Company's consolidated financial statements; and loss on redemption of long-term debt. Net earnings have been adjusted, including the associated tax impact, for the group of costs in "Other gains and losses" on the condensed consolidated income statements. Key entries in this grouping are: fair value changes for the gold stream obligation, fair value changes for the free cash flow interest obligation, foreign exchange gains/loss and fair value changes in investments. The income tax adjustments reflect the tax impact of the above adjustments and is referred to as "adjusted tax expense". The Company uses "adjusted net earnings" for its own internal purposes. Management's internal budgets and forecasts and public guidance do not reflect the items which have been excluded from the determination of "adjusted net earnings". Consequently, the presentation of "adjusted net earnings" enables investors to better understand the underlying operating performance of the Company's core mining business through the eyes of management. Management periodically evaluates the components of "adjusted net earnings" based on an internal assessment of performance measures that are useful for evaluating the operating performance of New Gold's business and a review of the non-GAAP financial performance measures used by mining industry analysts and other mining companies. "Adjusted net earnings" and "adjusted net earnings per share" are intended to provide additional information only and should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. These measures are not necessarily indicative of operating profit or cash flows from operations as determined under IFRS. The following table reconciles these non-GAAP financial performance measures to the most directly comparable IFRS measure. Three months ended March 31 (in millions of U.S. dollars, except where noted) 2023 2022 ADJUSTED NET EARNINGS (LOSS) RECONCILIATION (Loss) earnings before taxes (31.5) (7.3) Other (gains) losses 50.0 18.3 Adjusted net earnings before taxes 18.5 11.0 Income tax expense (0.3) (0.5) Income tax adjustments 0.2 (0.2) Adjusted income tax expense2 (0.1) (0.7) Adjusted net earnings2 18.4 10.3 Adjusted earnings per share (basic and diluted)2 0.03 0.02 Cash Generated from Operations, before Changes in Non-Cash Operating Working Capital "Cash generated from operations, before changes in non-cash operating working capital" is a non-GAAP financial performance measure that does not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Other companies may calculate this measure differently and this measure is unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. "Cash generated from operations, before changes in non-cash operating working capital" excludes changes in non-cash operating working capital. New Gold believes this non-GAAP financial measure provides further transparency and assists analysts, investors and other stakeholders of the Company in assessing the Company's ability to generate cash from its operations before temporary working capital changes. Cash generated from operations, before non-cash changes in working capital is intended to provide additional information only and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. This measure is not necessarily indicative of operating profit or cash flows from operations as determined under IFRS. The following table reconciles this non-GAAP financial performance measure to the most directly comparable IFRS measure. Three months ended March 31 (in millions of U.S. dollars) 2023 2022 CASH RECONCILIATION Cash generated from operations 60.6 67.8 Change in non-cash operating working capital 15.1 (1.4) Cash generated from operations, before changes in non-cash operating working capital2 75.7 66.4 Free Cash Flow "Free cash flow" is a non-GAAP financial performance measure that does not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. New Gold defines "free cash flow" as cash generated from operations and proceeds of sale of other assets less capital expenditures on mining interests, lease payments, settlement of non-current derivative financial liabilities which include the gold stream obligation and the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan free cash flow interest. New Gold believes this non-GAAP financial performance measure provides further transparency and assists analysts, investors and other stakeholders of the Company in assessing the Company's ability to generate cash flow from current operations. "Free cash flow" is intended to provide additional information only and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. This measure is not necessarily indicative of operating profit or cash flows from operations as determined under IFRS. The following tables reconcile this non-GAAP financial performance measure to the most directly comparable IFRS measure on an aggregate and mine-by-mine basis. Three months ended March 31, 2023 (in millions of U.S. dollars) Rainy River New Afton Other Total FREE CASH FLOW RECONCILIATION Cash generated from operations 52.7 16.0 (8.1) 60.6 Less Mining interest capital expenditures (28.0) (35.0) (0.1) (63.1) Add Proceeds of sale from other assets Less Lease payments (2.3) (0.1) (2.4) Less Cash settlement of non-current derivative financial liabilities (7.7) (0.1) (7.8) Free Cash Flow2 14.7 (19.0) (8.4) (12.7) Three months ended March 31, 2022 (in millions of U.S. dollars) Rainy River New Afton Other Total FREE CASH FLOW RECONCILIATION Cash generated from operations 62.9 15.1 (10.3) 67.8 Less Mining interest capital expenditures (39.9) (35.8) (75.6) Add Proceeds of sale from other assets 0.1 0.1 Less Lease payments (2.3) (0.1) (0.1) (2.5) Less Cash settlement of non-current derivative financial liabilities (6.2) (12.4) (18.6) Free Cash Flow2 14.6 (33.2) (10.4) (28.8) Average Realized Price "Average realized price per ounce of gold sold" is a non-GAAP financial performance measure that does not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Other companies may calculate this measure differently and this measure is unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Management uses this measure to better understand the price realized in each reporting period for gold sales. "Average realized price per ounce of gold sold" is intended to provide additional information only and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. The following tables reconcile this non-GAAP financial performance measure to the most directly comparable IFRS measure on an aggregate and mine-by-mine basis. Three months ended March 31 (in millions of U.S. dollars, except where noted) 2023 2022 TOTAL AVERAGE REALIZED PRICE Revenue from gold sales 162.6 132.8 Treatment and refining charges on gold concentrate sales 2.2 1.2 Gross revenue from gold sales 164.8 134.0 Gold ounces sold 87,207 70,562 Total average realized price per gold ounce sold ($/ounce)2 1,890 1,897 Three months ended March 31 (in millions of U.S. dollars, except where noted) 2023 2022 RAINY RIVER AVERAGE REALIZED PRICE Revenue from gold sales 135.3 114.7 Gold ounces sold 71,891 60,635 Rainy River average realized price per gold ounce sold ($/ounce)2 1,882 1,891 Three months ended March 31 (in millions of U.S. dollars, except where noted) 2023 2022 NEW AFTON AVERAGE REALIZED PRICE Revenue from gold sales 27.3 18.1 Treatment and refining charges on gold concentrate sales 2.2 1.2 Gross revenue from gold sales 29.5 19.3 Gold ounces sold 15,316 9,927 New Afton average realized price per gold ounce sold ($/ounce)2 1,928 1,935 For additional information with respect to the non-GAAP measures used by the Company, refer to the detailed "Non-GAAP Financial Performance Measure" section disclosure starting on page 25 in the MD&A for the three months ended March 31, 2023, which is incorporated by reference herein and which is filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain information contained in this news release, including any information relating to New Gold's future financial or operating performance are "forward-looking". All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, which address events, results, outcomes or developments that New Gold expects to occur are "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "targeted", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "projects", "potential", "believes" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "should", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connotation of such terms. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, among others, statements with respect to: expectations regarding the Company's 2023 guidance ranges; the continued advancement of underground development at the Intrepid underground zone and underground optimization opportunities at Rainy River and C-Zone development at New Afton; pursuing the Company's mission of being a leading intermediate gold and copper producer; the planned transition of finance related responsibilities going forward; and expectations regarding strengthened production during the second half of the year and anticipated percentage of total annual production. All forward-looking statements in this news release are based on the opinions and estimates of management that, while considered reasonable as at the date of this press release in light of management's experience and perception of current conditions and expected developments, are inherently subject to important risk factors and uncertainties, many of which are beyond New Gold's ability to control or predict. Certain material assumptions regarding such forward-looking statements are discussed in this news release, New Gold's latest annual MD&A, its most recent annual information form and technical reports on the Rainy River Mine and New Afton Mine filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov. In addition to, and subject to, such assumptions discussed in more detail elsewhere, the forward-looking statements in this news release are also subject to the following assumptions: (1) there being no significant disruptions affecting New Gold's operations other than as set out herein; (2) political and legal developments in jurisdictions where New Gold operates, or may in the future operate, being consistent with New Gold's current expectations; (3) the accuracy of New Gold's current mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates and the grade of gold, silver and copper expected to be mined and the grade of gold, copper and silver expected to be mined; (4) the exchange rate between the Canadian dollar and U.S. dollar, and to a lesser extent, the Mexican Peso, and commodity prices being approximately consistent with current levels and expectations for the purposes of 2023 guidance and otherwise; (5) prices for diesel, natural gas, fuel oil, electricity and other key supplies being approximately consistent with current levels; (6) equipment, labour and materials costs increasing on a basis consistent with New Gold's current expectations; (7) arrangements with First Nations and other Indigenous groups in respect of the New Afton Mine and Rainy River Mine being consistent with New Gold's current expectations; (8) all required permits, licenses and authorizations being obtained from the relevant governments and other relevant stakeholders within the expected timelines and the absence of material negative comments or obstacles during any applicable regulatory processes; (9) the results of the life of mine plans for the Rainy River Mine and the New Afton Mine being realized; and (10) there being no material disruption to the Company's supply chains and workforce at either the New Afton Mine or Rainy River Mine due to cases of COVID-19 or otherwise that would interfere with the Company's anticipated course of action at its operations. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, without limitation: price volatility in the spot and forward markets for metals and other commodities; discrepancies between actual and estimated production, between actual and estimated costs, between actual and estimated Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources and between actual and estimated metallurgical recoveries; equipment malfunction, failure or unavailability; accidents; risks related to early production at the Rainy River Mine, including failure of equipment, machinery, the process circuit or other processes to perform as designed or intended; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, including the risks of obtaining and maintaining the validity and enforceability of the necessary licenses and permits and complying with the permitting requirements of each jurisdiction in which New Gold operates, including, but not limited to: uncertainties and unanticipated delays associated with obtaining and maintaining necessary licenses, permits and authorizations and complying with permitting requirements; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; changing costs, timelines and development schedules as it relates to construction; the Company not being able to complete its construction projects at the Rainy River Mine or the New Afton Mine on the anticipated timeline or at all; volatility in the market price of the Company's securities; changes in national and local government legislation in the countries in which New Gold does or may in the future carry on business; compliance with public company disclosure obligations; controls, regulations and political or economic developments in the countries in which New Gold does or may in the future carry on business; the Company's dependence on the Rainy River Mine and New Afton Mine; the Company not being able to complete its exploration drilling programs on the anticipated timeline or at all; inadequate water management and stewardship; disruptions to the Company's workforce at either the Rainy River Mine or the New Afton Mine, or both, due to cases of COVID-19 or otherwise; the responses of the relevant governments to any disease, epidemic or pandemic outbreak, including the COVID-19 outbreak, not being sufficient to contain the impact of such outbreak; disruptions to the Company's supply chain and workforce due to any disease, epidemic or pandemic outbreak, including the COVID-19 outbreak; an economic recession or downturn as a result of any disease, epidemic or pandemic outbreak, including the COVID-19 outbreak, that materially adversely affects the Company's operations or liquidity position; there being further shutdowns at the Rainy River Mine or New Afton Mine; significant capital requirements and the availability and management of capital resources; additional funding requirements; diminishing quantities or grades of Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources; actual results of current exploration or reclamation activities; uncertainties inherent to mining economic studies including the Technical Reports for the Rainy River Mine and New Afton Mine; impairment; unexpected delays and costs inherent to consulting and accommodating rights of First Nations and other Indigenous groups; climate change, environmental risks and hazards and the Company's response thereto; tailings dam and structure failures; ability to obtain and maintain sufficient insurance; actual results of current exploration or reclamation activities; fluctuations in the international currency markets and in the rates of exchange of the currencies of Canada, the United States and, to a lesser extent, Mexico; global economic and financial conditions and any global or local natural events that may impede the economy or New Gold's ability to carry on business in the normal course; inflation; compliance with debt obligations and maintaining sufficient liquidity; taxation; fluctuation in treatment and refining charges; transportation and processing of unrefined products; rising costs or availability of labour, supplies, fuel and equipment; adequate infrastructure; relationships with communities, governments and other stakeholders; geotechnical instability and conditions; labour disputes; the uncertainties inherent in current and future legal challenges to which New Gold is or may become a party; defective title to mineral claims or property or contests over claims to mineral properties; competition; loss of, or inability to attract, key employees; use of derivative products and hedging transactions; reliance on third-party contractors; counterparty risk and the performance of third party service providers; investment risks and uncertainty relating to the value of equity investments in public companies held by the Company from time to time; the adequacy of internal and disclosure controls; conflicts of interest; the lack of certainty with respect to foreign operations and legal systems, which may not be immune from the influence of political pressure, corruption or other factors that are inconsistent with the rule of law; the successful acquisitions and integration of business arrangements and realizing the intended benefits therefrom; and information systems security threats. In addition, there are risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining, including environmental events and hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations, pressures, cave-ins, flooding and gold bullion losses (and the risk of inadequate insurance or inability to obtain insurance to cover these risks) as well as "Risk Factors" included in New Gold's most recent annual information form, MD&A and other disclosure documents filed on and available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov. Forward looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results and future events could materially differ from those anticipated in such statements. All forward-looking statements contained in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements. New Gold expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, events or otherwise, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Technical Information The scientific and technical information contained in this news release as it relates to the New Afton Mine has been reviewed and approved by John Ritter, General Manager of the New Afton Mine and scientific and technical information contained in this news release as it relates to the Rainy River Mine has been reviewed and approved by Gord Simms, General Manager of the Rainy River Mine. Mr. Ritter is a Professional Engineer and member of the Engineers and Geoscientists BC and Mr. Simms is a Professional Engineer and member of the Engineers and Geoscientists BC. Mr. Ritter and Mr. Simms are each a "Qualified Person" for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 27, 2023) - Moneta Gold Inc. (TSX: ME) (OTCQX: MEAUF) (FSE: MOPA) ("Moneta" or the "Company") is pleased to announce assay results from fifty-two (52) resource infill and step-out drill holes on the 903 deposit at the Tower Gold project (the "Project"), located in the Timmins Gold Camp, Ontario. The drilling was conducted as part of a 76,000 metres ("m") drilling program, completed in 2022, and an additional 60,000 m drilling program that is currently underway. Both drilling programs are designed for resource upgrade and infill of the 4.5 million ("M") ounces ("oz") indicated gold ("Au") and 8.3 Moz inferred Au mineral resource estimate (see September 07, 2022 press release). Drilling Highlights: MGA22-125 intersected 3.30 m @ 98.35 grams per tonne "g/t" Au, including 1.80 m @ 180.00 g/t Au MGA22-096 intersected 1.27 m @ 18.70 g/t Au MGA22-071 intersected 20.00 m @ 1.13 g/t Au, including 2.00 m @ 2.85 g/t Au MGA22-119 intersected 9.90 m @ 2.03 g/t Au, including 2.00 m @ 4.65 g/t Au MGA22-071 intersected 12.20 m @ 1.44 g/t Au, including 7.00 m @ 2.06 g/t Au MGA22-084 intersected 28.44 m @ 0.88 g/t Au, including 5.75 m @ 2.48 g/t Au MGA22-064 intersected 28.00 m @ 0.79 g/t Au, including 14.57 m @ 1.09 g/t Au, including 3.77 m @ 2.69 g/t Au, including 0.69 m @ 8.44 g/t Au MGA22-089 intersected 3.00 m @ 6.74 g/t Au MGA22-118 intersected 6.00 m @ 2.81 g/t Au, including 4.00 m @ 3.82 g/t Au, including 2.00 m @ 5.86 g/t Au Gary O'Connor, Moneta's President and Chief Executive Officer commented, "These latest infill and step-out assay drill results continue to confirm the continuity and extensions of significant gold mineralization at 903, on the Tower Gold project. These results support significant gold grades across wide widths of gold mineralization within the economic open pit mineral resources as defined in the Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") study and within an area contained during the payback period in the first 5 years of production. Extensions of good gold mineralization have also been intersected outside the resource and pit. As we continue to grow, de-risk, and advance the Project, we look forward to completing the current resource infill and upgrade drill program in preparation of a mineral resource estimate update for the planned Pre-Feasibility Study ("PFS")." A total of 12,082.8 m of drilling was completed in fifty-two (52) drill holes. Drilling is being conducted on 50 m centres as step-outs and infill of previous drill holes. All assays are now released from 2022 drilling. An additional 60,000 m open pit resource infill and upgrade drilling program is currently underway. Additional assays are pending and will be released upon receipt of assays. Figure 1: Tower Gold Project - General Location Map Table 1: 903 - Significant Drill Intercepts (above 10 g/t x m Au) Hole From To Length Au (gram metres) (#) (m) (m) (m) (g/t) (g/t x m) MGA22-064 329.00 357.00 28.00 0.79 22.0 includes 337.20 351.77 14.57 1.09 15.9 includes 348.00 351.77 3.77 2.69 10.1 includes 350.45 351.14 0.69 8.44 5.8 MGA22-071 258.80 271.00 12.20 1.44 17.6 includes 264.00 271.00 7.00 2.06 14.5 includes 264.00 266.00 2.00 3.00 6.0 MGA22-071 453.00 473.00 20.00 1.13 22.5 includes 453.00 465.00 12.00 1.61 19.3 includes 463.00 465.00 2.00 2.85 5.7 MGA22-084 79.25 107.69 28.44 0.88 25.0 includes 79.25 85.00 5.75 2.48 14.3 MGA22-089 215.00 218.00 3.00 6.74 20.2 MGA22-092 223.00 240.25 17.25 0.70 12.0 includes 232.22 234.00 1.78 1.63 2.9 MGA22-096 41.58 42.85 1.27 18.70 23.7 MGA22-096 267.00 274.00 7.00 1.60 11.2 includes 272.00 274.00 2.00 4.28 8.6 MGA22-101 305.15 316.22 11.07 1.51 16.8 includes 305.15 307.12 1.97 6.15 12.1 and 315.59 316.22 0.63 5.58 3.5 MGA22-103 48.00 70.00 22.00 0.73 16.1 includes 48.00 54.00 6.00 1.12 6.7 and 62.00 64.00 2.00 1.46 2.9 MGA22-103 76.00 85.54 9.54 1.35 12.9 includes 78.00 80.00 2.00 4.55 9.1 MGA22-103 91.00 96.40 5.40 2.97 16.0 includes 91.00 95.40 4.40 3.52 15.5 includes 92.40 94.00 1.60 5.35 8.6 MGA22-103 103.00 107.00 4.00 3.17 12.7 includes 103.00 105.00 2.00 5.12 10.2 MGA22-118 201.00 207.00 6.00 2.81 16.9 includes 201.00 205.00 4.00 3.82 15.3 includes 203.00 205.00 2.00 5.86 11.7 MGA22-119 180.00 189.90 9.90 2.03 20.1 includes 182.00 186.70 4.70 2.89 13.6 includes 182.00 184.00 2.00 4.65 9.3 MGA22-120 139.00 165.00 26.00 0.48 12.5 MGA22-125 116.20 119.50 3.30 98.35 324.5 includes 116.20 118.00 1.80 180.00 324.0 MGA23-133 147.82 151.48 3.66 4.32 15.8 includes 147.82 149.00 1.18 9.16 10.8 MGA23-134 55.67 83.25 27.58 0.54 14.8 MGA23-144 137.30 158.95 21.65 0.62 13.4 includes 140.50 142.00 1.50 1.37 2.1 Note: Drill intercepts above 10 g/t Au x m are reported as significant intercepts. All intercepts are calculated using a 0.30 g/t Au cut-off, a maximum of 5m internal dilution and no top cap applied. Drill intercepts are not true widths, are reported as drill widths, and are estimated to be 75% to 95% of true width. Figure 2: 903 - Tower Gold: Infill Drill Location Map Thirty-two (32) drill holes did not intersect mineralization above 10 "g/t Au x m", however gold mineralization was intersected in all holes above the 0.3 g/t Au economic cut-off. Five (5) drill holes, MGA22-079, MGA22-112, MGA22-129, MGA22-130, and MGA23-139 drilled outside of the current resource estimate, to the north of the 903 deposit, did not intersect mineralization extensions above 0.3 g/t Au cut-off. Discussion of Drill Results The 903 deposit currently hosts an open pit indicated resource of 18.09 million tonnes ("Mt") @ 1.01 g/t Au containing 585,000 oz gold and an inferred resource of 24.13 Mt @ 0.75 g/t Au containing 581,000 oz gold (see September 07, 2022 press release). The drill holes in this release focused on infill and extensions of the mineral resource within the current open pit gold resource from surface to vertical depths of up to 350 m below surface. Mineralization at 903 is associated with quartz veining within syenites hosted in the Tisdale and Kid-Munro volcanics, and Timiskaming age meta-sediments, located between 2 major splays of the Destor-Porcupine Fault Zone ("DPFZ") in the Garrison area of the Project. The drill results confirmed the continuity and expanded the resource estimate in the central, eastern, and southern areas of the 903 deposit, while to the north, extensions were tightened and constrained by the new drilling. In the east, MGA22-103, MGA22-133, MGA-22-092, MGA23-144, and MGA22-084 extended mineralization at depth directly below the PEA pit. In the central portion of the 903 zone, MGA23-134, MGA22-120, MGA22-140, MGA22-107 confirmed mineralization within the southern area of the PEA pit and MGA22-126 and MGA23-136 constrained mineralization, highlighting the discrete nature of the stockwork vein zones. In the western area of the 903 deposit, drill holes MGA22-119 and MGA22-089 and MGA22-096 extended mineralization at depth below the PEA phase 2 pit, and to the south drill holes MGA22-064 and MGA22-071 confirmed and extended mineralization at depth. Figure 3: 903 - Tower Gold: West Infill Drilling Cross Section "A-B" Note: Intercepts are shown and calculated using a 0.30 g/t Au cut-off, a maximum of 5m internal dilution and no top cap applied. Figure 4: 903 - Tower Gold: Central Infill Drilling Cross Section "C-D" Note: Intercepts are shown and calculated using a 0.30 g/t Au cut-off, a maximum of 5m internal dilution and no top cap applied. Figure 5: 903 - Tower Gold: East Infill Drilling Cross Section "E-F" Note: Intercepts are shown and calculated using a 0.30 g/t Au cut-off, a maximum of 5m internal dilution and no top cap applied. Table 2: 903 Zone - Resource Infill Drill Hole Details Hole Easting Northing Elevation Azimuth Inclination Depth (#) (mE) (mN) (masl) () () (m) MGA22-062 577687 5373056 291 340 -45 477.0 MGA22-064 576774 5372806 308 339 -49 411.0 MGA22-064a 576776 5372791 308 340 -46 108.0 MGA22-064b 576776 5372790 308 340 -46 69.0 MGA22-071 576942 5372759 306 340 -50 516.0 MGA22-079 576392 5373243 312 340 -55 102.0 MGA22-083 576548 5373151 309 340 -45 201.0 MGA22-084 577675 5373270 292 340 -45 294.0 MGA22-085 576575 5373051 309 340 -45 222.0 MGA22-089 576685 5372999 308 340 -45 321.0 MGA22-092 577524 5373174 294 340 -45 402.0 MGA22-094 576514 5373306 309 340 -45 132.0 MGA22-095 577450 5373347 292 340 -45 270.0 MGA22-096 576708 5372939 308 340 -45 351.0 MGA22-101 576867 5373122 302 340 -50 321.0 MGA22-102 577566 5373409 291 340 -40 222.0 MGA22-103 577648 5373372 292 340 -45 249.0 MGA22-104 576751 5372833 308 340 -45 439.0 MGA22-104a 576751 5372833 308 340 -45 39.8 MGA22-105 576963 5373088 304 340 -47 390.0 MGA22-106 577710 5373396 291 340 -45 171.0 MGA22-107 577046 5373049 303 340 -53 441.0 MGA22-109 576534 5373203 309 340 -45 150.0 MGA22-111 577749 5373366 290 340 -45 150.0 MGA22-112 576453 5373255 311 340 -45 120.0 MGA22-114 576989 5373519 303 340 -45 102.0 MGA22-118 576839 5373230 300 340 -60 222.0 MGA22-119 576701 5373071 308 340 -47 261.0 MGA22-120 577124 5373004 301 340 -50 450.0 MGA22-121 576913 5373437 300 340 -45 45.0 MGA22-122 576917 5373244 299 340 -52 261.0 MGA22-123 577137 5373376 295 340 -50 177.0 MGA22-125 577238 5373428 292 350 -63 150.0 MGA22-126 576965 5373293 299 340 -45 240.0 MGA22-127 577372 5373499 292 340 -45 150.0 MGA22-129 577427 5373526 292 340 -50 126.0 MGA22-130 577379 5373431 292 340 -45 147.0 MGA22-131 577402 5373380 292 340 -45 204.0 MGA22-132 577524 5373540 289 340 -55 135.0 MGA23-133 577539 5373269 301 340 -46 336.0 MGA23-134 577145 5373093 308 340 -51 375.0 MGA23-135 577510 5373374 297 340 -45 252.0 MGA23-136 577220 5373310 302 340 -47 201.0 MGA23-137 577621 5373425 293 340 -45 207.0 MGA23-138 577633 5373514 299 340 -50 132.0 MGA23-139 577745 5373463 289 340 -45 120.0 MGA23-140 577422 5373089 302 302 -45 330.0 MGA23-141 577532 5373435 298 340 -45 201.0 MGA23-142 577656 5373323 298 340 -45 252.0 MGA23-143 577572 5373502 296 340 -53 141.0 MGA23-144 577712 5373285 297 355 -50 216.0 MGA23-145 577280 5373468 297 345 -45 81.0 Quality Control Procedures NQ drill core is oriented and cut with half sent to AGAT Laboratories Inc. (AGAT) for drying and crushing to -2 mm, with a 1.00 kg split pulverized to -75 m (200#). AGAT is an ISO 17025 accredited laboratory. A 50 g charge is Fire Assayed and analyzed using an AAS finish for Gold. Samples above 10.00 g/t Au are analyzed by Fire Assay with a gravimetric finish and selected samples with visible gold or high-grade mineralization are assayed by Metallic Screen Fire Assay on a 1.00 kg sample. Moneta inserts independent certified reference material and blanks with the samples and assays routine pulp repeats and coarse reject sample duplicates, as well as completing routine third-party check assays at Bureau Veritas Commodities Ltd. Qualified Person Jason Dankowski (APEGM #35155), Vice President Technical Services & Geology for Moneta, who is a QP as defined by NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this press release. About Moneta Gold Moneta is a Canadian-based gold exploration company focused on advancing its 100% wholly owned Tower Gold project, located in the Timmins region of Northeastern Ontario, Canada's most prolific gold producing camp. The September 2022, PEA study outlined a combined open pit and underground mining and a 7.0 million tonne per annum conventional leach operation over a 24-year mine life, with 4.6 Moz of recovered gold, generating an after-tax NPV5% of $1,066M, IRR of 31.7%, and a 2.6-year payback at a gold price US$1,600/oz. Tower Gold hosts an estimated gold mineral resource of 4.5 Moz indicated and 8.3 Moz inferred. Moneta is committed to creating shareholder value through the strategic allocation of capital and a focus on the current resource upgrade drilling program, while conducting all business activities in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Gary V. O'Connor, CEO 416-357-3319 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Ardem Keshishian, VP Corporate Development 416-471-5463 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. The Company's public documents may be accessed at www.sedar.com. For further information on the Company, please visit our website at www.monetagold.com or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Certain statements in this press release including certain information about Moneta's business outlook, objectives, strategies, plans, strategic priorities and results of operations, as well as other statements which are not current statements or historical facts, constitute "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (without limitation, statements regarding exploration programs, potential mineralization, future plans and objectives of the Company, updated to the mineral resources, and the timing and results thereof) are forward-looking statements. Sentences and phrases containing words such as "believe", "estimate", "anticipate", "plan", "will", "intend", "predict", "outlook", "goal", "target", "forecast", "project", "scheduled", "proposed", "expect", "potential", "strategy", and the negative of any of these words, or variations of them, or comparable terminology that does not relate strictly to current or historical facts, are all indicative of forwardlooking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. Forwardlooking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties, and are based on several assumptions, both general and specific, which give rise to the possibility that actual results or events could differ materially from Moneta's expectations expressed in or implied by such forwardlooking statements and that Moneta's business outlook, objectives, plans and strategic priorities may not be achieved. These statements are not guarantees of future performance or events, and Moneta cautions you against relying on any of these forwardlooking statements. Forwardlooking statements are provided in this press release for the purpose of assisting investors and others in understanding Moneta's objectives, strategic priorities and business outlook, and in obtaining a better understanding of Moneta's anticipated operating environment. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Examples of forwardlooking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to: information with respect to the future performance of the business, its operations and financial performance and condition; statements relating to Moneta's plans for the Tower Gold project; the Company's drilling program and the timing and results thereof; the timing and scope and focus of the Company's prefeasibility study ("PFS"); statements regarding the environmental impact assessment and community engagement activities; the Company's financing initiatives; the completion and timing of the Offering; the terms of the Offering; the expected use of proceeds from the Offering; regulatory approvals related to the Offering; and the closing date of the Offering. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on the Company. Important risk factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the forwardlooking statements contained in this press release include, but are not limited to: uncertainties inherent in the business of mineral exploration and extraction; uncertainty with respect to the Company's liquidity and ability to secure additional financing; uncertainty of mineral resources; security threats to the Company's information technology systems; the current global financial condition; the market price of securities and substantial volatility in the market price of commodities; fluctuations of commodity prices; the Company's history of net losses; possible loss of interests in mineral properties; title risks; uncertainty relating to surface rights; environmental risks; risks associated with joint venture agreements; risks relating to statutory and regulatory requirements; uncertainty relating to the Company's competition with other gold exploration and development companies for materials and supplies; the Company's dependence on key management and employees; uncertainty arising from international conflict and other geopolitical tensions and events, including but to limited to Russia's invasion of Ukraine; uncertainty in respect of COVID19 and any resurgence of same; uncertainty in respect of procuring licenses and permits from various governmental authorities; the term and extension of concession contracts; uninsurable risks; obligations under option and joint venture agreements; uncertainty as to whether mergers and amalgamations will be completed successfully; the Company's relationships with the communities in which it operates; internal conflicts of interest; infrastructure risks; the Company's lack of a dividend policy; and the fact that the outstanding common shares of the Company could be subject to dilution. Readers are cautioned that the risks referred to above are not the only ones that could affect Moneta. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to Moneta or that Moneta currently deems to be immaterial may also have a material adverse effect on Moneta's financial position, financial performance, cash flows, business, or reputation. Forwardlooking statements made in this press release are based on a number of assumptions that Moneta believed were reasonable at the time it made each forwardlooking statement. The assumptions, although considered reasonable by Moneta on the day it made the forwardlooking statements, may prove to be inaccurate. Accordingly, our actual results could differ materially from our expectations. There can be no assurance that forwardlooking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein. TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Galway Metals Inc. (TSXV:GWM) ("Galway Metals" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that it has closed the previously announced best efforts private placement offering for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $4.0 million consisting of the sale of 6,666,700 common shares of the Company that qualify as "flow-through shares" (within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada)) (the "FT Shares") at a price of $0.60 per FT Share (the "Offering"). The Offering was carried out by Paradigm Capital Inc. as lead agent, and Laurentian Bank Securities Inc. (together, the "Agents"). The Offering is subject to final regulatory approval, and all securities issued and issuable pursuant to the Offering have a hold period of four months and one day. The Company will use the gross proceeds from the sale of the FT Shares to incur eligible "Canadian exploration expenses" that qualify as "flow-through mining expenditures" as both terms are defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada) ("Qualifying Expenditures") on or before December 31, 2024. The Qualifying Expenditures will be renounced in favour of the subscribers of the FT Shares effective December 31, 2023. As consideration for the services provided by the Agents in connection with the Offering: the Agents received (i) a cash commission of $240,001.20; and (b) 200,001 compensation options (the "Compensation Options"). Each Compensation Option is exercisable to acquire one common share of the Company on a non-flow through basis (each, a "Compensation Option Share") at a price of $0.60 per Compensation Option Share, for a period of 24 months following the closing of the Offering. The securities have not been, and will not be, registered under the Unites States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any U.S. state security laws, and may not be offered or sold in the Unites States without registration under the U.S. Securities Act and all applicable state securities laws or compliance with requirements of an applicable exemption therefrom. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the Unites States, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About Galway Metals Inc. Galway Metals is focused on creating significant per share value through the exploration and sustainable development of its two 100%-owned projects in Canada. Galway's flagship project, Clarence Stream, is one of the most important gold districts in Atlantic Canada as it hosts a large, high-grade gold resource in SW New Brunswick. Also important is Estrades, the former-producing, high-grade, gold- and zinc-rich polymetallic VMS mine in the northern Abitibi of western Quebec as it hosts significant resources in the middle of a major gold camp. After its successful spinout to existing shareholders from Galway Resources following the completion of the US $340 million sale of that company. The company is looking to replicate the same success in Canada with our two highly perspective projects. Should you have any questions and for further information, please contact (toll free): Galway Metals Inc. Robert Hinchcliffe President & Chief Executive Officer 1-800-771-0680 Website: www.galwaymetalsinc.com Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Look us up on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn Cautionary Statement 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. This news release contains forward-looking information, which is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that 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 statements made herein with respect to, among other things, the use of proceeds of the Offering, the tax treatment of the securities offered under the Offering, the timing of the Qualifying Expenditures, the Company's objectives, goals or future plans, the final approval of the TSXV of the Offering. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, exploration results being less favourable than anticipated, capital and operating costs varying significantly from estimates, delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals, political risks, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, inflation, changes in exchange rates, changes in tax laws, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in the development of projects, risks associated with the defence of legal proceedings and other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, as well as those risks set out in the Company's public disclosure documents filed on SEDAR. Although the Company believes that management's assumptions used to develop the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, including that, among other things, the Company will be able to identify and execute on opportunities to acquire mineral properties, exploration results will be consistent with management's expectations, financing will be available to the Company on favourable terms when required, commodity prices and foreign exchange rates will remain relatively stable, and the Company will be successful in the outcome of legal proceedings, 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 contained herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. VANCOUVER, BC, April 27, 2023 /CNW/ - Nevada King Gold Corp. (TSXV: NKG) (OTCQX: NKGFF) ("Nevada King" or the "Company") is pleased to announce assay results from nine, vertical reverse circulation ("RC") holes recently completed at its Atlanta Gold Mine Project located 264km northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, in the prolific Battle Mountain Trend. Holes reported today along Section 22-15N were drilled north of the Atlanta pit in order to test the grade and thickness of mineralized fault blocks comprising the Atlanta Mine Fault Zone ("AMFZ") and the West Atlanta Graben moving northward toward the North Extension Target zone (see Figure 1). Selected Highlights: Hole No. From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) Notes AT23WS-22 288.0 330.8 42.8 5.64 6.7 Bottomed in Mineralization Includes 292.7 300.3 7.6 28.5 10.7 AT23WS-20 275.9 337.0 61.1 3.04 21.4 Bottomed in Mineralization Includes 286.6 291.2 4.6 15.84 19.8 AT22WS-4 279.0 346.0 67.0 2.07 12.1 Includes 317.1 333.8 16.7 3.63 12.6 AT23WS-5C 207.3 320.0 112.7 1.08 14.78 Bottomed in Mineralization Table 1: Highlight hole intervals released today. Mineralization occurs along sub-horizontal horizons generally dipping westward, and true mineralized thickness in vertical holes is between 85% and 95% of reported intercept length. AT23WS-22 (5.64 g/t Au over 42.8m including 28.5 g/t over 7.6m ) is located 290m northwest of the Atlanta pit and is interpreted to be close to true width where the high-grade gold mineralization is consistent throughout the 7.6m interval (see Table 2). DHRI-11-NRC04 is the only historic drill hole located in this area ( 15m to the northeast), intercepting 1.49 g/t over 42.7m including 4.01 g/t over 13.7m , but with no single sample interval exceeding 8.62 g/t Au. No other holes have been drilled in the immediate vicinity of this intercept, leaving the area around this high-grade discovery open for follow on step-out drilling. Hole No. From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) AT23WS-22 292.68 294.21 1.52 28.25 10.0 AT23WS-22 294.21 295.73 1.52 13.28 6.3 AT23WS-22 295.73 297.26 1.52 20.02 10.9 AT23WS-22 297.26 298.78 1.52 24.62 7.8 AT23WS-22 298.78 300.3 1.52 56.58 18.7 Table 2: Assay results for 7.6m thick high grade interval in AT23WS-022 on a 1.52m basis. Hole AT23WS-5C (1.08 g/t Au over 112.7m ) intercepted a thick zone of gold mineralization west of the West Atlanta Fault. Thickness in this hole is five times greater than reported in a nearby historic hole KR98-21 (1.19 g/t Au over 19.8m ), which was lost in strongly fractured rock before it could fully penetrate the mineralized zone. Similarly, holes AT23WS-20 (3.04 g/t Au over 61.1m ) and AT22WS-4 (2.07 g/t Au over 67.0m ) exhibit stronger grades over significantly thicker intervals than nearby historic hole DHRI-11-NRC04, which reported 36.6m grading 1.71 g/t Au. This suggests that historic drill intercepts within the West Atlanta Graben failed to accurately reflect true thickness and grade. This comparison illustrates the need for tightly spaced holes that thoroughly penetrate the mineralized zones, and also highlights the differences in grade and thickness being encountered by Nevada King compared to many holes reported by prior operators Thickness in this hole is five times greater than reported in a nearby historic hole KR98-21 (1.19 g/t Au over ), which was lost in strongly fractured rock before it could fully penetrate the mineralized zone. than nearby historic hole DHRI-11-NRC04, which reported grading 1.71 g/t Au. This suggests that historic drill intercepts within the West Atlanta Graben failed to accurately reflect true thickness and grade. This comparison illustrates the need for tightly spaced holes that thoroughly penetrate the mineralized zones, and also highlights the differences in grade and thickness being encountered by compared to many holes reported by prior operators Additional in-fill drilling is needed between AT23WS-5C and AT23NS-104 in order to test extension of the thick mineralization encountered in AT23WS-5C eastward and beneath KR98-21 to the generally higher-grade mineralization proximate to the West Atlanta Fault. Cal Herron, Exploration Manager of Nevada King, stated, "Our drill fence along Section 22-15N reveals three important features: The high-grade intercept in AT23WS-22 provides us with three well-mineralized zones along the West Atlanta and West Atlanta #2 Faults from which high-grades can be targeted for expansion outward into the thick, broad gold blanket that characterizes the West Atlanta Graben Target. We see the same repetition of high-angle faults and associated fault blocks that have been identified further south on lines 22-5N through 22-10N and further north on line 22-16N. We continue to see good continuity of mineralization over an area approximately 360m long in a N-S direction and at least 150m wide within the portion of the West Atlanta Graben drilled so far. Several historical holes suggest this mineralization extends further to the west and north from the area drilled to date. Nevada King's more densely targeted vertical drilling pattern and better sample recovery has more accurately defined the spatial distribution of gold mineralization compared to historic drilling. In addition, a number of historic holes appear to have been terminated before fully testing the mineralized zones. The large disparity seen above between Kinross' angle hole KR98-21 and Nevada King's vertical hole AT23WS-5C is a good example of this. Other similar examples exist throughout the Gustavson 2020 resource zone and to the north in the North Extension Target, so simply re-drilling earlier holes that did not go through the mineralized zones is an important component of the Company's exploration strategy at Atlanta . Stepping out from recent discovery intervals and testing mineralization to greater depths will keep our drills busy for several months to come. "The 7.6m of 28.5 g/t Au hit in AT23WS-022 represents the highest grade gold intercept exceeding 1.52m in length on the entire Atlanta property going back to the 1970s. This intercept occurs on the western margin of the West Atlanta Graben and is probably associated with the West Atlanta #2 Fault. We will certainly be positioning holes along multiple drill fence lines to intercept this structure northward and southward from Section22-15N. We've now hit high grades along the East Atlanta, West Atlanta, and West Atlanta #2 Faults, so these widely spaced occurrences beg the question, 'How many more high grade structures will we find at Atlanta that no one knew about?'" Hole No. From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) Notes AT23WS-22 288.0 330.8 42.8 5.64 6.7 Bottomed in Mineralization Includes 292.7 300.3 7.6 28.5 10.7 AT23WS-21 280.5 343.0 62.5 0.31 3.3 AT22WS-04 279.0 346.0 67.0 2.07 12.1 Includes 317.1 333.8 16.7 3.63 12.6 AT23WS-20 275.9 337.0 61.1 3.04 21.4 Bottomed in Mineralization Includes 286.6 291.2 4.6 15.84 19.8 AT23WS-5C 207.3 320.0 112.7 1.08 14.8 Bottomed in Mineralization AT23NS-104 198.2 244.0 45.8 0.35 5.0 AT23NS-103 192.1 202.7 10.6 0.37 3.4 AT23NS-102 129.5 141.8 12.3 0.41 23.4 And 166.2 190.5 24.3 0.40 5.2 AT23NS-101 71.6 111.3 39.7 0.17 19.1 Table 3. All holes reported today along Section22-15N. Mineralization occurs along sub-horizontal horizons generally dipping gently westward; true mineralized thickness in vertical holes is estimated to be between 85% and 95% of reported drill intercept length. Hole No. From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) Notes DHRI-11-NRC04 317.1 353.7 36.6 1.71 6.8 KR98-21* 242.4 262.2 19.8 1.19 1.6 Bottomed in Mineralization Table 4: Historical holes used in Section 22-15N. KR98 series hole was drilled by Kinross in 1998. DHRI series hole was drilled by Meadow Bay in 2011. Mineralization occurs along sub-horizontal horizons generally dipping gently westward; true mineralized thickness in vertical holes is estimated to be between 85% and 95% of reported drill intercept length. *Denotes angle hole. 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 National Instrument 43-101 ("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. Vancouver, BC - TheNewswire - April 27, 2023 - Gold Basin Resources Corporation (the "Company" or "Gold Basin") (TSX-V:GXX) (OTC:GXXFF) today provided an exploration update at the Company's 100%-owned Gold Basin oxide gold project in northwestern Arizona (the "Gold Basin Project" or the "Project"). All assays received from Phase 2 reverse-circulation ("RC") drill program, with 11 of the final 12 drill holes at the Red Cloud and Stealth targets intercepting oxide gold at vertical depths ranging from 4.6 metres (m) to 182.9 m down-hole; Multiple holes, including the deepest hole in the program (CM-23-040 drilled to 182.9 m in Gap Zone) ended in oxide gold mineralization, suggesting a second untested mineralized detachment plane is present at depth; Red Cloud and Stealth remain open along strike to the northwest and southeast, and both 2023 drill holes testing the Gap Zone between the two targets returned gold assays, including 1.40 g/t Au over 4.6 m from 45.7 m in drill hole CM23-040, suggesting mineralized continuity along the entire 1.2 kilometre (km) strike extent drilled to date; Track-mounted Grasshopper RC drill rig currently mobilizing to Gold Basin for 2,000 metres of priority follow-up drilling given the highly successful Phase 2 program, testing the open southeasterly strike at Red Cloud; March 2023 ground gravity survey conducted over Cyclopic, Red Cloud and a portion of Stealth defined two additional high-priority drill targets: Shallow Cyclopic analogue target equidistant between Cyclopic and Stealth, undetected by previous conventional exploration due to shallow alluvial cover may be tested in the 2,000 metre follow-up program Deeper Iron Oxide Gold (IOG) target underneath Cyclopic which hosts strong coincident density and magnetic anomalies to be tested later in Q3 or Q4 2023 by deeper core drilling. Colin Smith, CEO of Gold Basin commented: Results from Gold Basins first drill program at Red Cloud confirm the presence of an at-surface, high-grade oxide gold system analogous to Stealth which remains largely open for expansion. We are currently mobilizing a highly portable track-mounted RC rig back to site for 2,000 metres of follow-up drilling, testing the open southeasterly strike. This trend is supported by favorable geophysical and geochemical signatures, including 25.3 g/t Au and 16.6 g/t Au rock samples, located 150 metres and 950 metres along-strike, respectively, from Red Cloud. 2023 Phase 2 Resource Definition Drill Program A total of 5,004.8 metres were drilled in 41 RC drill holes in Phase 2 with a focus on resource definition at the Red Cloud (24 holes), PLM (10 holes), Stealth (7 holes), and portions of the undrilled gap in between Red Cloud and Stealth. Of the 41 holes drilled, 36 returned near-surface oxide gold intercepts, including 13 holes with gram*metre values exceeding 20, and 7 holes with gram*metre values exceeding 50. See Table 1 for a summary of significant Phase 2 oxide gold assays. Table 1: Significant drill hole intersections from the Q1 2023 drill program. All intersections are interpreted to be true width. Target Released Hole ID From (m) To (m) Intersection (m) Au (g/t) PLM 2023-03-22 CM23-002 0 24.4 24.4 2.22 PLM 2023-03-22 incl. 19.8 21.3 1.5 14.3 PLM 2023-03-22 CM23-004 0 4.6 4.6 1.12 PLM 2023-03-22 CM23-005 21.3 29.0 7.7 0.43 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 CM23-011 0 24.4 24.4 0.54 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 and 35.1 42.7 7.6 0.6 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 CM23-012 3.0 56.4 53.4 0.48 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 CM23-014 57.9 64.0 6.1 0.56 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 CM23-015 0 47.2 47.2 1.07 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 incl. 29.0 47.2 18.2 1.41 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 and 67.1 86.9 19.8 0.38 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 and 100.6 105.2 4.6 0.69 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 CM23-016 12.2 50.3 38.1 0.67 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 incl. 30.5 42.7 12.2 1.46 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 CM23-017 0 59.4 59.4 0.84 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 incl. 54.9 56.4 1.5 19 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 CM23-018 0 53.3 53.3 1.37 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 incl. 9.1 32.0 22.9 2.44 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 and 77.7 83.8 6.1 0.44 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 CM23-019 0 67.1 67.1 0.59 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 CM23-020 54.9 61.0 6.1 2 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 CM23-022 4.6 62.5 57.9 1.82 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 incl. 10.7 25.9 15.2 4.12 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 incl. 41.1 48.8 7.7 3.52 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 CM23-023 16.8 68.6 51.8 0.45 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 CM23-024 0 44.2 44.2 0.88 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 incl. 25.9 33.5 7.6 1.92 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 CM23-025 0 50.3 50.3 1.35 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 incl. 16.8 36.6 19.8 2.55 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 CM23-026 0 56.4 56.4 0.37 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 CM23-028 10.7 36.6 25.9 0.36 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 CM23-029 0 42.7 42.7 2.44 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 incl. 21.3 39.6 18.3 5.53 Red Cloud 2023-03-22 incl. 21.3 27.4 6.1 11.72 Red Cloud 2023-04-27 CM23-030 16.8 54.9 38.1 0.43 Red Cloud 2023-04-27 incl. 16.8 30.5 13.7 0.95 Red Cloud 2023-04-27 CM23-031 64.0 67.1 3.0 1.84 Red Cloud 2023-04-27 and 88.4 103.6 15.2 0.54 Stealth 2023-04-27 CM23-038 33.5 47.2 13.7 0.50 Gap Zone 2023-04-27 CM23-040 45.7 50.3 4.6 1.40 Priority Ground Gravity Survey Targets A 2 km by 2 km ground gravity survey was completed in March 2023 over an area covering the Cyclopic, Red Cloud and Stealth Deposits to assess the density signature of known gold systems at Gold Basin, and test for the presence of proximal untested analogues. All three gold deposits expressed as distinct density (gravity) anomalies, and two new highly prospective drill targets were identified, the first being a Cyclopic analogue (G1) and the second being a deeper IOG target (GM1). See Figure 1 below. G1 is situated equidistant between the Cyclopic and Stealth Deposits and represents an analogue to the exploration signature and structural model of known gold deposits at Gold Basin. Newly detected high-angle feeder structures which crosscut the gold-bearing Cyclopic Detachment Fault were identified, and in the locus of G1, associated with a strong 300-m-long density anomaly comparable in intensity to that of the Cyclopic Deposit. These prospective structures and associated surficial geochemical response were masked by shallow alluvial cover; however, a historical drill hole skimming the southeastern margin of G1 intersected up to 2.40 g/t Au at 47.2 m down-hole. The G1 target may be tested in the upcoming 2,000 metre follow-up RC drill program. GM1 is a deeper undrilled IOG target associated with a 500-metre-diameter density anomaly coinciding with a strongly magnetic zone identified in the 2021 droneborne magnetics survey. The magnetic anomaly is interpreted to represent disseminated magnetite alteration, as the 2022 IP survey indicated a low concentration of pyrite. All these physical characteristics are signatures of IOG systems. The GM1 target warrants a deeper core drilling program, planned for Q3 or Q4 2023. Figure 1: Ground gravity survey, with G1 (Cyclopic analogue) and GM1 (IOG signature) targets. Quality Control/Quality Assurance (QA/QC) Gold Basin Resources Corp. completed the RC resource definition drill program at Red Cloud, Stealth and PLM oxide gold targets on its Gold Basin Property in March 2023, which totaled 5,004 metres in 41 holes, with hole depths ranging from 90 to 200 metres. All holes are vertical and were drilled with dry air (no injected water or other fluid) using a centre-return hammer. Samples were collected every 5 feet (1.52 m) and are reduced on-site using a triple-tier Gilson splitter, producing a 2 kilogram (kg) to 3 kg assay sample and a 3 kg to 5 kg twin sample that can be used for met testing or re-assay work. Coarse blank material, standard reference pulps, and split duplicates are inserted into the sample stream on a 1-in-20 sample basis such that each 23-sample group contains one blank, one duplicate, and one reference pulp. Three standard reference pulps at three different gold grades (0.154 ppm, 0.778 ppm, and 2.58 ppm) are being used. One 1.52 m drill interval in every four intervals is weighed in order to monitor recovery. Assay samples are placed in shipping sacks together with the field inserts upon completion of each hole. After four holes are completed, all assay samples are transported in their respective shipping sacks ALS in Tucson, Arizona by a Gold Basin contractor. Prior to shipping, all samples are maintained under the direct control and supervision of the on-site geological staff. Upon arrival in Tucson, Arizona at ALS Geochemistry (ALS), the samples are prepared using ALS codes CRU-31, SPL-31 and PUL-32 procedures (pulverize 1 kg split to 85% passing 75 micron) and fire-assayed for gold using ALS Code Au-AA25 procedure (30 gram fire assay with AA finish). ALS also inserts its own certified reference materials plus blanks and duplicates. All QA/QC results associated with the assays reported herein are within expectation. ALS is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 standards for specific preparation and analytical procedures. For more information about ALS Geochemistry, please visit the companys webpage at: https://www.alsglobal.com/geochemistry. ABOUT GOLD BASIN RESOURCES CORPORATION Gold Basin Resources is advancing the 42 km2 Gold Basin Project, located in the tier one mining jurisdiction of Mohave County, Arizona. The Project hosts multiple at-surface oxide gold deposits which remain largely open for expansion, and district-scale exploration potential which has been vastly underexplored by modern technologies. Gold Basin is accessible year-round via a 1.5-hour-drive on I-93 Highway southwest of Las Vegas, and high-power electrical lines from the Hoover Dam crosscut the southern Project area. For further information, please visit the Companys web site at: www.goldbasincorp.com. Gold Basin is a member of Discovery Group, an alliance of public companies focused on the advancement of mineral exploration and mining projects. For more information please visit: www.discoverygroup.ca. QUALIFIED PERSON Charles Straw, BSc. Geo, a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for this news release and has approved the disclosure herein. Mr. Straw is an Executive Director of the Company. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Colin Smith Chief Executive Officer For further information, please contact: Michael Rapsch VP, Corporate Development Phone: 1-604-331-5093 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. 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, future assay results from further programs, future plans for drilling at the Stealth Deposit, the Company's expectation that it will be successful in enacting its business plans, 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. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: "believes", "will", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "may", "should", "potential", "scheduled", or variations of such words and phrases and similar expressions, which, by their nature, refer to future 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, that that there will be investor interest in future financings, 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 exploration and development of the Company's projects in a timely manner, the availability of financing on suitable terms for the exploration and development of the Company's projects and the Company's ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, operating and technical difficulties in connection with mineral exploration and development activities, actual results of exploration activities, the estimation or realization of mineral reserves and mineral resources, the inability of the Company to obtain the necessary financing required to conduct its business and affairs, as currently contemplated, the timing and amount of estimated future production, the costs of production, capital expenditures, the costs and timing of the development of new deposits, requirements for additional capital, future prices of precious metals, changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities, lack of investor interest in future financings, accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental approvals, permits or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities, 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, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, title disputes, the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents, approvals or authorizations, including by the TSX Venture Exchange, the timing and possible outcome of any pending litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, and risks related to joint venture operations, and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's latest Management's Discussion and Analysis and filed with certain securities commissions in Canada. All of the Company's Canadian public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review these materials. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this news release or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise required by law. Initial ore has been placed on the pad; leaching expected to commence within 10 days Gold production expected in early June TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Cerrado Gold Inc. (TSXV:CERT) (OTCQX:CRDOF) ("Cerrado" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has commenced loading ore onto the heap leaching pad at its inaugural heap leach project in Las Calandrias, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. The Company expects to commence leaching in the next 7-10 days, with the first gold pour in early June. As previously announced, the Las Calandrias project is expected to add 25k ounces per annum of gold production capacity commencing in June of this year. Las Calandrias is the first of two heap leach projects that are planned to be initiated this year to grow the overall gold production from Cerrado's Argentinian operations. The second anticipated heap leach at Martinetas, is expected to be constructed later this year and start production in early 2024 adding an additional 20k ounces of production capacity. Additionally, production from the two heap leach projects is expected to lower the total all-in-sustaining costs and strengthen cash flows by increasing ounces and reducing fixed costs produced per ounce in Argentina. Photos: Ore being loaded onto the heap leach pad Mark Brennan, CEO and Chairman commented, "With Las Calandrias now set to enter production, we are thrilled to be delivering on our growth strategy for Argentina, outlined in early 2022. We continue to expect further growth from the Martinetas heap leach Project as well as future underground development and exploration efforts which are anticipated to grow the resource base for both heap leach and CIL production." About Cerrado Cerrado Gold is a Toronto-based gold production, development, and exploration company focused on gold projects in South America. The Company is the 100% owner of both the producing Minera Don Nicolas mine in Santa Cruz province, Argentina, and the highly prospective Monte Do Carmo development project, located in Tocantins State, Brazil. At Minera Don Nicolas, Cerrado is maximizing asset value through continued operational optimization and further production growth. An extensive campaign of exploration is ongoing to further unlock potential resources in our highly prospective land package in the heart of the Deseado Masiff. At Monte Do Carmo, Cerrado is rapidly advancing the Serra Alta deposit through Feasibility and into production. Serra Alta is expected to be a high-margin and high-return project with significant exploration potential on an extensive and highly prospective 82,542-hectare land package. For more information about Cerrado please visit our website at: www.cerradogold.com. For further information, contact: Mark Brennan Mike McAllister CEO and Chairman Vice President, Investor Relations Tel: +1-647-796-0023 Tel: +1-647-805-5662 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Disclaimer 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. This press release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking information" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation, all statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that discusses predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, without limitation, statements regarding the business and operations of Cerrado. In making the forward- looking statements contained in this press release, Cerrado has made certain assumptions, including, but not limited to the commencement date for leaching at Las Calandrias, the likelihood of further growth from the Martinetas Project andunderground development and exploration and the ability to grow the resource base . Although Cerrado believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations of any forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this press release. Except as required by law, Cerrado disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking statements or otherwise. VANCOUVER, BC / THENEWSWIRE / April 27, 2023 Element 79 Gold Corp. (CSE:ELEM) (OTC:ELMGF) (FSE:7YS) ("Element 79 Gold", the "Company") is pleased to announce that recent assay results continue to show the significant potential of its past producing Lucero mine project in Arequipa, Peru. The most recent batch of 21 assay results from the March 2023 underground sampling program on the Apacheta Zone of the Lucero project revealed exceptionally high-grade gold and silver mineralization, up to 11.7 ounces per ton gold and 247 ounces per ton silver, further validating the potential for a significant high-grade future operation. said James Tworek, CEO of Element79 Gold. The most recent assay results were collected underground as chip samples across several veins from the Apacheta Zone, where local Informal miners had worked sporadically for the last several years. The April work program focused on three different underground workings and revealed high-grade gold-silver mineralization confirming two orientations of mineralized structures. These comprise a roughly E-W orientation associated with higher precious metals and a more NW orientation associated with higher base metals, both with economic grades (Table 1.) and host veins approximately 0.3 meters thick. Table 1. Assay Results from 2023 Chip Sampling Program on the Lucero Project Sample Au Au Ag Ag Cu Pb Zn Vein Mine Number g/tonne Oz/ton g/tonne Oz/ton % % % Width (m) Working LUC2023-01 9.9 0.3 441 12.9 0.02 0.29 1.32 0.30 NV 150 SUR LUC2023-02 9.9 0.3 319 9.3 0.03 0.25 0.74 0.30 NV 150 SUR LUC2023-03 31.7 0.9 325 9.5 0.00 0.25 0.24 0.20 NV 150 SUR LUC2023-04 78.9 2.3 3343 97.5 0.26 0.38 0.55 0.20 NV 150 SUR LUC2023-05 74.5 2.2 2645 77.1 0.16 0.36 0.51 0.20 NV 150 SUR LUC2023-06 402.0 11.7 8464 246.9 0.08 0.04 0.04 0.20 NV 150 SUR LUC2023-07 231.0 6.7 8363 243.9 0.19 0.98 1.43 0.25 NV 150 SUR LUC2023-08 30.2 0.9 493 14.4 0.20 1.52 1.82 0.30 NV 150 SUR (1) LUC2023-09 105.0 3.1 3841 112.0 0.44 14.86 22.4 0.40 NV 150 SUR (1) LUC2023-10 204.0 6.0 2416 70.5 0.61 7.03 5.56 0.30 NV 150 SUR (1) LUC2023-11 143.0 4.2 1593 46.5 0.43 4.95 3.30 0.30 NV 150 SUR (1) LUC2023-12 2.9 0.1 53 1.6 0.14 0.46 0.81 0.40 NV 150 NORTE LUC2023-13 8.6 0.2 126 3.7 0.77 2.46 5.64 0.30 NV 150 NORTE LUC2023-14 14.5 0.4 294 8.6 2.49 5.49 9.71 0.30 NV 150 NORTE LUC2023-15 24.1 0.7 285 8.3 1.85 11.43 19.61 0.50 NV 150 NORTE LUC2023-16 24.4 0.7 225 6.6 1.54 8.61 16.50 0.50 NV 150 NORTE LUC2023-17 52.6 1.5 634 18.5 0.72 5.57 8.33 0.40 NV 150 NORTE LUC2023-18 25.5 0.7 453 13.2 0.08 0.51 0.27 0.40 NV 200 LUC2023-19 31.6 0.9 1821 53.1 0.16 1.18 2.09 0.10 NV 200 LUC2023-20 26.0 0.8 2213 64.5 0.06 4.03 8.45 0.30 NV 200 LUC2023-21 32.9 1.0 1479 43.1 0.24 0.48 0.65 0.30 NV 200 "The latest assay results confirm the high-grade nature of the Lucero project, consistent with visible mineralization observed during site visits and by prior operators," said James Tworek, CEO of Element79 Gold. "We have the benefit of a running start as the Lucero project has been in production in the past, and many underground workings remain accessible. Our recent work and associated results continue to demonstrate the significant potential of our assets while reinforcing our belief that the project hosts more commercially exploitable veins as it has seen little modern exploration. We will continue monthly work packages following on from this March trip, including anticipating sampling and mapping in the Pillune and Sando Alcalde areas which were important past producers. We look forward to sharing additional results as we complete these programs in sequence over the next year." The Company's ongoing 2023 exploration program includes additional surface and underground mapping, sampling, surveying, data collection, and drilling to further identify and delineate existing and new mineralized zones. This data will feed into a geological model for drill planning and assess identified ore shoots for their economic concentrations and production viability. The results of this ongoing program will inform the Company's next steps in advancing the project towards more aggressive drilling plans as well as bulk sampling extraction. Figure 1. Lucero Project showing major historic mining areas, including Apacheta area Tworek added, "With these positive results, the Company makes further progress in line with its 2023 Work Plan (as announced in the Company's News Release February 15, 2023) and we look forward to updating our investors on additional positive results from exploration plans as we receive and analyze them. " Figure 3. A: LUC2023-06, 0.2-meter quartz vein with rhodochrosite and calcite with patches of pyrite, chalcopyrite, and sulfosalts. B. LUC2023-15, 0.5-meter galena-rich vein with sulfosalts. C. LUC2023-10, 0.3-meter granular quartz vein with pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena, sulfosalts and iron oxides. D. LUC2023-17, 0.4-meter vein with galena, sulfosalts, pyrite, and chalcopyrite E. LUC2023-18, 0.4-meter vein with patches of pyrite, chalcopyrite About the Lucero Project Formerly operated as the Shila mine from 1989 to 2005 by Buenaventura, Lucero consists of 10,805 hectares located in the Shila range of southern Peru, which contains several historic high grade gold-silver mines.(1) Lucero consistently delivered high grades during 16 years of operations, and between 1998 and 2004 reported production averaging approximately 18,800 ounces of gold and 435,000 ounces of silver per year at grades of 14.0 g/t gold and 373 g/t silver, with recoveries at the ore processing facility averaging 94.5% for gold and 85.5% for silver. QA/QC All samples were collected by Helmut Herrera of SLM Mining Services S.A.C of Peru (Lima) and submitted to Certimin S.A. of Peru (Lima). Samples were prepared by crushing to 90% passing <2mm, with a 250-gram split pulverized to 85% passing 75 micrometers, and analysed by four acid digestion followed by Inductively Couple Plasma with an Optical Emission Spectrophotometry detector (ICP-OES) for 35 elements including silver, while gold was analyzed by Fire Assay with a 30-gram sample with an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry detector (AAS) finish for assay up to 10 g/t. Overlimit gold was analysed by fire assay with a gravimetric finish. Overlimit Silver (>100 g/t) was analysed by four acid digestion and AAS finish, silver >1000 g/t was analysed by fire Assay with a gravimetric finish. Overlimit lead and zinc were analysed by ore grade techniques using four acid digestion and ICP-OES finish. Qualified Person The technical information in this release has been reviewed and verified by Neil Pettigrew, M.Sc., P. Geo., Director of Element79 Gold and a "qualified person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101. About Element79 Gold Element79 Gold is a mining company focused on gold, silver and associated metals committed to maximizing shareholder value through responsible mining practices and sustainable development of its projects. Element79 Gold's main focus is on two core properties: the previously-producing, high-grade gold and silver mine, Lucero, located in Arequipa, Peru, with the intent to develop a maiden resource on it as well as bring it back into production in the near term; and its flagship Maverick Springs Project located in the famous gold mining district of northeastern Nevada, USA, between the Elko and White Pine Counties. Maverick Springs hosts a 43-101-compliant, pit-constrained mineral resource estimate reflecting an inferred resource of 3.71 million ounces of gold equivalent "AuEq" at a grade of 0.92 g/t AuEq (0.34 g/t Au and 43.4 g/t Ag) with an effective date of Oct. 19, 2022. The acquisition of the Maverick Springs Project also included a portfolio of 15 properties along the Battle Mountain trend in Nevada, which are non-core to its primary business focus. In British Columbia, Element79 Gold has executed a Letter of Intent and funded a drilling program to acquire a private company which holds the option to 100% interest of the Snowbird High-Grade Gold Project, which consists of 10 mineral claims located in Central British Columbia, approximately 20km west of Fort St. James. The Company also has an option to acquire a 100% interest in the Dale Property, 90 unpatented mining claims located approximately 100 km southwest of Timmins, Ontario, Canada in the Timmins Mining Division, Dale Township. The Company is analyzing the non-core Nevada projects, The Dale Property and Snowbird Property for further merit of exploration, sale or spin-out. For more information about the Company, please visit www.element79.gold Contact Information For corporate matters, please contact: James C. Tworek, Chief Executive Officer E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. For investor relations inquiries, please contact: Investor Relations Department Phone: +1.613.879.9387 E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements This press contains "forwardlooking information" and "forward-looking statements" under applicable securities laws (collectively, "forwardlooking statements"). These statements relate to future events or the Company's future performance, business prospects or opportunities that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management made in light of management's experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the Company's business strategy; future planning processes; exploration activities; the timing and result of exploration activities; capital projects and exploration activities and the possible results thereof; acquisition opportunities; and the impact of acquisitions, if any, on the Company. Assumptions may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Consequently, forward-looking statements cannot be guaranteed. As such, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon forward-looking statements as there can be no assurance that the plans, assumptions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forwardlooking statements. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "predict", "forecast", "potential", "target", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe" and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be "forwardlooking statements". Actual results may vary from forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to materially differ from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: the duration and effects of the coronavirus and COVID-19; risks related to the integration of acquisitions; actual results of exploration activities; conclusions of economic evaluations; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; commodity prices; variations in ore reserves, grade or recovery rates; actual performance of plant, equipment or processes relative to specifications and expectations; accidents; labour relations; relations with local communities; changes in national or local governments; changes in applicable legislation or application thereof; delays in obtaining approvals or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities; exchange rate fluctuations; requirements for additional capital; government regulation; environmental risks; reclamation expenses; outcomes of pending litigation; limitations on insurance coverage as well as those factors discussed in the Company's other public disclosure documents, available on www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forwardlooking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forwardlooking statements included herein should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date hereof. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. After review, the Board of Directors, in consultation with its legal and financial advisors, has determined that the Non-Binding Expression of Interest is not in the best interests of Asante or its shareholders The Company intends to continue pursuing financing alternatives VANCOUVER, British... Read More /NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR DISSEMINATION DIRECTLY, OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES ./ VANCOUVER , May 29, 2019 /CNW/ - Defense Metals Corp. (" Defense Metals " or the " Company ") (TSX-V: DEFN/... Read More A Sudanese war crimes suspect has escaped jail amid heavy battles that have rocked the country, along with other members of the Islamist regime ousted in 2019, heightening fears for a fragile ceasefire amid new clashes Wednesday. Anti-aircraft guns targeted fighter jets over Khartoum's sister city of Omdurman, witnesses told AFP, after the army launched air strikes against rival paramilitary forces in the capital late Tuesday. Amid the chaos -- which has killed hundreds, sparked a mass flight of terrified foreigners and Sudanese citizens, and deepened a humanitarian crisis -- Ahmed Harun, a leading figure of the regime of deposed dictator Omar al-Bashir, said he had escaped prison. Harun, who led the regime's infamous counter-insurgency campaign in the western Darfur region in the mid-2000s and is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court, said he had broken out of the capital's Kober prison. After being trapped in the empty jail in "the crossfire of this current battle", Harun said in a recorded TV address that he and fellow ex-regime members had taken "our protection in our own hands". The fighting has pitted army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which emerged from the Janjaweed militia that Bashir unleashed in Darfur. The Darfur conflict left some 300,000 dead and 2.5 million displaced, according to the UN. It was unclear which side may have helped to free the former regime members, but an RSF statement early Wednesday claimed the conflict was "a cover" by "coup leaders" to "get the leaders of the deposed regime out of prison". Multiple foreign governments have frantically organised road convoys, aircraft and ships to get thousands of their nationals out of Sudan, and citizens have fled overland to neighbouring countries. The UN said it has "received reports of tens of thousands of people arriving in the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan". - 'Disregard for norms of war' - Bashir, 79, who was ousted by the military in 2019 in the wake of mass pro-democracy protests, had himself been held in Kober prison. But the army said he and others had been transferred to a military hospital before fighting erupted on April 15 "due to their health conditions", and that they remained under judicial police guard. The military toppled Islamist-backed Bashir in April 2019 following civilian mass protests that raised hopes for a transition to democracy. Burhan and Daglo seized full power in a 2021 coup, but have now fallen out and gone to war, hurtling Sudan into deeper turmoil. The fighting, which has involved air strikes and artillery exchanges, has killed at least 459 people and wounded more than 4,000, UN agencies report, and reduced some districts of greater Khartoum to ruins. The UN representative to Sudan, Volker Perthes, told the UN Security Council that "both of the warring parties have fought with disregard for the laws and norms of war". Perthes, who has stayed in Sudan, said they have been "attacking densely populated areas with little consideration for civilians, for hospitals, or even for vehicles transferring the wounded and sick". - Hospitals shelled - A UN report warned that "shortages of food, water, medicines and fuel are becoming extremely acute, especially in Khartoum and surrounding areas". "Why didn't the officials care for the Sudanese people and their suffering?" said one resident, Alnour Mohamed Ahmed, a builder. "People can't leave their homes." A total of 14 hospitals have been shelled, the doctors' union said Wednesday, while 19 others are out of service. "In some places, humanitarian aid is all that is keeping famine at bay," UN chief Antonio Guterres said Tuesday. In continued evacuations, a ship carrying nearly 1,700 civilians from more than 50 countries docked in Saudi Arabia early Wednesday, and Britain airlifted nationals to Cyprus. The two warring sides have blamed one another for starting the hostilities and for breaching the ceasefire, which is due to end Thursday, and both have made unverifiable claims to control key sites. The RSF claimed to be in control of an oil refinery and the associated Garri power plant more than 70 kilometres (40 miles) north of Khartoum. The army had earlier warned in a Facebook post of a "heavy movement" towards the site "in order to take advantage of the truce by taking control of the refinery". Security fears were further heightened when the World Health Organization warned that combatants had occupied a Khartoum laboratory holding samples of cholera, measles, polio, spelling a "huge biological risk". On Thursday, WHO officials said a team in Sudan was carrying out an "extensive risk assessment". bur/sbh/fz/pjm Meta A former Nazi concentration camp guard who was sentenced to five years in jail last year for complicity in war crimes has died aged 102, a source close to the case told AFP on Wednesday. Josef Schuetz was found guilty of being an accessory to murder in at least 3,500 cases while working as a prison guard at the Sachsenhausen camp in Oranienburg, north of Berlin, between 1942 and 1945. The verdict made him the oldest person ever to be convicted of complicity in crimes committed during the Holocaust. It had always seemed unlikely that Schuetz would ever go to jail as he remained free while awaiting the outcome of an appeal. Schuetz had expressed no regret during his trial and pleaded innocent, saying he did "absolutely nothing". After the war, Schuetz was transferred to a prison camp in Russia before returning to Germany, where he worked as a farmer and a locksmith. More than 200,000 people, including Jews, Roma, regime opponents and gay people, were detained at the Sachsenhausen camp between 1936 and 1945. Tens of thousands of inmates died from forced labour, murder, medical experiments, hunger or disease before the camp was liberated by Soviet troops, according to the Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum. Germany has been scrambling to bring former Nazi war criminals to justice since a landmark ruling in 2011 that paved the way for tseveral trials. One former guard, John Demjanjuk, was convicted on the basis that he served as part of Hitler's killing machine, even though there was no proof he had directly killed anyone. Since then, several former concentration camp workers have been found guilty of being accessories to murder on the same basis. However, with time running out, several cases have been abandoned in recent years after the accused died or were physically unable to stand trial. A Sudanese war crimes suspect, part of the Islamist regime ousted in 2019, has escaped jail as heavy battles rocked the country Wednesday, heightening fears for a fragile ceasefire. On the second full day of a three-day truce, witnesses reported "heavy air strikes" in East Nile, east of the capital, and "a huge explosion in the direction of a paramilitary camp". Warplanes flew over northern suburbs of Khartoum, drawing heavy anti-aircraft fire from the paramilitaries, witnesses told AFP. In southern Khartoum, machinegun fire was reported near one of the homes owned by paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who has led the heavily armed Rapid Support Forces (RSF) into war against the armed forces, under army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. The army said Wednesday it would send a representative to Juba, capital of neighbouring South Sudan, for talks with the RSF "at the initiative of IGAD", the East African regional bloc. The talks will aim to "extend the truce by 72 hours", the armed forces said, as the current one, which has been largely ignored, is due to end on Thursday evening. In the chaos -- which has killed hundreds, sparked an exodus, and deepened humanitarian suffering -- Ahmed Harun, linked to deposed strongman Omar al-Bashir's regime, said Tuesday he and others had escaped prison. Harun is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court in connection with the Bashir regime's unleashing of Janjaweed militias against non-Arab ethnic minorities in Darfur. Beginning in 2003, that conflict left around 300,000 dead and 2.5 million displaced, according to the UN. Daglo's RSF are descended from the Janjaweed. After being trapped in the empty Kober jail in "the crossfire of this current battle", Harun said in a recorded TV address that he and fellow ex-regime members had taken "our protection in our own hands". The ICC prosecutor's office said it was following developments but added there was no independent confirmation of the Kober detainees' status. - 'The deposed regime' - Since fighting broke out on April 15, foreign governments from all corners of the globe have organised road convoys, aircraft and ships to get thousands of their people out of Sudan, while citizens have fled overland to neighbouring countries. The UN said it has "received reports of tens of thousands of people arriving in the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan". According to Bankole Adeoye, the African Union's commissioner for political affairs, peace and security, continued fighting will increase the "risk of regional conflagration and internationalisation of the conflict". Bashir, 79, was ousted by the military in 2019 in the wake of mass pro-democracy protests. He had himself been held in Kober prison. But the army said Bashir and others had been transferred to a military hospital before fighting erupted "due to their health conditions", and that they remained under judicial police guard. The RSF claimed Wednesday that the war was "a cover" to "get the leaders of the deposed regime out of prison". The main civilian bloc ousted from power by Burhan and Daglo, the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC), echoed the RSF position. The FFC said the re-emergence of Harun was proof "the deposed regime and its dissolved party are -- through their assets in the armed forces -- behind the ongoing war". After Bashir's ouster, which had raised hopes for a transition to democracy, Burhan and Daglo seized full power in a 2021 coup, but have now fallen out. The fighting has killed at least 512 people and wounded more than 4,000, according to the health ministry, and reduced some districts of greater Khartoum to ruins. The dead include two American civilians, US officials confirmed. One of them was a Sudanese-American doctor Bushra Ibnauf Sulieman of the University of Khartoum, according to a Washington, DC public relations firm. More than 60 percent of health care facilities in Khartoum are closed because of the conflict, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. A total of 14 hospitals have been shelled, the doctors' union said, while 19 others are out of service. The WHO also said it was assessing the threat posed to public health after fighters in Sudan occupied a national laboratory holding samples of deadly diseases. The UN representative to Sudan, Volker Perthes, told the UN Security Council that "both of the warring parties have fought with disregard for the laws and norms of war". Perthes, who has stayed in Sudan, said they have been "attacking densely populated areas with little consideration for civilians, for hospitals, or even for vehicles transferring the wounded and sick". - 'Hysterical state' - Alnour Mohammed Ahmed is one of those civilians. "Why didn't the officials care for the Sudanese people and their suffering?" asked Ahmed, a builder. They are also suffering shortages of essential goods including food, medicines and fuel. In continued evacuations, a ship carrying more than 1,600 civilians from more than 50 countries docked in Saudi Arabia early Wednesday, and Britain airlifted nationals to Cyprus. "We were in a hysterical state because we could no longer sleep or eat," said Karima Rouifki, who was among 293 Moroccans who arrived in their country aboard two aircraft Wednesday. Another Moroccan, Fatimia Zahra, said she had to flee when a factory beside her Khartoum home was bombed. "We lost our home and possessions," she said. Despite violations, White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday that "violence has decreased". The ceasefire is to expire at 2200 GMT Thursday but Kirby said the US remains "in direct contact" with both generals, working with them "to see if we can get this ceasefire extended". Last March, Guatemalan human rights prosecutor Orlando Lopez was arrested on charges of abuse of power and illegal acts. Lopez is a well-known prosecutor, as he brought former dictator Efrain Rios Montt to trial for genocide in March 2013. Montt was convicted, but the verdict was annulled less than two months later, allegedly for procedural reasons but in reality because Guatemalas economic and military elites opposed the prosecution of high-level military. Lopez was arrested based on accusations of Ricardo Mendez Ruiz, leader of the extreme right wing Anti-Terrorism Foundation created to defend the military. In recent years this Foundation has dedicated itself to denouncing and persecuting anti-corruption judges and prosecutors. Mendez Ruiz applauded Lopezs arrest on Twitter, stating that he was responsible for the illegal capture of our veterans. Unfortunately, Lopezs arrest is not an incident, but only the latest development in a systematic process of undermining of the rule of law and judicial independence in Guatemala. The Attorney Generals Office, led by Consuelo Porras, has worked systematically to prosecute anti-corruption judges and prosecutors. It has done so hand in hand with Mendez Ruizs Anti-Terrorism Foundation. Chronicle of a backlash foretold In Guatemala, a country which experienced a bloody internal armed conflict from 1960 until 1996, impunity was long the norm. Both cases of serious human rights violations committed during the conflict and cases of later crime and corruption went largely unpunished. This changed dramatically in 2007, with the creation of the UN-sponsored International Commission to Combat Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG). The internationally acclaimed CICIG, composed of international and Guatemalan jurists, managed to investigate and prosecute illegal security groups and clandestine organisations in Guatemala, including networks of corrupt politicians up to the highest level. In fact, the CICIG became too successful, threatening those elites who had long deemed themselves untouchable. Its investigation of then-President Jimmy Morales led to his decision to end the CICIGs mandate in 2019. This was the start of a process in which the work of independent judges and prosecutors became increasingly difficult. The economic elites and corrupt politicians managed to take control of the justice institutions, and started a witch hunt against those who had investigated the cases of the CICIG. They targeted both those directly investigating and sentencing cases and those defending CICIGs work as a Constitutional Court judge. A common pattern is evident in these cases, where justice operators are falsely accused with fabricated evidence, or are outright fired based on invented complaints of lack of subordination to superiors in the Attorney Generals Office, abuse of power and the like. Mendez Ruiz and his Foundation have been responsible for some of the accusations and requests to strip judges and prosecutors of their immunity requests acted upon enthusiastically by the Attorney Generals Office. Its head, Consuelo Porras, was re-elected for another term last year, in spite of being included in the United States State Departments Engels List of public officials considered to be responsible for undermining democracy and obstructing investigations into acts of corruption. Her re-election showed how the President and Attorney General work closely together, supported by extreme right-wing actors like Mendez Ruiz. Close to 30 judges and prosecutors have seen themselves forced to go into exile to avoid being arrested, while ten prosecutors face lawsuits in Guatemala, like Lopez. Among them is also anti-corruption prosecutor Virginia Laparra, who was arrested in February 2022 on unfounded charges of ongoing abuse of authority. She was sentenced to four years in prison for these crimes in December 2022, while a parallel process against her is still ongoing. Laparra, considered a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, is detained in conditions that are not dignified, and has no access to timely health care. On 20 April, former head of the Tax Agency, Juan Francisco Solorzano Foppa, was also arrested on charges of obstruction of justice. While heading the Tax Agency, Foppa tried to combat tax evasion, another action harming powerful actors in Guatemala. Human rights as new battlefield Most recently, this battle in which the law is used as an instrument to undermine judicial independence and the rule of law, has broadened from those fighting corruption to those combating impunity for serious human rights violations during the internal armed conflict. Prosecutor Lopez is a key example of this development, but he is not the only one. In November, judge Miguel Angel Galvez, who has been key to holding some of the perpetrators of those crimes accountable, left the country. From exile, he resigned from his position as judge in one of Guatemalas high-risk courts which deal with high-level cases. Galvez too played a role in bringing former dictator Rios Montt to justice, and most recently he led the so-called Death Squad Dossier case. This case is a major example of the systematic terror during Guatemalas internal armed conflict. It is based around a military dossier which contains the photographs of 195 Guatemalans who suffered serious human rights violations, including forced disappearance, extrajudicial execution, arbitrary detention, torture and sexual abuse. In 2021, fourteen retired military and police officials and one civilian were arrested for this. In the following year judge Galvez sent nine of them to trial, including senior military officials connected to criminal networks. Touching upon the interests of high-level military and veterans unleashed an intense harassment and intimidation campaign led by Mendez Ruiz, eventually forcing Galvez into exile. The judges who replaced Galvez have already released three of the accused from pretrial custody. Similar requests have been made by the other accused and it is feared that the case will be further dismantled. Several injunctions in other high-profile cases are awaiting decisions by the Constitutional Court, a court with no smooth track record in defending human rights. Two of its current judges voted in 2013 to annul the genocide verdict against Rios Montt, and in 2019 one of these magistrates was in fact vice-presidential candidate of Rios Montts daughter Zury Rios. A crucial election time In June of this year, Zury Rios will again run for president. Rios stands a good chance of becoming the next president, being backed by the economic elites, military and the Anti-Terrorism Foundation. Several progressive candidates have instead been barred from running. Her election is a worrying prospect for the situation of human rights and rule of law in Guatemala. Rios has already pushed for an amnesty initiative law, euphemistically called Law for the Consolidation of Peace and Reconciliation which would end all lawsuits and annul all sentences for crimes committed between 1960 and 1996. This would mean a return to full-scale impunity for the country, and a situation of intense insecurity for those involved in earlier lawsuits, both as judges, prosecutors and witnesses. Whereas judges and prosecutors may have the chance to go into exile, with all the emotional and economic toll this takes on personal lives, most of the often poor indigenous witnesses have no such options. Without effective institutions protecting the rule of law, indigenous grassroots human rights defenders are left defenceless. Between 2012 and 2022, 80 environmental activists, many of them Indigenous, were killed in the country. If Rios indeed wins the elections, an even bleaker future awaits Guatemala. It is shocking that those who for a decade were at the forefront of a successful, internationally supported process of combating impunity and corruption, are now facing the consequences through exile, arrest and detention. At this crucial moment, the international community must do all that is in its power to prevent the situation from worsening. It must support those that were so crucial for the temporary break in Guatemalas landscape of impunity and the hundreds of witnesses in these cases, through legal and political support. It should also denounce in much clearer words what is happening in Guatemala and make sure that the ruthless dismantling of the rule of law does not stay without consequences. Finally, close monitoring of the upcoming elections should make sure that they are transparent and fair and that some hope remains for Guatemalas future. The Sudanese army pounded paramilitaries in the capital Khartoum with air strikes Thursday while deadly fighting flared in Darfur as the clock ticked down on a fragile US-brokered ceasefire now in its final full day. Late Wednesday, the army said it had agreed to talks in Juba, capital of neighbouring South Sudan, on extending the three-day truce which expires on Friday "at the initiative of IGAD", the East African regional bloc. There have been multiple truce efforts since fighting broke out on April 15 between Sudan's regular army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by his deputy turned rival, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. All have failed. The fighting has continued despite the US-brokered ceasefire that took effect on Tuesday, with warplanes patrolling the skies over the capital's northern suburbs as fighters on the ground have exchanged artillery and heavy machine gun fire, witnesses said. Burhan agreed on Wednesday to the IGAD proposal for talks on extending the truce by a further 72 hours, the army added. The RSF's response to the proposal remains unclear. At least 512 people have been killed and 4,193 wounded in the fighting, according to health ministry figures, although the real death toll is likely much higher. The doctors' union said at least eight civilians had been killed in Khartoum alone on Wednesday despite the truce. More than two thirds of hospitals in the country were out of service, the union said Thursday, including 14 that had been struck during the fighting. - Violence beyond Khartoum - Beyond the capital, fighting has flared in the provinces, particularly in the war-torn western region of Darfur. Clashes between the army and the RSF raged for a second day in the West Darfur capital Geneina, witnesses said, adding that civilians were seen fleeing to the nearby border with Chad. On Wednesday, the United Nations humanitarian agency reported killings, looting and arson in Geneina. "An estimated 50,000 acutely malnourished children have had nutrition support disrupted due to the fighting," it added in a statement. The heavy fighting has trapped many civilians in their homes, where they have endured severe shortages of food, water and electricity. The UN has warned that as many as 270,000 people could flee into Sudan's poorer neighbours South Sudan and Chad. Other Sudanese have sought refuge in Egypt to the north and Ethiopia to the east, but both entail long and potentially dangerous journeys overland. Speaking at the Egyptian border, 50-year-old refugee Ashraf called on the warring sides to "end the war... because this is your own conflict, not that of the Sudanese people". In Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast, Syrian evacuee Khalil Ibrahim told AFP: "We just want to get away from this war." Cambridge University academic Sharath Srinivasan warned the mass movement of people across Sudan's borders threatened to destabilise already fragile governments in neighbouring countries. "If the armed confrontation between these two forces protracts -- or worse, if it draws in other armed rebel groups across the country -- this could quickly become one of the worst humanitarian crises in the region and risk spilling over," he told US news outlet Politico. Foreign governments have taken advantage of the fragile truce to organise road convoys, aircraft and ships to get thousands of their citizens out but some have warned their evacuation efforts are dependent on the lull in fighting holding. A Saudi evacuation ship docked in the Red Sea port of Jeddah Thursday carrying 187 Sudan evacuees from 25 countries, including the United States, Russia and Turkey, the Saudi foreign ministry said. It was the eighth such crossing organised by the Saudi authorities since the start of the fighting and took the total evacuated to the kingdom so far to 2,544, only 119 of them Saudis, the ministry said. - War crimes suspect escapes - As lawlessness has gripped Sudan, there have been several jailbreaks, including from the high security Kober prison where top aides of ousted dictator Omar al-Bashir were held. Among those who have escaped is Ahmed Haroun, wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the 2003 Darfur conflict. Haroun's escape sparked fears of the involvement of Bashir loyalists in the ongoing fighting. The army said the ousted dictator was not among those who escaped but had been moved to a military hospital before the fighting erupted. Daglo's RSF emerged from the Janjaweed militia, accused of carrying out atrocities against civilians during Bashir's brutal suppression of ethnic minority rebels in Darfur in the mid-2000s. Bashir was toppled by the military in April 2019 following civilian mass protests that raised hopes for a transition to democracy. The two generals had together seized power in a 2021 coup, but later fell out, most recently over the planned integration of the RSF into the regular army. The Sudanese army pounded paramilitaries in the capital Khartoum with air strikes Thursday while deadly fighting flared in Darfur, as the clock ticked down on a fragile US-brokered ceasefire now in its final full day. Ahead of the expiry of a three-day truce at midnight (2200 GMT), the army said late Wednesday it had agreed to talks in Juba, capital of neighbouring South Sudan, on extending it "at the initiative of IGAD", the East African regional bloc. There have been multiple truce efforts since fighting broke out on April 15 between Sudan's regular army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by his deputy turned rival, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. All have failed. The fighting has continued despite the US-brokered ceasefire that took effect on Tuesday, with warplanes patrolling the skies over the capital's northern suburbs as fighters on the ground have exchanged artillery and heavy machinegun fire, witnesses said. Burhan agreed on Wednesday to the IGAD proposal for talks on extending the truce by a further 72 hours, the army added. The RSF's response to the proposal remains unclear. At least 512 people have been killed and 4,193 wounded in the fighting, according to health ministry figures, although the real death toll is likely much higher. The doctors' union said at least eight civilians had been killed in Khartoum alone on Wednesday despite the truce. More than two thirds of hospitals in the country were out of service, the union said Thursday, including 14 that had been struck during the fighting. Beyond the capital, fighting has flared in the provinces, particularly in the war-torn western region of Darfur. - Violence beyond Khartoum - Clashes raged for a second day in the West Darfur capital Geneina, witnesses said, adding civilians were seen fleeing to the nearby border with Chad. "We are locked up at home and too afraid to go out so we can't assess the scale of the damage," said a resident who asked to remain anonymous for his safety. "The heavy fighting began from 24 April," he said, confirming severe damage to hospitals and public buildings and looting across the city. On Wednesday the United Nations humanitarian agency said the fighting in West Darfur had disrupted nutrition to "an estimated 50,000 acutely malnourished children". The violence has trapped many civilians in their homes, where they have endured severe shortages of food, water and electricity. The UN has said as many as 270,000 people could flee into Sudan's poorer neighbours South Sudan and Chad. Other Sudanese have sought refuge in Egypt to the north and Ethiopia to the east, but both entail long and potentially dangerous journeys overland. Speaking at the Egyptian border, 50-year-old refugee Ashraf called on the warring sides to "end the war... because this is your own conflict, not that of the Sudanese people". Cambridge University academic Sharath Srinivasan warned the mass movement of people across Sudan's borders threatened to destabilise already fragile governments in neighbouring countries. "If the armed confrontation between these two forces protracts -- or worse, if it draws in other armed rebel groups across the country -- this could quickly become one of the worst humanitarian crises in the region and risk spilling over," he told US news outlet Politico. - War crimes suspect escapes - Foreign governments have taken advantage of the fragile truce to get thousands of their citizens out but some have warned their evacuation efforts are dependent on the lull in fighting holding. UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly urged Britons and their relatives in Sudan to use evacuation flights while they are still available before the ceasefire ends. A Saudi evacuation ship docked in the Red Sea port of Jeddah Thursday carrying 187 Sudan evacuees from 25 countries, including the United States, Russia and Turkey, the Saudi foreign ministry said. It was the eighth such crossing organised by Saudi Arabia since the start of the fighting and took the total evacuated to the kingdom so far to 2,544, only 119 of them Saudis, the ministry said. As lawlessness has gripped Sudan, there have been several jailbreaks, including from the high security Kober prison where top aides of ousted dictator Omar al-Bashir were held. Among those who have escaped is Ahmed Harun, wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the 2003 Darfur conflict. Harun's escape sparked fears of the involvement of Bashir loyalists in the ongoing fighting. The army said the ousted dictator was not among those who escaped but had been moved to a military hospital before the fighting erupted. Daglo's RSF emerged from the Janjaweed militia, accused of carrying out atrocities against civilians during Bashir's brutal suppression of ethnic minority rebels in Darfur in the mid-2000s. Bashir was toppled by the military in April 2019 following civilian mass protests that raised hopes for a transition to democracy. The two generals had together seized power in a 2021 coup, but later fell out, most recently over the planned integration of the RSF into the regular army. The Sudanese army pounded paramilitaries in the capital Khartoum with air strikes Thursday while deadly fighting flared in Darfur, as a fragile US-brokered ceasefire entered its final hours. Ahead of the expiry of a three-day truce at midnight (2200 GMT), the army said late Wednesday it had agreed to talks in neighbouring South Sudan on extending it "at the initiative of IGAD", the East African regional bloc. There have been multiple truce efforts since fighting broke out on April 15 between Sudan's army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by his deputy turned rival, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. All have failed. The fighting has continued despite the US-brokered ceasefire that took effect on Tuesday, with warplanes patrolling the skies over the capital's northern suburbs as fighters on the ground exchanged artillery and heavy machinegun fire, witnesses said. Burhan agreed on Wednesday to the IGAD proposal for talks on extending the truce by a further 72 hours, the army added. The RSF's response to the proposal remains unclear. At least 512 people have been killed and 4,193 wounded in the fighting, according to health ministry figures, although the real death toll is likely much higher. Despite the truce, the doctors' union said at least eight civilians had been killed in Khartoum alone on Wednesday. More than two thirds of hospitals in the country were out of service, the union said Thursday, including 14 hit during the fighting. - Violence beyond Khartoum - Fighting has also flared in the provinces, particularly in the war-torn western region of Darfur. Witnesses said clashes raged for a second day in the West Darfur capital El Geneina, with pro-democracy medics reporting a doctor was shot dead. "We are locked up at home and too afraid to go out, so we can't assess the scale of the damage," said a resident, who asked to remain anonymous for his safety. On Wednesday, the United Nations humanitarian agency said the fighting in West Darfur had disrupted food to "an estimated 50,000 acutely malnourished children". The violence has trapped many civilians in their homes, where they have endured severe shortages of food, water and electricity. Those who can afford to have taken the long and risky journey to flee the country. Egypt said Thursday that at least 14,000 Sudanese refugees had crossed the border into the country since fighting erupted, as well as 2,000 people from 50 other countries. "End the war", 50-year-old refugee Ashraf told the warring generals after entering Egypt. "This is your own conflict, not that of the Sudanese people". The UN has warned that as many as 270,000 people could flee into Sudan's impoverished neighbours South Sudan and Chad, and thousands have also fled into Ethiopia. - War crimes suspect escapes - Foreign governments have scrambled get thousands of their citizens out, but some have warned their evacuation efforts are dependent on the relative lull in fighting holding. UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly urged Britons and their relatives in Sudan to use evacuation flights while they are still available. A Saudi evacuation ship docked in the Red Sea port of Jeddah Thursday carrying 187 Sudan evacuees from 25 countries, including the United States, Russia and Turkey, the Saudi foreign ministry said. It was the eighth such crossing organised by Saudi Arabia since the start of the fighting and took the total evacuated to the kingdom to 2,544, only 119 of them Saudis, the ministry said. As lawlessness has gripped Sudan, there have been several jailbreaks, including from the high security Kober prison where top aides of ousted dictator Omar al-Bashir were held. Among those who have escaped is Ahmed Harun, wanted by the International Criminal Court to face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in Darfur. Harun's escape sparked fears of the involvement of Bashir loyalists in the ongoing fighting. The army said the ousted dictator was not among those who escaped, as he had been moved to a military hospital before fighting erupted. Daglo's RSF emerged from the Janjaweed militia, accused of carrying out atrocities against civilians during Bashir's brutal suppression of ethnic minority rebels in Darfur in the mid-2000s. Bashir was toppled by the military in April 2019 following civilian mass protests that raised hopes for a transition to democracy. The two generals seized power together in a 2021 coup, but later fell out, most recently over the planned integration of the RSF into the regular army. The story of three young people who were tested by fate and time finally comes to an end as "Oasis" releases its ultimate episode. Will Jang Dong Yoon, Seol In Ah and Chu Young Woo at long last get their much deserved happy ending? Keep on reading! Lee Doo Hak Faces Choi Cheol Woong In War Zone In the previous episode, Choi Cheol Woong's (Chu Young Woo) family takes down Oh Man Ok (Jin Yi Han) after discovering the device that was planted on him by Lee Doo Hak (Jang Dong Yoon). Lee Doo Hak then works with another prosecutor to release an article about Kang Yeo Jin (Kang Kyung Heon) and the dirty deeds that Choi Cheol Woong's family have been covering up for the longest time. She then uses Lee Doo Hak's mother to corner him. Choi Cheol Woong then points a gun at him, coercing him to surrender the evidence he has against their family. Because of this, Lee Doo Hak's mother reveals the truth about their relationship in hopes to save their lives. Choi Cheol Woong Expresses Great Remorse Lee Doo Hak tells Choi Cheol Woong that the one he calls mother is the one who killed Lee Jun Ho (Kim Myung Soo), their real father. After putting two and two together, Choi Cheol Woong expresses his anger by aiming the gun at himself, expressing remorse. Lee Doo Hak then shows his brotherly love by saving Choi Cheol Woong from a bullet, shedding blood in the process. Choi Cheol Woong cries his heart out as Lee Doo Hak bleeds in his arms, creating a tense and melancholic atmosphere. Everything Works Out In The End Thankfully, Lee Doo Hak's men as well as the prosecutor he had been working with were able to trace down the bad guys that had a connection with him. Kang Yeo Jin ends up being admitted to a mental hospital after living a narcissistic life which made everyone else around her suffer in great agony. Lee Doo Hak reunites with his poor mother, and vows to always protect her from harm. The Happily Ever After On the other hand, Lee Doo Hak, Choi Cheol Woong and Oh Jung Shin (Seol In Ah) watch a film together at the Namhae Theater like the old times, reliving their youth and glory. After all that has happened, the couple, Lee Doo Hak and Oh Jung Shin, whose love withstood time proves that forever exists through their romantic connection. At long last, they finally get the happily ever after they deserve; and were also able to reconnect the severed ties they had with their childhood friend Choi Cheol Woong. KDramaStars owns this article. Written by Elijah Mully. The first week of May welcomes the return of fan-favorite stars Lee Dong Wook, Kim Woo Bin, EXO Sehun and more. Apart from their swoon-worthy visuals, they also herald a slew of amazing dramas that vary in genre. Fans are given a wide array of works from dystopian, fantasy to romance comedy. If you're looking for the perfect drama to watch, then this is for you! Keep on reading! 'Run Into You' Kim Dong Wook couples up with Jin Ki Joo in his comeback drama "Run Into You" this May! The series focuses on the lives of two individuals who get entangled with one another as they are transported back in time in the year of 1987. Despite their differences, the two work together in order to return to the modern world to accomplish the missions that will change their lives. "Run Into You" brings suspense, romance and fantasy all in one this May 1 on KBS2! Don't miss it! 'All That We Loved' EXO Sehun returns to the acting scene this summer with Jo Joon Young and Jang Yeo Bin! The trio decorates TVING's forthcoming teen romance drama "All That We Loved," which revolves around two young men whose friendship is tested when they both fall in love with the same girl. What's worse is when they realize that certain memories have been transferred to the other when he received a kidney transplant from his friend! Prepare your boxes of tissues as "All That We Loved" herald a new tearjerker coming of age romance series this May 5! 'Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938' The highly loved "Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938" returns with a new season this 2023! Lee Dong Wook, Kim Bum and Kim So Yeon reprised their roles in "Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938," much to fans' delight! It revolves around the life of the legendary gumiho Lee Yeon, played by Lee Dong Wook, who gets dragged back in time in the big year of 1938. However, he needs to find a way to go back in time to protect the ones he loved from harm and impending danger. Will Lee Yeon make it back in time? Tune in to "Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938" this May 6 on tvN! 'Black Knight' With the never-ending pandemic due to the coronavirus, Netflix releases Kim Woo Bin and Esom's disaster series "Black Knight" to deliver resonance and comfort to the viewers. The drama depicts the dystopian future of South Korea which is filled with polluted air, making it impossible for people to live without respirators and gas masks. Kim Woo Bin, who returns to the limelight, transforms into 5-8, a delivery man who becomes the reliable hero of the refugees in the country amidst the crises and approaching doom of the government. "Black Knight" airs for the first time on May 12 on Netflix! Don't miss it! KDramaStars owns this article. Written by Elijah Mully. Despite her busy schedule, Han So Hee makes sure to constantly communicate with fans through social media. However, the actress' recent blog post drew attention as she talked about life and happiness. Is the celebrity going through something? Han So Hee's Blog Captures Fans' Attention + What Happened? On April 27, the actress posted a lengthy message to her supporters. As obtained by a media outlet, the actress said that she has always wanted to visit her blog once a year. She then shared a photo taken by her manager during her trip to Los Angeles and mentioned how time flies so fast. "It's already April; how are you guys preparing for this summer?" she asked, adding, "Fortunately, I don't get hot easily, but I'm worried that this summer will be very hot." The "My Name" star took the opportunity to update her fans about her current situation. She mentioned her random conversation with a taxi driver and asked him, "Why is life so hard?" Han So Hee then mentioned how the conversation went and her realizations about it. "It was such a rude and embarrassing question, but the driver replied, 'Wouldn't it be boring if you were too happy?'. Then I said, 'I just want it to be boring.'" Trying to communicate with her readers, the actress also asked her fans about life and happiness, before she mentioned that she sometimes feel "overwhelmed." "But sometimes I feel peaceful, and I think I'm enjoying just enough of my life," she added. The South Korean beauty then spoke about her upcoming project and mentioned that she wanted to meet her fans as Chae Ok, her character in "Gyeongseong Creature." Apart from the photos from her trip, Han So Hee also shared a glimpse of her artwork and casual moments with her sibling. "Perhaps because we've both grown older, we have acknowledged and relied on each other more these days. I want to let you know that we're doing well," she said, leaving a reminder for her fans. Han So Hee also talked about receiving gifts from fans and apologized that she couldn't accept all the presents. "I remember seeing everyone who risked their safety to come to see me at the airport after my schedules and kept calling me 'So Hee, So Hee unnie'. However, it's also true that I'm worried about you all," the actress explained, expressing worry that it might cause inconvenience to her fans. Concluding her message, the 28-year-old actress wished her supporters all the best, left an inspirational message for fans, and reminded them to live well "even if things don't go well and if we're not happy." Han So Hee Dramas: Teaming Up With Park Seo Joon, Song Hye Kyo Apart from her magazine and event appearances, Han So Hee is booked and busy with upcoming K-dramas. First on the list is the action-thriller series "Gyeongseong Creature" with Park Seo Joon, which will be extended with season 2. After the series, she will headline a revenge drama, alongside Song Hye Kyo for "Price of Confession," helmed by "Beyond Evil" director Shim Na Yeon. For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, keep your tabs open here at KDramaStars. KDramaStars owns this article Written by Geca Wills 5 Shares Share Artificial intelligence (AI) has significantly advanced in various fields, including health care, finance, and education. One of the most promising areas for AI application is criminology, which has the potential to transform how criminal investigations are conducted. The groundbreaking capabilities of ChatGPT-4 have the potential to revolutionize criminology by aiding forensic science, crime scene analysis, and criminal investigations in medical and non-medical contexts. The power of ChatGPT-4 in forensic science ChatGPT-4s capabilities extend to various forensic techniques, including fingerprint and facial recognition, age progression, toxicology, digital forensics, and biological evidence analysis. The technologys ability to analyze massive amounts of data quickly and accurately makes it an invaluable tool for crime scene investigators and forensic experts. By automating routine tasks and providing insights based on data patterns, ChatGPT-4 can help expedite investigations and potentially uncover critical evidence that might go unnoticed. Medical and non-medical applications in crime solving ChatGPT-4 in criminal investigations can significantly improve crime-solving efforts in various ways. For example, its ability to analyze and process complex toxicology data can help investigators identify the cause of death in poisoning cases. Additionally, ChatGPT-4 can be employed in DNA analysis, identifying suspects, and establishing connections between victims and perpetrators. In non-medical contexts, ChatGPT-4 can analyze large amounts of text data, such as social media posts, emails, and online forums, helping investigators uncover hidden connections between suspects and victims and identify potential motives and plans. AI-powered video analytics can also be employed to analyze surveillance footage, identifying suspicious activities or persons of interest and reducing the time required to find relevant information in criminal investigations. Notorious criminals and the role of ChatGPT-4 The potential of ChatGPT-4 in solving crimes can be further understood by examining notorious criminal cases from the past, such as the Zodiac Killer, the Green River Killer, and the Yorkshire Ripper. By employing various forensic techniques powered by ChatGPT-4, investigators could have potentially uncovered new leads or even identified the perpetrators. Zodiac Killer The Zodiac Killer terrorized Northern California in the late 1960s and early 1970s, leaving behind cryptic messages. ChatGPT-4 could have been employed to analyze the ciphers and possibly decode the news, revealing valuable information about the killers identity and motives. Moreover, with its advanced pattern recognition capabilities, ChatGPT-4 could have helped identify any links between the victims and the killer, providing crucial leads for investigators. Green River Killer Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer, was convicted of 49 murders in the 1980s and 1990s. ChatGPT-4s ability to analyze vast amounts of data, such as DNA evidence and crime scene details, could have helped investigators identify connections between the victims and Ridgway sooner. Additionally, by employing AI-powered facial recognition and age progression techniques, authorities could have tracked Ridgway down more quickly, possibly preventing further loss of life. Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, was convicted of murdering 13 women between 1975 and 1980. In this case, ChatGPT-4 could have been utilized to analyze various aspects of the crime scenes, such as tire tracks, shoe prints, and other physical evidence. By cross-referencing this data with vehicle registrations, witness statements, and additional available information, ChatGPT-4 could have helped narrow the list of potential suspects and led investigators to Sutcliffe earlier. Ethical considerations and privacy issues While the potential benefits of AI in crime-solving are immense, it is essential to address ethical concerns and privacy issues surrounding the use of AI in criminal investigations. To prevent AI from being misused or causing unintended harm, it is crucial to establish clear guidelines and regulations that govern its application in criminology. This includes protecting sensitive information and respecting the privacy rights of individuals involved in criminal cases. The future of AI-assisted crime solving The future possibilities of AI in criminology are vast. As AI technologies like ChatGPT-4 continue to develop and improve, their potential to revolutionize crime-solving and justice will only grow. Potential applications include enhancing interrogation techniques, improving criminal profiling, and refining crime-scene reconstruction methods. Moreover, AI could be utilized in analyzing the psychological profiles of criminals, enabling law enforcement and mental health professionals better to understand the motives and patterns of behavior of offenders. This knowledge could lead to more effective intervention strategies, rehabilitation programs, and crime prevention measures. Conclusion The transformative power of AI, particularly ChatGPT-4, can revolutionize crime-solving and justice in medical and non-medical contexts. Integrating AI technology into criminal investigations can expedite the process, uncover crucial evidence, and lead to breakthroughs in cases that have remained unsolved for years. As we continue to explore the potential of AI, it is essential to embrace its capabilities while ensuring ethical and responsible use in the pursuit of justice, whether in medical or non-medical contexts. With a balanced approach, AI technologies like ChatGPT-4 can significantly shape the future of crime-solving and justice, making our world safer for everyone. Harvey Castro is a physician, health care consultant, and serial entrepreneur with extensive experience in the health care industry. He can be reached on his website, harveycastromd.info, Twitter @HarveycastroMD, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. He is the author of Bing Copilot and Other LLM: Revolutionizing Healthcare With AI, Solving Infamous Cases with Artificial Intelligence, The AI-Driven Entrepreneur: Unlocking Entrepreneurial Success with Artificial Intelligence Strategies and Insights, ChatGPT and Healthcare: The Key To The New Future of Medicine, ChatGPT and Healthcare: Unlocking The Potential Of Patient Empowerment, Revolutionize Your Health and Fitness with ChatGPTs Modern Weight Loss Hacks, and Success Reinvention. A total of 211 Ugandans who were caught up in Sudan fighting have returned back home. The group which was aboard Uganda Airlines plane touched down at Entebbe international airport on Thursday at 2am. These were evacuated from Bahir Dar Airport in northern Ethiopia after a five days journey on-board buses from Sudan. The group was officially received by the presidents son and special operations adviser, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba alongside officials from the Foreign Affairs office and Migration. Speaking to journalists at the airport, Ugandas ambassador to Khartoum Dr. Rashid Yahya Ssemuddu who led the group commended the government for the effort to help troubled Ugandans. And Im happy that no single Ugandan who is counted among that big number of people who have died so far in Khartoum in this war. We made sure that we reached all the Ugandans and before we started the evacuation process. We kept in touch with them, warning them where to go, where not to go, he said. Among the 211 people who were received at the airport, 10 were children and the rest were adults. At least 50 Ugandans are still stuck in the fighting in Sudan. The revelation has been made by Ugandas ambassador to Khartoum, Dr. Rashid Yahya Ssemuddu at Entebbe International Airport after 211 Ugandans who were evacuated by the govt touched down this morning at 2am. At least 300 Ugandans were confirmed to have been trapped in Sudan following clashes between Sudan army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid support force leader Gen Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. Dr. Ssemuddu says as much as 211 Ugandans were received last night at the airport, about 39 were also evacuated by other agencies bringing the total number of Ugandans evacuated from conflict-ridden Sudan to 250. The chairperson of the parliament foreign committee and also Buliisa woman MP Norah Bigirwa who witnessed the arrival of Ugandans commended the president for the evacuation efforts As the globe marks International Day of Girls in ICT, a new UNICEF report issued today has revealed that around 90% of adolescent girls and young women do not use the internet in low-income countries, while their male peers are twice as likely to be online. According to the report, on average across 32 countries and territories, girls are 35% less likely than their male peers to have digital skills, including simple activities like copying or pasting files or folders, sending emails, or transferring files. The report suggests that education and family environments play a critical role in the gender digital divide. For example, even within the same home, girls are far less likely than boys to access mobile phones and be able to make full use of the internet and digital technologies. The report attributes the trend to pervasive discriminatory gender norms and stereotypes, as well as concerns over online safety. To close this gap, UNICEF Director of Education Robert Jenkins is calling for empowerment of girls to be innovators, creators, and leaders. The Church of Uganda needs Shs600 million to organize this years Uganda Martyrs Day celebrations slated for June, 3 at Namugongo. This was revealed by the chairperson of the central organizing committee and first deputy prime minister, Rebecca Kadaga while addressing the media at Namugongo shrines on Thursday. She revealed that there will be pre-activities ahead of the main day such as profiling dioceses, elders, and historical sites, noting that the Eastern cluster who are the organizers for this years celebrations has a unique story that will be profiled in one magazine. Kadaga said President Yoweri Museveni is excepted to grace the event as chief guest, while Archbishop Kazimba Mugalu will be the main celebrant. Additionally, the Archbishop of North America, Most Rev. Dr. Foley Beach, will be the main preacher of the day. Rev. Canon Samuel George Bogere Egesa, the Bishop of Bukedi diocese revealed that over 40,000 pilgrims are expected to attend this years Martyrs Day celebrations running under the theme United for sustainable service and growth. A group of civil society activists has rejected the proposed Value Added Tax (VAT) on baby diapers. The proposal was made by Mr. David Kizito while appearing before Parliaments finance committee to present the views of Tax Justice Alliance-Uganda on the tax bills. He urged government to look at the statistics on teenage pregnancies in Uganda and how the lifting of tax waiver on baby diapers is likely to impact on the livelihoods of rural women and girls. In its proposal to Parliament, the Ministry of Finance proposes a revision of supplies in the exemptions schedule by lifting the VAT waiver on all diapers but making it exceptional for adult diapers on medical grounds. However, the activists argued that diapers are a necessity for babies and the proposal is bound to increase hours spent on care work if women are to wash nappies. There was drama near Parliament on Thursday as police arrested about 11 female opposition legislators who aimed to lead a peaceful demonstration to a government office. The Members of Parliament were planning to hold a peaceful march on April 27, 2023, moving from Parliament to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to deliver a petition against police and other security agencies which often frustrate dissident activities, including rallies. Security officials, mostly female police, circled the protesting lawmakers and blocked their moves before viciously rounded up the group, and later throwing them on waiting police vehicles. The cars included a patrol and van. Read more First Lady Janet Museveni, who doubles as Ugandas Education minister has commended Aga Khan for heavily investing in the education and health sectors of the country. Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the commencement of the construction of the Aga Khan University and Hospital, the minister said that both the university and hospital will bring real and healthy competition to the country. She says the performance of the projects that have been put in place by Aga Khan is excellent. The education minister added that she was happy to learn that the planned university will also provide access to the underprivileged. as it conducts groundbreaking research on issues that affect millions of people. Meanwhile, Princess Zahra Aga Khan noted that the hospital will provide specialized care to all Ugandans from various walks of life in addition to conducting research on a number of issues affecting the country. The training fields for high-quality doctors and resulting patients services will include internal medicine, surgery, paediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology. The university will also train nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. The senior assistant secretary in the Ministry of Karamoja Affairs, Joshua Abaho has been remanded to Luzira prison on charges of corruption and conspiring with his boss Minister Mary Goretti Kitutu to defraud the government of its iron sheets. Abaho has been remanded by the Anti-Corruption Court Chief Magistrate Joan Aciro after he denied the offences. Abaho walked himself to court on Thursday following criminal summons that were previously issued against him. He was asked to appear in court today to give his side of the story on his role in the Office of the Prime Minister iron sheets scandal. He is charged with the loss of public property and corruption on the same case file where Kitutu and her brother Michael Naboya Kitutu were previously charged and granted bail. Kitutu and Naboya had also returned to court as investigations into the alleged diversion of iron sheets continue. The Karamoja Affairs minister is accused of diverting 9,000 iron sheets and giving her brother 100 pieces of tsaid iron sheets The Court has heard that during the month of January 2023 at the office of the Prime Ministers stores in Namanve in Mukono district being in public office in the position of senior assistant secretary Ministry of Karamoja Affairs, Abaho diverted 5,500 iron sheets of gauge 28 belonging to the State. The prosecution avers that the said iron sheets were meant for the Karamoja Community Empowerment Programme but he diverted them for purposes unrelated to those for which they were intended, and for the benefit of third parties. According to the Prosecution, Abaho received the said iron sheets by virtue of his position for purposes of custody and distribution under the said programme. Abaho presented five sureties including; Kenneth Mugumya Tebijuka the assistant commissioner in the Ministry of Education who is also his elder brother, Johnson Musinguzi, his cousin and assistant commissioner Ministry of Works and Transport and Geoffrey Ndiwalana, the engineer for Makindye Sabagabo Municipal Council. Other sureties are; Simon Peter Kasyate, his nephew who is also the Deputy Director of Public and Corporate Affairs at Kampala Capital City Authority, and Simon Tumwesigye Karokora, his cousin who also doubles as the customs supervisor at Uganda Revenue Authority. Court has adjourned the matter to May 2, 2023, when it will rule on his bail application. Speaker of Parliament Anita Among has mediated a religious conflict that had since 2019 inflamed tensions in a section of the Teso sub-region. The conflict had for a long time pitted Christians of the Church of Uganda Kumi Diocese led by Rt Rev Okwii Esakha against those of the Reform Anglican Church led by Rt Rev Charles Okunya, Upper Nile Diocese in the districts of Kumi, Bukedea, and Ngora, prompting the Speaker to convene a meeting between the rival leaders with the view of reaching an agreeable solution. While chairing the meeting, Among urged both Rt Rev Okwii and Rt Rev Okunya to embrace dialogue and end the violence that has already injured a number of people as well as causing insecurity in the three districts of Kumi, Bukedea, and Ngora. The conflict started after Reformed Anglican Church broke away from the Church of Uganda last year following the cancellation of Rev Okunyas election as the second Bishop of Kumi Diocese in 2019 and the subsequent consecration of Rev Okwii in March last year. The House of Bishops had on November 19, 2019 elected Rev Okunya, but Christians petitioned the electorate, alleging that the Bishop-elect had falsified his age and engaged in an extra-marital affair. He was subsequently replaced with Rev Okwi, which angered a section of Christians, resulting in sporadic episodes of violence in which a number of Christians have been injured while others lost property. The two bishops; Rev Okwii and Rev Okunya have however now agreed to reconcile and forge a way forward. The meeting was attended by the deputy inspector general of Police, Maj Gen Katsigazi Tumusiime, who commended Among for volunteering to mediate between the two parties. Tumusiime warned the religious leaders against continuing with the violence, failure of which will lead to arrests. The Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) has condemned police for violently stopping lawful gatherings and peaceful demonstrations by MPs and other Ugandans. The Commissions executive director, Mariam Wangadya has noted with concern the manner in which police officers stopped events organized by female MPs to celebrate belated Womens Day in Mityana and Buvuma. She has also criticized the manner in which police officers brutally arrested pre-medical interns who were protesting against their delayed deployment in health facilities. Whereas she has commanded the police leadership for suspending 11 of its officers who were involved in the brutal arrest of Buvuma Woman MP Susan Mugabi, Wangadya has decried the growing trend of polices highhandedness in public order management. She has asked police officers to act professionally in the performance of their duties and observe the law including peoples right to freedom of speech, assembly, and to demonstrate peacefully. The Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) has summoned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Martins Okoth Ochola to appear before the commission over allegations of violently stopping lawful gatherings. In her letter dated April 27, 2023, the commissions chairperson, Mariam Wangandya asks Mr. Ochola to appear before the commission on May 4, 2023, at 10 am. The commission says the allegations are in regard to article 29(a), (d), and (e), as well as article 221 of the constitution. You are by this summons required to appear before this commission on the 4th day of May 2023 at 10:00 0 Clock in the fore/afternoon to respond to the said allegations at the Commission, the letter reads in part. Earlier on today, police arrested at least 11 female opposition MPs led by Mityana Woman MP, Joyce Bagala outside Parliament. The MPs were holding a peaceful demonstration against the manner in which police have been brutally stopping their belated Womens Day celebrations in their respective constituencies. The female MPs were marching from Parliament to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to deliver a petition against police and other security agencies for their unlawful conduct in quelling peaceful gatherings. Yesterday, they petitioned the speaker Anita Among whom they asked to lead them in protesting against the highhandedness of police. By prossy Kisakye Youths living with HIV/AIDs have appealed to the government to come up with policies prohibiting employers from asking for HIV status results before employing them. The group was led by Jayson Yiga, a 21-year-old who was born with HIV. Yiga says many of his colleagues who are HIV positive have applied for jobs in factories, warehouse among other workplaces but employers ask for their HIV results before being given an opportunity. He says this has left his colleagues jobless and some have resorted to forging results so as to be employed. Yiga revealed this during the 20th anniversary of Ugandas Network of Young People Living with HIV/ AIDs (UNYPA), a non-government organization that was established in 2003 with the aim of providing leadership and coordination of the greater and meaningful involvement of young people living with HIV in Uganda. He says since his childhood, he has been challenged by stigma in communities and this has hindered many of his colleagues from achieving their goals, but says UNYPA has helped him to fight discrimination. View into the laboratory: An adsorbent based on a lithium-manganese oxide with a special crystal structure serves as a lithium ion screen. (Photo: Monika Bauerle, IAM-ESS/KIT) Geothermal technology not only enables sustainable supply of electricity and heat, but also regional lithium extraction. Researchers from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and EnBW have produced a lithium-ion sieve from a lithium-manganese oxide and used it to adsorb lithium from geothermal brines. In the future, the use of domestic lithium sources can help to meet the increasing demand for the light metal, which is indispensable as an energy storage material. The researchers reported in the Energy Advances journal. (DOI: 10.1039/d2ya00099g) A sustainable energy supply requires efficient energy storage. Lithium has become indispensable the light metal is used in the batteries of many technical devices and vehicles, from smartphones and notebooks to EVs. In recent years, demand has risen sharply worldwide. Until now, Europe has been dependent on imports. However, there are also European lithium deposits, namely thermal waters at a depth of a few kilometers. They contain high concentrations of lithium ions. In this way, geothermal systems, which pump hot water from the depths, are not only usable for the sustainable supply of electricity and heat, but also for an environmentally friendly, regional lithium extraction. High Lithium Concentrations in the North German Basin and in the Upper Rhine Graben Depending on their geological origin, geothermal brines contain between 0.1 and 500 milligrams of lithium per liter, explains Professor Helmut Ehrenberg, head of KITs Institute for Applied Materials Energy Storage Systems division (IAM-ESS). Lithium concentrations of up to 240 milligrams per liter were measured in the North German Basin, and up to 200 milligrams per liter in the Upper Rhine Graben. However, the extraction of lithium from geothermal brines represents a major challenge because the lithium ions competed with many other ions, Ehrenberg adds. A promising way of extracting lithium from hot deep water is adsorption, i.e. the accumulation of lithium ions on the surface of porous solids. This requires suitable adsorbents that are not only lithium-selective, but can also be produced, used, and disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner. In addition, suitable desorption solutions are needed to release the lithium ions from the adsorbent again. Researchers from KITs IAM-ESS, together with the Research & Development department of EnBW Energie Baden-Wurttemberg AG and scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT) and Hydrosion GmbH, have built a lithium-ion sieve and tested it in the laboratory. They report on their findings in the Energy Advances journal. The editorial team added their publication to the Energy Advances 2022 Outstanding Papers collection. Lithium-Ion Sieve with a Special Crystal Structure The lithium-ion sieve presented is based on a lithium-manganese oxide with a special spinel-type crystal structure. The researchers produced it using hydrothermal synthesis, in which substances crystallize from aqueous solutions at high temperatures and pressures. In laboratory tests, the research team used this substance to adsorb lithium ions from geothermal brine. The brine comes from the Bruchsal geothermal plant operated by EnBW; it is located between Karlsruhe and Heidelberg in the Upper Rhine Graben. There, the Research & Development department of EnBW is investigating lithium extraction from thermal water in various projects. For the paper published in Energy Advances, the researchers tested various desorption solutions after the adsorption of lithium, with acetic acid yielding the best results in terms of lithium extraction and adsorbent preservation. However, with all tested desorption solutions, especially with acetic acid, the lithium-ion sieve was enriched with competing ions. This is due to the high mineral content of the brine in Bruchsal. Enrichment with competing ions can decrease the lithium adsorption capacity. Future research now faces the challenges of further developing the lithium-ion sieve in such a way that it is easier to handle and its adsorption capacity is only slightly affected during the process, as well as achieving a scale-up of the process from laboratory to pilot phase. Then, lithium extraction from geothermal brines can support the development of a European lithium source in the future. (or) Original Publication (Open Access) Laura Herrmann, Helmut Ehrenberg, Magdalena Graczyk-Zajac, Elif Kaymakci, Thomas Kolbel, Lena Kolbel and Jens Tubke: Lithium recovery from geothermal brine an investigation into the desorption of lithium ions using manganese oxide adsorbents. Energy Advances, 2022. DOI: 10.1039/d2ya00099g https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2022/YA/D2YA00099G More about KIT Materials Center More about the KIT Energy Center Being The Research University in the Helmholtz Association, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,800 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,300 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence. Syrah Resources (ASX:SYR) said it sold and shipped 30kt of natural graphite during the quarter that end in March. Production at the company's Balama mine was 41kt. Syrah operates its flagship Balama Graphite Operation in Mozambique and a downstream Active Anode Material Facility in the United States The company said Chinese sales were volatile "...resulting from apparent high cell and anode inventories, with growth in global electric vehicle (EV) sales slowing to 32% in March 2023 quarter, versus the March 2022 quarter, to ~2.7 million units." The company plans to move forward maintenance. "Considering prevailing volatile China anode market conditions and the availability of significant finished product inventory, Syrah will moderate production from Balama until demand conditions and sales orders at economic prices warrant higher capacity utilisation. During this time, Syrah will execute operational improvements, bring forward planned maintenance, and focus on minimising costs," said the company in a news release. April 27 (Reuters) - Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp (SMBC) said it will combine its U.S. equity and M&A business with Jefferies Financial Group Inc (JEF.N) as part of a deal in which its parent, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (8316.T), will boost its stake in the U.S firm and its presence in the country. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG) will raise its stake in Jefferies from 4.5% currently to as much as 15%, giving it the right to nominate a member to the U.S. company's board of directors, the companies said in a joint statement on Thursday. The deal is part of a broader collaboration between SMBC and Jefferies who have been working together on cross-border mergers and acquisitions, healthcare and leveraged finance since 2021. SMFG has long been eager to crack the U.S. and other major overseas capital markets. Its SMBC Nikko Securities unit, formerly Citigroup Inc's (C.N) Japanese broker and a key investment banking unit that SMFG bought in 2009, has a limited footprint abroad. SMFG's bigger domestic rival, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc (8306.T), has boosted its U.S. presence through a $9 billion investment in Morgan Stanley (MS.N) in 2008, which gave MUFG some 20% ownership of the Wall Street bank. The Financial Times first reported the news on SMBC and Jefferies. TOKYO, April 27 (Reuters) - Oil prices were steady on Thursday after a price drop the previous day reversed the supportive impact of a surprise OPEC production cut announced this month. Brent crude was trading at $77.72 a barrel, up 3 cents, or 0.04%, by 1033 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 1 cent or 0.01% to trade at $74.31. Prices stabilised as Russian Deputy Prime Alexander Novak described oil markets on Thursday as balanced. The OPEC+ group of leading oil producers does not see the need for further oil output cuts but is always able to adjust its policy, Novak said. Oil prices dropped almost 4% on Wednesday as jitters about a U.S. downturn overshadowed a larger-than-expected fall in U.S. crude inventories. U.S. capital goods spending fell more than expected in the latest data overnight, and weak risk sentiment spread from the banking sector following First Republic Bank's continued slump. Analysts see weak refinery margins as a major contributor to the oil price decline, with Tamas Varga of oil broker PVM pointing to heating oil and gasoil as "the main possible culprit for the outsized weakness". "Inventories in this product are somewhat reluctant to deplete, possibly due to resilient Russian exports," Varga said. Russia has increased exports of refined products despite an EU embargo and oil price cap, sources told Reuters. Falling refinery profit margins could lead to runs being cut and a further reduction in crude demand, said Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank. "For now, position adjustments will set the agenda but with an overall negative bias until refinery margins show signs of stabilising," Hansen said. Backwardation in the Brent futures curve has flattened to around $1.75/bbl, having touched $4/bbl on April 12. Backwardation, when prices for a front-month loading contract are higher than contracts for later loadings, typically indicates tight supply. Markets will look for direction from the first quarterly print of euro zone gross domestic product growth, due on Friday. The data could impact monetary policy decisions by the European Central Bank, which holds a policy meeting on May 4. Get all the essential market news and expert opinions in one place with our daily newsletter. Receive a comprehensive recap of the day's top stories directly to your inbox. Sign up here! (Kitco News) - Southern Copper (NYSE: SCCO), one of the worlds largest copper producers, announced yesterday that its mined copper production in Q1 2023 increased by 4.1% y-o-y to 223,272 tons. The company explained that the higher mined copper output in Q1 2023 was primarily attributable to the fact that production at its Cuajone mine was up 48.5% y-o-y, adding that this result was driven by higher ore grades and a return to full operating capacity this year. Production at the companys Toquepala mine and IMMSA operations increased 0.6% and 7.5% respectively compared to Q1 2022; this was partially offset by a drop in production at La Caridad (-10.8%) and Buenavista operations (-0.3%) due to lower ore grades. The companys molybdenum production fell 8.8% in Q1 2023 compared to Q1 2022, while total mined silver production increased 3.1% and mined zinc production rose 2.4%. Q1 2023 operating cash cost per pound of copper, net of by-product revenue credits, was $0.76, which represented an increase of 30.8% compared to the $0.56 reported in Q1 2022 primarily due to an uptick in the production cost. The companys Q1 2023 net sales were $2,793.9 million, up 1.1% over Q1 2022, which was primarily fueled by an increase in the sales volumes of copper, silver and zinc. Southern Copper also reported that its Q1 2023 net income was $813.2 million, which represented a 3.6% increase when compared to the $784.7 million registered in Q1 2022. The net income margin in Q1 2023 was 29.1%, versus 28.4% in Q1 2022. Cash flow from operating activities in Q1 2023 was $1,185.2 million, which represented an increase of 44.4% over the $820.7 million posted in Q1 2022, due to strong cash generation at the companys operations, which was driven by higher sales and cost-control efficiencies. Looking at the copper market, Southern Copper said it believes that current prices will be supported by the fact that available inventories are low worldwide, adding that in the long term, it expects demand to be strong as copper consolidates its role as a leading player in the global shift to clean energy. Southern Copper is one of the largest integrated copper producers in the world. The company believes it currently has the largest copper reserves in the industry. The company is 88.9% owned by Grupo Mexico. Southern Copper operates mining units and metallurgical facilities in Mexico and Peru and conducts exploration activities in Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru. Get all the essential market news and expert opinions in one place with our daily newsletter. Receive a comprehensive recap of the day's top stories directly to your inbox. Sign up here! (Kitco News) Switzerland's central bank posted profits in the first quarter, reporting growth in the value of its gold and foreign currency investments. The Swiss National Bank said Thursday that it made a profit of $30 billion (26.9 billion Swiss francs) during the first quarter. The $27 billion (24.2 billion francs) was the profit from its foreign currency positions amid a recovery of global bond and equity markets. And an additional profit of $4.8 billion (4.3 billion francs) was from an increase in the value of the central bank's existing gold holdings. The SNB holds around 1,000 metric tons of bullion. The solid gains come after the SNB reported its worst loss on record in 2022, posting a shortfall of $148 billion (132.5 billion francs). The better Q1 results do not mean the SNB can return to dividend payments. "Our estimate of the profit potential for the SNB portfolio per year is 10 to 15 billion the first quarter, therefore, represents a significant outlier to the upside," UBS economists Alessandro Bee and Florian Germanier wrote in a note this week. In the meantime, Swiss customs data from March showed that Switzerland exported the most gold to mainland China in eight months, totaling 67,316 kg. Meanwhile, exports to India and Turkey fell to 16,550 kg and 10,748 kg, respectively. This was a dramatic shift for Turkey, which imported 43,217 kg from Switzerland in February. In other news, a Swiss NGO denounced gold imported from Russia in February. "Despite sanctions, Russian gold is entering Switzerland that may be linked to human rights violations in Sudan as well as co-financing the war of aggression against Ukraine, which is against international law," said Christoph Wiedmer, co-director of the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP). That gold is coming into the country despite the sanctions put in place after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. According to the NGO, Switzerland imported 18.9 metric tons of gold from Russia in February, which came in through the London precious metals market. The NGO is urging for more transparency in the gold market amid concerns that some of the imported gold could belong to the head of Russia's private Wagner militia, Yevgeny Prigozhin. "In recent years, the Wagner troops have been supporting authoritarian regimes in Sudan, Chad and Central Africa," the NGO said in a statement. "In return for military support, Wagner receives economic benefits, in Sudan, for example, access to gold deposits there." Jordan and I set up the Taxpayers' Union almost ten years ago with a mailing list of around 100 people, under $50,000 in the bank and one staff member. It has grown since then, and this is because it gets so much support from ordinary Kiwis. Last year we ended up with over 200,000 active subscribers to our mailing lists. That represents 1 in 14 voting adults or 1 in 19 of all adults. Every single one of these subscribers has chosen to follow us, and read what we say (people get unsubscribed if they don't open the e-mails after a period). The number of donors has also increased massively. Over 20,000 New Zealanders have donated to fund our work. We are arguably the successful grass roots funded political organisation in New Zealand. As I understand it, more people donated to NZTU in 2022 than to any political party, bar National. The vast bulk (80%) of our donations and income is from small contributions from our supporters of anywhere between $5 and $1,000 per year, with an average of $63.28 donated. In 2018, small dollar donors made up 40% of our income and for the year to 31 October 2022 they made up 80.4%. Anyone who claims the TU is funded by a few wealthy people is lying. A few years ago a few people got excited that one of our members was a tobacco company (no surprise neither of us like the tax on tobacco that has fuelled the criminal black market). Well even in earlier years donations from industries (alcohol, sugar, nicotine, and construction) made up only 15% of our total annual income and now they represent just 2.1% of our total income. This information has been on the TU's website since November. I'm very humbled and proud by how many New Zealanders support the TU, and want to thank through my blog the many many people who have made it possible for us to be effective. Share this: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp More Pinterest Print Tumblr The Hollywood Reporter reports: The second round of Disney layoffs hit ABC News on Tuesday, with Nate Silver's data-driven politics and journalism brand FiveThirtyEight among those being impacted. Silver told FiveThirtyEight employees in a Slack message that he expects to leave Disney when his contract is up, which he added would be soon, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. ABC News is expected to keep the FiveThirtyEight brand name, with plans to streamline the site and make it more efficient. I didn't realise Silver had sold the brand name to ABC/Disney. Previously he retained rights to it, so when he left the NY Times, it left with him. I am a huge fan of Silver. His data driven approach has changed journalism in the US for the better. I read 538 many times a week and listen to their twice weekly podcast. I can't imagine I will visit often, if at all, with Silver gone. And if he sees up a new entity, I am highly likely to subscribe to that. As a pollster myself, I have learnt a lot listening to Silver talk about his predictive models, and how polls feed into that, but also his use of non polling data. Share this: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp More Pinterest Print Tumblr Shenandoah, IA (51601) Today Plentiful sunshine. High 67F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight A clear sky. Low around 35F. NNW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. Former US Vice President Mike Pence is pictured here on April 14. Jack Teixeira, pictured here, has a history of violent threats and possessed an "arsenal of weapons," and should remain in jail, prosecutors argue in court filings Wednesday. RKL Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX Get Rating) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,023 shares of the asset managers stock after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the quarter. RKL Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Blackstone were worth $1,857,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BX. Mach 1 Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Blackstone in the third quarter valued at $25,000. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in shares of Blackstone in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Blackstone in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its holdings in Blackstone by 133.3% in the third quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 350 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Ellevest Inc. boosted its holdings in Blackstone by 107.9% in the third quarter. Ellevest Inc. now owns 420 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.39% of the companys stock. Get Blackstone alerts: Insider Buying and Selling In related news, insider John G. Finley sold 40,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.37, for a total transaction of $4,014,800.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 350,005 shares of the companys stock, valued at $35,130,001.85. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, major shareholder Holdings L.P. Blackstone III acquired 10,869,566 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 31st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $1.38 per share, for a total transaction of $15,000,001.08. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 24,727,216 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,123,558.08. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider John G. Finley sold 40,000 shares of Blackstone stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.37, for a total transaction of $4,014,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 350,005 shares in the company, valued at $35,130,001.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have bought 10,950,338 shares of company stock valued at $18,744,064 and have sold 140,757,216 shares valued at $1,738,001,650. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Analyst Ratings Changes Blackstone Stock Up 2.1 % BX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price target on Blackstone from $94.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, April 21st. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on Blackstone from $111.00 to $106.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 21st. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Blackstone from $100.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Friday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Blackstone from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, April 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Blackstone from $102.00 to $103.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday, April 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $103.04. NYSE:BX traded up $1.81 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $87.12. The company had a trading volume of 1,940,362 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,990,578. Blackstone Inc. has a 1 year low of $71.72 and a 1 year high of $123.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 104.04, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $87.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $86.89. Blackstone (NYSE:BX Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 20th. The asset manager reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts consensus estimates of $0.97. Blackstone had a return on equity of 18.08% and a net margin of 12.92%. The company had revenue of $1.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.55 earnings per share. Blackstones quarterly revenue was down 73.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Blackstone Inc. will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Blackstone Cuts Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 8th. Investors of record on Monday, May 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 28th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.76%. Blackstones payout ratio is 443.91%. Blackstone Company Profile (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. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Blackstone Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Blackstone and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. CEIBA Investments Limited (LON:CBA Get Rating) shares were down 15.8% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as GBX 32 ($0.40) and last traded at GBX 32 ($0.40). Approximately 6,000 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 26% from the average daily volume of 8,069 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 38 ($0.47). CEIBA Investments Trading Down 5.3 % The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 37 and a 200 day simple moving average of GBX 40.03. The company has a market cap of 49.56 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -320.00 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a current ratio of 4.16, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.31. About CEIBA Investments (Get Rating) Ceiba Investments Ltd is a Guernsey based Investment fund dedicated to attract investment and invest in various sectors of the Cuban economy. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for CEIBA Investments Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for CEIBA Investments and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Arbor Realty Trust (NYSE:ABR Get Rating) from an overweight rating to a neutral rating in a research report report published on Monday, The Fly reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has $11.00 price target on the real estate investment trusts stock, down from their previous price target of $15.00. A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on the company. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Arbor Realty Trust in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on Arbor Realty Trust from $15.50 to $12.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 13th. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a market outperform rating and set a $17.50 price target on shares of Arbor Realty Trust in a report on Wednesday, March 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Arbor Realty Trust currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $15.10. Get Arbor Realty Trust alerts: Arbor Realty Trust Price Performance Shares of NYSE ABR opened at $10.48 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.93 billion, a PE ratio of 6.31 and a beta of 1.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.85, a current ratio of 46.60 and a quick ratio of 46.60. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $12.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $13.42. Arbor Realty Trust has a fifty-two week low of $10.10 and a fifty-two week high of $17.65. Arbor Realty Trust Dividend Announcement Insider Buying and Selling The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 15.27%. Arbor Realty Trusts payout ratio is 96.39%. In other news, CEO Ivan Kaufman purchased 10,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $12.43 per share, with a total value of $124,300.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 1,168,277 shares in the company, valued at $14,521,683.11. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Ivan Kaufman purchased 10,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $12.43 per share, with a total value of $124,300.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 1,168,277 shares in the company, valued at $14,521,683.11. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director William C. Green acquired 4,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $12.94 per share, with a total value of $54,348.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 138,905 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,797,430.70. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 3.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Institutional Trading of Arbor Realty Trust Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Arbor Realty Trust by 15.6% in the third quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 16,629 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $191,000 after acquiring an additional 2,243 shares in the last quarter. Alphastar Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Arbor Realty Trust by 92.6% during the third quarter. Alphastar Capital Management LLC now owns 25,230 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $290,000 after purchasing an additional 12,131 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in Arbor Realty Trust by 1,614.8% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,390 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 4,134 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Arbor Realty Trust by 4.0% during the third quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 240,398 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $2,765,000 after purchasing an additional 9,141 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Advocates Investment Management bought a new position in Arbor Realty Trust during the third quarter valued at $286,000. 40.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Arbor Realty Trust Company Profile (Get Rating) Arbor Realty Trust, Inc operates as a real estate investment trust, which engages in the provision of loan origination and servicing for multifamily, seniors housing, healthcare, and diverse commercial real estate assets. It operates through the Structured Business and Agency Business segments. The Structured Business segment offers structured loan origination and investment services. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Arbor Realty Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Arbor Realty Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK Get Rating) had its target price lifted by Morgan Stanley from $71.00 to $75.00 in a report issued on Monday, The Fly reports. A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on ALK. Wolfe Research cut Alaska Air Group from an outperform rating to a peer perform rating in a report on Friday, January 27th. StockNews.com started coverage on Alaska Air Group in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company. Barclays upgraded Alaska Air Group from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and raised their target price for the company from $54.00 to $62.00 in a report on Friday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Alaska Air Group from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, January 27th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Alaska Air Group from $57.50 to $58.50 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven 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 currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $65.77. Get Alaska Air Group alerts: Alaska Air Group Stock Down 0.6 % Shares of ALK opened at $42.24 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.64. Alaska Air Group has a one year low of $37.19 and a one year high of $56.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 91.83, a PEG ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.51. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $43.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $45.28. Insider Activity at Alaska Air Group Alaska Air Group ( NYSE:ALK Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 20th. The transportation company reported ($0.62) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of ($0.48) by ($0.14). The company had revenue of $2.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 17.03% and a net margin of 0.58%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 30.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($1.33) EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group will post 6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. In other Alaska Air Group news, Director J Kenneth Thompson sold 3,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.58, for a total transaction of $170,030.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 29,907 shares in the company, valued at $1,452,882.06. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Andrea L. Schneider sold 1,596 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.81, for a total value of $81,092.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 15,747 shares of the companys stock, valued at $800,105.07. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director J Kenneth Thompson sold 3,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.58, for a total value of $170,030.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 29,907 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,452,882.06. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.40% of the companys stock. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alaska Air Group Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ALK. State of Michigan Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 34,462 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $1,480,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Coombe Bender & Co LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Coombe Bender & Co LLC now owns 56,208 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $2,201,000 after buying an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 12.2% during the 4th quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 2,149 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $92,000 after buying an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 2,077 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $89,000 after buying an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Penobscot Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Penobscot Wealth Management now owns 11,109 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $477,000 after buying an additional 296 shares in the last quarter. 77.04% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Alaska Air Group Company Profile (Get Rating) Alaska Air Group, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the provision of air transportation services. It operates through the following segments: Mainline, Regional, and Horizon. The Mainline segment includes scheduled air transportation on Alaskas Boeing and Airbus jet aircraft for passengers and cargo throughout the U.S., and in parts of Mexico, Costa Rica and Belize. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Alaska Air Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Alaska Air Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. North American Construction Group (TSE:NOA Get Rating) (NYSE:NOA) had its target price increased by stock analysts at TD Securities from C$26.00 to C$27.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, BayStreet.CA reports. The brokerage presently has a hold rating on the stock. TD Securities price objective indicates a potential upside of 4.65% from the stocks previous close. A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on NOA. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on North American Construction Group from C$25.00 to C$30.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Raymond James boosted their target price on North American Construction Group from C$24.00 to C$26.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, February 16th. National Bankshares boosted their target price on North American Construction Group from C$24.00 to C$27.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, February 17th. CIBC boosted their target price on North American Construction Group from C$20.00 to C$23.50 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, February 17th. Finally, ATB Capital upgraded North American Construction Group from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating and boosted their target price for the stock from C$24.00 to C$29.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of C$27.56. Get North American Construction Group alerts: North American Construction Group Price Performance Shares of TSE:NOA traded up C$0.96 on Thursday, hitting C$25.80. The companys stock had a trading volume of 61,446 shares, compared to its average volume of 55,894. The company has a market capitalization of C$718.01 million, a PE ratio of 12.17, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 142.32, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of C$23.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of C$19.70. North American Construction Group has a 1 year low of C$12.65 and a 1 year high of C$26.09. Insiders Place Their Bets North American Construction Group ( TSE:NOA Get Rating ) (NYSE:NOA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 15th. The company reported C$1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of C$0.73 by C$0.37. The firm had revenue of C$233.42 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$204.70 million. North American Construction Group had a return on equity of 23.06% and a net margin of 8.75%. Sell-side analysts forecast that North American Construction Group will post 2.3423006 EPS for the current fiscal year. In other news, Director Martin Robert Ferron sold 40,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of C$23.10, for a total transaction of C$924,000.00. Insiders own 9.05% of the companys stock. About North American Construction Group (Get Rating) North American Construction Group Ltd. provides equipment maintenance, and mining and heavy construction services in Canada, the United States, and Australia. The company's Heavy Construction & Mining division offers constructability reviews, budgetary cost estimates, design-build construction, project management, contract mining, pre-stripping/pit pioneering, overburden removal and stockpile, muskeg removal and stockpile, site preparation, air strip construction, site dewatering/perimeter ditching, tailings and process pipelines, haulage and access road construction, tailings dam construction and densification, mechanically stabilized earth walls, dyke construction, and reclamation services. See Also Receive News & Ratings for North American Construction Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for North American Construction Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Singapore Airlines Limited (OTCMKTS:SINGF Get Rating)s share price was down 1.6% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $4.23 and last traded at $4.23. Approximately 500 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 89% from the average daily volume of 4,564 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.30. Singapore Airlines Price Performance The stock has a 50 day moving average of $4.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $4.11. About Singapore Airlines (Get Rating) Singapore Airlines Ltd. engages in passenger and cargo air transportation. It operates through the following segments: Singapore Airlines, SilkAir, Budget Aviation and SIAEC. The Singapore Airlines segment provides passenger air transportation under the Singapore Airlines brand with a focus on full-service passenger serving short and long haul markets. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Singapore Airlines Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Singapore Airlines and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Darling Ingredients (NYSE:DAR Get Rating) had its price objective raised by Stifel Nicolaus from $115.00 to $120.00 in a report published on Monday, The Fly reports. Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Darling Ingredients from $108.00 to $106.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. Cowen reduced their price objective on Darling Ingredients from $79.00 to $73.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Darling Ingredients from $84.00 to $82.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 11th. Raymond James reduced their price objective on Darling Ingredients from $100.00 to $95.00 and set a strong-buy rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 1st. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Darling Ingredients from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $91.58. Get Darling Ingredients alerts: Darling Ingredients Stock Up 2.5 % Shares of DAR stock opened at $59.63 on Monday. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $59.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.53. Darling Ingredients has a twelve month low of $51.77 and a twelve month high of $87.59. The company has a market capitalization of $9.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.25 and a beta of 1.24. Insider Transactions at Darling Ingredients Darling Ingredients ( NYSE:DAR Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 27th. The company reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.28 by ($0.20). The business had revenue of $1.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. Darling Ingredients had a return on equity of 20.89% and a net margin of 11.29%. As a group, research analysts predict that Darling Ingredients will post 5.55 EPS for the current year. In other Darling Ingredients news, EVP Patrick Mcnutt bought 900 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 15th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $54.07 per share, with a total value of $48,663.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,287 shares of the companys stock, valued at $664,358.09. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, EVP Patrick Mcnutt bought 900 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 15th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $54.07 per share, for a total transaction of $48,663.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president now owns 12,287 shares in the company, valued at $664,358.09. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Charles L. Adair acquired 500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 16th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $54.15 per share, with a total value of $27,075.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 36,551 shares in the company, valued at $1,979,236.65. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 2.51% of the companys stock. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in shares of Darling Ingredients by 21.4% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 913 shares of the companys stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise grew its stake in Darling Ingredients by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 9,119 shares of the companys stock worth $603,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its stake in Darling Ingredients by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 22,430 shares of the companys stock worth $1,403,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Darling Ingredients by 12.2% during the first quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,771 shares of the companys stock valued at $111,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Darling Ingredients by 2.7% during the first quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,436 shares of the companys stock valued at $434,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.90% of the companys stock. Darling Ingredients Company Profile (Get Rating) Darling Ingredients, Inc engages in the development and production of natural ingredients from edible and inedible bio-nutrients. It operates through the following segments: Feed Ingredients, Food Ingredients, and Fuel Ingredients. The Feed Ingredients segment includes ingredients business such as fats and proteins used cooking oil, trap grease and food residuals collection, the Rothsay ingredients, and the ingredients and specialty products. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Darling Ingredients Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Darling Ingredients and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. lowered its position in shares of Suncor Energy Inc. (NYSE:SU Get Rating) (TSE:SU) by 50.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,117,511 shares of the oil and gas producers stock after selling 1,152,446 shares during the period. Suncor Energy accounts for 1.7% of Cidel Asset Management Inc.s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Cidel Asset Management Inc. owned about 0.08% of Suncor Energy worth $35,423,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC grew its position in Suncor Energy by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 7,106 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $200,000 after buying an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN acquired a new stake in Suncor Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $217,000. Drive Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Suncor Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $215,000. Mirabella Financial Services LLP acquired a new stake in Suncor Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $251,000. Finally, Greenleaf Trust lifted its holdings in Suncor Energy by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 8,289 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $263,000 after acquiring an additional 585 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 58.04% of the companys stock. Get Suncor Energy alerts: Suncor Energy Stock Performance SU stock traded up $1.26 on Thursday, reaching $30.54. 6,004,873 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,616,387. Suncor Energy Inc. has a 12 month low of $26.42 and a 12 month high of $42.72. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $31.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $32.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.52 billion, a PE ratio of 5.84, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.74. Suncor Energy Cuts Dividend Suncor Energy ( NYSE:SU Get Rating ) (TSE:SU) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 14th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.07. Suncor Energy had a net margin of 15.55% and a return on equity of 29.52%. The business had revenue of $10.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.65 billion. On average, research analysts anticipate that Suncor Energy Inc. will post 3.88 EPS for the current fiscal year. The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.391 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 2nd. Suncor Energys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.34%. Analyst Ratings Changes SU has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. National Bank Financial upped their price objective on shares of Suncor Energy from C$54.00 to C$57.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 11th. Scotiabank cut shares of Suncor Energy from a sector outperform rating to a sector perform rating in a report on Tuesday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Suncor Energy from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating in a report on Tuesday, January 10th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Suncor Energy in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company. Finally, TD Securities raised their price target on shares of Suncor Energy from C$52.00 to C$53.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Suncor Energy presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $53.13. Suncor Energy Profile (Get Rating) Suncor Energy, Inc is an integrated energy company, which engages in the development of petroleum resource basins. It operates through the following segments: Oil Sands, Exploration and Production, Refining and Marketing, and Corporate and Eliminations. The Oil Sands segment operates assets in the Athabasca oil sands of northeast Alberta. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Suncor Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Suncor Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. decreased its holdings in The Toronto-Dominion Bank (NYSE:TD Get Rating) (TSE:TD) by 5.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,976,937 shares of the banks stock after selling 118,721 shares during the quarter. Toronto-Dominion Bank comprises 6.0% of Cidel Asset Management Inc.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Cidel Asset Management Inc. owned 0.11% of Toronto-Dominion Bank worth $127,915,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of TD. CWM LLC grew its stake in shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,631 shares of the banks stock worth $235,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 9,868 shares of the banks stock worth $784,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,208 shares of the banks stock worth $78,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Blue Chip Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Chip Partners Inc. now owns 4,664 shares of the banks stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the period. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 2,795 shares of the banks stock worth $181,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the period. 49.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Toronto-Dominion Bank alerts: Toronto-Dominion Bank Trading Up 1.3 % NYSE:TD traded up $0.76 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $60.27. The company had a trading volume of 1,221,975 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,330,330. The Toronto-Dominion Bank has a fifty-two week low of $55.43 and a fifty-two week high of $77.15. The businesss fifty day moving average is $61.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $64.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 0.97. The firm has a market cap of $110.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.88. Toronto-Dominion Bank Increases Dividend Toronto-Dominion Bank ( NYSE:TD Get Rating ) (TSE:TD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 2nd. The bank reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $9.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.97 billion. Toronto-Dominion Bank had a return on equity of 16.02% and a net margin of 18.23%. As a group, research analysts expect that The Toronto-Dominion Bank will post 6.57 earnings per share for the current year. The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 6th will be paid a $0.721 dividend. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.79%. This is an increase from Toronto-Dominion Banks previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 5th. Toronto-Dominion Banks dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.87%. Analysts Set New Price Targets TD has been the topic of several research reports. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank from a sector perform rating to a sector outperform rating in a report on Friday, March 3rd. CIBC upgraded shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank from a neutral rating to a sector outperform rating in a report on Monday, April 17th. Desjardins raised their price target on shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank from C$105.00 to C$106.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 7th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a sell rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $100.57. Toronto-Dominion Bank Company Profile (Get Rating) The Toronto-Dominion Bank engages in the provision of financial products and services. It operates through the following segments: Canadian Retail, U.S. Retail, and Wholesale Banking. The Canadian Retail segment offers various financial products and services, as well as telephone, Internet, and mobile banking services. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Toronto-Dominion Bank Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Toronto-Dominion Bank and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. WisdomTree India Earnings Fund (NYSEARCA:EPI Get Rating) shares crossed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $31.79 and traded as high as $32.33. WisdomTree India Earnings Fund shares last traded at $32.33, with a volume of 246,141 shares changing hands. WisdomTree India Earnings Fund Stock Performance The firm has a market cap of $777.60 million, a P/E ratio of 9.65 and a beta of 0.72. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $31.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.32. Get WisdomTree India Earnings Fund alerts: Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake in shares of WisdomTree India Earnings Fund by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,851,213 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $56,536,000 after buying an additional 129,956 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its stake in shares of WisdomTree India Earnings Fund by 19.2% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,047,651 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $34,143,000 after buying an additional 168,521 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of WisdomTree India Earnings Fund during the 4th quarter valued at $31,612,000. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of WisdomTree India Earnings Fund by 690.9% during the 1st quarter. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC now owns 788,640 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $3,402,000 after buying an additional 688,927 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meitav Dash Investments Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of WisdomTree India Earnings Fund by 94.8% during the 3rd quarter. Meitav Dash Investments Ltd. now owns 563,068 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $17,097,000 after buying an additional 273,988 shares in the last quarter. WisdomTree India Earnings Fund Company Profile WisdomTree India Earnings Fund (The Fund) seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree India Earnings Index. The Index measures the performance of profitable companies incorporated and traded in India that are eligible to be purchased by foreign investors and that meet specific criteria developed by WisdomTree Investments. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for WisdomTree India Earnings Fund Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for WisdomTree India Earnings Fund and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Angola, IN (46703) Today Showers early becoming widely scattered for the afternoon. Becoming windy. High 42F. Winds WNW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Cloudy skies. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 36F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph. Kendallville, IN (46755) Today Rain and snow showers this morning. The rain and snow will change to rain showers for the afternoon hours. High 42F. Winds WNW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 37F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph. Kendallville, IN (46755) Today Cloudy with rain and snow showers early changing to mainly rain showers for the afternoon. High 42F. Winds WNW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Overcast. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 36F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph. Kendallville, IN (46755) Today Mostly cloudy. Rain and snow showers this morning. A few rain showers in the afternoon. High 42F. Winds WNW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 36F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph. Auburn, IN (46706) Today Rain showers this morning with overcast skies during the afternoon hours. High 44F. Winds WNW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 36F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph. FILE - Employees work at a restaurant in Chicago, Thursday, March 23, 2023. The unemployment rate fell to 3.5% in March and more than 236,000 jobs were added. New Delhi [India], April 27 (ANI): The 7th edition of joint military exercise "Ajeya Warrior-23" between India and the United Kingdom is being held at Salisbury Plains, United Kingdom. Starting from Thursday, the joint exercise will be held till May 11. Also Read | Gujarat Shocker: Stone Pelted, Assault Between Two Parties as Argument Over Pets Mating Turn Awry. Ajeya Warrior is a biennial training event with the United Kingdom which is conducted alternatively in the United Kingdom and India, the last edition was held at Chaubatia, Uttarakhand in October 2021. Soldiers of the 2 Royal Gorkha Rifles from the United Kingdom and Indian Army soldiers from the Bihar Regiment are participating in the exercise. The Indian Army contingent arrived at Brize Norton on April 26 by an Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft with indigenous weapons and equipment. Also Read | Death Threats to Rahul Gandhi, Kamal Nath: Man Held Under NSA in Madhya Pradesh for Sending Threatening Letter to Congress Leaders. According to Ministry of Defence, the aim of the exercise is to build positive military relations, imbibe each other's best practices and promote the ability to operate together while undertaking company-level sub-conventional operations in urban and semi-urban environments under UN mandate, in addition to developing inter-operability, bonhomie, camaraderie and friendship between the two armies. The scope of this exercise involves a Command Post Exercise (CPX) at the Battalion level and Company level Field Training Exercise (FTX). During the exercise, participants will engage in a variety of missions testing their operational acumen in various simulated situations; showcasing and refining their tactical drills, and learning from each other's operational experience. "Ajeya Warrior" is yet another significant milestone in defence cooperation between the Indian Army and British Army which will further foster the bilateral relations between the two countries, said the Defence Ministry statement. (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 27 (ANI): Bangladesh Army Chief General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed who's on a three-day visit to India laid a wreath to the war heroes at the National War Memorial in Delhi on Thursday, officials said. Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Manoj Pande on Thursday held a meeting with his Bangladesh counterpart General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed and discussed ways to strengthen the defence cooperation between the two nations. Also Read | Delhi Shocker: Man Attacks Family With Axe in Neb Sarai Area; Wife Killed, Children Injured. General Pande and General Ahmed also signed an implementing arrangement for the training of Peacekeepers deployed in the United Nations. Taking to its official Twitter handle, the Additional Directorate General of Public Information, IHQ of MoD (Army) stated, "General Manoj Pande #COAS extended a warm welcome to General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed #COAS, #Bangladesh Army and discussed ways to further strengthen the #DefenceCooperation between the two Armies." Also Read | Gurugram Horror: Husband Murders Wife, Chops Her Body Into Pieces in Manesar. In another tweet, he said, "An Implementing Arrangement for training of Peacekeepers deployed in United Nations #Peacekeeping operations was also signed in presence of both the Chiefs." In another tweet, IHQ of MoD (Army) stated, "General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed, Chief of Army Staff #COAS, #BangladeshArmy, laid a wreath at National War Memorial #NWM & received a Guard of Honour at the #SouthBlock. The General Officer is on a three-day visit to #India." Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Bangladesh Army Chief General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed also held discussions on issues of bilateral and regional interest, as well as avenues to further build upon the historic defence ties between the armed forces of two countries. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Actor Chrisann Pereira, who was lodged in a Sharjah jail since April 1 after being allegedly framed in a narcotics case, was released on Wednesday evening. The actor is expected to return to India within 48 hours, said Joint Commissioner of Police (crime) Lakhmi Gautam. Chrisann Pereira's Brother Confirms Actress Has Been Released From Sharjah Jail After She Was Arrested for Drug Trade. According to Lakhmi Gautam, Joint Commissioner of Mumbai Police, the case of Chrisann Pereira, lodged in Sharjah Jail, was investigated by the Crime Branch. On April 24, the Crime Branch registered a case and the main accused in the case, Anthony Paul and Rajesh Bobate, were arrested. The complete report related to the arrest and investigation of the case was shared with the Ministry of External Affairs. Chrisann Pereira On Video Call With Family View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kevin Pereira (@kevin.pereira8) The Ministry of External Affairs shared the information with the Government of the United Arab Emirates and the Drugs Information Agency. The Crime Branch shared the entire investigation that how due to mutual hostility, accused Anthony along with another accused Rajesh Bobate (Ravi) sent her to Sharjah in the name of auditioning for an International Web Series and she was given a memento containing drugs, after which she was was arrested in Sharjah. On April 25, the Mumbai Crime Branch arrested two persons for allegedly framing actor Chrisann Pereira in a narcotics case by giving her a memento (trophy) that had drugs hidden in it and asking her to deliver it to someone in Sharjah. Two Men Arrested in Mumbai for Allegedly Framing Actress Chrisann Pereira in Drugs Case. Pereira was in a Sharjah prison since April 1 after Borivali-based bakery owner Anthony Paul (35) allegedly framed her in a drugs case. Paul made his friend Rajesh Borate pose as talent manager Ravi and approached the actor who has previously worked in films Sadak 2 and Batla House. (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 27 (ANI): Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Thursday granted three days Custody of Sukanya Mondal to Enforcement Directorate (ED) to interrogate her in the cattle smuggling case. She was arrested yesterday by the ED. Her father is a TMC leader and is in custody in this case. Special judge Raghubeer Singh granted three days custody after hearing the submission of the special public prosecutor (SPP) Nitesh Rana and defence counsels. Also Read | Mango Thief Kerala Police Office Who Stole Box of Mangoes Dismissed From Service. The court has also allowed to the counsel to meet the accused during the ED custody. The court has also directed the ED to get the accused medically examined in every 48 hours. E D sought three days remand to trace the proceed of crime, to trace the money trail and to identify the modus operandi. She has to be confronted with Anubrata Mondal also. Also Read | Delhi Police Arrests Man for Extorting Money From Instagram Account Holders on Pretext of Unblocking Their Accounts. The SPP submitted that the accused has been arrested yesterday evening. She is the daughter of accused Anubrata Mondal accused in the matter. Her custody is required to interrogate her to trace the proceed of crime, trace the money trail and to identify the modus operandi adopted by the accused, the SPP argued. ED said that the custody of the accused is required to ascertain her complicity with other accused persons to trace the proceeds of crime siphoned off through various transactions of sale and purchase of immovable properties. It is also alleged that the accused is a teacher in West Bengal government. She is actively involved in the business activities as per data collected so far. The total cash proceed of crime deposited in her various bank account and her business entities are worth several crores The agency also said that the accused is a director and proprietor in some of the firms. On the other hand, defence counsel Amit Kumar and Ashish Chaudhary opposed the remand. They submitted that the accused in the custody of ED since yesterday. All the interrogations have been done by the agency. They also argued that the arrested of the accused is illegal as whatever done has been by the father of the accused. 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 and said to be a close aide of chief minister Mamata Banerjee was earlier arrested by the CBI in connection with the same case on July last year. ED 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 the some accused have been running into Judicial custody in connection with those proceedings of the CBI case. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Patna (Bihar) [India], April 27 (ANI): Alleging amendments in jail manual, Amar Jyoti, the Bihar in-charge of Bhim Army's Bharat Ekta Mission, on Wednesday moved Patna High Court against the state government's order releasing former MP and life convict Anand Mohan and 26 others. Amar Jyoti, through his Public Interest Litigation (PIL), alleged that the Nitish Kumar government tweaked the state's jail manual to "favour criminals". Also Read | Pope Says Women Will Be Allowed to Vote in Bishops Assembly. The order of the Bihar government has drawing ire from the Dalit community. Anand Mohan, a former gangster-turned-politician who was freed from jail on Tuesday, was convicted for the murder of former Gopalganj district magistrate G Krishnaiah, a Dalit IAS officer, in 1994. Also Read | India-Russia Turnover Was About USD 2 Billion in 2022, Says Moscow Deputy Governor Ekaterina Zinoveva. According to reports, Krishnaiah died after his car was attacked during the funeral procession of a gangster Chotan Shukla. Anand Mohan was part of the procession, and Muzaffarpur police had charge-sheeted him for provoking his supporters to commit the crime. Uma Krishnaiah, the widow of slain Dalit IAS officer, urged the Bihar government to withdraw the decision claiming it would set a bad precedent and have serious implications for the entire society. "We are not happy and feel it was a wrong decision. It shows how caste politics in Bihar influences such decisions. He is a Rajput and can help attract Rajput votes. why else would the government release a criminal? He will be given an election ticket so that he can attract Rajput votes," she said. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, too, strongly objected to the Bihar government's move to set Anand Mohan Singh free. (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 27 (ANI): The Patiala House Court has permitted Sukesh Chandrashekhar, who is facing several cases of money laundering and extortion, to purchase cake/pastry from the bakery shop of the Mandoli prison and it is further directed that said cake/pastry be handed over to under trial prisoner (UTP) Leena Paulose, (wife of Sukesh) on her birthday which is on April 28, 2023. The Additional Sessions Judge Shailender Malik in an order passed on April 25, stated that having considered the submissions the precise prayer appears to be more on human emotions than any legal aspect involved in the application. Also Read | Gurugram Horror: Husband Murders Wife, Chops Her Body Into Pieces in Manesar. Be that as it may, the UTP needs to be given the confidence to be emotionally connected and attached to his family members and relatives. Therefore, I find no bar, more specifically when the concerned UTP Sukesh Chandrashekhar is seeking to purchase cake/pastry from the bakery of Mandoli Jail itself out of his prisoner fund and it is not that some article is being taken out of jail to be given to any of the UTP. Therefore, Superintendent is directed to permit accused Sukesh Chandrashekhar to purchase cake/pastry from the bakery shop of the prison and it is further directed that said cake/pastry be handed over to UTP Leena Paulose on 28.04.2023, said the Court. Also Read | Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023: JDS Promises To Restore 4% Reservation for Muslims in Poll Manifesto. Incarcerated Conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar is a prime accused in the Rs 200 Crore money laundering case being investigated by Enforcement Directorate. He is facing several other cases too being investigated by ED, Delhi Police's Economic Offence Wing etc. The ED's case is based on an FIR filed by Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) against Sukesh Chandrasekhar who is accused of cheating and extorting Japna Singh and Aditi Singh, wife of former promoter of Religare Enterprises, who are in Judicial custody related to alleged misappropriation of funds at Religare Finvest Ltd. Both Chandrasekhar and his actor wife Leena Maria Paul were arrested by the Delhi Police for their alleged role in the duping case. Bollywood actors Jacqueline Fernandez Nora Fatehi and other several names surfaced during the investigation of the Economic Offence Wing of the Delhi Police and Enforcement Directorate. (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, April 27: The Rouse Avenue Court on Thursday extended till May 12 the judicial custody of Delhi's former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the CBI case related to alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped excise policy. Special Judge MK Nagpal, while extending the judicial custody, also directed CBI to supply an e-copy of the supplementary chargesheet filed by it on April 25. Delhi Excise Policy Case: CBI Summons Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for Questioning on April 16. Advocate Rishikesh, who appeared for Manish Sisodia, argued that on grounds of an "incomplete chargesheet/ incomplete investigation" his client has a right to "statutory/default bail" as per Supreme Court directions. Delhi Excise Policy Case: CBI Names Former AAP Leader Manish Sisodia for First Time in Chargesheet. "Prima facie it seems the agency is saying that further investigation is required/pending. Therefore, we reserve the right to file an application for statutory bail," he said. The Delhi court asked CBI why they have not mentioned that investigation related to Sisodia has been completed. "You say you have filed a supplementary chargesheet (in the stipulated time), but you have said the investigation is pending in the case. Why have you not mentioned that the chargesheet is filed on completion of the investigation against Sisodia?" The court said Sisodia's counsel's submission that a copy of the chargesheet is required by them to see whether the investigation qua Sisodia is complete has been noted. It said though this is not the stage to supply a copy of the chargesheet, an e-copy of the same should be given. The court noted that the bail hearing in the CBI case is going on in Delhi High Court and "aspects from this" could be used in order to press for bail before High Court. The court added that Sisodia's right to argue default bail is reserved. He can argue the same before Delhi High Court. Sisodia's counsel sought a copy of the chargesheet in order to argue default bail in the High Court. Sisodia was produced physically before the Court on Monday from Tihar Jail after the end of his Judicial custody period. The Special Judge had last month denied bail to Sisodia, noting that the allegations made against him were serious in nature and at this stage of the case, he does not deserve to be released on bail as he has been arrested in this case on February 26. The court said the investigation qua his role has still not been completed and the roles of the co-accused involved in the case are also being investigated. It said Sisodia does not satisfy the triple test keeping in view his conduct "as reflected from destruction or non-production of his previous mobile phones of the relevant period and also the apparent role played by him in not producing or missing of the file of one Cabinet Note put up through the then Excise Commissioner Rahul Singh". It said there may be serious apprehensions of destruction or tampering of some further evidence and even of influencing some prime witnesses by him or at his instance, in case he is released on bail by the court. According to the CBI, Sisodia had played the most important and vital role in the criminal conspiracy and he had been deeply involved in the formulation as well as the implementation of the policy to ensure the achievement of its objectives. The court said that payment of "advance kickbacks of around Rs. 90-100 crore" was meant for him and his other colleagues in the GNCTD and Rs. 20-30 crore out of the above are found to have been routed through the co-accused Vijay Nair, Abhishek Boinpally and approver Dinesh Arora. It noted that certain provisions of the excise policy were permitted to be tweaked and manipulated by the applicant to protect and preserve the interests of South liquor lobby and to ensure repayment of the kickbacks to the said lobby. The court said that evidence collected so far clearly shows that the applicant through the co-accused Vijay Nair was in contact with the South lobby and formulation of a favourable policy for them was being ensured at every cost and a cartel was permitted to be formed to achieve a monopoly in the sale of certain liquor brands of favoured manufacturers and it was permitted to be done against very objectives of the policy. Thus, as per allegations made by the prosecution and the evidence collected in support thereof so far, the applicant can prima facie be held to be the architect of the said criminal conspiracy, noted the Court Sisodia, in his bail petition in the trial court, had stated that no fruitful purpose would be served to keep him in custody as all the recoveries in the case have already been made. Sisodia also stated that he joined the investigation as and when called for by the CBI. The other accused persons arrested in this case have already been granted bail, Sisodia noted further, adding that he held the important constitutional post of deputy CM of Delhi and has deep roots in the society. Earlier, the Rouse Avenue Court, while sending Sisodia to CBI remand, directed that the interrogation of the accused during the remand period shall be conducted at some place having CCTV coverage, in accordance with guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court and the said footage shall be preserved by the CBI. Sisodia was arrested by CBI and ED in the investigation of a case related to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Dibrugarh (Assam) [India], April 27 (ANI): The family members of the arrested members of 'Waris Punjab De', lodged in Assam's Dibrugarh Central Jail, arrived here from Punjab on Thursday and met them in jail. A 10-member group comprising family members of eight 'Waris Punjab De' members, lodged in Dibrugarh jail, arrived here from Punjab on Thursday. Also Read | UPSRTC Ticket Website Hacked, Cyber Hacker Demands Bitcoins Worth Rs 40 Crores To Restore System. The members of the group include kin of Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal, Varinder Singh Johal, Gurmeet Singh Bukkanwala, Harjit Singh, Bhagwant Singh Bajeke, Basant Singh, Gurinderpal Singh and Papalpreet Singh. The family members arrived to meet the jailed 'Waris Punjab De' members. The group was led by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee executive member and eminent lawyer Bhagwant Singh Sialka. Also Read | Atiq Ahmad's Two Jailed Sons Umar and Ali Among Six Booked for Attempt to Murder, Extortion in Uttar Pradesh. Notably, 10 'Waris Punjab De' members including Amritpal Singh are lodged in Dibrugarh jail under National Security Act (NSA). After a chase of over a month, Khalistan sympathiser and 'Waris Punjab De' chief Amritpal Singh was arrested by Punjab Police in Moga on Sunday and later shifted to Dibrugarh jail in Assam. The self-styled preacher was evading Punjab Police since March 18. Nine of Amritpal's aides who were arrested earlier were also lodged in Dibrugarh jail. Earlier on Sunday, Amritpal was arrested from a Gurudwara in the Moga district of Punjab and reportedly also addressed a gathering before his arrest. According to the officials, the arrest was done by combined efforts of the Punjab Police and Central intelligence agencies. Earlier in March, pro-Khalistan supporters and associates of Amritpal Singh were shifted out of Punjab after Central Intelligence agencies raised concerns over possible jailbreak and repeat of the Ajnala incident. Earlier on Sunday, the Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) said that National Security Act (NSA) warrants were issued against Amritpal Singh and those warrants have been executed this morning. "NSA warrants were issued against Amritpal Singh and those warrants have been executed today morning...Amritpal Singh has been arrested by Punjab Police around 6.45 am today morning in the village Rode," said Sukhchain Singh Gill. He said that the Khalistan sympathiser and radical preacher was arrested in a joint operation by Punjab police and the intelligence wing. "Amritpal Singh has been sent to Dibrugarh, Assam and further action will be taken as per law and order in the case. A warning has been issued against those elements trying to jeopardise the peace and harmony of the state," he said. "...Amritpal Singh was arrested by Punjab Police at around 6.45 am today morning in village Rode. A joint operation was conducted by Amritsar Police and the Intelligence Wing of Punjab Police. He was located in village Rode based on operational inputs by Punjab Police. To maintain sanctity, the Police didn't enter Gurudwara Sahib. He has been taken to Dibrugarh under NSA...", the IGP said. Earlier, the radical leader had been declared a "fugitive" as he was on the run earlier in March.The crackdown came almost over three weeks after Amritpal's supporters stormed Ajnala police station in Amritsar on February 23, demanding the release of one of his aides, Lovepreet Toofan. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Ranchi, Apr 27 (PTI) The Jharkhand Government on Thursday increased the dearness allowance for its employees to 42 per cent from 34 per cent till now. The decision to hike the DA rate was taken in the state cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren this evening. Also Read | Supreme Court on Divorce: Apex Court Says Bitter and Acrimonious Marital Relationship Inflicts Cruelty, Ground To Dissolve Marriage. The impact on the exchequer on account of the increase will be Rs 441.52 crore per annum, Cabinet Coordination Secretary Vandana Dadel told reporters after the meeting. The release of the additional instalment of dearness allowance to employees will be effective from January 1, 2023. Also Read | Calcutta High Court Says Promise of 'Marriage After Divorce' by Itself Does Not Amount to Cheating, Sets Aside Conviction of Man Accused of Forming Sexual Relations With Woman on Wedding Promise. "Sanction was granted to increase the rates of dearness allowance with effect from January 01, 2023 in the revised pay scale (seventh central pay scale) effective from January 1, 2016. State employees whose pay scale/salary structure has been revised (seventh pay revision) on January 18, 2017 with effect from January 01, 2016, have been approved 42 per cent dearness allowance with effect from January 01, 2023," Dadel said. This increase is in accordance with the accepted formula, which is based on the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission. "The government is trying to discharge its responsibilities in an effective manner.It is committed for the development of the state...You must be seeing several steps have been taken including increase in dearness and pension," Soren said after the cabinet meeting. The government also approved a similar increase in the rates of dearness relief for pensioners of the state government with effect from January 1, 2023. Among other decisions were an increase in honorarium of guest faculty, temporary and class-based faculties providing services against sanctioned strength of assistant professors in the technical colleges, universities and other affiliated colleges. The remuneration was increased to Rs 57,500 per month against the earlier limit of Rs 30,000 per month. The other decisions included acceptance of the same form for caste certificate for state government jobs which is used for issuance of caste certificate for union government job (Form-5), establishment of a sub divisional court at Chakradharpur in West Singhbhum district and appointment of administrators in urban local bodies. Besides it was decided that Jharkhand State Beverages Corporation Limited will sell liquor in districts for which agency has not been finalised under Jharkhand Excise (Operation of Retail Excise Shops through Jharkhand State Beverages Corporation Limited) Rules, 2022, from May 1. (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 27 (ANI): In order to better address future challenges, the Indian Army is aligned with the vision of 'New India' and has set out on a route to transform into a force that is technologically advanced, lethal, and agile. A new Thal Sena Bhawan was thought of in conjunction with this initiative, informed sources. According to sources, the new Thal Sena Bhawan will be an iconic modern building coming up, opposite the Manekshaw Centre in Delhi Cantonment. The building will house various Army Headquarters offices, which are currently spread across different pockets of Delhi. Also Read | Cocaine in Whiskey Bottles: Tanzanian Arrested at Delhi Airport After Dog Squad K9 Detects Narcotic Substances in Baggage (Watch Video). "The construction started in January 2023 and is due to finish in 27 months at a cost of Rs 832 crores. The new Thal Sena Bhawan will complement the overall Central Vista Project of the Government of India, to meet the needs and aspirations of a new India in its 75th year of independence," said sources. The new building will comprise of a ground plus seven-storey main office complex, a Facility Zone, an Infrastructure Complex, Single Men Living Accommodation, Vehicle Parking, Engineering Services Area, and Landscaping. Also Read | US: Rapper Pras Michel Found Guilty of Political Conspiracy. Thal Sena Bhawan will be a functionally robust GRIHA-compliant, earthquake-resistant building with dedicated spaces for various directorates and departments spread around an approx. area of 1.5 Lakh Sqm, informed sources. "Centrally air-conditioned, the main office complex will have an adequate number of conference halls with a digital interface, briefing rooms, waiting areas for visitors and drivers, and common areas with all amenities apart from various offices for the directorates and departments. Central Control Room and Integrated Building Management System will be provided to ensure the desired level of security for the complex. Optimised spaces, efficient circulation area, a common library," said sources. A dedicated area in the form of a facility zone is also catered which will have facilities like a food court, creche, gym, wet canteen and a MI Room with requisite medical facilities. The facility zone also has a family welfare complex. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Badal (Pb), Apr 27 (PTI) People in large numbers thronged Badal village in Punjab's Muktsar on Thursday morning to pay their last respects to Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal. The Akali stalwart will be cremated at the family's agriculture land where a raised platform has been erected for performing the last rites. Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Shocker: Father, Brother-in-Law Arrested for Making Newly-Married Woman Drink Toilet Cleaner in Lucknow Over Illicit Relationship. Badal died on Tuesday at the age of 95. Heavy security arrangements have been made in the village as many dignitaries will be visiting for the last rites of the five-time Punjab chief minister. Also Read | Karnataka Assembly Election 2023: From Laxman Savadi To Kumar Bangarappa and UT Khader, List of Key Candidates of BJP, Congress, JDS and Their Constituencies. Party workers and common people from several places were heading towards Badal village for the last rites of the Akali stalwart. The mortal remains of Badal will be kept for the last 'darshan' at his residence from 9 am till 12 noon.The cremation will take place at around 1 pm. A party supporter at Badal village said the former chief minister was always ready to make any sacrifice for the rights of Punjab. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several political leaders on Wednesday had paid floral tributes to Badal at the Shiromani Akali Dal office in Chandigarh where the mortal remains were kept for some time. The mortal remains of Badal were brought to Badal village in Muktsar district on Wednesday night. When the vehicle carrying Badal's mortal remains headed to Badal village on Wednesday, party supporters and many common people stood along both sides of the highway to catch a glimpse of the leader. The Punjab government and the Chandigarh administration have declared a public holiday on Thursday as a mark of respect to the former chief minister. The grand old man of Punjab politics first became chief minister in 1970, heading a coalition government that did not complete its term. He was served as chief minister in 1977-80, 1997-2002, 2007-12 and 2012-2017. (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 27 (ANI): Following the demise of Shiromani Akali Dal patron, Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) state president JP Nadda will pay last respects to Parkash Singh Badal in his ancestral village Lambi on Thursday. "BJP President JP Nadda will reach Lambi, Sri Muktsar Sahib district of Punjab to pay last respects to Shiromani Akali Dal patron Parkash Singh Badal around 12 noon today," informed sources. Also Read | UP Nikay Chunav 2023: 86 Candidates Declared Elected Unopposed in Upcoming Municipal Polls. The senior Punjab politician passed away at the age of 95 on Tuesday. He breathed his last at Fortis Hospital in Mohali. Earlier on Wednesday, the Punjab government announced a one-day holiday for all the state government offices in honour of the former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. Also Read | Operation Kaveri: Indians Evacuated From Sudan Arrive in Delhi, Chant 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', 'Narendra Modi Zindabad' Slogans (Watch Video). "All government offices, departments, boards, corporations and educational institutions in Punjab will remain shut on Thursday (April 27)," the official order said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday arrived in Chandigarh and went to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)'s office to pay his last respects. In its official media bulletin, the Fortis Hospital stated, "S Parkash Singh Badal, Former Chief Minister of Punjab, was admitted at Fortis Hospital Mohali on April 16, 2023, with acute exacerbation of bronchial asthma. He was shifted to the medical ICU on 18th April as his respiratory condition worsened. He had been on NIV and HFNC support along with medical management". "He was being managed under Prof (Dr) Digambar Behera along with the Pulmonology and critical care team supported by Cardiology. Despite appropriate medical management S Parkash Singh Badal succumbed to his illness. Fortis Hospital Mohali deeply condoles the death of S Parkash Singh Badal," the statement added. According to the party, Badal was admitted to ICU on April 21, following complaints of breathing difficulties. Parkash Singh Badal served as the Chief Minister of Punjab multiple times. He was the CM from 1970-1971, from 1977-1980, from 1997-2002, and from 2007-2017. He was also the youngest CM to have ever held office in the state of Punjab. (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, Apr 27 (PTI) The finance ministry on Thursday said more than 1.19 crore new subscribers enrolled in the social sector scheme Atal Pension Yojana in 2022-23, a growth of about 20 per cent year-on-year. Ninety-nine lakh subscribers joined the Atal Pension Yojna (APY) in 2021-22. Also Read | Calcutta High Court Says Promise of 'Marriage After Divorce' by Itself Does Not Amount to Cheating, Sets Aside Conviction of Man Accused of Forming Sexual Relations With Woman on Wedding Promise. The total enrolment under Atal Pension Yojana (APY) crossed the 5.20 crore mark as on March 31, 2023, the ministry said in a statement. The total assets under management (AUM) in APY is about Rs 27,200 crore. The scheme has generated an investment return of 8.69 per cent since the inception of the scheme. Also Read | Jerry Springer, Former US Talk Show Legend, Dies at 79. The ministry further said in the public sector banks (PSBs) category, 9 banks achieved the annual target while Bank of India, State Bank of India and Indian Bank sourced more than 100 APY accounts per branch. Under APY, a subscriber would receive a lifelong minimum guaranteed pension of Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 per month from the age of 60 years, depending on their contributions, which itself would vary based on the age of joining the APY. The same pension would be paid to the spouse of the subscriber after the demise of the subscriber, and on the demise of both the subscriber and spouse, the pension wealth as accumulated till age 60 of the subscriber would be returned back to the nominee. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Hyderabad, Apr 27 (PTI) Slamming the Nitish Kumar government for release of former MP Anand Mohan Singh who was convicted for his role in the murder of IAS officer G Krishnaiah in Bihar, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday demanded that the State government withdraw its decision. He asked whether Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is visiting other States in the country claiming himself to be the Prime Ministerial candidate, would give the message that his government has released a man who is convicted for the murder of a Dalit officer. Krishnaiah hailed from Telangana. Also Read | 7th Pay Commission News Today: Another DA Hike on Cards? Government Employees May Soon Get Increased Dearness Allowance From July 2023. Gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh, who was serving a life sentence, was released from Saharsa jail in Bihar today after being behind the bars for 15 years. Owasi described the Bihar government's decision to release Singh as the murder of Krishnaiah for the "second time". Also Read | Uddhav Thackeray Warns Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde, Says 'Party Will Take Revenge on Backstabbing'. It is regrettable that the IAS Officers' Association in Bihar is silent on the issue, Owaisi said while addressing mediapersons here. He asked as to why the prison rules have been amended to release one person. The AIMIM president said he hopes that Nitish Kumar who used to claim that he would not compromise on corruption and criminal justice would rethink on his decision. Owaisi said a wrong message is being given to the weaker sections, especially Dalits, and to public servants in the State with the government's move. "We demand that the Bihar government withdraw its decision," he said. The government's decision shows that the parties in power release such people from prisons for their political benefit whether it is BJP government in Gujarat or Nitish Kumar government in Bihar, he claimed. Saying that Krishnaiah's wife stands alone today seeking justice for the murder of her husband, he said where is the social justice that Nitish Kumar and RJD talk about. When asked that no major political party in Bihar appears to be voicing opposition to the move, he alleged that the upper caste MPs in BJP are not opening their mouth. "What was done in the case of Bilkis Bano, you have done the same thing here by letting off the killers of Krishnaiah," he said. Singh was released under a jail sentence remission order after the State government's recent amendment of prison rules which allowed the early release of 27 convicts, including him. The former MP was convicted for his role in the 1994 murder of the then Gopalganj Collector Krishnaiah during the funeral procession of Muzaffarpur gangster Chotan Shukla. Owaisi said he would visit Uttar Pradesh in connection with the local body polls where his party is contesting. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], April 27 (ANI): Doors of Badrinath Dham will open for pilgrims at 7.10 am. The portals of one of Uttarakhand's Char Dham will be opened amid chants of Vedic shlokas (hymns). Also Read | Pope Says Women Will Be Allowed to Vote in Bishops Assembly. The temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu was decorated with 15 quintals of flowers. Earlier, on Tuesday, the portals of Kedarnath Dham were opened and the first puja was performed in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The puja was done by Rawal Bhimashankar Linga and Pujari Shivling and Dharmacharyas. Also Read | India-Russia Turnover Was About USD 2 Billion in 2022, Says Moscow Deputy Governor Ekaterina Zinoveva. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday said every possible effort has been made to ensure the Char Dham Yatra is easy and safe for devotees. "Every possible effort has been made to make the Char Dham Yatra of Uttarakhand easy and safe. Social organisations and voluntary organizations have also provided full cooperation for the yatra. Based on the previous years' experience, work has been done to advance the travel arrangements", the CM said. He added, "Yatra is going on smoothly in Gangotri and Yamunotri Dham. On April 27, the doors of Lord Badri Vishal will also be opened for the darshan of the devotees." On the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, flowers were showered on the devotees by helicopter. Chief Minister Dhami offered prayers at Kedarnath and wished for the happiness and prosperity of the country and the state when the doors of Kedarnath Dham were opened. The chief minister also welcomed the devotees, who had arrived to have darshan of Baba Kedar. He then participated in a Bhandara (food disbursal programme) organised by the Mukhya Sevak on the temple premises. (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, Apr 27 (PTI) The fast evolving regional security situation, developments in Afghanistan and ways to boost cooperation in effectively combating terrorism and extremism are set to be the key focus of a conclave of the defence ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Delhi on Friday. Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu, Tajikistan's Colonel General Sherali Mirzo, Iran's Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiyani and Kazakhstan's Colonel General Ruslan Zhaksylykov have already arrived in the national capital. Also Read | 7th Pay Commission News Today: Another DA Hike on Cards? Government Employees May Soon Get Increased Dearness Allowance From July 2023. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and his counterparts from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are also attending the meeting to be chaired by Rajnath Singh. Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif is set to attend the meeting through virtual mode. Also Read | Uddhav Thackeray Warns Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde, Says 'Party Will Take Revenge on Backstabbing'. Officials involved in preparations for the meeting said the main focus of the deliberations will be on regional security situations including the developments in Afghanistan. They said enhancing coordination among the SCO member countries to effectively combat terrorism and extremism will be another priority. Ahead of the SCO meeting, Singh held bilateral talks with Li, Colonel General Zhaxylykov and Colonel General Mirzo. Singh also held a bilateral meeting with Brigadier General Ashtiyani. The SCO is an influential economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations. It was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017. India was made an observer at the SCO in 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping, which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region. India has shown a keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence. (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 27 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the government to give a response on social benefits that can be given to same-sex couples even without legal recognition of their marital status. The five-judge Constitution Bench comprising of the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Justice S Ravindra Bhat, Justice Hima Kohli and Justice PS Narasimha is dealing with a batch of petitions pertaining to 'marriage equality rights for LGBTQIA+ community. Also Read | World's Longest Gita: Man Claims To Write Bhagavad Gita on 1,365-m Long Cassette Ribbon. CJI DY Chandrachud suggested that there are ministries dedicated to this purpose like social justice and empowerment such as Ministry for Women and Child Development. The court asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to see if there can be separate legislation taken which would protect the rights of same-sex couples. Also Read | Bengaluru: ED Conducts Raids on Online Education Firm Owned by Chinese National. Solicitor General expressed his acknowledgement that concerns such as having a joint bank account, nomination in insurance, etc are all human concerns and there can be deliberation to find a solution thereto. Solicitor General indicated that he can attempt to undertake this exercise since the suggestion has come from the Bench. During the hearing, CJI Chandrachud remarked that the government must recognise and secure cohabitor relationships. During the hearing, Justice Narasimha said, "When the bench says recognition, it may not always be recognition of marriage." Justice Bhat remarked, "Recognition must be something which gives them benefits." Justice Kaul opined that social ministries would have possibly studied how to tackle problems that would arise after giving social recognition to the LGBTQIA+ community. The court also remarked that once it is recognised that there is a right to cohabit, then it is the obligation of the state that all social impact of cohabitation has legal recognition. The court also noted that there will be social requirements such as banking, insurance, admissions etc where the Centre will have to do something. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta assured the court that he will assist the court on these issues raised by the court. These issues were raised by the court when Solicitor General Tushar, appearing for Centre, argued and said, "The right to love, the right to cohabit, the right to project sexual orientation and the right to choose a partner are fundamental rights." "But there is no fundamental right to seek recognition of that relationship as a marriage," he argued. Chief Justice of India Chandrachud remarked, "Such issues on the administrative side can be handled by the ministries to find real solutions to these problems and the court can act as facilitators." The court remarked that the relationship between the court and the government is not really an adversarial relationship. CJI Chandrachud also said, "The law in the country has gone a long way observing that the country has the Transgender Act with a grand vision." Justice Bhat mentioned about Vishakha and Domestic Violence Act were also enacted because of some movement. The hearing remained inconclusive today and will be continued on May 3. Various petitions are being dealt with by Supreme Court seeking legal recognition of same-sex marriage. One of the petitions earlier raised the absence of a legal framework which allowed members of the LGBTQIA+ community to marry any person of their choice. According to one of the petitions, the couple sought to enforce the fundamental rights of LGBTQ+ individuals to marry any person of their choice and said, "The exercise of which ought to be insulated from the disdain of legislative and popular majorities." The petitioners, further, asserted their fundamental right to marry each other and prayed for appropriate directions from this Court allowing and enabling them to do so. One of the petitions was represented by Senior Advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Saurabh Kirpal briefed by a team of advocates from Karanjawala & Co. (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 York [US], April 27 (ANI): China's Covid ambitions, to hide crucial data and avoid blame, could not have been accomplished without Western academics eagerly playing the useful idiot for Beijing, The New York Post has claimed in a report. The report stated "Chinese scientists have withheld data, withdrawn genetic sequences from public databases and altered crucial details in journal submissions" while "Western journal editors enabled those efforts", and the World Health Organization just let all of it happen. Also Read | India-Russia Turnover Was About USD 2 Billion in 2022, Says Moscow Deputy Governor Ekaterina Zinoveva. The New York Post wrote that two China-pushed narratives are at stake: that the virus did not escape from the Wuhan Institute of Virology and that China's murderous, totalitarian response to the pandemic was a model of success. The degree of complicity in pushing these among leading institutions outside China astounds. Also Read | Chhattisgarh Naxal Attack: German Ambassador Philipp Ackermann Condemns Attack on Security Personnel in Dantewada, Says 'Deeply Saddened'. The guilty include major universities like Oxford and cutting-edge scientific journals, to say nothing of mega-powerful global nonprofits. The journal Clinical Infectious Diseases seemingly falsely amended a paper on possible paths for Covid mutation to suggest that the data it was based on were collected later than they actually were. The Lancet, arguably the most important academic journal, pulled a group letter from Chinese hospital workers begging for international aid. And WHO, the chief global health watchdog, played the role of a megaphone for China's claims about the virus' origin too many times to count, The New York Post wrote. Journals don't want to lose access to the lucrative Chinese market by offending the government; many universities rely on monies coming via various paths from China; Beijing plays hardball bureaucratic politics to dominate outfits like WHO. And elite institutions, especially in the academy, have been utterly captured by the left and have long sought some alternative to the evil, capitalistic hegemony of the United States and found it in Beijing's allegedly benevolent dictatorship. "It's beyond time for our elite to face facts and stop bending the knee to Beijing by pretending it's a state like any other," read the report in the New York 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) San Salvador, Apr 27 (AP) El Salvador opened a trial Wednesday against former President Mauricio Funes alleging that he had negotiated a truce with the country's powerful street gangs when he was president, but the trial will proceed without Funes who lives in Nicaragua. Funes has denied negotiating with the gangs or giving their leaders any privileges. Also Read | India-Russia Turnover Was About USD 2 Billion in 2022, Says Moscow Deputy Governor Ekaterina Zinoveva. I never ordered nor authorised any negotiation, Funes wrote Tuesday on Twitter, adding that the truce was between rival gangs, not with the government. Mediators in the talks between the MS-13 and Barrio 18 gangs were not representing the government, he said. El Salvador's congress reformed the law last year to allow people to be tried in absentia. Also Read | Chhattisgarh Naxal Attack: German Ambassador Philipp Ackermann Condemns Attack on Security Personnel in Dantewada, Says 'Deeply Saddened'. Prosecutors accuse Funes of illicit association and failure to perform his duties for the gang truce negotiated in 2012. David Munguia Payes, who served as Funes' security minister, is on trial for the same charges, as well as others. If convicted, Funes could face a sentence of up to 11 years in prison, but since Nicaragua awarded him citizenship, it remains unlikely he will face justice in El Salvador. El Salvador has pursued Funes, who governed from 2009 to 2014, for other alleged crimes in at least a half dozen cases. But current President Nayib Bukele has been accused of engaging in the same kind of negotiations with the gangs. In December 2021, the U.S. Treasury said that Bukele's government secretly negotiated a truce with leaders of the country's powerful street gangs. Imprisoned gang leaders were allegedly given privileges in exchange for slowing down killings and for giving political support to Bukele's party. Local news site El Faro had previously reported negotiations. Former Attorney General Raul Melara had said at the time that he would investigate the allegations, but when Bukele's party dominated mid-term elections and took control of Congress, the new lawmakers ousted Melara. The truce apparently broke down when the gangs killed 62 people in a single day in March 2022. Bukele responded by suspending some fundamental rights and waging an all out war against the gangs that carries on today. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) By Sahil Pandey New Delhi [India], April 27 (ANI): Responding to a controversial cartoon in a German magazine which drew sharp criticism from India, German ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann on Thursday hailed the Indian Railway infrastructure and said cartoonists should visit the Delhi Metro which is state of the art. Also Read | Pakistan Media Watchdog Takes Action Against Over 50 Cable Operators for Illegally Airing Indian Channels. A cartoon in Der Spiegel, was depicting an overcrowded Indian train with people sitting on top holding the tricolour, overtaking a modernised Chinese bullet train running on a parallel track with just two drivers inside. "In my personal opinion, the cartoon was neither funny nor appropriate. I would like to invite this cartoonist to come on a metro ride with me in Delhi. I think many metros in Germany are not as good as Delhi Metro and same for the train system. He should inquire a little more about India and know how state-of-the-art their railway system is," Germany Envoy told ANI. Also Read | Pakistan Government, Opposition Hold Talks To End Deadlock Over Holding Elections in the Country. Union Minister of State for Entrepreneurship, Skill Development and Electronics & Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar tweeted, ''Dear Cartoonist at @derspiegel...Notwithstanding your attempt at mocking India... it's not smart to bet against India under PM @narendramodi ji....In a few years, India's economy will be bigger than Germany's.'' On similar lines, Baijayant Jay Panda, National Vice President of BJP said, ''In German, the name of the influential magazine Der Spiegel means The Mirror. But going by this derogatory, racist cartoon, it should change its name to Rassistischer Troll. and considering Germany's difficult history involving racism & the holocaust, Germans everywhere should force this race-baiting publication to hold a mirror to its conscience.'' (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 27 (ANI): The United Kingdom and India on Wednesday signed an agreement to collaborate on science and innovation. The agreement between the two nations was signed after the meeting between the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh and UK Science Minister George Freeman. Also Read | Zooey Zephyr: US State Republicans Bans Transgender Woman Lawmaker for Rest of Legislative Session. The memorandum of understanding signed between the two nations on research will enable quicker, deeper collaboration on science between the two science powerhouses that will drive economic growth, create skilled jobs and improve lives in two nations and worldwide, UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said in a press release. The agreement will remove red tape standing in the way of major collaborations while unleashing a raft of new joint research schemes aiming to deliver progress on some of the biggest issues facing the world, including climate change and pandemic preparedness through, Artificial Intelligence and machine learning. Also Read | India on Veto Power: India Pitches for Major Reform in UN Security Council, Says Abolish Veto Rights or Give Them to New Permanent Members in Reformed UNSC. The UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology in a press release said, "Programmes include the establishment of a new UK-India Net Zero Innovation Virtual Centre focusing on industrial decarbonisation and launching the first-ever UK-India scientific deep sea voyage." George Freeman said that the agreement between India and UK is part of a program of deepening UK collaboration with other "global superpowers" on innovation and research to help tackle shared global challenges. He noted that the partnership between India and UK will grow the sectors, companies and jobs of tomorrow for the benefit of both nations and the globe. Freeman further said, "India is rapidly building on its phenomenal software and innovation sectors to become a global powerhouse in science and technology." "With our extensive trading and cultural links, shared democratic values and interest in urgent global issues from green technology and agri-tech to biosecurity and pandemic preparedness, we have very strong platforms for deepening research collaboration," he added. Besides this agreement, UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said that India will also be named as a partner for the UK's International Science Partnerships Fund, carrying forward the UK-India science partnership built through the Newton-Bhabha fund. The renewed partnership will kick off with two new joint UK-India research programmes for research into Farmed Animal Diseases and Health and towards a technology and skills partnership programme that will enable UK and Indian researchers to develop skills, technologies and knowledge in areas such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and bio-imaging. Sharing details regarding his meeting with George Freeman, Jitendra Singh tweeted, "It was a warm exchange of thoughts during one-on-one meeting with my counterpart, British Minister for Science, Innovation &Technology, Mr George Freeman in the iconic British Parliament House #London, before the start of formal Indo-UK Science & Innovation Council Meeting." On April 26, Jitendra Singh arrived at Heathrow Airport in London. Other UK-India agreements made at the Science and Innovation Council include: The creation of the UK-India Net Zero Innovation Virtual Centre, hosting the Hydrogen Valley and Industrial Decarbonisation Living Lab to help decarbonise manufacturing and transport, according to the official press release. Several UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Indian Department for Science and Technology (DST) joint research calls, including programmes on sustainability and solid earth hazards, according to the official press release. An intention to launch a partnership for decarbonising India's pharmaceutical and fine chemicals industries. A programme of UK-India university partnerships, including one between AstonUniversity and CSIR Dehradun on sustainable biofuels. The Fourth annual meeting of the RS/INSA Yusuf Hamied programme, a scheme designed to promote relationships and knowledge exchanges between UK and Indian researchers. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Pristina (Kosovo), Apr 27 (AP) Kosovo's leadership has called for justice for the 1,621 people still officially missing from the 1998-1999 war with neighbouring Serbia. On Kosovo's National Day of Missing Persons, President Vjosa Osmani said in a statement: The violent extinction of thousands of our citizens, including children, was a clear effort to extinguish the people. Also Read | Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Secures Vote of Confidence in National Assembly With 180 Votes. The war erupted when the ethnic Albanian majority in Kosovo, which was then a Serbian province, rebelled against rule from Belgrade, which responded with a brutal crackdown. About 13,000 people were killed. In 1999 a NATO military intervention forced Serbia to pull out of the territory. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, which is not recognised by Serbia. Also Read | Ya Ya the Panda: China Welcomes Giant Panda Home After 20 Years in US (See Pics and Video). Prime Minister Albin Kurti paid his respects at a memorial to the missing in the capital, Pristina. We need justice. We need accountability. We need criminals, perpetrators, executioners and decision-makers to be behind bars, Kurti said. The issue of the missing is part of an 11-point European Union plan to normalise relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Kurti is due to meet Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels next week for talks. The European Union mission in Kosovo, or EULEX, has conducted 725 field operations and 197 exhumations, which have resulted in the identification of 332 missing persons. These figures don't mean much to those who have not found their loved ones yet, said forensic anthropologist Luisa Marinho. EULEX said it had been difficult to find the bodies. Many were buried in small, unmarked graves or even in cemeteries, in an effort by the perpetrators to make the search for the missing more difficult and to hide evidence. While most of the missing are ethnic Albanians, a few are Serbs. EULEX says it lacks new and credible information on the location of graves. It has complained that not all missing persons' families have given blood samples for DNA analysis, making it harder for experts to identify remains. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Jeddah [Saudi Arabia], April 27 (ANI): As Operation Kaveri is underway, another batch of 297 Indians have been rescued from Sudan and have arrived at Jeddah by INS Teg, Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said on Thursday. Muraleedharan along with other officials of the Indian Navy received the rescued Indians at Jeddah. Also Read | Israeli Researchers Develop Drought-Resistant Tomato To Produce High Yield With Less Water. He tweeted, "#OperationKaveri continues in swift pace. Happy to receive 297 Indians at Jeddah carried by INS Teg. With this second ship and total six batches, around 1,100 Indians rescued from Sudan have arrived in Jeddah. Repatriation to India of those arriving today will commence shortly." After receiving Indian nationals at Jeddah harbour, Minister Muraleedharan also interacted with them and assured them of every possible help from the Government of India. Also Read | May Day 2023 Holiday: Chinas Outbound Tourism To Boom This International Workers Day. He said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has especially sent me here to welcome you all. For the last three days, I am here and it is good to see you coming back from Sudan." "I am here to convey PM Modi's greetings to you all. He has said that wherever in the world, Indians are troubled, it is the responsibility of the Government of India to save them," he added. "You have undergone a lot of difficulties coming back from a strife-torn area but now the Indian navy has taken care of you," Muraleedharan told the Indian nationals. Vipin Harilal Mehta, who was among the rescued Indians, "We were stranded in the place where conflict had broken out. We reached Port Sudan by bus and as we reached there we came to know that under the leadership of PM Modi, Operation Kaveri is being carried out to save us." Thanking the Indian Navy, Mehta added, "The real heroes, Indian defence personnel saved us and we did not face any problems. We have now reached Jeddah, from where we will go to our home. We are grateful towards our Prime Minister." The auditorium, where the rescued Indians waited for further assistance, echoed with slogans praising Indian Navy. As ceasefires have been called in Sudan, the Government of India is carrying out Operation Kaveri to rescue the stranded Indians from the conflict-hit Northeast African country. A total of around 1,100 Indians have been rescued so far. (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 27 (ANI): Explaining the modus operandi adopted in carrying out Operation Kaveri in the conflict-hit Sudan, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra on Thursday said that the embassy reached out to the Indian community as soon as the "fighting broke out in Khartoum." "Issued advisories both in Khartoum city as well as in Delhi., created a network of communication within Sudan despite the challenges of network availability, power ability to charge your network, to charge your devices. Created a system a group of communications through which they (stranded Indians) could pass out information about the ongoing conflict situation to the members of the community., advise them suitably not to take avoidable risks. Also keep them informed about the efforts of the government of India underway as part of Operation Kaveri to assist them.," Kwatra said in a special press briefing on Operation Kaveri. Also Read | Israeli Researchers Develop Drought-Resistant Tomato To Produce High Yield With Less Water. He said that Embassy also started an online registration process. "So far it is our estimate 3400 Indian nations have either registered online or they are in touch with the embassy. More specifically, I think 3000 odd have already registered online, 3100 and roughly 300 are in touch with the mission," he said. Also Read | May Day 2023 Holiday: Chinas Outbound Tourism To Boom This International Workers Day. The Foreign Secretary said the Indian government and embassy's focus has been to advise stranded Indian nationals to remain safe and help them move to secure locations whenever feasible. The Ministry of External Affairs set up a 24X7 control room which will continue to operate till India overcomes the current situation, he informed. He said that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also spoke to foreign ministers of the US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UK to discuss the Sudan situation. Kwatra said that the talks with foreign ministers come in addition to Jaishankar's meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the US. In the press briefing, Kwatra said Operation Kaveri is being carried out in an ecosystem which consists of a "highly volatile conflict zone situation in Sudan." "When we talk about Operation Kaveri. Naturally, there would a focus on number of Indians who are stuck in Sudan, how many have come back, how many we are planning to bring back which is very significant and probably the most important consideration for the government of India. But, I would also suggest to you to keep in mind the ecosystem in which this exercise of assisting and bring back the stranded Indians is taking place. The ecoystem comprises highly volatile conflict zone situation in Sudan pretty much very hard to access areas outside the Khartoum city and I will talk about that as we go along," Kwatra said. "Our estimate is there are approximately 3500 Indian nationals and about 1000 odd PIOs in Sudan. As I said, these numbers are approximate numbers and it is our effort to put as much specificity to those numbers as we can. Some of these numbers keep fluctuating depending or rather keep getting added depending upon who reaches out to the Embassy considering they are all scattered not just all over Khartoum city but also in many parts of Sudan. The pockets of concentration are in Khartoum City and its suburbs. There are also pockets in Omdurman, Al Fashir, Kassala, Port Sudan etc., where many of the Indian nationals are located," he added. The Foreign Secretary said that India is constantly monitoring the situation in Sudan ever since the conflict broke out on April 15. He said that the situation in Sudan continues to remain "highly volatile." "We are constantly monitoring the situation in Sudan ever since the conflict broke out there between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary forces which was on April 15. There after, just to give you flavour of the ground situation. Several times, ceasefires have been declared from both sides. Many of those ceasefires were not honoured, some of them were honoured partially," Vinay Mohan Kwatra said in the press briefing. "The last ceasefire announced of 72 hours is holding by and large. But, there has been feedback of some sporadic firing and fighting going on in some parts of Khartoum. Also, as a result of that, the situation on the ground remains highly volatile," he added. He said that there are around 600 Indian nations who arrived in India or are on their way to return to India. He said that there are around 495 Indian nationals who are in Jeddah right now. "So, 360 of them arrived by a Charter Saudi Arabia flight yesterday night and another 246 are being flown to Maharashtra State in a Commissioned C-17 flight," Vinay Mohan Kwatra said. "We currently have approximately give some leeway on the number of approximately 495 Indian nationals who are in Jeddah as of now. These numbers will either go up or come down depending upon the flows in from Port Sudan and depending upon the evacuation from Jeddah to India," he added. He further said, "Also as we speak, there are 320 Indian nationals who are in Port Sudan currently stationed. We have more number of buses moving from Khartoum City to Port Sudan. And as I said INS Sumedha, our ship, is already there. INS Tarkash is about to dock there. We have two C-130 J aircraft standing in Jeddah for more sorties later during the day." (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Islamabad, Apr 27 (PTI) After much bickering and dithering, Pakistan's political leaders on Thursday held talks to end the deadlock over holding elections in the country and decided to continue the parleys on Friday to resolve the issue. The government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the main opposition party led by Imran Khan, have been wrangling over the issue of whether to hold elections on the same date in the country or first go for polls in the provinces of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa only. Also Read | Pakistan Media Watchdog Takes Action Against Over 50 Cable Operators for Illegally Airing Indian Channels. The two sides sat together to discuss the issue on Thursday. The first round of the talks was held in the Parliament House's Committee Room Number 3 and the parleys went on for two hours. Sources said that the talks were held in a good atmosphere and both sides put forward their respective stance. Also Read | Pakistan Government, Opposition Hold Talks To End Deadlock Over Holding Elections in the Country. Yusuf Raza Gilani, a key member of the government negotiating team, told the media after the first round that the talks would resume on Friday. He said that the PTI would present demands and the coalition partners of the government would be apprised about the demands. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who also attended the first round as part of the official team, said it had been principally decided that matters would be resolved within the Constitution. According to sources, the PTI asked the government to dissolve the National Assembly in July to pave the way for holding polls in the entire country on the same date. The assembly is completing its five-year term on August 13 but its dissolution a few weeks before the end of term would give a kind of face-saving to Imran Khan who has been demanding snap polls since April 2022 when he was voted out of power. Earlier, the Express Tribune newspaper reported that the government nominated senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders Finance Minister Dar, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, Law Minister Azam Tarar, and Ayaz Sadiq and Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leaders Yusuf Raza Gilani and Naveed Qamar as members of the committee for talks. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Kishwar Zehra was also a part of the government-nominated committee. PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Barrister Ali Zafar and senior leader Fawad Chaudhary represented their party in the talks. Importantly, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), the ley government ally and coalition partner, skipped the meeting. Speaking to the media ahead of the talks, Qureshi said that the "one-point agenda of the talks was elections". Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in his address to parliament also said that the two sides would discuss the date for holding elections in the entire country. The talks began following the invitation by Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani to the rival groups to come forward for parleys to end the ongoing unrest and uncertainty in the country. The Supreme Court had also asked the government and the PTI to sit together for talks but the advice was not heeded to and the court in its hearing of a case on Thursday observed that it would not push them for talks. Though it is not clear how long the negotiations would go on, time is limited as the Supreme Court had already given May 14 for elections in Punjab and the two sides should agree sooner on a new date to postpone the Punjab polls. The PTI is determined to press for polls in the provincial legislatures, but the government maintains its stance on simultaneous elections across the country. The National Assembly will complete its five-year term in August this year. According to the Constitution, elections shall be held within 90 days after the dissolution of the lower house. This means that the election must be held by mid-October. The last general election was held in July 2018. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Washington, Apr 27 (PTI) The US-India relationship in the world is critical to its future, America's Ambassador-Designate to India Eric Garcetti has said, while asserting that the two countries have never worked as closely together on a range of issues as they do today. Garcetti, 52, President Joe Biden's close aide, was officially sworn in as the US Ambassador to India last month, ending more than two years of delay to fill one of Washington's most critical diplomatic positions. Also Read | India-Russia Turnover Was About USD 2 Billion in 2022, Says Moscow Deputy Governor Ekaterina Zinoveva. There are few relationships in the world that are more vital to the US and India. Our relationship in the world is critical to its future. As President (Joe) Biden has said, India and the US are indispensable partners, Garcetti told a gathering of eminent Indian Americans at the first-of-its-kind US-India Summit organised by Congressional India Caucus's Co-chairs Ro Khanna and Michael Waltz on Wednesday. Former Mayor of Los Angeles, Garcetti's nomination was pending before the US Congress since July 2021 when he was nominated by President Biden. Also Read | Chhattisgarh Naxal Attack: German Ambassador Philipp Ackermann Condemns Attack on Security Personnel in Dantewada, Says 'Deeply Saddened'. In March, the Senate voted 52 to 42 to confirm Garcetti after his nomination was stalled amid concerns by some lawmakers that he had not adequately handled allegations of sexual assault and harassment against a former senior adviser. Before I came out to India, I spoke with President (Joe) Biden about his vision for the US-India partnership. He stressed just how pivotal this moment is. It is pivotal for the entire planet and especially pivotal for our two countries, Garcetti said. The US and India have never worked as closely together on as many issues as they do today. We are two of the world's leading democracies. We are the world's largest and fifth largest economies, he said. We are connected through and empowered by the innovative spirit of our incredible people. And together, through the actions we take, we will together shape the 21st century, in this G-20 year and beyond, working alongside my incredibly dedicated colleagues at the US Mission to India, he added. The US Embassy in India has been without an ambassador since January 2021, the longest stretch in the history of US-India relations that the post has sat vacant, since Kenneth Juster, the last US envoy in New Delhi, stepped down after the change of government in America. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Washington, Apr 27 (AP) The Biden administration will open migration centers in Guatemala and Colombia for asylum seekers heading to the U.S.-Mexico border, in a bid to slow what's expected to be a surge of migrants seeking to cross as pandemic-era immigration restrictions end, U.S. officials said Thursday. The migration centers are part of an intense effort to try to prevent thousands of people from making the often-dangerous journey to the southern border when the restrictions end May 11. Also Read | China's CPEC Railway to Pakistan Through PoK To Cost USD 57.7 Billion, Says Feasibility Study. But it is unclear whether the processing centers and other measures, including expedited processing for asylum seekers and crackdowns on human smuggling networks, will do much to slow the tide of migrants fleeing from countries marred by political and economic strife. The Biden administration, under attack by Republicans eager to paint the border as wide open under his leadership, has repeatedly warned that the end of the pandemic-era immigration restrictions does not mean that migrants should try to come to the U.S. as they've also sought to open other avenues for migration. Also Read | Russia Denies Visit to American Reporter During Consular Visit to Evan Gershkovich in Visa Retaliation. In a call with reporters Thursday, three senior administration officials detailed the migration centers, as well as other steps the administration was taking. So far, centers will be located in both Colombia and Guatemala, with other countries to be announced in the coming weeks, the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity to reporters ahead of the public announcement. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Washington [US], April 27 (ANI): Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of his address at India-US Business Summit, Congressman RO Khanna said the US wants to make sure the GE Engines deal with India is done so that they don't lose out to Europe. Congressman Khanna said India has realised that the Soviet military equipment doesn't work as well and the Soviet Union is moving towards China, and India has really been open to building a strong relationship with America. Also Read | India-Russia Turnover Was About USD 2 Billion in 2022, Says Moscow Deputy Governor Ekaterina Zinoveva. Saying India wants jet engines, he added, "And the first thing is to make sure that deal gets done, hopefully before the Prime Minister's (Narendra Modi) visit. And we are working on that." "We also are working to ensure that the Prime Minister gets to speak to the United States Congress. The co-chairs will be requesting the speaker to issue that invitation," he added. Also Read | Chhattisgarh Naxal Attack: German Ambassador Philipp Ackermann Condemns Attack on Security Personnel in Dantewada, Says 'Deeply Saddened'. "We need to be stronger on defence, and this is a key time," he said. Regarding jet engines, he further added, "The defence deliverable on the jet engines is critical." Further, on the business and economic ties between the two countries, he said, "There needs to be a continued effort. I think the reality is that India can emerge as the hub in Asia for the Asian market. Companies in my district like Apple moving out of China, moving into India, into Bangalore, and opening up Apple stores there. I have encouraged companies to manufacture in the United States and restore into the United States, but to the extent they need to sell into Asia to look to allies like India instead of China." "We need to figure out how to provide India with alternative sources of cheaper energy so they can grow. And I've appreciated that India has unequivocally condemned Putin's invasion of Ukraine, but this should not be a barrier to strengthening a partnership that will last decades," he added. (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, April 27: Supreme Court Secretary General Sanjeev Sudhakar Kalgaonkar was appointed as a judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Thursday. The Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud had in a resolution dated April 12 recommended his appointment as a judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The collegium had noted the Intelligence Bureau report that he has a good personal and professional image and that nothing adverse has come to notice against his integrity. Supreme Court Says Keeping 'Broken Marriage' Alive is Injustice to Both Parties, Calls it Ground for Dissolution. "The judicial performance of Shri Sanjeev Sudhakar Kalgaonkar, as assessed by the Evaluation Committee of Judges, is excellent/ very good. The annual confidential reports of the candidate are noteworthy. Having regard to the above, the Collegium is of the considered opinion that Shri Sanjeev Sudhakar Kalgaonkar is suitable for appointment as a Judge of the High Court of Madhya Pradesh," the collegium had stated. Hailing from a small town Baihar in Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh, Kalgaonkar joined judicial service on May 24, 1994. Born on February 23, 1970, Kalgaonkar was selected for Madhya Pradesh judicial Service at the age of 22 years 10 months in 1992. Allopathy Doctors and Ayurved Doctors Not Entitled To Equal Pay As They Do Not Perform Equal Work: Supreme Court. In the year 2006, at the age of 36 years, Kalgaonkar cleared the higher judicial services examination of the MP High Court. He was selected as the Secretary General of the Supreme Court through an interview conducted by then CJI Justice Ranjan Gogoi and served for a period of three years from November 2018 to November 2021. He was reappointed to the post in November, 2022. When Prince did not return home till Wednesday, his mother Pinky searched the neighbourhood but could not find any trace of Prince. The body of a boy was later found lying near the Makrandnagar Power House, which is located 1000 meters from the house. New Delhi, April 27: Global IT solutions provider Coforge (formerly NIIT Technologies) surpassed $1 billion (over Rs 8,014 crore) in revenue in FY23, registering PAT at Rs 8,117 million (Rs 811 crore), up 22.7 per cent (on-year), it announced on Thursday. The company also announced to gift an Apple iPad to each of its more than 21,000 employees to celebrate the milestone. The revenue for the March quarter (Q4 FY23) was $264.4 million (Rs 2,170 crore), with PAT at Rs 232 crore for the January-March period. TCS Employees Get Wrist Watches As Gifts On Firm's 50th Anniversary; Employees Unhappy As They Expected Cash Bonuses, Jewellery And More. "We believe that our performance during the quarter was marked by two key achievements. The first was a quarterly sequential US$ growth of 5 per cent. The second major landmark has been the firm crossing the $1 billion revenue mark. Our performance heading in to FY24 sets us up well to deliver robust growth," said Sudhir Singh, CEO, Coforge. Diwali Gifts Not Supplied to Employees of Ambulance Services in Uttar Pradesh on Time; Two Firms Booked for Criminal Breach of Trust. For FY24, the firm issued an annual revenue growth guidance of 13-16 per cent in constant currency terms, expects a gross margin increase of about 50 bps and adjusted EBITDA margin to be at similar levels as FY23. The Board has recommended an interim dividend of Rs 19 per share, and the record date for this payout will be May 9, 2023. Coforge leverages emerging technologies and deep domain expertise to deliver real-world business impact for its clients. The firm has a presence in 21 countries with 25 delivery centers across nine countries. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 27, 2023 03:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). On 26 April, Brazils right-wing former president(2019-2023) testified to the federal police (PF), which is investigating the 8 January riots in which Bolsonaro supporters stormed Brazils congress, presidential palace, and supreme court (STF) headquarters. End of preview - This article contains approximately 377 words. Subscribers: Log in now to read the full article Not a Subscriber? Choose from one of the following options Pope Francis has made a historic shift in the upcoming Vatican Bishops meeting, with the church leader giving women the right to vote in the meeting. Associated Press News reported that the pope approved the changes to the Vatican body after years of demands by women to have the right to vote. The change was applied to the Synod of Bishops, which is a Vatican body that gathers the world's bishops for periodic meetings. The Vatican published the changes Pope Francis approved on Wednesday. It included his vision for the faithful common people to be active on participating in church affairs, which have been usually left to clerics, bishops, and cardinals. Activists and advocates of women's rights lauded the new change implemented, with Catholic women's groups long criticizing the Vatican for "treating women as second-class citizens." Kate McElwee of the Women's Ordination Conference, a group advocating for women priests, noted that the newly imposed reform is a "significant crack in the stained glass ceiling." McElwee noted that it was the result of sustained advocacy and activism. READ NEXT: Pope Francis Admits Priests and Nuns Watch Internet Porn, Says 'Be Careful' as 'Devil Enters' Through It Vatican Bishops Meeting Changes The Vatican bishops meeting is set to begin next October, which will focus on better reaching the faithful as the church moves forward. The meeting is also expected to take on major issues including the role of women in the church and LGBTQ relationships. The New York Times noted that the meeting will now include an additional 70 non-bishop voting members. The pope wanted to have half of the non-bishop voting members be women. Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, a top organizer of the synod, noted that it was an "important change," but noted that it is "not a revolution." Conservatives argue that opening the church would weaken its traditions while exposing it to "secular ideology." It was not the first time that Pope Francis imposed a change. The pope changed church laws in 2021, allowing women to read the Bible at the Mass, including being servers at the altar. Included in the change was that women can also distribute communion. The voting body's members have been a main reason for conflict for years. Pope Francis told the Argentine newspaper La Nacion in an interview last month that all those who participate in the synod will vote, "whether male or female." The rules noted that the pope can also add other participants. Pope Francis Allowing Women to Vote in The Church Cardinal Mario Grech noted that some of the 21 representatives at the October meeting will be non-bishops. Grech is in charge of the voting body. Grech went on to say that the synod itself would continue to have a majority of bishops to make decisions, as reported by ABC News Go. Meanwhile, Hollerich declined to detail how the female members of the meeting would be addressed. The members of the synod have long been called as "synodal fathers." Hollerich was asked if the women participating in the Vatican body would be called "synodal mothers." He responded that it would be up to the women members to decide. READ MORE: Pope Francis and Pres. Joe Biden Meeting: Why Did It Not Happen? This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Pope Francis has decided to give women the right to vote at an upcoming meeting of bishops - from KENS 5: Your San Antonio News Source Brazil's far-right has long used messaging app Telegram in its activities. The app had a key role in planning the January 8 and was even used by Neo-Nazis. Now, a judge has suspended the app's use. Brazil's Federal Police requested the social media platform to provide all information they had on neo-Nazi chat groups as part of a push against a rise in school violence in the country. The app did not comply, with the judge ruling that the app should suspend its operations in Brazil temporarily, according to the Associated Press. However, that is not all that Telegram is facing, as the judge also increased the daily fine for non-compliance to 1 million reais (about $200,000). It was previously set at 100,000 reais. While Telegram did hand over some of the data to Brazilian authorities, it did not give them everything they requested, including the phone numbers of the neo-Nazi channel's administrators. Neo-Nazi Propaganda Being Spread via Telegram Chat Groups in Brazil In November 2022, a teenager in Espirito Santo, Aracuz went on a school shooting, killing four people and injuring 13 others while wearing a Nazi swastika. Investigators found that the boy had interacted with one of the Neo-Nazi channels being investigated. The channel in question had videos of violent deaths, tutorials on how to stage attacks, and how to manufacture homemade explosives. According to Brazilian Report, as a neo-Nazi channel, it also has copious amounts of Nazi propaganda. READ MORE: Brazil: School Shooting Leaves 3 Dead, 13 Injured in Espirito Santo Social media has largely been blamed for the increase in school shootings in Brazil, with President Lula's government trying to regulate social media platforms such as Telegram. The president recently met with ministers, Supreme Court Justices, governors, and mayors with the goal of preventing more school violence, as well as finding ways to regulate social media. Telegram has often presented itself as a messaging app focused on speed and privacy. It claims that its special secret chats use end-to-end encryption that is not stored on its servers. This makes it more difficult to track the activities of these right-wing groups that may have influenced a few of Brazil's most recent school shootings. Brazil Supreme Court Has Previously Suspended Telegram Telegram had long been used in Brazil to spread fake news, particularly about the Brazilian elections. This was also where many of the pro-Bolsonaro rioters planned their January 8 coup earlier this year. Because of its history of helping spread misinformation, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the suspension of the app last year, according to Reuters. Much like this latest suspension, this previous one was a result of the app's noncompliance with the country's laws, as well as its repeated refusal to adhere to judicial orders. This led the app's operations in the country to be temporarily frozen, with Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov apologizing for his company's "negligence." However, the Supreme Court's decision to suspend the app also led to questions about whether it curtailed freedom of speech. READ MORE: Brazil Riots: Police Raid Home of Jair Bolsonaro's Nephew in Connection With January 8 This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: Telegram forgot to check its email and now it's banned in Brazil - The Verge - Technology News Live Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has now become enmeshed with the Fox News fiasco after he was caught on a leaked tape talking to host Maria Bartiromo about plans to overturn the 2020 election. The leaked tape shows Cruz's support for the appointed electoral commission to deny election certification with unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud. The recording was made by former Fox News producer Abby Grossberg and was obtained by The Washington Post, according to The Independent. Bartiromo was heard asking the Texas senator on the recorded audio, "Who's deciding who gets inaugurated," to which Cruz responded that it would be the results of that commission. Cruz added that it would also depend if they found credible evidence of fraud that undermines confidence in the electoral results. The Fox News host then asked the senator if there is any chance that the 2020 election results can be overturned. Cruz then responded, "I hope so." The Texas senator and 10 other senators sent out a press release on January 2, indicating that they plan to vote on January 6 to "reject the electors from disputed states." READ MORE: Rupert Murdoch Net Worth: How Wealthy Is the Media Mogul After Fox News' $787.5 Million Settlement With Dominion? Ted Cruz Leaked Tapes The leaked tapes of Cruz's conversation with a Fox News host closely mirrors the statements he made publicly regarding efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, as reported by The Washington Post. Cruz noted in the leaked tape that he successfully organized 11 senators to object to the electoral certification. He was the first senator to object to the electoral college results, with Rep. Paul A. Gosar in challenging Arizona's electoral certification. Cruz said that he would have rather seen "these facts developed in a court of law." However, he continued to cast doubt on the Supreme Court's ultimate determination to reject the lawsuits filed to challenge the election. Democrat Rep. Jamie B. Raskin said that Cruz is a lawyer "who knows the difference between factual evidence and idle speculation" and still chose to play along with it. The former Fox News producer was accused of lying about the company and her experiences there. Grossberg said that she has dozen more tapes taken from inside the network about the 2020 election. Fox News Vs. Abby Grossberg Grossberg was terminated by Fox News, noting the toxic work environment she experienced while working for Tucker Carlson's show, but also claimed the primetime host seemed determined to connect the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jan. 6 insurrection. Grossberg filed a complaint in a New York federal court on March 20, with the complaint saying that she was "isolated, overworked, undervalued," and denied opportunities for promotion among many others, as detailed by Business Insiders. Meanwhile, Fox News has denied those allegations, with a representative saying that they would "vigorously defend" the company against all of her "legal claims which have no merit." A month after Grossberg was terminated from the network, Tucker Carlson followed the same fate. Fox News did not say why Carlson was leaving the network, but only thanked him for his service and noted that a rotating cast of hosts would take over. Sources claimed that Carlson's exit was likely connected to Grossberg's case. READ MORE: Tucker Carlson Producer To Consider Testifying Against Fox News in Dominion Lawsuit This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Hear Ted Cruz caught on tape plotting step two of Jan. 6 Coup - from MSNBC Jair Bolsonaro has testified in front of the federal police amid the investigation of the January 8 riot, which saw the attack on government buildings by his supporters in the capital Brasilia after he lost in the presidential election. Al Jazeera reported that Bolsonaro arrived at the police headquarters in a vehicle with tinted windows on Wednesday morning and did not provide any results to journalists. Bolsonaro's spokesperson, Fabio Wajngarten, spoke to reporters, saying that the former Brazilian president renounced every unfortunate event that occurred in the capital. Hundreds of alleged January 8 riot participants are expected to stand trial. Before the election results, Bolsonaro claimed without evidence that there could be a possibility of election fraud in the country's electronic voting system while never explicitly conceding defeat. Brazil's Prosecutor-General Augusto Aras noted that Bolsonaro "allegedly encouraged the perpetration of crimes" two weeks before the former president's appearance before the authorities. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva previously accused Bolsonaro of planning the January 8 riot, determining it as a "coup." READ NEXT: Luiz inacio Lula Da Silva Accuses US of 'Encouraging War' in Ukraine; White House Slams Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Brazil's January 8 Riot Bolsonaro shared a video to social media of a prosecutor contesting the validity of Lula's victory, which was one of the reasons the investigation was launched. The former president's lawyer, Paulo Bueno, said that the president was under medication when he shared the video, adding that Bolsonaro had just been admitted when he shared the footage. Bueno noted after the hearing that the sharing was so accidental that he did not mention it soon removed it, as reported by France 24. Bolsonaro denied all involvement or any role he played in the January 8 riots initiated by his supporters, according to a source. Another Bolsonaro lawyer, Daniel Tesser, told reporters said that Bolsonaro renounce "any kid of anti-democratic deed." The former president of Brazil faces at least 16 separate investigations as well as a growing scandal over allegations that he tried to illegally take possession of millions of dollars worth of jewelry given to him by the Saudi government. The Guardian noted that the political backers of Bolsonaro are reportedly considering who might replace him if his legal challenges were to continue. The former first lady, Michelle Bolsonaro, was said to be one of the options. Brazil's January 8 Riot Lula said he believed that some police had conspired with protesters. They also alleged the officers of political bias. Lula noted in a CNN News report that there were a lot of "people colluding, adding that there was "a lot of conniving people from the military." Former policeman and public security researcher Cassio Thyone explained that some officers may have acted "inappropriately," possibly believing that the prosecutors could not break in. The Institutional Security Office said its officers were being investigated. However, it defended its conduct as an "attempt to strategically concentrate demonstrators" in one place to arrest them. The GSI advises the president on security matters and manages law enforcement. READ MORE: Brazil Election: Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva Wins but Not Outright Victory After He Failed to Secure Majority Over Jair Bolsonaro This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Jair Bolsonaro faces questions by police, denies role in riots - from DW News A Houston auto mechanic was killed over a $500 repair bill, and police said three Texas men had been arrested over his death. The arrest came four months after 29-year-old victim Luis Casillas was shot and killed in the parking lot of his body shop off the North Freeway and West Little York Road in Houston. The Houston Police Department said Wednesday that three people had been arrested in connection with the December 23, 2022 shooting. Police said they were brothers Raudel Orozco, 20, and Rolando Orozco, 22, as well as Jody Duron, 19. All three were arrested Tuesday and were charged with murder for the death of Casillas. According to ABC13, the three Texas men are being held inside the Harris County jail, each on a $750,000 bond. The arrests came after a months-long investigation that linked the three suspects to the scene. READ NEXT: Texas Walmart Shooter Who Targeted and Killed Latinos to Plead Guilty to Federal Charges Texas Men Shot and Killed Mechanic Who Was Billing Them for Repairing a Truck Luis Casillas, who was a husband and father of two daughters, had a car repair shop in Texas. He fixed a truck and billed the owner $500 for the service. However, according to Fox News, the owner came with five other men and refused to pay. They soon became aggressive, with Casillas telling the men, three of them were Hispanic, to leave with the truck. However, witnesses, including his family, said the suspects chased him before shooting him in the head. Police spoke with Casillas' brother, who told them that the victim had been arguing with the vehicle's owner over the money owed for the repairs. That was when Casillas told his brother to move the truck to a garage or bay across from the shop so the owner could not take it back without paying. On the day of the shooting, the suspects went into the parking garage and got into an argument with the victim, which escalated to one of the suspects, later identified as the red pickup's owner, pulling out an AK-47-style rifle and starting shooting at Casillas. Casillas tried to run away but was confronted by another suspect at the end of the building. Witnesses said the victim even begged for his life, but he was still shot. Court documents said the suspects immediately fled the scene in their vehicles and with the red Chevy pickup. Authorities did not immediately say who among those arrested was the pickup's owner. Houston Auto Mechanic Would Have Used Money to Buy Daughters' Gifts for Christmas Luis Casillas' killing devastated his family, who said he was planning to use that $500 to buy his two daughters some Christmas gifts. "He was a father, a son, a brother, an uncle," said Sandy Casillas, Luis' sister. "He didn't deserve this." She noted that her brother begged the men not to kill him and even offered that they could take whatever they wanted. Still, the three men shot and killed him and took off with the truck. His sister told KHOU-11 that his children were still too young to fully comprehend what had happened to their father. However, they were still able to open their presents on Christmas. "Santa showed up, but Daddy didn't," Sandy said. "We don't have a holiday no more - we don't know what the holidays are no more." READ MORE: Texas Woman Arrested After Randomly Firing Gun at Houses This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: Family Members Say Mechanic Was Executed in North Houston Over $500 Repair Bill - From KHOU-11 Authorities said Wednesday they had detained three Colorado teens on suspicion of killing a woman by throwing a landscaping rock at her as she drove outside Denver. According to Yahoo! News, Jefferson County sheriff's investigators noted that 20-year-old Alexa Bartell "was killed when a rock was thrown through her windshield while she was driving" north in the 10600 block of Indiana Street around 10:45 p.m. on April 19 in Westminster. Authorities said several vehicles, including Bartell's, were hit by "large landscaping rocks in a spree" that started shortly after 10 p.m. near 100th Avenue and Simms Street. Jacki Kelley, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office, told reporters that public information and cell phone data were crucial in locating the perpetrators that led to the arrest of three Colorado teens. "This case touched a lot of people deeply," Kelley said. "This was a beautiful young woman with her whole life in front of her who was simply driving home, and her life was ended due to these acts. It shocked a community, and people wanted to find out who was involved." READ NEXT: Colorado Student Who Shot 2 Administrators at East High School Still on the Loose 3 Colorado Teens Arrested for Fatal Rock Throwing CNN reported that the sheriff's office said the three Colorado teens, all high school seniors, were apprehended Tuesday night in connection with Alexa Bartell's death. The sheriff's office noted that suspects Joseph Koenig, Nicholas "Mitch" Karol-Chik, and Zachary Kwak, all 18, will face charges of first-degree murder with extreme indifference. In a press release, police said any additional charges would be filed in Colorado's First Judicial District Attorney's Office. The Colorado teens will be "advised of the charges against them" during their first court appearance on Thursday. Until then, they will remain in custody, Kelley said. Colorado Teens Involved in 'Criminal Episode' The Colorado teens are all high school seniors in three different schools in Arvada. Joseph Koenig was attending Ralston Valley High School with concurrent enrollment in Jeffco Virtual Academy, according to 9News. Nicholas Karol-Chik transferred to Jeffco Virtual Academy from Ralston Valley High School in August 2022. The school district reported that Zachary Kwak had been enrolled at Standley Lake High School since August 2021, having transferred there from another state. The district informed parents at each school via letters that their children would not be returning to school. Kelley explained the charges against the Colorado teens, saying, "It's described as an attitude or behavior which exhibits indifference about what they're doing... And in this one, it was in relation to respect for human life." Kelley said all three teens were involved "in this criminal episode." However, she noted it was still unclear who was driving the black 2016 Chevrolet Silverado and who was throwing rocks, Fox31 reported. Kelley added that Koenig's father was also taken into custody for obstruction during his son's arrest. READ MORE: Florida Man Murders, Dismembers Uber Eats Driver This is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Bert Hoover WATCH: Three 18-Year-Olds Arrested in Deadly Rock-Throwing Spree - From FOX31 Denver Former UCLA gynecologist James Heaps was sentenced to 11 years in prison for sexually abusing his patients during his time at the university. According to PEOPLE, Heaps was a faculty member at the David Geffen School of Medicine and an OB-GYN at UCLA Health from 2014 to 2018. He had been convicted of three counts of sexual battery by fraud and two counts of sexual penetration of two patients while being acquitted of seven others. In a press release, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office noted that the jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict at the time of conviction on charges such as sexual battery by fraud and sexual penetration of an unconscious person. Jurors cannot also decide on the sexual exploitation of a patient. Aside from his sentence, Heaps, now 66, was also ordered by Superior Court Judge Michael Carter on Wednesday to register as a sex offender. The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has agreed to pay almost $700 million in payouts to Heaps' victims after the university launched an independent probe into the case. READ NEXT: Cash App Founder Murder Case: Suspect in Bob Lee Killing Arrested UCLA Gynecologist James Heaps' Sentence ABC7 reported that the original trial listed 21 counts involving seven patients. However, jurors could not reach verdicts on nine charges, and a mistrial was declared for those counts. Heaps was accused of numerous incidents of abuse against patients over the years he practiced at the university. He was affiliated with the university for 35 years and treated thousands of patients. Aside from Heaps, UCLA had also faced lawsuits, wherein they were accused of failing to protect patients after it became aware of his misconduct. The lawsuits accused the academe of actively and deliberately concealing Heaps's sexual abuse of patients and allowing the former UCLA gynecologist to have "unfettered sexual access to female patients, many of whom were cancer patients." In a previous statement, UCLA thanked the victims for coming forward. The academia said they hoped the settlement could pave the way to "some level of healing," NBC Los Angeles reported. Overall, UCLA's payouts due to the Heaps scandal reached more than $688 million, a landmark sum for a public university. UCLA Gynecologist James Heaps Abuse Some of those who complained about the former UCLA gynecologist were women frightened by cancer diagnoses and had sought his expertise as an oncologist when they experienced abuse. Jennifer McGrath, the lawyer representing some of the victims, noted that the clients alleged that James Heaps overemphasized their risk of cancer or even suggested that he saw signs of cancer for financial gain and other opportunities for abuse, The Washington Post reported. It was not only UCLA that faced the same scandal, with the University of Southern California agreeing to pay more than $1 billion to settle allegations against former gynecologist George Tyndall. Tyndall was accused of abusing patients at the university's student health center for decades. READ MORE: California Earthquake: Bay Area, Central Coast Hit by Magnitude 4.5 Jolt This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Court Sentences Former UCLA Gynecologist James Heaps to 11 Years in Prison - From KCAL News The U.S. has doubled its reward for information leading to the arrest of two of Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera's sons, also known as "Los Chapitos." According to Daily Mail, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is now offering $10 million apiece for information leading to the capture or conviction of Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar. They and two of their brothers, namely Ovidio Guzman Lopez and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, are collectively known as "Los Chapitos." The reward for Ivan Archivaldo and Jesus Alfredo is now among the highest offered by federal officials in U.S. history. The increase in the reward was announced Saturday after the DEA added Ivan Archivaldo to its 10 most-wanted drug traffickers list, joining his older brother, Jesus Alfredo. El Chapo's four sons reportedly operate half of the Sinaloa Cartel, while the other half is managed by co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada. An April 14 unsealed indictment accused the Los Chapitos of large-scale drug trafficking, money laundering, and "violent crimes." The DEA said most of the fentanyl trafficked in the U.S. comes from the Sinaloa Cartel. The Sinaloa Cartel, headed by the Los Chapitos, is reportedly among the cartels obtaining precursor chemicals from China to manufacture synthetic drugs smuggled through Mexico and into the U.S. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid considered to be 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the powerful drug has become a major contributor to fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the U.S. Since 2019, fentanyl seizures by U.S. Customs and Border Protection have increased by over 400%. Almost 107,000 Americans have already died from fentanyl-related overdoses in the U.S. in 2021, setting a record, READ NEXT: El Chapo's Sons, the Los Chapitos, Among 28 Sinaloa Cartel Members Charged by U.S. U.S. Initially Offers $5M Reward Each for Information Leading to Arrest of El Chapo's Sons, Known as Los Chapitos The U.S. has initially offered a reward of $5 million for each of El Chapo's sons. The State Department offered in December 2021 the reward for any information that could help federal agents arrest the Los Chapitos. The announcement was made by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a press statement released by the Department of State. Blinken said at the time that the rewards were part of the "significant steps" from the U.S. to "enhance" the efforts and deter transnational criminal activity across the globe. Blinken added that the U.S. was caught in the "worst" drug epidemic in history, driven by deaths due to overdose involving heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine. He further noted that transnational criminal organizations were the ones responsible for bringing the said drugs into the communities inside the U.S. El Chapo Sons: Los Chapitos of Sinaloa Cartel The four sons of El Chapo had reportedly assumed leadership roles in the Sinaloa Cartel after their father was arrested and extradited to the U.S. Under the Los Chapitos' leadership, the Sinaloa Cartel remained one of Mexico's most powerful drug cartels. The State Department previously said the Los Chapitos are high-ranking members of the Sinaloa Cartel, and each is subject to a federal indictment for their involvement in the illegal drug trade. Only three of the Los Chapitos remain at large as Ovidio Guzman was already arrested last January 5 by Mexican authorities in Mexico's Sinaloa state. He remains detained in Mexico pending extradition proceedings to the U.S. READ MORE: Joe Biden Vows to 'End' North Korea This is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Bert Hoover WATCH: U.S. State Department Raises Reward for Key Cartel Members - From NewsNation A Lehigh County school was evacuated and later closed for the day Thursday after people reported feeling ill in the building, the second incident in six months. Emergency responders were initially called for a sick person at 9:36 a.m. at Lehigh Christian Academy, 1151 S. Cedar Crest Blvd. in Salisbury Township. A report of a second person feeling ill came in and the Western Salisbury Fire Department was dispatched, township police said. The school was evacuated and six juveniles and two adults were transported to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment, police said. Lehigh Valley Health Network confirmed it received eight patients from the incident. The school has been closed for the remainder of the day as a precaution and reunification efforts were made to get the children with their respective families, township police said. Initial air quality checks were performed and found no obvious levels that were cause for concern, according to police. The building will continue to be checked with metering equipment throughout the day at the request of the school and maintenance, authorities said. Efforts to reach officials at Lehigh Christian Academy for comment were not successful. The private Christian school has more than 300 students in classes from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Thursdays incident comes almost six months after the school was evacuated last October and emergency crews called for unknown indoor odor at the school. At that time, four patients were taken to a local hospital for evaluation as a precaution, police said. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. An automated bomb threat Thursday morning at Southern Lehigh High School was deemed not credible following a search of the building and grounds, officials said. Upper Saucon Township Police Department said the threat message was made after students arrived at the school at 5800 Main St. in the township. Township police responded and searched the building and grounds for suspicious devices, but did not find any. Police are investigating the origins of the threat. The investigation combined with our training and experience finds the threat is not credible. We are confident that our community is safe at this time, the police department said. Following the thorough sweep, the high school has returned to normal operations, the district said in a post on its website. Law enforcement will have an increased presence throughout the district. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. A bill co-sponsored by a Lehigh Valley state senator would open up Pennsylvanias closed primaries to independent voters. Pennsylvania is one of nine states that does not allow independents and unaffiliated residents to vote in primary elections, the others being Delaware, New York, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, and New Mexico. State Senators Lisa M. Boscola, D-Northampton, and Dan Laughlin, R-Erie, want to change that in the Keystone State. Their proposed legislation, Senate Bill 400, would allow registered voters who have selected none or no affiliation on their voter registration form to vote in primaries. Ballot PA has lobbied to end the states closed primaries, which lock out 1.1 million voters, Chairman David Thornburgh said during a Wednesday news conference. Those voters pay for elections but cannot participate, he said. What were pushing back against is a piece of legislation signed in 1937 as part of a larger package of electoral reforms, but it wasnt intended to keep out independent voters, he said. Independent voters were the collateral damage of that legislation, because over the years independent voters have become one of the fastest growing pieces of the electorate in Pennsylvania as around the country. Officials said Pennsylvania Department of State data shows the number of unaffiliated voters increasing by 51,816 between 2015 and 2021. Here we are, 86 years later, just trying to change a piece of legislation to keep up with the times, he said. Laughlin said the legislation is not a poison pill to allow unaffiliated voters in order to do away with political parties, but rather allowing more people to participate. I think that this will ultimately benefit the parties. Open primaries will produce better candidates capable of speaking to broader positions of the electorate in the fall, said Laughlin, who initially registered as an independent when he was 18. Given that all taxpayers pay for primary elections, and how decisions and votes by any of these elected leaders could affect every Pennsylvanian, its hard to imagine a more stark example of taxation without representation, especially in local races. Boscola said she has sponsored bills over the past two decades to open primaries, and this may be the year it actually happens. In the Lehigh Valley, Boscola said residents tell her they are fed up with hyper-partisan politics and have registered as an independent, but some do not because they want to be able to vote in a primary election. More and more people are identifying themselves as unaffiliated independent voters, and this momentum is gaining to allow them to vote in a primary, she said. She noted candidates in local elections--including races for school board, county judges and district judges--are allowed to cross file on the Democratic or Republican ballots in the primary. So independent voters dont get a chance to weigh in and some of the elections are decided in the primary, Boscola said. Boscola said there a more than dozen bipartisan co-sponsors in the state senate, and urged others to join the cause. There is a similar bill in the state House of Representatives. It will shake up the system, theres no doubt in my mind, but I think we need a political shake-up, she said. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. A trio including a father and son are suspected of a robbery and theft spree targeting 57 Walmarts and Sams Club stores in four states, a Berks County police department says. Jahmir Mitchell, 24, of Philadelphia, was arrested Wednesday in the Philadelphia area and is being held in the citys Department of Prisons, Tilden Township police said. His father, 42-year-old Jamaal Mitchell, is at large. Jamaal Mitchell is considered armed and dangerous, and anyone who comes in contact with him should call 911, the department said. Tilden Township police said the father, son and a third man robbed the Tilden Walmart in October and threatened employees with a gun. The third accomplice has not been identified. The same trio has been involved in 57 attempted or successful thefts and robberies at Sams Club and Walmart stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland, authorities said. The night of Oct. 16, the trio filled two shopping carts with $933.45 worth of merchandise and exited the Berks County store through a fire exit door, where they had a black Jeep Cherokee waiting outside the door, authorities said. Three Walmart workers tried stop them, but one of the thieves showed a handgun and made threats to kill the staffers, police said. The trio uses the same Jeep Cherokee, but police said they switch license plates between a New Jersey L87PTP and a Delaware plate 299336. Jahmir Mitchell is awaiting arraignment on 32 charges in the Tilden Township incident, including three counts each of robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, making terroristic threats, simple assault, and reckless endangerment. In addition to the Berks County case, Jahmir Mitchell is facing burglary and related charges in a November 2018 case in Carbon County, and organized retail theft and other charges in an October 2018 incident in Bucks County, records show. Anyone who has information Jamaal Mitchells whereabouts, the third accomplice or about the robberies and/or thefts is asked to call the Tilden Township Police Department at 610-562-9001. Tilden Township police are trying to identify the male, left, who was allegedly part of a trio that robbed a local Walmart and are suspects in more than 57 other similar crimes in four states. Police said the trio used the Jeep Cherokee, right, as a getaway vehicle.Photos courtesy Tilden Township Police Department | For lehighvalleylive.com Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. A Washington Township, Warren County man who is allegedly responsible for a string of multiple burglaries in North Jersey was arrested Saturday, police said. Authorities said John Berardi, 58, burglarized several businesses in Washington Township, Washington Borough, Mount Olive Township in Morris County and Glen Gardner Borough in Hunterdon County between Jan. 1 and April 22 of this year. Berardi allegedly used the same method to commit each burglary. Warren County Prosecutor James Pfeiffer said Berardi would throw a rock through either a glass door or plate glass window to gain access to the businesses. Music at the Malthouse features unique musical collaborations between young musicians from Music Generation Laois and guest musicians. On Thursday 4 May at 7pm, Music at the Malt House will open with a dynamic Trad/Folk/ World music trio made-up of Kentucky fiddler Liz Knowles, Niall Vallely on concertina and Congolese guitarist Niwel Tsumbu presented by Music Network. On Friday 5 May, the headline act at the festival is US Harp Ensemble, The New England Irish Harp Orchestra. Also performing on the Friday night concert is the Music Generation Laois Harp Orchestra and Junior Trad Group, and the Laois School of Music Junior Youth Orchestra (7pm show). On Saturday 6 May at 7pm, the festival will culminate with performances from the Music Generation Laois Trad Orchestra, Trad Group, Uilleann Pipes Quartet, and The Harpettes, and the Scottish harp-fiddle duo, Catriona McKay and Chris Stout. The beautiful Malthouse venue in Stradbally is a magical setting that gives audiences a very rare opportunity to attend a concert in a historic Malt House that is privately owned, and wonderfully restored as a contemporary residence. Tickets are 10, a concession rate of 5 is available for under 18s and seniors. Tickets are on sale on www.musicgenerationlaois.ie Music at the Malt House is supported by the Music Generation/ Arts Council Partnership Creativity and Collaboration Fund. Music Generation Laois is part of Music Generation, Ireland's national music education programme, co-funded by U2, The Ireland Funds and the Department of Education. Locally Music Generation Laois is part of Laois Offaly Education and Training Board and Supported by Laois County Council. The capacity of the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise could jump beyond the 1,000 mark under new plans announced by the Minister for Justice, Simon Harris. Against the backdrop of intense pressure for spaces in Irish prisons, the Minister revealed plans to increase capacity at jails at the Prison Officer Association Conference in Galway. The proposals would see capacity rise at Castlerea, Cloverhill, Midlands, and Mountjoy jails. It includes a new 100-cell F Wing in the Midlands prison would also have the potential to accommodate up to 180 prisoners. The Laois jail is already the biggest in the country but the addition of a new block would push the official capacity from 875 to 1,000. The Midlands Prison is located beside the Portlaoise Prison with which it shares some facilities. It was built as a public-private partnership at a cost of 50 and opened in 2000. On the eve of the Minister's announcement, there were 915 people locked up in the Dublin Road jail leaving giving a capacity of 105%. While the Midlands is a designated prison for inmates already convicted or sentenced, almost 10% of those locked up on April 26 were on remand awaiting trial. The Governor of the Midlands Prison, Portlaoise, David Conroy, spoke about the impact of overcrowding to the Irish Times in January 2023. Tensions rise when prisons are overcrowded...If we fill every place and somebody new comes in, what we give them at that stage is a mattress (on the floor). It is a reality that if you hire more guards and more judges, if you tighten up bail conditions and bail laws, then (prison) numbers rise. "So were at the point now where consideration needs to be given to policy (providing for) more community-based sentencing and to address overcrowding. Its not an easy question to answer and really we have to start at a sentencing level," he said. The Minister also announced plans for other jails. In Castlerea, it is proposed to develop 25 additional prisoner houses, each providing accommodation for four prisoners, potentially providing additional spaces for 100 prisoners. In Cloverhill, the development of a new prison block for 110 cells in a G wing located between the existing A and B Wings has the potential to accommodate up to 190 additional prisoners. A Department of Justice statement said the need for additional prison spaces arises because of significant population growth in recent years, as well as planned population growth in the coming years. The Department said it also arises due to increases in judicial resources and increasing numbers of Gardai. Speaking at the conference Minister Harris said: This week I brought a Memo to Government outlining capacity issues in prisons both in terms of the scale of the problem faced and how we might progress medium and longer-term solutions for it. "I will now engage with my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform on this with a view to progressing an agreed schedule of capital builds across the prison estate, he said. The Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities and to progressing policies aimed at diverting people away from the criminal justice system where appropriate. I also recently approved a number of measures aimed at reducing pressures in the prison system through the use of different schemes, and I have expedited the review of sentence remission. However, the important work of the Review of Policy Options for Prison and Penal Reform and these recent measures will only take us so far in reducing numbers in prison, he said. The Department said that over the last number of years, the Government has provided and will continue to provide significant capital funding to the Irish Prison Service in order to enhance the existing prison infrastructure. Provisional figures from the Irish Prison Service show there were 7,055 committals to prison in 2022, an increase of 919 (15%) on 2021 figures (6,136). A doctor has finally been recruited to carry out pregnancy terminations in Portlaoise hospital more than four years after abortion was legalised in Ireland according to an independent report into the effectiveness of the nation's abortion laws. The review of the operation of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 by Independent Chair Marie OShea was completed in February 2023 and published by the Minister for Health. Government policy is that termination of pregnancy services should be provided in all nineteen maternity hospitals. The new report found that as of February 2023, the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise was one of eight hospitals with maternity units not fully engaged with the termination of pregnancy services as mandated. Mullingar was the only midland hospital to provide services as mandated under laws that resulted from the abortion referendum. However, the new report says that the Department of Health confirmed in January 2023 that a candidate has been appointed to Portlaoise hospital with a start date agreed. On the basis that lead time to the recruitment of medical practitioners is approximately one year, the report predicts that the Portlaoise maternity unit and four others will begin providing services in 2023. The report also highlights that there were 185 terminations recorded in Laois between 2019 to the end of 2021 where four GP practices provide termination services. The report says data shows that in some areas of the country, particularly in the southeast, northwest, midlands and border counties, women are depending on very low numbers of providing GPs, which makes for "extremely tenuous service provision, at risk of ceasing altogether were the provider to withdraw the service". One of the key recommendations the report calls for the removal of the current mandatory three-day waiting period between the certification of a termination of pregnancy and the procedure taking place. The report says the uneven distribution and shortage of services, particularly in the southeast, northwest, midlands and border counties, has required women in those areas to travel, sometimes long distances by public transport, at significant cost, to access a providing GP. The report says the mandatory three-day wait between the first and second appointments compounds this problem. Both issues also present logistical problems for women, particularly those who are time constrained. It also recommends that the Department of Health engage with stakeholders to obtain a better understanding of the difficulties in making diagnoses relating to whether the condition of the foetus will lead to death in utero or within 28 days of birth. It has also called for the development of ministerial guidelines to provide clarity on the thresholds of 'risk' to the life or 'serious harm' to the pregnant woman. The report added that the Department of Health should amend the legislation to acknowledge it may be difficult to predict whether a termination would avert the risk to a womans life or health. In response, Cabinet has agreed to refer the recommendations proposing legislative change to the Joint Committee on Health for its consideration. The Health Service Executive (HSE) will establish an implementation group to deliver the operational recommendations. Expanded access to abortion was brought into law in Ireland following a referendum which repealed the eighth amendment of the constitution in 2018. Prior to the referendum, termination of pregnancy could only be performed where there was a risk to the life of the mother. Minister of State for Skills and Further Education Niall Collins has said he has no doubt that his actions in relation to the sale of land in Co Limerick in 2008 were legally correct. Mr Collins was giving a personal explanation in the Dail, after it was revealed his wife purchased land from Limerick County Council in 2008, after he attended a meeting of an area committee where the sale was proposed. Mr Collins said the process was all done in full transparency and the sale occurred when he was no longer a member of the council. No law was broken. I did not participate in any decision that authorised the sale of this land. This can only be done by the full county council in accordance with statutory process. Mr Collins was a councillor for Limerick in early 2007 and was in attendance when the potential sale of the property in Patrickswell was brought to the Bruff Area Committee by the council executive on January 15 2007. His wife Dr Eimear OConnor was one of the people who had expressed an interest in the property. Mr Collins said the committee, is a subset of the council, agreed the property should be sold on the open market but there was no vote taken. He said the area committee contained seven councillors and does not have disposal rights in regard to the sale of council property. Mr Collins said the councils executive subsequently appointed an independent auctioneer to sell the site and offers were made over a period of six months. He stopped being a councillor for Limerick in May 2007 when he became a TD. He said his wifes offer of 148,000 euro was the highest bid and this was notified to the council on September 14 2007. The sale was approved by a full county council on 22 September 2008. It is clear from the forgoing that the property went on sale on the open market with an independent auctioneer appointed by the council. Anyone could have bid on the property and indeed a number of offers were received over a period of six months or so. He said the sale occurred 18 months later when he was no longer a member of the council. When the council executive recommended to the Bruff Area Committee that the property should be put up for sale in January 2007, neither I or my wife had any pecuniary or beneficial interest in that property. However, he said in hindsight it would have been better if he had not participated in the meeting. Even though it is absolutely clear that my wife did not benefit in any way from my attendance at the January 2007 meeting. He said it was his understanding that he was not participating in a discussion that contravened the 2001 Local Government Act. Opposition TDs had requested an opportunity to ask Mr Collins questions but this was not permitted under the format of the session. The report was first published on news platform The Ditch, which Tanaiste Micheal Martin described as a political organisation attacking Government. Speaking in the Dail before Mr Collins address, Mr Martin said the reports had more to do with undermining character and reputation than anything else. He also criticised Paddy Cosgrave and Chay Bowes, who he said were partly funding the website and were political opponents of the Government. Mr Martin said: I think that deserves scrutiny, too, from the house, how these campaigns are developing. I dont think this house should be a slave or facilitating political campaigns organised by a platform. I dont see The Ditch as an independent media organisation at all. Paddy Cosgrave does, Paddy Cosgrave is a backer. Chay Bowes is a founding member of The Ditch. Chay Bowes is quoted on Russia Today. The Russian ambassador is full of praise for Chay Bowes for his characterisation of the Russian war on Ukraine as a Nato-EU organised war and he was a founding member of The Ditch. I know whats going on here in terms to the broader political world, we should not be slaves to it. It deserves analysis; the trending, the hashtags, the algorithms, the paid ads, the berating of media for daring not to discuss or cover it. In response, Mr Bowes was critical of the remarks and said he had exposed ineptitude of Mr Martins Fianna Fail party. Mr Cosgrave said: When any government is reduced to attacking journalists by abusing Dail privilege, you know that that government has been caught red handed and has nowhere to hide. A spokesman for The Ditch said Mr Martin had launched a hysterical, paranoid attack on the website rather than addressing the reporting on Mr Collins. The Ditch has never paid for advertising or attacked any Irish media for not covering our stories. Many do. Martin questioned both these outlets judgment, as well as all the readers who consider our stories to be in the public interest. The Ditch has two directors, Eoghan McNeill and Roman Shortall, who are two of the companys three shareholders, the third being a holding company for lawyer Adam Connon. We are funded by our subscribers, who donate through a link on our website, as well as Web Summit as part of the companys support for Irish media. The spokesman said its reporting had led to resignations of senior public figures. These consequences explain Martins conspiracism in the Dail today. Mr Martins comments were made under Dail privilege during Leaders Questions. He was responding to a question from Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns, who said Mr Collins should answer questions relating to the sale of the land. Ms Cairns maintained she was not asking the Tanaiste about his opinion on The Ditch and her call for Mr Collins to answer questions was a matter of political accountability. However, Mr Martin said the political context had changed and there had been an orchestrated and organised campaign to undermine confidence in Government. This is a political organisation attacking Government and wanting to undermine confidence in Government, he said. I see this now through a totally different prism how all of this has been organised, set up by people who are very clear in their campaign against me and my party. You can see it. He said Mr Cosgrave had deep connections with the organisation. And what did he say? Maybe its time to body bag, thats a tweet, a few minions and media, civil service, charities, judiciary, private sector. Were not facilitating this. Youre slavishly following this agenda. People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy said The Ditch has been quite successful in exposing corrupt, unethical practices by ministers in government. He said there was an attempt to cover it up. However, Mr Martin said there was nothing to cover up. He said the Bruff Area Committee had no statutory authority in terms of disposing of the property at the time so there was no pecuniary or beneficial interest in the land on behalf of Mr Collins. However, he said it would have been better if Mr Collins had not participated in the meeting. Mr Martin said there have been attempted character assassinations of members of the Dail. He said: This has been going on for quite some time. Theres been attempted character assassinations of many politicians of this house of mainly political parties, if theyre not the same political orientation with those who back The Ditch good friends of yours in terms of political philosophy, political ideology, no question about that. The selected and distorted way that stories are originated and presented leaves an awful lot to be desired. This is a political organisation. Thats my point. It is not an independent media platform by any stretch of the imagination. The work being done by Mountrath for the people of Africa came on the radar of Minister of State Sean Fleming on a recent trip to Zambia. The Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs visited community projects that he says were made possible thanks to support from the Department of Foreign Affairs, through Irish Aid. The focus of these projects were on health and education, to develop sustainable communities one of which involves a Laois nun. "I was delighted to meet with a range of people from the strong Irish community in Zambia. I also made some Laois and Offaly connections during my visit. I enjoyed a good conversation with Sr Kathleen Crawford, who is from Mountrath in Co. Laois. "Sr Kathleen has been in Zambia for the last 40 years and currently runs a Cheshire Home. The Cheshire Homes Society of Zambia are centres for the rehabilitation of children with disabilities and is a non-profit organisation. The Embassy of Ireland in Zambia continues to support Sr Kathleens work there," he said. Minister Fleming also visited a project which involved an Offaly native. "I was proud to perform the official dedication to Fr Michael Kelly SJ, of a refurbished lecture theatre at the University of Zambia, and unveiled a plaque in memory of his work there. Fr. Kelly, a native of Tullamore, had made his home in Zambia and was a globally renowned teacher, educator and champion of girls education. He also carried out leading work in raising awareness of HIV/AIDS," he said. Minister Fleming said he met with the Zambian Minister of Education, Douglas Syakalima, at the celebration of Fr Kellys work. "We spoke about the importance that the Government of Ireland and the Irish people place on a high-quality education at home, in Zambia and in other countries," said the Fianna Fail TD. Minister Fleming has responsibility for International Development and Diaspora. The controversial Short Hop Zone is to be replaced by a new Dublin Commuter Zone which will include Newbridge and Kildare town as part of a new national fare strategy confirmed by the National Transport Authority this morning according to Kildare South Fine Gael TD and Minister Martin Heydon. Mr Heydon said: The proposed new National Fares strategy announced by the NTA today will see the end of the Short Hop Zone which has disadvantaged commuters from Newbridge, Kildare and other areas of South Kildare for many years. The new fares strategy announced today will see all future fares for both bus and rail transport based on distance travelled in kilometres to bring equity and consistency to our national fare structure. This move is another step closer to achieve fairer fares for Kildare commuters. Although the exact fares are yet to be confirmed, this announcement marks Phase 1 of the process and signals an end to the unjust method of the Short Hop Zone. Under the new strategy, fares will be made up of a boarding charge plus an incremental fare based on the distance of the journey. A variation of this structure will apply to Dublin city and commuter belt to eliminate fare inconsistencies in this area. A Dublin city zone will be created which will extend approximately 23lm from the city and broadly equate to the existing 90 minute fare zone. A new outer Dublin Commuter Zone extending approximately 50km from Dublin city centre will also be created. This will include Newbridge and Kildare town. The NTA confirmed that fares for journeys between Dublin and the outer Dublin Commuter Zone will be reviewed and revised in upcoming determinations. This change to the fare charging system should also benefit rail users in Monasterevin and Portarlington. I have advocated for many years against the inequity of the Short Hop Zone which has unfairly disadvantaged Kildare commuters. While there is work left to be done, this new proposed system will bring in an era of fairer fares for Kildare commuters and I look forward to seeing it rolled out, concluded Minister Heydon. Local Senator Fiona OLoughlin said: The Short Hop Zone price differential between places like Newbridge and Kildare town, which are outside the short hop zone and Sallins which is inside is far too great, and disincentives commuters from further than Sallins. I have been campaigning on this for some time, and recently had a meeting with the Minister of State for Transport Jack Chambers to once again make the case for local commuters. To date I have gotten Fianna Fail to adopt the extension of a Zone to a 50km radius of Dublin and the establishment of a Medium Hop Zone to 75km as party policy. I also received unanimous support to my motion on the same in the Senate The new NTA strategy announced today will bring greater equity for commuters in South Kildare by ensuring see future fares for both bus and rail transport based on distance travelled in kilometres, which will bring an important element of fairness for commuters. This is a significant stepping in evening the playing field for commuters OLoughlin concluded The exact fare prices are yet to be announced, I believe this to be an important step in the right direction to delivering for our local commuters. Gardai are continuing to appeal to the public for assistance in tracing the whereabouts of 40-year-old John Coakley who is missing from his home in Carlow town since Saturday, 15th April 2023. As part of ongoing enquiries to establish John's whereabouts, an operational search commenced this morning by members of An Garda Siochana and the Irish Defence Forces. Three specific sites are being searched: Banks of River Burrin, from mouth of River Burrin into River Barrow in Carlow town to Ballinacarrig Bridge on the Wexford Road; Banks of River Barrow - travelling north from Carlow town Park to Lanigans Lock; Railway Line Carlow Railway Station to Blackbog Road Level Crossing, circa 3km, north east. A Garda statement said: "An Garda Siochana are appealing to land owners and people who may have buildings/out houses, or persons with vacant dwellings, in these areas to check them to see if they have been used or might assist Gardai in locating John. "John is described as being approximately 6 foot 1 inches in height with a slim build. He has black hair and green eyes. "Gardai and Johns family are concerned for his welfare." Anyone with any information on his whereabouts is asked to contact Carlow Garda Station on 059 913 6620, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station. A year after an initial temporary block, the Brazilian justice system has again asked internet service providers (ISPs) and online app stores to cut off all access to the Telegram messaging app in the country. This is the latest development in the highly contentious relationship between Brazil's judiciary and the tech company. On Wednesday, April 26, a federal court ordered Telegram to be blocked, saying that the app was not cooperating sufficiently with an important ongoing investigation into neo-Nazi groups. Investigators had requested, with the approval of a judge, that Telegram provide them with data on users participating in a violently anti-Semitic chat group, suspected of plotting attacks and having played a role in an anti-Semitic attack committed by a teenager in November 2022. The young man shot and killed four people, including a 12-year-old student, at a school in Aracruz (Espirito Santo, southeast). The court also ordered the company to pay a penalty of about 200,000 per day until it provides the requested information. For the time being, Telegram has only partially complied with the investigators' requests, not providing, for example, the phone numbers of the administrators of two chat channels. Major misinformation problems Back in March 2022, during a very tense political context six months before the Brazilian presidential election, the Supreme Federal Court ordered a temporary ban on the app in the country. At that time, the court accused it of a series of serious failures in its moderation. These included its refusal to block accounts supporting President Jair Bolsonaro's spreading of disinformation on a large scale and a lack of good faith in its cooperation with ongoing investigations, including on child pornography. At the time, Telegram had argued that it made an honest mistake, stating that it had not responded to the court's requests in a timely manner after an email was lost. The company reacted very quickly: Pavel Durov, the co-founder of the app created in Russia but now headquartered in Dubai, personally apologized and sent Ilya Perekopsky, one of the company's top executives, to Brazil, to meet with Bolsonaro in June. The ban was quickly lifted, and the company committed to better moderating its platform in the country, including monitoring the main Brazilian discussion channels to detect and remove political disinformation. Telegram's near-total lack of moderation has gotten the company into trouble in many countries. For instance, in February 2022, the messaging app eventually deleted 64 channels at the request of the German judiciary after many months of inaction, when German MPs in turn raised the possibility of an outright Telegram ban. You have 38.32% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only. THREE men have been arrested gardai as part of an an intelligence-led operation targeting organised criminal activity in the Limerick region. Gardai have confirmed that searches were carried out at 18 properties at locations across the city city and county by members from the Limerick Division and the Criminal Assets Bureau. They were supported by the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB), the Garda Armed Support Unit and Garda Dog Unit. Two open areas of land in the Southill area of Limerick city were also searched by An Garda Siochana supported by members of the Irish Defence Forces. "Property seized during the course of these searches include a BMW, an item of designer jewellery, a number of electronic items and six shotgun cartridges. Drugs were also seized including approximately 64,600 of suspected amphetamine and approximately 89,600 of suspected cannabis. Approximately 76,580 in cash was recovered with a further 18,000 frozen in credit union accounts," said a garda spokesperson. Three men, aged in their 30s and 40s, were arrested during the operation and they are currently detained at Garda stations in Limerick. Investigations are ongoing GARDAI are urging motorists to think about how and where they park their cars - particularly in larger towns and in the city. A number of parked cars have been targeted across Limerick in recent weeks and gardai fear more could be targeted over the bank holiday weekend. "Consider walking or taking the bus but if you must bring your car in, park your car legally and do not block an entrance. Check the handle of the car before you walk away to ensure it is locked. Do not leave anything in the car that could attract the attention of a criminal," said divisional crime prevention officer Sergeant Ber Leetch. "Three cars had their passenger windows smashed in the past few days - a few coins were taken from a car in Athlunkard Street (in the city); a phone was taken from a car on Summer Street (in the city) and a wallet was taken from a car in Newcastle West," she added. In addition to the value of stolen property, car windows can cost hundreds to replace so the garda advice is to double check that your car is completely empty before you leave it. FOR Poetry Day, University of Limerick will deliver a special message in a bottle. UL students and staff of the MA in Creative Writing programme are planning an exciting lunchtime poetry reading. The free event will feature guest poet, Anton Floyd and showcase new poems from students and staff, and will take place on Thursday, April 27 from 1 to 2:15pm in the Atrium Area of University Concert Hall. Meskell Poet in Residence in UL, Emily Cullen, said that poetry is often a vital act of compression. In keeping with this years theme of Message in a Bottle, the students on the MA in Creative Writing have composed urgent new poems with important messages about our times, which they will cast out for Poetry Day, she said. Co-organiser and poet, Eoin Devereux said: A particular focus of our event will be the plight of international refugees, and we are delighted that our guest poet, Anton Floyd, will be reading from his collection, Depositions (Doire Press, 2022), which engages with the international refugee crisis and themes of war and displacement. Emily Cullen and Eoin Devereux will also both read from their work, alongside colleague and renowned author Donal Ryan, who will read an extract from his fourth novel, From a Low and Quiet Sea, which has recently been adapted for stage. The reading is a free event, but any donations on the day will go towards supporting the work of the UNHCR Ireland, the UN Refugee agency. No booking necessary. THE mother of a Limerick teenager is adamant her son wont get behind the wheel of a car for a long time after he was prosecuted for dangerous driving. The young man cannot be named as he was 17 at the time of the incident which occurred on the main N21 at Templeglantine. The defendant pleaded guilty at Newcastle West Court to dangerous driving. Inspector Gearoid Thompson, prosecuting, said one of his colleagues, Garda Reidy, was travelling on the N21 at 6.10pm on May 30, 2022 She observed a vehicle being driven at high speed. It forced her to take evasive action to avoid a collision. She contacted colleagues including Garda Hunt who was on the N21. He was overtaken in his own car in a dangerous manner. He observed dangerous overtaking. The defendant was subsequently stopped and arrested by Garda Eric OShea. The accused was 17 at the time, said Insp Thompson. Ted McCarthy, solicitor for the teenager, said his client accepts he was completely out of order. He didnt have the vehicle that long. Im not asking he be excused on the enthusiasm of youth. He overtook at places he shouldnt have and drove too fast. He doesnt have a vehicle now. His mother is adamant he wont get behind the wheel for a long time. He got a car too young. He has no previous convictions, said Mr McCarthy. Judge Carol Anne Coolican said the defendant came to the attention of three gardai who had to take evasive action to avoid a collision. She convicted and fined the teenager 250 and disqualified him from driving for one year for dangerous driving. The judge also handed down a fine of 140 for driving while unaccompanied (by a qualified driver). The possibility of budget cuts to police and community services may damage efforts to tackle paramilitarism, MPs have been warned. Members of the Independent Reporting Commission (IRC) issued the warning as they addressed the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee. The IRC was established jointly by the UK and Irish governments to report on progress towards ending paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland. In the absence of a functioning Stormont executive, Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris is responsible for setting the budget for Northern Ireland. When the budget is announced, departments are expected to face significant cuts due to a nearly 300 million overspend in public finances last year. John McBurney, from the IRC, said it would be damaging to the goal of tackling paramilitary activity if the PSNI experienced significant cuts. It will be very, very damaging if the funding for the Paramilitary Crime Task Force is cut back, it will be very, very damaging to the whole endeavour to bring about the ending of paramilitarism and terrorism throughout Northern Ireland, he said. If neighbourhood policing is significantly cut back that will be very, very damaging to the entire endeavour. And I think the Chief Constable and his top team of officers, they appreciate that very, very intently. The IRC commissioners were giving evidence to the committee on the effect of paramilitary activity and organised crime on society in Northern Ireland. The terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland was raised to severe last month, meaning an attack is highly likely. Mr McBurney said the work of the IRC is dependent on the continuation of community programmes tackling paramilitarism. Were now teasing out the issues around the possibilities relating to group transition and the independent person and all of that, he said. We cant be doing all of that and then discover that the structures that have been put in place to carry all this forward are then being allowed to wither on the vine and even disappear. Mr McBurney also said that cuts to community groups that aim to prevent young people becoming involved in paramilitary crime were leaving these groups emaciated. There are youth services which are diverting young people from being drawn into these paramilitary groups, there are youth services that are now on their knees in terms of funding, he said. Mr McBurney added: These are youth workers who have been doing sterling work in diverting young people away from being drawn into these paramilitary groups and diverting them away from trouble at flashpoint times for various reasons, connected to different events through the year. We step back and we witness these being emaciated, being diminished in their resources and all of that is a great, great concern if we are serious about prioritising the ending of paramilitarism. IRC commissioner Tim OConnor appealed directly to the chair of the committee, Conservative MP Simon Hoare, to ensure that the PSNIs resources are protected amid the expectations of budgetary cuts. We would be making the plea to you through your good offices, and I know youve had the Secretary of State with you earlier in the week, that we have to, at every opportunity, keep reinforcing how fundamentally important that is that resources continued to be supplied to, in this case the PSNI, but also all the other dimensions, because what this issue has proven itself to be is resilient, he said. We know that economically its tough times but we would be asking you to continue to bring your offices to bear there to make sure that these resources are protected. Mr Hoare responded: We will do our best, certainly. Alliance MP Stephen Farry asked the commissioners about the impact of the budget crisis on tackling paramilitary activity. Mr OConnor said that cuts to resources aimed at tackling paramilitarism could jeopardise the journey to a peaceful society. Under the tackling paramilitarism programme, all the various initiatives that have been done, we now actually have a framework in place, if I can use that word, towards bringing this to a conclusion, he said. And I think it would be a huge mistake, now, if actually we were to kind of start dialling back on the resources, theyre more necessary than ever, if were going to get to the fully peaceful society that we all seek to achieve. Fellow commissioner of the IRC Monica McWilliams also said that community and youth services were necessary to transition those in paramilitary groups. If you dont tackle it with mental health services, employability, opportunities for the future, then you wont get the transition, she said. And if thats being taken away, particularly the youth services, which I just heard about today, what kind of services are we going to provide this summer? I HADNT been in Newcastle West in a while, as it is on the other side of Limerick from where I live, but thankfully I had the opportunity to visit the Longcourt House Hotel in the wonderfully scenic west Limerick town. It was an utter joy to attend the Brian Cunningham Hair, Beauty and Style Awards last week. I was enormously impressed and proud to welcome the awards to my home county of Limerick. From salons and boutiques, to freelancers and wedding dresses, the awards aim to showcase the very best Irish influencers and all those who contribute greatly to the beauty and fashion industry. I was delighted to be in attendance on the night, with my long-time colleague and friend Brendan Courtney hosting the event. We had so much fun and enjoyed a wonderful evening. Some others who attended included various actors, such as Mikey North, better known for his character Gary Windass in Coronation Street, as well as his colleague in the soap Antony Cotton, better known by his character Sean Tully, the world-class makeup artist/influencer Derek Carberry and TV presenter and personality, the wonderfully stylish Glenda Gilson. I want to take this opportunity to give a huge thank you to Brian Cunningham and all of his team at the Management. We had a gorgeous evening, and the sun even came out and stayed out which put a spring into all of our steps and sprinkled off the night just right. A celebration of all things beauty and style related have my heart, and it was with great pride that I attended, having not travelled very far at all. It was so lovely to see many local Limerick businesses nominated and join the fun. Congratulations to all winners and workers in the background that make the magic happen! All very deserving winners. Yours truly, XxCelia Paving way for India's biggest ever corporate transaction for the merger of HDFC into HDFC bank, stock exchanges BSE and NSE approved the the transfer of NCDs from the mortgage firm to HDFC, said the firm on Wednesday. The two stock exchanes granted their in-principle approval for the transfer of additional non-convertible debentures (NCD) issued by HDFC Limited post receipt of the earlier approval on December 13, 2022, to HDFC Bank. Now, the proposed amalgamation needs the final approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), in respect of change in control of certain subsidiaries of HDFC Limited, the latter said. Notably, the giant merger of HDFC into HDFC bank is expected to be finalised by October-December quarter of the current financial year. A year ago in April, HDFC Bank agreed to take over the biggest domestic mortgage lender in a deal valued at about $40 billion. This will lead to the rise of another financial services titan in the country. Post merger, the entity will have a combined asset base of around 18 lakh crore. After the finalisation of the deal, HDFC Bank will be owned by 100 per cent public shareholders and existing shareholders of HDFC will own 41 per cent of the bank. After the merger, every HDFC shareholder wiill get 42 shares of HDFC Bank for every 25 shares they own. Days ago, HDFC Bank received approval from Monetary Authority of Singapore for merger of HDFC Investments and HDFC Holdings with parent HDFC Ltd. Its wholly-owned subsidiary, Griha Pte, which is also a foreign step-down subsidiary of HDFC Limited, received approval for the merger with HDFC Bank. (With inputs from PTI) NEW DELHI : Maruti Suzuki expects a shortage of semi-conductor chips to continue to impact production in fiscal year 2024, with visibility of chip supply in the first month of the ongoing quarter looking worse than the last quarter of the fiscal ended 31 March, RC Bhargava, chairman, Maruti Suzuki said. The kind of improvement we were expecting hasnt happened," he said, adding that the situation this quarter looks comparable to the same quarter last year, implying that sales in the quarter shouldnt be negative on a yearly basis. We should comfortably cross the 2 million mark in annual production this fiscaland how much further we can grow will be largely determined by what the semi-conductor industry does to help us produce more vehicles," he said. The number of chips required per vehicle has gone up due to the addition of features in the companys newer cars, mirroring a larger trend in the industry. Last year we lost production of 170,000 vehicles. This year the number should be lessthe indications are we should be able to do better," Bhargava said. We still dont have the whole visibility for the year so we cannot make a clear comment on [what our production loss will be this year]. The first quarter of this year there is still some constraint on semi-conductor, but I hope the situation will be better from second quarter," Hisashi Takeuchi, managing director, Maruti Suzuki, told Mint. Semi-conductor visibility is only a few weeks, its difficulty to make an estimate this time." Maruti Suzuki has a total orderbook of 412,000 units, a third of which are CNG models. The carmaker emphasized that it expects to see no growth in small car segment in FY24 compared to last year, pointing to a stagnation of demand. However, Maruti has focused on SUVs, where it is gunning for a 25% market share by end of the fiscal year. The fact that we are expanding production shows that despite what has been happening to the small car segment, there is enough strength in the market for us to grow," Bhargava said. The outlook for small cars continues to be somewhat negative, he said. The market is now certainly much stronger in the SUV segment. The semi-conductor situation is a little worse than the last quarter. But it is not worse than it was in the first quarter last year, so its about the same," Bhargava said. Toyota, Suzukis global alliance partner, halted new bookings for the top-end trips of its Innova Hycross hybrid owing to supply chain constraints earlier this year. Toyota will supply the SUV to Maruti Suzuki, too, although the latter will sell the SUV with a new badge under its own brand. The launch is expected in two months, following commercial roll-out of Suzuki off-roader Jimny. Airline carrier SpiceJet on Thursday announced the appointment of Arun Kashyap as its Chief Operating Officer. The appointment of Arun Kashyap will be effective from June 12 and he will report to the airline's Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh, SpiceJet said in a release. He will be rejoining SpiceJet from Air India where he is the Chief Technical Officer. Earlier, he had served as the Chief Program & Transformation Officer at SpiceJet. He has also worked with flydubai, Jet Airways and Oman Air. "I am delighted to welcome Arun back to the SpiceJet family. As COO, he will have a key role to play in the growth of the airline. With his experience and proven track record, I am confident he will do extremely well in his new role. I wish him all the best," he said," Singh said. Lender Credit Suisse on Friday filed a contempt petition against SpiceJet in the Supreme Court, alleging the troubled domestic carrier had failed to pay dues that were part of a settlement. A bench led by judges A.S. Bopanna and Hima Kohli did not issue any notice to the airline, but agreed to hear the matter on 17 May. The two companies settled a long-pending dispute and reached consent terms in May 2022, according to the petition. According to SpiceJet, the settlement amount is subject to Reserve Bank of India approval, so the airline could not begin payments as per schedule. It told the court it made the April payment on schedule and that the payment for May shall also be made as per schedule. The case has its origins in November 2011, when the Ajay Singh-led airline signed a 10-year aircraft servicing and maintenance agreement with SR Technics, a Swiss maintenance, repair and overhauling (MRO) service provider. The Swiss firm issued invoices, while SpiceJet issued seven bills of exchange to cover the debt. In September 2012, SR Technics formally gave Credit Suisse all rights to receive payments under the SpiceJet deal. However, the airline failed to make payments of over $24 million, prompting Credit Suisse to file a winding-up petition against SpiceJet in the Madras High Court in 2021. On Thursday, the company's scrip ended 0.45 per cent down at 31.12 on BSE. NEW DELHI : The steep discounts India enjoyed on Russian crude oil through most of FY23 have plunged, two government officials aware of the development said, as China boosted purchases and oil producers cut production. As Russia scrambled for buyers after its invasion of Ukraine sparked Western sanctions, India stepped up as a new major buyer, securing discounts of as much as $15-20 a barrel. This has since fallen below $10 and has touched even $5, the officials cited above said on the condition of anonymity. With Russian oil finding more buyers, the discounts to Indian refiners have been coming down. Earlier, we were getting discounts that varied from cargo to cargo," said one of the two officials cited above, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity. Until now, Indian refiners used to get Russian oil at an average discount of $15-20 per barrel on a delivered-at-place (DAP) basis, where the seller bears the transportation risk for delivering at the designated port. This discount varies from cargo to cargo, and a sub-$10 per barrel discount seems to have become the new normal for India, the worlds third-largest oil importer. China, the worlds second-largest oil buyer, recently turned one of the top buyers of Russian oil as it reopened its economy after the pandemic setback. According to Chinese government data, Russia overtook Saudi Arabia to become its top oil supplier during January and February 2023. Imports from Russia stood at 15.68 million tonnes in January-February, or 1.94 million barrels per day (mbpd), up 23.8% from 1.57 mbpd in the corresponding period of last year, showed the data from Chinas General Administration of Customs released in March. Also, this comes in the backdrop of a $60 per barrel price cap imposed by a US-led global initiative along with G7 countries, the European Union and Australia that was to be revised in March. We used to get around $15-20 per barrel discount on Russian oil cargoes depending on what used to be the price in the spot market. That discount has become less now," the second official added. Meanwhile, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) plus grouping, including Russia, has announced an additional 1.16 million barrels per day of supply cut that takes effect next month. On Thursday, Brent was trading at $74.56 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) at $77,97 a barrel at press time. The cost of the Indian basket of crude, comprising Oman, Dubai and Brent crude, was $84.3 per barrel in April, according to Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell (PPAC) data.The discounts are below the $10 per barrel level and differ from cargo to cargo. We have been getting a discount of around $8 per barrel now," an executive at a state-run refiner said. Russia emerged as a major supplier to Indian refiners for the first time in FY23 after it started offering discounts amid the Ukraine war. This put the Russian Federation at the second spot for Indian oil imports in the 11 months till February last fiscal, with India buying crude oil worth $27 billion from its strategic partner. The discounted Russian oil also helped India meet the growing demand for petroleum products, with 222.30 million tonnes of petroleum products consumed in FY23, 10.2% higher than the year before. With the discounts coming down, the market is feeling the reduction of discounts on the Russian oil," an executive at another state-run refiner said. The heavy discounts also helped state-run refiners improve their gross refining margins (GRM). Mint earlier reported about state-run oil refiners more than doubling their refining margins in the nine months to December, benefiting from the lower costs of imported crude oil from Russia. According to PPAC data, Indian Oil Corp.s GRM rose from $8.52 to $21.08 per barrel, Hindustan Petroleum Corp. from $4.50 to $11.40 per barrel, Bharat Petroleum Corp. from $6.78 to $20.08 per barrel, and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd from $5.80 to $11.70 per barrel. Queries emailed to the spokespeople for Indias petroleum and natural gas ministry, Rosneft, Russian Federation Embassy in New Delhi, Indian Oil Corp. Ltd, Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd, Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd, Nayara Energy Ltd and Reliance Industries Ltd on 25 April remained unanswered till press time. India is a key Asian refining hub, with an installed capacity of more than 249.36 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) across its 23 refineries. The country plans to grow its refining capacity to 400 mtpa by 2025. Large Indian refiners include Indian Oil Corp., Bharat Petroleum Corp., Hindustan Petroleum Corp., Nayara Energy Ltd (formerly Essar Oil), and Reliance Industries Ltd. Indias import of crude oil and petroleum products rose 29.5% to $209.57 billion in FY23. According to an S&P Global Commodity Insights Report released last month, the supply of Russian ESPO blend crude to China has surged since Russias invasion of Ukraine. Prior to Russias invasion of Ukraine, Aframax freight from Kozmino in Russia to North China was less than $500,000, and it has since jumped fourfold to more than $2 million and is set to rise further, the report said. Russia has been consistently exporting more than 3 million tonnes per month of ESPO crude from Kozmino, with shipments in January climbing close to 4 million tonnes. Apart from its major oil suppliers such as Iraq, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and US, India has been trying to diversify its oil supplies by procuring from countries such as Colombia, Brazil, Libya, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, taking the total number of crude oil suppliers to 39. However, with India dependent on imports for as much as 87% of its oil needs and 55% of its natural gas demand, record-high energy prices are a big concern for the country. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge courted controversy on Thursday after likening Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a poisonous snake. As BJP leaders fumed, the senior politician issued a clarification, asserting that he had been referencing to the party's ideology - rather than the PM himself. It wasn't meant for PM Modi, what I meant was BJP's ideology is 'like a snake'. I never said this personally for PM Modi, what I said was their ideology is like a snake and if you try to touch it, your death is certain," Kharge explained. The alleged remarks had been made earlier in the day during an event in Kalaburagi. #KarnatakaAssemblyElections2023 | PM Modi is like a 'poisonous snake', you might think its poison or not. If you lick it, youre dead...: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge in Kalaburagi pic.twitter.com/Bqi7zVFnO9 ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2023 But as reports citing Kharge went viral, outraged BJP leaders had called for an apology from the Congress chief. President of Congress Mallikarjun Kharge says, Modi is like a poisonous snake." Shocking that Kharge ji, also the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha speaks so about the Prime Minister. He is now trying to wriggle out. Hate is what is coming out. Kharge ji should apologise," tweeted Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. There is a poison in the mind of Kharge. It's a prejudiced mind towards PM Modi and BJP. This kind of thinking comes because of desperation as they are unable to fight him politically and they are seeing that their ship is sinking... People will teach them a lesson," added Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. Now Congress President Kharge calls Prime Minister Modi poisonous snakeWhat started with Sonia Gandhis maut ka saudagar, and we know how it ended, the Congress continues to plummet to new depths. The desperation shows Congress is losing ground in Karnataka and knows it," asserted BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya. (With inputs from agencies) The gross non-performing assets ratio of banks have fallen to 4.41% at end-2022, Das said Thursday at a conference on global financial resilience. This is the lowest since March 2015 and compares with 5.8% in end-March 2022 and 7.3% as of March 31, 2021. The capital adequacy ratio of banks stood at 16.1% at the end of December, well above the regulatory requirement. Macro stress test for credit risk imply that Indian banks would be able to comply with the minimum capital requirement even under severe stress situation," Das added in the web-streamed address. Indian banks have remained resilient and not been affected by the recent sparks of financial instability seen in some advanced economies." Nevertheless, the recent banking crises in US and Europe suggest that risks could crop up in banks even when they are considered relatively stable, the central bank chief said. Hence, we expect the management and the board of directors of each bank to continually assess the financial risk and focus on building up adequate risk and capital buffers even beyond the minimum regulatory requirement." The RBI is now focusing more on business models adapted by banks," Das said. Banking liquidity is monitored very closely by the central bank and while it does not interfere in banks businesses, the regulator expects prompt remedial actions" whenever it points out loopholes that need fixing. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. The European Union (EU) carbon border tax, to be imposed on imports of goods with a high carbon footprint, is set to come into force three years from now. It has already caused concern among some developing countries. How will it impact India? Mint explains: What is the tax about? The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) imposes a tariff on goods from countries that are not part of the Emission Trading System (ETS), which allows companies to trade carbon credits or allowances. But most developing countries arent part of this regional arrangement. This opens the scope for carbon leakage where companies shift production outside EU to countries without ETS. Benefiting from perceived lenient climate standards, this shift leads to circumvention of emission standards. CBAM seeks to plug carbon leakages by taxing imports from countries without ETS. Which are the sectors affected by it? To begin with, iron and steel, aluminium, cement, fertilizer, hydrogen and electrical energy. Between October 2023 and December 2025, exporters to the EU will have to provide information on the carbon footprint of their products. Based on that, the tax will be charged from 1 January 2026. Companies that fail to provide the information will be charged using default CO2 emission values on the products. The fear is that soon, most other products would also be covered under the tax and that other nations like the UK, Japan, Canada and the US may levy a similar tax on their imports. View Full Image Graphic: Mint What is the impact likely to be? It will significantly increase the cost of importing from non-ETS countries, potentially making them unviable. On cement, the tax could be as high as 90%. More than a quarter of Indias iron, steel, and aluminium exports, worth $8.2 bn, went to the EU in 2022. If the EU adds more products, billions could be in lost additional costs. Is it protectionism in a green garb? The main charge by India and some other developing countries is this is nothing but a trade barrier that is discriminatory and against the principles of equity under the Paris Agreement on climate change. At the heart of the issue is the debate on whether developing economies should be penalized for emissions when they are not historically responsible for climate crisis. The EU contends higher cost of compliance makes their industries unviable and carbon tax is one way of levelling the field, but some see a ploy in this. How is India reacting to it? India is set to lead a pushback against the tax at the WTO. Already, the BASIC nationsBrazil, South Africa, India and Chinahave condemned the tax. Additionally, India is weighing retaliatory tariffs on imports from the EU. It will also likely impact talks on a free trade agreement, with India hardening its stance. As in the case of agricultural subsidies at WTO, CBAM could set off a flurry of disputes in the next few yearsand even deepen the divide between developed and developing nations. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sumant Banerji I have over 17 years of reporting experience with stints in diverse newsrooms such as Business Standard, Indian Express, Hindustan Times, Business Today and more recently ETAuto. My expertise lies in corporate reportage, and as part of the Mint long-form team I would try to bolster corporate coverage for the newspaper. I have a soft corner for automobiles, which I consider as my first love. I also feel strongly about climate change and am eager to chronicle how a growing economy like India balances the need for growth with its climate commitments. Read more from this author Mankind Pharma IPO: The initial public offering ((IPO) of Mankind Pharma Ltd opened for subscription on 25th April 2023 and it will remain open for bidding till 27th April 2023. This means, today is the last day to apply for the public issue worth 4,326.36 crore. As per the Mankind Pharma IPO subscription status, by 11:09 AM on day three of bidding, the public issue got fully6 subscribed. According to market observers, shares of Mankind Pharma is available at a premium of 70 in grey market today. Here we list out important Mankind Pharma IPO details in 10 points: 1] Mankind Pharma IPO GMP: According to market observers, Mankind Pharma IPO GMP (grey market premium) today is 70, which is 20 lower from its Wednesday's GMP of 90 per share. 2] Mankind Pharma IPO subscription status: By 03:05 AM on day 3 of bidding, the public issue has been subscribed 10.45 times whereas its retail portion has been subscribed 0.69 times. The public offer has been fully subscribed in NII and QIB category. In NII category, the IPO has been subscribed 3.18 times whereas in QIB segment, it has been subscribed 34.18 times of its original offer. 3] Mankind Pharma IPO date: The public issue opened for subscription on 25th April 2023 and it will remain open for bidding till 27th April 2023. 4] Mankind Pharma IPO price band: Manforce and Prega News maker company has fixed price band of its public offer at 1026 to 1080 apiece. 5] Mankind Pharma IPO lot size: A bidder will be able to apply in lots and one lot of the IPO will comprise 13 shares. 6] Mankind Pharma IPO investment limit: As one lot will have 13 company shares, minimum amount required for a retail investor to apply for Mankind Pharma IPO is 14,040 ( 1080 x 13). 7] Mankind Pharma IPO allotment date: Most likely date for share allocation is 3rd May 2023. 8] Mankind Pharma IPO registrar: KFin Technologies Limited has been appointed as official registrar of the IPO. 9] Mankind Pharma IPO listing date: The public issue has been proposed for listing on both BSE and NSE and the likely date for share listing is 8th May 2023. 10] Mankind Pharma IPO review: Giving 'subscribe' tag to Mankind Pharma IPO, Canara Bank Securities said, "The company has consistently outperformed IPM value growth and has 3rd highest average annual contribution from volume growth. The company is gradually increasing its R&D expenditure. The company also has strong market share in the brands of consumer healthcare segment and looking to further expand the segment. It also plans to expand in new chronic therapeutic areas. The company has grown its revenues at a CAGR of 15% for FY20-22 with EBITDA margin in the range of 25-27%. The 9MFY23 was impacted on account of high API prices, one off because of acquisition and rise in hiring of MRs. The company is net debt free with working capital of 45-50 days . The company seems fairly valued in comparison to its peers considering its decent return ratios. We recommend to SUBSCRIBE for long term." Giving 'buy' tag to Mankind Pharma IPO, Choice Broking says, "In terms of domestic sales, Mankind is Indias 4th largest pharmaceutical company and 3rd largest in terms of sales volume for the 12-month period (TTM) ending Dec. 2022. It is a domestic focused pharma formulation company with a value market share of 4.3% and volume share of 5.6% in the IPM. Apart from developing, manufacturing and marketing pharma formulations, the company also manufactures and develops several consumer healthcare products." Disclaimer: The views and recommendations made above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, and not of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. For Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, FY23 seems to have been the tipping point. Indias largest carmaker reported a rebound in its net profit for financial year ended March 2023, after four consecutive years of decline. The automakers net profit surged to a record high of 8,049 crore, and despite facing headwinds from chip constraints, FY23 wholesale volumes touched a peak of 1,966,164 units. Moreover, the year saw the launch of sport utility vehicles (SUVs), Grand Vitara and new Brezza, which would aid in the recovery of Marutis market share. Loss in passenger vehicle market share due to weak presence in SUVs has been a key concern for investors. The companys market share in the passenger vehicle (PV) segment dropped for the third consecutive time to 41% in FY23, according to analysts at Jefferies India. In FY20, the measure stood at 51%, they added. Looking ahead, Maruti expects to reverse the declining trend in its market share with the launch of two new SUVs, Fronx and Jimny. The company aims to grow its FY24 volumes ahead of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) forecast of 5-7% growth in the passenger vehicle industry. But, Marutis focus on regaining market share has come at a cost. In Q4FY23, the net realization per vehicle remained flat sequentially at 622,379. We believe Maruti Suzuki had to focus both on market share and profitability and accordingly allocate the available semiconductor supply for vehicle production, resulting in limited focus on average selling price," said analysts at ICICI Securities in a report on 26 April. However, Marutis Q4 Ebitda (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) margin rose by 70 basis points year-on-year to 10.5% led by operating leverage. One basis point is one-hundredth of a percentage point. An improving mix augurs well for margin going ahead. To be sure, certain headwinds remain. For one, steel prices are inching up, which would weigh on profit margin. Second, chip shortages would have an impact on production in Q1. Further, the company expects demand in the entry level segment to remain flat in FY24. Note that this segment contributes a significant portion to volumes. But thanks to new launches and an increasing traction in the compressed natural gas segment, Marutis order book has risen sequentially by about 13% to 412,000 units. Even so, the trajectory of PV demand needs to be closely watched. While demand momentum has slowed in recent months, we see tailwinds from low penetration, aging vehicles-in-use, and a reverse shift from shared to personal mobility, driving 11% CAGR over FY23-25E," said analysts at Jefferies India in a report on 26 April. CAGR is compound annual growth rate. A rebound in market share and an improving margin could boost sentiment for Marutis shares, which are currently down nearly 13% from their 52-week high of 9,769 apiece seen in October. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Vineetha Sampath Vineetha Sampath is a chartered accountant and is experienced in the field of research analysis. She joined Mint's Mark to Market team recently and this is her first stint in journalism. Read more from this author It's tough being a pharma company these days...the pharma sector , which once used to be the star of the street, has been witnessing bad times since 2022. Pharma stocks significantly underperformed last year and the new year too has failed to turn their fortunes till date. After losing nearly 11% last year, the Nifty Pharma index has been flat since the beginning of 2023. View Full Image Nifty Pharma Yet, there has been a growing consensus among experts that the year 2023 holds a positive outlook for India's pharmaceutical industry, with a deeper focus on quality manufacturing, affordability of drugs and adoption of innovation and technology. And even within the pharmaceutical industry, there are certain businesses that may outperform the overall sector. In the past 20 years, the vaccine business, a former laggard in the pharmaceutical business, has shown remarkable growth powered by new innovative vaccines coupled with superior pricing strategies. While the vaccine industry is relatively small, compared to the pharmaceutical industry, it has been growing. 'Vaccine' has become one of the most important buzzwords in recent years. Most recently, people all over the world were amazed by how quickly vaccines were developed to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. And because there are so many possibilities, the spotlight on vaccines is now brighter than ever. Before the pandemic, the majority of people quickly conjured up images of babies or young toddlers waiting with their parents at the doctor's office when they heard the word "vaccine." Even though a lot of people were vaccinated as children, they weren't always aware that vaccination is crucial for adults as well. Protecting adults by vaccination has never been considered in India a preventive strategy likely to have a great impact on population health. This is true even in developed countries, although efforts have been made in this regard in US and Europe. Hence, while adult immunisation has been the most ignored part of healthcare services in India, the pandemic has brought about a shift in this mindset. And there is one company that is hoping to benefit as its all set to launch its best global performing vaccine in India over the coming weeks. Shingrix - Could it be the Jab that GlaxoSmithKline Desperately Needs? GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Ltd (GSK), the Indian subsidiary of GSK plc has been present in India for almost a century. GSK plc is a Britishmultinationalpharmaceuticalandbiotechnology company, and is among the ten largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Over the last few years, the company has underperformed relative to its peers due to a series of challenges, including oncology clinical failures and missing out on the lucrative market for the first Covid-19 vaccines, despite being one of the worlds major vaccine makers. Being a GSK shareholder has meant acquiring the patience of a Zen Monk over the last few years. View Full Image GSK Pharma shares Confidence in the companys prospects has been dimming for some time due to muted sales performance. The GSK stock has been flat, gaining just 3% over the last 5 years as supply issues and policy headwinds from regulatory pricing hit the firm. But there seems to be a ray of hope for the company as its global block buster vaccine, Shingrix, has finally been launched in India this week. Optimistic investors waiting on the fringes for the dust to settle on the stock would like to believe this could possibly be the moment of reckoning. Since 2022, there has been a major change at GSK In July 2022, GSK demerged its consumer healthcare business, Haleon to become a fully focused biopharma company. Since then, the company has set its sights on four therapeutic areas: infectious diseases, HIV, oncology, and immunology. It is now a much leaner and more-focused company after its massive restructuring. Over the next decade, GSK aims to position itself as the world's leading vaccines company. And if one was to look at the global business, it seems like the company is finally finding its groove after years of stalling. GSK plc reported better-than-anticipated revenue for 2022, thanks in significant part to its blockbuster Shingrix shingles vaccine. Shingles vaccine, Shingrix has been GSKs star growth driver since its introduction in 2017, so much so that the British pharma was at one point, struggling to produce enough doses to meet surging demand. In 2022, Shingrix, alone generated nearly3 billion, growing 72%. By 2026, GSK plans to double that figure. Closer home, when launched in China, priorto Covid-19, "unprecedented" demand for Shingrix had outstripped supply. The Shingrix vaccine is now available in 26 countries and contributes to more than 1/3rd of global vaccine sales for GSK. And this is why investors are hopeful that the introduction of Shingrix in India could be the much-required stimulus for GSK to shine once again in India. But before we go any further, what exactly is Shingles? You can think of Shingles as a double infection caused by the varicella zoster virus. The virus is responsible for both shingles and chickenpox. Typically, a person who experiences shingles had contracted chickenpox years earlier. Shingles can occur anywhere on your body. It typically looks like a single stripe of blisters that wraps around the left or right side of your torso causing debilitating pain. Shingles may lead to other serious complications including: Brain inflammation or facial paralysis if it affects certain nerves Eye problems and vision loss Pneumonia and hearing problems But here is a scary and yet very interesting fact - Most people born before 1980 have had chicken pox, even if they dont remember it and statistics show that 1 out of every 3 people will develop Shingles in their lifetime. As per reports, hospitals in India record more than a million cases of shingles every year. The actual number of cases is likely to be much higher than this number of confirmed cases. As per the company, about 260 million adults in India over the age of 50 can be protected from shingles and its complications. Imagine a target audience of 260,000,000 people in India! There is huge potential and the company is very hopeful that Shingrixwill be as successful in India as it has been worldwide. Shingrix: Jingle without Shingles Over the years, GSK has maintained its #1 position in the vaccines self-pay market (where the cost of the vaccine will not be reimbursed or included on the governments national immunization program) in India. Until a few years ago, the company was focused on mainly paediatric vaccines although it does have a strong adult vaccine portfolio as well. The Covid-19 vaccination drive changed all that as it gave an impetus to adult vaccination. With increased life expectancy and a growing segment of the elderly population, healthy aging is a big area of focus. The company believes that a key intervention for healthy aging will be led by vaccination strategies. With this in mind, the company is going all out to cash in on the launch of its already global block buster vaccine Shingrix in India. The company has roped in Amitabh Bachchanto spread awareness of Shingles. Further, the company has also put in place a 200-strong team, with specialised capabilities and experience just to support this vaccine. The vaccine is being imported from GSKs plant in Belgium and will be available at healthcare practitioners and certain specialists like dermatologists, across the country. One of the concerns cited by critics was that there would be few takers for the vaccine in India due to the high cost. Two doses of the vaccine in the US is priced at US$ 450. However, the company has clarified that it intends to follow a consistent India pricing strategy" and it has been reported that the vaccine in India will be priced at a significantly lower price" than in the United States. What makes Shingrix so special is that it is one of the first vaccines with an efficacy of 97% and offers protection for up to 10 years. That sets the bar so high that the company feels there wont be any potential attempts by competitors to enter this market in the coming years. GSK is also pursuing an expanded indication to treat immunocompromised people ages 18 and up, as well as a new liquid formulation that should put the shot even further out of reach of potential shingles rivals. GSK believes that Shingrix will open up a new platform for growth in the creation of the adult vaccine category in India from which a lot of follow on vaccines will come up over the next few years. Well, thats a lot riding on one vaccine! But not everyone is impressed... Critics point out that despite vast improvements in childhood vaccination coverage in India, adult vaccination coverage is negligible. While the pandemic has put adult vaccinations in the spotlight, the industry is still in the early stages of evolution. Barriers to adult immunization include vaccine hesitancy, missed opportunities, and cost. Additionally, while Shingrix could provide the jumpstart the company desperately needs, critics believe that the additional revenue generated from sales of Shingrix will only mitigate the losses expected from the inclusion of two of its best-selling drugs on the national list of essential medicine (NLEM) in late 2022. NLEM is a list released by theMinistry of Health and Family Welfare and the medicines listed in the NLEM are sold below a price ceiling fixed by theNational Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority. The addition of Ceftum and T-Bact to the list will increase the NLEM impacted revenue from 33% to 42% resulting in a hit of approximately 2.5 bn on the top line. However, the company says that the loss will be compensated by volume increases in these products due to cost cuts, sales of Shingrix as well as cost optimisation measures. In the past, the company has been able to grow volumes 2x-3x for some of its products post their inclusion in the NLEM. Also, as the NLEM is released once in every 5 years, the company doesnt have to worry about any further impact of it for any of its products till 2027. And let us not forget, GSKs primary business is in the general medicine segment which still contributes almost 80% to the revenue. View Full Image GSK portfolio. Four of the top fifty brands in the Indian pharmaceutical market belong to GSK - Augmentin, T-Bact, Ceftum, and Calpol. GSK is very relevant to the Indian market, being the second biggest multinational organization in India with a significant footprint in a highly fragmented industry. Starting with Shingrix and equipped with more adult vaccines, the company expects the contribution of vaccines to significantly increase over a three-four-year period from the existing 20% of revenue. If one was to look at most of the markets where Shingrix has been launched since its introduction in 2017, the growth trajectory has been remarkable within the first six to twelve months itself. Will Shingrix be a blockbuster in India like it has been the world over? Well, that remains to be seen. For now, shareholders wait with bated breath for this yesteryear super star to deliver one more hit and restart its fledging career again! Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only. It is not a stock recommendation and should not be treated as such. This article is syndicated from Equitymaster.com The Bombay High Court has directed the Maharashtra government to instruct all educational institutions in the state to allow retrospective changes of name and gender in their records. A division bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Neela Gokhale, in its order of April 25, said the questions of identity and gender perception do not happen at a "biologically definable point". The high court said that earlier orders passed by the Supreme Court "direct us towards greater inclusiveness and acceptance of individuality and individual traits." "These are not to be compromised because of some bureaucratic requirements," the division bench said. "This is a case of denial of a human being's self-identity and self-identification. That cannot be done and cannot be permitted. Nor can an institute be permitted to force upon the petitioner a name, identity or gender that the petitioner has chosen to reject in preference to some other," it added. The petitioner, an alumnus of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), identifies as a transgender and sought to change their name and gender in the education records of the institute. In 2013, the petitioner received an MA in Development Studies from the TISS with their original feminine name. In 2015, the petitioner adopted another name, self-identifying as transgender and applied to the TISS for a new certificate reflecting the changes in name and gender. When there was no response from the institute, the petitioner approached the HC. On the TISS's stand that the petitioner first produce earlier educational records with the new name and gender, the HC said this was not just obstructive but also a denial of the petitioner's fundamental rights. "Questions of identity, self-identification and gender perception do not happen at a biologically definable point in time. These are matters of self-realisation without predictable time frames," HC said. The court added that no person who desires to make such changes should be put through the additional trauma of having to get reissued every single document from birth onwards. The bench directed TISS to change the petitioner's name and gender in the educational records and issue new certificates accordingly. It also directed the institute to make changes in its website to include a form for such changes. "It is for the state government to also issue necessary instructions to all similar educational institutions across Maharashtra," HC said. *With agency inputs NEW DELHI : The Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi Thursday extends the judicial custody of AAP leader and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia till May 12 in alleged excise policy case being probed by the CBI. Special Judge M.K. Nagpal asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to supply an e-copy of supplementary charge sheet, filed by the agency on April 25, to Sisodia. Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court extends judicial custody of AAP leader & former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia till 12th May in the Excise policy case being probed by the CBI ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2023 The agency had arrested the former Delhi deputy chief minister for alleged corruption in formulation of now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 following several rounds of questing. During the court hearing, when the CBI submitted that the investigation in the case was still going on, Sisodias counsel Rishikesh requested the court to grant statutory/default bail to the former Delhi deputy chief minister, as the probe report was incomplete. Prima facie it seems the agency is saying that further investigation regarding me is required/pending. Therefore, we reserve the right to file an application for statutory bail," the counsel said. The court then asked the CBI why it had not mentioned that the probe regarding Sisodia was complete. The court said You say you have filed supplementary chargesheet (in the stipulated time), but you have said investigation is pending in the case. Why have you not mentioned that chargesheet is filed on completion of investigation against Sisodia," the court asked. The court further noted the submission made by defence counsel, who claimed that a copy of the chargesheet was required by Sisodia to see whether investigation qua him was complete. The judge directed the CBI to hand over an e-copy of the chargesheet to Sisodia, though noting that it was not the stage to supply copy of the chargesheet. The court had on March 31 dismissed Sisodia's bail application in the case, saying he was "prima facie the architect" in the criminal conspiracy behind alleged payment of advance kickbacks of around 90-100 crore meant for him and his colleagues in the Delhi government. The court had observed that the release of Sisodia, at the moment, will "adversely affect the ongoing investigation". The Indian government may oppose Hindustan Zinc's proposal to acquire its parent company Vedanta's global zinc business unless the valuation of the assets is reduced to a "more realistic" level, said a media report. HZL had proposed a $2.98 billion cash deal on January 19 to buy the assets, but the government, which owns a 29.54% stake in HZL, must give its consent for the deal to pass. The proposal expired when HZL did not seek shareholder approval within the mandated three months, following strong opposition from the government. "Even though the government is willing to examine any non-cash deal option (presented by HZL), the main issue of high valuation still remains. We are not comfort- able with this sort of valuation," The Economic Times reported quoting a senior official. In the case of a related-party transaction, minority shareholders need to approve the proposal by a majority. In this case, the proposal cannot pass without the government's consent given its 29.54% stake in HZL. HZL chief executive Arun Misra, in recent media interviews, said the company hadn't yet formally shelved the plan to acquire Vedanta's international zinc assets. Vedanta holds 64.92% in the company that was privatised over two decades ago. In its communication to HZL on February 17, the mines ministry had asked the company to "explore other cashless methods of acquisition of these assets". "So far, HZL hasn't presented any non-cash deal option to the government for consideration," said the official quoted above. "For its part, the government hasn't, either in- formally or formally, suggested to HZL any non-cash options for acquisition of these assets." Mint could not independently confirm the news developments. The government had written to Sebi reinforcing its opposition and revealed its intention to take legal action if HZL went ahead with the proposed cash transaction. As many states are opting to increase the working hours from 8 hours to 12 hours in India, International Labour Organisation will soon come up with its report reviewing the working hours and work schedules prevalent in the country. The report will also try to find the impact of long working hours on work-life balance. According to an Economic Times report, ILO is reviewing the working hours and work schedules of people in India and will come up with its report on the same by July-August. ILO has commissioned the study and the report will come out soon, reported ET citing sources. Working hours and work-life-balance is a key aspect while framing labour-related policies, but it is highly neglected during policy formation. This makes it important to highlight the issue for drawing the attention of the government, the anonymous source told ET. The report will also assess overtime and undertime work hours in its report. As of now, ILO hasn't come up with an official confirmation about the report. As per the rules under the Code on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH&WC), it is proposed to extend daily work hours from 8 to 12 to maintain the weekly count to 48 hours to implement four days working system. As per the report, ILO will compare the India-specific findings of its analysis of working hours with the working conditions of other south-east Asian countries. After comparison, the report will also give recommendations to improve the work environment in the country. Maintaining the weekly count of 48 working hours, ILO recommends a daily limit of eight hours of work for six days in a week. The report will analyse the working condition from different aspects ranging from under time and overtime. There will also be a comparison between the actual working hours and the duration preferred by workers. As per the global report of ILO on work hours, one-third of the global population of workers regularly worked for more than 48 hours in a week, whereas, another one-fifth of the total workers' population worked for less than 35 hours per week. The global report stressed the drawbacks of long working hours, which are not only detrimental to health and personal life but are also known of reducing efficiency. The global report also recommended the need for flexible working hours and reduced hours of work to improve work-life balance. The newly sworn-in US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, has emphasised the importance of the US-India relationship, stating that it is critical to the future of both nations. Garcetti, who is also US President Joe Biden's close aide, highlighted the fact that the two countries have never before worked so closely on such a range of issues. He made these comments while addressing a gathering of prominent Indian Americans at the US-India Summit, organised by Congressional India Caucuss Co-chairs Ro Khanna and Michael Waltz. Garcetti's appointment had been pending before the US Congress since July 2021, but he was finally confirmed in March 2022 after concerns were raised about how he had handled allegations of sexual assault and harassment against a former senior adviser. Before coming to India, he spoke with President Biden about his vision for the US-India partnership, emphasising the pivotal nature of this moment for both countries and the entire planet. Also Read: Joe Biden has been a victim of serial underestimation There are few relationships in the world that are more vital to the US and India. Our relationship in the world is critical to its future. As President Biden has said, India and the US are indispensable partners," Garcetti said. According to Garcetti, the US-India relationship is vital for both nations, and President Biden has stressed that the two countries are indispensable partners. The US and India are both leading democracies and two of the world's largest economies, with a shared commitment to innovation and progress. Together, they can shape the 21st century by working closely on various issues. We are connected through and empowered by the innovative spirit of our incredible people. And together, through the actions we take, we will together shape the 21st century, in this G-20 year and beyond, working alongside my incredibly dedicated colleagues at the US Mission to India," he added. The US Embassy in India has been without an ambassador since January 2021, the longest stretch in the history of US-India relations where the post has sat vacant. The last US envoy in New Delhi, Kenneth Juster, stepped down after the change of government in America. Garcetti's appointment is, therefore, a significant development for US-India relations. (With agency inputs) New Delhi: Indias tourism ministry is working on several programmes to bring back investor confidence in the sector, according to the countrys minister of tourism, Gangapuram Kishan Reddy. In an interview, Reddy highlighted the need for substantial investment to transform Indias tourism economy into a formidable force. He emphasized the importance of public-private partnerships (PPPs) to drive development in the sector, which he estimates will require many lakh crores" of investment. Edited excerpts : Is the government prioritizing the development of tourism? Because of various reasons, for the last so many years, tourism has been a neglected sector. There are so many opportunities in the country when it comes to the promotion and branding of destinations, public-private partnerships, policy, and publicity. But this hasnt happened well enough. In a country the size of India, the central government alone cannot manage everything. But across different states, very little has been kept aside for tourism improvement. For instance, if we look at the northeast states, very little was provided, and a lot of that amount would be spent on salaries. What is the government doing to improve the situation? For this, the ministry of tourism has come up with its first Global Tourism Investors Summit, which will happen soon. The summit has been conducted to attract private investments in the tourism sector, keeping in mind that for India to compete with the rest of the world for foreign tourists or even domestic tourists who can confidently visit our tourist destinations, there has to be a certain amount of infrastructure activity there. We also want different states to compete with each other to attract more investments to their states. Will that benefit these states? This will help many state governments formulate better policies and give incentives to attract these private investments. All properties except the India Tourism Development Corp. and the Archaeological Survey of India monuments, which sponsor the Swadesh Darshan scheme, are owned by different states directly, and so the onus lies on these states to plan their budgets and policies around tourism well. In such a time, we have to involve state governments to develop good policies. We now also have a 100% FDI policy for investment in certain categories. But why go down the PPP model? I have said before that neither state governments nor the centre can spend enough on tourism. Even if we spend many lakh crores, it wont be enough to develop tourism since there are many thousands of destinations. If we look at the second quarter of FY 22-23, inbound tourism has increased tremendously. To develop the sector further, to attract investments of large sizes, the private sector has to be involved. We want to create an investment atmosphere. We are expecting foreign investors to take part in this summit. Hospitality associations or other bodies like the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) will also help reach out to their international counterparts to bring in investors. The budget for overseas promotion activities like Incredible India has been cut by more than half in this years budget to 167 crore from 525 crore two years ago. But at the same time, you have a target to bring in 25 million tourists by 2030. How will this vision be achieved? Yes, that is because of covid. In the last two years, no country has been doing any overseas promotions. In fact, even to date, the centre and state governments have been issuing guidelines for the covid. We now have plans to develop these promotions. After the cabinet approves it, we will also resume these activities. If we had spent on overseas promotions in the last two years, it would have been a waste since tourists were unwilling to travel. Will you be running the new campaigns digitally or on television in the identified overseas destinations as you did before 2015? We will do it all. This is the first time we have involved various embassies and tourism offices of the top 20 countries that send tourists to India to help develop our overseas promotion programme. They have just begun work. For this, we are also in touch with tourism officers in these embassies to identify local media and social media influencers etc., to promote tourism in India by marketing them to the Indian diaspora. But recently, the government shut down seven tourism offices in the world. What was the reason for shutting down these offices in big cities like London, Tokyo, Beijing, Dubai, Singapore, New York etc.? Yes, instead of having a small tourism office with one officer sitting in these countries, we have involved the entire embassy in the same work. This will be more beneficial to us. The idea was to have a holistic approach on the part of the government to developing tourism which includes using the officers of the Ministry of External Affairs, UNESCO, etc. For instance, even during the G20, while the ministry isnt directly involved in the planning of many meetings, it draws benefits. There are going to be 250 meetings. The handoff to the ministry of tourism will happen as soon as each of these meetings is conducted. How much will be spent on the G20 from the 2,400 crore allocated to the tourism ministry this year? We will spend what is needed, and there will be nothing lacking from our end. The Uttar Pradesh government has opened a help desk at the resident commissioner's office in Delhi for people stranded in Sudan, a senior official said in Lucknow. India launched "Operation Kaveri" to bring back stranded Indians from the war-torn country. "Those coming from Sudan can contact Neeraj Singh, assistant review officer on 8920808414 or Ashish Kumar, protocol assistant on 9313434088 or Whatsapp them about their problems," an order issued by Additional Resident Commissioner, New Delhi, Saumya Srivastava said. Amid the 72-hour ceasefire agreed upon between Sudan's army and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), countries including India are leaving no stone unturned to evacuate citizens. The fourth batch of 136 stranded Indians left Port Sudan for Jeddah in Saudi Arabia onboard an IAF C-130J aircraft on Wednesday. "#OperationKaveri continues. 4th batch of stranded Indians departs from Port Sudan for Jeddah. IAF C-130J takes off with 136 passengers on board," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted. India has deployed its military planes and warships to rescue Indians from there. India's Defence Attache to Saudi Arabia, Col GS Grewal, assured countrymen being evacuated from strife-torn Sudan through Saudi Arabia that they will be safely taken back to their homeland. In a viral video, Col Grewal is seen urging people to cooperate with the agencies involved in the evacuation process. Further, in the video, which is being widely circulated on social media, India's Defence Attache to Saudi Arabia is heard assuring fellow Indians, who fled the ongoing violence in the African nation, that they will be back home at the earliest. He further exhorted the evacuees "to work as a team with the agencies" involved in the rescue operation. "We have reached here (Jeddah) safely. We faced a very tough time, All of you are here safely with your families," Col GS Grewal says in the video. "Trust me, from this moment onwards, all of you will reach home safely. That is our job," he says further. "In this, I need your cooperation as well. Everybody will be taken out safely (from Sudan). Even after the last persons here is evacuated, we would stay here, don't worry. Ships and planes are lined up," he assured fellow Indians evacuated from Sudan. "Don't panic, let's just make a priority list from today, starting with women and children who are sick. You may be facing a shortage of food and water. Be assured that all your concerns will be addressed and everything will be sorted out. We will take care of everything," he added. "We are here. I am going to be here. We want to take you back to India at the earliest. This is our aim," Col GS Grewal said while assuring the people. Further, in the viral video, people can be heard thanking him again and again and his words of assurance were followed by chants of "Vande Mataram" from the crowd. Indian Navy's INS Teg on Tuesday joined 'Operation Kaveri' to further facilitate the ongoing evacuation of Indians stranded in Sudan. The frigate on Tuesday arrived at Port Sudan with additional officials and essential relief supplies for stranded Indians, a senior MEA official said. "INS Teg joins #OperationKaveri. Arrives at Port Sudan with additional officials and essential relief supplies for stranded Indians," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted on Tuesday. *With agency inputs India's defense minister Rajnath Singh and his counterpart in China Li Shangfu held talks over the growing disturbances on India-China border on Thursday. the two ministers discussed the lingering border row in eastern Ladakh. The talks took place hours after Li arrived in New Delhi to attend a meeting of defence ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) being hosted by India. Li's visit to India is the first by a Chinese defence minister after the eastern Ladakh border standoff began three years ago. After the meet Rajnath Singh told reporters, Two ministers had frank discussions about developments in India-China border areas. Violation of existing agreements eroded entire basis of bilateral ties" news agency PTI reported. Rajnath Singh also told Li Shangfu that all issues at LAC need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and commitments. Singh said this at the bilateral meeting with Li amid the three-year border row along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh that has significantly strained ties between the two sides. The defense minister added that development of Sino-India ties premised on prevalence of peace, tranquillity at borders. The meeting between the two defence ministers took place days after the Indian and Chinese armies held 18th round of military talks on ending the border row. In the Corps Commander talks on 23 April, the two sides agreed to stay in close touch and work out a mutually acceptable solution to the remaining issues in eastern Ladakh at the earliest. However, there was no indication of any clear forward movement in ending the row. India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas. Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang is also set to visit India next week to attend a conclave of foreign ministers of SCO member countries in Goa. The meeting is slated for 4 and 5 May. On Thursday, Singh also held separate bilateral talks with his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Iran and Tajikistan. India is hosting the SCO defence ministers' meeting under its presidency of the grouping. Defence ministers of China, Russia and other member nations of the SCO except Pakistan are attending the meeting in Delhi. Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif will attend the meeting through virtual mode, officials said. (With agency inputs) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will hold bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu on the sidelines of the SCO defence ministerial conclave in Delhi today. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and their counterparts from other member countries of the SCO, except Pakistan's Khawaja Asif, are set to attend the defence ministerial meeting being hosted by India under its presidency of the influential grouping. Defence Ministers of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan will participate in the meeting. India has invited Belarus and Iran, currently observers in SCO, to participate in the SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will hold bilateral meetings with four Defence Ministers including his Chinese and Russian counterparts, in Delhi today. (File pic) pic.twitter.com/4l6buLaSpi ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2023 The Defence Minister of Pakistan would be participating virtually. The ministers will discuss matters related to regional peace and security, counter-terrorism efforts within SCO and effective multilateralism. Raksha Mantri will be holding bilateral meetings with the participating Defence ministers on April 27 and 28 where bilateral defence-related issues and other matters of mutual interest will be discussed. India has ancient civilisational, cultural and spiritual ties with the SCO member countries. India's membership of SCO in 2017, was, therefore, a reaffirmation of New Delhi's keenness to deepen these historic ties. India considers SCO as an important regional group to promote multilateral, political, security, economic and people-to-people interactions in the region. India continues to bring more ideas and initiatives to strengthen cooperation amongst SCO countries. Under its chairmanship, this year, India organised two defence-related activities to enhance interoperability amongst SCO member-states. The first was a workshop on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief and the second was a seminar on SCO countries' defence think-tanks on the issue of Armed Forces contributing to Military Medicine, Healthcare and Pandemics. India stands committed to taking forward the Agenda of SCO under its chairmanship. The legal recognition of same-sex marriage in India is currently being discussed in a batch of petitions, presently being heard by a constitution bench of the Supreme Court on April 27. The hearing on the plea for marriage equality in India continued on the fifth day in the Supreme Court on April 26. A bunch of at least 15 petitions were being heard. The Centre urged the top court to let Parliament deal with the questions raised in the petitions that seek legal approval for same-sex marriages. Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta represented the Centre and expressed that the case was a "very complex subject" that had a "profound social impact". The five-judge constitution bench was headed by Chief Justice of India (CGI) D Y Chandrachud. Check LIVE updates here. Bench rises for the day The arguments are set to resume next week on May 3. Share Via Cis gender not transgender - CJI corrects SG As SG Mehta noted that the act covered 'all spectrums and shades' the Chief Justice note that lesbians or gay individuals were not 'transgenders'. Mehta had tagged such individuals as gender queer. You may be correct in saying that the definition of transgender persons covers the entire spectrum but gays and lesbians are completely differentCis gender is a gender you're born with. Now, there may be some variations but as a principle- lesbians belong to the cis gender category because there is no reassignment or assuming a different gender later," said CJI Chandrachud. Share Via Ideally marriage in heterosexual couples shouldn't have been regulated too, says SG Mehta So marriage also in heterosexual couples ideally shouldn't have been regulated. But society felt that you can't permit people to marry at any age, many times etc," he said. Share Via No obligation on state to recognise all relationships: SG Petitioner wants a new class to be created for a new object. That was never conceived. There is no positive obligation on state to recognise all personal relationships.State should be very slow in recognising a relationship because state is entering an arena of socio-personal relationship. It can recognise only when legitimate state interest recognises that regulation is necessary," the SG said. Share Via Decriminalisation recognised existence of relationship: Justice Kaul Share Via This case links adoption, maintenance, succession: CJI This case is much more difficult for us. These have linkages everywhere - adoption, maintenance, succession," he said. The court also flagged adoption laws and discussed the merits of children being reared by single parents. Share Via We have progressed, decriminalized same-sex relationships: Justice Bhat Look at it from another angle. You've shown us the international scene. Unlike in other countries, there has been no prohibition for this marriage. In that sense, except 377, we didn't have any law," he said. Share Via SC asks Centre to respond on possible social benefits by May 3 SC asks Centre to come back on May 3 with its response on the social benefits that same sex couples can be granted even without legal recognition of their marital status Share Via Right to cohabit What you're saying is that there could be a right to cohabit and give it a name of relationship which is sanctified but that will have no obligations on state to recognise it statutorily," said Justice Kohli. But let's go step by step. Once you recognise that there is a right to cohabit, then it is the obligation of the state that all social impact of cohabitation has legal recognition," the CJI added. Share Via No prohibition as per law There's no bar in our law to having any form of ceremony. The question is about legal recognition," said CJI Chandrachud. Share Via No legal recognition of relationship as marriage, says SG Right to love or cohabit or choose a partner is there but there is no fundamental right to seek recognition of that relationship as marriage," the Solicitor General said. Can we tighten up your submission by saying that when you say that there is no fundamental right to seek recognition of that relationship as marriage or in any other name- can we recast it as legal recognition?" the CJI asked, prompting a clarification from the SG. Share Via CJI dubs it important social issue CJI Chandrachud opined that the matter was an important social issue but not necessarily a constitutional issue that had to be adjudged by a constitution bench. That issue is not sui generis to same sex couples. According to you, the right to marry even for a heterosexual couple is elusory when they have to give notice. That is not connected with the issue whether same sex couples have a right to marry," he added. Share Via 'It's a simple issue' Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said that the matter was not a five judge issue" and could be handled by any other bench. that matter about notice provision. That is capable of being handled by any other bench. Issue applies equally to heterosexual and same sex couples," he opined. Share Via Hearing paused for lunch break The hearing is paused for lunch break. It will continue after 2 PM. Share Via Petitioner's UK reference is misplaced: SG The Petitioner's argument that the UK case of Ghaidan on queer rights applies in this case is misplaced", said SG Mehta. The bench was not provided with adequate factual information by the petitioners, he added. It must be noted that the UK system of judicial review and the Indian system of judicial review are significantly distinct, SG said. Share Via 'Who is the mother?' According to SG Mehta, if a mother is granted custody, it needs to be determined who is considered the mother, and this definition is consistent with both the understanding of the courts and the legislature. Share Via CJI Chandrachud summarises Centre's take on petitioners' arguments The Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, summarised the implications of the petitioners' arguments, as per the Centre. He stated that - if the court were to interpret the provisions of the Special Marriage Act as requested - it would result in three significant issues. Firstly, it would require a significant rewriting of the legislation. Secondly, it would constitute interference in matters of public policy. Thirdly, it would also entail interference in the area of personal law, which the court cannot avoid, given the interplay between the Special Marriage Act and personal law. Share Via Who will be the wife in a gay marriage? asks SG Who will be the wife in a gay marriage? Who will be the wife in a lesbian marriage where rights are granted to her, like maintenance? When wife can establish she has no means to maintain herself then husband has to provide maintenance pendente lite. In gay marriage who will be the wife?" asked SG. CJI replied, If it is read to mean to apply to same sex marriage then it would mean husband can claim maintenance. But, in heterosexual marriages, it will not apply." Share Via Argument regarding procreation irrelevant: CJI According to the Chief Justice of India, if one partner of a heterosexual couple is unable to procreate, for instance, due to a childhood hysterectomy, it does not nullify the marriage. Therefore, the argument regarding procreation may not be relevant. Share Via SGI draws comparison with incest SGI Mehta argued, Please visualise a situation five years down the line: I am attracted to someone in the prohibited relationship. Incest is not uncommon across the world and it is prohibited. Someone is attracted to the sister and claim autonomy and is doing something in private domain. Now, cannot this be challenged saying how can this be prohibited?" CJI calls it far fetched" as sexual orientation and autonomy cannot be exercised in all aspects of marriage". It cannot be argued that sexual orientation is so strong that incest be allowed," he added. Share Via Is it about sexual orientation? What is the fundamental argument of the petitioner.., it is right to choose the sexual orientation," SGI Mehta asked. In reply, CJI Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud said, No, they are saying sexual orientation is given to me. It is not a matter of choice but an innate characteristic." Share Via Petitioners want to re-write special marriage act: SGI The petitioners want to re-write, re-structure and re-engineer the special marriage act to suit their requirements. Would an enactment be read in such a way that it applies in one way to heterosexuals and in another way to same sex. this exercise may not be an interpretative exercise," SGI Mehta said. Share Via Let's not repeat arguments: CJI Let there not be repetition so that there is no mental fatigue dealing with repetitive arguments. No one else need to argue that it is a legislative exercise. Mr Mehta and Sr Adv Rakesh Dwivedi can guide others as to how arguments are not repeated," CJI said. Share Via Right to marry not absolute right: Centre Right to marry is not an absolute right, the Centre earlier told the Supreme Court. Share Via The case hearing is expected to be lengthy The case hearing is expected to be a lengthy one as, in addition to SGI Tushar Mehta taking 10 hours to present his argument, many others will take hours for the same. Share Via Queerphobic, regressive, and hegemonic: Statement of solidarity Statement made by the Bar Council of India (BCI) against the upcoming Supreme Court hearing on marriage equality have been criticized by more than 30 LGBTQIA+ collectives, consisting of over 600 students from law schools across India. The groups have condemned the BCI's statements as "queerphobic, regressive, and hegemonic." Share Via Cannot reconcile with statutes: SG Tushar Mehta There are genderless people; gender as per mood swings, cannot reconcile with statutes, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta told Supreme Court Share Via Law students condemn Bar Council's resolution on marriage equality A total of 36 Indian law school student groups have joined together to denounce the Bar Council of India's resolution on marriage equality, calling it "regressive, ignorant, and harmful" and expressing solidarity against it. Share Via Centre to present its arguments today On April 27, the Centre will present its arguments on same-sex marriage before the Supreme Court, following the conclusion of the petitioners' arguments on Wednesday. The Centre's case was presented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who urged the court to leave the matter to Parliament. Mehta highlighted that, whenever the legislature had intervened in the matter, they made corresponding amendments to other statutes. Furthermore, he noted that none of the affected statutes had been challenged in this case, indicating that the court could not do what Parliament can. Share Via Court cannot handle such complex issues The All District Courts Bar Associations of Delhi's coordination committee earlier joined the Bar Council of India in expressing dissatisfaction with the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court hearing on the recognition of same-sex marriages. While the Supreme Court's role in upholding the rule of law is crucial, the bar associations stated that there were certain complex issues with significant consequences that cannot be left solely to the discretion of the courts. Share Via Not Centres responsibility' The Constitution, according to Maneka Guruswamy, was given to the people by themselves, and thus it is not the responsibility of the Central government to bring the matter to Parliament. Share Via Forced conversion therapies Advocate Vrinda Grover earlier brought attention to the issue of "forced conversion therapies" that were being imposed on transgender individuals who returned to their families during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown. Share Via Petitioners seek the Union of India's blessings The fifth day of arguments in the same-sex marriage case was heard by the Supreme Court on April 26. The petitioners sought the Union of India's "blessings", but Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Central government, stated that their prayers were "vague". He cited "societal acceptance" as a requirement for recognizing a union and stated that it had to be done through Parliament. Share Via Same-Sex marriage hearing: The Supreme Court heard arguments in the case pertaining to legalisation of same-sex marriage in India. In the hearing, the Supreme Court has asked the ruling government at the Centre to give a response on social benefits that can be given to same-sex couples even without legal recognition of their marital status. The five-judge Constitution Bench comprising of the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Justice S Ravindra Bhat, Justice Hima Kohli and Justice PS Narasimha is dealing with a batch of petitions pertaining to 'marriage equality rights for LGBTQIA community. The court asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to see if there can be separate legislation taken which would protect the rights of same-sex couples. Solicitor General expressed his acknowledgement that concerns such as having a joint bank account, nomination in insurance, are all human concerns and there can be deliberation to find a solution thereto. Solicitor General indicated that he can attempt to undertake this exercise since the suggestion has come from the Bench. CJI Chandrachud remarked that the government must recognise and secure cohabitor relationships. During the hearing, Justice Narasimha said, "When the bench says recognition, it may not always be recognition of marriage." Justice Bhat remarked, "Recognition must be something which gives them benefits." Justice Kaul opined that social ministries would have possibly studied how to tackle problems that would arise after giving social recognition to the LGBTQIA community. The court also remarked that once it is recognised that there is a right to cohabit, then it is the obligation of the state that all social impact of cohabitation has legal recognition. The court also noted that there will be social requirements such as banking, insurance, admissions where the Centre will have to do something. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta assured the court that he will assist the court on these issues raised by the court. These issues were raised by the court when Solicitor General Tushar, appearing for Centre, argued and said, "The right to love, the right to cohabit, the right to project sexual orientation and the right to choose a partner are fundamental rights." "But there is no fundamental right to seek recognition of that relationship as a marriage," he argued. Chief Justice of India Chandrachud remarked, "Such issues on the administrative side can be handled by the ministries to find real solutions to these problems and the court can act as facilitators." The court remarked that the relationship between the court and the government is not really an adversarial relationship. CJI Chandrachud also said, "The law in the country has gone a long way observing that the country has the Transgender Act with a grand vision." Justice Bhat mentioned about Vishakha and Domestic Violence Act were also enacted because of some movement. The hearing remained inconclusive today and will be continued on 3 May. Various petitions are being dealt with by Supreme Court seeking legal recognition of same-sex marriage. One of the petitions earlier raised the absence of a legal framework which allowed members of the LGBTQIA community to marry any person of their choice. According to one of the petitions, the couple sought to enforce the fundamental rights of LGBTQ individuals to marry any person of their choice and said, "The exercise of which ought to be insulated from the disdain of legislative and popular majorities." The petitioners, further, asserted their fundamental right to marry each other and prayed for appropriate directions from this Court allowing and enabling them to do so. One of the petitions was represented by Senior Advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Saurabh Kirpal briefed by a team of advocates from Karanjawala & Co. (With inputs from ANI) Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation's (UPSRTC) website was hacked on Wednesday leading to online bookings through the state run bus service coming to a standstill. According to a government statement quoted by news agency PTI, the UPSRTC website was hacked at around 2 am on Wednesday by some foreign hackers. Restoration work is underway and it is likely to take around 10 days to start online bookings again. Also Read: UP buses to operate in green zones A statement by UPSRTC on the matter read, "The transport corporation's buses are being operated through manual ticketing, so that the operation of the buses is not affected. Regional officers have been asked to monitor bus stands and depots for 24 hours," The company managing the UPSRTC website, M/s Orion Pro, has deployed a team of experts to recover the website data while also seeking a week's time to set up new servers and restore online bookings. M/s Orion Pro has also filed a police case in the matter in Navi Mumbai. A separate case has also been filed at the Gomti Nagar police station. Meanwhile, UP government has ordered a third-party security audit for all the applications and web portals managed by M/s Orion Pro. UPSRTC Managing Director Sanjay Kumar while commenting on the matter said An international gang of hackers may have hacked the portal We have registered an FIR in the cyber thana at Gomti Nagar and Orion Pro, the company managing the website, has lodged a complaint in Mumbai against the hacking of the website" Kumar also added that tickets will be issued manually until the website is restored. UPSRTC plans to restore the online ticketing system in all 20 areas and 115 depots of the company over the course of next 7-10 days. (With inputs from PTI) As the curtains rise for the Karnataka Assembly election 2023, due on 10 May, the two main contenders -- the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress -- are locked in a frenzied battle to woo the Lingayats -- a sect likely holding the key to the power in the state. To understand how the Lingayats could be driving the Karnataka Assembly election, we go back to 2018. In 2018, the then Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had recommended minority status for the Lingayat sect a sect that is spread out in northern Karnataka and has a distinct influence in as many as 100 of the 224 Assembly constituencies in the state. While the Congress won the 2018 Karnataka polls despite the BJP narrative that it was trying to divide the society, the Central government rejected the recommendation a few months later, saying the sect belongs to the Hindu religion and cant form a religion of its own. In just over a year, the Congress government was unseated from power after some Congress and JD(S) MLAs withdrew their support to HD Kumaraswamy-led coalition government in Karnataka. BJP then formed the government citing a majority in the House. Fast forward to 2023, the election has come around once again in Karnataka and the focus is back on the Lingayats. Political parties are making efforts to win the support of the influential Lingayat community, recognising its significance in securing victory in the Karnataka Assembly election 2023. Why Lingayats are significant in this election? While it is widely believed that the Lingayat community has been a strong supporter of the BJP in the past, the prevailing issues and sentiments within the community have also played a significant role in shaping the electoral results. In the current Karnataka Assembly, Lingayats from various parties hold 54 Assembly seats, of which, over 30 have come from the BJP. Since 1952, 10 chief ministers in the state have been elected from the sect. But with the defection of two senior Lingayat leaders -- Jagadish Shettar and Laxman Savadi -- from the BJP, the Congress is cashing in on portraying the saffron party as anti-Lingayat", leaving it in a huddle. To handle the fallout, the BJP has increased its representation in its candidates list, fielding 55 Lingayats in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly election 2023. The BJP is also riding high on the popularity of senior Lingayat leader, BS Yediyurappa, in the sect. With the emergence of BS Yediyurappa in the BJP, the larger part of the community's vote base shifted towards the saffron party, making Karnataka its southern citadel. The support for Yediyurappa further strengthened when former CM HD Kumaraswamy refused to transfer power to him in October 2007, violating the terms of the then BJP-JD(S)-led coalition government. With Yediyurappa at the helm of the government, the BJP has continued to enjoy the support of the Lingayats until 2011 when he was forced to resign over the illegal mining case. He formed his own party, which led to the division of the Lingayat votes. The stint was short-lived and in no time, Yedirurappa was back in the BJP. Senior Lingayat leader Yediyurappa sidelined In 2018, Congress formed a coalition government with the JD(S) until it crumbled after the defection of MLAs from both parties. Yediyurappa was made the chief minister again, until the BJP allegedly side-lined him on the grounds of age. Recognising the significance of the Lingayat community's backing, the saffron party crowned Basavaraj Bommai, a fellow Lingayat, the chief minister in 2021 after the resignation of Yediyurappa. Congress and Lingayats The Lingayats had been a loyal support base of the Congress until 1989. However, the party's fortunes changed after former CM Veerendra Patil, a Lingayat who was recovering from a stroke in 1990, was sacked by Rajiv Gandhi. Veerendra Patil's sacking turned the community against Congress. The party, which had scored 178 of the total 224 seats in the 1989 elections under the leadership of the Lingayat leader, could only bag 34 seats in the next election. Now with two major Lingayat faces Laxman Savadi and Jagadish Shettar contesting the Karnataka Assembly election 2023 on the Congress tickets just ahead of the Karnataka Assembly election 2023, the grand old party is trying to chase the sect back into the party fold. On the other end, the BJP is also trying to maintain the support of the Lingayat community despite the defection of two senior Lingayat leaders and Yediyurappa's recent announcement to retire from electoral politics. To pull them back in, the BJP has recently announced enhancing the reservation for Lingayats by 2 per cent. But despite Laxman Savadi and Jagadish Shettar deserting the saffron party for Congress, the BJP has refrained from announcing its chief ministerial candidate from the community. In light of this, members of the BJP have urged Yediyurappa to convince the party to name a candidate from the Lingayat community. To counter the Congress narrative to portray them as anti-Lingayats", Yediyurrapa held a meeting with legislators from the community. Basavaraj Bommai was also present at the meeting. Speaking with the reporters, Bommai said, There were some suggestions [on Lingayat CM]. Dharmendra Pradhan [Karnataka election in-charge of the BJP] was also there. He [Pradhan] said he would convey our sentiments [on the need for Lingayat CM] to the high command." There was a consensus that if the party fails to announce a Lingayat as the chief minister candidate retaining the communitys vote would not be easy," a senior BJP leader privy to the developments said. Karnataka Assembly Election 2023 Schedule: The Karnataka Assembly election 2023 is scheduled to be held in a single phase on 10 May. The counting of the votes polled in Karnataka Assembly election 2023 is slated for 13 May; the results are also likely to be declared on the same day. Diwali will now be officially recognised as a holiday in the US state of Pennsylvania. State Senator Nikil Saval announced on Twitter that the Pennsylvania State Senate had passed a bill to recognize the festival of light, and expressed his gratitude to Greg Rothman for the opportunity to introduce the bill. The legislation to recognise Diwali in Pennsylvania was passed unanimously by a 50-0 vote. South Asian residents in Pennsylvania consider Diwali to be a time of reflection and gathering, and thousands of Pennsylvanians celebrate the festival each year, including many residents of the 34th Senatorial District. The official recognition of Diwali sends a clear message of inclusion to the state's nearly 200,000 South Asian residents, according to Nikil Saval. In an official statement, Greg Rothman said that recognizing Diwali as an official holiday in the state "upholds and celebrates our Commonwealth's rich cultural diversity". The festival, which will be observed on November 12, 2023, is a time for reflection on the endless struggle of light over darkness, he noted. The passage of the bill is a significant step towards recognizing and celebrating the diverse cultures of Pennsylvania. With the recognition of Diwali, Pennsylvanians who celebrate the festival will feel seen and welcomed in their state. It is an important message of inclusivity and acceptance for all members of the community. This legislation is an important reminder that cultural diversity is a strength to be celebrated, and that all members of the community should feel welcome and valued. It is a positive step towards building a more inclusive and accepting society, and one that recognises and celebrates the unique contributions of all its members. Starting in 2023, Diwali will be a public school holiday in New York City as well. Mayor Eric Adams earlier emphasised the importance of inclusivity and encouraged children to learn about the festival of lights. (With ANI inputs) A writer told a US civil trial Wednesday that an alleged sexual assault by Donald Trump three decades ago left her feeling "ashamed" and unable to have romantic relationships. "I'm here because Donald Trump raped me," E. Jean Carroll said in Manhattan's federal court, which is hearing a defamation and battery lawsuit against the former president. The case is one in a series of legal challenges facing Trump as the 76-year-old Republican seeks a return to the White House. Carroll, 79, has sued Trump alleging he sexually assaulted her in a changing room at the luxury Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in the mid-1990s. She also claims that Trump then defamed her when she went public with the allegations years later. Trump has repeatedly denied the allegations and has not been criminally charged. The former Elle magazine columnist described to jurors how a chance encounter with Trump in the Manhattan store quickly turned violent. She said that after Trump playfully asked her for advice on buying a women's lingerie gift, he "shoved" her against the wall of the dressing room. "All his weight (was) against my chest. He pulled down my tights. I was pushing him back," Carroll told jurors from the witness stand. She first made the allegation in an excerpt from her book published by New York Magazine in 2019. Asked why it took her more than 20 years to go public with her allegations, she responded: "I was frightened by Donald Trump. I was ashamed. I thought it was my fault." Carroll filed the lawsuit late last year after a law took effect in New York that gave victims of sexual assault a one-year window to sue their alleged abusers decades after attacks may have occurred. - 'Pain and suffering' - The suit accuses Trump of battery, "when he forcibly raped and groped" Carroll, and of defamation for a post that Trump made on his Truth Social platform in October where he referred to Carroll as a "complete con job." "He lied and shattered my reputation. I'm here to get my life back," Carroll told the court. "I know people have been through a lot worse but it left me unable to ever have a romantic life again," she added. Before the testimony, Judge Lewis Kaplan rebuked Trump for writing on Truth Social Wednesday that the trial is "a made-up scam" and Carroll's lawyer a "political operative." Kaplan said the comments were "entirely inappropriate" and suggested Trump was trying to influence jurors. Carroll's suit seeks unspecified damages for "significant pain and suffering, lasting psychological and pecuniary harms, loss of dignity and self-esteem, and invasion of her privacy." It also asks that Trump retract his comments. Around a dozen women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct. He has denied all the allegations and has never been prosecuted over any of them. No criminal prosecution can stem from Carroll's civil case but if Trump loses it will be the first time he has ever been held legally liable for an allegation of sexual assault. Trump has provided sworn testimony in the case but is not expected to take the witness stand. The trial is likely to last one to two weeks. In opening arguments Monday, Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina said there was no evidence of the assault and that Carroll was "abusing the system for money, for political reasons, and for status." The case comes just weeks after Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts related to a hush-money payment made to a porn star just before the 2016 election. Trump is also being investigated over his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the southern state of Georgia, his alleged mishandling of classified documents taken from the White House, and his involvement in the storming of the US Capitol by his supporters on January 6, 2021. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. The US Navy said on Thursday Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman amid wider tensions over Tehran's nuclear program. The US Navy's Mideast-based 5th Fleet identified the vessel as the Advantage Sweet. Satellite tracking data for the vessel from MarineTraffic.com showed it in the Gulf of Oman just north of Oman's capital, Muscat, on Thursday afternoon. It had just come from Kuwait and listed its destination as Houston, Texas. The 5th Fleet said the Iranian seizure was at least the fifth commercial vessel taken by Tehran in the last two years. Iran's continued harassment of vessels and interference with navigational rights in regional waters are a threat to maritime security and the global economy," it added. The Advantage Sweet issued a distress call at 1:15 p.m. while in international waters as Iran seized the vessel, the Navy said. "Irans actions are contrary to international law and disruptive to regional security and stability," the 5th Fleet said in a statement. Iran should immediately release the oil tanker." The US Navy has blamed Iran for a series of limpet mine attacks on vessels that damaged tankers in 2019, as well as for a fatal drone attack on an Israeli-linked oil tanker that killed two European crew members in 2021. Tehran denies carrying out the attacks, but a wider shadow war between Iran and the West has played out in the regions volatile waters. The seizure by Iran was the latest in a string of hijackings and explosions to roil a region that includes the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all traded oil passes. The incidents began after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from Irans nuclear deal with world powers, which saw Tehran drastically limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Two flights carrying Indian citizens rescued from Sudan have landed in India as part of Operation Kaveri. The Indian government has initiated the operation to evacuate its citizens from the conflict-ridden north African country where fighting between the army and paramilitary groups has intensified. Foreign secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra stated in a special press briefing that about 600 Indian nationals have either arrived in India or are en route. More C-130J aircraft are stationed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to continue evacuation efforts. India has also received requests from other countries to help evacuate their citizens and is willing to assist. Three Indian Navy shipsINS Sumedha, INS Tej, and INS Tarkashare involved in rescue operations, evacuating citizens from Port Sudan. The first group of stranded Indians left Sudan on INS Sumedha on April 26, followed by INS Tej, while INS Tarkash is expected to dock in Port Sudan soon. The Indian embassy in Khartoum is working to transport more Indian citizens to Port Sudan for evacuation. India is also negotiating with the warring factions to ensure the safe passage of its citizens, particularly to safer zones within Khartoum. One Indian citizen has been killed by a stray bullet during the conflict. Around 3,500 Indian citizens and around 1,000 Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) reside in Sudan. India's foreign ministry has established three control rooms to monitor the situation, with one in New Delhi and the others in Jeddah and Port Sudan. Foreign minister S Jaishankar has been in contact with counterparts in the US, UK, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, as well as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, to discuss the situation in Sudan. The security situation in Sudan remains very complex, highly volatile and unpredictable and India's objective is to get every stranded Indian in that country out of harm's way, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said on Thursday. Briefing reporters on the ongoing evacuation mission 'Operation Kaveri', Kwatra said approximately 1,700 to 2,000 Indian nationals were moved out of the conflict zones and they included the citizens already evacuated out of Sudan as well as those who are on their way to Port Sudan from capital city Khartoum. The foreign secretary said India has been in touch with the two warring factions in Sudan and other stakeholders and has been able to evacuate its citizens following a positive response from the concerned sides as they understand that New Delhi stands for a very strong development partnership with Khartoum. "The situation on the ground is very complex, highly volatile and unpredictable. We have been in touch with both SAF (Sudanese Armed Forces) and RSF (Rapid Support Forces). Our relations have been good. We are in touch with all sides to get the Indians from conflict zones to safe areas and then to Port Sudan," Kwatra said. On the total number of Indians in Sudan, he said approximately 3,100 have registered online with the Indian embassy in the Sudanese capital Khartoum while an additional 300 are in touch with the mission. Sudan also has around 900 to 1,000 PIOs (Persons of Indian Origins). Under 'Operation Kaveri', India has been taking its citizens in buses from conflict zones of Khartoum and other troubled areas to Port Sudan from where they are being taken to the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah in Indian Air Force's heavy-lift transport aircraft and Indian Navy's ships. The distance between Khartoum and Port Sudan is around 850 kms and the travel time by bus varies from 12 hours to 18 hours considering the prevailing situation and whether the vehicles are operating during the day or night. The Indian Navy has deployed its warships INS Sumedha, INS Teg and INS Tarkash while the Indian Air Force has deployed two of its C130J transport aircraft. The ships and aircraft are being used to take the Indians to Jeddah, from where they are being flown to India. "Our objective and target is to take the stranded Indians out of harm's way as early as possible...Our effort is to get every stranded Indian out of harm's way and into an area of relative safety and then to Port Sudan and back here (India)," he said. India has already set up separate control rooms in Jeddah, Port Sudan and the India embassy in Khartoum has been coordinating with them besides being in touch with the MEA's headquarters in Delhi. Kwatra said around 600 Indian nationals have either arrived in India or are on their way. As many as 360 Indians arrived in New Delhi by a chartered flight last night from Jeddah. "We currently have 495 Indian nationals in Jeddah. 320 Indians are in Port Sudan. We have more buses for bringing more people to Port Sudan," Kwatra said. The foreign secretary also said that 42 Indian nationals have moved to South Sudan. Kwatra said the government of India's effort has been to advise and assist the stranded Indians to remain safe and help them move to secure locations whenever feasible after carefully evaluating the conflict situation. He also said that India has received evacuation requests from other nationalities. "We are willing to provide all assistance. This is subject to fulfilment of all the procedures required," he said. Asked whether India will evacuate the PIOs, Kwatra said New Delhi will extend all support if there is a request from them. The foreign secretary thanked Saudi Arabia for all the assistance including the landing and docking of Indian military transport aircraft and naval ships in Jeddah. "Saudi Arabia has been extremely helpful and we are very grateful to them," he said. Sudan has been witnessing deadly fighting between the country's army and a paramilitary group that has reportedly left around 400 people dead. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar on Monday announced the launch of the mission to evacuate 'Operation Kaveri' to bring back the stranded Indians from Sudan. India on Sunday said it has positioned two transport aircraft of the IAF in Jeddah and the naval ship INS Sumedha at Port Sudan as part of its contingency plans to evacuate the Indians. Apart from the Sudanese authorities, the MEA and the Indian embassy in Sudan have been in regular touch with the UN, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and the US among others. At a high-level meeting on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued directions for the preparation of contingency plans to evacuate Indians from Sudan. Last week, Jaishankar spoke to his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt on the ground situation in Sudan with a focus on ensuring the safety of the Indians. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. New Delhi: Panama is set to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA) imminently, the countrys foreign minister Janaina Tewaney Mencomo said in an interview. In a sign of deepening cooperation in energy, India and Central American countries like Panama will establish joint working groups to enhance the energy partnership. Similar groups on tourism, pharmaceuticals and womens empowerment are also to be set up following external affairs minister S Jaishankars visit to the region. A large Latin American conclave is set to be hosted in New Delhi in August, following which, Panama is expected to send a business delegation to India. Edited excerpts. You have said Panama wants to be a hub for Indian businesses in the region: are there any key priority sectors? Panama is a hub because of our geography. India and Panama are discovering each other and we have understood that our geographic position and our logistic capabilities can make Panama a hub for Indians. Its important to highlight also that the meeting between the SICA countries and S Jaishankar was really important. The SICA countries together have a population of 60 million people. We are currently focusing on tech and agriculture. The exports of motor bikes from India are also present. The most important point here is that the strategic position of Panama will allow India to diversify and to operate in the whole continent. Indian companies like Hetero Drugs, TVS Motor, UPL and MSN are already operating in Latin America and some of them are moving to Panama to start operating throughout the continent. Will there be some trade and investment agreements such as a free trade agreement between India and Central American Integration System (SICA)? In SICA we have established a roadmap with India and working groups have started trying to identify and execute the possible meeting points where we can cooperate. We are talking about tourism and pharma through these groups. For example, on pharma, we were talking about buying drugs in bulk. We also spoke about technology and also about women empowerment. What I can also tell you is that Jaishankar has given the invitation for us to go to India in August where theres going to be a Latin America-India conclave. The President has committed to send a high-profile delegation to present and show the country to businessmen. We are expecting businessmen from India to visit Panama soon. You will see a lot more Latin American presence in this next Conclave. This is a historic moment and theres going to be a before" and after" when it comes to the relations between India and Latin America. Panama has signed but not ratified the framework agreement to join the International Solar Alliance. Any updates on that? On the ISA, the ratification process on Tuesday passed the third discussion in (Panamas) Congress and we will soon be ratifying this agreement. EAM Jaishankar also mentioned that a business delegation from Panama is going to India later this year. When is this likely to be? We are organizing a group of high level officials to visit in August, but we also expect to organize a big group following up with a visit most probably after August. New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday held talks with his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu and discussed the lingering border row in eastern Ladakh. According to the defence ministry, the two ministers had frank discussions about the developments in the India-China border areas as well as bilateral relations. Rajnath Singh categorically conveyed that development of relations between India and China is premised on prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the borders, it added The defence minister added that all issues at the LAC need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and commitments. He reiterated that violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation. The Chinese defence minister is in Delhi to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers Meeting on April 28, 2023. On Thursday, the defence minister also held separate bilateral talks with his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Iran and Tajikistan. India is hosting the SCO defence ministers meeting under its presidency of the grouping. Defence ministers of China, Russia and other member nations of the SCO except Pakistan are attending the meeting in Delhi. WASHINGTON : Warring factions trying to seize control of the east African nation of Sudan have plunged the country into chaos, and thousands are fleeing the capital of Khartoum and nearby battle zones. Some countries, including the U.S., have shuttered their embassies and many are coordinating daring evacuations of their staffs and other residents in an array of convoys, flights and frantic getaway drives. But over the past week there have been dramatically different responses by various governments as they try to get their citizens and embassy personnel to safety. The U.S. has come under scrutiny for evacuating roughly 70 embassy staff in a helicopter mission by elite SEAL commandos over the weekend, while warning thousands of private American citizens in Sudan there would be no similar evacuation for them. The State Department, which has advised U.S. citizens for years not to travel to Sudan, continues to advise Americans to shelter in place. Most of the estimated 16,000 Americans believed to be in Sudan right now are dual U.S.-Sudanese nationals and only a fraction of them have expressed a desire to leave. But at least some of those who want to leave have managed to get to Port Sudan where they can take a ferry to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, or have gotten seats on flights operated by other countries. A look at the situation: Whats happening in Sudan It all boils down to a struggle for power between two powerful generals and their armies: Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, who leads the Sudanese armed forces, and Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the head of a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces. Four years ago, a popular uprising in Sudan helped depose long-time autocrat Omar al-Bashir. But in 2021, the two generals Burhan and Dagalo jointly orchestrated a coup that derailed efforts to develop a civilian government. Both men have a history of human rights abuses, and their forces have cracked down on pro-democracy activists. Under international pressure, Burhan and Dagalo recently agreed to a framework agreement with political parties and pro-democracy groups. But the signing was repeatedly delayed as tensions rose over the integration of the RSF into the armed forces and the future chain of command. Tensions exploded into violence on April 15. Each side has tens of thousands of troops in and around Khartoum and the city of Omdurman on the opposite bank of the Nile River. On Wednesday, the second day of the latest fragile ceasefire, sporadic fighting continued. How the US got embassy staff out As security conditions worsened late last week, including damage to the civilian airport and an attack on a U.S. diplomatic convoy in Khartoum, the State Department concluded that the only way we could do this safely for all of our diplomatic personnel was to rely on the capabilities of our military colleagues," said Ambassador John Bass, State Department undersecretary for management. On Saturday, the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum suspended its operations and ordered staff to leave the country. The Department of Defense had begun moving resources to Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti to prepare for a possible evacuation. On Saturday, three MH-47 Chinook helicopters carrying elite SEAL commandos took off from Djibouti enroute to Ethiopia, where they refueled and then made the three-hour flight to Khartoum. The operation was fast and clean, with service members spending less than an hour on the ground in Khartoum," said Lt. Gen D.A. Sims, director of operations at the Joint Staff. The helicopters flew in and out of Khartoum without taking any fire. Americans still in Sudan While embassy staff was airlifted out, there were no plans to provide similar evacuations for potentially thousands of Americans still in Sudan. In a security alert Tuesday, the State Department reiterated that due to the uncertain security situation in Khartoum and closure of the airport, it is not currently safe to undertake a U.S. government-coordinated evacuation of private U.S. citizens." Instead, it provided details on border crossings that are available and the requirements needed at each location. It cautioned that fighting continues and that many routes are dangerous and unpredictable. American citizens who get to Port Sudan overland and can take a ferry to Jeddah will be assisted by the U.S. consulate there. Right now, the U.S. assistance for Americans is largely limited to phone and virtual help. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that while the U.S. is helping other countries coordinate aerial rescue efforts, the administration believes the best and safest way for people to get out is overland. We are working to establish a process that would enable people to move overland to a place where they can more easily exit the country, in all likelihood Port Sudan," Blinken told reporters in Washington. Thats under very active development." The U.S. could send Navy vessels to Port Sudan to ferry Americans to Jeddah or another location where they could get transportation back to the United States. However, officials say this would depend on the security situation and whether it is safe for ships to dock. The U.S. has developed other options, such as opening a temporary consulate in Port Sudan, beefing up its consulate in Jeddah to assist Americans as they arrive, or using a nearby airfield that other European countries have used to fly citizens out. U.S. officials believe the security situation in Port Sudan is better than in the capital, but remain concerned about the potential for an escalation of violence. What other countries are doing While the U.S. says it's too dangerous to get its citizens out, other countries are proceeding with evacuations of their nationals. France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, Holland, Turkey, Japan, South Korea, Jordan, South Africa, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are among the countries that have evacuated their citizens and those of other countries. Germanys defense ministry said in a tweet Tuesday it had ended its evacuation flights after flying more than 700 people out of Sudan including 200 Germans and hundreds more from more than 20 other nations. France said it had evacuated more than 500 people from 41 countries, and would keep a Navy frigate at Sudans main Red Sea port to continue assisting rescue operations for foreigners. The United Kingdom was continuing its military evacuations of civilians from an airport outside Khartoum. Brig. Dan Reeve told reporters Wednesday the situation was calm" and that Sudans armed forces were maintaining good security around the airport. Saudi Arabias state run news service said Tuesday it had evacuated about 2,150 people by ship from Sudan, including 114 Saudi citizens and more than 2,000 evacuees from 62 other nations. And Egypt, which had evacuated more than 1,500 of its citizens, said its diplomatic mission wont leave Sudan until it ensures the evacuation of all those who want to leave. An administrator with the Egyptian embassy in Khartoum was shot dead Monday, the Foreign Ministry said. Is the US response unusual? While many Americans may recall the dramatic 2021 evacuation of diplomats and private citizens alike from Afghanistan, those circumstances were far different. In most cases, the U.S. does not evacuate private citizens when it closes an embassy. The situation in Afghanistan was different because the U.S. was ending a 20-year military presence in the country. It was trying to extricate the residual American presence there, much of which was directly tied to Washingtons role in propping up the Afghan government. No such situation existed or exists in Sudan. More typical has been the practice in places like Yemen, Syria and Venezuela, where the U.S. suspended diplomatic operations and removed personnel because of turmoil, but did not evacuate private citizens. The U.S. also briefly shuttered the embassy in Kyiv because of the Russia invasion, but there was no military evacuation for either diplomats or private citizens, and the embassy has since re-opened. In contrast with the situation in Afghanistan, the U.S. was not involved militarily in the Sudan conflict and had no military presence on the ground apart from the small number of Marine guards at the Khartoum embassy. Also, the U.S. has warned Americans for several years not to travel to Sudan and told them that consular assistance at the embassy was extremely limited. Mint reported last week that ministerial consultations are underway to determine if the European Union's carbon tax is WTO-complaint and if India should consider responding with retaliatory tariffs. India needs a more constructive strategy to counter the European Unions Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (C-BAM) than trying to impose retaliatory tariffs within the World Trade Organisations policy framework or outside it. The WTOs dispute settlement mechanism has been dysfunctional ever since former US president Donald Trump refused to cooperate on making appointments to its appellate bodies. India needs to institute a carbon-trading mechanism domestically, as China has, to let exports bear the price of their carbon content and avoid the need for European importers to add a carbon layer to the import price. C-BAM is an attempt to level the playing field for European players in the so-called Emission Intensive and Trade Exposed (EITE) sectors. To begin with, five sectors are in the reckoning: electricity, cement, fertilisers, iron and steel and aluminium. When the EU commenced its carbon trading mechanism, EITE sectors were given free allowances, which they could trade in the carbon market. This was to prevent their flight to locations outside the EU, where they did not have to worry about carbon pricing. Such flight would have resulted in no net reduction in carbon emissions globally, even as industry in the European Union relocated elsewhere, destroying jobs, incomes and taxes for its member states. When the free allocations are phased out, to level the playing field for players that still face the pressure of carbon pricing, C-BAM has been proposed. Incidentally, a high-level committee that worked on finding solutions to loss of competitiveness as a result of introducing carbon pricing was co-chaired by Anand Mahindra, and border adjustment measures were one of the solutions identified by the committee. Now, C-BAM is far from perfect, even from a European point of view, which seeks self-righteous satisfaction that it is doing what it can to fight climate change, whatever the rest of the world does. European produce that seeks an external market, while using a C-BAM sheltered product as an input, would face a competitive disadvantage vis-a-vis a producer from a country that does not have carbon pricing. C-BAM levels the playing field within the EU that is all. In order to compete with producers in the global market that are unburdened by carbon prices, European firms would be incentivised to set up shop in countries without carbon pricing. European banks would find it makes sense to lend to such companies or their competitors outside Europe. Selective measures such as C-BAM only serve to leak carbon from some markets to others, without reducing overall global emissions. C-BAM is supposed to commence scrutiny of the carbon content of EITE imports from October, and get importers to buy carbon certificates equivalent to the European price of the imports carbon content from 2026. Countries such as India must use the intervening period to effect a paradigm shift in the global discourse on climate change and move from piecemeal, localised measures to holistic, coordinated, global solutions. In particular, the focus has to shift to sucking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere to attain net-negative emissions rather than reductions in fresh emissions. The carbon budget for containing warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels was just 500 gigatonnes (Gt), according to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, with 2019 as the base year. A decade of growth would exhaust that budget, even with strenuous emission reductions. The only meaningful course of action is to suck CO2 out of the air in large quantities and use it as an input for economically viable processes, such as producing synthetic fuel for aircraft or making petrochemicals, graphene or carbon fibre. At the same time, instituting national carbon trading regimes would incentivise the adoption of green technologies. A carbon tax could generate resources to offer tax credits to those who reduce their emissions while penalising offenders. Climate change represents both a problem and an opportunity for a country like India. Policymakers must persuade Indian industry to tackle it in earnest and not to simply work around impediments such as green import tariffs in the EU, even if we recognise their flaws. New Delhi: Bangladeshs army chief General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed will embark on a three-day visit to India beginning Thursday to bolster bilateral military cooperation between the two countries. During the visit, he is meeting Indias senior military and civilian leadership where he will discuss avenues for enhancing India-Bangladesh defence relations," the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. Gen Ahmed begin his visit to India by paying tributes to the fallen heroes at the National War Memorial in New Delhi. He was accorded a guard of honour at the South Block lawns in the Raisina Hills. The Army Chiefs discussed various issues pertaining to enhancing and strengthening interoperability, training, anti-terrorism collaboration and overall bilateral cooperation as part of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations," it added. General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed later called on General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of Naval Staff, Air Marshal AP Singh, Vice Chief of Air Staff, Defence Secretary and the Foreign Secretary. He was also briefed on the Indian indigenous defence equipment manufacturing ecosystem by the Department of Defence Production (DDP) and the Army Design Bureau. India and Bangladesh share the historical legacy of cooperation and support during the Liberation War of 1971. The active engagement on the defence side includes high-level exchanges at the level of service chiefs, conduct of the inaugural annual defence dialogues by the defence secretaries, tri-services and service-specific staff talks. New Delhi: In the presence of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah, a tripartite Memorandum of Settlement between Centre, Assam government and representatives of Dimasa National Liberation Army/Dimasa Peoples Supreme Council (DNLA/DPSC) was signed in New Delhi on Thursday. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and senior officers from Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Government of Assam were present on the occasion. On the occasion, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that this agreement is another significant milestone towards making North-East insurgency-free by 2024 and fulfilling the Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision of a peaceful and prosperous North East. He said that this agreement will put a complete end to the insurgency and with this, there are no more armed groups in Assam today. Shah said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put forward the vision of a terror-free, violence-free and developed Northeast before the country and the Ministry of Home Affairs is moving forward in this direction under the guidance of the prime minister. He said that under the agreement, the representatives of DNLA have agreed to abjure violence, surrender all arms and ammunition, disband their armed organization, vacate all camps occupied by DNLA cadres and join the peaceful democratic process as established by the law. As a result of this agreement, over 168 cadres of DNLA are joining the mainstream by laying down their arms. Union Home Minister said that todays agreement will bring a complete end to the insurgency in Dima Hasao district of Assam. Under the agreement, Dimasa Welfare Council will be set up by the Assam government to protect, preserve and promote social, cultural, linguistic identity to meet political, economic and educational aspirations and will ensure speedy and focused development of the Dimasa people residing outside the jurisdiction of the Autonomous Council. Along with this, agreement also provides for appointment of a commission under Paragraph 14 of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India to examine the demand for inclusion of additional villages contiguous to North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) with the Council. The agreement also provides for necessary measures to be taken by the Centre and the Assam government to rehabilitate the surrendered armed cadres of DNLA. To this effect, a special development package of Rs.500 crore each, will also be provided by the Centre and Assam government over a period of five years, for all round development of NCHAC as well as Dimasa people residing in other parts of the state. Apple reportedly has plans to reveal three new desktop Macs during WWDC 2023, which were discovered through code by a Twitter user. In a recent tweet, Nicolas Alvarez claimed to have discovered potential new Mac models that may be unveiled during WWDC 2023. According to Alvarez, the codes for three different Mac models were found in the Find My configuration and they are identified as Mac 14,8, Mac 14,13, and Mac 14,14. Alvarez also noted that the devices were located within a list where the "you left your device behind" feature is disabled, strongly suggesting that they are desktop Macs. While Alvarez speculated that they could potentially be Mac Studios, no official information regarding their models has been released yet. In other news, Mark Gurman from Bloomberg has reported that Apple has no plans to release Mac Studios with M2 chips, and will instead focus on a computer powered by the M3 chip. Additionally, Gurman mentioned that the new Mac Pro may not make an appearance at WWDC 2023. This information adds to the mystery surrounding Alvarez's recent discovery of potential new Mac models. The technology giant based in California, has revealed that its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) for 2023 is scheduled to commence on June 5th. The event, which will be virtual, is set to run from June 5th to June 9th. Additionally, reports indicate that an in-person experience will once again be available at Apple Park, as was the case last year. Susan Prescott, the Vice President of Worldwide Developer Relations at Apple, has shared some insights into the upcoming WWDC 2023. Prescott mentioned that this year's event will be the "biggest and most exciting" conference to date. She went on to add, "WWDC23 is going to be our biggest and most exciting yet, and we can't wait to see many of you online and in person at this very special event!" As is customary, the technology company typically unveils its latest versions of iOS, macOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS at its annual conference, and this year is anticipated to be no exception. Speculations suggest that Apple will unveil iOS 17, which will include a plethora of enhancements and new features. Apple has emphasized that this year's WWDC is set to be particularly noteworthy. This is due to the anticipated unveiling of the company's much-discussed augmented or virtual reality headset, which has been the subject of speculation and leaks for numerous years. Reports indicate that the company's virtual reality headset is expected to be the main attraction of the conference. In a call to action, the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee requested CEOs of various artificial intelligence (AI) companies to give priority to security measures, address bias concerns, and ensure responsible deployment of new technologies. Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat and the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has expressed concerns regarding the potential risks posed by AI technology. He emphasized that beyond industry commitments, there is a clear need for some level of regulation in this field. Warner took action by sending letters to the CEOs of several AI companies, including OpenAI, Scale AI, Meta Platforms, Alphabet's Google, Apple, Stability AI, Midjourney, Anthropic, Percipient.ai, and Microsoft. "With the increasing use of AI across large swaths of our economy, and the possibility for large language models to be steadily integrated into a range of existing systems, from healthcare to finance sectors, I see an urgent need to underscore the importance of putting security at the forefront of your work," stated Warner. A few weeks ago, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that he had initiated an effort to establish rules around AI and to address concerns related to national security and education, given the widespread use of programs such as ChatGPT. In a statement, Schumer, who is a Democrat, revealed that he had drafted and circulated a "framework that outlines a new regulatory regime that would prevent potentially catastrophic damage to our country while simultaneously ensuring that the US progresses and takes the lead in this transformative technology." The rapid rise of ChatGPT, an AI program that has gained significant attention for its ability to quickly generate answers to a diverse range of queries, has caught the interest of US lawmakers. With over 100 million monthly active users, ChatGPT has become the fastest-growing consumer application in history. OpenAI, the company that developed ChatGPT, has received significant investments from Microsoft, a major player in the AI space, along with Google. Both companies have been investing heavily in AI to stay ahead of the competition in the increasingly competitive Silicon Valley market. (With inputs from Reuters) There are nearly 60 known rat species around the world. Rats are thin-tailed, medium-size rodents that originated in Asia and Australia but are now found all over the world. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, but other rodent genera are also referred to as rats and share many of the same characteristics. What's the difference between rats and mice? Rats are generally larger, with longer, thinner bodies and long legs. Here's everything you need to know about rats, their habitats, behaviors and more. How big can rats get? With nearly 60 species of rat discovered so far, these rodents come in all sizes. They are typically 5 inches (12 centimeters), or longer, according to Encyclopedia Britannica (opens in new tab). The largest species of rat is the Bosavi woolly rat, which was discovered in 2009 in the rainforest of Papua New Guinea (and doesn't have a scientific name yet). It is about the size of a cat 32.2 inches (82 cm) from nose to tail and weighs around 3.3 lbs. (1.5 kilograms), according to CNN (opens in new tab). "It's a true rat, the same kind you find in the city sewers," Kris Helgen (opens in new tab), expedition team member and Chief Scientist and Director of the Australian Museum Research Institute, told CNN. One of the smallest rats ever discovered is Osgood's Vietnamese rat (Rattus osgoodi). It is typically 5 to 7 inches (12 to 17 cm) long. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corp. (opens in new tab), male rats are called bucks; females are does. Infants are called pups or kittens. A group of rats is called a mischief. Where do rats live? Rats are found all over the world. For example, the ricefield rat (Rattus argentiventer) is found in Southeast Asia, the Australian swamp rat (Rattus lutreolus) is found in Eastern Australia, and Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus), also called brown rats, are found on every continent of the world except Antarctica, according to the Animal Diversity Web at the University of Michigan (opens in new tab). The brown and the house rat (Rattus rattus) are the most common rats in the world because they have taken boats to every country over the past few centuries. House rats typically like warmer climates, while brown rats live in temperate climates. They typically live anywhere humans live. Many rat species also live in trees. Close up of a wild brown rat in autumn foraging and eating seeds in natural woodland habitat. (Image credit: Getty) Rat habits Overall, rats live to forage and mate. Most rats are nocturnal, though the brown rat is often awake day or night. Rats usually stick together in groups called packs. New packs are formed when a male and female go off on their own and nest in an area that doesn't already contain a pack. Brown rats are usually led by the largest male in the pack. Other rats may have several dominant males or females in a pack. What do rats eat? Rats are omnivores, but many prefer meat when they can get it. House and brown rats usually use humans for their primary food source. They will scavenge through trash or eat any food that is left unprotected. Rats have also been known to eat grain or kill insects, water creatures such as snails, fish and mussels, small birds, mammals and reptiles for food. Other rats, such as the Sulawesi white-tailed rat and Hoffmans rat, prefer vegetarian fare such as seed and fruits, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. Brown rats can have up to 22 young at once. (Image credit: Getty) Rat breeding Before their offspring are born, rats build nests from any material that can be foraged from the area, including branches, grass, trash and paper. These nests are usually built in crevices, in rotting trees or in buildings. Rats, generally, are baby-making machines. Female rats can mate around 500 times in a six-hour period and brown rats can produce up to 2,000 offspring in a year, according to Discover Magazine (opens in new tab). Brown rats can have up to 22 young at once, though eight or nine is more the average. Tropical rats tend to only have one to six babies at once. After a gestation period of 21 to 26 days, babies that weigh only around 6 to 8 grams (.21 to .28 ounces) are born, according to the American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association. (opens in new tab) By the age of three months, the brown rat is ready to reproduce. Rats typically live around two or three years. Most house rats 91 to 97% die within their first year of life, according to the University of Michigan (opens in new tab). Rat taxonomy Here is the taxonomy of rats according to ITIS: Kingdom: Animalia Subkingdom: Bilateria Infrakingdom: Deuterostomia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Infraphylum: Gnathostomata Superclass: Tetrapoda Class: Mammalia Subclass: Theria Infraclass: Eutheria Order: Rodentia Suborder: Myomorpha Superfamily: Muroidea Family: Muridae Subfamily: Murinae Genus: Rattus Common rat species Common rat species include: Rattus argentiventer Ricefield rat Rattus hoffmanni Hoffmann's Sulawesi rat Rattus lutreolus Australian swamp rat Rattus norvegicus Norway rat, or brown rat Rattus osgoodi Osgood's Vietnamese rat Rattus rattus House rat, or black rat Rattus xanthurus Northeastern Xanthurus rat, or Sulawesi white-tailed rat (Image credit: Getty) Rat conservation status The International Union for Conservation of Nature (opens in new tab) (IUCN) lists 16 rat species on its Red List of Threatened Species. They are considered threatened with extinction due to loss of habitat and decreasing populations. Near Threatened Rattus elaphinus (Sula Archipelago rat) Rattus feliceus (Spiny Seram Island rat) Rattus jobiensis (Yapen rat) Vulnerable Rattus hoogerwerfi (Hoogerwerfs Sumatran rat) Rattus palmarum (Zelebors Nicobar rat) Rattus richardsoni (Glacier rat) Rattus satarae (Sahyadris forest rat) Rattus stoicus (Andaman rat) Rattus xanthurus (Northeastern Xanthurus rat) Endangered Rattus burrus (Miller's Nicobar rat) Rattus hainaldi (Hainalds Flores Island rat) Rattus lugens (Mentawai Archipelago rat) Rattus montanus (Sri Lankan mountain rat) Rattus ranjiniae (Ranjinis field rat) Rattus simalurensis (Simalur Archipelago rat) Rattus vandeuseni (Van Deusen's rat) Other rat facts Brown and house rats have made a number of mammal, bird and reptile species extinct, especially on oceanic islands, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. They have also spread of diseases among humans, including bubonic plague. (However, recent research suggests that parasites living on rats, such as fleas and lice, may be the more likely culprit behind the spread of plague). Rats arent all bad, though. Brown rats are used in laboratories for research. In fact, according to the Foundation for Biomedical Research (opens in new tab), 95 percent of all lab animals are mice and rats. A rats front teeth grow 4.5 to 5.5 in (11 to 14 cm) each year, according to Discover Magazine. Their sharp front teeth never stop growing. Additional resources WASHINGTON - First lady Jill Biden's gown for the state dinner on Wednesday with Korea was an oyster-colored column of solid understatement. Standing next to her husband, President Biden, and South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol, both in tuxedos, and President Yoon's wife, Kim Keon Hee, Biden's elbow-length silk dress by the Lebanese designer, Reem Acra, looked muted, but agreeably graceful. The dress, and much of the wardrobe she has worn as first lady, are intended to make us appreciate briefly that she looks lovely - and quickly move on. The maker of the dress is not easily recognizable; Rarely, does Biden believe, should a brand name be a talking point. As flattering as that pale purple may be on her, she's much happier to let her guests' ensembles, especially noted clotheshorse Kim, in a sweeping chiffon skirt and little white gloves, provide the fashion credentials. State dinners - this the Biden administration's second, after December's dinner with France - are among the rare occasions when we see the first lady in a gown, a garment mostly associated with celebrities and royals. The first lady, of course, is neither, and so instead, the state dinner becomes a moment for her to cement a shared idea of what American sophistication should look like. For Biden, that's been a vision of centrist glamour, an accessible elegance. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Washington Post photo by Ricky Carioti Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Washington Post photo by Ricky Carioti Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Both of Biden's predecessors were unusually fashion-forward, and their state dinner ensembles revealed much about how they wanted us to perceive them. Former first lady Michelle Obama wore some of her most memorable looks for these events, and they were outright glamorous, even enviably stylish: a red and black floral gown with an asymmetrical neckline by Alexander McQueen for a state dinner with China in 2011; a Naeem Khan dress decorated with an art deco-inspired pattern of beads, with a stack of gold and silver bangles on one wrist, to host Germany that same year. The look for her final state dinner, with Italy in 2016, was a copper ruched chain mail gown by Versace that seemed like a declaration of her fashion intuition: she knew well the pleasures and spiritual rewards of wearing a beautifully cut, playfully flashy gown. During her run as first lady, Melania Trump's state dinner ensembles suggested that for her, fashion could be something like a life raft. In 2019, she wore a fluttery sea foam green dress by J. Mendel for a dinner with Australia; the year before, she donned a Chanel haute couture gown, its lace hand-painted and sequined, for a state dinner with France. If the Chanel gown was a nod to her guests' home country, it was also a major fashion flex, demonstrating her membership in the elite circle of couture clothing buyers. Trump's recognizably designer clothes, by brands from Dior to Calvin Klein (then under the creative directorship of celebrated Belgian designer Raf Simons), often read as an assertion of her individuality, even privacy - she refused to give up the commitment to and pursuit of high fashion typical of women in New York's one percent. Obama seemed to see her wardrobe as part of an effort to modernize and expand the archetypes of American glamour. Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton instead favored designers long-beloved by women in circles of American power, like Carolina Herrera and Oscar de la Renta, and stuck to a uniform of ball skirts, crisp white shirts and silk boleros. Biden's style is not quite a rebuke of her previous administrations' eager embrace of fashion, but neither is a return to that earlier traditionalism. Instead, she appears to think strategically about cultivating an accessible look of propriety, of appropriateness. She usually demurs when asked about her clothing choices, deferring to the designers to announce when she wears one of their pieces. She has stuck to a small coterie of designers and brands who are contemporary but not modern, conservative but not old-fashioned, like Markarian, Gabriela Hearst and Brandon Maxwell. Their clothes are expensive, easily in the thousands of dollars, but have messaging baked into them that can feasibly obscure or justify their price: Markarian and Maxwell as 30-something designers who run small businesses; Hearst as an immigrant who emphasizes sustainability in her designs; and Oscar de la Renta, now run by the late designer's proteges Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia, who are also immigrants. For Biden, fashion choices seem guided by a notion of common sense. "Jill Biden has a way of dressing that to most people seems appropriate," said Lisa Kathleen Graddy, the curator of the Smithsonian's First Ladies Collection. "It seems elegant. It seems pretty. And it's something that people can visualize themselves wearing or choosing. And I think that makes the first lady very relatable to people who are watching her." She wears colors, silhouettes and ensembles that are easily understood. She is an eager re-wearer of her clothes. She knows that navy and soft pinks flatter her. She loves florals, especially in the spring (in the words of the fictional fashion editor Miranda Priestly, "Groundbreaking."). She grasps that wearing the "right" dress - in tone, fit, and length - has meaning, creates atmosphere, elevates the mood or reminds us that this is casual. She understands the power of a knee-length sheath dress with a matching coat, or a pair of peony pink gloves that perfectly match her coat - that such gestures are timeless, sturdy, agreed upon for a reason. It is a kind of sartorial decorum. And yet there is always something that lifts her look just above the pedestrian: a pair of playful pink flower earrings, or a wedge espadrille, or a red ribbon tied around the waist of a printed dress. (Remarkably, Biden does not work with a stylist, as both Trump and Obama did.) For her first state dinner, with France last December, she wore a navy blue dress in a botanical guipure lace - a thicker and larger pattern of lace, sturdier and less fussy, which tends to make a gown look more contemporary. The dress was off the shoulder; she is clearly attuned to the small details that ensure that, at 71, she never looks matronly. If Trump and Obama saw fashion's self-expressive qualities as something to celebrate, Biden instead seems to intuit how fashion can create a sense of reliability. It is a position that has likely won her respect from older generations, who tend to be more suspicious of self-expressive pleasures that are stereotyped as feminine like fashion; on the other hand, younger voters, especially Gen Z, see fashion as a part of contemporary life as ubiquitous as pop music or TV. But for now, especially as her husband launches into his reelection campaign, she is eager to make it easy for us to picture ourselves in her shoes. By Mitchell Zuckoff Random House. 316 pp. $28.99 - - - In July 1940, after the Vichy government in France signed an armistice with Nazi Germany, thousands of refugees fled to Marseilles to seek asylum in the United States or elsewhere. Anxious to limit immigration and maintain good relations with the Vichy government, the U.S. State Department discouraged diplomats from granting visas to these desperate refugees. A notable exception was the vice consul in France, Hiram "Harry" Bingham IV. An estimated 2,500 refugees were able to flee the Nazis when Bingham disregarded State Department immigration guidelines. Some of those he helped were famous - Hannah Arendt, Thomas Mann, Marc Chagall - but most were not. In 1941, the State Department abruptly transferred Bingham to Portugal and then to South America as a reprimand for his actions. He was then passed over for a promotion and later left the diplomatic corps. It was only after his death in 1988 that his family discovered in his personal documents how many lives he'd saved by following his conscience and breaking protocol. The legacy of Bingham looms large in "The Secret Gate: A True Story of Courage and Sacrifice During the Collapse of Afghanistan" by Mitchell Zuckoff. The fall of Kabul and the collapse of the Afghan government in the summer of 2021 echoed the fall of France in 1940 (as well as that of South Vietnam in 1975). The subsequent refugee crisis and the State Department's unpreparedness cast America's diplomats in Bingham's role. They had to choose who to rescue and who to leave behind, all while negotiating those choices against State Department regulations whose dictates diverged from what their conscience told them was the right thing to do. One of these diplomats, who makes up one half of the twin narratives in "The Secret Gate," was Sam Aronson, a junior Foreign Service officer flown into Kabul on temporary duty in the final days of the U.S. withdrawal. The other half of Zuckoff's narrative is the story of Homeira Qaderi, an Afghan writer and prominent women's rights activist turned refugee. When we meet Homeira, she is deeply reluctant to leave Afghanistan, despite the Taliban advance. "We're going nowhere," she tells her young son, Siawash, who wants to flee. "This is our home. This is our life." Homeira is a single mother, granted custody of her son through the Republic of Afghanistan's relatively progressive legal system. A Taliban-controlled Afghanistan is one in which she'll lose that custody. Nevertheless, she can't bring herself to go, even over the objections of her father, a former mujahideen member who fought the Soviets. "The Secret Gate" reads like a thriller as Homeira's decision of whether to stay or flee is made against the deadline of the U.S. withdrawal - a decision contingent on if she can even find her way through the panicked crowds and into the airport in Kabul. Like many veterans of the war in Afghanistan, I was involved in evacuation efforts of former comrades and their families in those harried final days of the war. Zuckoff does a remarkable job not only of describing the chaos and confusion at Kabul airport, but also of framing the fraught choices faced by Afghans and Americans alike. When Aronson comes across a woman without her husband who's cradling an infant with scratches up and down its neck, he's initially confused - until a Marine explains, "You know the story here? Bro, she threw her baby over the . . . concertina wire out at East Gate." The Marine told Aronson that he had a baby of his own back home. He told Aronson, "They ended up letting her in, too. The Marines had to catch the baby. I hate her for what she did." Aronson would personally place that woman and her infant on a flight out of Afghanistan, without the baby's father. "The Secret Gate" describes, in compelling detail, the excruciating decisions faced by members of the diplomatic corps and military as they decided who to evacuate and who to leave behind; however, the book doesn't fall into the trap of allowing the American narrative to subsume the Afghan one. At-risk Afghans like Homeira faced a far starker set of choices. Their decision was whether to stay and resist the Taliban, or to leave their loved ones and start a new life far from their home with no prospect of return. Homeira, whose family had fled Afghanistan decades before, only to return, is haunted by her mother's definition of what it means to live as a refugee: "It means becoming a stranger in a foreign country. It means dying alone." "The Secret Gate" is a fast-paced escape narrative, but it is also a morally complex interrogation of Homeira's wrenching choice. The book's title refers to a little-known gate managed primarily by CIA paramilitary officers and members of the CIA-sponsored Afghan Counter-Terrorist Pursuit Teams, known as Zero Units. Only a thin record exists of these Afghan paramilitaries, who numbered in the tens of thousands at the height of the war. Zuckoff's recounting of the critical role these cadres played in the final evacuation of Kabul is an important addition to the historical record. After Aronson approaches one of the American paramilitary officers, he's granted permission to use their gate as an off-the-books way to evacuate Afghans outside of the State Department's sclerotic bureaucracy. Although many, like Aronson, take heroic risks for strangers, Zuckoff paints a subtle yet damning portrait of State Department culture writ-large, one that discourages taking risk to ensure career protection. As Bingham knew. Aronson's learning curve in Kabul was steep. Toward the end of the book, Zuckoff writes of "the guilt Sam carried for having denied entry to families and individuals who posed no threat but didn't meet that day's shifting priorities for evacuation. 'I followed those orders,' he said. 'If I could do it all over again, I'd say screw the rules and let them in.'" As the book races to conclusion, Homeira and Aronson's narratives converge at the Secret Gate in a climatic escape attempt on the final day of evacuations from Kabul. When Aronson phones Homeira to tell her she has to leave her apartment immediately and head to the airport with her son, she has only moments to say farewell to her family. Her son, Siawash, throws his arms around his grandfather, Wakil Ahmad, whom he probably will never see again. The old man offers a simple plea to the boy, one Zuckoff's book will do much to uphold: "Don't forget me." - - - Elliot Ackerman, a former Marine Corps officer, served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is the author, most recently, of "The Fifth Act: America's End in Afghanistan" and co-author with Adm. James Stavridis of "2034: A Novel of the Next World War." Whether you're a music lover or just looking for a fun night out with friends, here are five of the best concert venues in Texas. 801 Red River St, Austin, TX 78701 Located in the heart of Austin's Red River Cultural District, Stubb's BBQ is a legendary music venue that has hosted some of the biggest names in the music industry. The venue's outdoor stage is the perfect place to enjoy live music under the stars with its intimate setting and excellent acoustics. The venue also offers a delicious BBQ menu, making it the perfect spot for a night out. 2915 N Main St, Houston, TX 77009 White Oak Music Hall is one of Houston's premier music venues, with a state-of-the-art outdoor stage that can accommodate up to 3,000 fans. The venue is located on a seven-acre site in the heart of the city and it offers stunning views of downtown Houston. With a wide range of musical genres on offer, from indie rock to country, there's something for everyone at White Oak Music Hall. 1281 Gruene Rd, New Braunfels, TX 78130 Gruene Hall is a historic dance hall located in the charming town of New Braunfels, just outside of San Antonio. The venue has been around since 1878 and has hosted some of the biggest names in music, from Willie Nelson to George Strait. The outdoor stage is set against a picturesque backdrop of towering oak trees and offers a unique and authentic Texas music experience. 2005 Lake Robbins Dr, The Woodlands, TX 77380 The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion is an outdoor amphitheater located in The Woodlands, just north of Houston. The venue has a seating capacity of 17,000 and has hosted some of the biggest names in music, from Elton John to Beyonce. With its state-of-the-art sound system and stunning setting, the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion is a must-visit for any music lover in Texas. 1818 1st Ave, Dallas, TX 75210 Dos Equis Pavilion, formerly known as the Starplex Pavilion, is a massive outdoor amphitheater located in Dallas. With a seating capacity of 20,000, it's one of the largest outdoor concert venues in Texas. The venue has hosted some of the biggest names in music, from Guns N' Roses to the Rolling Stones, and offers a range of musical genres throughout the year. There's no denying that a Texas vacation is one of the best ways to spend your spring or summer. This guide to amazing Texas outdoor music venues will help create memories you'll never forget. Courtesy/U.S. Customs and Border Protection A woman tried smuggling a migrant child claiming he was her son, according to an arrest affidavit. Valerie Aguilar, 24, of Laredo, was arrested and charged with transport, attempt to transport and conspiracy to transport the migrant child. City of Laredo leaders, along with local advocates for sexual assault victims, gathered Wednesday at City Hall to proclaim Denim Day in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. In attendance for the announcement was Laredo Mayor Dr. Victor Trevino, councilmember Melissa Cigarroa, assistant Laredo Police Chief Miguel Rodriguez, advocates and various crime victim units from Laredo's law enforcement agencies. Correction April 27, 2023: Attorneys for 4 Families withdrew on Wednesday their request for a temporary injunction that would have paused the new Hobby Airport contract. A previous version of the story stated that attorneys for 4 Families withdrew their lawsuit. This story has been updated throughout to reflect this change. The legal back and forth between Pappas Restaurants and the city of Houston over a concessions contract for Hobby Airport is on pausefor now at least. During a brief but at times testy court appearance Wednesday, attorneys for 4 Families of Houston, the umbrella company representing Pappas Restaurants, withdrew a legal request for a judge to pause enforcement of a new Hobby Airport concessions contract awarded to Spain-based company Areas SUA. Houston's City Council voted on March 8, after a prolonged bidding process, to award the contract to Areas SUA after a nearly two-decade partnership with Houston-based Pappas. After filing a protest with the city over its handling of the contract procurement process, Pappas and 4 Families sued the city of Houston, along with AREAS SUA, on April 11. On Wednesday, attorney Rachel Hooper, representing 4 Families, asked Judge Temika Craft to delay the first hearing on the suit in order to give both sides more time to review extensive discovery evidence and arrange witnesses. Judge Craft, at times seeming exasperated, told all three parties that her court had already rearranged its docket in order to hear the high-profile lawsuit, and that she was ready to start the hearing immediately. She also said that due to the District Court's hectic docket, she wasn't sure when the plaintiffs would be able to get another hearing date. Hooper responded that several witnesses important to Pappas' case, including Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Councilman Mike Knox, director of Houston airports Mario Diaz, and Houston's chief of economic development Andy Icken, were not present in the courtroom Wednesday. Mayor Turner and Icken are currently in Brazil on a trip to discuss commercial trade and investment between Houston and the South American country. Judge Craft encouraged Pappas' attorneys to present the witnesses and evidence they had available, but Hooper told the judge she felt she had no other choice but to withdraw the temporary injunction and request for a restraining order that could have prevented, or at least delayed, the city from moving forward with the Areas SUA contract. "This is very important to the city of Houston," Hooper said. "We will be harmed and prejudiced if we have to go forward with a hearing today." As part of the suit, Pappas has also asked the court to push back the restaurant group's move-out date by two weeks. That request was denied by Judge Beau Miller on April 14. As of now, Pappas is required to vacate the airport by Thursday, May 11. During a mediation process ordered by Judge Miller ahead of Wednesday's hearing, the parties agreed on what discovery evidence they would exchange, according to the city's and Areas SUA's attorneys. Part of 4 Families' request for a continuance of the hearing centered around the thousands of documents Hooper said she received from the defendants, and her team's need to review them. An attorney for the city, Brian Amis, said that any delay would be detrimental to business at Hobby, not just for the airport and Areas SUA, but also for Latrelle's Galley, a Black-owned and Houston-based company that won a separate, smaller concessions contract for Hobby Airport in January. Ben Stephens, an attorney for Areas SUA, echoed that sentiment, saying that any delay in the suit would jeopardize Areas' ability to hire employees and provide revenue for the city and airport. "The stakes are huge and the downsides are enormous," he said. "Our client has a commitment to the city." Craft ultimately denied 4 Families' request to delay the hearing, leading Hooper to withdraw the temporary injunction request. In an email to Chron, Christina Pappas, marketing director for Pappas Restaurants, said the group is currently formulating its next steps. "We have withdrawn our motion for a temporary injunction on the basis that key witnesses were out of the country," she wrote. "Going forward with the hearing without these key witnesses was not possible. We are fighting for transparency and fairness, and we need the necessary individuals. We are committed to continuing to fight for a transparent and fair process to which the citizens of Houston are entitled." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate ROME (AP) Ukraines prime minister said he asked Pope Francis during a private Vatican audience Thursday to help facilitate the return of Ukrainian children who were forcibly taken to Russia. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, briefing reporters on his half-hour audience with the pontiff, said he also invited Francis to come to Ukraine. I asked His Holiness to help us return home Ukrainians, Ukrainian children who are detained, arrested, and criminally deported to Russia,'' Shmyhal said. The Vatican's brief statement on the audience did not go into particular points of the talks. It noted that Shmyhal met with the Holy See's secretary of state and foreign minister after his meeting with Francis. During the cordial discussions, which took place in the Secretariat of State, various matters connected to the war in Ukraine were highlighted, with particular attention to the humanitarian aspects and efforts to restore peace," the Vatican said. Francis has repeatedly decried the war in Ukraine, which began 14 months ago with Russia's invasion of its neighbor. He has expressed a desire to visit both Ukraine and Russia in the context of his hopes of improving the prospects for peace. The International Criminal Court last month issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia's children's commissioner, accusing them of war crimes for abducting children from Ukraine. Russia has denied any wrongdoing, contending the children were moved for their safety. Speaking to reporters at the Foreign Press Association in Rome, Shmyhal said that in his talks at the Vatican he also discussed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's multi-point proposal for peace and the steps the Vatican could take in helping that plan become reality. He gave no specifics. The prime minister also declined to venture what might next develop in Ukrainian-Chinese relations. Zelenskyy said Wednesday that he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping had a long and meaningful phone call. During their conversation, which was the first known contact between the two presidents since the war began in February 2022, Xi said Beijing would send an envoy to Ukraine to discuss a possible political settlement to the conflict. The envoy is a former a former Chinese ambassador to Russia. The hour-long call came two months after Beijing, which has long been aligned with Russia, said it wanted to act as a mediator and a month after Xi visited Moscow. Shmyhal described the phone call as extremely productive and said it marked a new stage in Ukrainian-Chinese relations. "I'm also convinced it is an extraordinary beginning for developing our future relations,'' the prime minister said. Asked about the May 18 expiration date of a deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey to keep Ukrainian grain exports flowing during the war, Shmyhal said the shipments were another topic he broached with both Vatican and Italian officials. Russia has threatened to reject another extension of the deal, complaining that Western sanctions have held up exports of its products. I asked both the leadership of Italy and the Holy See to help Ukraine continue the grain corridors work without restrictions," Shmyhal said. The prime minister participated Wednesday in a Rome conference hosted by the Italian government to bring together businesses eager to participate in eventual reconstruction projects in Ukraine. ___ Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine Ariana Garcia NASA recently unveiled its 3D-printed, simulated Mars habitat located inside the Johnson Space Center campus in Houston. Now, the space agency has unveiled the names and faces of the four non-astronauts who will live and work inside the confines of the isolated 1,700-square-foot structure for about a year in order to test how humans would fare living on the red planet. During the first Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) mission crew members will be forced to live with limited food and resources, along with equipment failures, communication delays, and other "environmental stressors" thrown their way. The data collected on participants' mental and physical well-being will be used to help send astronauts to Mars in the future, the ultimate goal of the Artemis moon missions. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BEIJING (AP) Chinese leader Xi Jinping faces daunting obstacles if he is serious about trying to help end Russia's 14-month-old war in Ukraine. The biggest: Neither side is ready to stop fighting. Xis plan to send an envoy to Ukraine allows his government to deflect criticism of its support for Moscow and pursue a bigger role as a diplomatic force. His announcement Wednesday in a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prompted optimism Beijing might use its warm relations with Russia's Vladimir Putin to push for peace. That was followed by skeptical questions about whether Beijing is more focused on ending an invasion it refuses to criticize, or serving its own interests. China's starting point is a peace proposal issued in February that called for a ceasefire, negotiations and an end to sanctions against Russia. It offered few details, but repeated Russian accusations that Western governments were to blame for the invasion. China has good reasons to want to see the war ended. It jolted the Chinese economy by pushing up oil, wheat and other commodity prices. Beijing also warned Wednesday about the dangers of nuclear war, after Russia announced earlier it would move atomic weapons into neighboring Belarus. Chinas self-interest happens to align with ending the war, said John Delury, an international relations specialist at Yonsei University in Seoul. Beijing has no interest in seeing Russia humiliated, nor is it in Chinas interest for Russia to be triumphant, Delury said. The best option is a cease-fire and, with it, economic opportunities to participate in Ukraines post-war reconstruction. Wednesdays statement gave no indication how China might recommend addressing the questions the two countries are fighting over, including Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula seized by Moscow from Ukraine in 2014. PLAYING PEACEMAKER HELPS BEIJING IN EUROPE By playing peacemaker, Beijing might also be looking to separate European allies from the United States, which Xi accuses of trying to block China's economic and political rise. Beijing is trying to repair relations with Europe after an uproar over a Chinese ambassadors comment that former Soviet republics might not be sovereign countries. That group includes Ukraine, and European Union members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron have visited Beijing and appealed for help with Ukraine, highlighting the challenges faced by Washington in holding together allies to oppose Chinas assertive policies abroad. Trying to drive a wedge between the U.S. and European partners is an important goal, said Alexander Gabuev of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. For that, China needs to pretend that its an active force for peace. Xi's call with Zelenskyy might sustain European hopes that China can be persuaded to "wield its influence to help end the war" but is unlikely to change the Western assessment of Beijings stance as one of pro-Russian neutrality,' said Eurasia Group analysts in a report. XI SHOWS HE DOESN'T ALWAYS SUPPORT PUTIN The announcement gives Beijing a chance to show it doesn't always agree with Moscow, though the differences might be too subtle for Western critics. They complain China helps Putin resist Western sanctions by purchasing Russian oil and gas and provides political support. Xis government sees the Kremlin as a partner in opposing U.S. domination of global affairs. China has used its status as one of five permanent U.N. Security Council members to block efforts to censure Russia. Xi and Putin said in a joint statement before the February 2022 invasion their governments had a no limits friendship. Their navies held joint exercises with Iran in March. Despite that, the Chinese government says they have a non-alliance relationship. Beijing has promised not to supply armaments to either side in the Ukraine war. China has never taken one side, said Da Wei, an international relations specialist at Tsinghua University in Beijing and director of its Center for Strategic and Security Studies. Which Western leader has maintained communication with leaders of both parties directly involved in the crisis? said Da. I think this call is an indication of Chinas fair and impartial objective in promoting peace talks." A Chinese statement Wednesday also cited mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity as a foundation of relations with Ukraine. While Russia is trying to move borders by annexing portions of Ukraine, Beijing is intensely sensitive about respecting territorial sovereignty. It says borders must be respected and no country has a right to meddle in anothers affairs. BEIJING'S EFFORT TO RAISE GLOBAL PROFILE Positioning itself as a mediator also helps Beijing as it pursues a bigger role in managing global affairs as part of efforts to restore China to what the Communist Party sees as its rightful place as a political, economic and cultural leader. Beijing should actively participate in the reform and construction of the global governance system and promote global security initiatives, Xi said in March. A proposal for a Global Security Initiative issued in February said China is ready to conduct bilateral and multilateral security cooperation with all countries. Also in March, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced the end of a 7-year diplomatic split following Chinese-organized talks. This year, Xis government has also offered to mediate Israeli-Palestinian talks, set up a new Middle East security structure, and help African countries resolve disputes. If Beijing can organize peace talks, that backs up Xi Jinpings ambitions to being a global power, said Delury. China's diplomatic ambition is a reversal from decades of staying out of other countries disputes and most international affairs to focus on economic development. Its peacemaking initiatives are also at odds with confrontational Chinese behavior toward its neighbors in territorial disputes and threats to attack Taiwan, the self-ruled island democracy claimed by Beijing as part of its territory. DIM HOPES FOR PEACE TALKS Zelenskyys government said in a statement his conversation with Xi might lead toward possible interaction with the aim of establishing a just and sustainable peace for Ukraine. Zelenskyy said March 29 he had invited Xi to visit, but neither government has indicated whether that might happen. Despite that, political analysts see little chance for progress. Ukraine is believed to be preparing a new offensive to recapture Russian-occupied territory. A resolution is "maybe years, even decades, away, because the Russian and Ukrainian positions are still miles apart," said Gabuev. Shi Yinhong, an international relations specialist at Renmin University in Beijing, noted Russias Foreign Ministry has said peace talks are almost impossible," while Zelenskyy stressed to Xi the importance of recovering all captured territory. Neither side in the war materially echoed Chinas initiative, which fell far short of what they were striving for, said Shi. ___ Joe McDonald has reported from China for The Associated Press since 1997. ___ AP researcher Wanqing Chen in Beijing and AP writer Andrew Katell contributed. ___ Find more of APs Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific Chattanooga police arrest parents of toddler who died with fentanyl in his system All eyes will be on Punchestown racecourse tomorrow as award winning Longford boutique Fabiani looks to add yet another accolade to its ever growing trophy cabinet. That's because 32 year old Nomi Brennan from Leitrim, who works at the Longford fashion boutique, will be flying the flag for the luxury women's fashion store in the Bollinger Best Dressed competition grand final. Nomi, who was among the significant local contingent in the Longford GAA Pavilion, wowed judges to emerge as the festival's winner on day two. The judges noted that Nomi was undoubtedly a standout winner in her silk taffeta dress from Kika Vargas paired with a contemporary mule from Dutch brand Wandler, which are exclusively stocked at Fabiani. Nomi finished the look with a luxurious cream cashmere blazer by Anine Bing, and a headpiece by Wendy Louise Designs. Nomi, from Co Leitrim, has been working in Fabiani for the best part of two years and is readily viewed as being an invaluable part of the leading Longford store's team, offering expert style advice to clients who travel from far and wide to shop at Fabiani. "Today at Fabiani, we have been inundated with calls and messages of good wishes," said its owner Louise Brennan, who herself made it to yesterday's best dressed winners podium. "Nomi's dress is now completely sold out - the reaction we have had is overwhelming. "Now we need to refocus ahead of the big day tomorrow, as we head back to Punchestown with the hope of bringing the title back to Longford." Business & Finance By Jacob Alvear Published: April 27 2023 Long Island Board of REALTORS (LIBOR) has launched a new brand and website to better serve its 30,000 members and consumers in Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties. West Babylon, NY - Long Island Board of REALTORS (LIBOR), a leading regional REALTOR trade association that serves real estate professionals throughout Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties, is excited to announce the launch of its new brand and website to better serve its members and consumers. LIBOR has over 30,000 members and is home to one of the nation's largest, most diverse memberships. With this in mind, LIBOR has introduced a new logo and visual look that reflect the professional excellence and diversity of its REALTOR members. The new visual identity debuted on its recently refreshed website lirealtor.com. For more than 100 years, LIBOR has proudly represented generations of REALTORS, delivering unparalleled support and giving its members a competitive edge. This new brand identity represents who LIBOR REALTORS are today and how LIBOR supports their success with innovative tools and insights that help make the American Dream come true. Since LIBORs founding in 1910, generations of REALTORS have dedicated countless hours to building our association into the forward-thinking organization it is today always ready to meet our members needs, said LIBOR President Gina Marie Bettenhauser. Our new brand reinforces that fact, and reflects the professionalism and energy of our REALTOR members and the team that makes our association second to none. The Association has undergone a complete transformation, including a new logo, website design, and brand identity, to better reflect its values and mission. The new logo features the range of communities where LIBOR members work and the properties they represent from Queens to Montauk. A bridge is also displayed, front and center to emphasize LIBORs commitment to connection and forward progress. The refreshed website showcases an intuitive layout, streamlined navigation, improved functionality, and a range of enhanced services and tools designed to help members make buying, selling, and renting a reality for their clients. The site also features a new resource section for consumers to navigate the home buying and selling process with ease. "LIBOR is thrilled to unveil our new brand and look, designed with our users in mind," said LIBOR CEO Tessa Hultz. As a trusted resource in real estate, we strived to create an intuitive website with ease of use for both our members and consumers seeking real estate information. For more information about LIBOR and to explore its new brand identity, please visit www.lirealtor.com. Crime By Jacob Alvear Published: April 27 2023 Defendant and his Co-Conspirators Falsely Told Victim to Send Millions of Dollars to Claim Certificate Needed for Inheritance A two-count indictment was unsealed in federal court in Central Islip charging Odera Odabi, a resident of Georgia, with conspiring to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering. Odabi was arrested today in Georgia and made his initial appearance in federal court in Atlanta where he was ordered detained pending trial. Odabi will be arraigned in federal court in Central Islip at a later date. Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the arrest and charges. Odabi and his co-conspirators callously abused the trust of an elderly victim to line their pockets with millions in stolen cash, stated United States Attorney Peace. This Office and our partners will work tirelessly to ensure that those who prey upon some of the most vulnerable members of our community are called to account for their crimes. As alleged, the defendant and his co-conspirators took advantage of an elderly individual, deceiving the victim into sending more than five million dollars, which the schemers used for their own personal benefit. Financial frauds targeting elderly members of our communities are sadly rising at an alarming rate. The FBI is resolute in ensuring those who financially exploit the elderly face the consequences in the criminal justice system, stated Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll. As alleged in the Indictment and in court filings and proceedings, between approximately April 2020 and December 2021, Odabi and his co-conspirators falsely informed an elderly Suffolk County resident (John Doe) that he needed to send around $5.3 million to various bank accounts in order to obtain a purported Certificate of Origination from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and claim a purported inheritance in Singapore. In fact, the IMF does not issue such Certificates and has posted a warning on its website alerting the public to fraudulent schemes involving purported IMF certificates. As a result of the false communications, John Doe sent Odabi and his co-conspirators approximately $5.3 million, including approximately $2 million to accounts held in the name of Oh-Dabi Properties, LLC and American Commodity Exchange, Inc., two Georgia-based companies that Odabi operated. Ultimately, Odabi and his co-conspirators stole nearly all of John Does funds to benefit themselves, including through purchases at an Apple Store and Louis Vuitton, except for $197,000 that was frozen by bank officials on suspicion of fraud. If convicted of the charges in the Indictment, Odabi faces up to a maximum term of 40 years imprisonment. If you or someone you know is a victim of elder fraud, please call the Department of Justices National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833FRAUD11 (8333728311). The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of New York conducts presentations by Assistant U.S. Attorneys about ways to protect yourself and your community against scams, especially those targeting seniors. To request a presentation please email USANYE-SpeakersBureau@usdoj.gov. The governments case is being prosecuted by the Offices Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorney Bradley T. King and Madeline OConnor are in charge of the prosecution. Four Arrested for Selling Vape Products to Underage Teens Crime, Business & Finance By Jacob Alvear Published: April 27 2023 Four individuals were arrested for selling cannabis products and vapes to minors in Suffolk County. Suffolk County Police arrested four people for selling cannabis products and vapes/e-cigarettes to minors in the Second Precinct. In response to numerous community complaints, Second Precinct Crime Section officers conducted an investigation into the sale of cannabis products, vapes and e-cigarettes during which seven businesses were checked for compliance with the law. During the investigation, four businesses were found to be selling cannabis/marijuana products, vapes or e-cigarettes to minors. One of the businesses, Nirvana Vape Shop, located at 1153A East Jericho Turnpike, Huntington, has been cited four times since January. A second business, Gotham Smoke, in Huntington, had a previous violation in 2022. The following people were charged with Unlawfully Dealing with a Child 2nd Degree and Criminal Sale of Cannabis 3rd Degree, both misdemeanor charges: Nader Ilyas, 27, of Dix Hills, an employee of Nirvana Vape Shop, located at 1153A East Jericho Turnpike, Huntington. Fazal Khan, 44, of Brooklyn, an employee of Huntington Smoke Shop, located at 517 East Jericho Turnpike, Huntington Station. Umar Majeed, 40, of Brooklyn, an employee of Venom Smoke Shop, located at 469A East Jericho Turnpike, Huntington Station. Gerard Turnier, 26, of Huntington Station, an employee of Gotham Smoke , located at 681 East Jericho Turnpike, Huntington. All arrestees are scheduled to appear at First District Court in Central Islip on a later date. Crime By Jacob Alvear Published: April 27 2023 Cameron McEwen, a 21-year-old convicted sexual offender, was arrested in Middletown, New York for sexual exploitation of a minor and making extortionate interstate communications. Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today the arrest of CAMERON MCEWEN, a 21-year-old convicted sexual offender, in Middletown, New York. The Complaint charges that MCEWEN persuaded a 16-year-old girl living in Alaska (Victim-1) to engage in sexually explicit activity, take photos and videos of herself doing so, and transmit the photos and videos, via Snapchat, to MCEWEN. MCEWEN threatened to hack into Victim-1s cell phone and Snapchat account if she did not comply with his demands. MCEWEN was presented yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul E. Davison in White Plains federal court and detained without bail. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: Cameron McEwen was on probation following a previous conviction for rape when he allegedly continued to commit sexually abusive and vile crimes, including with a minor victim. This case underlines the urgent need for law enforcement to continue its efforts to protect children from those who prey on them, and this Office is committed to safeguarding children from these predators. According to the criminal Complaint filed yesterday in White Plains Federal Court:[1] In April 2023, MCEWEN knowingly used a social media platform to communicate with and entice Victim-1, as well as send extortionate interstate threats to Victim-1. MCEWEN, using Snapchat display names X, Cam, and fendii.kashout, and posing as multiple different people, initially connected on Snapchat with an 18-year-old individual, who he offered to pay for sexually explicit images and videos. When that individual sent MCEWEN the requested content, he threatened to leak the images and videos to the individuals family and friends and harm her if she did not find another person to send MCEWEN sexually explicit material. The individual sought out Victim-1, who connected with MCEWEN on Snapchat. MCEWEN then began sending Victim-1 messages threatening to hack Victim-1s Snapchat account and cell phone if she did not send him sexually explicit photos and videos. CAMERON MCEWEN, a/k/a X, a/k/a Cam, a/k/a dzys.world, a/k/a itsbeendrippy, a/k/a fendii, a/k/a fendii.kashout, was convicted in Orange County Court on January 13, 2022, of rape in the second degree and was on New York State probation when he committed the alleged offenses charged herein. CAMERON MCEWEN, 21, of Middletown, New York, is charged with one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, which carries a maximum sentence of 50 years in prison, and one count of making extortionate interstate communications, which carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison. The statutory maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by the judge. Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents in both Alaska and New York, the New York State Police Troop F, and the Middletown Police Department. He also thanked the Ketchikan Police Department for its participation and support in this ongoing investigation. Mr. Williams stated that the investigation is ongoing and requests that any individuals with information concerning CAMERON MCEWEN and any individuals who may have encountered someone using the Snapchat user names X, Cam, dzys.wlrd, itzbeendrippy, fendii, and fendii_kashout, please contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI and reference this case. The prosecution is being handled by the Offices White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathryn Wheelock and Marcia S. Cohen and are in charge of the prosecution. The allegations contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases By Jacob Alvear Published: April 27 2023 New Legislation Would Make Deed Theft a Crime, Help Keep Families in Their Homes, and Expand Opportunities for Deed Theft Victims to Seek Justice NEW YORK New York Attorney General Letitia James, State Senator Brian Kavanagh, State Senator Zellnor Myrie, and Assemblymember Helene Weinstein today announced new legislation to strengthen protections and remedies for victims of deed theft and bolster the Office of the Attorney Generals (OAG) ability to prosecute these crimes. Deed theft is a growing problem that predominantly targets Black and Brown homeowners, and under New Yorks current laws, opportunities for prosecutors to hold deed thieves accountable are limited. The two bills one addressing criminal challenges and the other focused on changes to civil laws would establish a crime of deed theft and help keep New Yorkers in their homes. No ones home should be stolen by a scammer without warning or reason, said Attorney General James. Victims of deed theft are often older adults and people of color who are asset rich but cash poor. Homeownership is a stabilizing economic force for their families and loved ones, and deed theft robs them not just of their family home, but of their most significant financial asset and the community they have known for their entire lives. This legislation will provide real and necessary changes to our civil and criminal laws to stop the perpetrators of these crimes and provide the protections and remedies needed to keep people in their homes. I want to thank State Senator Kavanagh, State Senator Myrie, and Assemblymember Weinstein for their partnership in these critical efforts to keep New Yorkers in their homes. At our public hearing in October 2022, my colleagues on the Housing Committee and I heard harrowing, infuriating testimony about the all too common crime of deed theft, said State Senator Kavanagh, Chair of the Senate Housing Committee. We learned a lot about how it works, and about how difficult it is to prevent, prosecute, or undo under current laws and real estate practices. Weve been working diligently since then and we are prepared to act. I thank my colleagues on the Committee for their leadership and engagement, especially Senator Myrie; Attorney General James for putting her own powerful voice and her offices considerable resources and expertise behind this effort; Assemblymember Weinstein for her long commitment to this issue and her sponsorship; and the many public agencies and officials, legal services organizations, and housing advocates who testified and provided input. Most of all, I thank the people who have come forward, at our hearing and in other settings, with their often painful stories of falling victim to this insidious crime. It is for all those who have been robbed of their home and whose communities have been targeted and for all those at risk of suffering a similar fate that we must act now. At the Senate's hearings on deed theft last fall, we heard from many homeowners and their families who lost everything to scammers, fueling an exodus of longtime New Yorkers from the communities they've lived in for generations, said State Senator Myrie. Too often, state government has been unable to prevent or prosecute this destructive crime. I'm grateful to our Attorney General and my colleagues for introducing strong legislation to protect homeowners in Central Brooklyn and across the state. I have been fighting to help hardworking homeowners in stay their homes for many years, and in particular, against the awful form of fraud known as deed theft, said Assemblymember Weinstein. This type of fraud often takes advantage of the most vulnerable New Yorkers, literally ripping their homes away from them and profiting greatly from the equity seized. I have sponsored deed theft legislation in the past, but it is clear that the Attorney General and our District Attorneys need better tools to stay ahead of the fraudsters. I am particularly pleased and grateful that Attorney General Letitia James has devoted ample resources to the fight against deed theft and am proud to join her in her efforts to fight these cruel thefts. Deed theft occurs when someone takes the title, or deed, to another persons home without the homeowners knowledge or approval. It has become a popular tactic used by scammers to illegally obtain ownership of a property, and disproportionately impacts elderly homeowners and homeowners of color, especially Black and Brown homeowners in gentrifying neighborhoods. From 2014 to the present, the New York City Sheriffs Office counted nearly 3,500 complaints of deed theft throughout New York City, with more than 1,500 complaints in Brooklyn and 1,000 from Queens. Deed theft scams are not just limited to New York City. Throughout the state, District Attorneys in Albany, Erie, Monroe, and Onondaga Counties have reported recent active deed theft complaints. As part of the legislation, the New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services would collect statewide data on deed theft crimes, which will further aid efforts to combat this scam. The most common ways scammers steal deeds are through forgery or through fraud. In cases that involve forgery, scammers fake the real homeowners signature on a deed and file it with the county clerk to make it look like they bought the property. In cases that involve fraud, homeowners are tricked into unknowingly signing over their homes to a scammer. These thieves then often evict the homeowner and sell the property at a significant profit. Under current law in New York state, deed theft itself is not a crime, and there are not adequate protections in place to slow down or stop a deed theft in process. Today Attorney General James, State Senator Myrie, State Senator Kavanaugh, and Assemblymember Weinstein are introducing two pieces of legislation that would address these issues by creating new criminal and civil legal provisions to increase enforcement opportunities and help keep New Yorkers in their homes. S6569: OAG Program Bill sponsored by State Senator Myrie 1) Establish a Crime of Deed Theft Challenge: Currently, the only factor that determines the severity of a deed theft is the value of the stolen property. This is limiting as it fails to evaluate whether or not a property is someones home or livelihood. Some judges and prosecutors have even stated that they are not aware of deed theft. Change: This legislation addresses those current limitations by amending the Penal Law to establish a crime of deed theft: Deed Theft in the Second Degree, a Class C Felony: Theft of one real property. Deed Theft in the First Degree, a Class B Felony: Theft of one residential real property or the theft of two or more real properties. The maximum penalty for Deed Theft in the First Degree would be a mandatory sentence of one to three years in prison, up to 25 years. 2) Grant OAG Criminal Jurisdiction Challenge: OAG does not have jurisdiction to prosecute criminal deed theft cases without a referral, and sometimes referrals can be difficult to secure when a homeowners complaint is submitted directly to OAG. Change: The legislation grants OAG concurrent original jurisdiction to prosecute deed theft crimes alongside District Attorneys throughout the state. 3) Extend the Statute of Limitations Challenge: Too often, victims of deed theft are not aware of the crime until after it has occurred. Under the current statute of limitations, OAG and prosecutors are forced to either rush investigations or lose the ability to prosecute the case under criminal law. Change: This bill extends the statute of limitations for felony criminal prosecution of deed theft from five years to eight years, allowing for more time to identify and investigate cases. S6577/A6656: Sponsored by State Senator Kavanagh and Assemblymember Weinstein 1) Void Good Faith Purchaser Protections Challenge: Under current law, once a scammer has obtained the deed to someones home through forgery or fraud, there are very few legal remedies available to homeowners and prosecutors to stop or reverse the fraud. For example, if a scammer illegally steals the deed to a persons home and then sells it to an innocent third party unaware of the scam, that new buyer is considered a good faith purchaser. The law protects the new buyers right to the property they purchased, regardless of how the seller, or scammer, obtained the property. As a result, homeowners who have been evicted as a result of a deed theft scam are often unable to get their homes back, even if the court finds the scammer guilty of deed theft. Change: This legislation enables prosecutors to file a legal action on properties where a deed theft has taken place or is suspected, which acts as a sort of legal red flag on the propertys records. If a scammer then attempts to take out a loan against the property, banks or title insurance companies will see the red flag and know not to provide a loan. This provision would also eliminate a potential good faith purchasers protected claim to the home, as they would have encountered the red flag in attempting to buy the property from the seller, and therefore would have known they were buying a home from a seller whose ownership was in dispute. This legislation also includes a provision to void good faith purchaser protections. Typically, when a home is sold and the deed is transferred legally, the rightful homeowner and seller either pays off the rest of the existing mortgage on their house with the funds from the sale, or the mortgage is transferred to the new owner. When scammers illegally steal the deed to a home, the homeowners mortgage is often not paid off, as the home was stolen, not sold. In cases where a third party purchased a property where the mortgage was neither transferred nor paid, this legislation would void that buyers claim to the property, enabling it to be returned to the rightful homeowner. 2) Stay Eviction Proceedings Challenge: Currently, if a scammer has stolen the deed to a home and attempts to evict the rightful homeowner, that eviction case will go to housing court. Housing court looks at the facts of any given eviction case and cannot determine whether or not the evictor is actually the rightful owner of the property. This is how many victims of deed theft end up forced out of their homes. Change: This legislation would make it possible to keep New Yorkers in their homes and stay an eviction proceeding in housing court when the rightful homeowner can show reasonable evidence that there is an issue with the title of the property or a potential deed theft in progress. Homeowners would be able to pause their evictions in housing court until the suspected deed theft case has been litigated. 3) Expand Existing Protections Challenge: The Homeowner Equity Theft Prevention Act (HETPA) allows homeowners in distress the opportunity to cancel any contract to sell their property, whether they signed it knowingly or a scammer took advantage of their vulnerability. These protections are currently only available to homeowners whose properties are in foreclosure or on the tax lien sale list, but not to homeowners whose properties are on the utility lien sale list. Change: This legislation includes a provision to expand the protections of HETPA to include homeowners with active utility liens. For years, I have been fighting to get stronger laws in place that protect homeowners from deed theft and punish the criminals who target them. And thanks to Attorney General James leadership and these two bills, we have a chance of finally holding criminals and scammers accountable, said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Deed theft is a predatory crime that scams working New Yorkers, families, and seniors out of their homes denying the American dream to those who have worked hard all their lives to achieve it. As Brooklyn borough president, I led the charge against deed theft. And, as mayor, I will not accept a city where renters and homeowners, especially Black and Brown renters and homeowners, are scammed out of the chance to build wealth for their children and grandchildren. These bills build off work that the city and the state have already begun, including through the Protect Our Homes taskforce with the attorney general, our DAs, and the New York City sheriff. Hard-working New York City homeowners are having their dreams stolen by criminals, but, together, we are restoring those dreams. Combatting real estate fraud has been an important priority for my office and our successful prosecutions of scammers has helped reduce the number of deed fraud complaints in Brooklyn by more than half between 2021 and 2022, said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. But homeowners need more protections in both civil and criminal courts, which is why I support this proposed legislation, which gives prosecutors more tools to hold offenders accountable and make victims whole. I commend Attorney General Letitia James, and the bill sponsors, Senator Zellnor Myrie, Senator Brian Kavanagh, and Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein, for their work on this important legislative package. As the value of Manhattan real estate skyrockets, so does the prevalence of residential real estate fraud. This issue impacts economic stability and cultural diversity. Establishing a crime of deed theft will allow my Offices Housing & Tenant Protection Unit to continue rooting out bad actors, said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. Deed fraud affects the most vulnerable New Yorkers, and predators can brazenly snatch someone's home away with a few clicks of a mouse. I commend Attorney General James and the sponsors of these bills for protecting homeowners and introducing these needed reforms. In the three years I have been in office, we have restored five homes to their rightful owners. Before then, there wasnt even a unit in the Queens districts attorneys office to handle deed fraud, said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. That is not because my predecessors did not care about deed fraud, but because the investigations are extraordinarily complex and there were simply not enough dedicated resources. With a Real Estate Theft Unit in place, within my Housing and Worker Protection Bureau, we have begun to successfully address this long-standing problem. This new legislation will allow my office and others to continue to fight back against scammers and identity thieves. I applaud Attorney General James for her initiative in fighting back against this ruinous financial crime. Homeownership is one of the biggest milestones for many individuals and families, setting the foundation to generational wealth for many. However, it can also make you a target for deed theft by scammers, said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. As common as deed theft is, we need laws that will safeguard the livelihood and stability of our Black and Brown communities those most likely to be victims of deed theft, criminalizing these acts. Thank you to Attorney General James for her advocacy and work around this important issue that impacts far too many families in our communities. Deed theft doesn't just rob someone of their home, it upends their lives and often forces them into spending their entire life savings to regain possession of their house, said Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal, Chair of the Committee on Housing. Around the state, everyday New Yorkers, seniors, immigrants, and others are being preyed upon by scammers who have made it their mission to steal assets from the most vulnerable. I applaud Attorney General James for her attention to this issue and for working with the Legislature to craft a package of legislation to hold deed theft perpetrators accountable and protect homeowners from this traumatizing experience. We are not doing enough to protect long term homeowners, especially black and brown ones, from predatory scams, said Assemblymember Phara Souffrant Forrest. No one should ever have to learn that their home has been stolen from them. I applaud the Attorney General for her action on this issue and look forward to working with her to protect New York homeowners from this vicious crime. Deed theft is a serious and growing problem in New York, particularly in Brooklyn, said Assemblymember Brian A. Cunningham. All people and families should have the ability to attain and pass down generational wealth without it being targeted, especially Black homeowners that have been previously excluded. We need better protections for homeowners from predatory lenders and deed theft throughout our state. I'm proud to say that the sweeping changes we have enacted will add new safeguards for them and allow good faith buyers to recoup financial losses from fraudulent deals, while holding unscrupulous lenders criminally liable. Deed theft is among the most heinous crimes frequently committed in Brooklyn, said New York City Council Member Chi Osse. Its perpetrators take advantage of the elderly and vulnerable and destroy hard-earned generational wealth. The historically Black neighborhoods I represent, Bedford-Stuyvesant and North Crown Heights, are disproportionately targeted, as the hard work and cultural vibrancy of their communities have caused real estate values to skyrocket in recent years. For too long, the government has lacked the necessary tools to combat deed theft. Thankfully, that will change. I commend Attorney General Letitia James, Senator Zellnor Myrie, Senator Brian Kavanagh, and Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein for producing this legislative package and for their commitment to this fight. The people of Brooklyn should know that we have their backs and that protecting their homes is our top priority. In Central Brooklyn, deed theft is all too common. Headlines frequently recount the properties stolen from long-time homeowners through deed theft scams that ultimately and too often displace residents from the very communities they helped foster and the homes they spent a lifetime nurturing for the benefit of their families future generations. This predatory practice is an existential threat to the wellbeing of our Citys Black and brown neighborhoods, said New York City Council Member Crystal Hudson, Chair of the Committee on Aging. It has specifically targeted our older neighbors, and it has long gone unchecked. Today, Attorney General James has taken a significant step to curb these abuses and give power back to the people who have made our communities what they are. The three bills announced this morning will empower long-time homeowners to protect and stay in their homes. They will establish a crime of deed theft, holding predatory real estate speculators accountable to the furthest extent of the law, and they will help families more easily retain their deeds when they have been targeted. Our communities deserve these bills. Their very existence depends on it. Deed theft is predatory real estate at its worst and targets our most vulnerable homeowners, said New York City Council Member Sandy Nurse. We have seen one too many deed theft cases in our district and it's a daunting task for dispossessed homeowners to win back their property. I thank Attorney General James, Assemblywoman Weinstein, and Senators Myrie and Kavanagh for pushing these crucial pieces of legislation to make it easier to win back title and help stabilize Black and brown communities. Attorney General Letitia James has long been a leader of equitable homeownership in New York and continues to advocate for the resources that protect low-income homeowners and their homes against foreclosure, scam prevention, and deed theft, said Christie Peale, CEO and Executive Director, Center for NYC Neighborhoods. The state needs to continue funding for the Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP), which has helped over 150,000 families be able to afford to stay in the homes they worked so hard to buy. Helping families of color stay in their homes and the communities that they have invested in for years is a crucial element to reducing the racial wealth gap and stabilizing our communities. We applaud Attorney General James for providing tools that protect our homes and enforce legal action against predators trying to snatch long-term generational wealth from New York families. Deed theft and foreclosure rescue scams prey on homeowners and their efforts are getting more sophisticated to the detriment of families and communities across New York, said Kirsten E. Keefe, Senior Attorney and Program Director for HOPP Anchor Partner Program, Empire Justice Center. We applaud Attorney General Letitia James and the legislative sponsors for their efforts to strengthen the states ability to investigate and prosecute crimes against homeowners. The first, best line of defense against deed theft is the Attorney Generals Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP), which gives homeowners access to reputable services, however, New York needs additional tools to combat these bad actors. We urge the New York State Legislature to pass these important protections that will deter scams and bring justice for those whose homes and equity have been stolen. We are grateful for Attorney General James steadfast support for New Yorks struggling homeowners and her efforts to combat deed thefts and other scams that prey on New Yorks most vulnerable homeowners, typically targeting the elderly and communities of color, said Jacob Inwald, Director of Foreclosure Prevention, Legal Services NYC. We appreciate Attorney General James consistent efforts to maintain funding for the Homeowner Protection Program, a network administered by her office that provides vital services to struggling homeowners across the state and is our most important tool in combatting deed thefts and other scams. We look forward to working with the Attorney General's Office on efforts to advance consumer protections in New York so homeowners have a way to fight scams and have remedies for unfair practices so they can get the justice they deserve. NHS Brooklyn thanks the Attorney General for the new legislation put in place to protect homeowners from deed theft, an issue that threatens the displacement of homeowners in our communities, said Tonya Ores, Executive Director, NHS Brooklyn, CDC Inc. Deed Theft disrupt and displace families, and wipe away generational wealth. Strong legislation provides homeowners with the protection needed to stay in their homes and preserve our communities. At BKA, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we've seen a surge in deed theft cases, though these scams have been a persistent issue since the 2008 recession, said Tamara del Carmen, Consumer and Economic Advocacy Program Director, Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A. With another housing recession looming, it is imperative to quickly pass legislation to increase protections and pathways for resolution for those at risk of and impacted by deed theft, including those most targeted: seniors, low-to-moderate income, and Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) homeowners. We thank Attorney General Letitia James for her leadership and commitment to protect homeowners against deed theft. We as legal service providers on the ground have witnessed the terrible disruption and loss that the predatory practice of deed theft causes, said K. Scott Kohanowski, Director of Homeowner Stability Project, City Bar Justice Center. Even when we identify the crime and the perpetrators, it can be incredibly difficult to right the wrong and return the victims to their homes and prior lives. This slate of proposals by the Attorney General is an important and necessary step to helping these homeowners and we are grateful for the Attorney General's leadership to combat deed theft. Attorney General James has taken significant action to protect New York homeowners and combat deed theft. In December 2022, she announced the indictment of five members of a deed theft ring for allegedly stealing three homes worth more than $1 million in total from elderly, vulnerable homeowners in Queens. In February 2021, Attorney General James announced an $800,000 grant, funded by OAG settlements, to the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the Center for New York City Neighborhoods as part of a program aimed at increasing awareness of deed theft in vulnerable neighborhoods. In January 2020, Attorney General James launched the Protect Our Homes initiative and announced the formation of an interagency law enforcement task force to respond to Deed Theft and other real estate fraud. In January 2019, Attorney General James announced the sentencing of a Brooklyn scammer for Deed Theft of two homes in Central Brooklyn. New Yorkers who believe they are a victim of deed theft are encouraged to contact OAG by calling 1 (800) 771-7755, emailing deedtheft@ag.ny.gov, or filing a confidential complaint online. The Homeowner Protection Program, a network of housing counselors and legal services providers throughout New York supported by OAG, offers free housing counseling and legal assistance statewide. Homeowners can contact HOPP online or call 1 (855) 466-3456 to get help. A Taliban suicide bomber killed four Afghan civilians in an attack on a US military convoy in Jalalabad. The Taliban killed 12 civilians in an IED attack in Ghazni. A Taliban suicide assault team killed 10 people in an attack on a court in Mazar-i-Sharif. Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal. Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here. In a brief Twitter thread responding to a recent article from The Washington Post, Zalmay Khalilzad, one of the key architects of the 2020 Doha Agreement that set the stage for the collapse of Afghanistan and the return of the Talibans Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, continued to tout his failed deal and again urged the U.S to cooperate with the Taliban regime. The article in question, Afghanistan has become a terrorism staging ground again, leak reveals, detailed leaked U.S intelligence documents that provide worrying assessments of activities, including external attack plotting, by the Islamic States Khorasan Province (IS-K) from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. FDDs Long War Journal cannot speak to the veracity of the leaked documents, but the assessments match current open-source evidence of the Islamic States operations in Afghanistan. Khalilzad, speaking on-brand with his previous statements, vehemently denied this depiction of Afghanistan. According to Khalilzad, since the U.S. withdrawal at the end of Aug. 2021, Afghanistan has not become a terrorist safe haven. Instead, Khalilzad claimed Al Qaeda has declined significantly, while the U.S. and the Taliban have a common interest against the Islamic State Khorasan Province, and said it is possible to hold the Taliban to their commitments on terrorism. He claimed the Taliban can be relied on as a counterterrorism partner and the experience of the last two years is better than many expected. Khalilzads points are at-best demonstrably false, and at worst, entirely dangerous. For instance, Khalizads stance that the Doha Agreement is enforceable in any way, shape or form enforceable is both. The U.S. drone strike that killed Al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri as he sheltered at a Taliban run safe house in Kabul last summer should have put Khalilzads proposition to rest. And yet Khalilzad continues to push for engagement with the Taliban. Khalilzads Twitter thread is nothing if not consistent with his previous public statements on Afghanistan and the Doha Agreement. In addition, the former ambassador continues to downplay the Taliban-al-Qaeda-alliance, the most important jihadi alliance in Afghanistan (and beyond). And to note the sad coincidence, Khalilzads thread of his repeated talking points largely fall in line with what Zabihullah Mujahid, the Talibans official spokesman, himself said about The Washington Posts article. Given Zalmays continued outsized relevance pertaining to U.S policy in Afghanistan, FDDs Long War Journal feels it necessary to refute the key ideas in Khalilzads Twitter thread, point by point. A few days ago, the @washingtonpost headlined on its front page that "Afghanistan has become a terrorism staging ground again." They sourced this judgment to a leaked Pentagon document. However, this sensationalist hyperbole is unwarranted. [Thread]//t.co/gRcB45vxsu Zalmay Khalilzad (@realZalmayMK) April 25, 2023 1. Khalilzad: A few days ago, the @washingtonpost headlined on its front page that Afghanistan has become a terrorism staging ground again. They sourced this judgment to a leaked Pentagon document. However, this sensationalist hyperbole is unwarranted. The Washington Post article referenced by Khalilzad is anything but sensationalist hyperbole. The leaked intelligence documents are not the only sources sounding the alarm about the Islamic States rising capabilities in Afghanistan. The head of the U.S Militarys Central Command, Gen. Michael Kurilla, himself testified before Congress last month warning of IS-Ks growing regional threat, to include growing capacities to target the U.S or Europe. Other analysts have also pointed out IS-Ks growing strength on the ground, while also positioning itself to attract more Central Asian recruits to not only boost its numbers, but also make inroads across the region. This positioning was additionally noted in the latest report from the United Nations Sanctions Monitoring Team on al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. Despite a severe challenge from the Taliban and al-Qaeda, IS-K nevertheless seeks to utilize Afghanistan as a regional base for attacks elsewhere. The Washington Post article itself details how the Islamic State is using Afghanistan as a base for its global terror operations. This is happening despite the fact that Afghanistan is in the grip of the Taliban, and the two groups are mortal enemies, as the Taliban refuses to join the Islamic State and swear allegiance to its would-be caliph. While FDDs Long War Journal strongly disagrees with Bruce Riedels quoted conclusion (al-Qaeda is all but done) at the end of the article, the intelligence assessment about the Islamic States growing threat from Afghanistan appears accurate and comports with open-source information and is therefore concerning, to say the least. 2. An upswing in terrorism from #Afghanistan had been one of the fears associated with the US withdrawal. But that has not happened. Khalilzad is making a common mistake in his analysis. He assumes that because a terrorist threat against the West has not yet materialized since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, it will indefinitely remain that way. The Islamic State, Al Qaeda, and a host of regional and global terrorist groups, are based in Afghanistan. It was widely anticipated that the Taliban would attempt to keep plots from Afghanistan at bay, and that al-Qaeda and its allies would cooperate. It is in the best interest of all parties (excluding the Islamic State) to comply as it is in all of their interests to keep the heat off of the Taliban as it consolidates its power and seeks to receive support and recognition from countries like Russia, China, Qatar, Turkey, Iran, and others. The Islamic State, for its part, has tried to play spoiler to such maneuvers, with attacks against Chinese, Russian, and other interests and targets throughout the country and across Afghanistans borders. Moreover, just because Al Qaeda and its allies may not necessarily be plotting or executing attacks external today does not mean they are not building the capacity to do so in the future. These groups now have exactly what the 9/11 Commission Report said was important to allow terrorist groups to survive and thrive: safe haven and state sponsorship. 3. Al Qaida has declined significantly and is currently at its weakest in Afghanistan. In regard to ISIS-K, the Taliban regard them as their mortal enemies and have carried out ongoing deadly attacks against them, killing many of their leaders. There is no evidence to support this, and in fact, there is evidence of the opposite. Zawahiris presence in Kabul in the summer of 2022, less than one year after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, is not evidence of weakness, but its strength. It is also evidence of the enduring ties between the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda would not allow its emir to shelter in Kabul if it didnt think he was welcomed and protected by the Taliban. Zawahiri was living in a posh mansion that was owned by a deputy of Sirajuddin Haqqani, one of two Taliban deputy emirs as well as the interior minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. In addition, Sirajuddin is the head of the al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani Network, which is itself a Foreign Terrorist Organization, and Sirajuddin is himself listed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist for his ties to al-Qaeda. The U.S State Departments Rewards for Justice Program currently has a $10 million bounty for Sirajuddin. And for its part, no Taliban leaders have come out to denounce the fact that Sirajiddin was sheltering Zawahiri. In fact, the Taliban have not even admitted Zawahiri was killed in the Kabul strike. The Taliban instead denies the presence of any foreign terrorist organization (or foreign terrorist leaders) inside Afghanistan, despite no one taking its claims seriously. Instead, other top Al Qaeda leaders and commanders are known to have entered or are currently operating in Afghanistan, all under the support of the Taliban. For instance, Saif al-Adl, the longtime Al Qaeda leader who is widely believed to have succeeded Zawahiri, is rumored to have entered Afghanistan shortly after the latters death (though both the UN and the U.S. currently assess Adl to be Iran-based and not currently in Afghanistan). Dr. Amin al-Haq, Osama bin Ladens former chief of security who guarded him at the battle of Tora Bora, triumphantly returned to his home province of Nangarhar just days after the Afghan government collapsed. The Taliban even escorted al Haq to his home; the parade was captured on video and posted online. Abu Ikhlas al-Masri, a key Al Qaeda leader who was detained in Bagram for more than a decade before being freed in the last days of the Afghan government, has reportedly reorganized his Al Qaeda cadre and is operating training camps in northeastern Afghanistan according to the United Nations. And of course, the leaders of various foreign jihadi groups in Afghanistan who also act as dual-hatted Al Qaeda or Taliban leaders, such as the Turkistan Islamic Partys Abdul Haq al-Turkistani, are also still based inside the country. Also is the case of Mahdi Arsalon, a Tajik national who serves as the emir of the Al Qaeda-linked Jamaat Ansarullah, while also commanding several districts of Afghanistans north as a local Taliban leader. Khalilzads tired point about al-Qaedas defeat has long been repeated ad nauseam for over a decade, despite no actual evidence to support this claim. Estimates on al-Qaedas relative strength in Afghanistan have long been inaccurate, as documented by FDDs Long War Journal over the last three presidencies. That Al Qaeda largely acts as and consists of a constellation of varied forces inside Afghanistan, which are then often integrated within the Talibans own military structures, muddles the accuracy of any assessment of its numbers and strength inside the country. And to be clear, gauging Al Qaedas relative strength through the exclusive lens of its capacity to execute attacks abroad particularly against the United States greatly misunderstands not only how Al Qaeda operates, but its raison detre of fomenting, supporting, and playing a part in various Islamic insurgencies around the globe. Khalilzad is right, however, about the Islamic State and the Taliban being mortal enemies and the Taliban has indeed attempted to suppress them. But broken clocks are right twice a day. 4. ISIS-K does remain a threat, and it remains to be seen if the Talibs can eliminate them. They face challenges. For example, Tajikistani extremists have been able to cross into Afghanistan and join ISIS. And 5. Controlling the Afghanistan borders was one of the biggest challenges when our forces were in Afghanistan. The neighbors, especially Tajikistan, Pakistan, and Iran must do their part to prevent ISIS terrorists from crossing into Afghanistan. IS-Ks attempts to recruit and incorporate more Central Asians into its ranks was addressed above. However, this fact does not help Khalilzads case, in fact, it does the opposite. The fact that IS-K is acting, or attempting to act, as a beacon for both Central Asians outside of Afghanistan, and more-radical members of already established Central Asian jihadi groups inside Afghanistan, only helps the group expand its reach. That said, FDDs Long War Journal largely agrees with Khalilzads points in these specific tweets. However, he misses the context, or consciously chooses to omit, of other regional jihadis in Afghanistan that threaten the region. Namely, he omits the whole galaxy of jihadi groups in Afghanistan that operate within Al Qaedas orbit. Tajik, Uighur, Uzbek, and other Central Asian terrorists, are already present inside Afghanistan alongside al-Qaeda and often are integrated into Taliban structures, this includes Jamaat Ansarullah, the Turkistan Islamic Party, and the Islamic Jihad Union, to name a few. Pakistani jihadis also routinely cross the border and join al-Qaeda and allied other groups, including a long list of Pakistani terror groups sheltered by the Taliban, such as the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan (or TTP), Lashkar-e-Taiba, Harakat-ul-Mujahideen, Hizbul Mujahideen, and others. All such groups listed have their own extensive ties to Al Qaeda. And as mentioned above, senior leaders and commanders of these groups are often dual-hatted Al Qaeda and Afghan Taliban leaders and commanders. Perhaps the most worrying is the role of the TTP in Afghanistan. Al Qaeda helped write the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistans charter and issued orders to its leaders. The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan swears allegiance to the Talibans emir, helped the Afghan Taliban battle the U.S. and the prior Afghan government, and has a safe haven in eastern Afghanistan. It is now using this relative resurgence to regroup, restructure, and continue its jihad in Pakistan. Khalilzad is absolutely aware of these groups and their ties to both Al Qaeda and the Taliban. But more worrying, Khalilzads omission of these groups, particularly the TTP, does not capture the entire picture of the Talibans Afghanistan. While the Taliban is rightfully publicly concerned about the Islamic States infiltration of its borders, it still privately supports a whole host of foreign jihadi groups within its borders and their members entering Afghan territory. And whereas the Islamic State does threaten regional stability, at least one foreign jihadi group currently operating inside Afghanistan, the TTP, is already helping to destabilize a regional neighbor. These points expand beyond just IS-K and speak to the danger writ large of Afghanistans current terrorist safe haven. Though Khalilzad was likely attempting to just keep the brief thread germane to The Washington Post articles contentions, he nevertheless left out the entire other half of the discussion related to the dangers faced by Afghanistans neighbors vis-a-vis regional jihadis. Any discussion of controlling Afghanistans borders in regard to foreign jihadis must include at least a recognition of all of the other various foreign groups in the country, most of which are within Al Qaedas orbit. 6. The US and the Taliban have a common interest against ISIS-K. Thus, the current bottom line is that from a US standpoint, things have improved in regard to Al Qaida and have remained more or less the same regarding the threat from ISIS in Afghanistan. Just because the U.S and the Taliban have a common enemy does not make the two natural allies. The Talibans Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan itself is a terrorist state. As noted above, it sponsors Al Qaeda and and its allied terror groups, continues to maintain suicide battalions, and proudly flaunts its use of suicide bombers against the U.S., NATO, the Afghan government, and civilians alike. The Talibans current government includes numerous Specially Designated Global Terrorists, former detainees from Guantanamo Bay, and mass murderers and human rights violators. Using and trusting terrorists to fight terrorists is simply bad policy, especially when one such terrorist side continues to harbor and support a separate terrorist entity that is vehemently opposed to the United States. 7. When the US still had forces in Afghanistan, ISIS-K had plans and intentions to attack the US and the West. According to the DNIs Annual Assessment, published in February, it RETAINS the intent to conduct operations against the West This tweet only seemingly hurts his case in that The Washington Posts article is sensationalist hyperbole. 8. We should hold the Taliban to their commitments on terrorism. For our part, we must remain vigilant by both monitoring the evolution of the terror threat from Afghanistan and retaining the ability to protect and defend ourselves. And 9. At the same time, we should be pragmatic in dealing with the Taliban in the service of our counter-terror and geopolitical interests and continue expressing our concerns about the human rights of the Afghan people. The Doha Agreement was dead the moment the ink hit the paper. The Taliban was never serious about its commitments to Doha. It never intended to negotiate with the now-ousted Afghan government a fact made even more evident that the actual Afghan government was not even present during large parts of the proceedings. The Taliban sheltered Al Qaeda at the time the document was signed and continues to do so to this day. The Taliban were never going to respect the rights of Afghan women and girls. There never were so-called moderate Taliban. The Taliban played the U.S. in Doha, and continues to do so. Khalilzad cannot or will not recognize this, but instead continues to push the agreement while indirectly repeating many of the Talibans own talking points. 10. The experience of the last two years is better than many expectedwith no US loss of life since the withdrawal and with the saving of some $40 billion that we spent on the war there annually. It is difficult to see what in Afghanistan is is better than many expected since the U.S. withdrawal. Afghanistan remains a safe haven for a myriad of terrorists, and Al Qaeda and its allies have safe haven and state sponsorship. And as mentioned, the Islamic State continues to rampage across areas of Afghanistan, including sporadic large-scale attacks inside Kabul. FDDs Long War Journal, to be clear, does not advocate for the return of U.S. troops to Afghanistan. But instead wishes to see such public officials, especially those who have dedicated much of their professional careers working on Afghan issues, make more accurate, or at least more nuanced statements and assessments, on the country rather than tired, inaccurate, and misleading talking points that have been previously refuted. The Taliban fully control the country; resistance to the Taliban is nascent at best and there is no Northern Alliance 2.0 to give the West a window into the country. The Taliban-controlled country is rife with starvation, near famine, and drought as the Taliban tightens its grip on power. And human rights remain abysmal, made ever more clear with the return of the 1990s-style repression of Afghan women and girls. Khalilzad continues to play his recognizable political motif about the Taliban and Afghanistan, providing the reader with his common refrain. But just as he was out of tune during the negotiations in Doha, he remains playing the wrong notes today. The Washington Posts article, though based on leaked U.S. intel assessments, is seemingly largely based in reality and provides a bleak picture of Afghanistans current state and its future for hosting a myriad of terrorist organizations including jihadis on opposing sides of the global jihadi schism. If anything is sensationalist, its Khalilzads recent Twitter thread. Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here. (Alliance News) - DS Smith PLC on Thursday said that trading in its current financial year has been in line with forecasts, and confirmed the start date of its new finance director. The London-based packaging firm said it expects earnings before interest, tax and amortisation for its financial year ending April 30 to be between GBP850 million and GBP860 million. In financial 2022, DS Smith reported a full-year Ebita of GBP616 million, so at best, it predicts growth of around 40% this year. "Excellent customer relationships, and our high levels of service, product innovation and sustainability focus have driven resilient packaging prices during the period. Combined with good cost management, this has more than offset the weaker than expected volumes to deliver growth in profitability and delivery in line with our medium-term financial target," DS Smith explained. In December, DS Smith said revenue in the half-year ended October 31 rose 28% to GBP4.30 billion from GBP3.36 billion a year before. Pretax profit surged 82% to GBP322 million from GBP177 million. It also announced an interim dividend of 6.0 pence per share, up 25% from 4.8p a year before. Chief Executive Officer Miles Roberts said: "I am pleased with the excellent performance we have delivered this year, despite the volatile macroeconomic conditions. Our relentless focus on more resilient international [fast-moving consumer goods] customers to meet their rapidly evolving needs has enabled us to increase our share of their business and, together with ongoing cost management, has driven very strong profit growth." Later on Thursday, DS Smith confirmed that Group Finance Director & Executive Director Adrian Marsh will step down on June 30. Richard Pike will replace him from that date. Pike joined the company as an employee in March. Back in November, Biffa PLC said that Pike had resigned as chief financial officer. The High Wycombe, England-based waste management company had agreed a GBP1.3 billion takeover offer from private equity firm, Energy Capital Partners LLC, just two months prior. At the time, Biffa said Pike had accepted the new position at DS Smith. Shares in DS Smith were down 0.5% to 310.10 pence each in London on Thursday morning. By Sophie Rose, Alliance News reporter Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Apples Family Sharing lets people connected in that group choose to share their locations with each other and that of their devices. This can be useful to parents: not only does it help them figure out where their errant child is if said child hasnt gotten on the school bus home or is out and not getting in touch, but it can also help recover lost equipment. (As my older child learned in the reverse when he disabled Find My on a borrowed iPad and left it behind while traveling.) If Find My is enabled, a devices location is always tracked and available to the owner through Find My on other devices and via iCloud.com, as well as to Family Sharing group members if theyve allowed that. (The Find My network, which relies on encrypted crowdsourcing of location signals broadcast by Find My items and passed through nearby Macs, iPhones, and iPads owned by anyone, cant be used via Family Sharing as it relies on end-to-end encryption with the owners devices.) You may want your child to always leave Find My enabled. Disabling Find My requires the Apple ID password for the iCloud account used on the device. Without that password, your child (or another person) cant disable Find My. However, there are a few important provisos: Anyone with a device passcode can disable Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or cellular access, or all three. This prevents tracking. (If Bluetooth remains on, youd need to use a device connected to the same iCloud account, such as a childs home computer, to track it.) Anyone with a trusted device connected to an iCloud account can reset the Apple ID password without knowing the Apple ID password. This is a safety and security loophole exposed by the Wall Street Journal recently in relation to druggings, violent assaults, and even homicide. If the password changes, Apple sends email to the associated account. If youre monitoring that email account, youd see that alert. With an iPhone or iPad, theres no way to prevent someone who has the passcode from changing network settings or resetting the Apple ID password. On a Mac, you could set up a Standard user account, have Find My enabled on an administrator account, and use fast-user switching to keep the administrator account logged in and active but unavailable to the regular user. (This column offers some advice on setting up fast-user switching.) What this boils down to is that a child using a device likely wants internet access and is thus unlikely to disable it, meaning tracking will always remain active. And its a high bar for a kid to reset an Apple ID password and hope nobody notices. Apple needs to revise its policies for safety to prevent device-based Apple ID password resets, and that would eliminate the problem for parents, too. Make sure Find My is on; here, macOS Venturas settings are shown. If you want to check that Find My is enabled (a good idea for device recovery and locking it against use by thieves) look in these locations: iOS and iPadOS: Go to Settings > account name > iCloud > Find My. macOS Monterey or earlier: Go to > System Preferences > iCloud or Apple ID > iCloud and select Find My. macOS Ventura: Go to > System Settings > account name > iCloud > Find My. This Mac 911 article is in response to a question submitted by Macworld reader Nikki. Ask Mac 911 Weve compiled a list of the questions we get asked most frequently, along with answers and links to columns: read our super FAQ to see if your question is covered. If not, were always looking for new problems to solve! Email yours to mac911@macworld.com, including screen captures as appropriate and whether you want your full name used. Not every question will be answered, we dont reply to email, and we cannot provide direct troubleshooting advice. Countries commit to move the needle on child survival at 2nd Global Forum 27 April 2023 Malaria Consortium attends the 2nd Global Forum on Childhood Pneumonia held today and yesterday in Madrid to lend its voice in galvanising action and seek new and ambitious commitments to accelerate the introduction and scale up of lifesaving interventions needed to reduce child pneumonia deaths to the levels required to achieve both the Global Action Plan for Pneumonia and Diarrhoea (GAPPD) target and the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for child survival. The event, co-hosted by Every Breath Counts the first public-private partnership to support national governments to end preventable child pneumonia deaths by 2030 convenes health ministry officials from countries with high burdens of childhood pneumonia alongside World Health Organization delegates, donor governments and representatives from the public, private and academic sector and is an opportunity to check progress made against the specific government actions agreed in the first Global Forums Declaration in 2020. Pneumonia a preventable and treatable illnesses is the leading infectious cause of death in children globally, responsible for more than 700,000 child deaths annually. Under-five mortality rates are highest in the sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region, with respiratory and acute diarrhoeal infections among the most common reasons for children attending health facilities or providers. Most deaths caused by pneumonia are the result of inequitable access to healthcare and resources and a failure to provide vaccinations and diagnosis. Despite the high burden of childhood pneumonia, research into the disease has been chronically underfunded. In response, the Every Breath Counts Research Group, led by Malaria Consortium, undertook a research prioritisation exercise with more than 100 pneumonia experts to identify the top 20 paediatric pneumonia research priorities with the potential to accelerate reductions in child pneumonia deaths. The exercise identified that operational research on health system capacity and evaluations of optimised delivery of existing treatments, diagnostics and case management approaches are much needed. Crucially, stronger links between research and implementation and research and evidence will be most effective when linked to national pneumonia action plans informed and directed by national governments. Following the development and endorsement of a national childhood pneumonia strategy (PCS) in Nigeria, both Chad and Ethiopia, countries where pneumonia is among the leading cause of death in children under five, have sought to develop their own action plans to reduce the burden. "We're committed to ending preventable child deaths and, here at the global forum, we've been continuing the important conversations with ministries of health in Chad and Ethiopia about next steps to bring down the number of children dying from pneumonia. Following our support in developing their pneumonia control strategies, we're looking ahead to putting these plans in action and will support Chad with their application to Gavi to introduce pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and rotavirus. We're also discussing how to work with health officials in Ethiopia to support child survival through the integrated management of newborn and childhood illnesses action plan" said Dickson Awah, Malaria Consortium Chad Country Director, attending the event. Malaria Consortium assisted Chad and Ethiopias respective ministries of health to identify potential barriers and opportunities for strengthening the pneumonia response, conducting formative research, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with child health experts and representatives from academic and leading non-governmental, focusing on an integrated approach to address the disease. were used to identify weaknesses in supply and demand systems and define priorities for the development of Chad and Ethiopias respective pneumonia control strategies. "Pneumonia is a disease that kills many children under five in Chad. Until now, there has been no national pneumonia control strategy. This project is welcome because it will help to reduce mortality from this disease. It is important to work together in the fight against pneumonia at the community level, said Dr Toralta Nodjitoloum Josephine, Former Deputy Director of the Direction of Sexual and Reproductive Health, Chad. Building on the findings of the formative assessments in Chad and Ethiopia and in line with the countries respective integrated health goals of national pneumonia prevention policies, the ministries of health have developed national policies outlining the major objectives and corresponding activities to address implementation and resource gaps for pneumonia and diarrhoea. With the support of ministries, civil society groups, donors, the private sector and implementing partners including Malaria Consortium, the operationalisation of these plans can save children's lives and improve child health outcomes in both Chad and Ethiopia. Pneumonia and diarrhoea control is central to achieving universal health coverage and meeting the Sustainable Development Goals in Ethiopia. It is imperative to effectively implement the packages of evidence-based interventions articulated within the Action Plan and plan for protecting and preventing diseases in children, with a focus on underserved and vulnerable communities commented Meseret Zelalem Tadesse, MD, Paediatrician and Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Lead Executive Officer at Ethiopias Federal Ministry of Health. The action plans are expected to be published by each country later this year. The Final Declaration from the forum, including all country commitments, will be published later this year. To find out more, you can view the pneumonia control strategies and Child Pneumonia Research Investment Scorecard Related content 11 November 2022 Why we must increase access to lifesaving pneumonia interventions for children 16 March 2023 Strengthening the pneumonia response in Chad: Formative assessment 2022 3 February 2023 Formative assessment on integrated management of newborn and childhood illness implementation in Ethiopia 21 June 2022 Strengthening the pneumonia response in Ethiopia: Developing an action plan for the integrated management of newborn and childhood illnesses Greg Sukiennik has worked at all three Vermont News & Media newspapers and was their managing editor from 2017-19. He previously worked for ESPN.com, for the AP in Boston, and at The Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, Mass. Manchester, VT (05254) Today Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low 43F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low 43F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate ONEKAMA A proposed sewer project more than five years in the making is dead in the water. David Meister on Wednesday revealed the Two Lake Collaborative Sewer Authoritys plan to develop a joint sewer system in northern Manistee County is no longer going ahead. Meister is the Onekama Township supervisor and chairs the sewer authority. Were done, Meister said. Were not going forward with the project no matter what (people are saying) on 'Fakebook.' The sewer authority was formed by Bear Lake Township, the village of Bear Lake, Onekama Township and Pleasanton Township in 2017 with a mission to "plan, design, engineer, finance, construct and operate a public sewage disposal system" serving districts in those municipalities, according to its website, twolakeauthority.com. The plan became controversial among residents as projected costs have nearly doubled in recent years. Current estimates by Traverse City-based civil engineering firm Wade Trim put the projects price tag at over $60 million up from $34 million in December 2021. The sewer projects viability hinged on two things: the U.S. Department of Agriculture responding favorably to a rural development grant request submitted in March, and local municipalities remaining on board. A letter from the USDA indicated that while the project qualified for funding, the request would represent a significant portion of its budget for Michigan in 2023, potentially leaving more of the financial burden on residents. Shortly after the letter was received in April, the Bear Lake village board voted unanimously to withdraw its participation in the project. For the village of Bear Lake, it was too much money, Meister said. They have a water bill approaching $50 a month, the sewer bills $130. Theyre going to be $180 and it's going to go up $200 a month is a lot. Thats just an unreasonable amount. On recommendation of legal counsel, the Onekama Township board did not vote to follow Bear Lake in abandoning the sewer authority at its meeting Wednesday. A letter from attorney Eric Williams stated that the authority must close out and satisfy all outstanding contract obligations prior to its dissolution. While there are no debts or bond financing that must be repaid by the authority, Williams letter stated that it is still obligated to obtain an audit one of the final orders of business before the authority can be dissolved. Meister noted at the meeting that while the project is effectively over, someone was still needed to turn off the lights on their way out. We cant all opt out, only because if we all opt out, then no one could vote at the (Two Lake Collaborative Sewer Authority) meeting, he said. At the encouragement of those in the audience, the board voted unanimously for Meister to recommend the Two Lake Collaborative Sewer Authority pull its application for the rural development grant. Seeing the (sewer authority) take the first steps toward dissolution is a big win for all those who took the time to become informed and voice their opinions, Lorraine Kessler stated in a press release by the STEP Advisory Group which formed in opposition to the project. The authority is likely to vote to accept the villages resignation at a meeting slated from 7-9 p.m. on May 2 at Bear Lake Township Hall. It is also anticipated that the authority will begin the necessary steps to bring the project to a close. MANISTEE -- To support the development of a much-needed hotel on the Lake Michigan shoreline, the state is providing a $2 million loan. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined the Michigan Economic Development Corporation Tuesday to announce Michigan Strategic Fund approval of the funds for the Hampton Inn hotel being constructed near First Street Beach in Manistee. Construction on the five-story building started last year. We are excited and grateful for the MEDC Michigan Community Revitalization Programs investment in this transformational Manistee project, Stacie Bytwork, CEO and president of the Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce, said in a Tuesday press release. The beachfront hotel is acting as a catalyst for development, generating more interest and investment than ever before and drawing attention to our community. The hotel is expected to be open in June. It is also slated to have a restaurant and conference center on the fifth floor. Last week, Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Manistee Waterfronts Facebook page showed that the hotel was hosting open interviews for a number of positions such as bartenders, servers, dishwashers, maintenance and guest service representative. The hotel is expected to bring 45 jobs to the city. Although the project is nearing completion, rising construction costs and environmental remediation pushed developers to ask the Michigan Strategic Fund board for support, according to the MSF packet. Kyle Kotecki/News Advocate Kyle Kotecki/News Advocate Kyle Kotecki/News Advocate Kyle Kotecki/News Advocate Work is still being done at the five-story, 102-room Hampton Inn as of April 20, 2023. Manistee officials presented to the board on Tuesday. The City of Manistee Brownfield Redevelopment Authority received approval of $808,701 in state tax capture for the reimbursement of brownfield activities at the site, according to the Tuesday release. The developer Hotel Ventures Manistee, LLC, noted the hotel will offer a connection to the surrounding public park along the citys waterfront. And the project will include a new curb and sidewalk, bike lanes, new and restored public parking areas, a marine launch for public access and more. The project will help generate new visitor spending in the community, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation wrote in the release. It is also expected to result in new commercial and retail operations in the area. The city is supporting the project with a 10-year Commercial Rehabilitation Act abatement valued at $1.2 million and through approval of the local portion of the brownfield plan, valued at $453,294. This project was the citys first approved Commercial Rehabilitation Act incentive, Manistee Mayor Jermaine Sullivan said in the release. Hotel Venture Manistee is a committed partner, and I am very proud of this development. I look forward to this new lakefront hotel drawing people to beautiful Manistee and discovering all that we have to offer, including our historic downtown and sandy beaches. The company that owns and will operate the hotel, 6PM Hospitality, is truly honored to bring the project to Manistee. We are proud to partner with the city of Manistee and the MSF in bringing this vision to life, said 6PM Hospitality founder Peter Beukema. We believe our project will help showcase all that the city of Manistee has to offer alongside beautiful Lake Michigan. In addition to the Manistee Hampton Inn, the companys properties include CityFlatsHotel in Holland, which is part of the Hilton Tapestry family of hotels, and a DoubleTree by Hilton in downtown Battle Creek which is also in development. PHOENIX (AP) Brittney Griner got emotional quickly. Speaking to reporters for the first time since a nearly 10-month detainment in Russia on drug-related charges, the WNBA star had to take a moment to compose herself after being asked about her resiliency through the ordeal. Im no stranger to hard times, Griner said Thursday from the lobby of the Footprint Center, home of the Phoenix Mercury and the NBAs Phoenix Suns. Just digging deep. Youre going to be faced with adversities in life. This was a pretty big one. I just relied on my hard work to get through it. Griners first news conference drew more than 100 people, including Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, members of the Mercury organization and her wife, Cherelle. Griner was arrested in February 2022 at a Moscow airport after Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges containing cannabis oil. She later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to nine years in prison. After nearly 10 months of strained negotiations between Washington and Moscow, Griner was exchanged in the United Arab Emirates for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout on Dec. 8. Griner kept a low profile following her return to the U.S. while adjusting to life back at home, outside of appearances at the Super Bowl, the PGA Tours Phoenix Open and an MLK Day event in Phoenix. Worcesters Luckys Cafe has permanently closed its doors, at least for the time being, owner Peter Armer confirmed Wednesday. Armer said that he hoped to eventually reopen in another location, but wasnt sure if or when that would happen. Were considering any options we have. We have no commitment to anything specific, but hopefully itll turn around and well have something offered to us that we can pursue, he said. Armer and co-owner Patti Hallinan ran Luckys for more than 30 years at 102 Grove St., but were forced to leave the space in December 2021 when their landlord did not renew their lease, MassLive previously reported. That space is now home to Fuel America. In June 2022, Luckys reopened at 10 Chestnut St., the former Fallon Health building. While Armer was optimistic at the time that the restaurants loyal following from its previous location would make the move with it, that didnt happen, and with many Fallon Health office workers working from home post-pandemic, there was little traffic from inside the building either. Luckys recently began offering Sunday brunch, which was popular when they were on Grove Street, in the hopes of making up for some of the traffic. On April 17, Luckys posted on Facebook saying the restaurant would be closed for the day, and it never reopened. A sign posted at Lucky's Cafe last week announced that it would be closed. (Kiernan Dunlop, MassLive) In March, Fallon Health sold the two-building complex to Synergy Investments, the same company that owns Worcester Plaza at 446 Main St., for $10.5 million. Toy company Mattel unveiled its first ever Barbie doll with Down syndrome on Tuesday in partnership with the National Down Syndrome Society. The Barbie was created to allow even more children to see themselves in Barbie, as well as have Barbie reflect the world around them, Mattel wrote. Our goal is to enable all children to see themselves in Barbie, while also encouraging children to play with dolls who do not look like themselves, Lisa McKnight, executive vice president and global head of Barbie & dolls at Mattel said. Doll play outside of a childs own lived experience can teach understanding and build a greater sense of empathy, leading to a more accepting world. The doll consists of physical features like a shorter frame and a longer torso. The face of the doll has a rounder shape, smaller ears and a flat nasal bridge, while the eyes are slightly slanted in an almond shape, according to Mattel. The dolls palms even include a single line, a characteristic often associated with those with Down syndrome. The dress worn by the new Barbie also features butterflies with yellow and blue colors, which are symbols and colors associated with Down syndrome awareness. The dolls pink pendant necklace with three upward chevrons represents the three copies of the 21st chromosome. Ellie Goldstein, a British model with Down Syndrome, expressed her thoughts about the dolls representation on Instagram in a partnership with Mattel. It means a lot to me that children will be able to play with the doll and learn that everyone is different. I am proud that Barbie chose me to show the dolls to the world, she said. Diversity is important as people need to see more people like me out there in the world and not be hidden away. Barbie will help make this happen. The Barbie doll with Down syndrome will be available at major retailers this summer and fall for $10.99. Mattels 2023 Barbie lineup includes brand new dolls spanning across 25 different skin tones, 97 hairstyles and nine body types as part of the companys inclusive initiative. Some of the dolls also include Barbies with vitiligo, a prosthetic leg and more. They can be viewed here. One of the two young men inside a sedan that crashed into a tree outside 20 River Lodge Road in South Hadley on Thursday morning has died, Massachusetts State Police confirmed. At about 7:50 a.m., South Hadley police requested state police help at a crash scene, state police told MassLive. A sedan veered off the road into a tree for reasons still undetermined by state police. A bystander pulled the unidentified driver out of the car, state police said. The driver was only identified as being a young man. The passenger, also only identified as a young man, was stuck in the vehicle until South Hadley firefighters arrived and removed him. Both men were taken to Baystate Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. It is unclear which of those two men is the one who later died. As of 10:45 a.m., the road was still closed and an investigation into what caused the crash was ongoing, South Hadley police said. Updates on the second occupants condition and if the road closure has been lifted have not yet been provided by state police. MassLive breaking news reporter Irene Rotondo contributed to the reporting for this story. Massachusetts State Police responded to a crash on Thursday involving a car that hit a tree on at 20 River Lodge Rd. in South Hadley, which left two seriously injured. At around 7:50 a.m., South Hadley police requested state police reconstruction, crime scene and detective units, state police told MassLive. A sedan veered off the road for reasons still undetermined by state police. The driver was pulled out of the car by Good Samaritan bystanders, state police said. The driver was identified as a young man. The passenger, also identified as a young man, was stuck in the vehicle until South Hadley firefighters arrived and extracted him from the sedan. Both men were taken to Baystate Medical Center with life-threatening injuries, state police added. As of 10:45 a.m., the road was still closed and an investigation into what caused the crash was ongoing, South Hadley police said. An updated condition of the cars two occupants was not immediately available. MassLive breaking news reporter Irene Rotondo contributed to the reporting for this story. WORCESTER A federal magistrate judge is still mulling whether to free a Massachusetts National Guardsman accused of leaking top-secret military documents on the internet to his video gamer buddies. Jack Teixeira was arrested and charged this month under the Espionage Act and faces up to 25 years in prison, with the potential for a death penalty charge. He appeared Thursday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Worcester. The typically sleepy courthouse was mobbed with media from across the country. During a 90-minute hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy heard arguments from a federal prosecutor who says Teixeira is opportunistic and flaunted his top-level security clearance to other gaming enthusiasts on a platform called Discord. Teixeiras court-appointment attorneys argued in filings that he has long been devoted to veterans, with a family history of military service, and could be held on pretrial release conditions, including a curfew and electronic monitoring. Federal prosecutors say Teixeira, 21, a low-level IT employee with high-level access to classified documents, is far more sinister than a young man behind a video game. He said this in a social media post, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Nadine Pellegrini: If I had my way Id kill a f---ing ton of people. The case raises questions about the militarys vetting process, given the governments portrayal of the young mans volatile history. He was denied a gun license by local police until he cited his position in the military, court records show. The evidence against him is substantial and mounting; the charged conduct would very obviously end his military career, reads a government memo filed Thursday lobbying for Teixeiras indefinite detention. He accessed and may still have access to a trove of classified information that would be of tremendous value to hostile nation states that could offer him safe harbor and attempt to facilitate his escape from the United States. The memo highlights violent overtones in Teixeiras online activity dating back to high school, when he was suspended for troubling comments about using Molotov cocktails. His internet search histories indicate a fascination with mass shootings. Prosecutors also contend Teixeira well knew that posting classified documents on video gaming sites and other platforms about U.S. involvement in Ukraine was well out of bounds. Not only does the Defendant stand charged with having betrayed his oath and his country but when those actions began to surface he appears to have taken a series of obstructive steps intended to thwart the governments ability to ascertain the full scope of what he has obtained and the universe of unauthorized users with whom he shared these materials, the governments court filings state. This includes instructions the Defendant gave to other online members of a social media platform (including to delete all messages " and [i]f anyone comes looking, dont tell them s---. Teixeira destroyed several electronic devices, including an XBox console and a computer tablet which federal agents probing the alleged leaks later found in a dumpster near his North Dighton home. He also amassed a cache of weapons, according to investigators. But a defense attorney for Teixeira told the judge his client is simply a gun enthusiast who owns firearms lawfully and kept them locked in a gun safe in his room also filled with toy guns and Legos. A Homeland Security vehicle, right, is parked outside the Moakley Federal Courthouse, Wednesday, April 19, 2023, in Boston. Jack Teixeira, the Massachusetts Air National Guardsman charged with leaking highly classified military documents, made a brief appearance in federal court Wednesday, but a hearing to determine whether he should remain jailed while awaiting trial has been delayed to give the defense more time to prepare. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) Some people are car guys. Some people have boats. Some people collect guns, said Brendan P. Kelley, one of three court-appointed lawyers for Teixeira . Teixeira enlisted in the U.S. Air National Guard in 2019, officials have said. Since May 2022, he held the rank of an E-3/Airman, with the title of Cyber Defense Operations Journeyman. Teixiera was stationed at the Otis Air National Guard base. Government records reflect that, beginning in approximately February 2022, the Defendant began to access hundreds of classified documents containing national defense information that had no bearing on his role as essentially an information technology (IT) support specialist, the prosecutors memo says. Teixeiras lawyer countered that it was another social media user who widely disseminated the sensitive military secrets. They say Texiera only shared the material with a small, private group. Hennessy responded somewhat incredulously. Someone under the age of 30 doesnt realize if you post something on the internet it could end up anywhere in the world? Seriously? the judge said. Hennessy did not indicate when he might make his decision on the issue of bail. Even though all Bed Bath & Beyond coupons expired Wednesday, thrifty shoppers may have another chance to save a few bucks. As Bed Bath & Beyond begins to close its stores, winding down operations nationwide, competitor Big Lots says theyll honor those expired coupons at its stores for a little while longer. Starting Thursday, Big Lots said all shoppers will receive 20% off their purchase of $50 or more if they present any type of Bed Bath & Beyond coupon at any Big Lots store, according to a spokesperson for the company. Big Lots statement came after Bed Bath & Beyond filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Sunday in U.S. District Court in New Jersey, and announced it will close about 150 stores in September. As of April 27, some stores and websites are still open, but the company began closing its stores and no longer accepts coupons as of April 26, stating its customers favorite products would be at deep discounts with store-closing sales. Big Lots said the Bed Bath & Beyond coupon deal will be valid until May 7. Its CEO said shoppers can buy products at Big Lots similar to those at Bed Bath & Beyond with the discount. For anyone who has missed their last opportunity to redeem one of these coupons, Big Lots is opening our doors to help you save on your entire purchase, said Bruce Thorn, CEO and president of Big Lots. This special offer can be used to purchase an assortment of great items for your home, such as bedding and bath accessories, furniture, decor and more. Bed Bath & Beyond has closed nine locations in Massachusetts. There are still eight Bed Bath & Beyond locations open in the state, and there are 23 Big Lots locations throughout Massachusetts, including in Springfield, West Springfield, Fitchburg and Revere. In September, the company said plummeting store sales contributed to its closures. Students and teachers at Swift River Elementary School cannot drink its tap water, which has been contaminated with toxic PFAS chemicals since 2021. An eight-minute drive away, clean water from the Quabbin Reservoir flows east, providing eastern Massachusetts with 200 million gallons of water every day. The Quabbin Reservoir provides life for eastern Massachusetts and allows the eastern part of the state to grow and expand -- and yet for far too long, far too long, the recompense for towns that steward this water has been a pittance relative to the value, Sen. Jo Comerford of Northampton said Wednesday. For the first time, western Massachusetts lawmakers have filed legislation to financially reimburse the rural towns that surround the man-made reservoir, calling for regional equity and payment for how generous the region has been with giving its resources to the commonwealth. The Comerford and Rep. Aaron Saunders of Belchertown bill (H 897 / S 447) would set a 5 cent per 1,000 gallon excise on Quabbin water. The lawmakers estimate the tax would produce an estimated $3.5 million, to go to Quabbin watershed communities and local nonprofits with a focus on these towns health, welfare, safety and transit. Testifying before the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, Saunders said the tax would cost an average Boston household 6 cents per month. I hope that the committee feels that six cents per month is not too high a price to pay for regional equity, he said. The reservoirs water is sent east under the control of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA), which supplies water for 53 municipalities, including some of the states largest communities such as Boston, Quincy, Newton and Somerville. The MWRA is governed by an 11-member board of directors, of which only one calls western Massachusetts home, Comerford said. The bill would add two seats to the board, both filled by an individual from the Connecticut River Valley. Massachusetts has taken from its western counties water and food, as we maintain open space and reservoirs that sink carbon and actually breathe for us, without fully grappling with the cost of maintaining these treasures, without justice for what these communities have lost and continued to give up, Comerford said. In an effort to repay what these communities have lost, the legislation would also mandate payments in lieu of taxes to the towns surrounding the reservoir, for the cost of absorbing the four towns that were flooded to make the body of water. Altogether, the state took 80,443 acres of land to create the reservoir in the early 20th century. The towns, Dana, Enfield, Prescott and Greenwich were abandoned and completely flooded, while parts of other towns were taken for the reservoir. These surrounding towns receive payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) for the areas of their municipalities that they can no longer tax because they are underwater. But, Comerford argued, watershed communities should also receive payments for the four towns that no longer exist, as townspeople, businesses and even cemeteries moved to surrounding dry land shortly before their towns disappeared under the surface of the Quabbin. The state took the land, it owns the land, the towns cant assess taxes on the land, but there is no PILOT compensation for the land under the Quabbin, she said. Under the bill these payments would go to the communities surrounding the reservoir. The last provision in the bill would mandate that as the MWRA explores opportunities to expand into new communities, that it look into supplying water for the communities directly in the Quabbin region, as well as towns in the Westfield River, Chicopee River, Connecticut River and Millers River Valley basins. Glen Ayers, a recently retired regional health agent for Franklin County who worked in public water supply for several towns in the Quabbin region, told the committee Wednesday that he supported the bills. This bill is critical to addressing the sacrifice that these towns have made and continue to make on a daily basis, he said. It would address the inequity and the unfairness that currently exists and begin to repay that sacrifice. And it will address the dedication the small towns, the small undeveloped towns, in the Quabbin region have shown to their counterparts in the metro region. Brian Walshe the Cohasset man accused of killing his wife, Ana, and dismembering her body in the basement of their home had suspected his wife of having an affair and used his mothers money to hire a private investigator to survey her, new court records reveal. Brian Walshe, who was arraigned in Norfolk Superior Court Thursday morning after the case was moved up from district court, entered the courtroom in handcuffs, dressed in all black. When asked how he pleaded to the charges against him murder, misleading a police investigation/obstruction of justice and improper conveyance of a human body he replied not guilty. House Republicans passed sweeping legislation Wednesday that would raise the governments legal debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion in exchange for steep spending restrictions, a tactical victory for Speaker Kevin McCarthy as he challenges President Joe Biden to negotiate and prevent a catastrophic federal default this summer. The bill passed by a razor-thin 217-215 margin, with four Republicans voting no. They were: Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona; Ken Buck of Colorado; Tim Burchett of Tennessee; and Matt Gaetz of Florida. Biden has threatened to veto the Republican package, which has almost no chance of passing the Democratic Senate in the meantime, and the president has so far refused to negotiate over the debt ceiling which the White House insists must be lifted with no strings to ensure America pays its bills. But McCarthys ability to unite his slim majority and bring the measure to passage over opposition from Democrats and even holdouts in his own party gives currency to the Republican speakers strategy to use the vote as an opening bid forcing Biden into talks. The two men could hardly be further apart on how to resolve the issue. The hour has come, we have to work together to restore fiscal sanity in this place before its too late, said Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, leading the debate. As the House debated the bill, Biden on Wednesday indicated he was willing to open the door to talks with McCarthy, but not on preventing a first-ever U.S. default that would shake Americas economy and beyond. Happy to meet with McCarthy, but not on whether or not the debt limit gets extended, Biden said. Thats not negotiable. Passage of the sprawling 320-page package in the House is only the start of what is expected to become a weekslong political slog as the president and Congress try to work out a compromise that would allow the nations debt, now at $31 trillion, to be lifted to allow further borrowing and stave off a fiscal crisis. The nation has never defaulted on its debt, and the House Republican majority hopes to maneuver Biden into a corner with its plan to roll back federal spending to fiscal 2022 levels and cap future spending increases at 1% over the next decade, among other changes. McCarthy worked nonstop to unite his fractious Republican majority, the five families including the conservative Freedom Caucus and others, making post-midnight changes in the House Rules Committee in the crush to win over holdouts. Facing a revolt from Midwestern Republicans over doing away with biofuel tax credits that were just signed into law last year by Democrat Biden, GOP House members relented and allowed the tax credits to stay on the books in their bill. Our delegation has stood united for Iowas farmers and producers fighting to amend the bill to protect biofuels tax credits, said the four House Republicans from Iowa in a joint statement announcing their support for the bill. Republicans also agreed to more quickly launch the bolstered work requirements for recipients of government aid, starting in 2024 as proposed by another holdout, Freedom Caucus Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who has led previous challenges to McCarthy. Republicans hold a five-seat House majority and faced several absences this week, leaving McCarthy with almost no votes to spare in the face of Democratic opposition. This bill is unacceptable, its unreasonable, its unworkable, its unconscionable and its un-American, said the Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Thats why we oppose it. Democrats derided the Republican plan as a ransom note, a shakedown and an unserious bill that was courting financial danger. But as McCarthy worked to shore up support, some of the most conservative rank-and-file Republican members who have never voted for a debt ceiling increase in their quest to slash spending said they were preparing to do just that, rallying behind the speakers strategy to push Biden to the negotiating table. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., a member of the Freedom Caucus, said he wanted double the deficit savings contained in the bill but would vote for it because it starts the ball, it gets us in the arena to solve the debt problem. Its a first big test for the president and the Republican speaker, coming at a time of increased political anxiety about the ability of Washington to solve big problems amid the need to raise the federal debt limit in a matter of weeks. The Treasury Department is taking extraordinary measures to pay the bills, but funding is expected to run out this summer. Economists warn that even the serious threat of a federal debt default would send shockwaves through the economy. In exchange for raising the debt limit by $1.5 trillion into 2024, the bill would roll back overall federal spending and: Claw back unspent COVID-19 funds. Impose tougher work requirements for recipients of food stamps and other government aid. Halt Bidens plans to forgive up to $20,000 in student loans and End many of the landmark renewable energy tax breaks Biden signed into law last year. It would tack on a sweeping Republican bill to boost oil, gas and coal production. A nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office analysis estimated the Republican plan would reduce federal deficits by $4.8 trillion over the decade if the proposed changes were enacted into law. Several Republicans from the partys right wing, eager for even stricter spending cuts, said the bill was at least a starting point as they prepared to vote for McCarthys strategy and bolster his hand in talks with Biden. Freshman Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., said: Its our obligation to get Speaker McCarthy to the table. Others though, remained noncommittal or flat-out nos. Rep. Andy Biggs, the former chairman of the Freedom Caucus, said he had wanted Republicans to do more to end deficit spending. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said of the nations nearly $32 trillion in debt, thats my major concern. In the Senate, leaders were watching and waiting. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said House passage of the legislation would be a wasted effort and that McCarthy should come to the table with Democrats to pass a straightforward debt-limit bill without GOP priorities and avoid default. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who stepped aside to give McCarthy the lead, said the speaker has been able to unite the House Republicans. Now, he said, Biden and McCarthy must come to agreement. Otherwise, he said, Well be at a standoff. And we shouldnt do that to the country. The former chairman of Harvard Universitys Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department was sentenced for lying about his partnership with the Peoples Republic of Chinas Thousand Talents Program and the Wuhan University of Technology, for which the professor was paid over a million dollars to conduct research at the Chinese institution. In Boston federal court Wednesday, Dr. Charles Lieber, 64, was sentenced to time served of two days in prison; two years of supervised release with six months of home confinement; a $50,000 fine and $34,000 restitution to the Internal Revenue Service for lying about his connection to Wuhan University of Technology, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office District of Massachusetts. In December 2021, a federal jury found Lieber guilty of two counts of making false statements to federal authorities, two counts of making and subscribing a false income tax return, and two counts of failing to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts with the IRS. Lieber was named a Harvard University professor in 2017 and, while under the role, he launched the Lieber Research Group. The group specialized in nanoscience and received more than $15 million in grant funding from the National Institutes of Health and Department of Defense, federal officials stated. He was awarded several grants while conducting research at Harvard. These grants require recipients to disclose significant foreign financial conflicts of interest, including financial support from foreign governments or foreign entities. Federal officials said Lieber lied about his connections with foreign governments. According to court documents, from 2012 to 2015, unbeknownst to Harvard, Lieber became a strategic scientist at the Wuhan University of Technology in China and took part in the Thousand Talents Plan. Chinas Thousand Talents Plan was one of the most prominent Chinese talent recruitment plans designed to attract, recruit and cultivate high-level scientific talent to further Chinas scientific development, economic prosperity and national security. Federal officials said the talent programs also sought to lure overseas experts to reward them for stealing privately owned information. Lieber had a three-year contract with Thousand Talents and was paid a salary of $50,000 per month, $158,000 in living expenses and awarded more than $1.5 million to establish a research lab at the Wuhan University of Technology, according to court documents. When Lieber was interviewed by federal agents from DOD in April 2018, authorities said he falsely stated he was not a participant in the Thousand Talents program. In 2019, Lieber caused Harvard to falsely tell the NIH that Lieber was not, and had never been, a participant in the Thousand Talents Plan. Federal officials said Lieber also lied to the IRS about the salary he obtained from China from 2012 to 2015. According to Lieber, the balance of his Chinese bank account was approximately $200,000 in 2014 and 2015, officials stated. New Zealands former prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, once the worlds youngest female head of government, is stepping into new roles at Harvard University in Cambridge after stepping down from her countrys top job in January. Ardern became prime minister of New Zealand in 2017 at age 37 and led her country through multiple crises, such as the Christchurch mosque shootings which killed 51 in March 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic, the Harvard Kennedy School said in a news release. Now, Ardern has been appointed to dual fellowships at the Harvard Kennedy School as 2023 Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Fellow and as a Hauser Leader in the schools Center for Public Leadership with the two fellowships starting in the fall. The Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Program provides opportunities for high-profile leaders transitioning from public service roles to spend time in residence at the Harvard Kennedy School, it said. Whereas, The Hauser Leaders Program, based in the schools Center for Public Leadership, is an effort which brings several high-profile leaders from public, private, and nonprofit organizations to campus each semester to engage with students and faculty on building skills in principled leadership, according to the Harvard Kennedy School. I am incredibly humbled to be joining Harvard University as a fellow not only will it give me the opportunity to share my experience with others, it will give me a chance to learn, Ardern said in a statement. As leaders, theres often very little time for reflection, but reflection is critical if we are to properly support the next generation of leaders. Ardern has also been tapped to a concurrent fellowship based at Harvard Law School called the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society as a Knight Tech Governance Leadership Fellow, the school said. In this role, Ardern will study ways to improve content standards and platform accountability for extremist content online as well as examining artificial intelligence governance and harms presented by algorithms. During the Christchurch shootings, a white supremacist gunman opened fire on worshippers at two mosques in the city while live-streaming the attacks. New Zealand later passed a ban on assault weapons, like those used in the shootings. Ardern also weathered the COVID-19 pandemic with her country, enacting some of the strictest measures in the world at the start of the pandemic, effectively closing off New Zealands borders to foreigners to prevent the spread of the virus internally for its about 5 million citizens. While she faced some protests for her policies related to the pandemic, she also earned broad support for them, with observers crediting her for saving tens of thousand of lives, according to the Harvard Kennedy School. In late 2020, she led her party to a landslide victory, the Harvard Kennedy School said. New Zealand also reopened its borders to larger amounts of foreigners in May of last year. Last spring, Ardern delivered the 2022 commencement address at Harvard University, with Harvard President Larry Bacow calling her one of the most respected leaders on the world stage. In that speech, Ardern warned of the spread of disinformation amplified on social media and the threat disinformation poses to democracies. Ardern also became the youngest member of New Zealands parliament in 2008 and she has been named twice to Time Magazines Most Influential People list, according to the Harvard Kennedy School. Jacinda Ardern showed the world strong and empathetic political leadership, Harvard Kennedy School Dean Douglas Elmendorf said in a statement. She earned respect far beyond the shores of her country, and she will bring important insights for our students and will generate vital conversations about the public policy choices facing leaders at all levels, Elmendorf added. HOLYOKE The Carlos Vega Fund for Social Justice has awarded four mini-grants to organizations in the Holyoke area fighting injustice, oppression and poverty. The fund provides financial support to grassroots initiatives and organizations. The 2023 recipients: Give with Loves Back to School Drive; Holyoke Health Centers expanding childrens book program; El Colibri/Amherst Shelters pilot program; and an appreciation grant to Beyond Walls for their mural work in Holyoke. The recipients will each receive a $1,000 award during a May 12 ceremony at the Holyoke Heritage State Park Visitor Center. Give with Loves Back to School Drive will provide backpacks and school supplies to children in need. Holyoke Health Center will expand its childrens book program to provide age-appropriate graphic novels banned or challenged in communities to preteens ages 10-12 at well-child visits. El Colibri/Amherst Shelters pilot program offers monthly passes to the Holyoke YMCA for unhoused women, giving them access to showers, health and fitness classes and other services to promote physical, mental, and emotional wellness. We are very grateful to the Carlos Vega Fund for Social Justice board members for recognizing this initiative. This project seeks to return dignity to women living on the streets of Holyoke, most of whom do not have access to showers or bathroom facilities, said Kevin J. Noonan, El Colibri's president. Noonan added that helping women fulfill their basic needs is challenging. Beyond Walls grant will support an engagement program. The group of artists painted murals celebrating the Puerto Rican community and its heritage. The fund was established in 2010 to honor the legacy of Carlos Vega, the former executive director of Nueva Esperanza in Holyoke. Vega championed social justice causes and worked on behalf of South Holyoke until his death in April 2012. A South Holyoke park bears Vegas name and is within a short walk from Nueva Esperanzas Main Street locale. A statement said the mini-grants address injustice, oppression and poverty in the region, particularly for those marginalized by society. The fund promotes self-help and economic, political, and social justice. Since its inception, the fund has given $66,570 to 52 regional organizations. Past awardees include The Gray House, Enchanted Circle Theater, Homework House, Holyoke Safe Schools Initiative, Western Mass Elder Care, and Holyoke Public Schools. Visit the funds website for more information. The Carlos Vega Fund also welcomed new advisory members: Amber Black of Easthampton, Iris V. Crespo of Chicopee, and Courtney Joaquin, granddaughter of Carlos Vega, who recently finished a social work degree at Elms College. I am thrilled to have three new members join the advisory board. Their experience and enthusiasm are energizing to all the board members. I am especially excited to have my daughter Courtney join and be part of her first board experience, Aaron Vega said. In 2022, Neftali Duran, a noted chef and teacher, was named the Carlos Vega Social Justice Award recipient. Duran, a native of Oaxaca, Mexico, was honored for his commitment to nutrition and alleviating hunger in the community. SPRINGFIELD Every day when Alvin Guzman arrives at school, he is checked by security just as if he were in juvenile detention. Guzman, a senior at Springfield High School, said although he has made mistakes in his past, he should not be made to feel hes in custody. Guzman said these daily checks trigger flashbacks and affect his mental health throughout the day. I am not who I used to be, Guzman said. This treatment affects my mood early in the day and my ability to learn. Guzman said he is not alone. Many of his peers face anxiety, confusion and depression, he said. At a recent hearing, Guzman and over a dozen teen organizers from the grassroots social justice nonprofit The Pioneer Valley Project requested the Springfield School Committee consider allocating an additional $4 million to address a mental health crisis among their peers. Teen organizers asked the committee to allocate $1.32 million for 14 additional adjustment counselors, $950,000 for wellness centers, $150,000 to fund restorative justice training, $100,000 for culturally competent professional development and $1,510,000 for extracurricular activities and transportation. The teen organizers mission is to ensure that Springfield high school students have access to additional services and supports in all high school buildings, just as in other districts in the region. Many Springfield students are coping with mental health issues through substance abuse, said DajahRose Haith-King, 17, a student at Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy. Haith-King was among the students, adult supporters and community leaders who spoke out at a public hearing Wednesday in support of changes to the proposed Springfield schools operating budget for the year that starts July 1. Essence Burton-Jordan and DajahRose Haith-King, seniors at Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy, check the Springfield Teen COVID-19 Mental Health survey an evening in late March. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican) An investment in wellness centers would give students a place to work through the social and emotional issues they are dealing with post-pandemic, Haith-King told the gathering. Over the past few months, student organizers surveyed over 250 Springfield teens about their experiences with mental health resources in schools. The results revealed that students are coping with anxiety, depression, isolation and the loss of a supportive community since the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools nationwide to shut down. On March 16, 10 teen organizers took their findings to the School Committee to seek one-on-one meetings with members of the Springfield School Committee. Students said they wanted to share their survey data and learn how committee members viewed steps that could be taken. Since then, two of the seven School Committee members sat down to meet with the teens LaTonia Naylor and Denise Hurst. While student organizers were grateful two committee members spoke to them, what they perceive to be inaction by the committee makes the students feel neglected and disrespected, Haith-King said. Putnam Academy student Essence Burton-Jordan, 17, said the committee can bring about change by allocating funds in next years budget to fill the social and emotional needs of students. According to PVP teen leaders data, Ludlow High School and Longmeadow High School are staffed with adjustment counselors, school psychologists and social workers, in addition to licensed substance use response coordinators. High school students in Springfield deserve the same level of support, the teens said. Ludlow and Longmeadow are showing us up and you dont think that is a problem? Burton-Jordan asked the committee during the hearing. The committees budget and finance panel is scheduled to recommend a 2024 operating budget in a session May 4 at 5 p.m. The School Committee is expected to vote on adopting the budget that evening. Local high school students got together in late March to discuss youth mental health issues. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican) Guzman, the Springfield High School senior, said teens in Springfield schools are still grappling with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to ongoing issues at home. If something is not done, he said, the issue could get worse. Springfield High School would benefit from a wellness center and the support of adults, Guzman said. You would want this opportunity for your kids, and you should want it for us too. Former mayor of Cincinnati, journalist and controversial TV host, Jerry Springer, died at 79 years old, his family wrote in a statement sent to WLWT, a TV station in Cincinnati. Springers family told the news outlet he died peacefully Thursday at his home in Chicago. A family spokesperson told TMZ reporters Springer was diagnosed with cancer months ago and the disease worsened over the past week. Springer was inducted as Cincinnatis 56th mayor in 1977. However, hes most known for his popular broadcast The Jerry Springer Show. The show was infamous for its controversial tabloid-style reporting and sensational on-show antics. Jerrys ability to connect with people was at the heart of his success in everything he tried whether that was politics, broadcasting or just joking with people on the street who wanted a photo or a word, Jene Galvin, a lifelong friend and spokesman for the family, said to WLWT. Hes irreplaceable and his loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart and humor will live on. A New Hampshire police chief was fined more than $1,400 after being found guilty of sexually harassing an employee, according to Attorney General John Formellas office. Litchfield Police Chief Benjamin Sargent was found guilty of sexual harassment following a Merrimack bench trial that spanned from March 23 to April 21. The verdict and sentencing order was issued Wednesday, according to the attorney generals office. Sargent was previously charged, arrested and released on personal recognizance on Dec. 29, 2022. He was sentenced to the maximum fine of $1,200 plus a $288 penalty assessment, the attorney generals office said. Reached by phone on Thursday, Litchfield Town Administrator Kimberly Kleiner declined to comment on the matter and would not confirm whether Sargent was still acting as the departments chief or was on leave. Sargent is listed as the chief of police on the Litchfield Police Department website. A West Springfield man who was found guilty of raping a nursing home patient in 2013 was sentenced in Hampden County Superior Court Tuesday. Mihail Lujan, 37, of West Springfield, was sentenced to 10-12 years in state prison for sexually assaulting a patient at a West Springfield nursing home, according to the Hampden County District Attorneys Office. Officials said the assault occurred in March 2013. The victim, who was a patient at Wingate Nursing Home in West Springfield, had been put to bed by a nurse. The nurse left the curtain open and monitored the patient from down the hall. When the nurse peered into the room, they noticed the curtain had been closed and went to check on the victim, according to prosecutors. Officials said the nurse found Lujan behind the curtain with the victim in a state of undress. Lujan was working as part of a contracted cleaning crew for the nursing home at the time. The nurse didnt recognize the man and immediately called the police. After an investigation and evaluation of the victim, police arrested Lujan and filed rape charges against him shortly after the incident occurred. Lujan was indicted by a Hampden County Grand Jury on April 30, 2013. After his arrest, officials learned that Lujan had recently emigrated to the country and was in need of an interpreter. Massachusetts Appeals Court upheld a judges ruling that statements made by Lujan after his arrest were inadmissible because of the use of an inappropriate interpreter. The appeals process and the trial courts difficulty in finding a proper interpreter for various hearings and the trial caused significant delays in the case, according to the Hampden County District Attorneys Office. Lujan is expected to be detained by the federal government for deportation proceedings after he serves his sentence in the case. Hes expected to have time served added to his sentence. Classes were in session at Medway High School on Thursday after it was placed on lockdown due to threats made to students on Wednesday. Just before 1 p.m. on Wednesday, the school received two phone calls from an individual who made threats to students, prompting an immediate lockdown, according to a statement from Medway Public Schools Superintendent Armand Pires, Principal John Murray and Medway Police Chief William Kingsbury. Students and faculty remained in their classrooms, with no one allowed to leave the school grounds. Medway police arrived and conducted a search of the school. The search briefly delayed students 2:31 p.m. dismissal. Before 3 p.m., police determined the school was safe, the statement said. Students were dismissed for after-school pickup. Extracurricular activities later on Wednesday were canceled out of an abundance of caution, the statement said. Operations at neighboring schools, specifically McGovern Elementary, Burke-Memorial Elementary and Medway Middle School, continued as normal. Read more: American International College and Holyoke Community College to sign housing pact School officials and police said that the threats were deemed not credible, therefore classes were allowed to continue on Thursday. However, Medway Police will have an additional presence at the high school, even while theres no ongoing threat, as a precautionary measure, the statement read. Medway police continue to investigate the incident. BOSTON The criminal case against former Holyoke Soldiers Home Superintendent Bennett Walsh and its onetime medical director, Dr. David Clinton, over the deadly 2020 coronavirus outbreak at the state-run facility can proceed, the states highest court said today. In a 5-2 ruling, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court overturned a lower court ruling and reinstated charges. The action means the case will be heard in Hampden Superior Court. Walsh and Clinton were indicted for criminal neglect when state Attorney General Maura Healey sought charges in September 2020, after more than 80 veterans died of the virus and dozens more were sickened. The facility is now known as the Veterans Home in Holyoke. A review by an independent attorney heaped much of the blame for the deaths on the leadership of the home for mishandling the outbreak and driving up the death toll. The grand jury [was] told that this tragedy could have been avoided, the court wrote in its ruling. The defendants were presented with options that comported with expert advice and infection control guidelines. Walsh and Clinton argued they were scapegoated to save face for higher-ups in state government, including Gov. Charlie Baker and Marylou Sudders, the health and human services secretary. Of course, sometimes bad things happen for no discernible reason, and no one is to blame, the court ruling reads. At any subsequent trial, prosecutors will need to prove their case. We conclude only that they will have the opportunity to do so. In her majority ruling, Associate Justice Dalila Argaez Wendlandt goes into detail on how Walsh and Clinton handled, or didnt handle, the rising number of COVID cases in the facility. Carl Cameron, the chief operating officer of Holyoke Medical Center, became concerned following the admission of Soldiers Home patients to that hospitals emergency department, Wendlandt wrote. During the week of March 23, Cameron twice called Walsh to inquire whether the Soldiers Home required assistance in connection with its COVID-19 response, Wendlandt wrote. Walsh did not return Camerons calls. Cameron also called Clinton directly on Clintons cellphone. During two telephone calls, which likely took place on March 25 and March 26, Clinton told Cameron about the Soldiers Homes struggle with staff contracting COVID-19. The grand jury heard testimony that Clinton reported to Cameron that the Soldiers Home was okay and that they were trying to secure additional personal protective equipment (PPE), Wendlandt wrote. Clinton did not indicate that the Soldiers Home was in dire straits regarding staffing, and Cameron did not sense any panic in Clintons voice. The ruling also paints a stark picture of conditions in the home. As one witness told the grand jury, there were bodies on top of bodies, Wendlandt wrote. Inside the home, patients were tightly packed together and sick, she noted, and coughing on top of each other. The justice wrote that veterans were left in their johnnies, cared for in beds less than two feet apart and deprived of adequate hydration and food. The grand jury heard that some veterans were nonresponsive. Others lay listless, mouths agape. Patients with COVID-19 symptoms were cared for in a mix with those not infected. Record-keeping was insufficient. One witness likened the scene inside the home to a war zone. In a dissent, Associate Justice David A. Lowy said there is insufficient evidence that Walsh and Clinton acted wantonly and recklessly. Those are the factors required by the statue on the criminal charges. We owe our best to our soldiers who, now in old age and frail health, face the twilight of their journey. Their service to our nation and the cause of liberty has passed, Lowy wrote. Their service, however, entitles them to the opportunity to live out their days in comfort and safety, Lowy wrote. There can be no doubt that what occurred at the Soldiers Home in March 2020 was a tragedy. And in the face of such tragedy, perhaps hurling blame and subjecting the defendants to imprisonment might salve our conscience. But criminalizing blame, the justice said in his dissent, will do nothing to prevent further tragedy or help unravel the complex reasons why the responses of the Soldiers Home and so many nursing homes proved inadequate in the nascent days of the pandemic. The 2020 indictments In September 2020, the Attorney Generals Office, then led by now-Gov. Maura T. Healey, sought and obtained statewide grand jury indictments against Walsh and Clinton. In November 2021, Hampden Superior Court Judge Edward McDonough dismissed the charges, following an appeal by the two defendants. The AGs office filed a notice of appeal seeking to reverse the dismissal, taking that step in December 2021. In January 2023, the appeal was argued before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Current Attorney General Andrea Campbell said Thursday that in its ruling on the appeal, issued Thursday, the Supreme Judicial Court established the precedent that criminal liability under Massachusetts elder abuse and neglect statutes is not limited to direct care workers. Instead, it can, and should, include administrators, managers, directors and supervisors who have responsibility for those elders care, Campbell said. The Courts decision today is welcome and important news, and it affirms what we already knew: the leaders and managers of facilities like the Soldiers Home share responsibility for the health and safety of their residents, Campbell said in a statement. Todays decision allows us to focus once again on securing accountability for the tragic and preventable deaths at the Soldiers Home in Holyoke. Defendants attorneys comment Springfield attorney Michael O. Jennings, who represents Walsh, called attention to the dissenting opinion and wanted to remind people that a grand jury only hears evidence presented by prosecutors. Well, were disappointed. But not totally surprised, he said of the ruling. Its a high burden for us. Its a low burden to get a grand jury to indict someone. Thursdays ruling means the matter goes back to the superior court for a trail. And so, maybe what the case needs is a public airing in a public courtroom in front of a jury of 12 people, he said. Jeffrey Pyle, Clintons lawyer, said he too looks forward to presenting his clients side of the story. The dissent eloquently explains why this prosecution is misguided, and why Dr. Clinton is not guilty. We look forward to clearing his name at trial, Pyle said. The Holyoke Police Department released a report from its first month implementing the ShotSpotter gunfire detection technology in parts of the city. As city officials review the effectiveness of the street audio sensors intended to detect and locate gunshots that go unreported, some community members believe the technology will amount to nothing but surface-level policing of minority-dominant neighborhoods. The department instituted ShotSpotters audio sensors in March after the Holyoke City Council approved a $50,000 federal grant for the technology in October 2022. Multiple major cities across Massachusetts including Boston, Worcester and Springfield have employed ShotSpotter for several years. Holyoke polices first ShotSpotter report from March detected 39 shots fired in and around the radius of the downtown and south Holyoke areas where the machines were installed. Of the shots detected, only three 911 calls were made. Police said zero people were reported injured and seven people were arrested in connection with the reports. SPRINGFIELD George Ferraro grabbed some snack foods ice cream cones, some crackers at the Massachusetts Military Support Foundation Springfield Empowerment Center in the Eastfield Mall before heading over to the refrigerators and freezers where everyday staples and prepared meals are kept. It fills in the gaps, the 84-year-old Coast Guard veteran from Wales said Wednesday afternoon. I wouldnt starve. But with food prices so high, this fills in all the little nooks and crannies where I would otherwise go without. The Massachusetts Military Support Foundation started distributing food boxes and winter coats from the Eastfield Mall during the COVID-19 pandemic and opened a food pantry in the former 99 Restaurant in July 2022. Each household can get up to 50 pounds of groceries per visit simply by registering and showing a veterans or military ID. There is no income cut-off. The center also offers clothing, winter coats, Thanksgiving turkeys and backpacks for school-age children as well as referrals to job training, Lawyers4Vets and other social services, said Don Cox, CEO and founder of the Massachusetts Military Support Foundation. Anything a veteran needs to enhance the quality of their lives and thank them for the service, Cox said. He started the foundation with a location at Joint Base Cape Cod and now has an empowerment center in Sandwich and soon one with a distribution center in Norton. But even last year, the foundation knew the location would be temporary, said Dennis Smith Jr., an Army veteran and retired social worker hired last year as the managing director of the center. Finding a new location was part of my mission, he said. I go out with my clipboard and look at properties . But the problem now is that we are under 90 days out. The Eastfield Mall was sold last week to developers Onyx Partners for $4.5 million. The 56-year-old mall, the regions first enclosed mall, will close in July and be replaced by an unenclosed shopping center at the cost of $65 million to $85 million. The Springfield center serves about 4,000 people veterans and their families each month, Cox said. More than 270 families visit the Empowerment Center in Springfield each week. The center distributes more than 7,500 pounds of food to military affiliated families in need per week. Inside, the former restaurant looks like a small grocery with neatly set up shelves, racks of bread and rolls and bins of apples, potatoes, tomatoes. We are working on it as diligently as possible as we speak, Cox said. We are desperately in need of a new facility out there. But its hard. The Eastfield Mall former 99 is 6,000 square feet and the foundation uses another 2,500 square feet of off-site storage. Cox said the new location must be on a bus line. 92 Eastfield Mall through the years: Flashback photos Smith added that it should be easy to get to and have space to off-load trucks of donated food and other goods. In todays market, with todays economy, its tough, Smith said. Hes visited 12 or 15 locations, including six in just the last week. That includes downtowns Tower Square and the abandoned Chuck E. Cheeses on the other side of Boston Road from the mall. I noticed a closed Walgreens on Carew Street (in Springfield) so Im going to check that out, he said. Cox said the owners of the former mall cut the foundation a deal on rent, accepting a tax write-off. Now, Onyx is giving all the tenants free rent and utilities in order to aid the transition. Hope Community Development Corp. and Latino Economic Development Corp. will provide $20,000 in technical assistance to help the 40 remaining business move. The Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council and MassDevelopment have are also helping tenants move. Smith said its harder as a nonprofit. But I keep a positive view, he said. Well be in a new place on the 15th of July. Two people were rushed to a hospital with serious injuries after a tractor-trailer crashed into a box truck on the Mass. Pike in Wilbraham Thursday morning. At 7:30 a.m. Thursday, first responders rushed to a crash reported at the 58.8-mile marker on Interstate 90 westbound. Police found a tractor-trailer crashed with a box truck, according to Massachusetts State Police. Police said paramedics rushed two drivers involved in the crash to a local hospital with serious injuries. Authorities shut down the right lane on I-90 west for hours Thursday morning to clean up debris and move the damaged cars. The shutdown caused major traffic delays. However, as of 9:15 a.m. Thursday, the lane was opened back up and traffic began to clear. Massachusetts State Police are investigating the crash. SOUTHWICK Months after he received permits from the town, Southwick officials are appealing the states decision to allow the owner of Crabby Joes to build a permanent dock on Congamond Lakes South Pond. The towns appeal of the Chapter 91 permit cites potential navigational conflicts between traffic to the proposed year-round dock and boats that line up to use the culvert connecting South Pond to Middle Pond. It completely blindsided me, said developer Ken Eggleston, who lives just over the state line in Suffield, Connecticut, after he read a copy of the towns appeal. Africa, the continent that pollutes the planet the least, is today one of the worlds most vulnerable to climate risks. While nations across the continent grapple with financing constraints, resources from the international private sector, including multilateral development financiers such as the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org), are helping to catalyze climate action and green growth. For the African Development Bank, greater involvement of the private sector is crucial to closing the gap in climate finance flows into Africa, which until recently, was dominated by non-private actors. For example, of the $29.5 billion invested in African climate finance in 2020, only 14% was from private actors. This is significantly lower than comparable regions such as Latin America and the Caribbean (49%), East Asia and the Pacific (39%) and South Asia (37%). Besides, these limited funds covered a small number of African countries with relatively developed financial markets, such as South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Morocco, and Egypt, which alone attracted $4.2 billion. It is the reason the Bank Group has made mobilizing private sector financing for climate and green growth the centerpiece of its 2023 Annual Meetings scheduled for 22-26 May in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. The meetings will discuss successful strategies to galvanize more resources, including within Africa, and investment opportunities in renewable energy and sustainable agriculture. The Banks Governors, representing its shareholders, will be joined by global experts and development financiers to discuss the matter of a new architecture for mobilizing resources for sustainable investment in Africa. This will include how to make African countries rich natural capital to finance climate and green growth. About a dozen heads of state and government are expected to attend. The African Development Bank believes there is much potential for climate finance in Africa to increase. The bank bases its view on a dataset of global private resources. Private equity funds under management reached a record $6.3 trillion in 2021, while global pension fund assets in the 22 largest markets hit a new high of $56.6 trillion by late 2022. To combat climate change and support green growth, African countries need more climate investments to achieve their national targets for emissions reductions and adaptation to the impacts of climate change. The African Development Bank, the continents premier multilateral development finance institution, has begun providing solutions. It is implementing mechanisms to facilitate and channel access to global climate finance, particularly from the private sector. It has also launched programs to mitigate risks and barriers to private sector participation in climate finance and green growth in Africa. The Bank has committed to mobilize $25 billion by 2025, representing 41% of its total funding commitments. One example of the Banks work is the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (https://apo-opa.info/3EfNjLE), whose objectives are aligned with its High Five strategic priorities, particularly Light up and Power Africa and Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa. This facility provides technical assistance and concessional finance instruments to remove market barriers. In 2022, for example, Togo benefited by nearly $4 million, while in January 2023, SEFA provided a $1 million grant for green mobility in Africa to seven countries: Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone and South Africa (https://apo-opa.info/3H9Mghr). Still, the African Development Bank believes it can go further. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires PANGEA-RISK (www.PANGEA-RISK.com) jointly published a white paper on THE POLITICS OF AFRICAN DEBT RESTRUCTURING, with Acre Impact Capital, on the need to prepare Africas distressed sovereigns for a new wave of sustainability capital. The report finds that by 2024, many of Africas debt-distressed sovereigns will have successfully restructured their most unaffordable loans, whether domestic or external obligations, placing these countries in much better stead to attract private investment, in particular from sustainability-focused and impact investors to address the USD 100 billion annual infrastructure financing gap. This forecast differs from the often-prohibitive credit ratings imposed on many distressed sovereigns, which restricts climate financing activities and other development funding in these countries. Debt transparency, sound fiscal and monetary governance, and candid bilateral relations with creditors are the primary political indicators of effective debt treatments, even while multilateral debt relief initiatives, such as the G-20s Common Framework, flounder. By the end of 2023, heavily indebted African states like Kenya and Ghana, should have implemented successful debt restructurings through extended maturities on foreign currency obligations, domestic loan swaps in exchange for concessional finance, and limited haircuts for some bondholders. Chinese creditors and international bond holders are most exposed to defaults, while the shock of debt restructurings for local banks and domestic bondholders will often be cushioned. In well-managed debt treatments, concessional and private sector creditors will be least exposed to arbitrary haircuts and other losses, which will enhance sovereigns creditworthiness and improve their position to attract record flows of climate finance and other impact investment in coming years. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, April 27, 2023 TV news anchors may have a lot to answer for -- whether in front of the camera or not. On the same day that Fox News Channels Tucker Carlson was shown the door, CNN said goodbye to its popular prime-time host Don Lemon. The departure of Lemon was attributed to misconduct issues at CNN. Fox News Channel did not offer specific details about Carlson's dismissal -- saying only that Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways. A number of reports said it was partly the result of the Dominion Voting Systems depositions and releases of Carlson's admissions off-air via texts and emails -- that he knew that manipulation of voting systems in the 2020 Presidential election was entirely false. advertisement advertisement In Fox's release about Carlson, the sentence following the statement agreed to part ways said we thank him for his service. Service. As if someone enlisted for the job -- or perhaps was drafted for service. It's an interesting choice of words for someone who had been Fox News Channel's leading personality in terms of viewership and national TV advertising sales. Fox is not immune from its own "misconduct" issues linked to its hosts and executives in the past. Bill OReilly left in 2016, and Fox News Channel chairman and chief executive officer Roger Ailes was pushed out for the same reasons two years later. Even straight-up news stories on broadcast networks can become an issue. In 2013, NBC's Brian Williams said on David Letterman's late-night show about an assignment in Iraq that "two of our four helicopters were hit by ground-fire, including the one I was in, RPG and AK-47." That never happened. All this could be good news for any TV news channels that are holding their on-air journalists and hosts always accountable. But really -- how long does it last before the next mishap occurs? Is that just the spillage we get from wanting live, or near-real time live TV content? So what have we learned here? After Carlson's ouster, Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy issued a statement that said: For a while Fox News has been moving to become establishment media and Tucker Carlsons removal is a big milestone in that effort.. Millions of viewers who liked the old Fox News [emphasis added] have made the switch to Newsmax and Tuckers departure will only fuel that trend. Ah, the old Fox News. Hmm.. What is that exactly? And taking it further, what is the old CNN? Or the old NBC News, or the old ABC News? A seemingly respectable TV news anchor has to do the right thing on and off the air. And when mistakes occur, ownership of those errors in judgment and actions must be addressed quickly. But lessons learned may not always stick too well for the next person. by Ray Schultz , April 26, 2023 Google is offering to smooth the subscription process for publishers and readers. The platforms Reader Revenue manager is being offered in what Whats New in Publishing calls a soft launch. The Google Reader Revenue Manager page says, Monetize your content by choosing a revenue model that fits your needs. Remove payment friction and seamlessly convert readers with our fast and secure checkout with no surprise fees. In addition, it says, Own your reader relationship with direct access to your readers opted-in contact information. Your data is private and secure and will never be processed by Google. Google also urges publishers to eliminate paywall frustrations for their subscribers. No more forgotten passwords or user names, it says. Your readers will be automatically signed-in with their Google account. Google contends, Were committed to supporting publishers of all sizes. Whether you already have a paywall or are just starting your readers revenue business, we have a solution to help you grow your publication. by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, April 27, 2023 Chinas internet censorship has been the topic of discussion among marketers for some time. Now a cybersecurity company has discovered more than 66,000 rules controlling content for search engines and media sites operating in the country. It may be doing more harm than good for search engines outside of China, according to the report. Citizen Lab, a cybersecurity research group at the University of Toronto, analyzed eight popular search platforms operating in China. Companies analyzed included the three search engines Baidu, Sogou, and Microsoft Bing as well as four Chinese social media networks including Weibo, a microblogging site similar to Twitter; Douyin, the Chinese version of Tiktok; Bilibili, a video-sharing platform similar to YouTube; and Baidu Zhidao, a question-and-answer site similar to Quora. The firm also tested Jingdong, a Chinese e-commerce platform similar to Amazon. advertisement advertisement Microsoft Bing is the only search platform analyzed that was not operated by a Chinese company. The search engines, including Bing, have created algorithms to hard-censor queries deemed politically sensitive by returning no results or by limiting results to select sources, mostly government agencies. On web search engines operating in China, soft-censored queries will generally only show results from Chinese government websites and state-aligned media. On social media sites, soft-censored queries will only serve-up results from accounts that have a certain level of approval and verification. Many of the censorship rules target politically sensitive material like references to Chinese political figures such as Xi Jinping, banned religious movements like Falun Gong, and major historical events like 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Other rules targeted activities such as gambling, drug use, pornography, and the buying and selling of weapons. Citizen Labs method of measuring search censorship requires testing large swaths of text for content-triggering censorship and, if present, isolating the triggers censored. The company also uses special search queries it calls truisms to wrap search strings, so they either have a large number of results, if not censored, or zero results if they are censored. The truisms work by using advanced search operators that search platforms support. As an example, many search platforms support searching for results that contain either one string or another. Thus, instead of xi jinping, you might create a truism by searching for xi jinping | the, where the | symbol means or. All search platforms have some form of content moderation. Google, for example, might delist single web pages or websites that contain content that is illegal to access in a specific country or region. But the search engines analyzed that operate in China, including Microsoft Bing, used broad, keyword-based censorship rules to restrict queries for certain types of content to only show results from Chinese government websites and state-aligned media -- or even censoring all results for a query altogether. Baidu has more censorship rules than Bing, but Bings political censorship rules were broader and affected more search results than Baidu. Bing also restricted displaying search results from a greater number of website domains. The research shows that rather than North American companies having a positive influence on the Chinese market, the Chinese market may be having a negative influence on these companies, according to Citizen Lab. Previous work has shown how the Chinese censorship systems designed by Microsoft and Apple have affected users outside of China. by Wayne Friedman , April 27, 2023 NBCUniversals core domestic advertising dropped 6.1% in the first quarter to $2.03 billion amidst a weakening TV ad marketplace overall. NBCU blamed lower audience viewership. When including full comparisons to a year ago -- including ad results from the Beijing Olympics and the Super Bowl -- NBC advertising revenues fell nearly 39%. To compound this problem, distribution fee revenue sank 8% to $2.7 billion. NBCU added, however, that when excluding the incremental revenue from the Beijing Olympics, distribution revenue increased 3.8%, driven by higher Peacock revenue resulting from an increase in paid subscribers. The company noted that results are improving for its Peacock streaming services -- which witnessed rising ad revenue, although the company did not provide specific details. It also noted year over year Peacock subscribers grew more than 60% to 22 million paid subscribers, with overall revenue (advertising and subscription) up 45% to $685 million. It also grew two million subscribers from the preceding quarter. Still, its cash flow losses are at a big $704 million for the quarter. Mike Cavanagh, president of Comcast Corp., notes that losses at Peacock will decline slightly to around $3 billion for the year. Overall, Comcast Corp. revenues were down 4.3% to $29.7 billion with consolidated adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest taxes depreciation and amortization) gaining 2.9% to $9.4 billion. Declining revenue was due to unfavorable comparisons to the first quarter of 2022, which included the Beijing Olympics and the Super Bowl. Comcast domestic video customers sank by a steeper 614,000 loss -- now totaling 15.5 million. It posted a 512,000 loss in the first quarter of 2022. by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, April 27, 2023 Siding with Meta Platforms, a federal appellate panel on Thursday refused to revive an antitrust lawsuit brought by a New York-led coalition of 48 attorneys general who sought to force the company to divest Instagram and WhatsApp. "The States lawsuit is not only odd, but old," D.C. Circuit Court Judge Raymond Rudolph wrote in an opinion joined by Circuit Judges Karen Henderson and Robert Wilkins. The decision upheld U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg's ruling dismissing the lawsuit as time-barred. Rudolph said the case was odd because it concerns an industry that ... has had rapid growth and innovation with no end in sight. He added that the attorneys' general waited too long after the acquisitions to bring suit. The attorneys generals' lawsuit -- like an antitrust case brought by the Federal Trade Commission -- centers on Facebook's acquisition of Instagram (acquired for $1 billion in 2012) and WhatsApp (bought for $19 billion in 2014). The FTC's lawsuit is still pending before Boasberg. advertisement advertisement Meta argued to Boasberg that the states' claims should be barred due to laches -- meaning that the attorneys general waited too long after the acquisitions to sue. Boasberg agreed, and dismissed the states' case in 2021. The attorneys general then asked the D.C. Circuit to revive the matter. That court rejected the states' request, writing that they unduly delayed in bringing suit. The States were on notice of Facebooks two major acquisitions. Both were publicized, Rudolph wrote, adding that the Federal Trade Commission conducted a lengthy investigation of the Instagram purchase before it closed. by Steve Ellwanger , April 27, 2023 While hydration is all the rage in beverages, BranchOut Food is hoping to capitalize on the rise of snacks and powders made from dehydrated fruits and vegetables. Founded in 2017, Nevada-based BranchOut filed an initial public stock offering this week with the Securities and Exchange Commission to raise $11.5 million for funding expansion of its branded and private-label products. BranchOut licenses rights for a dehydration technology that dries and processes such highly sensitive fruits and vegetables as avocados and bananas, in facilities located in Chile and Peru. In the IPO filing, the company claims that conventional dehydration methodssuch as freeze- and air-dryingtend to degrade most fruit and vegetables through oxidation, browning/color degradation, nutritional content reduction and/or flavor loss. advertisement advertisement As a result, certain highly sensitive fruit, such as avocados and bananas have not previously been successfully offered as a dehydrated base for consumer products. BranchOuts snack line consists of Avocado Chips, Chewy Banana Bites, Pineapple Chips, Brussels Sprout Crips and Bell Pepper Crisps, and it sells avocado, banana and blueberry powders. Products in development include chocolate-covered fruit items and many private-label products for large retailers. The company sells its products primarily through Costco Wholesale, Sam's Club Stores, Fresh Thyme, Stop & Shop and Lunds & Byerlysalong with D2C via its website and Amazon. Last year, Costco represented BranchOuts biggest account, generating approximately 59% of net sales. We entered into a private-labeling contract with one of the worlds largest retailers in late 2022 to supply the retailer with two products for placement in half of their domestic stores, the IPO document states. In April 2023, the same retailer agreed to commence carrying an additional four of our products in certain of their stores. Since 2019, BranchOut said it has been in discussions with the U.S. Army about the possibility of including certain of its products Meals Ready-to-Eat for their personnel. The U.S. Army has asked us to develop snack concepts for sensory and shelf-life testing, which is currently in progress. Additionally, since the third quarter of 2022, BranchOut said it has been developing a line of salad toppers with one of the largest salad dressing producers in the U.S. BranchOuts net sales rose to approximately $752,178 for the year ended Dec. 31, from $715,553 in the prior year ended. The companys net loss increased to $4.6 million from $660,198. According to research from Mordor Intelligence, the global dehydrated-food market could expand at an annual compound growth rate of 4.8% over the next five yearswith Asia Pacific seen as the fastest-growing market, and the United States the largest. According to Mordor, dehydrated food is dried to remove most of its natural moisture to lengthen preservation while reducing the potential problems which can occur as fresh foods mold or become fermented. Dear Minister, Dear Deputy Minister, Distinguished Ambassadors, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is with great pleasure and honor that I welcome you to tonight's event dedicated to the presentation of Greece's candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. Id like to apologize for the events delayed start. It was due to the obligation to welcome our Romanian and Finnish friends who have just arrived in Athens, Greece, from Khartoum. I appreciate your understanding in this matter. Id also like to welcome tonight the Foreign Minister of Malta, my friend, Ian Borg. Allow me to remind you that Malta is currently a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. Ians presence today honors us. Id also like to welcome Ms. Marianna Vardinoyannis, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and recipient of the 2020 United Nations Nelson Mandela Award, something which is particularly important to us. Today's event, unfortunately, coincides with the events in Sudan, and Id like to state what is obvious: Greece stands for the immediate cessation of hostilities and supports diplomatic efforts to find a solution. From the beginning of the civil conflict in Sudan, we have set the security and evacuation of our fellow citizens as the highest priority. With the assistance of European partners and allies, a large number of Greek citizens and their families have been evacuated from Khartoum. But of course, as I have previously stated, we have an obligation to serve the needs of other fellow human beings, as well. Just a while ago, I welcomed Finnish and Romanian citizens who returned on a Greek aircraft. We will continue our efforts today and tomorrow so that we can evacuate as many people in danger as possible. At this point, allow me to return to our event today. As all of you can see, it takes place in an emblematic setting, under the sacred rock of the Acropolis; in a location that, in my opinion, showcases the universality of ancient Greeces ideals in the proudest way. The Museum, which is hosting us tonight, is a symbol of Greeces modern dynamism and achievements. It houses the Parthenon Sculptures. And please allow me to express our heartfelt wish, which I am sure you all share, that they will soon be reunited with those in the British Museum, those in Vienna, and other cities. Last month, I had the opportunity to officially present our candidacy in New York. Greece, as a founding member of the United Nations, is a steady and dedicated supporter of the principles and values of the United Nations. Greeces tenure on the Security Council will aim to enhance the Organization's efforts to maintain peace. Although it may seem obvious, we are all aware of how difficult it has been proven to achieve. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, in particular, served as a stark reminder. Three words are going to be our compass for our candidacy and hopefully for our tenure in the Security Council. Three words starting with D, the Greek . The fact that my surname starts with a delta is a mere coincidence. First of all, Dialogue, in Greek . The act of exchanging reasonable arguments. According to Socrates, dialogue was the path to truth; the path to knowledge. The second word, its Diplomacy, in Greek . At its root, we find the word (two). Diplomacy is based on dialogue. As peoples and as nations, in this dual status, we can overcome our differences. We can arrive at solutions. Finally, Democracy, in Greek . Democracy was born right here, where we are sitting, in Pnyka, just a few meters away from here. It literally means the power of the people. Born in ancient Athens, democracy is also based on dialogue. The open exchange of arguments in the Agora. So, this is the 3D campaign. As an emblem of our candidacy, which I believe anyone could guess even before the campaign, we have chosen the olive tree and its branch, the symbol of peace and wisdom. Its the mythical gift of Goddess Athena to the city of Athens. It was presented precisely on the Sacred Rock, during the contest with Poseidon, to determine which of the gods would protect the city. However, it also became the symbol of the Olympic Truce, during the ancient Olympic Games, when all hostilities would cease. Ladies and gentlemen, Greece, advocating dialogue, diplomacy, and democracy, will focus on six main priorities if elected: (1) peaceful settlement of disputes, (2) respect for International Law and the rules and principles of the United Nations Charter, (3) the "Women, Peace and Security" agenda (4) Climate change and security, (5) maritime security; and (6) Children in Armed Conflicts. Greece, as an elected member, will cooperate with all UN Member States. It will work to uphold the collective security system established by the UN Charter, with particular emphasis on the prohibition of the use or the threat of use of force. My country will seek to improve the effectiveness of the international crisis and conflict management system. But, as we all know, the principles of peace and security cannot be safeguarded without strengthening economic growth. Greece is, therefore, going to seek and support actions to reduce poverty and inequality on our planet. Furthermore, it reaffirms its commitment to substantially contribute to the implementation of the Women, Peace, and Security" Agenda. Greece, as a member of the group of Friends on Climate and Security, supports the inclusion of the environmental impact of climate change on the agenda of the Security Council, as the primary challenge facing humanity in the 21st century. In this regard, Greece has undertaken to organize the 2024 International Conference "Our Ocean Conference". Greece, a country intertwined with the sea, with thousands of islands, with a coastline of thousands of kilometers, roughly the length of the entire coastline of Africa, attaches particular importance to maritime safety. With its election, it will therefore seek to strengthen efforts to fully implement the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, as the sole legal and institutional framework that regulates the relations of States in the seas and oceans. Lastly, Greece is particularly interested in the protection and promotion of childrens rights o in all armed conflicts and peace processes. At this point, please allow me to mention two more candidacies within the framework of the United Nations; both are significant for us and are a first in the history of the Modern Greek State. First of all, theres our candidacy for the Human Rights Council for the 2028-2030 term and there is also our candidacy for the Presidency of the United Nations General Assembly in 2035. We believe that these key positions within the United Nations system will strengthen our country's resolve and ability to contribute to international affairs. Dear Minister, my dear friend, Ian, It is such a great honor to have you here with us on this very special occasion for us. Our two countries, Malta and the Hellenic Republic, share and promote the same values and the same principles within our European family. This is also reflected during your actual tenure as an elected member of the UN Security Council. I am certain that we can count on your precious experience and know-how after you finish your tenure. And that our fruitful and productive cooperation will continue in the years to come, and will be even further enhanced. So, I wish to thank you very much for your support. Ladies and Gentlemen, Thank you all very much for your presence here today. The Michigan DNR is getting ready to accept new applications for the Michigan Sparks Grant starting next month. After record interest in the first round of grant funding, the DNR will reopen the grant applications starting May 1, with up to $23 million available for public recreation improvement projects in areas that are most affected by COVID-19. Earlier this year, the DNR awarded $14.2 million in the first round of funding to 21 communities statewide, and the interest exceeded the department's expectations. "We were astounded by the response to the first rounds," Assistant Chief of the DNR's Finance and Operations Division Dan Lord said in a press release. "In a normal year, our top three recreation grant programs the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the Recreation Passport, and the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund on average receive around 150 applications seeking between $50 million and $60 million." Along with reopening the grant applications process, the DNR has announced a partnership with the Council of Michigan Foundation, which will connect identifying "opportunity communities" with funding and the support of Michigan's philanthropic network. These are communities that have traditionally been under-resourced and under-represented and that lack access to parks and recreation. "Through this innovative partnership with the DNR, Michigan philanthropy will help to ensure community voice is centered in this work to advance equitable and transformative change for opportunity communities across the state, said CMF President and CEO Kyle Caldwell in a press release. We look forward to supporting our foundation members as we collectively work to expand access to outdoor recreation spaces and programs for communities that have been historically under-represented and under-resourced." During the first round of awarding grant funds, Sebewaing was awarded $1,000,000 in grant funding to help with the Sebewaing playground project. Several other Huron County communities including Bad Axe and Caseville, as well as surrounding communities in Tuscola, Lapeer, and Sanilac counties, will seek reapplication to help with their recreational projects after missing out during the first round. Caseville Office Administrator and Clerk Jamie Learman expressed how the Spark grant will help assist with their Riverside Park project. "The city may look to reapply and we're hoping that if we receive the grant it can help us with this project," Learman said. Applicants can apply for a minimum grant of up to $100,000 and a maximum up to of $1 million. Applications will start to be accepted starting May 1 and are due June 26, with award announcements expected in late September. Michigan Spark Grants, administered by the DNR, are available to entities that are legally constituted to provide public recreation, such as units of government or public authorities, Federally designated tribes, regional or statewide organizations that are established with a recreational focus, and consortiums of local units of government or public authorities. For more information about the grant opportunity, visit the DNR website. Laker alumnus Andrew Smith will speak at the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources commencement on May 6 at the Breslin Center, according to a recent release. He was given this honor after being selected for the CANR Outstanding Student Leadership Award, which recognizes students who have had lots of leadership experience during their time at MSU. "I was surprised and honored," Smith said. "I accepted my nomination and submitted a portfolio detailing my leadership, extracurricular, and service involvements and awards during my four years at MSU. I was selected as a finalist and participated in a group panel interview to further discuss my involvements at MSU." Smith has already begun work on rough drafts of his speech, which he hopes to use to reflect on his time in college, and look forward to what he and his classmates can accomplish in the future. "I kind of want to bring attention to the shared experience we have as MSU students because I think we have a lot in common," he said. Smith graduated from Laker as valedictorian as part of the 2019 graduating class. He was heavily involved in academics and extracurriculars, including the FFA, and credits his time there and the support, values, and purpose of the Laker staff with helping him get to where he is now. He gave a special thank you to his FFA advisors, Haley Cucinello and Don Wheeler, saying that he wouldn't have had an interest in his planned government and policy career if it weren't for them. "They transformed me from a student that was kind of shy... to someone who really wanted to get involved in leadership and getting out of my comfort zone and serving others and being out in front of people," he said. While he'll be speaking to graduating college students soon, Smith did have some advice he'd like to give to graduating Laker students back home. He wanted to encourage those heading to college to not just dial into academics, but broaden their horizons with extracurricular activities. Without them, he said, he wouldn't have the network, experience, and friendships that he does now. "Know that in college, obviously you're going there to get an education, but I really encourage everyone to participate in the whole college," he said. Smith will graduate this year with two degrees: agriculture, food, and natural resources education and agribusiness management. He served as a state officer for the Michigan FFA, planned and facilitated the Agriculture and Natural Resource Olympics for clubs in CANR, and developed strong friendships through his fraternity Alpha Gamma Rho. "I am blessed to have had a full college career," he said. ONEKAMA The Onekama Consolidated Schools Board of Education has taken a big step toward hiring the district's next superintendent. The board worked with John Scholten, Michigan Leadership Institute consultant, during a special meeting Monday to review a number of applicants. Michigan Leadership Institute is the firm helping the district conduct its superintendent search. Ultimately, the board selected four candidates for the first round of interviews, which are scheduled for next week. The candidates are: Joanna Bennink, director/superintendent of West Michigan Academy of Arts and Academics in Spring Lake; Daniel Boyer, middle/high school principal of Beal City Public Schools; Craig Carmoney, retired superintendent of Meridian Public Schools; Aaron West, middle school principal of Spring Lake Public Schools. Onekama also expressed interest in Jack Ledford, superintendent of Waldron Area Schools, but he had accepted a position at Mesick Consolidated Schools. The interviews will be open to the public and take place May 2 and 3 in the school library. The scheduled May 2 interviews are Bennink at 5 p.m. and Boyer at 6 p.m. The May 3 interview schedule is West at 5 p.m. and Carmoney at 6 p.m. "The board is excited to move forward with the process and encourages the community to be involved by attending the public interviews," said Chelle Hrachovina, board president, in a news release. After Gina Hagen resigned as superintendent in January, the district hired Kimberly Blaszak, assistant superintendent of general education at the Manistee and Wexford-Missaukee intermediate school districts, as interim superintendent for a period of six weeks while it looked for a long-term interim superintendent. During its regular February meeting, the school board approved a contract for Mark Parsons to serve as the district's interim superintendent three days per week from March 6 to June 30. Parsons previously served as Onekama's interim superintendent during the 2019-20 school year following Kevin Hughes' retirement. According to the district's website, the second round of interviews will be held at 5 p.m. May 8. The superintendent position has an expected start date of July 1. Updates regarding the district's superintendent search will be posted to ocs.manistee.org/superintendent-search-2023. Pioneer file photo REED CITY Trinity Lutheran Church and the city of Reed City are asking the community to come together to clean up the neighborhood trails, parks and downtown areas. The Trinity Lutheran Church gathers members of the community each year for the Refresh Reed City event. All ages are welcome to attend the event, which is described on Facebook by the organizer as an opportunity to socialize with old friends and make new ones. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate KYIV, Ukraine (AP) NATO allies and partner countries have delivered more than 98% of the combat vehicles promised to Ukraine during Russia's invasion and war, the military alliances chief said Thursday, giving Kyiv a bigger punch as it contemplates launching a counteroffensive. Along with more than 1,550 armored vehicles, 230 tanks and other equipment, Ukraine's allies have sent vast amounts of ammunition and also trained and equipped more than nine new Ukrainian brigades, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. More than 30,000 troops are estimated to make up the new brigades. Some NATO partner countries, such as Sweden and Australia, have also provided armored vehicles. "This will put Ukraine in a strong position to continue to retake occupied territory, Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels. His comments came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping held a long and meaningful phone call in their first known contact since Russia's full-scale invasion more than a year ago. Though Zelenskyy said he was encouraged by Wednesday's call and Western officials welcomed Xi's move, it didnt appear to improve peace prospects. Russia and Ukraine are far apart in their terms for peace, and Beijing while looking to position itself as a global diplomatic power has refused to criticize Moscow's invasion. The Chinese government sees Russia as a diplomatic ally in opposing U.S. influence in global affairs, and Xi visited Moscow last month. Stoltenberg said the 31 NATO allies were committed to shoring up Ukraine's military, adding that taking back land the Kremlin's forces occupied would give Kyiv a stronger negotiating position if peace talks occur. Ukrainian officials said China's overture was encouraging. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Thursday described the call between Xi and Zelenskyy as very productive. Im convinced it is a good beginning for our relations in the future, Shmyhal said after visiting Pope Francis at the Vatican. But the Kremlin's response was lukewarm. Asked if the call could help end the fighting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: We are ready to welcome anything that could lead to the termination of the conflict in Ukraine and the achievement of all the goals set by Russia. Peskov said the conversation between the Chinese and Ukrainian leaders was the sovereign business of those countries and the issue of their bilateral dialogue. With battlefield positions in Ukraine largely static in what's become a war of attrition, Russian forces have kept up their bombardment of Ukrainian areas, often hitting apartment buildings and other civilian infrastructure. At least seven civilians were killed and 33 were injured between Wednesday and Thursday, Ukraine's presidential office said Thursday. They included one person killed and 23 wounded, including a child, when four Kalibr cruise missiles hit the southern city of Mykolaiv, a regional official said. The governor of Mykolaiv province, Vitalii Kim, said 22 multi-story buildings, 12 private houses and other residential buildings were damaged. Kalibr missiles are launched from ships or submarines, The ones that hit Mykolaiv were fired from the Black Sea, according to Ukraines Operational Command South. In other developments: Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree allowing the deportation from annexed Ukrainian territories of residents who refuse to become Russian citizens. Starting in July of next year, Russia will consider such residents to be foreigners who can be expelled from territory that Russian authorities consider to be Russian. Putin annexed four Ukrainian regions last September, building on his 2014 annexation of Crimea. Many countries have condemned the moves as illegal. Putin, who has often dwelt on history and his interpretation of it to advance his policy views, ordered his government on Thursday to prepare public studies about what he calls his special military operation in Ukraine. The effort is to include museums, adding to an announcement by one of his ministers that new school textbooks discussing the military operation are to be introduced in September. The head of Russias mercenary Wagner Group repeated claims that the Russian military is withholding ammunition from his soldiers, who are leading the fight in the eastern city of Bakhmut, the war's bloodiest battle. In social media posts, Yevgeny Prigozhin said without providing specifics that a criminal group did not give us ammunition," forcing his fighters to do whatever they can with a minimal quantity of ammunition. Prigozhin claimed ammunition stockpiles are withheld because of treason by Russian officials, whom he described as thugs. ___ Cook reported from Brussels. Associated Press Writer Yuras Karmanau in Tallinn, Estonia, and Frances D'Emilio in Rome contributed. ___ Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine HELENA, Mont. (AP) The swift punishment brought down on Zooey Zephyr, a transgender lawmaker in Montana, began over words that others in American politics have used without hesitation or consequence: saying opponents have blood on their hands. The governor of Texas. A GOP congressman in Florida. A city councilwoman in Denver. Just in the past few years, they are among the elected officials who have chastised colleagues in government with the same pointed rhetoric almost word for word accusing them of bearing responsibility for deaths over everything from immigration policy to gun laws. None faced blowback, let alone retribution. But not Zephyr, who on Thursday began legislative exile after Montana Republicans barred her from the state House floor a week after saying those who voted to support a ban on gender-affirming care would have blood on their hands. I don't remember until now that there's been a controversy over that cliche, said Republican Lou Barletta, a former Pennsylvania congressman who used the same words to attack the state's Democratic governor in 2021 over nursing homes. I've never had anyone make a huge issue out of it. In retaliating against Zephyr, Montana Republicans accused her of crossing a line that is faint at best in political debate that happens daily in the U.S., particularly in statehouses where it is not uncommon for legislators wading into heated issues like abortion or gun rights to be scolded about blood on your hands by protesters or even fellow representatives. The case that Zephyr went too far in her remarks is a stretch, said one scholar who studies American political speech, even though the Republican majority in Montana had the power to impose discipline. The confrontation is the latest example of lawmakers punishing dissent, an increasingly prevalent move. The phrase there's blood on your hands is not necessarily that controversial," said Jennifer Mercieca, a professor at Texas A&M University who studies political rhetoric. "It's not necessarily an insult. It doesn't cross the line. In fact, it's a polite way of saying that there are consequences to these decisions." The fallout began April 18, when Zephyr made a reference to the body's opening prayer while speaking against what is part of a wave of Republican efforts to roll back LGBTQ+ rights across the country this year. I hope the next time theres an invocation, when you bow your heads in prayer, you see the blood on your hands, she said. The remark provoked outrage from Republicans who said the language was belittling and an affront to civil discourse. In an interview with The Associated Press after losing her access to the House floor on Wednesday, Zephyr said she expected the House's majority leader to object in the moment but did not think the pushback would escalate. By that point, she said opponents had closed their ears" to the harms posed by the bill. Multiple studies have shown that transgender youth are more likely to consider or attempt suicide in general but are less at risk for depression and suicidal behaviors when able to access gender-affirming care. So you say what is on your heart, which is this bill is going to kill people, and if you vote for it, you are complicit in that, she said. Zephyr, a first-term Democrat, has plenty of company among both parties in her choice of words. When Texas Democrats broke quorum in 2021 in protest of new voting laws, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott fumed that their absence was also stopping passage of a crime bill. The Democrats have blood on their hands for failing to step up and do their job, he said. When Alabama last year moved toward ending state permits to carry concealed handguns, then-state Rep. Merika Coleman, a Democrat, spoke to her colleagues directly. And I tell you, some of you are going to have blood on your hands because this piece of legislation passes, she said. The comment doesnt always slide. When Grant Cramer, a Colorado high school freshman whose schoolmate was killed in a shooting, spoke in support of a sweeping ban on semiautomatic firearms earlier this month, he addressed four Democrats on the committee who would help decide the bill's fate: Our blood is on your hands," Cramer said. The chairman gently admonished the teenager. "I thought you were going to call out all 13 of us, which I would have allowed, Rep. Mike Weissman said, referring to the rest of the committee. I want people to have their say, and that kind of testimony is on the line of what I feel is appropriate. In Florida, state Sen. Jason Pizzo, a Democrat, said he has heard remarks about blood on hands many times in debate, sometimes more than once a day. He said language is often ignored, including once when he cursed at a state agency head giving testimony. Florida Republican Senate President Kathleen Passidomo said she didn't know whether Zephyrs comment was inappropriate to use in floor debate. Its probably not senatorial," she said. "Ive heard it from different people, but we just move on. ___ Weber reported from Austin, Texas. Associated Press writers Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee, Florida; Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama; Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and Jesse Bedayn in Denver contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NEW YORK (AP) Donald Trump's lawyer sought Thursday to pick apart a decades-old rape claim against the former president, questioning why accuser E. Jean Carroll did not scream or seek help when Trump allegedly attacked her in a department store. But Carroll, a writer and former advice columnist, rebuffed the suggestion that rape victims are supposed to act a certain way, saying such thinking deters women from coming forward. Im telling you, he raped me, whether I screamed or not," Carroll said, her voice rising and breaking, at the federal civil trial in New York. Carroll, who is suing Trump over the alleged assault, claims he raped her in a dressing room at the posh Manhattan store in 1996. She did not go to police and said she only told two close friends at the time. Trump lawyer Joseph Tacopina suggested her claims strained credulity, contending that she only came forward in 2019 midway through Trump's presidency because of her disdain for his politics and because she wanted to sell copies of her book. Trump, 76, says the encounter never happened, that he doesnt know Carroll and that shes not his type" comments that are at the heart of the defamation claims in Carroll's lawsuit. The complaint seeks unspecified damages and a retraction of the comments. Trump did not mention the trial during a campaign event Thursday in Manchester, New Hampshire. He's not expected in court, though his lawyers have not entirely ruled it out. Jurors are expected to see parts of a videotaped deposition he gave in the case. On Wednesday, Trump launched a counterattack against the trial on social media, telling followers on his Truth Social platform that the case was a made up SCAM and alluding to a DNA issue that Judge Lewis A. Kaplan has barred from the trial. The outburst drew a rebuke and a warning from Kaplan, who called it entirely inappropriate. Consistent and unruffled in her second day of testimony, Carroll grew frustrated as Tacopina zeroed in on how she says she behaved during the alleged assault. She says it happened after a chance run-in with Trump at luxury retailer Bergdorf Goodman in spring 1996. You cant beat up on me because I didnt scream, Carroll forcefully told Tacopina. She had explained in earlier testimony that she was not a screamer I'm a fighter. Carroll, 79, said that if she were lying about the assault, she wouldve told people she had screamed because more people would have believed me. But, she emphasized, I don't need an excuse for not screaming. When Tacopina used the word supposedly to cast doubt on her claim, she immediately and sternly rebuked him. Not supposedly. I was raped, she said. Thats your version, Ms. Carroll, that you were raped, Tacopina said. Those are the facts, she replied. She did, however, concede that some details of her story including the lack of witnesses in a department store were difficult to conceive of. Seeking to make that point, Tacopina questioned Carroll about her testimony that she eventually fought Trump off while wearing 4-inch (10 cm) heels and without letting go of her purse. The lawyer underscored, through his questions, that she didn't seek help from anyone in the store as she allegedly fled by riding six flights down an escalator, didn't ask about security video and didn't seek medical attention or call police. Carroll said she initially felt charmed by Trump as he asked for her help finding a women's gift, exchanged jokes with her about trying on a see-through garment and led her into a dressing room. Even when he slammed the door and shoved her into the wall, she said, she couldnt help but laugh and think there had been some mistake or misunderstanding. I was trying to figure out what the hell was going on, Carroll testified as jurors listened attentively. Then he put his mouth against mine, she said, and I understood. Carroll said Trump yanked down her tights and raped her before she kneed him and fled. She said she would have kept the accusation secret forever if not for the the #MeToo movement, which gained prominence in 2017. The Associated Press typically does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, as Carroll has done. Carroll sued in November after New York state enacted a law allowing lawsuits over long-ago claims of sexual assault. Carroll said Thursday that a look at social media once the trial started revealed fresh insults against her as people labeled her a liar, slut, ugly, old. But I couldnt be more proud to be here, she testified. ___ Associated Press Writer Larry Neumeister contributed to this story. For $5 million in the next years federal budget, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D- Conn., is hoping to shed light on the reason why women have historically been more susceptible to death and injuries in car crashes. Her support for the idea has been met with ridicule, and calls for voters to kick her out of office. During a hearing last week to review the Department of Transportations $145 billion budget request, DeLauro the top Democrat on the powerful Appropriations Committee singled out a line-item in the sprawling budget that would provide funding to develop crash test dummies that mimic a small-sized adult female, that can be used in the agencys vehicle safety tests. This is an area Ive written to you about, of the use of female dummies in crash testing, DeLauro told Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at the hearing. This will start to fight the gender inequity among vehicle safety and crash victims. DeLauros comments drew little reaction from fellow lawmakers. Within hours however, they were splashed across headlines across several conservative media outlets, including Fox News and the Free Beacon. One of Foxs then-leading anchors, Tucker Carlson, mocked DeLauro and DOT officials in a primetime segment, asking why the agency could not simply put lipstick on male dummies. (On Monday, Fox announced that it had parted ways with Carlson, a week after the network settled a multi-billion lawsuit related over lies its hosts had aired about the 2020 election). The Republican Party of Connecticut even weighed in on its official Twitter account, using a clip of DeLauros remarks to assert that Connecticuts all-Democratic congressional delegation were fighting for 'Female' Crash Dummies, while not supporting womens sports, an apparent reference to controversies surrounding transgender athletes. The tweet ended with the hashtag, #VoteThemOut. In a statement released by her office on Wednesday, DeLauro pointed to the historic exclusion of women from clinical drug trials, and argued that the funding sought by the Department of Transportation could lead to advances in vehicle safety for women. "Everyone deserves to feel safe when they get behind the wheel and to have confidence that the vehicle they are driving is safe for their body types," the congresswoman said. "I look forward to working with Secretary Buttigeig to ensure vehicle safety and testing standards account for women and do not make them invisible. In his own response a New York Post headline deriding the initiative as a Dum idea, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigeig noted that the agencys work with female dummies dates back several decades to the Ronald Reagan administration. Not everything has to be a culture war, Buttigeig wrote in a tweet Friday. We test how crashes affect men, women, and children in order to improve vehicle safety & save lives. In a letter written to Buttigeig last year, DeLauro and four other Democratic lawmakers wrote that gender discrepancies in injuries to crash victims remained an overlooked area of vehicle safety research in the United States. The lawmakers pointed to research showing that women wearing a seatbelt were 73 percent more likely than men to be injured in similar crashes, and 17 percent more likely to die. The lawmakers also raised concerns that existing dummies used to study injury risks to women were simply scaled down versions of male dummies. The majority of crash safety tests conducted in the U.S. use a specific type of dummy known as the Hybrid III, which is essentially a model of a typical man from the 1970s standing 5-feet-11-inches, weighing 172 pounds according to Joe Young, a spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. In more recent decades, researchers have also made use of other popular dummy models that aim to understand how crash forces affect people of different sizes, including children and smaller women. Young said that research from the IIHS has shown that many of the disparities in crash injuries between men and women can be chalked up to factors other than differing body types, such as the fact that women are more likely to drive smaller vehicles and be in the car that is struck rather than the vehicle doing the striking both of which are associated with a higher likelihood of injury. Theyre relatively crude instruments, Young said of crash test dummies. They cant really capture the differences between men and women. Despite those limitations, Young said that the IIHS supported increased federal funding into the use of female crash test dummies as well as more general research into why some population groups are more susceptible to certain injuries. For example, he said that further studies could help answer outstanding questions such as why women are at greater risk of injury to the lower body. We think well need to look beyond just the dummy, however, to understand this, Young said in a follow-up email. So, funding for things like cadaver testing, in which women have been underrepresented, is an important step. Were very glad to see how much attention this issue has been getting in recent years and the additional resources that have come along with it. The $5 million line-item that DeLauro referenced in her testimony last week is a part of a larger, $20 million request for funding to study equitability in vehicle safety. Other proposed areas of research include pedestrian safety, distractions from touch-screen controls and vehicle safety for people in wheelchairs. The Army is unlikely to change its new physical fitness test despite Congress recently passing a law pressing the service to establish gender-neutral standards, according to two sources with knowledge of the plans. The annual defense authorization bill passed in December directed the Army to set the same fitness standards for men and women by June. Last month, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told lawmakers on Capitol Hill that the service had already established gender-neutral expectations for troops, but was vague about the specific standards to which she referred. The service won't be making additional changes to the Army Combat Fitness Test, or ACFT, which was officially rolled out in October, the sources said. Read Next: Female Commander Investigated over Alleged Sexual Assaults of Male Subordinates, Pattern of Harassment "The language in the bill talks about gender-neutral standards for military combat occupational specialties," Wormuth said at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. "We have standards in [an Army policy pamphlet] that lays out the requirements for all the combat [jobs] that are gender neutral." The defense law passed in December required the Army to "establish gender-neutral physical readiness standards that ensure soldiers can perform the duties of their respective military occupational specialties," but did not specify the service had to make tweaks to the ACFT. The Army fitness test was originally meant to have gender-neutral standards, but service leaders reversed course, setting different standards for men and women, as previous tests have done. The ACFT became the Army's official fitness test in October after going through a beta period that began in 2019, allowing the service to tweak specific events and standards. It's widely considered to be an improvement in measuring a soldier's fitness compared with the earlier Army Physical Fitness Test, or APFT, which had been in use since the 1980s. The new test, which was first conceived roughly a decade ago, consists of a deadlift; hand-release push-ups; a plank; a two-mile run; an event in which soldiers toss a 10-pound medicine ball as far as they can; and another event in which soldiers sprint back and forth, switching between carrying 40-pound kettlebells and dragging a 90-pound sled. The old test measured only push-ups, sit-ups and a two-mile run. Army planners initially aimed for a gender-neutral test that would grade soldiers based on their job, the idea being that an infantryman needed to carry more weight and run faster than a mechanic. But the test's development almost instantly hit turbulence once soldiers started taking it in 2019. There were initial concerns on Capitol Hill over the test, particularly from Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who passed an amendment to delay the test's implementation in 2020. Gen. James McConville, the Army's top officer, told Congress in 2021 that he was committed to testing men and women on the same scale. Military.com published a report that found half of female soldiers were failing the test. Much of the difficulty was attributed to the leg tuck, an early event -- later scrapped -- in which soldiers had to do a pull-up and touch their knees to their elbows. It was replaced with the plank. Shortly after this publication's report on the data, Wormuth expressed concern during her Senate confirmation hearing that gender-neutral standards could hurt the service's ability to retain women. Meanwhile, the Army is developing a new fitness test totally separate from the mandatory ACFT. Units are piloting a fitness assessment for the expert soldier, infantryman and field medical badges. Those badges involve a gantlet measuring a soldier's competency in basic combat tasks, such as land navigation and weapons handling. The fitness test being mulled includes a one-mile run, push-ups, 100-meter sprint, an event where soldiers stack sandbags, a 50-meter farmer's carry with two 40-pound water jugs, a 50-meter lane in which soldiers crawl and sprint, and an additional one-mile run. The whole circuit will be conducted in body armor. -- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon. Related: Army Sticking to Flawed Tape Test with Tweaks Russia's ground forces have been damaged by the war in Ukraine, but many other elements of its military have remained unscathed, the general in charge of U.S. forces in Europe said Wednesday. In particular, Gen. Christopher Cavoli, the head of U.S. European Command, pointed to Russia's submarine force, which he said has been exceptionally active in the Atlantic Ocean in recent years despite that country's struggles in Ukraine. "Much of the Russian military has not been affected negatively by this conflict. One of those forces is their undersea forces," Cavoli said at a House Armed Services Committee hearing in response to a question from Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn. Read Next: For 1st Time in 2 Years, VA Has a Full-Time Benefits Chief Cavoli declined to discuss many specifics about the submarines outside of a classified briefing to House members, but he did give a glimpse of the operations during the public hearing. "Russians are more active than we've seen them in years, and their patrols into the Atlantic and throughout the Atlantic are at a high level, most of the time at a higher level than we've seen in years," he told lawmakers. "And this is, as you pointed out, despite all of the efforts that they're undertaking inside Ukraine." The Russian military has suffered staggering losses in the war in Ukraine, which Moscow started more than a year ago when it invaded its neighbor. Estimates vary on the exact number of Russian troops killed or injured in the war -- recently leaked Pentagon intelligence reportedly places the number of Russian casualties between 189,500 and 223,000 -- but the losses have been high enough that Moscow has called up conscripts and taken steps to make draft dodging harder. Despite the Russian losses and the fact that its military has so far failed to achieve any major objectives in the war, U.S. officials continue to warn that Russia presents an "acute" threat to American and European security. Cavoli echoed that warning Wednesday, adding that while the Ukrainians are in a good position for an expected spring counteroffensive, Russia remains a formidable foe. "The Russian ground force has been degenerated somewhat by this conflict, although it is bigger today than it was at the beginning of the conflict," he said. "The air force has lost very little; they've lost 80 planes. They have another 1,000 fighters and fighter bombers. The navy has lost one ship." Celeste Wallander, the assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, who was testifying alongside Cavoli, said it was "very unlikely" Russia could seize all of Ukraine. But she also warned against underestimating the strength of the Russian military at this point in the war. "Its conventional forces, ground forces that are in Ukraine, have been devastated," Wallander said. "Russia still retains strategic capabilities, an air force, cyber, underwater. ... We should not make the mistake of underestimating Russia's military capabilities because the stakes of getting it wrong are too high." -- Rebecca Kheel can be reached at rebecca.kheel@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @reporterkheel. Related: Not Stopping Russia in Ukraine Would Force 'Doubling' of US Defense Budget, Milley Says BEIJING Chinas military has dispatched a pair of navy ships to take part in joint drills with Singapores navy and join in a regional maritime security exhibition. The exercises starting Friday in the Southeast Asian city state come amid Chinas growing presence in the South China Sea, which it claims sovereignty over virtually in its entirety. Concerns are especially pronounced in the U.S., which on Wednesday joined with forces from the Philippines in major exercises in Philippine waters facing the South China Sea that are likely to anger China. Beijing's more assertive stance comes as its relations with the U.S. and its allies have hit historic lows. State televisions military channel identified the ships being sent as the guided missile frigate Yulin and the minesweeper hunter Chibi. They will also be present for the May 3-5 IMDEX Asia National Defense and Maritime Security Show, which will feature 25 warships and attendees from 62 countries. Amid China's efforts to make inroads with countries that have traditionally leaned toward the U.S., Singapore has sought a balance between rivals Washington and Beijing, but remains officially unallied amid a struggle for military and economic influence. China also formally eschews military alliances, but has held an increasing number of drills with Russia, its chief partner in challenging Western dominance of international affairs. In February, the navies from China, Russia and South Africa came together for drills on the southern tip of the African continent. While those exercises were underway, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Chinas most senior foreign policy official at the Kremlin, underscoring Russias strengthening relationship with China and raising concerns in the West that Beijing might be ready to offer Moscow stronger support for its war in Ukraine. Chinese President Xi Jinping also visited Putin in Moscow last month, but China's Foreign Minister said this month that China would not sell weapons to either side in the Ukraine war. Two leaders of the Massachusetts Air National Guard unit that is home to a 21-year-old airman charged with leaking classified documents online have been suspended, the Air Force said Thursday. The 102nd Intelligence Support Squadron's operational commander and federal orders administrative commander have been suspended during an ongoing investigation into the alleged leaking by Airman 1st Class Jack Teixeira, according to Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek. They will be suspended until the Air Force inspector general finishes the investigation. "Also, the Department of Air Force has temporarily removed these individuals' access to classified systems and information," Stefanek said in an emailed statement. "Commanders are taking appropriate action as information becomes available." Read Next: Want a Job at the VA? This Training Program Gives Transitioning Troops a Shot at Federal Employment The suspensions were ordered by the commander of the 102nd Intelligence Wing, which includes the support squadron, at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts. Teixeira, who helped maintain classified communication systems in the Air Guard, is charged with unauthorized retention, removal and transmission of national defense information and classified documents that he allegedly leaked to an online forum popular with video gamers. The airman had another court hearing Thursday in which prosecutors introduced new allegations, including that he was suspended in high school for making violent threats, had traded messages online that appeared to be planning for a public shooting from an SUV, and had a trove of weapons. Prosecutors argued that Teixeira is a flight risk because he may still have classified documents and U.S. adversaries abroad may attempt to help him abscond if he is released pending trial. His case is being handled by the Justice Department, with an assist from the Defense Department; so far, he has not been charged under military law. Notably, Teixeira has been on federal Title 10 orders since October, National Guard officials previously told Military.com, meaning he had been on active-duty status performing military duties as opposed to more sporadic drill weekends in Massachusetts. Because he was on active duty, Teixeira could also face military charges separate from Justice Department prosecution. Guardsmen, who spend the bulk of their service under different duty statuses working part time, often fall out of military justice jurisdiction. The leak case involves dozens of classified documents -- the total number has still not been made public -- turning up in recent months on the Discord social media site, where Teixeira allegedly posted them to a group of online friends. The sensitive information in the documents was meant as briefing materials for defense officials such as the Joint Chiefs and included concerns about Ukraine's ability to defend against Russia and also U.S. spying on allies South Korea and Israel. When the leak became public earlier this month, defense officials spent days reaching out to allies to reassure them. The Air Force said last week it was launching an investigation into how the leak occurred. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall called in the inspector general to probe classified safeguards at the wing. All units across the force were also ordered to conduct a stand-down to review their policies. -- Travis Tritten can be reached at travis.tritten@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @Travis_Tritten. -- Thomas Novelly can be reached at thomas.novelly@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomNovelly. Related: Air Force Launches Investigation of Teixeira's Guard Unit After Leak Arrest A Fort Bragg, North Carolina, soldier who plotted to commit mass murder against racial minorities pleaded guilty to weapons charges Wednesday and faces up to a decade in prison, according to the Department of Justice. Noah Anthony, 23, had a goal to "physically remove as many of [black and brown people] from Hoke, Cumberland, Robeson and Scotland Counties by whatever means need be," according to a manifesto, court documents say. He also owned an American flag with a swastika in place of the blue field and stars, and various neo-Nazi and white supremacist patches, literature and T-shirts. It's unclear whether Anthony was a member of any organized group. Anthony was arrested at one of Fort Bragg's gates in March last year as guards were doing random vehicle inspections, court records say. A gate guard found a pistol with no serial number in Anthony's car. The weapon appeared to be a so-called "ghost gun," a firearm made of parts from different weapons or 3D printed. Such weapons are becoming increasingly popular with both the criminal underworld and militia groups because they are virtually untraceable. Read Next: Army Not Tweaking Fitness Test After Uncertainty Over Gender Standards Fort Bragg officials did not respond to a request for comment when asked whether Anthony was formally discharged from the Army and did not give specifics on his rank or job. The military has struggled to combat extremism within the ranks and the veteran community. Pentagon planners have fought to navigate what has become a political minefield. Mentions of radicalization issues have consistently triggered complaints that officials are targeting conservatives. Researchers say that recent domestic terror threats overwhelmingly come from far-right lone wolves and groups. While there is no data that troops are more or less likely to be radicalized, they are sought out by extremist groups for recruiting for the inherent social credibility someone with military experience brings and their potential tactical knowledge. Authorities searching Anthony's room on base found a 3D-printed FGC-9, a 9mm semiautomatic rifle sometimes dubbed "the liberator," which can be produced with a printer for less than $400 using materials that are relatively easy to find online. That rifle's barrel was less than 16 inches long, in violation of the National Firearms Act, prosecutors said. Short rifles are not inherently illegal in most cases, but require additional registrations and licensing. Anthony pleaded guilty to possessing an unregistered firearm. Anthony is the second soldier who showed an affinity for Nazi ideology taken into custody at Fort Bragg last year. Spc. Killian Ryan was arrested in August on charges related to allegedly lying on his secret clearance paperwork and concealing his relationship with his father, a convicted felon. The investigation into Ryan found overt ties to white supremacy. In a 2021 social media post, Ryan said he joined the Army to develop skills to commit attacks on racial minorities, according to court documents. "I serve for combat experience so I'm more proficient in killing n-----s," Ryan wrote. That comment was posted roughly two weeks after he enlisted in the Army. His personal email address at the time was "NaziAce1488," a reference to Adolf Hitler and American white supremacy. Ryan's trial date has not yet been set. -- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon. Related: Trading on Patriotism: How Extremist Groups Target and Radicalize Veterans Although Jerry Springer died on April 27, 2023, at age 79 after fighting cancer for most of this year, his body of work is a legacy that will long outlive his mortal body. The mere mention of his name brings to mind cheating spouses, strippers and on-air fights. So many fights. Springer died in his Chicago home when his condition took a turn for the worse. He was diagnosed with cancer a few months prior, according to his family. He hosted his famous (or infamous, depending on how you feel about it) show for 27 seasons, between 1991 and 2018. The fighting on his show was so common, "The Jerry Springer Show" was one of the few shows (if not the only show) on television that required its own bouncer. Audiences even saw his security chief, Steve Wilkos, so often that Wilkos got his own Springer-style daytime talk show. Springer influenced daytime television so much that you probably forgot daytime TV talk shows began by addressing important social issues. Host Phil Donahue came to prominence discussing civil rights, abortion and global conflicts. Even Springer's own show began as a serious political debate. Political debate got slaughtered in daytime ratings, so Springer took on a new producer and changed things up a bit, which is what led daytime talk to where it is today. If that surprises you, here are a few other facts that might surprise you just as much: 1. Jerry Springer was born during a German bombing raid. Although we would later chant his short name, "Jerry!" anytime we see a fight, he was born Gerald Norman Springer in a London Underground station. While Hitler's Luftwaffe pounded the city on Feb. 13, 1944, Margot Springer was giving birth to the future television icon. His family had fled from an area of Landsburg, Prussia (which is today in Poland), to escape the rampant anti-Semitism of the 1930s. They first came to Berlin but fled to London shortly after. At least two members of his family died in Nazi concentration camps. Somewhere down there a legend is being born. (Bundesarchiv) 2. He was an Army Reservist. Within six months of arriving in Cincinnati in 1969, he ran for Congress at age 25. Jerry was curiously called to active duty during the campaign. His opponent was a Republican incumbent who happened to sit on the House Armed Services Committee. Springer did his duty despite the danger to his election and reported to Fort Knox, Kentucky. After four months, he received a discharge and returned to the campaign trail in Cincinnati. He lost but gained 45% of the vote. 3. Jerry Springer survived political suicide. An anti-war and pro-civil rights candidate, Springer's showing in the congressional race spurred him to run for city council in 1971. This time, he won. "He was absolutely the most natural, gifted politician I ever saw," Patricia Garry, a Cincinnati political veteran, told This American Life. "There was always a glamour around him; he was clearly a golden boy." In 1974, he was forced to resign after it was discovered that he'd paid local prostitutes with bad checks. He admitted to the claim at a public press conference, which won him respect and a reputation for honesty among voters. When he ran again in 1975, he won his seat back. Understatement of the Year: 1974. 4. He had higher political aspirations. Springer was appointed the 56th mayor of Cincinnati in 1977 (at the time, the city did not directly elect its chief executive) and served in the role for a year. But Jerry wanted to make some real changes in Ohio, and he'd come a long way since his first run for office. He decided to run for governor in 1982. His campaign focused on the honesty that won him the hearts of the people of Cincinnati, and he actually made commercials admitting to his incident with the prostitute, saying he wasn't "afraid of the truth, even if it hurts." He didn't win the nomination, and his show pretty much ended his political career. 5. He used to speak with a Harvard accent. When he first came to Cincinnati as a young lawyer, he had spent 1968 as a campaign adviser to former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. In his campaign commercials for Congress, he can be heard speaking with a distinct Harvard-like accent and diction akin to Bobby Kennedy's. In later years, that accent slipped away, and by the time he was broadcasting his Cincinnati-based television show, it was gone completely. 6. He never watched his own show. When "The Jerry Springer Show" made its way across the Atlantic for a more toned-down version to air on BBC television, Springer told the BBC he didn't watch his own show because it wasn't aimed at him and it didn't interest him. He added that he actually liked the people who appeared on it. "My show is about outrageous behavior, so by definition, everyone on the show has to be outrageous," he said. "Most of them are not wealthy and they're not well-educated, but I like them. I find them very refreshing. They don't put on airs." -- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on LinkedIn. Keep Up With the Best in Military Entertainment Whether you're looking for news and entertainment, thinking of joining the military or keeping up with military life and benefits, Military.com has you covered. Subscribe to the Military.com newsletter to have military news, updates and resources delivered straight to your inbox. Well keep track of the latest minor transactions from around the league here Catcher Raffy Lopez cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Gwinnett by the Braves , per the leagues transactions log at MLB.com. Lopez, 31, was designated for assignment when Atlanta selected Matt Joyce and Josh Tomlin to their Opening Day roster. The journeyman catcher hit .176/.265/.284 in 117 plate appearances with the Padres last season and has never produced much in limited time at the MLB level. He is, however, a career .266/.340/.401 hitter in 1078 Triple-A plate appearances. The Braves acquired him from San Diego in exchange for cash back in early November, but he didnt have a place on the active roster behind Tyler Flowers and Brian McCann . , per the leagues transactions log at MLB.com. Lopez, 31, was designated for assignment when Atlanta selected and to their Opening Day roster. The journeyman catcher hit .176/.265/.284 in 117 plate appearances with the Padres last season and has never produced much in limited time at the MLB level. He is, however, a career .266/.340/.401 hitter in 1078 Triple-A plate appearances. The Braves acquired him from San Diego in exchange for cash back in early November, but he didnt have a place on the active roster behind and . Blue Jays catching prospect Max Pentecost has opted to retire, MassLive.coms Chris Cotillo reports (via Twitter). Sportsnets Shi Davidi reported late in camp that Pentecost was considering retirement as an option. The 26-year-old was the No. 11 pick of the 2014 draft but has undergone three different surgeries on his right shoulder since being selected. He missed the entire 2015 season as a result of those shoulder woes and has played in a total of just 260 minor league games (plus 11 more in the Arizona Fall League) since being drafted nearly five years ago. A healthy Pentecost showed a good bit of promise, particularly in 2016 when he hit .302/.361/.486 across two Class-A levels. catching prospect has opted to retire, MassLive.coms Chris Cotillo reports (via Twitter). Sportsnets Shi Davidi reported late in camp that Pentecost was considering retirement as an option. The 26-year-old was the No. 11 pick of the 2014 draft but has undergone three different surgeries on his right shoulder since being selected. He missed the entire 2015 season as a result of those shoulder woes and has played in a total of just 260 minor league games (plus 11 more in the Arizona Fall League) since being drafted nearly five years ago. A healthy Pentecost showed a good bit of promise, particularly in 2016 when he hit .302/.361/.486 across two Class-A levels. Tigers right-hander Grayson Long announced on Twitter that, due to continuous injury, hes hanging up the spikes and returning to college to finish his degree at Texas A&M. Detroit acquired Long, now 24 years old, in the 2017 trade that sent Justin Upton to the Angels. The 2015 third-round pick didnt pitch in 2018 as he recovered from thoracic outlet surgery a procedure that has become increasingly common among professional pitchers in recent years but comes with a middling success rate, at best. Long showed plenty of potential in his last healthy season, tossing 137 2/3 innings of 3.01 ERA ball with averages of 8.4 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and 0.6 HR/9 in 137 2/3 innings of Double-A ball. WARREN, MI - A quick-thinking 7th grader may have saved his classmates and a bus driver from possible injury or even worse. The student actually took control of a moving bus after the driver lost consciousness behind the wheel. It happened on Wednesday, April 26 while the driver was taking students home from Carter Middle School. According to a letter sent to staff and parents from Superintendent Robert Livernois, the driver became lightheaded before losing consciousness while the bus was traveling on Masonic Boulevard near Bunert Road. Thats when Dillon Reeves, as identified on Facebook by Warren City Councilman Jonathan Lafferty, took action. He went to the front of the bus and helped bring it to a stop without incident. The actions of the student who helped stop the bus made all the difference today, and I could not be prouder of his efforts, Superintendent Robert Livernois said in a statement. The Warren Police and Fire Departments responded quickly to the scene to tend to the driver and the students were loaded onto another bus to be safely taken home. The City of Warren is very proud of our 7th grade hero Dillon Reeves, said City Councilman Lafferty in a statement on Facebook. This young man jumped into action when his school bus driver experienced a medical emergency, bringing the bus to a stop and avoiding what could have been a very tragic accident. We are very proud of you for your heroic actions! MORE FROM MLIVE: Charming Michigan city named one of the 16 Best Small Beach Towns in entire US Michigan airport lands in top 10 for best airport food in the entire country Forget Chicago! Readers Digest suggests this underrated Michigan city instead EAST LANSING, MI Police have not uncovered a motive in the Feb. 13 shootings at Michigan State University that killed three students and injured five others. In an ongoing investigation, police on Thursday, April 27, provided more details on the firearms and ammunition found with the shooter after he killed himself - and said that the motive remains unknown. One of the most recognizable talk show hosts in television history has died. Jerry Springer has passed away at the age of 79. According to the Associated Press, a family spokesperson says Springer died peacefully Thursday, April 27 at his home in suburban Chicago after a brief illness. Hes irreplaceable and his loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart and humor will live on, family spokesperson Jene Galvin said. Springer, who was born Gerald Norman Springer in London, England on February 13, 1944, is known for being the longtime host of The Jerry Springer Show, which ran for 27-years and more than 4,000 episodes. Springers parents were German Jews who fled to England during the Holocaust. They came to the U.S. when he was five and lived in Queens, New York. Springer eventually became active in politics where he became an aide in Robert F. Kennedys 1968 presidential campaign. He then worked for a Cincinnati law firm, before running unsuccessfully for Congress in 1970. He was then elected to city council in 1971. He would later serve as mayor of Cincinnati from 1977 to 1978. His career also included co-anchoring with Norma Rashid at the NBC affiliate in Cincinnati, WLWT-TV, before beginning his talk show career in 1991. DETROIT -- One person was killed Thursday morning after a minivan hit a schools bus head-on that did not have any students on board at the time. According to Fox 2 Detroit, the driver of the minivan was traveling in the area of Ann Arbor Trail and Warren when he left the bus head-on. Police were called to the area around 7:50 a.m. and determined a female passenger in the minivan was killed in the crash, but the driver was uninjured. The driver of the Dearborn Public Schools bus was also uninjured in the incident. An investigation into the crash is ongoing. READ MORE: Michigan 7th grader takes control of moving bus after driver lost consciousness 600-pound bull killed after 7-hour police chase across Michigan island Drone, tracking device help police find missing 9-year-old boy in U.P. Pop drinkers looking for a taste of summer have a new option available to them as Mountain Dew has announced the release of a Bomb Pop-flavored soda known as Summer Freeze. The debuting variant features cherry, lemon and raspberry flavors, just like the ones found in the popular frozen summer-time Bomb Pop popsicles. Available in regular and zero-sugar variants, Summer Freeze is expected to be available in stores across the U.S. in the coming weeks. The Mountain Dew website even offers a store locator to help Dew drinkers find a bottle closest to them. The pop will be available for a limited time in 20 oz. bottles, 12 oz. 12-pack cans and 16.9 oz. 6-pack bottles (regular only). Michigan-based Faygo has seen success with its own Bomb Pop-type of soda known as Firework, which debuted in 2021 and was an immediate hit with fans. READ MORE: McDonalds set to offer Big Mac sauce in dipping cups starting next week Detroit Lions dump Pepsi, partner with Coca-Cola as pop provider at Ford Field Michigans Best Local Eats: Vs Drive Thru offers future of fast food EAST LANSING, MI Police released a detailed timeline of events surrounding the Feb. 13 mass shooting at Michigan State University. Police also provided a map of the nearly five-mile route that gunman Anthony McRae, 43, of Lansing, took, from his arrival on campus to his self-inflicted shooting death as Lansing police approached. In a statement Thursday, April 27, MSU Police and Public Safety also said that investigators have not uncovered a motive for the shootings. Police said McRae legally bought two firearms found in his possession though only one of them was used during the night of violence. McRae, a self-described hated loner, shot seven students in a classroom at Berkey Hall, killing Arielle Anderson, 19, and Alexandria Verner, 20, then fatally shot Brian Fraser, 20, at the MSU Union. Related: Gunman bought ammo hours before MSU mass shooting, motive a mystery The timeline begins when McRae armed with two handguns - was first noted on campus. It is based on footage from surveillance cameras and information from residents. Here is the timeline provided by MSU Police and Public Safety (information denoted with this symbol * is what was not known by police on the night of the shootings): *7:19 p.m. McRae exits bus at Grand River/Berkey Hall bus stop *7:24 p.m. McRae walks east on Grand River Avenue in front of Broad Art Museum *7:26 p.m. McRae walks northeast across Grand River Avenue *8:12 p.m. McRae walks west in front of Broad Art Museum 8:18 p.m. First shots-fired call at Berkey Hall received by Ingham County 911 8:19 p.m. Police are dispatched to Berkey Hall by Ingham County 911 *8:19 p.m. McRae is seen walking westbound along Grand River Avenue in front of Ramp 6 Related: Michigan State mass shooter said he was hated loner: They made me a killer 8:20 p.m. First officers arrive at Berkey Hall *8:23 p.m. McRae fires one shot while walking from Berkey Hall to the Union *8:24 p.m. McRae enters the Union 8:26 p.m. First report of shooting at the Union *8:26 p.m. McRae leaves the Union and leaves campus 8:27 p.m. Police are dispatched to the Union by Ingham County 911 8:27 p.m. Officers arrive at the Union 8:30 p.m. First MSU Alert sent, with instructions to shelter in place 8:31 p.m. Second MSU Alert sent, with instructions to shelter-in-place *9:14 p.m. A man matching the gunmans description is seen walking north on Harrison Road near Grand River Avenue. 10:04 p.m. An MSU Alert provides a description of the suspect 10:54 p.m. MSU Alert says go to alert.msu.edu for more information 11:02 p.m. First news conference 11:18 p.m. McRaes photo is shared on social media by campus police 11:33 p.m. MSU Alert with updated description of suspect. Related: Please, hurry up, 911 calls detail fear, chaos of MSU shooting 11:35 p.m. Ingham County 911 receives call of person matching the gunmans description walking on Lake Lansing Road near High Street in Lansing 11:49 p.m. Police approach the suspect who shoots himself with a gun 12:20 a.m. MSU police confirm that deceased person is suspect 12:25 a.m. Second news conference 12:27 a.m. MSU Alert lifts shelter-in-place warning 1:07 a.m. MSU Alert provides information for reunification center 1:35 a.m. Third news conference 8:02 a.m. Fourth news conference For complete MLive coverage on the MSU mass shooting, go here. Read more: Families can explore free preschool program in Kent County at open house event The Rapid bus system launches new tap-and-pay contactless payment options Michigan Weather Snapshot: Sun and warmer temperatures ANN ARBOR, MI -- Another weekend is approaching. Do you have plans yet? Ann Arbor has a variety of events going for people with all kinds of interests, including bike riding, reptiles, astronomy and vintage clothes. Theres even an event for people who are fans of Rainn Wilson, known for his his role as Dwight Schrute on The Office. Here are five events taking place throughout Ann Arbor from Friday, April 28, to Sunday, April 30. 1. Rainn Wilson at the Michigan Theater Literati Bookstore is bringing Emmy-nominated actor and author Rainn Wilson to the Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St., at 7 p.m. Sunday, April 30. Wilson, often known for his role as Dwight Schrute on NBC-TVs The Office, will share his new book called Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution. The actor and author will discuss his book with University of Notre Dame professor David Bentley Hart. Tickets include a hardcover copy of Wilsons book and can be purchased here. 2. Break out the bikes Ann Arbor Bike Party is back to celebrate the end of winter at 7 p.m. Friday, April 28. The group invites anyone interested to welcome warmer weather with a community-wide bike ride throughout Ann Arbor. This months event is a glow ride where participants will be asked to dress in neon and light themselves and their rides up. The bike ride will start at the Kerrytown Market and end at Argus Farm Stop on Liberty Street, where drinks will be available for purchase. The ride is 10 miles or less within city limits, with a stop in the middle. Learn more online or email a2bikeparty@gmail.com for more information. 3. Discover the world of astronomy Astronomy lovers can participate in Statewide Astronomy Night Ann Arbor from 8 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at the Detroit Observatory, 1398 E. Ann St. The event includes tours of the original, historic 19th-century observatory, along with presentations on historic and modern astronomy. There will also be telescope viewings through its large, Fitz refracting telescope if the weather permits. Statewide Astronomy Night Ann Arbor is a collaboration with Michigan State University Science Festival to celebrate the night sky all throughout Michigan. Participants interested in the free event must pre-register here. 4. Learn about reptiles with this upcoming event The Creature Conservancy, 4940 Ann Arbor-Saline Road, is hosting a new event on Saturday, April 29, featuring reptiles and animals from the conservancys collection, as well as some from a guest reptile keeper. There are two events for different age groups, including one for families that includes participants 8 years old and older from 5 to 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 for children and $20 for adults. The family program features reptiles like a Dwarf Caiman, Diamondback Rattlesnake, legless lizard and Gila Monster. Another adults-only event for participants 18 years old and older is scheduled for 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. that will feature a Cuban crocodile, King Cobra, Mexican beaded lizard and a Black-throated monitor. Tickets are $25 each. Anyone interested in attending these events must pre-register online. 5. Shop at a vintage market at HOMES Brewery Campus Find artisan crafts, handmade goods and vintage clothing with 40 local and regional vendors at HOMES Brewery Campus, 112 Jackson Plaza. The Double Tiger Vintage Market is noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 29, and Sunday, April 30. Participants can discover handmade goods and vintage clothing while enjoying beers from HOMES Brewery and food from local food vendors. Learn more about the event online. Read more from The Ann Arbor News: Citing extreme burnout, Chelsea city manager abruptly resigns after 10 months Ann Arbor administrator proposes $75K to continue work on Treeline trail Stopping gun violence, saving lives is the goal of this Washtenaw County summit ANN ARBOR, MI - A sure sign that summer is on its way arrived Thursday morning with the announcement of the 2023 Sonic Lunch concert series in downtown Ann Arbor. Headliners for the annual free, weekly concert series sponsored by Bank of Ann Arbor were announced on Ann Arbors 107.1 April 27, with performers including Grammy-winning artist Madison Cunningham and Chicano legends Los Lobos slated to perform in Liberty Plaza in summer. Other headliners for the festival include noted Michigan artists and Sonic Lunch stalwarts The War and Treaty, May Erlewine, The Accidentals and Ann Arbor native Laith Al-Saadi. Sonic Lunch concert promoter and Tree Town Sound radio host Matthew Altruda said scoring commitment from Cunningham, who won her first Grammy for Best Folk Album in February for her album Revealer, was a big moment for the festival. Getting Madison Cunningham was literally like a champagne moment for me, Altruda said. We had her on our lineup when she won the Grammy, so knowing that we are bringing a Grammy Award winner to Sonic launch the same year that they won was extremely exciting. Los Lobos had long been a target of Sonic Lunch concert organizers, including Martin Bandyke and Bank of Ann Arbor President Tim Marshall, for nearly four years, Altruda said. For five decades, the Los-Angeles based band has delivered its unique brand of rock, blues, country and rhythm and blues. The band broke through in 1987 with a cover of Richie Valens La Bamba, and has since delivered hits like We Belong Together, Come on, Lets go, Heaven, Cancion del Mariachi, and Donna. Finally being able to deliver on it is like a dream come true, Altruda said. Sonic Lunch is a series of free, weekly concerts held at 11:30 a.m. on Thursdays at Ann Arbors Liberty Plaza at the corner of Liberty Division. The free concert series, which was started in 2008, is co-sponsored by Bank of Ann Arbor and Ann Arbors 107one. Food trucks will be available, and attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. With performances for The War and Treaty and Los Lobs expected to draw particularly large crowds, the city has approved closing Liberty Street between Division Street and Fifth Avenue on those days. With so many local music venues struggling post-pandemic, Altruda said being able to bring the free concert series back for another season is gratifying. We have such a great tradition of having an incredible lineup and you cant take your foot off the gas when youre doing such incredible things every year, he said. By putting together Sonic launch, were giving people the opportunity to celebrate the city that they live in and it makes people want to be here and live here and have the best summer ever. Its extremely rewarding that (Bank of Ann Arbor President) Tim Marshall has this vision of Sonic Lunch being the ultimate community builder. Heres a look at the lineup for the concert series, which kicks off on May 25. May 25: Melt (opener Dave Menzo) June 1: The Heavy Heavy (opener Chloe Kimes) June 8: Phillip-Michael Scales (opener Dave and Kristi) June 15: Joe P (opener Louie Lee) June 22: Madison Cunningham (opener Anna Ash) June 29: The War and Treaty (opener Antwaun Stanley) July 6: Cafune (opener Au Gres) July 13: Los Lobos (opener Camilla Cantu) July 27: Devon Gilifillian (opener Jess Merritt) Aug. 3: Husbands (opener Katie Stanley) Aug. 10: Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers (opener Misty Lyn & the Big Beautiful) Aug. 17: Laith Al-Saadi (opener Jen Sygit) Aug. 24: May Erlewine (opener Kylee Phillips) Aug. 31: The Accidentals (opener Patty Pershayla) READ MORE: Ann Arbor OKs street closures for Top of the Park, Sonic Lunch concerts Graduation at the University of Michigan is 2 days away. Heres what you need to know Ann Arbor school modifies Oklahoma! production as it grapples with use of guns ANN ARBOR, MI - An Ann Arbor city council member has donated their entire city salary to a fund supporting the University of Michigan graduate student instructors currently on strike. Council Member Linh Song, D-2nd Ward, gifted $25,000 to the Graduate Employees Organization strike fund, Song confirmed on April 27. The donation emphasizes how Song advocates for housing-related problems, she wrote in a note linked to the gift. The union has said it is striking for a substantial wage increase to better afford housing in the city. Fair wages, affordable housing and cost of living are all issues that elected officials and administrators influence, Song wrote. We can do better. The citys 10 elected ward representatives make $23,159 annually. The $25,000 donation was rounded up from Songs annual city salary, she said. Read more: Ann Arbor council members accept 37% pay raise in 8-3 vote Songs husband Dug Song built the cybersecurity firm Duo Security, which was valued at $2.35 billion as of 2020. The union is seeking, among other items on its platform, an annual wage of about $38,000 for each of its members. The university pledged to not pay graduate workers while they are on strike, so the union set up a fund to mitigate wage losses from the last month. A judge, acting on behalf of the Michigan Employment Relations Commission, ruled April 18 that the union should end the strike after it violated the current agreements no-strike clause. The commission starts hearings next week on the impasse between the union and universitys bargaining. The union plans to continue striking through at least the end of the month. The university wants to resolve the matters at the bargaining table, UM spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said. Read more from The Ann Arbor News: University of Michigan faculty withholding grades to support striking grad workers Judge rules striking grad instructors are violating contract with University of Michigan No pay for striking grad workers starting this week, University of Michigan says University of Michigan files lawsuits demanding grad strikers back into classrooms Higher pay is key issue in strike by University of Michigan grad instructors FLINT, MI Authorities are offering a cash reward for information in a five-year-old Flint homicide that remains unsolved. Terrell Montrell Williams was found suffering from gunshot wounds inside a home when police responded to 906 W. Moore St. on April 26, 2018. Police had received a 911 call around 11 a.m. that day reporting a homicide at a home near the intersection of Moore and Donnelly streets. Officials have previously indicated that they believed the 30-year-old man was shot and killed by someone outside the home. Related: Police ID four people killed in Flint in last two months The homicide remains unsolved, but Crime Stoppers of Flint and Genesee County is offering a cash reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to an arrest in the case. Anyone with information may contact Crime Stoppers of Flint and Genesee County at 1-800-422-JAIL (5245), on the P3Tips mobile app, or online at crimestoppersofflint.com. All methods to leave tips are anonymous. Read more at The Flint Journal: Woman recounts finding grandmothers body in Davison Township homicide case Former Flint-area priest pleads guilty to attempted criminal sexual conduct CSC charges dropped against Flint cop, former sheriffs deputy FLINT, MI There are so many options for Genesee County residents looking for a night out this weekend that weve added one additional item to whats normally a list of five things to do. Whether you prefer a night at the speedway, a compelling story by a playwright or crafts at the Flint Farmers Market, there is a little something for everyone. Heres a look at the variety of activities taking place from Friday, April 28 to Sunday, April 30 in the Flint area: 16th Annual Craft Market at Flint Farmers Market Flint Handmade will host its 16th annual Spring Craft Market from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Flint Farmers Market, 300 E. 1st St., on Saturday, April 29. Admission is free. More than 20 local artists will be offering handmade goods like jewelry, candles, natural bath and body products and more. Some people can only join us later in the day due to work or family responsibilities. Its still worth attending, even in the last hour or two. Our artisans still have amazing pieces available and you could win a door prize, said Crystal Pepperdine, Executive Director of Flint Handmade. There will even be free door prize drawing from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and live music will be provided by guitarist Erik McIntyre and bass player Shannon Wade. El Mariachi Concert at Totem Books Totem Books, 620 W. Court St. in Flint, is hosting a free El Mariachi Estudiantil concert at 4 p.m. Saturday, April 29. The free concert is being put on to celebrate Dia Del Libro, or World Book Day, normally celebrated on April 23. New Works Festival at Flint Repertory Theatre A three-day event from April 28-30 with staged readings of new plays by some of American theaters most compelling playwrights will take place at the FIMs Elgood Theatre, 1220 E. Kearsley St., in Flint this weekend. Tickets are $10 per reading or $25 to attend all four readings. The weekend begins with a reading of Down Stairs Neighbor by Beth Henley on Friday, continues with A Driving Beat by Jordan Ramirez Puckett and Younger by Kelundra Smith on Saturday and finishes with Funny, Like HaHa by Katherine Gwynn. For additional information, click here. Auto City Speedway season opener The Auto City Speedway, 10205 N. Saginaw Road in Vienna Township, will host opening night events on Saturday, April 29. Along with opening night, it is also First Responders Night, so first responders will get in free. Families can bring kids under 12 for free to see a night of racing dubbed Maximum Destruction. General admission tickets are $22 and can be purchased here. Front gates open at 4:30pm, with racing starting at at 7p.m. A first responder parade will take place around the track before the races begin. Hot Jazz at Tenacity Brewing Its jazz night at Tenacity Brewing in Flint this Friday. The Aston Neighborhood Pleasure Club will present an evening of live, hot jazz from 8-11 p.m. Friday, April 28, at Tenacity Brewing, 119 N. Grand Traverse St. There is no cover charge. Comedy show at Davison VFW Davison VFW Post 4087, 8031 E. Court St. in Davison Township, is hosting The Future of Comedy Show on Saturday, April 29. The comedy show will feature headliner Mike Ball, along with fellow comedians Chuck Bates, Steve Kaz and Jason Vest. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 each and available online at this link. Read more at The Flint Journal: Trustee resigns from Davison Board of Education, replacement sought Heres whats on the May 2023 ballot in Genesee County Backpacks banned at Flint schools for rest of academic year due to safety concerns Flint Community Schools loses assistant superintendent in wave of resignations LANSING, MI When the 84-year-old Vincent DeLorenzo appeared in a Genesee County courtroom Tuesday and admitted to sexually abusing a 5-year-old boy at a funeral for a family member in 1987, his words of admission began to conclude a chapter in one of the Lansing Dioceses darkest tales. For DeLorenzo, it all but ensured that in two months he would be behind bars, beginning what is expected to be a one-year stint in the Genesee County Jail at the front of a five-year probationary period. But for the Michigan Attorney Generals Office, it means a quest toward prosecuting members of the clergy accused of abusing their power and assaulting underage victims continues. Our team continues to work day and night to bring an end to an era of abuse that has hidden in plain sight for far too long and provide justice to those who have suffered years of unimaginable trauma, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement after DeLorenzos plea. This guilty plea will hopefully close this painful chapter and open the opportunity for much-needed healing for those victimized by DeLorenzo. Related: Former Flint-area priest pleads guilty to attempted criminal sexual conduct DeLorenzo, who pleaded guilty April 25 to a single count of attempted first-degree criminal sexual conduct, a five-year felony, was formerly a priest with the Catholic Churchs Lansing Diocese. He was removed from the active ministry in 2002, when the diocese said it first became aware of sexual abuse allegations. The diocese has been pursuing the laicization of DeLorenzo from the ministerial priesthood, according to a statement. That process had been on hold pending the outcome of legal proceedings. The diocese issued a statement following DeLorenzos plea, commending the victims on coming forward. For that, those individuals have our gratitude, our support and, of course, our prayers that they find both healing and peace, said David Kerr, a spokesman for the Diocese of Lansing. DeLorenzos actions were as gravely immoral as they were illegal, he besmirched the good name of the Catholic priesthood, he betrayed the trust put in him by the Catholic community of the Diocese of Lansing and, most disturbingly, he damaged the lives in his young victims. DeLorenzo was among the first five priests charged by Nessels office in late May 2019. Read more: Former Flint-area priest facing multiple sex assault charges Appearing before Genesee Circuit Judge Brian S. Pickell along with his attorney, Michael Manley, DeLorenzo admitted Tuesday to assaulting a five-year-old boy after a funeral service he officiated for the boys family in 1987. Through questioning from Manley, the former Flint-area priest said hed been asked to meet with the boy due to the boy acting out. Thats when the assault took place. In exchange for his guilty plea, six other criminal sexual conduct charges were dismissed. Those charges stemmed from the assault of another boy between 1995-2000, when the victim was a student at Holy Redeemer School and Church in Burton. The plea was offered after consulting with DeLorenzos victims, officials with the AGs office said. Nessels office said that while the offense DeLorenzo pleaded to took place more than 10 years ago and beyond the statute of limitations, the statute is tolled when a defendant leaves the state and resumes if they return to the state. DeLorenzo had been living in Florida since the early 2000s. He was arrested in Marion County, Florida, in 2019. Also: Flint-area Catholic priest sexually abused boy for 5 years, affidavit says When the former priest appears before Pickell again on June 13 for sentencing, it is expected as per the plea agreement that he will be sentenced to five years of probation, with the first year of the period being served in jail. He will also be required to register as a sex offender, pursuant to the Sex Offender Registration Act, for a lifetime period. He will be ordered to engage in sex offender counseling, pay restitution, and all the victims of Delorenzo will have an opportunity to provide an impact statement at the time of defendants sentencing hearing. When it comes to spending a year in the confines of the Genesee County Jail, Manley said his elderly client will be in good hands. Sheriff Swanson does an excellent job, the attorney said. They have health care that is right at the jail that is separate and apart from the sheriffs department. So, any health concerns could be dealt with there. And if it gets too serious, they usually take them to a doctor or to the hospital if they cannot provide that care. Read more at The Flint Journal: Former Flint-area priest faces new rape charge for second victim Man testifies he was raped 10 times by Catholic priest as a first-grader Former Flint-area priest bound over on rape charges GRAND RAPIDS, MI Standing in front of the future Boston Square Community Hub Wednesday, Sheena Walls said developers put resident needs front and center by building a home for childcare, healthcare services and community events in her neighborhood. Im so excited for this community hub to come here, said Walls, 38, speaking at a community celebration marking the start of construction on the $25 million hub. The hub, she added, will benefit the kids that are going to grow up in this area and the families that are going to be in this area. The concept for the hub, 1534 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, was developed by nonprofit community development group Amplify GR in collaboration with neighborhood residents. Once completed next year, the two-story, 45,000 square foot building will house an 80-slot childcare center operated by Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative and a clinic run by Corewell Health. It also will house community space available for birthday parties, baby showers, poetry readings, open mic nights and more. The celebration featured remarks from Amplify partner Rockford Construction, as well as Grand Rapids City Manager Mark Washington, Kent County Administrator Al Vanderberg, neighborhood residents, and Corewell Health. They said the project represents a significant investment in a neighborhood that hasnt seen the same level of investment as other parts of Grand Rapids. This project will address some of the most pressing needs in Boston Square and surrounding neighborhoods, Vandenberg said, noting the hubs focus on early childhood development and health and wellness services. The community hub will have a significant impact on residents in Southeast Grand Rapids. Amplify was created by the Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation and the Cheri DeVos Foundation with the goal of supporting community redevelopment in the Boston Square, Cottage Grove and Madison Square neighborhoods. Amplifys founders, starting in 2015, spent an estimated $10 million to purchase at least 32 blighted and underused properties in the three Southeast Side neighborhoods. In addition to the community hub, Amplify has said it wants to build 215 apartments, 22 townhomes, as well as retail space, a park and greenspace in Boston Square. The apartments are expected to include a range of market rate and income-restricted units. Dr. Alejandro Quiroga, president of Corewell Health West, spoke about the need to improve healthcare outcomes in the neighborhood. Life expectancy in the 49507 ZIP code is up to seven years less than it is in surrounding areas, he said, noting that a lack of services, no access to health insurance, and much more build on each other to create this horrific situation. Geography should not determine health destiny, Quiroga said. Thats why Corewell Health is pleased to be a part of this development, and its why we are bringing adult, pediatric, primary care, plus classes and more to the Boston Square neighborhood. The community hub is being built at the former Living Word Christian Center at 1534 Kalamazoo Ave. SE. A portion of the building is being demolished, and another portion is being renovated. Wednesdays event was officially dubbed a sky-breaking celebration. Workers will be on-site next month to raise the buildings roof four feet so the structure can accommodate a second floor. The project was funded through $4 million from Kent Countys American Rescue Plan Act funds, and the rest is being covered by donors, new market tax credits, debt, and ongoing fundraising, said Jon Ippel, executive director of Amplify GR. The two occupants, Corewell Health and Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative, are also making investments in their spaces, he said. The building is expected to be complete by mid-2024, though the childcare center is expected to be done by January. This is the heart of Boston Square, Ippel said. This really reflects the culture, the amenities, and the spirit we all desire to see happen. Construction on the building is being led by Rockford Construction. Brad Mathis, the firms vice president of community development and inclusion, said 25% to 30% of construction work will be performed by local and minority-owned contractors. Additionally, we are investing in workforce development efforts to promote the inclusion of historically underrepresented groups in the construction industry, he said. So what does that mean? That means well be hiring from the neighborhood. That means we will be encouraging training, education, workforce development with some of our local institutions right here on this project. Looking forward, Walls, the member of Amplify GRs neighborhood advisory group, said shes eager to see the hub open. The Southeast Side, I feel like, is lacking a lot of the things that other communities have, she said. So this is something grand for the Southeast Side so that it can be on the same level as other communities and be able to be served just as well as other communities are served. Read more: Filming for thriller movie starring Nicole Kidman wraps up in Holland I dont know where the body is, Jeffrey Willis says 10 years after Jessica Heeringa disappearance Grand Rapids homicide victims nephew charged in his death WYOMING, MI -- A 27-year-old man accused of shooting and killing his 2-year-old daughter more than a year ago has again been found incompetent for trial. Seninta Parks appeared via video for a hearing Wednesday, April 26 in Wyoming District Court. He is accused of killing Khalise Brewer at his Wyoming apartment in the 2400 block of Meyer Avenue SW on Feb. 9. Police said he then shot and wounded himself. Parks initially was found incompetent in June 2022 after being evaluated at the Center for Forensic Psychiatry. Since then, he has remained there and received treatment. Another recent evaluation, culminating with Wednesdays hearing, showed he still was not competent. Related: Fight erupts outside courthouse among those attending hearing for man accused of killing 2-year-old Parks now will continue to receive treatment. But if he shows no improvement, the murder charge against him eventually could be dismissed. Prosecutors then would file a petition to have Parks committed to a mental health facility for the safety of the community but also his own safety. More from MLive I dont know where the body is, Jeffrey Willis says 10 years after Jessica Heeringa disappearance 11 Michigan men charged in major U.S. diesel engine tampering case GRAND RAPIDS, MI A convicted killer has been sentenced to prison for stabbing his girlfriend to death along with slashing the womans two young children. Jacob Alec Ryan will spend the rest of his life in prison without the chance of parole for the 2021 fatal stabbing of his 25-year-old girlfriend Ciara Paul. The life sentence came Thursday, April 27, after a jury convicted Ryan, 30, last month at trial of first-degree murder in the killing. JACKSON COUNTY, MI A plane carrying some unexpectedly cute passengers landed at the Jackson County Airport on Wednesday. Eleven dogs were flown in on April 26 from a shelter in Athens, Texas to the Jackson County Animal Shelter. The dogs were saved from potentially being euthanized due to an overpopulation problem at the Texas shelter, Jackson County Animal Shelter Director Lydia Sattler said. I received an email from Athens saying, We saw that you have a partnership with Mississippi, would you be interested in partnering with us? Sattler said. The Jackson County shelter was able to select from a list of dogs to take in. Through the nonprofit Dog Is My Copilot, they were then loaded onto a plane and delivered to the Jackson County Airport. Dog is My Copilot, based in Wyoming, transports animals from overcrowded shelters to another adoption center. This is the first time the nonprofit has flown dogs to the Jackson County shelter. Theyre really the key piece to getting these dogs moved, Sattler said. Air transport is so much faster and so much easier on these dogs. What theyre doing is truly just incredible. Once the plane landed, volunteers and animal shelter staff took the crated pups to staff vehicles and brought them to the shelter where they received some doggy spa care and a visit from the veterinarian, Satler said. Shelter staff was happy to take in the dogs, not just because they were saving them from being euthanized, but also because the shelter can offer a larger variety of dogs for residents to adopt, she said. We dont have a shortage of dogs available for adoption at our shelter, but what we do have is a shortage of a great variety of pets, Sattler said. So, if we can find more dogs that people are looking for and adopt them out, its great. The dogs that arrived Wednesday include white shepherd puppies, a black lab, a boxer mix, a sheltie and a couple that cant easily be identified with a specific breed but are described as fluffballs. Theyre so sweet, Sattler said. Theyre happy and loving. The dogs are all ready to be adopted. Inquiries can be made on the Jackson County Animal Shelters website, but Sattler recommends visiting the shelter at 3370 Spring Arbor Road to see them. It was so much fun, and we loved watching the plane fly in with the little dog on the side of it, and the dogs inside of the plane, Sattler said. And of course, we love animals, so a plane full of dogs -- we love that. This is the second round of dogs brought to the Jackson County shelter from the Texas shelter. A flight was originally scheduled for earlier in April but was canceled. The Texas shelter, however, was so desperate to relieve its population that staff drove 19 dogs to Jackson County, Sattler said. All but one of these dogs already have been adopted, she said. More from the Jackson Citizen Patriot: Spay and neuter event aims to prevent unwanted kittens in Jackson County See whos running for office in Jackson in the November election Brayden Lape, teen star of NBC-TVs The Voice, will lead the 2023 Jackson Rose Parade Turbulent Jackson County township has a clerk again, but not for long First-half goals lift Western over Lumen Christi JACKSON, MI -- A woman was hospitalized Sunday after two unknown gunmen shot into her moving vehicle, police said. At about 12:40 a.m. April 23, Jackson Police Department officers responded to shots fired in the area of the 300 block of E. Addison Street. Officers arrived at the scene to find a 50-year-old woman suffering from gunshot wounds to her lower abdomen and leg, police said. The victim told police she had been driving west on E. Addison Street when two people stepped out of a wooded area by the road and fired several shots at her vehicle. The woman was taken to Henry Ford Jackson Hospital to be treated for her injuries, police said. She has since been released. A male passenger in the vehicle was not injured, police said. This shooting is still under investigation. More from MLive: Commissioners death creates vacancy on Jackson County board Employee at Lansing-area auto supplier dies in workplace accident Feds back in U.P. to find source of largest fungal outbreak in U.S. history Man pleads guilty to setting duplex on fire in Jackson JACKSON, MI -- A jury found LeAndrew Martin guilty of second-degree murder at the end of a week-long trial for a fatal 2022 shooting. Martin -- 44, of Jackson -- was convicted Thursday, April 27, of second-degree murder and felony firearm possession. The charges stem from the Aug. 28 shooting death of Markeithis Thomas-James Smith in Jackson. RELATED: Trial begins for man charged in fatal Jackson shooting Martin is set to appear for sentencing June 21 before Jackson County Circuit Judge Susan Jordan. (Smith) was a father, a brother, a boyfriend and an only son, said assistant prosecuting attorney Stormie McGee during closing arguments. Why did he die? Because he wanted to make sure his girlfriend got home safely that night. Martin himself took the stand Thursday to describe how the night of Aug. 28 unfolded from his perspective. During his testimony, Martin said he saw Smith tug at his side of his pants moments before the shooting -- a movement he instinctually reacted to as a sign Smith was reaching for a holstered firearm. Im just reading the body language -- it seemed like (Smith) was reaching for his gun, and I was worried about getting shot, Martin said. Martin testified that he shot Smith in a three-round burst -- then twice more -- because he wanted to prevent him from reaching any weapon he might have. He admitted he never actually saw Smith with a gun, and police never found one at the scene. Any time I fear for my life and I got my gun, Im going to use it, Martin said. Martins attorney Kareem Johnson argued his client acted in self-defense during the shooting. (Martin) thinks (Smith) is reaching for a gun -- he acts to defend himself, Johnson said during closing arguments. According to testimony, the shooting was the result of a fight that had broken out after Smiths ex-girlfriend got into a confrontation at the party store with Jennifer Martin and Desiree Johnson. Jennifer Martin is the defendants ex-wife, and both she and Johnson face charges of accessory after the fact to a felony in relation to the shooting. The confrontation between Smith and Martin took place as both men were trying to break up the fight, according to testimony. Early in the morning of Aug. 28, officers responded to a report of a shooting in the 200 block of West Biddle Street near the Greenwood Food & Beverage Party Store, said the Jackson Police Department. Officers found Smith lying unresponsive in the street with an apparent gunshot wound to the head, police said. He was pronounced dead soon after, police said. Martin was arrested on the morning of Sept. 2 in Jackson, Mississippi, having allegedly fled more than 900 miles. The next day, friends and family members of Smith gathered at the site of the shooting to honor him in a vigil, remembering Smith as a hard working, loyal man. More from The Jackson Citizen Patriot: Jackson County township trustees propose emergency plan ahead of looming shutdown Police name man killed in fatal Albion crash 11 dogs were saved thanks to a plane ride to Jackson County Heres whats on the ballot in Jackson County for May 2 special election VAN BUREN COUNTY, MI A high-voltage power line will not be installed along the original proposed route through rural Van Buren County. Consumers Energy originally proposed building a 20-mile high-voltage power line, which would start in Almena Township near Mattawan, go west past Paw Paw and end at the Lawrence-Crandall Business Centre. Businesses and residents expressed outrage at the proposed route, leading to local governments passing resolutions against it. Related: Outrage prompts Consumers Energy to pause 20-mile high-voltage power line project Consumers said Thursday, April 27, they will not use the original 20-mile route. The route was scrapped after hearing from community members, the release said. The company will find an alternative route which will allow them to improve electricity reliability, the release said. Community members provided valuable feedback and the energy provider will seek an alternative route to improve reliability in southwest Michigan while reducing the impacts to the surrounding community, the release said. Lawrence-Crandall Business Centre is home to multiple businesses, but the one getting public attention is 305 Farms, a cannabis grow and processing facility. Residents and local officials have said the power line is mainly to benefit the marijuana business, but Consumers denies that. Consumers restarted conversations with American Electric Power (AEP) about partnering to bring a high-voltage power line, the company said in early April. Our mission remains to find a prudent route to build this line in order to serve the future growth of Van Buren County as new residents, businesses, schools, libraries and others choose to call southwest Michigan home, the release said. But as we listen to and work with the community, we will come up with a solution that minimizes the impact to the area while delivering reliable energy. Related: Proposed 20-mile high-voltage power line sparks outrage in Southwest Michigan High-voltage lines require all vegetation to be cleared from ground to sky within 40 feet on both sides of the poles, Consumers officials said previously. Trees within 80 feet on both sides may also be removed or trimmed. The proposed line would have crossed Hayden Creek, which recently received $5 million for restoration from the federal America the Beautiful Challenge. Cody Cresta Vineyard & Winery, which has been named one of the top hidden gems in the U.S., founder David Butkovich said at the meeting. The power line was supposed to run through the winery, destroying the views from the patio that helped earn them the honor, he said. Want more Kalamazoo-area news? Bookmark the local Kalamazoo news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Kalamazoo daily newsletter. More from MLive: Kalamazoo teen accused of killing teen could argue self-defense, judge says Kalamazoo plans $20M water project ordered by state to protect public health Gunman bought ammo hours before MSU mass shooting, motive a mystery NORTON SHORES, MI -- After 10 years, the man convicted for the abduction and murder of Jessica Heeringa maintains his innocence. Along those same lines, Jeffrey Willis, a convicted serial killer, also says he doesnt know where her body is. Willis, 53, has been behind bars since he was arrested in May of 2016. Willis is currently serving life sentences without the chance at parole for the murder of Rebekah Bletsch in 2014 and the murder and abduction of Heeringa in 2013. RELATED: Jessica Heeringas disappearance a tragic mystery 10 years later Earlier this month as part of MLive/Muskegon Chronicles deeper look ahead of the 10-year anniversary of Jessica Heeringas disappearance, journalists reached out to Willis. After some email communications, Willis agreed to a phone interview with MLive reporter Brad Massman. In the short-lived call, which you can hear in its entirety above, Willis wanted to set ground rules for the interview. Willis also wanted Massman to help him get some documents for his case. Under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act, no persons incarcerated in correctional facilities can access to public records of public bodies. A lawyer can provide Willis with the documents. 76 The disappearance of Jessica Heeringa and the trial of Jeffrey Willis MLive did not provide or promise to provide Willis with the documents, which seemed to upset him. During the call, which lasted two minutes and 17 seconds, Willis maintained his innocence. RELATED: Where is Jessica Heeringa? Shes still missing 10 years later despite serial killers conviction I dont want to be badgered. Ive stated multiple times to multiple people that I didnt do it. Im innocent and I dont know where the body is, Willis said moments before hanging up. Willis is currently housed in the maximum-security G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility in Jackson. Willis is allowed out of his cell for two, one-hour periods a day. RELATED: Jessica Heeringa detective still lives with the void and criticism 10 years later Heeringas body has yet to be found. She is listed as missing in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System database. Law enforcement believes the only way Jessica will be found is with the cooperation of Willis. Read more about the Jessica Heeringa case. Also on MLive: High schooler who wants to work for NASA wins award named for astronaut Police identify living Jane Doe thanks to flood of tips Michigan sheriff pleads guilty to drunk driving, carrying pistol SAGINAW, MI A former Saginaw police officer has received a probationary term for assaulting a handcuffed woman nearly three years ago. Saginaw County Circuit Judge Andre R. Borrello on Thursday, April 26, sentenced Adam Collier to one year of probation. While on probation, Collier is to perform 100 hours of community service and complete an anger management course. He must also pay $175 in fines and costs. Borrello further ordered Collier to have no direct or indirect contact with his victim. Collier in March pleaded no contest to willful neglect of duty and aggravated assault, both misdemeanors. Defense attorney Douglas M. Gutscher, of the Police Officers Association of Michigan, said his client was pleading no contest rather than guilty due to potential civil liability. As such, Borrello relied on investigative reports to enter convictions on the record. Adam Collier stands on stage after receiving his badge during the Saginaw Police Department Awards & Memorial Ceremony held in the Temple Theatre Ballroom in Saginaw on Thursday, May 11, 2017. The plea agreement required Collier to surrender his Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards licensure and certification and waive his administrative hearing rights. In exchange for Colliers pleas, the prosecution dismissed two counts of assault and battery and one count of common law offenses, or misconduct in office. The evening of July 11, 2020, Collier responded to a Saginaw house where a 57-year-old Black woman had allegedly assaulted someone. Collier handcuffed and arrested the woman, then placed her in the backseat of his patrol vehicle. The woman resisted and Collier responded by punching her in the left side of her face with his closed right fist, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel previously said. Collier took the woman to the Saginaw County Jail, where she spat at him in the facilitys sally port. Collier then punched the woman three times, causing her to fall to the ground, hit her head, and lose consciousness, Nessel has said. The woman was handcuffed during this second assault as well. The Michigan State Police conducted a criminal investigation into the assaults. On finishing their probe, investigators sent their reports to the Saginaw County Prosecutors Office in July 2020. That office subsequently referred the case to the Michigan Attorney Generals Office, which issued charges against Collier in September 2020. Cameras in the jail recorded video footage of the second assault, though efforts by MLive to obtain that footage via several Freedom of Information Act requests have been stymied. Nessel, in a September 2020 press conference, said it would be inappropriate for her office to release the footage of Colliers actions while the case is pending. Saginaw Police Chief Robert M. Ruth suspended Collier on July 14, 2020, and fired him three days later. We want to send a very strong message we will not tolerate excessive use of force, Chief Ruth said at the time of Colliers firing. Collier joined the Saginaw Police Department in January 2017. Read more: Ex-Saginaw police officer accused of punching cuffed woman pleads no contest Ex-Saginaw cop punched arrested woman four times in two incidents, attorney general says Fired Saginaw police officer charged by Michigan AG in jail assault State police release report on fired Saginaw police officer, but you cant read most of it Michigan Attorney General to review case of ex-Saginaw officer accused of punching woman MOUNT PLEASANT, MI Late last year, a bizarre story broke of an Isabella County mother who spent more than a year catfishing two teens, including her own daughter. The strange saga has reached its conclusion, with the mother going from catfish to new fish in prison for her internet deception. Kendra G. Licari, 42, on Wednesday, April 26, appeared before Isabella County Circuit Judge Mark H. Duthie for sentencing. Duthie sentenced Licari to 19 months to five years in prison. He also ordered her to pay $1,240.27 in restitution and $236 in fines and costs. BAY CITY, MI Years after allegedly executing a mother of five and setting her body on fire in rural Bay County, a mother of six has been brought back to Michigan after serving time in an Arizona prison to face charges. Britany A. Letourneau, 43, on the afternoon of Thursday, April 27, appeared before Bay County District Judge Timothy J. Kelly for arraignment on charges of open murder and removing, mutilating, or disinterring a dead body, plus two counts of felony firearm. The charges stem from the August 2020 homicide of 36-year-old Heidi E. Dowd, of West Branch. Letourneau gave an address in the 200 block of North Grant Street in Bay City as her current residence. Attorney Matthew B. Hewitt asked Kelly to enter not-guilty pleas on Letourneaus behalf. Describing Letourneau as indigent, he also asked Kelly to refer her case to the Office of Assigned Counsel. The judge obliged both requests. Letourneau has six children, three of which are minors, Hewitt said. Apart from her recent prison stint in the Grand Canyon State, Letourneau has been a lifelong resident of Michigan, he continued. Hewitt added Letouorneau has an extensive history of medical and mental health issues. While she has 16 prior convictions, zero were for violent offenses, Hewitt said. He also said she has never failed to appear for court. She has maintained the same residence, even during the two years of incarceration (in Arizona), always intending to return to Bay County, Hewitt said, adding she has a support network locally. Hewitt asked the judge to set a reasonable bond, possibly with a GPS tether. Bay County Prosecutor Nancy E. Borushko opposed this, instead asking for a $1 million bond. This defendant comes before the court with multiple aliases, I think well over 10, Borushko said. She disputed Hewitts claim that despite Letourneaus litany of criminal convictions none of Letourneaus convictions were violent. Her nine felony convictions include assault with a dangerous weapon, forgery, uttering and publishing, and retail fraud. She is definitely a flight risk, Borushko said. This is someone who has extensive criminal history. She moves about the state of Michigan when shes here and she obviously is willing to leave the state with pending cases. And these were cases that were nowhere near the severity of these charges. Kelly granted Borushkos request, setting a $1 million cash bond. Conditions of Letourneaus bond are that she not have contact with Dowds family or codefendant Aaron M. Wyse. Wyse, 45, was arraigned April 20 on one count of removing, mutilating, or disinterring a dead body. Dowds body was found in wooded area within the 500 block of West Neuman Road in Mount Forest Township the afternoon of Aug. 17, 2020. The property owner, who had nothing to do with the killing, found her body and notified police, Bay County Sheriff Troy R. Cunningham said. Dowd had no ties to the property, nor did Letourneau or Wyse, Cunningham said. The sheriff declined to say what led investigators to their two suspects or discuss motives, though he said it was not a random killing. Dowds death certificate states she suffered one gunshot wound to the left parietal section of her head. A deformed bullet was recovered from her skull, the document states, adding Dowds thermal injuries were inflicted after her death. Letourneau lived in Bay City at the time of Dowds death. Her and Dowds Facebook accounts were linked as friends. Letourneau is also known by the surnames Lewis, Johnson, Tigner, and Raymo and alternative names Marciea A. Fordyce, Marcia Ann Moses, Marciea Reyes, records show. At her arraignment, Judge Kelly said he counted 14 aliases used by Letourneau. Authorities issued warrants for Letourneaus and Wyses arrests on Dec. 7, 2022, by which time both suspects were imprisoned in different states. Letourneau was incarcerated at the Arizona State Prison Complex Perryville Santa Cruz Unit under the name Marcia A. Fordyce. In March 2021, Letourneau/Fordyce appeared in Yavapai County Superior Court in Prescott, Arizona, and pleaded guilty to possessing a dangerous drug and possession of a weapon by a prohibited person. Prosecutors dismissed charges of possessing drug paraphernalia and possessing or using a weapon in a drug offense. A judge in April 2021 sentenced Letourneau/Fordyce to two years in prison. While incarcerated, Letourneau/Fordyce had three disciplinary infractions two for disobeying a verbal or written order and one for disrespecting staff. While in prison, Letourneau appeared via Zoom in Michigans Otsego County Circuit Court in October 2021 to plead guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and second-offense possession of a controlled substance. The following month, Otsego County Circuit Judge Colin G. Hunter sentenced Letourneau to terms of 23 months to 10 years and 23 months to four years in prison, with credit for 62 days already served. Letourneau still owes $781.20 in that case. The Arizona Department of Corrections released Letourneau/Fordyce into community supervision on March 21, 2023, though records indicate she was picked up shortly thereafter and held pending extradition. The Bay County Board of Commissioners on April 18 unanimously approved paying about $3,106 to the U.S. Marshals Service to transport Letourneau from the Maricopa County Jail to Bay County. Wyse, meanwhile, in May 2022 was sentenced by a judge in Otsego County to concurrent terms of two to five years and three to 10 years in prison on convictions of possessing methamphetamine and carrying a concealed weapon. Before being lodged in the Bay County Jail, Wyse was most recently incarcerated at the Earnest C. Brooks Correctional Facility in Muskegon Heights. His earliest possible release date is Sept. 26, 2024, while his maximum possible discharge date is July 26, 2031. Prison records indicate Wyse has scars from gunshot wounds on his chest. Both Letourneau and Wyse are to appear for a preliminary examination at 11 a.m. on May 9. Dowd graduated from Harry S. Truman High School in Taylor. Heidi enjoyed spending time with family and friends, decorating for the holidays, reading and listening to music, her obituary states. She was survived by her husband, five children and one stepchild. Read more: Inmates charged with killing woman, setting her body on fire in Bay County 2020 homicide Woman found slain in Bay County was stay-at-home mother of 5 Police identify northern Michigan woman whose burned body was found in Bay County Unidentified womans burned body found in rural Bay County The Manistee waterfront is getting a facelift with the help of $2 million loan from the state. The Lake Michigan shoreline will have 102 new rooms available for guests after a small motel is demolished and a new five-story Hilton is built at 101 S. Lakeshore Drive. Although the project is roughly 70% complete, rising construction costs and environmental remediation pushed developers to ask the Michigan Strategic Fund board for public support. The board voted unanimously to aid the project with the $2 million loan and $808,000 state tax capture for the environmental clean up and public infrastructure updates to water, sewer, roads and sidewalks near the property. With the financial boost, developers estimate a summer 2023 opening, according to the MSF packet. Manistee officials presenting to the board on Tuesday, April 25, said the project has already spurred economic interest in the beach town. Marc Miller, Director of Economic Development for the Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce, said there are already 10 new businesses in the works at the popular fishing and beach spot. Based on Pure Michigan projection models an added $16 million visitor dollars will go into the community annually through restaurants and retail. This project has already been a catalyst and will continue to be a catalyst for business creation, job creation, and for economic resiliency, Miller said. Here are three other local projects that received funding during the Michigan Strategic Fund board meeting: Detroit The board gave the final big, $615 million push for the hotly debated District Detroit project. The tax incentive package allows developers to capture up to $615 million in future local and state-level tax revenues generated by the project over 35 years. Developers of the project aim to take 10 blighted buildings and turn them into apartments, hotels and office space. The overall project will invest $1.5 billion into connecting Midtown with Detroit neighborhoods. Little Caesars Arena will anchor the development, close by the upcoming University of Michigan Center for Innovation. Residents oppose the project. They feel it will deepen divide between neighborhoods and downtown and drive out lifetime residents. Many Detroit residents appeared in person at the Lansing meeting or online. Public comment lasted two and half hours with more than a dozen residents opposing the project. Detroit residents also got support from Big Rapids and Marshall residents who contested the boards previous financial support of megasites in their small towns. At the root of the controversy is the tax break for two of Detroits most affluent namesakes the Ross and Ilitch families who are behind the development. One Detroit business owner asked the board this rhetorical question: What would you do if you went to lunch with a person who had a ten-digit income and they invited you to go to the most expensive restaurant city and then they handed you the bill? Thats essentially what is happening with this process. The developers are asking you to pay their bill, he said. Read more here: Tax incentive greenlit for $1.5B District Detroit, residents call it arrogance of billionaires Flint-area An electrical contractor in Genesee County is evolving and expanding its operation into autonomous technology with a new plant in Shiawassee County. Headquartered in Swartz Creek, LJ Inc. presented to the MSF board its evolution from a small electrical contractor business to a full service, cutting-edge business solution for all electrical, fabrication, millwright, automation and robot integration solutions, control system engineering, HVAC, and computer service needs. During her presentation, Laura Slieff, president of L.J. Inc, told the board a customer brought to them the idea of autonomous dredging, removing sediments and debris from water body bottoms. Given the high risk associated with dredging the company wanted to use its autonomous technology for a safer solution. Only three companies currently build dredges in the United States none in Michigan making L.J.s innovation the first autonomous dredge company in the world. The company is looking to purchase 50 acres of vacant land in Venice Township to build a 150,0000-square-foot facility to house manufacturing and fabrication functions and all operations. Were excited to have this concept come out of our great state of Michigan and the wonderful small-town community of Venice Township in Shiawassee County instead of another state or country getting the credit for something so cutting edge, Slieff said. After the presentation board President Quentin Messer Jr. said the company had a great story. The board unanimously voted to approve a $2.5 million performance-based grant for the business. In the memo to the MSF board, LJ Inc. mentioned it was considering building the facility in Indiana after the state offered them an attractive incentive offer. Doing business in Indiana would lower shipping and building costs as there is a move-in ready facility there. After the meeting, Slieff told MLive the approval of the grant sealed the deal for LJ Inc. staying in Michigan. Read more here: Company planning to build autonomous dredges picks Shiawassee County for new plant Ann Arbor The future of autonomous vehicles has an Ann Arbor company eyeing growth in shuttle fleets to ease congested city traffic. May Mobility, founded in 2017 and current employer of 197 Michigan residents, asked the board for a $3 million grant to upscale its operation. The proposal outlined an $18 million investment into Ann Arbor and creating 300 new jobs with wages averaging $67.31 per hour plus benefits. Expanding in Ann Arbor would require a hired headhunter for talent recruitment, adding costs compared to growing in a larger tech hub. The company considered Boston, Pittsburgh and the Silicon Valley to be closer to tech universities and investors. It also considered Tokyo, Japan, where its strategic partner Toyota is headquartered, according to the project memo. The board voted unanimously to grant May Mobility the $3 million performance-based grant. We are proud of our Michigan based roots and look forward to continue growing our team locally, Chief Financial Officer Ryan Green said. Read more here: Self-driving shuttle service poised to launch in Ann Arbor More on MLive: Stellantis plans to cut 3,500 hourly jobs, UAW letter warns Feds back in U.P. to find source of largest fungal outbreak in U.S. history Wallet Watch: Resident opposition doesnt stop state from funding Gotion plant GRAYLING, MI An ammonia spill at an Arctic Glacier ice packaging facility in northern Michigan has resulted in a $232,593 federal fine. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says Artic Glacier failed to immediately report a 1,580-pound anhydrous ammonia spill last June at its facility along M-93 in Grayling, which it was required to do under federal hazardous substance and emergency planning laws. The EPA announced the fine Tuesday, April 25. Pennsylvania-based Arctic Glacier, which sells makes and sells bagged ice around the U.S. and Canada, waited almost six hours to report the June 3, 2022 spill to the national response system, according to a negotiated consent order. The spill was caused by a pipe failure, EPA said. Anhydrous ammonia is a pressurized refrigerant used in ice making which can be toxic and dangerous if its not properly handled. It is classified as an extremely hazardous substance under federal law and spills of more than 100 pounds must be disclosed immediately. A maintenance contractor died last year at an Arctic Glacier facility in British Columbia after pressurized ammonia was accidentally released. The gas cloud caused hospitalizations and prompted evacuations at an industrial park. Nobody was injured in Grayling, according to the EPA. The Grayling Fire Department assisted a company contractor with the emergency response. The ammonia was released into the atmosphere where it dissipated, said Allison Lippert, a EPA Region 5 spokeswoman. Its unclear what, if any, public notification occurred following the incident. The decision to notify the public was the fire departments, EPA said. A call to the Grayling Fire Chief was not returned Wednesday. According to a National Response Center pollution incident report, Arctic Glacier reported the spill as fixed at 11:10 p.m. The EPA said the pipe failure happened about 4:30 p.m. The issue was described as a ruptured pipe on an ice maker. Twelve employees evacuated and a king valve was closed on the way out to slow the release. Natalie Fischer, vice president of marketing and communications at Arctic Glacier, said via email on Wednesday that our foremost priority at Arctic Glacier is the safety of our employees and the surrounding community. Fischer said there were no injuries and no anticipated acute or chronic health risks to the surrounding community from the incident, and we have further enhanced our Emergency Response Plan to ensure expeditious reporting to the required government and regulatory agencies. Sign up to receive MLive's free new environment and climate newsletter, "Lake Effect." Enter your email below: Related stories: Michigan firms fined $10M over diesel defeat devices 11 Mich. men charged in U.S. diesel tampering case Michigan AG sues developer over drained wetlands Michigan landowners liable for legacy farm pollution Detroit steel coke producer faces federal air lawsuit 27.04.2023 LISTEN Actress and businesswoman, Fella Precious Makafui has taken to social media to report how one of her employees allegedly stole GHS50,000 from her. Makafui posted on her social media channel that she and her team were unable to locate the employee, who has blocked all communication platforms. According to Fella Makafui, the only communication she received regarding the issue was a call from a man claiming to be an officer who threatened her. My Employee has stolen my money. My team and I cant find her anywhere. She has blocked us on all platforms. I only received a call from one man who claimed to be an officer threatening me, she indicated She believes the caller may have been working with the employee who stole the money. The YOLO actress who runs a makeup brand, clothing line and supermarket pleaded with the said worker Gina to return the money. Gina, I know you seeing this, kindly send me my 50k. Thats my sweat, she declared The news of the theft has caused a stir on social media, with many people condemning the alleged theft. Involve the police they will issue an order for the Telcos to print a statement of her last calls including location. (Longitude and latitude), a fan tweeted at her on social media. Another replied, Dont let her goif not she keep doing that to others who are having a sleepless night of hard work. Fella is yet to disclose if she has contacted the police over the incident. Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has said Ghana's debt structuring should be a sad lesson for African countries to build fiscal buffers during economic prosperity. She said African countries must be deliberate with building fiscal buffers to cushion their local economies and make them resilient to uncertainties and shocks which might be internal or external. There has to be in place fiscal rules that prevent that (debt restructuring) from happening in the future, she said during a dialogue programme organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) Ghana. The former Nigeria's Minister of Finance said though she sympathised with the country for having to go through the ordeal of debt restructuring, she admitted Nigeria's US$30 billion debt restructuring which had no backing from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was more austere. I must confess to you that the programme I put together with my economic team was harder than the IMF programme. But the people accepted it, so it became our own programme. And actually, it led to the creation of a new instrument at the IMF which is a policy-based instrument where you do your own restructuring without the money. Dr Okonjo-Iweala said. She said Nigerian citizens at that time made the decision not to approach the IMF, hence had to take a difficult path of economic recovery that lasted about two and half years to get stakeholders on the same page. She advised Ghana to negotiate with the IMF to exempt social interventions and development programmes from restructuring to ease the austerity on vulnerable citizens. Dr Okonjo-Iweala also said the Government must among other things work to improve macroeconomic management to justify reliefs and restructuring and get a creditor country to back it through the debt restructuring process. Out of all your creditors, there must be one of them who can go round persuading others and most of the time, it should be your largest bilateral creditor who should take that lead. If they are ready to give certain terms, then that means that the others will also be ready. And I think that is one of the challenges that Ghana is facing trying to get that done. we were able to persuade the British who were our largest creditor at the time, she said. GNA The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has hit out at the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in response to their press conference on Tuesday accusing government of being neck-deep in illegal mining (galamsey) in the country. Addressing a press conference yesterday, NDC National Communications Officer Sammy Gyamfi said Prof. Frimpong-Boatengs report on galamsey is proof that illegal mining has been a free-for-all enterprise under Akufo-Addos government. ..if there was any doubt that the so-called fight against illegal mining by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government has been a sham, then this is the clearest evidence, yet again. The report confirms one truth that illegal mining activities have been a free-for-all enterprise for many in the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP administration. From Ministers, Presidential Staffers, and other associates in government, to National, Regional, Constituency, and even Unit Committee Executives of the New Patriotic Party, their agents, Personal Assistants, relatives, and financiers, many have been cited to have either engaged in or promoted illegal mining with reckless abandon, Sammy Gyamfi said at the press conference. Replying to the NDC in a statement today, the Communications Director of the NPP, Richard Ahiagbah advised the opposition party to stop politicising every issue. He insists that it is better the NDC supports government in the fight against illegal mining in the country. The NDC must learn to keep certain things above partisan politics and galamsey is one of such things. We know the NDCs record on galamsey is criminal, to put it mildly. The fight against galamsey proceeds without fear or favor. Lets all get involve less the partisanship that often weakens the cooperation we need to triumph, Richard Ahiagbah said. According to the ruling NPP, the NDC should have waited for the Criminal Investigation Department to finish its investigations into the allegations by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng before sharing its opinion on the report. What would it have cost the NDC to have waited for the CID to complete its investigation and render its report for public scrutiny? Perhaps, the NDC is not aware that President Akufo-Addo has referred Prof. Boatengs report to the CID. The NPP, unlike the NDC, is committed to the fight against galamsey, and thus far has made considerable gains. But certainly, there is a lot more that needs to be done and all of us must pinch in, Ahiagbah stressed. Meanwhile, the NPP has appealed to all Ghanaians to get involved by reporting galamsey activities, learning about its dire implications for the country, and on that basis speaking objectively against galamsey. The National Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagba has accused the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) of using Prof. Frimpong's leaked report for political capital. In a social media post, Ahiagba criticized the NDC for holding a press conference on the matter and displaying photos of NPP members and government officials indicted in the galamsey report. "The NDC sees it first as politics, an avenue to canvass votes either by way of promising Galamseyers more Galamsey when they ever win power or to do what they did yesterday in the press conference to besmirch the character of the people cited in the document on the weight of simple claims," Ahiagba said. He further called on Ghanaians to speak objectively against galamsey and support the government's efforts to combat the issue. Ahiagba also emphasized the NPP's commitment to the fight galamsey and the need for all political parties to cooperate with the government. "The NPP, unlike the NDC, is committed to the fight against Galamsey, and thus far has made considerable gains. The fight against Galamsey proceeds without fear or favor. Let's all get involved less the partisanship that often weakens the cooperation we need to triumph," he added. His post read below: The pointlessness of the NDC's press conference yesterday is legendary. The Al Jazeera documentary has been effectively discredited so, I wonder why they were talking spiritedly about it. On Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng's document, as a party, we support the President's prompt referral of the document to the CID, for an independent investigation. That is the democratic way, and the NDC is fully aware. The fight against galamsey is existential, but sadly the NDC has never seen it as such. The NDC sees it first as politics, an avenue to canvass votes either by way of promising galamseyers more galamsey when they ever win power or to do what they did yesterday in the press conference to besmirch the character of the people cited in the document on the weight of simple claims. The individuals especially, the Information Minister, has responded to state his innocence, but the NDC simply refused to acknowledge it or be restrained it. Instead, the NDC went full hog to display their pictures as though they have been found culpable of anything. What would it have cost the NDC to have waited for the CID to complete its investigation and render its report for public scrutiny? Perhaps, the NDC is not aware that President Akufo-Addo has referred Prof. Boateng's report to the CID. The NPP, unlike the NDC, is committed to the fight against galamsey, and thus far has made considerable gains. But certainly, there is a lot more that needs to be done and all of us must pinch in. It is my humble appeal to all Ghanaians to get involved by reporting galamsey activities, learn about its dire implications for our very existence, and on that basis speak objectively against galamsey. The NDC must learn to keep certain things above partisan politics and galamsey is one of such things. We know the NDC's record on galamsey is criminal, to put it mildly. The fight against galamsey proceeds without fear or favor. Let's all get involve less the partisanship that often weakens the cooperation we need to triumph. Please watch the attached NDC galamsey video, and I am sure you conclude with me that the NDC needs to get serious with the fight against galamsey. Their double standard on a matter as serious as galamsey is sickening. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has outlined the government's priorities for the next 100 days, but the controversial immigration bill has been pushed back to the autumn. In a televised address on 17 April, President Emmanuel Macron spoke of the need for 100 days of appeasement and action in the wake of the law on pension reform which sparked months of sometimes violent protests. He then left it up to his prime minister to get down to work and put meat on the bones. I only believe in results, PM Borne said on Wednesday. We have to get them in every field and I hope they will be concrete, tangible and visible for the French people. The government plan of action includes measures and announcements in four areas: purchasing power, ecological transition, public services, and justice. Purchasing power Parliament is to debate a bill on distributing wealth more fairly and Borne has asked companies to reevaluate pay scales. A new pact will examine life at work, notably to improve the employment of seniors. Parliament is to debate a draft bill this summer on speeding up the decarbonised reindustrialisation of France. Ecological transition The bill on forest fire prevention, already adopted in the Senate, will be discussed in the lower chamber from mid-May. The government will make clean vehicle rental more affordable from this autumn, and an action plan on tackling the aviation industry's greenhouse gas emissions will be presented in June at the Paris Air Show. French homeowners will get personalised support for thermal renovation of buildings. Public services Parliament will debate a bill in June on tackling so-called "medical deserts" aimed at guaranteeing access to care for everyone wherever they live; 6,000 extra medical assistants will be recruited by the end of 2024. People with chronic illnesses and who are not registered with a GP will have access to one by the end of the year. Short-term teacher replacements will be carried out within the schools themselves; children struggling in French or maths to be given extra help. Justice and republican order Some 150 additional police officers and gendarmes will be deployed in the Alpes-Maritimes region next week to deal with increased migratory pressure and a n experimental force on the French-Italian border will be launched by the summer. A bill on digital pornography will be presented in early May, including measures against cyber-bullying and exposing children to pornographic content. Ten thousand magistrates and clerks are to be recruited to reduce delays in the justice system, and an anti-fraud plan will be presented in May to improve controls and fight tax evasion. Immigration bill pushed back However, the immigration bill that the government had planned to present to both chambers this spring, was pushed back to the autumn. Elisabeth Borne said there wasn't enough support in parliament to get it adopted at this stage. This comes after the government, which does not have an absolute majority in parliament, used special constitutional powers to get the unpopular pension law passed without a final vote, after months of street protests. "Now is not the time to start a debate over a bill that could divide the French," Borne told Wednesday's news conference. The immigration bill aims to speed up the expulsion of illegal migrants while making it easier to obtain residency permits for those who work in sectors struggling to find workers. Borne said she had failed to reach a deal so far with the conservative Republicans (LR) party on the bill, and would keep working on getting support for the bill from other groups. The campaign by Hon. Kennedy Agyapong to lead the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as the presidential candidate in the 2024 general elections has received a massive boost as traders in the Ashanti Region have declared their support for him. The group calling itself Traders for Ken is made up of hundreds of traders in the Ashanti Region who form the core of major trading groups in the region. The group which has many of its members as delegates of the ruling NPP believe the Assin Central Member of Parliament is the best choice if the NPP want to retain power in the 2024 polls. The group in a press release said their maiden campaign tour which began in Techiman in the Bono East Region proved that Hon Kennedy Agyapong is the best man to lead the NPP. The press release was signed by the Ashanti Regional Chairman of Traders for Ken, Mr Kwabena Fosu, branded as MK on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 stated, "We have begun our campaign to support Hon Kennedy Agyapong and from what we are hearing from the grassroots, NPP will spell doom for them if they fail to elect Hon Kennedy Agyapong as their next flagbearer." He added, "Most of the NPP grassroots are calling for Hon Kennedy Agyapong to lead the party due to his firm and honest way of dealing with issues, for this reason, we are solidly supporting his bid to lead Ghana come 2024." In the release, the trades further noted that they were rooting for Hon Kennedy Agyapong due to his commitment to change the country for the better. "We are calling on delegates of the party to give the nod to Kennedy Ohene Agyapong to lead the party to victory in the 2024 polls. "Ghana would work again under Mr Agyapong and all delegates nationwide should support his bid due to his trusted, honest and indefatigable personality. "Ken is tried, tested and proven to be politically foresighted, most favourable, honest and altruistically minded to lead the NPP to victory without doubt so that Ghana will work again under him and every delegate should endeavour to maintain their stance in support of the only trusted, honest and indefatigable personality," the statement noted. AngloGold Ashanti and the Global Fund have organized an event to mark 2023 World Malaria Day at Old Adansi Ayaase in the Adansi North District of the Ashanti Region. The event was a continuation of ongoing efforts by the mining giants to eliminate malaria from the country. The occasion was filled with an array of activities that were designed to raise awareness about malaria and provide practical support to the local communities. Under the theme, "Time to Achieve zero Malaria: Innovative, invest and Implement," World Malaria Day is an occasion to highlight the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment for malaria prevention and control. It was instituted by WHO Member States during the World Health Assembly of 2007. Key to the activities on the day was health screening, where skilled healthcare professionals were available to conduct testing and diagnosis services for malaria and other common illnesses. Dental care services were also provided to the participants which aimed to promote good oral hygiene and identify and treat dental health problems. The Adansi North District Chief Executive (DCE), Hon. Eric Kwaku Kusi, in his speech highlighted the importance of eradicating malaria from communities on the occasion of World Malaria Day. He explained that malaria is a deadly disease caused by parasites that are spread to humans through mosquito bites. He stated that Ghana is one of the countries most affected by malaria with over 5 million reported cases annually, and that in the Adansi North District, malaria is among the top 10 killer OPD diseases. The DCE went on to describe the success of the intensified malaria control campaign and the distribution of long-lasting insecticide nets, which resulted in no deaths among children under 5 years old in 2022. He emphasized the importance of maintaining this success in the coming years. He lauded efforts by AngloGold Ashanti Ghana Obuasi mine in partnership with the global fund to eradicate malaria, including the indoor residual spraying program. Hon. Kusi encouraged as many people as possible to participate in the outlined activities, including testing for suspected malaria cases. He thanked AngloGold Ashanti Malaria Control Unit, AngloGold Ashanti Ghana Obuasi Mine, and AngloGold Ashanti Health Foundation for sustaining this celebration in Ghana for the past 17 years. However, with the confirmation of the presence of a deadly new breed mosquito in the country known as Anopheles stephensi, he made a passionate appeal to AngloGold Ashanti Ghana to reintroduce the antimalaria spraying exercise in the district to help rid mosquitoes from the district. In an interview, Eric Atuahen Agyemang, the district director for health for Adansi North expressed gratitude to AngloGold Ashanti and partners for again selecting the district for the celebration of World Malaria Day. He said Malaria has been a major challenge in the district, claiming many lives. " In 2022, 24,700 suspected cases of malaria were tested, with 53% of those testing positive, including pregnant women and children under five years old. In 2022, out of 362 suspected cases of malaria among pregnant women in Adansi North, 15% tested positive, which is a significant reduction from 44% in 2021". He intimated that children under five years old are particularly vulnerable to malaria, with 3450 cases reported in 2022, 60% of which tested positive. However, due to interventions such as creating awareness on World Malaria Day and providing bed nets to pregnant women during their first facility visit, the number of positive cases decreased significantly in 2022 to 22%. The Health director encouraged people to use bed nets and complete their medication courses to reduce the incidence of malaria-related mortality. "Malaria causes low levels of hemoglobin, which can lead to various health problems. The general population vaccination was introduced as an intervention to eradicate malaria in the district", he added. Mr. Edmond Oduro Agyei, the Stakeholders engagement superintendent, AngloGold Ashanti disclosed that the workers of the mine were previously afflicted by malaria, which greatly impacted their productivity before the introduction of the malaria control program. Included in the 10-year socio-economic development plan of AngloGold Ashanti is a plan to improve the communities where AGA operates, Mr. Oduro said AGA identified malaria as a significant issue affecting the residents, including students and pregnant women, and thus planned to eradicate it from the communities. "This led to the establishment of the Malaria Control Program in 2006, which we aim to expand to benefit every community. Before the program's establishment, the records show that the Malaria Control Program had already fought about 70% of malaria cases in Adansi. Our dedication to fighting malaria earned us a partnership with Global Fund in 2008, and we have since cured around 1.3 million people of malaria every year," he stressed. He added that as a responsible mine, the company annually announce and educates the public in various districts about malaria to fight against it. The AGA Malaria Control Program (AGAMAL) currently operates in 16 districts in Ghana. In view of this, Edmond Oduro Agyei urged other partners, institutions, and supporting organizations to collaborate with AGAMAL to expand the program and eradicate malaria in Adansi and Ghana as a whole. Mary Oduro, a representative of the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) announced that GIZ and AngloGold Ashanti Ghana have been working together to implement a pandemic management and prevention project called "COVID-19 Pandemic Management in the Times of COVID-19 and Beyond" since September 2021. The project was later expanded to address various diseases that cause high mortality, leading to collaboration with AngloGold Ashanti to eradicate malaria. The objective of this year's program is to work together to eliminate malaria. "We recognize the importance of investing in and collaborating on the goal of eradicating malaria. We would like to express our gratitude to Nananom, AngloGold Ashanti, and various stakeholders who helped us launch this project. We believe that this project will provide many benefits to all of us," he emphasised. President Yoweri Museveni on Wednesday called on Ugandan MPs to "reconsider" draconian anti-gay legislation passed by parliament last month and widely condemned in the West. The Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023 promises harsh penalties against anyone who engages in same-sex activity. "I return the bill to Parliament for reconsideration," Museveni wrote in a letter to the house. The president has faced widespread calls to reject what has been criticised as among the world's harshest anti-gay legislation. A distinction should be made in the bill "between being a homosexual and engaging in acts of homosexuality," Museveni said in the letter read out in the house by deputy speaker Thomas Tayebwa. It proposed "a provision... for avoidance of doubt, a person believed or alleged or suspected of being a homosexual who has not committed a sexual act with another person of the same sex doesn't commit an offence". "What is clear is that our society does not accept homosexual conduct or actions," Museveni wrote. "Therefore the proposed law should be clear so that what is thought to be criminalised is not the state of one having a deviant proclivity but rather the actions of one acting on that deviancy or promoting the same in whatever way." "The duty to report acts of homosexuality... presents constitutional challenges and could be a source of conflicts in society," he added. The law should also facilitate the "rehabilitation" of gay people who come "to seek help", he wrote. 'Among the worst' Under the bill, anyone who engages in same-sex activity could face life imprisonment, and repeat offenders could be sentenced to death, according to activists. Uganda has not resorted to capital punishment for many years. Lawyers for the government had advised the president to send the bill back to parliament. The European Parliament has voted to condemn the bill and asked EU states to pressure Museveni into not implementing it, warning that relations with Kampala were at stake. The White House has warned Kampala of possible economic repercussions if the legislation takes effect. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, also urged Museveni not to sign into law the bill which he described as "probably among the worst of its kind in the world". But many of Uganda's neighbours are also cracking down on gay rights, with politicians in Kenya and Tanzania warning against efforts to raise awareness of LGBTQ issues. Homosexuality was criminalised in Uganda under colonial laws, but since independence from Britain in 1962 there has never been a conviction for consensual same-sex activity. President Nana Akufo-Addo on Tuesday, 25th April 2023, hosted President Muhammadu Buhari and other Heads of States and High-Level Government officials of member countries to the 3rd Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Gulf of Guinea Commission in Accra. The Heads of States and High-level representatives of member countries and observers will deliver remarks and discuss burgeoning issues and strategies for strengthening peace and security in the fight against maritime-related crimes in the region. Speaking at the opening of the session on the theme, Building a Safe, Secure and Prosperous Gulf of Guinea Region for Sustainable Development, President Akufo-Addo said, this meeting, which is the first in-person session of the Commission since 2019, will make up for the real and rare opportunities for frank and more meaningful exchange of views towards finding solutions to the many problems of our continent, especially, our Gulf of Guinea Region. Sitting in as Chairman of the session, he pointed out that, the first formal purpose of the meeting, is the swearing in of the new Executive Committee Members, as decided at the last virtual meeting, the 5th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, hosted by the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the same session where, he added, Ghana was chosen to chair the Commission in succession to Nigeria, whose mandate had come to an end. Other key issues to be discussed, President Akufo-Addo said, included the persistent matter of finding means of making our region a safe, secure and prosperous one and the deliberation on whether it is in our collective interest to enlarge the Gulf of Guinea Commission, so that we will have, as Member States, all the Coastal States of West and Central Africa from Cabo Verde to Angola instead of only the coastal states of the geographical Gulf of Guinea Region from Cote dIvoire to Angola, as is currently set out in the 2001 Treaty Establishing the Gulf of Guinea Commission. It is important to note that, for the expansion to become effective, the Treaty of the Commission will have to be amended to allow the inclusion of all the coastal states in the Region from Cabo Verde to Angola, he stated. President Akufo-Addo said these matters are important in order to come up with strategies geared towards strengthening peace and security, and winning the fight against maritime-related crimes in the Region, such as piracy, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, arms trafficking, pollution of the environment, smuggling, fuel and crude oil theft. He was confident that a well-coordinated collaboration and co-operation on matters of common interest amongst the countries of the Region is crucial because of the inter-connectivity of maritime activities and thus reduce illegal activities at sea and make us build a safe, secure and prosperous Gulf of Guinea Region for sustainable development. Concluding he said, since the establishment of the Gulf of Guinea Commission, when five countries (Angola, Republic of Congo, Gabon, Nigeria and Sao Tome and Principe) signed the Treaty in Libreville, Gabon, on 3rd July 2001, the Commission has witnessed the accession of four other Member States (Equatorial Guinea in 2006, Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon in 2009 and Ghana in 2017). President Akufo-Addo ended with as call on other countries in the Region who have shown interest in the past by attending Gulf of Guinea Commission meetings and seminars, and have made enquiries regarding membership to follow through on the show of interest with action. The Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) and the Centre for Maritime Law and Security Africa (CEMLAWS Africa) on Wednesday, April 26, launched a report on the level of transparency in Ghanas marine fisheries sector. Key among the findings in the report is that although Ghana is not data deficient, there is a significant transparency deficit in the countrys marine fisheries sector, making it difficult for the public to access information. This assessment establishes an initial benchmark for the level of availability of fisheries management information on the websites of the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) and Fisheries Commission (FC). The report dubbed; 'The TAKING STOCK transparency assessment for Ghana' is a six-month project by the Centre for Maritime Law and Security Africa in collaboration with the Fisheries Transparency Initiative and financed by the Bloomberg Philanthropies Ocean Initiative. The objective of the report is to offer Ghana an opportunity to build on efforts in making information more publicly accessible to improve transparency in fisheries management and governance. Speaking on the report, Executive Director of the FiTI, Sven Biermann noted that making the sector transparent will lead to accountability and democratic participation by Ghanaians. This transparency assessment helps everyone to understand where the shortfalls of access to information lie in Ghanas fisheries. But it also highlights the opportunity that if Ghanas authorities prioritise transparency, excellent levels of transparency and public participation can be reached. Like for all West African countries, fisheries are so important to the people of Ghana, and an open government is essential for accountability and democratic participation, he said. Sven Biermann further argued, Without public access to information there can be no sustainable fisheries. As Ghanas national authorities move forward with policies and actions to address food security, overfishing and compliance with national laws, transparency will be vital to build trust and demonstrate the governments successes. Ghana would therefore benefit significantly from joining the Fisheries Transparency Initiative. On his part, the Executive Director of CEMLAWS Africa, Dr. Kamal-Deen Ali indicated that governance, accountability, and transparency, all rely heavily on the availability of information so it is the quantum of information that is available that can help enhance governance and that can also enhance change of policy. He stressed, Information sharing is key to transparency and fisheries governance. In recent times, attempts are being made to improve fisheries governance in the country. This TAKING STOCK transparency assessment provides an enormous opportunity for the country to take pragmatic steps to achieve transparency objectives by effectively and openly sharing information. This will ultimately enhance fisheries governance in Ghana. Delivering an address as the special guest, Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development. Moses Anim acknowledged the issues raised in the report and assured that the Ministry will work with the recommendations in the report. The Ministry has taken note of the gaps and the recommendations outlined in the Report and will take steps to address them with the view to improving transparency in the fisheries management and visibility of the sector in Ghana, the Deputy Minister noted. In an appeal, Moses Anim called on FiTI, CEMLAWS Africa, and Bloomberg Philanthropies to work with the Ministry and Commission to implement the recommendations. I must add that this assessment report is a wake-up call to us to join the Fisheries Transparency Initiative, the Deputy Minister further stressed. The report recommends that among other things, government and its agencies in the fisheries sector must make currently unpublished information publicly available. The institutions must address information gaps and ensure that a central portal for fisheries information is provided. In addition to the need for stakeholder involvement to be strengthened in the fisheries sector, the report also recommends that annual reports on fisheries including information about the implementation of the fisheries management plan should be published. Find more about the report below: In its latest TAKING STOCK transparency assessment, the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) evaluated the amount of fisheries information that national authorities in Ghana make publicly available via government websites. Based on the requirements of the FiTI Standard, this assessment reviewed transparency across 12 thematic areas of marine fisheries management, evaluating whether government information is publicly accessible, up to date, and easy to find. The FiTI collaborated with the Centre for Maritime Law and Security Africa (CEMLAWS Africa) on this transparency assessment. Overall, the results reveal the countrys poor transparency performance: while there is some information published, the majority of what is required for open and inclusive fisheries management remains inaccessible. Both the Fisheries Commission and the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) have separate websites that indicate public access to a range of information. However, neither of these websites is well maintained and there are considerable gaps in information. Although the MoFAD produces an annual report, this is not freely distributed in electronic copy. To improve transparency, not only should this annual report be made public, but national authorities should agree on a central point of government information This assessment considers the government of Ghana not to be data deficient. There are countries where low levels of transparency are caused by the government not having the resources to generate fisheries information. In Ghana, there is evidence that national authorities collate considerable information on the fisheries sector, including detailed information on both large-scale and small-scale fisheries, as well as the post-harvest sector. However, Ghanas national authorities have not prioritised sharing this information with the public, despite strong demands from national and international stakeholders. Key findings of the assessment include: U The Government of Ghana does not regularly publish detailed information on the status of fish stocks in the country. Despite widespread concerns about overfishing, and the governments commitment to rebuilding fish stocks, the public in Ghana is not provided with official data that demonstrates if fisheries are being managed sustainably. There are no regular reports issued by the government of Ghana on the economic and social importance of the fishing sector, including estimates of the number of people engaged in artisanal fisheries and the important role of women in the sector. This is despite the government undertaking regular surveys. The importance of fishing for employment and livelihoods, as well as changes to these contributions over time, are therefore not widely understood by the general public. The government does not publish information on public revenues from the fisheries sector, including those paid by industrial fishing companies. It is therefore impossible for people to understand what contribution fisheries make to the national budget, and whether there is a public dividend. A positive step by the Ghanaian authorities has been to produce a vessel registry for the industrial fishing sector. However, this registry is not up to date and information on vessel licenses covers a six-month period in 2022 only. There is also no public information on the beneficial ownership of vessels, despite this being mandatory information for fishing companies to supply for gaining a fishing license. Despite Ghanas disappointing performance on fisheries transparency, in 2019 the country enacted a long-awaited Right To Information Act, which includes obligations for government departments to proactively publish information. This provides a strong legal context for going forward with improving the publics right to have access to fisheries information. The assessment concluded with four concrete recommendations to national authorities in Ghana, presented and discussed today during a multi-stakeholder workshop in Ghanas capital, Accra. The TAKING STOCK transparency assessment for Ghana is available for download as a Summary Assessment Report as well as a complementary, in-depth Detailed Assessment Report HERE. A court has halted the clearing of a slum in France's department of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, blocking efforts by the government to improve security. Police have clashed with local youth, leading security forces to describe a "climate of insurrection". France is caught between a rock and a hard place on Mayotte, the only of the four Comoros islands that remains French. Crime is rampant, with more than 400 police investigations of murder, armed robbery and car theft in the past year, out of a population estimated at 350,000. Only half the island's residents are French nationals, according to official statistics. The vast majority of the others are illegal arrivals from the neighbouring Republic of Comoros, made up of Grande Comore, Moheli and Anjouan islands. They chose independence from France in a 1974 referendum. Without papers and extremely poor, Comorians in Mayotte are forced to live in slums on the outskirts of towns and cities. They are blamed for practically all crime on the island. An attempt by the police to clear a slum south of the capital, Mamoudzou, and repatriate those without residence permits - called Operation Wuambushu - has now been blocked by the courts. No cooperation from Comoros Authorities in the Comores have refused to allow vessels carrying those evicted from Mayotte to dock. This, despite a deal under which France spends millions of euros to develop the three independent islands in exchange for their cooperation in the repatriation of Comorians. The French state is caught in a deadlock, says right-wing daily newspaper Le Figaro. The social welfare advantages offered by the tiny corner of France off the coast of Africa attract all the misery in the region, asserts the paper. "If your children are born on Mayotte," the right-wing daily continues. "They automatically become French, with all the benefits that implies." Left-leaning Liberation takes a different view of the situation. This attempt to bulldoze shacks and expell the people struggling to survive in appalling conditions should never have been attempted, Libe says, blaming Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin for his short-term political motivation. "Of course it is necessary to fight poverty and misery on the island," continues the Liberation article. "But action must also be taken against the armed groups terrorising the people. This will take time, and needs to be organised with humanity and determination. It's no good sending in the bulldozers to add misery to an already miserable situation". Time to 'kill a few of them'? "It's a civil war," says one local activist. "And the victims are the French of Mayotte. The only reason the whole thing hasn't already boiled over is because we are non-violent." Earlier this week, local councillor Salime Mdere spoke of "these delinquants, these thugs, these terrorists," adding that the time had perhaps arrived "to kill a few of them". In the wake of expressions of indignation from the island's police chief and from Justice Minister Eric Dupont-Moretti, Mdere has since apologised for his remarks. The finance minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has been torturing Ghanaians by trying to implement measures or obligations required by the IMF for financial assistance in recent months, following the disastrous performance and widespread corruption by the incompetent NPP government that has crippled the nation. The quack finance minister has been misleading Ghanaians by saying that the approval will soon come and despite the difficulties, he will lead them to cross the River Jordan. The NPP once boasted that they will never go to the IMF but is now growing impatient and think the financial bailout is long overdue I need to tell Ken Ofori-Atta that the IMF team is not as naive and foolish as the NPP government. Even though the government can painstakingly follow every measure required by the IMF, as he continues to torture the people, including pensioners, the International Monetary Fund for various reasons will not be eager to approve any financial assistance soon or never. I want Ken Ofori-Atta, the bogus finance minister, to understand that while he keeps torturing Ghanaians through debt restructuring to satisfy the IMF's requirements, the financial team will reject the country's bail application because they have established their criminal status by declaring war on those who are trying to fight corruption in the nation. The IMF does not offer loans for specific projects; instead, it offers financial assistance to nations experiencing crises, allowing them to implement measures to reestablish economic development and stability. While loan instruments are continually updated to match the shifting needs of nations, the Fund also offers preventive funding to help prevent catastrophes. However, the IMF is also interested in many other topics in addition to the activities listed above. The International Monetary Fund carefully analyzes how corruption is dealt with in the affected nations. If a country is not doing enough to combat the corruption that caused the economic crisis in the first place, the IMF will delay approving financial bailouts to that country and as we know, the president continues to declare war on people working to combat corruption in the nation despite enormous corruption occurring within the NPP government with impunity. Since money is granted to distressed countries by the International Monetary Fund to benefit the nation and the people, especially the children under psychological trauma, they dont easily approve money to countries knowing that financial assistance will be a waste. It will be recalled that on February 17, 2023, I wrote Dont Underestimate The IMF, Criminals in Ghanaian Politics Justifying Criminality, Are Threat To Ghanas Progress, warning the Ghanaian government. I made it obvious to the Ghanaian government in that particular article, which was published on ModernGhana on February 23, 2023, that the IMF might choose to reject the country's financial bailout if it takes various events that are not going well in the country into consideration, one of which is the unchecked pervasive corruption. They won't tell you, but as a wise leader, you ought to be aware of this. In addition, on February 9, 2023, I published a piece for Ghanaweb titled "Attacks on Sam Ablakwa for fighting corruption can affect Ghana's IMF bailout" in response to his exposure of Rev. Kusi Boateng's complicity in the Cathedral scandal. Where have all the intelligent elders in Ghana gone if the NPP government is still ignoring and acknowledging the issues that are preventing the IMF to act quickly, while a common writer like me can easily identify the roots of the cause? Akufo Addo is being dogged by scandals every day and has engaged in illegal mining while pretending he opposes it, and more importantly, Al Jazeera recently exposed him in a gold deal that is costing the country billions of dollars. However, people who are publishing these exposes, like Professor Frimpong Boateng, are facing violence in a country that is requesting financial aid from the International Monetary Fund. The fact that Professor Frimpong Boateng's research did not implicate Mahama but rather the current president Nana Akufo Addo, has angered Mahama's opponents, including the so-called lawyer Maurice Ampaw, being fed by NPPs corruption. He called for Ablakwas corruption report on the Cathedral to be kicked out of court and just recently, he criticized Prof. Boateng as immature. The NPP government is the most irresponsible in Ghana's political history and has pledged never to accept responsibility for its wrongdoings that hurt the country. If the NPP government doesnt blame the Russia-Ukraine War or COVID for its incompetence, they will blame John Mahama. Even the latest expose of Akufo Addo's involvement in illegal mining by Professor Frimpong Boateng has been blamed on the NDC. According to Richard Ahiagbah, Why the NDC harms people's reputations over insignificant claims? You see, this is what I'm talking about. Ghana may get or may not get any financial assistance from the IMF because the NPP government has demonstrated to be a bunch of criminals that continue to ruin the country with impunity. This is what I'm referring to, as you can see, under the nose of foreign ambassadors, including the US, serving their nations in Ghana, the NPP government has proven to be a bunch of criminals who continue to devastate the nation with impunity, Ghana may or may not receive any financial aid from the International Monetary Fund. 27.04.2023 LISTEN This week's edition of Ghana in Focus looks at the effects of Ghana entering into certain conditionality's in order to get a miserly US$3 Billion from the IMF. We start by asserting that this money is NOT the solution to Ghana's long term financial predicament. We also re emphasis why Ghana DOES NOT NEED this paltry bailout by stating amongst others how Ghana loses US$ 7 Billion annually as a result of Gold smuggling aided and abbetted mostly by Choinese and Indian so called businessmen. Indeed it is an insult and an aberration that Ghana has sought to seek this patgetic bailout!! We expose the hypocrisy AND LIES of the Finance Minister who vehemently touted that Ghana 'would never go to the IMF' We analyse the timid approach the government of Ghana has taken when dealing with both the IMF and its main external creditor China, allowing itself to accept very dubious conditions. We explain some of the dire consequences of these conditions in particular the raid on the working Ghanaians' pension funds and the potential collapse of the banking and cocoa sectors.. In addition to this as far as the negotiations with China is concerned we speculate on what potentially lies ahead if Ghana is not able to come to an amicable conclusion with China, including losing major assets to China including the Tema Oil Refinery and one of the country's major banks. We urge Ghanaians to rise up against this wicked debt restructuring programme that will have a profound effect on the country both economically and socially. We conclude by stating the impending board level agreement with the IMF is not in the country's national interest and jeopardises its sovereignty. Listen to the show here: Ghana in Focus Special : Dark Days in Ghana Part II - IMF negotiations and matters arising - Ghana / Afrika in Focus | Podcast on Spotify Sources: Ofori-Atta hints at second round of domestic debt restructuring (ghanaweb.com) We are not going to IMF for bailout Ofori- Atta - MyJoyOnline.com No turning back to IMF, we're on the right path - Ofori-Atta (ghanaweb.com) The Sudanese army pounded paramilitaries in the capital Khartoum with air strikes Thursday while deadly fighting flared in Darfur as the conflict entered a 13th day despite a US-brokered ceasefire. Late Wednesday, the army said it had agreed to talks in Juba, capital of neighbouring South Sudan, on extending the three-day truce which expires on Friday "at the initiative of IGAD", the East African regional bloc. There have been multiple truce efforts since fighting broke out on April 15 between Sudan's regular army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by his deputy turned rival, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. All have failed. The fighting has continued depite the US-brokered ceasefire that took effect on Tuesday, with warplanes patrolling the skies over the capital's northern suburbs as fighters on the ground have exchanged artillery and heavy machine gun fire, witnesses said. The streets of Khartoum have remained largely deserted with shops firmly shuttered. By - (AFP) Burhan agreed on Wednesday to the IGAD proposal for talks on extending the truce by a further 72 hours, the army added. The RSF's response to the proposal remains unclear. At least 512 people have been killed and 4,193 wounded in the fighting, according to health ministry figures, although the real death toll is likely to be much higher. Violence beyond Khartoum Beyond the capital, fighting has flared in the provinces, particularly in the war-torn western region of Darfur. Clashes between the army and the RSF raged for a second straight day in the West Darfur capital Geneina, witnesses said, adding that civilians were seen fleeing to the nearby border with Chad. Sudanese civlians desperate to escape the fighting in the capital Khartoum prepare to board a bus out. By - (AFP) On Wednesday, the United Nations humanitarian agency had reported killings, looting and arson in Geneina. "An estimated 50,000 acutely malnourished children have had nutrition support disrupted due to the fighting," it added in a statement. The heavy fighting has trapped many civilians in their homes, where they have endured severe shortages of food, water and electricity. Communications have been sporadically disrupted. The UN has warned that as many as 270,000 people could flee into Sudan's poorer neighbours South Sudan and Chad. Other Sudanese have sought refuge in Egypt to the north and Ethiopia to the east, but both entail long and potentially dangerous journeys overland. The UN said it had "received reports of tens of thousands of people arriving in the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan". Cambridge University academic Sharath Srinivasan warned that the mass movement of people across Sudan's borders threatened to destabilise already fragile regimes in neighbouring countries. A Royal Air Force C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft carrying British evacuees from Sudan lands at Larnaca airport in Cyprus. By Christina ASSI (AFP) "If the armed confrontation between these two forces protracts or worse, if it draws in other armed rebel groups across the country this could quickly become one of the worst humanitarian crises in the region and risk spilling over," he told US news outlet Politico. Foreign governments have taken advantage of the fragile truce to organise road convoys, aircraft and ships to get thousands of their citizens out but some have warned their evacuation efforts are dependent on the lull in fighting holding. China deployed warships on Thursday to evacuate its citizens, the defence ministry said. War crimes suspect escapes Map of Sudan and neighbouring countries as civilians flee the country during a fragile ceasefire. By Sophie RAMIS (AFP) As lawlessness has gripped Sudan, there have been several jailbreaks, including from the high security Kober prison where top aides of ousted dictator Omar al-Bashir were held. Among those who have escaped is Ahmed Haroun, wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the Darfur conflict that erupted two decades ago. Haroun's escape sparked fears of the involvement of Bashir loyalists in the ongoing fighting. The army said the ousted dictator was not among those who escaped but had been moved to a military hospital before the fighting erupted. Daglo's RSF emerged from the Janjaweed militia, accused of carrying out atrocities against civilians during Bashir's brutal suppression of ethnic minority rebels in Darfur in the mid-2000s. Bashir was toppled by the military in a palace coup in April 2019 following civilian mass protests that raised hopes for a transition to democracy. The two generals had together seized power in a 2021 coup, but later fell out, most recently over the planned integration of the RSF into the regular army. The Cedi Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children in Ghana, has once again donated funds to the Children Cancer Unit at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi. The donation worth over US$8,000 was presented to the hospital including medical supplies like infusion pumps, ECG monitors and several pediatric sphygmomanometers. Financial support for families with children undergoing cancer treatment was also made. This is the third time such a major donation from the Cedi Foundation to the childrens oncology department at KATH was made within the past few years. The Foundation also made a major donation to the Unit during the covid-19 pandemic. The Children Cancer Unit at t the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital is the only specialized cancer center in Ghana for children. It provides treatment and care to children with cancer and blood disorders from across the country. The Cedi Foundations donation is part of its ongoing efforts to support children's health and education in Ghana. Since its inception in 2018, the organization has provided medical care, educational support, and community development programs to thousands of children and families in need. The founder and the President of Cedi Foundation Mr. Lawrence Frimpong who currently resides in Houston Texas said the Foundation is committed to supporting healthcare challenges in general and the fight against childhood cancers in particular. "We believe that every child deserves a chance to live a healthy and happy life. We are proud to support the incredible work being done at the Children Cancer Unit, and we hope our donation will make a meaningful difference in the lives of these children and their families," he stated. In accepting the donation on behalf of the unit, the Physician in charge of the Unit, Dr. Vivian Paintsil thanked the Cedi Foundation for its continuous support. Acknowledging the gesture she mentioned that the equipment was much needed as she praised the efforts of the Foundation. The Cedi Foundation however calls on other individuals and organizations to join in the fight against childhood cancer and support the work of the Children Cancer Unit. "Together, we can make a real difference in the lives of these children," Mr. Frimpong said. "We urge everyone to give what they can and help us in our mission to improve the health and well-being of children in Ghana." Mr. Frimpong who was joined by his wife Mrs Dr. Divine Opuni- Frimpong during the presentation, used the opportunity to profoundly thank all the donors and friends that believe in the mission and vision of the Foundation and continually support them yearly with their financial, material and moral support. Taipei, April 26, 2023Chinese authorities must immediately release radio host Li Yanhe and drop any charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. In March, state security officers in Shanghai detained Li, a book publisher and radio host for Taiwanese public broadcaster Radio Taiwan International, who goes by the name Fucha, while he was visiting relatives in the city, according to news reports and a Wednesday, April 26, press conference by Beijings Taiwan Affairs Office, reviewed by CPJ. Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for Chinas Taiwan Affairs Office, said during the press conference that Li is under investigation for conducting activities endangering national security. The detention of publisher and radio host Li Yanhe is yet another example of Chinas suffocating intolerance of a free press, said Iris Hsu, CPJs China representative. Chinese authorities must stop pinning national security charges on both foreign and local journalists. Li, who was born in China, immigrated to Taiwan in 2009 and founded Gusa Press, which has published books that are critical of Chinese authorities. Li also hosts the show Seeing China This Way Time with Fucha on Radio Taiwan International, where he discusses Chinese politics and current affairs. CPJs calls to Chinas Taiwan Affairs Office were not answered. At least 43 journalists were imprisoned in China for their work as of December 1, 2022, according to CPJs annual prison census, making it the second largest jailer of journalists worldwide after Iran. In 2019, China arrested Australian blogger Yang Hengjun on espionage charges. He is still detained and alleged during a May 2022 court trial that he was subjected to severe physical abuse while being questioned. In 2020, authorities arrested Australian anchor Cheng Lei, who worked for Chinese state broadcaster China Global Television Network, for allegedly conducting criminal activity endangering Chinas national security. Cheng is still in detention and was put on a secret trial in March 2022. The Ashaiman Municipality has seen a decline in malaria cases, despite the fact that it remains the leading cause of Outpatients Department (OPD) visits, Mrs. Patience Ami Mamattah, Director of Health Services for the municipality has stated. Statistics indicate that in 2022, a total of 18,458 instances were reported at the various health facilities' outpatient departments, compared to 24,237 in 2021. She ascribed the decrease in malaria cases to various interventions implemented by her organisation, noting that they worked with the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly's (ASHMA) Environmental Health Unit to map out water bodies and spray them to kill mosquitoes and their larvae. Mrs. Mamattah also stated that the municipality has increased education on malaria prevention techniques. She recommended locals maintain the surroundings clean and prevent the collecting of water in containers around their houses and workplaces in order to reduce mosquito breeding. The Health Director also asked families to sleep under insecticide-treated bed nets, urging parents, in particular, to protect their children under the age of two from mosquito bites. She advised parents to bring their children to child welfare clinics for a free treated mosquito net, especially those under the age of two, noting that there are plenty of mosquito nets to go around. In recognition of World Malaria Day, she stated that health officials in the jurisdiction were launching a campaign to educate homes and identifiable groups such as schools, as well as patients who attend the various health institutions. The Ashaiman Health Director noted that such sensitization durbars were utilised not just for malaria teaching but also for other ailments, such as mosquito net demonstrations, free malaria and tuberculosis screening, COVID-19 vaccine, and family planning counselling, among other things. Ashaiman Health Directorate joins the global community to mark the 2023 World Malaria Day which is themed "Time to Deliver Zero Malaria: Invest, Innovate, and Implement." World Malaria Day is observed annually on April 25 to examine the triumphs and challenges in the fight against malaria, which affects all communities. It also poses a global concern, as half of the world's population is still at risk from this avoidable, treatable disease that kills a child every minute, according to the National Malaria Elimination Programme. -CDA Consult || Contributor A leading member of the communication team of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), lawyer Appiah Danquah claims that President Akufo-Addo and his administration have failed in their efforts to combat illegal mining, also known as galamsey. According to him, the Akufo-Addo-led administration has shown no commitment to ending the menace. He accuses some top officials within the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) of compromising the governments efforts. He contends that the President must immediately apologize to Ghanaians for his failure to put an end to galamsey activities. The president is a pretender, he created the impression as if this is the first time he is hearing about these galamsey matters. The president has failed in one of his duties. The so-called fight against galamsey by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/NPP government is a scam and has been a lost battle from day one. This is because there has never been any genuine commitment or political will on the part of the President to combat the menace, lawyer Appiah Danquah told Kwaku Owusu Adjei(Patoo) on Adwenekasa on Accra-based Original FM 91.9. He continued, President Akufo-Addo has proven to be a leader who has specialized in talk without backing same with deeds. Today, our beloved country stands at a crossroads of unprecedented economic mess and environmental degradation under President Akufo-Addo and Alhaji Bawumia. Its past time for President Akufo-Addo to comprehend the significant responsibilities of the high office he currently holds. He serves as both the head of state and the supreme commander of the armed forces of Ghana. He has command over the security forces and the States coercive capabilities in his capacity as President. He added that the numerous approach adopted by this current government big guns in the NPP have rendered the fight against illegal mining fruitless, thereby accusing the government of the rampant activities of illegal mining in the country. 27.04.2023 LISTEN Tension is mounting at Barekese in the Atwima Nwabiagya South district of the Ashanti Region as the youth have threatened a bloody clash with encroachers to protect their farmlands being encroached upon. The community has come under siege with the indiscriminate sale of lands and destruction of farmlands by unknown persons. The youth, however, suspect that their embattled chief, Nana Amoateng Brenyah, is behind the development and has declared war on any person who indulges in the sale and destruction of their lands without recourse to the owners of the land. There is a standoff between the chief and his elders on one side and the youth of the community on the other following which they (youth) purportedly destooled the chief in absentia in August last year. The impasse was resolved by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II who gave Nana Brenyah the chance to go to the community and reconcile with the youth and family heads for the development of the community. But the chief, who is mostly absent from the town, according to the youth, has resurfaced with the indiscriminate development of the lands. Miss Eunice Addai, a youth leader complained at a press conference that cash and food crops are being destroyed in the area without restraint. According to her, a complaint has been lodged with the Suame Divisional police to intervene and stop the wanton destruction of their lands to avert any bloody clash with perpetrators. The youth leader noted that farmlands are the source of livelihood for families who own them and cautioned that the youth would resist attempts to encroach on such lands without their consent. She said the chief is back to his old ways that culminated in the impasse last year which has contributed to the stifling of development in the community. According to the youth, the stock in trade of the chief is to engage thugs to terrorize land owners in order to sell lands irrespective of whether the parcel of land is already acquired or belongs to a family unit. He is also said to have adopted a "one man" show of leadership and thus sidelined heads of the Assinie, Asokore, Asona, Bretuo and Asiakwa families. Miss Eunice Addai has therefore stated that they would not be intimidated by the chief who feels he is untouchable and called on the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to call the chief to order to avert any blood shed. Ghanas Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has told Members of the British House of Lords and the House of Commons that there is nothing untoward with the current anti-gay bill in Parliament. He told them that there is urgent need of legislation in the area of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex,(LGBTQIA) in Ghana. There is nothing untoward; nothing wrong with the efforts by Ghana's Parliament to legislate on the promotion of human sexual rights and family values in Ghana, using our constitution as a compass, he declared. He further stated that Ghanas Parliament is aware of the copious human rights provisions in the Constitution of the country. Parliament knows that any legislation that detracts from the human rights and freedoms guaranteed by our constitution will be a candidate for litigation in our court of law. Responding to a question on the role of the President in the bill under reference, the Speaker insisted that Ghana's Parliament has the mandate and the capability to legislate on the subject, and will not countenance any interference from the executive. He explained that the role of the President is to accent to bills submitted to him by Parliament. In the process, the President can make recommendations for the consideration of Parliament. However, final legislative powers rest with the legislature, not the executive. Ghana's democracy is based on the rule of law, not the rule of man, he pointed out. He further said Africa is not deterred by the veiled threats of withdrawal of investments and international aid, and other stringent economic measures that have attended the continent's effort at protecting its culture, values, and societal norms and to safeguard the future of its youth. Threats are not the way to go. If your neighbour or partner has a problem, you help him to solve it. Boycotts and threats do not solve problems: engagement and understanding do, said the Rt. Hon. Speaker. He explained that once a group of people is in agreement on what constitutes Human rights, values and principles, they move on. What is required is alignment and understanding of their context. --3News.com 27.04.2023 LISTEN President of Celltel Networks Limited has revealed that Tema is a wealthy city in its own right; it has the largest harbour in the country, a well-planned city, industries, the majority of quality workers in Ghana, and the Greenwich, among others". Dr. Prince Kofi Kludjeson who is Celltel Networks Limited President indicated that his company was discussing with officials how to effectively change Tema into a smart city, stating that very ancient structures might be transformed into modern ones and that every home must have wifi and other modern stuff. He noted that having such technical provisions in households and industries could not be emphasised because they would help productivity, education, health, and other aspects of life, as well as the economies of Tema and Ghana as a whole. Dr. Kludjeson, the Centre for Greater Impact Africa's (CGIA) Chief Technical Advisor, was speaking on the topic "The New Global Economy and Technological Education" at the Ghana News Agency-Tema Industrial News Hub Boardroom Dialogue platform in Tema. The GNA Tema Industrial News Hub Boardroom Dialogue is a media think-tank platform for state and non-state actors, as well as commercial and business players, to communicate with the rest of the world and address global issues. The President of Celltel Networks Limited has advocated collaboration among Tema's diverse commercial and government groups in order to develop the port and industrial metropolis into a smart city. "To transform Tema into a smart city, TDC Development Company, TMA, businesses, and even citizens must work together." "Dubai used to be a desert, but it was transformed into what it is today," he says. Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) chief executives have come up with a plethora of slogans and aims targeted at improving Tema over the years, with some bordering on "restoration agenda" and "make Tema shine again," among others. However, when MCEs leave office, their goals to restore Tema to its former glory may become impossible, either due to the loss of their party in an election or the inability of the current president to re-nominate them. Dr. Kludjeson, Past President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), stated that in order to cure such unrealistic measures, the TMA must involve every institution in Tema in the planning and decision-making process to develop Tema into a smart city like Dubai. He claimed that genuine growth and change would be impossible to achieve until that was completed, adding that while mayors were highly important in some locations and could accomplish a lot, MCEs in Ghana found it difficult to achieve much on their own due to the political character of MCEs. Dr. Kludjeson, for example, stated that while strong policies such as one million dollars per district may help Tema flourish, MCEs were inhibited since such funding, among others, never materialised. He feels sorry for Tema now that he knows what it used to be, and he adds that the harbour and industrial city had all they needed to be more glamorous and affluent than they are now. According to Reverend Dr. Samuel Worlanyo Mensah, Executive Director of the Centre of Greater Impact Africa, the implementation of a comprehensive plan for digital growth will provide the impetus for the country to catch up with the rest of the globe. He believed that the digital economy might address the national challenge of unemployment swiftly. Dr. Mensah went on to suggest that the employment structure inside the technical environment was huge and hence could be utilised to address the country's developmental shortcomings. -CDA Consult || Contributor According to SIC Insurance PLC, Engineering and Construction Insurance Policies are critical for protecting material damage to works against unforeseen and sudden physical loss from any cause other than those excluded under the policy. "There is also third-party liability coverage up to and not exceeding the specified amount for which the insured shall be legally liable as a result of accidental bodily injury or illness to third parties and property damage to third-party property." "Contractors All Risk and Erection All Risk; Machinery Breakdown and Construction Plant and Machinery; Electronic Equipment; and Boiler and Pressure Vessel Insurance Policy are covers that seek to provide cover," Mrs. Cynthia Kwarteng Tufuor, Tema Regional Manager of SIC Insurance Company PLC, explained. Mrs Tufuor stated during the Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office Stakeholder Engagement Seminar which is a platform for state and non-state actors to address national challenges. The monthly engagement also serves as an incentive for reporters to recognise their editorial contributions to national growth in general, as well as the extension and promotion of the Tema GNA as the Industrial News Hub. According to Mrs. Tufuor, these insurance policies cover all third-party legal charges and expenses, as well as all expenses and costs incurred under the insurer's written agreement. "Coverage can also be extended for loss of or damage to the contractor's plant and machinery used in the construction or erection," she added. She went on to say that the Machinery Breakdown and Construction Plant and Machinery policies cover unforeseen and sudden physical loss or damage caused by factors such as casting and material defects, faulty designs, or any other causes not specifically excluded in a way that necessitates repair, replacement, or cash payment while the machine is at work, at rest, or in the process of being assembled. While the Electronic Equipment plans cover loss or damage caused by negligence, operation, willful acts of third parties, explosion, implosion, over-voltage, or under-voltage, the coverage applies whether the insured goods are at rest, at work, or being disassembled. Mrs. Tufuor stated that the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Insurance Policy protects the covered boiler from harm caused by an explosion or collapse. "The policy also covers third-party property damage, as well as bodily injury or death to third parties." "All third-party legal costs and expenses are paid, as are all expenses and costs incurred with the insurer's written consent," she explained. As a result, she urged business groups to always obtain insurance information: "Let us not assume or simply pretend that nothing will happen." Because events do occur, there is a continuing need for protection." Mr. Francis Ameyibor, Tema Regional Manager of the Ghana News Agency, stated that it was critical for the media to champion national discussion and ensure that it carried everyone along with the discourse, including those in the marketplace, rural areas, communities, and literate and illiterate people. He went on to emphasise that the media must reach out to all segments of society, regardless of socioeconomic status, because everyone's voice matters in public discourse for national advancement. Mr. Ameyibor noted as a result that the Tema Ghana News Agency Regional Office has built three key flagship news platforms to assist the people by delivering unbiased, truthful, factual, accurate, and balanced news. -CDA Consult || Contributor Mr. Abraham Koomson, Secretary-General of the Ghana Federation of Labour, has stated once again that strengthening local business will strengthen domestic and foreign trade, hence revitalising the economy. It will also create jobs, while exports of local items will increase in both quality and quantity, putting less pressure on the local currency. Mr. Koomson maintained that no country has developed as a result of a 'buying and selling' policy because it destroys the local economy, adding that "no country has ever become richer by exporting raw materials without adding value to them and also having a local industry that is virtually in the intensive care units." At a Stakeholders Engagement Seminar organised by the Ghana News Agency's Tema Regional Office in Tema, the GFL Secretary General was examining the labour front. The GNA Tema Stakeholder Engagement provides a forum for state and non-state entities to discuss national issues. It also serves as a motivator to recognise journalists' editorial contributions to national development in general, as well as the expansion and promotion of the Tema GNA as the industrial news hub. Ghanaian investors, according to Mr Koomson, cannot create jobs without a robust manufacturing basis and an industrialised economy. "If the government truly believes that production will transform the country, then it must revive and exploit the country's resources to boost the domestic economy," he stated. "If there is a concerted effort to boost the growth of the local industry," he said, "we can survive on manufacturing industries." As a result, Mr. Koomson reaffirmed his call to the government to reinvigorate local industry in order to generate long-term prosperity for the benefit of the local economy: "Local industries are critical to achieving long-term economic recovery." "All developed and emerging economies have used industrialization as a key driver of modernization; Ghana cannot develop based on the importation of basic goods that can be produced locally," he said. Mr. Francis Ameyibor, GNA Tema Regional Manager, indicated that the agency was eager to provide information on Ghana's investment and industrialization push, as well as the country's economic and tourism potential for national development. -CDA Consult || Contributor The Sudanese army pounded paramilitaries in the capital Khartoum with air strikes Thursday while deadly fighting flared in Darfur as the clock ticked down on a fragile US-brokered ceasefire now in its final full day. Late Wednesday, the army said it had agreed to talks in Juba, capital of neighbouring South Sudan, on extending the three-day truce which expires on Friday "at the initiative of IGAD", the East African regional bloc. There have been multiple truce efforts since fighting broke out on April 15 between Sudan's regular army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by his deputy turned rival, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. All have failed. The fighting has continued despite the US-brokered ceasefire that took effect on Tuesday, with warplanes patrolling the skies over the capital's northern suburbs as fighters on the ground have exchanged artillery and heavy machine gun fire, witnesses said. The streets of Khartoum have remained largely deserted with shops firmly shuttered. By - (AFP) Burhan agreed on Wednesday to the IGAD proposal for talks on extending the truce by a further 72 hours, the army added. The RSF's response to the proposal remains unclear. At least 512 people have been killed and 4,193 wounded in the fighting, according to health ministry figures, although the real death toll is likely much higher. The doctors' union said at least eight civilians had been killed in Khartoum alone on Wednesday despite the truce. More than two thirds of hospitals in the country were out of service, the union said Thursday, including 14 that had been struck during the fighting. Violence beyond Khartoum Sudanese civlians desperate to escape the fighting in the capital Khartoum prepare to board a bus out. By - (AFP) Beyond the capital, fighting has flared in the provinces, particularly in the war-torn western region of Darfur. Clashes between the army and the RSF raged for a second day in the West Darfur capital Geneina, witnesses said, adding that civilians were seen fleeing to the nearby border with Chad. On Wednesday, the United Nations humanitarian agency reported killings, looting and arson in Geneina. "An estimated 50,000 acutely malnourished children have had nutrition support disrupted due to the fighting," it added in a statement. The heavy fighting has trapped many civilians in their homes, where they have endured severe shortages of food, water and electricity. The UN has warned that as many as 270,000 people could flee into Sudan's poorer neighbours South Sudan and Chad. A Royal Air Force C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft carrying British evacuees from Sudan lands at Larnaca airport in Cyprus. By Christina ASSI (AFP) Other Sudanese have sought refuge in Egypt to the north and Ethiopia to the east, but both entail long and potentially dangerous journeys overland. Speaking at the Egyptian border, 50-year-old refugee Ashraf called on the warring sides to "end the war... because this is your own conflict, not that of the Sudanese people". In Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast, Syrian evacuee Khalil Ibrahim told AFP: "We just want to get away from this war." Cambridge University academic Sharath Srinivasan warned the mass movement of people across Sudan's borders threatened to destabilise already fragile governments in neighbouring countries. "If the armed confrontation between these two forces protracts -- or worse, if it draws in other armed rebel groups across the country -- this could quickly become one of the worst humanitarian crises in the region and risk spilling over," he told US news outlet Politico. Foreigners fleeing Sudan disembark from a Saudi evacuation ship after it docks in the Red Sea port of Sudan. By Amer HILABI (AFP) Foreign governments have taken advantage of the fragile truce to organise road convoys, aircraft and ships to get thousands of their citizens out but some have warned their evacuation efforts are dependent on the lull in fighting holding. A Saudi evacuation ship docked in the Red Sea port of Jeddah Thursday carrying 187 Sudan evacuees from 25 countries, including the United States, Russia and Turkey, the Saudi foreign ministry said. It was the eighth such crossing organised by the Saudi authorities since the start of the fighting and took the total evacuated to the kingdom so far to 2,544, only 119 of them Saudis, the ministry said. War crimes suspect escapes Map of Sudan and neighbouring countries as civilians flee the country during a fragile ceasefire. By Sophie RAMIS (AFP) As lawlessness has gripped Sudan, there have been several jailbreaks, including from the high security Kober prison where top aides of ousted dictator Omar al-Bashir were held. Among those who have escaped is Ahmed Haroun, wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the 2003 Darfur conflict. Haroun's escape sparked fears of the involvement of Bashir loyalists in the ongoing fighting. The army said the ousted dictator was not among those who escaped but had been moved to a military hospital before the fighting erupted. Daglo's RSF emerged from the Janjaweed militia, accused of carrying out atrocities against civilians during Bashir's brutal suppression of ethnic minority rebels in Darfur in the mid-2000s. Bashir was toppled by the military in April 2019 following civilian mass protests that raised hopes for a transition to democracy. The two generals had together seized power in a 2021 coup, but later fell out, most recently over the planned integration of the RSF into the regular army. 27.04.2023 LISTEN Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has celebrated his 24th year on the Golden Stool of the Asante Kingdom yesterday. People from all walks of life praised the king on various social media platforms, including Facebook and WhatsApp, to show their support for Otumfuo. In addition, the several radio stations in Kumasi, the official seat of the Asante Kingdom, dedicated their morning show programmes to congratulating the Asantehene on this historic occasion. People who called in to the radio stations prayed ardently for Gods constant direction, protection, good health, wisdom, and long life so that he may challenge for more success on the throne. DAILY GUIDE's sources at Manhyia Palace indicated that Otumfuos 24th anniversary would be celebrated with pomp and splendour on Sunday, which is an Akwasidae. Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, also known as Barima Kwaku Duah, ascended the Golden Stool on April 26, 1999, succeeding the late Otumfuo Opoku Ware II. Otumfuo, the last of the Asantehemaa, Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II five offspring, received enormous support from his people during his succession. In his inaugural speech as the 16th Asante Monarch, he promised to lead Asanteman to prosperity so that the regions indigenous and residents might enjoy better lives. The legendary Otumfuo Education Fund was formed under his capable direction, reportedly to aid outstanding but needy Ghanaian students climb the academic ladder. Thousands of Ghanaian students from all 16 regions of the country, representing various tribal and religious backgrounds, have benefited from the initiative throughout the years. Significantly, the Otumfuo Education Fund has helped to produce professionals such as doctors, attorneys, journalists, financiers, and others. The Asantehene, who supports education, has also founded the Otumfuo Teachers' Awards scheme, an annual event that honours teachers in rural areas. Otumfuo is recognised for leading a three-member Eminent Chiefs Committee that effectively resolved the Dagbon chieftaincy conflict. The Asantehene is also known for his outstanding intellect and tactics in dealing with challenging and complex issues, which earned him the nickname King Solomon. During his rule, the Asante Kingdom, which extends beyond the confines of the Ashanti Region, has enjoyed ultimate peace and unity, which has resulted in progress. In addition, the Asantehene has undertaken royal visits to Akyem Abuakwa and the Anlo Traditional Areas to promote peace in the country. Otumfuo has also undertaken various infrastructure projects, such as medical and educational institutions, all of which aim to improve the health and educational needs of his people. On the political stage, the Asantehenes enormous power and positions have helped to defend Ghanas nascent democracy, as the countrys many political parties regard him as the father of all. Otumfuos efforts as Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have been recognised and honoured on a global scale. The Asantehene was once invited to speak before the United Nations (UN) in New York about world peace, and this is seen by many as a noteworthy accomplishment because monarchs are rarely granted such an opportunity. Otumfuo has also been honoured with state visits to Trinidad and Tobago, Seychelles Island and other countries. He has also been honoured with honorary degrees by top universities across the globe. -Daily Guide 27.04.2023 LISTEN The police are investigating six persons for their alleged involvement in the stealing of fooditems from the stock of the School Feeding Programme at the Atebubu Senior High School in the Bono East Region. The six persons were arrested following a report to the police by Mr Edward Owusu, the Atebubu-Amantin Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) on Friday, April 21, 2023. In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), MrOwusu said 26 bags of maize, 20 bags of beans, 10 bags of rice and one gallon of a 25 litre cooking oil were retrieved from the suspects. When contacted, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Elias Denu-Koto, the Atebubu District Police Commander, told the GNA that the Command received a call from the MCE on the alleged theft and proceeded to effect the arrest. However, the six suspects had since been granted bail, while investigations continued for possible prosecution. GNA 27.04.2023 LISTEN Mr. Bright Oblitei Akwetey, a Legal Practitioner, has picked and paid the nomination cost of GHc20,000.00 to contest for the Convention People's Party (CPP) Flagbearership position, which is provisionally planned for June 10th this year. After collecting the nomination papers, Mr. Akwetey, a senior CPP member, told reporters that the party required a realistic Flagbearer to work with the party leadership to increase its fortunes in the 2024 elections. "The CPP requires a Flagbearer who is dedicated, forward-thinking, disciplined, credible, and capable of radically transforming the current fragile party structures into a formidable, well-tuned election machinery," he said. The CPP has approved prices for the flagbearership competition, which include GHc20,000.00 for nomination forms, GHc200,000.00 for filing fees, and GHc230.000.00 for grassroots mobilisation. Nominations were opened from April 20 and would close on May 11, 2023, and vetting slated for May 12 and 13, 2023, with the National Executive Council meeting fixed for June 9, 2023. The Presidential Delegates Congress of the party will be held on June 10, 2023, and its presidential candidates will be officially outdoor on June 12, 2023. Mr. Akwetey believes the CPP need "a Flag Bearer capable of removing the credibility gap created in the media by acts of omission and commission by some leading members of the party in recent times, as well as helping to build a united, strong, vibrant, and attractive party." Mr. Akwetey, a former Chief State Attorney in the Attorney General's Department, expressed hope that his candidature will create a window of opportunity for party faithful who have been hesitant to join in party activities to rethink. "My candidature is a good omen and a golden opportunity for all Nkrumahists to join hands with him and the leadership at all levels to build a more disciplined party that is not based on individualistic ego." "CPP is bigger than all of its members together...It will never succumb to any personality... the party is fundamental, with the potential to regain lost decades for Ghana's social development," Mr Akwetey stated. Ghana, according to the former Assistant Special Public Prosecutor, needs the CPP to repair the country's shattered sovereignty and economy. "Ghana requires a massive psychological transformation and sustained efforts aimed at decolonizing the minds of leaders in all areas of the national development agenda in order to create a united and prosperous Ghana." "It is more important now than ever to put Nkrumah's three pillars of self-determination, social justice, and pan-Africanism into action." "It is more important than ever to demonstrate in the clearest possible terms that, after all, the black man is capable of managing his own affairs," Mr. Akwetey remarked. As a result, he urged all well-meaning Ghanaians to join the CPP in order to bring the country's socioeconomic situation back on track. He declared that he is prepared to lead the CPP to power, saying, "I am capable of marshalling a formidable force in the country with the ability to effectively shoulder with the flag bearers of the National Democratic Congress and the NPP." Mr. Akwetey stated that he had critically examined the CPP during this time period and concluded that the party's inability to identify its core objectives, values, and ideologies had been its bane for unappealing performance since the 1992 elections. To generate an electorate-friendly message, he claimed that the CPP would stress Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah's values as well as grass-roots membership mobilisation. French authorities on Thursday razed an informal settlement on the Indian Ocean island of Mayotte after overnight unrest sparked by government plans to clear slums and send illegal migrants back to the neighbouring Comoros. Operation Wuambushu ("Take Back" in the local language) has in recent days triggered clashes between youths and security forces on the French island and fuelled political tensions with the Comoros. Two diggers on Thursday morning demolished the shanties in the Longoni neighbourhood on the north of the island in less than an hour, AFP reporters at the scene said. The prefect of Mayotte, Thierry Suquet, said the "small slum" was being cleared after a December court order to make way for a vocational training institute. Mayotte and the Comoros Islands. By Sophie RAMIS (AFP) He told reporters that the settlement, which had once housed around 10 families, no longer had permanent inhabitants, and alternative housing had been offered to those using it as a temporary shelter. But 32-year-old Zarianti Bina told AFP the sudden demolition had come as a surprise. "My mother lives here," she said. "I only learnt they were coming yesterday. We have been contesting this for a year, but we got no prior warning." "No solution has been provided," she added. No deportations Suquet reported violence overnight in the main city of Mamoudzou, where police arrested one person after youths tried to set fire to "vehicles and buildings". Some 1,800 members of the French security forces -- including hundreds from Paris -- have been deployed for Operation Wuambushu, which aims to improve living conditions for Mayotte locals. Mayotte is the fourth island of the Comoros archipelago, but France held on to the former colony after a 1974 referendum. By Patrick Meinhardt (AFP) But its start was delayed on Monday when a court in Mamoudzou last minute stopped the clearance of a much larger slum near Longoni, a decision the local administration has appealed. It also faced a hurdle when Comoros, whose three islands lie to the northwest of Mayotte, said on Monday it would refuse to allow entry to boats carrying migrants back from Mayotte. Around half of Mayotte's roughly 350,000 population is estimated to be foreign, most of them Comoran. Mayotte is the fourth island of the Comoros archipelago, which was once a French territory. France retained control over Mayotte after a 1974 referendum, but the island is still claimed by the Union of the Comoros, which gathers the three other islands. It is France's poorest department with around 80 percent of the population living beneath the poverty line and high levels of social delinquency. But it also benefits from French infrastructure, support and welfare, and this has encouraged an influx from the Comoros, whose nearest island, Anjouan, is 70 kilometres (45 miles) away. Many migrants attempt the hazardous crossing on rickety boats used by smugglers. There do not appear to have been any deportations since Monday, and the prefect said on Thursday that no boats had departed to the neighbouring Comoros in the time since. 'We're in prison' Residents have told AFP they support the idea of expulsions, accusing migrants of fuelling insecurity. In Tsoundzou, in the east of the island, 40-year-old Aicha Magoma said on Wednesday she feared for her safety. Inside her gated home, the windows were covered in metal bars to prevent burglaries and room doors had locks in case an intruder made it in. "We're in prison," said the state electricity company employee, adding she no longer went outside after 5 pm. Some 1,800 members of the French security forces -- including hundreds from Paris -- have been deployed for Operation Wuambushu. By Patrick Meinhardt (AFP) She pointed to rocks she said youths had thrown onto her home during clashes with police the day before. "They threatened to kill us. They said that when the policemen left, they'd come and set fire to where we are," she said, angry. Fatihou Ibrahime, who heads a citizen association on the island, said violence had increased on the island since 2015. "It all started with petty theft, and we played it down, saying it was just hungry people stealing to survive," he said. "But now we're at the point where there are murderers and people breaking and entering with machetes," he added, pointing to a scar on his head from a machete blow during a burglary. The girl and the gunshot wound. Through her ivory temple splattered with fresh crimson tears, He witnesses her, breathing for the last time, before he takes life from her discarded body. Isobel G. In our youthful days-they were halcyon days, our heyday-the four places that boys will be boys in Kumasi, were Adum, Asafo, Bantama and AshTown. There was no need for vehicles. We would trek from Asafo and go to Adum or AshTown; others would 'criss-cross' -and return home, satisfied, to doss. Each family would guard their ladies there jealously: but if you are smart and you grabbed a girl, you would be called 'akonta' and you would be in their good books. That is how come, we managed to get our better half from Adum. Our father-in-law was Oheneba Boakye Dankwa, and the day we went for the 'knocking', he took a sip of the Schnapps and gave the dregs in the glass to us to drink-signifying acceptable relationship. We were both from the Bretuo Clan. The venue was the Akyempem hene's house, and he was the son of Otumfuo Prempeh I who had returned from exile in Seychelles. Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene (like the Asantehenes before him) would visit Akyeremade and go to the Baamu to pray in the morning any time there was an Akwasidae (and sometimes Awukudae) to pray to the ancestral spirits and later sit in state in the house to receive homage and settle disputes. Adum girls the ladies (some in their sixties and seventies) at Adum would call themselves: they were very beautiful and well-groomed. Just opposite were the houses that were run as harems, and the rooms were occupied by Nigerian prostitutes (Itsekiris and Ibos mostly) and their Ghanaian counterparts (Krobos and Ewes, with very few Bonos, Nzemas and Asantes) who sold their bodies in return for two shillings (2-2). Victoria Dapaah, 27-year-old, a.k.a, MaaAdwoa had a chequered infancy, her mother died when she was very young, and as Asante customs had it, she was fostered by her auntie, the sister of her late mother, Afia Kaya; she was very beautiful and Maame Sakyiwaa, her grandmother, took very great care to nurture her. She was hard working, and undertook tuition in fashion: manicure, pedicure and related jobs. She supplemented her income by opening a drinking bar close to her house OTB 500 which she kept open until 9:30pm. She was a lovely girl, and whenever Otumfuo visited, she would provide us, Dr. Prempeh, Nana Osei, Owusu-Ansah, Nana Adusei with plastic chairs from her drinking spot. She met a guy from Bantama and their romance produced one baby girl Maame Serwaa (a.k.a Agudee) now almost three (3) years. Krakye went to the U.S. and was contemplating coming over to take her to join him. But just as she was making her travel plans, Inspector Ahmed Twumasi of SWAT came to cross her. Maa Adwoa's brothers never liked Twumasi because he was not her size and she wanted to get out of the 4-month-old romance. He had a very repulsive behaviour and his bossy attitude grated on her. He was always suspicious of Maa Adwoa's movements and was always accusing her of infidelity. He once went to Maa Adwoa's house and when her brother told him she was having a wash, he opened the door of the bathroom and entered there to confirm her brother's excuse. In the evening of Thursday, 20/04/23, she responded to a lady friend's (Eunice) invitation, and went outside, despite the remonstrations by her elder brother, Emmanuel Oppong, who always monitored his sister's movements. Her only excuse was that she was seeing her friend in the neighborhood and would return in a jiffy. Then, pa-pa-pa-pa. It was not Christmas, so people ruled out Knock-out Curious neighbours came out of their houses to see the spectacle. The bullets had pierced Maa Adwoa's head, heart, and tummy. And the tormentor kicked the body as she lay dead. Callousness? Insensitivity? After the dastardly act, the rascal in a mufti, boarded an auto rickshaw tricycle (Pragya) and sped off. Fortunately for Maa Adowa's family, there was a CCTV camera in one of the shops near Dufie Towers, and it captured the scene. Besides, people around heard her plea: Tycoon don't kill me; Tycoon don't kill me. But all the pleas fell on deaf ears, What! Unbelievable! Maa Adowa was rushed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (Emergency Unit) but was pronounced dead on arrival. The suspect was apprehended and on Tuesday 25th April brought before the Asokore Mampong District Court with His Worship Samuel Buabin Quansah sitting for committal. The charges were read by the Police Prosecutor, ACP Blagogee, but the suspect's plea was not taken. In his statement, Inspector Twumasi alleged that Maa Adwoa was his girlfriend; she owed him Gh5,000 and he wanted to collect it but MaaAdwoa was dilly-dallying. The Adum boys are asking so many questions: Adumpaanie (Is this Adum we used to know? Boxers like Asebi-Boakye J.J.Kani so nie). What crime did MaaAdwoa commit to have her life cut so short, and so cruelly? The boys are agitated; they spew venom but they are respectful. They appreciate the fact that they cannot take the law into their own hands but they want to see justice done! And they have the backing and support of all of us who are associated with Adum. Parents of Krakye can hardly believe that their prospective-in- law would leave them under such horrible circumstances. Reverend Kyei Maame Sarpong all of you Due, due ne amane-hunu. One suffers capital punishment when he commits murder. Section 46 of the Criminal Offences Act (Act 29) says, Whoever commits murder shall be liable to suffer death And Section 47 says: Whoever intentionally causes the death of another person by any unlawful harm is guilty of murder; unless his crime is reduced to manslaughter by reason of such extreme provocation or other matter of partial excuse, as mentioned in Section 52. The accused is to appear in court again on 30th May, 2023. We are waiting and watching events. A married man in his early forties, with children, commits murder As lawyers, we know the case is sub-judice. We will, therefore not comment, but pause. [email protected] [email protected] By Africanus Owusu-Ansah A French court has agreed to the extradition to Italy of Edgardo Greco a convicted murderer, suspected of being a member of the powerful 'Ndrangheta Calabrian mafia, who was arrested in France in February after 16 years on the run. The Lyon appeals court on Thursday agreed to Italy's extradition request, noting that Greco has not consented. His lawyer, David Metaxas, said he will appeal the decision because if Greco goes to Italy, he will be dead legally and physically. Metaxas said he would write to French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne to ask for Greco to stand trial in France. Greco was convicted in Italy in 2006 to a life sentence for the murder in 1991 of Stefano and Giuseppe Bartolomeo, brothers who were members of a rival gang. He is also accused of the attempted murder of Emiliano Mosciaro during what Interpol called a "mafia war" in the early 1990s. Greco fled Italy after the sentencing and was on the run until French police arrested him in February in the city of Saint-Etienne, where he worked in Italian restaurants and at one point run his own, under an alias. They found him through an Interpol information sharing system with Italian investigators aimed at tracking down 'Ndrangheta members. A week earlier, Italian police said they had dismantled a 'Ndrangheta ring in southern Calabria and had placed 56 people under criminal investigation. (with AFP) Ghana and Austria have pledged to strengthen their bilateral cooperation following high-level talks between President Nana Akufo-Addo and Austrian Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer in Accra. Speaking after the bilateral discussions at Jubilee House, President Akufo-Addo said Ghana seeks to enhance relations with Austria in areas such as food processing, small business support, exports, industrial parks, special economic zones and the automotive industry. Chancellor Nehammer indicated Austria's readiness to also boost security cooperation with Ghana. The talks covered the economies of both nations, culminating in the signing of two major agreements. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on political and economic consultations was signed between Ghana's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Austria's Federal Ministry of European and International Affairs. An agreement on defense cooperation was also initiated by Ghana's Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul and Austria's Peter Launsky-Tieffentha, Secretary General of Austria's Federal Ministry of European and International Affairs. The MOU signals the start of regular high-level political consultations between both nations to bolster ties. The defense pact will see more military exchanges, training and technology transfer. In a tweet, Ghana's Foreign Ministry said the talks highlight the determination of Ghana and Austria to scale up their long-standing relationship. Chancellor Nehammer expressed Austria's desire to be a key partner in Ghana's progress. For his part, President Akufo-Addo said Ghana values its ties with Austria, a key EU nation, adding that the latest agreements pave the way for more fruitful partnerships between both countries. The Sudanese army pounded paramilitaries in the capital Khartoum with air strikes Thursday while deadly fighting flared in Darfur, as a fragile US-brokered ceasefire entered its final hours. Ahead of the expiry of a three-day truce at midnight (2200 GMT), the army said late Wednesday it had agreed to talks in neighbouring South Sudan on extending it "at the initiative of IGAD", the East African regional bloc. Map of Sudan and neighbouring countries as civilians flee the country during a fragile ceasefire. By Sophie RAMIS (AFP) There have been multiple truce efforts since fighting broke out on April 15 between Sudan's army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by his deputy turned rival, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. All have failed. The fighting has continued despite the US-brokered ceasefire that took effect on Tuesday, with warplanes patrolling the skies over the capital's northern suburbs as fighters on the ground exchanged artillery and heavy machinegun fire, witnesses said. Burhan agreed on Wednesday to the IGAD proposal for talks on extending the truce by a further 72 hours, the army added. The RSF's response to the proposal remains unclear. Sudanese civlians desperate to escape the fighting in the capital Khartoum prepare to board a bus out. By - (AFP) At least 512 people have been killed and 4,193 wounded in the fighting, according to health ministry figures, although the real death toll is likely much higher. Despite the truce, the doctors' union said at least eight civilians had been killed in Khartoum alone on Wednesday. More than two thirds of hospitals in the country were out of service, the union said Thursday, including 14 hit during the fighting. Violence beyond Khartoum A Royal Air Force C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft carrying British evacuees from Sudan lands at Larnaca airport in Cyprus. By Christina ASSI (AFP) Fighting has also flared in the provinces, particularly in the war-torn western region of Darfur. Witnesses said clashes raged for a second day in the West Darfur capital El Geneina, with pro-democracy medics reporting a doctor was shot dead. "We are locked up at home and too afraid to go out, so we can't assess the scale of the damage," said a resident, who asked to remain anonymous for his safety. On Wednesday, the United Nations humanitarian agency said the fighting in West Darfur had disrupted food to "an estimated 50,000 acutely malnourished children". The violence has trapped many civilians in their homes, where they have endured severe shortages of food, water and electricity. Those who can afford to have taken the long and risky journey to flee the country. Foreigners fleeing Sudan disembark from a Saudi evacuation ship after it docks in the Red Sea port of Sudan. By Amer HILABI (AFP) Egypt said Thursday that at least 14,000 Sudanese refugees had crossed the border into the country since fighting erupted, as well as 2,000 people from 50 other countries. "End the war", 50-year-old refugee Ashraf told the warring generals after entering Egypt. "This is your own conflict, not that of the Sudanese people". The UN has warned that as many as 270,000 people could flee into Sudan's impoverished neighbours South Sudan and Chad, and thousands have also fled into Ethiopia. War crimes suspect escapes Foreign governments have scrambled get thousands of their citizens out, but some have warned their evacuation efforts are dependent on the relative lull in fighting holding. Smoke rises from a building next to a damaged car in Khartoum, in this photo released by Indonesia on April 24. By Handout (INDONESIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY/AFP/File) UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly urged Britons and their relatives in Sudan to use evacuation flights while they are still available. A Saudi evacuation ship docked in the Red Sea port of Jeddah Thursday carrying 187 Sudan evacuees from 25 countries, including the United States, Russia and Turkey, the Saudi foreign ministry said. It was the eighth such crossing organised by Saudi Arabia since the start of the fighting and took the total evacuated to the kingdom to 2,544, only 119 of them Saudis, the ministry said. As lawlessness has gripped Sudan, there have been several jailbreaks, including from the high security Kober prison where top aides of ousted dictator Omar al-Bashir were held. Among those who have escaped is Ahmed Harun, wanted by the International Criminal Court to face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in Darfur. Harun's escape sparked fears of the involvement of Bashir loyalists in the ongoing fighting. A boat with 1,687 civilians from more than 50 countries fleeing violence in Sudan, arrives at King Faisal navy base in Jeddah. By Amer HILABI (AFP/File) The army said the ousted dictator was not among those who escaped, as he had been moved to a military hospital before fighting erupted. Daglo's RSF emerged from the Janjaweed militia, accused of carrying out atrocities against civilians during Bashir's brutal suppression of ethnic minority rebels in Darfur in the mid-2000s. Bashir was toppled by the military in April 2019 following civilian mass protests that raised hopes for a transition to democracy. The two generals seized power together in a 2021 coup, but later fell out, most recently over the planned integration of the RSF into the regular army. Five persons are currently facing prosecution for blocking engineers of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) from carrying out their duties at Otweso a community near Nkrurakan in the Yilo Krobo Municipality of the Eastern Region. According to the management of ECG, a timely intervention from the police prevented the community members from clashing with its engineers. Similarly, an assemblyman at Apinaman who through the information centre instigated the community against personnel of ECG at Akwatia district is also assisting the police with investigations. These incidents are among the challenges faced by the Eastern Regional Office of the power distribution company during its month-long revenue mobilization exercise that was made known at a press briefing today in Koforidua. Eastern Regional Manager of the ECG, Ing. Mrs. Sariel Etwire also admonished customers in the region to desist from illegal activities which have negative consequences on their operations. We appeal to our cherished customers once again to desist from illegal activities which have negative effects on our operations, and we also want to urge our customers to use our new payment platforms such as the enhanced mobile app and the shortcode *226# to ensure that they pay their bills in the comfort of their homes. Mrs. Etwire also disclosed that out of the GH231 million target set by the region, an amount of GH63.6 million was collected from debtors. -citinewsroom France says it supports all dialogue aimed at ending the conflict sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This comes in the wake of phone contact between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky. France encourages all dialogue that can "contribute to a resolution of the conflict" that is "in line with the fundamental interests of Kyiv" and international law, according to the French press agency AFP quoting a French presidential official. The same source emphasised that this was the message brought by President Emmanuel Macron on his visit to China earlier this month. On Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke on the phone for the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The call, which Beijing says was initiated by Kyiv, lasted for almost an hour and was described by Zelensky as "long and meaningful." During the conversation, Xi reportedly told Zelensky that "talks and negotiation" were the only way out of the war and that China stands for peace in the Ukraine crisis. After the call, Zelensky appointed Pavlo Ryabikin, until last month Ukraine's Minister of Strategic Industries, as Ukraine's new ambassador to China. Kyiv has not had a head of diplomatic mission in Beijing since the start of Russia's invasion in February 2022. While the call between the two leaders was welcomed by France, Russia accused Ukraine of having undermined peace initiatives and suggested that the country's Western allies were responsible for this. Moscow noted the "readiness of the Chinese side to make efforts to establish a negotiation process," while also accusing Kyiv of having rejected "any sensible initiatives aimed at a political and diplomatic settlement of the situation." China's peace plan In February, China unveiled a 12-point "Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis" calling for a peaceful solution to the war in Ukrai ne. The document urged Russia and Ukraine to enter into peace negotiations and portrayed China as a neutral party. However, Ukraine's allies reacted with scepticism to the proposal, with Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg stating that Beijing "doesn't have much credibility because they have not been prepared to condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine." Zelensky's call with Xi comes more than 400 days after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The conflict has cost the lives to tens of thousands of civilians and soldiers and has caused billions of dollars of damage, while destabilising the region and destroying substantial parts of the economy and infrastructure of Ukraine. While China has so far refused to condemn Russia's actions, the call between the two leaders suggests that Beijing may now be open to playing a more active role in resolving the crisis. (With news agencies) Former President John Mahama has said the poor quality food fed students at the senior high schools is emaciating them. As a result, parents are forced to hide their children indoors and feed them with quality fufu and soup for a while, upon their return from school for the holidays, so they can regain their lost weight, Mr Mahama has noted. Speaking to party delegates in the Bodi Constituency of the Western North Region during his campaign tour, Mr Mahama, who is seeking a comeback, said though the Akufo-Addo government has borrowed almost GHS500 billion since coming to office in 2017, not more than GHS10 billion of that has been funnelled into the much-touted but poorly implemented Free SHS initiative, thus, the poor food fed the students in school. Mr Mahama said Ghanaians are clamouring for the return of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) because they have realised that President Nana Akufo-Addo and the governing New Patriotic Party have destroyed every good thing he bequeathed to them. For instance, Mr Mahama said during the NDC administration, the Produce Buying Company was buying 30 per cent of cocoa produced by farmers but today, Im not sure they buy even more than 3 per cent. Also, he said under the NDC, the Tema Oil Refinery did very well but started grinding to a halt form 2017 when President Akufo-Addo took office. So, Ghanaians are now clamouring for the NDC to come back to office, he reiterated. Mr Mahama acknowledged that even though Ghana was not paradise under me, at least things were better compared to the suffering Ghanaians are going through under the Akufo-Addo government. For example, he said contractors are more getting contracts like they used to, so, they have been forced to lay off many heavy-duty truck drivers. Additionally, he said commercial drivers are the hardest-hit victims today because they bought a gallon of fuel for GHS14 under the NDC but now buy a litre at the same price. They are unable to make any profit for their car owners and themselves, Mr Mahama decried. Further, he said traders go to the market and do not make a single sale yet officials from the Ghana Revenue Authority keep harassing them to pay tolls. As a result, Ghanaians are yearning for the return of the NDC, Mr Mahama emphasised. Everywhere I go, Im given a stone of vindication. Some people even light lanterns in broad daylight and shine them at me. They say they are searching for me because they have been sorely disappointed by the NPP governments abysmal performance which is in sharp contrast to the mouthwatering promises they made in the lead-up to the 2016 campaign, Mr Mahama pointed out. So, I know there is victory in wait for the NDC. In his view, we lost 2020, too, because we all know what happened. God revealed to me in my prayers that He made us lose because He was taking us out of a big ditch dug by the NPP. He wanted the NPP to fall into their own ditch. He accused Mr Akufo-Addo of borrowing so much yet having nothing to show for it. If you are a leader, you must be responsible with borrowing, but the NPP has borrowed so much for nothing but consumption, he said. Unlike the NPP, Mr Mahama said the NDC borrowed to build several infrastructure that self-defrayed the debt incurred in putting them up. He listed projects such as the Terminal 3 of the Kotoka International Airport, Kejetia market, University of Ghana Medical Centre, as well as some projects undertaken at the Tema Port, as examples. The former president said his government used GHS54 billion to carry out such development projects and more. As a result of the voracious borrowing of the NPP administration, he said Ghanas debt stock of GHS120 billion as existed in 2016, has ballooned to almost 600 billion. Source: Classfmonline.com The Dormaa Municipal Health Directorate has recorded three new suspected cases of COVID-19, Mr. Daniel Kwame Owusu Amponsah, the Municipal Disease Control Officer has reported. Mr. Amponsah said samples had been taken to the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Accra for further investigation and the Directorate was awaiting confirmation. He said the cases were recorded at the Dormaa Presbyterian Hospital, adding that those affected persons were immediately isolated and held at the Hospital, but they are all in good condition. Mr. Amponsah gave the report at the first ordinary meeting of the fourth session of the Dormaa Central Municipal Assembly held at Dormaa-Ahenkro, Dormaa Central Municipality of the Bono Region. The meeting was attended by assembly members, heads of departments and security agencies, representatives of traditional authorities, traders associations, the Christian and Islamic communities and the staff of the assembly. He entreated residents in the municipality to strictly observe precautionary measures against the disease to avoid contracting it. Mr. Amponsah announced a non-governmental organisation had expressed readiness to offer support to the Health Directorate in its effort against the incidence of Buruli Ulcer in two communities Aboabo Number Four and Danyame in the Municipality, saying the cases had declined drastically in the last few years. GNA Dr. Mensah Tabi-Amankwa, a Dentist at the International Maritime Hospital (IMaH), has indicated that it is possible for a person to die from a tooth infection if left untreated. Dr. Tabi-Amankwa noted that tooth infections like sores and ulcers in the mouth could spread beyond the jaw and cause life-threatening complications by blocking off the airway going down the throat. Dr. Tabi-Amankwa made the disclosure at the weekly Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility, platform, a Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office initiative aimed at promoting communication on health-related topics and setting the medium for the propagation of health information to influence personal health choices by improving health literacy. The GNA-Tema: Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility initiative also serves as a public health advocacy platform initiated to explore the parameters of the four approaches to health communication: informative, educating, persuasive, and prompting. Speaking on the topic Oral Health, the IMaH Dentist explained that, any sore in the mouth that did not cause pain and extend beyond three weeks without healing could be an early sign of cancer. Adding to that, stress also caused ulcers inside and at the corners of the mouth, which was an indication that nutrients like iron or vitamin B12 in the body were not properly balanced. He said sometimes a hole in the tooth did not cause pain but, if left unattended, could generate a swollen face that could spread to other parts of the body. He described cavities as a loss of tooth tissue that progressed to food getting stacked into the hole and, with time, transitioned to constant pain, difficulty taking cold water, and finally to a facial swell. He said the situation could be severe, spreading infection that were caused by a bacteria in the tooth and capable of breaking down some of the body tissue and producing toxic by-products, so it could spread further to the neck, preventing eating and swallowing and eventually suffocating the patient to death. Mr. Francis Ameyibor, Regional Manager of Ghana News Agency Tema, explained that Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility is part of a collaborative effort to establish a means for the dissemination of health information in order to influence individual health decisions by increasing health literacy. He also stated that it aimed to use the communication abilities of the GNA and medical professionals to inform the public that everyones health was important and should be prioritized. GNA Dr Amma Benin, Head of the Paediatric Department, International Maritime Hospital (IMaH), has advised that children with Down Syndrome should be helped to develop their potentials. They are an important part of our society and should not be ignored or discriminated against, Dr Benin said and called for more specialised schools to be built for them. She said it was time for corporations and philanthropists to join forces to establish training institutions or foundations for people with Down syndrome. Dr Benin made the remarks during the weekly Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility, a Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office initiative aimed at promoting health-related communication and providing a platform for health information dissemination to influence personal health choices through improved health literacy. The Tema Regional Office of the Ghana News Agency created the public health advocacy platform Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility to examine the aspects of four health communication approaches: informing, instructing, persuading, and urging. Speaking on the topic of the 2023 World Down Syndrome Celebration, With Us, Not For Us, Dr. Benin stated that it sought to remind the entire community that individuals with Down syndrome needed to be a part of the work done to give them the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. She added that the families unity might serve as a support mechanism for them to share ideas on how to care for their kids and other pertinent information. She went on to say that the Autism Society of Ghana was started by a parent of a kid with the illness and that in order for society to be properly aware of Down syndrome, their families needed to take the first move. She warned against stigmatizing families or parents with Down syndrome, stating that it could happen to anyone at any time. She said depending on their intelligence quotient (IQ), certain children would be unable to attend a conventional school, emphasizing that the government must establish such training schools in all regions for children with special needs. Mr. Francis Ameyibor, Regional Manager of Ghana News Agency Tema, explained that Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility is part of a collaborative effort to establish a means for the dissemination of health information in order to influence individual health decisions by increasing health literacy. He added that it also aims to leverage the Ghana News Agencys and medical experts communication skills to inform the public that everyones health is important and should be a top concern. He said the weekly health debate platform would also be used as a beneficial channel of communication for health specialists to inform the public on healthy behaviours and other general health concerns. GNA It's fitting that Johannesburg is among 12 cities featured in the 2023 Unesco International Jazz Day , themed jazz journey around the world. The day, established in 2011 to celebrate the role of jazz in uniting peoples across the globe, is now marked annually on 30 April in close to 200 nations. It would have been hosted by Cape Town in 2020 had COVID-19 not intervened. Even so, many jazz lovers elsewhere may be aware of the long history and uniqueness of South Africa's jazz legacy through only a few names Miriam Makeba , Abdullah Ibrahim , Hugh Masekela who were driven out by apartheid to find world stages. Uncovering, documenting and showcasing more of the creativity that fought to flower inside the country remains a work in progress. As-Shams/Ralph Ndawo For writer and film-maker Calum MacNaughton of Cape Town-based Sharp-Flat Music , it's vital work. He's the archivist and curator of the historic As-Shams record label archive. MacNaughton told me, in an interview as part of my ongoing research into South African jazz histories , that he wants access to the archive not only for musicology researchers, but enthusiasts and budding musicians in frivolous conversation late into the night. As-Shams has a 60-year history as South Africa's first Black-owned record label, founded by music producer Rashid Vally out of a corner of his father's Koh-i-Noor general store in central Johannesburg. As-Shams was responsible for an eclectic array of releases from the teenage township pop of the Beaters (who became Harari ) to the iconic, implicitly subversive Mannenberg (Is Where its Happening) of Abdullah Ibrahim (then Dollar Brand). As part of opening access, As-Shams recently released the first volume of a planned series of archival compilations covering the label's history. As-Shams Archive Vol. 1: South African Jazz, Funk & Soul 1975-1982 contains 10 tracks, 10 original compositions and 10 ensembles. More than 90 minutes of music spans eight deeply repressive apartheid years. Yet, in those years artists of the calibre of pianists Lionel Pillay , Tete Mbambisa and Pat Matshikiza , saxophonists Kippie Moeketsi , Basil Manenberg Coetzee and Mike Makhalemele , and vocalist Sathima Bea Benjamin were making original, innovative music. The album The compilation unites tracks from various albums As-Shams has already re-mastered and reissued, predominantly since 2020. But curating its contents, says MacNaughton, provided the opportunity for a fresh approach, to shape new sequences reflecting professional networks and shared thematic concerns. For example: On the vinyl edition Side A is dedicated to the remarkable connection between Moeketsi and Matshikiza. Dick Khoza (as leader is heard) on the heels of his performance with Mbambisa's big band, Black Disco's Night Express and Pillay's Deeper in Black are thematically linked. And the compilation closes with Benjamin's music, which ties everything together with a spiritual thread. There's also what he calls an 11th hidden track: artwork on the vinyl from South African painter and graphicist Hargreaves Ntukwana , often the label's cover artist of choice. Underground in Africa, iconic artwork included in the vinyl edition. As-Shams/Hargreaves Ntukwana This restructuring works: tracks have a wholly new impact when heard in fresh company, rather than embedded in their original albums. By avoiding the obvious choices often the title tracks the collection conveys the collective music-making of a community and an era, rather than fondly remembered jazz hits. Restoring the archive Yet the process of recovering what MacNaughton counts as some of South Africa's most important cultural artefacts of the 20th Century, wasn't without problems. Despite fears about degradation, the tapes had not been damaged by constant moving. Rather, the problem was getting the history right, revealing the meticulous detective work that restoring South Africa's hidden musical history demands. Though most tapes had been carefully annotated, recording engineers sometimes did not name all players, and occasionally the paper record of names was absent. Just one example from the compilation was McNaughton being presented the challenge of identifying which of the three bassists and two drummers who share the album credit appear on the specific track. I reached out to bassist Lionel Beukes, who spent a weekend listening to the track only to conclude that he couldn't say for certain. In other cases, artists remained unidentified because of contractual commitments to other labels, or the imprint faced restrictions because of conflicting licensing and distribution deals. As-Shams Perhaps the most complex detection trail surrounded another As-Shams re-release: Pillay's Shrimp Boats . That first appeared in 1987 when As-Shams resurrected its Mandla imprint to issue out-of-print titles. Multiple tracks were brought together to round out the length of an album, not all the performer credits travelled with them and the cover artwork omitted Pillay in favour of Coetzee. By pure happenstance, this writer played the resulting album to the late Robbie Jansen in Botswana in the late 1980s. "Hey, the saxophonist said, that's me playing saxophone on Birdland! I always wondered what happened to that session Yet Jansen was not named on the sleeve. When I communicated this to MacNaughton after the 2022 re-release, he contacted everybody still living he could find who might have memories to confirm the attribution. Having confirmed it, the label put new information online. MacNaughton is extremely sensitive about the responsibilities of any reissue not only to artists, but also to music historians and the truth. Why this matters MacNaughton is still digging through the archives. A second compilation in preparation features, among others, guitarist Themba Mokoena , 70s fusion group Spirits Rejoice and saxophonist Winston Mankunku Ngozi . Full releases are planned for forgotten sessions by Mbambisa and Moeketsi. Read more: Legendary Mike Mzileni captured South Africa's history and also its musical stars Restoring these masterworks to the public domain can change our conversations about South African jazz. Instead of isolated stars, we hear a community at work: the rich musical conversations disrupting what has sometimes been characterised as a silent cultural period under apartheid. Conversing with each other, with overseas jazz and with tradition, those players made the music what it is today. Gwen Ansell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. By Gwen Ansell, Associate of the Gordon Institute for Business Science, University of Pretoria 27.04.2023 LISTEN The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) Germany branch is calling on Ghanaians to ignore any deliberately plotted propaganda by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) meant to give the Akufo-Addo government a bad name ahead of the 2024 elections. The group has condemned and lamented what it described as several propaganda stories published and circulated by the opposition against the Free SHS policy. NPP Germany particularly made a reference to the recent alleged conversion of a toilet into accommodation at the GHANASCO in Tamale. In a press release signed by its Communications Director, Nana Osei Boateng, he refuted the allegations in relation to the matter, pointing out that there are no toilets serving as bedrooms in senior high schools. "This FREE SHS policy has been of great benefit to the suffering Ghanaian, market women, lower income earners and to young folks who otherwise would have been left to the trials of the street," the group stated. According to NPP Germany, the NDC's stock in trade is nothing short of deceit and lies. Below is the full press statement: Press Release NPP Germany 26.04.23 NO STUDENT SLEEPS ON TOILET. THE NDC TACTICS WILL NOT WORK. The NDC has been on a serious expedition for falsehood and untruth stories still geared toward destroying the reputation of the worldwide-hailed Free SHS policy of the Nana Akufo Addo administration. Several propaganda stories have been published and circulated by the opposition against the Free SHS policy. A policy that has been of great benefit to the suffering Ghanaian, market women, lower income earners and to young folks who otherwise would have been left to the trials of the street. It is partly true that the NDC benefits from the majority of Ghanaians being illiterates and therefore wouldnt want the masses to be educated hence their continuous attempt to bring down our education system. Not long ago, NDC stalwarts such as Clement Apak, Sammi Gyamfi and his communications team have descended so low to tarnish the image of Ghana National Secondary School in Tamale of the Northern Region to have allocated toilet facilities as bed rooms for students. They continued to peddle this falsehood and the news came to many families as a very disturbing situation. The entire country once again were made to believe that SHS and Free SHS is causing our students to sleep on toilet facilities and therefore it is a distraction to our education system. John Mahama, the former President and aspiring presidential candidate of the NDC for the sake of political expediency and parochial interest also carried this news at his back and began selling this story on his campaign tours only for the world to find out it is untrue. Of course a desperate man can do many things, wicked and selfish and still wouldnt back down. FACTS; The said facility is an uncompleted project which students use as a box room when they are on vacations. It has never been used as a toilet. The school, GHANASCO has recently benefited from Ghanas schools infrastructure development program and received new boarding facilities yet again the NDC failed to see these. Haruna Iddrisu, MP for the area has gone to the school to check for himself and debunked the lies told by John Mahama and his evil-minded expeditors John Mahama jumped on the story to win political points for his failed campaign to once again grab and abuse power. Ghanaians will still hold Free SHS dear to their hearts despite the current and temporary economic challenges. The NPP is on course to deliver the country from our current challenges. God Bless Ghana, the Npp and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. ...Signed... Nana Osei Boateng NPP Germany Branch Communications Director The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has issued a press release to mark this years Girls in ICT Day. In the release, the Ghana Statistical Service has provided data on the need for more investments to ensure girls have access to Information Communication Technology. The release reveals that 175,898 girls of school-going age live in households without a functional ICT device. Nationally 1,555,305 girls aged 6 to 17 years did not use any ICT device in the three months preceding Census Night (i.e. April to June 2021). This translates to 37.8 percent of girls that did not use an ICT device in the three months preceding Census Night. In five regions Savanah (66.1%), North East (61.4%), Northern (60.0%), Oti (55.9%), and Upper West (53.5%) more than half of girls did not use an ICT device in the period. Nationally, 175,898 girls of school-going age (4 to 17 years) lived in a household that did not own a functional ICT device, the GSS release noted. In the report, it is indicated that the Savannah Region (16.7%) has the highest proportion of girls living in households that did not own functional ICT devices, with a figure more than four times the national average of 3.7 percent, followed by North East (11.6%) and Upper West (9.7%). Almost a quarter of a million girls (238,093) girls in this age group lived in households where no adult used an ICT device in the three months before Census Night. With respect to internet access, 1,823,071 girls did not use the internet within the three-month period representing 44.3 percent of girls aged 6 to 17 years. More than half of girls did not access the internet in eight out of the 16 regions i.e. (Savannah (72.0%), North East (67.9%), Oti (65.5%), Northern (65.5%), Upper West (62.2%), Bono East (56.5%), Upper East (54.8%), and Volta (50.5%) regions. In the three months preceding Census Night, 85.9 percent of girls that have never attended school did not use an ICT device, compared to 34.0 percent of girls currently attending and 27.9 percent of those that attended school in the past. Within the period, 96.5 percent of girls that have never attended school did not access the internet which is more than twice the percentage of those that attended school in the past (39.8%) or were currently attending (41.5%). The 2023 Girls in ICT Day 2023 is being commemorated under the theme Digital Skills for Life. The Sudanese army pounded paramilitaries in Khartoum with air strikes Thursday while deadly fighting flared in Darfur, as Washington sought to extend an "imperfect" US-brokered ceasefire for three more days. There have been multiple truce efforts since fighting broke out on April 15 between Sudan's army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by his deputy turned rival, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. All have failed. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington was "very actively working to extend the ceasefire" between the warring generals. "We've had a 72-hour ceasefire, which like most ceasefires is imperfect but nonetheless has reduced violence. And that's obviously created somewhat better conditions for people in Sudan," he told reporters. Burhan on Wednesday said he would consider a proposal by the East African IGAD bloc for another three-day ceasefire when the current truce formally expires at midnight (2200 GMT), but no further details have been released and the RSF's response to the proposal is unclear. Map of Sudan and neighbouring countries as civilians flee the country during a fragile ceasefire. By Sophie RAMIS (AFP) On Thursday, warplanes patrolled over the capital's northern suburbs as fighters on the ground exchanged artillery and heavy machinegun fire, witnesses said. At least 512 people have been killed and 4,193 wounded in the fighting, according to health ministry figures, although the real death toll is likely much higher. The doctors' union said at least eight civilians were killed in Khartoum alone on Wednesday. More than two thirds of Sudan's hospitals were out of service, the union said Thursday, including 14 hit during the fighting. Violence beyond Khartoum Smoke rises from a building next to a damaged car in Khartoum, in this photo released by Indonesia on April 24. By Handout (INDONESIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY/AFP/File) Fighting has also flared in the provinces, particularly in the war-torn western region of Darfur. Witnesses said clashes raged for a second day in the West Darfur capital El Geneina, with pro-democracy medics reporting a doctor shot dead. "We are locked up at home and too afraid to go out, so we can't assess the scale of the damage," said a resident, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons. The UN humanitarian agency said the fighting in West Darfur had disrupted food to "an estimated 50,000 acutely malnourished children". The violence has trapped many civilians in their homes, where they have endured severe food, water and electricity shortages. Those who can afford to have taken the long and risky journey to flee the country. Foreigners fleeing Sudan disembark from a Saudi evacuation ship after it docks in the Red Sea port of Sudan. By Amer HILABI (AFP) Egypt said Thursday that at least 14,000 Sudanese refugees had crossed the border since fighting erupted, as well as 2,000 people from 50 other countries. "End the war", 50-year-old refugee Ashraf told the warring generals after entering Egypt. "This is your own conflict, not that of the Sudanese people". At least 20,000 people have escaped into Chad, 4,000 into South Sudan, 3,500 into Ethiopia and 3,000 into the Central African Republic, according to the UN, which has warned if fighting continues as many as 270,000 people could flee. War crimes suspect escapes A Royal Air Force C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft carrying British evacuees from Sudan lands at Larnaca airport in Cyprus. By Christina ASSI (AFP) Foreign governments have scrambled to get thousands of their citizens out, but some have warned that evacuation efforts are dependent on the relative lull in fighting holding. UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly urged Britons to leave while they can. "We cannot guarantee how many further flights will depart once the ceasefire ends," he said. A Saudi evacuation ship docked in the Red Sea port of Jeddah Thursday carrying 187 Sudan evacuees from 25 countries, including the United States, Russia and Turkey, Riyadh said. It was the eighth such crossing organised by Saudi Arabia since the fighting began, and took the total evacuated to the kingdom to 2,544, only 119 of them Saudis, the foreign ministry said. Canada said Thursday it had completed its first military flight carrying evacuees out of Sudan, with Defence Minister Anita Anand calling the situation "very volatile". As lawlessness has gripped Sudan, there have been several jailbreaks, including from the high security Kober prison where top aides of ousted dictator Omar al-Bashir were held. Sudanese civlians desperate to escape the fighting in the capital Khartoum prepare to board a bus out. By - (AFP) Among the escapees is Ahmed Harun, wanted by the International Criminal Court to face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. Harun's escape sparked fears of the involvement of Bashir loyalists in the ongoing fighting. The army said the ousted dictator was not among those who escaped, as he had been moved to a military hospital before fighting erupted. Daglo's RSF emerged from the Janjaweed militia, accused of carrying out atrocities against civilians during Bashir's brutal suppression of ethnic minority rebels in Darfur in the mid-2000s. Bashir was toppled by the military in April 2019 following civilian mass protests that raised hopes for a transition to democracy. The two generals seized power together in a 2021 coup, but later fell out, most recently over the planned integration of the RSF into the regular army. burs/sbh/pjm/srm The United Nations in Ghana and the Government of Ghana will on Friday, 28 April 2023 sign the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2023-2025. The signing ceremony, which is expected to be hosted by the Minister for Finance, Dr. Ken Ofori-Atta, and attended by the UN Resident Coordinator and the United Nations Heads of Agencies, will take place at the Ministry of Finance. The Cooperation Framework, the most important instrument for planning and implementation of UN development activities in Ghana, is for a three-year period starting 2023 to 2025 and will deploy an estimated US$500m over the period around three key pillars of work Inclusive Economic Transformation; Equitable Access to Services; and Durable Peace. It integrates work on key issues such as financing, the environment and climate, digitalization, urbanization, data for decision making, and strengthened partnerships across all pillars. It outlines the UN development systems integrated contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) along with a commitment to leaving no one behind, a human rights-based approach, to Gender Equality and Womens Empowerment, and to building resilience, sustainability, and to strengthening accountability. The process of developing this framework has been deeply participatory, inclusive and comprehensive, involving key government partners, the private sector, civil society and non-governmental organisations, youth groups and other key stakeholders. We are grateful to all these groups, and more importantly to the Government of Ghana for walking with us throughout the process and to help us align our priorities with those of the Government and peoples of Ghana, says the UN Resident Coordinator for Ghana, Mr. Charles Abani. The signing of the Cooperation Framework between the Government of Ghana and the United Nations will signal a new chapter of renewed and strengthened cooperation and partnership between the Government of Ghana and the United Nations Development System, involving work by 21 resident UN agencies and a host of externally-based UN entities in addition. Source: UN, Accra Office 27.04.2023 LISTEN Bush telegraph sources allege that the French investment entity, Moringa, is a front for illicit financial flows and tax evasion. The question is: Are the legal vehicles registered in Luxembourg and Mauritius, Moringa Mauritius Africa, and Moringa SCA Sicar, by the French investment company, Moringa (which bush telegraph sources say is exploiting Ghana's legal system to enable it hijack the organic palm oil processor, B-BOVID, from its founder, Issa Ouedraogo), deliberately engineered for use to cloak illicit financial flows, as some of its critics allege? Apparently, all the signs of money laundering are present in Moringa's profile: Registered offices in scandal-ridden tax havens, and in the case of Mauritius, selfsame postal addresses used by many tax dodging entities accused of illicit financial flows. Ditto same auditors. Amazing. In the revelations about Adani, the Indian conglomerate, by activist investors, Hindenberg Reseach, for example, the same registered office in Mauritius (actually a postal address on a particular street in Port Louis named after US President John F. Kennedy, lol), used by Moringa, popped up. Wow. The question is: Why did Moringa inform the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre that the African Development Bank (AfDB) had given it US$20 million - when in actual fact the funding from the AfDB amounted to just US$10 million? Was the ground being prepared to enable them eventually transfer the bloated figure from Ghana, to Mauritius and thence on to Luxembourg tax free, perhaps, as its critics allege ? Because Antoine Turpin's disputed recruitment is a key-factor in the matter of the dispute between Moringa and Issa Ouedraogo, the BUNGE Loders Cocklaan executive who wrote that letter, must be supoenaed to come and clarify to the arbitration panel, when it was that Antoine Turpin left their employ, and what his position was at his departure, and what exactly the USD48,000 he took from B-BOVID to pay them, was actually for. His evidence must based on strict-proof basis. Critics of Moringa, make the point that it is not beyond the realms of possibility that a rent demand letter used to enable Antoine Turpin to withdraw USD48,000 from B-BOVID's bank account, might actually be documentation for a very clever tax-dodging money laundering scheme, with the accumulated rent demand letter, a bogus cover story, which was meant to be a perfect sleight-of-hand ruse, to enable them cloak an egregious tax-dodging illegality, and give it legitimacy, that way. This allegation needs investigating by the authorities in France and Ghana for the truth to be established. For all we know BUNGE Loders Crocklaan might be innocent and blameless. Cool. Be that as it may, the question to ponder over is: Was the rent demand letter meant to facilitate stress-testing their illicit financial flows scheme, to enable them see whether or not it would be easy for Moringa and BUNGE Loders Crocklaan (and the other entities that Antione Turpin would also be working for while CEO of B-BOVID), to engage in illicit financial flows, with Antoine Turpin controlling B-BOVID, as its CEO? It is noteworthy to observe that in the event, it was very easy for Antoine Turpin to transfer huge sums out of B-BOVID, once he had been successfully foisted on it. Moringa must not be allowed to get away with this abomination. No. No. No. We must support successful local agrisector entrepreneurs if we are to ensure food security for Ghanaians. We must not rely on foreigners to ensure food security for Ghanaians.That is why B-BOVID must be returned to its founder, Issa Ouedraogo - and Moringa penalised for subjecting him to mental torture from egregious shareholder oppression and unspeakable reputational-harm: with their unpardonable falsehoods and twisted half-truths, in their bid to ruin him for defying them. Caucus for Democratic Governance, Ghana (CDG-GH) is shocked about wanton destruction of Ghanas forest reserves through the activities of illegal miners popularly called galamsey. The galamsey report has also revealed the pollution of water bodies that serves the mining communities. Caucus for Democratic Governance, Ghana(CDG-GH) is wondering why such a serious report should gather dust in the office of the president without the necessary action by the president who have been given the mandate to sure Ghanas natural resources protected. Caucus for Democratic Governance, Ghana (CDG-GH) is of the view that the regulatory bodies like Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Forestry Commission and Minerals commission should be empowered to implement the regulations guiding mining in the country without political interference. We believe the country will continue to experience the destruction of the forest reserves and water bodies if the fight against illegal mining is left in the hands of the politicians. Professor Frimpong Boateng, a former minister cited several ministers and many officials at the presidency who have been involved in illegal mining either directly in illegal mining or aiding the activities of illegal miners. With this serious momentous report from a former minister, Caucus for Democratic Governance, Ghana (CDG-GH) calls for an independent inquiry into the report on illegal mining by the former minister. Caucus for Democratic Governance-Ghana cannot trust the president Akuffo Addo in this matter The President would have taken action if he wanted to act when the report was submitted two years ago. In 2017, president Akuffo Addo promised to put his presidency on the line to see to eradication of illegal mining popularly called galamsey. https://www.myjoyonline.com/i-put-my-presidency-on. .. CDG-GH will like to ask President Akuffo Addo to stand by his words and resign honorably. Furthermore, Caucus for Democratic Governance, Ghana ( CDG-GH) is calling on CSOs and the media to speak against the act of irresponsibility of the officialdom in the illegal mining saga. Caucus for Democratic Governance, Ghana is worried about the part played by president Akuffo Addo and his presidential staffers in the fight against galamsey , that led to greater environmental degradation and Caucus is of the view Ghana can surmount the fight against illegal mining by implementing and enforcing the regulations. The regulatory bodies should be allowed to independently tackle the galamsey menace without political interference to protect Ghanas environment. Again we demand the resignation of president Akuffo Addo and those cited in the report for thorough investigation and those found culpable be prosecuted by a competent court of jurisdiction. Authored by Justice Kpornyo Dr. E.K Hayford Executive Director Caucus for Democratic Governance, Ghana (CDG-GH) 0277606338 27.04.2023 LISTEN The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) has issued a press release reacting to the leaked report on the work of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) authored by former Minister of Environment, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng. In the release, the GII expresses concern about the allegations made against government officials and other politically exposed persons over their involvement in illegal mining, otherwise known as galamsey. According to the Ghana Integrity Initiative, Anti-Corruption State Institutions must proactively initiate investigations into the allegations contained in the report and make recommendations on the next steps. GII welcomes the directive of the President to the CID of the Ghana Police Service on the matter however, GII holds the view that it should be possible for the various investigative bodies to collaborate on this matter just to assuage the fears of Ghanaians that is, through the power of appointment and disappointment, governments are sometimes able to influence the outcome of investigations concerning members of their government, part of the release said. Alternatively, GII proposes that President Akufo-Addo should consider setting up an Independent, Bi-partisan Commission of Enquiry to undertake transparent investigations into the issues raised in the report. Meanwhile, GII says it intends to formally petition CHRAJ and the OSP to investigate aspects of the report that are corruption-related. Below is a copy of the release: Press Release: Time to Turn the Rhetoric into Action: GII calls on the President and Anti-Corruption State Institutions to swiftly act on Professor Frimpong-Boatengs Report For Immediate Release The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) has followed with keen interest the discourse on the leaked report on the work of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) dated 19th March 2021 and authored by Professor Frimpong-Boateng, former Chairman of the IMCIM. The report makes a plethora of allegations that GII demands an urgent independent inquiry/investigation into the veracity or otherwise of the allegations. Fortunately, the report is not a vague collection of incidents but mentions names of institutions and individuals whose actions or inactions the report perceives as complicit in the illegality and harm being perpetuated in the search for gold. For instance, the report makes mention of a Cabinet directive to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources which was disregarded and the Forestry Commissions role in mining activities in forest reserves. The report also cites politically exposed persons including Mr. Gabby Okyere Darko, Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Minister of Information, Mr. Osafo Marfo, Hon. Joseph Albert Quam, former Member of Parliament of Manso Nkwanta Constituency, and a few others for allegedly abusing their position or engaging in influence peddling. It is almost a cliche to quote the Presidents vow to fight small-scale illegal mining; I pledge to put my presidency on the line if that is what it means to end illegal mining but it seems inevitable because since this pronouncement, a number of incidents have occurred to test the Presidents commitment to ending illegal mining but sad to say, the Presidents actions have not kept pace with his rhetoric leading to waning trust in the Presidents commitment to the fight against galamsey by all well-meaning Ghanaians. The Professor Frimpong Boateng report, therefore, does not only offer the President an opportunity to redeem the trust of the people of Ghana but also places a burden on state institutions such as the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to rebuild public confidence which according to the Afrobarometer (round 6), 63 percent of Ghanaians would rather engage religious leaders in resolving their issues rather than engaging state institutions. It is based on this background that GII is calling on the Anti-Corruption State Institutions to; i. proactively initiate investigations into the allegations contained in the report and make recommendations on the next steps. GII welcomes the directive of the President to the CID of the Ghana Police Service on the matter however, GII holds the view that it should be possible for the various investigative bodies to collaborate on this matter just to assuage the fears of Ghanaians that is, through the power of appointment and disappointment, governments are sometimes able to influence the outcome of investigations concerning members of their government; ii. alternatively, the President could set up an Independent, Bi-partisan Commission of Enquiry to undertake transparent investigations into the issues raised in the report. GII also intends to formally petition CHRAJ and the OSP to investigate aspects of the report that are corruption-related. For any press enquiries, please contact Ghana Integrity Initiative +233 0302 760 884; +233 0501 695 949 [email protected] More than 200 exhausted Iraqis evacuated from Sudan flew back to Baghdad on Thursday, with one saying he hadn't seen the sun in 10 days because of the fighting. Among the 234 people who were flown to Baghdad International Airport from Port Sudan were 16 Syrians, the foreign ministry said. It was unclear whether they would stay in Iraq or return home. "Overnight the war happened," said 30-year-old Iraqi engineer Ahmed al-Baldawi, his eyes red with fatigue. "There was no food, no water and no electricity. For 10 days we didn't see the sun." In this image grab taken from handout video footage released by the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) wave assault rifles. By - (Rapid Support Forces (RSF)/AFP) Evacuees arrived Thursday with stuffed backpacks and heavy suitcases, and one woman in a dark abaya carried her white cat in a plastic crate. Another young woman burst into tears of relief as she left the airport. The fighting broke out in Sudan on April 15 between Sudan's army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commanded by his deputy turned rival, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. At least 512 people have been killed and 4,193 wounded, according to official figures in Sudan, although the real toll is likely to be much higher. A woman evacuated from Sudan to Iraq brought her pet cat. By AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (AFP) Many countries have been taking advantage of a tenuos truce to evacuate their citizens by air, land and sea, even though fighting has continued with air strikes in the capital Khartoum. An evacuation of Iraqis organised in conjunction with the United Arab Emirates embassy in Khartoum had been due to take place on Sunday, Baldawi said. "We were happy and got ready, but then they told us it was only for Emiratis," Baldawi told AFP. "So we stayed stuck in our apartments. We were devastated." ' It was catastrophic' Map of Sudan and neighbouring countries as civilians flee the country during a fragile ceasefire. By Sophie RAMIS (AFP) Robay Ahmed, 24, said he had returned to Iraq with his parents, brother and sister, 16 years after the family settled in Sudan. "It was catastrophic," he said. "We kept away from the windows and we stayed low. There was a lot of fear." Ahmed said he had just completed his medical studies to become a dentist. "I couldn't even get my diploma," he said. Before they could board their plane at Port Sudan, the evacuees had to travel nearly 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) by bus from Khartoum, a 12-hour journey on bumpy roads. "The road is exhausting, it's nickname is the 'road of death'," said Ibrahim Jomaa, the father of a young girl. People evacuated from Sudan arrive at Baghdad International Airport on April 27, 2023. By AHMED AL-RUBAYE (AFP) "The bus was tossed from left to right -- we thought it was going to overturn." But Jomaa was still full of praise for the Iraqi authorities who had managed to arrange their transport to safety. He recalled that when the first shots rang out on April 15, "we thought the situation would calm down. People went to work and the kids went to school. "But then suddenly there was artillery and rocket fire, and warplanes overhead," he said. "We were the last to leave our building. It's empty now." Dollarama Inc. (TSE:DOL Get Rating) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of C$80.27 and traded as high as C$85.00. Dollarama shares last traded at C$84.83, with a volume of 338,044 shares changing hands. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several research firms recently weighed in on DOL. National Bankshares boosted their target price on Dollarama from C$90.00 to C$92.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, March 30th. Desjardins restated a buy rating on shares of Dollarama in a report on Wednesday, March 29th. Finally, CIBC increased their target price on shares of Dollarama from C$84.00 to C$89.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of C$89.67. Get Dollarama alerts: Dollarama Stock Performance The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 14,849.75. The stock has a market cap of C$24.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.61, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.72. The stocks 50 day moving average is C$79.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is C$80.29. Dollarama Increases Dividend Dollarama ( TSE:DOL Get Rating ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 29th. The company reported C$0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of C$0.83 by C$0.08. Dollarama had a net margin of 15.87% and a return on equity of 2,563.29%. The business had revenue of C$1.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$1.36 billion. Analysts anticipate that Dollarama Inc. will post 3.7108753 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.071 per share. This is an increase from Dollaramas previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 13th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.33%. Dollaramas dividend payout ratio is 10.14%. Insider Transactions at Dollarama In other news, Senior Officer Johanne Choiniere sold 8,482 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of C$80.63, for a total transaction of C$683,862.10. Insiders own 3.97% of the companys stock. Dollarama Company Profile (Get Rating) Dollarama Inc operates a chain of dollar stores in Canada. Its stores offer general merchandise, consumables, and seasonal products. The company also sells its products through online store. As of July 31, 2022, it operated 1,444 stores. The company was formerly known as Dollarama Capital Corporation and changed its name to Dollarama Inc in September 2009. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Dollarama Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Dollarama and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. French Connection Group PLC (LON:FCCN Get Rating)s share price crossed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 29.55 ($0.37) and traded as low as GBX 29 ($0.36). French Connection Group shares last traded at GBX 29.55 ($0.37), with a volume of 18,750 shares changing hands. French Connection Group Stock Performance The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 344.05. The company has a market cap of 28.55 million and a PE ratio of -3.79. The firms 50-day simple moving average is GBX 29.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is GBX 29.55. French Connection Group Company Profile (Get Rating) French Connection Group PLC designs, produces, and distributes branded fashion clothing for men, women, and children. The company also provides toiletries and fragrances, shoes, watches, jewelry, eyewear, and furniture, as well as accessories and homeware products. It operates retail stores and concessions in the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East, the United States, and Canada; and e-commerce stores. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for French Connection Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for French Connection Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Nevsun Resources (TSE:NSU Get Rating) (NYSEAMERICAN:NSU) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of C$0.00 and traded as high as C$6.00. Nevsun Resources shares last traded at C$6.00, with a volume of 12,608 shares trading hands. Nevsun Resources Stock Performance The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of C$6.00. The firm has a market capitalization of C$1.82 billion and a P/E ratio of -50.00. About Nevsun Resources (Get Rating) Nevsun Resources Ltd. engages in the mining and development of mineral properties in Europe, Africa, and North America. It explores for gold, copper, zinc, and silver deposits. The company's principal assets include Timok project, a copper-gold development project in Serbia; and Bisha copper- zinc mine in Eritrea. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Nevsun Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Nevsun Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. ABN AMRO Bank (OTCMKTS:AAVMY Get Rating) saw a large drop in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,500 shares, a drop of 95.6% from the March 31st total of 34,200 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 25,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.1 days. ABN AMRO Bank Stock Up 1.9 % OTCMKTS:AAVMY traded up $0.30 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $15.83. The stock had a trading volume of 7,027 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,302. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $16.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $14.35. ABN AMRO Bank has a one year low of $8.47 and a one year high of $17.93. Get ABN AMRO Bank alerts: ABN AMRO Bank Company Profile (Get Rating) Featured Stories ABN AMRO Bank N.V. provides various banking products and services to retail, private, and business clients in the Netherlands and internationally. It operates through three segments: Personal & Business Banking, Wealth Management, and Corporate Banking. The company provides savings and deposits products; labelled residential mortgage products under the Florius brands; and consumer loans under the Alpha Credit Nederland, Credivance, Defam, Moneyou, and ABN AMRO brands. Receive News & Ratings for ABN AMRO Bank Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for ABN AMRO Bank and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Heritage Investors Management Corp decreased its stake in AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER Get Rating) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 120,457 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 1,265 shares during the period. Heritage Investors Management Corps holdings in AerCap were worth $7,025,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AER. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in AerCap by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 9,032,574 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $382,347,000 after buying an additional 128,473 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AerCap by 90.7% during the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 5,767,535 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $289,992,000 after acquiring an additional 2,743,035 shares during the period. London Co. of Virginia increased its stake in shares of AerCap by 22.7% in the third quarter. London Co. of Virginia now owns 4,165,558 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $176,328,000 after buying an additional 769,584 shares in the last quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. increased its position in AerCap by 0.5% in the third quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. now owns 4,115,667 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $174,216,000 after purchasing an additional 18,575 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in shares of AerCap by 9.1% during the 2nd quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,070,515 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $125,707,000 after buying an additional 257,011 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.17% of the companys stock. Get AerCap alerts: AerCap Stock Up 0.2 % Shares of AER opened at $54.15 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.87, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.39. AerCap Holdings has a 1-year low of $37.20 and a 1-year high of $66.85. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $56.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $57.68. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In 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, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.69. AerCap had a negative net margin of 10.35% and a positive return on equity of 14.18%. The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.77 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.04 earnings per share. AerCaps revenue was up 26.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that AerCap Holdings will post 7.91 EPS for the current fiscal year. A number of research firms recently weighed in on AER. Susquehanna boosted their target price on AerCap from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a positive rating in a report on Friday, March 3rd. Barclays lifted their target price on AerCap from $66.00 to $77.00 in a research report on Friday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on AerCap in a research note on Thursday, March 30th. They set a buy rating and a $74.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on AerCap in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a buy rating on the stock. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, AerCap presently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $71.86. About AerCap (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. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AER? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for AerCap Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for AerCap and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. African Gold Acquisition Co. (NYSE:AGAC Get Rating) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 6,800 shares, an increase of 2,166.7% from the March 31st total of 300 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 155,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.0 days. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Institutional Trading of African Gold Acquisition A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bank of Montreal Can raised its holdings in shares of African Gold Acquisition by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 496,670 shares of the companys stock worth $4,862,000 after purchasing an additional 8,613 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new position in shares of African Gold Acquisition in the 1st quarter worth about $11,384,000. Royal Bank of Canada purchased a new position in shares of African Gold Acquisition in the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of African Gold Acquisition in the 1st quarter worth about $1,922,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. purchased a new position in shares of African Gold Acquisition in the 2nd quarter worth about $490,000. 66.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get African Gold Acquisition alerts: African Gold Acquisition Stock Up 0.3 % NYSE:AGAC traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $10.33. The companys stock had a trading volume of 43,661 shares, compared to its average volume of 158,499. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $10.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $10.11. African Gold Acquisition has a twelve month low of $9.76 and a twelve month high of $10.40. About African Gold Acquisition African Gold Acquisition Corporation does not have significant operations. The company focuses on effecting a merger or mergers, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization, or other similar business combination with one or more businesses. African Gold Acquisition Corporation was incorporated in 2020 and is based in New York, New York. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for African Gold Acquisition Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for African Gold Acquisition and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. The state of emergency covers several districts in the following provinces: Zarumilla (Tumbes region); Sullana, Ayabaca, and Huancabamba (Piura region); San Ignacio (Cajamarca region); Condorcanqui (Amazonas region); Maynas, Loreto, and Datem del Maranon (Loreto region); Tahuamanu (Madre de Dios region); as well as Tarata and Tacna (Tacna region). The National Police of Peru (PNP) will be charge of maintaining control of domestic order supported by the Armed Forces within these jurisdictions, while carrying out border control operations. Migration Law (Legislative Decree 1350) in order to establish procedures to regularize the situation of foreigners who entered the country irregularly. Likewise, Supreme Decree 003-2023-IN amends various articles of thein order to establish procedures to regularize the situation of foreigners who entered the country irregularly. Furthermore, the validity of the Temporary Permanent Permit Card (CPP) has been extended on an exceptional basis. The document will be valid for an additional 30 days if it expires after July 9, 2023. The above-mentioned decree is issued given that, in January 2023, according to information from the National Superintendence of Migrations, only 7,424 out of the 326,801 people who were granted the CPP are in the process to regularize their immigration status. Amnesty for fines Moreover, Law 31732 , published today, approves an amnesty in the payment of fines for foreigners who, after having entered regularly to Peru, are now in an irregular situation. The regulation, approved by Congress and enacted by the Executive Branch, establishes that said benefit has an irrevocable period of six months. Those who fail to apply for an extension of their immigration status, within the time limit set, will be fined as well. A complementary provision specifies that the National Superintendence of Migrations and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will grant the immigration status to foreigners becoming victims of domestic violence, with children born in Peru or with a Peruvian spouse or partner. At the time of this publication, the presentation to Congress, of a bill to amend Article 165 of the Constitution, by establishing that the support to be provided by military institutions in these areas will be permanent, was still pending. (END) FGM/CVC/RMB/MVB American Water Works (NYSE:AWK Get Rating) released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The utilities provider reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.01), Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $938.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $903.84 million. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.62% and a return on equity of 10.76%. American Water Workss revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.87 earnings per share. American Water Works updated its FY23 guidance to $4.72-4.82 EPS. American Water Works Stock Performance Shares of American Water Works stock traded down $3.37 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $149.05. The companys stock had a trading volume of 798,109 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,136,424. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $144.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $147.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.44. American Water Works has a one year low of $122.77 and a one year high of $162.59. The stock has a market cap of $29.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.57. Get American Water Works alerts: American Water Works Increases Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 9th will be given a $0.7075 dividend. This is an increase from American Water Workss previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.90%. American Water Workss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.09%. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,960,717 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $3,635,157,000 after buying an additional 434,737 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,470,141 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $574,412,000 after buying an additional 87,934 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,643,014 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $402,849,000 after buying an additional 29,895 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 14.2% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,390,297 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $364,329,000 after buying an additional 296,998 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in shares of American Water Works by 11.9% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,253,645 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $373,045,000 after buying an additional 238,931 shares during the last quarter. 83.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. A number of research firms recently weighed in on AWK. TheStreet lowered shares of American Water Works from a b rating to a c+ rating in a report on Wednesday, February 15th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of American Water Works from $134.00 to $140.00 in a report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Tuesday, March 7th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of American Water Works from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, American Water Works presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $156.00. American Water Works Company Profile (Get Rating) 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. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for American Water Works Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for American Water Works and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. EnerSys (NYSE:ENS Get Rating) Equities researchers at Oppenheimer issued their Q1 2024 earnings per share estimates for shares of EnerSys in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, April 24th. Oppenheimer analyst N. Kaye anticipates that the industrial products company will post earnings of $1.44 per share for the quarter. The consensus estimate for EnerSys current full-year earnings is $4.89 per share. Oppenheimer also issued estimates for EnerSys Q2 2024 earnings at $1.50 EPS, Q3 2024 earnings at $1.74 EPS and Q4 2024 earnings at $1.90 EPS. Get EnerSys alerts: EnerSys (NYSE:ENS Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 8th. The industrial products company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $0.03. EnerSys had a return on equity of 13.30% and a net margin of 3.81%. The company had revenue of $920.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $926.36 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.01 earnings per share. EnerSyss quarterly revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. EnerSys Trading Down 1.2 % Separately, StockNews.com initiated coverage on EnerSys in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a strong-buy rating on the stock. Shares of ENS stock opened at $80.18 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a current ratio of 2.79. EnerSys has a 52-week low of $55.60 and a 52-week high of $94.32. The company has a market capitalization of $3.28 billion, a PE ratio of 24.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.37. The businesss fifty day moving average is $84.69 and its 200 day moving average is $78.17. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. HighTower Advisors LLC acquired a new position in EnerSys during the 1st quarter worth approximately $264,000. Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in EnerSys by 12.9% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 10,670 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $812,000 after buying an additional 1,221 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of EnerSys by 35.1% during the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 47,723 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $3,559,000 after purchasing an additional 12,406 shares during the period. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS grew its stake in shares of EnerSys by 8.8% in the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 15,118 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $1,127,000 after acquiring an additional 1,229 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of EnerSys by 7.8% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,403,889 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $104,691,000 after purchasing an additional 101,062 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.66% of the companys stock. EnerSys Announces Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 17th were issued a $0.175 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 16th. This represents a $0.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. EnerSyss dividend payout ratio is currently 20.96%. EnerSys Company Profile (Get Rating) EnerSys engages in the provision of stored energy solutions for industrial applications. It operates through the following segments: Energy Systems, Motive Power, and Specialty. The Energy Systems segment combines enclosures, power conversion, power distribution, and energy storage used in the telecommunication, broadband, and utility industries. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for EnerSys Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for EnerSys and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Archer-Daniels-Midland (NYSE:ADM Get Rating) issued its earnings results on Tuesday. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.38, Briefing.com reports. The company had revenue of $24.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $24.09 billion. Archer-Daniels-Midland had a return on equity of 18.39% and a net margin of 4.36%. Archer-Daniels-Midlands quarterly revenue was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.90 EPS. Archer-Daniels-Midland Stock Performance Shares of ADM stock traded up $0.19 on Thursday, reaching $77.22. The stock had a trading volume of 464,530 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,161,458. The stock has a market cap of $42.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.80. Archer-Daniels-Midland has a 1 year low of $70.02 and a 1 year high of $98.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 7.94. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $79.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $86.38. Get Archer-Daniels-Midland alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes A number of research analysts have commented on ADM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $87.00 to $85.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 12th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $94.00 to $85.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Archer-Daniels-Midland in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. They issued an outperform rating and a $100.00 target price for the company. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $98.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Archer-Daniels-Midland from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $99.90. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Archer-Daniels-Midland About Archer-Daniels-Midland A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ADM. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland in the 3rd quarter worth $43,000. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC raised its holdings in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 37.0% in the 1st quarter. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC now owns 607 shares of the companys stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the period. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. raised its holdings in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 283.0% in the 2nd quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 766 shares of the companys stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 566 shares during the period. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Archer-Daniels-Midland in the 4th quarter worth $61,000. Finally, SVB Wealth LLC bought a new position in Archer-Daniels-Midland in the 1st quarter worth $202,000. 78.23% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. (Get Rating) Archer-Daniels-Midland Co engages in the production of oilseeds, corn, wheat, cocoa, and other agricultural commodities. It operates through the following segments: Ag Services and Oilseeds, Carbohydrate Solutions, Nutrition, and Other. The Ag Services and Oilseeds segment includes activities related to the origination, merchandising, transportation, and storage of agricultural raw materials, and the crushing and further processing of oilseeds such as soybeans and soft seeds cottonseed, sunflower seed, canola, rapeseed, and flaxseed into vegetable oils and protein meals. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Archer-Daniels-Midland Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Archer-Daniels-Midland and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY Get Rating) by 16.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,562 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after purchasing an additional 3,923 shares during the period. Arete Wealth Advisors LLCs holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb were worth $1,983,084,740,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Boston Financial Mangement LLC lifted its position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 0.9% in the third quarter. Boston Financial Mangement LLC now owns 15,468 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,100,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 0.9% in the third quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 15,461 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,099,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Lincoln National Corp raised its position in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 0.4% during the third quarter. Lincoln National Corp now owns 36,282 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $2,579,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its position in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 1.4% during the third quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 10,053 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $715,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elmwood Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 1.0% during the third quarter. Elmwood Wealth Management Inc. now owns 13,686 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $973,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.51% of the companys stock. Get Bristol-Myers Squibb alerts: Insiders Place Their Bets In other Bristol-Myers Squibb news, EVP Ann Powell sold 11,183 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.69, for a total transaction of $835,258.27. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 23,043 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,721,081.67. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Giovanni Caforio sold 240,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 236,104 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,625,163.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Ann Powell sold 11,183 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 23,043 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,721,081.67. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.08% of the companys stock. Bristol-Myers Squibb Stock Down 3.2 % Shares of NYSE:BMY opened at $68.02 on Thursday. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a 52 week low of $65.28 and a 52 week high of $81.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.25. The companys fifty day moving average is $69.07 and its 200-day moving average is $72.72. The company has a market capitalization of $143.07 billion, a PE ratio of 23.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.45. Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 2nd. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.11. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a return on equity of 51.60% and a net margin of 13.71%. The business had revenue of $11.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $11.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.83 earnings per share. The firms 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 8.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Bristol-Myers Squibb Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 6th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.35%. Bristol-Myers Squibbs dividend payout ratio is currently 77.29%. Analyst Ratings Changes BMY has been the topic of several recent research reports. 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. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research report on Friday, February 3rd. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research note on Tuesday, January 17th. They issued an overweight rating and a $95.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Atlantic Securities raised their price objective on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $80.00. 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. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BMY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Bristol-Myers Squibb Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bristol-Myers Squibb and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA Get Rating) saw unusually-high trading volume on Tuesday . Approximately 4,114,180 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 154% from the previous sessions volume of 1,620,114 shares.The stock last traded at $7.19 and had previously closed at $7.49. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several brokerages have issued reports on BBVA. Societe Generale cut Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from an underperform rating to a market perform rating in a report on Friday, March 31st. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, March 31st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $6.36. Get Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria alerts: Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Price Performance The company has a market capitalization of $46.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.80 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $7.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $6.43. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Increases Dividend Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria ( NYSE:BBVA Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 1st. The bank reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.29 by ($0.03). Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria had a net margin of 26.53% and a return on equity of 14.21%. The firm had revenue of $6.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.17 billion. Analysts predict that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. will post 1.23 EPS for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 4th were issued a $0.3333 dividend. This represents a yield of 4%. This is a positive change from Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentarias previous semi-annual dividend of $0.12. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 3rd. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentarias dividend payout ratio is 51.40%. Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BBVA. Raymond James & Associates increased its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 21.4% during the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 733,348 shares of the banks stock valued at $4,173,000 after purchasing an additional 129,165 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 6.9% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 643,708 shares of the banks stock valued at $3,664,000 after buying an additional 41,706 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 393,935 shares of the banks stock worth $2,241,000 after buying an additional 15,070 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 8,633 shares during the period. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 24.6% in the first quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 18,972 shares of the banks stock valued at $108,000 after acquiring an additional 3,749 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 2.51% of the companys stock. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Company Profile (Get Rating) 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. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Barratt Developments plc (OTCMKTS:BTDPF Get Rating) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 29,400 shares, a decrease of 53.8% from the March 31st total of 63,700 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 5,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.8 days. Barratt Developments Stock Performance Shares of OTCMKTS:BTDPF remained flat at $5.55 during trading on Thursday. Barratt Developments has a 52 week low of $3.65 and a 52 week high of $6.68. The business has a 50-day moving average of $5.67 and a 200-day moving average of $5.16. Get Barratt Developments alerts: About Barratt Developments (Get Rating) Further Reading Barratt Developments Plc engages in the development of residential and non-residential properties mainly in the United Kingdom. It offers services in land, design, construction, and sales and marketing. The company was founded by Lawrence Arthur Barratt in 1958 and is headquartered in Coalville, the United Kingdom. Receive News & Ratings for Barratt Developments Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Barratt Developments and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI Get Rating) (TSE:CNR) had its target price increased by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $115.00 to $125.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday, The Fly reports. Wells Fargo & Companys price objective points to a potential upside of 7.14% from the companys previous close. Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Canadian National Railway from $137.00 to $134.00 in a research note on Monday, March 27th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Canadian National Railway from C$159.00 to C$170.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 24th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Canadian National Railway from $126.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Credit Suisse Group lifted their target price on shares of Canadian National Railway from $126.00 to $133.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Canadian National Railway from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, April 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Canadian National Railway has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $143.50. Get Canadian National Railway alerts: Canadian National Railway Trading Down 1.6 % Shares of Canadian National Railway stock opened at $116.67 on Tuesday. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $117.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $119.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.62 billion, a PE ratio of 19.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.90. Canadian National Railway has a 1-year low of $103.79 and a 1-year high of $129.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.66. Institutional Trading of Canadian National Railway Canadian National Railway ( NYSE:CNI Get Rating ) (TSE:CNR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 24th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.01). Canadian National Railway had a return on equity of 24.49% and a net margin of 30.61%. The business had revenue of $3.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.33 billion. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Canadian National Railway will post 5.78 earnings per share for the current year. Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BCK Partners Inc. bought a new position in Canadian National Railway during the 1st quarter valued at about $2,575,000. BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in Canadian National Railway by 26.2% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 931,027 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $124,888,000 after purchasing an additional 193,116 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Canadian National Railway by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 762,341 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $102,260,000 after purchasing an additional 22,984 shares during the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL grew its holdings in Canadian National Railway by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 60,441 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $8,107,000 after purchasing an additional 807 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in Canadian National Railway by 18.9% during the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 33,602 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $4,511,000 after purchasing an additional 5,349 shares during the last quarter. 86.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. About Canadian National Railway (Get Rating) Canadian National Railway Co engages in rail and related transportation business. Its services include rail, intermodal, trucking, supply chain services, business development and maps and network. Its offers their services in automotive, coal, fertilizer, food and beverages, forest products, dimensional loads, grain, metals and minerals and petroleum and chemicals industries. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Canadian National Railway Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Canadian National Railway and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (OTCMKTS:CPCAY Get Rating)s stock price passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $5.02 and traded as low as $4.82. Cathay Pacific Airways shares last traded at $4.86, with a volume of 2,534 shares changing hands. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Separately, HSBC cut shares of Cathay Pacific Airways from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, March 9th. Get Cathay Pacific Airways alerts: Cathay Pacific Airways Stock Performance The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $4.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $5.02. Cathay Pacific Airways Company Profile Cathay Pacific Airways Limited, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a carrier of international passengers and air cargo. The company conducts airline operations principally to and from Hong Kong. It also provides property investment, travel reward program, travel tour operator, financial, aircraft leasing and acquisition facilitation, airline catering, information processing, aircraft ramp handling, laundry and dry cleaning, ground handling, aircraft engineering, cargo carriage, airport ground engineering support and equipment maintenance, and inventory technical management services. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Cathay Pacific Airways Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Cathay Pacific Airways and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. The Chiba Bank, Ltd. (OTCMKTS:CHBAY Get Rating) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $37.38 and last traded at $37.38, with a volume of 0 shares. The stock had previously closed at $37.38. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Separately, Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded Chiba Bank from an outperform rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 5th. Get Chiba Bank alerts: Chiba Bank Stock Performance The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $32.30. About Chiba Bank 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. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Chiba Bank Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Chiba Bank and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. cut its stake in Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO Get Rating) (TSE:BMO) by 7.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 807,492 shares of the banks stock after selling 65,587 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal makes up approximately 3.4% of Cidel Asset Management Inc.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Cidel Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.11% of Bank of Montreal worth $73,100,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Evergreen Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Bank of Montreal by 3.7% during the third quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 3,167 shares of the banks stock valued at $278,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Vident Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in Bank of Montreal by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Vident Investment Advisory LLC now owns 7,472 shares of the banks stock valued at $877,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Bank of Montreal by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 30,963 shares of the banks stock valued at $2,714,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the period. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Bank of Montreal by 35.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 516 shares of the banks stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, TI Trust Inc. increased its stake in Bank of Montreal by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. TI Trust Inc. now owns 6,692 shares of the banks stock valued at $586,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. 42.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Bank of Montreal alerts: Bank of Montreal Price Performance BMO stock traded up $0.21 during trading on Thursday, hitting $89.30. 247,724 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 555,217. Bank of Montreal has a one year low of $81.57 and a one year high of $110.67. The stock has a market cap of $63.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $90.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $93.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. Bank of Montreal Increases Dividend Bank of Montreal ( NYSE:BMO Get Rating ) (TSE:BMO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 28th. The bank reported $2.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.33 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $4.80 billion during the quarter. Bank of Montreal had a net margin of 22.13% and a return on equity of 13.65%. Equities analysts expect that Bank of Montreal will post 9.81 EPS for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 28th will be given a dividend of $1.075 per share. This is a boost from Bank of Montreals previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 27th. This represents a $4.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.82%. Bank of Montreals payout ratio is currently 34.34%. Analyst Ratings Changes Several research analysts have recently commented on BMO shares. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Bank of Montreal from C$151.00 to C$147.50 in a research note on Thursday, January 19th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Bank of Montreal in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a sell rating on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Bank of Montreal currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $152.70. Bank of Montreal Company Profile (Get Rating) Bank of Montreal engages in the provision of banking and financial services to individuals and institutions. It operates through the following segments: Canadian Personal and Commercial Banking (Canadian P&C) and United States Personal and Commercial Banking (U.S. P&C). The Canadian P&C segment refers to retail banking and financial operations in Canada. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BMO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO Get Rating) (TSE:BMO). Receive News & Ratings for Bank of Montreal Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bank of Montreal and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. ?? En vivo | La presidenta Dina Boluarte, junto con las titulares del @MineduPeru y @PRONABEC, participa en la ceremonia de reconocimiento a la perseverancia "Becas que transforman vidas" a los estudiantes beneficiarios de Beca 18 del Pronabec. ?? Ver transmision: pic.twitter.com/8Qll3GXMCO Deutsche Lufthansa AG (OTCMKTS:DLAKY Get Rating) was the target of a significant decline in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 200 shares, a decline of 98.0% from the March 31st total of 9,900 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 57,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.0 days. Institutional Trading of Deutsche Lufthansa A hedge fund recently bought a new stake in Deutsche Lufthansa stock. Yousif Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Deutsche Lufthansa AG (OTCMKTS:DLAKY Get Rating) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 19,989 shares of the transportation companys stock, valued at approximately $115,000. Get Deutsche Lufthansa alerts: Deutsche Lufthansa Price Performance Deutsche Lufthansa stock traded down $0.15 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $10.37. 24,288 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 58,926. The businesss 50-day moving average is $10.65 and its 200-day moving average is $9.15. Deutsche Lufthansa has a 12-month low of $5.40 and a 12-month high of $11.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58. Analyst Ratings Changes Deutsche Lufthansa ( OTCMKTS:DLAKY Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, March 3rd. The transportation company reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.35 by ($0.08). Deutsche Lufthansa had a net margin of 2.19% and a return on equity of 9.46%. The company had revenue of $9.06 billion for the quarter. Equities research analysts anticipate that Deutsche Lufthansa will post 1.49 earnings per share for the current year. A number of research analysts have issued reports on DLAKY shares. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded Deutsche Lufthansa from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. UBS Group upgraded Deutsche Lufthansa from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 15th. Barclays began coverage on Deutsche Lufthansa in a research note on Tuesday, February 21st. They issued an overweight rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Deutsche Lufthansa from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Friday, March 31st. Finally, HSBC upgraded Deutsche Lufthansa from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Monday, March 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $7.80. About Deutsche Lufthansa (Get Rating) Deutsche Lufthansa AG engages in the provision of passenger, freight, and cargo airline services. It operates through the following segments: Network Airlines, Eurowings, Logistics, Maintenance Repair Overhaul, Catering and Additional Businesses and Group Functions. The Network Airlines segment comprises Lufthansa German Airlines, SWISS, and Austrian Airlines. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Deutsche Lufthansa Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Deutsche Lufthansa and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ropes Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Dover Co. (NYSE:DOV Get Rating) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,273 shares of the industrial products companys stock after buying an additional 89 shares during the quarter. Ropes Wealth Advisors LLCs holdings in Dover were worth $579,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Dover by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,895,470 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $2,650,899,000 after purchasing an additional 224,091 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Dover by 3.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,867,691 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $800,635,000 after buying an additional 231,562 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its stake in shares of Dover by 3.9% during the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,530,080 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $529,036,000 after buying an additional 171,924 shares during the period. Macquarie Group Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Dover by 2.0% during the third quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. now owns 3,379,487 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $393,981,000 after buying an additional 64,950 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Dover by 27.7% in the 3rd quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 2,607,299 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $303,959,000 after acquiring an additional 565,772 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.52% of the companys stock. Get Dover alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes A number of brokerages have commented on DOV. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a sector perform rating and set a $145.00 price target on shares of Dover in a research report on Thursday, March 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on Dover from $147.00 to $145.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 12th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Dover from $167.00 to $174.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, March 10th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Dover from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, April 11th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Dover from $175.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday, March 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Dover presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $162.31. Insider Activity Dover Trading Down 3.2 % In related news, CFO Brad M. Cerepak sold 34,972 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.25, for a total transaction of $5,009,739.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 73,878 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,583,023.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website . Company insiders own 1.30% of the companys stock. DOV stock opened at $140.81 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Dover Co. has a 52-week low of $114.49 and a 52-week high of $160.66. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $146.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $141.25. The firm has a market cap of $19.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.95, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.35. Dover (NYSE:DOV Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 26th. The industrial products company reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.94. The company had revenue of $2.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.08 billion. Dover had a return on equity of 28.55% and a net margin of 12.52%. Dovers quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.90 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Dover Co. will post 8.98 EPS for the current fiscal year. Dover Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.505 per share. This represents a $2.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 27th. Dovers payout ratio is 27.19%. Dover Company Profile (Get Rating) Dover Corp. operates as a manufacturer and solutions provider delivering innovative equipment and components, consumable supplies, aftermarket parts, software and digital solutions, and support services. It operates through the following segments: Engineered Products, Clean Energy and Fueling, Imaging and Identification, Pumps and Process Solutions, and Climate and Sustainability Technologies. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DOV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Dover Co. (NYSE:DOV Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Dover Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Dover and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Buy-Write Income Fund (NYSE:ETB Get Rating) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,200 shares, a decline of 55.4% from the March 31st total of 18,400 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 75,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.1 days. Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Buy-Write Income Fund Stock Performance Shares of ETB traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $12.73. The stock had a trading volume of 8,955 shares, compared to its average volume of 73,896. Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Buy-Write Income Fund has a fifty-two week low of $12.61 and a fifty-two week high of $17.08. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $13.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $13.66. Get Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Buy-Write Income Fund alerts: Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Buy-Write Income Fund Increases Dividend The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 24th will be given a dividend of $0.0932 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 21st. This is a boost from Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Buy-Write Income Funds previous monthly dividend of $0.09. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.79%. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Buy-Write Income Fund Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Buy-Write Income Fund Company Profile Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Raymond James & Associates raised its position in Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Buy-Write Income Fund by 6.5% during the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 76,649 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,295,000 after acquiring an additional 4,653 shares during the period. Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Buy-Write Income Fund during the 1st quarter worth about $40,000. UBS Group AG raised its position in shares of Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Buy-Write Income Fund by 5.5% during the 1st quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 585,118 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $9,888,000 after purchasing an additional 30,479 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Buy-Write Income Fund by 24.0% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 121,694 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,057,000 after buying an additional 23,562 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Buy-Write Income Fund in the 1st quarter worth about $176,000. (Get Rating) Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Buy-Write Income Fund is a closed-end investment fund, which engages in the investment in a portfolio of common stocks and write of call options. The company was founded on April 29, 2005 and is headquartered in Boston, MA. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Buy-Write Income Fund Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Buy-Write Income Fund and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ethan Allen Interiors (NYSE:ETD Get Rating) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.07, Briefing.com reports. Ethan Allen Interiors had a net margin of 13.52% and a return on equity of 27.29%. The firm had revenue of $186.32 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $192.00 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.93 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was down 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Ethan Allen Interiors Trading Up 3.4 % ETD traded up $0.89 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $27.25. The companys stock had a trading volume of 178,246 shares, compared to its average volume of 258,587. The firm has a market capitalization of $690.79 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.03 and a beta of 1.20. Ethan Allen Interiors has a 1 year low of $19.60 and a 1 year high of $31.78. The stocks 50-day moving average is $27.71 and its 200-day moving average is $27.27. Get Ethan Allen Interiors alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on ETD shares. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price target on shares of Ethan Allen Interiors from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research note on Friday, January 20th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Ethan Allen Interiors in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ethan Allen Interiors Ethan Allen Interiors Company Profile A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ETD. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Ethan Allen Interiors in the first quarter worth about $349,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Ethan Allen Interiors during the first quarter valued at approximately $3,517,000. Raymond James & Associates purchased a new stake in shares of Ethan Allen Interiors during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,106,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Ethan Allen Interiors during the first quarter valued at approximately $11,645,000. Finally, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ethan Allen Interiors during the first quarter valued at approximately $655,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.13% of the companys stock. (Get Rating) Ethan Allen Interiors, Inc is engaged in manufacturing home furnishings and accessories. The firm offers a full complement of home decorating and design solutions through its home furnishing retail networks. It operates through two segments: Wholesale and Retail. The Wholesale segment develops the brand of the company, encompasses all aspects of design, manufacture, sourcing, marketing, sale and distribution of its broad range of home furnishing and accents. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Ethan Allen Interiors Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ethan Allen Interiors and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of EVERTEC, Inc. (NYSE:EVTC Get Rating) rose 6.9% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $34.20 and last traded at $33.91. Approximately 77,240 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 325,976 shares. The stock had previously closed at $31.72. Analyst Ratings Changes EVTC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of EVERTEC in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company. Raymond James raised their price target on shares of EVERTEC from $41.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, February 23rd. Finally, TheStreet raised shares of EVERTEC from a c+ rating to a b rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 31st. Get EVERTEC alerts: EVERTEC Trading Up 6.9 % The stock has a market cap of $2.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.20 and a beta of 0.96. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $33.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $33.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 1.87. EVERTEC Dividend Announcement EVERTEC ( NYSE:EVTC Get Rating ) last issued 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 analysts expectations of $154.51 million. On average, research analysts predict that EVERTEC, Inc. will post 2.34 EPS for the current year. The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 1st will be paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 28th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.59%. EVERTECs payout ratio is 5.71%. Insider Transactions at EVERTEC In related news, CEO Morgan M. Schuessler sold 27,101 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.94, for a total value of $974,009.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 169,750 shares in the company, valued at $6,100,815. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Morgan M. Schuessler sold 27,101 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.94, for a total value of $974,009.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 169,750 shares in the company, valued at $6,100,815. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Paola Perez-Surillo sold 15,335 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.62, for a total value of $515,562.70. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 35,392 shares in the company, valued at $1,189,879.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the companys stock. Hedge Funds Weigh In On EVERTEC Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bailard Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of EVERTEC during the third quarter worth about $248,000. Yousif Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of EVERTEC by 8.9% during the 3rd quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 52,977 shares of the business services providers stock worth $1,661,000 after acquiring an additional 4,339 shares during the period. Meritage Portfolio Management boosted its stake in shares of EVERTEC by 8.8% during the 3rd quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 8,405 shares of the business services providers stock worth $263,000 after acquiring an additional 681 shares during the period. Martingale Asset Management L P boosted its stake in shares of EVERTEC by 37.8% during the 3rd quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 27,732 shares of the business services providers stock worth $870,000 after acquiring an additional 7,607 shares during the period. Finally, Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lifted its holdings in EVERTEC by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 26,871 shares of the business services providers stock worth $842,000 after purchasing an additional 2,808 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.74% of the companys stock. About EVERTEC (Get Rating) 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. Read More Receive News & Ratings for EVERTEC Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for EVERTEC and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach (OTCMKTS:FMBL Get Rating) shares reached a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $5,601.01 and last traded at $5,700.00, with a volume of 66 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $5,990.01. Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach Stock Up 0.9 % The companys 50-day simple moving average is $6,361.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $7,166.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market cap of $690 million, a P/E ratio of 7.04 and a beta of 0.40. Get Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach alerts: Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach (OTCMKTS:FMBL Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 23rd. The company reported $200.86 EPS for the quarter. Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach had a return on equity of 7.94% and a net margin of 27.08%. The company had revenue of $81.45 million during the quarter. Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach Cuts Dividend About Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach The business also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 15th were given a dividend of $28.00 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 14th. Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beachs dividend payout ratio is currently 13.83%. (Get Rating) Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach engages in the provision of personal and business banking services. The firm offers business checking, money market, and investment accounts, merchant card services, and small business, real estate, construction, commercial, church, and nonprofit loans. It also provides personal checking, personal money market, and personal savings accounts, as well as personal and home loans. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Financial Architects Inc raised its position in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT Get Rating) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,681 shares of the healthcare product makers stock after buying an additional 196 shares during the quarter. Financial Architects Incs holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $1,173,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JDM Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Arcus Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. boosted its position in Abbott Laboratories by 283.3% during the 4th quarter. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. now owns 391 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 289 shares during the period. Finally, Glassy Mountain Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. 72.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Abbott Laboratories alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Raymond James lifted their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $116.00 to $123.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $136.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, January 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $122.37. Insider Transactions at Abbott Laboratories Abbott Laboratories Stock Up 0.0 % In other news, EVP Andrea F. Wainer sold 679 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.70, for a total value of $68,375.30. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 70,427 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,091,998.90. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink . In related news, SVP Julie L. Tyler sold 260 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.24, for a total value of $26,842.40. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 40,896 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,222,103.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link . Also, EVP Andrea F. Wainer sold 679 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 $68,375.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 70,427 shares in the company, valued at $7,091,998.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders sold a total of 1,971 shares of company stock worth $199,140 in the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. ABT stock traded up $0.03 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $108.78. 1,379,445 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,304,198. The company has a market cap of $189.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.05, a P/E/G ratio of 4.93 and a beta of 0.67. The firms fifty day moving average price is $102.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $104.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Abbott Laboratories has a 52 week low of $93.25 and a 52 week high of $118.74. Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 19th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $9.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.64 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 22.48%. Abbott Laboratoriess quarterly revenue was down 18.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.73 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 4.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 1.88%. Abbott Laboratoriess payout ratio is 62.01%. 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. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Abbott Laboratories Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Abbott Laboratories and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. lessened its position in Fortive Co. (NYSE:FTV Get Rating) by 9.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 49,729 shares of the technology companys stock after selling 5,363 shares during the quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc.s holdings in Fortive were worth $3,195,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FTV. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its position in Fortive by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 159,722 shares of the technology companys stock worth $10,262,000 after purchasing an additional 35,668 shares during the last quarter. Phoenix Wealth Advisors bought a new position in Fortive during the 4th quarter valued at about $225,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in Fortive by 459.3% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,055 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $261,000 after acquiring an additional 3,330 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its position in Fortive by 15.4% in the 4th quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 219,482 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $14,102,000 after acquiring an additional 29,274 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cannell & Co. increased its position in Fortive by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Cannell & Co. now owns 242,910 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $15,607,000 after acquiring an additional 9,190 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.84% of the companys stock. Get Fortive alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of brokerages have weighed in on FTV. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Fortive from $77.00 to $78.00 in a research note on Thursday. Vertical Research upgraded shares of Fortive from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $74.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, March 27th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Fortive from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, February 2nd. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Fortive in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on Fortive from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, January 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $73.00. Fortive Stock Performance Shares of FTV traded up $0.40 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $63.46. The company had a trading volume of 1,183,085 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,973,600. Fortive Co. has a 52-week low of $52.47 and a 52-week high of $69.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.10, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.14. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $66.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $65.75. Fortive (NYSE:FTV Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 26th. The technology company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.02. Fortive had a return on equity of 11.90% and a net margin of 12.96%. The business had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.42 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.70 earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Fortive Co. will post 3.35 earnings per share for the current year. Fortive Announces Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 26th will be issued a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 25th. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.44%. Fortives dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.33%. Insider Activity at Fortive In other news, SVP Stacey A. Walker sold 2,063 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 40,150 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,757,100.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Stacey A. Walker sold 2,063 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.67, for a total transaction of $141,666.21. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 40,150 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,757,100.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Stacey A. Walker sold 3,249 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.75, for a total value of $220,119.75. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 32,721 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,216,847.75. 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. Company insiders own 0.79% of the companys stock. Fortive Profile (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. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding FTV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Fortive Co. (NYSE:FTV Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Fortive Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Fortive and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc acquired a new stake in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE Get Rating) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 23,954 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock, valued at approximately $1,227,000. Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Front Street Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Pfizer by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. Front Street Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,168 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $268,000 after buying an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Lindenwold Advisors grew its holdings in Pfizer by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Lindenwold Advisors now owns 21,151 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $926,000 after buying an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Signet Financial Management LLC grew its holdings in Pfizer by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Signet Financial Management LLC now owns 34,338 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $1,503,000 after buying an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. grew its holdings in Pfizer by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. now owns 33,978 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $1,487,000 after buying an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank now owns 32,775 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,435,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.62% of the companys stock. Get Pfizer alerts: Insider Buying and Selling In other news, major shareholder Pfizer Inc purchased 1,811,594 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $2.76 per share, for a total transaction of $4,999,999.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,952,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,428,245.88. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Pfizer Stock Performance A number of brokerages have recently commented on PFE. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Pfizer in a report on Monday, March 6th. They issued a hold rating and a $43.00 target price for the company. Bank of America dropped their target price on Pfizer from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Pfizer from $45.00 to $44.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 10th. StockNews.com started coverage on Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a buy rating for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Pfizer from $50.00 to $44.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 17th. Eight equities research 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 stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $48.80. NYSE PFE opened at $38.42 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $40.81 and a 200 day moving average of $45.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $216.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.05, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.64. Pfizer Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.40 and a twelve month high of $54.93. Pfizer (NYSE:PFE Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 31st. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $24.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.40 billion. Pfizer had a return on equity of 42.03% and a net margin of 31.27%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.08 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Pfizer Inc. will post 3.33 EPS for the current fiscal year. Pfizer Announces Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 9th. Investors of record on Friday, May 12th will be given a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.27%. Pfizers payout ratio is 29.93%. Pfizer Company Profile (Get Rating) Pfizer Inc is a research-based global biopharmaceutical company. It engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, marketing, sales and distribution of biopharmaceutical products worldwide. The firm works across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PFE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Pfizer Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Pfizer and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Glassman Wealth Services grew its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO Get Rating) by 25.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,875 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 578 shares during the period. Glassman Wealth Services holdings in Altria Group were worth $131,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Edmp Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 4,424.6% during the 4th quarter. Edmp Inc. now owns 4,074,178 shares of the companys stock worth $89,131,000 after acquiring an additional 3,984,132 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 191.5% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,535,662 shares of the companys stock worth $142,770,000 after acquiring an additional 2,322,738 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 6.4% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 36,302,349 shares of the companys stock worth $1,896,798,000 after acquiring an additional 2,178,596 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 227.3% during the 3rd quarter. United Services Automobile Association now owns 3,031,991 shares of the companys stock worth $37,536,000 after acquiring an additional 2,105,711 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 178.8% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,502,436 shares of the companys stock worth $101,046,000 after acquiring an additional 1,604,742 shares during the period. 58.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Altria Group alerts: Altria Group Trading Down 0.6 % Shares of NYSE MO opened at $46.69 on Thursday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $40.35 and a 1-year high of $57.03. The company has a market cap of $83.40 billion, a PE ratio of 14.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a 50-day moving average of $45.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.73. Altria Group Announces Dividend Altria Group ( NYSE:MO Get Rating ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting 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 $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.89 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.12 earnings per share. The companys revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.06 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 dividend of $0.94 per share. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 23rd. Altria Groups dividend payout ratio is 117.87%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of research firms have recently commented on MO. 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 report on Monday, January 23rd. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Altria Group from $49.50 to $47.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 17th. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, April 13th. They set a buy rating and a $52.00 price target for the company. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a buy rating for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $45.50. 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. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Altria Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Altria Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. YEREVAN, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS. The co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the monitoring of Azerbaijan, Ian Liddell-Granger (United Kingdom, EC/DA) and Lise Christoffersen (Norway, SOC), and the co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Armenia, Kimmo Kiljunen (Finland, SOC) and Boriana Aberg (Sweden, EPP/CD), have made the following statement: We renew our call for the restoration of freedom of movement along the Lachin corridor issued on 16 December 2022, and we recall the decision of the European Court of Human Rights of 21 December 2022 under Rule 39 of the Rules of Court, and the order made by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on 22 February 2023; the latter indicating that Azerbaijan shall [] take all measures at its disposal to ensure the unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin corridor in both directions. We take note that Armenia has indicated that it will appeal to the ICJ concerning the installation, on 23 April, of a checkpoint along the Lachin corridor. We urge Azerbaijan and Armenia to refrain from any unilateral steps that could further complicate the negotiation efforts supported by the EU at the highest level and through the presence of the EU Mission in Armenia. We call for an intensification of negotiations on border issues and the settlement of all disputes by peaceful means. PACE rapporteur Paul Gavan (Ireland, UEL) has also sought access to the Lachin corridor to see at first hand the situation on the ground. Horizon Family Wealth Inc. lifted its holdings in Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF (NYSEARCA:GSLC Get Rating) by 10.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 184,682 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 16,880 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF makes up approximately 16.2% of Horizon Family Wealth Inc.s portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. Horizon Family Wealth Inc. owned approximately 0.14% of Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF worth $14,060,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Heritage Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF in the third quarter worth $29,000. Hudock Inc. raised its stake in shares of Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF by 30.3% in the third quarter. Hudock Inc. now owns 628 shares of the companys stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the period. Wipfli Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF during the 3rd quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Cambridge Trust Co. purchased a new stake in Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF in the 3rd quarter worth about $47,000. Get Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF alerts: Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF Price Performance NYSEARCA:GSLC traded up $1.42 on Thursday, reaching $81.61. 180,334 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 309,959. The firm has a market cap of $10.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.56 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $79.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $78.53. Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF has a 52 week low of $69.51 and a 52 week high of $85.63. Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF Company Profile The Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF (GSLC) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in large cap equity. The fund tracks an index of US large-cap stocks comprising 4 sub-indexes: value, momentum, quality, and low volatility. The index uses multiple factors to pick stocks, and each sub-index receives equal weight. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GSLC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF (NYSEARCA:GSLC Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Visa (NYSE:V Get Rating) had its price target hoisted by KeyCorp from $250.00 to $260.00 in a report released on Monday, The Fly reports. KeyCorp also issued estimates for Visas Q2 2023 earnings at $1.98 EPS, Q3 2023 earnings at $2.07 EPS, Q4 2023 earnings at $2.22 EPS, FY2023 earnings at $8.45 EPS, Q1 2024 earnings at $2.31 EPS, Q2 2024 earnings at $2.38 EPS, Q3 2024 earnings at $2.41 EPS, Q4 2024 earnings at $2.61 EPS and FY2024 earnings at $9.70 EPS. A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Visa from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, January 19th. Barclays upped their target price on Visa from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Sunday, January 29th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Visa from $249.00 to $253.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Visa from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, January 27th. Finally, Wolfe Research boosted their price target on Visa from $240.00 to $255.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $262.14. Get Visa alerts: Visa Trading Down 0.6 % NYSE V opened at $228.15 on Monday. Visa has a 12 month low of $174.60 and a 12 month high of $235.57. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $224.21 and a 200-day moving average of $215.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The company has a market cap of $429.15 billion, a PE ratio of 31.91, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.96. Insiders Place Their Bets Visa ( NYSE:V Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 25th. The credit-card processor reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.97 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $7.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $7.79 billion. Visa had a return on equity of 49.95% and a net margin of 50.28%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.79 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Visa will post 8.44 EPS for the current fiscal year. In other news, General Counsel Julie B. Rottenberg sold 13,394 shares of Visa stock in a transaction on Friday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.00, for a total value of $2,933,286.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now owns 4,583 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,003,677. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Visa news, General Counsel Julie B. Rottenberg sold 13,394 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.00, for a total value of $2,933,286.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now owns 4,583 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,003,677. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman Alfred F. Kelly, Jr. sold 58,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.99, for a total value of $12,991,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 162,354 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $36,365,672.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 133,115 shares of company stock worth $30,115,598 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the companys stock. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Visa Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Visa in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates acquired a new stake in shares of Visa in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Cowa LLC acquired a new stake in Visa during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. JDM Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Visa in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Visa in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.87% of the companys stock. Visa Company Profile (Get Rating) Visa, Inc engages in the provision of digital payment services. It also facilitates global commerce through the transfer of value and information among a global network of consumers, merchants, financial institutions, businesses, strategic partners, and government entities. It offers debit cards, credit cards, prepaid products, commercial payment solutions, and global automated teller machines (ATMs). Read More Receive News & Ratings for Visa Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Visa and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Kingswood Holdings Limited (LON:KWG Get Rating) shares fell 4.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as GBX 22 ($0.27) and last traded at GBX 23 ($0.29). 22,244 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 161,062 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 24 ($0.30). Kingswood Price Performance The companys 50 day moving average price is GBX 25.25 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 23.33. The company has a market cap of 49.89 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -287.50 and a beta of -0.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.83, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. Kingswood Company Profile (Get Rating) Kingswood Holdings Limited engages in the investment management and financial planning business in the United Kingdom and the United States. It operates through three segments: Investment Management, Wealth Planning, and US Operations. The company provides wealth planning, advice process, pensions and retirement planning, inheritance tax and estate planning, tax planning, succession planning, protection advisory, cash management, and foreign exchange services. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Kingswood Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Kingswood and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ledyard National Bank decreased its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET Get Rating) by 4.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 87,561 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 3,730 shares during the period. Ledyard National Banks holdings in MetLife were worth $6,337,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc acquired a new position in shares of MetLife in the 4th quarter valued at $442,000. Bogart Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of MetLife by 16.0% in the 4th quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 86,448 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $6,256,000 after buying an additional 11,902 shares during the period. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of MetLife by 24.4% in the 4th quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 14,631 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,058,864,070,000 after buying an additional 2,873 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems grew its holdings in shares of MetLife by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 52,676 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $3,812,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of MetLife in the 4th quarter valued at $220,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.15% of the companys stock. Get MetLife alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes MET has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of MetLife from $82.00 to $74.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of MetLife from $84.00 to $72.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 5th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of MetLife in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of MetLife from $83.00 to $76.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of MetLife from $83.00 to $79.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 12th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MetLife presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $77.00. MetLife Trading Up 0.6 % MetLife stock opened at $59.25 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $62.32 and a 200-day moving average of $68.66. MetLife, Inc. has a one year low of $52.83 and a one year high of $77.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.13 and a quick ratio of 0.13. The company has a market cap of $45.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.11, a P/E/G ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 1.05. MetLife (NYSE:MET Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 1st. The financial services provider reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.74 by ($0.19). The firm had revenue of $15.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.21 billion. MetLife had a net margin of 3.63% and a return on equity of 15.64%. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 21.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.17 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 8.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. MetLife Increases Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 9th will be issued a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.51%. This is a boost from MetLifes previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 8th. MetLifes dividend payout ratio is presently 68.26%. Insider Activity In other news, EVP Bill Pappas sold 11,345 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.96, for a total value of $816,386.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 46,231 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,326,782.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders. About MetLife (Get Rating) MetLife, Inc provides insurance and financial services to individual and institutional customers. It offers life insurance, annuities, automobile and homeowners insurance and retail banking services to individuals as well as group insurance, reinsurance and retirement and savings products and services. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MET? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for MetLife Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for MetLife and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Barclays upgraded shares of Medtronic (NYSE:MDT Get Rating) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, The Fly reports. MDT has been the subject of a number of other reports. Truist Financial lowered their target price on Medtronic from $90.00 to $88.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 17th. UBS Group cut Medtronic from a buy rating to a sell rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $127.00 to $79.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Medtronic from $80.00 to $87.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised Medtronic from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and boosted their target price for the company from $77.00 to $100.00 in a report on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a sector perform rating and issued a $89.00 target price on shares of Medtronic in a report on Friday, April 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $91.79. Get Medtronic alerts: Medtronic Stock Performance NYSE MDT opened at $89.97 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $119.70 billion, a PE ratio of 29.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Medtronic has a twelve month low of $75.76 and a twelve month high of $108.25. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $81.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $81.34. Medtronic Announces Dividend Medtronic ( NYSE:MDT Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 21st. The medical technology company reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $7.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $7.53 billion. Medtronic had a return on equity of 13.37% and a net margin of 13.20%. The companys revenue was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.37 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Medtronic will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 24th were given a $0.68 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 23rd. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.02%. Medtronics dividend payout ratio is currently 89.47%. Institutional Trading of Medtronic Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Madison Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Medtronic by 14.1% during the first quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC now owns 439,440 shares of the medical technology companys stock worth $35,428,000 after buying an additional 54,183 shares during the period. Vestor Capital LLC lifted its position in Medtronic by 258.5% during the first quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 1,882 shares of the medical technology companys stock worth $196,000 after buying an additional 1,357 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Medtronic by 36.5% during the first quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 8,770 shares of the medical technology companys stock worth $707,000 after buying an additional 2,344 shares during the period. LS Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Medtronic during the first quarter worth about $820,000. Finally, Employees Retirement System of Texas lifted its position in Medtronic by 135.1% during the first quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas now owns 801,738 shares of the medical technology companys stock worth $64,636,000 after buying an additional 460,726 shares during the period. 80.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Medtronic Company Profile (Get Rating) Medtronic Plc is a medical technology company, which engages in the development, manufacture, distribution, and sale of device-based medical therapies and services. It operates through the following segments: Cardiovascular Porrtfolio, Neuroscience Portfolio, Medical Surgical Portfolio, and Diabetes Operating Unit. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Medtronic Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Medtronic and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. MGT Capital Investments, Inc. (OTCMKTS:MGTI Get Rating) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 100 shares, a drop of 99.9% from the March 31st total of 98,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,787,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.0 days. MGT Capital Investments Stock Performance Shares of OTCMKTS MGTI remained flat at $0.01 during midday trading on Wednesday. 892,613 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,808,977. The stocks 50 day moving average is $0.01 and its 200 day moving average is $0.01. MGT Capital Investments has a 1 year low of $0.00 and a 1 year high of $0.02. Get MGT Capital Investments alerts: MGT Capital Investments Company Profile (Get Rating) Further Reading MGT Capital Investments, Inc engages in cryptocurrency mining business. It solves complex mathematical problems using custom designed and programmed application-specific integrated circuit computers. The company was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Raleigh, NC. Receive News & Ratings for MGT Capital Investments Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for MGT Capital Investments and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA Get Rating) announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, April 25th, Zacks reports. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 10th will be given a dividend of 0.061 per share by the industrial products company on Monday, May 22nd. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 9th. Mueller Water Products has increased its dividend payment by an average of 4.7% annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 8 consecutive years. Mueller Water Products has a payout ratio of 31.2% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Mueller Water Products to earn $0.78 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.24 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 30.8%. Get Mueller Water Products alerts: Mueller Water Products Stock Performance Shares of MWA opened at $12.95 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $13.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.29. The stock has a market cap of $2.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.39, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 3.15 and a quick ratio of 1.68. Mueller Water Products has a one year low of $9.90 and a one year high of $14.62. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Mueller Water Products ( NYSE:MWA Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.06. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 6.18% and a return on equity of 13.00%. The firm had revenue of $314.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $288.85 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.13 EPS. The companys revenue was up 15.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Mueller Water Products will post 0.68 earnings per share for the current year. Several research analysts recently weighed in on MWA shares. TheStreet raised Mueller Water Products from a c+ rating to a b rating in a research report on Friday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Mueller Water Products from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research report on Monday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Mueller Water Products from $10.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 10th. DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of Mueller Water Products from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 7th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $12.67. Institutional Trading of Mueller Water Products Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co NY lifted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 8.1% in the 4th quarter. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co NY now owns 9,608 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $103,000 after purchasing an additional 720 shares during the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank boosted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 25,930 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $279,000 after acquiring an additional 846 shares in the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 36,090 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $388,000 after acquiring an additional 885 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 22.8% during the 1st quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 5,580 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 1,036 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 45,428 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $533,000 after acquiring an additional 1,063 shares in the last quarter. 88.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. About Mueller Water Products (Get Rating) Mueller Water Products, Inc engages in the manufacture and sale of products used in the transmission, distribution, and measurement of water. It operates through the Water Flow Solutions and Water Management Solutions segments. The Water Flow Solutions segment includes iron gate valves, specialty valves, and service brass products. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Mueller Water Products Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mueller Water Products and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Ontex Group NV (OTCMKTS:ONXXF Get Rating) were down 3.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $8.01 and last traded at $8.01. Approximately 1,000 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 45% from the average daily volume of 1,820 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.27. Ontex Group Price Performance The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $7.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $6.97. About Ontex Group (Get Rating) Ontex Group NV is an international personal hygiene group. It offers products for baby care, feminine care and adult care and is the partner of choice for consumers, retailers and institutional and private healthcare providers. Ontexs commercial activities are organized in three Divisions: Europe, which is predominantly focused on providing retailers with their own brands; Americas, Middle East Africa and Asia (AMEAA), which is predominantly focused on local Ontex brands; and Healthcare which focuses on Ontex adult incontinence brands in institutional channels. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Ontex Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ontex Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Parks! America, Inc. (OTCMKTS:PRKA Get Rating) saw a large decrease in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,800 shares, a decrease of 61.7% from the March 31st total of 4,700 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 6,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.3 days. Parks! America Price Performance Shares of PRKA stock remained flat at $0.39 on Wednesday. The company had a trading volume of 435 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,113. Parks! America has a twelve month low of $0.26 and a twelve month high of $0.50. The stocks 50 day moving average is $0.41 and its 200 day moving average is $0.39. Get Parks! America alerts: About Parks! America (Get Rating) Further Reading Parks! America, Inc engages in the business of acquiring, developing, and operating local and regional theme parks, and attractions through Wild Animal Safari, Inc and Wild Animal, Inc It operates through the Georgia, Texas, and Missouri segments. The company was founded on July 30, 1954 and is headquartered in Pine Mountain, GA. Receive News & Ratings for Parks! America Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Parks! America and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Pearson plc (LON:PSON Get Rating) have received a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy from the seven research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is GBX 1,015 ($12.68). Several research analysts have recently issued reports on PSON shares. Citigroup reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Pearson in a research note on Wednesday, March 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an overweight rating and issued a GBX 1,230 ($15.36) price objective on shares of Pearson in a research note on Thursday, March 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a GBX 1,140 ($14.24) price objective on shares of Pearson in a research note on Thursday, March 23rd. Get Pearson alerts: Insider Activity at Pearson In related news, insider Graeme Pitkethly bought 257 shares of Pearson stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 31st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 832 ($10.39) per share, for a total transaction of 2,138.24 ($2,670.46). 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Pearson Stock Down 0.5 % Pearson Increases Dividend Shares of LON PSON opened at GBX 852.20 ($10.64) on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.33. The company has a market cap of 6.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2,596.36, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.25. Pearson has a 12 month low of GBX 722.60 ($9.02) and a 12 month high of GBX 1,006.29 ($12.57). The stock has a 50-day moving average price of GBX 858.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 908.59. The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 23rd will be issued a GBX 14.90 ($0.19) dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 23rd. This is a boost from Pearsons previous dividend of $6.60. This represents a yield of 1.62%. Pearsons dividend payout ratio is presently 6,363.64%. About Pearson (Get Rating) Pearson plc provides educational courseware, assessments, and services in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, the Asia Pacific, other European countries, and internationally. It operates through five segments: Assessment & Qualifications, Virtual Learning, English Language Learning, Higher Education, and Workforce Skills. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Pearson Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Pearson and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. YEREVAN, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS. Russia must keep control of Lachin Corridor and ensure normal functioning of the corridor, PM Nikol Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting, speaking about the illegal installation of a checkpoint by Azerbaijan. Presenting Armenias vision for a general resolution of the situation, the PM said: The Russian peacekeeping contingent must keep the Lachin Corridor under control and thus ensure its normal functioning. Meaning, no one other than Russia should carry out control in the Lachin Corridor. And Azerbaijan must not impede free traffic along the corridor. This is precisely what is enshrined in the 9 November 2020 trilateral statement. He added that the rights and security of the Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh must become subject of negotiations between Stepanakert and Baku in an international format. Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (NYSE:PEB Get Rating) issued an update on its second quarter earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of $0.52-0.57 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of $0.62. Pebblebrook Hotel Trust Stock Down 0.5 % Shares of PEB stock traded down $0.07 on Thursday, hitting $13.86. 1,686,421 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,726,716. The company has a current ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.73 billion, a P/E ratio of -14.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.85. The business has a 50-day moving average of $14.13 and a 200 day moving average of $14.82. Pebblebrook Hotel Trust has a fifty-two week low of $12.37 and a fifty-two week high of $26.14. Get Pebblebrook Hotel Trust alerts: Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (NYSE:PEB Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 21st. The real estate investment trust reported ($0.34) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.18 by ($0.52). The firm had revenue of $319.61 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $309.55 million. Pebblebrook Hotel Trust had a negative return on equity of 2.77% and a negative net margin of 6.26%. Pebblebrook Hotel Trusts revenue for the quarter was up 29.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.06 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Pebblebrook Hotel Trust will post 1.69 EPS for the current year. Pebblebrook Hotel Trust Dividend Announcement Analyst Ratings Changes The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.01 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 30th. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.29%. Pebblebrook Hotel Trusts dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -4.12%. PEB has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. TheStreet lowered Pebblebrook Hotel Trust from a c- rating to a d+ rating in a research note on Friday, December 30th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Pebblebrook Hotel Trust from $15.25 to $15.50 in a research note on Thursday. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Pebblebrook Hotel Trust in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a sell rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Pebblebrook Hotel Trust from $17.00 to $14.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 30th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Pebblebrook Hotel Trust from $18.00 to $16.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $17.70. Insiders Place Their Bets In related news, CEO Jon E. Bortz bought 11,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $12.95 per share, with a total value of $142,450.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 1,122,102 shares of the companys stock, valued at $14,531,220.90. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, CEO Jon E. Bortz bought 11,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $12.95 per share, with a total value of $142,450.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 1,122,102 shares of the companys stock, valued at $14,531,220.90. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Jon E. Bortz bought 14,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 16th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $13.62 per share, for a total transaction of $190,680.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,108,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,092,349.24. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have purchased 39,865 shares of company stock valued at $555,064. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PEB. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust by 11.5% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 11,653 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $156,000 after purchasing an additional 1,199 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at about $176,000. White Pine Capital LLC bought a new stake in Pebblebrook Hotel Trust in the 4th quarter valued at about $208,000. United Services Automobile Association bought a new stake in Pebblebrook Hotel Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at about $232,000. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in Pebblebrook Hotel Trust in the 1st quarter valued at about $237,000. Pebblebrook Hotel Trust Company Profile (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. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Pebblebrook Hotel Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Pebblebrook Hotel Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Pilbara Minerals Limited (OTCMKTS:PILBF Get Rating)s share price traded down 2.4% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $2.78 and last traded at $2.80. 231,880 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 22% from the average session volume of 295,819 shares. The stock had previously closed at $2.87. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup upgraded Pilbara Minerals from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Pilbara Minerals from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, January 27th. Get Pilbara Minerals alerts: Pilbara Minerals Trading Down 2.9 % The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $2.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $2.95. Pilbara Minerals Company Profile Pilbara Minerals Ltd. engages in the exploration and evaluation of mineral properties. It focuses on lithium and tantalum properties of Pilgangoora Lithium-Tantalum Project located in the Pilbara region. The company was founded on January 10, 2005 and is headquartered in West Perth, Australia. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Pilbara Minerals Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Pilbara Minerals and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM Get Rating) announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, April 25th, RTT News reports. The company plans to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the construction company to purchase up to 6.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the companys management believes its shares are undervalued. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on PulteGroup from $73.00 to $80.00 in a report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on PulteGroup from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, January 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on PulteGroup from $65.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, February 2nd. Credit Suisse Group lifted their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $52.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 1st. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on PulteGroup from $75.00 to $86.00 in a report on Wednesday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PulteGroup currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $66.36. Get PulteGroup alerts: PulteGroup Trading Down 0.5 % Shares of NYSE:PHM traded down $0.32 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $64.63. 4,210,374 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,731,601. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $56.97 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $49.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market cap of $14.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.82, a P/E/G ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.33. PulteGroup has a fifty-two week low of $35.03 and a fifty-two week high of $66.08. PulteGroup Announces Dividend PulteGroup ( NYSE:PHM Get Rating ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The construction company reported $2.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.57. The company had revenue of $3.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.27 billion. PulteGroup had a return on equity of 31.85% and a net margin of 16.13%. PulteGroups revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.83 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that PulteGroup will post 7.44 EPS for the current fiscal year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 20th were given a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 17th. PulteGroups dividend payout ratio is presently 5.77%. Insider Transactions at PulteGroup In other news, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,998 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.83, for a total transaction of $861,172.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 82,339 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,432,308.37. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, VP John J. Chadwick sold 29,817 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.63, for a total transaction of $1,688,536.71. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 87,428 shares in the company, valued at $4,951,047.64. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Todd N. Sheldon sold 15,998 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.83, for a total value of $861,172.34. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 82,339 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,432,308.37. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 50,739 shares of company stock valued at $2,845,149. 0.83% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. PulteGroup Company Profile (Get Rating) PulteGroup, Inc engages in the homebuilding business. The firm is also involved in mortgage banking and title and insurance brokerage operations. It operates through the Homebuilding and Financial services business segments. The Homebuilding segment includes operations from Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Texas, Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Washington. Read More Receive News & Ratings for PulteGroup Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for PulteGroup and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of RiverFront Strategic Income Fund (NYSEARCA:RIGS Get Rating) were up 0.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $23.06 and last traded at $23.03. Approximately 46,692 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 39% from the average daily volume of 33,519 shares. The stock had previously closed at $22.94. RiverFront Strategic Income Fund Stock Down 0.5 % The stocks fifty day moving average price is $22.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $22.70. Get RiverFront Strategic Income Fund alerts: Hedge Funds Weigh In On RiverFront Strategic Income Fund A hedge fund recently bought a new stake in RiverFront Strategic Income Fund stock. Arkansas Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of RiverFront Strategic Income Fund (NYSEARCA:RIGS Get Rating) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 14,460 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $327,000. Arkansas Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.31% of RiverFront Strategic Income Fund at the end of the most recent reporting period. About RiverFront Strategic Income Fund The RiverFront Strategic Income Fund (RIGS) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in broad credit fixed income. The fund is an actively managed global fixed-income portfolio that invests in various types of fixed-income securities without currency limitation. RIGS was launched on Oct 9, 2013 and is managed by RiverFront. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for RiverFront Strategic Income Fund Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for RiverFront Strategic Income Fund and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. First Industrial Realty Trust (NYSE:FR Get Rating) had its price objective raised by Robert W. Baird from $60.00 to $63.00 in a report released on Monday morning, The Fly reports. Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on First Industrial Realty Trust from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, February 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating and issued a $65.00 price target on shares of First Industrial Realty Trust in a report on Thursday, February 23rd. StockNews.com started coverage on First Industrial Realty Trust in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on First Industrial Realty Trust in a report on Tuesday, March 21st. They issued a sell rating and a $48.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, First Industrial Realty Trust presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $58.13. Get First Industrial Realty Trust alerts: First Industrial Realty Trust Stock Performance Shares of FR stock opened at $50.78 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $6.72 billion, a PE ratio of 17.76 and a beta of 0.98. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $52.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $50.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. First Industrial Realty Trust has a 52-week low of $42.91 and a 52-week high of $63.89. First Industrial Realty Trust Increases Dividend Institutional Trading of First Industrial Realty Trust The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 17th. Investors of record on Friday, March 31st were issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 30th. This is a positive change from First Industrial Realty Trusts previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.52%. First Industrial Realty Trusts dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.76%. Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position in First Industrial Realty Trust by 228.8% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 822 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 572 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC increased its position in First Industrial Realty Trust by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 5,138 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $273,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale increased its position in First Industrial Realty Trust by 50.7% during the 1st quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 110,577 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $5,671,000 after purchasing an additional 37,211 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its position in First Industrial Realty Trust by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 245,235 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $13,044,000 after purchasing an additional 1,662 shares during the period. Finally, Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its position in First Industrial Realty Trust by 9.1% during the 1st quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 3,429 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $182,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.00% of the companys stock. First Industrial Realty Trust Company Profile (Get Rating) First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc engages in the ownership, management, acquisition, sale, development, and redevelopment of industrial real estate. The firm product portfolio includes bulk warehouse, regional warehouse, R&D/flex, and light industrial properties. The company was founded by Johannson L. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for First Industrial Realty Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for First Industrial Realty Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Royal Bank of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE:BR Get Rating) in a report released on Monday, The Fly reports. The brokerage issued an outperform rating and a $169.00 price objective on the business services providers stock. A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on BR. Wolfe Research cut their price objective on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $137.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 5th. TheStreet upgraded Broadridge Financial Solutions from a c+ rating to a b rating in a research note on Thursday, February 2nd. Raymond James boosted their price objective on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on Broadridge Financial Solutions in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Broadridge Financial Solutions presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $161.40. Get Broadridge Financial Solutions alerts: Broadridge Financial Solutions Price Performance Shares of BR opened at $139.94 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $16.47 billion, a PE ratio of 31.24 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.30. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $141.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $142.45. Broadridge Financial Solutions has a 1-year low of $131.35 and a 1-year high of $183.33. Broadridge Financial Solutions Dividend Announcement Broadridge Financial Solutions ( NYSE:BR Get Rating ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 2nd. The business services provider reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts consensus estimates of $0.91. The business had revenue of $1.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.35 billion. Broadridge Financial Solutions had a net margin of 9.13% and a return on equity of 40.38%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.83 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Broadridge Financial Solutions will post 6.91 EPS for the current year. The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 15th were given a $0.725 dividend. This represents a $2.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 14th. Broadridge Financial Solutionss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.73%. Insider Buying and Selling at Broadridge Financial Solutions In other Broadridge Financial Solutions news, Director Robert N. Duelks sold 1,425 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.06, for a total value of $201,010.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,275 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $885,151.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Broadridge Financial Solutions Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BR. Money Concepts Capital Corp grew its position in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 400.0% in the 4th quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 195 shares of the business services providers stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Carl Stuart Investment Advisor Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in the 1st quarter worth approximately $14,755,342,000. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new position in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.45% of the companys stock. Broadridge Financial Solutions Company Profile (Get Rating) Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc engages in the provision of investor communications and technology solutions to banks, broker-dealers, mutual funds, and corporate issuers. It operates through the following segments: Investor Communication Solutions and Global Technology and Operations. The Investor Communication Solutions segment offers services for broker-dealer investor communication, customer communication, corporate issuer, advisor solutions, and mutual fund and retirement solutions. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Broadridge Financial Solutions Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Broadridge Financial Solutions and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Precision Drilling (TSE:PD Get Rating) (NYSE:PDS) had its target price cut by equities research analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from C$130.00 to C$120.00 in a research report issued on Thursday, BayStreet.CA reports. The firm presently has an outperform rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canadas price target suggests a potential upside of 73.64% from the stocks previous close. PD has been the topic of a number of other reports. Canaccord Genuity Group raised Precision Drilling from a hold rating to a buy rating and lowered their price target for the stock from C$100.00 to C$90.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 29th. CIBC lowered their price target on Precision Drilling from C$150.00 to C$135.00 in a report on Friday, April 14th. Evercore decreased their price objective on Precision Drilling from C$140.00 to C$132.00 in a report on Thursday. Raymond James decreased their price objective on Precision Drilling from C$140.00 to C$135.00 and set a strong-buy rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Precision Drilling from C$115.00 to C$125.00 in a report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of C$128.10. Get Precision Drilling alerts: Precision Drilling Stock Performance Shares of TSE:PD traded down C$2.28 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching C$69.11. 191,327 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 120,165. The companys 50 day moving average price is C$71.98 and its 200-day moving average price is C$90.55. The firm has a market cap of C$948.19 million, a PE ratio of -26.74, a PEG ratio of -3.24 and a beta of 3.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 93.78, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.36. Precision Drilling has a 52 week low of C$61.79 and a 52 week high of C$116.60. Insider Activity Precision Drilling ( TSE:PD Get Rating ) (NYSE:PDS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 9th. The company reported C$0.27 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of C$2.60 by C($2.33). The company had revenue of C$510.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$486.40 million. On average, equities analysts expect that Precision Drilling will post 16.525463 EPS for the current fiscal year. In other news, Director Carey Thomas Ford sold 10,617 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$65.10, for a total transaction of C$691,166.70. In other Precision Drilling news, Senior Officer Veronica H. Foley sold 6,778 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$65.10, for a total value of C$441,247.80. Also, Director Carey Thomas Ford sold 10,617 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$65.10, for a total value of C$691,166.70. Corporate insiders own 1.39% of the companys stock. Precision Drilling Company Profile (Get Rating) Precision Drilling Corporation, a drilling company, provides onshore drilling, completion, and production services to exploration and production companies in the oil and natural gas and geothermal industries in North America and the Middle East. The company operates in two segments, Contract Drilling Services; and Completion and Production Services. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Precision Drilling Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Precision Drilling and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. RPC (NYSE:RES Get Rating) issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The oil and gas company reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.41 by ($0.02), Briefing.com reports. RPC had a return on equity of 29.45% and a net margin of 13.63%. The business had revenue of $476.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $488.57 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.07 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was up 67.5% compared to the same quarter last year. RPC Price Performance NYSE RES traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $7.35. 958,298 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,373,246. The company has a market cap of $1.60 billion, a PE ratio of 7.29 and a beta of 1.77. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $8.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $8.85. RPC has a 52 week low of $5.70 and a 52 week high of $11.40. Get RPC alerts: RPC Dividend Announcement The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 10th will be given a dividend of $0.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 9th. This represents a $0.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.18%. RPCs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.84%. Institutional Trading of RPC Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its holdings in shares of RPC by 54.2% during the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 4,565 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,605 shares during the last quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. raised its stake in RPC by 165.3% in the 4th quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 5,076 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 3,163 shares during the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. purchased a new position in RPC in the 4th quarter worth $48,000. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky purchased a new position in RPC in the 3rd quarter worth $50,000. Finally, Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in RPC in the 2nd quarter worth $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.15% of the companys stock. Several brokerages recently issued reports on RES. StockNews.com began coverage on RPC in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on RPC from $10.50 to $8.50 in a research note on Monday, April 3rd. About RPC (Get Rating) RPC, Inc engages in the exploration, production and development of oil and gas properties. It operates through the following segments: Technical Services and Support Services. The Technical Services segment provides oil and gas, fracturing, acidizing, coiled tubing, snubbing, nitrogen, well control, wireline and fishing services. See Also Receive News & Ratings for RPC Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for RPC and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Monarch Mining Co. (OTCMKTS:GBARF Get Rating) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 74,500 shares, a growth of 1,913.5% from the March 31st total of 3,700 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 81,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.9 days. Monarch Mining Trading Down 7.6 % GBARF stock traded down C$0.00 during trading on Wednesday, hitting C$0.04. The stock had a trading volume of 28,000 shares, compared to its average volume of 37,743. The companys 50 day moving average price is C$0.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is C$0.05. Monarch Mining has a 1-year low of C$0.03 and a 1-year high of C$0.49. Get Monarch Mining alerts: About Monarch Mining (Get Rating) Recommended Stories Monarch Mining Corporation, a gold mining company, engages in the exploration and development of mining properties in Canada. It owns 295 square kilometers of mining assets, including the Beaufor mine, Croinor property, McKenzie property, Swanson property, and Beacon Mill. The company was incorporated in 2020 and is headquartered in Saint-Sauveur, Canada. Receive News & Ratings for Monarch Mining Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Monarch Mining and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Kennedy-Wilson (NYSE:KW Get Rating) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday. Separately, TheStreet raised shares of Kennedy-Wilson from a c rating to a b- rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 21st. Get Kennedy-Wilson alerts: Kennedy-Wilson Stock Performance Shares of NYSE:KW opened at $15.98 on Tuesday. Kennedy-Wilson has a 52 week low of $13.97 and a 52 week high of $23.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.51, a PEG ratio of 13.88 and a beta of 1.16. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $16.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $16.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.94. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Kennedy-Wilson ( NYSE:KW Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.06. Kennedy-Wilson had a net margin of 17.35% and a return on equity of 19.82%. The firm had revenue of $139.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $142.52 million. On average, analysts expect that Kennedy-Wilson will post 0.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Jennison Associates LLC increased its stake in Kennedy-Wilson by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 95,267 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,473,000 after purchasing an additional 784 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kennedy-Wilson by 24.3% in the 3rd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 64,724 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,001,000 after acquiring an additional 12,651 shares during the last quarter. First Manhattan Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Kennedy-Wilson by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. First Manhattan Co. now owns 148,900 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,301,000 after acquiring an additional 5,500 shares during the last quarter. MQS Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kennedy-Wilson in the 3rd quarter valued at $255,000. Finally, Rock Point Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kennedy-Wilson by 8.3% in the 3rd quarter. Rock Point Advisors LLC now owns 1,036,600 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $16,026,000 after acquiring an additional 79,745 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.27% of the companys stock. About Kennedy-Wilson (Get Rating) Kennedy-Wilson Holdings, Inc operates as a real estate investment company, which engages in the ownership, operation, development, and investment in real estate properties. It operates through the Consolidated Portfolio and Co-Investment Portfolio segments. The Consolidated Portfolio segment includes the investments that the company has made in real estate and real estate-related assets. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Kennedy-Wilson Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Kennedy-Wilson and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. YEREVAN, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS. A possible peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan must clearly stipulate the terms of the delimitation and also clear mechanisms for ruling out any escalation, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on April 27. The possible peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan must obviously have guarantees for implementation and a clear and functioning system for mechanisms of resolving disputes. The terms of border delimitation must be clearly stipulated, and clear mechanisms for ruling out any escalation must be introduced, PM Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting. He added that not allowing a further escalation and achieving comprehensive settlement requires concrete and sincere efforts by the Armenian side and the international community. Pashinyan said that Armenia will continue all possible efforts in this direction. Sunnova Energy International (NYSE:NOVA Get Rating) issued its earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported ($0.70) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of ($0.58) by ($0.12), Briefing.com reports. Sunnova Energy International had a negative net margin of 27.53% and a negative return on equity of 11.07%. The firm had revenue of $161.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $159.54 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.30) EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 146.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sunnova Energy International Trading Up 11.4 % NOVA stock traded up $1.86 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $18.18. The stock had a trading volume of 9,330,518 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,234,003. The firm has a market cap of $2.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -13.78 and a beta of 2.08. Sunnova Energy International has a twelve month low of $12.46 and a twelve month high of $31.47. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $16.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $18.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.02. Get Sunnova Energy International alerts: Insider Transactions at Sunnova Energy International In other news, insider Kelsey Hultberg sold 2,400 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.03, for a total transaction of $33,672.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 19,974 shares in the company, valued at approximately $280,235.22. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 4.40% of the companys stock. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sunnova Energy International Analyst Ratings Changes Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in Sunnova Energy International by 45.8% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 31,709 shares of the companys stock valued at $571,000 after acquiring an additional 9,957 shares in the last quarter. PDT Partners LLC bought a new stake in Sunnova Energy International in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $564,000. Vident Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Sunnova Energy International by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Vident Investment Advisory LLC now owns 29,527 shares of the companys stock valued at $532,000 after acquiring an additional 1,860 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Sunnova Energy International by 58.3% in the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 21,620 shares of the companys stock valued at $499,000 after acquiring an additional 7,960 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lifted its stake in Sunnova Energy International by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 21,510 shares of the companys stock valued at $496,000 after acquiring an additional 710 shares in the last quarter. A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Barclays lowered their target price on Sunnova Energy International from $31.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 18th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Sunnova Energy International from $35.00 to $31.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Sunnova Energy International from $31.00 to $28.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. Credit Suisse Group reiterated an outperform rating and set a $43.00 price target on shares of Sunnova Energy International in a research note on Monday, February 27th. Finally, Capital One Financial reiterated an overweight rating on shares of Sunnova Energy International in a research note on Tuesday, March 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $34.64. About Sunnova Energy International (Get Rating) Sunnova Energy International, Inc operates as a residential energy service provider. It offers solar energy systems, electric vehicle chargers, and home solar protection. The company was founded by William Jackson Berger in 2012 and is headquartered in Houston, TX. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Sunnova Energy International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Sunnova Energy International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Switzer Dividend Growth Fund (ASX:SWTZ Get Rating) announced a interim dividend on Thursday, April 27th, MarketIndexAU reports. Investors of record on Thursday, May 18th will be given a dividend of 0.008 per share on Thursday, May 18th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.31%. The ex-dividend date is Sunday, April 30th. Switzer Dividend Growth Fund Price Performance Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Switzer Dividend Growth Fund Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Switzer Dividend Growth Fund and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Teledyne Technologies (NYSE:TDY Get Rating) released its earnings results on Wednesday. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $4.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $4.43 by $0.10, Briefing.com reports. Teledyne Technologies had a net margin of 14.45% and a return on equity of 11.00%. The firm had revenue of $1.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.37 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.27 earnings per share. Teledyne Technologiess revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Teledyne Technologies updated its Q2 guidance to $4.56-4.66 EPS and its FY23 guidance to $19.00-19.20 EPS. Teledyne Technologies Stock Up 0.9 % NYSE TDY traded up $3.50 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $408.42. 150,911 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 184,074. Teledyne Technologies has a 12 month low of $325.00 and a 12 month high of $460.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.19 billion, a PE ratio of 24.50, a PEG ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a 50 day moving average of $428.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $411.94. Get Teledyne Technologies alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at Teledyne Technologies In other Teledyne Technologies news, VP Stephen Finis Blackwood sold 3,333 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $434.00, for a total transaction of $1,446,522.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 11,773 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,109,482. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Teledyne Technologies news, VP Stephen Finis Blackwood sold 3,333 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $434.00, for a total transaction of $1,446,522.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 11,773 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,109,482. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert Mehrabian sold 3,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $440.17, for a total transaction of $1,496,578.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 196,052 shares in the company, valued at $86,296,208.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 24,210 shares of company stock worth $10,428,074 in the last ninety days. 2.14% of the stock is owned by insiders. Institutional Trading of Teledyne Technologies Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Teledyne Technologies by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 944 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $378,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the period. First Manhattan Co. increased its holdings in shares of Teledyne Technologies by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. First Manhattan Co. now owns 4,466 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $1,786,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Teledyne Technologies by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 431 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $204,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. Wetherby Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Teledyne Technologies by 8.4% in the 1st quarter. Wetherby Asset Management Inc. now owns 698 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $330,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. Finally, Brinker Capital Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Teledyne Technologies by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. Brinker Capital Investments LLC now owns 3,129 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $1,479,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.10% of the companys stock. TDY has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Teledyne Technologies in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company. Needham & Company LLC decreased their target price on shares of Teledyne Technologies from $498.00 to $470.00 in a research note on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Teledyne Technologies has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $487.00. About Teledyne Technologies (Get Rating) Teledyne Technologies, Inc engages in the provision of electronic and communication products for wireless and satellite systems. It operates through the following business segments: Instrumentation, Digital Imaging, Aerospace and Defense Electronics, and Engineered Systems. The Instrumentation segment provides monitoring and control instruments for marine, environmental, industrial, and other applications, and electronic test and measurement equipment. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Teledyne Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Teledyne Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Canaccord Genuity Group began coverage on shares of TELUS International (Cda) (NYSE:TIXT Get Rating) in a report issued on Monday, Briefing.com reports. The firm issued a buy rating on the stock. Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on TIXT. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on TELUS International (Cda) from $38.00 to $29.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 10th. Bank of America raised TELUS International (Cda) from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $26.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 11th. National Bankshares cut their target price on TELUS International (Cda) from $38.00 to $35.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on TELUS International (Cda) from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on TELUS International (Cda) from $30.00 to $27.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 9th. Four 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 has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $27.00. Get TELUS International (Cda) alerts: TELUS International (Cda) Stock Performance NYSE TIXT opened at $19.94 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.72. TELUS International has a 1-year low of $17.65 and a 1-year high of $31.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.26. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $20.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $21.42. Institutional Investors Weigh In On TELUS International (Cda) TELUS International (Cda) ( NYSE:TIXT Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 9th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $630.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $626.26 million. TELUS International (Cda) had a return on equity of 17.90% and a net margin of 7.41%. Equities analysts predict that TELUS International will post 1.11 EPS for the current year. A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of Montreal Can grew its stake in TELUS International (Cda) by 118.3% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 2,383,329 shares of the companys stock worth $66,444,000 after buying an additional 1,291,469 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its stake in TELUS International (Cda) by 93.7% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,925,904 shares of the companys stock worth $38,028,000 after buying an additional 931,866 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its stake in TELUS International (Cda) by 14.5% during the 1st quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 5,536,117 shares of the companys stock worth $136,798,000 after buying an additional 699,567 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its stake in TELUS International (Cda) by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 11,143,810 shares of the companys stock worth $225,191,000 after buying an additional 428,579 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in TELUS International (Cda) by 451.6% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 458,696 shares of the companys stock worth $9,078,000 after buying an additional 375,544 shares during the last quarter. 18.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. About TELUS International (Cda) (Get Rating) TELUS International (Cda) Inc provides customer experience and digital business services in Europe, North America, the Asia-Pacific, and the Central America. It offers digital experience solutions, such as AI and bots, omnichannel CX, mobility solutions, cloud contact center, big data, platform transformation, and UX/UI design; and customer experience solutions, including work anywhere/work from home, customer care, technical support, sales growth and retention, and healthcare/patient experience. Read More Receive News & Ratings for TELUS International (Cda) Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for TELUS International (Cda) and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Tgs Asa (OTCMKTS:TGSGY Get Rating) traded up 1.4% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $14.94 and last traded at $14.94. 129 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 69% from the average session volume of 421 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.74. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of analysts have commented on the stock. DNB Markets upgraded shares of Tgs Asa from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Monday, March 27th. Pareto Securities downgraded shares of Tgs Asa from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, February 13th. Get Tgs Asa alerts: Tgs Asa Trading Up 1.4 % The stocks fifty day moving average price is $16.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $14.88. Tgs Asa Cuts Dividend About Tgs Asa The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 20th were given a dividend of $0.0928 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 17th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.38%. Tgs Asas payout ratio is currently 45.30%. (Get Rating) TGS ASA engages in the provision of geoscientific data products and services to oil and gas exploration companies. It operates through the following geographical segments: North & South America (NSA), Europe and Russia (EUR), Africal, Middle-East and Asia or Pacific (AMEAP), and Other or Corporate Costs. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Tgs Asa Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Tgs Asa and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. The European Smaller Companies Trust PLC (LON:TRG Get Rating)s stock price dropped 1.8% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as GBX 175 ($2.19) and last traded at GBX 175 ($2.19). Approximately 107,418 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 51% from the average daily volume of 221,291 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 178.20 ($2.23). The European Smaller Companies Trust Price Performance The company has a quick ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 0.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.60. The business has a 50-day moving average price of GBX 175 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 175. The company has a market capitalization of 701.52 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.13. The European Smaller Companies Trust Company Profile (Get Rating) TR European Growth Trust PLC is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Henderson Investment Funds Limited. It is co-managed by Henderson Global Investors Limited. The fund invests in the public equity markets of Europe. It seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for The European Smaller Companies Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for The European Smaller Companies Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. The Mexico Fund, Inc. (NYSE:MXF Get Rating) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,800 shares, a decline of 51.4% from the March 31st total of 3,700 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 30,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.1 days. The Mexico Fund Stock Performance Shares of The Mexico Fund stock traded down $0.10 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $16.13. The companys stock had a trading volume of 23,025 shares, compared to its average volume of 29,056. The Mexico Fund has a 1-year low of $12.94 and a 1-year high of $17.37. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $16.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $15.72. Get The Mexico Fund alerts: The Mexico Fund Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 19th will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 18th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.96%. Institutional Inflows and Outflows The Mexico Fund Company Profile A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MXF. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in shares of The Mexico Fund by 28.7% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,803,931 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $26,590,000 after purchasing an additional 402,194 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its position in The Mexico Fund by 16.6% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,537,822 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $25,497,000 after acquiring an additional 218,594 shares in the last quarter. Bulldog Investors LLP bought a new position in shares of The Mexico Fund in the 3rd quarter valued at about $572,000. Boothbay Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Mexico Fund during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $572,000. Finally, Almitas Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Mexico Fund during the 4th quarter worth approximately $642,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 46.05% of the companys stock. (Get Rating) The Mexico Fund, Inc is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Impulsora del Fondo Mexico, S.C. It primarily invests in public equity markets of Mexico. The fund seeks to invest its portfolio across diversified sectors. The Mexico Fund, Inc was formed in June 01, 1981 and is domiciled in Maryland, United States. Read More Receive News & Ratings for The Mexico Fund Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for The Mexico Fund and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Westpac Banking Corp lifted its position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV Get Rating) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 59,822 shares of the insurance providers stock after buying an additional 1,296 shares during the quarter. Westpac Banking Corps holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $11,216,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $160,000. Cibc World Market Inc. raised its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 28.8% in the first quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 5,934 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $1,084,000 after acquiring an additional 1,327 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 1.0% in the first quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 11,905 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $2,210,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL increased its holdings in Travelers Companies by 40.6% during the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 51,551 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $9,420,000 after purchasing an additional 14,873 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its position in Travelers Companies by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 27,212 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $4,952,000 after purchasing an additional 1,286 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.59% of the companys stock. Get Travelers Companies alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Travelers Companies from an in-line rating to an outperform rating and upped their target price for the stock from $183.00 to $220.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, March 31st. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Travelers Companies from $190.00 to $195.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 25th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Travelers Companies from $182.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, April 21st. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $191.73. Travelers Companies Price Performance Shares of NYSE:TRV opened at $176.61 on Thursday. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $149.65 and a one year high of $194.51. The stock has a market cap of $40.79 billion, a PE ratio of 15.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.60. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $175.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $181.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.33. Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 19th. The insurance provider reported $4.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $3.64 by $0.47. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 7.41% and a return on equity of 13.41%. The business had revenue of $9.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.98 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.22 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 14.24 EPS for the current fiscal year. Travelers Companies Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. This is a positive change from Travelers Companiess previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 8th. Travelers Companiess dividend payout ratio is presently 31.71%. Travelers Companies announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, April 19th that permits the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the insurance provider to reacquire up to 12.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the companys leadership believes its shares are undervalued. Insider Buying and Selling at Travelers Companies In related news, CEO Alan D. Schnitzer sold 150,829 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.53, for a total value of $28,435,791.37. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 196,914 shares in the company, valued at $37,124,196.42. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Alan D. Schnitzer sold 150,829 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.53, for a total transaction of $28,435,791.37. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 196,914 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $37,124,196.42. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Daniel S. Frey sold 37,316 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.08, for a total transaction of $6,682,549.28. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 11,703 shares in the company, valued at $2,095,773.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 216,479 shares of company stock worth $40,361,970 in the last quarter. 1.07% of the stock is owned by insiders. Travelers Companies 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. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Travelers Companies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Travelers Companies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund Limited (OTCMKTS:VCVOF Get Rating) was the target of a significant drop in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 100 shares, a drop of 99.0% from the March 31st total of 10,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.0 days. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Separately, Barclays began coverage on shares of VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. They set an overweight rating on the stock. Get VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund alerts: VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund Stock Performance OTCMKTS:VCVOF remained flat at $5.18 during midday trading on Wednesday. 2,900 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,423. VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund has a 1 year low of $4.59 and a 1 year high of $6.36. VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund Company Profile Vinacapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund Ltd. operates as open-end investment fund. Its investment objective is to achieve medium to long-term returns through investment. The company was incorporated on March 22, 2016 and is headquartered in St. Peter Port, the United Kingdom. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. VTEX (NYSE:VTEX Get Rating) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 5,636,069 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 1,660% from the previous sessions volume of 320,204 shares.The stock last traded at $3.38 and had previously closed at $3.46. Analyst Ratings Changes VTEX has been the subject of several analyst reports. DA Davidson initiated coverage on VTEX in a research report on Wednesday, March 8th. They set a buy rating and a $5.00 price objective for the company. Piper Sandler reiterated an overweight rating and set a $5.00 price objective on shares of VTEX in a research report on Friday, March 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $5.69. Get VTEX alerts: VTEX Price Performance The company has a current ratio of 4.63, a quick ratio of 4.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $3.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $3.90. Institutional Investors Weigh In On VTEX About VTEX Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of VTEX during the 1st quarter valued at about $8,747,000. Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in VTEX by 1,707.8% in the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 10,829 shares of the companys stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 10,230 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in VTEX by 151.7% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 18,349 shares of the companys stock valued at $112,000 after buying an additional 11,060 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in VTEX by 314.1% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 228,600 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,406,000 after buying an additional 173,400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new stake in VTEX in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $3,245,000. 38.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. (Get Rating) VTEX provides software-as-a-service digital commerce platform for enterprise brands and retailers. Its platform enables customers to execute their commerce strategy, including building online stores, integrating, and managing orders across channels, and creating marketplaces to sell products from third-party vendors. See Also Receive News & Ratings for VTEX Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for VTEX and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. YEREVAN, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS. David Papazian, Chairman of the Board of Fly Arna Armenias national airlines and CEO of ANIF, held a working meeting with the CEO of Air Arabia Group Mr. Adel Al Ali and the CEO of Fly Arna Mr. Anthony Price, ANIF said in a press release on April 27. During the meeting issues related to the development of Fly Arna Armenias national airline a joint venture company between ANIF and Air Arabia Group were discussed. The emphasis was on the improvement of the quality of passenger services and the expansion of the geography of flights. Waycross Partners LLC raised its holdings in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS Get Rating) by 513.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 61,024 shares of the casino operators stock after acquiring an additional 51,084 shares during the quarter. Waycross Partners LLCs holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $2,933,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LVS. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its position in Las Vegas Sands by 13.9% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 46,767 shares of the casino operators stock valued at $1,818,000 after acquiring an additional 5,716 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Las Vegas Sands by 17.1% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 13,612 shares of the casino operators stock valued at $529,000 after acquiring an additional 1,985 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 6.9% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 33,282 shares of the casino operators stock worth $1,294,000 after buying an additional 2,145 shares during the period. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC increased its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 26.7% during the first quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 13,502 shares of the casino operators stock worth $525,000 after buying an additional 2,848 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 47.6% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 27,000 shares of the casino operators stock worth $1,050,000 after buying an additional 8,711 shares during the period. 39.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Las Vegas Sands alerts: Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance NYSE LVS opened at $61.17 on Thursday. The companys 50 day moving average is $57.29 and its 200-day moving average is $50.67. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 12-month low of $28.88 and a 12-month high of $63.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65. The firm has a market cap of $46.75 billion, a P/E ratio of -85.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.56 and a beta of 1.16. Analyst Ratings Changes Las Vegas Sands ( NYSE:LVS Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 19th. The casino operator reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.17 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $2.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.83 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a negative net margin of 10.42% and a negative return on equity of 10.21%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 124.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.40) earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 1.78 earnings per share for the current year. Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on LVS shares. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $76.00 to $80.50 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. Roth Mkm increased their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. CBRE Group raised shares of Las Vegas Sands from a hold rating to a buy rating and increased their target price for the stock from $47.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 26th. Argus raised shares of Las Vegas Sands from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $68.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $68.54. Las Vegas Sands Company Profile (Get Rating) Las Vegas Sands Corp. engages in the development of destination properties. The firm operates through the Macao and Singapore geographical segments. The Macao segment handles the operations of The Venetian Macao, The Londoner Macao, The Parisian Macao, The Plaza Macao and Four Seasons Macao, and Sands Macao. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Las Vegas Sands Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Las Vegas Sands and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. West African Resources Limited (OTCMKTS:WFRSF Get Rating) shares shot up 1.8% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $0.71 and last traded at $0.71. 3,200 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 67% from the average session volume of 9,702 shares. The stock had previously closed at $0.70. West African Resources Trading Up 1.8 % The company has a 50-day moving average price of $0.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $0.73. West African Resources Company Profile (Get Rating) West African Resources Ltd. engages in the exploration and development of mineral properties. It operates through the Mining Operations, and Exploration and Evaluation segments. The Mining Operations segment is involved in the operations of Sanbrado gold project. The Exploration and Evaluation segment relates to the exploration and evaluation activities other than Sanbrado. See Also Receive News & Ratings for West African Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for West African Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Zentek Ltd. (CVE:ZEN Get Rating) passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of C$2.11 and traded as low as C$2.06. Zentek shares last traded at C$2.09, with a volume of 29,781 shares trading hands. Zentek Price Performance The firm has a market capitalization of C$203.04 million, a P/E ratio of -11.82 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.46, a quick ratio of 7.59 and a current ratio of 7.42. The firm has a 50-day moving average of C$2.10 and a 200-day moving average of C$2.11. Zentek Company Profile (Get Rating) Zentek Ltd. engages in the research and development of graphene and related nanomaterials in Canada. It owns 100% interest in the Albany Graphite project located in Northern Ontario, Canada. The company develops graphene-based antimicrobial coating under the ZenGUARD brand, surgical masks, HVAC filters, personal protective equipment, rapid detection point of care diagnostics tests, and pharmaceutical products based on graphene-based compound. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Zentek Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Zentek and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Former Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar, who had a bitter parting of ways with the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), shared how the relationship with his party for several decades soured in an interview with Moneycontrol. He expressed confidence in winning for the seventh time as MLA from the Hubballi Central constituency in Dharwad district. (A news analysis of Shettars tough fight in the constituency can be read here: Hubballi battle turns into BJP-RSS vs Shettar) Excerpts from the interview: You were part of a team that built the BJP in Karnataka. Why did the party suddenly feel that it could do without you in the upcoming elections? I am clueless. I am sure it was not the partys decision but that of Sangh man BL Santhosh. Some people have colluded against me. Santhosh wanted to field his protege, Mahesh Tenginkai, from the Hubballi Central seat. So, I was asked to move away. The BJP will realise my strength on May 13, the results day. You enjoyed many posts in the party, including that of the chief minister. Was it difficult to make way for a new face? It would not have been difficult if the party had handled me with the respect I deserve. There is nothing wrong with bringing juniors to the forefront. That is the way a party has to be built. In the process, seniors should not be insulted. I could not bear the humiliation meted out to me. The communication process was highly objectionable. If the party or JP Nadda had taken me into confidence and had requested that I step aside, I would have done it gracefully. But it was not to be so. Dharmendra Pradhan, the partys election in-charge in Karnataka, called me over the phone a day after releasing the first list of candidates on April 11. He conveyed the message in just three sentences. He said the party would not field me. I should issue a media statement saying I am voluntarily retiring from electoral politics. He also said a form in a particular format would be sent to me and I should sign it saying it was my voluntary decision to quit electoral politics. Is this the way a senior leader such as me is valued by the party? I am not a school kid to sign some paper and be done with politics. Even in private companies, a three-month notice period is given before terminating the services of their employees. I was upset with the arrogance the party displayed in pushing me aside. My self-esteem did not permit me to continue with the party. The party failed to appreciate my sincerity and commitment. It has grossly underestimated my strengths. The party probably assumed that I would quietly accept the decision imposed on me. The party could have offered me some position or responsibility to make the best use of my experience. But such magnanimity was not shown by the central leaders. I found no reason to continue with the BJP. I am seeing a new culture in the BJP. Being a senior leader, your network used to be strong in the party. Did you not foresee this coming? Definitely, I did not doubt the party seniors. I failed to notice the scheme being hatched behind my back by Santhosh and a few others. I am a simple man who wants to serve society. I have never wasted time on petty politics. I have always lived up to my reputation as a gentlemanly politician. I believe in doing decent politics. But that was not appreciated by the party. If I were to be over 70 years old, then probably that could have been the reason. The party has also fielded people who are over 70 years old. I have not gotten a convincing reply from the seniors as to why I was not re-nominated. What harm would I have done to the party by contesting for one more term? My victory margin in the 2018 elections was 21,306, and my vote share was 51 percent. The late Union minister HN Ananth Kumar also hailed from Hubballi. Along with him, you had worked for decades, especially in North Karnataka. Do you think this situation would not have arisen if he were alive? Yes, definitely, the situation would have been different if he were to be amidst us. He used to diplomatically handle crises. I, Ananth Kumar, and Yediyurappa, among others, worked as a team. We never had any differences as such. We had space to grow. I miss him. The party has denied a ticket even to Tejasvini Ananth Kumar after making her wait for a long time in the last Lok Sabha polls. After seeing her plight, I decided to quit before it was too late to make my next moves. But before that, I gave two days for the high command to reconsider its harsh decision. Did Yediyurappa, Prahlad Joshi, and others take up your request with the party's central leaders? Yediyurappa tried hard to get me a ticket. But Joshi could have played a better role. I had worked so hard during his Lok Sabha elections in Dharwad. But this is the reward I received from him. Joshi claims that the decision was taken by Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. I disbelieve this. He says he tried his best to get me a ticket. But where is the result to show his efforts? My name was on the list that was placed before the partys central election committee in Delhi. At the last minute, my name was omitted. It is a well-planned ploy to finish me politically. Your replacement Tenginkai, 52, is the BJP's state general secretary. Both of you belong to the same sub-caste of Lingayat. He has been working for the party and the Sangh for the last two decades. He says he worked for you in all six elections. Still, do you think it was a bad decision to field him? It is a bad choice. His track record cannot be compared to my successful journey over the decades. This is his maiden election, whereas I have never been defeated in the six elections I have faced. He wanted to contest from Kalaghatagi in 2018. But he failed to make it because there was serious opposition to him from the local leaders. Tenginkai has been preferred over me because he is the manasaputra (mind-child) of Santhosh. That is the only qualification he has. How has your experience been with Congress? Does Congress' political culture suit your thinking? Has the Congress cadre accepted and begun working for you? I have not experienced any cultural shock. My strength has increased since joining Congress. Earlier, my popularity and strength, combined with the BJPs strength, used to work during the elections. This time, my strength has increased because I have been supported by even minorities, SCs/STs, and various other communities working for my success. My constituents and community members sympathise with me. In my career, I have never delivered emotional or hateful speeches to whip up emotion among the innocent public. I have never hated any religion. I am a peaceful man. I am now with a party that holds similar views. I continue to respect all parties while maintaining my individuality. My willpower is strong. I am committed to the Congress. Since joining the Congress, you have been visiting Muslim leaders in your constituency. They are felicitating you. Does your Sangh right ideologue background for decades have left you at a crossroads? For me, all religions are the same. I have friends in all parties. In a recent meeting, some minority leaders felicitated me with a cap and garlands. I did nothing wrong in accepting the felicitation. Some people are making a big issue of it. I have never been overtly religious. So I have been able to fit into the Congress. Minister K. Sudhakar recently attended an Idgah prayer meeting in Chikkaballapur. He was asked to leave the venue. Why don't Sangh leaders talk about it? You and the BJP both display betrayal cards against each other. How are people reacting to your decision? Are Lingayat mutt heads supporting you? My voters are with me. They are upset about the way a senior Lingayat leader such as me is humiliated for no reason. Many Lingayat mutt leaders have called me to express their solidarity with me. But I dont want to reveal their names. You say the cadre is with you. But none resigned along with you. There is no exodus from the BJP. Even your brother, Pradeep Shettar, continues to be a BJP MLC. I have instructed all my followers to remain where they are. I have asked the BJP councillors (about 19) not to resign. The elections are for just 20 days. But beyond elections, we must continue with our work. Let me do my work, and let them continue with their task. However, many in the party are ready to resign. But the Union Minister (oblique reference to Prahlad Joshi) and the BJP candidate are suffocating them to ensure they dont quit. The twin cities of Dharwad-Hubballi are strong forts of the RSS and BJP. The fight has now been reduced between you and the BJP-RSS. What are your chances of retaining the seat? My victory margin in the previous elections used to be around 20,000. This time, it would be in the range of 40,000 to 45,000. I have no doubts about it. I have my cadre working for me. In addition, I am drawing strength from the Congress. The poll arithmetic shows that I can easily retain the seat. Even the minority communities will stand by me. It is said an RSS special team has descended on Hubballi to work strategies to defeat you. Is it so? Even I have been hearing about it. But the team is not seen anywhere here. A lot of whispering campaigns against me are going on. In the elections held for the Maharashtra legislative council in 2020, the BJP could not win the Nagpur teachers' constituency seat. Nagpur is the headquarters of the RSS. When they could do nothing there, what would it do in Hubballi? How would the ruling BJP perform in the elections at the state level? Will Congress come to power? The BJPs decisions are suicidal. It is going to pay a heavy price for all the wrong decisions it has taken in the distribution of tickets. North Karnataka is supposed to be the Lingayat belt. It is here that the party is going to lose 20 to 25 seats. I am not saying that because of my exit, the BJP is going to lose this number of seats. But it is because of the poor selection of candidates by vested interests. The ill-treatment meted out to me has created apprehensions in the minds of junior BJP leaders, in particular Lingayats, about their prospects. They are now concerned about their fate at the party in the coming days. If a senior leader such as me is treated so badly, then what future do they have in the BJP? Earlier, it was thought that the Congress might emerge as the single largest party. But slowly, it is moving towards getting a clear majority to form the government in May. The BJP has already lost ground for the blunders it has committed. In the event Congress comes to power, what role would you play? I have not joined the party with any preconditions except asking them to treat me with respect. I am not aiming to become anything. The 2019 Lok Sabha elections saw the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) contesting in an alliance in Karnataka, with the two parties running a coalition government in the state back then. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) went on to trounce the coalition, winning 26 of the 28 seats, and the Congress and the JD (S) had to settle for a seat apiece. The BJP interpreted the results as a cue for engineering defections, thus leading to the installation of a BJP government headed by BS Yediyurappa. The lessons drawn from the 2019 general elections in Karnataka have set the BJPs agenda down the line. The Post-BSY Planning Yediyurappa was replaced with protege Basavaraj Bommai in 2021 and, in a marked shift in strategy, the saffron party sought to replicate its tried-and-tested Hindutva prototype in the southern state. The prototype essentially involves pursuing an aggressive brand of the BJPs core Hindutva ideology, in place of the social engineering it had followed until then. It was deemed necessary on account of the BJPs failure to register an absolute majority in the Karnataka assembly elections in so many attempts. The dependence on an ageing Yediyurappa aside, the BJP needed to grow out of the Lingayat stranglehold to become a pan-Karnataka party. One of the major reasons for the BJPs stunting in the state has been its inability to cater to the Vokkaligas in the Old Mysuru region. The Congress-JD (S) alliance in the 2019 Lok Sabha election came as a blessing in disguise to the BJP to gain a foothold in the region. Stuck With The Lingayats In the last three decades, the saffron partys fortunes in Karnataka have closely mirrored that of Yediyurappa, its tallest leader in the state. So it didnt come as a surprise that the BJP made an exemption for Yediyurappa to become CM, even after he crossed the partys unofficial retirement age of 75. However, at some point, the BJP had to plan for the future. And hence Yediyurappas stepping down and Bommais takeover. And yet, Bommai is seen to be a short-term option today. In any case, Bommai wasnt the BJPs first choice to succeed Yediyurappa. Bommais elevation was, at the most, a signal to the Lingayats to stay put with the BJP after Yediyurappas stepping down. BL Santhoshs Long Wait The million dollar question then is who would be named chief minister if the BJP were to secure a majority, defying all odds. The question becomes important because the BJP hasnt projected Bommai as its chief ministerial candidate, as yet. For all practical purposes, Bommai is keeping the seat warm for BL Santhosh, BJPs general secretary (organisation), deputed from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Now, Santhosh has never hidden his chief ministerial ambitions in the past. And he has been going about his ambition very much like a certain Narendra Modi, once upon a time in Gujarat. Having been made general secretary of the Karnataka BJP in 2006, Santhosh went on to become national joint secretary in-charge of southern states in 2014, before succeeding Ram Lal as general secretary (organisation) in 2019. It may be remembered that Modi was named Gujarat CM in 2001, when he held the same charge. However, while his status as a Brahmin might earn Santhosh brownie points within the RSS, the same becomes a liability in the electoral arena, as Brahmins make up less than 3 percent of Karnatakas population. Hardline Hindutva In Motion Besides, Bommai has also failed to emerge as a leader in his own right during his short term. Bommais reign saw Karnataka become a Hindutva laboratory of sorts: Issues such as Halal meat, Hijab, Tipu Sultan have all been raked up in the process, pitting the Hindu majority against the 13 percent Muslims. True, this model is not something entirely alien to Karnataka politics. Coastal Karnataka has been a communal hotbed for decades, and the BJPs predecessor, the Jana Sangh, first made its mark here. As far back as 1968, the Jana Sangh had captured the Udupi municipality, led by VS Acharya, who later went on to serve as Home minister under Yediyurappa. However, this strategy had not paid dividends elsewhere in the state. In fact, the BJP has had to rely heavily on the Lingayats in north and central Karnataka to come to power in the state. Today, the hardline approach is championed by the likes of BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel, CT Ravi, Tejasvi Surya et al who collectively owe their allegiance to Santhosh. Damage Control Alas, the limitations of employing the approach at least in the short term have dawned on the BJP now. The rehabilitation of Yediyurappa to the BJPs parliamentary board, the highest decision-making body of the party, was essentially damage control. Yediyurappa leading the partys election campaign makes it even more apparent. The BJP might have succeeded in tilting the electorate rightwards in states such as Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh with this approach, but it would require more time to pull this off in Karnataka. It could have gone the whole hog on hardline Hindutva only by risking a huge setback at the hustings. The prevailing anti-incumbency against the Bommai regime complicated matters further. The large-scale Lingayat desertions from its ranks may not be entirely incidental, as the community would have surely gauged the BJPs long-term strategy in Karnataka by now. But make no mistake, the BJPs aborted attempts to push the Hindutva narrative to subsume caste identities will be a decisive factor in this election. Anand Kochukudy is a Kerala-based journalist and columnist. Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication. NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has signed a definitive agreement with global digital payments infrastructure provider PPRO to widen the reach of the RuPay cards and UPI. The UK-based PPRO's global clients include payment service providers (PSPs) and global merchant acquirers around the world, NPCI said in a media statement on Thursday. UPI has revolutionised the digital payments landscape in India... By partnering with PPRO, Indian consumers will now be able to shop online with merchants around the world and pay safely and easily using UPI," NIPL chief executive Ritesh Shukla said in the statement. This association will also drive NIPLs expansion into foreign markets and will add India to PPROs Local Payment Method (LPM) coverage map. Launched in 2016, UPI is a prominent instant payment system, processing 60 percent of all domestic payments in India and 40 percent of instant payments processed globally. UPI as a platform has over 325 million active users and supports 390 banks and 100 third-party apps with complete interoperability. In March 2023 alone, UPI processed over 8.7 billion transactions, the highest since its launch. The partnership between NIPL and PPRO will empower the global PSPs, banks, payment gateways, and enterprises with payment platforms to expand globally giving international e-commerce merchants access to Indian consumers. For consumers, this means they can seamlessly make cross-border purchases in Indian Rupees using their favourite payment method, the statement said. International payment service providers and their merchants can now easily tap into an e-commerce market that is expected to reach an estimated $111 billion next year, and predicted to almost double to $200 billion by 2026," said Simon Black, CEO-PPRO Black added that by integrating UPI into PPROs digital payments infrastructure through a single connection, we have removed all the operational complexity for our partners to sell cross-border into India at scale. Global adoption of UPI is accelerating in the past couple of months. In February, to facilitate swift cross-border remittances for residents of India and Singapore, the Reserve Bank of India announced the UPI- PayNow linkage the real-time payment system linkage between Indias Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and its equivalent network of Singapore, PayNow. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) are also in early talks with Thailand, Sri Lanka and other countries to extend the reach of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). IT services firm Coforge will gift all its employees Apple iPads to celebrate the milestone of reaching over $1 billion in revenue, the company said in a statement. The company will incur Rs 80.3 crore as the cost towards this celebration. Coforge had 21,815 billable personnel as of March 31, 2023, and this excludes its sales and marketing personnel and others. Coforge's Q4FY23 net profit plunged 48.08 percent to Rs 116.7 crore from Rs 224.8 crore in the same quarter last year. The reason for the decline was largely due to a one-off expense of Rs 52.3 crore it incurred as part of its curtailed fundraising bid which was approved in 2021. During the period, its revenue went up by 24.5 percent year-on-year to Rs 2,170 crore. The companys banking, financial services and insurance vertical did not take a beating despite the ongoing banking crisis and the companys exposure to regional banks in the US. In a statement issued earlier, the company had said that its exposure is limited and did not see the crisis impacting its performance. For FY24, the company gave a revenue growth guidance of 13-16 percent in constant currency terms, a gross margin increase of 50 bps, and its adjusted EBITDA margin to be at a similar level as it was in FY23. We believe that our performance during the quarter was marked by two key achievements. The first was a quarterly sequential US$ growth of 5.0%. The second major landmark has been the firm crossing the US$ one billion revenue mark. Our performance heading in to FY24 sets us up well to deliver robust growth, said Coforge CEO Sudhir Singh in a statement. Indias steel exports to Europe will likely stay muted this financial year because of robust domestic demand, a weak continental economy and a build-up of inventories. Production disruptions in Europe because of maintenance shutdowns and other reasons arent likely to translate into gains for Indian steelmakers. A weak European economy and inventory buildup mean demand for the alloy will be muted, playing spoilsport for steel exporters, rating companies say. Also Read: India steel imports from Russia rise to eight-year high in April-January Blast furnaces in Europe were under maintenance in April, after production disruptions at two ArcelorMittal facilities were reported in March. The two developments caused the suspension of 8.3 million tonnes per annum of production, which would take 3-4 months to be operational, Motilal Oswal analysts wrote in an April 18 note. According to industry estimates, Indian steelmakers combined shipped 40 percent of exports to Europe alone in FY23. Indian steel exports to Europe in the last fiscal year were hit by an export duty enforced by India between May and November. Despite the removal of the export duty, Indian steelmakers are unlikely to expand exports to Europe over last year, executives with rating agencies said. Robust Indian demand, European inventory buildup Post export duty rollback, Indian exports have seen reasonable improvement, however, still far lower than the peak exports volumes achieved in FY22, said Hitesh Avachat, associate director, CareEdge Ratings. Ritabrata Ghosh, vice president and sector head at ICRA, said, the credit assessor expected the current years exports to Europe to remain at the volume level of 3.5 million tonnes achieved in FY23. At play, the two executives said, are factors such as Indias own robust demand, Europes weak economy and a buildup of inventories. They also pointed out that maintenance shutdowns were typically timed around weak demand periods, allowing for a limited rise in Europes import needs. Subdued demand in Europe is likely to negate any potential gains from the removal of export duty in India. Maintenance shutdowns are generally timed with weak demand periods, and supplemented with a buildup of inventory levels. We do not expect this to give any specific push to volumes from India to Europe, explained Ghosh. Also Read: Steel ministry official exhorts industry to utilise Rs 4,000-crore PLI kitty Limited export premium Avachat of CareEdge told Moneycontrol last week that UK's energy and raw material costs are currently high and steel demand muted, making it a favourable time for maintenance shutdowns. He added: Indian domestic demand remains robust. Given the muted demand for European markets, export premium are limited and so Indian players are limiting their exports, as the domestic market is protecting volume growth. If International prices move up further, which was witnessed in the last 3 months, then Indian players will tend to increase their export volumes. Prices in Europe have seen a correction but still remain on the higher side. In Europe, prices have come off by $30/tonne to $785-830/tonne, but remain relatively higher owing to production disruption at ArcelorMittals plants in France and Spain, ICICI Securities analysts wrote in an April 20 note. A slowdown in network expansion in the e-commerce and consumer markets along with acquisition costs relating to the buyout of B2B Express delivery company Rivigo affected the companys financial performance during the March quarter, said Mahindra Logistics Ltd (MLL) in a conference call with analysts on April 25. The company also added that the poor quarterly performance was largely on account of the transition impact (of the Rivigo acquisition) and seasonal adjustments based on specific demand patterns from customers in North India. Talking about the demand scenario, the company said the auto sectorwhich accounts for the lions share of third-party logistics (3PL) sales in Indiais seeing robust traction given the improved availability of semiconductor chips, led by the passenger vehicle segment. However, sectors such as e-commerce have stayed soft after the festive season. Despite a slowdown in some end markets, MLLs core 3PL business has shown positive momentum in terms of order intake and margin expansion, the company management said during the call. During the quarter ended March, the 3PL company reported a 97 percent year-on-year decline in consolidated net profit at Rs 0.2 crore even as revenue rose 17 percent to Rs 1,272.51 crore. MLL is one of the leading 3PL companies in India with around 50 percent of business coming from its parent company Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M). Reacting to the big slump in profit, shares of the logistics player witnessed some selling pressure on April 25. However, the scrip settled at Rs 369, up 1 percent on the BSE on April 26. Rivigo acquisition cost mars Q4 show In recent times, MLL has made a host of acquisitions in different verticals, which is transforming its 3PL-focused business model into an integrated logistics solutions provider. MLL acquired Rivigo Express--one of Indias largest B2B shipment business--last year. The company aims to leverage Rivigos existing network to bolster its own 3PL services. At the time of the acquisition, MLL had said that the Rivigo deal will help the company nearly triple its own express delivery business to more than Rs 500 crore value in a year. Higher depreciation and interest costs related to recent acquisitions have marred the companys overall performance, several analysts believe. Even as raw material costs for the company have gone down, its expenditureoperating expenses, employee benefits expenses, finance cost, depreciation and amortisation expenses, among othershas increased. Interest and depreciation increased 85 percent and 41 percent on an annualised basis, respectively, with capacity expansion and acquisitions. However, losses incurred by the Rivigo business are seen decreasing in the near future as the integration of the new business with MLL operations gathers momentum and it achieves greater scale, according to Motilal Oswal Financial Services. The brokerage firm has lowered its FY25 profit after tax estimate for the company by 18 percent to factor in higher-than-expected depreciation costs related to recent acquisitions. Motilal Oswal Financial Services has retained its neutral rating on the stock with a target price of Rs 350. The acquisitions also triggered PhillipCapital to cut its earnings estimate by 1 percent and 5 percent for FY24 and FY25, respectively. Read more | Logistics to be full of opportunities for youth in coming years with huge scope for investment: MoS Skill Development The express business has been slow at the industry level and the Rivigo business was also adversely impacted. However, the outlook continues to remain promising, the company said in the conference call. Express biz turnaround a key monitorable Ex-Rivigo, MLLs performance appears satisfactory, which is why the turnaround of the express business is a key variable hereon, according to analysts. MLL reported a net loss at a group level, along expected lines, as Q4FY23 was the first full quarter (after the) Rivigo consolidation. Revenue growth, excluding Rivigo, was also subpar, falling more than 5 percent QoQ (quarter-on-quarter), said Nuvama Wealth Management analysts in a note. While we anticipated this, the 9 percent QoQ dip in revenue ex-Rivigo is concerning too, the brokerage firm pointed out. The company said in the conference call that it is targeting to scale up its network services and expedite the integration of recent acquisitions. With the acquisition of Rivigo, MLL will try to gain higher market share in the B2B express logistics business and increase the share of non-M&M to overall revenue. Meanwhile, the companys operating margin improved to 5.01 percent during the quarter under review compared to 4.73 percent in the year-ago quarter. Nuvama Wealth Management believes MLLs profitability journey for FY24 and FY25 is likely to be turbulence-ridden. Even as revenue scales up, margin challenges may keep the stock range-bound. It has retained its hold rating on the stock with an unchanged target price of Rs 414. MLL is transitioning from a pure-play 3PL player to a more integrated business model that focuses particularly on freight forwarding, B2B express and last-mile delivery. While the scalability prospects are superior in these areas, over the medium term, these would challenge MLLs group margins, according to Nuvama Wealth Management. For instance, Rivigos Express B2B business should take another year to be in the black while its Network business needs a certain threshold utilisation to turn profitable, and MLLs journey, especially for its margins, over the next two years can be turbulent, the brokerage firm said. Hence, even as revenue scales up, margin challenges may keep the stock range-bound. Read more | Logistics Q4 Preview: Buoyant demand to drive sales, but margins under pressure PhillipCapital sees a turnaround in the express delivery business, improving profitability mainly in FY25, which has prompted the brokerage firm to maintain stock valuation at 35 times its FY25 earnings per share but trim its target price by 5.5 percent to Rs 501. At the current market price, ICICI Securities is of the view that the stock adequately captures the adverse revenue impact from one of the contracts not yielding the desired benefits and risks pertaining to the Rivigo integration. Going ahead, the brokerage firm believes margins have turned the corner and are likely to improve on the back of improvement in Rivigos profitability, and has upgraded its rating on the companys stock to add from hold with an 18 percent cut in its price target to Rs 390. Going ahead, we believe margin has bottomed out and may improve as high-margin express business ramps up, said ICICI Securities. Guidance MLL has guided for an 18 percent return on equity by FY26 considering the Rivigo turnaround, margin expansion and leveraging synergies between its core business and acquisitions. The company also aims to achieve a revenue of Rs 10,000 crore by FY26 by capitalising on increasing corporate focus on achieving logistics efficiency. It expects EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) break even by Q3FY24 and breakeven in profit after tax by the end of FY24. Once the Rivigo business stabilises, the profitability of the consolidated business is expected to witness strong improvement. Shares of L&T Technology Services Ltd gained 3 percent on the back of the company's strong earnings and revenue guidance. Analysts, however, remained cautious and maintained the 'sell' rating while reducing the target price for the stock. The stock was trading at Rs 3546 on the BSE, up 2.9 percent from its previous close. The engineering services company reported a 22 percent increase in net profit, reaching Rs 1,174.1 crore by the end of FY23. In Q4 of FY23, LTTS recorded a net profit of about Rs310.9 crore, posting an 18 percent rise over the same period last year. The company experienced a 19.4 percent on-year growth in revenue from operations at Rs 2,096.2 crore, primarily driven by the transportation, plant engineering, and industrial products verticals. Sequentially, revenue from North America, which contributes 60.2 percent to the company's total revenue, declined 1.4 percent. In full FY23, LTTS achieved $990 million in CC revenue. In FY2023, LTTS secured 18 large deals worth $10 million or more, which is lower than the 20 large deals it had bagged a year before. The management has, however, indicated that the total contract value (TCV) of the deals, including those below $10 million, is slightly higher than the levels achieved in FY2022. "We believe this trend indicates client view of macro uncertainty. Pressure in relatively smaller sub-segments of semi-conductor and hyperscaler projects further reflect dynamic macro pressures," said Dolat Analysis & Research in its report. The brokerage house maintained its 'sell' rating and kept the target price at Rs 3,240 a share. Despite some weakness in the semiconductor and hyperscaler sectors, the overall commentary from the management remains strong, with great traction across other sectors. Based on the broad-based deal pipeline and growth momentum, the management has guided the FY24 revenue growth to be 10 percent or more in organic CC terms, implying a 2.8 percent compounded quarterly growth rate (CQGR). Additionally, they expect a 20 percent or more revenue growth, including acquisition. According to a Kotak report, L&T Tech had a good quarter, and their organic growth guidance is in line with expectations. However, the report notes that risks exist due to the discretionary nature of the ERD business and a slowdown in developed markets. While the report broadly maintains EPS estimates and a target multiple of 21X FY2025 EPS, leading to an FV of Rs 3,000, it considers the stock to be expensive and maintains its 'sell' rating on the stock. "Given the margin-dilutive and working-capital-intensive nature of SWC's business, it is expected that the FY2024 EBIT margin will decline to approximately 17 percent, down from 18.5 percent in FY2023. Additionally, receivables days are anticipated to increase to 115-125 days, as compared to 95 days in FY2023. It should be noted that the ERD business is discretionary in nature, which may not be the best attribute during a deteriorating environment," the Kotak report said. Dolat Analysis & Research believes that their existing USD revenue estimates already reflect the Q4 results and the management guidance for FY24. As a result, they will keep their growth estimates for FY24/FY25 unchanged. The integration of SWC was factored into their previous estimates, but they will moderately increase their margin estimates by 57bps/34bps for FY24/FY25 to reflect the guidance for a 17 percent margin for FY24. Overall, they have raised their earnings estimates by 3.3 percent/1.8 percent, respectively for FY24/FY25, based on the reported results. Motilal Oswal anticipates that the increased spending on engineering, research, and development (ER&D) due to digitisation will benefit LTTS, as the company has strong capabilities, a multi-vertical presence, and a solid wallet share. The company is expected to achieve robust revenue growth in the upcoming years. Motilal also expects industry spends to improve compared to the preceding five years, which should further benefit LTTS given its strong position and capabilities in the engineering and R&D space. The brokerage firm has maintained the 'buy' rating and kept the target price at Rs 4,040 a share. According to the brokerage house, the valuations of LTTS have significantly decreased over the last year, and they are now at 22x FY25 EPS. This is seen as an attractive valuation because the outlook for the ER&D services industry is better than the broader IT services universe. YEREVAN, APRIL 26, ARMENPRESS. Recently, the State Revenue Committee (SRC) published information on top 1,000 taxpayers, according to which, in the first quarter of the current year, the amount of tax revenues paid by them to the state budget amounted to more than 381 billion 104 million AMD, which compared to the same period last year, increased by more than 54 billion AMD or by 16.5%. It is noteworthy that over the past 6 years, the tax revenues paid by top 1,000 taxpayers have recorded dynamic growth, including in the first quarter of 2023, increasing 2.1 times compared to the same period in 2018. In the first quarter of the current year, 212.1 billion AMD in tax revenues were collected from top 100 taxpayers, which makes 55.7% of the total amount collected from the top 1000 taxpayers, that is, more than half of the taxes paid by top 1000 taxpayers are generated by the top 100 taxpayers. In 2023, Gazprom Armenia heads the list with 20.9 billion AMD in taxes paid to the state budget. Compared to the same period last year, taxes paid by the company increased by 4.2%. The second largest taxpayer is "Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine" (ZCMC), followed by "Grand Tobacco" with taxes paid to the state budget of 15.5 and 11.7 billion AMD, respectively. It is noteworthy that the volume of tax revenues paid by all organizations included in the top ten large taxpayers has increased, except for ZCMC. The total amount of taxes paid to the state budget of Armenia in the first quarter of 2023 was 461.4 billion AMD, surpassing the indicator of the same period of 2018 by 190.3 billion AMD or 70.2%. It is noteworthy that the share of taxes paid by 1000 large taxpayers in January-March of this year was 82.6% of the total, compared to 65.5% in 2018. Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are not seeking to replace existing forms of money but complement them, according to a senior policy analyst at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Stated objectives of most if not all CBDC experimentation we see at least in OECD countries at the moment clearly states that CBDCs would be an additional option and not a tool that will replace existing forms of central bank money, Iota Kaousar Nassr said at an overnight event on decentralised finance in Switzerland. OECD is a grouping of rich countries. Decentralised finance, or DeFi as it is commonly referred to, is based on distributed ledger technology. I personally think this is very important because it addresses the fact that some people may not be able or may not wish to use it (CBDCs). So, for the retail CBDCs, preserving the availability of the physical cash also will address that part of the population. Globally, 114 countries, representing over 95 percent of the global gross domestic product, are exploring CBDCs, according to the Atlantic Council CBDC tracker. India is among 18 of the G20 countries that are now at an advanced stage of CBDC development. The success of CBDCs across the world will depend on these digital currencies winning the confidence of people, OECDs Nassr said. Ultimately, whether a possible CBDC will be successful or not may depend to a large extent on whether citizens and users will trust this kind of instrument, the analyst said. "Building trust for central bank money is something that took a very long, historical process. So, building trust is very tough and requires time and energy and the whole system has to be in place." CBDCs will need to ensure the protection of privacy, ensure equitable treatment of its users, have wide availability and accessibility, and also be affordable, she added. Also read: Recent uptrend shows crypto isnt going anywhere Indias Digital Rupee The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) towards the end of 2022 launched pilots for both a wholesale CBDC as well as a retail CBDC. The pilot for the wholesale segment, known as the Digital Rupee Wholesale, was launched on November 1, with use cases being limited to the settlement of secondary market transactions in government bonds, aimed at making the interbank market more efficient and reducing transaction costs. The pilot in the retail segment, known as Digital Rupee Retail, was launched on December 1 within a closed user group comprising participating customers and merchants. The CBDC pilot launched by the RBI in the retail segment has components based on blockchain technology and the retail CBDC is in the form of a digital token that represents legal tender. The retail Digital Rupee is being issued in the same denominations as the paper currency and coins and is being distributed through banks. The retail Digital Rupee offers features of physical cash like trust, safety and settlement finality, according to the finance ministry. Like cash, the CBDC will not earn any interest and can be converted to other forms of money, like deposits with banks, Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha in December. As the G20 president, India is seeking a global consensus for regulation of crypto assets, which the country has imposed a tax on. Despite the crypto winter late last year, central banks across the world are moving ahead with the CBDC proposals as they seek to provide an alternative to conventional forms of money. Also read: Regulating crypto without global consensus will not be effective: FM Nirmala Sitharaman Wholesale CBDCs and tokenisation Meanwhile, CBDCs could have a key role in these alternative models for digital money, Hyun Song Shin, head of research at the Bank for International Settlements, said at the event. Shin cited so-called tokenised deposits underpinned by settlement using CBDCs and tokenisation of securities and other claims as key use cases. Tokenised deposits are a way to piggyback on wholesale CBDCs, enabling innovative use cases like smart contracts, he added. In December, Elon Musk became angry about the development of artificial intelligence and put his foot down. He had learned of a relationship between OpenAI, the startup behind the popular chatbot ChatGPT, and Twitter, which he had bought in October for $44 billion. OpenAI was licensing Twitters data a feed of every tweet for about $2 million a year to help build ChatGPT, two people with knowledge of the matter said. Musk believed the AI startup wasnt paying Twitter enough, they said. So Musk cut OpenAI off from Twitters data, they said. Since then, Musk has ramped up his own AI activities, while arguing publicly about the technologys hazards. He is in talks with Jimmy Ba, a researcher and professor at the University of Toronto, to build a new AI company called X.AI, three people with knowledge of the matter said. He has hired top AI researchers from Googles DeepMind at Twitter. And he has spoken publicly about creating a rival to ChatGPT that generates politically charged material without restrictions. The actions are part of Musks long and complicated history with AI, governed by his contradictory views on whether the technology will ultimately benefit or destroy humanity. Even as he recently jump-started his AI projects, he also signed an open letter last month calling for a six-month pause on the technologys development because of its profound risks to society. And although Musk is pushing back against OpenAI and plans to compete with it, he helped found the AI lab in 2015 as a nonprofit. He has since said he has grown disillusioned with OpenAI because it no longer operates as a nonprofit and is building technology that, in his view, takes sides in political and social debates. What Musks AI approach boils down to is doing it himself. The 51-year-old billionaire, who also runs the electric carmaker Tesla and the rocket company SpaceX, has long seen his own AI efforts as offering better, safer alternatives than those of his competitors, according to people who have discussed these matters with him. He believes that AI is going to be a major turning point and that if it is poorly managed, it is going to be disastrous, said Anthony Aguirre, a theoretical cosmologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a founder of the Future of Life Institute, the organization behind the open letter. Like many others, he wonders: What are we going to do about that? Musk and Ba, who is known for creating a popular algorithm used to train AI systems, did not respond to requests for comment. Their discussions are continuing, the three people familiar with the matter said. A spokesperson for OpenAI, Hannah Wong, said that although it now generated profits for investors, it was still governed by a nonprofit and its profits were capped. Musks roots in AI date to 2011. At the time, he was an early investor in DeepMind, a London startup that set out in 2010 to build artificial general intelligence, or AGI, a machine that can do anything the human brain can. Less than four years later, Google acquired the 50-person company for $650 million. At a 2014 aerospace event at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Musk indicated that he was hesitant to build AI himself. I think we need to be very careful about artificial intelligence, he said while answering audience questions. With artificial intelligence, we are summoning the demon. That winter, the Future of Life Institute, which explores existential risks to humanity, organized a private conference in Puerto Rico focused on the future of AI. Musk gave a speech there, arguing that AI could cross into dangerous territory without anyone realizing it and announced that he would help fund the institute. He gave $10 million. In the summer of 2015, Musk met privately with several AI researchers and entrepreneurs during a dinner at the Rosewood, a hotel in Menlo Park, California, famous for Silicon Valley deal-making. By the end of that year, he and several others who attended the dinner including Sam Altman, then president of the startup incubator Y Combinator, and Ilya Sutskever, a top AI researcher had founded OpenAI. OpenAI was set up as a nonprofit, with Musk and others pledging $1 billion in donations. The lab vowed to open source all its research, meaning it would share its underlying software code with the world. Musk and Altman argued that the threat of harmful AI would be mitigated if everyone, rather than just tech giants like Google and Facebook, had access to the technology. But as OpenAI began building the technology that would result in ChatGPT, many at the lab realized that openly sharing its software could be dangerous. Using AI, individuals and organizations can potentially generate and distribute false information more quickly and efficiently than they otherwise could. Many OpenAI employees said the lab should keep some of its ideas and code from the public. In 2018, Musk resigned from OpenAIs board, partly because of his growing conflict of interest with the organization, two people familiar with the matter said. By then, he was building his own AI project at Tesla Autopilot, the driver-assistance technology that automatically steers, accelerates and brakes cars on highways. To do so, he poached a key employee from OpenAI. In a recent interview, Altman declined to discuss Musk specifically, but said Musks breakup with OpenAI was one of many splits at the company over the years. There is disagreement, mistrust, egos, Altman said. The closer people are to being pointed in the same direction, the more contentious the disagreements are. You see this in sects and religious orders. There are bitter fights between the closest people. After ChatGPT debuted in November, Musk grew increasingly critical of OpenAI. We dont want this to be sort of a profit-maximizing demon from hell, you know, he said during an interview last week with Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host. Musk renewed his complaints that AI was dangerous and accelerated his own efforts to build it. At a Tesla investor event last month, he called for regulators to protect society from AI, even though his car company has used AI systems to push the boundaries of self-driving technologies that have been involved in fatal crashes. That same day, Musk suggested in a tweet that Twitter would use its own data to train technology along the lines of ChatGPT. Twitter has hired two researchers from DeepMind, two people familiar with the hiring said. The Information and Insider earlier reported details of the hires and Twitters AI efforts. During the interview last week with Carlson, Musk said OpenAI was no longer serving as a check on the power of tech giants. He wanted to build TruthGPT, he said, a maximum-truth-seeking AI that tries to understand the nature of the universe. Last month, Musk registered X.AI. The startup is incorporated in Nevada, according to the registration documents, which also list the companys officers as Musk and his financial manager, Jared Birchall. The documents were earlier reported by The Wall Street Journal. Experts who have discussed AI with Musk believe he is sincere in his worries about the technologys dangers, even as he builds it himself. Others said his stance was influenced by other motivations, most notably his efforts to promote and profit from his companies. He says the robots are going to kill us? said Ryan Calo, a professor at the University of Washington School of Law, who has attended AI events alongside Musk. A car that his company made has already killed somebody. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Google said on April 27 that it has taken necessary enforcement action against more than 3,500 personal loan apps in 2022, which includes removing them from Play Store, for violating its Play Policy requirements, as the tech giant steps up its crackdown on unregistered and fraudulent lenders. The company did not disclose any specific information on how many apps it removed in this process during the entire year. In August 2022, Google stated that it had blocked 2,000 personal loan providers from its app marketplace in India from January 2022 to July 2022.lendersApart from app removal, Google's enforcement actions on Play Store include app rejection, suspension, restricting the discoverability of the app, making it available only in certain regions and even terminating the developer account of the application maker. The rise in digital lending by unregistered and fraudulent apps has been a major concern that has had the government, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as well as the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in a bind. The issue dates back to 2020 when instances of high-handed loan recovery methods by these apps that lend to unsuspecting customers at high rates pushed many to suicide. In 2021, Google revised its Play Store developer program policy for financial services apps, mandating additional requirements for personal loan apps in the country. This included completing a declaration form confirming that they are either licensed by the RBI to provide personal loans and submit a copy of the license, or alternatively, confirming that they only provide a platform to facilitate money lending by duly licensed lenders. Last year, the company introduced additional requirements for developers offering personal loans in India as facilitators on behalf of Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and banks. This required them to also prominently disclose the names of all their partner NBFCs and banks in the apps description and provide a live website link to the respective websites of partner NBFCs and banks where they are listed as an official agent, as part of the declaration form. Earlier this month, Google updated its personal loans policy to state that apps that provide or facilitate personal loans will be restricted from accessing sensitive data of consumers such as their contacts, location, photos, videos, files or call logs. The new policy will be effective from May 31, 2023. "We continue to uplevel our efforts in this area by regularly updating our policies and review processes" a company spokesperson said. Globally, Google said that it has prevented 1.43 million apps that violated its policies from being published on Google Play in 2022, partly due to its new security features and policy enhancements as well as machine learning systems and app review processes. The company also banned 173,000 bad accounts, and prevented over $2 billion in fraudulent and abusive transactions during the year, it said. Besides this, Google claimed that it also prevented about 500,000 submitted apps from unnecessarily accessing sensitive permissions over the past three years. India is set to become the third largest aviation market in the world in a period of next four years, according to Etihad Airways Chief Executive Officer Antonoaldo Neves. Etihad has been operating in India for the last 19 years, and the country remains "one of the most important markets for us", Neves told CNBC TV-18. The airline wants to be "part of the India story", the Etihad CEO said, adding that its commitment to the Indian market is "solid". Etihad currently serves 10 destinations in India, with 185 weekly flights, Neves noted. The plan is "chart 20 percent growth in India in the next year, and then grow further", the news channel quoted him as saying. Also Read | Domestic air traffic grows 21.4% in March, IndiGo widens market share "India is going to be the third largest aviation market in the next four years," Neves further added. The Etihad CEO's remarks comes a couple of months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India would soon emerge among the top three international aviation markets. "In the near future, India would become the third biggest market in the world in the aviation sector," Modi had said on February 14, when Indian private carrier Air India announced the mega deal to acquire 250 aircraft from Airbus. As per a recent report released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the cumulative market share of Indian airlines - in terms of passengers carried on international flights - stood at 43.5 per cent in October-December 2022, which is significantly higher as against 39.2 percent in the corresponding pre-Covid period of 2019. According to the report, the maximum number of passengers 32.4 percent are carried to and from the UAE. The second on the list is Singapore (7.9 percent), Thailand (7 percent), Saudi Arabia (6.7 percent) and Qatar (6.3 percent). German carrier Deutsche Lufthansa AG on April 27 announced the introduction of two new routes Munich to Bangalore and Frankfurt to Hyderabad. The new flights on the Munich-Bangalore route will be operational three times a week, with the first flight on November 3, 2023. The flights from Frankfurt-Hyderabad will commence operations in the winter and combined these flights represent the first new routes in Asia Pacific for the Group, the company said in a statement. According to the statement, with more than 50 weekly services to India, these new routes will strength its position as the leading European airline group on the subcontinent. Lufthansa will use its Airbus A 350 on the Bengaluru - Munich route. The airline had planned to start the service in 2020 before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world. The German carrier will also look to increase frequency of flights on the Bengaluru - Munich route to five times a week if they see strong demand, he further added. Also Read | Lufthansa reports widespread flight cancellations due to IT systems glitch USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India's (SEBI) latest circular barring the deployment of clients' funds by stockbrokers to create bank guarantees for themselves is set to birth a host of funding challenges, especially for smaller brokers who until recently relied on clients' funds to meet their capital needs, say industry observers. "For large brokers like 5paisa it (the circular) will not impact as we are well capitalised and even today we are able to manage working capital requirements through our own capital. Our networth is almost 50% of client funds which is much more than what Sebi prescribed," Prakarsh Gagdani, CEO, 5Paisa, an online brokerage house, said in a tweet. However, he also cautioned that the new circular will have an impact on small brokers who rely largely on client funds as "100 percent working capital requirement should be done either from internal accruals or external borrowings". Brokerage rates to go up? Gagdani also indicated that brokerage rates, on the whole, will see a rise given the rising regulatory compliance burdens. "Having said that regulatory changes have increased the cost of doing business. Profit margins have taken a beating. This will have an impact on the brokerage rates for customers. There were many cost components that a broker used to absorb and not pass on to clients. That will go off and basic rates will go upwards." he tweeted. Venu Madhav, COO of Zerodha, one of India's biggest online brokerage, told Moneycontrol that with the recent circular, the need for brokers to infuse their own capital into the business will also witness an increase. "This is because, unlike before, brokers cannot use the non-funded portion of the BG (bank guarantees) to legitimately fund certain client transactions like instant credit against the sale of securities, margins against unapproved securities, etc.," Madhav said. Capital crunch fears Tejas Khoday, co-founder and CEO of FYERS, a broking-tech platform, pointed out that the move could affect clients as well. "If a broker is creating BGs out of client funds and using the limits assigned by the banks with the clearing corporation for funding client positions either in cash (margin trading facility), peak margins, or RR (risk reduction) mode, it may impact their clients as they will be unable to do so going forward," Khoday said. "New SEBI regulations require brokers to maintain segment-wise segregation on a client level, and failure to abide by this will attract heavy penalties. Other than that, it may reduce the income that such brokers were able to generate through the use of BGs which generally provide 2x exposure on the funds pledged with the banks. It could create a working capital crunch, too. Penalties on proprietary and client fund segregation could potentially add to this crunch," Khoday elaborated. Shrey Jain, founder and CEO of SAS Online, a deep discount broker that boasts over 50,000 clients and a daily turnover of Rs 1 lakh crore, indicated that for brokers engaged in proprietary or arbitrage trading, the cost of capital before the circular was released was close to zero, which will not be the case now. "For the brokers, since BGs on client funds would have to be wound down, the requirement of brokers' own capital in the business will go up. Currently, the cost of capital for such brokerage firms doing arbitrage/prop trading was close to nil but now they would be required to deploy their own funds which come at a cost, or in some cases brokers may have to reduce their prop book size due to limited funds," Jain said. "SEBIs decision to prohibit brokers from using client funds to create new BGs will certainly impact the working capital requirements of the brokers and they will be required to infuse more funds to procure BGs from banks. It will put more pressure on small brokers who are already finding it tough to compete in the current scenario," said Sandeep Jain, MD of Trans Scan Private Limited, a financial services company, and chairman of the Eastern India Regional Council of the Association of National Exchange Members of India. After several homebuyers complained to the Lokayukta against the Karnataka Real Estate Regulatory Authority (KRERA) for allegedly passing misleading orders and dereliction of duty, the states anti-corruption ombudsman clarified KRERA does not come under its ambit. Although the Karnataka Lokayukta Act 1984 mandates an investigation against any chairman or vice chairman under any law of the state legislature, KRERA is beyond its jurisdiction for investigations, a senior Lokayukta official told Moneycontrol. "Orders passed by RERA are in the exercise of their quasi-judicial power conferred under the statute. Investigation under Lokayukta Act cannot be pursued as per provisions contained in Section 5 of the Act," the official said. The Lokayukta is the ombudsman, executed into power through and for each of the state governments. It is brought into effect in a state after passing the Lokayukta Act in the state assembly. In case of misleading orders passed by KRERA, the homebuyers can approach the appropriate appellate authority or even move the high court for relief, the official quoted above said. Homebuyers can also file a complaint at the Lokayukta in case of corruption or any administrative matters against RERA officials. Aggrieved homebuyers Dhanajaya Padmanabachar, a homebuyer in Bengaluru, said the absence of a time-bound system was one of the biggest shortcomings of the RERA system. "Ideally, a RERA judgment should be faster than the civil courts. However, currently, there is no time-bound complaint redressal system," he noted. In the first week of April, of 54 orders passed by KRERA, at least 32 cases took a year or more to be disposed of. About eight cases took two years or more and 12 took three years or more. Only two cases took less than a year. Akash Bantia, a KRERA advocate, said: "Sometimes, to post the order, it takes 60-80 days. And then there is an additional 30-60 days of waiting for the order to be passed." Several homebuyers, including Padmanabachar, have moved out of KRERA to approach consumer courts for relief. Another homebuyer pointed out that discrepancies between the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 and the state RERA rules are a challenge. "While RERA Act says Occupancy Certificate (OC), the RERA rules mention partial OC. Additionally, RERA Act says the land has to be transferred to the association of allottees;, however, the state RERA rules do not specify how it has to be formed," he added. For homebuyers, recovering their money in a delayed project through a Revenue Recovery Certificate (RRC) poses another hurdle. Till July last year, the Karnataka revenue department had recovered only about Rs 26 crore from builders in the state as compensation or refunds to homebuyers for delayed delivery of apartments and an amount of more than Rs 245 crore is still pending. Of 683 recovery orders passed by the Karnataka Real Estate Regulatory Authority (KRERA), money has been collected from builders in only 84 cases, according to a document issued by the undersecretary of the regulator that Moneycontrol reviewed. Who watches over RERA? Advocate Vittal BR said a quasi-judicial body has the powers of the judiciary. However, it is not empowered like a civil court is. Such orders cannot be investigated by watchdogs like Lokayukta, but it has provisions for the orders to be challenged in an appellate tribunal or the high court. On a larger scale, this is applicable across India although each state will have its own RERA rules, almost identical, Vittal added. "Who watches over RERA is one issue that affects the functionalities of these bodies across the states. Most homebuyers are clueless about whom to approach (except the appellate tribunals) for challenging their order or even addressing their grievances against RERA. For example, every consumer forum will have a state and a national forum, including councils up to the Supreme Court, for grievances. However we do not see such cascading forums in RERA," Vittal said. Originally hailing from West Bengal, IIT Kharagpur and Penn State alumnus Arindrajit Chowdhury moved to Mumbai after he secured a job as an assistant professor at IIT Bombay in 2010. Over a decade-long stay in the city, the mechanical engineering expert became a full-time professor at the institute, started raising a family, and while doing so, experienced, like many others, the issues that come with living in a city as densely populated as Mumbai. If you walk through Kolkata or Mumbai, there is so much trouble on the ground in terms of space. If you're looking at Mumbai specifically, it took me about an hour to travel a distance of around 4 km, Chowdhury told Moneycontrol. And going forward, more people are going to come to cities from villages. Where will this extra resource come from? Where will urban planning come from? Will it really happen? These are the kind of questions that Chowdhury pondered upon for a long time, before finally finding a potential out-of-the-world solution. Last year, Chowdhury and Tausif Shaikh, an IIT Bombay alumnus, established InspeCity, a startup that aims to establish cities or factories in space, where energy and resources will not be as constrained as on Earth. InspeCitypronounced n spes sticame to life in mid-2022 with a simple dream of building a city up there in space, so that we don't fight over resources here on dear earth, their website says. Drawing inspiration For those who have watched or read The Expanse, Interstellar, Dune and so on, this may seem like an idea very far into the sci-fi segment, but for Chowdhury, this is very much doable. This is not, so to say, a ludicrous idea. The technology (to make such cities) has been there since the 1970s. Now we are 40 years down the line and nothing is stopping us from doing it, he said. Chowdhury draws his inspiration for InspeCity from American physicist Gerard K. ONeill, who in the 1970s introduced the idea of creating habitable ecosystems somewhere between the Earth and the Moon. Although the idea snowballed, factors such as high launch costs and low cadence prevented the project from taking off. Since then, ONeills plan to build human settlements in space has inspired countless others apart from being celebrated in popular culturefor example, in Interstellar, where in the last scene the character played by Matthew McConaughey meets his aged daughter in a habitable, cylindrical ecosystem inspired by ONeills ideas. So, in real life, how would it work? Essentially, it is a rotating cylinder. Imagine some kind of rotating body which is creating artificial gravity by centrifugal force. You just have to choose the diameter and the rotational speed accordingly. It is that simple, Chowdhury said. The first step So among the key qualifying technologies that InspeCity has now set out to develop in its long-term vision of creating such space cities/factories are autonomous robotic platforms in space. To begin with, InspeCity plans to use these platforms for maintaining satellites, and eventually use them to make space factories and cities. The platform, called Vehicle for Life-Extension and Deorbiting Activities (VEDA), will have its own propulsion systems and will be retrofitted with a robotic arm (termed RAMA). The, re-usable, in-orbit platform will have the ability to come close to structures such as satellites and with the help of the robotic arm, it will be able to service them by refueling or de-orbiting them. (Their website says that they want to become the greatest Space Mechanics). The need for such a maintenance facility in space can be attributed to the the high number of satellites that are estimated to be launched by 2030 -- around 25,000. Antler, a deep tech VC, which recently invested in InspeCity, estimates that 10 per cent of such satellites, around 2500 of them will need maintenance right after launch. Chowdhury pointed out that sending astronauts to repair such structures (for instance the Hubble Telescope Servicing Missions) is very expensive, due to the high prices of launches, and a re-usable autonomous robotic platform can drive down costs significantly. Realising the ONeill dream Going forward, VEDA will eventually aid InspeCity in creating ecosystems from the structures that are already in space. How? Imagine a rocket heading for space, Chowdhury said. The last stage of the rocket is shaped like a cylinder, and it has a tank for oxygen and nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen." "So if we can leverage that tank, cut it open, weld some more components into it; and if there are several such modules, I can put them into some kind of circle (with the help of VEDA) and start rotating it, Chowdhury said. According to the ONeill cylinder theory, two cylinders rotating in opposite directions would provide artificial gravity. For doing this, Chowdhury said he is in talks with rocket manufacturers such as Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace, which last year became the first Indian private company to launch a rocket into space, and Agnikul Cosmos, the Chennai-based startup that is planning to launch its maiden rocket soon. I'm sure that we can get along in that direction. We can start leveraging materials that are already up there, manipulate it autonomously in space, he said. Many tests necessary To build this platform and to work on his startup, Chowdhury has taken a one-year leave from his role as a professor at IIT Bombay. He will be working on creating a robust propulsion system and an artificial intelligence-based rendezvous and proximity operation system that will allow the platform to approach satellites or bodies. They will also be needing a robotic arm. Innovation is going to be in these three areas. We have targeted that we should be able to demonstrate the propulsion system in space, he said. The rendezvous and proximity tests will be conducted on-ground, he added. The startup recently secured $1.5 million in pre-seed funding from deep tech venture capital firm Speciale Invest to develop these technologies and expand InspeCitys team. Chowdhury declined to comment on a timeframe for these tests, as he said that there was a bottleneck in the electronics supply chain, and their work would depend on how quickly they could acquire such components. Godrej Consumer Products is likely to announce the acquisition of Raymond's consumer care business on April 27, dealers told Moneycontrol. It will be an all-cash deal for Rs 1000 crore-Rs 1200 crore, they added. Moneycontrol is awaiting responses to email queries sent to both companies. We reported about this deal in our MC Insider edition of April 24. At 11 am, Raymond was quoting at Rs 1,688 on the NSE, higher by 4.7 percent from previous close. Meanwhile, Godrej Consumer Products was down 3 percent at Rs 946. Both the companies have press conferences scheduled later in the day. Raymond Consumer Care is an associate company of Raymond Ltd, a branded textile and real estate company. Raymond Ltd holds over 47 percent of the consumer care business, which houses Park Avenue and KamaSutra brands and had annual sales of Rs 522 crore in the last fiscal. In its FY22 annual report, the company said it has a presence in over 6,50,000 retail outlets with strong reach in chemist channel, modern trade and e-commerce. Raymond Consumer Care also has a condom manufacturing facility with a 40 crore capacity per annum in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. On the other hand, Godrej Consumer Products has been focusing on category development by building accessibility, brand relevance and sampling. Its small packs of hair color cream and air fresheners have resulted in market share gains. Godrej Consumer already has personal care products, but if the acquisition happens, it will mark the companys foray into sexual wellness, too. Last year, there were talks of Good Glamm Group, the direct-to-consumer beauty and personal care conglomerate, acquiring Raymonds consumer business. But, the plan was later abandoned. At the time, the cash-and-stock deal was pegged at around Rs 2,500-Rs 2,800 crore. As of December 2022 end, Raymonds net debt stood at Rs 932 crore. In the past month, Raymonds shares have gained 37 percent and are currently trading near a 52-week high. Godrej Consumer Products share price is 2 percent away from its 52-week high. The Reserve Bank expects the managements and the boards of directors of banks to assess their financial risks and secure capital resources surpassing the minimum regulatory benchmark on a constant basis. We expect the management and the board of directors of each bank to continually assess financial risks and focus on building up adequate capital and liquidity buffers even beyond the minimum regulatory requirements, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das said on April 27. The Indian banking system remain resilient and not been affected by the recent sparks of financial instability seen in some advance economies. This also comes out in our recent stress test result, he said. This is required for continued resilience and sustainable growth of individual banks and financial entities. Das was addressing at the Global Conference on Financial Resilience. Das further said resilient future ready bank needs to be financially, operationally and organisationally resilient. To be financially resilient, banks should have adequate capital buffers and be ready to generate earning even in times of severe macroeconomics shocks. "It should also have adequate liquidity to meets its obligations in various situations. Therefore, financial reliance is closely linked to banks business model and strategy. The RBI therefore started looking at the business models of banks more closely," he said. Further he added aspects or deficiencies in the business model itself can spark a crisis in due course. We have not only prescribed regulatory norms capital adequacy and liquidity ratio, but gone beyond to nudge the banks to build up capital buffers in good times and times of plenty. We did this during the COVID-19 pandemic when there was plenty of liquidity, the interest rates were low and the full impact of the pandemic on the financial sector was still highly uncertain, he said. Russia must keep control of Lachin Corridor and ensure normal functioning of the corridor, PM Nikol Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting, speaking about the illegal installation of a checkpoint by Azerbaijan. April 27, 2023, 12:35 No one other than Russia should have control in Lachin Corridor PM Pashinyan STEPANAKERT, APRIL 27 , ARTSAKHPRESS-ARMENPRESS: Presenting Armenias vision for a general resolution of the situation, the PM said: The Russian peacekeeping contingent must keep the Lachin Corridor under control and thus ensure its normal functioning. Meaning, no one other than Russia should carry out control in the Lachin Corridor. And Azerbaijan must not impede free traffic along the corridor. This is precisely what is enshrined in the 9 November 2020 trilateral statement. He added that the rights and security of the Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh must become subject of negotiations between Stepanakert and Baku in an international format. Embassy Office Parks REIT on April 27 announced the appointment of Aravind Maiya as the chief executive officer who returns to the country's first listed real estate investment trust from Tata Realty. The appointment will be effective July 1, 2023. Vikaash Khdloya, who expressed his intent to pursue other interests, would step down as CEO effective June 30, 2023 after which he would assume the role of senior adviser to the REIT until the end of the year, Asias largest office REIT by area said in a regulatory filing. Maiya, who as the chief financial officer, played a pivotal role in the growth of Embassy REIT since its listing. With over 22 years of experience, he returns to Embassy from Tata Realty, where he was the CFO. I am delighted to rejoin Embassy REIT to lead its next phase of growth. We have ambitious aspirations, and Im excited about the potential that lies ahead. I look forward to working again with the wonderful team at the REIT to create long-term value for all our stakeholders, Maiya said. Embassy Group chairman and managing director Jitu Virwani said he was happy that Maiya was taking over as CEO. Aravind was a core member of the REITs management team and was instrumental in driving its success since listing. Were very grateful to Vikaash for his stewardship of Embassy REIT over the last few years, particularly during the two years of the pandemic. We wish him continued success in his future endeavours, he said. Embassy REIT owns and operates a 45 msf portfolio of nine infrastructure-like office parks and four city centre office buildings in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, and the National Capital Region. Its portfolio comprises 34.3 msf completed operating area and is home to around 230 of the worlds leading companies. The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police has arrested two developers namely Dharmesh Jain and Rajiv Jain, of Nirmal Lifestyle for allegedly failing to hand over the flats to around 34 homebuyers after taking money from them over, police officials confirmed. According to Mumbai Police officials, the arrests have been made on the basis of the complaint received from 34 homebuyers, involved in real estate projects named Olympia, Panorama and Spirit. The homebuyers had made bookings since 2011 but did not get possession nor the project has come into existence. A EOW police official not wishing to be named told Moneycontrol, "We arrested both Dharmesh and Rajeev Jain in connection to First Information Report (FIR) filed in April 2022. We produced them in local court and have got police custody till May 03." Also read: A test of endurance for homebuyers in Nirmal Lifestyle's Mumbai projects The official added, "There is one more FIR against the developers in FIR files against them for allegedly not giving possession, and investigation regarding the same is ongoing in those cases too. This FIR was filed by homebuyers in December 2022. This includes projects namely Nirman Zircon etc in the Mulund area of Mumbai." Nirmal Developers is a prominent real-estate developer from the Mulund area. However, the firm is in trouble owing to financial constraints. The firm has several projects around the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), and possession to homebuyers is allegedly delayed. In the past, lenders have approached the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), alleging unpaid dues running into hundreds of crores of rupees, and the NCLT had held many hearings. Here's a look at India's most delayed projects The Bank of Baroda (BoB) had also taken possession of Nirmal Lifestyle Mall owned by the developer over alleged non-payment of a loan amounting to around Rs 161 crore. Pankaj Thadani, one of the homebuyers in Nirmal Zircon project of Nirmal Lifestyle said they are also awaiting possession of their dream home for over a decade. We hope to get justice and also possession of our homes at the earliest. Meanwhile, an email query has been sent to Nirmal Lifestyle for a comment. The copy will be updated after getting their response. Razorpay, the fintech platform which mainly focuses on businesses, said it would be joining the governments e-commerce project, the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). The Tiger Global-backed payments solution provider will launch a payment reconciliation service for several network participants, which includes buyers, sellers, and logistic providers. The Bengaluru-based company boasts of over 10 million businesses on its platform, including small and medium enterprises, and says its history of maintaining an audit trail will likely help settle any disputes or discrepancies that arise on the network. "The possibilities the ONDC provides are endless. Im confident the payment reconciliation service will only further strengthen the development of ONDCs tech infrastructure and help the ecosystem grow seamlessly from a payments and compliance point of view, Shashank Kumar, managing director and co-founder of Razorpay, said. Elite company Razorpay is the second large fintech platform that has joined the ONDC in the same month. Walmart-owned PhonePe also integrated with the open network earlier this month, although with a separate app, dedicated for ONDC, named Pincode. Even Noida-based Paytm has integrated with the ONDC. This is a significant step towards our goal of enabling seamless and secure digital commerce for everyone. With this addition, we continue to drive transparency and inclusion in the digital commerce space said Thampy Koshy, CEO, ONDC. This comes at a time when ONDCs merchant base has risen to 85,000 from around 800 in December after it launched an incentive scheme for seller-side apps to enroll merchants. Of the total seller base, 31,000 are from non-mobility categories such as food, grocery, home decor, and electronics. Established in 2014 by Kumar and Harshil Mathur, Razorpay is backed by investors like Y Combinator, GIC, Sequoia Capital India, Ribbit Capital, Matrix Partners, MasterCard, and others who have collectively invested over $740 million in the company. The company was last valued at over $7 billion. Godrej Consumer Products (GCPL) will be shelling out Rs 2,825 crore to buy out Raymond's FMCG business in an all-cash deal. The FMCG business clocked an annual turnover of Rs 622 crore in FY23, so the valuation works out to 5.4x sales. "The deal is not expensive. Raymond Consumer Care has Rs 100 crore cash and there's a tax break of Rs 400 crore. So, the net cost of acquisition works out to about Rs 2300 crore - that's 3.75x FY23 sales," GCPL Chief Executive Officer Sudhir Sitapati explained in a press briefing. Also Read: Godrej Consumer to acquire Raymonds consumer care business for Rs 2,825 crore Godrej Consumer is yet to announce how the acquisition will be funded. It roughly has Rs 2,000 crore of cash on books. "We will figure it out in the next few days," said Sitapati. The company will not only be acquiring Raymond's FMCG business but also the trademarks of Park Avenue (for the FMCG category), KS, KamaSutra and Premium, through a slump sale. Moneycontrol had earlier today reported that Godrej Consumer Products is likely to announce the acquisition of Raymond's consumer care business. Meanwhile, Raymond will retain its condom manufacturing facility and will continue to do contract manufacturing in Aurangabad for both domestic and international markets. It will supply condoms to GCPL. "Raymond's FMCG brands currently have single-digit operating (EBITDA) margin. But on a gross margin level, they are similar to us. I am confident that we can bring the EBITDA margins also to our level soon," said Sitapati. Godrej Consumer's EBITDA margins have ranged between 20-22 percent over the past three years. Explaining the rationale behind the acquisition, Sitapati said that GCPL's main focus has always been India, where it has a high salience to soaps. Soaps is a slow-growing category in India. Meanwhile, sexual wellness and deodorant categories are rapidly growing," he explained. If the Kama Sutra and Park Avenue brands manage to grow at 10 percent rate, it will be a good acquisition for us, he added. Despite the name clash with the apparel brand Park Avenue, which remains housed under Raymond, Godrej Consumer Products has no plans of renaming the Park Avenue line of shampoos and deodorants, as of now. "The brand is well conceived. It will be a symbiotic relationship," said Sitapati. When it comes to synergies, Godrej Consumer Products' direct distribution is 4x that of Raymond Consumer Care's. So, Raymond's products will reach farther and wider. While both companies reach the same number of chemists across the country, the overlap is less, so both stand to benefit, he said. On April 27, the stock closed at Rs 954.80 on the NSE, lower by 2.19 percent from previous close. The stock is 3.9 percent below its 52-week high of Rs 992. The fast evolving regional security situation, developments in Afghanistan and ways to boost cooperation in effectively combating terrorism and extremism are set to be the key focus of a conclave of the defence ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Delhi on Friday. Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu, Tajikistan's Colonel General Sherali Mirzo, Iran's Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiyani and Kazakhstan's Colonel General Ruslan Zhaksylykov have already arrived in the national capital. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and his counterparts from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are also attending the meeting to be chaired by Rajnath Singh. Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif is set to attend the meeting through virtual mode. Officials involved in preparations for the meeting said the main focus of the deliberations will be on regional security situations including the developments in Afghanistan. They said enhancing coordination among the SCO member countries to effectively combat terrorism and extremism will be another priority. Ahead of the SCO meeting, Singh held bilateral talks with Li, Colonel General Zhaxylykov and Colonel General Mirzo. Singh also held a bilateral meeting with Brigadier General Ashtiyani. The SCO is an influential economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations. It was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017. India was made an observer at the SCO in 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping, which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region. India has shown a keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence. USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Colombian counterpart Alvaro Leyva Duran and discussed ways to boost bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on global issues, including the situation in the Indo-Pacific region. Jaishankar arrived here in Colombias capital from Panama on Wednesday. He is the first external affairs minister to have visited Colombia. Met Foreign Minister @AlvaroLeyva of Colombia this morning. Exchanged views on expanding our bilateral cooperation, especially in health, agriculture and digital domains, he tweeted about his meeting on Wednesday. Proposed greater exchanges and stronger collaboration, especially in capacity building. Also spoke about global issues, including the Indo-Pacific. Addressed the issue of Reformed Multilateralism, he said. The US, India and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific. The evolving situation in the strategic Indo-Pacific region in the wake of Chinas increasing military muscle flexing has become a major talking point among leading global powers. China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas. Beijing has also made substantial progress in militarising its man-made islands in the past few years. Beijing claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea. But Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims. In the East China Sea, China has territorial disputes with Japan. The South China Sea and the East China Sea are stated to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources. They are also vital to global trade. Although the US lays no claims to the disputed waters, it has challenged Chinas growing territorial claims in the South China Sea by deploying warships and fighter jets to assert freedom of navigation and overflight patrols in the strategically vital region. Jaishankar also met second vice President of the Senate of Colombia Honorio Henriquez and discussed collaboration in the health, energy and technology sectors. Makeinindia has many incarnations. Saw a Colombian one, sourced out of Tamil Nadu. Learnt that my Colombian counterpart also rides a Royal Enfield, he said in another tweet. Earlier, Jaishankar arrived in Panama from Guyana on Monday and participated in the 4th India-SICA Ministerial meeting in Panama City on Tuesday. The Central American Integration System (SICA) is an economic and political organisation of Central American countries. During an interaction with the Indian community members in Bogota on Tuesday, he said the world today is acknowledging the changes in India and getting more ready for India. Started my visit to Colombia by meeting the Indian community in Bogota. Shared with them the transformation underway in India and its global implications. Underlined how the world is recognising the capabilities and contributions of a New India. Spoke of how much Modi Sarkar has done for the welfare and and confidence of Indians abroad, he tweeted. India's image in foreign countries is significantly shaped by the community. I will be engaging my Colombian counterparts tomorrow, appreciating how much they have strengthened our standing, he said. On Monday, he joined President of Guyana Irfaan Ali at the commissioning of an India-made ferry which would enhance connectivity and provide mobility and economic opportunities in the countrys distant hinterlands. Jaishankar is on a nine-day trip to Guyana, Panama, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic, his first visit as the external affairs minister to these Latin American countries and the Caribbean. The Indian coffee industry is staring at a downturn in exports this year after a record performance in 2022 that saw shipments rise close to a new peak of 4 lakh tonnes. With the robusta variety, which makes up the bulk of the countrys coffee production, expected to sink to a decade-low level, triggering a spike in prices, exporters fear losing key markets to cheaper coffee from other origins. Indias coffee exports reached around 399,000 tonnes in 2022, as per early estimates of the Coffee Board. Robusta coffee, widely grown in India, accounts for over 70 percent of the coffee production, which stood at 342,000 tonnes in 2021-22. The country exports over 70 percent of its coffee. The post-monsoon estimate of the Coffee Board pegs robusta crop for 2022-23 at 259,000, up from 247,000 tonnes in the previous year. The arabica crop is forecast at 10,1500 tonnes, against 95,000 tonnes in the previous year. Growers contest Coffee Boards estimate While growers argue against the arabica crop estimate of the board, saying it should be nearer to 80,000 tonnes, they more or less agree with the robusta coffee production. But as harvest comes to a close, they feel there is a decline of 20-30 percent in robusta crops. ``The arrivals are quite slow. Usually, the market should be flooded with new crops during this time. We are just meeting the existing orders and are finding it hard to take new export contracts. The coffee export volumes could decline by 10-15 percent this year, though earnings may remain the same because of better prices, said Ramesh Rajah, president of Coffee Exporters Association. Domestic robusta prices, too, have shot up, partly due to the rise in international rates. Robusta cherry prices are at Rs 5,500 per 50 kg, up by around Rs 1,000 from last year. These rates are dearer by 15-20 percent than coffee from other origins. India is the fifth-largest robusta coffee producer after Vietnam, Brazil, Indonesia and Uganda. Global robusta coffee futures rates have moved by 15 percent from the beginning of the year and are hovering around $2,382 per tonne as the crop in Vietnam and Indonesia are predicted to drop. India could lose its main export market In the current circumstances, we fear India could lose its main market, Italy, which is getting cheaper robusta coffee from Uganda. The West Asian markets, which have been buying more coffee in recent times, have turned to Brazil and Columbia for cheaper arabica coffee. Once we lose these markets, it is difficult to recapture them. We may have to undercut prices which isnt always feasible because of higher production costs, Rajah said. Germany, Belgium, Russia, Turkey and Jordan are the other significant export destinations for Indian coffee. World coffee prices are benchmarked by arabica coffee, which has a 70 percent share of the total coffee consumption, with robusta making up the rest. But exporters say that as arabica prices stayed high last year because of a lean production year in Brazil, its biggest producer, the ratio has shifted in favour of robusta, which now has a 40 percent share in global coffee consumption. Though arabica prices may drop this year as Brazil enters a boom production period, the consumption pattern may take more time to change. Robusta is the main ingredient of instant coffee, which is consumed widely now. Fall in robusta output feared Meanwhile, domestic growers are trying to figure out what went wrong with the robusta crop, which is a sturdier and a disease-resistant variety, compared to arabica. Many arabica growers in Karnataka, the largest coffee-producing state in the country, shifted to robusta in the last few years as stem borer pest attack became rampant in the former. "On an average, we are expecting a 20-30 percent fall in robusta output. In some areas, it is worse. Dry spell and excess rainfall could be the reason. The absence of summer rains this year could have an adverse impact on the next years crop as well, said Marvin Rodrigues, grower and former chairman of Karnataka Planters Association. Kerala, the next biggest coffee-growing state after Karnataka, with predominantly robusta cultivation, too, has suffered a fall in production in the key growing area of Wayanad. Production is down by around 40 percent, according to Prashant Rajesh, secretary of Wayanad Coffee Growers Association. The Wayanad growers are getting better prices this year with cherry grade showing around 40 percent rise over last year at Rs 125 per kg and the parchment variety selling at Rs 225 per kg, up by nearly 30 percent. "The Coffee Board owe us an explanation as to why production has fallen. The board should also give us the correct forecast of the crop so that we can plan accordingly, Rajesh said. The Coffee Board estimate of normal annual coffee output in Wayanad is around 58,000 tonnes. India tore into Pakistan after its UN envoy raised the Kashmir issue here, saying no amount of rhetoric and propaganda can change the fact that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are and will always be an "inalienable" part of the country. Counsellor in India's Permanent Mission to the UN Pratik Mathur's remarks came after Pakistan's Permanent Representative at the UN Munir Akram spoke about Jammu and Kashmir in his statement at the UNGA meeting. "The Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were, are and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. No amount of misinformation, rhetoric or propaganda from any country can change that fact," Mathur said at the UN General Assembly plenary on "Use of the veto" on Wednesday. Pakistan consistently rakes up the issue of Jammu and Kashmir at various UN platforms, irrespective of the agenda and topic of discussion at the meetings. New Delhi has repeatedly emphasised that Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were, are and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. On Monday, India slammed Pakistan after it raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir at a Security Council meeting, prompting India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj to assert that she would not waste the Council's time by responding to such 'mischievous' remarks. "Lastly, this august forum has today heard some mischievous remarks by a permanent representative arising purely out of ignorance and lack of an understanding on the basic facts of decolonisation," Kamboj had said. "I will not be wasting the time of this Council in responding to those remarks. Our advice to that delegation is please refer to our numerous rights of reply that we have expressed in the past," she said. Kamboj's stern response came at the UN Security Council open debate on "Maintenance of international peace and security: Effective multilateralism through the defence of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations" chaired by Russia, President of the Council for the month of April. With Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov presiding over the debate, Akram had referred to Jammu and Kashmir in his statement. Tensions between India and Pakistan spiked after New Delhi abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019. India's decision evoked strong reactions from Pakistan, which downgraded diplomatic ties and expelled the Indian envoy. India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 was its internal matter. It also advised Pakistan to accept the reality and stop all anti-India propaganda. India has told Pakistan that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Islamabad in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence. The economic growth of India offers an opportunity for US businesses and advancing the bilateral trade ties might be one of the most important projects of the time, the president of a top American trade body has said. President of the US India Business Council (USIBC) Atul Keshap said on Wednesday that US' business-to-business ties with India are directly creating good jobs for the American middle class. He said this year saw US-India bilateral trade cross USD 190 billion, and with that American exports of industrial machinery, pharmaceuticals, and electronics equipment, all increased. As India continues to grow, its economy will become more essential for American businesses. As its population urbanises and enters the global middle class, its appetite for American goods, innovation, and culture will only expand, he said at an event here on Wednesday. Keshap said as India pursues its ambitions of becoming a global manufacturing hub, its demand for the best American industrial equipment and IP will rapidly increase. In short, India's economic rise is here, and it is making it among the most important export markets for industries that support American jobs, he said. Indian citizens and companies will be buying the goods that citizens in your districts make: Automobile components, transition fuels, microchips, agricultural goods, and so much more, he said. "The changes I've seen in India in my life are just unbelievable and impressive. So what we need to do now is push the accelerator pedal. US and India have to achieve escape velocity. That was a slogan given to me by a friend who's an official in the White House. He said it's time to talk about escape velocity," he said. He said there is nothing more important for Washington than to work on the relationship with India. "At the end of the day, democracies take care of their people and democracies can trust each other. The pandemic reinforced the bonds of trust and affection between the American and Indian people. As India grows, in fact, booms, it is clear that it will help fuel not only India's prosperity, it is going to fuel America's prosperity in the 21st century, Keshap said. "Let's demand more of our governments, let's expect more liberalisation of trade and investment in both directions. India's economic rise is gonna be one of the happiest and greatest stories in the 21st century. "The United States will complement that rise because we have a demographic advantage. We have an immigration and entrepreneurship engine in our country, and we have a vision, hope, and great commitment to the future happiness of the US," he said. Speaking at the same event organised by Congressman Ro Khanna in his capacity as the Co-Chair of the Congressional India Caucus, US Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves said India was the source of USD 14.5 billion in foreign direct investment into the US that created more than 70,000 jobs in the country. "India is the source of nearly USD 14.5 billion in foreign direct investment into the US in 2021, creating more than 70,000 jobs here in the country. We are expecting the largest-ever delegation of Indian investors that will attend next week's Select USA Investment Summit here in DC," he said. The summit is an annual event held for directing business investment into the US. The US investment into India was valued at USD 45.5 billion in 2020, reflecting what is the true importance of the Indian market for US companies, Graves said. "Our companies in India are estimated to employ more than 3 million people and which is an astounding level of commitment to the US-Indian commercial partnership. And, we are very optimistic about things going forward," he said. More doors will open as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and the entire government continue to build on the significant progress that they have made in recent years in focusing on regulation standards and trade practices that are more attractive to foreign investors, especially from here in the US into India, he said. "This year we celebrate the large Boeing sale to Air India, John Deere's 25th anniversary in the Indian market and OSI systems expansion of its facilities in Hyderabad, along with many other milestones that will create jobs, improve the lives of Americans, and of course Indians," Graves said. The US-India partnership is one of the "most consequential" relationships for both of the countries, building on more than 75 years of diplomatic relations between the world's oldest democracy and the world's largest democracy, and the ever-growing trade and investment ties, shared values and common interests that are "indispensable" in ensuring a free open and rules-based world order, he said. "India is America's 10th largest trading partner and the total US-India trade in goods and services reached about USD 192 billion in 2022, nearly triple what it was 15 years ago. This year, the US became India's largest trading partner," Graves said. Indian Americans represent one of the largest immigrant communities in the US and continue to make tremendous contributions to all aspects of American life, he said. #1. Hinduja emerges sole bidder for Reliance Capital with Rs 9,650 crore offer Hinduja Group entity IndusInd International Holdings emerged as the sole bidder for Reliance Capital at the auction as part of bankruptcy proceedings. It submitted a Rs 9,650 crore upfront cash offer, still far below the liquidation value of Rs 13,000 crore. Torrent, which was the highest bidder in the first round with an offer of Rs 8,640 crore, did not participate in the latest auction. If its offer is accepted, the Hinduja group, which has a stake in IndusInd Bank, will take over two profit-making insurance ventures owned by Reliance Capital. In the first round, Hinduja was the second-highest bidder with an offer of Rs 8,110 crore. It subsequently submitted a revised bid of Rs 9,000 crore, leading to the lenders seeking a second auction. Why its important: Torrent has challenged the legal validity of the second round of auction. Any outcome will be subject to the courts judgment in the matter when it hears on the dispute in August again this year. #2. Avaada Ventures raises $1.07 billion to fund business expansion Avaada Ventures, a green energy and fuels company, has secured funding worth $1.07 billion led by equity firm Brookfield, which will make an investment of $1 billion. The company plans to use the funds for new projects in green hydrogen, green ammonia, and solar equipment manufacturing. Avaadas existing shareholder Global Power Synergy Public Company, the utility flagship of PTT group, will pump in $68 million into Avaada Energy, an independent renewable energy project developer with 4GW of operating assets and 7GW of projects under construction. Why its important: Companies has responded favorably to various government incentives for clean energy transition. Overseas investors have also shown keen interest in clean energy projects. More such deals will take place in the space in the coming years. #3. State Bank seeks purchase data on Russian crude from refiners to avoid sanctions The State Bank of India is taking measures to avoid violating US sanctions by processing payments for Indian oil refiners that may have purchased Russian oil above the $60 per barrel price cap set by a US-led alliance. Indias largest lender has requested data on purchasing prices from refiners such as Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum. Why its important: The State Bank has significant exposure to the US and would like to avoid any penalty from the Us treasury department. The development comes at a time when Russia has become the second-largest oil supplier to India after Iraq. #4. Social media still hosting ads of betting gambling site despite recent ban Online betting and gambling portals continue to advertise on social media platforms despite Indias new gaming regulations prohibiting betting and wagering of any kind. It places the websites and companies that deal in this space in contravention of guidelines issued by the information and broadcasting ministry in early April, directing media companies and online advertisement intermediaries to refrain from carrying advertisements and promotional content related to betting platforms. Apps such as FairPlay and Appa Book are being promoted on social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Why its important: The government has come out strongly against the promotion of online betting and gambling. It will likely act against intermediators if they continue to feature such ads. #5. Coal India to produce 1 billion tons of coal by 2025-26, chairman says Coal India has set 2025-26 as the year to achieve its ambitious target of 1 billion ton of coal production. The national miner has been reacting to the increasing demand for electricity by producing more coal. From approving the highest number of mining projects to increased mechanization and outsourcing, Coal India is aiming to boost production while keeping costs in check, according to chairman and managing director Pramod Agarwal. Why its important: Although India has made aggressive moves to move towards clean energy transition, the demand for coal0-fired power is not going to vanish overnight. The target of the state-owned miner is an indication of that. #6. Met department sees little impact of El Nino, Skymet predicts high chance of drought Although the India Meteorological Department has predicted a normal monsoon, private forecaster Skymet Weather Services has warned below average rainfall. Both the IMD and Skymet has talked about a resurgence in the El Nino weather phenomenon in equatorial Pacific that is closely linked with lower rainfall and increased change of drought in the Indian sub-continent. Why its important: Normal rainfall and a robust autumnal harvest would be crucial to revive and sustain rural demand. Companies would be hoping that el Nino does not paly spoilsport. #7. Karnataka based auditor of Coffee Day entity debarred for 10 years The National Financial Reporting Authority has debarred a Karnataka-based auditor for 10 years, citing deficiencies in the 2019-20 statutory audit of Mysore Amalgamated Coffee Estates, a group entity of Coffee Day Enterprises. This is the third order from the auditing watchdog in April alleging deficiencies in the audit of some of the group entities based on an investigation prompted by a reference from the Securities and Exchange Board of India. Why its important: The auditing regulator has said the auditor failed to meet relevant requirements of auditing standards in a number of significant aspects and demonstrated a serious lack of competence. Its action would be a deterrent for others. #8. Government to rework electronics incentive scheme on low value realization The governments aims to achieve electronics manufacturing with a value of $300 billion by 2025-26, including exports of $105-130 billion, could end up far lower than the target. The reality check came from the Indian Cellular and Electronics Association, which in a recent assessment indicated that the total electronics production in 2025-26 will be around $225 billion. It would be 75 per cent of the governments documents target, of which exports would amount to $58-69 billion, just 53-55 per cent of the target. Why its important: Corrective policy measures need to be taken the lift the trend line if India has to emerge as a global hub for electronics manufacturing. #9. Eight firms including Reliance and MCPI in race to buy textile company Sumeet Reliance Industries and Kolkata-based MCPI are among eight companies that have expressed interest to take over debt-laden textile manufacturer Sumeet Industries. These companies have submitted their interest along with supporting documents earlier this month. The Surat-based yarn and polyester maker Sumeet owes lenders and operational creditors led by the Bank of Baroda a total of Rs 667 crore. It was admitted to the bankruptcy court in December after a failed attempt to restructure loans. Why its important: The company has been in trouble for a few years. Since firms like Reliance and MCPI have shown interest, creditors would now expect optimum recovery of their dues. #10. Indian start-ups to layoff thousands as finding winter force them to tighten belts As the funding winter continues, start-ups fired about 9,400 employees in the three months netween January and March, according to data from hiring firm Careernet. Edtech firms Byjus, Unacademy, social media firm ShareChat, apartment-management startup MyGate and car-servicing startup GoMechanic were among the companies that fired a significant portion of their team. About 70 per cent of all startups laid off 100-300 people each in the quarter. Why its important: Its not just layoffs, which are expected to continue. Recruitment in senior roles is also showing a downward trend. On April 27 President of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan received Colonel-General Alexander Lentsov, the newly appointed commander of the Russian peacekeeping troops deployed in the Artsakh Republic, the Presidential Office stated. April 27, 2023, 17:03 President Harutyunyan received Colonel-General Alexander Lentsov, the newly appointed commander of the Russian peacekeeping troops STEPANAKERT, APRIL 27 , ARTSAKHPRESS: Welcoming the newly appointed commander, President Harutyunyan emphasized the role of the Russian peacekeeping troops in the created military and political situation, ensuring the security of the people of Artsakh and stability in the region. Both sides underscored the need for steady implementation of the provisions of the Tripartite declaration of November 9, 2020. The President of the Republic conveyed the expectation of the Artsakh authorities from the Russian peacekeeping troops that in a short period of time, the removal of all obstacles to the bilateral communication between Artsakh and Armenia and security will be ensured, in accordance with the obligations assumed by the Tripartite Declaration. The activities of the peacekeeping troops, the lifting of the blockade of Artsakh, the maintaining of the regime of the Lachine Corridor, guaranteeing the normal functioning of vital infrastructures and other issues were discussed during the meeting. Despite small staff, the Indian embassy in Sudan operated round-the-clock to evacuate those stranded in the war-torn country, said the passengers who landed in Mumbai on Thursday while narrating their harrowing experiences of the last seven days. Abdul Kadir, a 39 years old businessman, said after the situation in Khartoum worsened, India's ambassador B S Mubarak and his team of eight officials worked tirelessly. "With limited staff, they did unlimited work," he said, adding that the Indian embassy was operating 24x7 during this period. Mubarak himself was stuck in the worst-affected part of the city, but he was continuously in touch with the staff and volunteers, he said. The ambassador created WhatsApp groups of Indians in each locality and ensured that every person got help, Kadir added. Defense attache Gupreet Singh took risk and brought Mubarak to a safe area, he said. Kadir, who was living in Sudan since 2017, said they were used to the tense situation in the country, but this time things took a bad turn unexpectedly, though they were hoping that tensions would decrease in the holy month of Ramadan. "Within one hour the situation went out of control," he said, adding that they did not get a chance even to buy food and groceries. "We got the benefit of being Indian. We were allowed to pass peacefully through numerous checkpoints," Kadir said, adding that the Indian community at Port Sudan not only opened their homes but also their hearts for the rescued compatriots. Another passenger said the situation was very bad, and the work done by the embassy staff could not be described in words. "I only pray to Allah that all our stranded brothers and brothers in the embassy reach home safely," he added. Many people were still waiting for their relatives to reach Mumbai from Sudan. Anita Pandey, a resident of Kalyan, was one of them. Her husband had been working as a fitter in Khartoum for the last one year. "My husband's friend told me that he has been rescued and is safe. I don't know where he is at present, but we are waiting for his arrival....I am hoping that he will reach tonight," Pandey said. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that the world is recognising the capabilities and contributions of a 'New India' as he underscored that there is a feeling that today's India has the ability to serve as a "bridge" between differing opinions and help find solutions to difficult issues. During an interaction with the Indian community members in Bogota on Tuesday, Jaishankar also said that the world today is acknowledging the changes in India and getting more ready for India. Jaishankar, the first External Affairs Minister to visit Columbia, also shared with the community members India's transformation into 'New India' and its global implications. "Underlined how the world is recognising the capabilities and contributions of a New India," he said. Citing the Ukraine conflict or problems which deal with the developed world and the developing world, he told the Indian diaspora that "in all of this from all quarters, there is today that feeling that India is a country which in some way or the other can serve as a bridge as a someone who brings differing opinions together (and) helps to find a solution". "In the last decade, we have built up a reputation as what we call a first responder. When something happens we are quick to move because we've developed our own capability within the country. And now we feel we are good enough, experienced enough and responsible enough to do that outside..." he said, citing the example of the recent earthquake in Turkiye where India sent its disaster rescue team within 24 hours. Noting that there are some issues which trouble all countries in the world, the minister said that climate is one and here too there's been a big change in India's positioning, in India's image. "We are seeing today as a climate leader, a country which has done a lot on solar energy, on renewables, which is actually coming up with a whole series of ideas and practices and institutions," he said. He added that today a much more united global position on terrorism is at least partly due to the efforts that India has made in the last 10 years. "There is a feeling that today's India has the ability to bridge the difficult issues. And frankly, sometimes the difficult arguments of the day," he added. He said that there is a much greater inclination on the part of the world to make an effort to understand India, that an India which is stronger, more powerful, more impactful. "There is a much greater willingness on the part of the world to make an effort to understand us and what we are," he said. Jaishankar also talked about the work done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government for the welfare of Indians abroad. He lauded the Indian diaspora's contributions, saying the image of India in foreign countries is significantly shaped by the community. "In this era of globalisation, of technology, of mobility, Indians are making their presence felt everywhere," he added. While responding to a question on dual citizenship, Jaishankar said that the issue involves security implications and not many big countries allow it. During his stay in Colombia, Jaishankar would meet several top leaders of the country and review bilateral ties with his Colombian counterpart Alvaro Leyva Duran. Jaishankar is on a nine-day trip to Guyana, Panama, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic, his first visit as the external affairs minister to these Latin American countries and the Caribbean. USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept These are not numbers campaign dreams are made of: Some 70% of the country, including 51% of Democrats, say the incumbent president shouldnt run for a second term and a major reason, according to almost half, is age. President Joe Biden is 80 and already the oldest US president ever. Vice President Kamala Harris, who is only 58, was supposed to neutralize those concerns but so far she hasnt. If she can improve her own approval ratings, she may boost the presidents poll numbers as well. The Los Angeles Times tracks national opinion polls of Harris, a former California senator and the first woman, Black and South Asian American to be vice president. Fifty-three percent of registered voters view her negatively. On average, her net favorability is negative and five points lower than Bidens. Its also lower than her predecessors at this point in their tenures: Mike Pence, Biden, Dick Cheney and Al Gore. Part of that divergence reflects how polarized the country has become in the last three decades. Bidens and Harriss numbers also reflect a mix of ageism, sexism, racism and misogyny. And as my Bloomberg Opinion colleague Francis Wilkinson has pointed out, Biden hasnt exactly set Harris up for success. As the administrations point person on border policy, she has borne much of the brunt of the administrations failure to control one of the most challenging political issues. Add it all up, and its hard not to conclude that voters just have higher expectations for women and non-White politicians, says Nadia Brown, chair of the womens and gender studies program at Georgetown University, who is part of a group of scholars studying Harriss tenure. And yet. Without denying those biases are real, is it also possible that some of the criticisms of Harris have merit? What are voters seeing when they say that she hasnt grown into the job or doesnt seem authentic? I asked Brown. Voters are tapping into something, she says, even if they cant quite articulate it. In her research, Black women say theres something about Harris that falls flat. Its difficult for ordinary people to see themselves in her, Brown says. Harriss own life story is both quintessentially American and highly unusual even more so when juxtaposed with Joe from Scranton. The symbolism of Harris is huge, she says. Black women are really proud. But they dont see her bringing about substantive policy change. Bidens team knows this and knows it has to change. Republicans will run against the vice president (next in line for the presidency, as the saying goes) as hard as theyll run against Biden. One way to boost Harris would be through her policy portfolio, to put her in charge of an important issue beyond immigration or abortion. Shed need to own it, strategists tell me, and shed need to show some progress. What that issue is and whether success would significantly change perceptions of her is still up for debate. Theres no debate that, even with the benefits of incumbency, Biden and team need to gin up some enthusiasm. In a survey published last week, 41% of Democrats said theyd definitely vote for Biden in a general election and 40% said they probably would. Pollsters use a technical term to describe this kind of voter enthusiasm: Meh. While Harris is featured in snippets throughout Bidens video announcing his re-election campaign, once again his case is built on defeating Donald Trump. The first images on screen are of the smoke-filled scene from the Jan. 6 insurrection, followed by Trump 2020 flags waving outside the Capitol. As strong as Trumps grip is on the Republican Party, the indicted ex-president still needs to win his partys nomination and get through at least one trial, a few criminal investigations and multiple lawsuits. Hes not a sure thing, which is terrifying for Democrats who view him as Bidens most beatable opponent. And with nine months until the first primary contest, Trumps younger competitors have a lot of time. Recent polls make it depressingly clear that the nation is united against a Biden-Trump rematch. Thats the main problem for the Biden-Harris ticket, and one way for the campaign to address it is to make a stronger case for the vice president. Julianna Goldman is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist who was formerly a Washington-based correspondent for CBS News and White House correspondent Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Television. Credit: Bloomberg On hearing that Malayalam actor and ace comedian Mamukoya passed away, a close friend wrote about meeting Mamukoya as a child three decades ago. My friend was attending a dress rehearsal of a drama and Mamukoya was there. When introduced to Mamukoya, the actor got him a packet of peanuts but for my friend it felt like he had received an award from the actor. Another person on Instagram recounted meeting Mamukoya at a Kozhikodan wedding and how he was making fun of the bride and groom like any other common man. Mamukoya was just that. The humble Kozhikodan native of that generation, who will go out of the way to help a fellow being. He was one amongst us. From A City Of Artists Mamukoya is one of the last actors from the Kozhikodan art group, once part of Malayalam cinema. Kozhikode (Calicut) in North Kerala was blessed to be the home of a large group of talented artists and writers in Kerala society from the 1950s onwards. Writers like SK Pottekkad, Vaikom Muhammed Basheer, MT Vasudevan Nair, and Thikkodiyan flourished here. Artists like KP Ummer, Vincent, Balan K Nair, MS Baburaj, T Damodaran Master, IV Sasi, and Kuthiravattom Pappu took Kozhikodes name across Kerala with their electrifying performances. It was onto this stage that Mamukoya entered from Kallayi, where he was working in a timber yard. Kallayi at that time was famous for timber mills and many of the labourers were part of small drama troupes. Mamukoya was friends with writer Basheer, who recommended him to a director of one of his earliest movies. But it required another man from Malabar to get him a meaty role. That was Sreenivasan, the actor-screenwriter-director and a powerhouse of talent, who recommended Mamukoya to director Sathyan Anthikkad for his next movie Gandhinagar Second Street. The Gift From Malabar But his big break came as Gafoorkka in Nadodikattu who tricks Dasan (Mohanlal) and Vijayan (Sreenivasan) into believing that his dhow is actually going to California, and is changing its course via Dubai waters just to get them to the Gulf illegally. He tells them that they will have to swim about one furlong and should have Arab dresses ready, to be worn on reaching the shore, as no cop will detain Arabs. Gafoor teaches them basic Arabic like As-Salaam-Alaikum and Wa-Alaikkum-Salaam and for any other questions to just reply - Gafoor ka Dost, Gafoor ka Dost. Unknown to them, his dhow drops them at Madras near Besant Nagar beach. Though a cheat in the movie, Kerala embraced the man and his role, which is remembered even today. In Sandesham (1991), Mamukoya played a local committee president of the INSP party. When a national leader of the party, Yashwant Sahai (played by Innocent), visits the village there is confusion as no one understands Hindi. When Sahai motions with his thumb that he needs to drink as he is thirsty, Mamukoya asks Innocent: Kya Madyapaan Hai? Half Bottle, kya Full Bottle. His Beeran in Chandralekha (1999), Hamsakoya in Ramji Rao Speaking (1989), PCP in Peruvannapurathe Viseshangal (1989), Keeleri Achu in Kankettu (1991), and Ahamed Kutty in Kouthuka Varthakal (1990) are some of his other notable roles, usually bringing the whole of Kozhikode into those movies and people loved him for it. As a man who would speak mostly the Malabar slang of Malayalam, he can only say Maanda in His Highness Abdulla (1990) instead of the usual Venda (No need), when he goes to the royal palace. Or when he becomes a Maharshi in a play in Manthramothiram (1997), he can only speak the Malabar slang and not the dramatic dialect used in devotional dramas. Seeing Him Differently Sathyan Anthikkad writes in his book Sathyan Anthikkads Grameenar that Mamukoya, along with Sreenivasan, started the revolt against glamour in Malayalam movies. With his smile that showed all of his front teeth, bald head, and the Malabarian slang, he told us that glamour is not needed to be a great actor. At this same time, he would also do roles like Abdu in Perumazhakkalam (2004) who is a grieving father-in-law begging for mercy for his son-in-law on death row. Then came a noteworthy part as the father of a Muslim man accused of terrorism in Mappila Lahalas popular song Native Bappa. With the advent of the internet and social media, new impressions and versions of Mamukoya are being constantly produced. Compilations of movie characters, in which he provides tit-for-tat replies on YouTube, are still a rage. Adieu Gafoorka! Kozhikode will weep for you, but tomorrow we will have the thug replies ready and claim that we are all Gafoor ka Dost. We indeed are. Dhanush Gopinath is a movie buff, who at daytime is checking in code as the Co-founder and CTO at Geektrust.com, while reading away to glory at night. Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication. The non-believers can take a back seat. Meta Platforms Incs year of efficiency is on track thanks to the dependability of its core businesses. The company said Wednesday that its digital ad sales rebounded during the first quarter, buying Mark Zuckerberg some more time as he continues to spend billions on the metaverse and on improving Metas use of artificial intelligence. Now if hes serious about Metas growth for the long term, he should consider even more uncomfortable strategies besides job cuts and bigger investments in AI, which so far appear to be paying off. We are no longer behind in building out our AI, Zuckerberg told investors on a call Wednesday. He spoke about introducing AI agents to billions of people, using them to improve customer service chats with businesses or to create ads. Supercharging ads will be his most important focus as he seeks to enhance Metas bread and butter business, which hasnt suffered the same fate as Twitters. So far this year, Zuckerberg has excelled at wooing Wall Street back to the worlds biggest social network. Having misjudged the long-term impact of the pandemic by over-hiring by the tens of thousands, he has since thrown investors a generous share buyback, promised to slash costs and even cut back on all the rhetoric about the metaverse (though he insisted last night that the metaverse still matters). Metas reputation as a harmful bane on society, with algorithms that spread misinformation and make teenagers feel bad about themselves, has also improved thanks in part to its own efforts at cleaning up the platform. Attention has turned now to rival TikToks toxic effects on teens. But the turnaround isnt over, and Zuckerberg cant keep investors happy forever with short-term wins like this latest quarter. Even if TikTok does get banned in the US a potential hallelujah moment for Metas own Reels service it doesnt solve a lingering problem that Meta seems to have been grappling with forever: It hasnt released a truly successful product other than Facebook since, well, the beginning of Facebook. Its only other big success has been Instagram, a company that Zuckerberg presciently bought 11 years ago. Facebook tends to release exciting new features and then quietly kill them, like its crypto project Libra or the NFTs it was meant to sell on Instagram. In fact Zuckerbergs biggest passion project to date, building the metaverse, might even be getting quietly mothballed. Of course, this isnt all bad. Social media platforms need to keep churning out new features to keep their users engaged. BeReal, the buzzy new social media app that got rave reviews last year for letting people show their authentic selves, appears to be losing millions of its active users in part because the app has introduced hardly any new features in the past year. And developing new tech products requires a lot of experimentation to find out what sticks. This puts Zuckerberg at a crossroads. One path leads toward a general stasis that looks a lot like Googles, and another looks more like Microsofts, involving more radical, uncomfortable corporate changes. Satya Nadella took over Microsoft nine years ago, and the company has added more than a trillion dollars in market value since his tenure. One reason has been Nadellas fearless drive to diversify. Microsoft makes billions of dollars in revenue from cloud computing, as well as from gaming, office software, social networking and more. Meta makes money from one thing: advertising. The companys first-quarter results show that business is going strong. Ad revenue increased by 4.3 percent to $28.1 billion. One advertising executive tells me that Facebooks ad business has been relatively stable, with its roster of Fortune 500 clients continuing to buy ad space on the platform over the past year and with relatively little competition from Twitter or even TikTok. That first path Zuckerberg could go down involves making his ad business even better with a renewed focus on generative AI, the in-vogue technology that generates text and images and underpins ChatGPT. Zuckerberg and his top lieutenants have been spending most of their time looking at ways to capitalize on the technology, according to a recent interview in Nikkei Asia with Meta Chief Technology Officer Andrew Boz Bosworth. Last month when Zuckerberg announced Metas year of efficiency, he said: Our single largest investment is in advancing AI and building it into every one of our products. On Wednesday he repeated that mantra: Generative artificial intelligence was going to impact every single one of our apps and services. Smarter, AI-generated ads could certainly keep advertisers and Wall Street happy for the next few years. But if Zuckerberg wants to take Meta down a road where its shares can get back to their September 2021 high of $378 and further (they were up 11 percent to $233 in pre-market trading on Thursday morning) he should consider a more radical route in the vein of Microsofts Nadella, and consider pushing Meta more strategically into new businesses like the metaverse. Zuckerberg has made a good start with his ambitious plan to build a virtual reality business. For all the flack the metaverse gets, the area is set to get more attention and reverence this June when Apple Inc unveils its own mixed-reality headset to compete with Metas Quest 2 and Quest Pro. But Zuckerberg also needs act more strategically on the metaverse if hes serious about that endeavor. It seems unwise, for instance, to focus on selling VR headsets to employers to use for work meetings when gamers are a more accommodating audience. Part of Zuckerberg problem may be his reliance on the comfort of appointing longtime friends and associates to critical positions on his executive team. For instance Naomi Gleit, one of Facebooks first employees and a longtime friend of Zuckerbergs, is the companys head of product. Yet for such an important role she is based in New York instead of Menlo Park, where Meta is headquartered. Metas chief marketing officer, Alex Schultz, also played a critical role in Facebooks growth in daily active users as the former head of the companys analytics team. But the data-driven executive has no serious career experience in leading the marketing budget of a multibillion-dollar company, and that has shown up in Metas vague and strangely ineffective advertising for its Quest 2 headset. Zuckerberg has cut tens of thousands of roles at Meta as part of his year of efficiency and he now has two good quarters under his belt after pulling the company out of a post-pandemic hangover. If he is serious about putting the company on a path towards serious growth, he might want to consider a more senior reshuffle. Its straightforward enough to restructure the wider company, but making changes at the top, including to the loyal lieutenants who have become part of his personal C-suite bubble, would be worth considering, too. Parmy Olson is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering technology. Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication. Credit: Bloomberg Space may be the final frontier, but it is governed by Earth-bound rules. A relatively recent shift in the policy and economic mindset of governments worldwide has changed our relationship with outer space. Activities that primarily fell under the orbit of government are now home to an ecosystem of enterprises that are fueling the 21st century space race. By 2050, the space economy may be worth $3 trillion, and everyone wants a piece of the pie. With a close eye on unlocking this extraterrestrial opportunity, the Indian government announced wide-scale reforms to the space sector in 2020. It has followed up those efforts with the Space Policy 2023, a vision document that outlines national efforts to increase Indias share in the global space economy. Privatisation is a central component of this panorama; while the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) operated a successful state-sponsored space programme for years, the lack of private sector involvement may have contributed to Indias limited role on the global stage. Privatisation Shows Promise The new policy opens up the Indian space sector to private sector entry. Non-governmental entities can undertake end-to-end space activities like operate space objects, ground-based assets and related services like satellite communications, remote sensing, navigation, etc. But will the Policy help India meet its objective of greater prominence in the space market? The government certainly believes so. Union minister of science and technology Jitendra Singh said that increased private industry participation will eventually result in increased contribution to the global space economy. Markets, and investors, seem to have responded in kind. Despite reduced funding worldwide, space startups in India received about $100 million in the past year with the number expected to increase significantly in the coming year. A major reason for this is the greater involvement of private enterprises, lower costs of manufacturing components, promise of substantial return on investment, and technological advancement. Trends And Growth Opportunities The number of startups, and the functions they perform, also continue to increase. India has over 350 space companies, the fifth highest in the world. They manufacture products (launch vehicles, components, satellites) and provide services (launch services, communications, remote data sensing and analytics). In particular, the rise in demand for smaller satellites and growth in satellite based internet connectivity, adoption of new technologies such as Internet of Things and 5G has increased the demand for launch support. Indian startups like Agnikul Cosmos and Skyroot Aerospace are working on innovations, aiming to lower cost and improve efficiency in satellite launches. Similarly, spurred by greater need for transponder capacity, the Make in India'' initiative, and insufficient INSAT capacity, satellite manufacturing offers substantial growth prospects. Smaller satellites, in contrast to larger ones, have a significant cost advantage, require less time to build and are slowly becoming the industry standard. Downstream applications, especially in the earth observation segment, are expected to grow substantially as well. A lot of the innovation is being driven by data analytics companies that provide insights based solutions using remote sensing data. An increase in resolution of commercially available imagery and adoption of new-age technologies are some of the reasons why the remote sensing segment is likely to register a significant CAGR in 2025. The provision of internet through satellite communications will also help bring connectivity to remote and underserved areas and meet the stated government goal of bridging the digital divide. The Policy also considers space sustainability including the management of space debris as a key area. Several companies are already working on advanced solutions to avoid space collisions. While the barriers to manufacturing and launching satellites have reduced, progress has also been accelerated by the integration of backbone technologies like cloud, data analytics, and blockchain. The economics of space have never been more compelling. ISRO 2.0: New Institutional Arrangements In addition to enabling private sector entry, the Policy provides much-needed clarity about the roles of key institutions like the ISRO, NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), and the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Center (IN-SPACe). This has been a key demand of industry and goes beyond the vision set out in the 2020 reforms. A distinct outline of how these institutions function and provide approvals resolves ambiguity and is vital for the planning of investments, operations, and service delivery. The Policy imagines the ISRO 2.0, moving away from its role as the erstwhile manufacturer of satellites and launch vehicles to something that is more typical for a space agency. It allows the ISRO to focus solely on research and development of advanced space technologies by opening up satellite launch/manufacture of satellites, space infrastructure and services to the private sector. ISRO will, however, continue to handhold the private sector in taking over its mantle, allowing them to leverage its decades-long infrastructure and experience. ISRO has already supported more than 150 Indian startups across a range of activities including building and launching their rockets and also placing satellites in low-Earth orbits. Setting up these facilities and infrastructure is cost intensive and the access to ISROs facilities will only accelerate space innovation. The Path Ahead The Policy is a strong signal of intent. However, it is fundamentally a vision document, and provides little clarity on how several of its promises will be implemented. The IN-SPACe, in this regard, is entrusted with a critical role of developing guidelines to operationalise the Policy. IN-SPACe will be tasked with bringing to life the much-awaited single window portal and streamline coordination with other government agencies, among other critical functions. There are other issues as well, such as a lack of clarity around the rules for foreign investment, availability of spectrum for satellite communications, and complex licensing requirements in allied sectors like telecom and broadcast. While these are likely to be addressed in different forums, adopting a whole-of-government approach and applying the vision laid out in the Space Policy to these discussions may help catalyse Indias hopes of becoming a major player in todays space race. Vijayant Singh is Principal Associate at Ikigai Law. Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication. Criticising previous governments for allegedly neglecting the development of Mathura, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said his government has launched projects worth Rs 32,000 crore that on completion would revive the grandeur and divinity of Mathura during the Dwapar era. Addressing a gathering for the upcoming municipal polls in Mathura, Adityanath slammed the corrupt and impoverished system under various governments since Independence that had halted Mathuras development. He said the formation of the Mathura Vrindavan Municipal Corporation in 2017 and then the Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad have taken forward the action plan of overall development in Mathura. It is my good fortune the Mathura Vrindavan Municipal Corporation was established by our government in 2017. By forming the Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad, work has been done to take forward the action plan for the overall development of this place, the chief minister said, according to a statement issued here. He urged people to vote for the BJP candidate in the polls and form a triple-engine government.Pointing out that UP received investment proposals worth Rs 35 lakh crore during the Global Investors Summit 2023, he said this investment will lead to 50,000 youths getting employment in the Braj region. India has changed today and we must join this process of change. Today, major infrastructure and construction projects like airports, IITs, and AIIMS are completed within schedules. Places like Kashi, Ayodhya, Kedarnath and Mahakal are rejuvenated as a result of respect for heritage. This is a new India," Adityanath said. "Since 2014, India has become self-sufficient. The potential of UP and that of this New India must be combined," he said, adding today the countrys economy has become strong. The chief minister said Jawahar Bagh in Mathura had once been a hub of hooliganism.There used to be riots in Kosi Kalan but PepsiCo India has set up one of the worlds largest manufacturing plants there, he said. Our government completely banned the sale of meat-liquor in Mathura and Vrindavan. No one is allowed to play with the sanctity of this place, he said. Stating that the development of Banke Biharis Dham will be done on the lines of Kashi (Varanasi), he said, It is our responsibility to bring back the splendour of Barsana, Gokul, and Govardhan.This municipal election is important from this point of view, he added. Lambasting the previous government, the chief minister said, "Before 2017, people belonging to a particular party used to roam around with tamanchas in their hands. Today the youth have tablets in their hands. Earlier there used to be terror of miscreants, today it is a safe city. Earlier there used to be heaps of garbage, today it is a smart city." Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday praised Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, calling him a source of inspiration and energy for him and many others. He also said that Bhagwat keeps supporting people who carry out good work in the society. Shinde, who heads the ruling Shiv Sena, was addressing a gathering at the inauguration of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Nagpur run by Dr Aabaji Thatte Seva Aur Anusandhan Sanstha. RSS chief Bhagwat, Union minister Nitin Gadkari, state Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, industrialist Gautam Adani and others were present on the occasion. Mohan Bhagwat ji is a source of inspiration and energy for us and everyone else. He always supports people who carry out good work. Hence, Devendra ji (Fadnavis) also said that Sangh stood as an inspiration in building the NCI. When the entire RSS and its chief provide support, building grand projects becomes possible, he said. The chief minister also praised late RSS ideologue Dr Aabaji Thatte on the occasion. Health care system and cancer are challenges before allAfter Uttar Pradesh, the number of cancer patients in Maharashtra is rising. Every year, 1.25 lakh people are diagnosed with cancer, with 30 to 40 per cent of them losing their lives due to the disease, he said. Providing quality cancer treatment is a challenge before all and the government is working towards achieving this goal, he said. Shinde, who represents the Kopri-Pachpakhadi Assembly segment in Thane district, said a cancer hospital will soon come up in Thane. In his speech, Bhagwat praised RSS volunteers for their efforts in building the NCI with state-of-the-art facilities. The NCI is said to be the brainchild of Fadnavis, who belongs to Nagpur and a volunteer of the RSS. In the first phase, the institute started providing services to patients from 2017. The NCI staff provides service to patients in an affectionate manner, Bhagwat said while recalling his meeting with a Muslim couple whose son underwent treatment at the institute. The couple praised the quality treatment provided at the NCI and recalled the affectionate behaviour and moral support given by its staff during their sons treatment, he said. Bhagwat appealed to people to work in a united manner to serve the society. Health care and education are the basic needs, and society has now become aware of it. Everyone wants good health facilities and education, and they are ready to do anything for it, he added. Bhagwat said the government and the administration are contributing towards this goal in their own way. But only their efforts are not enough. The efforts of the society are needed as it is a requirement of 148 crore people of the country, the RSS chief added. Fadnavis recalled that he lost his father due to cancer, and talked about the difficulties faced by cancer patients and their families. The senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said his team wanted to build a world-class and affordable cancer treatment facility for the people of central India. Praising Bhagwat and senior RSS functionary Bhaiyyaji Joshi for their guidance, Fadnavis said, I feel that it is thanks to the Sanghs inspiration that all of us could build such a good hospital. Speaking on the occasion, Gadkari said America has witnessed a 33 per cent rise in cancer patients. But the number of patients dying due to cancer is increasing in India and the prevalence of this disease is rising, he said. Gadkari emphasized the need for proper diagnosis and treatment of cancer, and expressed hope that the NCI will play an important role in serving the cancer patients in Vidarbha and central India. The Union minister, who also belongs to Nagpur, called for the need to increase research in the area of cancer to make the country free from this disease. Mumbai-based Drone maker ideaForge Technology has received approval from the capital markets regulator Sebi to launch IPO for fund raising. The issue comprises a fresh issuance of shares worth Rs 300 crore, and an offer for sale up to 48.69 lakh shares by selling shareholders. Amarpreet Singh, Nambirajan Seshadri, Naresh Malhotra, Sujata Vemuri, Sundararajan K Pandalgudi, A&E Investment LLC, Agarwal Trademart, Celesta Capital, Export Import Bank of India, Indusage Technology Venture Fund I, Qualcomm Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, and Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, along with promoter Ashish Bhat will be the selling shareholders in the IPO. ideaForge Technology has filed its draft red herring prospectus with Sebi in February this year. The company has received an observation letter from the regulator on April 13, an update with Sebi showed on Tuesday. In Sebi's parlance, its observation implies its go-ahead to launch the IPO. Use of capital ideaForge will utilise fresh issue proceeds for repaying debts, working capital requirements, investment in product development, and general corporate purposes. Founded in 2007, the Mumbai-based company has the largest operational deployment of indigenous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) across India, with its drones taking off every five minutes on average for surveillance and mapping. Tata Play, formerly known as Tata Sky, has also received Sebi's approval to raise funds through IPO. Tata Play, the first company in India to use the confidential pre-filing of draft papers option for an initial share sale in December 2022, obtained the regulator's observation letter on April 26. Under the pre-filing route, there is no pressure on the company to go for an IPO, experts told PTI. Moreover, unlike the traditional route where companies have to launch the IPO within 12 months from the Sebi approval, or final observation; in the pre-filing route, an IPO can be floated within 18 months from the date of Sebi's final comments. This route also provides flexibility to change the primary issue size by 50 percent till the Updated Draft Red Herring Prospectus (UDRHP) stage. (With inputs from PTI) Here's where you can catch art and other exhibits in the Cayuga County area over the next week: (Have something to add to our listings? Email david.wilcox@lee.net. All listings are free.) Baltimore Woods Nature Center, 4007 Bishop Hill Road, Marcellus; (315) 673-1350 or baltimorewoods.org; Open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays "An Abundance of Birds" (through April 28) Cafe 108, 108 Genesee St., Auburn; (315) 252-2233 or cafe108.org; Open 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays Art by Drake Nix Cayuga Museum of History & Art, 203 Genesee St., Auburn; (315) 253-8051 or cayugamuseum.org; Open 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays "Fabrication: Telling Stories Through Clothing" "Both Sides of the Wall: Auburn and Its Prison" CNY Emerging Artist Project: "Positive, Negative, Shallow and Deep" by Tyrone Johnson-Neuland (through May 28) Cayuga Owasco Lakes Historical Society History House, 14 W. Cayuga St., Moravia; (315) 497-3906 or colhs.org; Open 9 a.m.-noon Mondays or by appointment New exhibit on President Millard Fillmore Genoa Historical Association and Rural Life Museum, 920 Route 34B, King Ferry; (315) 364-8202 or genoahistorical.org; Open 10 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. Mondays and Fridays, Wednesdays by chance or appointment Easter bonnet display (bonnets old and new and Easter photos wanted) (through May 31) Collections on town cemeteries, photos of the community and a hands-on one-room 1840s schoolhouse museum Harriet Tubman National Historical Park, 180 South St., Auburn; (315) 882-8060 or nps.gov/hart; Open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, guided tours at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Exhibits about and artifacts from the life of Harriet Tubman Howland Stone Store Museum and Opendore, Route 34B, Sherwood; howlandstonestore.org; Open 1-4 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays Exhibits on abolitionism, the Underground Railroad, and the early life and call of Emily Howland Lock 52 and Montezuma historical societies, 73 Pine St., Port Byron; lock52hs@gmail.com; Open 1-3 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and Saturdays by appointment, May 13 through Sept. 16 Unique display of artwork showing iconic scenes of the early Erie Canal era and local genealogy, digital library and photo collections related to Port Byron and Mentz New York State Equal Rights Heritage Center, 25 South St., Auburn; (315) 258-9820; Open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays Drawings by Karen Bove in honor of National Preservation Month Old Brutus Historical Society, 8943 N. Seneca St., Weedsport; (315) 834-9342; Open 5-7 p.m. Wednesdays (historian's night) and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursdays (research and organization) Collections on the history of Brutus and its people Schweinfurth: Featured artist releases microaggressions through art AUBURN Artist Theda Sandiford channels microaggressions commonplace verbal, behavioral or environmental slights, whether intentional or un Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, 205 Genesee St., Auburn; (315) 255-1553 or myartcenter.org; Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays, 1-5 p.m. Sundays "Triggered, Truth & Transformation" by Theda Sandiford (through May 28) "Made in NY 2023" (through May 28) CNY Emerging Artist Project: "Positive, Negative, Shallow and Deep" by Tyrone Johnson-Neuland (through May 28) Seward House Museum, 33 South St., Auburn; (315) 252-1283 or sewardhouse.org; Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays "Rooted in Reform" exhibit about founding of Auburn Correctional Facility, relationships to Miller and Seward family, and history of the criminal justice system Art by Marika Chew Shepherds Brewing Co., 132 Genesee St., Auburn; shepsbeer.com; Open 4-8 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 3-10 p.m. Fridays, 1-10 p.m. Saturdays, noon-5 p.m. Sundays Painted portraits by Caitlin Pallischeck Skaneateles Artisans, 3 Fennell St., Skaneateles; (315) 685-8580 or skaneatelesartisans.com; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays Work by more than 175 local artists Skaneateles Historical Society Museum at The Creamery, 28 Hannum St., Skaneateles; (315) 685-1360; Open 1-4 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays Records, photos, newspaper articles and more items from Skaneateles history South Shore Artisans, 576 Main St., Fair Haven; facebook.com/southshoreartisans; Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays Local artists, including Marsha Decker's soaps Sterling Nature Center, Jensvold Road, Sterling; (315) 947-6143 or cayugacounty.us.; Open 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily 2022 Cayuga Naturally Photograph Contest winners The Underground Bottle Shop, 29 E. Genesee St., Auburn; undergroundbottleshop.com; Open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Mondays-Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, noon-6 p.m. Sundays Art by Martin Kepecs Gallery: 2022 Cayuga Naturally Photograph Contest winners A doctor in Bengaluru has hit back at a rehabilitation centre in Arunachal Pradesh and the government for encouraging a pay disparity in which MBBS doctors get paid lower than cooks, male nurses, and yoga practitioners. Dr Jagadish J Hiremath, a surgeon at Aasra Hospitals in Bengaluru shared a newspaper clipping of an advertisement by a Kripa Foundation of Itanagar Capital Region in Arunachal Pradesh and wrote, "Government of Arunachal Pradesh wants medical officers MBBS passed, salary payable is Rs 11,000. Cook and ward boys who are 8th pass get the same salary as doctors." The ad mentioned that the foundation was "supported by the government of Arunachal Pradesh" and is affiliated with the Union Ministry of social justice and empowerment. "Data entry operators and yoga therapists get Rs 15,000 as salary. The best part is that the ANM male nurse gets Rs 15,000 which is more than what the doctor would get. Counselors, senior counselor, and clinical psychologist get almost double the salary of doctors," Dr Hiremath added. Govt of Arunachal Pradesh wants Medical Officers MBBS passed, salary payable is Rs 11000/- Cook & ward boys who are 8th pass get the same salary as doctors. Data entry operators & Yoga therapists get Rs 15000/- as salary The best part is that the ANM Male nurse gets Rs 15000/- pic.twitter.com/d8EZgW0xt5 DR JAGADISH J HIREMATH (@Kaalateetham) April 26, 2023 Pointing out how with the current pay structures the future of young doctors looks bleak, Dr Hiremath said, "I kind of knew; we would reach this situation soon. With every district today having a medical college, it will be tougher for young doctors in the future." Read more: Salary was Rs 9,000 even 10 years after completing MBBS, says Apollo Hospitals' doctor The Bengaluru doctor further advised aspiring doctors to "think a thousand times, if you are paying in crores to become a doctor in private medical colleges then stop, it might be a good idea to hold on to your money". Dr Hiremath then revealed that even his family is aware of the dim future that await young doctors -- a reason why his own son chose engineering. "It was his decision, he had done his homework before making his decision," the surgeon said, before adding, "Think before you decide. It does not look good for young doctors at all. Even the governments are working to degrade this profession." Read more: Techies earn more 'writing inconsequential code', complains Bengaluru doctor as 'salary after MBBS is...' E Jean Carroll, a writer and columnist, has accused Donald Trump of raping her in the mid-1990s, in the latest scandal to involve the former US President. Carroll alleges that the incident took place inside a luxury department store dressing room in New York City. In her case against Trump, Carroll says that after she ran into the future president at Manhattan's Bergdorf Goodman on an unspecified spring Thursday evening in 1996. He invited her to shop with him for a woman's lingerie gift before they teased one another to try on a bodysuit. Carroll says they ended up alone together in a store dressing room, where Trump pushed her against a wall and raped before she fought him off and fled. Trump has vehemently denied the allegations, saying Carroll was motivated by money and fame as opening arguments kicked off the much-anticipated proceedings. Here are 5 things to know about E Jean Carroll: Carroll wrote the popular Ask E. Jean relationship advice column in Elle magazine for 26 years, from 1993 to 2019. It was one of the longest-running columns in the United States. She had written for the iconic late-night show Saturday Night Live in the mid-1980s and was a contributing editor to Esquire, Outside, Playboy and New York magazines. She was the first woman contributing editor of Playboy. Carroll first made the rape allegation against Donald Trump in an excerpt from her book published by New York Magazine in 2019. In 2019, she was among the 13 women who accused CBS Corporation executive Les Moonves of sexual assault in the 1990s, an allegation he has denied. Born in Michigan and raised in Indiana, Carroll is the oldest of four children. She says she now lives in a little cabin on an island (it's about the size of a mattress) in upstate New York. As the nation mourns the killing of security forces personnel on April 26 at Dantewada in a blast carried out by Naxal insurgents using an improvised explosive device (IED), the Supreme Courts (SC) July 2022 judgment on false litigation against personnel posted at Dantewada assumes importance. The SC not only imposed a penalty of Rs 5 lakh on social worker Himanshu Kumar, who had filed the litigation, but also permitted the government of Chhattisgarh to initiate proceedings against him. Moneycontrol explains what Himanshu Kumars case was all about, why SC imposed a cost on him, and the Centres stance in this matter. What was the case about? In 2009, Himanshu Kumar, a social activist moved the SC alleging that Chhattisgarh Police, Salwa Judum (group of vigilantes sponsored by the Chhattisgarh Government), and the Paramilitary Forces orchestrated a brutal massacre of the tribals in some villages in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh. It alleged that 19 people were massacred by the security forces. Kumars plea sought an enquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the alleged massacre and compensation from the government to the victims and their families for the extra-judicial executions, looting of their properties, burning of their houses, and other losses suffered by the victims. In his petition, he contended that despite having filed First Information Reports (FIRs), the police did not take any action. What did the Supreme Court do? In 2010, the SC summoned the villagers named in the petition as victims of the massacre and decided to interact with them. This was to avoid any gaps in communication or misunderstanding. To understand them better, the SC tasked a District Judge of Tis Hazari court to take down their statements with the help of a translator. The SC said, We make it very clear that the District Judge shall proceed to record the statement only after being satisfied that the persons produced before him are free from any pressure and are capable of making statements freely without being influenced by any of the outside agencies/parties. The learned District Judge is requested to arrange for a videography of the entire proceedings. What did the government contend? The case came up for hearing in 2022 after the central government filed an application to prosecute Kumar for perjury after investigations found that nothing alleged in the petition transpired in reality. While the case had earlier come up for hearing at irregular intervals, it never reached finality. In 2022, the government contended that a plain reading of the statements of the villagers indicated that they had no idea of what was in the writ petition and for what reasons the writ petition was filed. The government asked the court to take a strict view of the matte and hold Kumar guilty of giving false evidence to the court with a view to protect the Naxal terrorists. It further argued that despite 13 years having elapsed, Kumar had not shown any interest in the investigations, which is evident from the fact that he did not pursue the case after having made the allegations against the security personnel. What did the court hold? The court noted that Kumars lawyer, after 13 years, said that the district judge did not record the statements properly. The court questioned Kumar as to why nothing was done about this since 2010. The apex court further noted that the statements of the villagers destroy the entire case of allegations made against the security personnel. The court held that it was of the view that no case worth the name, for further investigation or re-investigation, has been filed. The court further observed that looking at all the documents, it appears that the villagers were attacked and killed by the Naxalites, and there is not an iota of evidence against the security forces. The court held that In the overall view of the matter, we have reached the conclusion that no case, worth the name, has been made out by the writ petitioners for any further investigation, much less through an independent agency, to be appointed by this court. Considering all the documents and evidence, the court levied a penalty of Rs 5 lakh on Himanshu Kumar. As regards the central governments plea to prosecute Kumar for perjury, the court asked the Chhattisgarh government or the CBI to act on it, if need be. A man has been fined 150,000 baht (about Rs 3,5 lakh) fine and a suspended six-month prison sentence by a court in Thailand for uploading a photo of a craft beer with his review of it on Facebook. Artid Sivahansaphan, a craft beer enthusiast, was convicted for violating a law on advertising alcoholic beverages. Sivahansaphan said he plans to appeal his conviction in the hope of changing a law he believes is unfair to consumers and small entrepreneurs. The 2008 Alcoholic Beverage Control Act prohibits advertising or displaying, directly or indirectly, the name or trademark of any alcoholic beverage. It carries a maximum penalty of one year's imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 baht (Rs 11 lakh). Artid was convicted on Friday by a court in Nonthaburi, just north of Bangkok, for a post on Facebook in 2020. An initial penalty of eight months in prison and a 200,000 baht (Rs 4.7 lakh) fine was reduced to a suspended six-month sentence and a 150,000 baht (Rs 3.5 lakh) fine because the court considered his testimony helpful, he told The Associated Press. Supak Ko-it, a coordinator of Beer People, a group that promotes the liberalization of production and sale of beer, attended the court session and confirmed the details of the sentence. The court didnt seem to understand, she said. Artid wrote the post from the aspect of a consumer reviewing a beer, not someone selling it, but the court wasnt interested in that point. Thailand regulates the production, sale and advertising of alcoholic drinks, with sales hours limited and advertising or any other depiction of alcoholic beverages largely banned across all platforms. On television, images of alcoholic drinks are usually electronically blurred. Critics charge that the regulations, particularly on production, unfairly favor large established companies which are owned by some of the countrys wealthiest business families. Artid said he is a freelance translator and does not have any business interest in alcoholic beverages but is passionate about craft beer. His Facebook page, where he has written about both Thai and foreign beers for about 10 years, has more than 70,000 followers. I didnt advertise it. I didnt encourage people to drink it. I didnt advocate for driving drunk. I only talked about the aesthetic aspect of it, he said. Thailand is a country where its illegal for people to drink a beer and say its delicious. The day that I waited for my bail approval, someone convicted of drunk driving walked in. He was fined 60,000 baht- (Rs 1.4 lakh), and I was like, What? I write stuff at home, and I got a 150,000 baht (Rs 3.5 lakh) fine, Artid said. Thailands popular Move Forward Party, commenting on a similar pending case, said the law is being used for bullying ordinary people and local entrepreneurs. It said the ban on advertising should only apply to business operators, and small operators should be allowed to advertise with some restrictions. (With inputs from AP) Read more: Beer brewed 86 years ago for Edward VIII's canceled coronation goes on sale The Community Spirit Index, a comprehensive ranking of 53 cities worldwide based on their friendliness for non-natives, has analysed six key metrics to determine the most welcoming cities and the most unfriendly cities in the world. The ranking was done by Preply an online tutoring and language lessons platform. The metrics include visitor return rates, safety ratings, LGBTQ+ equality, overall happiness, ease of communicating through a common language, and friendly staff. While no Indian cities made it to the friendly list, two of them rank high on the unfriendly list. Accra in Ghana ranks as the least friendly city in the world for non-natives, with a friendliness score of just 3.12 out of 10. Marrakech, Morocco ranks at 2 as the second least friendly city in the world with a score of 3.69, followed by Mumbai, Kuala Lumpur, Rio de Janeiro, and Delhi. Mumbai has 3.91 per cent friendly staff while Delhi has 3.27 per cent, according to the index. While only 12 per cent reviews state Mumbai as friendly, for Delhi its slightly higher at 17 per cent. Mumbai scored 3.78 for happiness while Delhi was at 4.01. According to the survey, Toronto and Sydney are tied as the friendliest cities in the world for non-natives in 2023, both receiving an impressive overall friendliness score of 7.97 out of 10. Toronto has a decent visitor return rate of 15% and a high LGBTQ+ equality score of 90 out of 100, while Sydney excels in safety with a score of 65.87 out of 100 and has a high score of 84 out of 100 for LGBTQ+ equality. Edinburgh and Manchester rank as the second and third friendliest cities in the world for non-natives, respectively. Edinburgh has a high overall friendliness score of 7.78, with a safety index score of 68.92 out of 100, while Manchester has a score of 7.72 out of 10, known for its welcoming atmosphere, with 14.76% of reviews mentioning the word friendly. For those seeking the ultimate social scene, the survey has also ranked the top cities in the world where people are searching for tips on making new friends. Sao Paulo takes the crown with a huge 23,160 annual searches for how to make friends, followed by New York and Paris. When Roshan Patel, founder and CEO of healthcare startup Walnut, reached out to a software engineer to check if she would be interested in working for their company, he was taken aback by her brutally honest response. So taken aback, in fact, that he is still thinking about it nearly two years later. The software engineer minced no words while informing Patel as to why she would not be interested in working for his company. Her straightforward response is now going viral on Twitter. The exchange in question occurred in September 2021 shortly after Walnut raised funding in a pre-seed round. Founder and CEO Roshan Patel began reaching out to potential job candidates as he started hiring for his startup. In the process, he reached out to the software engineer in question and wrote: I run a startup increasing access to healthcare by making it more affordable. We just raised a pre-seed round and are looking to hire talented engineers. Any interest in chatting? The engineer informed Patel that her current CTC is more than Walnuts pre-seed round. Hi Roshan, I just checked on Crunchbase and my current salary is more than your entire pre-seed round, she replied. Still thinking about this exchange almost 2 years later. pic.twitter.com/YI9b3NZtIV Roshan Patel (@roshanpateI) April 26, 2023 Still thinking about this exchange almost 2 years later, Patel wrote while sharing a screenshot of the exchange where he blurred out the engineers name to protect privacy. The tweet has been viewed more than 2.4 million times on the microblogging platform where it has left many amused. According to Crunchbase, New York-based startup Walnut has raised a total of $113.6M in funding over four rounds. The startup had raised $3.6 million in April 2021. Argentina will start to pay for Chinese imports in yuan rather than dollars, the government announced Wednesday, a measure that aims to relieve the country's dwindling dollar reserves. In April, it aims to pay around $1 billion of Chinese imports in yuan instead of dollars and thereafter around $790 million of monthly imports will be paid in yuan, a government statement said. The decision aims to ease the outflow of dollars, Argentina's Economy minister Sergio Massa said during an event following a meeting with the Chinese ambassador, Zou Xiaoli, as well as with companies from various sectors. The decision comes as the South American nation battles critical levels in its dollar reserves amid a sharp drop in agricultural exports caused by a historic drought, as well as political uncertainty ahead of elections this year. In November last year, Argentina expanded a currency swap with China by $5 billion, seeking to strengthen Argentina's international reserves. The agreement will allow Argentina "to work on the possibility" of advancing the rate of imports, Massa added, with yuan-denominated import orders being authorized in 90 days rather than the standard 180 days. USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Elon Musk returned to Capitol Hill on Wednesday and met with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Just as he did on a previous visit, Musk, the chief executive officer of SpaceX, Tesla Inc. and Twitter Inc., slipped in quietly. On Jan. 27, he stopped at the offices of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and spoke to other top congressional Republicans. He also met with House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries. Musk also met Wednesday with South Koreas president, Yoon Suk Yeol, who is on a visit to Washington, according to the Yonhap News Agency. The meeting with Schumer, which continued into the evening, coincided with the New York Democrats consideration of legislation to regulate artificial intelligence. Like we helped move the nation forward on chips in a good way that will help American jobs, the American economy and the American people, were going to try to do the same type of stuff on AI, Schumer said in a brief interview on April 19. Artificial intelligence has been a focus of research for years, from Silicon Valley to the Pentagon and globally. The November debut of OpenAIs chatbot ChatGPT, however, sent competitors rushing to release their own versions and critics warning that the products risk regurgitating inaccurate and harmful results, and could lead to the development of AI systems that could not be easily controlled. USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept The Kremlin said on Thursday it welcomed anything that could bring the end of the Ukraine conflict closer when asked what it thought of a phone call a day earlier between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.. But the Kremlin said it still needed to achieve the aims of what it calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine. The Chinese and Ukrainian leaders on Wednesday spoke for the first time since Russia sent its troops into Ukraine in February last year, fulfilling a longstanding goal of Kyiv which had publicly sought such talks for months. USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept An improved model of Microsoft Corp.s goggles wont be deployed to US Army combat troops for at least two years because the company must first demonstrate it has fixed flaws that left soldiers with headaches, nausea and eyestrain, according to the Army. If the goggle passes its tests, a version will be fielded starting in July 2025, the Army said in a statement. The latest version is slimmer and lighter and is designed to greatly improve soldier comfort, Microsoft said in a statement. Software improvements are also intended to result in greater reliability and reduced power demand. Microsofts Integrated Visual Augmentation System, or IVAS, is expected to provide a heads-up display for US ground forces, similar to that for fighter pilots. Its based on the companys HoloLens mixed reality goggles. A decision to deploy the military version would unlock billions of dollars for procurement that Congress has become unwilling to free up pending proof of improvements. Over a decade, the Army projects spending as much as $21.9 billion for as many as 121,000 devices, spares and support services if all options are exercised. It has already accepted 5,000 early version goggles, with another 5,000 of the next version pending. The first 20 improved goggles, assembled by hand, are to be delivered between July and September, with initial assessments by soldiers soon after, the Army said. The stakes for Microsoft and the Army were highlighted Wednesday during a House Armed Services subcommittee hearing on Army procurement, with the panel chairman skeptical about the $1.5 billion spent so far. I am particularly concerned about a product that would cost over $60,000 per soldier and think the system needs to be carefully scrutinized to ensure soldier lethality is enhanced, Representative Rob Wittman, a Virginia Republican and the subcommittee chairman, said in a statement. Army weapons buyer Doug Bush, in a prepared statement, said the service and Microsoft have identified solutions to address these areas through refinements driven by soldier input as the Army intends to field the updated IVAS 1.2 model to combat force as early as July 2025. According to the Armys detailed schedule the goggles will go through a gantlet: The first 20 hand-built improved models will be delivered starting in July to support the first soldier assessment between October and December. If initial assessment is a success, the Army will award another contract to produce additional devices for a second soldier evaluation between July-September 2024. A successful event there would be followed by a full-blown combat operational test between April and June 2025. If this graduation test is successful, the goggles would be fielded to combat units months. Bush on April 19 told a Senate Armed Services panel that we are taking a deliberate approach to evaluating and buying more goggles. With the initial models that tested poorly, the service was, honestly, very, very aggressive on time line and production ramp up. We want to make sure the latest version is exactly what the army needs or were not going to produce it, Bush said. Microsoft said in a statement that we continue to partner very closely with the Army along all stages of IVAS development. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday blasted the House Republicans' proposal to slash trillions in federal spending as a condition for raising the debt ceiling a bill he said would hurt upstate New York families. The House passed a plan that would cut $4.8 trillion over 10 years. Republicans would achieve this by reducing federal government spending to 2022 levels, a move that would affect funding for numerous programs. The legislation would also repeal green energy tax credits and impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients. Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters that the bill is "dead on arrival" in the U.S. Senate. President Joe Biden would veto the legislation if it won congressional approval. What concerns Schumer is how the bill would affect programs that upstate New Yorkers rely on, from heating assistance to Medicaid. He said the average household would lose nearly $400 in heating assistance, while more than 2 million New Yorkers, including 102,000 in central New York, could lose Medicaid coverage due to the new work requirements. Changes proposed in the bill, including expanding work requirements, would cut more than $144 million in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for 53,000 New Yorkers. "The devil is in the details and when you look at these numbers, it spells disaster for New York," Schumer said. The legislation may also threaten funding to boost domestic semiconductor chip manufacturing, such as Micron's $100 billion plan to build a chipfab facility in Onondaga County. There would be cuts to the National Science Foundation and workforce training programs, Schumer warned. "We can't make progress in making central New York and upstate New York a tech manufacturing hub if we can't train our workers," he added. "These companies, if they can't get the workers, it means those jobs go back overseas." Schumer prefers a different approach than what House Republicans are demanding in public. He noted that there has been bipartisan agreement in the past to raise the debt ceiling and avoid default "without preconditions." Two of those votes occurred while Donald Trump, a Republican, was president. The debt limit has been raised once during Biden's term. Instead of what Schumer has called the "Default on America Act," he urged House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to pass a clean debt limit bill, then they can negotiate a spending plan. "It always should be in the budget process, not as hostage-taking, not as brinksmanship with the debt ceiling," he said. "That is very dangerous." Billionaire technology investor Peter Thiel has no plans to donate to candidates running for office in 2024, according to a person familiar with his thinking, citing frustration over the Republican partys preoccupation with culture war issues. The decision to sit on the sidelines is Thiels latest step away from politics after a long and ambivalent history as a major donor. Thiel was a prominent backer of Donald Trump in the 2016 election, and helped bankroll the 2022 Senate campaigns of Republican JD Vance in Ohio and Blake Masters in Arizona. After Vances victory in the primary, Thiel said he planned to wind down his involvement in the 2022 election and would not be backing other candidates. Reuters earlier reported new of Thiels decision to sit out the 2024 race. The person familiar with Thiels decision-making said that he thought Republicans were too focused on restricting access to abortion and hot-button issues like transgender bathrooms rather than economic issues like keeping the US competitive with China and bolstering American innovation. A representative for Thiel did not provide a comment. Recently, Thiel was part of a coterie of tech industry leaders who met with US lawmakers in Washington over cocktails and branzino to discuss Chinas rising technological threat. Thiel, a long time conservative with libertarian leanings, made a similar criticism of Republican orthodoxy during a speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention in which he denounced fake culture wars and said that while he was proud to be gay he was more proud to be an American. We are told that the great debate is about who gets to use which bathroom, he said. This a distraction from our real problems. Who cares? Masters, a protege who worked at Thiels investment firm, lost in part after Democrats ran ads criticizing his past statements on abortion, which included saying there should be absolutely no abortions and that a solution was to make it illegal and punish the doctors. Thiel gave a total of $35 million to super political action committees that backed Masters and Vance. He also donated more than $123,000 to candidates and party committees, making him the sixth largest Republican donor in the midterms, according to OpenSecrets. Thiel donated $1.3 million to support Trump in the 2016 general election, but didn't back him in the primaries. He gave $2 million to a super PAC that supported former Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Officer Carly Fiorina's campaign in the Republican nomination contest. Hong Kongs dining scene is going strong, despite intense Covid-related restrictions over the past year. Theres a new three-star restaurant in town, Ta Vie, in the boutique Pottinger hotel in Hong Kong. The French-accented dining room features a seasonal tasting menu from Japanese-born chef Hideaki Sato, that might include grilled pigeon imported from Bresse with grilled Taiwan bamboo shoots; his menu costs HK$2780 ($354). The Michelin Guide announced its list for Hong Kong and Macau at a live event in Macau. Accompanied with the lift in travel restrictions, the culinary scene in Hong Kong remains vibrant and passionate, while the hospitality industry is also picking up its pace, said Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides, in a press release. In fact, it has not been a quiet year in Hong Kong. There are 95 starred restaurants on this years list78 are in Hong Kong, and 17 in Macau. Thats a notable jump from last year, when there were a total of 86. Among this years winners are seven spots with three stars, the same number as last year. The fine dining Cantonese spot Lung King Heen was demoted to two stars. The number of two stars (excellent cuisine; worth a detour) expanded to 13 this year, up from 12. Among the new additions are Bo Innovation, which moved to a new location in 2022. Chef Alvin Leungs eclectic menu includes Soup by Andy, inspired by Andy Warhols Campbells Soup Cans prints. Among the 58 one star (high quality; worth a stop) spots are nine new one stars. That includes The Chairman, which hit No. 1 on Asias 50 Best restaurants list in 2021. This year it fell to No. 13, and was the top-rated restaurant in Hong Kong on the list. Michelin started its guide in 1900 and began handing out stars in 1926. The first edition of the Hong Kong and Macau guide was published in 2009. An asterisk (*) indicates a new selection Three stars 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo - Bombana Caprice Forum LAtelier de Joel Robuchon Sushi Shikon Tang Court * Ta Vie Two Stars Amber Arbor *Bo Innovation Ecriture LEnvol *Lai Ching Heen Lung King Heen Octavium *Run Sun Tung Lok Tate Tin Lung Heen Ying Jee Club One Star Ando Arcane Beefbar Belon Chaat * D.H.K. Duddells Epure * Estro Fook Lam Moon (Wan Chai) Fu Ho Gaddis * Godenya Hansik Goo Ho Hung Kee (Causeway Bay) I M Teppanyaki & Wine Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine (Tsim Sha Tsui) Jardin de Jade (Wan Chai) Kams Roast Goose * Kappo Rin Liu Yuan Pavilion Loaf On Louise Man Ho (Admiralty) Man Wah Mandarin Grill + Bar Ming Court (Mong Kok) Mono * Nagamoto * Neighborhood New Punjab Club * Noi Pangs Kitchen Petrus Roganic Ryota Kappou Modern Seventh Son Shang Palace Spring Moon Summer Palace Sushi Saito Sushi Wadatsumi Takumi by Daisuke Mori The Araki * The Chairman * The Demon Celebrity Tosca di Angelo Vea Whey Xin Rong Ji Yardbird Yat Lok Yat Tung Heen Ye Shanghai (Tsim Sha Tsui) Yong Fu Zest by Konishi Zhejiang Heen Zuicho AUBURN Since its inception in 1962, the Cayuga County Conservative Party has never run a candidate for countywide office. Until now. Kristine Lytle formally launched her campaign for Cayuga County clerk outside of the Cayuga County Office Building on Wednesday. Lytle, a registered Conservative, is one of three candidates in the race to succeed Sue Dwyer, the longtime county clerk who will not seek reelection this year. Chris Petrus, a Republican and Cayuga County legislator, and Brian Scanlan, a Democrat and retired Auburn firefighter, are also running for county clerk. What separates Lytle from her two opponents is her experience. She has worked at the county Department of Motor Vehicles for 16 years. The county clerk oversees the department. "This is not a career change for me. It is not a political aspiration for me," Lytle said. "This is the next logical step in the progression of my career." When Dwyer announced that she will not run for another term, Lytle recalled feeling sad because of the longtime clerk's "incredible track record." She also praised Dwyer's leadership of the office and her guidance. But that announcement also led to a feeling of uncertainty, Lytle said. She wondered what would happen to the departments overseen by the clerk and who would step up to lead the office. That's the moment when she began considering a run for clerk. "I am the only candidate with the qualifications and the experience to transition seamlessly into this position," Lytle said. Although Lytle is a Conservative Party member, the party's leaders highlighted her background as a key factor in the decision to endorse her for county clerk. Andy Cuddy, a local attorney and a member of the party's executive committee, told the crowd of supporters that Lytle is "the best candidate in this race for the job." He mentioned her leadership, management and organizational skills, which he says are necessary to succeed Dwyer. Cayuga County Conservative Party Chairman David Pappert celebrated Lytle's candidacy as a "historic event" because it's the first time the party is running someone for a countywide office. Because of New York's fusion voting system, which allows parties to cross-endorse candidates backed by other parties, the Conservative Party has traditionally endorsed Republicans for countywide offices. With Lytle, Conservatives had an opportunity to achieve a first. "As trailblazing as that is for the party, it's much more important to recognize that the reason we are running our own candidate is because the best possible candidate for this job, Kristine Lytle, just happens to be a registered Conservative," Pappert said. Lytle's vision for the office includes restoring some services that were disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She previously told The Citizen that she wants to make more local DMV services available online to compete with the state. "This position mandates an individual with a drive for community interaction and an ability to multitask all while delivering accurate and consistent customer service ... I'm that person," Lytle said. April 27, 2023 Ukraine Peace Talks - A Grown Up Is Taking Charge The U.S. is unwilling to yet give up in its proxy war with Russia in Ukraine. Russia can not stop the war without securing its legitimate interest to keep NATO and/or the U.S. out of its neighbor state. A loss of the war would create an existential danger for Russia. With the two major powers engaged in a war a third party is needed to solve the conflict. In the spring of last year Turkey and Israel successfully helped to find a peace agreement. A good solution was found and Russia as well as Ukraine agreed to it. But the U.S. needed the war to continue. It sent the British prime minister Boris Johnson to Kiev to sabotage the deal. The Ukrainian president was told that the country would lose all 'western' support should it sign an agreement with Russia. As the somewhat neutral middle powers were unable to push any agreement through it became obvious that a third party with more heft was needed to seal a deal. The time of moving towards a deal also needed to be right. On February 24, exactly a year after the war had started, China announced its Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis. This was not a peace plan but a lay out of things that will need to be understood and done to come to a sustainable solution of the crisis. A months later China took the next step that will be needed in the process. It introduced a high ranking diplomat who will hold the preliminary talks in Ukraine and Russia to find the potential ways to proceed. The announcement was made after a phone call between the presidents Xi and Zelensky: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he held a long and meaningful call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday, a long-anticipated first contact between the leaders since Russias invasion 14 months ago. Xi appealed for negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv to begin, according to a Chinese government readout of the call, which Beijing said Zelenskyy requested. Xi pledged to send a "special representative" to Ukraine for talks about a "political settlement" warning that "there is no winner in a nuclear war." China hopes to become a neutral peace broker in the conflict, although the U.S. and others have questioned its impartiality given a "no limits" partnership in which it has lent Moscow rhetorical and financial support. I am not aware of any 'financial support' by China to Russia as NBC News is claiming here. Even U.S. intelligence says that Russia does not need more money to continue the war: U.S. intelligence holds that Russia will be able to fund the war in Ukraine for at least another year, even under the heavy and increasing weight of unprecedented sanctions, according to leaked U.S. military documents. China' readout on the call alludes to the previous proposal and offers to build on it: With rational thinking and voices now on the rise, it is important to seize the opportunity and build up favorable conditions for the political settlement of the crisis. It is hoped that all parties would seriously reflect on the Ukraine crisis and jointly explore ways to bring lasting peace and security to Europe through dialogue. China will continue to facilitate talks for peace and make its efforts for early ceasefire and restoration of peace. China will send the Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs to Ukraine and other countries to have in-depth communication with all parties on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. China has sent multiple batches of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and will keep providing help to the best of its ability. The Chinese special representative for Eurasian affairs is Lu Hui, a very senior diplomat. He has held several positions in China's embassies in Moscow and Astana as well as within China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs: In 2008-2009 Mr. Liu Hui served as a deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the PRC. From August 2009 to August 2019 he served as an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Russian Federation. Ukraine's readout of the call does not mention the envoy. The U.S. response to the announcement of an envoy was designed to put China's efforts into doubt: John Kirby, the National Security Council's coordinator for strategic communications, said the U.S. welcomed the call as a "good thing." "Weve been saying for quite some time that we believe its important for President Xi and PRC officials to avail themselves of the Ukrainian perspective on this illegal and unprovoked invasion by Russia," Kirby told reporters, referring to China by the initials for its formal name, the People's Republic of China. Earlier, Kirby, told NBC News, "We will let these two leaders speak to the details of their conversation." A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was "way too soon after just getting word of this conversation to speculate about" whether the call should foster optimism about China's peace plan. "Thus far, China has not shown itself to be unbiased when it comes to supporting Russia," the official said. I have no doubt that Li Hui will do his best to achieve some progress in talks with Ukraine and Russia. His most difficult task is to bring the U.S. on board of any potential solution. But with more doubts coming up over Kiev's ability to successfully launch the announced counteroffensive being voiced every day the mood in Washington may well be changing. Posted by b on April 27, 2023 at 16:42 UTC | Permalink Comments next page next page New York Attorney General Letitia James worked with state lawmakers to introduce legislation targeting deed theft, a crime that is a growing problem in New York City and other parts of the state. Deed theft, according to the attorney general's office, is when the deed or title to a home is stolen without the homeowner's knowledge. Scammers use deed theft to take ownership of properties, mainly those owned by older residents or people of color. One bill would establish deed theft as a felony offense in New York. An individual would be charged with first-degree deed theft, a class B felony, if they steal the title for a residential property or two or more real properties. A lesser charge, second-degree deed theft, would apply in cases where a thief steals one property. The attorney general's office, along with district attorneys, would have jurisdiction to prosecute deed theft cases. The legislation would set the statute of limitations for deed theft at eight years. A separate bill sponsored by state Sen. Brian Kavanagh and Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein would address civil aspects of deed theft. It would eliminate good faith purchaser protections for buyers of stolen homes to ensure that the property is returned to the owner. Victims could also pause eviction proceedings to show proof of the theft. "No one's home should be stolen by a scammer without warning or reason," James said. "Victims of deed theft are often older adults and people of color who are asset rich but cash poor. Homeownership is a stabilizing economic force for their families and loved ones, and deed theft robs them not just of their family home, but of their most significant financial asset and the community they have known for their entire lives." The New York City Sheriff's Office has handled nearly 3,500 deed theft complaints since 2014, including more than 1,500 in Brooklyn and 1,000 in Queens, according to the attorney general's office. While there have been thousands of crimes reported in the city, it is a statewide problem. James said district attorneys in four upstate counties, including Onondaga, have reported deed theft complaints. Deed theft victims are asked to contact the attorney general's office by calling 1-800-771-7755, emailing deedtheft@ag.ny.gov or by completing an online confidential complaint. A 14-month legal saga ended Wednesday with the dropping of charges against the Trinity School of Midlands Shelby Hammer, Todd Freese, Chrystal Myers and Adrianne Clifton. The four were on trial for failing to make required child abuse reports and attempted to intentionally conceal those reports a state felony, but that trial ended Wednesday with charges dropped, Trinity supporters cheering and a defense team saying that only partial justice took place and there was more to come. A statement from the defense team included: For 425 days, the Trinity administrators have suffered under the weight of false accusations. The Trinity family has been without its leaders, mentors, and role models. We know now, that at Laura Nodolfs direction, these people were arrested at school, led out in handcuffs in front of the children on the easily disproven word of a troubled teen and her disgruntled mother. Now after 10 days of trial and only half of their witnesses testifying, the prosecutors finally recognize what has been apparent since day one these people should never have been arrested, charged, or tried in the first place. These continued baseless prosecutions have come at enormous costs, not only to dedicated professionals, but also to Midland County taxpayers. Todays dismissal is a hollow victory and only partial justice but stay tuned. Sgt. Alonzos testimony led to the abrupt ending On Wednesday, there was no morning session as the District Attorneys Office dealt with the testimony of Midland Police Department Sgt. Jennie Alonzo. The District Attorneys Office on Wednesday reported that it had requested the official court reporter prepare a record of Alonzos testimony this week. Alonzos testimony Tuesday included that a meeting with District Attorney Nodolf and ADA Jennifer Lively greenlighted her actions as arresting officer because she was told to handle it like the other one (Midland Christian School case a few days earlier). Alonzo said Tuesday that she believed there was no question about probable cause, but when asked if it would have been less reckless to have all of the facts, she responded no, and when he asked, If you had to do this all over again, would you? she responded no as well. We are requesting a meeting with the defense counsel and the court in the courts chambers at the earliest opportunity (Thursday) morning, Timothy Flathers, 1st assistant district attorney wrote. Trinity School reacts The four members of the Trinity School of Midland administration are still employees. At the time of the arrest in 2022, Hammer acted as the head of School; Freese the Middle School and Upper School dean of students; Myers the head of Middle School; and Clifton the assistant head for Administration/director of Admission. We expect to be back at work very soon, Hammer said Wednesday. We cant wait to see those children. Hammer thanked Trinity School for standing behind the four and making sure they had everything we needed and the lawyers had everything they needed, so we could return to the calling of serving the families of Trinity School of Midland. Michael McWilliams, president of the Trinity School board, released a statement that included, After more than 14 months of navigating uncharted and turbulent waters for our school, we are relieved this process has finally come to an end. Todays decision is one we have prayed for, and we know many of you have joined us in prayer. We are actively working on our plans to welcome our four administrators back to campus, and we will let you know more details in the coming days. McWilliams also thanked Trinity faculty and staff who selflessly stepped up to ensure the Trinity School mission never wavered. Thank you to Holly Cloud and Thomas Mueller for leading the Middle School; Cheryl Spotts for seamlessly executing two record-enrollment admission seasons; and Tim Jones for serving as acting head of School. Tims leadership and tireless efforts were amazing during a time when we needed him most. I am proud that the faculty, staff, administrative leadership team and board of trustees have all sought the best path forward during these difficult times while being mindful of our highest priorities: the safeguarding of our students, the delivery of our schools mission, and the preservation of Trinity School today and into the future. -- Editor's Note: Iris Foster contributed to this report. It is important to congratulate those involved with the search for the next Midland College president in showing that workforce development has been a priority. It should be. It was written in this space earlier that Midland College is working with Midland ISD, the Midland Development Corp., industry and philanthropy on a community Career and Technical Education (CTE) plan. Midland College should not only be part of the discussion but should be central to those efforts. It seems like recent headlines have shown Midland College has slipped behind Odessa College when it comes to enrollment and CTE training. When creating an education system that is right for Midland right now, we must adapt. That would be true of our independent school district, and it certainly is true of Midland College. We need too much around Midland for Midland College not to be all it can be. Again, congratulations to Midland College for recognizing this. One doesnt have to look too far down the respective resumes provided for the presidential finalists to see the emphasis that workforce training played out. Heres hoping Midland College board members and the community take that final step and make workforce development a primary focus at forums and in discussions prior to the selection of a finalist. We need someone who not only knows workforce development but can explain its evolution at Midland College to one of the most unique communities in the nation. We need to know there is experience bringing others outside the Midland College community to coordinate and fundraise. Midland is blessed with industry and foundation leaders ready and willing to help. The next leader should show success in bringing those types to the table and demonstrate how the momentum created at the end of Steve Thomas time at Midland College will continue. While we are at it, lets tip our hat to Thomas. His tenure at Midland College will be defined with the creation of pathways to serve Midland College students and the Midland community. The great opportunities created start with the Pre-K Academy at Midland College and accompanying Baccalaureate in Early Childhood Education. Other programs include Concho Resources/Texas A&M University Engineering Academy, the dual-credit fire academy and the rebirth of the aviation maintenance program. Public forums will take place the week of May 1, and each candidate will participate in two one-hour forums. Forums will be made accessible to all faculty, administrators, staff, students and the general public. There will be a brief introduction of each candidate, followed by a question-and-answer session. We hope Midlanders take the time to hear what each finalist has to offer. We hope they share their impressions with Midland College board members. And for those passionate about building a community where workforce development is a priority, we hope you make sure you relay that message. Midland College always will be an institution for academics, adult literacy opportunities and working with area high school students looking to explore dual-credit courses. That wont change. But workforce development requires a mindset, and the next leader of Midland College needs to know that is how our community is wanting to position itself. -- There will be Open Forums for each candidate, 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. and 1-2 p.m. in the Allison Fine Arts Building Wagner & Brown Auditorium. Damon Kennedy will be Monday; Ian Roark will be Tuesday; and Thad Anglin will be Wednesday. With record numbers of book bans reported across the country, state Sen. Rachel May wants to ensure students have a variety of options when they walk into their libraries. A bill proposed by May, D-Syracuse, would require school districts to have policies that ensure "school libraries and librarians are able to provide students with access to the widest array of age-appropriate materials available to such school district," according to the text of the legislation. The measure, titled the Freedom to Read Act, will be sponsored by Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell in his chamber. May cited a report from PEN America that book banning has increased in the first half of the 2022-23 school year, with nearly 1,500 book bans affecting more than 850 titles. The most common targets are books with race or LGBTQ themes. "With our rich diversity and our commitment to free expression in New York state, we must ensure students have access to a broad range of materials to let them pursue a love of learning and reading," May said. She continued, "My bill, the Freedom to Read Act, ensures that students have access to many perspectives that can enrich their minds and broaden their perspectives. Whether they embrace or reject those perspectives, the opportunity to explore challenging ideas is valuable to students' development as learners and as active participants in our society." While higher levels of book banning have been reported in other states, such as Florida and Texas, New York hasn't avoided controversies over literary works. Last year, a book titled "All Boys Aren't Blue" was challenged in the Auburn Enlarged City School District. The book written by George Johnson has been targeted by those who think it should be banned from school libraries because of its sexual themes. Ultimately, the Auburn school board voted to keep the book in the high school library. Guam Power Authority General Manager John Benavente speaks to members of the Consolidated Commission on Utilities during a special board meeting Wednesday, April 26, 2023, at the Gloria B. Nelson Public Service Building in Mangilao. Jesse Deleon Guerrero and Mara Hosoda of the U.S. Embassy in New Zealand at the Young Pacific Leaders conference on Guam. Members of the 37th Guam Legislature bring in the casket of former Sen. Benigno Palomo during his memorial service Wednesday, April 26, 2023, at the Guam Congress Building in Hagatna. The Marianas Visitors Authoritys new Marianas Tourism Month logo was designed by Xinyi of Kagman High School, 1st place winner in the Marianas Tourism Month logo contest. U.S. Rep. Brandon Williams has rescheduled a town hall meeting in Camillus after the death of his mother-in-law, Pat McRee. McRee died Tuesday morning, according to Williams' office. She was 85. Taylor Weyeneth, Williams' spokesperson said, said in a statement that the congressman and his wife, Stephanie, are "mourning and celebrating the life" of McRee. "At 85, though increasingly fragile, she was mentally sharp until the end," Weyeneth said. "While her passing is sorrowful, it has also brought peace to those who loved her. Mrs. McRee epitomized strength and service as the wife of a senior Army officer during the war in Vietnam. The congressman and his family appreciate the time to celebrate his mother-in-law, her legacy and her sacrifice to our country." The town hall meeting in Camillus was scheduled for Tuesday, May 2. It will now be held at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 19, at the Camillus Volunteer Fire Department, 5801 Newport Road. Williams, R-Sennett, plans to hold at least two other town hall meetings in Onondaga County: May 30 at Wellwood Middle School in Fayetteville and June 1 at Clay Town Hall. Both forums start at 6:30 p.m. Zaldy Dandan is a recipient of the Best Editorial Writer Award of the Society of Professional Journalists, and the CNMI Humanities Award for Outstanding Contributions to Journalism. His four books are available on amazon.com/. Follow Zaldy Dandan Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Jacksonville residents are gearing up to celebrate Juneteenth again in the coming months. The city's second celebration of the holiday is set for 11 a.m.-5 p.m. June 17 downtown. Last year's celebration marked the first time Jacksonville celebrated Juneteenth as a federally recognized holiday. Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, dating back to the end of the Civil War. On June 19, 1865, Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger informed the enslaved residents of Galveston, Texas, that the war was over and they were free. It is the oldest-known celebration of slavery's end in the country, though it was only declared a federal holiday in 2021. Polly Williams, president of Jacksonville's chapter of the NAACP, said the day will feature vendors, food trucks and local organizations such as Crisis Center Foundation and Midwest Youth Services. In the center of the square, there will be a display featuring information about notable Black Jacksonville residents, she said. A bus will also be running from 1 to 3 p.m. to take people from the square to the Jacksonville African American History Museum, 859 Grove St. During the celebration, the area's Black churches will be gathering for an "inspirational program," Williams said. The square will have a kid's corner with activities for children as well as a "Prince and Princess" program run by community member Regina Nichols and Alderman Darcella Speed. The community has been receptive to the Juneteenth celebration, with community members such as Mayor Andy Ezard and Jacksonville Executive Director Judy Tighe lending a hand for last year's event, NAACP secretary and event chair Vivian Brown said. Despite that and good turnout for last year's festivities, though, she noted that "you can't drag everybody out." "You can just hope and pray and give them the information that they come and see," Brown said. Williams said she hoped celebrating Juneteenth brought more diversity into the community, as well as informing it of what Black Americans went through to get their freedom. "This is history," she said, "and a lot of history is not taught in schools. So we're hoping that this will give more alertness and more knowledge to the community of what we're trying to do." David Blanchette/Journal-Courier CARLINVILLE An archaeologist from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources will speak at the May meeting of the Macoupin County Historical Society. Dawn Cobb will talk about understanding Illinois cemeteries and respecting the laws that protect them at 7 p.m. Monday in the Ruyle Building on the historical grounds, 920 W. Breckenridge St. The program is open to the public. ALBANY Buying wine and liquor on Sunday mornings might be lawful soon, but you still won't be able to do so in a supermarket. Those are among the highlights of recommendations set to be released next week from a state panel formed to modernize and simplify New Yorks alcohol laws. The Commission to Study Reform of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law, formed as part of the 2022 state budget agreement, voted on 28 possible recommendations and passed 18 of them, according to a person with knowledge of the forthcoming recommendations. But in closed-door deliberations, the panel also narrowly voted down including any recommendation that wine or liquor be sold in grocery stores, the person said. The recommendations are not binding and will now go before Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Legislature for further consideration. The recommendations that were agreed to by the panel, however, could face a much easier path to adoption. There was no immediate reaction from the State Liquor Authority. "We cant comment on the content of the Commissions report," an SLA spokesman said Wednesday, "as it will not be finalized and issued until May 1." A number of the states alcohol laws were originally created after Prohibition ended in the United States in 1933. The panel, which included stakeholders from across the state's alcohol industry, included 10 members appointed by Gov. Hochul and six by the Legislature. During the eight-month process, meetings were held in secret. Proposals to allow wine or liquor in grocery stores, which currently can sell only beer, were defeated in closed-door votes. Those proposals are favored by grocery stores, but vehemently opposed by liquor stores. By a majority vote, a number of recommendations are set to be included in the final report, including: Changing the states tied house laws which restrict an entity in one tier of the alcohol industry from having an interest in another tier and instead allowing mixed use business developments. For instance, under current law, a wholesaler may not also own an interest in a liquor store or a bar. Allowing wine and liquor stores to sell their product on Sunday mornings. Allowing an establishment that wants to serve alcohol, even if it is located within 200 feet of a school or church, to potentially obtain a license. Clarifying the standard by which the State Liquor Authority determines whether to grant a license to a liquor store. Current law says the SLA is charged with determining whether public convenience and advantage will be promoted in granting a license, but critics believe the standard lacks clarity for people looking to start a business. Last year, the case of a Rochester man who was denied a liquor license brought attention to the issue. Allowing the same person to own more than one wine or liquor store in New York. Current law allows a person to own an interest in only a single store. Liquor store stakeholders were said to have opposed that recommendation. If the cap were raised, one question for the Legislature would be by how much, and what number would prevent chain liquor stores from crowding out mom-and-pop establishments. In neighboring Massachusetts, a single retailer can have up to nine licenses. Allowing bars and restaurants to make purchases from wine and liquor stores in limited amounts if they run out of a product, rather than having to wait for delivery from wholesalers. Such purchases by bars and restaurants are fairly common, despite those purchases being illegal and subject to penalty if caught by the SLA. Beijing (Gasgoo)- Chinese conglomerate Wanda Group's automotive arm, Wanda Auto, has seen a change in personnel as Li Hongpeng, who joined the company just a year ago, has reportedly left his role and joined luxury electric vehicle brand HiPhi. Photo credit: HiPhi According to a representative from HiPhi, Li has indeed joined the company and would be in charge of the luxury brand's marketing and business operations. Li Hongpeng brings with him over 30 years of experience in the industry, having previously held executive positions at well-known automakers such as BAIC Group, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, and Hyundai. The industry veteran accumulated rich practical experience and business management skills during his career. In January 2022, Li Hongpeng officially joined Wanda Auto Technology Service Co., Ltd. as president, in charge of the companys diverse business operations. On the other hand, HiPhi recently kicked off the launch of its overseas strategy, with plans to enter the European and Middle Eastern markets. Starting with Munich and Oslo, the companys two existing models, the HiPhi X and HiPhi Z, are expected to be sold in Europe from the third quarter of this year, with deliveries to take place later in the year. Pre-orders for the luxury EV makers third model, the HiPhi Y, are expected to begin at the end of 2023, with deliveries in Europe starting in 2024. 2 Chinese navy ships head to Singapore for joint drills View Photo BEIJING (AP) Chinas military has dispatched a pair of navy ships to take part in joint drills with Singapores navy and join in a regional maritime security exhibition. The exercises starting Friday in the Southeast Asian city state come amid Chinas growing presence in the South China Sea, which it claims sovereignty over virtually in its entirety. Concerns are especially pronounced in the U.S., which on Wednesday joined with forces from the Philippines in major exercises in Philippine waters facing the South China Sea that are likely to anger China. Beijings more assertive stance comes as its relations with the U.S. and its allies have hit historic lows. State televisions military channel identified the ships being sent as the guided missile frigate Yulin and the minesweeper hunter Chibi. They will also be present for the May 3-5 IMDEX Asia National Defense and Maritime Security Show, which will feature 25 warships and attendees from 62 countries. Amid Chinas efforts to make inroads with countries that have traditionally leaned toward the U.S., Singapore has sought a balance between rivals Washington and Beijing, but remains officially unallied amid a struggle for military and economic influence. China also formally eschews military alliances, but has held an increasing number of drills with Russia, its chief partner in challenging Western dominance of international affairs. In February, the navies from China, Russia and South Africa came together for drills on the southern tip of the African continent. While those exercises were underway, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Chinas most senior foreign policy official at the Kremlin, underscoring Russias strengthening relationship with China and raising concerns in the West that Beijing might be ready to offer Moscow stronger support for its war in Ukraine. Chinese President Xi Jinping also visited Putin in Moscow last month, but Chinas Foreign Minister said this month that China would not sell weapons to either side in the Ukraine war. Tense face-off: Philippines confronts China over sea claims View Photo ABOARD BRP MALABRIGO (AP) A Chinese coast guard ship blocked a Philippine patrol vessel steaming into a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, causing a frightening near-collision in the latest act of Beijings aggression in the strategic waterway. The high seas face-off April 23 between the larger Chinese ship and the Philippine coast guards BRP Malapascua near Second Thomas Shoal was among the tense moments it and another Philippine vessel encountered in a weeklong sovereignty patrol in one of the worlds most hotly contested waterways. The Philippine coast guard had invited a small group of journalists, including three from The Associated Press, to join the 1,670-kilometer (1,038-mile) patrol for the first time as part of a new Philippine strategy aimed at exposing Chinas increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea, where an estimated $5 trillion in global trade transits each year. In scorching summer heat but relatively calm waters, the Malapascua and another Philippine coast guard vessel, the BRP Malabrigo, journeyed to the frontlines of the long-seething territorial conflicts. They cruised past a string of widely scattered Philippine-occupied and claimed islands, islets and reefs looking for signs of encroachment, illegal fishing and other threats. In areas occupied or controlled by China, the Philippine patrol vessels received radio warnings in Chinese and halting English, ordering them to immediately leave what the Chinese coast guard and navy radio callers claimed were Beijings undisputable territories and issuing unspecified threats for defiance. Hostilities peaked that Sunday morning in the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly archipelago, the most fiercely contested region in the busy sea channel. As the two patrol vessels approached the shoals shallow turquoise waters for an underwater survey, the Chinese coast guard repeatedly warned them by radio to leave the area, which is about 194 kilometers (121 miles) west of the Philippine island province of Palawan. After several radio exchanges, a Chinese coast guard caller, sounding agitated, warned of unspecified adversarial action. Since you have disregarded our warning, we will take further necessary measures on you in accordance with the laws and any consequences entailed will be borne by you, the Chinese speaker said. A Chinese coast guard ship rapidly approached and shadowed the smaller Malapascua and the Malabrigo. When the Malapascua maneuvered toward the mouth of the shoal, the Chinese ship suddenly shifted to block it, coming as close as 36 to 46 meters (120 to 150 feet) from its bow, said Malapascuas skipper, Capt. Rodel Hernandez. To avoid a collision, Hernandez abruptly reversed his vessels direction then shut off its engine to bring the boat to a full stop. Filipino personnel aboard the vessels and journalists, who captured the tense moment on camera watched in frightened silence. But the Malapascua steered just in time to avoid a potential disaster. Hernandez later told journalists that the sudden and really very dangerous maneuver by the Chinese coast guard ship had disregarded international rules on collision avoidance. He had the Philippine vessels leave the area after the encounter for the safety of the ships and personnel. Earlier, a huge Chinese navy ship shadowed the two Philippine patrol vessels in the dark of night as they cruised near Subi, one of seven barren reefs China has transformed in the last decade into a missile-protected island base. The Chinese navy ship radioed the Philippine vessels to immediately leave and keep out. The coast guard radioed back to assert Philippine sovereign rights to the area before steaming away. China has long demanded that the Philippines withdraw its small contingent of naval forces and tow away the actively commissioned but crumbling BRP Sierra Madre. The navy ship was deliberately marooned on the shoal in 1999 and now serves as a fragile symbol of Manilas territorial claim to the atoll. Chinese ships often block navy vessels delivering food and other supplies to the Filipino sailors on the ship, including just a few days earlier, Hernandez said. As hostilities between Chinese coast guard and navy ships and the Philippine patrol vessels were unfolding, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang was in Manila, where he held talks with his Philippine counterpart and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday. China was willing to work with the Philippines to resolve differences and deepen ties, Qin said. The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to an AP request for comment on the encounters. In another Philippine-claimed reef called Whitsun, the Philippine patrol vessels spotted more than 100 suspected Chinese militia ships arrayed side by side in several clusters in the shallows. China says the huge trawler-like ships are fishing vessels, but Manilas coast guard suspects they are being used for surveillance or to hold the reef for future development. Filipino coast guard personnel aboard two motor boats approached the Chinese ships and ordered them through a loudspeaker to leave, but none did. Philippine officials required participating journalists to not immediately release information about the trip to ensure the safety of the mission and to give the coast guard time to brief defense, justice and foreign affairs officials in charge of handling the touchy territorial conflicts. Faced with a militarily far-superior China in the disputed waters, the Philippines launched the campaign early this year to expose the Asian superpowers aggression, hoping public awareness and criticism will force Beijing to abide by international law. Philippines coast guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said the strategy was working. He noted the Chinese ambassador in Manila was prompted to hold a news conference to explain Beijings side amid outrage over a publicly released video that showed a Chinese coast guard ship aiming a military-grade laser in early February that temporarily blinded two crewmembers of the Malapascua off Second Thomas Shoal. We are David, Tarriela said, likening the Philippines to the underdog hero of the Biblical story. We believe that through the publication of all these aggressive actions of China, we would find friends who would criticize Goliath. The territorial conflicts involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have long been regarded as an Asian flashpoint and a delicate fault line in the rivalry between the United States and China in the region. While the U.S. lays no claims to the South China Sea, it has deployed its warships and fighter jets for patrols and military exercises with regional allies to uphold freedom of navigation and overflight, which it says is in Americas national interest. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller on Saturday called media reporting on the encounters a stark reminder of Chinese harassment and intimidation of Philippine vessels as they undertake routine patrols within their exclusive economic zone. We call upon Beijing to desist from its provocative and unsafe conduct. Beijing has criticized a recent agreement by the Philippines and the U.S. to grant American forces access to additional Filipino military camps. China fears the access will provide Washington with military staging grounds and surveillance outposts in the northern Philippines across the sea from Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory, and in provinces facing the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety. Miller reaffirmed Washingtons repeated warnings that it would help defend the Philippines its oldest treaty ally in Asia if Philippine forces, ships or aircraft are attacked in the South China Sea. With multiple conflicts looming in what appears to be a placid expanse of sea, where dolphins and starlit night skies send seafarers grabbing their cameras, Malabrigos skipper Julio Colarina III said he would always strive to stay on the right side of a geopolitical minefield. As much as possible well avoid conflict in the area, he said. All these competing interests just need one spark. ___ Associated Press journalists Joeal Calupitan and Aaron Favila contributed to this report. ___ Find more of APs Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific By JIM GOMEZ Associated Press Russia denies visit to American reporter in visa retaliation View Photo MOSCOW (AP) Russias Foreign Ministry on Thursday denied a U.S request for a consular visit to Evan Gershkovich, an American reporter for The Wall Street Journal who is jailed on espionage charges. The ministry said it rejected the request for the May 11 visit in retaliation for the U.S. refusing to grant visas to Russian journalists who planned to accompany Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on a trip to the United Nations. Gershkovich has been in custody since his March 29 arrest by Russias security service on espionage charges that he, his employer and the U.S. government have denied. Gershkovich is the first U.S. correspondent since the Cold War to be detained in Russia on spying charges, and his arrest rattled journalists in the country and drew outrage in the West. The United States has declared Gershkovich to be wrongfully detained and demanded his immediate release. The Russian denial of the U.S. request for a consular visit to Gershkovich followed Lavrov warning that Moscow will not forget and will not forgive the denial of the visas to Russian journalists. The Foreign Ministry said Friday it was also considering other retaliatory measures. A protest note was presented in connection with the provocative conduct of the U.S. diplomatic mission, which thwarted the issuing of visas to mass media representatives from the press pool of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who were supposed to accompany him on his trip to New York as part of Russias presidency of the U.N. Security Council, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The U.S. Embassy was informed in this connection that its request for consular access to U.S. citizen Gershkovich, detained on suspicion of espionage, on May 11 was declined, the ministry statement said. Other possible retaliatory measures, about which the U.S. side will be duly notified, are being considered. Intelligence chief: Russian spy ring had source in France View Photo LE PECQ, France (AP) The French chief of counterintelligence has given new details about a Russian spy ring broken up by France in the wake of Moscows invasion of Ukraine, saying the six intelligence agents were caught red-handed interacting with a source on French soil. The director of the DGSI counterintelligence and counterterrorism agency, Nicolas Lerner, was speaking to a French parliamentary enquiry looking into foreign efforts to influence or corrupt political parties, leaders and opinion-makers in France. His testimony was delivered behind closed doors in February. But the website of the National Assembly, Frances lower house of parliament, published his comments this week. Lerner described the unmasking of the Russian agents as one of the most significant counter-intelligence operations carried out by the DGSI in recent decades. The six intelligence officers were caught in the act of treating with a source on the national territory and expelled, Lerner said, without giving more details. At the time, in April 2022, Frances Foreign Ministry said the Russian clandestine operation was unmasked by a very long DGSI investigation. It said the six agents posed as diplomats and that their activities were contrary to our national interests. Its statement made no mention of a source in France. Frances interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, also made no mention of a French source for the spies in his tweet last April that hailed the remarkable counterespionage operation by the DGSI which obstructed a network of Russian clandestine agents. A week prior to those expulsions, as the horrors of war crimes committed by Russian forces in Bucha, Ukraine, were coming to light, France also expelled 35 Russian diplomats. saying their activities were contrary to our security interests. Expulsions, including tit-for-tat retaliations by Moscow, have been a feature of the deepening gulf between Russia and countries opposed to its war in Ukraine. Sweden this week expelled five Russian Embassy employees suspected of spying. Norway expelled 15 Russian diplomats earlier this month. Russia this week responded by ordering 10 Norwegian diplomats in Moscow to leave. In his sworn testimony, Lerner told lawmakers that Russia had long been running the largest spy operation in France, using intelligence officers posing as diplomats. The country that historically has the most important system is Russia. This tradition continued to the present day. In each Western country, several dozen officers their number has diminished significantly since the start of the Ukraine crisis from the three Russian intelligence services carry out intelligence and interference actions under diplomatic cover. He added that China also maintains a network under diplomatic cover that is much less developed than Russias. Lerner suggested to lawmakers that they also should be on their guard about the risk of intelligence agents seeking to ensnare them. He said the DGSI was in regular contact with lawmakers to alert them and if necessary to let them know who they are dealing with. In recent months, we have done this several times, after detecting contacts with Russian intelligence officers under diplomatic cover, he said. More broadly, the French counterintelligence chief said that previous unwritten rules that rival countries observed in the Cold War were collapsing in a new era of more aggressive and direct confrontation. From 1945 to the fall of the Berlin Wall, certain tacit rules, which one can like or disagree with, governed relations between nations, he said. Each bloc broadly respected the others sphere of influence. All of that has disappeared. Now, the way some countries see it is that the only rules are the fait accompli and the law of the strongest. ___ Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine and https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine-a-year-of-war By JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press UN draft urges Afghan rulers to reverse bans on women, girls View Photo UNITED NATIONS (AP) A U.N. resolution that calls on Afghanistans Taliban rulers to swiftly reverse their increasingly harsh restrictions on women and girls and condemns their ban on Afghan women working for the United Nations is set to be voted on Thursday by the Security Council. The draft resolution, obtained late Wednesday by The Associated Press, expresses deep concern at the increasing erosion of respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and girls in Afghanistan by the Taliban and reaffirms their indispensable role in Afghan society. It calls on the Taliban to swiftly restore their access to education, employment, freedom of movement and equal participation in public life. The resolution, drafted by the United Arab Emirates and Japan, is scheduled to be voted on by the 15-member council on Thursday afternoon. Diplomats said it is almost certain to be approved, though Russia and China might abstain. The Taliban seized power in August 2021 as U.S. and NATO forces were pulling out of Afghanistan after two decades of war and initially promised a more moderate rule than during their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001. But there has been growing international consternation as Taliban leaders have gradually re-imposed their harsh interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, on women and girls. Girls have been barred from school beyond the sixth grade and women are banned from most jobs, public spaces and gyms. In late December, the Taliban banned aid groups from employing Afghan women, and on April 4 they extended the ban to Afghan women working for the U.N. a decision the draft resolution calls unprecedented in the history of the United Nations. The U.N. has warned that the ban could cripple desperately needed aid deliveries, and lead to a U.N. pullout from Afghanistan. Since April 5, the 3,300 Afghans employed by the U.N. 2,700 men and 600 women have stayed home, but U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric has said they continue to work and will be paid. The U.N.s 600-strong international staff, including 200 women, is not affected by the Taliban ban. Roza Otunbayeva, a former president and foreign minister of the Kyrgyz Republic who heads the U.N. political mission in Afghanistan known as UNAMA, responded to the Talibans ban on Afghan women working for the 193-nation world body by ordering an operational review of the U.N.s presence in the country, which will last until May 5. Before the review is completed, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will host an international meeting on Afghanistan in Doha, the capital of Qatar, on May 1-2. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said last week that the closed meeting will be attended by envoys on Afghanistan from various countries with the aim of seeking a durable way forward for the country. His announcement followed an April 17 speech at Princeton University by Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, who led a high-ranking U.N. delegation to meetings with Taliban ministers in January, previewing the Doha meeting. Out of that, we hope that well find those baby steps to put us back on the pathway to recognition (of the Taliban), a principled recognition, Mohammed said. Is it possible? I dont know. (But) that discussion has to happen. The Taliban clearly want recognition, and thats the leverage we have. The draft resolution being put to a vote would reaffirm the U.N.s support for a peaceful, stable, prosperous and inclusive Afghanistan and for an inclusive Afghan-led and Afghan-owned determination of the countrys political future and development path. It would also recognize the many challenges Afghanistan faces, stress the urgent need to address the dire economic and humanitarian situation in the country, and reiterate that women are essential to the delivery of humanitarian aid. The draft urges all other U.N. member nations to use their influence to promote an urgent reversal of the Talibans policies and practices toward women and girls. By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press Iran urges Lebanese sides to reach agreement over president View Photo BEIRUT (AP) Irans foreign minister said Thursday that Tehran wants Lebanons rivals to reach an agreement to elect a new president in the crisis-hit country that has been without a head of state since October. Hossein Amirabdollahian made his comments during his first visit to Lebanon since Iran and Saudi Arabia reached an agreement in China last month to re-establish diplomatic relations and reopen embassies after seven years of tensions that had major repercussions in the tiny Mediterranean country. The agreement negotiated with China lowers the chance of armed conflict between the Mideast rivals both directly and in proxy conflicts around the region. The effects of the agreement include eased tensions and an exchange of prisoners between Saudi Arabia and Yemens Iran-backed rebels, as well as improved relations between Saudi Arabia and Syrian President Bashar Assad. Lebanese groups are deeply divided between an Iran-backed coalition led by the powerful Hezbollah group and a Western and Saudi-backed alliance. The deep divisions in Lebanon have left the country without a president since the term of President Michel Aoun ended in late October. Speaking during a joint news conference with Amirabdollahian, Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bouhabib told reporters, I am optimistic that every regional agreement and any deal between regional countries is good for Lebanon. The agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia is important for peace in the region, Bouhabib said. He did not elaborate. Amirabdollahian said Iran encourages all sides in Lebanon to speed up the elections process. We will back any election and any agreement that is reached between parties in Lebanon regarding the electing of a president, Amirabdollahian said before heading to a meeting with caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati. Hezbollahs ally Sleiman Frangieh and army commander Gen. Joseph Aoun, are the top candidates for president. Lebanons parliament held about a dozen sessions over the past months but failed to elect a head of state amid deep divisions. The largest Christian blocs in parliament have rejected the election of Frangieh and there have been reports in local media that Saudi Arabia is opposed to him becoming president. On Wednesday, Frangieh gave a long TV interview in which he said that if he is elected president, he will work for better relations between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. Frangieh also added that his close relations with Hezbollah and Assad could be used for the good of Lebanon. By BASSEM MROUE Associated Press 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. Daimler Truck China Ltd.s new CEO takes office Daimler Truck China Ltd. announced on Apr. 26 via its WeChat account that Xu Qiao, the companys new CEO, has already taken office. In the future, he will lead Daimler Trucks China team to further implement the companys China strategy, and continue to expand businesses in the country. Photo credit: Daimler Truck Geely Boyue COOL hits market On Apr. 26, the Geely Boyue COOL officially hit the market with a price range of 102,800 yuan to 125,800 yuan. All of its four trim levels come standard with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip, a 10.25-inch liquid crystal dashboard, and a 13.2-inch center screen. Photo credit: Geely Auto GAC Trumpchi EMPOW R goes on sale On Apr. 27, GAC Motors Trumpchi Empow R went on sale with its two variants priced at 138,000 yuan and 158,000 yuan, respectively. It carries the fourth-generation Mega Wave Power 2.0T high-performance engine that can pump out 265hp and zip from 0-100km/h in 5.7 seconds. Trumpchi EMPOW R; photo credit: GAC Group Amazon Web Services, ThunderSoft to co-work on AI large language model applications On April 26, Chinese smart operating system developer, ThunderSoft, announced that it will cooperate with Amazon Web Services (AWS) in the field of large language model applications. Car and City: ZEEKR 009s registrations in Mar. 2023 zoom up 302.7% MoM ZEEKR, the premium electric vehicle (EV) brand of Geely Auto Group, saw its monthly registrations reach 6,331 units in the third month of 2023, according to the data compiled by Gasgoo Auto Research Institute ("GARI"). Former president of Wanda Auto reportedly takes on as head of marketing at HiPhi Chinese conglomerate Wanda Group's automotive arm, Wanda Auto, has seen a change in personnel as Li Hongpeng, who joined the company just a year ago, has reportedly left his role and joined luxury electric vehicle brand HiPhi. JOYNEXT, Oritek team up on next-gen E/E architecture development Joyson Electronics' automotive connectivity arm, JOYNEXT, signed a deep cooperation agreement with Oritek, a Chinese automotive system-on-chip (SoC) supplier, according to a statement from the latter on April 26. NavInfo-backed Autochips' first functional safety MCU goes into volume production China's automotive intelligence product supplier NavInfo's chip-making arm, AutoChips, announced the mass production and delivery of its first functional safety automotive-grade MCU chip, the AC7840x. Chery Holding, CATARC build several joint labs for smart NEV technologies On April 25, China Automotive Technology & Research Center (CATARC) and Chinese major automaker Chery Holding formed a partnership that covers such fields as automotive engineering technology services, digital business, information services, public services, and overseas deployment. NIO Capital invests in Chinese SiC power device company Sichain Semi Chinese silicon carbide (SiC) power device developer Sichain Semi (Sichain) on Apr. 26 announced via its WeChat account that it has completed its Series A+ financing with hundreds of millions of yuan raised. Ganfeng Lithium to build 20GWh lithium battery production factory in Hohhot city Ganfeng Lithium Group Co., Ltd. (Ganfeng Lithium), one of the worlds top producer of battery-grade lithium, announced on Apr. 25 its subsidiary Jiangxi Ganfeng LiEnergy Technology Co., Ltd. (Ganfeng LiEnergy) recently signed a framework agreement with the municipal government of Hohhot city, the capital of Inner Mongolia, for setting up a lithium battery production project. RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) Israeli security forces said they shot and killed a suspected Palestinian assailant in the West Bank on Thursday, stirring tensions in the occupied territory at a time of unusually high violence. The Israeli military said it received reports that a Palestinian had tried to carry out a car-ramming attack near the large West Bank settlement of Ariel. Israeli soldiers opened fire at the suspected assailant after they realized he was wielding a knife, the military added. The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the man killed as 39-year-old Ahmed Taha from the northern Palestinian village of Salfit. No other casualties were reported. Fatah, the secular nationalist party that controls the Palestinian Authority, issued a statement saying that Taha was the father of a 5-year-old and a 7-year-old boy, and a first lieutenant in the Palestinian security forces. It said he was killed on his way home after work. Fatah condemned the killing as a crime. A widely circulated photo shows Taha flanked by his two sons. The Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad claimed Taha was intentionally killed and sent its condolences to his family. The group did not describe the event as an attack or claim any affiliation with Taha. Videos captured from the scene of the crash show Tahas car stranded beside a damaged minivan. An Israeli police officer approaches the drivers seat, the car door left ajar. A moment later, Taha appears to lunge at the officer. A nearby solider unleashes a torrent of gunfire until Taha is reduced to a bloody pulp, footage shows. The Israeli military alleged that Taha swerved into the opposite lane of the highway and tried to slam his car into civilians and security forces stationed at the intersection. It released a photo of a yellow kitchen knife that the army said belonged to Taha. Palestinian media cast doubt on the Israeli claim of a deliberate car-ramming, reporting that Israeli soldiers, trained to respond instantly, could have misconstrued an ordinary collision. In the video, the damaged minivan beside Tahas car appears to have a white and green Palestinian license plate. Thursdays incident adds to a volatile security situation in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli-Palestinian fighting has surged to heights unseen in years. So far in 2023, 96 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank, according to a tally by The Associated Press, at least half of them affiliated with militant groups. During that time, 19 people were killed in Palestinian attacks on Israelis. Israel captured the West Bank, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, in the 1967 Mideast war. Palestinians seek those lands for a future independent state. Montana trans lawmaker fights on during 1st day of exile View Photo HELENA, Mont. (AP) Montana transgender lawmaker Zooey Zephyr spent her first day in legislative exile Thursday relegated to a bench in a noisy hallway across from a snack bar outside the state House chambers where she is no longer allowed. Zephyr defiantly stayed put even after the Republican House speaker said she couldnt be there and a House security officer threatened to move the bench where she had set up her laptop. She listened to debate and voted remotely from there, with a gold sticky note on the wall above her head that read Seat 31, her seat assignment in the house. The note was placed there by transgender and nonbinary Rep. SJ Howell. Republicans had wanted Zephyr to participate from behind the doors of the House Minoritys offices a day after they voted to ban her from the House floor for the rest of the session, which ends early next week. Her refusal to do so came as Democrats sought to keep Zephyrs banishment in plain view after a weeks worth of nationwide public scrutiny over Republicans unprecedented actions to silence her, which continued Thursday. Republicans moved to sideline Zephyr further by shutting down the two committees she serves on and moving the bills they were to hear to other committees, Democratic Rep. Donavon Hawk said in a statement. I walked out yesterday with my head held high and I walked in with my head held high today, ready to do my job, Zephyr told The Associated Press. As cameras snapped and espresso beans churned in a machine nearby, Zephyr and Democratic leaders promised she would remain in the public eye unless Republicans elected to further limit where she could go in the Capitol. There are many more eyes on Montana now, Zephyr said. But you do the same thing youve always done. You stand up in defense of your community and you stand for the principles that they elected you to stand for. The motion Republicans passed bars Zephyr from the marble-pillared House, the gallery above it and a waiting room, but not the public space in the hall where she set up. Minority Leader Kim Abbott said the lawmaker would be voting there, within public view. The showdown began last week, when Zephyr told lawmakers backing a bill to ban gender-affirming medical care for minors that they would have blood on their hands. The phrase has been used recurrently by both Republicans and Democrats discussing the nations most polarizing issues, but Montana House leaders said they would block Zephyr from participating further in the debate until she apologized for saying it. Zephyr did not back down, instead participating in a protest that disrupted Mondays House session as observers in the gallery chanted, Let her speak! an action that led to Wednesdays vote to banish her from the floor. The Republican response to her comments, and her refusal to apologize for them as demanded, have transformed Zephyr into a prominent figure in the nationwide battle for transgender rights and placed her at the center of the ongoing debate over the muffling of dissent in statehouses. Silencing an elected representative, in an attempt to suppress their messages, is a denial of democratic values. Its undemocratic, White House Press Secretary Kaine Jean-Pierre said Thursday. The attention is a new phenomenon for Zephyr, a 34-year-old serving her first term representing a western Montana college town after being elected in November. In her interview with the AP, Zephyr likened efforts to silence her to the decision by Tennessee lawmakers to expel two Black representatives for disrupting proceedings when they participated in a gun control protest after a school shooting in Nashville. The two were quickly reinstated. Tennessee lawmakers not only rejected gun control laws, but by expelling the lawmakers they sent a message saying: Your voices shouldnt be here. Were going to send you away, Zephyr said. As in Montana, GOP leaders in Tennessee had said their actions were necessary to avoid setting a precedent that lawmakers disruptions of House proceedings through protest would be tolerated. Tennessee Rep. Justin Pearson, one of the lawmakers who was expelled earlier this month, has called the Montana standoff anti-democratic and Nebraska state Sen. Megan Hunt likened her fight to Zephyrs after being served notice Wednesday of a complaint filed against her that she said was an effort to silence her voice on a gender-affirming care ban under consideration. Its so important that we not be silent about this from state to state to state. And its so important that people stand up against this rising movement, this radical movement, and say it is not welcome, she said. Zephyr is undeterred. She said throughout the events of the past week, she has both aimed to rise and meet the moment and continue doing the job she was elected to do: representing her community and constituents. Its queer people across the world and its also the constituents of other representatives who are saying, They wont listen when it comes to these issues. Its staff in this building who, when no one is looking, come up and say Thank you, she said. ___ The story has been edited to correct that the color of the sticky note is gold not pink. ___ Metz reported from Salt Lake City. Associated Press reporter Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed to this report. By AMY BETH HANSON, BRITTANY PETERSON and SAM METZ Associated Press White woman whose claim caused Emmett Till murder has died View Photo JACKSON, Miss. (AP) The white woman who accused Black teenager Emmett Till of whistling at and accosting her in Mississippi in 1955 causing his lynching, which galvanized a generation of activists to rise up in the Civil Rights Movement has died at 88. Carolyn Bryant Donham died in hospice care Tuesday night in Westlake, Louisiana, according to a death report filed Thursday in the Calcasieu Parish Coroners Office. Her death marks the last chance for anyone to be held accountable for the kidnapping and murder that shocked the world. Tills mother, Mamie Till Mobley, insisted on an open-casket funeral in their hometown of Chicago so the world could see her 14-year-old sons mutilated body, which was pulled from a river in Mississippi. Jet magazine published photos. In August 1955, Till had traveled from Chicago to visit relatives in Mississippi. Donham then 21 and named Carolyn Bryant accused him of making improper advances on her at a grocery store where she was working in the small community of Money. The Rev. Wheeler Parker, a cousin of Till who was there, has said Till whistled at the woman, an act that flew in the face of Mississippis racist social codes of the era. Evidence indicates a woman identified Till to Donhams then-husband Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Milam, who killed the teenager. An all-white jury acquitted the two white men in the killing, but the men later confessed in an interview with Look magazine. When Till disappeared in Mississippi, Ollie Gordon one of Tills cousins was 7 years old and living in the Chicago home with Tills mother and family. Gordon told The Associated Press on Thursday that in the days after he went missing, the home was full of fear, because people knew there was a strong likelihood he had been killed. Gordon said she had mixed emotions about Donhams death. She was never tried in the court of man, Gordon said. But I think she was judged by God, and his wrath is more punitive than any judgment or penalty she could have gotten in a courtroom. I dont think she had a pleasant or happy life. Parker is the last living witness to Tills abduction. He has said in interviews and speeches that he heard Till whistle at the woman working behind the counter at Bryants Grocery and Meat Market. Days later, Parker saw men kidnap Till in the dark of night from their uncles home in Mississippi, where the teenagers were staying. Parker said Thursday that his heart goes out to Donham. As a person of faith for more than 60 years, I recognize that any loss of life is tragic and dont have any ill will or animosity toward her, Parker said in a statement. Even though no one now will be held to account for the death of my cousin and best friend, it is up to all of us to be accountable to the challenges we still face in overcoming racial injustice. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that President Joe Biden was proud to sign the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act last year to make lynching a federal crime. The president is committed to dealing with racial hatred, Jean-Pierre said. In an unpublished memoir obtained by The AP in 2022, Donham said she was unaware of what would happen to Till. Historian and author Timothy Tyson of Durham, North Carolina, provided a copy of the 99-page manuscript, I Am More Than A Wolf Whistle, to AP. He said he received it from Donham while interviewing her in 2008. Tyson had placed the manuscript in an archive at the University of North Carolina with the agreement that it not be made public for decades, though he said he gave it to the FBI during an investigation the agency concluded in 2021. A campus spokesperson said Thursday that the university returned Tysons materials to him in 2022 because they did not agree on open access to the information. Tyson said in 2022 that he decided to release the memoir to news outlets after some of Tills relatives and other people doing research at the Leflore County, Mississippi, courthouse in June 2022 found an arrest warrant on kidnapping charges that was issued for Mrs. Roy Bryant in 1955 but never served. Tyson said in a statement Thursday that Donhams precise role in the killing of Till remains murky, but its clear she was involved. It has comforted America to see this as merely a story of monsters, her among them, Tyson said. What this narrative keeps us from seeing is the monstrous social order that cared nothing for the life of Emmett Till nor thousands more like him. Neither the federal government nor the government of Mississippi did anything to prevent or punish this murder. Condemning what Donham did is easier than confronting what America was and is. Joe Stidhum was born two years after Till, his cousin, was killed. Stidhum said that older family members protected him and his siblings, and didnt tell them about Tills lynching until they were teenagers. Stidhum said he wishes he knew how Donham reckoned with her own conscience. What did she take with her that no one would know, other than her and her maker? Stidhum told AP on Thursday. I just hope that no one ever has to go through the pain that our family has endured, mostly the elderly family members who have died. In October, a bronze statue of Till was unveiled in Greenwood, Mississippi, just miles from his uncles home. Also last year, members of the New Black Panther Party and other activists began showing up at addresses associated with Donham, including in North Carolina and Kentucky. They were there to serve unofficial warrants for her arrest and trial. Weeks after the unserved arrest warrant was found, the office of Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said there was no new evidence to pursue a criminal case against Donham. In August, a district attorney said a Leflore County grand jury declined to indict Donham. Tills cousin, Priscilla Sterling, filed a federal lawsuit against the current Leflore County Sheriff, Ricky Banks, on Feb. 7, seeking to compel him to serve the 1955 warrant on Donham. In a response April 13, Banks attorney said there was no point serving the warrant because the grand jury did not indict Donham last year. Malik Z. Shabazz, one of the attorneys in the lawsuit against Banks, said its tragic that Mississippi never held Donham accountable. Carolyn Bryants legacy will be one of dishonesty and injustice, Shabazz said. A legacy that verifies that Mississippi coddles and protects white supremacy. ___ Associated Press writers Allen G. Breed in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and Colleen Long in Washington contributed to this report. By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Associated Press Punishment or prevention: California debates fentanyl crisis View Photo SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) Pamela Smith remembers vividly the last time she saw her only son alive. It was 3:18 a.m. on July 3, 2016, in Fresno, California, and 22-year-old Jackson Smith was lying motionless on a table in an emergency room while a nurse performed chest compressions. Earlier that night, he had taken an oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl, and then he stopped breathing. Within seconds of his mother entering the emergency room, he died. Since then, Smith has dedicated her life to fighting the fentanyl crisis. This year, that has meant advocating for some of the more than 30 bills introduced in the California Legislature to address the issue. But a number of those bills have since stalled, caught in a philosophical dispute between lawmakers about the best way to address a crisis that is killing roughly 110 people in the state each week. About half of the proposals focus on public safety measures, such as punishing drug dealers with longer prison sentences, while the others aim to increase accessibility to fentanyl overdose treatments and to create education and prevention programs. The bills focusing on public safety measures were at risk of getting lost until Smith and dozens of other protesters converged on the state Capitol last week demanding they be heard. At a special hearing Thursday, the Assembly public safety committee finally made some progress: They advanced four bills including one that would increase penalties for dealers with at least one kilogram of fentanyl products and another that would prohibit people from carrying a gun while also being in possession of fentanyl. The committee also voted down two bills that would lengthen prison sentences for fentanyl-related crimes, and another bill to toughen penalties for sales of fentanyl on social media was shelved. Smith, who testified Thursday, said she was disappointed that a bill she supported did not advance, But I hope to believe them when they say theyre willing to have discussions about it and try to work with us and get something done. Imposing tougher sentences on fentanyl dealers has been the common strategy for lawmakers across the U.S., including in Democratic-controlled legislatures such as California, Oregon and Nevada. The tactic has drawn fierce opposition from harm reduction advocates, who say criminalization has historically backfired and worsened the crisis. In California it has divided Democratic lawmakers, who hold majorities in both chambers. Republicans and moderate Democrats are pushing for stronger prison sentences for fentanyl dealers, while others are wary of policies that stand to lengthen criminal sentences and incarcerate more people. Its good for politics and publicity, but it really doesnt get to the root of the problem of drug addiction, said Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, a Democrat and chair of the Assembly Public Safety Committee, who called bills that increase prison sentences a Republican playbook. Democratic Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, of Orange County, whose bill did not advance Thursday but will be taken up again during a mid-May study session, said the fentanyl crisis goes beyond party lines. This is not a red state crisis or a blue state crisis. This is an American crisis, and its certainly a California crisis, she said. That tension boiled over last week. In March, Jones-Sawyer announced he was delaying hearings of at least seven fentanyl-related bills that would increase prison sentences, calling them a Band-Aid approach. But after members of law enforcement, prosecutors and families of fentanyl overdose victims protested, Democratic leadership in the Assembly ordered a special hearing for seven of them. The issue is personal for Jones-Sawyer, who lost his uncle to heroin and a cousin to crack cocaine. He witnessed how public policies during the 1980s crack epidemic resulted in the mass incarceration of people of color, without solving drug problems. We really do need to get to the root of that (by) cutting off the supply and then reducing, if not eliminating, the demand. We got to do both, Jones-Sawyer said. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. Fentanyl overdoses accounted for one in five deaths among people ages 15 to 24 in California last year. Drug overdoses nationwide have claimed more than 100,000 lives annually since 2020, with about two-thirds of them fentanyl-related. The current crisis is deadlier than any the U.S. has seen, and in California, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed more than $90 million in new spending to combat it. Last week he directed the California Highway Patrol and National Guard to help San Francisco tackle fentanyl. Newsom has not publicly supported any fentanyl-related legislation. Fentanyl public safety measures may face an uphill battle in Californias Senate. This week the bodys Public Safety Committee shelved a bipartisan bill by Democratic Sen. Tom Umberg that would require courts to warn people convicted of dealing fentanyl that they could be charged with murder if someone they sold to dies in an overdose. The bill, modeled after the states DUI advisory, could make it easier for prosecutors to convict repeat offenders, as the warning would serve as evidence of awareness of the overdose risk. Public health experts are calling on lawmakers to reject harsher sentences for fentanyl convictions. Ricky Bluthenthal, a professor of preventive medicine at the University of Southern Californias Keck School of Medicine, said they could could deter people from calling 911 for help for fear of arrest. Increasing penalties will likely result in more deaths, he said at a Tuesday news briefing ahead of the hearing, adding that stronger prison sentences have had little impact on drug use historically. Republican Assemblymember Jim Patterson, of Fresno, who authored a bill increasing fentanyl penalties that did not pass Thursday, said not lawmakers failed to make progress on the issue. They arent interested in justice, and as a result we will continue to have injustice for victims of fentanyl poisoning, Patterson said. Other measures that would make overdose reversal medication more accessible and increase education on fentanyl have received early support in committee hearings, including one authored by Democratic Sen. Dave Cortese requiring K-12 schools to create a protocol for student opioid overdoses. The bill is named Melanies Law after 15-year-old Melanie Ramos, who died from a suspected fentanyl overdose at a Hollywood school. The Assembly public safety committee also passed bills Thursday to create a statewide task force to study the issue and increase coordination among law enforcement agencies. Smith, who plans to return to the Capitol in May for the study session, remains hopeful the Legislature will work together on the fentanyl crisis. Im never going to stop (speaking out), because I speak for not just myself because of my son Jackson, but I also speak for all mothers that have lost their children to fentanyl, she said. Weve got to do something now. By TRAN NGUYEN Associated Press PLAINVIEW A $2.5 million gift from Ben and Bertha Mieth has prompted Wayland Baptist Universitys Board of Trustees to recognize the longtime supporters by naming the universitys nursing school in San Antonio in their honor. In celebration of this generous gift, Wayland is thrilled to officially recognize the naming of the Ben and Bertha Mieth School of Nursing, said Dr. Bobby Hall, university president. The gift, which was announced during a Board of Trustees meeting in Plainview Thursday, includes $25,000 set aside to establish the Irene Wilson George Endowed Scholarship in Nursing. The scholarship honors Berthas mother, who was a nurse. It will be awarded annually to a student selected by the faculty of the Ben and Bertha Mieth School of Nursing. We love Wayland Baptist University and are thankful to God to be able to share the resources He has given us to help ensure that future generations can benefit from a Christ-centered higher education, the couple said. Recruiting and retaining todays students and then caring for them throughout their educational program requires more resources than ever before. Together we can make a real difference in strengthening Wayland as it pursues its mission to advance the Kingdom of God through Christian higher education. In accepting the generous gift, Hall expressed personal thanks, as well as the thanks of the university. In every aspect of their lives, Ben and Bertha Mieth are servants of the Lord Jesus Christ and we are humbled by their love for Wayland Baptist University, he said. Their story is one of trusting God throughout all of lifes circumstances, both good and bad, and they will be the first to give God the glory for the blessings they have been able to bestow upon Wayland. Even before Ben became a Wayland trustee, he and Bertha supported our Mission Center, provided scholarships and a professorship, and quietly met the needs of many individual students and many other WBU initiatives. The couples understanding of the worlds need for Christ and the transformational power of Christian higher education has always found them willing to lend their support. Their prayers, presence, and generosity have already changed the lives of many Wayland students and employees, including mine, and this gift ensures that they will continue to have such an impact for generations to come, Hall said. The Ben and Bertha Mieth School of Nursing already offers both undergraduate and graduate nursing education degrees. This transformational gift will provide funding for facilities and equipment needs as well as the creation of additional nursing programs to be announced soon, Hall said. We look forward to following todays announcement with an official unveiling and celebration of the Mieth School of Nursing in the near future. Ben Mieth, who resides with his wife in Glen Rose, is a former member of Waylands Board of Trustees, having served from 2018 to 2022. He has owned or operated several companies through the years. More than 50 years ago, he and his wife founded International Commission with their pastor, former Wayland trustee Gene Hawkins. International Commission is a nonprofit organization that focuses on church-based evangelism projects around the world. International Commission focuses on developing relationships with churches in other countries to ensure each new believer is connected to a church for discipleship. Waylands trustees recognized Mieths Kingdom work with International Commission during their 2021 summer retreat. Bertha Mieth has been active in Baptist mission endeavors for many years, serving at churches in Seminole, Lubbock, and Arlington as well as at First Baptist Church of Glen Rose. She is involved in Womens Missionary Union, sings in the choir, and plays handbells at her church. Mieth worked with the Texas State Department of Welfare for several years and has supported Ben through almost 70 years of marriage. Wayland presented the couple with the Keeper of the Flame Award in March 2014 for their support for the university through the years. Their support has included establishing an endowed chair in missions for the School of Christian Studies, and they have bolstered other scholarships and endeavors. MERIDEN Thomas Martin, the organist and pianist for First United Methodist Church, will share stories and pieces of his music career playing the churchs new Baldwin piano on Sunday. Pieces of My Life is an autobiographical musical journey of Martins experiences as a student and artist beginning in the 1960s. He will share the music that influenced his studies and work on the seven-foot grand piano the church obtained through the generosity of the late Fran Clark, a former organist, with additional funding by Gene McLean. The concert begins at 4 p.m. on Sunday. The piano is amazing, said the Rev. Ric Hanse, pastor of First United Methodist Church. Im not a musician, but the sound is such a rich sound. We are so grateful to Tom for taking all the time, research, travel to find it, and test drive it. Its just great. We are blessed to have Tom. He is so gifted and talented and so much fun to be around. After Clarks death in October 2022, the church learned of a donation specifically for the purpose of replacing its upright piano. Martin turned to Faust & Harrison of Fairfield to find a refurbished instrument that would fit in the churchs budget. The piano was refurbished at Faust & Harrisons factory in White Plains, New York, and has hammers made in Germany to improve the sound. The church received the piano on Feb. 2. I had a budget, Martin said. Baldwin is American made and has a good reputation. Its not a Steinway, but the fact that they put in the German hammers, it is a pretty good deal. It changes the quality of the sound. This is just kind of the Rolls Royce. Steinways this size can go for six figures. Martin is a native of New Haven who graduated from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music in 1975, and earned his masters degree in music at the Juilliard School in 1977. He has performed solo and in chamber recitals throughout the U.S. and France and has been heard on Connecticut Public Radio. Throughout the last 40 years, Martin has been an active collaborator with many state and New York-based musicians and has played orchestral piano with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra and Wallingford Symphony. In his early teaching career, Martin was a faculty member at the Neighborhood Music School in New Haven, Westover School, and the International Session Musicale in Grenoble, France. In 2021, Martin retired from Choate Rosemary Hall where he was a visiting faculty member for 34 years. He taught piano, AP music theory and performed in countless student and faculty venues. For 11 years, he was a faculty member of the Juilliard MAP program, teaching piano and piano ensemble. He also maintains an active private piano studio at his home in Hamden and his students have been winners in regional solo and concerto competitions. Martin has been the church organist/pianist since 2006. He plans to share stories Sunday about his years in New York City playing for dance companies and others for $6 an hour. There are also tales about a Russian teacher four hours away in Pennsylvania, who showed him new ways of viewing the world. Throughout the years, Ive had several teachers, Martin said. Sometimes those teachers are influential in good and bad ways. Im doing a series of pieces that document where I was with the piece. These are legitimate pieces. The only thing I did was took the first movement of Moonlight Sonata and added 15 popular snippets. The rest is classical. This (concert) is really to celebrate this wonderful instrument. The churchs music director Dorothy Barnhart is grateful to Martin for his talent and efforts securing the piano post-pandemic after the choir and other musical activities returned in full. That was why Tom had this idea, Barnhart said. It was wonderful and generous of him. We needed a piano. This particular piano and the donations helped but our music fund is depleted. Were trying to rebuild and this is the start of that. Both Barnhart and Martin believe the piano and church could be available for community concerts and private recitals. Barnhart has a studio in Southington for private lessons. This could be an alternative, Martin said. If they had an venue for concerts. I have my students performing here. It has a nice reverb. Why not open it up and make it a community (venue). A pastor shortage led five area Methodist churches to consolidate two in Meriden, East Berlin, Kensington and Middletown last summer. Three pastors now serve the five congregations, which have begun to see themselves as a shared community. This means more exciting events to offer, Hanse said. I love it and its just an exciting thing to have people in all five churches participate. This is a way for the people in the four other churches to get to know Tom, and its wonderful. Tickets for Martins performance are $20, and $10 for seniors and students. For more information, email firstumcmeriden@gmail.com. mgodin@record-journal.com203-317-2255Twitter: @Cconnbiz Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Ganfeng Lithium Group Co., Ltd. (Ganfeng Lithium), one of the worlds top producer of battery-grade lithium, announced on Apr. 25 its subsidiary Jiangxi Ganfeng LiEnergy Technology Co., Ltd. (Ganfeng LiEnergy) recently signed a framework agreement with the municipal government of Hohhot city, the capital of Inner Mongolia, for setting up a lithium battery production project. Under the agreement, Ganfeng LiEnergy will build lithium battery production lines with a total annual production capacity of 20GWh and relevant supporting facilities in Hohhot city. The project will be built in two phases, the first of which will feature a capacity of 10GWh per year. Photo credit: Ganfeng Lithium The yet-to-be-built project will contain such facilities as lithium battery production workshop, battery pack workshop, battery system integration workshop, lithium battery analysis and testing center, lithium battery module and safety testing center, and lithium battery R&D center. Through the partnership, Ganfeng LiEnergy and the local government will leverage their respective advantages to jointly build a lithium battery production base. Ganfeng Lithium said this cooperation will be conducive to expanding its production scale and market share of lithium battery products, improving its industrial business layout, and is in line with its strategy of integrating the upstream and downstream supply chains. Former US presidential security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski once described two vital geopolitical pivots in Eurasia Ukraine and Azerbaijan. Brzenzinski also warned that the US should never allow the Eurasian middle space (Russia) to rebuff the West, become an assertive single entity, and either gains control over the South or forms an alliance with the major Eastern actor. (China). Well done, neocons. Azerbaijan is increasingly playing a key role in the integration of Eurasia, but there are a few hurdles slowing that progress, which outside actors could look to exploit to sow chaos. First, Azerbaijans current vital geopolitical pivots. It is currently part of the most-used route of the Russia-to-India International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and is a vital part of Chinas land route to Europe. From Silk Road Briefing: Transport routes passing through Azerbaijan at the moment are becoming increasingly attractive as the country creates conditions to ensure efficient transit as soon as possible. This is especially true as Baku Port has become a transport and logistics Caspian Sea gateway between Europe and China. Azerbaijans onus has been to develop modern transport infrastructure in both rail, road and maritime to save money and time and compete with the Suez canal. It is working Azerbaijans cargo transit volumes in 2022 increased by more than 75% over the previous year. Azerbaijan, being on the crossroads between East and West, has become an attractive destination. Besides the North-South Corridor, Azerbaijan has also boosted the transitional capacities of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor. Essentially, Azerbaijan has provided incomparable conditions for the fastest, cheapest and most convenient transportation of goods. Chinas trade route to Europe via Russia has been sidetracked by the Ukraine war and western sanctions against Moscow, which makes the route across the Caspian to Azerbaijan and through the Caucuses and Turkiye much more vital. Russia became one of Indias five largest trading partners for the first time in 2022. With so much increased trade between India and Russia since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the two countries began to fasttrack the INSTC as a study, conducted by the Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations in India, showed that it will be 30 percent cheaper and 40 percent shorter than the existing routes. And according to the Russian Journal for Economics, freight traffic on the NSTC could reach 25 million tons by 2030, a 20-fold increase. For these reasons the INSTC is of vital importance to Russia, as well as a source of frustration for the neocons in DC. But with Azerbaijans central positioning also comes a multitude of potential stumbling blocks. Ever since the breakup of the USSR, Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in a dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave recognized as Azerbaijani territory by the international community but mostly populated by ethnic Armenians. They fought a war there three years ago when Azerbaijan grabbed land in a six-week conflict that led to roughly 7,000 deaths. There have been periodic skirmishes ever since. Since December Azeri environmentalists have been blockading the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia. Baku has denied the groups have any connection to the government, but has failed to remove the blockade despite calls from nearly all sides, including both Washington and Moscow although its difficult to tell how genuine those calls are. Russia has also accused Baku of violating the ceasfire in Karakbah where it maintains peacekeepers. Azerbaijani forces also set up a new checkpoint last week near the Armenian border. This week, Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff introduced a resolution to recognise the independence and self-determination of Karabakh. The issues between Armenia and Azerbaijan are leading to dangerous escalations between Baku and Tehran. In recent years, the Islamic Republic has become increasingly concerned that Baku is planning to seize a southern Armenian province in order to bring about a corridor that would connect all of Azerbaijan to Turkiye. Such a move would sever Iran from the Caucuses and alter the regions power dynamics. In response, Tehran has upped its support of Armenia and Azerbaijan has increasingly looked to Irans enemy Israel. Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen announced the creation of a united front against Iran during a press conference with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov in Jerusalem for the opening of Azerbaijans embassy in Tel Aviv at the end of March. The close ties between the two are nothing new (Azerbaijan is Israels largest energy provider and the latter supplies the large majority of weapons to the former), but the formal declaration of a united front was likely in part driven by concern over the Chinese-brokered Saudi-Iranian rapprochement. In addition to escalating military exercises on their common border, Baku and Tehran are increasingly at odds over a range of other incidents. On Jan. 27, an attack by a gunman carried out at Bakus embassy in the Iranian capital left the head of the embassys security services dead and two security guards injured. Azerbaijan quickly evacuated the diplomatic post. Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry in late March accused Iran of being behind the shooting attack near Baku that left a member of parliament wounded. Azerbaijani media have speculated that some of the six individuals detained in the shooting lived or traveled to Iran at various times and that the primary attacker received training from Iranian special forces. Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry on April 6 also expelled four Iranian Embassy employees after declaring them persona non grata. Shortly after reports emerged about Azerbaijan arresting hundreds more while the media labeled them Iranian spies. Last week Cohen was in Azerbaijan to open Israels first embassy in the country, located just 12 miles from the Iranian border. A far fetched dream of Israeli and American spooks is to use Azerbaijan to inspire Azeri separatism in northern Iran and further their goal of regime change in Iran. For some idea of how this is playing out and the potential consequences, Responsible Statecraft writes: The Iranian angle is certainly one of the key reasons behind the hawks enthusiasm for Azerbaijan. During the war in 2020, they cherished the dream that Azerbaijans military success would galvanize Irans sizable Azeri community against the government in Tehran. That naive hope failed to materialize as Iranian Azeris are part and parcel of Iranian society. However, the anti-Iranian irredentist narratives gained popular currency within Azerbaijan to a degree not seen since the early 1990s. Websites with close links to the regimes security apparatus and defense ministry issued open calls for southern Azerbaijanis to secede from Iran. That was done in response to some outlandish anti-Azerbaijani remarks allegedly uttered by a retired Iranian diplomat and leaked to a Turkish newspaper. The diplomat in question, however, in no way represented the official position of the Islamic Republic. What followed a seemingly coordinated incitement of anti-Iranian separatism in Azeri pro-regime media outlets certainly looked like a massive over-reaction. Pro-Azerbaijan hawks in Washington may thrive on fomenting such tensions, yet that in no way serves U.S. interests. A military conflict between Azerbaijan and Iran would suck in other countries, such as NATO ally Turkey, which would back Azerbaijan. It would most likely also involve Israel as Bakus close ties with Jerusalem are seen as a serious threat in Tehran. Israeli officials occasionally behave as if they are keen to add fuel to the fire. The Israeli ambassador in Azerbaijan recently posed with a book of fairy tales of Tabriz. Given that Tabriz is the unofficial capital of Iranian Azerbaijan, many Iranians perceived this gesture as an endorsement of the Azeri separatist agenda. A regional vortex involving Iran and Israel would increase pressure from Congress on any U.S. administration to intervene on behalf of Israel. While the odds of a direct confrontation between Azerbaijan and Iran remain low, if these tension points continue to lead to increased hostility or even some low-level of conflict, what would be the effect on the Azerbaijani pivot in the wider region? It would be a blow to the INSTC as the western route through Azerbaijan is currently the most heavily used. According to Silk Road Briefing: The 1,450-kilometers long Western Route is, perhaps, the most widely exploited and well-developed one. Statistics show that, from January 1 through March 28, 2023, the volume of transit of goods along the Western route totaled 2.15 million tons, a huge increase of 84.37% year-on-year (1.16 million tons transported in 2022). Only one obstacle delays the operation of the route at full capacity 164-kilometers long Rasht-Astara railway line. However, the agreement between Iran and Russia on the construction of this line is expected to be signed by May 21, 2023. When this section is completed, the Western Route of the North-South Corridor will become fully operational. That can be expected in early-mid 2024. But the loss of Azerbaijan as a reliable transportation route would not be a fatal blow to the INSTC as Russia made backup plans. The INSTC also has a sea route across the Caspian that connects Russia and Iran and an eastern route that does so via Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. It would be a major headache for another of the land connection points between China and Europe. And that would effectively make Azerbaijans removal from these plans (by whatever means) another barrier to Eurasian integration. Yves here. I must confess to not having been sufficiently imaginative. From time to time, weve featured posts from Health Care Renewal on the considerable misuse of electronic health records, or EHRs. They offered the promise of much more accurate, consistently documented, and easy to examine patient histories. Instead, they were optimized for billing, not patient care. Theyve become a time sink for doctors and can degrade patient care by forcing the doctor to concentrate on pages of tick the box forms at the expense of examining the case before him. Here we learn of a new offense: that hospitals are playing definitional games so as to withhold records from patients and the lawyers that represent them, particularly MD notes which can show changes in patient condition versus medical interventions. What is worse, as this post shows, a detailed letter to Mickey Tripathi, the Health and Human Services official responsible for health information technology, got a brush off from a minion. I encourage concerned readers to write Tripathi and cc their Congresscritters. Merely a short note asking about his lack of interest in this violation of patient rights in the face of HIPAA complaints being ineffective might stir the pot. On issues where bureaucrats expect no one to be watching, it takes surprisingly few letters to get them nervous. By Informatics MD. Originally published at Health Care Renewal This exchange I had with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) at HHS should be of interest. It comes from my now-12-plus years experience as forensic expert in EHR-related litigation: April 19, 2023 Micky Tripathi, Ph.D., M.P.P. National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Health and Human Services Washington, DC Dear Dr. Tripathi, I am a medical informatics specialist, former Yale NIH postdoctoral fellow 1992-94 and then faculty at the Yale Center for Medical Informatics. I am involved in medico-legal EHR forensics in recent years. Being involved as an expert in a number of legal matters currently where discovery of electronic records, audit trails and note modifications has been ongoing for up to a decade due to misconceptions, judge confusion, and semantic abuses by the hospital sector has brought me to write to you. I am writing to you regarding an issue I think ONC needs to comment upon and clarify nationally. The issue concerns EHR information blocking by numerous hospitals and lawyers. I have experienced many examples where hospitals have arbitrarily defined their designated record sets to not include note modifications, and actual note entry times, which in the paper world were an immutable part of the paper record. (The actual entry times were reflected in the note sequence in the paper charts if not written explicitly by authors.) It should be noted that hospitals are taking significant liberties in defining the contents of the DRS so that they mirror the same exceptions of the legal medical record when responding to patient requests for their complete medical record. The hospitals then do not produce note modifications and actual note entry times to patients on electronic record requests, and oftentimes resist requests from their legal representatives. I, in fact, know of a number of cases where this production failure has been ongoing for years, causing significant legal expense in court battles to obtain this information and where justice is thus delayed or denied. These actors seem to believe that electronic records reduce patients rights to this information compared to patients rights with paper records (regarding information that was inseparable from paper records), and that patients and their representatives should be blocked from receiving it in electronic record production. I think it is self-evident that note changes and modifications in paper records are an immutable part of that paper record and must be produced to patients or the representatives as part of the medical records. Removing, altering or withholding note changes and modifications in paper records would be unquestionably misleading as well as improper spoliation of the records. In paper records, note corrections through cross-out and user correction/annotation do not turn the original comments into metadata. They remain part of the primary records. Neither do note modifications in electronic records transform the original note into metadata; the modifications remain part of the primary records. Going electronic should not change patients rights to this information. However, in electronic records note changes are usually not shown on the record printout, but only in an audit trail or special report. Hospitals maintain that such record changes including timing of medical record entries are metadata and/or part of an audit trail, and thus not subject to production on ordinary record requests based on their designated record set definitions. Production of this information is also often resisted on request of patients legal representatives, requiring much legal argument, educating judges on the issues, motions to compel, and wasted time and court resources. The actual entry order of the notes themselves are also an immutable part of paper records, whereas in electronic records a user-selected display date and time are often used to order the chronologic print out of notes, obscuring the actual sequence of note entry. The actual record times oftentimes are not shown in the standard record printout. Thus, without the patients rights to receive such data with a standard records request, medical care notes and entries can undetectably be entered late hours, days, weeks or longer after clinical events and patients and their representatives are misled about when such notes and entries were actually made. The prevalent standard used by HHS for audit trails in healthcare information systems, ASTM E2147-18, mandates that certified EHRs capture this information old versions of notes and identity of who changed them and when, and actual times of entry- in their audit trails. But this is being ignored by many healthcare entities in patient record requests. ASTM E2147-18 Audit trail mandatory content (click to enlarge) My question is this. Does ONC believe that the move to electronic records from paper records reduces patients rights to information such as note modifications and note entry times? If so, why? If not, a national clarification is needed from ONC to prevent this problem from continuing to occur. I have also become aware of a member hospital of a larger national hospital chains defense team making the following statement about an EMR record where the forensic evidence is undeniable and shows, among other issues, deletion of an important note, but where the defense states to the court that the chart is fine. The case is of a mother whose child was grievously injured at birth. This statement was filed with the court this month: it is this Defendants position that the medical records are subject to the business record exception and therefore are authenticated by virtue of the exception. This, of course, is a preposterous position regarding authenticity of electronic records, completely ignoring ASTM E2147-18 definitions on authentication and what that entails, but many judges do not know better. This cannot continue. Sincerely, S. Silverstein A response came a few days later: From: Marchesini, Kathryn (OS/ONC) Date: Mon, Apr 24, 2023 at 3:35 PM Subject: Re: Letter to ONC DirectorTripathi attached regarding legal issues and EMR information blocking Cc: Tripathi, Micky (OS/ONC) Dr. Silverstein: Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. From the information you shared with ONC, it seems your questions and concerns relate to the HIPAA Privacy Rule If you believe that a HIPAA-covered entity or its business associate violated your (or someone elses) health information privacy rights or committed another violation of the HIPAA Privacy, Security, or Breach Notification Rules, you may file a complaint with the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR). Kind regards, Kathryn Kathryn Marchesini, JD, CISSP Chief Privacy Officer Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services I responded back: From: S Silverstein Date: Tue, Apr 25, 2023 at 12:24 PM Subject: Re: Letter to ONC DirectorTripathi attached regarding legal issues and EMR information blocking To: Marchesini, Kathryn (OS/ONC) Cc: Tripathi, Micky (OS/ONC) Dear Ms Marchesini, Thank you for your response. I am aware of the link for filing complaints with the HHS OCR. The problem Im describing, however, is a bit different. It is far more pervasive than merely the cases Ive been involved in, and has a straightforward solution. What has been ongoing since I started forensics work in 2010 is systematic, ongoing, pervasive discovery abuse and even fraud by a multitude of hospitals and nursing homes in multiple states across this country. My colleagues report the same phenomena. Ive personally written dozens of affidavits in the litigation battles for production of complete records, audit trails and note modification histories. Ive watched delay after delay after delay, wasteful of court resources and money. These battles should be completely unnecessary. Its a national problem. A solution is clarification from ONC and HHS on hospitals obligations for EMR production, that can also educate the judiciary who can be swayed by the most absurd arguments for a healthcare organizations failure to produce. For instance, another preposterous claim Ive heard on numerous occasions in litigation is that the 2010 version of 45 CFR 170.210 did not specifically command hospitals to store or retain note version histories, only user actions. Therefore, prior to the 2012 version (which called for adherence to ASTM E2147), hospitals claim they were given an open license to not store or delete the prior versions of altered notes, turn off that feature in their EHRs, or acquire EHR technology that lacked the capability. Judges are generally unknowledgeable about these matters. I hope we can agree that, regarding the 2010 version of 45 CFR 170.210 Standards for health information technology to protect electronic health information created, maintained, and exchanged, the stated key issue is: Protection of health information and electronic medical record integrity. The 2010 version of 45 CFR 170.210 does not explicitly state that audit trails must contain a note modification history. However, this regulation could not reasonably be interpreted as overriding paper records standards of care that call for not obscuring or obliterating original versions of altered notes or documents, and giving license to hospitals to capriciously and freely obliterate previous versions of modified notes or documents. That is not protection, that is note destruction. Such an interpretation is absurd, but is submitted with a straight face in court. The 2010 version of 170.210 also could not reasonably be interpreted as overriding previous health care information system federal regulations from the very same Dept. of Health and Human Services that regulates hospital electronic medical records systems. For example in pharma 21 CFR part 11 of 1997 entitled Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, ELECTRONIC RECORDS; ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES, subpart B, 11.10 Controls for closed systems, mandates at (e): (e) Use of secure, computer-generated, time-stamped audit trails to independently record the date and time of operator entries and actions that create, modify, or delete electronic records. Record changes shall not obscure previously recorded information . Such audit trail documentation shall be retained for a period at least as long as that required for the subject electronic records and shall be available for agency review and copying. Finally, in 2012 an update to 170.210 did specifically call for electronic medical record audit trails in hospitals to adhere to the ASTM E2147-09 health care audit trail standard of 2009. That standard specifies that in audit trails, pointers must be maintained to previous versions of altered information. 170.210 was later updated to the ASTM E2147-18 2018 version, which about audit trail content says the same as the 2009 version. Clearly HHSs intent was to maintain the same standard of care as in paper record keeping, and to not give license to hospitals to obliterate or destroy previous versions of altered notes or documents. Simple statements from ONC clarifying hospital obligations with regard to production of medical records, note modifications, and other audit data not being optional nor subject to debate, could help resolve the situation thats ongoing for many years. Discovery resistance is commonly known to EHR forensics specialists and trial lawyers. The expenses to fight it come from injured patients or deceased patients familys potential compensation that is, when justice is not denied them through manipulation of the EHR discovery process. Sincerely, Silverstein I await a further response. SS Squawk bots: Can generative AI lead us to understanding animals? Google Cloud. By Betteridges Law, no. Repos Rising Again As Subprime Auto Loans Put Owners Way Behind The Drive Americas Industrial Transition Apricitas Economics Climate #COVID19 Non-pharmaceutical interventions: Changes in the Incidence of Invasive Bacterial Disease During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States, 20142020 The Journal of Infectious Diseases. From the Abstract: [Nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs)] likely contributed to the decline in IBD incidence in the United States in 2020; observed declines were unlikely to be driven by reductions in testing. An estimate of pediatric lives saved due to non-pharmacologic interventions during the early COVID-19 pandemic (preprint) medRxiv. From the Main section: Historical data also show that external deaths in [children ages >1 year] typically increase in the summer. The present data show that unlike medical deaths, the typical seasonal trends in external mortality were not disrupted by pandemic-related behavioral changesbut were nonetheless statistically higher than expected. This natural experiment indicates that pandemic interventions likely averted thousands of pediatric deaths due to medical causes, most notably during the first full winter (2021), when interventions were most intense across the nation and the virus had not yet reached all parts of the country. In that winter of 2021, the usual seasonal increase in medical causes of childhood mortality was effectively eliminated. * * * Long-Term Adverse Effects of Mild COVID-19 Disease on Arterial Stiffness, and Systemic and Central Hemodynamics: A Pre-Post Study Journal of Clinical Medicine. From the Abstract: COVID-19-associated vascular disease complications are primarily associated with endothelial dysfunction; however, the consequences of disease on vascular structure and function, particularly in the long term (>7 weeks post-infection), remain unexplored. Individual pre- and post-infection changes in arterial stiffness as well as central and systemic hemodynamic parameters were measured in patients diagnosed with mild COVID-19. The results point toward the existence of a widespread and long-lasting pathological process in the vasculature following mild COVID-19 disease, with heterogeneous individual responses, some of which may be triggered by an autoimmune response to COVID-19. Note mild, twice. Covid Omicron Variant: Rats had a hand in creating longest-running Omicron variant Times of India. Hmm. * * * Turkeys Erdogan cancels election rallies for health reasons and Mexican president says he blacked out due to COVID-19, now OK Reuters. As I asked: What happens when 20% of the ruling class loses substantial cognitive function? * * * What lessons have we learned from the COVID pandemic? NPR. Zelikow PR blitz. Zelikow: And this book really is kind of a revelation about, how do we restore a reputation for competence and problem solving? #CovidIsAirborne, so start cleaning indoor air. (When I get the book, I will also look for one word of thanks and praise for people who implemented NPIs, especially masks. The words Biden has never given, not once. That would help, too.) Review: I Know Who Caused COVID-19: Pandemics and Xenophobia MR Online Yves here. Tom Neuburgers discussion of the growing political influence of TikTok, particularly among the young, helps explain why the officialdom is eager to considerably constrain it, as well as control speech on other platforms, as the Twitter Files and existence of other soi-disant disinformation initiatives show. While Neuberger is correct that these platforms can create large groups who have common views and purpose (witness Black lives Matter, which got its momentum on Twitter before Democratic party forces co-opted it), its hard to see how the US gets from that to French-level revolt. There are so many forces operating against it. First is that France is proud of its 1789 revolution and I strongly suspect also covers the failed 1848 rebellion (among other things, the backdrop of Flauberts Leducation sentimentale) and its 1871 Paris Commune. Other countries have not hesitated to substantially recast their histories in the interest of social engineering. French readers are encouraged to pipe up, but at least when I was young, this did not seem to be the case. Second, by contrast, America has long been focused on commerce and individual prosperity (see de Tocquevilles Democracy in America). Post our Revolutionary War, rebels have been member of out groups (laborers, immigrants, women, blacks). Our histories seldom celebrate them, particularly if their campaigns get rough. Third, neoliberalism has weakened community ties, which also weakens organizing muscle. Neoliberalism has also gutted social safety nets. That in combination with employers seeking workers with narrow skills and experience means that even in an apparently tight labor market, prospective employees with an arrest record for protesting will be at the back of the hiring queue. While this post includes talk of GenZ having nothing to lose.I dont mean to sound cynical, but really? My time in the Deep South has given me a window on real poverty, as in people facing the real prospect of living in their car, which may still be only a waystop to living in the streets. And yes, it gets below freezing here in the winter. By contrast, participants in the old French uprisings often recognized they really were risking serious injury and death. And the bloody history of labor organizing in the US has been written out of most histories. Goons like the Pinkertons and the Henry Ford private army would lynch labor leaders, with the police turning a blind eye. Finally, the US, unlike most European countries, does not have a single city that is the seat of government and the center of commerce. Being able to seriously disrupt such an important hub can give protestors leverage that is harder to achieve in a country with multiple loci of activity. Shorter: forming large-scale communities seeking change is a necessary but not sufficient condition for effective protests. Im skeptical the other conditions exist or can be ginned up, at least in the US. Unfortunately, and it would be much better if I were proven wrong, yours truly has long thought that response to greater income disparity and deteriorating conditions at the bottom would be more individual rather than organized and politicized violence. And even if the US does see large-scale, organized protests, our police has been militarizing for a while and has been upgrading its implements, witness the robot dogs. By Thomas Neuburger. Originally published at Gods Spies I dont agree with the tweeters reason why TikTok is under threat (third sentence), but the rest of his statements are true, especially the last: Gen Z is fierce and unstoppable. I dont think theyll go down polite. Full video below. I want to start writing some pieces around repair, focused on fixing whats clearly breaking down. Ill do this in chunks, however. Starting with this, the idea of critical mass. The Virtues of Critical Mass First, a taste of whats needed to fix our world, or at least the American part of it. One of the absolute necessities will be critical mass, a Sixties-style revolt against things as they are thats also large enough to be self-regenerating. Think of a gas-fired motor. Before electrical starters were added to cars, the motors had to be cranked by hand to get them started, turned by hand until they caught and rotated automatically, each turn powering the next. Some lawn mower motors are like that as well, or used to be. Same with public revolt expressed in demonstrations. Millions of people turned out in 650 cities to protest the Iraq War on February 15, 2003. It did no good. Not enough people, not enough disruption, no persistence at all. Result: No critical mass. In contrast, Bernie Sanders and his crowds, in city after city, month after month, reached critical mass in both 2016 and 2020. That size and persistence almost powered him to the nomination twice. Bernie Sanders speaks in Wisconsin in 2019 It took the combined effort of many elites to keep him from being elected. Or consider the list of protests against the Vietnam War, hundreds in number. Those disappeared by the time Nixon was on the ropes, not for the War, but for crimes against other elites (like breaking into Democratic headquarters). But the protests did their job, first driving Johnson to retire, then keeping pressure on Nixon till he fell. Another side of critical mass is disruption. Witness what the French the derided surrender monkeys of Bush-era fame are doing today [photo not included due to copyright protection]: This is how people who really dont want to be messed with show their displeasure. If they keep that disruption going and at that scale, the government will cave. If it doesnt, it wont be a government thats still a republic. So ingredient number one for successful revolt critical mass. Critical Mass Today Where will critical mass come from today? A lot of places, but social media is one. Enter TikTok, to a great many peoples surprise. Consider first the video below. If you have time, listen all the way through. This video has 2.8 million views as of this writing. And it isnt a political channel. She mostly toks (is that what they do over there?) about her personal life, like discovering that for her, bi could mean gay. Its a fun channel, a real Gen Z mashup. But note that her few political toks Im just making words up here get 10 times the viewage of most of her others. Here are a few more from TikTok, courtesy of this Twitter thread. This one has three million views, and it is from a political feed: So does this one: Nuff said? Critical mass is just one of the pieces needed to spark the Next American Revolt. Its not here yet, but its coming. Acting French The people with nothing to gain from solving our problems and all their possessions to lose the octo and nonagenarians in charge of it all (you know who I mean) have yet to face the full anger of people with nothing to lose if they fight back hard. The grounds being laid. If I were an octo in charge, Id be concerned. What if they start to act French, these Gen Z types, while youre still on the earth? Conor here: There is quite a bit wrong with the details in this article as it paints US actions in East Asia as mainly defensive and mocks those who say dialogue with North Korea would be more useful than increased militarization. Have at it, readers. One point in its favor is that does acknowledge this particular dangerous escalation has just as much to do with US efforts against China as it does with North Korea. By Sung-Yoon Lee, a professor in Korean studies at Tufts University. Originally published at The Conversation. The United States and South Korea have unveiled an agreement under which leaders in Seoul will be handed an enhanced role in planning any nuclear response to a strike in the region by North Korea. Announced at a state visit to Washington by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on April 26, 2023, the so-called Washington Declaration will see U.S. deployments of strategic assets around the Korean Peninsula, including an upcoming visit by a nuclear submarine. The last time the U.S. had nuclear weapons in South Korea was 1991 The Conversation asked Sung-Yoon Lee, an expert on U.S.-Korean relations at Tufts University, to explain what the decision to revamp nuclear relations means and why it has come now. What is in the Washington Declaration? Well, theres strong language. Whereas the U.S. has repeatedly reaffirmed its commitment in the past to the defense of South Korea, the wording in the Washington Declaration is more robust. It builds on the language contained in the joint statement released during Bidens visit to Seoul soon after Yoon assumed office in May 2022. On that occasion, the U.S. pledged its extended deterrence commitment to the (Republic of Korea) using the full range of U.S. defense capabilities, including nuclear, conventional and missile defense capabilities. This time, lest there be doubt, that affirmation is made in the strongest words possible. But what does that mean in real terms? First, the U.S. commits to make every effort to consult with the (Republic of Korea) on any possible nuclear weapons employment on the Korean Peninsula. More substantively, the two sides commit to engage in deeper, cooperative decision-making on nuclear deterrence, including through enhanced dialogue and information sharing regarding growing nuclear threats to South Korea. It will come as a welcome development to decision-makers in South Korea, although it raises questions about just how much intel on North Koreas threat and capabilities the U.S. and Japan, with its advanced signal intelligence systems did not share with previous administrations in Seoul. Second, the two allies will establish a new nuclear consultative group to strengthen extended deterrence, discuss nuclear and strategic planning and manage the growing threat posed by Pyongyang. This means Seoul now will have a seat at the table when it comes to planning any nuclear response strategy and in readying its conventional support to U.S. nuclear operations in a contingency. In sum, Seoul will now have a much greater say in intel-sharing and planning for a joint long-term nuclear strategy, with a focus on its own role in any future flare-up in the Korean Peninsula. It is a big step forward. Why are the US and South Korea announcing this now? The international security environment has drastically changed over the past year, necessitating credible countermeasures from the two allies, in cooperation with Japan. North Korea has fired well over 100 missiles since January 2022. Meanwhile, Russias invasion of Ukraine and its many alleged war crimes have only pulled China and North Korea closer into its sphere. And China has gone beyond its usual wolf-warrior diplomacy rhetoric by conducting threatening military drills around Taiwan last August and, again, this April. The Washington Declaration comes on the 70th anniversary of the alliance between Washington and Seoul. The timing serves as an opportunity to reflect on and reassess the relationship. But, no doubt, the main drivers in this strongly worded reaffirmation of the alliance are the recent actions taken by the governments in Pyongyang, Moscow and Beijing. How has South Koreas position on nuclear options evolved? The Korean Peninsula has been through two periods of actual denuclearization since the 1953 armistice that ended combat during the Korean War. The first was in the 1970s when the U.S., catching wind of South Koreas secret nuclear weapons program, threatened to withdraw all U.S. troops from the South unless Seoul completely dismantled the program. And, so, the government abandoned its nuclear ambitions. The second came in 1991 when the U.S. and South Korea perhaps anticipating the coming collapse of the Soviet empire and a severely debilitated North Korea agreed to withdraw all U.S. tactical nuclear weapons from the South, even as the North was working on its own nuclear program while vigorously talking denuclearization. But in recent years, public opinion in South Korea has strongly shifted toward self-nuclearization rather than rely on the U.S. stockpile off South Koreas shores. North Koreas relentless pursuit of more powerful nuclear and missile capabilities, starting with the resumption of ballistic missiles tests in May 2019 after an 18-month lull, has stiffened views in the South. President Yoon himself floated the idea of self-nuclearization earlier this year. But the Washington Declaration appears to have tempered down such sentiment. In it, Yoon reaffirmed the (Republic of Koreas) longstanding commitment to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which would prevent the country from building up its own nuclear weapons stockpile. How will the declaration affect regional tensions? A staple of North Korean propaganda is that its arms program is a response to U.S. hostile policy which Pyongyang defines as anything from Washington raising concerns about its egregious human rights record to the stationing of U.S. troops in South Korea and joint U.S.-South Korea military drills. As such, it is reasonable to assume that Pyongyang will respond with a threatening act or two in the coming days. Using the Washington Declaration as cover, expect North Korea to embark on another brazen act of defiance. Last December, Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leaders sister and deputy, threatened an intercontinental ballistic missile test on a normal trajectory, rather than the steep angle launches that avoid threatening nearby countries. And in 2017, North Koreas former foreign minister Ri Yong Ho suggested that Kim Jong Un was considering testing a hydrogen bomb test over the Pacific. Either would represent a ratcheting up of North Koreas provocations. China, meanwhile, is likely to fall back on its decades-old mantra that issues on the Korean Peninsula need to be resolved through dialogue a position that not only fails to penalize Pyongyang but indirectly empowers the isolationist state. Like what you read? Click here to make a contribution to the Scene and support local journalism! Tucker Carlsons toxic legacy may have gotten him fired by Fox News, but Stephen A. Smith believes the controversial host will be just fine on his own. On the latest episode of his Know Mercy podcast, Smith addressed Don Lemons exit from CNN and Carlsons getting fired from Fox News. According to Smith, he was not surprised at all that Don Lemon was let go, citing struggling ratings and the Nikki Haley controversy. But Carlson and his cast of controversies getting ousted by Fox News came as a much bigger surprise to Smith considering his ratings success. For Tucker Carlson to be gone is a shock, Smith said. My initial inclination was to believe that Tucker Carlson was let go because they must have found some additional intel on that phone about that Dominion Voting System. Turns out, reportedly, that may not be the case. Carlsons abrupt departure from Fox News came just one week after they agreed to pay a more than $787 million settlement to Dominion Voting Systems over the networks promotion of Donald Trumps false 2020 election conspiracies. But as Smith read from Vanity Fair, Carlsons firing more likely came after an internal investigation found he disparaged Fox and privately called a top executive the c-word. Well that doesnt negate his career, Smith said of the reported reason for Carlsons firing. Some people like The Washington Post and others have said, his career on a major news network are over. In this day and age, in case you all dont notice, you dont need to be at a major news network to make some noise. He can get a deal with iHeartRadio, he can get a deal with Amazon or Apple or somebody. You dont have to work for network news or cable news in order to make money and have an impact in this day and age. What the hell do you think Im doing a podcast for? I dont plan on linear television being my last stop. That should temper any thought about Stephen A. Smith possibly viewing prime time on Fox News as his next career stop, a hypothetical that always seemed farfetched. But Smith admitting linear television wont be his last stop does confirm he has aspirations that exceed what ESPN might be able to offer. Tucker Carlson, he aint gonna lose much sleep, Smith surmised. I think hell be alright. And you know why hell be alright? Because he was top-rated. When youre top-rated, this is what happens. Even in bad times, theres always a silver lining. Last week on his podcast, Smith said he would interview the Ku Klux Klan before joining Carlsons Fox News show. This week, Smith is finding the silver lining in Carlson getting ousted by Fox News, proving the wide range of Know Mercy. Carlson will eventually return with another show, but just as it seems his career on a major news network may be over, its reasonable to assume top digital brands such as Amazon and Apple would similarly view him as untouchable. Even with his baggage, Smiths right to believe Carlson will be a sought-after free agent, especially among conservative media companies who fawn over his ability to sensationalize an issue. [Know Mercy] (Natural News) While the police-state of California constantly pushes for mandatory toxic vaccinations for all children, they ironically push to ban chemicals from food. Its quite hypocritical, to keep cancer-causing agents out of the food supply while allowing them to invade the blood supply via carcinogenic injections, but so is the most recent action, according to California lawmakers. While the fast-food drive-through windows serve up junk science by the minute, other processed garbage food will most likely no longer contain five toxic chemicals that damage the nervous system, disrupt good gut bacteria, and are linked to the ADD and ADHD epidemic. On the California toxic food chopping block: Titanium dioxide, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil, propylparaben, and red dye No. 3 Some may find it strange that the state that pushes for transgender everything and forces insurance companies to cover child gender-bender mutilation surgery seems to care about chemicals in foods that are estrogen disrupters and that cause infertility. In the face of it all, California wants to prohibit the manufacture, sale, and distribution of a handful of chemicals that are commonly found in kids candy, the most popular soups, conventional condiments, brand-name salad dressings, and sour cream, to name a few product categories. Got malfunctioning organs, cancer, or DNA damage? Check those industrial-based, petroleum-based food colorings. The FDA claims these are strictly studies, regulated and monitored more now than any time in history, but theyre still loaded up in childrens candies, gum, cereals, fruit snacks, sodas, fruit drinks, and more. The term GRAS, generally recognized as safe, holds very little water in the food safety world. As the FDA bans a few toxic ingredients here and there, the CUMULATIVE EFFECT piles up for kids, teens, and young adults who suck back the chemicals all day long. Every fast-food joint should be shut down now, until they can prove their food is safe for human consumption. Safety should be proven on the front end, not decades after its proven to cause cancer, organ damage, DNA damage, infertility, low sperm count, hyperactivity, learning problems, and memory problems. No wonder ADD and ADHD are massive issues in schools. Many companies in the USA use known carcinogenic ingredients in candy, cereal, juices and sodas that the EU has banned from use Every parent should check every ingredient on every label on every product they buy for their kids and babies, without exception. Just because California is calling out 5 of the hundreds of chemicals used in food, beverages, candy, and even OTC medicines, doesnt mean the state actually cares about the health of children living there. Why else would California push for all children to get the highly dangerous Covid clot shots when theyre not even at risk of the Wuhan Flu becoming a serious infection for them? Its like California is cleaning one hand while dipping the other in the sewer. Titanium dioxide ruins good gut bacteria, crippling the immune system of children, as demonstrated in clinical research. Brominated vegetable oil keeps the flavor of sodas from floating to the top, while damaging the central nervous system of those who drink it. It also leads to memory loss and chronic headaches. Oh, but the flavor is so important! Industrial-based food dyes with numbers are contributing to the whole ADD and ADHD epidemic, while psychiatrists and medical doctors prescribe dangerous psychotropic medications for the disorder theyve defined in their DSM manual. Money, money, money. When they say its not about the money, it always is. Tune your food news frequency to FoodSupply.news and get updates on more toxic foods and food colorings coming to childrens food, beverages, and candies at stores near you, even in California. Sources for this article include: ChildrensHealthDefense.org NaturalNews.com (Natural News) According to a report released on Monday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) were reportedly seen socializing with Harry Lu Jianwang at a political event in a video, before he was arrested last week on federal charges for allegedly operating an illegal Chinese police station in New York City. Fox News reported that the video, recorded on March 18, allegedly shows Lu conversing with Adams and Schumer at a fundraiser for a nonprofit organization called the Fukien American Association. The network claimed that Lu had previously been seen building relationships with prominent Democrats in New York City. In April 2022, Lu also met New York Democratic Rep. Grace Meng at a fundraising event, according to The Daily Caller, citing images the outlet found, the news outlet reported. Records show that since 2006, Lu has contributed at least $32,625 to New York elected officials, including Adams and New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. A spokesperson for Mayor Adams stated that he does not personally know Lu, but confirmed that Adams had attended the Fukien American Association event. The spokesperson clarified that Adams had attended the event to show support for a local community, and not to endorse the association itself, Breitbart News added. The Daily Caller reported that Lu had met with Mayor Adams on several occasions before the fundraiser, including at anniversary celebrations for the America Changle Association. This organization has been accused of being a front for the illegal Chinese police station, which was raided by the FBI in January. The outlet also said that Lu donated $4,000 to Adams mayoral campaign under another name. Lus arrest was one of the initial instances in a developing scandal concerning Chinas clandestine operation of police stations on foreign territory. These stations are purported to gather intelligence on Chinese dissidents living overseas, and in some cases, they coordinate acts of intimidation against them. According to experts, China has established these stations in various countries worldwide, including Canada, Japan, Brazil, Spain, and the United States. The Chinese governments claim that the secret police stations were simply consular outreach services has been widely disputed. Evidence has confirmed that these stations were engaged in activities such as assisting Chinese citizens living overseas with tasks like obtaining foreign drivers licenses. Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) apprehended 61-year-old Lu and 59-year-old Chen Jinping in the Bronx and Manhattan for acting as unregistered agents of the Chinese government, particularly its Ministry of Public Security (MPS), Breitbart News reported. The department criticized Lu and Chens conduct as a blatant violation of our national sovereignty and a disturbing illustration of Chinas transnational repression. According to U.S. Attorney Breon Peace, the secret police station occupied an entire floor of an office building in Lower Manhattan. Now, just imagine the NYPD opening an undeclared secret police station in Beijing. It would be unthinkable, Peace pointed out. Lu and Chen faced allegations of orchestrating vast networks of fabricated social media profiles to distribute Chinese Communist Party propaganda and intimidate dissidents. Lu was specifically accused of employing threats of violence to compel a Chinese citizen to return to China and collaborating in the harassment of a pro-democracy activist residing in California. Aside from the potential five-year prison sentence for acting as agents of the Chinese government, Lu and Chen could also face up to 20 years in jail for obstructing justice by erasing compromising messages from their mobile phones, the reports said. According to Safeguard Defenders, the watchdog group that uncovered Lu and Chens activities in New York, China is running over a hundred secret police stations globally, including several more within the United States and at least one more in New York City. The group published a report in September revealing its findings. Sources include: Breitbart.com DailyCaller.com FoxNews.com (Natural News) When storing drinking water in your car, there are certain factors you need to consider, such as the weather and how many people your supply is intended for. If you live in an area with both hot summers and cold winters, having two separate water storage systems one for cold weather and one for hot weather is the best way forward. Here are some recommendations and invaluable advice shared by professional outdoor educators and survival experts on how to store emergency water in your vehicle. Storage tips for when the weather is hot Avoid water in plastic bottles. A study by researchers at the University of Florida and Nanjing University found that plastic water bottles left in a hot car for a week leaked significant amounts of harmful chemicals into the drinking water. Examples of these toxic chemicals include antimony, a known carcinogen, and BPA, which may cause serious health problems like cancer and hormone and metabolic disorders. Use aluminum and stainless steel bottles. Metal containers wont leach all sorts of nasty chemicals into your water, no matter how hot it gets. They are also quite durable should you drop them. The only downside is they can get really warm in hot conditions. (Related: Survival essentials: Tips for storing water in your car.) Consider bagged water. Bagged water comes in convenient package sizes, dont degrade or leak, are easy to store, have a long shelf life and are able to withstand extreme temperatures. However, bagged water is expensive. Consider boxed water. You can buy 12-pack, 24-pack and 32-pack boxed water in recyclable packaging. Avoid storing boxed water under car seats or anywhere it can get crushed. Boxed water will fit nicely inside a cooler in a trunk storage bin. Consider canned water. Some companies sell emergency water with a 50-year shelf life. This emergency water is packed in cans made of corrosion-resistant aluminum, which is perfect for long-term storage. These cans are designed to withstand conditions between 38-140 F, making them a good option for keeping in your car when the weathers hot. The main drawback of canned water is its price; but since it has such a long shelf life, you probably wont have to replace it frequently. Keep a cooler in your car. Even a cooler thats not filled with ice can help insulate your emergency water supply from the heat. Soft coolers are generally more convenient for use in a car, but hard-sided models with extra insulation are usually more effective. Storage tips for when the weather is cold Avoid water in plastic bottles. In cold, freezing weather, plastic tends to become brittle, so opt for water stored in non-plastic containers. Avoid canned water. Cans could burst when the weather is too cold, so dont store canned water in your car. Dont fill up your containers all the way. To avoid any problems with expanding water and cracked containers during winter months, be sure to leave a bit of empty space in your containers. As a general rule, leave at least or ? of the container empty to provide enough room for the water to expand. Use a cooler. Generally, all commercial coolers use the same method of insulation foam insulation between the inner and outer walls. Cheaper hard coolers use styrofoam while premium hard coolers use heavier but more effective polyurethane. Aside from a cooler, there are other materials that you can use to insulate your emergency water supply from the cold, such as survival blankets, which are really good at trapping heat and can provide another layer of protection. You can wrap your emergency water containers in survival blankets before storing them in a cooler. Where to store emergency water in your vehicle Car cabin. When the weather is cold, you can prevent your emergency water from freezing if you store it in the cabin since you will probably turn on the car heater as you drive. That way, your water supply will get a blast of hot air, which can make a difference in the long run. Storing emergency water in the cabin of your car also makes it more accessible, especially in times of need. Trunk/hatchback. Storing emergency water in the trunk of your car can help you save space. During hot months, your emergency water supply will also stay a bit cooler in the trunk where its protected from the sun. Points to remember when storing water in your vehicle Assuming your emergency water and the container you used were both clean at the time of storage, it should remain safe to drink for six months. That said, check your water containers at least every six months for any signs of leaking or deterioration. If you need to rotate out your supply, you can use the water youre replacing to water your plants. A three-day supply (more if you have room in your vehicle) is a good amount to stash in your car. Your car emergency kit should include other means of getting potable/safe drinking water, such as a LifeStraw, iodine or purification tablets that can help purify water. Consider purchasing quality hydration packs, or bladder packs, which are flexible reservoirs that can fit into your backpack and offer some protection from freezing and UV rays. Store 100-ounce hydration packs per person for emergencies. You should also pack a camp stove because, despite your best efforts, your emergency water may still freeze in winter. You can use the stove to melt enough water for drinking in an emergency situation. Watch the following video to learn more about emergency water for long-term vehicle storage. This video is from the Daily Videos channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Heres why you should NEVER reuse your plastic water bottles. 4 Tips to prevent emergency water from freezing. Prepping 101: Emergency water storage for beginners. Sources include: SurvivalSullivan.com UrbanSurvivalSite.com ScienceDirect.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) Environmental protection binds us to our own humanity and to all of creation. The natural world connects us to the 10,000 generations of human beings who lived before us and ultimately connects us to God. God talks to human beings through many vectors: through each other, through organized religion, through the great books of those religions, through wise people, through art, music, literature, and poetry. But nowhere with such detail and grace, color, and joy as through creation. When we destroy a species, when we destroy a special place, were diminishing our capacity to sense the divine, understand who God is, and what our own potential is as human beings. (Article republished from Kennedy24.com) On Earth Day 2023, I join the millions of people around the world celebrating our Earth, and I recommit to the solemn responsibility of caring for and defending the precious planet we call home. Our sacred obligation as a civilization, a nation, a generation is to create communities for our children that provide them with the same opportunities for dignity and enrichment, prosperity, and good health as the communities that our parents gave us. As President, I will tirelessly protect our environmental infrastructure: the air we breathe, the water we drink, our wildlife, the fisheries, and the public lands. Environmental stewardship will be a central goal of my Presidency, just as it has been for my entire life. In 1961, when I was seven years old, I visited my uncle, President John F. Kennedy, in the Oval Office in the White House and presented him with a salamander to share my love and concern for the health of other species. It was that meeting that began my commitment to the environment. When I started my career as an environmental attorney, I wanted to be in the trenches, engaging against the big polluters. I wanted to work with people who were not only most harmed by environmental injury, but who also were marginalized from the mainstream environmental community. My first case as an environmental lawyer was representing the NAACP in a lawsuit against Ossining, New York, for trying to put a waste transfer station in the oldest Black neighborhood in the Hudson Valley. During that lawsuit, I learned that four out of every five toxic waste dumps in our country are in a Black neighborhood. The largest toxic waste dump in this country is Emelle, Alabama, which is 85% Black. The highest concentration of toxic waste dumps in this country is the south side of Chicago. The most contaminated zip code in California is East L.A. and at that time, 48% of Black youth had dangerous levels of lead in their blood, which led to dramatically reduced IQ, and also caused severe behavioral problems. What I learned from that case ignited a fire in me to spend the next 30 years fighting those kinds of issues. In the early 2000s, I successfully sued the U.S. Navy to stop polluting one of the poorest communities in our country: the Black and Brown people who live on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico, who are American citizens. I was even jailed for a summer in 2001 for protesting the actions of the U.S. Navy in Vieques. For decades, I have worked alongside a blue-collar coalition of commercial and recreational fishermen on the Hudson River to reclaim the river from its polluters. The Hudson River is the oldest commercial fishery in North America. Yet, in 1966, the Penn Central Railroad began spilling oil from a pipe in the Croton-Harmon railyard. The oil went up the Hudson River on the tides. It blackened the beaches, and it made the fish taste like diesel so they couldnt be sold. The river even caught on fire, and turned colors, depending on what color they were painting the trucks at the Tarrytown GM plant. I joined forces with the community of Crotonville, New York, to monitor the river for illegal polluters. Over the next couple of decades, we brought more than 500 successful legal actions against Hudson River polluters. That model inspired the creation of the Waterkeepers Alliance. With more than 300 Waterkeepers in 47 countries, were now the biggest water protection group in the world. I have dedicated my life to protecting the precious resources of the Earth. Environmental stewardship will be a core objective of my Presidency. Environmental protection is critical to social and racial justice, to Americas economic prosperity, and to the survival of humanity. Read more at: Kennedy24.com (Natural News) Secretary of State Antony Blinken, then a top member of Joe Bidens presidential campaign, set in motion a letter signed by dozens of former security state dismissing the Hunter Biden Laptop from Hell story as having all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation. Yet deeper questions around how the letter was placed with the media remain largely unexplored. (Article by Jack Montgomery republished from TheNationalPulse.com) Fake Intel. Mike Morrell, a two-time Acting Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), told the House Judiciary Committee that he put together the letter, signed by 51 former intelligence officials including the likes of ex-communist John Brennan. The move came after a call with Blinken, with Biden heavily relying on it to blunt then-President Donald Trumps criticism of his familys dodgy dealings during a head-to-head debate. Based on Morells testimony, it is apparent the Biden campaign played an active role in the origins of the public statement, which had the effect of helping to suppress the Hunter Biden story and preventing American citizens from making a fully informed decision during the 2020 presidential election, accused Jim Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Michael Turner, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, in a letter to Secretary Blinken. This concerted effort to minimize and suppress public dissemination of the serious allegations about the Biden family was a grave disservice to all American citizens informed participation in our democracy, they complained. But while the fact that Antony Blinken may have rustled up a gaggle of security state alumni to suppress the laptop story is disturbing, it is in some ways less interesting than the question of how their letter was planted in the media and inserted into the wider narrative around the Biden family and supposed Russian disinformation in the first place. Enter Natasha Bertrand. The House Judiciary Committee says Morrell explained that the Biden campaign helped to strategize about the public release of the statement smearing the laptop story as a Russian conspiracy. Who was the ultimate vehicle for that public release? Natasha Bertrand, who only just turned 30, who was then a national security correspondent (in her mid-twenties) for POLITICO. The question of why the Biden campaign and its allies in the security state community chose German-owned POLITICO seems an obvious one. It lives mainly online, with little traction among the general public and even news junkies often unaware that its low-circulation print edition exists. But POLITICO has a great deal of traction among political insiders, and relies on anonymous sources among them for much of its reporting. Read more at: TheNationalPulse.com (Natural News) Before phones got more high-tech and developed many complicated features, many online scams targeted the elderly. But modern technology has made online shopping and banking easier for shoppers of all ages across the globe. All you need is a computer, a laptop or a smartphone to buy various items or send and receive money. Unfortunately, the very same technology is being used by scammers to lie to people and steal information and money. If you often shop online, read on to learn about common internet scams and how to avoid them. App scams Do you love downloading new apps on your smartphone? Before you download an app, check if it is legitimate to avoid getting scammed. Many scammers have figured out how to make almost identical copies of certain popular and verified apps to steal your money via in-app purchases. Some scammers will also take the time to create apps that steal your personal information once you download them. Always check that you are downloading the official version of popular apps, and think twice about downloading apps you are unfamiliar with. Be careful when using payment apps, such as Zelle. Recently, some users have reported that scammers claim to be the banks fraud department. They will then call or text you to assist you through the problem. Scammers will attempt to get you to fix the problem by sending money to your account, but the money will go from your account to their account instead. Cryptocurrency scams Cryptocurrency is a trendy thing for those who love the highs and loves of gaining and losing their money at any moment. Just like gambling, investing in crypto can be addictive, something that many scammers have started taking advantage of. There are several ways to run crypto scams. A scammer might set up fake websites that look like popular crypto sites to get innocent people to send them money. Others might also prey on peoples fears of missing out on an investment with massive returns by creating a fake early investment opportunity and pitching it to users online. (Related: Digital fraud: How to avoid QR code scams.) Grandparent scams Because the elderly are more vulnerable when it comes to the internet, many scammers target them with grandparent scams. Scammers will often use their caring and loving nature against them in these scams. They will send an urgent message or email to a grandparent pretending to be their grandchild in need of financial help. They may say they are abroad and need money for a last-minute train ticket or help to pay an emergency hospital bill. Warning signs of a grandparent scam can include: A text message or email from an unknown number A request for an unreasonable amount of money from a family member Avoid this scam by staying calm and trying to verify your grandchilds identity. Ask specific questions only they would know or call them using a saved number on your phone. Hitman scams In hitman scams, a cybercriminal may send you a message threatening to embarrass or injure you or a family member unless you pay a ransom. The scammer may present details about your life that they have gathered from social media profiles, which could make the claim seem more legitimate or urgent. If you receive one of these messages, report it to the FBIs Internet Crime Complaint Center and local law enforcement. Warning signs of a hitman scam include: A message from someone claiming they will harm or embarrass The cybercriminal says they wont do anything if you pay a certain amount of money Avoid hitman scams by ignoring spam texts from unknown numbers or emails from unknown addresses. The Nigerian letter scam The Nigerian letter scam, also called 419 fraud or the advance fee scam, is one of the longest-running online scams. First, you will receive an emotional message from someone claiming to be an official government employee, businessman or member of a very wealthy foreign family. They will ask you to help them retrieve a large sum of money from an overseas bank. If you help them, they will promise to share the money with you. You might even receive fake paperwork that makes the deal look legitimate. Warning signs of the Nigerian letter scam include a letter or email from a foreign country claiming a connection to you and a request for personal or banking information. Ignore suspicious emails or text messages, especially from unknown senders. Never give them your personal data. Online purchase scams If you buy something online and it never gets delivered, you might be a victim of an online purchase scam. Scammers will try to sell products on sites such as Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. Alternatively, they might set up fake online storefronts and take your money when you buy an item, but they will never deliver what you ordered. While online stores are convenient, you should check reviews and confirm that the store is legitimate before ordering and paying for anything. Phishing scams Phishing scams have been around for a long time. This type of scam starts with an email that seems to be from a legitimate source, like your bank, a social networking site or an online store. You will be tricked into clicking on a malicious download or a scammer website link. The scammer will then install malware or use your stolen credentials to steal your sensitive data. Signs of a phishing scam include: Demands with threats of financial consequences Urgent tones Misspellings and poor grammar Logos that dont look right or an email address with jargon If you receive a suspicious email, go directly to the companys official website to check if it is legitimate or not. Romance scams Not all scams involve online shopping. Some scammers may prey on lonely people, especially hopeless romantics. With the skyrocketing popularity of online dating, many single people have taken to dating apps to find romance. But many scammers will create a fake dating profile, target an unsuspecting victim, get them to fall in love, then eventually ask them to send money or buy them things. This is unfortunate because the victim wont think twice about helping or sending a gift to their new boyfriend or girlfriend. Scareware There are different kinds of scareware, but one of the most common comes in the form of fake antivirus software. First, you will receive a pop-up to alert you of a virus that has infected your computer. The pop-up will then offer to fix the infection with free antivirus software. In reality, this software is fake and used to install malware that can steal your sensitive information. Scareware scam warning signs include: A pop-up that is hard to close. A pop-up that urges you to act quickly. The software quickly scans your computer for viruses. The software company is unheard of. Avoid scareware by not clicking on unexpected and suspicious malware notifications. Student loan forgiveness scams Scammers will also take advantage of people who are desperate to get their loans forgiven. They will often make fake forgiveness application sites to steal Social Security numbers, bank account information and cash. To make the scam more convincing, they will pair the fake websites with urgent phone messages or emails trying to convince broke college graduates that it is their last chance to apply for student loan forgiveness. More tips to avoid internet scams With many scams proliferating the internet, here are some tips that will help you avoid them: Change your passwords Dont use the same passwords for all apps. Change passwords for important accounts, like your email, social media and bank accounts, every 90 days. Make them hard to guess by using combinations of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters. If you get notified about a data breach, your password could have been leaked and you should change it immediately to be safe. Set up two-factor authentication on every possible password to add an extra layer of security and make it harder for scammers to get your personal info. Review your emails Before opening an email, check the email subject line and sender. If you receive an email from an address youre unfamiliar with, dont click on any links until you confirm where it came from. Do not give away personal information or anything money-related. Check your online bank account daily Most banks will let you know if they see any suspicious activity in your account. But if they miss anything, you should log in every day to check for any weird charges. Trust your instincts If you are online and something seems weird, trust your gut. Be wary of emails or texts telling you that you have won a gadget, a trip or the lottery, especially if they also ask for your personal or banking information. Watch the video below to know more about reverse ATMs and how they can spy on your spending behavior. This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Digital fraud: How to avoid QR code scams. Digital prepping: How to keep your personal data safe. Solana blockchain targeted in cyberattack, hackers stole $5.2 million worth of crypto assets from around 8,000 wallets. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com Us.Norton.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) When crimes against humanity were escalated in March 2020 under the guise of a never-ending national emergency, the federal government provided an endless stream of money for multinational organizations that have a history of felonious conduct (vaccine manufacturers). These endless funds have been used, not to develop safe and effective treatments, prophylactics, and immunizations for a rapidly mutating bioweapon. Instead, these funds have largely been used to bribe doctors, medical schools, media outlets, nonprofits, independent organizations, and civil liberties groups into propagating false and misleading narratives about an mRNA genetic therapy that turned out to be a weapon system in disguise. Chicago Urban League took $100,000 bribe from Pfizer, betrayed the people they pretend to protect Across American society, medical and civil rights groups broadly and unilaterally supported so-called covid-19 vaccines and a barrage of unlawful mandates. It turns out that this broad support for medical fraud and segregation was because Pfizer bribed over 400 medical institutions, organizations, and associations to do their dirty work. For instance, when Chicago Urban League President Karen Freeman-Wilson went on television to push vaccine mandates for all of Chicagos employees, she dismissed serious concerns that the mandates would disproportionately harm the Black community. The health and safety factor here far outweighs the concern about shutting people out or creating a barrier, Freeman-Wilson said on WTTW in August 2021. Earlier that year, the Chicago Urban League had received $100,000 grant (bribe) from Pfizer, for a project requiring the organization to promote vaccine safety and effectiveness. She felt compelled to mandate the health and safety for all because she had been paid to propagate this lie. Even though Pfizer knew their so-called vaccine didnt work and wasnt safe, they had the funds they needed to make prostitutes out of medical organizations and even civil rights groups. The Chicago Urban League was bought off by Pfizer to betray the very residents of Chicago they pretend to protect. Moreover, the League typically discloses its corporate donors, but this time they did not disclose the funding they got from Pfizer in their partners section on their website. Similarly, Freeman-Wilson did not disclose her conflict of interest with Pfizer when she publicly called for unlawful vaccine mandates for all of Chicagos workforce. Independent Organizations that fought for vaccine passports and mandates were bought off by the vaccine industry Pfizer has listed all the organizations that they bribed in their US Medical, Scientific, Patient and Civic Organization Funding Report. According to their own financial records, Pfizer provided special funding to nonprofit and trade organizations that lobbied in favor of government policies that sought to mandate covid-19 vaccines. For instance, the Immunization Partnership, a public health nonprofit in Houston, Texas, took a $35,000 bribe from Pfizer in 2021 for legislative advocacy. Instead of addressing the debilitating side effects from Pfizers covid jab and its inability to confer immunization, the nonprofit peddled Pfizers lies and even publicly attacked legislation in Texas that went on to block vaccine passports and municipal vaccine mandates. The Immunization Partnership claimed that the bills erode the vital role of our states public health and medical experts in combating this pandemic. Two years later, it is organizations like Immunization Partnership that verifiably sold out to medical fraud and deception, and participated in a variety of human rights abuses, to ultimately erode the publics confidence in medical and public health experts. The aggressive propaganda behind covid-19 vaccine mandates is due to an underlying and pervasive cowardice that exists in the leadership positions across hundreds of independent organizations throughout American society. Many of these cowardly leaders didnt even disclose Pfizer funding as they pushed forward unethical policies of subjugation, discrimination, and segregation that coerced workers to get multiple injections that didnt work and caused further harm. These organizations all pushed the false claim that covid-19 vaccines prevent transmission of COVID-19 and that covid-19 is a pandemic of the unvaccinated. As these mandates were aggressively rolled out, no exception was made for individuals with natural immunity through prior infection or for individuals who choose natural exposure so they can get natural immunity. The unreasonable and harmful propaganda was carefully planned and orchestrated by Pfizer and made prominent throughout American society due to pervasive cowardice and a fearful inclination of leaders who willingly bow to false gods. Sources include: Justice.gov LeeFang.substack.com News.WWTW.com NaturalNews.com DocumentCloud.org Statesman.com After three years of sitting empty, shiny new RVs and campers now fill the building that once held Camping World in Bellemont. The lot had sat empty after Camping World suddenly closed the location in 2019, along with dozens of others across the country, giving local employees only a week's notice. But this month, the newly renovated showroom is teaming with life after RV Country moved from its location at the Flagstaff Mall, expanding into the larger space in Bellemont. For some RV Country employees, the new space is actually quite familiar. Eddie Babbitt and Will Stoneburner both worked at Camping World for close to seven years back in the day, although both left shortly before the company suddenly closed the Bellemont location. Walking back into the location and bringing new life to the old site was a unique feeling, Babbitt said. It was kind of like a new beginning, I guess, starting from scratch, Babbitt said. I was really excited to get back out to this facility. And Stoneburner agreed, adding that being able to return felt like something positive could come out of the previous events. I mean, it's kind of bittersweet, and making it full circle, Stoneburner said. With the changes that we've made, with the indoor showroom now, it's the same building, but it doesn't feel like the same building. I don't know, I'm excited to be back out here, and with RV Country instead of Camping World. Kevin McCoy, RV Countrys general manager, shares those feelings. When the Camping World closed, McCoy was working just down the street as the general manager of Arizona Route 66 RVs and knew many of the employees who lost their jobs. When Camping World left, it was it was a really hard moment for a lot of folks in Flagstaff, a lot of people who were losing their jobs and probably felt like they were looked at as just a number by a big corporate chain like Camping World, McCoy said, adding that it has felt great to be a part of the renewal of the site. But the move is about more than sentimentality. McCoy says the larger location was a great opportunity for RV Country. The new location is larger than their previous location at the mall by several acres, McCoy said. That means more RVs available to customers, a larger parts department and the ability to service more RVs at one time. Weve got room to be working on 10-plus RVs at a time, McCoy said. So for us, it was the right move, because it was just a matter of opportunity; [] this is giving us the opportunity to have more RVs available on our lot to sell and to show to customers. McCoy said the move means RV Country now has the largest parts department for RVs in northern Arizona. With the expansion of those departments, McCoy said, they have also been increasing staffing. McCoy said RV Country is beefing up the staff total from 10 employees at the mall location to upward of 20 at the new location. The move comes as the RV industry has seen a huge boom in recent years. Like so many other outdoor-focused industries, McCoy said, they saw demand for RVs explode throughout the COVID-19 era, while simultaneously having the same supply chain issues experienced by so many other business. All the while, social media trends such as van life have also increased the demand for RVs and campers. That drove the price of new and used RVs way up. But McCoy said as those supply chain issues have calmed down, so has the price, even though the demand for RVs is still high. RV Country completed the move about two weeks ago, McCoy said, although physically moving everything was no simple task. They had to move all their RVs, then their entire parts department, followed by the service department, and so on. (Natural News) If anti-vaccine activist and Childrens Health Defense founder Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) grabs the Democratic presidential nomination from President Joe Biden and eventually succeeds in winning the presidential elections, hes going to be a big threat to the Deep State. According to TruNews hosts Rick Wiles and Dr. Raymond Burkhart, 69-year-old RFK Jr. aims to destroy the Deep State and make Big Pharma accountable for the vaccines that killed and harmed people all around the world. RFK Jr., a black sheep for arguably the most famous political clan in America, recently traveled to Boston to declare that he will challenge Biden for the Democratic Partys presidential nomination. (Related: ITS OFFICIAL: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will run as a Democrat in 2024 against Biden.) Kennedy, a nephew of President John F. Kennedy and son of the U.S. Attorney General and New York Senator Robert F. Kennedy, was once a bestselling author and environmental lawyer who worked on issues such as clean water. He also emerged as one of the leading voices in the anti-vaccine movement his work described by public health experts and members of his own family as misleading and dangerous. This is what happens when you censor somebody for 18 years, Kennedy said, a reference to his complaint that social media platforms and the mainstream media have not given him a fair hearing. They shouldnt have shut me up for that long because now Im really going to let loose on them for the next 18 months. Theyre going to hear a lot from me. Hes going to expose the vaccines and the pharmaceutical companies. Most likely, hes going to bring up Ukraine and pharmaceutical experiments on children and Ukrainian people. If he goes down that road, its going to be extremely threatening to the deep state, Wiles said. And for the first time in decades, we have a major Kennedy running for the Democratic nomination. And hes not a communist Democrat. The hosts also brought up the possibility that RFK Jr. could end up running as a third-party candidate. Thats suddenly an interesting choice, Burkhart said. His whole life, politics and even his efforts at the Childrens Health Defense over the past 15-20 years, hes been involved. How are you going to find a guy that says, Ive been fighting for kids and I believe the vaccines are evil.' Wiles added: If he chooses a moderate person with qualities, skills and experience as his vice president, that ticket would be very appealing to people. In a three-way race, if he could get on the ballot as an independent and have a moderate vice-presidential candidate, he would be a very serious candidate in November of 24. We need to watch this one. Kennedys stances contradict the mainstream Democrats A recent horserace poll found the likely Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump, leading the incumbent president by one point at 44 percent to 43 percent among registered voters nationwide. According to Douglas E. Schoen, a political consultant and contributor at the Hill, if RFK Jr. mounts an aggressively negative primary campaign against Biden, it could very well hobble him in the general election. Schoen thinks RFK Jr.s bid is still a longshot, in part because his issue stances are far outside of the mainstream Democratic Party, except for his environmental advocacies. Many of his climate positions, such as on clean energy and land conservation, are aligned with the Democratic platform. However, he is a prominent Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) gene-altering therapy skeptic, who was banned and censored from social media platforms. He is also anti-corporate power and has railed against government bank bailouts, which could very well strike a responsive chord with many progressives, who tend to be lukewarm toward Biden. He also vowed to end the corrupt merger of state and corporate power. And this is why critics are somehow pessimistic that he could win the primaries. But RFK Jr. may very well complicate matters for Biden, who would benefit from a cakewalk primary ahead of a likely rematch against Trump in the general election, Schoen remarked. Check out VoteDemocrat.news for more stories on RFK Jr.s 2024 presidential election run. Watch the full episode of TruNews with Rick Wiles and Dr. Raymond Burkhart below. This video is from the TruNews channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Ron Paul, RFK Jr. publicly call out CIA for Kennedy assassination, covid plandemic. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reveals globalist plan to undermine freedom through vaccine passports. Robert Kennedy Jr. exposes Gates, Fauci, and govt collusion in interview with Tucker Carlson. Robert Kennedy Jr. says murder of uncle JFK was coup detat as CIA involvement confirmed. Sources include: NYTimes.com Docs.CDN.yougov.com TheHill.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) The home of a Republican Utah state senator was vandalized after he introduced a bill seeking to stop the practice of performing transgender surgeries on young people. State senator Mike Kennedy, who is both a physician and an attorney and works as a family doctor, sponsored legislation known as SB16 that bans giving puberty blockers and transgender operations to minors who have not been diagnosed with gender dysphoria. In January, it was signed into law by Utah Governor Spencer Cox. At least 11 other states have enacted similar legislation to protect children from these dangerous interventions. In apparent retaliation for introducing the bill, Senator Kennedys home was vandalized. The words These trannies bash back were written in red spray paint on his garage door, along with fash, an abbreviation for fascist. Lone Peak police officers told the media that they believe the senator was targeted because of the legislation. They added that they are working hard to identify who was responsible for the act. In a Facebook post, Kennedy shared photos of the damage and stated that the vandalism would not stop him from pursuing measures that protect young people. He wrote: To those who seek to use violence, vandalism, and intimidation to deter me from standing up for what is right, let me be clear: you will not succeed. He went on to say: I will not be deterred by your cowardly actions. The recent vandalism to my familys home was not just an attack on me, but on the very principles our state stands for. We will not let fear and violence control our destiny. He added that rather than discouraging him, the act has only deepened his determination to work toward making Utah a better place for everyone, particularly children. He called on the states citizens to stand up and push back against radicals who seek to push their agenda in our state. One LGBTQ activist group, Equality Utah, denounced the act. Although they said that they did not know who was responsible for it, they wanted to condemn such tactics. They added that this type of behavior does not help the LGBTQ cause. Kennedy discussed the incident on Fox & Friends, saying he was out of town when the cowardly vandals decided to deface his home using blood red paint. He doubled down on his belief that gender affirming care for minors is radical, irreversible and damaging. He also said that even those who do not support his political views have condemned the behavior of whoever was behind the vandalism. Suicide rate of people who undergo sex reassignment operations is 20 times higher than their peers His stance is supported by medical evidence suggesting that sex reassignment surgery does not do enough to address the psychosocial issues that people who say they are transgender deal with. The most complete follow-up study of people who have had such operations, which looked at people for 30 years afterward and was carried out in Sweden, showed that the suicide rate of people who had undergone a sex reassignment operation was 20 times higher than that of comparable peers. Moreover, when the issue was raised of whether these operations should be covered by Medicare under the Obama administration, the request was refused on the grounds that there is insufficient evidence to show it can benefit patients and improve their health outcomes. Its unfortunate that anyone would resort to criminal behavior to try to intimidate a physician and lawmaker who is taking a stand to protect young people from potential genital mutilation, sterilization and a lifetime of regret. Sources for this article include: Breitbart.com FoxNews.com Heritage.org (Natural News) The FBI is so zealous in its efforts to arrest anyone even remotely connected to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol Building that its placing innocent people on a domestic terrorist list. That includes, apparently, the wife of a 20-year U.S. Air Marshal veteran simply because she flew into the nations capital. Early last year, a wife and mother of two kids made travel arrangements to attend a family funeral in New York, which seems routine enough. However, it turned out to be anything but normal. Her spouse, who shall be known as Bill, had served in the Federal Air Marshal Service for over two decades, and a few days before his wifes departure, he discovered something shocking. While accessing his Federal Air Marshal Service Operations computer system, he noticed that his wifes name was listed there, with the label Domestic Terrorist beneath it, UncoverDC reported earlier this week. After the initial shock subsided, he immediately reported the matter to his supervisors and sought an explanation for how such a thing could happen. However, their response was rather cryptic: You cant tell her, and you have to let it work itself out. What does that mean? he askedhe got the same response. Bill eventually realized that his wifes classification as a domestic terrorist implied that highly trained air marshals would trail her and their childrens every move at the airport and on the flight recording their clothing choices, conversations, and documenting everything in an internal report. Moreover, he was responsible for assigning the air marshal teams to follow his wife during her trip to New York and back, the report noted further. This revelation was startling for several reasons. For one, Bills wife had never faced any criminal charges or undergone questioning from law enforcement regarding terrorist activities. Secondly, Bill himself possessed a Top-Secret Security Clearance with the Federal Air Marshals, and now he was living with a supposed terrorist. This discovery should have prompted an urgent investigation by the agency to determine what Bill and his TSA-designated terrorist wife were involved in. However, the agency seemed unfazed by the situation, the news sites report continued. Following his discussion with Air Marshal leadership, Bill went back to his job, which allowed him access to highly sensitive government databases. This detail alone implies that the designation given to his wife was erroneous. Why wasnt the agency showing any concern? This situation precisely aligns with the criteria for an insider threat. To add to the already troubling situation, the TSA documentation stated that Bills wife had participated in the breach of the United States Capitol building on January 6th, 2021. Bill was dumbfounded. While his wife had indeed been in Washington D.C. on that date, she was nowhere near the Capitol building, and she could prove it with her GPS records, Uber receipts, and hotel bills, which showed she was staying several miles away from the Capitol building. In desperation, Bill reached out to the Air Marshal National Council (AMNC) seeking assistance. The AMNC acted swiftly, relaying Bills concerns to Congress. Upon hearing Bills account, AMNC President Dave Londo and Executive Director Sonya Hightower-LaBosco were unfazed. They told Bill that a supervisor within the Air Marshal Incident Coordination Section had submitted to the FBI a list containing the names of all individuals who had flown in and out of Washington D.C. in the days preceding and following the Capitol incident that occurred on January 6th. Regardless of whether the individuals had been in the vicinity of the Capitol, their names were added to the list. Londo and Hightower-LaBosco shared their conviction that the same supervisor had authorized the creation of this list, as it was the units responsibility to create unique missions for the agency. So, despite constitutional protections and Americans expectation of privacy when they have not committed any criminal activity, this air marshal vets wife is now under surveillance even though the government knows she isnt a terrorist. Any American who says taxpayers should continue to fund these rogue agencies without anyone who breaks laws or violates the Constitution being held accountable is part of the reason why these agencies continue to be rogue. Sources include: UncoverDC.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) Bed Bath & Beyond (BBB), which went down the path of wokeism by dropping Mike Lindells MyPillow from its stores, has filed for bankruptcy. According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Newark, New Jersey on April 23. The company said it expects to eventually close all of its 360 BBB and 120 Buybuy Baby locations across the country. It added that Sixth Street Partners, its top lender, has put up $240 million in financing to keep BBB operational through the liquidation process. Bankruptcy gives BBB the breathing room to conduct going-out-of-business sales at its physical stores and solicit interest from potential buyers for its remaining assets, such as its branding, the WSJ noted. Individual investors who continued to back Bed Bath & Beyond during its final months will likely be wiped out in Chapter 11, which prioritizes the repayment of debt over shareholder recoveries. With the April 23 filing, BBB joins a growing list of retailers seeking court protections. Davids Bridal LLC recently filed for bankruptcy once more, its second time in five years. It warned that it would permanently close all of its stores if it fails to quickly find a buyer. J.C. Penney Co. filed for bankruptcy in Texas in May 2020, although it continues to operate hundreds of stores. Meanwhile, Sears and Toys R Us have closed most of their locations. BBB Chief Financial Officer Holly Etlin expressed optimism about the company finding a buyer. She stated in the court filing: BBB has pulled off long-shot transactions several times over the past six months, so nobody should think BBB should not be able to do so again. (Related: Bed Bath & Beyond files for Chapter 11 reorganization bankruptcy following shady board moves and corporate virtue signaling.) First established as Bed n Bath in 1971, the company changed its name to the current iteration in 1987. The company went public five years later in 1992, acquiring several smaller stores. According to WSJ, the company did not have an unprofitable year prior to 2019 when its financial woes began. BBB dropped more profitable brands to its detriment Under the leadership of former CEO Mark Tritton, the retailer dropped name brands it carried on store shelves in favor of private-label goods made exclusively for BBB. But former employees and analysts pointed out why Trittons plan failed which eventually led to his departure in June 2022. First, the switch came at a time when the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted supply chains. Factories had temporarily closed and shipping delays had been piling up, alongside rising costs. This made it difficult for retailers, including BBB itself, to keep store shelves stocked. Second, BBB also rolled out too many private brands too quickly before it had the infrastructure to support them. According to the former employees, the retailer planned to launch eight new brands in 2021 alone. Third, the retailer capitalized on the demand from consumers stocking up while sheltering from the pandemic. The initial gains quickly evaporated as demand ebbed, with sales falling and losses piling up by August 2021. Most notable, however, is BBBs pivot toward wokeism by dropping MyPillow from its stores. Back in January 2021, the retailer announced that it would no longer carry the brand in its locations. The decision stemmed from Lindells skepticism toward the 2020 presidential election that put President Joe Biden in the White House. The Gateway Pundit reported that a year after dropping MyPillow, BBB announced the closure of 37 stores. The companys results for the third quarter of 2021 revealed that a lack of inventory cost them $100 million. Wells Fargo analyst Zachary Fadem noted that BBBs fundamentals are deteriorating amid choppy execution by management. Meanwhile, Tritton said supply chain headwinds will persist in the near term putting a damper on future results. They could have stocked their shelves with MyPillow products, but they decided to get political, the Gateway Pundit wrote. Fortunately, Mike doesnt need retailers like BBB hes going direct to conservatives and passing on the savings. Collapse.news has more stories about businesses filing for bankruptcy. Watch this video about BBBs shift to wokeism and its subsequent downfall. This video is from the mcr channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Get woke, go broke: Bed Bath & Beyond now begging product consignment company to stock its shelves so that stores dont appear empty. Bed Bath & Beyond bet on China and lost: After kicking Mike Lindells MyPillow to the curb, chain losing money and closing stores. Report: Conservatives boycotted Bed Bath & Beyond after it cancelled MyPillow and Mike Lindell. GET WOKE GO BROKE: Home-goods giant Bed Bath & Beyond considers filing for bankruptcy. Sources include: WSJ.com TheGatewayPundit.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) The mainstream media continue to pretend as though the current first family is a squeaky clean and wholesome example of Americana for the rest of the country to follow by failing to report on the fact that Joe Biden and his family are likely even more corrupt than Bill and Hillary Clinton, and thats saying something. The GOP-led House has given them plenty to investigate, but they continue to ignore Biden family corruption and threats to our national security due to a range of business deals involving the debased Hunter Biden, his uncle Jim Biden, and even the president himself. Take the bombshell this week from former acting CIA Director Mike Morell, New York Post columnist and author Miranda Devine noted in a piece this week. Sources in the House Judiciary Committee have confirmed that in a sworn interview, Morell admitted that it was Joe Bidens presidential campaign that triggered the controversial letter in which Morell and 50 other former intelligence officials falsely asserted that material from Hunter Bidens laptop, published by The Post prior to the 2020 election, was Russian disinformation. Tony Blinken, who currently serves as secretary of state, was the foreign affairs adviser for the Biden campaign and had called Michael Morell in October 2020 to claim with urgency that the laptop was a Russian plant, Devine writes. We can prove that the entire purpose of this letter at the outset was to influence a presidential election with some of the most senior people who have ever been in our intelligence community using the imprimatur of their security clearances to pave the way for Joe Bidens presidency, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) told Steve Bannons War Room podcast this week. Morell, who is now a contributor for CBS and was recently deposed by the House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, said during his deposition that after receiving the call from Blinken, he solicited signatures from 50 other former intelligence officials for the letter in question. The letter, published by POLITICO on Oct. 19, 2020, two weeks before the election, falsely stated that emails from the laptop that were first published by The Post had all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation Moscow [will] pull out the stops to do anything possible to help Trump win and/or to weaken Biden should he win. The letter in question was then utilized by candidate Joe Biden three days later during his final debate against President Donald Trump to deflect accusations regarding his involvement in his familys international influence-peddling operation, which had amassed millions of dollars from China and Ukraine while he was serving as Barack Obamas vice president, Devine noted. Morell wanted to be Joe Bidens CIA director, got a phone call from Tony Blinken, who was representing the Biden campaign, saying, Gee, Mike, doesnt this Hunter Biden laptop look like Russian disinformation?? said Gaetz during his War Room interview. Morell testifies that then triggers him to be the ringleader of an enterprise to go to others and to put together a letter for the specific purpose of use by Joe Biden in the presidential debate We can prove that and much more, he added. The committee has also reportedly interviewed a former adviser to ex-CIA Director John Brennan and former Obama White House member Nick Shapiro. They allegedly collaborated with Morell in drafting the letter and subsequently delivered it to POLITICO, Devine wrote. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has announced plans to release a report within the next few weeks detailing the origins of the Dirty 51 letter. The report is expected to reveal how the letter represented corrupt interference in the 2020 presidential election. Meanwhile, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) this week revealed that newly accessed financial records from the Treasury Department show the Biden family enterprise is centered on Joe Bidens political career and connections, and it has generated an exorbitant amount of money for the Biden family,' Devine noted, quoting the congressman. Then, she adds, there is an IRS whistleblower, a career IRS criminal supervisory special agent who has been investigating Hunter Biden for three years who came forward with claims that federal prosecutors are preventing tax charges from being brought against the presidents son. Mark Lytle, the whistleblowers attorney, claimed in a letter to Jordan and eight other House and Senate committee chairpersons that preferential treatment and politics [are] improperly infecting decisions and protocols that would normally be followed by career law enforcement professionals in similar circumstances if the subject were not politically connected. In addition, the IRS whistleblower allegedly has evidence that will contradict sworn testimony to Congress by a senior political appointee reportedly to be none other than Attorney General Merrick Garland. Sources include: NYPost.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) China has ramped up its use of coal as a power source, despite its pledges to go carbon-neutral. The move contradicts earlier promises by Chinese paramount leader Xi Jinping that the communist country would reach its zero emissions goal by 2060. According to official documents analyzed by Greenpeace, local governments in China approved more new coal power in the first three months of 2023 compared to the entirety of 2021. The environmental group found that at least 20.45 gigawatts (GW) of coal power was approved between January and March of 2023. The coal power approved for the first three months of 2023 was more than twice the 8.63 GW approved in the same period in 2022. For the entirety of 2021, only 18 GW of coal power was approved. According to the Guardian, the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) five-year plan from 2016 had placed an emphasis on reducing the use of coal and developing clean energy sources. This prompted a string of reduced coal power approvals as local governments sought to align their priorities with that of the central government in Beijing. When the aforementioned five-year plan ended in 2020, coal power approvals rose in anticipation of even tighter restrictions in the next plan. But Chinas huge power outages that occurred in 2021 led the CCP to shift its energy priorities. Electricity prices spiked in September of that year as factories reopened to service post-pandemic global demand. Worse, a government cap on prices forced many power plants to reduce output rather than operate at a loss. China relies on coal for more than half of its energy needs. As homes in the colder north of the country faced the prospect of a grueling winter without heat, Beijing shifted its priorities from reducing coal to prioritizing energy supply. Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner Xie Wenwen remarked that this resulted in a myth that if you build more power plants, that will bring more energy security. The campaigner added that the Russia-Ukraine war, which sent energy prices around the world soaring, was another huge event that fueled the energy security narrative. Climate campaigners call for more renewables, less coal According to climate campaigners, China needs a more flexible grid in the form of more renewables and less coal to meet its energy growing needs. According to a report by the Finland-based Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air, technologies for storing clean energy are not yet mature enough to be deployed at the scale considered essential for Chinas plans to expand the use of renewable energy. More than 75 percent of Chinas energy resources including coal and renewables such as wind, solar and water are located in the countrys west. In contrast, more than 70 percent of power consumption happens in central and eastern China. Five provinces on the east coast account for nearly 40 percent of Chinas total energy consumption. Policymakers in the communist country have yet to find a way to balance power consumption and production using both coal and renewables. But the 14th iteration of the CCPs five-year plan, which covers the period until 2025, mandates that renewable sources should cover more than half of increased energy demands in that period. Between 2010 and 2021, renewable energy generation primarily from wind and solar plants increased by an average annual rate of 19.2 percent. Back in 2020, Xi pledged that China would become carbon-neutral by 2060. Two years after that pledge, the Chinese paramount leader appeared to be singing a different tune. Xi remarked in 2022 that coal would remain a mainstay in the countrys energy sources, noting that it would be hard to change in the short term. (Related: China still thinks fossil fuel is key to a reliable power grid.) Visit EnergySupply.news for more stories about China and other countries continuing to use coal power. Watch Tucker Carlson, who was recently fired from Fox News, explain why green energy being pushed in China is a scam. This video is from the Son of the Republic channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Report: China emits more greenhouse gases than all developed countries combined. Report: China must shut 600 coal-fired power plants to hit climate targets by 2060. China built the equivalent of more than one large coal plant every week in 2020. Coal emerges victorious as sanctions and green policies backfire spectacularly. US solar panels produced by coal-burning plants in China. Sources include: TheGuardian.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) Global supply chain market intelligence provider FreightWaves recently reported that FedEx will be closing pilot bases in Alaska, California and Germany, a big piece of the parcel carriers strategy to streamline operations and improve efficiency and profitability. The said decision is also a part of the companys aggressive campaign dubbed DRIVE to eliminate billions in structural costs by the fiscal year 2027. It seeks to reduce costs to the tune of $4 billion by the end of fiscal year 2025, including $1.3 billion in its air network and international operations. FedEx is at a pivotal moment in history, FedEx President and CEO Raj Subramaniam told investors during the April 5 investor call. Were transforming our operating model to be more flexible, efficient and an intelligent global network. In the recent email statement regarding the closure, FedEx said pilots domiciled in Anchorage, Los Angeles and Cologne Bonn Airport in Germany, who fly two older aircraft types, will gradually transition to other bases in their network. As the global business environment continues to evolve, FedEx has made the decision to relocate its pilots and close its 757 crew base in Cologne, Germany and its MD-11 crew bases in Anchorage, Alaska and Los Angeles, California, the statement read. The decision only affects the base of the crews operating these flights and will not impact our current service. (Related: FedExs freight unit to begin furloughing employees next month due to reduced demand for delivery services.) The carrier airline also has pilot bases at its global hub in Memphis, Tennessee, as well as regional hubs in Indianapolis, Oakland in California and Guangzhou, China. FedEx Express positions pilots across America, Europe and Asia to increase efficiency. Living in the same city where flights originate allows pilots to have the longest layovers and makes scheduling easier in contrast to living in remote locations and having to commute to the base for the next duty cycle. Back in 2021, the airline closed its Hong Kong pilot base due to the strict Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) quarantine requirements for pilots returning from overseas trips, which significantly hampered its ability to operate efficiently. The base closures are part of a multilayered cost initiative since last fall to right-size operations and make long-term transformational changes. A restructuring will see FedEx combine separate air, ground and parcel businesses under one roof to improve network efficiency as announced earlier in the month. FedEx pilots to hold strike if contract negotiations are not finalized in May FedEx pilots are now left in the middle of uncertainty as they try to close out a contract deal after two years of talks. In the final stages of contract negotiations, senior FedEx executives have introduced career-altering changes for the dedicated pilot, a corporate-wide restructure with a new emphasis on outsourcing, pilot base closures, forced pilot downgrades and a push toward moving Express freight on slower modes of transport, essentially cannibalizing the FedEx Express flight network, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) said in a statement. Pilots for FedEx Express, represented by ALPA, picketed on Wall Street earlier this month and said it was extremely disappointing that contract negotiations remain open. Negotiations began in May 2021. Meanwhile, they already began voting on whether to give union leaders a mandate to call a strike if federal mediation and other steps fail to break the impasse. The strike authorization vote closes on May 17. Visit Collapse.news for more news related to company shutdowns and closures. Watch the video below where InforWars Alex Jones talks about FedEx confirming that the company is imploding. This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: FedEx announces end of SameDay City delivery service as demand plunges. FedEx ground delivery on verge of collapse as rising costs threaten to bankrupt contractors. FedEx cratering as economy implodes, shipping demand falls off cliff. UPS and FedEx expected to raise shipping rates by as much as 10% next year. Sources include: FreightWaves.com AirwaysMag.com AviationWeek.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) Political commentator and television anchor Tucker Carlson was forced to leave Fox News, just a few months after investment management giant BlackRock bought a total of 45.74 million shares, or 15.1 percent of Fox Corporation. BlackRock is now its second largest owner, next to the Murdoch family, who still holds 19 percent of the company. Other smaller institutional investors own the rest. It is clear that Blackrock is fast becoming a controlling entity in Fox Corporation, Dr. Robert Malone commented. Neither Carlson nor Fox News disclosed the reason why the former was fired, but the Los Angeles Times reported that the decision came from Fox News founder and Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch. According to Daily Dot, Murdoch was influenced by revelations that came out during the media outlets lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems, which saw Fox News settle for $787.5 million over its promotion of false claims regarding voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Private conversations between Carlson and others at the news outlet, which were revealed during the lawsuit, showed the popular host criticizing upper management after the network opted to scale back its coverage of the false election claims. The Wall Street Journal also reported that Carlsons remarks may have influenced the split. The broadcasters departure ended his decade-plus tenure at the news network during which he rose to become the highest-rated host in prime-time cable news. Carlson, who has a salary of about $20 million a year, will be paid out for the remainder of his contract. His last show was on Friday, April 21, and the network will bank on a rotation of hosts until a permanent anchor is found in his program. Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade anchored the show on Monday night, April 24. In opening remarks, Kilmeade acknowledged Carlsons departure and said he was great friends with Tucker. It doesnt take a genius to know that yesterday, we got another really big flag to get off of mainstream news if you seek any unbiased news analysis or editorial content. That the biases, the censorship is only going to get worse, Malone said in his April 26 Substack newsletter. Together, BlackRock and Vanguard own 18 percent of Fox (now almost 21 percent), 16 percent of CBS, 13 percent of Comcast which owns NBC, MSNBC, CNBC and the Sky media group, 12 percent of CNN and 12 percent of Disney which owns a number of subsidiaries, he added, pointing out that the media giants may act as if they are rivals but are actually owned by the same company. (Related: Everything you need to know about BlackRock, the company that owns the world.) Carlson breaks silence by tweeting about his views on US politics The primetime host finally broke his silence, two days after his controversial exit from Fox News, by discussing his views on U.S. politics. He did not address his dismissal or his future plans. When you take a little time off, you realize how unbelievably stupid the debates you see on television are, theyre completely irrelevant. They mean nothing. In five years, we wont even remember that we had them. Trust me, as someone who participated, Carlson said in his video message posted Wednesday, April 26. Just a few hours after Fox announced his departure, the TV personality was offered a job at RT, the broadcaster formerly known as Russia Today. Vladimir Solovyov, the most prominent commentator on Russian state TV, said Carlson was welcome to join his nightly panel discussion show while suggesting he should consider a run for the White House. You have our admiration and support in any endeavor you choose for yourself next, be it running for President of the United States (which you should totally do, by the way) or making an independent media project, Solovyov wrote in an email, according to a screen grab he shared on his Telegram channel. More stories on mainstream medias collusion with the government and corporate entities can be found at NewsCartels.com. Watch the video below where Carlson spoke about the truth being contagious during his recent Heritage Foundation speech. This video is from the Son of the Republic channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Tucker Carlson gives best speech of his life outlining what Americans must do to save the country. Tucker Carlson: CIA took down Nixon over his planned Kennedy assassination probe. Tucker Carlson slams MSM silence on Seymour Hersh reporting: We were attacked for asking questions. BlackRocks green agenda not the Ukraine invasion triggered the global energy crisis. Sources include: RWMaloneMD.substack.com DailyDot.com WSJ.com CNBC.com NBCNews.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) The Twitter Files exposed a lot of malfeasance, but one effort spearheaded by Stanford University and federal agencies was particularly Orwellian in both concept and practice. (Article by Jon Miltimore republished from Fee.org) In July 2022, Twitter permanently suspended Rhode Island physician Andrew Bostom after awarding the epidemiologist and longtime researcher at Brown University a fifth strike for spreading misinformation. A July 26 tweet alleging that there was no solid evidence Covid-19 vaccines had prevented any children from being hospitalizedonly RCT data we have from children reveals ZERO hospitalizations prevented by vaccination vs. placebowas apparently the final straw. The funny thing was, it appeared Bostoms tweet was true. Dr. Anish Koka, a cardiologist and writer, said he was initially skeptical of Bostoms claim. But after speaking with him for more than an hour, he realized Bostom was citing the governments own data, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) briefing document that included randomized controlled trial (RCT) data on children. Dr. Bostoms tweet appears quite correct as per the FDA documents, Koka wrote on Substack. In the RCTs available, there does not appear to be evidence that the vaccine prevented hospitalizations. They Veered From CDC Guidance Bostoms permanent suspension was one of many anecdotes shared by journalist David Zweig in a December Twitter Files thread viewed by more than 64 million people, which exposed how the government worked with Twitter to try to rig the Covid debate. It turns out this was not the only one of Bostoms tweets that was true but was nevertheless flagged for misinformation. A review of Twitter log files revealed that an internal audit, conducted after Bostoms attorney contacted Twitter, found that only 1 of Bostoms 5 violations were valid, Zweig notes. The one Bostom tweet found to still be in violation cited data that was legitimate but inconvenient to the public health establishments narrative about the risks of flu versus Covid in children. In other words, all five of Bostoms tweets that had been flagged as misinformation were legitimate. At the very least, four-out-of-five were, and thats according to Twitters own internal audit. How this happened was partially explored by Zweig, who explained Twitters convoluted censorship process, which relied heavily on bots, contractors in foreign countries who lacked the expertise to make informed decisions, and Twitter brass who carried their own biases and incentives. This structure led to a predictable result. In my review of internal files, writes Zweig, I found countless instances of tweets labeled as misleading or taken down entirely, sometimes triggering account suspensions, simply because they veered from CDC guidance or differed from establishment views. The CDC had effectively become the arbiter of truth. This is alarming for at least two reasons. First, for anyone familiar with the governments track record on truth, theres reason to be skeptical of putting any government agency in charge of deciding what is true and false. Second, the CDC has been, to put it kindly, fallible throughout the pandemic. Indeed, the agency has been plagued with so much dysfunction and made so many crucial mistakes that its own director announced less than a year ago the organization needed an overhaul. So theres some reason to believe that Bostom and people like himincluding epidemiologists like Dr. Martin Kuldorff (formerly of Harvard) and mRNA vaccine creator Dr. Robert Malonewere being suspended, banned, and de-amplified simply because Twitter was poorly situated to determine what was true and what was false. Theres reason to doubt this claim, however. 1. THREAD: THE TWITTER FILES: HOW TWITTER RIGGED THE COVID DEBATE By censoring info that was true but inconvenient to U.S. govt. policy By discrediting doctors and other experts who disagreed By suppressing ordinary users, including some sharing the CDCs *own data* David Zweig (@davidzweig) December 26, 2022 Worrisome Jokes, Natural Immunity, and Other Potential Violations Months after Zweig published his report on the Twitter Files, journalist Matt Taibbi published a separate deep dive exploring the Virality Project, an initiative launched by Stanford Universitys Cyber Policy Center. The project, which Taibbi described as a sweeping, cross-platform effort to monitor billions of social media posts by Stanford University, federal agencies, and a slew of (often state-funded) NGOs, is noteworthy because officials made it clear that a goal was not just to flag false information, but information that was true but inconvenient to the governments goals. Reports of vaccinated individuals contracting Covid-19 anyway, worrisome jokes, and natural immunity were all characterized as potential violations, as were conversations interpreted to suggest that coronavirus might have leaked from a lab. In what Taibbi describes as a pan-industry monitoring plan for Covid-related content, the Virality Project began analyzing millions of posts each day from platforms such as Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Medium, TikTok, and other social media sites, which were submitted through the JIRA ticketing system. On February 22, 2021, in a video no longer public, Stanford welcomed social media leaders to the group and offered instruction on how to join the JIRA system. In contrast to Twitters previous internal guidance, which required narratives on Covid-19 to be demonstrably false before any censorship actions were taken, the Virality Project made it clear that information that was true was also fair game if it undermined the larger aims of the government and the Virality Project. Specifically noted were true stories that could fuel [vaccine] hesitancy, personal testimonials about adverse side effects of vaccination, concerns over vaccine passports, and actual deaths of people following vaccination, such as Drene Keyes. As NBC noted in 2021, Keyes, a 58-year-old black woman, died after receiving the Pfizer vaccine in February 2021. Described as an elderly Black woman by the Virality Project, Keyess death became a disinformation event after it garnered attention from anti vax groupseven though no one denied that she died within hours of taking the vaccine. No autopsy was conducted on Keyes and theres no way of knowing if the vaccine caused her death. But merely raising the possibility could have resulted in a ban. Officials at the Virality Project warned platforms that just asking questionsat least the wrong questionswas a tactic commonly used by spreaders of misinformation. Ironically, Taibbi notes, the Virality Project itself was often extravagantly wrong about Covid science, describing breakthrough events as extremely rare events (a fact it later conceded was wrong) and implying that natural immunity did not offer protection from Covid. Even in its final report, [the Virality Project] claimed it was misinformation to suggest the vaccine does not prevent transmission, or that governments are planning to introduce vaccine passports, Taibbi writes. Both things turned out to be true. 1.TWITTER FILES #19 The Great Covid-19 Lie Machine Stanford, the Virality Project, and the Censorship of True Stories pic.twitter.com/v41dyC26ZR Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) March 17, 2023 You Cant Handle the Truth Its clear that the Virality Projects primary purpose was not to protect Americans from misinformation. Its goal, as Taibbi notes, was to get the public to submit to authority and accept the states Covid narrative, particularly the pronouncements of public figures such as Drs. Anthony Fauci and Rochelle Walensky. The official policy can be summed up in the immortal words of Colonel Nathan Jessup, the villain portrayed by Jack Nicholson in Aaron Sorkins popular 1992 film A Few Good Men: You cant handle the truth. Its important to understand that public officials, just like Col. Jessup, genuinely believe this. Jessup utters these words in anger in a wonderful monologue, after he is baited by Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) into telling the court how he really feels. Similarly, the Twitter Files reveal a program designed to control informationeven true informationbecause it serves the states plan. The last wordplanis important, because it calls to mind Ludwig von Misess warning about those seeking to plan society. The planner is a potential dictator who wants to deprive all other people of the power to plan and act according to their own plans, Mises wrote. He aims at one thing only: the exclusive absolute preeminence of his own plan. Sometimes They Are Five Mises words apply perfectly to the Virality Project, a program designed specifically to get people to submit to the governments narrative and objectives, not their own. The preeminence of the plan is so important that it requires censoring information and targeting individualsas the Virality Project dideven if its true. Its difficult to overstate how Orwellian this is. In Orwells classic novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, Winston Smith, the protagonist of the story, says, Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two makes four. Absent any context, the quote doesnt make much sense. But its important to understand that Orwell saw statism and politics as forces destructive to the truth. His own brushes with state propaganda during the Spanish Civil War left him terrified that objective truth was fading out of the world, and he saw the state as inherently prone to obfuscation and euphemism (regardless of party). Political language, he wrote, is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind. Within the context of Nineteen Eighty-Four, the meaning of Winston Smiths words becomes crystal clear. Saying two plus two makes four might be an objective truth, but sometimes objective truth runs counter to Big Brothers plan. Winston Smith is a slow learner, state agents tell him, because he cant seem to grasp this simple reality. How can I help it? How can I help but see what is in front of my eyes? Two and two are four. Sometimes, Winston. Sometimes they are five. Sometimes they are three. Sometimes they are all of them at once. You must try harder. Many people who lived through the Covid-19 pandemic likely can identify with the terror of Nineteen Eighty-Four and Orwells fear that objective truth is fading out of the world. We witnessed public officials say things that were demonstrably false and face no consequences, while Andrew Bostom and countless others were exiled from public discourse because they said things that were true, but ran counter to the states narrative. Fortunately, in large part because of Elon Musks purchase of Twitter, we now know how this happened. Government, academia, and an oligopoly of would-be corporate competitors organized quickly behind a secret, unified effort to control political messaging, Taibbi writes. All of it was designed to control information. And in doing so, the statewhich actually attempted to create a Disinformation Governance Board, which critics promptly dubbed a Ministry of Truthcreated an environment hostile to free speech and truth. Ironically, despite the egregious abuse delivered upon the truth over the last three years in the name of fighting misinformation, polls show roughly half of Americans believe social media companies should be censoring such material from their sites. Few seem to realize this will almost certainly involve those with influence and powerespecially the governmentdeciding who and what are censored. This is a recipe for disaster. History shows theres no greater purveyor of falsehood and propaganda than the government itself. The Twitter Files are a reminder of that. Read more at: Fee.org (Natural News) In a true act of gaslighting, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is pretending that he never imposed any Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine mandates in Canada. Even though Canada under Trudeau ranked as one of the most oppressive and tyrannical regimes in the world during the pandemic, Trudeau told an audience at the University of Ottawa this week that he never forced anyone to get jabbed. My responsibility is to keep as many Canadians alive as possible and all of the scientists and the medical experts and the researchers, not just in Canada but around the world, understood that vaccination was going to be the way through this, Trudeau said. Therefore, while not forcing anyone to get vaccinated, I chose to make sure that all of the incentives and protections were there to encourage Canadians to get vaccinated and thats exactly what they did. New: Justin Trudeau claims he never forced anyone to get vaccinated. There are potential side effects While not forcing anyone to get vaccinated, I chose to make sure all the incentiveswere there to encourage Canadians to get vaccinated.pic.twitter.com/g3fTwTyXt8 Michael P Senger (@michaelpsenger) April 24, 2023 (Related: A simple fact check shows that Trudeau did, in fact, mandate covid injections, which was the entire impetus behind the Trucker Convoy protests.) Does Trudeau really think that people are just going to forget that he mandated covid jabs? It turns out that Canada under Trudeau ranked as the 10th most restrictive country in the world when it came to covid restrictions and mandates such as those Trudeau imposed for face masks and vaccines. Outranking even communist China and the Iranian regime, Canada under Trudeau was by and large one of the most oppressive regimes in the world throughout covid. And yet Trudeau had the gall to play Jedi mind tricks on his audience this week, pretending as though he never did any of those things. As you may recall, at one point Trudeau called unvaccinated people racist and intolerable watch below. Does this sound like the kind of guy who never forced anyone to get vaccinated? And who could forget Justin Trudeaus classic fuhrer-style rant about having to share public transportation with the unvaccinated, despite government documents later revealing that he had no science to back any of these claims. 17/pic.twitter.com/XIgVKN1oJV Michael P Senger (@michaelpsenger) January 3, 2023 Extricating himself from awful, unjustified and unethical policy decisions, tweeted Lion Advocacy about Trudeaus latest gaslighting claims. The truth is that few if any medical experts would proudly or publicly support what he did, especially preventing minors from boarding airplanes or trains. Another person tweeted that only a progressive like Trudeau in his ivory tower whos never had to worry about paying the bills could sit there and act like firing people isnt force.' Glenn Meyers perhaps said it best in tweeting the following: I remember Something about Truckers Something about Ottawa Something about a protest Something about freezing and seizing bank accounts Something about arrests all over vaccines Must have all just have [sic] been a bad dream On and on the criticisms came, including one from someone who accused Trudeau of engaging in psychological manipulation, explaining that Trudeaus relentless lies and contradictors have the effect of caus[ing] the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem. All throughout the comment sections of news reports and in tweets on Twitter, people blasted Trudeau for being a bald-faced liar and unashamedly so. He really thinks he is untouchable, but there will come a day when he is held accountable for his lies, along with the rest of the scamdemic tyrants. The latest news about lying Trudeau can be found at Tyranny.news. Sources for this article include: ZeroHedge.com NaturalNews.com The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors meets on Jan. 5, 2022. Photo by Michael Chow | Arizona Republic/pool photo Supporters of former state Rep. Liz Harris are irate with the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, and they let the board members know that on Wednesday, with one of them even falsely accusing a Phoenix city councilman of opening the board meeting with a prayer to the devil. Last week, the GOP precinct committeemen for Legislative District 13, which Harris formerly represented, nominated three people to take Harris seat in the legislature. The nominees were Harris herself, alongside two of her allies, Steve Steele and Julie Willoughby. District 13 includes parts of Chandler and Gilbert. Harris supporters showed up to Wednesdays Maricopa County Board of Supervisors meeting to throw barbs at the board and to urge its members to reinstate Harris to her seat, something that is highly unlikely. James Urton, one of the Republican precinct committeemen for District 13, asked the board to expedite the process to appoint Harris to the seat she was expelled from. I respectfully urge you to reinstate Representative Harris to her rightful place in the Arizona House of Representative as soon as possible, Urton told the board. He added that he believes her expulsion from the House is a gross violation of due process that contradicts the will of the people. The Arizona Constitution gives the state House and Senate purview over discipline of legislators, and allows them to expel a member if a two-thirds supermajority of the chamber agrees. Chris Hamlet, who lost a bid for Mesa School Board in November, told the supervisors that he believes Harris was illegally expelled from the House, and that she should be reinstated. The will of the people was to have Liz Harris in that position, Hamlet said, adding that he believes that everyone across the country believes that Maricopa County and this board is the most corrupt in the country. Hamlet also went after new Phoenix City Councilman Kevin Robinson, who gave a brief prayer at the start of Wednesdays meeting, for not ending the prayer in recognition of our lord and savior. During the prayer, Robinson asked for blessings upon the meeting, for good will and that those in the meeting prove themselves worthy citizens of the United States, devoted to truth, fellowship and service. He ended the prayer by saying thank you. Hamlet called the prayer disgusting. He must have been praying to the devil, Hamlet said. You should have men of God come in here and say the prayer next time instead of fools like that. Supervisors Bill Gates and Clint Hickman both defended Robinson. He deserves respect, Gates said of Robinson, adding that Robinson worked for the Phoenix Police Department for 36 years. To suggest that Robinson is not a good man and a man of God was offensive. Robinson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Mirror. Another Harris supporter, Denise Babayan of Phoenix, reminded the supervisors that they all swore an oath to uphold the Constitution, adding that she believes that if they dont reseat Harris, theyll be going against that oath. In my recollection, thats treason, Babayan said. Harris supporter Cynthia Sullivan, of Cave Creek, pointed out that Harris was by far the most popular candidate when the District 13 precinct committeemen voted to replace her last week. Liz Harris is the person that her constituents want to represent her in their district, Sullivan said. I call upon you to appoint her back to her seat. Harris also attended the meeting, but did not address the supervisors. Blue Crowley, a Maricopa County community activist, advised the board to take its time in appointing Harris replacement, if thats what the supervisors feel they need to do. Theres no rush for you to make an appointment, Crowley said. Do your due diligence. State law does not require the county supervisors to appoint a replacement within a set time. Prior to Wednesdays meeting, a website urging conservatives to rally behind Harris incorrectly told her supporters that the board would appoint Harris replacement that day and urged them to show up at the meeting to protest. The board took no action on Harris appointment during the meeting. Her appointment was not on the boards agenda, and the board cannot take votes on anything that hasnt been posted for public review. The boards next meetings are scheduled for the week of May 8, but Maricopa County spokesman Fields Moseley told the Mirror that he cant say if the supervisors will be prepared to make a decision by that time. (Natural News) There is still no clear indication from authorities as to why transgender shooter Audrey Hales manifesto must remain hidden from public view, but the Health Ranger thinks it has to do with Big Pharma and its mind-altering pharmaceutical drugs and particularly the kind that transgenders take to transition into another gender. More than likely, Hales manifesto is loaded with the insane ramblings of a relatively young LGBT whose mind became so warped from all the gender-bender drugs she was taking to become her true self that she ultimately snapped and took out her gender dysphoria on six innocent Christians three adults and three children. In the Health Rangers view, the transgender obsession that is taking over the minds of many young Americans is, in part, a Big Pharma plot to gain new market share. Since the pharmaceutical industry ran out of actual sick people to treat, it is now making new ones by brainwashing the nations youth into believing they were born into the wrong bodies. Most people in the world dont use pharmaceutical medicine, the Health Ranger stated in a recent Health Ranger Report (HRR) segment about the missing Hale manifesto, which you can watch at Brighteon.com below. But Big Pharma has a stranglehold on Western nations. And Big Pharma is constantly looking for new profit centers because, well, they can no longer make enough money by just treating sick people, so they have to treat people who arent sick and then make them sick, and thats what vaccines are all about its about making you sick with a toxic injection and earning money by treating the sickness. (Related: Check out our earlier coverage of the trans shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville.) Theres a lot of money to be made mutilating innocent children and turning them trans In many ways, Hale is an archetype of what happens to a young persons mind after being exposed to pharmaceutical drugs. Since Audrey, a natural-born female, was trying to turn into a male, she was more than likely taking testosterone, which in turn amped up her rage and anger against her perceived enemies. We know that whatever is contained in Hales manifesto is so graphic and disturbing that those involved in the investigation are doing everything possible to keep it from going public. Chances are her insane ramblings highlight what happens to a brain on drugs legal drugs, by the way, that have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Its not enough to just murder people with chemotherapy or with toxic medications that actually promote liver disease and promote metabolic disorders and promote cancer, and promote osteoporosis and Alzheimers and dementia and everything else they also want their drugs to be given to children as chemical castrations, the Health Ranger says. This is the whole new market for Big Pharma, you see. Again, preying on children. And the transgender industry is working hand-in-hand with Big Pharma to push this, the so-called gender affirmation surgeries which are nothing but child mutilations. And every one of those surgeons that carries out a child mutilation should, in my opinion, be arrested and prosecuted and charged with attempted murder. In Hales case, the fact that her body was being bombarded day in and day out with Big Pharma chemicals as part of her transition, it only makes sense that her mind eventually snapped. Is this what the authorities want to keep hidden from the public: the fact that gender-bender drugs destroy not only childrens bodies but also their brains, making them a ticking time bomb threat to society? The latest news about the transgender craze can be found at Transhumanism.news. Sources for this article include: Brighteon.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) Spiritual thought leader Marianne Williamson has joined fellow 2024 Democrat presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in blasting the Democrat National Committee (DNC) for announcing that there will be no debates, period, in the upcoming presidential primaries. In a tweet this week about the matter, Williamson pointed out that it seems the DNC has already picked its candidate, Joe Biden, and will not even bother allowing anyone else to speak or have a chance at the White House. The DNC plans no primary debates,' Williamson wrote. As though there simply ARE no other candidates. So far, Biden has at least two challengers, Williamson and Kennedy, who are much more well-liked than the Pedophile-in-Chief, whose approval rating is precipitously sliding all the way down towards zero the longer he occupies the Oval Office. No other ideas we should discuss about ways to win in 2024, or other ideas we should discuss about ways to repair the country, Williamson added in disgust over the DNCs decision to silence all debate, literally. (Related: Check out these clips showing Kennedy and Ron Paul speaking out about the President John F. Kennedy assassination, the covid pandemic, and more.) Too many people are too smart to accept this, Williamson says about DNCs censorship plan Williamsons statements came just hours after Kennedy made a nearly hour-long radio appearance on SiriusXMs Breitbart News Sunday during which he also criticized the DNC for refusing to schedule any debates. The DNC, at this point, has taken the official position that there will be no debate, and I think thats unfortunate, Kennedy said. Kennedy also blasted the DNC for removing New Hampshire as first in line for voting and replacing the state with South Carolina, which usually votes later. I think what the DNC did to New Hampshire is also unfortunate, he explained to Breitbart News senior editor-at-large Joel Pollak the full interview with Kennedy is available at Breitbart.com. President Biden didnt do well there [New Hampshire]; he came in fifth. So they took New Hampshire and they kicked it out of first place. And now theyre going to say theyre saying that theyre going to completely remove the delegates from New Hampshire, and that we should be at this point in history. Kennedy would go on during that same interview to highlight the fact that the DNCs moves are doing the Democrat Party no favors in terms of dispelling the idea that Democrats are stealing elections. When you have so many Americans who are concerned about election integrity, we should be doing everything we can in our party [Democrat Party] to show that, you know, this is not rigged, rigged system, Kennedy explained. That it is actually democracy people can run and that they can get to debate and that the public is going to be able to see them, and theyre [the DNC] doing kind of the opposite. The fact that these two prominent Democrats have now officially come forward to express their disgust with the DNC and the Democrat Party as a whole is telling. It shows how little support the Biden regime has even among members of its own party and everyday American Democrats feel much the same as they do, if Bidens approval numbers are any indication. Too many people are too smart to accept this, Williamson added in her tweet about the DNCs actions. Biden straight-up is unable to take part in any live debate, especially with the hosting mainstream media unable to protect him, wrote one commenter. The risk is simply too high for him (and the crooked Dems). More related news about the silencing of all debate at the upcoming Democrat primaries can be found at DNC.news. Sources for this article include: Breitbart.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) More bombshells have been dropped concerning the federal governments collusion with Big Tech and Big Academia to silence free speech online, particularly during the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. The ongoing Twitter Files saga continues to provide clarity as to why so many prominent doctors, academics, and other experts in their respective fields were censored online after trying to tell the truth about things like the lockdowns, face mask, and later the vaccines that were unleashed through Operation Warp Speed. Last summer, as one example, Rhode Island physician Andrew Bostom, an epidemiologist and longtime researcher from Brown University, received a strike from Twitter for spreading misinformation. His crime? Sharing with the world government data from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that contradicts the Biden regimes official guidance for covid. Bostom wrote in a tweet, citing FDA data, that there is no solid evidence to show that Fauci Flu shots have ever prevented even a single child from being hospitalized. He wrote that the only RCT data we have from children reveals ZERO hospitalizations prevented by vaccination vs. placebo, this statement being the last straw that led to Twitter taking action against him. (Related: Remember when Stanford University, UCLA, and various other fake education institutions admitted that the risk benefit to covid vaccines is actually negative?) Big Tech and Big Academia colluded with Big Government to impose their Great Censorship plan for the world Upon later internal review of Bostoms alleged offenses, it was discovered that only one of his five Twitter violations leading up to the strike were actually valid, based on Twitters own rules and even the one that did violate its policies was legitimate but inconvenient to the public health establishments narrative about the risks of flu versus Covid in children, according to journalist David Zweig, who has been dropping bombshell after bombshell about the Twitter Files in recent months. How this type of censorship came to be the norm at Twitter involves a tangled web of government spooks from three-letter agencies who infiltrated the social media platform in conjunction with interference and collusion from academic institutions like Stanford and its Virality Project, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calling a lot of the shots from the top of the pyramid. Journalist Matt Taibbi has published his own deep dive into how the Virality Project, launched by Stanfords Cyber Policy Center, is tied to all of this, describing the entire scheme as a sweeping, cross-platform effort to monitor billions of social media posts by Stanford University, federal agencies, and a slew of (often state-funded) NGOs. The goal was to eliminate all truth from the internet and replace it with propaganda promoting a global system of medical fascism. This appears to have been the ultimate goal of the covid psychological operation and every form of tyranny it entailed. The Virality Project in particular served as a pan-industry monitoring plan for Covid-related content, according to Taibbi, who notes that YouTube, Facebook, Medium, TikTok, and many other social media sites are also implicated in this vast censorship scheme. The Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) has put together an excellent report that goes into much further detail about what this vast censorship scheme entailed, and how it is still being used today to stamp out the First Amendment online. Its clear that the Virality Projects primary purpose was not to protect Americans from misinformation, FEEs Jon Miltimore writes. Its goal, as Taibbi notes, was to get the public to submit to authority and accept the states Covid narrative, particularly the pronouncements of public figures such as Drs. Anthony Fauci and Rochelle Walensky. To learn more about the governments anti-free speech crusade, visit Censorship.news. Sources for this article include: FEE.org NaturalNews.com Twitter.com Norwich Foodbank's alarming figures on hunger Norwich Foodbank has today released its figures on the number of emergency food parcels provided within the local community last year, showing a dramatic increase. The alarming new figures (from April 26) reveal that Norwich Foodbank has provided 11,797 people with emergency food parcels who couldnt afford the essentials in Norwich, Wroxham, Wymondham, Loddon and surrounding villages over the last year and 4,398 were children. Foodbanks across the Trussell Trust network provided nearly 3 million (2,986,203) emergency food parcels to people experiencing hunger during this time with over 1 million of these going to children. This is the most parcels food banks in our network have ever distributed in a single year and represents a 37% increase compared to last year, and more than double the amount distributed by food banks in the same period five years ago. Hannah Worsley, Norwich foodbank Project Manager, said, "This isnt right and we cant allow this to go on. No one should need the support of our food bank because everyone in our local community should be able to live lives free from hardship and poverty." Together, with food banks across the Trussell Trust network, Norwich Foodbank is calling for MPs across the region to support a social security system that guarantees our essentials, by making sure that the basic rate of Universal Credit is at least enough to afford the essentials we all need to live. If you would like to support them by writing to your local MP, please click here to find out more. Norwich Foodbank is appealing for donations f the following items: Tinned meat Tea bags 40s/80s/160s/180s Tinned vegetables Rice pudding Chocolate Long life milk Long life juice This is our most up to date list of what we are currently running low on. We update our list regularly on our website's Donate Food page where you can also see local collection points. Please make a financial donation. o You can Donate Online via PayPal or Debit Card as a one-off payment or regular monthly payment. o More ways to give a financial donation can be found here. Volunteer with us We are always grateful for applicants and are currently looking for drivers to help with collections. Click here for a link to our Volunteering Information page which also includes our Volunteer Application Form. We recognise how difficult times are right now, which is why we really appreciate all and any support you are able to offer. Together, we can ensure help is here for everyone who needs it In Norwich, Wroxham, Loddon and Wymondham, whilst we also collectively work towards a more just future where no one needs our food bank to get by. Helen Baldry, 26/04/2023 Gorleston vicar invited to Kings Coronation A Norfolk vicar has been invited to the coronation of King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort on 6 May at Westminster Abbey. The Revd Matthew Price, Vicar of St Mary Magdalene church in Gorleston, who received a British Empire Medal for services to the community during the pandemic, was delighted to receive the invitation. Revd Matthew said, I am very excited at the prospect of attending such an historic moment in our nations history. When I received the British Empire Medal I said that I was receiving it on behalf of the whole team, from our church and the wider community, who had worked so hard during the pandemic, and I see this invitation in the same way. It is wonderful to think that I will be representing our community in Gorleston at Westminster Abbey. Id like to think it also honours those who serve our community today. Even the post lady who delivered the invitation was excited. She said, I think its from the King as she handed it over. Revd Matthew was named in the Queens Birthday Honours list in October 2020 along with other church people who had specially contributed during the pandemic. At that time, he led a team of more than 100 volunteers who delivered food parcels to 1150 people (including 370 children) between March and July in 2020. They also delivered cards offering support, via a freephone helpline, to every household in the parish and followed it up with a programme of door-to-door welfare checks as the lockdown restrictions began to ease, with the support of the local police and the borough council. At the time Revd Matthew said, We are simply trying to live out Jesuss command to love our neighbour, which is at the heart of both the Christian faith and my calling as a parish vicar. As a vicar in Gorleston, Matthew still works in partnership with local voluntary organisations to help the community, and is planning a major celebration on the Magdalen Estate on the Bank Holiday Monday to celebrate the Coronation. He is also the Bishops Adviser for Urban and Estates Ministry. The pictures above are courtesy of Revd Matthew Price. Do you have a news story or forthcoming event relating to Christians or a church in East Norfolk? If so, e-mail tony.rothe@networknorwich.co.uk with details and, if possible a suitable picture. Tony Rothe, 27/04/2023 Call to pray for King and nation before Coronation Call to pray for King and nation before Coronation The Presidents of Churches Together in England have issued a statement encouraging Christians to join in daily prayers for the King and the nation leading up to the Coronation on May 6 and have been joined by a senior East Anglia church leader. The presidents, who include Archbishop Justin Welby and Cardinal Vincent Nichols, said: The forthcoming Coronation of King Charles III is a moment of great importance and joy for this nation. As Presidents of CTE, we invite Christians from all traditions to join together in a period of daily prayer, for both the King and the nation, from Easter Day through to 6 May. We welcome the publication by the Church of England of the book of Daily Prayers for the Coronation of King Charles III which can be used as a guide to reflection. The Coronation will be a time to celebrate community, faith and service values that are reflected in these prayers. The Daily Prayers German engineering and technology firm Bosch has announced its intent to acquire US-based chipmaker TSI Semiconductors and invest $1.5 billion over the next few years to tap the rising demand for chips globally, especially in the automotive and electronics sector. With the acquisition of TSI Semiconductors, we are establishing manufacturing capacity for silicon carbide (SiC) chips in an important sales market while also increasing our semiconductor manufacturing, globally, Stefan Hartung, chairman of the Bosch board of management, said in a statement. Neither of the companies disclosed the cost of acquisition or the terms. Silicon carbide semiconductors can operate at higher temperatures, voltages, and frequencies compared to other semiconductors, making them more efficient for use across solar-powered devices, electric vehicles, aerospace applications, and other applications such as 5G. TSI Semiconductors, whose semiconductor plant is based in Roseville, California and employs about 250 people, mainly develops and produces large volumes of chips on 200-millimeter silicon wafers for applications in the mobility, telecommunications, energy, and life sciences industries, the companies said in a joint statement. Post the acquisition, Bosch intends to invest more than $1.5 billion in the Roseville site to make it ready for producing SiC chips, the companies said, adding that the plant will start producing its first SiC chips in 2026, based on 200-millimeter wafers after a retooling phase. The existing cleanroom facilities and expert personnel in Roseville will allow us to manufacture SiC chips for electromobility on an even larger scale, Hartung said, adding that Roseville offers roughly 10,000 square meters of cleanroom space. Bosch eyeing demand for SiC chips in electric vehicles Bosch itself has built up expertise in SiC chips production and has been churning them out at its Reutlingen location near Stuttgart, Germany. In the future, Reutlingen will also produce them on 20200-millimeter wafers. By the end of 2025, the company will have extended its cleanroom space in Reutlingen from roughly 35,000 to more than 44,000 square meters, the companies said as part of the joint statement. Boschs acquisition and investment plans are based on the massive usage of SiC chips in electric vehicles which are seeing huge adoption across the US and other markets, according to Markus Heyn, another member of the Bosch board of management. By 2025, the company expects to have an average of 25 of its chips integrated in every new vehicle. The market for SiC chips is also continuing to grow fast by 30 percent a year on average, the companies said, adding that SiC chips in electric vehicles enable greater range and more efficient recharging, as they use up to 50 percent less energy. The silicon carbide chips can ensure at least six percent greater range efficiency compared to other silicon chips built with other materials, the companies added. US-China chip war rages on Boschs decision to acquire the US chipmaker comes at a time when the US and China are locked in a battle of supremacy to dominate chip production and distribution globally. Both the US and the European Union have signed specific Chips Acts into law, under which both the governing bodies commit funds to strengthen chip production in their geographic boundaries. Bosch said the full scope of its $1.5 billion investment into TSIs Roseville plant will be heavily dependent on federal funding opportunities available via the CHIPS and Science Act as well as economic development opportunities within the State of California. The Biden administration has already initiated an application procedure with guidelines for proposals from semiconductor manufacturers that want to take advantage of incentives offered by the US CHIPS and Science Act. Earlier this month, Taiwanese semiconductor giant TSMC, which is facing a sharp drop in revenue, sought assurances from the US about subsidies it will receive when it builds its new $40 billion manufacturing facilities in Arizona. The EU, on the other hand, reached an agreement last week on a deal that will allow it to invest $3.6 billion in EU funds with the aim of attracting a further $43.7 billion in private investment to build out the continents semiconductor manufacturing capabilities. By PTI NEW DELHI: Mining mogul Anil Agarwal has said his Vedanta group has ample cash flow to service all its debt repayment obligations and that it aims to become a "net zero debt company" in 2-3 years. Agarwal said questions over Vedanta's debt servicing ability are "absolutely irrelevant" as the group will make USD 9 billion of profits next year on revenue of USD 30 billion, which would be sufficient to meet all obligations. The comments by the former scrap metal trader turned industrialist come at a time when scrutiny of highly leveraged Indian conglomerates grows following a US short seller attack on the Adani group. "We have the lowest debt in the world for a group of our size," Agarwal, founder, and chairman of Vedanta Resources, told PTI in an interview here. And the debt is a result of investing billions of dollars across businesses, he said. "Total debt in the company is USD 13 billion. And we have a profit this year of USD 7 billion. Next year our revenue would be USD 30 billion and we will have USD 9 billion profit" across the group. The cash flows are more than sufficient to meet debt servicing obligations. "We are very comfortable," he said. "We have never defaulted to make any payment. We always have a plan to make the payments." Earlier this week, Vedanta Resources Ltd, the parent company of Mumbai-listed mining giant Vedanta Ltd, said it has paid all its maturing loans and bonds due in this month to reduce its gross debt by a further USD 1 billion. Vedanta has now reduced debt by a total of USD 3 billion since it announced in February 2022 its intention to accelerate deleveraging. It had announced plans to reduce debt by USD 4 billion within 3 years, of which it has achieved 75 per cent of the committed reduction in 14 months. Agarwal said it is "absolutely irrelevant" to talk about the debt payment capability of the group. The group, whose business spans from zinc to silver, iron ore to aluminum and oil and gas, borrows the bare minimum, and "we have enough cash flow to service that debt," he said. He went on to state that the group would be a net zero debt company in 2-3 years' time. "At the moment the plan is that in 2-3 years we will be a net zero debt company," he said hastening to add that the group may have to borrow in pursuit of its aggressive expansion plans. Diversified natural resources conglomerate plans building capacities in zinc, oil and gas, and aluminum businesses as it believes supply will remain a challenge in the commodities' space in the medium term. The group, which has already invested USD 35 billion in the country so far, plans to become a USD 100-billion company by 2030. Vedanta is also foraying into the manufacturing of semiconductor and display fabs and signed an initial pact with Apple supplier Foxconn to set up a manufacturing facility in Gujarat. India is 100 per cent import-dependent for fabs and semiconductors with domestic consumption expected to cross USD 80 billion by 2026 and touch USD 110 billion by 2030. "Yes 100 per cent within a maximum of 2-3 years time, we will be zero debt company. But we have to do a lot in India. We have to create semiconductors (factory), we have to create display glass (factory), we have to expand our copper (business), we have to expand our aluminum (business), we have to expand oil and gas (operations), this is important. At that point, we might have to take debt (but) we have no plan (as of now)," he said. S&P Ratings on April 3 stated that Vedanta will likely have enough liquidity until December. US short-seller Hindenburg Research's damning report on billionaire tycoon Gautam Adani's infrastructure conglomerate this year triggered a stock market routing that had erased about USD 145 billion in his group's market value at its lowest point. Adani group has denied all allegations by Hindenburg and is plotting a comeback strategy. Agarwal dismissed concerns about paying upcoming liabilities, stressing his commodities businesses were generating enough cash to service debt. NEW DELHI: Mining mogul Anil Agarwal has said his Vedanta group has ample cash flow to service all its debt repayment obligations and that it aims to become a "net zero debt company" in 2-3 years. Agarwal said questions over Vedanta's debt servicing ability are "absolutely irrelevant" as the group will make USD 9 billion of profits next year on revenue of USD 30 billion, which would be sufficient to meet all obligations. The comments by the former scrap metal trader turned industrialist come at a time when scrutiny of highly leveraged Indian conglomerates grows following a US short seller attack on the Adani group.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "We have the lowest debt in the world for a group of our size," Agarwal, founder, and chairman of Vedanta Resources, told PTI in an interview here. And the debt is a result of investing billions of dollars across businesses, he said. "Total debt in the company is USD 13 billion. And we have a profit this year of USD 7 billion. Next year our revenue would be USD 30 billion and we will have USD 9 billion profit" across the group. The cash flows are more than sufficient to meet debt servicing obligations. "We are very comfortable," he said. "We have never defaulted to make any payment. We always have a plan to make the payments." Earlier this week, Vedanta Resources Ltd, the parent company of Mumbai-listed mining giant Vedanta Ltd, said it has paid all its maturing loans and bonds due in this month to reduce its gross debt by a further USD 1 billion. Vedanta has now reduced debt by a total of USD 3 billion since it announced in February 2022 its intention to accelerate deleveraging. It had announced plans to reduce debt by USD 4 billion within 3 years, of which it has achieved 75 per cent of the committed reduction in 14 months. Agarwal said it is "absolutely irrelevant" to talk about the debt payment capability of the group. The group, whose business spans from zinc to silver, iron ore to aluminum and oil and gas, borrows the bare minimum, and "we have enough cash flow to service that debt," he said. He went on to state that the group would be a net zero debt company in 2-3 years' time. "At the moment the plan is that in 2-3 years we will be a net zero debt company," he said hastening to add that the group may have to borrow in pursuit of its aggressive expansion plans. Diversified natural resources conglomerate plans building capacities in zinc, oil and gas, and aluminum businesses as it believes supply will remain a challenge in the commodities' space in the medium term. The group, which has already invested USD 35 billion in the country so far, plans to become a USD 100-billion company by 2030. Vedanta is also foraying into the manufacturing of semiconductor and display fabs and signed an initial pact with Apple supplier Foxconn to set up a manufacturing facility in Gujarat. India is 100 per cent import-dependent for fabs and semiconductors with domestic consumption expected to cross USD 80 billion by 2026 and touch USD 110 billion by 2030. "Yes 100 per cent within a maximum of 2-3 years time, we will be zero debt company. But we have to do a lot in India. We have to create semiconductors (factory), we have to create display glass (factory), we have to expand our copper (business), we have to expand our aluminum (business), we have to expand oil and gas (operations), this is important. At that point, we might have to take debt (but) we have no plan (as of now)," he said. S&P Ratings on April 3 stated that Vedanta will likely have enough liquidity until December. US short-seller Hindenburg Research's damning report on billionaire tycoon Gautam Adani's infrastructure conglomerate this year triggered a stock market routing that had erased about USD 145 billion in his group's market value at its lowest point. Adani group has denied all allegations by Hindenburg and is plotting a comeback strategy. Agarwal dismissed concerns about paying upcoming liabilities, stressing his commodities businesses were generating enough cash to service debt. Ashwini M Sripad By Express News Service BENGALURU: Call it the S jinx for the BJP in Bengaluru entry into the Congress fortresses of Shanthinagar, Shivajinagar and Sarvajnanagar assembly segments continues to be full of hurdles, and where neither have Amit Shahs strategies worked nor has the Modi magic. In fact, in 2018, then-BJP national president Amit Shah had taken part in a mega roadshow covering these three tricky constituencies, but the BJP failed to make any gains. The Congress has been winning these constituencies for many years, with NA Haris, Rizwan Arshad and KJ George representing them respectively. The BJP has fielded former BBMP councillors N Chandra, Shivakumar and Padmanabha Reddy against them. Interestingly, these very constituencies vote for BJP during the Lok Sabha elections. In 2018, Roshan Baig won Shivajinagar with 59,742 votes (55 per cent vote share), while Katta Subramanya Naidu of the BJP got 41.2 per cent vote share. In 2013 too, the vote share was similar -- the Congress candidate got 54.62 per cent, as against 32 per cent for the BJP candidate. Shivajinagar has over 70,000 Muslim voters who largely vote for Congress, while some are neutral. There is a significantly large number of Tamil voters, who are also not in favour of the BJP. In the 13 elections, including one bypoll, held in Shivajinagar constituency since 1967, BJP won twice, in 1999 and 2004, JDS won twice, and Congress was victorious the remaining nine times. In Shanthinagar too, Congress candidate Haris got close to 50 per cent of votes in 2018, while BJP candidate Vasudevmurthy got 34 per cent. In 2013, Congress got 52 per cent and the BJP candidate got 10 per cent. This segment has Muslim and Christian voters, besides Tamilians, whose voting pattern points towards the Congress. This constituency too has seen 12 assembly polls, of which Congress won nine, BJP one, Janata Party two and JDS one. The story in Sarvajnanagar is similar, with Congress MLA George getting over 1 lakh votes (around 62 per cent vote share), while the BJP candidate got only 31 per cent. The constituency, formed in 2008, has seen four elections, and all were won by the Congress. Shivajinagar and Shanthinagar form part of the Central Business District, while Sarvajnanagar houses a few IT companies. People from other parts of Bengaluru who come here to work, often complain about road infrastructure, with potholes and traffic jams being the common grouses. Both segments have slum pockets which have not been addressed for many years. It connects Bengaluru West and Bengaluru South to Bengaluru East. As per the latest voters list, Shivajinagar has 1.94 lakh eligible voters, Shanthinagar has 2.22 lakh voters and Sarvajnanagar has 3.66 lakh voters. BENGALURU: Call it the S jinx for the BJP in Bengaluru entry into the Congress fortresses of Shanthinagar, Shivajinagar and Sarvajnanagar assembly segments continues to be full of hurdles, and where neither have Amit Shahs strategies worked nor has the Modi magic. In fact, in 2018, then-BJP national president Amit Shah had taken part in a mega roadshow covering these three tricky constituencies, but the BJP failed to make any gains. The Congress has been winning these constituencies for many years, with NA Haris, Rizwan Arshad and KJ George representing them respectively. The BJP has fielded former BBMP councillors N Chandra, Shivakumar and Padmanabha Reddy against them. Interestingly, these very constituencies vote for BJP during the Lok Sabha elections. In 2018, Roshan Baig won Shivajinagar with 59,742 votes (55 per cent vote share), while Katta Subramanya Naidu of the BJP got 41.2 per cent vote share. In 2013 too, the vote share was similar -- the Congress candidate got 54.62 per cent, as against 32 per cent for the BJP candidate. Shivajinagar has over 70,000 Muslim voters who largely vote for Congress, while some are neutral.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); There is a significantly large number of Tamil voters, who are also not in favour of the BJP. In the 13 elections, including one bypoll, held in Shivajinagar constituency since 1967, BJP won twice, in 1999 and 2004, JDS won twice, and Congress was victorious the remaining nine times. In Shanthinagar too, Congress candidate Haris got close to 50 per cent of votes in 2018, while BJP candidate Vasudevmurthy got 34 per cent. In 2013, Congress got 52 per cent and the BJP candidate got 10 per cent. This segment has Muslim and Christian voters, besides Tamilians, whose voting pattern points towards the Congress. This constituency too has seen 12 assembly polls, of which Congress won nine, BJP one, Janata Party two and JDS one. The story in Sarvajnanagar is similar, with Congress MLA George getting over 1 lakh votes (around 62 per cent vote share), while the BJP candidate got only 31 per cent. The constituency, formed in 2008, has seen four elections, and all were won by the Congress. Shivajinagar and Shanthinagar form part of the Central Business District, while Sarvajnanagar houses a few IT companies. People from other parts of Bengaluru who come here to work, often complain about road infrastructure, with potholes and traffic jams being the common grouses. Both segments have slum pockets which have not been addressed for many years. It connects Bengaluru West and Bengaluru South to Bengaluru East. As per the latest voters list, Shivajinagar has 1.94 lakh eligible voters, Shanthinagar has 2.22 lakh voters and Sarvajnanagar has 3.66 lakh voters. By Express News Service CHENNAI: After marking its presence in more than 500 Indian cities, Kolkata-headquartered Turtle, a menswear fashion brand, comes to the city. The Chennai exclusive brand outlet will be a first for the company in Tamil Nadu. A leading menswear brand, Turtle is well integrated into the lifestyle of many with its in-house retail unit and dynamic collection that caters to more than 160 exclusive brand outlets and more than 1,600 multi-brand outlets across the country. Turtle as a brand is in a rapid expansion mode currently and the focus is on expanding our EBO base across the country. At our Turtle Chennai exclusive brand outlet in Phoenix MarketCity you will get premium quality menswear with the finest quality of fabrics and compatible accessories. Also we have an exclusive range of ceremonial collections which will set the tone of dressing for the wedding season, said Narinder Kaur, head marketing, Turtle Ltd. This is our first store in Tamil Nadu, Chennai. We are confident that the people of Chennai will like the collection of Turtle. Other than shirts, trousers and chinos, Turtle now boasts of premium quality denim wear, t-shirts and athleisure. Our ceremonial collection will add glitter to your wardrobe. Now Chennai will become more fashionable as Turtle has added a new feather to its cap, said Barani V, regional area operations manager, Turtle Ltd. The store is located in shop number FF 58, 1st floor, 142, Phoenix MarketCity, Velachery CHENNAI: After marking its presence in more than 500 Indian cities, Kolkata-headquartered Turtle, a menswear fashion brand, comes to the city. The Chennai exclusive brand outlet will be a first for the company in Tamil Nadu. A leading menswear brand, Turtle is well integrated into the lifestyle of many with its in-house retail unit and dynamic collection that caters to more than 160 exclusive brand outlets and more than 1,600 multi-brand outlets across the country. Turtle as a brand is in a rapid expansion mode currently and the focus is on expanding our EBO base across the country. At our Turtle Chennai exclusive brand outlet in Phoenix MarketCity you will get premium quality menswear with the finest quality of fabrics and compatible accessories. Also we have an exclusive range of ceremonial collections which will set the tone of dressing for the wedding season, said Narinder Kaur, head marketing, Turtle Ltd. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); This is our first store in Tamil Nadu, Chennai. We are confident that the people of Chennai will like the collection of Turtle. Other than shirts, trousers and chinos, Turtle now boasts of premium quality denim wear, t-shirts and athleisure. Our ceremonial collection will add glitter to your wardrobe. Now Chennai will become more fashionable as Turtle has added a new feather to its cap, said Barani V, regional area operations manager, Turtle Ltd. The store is located in shop number FF 58, 1st floor, 142, Phoenix MarketCity, Velachery By PTI NEW DELHI: A 33-year-old Delhi University ad hoc teacher was found dead at his house in outer Delhi's Rani Bagh weeks after being removed from the job at the Hindu College, police said Thursday, triggering a protest by former colleagues and students. Samarveer, originally from Molki village in Rajasthan's Baran district, was found hanging from a ceiling fan in a room he shared with his cousin who had gone to duty at the time of the incident, police said. They said no suicide note was found, but according to the cousin, he was under depression after he lost the job. The cousin told the police that Samarveer, who was unmarried, worked as an ad hoc lecturer in the Hindu College but a different person was appointed in his place in February. Hindu College principal Anju Srivastava did not respond to calls and texts requesting her reaction, but the university issued a statement condoling the "sad and untimely" demise of Samarveer. "No words can ease the pain that is being felt by all, including us in the university fraternity," the statement said. "The University of Delhi pays its heartfelt condolences on the sad and untimely demise of Dr. Samarvir and sends out healing prayers and comfort to his family in this tough time," the statement said. Delhi University teachers and students staged a protest outside the Hindu College and demanded justice for Samarveer. They raised slogans and carried placards. "We stand with the ad hoc teachers' struggle demanding job security. Justice to Professor Samarveer," read one of the placards. Shubhanshi Mishra, a Delhi University professor, said it appears that Samarveer committed suicide. "He recently lost his job at Hindu College. It appears he died by suicide because he was upset," she told PTI. Miranda House Associate Professor Abha Dev Habib said many long-serving ad hoc teachers have been "displaced" in colleges based on "two-minute" interviews for a permanent position. "The University has forced guest-ism by denying ad-hoc appointments against short term vacancies. Also, workload norms have been tweaked by 11.11.2022 DU Notification and which has overnight declared teachers as 'surplus'," she said. Police, meanwhile, said they received a call on Wednesday regarding a man hanging himself to death at an apartment in Rani Bagh area. When a police team reached there, they found the room was locked from inside. A mobile crime team of the outer district was called and the door was forcibly opened, said Harendra Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer). The man was found hanging from the ceiling fan using a bedsheet, the DCP said, adding he was shifted to a nearby hospital where he was declared brought dead. A team of experts from the Forensic Science Laboratory, Rohini, as well as the mobile crime team inspected the spot, he said. Several empty liquor bottles and cigarette boxes were found in the room, the officer added. The DCP said no foul play was suspected and the body will be handed over to his family after postmortem. In a statement, DU Academic Council member Maya John said there is a growing need to rejuvenate the struggle for the rights of ad hoc teachers. "Many teachers are demanding an immediate general body meeting (GBM) of the DUTA (Delhi University Teachers' Association) to discuss the woes of ad hoc teachers, and to effectively fight for the rights of ad-hoc faculty," John said in a statement. "It is a fact that a sizable number of long-serving ad-hoc teachers, who otherwise fill all the eligibility criteria for teaching posts advertised by DU colleges, and have worked very hard for their institutions, are being displaced in the recent interviews," the statement read. It said permanent appointments are "being made through a so-called 'open' recruitment process that often amounts to just a five-minute interaction with the candidate and (it) has facilitated massive displacement". Aam Aadmi Party's teachers' wing Academic for Action and Development Delhi Teachers' Association (AADTA) also protested on the North Campus. "RIP Dr Samarvir! Stop massive Displacements of Adhoc and Temp Teachers! Stop Victimisation of Adhoc & Temp Teachers!" it said in a tweet. Samarveer's friend, also a Hindu College professor, said he sounded very upset when he called him up on Sunday. "He didn't accept a guest lecturer's job in our college earlier because he accepted an ad-hoc job in the Hindu College. He told me that after 20-plus days, the college informed him it cannot continue with his service as it's not allowed by the University. I could sense his helplessness," the friend said. He said Samarveer also told him that his mother was very disturbed after he didn't get the permanent job he was expecting. "He told me she lost vision an an eye. I am unable to accept that he is no more." Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. In case you feel distressed by the content or know someone in distress, call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) NEW DELHI: A 33-year-old Delhi University ad hoc teacher was found dead at his house in outer Delhi's Rani Bagh weeks after being removed from the job at the Hindu College, police said Thursday, triggering a protest by former colleagues and students. Samarveer, originally from Molki village in Rajasthan's Baran district, was found hanging from a ceiling fan in a room he shared with his cousin who had gone to duty at the time of the incident, police said. They said no suicide note was found, but according to the cousin, he was under depression after he lost the job.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The cousin told the police that Samarveer, who was unmarried, worked as an ad hoc lecturer in the Hindu College but a different person was appointed in his place in February. Hindu College principal Anju Srivastava did not respond to calls and texts requesting her reaction, but the university issued a statement condoling the "sad and untimely" demise of Samarveer. "No words can ease the pain that is being felt by all, including us in the university fraternity," the statement said. "The University of Delhi pays its heartfelt condolences on the sad and untimely demise of Dr. Samarvir and sends out healing prayers and comfort to his family in this tough time," the statement said. Delhi University teachers and students staged a protest outside the Hindu College and demanded justice for Samarveer. They raised slogans and carried placards. "We stand with the ad hoc teachers' struggle demanding job security. Justice to Professor Samarveer," read one of the placards. Shubhanshi Mishra, a Delhi University professor, said it appears that Samarveer committed suicide. "He recently lost his job at Hindu College. It appears he died by suicide because he was upset," she told PTI. Miranda House Associate Professor Abha Dev Habib said many long-serving ad hoc teachers have been "displaced" in colleges based on "two-minute" interviews for a permanent position. "The University has forced guest-ism by denying ad-hoc appointments against short term vacancies. Also, workload norms have been tweaked by 11.11.2022 DU Notification and which has overnight declared teachers as 'surplus'," she said. Police, meanwhile, said they received a call on Wednesday regarding a man hanging himself to death at an apartment in Rani Bagh area. When a police team reached there, they found the room was locked from inside. A mobile crime team of the outer district was called and the door was forcibly opened, said Harendra Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer). The man was found hanging from the ceiling fan using a bedsheet, the DCP said, adding he was shifted to a nearby hospital where he was declared brought dead. A team of experts from the Forensic Science Laboratory, Rohini, as well as the mobile crime team inspected the spot, he said. Several empty liquor bottles and cigarette boxes were found in the room, the officer added. The DCP said no foul play was suspected and the body will be handed over to his family after postmortem. In a statement, DU Academic Council member Maya John said there is a growing need to rejuvenate the struggle for the rights of ad hoc teachers. "Many teachers are demanding an immediate general body meeting (GBM) of the DUTA (Delhi University Teachers' Association) to discuss the woes of ad hoc teachers, and to effectively fight for the rights of ad-hoc faculty," John said in a statement. "It is a fact that a sizable number of long-serving ad-hoc teachers, who otherwise fill all the eligibility criteria for teaching posts advertised by DU colleges, and have worked very hard for their institutions, are being displaced in the recent interviews," the statement read. It said permanent appointments are "being made through a so-called 'open' recruitment process that often amounts to just a five-minute interaction with the candidate and (it) has facilitated massive displacement". Aam Aadmi Party's teachers' wing Academic for Action and Development Delhi Teachers' Association (AADTA) also protested on the North Campus. "RIP Dr Samarvir! Stop massive Displacements of Adhoc and Temp Teachers! Stop Victimisation of Adhoc & Temp Teachers!" it said in a tweet. Samarveer's friend, also a Hindu College professor, said he sounded very upset when he called him up on Sunday. "He didn't accept a guest lecturer's job in our college earlier because he accepted an ad-hoc job in the Hindu College. He told me that after 20-plus days, the college informed him it cannot continue with his service as it's not allowed by the University. I could sense his helplessness," the friend said. He said Samarveer also told him that his mother was very disturbed after he didn't get the permanent job he was expecting. "He told me she lost vision an an eye. I am unable to accept that he is no more." Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. In case you feel distressed by the content or know someone in distress, call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) By Express News Service HYDERABAD: A man who was arrested for theft by the Tukaramgate police on Tuesday passed away during the night allegedly due to seizures. However, the family of the deceased, identified as Chiranjeevi, claimed that it was a custodial death caused by police negligence and has filed a case at the Tukaramgate police station. Responding to this, the Station House Office insisted that the death was solely caused by seizures and cannot be considered a custodial death. Chiranjeevi Chiranjeevi, who had been arrested for a theft case that occurred in March, was reportedly feeling unwell and complained of uneasiness while in police custody. He suffered seizures and was taken to Gandhi Hospital for treatment, where he later passed away. The body has been sent for a postmortem examination, and the family has not yet received it. Chiranjeevi had been involved in several cases in Hyderabad and Rachakonda, with five cases registered against him in Panjagutta PS, two in Market PS, and one each in Saroornagar and Tukaramgate PS. Upon learning of Chiranjeevis death, his family members, including his wife and mother, staged a protest at Gandhi Hospital, claiming that police brutality caused his death. The family also demanded justice and refused to take the body until an investigation was carried out. The protest caused a traffic jam on the National Highway. The family has filed a case against the death, and an internal investigation is expected to be initiated. Chiranjeevis wife is seeking answers regarding the cause of her husbands death and expressed concern for their three children who no longer have a father. HYDERABAD: A man who was arrested for theft by the Tukaramgate police on Tuesday passed away during the night allegedly due to seizures. However, the family of the deceased, identified as Chiranjeevi, claimed that it was a custodial death caused by police negligence and has filed a case at the Tukaramgate police station. Responding to this, the Station House Office insisted that the death was solely caused by seizures and cannot be considered a custodial death. ChiranjeeviChiranjeevi, who had been arrested for a theft case that occurred in March, was reportedly feeling unwell and complained of uneasiness while in police custody. He suffered seizures and was taken to Gandhi Hospital for treatment, where he later passed away. The body has been sent for a postmortem examination, and the family has not yet received it. Chiranjeevi had been involved in several cases in Hyderabad and Rachakonda, with five cases registered against him in Panjagutta PS, two in Market PS, and one each in Saroornagar and Tukaramgate PS. Upon learning of Chiranjeevis death, his family members, including his wife and mother, staged a protest at Gandhi Hospital, claiming that police brutality caused his death. The family also demanded justice and refused to take the body until an investigation was carried out.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The protest caused a traffic jam on the National Highway. The family has filed a case against the death, and an internal investigation is expected to be initiated. Chiranjeevis wife is seeking answers regarding the cause of her husbands death and expressed concern for their three children who no longer have a father. Abhilasha Cherukuri By Express News Service Teja Kakumanu has had an interesting, checkered trajectory in the world of films. The student leader- turned-actor has a Masters in Performing Arts and an MPhil in Theatre from the University of Hyderabad, following which he has worked as an acting instructor for film actors. Teja has also worked on sets as a co-director, while acting in small-but-significant roles in Baahubali : The Beginning, Bheemla Nayak and much recently, in last years Mukhachitram. He will be making his directorial debut in the Disney + Hotstar Telugu original series Save The Tigers (STT), a tongue-in-cheek comedy series centred around the plight of henpecked husbands. STT is available for streaming from April 27 onwards. The title of your series, while catchy, is a far cry from the subject matter you have chosen to work with. Tell us more about STT. STT is a satire on marriages and the war of genders. We wanted to talk about how real men, much like tigers, are going extinct because of how the former are constantly subjected to the whims and diktats of their wives. So, it is a call for action, packaged in jest. Men and women are so different from each other, their expectations and natures are directly in contrast with one another. This is a universal story, with lots of observational comedy. We have also tried to highlight the perspective of women in our series, it is not entirely about the men though. STT is a clean comedy, with little profanity and absolutely no vulgarity. You can watch the series with your entire family. How did you get the opportunity to direct STT? Post my studies, I used to be an acting instructor, that is where I met Pradeep Advaitham. He asked me to come work in the sets, in the direction department. I found it to be an exciting learning opportunity. My experience as a student leader came in handy during shoots, I am very good at managing crowds. I am unfazed by status and hierarchy, I can command 10 people or a 1000 with an equal amount of ease. I soon became known for my efficiency. Years later, Pradeep and I joined hands again, to work on STT. The idea of STT, though initially mine, was developed into a screenplay by Pradeep. He asked me to direct the series because he was busy shooting a film. That is how I ended up making my directorial debut. You have mentioned earlier about working as an acting instructor. How is it like to train actors? Acting is handling and balancing emotions. These theatre courses are primarily designed to train academicians, not actors. As an acting instructor for film, I ask people to dig deep into their bank of emotions. You cannot teach acting. As an instructor, you can only help them unlock their potential and get over their fears and inhibitions. Also, I trained actors for films. You do not have the luxury of extensive preparations and method acting on sets. I tell my actors that they should be like a white paper, always receptive and ready to meet the directors actions and visions. How is transitioning from being a co-director to sitting on the directors chair different from the skillset of someone who has not any experience working in sets? Working in the direction department can be particularly beneficial for actors who wish to hone their craft. As far as direction are concerned, people who have never worked as ADs or co-directors, they enter the sets without the crucial knowledge on the management of sets. That is a reason why many films overshoot their budget. These directors do not know how to make cost efficient decisions. Set experience is essential. I dont believe in shootingsomething in 360 degrees and then directing the film on the edit table. That is such a waste of money. These people are able to survive because it is the digital age. There is no way these people would have been filmmakers when things were shot on film. I respect producers. I am a producers director. If a producer invests 50 rupees, I should be able to give 100 rupees worth of output as a director. What are the key differences you have seen while working in OTT and cinema? Honestly. there is no difference in terms of making. One big difference I would say is that, unlike films, in OTT, your rushes are checked daily. It feels like you are sitting for an exam every single day. People think their life is easy once an OTT project is greenlit, but there are a lot of executives you are answerable to. What is next in store for you? I am acting in Trivikram Srinivass SSMB28, where I am playing the role of Sreeleelas brother. Trivikram has taken a shine on me since the time I have acted in Bheemla Nayak. He gives me a lot of love and appreciation and I am motivated to bring out my best because of his positive demeanour. Teja Kakumanu has had an interesting, checkered trajectory in the world of films. The student leader- turned-actor has a Masters in Performing Arts and an MPhil in Theatre from the University of Hyderabad, following which he has worked as an acting instructor for film actors. Teja has also worked on sets as a co-director, while acting in small-but-significant roles in Baahubali : The Beginning, Bheemla Nayak and much recently, in last years Mukhachitram. He will be making his directorial debut in the Disney + Hotstar Telugu original series Save The Tigers (STT), a tongue-in-cheek comedy series centred around the plight of henpecked husbands. STT is available for streaming from April 27 onwards. The title of your series, while catchy, is a far cry from the subject matter you have chosen to work with. Tell us more about STT. STT is a satire on marriages and the war of genders. We wanted to talk about how real men, much like tigers, are going extinct because of how the former are constantly subjected to the whims and diktats of their wives. So, it is a call for action, packaged in jest. Men and women are so different from each other, their expectations and natures are directly in contrast with one another. This is a universal story, with lots of observational comedy. We have also tried to highlight the perspective of women in our series, it is not entirely about the men though. STT is a clean comedy, with little profanity and absolutely no vulgarity. You can watch the series with your entire family. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); How did you get the opportunity to direct STT? Post my studies, I used to be an acting instructor, that is where I met Pradeep Advaitham. He asked me to come work in the sets, in the direction department. I found it to be an exciting learning opportunity. My experience as a student leader came in handy during shoots, I am very good at managing crowds. I am unfazed by status and hierarchy, I can command 10 people or a 1000 with an equal amount of ease. I soon became known for my efficiency. Years later, Pradeep and I joined hands again, to work on STT. The idea of STT, though initially mine, was developed into a screenplay by Pradeep. He asked me to direct the series because he was busy shooting a film. That is how I ended up making my directorial debut. You have mentioned earlier about working as an acting instructor. How is it like to train actors? Acting is handling and balancing emotions. These theatre courses are primarily designed to train academicians, not actors. As an acting instructor for film, I ask people to dig deep into their bank of emotions. You cannot teach acting. As an instructor, you can only help them unlock their potential and get over their fears and inhibitions. Also, I trained actors for films. You do not have the luxury of extensive preparations and method acting on sets. I tell my actors that they should be like a white paper, always receptive and ready to meet the directors actions and visions. How is transitioning from being a co-director to sitting on the directors chair different from the skillset of someone who has not any experience working in sets? Working in the direction department can be particularly beneficial for actors who wish to hone their craft. As far as direction are concerned, people who have never worked as ADs or co-directors, they enter the sets without the crucial knowledge on the management of sets. That is a reason why many films overshoot their budget. These directors do not know how to make cost efficient decisions. Set experience is essential. I dont believe in shootingsomething in 360 degrees and then directing the film on the edit table. That is such a waste of money. These people are able to survive because it is the digital age. There is no way these people would have been filmmakers when things were shot on film. I respect producers. I am a producers director. If a producer invests 50 rupees, I should be able to give 100 rupees worth of output as a director. What are the key differences you have seen while working in OTT and cinema? Honestly. there is no difference in terms of making. One big difference I would say is that, unlike films, in OTT, your rushes are checked daily. It feels like you are sitting for an exam every single day. People think their life is easy once an OTT project is greenlit, but there are a lot of executives you are answerable to. What is next in store for you? I am acting in Trivikram Srinivass SSMB28, where I am playing the role of Sreeleelas brother. Trivikram has taken a shine on me since the time I have acted in Bheemla Nayak. He gives me a lot of love and appreciation and I am motivated to bring out my best because of his positive demeanour. By PTI NEW DELHI: Poor air quality in India may be associated with impaired cognition in infants under the age of two, when brain growth is at its peak, according to a study. Cognition is the process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses. Without action, the researchers said, the negative impact on children's long-term brain development could have consequences for life. "Prior work has shown that poor air quality is linked to cognitive deficits in children, as well as to emotional and behavioural problems, which can have a severe impact on families," said lead researcher Professor John Spencer, from the University of East Anglia, UK. "Very small particulate fragments in the air are a major concern as they can move from the respiratory tract into the brain," Spencer said. Until now, studies have failed to show a link between poor air quality and cognitive problems in babies, when brain growth is at its peak and the brain may be particularly sensitive to toxins. "We worked with families in rural India to see how in-home air quality affects infants' cognition," Spencer said. The team collaborated with the Community Empowerment Lab in Lucknow, India, a global health research and innovation organisation that works with rural communities to engage in science collaboratively. They worked with families from a range of socio-economic backgrounds in Shivgarh, a rural community in Uttar Pradesh, one of the states most strongly impacted by poor air quality. The study, published in the journal eLife, assessed the visual working memory and visual processing speed of 215 infants using a specially-designed cognition task from October 2017 to June 2019. On one display, the toddlers were shown flashing coloured squares that were always the same after each 'blink'. On a second display, one coloured square changed after each blink. "This task capitalises on an infant's tendency to look away from something that's visually familiar and towards something new," Spencer said. "We were interested in whether infants could detect the changing side and how well they did as we made the task harder by including more squares on each display," the researcher added. The team used air quality monitors in the children's homes to measure emission levels and air quality. They also took into account and controlled for family socio-economic status. "This research shows for the first time that there is an association between poor air quality and impaired visual cognition in the first two years of life when brain growth is at its peak," said Spencer. "Such impacts could carry forward across years, negatively impacting long-term development," he added. The research also indicates that global efforts to improve air quality could have benefits for infants' emerging cognitive abilities. "This, in turn, could have a cascade of positive impacts because improved cognition can lead to improved economic productivity in the long term and reduce the burden on healthcare and mental health systems," said Spencer. One key factor the team measured was the cooking fuel commonly used at home. "We found that air quality was poorer in homes that used solid cooking materials like cow dung cake. Therefore, efforts to reduce cooking emissions in homes should be a key target for intervention," he added. NEW DELHI: Poor air quality in India may be associated with impaired cognition in infants under the age of two, when brain growth is at its peak, according to a study. Cognition is the process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses. Without action, the researchers said, the negative impact on children's long-term brain development could have consequences for life.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "Prior work has shown that poor air quality is linked to cognitive deficits in children, as well as to emotional and behavioural problems, which can have a severe impact on families," said lead researcher Professor John Spencer, from the University of East Anglia, UK. "Very small particulate fragments in the air are a major concern as they can move from the respiratory tract into the brain," Spencer said. Until now, studies have failed to show a link between poor air quality and cognitive problems in babies, when brain growth is at its peak and the brain may be particularly sensitive to toxins. "We worked with families in rural India to see how in-home air quality affects infants' cognition," Spencer said. The team collaborated with the Community Empowerment Lab in Lucknow, India, a global health research and innovation organisation that works with rural communities to engage in science collaboratively. They worked with families from a range of socio-economic backgrounds in Shivgarh, a rural community in Uttar Pradesh, one of the states most strongly impacted by poor air quality. The study, published in the journal eLife, assessed the visual working memory and visual processing speed of 215 infants using a specially-designed cognition task from October 2017 to June 2019. On one display, the toddlers were shown flashing coloured squares that were always the same after each 'blink'. On a second display, one coloured square changed after each blink. "This task capitalises on an infant's tendency to look away from something that's visually familiar and towards something new," Spencer said. "We were interested in whether infants could detect the changing side and how well they did as we made the task harder by including more squares on each display," the researcher added. The team used air quality monitors in the children's homes to measure emission levels and air quality. They also took into account and controlled for family socio-economic status. "This research shows for the first time that there is an association between poor air quality and impaired visual cognition in the first two years of life when brain growth is at its peak," said Spencer. "Such impacts could carry forward across years, negatively impacting long-term development," he added. The research also indicates that global efforts to improve air quality could have benefits for infants' emerging cognitive abilities. "This, in turn, could have a cascade of positive impacts because improved cognition can lead to improved economic productivity in the long term and reduce the burden on healthcare and mental health systems," said Spencer. One key factor the team measured was the cooking fuel commonly used at home. "We found that air quality was poorer in homes that used solid cooking materials like cow dung cake. Therefore, efforts to reduce cooking emissions in homes should be a key target for intervention," he added. By AFP LONDON: Britain on Wednesday blocked Microsoft's $69-billion takeover of US video game giant Activision Blizzard, arguing it would harm competition in cloud gaming and leaving the blockbuster deal in peril. The UK's Competition and Markets Authority prevented the deal "over concerns... (it) would alter the future of the fast-growing cloud gaming market, leading to reduced innovation and less choice for UK gamers over the years to come", the CMA said in a final decision on its long-running probe. Microsoft replied it would appeal the verdict over its vast takeover, which has yet to win regulatory approvals in Europe or the United States. The Xbox-owner launched in 2022 its bid to create the world's third-biggest gaming company by revenue with the takeover of Activision, owner of hit games "Candy Crush" and "Call Of Duty", triggering antitrust concerns worldwide. The CMA added Wednesday that Microsoft's proposed remedies over cloud gaming contained "significant shortcomings" and would require further regulatory oversight instead of allowing the market to decide. "Preventing the merger would effectively allow market forces to continue to operate and shape the development of cloud gaming without this regulatory intervention," it added in the statement. Martin Coleman, chair of the independent panel of experts conducting the CMA probe, said the landmark deal would have handed Microsoft even more power over rivals. "Microsoft already enjoys a powerful position and head start over other competitors in cloud gaming and this deal would strengthen that advantage, giving it the ability to undermine new and innovative competitors," Coleman said. "Microsoft engaged constructively with us to try to address these issues and we are grateful for that, but their proposals were not effective to remedy our concerns and would have replaced competition with ineffective regulation in a new and dynamic market." The announcement comes one month after the CMA narrowed the scope of its probe to cloud gaming, after concluding that Microsoft's deal would not damage competition in relation to console gaming. Yet it argued on Wednesday that the video games market needed competition to thrive. "Cloud gaming needs a free, competitive market to drive innovation and choice," added Coleman. "That is best achieved by allowing the current competitive dynamics in cloud gaming to continue to do their job." LONDON: Britain on Wednesday blocked Microsoft's $69-billion takeover of US video game giant Activision Blizzard, arguing it would harm competition in cloud gaming and leaving the blockbuster deal in peril. The UK's Competition and Markets Authority prevented the deal "over concerns... (it) would alter the future of the fast-growing cloud gaming market, leading to reduced innovation and less choice for UK gamers over the years to come", the CMA said in a final decision on its long-running probe. Microsoft replied it would appeal the verdict over its vast takeover, which has yet to win regulatory approvals in Europe or the United States.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The Xbox-owner launched in 2022 its bid to create the world's third-biggest gaming company by revenue with the takeover of Activision, owner of hit games "Candy Crush" and "Call Of Duty", triggering antitrust concerns worldwide. The CMA added Wednesday that Microsoft's proposed remedies over cloud gaming contained "significant shortcomings" and would require further regulatory oversight instead of allowing the market to decide. "Preventing the merger would effectively allow market forces to continue to operate and shape the development of cloud gaming without this regulatory intervention," it added in the statement. Martin Coleman, chair of the independent panel of experts conducting the CMA probe, said the landmark deal would have handed Microsoft even more power over rivals. "Microsoft already enjoys a powerful position and head start over other competitors in cloud gaming and this deal would strengthen that advantage, giving it the ability to undermine new and innovative competitors," Coleman said. "Microsoft engaged constructively with us to try to address these issues and we are grateful for that, but their proposals were not effective to remedy our concerns and would have replaced competition with ineffective regulation in a new and dynamic market." The announcement comes one month after the CMA narrowed the scope of its probe to cloud gaming, after concluding that Microsoft's deal would not damage competition in relation to console gaming. Yet it argued on Wednesday that the video games market needed competition to thrive. "Cloud gaming needs a free, competitive market to drive innovation and choice," added Coleman. "That is best achieved by allowing the current competitive dynamics in cloud gaming to continue to do their job." China will send a special representative on Eurasian affairs to visit Ukraine and other countries to conduct in-depth communications with all parties on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday, reiterating that dialogue and negotiations are the only viable way out of the crisis. Xi made the remarks in a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Both leaders exchanged views on bilateral ties and the Ukraine crisis. Xi said that the complex evolution of the Ukraine crisis has had a major impact on the international landscape. Regarding the crisis, China has always stood on the side of peace, and its core position is to promote peace through talks, he said. China did not create the Ukraine crisis, nor is it a party to the crisis, Xi said. As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and a responsible major country, China would not sit idly by, add oil to the fire or exploit the situation for self-gain, he said. Everything China does is aboveboard, Xi told Zelensky. Noting that there would be no winner in a nuclear war, Xi said that all parties must stay calm and exercise restraint, truly act in the interests of their own future and that of humanity, and jointly manage the crisis. With rational thinking and voices now on the rise, Xi stressed the need to seize the opportunity to build up favorable conditions for political settlement of the crisis. Xi reiterated that China remains committed to facilitating peace talks and will make efforts for an early cease-fire and restoration of peace. China has sent multiple shipments of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and will continue providing help to the best of its ability, he added. China issued a position paper on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis in February. Xi has emphasized facilitating peace talks to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine on many occasions, including during his meetings with foreign leaders who have visited China in recent months, including French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. On bilateral ties, Xi said that China-Ukraine relations, after 31 years of development, have reached a level of strategic partnership, boosting development and revitalization of the two countries. Xi commended Zelensky for stating, on multiple occasions, the importance the Ukrainian leader attaches to developing the bilateral relationship and advancing cooperation with China, and he thanked the Ukrainian side for its strong assistance in the evacuation of Chinese nationals last year. Mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity is the political foundation of China-Ukraine relations, he said. No matter how the international situation evolves, China will work with Ukraine to advance mutually beneficial cooperation, Xi said. Zelensky said that China upholds the purposes and principles of the UN Charter in international affairs and has significant influence on the international stage. Ukraine is committed to the one-China policy and hopes to advance all-around bilateral cooperation with China, open a new chapter in Ukraine-China relations and jointly safeguard world peace and stability, he said. Zelensky thanked China for providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and welcomed China's important role in restoring peace. Shortly after the phone conversation, Zelensky tweeted: "I had a long and meaningful phone call with President Xi Jinping. I believe that this call, as well as the appointment of Ukraine's ambassador to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations." Zelensky named a former Cabinet minister as Ukraine's new ambassador to Beijing, Reuters reported on Wednesday. With China's mediation, is peace on the horizon in Ukraine? Mayank Singh By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Corps Commanders of India and China have agreed to maintain security and stability in eastern Ladakh and continue working out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest. The 18th round of the India- China Corps Commander-level meeting was held at Chushul-Moldo meeting point on the Chinese side on Sunday. The two sides had a frank and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the relevant issues along the LAC in the western sector so as to restore peace and tranquility in the border areas, which will enable progress in bilateral relations, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Monday. Lieutenant General Rashim Bali, the Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps Commander, led the Indian side in the discussions. The defence of eastern Ladakh is looked after by the Fire and Fury Corps. The Chinese side is led by the South Xinjiang Military District Commander. The two sides had an exchange of views in an open and candid manner. In the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain the security and stability on the ground in the western sector. The two sides agreed to stay in close contact and maintain dialogue through military and diplomatic channels and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest, said the statement. Meanwhile, Chinese defence minister Li Shangfu is scheduled to be in India for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers meetings in Delhi next week. This will be the first visit of Li Shangfu as he was appointed as Chinas new defence minister in March. The situation along the LAC in eastern Ladakh has been tense since May 2020 as the troops of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army clashed with the Indian Army soldiers at Finger 4 on the Northern Bank of the Pangong Lake. Post the clashes, China has deployed its troops in the areas of North Bank and South Bank of Pangong Tso, Gogra, Hot Spring and Depsang, leading to the months-long standoff. First 5 women officers set to join Artillery regiment The first lot of women officers to be commissioned into an artillery unit will be sent soon to join frontline in the Regiment of Artillery. Five women officers completing training from the Officers Training Academy, Chennai on 29 April will be sent soon to join frontline Artillery regiments as, which is a major combat support arm. A total of 10 women officers will be commissioned in the Regiment of Artillery this year with the first lot of five being commissioned this month end, a source said. The Regiment of Artillery is the second largest arm of the Indian Army with close to 300 units. As of now, the women officers have not been granted permanent commissions into Infantry, Armoured, Artillery and Mechanised Infantry. NEW DELHI: Corps Commanders of India and China have agreed to maintain security and stability in eastern Ladakh and continue working out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest. The 18th round of the India- China Corps Commander-level meeting was held at Chushul-Moldo meeting point on the Chinese side on Sunday. The two sides had a frank and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the relevant issues along the LAC in the western sector so as to restore peace and tranquility in the border areas, which will enable progress in bilateral relations, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Monday. Lieutenant General Rashim Bali, the Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps Commander, led the Indian side in the discussions. The defence of eastern Ladakh is looked after by the Fire and Fury Corps. The Chinese side is led by the South Xinjiang Military District Commander.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The two sides had an exchange of views in an open and candid manner. In the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain the security and stability on the ground in the western sector. The two sides agreed to stay in close contact and maintain dialogue through military and diplomatic channels and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest, said the statement. Meanwhile, Chinese defence minister Li Shangfu is scheduled to be in India for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers meetings in Delhi next week. This will be the first visit of Li Shangfu as he was appointed as Chinas new defence minister in March. The situation along the LAC in eastern Ladakh has been tense since May 2020 as the troops of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army clashed with the Indian Army soldiers at Finger 4 on the Northern Bank of the Pangong Lake. Post the clashes, China has deployed its troops in the areas of North Bank and South Bank of Pangong Tso, Gogra, Hot Spring and Depsang, leading to the months-long standoff. First 5 women officers set to join Artillery regiment The first lot of women officers to be commissioned into an artillery unit will be sent soon to join frontline in the Regiment of Artillery. Five women officers completing training from the Officers Training Academy, Chennai on 29 April will be sent soon to join frontline Artillery regiments as, which is a major combat support arm. A total of 10 women officers will be commissioned in the Regiment of Artillery this year with the first lot of five being commissioned this month end, a source said. The Regiment of Artillery is the second largest arm of the Indian Army with close to 300 units. As of now, the women officers have not been granted permanent commissions into Infantry, Armoured, Artillery and Mechanised Infantry. Shruti Kakkar By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Terming the issue of granting legal recognition to same-sex marriage very complex and having profound social impact, the Centre on Wednesday told the five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court that the issue should be left for Parliament to decide since it is the appropriate forum to conceive several situations which would arise from recognising the same legally. Policy throughout all legislations including Special Marriage Act & Hindu Marriage Act is recognition of marriage as a socio-legal institution between heterosexual couples. Variety of shades to be dealt with, a variety of problems to be encountered and a variety of personal law intermingling. The only solution is to wait for the Parliament to do that, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted before the bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud. Underlining the real question before the court, which is who would take a call on what constitutes a valid marriage and between whom, Mehta said Parliament was aware of the concept of gays and lesbians even while the Special Marriage Act was promulgated in 1954 but there was a conscious omission to not recognise same-sex marriages. Mehta told the bench, also comprising justices S K Kaul, S R Bhat, Hima Kohli and P S Narasimha, that there would be ramifications on several other statutes that would need a debate in the society and also in various state legislatures. Hearing on the matter is underway. OPINION | The jurisprudence of same-sex marriage On the first day of hearing in the matter on April 18, the Centre had told the apex court that its preliminary objection on whether the court can at all go into this question or it would be essentially for the parliament to go into it be heard first. The bench had told Mehta that the nature and tenability of preliminary objection will depend on the canvas the petitioners open up and the court wanted to have a view of their argument. Mehta had said the subject with which the top court is dealing is virtually the creation of a socio-legal relationship of marriage which would be the domain of the competent legislature. "When the subject is in the Concurrent List, we cannot rule out the possibility of one state agreeing to it, another state legislating in favour of it, another state legislating against it. Therefore, in absence of the states being not joined, the petitions would not be maintainable, that is one of my preliminary objections," he had said. Mehta had said the preliminary objection was whether the court can at all go into this question or it would be essentially for the parliament to go into it. On April 18, the bench had made it clear that it will not go into personal laws governing marriages while deciding these pleas and said the very notion of a man and a woman, as referred to in the Special Marriage Act, is not "an absolute based on genitals". The Centre, in one of its affidavits filed in the apex court, termed the petitions a reflection of an "urban elitist" view for the purpose of social acceptance and said the recognition of a marriage is essentially a legislative function that the courts should refrain from adjudicating. READ MORE | Are binary spouses necessary for marriage, asks SC on same-sex marriage On April 19, the Centre had urged the top court that all states and Union Territories be made parties to the proceedings on these pleas, saying any decision on the issue without obtaining their view would render the present "adversarial exercise incomplete and truncated". In a fresh affidavit filed in the apex court, the Centre had said it had issued a letter on April 18 to all the states inviting comments and views on the "seminal issue" raised in these petitions. While hearing the matter on April 25, the bench had said Parliament undisputedly has the legislative power over issues raised in pleas seeking legal sanction for same-sex marriage and pondered over the "interstices" left open for it to exercise its power and to what extent. The bench was faced with several consequential legal questions, such as adoption, succession, intestacy and laws governing pension and gratuity where a once legally-acknowledged spouse is the beneficiary, if it decides to legalise same-sex marriage. (With inputs from PTI) NEW DELHI: Terming the issue of granting legal recognition to same-sex marriage very complex and having profound social impact, the Centre on Wednesday told the five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court that the issue should be left for Parliament to decide since it is the appropriate forum to conceive several situations which would arise from recognising the same legally. Policy throughout all legislations including Special Marriage Act & Hindu Marriage Act is recognition of marriage as a socio-legal institution between heterosexual couples. Variety of shades to be dealt with, a variety of problems to be encountered and a variety of personal law intermingling. The only solution is to wait for the Parliament to do that, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted before the bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud. Underlining the real question before the court, which is who would take a call on what constitutes a valid marriage and between whom, Mehta said Parliament was aware of the concept of gays and lesbians even while the Special Marriage Act was promulgated in 1954 but there was a conscious omission to not recognise same-sex marriages. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Mehta told the bench, also comprising justices S K Kaul, S R Bhat, Hima Kohli and P S Narasimha, that there would be ramifications on several other statutes that would need a debate in the society and also in various state legislatures. Hearing on the matter is underway. OPINION | The jurisprudence of same-sex marriage On the first day of hearing in the matter on April 18, the Centre had told the apex court that its preliminary objection on whether the court can at all go into this question or it would be essentially for the parliament to go into it be heard first. The bench had told Mehta that the nature and tenability of preliminary objection will depend on the canvas the petitioners open up and the court wanted to have a view of their argument. Mehta had said the subject with which the top court is dealing is virtually the creation of a socio-legal relationship of marriage which would be the domain of the competent legislature. "When the subject is in the Concurrent List, we cannot rule out the possibility of one state agreeing to it, another state legislating in favour of it, another state legislating against it. Therefore, in absence of the states being not joined, the petitions would not be maintainable, that is one of my preliminary objections," he had said. Mehta had said the preliminary objection was whether the court can at all go into this question or it would be essentially for the parliament to go into it. On April 18, the bench had made it clear that it will not go into personal laws governing marriages while deciding these pleas and said the very notion of a man and a woman, as referred to in the Special Marriage Act, is not "an absolute based on genitals". The Centre, in one of its affidavits filed in the apex court, termed the petitions a reflection of an "urban elitist" view for the purpose of social acceptance and said the recognition of a marriage is essentially a legislative function that the courts should refrain from adjudicating. READ MORE | Are binary spouses necessary for marriage, asks SC on same-sex marriage On April 19, the Centre had urged the top court that all states and Union Territories be made parties to the proceedings on these pleas, saying any decision on the issue without obtaining their view would render the present "adversarial exercise incomplete and truncated". In a fresh affidavit filed in the apex court, the Centre had said it had issued a letter on April 18 to all the states inviting comments and views on the "seminal issue" raised in these petitions. While hearing the matter on April 25, the bench had said Parliament undisputedly has the legislative power over issues raised in pleas seeking legal sanction for same-sex marriage and pondered over the "interstices" left open for it to exercise its power and to what extent. The bench was faced with several consequential legal questions, such as adoption, succession, intestacy and laws governing pension and gratuity where a once legally-acknowledged spouse is the beneficiary, if it decides to legalise same-sex marriage. (With inputs from PTI) By PTI RAIPUR: When Jagdish Kumar Kovasi and Raju Ram Kartam joined the Chhattisgarh police's District Reserve Guard on March 10 last year, it was the first time someone from their Naxal-hit village had joined the police force. "They wanted to fulfil their dreams of getting a government job and serving the motherland. But the journey was cut shot," said Rakesh Kovasi, cousin of Jagdish. Jagdish (24) and Raju (25) were among the 10 policemen who were killed when Naxals on Wednesday targeted a convoy of security personnel in the Aranpur area of Dantewada district. The driver of the vehicle carrying the cops also died in the attack. Both from Bade Gudra village under Kuakonda police station limits in the district, the two had joined on the same day as 'Gopniya Sainiks' (secret troopers), Rakesh told PTI. Gopniya Sainiks are appointed on a contractual basis by district superintendents of police (SP) or senior officials. A large number of tribal youth and surrendered Naxalites have joined the police force as Gopniya Sainiks in the Bastar division to assist security personnel during anti-Naxal operations and generate intelligence. READ MORE | 'Vehicle blew up in front of me, saw pieces of bodies on road': Eyewitness to Dantewada Naxal attack A pall of gloom has descended on the village as for the first time its two youths had joined the police force but they lost their lives just over a year after working for the department, he said. "On Monday, Jagdish visited the village and met me. We were planning for his marriage next year and looking for a bride for him. He said his job will be regularised next year following which he will get married," the grieving brother said. Jagdish had studied till Class 12 in the village school and was keen on a government job, his cousin said. His and Raju's families live in separate lanes in the village, Rakesh said. "I don't know how the two decided to join the police as anyone who wishes to join the force faces the wrath of Naxalites in the area," he said. Nonetheless, the entire village is grieving the loss of its two sons, he said. "Jagdish was the second among three brothers, while Raju was married and has a child," he said. The relative of another deceased jawan told reporters that the government should seriously think about how to eliminate Naxalism from Bastar. He said the government keeps on claiming that the menace is in its last phase but they continue to carry out such attacks from time to time. ALSO READ | Summer connection to Maoist ambush in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada Ten personnel, belonging to the District Reserve Guard (DRG) of police, and a civilian driver were killed after Naxalites blew up a vehicle that was part of a convoy carrying security personnel in the Aranpur police station area on Wednesday afternoon. Their wreath-laying ceremony was held earlier on Thursday following which the mortal remains were sent to their native places for final rites. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel was among those who paid homage to the martyred policemen. Of the ten DRG personnel, eight were from the Dantewada district, while one each belonged to neighbouring Sukma and Bijapur districts. Some of them had joined DRG after quitting Naxalism. DRG personnel are mostly recruited from the local tribal population and surrendered Naxals in Bastar division. Police said the blast was carried out using an improvised explosive device (IED) containing an estimated 40 kg of explosive material. Visuals from the spot showed a huge crater across the road at the blast site, almost 10-foot-deep. The targeted vehicle was completely destroyed in the blast. RAIPUR: When Jagdish Kumar Kovasi and Raju Ram Kartam joined the Chhattisgarh police's District Reserve Guard on March 10 last year, it was the first time someone from their Naxal-hit village had joined the police force. "They wanted to fulfil their dreams of getting a government job and serving the motherland. But the journey was cut shot," said Rakesh Kovasi, cousin of Jagdish. Jagdish (24) and Raju (25) were among the 10 policemen who were killed when Naxals on Wednesday targeted a convoy of security personnel in the Aranpur area of Dantewada district.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The driver of the vehicle carrying the cops also died in the attack. Both from Bade Gudra village under Kuakonda police station limits in the district, the two had joined on the same day as 'Gopniya Sainiks' (secret troopers), Rakesh told PTI. Gopniya Sainiks are appointed on a contractual basis by district superintendents of police (SP) or senior officials. A large number of tribal youth and surrendered Naxalites have joined the police force as Gopniya Sainiks in the Bastar division to assist security personnel during anti-Naxal operations and generate intelligence. READ MORE | 'Vehicle blew up in front of me, saw pieces of bodies on road': Eyewitness to Dantewada Naxal attack A pall of gloom has descended on the village as for the first time its two youths had joined the police force but they lost their lives just over a year after working for the department, he said. "On Monday, Jagdish visited the village and met me. We were planning for his marriage next year and looking for a bride for him. He said his job will be regularised next year following which he will get married," the grieving brother said. Jagdish had studied till Class 12 in the village school and was keen on a government job, his cousin said. His and Raju's families live in separate lanes in the village, Rakesh said. "I don't know how the two decided to join the police as anyone who wishes to join the force faces the wrath of Naxalites in the area," he said. Nonetheless, the entire village is grieving the loss of its two sons, he said. "Jagdish was the second among three brothers, while Raju was married and has a child," he said. The relative of another deceased jawan told reporters that the government should seriously think about how to eliminate Naxalism from Bastar. He said the government keeps on claiming that the menace is in its last phase but they continue to carry out such attacks from time to time. ALSO READ | Summer connection to Maoist ambush in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada Ten personnel, belonging to the District Reserve Guard (DRG) of police, and a civilian driver were killed after Naxalites blew up a vehicle that was part of a convoy carrying security personnel in the Aranpur police station area on Wednesday afternoon. Their wreath-laying ceremony was held earlier on Thursday following which the mortal remains were sent to their native places for final rites. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel was among those who paid homage to the martyred policemen. Of the ten DRG personnel, eight were from the Dantewada district, while one each belonged to neighbouring Sukma and Bijapur districts. Some of them had joined DRG after quitting Naxalism. DRG personnel are mostly recruited from the local tribal population and surrendered Naxals in Bastar division. Police said the blast was carried out using an improvised explosive device (IED) containing an estimated 40 kg of explosive material. Visuals from the spot showed a huge crater across the road at the blast site, almost 10-foot-deep. The targeted vehicle was completely destroyed in the blast. Ramashankar By Express News Service PATNA: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in Patna high court against the amendment in Bihar Prison Manual 2012 facilitating the release of a criminal-turned-former MP Anand Mohan and 26 others from the state's different jails. The PIL has been filed on behalf of Amar Jyoti, Bihar in charge of Bhim Army's Bharat Ekta Mission. It alleged that the Nitish Kumar government tweaked the state's prison manual to favour life convicts serving sentences for serious crimes. On April 24, the law department issued a notification asking superintendents of jails concerned to initiate the process of releasing convicts on a permanent basis in the wake of the recent decision of the state government. On April 10, an amendment to a certain clause was approved by the state cabinet at its meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Subsequently, it got its nod from the screening committee, which finalised the list of prisoners to be released. On Wednesday Anand surrendered in Saharsa jail after his 15-day parole came to an end. He is serving a sentence in the then Gopalganj district magistrate G Krishnaiah murder case of 1994. Before leaving for Saharsa, Anand told media persons in the state capital that he would reply to questions raised by some political parties over his release once he walks out of the prison permanently. Anand is set to be released on a permanent basis either on Thursday or Friday. The two-term MP from Rajput-dominated Sheohar Lok Sabha seat Anand was quite confident of being released from jail in a day or two. He, however, parried questions on the possibility of joining political parties soon after his release. ALSO READ | Bihar govt gives nod for release of don-turned-politician from jail Let me talk to my workers and supporters on the issue. Then I will let you know, he told the media with folded hands. He was on parole to attend the pre-wedding ceremony of his son Chetan Anand, sitting RJD MLA from Sheohar. Besides Anand, those whose release has been ordered include former JD(U) MLA Awadhesh Mandal, whose wife Bima Bharti is an ex-minister. A senior official of the prison directorate said the formalities were being completed for setting free altogether 27 prisoners, who have either completed 14 years of imprisonment or 20 years. "The order of their release is being dispatched to respective jails for the purpose, a senior official of the state prison directorate said. On April 10, the state government brought about changes in Bihar Prison Manual 2012 to pave the way for the release of 27 prisoners. Anand's release has caused a row among political parties in the state. Lawmakers from BJP alleged that the Bihar government's decision to amend prison rules was 'unconstitutional'. The decision is against the people and Dalit community. It has been taken keeping election in mind, BJP MP Sushil Modi said. He alleged that the 'MY' (Muslim Yadav) combination played a significant role in an amendment of the rules. A host of prisoners hailing from Yadav and Muslim communities figured in the list prepared by the department concerned, he added. However, deputy chief minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav countered it saying, "What is the controversy in it? He has already served his sentence and now is being released legally, he told the media. ALSO READ | Ex-MP Anand Mohan among 27 to be freed after spending more than 14 years in Bihar jails In a statement issued on Tuesday the Indian Civil and Administrative Service (Central) Association, a group of central civil services officers, expressed its dismay over the Bihar government's decision and said that it was tantamount to a denial of justice. The association urged chief minister Nitish Kumar to reconsider the decision. Meanwhile, former IPS officer Amitabh Kumar Das said that he was in touch with a group of lawyers to file a PIL in the Patna high court. The slain 1985-batch IAS officer G Krishnaiah's wife Uma Devi had also expressed her shock over the Bihar government's decision to release the convict serving sentence in her husband's murder case. PATNA: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in Patna high court against the amendment in Bihar Prison Manual 2012 facilitating the release of a criminal-turned-former MP Anand Mohan and 26 others from the state's different jails. The PIL has been filed on behalf of Amar Jyoti, Bihar in charge of Bhim Army's Bharat Ekta Mission. It alleged that the Nitish Kumar government tweaked the state's prison manual to favour life convicts serving sentences for serious crimes.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); On April 24, the law department issued a notification asking superintendents of jails concerned to initiate the process of releasing convicts on a permanent basis in the wake of the recent decision of the state government. On April 10, an amendment to a certain clause was approved by the state cabinet at its meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Subsequently, it got its nod from the screening committee, which finalised the list of prisoners to be released. On Wednesday Anand surrendered in Saharsa jail after his 15-day parole came to an end. He is serving a sentence in the then Gopalganj district magistrate G Krishnaiah murder case of 1994. Before leaving for Saharsa, Anand told media persons in the state capital that he would reply to questions raised by some political parties over his release once he walks out of the prison permanently. Anand is set to be released on a permanent basis either on Thursday or Friday. The two-term MP from Rajput-dominated Sheohar Lok Sabha seat Anand was quite confident of being released from jail in a day or two. He, however, parried questions on the possibility of joining political parties soon after his release. ALSO READ | Bihar govt gives nod for release of don-turned-politician from jail Let me talk to my workers and supporters on the issue. Then I will let you know, he told the media with folded hands. He was on parole to attend the pre-wedding ceremony of his son Chetan Anand, sitting RJD MLA from Sheohar. Besides Anand, those whose release has been ordered include former JD(U) MLA Awadhesh Mandal, whose wife Bima Bharti is an ex-minister. A senior official of the prison directorate said the formalities were being completed for setting free altogether 27 prisoners, who have either completed 14 years of imprisonment or 20 years. "The order of their release is being dispatched to respective jails for the purpose, a senior official of the state prison directorate said. On April 10, the state government brought about changes in Bihar Prison Manual 2012 to pave the way for the release of 27 prisoners. Anand's release has caused a row among political parties in the state. Lawmakers from BJP alleged that the Bihar government's decision to amend prison rules was 'unconstitutional'. The decision is against the people and Dalit community. It has been taken keeping election in mind, BJP MP Sushil Modi said. He alleged that the 'MY' (Muslim Yadav) combination played a significant role in an amendment of the rules. A host of prisoners hailing from Yadav and Muslim communities figured in the list prepared by the department concerned, he added. However, deputy chief minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav countered it saying, "What is the controversy in it? He has already served his sentence and now is being released legally, he told the media. ALSO READ | Ex-MP Anand Mohan among 27 to be freed after spending more than 14 years in Bihar jails In a statement issued on Tuesday the Indian Civil and Administrative Service (Central) Association, a group of central civil services officers, expressed its dismay over the Bihar government's decision and said that it was tantamount to a denial of justice. The association urged chief minister Nitish Kumar to reconsider the decision. Meanwhile, former IPS officer Amitabh Kumar Das said that he was in touch with a group of lawyers to file a PIL in the Patna high court. The slain 1985-batch IAS officer G Krishnaiah's wife Uma Devi had also expressed her shock over the Bihar government's decision to release the convict serving sentence in her husband's murder case. Ramashankar By Express News Service PATNA: Bihar's infamous gangster-turned-politician and former MP Anand Mohan was set free from Bihar's Saharsa divisional jail on Thursday, a day after a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in Patna high court against the government's decision to release him along with 26 others from jail. Sources said that the order for release of Anand Mohan, convicted in the murder case of the then Gopalganj district magistrate G Krishnaiah, reached the Saharsa jail on Wednesday. Accordingly, he was set free next morning. Hundreds of Anand's supporters had assembled outside the main gate of Saharsa jail to receive their popular leader. However, he came out through the back door and was allowed to move in a luxury car. He was released around 4. 30 am for security reasons. We had inputs about assemblage of a large number of supporters to receive him, said an official of the divisional jail. ALSO READ | Dalit outfit moves Patna HC against release of murder accused ex-MP Anand in Bihar Anand had returned to jail on Wednesday after his 15-day parole came to an end. His release has created a controversy as rules were tweaked by the government for the purpose. Besides him, 26 other convicts have also been set free. ALSO READ | Crack in Bihar's Mahagathbandhan over release of Anand Mohan On Wednesday, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in Patna high court against government's decision to release the convicts serving life sentence. The PIL was filed on behalf of Amar Jyoti, Bihar in-charge of Bhim Army's Bharat Ekta Mission. ALSO READ | Ex-MP Anand Mohan among 27 to be freed after spending more than 14 years in Bihar jails It alleged that the Nitish Kumar government tweaked state's prison manual to favour life convicts serving sentence for serious crimes. On April 24, law department issued a notification asking superintendents of jails concerned to initiate process of release convicts on permanent basis in the wake of recent decision of state government. PATNA: Bihar's infamous gangster-turned-politician and former MP Anand Mohan was set free from Bihar's Saharsa divisional jail on Thursday, a day after a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in Patna high court against the government's decision to release him along with 26 others from jail. Sources said that the order for release of Anand Mohan, convicted in the murder case of the then Gopalganj district magistrate G Krishnaiah, reached the Saharsa jail on Wednesday. Accordingly, he was set free next morning. Hundreds of Anand's supporters had assembled outside the main gate of Saharsa jail to receive their popular leader. However, he came out through the back door and was allowed to move in a luxury car.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); He was released around 4. 30 am for security reasons. We had inputs about assemblage of a large number of supporters to receive him, said an official of the divisional jail. ALSO READ | Dalit outfit moves Patna HC against release of murder accused ex-MP Anand in Bihar Anand had returned to jail on Wednesday after his 15-day parole came to an end. His release has created a controversy as rules were tweaked by the government for the purpose. Besides him, 26 other convicts have also been set free. ALSO READ | Crack in Bihar's Mahagathbandhan over release of Anand Mohan On Wednesday, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in Patna high court against government's decision to release the convicts serving life sentence. The PIL was filed on behalf of Amar Jyoti, Bihar in-charge of Bhim Army's Bharat Ekta Mission. ALSO READ | Ex-MP Anand Mohan among 27 to be freed after spending more than 14 years in Bihar jails It alleged that the Nitish Kumar government tweaked state's prison manual to favour life convicts serving sentence for serious crimes. On April 24, law department issued a notification asking superintendents of jails concerned to initiate process of release convicts on permanent basis in the wake of recent decision of state government. By PTI NEW DELHI: Flight Lieutenant Har Raj Kaur Boparai, IAF's first and only woman pilot of the heavy-lift transport aircraft C-17 Globemaster, has taken part in Operation Kaveri, India's complex mission to bring back its citizens safely from the strife-torn Sudan, official sources said on Thursday. The C-17 Globemaster is the largest aircraft asset of the Indian Air Force. "Flt Lt Har Raj Kaur Boparai is a C-17 pilot. She took part in Operation Kaveri. The giant aircraft was flown from Hindon Air Base in Ghaziabad to Jeddah and from Jeddah it flew to Mumbai carrying the evacuees," an official source said. The aircraft landed in Mumbai on Thursday, he said. WATCH | 'Survived without water & food, witnessed explosion': Indian traveller narrates ordeal in Sudan "Flt Lt H R K Boparai is the first and only woman officer of the IAF who's flown the C-17. She is the only woman officer in the aircraft's squadron," the source said. The squadron is based at the Hindon Air Force Station. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar shared images of the evacuees after they landed in Mumbai. ALSO READ | Malayali man not allowed to take pregnant Sudanese wife along with him to India "Another #OperationKaveri flight comes to Mumbai. 246 more Indians come back to the motherland," he tweeted. Another #OperationKaveri flight comes to Mumbai. 246 more Indians come back to the motherland. pic.twitter.com/So7dlKO0z6 Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) April 27, 2023 The total number of Indians brought home from Sudan so far stands at 606. India is looking to rescue more of its citizens from the strife-torn African nation before the end of a tenuous ceasefire agreement between the regular army and a paramilitary force. "Our efforts to swiftly send Indians back home from Jeddah is paying. 246 Indians will be in Mumbai soon, travelling by IAF C17 Globemaster. Happy to see them off at Jeddah airport. #OperationKaveri," Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan tweeted in earlier Thursday. Our efforts to swiftly send Indians back home from Jeddah is paying. 246 Indians will be in Mumbai soon, travelling by IAF C17 Globemaster. Happy to see them off at Jeddah airport.#OperationKaveri. pic.twitter.com/vw3LpbbzGw V. Muraleedharan (@MOS_MEA) April 27, 2023 EXPLAINER | Why Sudan's conflict matters to the rest of the world? NEW DELHI: Flight Lieutenant Har Raj Kaur Boparai, IAF's first and only woman pilot of the heavy-lift transport aircraft C-17 Globemaster, has taken part in Operation Kaveri, India's complex mission to bring back its citizens safely from the strife-torn Sudan, official sources said on Thursday. The C-17 Globemaster is the largest aircraft asset of the Indian Air Force. "Flt Lt Har Raj Kaur Boparai is a C-17 pilot. She took part in Operation Kaveri. The giant aircraft was flown from Hindon Air Base in Ghaziabad to Jeddah and from Jeddah it flew to Mumbai carrying the evacuees," an official source said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The aircraft landed in Mumbai on Thursday, he said. WATCH | 'Survived without water & food, witnessed explosion': Indian traveller narrates ordeal in Sudan "Flt Lt H R K Boparai is the first and only woman officer of the IAF who's flown the C-17. She is the only woman officer in the aircraft's squadron," the source said. The squadron is based at the Hindon Air Force Station. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar shared images of the evacuees after they landed in Mumbai. ALSO READ | Malayali man not allowed to take pregnant Sudanese wife along with him to India "Another #OperationKaveri flight comes to Mumbai. 246 more Indians come back to the motherland," he tweeted. Another #OperationKaveri flight comes to Mumbai. 246 more Indians come back to the motherland. pic.twitter.com/So7dlKO0z6 Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) April 27, 2023 The total number of Indians brought home from Sudan so far stands at 606. India is looking to rescue more of its citizens from the strife-torn African nation before the end of a tenuous ceasefire agreement between the regular army and a paramilitary force. "Our efforts to swiftly send Indians back home from Jeddah is paying. 246 Indians will be in Mumbai soon, travelling by IAF C17 Globemaster. Happy to see them off at Jeddah airport. #OperationKaveri," Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan tweeted in earlier Thursday. Our efforts to swiftly send Indians back home from Jeddah is paying. 246 Indians will be in Mumbai soon, travelling by IAF C17 Globemaster. Happy to see them off at Jeddah airport.#OperationKaveri. pic.twitter.com/vw3LpbbzGw V. Muraleedharan (@MOS_MEA) April 27, 2023 EXPLAINER | Why Sudan's conflict matters to the rest of the world? By PTI BADAL: Akali stalwart Parkash Singh Badal was cremated with full state honours at his ancestral village in Punjab's Muktsar district on Thursday with thousands of mourners and leaders across the political spectrum paying their last respects to the five-time chief minister. SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal lit the funeral pyre at a special platform erected for the last rites. Badal's mortal remains were taken to the family's farmland, around a kilometre from his residence, on a flower-decked tractor-trolley with his son Sukhbir Singh Badal and other family members standing with folded hands as the vehicle moved past the mourners on the route. Overcome by emotions, Sukhbir Badal and his sister Parneet Kaur Kairon broke down before the body was consigned to flames. Badal died at a private hospital in Mohali on Tuesday, nine days after being admitted there with breathing problems. People from all walks of life including politicians and religious leaders turned up at the village to pay tribute to the leader whose political career began seven decades ago when he became the sarpanch of Badal panchayat. BJP president J P Nadda, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and National Conference's Omar Abdullah visited Badal village to pay their last respects. Paid homage to Shri Parkash Singh Badal Ji. His passing away is a personal loss to me and is truly the end of an era. He was a statesman who spent his entire life for the cause of peace, harmony, and welfare of the poor. He leaves behind an inspiring legacy for leaders of today. pic.twitter.com/liY2X4qwE8 Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) April 27, 2023 Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann were also among the mourners. Heavy security arrangements were made in the village in view of the visits by the political leaders. Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, senior BJP leader Tarun Chugh, Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, and former union minister Praful Patel also paid homage to the former chief minister. Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Congress leader Deepender Hooda, Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma, Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and former Punjab minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa also attended the last rites. In the morning, the mortal remains were kept for the last 'darshan' at his residence. People in huge numbers queued up there to pay tribute and express grief. Sukhbir Badal and his wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal could be seen in tears as people visited their residence and offered them condolences. Their two daughters and a son also stood beside the mortal remains. Attended the last rites of S. Parkash Singh Badal ji at Badal village today. Prayed to Waheguru ji to rest the departed soul in peace and grant strength to the bereaved family members @officeofssbadal to bear the pain of the irreparable loss. pic.twitter.com/EcZd9dEUwE Amarinder Singh Raja Warring (@RajaBrar_INC) April 27, 2023 Former finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Parkash Singh Badal's estranged nephew and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia were also present among other leaders. The grand old man of Punjab politics first became chief minister in 1970, heading a coalition government that did not complete its term. He served as chief minister in 1977-80, 1997-2002, 2007-12 and 2012-2017. He became MLA 11 times, losing an election for the state assembly only twice. In 1977, he joined Morarji Desai's government briefly as the Agriculture minister at the Centre. In 2008, Badal handed over the reins of the SAD, which he had headed from 1995, to son Sukhbir Singh Badal, who also became the deputy chief minister under him. Born on December 8, 1927, in Abul Khurana near Malout, Badal graduated from Forman Christian College in Lahore. He entered the state assembly from Malout in 1957 as the Congress nominee. In 1969, he won the Gidderbaha assembly seat on the SAD ticket. Badal's wife Surinder Kaur Badal died of cancer in 2011. They had two children - Sukhbir Singh Badal, the heir to his political legacy, and Parneet Kaur, who is married to former minister Adesh Pratap Singh Kairon. SAD chief Sukhbir Badal's wife is Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal. BADAL: Akali stalwart Parkash Singh Badal was cremated with full state honours at his ancestral village in Punjab's Muktsar district on Thursday with thousands of mourners and leaders across the political spectrum paying their last respects to the five-time chief minister. SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal lit the funeral pyre at a special platform erected for the last rites. Badal's mortal remains were taken to the family's farmland, around a kilometre from his residence, on a flower-decked tractor-trolley with his son Sukhbir Singh Badal and other family members standing with folded hands as the vehicle moved past the mourners on the route.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Overcome by emotions, Sukhbir Badal and his sister Parneet Kaur Kairon broke down before the body was consigned to flames. Badal died at a private hospital in Mohali on Tuesday, nine days after being admitted there with breathing problems. People from all walks of life including politicians and religious leaders turned up at the village to pay tribute to the leader whose political career began seven decades ago when he became the sarpanch of Badal panchayat. BJP president J P Nadda, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and National Conference's Omar Abdullah visited Badal village to pay their last respects. Paid homage to Shri Parkash Singh Badal Ji. His passing away is a personal loss to me and is truly the end of an era. He was a statesman who spent his entire life for the cause of peace, harmony, and welfare of the poor. He leaves behind an inspiring legacy for leaders of today. pic.twitter.com/liY2X4qwE8 Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) April 27, 2023 Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann were also among the mourners. Heavy security arrangements were made in the village in view of the visits by the political leaders. Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, senior BJP leader Tarun Chugh, Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, and former union minister Praful Patel also paid homage to the former chief minister. Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Congress leader Deepender Hooda, Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma, Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and former Punjab minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa also attended the last rites. In the morning, the mortal remains were kept for the last 'darshan' at his residence. People in huge numbers queued up there to pay tribute and express grief. Sukhbir Badal and his wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal could be seen in tears as people visited their residence and offered them condolences. Their two daughters and a son also stood beside the mortal remains. Attended the last rites of S. Parkash Singh Badal ji at Badal village today. Prayed to Waheguru ji to rest the departed soul in peace and grant strength to the bereaved family members @officeofssbadal to bear the pain of the irreparable loss. pic.twitter.com/EcZd9dEUwE Amarinder Singh Raja Warring (@RajaBrar_INC) April 27, 2023 Former finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Parkash Singh Badal's estranged nephew and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia were also present among other leaders. The grand old man of Punjab politics first became chief minister in 1970, heading a coalition government that did not complete its term. He served as chief minister in 1977-80, 1997-2002, 2007-12 and 2012-2017. He became MLA 11 times, losing an election for the state assembly only twice. In 1977, he joined Morarji Desai's government briefly as the Agriculture minister at the Centre. In 2008, Badal handed over the reins of the SAD, which he had headed from 1995, to son Sukhbir Singh Badal, who also became the deputy chief minister under him. Born on December 8, 1927, in Abul Khurana near Malout, Badal graduated from Forman Christian College in Lahore. He entered the state assembly from Malout in 1957 as the Congress nominee. In 1969, he won the Gidderbaha assembly seat on the SAD ticket. Badal's wife Surinder Kaur Badal died of cancer in 2011. They had two children - Sukhbir Singh Badal, the heir to his political legacy, and Parneet Kaur, who is married to former minister Adesh Pratap Singh Kairon. SAD chief Sukhbir Badal's wife is Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal. Yeshi Seli By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Sydney on May 24 to attend the Quad Leaders Summit. The PM will join US President Joe Biden and his counterparts from Australia and Japan at the summit that is expected to focus on implications of the Ukraine conflict and the overall situation in the Indo-Pacific. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese earlier on Wednesday announced that they would be hosting the next Quad Leaders Summit in Sydney. This will be the first Quad Summit in Australia and the third in-person Summit. This will be an opportunity for Australia to help shape the region we all want to live in, said PM Albanese. Thank you PM Albanese for hosting the Quad Summit in Sydney that will bolster our efforts to ensure a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific. I look forward to my visit and discussions on strengthening Quad collaboration across domains to advance our positive agenda, said Modi. Before travelling to Australia, the PM is likely to visit the Japanese city of Hiroshima to attend the annual summit of the Group of Seven advanced economies which is scheduled to take place from May 19 to 21. During his visit to India last month, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had invited Modi for the G7 summit. The hosting of the Quad Leaders Summit will be in Sydney Opera House Australias most recognisable building. It will be an opportunity to work in coordination with the US, India and Japan. It will be an enormous opportunity to showcase this beautiful city to the entire world, PM Albanese added. The Quad is a diplomatic partnership of four countries committed to promoting stability, resilience and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. Australia, India, Japan and the United States share a vision for a region that is governed by accepted rules and norms, where we all can cooperate, trade and thrive. Together, Quad partners are taking practical action to address shared regional challenges, including improving regional health security, advancing critical and emerging technologies, strengthening connectivity, enhancing clean energy innovation and boosting supply chain resilience. This year Quad partners are playing a strong leadership role in the Indo-Pacific through hosting the G20 (India), G7 (Japan), and APEC (US). In Sydney, Quad Leaders will discuss how the Quad can work alongside partners and regional groupings, foremost ASEAN and the Pacific Islands Forum, to strengthen our cooperation and shape the region we all want to live in. Quad partners crucial for Indo-Pacific This year Quad partners are playing a strong leadership role in the Indo-Pacific through hosting the G20 (India), G7 (Japan), and APEC (US). Quad partners are deeply invested in the success of the Indo-Pacific. Leveraging our collective strengths helps Australia advance its interests and more effectively respond to the regions needs. We are always better off when we act together with our close friends and partners, PM Albanese said. NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Sydney on May 24 to attend the Quad Leaders Summit. The PM will join US President Joe Biden and his counterparts from Australia and Japan at the summit that is expected to focus on implications of the Ukraine conflict and the overall situation in the Indo-Pacific. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese earlier on Wednesday announced that they would be hosting the next Quad Leaders Summit in Sydney. This will be the first Quad Summit in Australia and the third in-person Summit. This will be an opportunity for Australia to help shape the region we all want to live in, said PM Albanese. Thank you PM Albanese for hosting the Quad Summit in Sydney that will bolster our efforts to ensure a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific. I look forward to my visit and discussions on strengthening Quad collaboration across domains to advance our positive agenda, said Modi. Before travelling to Australia, the PM is likely to visit the Japanese city of Hiroshima to attend the annual summit of the Group of Seven advanced economies which is scheduled to take place from May 19 to 21. During his visit to India last month, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had invited Modi for the G7 summit.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The hosting of the Quad Leaders Summit will be in Sydney Opera House Australias most recognisable building. It will be an opportunity to work in coordination with the US, India and Japan. It will be an enormous opportunity to showcase this beautiful city to the entire world, PM Albanese added. The Quad is a diplomatic partnership of four countries committed to promoting stability, resilience and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. Australia, India, Japan and the United States share a vision for a region that is governed by accepted rules and norms, where we all can cooperate, trade and thrive. Together, Quad partners are taking practical action to address shared regional challenges, including improving regional health security, advancing critical and emerging technologies, strengthening connectivity, enhancing clean energy innovation and boosting supply chain resilience. This year Quad partners are playing a strong leadership role in the Indo-Pacific through hosting the G20 (India), G7 (Japan), and APEC (US). In Sydney, Quad Leaders will discuss how the Quad can work alongside partners and regional groupings, foremost ASEAN and the Pacific Islands Forum, to strengthen our cooperation and shape the region we all want to live in. Quad partners crucial for Indo-Pacific This year Quad partners are playing a strong leadership role in the Indo-Pacific through hosting the G20 (India), G7 (Japan), and APEC (US). Quad partners are deeply invested in the success of the Indo-Pacific. Leveraging our collective strengths helps Australia advance its interests and more effectively respond to the regions needs. We are always better off when we act together with our close friends and partners, PM Albanese said. Mayank Singh By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh conveyed to China's Defence Minister General Li Shangfu on Thursday that the violation of pacts has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and all issues between the two countries need to be resolved in accordance with existing agreements. The bilateral meeting is the first between the two Defence Ministers since the May 2020 standoff in Eastern Ladakh. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) in a statement said, The Defence Minister categorically conveyed that development of relations between India and China is premised on prevalence of peace and tranquility at the borders. All issues at the LAC need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and commitments, Rajnath added. The Defence Minister reiterated that violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation, said the MoD, adding that the two ministers had frank discussions about developments on the India-China border as well as bilateral relations. India and China mobilized their armed forces in Eastern Ladakh in May 2020 which began with a clash between the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army troops and Indian Army soldiers at Finger 4 on the Northern Bank of the Pangong Lake. ALSO READ | Disengagement, de-escalation in Eastern Ladakh best way forward: Defence Minister Rajnath Subsequently, the PLA had stationed its troops at multiple points along Eastern Ladakh reacting to which the Indian Army had a mirror deployment in the area leading to stand-off. Later, after 17 rounds of talks between the Corps Commanders of the two sides there has been disengagement at multiple points excluding those at Depsang and Demchok. There was no further breakthrough in the 18th Corps Commanders talk held on April 23. Tensions along the 3,488 km long Line of Actual Control prevail with clashes also taking place at Yangtze in Arunachal Pradesh in December 2022. The Chinese Defence Minister is in Delhi to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' Meeting on April 28. Rajnath also had a bilateral meeting with the Defence Minister of Iran ahead of the SCO Defence Ministers' meeting. Regarding the bilateral meeting with Iran's Defence Minister Brigadier General Mohammed Reza Gharaei Ashtiyani on Thursday, the MoD said, "The meeting took place in a cordial and warm atmosphere. Both the leaders emphasised the age-old cultural, linguistic and civilizational ties between the two countries, including people-to-people connect." Both the ministers reviewed the bilateral defence cooperation and exchanged views on regional security issues, including peace and stability in Afghanistan. Further, the two ministers discussed the development of the International North South Transport corridor to ease logistic problems to Afghanistan and other countries in Central Asia," said the MoD. Rajnath also held separate bilateral meetings with Minister of Defence of Kazakhstan Colonel General Ruslan Zhaxylykov and Minister of Defence of Tajikistan Colonel General Sherali Mirzo on Thursday. As per the MoD, The entire spectrum of defence cooperation with the two countries was reviewed during the meetings, with focus on identifying avenues to expand mutually beneficial collaboration. Issues of mutual interest were also discussed. NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh conveyed to China's Defence Minister General Li Shangfu on Thursday that the violation of pacts has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and all issues between the two countries need to be resolved in accordance with existing agreements. The bilateral meeting is the first between the two Defence Ministers since the May 2020 standoff in Eastern Ladakh. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) in a statement said, The Defence Minister categorically conveyed that development of relations between India and China is premised on prevalence of peace and tranquility at the borders.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); All issues at the LAC need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and commitments, Rajnath added. The Defence Minister reiterated that violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation, said the MoD, adding that the two ministers had frank discussions about developments on the India-China border as well as bilateral relations. India and China mobilized their armed forces in Eastern Ladakh in May 2020 which began with a clash between the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army troops and Indian Army soldiers at Finger 4 on the Northern Bank of the Pangong Lake. ALSO READ | Disengagement, de-escalation in Eastern Ladakh best way forward: Defence Minister Rajnath Subsequently, the PLA had stationed its troops at multiple points along Eastern Ladakh reacting to which the Indian Army had a mirror deployment in the area leading to stand-off. Later, after 17 rounds of talks between the Corps Commanders of the two sides there has been disengagement at multiple points excluding those at Depsang and Demchok. There was no further breakthrough in the 18th Corps Commanders talk held on April 23. Tensions along the 3,488 km long Line of Actual Control prevail with clashes also taking place at Yangtze in Arunachal Pradesh in December 2022. The Chinese Defence Minister is in Delhi to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' Meeting on April 28. Rajnath also had a bilateral meeting with the Defence Minister of Iran ahead of the SCO Defence Ministers' meeting. Regarding the bilateral meeting with Iran's Defence Minister Brigadier General Mohammed Reza Gharaei Ashtiyani on Thursday, the MoD said, "The meeting took place in a cordial and warm atmosphere. Both the leaders emphasised the age-old cultural, linguistic and civilizational ties between the two countries, including people-to-people connect." Both the ministers reviewed the bilateral defence cooperation and exchanged views on regional security issues, including peace and stability in Afghanistan. Further, the two ministers discussed the development of the International North South Transport corridor to ease logistic problems to Afghanistan and other countries in Central Asia," said the MoD. Rajnath also held separate bilateral meetings with Minister of Defence of Kazakhstan Colonel General Ruslan Zhaxylykov and Minister of Defence of Tajikistan Colonel General Sherali Mirzo on Thursday. As per the MoD, The entire spectrum of defence cooperation with the two countries was reviewed during the meetings, with focus on identifying avenues to expand mutually beneficial collaboration. Issues of mutual interest were also discussed. By Express News Service GUWAHATI: Union home minister Amit Shah claimed Assam no longer has any tribal armed group after a tripartite agreement was signed among militant group Dimasa National Liberation Army (DNLA), the Assam government and Centre on Thursday. It was signed in New Delhi in the presence of Shah, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, and leaders of the extremist group among others. Assams all tribal armed groups are now in the mainstream. They have joined the process of development of India. The DNLA came forward to sign the agreement to end violence and ensure the welfare of Dimasa people, Shah said after the signing of the pact. Prime Minister Narendra Modiji had imagined a terror and violence-free and development-oriented Northeast. I am happy that Assam now doesnt have any tribal armed group, the home minister said. It was agreed that all members of the DNLA would deposit their weapons to the Assam government and disband the group. More than 168 cadres joined the mainstream today, Shah said. He said the Assam government would constitute the Dimasa Development Parishad which would work to fulfil the political, economic and educational aspirations of the Dimasas living outside the Dima Hasao Autonomous Council areas and protect their culture and language. The agreement has a provision for the appointment of a commission to include villages outside the council. It will explore the possibilities, Shah said. He said the Centre and Assam government would work for the rehabilitation of the DNLA cadres. As a special development package, Assam government and Centre will give Rs 500 crore each for the overall development of areas falling under the council, the home minister said. Sarma described it as a red letter day for Assam. From today onwards, there will be no tribal militant outfit in Assam. All of them have come overground and joined the mainstream, he said, adding, the rebels deposited some arms before the peace pact and they would surrender the remaining others soon. The DNLA was active in the hill districts of Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong. Earlier this month, it had announced the extension of its unilateral ceasefire, declared in September 2021 in response to Sarmas call, by six months. The outfit was formed in April 2019 to secure sovereignty for the Dimasas. GUWAHATI: Union home minister Amit Shah claimed Assam no longer has any tribal armed group after a tripartite agreement was signed among militant group Dimasa National Liberation Army (DNLA), the Assam government and Centre on Thursday. It was signed in New Delhi in the presence of Shah, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, and leaders of the extremist group among others. Assams all tribal armed groups are now in the mainstream. They have joined the process of development of India. The DNLA came forward to sign the agreement to end violence and ensure the welfare of Dimasa people, Shah said after the signing of the pact.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Prime Minister Narendra Modiji had imagined a terror and violence-free and development-oriented Northeast. I am happy that Assam now doesnt have any tribal armed group, the home minister said. It was agreed that all members of the DNLA would deposit their weapons to the Assam government and disband the group. More than 168 cadres joined the mainstream today, Shah said. He said the Assam government would constitute the Dimasa Development Parishad which would work to fulfil the political, economic and educational aspirations of the Dimasas living outside the Dima Hasao Autonomous Council areas and protect their culture and language. The agreement has a provision for the appointment of a commission to include villages outside the council. It will explore the possibilities, Shah said. He said the Centre and Assam government would work for the rehabilitation of the DNLA cadres. As a special development package, Assam government and Centre will give Rs 500 crore each for the overall development of areas falling under the council, the home minister said. Sarma described it as a red letter day for Assam. From today onwards, there will be no tribal militant outfit in Assam. All of them have come overground and joined the mainstream, he said, adding, the rebels deposited some arms before the peace pact and they would surrender the remaining others soon. The DNLA was active in the hill districts of Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong. Earlier this month, it had announced the extension of its unilateral ceasefire, declared in September 2021 in response to Sarmas call, by six months. The outfit was formed in April 2019 to secure sovereignty for the Dimasas. A national animal exploitation watchdog group filed a federal research misconduct complaint this week against University of Wyoming staff after the institution called for the retraction of at least 33 papers by a former research professor. Last year, the university recommended the retraction of several papers by former professor Jun Ren following an investigation that found data irregularities inconsistent with published conclusions in his research. Several has been confirmed to be at least 33, Stop Animal Exploitation Now said in a statement. Stop Animal Exploitation Now, which investigates animal abuse and illegal activities at U.S. research facilities, is alleging these data irregularities meet the federal definition of research misconduct. The nonprofit group called for a full federal probe in a complaint sent to the Office of Research Integrity under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The sheep and mice who died for these fraudulent experiments, whose hearts were literally cut out, died to produce falsified data, co-founder Michael A. Budkie said in the statement. The Office of Research Integrity should throw the book at Jun Ren and his colleagues who were involved in this Research Misconduct. Ren made Clarivate Analytics list of the worlds most highly cited researchers before having multiple scientific papers retracted and leaving the university sometime during the 2019-2020 academic year. The Office of Research Integritys official definition of falsification includes manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record," the statement said. UW noted evidence of data irregularities and image reuse that significantly affected the results and conclusions reported in the manuscript, the statement said. According to the UW retraction notice, there have been recent institutional findings of research misconduct against a former employee, Dr. Jun Ren, the statement said. At least one of the retracted studies lists Ren as collaborating with a facility in China. He may now be affiliated with a different facility in China since leaving the university the Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases at Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University, the statement said. SAEN is asking for the federal office to investigate all of the UW authors associated with the retracted papers and for a response to the complaint within five days. This is a huge case of Research Misconduct/Fraud, and it must be dealt with swiftly, the complaint states. The University of Wyoming did not respond to two requests for comment on Wednesday. Chad Baldwin, a spokesperson for the university, provided a statement distributed last year regarding the retractions of Rens work. "Ren has been found guilty of research misconduct by UW in 2015 and 2021 in two separate investigations. In an effort to correct the literature, 4 retractions have been requested based on findings of research misconduct," the statement said. K P Nayar By Joe Bidens decision to seek the presidency of the United States of America for a second time can only be explained, ironically, by a quote from one of Americas greatest enemies, Karl Marx, the fountainhead of Communism. History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce, Marx wrote in 1851 in an adaptation of a similar quote by German philosopher Georg Hegel. The famous saying will come true next year if Bidens presidential rematch is with his predecessor, Donald Trump, which seems likely as of now. Biden rehabilitated America to a large extent in the minds and eyes of his people during his time in office and partially restored the US standing in the world that Trump severely damaged. Yet, the fight for the White House in 2020 brought immense tragedy in its wake: the unprecedented insurrection on Capitol Hill during the certification of the election will forever remain a blot on American democracy. Hallowed institutions were damaged in the build-up to the poll, during the campaign and in its aftermath, even as many freedoms were compromised in what is known as the Land of the Free. Despite the tragedies, Bidens victory over Trump was historic. But if that history is to repeat itself in the 2024 campaign, it will end up as a farce. Four days before Biden formally announced his candidacy this week, the Associated Press polled what sample voters thought about history repeating itself from 2020. A mere 4% surveyed by AP want a rematch between the victor and the vanquished in the last presidential election. Nearly half the voters47%wish neither Biden nor Trump would seek re-election. Additionally, nearly a quarter of voters23%do not want Trump to be in the final race. Marginally more electors26%want Biden out of the next contest for the highest office of the land, in addition to the 47%. If Trump is the Republican candidate next year, Democrats will see that the election is about Trump, not their current president. In that case, Biden may be re-elected despite his poor popularity now. The latest NBC News poll puts Bidens approval ratings at figures tailor-made for his defeat. His overall approval rating is only 41%. On the most important issue for voters, the economy, the incumbent president scores only 38%. Yet, to prevent Trump from reclaiming the White House, the bulk of independents, Republican women who want restoration of their abortion rights, many moderate Republicans and undecided voters will cast their ballots for re-electing Biden. In recent memory, only once have voters decisively cast their votes to prevent the other candidate from winning. That was in 1964 when Americans inflicted a crushing defeat on Republican Barry Goldwater, who is now credited with fathering modern-day conservatism in the US. It was not a popular idea then. Lyndon Johnson was re-elected president in a landslide. Goldwater could win only six of the 50 US states. His tally of electoral votes was an abysmal 52 compared to Johnsons 486. Like now, only 270 electoral votes were needed to be president then too. In a presumptive election between Biden and Trump today, everything points to a Biden victory. This may yet change in the next 18 months, though. But it is not certain at this point. In a Wall Street Journal poll held this month among voters who dislike both candidates, a whopping majority of 54% will choose the incumbent president over his predecessor if such a choice becomes inevitable. A mere 15% of such voters will choose Trump. The recent indictment of Trump in a New York City Court has mobilised the Republican base in his support. A huge majority of the Grand Old Partys (GOP) voters believe the case is politically motivated and without merit. For most of them, the criminal charges against the former president make no difference. According to multiple opinion surveys, many of them are more likely to vote for Trump because they think he is being persecuted. But this is also Trumps problem. In a presumed match against Biden, Trump cannot win over voters who would otherwise have voted against Biden. If Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is the GOP candidate, manynot allvoters unhappy with Biden would opt for DeSantis. Generally speaking, if Republicans recognise this and dump Trump in favour of another leader from their party, Biden will become highly vulnerable and could well end up as a one-term president. Like Trump in January 2021. The mid-term Congressional elections last year, in which Republicans fared poorly, has lessons for the GOP. But in an emotionally charged atmosphere, which Trump is further trying to inflame, those lessons may be lost on the partys most faithful. That is what Biden is hoping for. What does all this mean for India-US relations? Modi is to go to Washington on a state visit in the second half of June, only the third from India. Biden will be in New Delhi in the beginning of September for the Group of Twenty summit. These are important engagements, and their substance will be conditioned by assessments in South Blockseats of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Prime Ministers Officeabout the US election outcome. India has heavily invested in Biden. It is not a superficial and telegenic engagement like with Trump, which was meant to please the mercurial and unpredictable president, but with little substance in retrospect. Modi and Biden have had more than 20 interactionsface-to-face, virtual and phone conversationsin the last 28 months since Biden moved into the White House. Apart from meetings, the scale, speed and spread of the bilateral outreaches going beyond the two governments and covering industry, think tanks and academia point to a need to build on them. A return by Trump to the White House will mean much of these efforts would have been wasted, given his style and temperament. Milestone industry deals such as the Tata-Boeing agreement will, of course, stay. But reorienting the structure of relations with Trumps imprint will mean much will be lost and will take time to rebuild. K P Nayar Strategic Analyst (kpnayar@gmail.com) Joe Bidens decision to seek the presidency of the United States of America for a second time can only be explained, ironically, by a quote from one of Americas greatest enemies, Karl Marx, the fountainhead of Communism. History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce, Marx wrote in 1851 in an adaptation of a similar quote by German philosopher Georg Hegel. The famous saying will come true next year if Bidens presidential rematch is with his predecessor, Donald Trump, which seems likely as of now. Biden rehabilitated America to a large extent in the minds and eyes of his people during his time in office and partially restored the US standing in the world that Trump severely damaged. Yet, the fight for the White House in 2020 brought immense tragedy in its wake: the unprecedented insurrection on Capitol Hill during the certification of the election will forever remain a blot on American democracy. Hallowed institutions were damaged in the build-up to the poll, during the campaign and in its aftermath, even as many freedoms were compromised in what is known as the Land of the Free. Despite the tragedies, Bidens victory over Trump was historic. But if that history is to repeat itself in the 2024 campaign, it will end up as a farce. Four days before Biden formally announced his candidacy this week, the Associated Press polled what sample voters thought about history repeating itself from 2020. A mere 4% surveyed by AP want a rematch between the victor and the vanquished in the last presidential election. Nearly half the voters47%wish neither Biden nor Trump would seek re-election. Additionally, nearly a quarter of voters23%do not want Trump to be in the final race. Marginally more electors26%want Biden out of the next contest for the highest office of the land, in addition to the 47%. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); If Trump is the Republican candidate next year, Democrats will see that the election is about Trump, not their current president. In that case, Biden may be re-elected despite his poor popularity now. The latest NBC News poll puts Bidens approval ratings at figures tailor-made for his defeat. His overall approval rating is only 41%. On the most important issue for voters, the economy, the incumbent president scores only 38%. Yet, to prevent Trump from reclaiming the White House, the bulk of independents, Republican women who want restoration of their abortion rights, many moderate Republicans and undecided voters will cast their ballots for re-electing Biden. In recent memory, only once have voters decisively cast their votes to prevent the other candidate from winning. That was in 1964 when Americans inflicted a crushing defeat on Republican Barry Goldwater, who is now credited with fathering modern-day conservatism in the US. It was not a popular idea then. Lyndon Johnson was re-elected president in a landslide. Goldwater could win only six of the 50 US states. His tally of electoral votes was an abysmal 52 compared to Johnsons 486. Like now, only 270 electoral votes were needed to be president then too. In a presumptive election between Biden and Trump today, everything points to a Biden victory. This may yet change in the next 18 months, though. But it is not certain at this point. In a Wall Street Journal poll held this month among voters who dislike both candidates, a whopping majority of 54% will choose the incumbent president over his predecessor if such a choice becomes inevitable. A mere 15% of such voters will choose Trump. The recent indictment of Trump in a New York City Court has mobilised the Republican base in his support. A huge majority of the Grand Old Partys (GOP) voters believe the case is politically motivated and without merit. For most of them, the criminal charges against the former president make no difference. According to multiple opinion surveys, many of them are more likely to vote for Trump because they think he is being persecuted. But this is also Trumps problem. In a presumed match against Biden, Trump cannot win over voters who would otherwise have voted against Biden. If Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is the GOP candidate, manynot allvoters unhappy with Biden would opt for DeSantis. Generally speaking, if Republicans recognise this and dump Trump in favour of another leader from their party, Biden will become highly vulnerable and could well end up as a one-term president. Like Trump in January 2021. The mid-term Congressional elections last year, in which Republicans fared poorly, has lessons for the GOP. But in an emotionally charged atmosphere, which Trump is further trying to inflame, those lessons may be lost on the partys most faithful. That is what Biden is hoping for. What does all this mean for India-US relations? Modi is to go to Washington on a state visit in the second half of June, only the third from India. Biden will be in New Delhi in the beginning of September for the Group of Twenty summit. These are important engagements, and their substance will be conditioned by assessments in South Blockseats of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Prime Ministers Officeabout the US election outcome. India has heavily invested in Biden. It is not a superficial and telegenic engagement like with Trump, which was meant to please the mercurial and unpredictable president, but with little substance in retrospect. Modi and Biden have had more than 20 interactionsface-to-face, virtual and phone conversationsin the last 28 months since Biden moved into the White House. Apart from meetings, the scale, speed and spread of the bilateral outreaches going beyond the two governments and covering industry, think tanks and academia point to a need to build on them. A return by Trump to the White House will mean much of these efforts would have been wasted, given his style and temperament. Milestone industry deals such as the Tata-Boeing agreement will, of course, stay. But reorienting the structure of relations with Trumps imprint will mean much will be lost and will take time to rebuild. K P Nayar Strategic Analyst (kpnayar@gmail.com) The visual of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at the wedding of the son of don-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh is evidence of the reason behind the latters premature release from jail, whatever spin the JD(U) may want to give it. We may find fault with Nitish for his remarkable transformation from his earlier avatar as an agent of change. After all, it was under his government in 2007 that Anand was sentenced to life for his role in the gruesome lynching of Dalit IAS officer G Krishnaiah at Gopalganj in 1994. But we need to look at the muted reaction from political parties to understand why Nitishs volte-face is not a shocker but a reminder of all that is wrong with our democracy. Politicians feel the need to keep musclemen with money bags and influence in their respective castes or communities in good humour to win elections. Why hasnt this attitude changed over the decades? Time and again, saner voices have warned against the nexus between politicians and criminals, only to fall on deaf ears. The Supreme Court has done its bit in several judgements. Thanks to it, convicted legislators now stand disqualified immediately. It directed the Centre to set up special courts to fast-track cases involving politicians, ruled that parties must make public the criminal history of their candidates, citing reasons for their selection, and made it mandatory for contesting leaders to declare their criminal antecedents to the Election Commission (EC). But when it comes to enforcing these, the onus is on the EC, which has been found wanting. All this proves one thing. The judiciary can only do so much; laws can only be effective to an extent but cannot address the root cause of the malaise. There has to be political will and a broad agreement among the parties to keep criminals at bay. For this, parties need to have robust internal democracy. Simultaneously, cases involving politicians should be disposed of expeditiously. But when you see politicians rubbing shoulders with gangsters, this reformation seems mission impossible. Ultimately, the only viable solution lies with the people. One may disagree with Lee Kuan Yew, the Singaporean statesman, on many issues, but what he said about democracy may be worth recalling. The preconditions for democracy are a fairly large educated middle class with a certain standard of living and parties agreeing on fundamental principles. We have a growing middle class, but parties appear stuck in a time warp. Change is possible only if people reject criminals and their patrons. The visual of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at the wedding of the son of don-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh is evidence of the reason behind the latters premature release from jail, whatever spin the JD(U) may want to give it. We may find fault with Nitish for his remarkable transformation from his earlier avatar as an agent of change. After all, it was under his government in 2007 that Anand was sentenced to life for his role in the gruesome lynching of Dalit IAS officer G Krishnaiah at Gopalganj in 1994. But we need to look at the muted reaction from political parties to understand why Nitishs volte-face is not a shocker but a reminder of all that is wrong with our democracy. Politicians feel the need to keep musclemen with money bags and influence in their respective castes or communities in good humour to win elections. Why hasnt this attitude changed over the decades? Time and again, saner voices have warned against the nexus between politicians and criminals, only to fall on deaf ears. The Supreme Court has done its bit in several judgements. Thanks to it, convicted legislators now stand disqualified immediately. It directed the Centre to set up special courts to fast-track cases involving politicians, ruled that parties must make public the criminal history of their candidates, citing reasons for their selection, and made it mandatory for contesting leaders to declare their criminal antecedents to the Election Commission (EC). But when it comes to enforcing these, the onus is on the EC, which has been found wanting. All this proves one thing. The judiciary can only do so much; laws can only be effective to an extent but cannot address the root cause of the malaise. There has to be political will and a broad agreement among the parties to keep criminals at bay. For this, parties need to have robust internal democracy. Simultaneously, cases involving politicians should be disposed of expeditiously. But when you see politicians rubbing shoulders with gangsters, this reformation seems mission impossible. Ultimately, the only viable solution lies with the people. One may disagree with Lee Kuan Yew, the Singaporean statesman, on many issues, but what he said about democracy may be worth recalling. The preconditions for democracy are a fairly large educated middle class with a certain standard of living and parties agreeing on fundamental principles. We have a growing middle class, but parties appear stuck in a time warp. Change is possible only if people reject criminals and their patrons.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Sri Krishna Kummara By Express News Service TIRUPATI: The Sri Venkateswara Vedic University (SVVU) in Tirupati is set to construct bunkers on its premises for preserving ancient manuscripts, which would be collected from donors and safely placed inside lockers. The university will construct a building in half an acre and build underground bunkers beneath it. Authorities will ensure to create an environment that will help preserve the manuscripts in a manner that they dont get damaged for at least 500 years, SVVU vice-chancellor Prof Rani Sada Siva Murty told TNIE. The Vedic University, run by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), submitted the proposal to collect manuscripts from individuals and institutions willing to donate them to the university. The manuscripts would be safely stored inside lockers, named after the donors, in the bunkers, the V-C explained. He added that about 9,500 manuscripts 6,000 under Sri Venkateswara Manuscript Project and another 3,500 under SVVU custodywere digitised and kept at the respective institutions. After donors hand over manuscripts to the university, they would be digitized and preserved in the bunkers, Murty said. Stating that donors can withdraw their manuscripts after some time, the professor said the university would return the original manuscripts to the owners only after they are digitised. The university will introduce Manuscriptology, a six-month certificate course. Under the programme, students will be taught the stages of manuscript cleaning like free brushing, applying spirit and oil (lemon oil) and making descriptive catalogues for digitisation of manuscripts, the V-C said. Further, he said, Students of contemporary generations are equipped to study and research using Telugu, English, Hindi and other colloquial languages. However, ancient manuscripts engraved on the leaves contain the oldest Grandha, Sharada and Devanagari scripts, in which todays students are not well-versed. Hence, the certificate course would focus and train the students on these scripts. MA Systems of Indian Philosophy, MA Grammar (Vyakaranam), MA Indian Logic and MA Translation Studies would be included to the masters degree courses from the 2023-24 academic year, Murty said. The course for Translation Studies will prepare the students to seek general employment opportunities. It will also help students translate literary works from Sanskrit to other Indian languages and work as translators at various companies, he explained.The academician further said, Another six-month certificate programme Super Sensory Knowledge will be introduced. TIRUPATI: The Sri Venkateswara Vedic University (SVVU) in Tirupati is set to construct bunkers on its premises for preserving ancient manuscripts, which would be collected from donors and safely placed inside lockers. The university will construct a building in half an acre and build underground bunkers beneath it. Authorities will ensure to create an environment that will help preserve the manuscripts in a manner that they dont get damaged for at least 500 years, SVVU vice-chancellor Prof Rani Sada Siva Murty told TNIE. The Vedic University, run by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), submitted the proposal to collect manuscripts from individuals and institutions willing to donate them to the university. The manuscripts would be safely stored inside lockers, named after the donors, in the bunkers, the V-C explained. He added that about 9,500 manuscripts 6,000 under Sri Venkateswara Manuscript Project and another 3,500 under SVVU custodywere digitised and kept at the respective institutions.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); After donors hand over manuscripts to the university, they would be digitized and preserved in the bunkers, Murty said. Stating that donors can withdraw their manuscripts after some time, the professor said the university would return the original manuscripts to the owners only after they are digitised. The university will introduce Manuscriptology, a six-month certificate course. Under the programme, students will be taught the stages of manuscript cleaning like free brushing, applying spirit and oil (lemon oil) and making descriptive catalogues for digitisation of manuscripts, the V-C said. Further, he said, Students of contemporary generations are equipped to study and research using Telugu, English, Hindi and other colloquial languages. However, ancient manuscripts engraved on the leaves contain the oldest Grandha, Sharada and Devanagari scripts, in which todays students are not well-versed. Hence, the certificate course would focus and train the students on these scripts. MA Systems of Indian Philosophy, MA Grammar (Vyakaranam), MA Indian Logic and MA Translation Studies would be included to the masters degree courses from the 2023-24 academic year, Murty said. The course for Translation Studies will prepare the students to seek general employment opportunities. It will also help students translate literary works from Sanskrit to other Indian languages and work as translators at various companies, he explained.The academician further said, Another six-month certificate programme Super Sensory Knowledge will be introduced. By PTI GADAG: Congress President M Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday likened Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a poisonous snake, drawing the BJP's ire. Addressing a public meeting at Ron in Gadag district, as part of the party's campaign for the May 10 Assembly elections in Karnataka, he said: "Don't make a mistake. Modi is like a poisonous snake. If you say, 'no, it's not poisonous. let's lick it and find out. ' Don't go to lick it. If you lick, you die." Earlier addressing the rally at Naregal and Ron, Kharge said, This election is an important one because if we win in Karnataka, we will win the country. They have disqualified Rahul Gandhi. Even Indira Gandhi was disqualified earlier in 77 but in 1979, she won the elections from Chikkamagaluru and in 1989 we got an absolute majority in the entire country. If Ron assembly contestant GS Patil wins, our government will come to power in the state, here change of power in the state means change in the country. Thousands of people are here amid the hot sun. The present government is a 40% commission government. They should be taught a lesson. Mann ki Baat, Ghar ki Baat talks about girls committing suicide. But we are not talking about those who got bribed." Kharge went on hitting the BJP government and asked, Where is ED, CBI and Income Tax Department! There is so much bribery in Karnataka but still no action has been taken even though letters have been written to the President, the Governor and the Prime Minister. Reacting on 70 years achievement Kharge said that congress had laid down the foundation of democracy, so a tea seller has become prime minister and the son of a labourer like me has become the leader of the opposition party. LIVE: Congress President Shri @Kharge addresses the public in Ron, Karnataka. https://t.co/InaQu2FBu9 Congress (@INCIndia) April 27, 2023 Kharge further added, "(if you think that) No, no, this is not a poison because Modi has given it, 'good man' Prime Minister has given it, let's try it and lick it'. If you lick that poison then you will sleep forever. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai took serious exception to Kharge's remark and charged that it showed the Congress party's culture. He said, "We give respect to all and we also respect Kharge as he is a senior leader. Such kind of remark is not suitable for a leader of his stature." BJP IT department chief Amit Malviya, who also shared the video where Kharge made those comments, on Twitter, said: "Now Congress President Kharge calls Prime Minister Modi 'poisonous snake'. What started with Sonia Gandhi's 'maut ka saudagar', and we know how it ended, the Congress continues to plummet to new depths. The desperation shows Congress is losing ground in Karnataka and knows it". Photo | Twitter Kharge later told reporters he only said the BJP was like a snake, and that party's ideology is like a poison. "If you support that ideology and lick (try) it, death is certain. I did not speak against him (Modi) because I have already said that I never make personal comments," he said. (With inputs from ENS) ALSO WATCH | Amit Shah uses words to incite, insult, inflame and intimidate: Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh GADAG: Congress President M Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday likened Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a poisonous snake, drawing the BJP's ire. Addressing a public meeting at Ron in Gadag district, as part of the party's campaign for the May 10 Assembly elections in Karnataka, he said: "Don't make a mistake. Modi is like a poisonous snake. If you say, 'no, it's not poisonous. let's lick it and find out. ' Don't go to lick it. If you lick, you die." Earlier addressing the rally at Naregal and Ron, Kharge said, This election is an important one because if we win in Karnataka, we will win the country. They have disqualified Rahul Gandhi. Even Indira Gandhi was disqualified earlier in 77 but in 1979, she won the elections from Chikkamagaluru and in 1989 we got an absolute majority in the entire country. If Ron assembly contestant GS Patil wins, our government will come to power in the state, here change of power in the state means change in the country. Thousands of people are here amid the hot sun. The present government is a 40% commission government. They should be taught a lesson. Mann ki Baat, Ghar ki Baat talks about girls committing suicide. But we are not talking about those who got bribed."googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Kharge went on hitting the BJP government and asked, Where is ED, CBI and Income Tax Department! There is so much bribery in Karnataka but still no action has been taken even though letters have been written to the President, the Governor and the Prime Minister. Reacting on 70 years achievement Kharge said that congress had laid down the foundation of democracy, so a tea seller has become prime minister and the son of a labourer like me has become the leader of the opposition party. LIVE: Congress President Shri @Kharge addresses the public in Ron, Karnataka. https://t.co/InaQu2FBu9 Congress (@INCIndia) April 27, 2023 Kharge further added, "(if you think that) No, no, this is not a poison because Modi has given it, 'good man' Prime Minister has given it, let's try it and lick it'. If you lick that poison then you will sleep forever. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai took serious exception to Kharge's remark and charged that it showed the Congress party's culture. He said, "We give respect to all and we also respect Kharge as he is a senior leader. Such kind of remark is not suitable for a leader of his stature." BJP IT department chief Amit Malviya, who also shared the video where Kharge made those comments, on Twitter, said: "Now Congress President Kharge calls Prime Minister Modi 'poisonous snake'. What started with Sonia Gandhi's 'maut ka saudagar', and we know how it ended, the Congress continues to plummet to new depths. The desperation shows Congress is losing ground in Karnataka and knows it". Photo | Twitter Kharge later told reporters he only said the BJP was like a snake, and that party's ideology is like a poison. "If you support that ideology and lick (try) it, death is certain. I did not speak against him (Modi) because I have already said that I never make personal comments," he said. (With inputs from ENS) ALSO WATCH | Amit Shah uses words to incite, insult, inflame and intimidate: Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh By Express News Service BENGALURU: Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Meena on Wednesday said the state has 5,31,33,054 registered voters for the May 10 Assembly elections. Of them,16 lakh are new. The final electoral roll was published on January 15. Revealing this to reporters here, Meena said the Vote from home facility will be introduced for the first time from April 29 to May 6. He said the enrollment activities were held till April 10 and 16,04285 voters were added. While there were 5,05,15,011 voters for the 2018 Assembly elections, their number increased by 25 lahks, including 11,71,558 young voters aged between 18 and 19, this time. The Vote from Home facility will help 1,13,300 senior citizens aged 80 and above and persons with disability. Booth-wise lists of electors, who have opted for the facility, have been prepared. The voters will be informed about the day and time in advance. Two polling staff, a videographer, a policeman, and agents of political parties will go to such voters houses during the specified time. After verification of the ID card, a voting compartment and ballot will be provided. The entire process will be video recorded, Meena said. While claiming that the electors photo identity cards (EPIC) coverage in Karnataka is 100 per cent, Meena said 37,94,517 EPICs were issued from September 1, 2022 to April 25. To help voters to know their polling stations, official voter slips will be distributed at least 10 days before the polling date. Double ballots to be used in 16 constituencies A voter guide having all information in Kannada or English will be distributed ahead of the elections. Meena said 58,545 polling stations have been set up with facilities such as ramps, drinking water, electricity, furniture, waiting rooms with seating arrangements and separate toilets for men and women. In Bengaluru, Queue Management App (Chunavana App) will provide information on the queue status at polling stations. It will be updated every 15 minutes, Meena said. He said awareness and training programmes for polling officials and first randomisation of EVMs have been completed in all districts. In 16 constituencies, double ballots will be used as there are more than 15 candidates. The second randomisation has been completed in 26 constituencies. It will be completed in the remaining constituencies by April 30, he added. He said 3,59,253 polling personnel will be deputed this time. BENGALURU: Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Meena on Wednesday said the state has 5,31,33,054 registered voters for the May 10 Assembly elections. Of them,16 lakh are new. The final electoral roll was published on January 15. Revealing this to reporters here, Meena said the Vote from home facility will be introduced for the first time from April 29 to May 6. He said the enrollment activities were held till April 10 and 16,04285 voters were added. While there were 5,05,15,011 voters for the 2018 Assembly elections, their number increased by 25 lahks, including 11,71,558 young voters aged between 18 and 19, this time. The Vote from Home facility will help 1,13,300 senior citizens aged 80 and above and persons with disability.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Booth-wise lists of electors, who have opted for the facility, have been prepared. The voters will be informed about the day and time in advance. Two polling staff, a videographer, a policeman, and agents of political parties will go to such voters houses during the specified time. After verification of the ID card, a voting compartment and ballot will be provided. The entire process will be video recorded, Meena said. While claiming that the electors photo identity cards (EPIC) coverage in Karnataka is 100 per cent, Meena said 37,94,517 EPICs were issued from September 1, 2022 to April 25. To help voters to know their polling stations, official voter slips will be distributed at least 10 days before the polling date. Double ballots to be used in 16 constituencies A voter guide having all information in Kannada or English will be distributed ahead of the elections. Meena said 58,545 polling stations have been set up with facilities such as ramps, drinking water, electricity, furniture, waiting rooms with seating arrangements and separate toilets for men and women. In Bengaluru, Queue Management App (Chunavana App) will provide information on the queue status at polling stations. It will be updated every 15 minutes, Meena said. He said awareness and training programmes for polling officials and first randomisation of EVMs have been completed in all districts. In 16 constituencies, double ballots will be used as there are more than 15 candidates. The second randomisation has been completed in 26 constituencies. It will be completed in the remaining constituencies by April 30, he added. He said 3,59,253 polling personnel will be deputed this time. Ramu Patil By Express News Service BENGALURU: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to launch his blitzkrieg rallies ahead of the May 10 polls, former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) supremo HD Deve Gowda in an exclusive interaction with The New Indian Express said Modis rallies will have more impact on the Lok Sabha polls than on Assembly polls, which are fought on local issues. Excerpts: You are also campaigning for the party. How do you look at the current political situation? There is nothing special in my campaigning. I have told them (the party leaders) to line up three programmes a day. I will campaign in around 40 constituencies... I have been fighting for the last 60 years. Kumaraswamy has continued it more effectively with his programmes. Despite undergoing heart operations twice, he is working hard. All three parties, including JDS, claim that they will get the majority. What is your assessment? I will not speak much about Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party. For the first time in the country, (HD) Kumaraswamy has placed a unique programme (Pancharatna) before the people of the state and he has been working hard. The message has been taken to people in villages. He will continue to take it to people during the next few days before the polls. It has a lot of effect and I am confident that JDS will get the working majority. ALSO READ | Deve Gowda hits the streets, ready to campaign in Old Mysuru Farm loan waiver, old age pension, and many more measures were taken by him. Even his enemies will admit that he is a politician who keeps his word. There is a perception that JDS is confined to the Old Mysuru region. Is that true? Take a look at the results of the last (2018) Assembly elections. We won three seats each in Vijayapura and Raichur, two in Bidar, and one in Yadgir district. We won nine seats in that region. This time, we will win more in that region. Some friends, not all, want to brand it as just an Old Mysuru party. The facts are different. Congress leaders accuse JDS of being BJPs B-team. Is there any truth in it? What do they have to say about Yediyurappas son backing out from a contest in Varuna (from where Congress leader Siddaramaiah is contesting)? What is the reaction of the BJP high command? What does that indicate? They have their own internal understandings. ALSO READ | Power games: Deve Gowda predicts a hung house in Karnataka; sees JD(S) role Your views on efforts by opposition parties to form an alliance before the 2024 elections? It is difficult. BJP won 303 seats, this time it is difficult for them. But it is possible for them to form a government with the help of others. Even that is not possible for Congress. Look at Rajasthan, they are fighting. Also, other parties will not accept Congress leadership. If a united opposition against BJP takes shape, will you be part of it? No. ALSO READ | Congress should 'set its house in order' for role in opposition unity: Ex-PM Deve Gowda BJP is hoping that PM Modis rallies will change the tide in Karnataka.. He will address the rallies in around 40 to 50 places. Its effect will be more on the Parliament elections. This (Assembly poll) is a regional issue. His speeches will have more impact during the Parliament elections, but it is difficult during assembly elections, it is all about local issues. After he took over as the AICC president, Mallikarjun Kharge seems to be making efforts and meeting leaders from different parties Each one is saying something different. One is talking about Adani and one is talking about something else. There is no meaning to it. JDS faces a unique situation as it is fighting both BJP and Congress in Karnataka... We are fighting to save the party. This is a farmers party and as a son of a farmer, I am making all possible efforts in that direction. JDS has earned the confidence of farmers and poor people. We have always been committed to social justice. People have not forgotten that. ALSO READ | Saffron fails to pierce through heart of Bengaluru What are your views on the state government scrapping the 4% quota for Muslims? I had implemented it, but the BJP scrapped it. They should not have done it. It is wrong. I have taken a stand that we will restore it. In case of a fractured mandate, will JDS go with Congress or BJP? Honestly, I dont think that is going to happen. JDS will get a simple majority. BENGALURU: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to launch his blitzkrieg rallies ahead of the May 10 polls, former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) supremo HD Deve Gowda in an exclusive interaction with The New Indian Express said Modis rallies will have more impact on the Lok Sabha polls than on Assembly polls, which are fought on local issues. Excerpts: You are also campaigning for the party. How do you look at the current political situation? There is nothing special in my campaigning. I have told them (the party leaders) to line up three programmes a day. I will campaign in around 40 constituencies... I have been fighting for the last 60 years. Kumaraswamy has continued it more effectively with his programmes. Despite undergoing heart operations twice, he is working hard. All three parties, including JDS, claim that they will get the majority. What is your assessment? I will not speak much about Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party. For the first time in the country, (HD) Kumaraswamy has placed a unique programme (Pancharatna) before the people of the state and he has been working hard. The message has been taken to people in villages. He will continue to take it to people during the next few days before the polls. It has a lot of effect and I am confident that JDS will get the working majority. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); ALSO READ | Deve Gowda hits the streets, ready to campaign in Old Mysuru Farm loan waiver, old age pension, and many more measures were taken by him. Even his enemies will admit that he is a politician who keeps his word. There is a perception that JDS is confined to the Old Mysuru region. Is that true? Take a look at the results of the last (2018) Assembly elections. We won three seats each in Vijayapura and Raichur, two in Bidar, and one in Yadgir district. We won nine seats in that region. This time, we will win more in that region. Some friends, not all, want to brand it as just an Old Mysuru party. The facts are different. Congress leaders accuse JDS of being BJPs B-team. Is there any truth in it? What do they have to say about Yediyurappas son backing out from a contest in Varuna (from where Congress leader Siddaramaiah is contesting)? What is the reaction of the BJP high command? What does that indicate? They have their own internal understandings. ALSO READ | Power games: Deve Gowda predicts a hung house in Karnataka; sees JD(S) role Your views on efforts by opposition parties to form an alliance before the 2024 elections? It is difficult. BJP won 303 seats, this time it is difficult for them. But it is possible for them to form a government with the help of others. Even that is not possible for Congress. Look at Rajasthan, they are fighting. Also, other parties will not accept Congress leadership. If a united opposition against BJP takes shape, will you be part of it? No. ALSO READ | Congress should 'set its house in order' for role in opposition unity: Ex-PM Deve Gowda BJP is hoping that PM Modis rallies will change the tide in Karnataka.. He will address the rallies in around 40 to 50 places. Its effect will be more on the Parliament elections. This (Assembly poll) is a regional issue. His speeches will have more impact during the Parliament elections, but it is difficult during assembly elections, it is all about local issues. After he took over as the AICC president, Mallikarjun Kharge seems to be making efforts and meeting leaders from different parties Each one is saying something different. One is talking about Adani and one is talking about something else. There is no meaning to it. JDS faces a unique situation as it is fighting both BJP and Congress in Karnataka... We are fighting to save the party. This is a farmers party and as a son of a farmer, I am making all possible efforts in that direction. JDS has earned the confidence of farmers and poor people. We have always been committed to social justice. People have not forgotten that. ALSO READ | Saffron fails to pierce through heart of Bengaluru What are your views on the state government scrapping the 4% quota for Muslims? I had implemented it, but the BJP scrapped it. They should not have done it. It is wrong. I have taken a stand that we will restore it. In case of a fractured mandate, will JDS go with Congress or BJP? Honestly, I dont think that is going to happen. JDS will get a simple majority. By PTI BENGALURU: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday addressed through virtual mode tens of lakhs of BJP workers exhorting them to strengthen booth-level campaigning for the coming Karnataka Assembly elections, to win with majority, and made a strong pitch for ending "revdi culture" (culture of distributing freebies). Delighted to speak to our hardworking Karyakartas from Karnataka. People trust BJP's good governance. https://t.co/UfZmHfVoR3 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 27, 2023 Modi also hit out at the Congress on the issue, saying when the party's warranty itself has expired, its guarantees have no meaning. For Karnataka polls, Congress has announced 'guarantees' that include 200 units of free power to all households, 10 kg of rice free to every member of BPL household (Anna Bhagya), Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to woman head of every family (Gruha Lakshmi), and Rs 3,000 every month for graduate youth and Rs 1,500 for diploma holders (both in the age group of 18-25) for two years, on coming to power. The Prime Minister said states are getting immersed in debt because of freebies, and emphasised that the country and the governments cannot be run like this. "In our country some political parties have made politics the means of power and corruption, to achieve this, they are using all means like 'saam, dham, dhand, bedh'. These political parties don't think about the future of the country, future generation of Karnataka, its youth, women," Modi said. The PM's address to BJP workers was part of the party's effort to boost its campaign for the May 10 Assembly polls. The party said earlier this week about 50 lakh workers from 58,112 booths would attend this "virtual rally" of the Prime Minister. The State BJP is looking to Modi to bolster its campaign. The Prime Minister is slated to undertake a whirlwind two-day tour of the State from Saturday during which he is scheduled to address six public meetings and hold two road shows. Noting that the people of Karnataka have huge trust in the state BJP, Modi told the party Karyakartas that "Your effort in every booth will make BJP win with record seats." "We have to make people understand our programmes, and the benefits of double-engine governments at the booth level by sitting and talking to them. Those who have the responsibility to make long speeches will do it, but karyakartas have to put their strength into booths and win the booths." For the fast-paced all-round development, a strong and stable BJP government with the full majority is important, the Prime Minister said, adding that the people of Karnataka are ready to form such a BJP government in the state, "breaking all the records". "I will also work with you (karyakartas) in the coming days as a BJP karyakarta to seek the blessings of people of Karnataka and win the trust of Kannadiaga," he said, stressing on victory in booths Modi said because of freebie politics, several States are making large scale spendings for the sake of partisan politics, which is also eating into the "share" of future generations. "The country cannot be run like this, governments cannot be run like this. Governments have to think about the future, along with the present. Governments cannot run just for day-to-day needs, they have to work on asset creation so that the lives of families are on track for decades," he added during the "Karyakartarondige Samvada" (an interaction with workers) Modi affirmed that the BJP was not taking the shortcuts, but was working for developed India with good investment in modern physical, digital and social infrastructure and that his other interpretation for FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) is 'First Develop India'. "BJP doesn't think about five years of its own rule but thinks about the country. We don't think about the party but think about the country. We don't think just about present electoral politics but about taking India ahead in the next 25 years." To address some temporary challenges, all possible help is being provided for the poor, like free ration, free vaccination, he said and added that it is the duty of the government, "but if we have to make India progress, we have to get rid of this revdi culture." "I appeal to youth, some parties may try to make you fools by distributing freebies, but it's your duty to think about your future and that of your future generations." Accusing the Congress of engaging in "revdi culture" in Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan, Modi said, their poll guarantees have still remained as guaranteed. "Congress means guarantee of corruption, guarantee of nepotism. Congress has reached a stage where it cannot give true guarantees, you are aware that Congress's warranty has expired, then what is the meaning of its guarantees," he added. Several BJP leaders took part in the interaction from various parts of the state- CM Basavaraj Bommai and former CM B S Yediyirappa from Hubballi, state President Nalin Kumar Kateel from Mangaluru. While party national General secretary B L Santosh, poll in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan and Union Minister Shobha Karndlaje joined in from Bengaluru. Alleging that the Congress did not show any interest in eliminating corruption as they were the "biggest source of corruption", Modi said, after 2014 there has been a speed in the fight against corruption. "The 'trishul' of 'Jan Dhan', 'Aadhaar' and Mobile has made a big attack on corruption. The Direct Benefit Transfer (scheme) has saved Rs 2,75,000 crore that were getting looted by middlemen, it is today helping the poor and the needy," he said. The Prime Minister said the passion of BJP workers makes it different from other parties. The difference between BJP and other parties is the approach. ALSO READ | Beware of Rahul Gandhi's promises, Madhya Pradesh CM cautions Karnataka voters "Other parties' focus is on grabbing power, while BJP's focus is on making India develop in the next 25 years. Ask for votes from people for a stable and majority BJP government in Karnataka, make them understand the problems of instability that the state faced in the past," he told the BJP workers. Highlighting the advantages of having a "double engine government", the PM said, it increases the pace of development; "without a double engine government it will cause a double hit to people". Whenever BJP gets an opportunity to serve people, the speed and scale of development increases, he said. ALSO READ | Shah riot remarks: Congress files complaint in Bengaluru; accuses Home Minister of promoting hatred "In states where there are no BJP governments, efforts are made (by parties in power there) to ensure that central government schemes are not successful there, as they fear it will bring a good name to Modi if it is successful. Some don't get associated with programmes at all, while A few changes the names of the schemes." Modi said that the next 25 years, the "Amrit Kaal'' will be a guarantee for "prosperous and developed India," and his government has started working on it. Karnataka is a major part of this journey towards development and prosperity. Our government is working with a mantra that India's development- from Karnataka's development." BENGALURU: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday addressed through virtual mode tens of lakhs of BJP workers exhorting them to strengthen booth-level campaigning for the coming Karnataka Assembly elections, to win with majority, and made a strong pitch for ending "revdi culture" (culture of distributing freebies). Delighted to speak to our hardworking Karyakartas from Karnataka. People trust BJP's good governance. https://t.co/UfZmHfVoR3 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 27, 2023 Modi also hit out at the Congress on the issue, saying when the party's warranty itself has expired, its guarantees have no meaning.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); For Karnataka polls, Congress has announced 'guarantees' that include 200 units of free power to all households, 10 kg of rice free to every member of BPL household (Anna Bhagya), Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to woman head of every family (Gruha Lakshmi), and Rs 3,000 every month for graduate youth and Rs 1,500 for diploma holders (both in the age group of 18-25) for two years, on coming to power. The Prime Minister said states are getting immersed in debt because of freebies, and emphasised that the country and the governments cannot be run like this. "In our country some political parties have made politics the means of power and corruption, to achieve this, they are using all means like 'saam, dham, dhand, bedh'. These political parties don't think about the future of the country, future generation of Karnataka, its youth, women," Modi said. The PM's address to BJP workers was part of the party's effort to boost its campaign for the May 10 Assembly polls. The party said earlier this week about 50 lakh workers from 58,112 booths would attend this "virtual rally" of the Prime Minister. The State BJP is looking to Modi to bolster its campaign. The Prime Minister is slated to undertake a whirlwind two-day tour of the State from Saturday during which he is scheduled to address six public meetings and hold two road shows. Noting that the people of Karnataka have huge trust in the state BJP, Modi told the party Karyakartas that "Your effort in every booth will make BJP win with record seats." "We have to make people understand our programmes, and the benefits of double-engine governments at the booth level by sitting and talking to them. Those who have the responsibility to make long speeches will do it, but karyakartas have to put their strength into booths and win the booths." For the fast-paced all-round development, a strong and stable BJP government with the full majority is important, the Prime Minister said, adding that the people of Karnataka are ready to form such a BJP government in the state, "breaking all the records". "I will also work with you (karyakartas) in the coming days as a BJP karyakarta to seek the blessings of people of Karnataka and win the trust of Kannadiaga," he said, stressing on victory in booths Modi said because of freebie politics, several States are making large scale spendings for the sake of partisan politics, which is also eating into the "share" of future generations. "The country cannot be run like this, governments cannot be run like this. Governments have to think about the future, along with the present. Governments cannot run just for day-to-day needs, they have to work on asset creation so that the lives of families are on track for decades," he added during the "Karyakartarondige Samvada" (an interaction with workers) Modi affirmed that the BJP was not taking the shortcuts, but was working for developed India with good investment in modern physical, digital and social infrastructure and that his other interpretation for FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) is 'First Develop India'. "BJP doesn't think about five years of its own rule but thinks about the country. We don't think about the party but think about the country. We don't think just about present electoral politics but about taking India ahead in the next 25 years." To address some temporary challenges, all possible help is being provided for the poor, like free ration, free vaccination, he said and added that it is the duty of the government, "but if we have to make India progress, we have to get rid of this revdi culture." "I appeal to youth, some parties may try to make you fools by distributing freebies, but it's your duty to think about your future and that of your future generations." Accusing the Congress of engaging in "revdi culture" in Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan, Modi said, their poll guarantees have still remained as guaranteed. "Congress means guarantee of corruption, guarantee of nepotism. Congress has reached a stage where it cannot give true guarantees, you are aware that Congress's warranty has expired, then what is the meaning of its guarantees," he added. Several BJP leaders took part in the interaction from various parts of the state- CM Basavaraj Bommai and former CM B S Yediyirappa from Hubballi, state President Nalin Kumar Kateel from Mangaluru. While party national General secretary B L Santosh, poll in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan and Union Minister Shobha Karndlaje joined in from Bengaluru. Alleging that the Congress did not show any interest in eliminating corruption as they were the "biggest source of corruption", Modi said, after 2014 there has been a speed in the fight against corruption. "The 'trishul' of 'Jan Dhan', 'Aadhaar' and Mobile has made a big attack on corruption. The Direct Benefit Transfer (scheme) has saved Rs 2,75,000 crore that were getting looted by middlemen, it is today helping the poor and the needy," he said. The Prime Minister said the passion of BJP workers makes it different from other parties. The difference between BJP and other parties is the approach. ALSO READ | Beware of Rahul Gandhi's promises, Madhya Pradesh CM cautions Karnataka voters "Other parties' focus is on grabbing power, while BJP's focus is on making India develop in the next 25 years. Ask for votes from people for a stable and majority BJP government in Karnataka, make them understand the problems of instability that the state faced in the past," he told the BJP workers. Highlighting the advantages of having a "double engine government", the PM said, it increases the pace of development; "without a double engine government it will cause a double hit to people". Whenever BJP gets an opportunity to serve people, the speed and scale of development increases, he said. ALSO READ | Shah riot remarks: Congress files complaint in Bengaluru; accuses Home Minister of promoting hatred "In states where there are no BJP governments, efforts are made (by parties in power there) to ensure that central government schemes are not successful there, as they fear it will bring a good name to Modi if it is successful. Some don't get associated with programmes at all, while A few changes the names of the schemes." Modi said that the next 25 years, the "Amrit Kaal'' will be a guarantee for "prosperous and developed India," and his government has started working on it. Karnataka is a major part of this journey towards development and prosperity. Our government is working with a mantra that India's development- from Karnataka's development." By Express News Service BENGALURU: The Congress on Thursday filed a complaint with the Election Commission and Bengaluru police seeking action against Union Home Minister Amit Shah for his remarks that the state will be afflicted with riots if the Grand Old Party comes to power. The Congress leaders said that the Chief Election Commissioner will hear the matter at 4 pm on Friday. In a complaint filed with the Station House Officer, High Grounds Police station in Bengaluru, senior Congress leaders DK Shivakumar, G Parameshwara, and Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged that Shah has committed serious offences, which are punishable under the Indian Penal Code and the Representative of People Act-1951. The cause of action for filing the present complaint arose on April 25, 2023, when Shah, along with several other BJP leaders, addressed a gathering at Vijaypura. While the BJPs address continued for well over an hour, the speech given by Shah was shockingly riddled with flagrantly false statements aimed at tarnishing the image of the Indian National Congress by levelling false and unfounded allegations, with the clear objective of trying to create an atmosphere of communal disharmony amongst the gathered crowd and the individuals viewing it on other media platforms, the Congress leaders stated. The Congress leaders stated that Shahs remarks that if Congress wins the upcoming elections, then the entire state of Karnataka will be afflicted with communal riots were designed to incite and indirectly threaten and try to mislead electors into voting for a particular political party and candidate. The party also filed a complaint against Housing Minister V Somanna for allegedly trying to influence the JDS candidate contesting against him in Chamarajanagar to withdraw from the contest. CONGRESS FEARS DEFEAT, SAYS CM SHIGGAON: Reacting to Congress approaching the EC and the police over Union Home Minister Amit Shahs recent riot remark, CM Basavaraj Bommai in Shiggaon on Thursday said that the fear of defeat was haunting the Congress. As they know that they are going to lose the polls, they have resorted to such acts. But there is no truth in the Congress petition and it will be rejected, he said. The CM said that he has been visiting every village in the constituency (Shiggaon) and the response from the people has been tremendous. This is the constituency of the CM and with a lot of development works, people feel that I must be get elected by a big margin. I am confident that the voters will elect me with a record margin. I am indebted to them, he said. BENGALURU: The Congress on Thursday filed a complaint with the Election Commission and Bengaluru police seeking action against Union Home Minister Amit Shah for his remarks that the state will be afflicted with riots if the Grand Old Party comes to power. The Congress leaders said that the Chief Election Commissioner will hear the matter at 4 pm on Friday. In a complaint filed with the Station House Officer, High Grounds Police station in Bengaluru, senior Congress leaders DK Shivakumar, G Parameshwara, and Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged that Shah has committed serious offences, which are punishable under the Indian Penal Code and the Representative of People Act-1951. The cause of action for filing the present complaint arose on April 25, 2023, when Shah, along with several other BJP leaders, addressed a gathering at Vijaypura. While the BJPs address continued for well over an hour, the speech given by Shah was shockingly riddled with flagrantly false statements aimed at tarnishing the image of the Indian National Congress by levelling false and unfounded allegations, with the clear objective of trying to create an atmosphere of communal disharmony amongst the gathered crowd and the individuals viewing it on other media platforms, the Congress leaders stated.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The Congress leaders stated that Shahs remarks that if Congress wins the upcoming elections, then the entire state of Karnataka will be afflicted with communal riots were designed to incite and indirectly threaten and try to mislead electors into voting for a particular political party and candidate. The party also filed a complaint against Housing Minister V Somanna for allegedly trying to influence the JDS candidate contesting against him in Chamarajanagar to withdraw from the contest. CONGRESS FEARS DEFEAT, SAYS CM SHIGGAON: Reacting to Congress approaching the EC and the police over Union Home Minister Amit Shahs recent riot remark, CM Basavaraj Bommai in Shiggaon on Thursday said that the fear of defeat was haunting the Congress. As they know that they are going to lose the polls, they have resorted to such acts. But there is no truth in the Congress petition and it will be rejected, he said. The CM said that he has been visiting every village in the constituency (Shiggaon) and the response from the people has been tremendous. This is the constituency of the CM and with a lot of development works, people feel that I must be get elected by a big margin. I am confident that the voters will elect me with a record margin. I am indebted to them, he said. T Muruganandham By Express News Service CHENNAI: A day after meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday said there are no differences with BJP state president K Annamalai and that the alliance between the two parties has been continuing since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Palaniswami said this while answering queries from reporters in New Delhi. Asked whether the alliance between the two parties was confirmed after his meeting with Amit Shah on Wednesday, Palaniswami said, "The AIADMK and BJP have been in alliance since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. It continued for the 2021 Assembly elections and the by-election to Erode East constituency and it is going on." When a scribe said the difference of opinion between him (EPS) and the BJP state president was well known and asked whether there was any 'panchayat' (efforts to settle disputes between him and Annamalai) that took place during the meeting with Amit Shah on Wednesday, Palaniswami said, "Your question is wrong. There are no disputes between us (AIADMK) and Annamalai. If there was any dispute, how did Annamalai campaign for us in the Erode East by-election?" ALSO READ | PTR audio clip row: AIADMK flags issue with Amit Shah, wants central probe into matter When the reporter tried to ask a further question in this regard, Palaniswami said, "You media friends are trying to drive a wedge between the AIADMK and BJP. Recently, when reporters asked questions with the motive to create a rift between the two parties, I told the reporters not to ask questions about Annamalai. I said this only with a view to putting an end to such efforts to create a rift between us." In this connection, Palaniswami went on to say: "Political leaders wish to work for their respective party's growth. Further, the alliance parties in our alliance are functioning freely. It is not like the alliance parties of the DMK are acting as slaves by saying 'yes' to everything. Each party has its own ideologies. When it comes to an alliance, the AIADMK always works together with its partners for the victory of our candidates. This is contrary to the scene in the DMK-led alliance. For over 10 years, they are in the alliance and whatever the ruling party does, the alliance parties never question their wrongs. The only exception is their objection to the 'flexible working hour Bill' recently." READ MORE | PTR says second audio also fabricated, alleges it's the handiwork of a blackmail gang Questioned whether the audio attributed to Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan figured during his discussions with Amit Shah on Wednesday, Palnaiswami said, "Yes. The Finance Minister himself had alleged that there was corruption to the tune of Rs 30,000 crore involving Sabareesan and Udhayanidhi Stalin. Now, the second audio attributed to PTR has also come out. So, this should be investigated thoroughly. PTR responded to the audio only when it was taken up by the press and media and for around three days, he did not say anything. Hence, the central government should investigate this and take appropriate action because the charges have been levelled by the Finance Minister of the state, so this issue cannot be ignored." The allegations levelled by the Finance Minister are about the family members of Chief Minister MK Stalin. "Why is the chief minister silent on this issue till now?" Responding to a question, Palaniswami said, "Except for a few who have betrayed the AIADMK, those who wish that the party should come to power again can be re-admitted into the party." CHENNAI: A day after meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday said there are no differences with BJP state president K Annamalai and that the alliance between the two parties has been continuing since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Palaniswami said this while answering queries from reporters in New Delhi. Asked whether the alliance between the two parties was confirmed after his meeting with Amit Shah on Wednesday, Palaniswami said, "The AIADMK and BJP have been in alliance since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. It continued for the 2021 Assembly elections and the by-election to Erode East constituency and it is going on." googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); When a scribe said the difference of opinion between him (EPS) and the BJP state president was well known and asked whether there was any 'panchayat' (efforts to settle disputes between him and Annamalai) that took place during the meeting with Amit Shah on Wednesday, Palaniswami said, "Your question is wrong. There are no disputes between us (AIADMK) and Annamalai. If there was any dispute, how did Annamalai campaign for us in the Erode East by-election?" ALSO READ | PTR audio clip row: AIADMK flags issue with Amit Shah, wants central probe into matter When the reporter tried to ask a further question in this regard, Palaniswami said, "You media friends are trying to drive a wedge between the AIADMK and BJP. Recently, when reporters asked questions with the motive to create a rift between the two parties, I told the reporters not to ask questions about Annamalai. I said this only with a view to putting an end to such efforts to create a rift between us." In this connection, Palaniswami went on to say: "Political leaders wish to work for their respective party's growth. Further, the alliance parties in our alliance are functioning freely. It is not like the alliance parties of the DMK are acting as slaves by saying 'yes' to everything. Each party has its own ideologies. When it comes to an alliance, the AIADMK always works together with its partners for the victory of our candidates. This is contrary to the scene in the DMK-led alliance. For over 10 years, they are in the alliance and whatever the ruling party does, the alliance parties never question their wrongs. The only exception is their objection to the 'flexible working hour Bill' recently." READ MORE | PTR says second audio also fabricated, alleges it's the handiwork of a blackmail gang Questioned whether the audio attributed to Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan figured during his discussions with Amit Shah on Wednesday, Palnaiswami said, "Yes. The Finance Minister himself had alleged that there was corruption to the tune of Rs 30,000 crore involving Sabareesan and Udhayanidhi Stalin. Now, the second audio attributed to PTR has also come out. So, this should be investigated thoroughly. PTR responded to the audio only when it was taken up by the press and media and for around three days, he did not say anything. Hence, the central government should investigate this and take appropriate action because the charges have been levelled by the Finance Minister of the state, so this issue cannot be ignored." The allegations levelled by the Finance Minister are about the family members of Chief Minister MK Stalin. "Why is the chief minister silent on this issue till now?" Responding to a question, Palaniswami said, "Except for a few who have betrayed the AIADMK, those who wish that the party should come to power again can be re-admitted into the party." By Express News Service CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he assured that the state government will extend its cooperation for the evacuation efforts of Indian citizens including Tamils from Sudan. In his letter, Stalin expressed his satisfaction with the Union governments efforts to rescue Indians from Sudan. With the complex and evolving security situation in Sudan, it is comforting to know that the Indian Air Force aircraft and the Indian Navy vessels are strategically positioned near Sudan to facilitate the swift movement of Indian citizens out of the country. He further added around 400 natives of Tamil Nadu are also stranded in Sudan and they are expecting assistance to return to India. While the first batch of stranded Indians is onboard INS Sumedha, the state Government has been receiving frantic calls from relatives of the stranded persons, he pointed out. Highlighting the state governments support for the evacuation, CM MK Stain said, The entire state administration is ready to support and coordinate with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Sudan to facilitate the flow of information regarding the natives of Tamil Nadu and to extend all help for expeditious evacuation of the stranded Tamils. He further added, I hope Operation Kaveri will bring peace and happiness to all the families of Indians stranded in Sudan, awaiting the safe return of their near and dear ones. We reiterate our readiness to extend our cooperation for the evacuation efforts of Indian citizens from Sudan. Control room opened in Delhi, Chennai The state government has taken steps to establish a control room at Tamil Nadu House, New Delhi and Commissionerate of Rehabilitation and Welfare of Non-Resident Tamils, Chennai and carry out rescue operation( from Sudan). The affected person can contact through the telephone numbers: 011-24193100, 9289516711( for Tamil Nadu House, New Delhi), and tnhouse@nic.in. The contact numbers of the Commissionarate of Rehabilitation and Welfare of Non-Resident Tamils, Chennai is +91 96000-23645 and nrtchennai@gmail.com. CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he assured that the state government will extend its cooperation for the evacuation efforts of Indian citizens including Tamils from Sudan. In his letter, Stalin expressed his satisfaction with the Union governments efforts to rescue Indians from Sudan. With the complex and evolving security situation in Sudan, it is comforting to know that the Indian Air Force aircraft and the Indian Navy vessels are strategically positioned near Sudan to facilitate the swift movement of Indian citizens out of the country. He further added around 400 natives of Tamil Nadu are also stranded in Sudan and they are expecting assistance to return to India. While the first batch of stranded Indians is onboard INS Sumedha, the state Government has been receiving frantic calls from relatives of the stranded persons, he pointed out. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Highlighting the state governments support for the evacuation, CM MK Stain said, The entire state administration is ready to support and coordinate with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Sudan to facilitate the flow of information regarding the natives of Tamil Nadu and to extend all help for expeditious evacuation of the stranded Tamils. He further added, I hope Operation Kaveri will bring peace and happiness to all the families of Indians stranded in Sudan, awaiting the safe return of their near and dear ones. We reiterate our readiness to extend our cooperation for the evacuation efforts of Indian citizens from Sudan. Control room opened in Delhi, Chennai The state government has taken steps to establish a control room at Tamil Nadu House, New Delhi and Commissionerate of Rehabilitation and Welfare of Non-Resident Tamils, Chennai and carry out rescue operation( from Sudan). The affected person can contact through the telephone numbers: 011-24193100, 9289516711( for Tamil Nadu House, New Delhi), and tnhouse@nic.in. The contact numbers of the Commissionarate of Rehabilitation and Welfare of Non-Resident Tamils, Chennai is +91 96000-23645 and nrtchennai@gmail.com. Dr Sarvesh Kumar Shahi and Dr Manish Yadav By Water resources in Nepal are crucial to its economy and have been a significant topic in the bilateral cooperation agenda with India for a long time. To maximise benefits and address issues related to water resources, the two governments have established three levels of mechanisms: Joint Ministerial Commission for Water Resources (JMCWR), Joint Committee on Water Resources (JCWR) and Joint Standing Technical Committee (JSTC). These mechanisms are responsible for implementing agreements and treaties and tackling problems such as flooding and inundation. Additionally, a Joint Committee on Inundation and Flood Management (JCIFM) is also in place to specifically address concerns related to flooding, embankments and flood forecasting. Back in 2014, a significant agreement was reached between India and Nepal, which enabled the free flow of electricity between them without any limitations. The agreement was signed to promote and strengthen the exchange of electricity, grid connectivity and power trade between the two countries. The main objective was to establish a solid foundation for power trade, allowing Nepal to import electricity from India until it became self-sufficient, and eventually enabling Indian entities to import power from Nepal under mutually agreed-upon terms and conditions. However, after 2014, after several negotiations, India and Nepal have entered into a number of hydropower trading agreements. Indian businesses are actively participating in the development of numerous projects in Nepal. Furthermore, in 2018, the Nepalese government introduced guidelines for facilitating cross-border trade in electricity, commonly known as CBTE guidelines. These guidelines were subsequently revised in 2019, with no specific conditions imposed on power plant ownership. ALSO READ | 'Shri Anna': The eco-friendly superfood that blends tradition and nutrition As far as current developmental ties on hydropower energy generation are concerned, the Indian Foreign Secretary visited Kathmandu in February to strengthen economic and development co-operation. Power trade was one of the matters discussed in the meeting. Following their meeting, the two nations have come to an agreement to bolster the import and export capacity of electricity through various transmission lines. The Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur transmission line will now be able to handle up to 800 megawatts, while the Tanakpur-Mahendranagar 132 KV power transmission will import and export between 70 to 80 MW of electricity. Additionally, both countries have agreed to complete the construction of the Indian section of the 400 KV new Butwal-Gorakhpur transmission line by March 2025, which will be the second international transmission line. The parties also plan to build two more 400 KV capacity international transmission lines by 2027/28 and 2028-29. Furthermore, India has given Nepal the green light to submit a proposal to export 50 MW of electricity to Bangladesh via India, provided it complies with the relevant export-import guidelines. Further, India and Nepal have reached a consensus to advance the Sapta Kosi high dam initiative to reinforce their collaboration in the water sector. The Sapta Kosi high dam initiative will involve the construction of a high dam on the Kosi river in Nepal, which will help regulate water flow and prevent flooding downstream in India. The project will also generate hydropower and facilitate irrigation in both countries. The Mahakali Treaty, which was signed in 1996, governs the sharing of the waters of the Mahakali river between Nepal and India. The successful implementation of the Sapta Kosi high dam initiative will further strengthen the cooperation between the two countries in the water sector and contribute to their overall bilateral relationship. Given the commitments stated earlier, it is important to authorise the long-term export of electricity from Nepal to India using all available options in the trading market. It is crucial to acknowledge the matter of China's participation in Nepal and their potential meddling. While China has established ties with Nepal and extended their support in terms of contractors and engineers, their underlying motives remain ambiguous. India, being a close neighbour of Nepal, needs to pay attention to the situation and assess the implications of China's involvement. It is imperative for India to adopt a measured and strategic approach towards its engagement with Nepal and China, keeping in mind the long-term interests of all parties involved. Another important issue, which has been covered by the media, is the stone-pelting against workers on hydropower projects. One such incident was reported on December 4, 2022, when villagers from the Nepal side pelted stones on the Indian side in the same area. A day after the incident, local residents and traders staged a protest against the incident and blocked the border bridge over the Kali river. The Uttarakhand police later filed a case against unidentified Nepalese citizens who allegedly hurled stones at workers on the Indian side engaged in the construction of an embankment on the river. In Nepal, leaders often use anti-India sentiments as a means to gain popularity among the masses. This is due to the significant role India plays in not only the political sphere but also in Nepal's society, culture and religion. As a result, domestic politics in Nepal has increasingly become centered around pro- and anti-India rhetoric, with politicians vying to portray themselves as strong leaders who can stand up to India. So, what will happen if tomorrow, the government is changed? Will they allow energy ties between the two countries to continue at the same pace? These are a few questions which need to be discussed with the Nepalese government. Web Scrawl | Read our series of web exclusives here On the other hand, the Indian government can give Nepal an assurance that it is willing to provide assistance in the education, healthcare and drinking water sectors. By executing these initiatives, India will demonstrate its commitment to reinforcing the Nepalese government's endeavours in enhancing the living standards of its citizens. In conclusion, the relationship between Nepal and India transcends formal documents and diplomatic agreements, as it is characterised by a deep-rooted bond that defies political boundaries and legal definitions. Their shared history, culture and traditions have cemented a unique kinship that stands the test of time, making their bond a testament to the power of human connection and camaraderie. The regular exchange of high-level visits between the leaders of both nations has become a defining feature of their relationship. These interactions have paved the way for fostering cordiality, mutual trust, comprehension and collaboration between the two nations, infusing new energy into the deep-rooted and diverse bilateral ties of amity and partnership. As a result, the Nepal-India relationship has matured and is now on a more realistic and sensible footing, ensuring its continuity and enhancement. (Dr Sarvesh Kumar Shahi is Assistant Professor, School of Law, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar. Dr Manish Yadav is Associate Professor, NLIU, Bhopal.) Water resources in Nepal are crucial to its economy and have been a significant topic in the bilateral cooperation agenda with India for a long time. To maximise benefits and address issues related to water resources, the two governments have established three levels of mechanisms: Joint Ministerial Commission for Water Resources (JMCWR), Joint Committee on Water Resources (JCWR) and Joint Standing Technical Committee (JSTC). These mechanisms are responsible for implementing agreements and treaties and tackling problems such as flooding and inundation. Additionally, a Joint Committee on Inundation and Flood Management (JCIFM) is also in place to specifically address concerns related to flooding, embankments and flood forecasting. Back in 2014, a significant agreement was reached between India and Nepal, which enabled the free flow of electricity between them without any limitations. The agreement was signed to promote and strengthen the exchange of electricity, grid connectivity and power trade between the two countries. The main objective was to establish a solid foundation for power trade, allowing Nepal to import electricity from India until it became self-sufficient, and eventually enabling Indian entities to import power from Nepal under mutually agreed-upon terms and conditions. However, after 2014, after several negotiations, India and Nepal have entered into a number of hydropower trading agreements. Indian businesses are actively participating in the development of numerous projects in Nepal. Furthermore, in 2018, the Nepalese government introduced guidelines for facilitating cross-border trade in electricity, commonly known as CBTE guidelines. These guidelines were subsequently revised in 2019, with no specific conditions imposed on power plant ownership.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); ALSO READ | 'Shri Anna': The eco-friendly superfood that blends tradition and nutrition As far as current developmental ties on hydropower energy generation are concerned, the Indian Foreign Secretary visited Kathmandu in February to strengthen economic and development co-operation. Power trade was one of the matters discussed in the meeting. Following their meeting, the two nations have come to an agreement to bolster the import and export capacity of electricity through various transmission lines. The Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur transmission line will now be able to handle up to 800 megawatts, while the Tanakpur-Mahendranagar 132 KV power transmission will import and export between 70 to 80 MW of electricity. Additionally, both countries have agreed to complete the construction of the Indian section of the 400 KV new Butwal-Gorakhpur transmission line by March 2025, which will be the second international transmission line. The parties also plan to build two more 400 KV capacity international transmission lines by 2027/28 and 2028-29. Furthermore, India has given Nepal the green light to submit a proposal to export 50 MW of electricity to Bangladesh via India, provided it complies with the relevant export-import guidelines. Further, India and Nepal have reached a consensus to advance the Sapta Kosi high dam initiative to reinforce their collaboration in the water sector. The Sapta Kosi high dam initiative will involve the construction of a high dam on the Kosi river in Nepal, which will help regulate water flow and prevent flooding downstream in India. The project will also generate hydropower and facilitate irrigation in both countries. The Mahakali Treaty, which was signed in 1996, governs the sharing of the waters of the Mahakali river between Nepal and India. The successful implementation of the Sapta Kosi high dam initiative will further strengthen the cooperation between the two countries in the water sector and contribute to their overall bilateral relationship. Given the commitments stated earlier, it is important to authorise the long-term export of electricity from Nepal to India using all available options in the trading market. It is crucial to acknowledge the matter of China's participation in Nepal and their potential meddling. While China has established ties with Nepal and extended their support in terms of contractors and engineers, their underlying motives remain ambiguous. India, being a close neighbour of Nepal, needs to pay attention to the situation and assess the implications of China's involvement. It is imperative for India to adopt a measured and strategic approach towards its engagement with Nepal and China, keeping in mind the long-term interests of all parties involved. Another important issue, which has been covered by the media, is the stone-pelting against workers on hydropower projects. One such incident was reported on December 4, 2022, when villagers from the Nepal side pelted stones on the Indian side in the same area. A day after the incident, local residents and traders staged a protest against the incident and blocked the border bridge over the Kali river. The Uttarakhand police later filed a case against unidentified Nepalese citizens who allegedly hurled stones at workers on the Indian side engaged in the construction of an embankment on the river. In Nepal, leaders often use anti-India sentiments as a means to gain popularity among the masses. This is due to the significant role India plays in not only the political sphere but also in Nepal's society, culture and religion. As a result, domestic politics in Nepal has increasingly become centered around pro- and anti-India rhetoric, with politicians vying to portray themselves as strong leaders who can stand up to India. So, what will happen if tomorrow, the government is changed? Will they allow energy ties between the two countries to continue at the same pace? These are a few questions which need to be discussed with the Nepalese government. Web Scrawl | Read our series of web exclusives here On the other hand, the Indian government can give Nepal an assurance that it is willing to provide assistance in the education, healthcare and drinking water sectors. By executing these initiatives, India will demonstrate its commitment to reinforcing the Nepalese government's endeavours in enhancing the living standards of its citizens. In conclusion, the relationship between Nepal and India transcends formal documents and diplomatic agreements, as it is characterised by a deep-rooted bond that defies political boundaries and legal definitions. Their shared history, culture and traditions have cemented a unique kinship that stands the test of time, making their bond a testament to the power of human connection and camaraderie. The regular exchange of high-level visits between the leaders of both nations has become a defining feature of their relationship. These interactions have paved the way for fostering cordiality, mutual trust, comprehension and collaboration between the two nations, infusing new energy into the deep-rooted and diverse bilateral ties of amity and partnership. As a result, the Nepal-India relationship has matured and is now on a more realistic and sensible footing, ensuring its continuity and enhancement. (Dr Sarvesh Kumar Shahi is Assistant Professor, School of Law, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar. Dr Manish Yadav is Associate Professor, NLIU, Bhopal.) By PTI WASHINGTON: India-US relationship is the most consequential relationship of this century, one in which Indian-Americans have an important role to play, a top diplomat from the Biden Administration has said. Rich Verma, the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources made this assertion on Wednesday during the India-US Summit hosted by Congressional India Caucus's Co-Chair Ro Khanna. "The US-Indian relationship has had its ups and downs. But really over the last 23 years or so, we have been going up and not without a few dips here and there, and not without some challenging issues," Verma, said. Verma, 54, believes that the US-India relationship is the most consequential relationship of this century because of India's critical geo-strategic location in a tough neighbourhood. "It is the most consequential relationship of this century. Why? (First) India is in the most critical geo-strategic location in a very tough neighbourhood, but in a critically important neighbourhood. Second, India is going to lead the world in every category in the next few years," he said. India, has already become the most populous country, has the world's biggest middle-class population, the greatest number of college graduates, the greatest number of internet users, the third-largest economy, the third-largest military, the world's largest democracy, the greatest development and industrialisation taking place today and migration of people going from rural parts of India into the cities, he said. "So, this is a country on the move. You can feel it when you're there. You can see it when you're there. And, there's no doubt that the US wants to continue to be the closest partner with India as it's on that move. And India is playing an even greater leadership role in the world, chair of the G- 20, doing a very important job in that respect," Verma said. Verma said the issue that is at the core that holds this relationship together is the people-to-people ties. "You know, governments are behind where the people are, where the businesses are, where the students are, where the innovators are. So, we must continue to support all those people who want to come here. We have to support all the connections that all of you have. That is why the work that all of you have been doing is so critically important. We are two of the world's most important countries, but we are the two largest democracies of the world, and we cannot forget that," he explained. The governments will do their part, but let's remember what really makes this relationship great. It is the great people of India and it's the great people of the United States who come together, he added. 'Relationship critical to world's future' America's Ambassador-Designate to India Eric Garcetti said that the US-India relationship is critical to the world's future while asserting that the two countries have never worked as closely together on a range of issues as they do today. Garcetti, 52, President Joe Biden's close aide, was officially sworn in as the US Ambassador to India last month, ending more than two years of delay to fill one of Washington's most critical diplomatic positions. "There are few relationships in the world that are more vital to the US and India. Our relationship in the world is critical to its future. As President (Joe) Biden has said, India and the US are indispensable partners," Garcetti told the gathering. "Before I came out to India, I spoke with President (Joe) Biden about his vision for the US-India partnership. He stressed just how pivotal this moment is. It is pivotal for the entire planet and especially pivotal for our two countries," Garcetti said. The US and India have never worked as closely together on as many issues as they do today. "We are two of the world's leading democracies. We are the world's largest and fifth largest economies," he said. 'Relationship will continue to grow' House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said that the relationship between the US and India will continue to grow in importance because of the shared democratic values and strategic interests, particularly in the resource-rich Indo-Pacific region. India, the US and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China's rising military manoeuvring in the region. "The relationship between the United States and India is an important one now and will continue to grow in importance because of our shared democratic values. India being the largest democracy in the world, our shared democratic values, and our shared strategic interests, particularly in the Indo-Pacific," Jeffries told the gathering. "Your presence here today is so important. The Indian-American community matters. The caucus that role leads matters. Your voice matters. The values that you have brought to Capitol Hill matter. You have my commitment that I will continue to work closely with Roe (Khanna) and with (Congressman) Raja (Krishnamoorthi) and the (Congressional India) caucus, to make sure that we can strengthen the relationship between the United States and India to tackle some of the geopolitical challenges that we face in a cooperative, robust way," Jefferies added. WASHINGTON: India-US relationship is the most consequential relationship of this century, one in which Indian-Americans have an important role to play, a top diplomat from the Biden Administration has said. Rich Verma, the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources made this assertion on Wednesday during the India-US Summit hosted by Congressional India Caucus's Co-Chair Ro Khanna. "The US-Indian relationship has had its ups and downs. But really over the last 23 years or so, we have been going up and not without a few dips here and there, and not without some challenging issues," Verma, said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Verma, 54, believes that the US-India relationship is the most consequential relationship of this century because of India's critical geo-strategic location in a tough neighbourhood. "It is the most consequential relationship of this century. Why? (First) India is in the most critical geo-strategic location in a very tough neighbourhood, but in a critically important neighbourhood. Second, India is going to lead the world in every category in the next few years," he said. India, has already become the most populous country, has the world's biggest middle-class population, the greatest number of college graduates, the greatest number of internet users, the third-largest economy, the third-largest military, the world's largest democracy, the greatest development and industrialisation taking place today and migration of people going from rural parts of India into the cities, he said. "So, this is a country on the move. You can feel it when you're there. You can see it when you're there. And, there's no doubt that the US wants to continue to be the closest partner with India as it's on that move. And India is playing an even greater leadership role in the world, chair of the G- 20, doing a very important job in that respect," Verma said. Verma said the issue that is at the core that holds this relationship together is the people-to-people ties. "You know, governments are behind where the people are, where the businesses are, where the students are, where the innovators are. So, we must continue to support all those people who want to come here. We have to support all the connections that all of you have. That is why the work that all of you have been doing is so critically important. We are two of the world's most important countries, but we are the two largest democracies of the world, and we cannot forget that," he explained. The governments will do their part, but let's remember what really makes this relationship great. It is the great people of India and it's the great people of the United States who come together, he added. 'Relationship critical to world's future' America's Ambassador-Designate to India Eric Garcetti said that the US-India relationship is critical to the world's future while asserting that the two countries have never worked as closely together on a range of issues as they do today. Garcetti, 52, President Joe Biden's close aide, was officially sworn in as the US Ambassador to India last month, ending more than two years of delay to fill one of Washington's most critical diplomatic positions. "There are few relationships in the world that are more vital to the US and India. Our relationship in the world is critical to its future. As President (Joe) Biden has said, India and the US are indispensable partners," Garcetti told the gathering. "Before I came out to India, I spoke with President (Joe) Biden about his vision for the US-India partnership. He stressed just how pivotal this moment is. It is pivotal for the entire planet and especially pivotal for our two countries," Garcetti said. The US and India have never worked as closely together on as many issues as they do today. "We are two of the world's leading democracies. We are the world's largest and fifth largest economies," he said. 'Relationship will continue to grow' House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said that the relationship between the US and India will continue to grow in importance because of the shared democratic values and strategic interests, particularly in the resource-rich Indo-Pacific region. India, the US and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China's rising military manoeuvring in the region. "The relationship between the United States and India is an important one now and will continue to grow in importance because of our shared democratic values. India being the largest democracy in the world, our shared democratic values, and our shared strategic interests, particularly in the Indo-Pacific," Jeffries told the gathering. "Your presence here today is so important. The Indian-American community matters. The caucus that role leads matters. Your voice matters. The values that you have brought to Capitol Hill matter. You have my commitment that I will continue to work closely with Roe (Khanna) and with (Congressman) Raja (Krishnamoorthi) and the (Congressional India) caucus, to make sure that we can strengthen the relationship between the United States and India to tackle some of the geopolitical challenges that we face in a cooperative, robust way," Jefferies added. By PTI WASHINGTON: An eminent Indian-American community leader from Silicon Valley has urged US lawmakers to remove the prevailing seven per cent cap on green cards, observing that the country-specific limit on the most sought-after residency document has created extensive backlogs. A Green Card is a document issued to immigrants to the US as evidence that the bearer has been granted the privilege of residing in the country permanently. Speaking at the US-India summit held at the US Capitol on Wednesday, Ajay Jain Bhutoria, an entrepreneur and community leader, asked why there was a cap on the Green Card if not on an H-1 visa. "When we do not have a country's limit on giving an H-1 visa to support our companies, businesses and economy. Why should we have a country cap limit on green card issuance," Bhutoria said at the summit organised by Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna in his capacity as Co-chair of the Congressional India Caucus. The per-country caps are numerical limits on the issuance of green cards to individuals from certain countries. Immigration law provides for approximately 140,000 employment-based green cards to be issued each year. However, only seven per cent of those green cards can go to individuals from a single country annually. If the number of individuals being sponsored from a single country is greater than seven per cent of the annual available total, a backlog forms and the excess approved petitions are not considered until a visa becomes available and their petition falls within the initial seven per cent per-country cap. "These country-specific caps have created extensive backlogs, forcing individuals from certain countries, primarily India and China in the employment-based categories to wait much longer than average to receive their green cards, simply because of their country of origin," he said. "We estimate that more than 880,000 people, including dependent spouses and children, are waiting in the US in employment-based green card backlogs. "In some categories, applicants who began the process in 2012 are just now able to file formally, meaning they may have waited more than a decade to join their families, even though they were already qualified to do so. These wait times are projected to extend up to 50 years if the law is not changed," Bhutoria said. Making a detailed presentation, Bhutoria said that the number of students coming to the US from India on average is around 180-190 thousand per year. There are 85,000 H-1B work visas issued every year and out of which nearly 60 per cent of H-1B visas are issued via a fair lottery system to tech workers from India, so around 51,000-60,000 H-1B visas. The number of employment-based green cards issued to people from India is roughly around 7,000-8,000 per year due to the seven per cent country cap limit. This 7,000-8,000 includes dependents of primary applicants, so roughly 2,000 Individual H-1B applicants get green cards every year for people of India. Bhutoria said 180-190 thousand students from India come here to study, 50,000-60,000 get H-1B and only roughly 2,000 get green cards every year due to the country's seven per cent cap limit, the rest applicants continue to live an uncertain life. "So the request is to remove the seven per cent country limit," Bhutoria said. WASHINGTON: An eminent Indian-American community leader from Silicon Valley has urged US lawmakers to remove the prevailing seven per cent cap on green cards, observing that the country-specific limit on the most sought-after residency document has created extensive backlogs. A Green Card is a document issued to immigrants to the US as evidence that the bearer has been granted the privilege of residing in the country permanently. Speaking at the US-India summit held at the US Capitol on Wednesday, Ajay Jain Bhutoria, an entrepreneur and community leader, asked why there was a cap on the Green Card if not on an H-1 visa.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "When we do not have a country's limit on giving an H-1 visa to support our companies, businesses and economy. Why should we have a country cap limit on green card issuance," Bhutoria said at the summit organised by Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna in his capacity as Co-chair of the Congressional India Caucus. The per-country caps are numerical limits on the issuance of green cards to individuals from certain countries. Immigration law provides for approximately 140,000 employment-based green cards to be issued each year. However, only seven per cent of those green cards can go to individuals from a single country annually. If the number of individuals being sponsored from a single country is greater than seven per cent of the annual available total, a backlog forms and the excess approved petitions are not considered until a visa becomes available and their petition falls within the initial seven per cent per-country cap. "These country-specific caps have created extensive backlogs, forcing individuals from certain countries, primarily India and China in the employment-based categories to wait much longer than average to receive their green cards, simply because of their country of origin," he said. "We estimate that more than 880,000 people, including dependent spouses and children, are waiting in the US in employment-based green card backlogs. "In some categories, applicants who began the process in 2012 are just now able to file formally, meaning they may have waited more than a decade to join their families, even though they were already qualified to do so. These wait times are projected to extend up to 50 years if the law is not changed," Bhutoria said. Making a detailed presentation, Bhutoria said that the number of students coming to the US from India on average is around 180-190 thousand per year. There are 85,000 H-1B work visas issued every year and out of which nearly 60 per cent of H-1B visas are issued via a fair lottery system to tech workers from India, so around 51,000-60,000 H-1B visas. The number of employment-based green cards issued to people from India is roughly around 7,000-8,000 per year due to the seven per cent country cap limit. This 7,000-8,000 includes dependents of primary applicants, so roughly 2,000 Individual H-1B applicants get green cards every year for people of India. Bhutoria said 180-190 thousand students from India come here to study, 50,000-60,000 get H-1B and only roughly 2,000 get green cards every year due to the country's seven per cent cap limit, the rest applicants continue to live an uncertain life. "So the request is to remove the seven per cent country limit," Bhutoria said. By Associated Press CAIRO: Fighting intensified in Sudan's war-ravaged province of Darfur during a fragile three-day truce between the country's battling top generals, killing an estimated dozens of people, residents said Thursday. The truce eased fighting in the country's capital, creating a lull that allowed foreign governments to evacuate thousands of their nationals. Tens of thousands of Sudanese traveled to their country's land borders with Egypt, Chad and Ethiopia, and to a port city on the country's Red Sea. The new clashes targeted civilians in the capital city of Genena, the residents said, an area that is regularly roiled by outbursts of brutal tribal violence. They described attacks by fighters, mostly wearing the uniforms of the country's powerful paramilitary, on several neighbourhoods across the city early Thursday, forcing many families to leave their homes. "The attacks come from all directions," said Amany, a Genena resident who asked to withhold her family name for her safety. "All are fleeing." Much attention has been centred on the capital's intense fighting, including airstrikes and artillery and drone strikes, since the country's military and its powerful paramilitary known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) started battling for key government institutions and military bases on April 15. WATCH | 'Survived without water & food, witnessed explosion': Indian traveller narrates ordeal in Sudan The fighting in the capital has created dire conditions for many struggling to obtain food and water, and electricity is cut off across much of the capital and other cities. Multiple aid agencies have had to suspend operations, a heavy blow in a country where a third of the population of 46 million relies on humanitarian assistance. ALSO READ | Why the US evacuation from Sudan left Americans behind But there are now more indications that other remote provinces are witnessing deadly violence. Fighting in Genena first escalated earlier this week. Residents reported widespread looting and destruction of government offices and aid agencies' compounds in the city including U.N. premises and the headquarters of the Sudanese Red Crescent. Adam Haroun, a political activist in West Darfur, said dozens of people were killed over the past two days in Genena. He said the fighting "with light and heavy weapons" has already turned into tribal violence. Speaking over the phone from Genena's western neighbourhood of Gamarek, Haroun said tribal fighters were roaming the streets, destroying and looting "whatever they found." He said Genena's main open market was completely destroyed. "The battles are raging right now," he said over the phone, the sound of gunfire overtaking his voice at times. "It's scorched-earth war." Volker Perthes, the U.N. envoy for Sudan, said late Wednesday that the Genena clashes have been centred on civilians and run the risk of kicking off a dangerous cycle of violence between rival tribes. Meanwhile, in Khartoum, residents reported hearing gunfire and explosions in some parts of the capital. They said the military's warplanes bombed RSF's position in the upscale neighbourhood of Kafouri. The RSF confirmed that its camp in the neighbourhood was bombed. VIEW PHOTOS | Foreigners airlifted out as fighting continues in Sudan And international pressures increased for the generals to reach even a short-term sort of peace, with the latest offer coming from Sudan's neighbour, South Sudan, which split from Sudan in 2011 after years of civil war. South Sudan's President Salva Kiir on Wednesday urged the warring sides to extend the cease-fire for three more days to allow civilians access to food and other services, including health care. Addressing a joint press conference at the president's office in Juba, acting Foreign Minster Deng Dau Deng said Kiir has engaged with the leaders of the military and the RSF to launch negotiations to end the crisis. Deng said Sudan's army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan has accepted the proposal, while Kiir was still engaging with the RSF commander Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. The Sudanese military said it "initially accepted" an initiative brokered by the eight-nation East Africa trade bloc known as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, or IGAD, to extend the current cease-fire for another three days after it expires Thursday. The diplomatic initiative would also include direct negotiations between the military and the RSF in South Sudan's capital, Juba. CAIRO: Fighting intensified in Sudan's war-ravaged province of Darfur during a fragile three-day truce between the country's battling top generals, killing an estimated dozens of people, residents said Thursday. The truce eased fighting in the country's capital, creating a lull that allowed foreign governments to evacuate thousands of their nationals. Tens of thousands of Sudanese traveled to their country's land borders with Egypt, Chad and Ethiopia, and to a port city on the country's Red Sea. The new clashes targeted civilians in the capital city of Genena, the residents said, an area that is regularly roiled by outbursts of brutal tribal violence. They described attacks by fighters, mostly wearing the uniforms of the country's powerful paramilitary, on several neighbourhoods across the city early Thursday, forcing many families to leave their homes.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "The attacks come from all directions," said Amany, a Genena resident who asked to withhold her family name for her safety. "All are fleeing." Much attention has been centred on the capital's intense fighting, including airstrikes and artillery and drone strikes, since the country's military and its powerful paramilitary known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) started battling for key government institutions and military bases on April 15. WATCH | 'Survived without water & food, witnessed explosion': Indian traveller narrates ordeal in Sudan The fighting in the capital has created dire conditions for many struggling to obtain food and water, and electricity is cut off across much of the capital and other cities. Multiple aid agencies have had to suspend operations, a heavy blow in a country where a third of the population of 46 million relies on humanitarian assistance. ALSO READ | Why the US evacuation from Sudan left Americans behind But there are now more indications that other remote provinces are witnessing deadly violence. Fighting in Genena first escalated earlier this week. Residents reported widespread looting and destruction of government offices and aid agencies' compounds in the city including U.N. premises and the headquarters of the Sudanese Red Crescent. Adam Haroun, a political activist in West Darfur, said dozens of people were killed over the past two days in Genena. He said the fighting "with light and heavy weapons" has already turned into tribal violence. Speaking over the phone from Genena's western neighbourhood of Gamarek, Haroun said tribal fighters were roaming the streets, destroying and looting "whatever they found." He said Genena's main open market was completely destroyed. "The battles are raging right now," he said over the phone, the sound of gunfire overtaking his voice at times. "It's scorched-earth war." Volker Perthes, the U.N. envoy for Sudan, said late Wednesday that the Genena clashes have been centred on civilians and run the risk of kicking off a dangerous cycle of violence between rival tribes. Meanwhile, in Khartoum, residents reported hearing gunfire and explosions in some parts of the capital. They said the military's warplanes bombed RSF's position in the upscale neighbourhood of Kafouri. The RSF confirmed that its camp in the neighbourhood was bombed. VIEW PHOTOS | Foreigners airlifted out as fighting continues in Sudan And international pressures increased for the generals to reach even a short-term sort of peace, with the latest offer coming from Sudan's neighbour, South Sudan, which split from Sudan in 2011 after years of civil war. South Sudan's President Salva Kiir on Wednesday urged the warring sides to extend the cease-fire for three more days to allow civilians access to food and other services, including health care. Addressing a joint press conference at the president's office in Juba, acting Foreign Minster Deng Dau Deng said Kiir has engaged with the leaders of the military and the RSF to launch negotiations to end the crisis. Deng said Sudan's army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan has accepted the proposal, while Kiir was still engaging with the RSF commander Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. The Sudanese military said it "initially accepted" an initiative brokered by the eight-nation East Africa trade bloc known as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, or IGAD, to extend the current cease-fire for another three days after it expires Thursday. The diplomatic initiative would also include direct negotiations between the military and the RSF in South Sudan's capital, Juba. By AFP SEOUL: If North Korea uses its nuclear weapons against the United States or its ally South Korea, it would be "the end" of Kim Jong Un's regime, Seoul and Washington announced this week. The stern threat comes as President Yoon Suk Yeol is on a six-day state visit to the United States, where he and his counterpart Joe Biden discussed ramping up the US security shield for South Korea in the face of the nuclear-armed North's increased missile tests. But how significant is the tough-sounding statement? AFP takes a look at what we know: What is it? The Washington Declaration boosts the US nuclear umbrella over South Korea. It includes the regular deployment of a US nuclear submarine to South Korea -- something that has not happened since the 1980s -- and other measures, including more information sharing in the event of a North Korean attack. But there are no plans to station US nuclear weapons in South Korea, and some analysts doubt the declaration's practical value. "It is questionable whether the North would be afraid of a strategic nuclear submarine equipped with an SLBM with a range of more than 7,400 kilometres (4,600 miles)," Cheong Seong-chang of the Center for North Korea Studies at the Sejong Institute told AFP. The "too long" range of the submarine's missiles mean it may not be able to hit North Korea if it were in South Korean waters, he said. Is it significant? The state visit undoubtedly "represents a new high-water mark for US-South Korea relations, with the breadth and depth of security, economic, and cultural cooperation on full display", Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, told AFP. US officials described the new arrangement as akin to moves last witnessed when Washington oversaw the defence of Europe against the Soviet Union. Yoon has been trying to reassure the South's increasingly nervous public about the US commitment to so-called "extended deterrence", where US assets -- including nuclear weapons -- serve to prevent attacks on allies. A majority of South Koreans now believe the country should develop its own nuclear weapons, surveys show. Yoon has previously hinted Seoul could pursue this option. Will Seoul get nuclear weapons? Absolutely not. And this could cause problems, experts said. "One thing was clear: there was an implied agreement that Seoul would not go nuclear," said Soo Kim, Policy Practice Area Lead at LMI Consulting and a former CIA analyst. "Seoul's nuclear ambitions have been capped." Gi-Wook Shin, a Korean expert and sociology professor at Stanford University, told AFP that the declaration was "a step forward". "I don't think this will be enough to appease a South Korean public that has increasingly demanded that Seoul develop nuclear weapons of its own," Shin said. What will North Korea do? Closer cooperation between its self-declared arch enemies, Washington and Seoul, is bound to concern Kim Jong Un's regime and there could be more missile launches to demonstrate this, experts say. In public, "North Korea will downplay the message of reassurance by the US regarding nuclear deterrence", Chun In-bum, a retired South Korean army general, told AFP. But behind closed doors "they will get the message: if they use nuclear weapons it will be the end of the regime", he said. Having spent decades -- and a huge chunk of the impoverished country's GDP -- on developing his banned nuclear weapons programmes, Kim is not going to change track, experts said. "It is unlikely that North Korea will give up its nuclear weapons by giving in to these threats," Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP. What about Trump? The major problem with the Washington Declaration is not the agreement itself, but US political dysfunction, which means it could be worthless after the next presidential election there, Karl Friedhoff at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs told AFP. The potential return to power of former US president Donald Trump is likely to trigger "very serious discussions" in Seoul, he said. For the US-South Korea relationship "the biggest challenge is something that the alliance doesn't really have any control over US domestic politics", he said. "There is serious concern in Seoul about a return of the GOP -- especially Trump -- to the White House. If he wins the election in 2024, that could spark a very unpredictable turn of events in the relationship." SEOUL: If North Korea uses its nuclear weapons against the United States or its ally South Korea, it would be "the end" of Kim Jong Un's regime, Seoul and Washington announced this week. The stern threat comes as President Yoon Suk Yeol is on a six-day state visit to the United States, where he and his counterpart Joe Biden discussed ramping up the US security shield for South Korea in the face of the nuclear-armed North's increased missile tests. But how significant is the tough-sounding statement? AFP takes a look at what we know:googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); What is it? The Washington Declaration boosts the US nuclear umbrella over South Korea. It includes the regular deployment of a US nuclear submarine to South Korea -- something that has not happened since the 1980s -- and other measures, including more information sharing in the event of a North Korean attack. But there are no plans to station US nuclear weapons in South Korea, and some analysts doubt the declaration's practical value. "It is questionable whether the North would be afraid of a strategic nuclear submarine equipped with an SLBM with a range of more than 7,400 kilometres (4,600 miles)," Cheong Seong-chang of the Center for North Korea Studies at the Sejong Institute told AFP. The "too long" range of the submarine's missiles mean it may not be able to hit North Korea if it were in South Korean waters, he said. Is it significant? The state visit undoubtedly "represents a new high-water mark for US-South Korea relations, with the breadth and depth of security, economic, and cultural cooperation on full display", Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, told AFP. US officials described the new arrangement as akin to moves last witnessed when Washington oversaw the defence of Europe against the Soviet Union. Yoon has been trying to reassure the South's increasingly nervous public about the US commitment to so-called "extended deterrence", where US assets -- including nuclear weapons -- serve to prevent attacks on allies. A majority of South Koreans now believe the country should develop its own nuclear weapons, surveys show. Yoon has previously hinted Seoul could pursue this option. Will Seoul get nuclear weapons? Absolutely not. And this could cause problems, experts said. "One thing was clear: there was an implied agreement that Seoul would not go nuclear," said Soo Kim, Policy Practice Area Lead at LMI Consulting and a former CIA analyst. "Seoul's nuclear ambitions have been capped." Gi-Wook Shin, a Korean expert and sociology professor at Stanford University, told AFP that the declaration was "a step forward". "I don't think this will be enough to appease a South Korean public that has increasingly demanded that Seoul develop nuclear weapons of its own," Shin said. What will North Korea do? Closer cooperation between its self-declared arch enemies, Washington and Seoul, is bound to concern Kim Jong Un's regime and there could be more missile launches to demonstrate this, experts say. In public, "North Korea will downplay the message of reassurance by the US regarding nuclear deterrence", Chun In-bum, a retired South Korean army general, told AFP. But behind closed doors "they will get the message: if they use nuclear weapons it will be the end of the regime", he said. Having spent decades -- and a huge chunk of the impoverished country's GDP -- on developing his banned nuclear weapons programmes, Kim is not going to change track, experts said. "It is unlikely that North Korea will give up its nuclear weapons by giving in to these threats," Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP. What about Trump? The major problem with the Washington Declaration is not the agreement itself, but US political dysfunction, which means it could be worthless after the next presidential election there, Karl Friedhoff at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs told AFP. The potential return to power of former US president Donald Trump is likely to trigger "very serious discussions" in Seoul, he said. For the US-South Korea relationship "the biggest challenge is something that the alliance doesn't really have any control over US domestic politics", he said. "There is serious concern in Seoul about a return of the GOP -- especially Trump -- to the White House. If he wins the election in 2024, that could spark a very unpredictable turn of events in the relationship." By AFP BEIRUT: Human Rights Watch on Thursday accused Turkish border guards of shooting, torturing and using excessive force against Syrians seeking to flee their war-racked country into neighbouring Turkey. It urged Ankara to investigate border guards, hold those responsible for "grave human rights violations, including unlawful killings" to account, and end "longstanding impunity for these abuses". "Turkish border guards are indiscriminately shooting at Syrian civilians on the border... as well as torturing and using excessive force against asylum seekers and migrants trying to cross," the New York-based rights group said in a statement. Syria's war since 2011 has killed more than half a million people and displaced millions. Syria shares a long border with Turkey, which hosts some 3.6 million registered Syrian refugees, according to the UN refugee agency. "Turkey's generous hosting of large numbers of Syrians does not absolve it of its obligations to respect the rights of others seeking protection at its borders," HRW said. It cited a March 11 incident in which border guards had "intercepted and tortured a group of eight Syrians who had attempted to cross into Turkey... killing a boy and one man" and returning the others to Syria. "Turkish gendarmes and armed forces in charge of border control routinely abuse and indiscriminately shoot at Syrians along the Syrian-Turkish border, with hundreds of deaths and injuries recorded in recent years," said HRW's Hugh Williamson. "Arbitrary killings of Syrians are particularly egregious and part of a pattern of brutality by Turkish border guards that the government has failed to curb or investigate effectively." The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said Turkish border guards had shot dead 12 Syrians and wounded 20 others since the start of the year. "While Turkey is entitled to secure its border with Syria, it must do so in compliance with international law and in particular its human rights obligations," HRW said, urging Ankara to "urgently conduct a full review" of border security policy. Despite officially closing its frontier with Syria, Turkey over the years has regularly allowed access for humanitarian and medical reasons, and at times has allowed Syrians to return home for family visits during major holidays. But since a devastating February 6 earthquake hit Turkey and Syria, killing thousands, Ankara has reinforced border restrictions. BEIRUT: Human Rights Watch on Thursday accused Turkish border guards of shooting, torturing and using excessive force against Syrians seeking to flee their war-racked country into neighbouring Turkey. It urged Ankara to investigate border guards, hold those responsible for "grave human rights violations, including unlawful killings" to account, and end "longstanding impunity for these abuses". "Turkish border guards are indiscriminately shooting at Syrian civilians on the border... as well as torturing and using excessive force against asylum seekers and migrants trying to cross," the New York-based rights group said in a statement.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Syria's war since 2011 has killed more than half a million people and displaced millions. Syria shares a long border with Turkey, which hosts some 3.6 million registered Syrian refugees, according to the UN refugee agency. "Turkey's generous hosting of large numbers of Syrians does not absolve it of its obligations to respect the rights of others seeking protection at its borders," HRW said. It cited a March 11 incident in which border guards had "intercepted and tortured a group of eight Syrians who had attempted to cross into Turkey... killing a boy and one man" and returning the others to Syria. "Turkish gendarmes and armed forces in charge of border control routinely abuse and indiscriminately shoot at Syrians along the Syrian-Turkish border, with hundreds of deaths and injuries recorded in recent years," said HRW's Hugh Williamson. "Arbitrary killings of Syrians are particularly egregious and part of a pattern of brutality by Turkish border guards that the government has failed to curb or investigate effectively." The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said Turkish border guards had shot dead 12 Syrians and wounded 20 others since the start of the year. "While Turkey is entitled to secure its border with Syria, it must do so in compliance with international law and in particular its human rights obligations," HRW said, urging Ankara to "urgently conduct a full review" of border security policy. Despite officially closing its frontier with Syria, Turkey over the years has regularly allowed access for humanitarian and medical reasons, and at times has allowed Syrians to return home for family visits during major holidays. But since a devastating February 6 earthquake hit Turkey and Syria, killing thousands, Ankara has reinforced border restrictions. By ANI LONDON: An independent report commissioned by former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has expressed concerns over the rising influence of pro-Khalistan extremists within the British Sikh community, Khalsa Vox reported. The Bloom Review, an independent report commissioned by former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has called on the Rishi Sunak government to address the issue urgently and safeguard most of the Sikhs in the UK who do not support the extremist ideology. The report stressed on the timeliness of addressing the issue. The report noted that the Sikh communities in the UK face coercion and intimidation by fringe Khalistani elements, Khalsa Vox reported. These pro-Khalistan groups artificially inflate their influence and attract disproportionate attention by lobbying political bodies under the guise of human rights activism. As per the news report, the actions of pro-Khalistan groups create a false image of legitimacy which is not according to the beliefs of the Sikh faith. It is important to understand that Khalistani separatists do not represent the views of most British Sikh communities, as per the Khalsa Vox report. The Bloom Review highlighted the negative effect these extremist groups create on Sikh communities. The Bloom Review stressed the need for the UK government to take measures to define and tackle harmful extremism, as per the Khalsa Vox news report. The report has identified individuals and organizations that fuel the separatist agenda in the UK. One such group is related to the mistreatment of Lord Singh of Wimbledon. Lord Singh, a prominent Sikh figure in public life, has said that he was harassed and silenced by certain people and organisations for expressing his views which were opposed to theirs on issues related to Sikhs. The incident showcases the power struggle among the British Sikh community over-representation at official levels and recognition as the pre-eminent Sikh body in the UK. The Bloom Review noted that most of the British Sikhs consider the intimidating and subversive ways used by pro-Khalistani groups to be alien to the basic tenets of the Sikh faith, as per the news report. The report called on the UK government to create a more nuanced understanding of subversive and sectarian Sikh extremist activity. It urged the UK government to ensure that such extremist behaviours are not legitimized by the government or from the parliamentary engagement. The report stressed the importance of differentiating between mainstream Sikh communities and extremist elements to ensure the safety and well-being of Sikhs in Britain and maintaining ties with India, according to Khalsa Vox report. The report comes after the Khalistani vandalized the Indian High Commission in the UK in March. After the incident, the UK government assured the safety. As per the news report, addressing pro-Khalistan extremism in the UK is essential for the well-being of British-Sikh communities and for strong diplomatic ties between the UK and India. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a telephonic conversation with his UK counterpart Rishi Sunak raised the issue of the security of Indian diplomatic establishments in the United Kingdom. PM Modi called for strong action against anti-India elements. "PM Modi raised the issue of security of Indian diplomatic establishments in the UK and called for strong action against anti-India elements by the UK Government. PM Rishi Sunak conveyed that the UK considers the attack on Indian High Commission totally unacceptable and assured of the security of the Indian Mission and its personnel," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in the official press release. LONDON: An independent report commissioned by former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has expressed concerns over the rising influence of pro-Khalistan extremists within the British Sikh community, Khalsa Vox reported. The Bloom Review, an independent report commissioned by former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has called on the Rishi Sunak government to address the issue urgently and safeguard most of the Sikhs in the UK who do not support the extremist ideology. The report stressed on the timeliness of addressing the issue. The report noted that the Sikh communities in the UK face coercion and intimidation by fringe Khalistani elements, Khalsa Vox reported.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); These pro-Khalistan groups artificially inflate their influence and attract disproportionate attention by lobbying political bodies under the guise of human rights activism. As per the news report, the actions of pro-Khalistan groups create a false image of legitimacy which is not according to the beliefs of the Sikh faith. It is important to understand that Khalistani separatists do not represent the views of most British Sikh communities, as per the Khalsa Vox report. The Bloom Review highlighted the negative effect these extremist groups create on Sikh communities. The Bloom Review stressed the need for the UK government to take measures to define and tackle harmful extremism, as per the Khalsa Vox news report. The report has identified individuals and organizations that fuel the separatist agenda in the UK. One such group is related to the mistreatment of Lord Singh of Wimbledon. Lord Singh, a prominent Sikh figure in public life, has said that he was harassed and silenced by certain people and organisations for expressing his views which were opposed to theirs on issues related to Sikhs. The incident showcases the power struggle among the British Sikh community over-representation at official levels and recognition as the pre-eminent Sikh body in the UK. The Bloom Review noted that most of the British Sikhs consider the intimidating and subversive ways used by pro-Khalistani groups to be alien to the basic tenets of the Sikh faith, as per the news report. The report called on the UK government to create a more nuanced understanding of subversive and sectarian Sikh extremist activity. It urged the UK government to ensure that such extremist behaviours are not legitimized by the government or from the parliamentary engagement. The report stressed the importance of differentiating between mainstream Sikh communities and extremist elements to ensure the safety and well-being of Sikhs in Britain and maintaining ties with India, according to Khalsa Vox report. The report comes after the Khalistani vandalized the Indian High Commission in the UK in March. After the incident, the UK government assured the safety. As per the news report, addressing pro-Khalistan extremism in the UK is essential for the well-being of British-Sikh communities and for strong diplomatic ties between the UK and India. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a telephonic conversation with his UK counterpart Rishi Sunak raised the issue of the security of Indian diplomatic establishments in the United Kingdom. PM Modi called for strong action against anti-India elements. "PM Modi raised the issue of security of Indian diplomatic establishments in the UK and called for strong action against anti-India elements by the UK Government. PM Rishi Sunak conveyed that the UK considers the attack on Indian High Commission totally unacceptable and assured of the security of the Indian Mission and its personnel," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in the official press release. By Associated Press WASHINGTON: Warring factions trying to seize control of the East African nation of Sudan have plunged the country into chaos, and thousands are fleeing the capital of Khartoum and nearby battle zones. Some countries, including the U.S., have shuttered their embassies and many are coordinating daring evacuations of their staffs and other residents in an array of convoys, flights and frantic getaway drives. But over the past week, there have been dramatically different responses by various governments as they try to get their citizens and embassy personnel to safety. The U.S. has come under scrutiny for evacuating roughly 70 embassy staff in a helicopter mission by elite SEAL commandos over the weekend, while warning thousands of private American citizens in Sudan that there would be no similar evacuation for them. The State Department, which has advised U.S. citizens for years not to travel to Sudan, continues to advise Americans to shelter in place. Most of the estimated 16,000 Americans believed to be in Sudan right now are dual U.S.-Sudanese nationals and only a fraction of them have expressed a desire to leave. But at least some of those who want to leave have managed to get to Port Sudan where they can take a ferry to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, or have gotten seats on flights operated by other countries. A look at the situation: What's happening in Sudan It all boils down to a struggle for power between two powerful generals and their armies: Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, who leads the Sudanese armed forces, and Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the head of a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces. Four years ago, a popular uprising in Sudan helped depose long-time autocrat Omar al-Bashir. But in 2021, the two generals Burhan and Dagalo jointly orchestrated a coup that derailed efforts to develop a civilian government. Both men have a history of human rights abuses, and their forces have cracked down on pro-democracy activists. READ HERE | Sudan conflict: Situation 'heartbreaking', says WHO; 61 per cent health facilities closed in Khartoum Under international pressure, Burhan and Dagalo recently agreed to a framework agreement with political parties and pro-democracy groups. But the signing was repeatedly delayed as tensions rose over the integration of the RSF into the armed forces and the future chain of command. Tensions exploded into violence on April 15. Each side has tens of thousands of troops in and around Khartoum and the city of Omdurman on the opposite bank of the Nile River. On Wednesday, the second day of the latest fragile ceasefire, sporadic fighting continued. How the US got embassy staff out As security conditions worsened late last week, including damage to the civilian airport and an attack on a U.S. diplomatic convoy in Khartoum, the State Department concluded that "the only way we could do this safely for all of our diplomatic personnel was to rely on the capabilities of our military colleagues," said Ambassador John Bass, State Department undersecretary for management. On Saturday, the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum suspended its operations and ordered staff to leave the country. The Department of Defense had begun moving resources to Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti to prepare for a possible evacuation. On Saturday, three MH-47 Chinook helicopters carrying elite SEAL commandos took off from Djibouti en route to Ethiopia, where they refueled and then made the three-hour flight to Khartoum. "The operation was fast and clean, with service members spending less than an hour on the ground in Khartoum," said Lt. Gen D.A. Sims, director of operations at the Joint Staff. The helicopters flew in and out of Khartoum without taking any fire. Americans still in Sudan While embassy staff was airlifted out, there were no plans to provide similar evacuations for potentially thousands of Americans still in Sudan. In a security alert Tuesday, the State Department reiterated that "due to the uncertain security situation in Khartoum and closure of the airport, it is not currently safe to undertake a U.S. government-coordinated evacuation of private U.S. citizens." Instead, it provided details on border crossings that are available and the requirements needed at each location. It cautioned that fighting continues and that many routes are dangerous and unpredictable. American citizens who get to Port Sudan overland and can take a ferry to Jeddah will be assisted by the U.S. consulate there. Right now, U.S. assistance for Americans is largely limited to phone and virtual help. ALSO READ | IAF aircraft with 360 Indians evacuated from Sudan lands in Delhi, more flights to follow The U.S. could send Navy vessels to Port Sudan to ferry Americans to Jeddah or another location where they could get transportation back to the United States. However, officials say this would depend on the security situation and whether it is safe for ships to dock. The U.S. has developed other options, such as opening a temporary consulate in Port Sudan, beefing up its consulate in Jeddah to assist Americans as they arrive, or using a nearby airfield that other European countries have used to fly citizens out. U.S. officials believe the security situation in Port Sudan is better than in the capital, but remain concerned about the potential for an escalation of violence. What other countries are doing While the U.S. says it's too dangerous to get its citizens out, other countries are proceeding with evacuations of their nationals. France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, Holland, Turkey, Japan, South Korea, Jordan, South Africa, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are among the countries that have evacuated their citizens and those of other countries. Germany's defense ministry said in a tweet Tuesday it had ended its evacuation flights after flying more than 700 people out of Sudan including 200 Germans and hundreds more from more than 20 other nations. France said it had evacuated more than 500 people from 41 countries, and would keep a Navy frigate at Sudan's main Red Sea port to continue assisting rescue operations for foreigners. The United Kingdom was continuing its military evacuations of civilians from an airport outside Khartoum. Brig. Dan Reeve told reporters Wednesday the situation was "calm" and that Sudan's armed forces were maintaining good security around the airport. Saudi Arabia's state-run news service said Tuesday it had evacuated about 2,150 people by ship from Sudan, including 114 Saudi citizens and more than 2,000 evacuees from 62 other nations. And Egypt, which had evacuated more than 1,500 of its citizens, said its diplomatic mission won't leave Sudan until it ensures the evacuation of all those who want to leave. An administrator with the Egyptian embassy in Khartoum was shot dead Monday, the Foreign Ministry said. Is the US response unusual? While many Americans may recall the dramatic 2021 evacuation of diplomats and private citizens alike from Afghanistan, those circumstances were far different. In most cases, the U.S. does not evacuate private citizens when it closes an embassy. The situation in Afghanistan was different because the U.S. was ending a 20-year military presence in the country. It was trying to extricate the residual American presence there, much of which was directly tied to Washington's role in propping up the Afghan government. No such situation existed or exists in Sudan. READ MORE | 'Long lines of elderly people, patients waiting in miserable conditions': Scenes at Sudan border More typical has been the practice in places like Yemen, Syria and Venezuela, where the U.S. suspended diplomatic operations and removed personnel because of turmoil, but did not evacuate private citizens. The U.S. also briefly shuttered the embassy in Kyiv because of the Russian invasion, but there was no military evacuation for either diplomats or private citizens, and the embassy has since re-opened. In contrast with the situation in Afghanistan, the U.S. was not involved militarily in the Sudan conflict and had no military presence on the ground apart from the small number of Marine guards at the Khartoum embassy. Also, the U.S. has warned Americans for several years not to travel to Sudan and told them that consular assistance at the embassy was extremely limited. WASHINGTON: Warring factions trying to seize control of the East African nation of Sudan have plunged the country into chaos, and thousands are fleeing the capital of Khartoum and nearby battle zones. Some countries, including the U.S., have shuttered their embassies and many are coordinating daring evacuations of their staffs and other residents in an array of convoys, flights and frantic getaway drives. But over the past week, there have been dramatically different responses by various governments as they try to get their citizens and embassy personnel to safety. The U.S. has come under scrutiny for evacuating roughly 70 embassy staff in a helicopter mission by elite SEAL commandos over the weekend, while warning thousands of private American citizens in Sudan that there would be no similar evacuation for them.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The State Department, which has advised U.S. citizens for years not to travel to Sudan, continues to advise Americans to shelter in place. Most of the estimated 16,000 Americans believed to be in Sudan right now are dual U.S.-Sudanese nationals and only a fraction of them have expressed a desire to leave. But at least some of those who want to leave have managed to get to Port Sudan where they can take a ferry to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, or have gotten seats on flights operated by other countries. A look at the situation:What's happening in Sudan It all boils down to a struggle for power between two powerful generals and their armies: Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, who leads the Sudanese armed forces, and Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the head of a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces. Four years ago, a popular uprising in Sudan helped depose long-time autocrat Omar al-Bashir. But in 2021, the two generals Burhan and Dagalo jointly orchestrated a coup that derailed efforts to develop a civilian government. Both men have a history of human rights abuses, and their forces have cracked down on pro-democracy activists. READ HERE | Sudan conflict: Situation 'heartbreaking', says WHO; 61 per cent health facilities closed in Khartoum Under international pressure, Burhan and Dagalo recently agreed to a framework agreement with political parties and pro-democracy groups. But the signing was repeatedly delayed as tensions rose over the integration of the RSF into the armed forces and the future chain of command. Tensions exploded into violence on April 15. Each side has tens of thousands of troops in and around Khartoum and the city of Omdurman on the opposite bank of the Nile River. On Wednesday, the second day of the latest fragile ceasefire, sporadic fighting continued.How the US got embassy staff out As security conditions worsened late last week, including damage to the civilian airport and an attack on a U.S. diplomatic convoy in Khartoum, the State Department concluded that "the only way we could do this safely for all of our diplomatic personnel was to rely on the capabilities of our military colleagues," said Ambassador John Bass, State Department undersecretary for management. On Saturday, the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum suspended its operations and ordered staff to leave the country. The Department of Defense had begun moving resources to Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti to prepare for a possible evacuation. On Saturday, three MH-47 Chinook helicopters carrying elite SEAL commandos took off from Djibouti en route to Ethiopia, where they refueled and then made the three-hour flight to Khartoum. "The operation was fast and clean, with service members spending less than an hour on the ground in Khartoum," said Lt. Gen D.A. Sims, director of operations at the Joint Staff. The helicopters flew in and out of Khartoum without taking any fire.Americans still in Sudan While embassy staff was airlifted out, there were no plans to provide similar evacuations for potentially thousands of Americans still in Sudan. In a security alert Tuesday, the State Department reiterated that "due to the uncertain security situation in Khartoum and closure of the airport, it is not currently safe to undertake a U.S. government-coordinated evacuation of private U.S. citizens." Instead, it provided details on border crossings that are available and the requirements needed at each location. It cautioned that fighting continues and that many routes are dangerous and unpredictable. American citizens who get to Port Sudan overland and can take a ferry to Jeddah will be assisted by the U.S. consulate there. Right now, U.S. assistance for Americans is largely limited to phone and virtual help. ALSO READ | IAF aircraft with 360 Indians evacuated from Sudan lands in Delhi, more flights to follow The U.S. could send Navy vessels to Port Sudan to ferry Americans to Jeddah or another location where they could get transportation back to the United States. However, officials say this would depend on the security situation and whether it is safe for ships to dock. The U.S. has developed other options, such as opening a temporary consulate in Port Sudan, beefing up its consulate in Jeddah to assist Americans as they arrive, or using a nearby airfield that other European countries have used to fly citizens out. U.S. officials believe the security situation in Port Sudan is better than in the capital, but remain concerned about the potential for an escalation of violence.What other countries are doing While the U.S. says it's too dangerous to get its citizens out, other countries are proceeding with evacuations of their nationals. France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, Holland, Turkey, Japan, South Korea, Jordan, South Africa, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are among the countries that have evacuated their citizens and those of other countries. Germany's defense ministry said in a tweet Tuesday it had ended its evacuation flights after flying more than 700 people out of Sudan including 200 Germans and hundreds more from more than 20 other nations. France said it had evacuated more than 500 people from 41 countries, and would keep a Navy frigate at Sudan's main Red Sea port to continue assisting rescue operations for foreigners. The United Kingdom was continuing its military evacuations of civilians from an airport outside Khartoum. Brig. Dan Reeve told reporters Wednesday the situation was "calm" and that Sudan's armed forces were maintaining good security around the airport. Saudi Arabia's state-run news service said Tuesday it had evacuated about 2,150 people by ship from Sudan, including 114 Saudi citizens and more than 2,000 evacuees from 62 other nations. And Egypt, which had evacuated more than 1,500 of its citizens, said its diplomatic mission won't leave Sudan until it ensures the evacuation of all those who want to leave. An administrator with the Egyptian embassy in Khartoum was shot dead Monday, the Foreign Ministry said.Is the US response unusual? While many Americans may recall the dramatic 2021 evacuation of diplomats and private citizens alike from Afghanistan, those circumstances were far different. In most cases, the U.S. does not evacuate private citizens when it closes an embassy. The situation in Afghanistan was different because the U.S. was ending a 20-year military presence in the country. It was trying to extricate the residual American presence there, much of which was directly tied to Washington's role in propping up the Afghan government. No such situation existed or exists in Sudan. READ MORE | 'Long lines of elderly people, patients waiting in miserable conditions': Scenes at Sudan border More typical has been the practice in places like Yemen, Syria and Venezuela, where the U.S. suspended diplomatic operations and removed personnel because of turmoil, but did not evacuate private citizens. The U.S. also briefly shuttered the embassy in Kyiv because of the Russian invasion, but there was no military evacuation for either diplomats or private citizens, and the embassy has since re-opened. In contrast with the situation in Afghanistan, the U.S. was not involved militarily in the Sudan conflict and had no military presence on the ground apart from the small number of Marine guards at the Khartoum embassy. Also, the U.S. has warned Americans for several years not to travel to Sudan and told them that consular assistance at the embassy was extremely limited. Small rural elementary school districts interested in forming their own high school had one hurdle removed by the Montana Legislature this week. House Bill 707, sponsored by Rep. Jodee Etchart, R-Billings, was approved on its third reading Wednesday after having gone through the Senate. It now heads to the governor's desk. The bill removes the requirement that adjoining elementary districts must consolidate to form a new high school district. Instead, it would allow those small districts to still to operate independently while sending students to the same high school. Currently, a single K-8 school district has to meet or exceed 1,000 students enrolled to form a high school district. Those districts that dont have enough students must consolidate with adjoining districts to meet the threshold. HB 707 was a response to a recent push from Billings West End parents who are exploring the feasibility of building a new high school west of the city. The coalition Southwest Billings SMART Growth believes a new high school district on the west end of town is needed to account for the citys growth rate and current overcrowding across the three high schools in School District 2. The group held a community meeting in February with the boards of trustees from Elysian, Blue Creek, Elder Grove and Canyon Creek schools to explore consolidating to a single K-8 district in order to form a new high school district, a move fraught with tricky logistics and red tape. Support for HB 707 grew from the meeting. "We are thrilled that HB 707 has passed," Missy Jones, one of leaders of Southwest Billings SMART Growth, said in statement Thursday morning. "This will allow us to move forward with the county high school and will eliminate one of the bigger roadblocks, which was mandatory consolidation between Blue Creek, Canyon Creek, Elysian and Elder Grove K-8." The Legislature's approval of HB 707 removed a big roadblock from the group's efforts, she said. "Now consolidation is an option instead of being a large determining factor that could potentially halt the project," she said. "By eliminating this step it provides for a quicker path in making this high school a reality. Which is really exciting. There were a lot of people that worked on this bill and we are so thankful for their time and efforts." Iran, Oman discuss reviving 2015 nuclear pact Tehran, April 26: Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said his country and Oman held consultations on restoring a 2015 nuclear deal and removing the sanctions on Tehran. Iran, Oman discuss reviving 2015 nuclear pact Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in an address to reporters following his meeting with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Hamad al-Busaidi in Muscat, reports Xinhua news agency.The Iranian top diplomat said that Oman has always played a "constructive" role in the nuclear talks.Over the past years, Oman has sought to mediate between Iran and the US to help bring the nuclear talks to fruition.Amir-Abdollahian noted that in the meeting with his Omani counterpart, the two sides agreed to soon hold the meeting of the joint economic commission.He added that, based on the official invitation extended by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, the two ministers discussed the date for the trip.Heading a political delegation, Amir-Abdollahian arrived in Muscat on Tuesday for talks on bilateral, regional and international issues with Omani officials.Iran signed the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with world powers in July 2015, agreeing to put some curbs on its nuclear program in return for the removal of the sanctions on the country.The US, however, pulled out of the deal in May 2018 and reimposed its unilateral sanctions on Tehran, prompting the latter to reduce some of its nuclear commitments under the deal.The talks on the JCPOA's revival began in April 2021 in Vienna, Austria.No breakthrough has been achieved after the latest round of talks in August 2022.IANS26 April 2023 Shared Recently! 61 illegal migrants rescued off Libyan coast Tripoli, April 26: The Libyan Coast Guard has rescued 61 illegal migrants and recovered 11 bodies off the coast of Garrabulli, some 55 km east of the capital Tripoli. 61 illegal migrants rescued off Libyan coast "We recovered 11 bodies, including a child. The total number of illegal migrants rescued today is 61 of different African, Asian and Arab nationalities," Esa al-Zarrug, a Coast Guard officer, told Xinhua news agency late Tuesday.A total of 4,335 illegal migrants have been rescued or intercepted by the Libyan authorities so far this year.Meanwhile, 310 illegal migrants have died and 227 others have gone missing on the central Mediterranean route off the Libyan coast, according to the International Organization for Migration.Migrants and asylum seekers use the Central Mediterranean route to enter the EU on an irregular basis.They embark on long, dangerous journeys from North Africa and Turkey, crossing the Mediterranean Sea to reach Italy, and to a much lesser extent also Malta.The large majority of the migrants transit through Libya on their journey towards Europe.This has contributed to the development of well-established and resilient smuggling and trafficking networks in Libya.IANS26 April 2023 Shared Recently! Borouge 2 plant turnaround project successfully completed Abu Dhabi [USE], April 26 (ANI/WAM): Borouge, a petrochemical company that provides innovative and differentiated polyolefin solutions, has completed a turnaround project at its Borouge 2 plant in Al Ruways Industrial City to ensure safe and reliable operations of the facility for the next operation cycle. Borouge 2 plant turnaround project successfully completed Production started at Borouge's first plant (Borouge 1) in 2001 with an annual capacity of 450,000 tonnes of polyethylene, which was increased in 2005 to 600,000 tonnes. In 2010, Borouge increased its total annual production capacity to 2 million tonnes of Borstar polyolefins (polyethylene and polypropylene) upon starting-up its second plant (Borouge 2).Planning to enhance its growth and increase its capacity to meet the rising demand for differentiated polyolefin solutions, in 2015, Borouge started-up its third plant (Borouge 3) which raised its total annual capacity to 4.5 million tonnes followed by the starting up of Borouge's fifth polypropylene unit (PP5) in early 2022, bringing the company's total production capacity to 5 million tonnes of polyolefins per year.Dr Saif Al Hajri, Vice President of Maintenance at Borouge, confirmed that the production capacity of Borouge's petrochemical complex in Al Ruways Industrial City has increased by more than 10-fold in 20 years to meet the growing demand for the company's solutions and products locally, regionally and globally.Al Hajri pointed out that more than 6,000 employees and contractors, including a large number of Emirati engineers and managers, participated in the Borouge 2 turnaround project, where they spent more than 1.84 million safe man-hours in full compliance with health, safety and environmental rules to enhance the continuity of the company's business.He explained that the turnaround operations were carried out by employees from many departments across Borouge, including Operations, Maintenance, HSE and Operational Excellence, and planners and contractors.Al Hajri said, "We carry out turnarounds at the Borouge's petrochemical plants periodically to ensure safe and reliable operations for the next five years. The turnaround work at Borouge 2 plant began in February and was successfully and safely completed by mid-March 2023, where the plant's operational units were well maintained and are all operating smoothly.""The Borouge 2 Turnaround has helped us enhance our operational performance improvements and ensure safe operation during the next cycle, where a total of more than 31,000 activities were implemented based on more than 6,000 work orders. We also serviced 196 pieces of rotating equipment and 486 pieces of static equipment and overhauled 1,316 valves," he added.Salem Al Busaeedi, Vice President, Plant Operations (Polyolefins) at Borouge, said, "At Borouge, we emphasise the performance, profitability and efficiency of our operations and enhance the contribution and development of our people, while actively contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)."He added that Borouge is committed to operational and commercial excellence, with a detailed efficiency enhancement strategy focused on safety, plant reliability and integrity and cash flow optimisation.Al Busaeedi pointed out the importance of the 'Borouge Operational Excellence Programme', which aims to enhance efficiency and productivity and achieve higher utilisation rates, reduce energy consumption and in turn reduce GHG emissions over the medium term.It also aims to optimise outside resourcing and maintenance costs by challenging capital expenditure plans, including turnarounds to improve efficiencies and to keep low maintenance capital expenditure levels."Our operational excellence programme leverages existing expertise across our platforms to share best practices, provide in-house technical support and cooperate with committees to implement preventative and predictive programmes, including assessment of end-of-life for equipment and associated systems," he noted.Al Busaeedi reaffirmed that commitment to 100% HSE is a key priority for Borouge as the company regularly trains its employees to implement the safest practices in the industry. Borouge has one of the lowest total recordable incident rates in the industry. Borouge has also developed a comprehensive health and safety management system by adopting international best practice frameworks and continuous learning.He explained that before launching the Borouge 2 turnaround project, over 1,800 HSE group engagement sessions were implemented and 600 HSE recognitions were received.He noted that a great example of the successful contribution of Borouge's UAE National employees in the turnaround projects is Amina Hassan AlHosani, Engineer, Mechanical Maintenance, who is the first UAE National female employee assigned as Project Lead for the Borouge 2 turnaround project. Amina, who holds a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, joined Borouge in 2019.Amina accepted to join the accelerated learning path opportunity, as part of the Maintenance function's contribution to the 'Value Enhancement Programme. She played a significant role in completing some major turnaround milestones and demonstrated great leadership skills while collaborating with her colleagues.She said, "I am very proud to have contributed to leading the Borouge 2 turnaround project through which my colleagues and I maintained the most important operational units in the plant so that it can continue working and producing during the next production cycle.I highly appreciate Borouge's management and my superiors for giving me this valuable opportunity to lead the Borouge 2 turnaround project as the first Emirati female employee to perform this type of task in the company, and I strongly value their confidence in my ability to manage the project successfully as one of the Emirati manpower contributing to building this country."Borouge's petrochemical complex is located in Al Ruways Industrial City, about 250 kilometres west of Abu Dhabi City. The complex is also the largest Borstar process technology-based plant in the world, providing enhanced innovative bimodal polymers for a broad range of polyolefin applications. (ANI/WAM)ANI26 April 2023 Shared Recently! FICCI FLO Mumbai, under the leadership of Chairperson, Archana Khosla Burman, launches Pahaunch, its flagship event for 2023-24 Mumbai, April 26: FICCI FLO Mumbai, under the aegis of Chairperson, Archana Khosla Burman launched key programs on entrepreneurship, upskilling and youth development at Pahaunch, the flagship event for 2023-24 at Jio Convention Centre, BKC. The event was graced by dignitaries and speakers like the Padma Shri Awardee and veteran actor and member of Lok Sabha, Hema Malini; Padma Shri Awardee for Trade & Industry and Chairperson & CEO, Kamani Tubes, Dr. Kalpana Saroj; the National Film Award Winner, multifaceted actor, director and producer, Pallavi Joshi; renowned corporate lawyer and one of the country's top Founders' Counsel, Vinayak Burman, Founder & Managing Partner of a leading pan India law firm, Vertices Partners; Samyak Chakrabarty, Co-founder, Nimaya (a not for profit career accelerator for girls); the veteran actress Tanuja along with her daughter and actress, Tanishaa Mukerji; Dr. Jaishree Sharad, an internationally renowned cosmetic dermatologist, Founder of Skinfinitii and an award winning author; and Naiyya Saggi, Co-founder, Good Glamm Group & CEO, the Good Community, and the Past National Presidents and the Past Chairpersons from the Mumbai chapter. FICCI FLO Mumbai, under the leadership of Chairperson, Archana Khosla Burman, launches Pahaunch, its flagship event for 2023-24 Chairperson, Archana Khosla Burman kick started the event with a presentation on the ethos of FICCI FLO as an organisation and the Mumbai chapter's vision and mission for the year. She was joined by the members of her Executive Committee Team, Neeta Lulla, Pooja Arambhan, Seema Saroj and Heena Shah to elaborate on the verticals for the year. The Guest of Honour, Hema Malini discussed her journey and her earnestness towards opportunities in a live Q n' A round with the audience steered by Chairperson, Archana Khosla Burman and Senior Vice Chairperson, Neeta Lulla. The occasion also saw Vinayak Burman, steering the conversation with Dr. Kalpana Saroj and Pallavi Joshi addressing critical questions related to mindsets and feminism as well as women entrepreneurship. This was followed by the unveiling of various collaborations.FICCI FLO Mumbai in collaboration with Kalpana Saroj Foundation and Lawcubator launched Kalpana Saroj Udyogini Mahila Entrepreneurship Program for the empowerment of Dalit women entrepreneurs. This program aims to provide access to incubation centers and to industry specific mentors to aspiring and existing Dalit women entrepreneurs.Unveiling collaboration with Good Communities of the Good Glamm Group for mothers' re-skilling, mothers' entrepreneurship camp, and scholarships for college students was done in an address by Naiyya Saggi. Collaboration for upskilling for young girls was also announced with an address by Samyak Chakrabarty.Commenting on the occasion, Chairperson, Archana Khosla Burman said, "FICCI FLO Mumbai believes in creating impact programs that can improve the lives of women and substantially strengthen their contribution in the socio-economic advancement not only for themselves but for the country as well so that our economy can finally begin to realise its full potential. We are starting this term with initiatives for Dalit women entrepreneurs, recent mothers and girls and women with barriers so we can make a difference where it matters the most."Founder, Kalpana Saroj Foundation, Dr Kalpana Saroj said, "Focused dedication and passion towards work is an absolute requirement for success. We, at Kalpana Saroj Foundation and our collaboration partners are passionate about uplifting those sections of the society that need it most. Udyogini will not just improve the lives of women in the Dalit community but fundamentally level the playing field for Dalit women entrepreneurs."Navya Nanda Naveli and Samyak Chakrabarty Founders, Nimaya (a not for profit career accelerator for girls) said, "49% of India's population is women. Imagine the positive impact at a family, community and national level if were enabled to become drivers of socio-economic growth. We are excited to partner with FICCI FLO Mumbai under the leadership of its Chairperson, Archana Khosla Burman towards achieving the vision of gender equity."Speaking on the partnership, Naiyya Saggi, Co-founder, Good Glamm Group and CEO, the Good Community said, "We are excited to partner with FICCI FLO Mumbai to make education, entrepreneurship and upskilling more accessible to our members. At The Good Glamm Group's vertical, The Good Community, we support causes through our purpose driven brand communities and believe that collaboration is key to creating positive social impact. We look forward to working together with FICCI FLO Mumbai on these initiatives."An all-India forum for women, FLO has headquarters in New Delhi and 19 chapters' set-up across India, representing over 9000 + women entrepreneurs and professionals. With over 40 years of experience, FLO has been promoting entrepreneurship and professional excellence in women through various workshops, seminars, conferences, talks, training, and capacity building programmes etc to encourage and facilitate inclusion of women's talents, skills, experiences and synergies across all sectors and levels of economic activity.This story has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article.ANI26 April 2023 Shared Recently! New Zealand Reserve Bank proposes to ease LVR restrictions Wellington, April 26: The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) on Wednesday said it is proposing to ease mortgage loan-to-value ratio (LVR) restrictions, with effect from June 1, which will have impact on the real estate market. New Zealand Reserve Bank proposes to ease LVR restrictions In a statement, the central bank said that LVR restrictions promote financial stability by limiting high-risk mortgage lending, reports Xinhua news agency.This is done with the aim of reducing the impact and severity of housing market corrections by increasing the resilience of the banking system and households, it added.Current LVR settings were put in place in November 2021 when risks were elevated. The restrictions have built resilience in the financial system, which has been evident in the past year as house prices have fallen without widespread impacts on financial stability, the statement said."Our assessment is that the risks to financial stability posed by high-LVR lending have reduced to a level where the current restrictions may be unnecessarily reducing efficiency, and in particular, impeding the provision of credit to some otherwise creditworthy borrowers, which is not proportionate to the level of risk that we see," said RBNZ Deputy Governor Christian Hawkesby.National house prices have fallen towards a level that is more consistent with medium-term fundamentals. As a result, while house prices may continue to fall, the probability of a further large correction in house prices has reduced, Hawkesby said.Alongside this, lending conditions have tightened significantly as banks' debt servicing assessments allow for higher interest rates, he said, adding that restrictions on high-LVR residential mortgage lending set a "speed limit" on how much new low-deposit lending banks can do.The RBNZ is consulting on the implementation of this proposal over the next two weeks with registered banks.Members of the public are also welcome to provide feedbacks on the proposal.IANS27 April 2023 Shared Recently! After finally settling a four-year-old class-action lawsuit over illegal utility fees collected by the City of Billings, a private court administrator recently mailed more than 37,000 postcards notifying customers of their eligibility for a refund. Those customers were all sent the wrong postcard, and will have to be notified again. In March, the City of Billings agreed to settle the lawsuit for $3.6 million. Of that settlement amount, as much as $925,000 could go to pay plaintiff attorneys fees, and $130,000 was earmarked to pay a private administer to notify classmates of their potential rebate. The remainder of the settlement, just over $2.5 million, is to be split evenly among eligible class members about $70 each. Most eligible class members will get their rebate as a reduction in a future utility bill. It hasnt been settled yet who will pay to have the class re-notified, although its likely to be the private administrator. According to the lawsuit, the city had collected more than $50 million in illegal fees over several decades. After being sued over the fees in early 2018, the city stopped charging the fees. An unusual condition for settlement in the original suit was that the city acknowledge the fees were illegal and vow publicly to never charge them again. That provision was met when a judge issued a injunction against the city, thereby permanently barring those types of fees. A second unusual twist in the suit is that Billings residents will essentially have to pay for their own refund. The $3.6 million the city has agreed to pay will come from taxpayers. Those currently eligible for a refund will be notified by postcard from a court administrator and dont have to take any further action, according to instructions from the court. If you are not a current Billings City customer, but were a city customer between Feb. 2, 2015, and June 30, 2018, and you receive a postcard from the class administrator identifying you as a former customer class member you must file a claim form to receive a settlement payment. If you are a current customer and you receive a postcard from the class administrator identifying you as an excluded current customer class member, you must file a claim in order to receive a settlement payment. For more details: (a) call the City of Billings Class Administrator at (833) 513-0862 or by mail at PO Box 25199, Santa Ana, CA 92799; or (b) Class Counsel Matthew Monforton by phone at (406) 570-2949, by mail at Monforton Law Offices, P.C., 40 Spanish Peak Drive, Suite 101, Bozeman, MT 59718, or by e-mail at ClassCounselMonforton@mail.com. The Detailed Notice describing the Settlement and other court documents is available online at www.CityofBillingsFranchiseFeesSettlement.com. Claim forms are due by Aug. 31, 2023. If you are unsure about whether you need to file a claim form, please review the Detailed Notice and Claim Form at the website. If you dont want a payment and you dont want to be legally bound by the settlement, you must exclude yourself by mailing an Opt-Out Form to the City of Billings Class Administrator, which must be postmarked by Aug. 31, 2023, in order for you to be able to sue, or continue to sue, the City about the legal claims in this case. If you exclude yourself, you will not get a payment from this settlement. If you stay in the class, you may also object to the proposed settlement. The court will hold a fairness hearing in this case at the Yellowstone County Court House, 217 N. 27th Street, Billings, on Nov. 16, at 9 a.m. in Room 414. At the hearing, the court will consider whether to approve the settlement and class counsels attorney fees and costs. You may appear at the Fairness Hearing personally or with counsel, but you dont have to. Manipur: BJP to hold crucial meeting to tame resentment Imphal, April 26: Amid the resentment among a section of BJP legislators against Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, and the resignation of four ruling party MLAs from posts held by them in the state government departments, the saffron party would hold a crucial meeting on Thursday. Manipur: BJP to hold 'crucial meeting' to tame resentment Manipur unit BJP general secretary L. Deben Singh has issued a notice asking all the ministers and MLAs to attend the meeting on Thursday to discuss all issues.CM N. Biren Singh, party's northeast coordinator and national spokesperson Sambit Patra, Manipur unit BJP president A. Sharda Devi and senior state party leaders would attend the meeting, Deben Singh said.A party leader said the meeting on Thursday has been called following the directions of the party's central leaders.Several MLAs and state leaders are annoyed with the Chief Minister for his "style of functioning and governance".Earlier, BJP legislators Thokchom Radheysham and Karam Shyam had quit as Chief Minister's advisor, and Chairman of the Manipur State Tourism Development Corporation.Expressing his resentment against the Chief Minister, on April 13, Thokchom Radheysham had quit as the CM's advisor.Radheysham and Karam Shyam had served as ministers in the first Biren Singh-led government (2017-2022).On April 17, Karam Shyam resigned from the post of Chairman of the Manipur State Tourism Development Corporation while bureaucrat-turned-politician Raghumani Singh and Paonam Brojen Singh quit from the posts of Chairman, Manipur Renewable Energy Development Agency and Manipur Development Society, respectively, earlier this month.In a video clip, Karam Shyam had said "A leader should be committed and sincere instead of threatening the followers. If such threats occur frequently, then the eruption of a revolt among the followers is a must. Manipur is becoming a corruption-free state, but in corruption, only the giver and the taker will know."Sources in the know of things said that a few more disgruntled BJP MLAs are likely to quit their respective government posts.The aggrieved legislators include a few Kuki MLAs, who are reportedly unhappy with an eviction drive targeting the community.Chief Minister Biren Singh had claimed earlier this week that there are no differences of opinion and resentment among the legislators.Winning 32 seats in the 60-member Assembly, the BJP retained power for a second consecutive term in last year's polls.IANS27 April 2023 Shared Recently! BJP rakes up Hindu word origin row ahead of Ktaka polls Belagavi, April 26: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday raked up the Hindu word origin row in the district ahead of the May 10 Assembly polls. BJP rakes up Hindu word origin row ahead of K'taka polls Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Secretary Satish Jarkiholi had stirred a controversy by stating that Hindu word has Persian origin and it means "slave" and "dirty".While addressing a rally at Yamakanamaradi constituency represented by Jarikiholi, thr CM said he (Jarikiholi) is playing with the feelings of the people. "We have to get votes on the developmental works that have been carried out. It is not correct to play with people's emotions," he said."All the people have respect for their culture and heritage. That should not be challenged and hurt. This time, Yamakanamaradi seat will see a change and the BJP candidate Basavaraj Hundri should win with a margin of 25,000 votes," he maintained.In November 2022, Satish Jarkiholi stoked a controversy at national level by stating that the word "Hindu" is not Indian. He further stated the word is "Persian".While addressing a gathering at a function at Nippani town by Manava Bandhutva Vedike, he had questioned what is the connection between India and Persia? Hindu is not an Indian word at all. That is Persian. "How the word 'Hindu' went on to become ours needs to be debated," Satish Jarkiholi stated."From where the word Hindu arrived? Is this our's? The word is Persian belonging to Iran, Iraq and Kazakhstan. When things are like this, how can it become Indian? Look up in WhatsApp, Wikipedia, the word has arrived from Persia, it is not yours (addressing gathering)," he maintained.Why is the word glorified? Why is it being glorified? This is not your word. If you know the meaning of this word you will be ashamed. It is dirty. I am not telling this, a swamiji is telling it and this is on a website. The word from a different religion, region is being imposed on us forcefully, it should be debated, Satish Jarkiholi demanded.After the controversy took a serious turn and BJP organised state-wide protests, Satish Jarkiholi had apologised for his statements.IANS27 April 2023 Shared Recently! Delhi Govt constitutes Delhi Animal Welfare Board for betterment of animals New Delhi, April 26: Delhi's Environment Minister Gopal Rai chaired a high-level review meeting with the officials of the Animal Husbandry Department at the Delhi Secretariat on Wednesday and announced that the Delhi Animal Welfare Board has been constituted for the betterment of animals in Delhi. Delhi Govt constitutes Delhi Animal Welfare Board for betterment of animals Gopal Rai said, "Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led government has always been determined to work for the welfare of Delhiites and animals living in Delhi. Keeping this in mind, the Animal Welfare Board has been constituted for the betterment of animals in Delhi.""The Animal Welfare Board will work for the prevention of cruelty to animals, and take care of them in Delhi. Along with this, it will also provide financial and technical assistance along with guidelines to the organisations/bodies involved in animal welfare work in 11 districts of Delhi," he added.Minister also said, "The board will continue to work as a governing body. This Animal Welfare Board of 27 members is divided into 19 categories, MLAs of the Delhi Assembly; people actively working in animal welfare work in the state; high officials of the concerned department; representatives from SPCA, Gaushalas and Animal Welfare Board of India have been included."He said, "This board will work to ensure strict compliance with laws related to animal welfare in Delhi and help the organisations involved in this work."Highlighting the importance of veterinary science in the future, Rai said, "The field of veterinary science will become increasingly important in the future since it not only safeguards the welfare of domestic animals and cattle but also safeguards human health by monitoring and managing zoonotic illnesses. Delhi is home to many pet animals that need medical attention.""To meet this need and for better treatment of all types of animals, the construction of the first Government Veterinary College of the city has started. As soon as its construction work is completed, Delhi will also have its first Government Veterinary College. Equipped with modern training facilities, this college will be constructed in an area of about 56 acres in Satbari, Delhi," added Gopal Rai.ANI27 April 2023 Shared Recently! RBI Governor to address global conference on Financial Resilience tomorrow Mumbai, April 26: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor, Shaktikanta Das, will address the Global Conference on Financial Resilience in Mumbai on Thursday morning. RBI Governor to address global conference on 'Financial Resilience' tomorrow The conference with the theme -- Financial Stability Framework, Monitoring and Implementation -- is being organised by the College of Supervisors in collaboration with the Centre for Central Banking Studies (CCBS), Bank of England, London.The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) set up an academic advisory council called the 'College of Supervisors (CoS)' to further strengthen supervision over regulated entities.The CoS is headed by former deputy governor N S Viswanathan, and it has five other members.The council's objective is to identify areas where skill building or upskilling is required, plan and develop curricula of all programmes, benchmark the programmes with international standards or best practices, and develop appropriate teaching methods.The Bank of England's CCBS runs an extensive programme of events for central bankers and financial regulators from around the world.CCBS was established in 1990 and is one of the oldest providers of international central banking technical cooperation and assistance.CCBS in its website said its mission is to equip central bankers and financial regulators - both in the United Kingdom and across the globe - with the frontier skills and expert knowledge they need to tackle the challenges they face.ANI27 April 2023 Shared Recently! Cabinet approves proposal to establish 157 new nursing colleges at cost of Rs 1570 crore New Delhi, April 26: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved setting up 157 new government medical nursing colleges at a cost of Rs 1570 crore in co-location with existing medical colleges. Cabinet approves proposal to establish 157 new nursing colleges at cost of Rs 1570 crore Addressing the media after a meeting of union cabinet, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said the nursing colleges will be set up in the next 24 months."Today, a decision has been taken to open 157 new government medical nursing colleges in the country. Rs 1,570 crore has been approved for this and it will be completed in the next 24 months," he said.The decision will lead to the addition of around 15,700 nursing graduates every year.It also aims to provide quality, affordable and equitable nursing education. Co-location will allow optimal utilisation of existing infrastructure.The Minister also informed that the cabinet has approved policy for medical devices sector.ANI27 April 2023 Shared Recently! UK blocks Microsofts $68.7 bn Activision acquisition, tech giant to appeal London, April 26: In a significant move, the UK market regulator on Wednesday announced it was blocking Microsoft's proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of gaming giant Activision Blizzard, the developer behind hugely-popular Call of Duty (CoD) franchise. UK blocks Microsoft's $68.7 bn Activision acquisition, tech giant to appeal The final decision to prevent the deal comes after Microsoft's proposed solution failed to effectively address the concerns in the cloud gaming sector, outlined in the Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) provisional findings published in February.Microsoft entered into a $68.7 billion deal to buy Activision, one of the most popular video games publishers in the world, in January 2022.The CMA launched an in-depth review of the deal in September 2022, and in February 2023, provisionally found that the merger could make Microsoft even stronger in cloud gaming, stifling competition in this growing market.Microsoft submitted a proposal to address some of these concerns which the CMA examined in considerable depth. The proposed remedy set out requirements governing what games must be offered by Microsoft to what platforms and on what conditions over a ten-year period."Cloud gaming is growing fast with the potential to change gaming by altering the way games are played, freeing people from the need to rely on expensive consoles and gaming PCs and giving them more choice over how and where they play games. This means that it is vital that we protect competition in this emerging and exciting market," said Martin Coleman, chair of the independent panel of experts conducting this investigation.Microsoft already enjoys a powerful position and head start over other competitors in cloud gaming and "this deal would strengthen that advantage giving it the ability to undermine new and innovative competitors," he added.Microsoft President Brad Smith, in a tweet, said that the company remains fully committed to this acquisition and will appeal against the decision."The decision rejects a pragmatic path to address competition concerns and discourages technology innovation and investment in the United Kingdom. We have already signed contracts to make Activision Blizzard's popular games available on 150 million more devices, and we remain committed to reinforcing these agreements through regulatory remedies," Smith argued.According to the CMA, Microsoft's proposal contained a number of significant shortcomings connected with the growing and fast-moving nature of cloud gaming services."It did not sufficiently cover different cloud gaming service business models, including multigame subscription services. It was not sufficiently open to providers who might wish to offer versions of games on PC operating systems other than Windows," said the UK regulator.Microsoft already accounts for an estimated 60-70 per cent of global cloud gaming services and has other important strengths in cloud gaming from owning Xbox, the leading PC operating system (Windows) and a global cloud computing infrastructure (Azure and Xbox Cloud Gaming)."The deal would reinforce Microsoft's advantage in the market by giving it control over important gaming content such as Call of Duty, Overwatch, and World of Warcraft. The evidence available to the CMA indicates that, absent the merger, Activision would start providing games via cloud platforms in the foreseeable future," according to the UK regulator.IANS27 April 2023 Shared Recently! Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh to become Indias first solar city Bhopal, April 26: Sanchi, a world heritage site located in the Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh, is all set to become India's first solar city. Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh to become India's first solar city Reviewing the ongoing work, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, said "The use of solar energy is being continuously promoted in the state. Many solar power projects are operational across the state."Chouhan said "The completion of various works to transform Sanchi into a solar city was almost complete and by next month Sanchi, would be known as the country's first solar city."He said this would be a special accomplishment and achievement of Madhya Pradesh.The Chief Minister said the state has made great progress in the energy sector and has become self-sufficient in power generation and supply."The achievements of Madhya Pradesh in the renewable energy sector have attracted the attention of the country. The solar city Sanchi would give MP a new identity in this field," he said.Chouhan gave instructions to the officials of the health department to upgrade government hospitals, conduct regular meetings of health committees, and ensure continuous review to reduce the maternal and newborn mortality rateThe Chief Minister also instructed the Tribal Affairs, Scheduled Caste Welfare and Backward Classes Welfare Department to monitor the payment of scholarship amount to the students and necessary facilities in the hostels and instructions were also given to open new Anganwadi centers to complete the work of applications by eligible women under Mukhyamantri Ladli Bahna Yojana.IANS27 April 2023 Shared Recently! Man claims to write longest Gita on 1,365-m long cassette ribbon Chandigarh, April 26: Inspired by a giant Bhagavad Gita weighing 800 kg at ISKCON temple in Delhi, 72-year-old advocate Madan Mohan Vats on Wednesday claimed that he has come out with the 'longest' Gita written by him on 15-mm wide 1,365-m long cassette ribbon, weighing 510 grams only. Man claims to write 'longest' Gita on 1,365-m long cassette ribbon A total of 700 'slokas' of all the 18 chapters of the Bhagavad Gita and related texts, published by Geeta Press, Gorakhpur, and each Sanskrit 'shlokas' followed by its verse, prepared by Geeta Manishi Swami Gyananand, including the brief thoughts of 20 eminent thinkers like Mahatma Gandhi and Madan Mohan Malviya, have been written by Vats with acrylic colour and triple zero brush by devoting 905 working hours.He told the media here that he used 10 Video Home System cassettes to complete the job.To make it readable, the ribbon passes through a specially designed double acrylic sheet 2" X 12", joined with two mounted 10" diameter cassettes on two vertical stands.The speed of the ribbon can be controlled by two 12 volts motors and a battery.Vats has a passion to present the Bhagavad Gita in different forms.Earlier, he had presented the Bhagavad Gita in Sanskrit on 44" X 29" single paper sheet and then on a sheet of 29" X 14" in verse form.The other presentation is a print of all 'slokas' on artificial peepal tree leaves. These presentations can be seen in the museum of Geeta Gyan Sansthanam in Kurukshetra in Haryana.IANS27 April 2023 Shared Recently! Students sensitised on mechanised forces of Army Chandigarh, April 26: An educational-cum-motivational tour for students of the Department of Defence and Strategic Studies of Post Graduate Government College in Sector 11 in Chandigarh was organised by 'Flaming Arrow Brigade' under the aegis of the 'Vajra Corps' on Wednesday. Students sensitised on mechanised forces of Army Seventy students and four faculty members visited New Amritsar military station for an enriching experience. The students were exposed to the rich history, evolution and functioning of mechanised forces of the Indian Army, an official statement said.Brig P. Sunil Kumar, Commander 'Flaming Arrow Brigade', while addressing the students shared his experience and motivated them to strive hard to achieve their dreams. The young officers from the brigade also interacted with students and provided them with a deep insight into the ethos, tradition and glorious past of the Indian Army.The students were given an informative insight on the equipment held with the mechanised forces of the Army during the visit. The students and faculty members exchanged their views on various issues during the interactive session.For many of the students, it was the first time that they had visited a military station. This visit gave students a broad horizon of the Indian Army's commitment towards safeguarding the nation.IANS27 April 2023 Shared Recently! Decorated with 15 quintals of flowers Badrinath Dham portals to open on Thursday Chamoli, April 26: Badrinath Dham portals are all set to open for pilgrims on Thursday at 7:10 AM. Decorated with 15 quintals of flowers Badrinath Dham portals to open on Thursday The temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu was decorated with 15 quintals of flowers. While the Chamoli district administration is seen busy with last-minute preparation for the Yatra.Earlier, on Tuesday portals of Kedarnath Dham were opened and the first puja was performed in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The puja was done by Rawal Bhimashankar Linga and Pujari Shivling and Dharmacharyas.Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday said that every possible effort has been made to ensure the Char Dham Yatra is easy and safe for devotees. "Every possible effort has been made to make the Char Dham Yatra of Uttarakhand easy and safe. Social organizations and voluntary organizations have also provided full cooperation for the yatra. Based on the previous years' experience, work has been done to advance the travel arrangements", the CM said.He further added, "Yatra is going on smoothly in Gangotri and Yamunotri Dham. On April 27, the doors of Lord Badri Vishal will also be opened for the darshan of the devotees."On the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, flowers were showered on the devotees by helicopter. Chief Minister Dhami offered prayers at Kedarnath and wished for the happiness and prosperity of the country and the state when the doors of Kedarnath Dham were opened.The Chief Minister also welcomed the devotees who had arrived to have darshan of Baba Kedar. He then participated in the Bhandara program organized by the Mukhya Sevak on the temple premises.ANI27 April 2023 Shared Recently! One of the two men currently charged with the arson murder of a Fallon resident pleaded not guilty to amended charges last week, making his initial appearance on the amended charges via Zoom from the Dawson County Correctional Facility. Jake Burghduff was charged with the addition of one count of deliberate homicide, a felony, for the January death of Isaac Carrier. Burghduff was previously charged with one count of arson and one count of tampering with physical evidence, both felonies. He again pleaded not guilty to those charges as well during his appearance last week. The other defendant in the case, Sterling Brown, previously pleaded not guilty to one count each of homicide and arson in his initial appearance on Feb. 21. Along with the amended charges, Burghduffs attorneys, Michael Haase and Hailey Forcella, filed a motion to dismiss the charges, arguing that Burghduff should not be held legally liable for the crimes Brown allegedly committed. During the hearing, Seventh Judicial District Court Judge Olivia Rieger acknowledged the defenses motion but no ruling has been made on it yet. The amended charges against Burghduff stem from information received following the first round of discovery in the case. Carrier was found dead in his apartment in Fallon following a fire on Jan. 23. The state alleges that Brown and Burghduff drove from South Dakota to Fallon that night while Brown had the intent to carry out the homicide. Brown is married to Carriers ex-wife, Katie Bivens, who was engaged in a high-conflict custody battle with Carrier for their young son, according to court documents. The situation had resulted in high tensions between Carrier and Brown, including at least one physical altercation, court documents note. Both Brown and Burghduff were initially interviewed in South Dakota by the Department of Criminal Investigations. Prosecutors in Montana received transcripts and recording of the interview through the discovery process. According to court documents, Burghduff admitted to knowing what Brown intended to do when he saw Brown had a gun in his possession the night they drove to Fallon but did not try to stop him because he did not believe Brown could be convinced to change his plan. Millets awareness programme held at 90 locations in Gujarat Ahmedabad, April 26: The Gujarat State Farmers' Front, in collaboration with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), organised a millets awareness programme at 90 locations across 35 districts and cities. Millets awareness programme held at 90 locations in Gujarat The programme was conducted under the guidance of Gujarat BJP President C.R. Paatil, State Organization General Secretary Ratnakar, and Gujarat State Farmers' Front chief Hitesh Patel.During the programme, various dishes made from millets, a type of coarse grain, were prepared by the officers of the Farmers' Front and the Women's Front. The event aimed to raise awareness about the nutritional benefits of millets among the general public.The United Nations General Assembly, recognising the growing importance of millets, declared the year 2023-24 as the Year of Millets, thanks to the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The initiative is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to increase farmers' income, promote organic farming, and maintain a healthy population. The state government, led by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, supports these objectives and aims to provide better opportunities for farmers in the agricultural sector.State Farmers' Front chief Hitesh Patel, Front's general secretaries Sardar Chaudhary, Hiren Hirapara, and other officers of the Front attended the programme at various locations across Gujarat to ensure its success.IANS27 April 2023 Shared Recently! Chinese President Xi to send delegation to Ukraine for holding peace talks Kiev, April 26: Chinese President Xi Jinping will send a delegation to Ukraine to hold talks with all the parties on resolving the conflict there, after his first phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, since Russia invaded the country in February 2022, a media report said. Chinese President Xi to send delegation to Ukraine for holding peace talks According to Chinese state media, Xi made the proposal during a telephone call on Wednesday with Zelenskiy, offering to help facilitate peace talks aimed at achieving a ceasefire as soon as possible, The Guardian reported.Xi also appeared to pledge that China would remain neutral in the conflict, saying Beijing "will neither watch the fire from the other side, nor add fuel to the fire, let alone take advantage of the crisis to profit", according to China Central Television.However, China remains Russia's top strategic ally in the midst of the conflict. Despite scepticism in Ukraine about China's overtures for negotiations, Kiev has been keen to keep communications open with Beijing, not least after Xi's recent high-profile summit in Moscow where Russia and China pledged "undying friendship".Zelenskiy said "I had a long and meaningful phone call with President Xi Jinping. I believe that this call, as well as the appointment of Ukraine's ambassador to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations," The Guardian reported.Zelenskiy's spokesperson Serhiy Nykyforov said on Facebook that the two had "an almost hour-long conversation".Commenting on the call, Russia's Foreign Ministry said on that it has noted China's willingness to engage in a peace process for Ukraine."We note the readiness of the Chinese side to make efforts to establish a negotiation process," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said, The Guardian reported.IANS27 April 2023 Shared Recently! Bosch acquires US chipmaker TSI Semiconductors for $1.5 bn Stuttgart (Germany), April 26: German conglomerate Bosch on Wednesday said it is acquiring US chipmaker TSI Semiconductors for $1.5 billion and converting its manufacturing facilities to state-of-the-art processes. Bosch acquires US chipmaker TSI Semiconductors for $1.5 bn With the planned acquisition, Bosch will significantly expand its global portfolio of silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors by the end of 2030.Starting in 2026, the first chips will be produced on 200-millimeter wafers based on the innovative material silicon carbide."With this planned investment in the US, we are also increasing our semiconductor manufacturing, globally," said Bosch Chairman Dr. Stefan Hartung.With a workforce of 250, TSI Semiconductors is a foundry for application-specific integrated circuits, or ASICs.Currently, it mainly develops and produces large volumes of chips on 200-millimeter silicon wafers for applications in the mobility, telecommunications, energy, and life sciences industries."We are pleased to join a globally operating technology company with extensive semiconductor expertise. We are confident that our Roseville (in California) location will be a significant addition to BoschaAs SiC chipmaking operations," said Oded Tal, CEO at TSI Semiconductors.At an early stage, Bosch invested in the development and production of SiC chips.Since 2021, it has been using its own proprietary, highly complex processes to mass-produce them at its Reutlingen location near Stuttgart."SiC chips are a key component for electrified mobility. By extending our semiconductor operations internationally, we are strengthening our local presence in an important electric vehicle market," said Dr Markus Heyn, member of the Bosch board of management and chairman of the Mobility Solutions business sector.Demand for chips for the automotive industry remains high. By 2025, Bosch expects to have an average of 25 of its chips integrated in every new vehicle.IANS27 April 2023 Shared Recently! Cabinet approves setting up of 157 new nursing colleges New Delhi, April 26: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved setting up of 157 new nursing colleges in co-location with the existing medical colleges, established since 2014. Cabinet approves setting up of 157 new nursing colleges This will add approximately 15,700 nursing graduates every year, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told media persons after the cabinet meeting.It will further ensure quality, affordable, and equitable nursing education in India, particularly in underserved districts and states, he added.The total financial implication of the project will be Rs 1,570 crore.The Central government will give Rs 10 crore for setting up of these colleges, while the states can invest the remaining amount, which will depend as per the project report to be prepared for each college, Mandaviya said.Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh are among the major states, which will get 20-odd nursing colleges under the initiative, he added.The initiative aims to address the geographical and rural-urban imbalances in the healthcare sector, which have led to the skewed availability of nursing professionals and impacted healthcare services in underserved areas, the minister said.The establishment of these nursing colleges will provide a significant boost to the availability of qualified human resources in healthcare.Co-location of these nursing colleges with existing medical colleges will allow optimal utilisation of the existing infrastructure, skill labs, clinical facilities, and faculty.IANS27 April 2023 Shared Recently! Tribal body urges Arunachal CM not to relocate them to other states Itanagar, April 26: The Chakma Development Foundation of India (CDFI) on Wednesday urged Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu not to perpetuate prejudices against the Chakmas and Hajongs by terming them as refugees, who are not eligible for permanent settlement in the state and therefore, proposing their relocation to other states of India. Tribal body urges Arunachal CM not to relocate them to other states The CDFI said that while addressing a training programme commemorating the national Panchayati Raj Day in Itanagar earlier this week, Khandu had declared that after resolving the Assam-Arunachal boundary dispute, he would resolve the Chakma and Hajong issue by sending them to other states as these tribals being refugees cannot be permanently settled in the state, which is protected as a tribal state under the Constitution."The Chakmas and Hajongs were settled by the Union of India, the competent authority of the then North Eastern Frontier Agency (NEFA), from 1964 onwards and those born in the NEFA/Arunachal Pradesh are citizens of India by birth."There is no provision in the Constitution empowering any state or UT to declare us as non-resident and therefore forcibly remove us from our territorial jurisdiction," CDFI founder Suhas Chakma said.He said that most of those who had migrated during 1964-1969 are dead now, and those who are alive cannot be removed from the state as per the directions of the Supreme Court in its 1996 judgment in the NHRC vs State of Arunachal Pradesh case."There is also no provision in the Constitution defining Arunachal Pradesh or any other state as a tribal state, and in fact, Article 371(h) of the Constitution only gives special responsibility and powers to the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh."Therefore, the statements such as Chakmas and Hajongs are refugees, Arunachal Pradesh is a tribal state protected by the Constitution etc. are incorrect and only perpetuate the prejudices against a section of the Indian citizens," Suhas Chakma said in the statement.He also cautioned the state government by saying, "If Arunachal Pradesh expects other states to take in a few thousand Chakmas and Hajongs, there would be call upon Arunachal to share the burden of 1.9 million people excluded from the NRC in Assam and other states like Tripura, considering that the density of population in 2022 was 17 persons per sq km in Arunachal Pradesh compared to the national average of 431 people per sq km.Also, considering the claim of China on Arunachal Pradesh, including renaming of the Indian territories, along with the extremely low population density in the state, the demand for settlement of people from other parts of India to Arunachal Pradesh to counter the threats of China may arise in the near future, the statement said."After all, many groups, including ex-Assam Rifles, refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan etc. were settled in the then NEFA to address the security threat from China following the 1962 Indo-China war," it added.In his address, Chief Minister Khandu had also stated that whenever he visits eastern Arunachal and meets the Chakmas, he feels extremely sad to see that they have no facilities, the housing conditions are bad and there are so many poor Chakmas, the CDFI said.Suhas Chakma said that the Chief Minister must realise that the deplorable economic condition and extreme poverty have been created by the state of Arunachal Pradesh by denying all the rights and facilities to the Chakmas and Hajongs for the last 60 years."Mere expression of sadness is not enough, the Chief Minister himself must ensure implementation of the sustainable development goals in the Chakma and Hajong-inhabited areas if such extreme poverty is to be alleviated," he added.There are about 65,000 tribals belonging to Chakma and Hajong communities in Arunachal Pradesh who fled from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and were settled by the Central government in the then North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) in 1964 to beef up security following the 1962 Indo-China war.IANS27 April 2023 Shared Recently! S.Sudan signs strategic plan with WFP to build self-sufficiency, resilience Juba, April 27 : South Sudan and the World Food Program (WFP) have signed a three-year strategic plan aimed at building self-sufficiency and resilience. S.Sudan signs strategic plan with WFP to build self-sufficiency, resilience Mary-Ellen McGroarty, WFP's country director in South Sudan, said on Wednesday that the 2023/25 country strategic plan sets out a vision to address entrenched inequity and isolation by leveraging all WFP's programmes to build interconnected and peaceful communities, Xinhua news agency reported.McGroarty added that this strategic plan aims to establish the foundations for a sequenced, layered, agile and realistic longer-term approach."Our long-term ambition is to gradually reduce the need for emergency humanitarian assistance while building resilience as population become increasingly self-reliant and resilient, and national capacities and systems are strengthened at all levels," she said during the signing ceremony in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.The 2023/25 plan will be the first of three successive WFP strategic plans to be rolled out over the next 13 years."During this initial phase, saving lives and protecting livelihoods will remain WFP's highest priority in South Sudan," McGroarty said.Deng Dau Deng, acting minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said the WFP has over the years been supporting South Sudan by complementing the government's efforts to reduce the huge food deficit.IANS27 April 2023 Shared Recently! Third meeting of G20 Education Working Group kicks off in Bhubaneswar Bhubaneswar, April 26 : The third Education Working Group meeting, under India's G20 Presidency, kicked off here on Wednesday with a seminar on 'Building Capacities for Lifelong Learning in the context of Future of Work'. Third meeting of G20 Education Working Group kicks off in Bhubaneswar It is a continuation of the previous two working group meetings held in Chennai and Amritsar earlier, aimed at discussing and implementing innovative ideas and policies to globally transform the education sector.Over 60 delegates from G20 member countries, invitee countries and international organisations are participating in the three-day meeting, being held at the Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (IMMT).Addressing the occasion, Union Minister of State for Education Subhas Sarkar emphasised on the value of skill education and cited the many skilling initiatives offered by the government in order to create a future-ready workforce.Sarkar said that this seminar builds on the deliberations held in the last two webinars on the evolving world of work, and the importance of foundational skills and lifelong learning.It aims to strengthen human and institutional capacity for the delivery of future skills for a future-ready workforce through upskilling, re-skilling and lifelong learning while ensuring inclusivity, he said.Guided by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the Indian government is rethinking the ways deployed to develop, assess, and recognise skills, primarily through the integration of academic and vocational education, he added.The seminar included three panel discussions, with panelist participation from Brazil, Spain, the UAE, Singapore, Russia, South Africa, Mauritius, OECD, UNICEF, Australia, and the United Kingdom.Delegates also attended the G20 Future of Work Exhibition where they saw cutting-edge technology and innovative ideas that are changing the way we work and learn. The exhibition features active representation from industry, academia, government agencies, multilateral agencies, startups, and other organisations, as well as an experience zone on the future of work and huge technology exhibits.Apart from the discussions , the three-day meeting also includes a cultural extravaganza, featuring traditional Odissi performances. The delegates will get a chance to experience the rich cultural heritage of Odisha and learn more about the state's history and traditions.On the last day of the seminar, the delegates will visit the Konark temple. The temple is a symbol of the state's rich cultural heritage and is a popular tourist destination.IANS27 April 2023 Shared Recently! PM Modi congratulates Israeli counterpart, Israelis on anniversary of Independence New Delhi, April 26: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu and the people of Israel on their 75th Anniversary of Independence. PM Modi congratulates Israeli counterpart, Israelis on anniversary of Independence The Prime Minister tweeted, "Heartiest congratulations to my friend @netanyahu and the people of Israel on the 75th anniversary of independence. Mazel Tov!"Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar congratulated the Foreign Minister of Israel, Eli Cohen.EAM Jaishankar tweeted, "Warmest congratulations for the momentous milestone of 75th anniversary of Independence, to FM @elicoh1, the Government and all Israelis. In the last decade, the real potential of our cooperation is beginning to be realised. Looking forward to many more achievements."India and Israel are strategic partners. India announced its recognition of Israel on September 17, 1950. Soon thereafter, the Jewish Agency established an immigration office in Mumbai.This was later converted into a Trade Office and subsequently a Consulate. Regular Embassies were opened in 1992 when full diplomatic relations were established between the two countries.India and Israel celebrated 30 years of the upgradation of bilateral ties to full diplomatic relations in 2022, according to an official MEA release.The political ties between India and Israel are very warm and forward-looking. On November 2, 2021, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in Glasgow, UK.India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar paid an official visit to Israel on October 17-21, 2021, at the invitation of the Alternate Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Israel Yair Lapid.Prime Minister Narendra Modi undertook a historic first-ever visit to Israel by an Indian Prime Minister on July 4-6, 2017 during which the relationship was upgraded to a strategic partnership. The then Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu made a return visit to India on January 14-19, 2018.The then President of India Pranab Mukherjee paid a state visit to Israel in October 2015 while former President of Israel Reuven Rivlin paid a state visit to India in November 2016.India and Israel have established bilateral consultation mechanisms in all sectors of collaboration, including water, agriculture, counter-terrorism, and defence.The 16th Foreign Office Consultations were held in December 2020, the MEA release noted.EAM Jaishankar has also extended his wishes to the Government and people of Tanzania on their Union Day.He tweeted, "Warm greetings to FM Dr. Stregomena Tax and the Government and people of Tanzania on their Union Day. The rapid growth of our bilateral partnership only underlines its immense potential. @DrTaxs."ANI27 April 2023 Shared Recently! AAPs Shelly Oberoi re-elected Delhi Mayor, Aaley Iqbal her deputy; Kejriwal says people have huge expectations from party New Delhi, April 26: AAP candidates Shelly Oberoi and Aaley Muhammad Iqbal were on Wednesday re-elected as Mayor and Deputy Mayor with BJP candidates withdrawing their candidature. AAP's Shelly Oberoi re-elected Delhi Mayor, Aaley Iqbal her deputy; Kejriwal says people have huge expectations from party Both Shelly Oberoi and Muhammad Iqbal spelt out their priorities in the new term and thanked the people of Delhi for their support. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said people have huge expectations from the party and there is a need to work hard."Congratulations Shelly and Aley on again becoming Mayor and Dy Mayor, this time unopposed. Best wishes to both. People have huge expectations from us. Work hard to meet their expectations," Kejriwal said in a tweet.Shelly Oberoi said they have been elected due to the mandate given to AAP by people and the party will live up to the expectations."Wholeheartedly thank the people of Delhi for the love and trust they have showered upon @AamAadmiParty. It is because of this mandate that we have been elected once again. We promise that the AAP Govt will live up to everyone's expectations and transform Delhi," she said in a tweet.Aaley Muhammad Iqbal said he will continue to work for improving amenities in Delhi and serving its residents."Heartfelt thanks to the people of Delhi. With your wishes and of Chief Minister Shri @ArvindKejriwal ji, I am re-elected unopposed as Deputy Mayor. Serving the people of Delhi will be my first priority. I will constantly strive for it," he said in a tweet.The Deputy Mayor said that he will take all councillors along for a "developed and progressive Delhi".BJP candidate Shikha Rai, who was the candidate for post of Mayor, withdrew from the fray on the day of the elections. The other party candidate, Soni Pal, withdrew her candidature for the post of Deputy Mayor.Delhi BJP said party candidates withdrew nominations as AAP was not making MCD functional through the formation of the standing committee.Shelly Oberoi completed her 38-day tenure as Mayor on March 31. As per the norms, the election process needs to be completed before April 30.The post of mayor in the national capital sees five single-year terms on a rotational basis with the first year reserved for women, the second for the open category, the third for the reserved category and the remaining two again for the open category. Delhi gets a new mayor after the end of a financial year.The municipal elections in Delhi were held on December 4 and the results were announced on December 7. AAP came out victorious with 134 seats out of 250.The earlier election for the post of mayor saw high drama with AAP and BJP councillors clashing with each other during one of the meetings.Three attempts to elect the Mayor failed due to bickering between the Aam Aadmi Party and Bharatiya Janata Party.AAP also moved the Supreme Court over the elections. Shelly Oberoi was elected mayor of Delhi in the fourth attempt after the wrangling.The two parties had also clashed over the issue of election of members of the standing committee.ANI27 April 2023 Shared Recently! Think20 in association with SRCC launches first-ever college-level debate, Vice President participates New Delhi, April 26: Think20, which comes under the Observer Research Foundation, in collaboration with the Shri Ram College of Commerce launched the inaugural edition of a college-level debate on Wednesday. Think20 in association with SRCC launches first-ever college-level debate, Vice President participates On this occasion, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar gave away the awards to the winners of the debate competition.The debate took place during the 100-year centenary of the University of Delhi, as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations. The preliminary round began on April 3, 2023, with 60 college debate teams invited to participate from across the country. Out of these, 20 teams were selected to proceed to the semi-finals on April 25, 2023, and the grand finale took place on April 26, 2023.The multi-stage national event is envisaged as an annual debating tradition and offers a unique debating platform to showcase the best talent of debaters and budding thought leaders at the national level engaging in valuable exchange of ideas and showcasing debating at its best.The debate also acts as an idea, thought, and policy forum exploring a multitude of perspectives and arguments on contemporary issues.The topics of the debate were global issues including geopolitics, which were decided by the jury members as India is the host country of G-20 this year.The Vice President praised the students' participation and awarded them with a trophy and other prizes.Lavanya Puri and Robin Ahuja from Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, Delhi University have won the first prize."Debate was a memorable experience for us. Since this was an invitational debate competition, we were contacted by the organising committee to fill a form which required us to send our debating credentials to them," the SRCC debate organiser said."After filling out the form, we were shortlisted to compete in the semi-finals which was conducted on 25 April 2023. The topic was announced one day prior. We researched the topic thoroughly and also did brainstorming sessions wherein we thought of different arguments related to the motion," the organiser added.Winners praised the format of the debate and college and said, "All in all we are grateful to SRCC for providing us with such a blissful opportunity."Ajay S. Shriram, Chairman, of SRCC Governing Body; Professor Yogesh Singh, Vice Chancellor, University of Delhi; Prof. Simrit Kaur, Principal of Shri Ram College of Commerce, faculty members, students and others were present at the event.ANI27 April 2023 Shared Recently! Republican lawmakers advanced bills to keep climate change out of state permitting decisions as the 2023 Legislature approaches its end. On the Senate floor, lawmakers easily passed amendments to Senate Bill 557. Republicans said the bill unwinds a 2020 Supreme Court ruling against state environmental regulators and a gold company eyeing a mine 15 miles outside the Gardiner entrance to Yellowstone National Park. That 2020 ruling also plays a major role in a lower courts March decision to halt construction of a NorthWestern Energy power plant near Laurel so light pollution and carbon dioxide emissions can be reviewed. Lawmakers specifically cited NorthWesterns environmental permitting problems at its Laurel-area gas-fired power plant as cause for stopping state agencies from considering climate change impacts. The bill makes it more expensive for the public to challenge government decisions, while also designating the courts as the only place where challenges can occur. Simply put, any Montanan challenging a permit issued by the state government will soon need the wherewithal for a lawsuit. Opponents to SB 557 say the bill creates a pay-to-play system making it difficult for the public to petition the government for a redress of grievances a right secured by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. For the past two sessions, Republican lawmakers havent shied away from passing laws that were constitutionally questionable. Some have been rejected by state or federal courts, while others are still being litigated. SB 557 also stops state agencies from considering climate impacts when issuing permits, unless the federal government recognizes carbon dioxide as a pollutant that can be regulated under the Clean Air Act. Similarly, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary committee advanced House Bill 971, which also bans state permitting agencies from considering carbon dioxide. The bill was introduced weeks after the deadline to roll out new legislation. In caucus, House Speaker Matt Regier told Republicans they would have to suspend the rules in order introduce HB 971 and save NorthWestern Energys gas-fired power plant in Laurel. The Judiciary Committee took public testimony for an hour before the proceeding digressed into a discussion about whether climate change was a good thing. We have plants that need CO2, the plant life on the face of the earth is increasing in direct proportion to the amount of CO2. And we need plants to filter the environment because there's always toxins, whether humans are here or not, said Sen Daniel Emrich, a Great Falls Republican. And so, if we are going to limit CO2, we are in effect limiting the biofilter that is every plant on the face of the planet. And when we're limiting that biofilter, we're then limiting people's right to a clean and healthful environment, because they are the cleaners of the environment. Emrich was questioning Anne Hedges, director of policy legislative affairs for the Montana Environmental Information Center. Hedges pointed out that the drought created by climate change was in some areas depriving plant life of water. At the root of both bills is a recurring debate about whether state agencies can be sued for not following the Montana Environmental Policy Act, which prescribes the steps state agencies must take during environmental review. Republican lawmakers past and present insist because MEPA outlines procedure that it is isnt a document of substance and that lawsuits for ignoring MEPA shouldnt be allowed. But the Supreme Court has ruled the state can be sued for not following the procedures spelled out in the Montana Environmental Policy Act. That ruling came in the case known as Park County Environmental Council and Greater Yellowstone Coalition v. the Department of Environmental Quality and Lucky Minerals. This is the lawsuit concerning Luckys gold prospecting in a wildlife corridor 15 miles from Yellowstone National Park. The Supreme Court ruled that MEPA is an essential aspect of the states efforts to meet its constitutional obligations, as are the equitable remedies without which MEPA is rendered meaningless. The public not being able to redress the governments work during the MEPA process meant the states obligation to uphold the Montana Constitution was being negated. The state not following the Montana Environmental Policy Act surfaced again in the case of NorthWestern Energys gas-fired power plant near Laurel. District Judge Michael Moses ruled that Montanas Department of Environmental Quality failed to take a hard look at the power plants carbon dioxide emissions and light pollution when permitted the project. Moses ordered NorthWestern to stop construction of the power plant until DEQ considered carbon emissions and light pollution, then considered whether a more thorough environmental impact statement should be prepared. DEQ simply ignored light pollution and carbon dioxide, Moses said. All other permit issues in which DEQ did analysis, were cleared by the judge. MEIC and Sierra Club were plaintiffs in the NorthWestern case. Speak in Tamil, not Hindi: AR Rahman tells wife at an award function Chennai, April 27: Music maestro AR Rahman recently requested his wife Saira Banu to speak in Tamil instead of Hindi at an awards show. Speak in Tamil, not Hindi: AR Rahman tells wife at an award function A video has been doing the rounds on the internet in which the 'Jai Ho' composer is seen accepting an award on stage with Saira Banu by his side in Chennai.Accepting the award, Rahman said, "I don't like to watch my interviews again. She keeps playing again and again and watching because she loves my voice."The host then asked Saira to speak. Before she could address the audience, Rahman teased her to speak in Tamil instead of Hindi as she is not fluent in Tamil.Saira closed her eyes and said, "Oh my God." The audience laughed and clapped."Good evening everyone. Sorry, I can't speak fluently in Tamil. So, please excuse me. I am super, super happy and excited because his voice is my favourite. I fell in love with his voice. That's all I can say," Saira said.Rahman and Saira Banu tied the knot in 1995. They are parents to three children -- Khatija, Raheema and Ameen.ANI27 April 2023 Shared Recently! LG Saxena is again being selective, dishonest: Education Minister Atishi on approval of 244 additional Principal posts New Delhi, April 26: After the approval for the creation of 244 additional posts of Principals in Delhi Government Schools, Delhi Education Minister Atishi on Wednesday took a jibe at Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena and said that LG Saxena is again being selective and dishonest. LG Saxena is again being selective, dishonest: Education Minister Atishi on approval of 244 additional Principal posts Atishi said, "As expected, LG is again being selective and dishonest in appropriating the credit for solving a problem, which he created in the first place.""In February 2023, he abolished 244 posts of Principals using the OM dated 12.04.2017 for being vacant for more than five years and instead of answering, why these posts remained vacant for more than five years when services were under his unconstitutional control, he is now claiming the revival of something that lapsed due to his inaction in the first place," she added.Hitting out at LG Saxena, Atishi said that he wasted the time of officials between February till now, to determine whether these posts are actually required."Between February till now, he wasted the time of officials of the education department in conducting a so-called "comprehensive study" to determine whether these posts are actually required. And now restored those 244 posts which already existed and were abolished by him only," she said.Earlier, while approving the revival of above mentioned 126 posts, the LG had asked the Education Department to submit a proposal for the creation of additional 244 posts of Principals, after getting a comprehensive study conducted by the AR Department, in consultation with the Services Department.The LG had also directed that suitable financial provisions be made and ensured for these 244 posts in the Level-12 of the Pay Matrix.These posts will now be sent to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for being filled as per their prescribed recruitment rules.ANI27 April 2023 Shared Recently! Last nine years have been defining period for our sisters: Piyush Goyal New Delhi, April 26: Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday said that last nine years have been a defining period for women. Last nine years have been defining period for our sisters: Piyush Goyal While addressing a program on Intellectual Property Day, Goyal said, "The last nine years has been a defining period of our sisters".He also said that the process of digitalisation of IP offices is on the way. In the coming days, everything will be through video conferencing.He was speaking at a program named "Woman and IP Accelerating Innovation and Creativity" on World Intellectual Property Day, 2023.He said that until we solve the root problems how can we expect our women to play a greater role?The Union Minister Goyal in his concluding part of the address quoted President Droupadi Murmu, and said, "I would urge each of you to commit yourself to one change, any change that would bring a smile to a girl's face and improve her chances of moving ahead in life".He said that the Indian women are of substance. The two Indian women got the Oscar this year.In response to the issues raised by Justice C Hari Shankar, Piyush Goyal said that one thousand new posts have been created in the IP offices.He also said that we are in the process of digitalising the entire IP ecosystem. There would be zero interfaces between the individual and the IP offices. Everything would be through video conferencing and that also be videographed. We want the process corruption free.The program was graced and addressed by the Union Minister Piyush Goyal, Justice Hima Kohli, Justice Amanulla of the Supreme Court, Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, the chief justice of Delhi High Court, Justice Siddharth Mridul, Justice Prathiba M Singh, Justice C Hari Shankar, Justice Yashwant Varma and many lawyers working in the field of Intellectual Property ( IP ).Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma addressed the gathering. He said that women not only in the field of IP but in all avenues of life are playing imminent roles and accelerating innovation and creativity.He also congratulated the IP division for making the tremendous journey of growth.Justice Hima Kohli of the Supreme Court during her address said that with ever-increasing economic growth and globalisation, a robust IPR regime is critical for a flourishing economy."As a rapidly developing economy, our country has been attracting several", she said.She also said that the IP division of the Delhi High Court is the first in the country. Sixty per cent of IP cases are instituted in this court only.At the outset, Justice Yashwant Varma delivered the welcome address.Justice Prathiba M Singh presented a report titled "One Year of the IP Division".She also emphasized the progress of the IP division of the Delhi High Court and presented data on the lack of women in research. She said that only 3 per cent of women used their skills in research. This is a very big vacuum that we need to overcome.Justice C Hari Shankar highlighted the development and challenges. He referred to the case of Aradhya Bachchan for emphasising the accountability of Intermediaries. He also highlighted the challenges and the habit of overseas domain registration.He raised some issues related to the challenges in the files' IP laws.Justice Siddharth Mridul in his address introduced and welcome two women innovators, Scientist Nandini Harinath and Bharat Biotech Founder Suchitra Ella.Suchitra Ella was felicitated by Justice Hima Kohli, justice of the Supreme Court.She shared the time when the vaccine was in the making during the covid period. She said that the vaccine was prepared in nine months. She also thanked the Government of India.Nandini Harinath, the scientist who was incharge of Mission Mars of ISRO, was felicitated by Union Minister Piyush Goyal and Satish Chandra Sharma, the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court.She shared her association experience with Mission Mars of ISRO during her address at the program.The president of Nasscom Debjani Ghosh also addressed the program. She emphasised the need for more women in the field of innovation and highlighted the time consumed in getting a patent for an innovation.Making IP quickly accessible is going to play a big role," she added.ANI27 April 2023 Shared Recently! Mann Ki Baat is foundation to India @ 100: Vice-President New Delhi, April 26: Calling the PM's 'Mann Ki Baat' the foundation to India @ 100, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday said the radio programme has reached every nook and corner of the country and is unparalleled in popularity. Mann Ki Baat is foundation to India @ 100: Vice-President According to an official release, while inaugurating the national conclave 'Mann Ki Baat @ 100' in New Delhi organised by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Dhankhar also credited the radio program for giving recognition and brand value to local art and artisans, and for generating a market space for them.The Vice-President observed that Mann Ki Baat gave a huge impetus to flagship initiatives of the government such as Swachh Bharat, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, and turned them into mass movements. He added that the PM's addresses on the show were a 'beacon of positivity' to the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic.Noting that the 100th episode of the programme (scheduled to be aired on 30th April 2023) as a historic milestone, Dhankhar lauded the program for serving as an effective platform to popularise and bring to the mainstream the culture and festivals of the North East and other states. "Mann Ki Baat, as a matter of fact, is a reflection of our sense of our civilisational ethos," he observed.Calling upon everyone to take pride in the achievements of the nation, the Vice-President stressed that one must 'always keep nation first'. He said that India's growth story is also underscored by 'Nari Shakti' exemplified in the election of a tribal woman as the President of India. He also noted various welfare initiatives such as the Direct Benefit Transfer, PM Ujjwala Yojana, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi and others as indicative of the paradigm change in the socio-economic situation in the country.During the event, Dhankar released the Coffee Table Book 'My Dear Fellow Citizens...'. The book, brought out by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, presents glimpses of over 100 inspiring stories, mentioned by the PM in the radio programme. He also released a book "Collective Spirit, Concrete Action", authored by Shashi Shekhar Vempati, former CEO, Prasar Bharati, which describes the impact of the programme 'Mann Ki Baat' on the nation.Anurag Singh Thakur, Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Youth Affairs and Sports, Apurva Chandra, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Gaurav Dwivedi, Chief Executive Officer, Prasar Bharati also present on the occasion.Eminent personalities such as Kiran Bedi, Aamir Khan, Raveena Tandon, Ricky Kej, Nikhat Zareen and panellists of different sessions were also present. Around 100 esteemed citizens from various parts of the country who have been mentioned by the Prime Minister in various episodes of "Mann Ki Baat" also attended the event.ANI27 April 2023 Shared Recently! Assam Governor visits Charaideo Maidam, holds meetings with district administration Guwahati, April 26: Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria along with the First Lady on Wednesday made their maiden visit to the famous Charaideo Maidam, the site which got nominated for UNESCO's world heritage list. Assam Governor visits Charaideo Maidam, holds meetings with district administration During their visit to the site, they were explained by the cultural expert of the Government of Assam, Dr KC Naurial, about the historic importance of the burial mounds of the Ahom Kings and their nobles.They also spent time at the exhibition where ancient antiques from the Ahom era were on display.Enthralled by the historic Charaideo Maidam, the Governor asked functionaries from the Archeology Department to arrange for a screening of the high points of the Ahom Kingdom for the knowledge of the posterity.Minister, Revenue and Disaster Management Jogen Mohan, MLA Sonari, Dharmeswar Konwar, Director, Archeology Department of Assam, Dipi Rekha Kouli were present during the visit.Later, the Governor held a meeting with the Deputy Commissioner, SP and other departmental heads of the Charaideo district. Besides taking stock of the implementation of different government schemes, the Governor stressed the potential of the dairy and fishery sectors for the socio-economic development of the people of the district.He also advocated for several measures including the practice of traditional and modern methods for yearlong yields of agriculture in the district.The Assam Governor moreover discussed the implementation of MGNREGA, TB Mukt Abhiyan, and other important schemes.He asked Deputy Commissioner Paul Barua to take measures for 100 per cent TB eradication.The Superintendent of Police of the district also apprised the Governor of the law and order situation in the district.Later representatives from various civic bodies from the district met Governor and discussed matters relating to public importance.ANI27 April 2023 Shared Recently! Kim Kardashian says she will be happy being attorney full time Washington, April 26: Kim Kardashian can let go the limelight off!. Kim Kardashian says she will be happy being attorney full time The reality star got candid about her future in the criminal justice reform movement while speaking at the TIME100 Summit on Tuesday."I would be just as happy being an attorney full-time," she answered when asked if she would ever consider a life without being in the camera's eye."The journey just really opened up my eyes so much," she shared. "It gets overwhelming because there's so much to be done ... I brought my sister Khloe [Kardashian] to a prison for the first time last week, and that was really eye-opening for her," reported People.While not yet an official lawyer, The Kardashians star shared with moderator Poppy Harlow that she hopes her efforts in the movement will be "her life's most meaningful work.""I hope so," she said. "I always joke with my mom -- who's my manager -- I say Kim K. is retiring, and I'm just going to be an attorney."In December 2021, she passed the first-year law students' examination ("baby bar") after first revealing in May 2019 that she was choosing to follow in the footsteps of her late father Robert Kardashian Sr.He got O.J. Simpson acquitted in the 1995 murder trial of Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.Kardashian fought for the wrongfully convicted inmates. Most recently, she asked for the temporary release of a jailed father whose daughter was killed in the tragic elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.She spoke about her experience with the law exam in an emotional Twitter post, sharing that her law school journey "wasn't easy.""OMFGGGG I PASSED THE BABY BAR EXAM!!!! Looking in the mirror, I am really proud of the woman looking back today in the reflection," she wrote on Twitter. "For anyone who doesn't know my law school journey, know this wasn't easy or handed to me."ANI27 April 2023 Shared Recently! This is what Salman Khan posted ahead of hosting prestigious award ceremony Mumbai, April 27: No one can beat actor Salman Khan in hosting a show or event. This is what Salman Khan posted ahead of hosting prestigious award ceremony The 'Dabangg' star surely knows how to entertain the live audience with his hosting skills. He is now all set to take anchoring command at Filmfare Awards 2023, which will happen on Thursday night at Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai.Ahead of the prestigious award ceremony, Salman dropped a picture from the grand set of the event.Dressed in a grey casual t-shirt and blue jeans, Salman looked super cool.Sharing his excitement about the event, he wrote, "Nobody knows what tomorrow holds.... Not true in this case as it's Filmfare Awards tomorrow.. bas ache se ho jaaye, duo karo kyunki duaaon me hai bada dam. Vande Mataram. (Hope all goes well. Please pray as there is a lot of power in prayers.)"Salman will host the latest edition of the Filmfare Awards with actor Maniesh Paul.Actor Vicky Kaushal will perform at the event. Recently, he shared a few pictures of himself in which he can be seen busy preparing for his dance performance.Sharing the post, Vicky Kaushal captioned the images as "Final checks. See you tomorrow" and tagged Filmfare's official Instagram profile.Tiger Shroff, Janhvi Kapoor, and Jacqueline Fernandez are also expected to showcase their dancing skills at the award show.ANI27 April 2023 Shared Recently! N.Korea says space program indispensable for national development Seoul, April 27: North Korea on Thursday said the pursuit of space development projects is indispensable for national development in what appears to be efforts to justify its potential launch of a military spy satellite. N.Korea says space program 'indispensable' for national development Mentioning North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's recent visit to the state-run space development agency, state media carried an interview with the country's environment and telecommunications vice ministers and a ranking weather agency official to highlight the need to build "application satellites", reports Yonhap News Agency"Building the space industry is an indispensable project for national development and the improvement of the people's lives," they said in the interview carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency.Jon Chol-su, vice minister of the environment protection ministry, said the country's land management and anti-disaster efforts will likely gain traction if more application satellites are launched into space and transmit real-time data.Kim had instructed officials to prepare for launching its first military spy satellite as planned, during his visit to the National Aerospace Development Administration last week.The North has vowed to complete preparations for the launch by the end of this month.He also emphasized the need to "set it as a main thrust to possess weather and earth observation and communication satellites".The reclusive nation has not staged provocative acts since its April 13 launch of a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile.IANS27 April 2023 Shared Recently! Majority of people in Finland support work-based immigration: Survey Helsinki, April 27: Majority of the people in Finland support immigration as a way of maintaining the workforce, according to a survey by the pro-business think tank EVA. Majority of people in Finland support work-based immigration: Survey The percentage of people in Finland supporting the facilitation of immigration has gone up from 27 per cent in 2019 to 55 per cent this year, EVA said.However, 30 per cent do not consider the population deficit to be a valid reason for facilitating immigration, Xinhua news agency reported citing the survey.Immigration is a key topic on the agenda of the new Finnish government.Finns are highly critical of the top three political parties, saying that only those who work and support themselves independently should be admitted.Sonja Hamalainen, immigration director at the Ministry for Labour and Economic Affairs (TEM), said the increased publicity given to the Finnish population problem has likely contributed to the change in public opinion on the issue.Hamalainen said Finland will probably need between 20,000 and 30,000 foreign workers annually by 2030.Ministry of Labour and Economic Affairs statistics show that 130,000 jobs could not be filled in Finland last year.While the employment situation in Finland has improved, close to 7 per ent of the workforce was unemployed last year.To obtain a work permit for Finland, non-EU nationals need a confirmed job."Permits are not given for entering the country in search of employment," Hamalainen said.IANS27 April 2023 Shared Recently! CollegeDekho launches Career Compass - Free test to help students make informed career choices Gurgaon, April 27: CollegeDekho, India's largest and most trusted higher education ecosystem, has unveiled its latest innovation - Career Compass. Keeping in line with the company's student-first approach, Career Compass is a free tool designed to end students' anxiety by recommending career streams based on individual personality traits. The offering is powered by a psychometric test based on the globally accepted Holland Personality Traits Test, which allows students to gain greater insight into their career interests whilst unearthing dormant skills and identifying potential career paths. CollegeDekho launches Career Compass - Free test to help students make informed career choices The Career Compass test identifies the top three personality traits through a technology tool developed in-house by CollegeDekho. Created specifically for Bharat, it is a simple test that takes only three to five minutes to complete and is available in English, Hindi, Telegu, Marathi, Bengali and Gujarati to aid students in making more informed career choices. CollegeDekho plans to launch this test in more languages in the future.Each student's free personalised Career Compass report is based on their responses to the sixty questions in the test that is devoid of any right or wrong answers. The report includes helpful information such as potential career paths, work environment preferences, and even job suggestions. Students will also get free customised guidance from CollegeDekho's highly experienced and trained counsellors based on the report and student requirements, for no cost. The company's website provides students with access to useful information on courses and more than 35,000 colleges as well. CollegeDekho is India's largest ecosystem in higher education, having served over 205 million students from all 28 states and 8 Union Territories in 2022.Expressing pride at the company's latest offering, CollegeDekho's CEO and Co-founder, Ruchir Arora said, "We are proud to launch CollegeDekho Career Compass, which is designed to help our students discover a career direction and receive free guidance for college admissions. We believe this feature will be of immense help to the student community, especially those that have just completed their class 12th and are confused about their career choices."CollegeDekho also won awards for the 'Best Edtech Company of The Year' and 'Best Enrollment and Admissions Platform of the Year' at the recently concluded 3rd Technology Excellence Awards 2023 and Education Innovation Summit and Awards 2023, respectively.was founded in 2015 by Ruchir Arora, Saurabh Jain and Rohit Saha with a vision of creating a globally trusted student guidance ecosystem. It connects prospective students with colleges using its proprietary technology and AI-based chatbot. Its Common Application Form platform, which enables students to apply to multiple colleges with a single click, is India's largest of its kind.Since its inception, CollegeDekho has counselled more than 85 lakh students and has helped more than 1500 colleges with their student recruitment. For study-abroad students, CollegeDekho provides a full range of services from profile building, test preparation, university selection and visa assistance. It has enrolled over 1.30 lakh students since its inception on its various platforms. The company is backed by investors like Winter Capital, ETS Strategic Capital - the private equity investments arm of ETS (creator of the TOEFLA tests and GREA General Test), Calega, Man Capital, Disrupt ADQ and QIC.This story has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article.ANI27 April 2023 Shared Recently! Following the Legislative session, Republicans will have control of hiring and firing at the Montana Consumer Counsel. The change marks the first time since the state Constitution created an attorney to represent consumers 51 years ago that the makeup of the committee overseeing the Consumer Counsel isnt evenly split between Republicans and Democrats. Three years ago, that even split thwarted Republican attempts to make the Consumer Counsel retract concerns about NorthWestern Energys plans to acquire a larger share of Colstrip Power Plant. The break from bipartisanship comes as NorthWestern is preparing again to acquire a larger Colstrip share. Once again, the Consumer Counsel will be called upon to weigh the acquisitions risks to consumers and make a case against the deal if necessary. By law, Republicans will now have a four-to-two advantage on the Legislative Consumer Committee. The new law proposed by Sen. Keith Regier, a Kalispell Republican, puts two members from the majority of each chamber on the committee and one member from the minority party in each body. A similar split is proposed for every committee meeting between sessions. A 50-50 makeup of interim committees does not reflect the will of the voters. I've had several constituents ask why interim committees arent balanced like the legislature makeup? And all I could answer is it's the law. Senate Bill 176 would correct that, Regier told Senate and House lawmakers in hearing on the law. The Consumer Committee isnt like other interim committees, which conduct government studies and craft bills for the coming session. Up to this point, those laws required bipartisan support to pass committee. Consumer Committee actions are immediate. When the Consumer Counsel needs additional funding for expert witnesses and outside legal counsel, its the Consumer Committee that makes the call. The committee also has the power to fire the Consumer Counsel or anyone on the Counsel staff, which includes two economists, a utility analyst, and an office manager. The two-year budget for the office is $1.5 million, plus an additional $150,000 for extraordinary expenses, such as hiring an expert analyst of utility rates, or corporate restructuring. There have been several attempts by Republican lawmakers to exert more control over the Consumer Counsel since 2020, when Republican members of the committee ordered the Consumer Counsel to retract his concerns about NorthWesterns Colstrip plans. Montanas Consumer Counsel at the time was Bob Nelson. Nelson had just persuaded state utility regulators that NorthWestern had failed to prove that buying more of Colstrip was in the public interest. Details about how much consumers would be paying for Colstrip maintenance and operations, as well as repairs were scant. While NorthWestern was suggesting to Montana regulators that it was in a sound trade, acquiring a 25% share in Colstrip Unit 4 from Puget Sound Energy for one dollar, Puget was telling Washington regulators the power plant was uneconomical and in need of big repairs. Nelson wanted to know more about the power plant. Montanas utility regulator, the Public Service Commission, agreed with Nelson, deeming NorthWesterns application inadequate and requiring the utility to disclose more. Republicans on the Consumer Committee informed Nelson that they had concluded that boosting NorthWesterns ownership of Colstrip was good for consumers. Republican lawmakers Mike Hopkins, of Missoula, and Jeff Welborn, of Dillon, ordered Nelson to retract his concerns. We believe its both our constitutional and fiduciary duty, as both elected leaders and paid staff alike, to advocate for whatever is the best deal overall for Montanas electric consumers, the two Republicans wrote. Welborn identified himself as vice chairman of the Consumer Counsel a position that doesnt exist. The two lawmakers didnt have the right to dictate Nelsons legal work. And they lacked the votes on a bipartisan, four-person committee to fire Nelson or his staff. The following session, Republicans attempted to fold the Consumer Committee into the Energy and Telecommunications Interim Committee, the body that not only oversees the Public Service Commission but is also where NorthWestern Energy airs grievances when it feels the PSC has run amok. In 2017 as NorthWesterns bond rating soured, it blamed the PSC, telling ETIC that commissioners have lost their regulatory minds. The Consumer Counsel frequently sides with the states largest monopoly utility. Counsel Jason Brown earlier in April settled a rate case with NorthWestern Energy that will raise the monthly bills of residential electric customers 28% and the bills of small businesses 25%. But Colstrip Power Plant is one issue the Consumer Counsel has repeatedly pushed back on NorthWesterns plans. In 2008 when NorthWestern persuaded Public Service Commissioners to bill customers $407 million for the utilitys 30% share of Unit 4, Nelson asked the PSC to reconsider, arguing that customers should pay no more for the Colstrip share than what NorthWestern paid, $186 million. The Consumer Counsel has on three occasions opposed NorthWestern on cost recovery stemming from prolonged periods of mechanical failure at the power plant. At the start of the 2023 legislative session, Republican lawmakers on the Rules Committee voted to prevent the Montana Consumer Counsel from testifying on bills unless the Consumer Committee granted approval ahead of time. Lawmakers abandoned the decision, but Consumer Counsel Jason Brown proceeded by offering testimony as a neutral expert witness and only when called upon. No one called upon Brown. NorthWesterns latest proposed Colstrip acquisition, a 220-megawatt transfer of Spokane-based Avista Corps share of the power plant, for free, hasnt resulted in a regulatory filing with the PSC. It remains to be seen whether the Consumer Counsel will raise the same concerns it did with the 2020 deal with Puget Sound Energy, a sale that eventually failed. Centre monitoring evacuation of Indians from Sudan, 600 reach home: Foreign Secy New Delhi, April 27: Even as the evacuation process of Indian citizens from violence-hit Sudan is underway through Operation Kaveri, government on Thursday said that is monitoring the situation. Centre monitoring evacuation of Indians from Sudan, 600 reach home: Foreign Secy Addressing mediapersons, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said "We are constantly monitoring the situation in Sudan since the conflict began on April 15. Our estimate is that there are approximately 3,500 Indians and 1,000 PIOs in Sudan."He further informed that around 600 Indian citizens have already reached India."We have received requests for the evacuation of citizens of other countries from Sudan. This is subject to the fulfilment of the procedures," he added.Kwatra further informed that apart from INS Sumedha and INS Teg, the third naval ship INS Tarkash has also reached Port Sudan on Thursday to evacuate Indians from Khartoum.Meanwhile, Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan informed that 297 Indians have been received at Jeddah, who were carried by INS Teg."With this second ship and total of six batches, around 1,100 Indians have been rescued from Sudan and have arrived in Jeddah," Muraleedharan tweeted.IANS27 April 2023 Shared Recently! Ananya Panday exudes Barbie vibes in pink dress, check out pics Mumbai, April 27: Actor Ananya Panday is an absolute fashionista. She never fails to impress the audience with her amazingly hot looks. Ananya Panday exudes Barbie vibes in pink dress, check out pics On Wednesday, the actor took to her Instagram account and shared a new string of pictures from her latest photoshoot which she captioned, "this Barbie is ...," followed by a red heart emoticon.In the pictures, the 'Liger' actor could be seen posing in a pink one-shoulder dress. She kept her makeup heavy and turned her hair into a bun.Ananya accessorized her look with long earrings.Soon after she shared the pictures, fans swamped the comment section with red hearts and fire emoticons."Beautiful as always," a user wrote.Another user commented, "This Barbie is an icon.""PRETTIEST BARBIE," a user commented.Talking about the work front, Ananya will be next seen in director Vikramaditya Motwane's untitled cybercrime-thriller film.Ecstatic about the project, Ananya had earlier said, "When Vikramaditya Motwane approached me with this story, I just knew I had to be part of it. As a filmmaker, he has been on my wish list for as long as I can remember and I feel really lucky to be working with him this early in my career."She also has Farhan Akhtar's 'Kho Gaye Hum Kahan' opposite actors Siddhant Chaturvedi and Adarsh Gourav and a comedy film 'Dream Girl 2' opposite Ayushmann Khurrana.'Dream Girl 2' is all set to hit the theatres on August 25.She will also be making her web series debut with Amazon Prime Video's 'Call me bae'.ANI28 April 2023 Shared Recently! Our County Editor Dave Hinton is editor of The News-Gazette's Our County section and former editor of the Rantoul Press. He can be reached at dhinton@news-gazette.com. People who walk into the North Dakota Senate chamber this legislative session might notice a stuffed cat on top of a senators desk. The practice was started by Sen. Scott Meyer, R-Grand Forks. The cat will make its way to the desk of a senator who has had a bad day, has a prominent bill being heard on the floor, or has just experienced a significant life event. The cat will mysteriously appear on the desk of a senator accompanied by a note or poem. For example, when a bill relating to free school lunches was heard on the Senate floor, the cat made its way to a senators desk with the note, Give me liberty, or give me school lunch. Kittens were added to the mix when Sen. Jordan Kannianen, R-Stanley, welcomed his 12th child in March. The litter was placed on his desk with the poem, I have enough milk now with some to spare. So, I had a litter and I know you care. Because you have a litter of your own, so I am sharing mine with you alone. The diaper tax should help you out. The diaper tax comment was a reference to House Bill 1177, a bill to exempt baby diapers from North Dakota sales tax. The House and Senate passed the bill and Gov. Doug Burgum signed it. Kim Schneider and Sonja King, clerks working in the Senate chamber, said the therapy cat has been a fun addition to the Legislature. King said that the cat is a way to lighten the mood during the longer days in the session. King and Schneider agreed that the cat also is a fun way to bring everyone together, on either side of the political aisle. King said, You never know whos going to get it next. Obesity is a growing epidemic in children and adults. A large national study published in the International Journal of Obesity now finds that preteens carrying excess weight have notable differences in cognitive performance, brain structures, and brain circuitry when compared to preteens with normal body-mass index (BMI). Funded by the National Science Foundation's Harnessing the Data Revolution initiative, the study involved nearly 5,000 9- to 10-year-olds at 21 sites across the United States. While it only examines the relationship between BMI and the brain and cannot establish causation, there is a significant association between BMI and brain measures in the study. Study leader Caterina Stamoulis, PhD, a researcher in Adolescent Medicine and director of the Computational Neuroscience Laboratory at Boston Children's Hospital, finds the association concerning. It raises an alarm that it's important to track adolescents' brain health, especially when they have excess BMI. Early adolescence is a time when the brain is very actively developing, and when frontal areas of the brain -; those involved in higher cognitive functions -; change enormously and are vulnerable to miswiring." Caterina Stamoulis, PhD, Study Leader Inefficiently organized brain networks The study drew its subjects from the government-funded Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, which has collected detailed clinical, physiological, environmental, and lifestyle information, together with neuroimaging and neurocognitive data. Stamoulis and colleagues in her lab use advanced computational methods to analyze the large data sets. In preteens with excess BMI, brain circuits supporting higher-level cognitive functions, reward, emotional processing, and attention were found to be organized less efficiently, less well connected, and less resilient than in preteens with normal BMI. Excess BMI was correlated with difference in multiple brain structures, as well as a lower ability to think logically and solve problems in new settings. The differences were consistent even after adjusting for factors like sleep duration, screen time, physical activity, depression, and self-worth related to weight that may affect both BMI and brain health. Whether BMI plays a direct causative role or not in brain development, Stamoulis emphasizes that preteens' brains are still changing, and that interventions can make a difference -; whether they be mental health screenings, improving sleep quantity and quality, increasing physical activity, or reducing screen time. A stake in the ground Stamoulis now plans to analyze two-year follow-up data from additional waves of the ABCD datasets to see what happens to the brains of kids with excess BMI over time. "Once the brain is done wiring, it's more difficult to intervene," she says. "We want to see what neurodevelopmental trajectories these youth are on." She also hopes to analyze genetic and nutritional data, which the ABCD study plans to release in the future. New research suggests that even mild cases of COVID-19 can have long-term detrimental effects on cardiovascular health. The study was the first to compare pre and post COVID-infection levels of arterial stiffness; a marker associated with the aging and function of our arteries. The aftermath of the COVID infection, commonly known as long COVID, is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, and in extreme cases death. An international team of scientists were able to do this research using baseline measurements from a group of participants involved in a separate study that began pre-pandemic, also investigating arterial stiffness. In those who had been diagnosed with mild COVID-19, artery and central cardiovascular function were affected by the disease two to three months after infection. Side effects include stiffer and more dysfunctional arteries that could lead to cardiovascular disease development. The paper, published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, revealed age and time from COVID infection is associated with increased aging of the arteries. We were surprised to observe such a decline in vascular health, which deteriorated even further with time since COVID-19 infection. Usually, you'd expect inflammation to decrease with time after infection, and for all the physiological functions to go back to normal or a healthy level. We can only speculate on what causes this phenomenon without further investigation, but emerging evidence suggests that it stems from COVID-19 triggering the auto-immune process that leads to vasculature deterioration." Dr Maria Perissiou, Co-Author, University of Portsmouth's School of Sport, Health & Exercise Science While COVID-19 has been associated with a type of acute heart failure and vascular dysfunction, the long-term consequences of the disease on vascular health still need to be explored. The study was part of the University of Split's NormPreven project funded by the Croatian Science Foundation, and the team formation was facilitated by EU COST VascAgeNet action. Participants were monitored between October 2019 and April 2022 in the Laboratory for Vascular Aging at the University of Split School of Medicine. Most were young, less than 40-years-old, and healthy. Only nine percent of the group had high blood pressure, and none had high cholesterol. Two were diabetic, and 78 percent did not smoke. The group was also almost an even split between males (56 percent) and females (44 percent). Professor Ana Jeroncic from the University of Split, who led the study, said: "Given the number of people infected with COVID-19 worldwide, the fact that infection can have harmful effects on cardiovascular health in young people who had a mild form of the disease warrants close monitoring. "The question remains as to whether this harmful effect is irreversible or permanent, and if not, for how long it lasts." Dr Perissiou added: "This study, while small, does support the prediction amongst vascular physiologists that we'll have an increase in cardiovascular disease in the future as a result of COVID-19 infections. But we have to consider what other variables would have contributed to this increase." The paper concludes the results have important implications for understanding the long-term cardiovascular consequences of COVID-19 infection and may guide prevention and management strategies for associated vascular disease. However, it recommends further research is needed to strengthen our understanding of causes and contributing factors. insights from industry Dr. Chad Mirkin Director of the International Institute for Nanotechnology Professor at Northwestern University In this interview conducted at Pittcon 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, we spoke to Dr. Chad Mirkin, Director of the International Institute for Nanotechnology, about his work within the field of nanomaterials. Please could you introduce yourself and tell me a little about your research activities? My name is Chad Mirkin, and I am a Professor of Chemistry and the Director of the International Institute for Nanotechnology at Northwestern University. I have been there for over 30 years, focusing on the development of nanomaterials and devices that can advance analytical capabilities ranging from molecular diagnostic tools to ways of manipulating gene expression and ultimately developing new therapeutic modalities. How did you first get involved with the International Institute for Nanotechnology? We started the International Institute for Nanotechnology about 25 years ago. At the time, it was the first institute of its kind. We seized an opportunity as this field was really taking off, and we began to build an incredible epicenter for this type of research that drew people from all over the world, including fantastic faculty, postdocs, and students that all contribute to the development of these nanotechnology-enabled tools. Developing Next-Generation Nanomaterials for Medical Applications - Chad Mirkin at Pittcon 2023 Play What are the main challenges limiting the development of next-generation diagnostic and therapeutic tools? There are many challenges. It depends on whether we are talking about diagnostics or therapeutics. On the diagnostic front, it is what you can detect, how little you can detect, and where you can detect it. Nanotechnology plays a crucial role in this aspect as nanostructures allow for the creation of multifunctional materials that are capable of navigating various environments, binding to targets in highly specific ways, and signaling uniquely. These properties translate into innovative diagnostic capabilities. Nanoscience and technology can be applied to in vitro, intracellular, or even in vivo diagnostics. On the therapeutic front, it is all about how you get drug modalities to the point or to the area where they are needed. That often involves navigating a really complex milieu of tissues and cells and compartments within cells. The multi-functionality of nanostructures allows you to do that in unique ways. Image Credit: Maltsev Semion/Shutterstock.com What are some of the common areas in the medical field where nanomaterials are currently being utilized? Diagnostic tools are used everywhere that are based on nanotechnology. An example is the Verigene system, which was developed by Nanosphere, a company we started about 20 years ago. The company that first commercialized the Verigene system was bought by Luminex, which DiaSorin then bought. That tool is used in over half the world's top hospitals to track disease-associated genetic markers. There are constructs called nano-flares that have been used all over the world to measure intracellular RNA content. Now a whole series of tools are being developed, which will become commercial tools that allow you to improve on those capabilities, but also go into uncharted areas, including in vivo imaging. Are there any nanomaterials that have been particularly prominent in this field, and why is that? An example of a prominent material is something called a spherical nucleic acid, which we invented 25 years ago. These are constructs that are made by taking little snippets of DNA or RNA and chemically functionalizing them so that they can be put on the surfaces of spherical particles - tiny nanoparticles. In high density, the DNA or RNA strands are forced to stand upright and adopt the shape of the particle core, hence the term spherical nucleic acid. These constructs are the basis for commercial probes used in the Verigene system, for example. Image Credit: Quality Stock Arts/Shutterstock.com They are also the basis for nano-flare technology. They are the basis for fit-flare technology and the basis for many new drug modalities that allow you to control gene expression in unique ways and to create new vaccines. They can become the adjuvants of vaccines, and when modified with peptides, they can be used to train your immune system to selectively eradicate either infectious diseases, like COVID, or different forms of cancer. They are also the basis for new types of CRISPR gene editing capabilities. Unlike normal DNA and RNA, spherical nucleic acids can enter cells and tissues quite freely. If you take Cas9, the protein involved in CRISPR, or any of the Cas proteins, and modify it with DNA and load it up with the CRISPR components, you can now get it into cells and tissues you normally could not get it into. You can affect gene editing in novel and powerful ways. What roles do toxicological analysis play in enabling nano-based healthcare devices? Toxicity is always a key concern of anything that will be used in vivo. But even for things used in vitro, you want to know the basic toxicity of different components. Knowing where and how to use these constructs safely is a big part of any exercise, such as developing either probes or therapeutic tools. How important is a multi-disciplinary approach to workflows that hope to integrate nanotechnologies into the design of a new diagnostic or therapeutic system? Nanotechnology is the ultimate interdisciplinary field in the sense that it is really about redefining all of science and engineering and aspects of medicine. When you take a material and shrink it down in size or molecular components and assemble them up to the nano scale, those constructs all have new properties that are very different from the bulk. There is a lot of scientific discovery there understanding the structure-function, relationships - and applications. How do I use those properties to develop new tools that can drive biology, that can drive medicine, that can drive clean energy, that can drive optics or electronics? Depending on what we are using those materials for, we draw upon different disciplines to tackle those problems, often in a very team-oriented way. It is rare to see somebody really excel in this field that does not either have a broad skillset or surround themselves with lots of folks from different fields. Are there any particular nanotechnologies helping to target devastating diseases like cancer? There are many nanotechnologies. It is one of the most exciting areas of advancement. We just went through COVID, and the vaccines developed to protect against COVID were undeniably a revolution in medicine. These vaccines, lipid particles that encase mRNA, can allow you to effectively trick or teach your cells how to produce antigens that elicit a specific immune response. They are examples of how nanostructures or microstructures, in this particular case, can play a big role in terms of driving the development of medicine. It gets even better as you begin to build tinier structures and control the presentation of the components so that you can develop powerful new forms of immunotherapy that fight cancer in unique ways, for example, being able to not only regulate how these components get into cells, but also how they are processed within those cells so that you can maximize the efficiency of a particular type of drug or, in this case, a vaccine. What are you working on right now that you are particularly excited about? The concept behind rational vaccinology is that structure matters. If you think of pharmaceutical development over the last five decades, it has focused heavily on the case of small molecules and biologics on the structure. Sometimes a single atom can change the efficacy of a drug. With vaccines, we do not do that. It is amazing. We take two components, an adjuvant and antigen, mix them together, inject, and hope for an appropriate immune response. Rational vaccinology says that if I take those components in a nanostructure and present them in different ways, I can get different effects and move along from ineffective to curative access in a significant way. With many different animal models, we have shown that rational vaccinology is real and that if you take a series of components designed to create a vaccine and structure them appropriately, you can significantly maximize their efficacy. Image Credit: Numstocker/Shutterstock.com With vaccines, we do not do that. It is amazing. We take two components, an adjuvant and antigen, mix them together, inject, and hope for an appropriate immune response. Rational vaccinology says that if I take those components in a nanostructure and present them in different ways, I can get different effects and move along the ineffective to curative access in a significant way. With many different animal models, we have shown that rational vaccinology is real and that if you take a series of components designed to create a vaccine and structure them appropriately, you can significantly maximize their efficacy. What are you most excited about for Pittcon 2024 next year in San Diego? I love seeing all the new tools and capabilities that come online. Tools drive my field. They drive almost all fields. Analytical tools are really the backbone of everything that we do. New capabilities lead to new advances. New advances lead to new opportunities. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted exhibitions such as Pittcon. How important is it for speakers and exhibitors to come together face-to-face at events like this? Face-to-face events like Pittcon are critical. So much was lost over the years of COVID, not just in terms of lab productivity but in terms of personal contact and exchange of information. Science thrives when there is a lot of interaction between scientists. That interaction is a lot better face-to-face than via Zoom or other remote-type capabilities. About Dr. Chad Mirkin Chad A. Mirkin, PhD is the Director of the International Institute for Nanotechnology and the Rathmann Professor of Chemistry, Materials Science and Engineering, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Medicine at Northwestern University. He is a chemist and nanoscience expert, known for his invention of spherical nucleic acids, dip-pen nanolithography and related cantilever-free nanopatterning and materials discovery methodologies, and high-area rapid printing as well as contributions to nanoparticle synthesis and supramolecular chemistry. He has authored >850 papers and >1,200 patents worldwide (>400 issued) and founded over 10 companies. Mirkin has been recognized with >250 awards. He served for eight years on the Presidents Council of Advisors on Science & Technology and is one of very few scientists to be elected to all three US National Academies as well as the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Mirkin has served on the Editorial Advisory Boards of over 30 scholarly journals, is the founding editor of the journal Small, was an Associate Editor of J. Am. Chem. Soc., and is a Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA Editorial Board Member. About Pittcon Pittcon is a registered trademark of The Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy, a Pennsylvania non-profit organization. Co-sponsored by the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh and the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh, Pittcon is the premier annual conference and exposition on laboratory science. Proceeds from Pittcon fund science education and outreach at all levels, kindergarten through adult. Pittcon donates more than a million dollars a year to provide financial and administrative support for various science outreach activities including science equipment grants, research grants, scholarships and internships for students, awards to teachers and professors, and grants to public science centers, libraries and museums. Visit pittcon.org for more information. Sponsored Content Policy: News-Medical.net publishes articles and related content that may be derived from sources where we have existing commercial relationships, provided such content adds value to the core editorial ethos of News-Medical.Net which is to educate and inform site visitors interested in medical research, science, medical devices and treatments. Brisbane, Australia 27th April 2023 - MGI and South Australian Genomics Centre (SAGC) are proud to announce their joint efforts to advance genomics research in Australia by introducing the country's first commercial ultra-high throughput sequencer DNBSEQ-T7*, through MGI's local distributor Decode Science. Image Credit: MGI Located in the prestigious SAHMRI building in Adelaide, SAGC is a nationally accredited genomics facility that supports research nationally and internationally. Established in July 2020 as a partnership between six leading research institutes in South Australia, featuring a top-of-the-line equipment infrastructure SAGC provides customers with a wide range of advanced genomics services including whole genome sequencing, exome sequencing, epigenome sequencing, transcriptome sequencing, single-cell sequencing, microbiome sequencing, and spatial transcriptomics. Based on MGI's proprietary DNBSEQTM technology, the DNBSEQ-T7* is designed to deliver ultra-high throughput high-quality, reliable sequencing data at a fraction of the cost with a quick turn-around time. DNBSEQ-T7* can generate up to 6 TB of high-quality genomic data in 24 hours. The ultra-high throughput sequencer is equipped with 4 Flow Cells, enabling high flexibility to run PE150 and PE100 samples simultaneously or separately to accommodate the needs of different projects. The versatile sequencer can support a wide range of applications in agriculture, multi-omics research, clinical whole genome or exome sequencing, metagenomics of complex microbial communities, biodiversity study, and more. "MGI is committed to driving life science innovation and providing researchers with accessible and affordable tools they need to make new discoveries," said Dr. Bicheng Yang, Director of MGI Australia. "SAGC is a perfect fit to host the first commercial DNBSEQ-T7* in the country with the great potential to revolutionize genomics research in Australia, and we are excited to be part of this transformative journey." "The new ultra-high throughput sequencing technology allows for deeper, faster, accurate sequencing, enabling researchers to dramatically boost the number of samples they can analyse, significantly expanding research possibilities." Said Dr. Sen Wang, SAGC Centre Manager. "The arrival of MGI's DNBSEQ-T7* enables us to take on large-scale genomics tasks such as population-wide studies and emerging technologies like Spatial Transcriptomics at a much lower cost." Professor David Lynn, Scientific Director of SAGC added "The T7* is the perfect addition to maximise the full potential of the centre's other sequencers, taking overall output to new heights. It's a much more flexible system that fits perfectly into the full range of other sequencers SAGC offers. This flexibility allows SAGC to match the right tool to any scale of sequencing project, while offering significantly lower costs." This state-of-the-art sequencer, as designed, is seamlessly integrated into SAGC's existing workflow. The data pipeline is powered by ZTRON Lite, a GDPR-compliant highly automated genomics data appliance dubbed "Sequencer Buddy" to provide a high-performance edge computing and storage solution to execute laboratory management, bioinformatics analysis, data governance, and data delivery. Operating in a close-loop local network, the streamlined pipeline automatically transfers the sequencing data generated from DNBSEQ-T7* onto ZTRON Lite for processing. The primary data can be stored locally on ZTRON Lite, ensuring a secure environment for access control and data privacy, with the option to transfer to a secure cloud service upon the customer's request. MGI ZTRON Appliance is certified by European Privacy Seal (EuroPriSe) and compliant with GDPR regulations. SAGC also houses a DNBSEQ-G400, a medium-throughput sequencer that is suitable for medium and large genome sequencing projects. Read the first SAGC media release here. Empowered by DNBSEQ sequencers that deliver industry-leading quality, throughput, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness, SAGC is committed to empowering Australian researchers in their innovative genomics research. With the introduction of the DNBSEQ-T7*, MGI and SAGC are excited to be at the forefront of driving the development of genomics research and applications in Australia and beyond. As the field of genomics continues to evolve, MGI remains committed to delivering the latest technologies and tools that enable researchers to make breakthrough discoveries and contribute to improving human health and our lives. For more information on DNBSEQ-T7 and MGI's comprehensive genomics portfolio, please visit . For instrument purchase inquiries please contact MGI Australia at [email protected] or the local distributor Decode Science. Watch our customer story video with SAGC herehttps://youtu.be/zDPGOngleNE Cheonan, South Korea, 26 April 2023 MGI Tech Co. Ltd. (MGI), a company committed to building core tools and technology to lead life science, today celebrated the opening of its Customer Experience Center (CEC) in South Korea. In partnership with one of the countrys leading companies in life science technology, BMS (Bio-Medical science Co., Ltd.), the new CEC based in Cheonan aims to provide local customers and partners with the first-hand access to MGI's cutting-edge products. From left to rightJK Cho, Vice President of BMS, Roy Tan, General Manager of MGI APAC, SK Kim, CEO of BMS, Duncan Yu, President at MGI, Jae Young Yun, MGI Representative, Luqi Zhang, Deputy Director of MGI Product Marketing Center Image Credit: MGI "Genomics is an exploding and popular field in South Korea, and we at MGI are excited to join hands with BMS to welcome researchers and partners in the country and the wider APAC region at our new CEC," said Duncan Yu, President at MGI. "Equipped with our state-of-the-art sequencing and automation platforms, the center will be a connecting point for the local research and diagnostic community as they exchange ideas and uncover new concepts to facilitate genomic discoveries and medical advances." As part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between MGI and BMS, the new facility serves as a hub for potential and existing customers to learn and experience MGI's products, including DNBSEQ-T7*, DNBSEQ-G400* and DNBSEQ-G99* sequencers as well as MGISP-960 automation system. Customers and partners can also process demo on-site with the support from Field Application Scientists at BMS and participate in academic lectures, conferences, and webinars to discover the breakthrough innovation behind MGI's technology and platforms. MGI's partnership with BMS dated back to 2019, when the South Korean company purchased the DNBSEQ-G400* versatile benchtop sequence for its highly accurate, user-friendly, and affordable protocols for DNA and RNA sequencing. In the same year, BMS also became the first company in Asia Pacific to join MGI's Global Sequencer User Program (SUP), an open platform for promoting the development of genetic technologies and applications through customized products, services and support, and co-marketing. In a recent article published in the Cell Reports Journal, researchers used a preclinical mouse model to demonstrate that T helper 1 (Th1) effector memory cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4)+ T cells provide complete immunity against poxviruses-triggered skin infections. Study: T helper 1 effector memory CD4+ T cells protect the skin from poxvirus infection. Image Credit: MarinaDemidiuk/Shutterstock.com Introduction Pox viruses are an emerging public health concern after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the mpox virus a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) in 2022. During the 2022 mpox outbreak, this deadly virus spread in >100 countries, causing more than 80,000 cases amid the pandemic of the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Background Within 200 years of its introduction, the vaccinia virus (VACV)-based vaccine eradicated smallpox, a deadly communicable disease caused by Variola virus. Globally, immunizations by VacV ended by the 1980s; thus, most of the world population is no longer immune to zoonotic poxviruses, such as mpox virus and cowpox virus (CPXV) of genus Orthopoxvirus, which spread primarily by direct contact with infected skin lesions. Countries dealing with mpox outbreaks used a modified VacV Ankara (MVA) vaccine to combat mpox infections. However, it remains largely unknown whether the MVA vaccine protects against poxvirus skin infections and elicits adequate immunological memory to prevent the dissemination of zoonotic poxviruses. Mpox and CPXV express genes that inhibit antigen presentation by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules, thereby evading the anti-viral activity of CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), raising the possibility that Th1 CD4+ T cells might be the key players in combating poxvirus skin infections. Skin, the largest human organ system, is a physical barrier between the self and the environment. Keratinocytes, cells that detect pathogen invasion and initiate inflammatory responses by secreting different cytokines, constitute the outermost layer of skin called the epidermis. Although there is experimental data on the role of keratinocytes in harmonizing immune responses within the skin, whether they are the targets of anti-viral adaptive immunity combating viral skin infections is not fully known. About the study In the present study, researchers vaccinated mice with tk VacV by skin scarification 30 days before infecting their distal skin with CPXV. This was to determine whether VacV elicited adequate memory CD8+ or CD4+ T cells to protect the skin from zoonotic poxvirus infections. Further, they used MHC class I and class II epitopes highly conserved in the genus Orthopoxvirus to stimulate mice splenocytes and then analyzed whether T cells secreted interferon-gamma (IFN)/tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-). Furthermore, they tested whether inhibition of MHC class I expression allowed CPXV to evade memory CD8+ T cells. The team transferred SMARTA T cell receptor (TCR)-transgenic CD4+ T cells into B6 mice. Next, they infected test animals with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) to generate a readily trackable population of CD4+ T cells. These T cells were specific to an immunodominant epitope from the LCMV glycoprotein, amino acids 6180 (GP61). Finally, they infected LCMV-immune mice with VacV and VacV-GP61 on the right and left ear skin, respectively. Study findings VacV vaccination generated memory CD8+ and CD4+ T cells; however, the relative contributions of memory T cells and neutralizing antibodies in mediating adaptive immunity against poxvirus skin infections remain incomprehensible. Antigen-specific memory CD8+ and CD4+ T cells underwent secondary expansion following CPXV infection of the skin. Compared to naive animals, VacV-immune mice did not develop necrotic skin lesions. The team infected VacV-vaccinated mice and controlled animals with wild-type (wt) CPXV or 203CPXV. Due to the depletion of CD8+ T cells before infection, test animals had no immunity against 203CPXV, demonstrating that memory CD8+ T cells recognized and eliminated the virus. However, bystander activation of memory CD8+ T cells did not limit wt VacV Western Reserve (VacV-WR) replication in the skin. Conversely, loss of antigen-specific memory CD4+ T cells significantly reduced the magnitude of protection as these cells alone eliminated the virus. Depletion of CD8+ and CD4+ T cell populations before infection with VacV-WR increased viral loads by 1,0005,000 times compared with control-treated animals, demonstrating that only memory CD4+ T cells protected the skin from CPXV infection. Memory SMARTA CD4+ T cells infiltrated towards VacV- and VacV-GP61-infected skin equally in an antigen-independent manner. GP61-specific memory CD4+ T cells conferred complete protection against the VacV-GP61 infection but not against the VacV infection. Accordingly, LCMV-immune mice remained protected from VacV-GP61 skin infection, and within seven days of infection, they cleared the virus. Regardless of antigen and tissue-specificity, virus-specific memory CD4+ T cells conferred adequate immunity against poxvirus infection in the skin. Memory CD4+ T cells infiltrating the skin following VacV infection were predominately Ly6C+ effector memory (T EM ) cells, which expressed core two O-glycans, identified via the monoclonal antibody, 1B11. It demonstrated that the Th1 memory CD4+ T cells trafficking into the skin were Ly6C+ T EM and synthesized core two O-glycans. More importantly, these cells exhibited robust anti-viral activity within the skin. Conclusions Several earlier studies demonstrated that CD4+ T cells orchestrate adaptive immune responses by providing assistance to B cells. For example, Th1 CD4+ T cells activated by IFN increase the expression of nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) to mediate the killing of bacterial pathogens, e.g., Salmonella enterica. In many instances, antigen-specific memory CD4+ T cells also become pathogenic rather than protective during viral infections. This study highlighted some previously underappreciated functions of T cells that protect against viral skin infections. First, antigen-specific Th1 T EM CD4+ T cells provided protection and limited pathology during poxvirus infection of the skin. Second, CD4+ and CD8+ memory T cells used distinct but synergistic mechanisms to combat viral skin infections. Third, the researchers observed that keratinocytes were highly responsive to IFN produced in response to local activation of antigen-specific memory CD4+ T cells during a viral skin infection. However, keratinocytes activated different signaling pathways in response to IFN during commensal bacterial colonization than poxvirus infection of the epidermis. Rapid delivery of IFN to keratinocytes prompted them to express interferon-stimulating genes and increase antigen presentation. The study demonstrated that virus-specific memory CD4+ T cells traffic into skin keratinocytes to limit viral spread and replication within the host. Given the critical function of memory CD4+ T cells in providing immunity against poxvirus infections of the skin, studies should investigate whether the MVA vaccine elicits poxvirus-specific Th1 effector memory CD4+ T cells. In a recent study published in the United States (U.S.) Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) Emerging Infectious Disease researchers demonstrated that the novel and avian hemagglutinin 3 neuraminidase 8 (H3N8) virus showed limited replication in explant cultures of lung and bronchial tissue. Background Reassortments between avian influenza viruses from wild birds and domesticated poultry result in viruses that can cross species boundaries sporadically, causing zoonotic infections. The zoonotic influenza viruses H7N9, H5N1, and H10N8 are thought to be viruses with the internal genes of H9N2 with acquired neuraminidase and hemagglutinin from wild birds. Two cases of H3N8 infections among humans were recently reported from Hunan province and Henan, China, in 2022 the first was acute respiratory distress syndrome in a four-year-old boy, and the second was mild infection in a five-year-old boy. Additionally, phylogenetic analyses indicated that novel H3N8 viruses resulted from reassortments comprising the European avian H3 gene, the North American avian N8 gene originating from wild birds and wild-bird avian influenza virus, respectively, and the H9N2 internal genes from avian influenza viruses from poultry in China. Compared to the human influenza A viruses (H3N2), the antigenic profiles of novel avian H3N8 viruses are significantly different. The human population exhibits very little cross-reactive immunity to the H3N8 viruses. About the study In the present study, the researchers isolated the novel H3N8 virus from chickens since the virus had a 99.1% and 98.7% similarity in the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase genes, respectively, with the viruses causing zoonotic infections among humans in China. The avian H3N8 virus was isolated from droppings of wild birds and found to be genetically dissimilar to the zoonotic virus. A few other avian and human influenza viruses were also used in the study. The viruses were propagated in eggs or Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. The viruses were cultured in ex vivo human lung and bronchial cultures. The viral replication was assessed using real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to measure the viral matrix protein segment ribonucleic acid (RNA). Infectious titers of the viruses were measured using the 50% tissue culture infectious dose (TCID 50 ) assay. Influenza A nucleoprotein immunohistochemical staining was also performed on the infected tissue cultures after 48 hours of infection. Results The results indicated that in the bronchial tissue cultures, the levels of viral RNA were similar for the novel H3N8, avian H3N8, and H5N1 viruses. The pH1N1 virus had the highest viral RNA levels, while H9N2 had higher viral RNA levels than the avian and novel H3N8 and H5N1 viral strains. The H5N1 virus had the highest viral RNA levels in the human lung tissue culture, followed by the H9N2 strain. The avian H3N8 virus had the lowest viral RNA levels in lung tissue. The TCID 50 assay results indicated similar patterns with the highest infectious viral titers for pH1N1 in bronchial tissue cultures and H5N1 in lung tissue cultures. For H9N2, the infectious viral titers, and viral RNA copies showed a discrepant trend, with high viral RNA copies but low viral titers in bronchial tissue cultures. The avian H3N8 virus had the lowest viral titers in lung tissue. Furthermore, novel H3N8 virus did not replicate well in the MDCK cells but replicated well in the avian cells, indicating that the virus has not yet successfully adapted to mammalian hosts. This finding was also confirmed by the low replication titers of the novel H3N8 virus in human lung and bronchial tissue cultures. The immunohistochemical analyses reported that the most extensive levels of antigen distribution were observed for bronchial tissue infected with pH1N1, while bronchial tissue infected with H9N2, H5N1, and novel H3N8 viral strains showed moderate levels of antigen distribution. Tissue cultured infected with avian H3N8 showed no antigen staining. Similar to the qRT-PCR and TCID 50 assay results, the lung tissue immunohistochemistry results showed extensive antigen staining for cells infected with H5N1, followed by lung tissue infected with pH1N1, novel H3N8, and avian H3N8 viral strains. Conclusions Overall, the findings indicated that the novel and avian H3N8 viral strains showed low replication in human lung and bronchial tissue cultures compared to other human and avian influenza viruses. Therefore, the ability of these viruses to transmit between humans is limited, and these viral strains are unlikely to cause severe diseases. However, the reassortment between avian influenza viruses among domesticated and wild birds continues to present the risk of potential zoonotic infections. Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Prof Sun Dong (fifth left) visits ETH Zurich and chats with Hong Kong graduates who are currently doing research at the university in Switzerland. Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Prof Sun Dong began his visit to Zurich, Switzerland, on April 26 by meeting the Greater Zurich Area (GZA) Chief Executive Officer and visiting ETH Zurich. GZA is a national, non-profit service company that operates promotion and marketing for the great Zurich economic area which consists of nine cantons in the German and Italian-speaking parts of Switzerland with each of them contributing specific technological competencies to the entire economic area. Prof Sun started the day by having a lunch meeting with GZA Chief Executive Officer Sonja Wollkopf to learn about the latest situation of attracting enterprises and investment, particularly in the innovation and technology (I&T) industry, in the area. Prof Sun briefed her on the latest direction and strategies of Hong Kongs I&T development, and they explored opportunities for strengthening bilateral exchanges in I&T development between Hong Kong and Switzerland. He then visited ETH Zurich, which is a pioneering public research university in Europe and worldwide with a world-class reputation in academia and industry, particularly in science and technology. It is also one of the non-local partners under the InnoHK research clusters. In addition to receiving a briefing on the universitys achievements in research discoveries and innovations and its support to entrepreneurship, he learnt about the operation of the Competence Center for Materials & Processes. After visiting the Multi-Scale Robotics Laboratory to learn about its latest technologies in clinical treatment, Prof Sun had exchanges with Hong Kong graduates who are currently doing research at ETH Zurich about their school life. He also presented them with new opportunities brought about by Hong Kong's I&T development and welcomed them to return to Hong Kong. Prof Sun will proceed to the city of Basel on April 27 to continue his Switzerland visit. IndiGo on Wednesday said it has offered services for chartered flights to Jeddah to bring back Indians evacuated from Sudan. Under the evacuation mission Operation Kaveri, India is taking the evacuees from Sudan to the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah from where they are returning home. Also Read: UP to Get First Tabletop Airport at Chitrakoot Soon As per official data, the total number of Indians evacuated so far from Sudan stands at 534. We have offered our services for charter flights to Jeddah under the Indian Governments Operation Kaveri rescue mission of our citizens from Sudan. We are still awaiting details from the ministry to launch these flights, nothing has been confirmed as of yet," the airline said in a statement. Read all the Latest Auto News here ITC Share Price: Shares of ITC continued to extend its rally on Thursday. The FMCG scrip hit a new high at Rs 416.50, up 1 per cent on the BSE in Thursdays intra-day trade on expectations of strong earnings. Thus far in the calendar year 2023 (CY23), the stock of fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) to hotel major has rallied 25 per cent. In comparison, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 1.2 per cent thus far in CY23. The diversified conglomerate topped the market capitalisation of Rs 5 lakh crore on Tuesday and pipped IT major Infosys to become the sixth most-valued Indian company. It also overtook HDFC and State Bank of India (SBI) in terms of market cap last week. However, it still lags behind Hindustan Unilever (HUL), which is valued at Rs 5.88 lakh crore. Shares of ITC have turned multibagger from their Covid-19 lows. The stock is up 165 per cent from its Rs 155, a level seen in May 2020. The stock has risen 25 per cent in the year 2023 so far. The stock has rallied about 60 per cent in the last one year. Despite this stellar rise in stock prices in the last few months, ITC continues to trade at a steep discount to Hindustan Unilever. ITCs price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple is 28 times, whereas that of HUL is commanding a P/E multiple more than twice of ITC at 60 times. ITC remains among the favorite counters of brokerage firms from the FMCG space. They have a mildly positive view. Analysts expect ITC to report a strong performance on a year-on-year (YoY) basis in terms of sales, cigarette volumes, EBITDA, EBIT margins and adjusted profit. Over, the company may post flat numbers on a quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) basis. Brokerage firm Prabhudas Lilladher expects ITC to report a sale at Rs 17,236.5 crore, rising 11 per cent YoY and 6.2 per cent QoQ. EBITDA is seen at Rs 6,401.4 crore, up 22.5 per cent YoY and 3 per cent QoQ. ITC can report an adjusted profit after tax (PAT) at Rs 5,060.9 crore, up 20.8 per cent YoY and flat on QoQ basis. Cigarette volumes are likely to expand by 14 per cent. and FMCG to post 17.5 per cent sales growth with YoY margin improvement. Paper business to grow 26 per cent, while Hotel revenues to grow by 66.3 per cent," said Prabhudas Lilladher, who expects ITC to be among the best performers in the space. It has an accumulate rating on the stock with a target price of Rs 444. The management said the FMCG businesses during the December quarter (Q3FY23) witnessed strong growth across channels and markets (both urban and rural) driven by ramp-up in outlet coverage, enhanced penetration and superior last mile execution. As seen in the past, stability in taxes on cigarettes, backed by deterrent actions by enforcement agencies, continues to enable volume recovery for the legal cigarette industry from illicit trade leading to higher demand for Indian tobaccos and bolstering revenue to the exchequer from the tobacco sector, the management said. Meanwhile, ITC is expected to maintain its volume growth momentum in the cigarette business, given no price hikes in the near term and government curbing illicit cigarette sales. Strong growth in the non-cigarette FMCG business, stellar recovery in the hotel business, and sustained growth in the PPP business will drive double-digit revenue and PAT growth over the next two years, Sharekhan said. According to analysts at ICICI Securities, cigarette volumes would continue to grow at faster pace (10-13 per cent) led by stable taxation in last five years & curb on illicit cigarettes. Further, ITC (FMCG) business is also expected to see strong growth of 19.1 per cent led by higher growth in foods, discretionary & stationary segment, the brokerage firm said in Q4FY23 result preview. Disclaimer: Disclaimer: The views and investment tips by experts in this News18.com report are their own and not those of the website or its management. Users are advised to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Read all the Latest Business News, Tax News and Stock Market Updates here The North Dakota House of Representatives has sustained Gov. Doug Burgum's veto of a book ban bill that carried potential criminal penalties for librarians. Burgum on Tuesday rejected Senate Bill 2360 by Sen. Keith Boehm, R-Mandan. The governor cited its "enormous burden" on public and K-12 libraries to review their collections for "explicit sexual material," with no money in the bill for libraries to do so. He also blasted the bill for its criminal penalties, and for exempting the State Library and excluding private K-12 schools. The Senate on Wednesday overrode Burgum's veto in a 33-14 vote. The House on Thursday voted 53-41, upholding the veto. The bill will not become law. The Senate needed 32 votes to override. The House needed 63 votes to override the veto, Burgum's seventh of the session, and the fifth sustained. The House had previously passed Boehm's bill, 54-38; more House members opposed the bill Thursday than previously. Veto opponents cited books they perceive as obscene, such as "Gender Queer" by Maia Kobabe, and criticized the State Library's estimated costs to implement the bill -- as high as $3.6 million in an initial estimate, later revised twice. The House Judiciary Committee exempted the State Library from the bill after the library's first cost estimate. Bismarck's public library estimated it would cost over $334 million to review its collections to comply with the bill. Rep. Kathy Frelich, R-Devils Lake, called the fiscal note "garbage." House Judiciary Committee Chairman Larry Klemin, R-Bismarck, said, "All this bill does is require the libraries to comply with the same laws that all of the rest of us have to comply with. Thats it." Rep. Scott Dyk, R-Williston, said "we are in a porndemic," citing millions of visits to a popular pornography website in 2018. Rep. Liz Conmy, D-Fargo, cited the passage of House Bill 1362 in upholding the veto. The bill is to make law for parents "the right and duty to exercise primary control over the care, supervision, upbringing, and education of the parent's child." "I'm going to vote for parental rights," she said. Rep. Alisa Mitskog, D-Wahpeton, said, "I'm troubled (by) the attack on the good librarians that I know, that care about children, that are dedicated to their work and would do anything to protect children." She added, "I think we're not dealing with reality." Safeguards on smartphones and social media for children are "the national discussion," she said. Rep. Eric Murphy, R-Grand Forks, agreed, and said libraries are resources for youth who might question their sexual orientation. "They're probably not going to walk home and say to Dad, 'Pops, I think I'm gay. What do you think?'" he said. "They're going to struggle, and they're going to go to places that they think it's safe that they can get some information. By golly, if they're going to 'This Book Is Gay' (by Juno Dawson) and they want to read it and try to understand that struggle, that's fine. It's graphic, but it's not pornography." Some lawmakers also blasted Burgum's vetoes, which total seven so far, compared with roughly 500 bills he has signed. Murphy said "that's the constitutional right of the governor." Rep. Ben Koppelman, R-West Fargo, chastised the House for sustaining most of Burgum's previous vetoes. His seven vetoes are nowhere near a record. "Less than two-thirds of you trust the collective wisdom of our chamber in consultation with the other chamber. That's sad. That shows that we've lost our way as a body. We no longer believe in a legislative branch," Koppelman said. Burgum on Tuesday signed House Bill 1205 by House Majority Leader Mike Lefor, R-Dickinson. The bill will remove or relocate "explicit sexual material" in public libraries' children's collections. The bill will mandate public libraries to come up with policies and procedures before next year for removing or relocating "explicit sexual material," handling requests to remove or relocate books, developing age-appropriate book collections, and periodically reviewing collections. Libraries also will have to submit a "compliance report" on their policies to lawmakers. The two bills defined "explicit sexual material" as "any material which, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest of minors; is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community in North Dakota as a whole with respect to what is suitable material for minors; and taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors." Several North Dakota Republican lawmakers, including Lefor, have cited sexual topics and visual nudity in drawings in the book "Let's Talk About It" in supporting the bill. House Speaker Dennis Johnson, R-Devils Lake, last week gaveled down Rep. Jim Kasper, R-Fargo, for reading several excerpts related to sex acts from the book. Rep. Bernie Satrom, R-Jamestown, also quoted extensively from the book during a February floor session. Mankind Pharma IPO Day 3: Today is the last chance to subscribe to the initial public offering ((IPO) of Mankind Pharma Ltd. The public offer opened for subscription on 25th April 2023 and it will remain open for bidding till 27th April 2023. Mankind Pharma develops and manufactures a diverse range of pharmaceutical formulations across various acute and chronic therapeutic areas, as well as several consumer healthcare products. Day 2: Mankind Pharma IPO Subscription Data (as of 05:00 PM Apr 26, 2023) QIB 1.86x, NII 1.02x - {(NII 10L+) - 1.21x, (NII 2L-10L) - 0.64x}, Retail 0.25x Total 0.87x Mankind Pharma IPO Price The company has fixed Mankind Pharma IPO price band at Rs 1026 to Rs 1080 per equity share. Mankind Pharma IPO Offer Size The maiden public comprises only an offer for the sale of over 4 crore equity shares by promoters and investors, while there is no fresh issue portion. The total fundraising by the company would be Rs 4,110.03 at the lower price band, and Rs 4,326.35 crore at the higher band. Promoters Ramesh Juneja, Rajeev Juneja, and Sheetal Arora will be offloading over 1 crore shares via offer for sale, and the rest of the shares in the OFS will be sold by investors Cairnhill CIPEF, Cairnhill CGPE, Beige, and Link Investment Trust. Mankind Pharma IPO Objectives of Issue The main objectives of the offer would be to carry out the offer for sale by the selling shareholders and achieve the benefits of listing the equity shares on the stock exchanges. All the money raised via public issues will go to selling shareholders, and the company will not receive funds from the offer. Mankind Pharma IPO Financial The pharmaceutical company, which comes with a market capitalisation of Rs 43,264 crore, has reported a consolidated profit of Rs 996.4 crore for the nine-month period ended December FY23, falling 20 percent compared to year-ago period impacted by lower other income, higher employee cost and weak operating performance. Consolidated revenue for 9MFY23 grew by 10.6 percent year-on-year to Rs 6,697 crore, while on the operating front, it has recorded nearly 13 percent YoY drop in EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) at Rs 1,484 crore with margin falling 598 basis points compared to corresponding period last fiscal. Mankind Pharma IPO GMP today According to market observers, Mankind Pharma IPO GMP (grey market premium) today is Rs 70, which is Rs 20 lower from its Wednesdays GMP of Rs 90 per share. Should you Subscribe to Mankind Pharma IPO on Day 2? Most analysts are positive about the company given its strong brand reputation and the opportunity areas for growth despite not-so-cheap valuations. Giving subscribe tag to Mankind Pharma IPO, Canara Bank Securities said, The company has consistently outperformed IPM value growth and has 3rd highest average annual contribution from volume growth. The company is gradually increasing its R&D expenditure. The company also has strong market share in the brands of consumer healthcare segment and looking to further expand the segment. It also plans to expand in new chronic therapeutic areas. The company has grown its revenues at a CAGR of 15% for FY20-22 with EBITDA margin in the range of 25-27%. The 9MFY23 was impacted on account of high API prices, one off because of acquisition and rise in hiring of MRs. The company is net debt free with working capital of 45-50 days . The company seems fairly valued in comparison to its peers considering its decent return ratios. We recommend to SUBSCRIBE for long term." Looking at the price band, ask valuations look a bit expensive compared to other listed companies like Cipla, Zydus Life," Prashanth Tapse, Senior Vice President (Research), Mehta Equities, said. The 100 per cent OFS is going to be a worry for a conservative investor in this market scenario as in the past, we have seen that investors dont like or prefer to be invested in a higher OFS IPO," it added. Giving buy tag to Mankind Pharma IPO, Choice Broking says, In terms of domestic sales, Mankind is Indias 4th largest pharmaceutical company and 3rd largest in terms of sales volume for the 12-month period (TTM) ending Dec. 2022. It is a domestic focused pharma formulation company with a value market share of 4.3% and volume share of 5.6% in the IPM. Apart from developing, manufacturing and marketing pharma formulations, the company also manufactures and develops several consumer healthcare products." Disclaimer: Disclaimer: The views and investment tips by experts in this News18.com report are their own and not those of the website or its management. Users are advised to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Read all the Latest Business News, Tax News and Stock Market Updates here Petrol, and Diesel Prices Today: Fuel prices in four major metro cities on Thursday, April 27, 2023, remained unchanged. Except for individual cases, petrol and diesel rates across the country have been steady since May 21 last year, when the previous pan-India revision was announced. However, many cities saw petrol prices above Rs 100 mark. On Thursday, the cost of one litre of petrol in Delhi continues to remain Rs 96.72 and for an equal quantity of diesel, customers have to pay Rs 89.62. Similarly, customers in Mumbai will have to pay Rs 106.31 for a litre of petrol and Rs 94.72 for equal quantity of diesel. According to government oil companies, earlier this week, petrol became costlier by 29 paise in Himachal, 24 paise in Punjab, and 62 paise in Jammu and Kashmir. Diesel became costlier by 26 paise, 23 paise and 50 paise respectively at these places. At the same time, petrol-diesel became cheaper by 25 paise in Uttar Pradesh. Petrol became cheaper by 44 paise and diesel by 41 paise in West Bengal. Petrol in Noida has gone up to Rs 96.58 and diesel to Rs 89.75 per litre. Rs 96.58 in Ghaziabad and Rs 89.75 per liter of diesel. Petrol in Lucknow will cost Rs 96.57 and diesel Rs 89.76 per liter. Whereas, petrol rates in Patna has become Rs 107.24 and diesel Rs 94.04 per liter. And, petrol has become Rs 84.10 and diesel Rs 79.74 per liter in Port Blair. In India, oil marketing companies (OMCs) such as Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum determine petrol and diesel prices. This is done on a daily basis, and rates are determined in accordance with the price of crude oil throughout the world. Why do fuel prices vary across states? The rates for each day, whether new or unchanged, are announced at 6 am on the day. These, however, vary from state to state; this is due to criteria such as Value Added Tax (VAT), freight charges, local taxes, etc. Petrol, and Diesel prices in Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Noida, and Gurugram on April 27, 2023 CITY Petrol (Per Litre) Diesel (Per Litre) Bengaluru Rs 101.94 Rs 87.89 Chandigarh Rs 96.20 Rs 84.26 Chennai Rs 102.86 Rs 94.46 Gurugram Rs 96.66 Rs 89.54 Kolkata Rs 106.03 Rs 92.76 Lucknow Rs 96.54 Rs 89.81 Mumbai Rs 106.31 Rs 94.27 New Delhi Rs 96.72 Rs 89.62 Noida Rs 96.58 Rs 89.75 Crude Oil Price Today Read all the Latest Business News, Tax News and Stock Market Updates here Rental compensation received from a builder for a redevelopment project is not taxable for the former flat owner, the Income-Tax Appellate Tribunals (ITAT) Mumbai bench stated in a recent ruling. Usually, when a building is set to be redeveloped, the flat owners are either given a monthly rental compensation or provided with alternate accommodation. The ITAT has declared that the rental compensation is not a revenue stream of income, but a capital receipt. This means it is not taxable in the hands of the former flat owner. The decision came in a case where the former flat owner had not opted for another rented accommodation, but moved in with his parents, reported the Times of India. The order will come as a huge relief for people in Mumbai, where a large number of redevelopment projects are being done. The case of Ajay Parasmal Kothari was chosen under the computer-aided scrutiny selection (CASS) mechanism for FY 2012-13. During the course of the scrutiny, it was found that Kothari had received Rs 3.7 lakh. The sum was given by the builder of Kotharis cooperative housing society as rental compensation for alternate accommodation when the place was being redeveloped. The I-T officer in the case noted that Kothari had not utilised the money for alternate accommodation. The taxpayer had treated the money as income from other sources, which meant that the sum would be taxed at the applicable slab rate. The commissioner (appeals) upheld this move. Kothari then filed an appeal with ITAT. The ITAT noted that though the taxpayer had lived with his parents, he still faced hardships due to vacating his flat for redevelopment. The ITAT also condoned the fact that Kothari had made a delay by 1,566 days in filing an appeal with the tax tribunal. The ITAT believed that the tardiness was because the taxpayer was not guided correctly by his counsel. Relying on an earlier case decided by the ITAT, the tribunal held that the compensation for rent does not come under taxable income. The Mumbai bench of ITAT had recently ruled on two conflicting provisions that foreign investors in unlisted Indian companies were subject to. The tax tribunal, in a plea by Dubai-based entity Legatum Ventures, stated that Section 112 on the IT-Act is applicable. This means foreign companies might have to pay more capital gains taxes. Read all the Latest Business News, Tax News and Stock Market Updates here Exhausted, elated and cradling her newborn daughter in a rundown government hospital, young mother Manu Bala had just helped make India the worlds most populous nation. Tears of joy and relief streamed down Balas cheeks as her as-yet-unnamed child one of more than 67,000 born across India on Monday rested on her chest. It was also the day the UN announced that India, already home to more than one in every six humans on the planet, would this week eclipse China with more people than any other country. I am very happy that my child was born on the day India left behind China it feels special to become a mother on this day," the 22-year-old housewife told AFP from her bed. I want my baby to study hard and become whatever she wants to become. I want to give her a good life." Bala had writhed in agony on her gurney inside the crowded and somewhat decrepit maternity ward of her Himalayan towns public hospital. Flanked by nurses in green and white overalls, her face turned pale as she lay on a bare bed with her feet mounted in stirrups. Push harder," the doctor urged the first-time mother in the labour room, while her husband and mother-in-law waited anxiously outside. Sweat trickling down her forehead, Bala winced in pain and clasped the sides of the bed before the final push, met with a round of cheers from the staff. Holding the baby to her chest with relief writ large on her face, she mustered up one final reservoir of energy to thank the doctor and nurses. - One baby is enough - Balas husband Rohit, a state government employee, was relieved that the birth was without complications and ecstatic about becoming a father. He already has his mind turned to the weeks ahead: the family will have a naming ceremony 11 days after the birth, with the assistance of a Hindu priest consulting astrological charts for an auspicious moniker. But beyond that, Rohit was fretting over the future awaiting his daughter. There are many problems we have to face because of the growing population," the 30-year-old told AFP. Even for seeing the doctor here we had to queue up for so long." India faces huge challenges in providing electricity, food and housing for its growing population. Many of its cities struggle with water shortages, air and water pollution, and packed slums. Millions of young people are entering the workforce each year and struggling to find opportunities in an economy that does not have the capacity to provide them all with jobs. Already there is so much unemployment in the country. It will become all the more difficult to get a job," Rohit said. I think one baby is enough in todays times." Read all the Latest Buzz News here Social media is full of entertaining videos of people interacting and revealing interesting stories. A similar video showing an NRI discussing Mumbai with an American man in New York has surfaced on Instagram. The video starts with the Instagram user asking the American man how life in Mumbai was as compared to his life in New York. To his surprise, the old man started talking in Hindi and said that life in Mumbai was nice and first class. The man said that he felt like a king living in an Indian metropolitan city. The man further revealed that as soon as he moved to New York he became a naked beggar referencing his poor financial condition in the American city. The caption of the video read Met a random New Yorker who happened to live in India for 5 years! He spoke amazing Hindi and he described his life in Mumbai as king-size and in New York, as full of hustle! What a guy! Also offered us free tickets to Broadway show as he is MD there. The man was revealed to be named Andre. The video went viral with over 36 lakh views and more than 4.23 lakh likes. People in the comments expressed how fun the video was to watch. A user wrote The way he is calling his name - Andre bhai Andre. Another user commented I lived a kings life in Delhi, became a beggar when I moved to Mumbai. A third user wrote I have met this guy too. He knows Gujarati too. The video was shared by Vlogger Sanjay Meriya who loves to post videos about his life in New York as Doctor and DJ. Sanjay met Andre in New York and the astonishing interaction generated a lot of traction on the video. Andre is the MD of Broadway, which is a huge position to hold and even though one may think that the job pays him well, his words about life in New York give us an insight on how difficult it is to survive in the American concrete jungle. Read all the Latest Buzz News here The United States has moved to block Chinas access to the most advanced semiconductors and the equipment and talent needed to make them in recent months, citing national security. China has dismissed those concerns, accusing the United States of technological terrorism" and unfairly hindering its economic growth. It has sought to counter the US containment measures. AFP takes a look at the key issues in the so-called semiconductor wars": Why are chips important? Microchips are the lifeblood of the modern global economy: the tiny slices of silicon are found in all types of electronics from LED lightbulbs and washing machines to cars and smartphones. They are also critical to core services such as healthcare, law and order and utilities. Globally, semiconductors are forecast to become a $1-trillion industry by 2030, according to a McKinsey report published last year. Nowhere is their essential nature more visible than in China, the worlds second-largest economy, which relies on a steady supply of foreign chips for its huge electronics manufacturing base. In 2021, China imported semiconductors worth $430 billion more than it spent on oil. Why target China? Beyond iPhones, Teslas and PlayStations, the most potent chips are crucial to the development of advanced technology such as artificial intelligence, as well as cutting-edge weapons including hypersonic missiles and stealth fighter jets. Washington imposed a series of export controls last year, saying they were meant to prevent sensitive technologies with military applications" from being acquired by Chinas armed forces and its intelligence and security services. The Dutch government followed suit in March this year, citing national security while imposing controls on foreign sales to prevent military use. The same month, Japan unveiled similar measures aimed at preventing the military diversion of technologies". The Netherlands, a NATO member, and Japan a US treaty ally did not name China, but their restrictions infuriated Beijing. The restrictions target the most advanced chips and chip-making tech that can be used for, among other applications, supercomputers, high-end military equipment and AI development. Why is China concerned? The production of chips is fiendishly complex, and typically spans numerous countries. But many stages depend on US inputs, while the other major players are Japanese companies and the Netherlands ASML which dominates the production of lithography machines that print patterns on silicon wafers. This gives the trio an outsized influence on the global semiconductor industry. It will take years for China to develop domestic alternatives that are equally capable to the tools it is losing access to," Chris Miller, author of Chip War: The Fight for the Worlds Most Critical Technology", told AFP. If it was easy, Chinese firms would already have done it." How have the sanctions hit? Chinese chip companies stockpiled components and machines ahead of US export controls in October last year to soften the blow. But one major chip firm told AFP that once that inventory runs out, or needs repairs, the controls will start to hurt. Some Chinese companies that were suddenly left unable to guarantee access to chips saw lucrative foreign contracts evaporate, forcing them to slash jobs and freeze expansion plans. The US, Dutch and Japanese curbs have directly hit some of Chinas biggest chip manufacturers, including the Yangtze Memory Technology Corp (YMTC). One of the biggest ways the sanctions have started to bite is by drying up a talent pool China had relied on. A recent semi-official survey of Chinese chip companies estimated a need for 800,000 foreign workers by 2024, a gap Washington made harder to plug by restricting US persons" from working in Chinas semiconductor industry. How has China responded Beijing has reacted with anger and defiance, vowing to accelerate its efforts to become self-reliant on semiconductors. To transcend US curbs, two semiconductor researchers at the influential Chinese Academy of Sciences offered a blueprint in February that advised Beijing to more effectively funnel investments into high-quality talent and original research. It signalled a potential strategy rethink, and one of its main beneficiaries appears to be YMTC. Company records show the US-sanctioned firm has received an injection of $7.1 billion since the new export controls took effect. Is more investment the answer for China? The tens of billions of dollars China has pumped into the development of a domestic industry have yet to bear much fruit. China had aimed by 2025 to reach 70 percent chip self-sufficiency, but some think tanks estimate it currently meets below 20 percent of demand. Money is not the problem," said Qi Wang, co-founder of Hong Kong-based MegaTrust Investment, pointing instead at waste, fraud and talent shortages. China has no good options, except to double down on state support for the industry," said John Lee, director of East-West Futures consulting. Experts say China may well reach its self-sufficiency target but it will take much longer in the face of such curbs. I dont think the US will ever be successful at preventing China from having great chips," Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said on a podcast in March. We are going to force them to spend time and a bunch of money to make their own." Read all the Latest Buzz News here It is rightly said that love is not easy and has its fair share of ups and downs. However, a man named Amit experienced major twists and turns in his life when he fell in love with a woman who decided to run away with his father instead, leaving everyone shocked. The incident took place in Uttar Pradeshs Kanpur City last year. The woman ditched her lover only to elope with his father, as she fell in love with him. She decided to leave everything and everyone behind, including her 20-year-old boyfriend and her family. Auraiya-resident Kamlesh and his son, Amit had come to Kanpur in search of employment. Kamlesh is a mason and his son worked as a labourer. Meanwhile, the son fell in love with a girl living in the area. Reportedly, the 20-year-old woman used to often visit her boyfriends house. But Amit had to go to work. Because of this, she gradually started talking to Amits father whenever she went over. The duo fell for each other and decided to elope. So, last year in March, Kamlesh left behind his son Amit and ran away with his lover. Right after the incident, the family members of the woman filed a case of kidnapping against Kamlesh at the Chakeri Police Station. After receiving the complaint, the police launched a probe into the incident. Finally, after a year-long search, the couple was traced in Delhi. A team of police was sent to the capital to get them. On Tuesday, the team brought the couple back to Kanpur and took Kamlesh into custody while the woman underwent a medical examination. Police are further investigating the matter. Previously, in Bihar, a 32-year-old woman dumped her husband to marry his younger sister. The women fell in love with each other and decided to live as a couple and she started wearing mens clothes and got a haircut to resemble that of a man to give her lover the feeling of husband. Read all the Latest Buzz News here Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday released Rs 912.71 crore towards Jagananna Vasathi Deevena for boarding and lodging charges of 9,55,662 students pursuing degree, polytechnic, ITI, engineering, and medicine courses. The amount will be directly credited to their mothers bank accounts. During a public meeting, Reddy highlighted the transformative power of education and said, Education is a tool, and it can change not only the history of a family but also that of the entire society." He added that good education can drive away poverty. The government has spent Rs 14,223 crore on Jagananna Vasathi Deevena and Vidya Deevena combined. Revolutionary changes have been implemented in the last four years to provide quality education for all. Reddy also mentioned the famous adage knowledge is power" and said that quality education provides good knowledge for everyone. The introduction of Interactive Flat Panels (IFP) in 30,200 schools, along with the subject-teacher concept, will change learning in the state. He noted that the transformation in the educational sector is leading to a point where private schools will feel pressure to compete with government schools that are equipped with modern amenities. With 40 lakh students now studying in government schools, the number of students pursuing engineering courses has increased to 1,20,000 from 87,000 during TDP rule. Additionally, the number of undergraduate dropouts has decreased to 22,387 from 81,813 in the last four years. Reddy also discussed job-oriented courses, skill development programs, self-certification online programs, and partnerships with Melbourne University and top German institutes. He emphasised the importance of internships for degree students, encouraging them to strive to become successful leaders like Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. In response to an appeal, Reddy sanctioned funds for various projects, including Rs 250 crore for the Gandikota drinking water project and Rs 26 crore for the construction of two bridges on the Chitravati River. Read all the Latest Education News here At least 35-40 per cent of sanctioned seats in engineering colleges across the country, most of which are privately-owned institutions, go vacant each year, with a large number of these remaining unfilled in rural and semi-urban areas, according to an analysis of data of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). As per official data, while 33 per cent of seats across undergraduate courses in these engineering colleges remained vacant in the 2021-22 academic session, the number of unfilled seats was a little over 44 per cent in the years 2020-21 and 2019-2020, respectively. The share of seats falling vacant in the pre-pandemic years was even higher 48.56 per cent in 2018-19 and 49.14 per cent in 2017-18, respectively. Also read| AICTE Launches Engineering Books in Marathi for Diploma, UG Courses As per data, the number of students getting placed through these institutes, as against the number of those clearing the course each year has remained relatively low. While 2021-22 saw better campus placements in comparison to the previous four years, the numbers have otherwise remained low. In 2021-22, 4,28,437 students got campus placements while 4,92,915 passed the course. In 2020-21, only 3,69,394 were placed against 5,85,985 clearing the course. The year 2019-2020 saw 3,97,740 students being campus placed against 6,48,938 having passed. Only 3,96,702 students got placed against 7,59,834 in 2018-19 while 3,43,834 were placed against 7,54,548 having cleared the course in 2017-18, as per data (the placement data is only of the campus placements). Why do seats remain unfilled? According to officials, the number of seats remaining vacant across colleges is a demand-and-supply situation with a large number of private institutions having opened engineering institutes but the courses being offered do not find as many takers. It is mostly core engineering courses such as civil, electrical, mechanical, and chemical, which are not getting as many takers, as most students want to study computer science, which also offers better job opportunities, in comparison to the core subject areas. While its true that takers for core engineering subjects saw a dip, in order to tackle the same, we have asked institutes to offer minors in emerging technologies such as AI, robotics, IoT, etc. along with it, so that they are able to find better avenues. Admissions in these branches have gone up over the past few years in comparison to the scenario previously. We have trained a large number of core engineering faculty members to teach in emerging technologies to boost core engineering, a senior AICTE official told News18.com. Of the seats falling vacant, more are found so in rural and semi-urban pockets, the official said, mainly because students want to migrate to metro cities, as there are issues with connectivity and infrastructure in general in these areas. Concerned over the issue of vacant seats in engineering colleges, the AICTE 2018 constituted a committee headed by BVR Mohan Reddy, chairman of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Hyderabad, to recommend short-term and medium-term prospective plans for these colleges. The committee recommended that no new engineering colleges be allowed to open up from 2020 and the situation be reviewed every two years. The moratorium was lifted in March this year. Last year, the union ministry of education informed the Parliament that the filling up of seats in engineering institutes is dependent on the demand-supply situation which is dependent on the location of the institutes, academic and infrastructural facilities therein, and the placement opportunities. Independent experts too said that the larger number of seats remaining vacant is those in core areas. Prof V Ramgopal Rao, group vice-chancellor, of BITS Pilani, said that its a demand and supply situation, the number of seats in these courses is higher than the takers. The problem is seen more in rural areas mainly because of infrastructure issues and quality of teaching faculty, which translates into the quality of instruction with more students aspiring to join the college in metro cities, he said. What is being done about it? Besides offering minors in emerging technologies to boost enrolment in core areas, AICTE officials said that they are translating course books into regional languages to address the language barrier seen in most students from rural and remote areas. We are working on making books available in regional languages for all courses that can be downloaded free of cost by students from the AICTEs e-Kumbh portal. We expect students from rural areas to benefit largely from this. Their major fear coming to metros is a language barrier, as the course material is in English. Initially, we have taken up the translation of books in five core areas civil, electrical, mechanical, computers, and electronics, the official said. Read| JEE Main 2023 Session 2 Results Likely to be Out Before April 30 For first-year students, he added, the work is complete and there have been more than a lakh downloads already over the past three to four months. For second-year course books, 50 per cent of the work is done and this time we are ensuring that the authors are from the top tech institutes including IITs, NITs, and IIITs, among others, the official said. Officials said that the regulatory body plans to come up with a placement portal for engineering colleges in rural and semi-urban areas having tied up with industry partners for the same. The portal is almost ready and might be launched now anytime soon, the official added. Read all the Latest Education News here As the month of May begins, students around the country brace themselves for the long-awaited results of their 2023 board exams. The CBSE concluded its class 12 examinations on April 5 and class 10 exams on March 21, while the majority of state boards ended their class 10 and 12 board exams in April. A few state boards, like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, have already released their class 10 and 12 board exam results, while Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have released their class 12 results. CBSE class 10 and class 12 results The CBSE board exams 2023 for classes 10 and 12 were taken by an estimated 38,73,710 students. Although the board is yet to announce the dates, the results are expected to be released in May. Students can check their results after they are released at cbseresults.nic.in and cbse.gov.in. A student must receive a minimum mark of 33 per cent in each subject to pass the CBSE board examination. Read more CISCE class 10 and class 12 results This year, the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) ISC, ICSE Results 2023 are expected to be released in the month of May. The ICSE Class 10 mark sheet and CISCE Class 12 Result can be downloaded by students from the Boards official website at cisce.org once they have been made public. The ICSE and ISC exams concluded on March 29 and March 31, respectively. Read more Tamil Nadu HSE SSC board exams results The results of the Tamil Nadu High School Examination (HSE) will be announced on May 8 at 9.30 AM, according to an update from the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Government Examinations (TNDGE). At a press conference to be held at the Anna Centenary Library Conference, TNs minister of education, Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, will release the results of the public examination. For students to pass the TN board exam in 2023, they must receive at least 35 marks out of 100 in each subject. The results of the class 10 SSC exam will be announced shortly as well. Read more Andhra Pradesh SSC results The SSC examination 2023 results are scheduled to be released by the Andhra Pradesh Board of Intermediate Education (BIE AP). The exact time and date of the results, however, have not yet been announced. The BSEAP SSC exams were administered between April 3 and April 18 in a single shift from 9:30 am to 12:45 pm. State education minister Botsa Satyanarayana announced the results for the first and second years of the AP Inter on April 26. Read more Kerala SSLC, Plus Two results The results for the Kerala Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examination will likely be issued by Kerala Pareeksha Bhavan. The Kerala state Class 10 exams took place from March 9 to March 29, 2023. Plus Two results could be released by May 25 while the SSLC results are expected to be out by May 20. For the Kerala SSLC exams in 2023, students must receive a minimum score of 35 per cent in each subject to be deemed passed. Read more Jharkhand Board Class 10 And Class 12 Results Board exams for classes 10 and 12 were concluded by the Jharkhand Academic Council (JAC) on April 3 and April 5, respectively. Students who appeared for the Jharkhand Board can expect their results by the last week of May. However, there has been no official confirmation from the academic council on the same. Eligible students can obtain their results via the official website, jac.jharkhand.gov.in. Read more MP board class 10 and class 12 results The Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE) is expected to announce the Class 10 and Class 12 results in May based on previous year trends. The date and time of the Madhya Pradesh Class 10 and 12 results announcement have not yet been made official by the board. The results will be announced at a press conference and then made available on the official website, mpbse.nic.in. Read more CHSE Odisha Board Class 12 results The results of the state board Class 12 exam for 2023 will be announced by the Odisha Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) by the end of May. The process for the plus two evaluation will be completed by May 7, according to Samir Ranjan Dash, the state of Odishas minister of schools and mass education. The results for all streams will then be announced by the end of May. Read more West Bengal Class 10 Results The state Madhyamik (Class 10) 2023 results will be made public by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) by the end of May. WBBSE President Ramanuj Ganguly reportedly informed the media that the class 10 results this year will likely be announced around the third or fourth week of May. Once released, students who took the exam can check the class 10 results at wbbse.wb.gov.in and wbresults.nic.in. Read more Read all the Latest Education News here Affordable child care is hard to come by in North Dakota, but parents struggling to pay for the service may soon see relief. Both chambers of the Republican-run Legislature voted this week to approve House Bill 1540, which dedicates $65.6 million in state funds to address North Dakotas lack of cost-effective child care. The legislation now goes to Gov. Doug Burgum, who originally proposed a $76 million child care package in December. A spokesman for Burgum did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Rep. Emily OBrien, R-Grand Forks, and other bill backers say boosting the child care sector would relieve some of the strain on the states labor-starved businesses as stay-at-home parents choose to return to work. Most of the funding in OBriens proposal would prop up an existing state program that pays a portion of child care costs for families with lower incomes. The bipartisan bill includes $22 million to expand the child care aid program for families with income below 75% of the states median level -- about $80,000 a year for a family of four. The appropriation would help fund child care for an estimated 1,800 children over the two-year budget cycle beginning in July. Another $15 million would be used to incentivize child care businesses to take on more infants and toddlers. The bill would have the state assume all child care costs for families making less than 30% of the median income -- about $32,000 a year for a family of four. The policy change, which comes at a two-year cost of about $2.3 million, would completely cover child care costs for an estimated 2,200 low-income families. The state also would put up about $5 million to match private employers contributions for their workers day care costs, while $3 million would cover day care matching costs specifically for state employees. About $15 million would go toward training for child care workers and incentives for their employers to start up new businesses and take up new clients. The bill does not include direct income tax credits to parents with child care costs an idea featured in another proposal killed by the House of Representatives last month. Families making less than 85% of the median income level -- about $91,000 for a family of four -- are eligible to receive at least some financial aid on child care costs through the existing state program. Applications can be filed online, through the mail or at a local Human Service Zone center. Many of the bills proposed expenditures previously appeared in the mammoth Department of Health and Human Services budget, but lawmakers opted to create a separate proposal to shine a spotlight on child care, OBrien previously told Forum News Service. OBrien, a mother of two young children, said last week she pays upwards of $20,000 a year in child care costs. She noted many North Dakota parents struggle to pay for the expensive service and choose to leave the labor market to care for their children at home. Burgum began calling on lawmakers last fall to earmark state funds for child care programs, saying fortifications to the strained industry would fuel greater workforce participation. IIT Kanpurs C3iHub, a cybersecurity Technology Innovation Hub, formally inaugurated its Cybersecurity Skilling Programme with support from the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS). The C3iHub-incubated start-ups Threat Guardians Pvt Ltd and Worker Union Support provide additional assistance to the Cybersecurity Skilling Programme. The C3iHub Cybersecurity Skill Programme was officially launched at the IIT Kanpur Outreach Center in Noida by Chief Guest Vijay Sampla, Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes. The programme focuses on models, tools, and techniques for enforcing security and strives to provide students with a greater grasp of the technological fundamentals of cyberspace and cyber problems. It also introduces real-time cybersecurity approaches and procedures. With free enrollment for SC/ST students and a nominal charge for students from the unreserved category, the programme caters to all students and professionals. The deadline for registration to this programme is April 30. The 8 weeks long Cybersecurity Skilling Programme will be offered online, allowing students from anywhere in the nation to enrol. The course includes live classes, online assignments, and practical training. Students will obtain a C3iHub certificate upon completion of the programme, which will add credibility to their professional profile. Internship opportunities will also be available to the top 100 students. Sampla lauded C3iHub in his address for its contribution to the realm of cybersecurity as well as its efforts to educate and strengthen students in this field of study. He additionally spoke about several initiatives run by Indias National Commission for Scheduled Castes. The Programme will help students learn from a basic to an advanced level of cybersecurity, which will make them future-ready, stated Prof. Manindra Agrawal, project director of C3iHub. C3iHub identifies security flaws in vital cyber-physical systems, creates security solutions to fix the flaws, seeds start-ups and collaborates with industry to commercialise the security tools, and trains the next generation of cybersecurity researchers. Read all the Latest Education News here An advanced research facility at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) was officially inaugurated on April 27th, in the presence of Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, faculty, and researchers. The Veena and Pratap Subrahmanyam Centre for Digital Intelligence, Security Hardware and Architecture (V&PS - CDISHA), was inaugurated by Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. SHAKTI, an indigenous microprocessor developed by IIT Madras, will be used by the centre to carry out a variety of cutting-edge research projects, including the creation of a new class of computers that can accommodate the latency and power demands of AI applications. The three major trends that are influencing the future of india were discussed during Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhars address at the inauguration event. The first pertains to the worlds expanding rapid technological digitalization, the second is the necessity for countries to establish a network of trusted technology partners, and the third is the requirement for a growing amount of digital talent. IIT Madras Director Prof. V. Kamakoti emphasised the significance of this Research Facility, noting that it arrived just in time for India to launch its Semiconductor Mission and begin the process of setting up fabrication facilities.The best way of educating computer architecture organization operating systems is to basically do by experimentation. We wanted to create a platform wherein we can perform this. This centre has helped in achieving this goal, Prof. Kamakoti added. Pratap Subrahmanyam, an IIT Madras alumnus, contributed Rs. 6.76 crore to build this facility. The establishment of this facility is a fundamental step that will foster a strong university-industry-government relationship . On this day, the MacDermid Alpha Center of Excellence in Electronics Assembly and Skills Development was also launched. It is an automated PCB assembly facility that Cookson Indias (MacDermid Alpha) CSR initiative helped to create at the Central Electronics Centre of IIT Madras. The MacDermid Alpha Center intends to annually mentor 1,000 engineers and diploma holders. This programme also includes apprenticeship opportunities. Read all the Latest Education News here The Cabinet Committee chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has passed the move to establish 157 government nursing colleges. These soon to get established nursing colleges will be co-located with the existing medical colleges established by the Modi government since 2014. The move taken by the government aims to graduate approximately 15,700 nursing students every year. This will further increase the job prospectus of the nurses in the country and improve rural- urban imbalances in the health sector. Speaking at a press conference, Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya said the ministry plans to complete the project within next 24 months. Besides this, they have laid out a detailed timelines for every stage of planning and execution of the project. The government has sanctioned a total budget of Rs 1,570 crore for setting up of these nursing colleges. In the conference, Mansukh Mandaviya said for each medical college and school, the Government of India plans on opening a new nursing college." The state government and union territories are tasked to keep the Union Health Ministry informed on a regular basis about the physical progress of the work. In the press conference the union Health minister said For each medical college in India, a budget of Rs 10 crores will be allocated for the setting up of a new nursing institute." The institute will have training of all the three types of nursing- Midwifery, General Midwifery and BSc Nursing. #WATCH | Today decision has been taken to open 157 new govt medical nursing colleges in the country Rs 1,570 crore has been approved for this and it will be completed in the next 24 months: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya pic.twitter.com/ifxTHyGdLJ ANI (@ANI) April 26, 2023 The health minister noted that because Indian nurses services are highly valued abroad, it is critical to bring Indian nursing education up to par with international standards in order to promote their mobility and improve career prospects. They are recognised as highly skilled professionals and drive the healthcare delivery system, but their numerical strength is below global norms and needs to be adequately enhanced, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya said. Later the central government issued a release stating that the government has increased the number of medical colleges and MBBS seats in last few years. Citing government data, the release mentioned, there is an increase of around 71% in medical colleges from 387 before 2014 to 660 as of now. This increase has doubled the MBBS and postgraduate seats since 2013-14. In the budget presentation, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed establishment of 157 nursing colleges in the country. Read all the Latest Education News here Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday courted controversy by calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a poisonous snake. BJP leaders hit back at Kharge and Congress and said the party is going to pay a heavy electoral price for insulting PM Modi. Earlier in the day, PM Modi virtually conducted a meeting with around 50 lakh BJP workers. Modi also hit out at the Congress on the issue, saying when the partys warranty itself has expired, its guarantees have no meaning. The Prime Minister said states are getting immersed in debt because of freebies, and emphasised that the country and the Read More The Congress on Thursday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remark that the grand old party cannot give true guarantees, saying the people of Karnataka will guarantee the end of the BJPs 40 per cent Commission Sarkara" on May 10 and all the promises of the Congress will be implemented. In a virtual address to BJP workers in Karnataka in the run-up to the May 10 Assembly polls, Modi said what is the meaning of the Congress guarantees when that partys warranty itself has expired. Hitting out at the prime minister for the remark, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter, After Amit Shah and Yogi, now its Modis turn to make outrageous comments due to despair and desperation." On May 10th, the people of Karnataka will guarantee the end of the BJP 40% Commission Sarkara. A few days later Congress Guarantees will be implemented like we have in RJ, CH and HP," he said in a tweet and listed the policies implemented in Congress-ruled states that the party had promised ahead of the polls in those states. Before BJP launched Operation Kamala to steal the government in 2019, from 2013-2018 the Congress government in Karnataka delivered stable and able governance for five full years. 261 promises delivered in 261 weeks. Congress guarantees performance," Ramesh said in a series of tweets. Rajasthan governments promises fulfilled: Old Pension Scheme implemented; Indira Gandhi Urban Employment-125 days of work; Right To Health free emergency treatment in private and govt hospitals; Chiranjeevi Yojana: Rs 25 lakh insurance in private hospitals and Rs 10 lakh accidental insurance," Ramesh also said. Chhattisgarh Governments promises fulfilled: Loan waiver: Rs 9,270 crore loan of 17.87 lakh farmers waived; Rs 2500/quintal for paddy farmers; Rajiv Gandhi Kissan Nyay Yojna: Rs 9000/acre input subsidy for farmers; Old Pension Scheme implemented," he said. Himachal Pradesh Governments promises fulfilled: Old Pension Scheme implemented; Rs 1500 minimum to women: 2.5 lakh women have been covered in the first phase," he said in another tweet. Targetting the Congress for its revdi culture" ((culture of distributing freebies) in Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan, Modi in his virtual address to the BJP workers said, their poll guarantees have still remained as guaranteed. Congress means a guarantee of corruption, a guarantee of nepotism." Congress has reached a stage where it cannot give true guarantees, you are aware that Congresss warranty has expired, then what is the meaning of its guarantees," he said. Read all the Latest News here The JD(S) on Thursday released its "Janata Pranalike" (People's Manifesto) for the May 10 Assembly polls in Karnataka promising to restore four per cent reservation for Muslims, to "throw out" Amul and to save Nandini brand calling it Kannadiga's identity, among various assurances. The party led by former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda has also assured to bring in a law reserving jobs for Kannadigas in the private sector, and has promised to provide free higher education for economically-weaker students. Just ahead of the announcement of polls in Karnataka, the State Cabinet led by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had decided to scrap the four per cent reservation for Muslims under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota and to distribute it equally among the dominant Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities. The JD(S) in its manifesto has expressed its commitment to restore 4 per cent reservation for Muslims. The promise to protect and strengthen Nandini brand in the manifesto, comes following a controversy that had erupted after the Gujarat-based dairy cooperative Amuls announcement recently, to enter the Karnataka market to supply its milk and curd. A section including opposition Congress and JD(S) had expressed apprehension that Nandini, the brand from the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF), could be merged with Amul, and had targeted the ruling BJP and Union Cooperative Minister Amit Shah for it. BJP had rejected the charge. The manifesto was released by JD(S) legislature party leader H D Kumaraswamy, state president C M Ibrahim, and manifesto committee chief and MLC B M Farooq, among other leaders. The JD(S), which positions itself as a party of farmers, has announced the "Raita Bandhu" scheme promising to provide Rs 2,000 to agricultural labour families every month. Also, girls who marry youths who are farmers will be given financial assistance of Rs two lakh. Among the various other assurances given in JD(S) manifesto are Rs 6,000 for pregnant women for six months, loan waiver for 'Stree Shakti' self-help groups, pension for Anganwadi workers, Rs 2,000 per month for auto drivers, Rs 2,000 for registered private security guards, and up to Rs 25 lakh for treatment of rare diseases under CM relief fund. In the irrigation sector, the party has listed out its plans such as: increase funds for the Upper Bhadra Project from existing Rs 2,000 crore to Rs 5,000 crore and also complete the project in the next four years; it also promised to complete the 'Yettinahole' project in four years. Reviewing the National Pension Scheme, re-introduction of free bicycles for school children, electric scooters for girls studying in higher education, housing scheme for 30 lakh homeless, encouraging green energy, are among the other takeaways from the manifesto. Kumaraswamy has said that the party will launch a separate manifesto for Bengaluru in the coming days. Aiming to come to power on its own, the JD(S) has set a target of winning 123 out of total 224 Assembly seats. Read all the Latest Politics News here Jerry Springer, the former Cincinnati mayor and longtime TV host whose tabloid talk show was known for outrageous arguments, thrown chairs and physical confrontations between sparring couples and homewreckers, has died, Bradley Springer, his manager, said Thursday. Springer was 79. Springer once told CNN that he did not mind being referred to as the grandfather of trash TV," saying in 2010, as The Jerry Springer Show" celebrated its 20th anniversary on the air: Its probably accurate. I dont know what the award for that is, but I think it is true that we were probably one of the first shows to present some of the outrageousness we have." The show ended in 2018, after more than 4,000 episodes and countless think pieces about Springers role in the decline of culture, if not civilization. Springer had said he had no delusions about his show, with its topics such as Trick or Cheaters," Confront this Dominatrix" and Lesbians Come Clean." I think [the show is] silly, crazy and has no redeeming social value other than an hour of escapism," he said in 2010. There is never anything on our show that hasnt been on the front pages of newspapers in America. The only difference is that the people on my show arent famous." Its a show about craziness," he added. I know that going in every day." Read all the Latest Bollywood News and Regional Cinema News here Days after Rakhi Sawant was warned by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang to stay out of the Salman Khan case, the actress has now claimed that she will be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh soon. In her recent interaction with a media portal, the former Bigg Boss contestant demanded Z security. Rakhi argued that if Kangana Ranaut can get security, then she should also get it. I am going to meet Modi ji for Z security. I will also be meeting Rajnath (Singh) ji. When they can provide security to Kangana Ranaut, why cannot I get it. She (Kangana) wasnt even threatened. I received threats. I have the email too," Rakhi told Instant Bollywood. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Instant Bollywood (@instantbollywood) For the unversed, the alleged email warned Rakhi earlier this month to stay away from Salman Khans matter or else she would face serious consequences. The email was reportedly signed by Gujjar Prince and was referred to as the last warning. The alleged email came a month after Rakhi came out in support of Salman Khan and shared a video on social media in which she was seen apologizing to the Bishnoi gang while doing sit-ups. Main Salman Khan bhai ki taraf se Bishnoi samaj se maafi mangti hu. Mere Bhai Salman par buri nazar mat rakho. (I offer apologies to Bishnoi society on behalf of Salman Khan, please dont say bad about him)," she had said. Salman Khan has been on the radar of Lawrence Bishnoi for a long time now. Over the last few months, the actor has received multiple death threats. Earlier this month too, Salman received a phone call from one Roki Bhai from Rajasthans Jodhpur who threatened to kill him on April 30. However, it was later reported that the call was made by a 16-year-old from Rajasthans Shahpur, who was then taken into custody. Read all the Latest Bollywood News and Regional Cinema News here Shiv Thakare is all set to entertain his fans once again in Rohit Shettys Khatron Ke Khiladi Season 13. The 13th season of the stunt-based reality show will reportedly premiere on Colors TV in July this year. Shiv, who is prepping for showing off his daring side on the show, visited the Shree Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai on Thursday. At the location, Bigg Boss Marathi winner also interacted with media and told ETimes that while he is excited, his mother is scared about his participation. Shiv also opened up about his expectations with the upcoming show and his opinions about host Rohit Shetty. Sharing the reason behind his visit to the temple, Shiv said that he wanted to take the blessings of Bappa so that he can handle deadly stunts on the show. I am meeting Bappa to take care of me from keede makode saanp vaanp. My aai (mother) is scared. She asked me why I am going to a show where there are keede makaude. I told her not to worry. I have met Bappa and asked him to grant me strength to fight like a warrior," the Bigg Boss 16 fame told the publication. Talking about his preparation for KKK 13, the actor said that just like exam preparation, he is not leaving anything for the last moment. I am excited yet nervous," he expressed as Rohit Shetty will be acting as the principal of the show. Shiv further revealed that he will be leaving India for the first time because of KKK 13 and it is a big deal for him as he used to watch it at home. He also expressed his gratitude towards his fans for their unconditional love and promised to do everything in his power to maintain their trust in him. Being all praise for Rohit Shetty, Shiv said, I have been following Rohit Sirs line for a long time. It is sau rupaye mein hazaar ka kaam karo (if you get Rs 100, you do work thats worth Rs 1000)." Thakare expressed gratitude to Bappa and said, Koi bhi nayi cheez hum karte hai toh hum Bappa ko milke hi karte hain start. Mein akela hi nahi jitne log hai woh nayi shuruat Bappa ko milne ke baad hi karte hai. Mein Bappa ki wajah se hi yahan tak pahuncha hun. Bigg Boss ho, Roadies ho, ya ab Khatron Ke Khiladi bhi Bappa ka blessing hai mujhe par (whenever I start anything new, I meet Bappa. Not just me, others do the same. Its due to Bappas blessings that I have reached so far, be it Bigg Boss, Roadies, or KKK). Thats why people love me. I always say money is not as important as blessings and I always get it from here." According to media reports, Khatron Ke Khiladi 13 will also feature Anand, Anjum Fakih and Ruhi Banerjee, among others, as contestants. Read all the Latest Bollywood News and Regional Cinema News here Naxal dominance in states like Jharkhand and Odisha may have waned but they continue to hold considerable sway in the jungles of Dantewada in Chhattisgarh and can pull off a surprise big attack during the summer months as on Wednesday. The Aranpur attack that has claimed 11 lives is the seventh such big attack in Dantewada by the Naxals in the last 13 years and all of them came during the TCOC campaign launched every summer by the CPI (Maoist) from March to May. The security forces are also on high alert during this period and we get considerable success too but the Naxals have to be lucky just one time to execute a big attack and register their presence, a senior government official has told News18. The violation of laid-down Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), that were formed as lessons from earlier such attacks, and complacency in local ranks also contribute to this, he said. Sample this: The biggest Naxal attack in Dantewada that killed 76 CRPF jawans was in April in 2010. Naxals struck big again three years later in May 2013 when the senior leadership of the Congress was wiped out in an attack in the Jheeram Valley in Dantewada. There was a lull till April in 2017 when Naxals struck again in Sukma, killing over two dozen security men. This led to the central government under Narendra Modi and state government of Raman Singh launch an offensive in Dantewada. But in March 2020, soon after the Bhupesh Baghel government came to power, Naxals again executed a big attack in Sukma killing 17 security men in a IED blast like the one in Aranpur on April 26. In 2021, two more big attacks were seen in Dantewada with five killed after a bus being blown up in March and a big attack in April that year in which 22 security men were killed in Sukma. The last attack saw a strong focus again on the SOPs like prior sanitisation of routes taken by forces, alternative routes for return from an operation and maximum foot patrols as possible, but the Aranpur attack has again shown violations of the SOPs. We will again be telling Chhattisgarh Police that any violation of the SOP is a recipe for disaster as in Aranpur, an official said. News18 had earlier reported in April how the CRPFs elite anti-Naxal unit, CoBRA, was moved from Jharkhand to Chhattisgarh as the security assessment showed that Jharkhand had been freed from Naxal dominance and the forces had released the Buddha Pahad in Jharkhand from the domination of Naxals after almost three decades. Dantewada in Chhattisgarh remains the final frontier for the battle against the Naxals and the central assessment is that Naxals are resorting to big attacks sensing they are on the back-foot elsewhere. In their strongest fortress of the jungles of Dantewada, Naxals continue to hold the capacity to engineer big attacks amidst offensive by forces. Read all the Latest India News here Social Engineering Defense As email threats grow more sophisticated, so must your measures for protecting your inbox. This data sheet explores how you can strengthen your email security by leveraging AI, ML and social graphing. 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Anand Mohan, who was convicted for the 1994 murder of then Gopalganj District Magistrate G Krishnaiah and was serving for 14 years, was released from jail today. The former MP received a roaring welcome from his supporters. While speaking to the media, IAS officer G Krishnaiahs daughter said it was disheartening" for them that Anand Mohan Singh was being released from jail.- #WATCH | Supporters of gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh, welcome his release from Saharsa jail in Bihar. Bihar government had recently amended the prison rules allowing the release of 27 convicts including him. He was serving a life sentence in the 1994 murder of pic.twitter.com/zR2EW5wcsX ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2023 The government should reconsider this decision. I request Nitish Kumar ji to give a second thought to this decision. With this decision, his government has set a wrong example. It is unfair not just to a family but to the whole nation. We will appeal against this decision," said Uma Devi, wife of G Krishnaiah, said: Public will protest against the release of Anand Mohan, demanding to send him back to jail. Releasing him is a wrong decision. CM should not encourage these types of things. If he (Anand Mohan) will contest elections in the future the public should boycott him. I appeal to send him (Anand Mohan) back to jail." #WATCH | "I appeal to the President and the PM to intervene in this matter and ask CM Nitish Kumar to send him (Anand Mohan) back to jail," says Uma Devi, wife of the then Gopalganj DM (Bihar), G Krishnaiah who was murdered by gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh in pic.twitter.com/4KtZ8WGEEt ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2023 Anand Mohan To Conduct a Rally; Petition Against His Release To Be Filed According to sources, politician Anand Mohan, who has gone to a relatives place in Saharsa, is scheduled to conduct a rally at 11am. In another development, a petition against the decision of state of Bihar for amending Bihar Prison rules will be filed by retired IPS Amitabh Das in Patna High court at 11am. This would challenge the release of Anand Mohan. IAS Association Expressed Dismay The Indian Civil and Administrative Service (Central) Association conveyed their deep dismay" regarding the Bihar governments recent modification to the prison manual, which would result in the release of Anand Mohan, a former MP convicted of murdering an IAS officer. The association stated that this decision is equivalent to a denial of justice" and implored the state government to reconsider their actions. The Central IAS Association, too, condemned the governments decision. The Central IAS Association expresses its deep dismay at the decision of the state government of Bihar to release the convicts of the brutal killing of G Krishnaiah, IAS, former district magistrate of Gopalganj, by a change in classification rules of prisoners," it said. The statement asserted that a convict of the charge of murder of a public servant on duty, cannot be re-classified to a less heinous category. Amendment of an existing classification which leads to the release of the convicted killer of a public servant on duty is tantamount to denial of justice, it said. Such dilution leads to impunity, erosion in morale of public servants, undermines public order and makes a mockery of administration of justice," it said. The association urged the Bihar government to reconsider its decision at the earliest. Former Bihar MP Anand Mohan, serving a life sentence for the killing of Krishnaiah, is to be set free along with 26 others who have been lodged in different prisons of the state for more than 14 years. A notification to the effect was issued late Monday evening, when, incidentally, Mohan, who has been on parole, was celebrating the engagement of his son Chetan Anand, who is a sitting MLA of the ruling RJD in the state. Read all the Latest India News here Punjab Police on Thursday arrested a man for allegedly desecrating the Sri Gutka Sahib, a holy book of the Sikhs, at a gurdwara in Gurdaspurs Shuor Kalan village. Local residents have demanded strict action against the accused, identified as Sucha Singh, over the sacrilege incident. The villagers caught the accused and handed him to the police. Speaking to the news agency ANI, Gurdaspur SP Jagjit Singh Saroha said, We received a call from Shuor Kalan village that a person has done beadbi (sacrilege) of Gutka Sahib. The person has been arrested and a case has been registered against him. Further investigation is being done." India Today quoted farmer leader Indrapal Singh as saying that this sacrilegious act had deeply hurt the sentiments of the people. This incident was reported four days after a man was arrested for allegedly desecrating the Guru Granth Sahib and hitting two priests at a gurdwara in Morinda. He was sent to two-day police remand by a local court. Jasvir Singh was arrested on Monday on charges of hurting religious sentiments and attempt to murder. Protests broke out after the incident in Morinda. The angry protesters had even ransacked the house of the accused, police said. On Tuesday, the agitators, including Nihangs, held the protest at Verka Chowk, demanding exemplary punishment for the accused. In a purported video which surfaced on social media, the accused wearing shoes could be seen entering the sanctum sanctorum of Kotwali Sahib gurdwara after crossing the railing and then hitting two granthis who were reciting from the Guru Granth Sahib and then pushing the holy book. Jasvir, who worked as an electrician, was later overpowered by devotees and beaten up. He was then handed over to the police. Police had said the accused was booked under IPC sections 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 307 (attempt to murder). The incident had drew condemnation from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and other leaders cutting across party lines as well as Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh and SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami. (with inputs from PTI) Read all the Latest India News here A division bench of the Bombay High Court comprising Justice GS Patel and Justice Neela Gokhale recently directed the Maharashtra government to ask all educational institutions to enable a retrospective change in gender for transgender people. The court observed that such a denial was violative of Article 21 of the Constitution. To our mind, it is in and of itself nothing short of a denial of the Petitioners fundamental rights under Article 21. What has to be acknowledged is a movement forward in point of time and in life, that is to say, what is required to be provided to the Petitioner from a particular point onwards without having to go back in time, the bench noted. The court was hearing a plea wherein the petitioner had obtained an MA in Development Studies from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. The name on the certificate described the student to be female. In 2015, the petitioner adopted another name, self-identifying as transgender. The petitioner got the name notified in the gazette notification. It was contended that the petitioner is entitled to a re-issuance of these documents in the current name and with the current gender. A representation was made before the institute but there was no response. The petitioner contended there was no process of change in name. The court in its order recorded that it was a denial of a human beings self-identity and self-identification. This is a case of a denial of a human beings self-identity and self-identification. That cannot be done and cannot be permitted. Nor can an institute be permitted to force upon the Petitioner a name, identity, or a gender that the Petitioner has chosen to reject in preference to some other. The court was informed that the petitioner needs to make changes to all other documents. To this, the HC said, That is not even remotely tenable. It would be a manifest injustice and a complete denial of fundamental rights including the right to privacy and the right to dignity, covered by Article 21 of the Constitution of India, to refuse the Petitioner relief or to accept what the 1st Respondent says that all previous records must now be updated. The high court went on to direct the state government to ask all educational institutions in Maharashtra to make available online forms for such changes. There is absolutely no reason why the online forms on the website of the 1st Respondent and indeed every other educational institution that is or are subject to our writ jurisdiction should not have a form for precisely such changes, i.e., noting a change in name and a change in gender. It is for the 1st Respondent to make this change on the 1st Respondents website and for the 2nd Respondent State Government to issue the necessary instructions to all similar educational institutions across Maharashtra, the bench noted. Read all the Latest India News here In a big setback for Mamata-run state government, the Calcutta High Court ordered NIA probe into West Bengal Ram Navami violence. Earlier, the interim report submitted to the court by the fact-finding committee revealed that the incidents of violence in Howrah, Hooghly, and Rishra, among other areas of West Bengal, were pre-planned. The riots were pre-planned, orchestrated, and instigated," the interim report of the Fact-Finding Committee headed by Justice L Narasimha Reddy (Retd) states. Soon after the order, BJP leader Amit Malviya took to Twitter and wrote: Let us not forget that communal violence broke out on Ramanavami after Mamata Banerjee delivered a provocative speech. She then absolved the minority community of transgression, prejudicing the law enforcement agencies. However, no violence was reported on Hanumanotsav, after central forces were deployed. Mamata is burning down Bengal to further her regressive politics of appeasement." Notably, violence and arson were witnessed during the Ram Navami festival in Howrah and Hooghly recently. BJP had also questioned the administrative capabilities of the Mamata Banerjee-led state government. The TMC, on the other hand, claimed that while the BJP leaders fomented trouble during Ram Navami, they behaved like good boys on Hanuman Jayanti on realizing that the violence was backfiring politically on the party. Earlier, MHA had 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 had reported earlier. A political slugfest had earlier ensued in West Bengal with the ruling-TMC and BJP-led opposition training guns at each other for the clashes. BJPs West Bengal president Sukanta Majumdar was stopped from visiting the riot-hit areas of Hooghly district by the police citing prohibitory orders. Read all the Latest India News here The sequence of events that led to 11 deaths in a Naxal attack in Chhattisgarhs Dantewada district on Wednesday can be traced back to April 18 when the convoy of a Congress MLA came under fire. On April 18, Congress MLA Vikram Mandavis convoy came under attack from Naxals in the insurgency-hit Bijapur district of the state. The attack failed to harm anyone as the assailants gun reportedly jammed and the driver of the MLAs car managed to speed away from the scene. According to an initial assessment by the central forces deployed in Dantewada, this incident set in motion events that culminated in what was the biggest strike by Naxals on security forces in Chhattisgarh in the last two years. Ten personnel from the state polices District Reserve Guard (DRG) and a civilian driver were killed in Wednesdays blast, carried out using an improvised explosive device containing an estimated 40kg of explosive material. The attack took place under Aranpur police station area between 1pm and 1:30pm. 8 Days Ago Following the failed attack on Bijapur MLA Mandavi, the District Reserve Guard launched an operation to neutralise armed Naxals that took them to the Aranpur side, sources said. The security personnel moved from their headquarters in Dantewada town to the Aranpur police station and left their vehicles parked at the station for two days. The latest assessment has revealed that the DRG team managed to take into custody two Naxals during their operation and the arrested duo were with the personnel when they came under attack. The attackers were reportedly aware that the DRG team had left their vehicles at the Aranpur police station and would be heading straight there to retrieve them for their journey back to the headquarters in Dantewada town. However, no road opening party wherein troops are stationed on both sides of the road to secure sensitive convoys in terrorism or Naxal-affected areas was set up for the DRG team. Local Help to Naxals Sources told News18 that the initial assessment has confirmed that the Naxals targeted the DRG commandos with the help of locals. Sources said the convoys first vehicle, which was carrying the arrested Naxals, was given a pass but the second vehicle was flagged down by some locals on the pretext of seeking donations for the Aamaa festival, officials said. The IED blew up the van around 200 metres from where it was initially stopped by the locals. After the Blast Sources also confirmed that the vehicles carrying the DRG commandos also had weapons, which the Naxals reportedly tried to loot after the blast. Their attempts, sources, said were thwarted when personnel in the other van opened fire. The surviving DRG team carried out evacuation and search operations, but the attackers managed to flee. The attack unfolded in a pattern similar to the one in 2021 May when Naxals, using IEDs, attacked police personnel near Bukintor village between Kanhargaon and Kadenar. In the attack, five security forces personnel were killed and 13 were injured. Read all the Latest India News here A day after her release from the UAE jail in connection with a drugs case, Bollywood actor Chrisann Pereira shared her ordeal in a hand-written note. The actor, who appeared in films like Sadak 2" and Batla House", claimed she had to make coffee with toilet water inside the jail. In the hand-written note on Instagram by her brother Kevin on Instagram, she also said she had to wash her hair with Tide detergent. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kevin Pereira (@kevin.pereira8) It took me 3 weeks and 5 days to find pen + paper in jail. After I wash my hair with Tide and make my coffee from toilet water, I watch Bollywood movies, sometimes with tears with my eyes knowing my ambition brought me here and sometimes I smile at our culture, music and the familiar faces on TV. I feel proud to be an Indian and belong to the Indian film industry," she wrote in the note. I am just a pawn in this dirty game, she added. In a post, Chrisanns family said the actor is doing better after hearing the culprits are arrested and the support she has received from the people. The family said Chrisann is set free but they dont know the legal process and how long it will take for her to be back on Indian soil. Earlier today, Chrisanns brother Kevin Pereira shared a video on Instagram and wrote the actress will be back in India by Friday. Chrisann is SET FREE!!! She will be in India in the next 48 hours," Kevin wrote sharing the familys video call conversation with an emotional Chrisann on Instagram on Wednesday. In the video, the actress family can be seen dancing and crying in disbelief, with a relieved but weeping Chrisann on the other side, all urging her to come back as early as possible. You are free. This is amazing," her mother Pramila Pereira can be heard saying. Chrisann, 27, was trapped last month in the drugs plant case by a couple of Mumbai men, who have been arrested and have confessed to their crime. The accused duo had hidden the drugs in an award trophy which was detected in Sharjah following which the local police had arrested Chrisann. She had been in jail since April 1. Her distraught family in Mumbai on Tuesday said that Chrisann is innocent and they have planned to appeal to the PM and MEA for help to secure her early release. The Mumbai Police Crime Branch, which is probing the case, has nabbed the prime accused Anthony Paul (35), a baker in Borivali, and his associate Rajesh Bubhate (34) alias Ravi, a banker. They have confessed to handing three persons the award trophies with drugs concealed in them and two others with drugs-laced cakes before they flew to Dubai, ostensibly as vendetta against the Pereira family. While two, including Chrisann, unwittingly walked into the trap, three others managed to evade the authorities in Sharjah. Paul, said to be the brain behind the revenge con, apparently nursed an old grudge against the Pereira family, especially Premila (Chrisanns mother), and even got into fisticuffs with her son Kevin. Police have found that the accused Paul had used the same modus operandi with some other wannabe actors, assuring them of plum roles in global web-series, though one person declined to carry the trophy, which Chrisann later agreed to take with her. The Mumbai Police does not suspect a drug syndicate involvement but only Pauls revenge tactics" against all the victims with whom he had some or other problems, but they are investigating from various angles. (with inputs from IANS) Read all the Latest India News here External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Colombian counterpart Alvaro Leyva Duran and discussed ways to boost bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on global issues, including the situation in the Indo-Pacific region. Jaishankar arrived in Colombias capital Bogota from Panama on Wednesday. He is the first external affairs minister to have visited Colombia. Met Foreign Minister @AlvaroLeyva of Colombia this morning. Exchanged views on expanding our bilateral cooperation, especially in health, agriculture and digital domains," he tweeted about his meeting on Wednesday. Proposed greater exchanges and stronger collaboration, especially in capacity building. Also spoke about global issues, including the Indo-Pacific. Addressed the issue of Reformed Multilateralism," he said. The US, India and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific. The evolving situation in the strategic Indo-Pacific region in the wake of Chinas increasing military muscle-flexing has become a major talking point among leading global powers. China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas. Beijing has also made substantial progress in militarizing its man-made islands in the past few years. Beijing claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea. But Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims. In the East China Sea, China has territorial disputes with Japan. The South China Sea and the East China Sea are stated to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources. They are also vital to global trade. Although the US lays no claims to the disputed waters, it has challenged Chinas growing territorial claims in the South China Sea by deploying warships and fighter jets to assert freedom of navigation and overflight patrols in the strategically vital region. Jaishankar also met the second vice President of the Senate of Colombia Honorio Henriquez and discussed collaboration in the health, energy and technology sectors. Make in India has many incarnations. Saw a Colombian one, sourced out of Tamil Nadu. Learnt that my Colombian counterpart also rides a Royal Enfield," he said in another tweet. Earlier, Jaishankar arrived in Panama from Guyana on Monday and participated in the 4th India-SICA Ministerial meeting in Panama City on Tuesday. The Central American Integration System (SICA) is an economic and political organisation of Central American countries. During an interaction with the Indian community members in Bogota on Tuesday, he said the world today is acknowledging the changes in India and getting more ready for India. Started my visit to Colombia by meeting the Indian community in Bogota. Shared with them the transformation underway in India and its global implications. Underlined how the world is recognising the capabilities and contributions of a New India. Spoke of how much Modi Sarkar has done for the welfare and confidence of Indians abroad," he tweeted. Indias image in foreign countries is significantly shaped by the community. I will be engaging my Colombian counterparts tomorrow, appreciating how much they have strengthened our standing," he said. On Monday, he joined President of Guyana Irfaan Ali at the commissioning of an India-made ferry which would enhance connectivity and provide mobility and economic opportunities in the countrys distant hinterlands. Jaishankar is on a nine-day trip to Guyana, Panama, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic, his first visit as the external affairs minister to these Latin American countries and the Caribbean. Read all the Latest India News here Four people were injured and seven cars were damaged in a collision on Mumbai-Pune Expressway at Khopoli. A similar accident in the area claimed four lives last year. A video shared by newsagency ANI showed the impact was such that a full-size SUV had landed on top of a sedan, which was again hit by a truck. #WATCH | Collision of 7 vehicles on Mumbai-Pune Expressway at Khopoli, four people injured#Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/lIIuClOERx ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2023 People who were injured in the accident have been rushed to MGM hospital in Kamothe. In February last year, a truck traveling at high speed lost control and crashed into a car from behind in a traffic jam in Bhor ghat, along the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, resulting in the deaths of at least four people and injuring seven others. As a result of the collision, the truck also struck multiple vehicles that were stalled in slow traffic, causing a chain reaction of four vehicle pile-up in Khopoli, Raigad. The exact reason of the accident is yet to be known. (More details awaited) Read all the Latest India News here Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday held talks with his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu and discussed the developments in the India-China border areas as well as bilateral relations. The talks took place hours after Li arrived in New Delhi to attend a meeting of defence ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) being hosted by India. Held discussions with Chinas Defence Minister, General Li Shangfu in New Delhi. https://t.co/Pd5mFnrbhH pic.twitter.com/zmU0uXVR8D Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) April 27, 2023 According to a government statement, the two ministers had frank discussions about the developments in the India-China border areas as well as bilateral relations. Singh categorically conveyed that development of relations between India and China is premised on prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the borders. He added that all issues at the LAC need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and commitments," the statement said. Singh also reiterated that violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation". Lis visit to the country is the first by a Chinese defence minister after the 2020 eastern Ladakh border standoff. The meeting between Singh and Li comes after the Indian and Chinese armies held the 18th round of military talks on ending the border row. At the Corps Commander level talks, which was held on April 23, the two sides agreed to stay in close touch and work out a mutually acceptable solution to the remaining issues in eastern Ladakh at the earliest. In the previous rounds of talks too, the two sides maintained to stay in close contact and sustain dialogue through military and diplomatic ways. However, there was no indication of any clear forward movement in ending the row. India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas. Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang is also set to visit India next week to attend a conclave of foreign ministers of SCO member countries in Goa. The meeting is slated for May 4 and 5. On Thursday, Singh also held separate bilateral talks with his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Iran and Tajikistan. India is hosting the SCO defence ministers meeting under its presidency of the grouping. Defence ministers of China, Russia and other member nations of the SCO except Pakistan are attending the meeting in Delhi. Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif will attend the meeting through virtual mode, officials said. (With PTI inputs) Read all the Latest India News here After a political slugfest over the release of former Bihar MP Anand Mohan, who was sentenced to life imprisonment, the Rajput leader was released from Saharsa jail on Thursday morning. The controversy erupted after the Bihar government amended the Bihar Prison Manual, 2012, which remitted prisoners punishment for crime like murder of government servants on duty. The BJP had alleged that the Nitish Kumar government released Anand Mohan and 26 other prisoners for appeasement ahead of the 2024 General Elections. The central IAS association has condemned the state government for releasing Anand Mohan, who was convicted for the murder of then Gopalganj District Magistrate G Krishnaiah in 1994, and appealed to them to reconsider their decision. But Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav commented since Anand Mohan has completed his life term, his release from the jail is not wrong. According to sources, Anand Mohan will go to his native village Panchgachia from the jail and hold a roadshow where thousands of supporters are expected. Meanwhile, News18 has reached Anand Mohans village to take a sense of what people think of his release. How the Villagers View His Release? Upon reaching Panchgachiya village in Saharsa district, on the eve of former MP and murder convict Anand Mohans release, his supporters look ready for a grand welcome of his leader. According to sources, thousands of supporters will be escorting him to his village where he will bow down to his Kuldevata and then speak for the first time as a free man. It is estimated that at least 10,000 people will attend the roadshow, in which at least a thousand four wheelers and hundreds of two-wheelers will follow Mohan to his native village from Saharsa jail. On the way, he will be garlanded by his supporters and flower petals will be showered on him. People are enthusiastic about his release and they are hoping that Anand Mohan will emerge as their leader again, and, unlike other politicians, he will develop the region in the coming days. News18 spoke to some of the locals who were eagerly awaiting to welcome their leader. Roushan Kumar Singh, head (Mukhiya) of the Panchganchia village, said, Its a moment of happiness not only for our village but for whole Bihar. There can be no happier day than this. Everyone in the village whether children, elderly, men and women, all are eager to see Anand Mohan back in the village. They have been waiting for him to come out since long. I want to thank Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for taking the decision to change the prison laws. Anand Mohan has always worked for the downtrodden and needy. After his release there will be a new hope of change. He was a victim of political vendetta and enmity and despite being innocent, he has spent 15 years in jail. We are ready for a grand welcome. When asked what was Anand Mohan like during his childhood and later stage, a man in his 80s, Rana Singh, said, He has evolved from the Jai Prakash Narayan movement and he has always worked as a messiah for poor. We are really happy for his release and we believe that he would work for the development of Bihar. I dont know which party he would support but whatever he decides will be in the favour of development of Bihar. He has never done anything for his own benefits. Another supporter, Shiv Singh, when asked whether Anand Mohans release would benefit people, replied, There will definitely be a change and better development work will take place. Not only Saharsa but the whole Kosi belt will be benefitted by his release. Now every system will work properly when he comes out. After his native village, the News18 team went to the adjacent village of Panchgachiya to see whether people had the same opinion; we found a voice which differed. Requesting anonymity, a middle-aged man, when asked whether Anand Mohans release would help the development process in the region, said. Nothing will change, no difference will be there because he will be also like other Netas. CM Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav only look at their personal benefits for bigger roles and because of that they are meeting the leaders of other states. The fact is that Anand Mohan has been released by Nitish Kumar just to gain the Kshatriya vote bank. I am not happy; how can one be happy with the politicians of Bihar. I am a graduate and I know English as well but I am selling tobacco today. I have no choice because there is no employment and Netas are not bothered to solve our problems whether its civic works or public welfare. Another man, however, said, We welcome his release but we expect him to protect our villages, make roads, sewers, toilets, improve electricity, take care of sanitisation and other local issues, which are not being a addressed by the elected leaders at present. We look at Anand Mohan to solve our problems. What was the Case? Anand Mohan was convicted in the 1994 murder of then Gopalganj District Magistrate G Krishnaiah. His associate Chhotan Shukla was killed in an alleged encounter with the police. On December 5, 1994, G Krishnaiah, a Dalit IAS officer, was thrashed and shot dead by a mob, which was allegedly instigated by Anand Mohan. Six people, including Anand, his wife, Lovely Anand, were made accused. In 2007, the Patna High Court convicted him and sentenced him to death. This was the first case in Independent India, in which a politician was sentenced to death. However, in 2008, his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by the Supreme court. In 2012, Anand Mohan had demanded that the top court reduce the sentence, which was rejected by the court. The Bahubali politician was the elected MP from Seohar Lok Sabha seat in 1996 while being in jail. He was lodged in Saharsa jail and has served more than 14 years of his sentence. A decision of the Bihar cabinet was taken on April 10 in which, after the amendment in Rule 481, 1 A of Bihar Jail Manual 2012, the murder of government personnel on duty will not be counted as an exception, rather it will be considered as a simple murder. With this amendment, Anand Mohan and 26 such convicts were set free by the Bihar government. Read all the Latest India News here 426 420 2000 2019 Are economic and political tides turning away from America and toward China? https://thehill.com/opinion/international/3953391-are-economic-and-political-tides-turning-away-from-america-and-toward-china/ It is interesting that one of the most widely studied treatises on war in the worlds military academies today was written by a Chinese general who lived 27 centuries ago. The best-known quotation from The Art of War by Sun Tzu (544-496 BC) is, [The] supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting, but there are many other maxims that should merit the interest of those who would divine the intentions of China and contrast the strategy of that country with that of the United States. Of particular relevance is,Who wishes to win must first consider the cost and its corollary, There is no instance of a nation benefiting from prolonged war. China has not sent its armies to war in 70 years, since the end of the Korean War. In contrast, the United States, over the same period, has been at war directly or by proxy almost constantly. With rare exception, China, like Russia, has historically flexed its military muscle only in areas on its borders with which it has longstanding ethnic and/or cultural ties. The United States, like its imperial predecessor, Great Britain, has regularly sought to impose its will militarily in far-flung corners of the world. The United States, again like its British forebear, has long been able to exert extraordinary global leverage owing to the immense might of its economy, whereas until quite recently, China never in modern times a wealthy or economically dominant nation has been more cautious, preferring to rattle its sabers rather than use them. Now, at the very moment when Chinas economic and military might is surging and its global influence rapidly expanding, the United States is increasingly being weighed down by the cumulative effect of prolonged war and weakened by what British historian Paul Kennedy described in 1987 as imperial overstretch. The waxing of Chinese power and the waning of Americas has not gone unnoticed and U.S. enemies and allies alike have recently undertaken bold independent initiatives that would have seemed unthinkable just a few years ago. Chinas success in brokering a rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia soon followed by Russias sponsoring talks between Saudis and another longtime foe, Syria has unhinged U.S. efforts to build a common front against Iran-backed terrorism. Among disquieted U.S. allies, Japan stunned Washington by asserting its own national interest by bluntly refusing to honor energy sanctions against Russia, and then French President Emmanuel Macron made remarks while visiting China that signaled there may be no united NATO front in efforts to bolster the defense of Taiwan. The intemperate expressions of indignation over Macrons remarks by U.S. politicians of both parties blithely overlooks the fact that the French president is voicing sentiments likely shared by the many European citizens, as revealed by a 2019 poll done by the European Council on Foreign Relations that showed respondents strongly believed then that their countries should remain neutral in any conflict between the United States and China. Clearly, it is one thing to rally Europeans against a nearby and historically threatening Russia, but an entirely different proposition to enlist support for potential military conflict with distant China, with whom there is no history of aggression and which is vitally important to the economies of every European country. It is pertinent to note the context of growing European doubts about the quality and reliability of American leadership, particularly in light of the recent painful memory of being unconsulted and blindsided regarding the disastrous withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Accordingly, it is hardly unreasonable if some Europeans see more than a touch of arrogance in Americans who think they should loyally and unquestioningly follow the United States into yet another Asian conflict this time against an adversary vastly more formidable than the Taliban. Also of concern to Americas longtime friends is the United States today appears as a nation deeply distracted by its increasingly vicious internecine politics in Abraham Lincolns timeless phrase, A house divided against itself and thus less responsive to reasoned discourse with allies who might see the world a little more clearly. Macron may be one such friend deserving of respect, not condemnation. William Moloney is a senior fellow in conservative thought at Colorado Christian Universitys Centennial Institute who studied at Oxford and the University of London and received his Doctorate from Harvard University. He is a former Colorado Commissioner of education. Terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed is running a drug cartel with the use of drones, top intelligence sources told CNN-News18 on Thursday. Indian agencies want to probe the details of a drone gang arrested last month thats linked to Jaish, they added. According to the sources, JeM is also involved in using drones to supply arms and ammunition. Indian agencies want to understand how this is possible without the help of the Pakistani states support, they added. India has maintained for some time that Pakistan is sending weapons and drugs via drones. The locations were also shared in the past. The latest arrests vindicate the Indian stand that these non-state actors are doing this for money and spreading terror, said the sources. On April 26, the Border Security Force (BSF) intercepted a drone belonging to Pakistan, along the international border in Punjab close to Amritsar. This is not the first such incident. On April 13, BSF recovered a Pakistani drone in Punjab with almost 4.5 kg of drugs in it. Police have also arrested a five-member gang of heroin smugglers using a drone from Baramanga border area of Shakargarh in Pakistani Punjab. Local deputy superintendent of police Rai Ehsan Elahi said in a press conference that the accused were arrested on February 22 from Baramanga. Three and a half kilograms of heroin, weapons, eight batteries, and a drone camera were recovered from them. Three arrested accused belong to Shakargarh and two belong to Lahore, said officials. According to the police, the accused used to smuggle heroin to India from Lahore and other areas by getting delivery locations and instructions from Dubai on WhatsApp for a year. The DSP said those arrested are Muhammad Asif, Ghulam Tahir, and Muhammad Ashfaq, all residents of village Blaki in Shakargarh, and Mirza Azhar Beg and Hamza Iftikhar Butt from Lahore. He said the accused told the police that they smuggled heroin with the help of drones. They said the accuracy of delivery locations was determined through cellular networks and the WhatsApp site location system. He said the ringleader of the drug smugglers was operating from Dubai. According to him, the perpetrators ran their operations out of several points along the international border between Pakistan and India. Read all the Latest India News here External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that the world is recognising the capabilities and contributions of a New India as he underscored that there is a feeling that todays India has the ability to serve as a bridge between differing opinions and help find solutions to difficult issues. During an interaction with the Indian community members in Bogota on Tuesday, Jaishankar also said that the world today is acknowledging the changes in India and getting more ready for India. Jaishankar, the first External Affairs Minister to visit Columbia, also shared with the community members Indias transformation into New India and its global implications. Underlined how the world is recognising the capabilities and contributions of a New India, he said. Started my visit to Colombia by meeting the Indian community in Bogota.Shared with them the transformation underway in India and its global implications. Underlined how the world is recognizing the capabilities and contributions of a New India. Spoke of how much Modi Sarkar pic.twitter.com/ifRj1GEIpM Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) April 26, 2023 Citing the Ukraine conflict or problems which deal with the developed world and the developing world, he told the Indian diaspora that in all of this from all quarters, there is today that feeling that India is a country which in some way or the other can serve as a bridge as a someone who brings differing opinions together (and) helps to find a solution. In the last decade, we have built up a reputation as what we call a first responder. When something happens we are quick to move because weve developed our own capability within the country. And now we feel we are good enough, experienced enough and responsible enough to do that outside he said, citing the example of the recent earthquake in Turkiye where India sent its disaster rescue team within 24 hours. Noting that there are some issues which trouble all countries in the world, the minister said that climate is one and here too theres been a big change in Indias positioning, in Indias image. We are seeing today as a climate leader, a country which has done a lot on solar energy, on renewables, which is actually coming up with a whole series of ideas and practices and institutions, he said. He added that today a much more united global position on terrorism is at least partly due to the efforts that India has made in the last 10 years. There is a feeling that todays India has the ability to bridge the difficult issues. And frankly, sometimes the difficult arguments of the day, he added. He said that there is a much greater inclination on the part of the world to make an effort to understand India, that an India which is stronger, more powerful, more impactful. There is a much greater willingness on the part of the world to make an effort to understand us and what we are, he said. Jaishankar also talked about the work done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government for the welfare of Indians abroad. He lauded the Indian diasporas contributions, saying the image of India in foreign countries is significantly shaped by the community. In this era of globalisation, of technology, of mobility, Indians are making their presence felt everywhere, he added. While responding to a question on dual citizenship, Jaishankar said that the issue involves security implications and not many big countries allow it. During his stay in Colombia, Jaishankar would meet several top leaders of the country and review bilateral ties with his Colombian counterpart Alvaro Leyva Duran. Jaishankar is on a nine-day trip to Guyana, Panama, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic, his first visit as the external affairs minister to these Latin American countries and the Caribbean. Read all the Latest India News here Leaders across political spectrum including BJP president J P Nadda, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah visited Parkash Singh Badals ancestral village in Muktsar district on Thursday to pay their last respects to the Akali stalwart who served Punjab as chief minister for five times. Badals mortal remains were kept on a flower-decked tractor trolley and were headed to the familys farmland around a kilometer from the residence. A platform has been erected there for the last rites. His son Sukhbir Singh Badal along with others stood on the tractor-trolley with folded hands as it made its way through the sea of mourners. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, senior BJP leader Tarun Chugh, Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, and former union minister Praful Patel paid homage to the former chief minister. Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Congress leader Deepender Hooda, Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma, Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, former Punjab minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa also paid their last respects to the departed leader. They offered condolences to Sukhbir Singh Badal and other family members. People in huge numbers queued up at Badals residence to pay tributes and express grief. Badal died on Tuesday at the age of 95. Heavy security arrangements have been made in the village as many dignitaries will be visiting for the last rites. Earlier, the mortal remains of Badal were kept for the last darshan at his residence. Badalss son Sukhbir Badal and daughter-in-law Harsimrat Kaur Badal could be seen in tears. Their two daughters and a son also stood beside the mortal remains of the Akali stalwart at their residence. Former Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, estranged nephew of Parkash Singh Badal, former minister Bikram Singh Majithia, among other leaders were also present. The grand old man of Punjab politics first became chief minister in 1970, heading a coalition government that did not complete its term. He served as chief minister in 1977-80, 1997-2002, 2007-12 and 2012-2017. Read all the Latest India News here Former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia has been sent to judicial custody till May 12 in the liquor scam case. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has informed the court that even though the probe in the case is on, the investigation against Sisodia is complete. The Court has directed the central probe agency to provide a copy of the charge sheet to Sisodia. Earlier on Tuesday, the Court had reserved its order on Sisodias bail plea. Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was named in a second charge sheet filed by the CBI in the Delhi Liquor Policy Case. He has been charged under sections 7, 7a, and 8 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and 120(b) and 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). According to News18, officials said the investigation has revealed Sisodias complicity in the excise policy scam, especially under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act which deals with public servant taking gratification other than legal remuneration in respect of an official act. On Monday, a special Delhi court extended the judicial custody of Sisodia in the corruption and money laundering cases lodged by the CBI and the ED respectively in the alleged excise scam. Special Judge M K Nagpal extended the custody of Sisodia in the CBI case till April 27 and in the ED case till April 29. The CBI on February 26 had arrested Manish Sisodia in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22. Read all the Latest India News here Prime Minister Narendra Modi has consistently used the Mann Ki Baat radio program to showcase the best of Kerala, including bringing attention to the states commitment to societal progress, emphasising its achievements in areas such as cleanliness, education, and traditional medicine. In one of the episodes, PM Modi also mentioned the Sabarimala Temple, where cleanliness drives are considered to be acts of worship. He had also highlighted the feat of NS Rajappan Sahab, who, despite suffering from paralysis, removes plastic bottles from Vembanad Lake. In the realm of education, PM Modi praised the Akshara Library in Idukki, founded by a teacher and a tea shop owner. The library offers tribal children access to books and educational opportunities. In one of the editions, the PM emphasised on Keralas expertise in traditional medicine, particularly Ayurveda. He shared the touching story of former Kenyan prime minister Raila Odingas daughter, whose eyesight was restored after receiving Ayurveda treatment in Kerala. As Mann Ki Baat completes 100 episodes this month, heres a look at some of the anecdotes from Kerala shared by PM Modi on the radio program over the years: PM Modi spoke about a group of students from Saint Mary Upper Primary School in Chittoor, Kerala, who had sent him a special letter. The girls had created an image of Mother India using their thumbprints on a large piece of cloth. Upon reading their letter, the Prime Minister realised that the girls were trying to create awareness about organ donation in their region by organising public campaigns and plays. PM Modi applauded the people of Kerala who had helped a remote tribal village called Idmalakudi become open-defecation-free. PM Modi talked about the inspiring work of Mupattam Sri Narayanan of Kerala who started a project called Pots for Water of Life. Under this project, he distributes earthen pots to help animals and birds during summers when they face water scarcity. PM Modi talked about his emotional meeting with his friend and former prime minister of Kenya, Raila Odinga. Odinga told him about his daughter Rosemary, who had lost her eyesight after undergoing surgery for brain tumour. Rosemary received treatment at an Ayurvedic hospital in Kerala and regained her eyesight to a great extent. PM Modi discussed efforts being made to convert waste into value and gave the example of St. Teresas College in Kochi, Kerala, where students are creatively making reusable toys from old clothes, discarded wooden pieces, bags and boxes. PM Modi spoke about an elderly divyang named NS Rajappan Sahab, who is paralyzed and unable to walk, but has displayed strong commitment to cleanliness. For the past several years, he has been taking a boat to Vembanad lake and removing plastic bottles from the water body. The PM talked about the importance of the student within us and how it is necessary to keep learning and growing in order to progress in life. He shared the inspiring story of 105-year-old Bhagirathi Amma from Kollam, Kerala, who, despite losing her mother at a young age and having to quit school before the age of 10, restarted her education at the age of 105. PM Modi talked about the Akshara Library in Kerala, which is located in a village within the dense forests of Idukki. The library was established by a primary school teacher named PK Muralidharan and a small tea shop owner named PV Chinnathampi, who worked tirelessly to bring books to the library, sometimes carrying them on their backs in sacks. The library serves as a guiding beacon for tribal children, providing them with access to books and the opportunity to learn. The Prime Minister mentioned a project in Kerala where 7,000 workers under MNREGA worked hard for 70 days to revive the Kuttumperoor river that had dried out. PM Modi talked about Lakshmikutti, a tribal woman from Kerala who is a teacher and has expertise in synthesizing herbal medicines. She has created 500 herbal medicines, relying solely on her memory. She has mastery in synthesizing medicines used for treatment of snake bites. Speaking about the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala, PM Modi mentioned how a police officer initiated a voluntary campaign of creating awareness on cleanliness, and every devotee considers doing physical labour in the cleanliness drive as a part of the worship. PM Modi spoke about attending an event in Kerala organised by the PN Panicker Foundation, which promotes the habit of reading books. Instead of bouquets, the organizers gift books to encourage reading. Read all the Latest India News here Maharashtra Nationalist Congress Party president Jayant Patil on Thursday said that 100 persons from his hometown Sangli are stranded in strife-torn Sudan and urged external affairs minister S Jaishankar to bring them back. To evacuate Indians from the crisis-hit nation, the Centre has launched Operation Kaveri. The first batch of 360 Indians arrived at the Delhi airport from Saudi Arabia on Wednesday night, while an Indian Air Force aircraft with 246 Indians landed in Mumbai on Thursday. I am seeking your assistance to bring back 100 citizens from my home town Sangli. They are currently stranded in Sudan due to the ongoing war. They are currently 1200 kms from the closest IAF Operations. Request you to intervene and help them, Patil tweeted tagging Jaishankar and NCP chief Sharad Pawar. The central government has stepped up its efforts to evacuate the Indians from Sudan as a 72-hour truce was agreed to between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) following intense negotiations. Under 'Operation Kaveri', India has been taking its citizens in buses from conflict zones of Khartoum and other troubled areas to Port Sudan from where they are being taken to the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah in Indian Air Force's heavy-lift transport aircraft and Indian Navy's ships. The distance between Khartoum and Port Sudan is around 850 km and the travel time by bus varies from 12 hours to 18 hours considering the prevailing situation and whether the vehicles are operating during the day or night. Read all the Latest India News here In todays edition of News18 Afternoon Digest, we are covering Indias rescue mission Operation Kaveri aimed to bring back thousands of stranded Indians in conflict-hit Sudan. In other news, we are looking at BJPs campaign for the May 10 Assembly elections in Karnataka. Operation Kaveri: Nearly 1,100 Indians Evacuated, Areas Outside Khartoum Hard to Access, Says MEA | Updates India is in touch with all sides in Sudan to ensure the safety of Indians stranded in the strife-torn African nation, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday. Under Operation Kaveri, India has evacuated nearly 1,100 people from Sudan so far and is looking at rescuing more of its citizens before the end of the tenuous ceasefire between the regular army and a paramilitary force. READ MORE Poora Udh Gaya: News18 Accesses Crucial Video of Moments After IED Blast in Chhattisgarhs Dantewada | WATCH A day after the Dantewada blast, which left 10 police personnel dead, CNN-News18 has accessed a video capturing the aftermath of the Maoist-perpetrated Chhattisgarh explosion. READ MORE Shettar Should Be Defeated: BJP Fields Yediyurappa to Lead Campaign, Blunt Betrayal Charges A week after former chief minister Jagadish Shettar quit the BJP crying betrayal of the Lingayat community by his party and filed the nomination on a Congress ticket from the Hubli-Dharwad Central Assembly seat, the saffron party has decided to pay him back in the same coin. READ MORE Bengal Ram Navami Violence: Calcutta High Court Orders NIA Probe In a big setback for the Mamata-run state government, the Calcutta High Court ordered an NIA probe into West Bengal Ram Navami violence. Earlier, the interim report submitted to the court by the fact-finding committee revealed that the incidents of violence in Howrah, Hooghly, and Rishra, among other areas of West Bengal, were pre-planned. READ MORE Watch: Sadak 2 Actress Chrisann Pereiras Emotional First Call With Family After Release From Sharjah Jail Mumbai-based Hindi film actress Chrisann Pereira, who was lodged in Sharjah jail in UAE in a drugs plant case, has been released from prison, her family announced via social media late. Chrisanns brother Kevin Pereira shared a video on Instagram and wrote the actress will be back in India by Friday. READ MORE Sunrisers Hyderabads Washington Sundar Ruled out of IPL 2023 Due to Hamstring Injury Sunrisers Hyderabad all-rounder Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the remained of Indian Premier League 2023. The 23-year-old has sustained a hamstring injury and the franchise announced on Twitter that he will no longer take part in the ongoing season as a player. READ MORE All-New Citroen C3 Aircross Launch Today: Expected Price, Varinats, Features and Engine Specs French automobile manufacturer Citroen is all set to launch its all-new C3 Aircross SUV in India today. The C3 Aircross was first showcased in India at the Auto Expo in 2020 and has been eagerly awaited by car enthusiasts ever since. The new SUV will be Citroens second offering in India, after the Citroen C5 Aircross, which was launched last year. READ MORE Read all the Latest India News here India is in touch with all sides in Sudan to ensure the safety of Indians stranded in the strife-torn African nation, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday. Under Operation Kaveri, India has evacuated nearly 1,100 people from Sudan so far and is looking at rescuing more of its citizens before the end of the tenuous ceasefire between the regular army and a paramilitary force. In its fourth round of operation, a C-130J military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force brought 128 more Indians from Port Sudan to Jeddah on Thursday, taking the total number of people rescued to over 1000. The 4th IAF C-130J flight takes off from Port Sudan for Jeddah with 128 passengers. This is the sixth batch of Indians to be evacuated from Sudan under #OperationKaveri, taking the total to nearly 1100 persons," tweeted Arindam Bagchi, Spokesperson, MEA. The 4th IAF C-130J flight takes off from Port Sudan for Jeddah with 128 passengers.This is the sixth batch of Indians to be evacuated from Sudan under #OperationKaveri, taking the total to nearly 1100 persons. pic.twitter.com/lBhEHOiY9o Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) April 26, 2023 Latest Updates in Operation Kaveri In a media address, the Ministry of External Affairs said India is constantly monitoring the situation in Sudan. "Several ceasefires have been announced, some not honoured, some partially. The situation on the ground remains volatileIt is hard to access areas outside Khartoum," said Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra. "We are constantly monitoring the situation in Sudan since the conflict began on April 15. Our estimate is that there are approximately 3,500 Indians and 1,000 people of Indian Origin s in SudanOur INS Sumedha is already thereThe third naval ship- INS Tarkash- has also reached Port Sudan today to evacuate Indians from Sudan," Kwatra said. Roughly 600 Indians have either arrived in India or are on their way," he added. Foreign Secretary Kwatra informed that India has received requests for the evacuation of citizens of other countries from Sudan. This is subject to the fulfilment of the procedures," he said. He said the security situation in Sudan remains very complex and highly volatile and Indias efforts have been to ensure the safety of Indian nationals. Our focus has been to take out the Indians from the conflict zones to safer areas as soon as possible and then to bring them back home," the foreign secretary said. Referring to Indias evacuation mission Operation Kaveri, he said 360 Indians have been brought back home and another batch of 246 are reaching India soon. At present, he said around 320 Indians are in Port Sudan and they are being taken to Saudi city of Jeddah. The total number of people evacuated from Sudan so far stands at 1095, according to official data. In the first batch, India evacuated 278 citizens, followed by 121 in the second, 135 in the third, 136 in the fourth, 297 in the fifth and 128 in the sixth round. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has spoken to UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and discussed the evolving situation in Sudan, as India stepped up efforts to evacuate its stranded citizens from the strife-torn African country. Jaishankar, who arrived here in Colombias capital from Panama, on Monday announced the launch of the mission Operation Kaveri has been witnessing fierce fighting following a power struggle between the regular army and the RSF. On Wednesday night the first group of 360 evacuees arrived in New Delhi from Jeddah in a commercial aircraft. Under its evacuation mission Operation Kaveri, India is taking the evacuees from Sudan to the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah from where they are returning home. India has set up a transit facility at Jeddah and Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan is overseeing the evacuation mission from the Saudi Arabian city. The first batch of 278 Indians were evacuated from Port Sudan by the Indian Navys frontline ship INS Sumedha on Tuesday. According to Indian External Minister Dr S Jaishankar, the first C-130J aircraft brought to Jeddah 121 passengers while the second plane evacuated 135. India stepped up its efforts to evacuate the Indians from Sudan as a 72-hour truce was agreed to between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) following intense negotiations. Sources said a C-17 military transport aircraft of the IAF has left for Jeddah on Wednesday to bring back the evacuees from Jeddah to Mumbai. The aircraft is expected to land in Mumbai on Thursday morning. Our efforts to swiftly send Indians back home from Jeddah is paying. 246 Indians will be in Mumbai soon, travelling by IAF C17 Globemaster. Happy to see them off at Jeddah airport," Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said in a tweet. Indian Air Force women pilots also part of the Sudan Evacuation mission. Sudan has been witnessing deadly fighting between the countrys army and a paramilitary group that has reportedly left around 400 people dead. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar on Monday announced the launch of Operation Kaveri to bring back the stranded Indians from Sudan. India on Sunday said it has positioned two transport aircraft of the IAF in Jeddah and naval ship INS Sumedha at Port Sudan as part of its contingency plans to evacuate the Indians. Apart from the Sudanese authorities, the MEA and the Indian embassy in Sudan have been in regular touch with the UN, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and US among others. At a high-level meeting on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had issued directions for preparation of contingency plans to evacuate Indians from Sudan. Last week, Jaishankar spoke to his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt on the ground situation in Sudan with a focus on ensuring the safety of the Indians. On Thursday, Jaishankar discussed the situation in Sudan with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. (With PTI inputs) Read all the Latest India News here Arguments about freedom of sexual orientation and autonomy may be raised in future to challenge incest prohibition, the Centre told the Supreme Court on Thursday. The apex court is hearing a batch of pleas seeking legal recognition of same-sex marriages in India. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told the bench that incest is not uncommon in the world but prohibited all over. Kindly visualise a situation five-year down the line, based on this very thing a person is attracted to those who are mentioned in the degrees of prohibited relationship, he said. Giving an example, he said, suppose a person says he is attracted to his sister and they are consenting adults and claim the right of autonomy, right of choice and right of doing something in the private domain. Based on that very argument, I am posing a question to myself, can someone not challenge this definition itself. Why this restriction? Who are you to decide with whom I have my sexual orientation, he said. Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud observed, You know Mr solicitor, sexual orientation or your autonomy as an individual can never be exercised in all aspects of marriage including the entry into marriage, the prohibited relationships, the grounds on which marriage can be dissolved. These are all subject to regulations by law. So, it may be very far-fetched for anybody to even argue before us that orientation is so absolute that I can therefore commit an act of incest. No court will ever countenance it. Who Will Be a Wife in a Man-man Marriage: Centre to SC The Centre requested the five-judge constitutional bench of the apex court, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud to consider leaving questions raised in the batch of at least 15 petitions seeking legal sanction for same-sex marriages to Parliament. Appearing for Centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta today told the Supreme Court that it is dealing with a very complex subject", which has a profound social impact". He said that arguments of right to choice and sexual orientation raised by the petitioners seeking legal recognition for marriages between non-binary, non-heterosexual, or transgender persons may tomorrow be raised to defend incestous relationships. Raising concern about petitioners demand to read husband and wife as spouse in Special Marriage Act, Mehta said who will be the father or mother of adopted children in non-heterosexual unions. If your lordships were to read person" in place of husband or wife, one person will have right to claim maintenance from another. Meaning, in case of heterosexual marriages - husband can claim from wife," he said, according to a report by Hindustan Times. He further argues that for domicile, it cannot be decided who will be the woman. For passports etc this issue will arise. Succession act provides for widow, widower, husband, wife, father, mother etc," the SG said. Lets say marriage is permitted. They adopt and then someone dies. Father and mother is LGBTQ couple - who will be treated as father and who will be mother? This is a dilemma and cannot be foreseen by your lordships," he added. To this, the Chief Justice noted that reinterpreting provisions of SMA will have three major problemsIt will involve substantial rewriting of legislation; it would amount to interference in matters of public policy; and it would also interfere in the realm of personal law and court cannot avoid the interplay between SMA and personal law. Opposing petitioners argument that the court let both partners have both grounds for divorce in a same-sex marriage, Mehta said, Like 1A applies only to a wife so who will be a wife in a man-man marriage etc - they said both would have both the grounds. Then there is a problem. The problem is- can your lordships read a statute which gives one additional ground of divorce to one class to the detrimental of heterosexuals for whom the Special Marriage Act is enacted? Mehta questioned. Today is the sixth day of the same-sex marriage hearing before the Constitution Bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, and Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, S Ravindra Bhat, Hima Kohli, and PS Narasimha. SC Seeks Centres Response on Social Benefits to Same Sex Couples The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to come back on May 3 with its response on social benefits that same sex couples could be granted even without legal recognition of their marital status. The apex court said there must be recognition of some form and attendant benefits for homosexuals. To which, the SG replied the government may consider tackling some of the issues they are facing without granting legal recognition. (With PTI inputs) Read all the Latest India News here The Supreme Court has issued directions to all High Courts to ensure the digitisation of all records of criminal trials and civil suits at district courts for a smooth judicial process". In a judgment passed on April 24 in the Jitendra Kumar Rode vs Union of India case, a bench of Justices Krishna Murari and Sanjay Karol stressed on the use of technology to preserve court records, and said, technology has, in the present time become increasingly enmeshed with the systems of dispute resolution and adjudication with the trends pointing leading to all the more interplay, both supplementary and complimentary between technology and law." Issuing the directions to the registrar generals of the High Courts in this regard, the apex court emphasized that proper and regular digitisation of records is necessary for a smooth judicial process. The Registrar General of the High Courts shall ensure that in all cases of criminal trial, as well as civil suits, the digitization of records must be duly undertaken with promptitude at all District Courts, preferably within the time prescribed for filing an appeal within the laws of procedure (30 or 60 days)," said the judgement. The bench further asked the concerned district judges to ensure that the records so digitized are verified as expeditiously as possible, once the system of digitization along with the system of authentication of the digitized records is in place in their judgeship. A continually updated record of register of records digitized shall be maintained with periodic reports being sent to the concerned High Courts for suitable directions," it added. The bench highlighted that the Supreme Courts E-committee on September 24, 2021, has already issued an 18 steps Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for digital preservation, which must be complied with. Judicial notice can be taken of the fact that, in accordance with the SOP issued, private entities providing specialized service have been contracted, and therefore considering the importance and essentiality of such record, a robust system of responsibility and accountability must be developed and fostered in order to ensure the proper protection and regular updation of all records facilitating the smooth functioning of the judicial process," the order said. The top courts order came as it set aside the conviction of a person convicted under the Prevention of Corruption Act for receiving a bribe of Rs 500 in 1995 by Allahabad High Court in November 2022. The High Court had upheld a 1999 trial court order, with a reduced sentence the records of the lower court were not available. The High Court relied upon a partially reconstructed record, based mostly on the complaint, for the conviction. Setting aside the order, the apex court opined that, upholding conviction in the absence of original trial court records cannot be said to be in consonance with due process of law and fairness, as Criminal Procedure Code also requires an appellate court to examine the original records. The judgement said that the benefit of doubt has to be extended to the accused since his possibility to appeal against the conviction was effectively extinguished due to the absence of records. The top court noted that the alleged offence was committed 28 years ago and the relevant trial court record has not been able to be reconstructed, despite the efforts of the courts. Protection of the rights under Article 21 entails protection of liberty from any restriction thereupon in the absence of fair legal procedure. Fair legal procedure includes the opportunity for the person filing an appeal to question the conclusions drawn by the trial court. The same can only be done when the record is available with the court of appeal," the bench said, while acquitting the man. Read all the Latest India News here A man in Italy hiked through the Livorno woods in a section that had recently been cleared, and noticed something shiny on the ground between the leaves. Taking a better look, he discovered a few half-buried Roman coins and decided to call archaeological experts to investigate. Turns out the silver coins, mostly still in good shape, are around 2,000 year old, and the archaeologists uncovered 175 of them. From Miami Herald: Most of the coins were found grouped together with fragments of a container, the outlet reported. A few coins were found scattered in the area. No other artifacts were uncovered. "The coins have definitely been hidden," Lorella Alderighi, the archaeologist who investigated the find, told LiveScience. "They constituted a 'treasure' or piggy bank. The easiest way to hide valuables was to bury them underground, away from homes where no one could find them." The oldest coins were from about 157 B.C., with the newest from 82 B.C., the Hungarian Numismatic Society said in a Facebook post. The newest coins correspond with "a very turbulent historical period" for the ancient Roman empire, Alderighi told LiveScience. The empire was in the middle of its first large-scale civil war. "These coins may have been the savings of a soldier returning home [during] military service," Alderighi said. Alternatively, the coins could have been hidden by a wealthy merchant, another historian told LiveScience. The security situation in Sudan remains very complex, highly volatile and unpredictable and Indias objective is to get every stranded Indian in that country out of harms way, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said on Thursday. Briefing reporters on the ongoing evacuation mission Operation Kaveri, Kwatra said approximately 1,700 to 2,000 Indian nationals were moved out of the conflict zones and they included the citizens already evacuated out of Sudan as well as those who are on their way to Port Sudan from capital city Khartoum. On Thursday, another batch of 246 Indian evacuees arrived in Mumbai in a C17 Globemaster aircraft of the Indian Air Force, a day after 360 citizens reached New Delhi in a commercial plane. The total number of Indians brought back home now stands at 606. Another #OperationKaveri flight comes to Mumbai. 246 more Indians come back to the motherland," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted. In his media briefing, foreign secretary Kwatra said India has been in touch with the two warring factions in Sudan and other stakeholders and has been able to evacuate its citizens following a positive response from the concerned sides as they understand that New Delhi stands for a very strong development partnership with Khartoum. The situation on the ground is very complex, highly volatile and unpredictable. We have been in touch with both SAF (Sudanese Armed Forces) and RSF (Rapid Support Forces). Our relations have been good. We are in touch with all sides to get the Indians from conflict zones to safe areas and then to Port Sudan," Kwatra said. On the total number of Indians in Sudan, he said approximately 3,100 have registered online with the Indian embassy in the Sudanese capital Khartoum while an additional 300 are in touch with the mission. Sudan also has around 900 to 1,000 PIOs (Persons of Indian Origins). Under Operation Kaveri, India has been taking its citizens in buses from conflict zones of Khartoum and other troubled areas to Port Sudan from where they are being taken to the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah in Indian Air Forces heavy-lift transport aircraft and Indian Navys ships. From Jeddah, the Indians are being brought back home in either commercial flight or IAF aircraft. The distance between Khartoum and Port Sudan is around 850 kms and the travel time by bus varies from 12 hours to 18 hours considering the prevailing situation and whether the vehicles are operating during the day or night. The Indian Navy has deployed its warships INS Sumedha, INS Teg and INS Tarkash while the Indian Air Force has deployed two of its C130J transport aircraft. The ships and aircraft are being used to take the Indians to Jeddah, from where they are being flown to India. Our objective and target is to take the stranded Indians out of harms way as early as possibleOur effort is to get every stranded Indian out of harms way and into an area of relative safety and then to Port Sudan and back here (India)," he said. India has already set up separate control rooms in Jeddah, Port Sudan and the India embassy in Khartoum has been coordinating with them besides being in touch with the MEAs headquarters in Delhi. We currently have 495 Indian nationals in Jeddah. 320 Indians are in Port Sudan. We have more buses for bringing more people to Port Sudan," Kwatra said. The foreign secretary also said that 42 Indian nationals have moved to South Sudan. Kwatra said the government of Indias effort has been to advise and assist the stranded Indians to remain safe and help them move to secure locations whenever feasible after carefully evaluating the conflict situation. He also said that India has received evacuation requests from other nationalities. We are willing to provide all assistance. This is subject to fulfilment of all the procedures required," he said. Separately, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said a total of six batches of Indians were evacuated from Port Sudan so far and the total number of evacuees who arrived in Jeddah is around 1100. Muraleedharan is monitoring the evacuation operation from Jeddah. #OperationKaveri continues at a swift pace. Happy to receive 297 Indians at Jeddah carried by INS Teg. With this second ship and a total of six batches, around 1100 Indians rescued from Sudan have arrived in Jeddah," he said on Twitter. Asked whether India will evacuate the PIOs, Kwatra said New Delhi will extend all support if there is a request from them. The foreign secretary thanked Saudi Arabia for all the assistance including the landing and docking of Indian military transport aircraft and naval ships in Jeddah. Saudi Arabia has been extremely helpful and we are very grateful to them," he said. Sudan has been witnessing deadly fighting between the countrys army and a paramilitary group that has reportedly left around 400 people dead. Jaishankar on Monday announced the launch of the mission Operation Kaveri to bring back the stranded Indians from Sudan. India on Sunday said it has positioned two transport aircraft of the IAF in Jeddah and the naval ship INS Sumedha at Port Sudan as part of its contingency plans to evacuate the Indians. Apart from the Sudanese authorities, the MEA and the Indian embassy in Sudan have been in regular touch with the UN, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and the US among others. At a high-level meeting on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued directions for the preparation of contingency plans to evacuate Indians from Sudan. Last week, Jaishankar spoke to his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt on the ground situation in Sudan with a focus on ensuring the safety of the Indians. Read all the Latest India News here Mumbai-based Hindi film actress Chrisann Pereira, who was lodged in Sharjah jail in UAE in a drugs plant case, has been released from prison, her family announced via social media late. Chrisanns brother Kevin Pereira shared a video on Instagram and wrote the actress will be back in India by Friday. Chrisann is SET FREE!!! She will be in India in the next 48 hours," Kevin wrote sharing the familys video call conversation with an emotional Chrisann on Instagram on Wednesday. In the video, the actress family can be seen dancing and crying in disbelief, with a relieved but weeping Chrisann on the other side, all urging her to come back as early as possible. You are free. This is amazing," her mother Pramila Pereira can be heard saying. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kevin Pereira (@kevin.pereira8) ALSO READ: Sadak 2 Actress Chrisann Pereira, Framed in Drugs Case, Released from Sharjah Jail; May be Back in India in 48 Hrs Chrisann, 27, was trapped last month in the drugs plant case by a couple of Mumbai men, who have been arrested and have confessed to their crime. The accused duo had hidden the drugs in an award trophy which was detected in Sharjah following which the local police had arrested Chrisann. She had been in jail since April 1. Her distraught family in Mumbai on Tuesday said that Chrisann is innocent and they have planned to appeal to the PM and MEA for help to secure her early release. The Mumbai Police Crime Branch, which is probing the case, has nabbed the prime accused Anthony Paul (35), a baker in Borivali, and his associate Rajesh Bubhate (34) alias Ravi, a banker. They have confessed to handing three persons the award trophies with drugs concealed in them and two others with drugs-laced cakes before they flew to Dubai, ostensibly as vendetta against the Pereira family. While two, including Chrisann, unwittingly walked into the trap, three others managed to evade the authorities in Sharjah. Paul, said to be the brain behind the revenge con, apparently nursed an old grudge against the Pereira family, especially Premila (Chrisanns mother), and even got into fisticuffs with her son Kevin. The police have found that Paul had used the same modus operandi with some other wannabe actors, assuring them of plum roles in global webseries, though one person declined to carry the trophy, which Chrisann later agreed to take with her. An upcoming actress, Chrisann has featured in films like Sadak 2", Batla House", a webseries Thinkistan", several stage plays. She lives in Borivali suburbs with her family. (with inputs from IANS) Read all the Latest India News here The Madras High Court recently set aside an order passed by a Special NIA court refusing to discharge a UAPA-accused Muslim preacher while relying on Wikipedia for determining the objective and aim of the entity to which the preacher belonged. The division bench of Justice M Sundar and Justice M Nirmal Kumar referred to the principle laid down by the Supreme Court that Wikipedia is based on a crowd-sourced user-generated editing model and therefore is not completely dependable in terms of academic veracity and can promote misleading information. The high court observed that the SC has put in a caveat and caution against the use of sources such as Wikipedia in legal dispute resolution. In view of the same, the HC held that the trial court had fallen in error in relying on Wikipedia in the present matter, and therefore, the matter had to go back to it to consider the matter afresh de hors Wikipedia. The high court asked the Special Court to keep in mind this time the caveat put in place by the Top Court in the Acer India case [Commissioner of Customs, Bangalore Vs. M/s.Acer India Pvt. Ltd (2008) and the Hewlett Packard / Lenevo case [HP India Sales Pvt. Ltd., Vs. Commissioner of Customs (Import), Nhava Sheva/Lenevo (India) Pvt. Ltd., Vs. Commissioner of Customs (Import), Nhava Sheva (2023)]. The accused namely Ziyavudeen Baqavi had filed a criminal appeal before the high court challenging the order passed by the Sessions Court for the exclusive trial for bomb blast cases at Poonamallee, in Chennai. The accused had alleged while rejecting his discharge petition, among other illegalities, the Special Court had relied on Wikipedia and arrived at a conclusion about the aim and objective of an entity to which he allegedly belonged. The counsel for the accused contended that since relying on extraneous material is forbidden vide ratio laid down by the Supreme Court, therefore, the order of the Special Court was illegal. Ziyavudeen Baqavi is allegedly a member of the extremist Islamic outfit Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT), which is affiliated to ISIS. He was arrested in February last year, for allegedly being engaged in radicalising the members of the Muslim community to establish an Islamic State in Tamil Nadu. The charges levelled against Baqavi are for alleged offences under Sections 120-B, 124-A, 153-A, 153-B, 505(1)(b), 505(1)(C) and 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) and Section 13(1)(b) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA). Read all the Latest India News here BAGALAMUKHI JAYANTI 2023: Bagalamukhi Jayanti is an auspicious occasion celebrated by Hindus to honour and seek blessings from goddess Bagalamukhi. The day marks the birth anniversary of the Hindu goddess, who is also known as Pitambara Devi or Brahmastra Roopini. Bagalamukhi Jayanti is marked on the eighth day of the Shukla Paksha in the Hindu month of Vaishakha. This year, the Jayanti will be celebrated on April 28. Here is all you need to know about Bagalamukhi Jayanti: Bagalamukhi Jayanti: Significance The festival is celebrated to honour Goddess Bagalamukhi, eighth of the 10 Mahavidyas in Hindu mythology, and is believed to possess immense power and strength. She is worshipped as the goddess of speech, wisdom and victory, and is believed to have the power to stop all kinds of negative energies and enemies. Goddess Bagalamukhi is also known as the goddess of black magic, and her devotees believe that worshipping her can protect them from evil forces and negative energies. It is believed that the goddess bestows her devotees with success, prosperity, and good health. Bagalamukhi Jayanti: Rituals On the day of Bagalamukhi Jayanti, devotees wake up early in the morning, take a bath, and wear clean clothes. They visit Bagalamukhi temples and offer prayers to the goddess. The temples are decorated with flowers and lights, and special pujas are performed by the priests. Yellow is the preferred colour on this day, so people wear yellow clothes and decorate the temples with yellow flowers. Devotees also offer special food items and sweets to the goddess. One of the main rituals performed on this day is the Bagalamukhi Homa, which is a sacred fire ritual. The havan is performed by invoking the goddess and offering prayers to her. This ritual is believed to bring good luck and prosperity to the devotees and protect them from all kinds of negative energies. Bagalamukhi Jayanti: Mantra The Bagalamukhi mantra is considered very powerful and chanted by devotees to invoke the goddess blessings. The mantra is Om Hleem Bagalamukhi Sarvadushtaanaam Vaacham Mukham Padam Stambhaya Jihvaam Keelaya Buddhim Nivaasaya Hleem Om Swaha." The auspicious occasion of Bagalamukhi Jayanti is celebrated with great devotion and enthusiasm. It is a time to reflect on the teachings and blessings of the goddess and seek her guidance and protection in life. The festival of Bagalamukhi Jayanti reminds us of the power of the divine and the importance of faith and devotion in our lives. Read all the Latest Lifestyle News here Wellbeing refers to an individuals continuous state of thriving. In the workplace, one crucial aspect of supporting and maintaining good mental health and wellbeing is creating an environment where employees feel comfortable discussing their mental health. Unfortunately, employees who experience poor mental wellbeing may be hesitant to disclose it to their employer. Even if they do, they may not feel adequately supported, unlike those with physical health conditions. Across the world, stress related to work is one of the most significant issues for employees in several organizations. With a seminal change in workload and job descriptions in recent years, a spike in personal stress levels has been a significant consequence of this changing work environment. Workplace policies and activities to promote and protect employee mental health and wellbeing vary widely. While there has been a collective effort in recent years amongst businesses, in general, to augment employee engagement and wellbeing, research shows that organizations are possibly not putting their best foot forward when it comes to managing stress, says Hemant Sethi, Country Head, India, British Safety Council. There is often a direct correlation between longer work hours and work-related stress, as people may feel the need to work longer to increase productivity. However, it is important to note that simply spending more hours on a project does not always guarantee increased productivity. People often do not realize that the quality of time spent working is more vital because working five hours at hundred per cent efficiency is better than eight hours at fifty per cent efficiency, adds Sethi. Indian businesses are beginning to invest in employee wellbeing programmes, but the senior management must lead their efforts to be effective. Sethi suggests a few steps organizations should consider taking to promote mental wellbeing at work: Maintain good communication Organizations can ensure their employees feel valued and encourage a culture of openness. It is essential for managers to continuously have open lines of communication with their team members about their wellbeing. Flexible work options Organizations can ensure that jobs are more flexible, depending on individual circumstances. Wherever possible, it is advisable to consult with employees before making any changes or taking any decisions that will likely affect them. Employees need to be encouraged to ask questions so that they feel involved. Understand and learn more about stress relievers Organizations need to be more proactive in knowing about stress so they can point their team to extra support and help them to deal with it. Managers could tell employees to use mindfulness apps or podcasts, which are known to be of good help in stress management. Pay attention to early signs of stress Managers need to be more attuned to the signs of stress among their subordinates. Some common early signs of stress are poor concentration, low mood, feeling overwhelmed and irritability. If managers come across any of these signs in team members, they must check in with them. Practice what you preach Senior managers must actively promote a healthy lifestyle by having a good work-life balance, managing working hours, using full holiday entitlement and taking lunch breaks. Employers can promote good mental health and wellbeing every day by providing an inclusive, welcoming and supportive environment at work. Read all the Latest Lifestyle News here Actor Ranveer Singh was spotted in New York today, ahead of the highly anticipated Tiffany & Co. event. The paparazzi (Elder Ordonez) caught him near Soho House, dressed in a Gucci x Adidas outfit that looked nothing short of stunning. As always, Ranveer set some fashion goals for his fans, pulling off an oversized trench, knitted sweater, straight-fit jeans, and a pearl necklace like a true fashion icon. Its safe to say that no one else could have rocked this outfit quite like he did. Over the years, Ranveer Singh has been hailed as the fashion icon of India, with his unique sense of style and ability to stand out from the crowd. He is one of the few Bollywood superstars who has successfully made an impact globally with his frequent presence at international events. We cant wait to see what fashion goals Ranveer will set at the grand Tiffany & Co. event. Its surely going to be a spectacle worth watching out for! Read all the Latest Lifestyle News here A police complaint was lodged on Thursday by Congress leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala, Dr Parmeshwar, and DK Shivakumar, the Chief of Karnataka Congress, against several BJP leaders including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, as stated in the copy of the complaint. The complaint, submitted at the High Grounds police station in Bengaluru, accused Amit Shah of delivering inflammatory remarks, inciting animosity and hostility, and defaming the opposition in his recent election campaigns in Karnataka. Union Home Minister has said that if Congress comes to power, then there will be communal riots. How can he say this? We have filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India on this," Congress DK Shivakumar was quoted as saying to ANI. According to report by news agency ANI, the complaint mentioned the name of Amit Shah, BJP leaders concerned and the organisers of the rally at Vijaypura and other locations in Karnataka on April 25. Speech given by Amit Shah was shockingly riddled with flagrantly false statements aimed at tarnishing the image of Indian National Congress by levelling false and unfounded allegations, with a clear objective of trying to create an atmosphere of communal disharmony amongst the gathered crowd and the individuals viewing it on other media platforms," read the complaint, reported ANI. The complaint included a video link of the purported hate speech, along with references to several sections of the Indian Penal Code such as 153, 505(2), 171G, and 120B. Notably, Amit Shah is extensively campaigning as the BJPs prominent face for the Karnataka Assembly Elections, which are slated for May 10. Read all the Latest Politics News here A Delhi-bound flight in which Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin was scheduled to travel on Thursday was cancelled due to a technical snag, airport sources said. The Chief Minister was scheduled to leave for Delhi to invite President Draupadi Murmu on Friday for a hospital inauguration here. The private carrier was cancelled due to the technical snag following which the Chief Minister returned home. He is expected to leave early on Friday, the sources added. Read all the Latest Politics News here Congress secretary Virender Singh Rathore on Thursday said both Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot are very strong leaders, calling them a confluence of experience and energy. Rathore, and Amrita Dhawan, both recently appointed Rajasthan co-incharge, had come to Jaipur with Rathore for a meeting with MLAs. Dhawan in her address said there was no discord within the Congress and the upcoming elections will be fought with everyone together. Both, Rathore and Dhawan, were appointed co-incharge with Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa as the partys incharge in Rajasthan. The appointments were made days after Sachin Pilot held a one-day fast against his own government demanding action against corruption cases of the previous BJP government. Randhawa had termed Pilots protest an act of indiscipline. There is a big challenge ahead. The challenge is that we have to form our government again in Rajasthan, as far as Sachin Pilot and Chief Minister Ashok Pilot are concerned, both of them are very powerful leaders of ours," Rathore told reporters in response to the tussle between both the leaders. He further said, I assure you that both of our comrades one of our leaders has vast experience and the other leader has young energy. So there is a confluence of experience and energy within the Congress of Rajasthan." Dhawan said that the coming state election is important for the party and if the public wants us to win then no one can defeat it. On the question of a much talked-about discord in Rajasthan Congress, she said, There is no discord at all. Democracy has this beauty, which allows everyone to express their views. But I believe that we will work together and fight the elections together." Read all the Latest Politics News here Stepping up the pressure on the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu over the PTR audio clips issue, the opposition AIADMK has sought a central probe into the matter, with party General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) taking up the matter with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The Tamil Nadu Leader of Opposition told reporters in New Delhi that since the matter involved state Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan (PTR), the issue cannot be ignored," and has to be probed since PTR insists that they are fabricated audio tapes. EPS met Shah and BJP national president J P Nadda late on Wednesday in the national capital. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Palaniwami replied in the affirmative when a scribe asked if the issue figured in his meeting with Shah on Wednesday night. We told (Shah) about this. It is a big issue, not some ordinary matter. Shocking details have emerged from this audio. There are reports claiming that Tamil Nadus Finance minister has made some remarks in the audio," Palaniswami said. PTR has dismissed the two audio clips released so far, both by state BJP chief K Annamalai, alleging that advanced technology has been used to create such material. In both the clips, he is purported to have made some comments about the assets of Chief Minister M K Stalins son Udhayanidhi and son-in-law V Sabareesan, which Rajan has categorically denied. Palaniswami further said that with PTR purported to have named the two persons, this matter should be thoroughly probed." He has said it is all a cut-paste job (digital alterations) which we are not aware of. We had not responded to the matter earlier as well. But now he (PTR) is issuing media statements and now there seems to be some issue with this. This is dangerous," Palaniswami added. Whether there is the truth about the assets of the DMK leaders concerned or PTRs insistence that he did not speak" in the audio should be investigated and the Centre should take action, he said. This matter should not be ignored" since the TN finance minister is involved, EPS said, adding the matter was brought to the attention of Shah during their meeting last night. Palaniswami said Shah told him he was also aware of the issue. We have told him this (issue) should be probed and people should be told the truth," the AIADMK chief added. Palaniswami also sought to know why Chief Minister M K Stalin has not responded to the matter so far. Read all the Latest Politics News here Nadya Tolokonnikova, a founding member of anti-Putin resistance group Pussy Riot, has been named a top enemy of Russia for speaking out against Putin's dictatorship. In her TEDTalk, Tolokonnikova shares the story of her imprisonment and exile, as well as what motivates her resistance. She delivers a powerful message to Putin himself, inspiring others to join in the fight against his regime. I want to send a message to Vladimir Putin directly. A wanted criminal to wanted criminal. Vladimir Vladimirovich, the Kremlin walls became your prison walls. You have already lost. You know it. That's why you're so afraid. You lost in spirit. The world is on Ukraine's side. The world is with the brave people of Ukraine. And in your final hour, when you pray to whoever you're going to be praying to, know that she is on our side. She's on the side of truth. And she's not going to forgive your crimes against humanity. I will take revenge on Eknath Shinde for backstabbing me, Uddhav Thackeray warned on Thursday as he told his party workers that they should all work hard and bring our days back. Speaking at a function of Shiv Sena UBTs labour union, party chief Thackeray said: I will not say that our days have gone, but they backstabbed us and I will certainly take revenge. Thackeray also slammed the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government, terming it insensitive towards issues of labourers. Ministers who sit in AC cabins dont understand the life labourers live. When the AC of their cabin malfunctions and a labourer comes to repair it, thats the only connect they have with them, he said, adding: They give respect to industrialists but dont pay heed to issues of labourers. This shows the government is not for labourers or peasants. In his 30-minute speech in Mumbai, Thackeray also spoke about the allegations levelled against him by current Industries Minister Uday Samant that he had opposed major projects in the state. In my two-and-a-half-year stint, we brought investments worth approximately Rs 2.5 lakh crore in the state. With our industrial policy, we brought 25 big industries in the state. But this government with a poor industrial policy allowed industries to go to other states. This government had boasted about an international shoe-making company coming to Maharashtra but now I have learnt that the same company has gone to Tamil Nadu. He added: They destabilised my government because I took a stand against projects which were not in favour of people of Maharashtra. Local people were opposing projects like bullet train, Aaray car shed, Nanar refinery etc. Then how can we just force these projects on them? Thackeray said if he had been in power, he would have taken the consent of locals before going ahead with projects. This government accuses me that I only wrote letters and suggested new land parcel for the refinery project. But let me tell you if we would have been in power, we would have taken consent from locals before going ahead with projects. Questioning the state government over projects such as Vedanta Foxconn, Airbus, and Bulk drug park going to other states, Thackeray also took a dig at Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde. If CM gets time from farming, which he was doing a few days back, then he should face people and answer why these projects have gone to other states. What about the loss of employment of locals? Thackeray gave the example of Samruddhi Mega Highway to say: When locals were opposing this project, I had gone to make them understand its benefits. When they were convinced, only then we went ahead with land acquisition. We were completely transparent unlike this government. He also asked his party supporters and workers to take lessons from the farmers agitation in Delhi against farm laws. Those farmers who protested at the Delhi border had only one aim to abolish those draconian laws. By protesting for 1 year, they forced the government to take the laws back. We must have such dedication and determination while fighting against such a government. Read all the Latest Politics News here Goa has long been a popular tourist destination, known for its beautiful beaches, nightlife and scenic drives. However, in recent years, some tourists have been spotted ruining the peaceful life and beauty of Goa with their nuisance acts. One recent example shows a group of tourists dancing on the roof of a rental Thar, parked at the side of a road. Such incidents have raised concerns about the safety of tourists and locals alike, as well as the need for stricter regulations on rental vehicles. In a video shared on Twitter by a user named Herman Gomes, two tourists are seen dancing and jumping on the roof of an SUV with open doors and headlights on. Sharing the video, the Twitter user wrote, Just another day in Goa. Desi tourists (read baboons) jumping on a rent a car. Hope these lunatics know how much it would cost the owner to repair the car. Please stop coming to Goa - PUHLEEZZzzzz. Any guesses which state they belong? (sic)" Watch the video here: Just another day in Goa. Desi tourists (read baboons) jumping on a rent a car. Hope these lunatics know how much it would cost the owner to repair the car. Plz stop coming to Goa -PUH.LEEZZzzzz Any guesses which state they belong ? pic.twitter.com/56g8N5fW2V HermanGomes_journo (@Herman_Gomes) April 26, 2023 Since the video was shared on social media a day ago, it has sparked a debate among users over the safety and responsibility of tourists. Many expressed their disapproval of the tourists behaviour. Reacting to the clip, a user wrote, Moves on Punjabi beats. Dilli/Haryana/Punjab. Moves on punjabi beats.. dilli/haryana/punjab . ravi@ce (@ravishankar966) April 26, 2023 Another user suggested, Car rental companies should also be able to charge for damages like Hotels in such cases. Even filing of damages legally might be the solution. Car rental companies should also be able to charge for damages like Hotels in such cases. Even filing of damages legally might be the solution. Anish Kila (@anishkila) April 27, 2023 One more user commented on the fines that the car owners could impose, Dont worry owners over there are very smart they will take the heavy fine from them and if they deny they know how to deal with them. Dont worry owners over there are very smart they will take the heavy fine from them and if they deny they know how to deal with them.. Danish (@hashtag1204) April 27, 2023 Money cannot bring decency. We dont teach in schools and home civic sense. Only dole out graduates. Focus on grades only. See the litter around, done by people. No rules for pedestrians, read another reaction. Money cannot bring decency. We don't teach in schools and home civic sense. Only dole out graduates. Focus on grades Only.See the litter around, done by people. No rules for pedestrians. Sachin S Birewar: #GC (@Sachin_Birewar) April 27, 2023 A lot of Twitter users also urged Goa Police to take appropriate action against the tourists in the viral clip. Till now, the video has garnered over 23 thousand views. Read all the Latest News here Indian Matchmakings Sima Taparia has sparked many controversies previously. While some dislike her for being patriarchal, others dont sit well with the statements that she had made in the past. But despite all of this, Sima Aunty takes her job very seriously and makes it her mission to find the perfect match for all of her clients. Being Indias premier matchmaker, comes with a lot of responsibility. And with responsibility, comes price. She charges her clients somewhere around 1,00,000 to 5,00,000 or $1,330 to $8,000. While speaking to CN traveller, she revealed the tried and tested approach that she follows. She revealed, I go and meet the boy and the family, see what their home is like, where they work, where they have been to school." She claimed that this helps her assess their lifestyles so that she can recommend a match. This is where Tinder, Bumble and Shaadi.com cant compete. I get to the bottom of things, finding out all the inside stories, the familys values and other such details you would never get from looking at a persons online profile," she further mentioned. Sima aunty also has a website for the same. As per the website, her services include, collecting relevant documents, photographs and registration of the member, assessments of living style and business details, compilation of the relevant information as per their system, short listing the proposals, based on the criterion lay down by both the sides, and much more. For those who dont know, Indian Matchmaking is known for its notorious reputation when it comes to cringe content, but its one of the things that people love to hate. The memes and jokes that come out of the show have always been endless and this time is no different. As season 3 premiered on Netflix, many took to Twitter and shared memes. While many wrote how Sima aunty has peaked this time, many also shared her husbands image. Read all the Latest News here A writer told a US civil trial Wednesday that an alleged sexual assault by Donald Trump three decades ago left her feeling ashamed" and unable to have romantic relationships. Im here because Donald Trump raped me," E. Jean Carroll said in Manhattans federal court, which is hearing a defamation and battery lawsuit against the former president. The case is one in a series of legal challenges facing Trump as the 76-year-old Republican seeks a return to the White House. Carroll, 79, has sued Trump alleging he sexually assaulted her in a changing room at the luxury Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in the mid-1990s. She also claims that Trump then defamed her when she went public with the allegations years later. Trump has repeatedly denied the allegations and has not been criminally charged. The former Elle magazine columnist described to jurors how a chance encounter with Trump in the Manhattan store quickly turned violent. She said that after Trump playfully asked her for advice on buying a womens lingerie gift, he shoved" her against the wall of the dressing room. All his weight (was) against my chest. He pulled down my tights. I was pushing him back," Carroll told jurors from the witness stand. She first made the allegation in an excerpt from her book published by New York Magazine in 2019. Asked why it took her more than 20 years to go public with her allegations, she responded: I was frightened by Donald Trump. I was ashamed. I thought it was my fault." Carroll filed the lawsuit late last year after a law took effect in New York that gave victims of sexual assault a one-year window to sue their alleged abusers decades after attacks may have occurred. Pain and suffering The suit accuses Trump of battery, when he forcibly raped and groped" Carroll, and of defamation for a post that Trump made on his Truth Social platform in October where he referred to Carroll as a complete con job." He lied and shattered my reputation. Im here to get my life back," Carroll told the court. I know people have been through a lot worse but it left me unable to ever have a romantic life again," she added. Before the testimony, judge Lewis Kaplan rebuked Trump for writing on Truth Social Wednesday that the trial is a made-up scam" and Carrolls lawyer a political operative." Kaplan said the comments were entirely inappropriate" and suggested Trump was trying to influence jurors. Carrolls suit seeks unspecified damages for significant pain and suffering, lasting psychological and pecuniary harms, loss of dignity and self-esteem, and invasion of her privacy." It also asks that Trump retract his comments. Around a dozen women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct. He has denied all the allegations and has never been prosecuted over any of them. No criminal prosecution can stem from Carrolls civil case but if Trump loses it will be the first time he has ever been held legally liable for an allegation of sexual assault. Trump has provided sworn testimony in the case but is not expected to take the witness stand. The trial is likely to last one to two weeks. In opening arguments Monday, Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina said there was no evidence of the assault and that Carroll was abusing the system for money, for political reasons, and for status." The case comes just weeks after Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts related to a hush-money payment made to a porn star just before the 2016 election. Trump is also being investigated over his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the southern state of Georgia, his alleged mishandling of classified documents taken from the White House and his involvement in the storming of the US Capitol by his supporters on January 6, 2021. Read all the Latest News here American Congressman Ro Khanna said the US wants to make sure the deal to supply GE Engines to India for making fighter jets is done so that Delhi doesnt lose out to Europe. Congressman Khanna, speaking on the sidelines of his address at India-US Business Summit, said India has realised that the Soviet military equipment doesnt work as well and the Soviet Union is moving towards China, and India has really been open to building a strong relationship with America, ANI reported. India wants jet engines and the first thing is to make sure that deal gets done, hopefully before the Prime Ministers (Narendra Modi) visit. And we are working on that," he said. The Indian-American Congressman also said that he is working to ensure that PM Modi gets to speak to the United States Congress. The co-chairs will be requesting the speaker to issue that invitation, he said. PM Modi is likely to visit the United States in the third week of June. The prime minister may visit New York on International Yoga Day on June 21, before travelling to the capital with US President Joe Biden, reports have said. Ro Khanna also said that the India and the US need to have stronger defence ties and added that this is the right time. He further said that India can emerge as the hub in Asia for the Asian market as companies like Apple moving out of China and moving into India and opening up Apple stores. He added that he has encouraged companies to manufacture in the United States and restore into the United States, but to the extent they need to sell into Asia to look to allies like India instead of China. We need to figure out how to provide India with alternative sources of cheaper energy so they can grow. And Ive appreciated that India has unequivocally condemned Putins invasion of Ukraine. But the Ukraine issue should not be a barrier to strengthening a partnership that will last decades, he added. Read all the Latest India News here Women and lay people will be able to vote in the next general assembly of bishops, the Vatican announced Wednesday, in a symbolic change for the Catholic Church. This is a significant crack in the stained glass ceiling," the US-based Womens Ordination Conference (WOC) said in a statement, hailing a historic" moment. The next phase in an ongoing global consultation on the future of the Church is set to take place in October in Rome, and for the first time, the right to cast ballots will not be reserved to male clerics. New rules published Wednesday said 70 people would also be chosen to take part who represent various groupings of the faithful of the People of God (priests, consecrated women, deacons, lay faithful)". It is requested that 50 percent of them be women and that the presence of young people also be emphasised," the rulebook said. The 70 would be hand-picked by Pope Francis and account would be taken not only of their general culture and prudence, but also of their knowledge, both theoretical and practical". As members, they have the right to vote," it said. The consultation on the future of the Church is looking at major issues, from the handling of sex abuse cases and the role of women to the rights of remarried divorcees. Since his election in 2013, Francis has progressively expanded the roles of lay people and women, notably by increasing the number of women appointed to the Curia, the central government" of the Holy See. Read all the Latest News here Prince Harry is not criticising his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth, or Britains royal family over a secret agreement" with Rupert Murdochs UK newspaper arm, his lawyer told Londons High Court on Wednesday. Harry, the younger son of King Charles, is suing Murdochs News Group Newspapers (NGN) for multiple unlawful acts allegedly committed on behalf of its tabloids, the Sun and the now-defunct News of the World, from the mid-1990s until 2016. NGN, which has settled more than a thousand phone-hacking cases over the past decade, is trying this week to strike out Harrys claim and a similar case brought by British actor Hugh Grant, arguing they should have taken action sooner. However, Harry says that he did not bring a lawsuit earlier because an agreement was struck between Buckingham Palace and senior figures at NGN to avoid embarrassment. In a witness statement which was made public on Tuesday, Harry said his attempts to progress the case, with the backing of the queen, were stonewalled by NGN and royal aides. His lawyer David Sherborne told the court on Wednesday that Harry did not bring his lawsuit previously because of the agreement with NGN, which denies its existence. Sherborne said Harry was told more" about phone hacking in 2012, when Harry says in his witness statement that he was told his voicemails had been intercepted, but that was essentially dealt with by his family and their solicitor". This is no criticism of the queen or his family," Sherborne said. That is how it was done and he accepts it. As he explains, he had to." Sherborne added that Harry was kept out of the loop" about phone hacking and that he did not believe NGN would have been stupid enough to go after his messages". Harry said in his witness statement that royal staff were in communication with Rebekah Brooks - now chief executive of Murdochs British arm News UK - and News Corp Chief Executive Robert Thomson about his lawsuit. Sherborne said that, if the case goes to trial, there will need to be evidence" from Brooks and Thomson about the secret agreement. Harry has said NGN settled his brother Williams phone-hacking claim for a huge sum of money in 2020 without any of the public being told, and seemingly with some favourable deal in return for him going quietly so to speak". Buckingham Palace have not commented and Williams office said it could not comment on ongoing legal proceedings. NGN has disputed the existence of a secret agreement" but declined to comment on whether it made a settlement with William. The case is one of four Harry is currently pursuing against British publishers, following claims in his Netflix documentary and memoir Spare accusing tabloids of widespread unlawful activity and his family of colluding with them. The preliminary hearing is expected to conclude on Thursday, with a trial due in January if the judge allows it to go ahead. Harry, who now lives in California with his family, was not in court, but watched proceedings by video link, Sherborne said. Grant was also watching the proceedings remotely due to unavoidable filming commitments", Sherborne said, but planned to attend in person on Thursday. Read all the Latest News here The Sudanese army pounded paramilitaries in the capital Khartoum with air strikes Thursday while deadly fighting flared in Darfur, as the clock ticked down on a fragile US-brokered ceasefire now in its final full day. Ahead of the expiry of a three-day truce at midnight (2200 GMT), the army said late Wednesday it had agreed to talks in Juba, capital of neighbouring South Sudan, on extending it at the initiative of IGAD", the East African regional bloc. There have been multiple truce efforts since fighting broke out on April 15 between Sudans regular army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by his deputy turned rival, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. All have failed. The fighting has continued despite the US-brokered ceasefire that took effect on Tuesday, with warplanes patrolling the skies over the capitals northern suburbs as fighters on the ground have exchanged artillery and heavy machinegun fire, witnesses said. Burhan agreed on Wednesday to the IGAD proposal for talks on extending the truce by a further 72 hours, the army added. The RSFs response to the proposal remains unclear. At least 512 people have been killed and 4,193 wounded in the fighting, according to health ministry figures, although the real death toll is likely much higher. The doctors union said at least eight civilians had been killed in Khartoum alone on Wednesday despite the truce. More than two thirds of hospitals in the country were out of service, the union said Thursday, including 14 that had been struck during the fighting. Beyond the capital, fighting has flared in the provinces, particularly in the war-torn western region of Darfur. - Violence beyond Khartoum - Clashes raged for a second day in the West Darfur capital Geneina, witnesses said, adding civilians were seen fleeing to the nearby border with Chad. We are locked up at home and too afraid to go out so we cant assess the scale of the damage," said a resident who asked to remain anonymous for his safety. The heavy fighting began from 24 April," he said, confirming severe damage to hospitals and public buildings and looting across the city. On Wednesday the United Nations humanitarian agency said the fighting in West Darfur had disrupted nutrition to an estimated 50,000 acutely malnourished children". The violence has trapped many civilians in their homes, where they have endured severe shortages of food, water and electricity. The UN has said as many as 270,000 people could flee into Sudans poorer neighbours South Sudan and Chad. Other Sudanese have sought refuge in Egypt to the north and Ethiopia to the east, but both entail long and potentially dangerous journeys overland. Speaking at the Egyptian border, 50-year-old refugee Ashraf called on the warring sides to end the war because this is your own conflict, not that of the Sudanese people". Cambridge University academic Sharath Srinivasan warned the mass movement of people across Sudans borders threatened to destabilise already fragile governments in neighbouring countries. If the armed confrontation between these two forces protracts or worse, if it draws in other armed rebel groups across the country this could quickly become one of the worst humanitarian crises in the region and risk spilling over," he told US news outlet Politico. - War crimes suspect escapes - Foreign governments have taken advantage of the fragile truce to get thousands of their citizens out but some have warned their evacuation efforts are dependent on the lull in fighting holding. UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly urged Britons and their relatives in Sudan to use evacuation flights while they are still available before the ceasefire ends. A Saudi evacuation ship docked in the Red Sea port of Jeddah Thursday carrying 187 Sudan evacuees from 25 countries, including the United States, Russia and Turkey, the Saudi foreign ministry said. It was the eighth such crossing organised by Saudi Arabia since the start of the fighting and took the total evacuated to the kingdom so far to 2,544, only 119 of them Saudis, the ministry said. As lawlessness has gripped Sudan, there have been several jailbreaks, including from the high security Kober prison where top aides of ousted dictator Omar al-Bashir were held. Among those who have escaped is Ahmed Harun, wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the 2003 Darfur conflict. Haruns escape sparked fears of the involvement of Bashir loyalists in the ongoing fighting. The army said the ousted dictator was not among those who escaped but had been moved to a military hospital before the fighting erupted. Daglos RSF emerged from the Janjaweed militia, accused of carrying out atrocities against civilians during Bashirs brutal suppression of ethnic minority rebels in Darfur in the mid-2000s. Bashir was toppled by the military in April 2019 following civilian mass protests that raised hopes for a transition to democracy. The two generals had together seized power in a 2021 coup, but later fell out, most recently over the planned integration of the RSF into the regular army. Russia does not intend to take the path of nuclear escalation in its standoff with the West over Ukraine but others should not test its patience, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday. Her comments follow a flurry of warnings by senior Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, that Western military support for Ukraine is increasing the risks of a catastrophic nuclear conflict. We will do everything to prevent the development of events according to the worst scenario, but not at the cost of infringing on our vital interests," Zakharova told a regular news conference. I do not recommend that anybody doubt our determination and put it to the test in practice," she added. Russia has strongly criticised the supply of Western arms to Ukraine and the expansion of the NATO military alliance closer to its borders. Finland, which shares a long border with Russia, this month became the 31st member of NATO, while Ukraine itself also wishes to join, though it faces opposition from some countries. They (the United States) continue to deliberately infringe on our fundamental interests, deliberately generate risks and raise the stakes in the confrontation with Russia," said Zakharova. Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, a close Putin ally, said earlier this week that the world was quite probably on the verge of a new world war". Putin casts the 14-month war in Ukraine something he calls a special military operation" as an existential battle with an aggressive and arrogant West, and has said that Russia will use all available means to protect itself against any aggressor. The United States and its allies have condemned Russias war in Ukraine as an imperial land grab. Ukraine has vowed to fight until all Russian troops withdraw from its territory, and says Russian rhetoric on nuclear war is intended to intimidate the West into curbing military aid. Read all the Latest News here Ahead of the Quad summit in Sydney next month, UN Ambassadors from India, Japan, Australia and the United States met in New York on Wednesday to discuss multilateral cooperation on a range of shared interests and challenges. On May 24, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will host the Quad Leaders Summit and welcome his counterparts, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the third in-person summit. Ahead of the forthcoming Quad Leaders Summit in Sydney, UN Ambassadors from Quad countries met again in New York to discuss multilateral cooperation on a range of shared interests and challenges," the Indian mission at the UN tweeted. Ahead of the forthcoming Quad Leaders Summit in Sydney, UN Ambassadors from Quad countries met again in New York to discuss multilateral cooperation on a range of shared interests and challenges. pic.twitter.com/y4JGokiya9 India at UN, NY (@IndiaUNNewYork) April 26, 2023 The Quad is a diplomatic partnership of four countries committed to promoting stability, resilience and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, according to a press statement by the Australian government. Australia, India, Japan and the United States share a vision for a region that is governed by accepted rules and norms, where we all can cooperate, trade and thrive. Collectively, Quad partners are taking practical action to address shared regional challenges, including improving regional health security, advancing critical and emerging technologies, and boosting supply chain resilience. In Sydney, Quad Leaders will discuss how the Quad can work alongside partners and regional groupings, foremost ASEAN and the Pacific Islands Forum, to strengthen our cooperation and shape the region we all want to live in. Quad partners are deeply invested in the success of the Indo-Pacific. Leveraging our collective strengths helps Australia advance its interests and more effectively respond to the regions needs. We are always better off when we act together with our close friends and partners, Albanese said this week. He added that the Quad is committed to supporting an open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific that is respectful of sovereignty and ensures security and growth for all. Read all the Latest India News here One of the biggest ongoing stories in the entire gaming industry has finally come to a definitive close for now, at least. Microsoft's massive acquisition of gaming giant Activision has been officially blocked by the United Kingdom's Competition and Markets Authority after protracted proceedings and numerous complaints by rivals such as Sony, citing concerns over damaging competition. We've prevented @Microsoft from purchasing @Activision over concerns the deal would damage competition in the #CloudGaming market, leading to less innovation and choice for UK #gamers. https://t.co/SdXt1rYAkZ pic.twitter.com/prWcDI7Evt Competition & Markets Authority (@CMAgovUK) April 26, 2023 It seems we'll have to contend with just our usual number of megacorporations for the time being. As someone with no stake in the eternal console wars, I still see this as a good thing the fewer monopolies, the better, although Microsoft is already planning to appeal The state House in Pennsylvania has passed a bill recognizing the Hindu festival of Diwali as an official holiday, a US Senator from the Northeastern state said on Wednesday. The Senate voted unanimously to recognize Diwali as an official holiday! To all Pennsylvanians who celebrate this festival of light and connection: you are seen, you are welcome, you matter. Thank you, @rothman_greg, for the opportunity to join you in introducing this bill," Senator Nikil Saval tweeted. The PA House has passed a bill to officially recognize Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights. The bill was introduced by state Rep. Arvind Venkat of Pittsburghs North Hills. Venkat is the state Houses first Indian-American rep. https://t.co/9h4e4STb0U Ryan Deto (@RyanDeto) April 26, 2023 Two Pennsylvania senators have introduced legislation to make Diwali an official state holiday. The bill was introduced by State Senators Greg Rothman and Nikil Saval in February of this year. Senator Rothman emphasized that recognizing Diwali as an official state holiday upholds and celebrates the Commonwealths cultural diversity. Thousands of Pennsylvanians celebrate Diwali each year, including many residents of the 34th Senatorial District, Rothman said in a statement. Recognizing Diwali as an official state holiday upholds and celebrates our Commonwealths rich cultural diversity. For many of Pennsylvanias nearly 200,000 South Asian residents, the Diwali festival of light is a time of reflection and gathering. This year, Diwali will be observed on Nov. 12. The bill, cosponsored by Senator Nikil Saval, does not require school or government closings. The Senate voted unanimously to recognize Diwali as an official holiday! To all Pennsylvanians who celebrate this festival of light and connection: you are seen, you are welcome, you matter. Thank you, @rothman_greg, for the opportunity to join you in introducing this bill. pic.twitter.com/CU6mDb7dYk Senator Nikil Saval (@SenatorSaval) April 26, 2023 Our Commonwealths official recognition of Diwali sends a clear message of inclusion to the thousands of Pennsylvanians who celebrate this festival of light and connection each year: you are seen, you are welcome, you matter, Saval said. Im grateful to my colleague, Senator Rothman, for initiating this bill on behalf of his constituents, and on behalf of all of Pennsylvanias nearly 200,000 South Asian residents. It is fitting that this time for reflection on the endless struggle of light over darkness be extended statewide. Read all the Latest News here Feeling lonely? Head to the Tomodachi ga Yatteru Cafe in Tokyo, where actors and models ply their thespian talents to feign familiarity and affection towards the clientele. Customers are enveloped in a comforting cocoon of illusion, where they are greeted with enthusiastic exhortations like "You've come!" evoking the warm embrace of a bosom buddy's cafe. At the Tomodachi ga Yatteru Cafe, a synthetic form of companionship is distilled and served up, one carefully crafted illusion at a time. Your designated server, playing the role of the confidant, inquires with studied nonchalance, "Would you like the one you always drink?" Should you acquiesce to this charming deception, you'll find yourself the recipient of a randomly selected libation. But should you choose to steer the narrative, you can select from a coded lexicon of phrases printed on the menu. Utter the incantation, "What was that flower-filled cocktail I drank the other day?" and you'll be served a Floral Spumoni. Or sigh, "I've been wanting to drink Resawa since yesterday," to receive a Craft Lemon Sour. At 1400 Yen, the drinks are on the expensive side, but that's not what you are paying for. Asa Hutchinson, former governor of Arkansas, had already said he was seeking the Republican nomination for president. But saying that in interviews didn't give him a chance to lay out his policy goals or assess his competition. On Monday, Hutchinson delivered a formal announcement in Bentonville, his hometown, that included much of that, NBC News reports. What it did not include was a critical word directly about former President Donald Trump, the apparent front-runner for the party's nomination. Instead, the 24-minute speech concentrated on President Biden. Hutchinson, 72, was governor for eight years, ending in January. "I stand alone in terms of my experience, my record and leadership," Hutchinson said Monday. He's also held a job in the Department of Homeland Security, was head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, and served in Congress. "This campaign is about courage. It is about making the tough decisions ... and we've got our work cut out for us," Hutchinson told the crowd. The issues on which he disagrees with Biden's record include the economy, border security, crime, and foreign policy, he said, per USA Today. Biden's administration "has turned its back on the American worker," he said. Without naming Trump, whom he has called on to drop out of the race, Hutchinson did distance himself from the isolationist approach of the former president during his term. "Isolationism only leads to weakness and weakness leads to war," he said. "Americans want peace and the best way to secure and preserve peace is to have the most prepared military in the world." (Read more Asa Hutchinson stories.) Red Team Blues is the newest novel from Cory Doctorow, former co-editor of Boing Boing, and the first of the new trilogy centered on Martin Hench, a forensic accountant who's hacked together a scrappy lifestyle for himself by un-hacking financial crimes. It's also a remarkably accessible examination of the inherent criminality of international finance, but in a way that radiates with a surprising sense of optimism (yes really). The essential thrust of the story is that Marty is hired by an old friend of his, a Silicon Valley billionaire named Danny Lazer who tried to create a cryptocurrency that could be used for good, and only good. Non-spoiler alert: this doesn't go so well, which is why he needs Marty to recover the missing laptop with the keys to the blockchain. While the 67-year-old Marty leads a comfortable enough life, this job could make him wealthy enough for a very comfortable retirement. That is, if he's not killed first by any of the people who want the blockchain keys. This being a financial crime technothriller, you as a reader are expecting something fishy from the start. And sure, you'll find plenty of shady behavior in this book! But the thing that makes Red Team Blues feel surprisingly subversive is that it's not a twist-after-twist, trust-no-one sort of thriller, with constantly shifting allegiances paid off by oligarchs and government officials. Instead, Doctorow deftly illustrates that sometimes, fundamentally good people can still find themselves wittingly acting as pawns for the labyrinthine schemes of global capitalism. From DHS agents to criminal lawyers, the cast of characters that Marty Hench encounters are mostly decent people, who have found a way to make their living by enabling the corruption that makes the world go 'round, such as violent international crime syndicates. What's that saying? There's no ethical consumption under capitalism? Perhaps so. But Marty Hench still believes you can (and should) do the least worst damage along the way. Even as he learns the hard way that the mere act of existing while being extraordinarily wealthy leads to harrowing moral compromises. Stylistically, Red Team Blues feels like a spiritual successor to Doctorow's Little Brother but unlike a YA novel, awe-struck at the wonders of a young person's firsts in life, Red Team Blues is centered on a 67-year-old white dude gearing up for retirement. I find this aspect of the book to refreshingly subversive, too. Marty's old enough that he's learned to accept a lot of things as just the way things are. But he's also humble enough to realize that the way things are could and should be better, too. Sure, he's in late 60s, with plenty of experience and expertise to show for it. But Marty also demonstrates a capacity to learn and grow. Being a book about wealth and crime that's set in Silicon Valley, it perhaps shouldn't be surprising that Marty's adventures bring him in contact with some unhoused people living in San Francisco. Even then, Marty thinks he knows what to expect, but is open-minded enough to be humbled when he realizes just how little he can actually wrap his head around the experience and indignity of being unhoused. Marty might be good at tracing financial transactions, but he's also got a lot to learn about how actual economics work, and that becomes a running motif in the book, too. That's not the only refreshing quality about Marty as a protagonist, either. Yes, he's an older white dude, riffing on the idea of being pulled back for "one last job." But he's no chiseled action hero, and has to use his aging brain to deal with the threats on his life. And his sexual and romantic entanglements largely revolve around women who are also around his age. I can't think of many other thriller novels that involve booty calls from sexagenarians. So we have a financial thriller about crypto centered around an older guy who faces off against a bunch of people who are fundamentally decent despite the fact that their lives are rooted in the exploitations of capitalism (excluding the international crime syndicates at the center of it all. sort of). That might not sound like the most gripping, high-octane adventure and yet, Red Team Blues is one of the books that you want to breeze through. I kept picking it up at bedtime, and then getting mad at myself when I realized it was after midnight again. It might sound strange to describe a book about a 67-year-old guy scouring financial spreadsheets as "unputdownable," but, well, Red Team Blues is damn near unputdownable. You can find Red Team Blues by Cory Doctorow at Bookshop.org, or, yes, at Amazon (unless you want the audiobook) Airline passengers complained a lot last yearand they had a lot to complain about, according to a report from the Public Interest Research Group. The group says complaints against US and foreign airlines, travel agents, and tour operators hit 77,656 in 2022, more than five times the number in 2019, NBC reports. The only year with more complaints in records going back to 1997 was 2020, with 103,000 complaintsand last year, unlike in the first year of the pandemic, most of the complaints were against US airlines, not foreign ones. The airline with the highest passenger complaint rate was Frontier Airlines, which had 20.26 complaints per 100,000 passengers, more than double the rate of Spirit Airlines, which had 10.1 complaints per 100,000 passengers, according to Department of Transportation statistics. JetBlue was third with 8.96. At the bottom of the table of US airlines, Seattle-based Horizon Airlines had just 1.09 complaints per 100,000 passengers. PIRG said Denver-based Frontier also had the worst record for involuntarily bumping passengers off flights, CBS reports. Delays and cancellations caused the highest number of complaints, followed by issues with refunds and lost or mishandled luggage. Federal officials say more than 190,000 domestic flights were canceled last year and another 1.4 million, though airline industry groups say the disruption was mostly weather-related and out of airlines' control. "Air travel is just a mess right now, said Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog at US PIRG Education Fund and author of the report. "Airlines often post unrealistic schedules, they cancel flights and they drag their feet with refunds. Airlines and online ticket agents just dont face enough consequences when they abuse customers. (Read more Frontier Airlines stories.) Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky hasn't had a phone call with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but that changed Wednesday with a conversation that Zelensky describes as "long and meaningful." Per the Guardian, aides say the call on the Telegram app between Zelensky and Xi lasted about an hour, and Zelensky notes the two talked about "possible cooperation to reach a fair and sustainable peace" regarding the Russian-driven war. Zelensky noted in a tweet afterward that Ukraine will also be appointing an ambassador to China that would also "give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations." Xi, for his part, vowed to send a delegation to Ukraine to get peace talks going that might help lead to a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. However, the Chinese leader also suggested that his country still sought to remain neutral in its involvement, noting that China "will neither watch the fire from afar, nor add fuel to the flames, let alone exploit the situation for profit," per the Chinese readout from the call. The Washington Post describes that remark as "an apparent swipe at the United States," as "nationalist Chinese commentators often accuse American arms dealers of profiteering from the war in Ukraine." Xi was also careful during the call to not use the word "war" (except for one instance when he referred to "nuclear war"): Instead, he repeatedly referred to what's going on within Ukraine's borders as a "crisis," per the Guardian. The Post notes that China could be a "possible game changer" in the conflict, and some European Union nations, including France, have been imploring Xi to get more involved, as it has more influence over Russia than most other nations. Xi visited Russian President Vladimir Putin last month, and Zelensky had been trying to get the former to meet with him even before that trip to Moscow. One thing that won't be happening, whether China enters the picture more or not, per Zelensky: giving up on any lost Ukrainian territory. "The territorial integrity of Ukraine must be restored within the 1991 borders," he said during his call with Xi, according to readout cited by the Guardian. As for Russia's take on the phone call, that country's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday, "We note the readiness of the Chinese side to make efforts to establish a negotiation process." (Read more Volodymyr Zelensky stories.) A "very funny situation" in the Bergdorf Goodman department store developed into anything but when Donald Trump followed E. Jean Carroll into a dressing room and raped her in 1996, the writer testified in court Wednesday. Breaking down in tears at various points during the hours-long testimony, the former Elle advice columnist said she'd run into Trump, whom she'd met previously and liked, and was happy to accept his request for advice on buying a gift for a woman, per Mother Jones. Then he held up a sheer bodysuit and asked Carroll to try it on, she said. "I had no intention of putting it on. I said, 'You put it on, it's your color,'" she said, per the Guardian. "He said, 'Let's go try it on,'" Carroll continued. "The comedy was escalating." Then Trump held open a dressing room door. "That open door has plagued me for years, because I just walked into it," Carroll said. Trump followed and "shoved me so hard my head banged," she said. Pinning her against a wall, he pulled down her tights and put his hand under her skirt, even as she tried to push him off, she testified. "His finger went into my vagina, which was extremely painful," Carroll said. "As I sit here today, I can still feel it. Then he inserted his penis." "My whole reason for being alive at that moment was to get out of the room," she continued, adding she was able to raise a knee and get away. She said she then called a friend, Lisa Birnbach, who told her to go to the police. But Carroll sided with another friend who advised, "Keep it to yourself, he has 200 lawyers, he'll bury you," Carroll recalled. She described the guilt and shame she experienced in the aftermath. "I thought it was my fault. Because I was flirting with him, because I was laughing," she said. She also described how she lost her job and suffered a "staggering" amount of hate after she wrote about the encounter in 2019 and Trump denied it had even happened. She said she regretted coming forward "about 100 times but, in the end, being able to get my day in court finally is everything." "I'm not settling a political score. I'm settling a personal score," she added. Carrollwhose lawyers will present the infamous Access Hollywood tape as evidence that Trump admitted to grabbing women's genitals without consent, per Slateis set to be cross-examined by Trump's attorneys on Thursday. (Read more E. Jean Carroll stories.) If you've ever dreamed of owning your own herd of rhinos and you have a spare $10 million or so, you have until May 1 to place a bid for a farm in South Africa that's home to a large share of the world's surviving white rhinos. The farm being auctioned off by conservationist John Hume has a herd of 2,000 of the animals, believed to be 13% to 15% of the remaining wild population, NPR reports. The 81-year-old hotel tycoon says he has spent $150 million of his own money on the rhinos over the years and he can no longer afford to spend $425,000 a month on expenses, including heavy security. There has also been a funding shortfall for plans to release around 100 of the rhinos into the wild across Africa every year. "I'm hoping that there is a billionaire that would rather save the population of rhinos from extinction than own a superyacht," Hume tells CBS News. "Maybe somebody for whom $5 million a year is small change." The farm is on around 33 square miles of land in an undisclosed location in South Africa's North West province. Other animals, including five hippos and 11 giraffes, are included in the sale. Hume says the inclusion of the farm's 11 tons of rhino horns is negotiable. The project started as an effort to create a farm where horns could be sawed off live rhinos and sold legally, thereby keeping the price down and reducing the incentive for poachers, who kill hundreds of rhinos in South Africa's national parks every year. "From a rhino point of view, it was definitely worth it," Hume says of the project. "There are many more rhinos on Earth than when I started the project." Bidding started this week at $10 million, and Hume says he would like the buyer to be "a person or foundation with a passion for conserving rhinos and the means to keep the breeding project going." Experts say the South African government would probably block the sale if it suspected the buyer planned to use the animals in Chinese traditional medicine, National Geographic reports. (Read more rhinoceros stories.) Earlier this month, Don Carmignani, San Francisco's ex-fire commissioner, was brutally attacked in the city's Marina District, with cellphone video showing him being beaten by another man wielding some sort of metal weapon. Garret Allen Doty, a 24-year-old homeless man, was arrested in the case and now faces multiple felony charges. However, Doty's public defender says the attack was actually self-defense, and that new evidence has emerged showing Carmignani may be behind a string of unsolved attacks against San Francisco's homeless community, reports KGO. Carmignani, 52, was beaten so badly with a metal rod during the April 5 incident that he ended up with serious head injuries, including a fractured skull. Per CBS News, he says he and his mother called 911 just hours before the attack to report three homeless people had set up a camp outside his mother's home and threatened them. Carmignani says no law enforcement ever showed, and that the attack was spurred when he asked the group to leave. However, public defender Kleigh Hathaway now says her client, Doty, was only trying to protect himself after Carmignani had gone after him with bear spray, and that Carmignani may actually be behind as many as eight other similar attacks on homeless people around the city, all within four blocks of Carmignani's home. KPIX has video that Hathaway alleges shows Carmignani aggressively turning his can of bear spray on a man sleeping on the sidewalk in November 2021. He did so "not just passing by, but focusing on the victim's face," Hathaway says, calling the video "shocking," per KGO. She adds that her office was given this new evidence by police and the district attorney because they thought Carmignani might be tied to the unsolved attacks. Carmignani, for his part, tells the station that it isn't him in that video, and that he wasn't the one who instigated the April 5 attack. "I used the spray as self-defense," he says. Carmignani wasn't in court on Wednesday for a preliminary hearing in the case against Doty, and the judge noted that if Carmignani doesn't show in court on Thursday, he'll order prosecutors to drop the case, per CBS. Meanwhile, Doty could face up to seven years behind bars if he's convicted of the charges against him, which include assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery with serious bodily injury, and assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury. (Read more homeless stories.) We use cookies. By Clicking "OK" or any content on this site, you agree to allow cookies to be placed. Read more in our privacy policy Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is facing up to 65 additional years in prison on new, unsubstantiated charges of extremism and orchestrating "terrorist attacks," according to his team. Navalny, one of Vladimir Putin's most outspoken critics, is currently serving a nine-year sentence following a 2022 conviction for large-scale fraud. He's also to stand trial for extremism charges, for which he could face up to 30 additional years in prison, likely at the end of May, Navalny spokesperson Kira Yarmysh wrote Wednesday on Twitter, per CNN, adding separate terrorism charges could mean another 35 years of incarceration. Russia's Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against Navalny after a Moscow court labeled his Anti-Corruption Foundation as an extremist group in 2021. A hearing on the resulting extremism charges took place at Moscow's Basmanny District Court on Wednesday. That's when Yarmysh complained that new charges had been brought. ACF's director, Ivan Zhdanov, says all of the foundation's founders are facing terrorism charges related to comments Navalny's chief of staff, Leonid Volkov, made about Putin in a YouTube video last year. But Zhdanov says the charges also relate to the April 2 bombing of a St. Petersburg cafe, which killed a pro-Russian military blogger. Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee has claimed the attack was planned by the special services of Ukraine with the help from the ACFa claim the foundation denies. This comes as Navalny's health continues to deteriorate inside Penal Colony No. 2 east of Moscow. He's said to have rapidly lost weight in recent weeks while complaining about a lack of medical care. His daughter, Daria Navalnaya, has more recently claimed prison authorities are limiting the amount of food he can eat, per CNN. Citing information from lawyers, she says oats purchased by Navalny "are brought to him, shown to him, and then are just destroyed." Amid a crackdown on dissent in Russia, another high-profile dissident is facing prison time for speaking negatively of Russian troops, the BBC reports. (Read more Alexei Navalny stories.) The former wife of a senior police officer in Thailand is suspected of being a serial killer with more than a dozen victims. Authorities believe Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn started killing people she knew, including two female police officers, with cyanide in 2020, the BBC reports. Police say the 36-year-old had a bottle of cyanide in her possession when she was arrested in Bangkok Tuesday. Sararat was arrested two weeks after the death of a friend who collapsed and died next to a river after traveling there with Sararat for a Buddhist ritual. Traces of cyanide were found in the woman's body and possessions including her phone and bags were missing. Deputy National Police Chief Surachate Hakparn said Thursday that police are now investigating 13 suspicious deaths linked to Sararat, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports. He said a 14th person survived after throwing up poisoned food. "The suspect lured her latest victim into eating herbs, and around 20 minutes later she collapsed," the chief said. Police say Sararat apparently bought the cyanide online. She will face numerous chargesincluding premeditated murder with intent to steal property, poisoning, and theft some of which carry a potential death penalty, police say. Investigators believe Sararat's main motive was financial gain. Some of her alleged victims had loaned her money, the Bangkok Post reports. Sararat, a mother of two, is four months pregnant. According to Thai media, she was divorced from her police officer husband last year and got together with a new boyfriend, who is among her alleged victims. Friends said the man collapsed after having a meal with Sararat last month and died later that day. Video posted on social media showed Sararat holding her birthday party the same night. (Read more serial killer stories.) Jerry Springer, considered both a legend and villain of daytime TV, has died at age 79, reports TMZ. He'd been diagnosed with cancer a few months ago and died in his home in suburban Chicago, according to the outlet and WLWT of Cincinnati. Springer rose to national fame with his Jerry Springer Show, which ran for nearly three decades starting in 1991 and became what Variety calls "TV's most controversial show." Prior to that, he served as mayor of Cincinnati in 1977 before becoming a news anchor and commentator at WLWT. Springer also hosted a short-lived Judge Jerry show after Springer went off the air in 2018. "Jerry's ability to connect with people was at the heart of his success in everything he tried, whether that was politics, broadcasting, or just joking with people on the street who wanted a photo or a word," Jene Galvin, a spokesman for the family, tells WLWT. "He's irreplaceable and his loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart, and humor will live on." Variety has a more critical take: "There is nothing about The Jerry Springer Show to be applaudedafter all, his guests, representing an enormous variety of lifestyles deviating from what is perceived as the norm, were packaged as freaks and brought onstage to be mocked by the audience, and to be (at least seemingly) sternly judged by Springer." But the same Variety story includes a 2014 assessment of TV critic Todd VanDerWerff, who saw some benefit to the show: "By simply allowing all of these people onto televisioneven if they were there to slot into certain preformed narrativesthe series casually opened the door to a nation that was not as white bread as it desperately insisted it was." As TMZ notes, the "raucous and wild" show was famous for Springer's fans chanting, "Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!" during the broadcast. (Read more Jerry Springer stories.) The white woman who accused Black teenager Emmett Till of making improper advances before he was lynched in Mississippi in 1955 has died in hospice care in Louisiana, a coroner's report shows. Carolyn Bryant Donham was 88. Donham died Tuesday night in Westlake, Louisiana, according to a death report filed Thursday in Calcasieu Parish Coroners Office in Louisiana, per the AP. Tills kidnapping and killing became a catalyst for the civil rights movement when his mother insisted on an open-casket funeral in their hometown of Chicago after his brutalized body was pulled from a river in Mississippi. Jet magazine published photos. Till traveled from Chicago to visit relatives in Mississippi in August 1955. Donhamthen named Carolyn Bryantaccused him of making improper advances on her at a grocery store in the small community of Money. The Rev. Wheeler Parker, a cousin of Till who was there, has said 14-year-old Till whistled at the woman, an act that flew in the face of Mississippis racist social codes of the era. Evidence indicates a woman, possibly Donham, identified Till to her then-husband Roy Bryant and his half-brother JW Milam, who killed the teenager. An all-white jury acquitted the two white men in the killing, but the men later confessed in an interview with Look magazine. In an unpublished memoir, Donham said she was unaware of what would happen to the 14-year-old Till. Donham was 21 at the time. Historian and author Timothy Tyson of Durhamwho said he obtained a copy of the 99-page manuscript, titled I am More Than A Wolf Whistle, from Donham while interviewing her in 2008provided a copy to the AP in 2022. Tyson had placed the manuscript in an archive at the University of North Carolina with the agreement that it not be made public for decades, though he said he gave it to the FBI during an investigation the agency concluded last year. He said he decided to make it public following the recent discovery of an arrest warrant on kidnapping charges that was issued for Donham in 1955 but never served. (Read more obituary stories.) Ron DeSantis was making a political statement when he launched his attacks against The Walt Disney Company, trying to strip them of their Reedy Creek development district. Disney dared speak out against Florida's "Don't Say Gay" laws, and that was it. DeSantis decided to posture as if he were somehow forcing a large donor and one of Florida's largest employers to bow to his discriminatory demands. Now DeSantis finds himself slapped with a First Amendment lawsuit. MSNBC's Steve Rattner gleefully walks us through a series of charts that show just how big a mistake DeSantis and his Republican cohort are making while discussing the legal jeopardy created for Florida. Disney was never a left-leaning woke company. However, Disney is a beaming example of a powerful corporation with many of the most expensive lawyers known for corporate lawyering. This will be a long and ugly battle that may well outlast Ron. DeSantis has turned Disney from a GOP donor into a problem for his future political hopes. Rather than look like a mighty hero, Ol' Puddin' Ron looks like a jerk. William Martys was doing yardwork earlier this month when his next-door neighbor, Ettore Lacchei, approached him, evidently to complain about the noise his leaf blower was making. When sheriff's deputies arrived, they found Martys, 59, had been shot in the head. The Antioch, Illinois, man died of his wounds, USA Today reports. Lacchei, 79, was arrested this week in the April 12 shooting; he has been charged with first-degree murder. The Lake County Sheriff's Office said an investigation found that Lacchei had "various perceived grievances with Martys." (Read more murder charges stories.) Brittney Griner held her first press conference Thursday since being freed from Russian detention in December, and she made a pledge few could fault: "I'm never going overseas to play again unless I'm representing my country at the Olympics," the WNBA star told reporters in Phoenix, per People. "If I make that team, that would be the only time I would leave the US soil." The 32-year-old now plays for the league's Phoenix Mercury. Other topics: Money: Griner said she previously traveled to Russia to play in order to make extra money. A lot of us go over there to make an income, to support our families, to support ourselves," she said, per CNN. "So I dont knock any player that wants to go overseas ... to make a little bit extra money." She said she hoped the WNBA would grow, making it possible for players to make more and avoid that necessity. Gershkovich: Griner said her management team has been in contact with the family of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained by Russia in late March. Her team has been "sharing knowledge" with the reporter's family, she said, per the New York Times. It goes a long way because I mean, youre in foreign territory and youre in unknown waters. So theres a lot ... that we might know that they didnt know so theres been a lot of communication between both teams. Griner said her management team has been in contact with the family of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained by Russia in late March. Her team has been "sharing knowledge" with the reporter's family, she said, per the New York Times. It goes a long way because I mean, youre in foreign territory and youre in unknown waters. So theres a lot ... that we might know that they didnt know so theres been a lot of communication between both teams. Choked up: The first question from a reporter, about where Griner found the "resiliency" to endure her detention, caused Griner to choke up, notes TMZ, which has video. (Read more Brittney Griner stories.) South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol urged ever more strengthening of the US-led security alliance against nuclear-armed North Korea on Thursday, drawing cheers from Congress as he saluted the "great American heroes" who helped preserve his country's democracy in the Korean War. Democratic and Republican lawmakers rose to their feet again and again to applaud during Yoon's address to a joint meeting of the House and Senate, in a speech that stressed security cooperation at a time of increased tension with both North Korea and China. Yoon also cited US-Korean high-tech trade ties creating thousands of jobs in the US. Yoon praised the US-South Korea security partnership since the Korean War seven decades ago as "the linchpin safeguarding our freedom, peace and prosperity," the AP reports. Lawmakers roared with approval when the South Korean leader closed with, "God bless our alliance." They flocked to him afterward on the House floor, pressing him to sign their written copies of his address. Yoon's visit to Washington has focused on efforts by both countries and other allies in the Indo-Pacific to make their forces stronger, more nimble, better positioned and more resilient in the event of conflict in the region. On Wednesday, Yoon and President Biden announced an agreement for intensified nuclear deterrence to counter any North Korean threat. Biden issued a blunt warning that a nuclear attack would "result in the end of whatever regime" took such action. North Korea over the past year has carried out a record number of ballistic missile launches, demonstrating its ability to strike targets near and far, per the AP. The US-South Korean deterrence effort announced this week calls for periodically docking U.S. nuclear-armed submarines in South Korea for the first time in decades and bolstering training between the two countries. On Thursday, Yoon paid tribute to the nearly 40,000 American troops who died helping South Korea's democratic government fight back an attempted takeover by the communist north in the 1950s. "Korea will never forget the great American heroes who fought with us to defend freedom," he said. He singled out the granddaughter of one such veteran, Col. William Weber. Dayne Weber stood and waved from the House Gallery in response, placing her hand over her heart as lawmakers applauded. Col. Weber lost an arm and leg in 1951 defending Wonju, roughly 50 miles east of Seoul. He died last year, after successfully advocating for completion of the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington. (State dinner includes a slice of "American Pie.") The Taliban's systematic discrimination against women and girls in Afghanistan has brought a rare instance of unanimity to the UN Security Council. A resolution approved Thursday condemns the bias and demands Afghanistan's leaders overturn their policies prohibiting the education, employment, and full public participation of women and girls. "The world will not stand by silently as the women of Afghanistan are erased from society," said Lana Nusseibeh, the United Arab Emirates' ambassador to the UN. She called the resolution an "unequivocal message of condemnation." The resolution is legally binding under international law. The measure doesn't say what any punishment for violations might be, but in most cases, the Security Council can impose sanctions on governments that do not comply with its resolutions. The Taliban has increasingly limited the rights of girls and women since taking power in August 2021. In the past year, their education after sixth grade has been prohibited. The Taliban also prohibits the UN from employing women in Afghanistan, which increased pressure for a binding UN resolution, per the AP. Diplomats told the Times that UN negotiations over the resolution were lengthy. Still, it received all 15 votes, getting the US, China, and Russia to agree on something in the final days of Russia's Security Council presidency, a post that rotates. More than 90 nations cosponsored the measure, which calls on all nations to pressure the Taliban for change. "We will not stand for the Taliban's repression if women and girls," Robert Wood, US deputy ambassador, told the council. (Read more Taliban stories.) Sorry! This content is not available in your region We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. A 32-year-old man is in court after attempting to sell a dismembered member at a shopping mall in Butterworth, South Africa. The penis did not belong to the seller but rather a 68-year-old man who is currently in the hospital. From the TimesLive: The suspect appeared in court on Monday and the case is due to be transferred to Mthatha, where he is expected to face a charge of attempted murder, said [police spokesperson Majola] Nkohli. Provincial police commissioner Lt-Gen Nomthetheleli Mene praised the community for arresting the suspect. "This is a despicable and cruel act. The actions of the suspect are inhumane and justice must take its course," Mene said. Yesterday, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), testified in front of Congress on COVID-19 school closures. C-SPAN explains that Ms. Weingarten: testified on what influence her organization had on school closures during the pandemic, before a House subcommittee. Ms. Weingarten testified that the AFT's goal "was to have clear guidance" from scientists in order for schools to safely reopen. When asked by Republicans about AFT's communications with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), she said the AFT met with the CDC on January 29, 2021, to review best practices for reopening schools, and the CDC incorporated the AFT's suggestion about providing reasonable accommodations for immunocompromised individuals. Moreover, Democratic representatives came to Ms. Weingarten's defense, saying the CDC consulted with more than 50 organizations about the issuenot just the AFTand 95% of schools were reopened by the end of May 2021, up from about 50% in January. During the hearings, Representative Robert Garcia, who represents California's 42nd Congressional District (which includes Long Beach and Southeast LA), is President of the Democratic Freshman Class, and who "is proud to serve as the first openly LGBTQ foreign-born member of Congress," objected to a particularly foul line of questioning from Georgia's Marjorie Taylor Greene. He tweeted a video of the exchange, with the text, "When Marjorie Taylor Greene says that adopted or parents through marriage aren't real parents, you'll be damn sure I'll object." I transcribed the exchange so you don't have to listen to Marjorie Taylor Greene: Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene: Are you a mother? Randi Weingarten: I am a mother by marriage. MTG: By marriage, I see. RW: And my wife is here with me, and I'm really glad that she's here. MTG: Ms. Weingarten, I'm reclaiming my time, I didn't ask you a question. What I'd like to talk about is your recommendations to the CDC as not a medical doctor, not a biological mother, and, really, not a teacher either. You had no business advising the CDC what the medical guidelines were for school closures. Because now we have a nation of school children who have suffered because of it. The problem is, people like you need to admit that you're just a political activistnot a teacher, not a mother, and not a medical doctor. Representative Robert Garcia: I just want to make the note that the decorum of the attacks on the witness were unacceptable that the gentlelady from Georgia just did. It would be nice if we didn't attack the witnesses, particularly making a decision about whether or not she's a mother. You ARE a mother, thank you for being a great parent, thank you. Avangrid confirmed Wednesday it plans to restart construction of its planned New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line in Maine to tap hydropower in Canada after a jury verdict that the Orange-based company could proceed despite a 2021 voter referendum to block the project. It is a major win for renewable energy advocates in New England, with the lines designed to carry half as much more power than Avangrid's Park City Wind farm that will be staged out of Bridgeport. Avangrid attorneys argued successfully that it had already poured substantial funds into the project when the referendum was held, saddling Avangrid with an unfair financial burden. Speaking Wednesday morning on a conference call, Avangrid executives said the verdict could still be appealed but that they were communicating with contractors and dam operator Hydro-Quebec about a timeline to recommence construction. Maine voters had been swayed by arguments that the project would cause environmental harm by clearing trees to erect towers for the transmission lines running 150 miles through Maine wilderness, including mountain terrain and a stretch of the Kennebec River valley. Avangrid and its allies noted the company is using an existing line corridor for more than half of the route and maintained that the benefits to New England's emissions targets outweighed the downsides of removing additional trees to extend and widen the corridor and the impact of 95-foot-tall towers spoiling scenic vistas going forward. "We think it's the best project to build for New England in order to help Massachusetts, Maine and all of New England meet its clean energy future," said Catherine Stempien, CEO of Avangrid Networks, speaking Wednesday morning on a conference call. "We're excited to restart construction." A Canadian official told the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources last year that Quebec's electricity costs are 30 percent less than other G7 nations and that they have been immune to the price spikes New England has seen as natural gas markets have been disrupted during Russia's military campaign in Ukraine. Through its Avangrid Renewables subsidiary based in Oregon, Avangrid is one of the nation's largest developers of renewable power generation spanning wind and solar. The company is readying to drive the first monopile foundation this spring for Vineyard Wind off the Massachusetts coast, which will be the first utility-scale offshore wind farm in the United States. Construction of Park City Wind will follow next year to supply renewable power for Connecticut. In Connecticut, Avangrid subsidiaries include United Illuminating, Connecticut Natural Gas and Connecticut Southern Gas. The company is spearheading the New England Clean Energy Connect through its Central Maine Power transmission subsidiary. While Massachusetts homeowners and businesses will purchase electricity from the Maine transmission lines it will be sufficient for the energy needs of a million homes the project will provide another major source of renewable power in the territory of ISO New England, the nonprofit that coordinates the supply of electricity in Connecticut. Gov. Ned Lamont's administration is backing a separate project to build a hydropower transmission line between Quebec and Vermont to benefit the New England grid. Includes prior reporting by Brian Lockhart, Luther Turmelle and the Associated Press. WETHERSFIELD The mother of a nonverbal former student with autism has sued the Board of Education and the transportation company that serves the school district, contending a bus monitor punched her son in the head last year. The woman says Glastonbury-based Access Transportation Solutions and Wethersfield school leaders were negligent and careless and failed to keep her son safe, according to the lawsuit filed in state Superior Court in Hartford. The school district and Access have refused to turn over video of the incident, the woman's attorney, Brennen Maki, said Wednesday. Maki said he is seeking the video through the discovery process because it promises to "shed a lot of light" on what happened aboard the bus on May 6, 2022. The school district did not respond to a request for comment. The bus company's attorney, Kevin Greene, said he could not comment on a pending legal matter. The suit says the monitor, who is not named, "suddenly, and without justification," struck the 18-year-old student in the back of his head. The student's father was waiting for him that day when he came off the bus crying and ran into the house, Maki said. The bus driver, Maki said, "was extremely upset" and told the father "words to the effect, 'I'm done with this,'" and told the father that he should hire a lawyer and call the police. The young man could not tell his parents what happened, but they met with representatives of the school board and learned their son was strapped into his seat, Maki said. The student, according to what Maki called "a basic understanding" of the incident, may have been straining or pushing on the seat "and maybe that caused this guy to do what he did." Maki said the monitor was described as 6-foot-2 and weighing about 300 pounds. He said the video will be a critical piece of evidence that he expects to receive as the filing deadline approaches in about a month. "The family first and foremost wants to understand what happened to their son," he said. The former student suffered a head injury, swelling, emotional upset, shock and trauma and has impaired the young man's "ability to pursue and enjoy life's activities," the suit said. Asked if the state Department of Children and Families investigated the incident, spokesperson Ken Mysogland said the agency typically investigates incidents of abuse and neglect affecting children under age 18. At the time the alleged incident, the student "was beyond the age of what DCF has the statutory authority to investigate," Mysogland said. A spokesperson for Wethersfield police could not be reached about whether they investigated the incident. When you are 21, there arent many dates to remember in your life. Three of mine were in the past 21 months. Start with Aug. 15, 2021, with the fall of Kabul to the Taliban. It was a scary city, quiet. No one was out in the streets. Our house was in downtown Kabul, a place which was often crowded on weekdays and weekends, but not after that. I invited a couple of friends to my house to play video games and listen to music that night. When my friends got back to their home, they called to tell me that everyone in their house had fled to Canada. The U.S. evacuation had started on the same night the Taliban took over. SEE ALSO: The story of Afghan artisan families who flet the Taliban and relocated to Connecticut. We tried to get out the next day with a couple of friends. One was a pilot, a friend who had contacts at the gate to help us get in. But the U.S. military didnt know him. We tried a week later and I managed to get on an overcrowded Air Force C-17 cargo plane with some of my uncles family. You saw the pictures of the 800 people crammed on a plane? I was one of them. My parents and siblings planned to leave the next day, but the bombing at the airport made it too dangerous. I knew we were going to the U.S., but I had no idea where or how long it would take. We arrived in Kuwait at 8:30 a.m. local time; the weather was hair-dryer hot. We stayed five days for background checks with Homeland Security. Then it was a 15-hour trip to the U.S. on Aug. 31, 2021, on a commercial plane. I slept through all three meals. We arrived at 6 a.m. at Dulles International Airport. Before we arrived, we were wondering how it would be to live in America. Where should we go? How do you take a taxi? But when I landed in America, I smelled freedom! I felt like I could do anything in this country. We went to Fort Pickett, Va. (redesignated as Fort Barfoot in March) the next day for background checks, medical screening, housing and other processing. I was one of the first 100 people to arrive and among the last to leave. Fifteen thousand Afghans were processed there, and by the time I left, there were just 120. It was frustrating that people who arrived after us got out sooner than we did. At Pickett, I made new friends of Afghans, Marines and, especially, Graciela Stevens. A bus driver at the base, she bought me an iPhone 13. After months on the base good thing I could talk with family and friends all over the world on WhatsApp I finally received clearance to fly. Arriving at Bradley International Airport on Jan. 28, 2022, I was met by Eileen and Jerry Monaghan, my sponsors through the Sponsor Circles program which connects Americans and Afghans resettling in the U.S. It was our first time meeting. Although they had a culturally appropriate meal waiting for me at their home, my first meal was a McDonalds spicy chicken sandwich. After a tour of New Milford, Western Connecticut State University and Canterbury School in my first days, the first few months were boring, while Jerry and I waded through all the paperwork to get established. But then life got very busy. The people in New Milford are amazing, and now its home! I started translating and interpreting for New Milford Refugee Resettlement (NMRR) and Washington Refugee Resettlement Project (WRRP) in March 2022. They are supporting two Afghan families in New Milford (the Malikzadas and the Awrangs) and needed translation for school registry for kids, medical visits, and working with the media. With the help of WRRPs Martha Bernstein, I got a job as a service representative at Union Savings Bank in New Milford. I also deliver for DoorDash. I completed my first semester at WestConn, studying accounting. At first, it was hard for me to understand the professor, but then I recorded the class for two weeks and got better. My first two classes were mathematics and accounting. Im also thinking of taking photography classes. With two generous donations from wonderful people, I got a car. Before I got my license and car, the Monaghans drove me to work and school for almost seven months. I cant find the right word to describe my appreciation. I applied for asylum this past October, and it was approved in early April. Next we can work on getting my family out of Afghanistan. My parents and five siblings are still in Kabul. My father owns a private school; he cannot keep it because the Taliban keeps adding new rules every day. He also was a subcontractor at an American camp. Hasina, my sister, was in dental school; she recently was banned from school. Ahmad, my brother is in the 12th grade; Hadisa, my sister, was in eighth grade, and is also now banned from school; my youngest sister, Bahar, was in the sixth grade and cannot go to school next year; Mustafa, my youngest brother, is in the first grade. NMRR plans to sponsor my family. What significant dates will there be in the next year? A Green Card? Reuniting with my family? Anything is possible in this country. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate HARTFORD An 18-year-old city resident returned fire in last week's drive-by shooting on Huntington Street that was captured on video and left a 12-year-old girl dead, according to his arrest warrant. Hartford police arrested Jeremy Francis in the hospital on Saturday, judicial records show, and charged him with first-degree reckless endangerment, risk of injury to a minor, unlawful discharge of a firearm and carrying a pistol without a permit, Hartford police spokesperson Lt. Aaron Boisvert said Wednesday. Police said they responded to the 40th block of Huntington Street around 8:40 p.m. last Thursday after the city's ShotSpotter system reported "numerous" gunshots in the area. At the scene, police found 12-year-old Se'Cret Pierce in the back of a gray Ford Focus, unresponsive and with gunshot wounds to her head and abdomen, according to Francis' arrest warrant. Se'Cret was taken to Saint Francis Hospital, where she died the following morning. Francis was also at the scene, lying on the sidewalk. He had been shot in the abdomen, which shattered his pelvic bone, and was transported to Saint Francis Hospital to undergo emergency surgery, his arrest warrant said. Two additional victims, a 23-year-old man who was shot in his forearm and a 16-year-old boy who sustained grazing wounds, later also showed up at the hospital for treatment of what police said were non-life-threatening injuries. Boisvert said investigators also determined the 16-year-old was on juvenile probation on firearms charges and on house arrest at the time of the shooting. He was taken into custody and "remanded to juvenile detention," he said. Police did not disclose his name because of his age. According to Francis' arrest warrant, Se'Cret had been with her friend, who picked her up in the Ford Focus. Police noted the friend was in a dating relationship with one of the victims, whose name was redacted, and that Se'Cret was also friends with him and the other two victims. Surveillance footage captured the entire shooting, police said in Francis' warrant. The video showed a dark-colored sedan going north on Huntington Street and "the rear driver's side passenger is observed to have his upper torso fully exposed and shooting a firearm over the roof of the vehicle" and into the porch of a Huntington Street apartment building, police said in the warrant. One pedestrian, later identified as Francis, appeared to be shot and fell to the ground, the warrant stated. His arm was then observed to be extended, directed toward the moving vehicle and police said a flash, similar to the gunfire coming from the suspect vehicle, could be seen coming from his arm, according to the warrant. The suspect vehicle continued north and police said they saw several more flashes come from the passenger. A flash was also seen coming from Francis' extended arm a second time, directed toward the car, the warrant said. The video also showed a second individual standing beside Francis when the shooting occurred, the warrant stated. The individual, who has not been identified, could be seen fleeing the area but, after the shots were fired, immediately returned to where Francis was lying, the warrant stated. After several seconds, he ran away again, appearing to hold an item in his sweatshirt pocket, according to the warrant. Detectives found 17 spent shell casings in the road, which were later determined to come from at least two different firearms, according to Francis' arrest warrant. Police noted that no firearms were found at the scene, but they did find a firearm-mounted laser sight near Francis. The Ford Focus in which Se'Cret was found had been parked along the curb in front of a three-story brick apartment building on Huntington Street. The driver's side back door had damage "consistent with that of being caused by gunfire," a shattered window and a pool of blood across the back seat, according to the arrest warrant. Police said in Francis' warrant that all surviving victims were interviewed and were either uncooperative or "provided minimal information." However, all were "consistent" with reporting their injuries occurred on Huntington Street. During a vigil Saturday for Se'Cret, Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin again urged those who know anything about the shooting to talk with investigators. "It's not snitching when you're talking about justice for a 12 year-old girl," Bronin told the crowd gathered on Huntington Street. Se'Cret's father, Shane Oliver, was also killed in a Hartford shooting in 2012. "We are asking if you saw something, say something. Don't be afraid, don't be silent," Sam Saylor, Oliver's father and Se'Cret's grandfather said during the vigil on Saturday. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate CONWAY, Miss. (AP) A man who escaped from a Mississippi jail and is suspected in a Monday night killing died after barricading himself in a home and setting it on fire during an armed standoff with deputies, authorities said Wednesday. Plumes of smoke emanated from the charred remains of the home in Conway, hours after a body was recovered. Dylan Arrington, 22, perished inside the home, setting it ablaze after shooting a deputy in the leg, Leake County Sheriff Randy Atkinson told The Associated Press. He inflicted that kind of terror after escaping from jail, killing people and shooting law enforcement. But that guy wont be killing anyone else, Atkinson said. In a statement posted online in the evening, Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said the remains had been positively identified as Arrington. The cause of death was under investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. Authorities have been pursuing Arrington and three other inmates who broke out over the weekend from a Mississippi jail under federal scrutiny. Arrington is suspected of killing a man and stealing his pickup truck after the escape. The owner of the torched Conway home said he saw someone matching Arringtons description hiding inside a trailer behind his house on Tuesday evening. He notified the sheriffs office and fled with his family. Investigators searched the property, but there was no trace of Arrington. They continued the search through the night with drones and a helicopter. Around 7 a.m. Wednesday, Atkinson and a deputy returned to the property with the homeowner. After a short meeting, the homeowner discovered Arrington inside. He sprinted outside and alerted the officers, who were standing in the driveway. Arrington then exchanged gunfire with them through a window, striking the deputy in the leg, Atkinson said. Within a two-hour period, the house was set ablaze from within, he said. Investigators waited until the fire was out before they approached the home and found a body. The injured deputy was transported to a hospital where he was stabilized. Multiple law enforcement agencies continued searching parts of the state, after the Leake County Sheriff's Office told residents to please keep your doors locked and have no keys or weapons in your vehicles." The U.S. Marshals Service and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation are among the agencies assisting in the search. Police said Anthony Watts, a 61-year-old church pastor, was shot and killed Monday around 7 p.m. on Interstate 55 in Jackson after he pulled over to help a man who had wrecked a motorcycle. That man shot Watts several times and then stole his Red Dodge Ram, police said. Watts died at the scene. The suspect in that shooting fit the description of Arrington, Jackson Police Chief James E. Davis said. Casey Grayson, Corey Harrison and Jerry Raynes are the other three prisoners who escaped Saturday night from the Raymond Detention Center, a facility near Jackson, through breaches in a cell and the roof. Jones said the men might have camped out on the roof before fleeing and going their separate ways. Raynes was spotted on surveillance footage at a service station in Spring Valley, a suburb of Houston, at 11 a.m. Sunday, Jones said Wednesday in a statement. Investigators believe he fled to Texas after stealing a Hinds County Public Works vehicle, which was recovered in Spring Valley. It was unknown whether Raynes traveled alone. The four escapee had been in custody for various felony charges, most involving theft. Arrington had charges of auto theft and illegal possession of a firearm, WAPT-TV reported. Watts' stolen Red Dodge Ram, which has tan trim and Cowboys stickers on the front and the back, was last seen heading south on I-55 in Terry, Mississippi, police said. Investigators also believe a stolen Chevy Silverado is connected to the escape. Raynes, Grayson and Harrison remained at large. In July, U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves ordered a rare takeover of the Raymond jail after he said deficiencies in supervision and staffing led to a stunning array of assaults, as well as deaths. But before the appointed receiver was scheduled to assume control over the jail Jan. 1, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the lower courts order until it ruled on the countys motion for reconsideration. BRIGHTON, Colo. (AP) A Colorado man who shot and killed a 13-year-old boy after a road rage confrontation and wounded the boys mother, brother and a witness was found guilty of first-degree murder Wednesday and sentenced to life in prison. A jury deliberated for less than three hours before convicting Jeremy Webster, rejecting his claim that he was insane at the time of the June 14, 2018, attack in suburban Denver. Shortly after the verdict, a judge gave Webster life without parole, plus 192 years on attempted murder and assault counts. Webster told police that he was not in his body during the attack, and that he witnessed his arm doing the shooting as if he were an outside observer. His lawyer, Rachel Oliver, said he was disassociated from both his body and emotions during the attack. She said he had been losing his mind for years, and asked the jury to find him not guilty by reason of insanity, which would send him to a mental hospital for treatment instead of prison. His mind betrayed him very early on and it continued all the way through June 14, 2018, and it is going to continue for the rest of his life, she said, noting that Webster's problems began at age 4, when he saw a psychologist for the first time. They worsened after he moved to Colorado as an adult and grew isolated, Oliver said. But prosecutors said Webster was sane and acted deliberately and with intent, following Meghan Bigelow and her sons to the parking lot of their dentist office after accusing Bigelow of cutting him off while he was headed to Home Depot. The two argued in the parking lot and Webster pulled out a gun after Bigelow used her phone to take a video of Webster's car. Webster, 28, sat in his chair at the defense table drinking from a water bottle when the verdict was read Wednesday and did not appear to show any emotion. Bigelow, seated next to her husband in the front row on the other side of court, cried and wiped away tears as the verdict was read. Bigelow testified that she began walking away from her sons to keep Websters attention on her. After she was shot and lying on the ground, prosecutors say, Webster shot her 7-year-old son Asa in the back of the head, fired at her 12-year-old son Cooper as he ran to the dental office for help and then firmly pressed his handgun to the back of Vaughn Bigelow Jr.s head, fatally shooting him. Prosecutors said the impression of the gun could be seen on Vaughn's head. It doesnt get more intentional and deliberate than that, Chief Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Prince told jurors during the prosecutions closing arguments. After the shootings, Webster went to Home Depot to buy a new saw for a home renovation project he was working on for his cousins construction company, prosecutors said. A clerk testified that it was a routine transaction. Webster returned to work on the project and was arrested by police after his car, identified with the help of Bigelows video, was spotted in rush hour traffic that evening, according to testimony from the home's owner and police. The shootings happened about three months after Webster began taking medication for bipolar disorder and after he had stopped drinking and cut down on his use of marijuana, Oliver said, noting that he had been using the substances to medicate his mental illness. Shortly before the shootings, he had complained to his psychiatrist that he needed to adjust his medications because he was feeling paranoid, she said. However, a court-appointed psychologist, Christina Gliser, who interviewed Webster twice, concluded that at the time of the shooting, he was sane as defined under Colorado law: able to make decisions and recognize the difference between right and wrong. Gliser also testified that testing showed that Webster tended to exaggerate his symptoms. She did not think he had bipolar disorder but instead diagnosed him with borderline personality disorder because he had emotional reactions to life stressors. She found that Webster's claim of seeing his arm do the shooting was likely inaccurate and untrue since Webster did not have a long history of trauma that usually leads to such extreme kinds of disassociation. An expert hired by the defense, Dr. Richard Martinez, diagnosed Webster with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type, but did not evaluate whether he was sane at the time of the shootings. Martinez, a psychiatry professor at the University of Colorados medical school who met with Webster four times, said he did not see a reason to doubt his description of feeling disassociated during the shooting, which he said would be hard to fabricate. _____ This story has been edited to correct the spelling of Meghan Bigelow's first name. DALLAS (AP) A private company that ran a Texas jail where a woman allegedly went blind following days of medical neglect before her 2019 death has agreed to a $7 million lawsuit settlement along with other defendants, her family's attorney said Thursday. The payout over Holly Barlow-Austin's death after being held at an East Texas jail operated by LaSalle Corrections is among the largest public settlements of its kind, attorney Erik Heipt said in a statement. Her death was one in a string of other deaths and incidents that led to lawsuits and investigations of the company, which runs facilities where thousands of people are incarcerated. If youre going to cut corners and put profits over peoples lives, there will be a steep price to pay, said Heipt, a Seattle-based lawyer who represents Barlow-Austins husband and mother. He said the payout should serve as a wake-up call to all private jail and prison operators." The family's federal lawsuit was resolved ahead of a trial after more than two years of litigation. They had claimed that LaSalle guards and medical staff at the Texarkana jail ignored obvious signs of Barlow-Austins worsening health, falsified records, deprived the 46-year-old of food and water and only took her to the hospital after it was too late. They sued LaSalle along with Bowie County and several guards and medical staff at the Bi-State Jail. Court records do not show details of the agreement, including what share of the settlement was paid by which of the defendants. Heipt said the specific terms were confidential. Lawyers for LaSalle which runs facilities in Texas, Louisiana and Georgia and Bowie County did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The county sheriff's office took over management of the jail in 2021, after a decade of LaSalle running it. In April 2019, Barlow-Austin was arrested for a parole violation by police in Texarkana, a city that straddles Texas northeastern border with Arkansas. She arrived at the jail with serious health conditions, including HIV, but normal vital signs and full mobility, according to the suit. It said she left the facility blind, emaciated, and barely able to move." Over a period of days guards and medical staff didnt check on her or, when they did, ignored her calls for help and water, according to the suit. It also says staff falsified observation logs something state inspectors found they had done in another case that was settled. The family of Michael Sabbie reached an undisclosed settlement with LaSalle two months before Barlow-Austin died in a hospital. They alleged in a lawsuit that company employees at the same jail deprived him of medications and treatment for his heart disease and diabetes. In 2017, LaSalle also agreed to a settlement when a severely diabetic woman died after a nurse at the jail refused medical treatment. The former nurse subsequently pleaded guilty to misdemeanor negligent homicide. In a statement Thursday, Barlow-Austins mother and husband, Mary Margaret Mathis and Michael Glenn Austin, said they hope the settlement in their case "will save some lives in the future. Eurovision, the dazzling, larger-than-life musical extravaganza where countries across Europe (and beyond) come together to showcase their catchiest tunes, most flamboyant performances, and unforgettable stagecraft, is making its way to Liverpool this May. Although Ukraine clinched victory in last year's competition and earned the right to host, security concerns stemming from Russia's ongoing invasion have made this impossible. As a result, the UK stepped in last October to host the contest's Semi-Finals (May 9 and 11) and Grand Final (May 13) at the Liverpool Arena. This year's presentersGraham Norton, Julia Sanina, Hannah Waddingham, and Alesha Dixonwill welcome 160 million viewers from around the globe. On Wednesday, the BBC released a quintessentially British trailer to get folks hyped for the competition: WASHINGTON (AP) With COVID-19 immigration restrictions set to expire, the Biden administration on Thursday announced measures meant to stop migrants from illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, both by cracking down on many of those who do come, and by creating new pathways meant to offer an alternative to the dangerous journey. The effort includes opening processing centers outside the United States for people fleeing violence and poverty to apply to fly in legally and settle in the United States, Spain or Canada. The first processing centers will open in Guatemala and Colombia, with others expected to follow. The administration also plans to swiftly screen migrants seeking asylum at the border itself, quickly deport those deemed as not being qualified, and penalizing people who cross illegally into the U.S. or illegally through another country on their way to the U.S. border. But it is unclear whether the measures will do much to slow the tide of migrants fleeing countries marred by political and economic strife. Further increasing the pressure is the looming end of public health rules instituted amid the pandemic that allowed for quickly expelling many migrants and set to expire on May 11. This is a hemispheric challenge that demands hemispheric solutions, said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas during a news conference as he laid out how the U.S. is working with other countries in the region. Mayorkas also warned that migrants and human smugglers should not interpret the upcoming deadline to mean that everyone should come: Let me be clear, our border is not open and will not be open after May 11." Immigration has vexed Biden throughout his presidency, with top GOP leaders hammering him as soft on border security. Immigrant advocates, meanwhile, argue that the president is abandoning humanitarian efforts with stricter measures meant to keep migrants from coming illegally. The topic isnt going away. As he announces his 2024 reelection bid, Biden is trying to strike a balance that could be difficult to achieve, particularly if crowds of migrants end up in border facilities after May 11. The administration has also repeatedly pointed to Congress, saying it has been unable to come to an agreement on comprehensive immigration reform. The efforts announced Thursday build on a carrot-and-stick approach to immigration that the administration has been increasingly using, whereby they offer incentives like humanitarian parole visas for hundreds of thousands of people and harsh consequences for many who come to the border. Those have so far included: Processing centers: The administration will open migration centers in numerous countries starting with Guatemala and Colombia to be run by the International Organization of Migration and the U.N. agency tasked with helping refugees. There potential migrants can get information on various ways they can migrate to the United States, such as applying for refugee status or a worker program. The administration said both Canada and Spain have said they'd take migrants referred from these centers, although no specific numbers were given. The U.S. also said it would double the number of refugees taken from Central and South America. No specific number was given there, either, but during fiscal year 2023 the U.S. pledged to accept 15,000 refugees from Latin America and the Caribbean. Stiffer, faster penalties: The administration says it will process asylum-seekers who come to the southern border faster in days, not weeks with the goal of sending people back quickly who don't clear initial screenings. Those removed from the country would be barred from entering the U.S. for five years. The administration says it aims to dramatically increase flights on which migrants are sent home from the U.S. Officials also said a previously announced rule which would limit asylum for those who pass through another country without first seeking protection there, or who enter the U.S. illegally, is also set to go into effect before the May 11 deadline passes. No family detention: The administration stopped short of saying they'd detain families crossing the border illegally. That step would have sparked widespread condemnation from immigration advocates and Biden allies. But they said they'd monitor families through things like curfews and GPS monitoring and stressed that families would be removed if found unqualified to stay in the U.S. Family reunification: DHS is creating a new family reunification parole process for people from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Colombia. And the agency is modernizing the existing family reunification process for people from Cuba and Haiti. Smuggler crackdown: Mayorkas stressed efforts to more strictly combat smuggling networks that facilitate travel from across the region to the U.S. border. Andrew Selee, who heads the Migration Policy Institute, said the plans announced are the clearest weve seen of a strategy" from the administration on how to deal with immigration. But he cautioned that it would still require a lot of time and commitment for the plan to be successful. "I think its the closest weve seen to a comprehensive plan," Selee said. He said the administration was betting a lot on the processing centers, and said potentially they can serve to give people information about migration options in a way that a U.S. Embassy, for example, cannot. But Selee said they would have to be closely linked to local networks in various countries so prospective migrants know about them, and so local organization who know the people who are most desperate to flee can refer them to the centers. Thursday's announcement was met with criticism by many immigration advocates, including members of the president's own party who have been troubled by Biden's increasing efforts to make it harder to access asylum at the border. Sen. Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, said he was disappointed in the plan, especially after spending recent weeks urging the White House to adopt a different immigration strategy, including extending temporary protected status to people from several Central American countries. He also cast doubt on how parts of the plan would be implemented. The question is, how are we going to set up those processing centers? What are the entities that will be there to make sure that a person is being processed in the appropriate way? What are we doing with third countries to be able to accept individuals and make sure that they are safe?" said Menendez. Many groups that work to assist refugees and other migrants said they welcomed some aspects of the president's plan, such as allowing in more refugees from South and Central America and speeding up family reunification efforts. But they said that shouldn't come at the expense of people applying for asylum at the border. The International Refugee Assistance Project said in a statement that it is concerned at the lack of details in the plan, how it will be implemented and where the money will come from. The group also said that the U.S.'s refugee resettlement program is still struggling to recover after cuts during the Trump administration. We have more questions than answers, said Lacy Broemel, a project policy analyst. Others, including right-leaning groups already intensely critical of Biden, lambasted the plan, saying that faster processing of migrants simply means they're entering the country faster. The Federation for American Immigration Reform said the initiatives amount to a massive and illegal scheme designed to accommodate unlimited numbers of migrants." ___ Spagat reported from San Diego. Stephen Groves in Washington and Valeria Gonzales in McAllen, Texas, contributed to this report. ___ This story was first published on April 27, 2023. It was published again on April 28, 2023, to correct the name of an organization to the International Refugee Assistance Project, not the International Refugee Assistance Program. TORONTO, April 26, 2023 /CNW/ - Starting April 29 in Guelph, hundreds of places across the province will open their doors free of charge as part of Doors Open Ontario, an annual program of the Ontario Heritage Trust. The 2023 season will be held over 13 weekends and features 22 in-person events running from April to October. Ontarians can visit the province's most fascinating places and discover exciting architectural, cultural and natural heritage experiences. Details are now available at www.doorsopenontario.on.ca with new listings being added each month. Every year, visitors to Doors Open events gain rare access to buildings and spaces that are normally closed to the public or sites that normally charge admission. The events have something for everyone in addition to free access, many sites are also hosting walking tours, interactive experiences, special exhibitions and more. This year, the Trust is exploring Ontario's food culture and history. From breweries to farms, Doors Open events will also include sites or special programs to highlight our culinary or agricultural heritage. "Discovery is at the heart of Doors Open Ontario," said John Ecker, Chair, Board of Directors, Ontario Heritage Trust. "We encourage everybody to make a trip to one or more of the 22 Doors Open events happening this year. You'll uncover new stories, connect with people and see outstanding places that showcase how these vibrant communities help to create that sense of belonging that brings us all together." Digital Doors Open Ontario also returns with hundreds of listings available online. These virtual experiences can help you fill a rainy afternoon, plan a staycation or virtually visit impressive destinations across the province that may be too far away. Doors Open Ontario in-person events (April to October) Guelph ( April 29 ) ( ) Hamilton ( May 6-7 ) ( ) Oshawa ( May 6 ) ( ) Richmond Hill ( May 13 ) ( ) Toronto ( May 27-28 ) ( ) Ottawa ( June 3-4 ) ( ) Whitchurch-Stouffville ( June 3 ) ( ) Loyalist Township ( June 17 ) ( ) Burlington ( August 12 ) ( ) Cornwall and SDG Counties ( August 19-20 ) ( ) Simcoe County ( August 26-27 ) ( ) Belleville ( September 9 ) ( ) Carleton Place ( September 16-17 ) ( ) London ( September 16-17 ) ( ) Peterborough ( September 16 ) ( ) Quinte West ( September 16 ) ( ) Waterloo Region ( September 16 ) ( ) Kingston ( September 23-24 ) ( ) St. Marys ( September 23 ) ( ) Woodstock ( September 23 ) ( ) Niagara-on-the-Lake ( October 21 ) ( ) Dutton Dunwich ( October 22 ) Each event occurs over a weekend and is always free of charge. The events are run locally by a range of organizations including municipal departments, arts councils or heritage and historical societies and are supported by thousands of volunteers. Doors Open Ontario is made possible thanks to our presenting sponsor TD Bank Group. Learn more Find events and plan your trip by visiting the Doors Open Ontario website Learn more about the Ontario Heritage Trust's interpretive theme for 2023: Food Download a selection of Doors Open Ontario 2023 photos Stay connected Follow the Ontario Heritage Trust on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. Subscribe to the Heritage Matters ... more! e-newsletter. #ONheritage About the Ontario Heritage Trust The Ontario Heritage Trust (the Trust) is an agency of the Government of Ontario. The Trust conserves, interprets and shares Ontario's heritage. We conserve provincially significant cultural and natural, tangible and intangible heritage, interpret Ontario's history, celebrate its diversity and educate Ontarians of its importance in our society. The Trust envisions an Ontario where we conserve, value and share the places and landscapes, histories, traditions and stories that embody our heritage, now and for future generations. SOURCE Ontario Heritage Trust For further information: For more information about the Ontario Heritage Trust, contact Patricia Njovu at 437-248-1439 or [email protected] This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate (Ad) Petra Haynes spent years working closely with the teachers and practitioners at Center Yoga + Wellness. So when the business came up for sale in August 2020, she purchased it to continue supporting the community she had helped build. We view yoga as a practice that is available to everybody, Haynes said. And since that practice does not feel or look the same in every body, we take an individualized approach to meet each student where they are every time they arrive. With locations in Clinton and Guilford, Centers community-based studios offer yoga classes for students of all ages and abilities. By providing complimentary schedules, engaging workshops, and quality instruction, Haynes and her team ignite the power of possibility within each and every practitioner. Most of our clients are 50 and older, and many havesensitivity issues or injuries that prevent them from doing certain activities, Haynes said. We gear the yoga towards helping them heal so they can return to the activities they love. Center offers a variety of heated and unheated classes led by teachers with a variety of instructional backgrounds. The offerings include Flow classes, Gentle classes, Heated Power classes, Gentle + Restorative classes, as well as Gentle Yoga with Weights, a new addition. The Gentle classes are geared towards students looking for a relaxing practice at a slower pace, but it still builds muscle and challenges them, Haynes said. Each of our classes are healing in their own way. And the health benefits go way beyond finding your center. Over the past few years, the science community has backed the practice of yoga as a solution to relieve stress. Haynes said since 90 percent of diseases are caused by stress, doing yoga could help ease those ailments out of the body. Students who practice yoga recover from joint surgeries in half the time of those who do not, she added. Ive worked with students who had bone density problems and joint-related surgeries their doctors were blown away by their improvement. For students who wish to deepen their practice, Center offers yoga teacher trainings and international retreats to Morocco, Iceland, India, and Costa Rica to name a few. The teacher training program blends the history and philosophical teachings of yoga with in-depth knowledge of anatomy and alignment to develop ones practice as well as their teaching skills. Each all-inclusive retreat focuses on a different theme or philosophy, which is woven into the daily yoga curriculum, including various breathing and meditation techniques. Guests are also treated to three healthy meals a day and local excursions that deepen the understanding that were more alike than we are different. As teachers, we oftentimes give students little puzzle pieces of what yoga could be and how it can fit into their life. The teacher trainings and retreats put those pieces together, Haynes said. By having a deeper understanding of yoga and the experience of it, people can live more meaningful and content lives. The feedback from Centers students has reflected this notion. No matter their age, race, gender, or reason for practicing, people leave feeling better than when they walked in. Some people think theyre not flexible or strong enough to practice yoga, or that its just for women or people of a certain size, Haynes said. When they come here they learn that yoga is for everyone. We practice as a community and support one another in the study of yoga on and off the mat. Yoga doesnt need you to be perfect, it just asks that you show up. Center is located at 36 Nod Road in Clinton and 647 Boston Post Road in Guilford. For more information or to book a class, visit centeryogawellness.com. The preceding content is a paid advertisement for Center Yoga + Wellness. West Hartford Police / Contribut WEST HARTFORD A head-on crash between a car and a school bus sent the driver of the car to the hospital Wednesday afternoon, according to local police. Police responded to the intersection of North Main Street and Miller Road around 4:04 p.m. Wednesday, Capt. Daniel Moffo, public information officer for the West Hartford Police Department, said. He said the school bus was occupied but did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the associated school or schools. Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media NEW HAVEN Local police have identified a man they say was fatally shot at a used car dealership on Forbes Avenue Thursday morning. The man was identified as Juan Carlos Colon, 39, of East Hartford, Capt. Rose Dell, public information officer for the New Haven Police Department, said Thursday evening. The first thing Brendan Hall saw was a giant plume of fire and a wall of smoke. The Connecticut-based filmmaker was a few miles from a Texas launchpad as the SpaceX Starships engines ignited for liftoff. For the first few seconds of the launch, we didn't know if the ship had exploded on the pad or if it wasn't going to lift off of the pad, Hall said. And all we saw was fire and smoke. And then, all of a sudden, the tips of Starship began rising up through the wall of smoke and up into the sky." Four minutes into the flight, SpaceXs most powerful rocket and one slated to take Hall and a civilian crew around the moon did explode. A few of the boosters 33 engines malfunctioned, causing the spacecraft to lose altitude and tumble before its self-destruct system was activated. The Washington Post/The Washington Post via Getty Im Despite what SpaceX initially called a rapid, unscheduled disassembly, Hall said hes more excited than ever" to one day fly to the moon in that same model spacecraft. I think that seeing Starship in the sky, and beginning to achieve what will eventually be successful flights, was this real indication that this is going to happen our mission will happen," he said. Hall, a Marlborough native, was selected to be a crew member on the dearMoon Project, a privately funded mission to send an all-civilian crew to orbit the moon aboard a Starship rocket. Hall watched the flight test at SpaceX's Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, with his fellow dearMoon crew members a team consisting of eight artists and creatives and Japanese billionaire Yasuku Maezawa, who's paying for the trip. The Washington Post/The Washington Post via Getty Im The six-day mission is scheduled for 2023, but the specific date hasnt been established. Hall doesnt know if the test flight impacted the timeline for the mission. And he won't know when training will begin until an official dearMoon launch date is announced. We're just staying tuned," he said. Like SpaceX and its CEO, Elon Musk, Hall described the test as a "tremendous success. Having the rocket lift off the pad, Musk said, was a significant milestone. Hall wasn't shaken by the explosion either. Before the test, Musk warned the rocket was unlikely to reach orbit and more likely to explode. Hall said seeing the rocket he is set to fly aboard made him teary-eyed. "It may take time, but it was the first step to putting us on that track. And then just to think that we're going to be in that," he said. "I think it was just a feeling for me of this all becoming very real, and very possible," he added. Contributed photo/Brendan Hall He said the trip was also a success in that he was able to reunite with his fellow crew members, a group he said feels "like family" to him. Photographer Rhiannon Adam; photographer Karim Iliya; musician Top; choreographer Yemi A.D.; Youtuber Tim Dodd; and backup crew members, Olympic snowboarder Kaitlyn Farrington and dancer Miyu. Crew members Dev D. Joshi, an actor, and Steve Aoki, a music producer, were unable to attend, he said. "I think that having fun with people and traveling is one of the best ways to get to know them," he said. "To have this trip be such an amazing success, I think says a lot about how our crew is going to do throughout this mission." The Federal Aviation Administration has grounded SpaceX's Starship Super Heavy launch program until it finishes investigating possible damage from the explosion, CNBC reported. The 400-foot spacecraft blasted off from its launchpad and climbed to a maximum altitude of 24 miles before issues with the rocket's 33 Raptor 2 engines caused the Starship to flip and roll. SpaceX said it ordered the spacecraft to self-destruct. PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images The explosion sparked concern among environmental engineers and advocates that the particulate matter could potentially harm people's respiratory health and endangered species in the area. SpaceX also plans to use the rocket for the Artemis III and Artemis IV missions, which are set for 2025 and 2028. Hall couldn't speak to how optimistic he is about the tentative 2023 date as "delays and changes in timeline are just a part of spaceflight," but he's looking forward to the next stage of development. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WEST HAVEN Rosalie Celotto Loewenbaum and Addy Parise both returned to Washington School Wednesday, viewing memorabilia and records from the hallways they once walked years ago as students at the elementary school. The alumnae, who graduated 70 years apart in 1947 and 2017, respectively both said they wanted a last look at the 114-year-old school before its demolition planned for this summer as school officials prepare for the construction of a new building that will be more accessible and compliant with modern educational and architectural needs. "It's like nothing changed," said Parise, who said the artwork in the halls leading into the gymnasium was just as she remembered it. However, the gymnasium itself now looks much smaller now that she's grown, she said. Loewenbaum said her reason for returning to the school was merely to see it for both the first, and last, time since she graduated. Many alumni older than Parise said it was their first time in the gymnasium at all, which didn't exist when they had attended the school. Joan McDuff Beatty, from the class of 1951, said her class held its commencement ceremony at a different school because of the lack of gymnasium or auditorium. "Outside there was a dirt playground, there was no gym," she said. "Being here is like being in a space station." Her 1951 classmate Annette Langevin Wolcott said the school also lacked a cafeteria, and students were expected to walk home for their lunch period then return to school. She said her walk to her home on Anderson Avenue was much longer than McDuff Beatty's. McDuff Beatty said one of her fondest memories of her time at the school was participating in a choir of eight students, who would harmonize Christmas carols in the hallways during the holiday season. Diane DellaCamera, who was in the school's final seventh-grade class, said she sent her two daughters to the school. Although her overall memories are positive she arrived at Wednesday's event with a screen-printed sweatshirt commemorating the school she said her most distinctive memory was a sad one. "It was the day (President John F.) Kennedy was shot. The teachers told us to go home early. They told everyone to go right home," she said. School Principal Alicia Limosani said that as the school construction project worked its way through various regulatory authorities and approval processes, she had heard from alumni that they wanted to see the school a request that school staff felt unable to act upon due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in the building's final moments, staff looked through their desks and called in the city's historical society for various records of the school's history including ledgers, yearbooks, photos, formal citations, newspaper clippings and screen-printed class T-shirts. Tables of materials organized roughly in chronological order from 1909 to present day spanned about half the perimeter of the school's gymnasium Wednesday. "Some people told me they were even looking forward to reconnecting today," Limosani said. For Judy Anderson, the school has come to define much of her life for roughly 30 years: she has been a special education paraprofessional in the school since 2003 and has two sons who graduated, in 1998 and 2004. "I've been walking up 47 stairs every day since then," she said. "I love this school and the kids. The kids come first and they're the best part of my day." Former principal Steven Lopes also paid a visit to the school where he served as principal for six years. He said he believed the proposed new building is "going to be fantastic for students, teachers and families." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BERLIN (AP) Berlin's first conservative mayor in 22 years took office on Thursday following a state election in which he capitalized on discontent in the German capital. Amid divisions in his own coalition, he had a rocky start. Kai Wegner's center-right Christian Democratic Union, Germany's main opposition party, emerged as the biggest party in the February rerun election that was ordered by a court because of serious glitches in the previous vote in 2021. The CDU celebrated winning in a big city, which it has struggled to do in recent years, while all three parties in Berlin's outgoing left-wing government lost supporters. The center-left Social Democrats of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had led Berlin since 2001, most recently under former federal minister Franziska Giffey. The state legislature elected Wegner as mayor on Thursday after Giffey decided that her party would be better served by becoming the CDU's junior coalition partner than by continuing to lead a weakened and often rancorous left-wing alliance. Members of her party narrowly gave their blessing in a ballot conducted over recent weeks. Likely reflecting divisions in Giffey's party, Wegner needed an unusual three secret votes to get enough support from lawmakers. Adding to the bumpy start, the far-right Alternative for Germany party claimed to have given Wegner at least some support in the final vote, a politically problematic assertion for the new government that couldn't be verified or disproved. Giffey becomes Wegner's economy minister. She will be part of an 11-member regional government that includes seven women and the CDU's first Black minister at state level, music manager Joe Chialo the incoming culture minister. Voters were angered by the 2021 election chaos and what, by German standards, is a dysfunctional bureaucracy in recent years, getting basic paperwork done in Berlin has often entailed lengthy waits even to get an appointment. Wegner has pledged to take personal charge of reforming the city's administration. There is also simmering discontent over rising apartment rental costs, long an issue in Berlin one of three German cities that are states in their own right. The country's 16 state governments have significant powers in many policy areas. Wegner, 50, will be keen to make his mark quickly as his government has unusually little time to prove itself. It will only serve out the five-year term that started with Berlins botched September 2021 election. Faced with shrinking populations, declining births and growing financial losses, an increasing number of rural hospitals across the country are making the decision to no longer deliver babies. The latest hospital to make that move: Wyoming County Community Health System. New substance use disorder treatment center at St. Joseph Campus gets $2.4 million boost The long-planned Clearview Treatment Services at St. Joseph, which is a campus of Catholic Health System's Sisters of Charity Hospital, will have 40 chemical dependence rehabilitation beds on the facility's fifth floor. The health system, which runs a 62-bed hospital in Warsaw, late Wednesday announced the planned suspension of its maternal/obstetrics program, effective June 1. The county-owned health system said it made the decision after "many months of analysis and numerous discussions" with the hospital's board of managers. To maintain continuity of maternal health care as close to Warsaw as possible, the health system stressed it is working with United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia to ease the transition for patients. On a call with reporters Thursday, CEO David Kobis said the number of births at the Warsaw hospital had declined for many years, falling to about 160 last year. In fact, he said, the hospital has been below 200 births a year for the last decade. "Once a hospital drops below about 200 births, that's a red flag," said Kobis, nearly a year into his tenure as CEO. "And the reason for that is, mainly, quality of care." He explained that a certain volume and repetition is needed for health care professionals to maintain competencies in their clinical specialties. Given the low delivery volume at the hospital, Kobis said that meant there were "nurses on our floor who would sit sometimes for two and three and four days with nothing to do," making it tough to maintain competencies. And the low volume had financial implications for the health system, which brings in about $65 million in annual net revenue. Kobis said the obstetrics program was losing about $3 million a year. "It was, obviously, a financial concern for us," he said. Roswell Park has paid $4.67 million to settle discrimination lawsuits, faces more complaints Fifteen lawsuits claiming employment discrimination based on gender, race or disability have been filed against Roswell Park over the last eight years. To date, The Buffalo News has found the cancer center has paid at least $4.67 million to settle six of the cases. The health system also had issues recruiting and retaining obstetrical and pediatric providers, he said. The system has one obstetrician, and its one pediatrician just announced his resignation two weeks ago. In terms of staff, about a dozen employees are affected by the decision, but none will be laid off, Kobis said. The health system, which employs about 600 people, plans to offer the affected workers positions elsewhere in the hospital. Warsaw to Batavia UMMC, a Rochester Regional Health facility, is about 25 miles away and "has more than enough obstetrical capacity to assume all of WCCHS' annual deliveries," the hospitals said. In fact, Kobis said, about half of the volume of births in Wyoming County were already going to Batavia or west to the Buffalo market. Meanwhile, UMMC President Dan Ireland said his hospital's delivery volume has stayed steady at around 500 births annually for the last several years. UMMC also already has a presence in Wyoming County, with an obstetrics office at 121 S. Main St. in Warsaw that is staffed with five obstetrics and specialist physicians and four midwives. UMMC plans to move that location, where pre- and postnatal care is provided, to the Wyoming County Community Health System main campus later this year. In the future, the plan is for that office to expand services to five days a week and add staff to take on more patients. Roswell Park hired a firm to investigate allegations of racism. It's kept the findings secret After Roswell Park received an anonymous letter raising concerns about how its employees of color were treated, it hired an outside firm to investigate. The hospital won't release the findings. "It's our intent to combine that clinic into our main hospital campus," Kobis said. "So patients coming here kind of have seamless care for pre- and post-natal services testing, diagnostics, those kinds of things. They would drive to Batavia, which I just remind everybody is 25 minutes from Warsaw it's not very far to deliver." The hospitals said obstetrics patients with questions about the transition can call UMMC at 585-786-8940, Ext. 4543. A loss of access Spectrum Health's largest location needs 18-month rehab after Buffalo blizzard Spectrum Health & Human Services is marking its 50th year in 2023 long enough to have seen the two worst blizzards in Buffalo's modern history. Kobis described rural health care as "in crisis," with hospitals such as his forced to make tough decisions to shed certain services and maintain viability. "There are literally hundreds and hundreds of hospitals across the country and many in New York State that are going through the same issue with their obstetrical programs," Kobis said. "It's not unique to Wyoming County. It's really a nationwide crisis." Between 2015 and 2019, in fact, at least 89 obstetric units in rural hospitals closed across the country, according to the American Hospital Association. Of the 72% of U.S. rural community hospitals that reported whether they offered obstetric services in 2020, nearly half 601 out of 1,292 hospitals indicated to the association that they did not provide obstetric services. The topic recently gained national attention via a Feb. 26 report in The New York Times, which reported on the accelerating pace of rural hospitals closing their maternity units and contributing to the growth of "maternity care deserts." From entry-level job to CEO: Rhonda Frederick retires from People Inc. after 43 years Rhonda Frederick, 65, will retire from People Inc. on Friday exactly 43 years after she started at the agency in an entry-level direct support role in a group home. To Ireland, it's going to take more partnerships and collaboration such as what UMMC and the Wyoming County health system announced to preserve access to rural populations. "Today's health care environment and the health care of tomorrow is going to really rely on collaborative relationships, partnering with each other and really rightsizing health care to where it needs to be from a quality perspective, in addition to the operational perspective," Ireland said. Financial pain The Wyoming County health system said the move will allow it to "focus on creating stability in times of unprecedented transition in health care." The health system most recently reported an operating loss for December of $1.3 million, which was higher than the loss reported in November and on pace with October's loss, according to the Jan. 24 board of managers' meeting minutes. For all of 2022, the system reported a loss of $9 million. It would have been a loss of $16 million, if not for additional funding received from the county, according to the minutes. "Significant progress has been achieved in lowering monthly operating expenses; however, the operating revenue continues to remain down, particularly related to surgical and ancillary testing volumes," the minutes state. Buffalo's Evergreen Health sues state to halt controversial change to Medicaid pharmacy program If the change goes forward as planned, it could cause a disruption to a crucial federal funding stream for safety-net community health providers such as Buffalo-based Evergreen Health. While inpatient, mental health, gastrointestinal procedures and emergency department volumes were up in 2022 compared to the prior year, business in surgery, clinic, imaging and ancillary testing had a "significant drop," compared to 2021, according to the minutes. They also note that the health system in December submitted to the Health Department an emergency request for $20 million in Vital Access Provider Assurance Program funding. That grant request, which would provide funding support over five years, is still with the state Health Department, pending review, Kobis said. In addition to the hospital, Wyoming County Community Health System also runs a 138-bed skilled nursing facility and more than 10 primary and specialty care physician clinics. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON (AP) Former Vice President Mike Pence testified Thursday before a federal grand jury investigating efforts by then-President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, according to a person familiar with the matter. Pence's appearance before a grand jury in Washington scrutinizing the president he once loyally served is a milestone in the Justice Department's investigation and likely gives prosecutors a key first-person account about certain conversations and events in the weeks preceding the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. It also carries significant political implications, coming as Pence hints at entering the 2024 presidential race and a potential run against Trump, the Republican front-runner. The testimony, confirmed by a person familiar with the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss a secret grand jury matter, came hours after a federal appeals court in a sealed order rejected a bid by Trump's lawyers to block Pence's appearance. Pence was subpoenaed to testify earlier this year, but Trump's lawyers objected, citing executive privilege concerns. A judge in March refused to block Pence's appearance, though he did side with the former vice presidents constitutional claims that he could not be forced to answer questions about anything related to his role as presiding over the Senates certification of votes on Jan. 6. Well obey the law, well tell the truth, Pence said in an interview with CBS News Face the Nation that aired Sunday. And the story that Ive been telling the American people all across the country, the story that I wrote in the pages of my memoir, thatll be the story I tell in that setting. It was not immediately clear what Pence may have told the grand jury, but he is the most high-profile Trump administration official to be summoned before the panel. Inside the federal building where the grand jury has been meeting, just blocks from the U.S. Capitol, security was high because of Pence's appearance with an unusual amount of activity from U.S. Marshals. Pence has spoken extensively about Trumps pressure campaign urging him to reject Democrat Joe Bidens presidential election victory in the days leading up to Jan. 6, including in his book, So Help Me God. Pence, as vice president, had a ceremonial role overseeing Congress counting of the Electoral College vote but did not have the power to affect the results, despite Trumps contention otherwise. Pence, a former Indiana governor and congressman, has said that Trump endangered his family and everyone else who was at the Capitol that day and history will hold him accountable. For four years, we had a close working relationship. It did not end well, Pence wrote, summing up their time in the White House. Trump was speaking in New Hampshire when news broke of Pence's grand jury appearance. Asked at a diner if he was concerned about his testimony, Trump responded, No Im not and I dont know anything about it. Lawyers for Pence had raised their own, more narrow challenge to the subpoena. They argued that because Pence was serving in his capacity as president of the Senate as electoral votes were being counted in Congress on Jan. 6, he was protected from being forced to testify about that process under the Constitutions speech or debate clause, which is intended to protect members of Congress from being questioned about official legislative acts. A judge agreed with that argument, effectively narrowing the scope of his expected testimony. The Justice Department special counsel leading the investigation, Jack Smith, has cast a broad net in interviews and has sought the testimony of a long list of former Trump aides, including ex-White House counsel Pat Cipollone and former adviser Stephen Miller. Smith is separately investigating Trump over the potential mishandling of hundreds of classified documents at his Palm Beach, Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, as well as possible efforts to obstruct that probe. It is not clear when either of the special counsels investigations will end or who, if anyone, will be charged. ___ Associated Press writers Michael Kunzelman, Lindsay Whitehurst and Nathan Ellgren in Washington and Michelle L. Price in Manchester, New Hampshire, contributed to this report. ___ This story was first published on April 27, 2023. It was published again on April 28, 2023, to correct security was high because of Pences appearance, not because of Trumps appearance. UNITED NATIONS (AP) U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield is heading to Brazil next week, following up on recent high-level meetings between the presidents and top diplomats of the two countries. The U.S. Mission to the United Nations said late Wednesday that she will visit the capital, Brasilia, and then travel to Salvador, one of the oldest cities in the Americas and a center of Afro-Brazilian culture, from May 2-4. Thomas-Greenfields visit follows Februarys White House meeting where President Joe Biden and Brazils President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva stressed the importance of defending democracy and preserving the Amazon rain forest and talks on the margin of the Group of 20 ministerial meeting in New Delhi in early March between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira. Lula has also reached out to China and Russia, traveling to Beijing earlier this month to meet with Chinas President Xi Jinping in Beijing and holding talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Brasilia last week. The Brazilian president sparked criticism from the U.S. and the European Union for suggesting recently that Kyiv and the West share some responsibility for the conflict in Ukraine, which began with Russia's invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. The U.S. mission said Thomas-Greenfield, a member of Bidens Cabinet, will focus on promoting democracy and multilateral cooperation on the trip, as well as on combating climate change, safeguarding food security, continuing cooperation on regional migration, and ensuring equity for marginalized racial, ethnic, and Indigenous communities. Brazil, Latin America's largest country and a major global exporter, is currently serving a two-year term on the U.N. Security Council. The mission said that in Brasilia, the ambassador will meet with government officials to discuss our partnership in the region and at the United Nations. She will also meet Brazilians dealing with the more than 250,000 Venezuelan migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in the country and speak at the University of Brasilia, the mission said. In Salvador, the mission said, Thomas-Greenfield will underscore the U.S. commitment to reinvigorate the 2008 U.S.-Brazil Joint Action Plan to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Discrimination and Promote Equality and will engage with Afro-Brazilian civil society and young people. Ive penned past library columns about how history is more than just names and dates. Really, history is about the interpretation of facts. We wont always reach the same conclusion even when using the same information. Philosophy degrees get a bad rap because people dont know what theyre used for, but we would lack ethics in many segments of society (such as medicine) without them. History offers a certain value to society that often goes overlooked as well. I raise these points because Ive often experienced times in which Ive at least felt nostalgic for eras Ive lived through. Sometimes people wish for a time machine to go back to a different era that would relieve them of todays challenges. The argument here usually claims society was somehow better off as a whole and has steadily gone downhill since. Here's the catch: We romanticize those times. If were being honest, we must admit that those times came with their own sets of challenges. If we could travel back to those times, we would be immediately confronted by the challenges of the day, in addition to things that most modern people would find troubling. It would shock your system. One might want to hop in that time machine to make an express trip back to 2023. This column isnt meant to degrade the past, though. Far from it. If you study the past, you can find answers to todays problems. You can find patterns and themes. For example, we often believe that our current situation is unique. Thats not actually true, though. Take the COVID-19 pandemic, for example. It seemed new to us, but the world has seen major pandemics before, such as the Spanish flu. Todays society is very divided, but a look back in history shows us that division and fighting are hardly new concepts. The study of history has convinced me that societys problems have always boiled down to the same core problems. At the heart of todays problems lie the same issues weve grappled with for hundreds of years. Nothing has changed. Heres the good news: History offers hope. If the things were seeing today have actually happened before, we dont have to feel like society has collectively dropped the ball, and that things will only get worse. If we can survive the challenges of the past, we can manage todays problems, too. The Fort Erie Public Library has a lot to say about history. We offer a full history collection covering Canadian history extensively. Our local history collection continues to expand its offerings. We also subscribe to Canadas History magazine, which is full of interesting historical stories. Visit any branch of the Fort Erie Public Library to discover the hope that history can offer. Derek Clendening is a library assistant at the Fort Erie Public Library. He can be reached at dclendening@fepl.ca. SHARE: An accountant at a Niagara car dealership who attempted to defraud his employer of more than $30,000 has been granted a conditional discharge. Antonio Di Gioia, 59, appeared in Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines on Thursday and pleaded guilty to a charge of uttering a forged document. The Welland man was granted a conditional discharge and placed on probation for 15 months. He was also ordered to perform 240 hours of community service. Niagara Regional Police launched an investigation in February 2022 after receiving information from AutoLine Toyota in Niagara Falls. Police said employees reported they had been contacted by their bank, who advised them of the deposit of suspicious cheques totalling just more than $30,000 into the bank accounts of two corporations. The employees confirmed they had not authorized the payments, and the bank was able to reverse the deposits. Further investigation, police said, revealed Di Gioia, who worked as a controller in charge of accounting at the dealership, had deposited the cheques. The access to the cheques was easy because of the financial responsibility he held within the company, Judge Cameron Watson said. Defence lawyer Angelo Fazari said his client ran into financial difficulties after he decided to become an entrepreneur and opened a business restoring and selling vintage vehicles. As a result of getting into a business venture he lost substantial funds, which forced him into bankruptcy, he told the judge. His behaviour on this occasion was totally out of character. The judge noted the defendant, who had no prior criminal record, had accepted responsibility for his actions, and that the dealership did not incur any monetary loss. SHARE: Foundations, businesses and residents have taken notice of GROW Community Food Literacy Centres efforts assisting and empowering low-income residents to overcome barriers accessing healthy food in Niagara Falls. GROW, which has operated a subsidized food market each Saturday out of a former Scouts building on Fourth Avenue since 2020, received an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant allowing the centre to hire someone to organize fundraisers that will benefit programs the registered charity provides. One of those fundraisers is Thursday at Casa Mia Ristorante for the second annual Glamour Bingo. Starting at 6 p.m., people who purchased tickets will enjoy food, wine, and bingo with a chance to win glamour prizes such as purses and handbags. All proceeds will support GROW. Meanwhile, Niagara Falls Tim Hortons owners have selected GROW, along with Project Share, as recipients of the upcoming Smile Cookies initiative. During the week of May 1 to 7, local Tim Hortons restaurants will sell Smile Cookies for $1.50 plus tax, with all proceeds going to the two charities combating food insecurity. As an agency that doesnt receive stable government funding, grants, fundraisers and community support are the reason more people can access healthy food such as produce and fruit at a fraction of what it costs in a supermarket, said Rose Iannacchino, a director with GROW. Its hugely important because what we do is provide food under cost, so lets say we buy bananas for 30 cents, we sell it for 10 cents, so we need to make up the difference, so basically this funding goes to help, she said. About 20,000 people have accessed the program throughout the two and a half years. Were basically trying to give low-income families an opportunity to eat healthy because if they eat healthy then they most likely will be healthier. The centre was founded by Pam Farrell in 2020 in an area of the city she termed as a food desert because of the lack of healthy food options available. Farrell has estimated 75 per cent of the people accessing the GROW market have Type 2 diabetes, which the Mayo Clinic said can lead to severe complications such as amputations, kidney failure and heart and blood vessel damage. Farrell just finished her doctorate in food literacy and is working on a similar model in Calgary. I would say on an average weekly market day, we sign up about 10 to 20 new people, so theres obviously a need and its growing rapidly as the economy gets a little harder to deal with, said Iannacchino. It is getting strenuous for sure. Were still staying on top of it, though. Weve got a great group of volunteers that donate so much of their time, which helps a lot. We just keep at it. Iannacchino said GROW is mainly volunteer-based (about 10 volunteers) unless it can obtain grants that allow the agency to hire staff. She said members of the community who visit the weekly market feel the dignity of being able to buy food, rather than having it given to them. They can purchase what they want, still get a really reduced cost on it and feel like theyre not being just handed out stuff. In addition to offering a fresh produce market with pantry, the centre provides a community kitchen with opportunities to cook and share healthy food, while building community and breaking down social isolation. Iannacchino said people who want to donate to GROW can do so by visiting https://www.growcflc.com/getinvolved. With files from Paul Forsyth Read more about: SHARE: I want to confide something in you, dear readers. I did not expect to like Six the Musical. Not at all. I expected this musical retelling of the story of the six wives of King Henry VIII by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss to take egregious liberties with the historic facts, and it does. I expected it to bring a loud and anachronistic pop score to a kind of Tudor version of "American Idol," and it does. What I did not expect was that I would love, love, love it. But I do! The conceit is that these six women, best known to most of us from PBS and that pithy mnemonic rhyme, Divorced, beheaded, died. Divorced, beheaded, survived, are engaged in a competitive sing-off. The winner will be she who suffered most while married to King Henry. Each is imbued with a personality to match her fate and given a queenspiration, from the world of pop music. For example, Catherine of Aragon, the first and longest-lasting wife is inspired by Beyonce and Shakira. Dressed in gold, she wails No Way, in a powerhouse song opposing her divorce. Gerianne Perez delivers the number with unstoppable authority and imperiousness. And so it goes, down the list from one to six. There is an abundance of queenlike competition and catfighting, but this show is headed in a different direction. In no previous retelling of the six wives saga does Catherine Parr, the final wife, emerge as the most complex and interesting, but here, Taylor Pearlstein steps forward as the queen who survives and makes the case for the role of women in history, the nature of victimization, and the underlying sisterhood these six women share. The joyful affirmation sends the audience through the roof. Pearlstein as Parr, with Alicia Keys and Emeli Sande as her queenspirations, is divinely up to the task, with the confidential and maternal warmth of a rock and rolling Julie Andrews. Zan Berube is adorably audacious as adolescent and self-absorbed Anne Boleyn, whose big number is, of course, Dont Lose Ur Head. Amina Faye is hilarious in her sanctimonious smugness as Jane Seymour, the only wife Henry truly loved, who died after giving birth to Edward. She channels her best Adele to sing Heart of Stone. Terica Marie, all in red, tears it up as Nicki Minaj/Rihanna queenspired Anna of Cleves, the German wife who didnt live up to Hans Holbeins portrait of her, but was smart enough to slip out of the marriage and into a retirement of luxury. Her number, Get Down, is a showstopper. In my book, the saddest story is Katherine Howard, the teen bride whose past catches up with her. Aline Mayagoitia is transcendent in the role. The show is a sublime 80 satisfying minutes with no intermission. Let them defy your expectations. This show is a blast. Info: "Six the Musical" continues at Shea's Buffalo Theatre (646 Main St.) through May 7. It is recommended for ages 10 and older. Visit sheas.org. Although recruiting new police officers is getting more difficult, Niagara Regional Police Chief Bryan McCulloch says the region has almost a full complement of boots on the ground despite a provincial initiative announced this week to make it easier to find new police officers. Premier Doug Ford, in a media release, announced the initiative Tuesday that increases enrolment and waives tuition at Ontario Police College to push back the growing tide of crime in our communities, we are urgently getting more boots on the ground. But MacCulloch told police services board members Thursday the region has 774 officers just three officers shy of the NRPs authorized deployment of 777. Although a report presented during the meeting said Niagara was short 13 officers, he said an additional 10 officers were hired since it was written, so were slightly below, and its all dependent on retirements. We do our best to try and stay as close to the authorized number as we can, he said. Still, McCulloch said the NRP is seeing fewer applicants than it used to. We used to receive well over 1,000 applicants a year, and now we receive several hundred applicants a year, he said. Referring to the free tuition for prospective officers as well as the elimination of a planned requirement for post-secondary education, board member and St. Catharines regional Coun. Laura Ip said she was planning to ask if the provincial initiatives would close the gap, but it doesnt sound like theres a big concern with respect to the gap. McCulloch said the education requirement announced years ago had yet to be enacted, and as a result of the new initiative it will not be. The decision by the Ontario government is really rescinding that decision (to require post-secondary education to become a police officer) and reverting to what is currently in place, which is high school education. However, he said about 97 per cent of hires have either a college diploma or a university degree, or a combination of both. Those that are hired with high school are sort of the exception, and generally its their life experience that gets them in the door and other factors as well, he said. Many of the times those individuals have worked with us in other capacities within the organization. Meanwhile, he said the cost of Ontario Police College tuition more than $15,000 may prevent some people from going into a policing career, and I think anything we can do particularly to leverage applications from people who may be coming from marginalized communities who cant necessarily afford to pay for the Ontario Police College, I think, is a step in the right direction to try and increase the number of applicants who are going into policing. Many of the NRPs recruits include graduates of Niagara Colleges police foundations program. The college said it is not concerned that the province cancelled the post-secondary education requirement. In an email, communications director Mike Wales said its business as usual for the program. We will continue to offer our police foundations and advanced law enforcement and investigations programs, which provide graduates with hands-on experience, specialized skills and insight into the issues related to todays policing environment, he said. We continue to believe that the Niagara College programs remain relevant and provide a strong foundation for a successful career in policing, and give our graduates an advantage in the recruitment process. In a media release, Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff said the provincial initiatives to protect local communities and increase public safety across the province is welcome news for residents in Niagara. I have heard from many local constituents calling for safer neighbourhoods in Niagara West and more enforcement across the region, he said. SHARE: Safia Mustafa and her family are stuck in Sudan after her grandmother was unable to board a flight amidst a growing conflict between two warring factions. The St. Catharines woman and her family are trapped on an airstrip at Wadi Seidna Air Base, north of the Suadnese capital Khartoum, after conflicts between the countrys military and paramilitary forces forced many from the capital, killing hundreds of people and displacing thousands. Mustafa, 36, grew up in St. Catharines, attending Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School, went to college in Ottawa and moved to Calgary, Alta., before moving to Sudan two years ago to help her parents care for her elderly grandmother. Recently, Mustafas father died, leaving her and her mother, 75, to take care of her grandmother, 90. Clashes broke out in the country about 10 days ago, between forces loyal to Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudans de facto ruler, and the paramilitary militia of Rapid Support Forces (RSF), an armed force faithful to former warlord Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemetti. As fighting escalated, Mustafa, her mother and grandmother prepared to leave the country to avoid being killed in the fighting, as rockets destroyed neighbouring houses and displaced many people in her neighbourhood. There were no evacuations in place until recently, and I was told we were confirmed on a flight today from a military base outside of Khartoum, said Mustafa on Wednesday. I was told to be here for 3 p.m., we were confirmed for a 6 p.m. flight with my grandmother, so we risked our lives and came here, and we found out that, no, she cannot go because shes not a Canadian citizen. Mustafa and her family are now left to the elements, amidst thunderstorms and dust storms with no shelter, near a runway at the air base, outside of the capital city, awaiting word on the next flight destined to leave Sudan before the fighting escalates further. I honestly lost trust because we were confirmed and now theyre saying to stay put, she said. Theres no concrete communication as to when we can expect to be leaving this place, as were told not to leave because its obviously unsafe. Mustafa told The Standard through a Whatsapp message that another flight was destined to leave Wadi Seidna Air Base Thursday. . Canadian-led flight in the morning and my grandmother is not allowed, she said via the messaging app, trying to conserve what little battery power she had left as electricity has been knocked out in the area. We are stranded on the airbase with no way back and they have directly endangered our lives. On Thursday morning, the federal government carried out its first direct airlift of Canadians from the northeast African country, Defence Minister Anita Anand said. Speaking at an event in Enfield, N.S., Anand confirmed the first Canadian evacuation flight from Sudan had taken place. A second flight left later in the day. Amidst fuel shortages and power outages, Mustafa said, even if they wanted to leave the airbase they were unable as they paid someone to drive them to their flight, which left them without transportation. We hired someone to drive our car, because all the drivers we called had no fuel, she said. We had fuel in our car, but we didnt know the way and we didnt know if its safe, so we hired someone to take us, and paid him to take us in our car and take the car back and leave it with extended family. Now Mustafa fears continued exposure to the elements could negatively impact her mother and grandmother in their heightened state. We are stuck facing the elements with no power, no shelter, its raining, theres thunder and lightning and it was hot all day, she said. Were dehydrated, theres no place to go to the bathroom. I feel horrible for putting them in this situation, they (the military) should have confirmed before making people leave what little shelter they had and making this perilous journey. With files from the Toronto Star SHARE: CHILLIWACK, B.C. - A 64-year-old man has been taken into custody after an attempted armed robbery at a CIBC bank in Chilliwack, B.C. RCMP say officers, including the integrated emergency response team, air support and police dogs, were called to the bank just after noon on Thursday. Police issued a statement asking the public to stay away from the area. An RCMP news release says the man was taken into custody without incident about 90 minutes later. The statement says no one was hurt and RCMP victim services is available to support those affected. CIBC spokesperson Tom Wallis said in a statement that the company is relieved the situation ended safely and grateful there were no physical injuries. While incidents like this are thankfully rare, they can be very difficult for anyone involved, he said. Our focus is on supporting the mental and emotional well-being of our team and our clients through services including counselling to help deal with a situation like this. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2023. Read more about: SHARE: ST. JOHNS, N.L. - Newfoundland and Labradors energy minister says a move by Marine Atlantic to hike ferry ticket costs to mainland Canada falls squarely on the shoulders of the federal government. Andrew Parsons made the remarks Thursday after the federal Crown corporation announced its fuel surcharge would increase by four per cent as of June 1. He said he has long asked that Ottawa revisit its funding structure with Marine Atlantic so travel between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland is more affordable. The provinces terms of union with Canada stipulate that the federal government will provide freight and passenger service between Newfoundland and the Maritimes, he added. This is not just our highway, this is our constitutional highway. This was part of us joining the country of Canada, Parsons told reporters. When you look at tourism, when you look at the cost of living, when you look at inflation this hits home harder now than perhaps it ever has. Marine Atlantic runs ferries between North Sydney, N.S., and two ports in Newfoundland, and its ships provide the main transport routes for most of the islands groceries. Anyone in the rest of Canada wanting to drive to Newfoundland through the Maritimes must take a Marine Atlantic ferry. The company is changing the way it calculates its fuel surcharge on ticket prices, increasing it to 17 per cent of travel fares from 13 per cent, spokesman Darrell Mercer said in an interview. The hike represents an $8 increase for a family of four with a vehicle, and a $17 increase for a drop-trailer transport truck, he said. The company has been grappling with soaring oil and gas prices, he added. It just got to a point where we could no longer absorb those additional costs that were seeing from the fuel purchases. The extra four per cent may not seem like much, but it will have an impact, Parsons said. Every good coming into this province, primarily perishables coming in through Marine Atlantic, were going to feel that. Were gonna feel that on every truck thats coming in; this is going to be passed on to consumers. The federal government provides funding to Marine Atlantic and requires the company to recover a certain amount of its costs from consumers, Parsons said. He said he spoke with federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra last winter about adjusting that amount. Were going to have to look at our options here, Parsons said, adding that they may include the courts. Transport Canada did not immediately return a request for comment. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2023. SHARE: ST. JOHNS, N.L. - An oilfield off the southeast coast of Newfoundland that hasnt produced crude since 2019 is facing more setbacks. Calgary-based Cenovus Energy, which owns 34 per cent of the Terra Nova offshore oilfield, doesnt expect any production from the project in 2023. Company officials told reporters there is a holdup with the fields storage and production vessel. After years of delays, the vessel was taken out of the country for retrofitting and is now back in Newfoundland, waiting to sail out to the oilfield. But Cenovuss Norrie Ramsay says Suncor Energy Terra Novas majority shareholder has delayed that step and is conducting maintenance work on the vessel. Suncor had said it expected Terra Nova to be back online by late spring or early summer this year, but the company now says it is still determining when the field will start pumping again. The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2023. SHARE: MELFORT, Sask. - The RCMP are releasing details on a stabbing rampage last year in Saskatchewan. Eleven people were killed and 17 were injured on the James Smith Cree Nation and in the nearby village of Weldon on Sept. 4, 2022. Mounties have said Myles Sanderson, who later died in police custody, carried out the attacks. Here are the latest developments from the police news conference (all times are CT): 12:30 p.m. RCMP say it was hard for officers to keep up with suspect Myles Sanderson as he was attacking people on James Smith Cree Nation and in the nearby village of Weldon, Sask. Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore, commanding officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP, says Sandersons attacks were unpredictable and rapid. She says the situation was chaotic and police couldnt keep up with Sandersons fast pace of abandoning vehicles, moving on foot and stealing other vehicles. _ 12:15 p.m. RCMP say they have changed the total number of injured in the stabbing attacks at James Smith Cree Nation to 17. Mounties had said last year that 18 people were wounded in the rampage, in addition to the 11 who were killed. They say the number changed during their investigation, but did not provide more details. _ 12 a.m. RCMP Supt. Joshua Graham says a psychological autopsy is being done of mass killer Myles Sanderson. He says it will try to determine Sandersons motives and why he targeted some people and not others. RCMP say at this time theres no evidence to support there were any other suspects. Officers are continuing to prepare reports for the Saskatchewan Coroners Service, which is scheduled to hold two independent inquests surrounding the killings and Sandersons in-custody death. _ 11:45 a.m. On Sept. 9, after a three-day manhunt and hundreds of reported sightings, RCMP arrested Myles Sanderson on a highway near Rosthern, Sask. However, he went into medical distress soon after he was placed in custody, and died. RCMP Supt. Joshua Graham says Sanderson killed 11 and injured 17 and left countless others mentally and emotionally impacted. Police say that after nearly eight months, the investigation into the stabbing rampage is not complete. _ 11:40 a.m. RCMP say that at about 6:43 a.m. on Sept. 4, Myles Sanderson went to another home, kicked in the door and stole a black Nissan Rogue and a cellphone. He next went to another house, attacked two women and left. Police say he then ended up in the nearby village of Weldon, where he killed his last victim, 78-year-old Wesley Petterson, on his porch. Police say another man was in the basement of the house but stayed downstairs. _ 11:35 a.m. RCMP say Myles Sanderson went to more homes on James Smith Cree Nation and stole a Red Dodge Caravan from one of them. He ended up leaving the van in a grassy area on the First Nation and walked back to the house where he had killed Gregory Burns. Mounties say Sanderson then attacked Bonnie Burns a second time and turned on Lydia Burns, who had been trying to help the victims. Both women died. _ 11:25 a.m. RCMP say Myles Sanderson entered through a back door of a home, where he killed Carol Burns, who was 46. He also attacked Thomas Burns, who was 23, and two other men. Mounties say Thomas Burns made it outside but Sanderson followed, got into the stolen GMC Terrain and hit Burns with the vehicle. They say Sanderson then got out of the vehicle and attacked Burns again, killing him. _ 11:20 a.m. RCMP say Myles Sanderson stole a GMC Terrain and drove to another home, where he forced his way inside. He attacked Earl Burns, who was 66, along with a woman, then drove off in the stolen SUV. Police say Burns, a school bus driver, managed to get in his bus and chase after Sanderson. RCMP say the bus rolled in a ditch and Burns, a Canadian veteran, died. _ 11:15 a.m. RCMP say when Myles Sanderson entered yet another home on the James Smith Cree Nation, a witness described him as bloody and talking about 10 bodies. Sanderson had a knife and asked for keys to a vehicle. Mounties say the person in the home refused, and Sanderson said the person was lucky. Sanderson then walked to another home, where he stole another vehicle. _ 11:05 a.m. RCMP say Myles Sanderson forced his way into a home and killed Christian and Lana Head. Sanderson then left the house and stole a white truck. They say he next forced his way into another home, where he attacked a man and woman, then headed to another house. He climbed through a window, attacked two youths, then stabbed Gregory Burns, who was 28, and his mother, 48-year-old Bonnie Burns. Gregory Burns tried to run after Sanderson but died. _ 11 a.m. RCMP say the first victim in the mass killing was Damien Sanderson. They say Myles and Damien Sanderson got into a fight in the stolen Dodge Caravan, and Damien Sanderson fled from the vehicle. Damien Sanderson ran into some bushes, where he was later found dead. Myles Sanderson then went to another home, crashed the van into the residence and killed a second person, 49-year-old Robert Sanderson. _ 10:55 a.m. RCMP say that at 5:40 a.m. on Sept. 4, Myles and Damien Sanderson forced their way into a home on James Smith Cree Nation. They say Myles Sanderson attacked a man with scissors, and Damien Sanderson stepped in to stop the assault. Police say Myles Sanderson grabbed a knife from the kitchen, and the brothers then drove off in the stolen Dodge Caravan. The assault victim called 911. RCMP say officers arrived at the First Nation at 6:18 a.m., provided medical assistance and called for help. _ 10:45 a.m. RCMP say that early on Sept. 4, witnesses described Myles and Damien Sanderson as guzzling booze and pumping themselves up for something. RCMP say that at about 4:45 a.m., the brothers stole a Grey Dodge Caravan. They say their investigation determined that this was the beginning of the mass killing. _ 10:40 a.m. RCMP say that on Sept. 3, after going to a nearby bar, Myles and Damien Sanderson went to a home on the First Nation, where Myles Sanderson said he was there for one body -- Gregory Burns. Mounties say someone in the home invited Gregory Burns over and the Sanderson brothers assaulted him, but no weapons were used. The brothers then separated, and Myles Sanderson stayed on the First Nation. Witnesses told police that Damien Sanderson, while at a bar, talked about a mission and that people would hear all about it in the next few hours. Damien Sanderson later returned to the First Nation and met up with his brother. _ 10:30 a.m. Police say that at 5:25 a.m. on Sept. 3, the vehicle reported stolen was found at a home, and officers spoke to the people inside and conducted a search. RCMP say the keys for the vehicle were found on a table. They say people in the home denied being Damien Sanderson. RCMP say a later investigation determined Damien Sanderson was there but he had given officers another name and looked different than his 2014 prisoner photo. _ 10:20 a.m. RCMP say that on Sept. 3, shortly after midnight, Myles Sanderson, his brother Damian Sanderson and a woman went to James Smith Cree Nation and to a home. Police say the brothers got into a physical fight with another man in the home. No weapons were involved and no one was seriously injured, and the altercation is believed to have been drug related. RCMP say that at about 4 a.m., officers received a report that Damien Sanderson had stolen a vehicle on James Smith Cree Nation. Two officers from Melfort tried to locate Sanderson and the vehicle. _ 10:15 a.m. RCMP say that on Sept. 1, 2022, the suspect, Myles Sanderson, travelled to James Smith Cree Nation to sell cocaine. The next day, Sanderson seriously assaulted a woman he was with in a vehicle. Mounties say Sanderson then attempted to use the vehicle as a weapon to cause further injury to the woman outside a home. Sanderson and his brother, Damien Sanderson, later left the home, picked up another woman and continued to sell drugs. They then headed to a nearby bar. _ 9:55 a.m. Commanding Officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP Rhonda Blackmore says details of the killings last year at James Smith Cree Nation are unimaginable. She says RCMP examined 42 different crime scenes, including buildings and vehicles. Blackmore says over 697 exhibits were seized, over 250 witnesses were interviewed and 1,250 investigative tasks were assigned. Photos of the 11 people who died have been set up on a table with a candle lit in front of each one. _ 9:36 a.m. The RCMP have begun delivering their preliminary timeline of events surrounding the 11 killings on James Smith Cree Nation and nearby village of Weldon, Sask. The timeline covers Sept. 1 to Sept. 9, 2022. A handful of people from the community are attending the presentation, with several women wearing ribbon skirts. Darryl Burns, whose sister Lydia Gloria Burns died in the stabbings, says he received the timeline yesterday with other family members. He says it brought him a little bit of closure. _ 9:30 a.m. Saskatchewan RCMP are set to present a preliminary timeline of a mass killing on James Smith Cree Nation and in the nearby village of Weldon last year. They say Mounties presented the timeline to family members of the victims today. Officers also participated in smudging, prayers and a pipe ceremony to honour the 11 who died. RCMP have also raised a teepee outside a community centre in Melfort, Sask., where the presentation is happening for media today. --- This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2023. Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version said 18 people were injured based on previous RCMP information. SHARE: MEXICO CITY (AP) Mexicos president acknowledged Wednesday he did briefly faint over the weekend before he was diagnosed with COVID-19, something his spokesman had previously denied. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said his doctors had been concerned enough to administer a liter of rehydration fluids. He said in a videotaped chat from the National Palace in Mexico City where he lives and is isolating that doctors wanted to fly him back to the capital in a stretcher. Lopez Obrador had been on a working tour of the Yucatan peninsula Sunday when he tested positive for the coronavirus, his third bout of COVID-19. But he wrote in his social media accounts Sunday that it isnt serious. Reports in the local press that day said Lopez Obrador had felt faint Sunday morning and had to cancel his tour, something his presidential spokesman denied at the time. But on Wednesday, the president acknowledged that it had become complicated ... I had a crisis, because my blood pressure suddenly went down during a meeting with military engineers working on his pet project, a tourist train on the Yucatan peninsula. It was like I fell asleep, he said. I didnt lose consciousness, but I did briefly faint, because of the low blood pressure. The president said he was flown back to Mexico City aboard an air ambulance, but specified he was not carried in a stretcher. Lopez Obrador, 69, who has acknowledged a history of heart problems, said his heart was not at all affected. On Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar, who frequently meets with Lopez Obrador, said he too had tested positive for COVID-19. He wrote in his Twitter account that I am well. Lopez Obrador caught COVID-19 in early 2021 and was ill, but recovered after receiving what he described at the time as an experimental treatment. In January 2022, he announced he had come down with COVID-19 a second time, amid a spike in coronavirus infections in Mexico. Lopez Obrador declined to enact mandatory mask mandates and he refused to wear a mask even at the peak of the pandemic unless it was absolutely necessary, as on airline flights. He famously refused to use Mexicos presidential jet, which he recently announced had been sold to Tajikistan. While Lopez Obrador remains in isolation he said he has spent the time working on speeches Interior Secretary Adan Augusto Lopez has been filling in at the daily presidential morning news briefings. That could provide a boost for the interior secretarys flagging campaign to win the presidential nomination of Lopez Obradors Morena party for the 2024 elections. Lopez, who is not related to the president, currently trails Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum in most polls of the primary race. Read more about: SHARE: NEW DELHI (AP) Indias defense minister accused China on Thursday of eroding the entire basis of ties between the countries by violating bilateral agreements, a reference to a nearly 3-year-old standoff involving thousands of soldiers stationed along their disputed border in the eastern Ladakh region. Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh met with visiting Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu and had frank discussions about the developments in the India-China border areas as well as bilateral relations, Indias Defense Ministry said. Singh told Li that development of relations between India and China is premised on the prevalence of peace and tranqulity at the borders, and that all border issues need to be resolved in accordance with existing agreements and commitments, the ministry said in a statement. There was no immediate comment on the talks by the Chinese side. India says the deployment of a large number of Chinese troops, their aggressive behavior and attempts to unilaterally alter the border status quo violate agreements between the countries. The violations have eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations, Singh said. A clash three years ago in the Ladakh region killed 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese. It turned into a long-running standoff in the rugged mountainous area, where each side has stationed tens of thousands of military personnel backed by artillery, tanks and fighter jets. Days before Lis visit, top Indian and Chinese army commanders held an 18th round of talks in an attempt to work out a disengagement of troops from areas of tension. Both India and China have withdrawn troops from some areas on the northern and southern banks of Pangong Tso, Gogra and Galwan Valley, but continue to maintain extra troops as part of a multitier deployment. A Line of Actual Control separates Chinese and Indian-held territories from Ladakh in the west to Indias eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims in its entirety. India and China fought a war over their border in 1962. Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu is visiting New Delhi to attend a meeting of the defense chiefs of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on Friday. The group consists of China, India, Pakistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Krgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Singh also met separately on Thursday with the defense ministers of Iran, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. Read more about: SHARE: LE PECQ, France (AP) The French chief of counterintelligence has given new details about a Russian spy ring broken up by France in the wake of Moscows invasion of Ukraine, saying the six intelligence agents were caught red-handed interacting with a source on French soil. The director of the DGSI counterintelligence and counterterrorism agency, Nicolas Lerner, was speaking to a French parliamentary enquiry looking into foreign efforts to influence or corrupt political parties, leaders and opinion-makers in France. His testimony was delivered behind closed doors in February. But the website of the National Assembly, Frances lower house of parliament, published his comments this week. Lerner described the unmasking of the Russian agents as one of the most significant counter-intelligence operations carried out by the DGSI in recent decades. The six intelligence officers were caught in the act of treating with a source on the national territory and expelled, Lerner said, without giving more details. At the time, in April 2022, Frances Foreign Ministry said the Russian clandestine operation was unmasked by a very long DGSI investigation. It said the six agents posed as diplomats and that their activities were contrary to our national interests. Its statement made no mention of a source in France. Frances interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, also made no mention of a French source for the spies in his tweet last April that hailed the remarkable counterespionage operation by the DGSI which obstructed a network of Russian clandestine agents. A week prior to those expulsions, as the horrors of war crimes committed by Russian forces in Bucha, Ukraine, were coming to light, France also expelled 35 Russian diplomats. saying their activities were contrary to our security interests. Expulsions, including tit-for-tat retaliations by Moscow, have been a feature of the deepening gulf between Russia and countries opposed to its war in Ukraine. Sweden this week expelled five Russian Embassy employees suspected of spying. Norway expelled 15 Russian diplomats earlier this month. Russia this week responded by ordering 10 Norwegian diplomats in Moscow to leave. In his sworn testimony, Lerner told lawmakers that Russia had long been running the largest spy operation in France, using intelligence officers posing as diplomats. The country that historically has the most important system is Russia. This tradition continued to the present day. In each Western country, several dozen officers their number has diminished significantly since the start of the Ukraine crisis from the three Russian intelligence services carry out intelligence and interference actions under diplomatic cover. He added that China also maintains a network under diplomatic cover that is much less developed than Russias. Lerner suggested to lawmakers that they also should be on their guard about the risk of intelligence agents seeking to ensnare them. He said the DGSI was in regular contact with lawmakers to alert them and if necessary to let them know who they are dealing with. In recent months, we have done this several times, after detecting contacts with Russian intelligence officers under diplomatic cover, he said. More broadly, the French counterintelligence chief said that previous unwritten rules that rival countries observed in the Cold War were collapsing in a new era of more aggressive and direct confrontation. From 1945 to the fall of the Berlin Wall, certain tacit rules, which one can like or disagree with, governed relations between nations, he said. Each bloc broadly respected the others sphere of influence. All of that has disappeared. Now, the way some countries see it is that the only rules are the fait accompli and the law of the strongest. ___ Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine and https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine-a-year-of-war Read more about: SHARE: HELENA, Mont. (AP) Montana transgender lawmaker Zooey Zephyr spent her first day in legislative exile Thursday relegated to a bench in a noisy hallway across from a snack bar outside the state House chambers where she is no longer allowed. Zephyr defiantly stayed put even after the Republican House speaker said she couldnt be there and a House security officer threatened to move the bench where she had set up her laptop. She listened to debate and voted remotely from there, with a gold sticky note on the wall above her head that read Seat 31, her seat assignment in the house. The note was placed there by transgender and nonbinary Rep. SJ Howell. Republicans had wanted Zephyr to participate from behind the doors of the House Minoritys offices a day after they voted to ban her from the House floor for the rest of the session, which ends early next week. Her refusal to do so came as Democrats sought to keep Zephyrs banishment in plain view after a weeks worth of nationwide public scrutiny over Republicans unprecedented actions to silence her, which continued Thursday. Republicans moved to sideline Zephyr further by shutting down the two committees she serves on and moving the bills they were to hear to other committees, Democratic Rep. Donavon Hawk said in a statement. I walked out yesterday with my head held high and I walked in with my head held high today, ready to do my job, Zephyr told The Associated Press. As cameras snapped and espresso beans churned in a machine nearby, Zephyr and Democratic leaders promised she would remain in the public eye unless Republicans elected to further limit where she could go in the Capitol. There are many more eyes on Montana now, Zephyr said. But you do the same thing youve always done. You stand up in defense of your community and you ... stand for the principles that they elected you to stand for. The motion Republicans passed bars Zephyr from the marble-pillared House, the gallery above it and a waiting room, but not the public space in the hall where she set up. Minority Leader Kim Abbott said the lawmaker would be voting there, within public view. The showdown began last week, when Zephyr told lawmakers backing a bill to ban gender-affirming medical care for minors that they would have blood on their hands. The phrase has been used recurrently by both Republicans and Democrats discussing the nations most polarizing issues, but Montana House leaders said they would block Zephyr from participating further in the debate until she apologized for saying it. Zephyr did not back down, instead participating in a protest that disrupted Mondays House session as observers in the gallery chanted, Let her speak! an action that led to Wednesdays vote to banish her from the floor. The Republican response to her comments, and her refusal to apologize for them as demanded, have transformed Zephyr into a prominent figure in the nationwide battle for transgender rights and placed her at the center of the ongoing debate over the muffling of dissent in statehouses. Silencing an elected representative, in an attempt to suppress their messages, is a denial of democratic values. Its undemocratic, White House Press Secretary Kaine Jean-Pierre said Thursday. The attention is a new phenomenon for Zephyr, a 34-year-old serving her first term representing a western Montana college town after being elected in November. In her interview with the AP, Zephyr likened efforts to silence her to the decision by Tennessee lawmakers to expel two Black representatives for disrupting proceedings when they participated in a gun control protest after a school shooting in Nashville. The two were quickly reinstated. Tennessee lawmakers not only rejected gun control laws, but by expelling the lawmakers they sent a message saying: Your voices shouldnt be here. Were going to send you away, Zephyr said. As in Montana, GOP leaders in Tennessee had said their actions were necessary to avoid setting a precedent that lawmakers disruptions of House proceedings through protest would be tolerated. Tennessee Rep. Justin Pearson, one of the lawmakers who was expelled earlier this month, has called the Montana standoff anti-democratic and Nebraska state Sen. Megan Hunt likened her fight to Zephyrs after being served notice Wednesday of a complaint filed against her that she said was an effort to silence her voice on a gender-affirming care ban under consideration. Its so important that we not be silent about this from state to state to state. And its so important that people stand up against this rising movement, this radical movement, and say it is not welcome, she said. Zephyr is undeterred. She said throughout the events of the past week, she has both aimed to rise and meet the moment and continue doing the job she was elected to do: representing her community and constituents. Its queer people across the world and its also the constituents of other representatives who are saying, They wont listen when it comes to these issues. Its staff in this building who, when no one is looking, come up and say Thank you, she said. ___ The story has been edited to correct that the color of the sticky note is gold not pink. ___ Metz reported from Salt Lake City. Associated Press reporter Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed to this report. SHARE: RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) North Carolinas leading health insurer would be able to reorganize through a method the nonprofit companys leaders said would keep it nimble and competitive with for-profit rivals, under legislation approved Thursday by the state House. The measure, which would allow Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and a dental insurance provider to complete a restructuring through creating parent holding companies, passed with bipartisan support despite strong criticism from state Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey. The intent of the bill is to create a more level playing field for those two entities, said Rep. John Bradford, a Mecklenburg County Republican who shepherded the legislation in the House. The health care industry is fiercely competitive and rapidly changing. After an 86-26 House vote for passage, the bill now heads to the Senate. The measure would permit Blue Cross, the state's dominant insurance provider, and Delta Dental to transfer money and other investments from its current hospital service companies into new shell companies run by the same executive leadership. Blue Cross could use those assets to purchase other companies to expand services, for example. The proposed holding companies would remain fully taxed nonprofits. But Causey, a Republican, said shifting assets could allow Blue Cross to circumvent a state law that limits its reserves and would eventually require the company to refund some of that money to its policyholders, which number over 4 million, or lower its rates. Other bill opponents also said theyre worried that the change could contribute to higher premiums, especially for many lower-income people who rely on Blue Cross products. Its a lot of North Carolinians that are impacted by this bill, said Rep. Deb Butler, a New Hanover County Democrat, who urged more work on the measure. And if we get this wrong, its going to be a disastrous situation. Blue Cross trustee board Chair Ned Curran told House members in a letter dated Wednesday that there was nothing in the measure that would increase premiums, and that Causey still has the authority to approve or deny premium rates. Curran and Bradford also pointed to changes made to the original bill that could address concerns by Causeys Insurance Department, the North Carolina Medical Society and others. The bill will improve the health and well-being of North Carolina and its communities, Blue Cross said in a news release thanking House members for the vote. A change this week caps the amount of the company's admitted assets to be transferred at the reorganization to the new holding company at 25%. The holding company also would have to file annual audited financial statements with Causey, disclose compensation for its highest paid executives and reveal the company's strategic investment activities. The reorganization option is something that is needed by a North Carolina company, said Rep. Jason Saine, a Lincoln County Republican and a senior budget-writer. And weve worked hard to reduce regulations and make it easier for companies in our state to do business. This is the same process. Majority Leader John Bell of Wayne County and Minority Leader Robert Reives also are among the chief bill sponsors. Senate leader Phil Berger expressed support for a reorganization proposal this week. For decades, Blue Cross was able to accumulate assets tax-free until a federal law ended its long tax exemption in 1986. The insurer is subject to more regulations than for-profit companies operating in the state, including a mandate of higher reserves. A law passed in the late 1990s would require Blue Cross to transfer its total worth in stock to a charitable foundation should it ever convert to a for-profit company, with the proceeds designed to improve health care for state residents. The bill says the value of the holding company envisioned would be part of that value calculation. Blue Cross is a major policy player at the General Assembly, where it has more than a dozen registered lobbyists. Its employee PAC gave over $250,000 to legislative campaign committees in 2022, according to reports filed with the State Board of Elections. This story has been corrected to show the bill requires annual audited financial statements, not audits. MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) Former President Donald Trump turned his attention to the general election on Thursday, using his first campaign appearance since President Joe Biden launched his own reelection bid to boast of his poll numbers and suggest that he has no need to debate his Republican rivals. Trumps appearance in New Hampshire marked his first return to an early voting state since his legal troubles increased with an indictment in New York. He spoke on the same day that his former vice president, Mike Pence, testified before a federal grand jury investigating efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election. Meanwhile, writer E. Jean Carroll testified for a second day Thursday in a civil rape case against Trump over an encounter in the 1990s, an allegation he denies. We are a nation in serious decline, a nation that has lost its way, Trump said at a downtown Manchester hotel, a smaller venue than his typical, large-scale rallies. We are led by a hopeless person, but we will win in 2024 and make America great again. We can do it. Its not too late. In a nod toward his 2016 race, Trump said hes retiring the crooked nickname he used to define Democratic rival Hillary Clinton and will now instead apply it to Biden. He pledged to take back the White House and settle our unfinished business in a potential 2024 rematch with the current president. A spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee, Ammar Moussa, pointed in response to persistent allegations that Trumps family profited off his presidency. Donald Trump may come up with a lot of nicknames for President Biden but we have a better one: winner, Moussa said. Trumps New Hampshire appearance came two days after Biden kicked off his own long-expected reelection campaign, presenting himself as he did in 2020 as a buttress against Trump and his Make America Great Again movement. Bidens campaign launch video included snapshots of Trump and warned of MAGA extremists working to erode freedoms including voting rights and abortion rights. Trump is considered a front-runner for the GOP nomination, though more Republicans are expected to jump into the race soon, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Trumps campaign this week started airing its first television ad, which assails DeSantis. In the ad, Trump takes credit for DeSantis political rise and shows the governor yoking himself to the former president, including clips from a 2018 gubernatorial campaign ad in which he uses some of Trumps catchphrases like Build the wall and Youre fired. Trump, who has mused about skipping primary debates, pointed Thursday to his sizable polling lead and questioned why he should bother participating in the debates. Why would you do that? he asked the crowd. Two weeks ago, Trump appeared with several other announced and potential presidential candidates at the National Rifle Association convention in Indianapolis. Last weekend, he spoke by video to a gathering of evangelicals in Iowa that marked the unofficial start of the states 2024 caucus campaign. It doesnt feel good to have Republicans that are so conservative and great fighting each other, said Kathy Holmes, a 69-year-old retired teacher from Chichester who attended Trumps event Thursday. Holmes, who said she plans to vote for Trump in the states leadoff primary, wore homemade buttons of Trumps face with fuzzy blond hair glued onto it. Holmes said shed like to see DeSantis wait and run for president in 2028 instead. Maureen Anderson, a 43-year-old from the Boston area who said she follows the QAnon conspiracy theory, said Thursdays event was the first time she would be seeing Trump in person. The longtime Trump supporter wore a red MAGA hat and said she would be supporting Trump in the primary, regardless of his legal troubles. I feel like theyve got nothing on him, and they just keep trying to find some other avenue to get him, she said of the legal cases. But theyre not gonna get him. Trump stopped at a downtown diner after his event, where he posed for photographs and signed autographs. Someone in the crowd tried to draw Trumps attention to one woman, shouting, Shes a J-6er, referring to people who were at the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Where is she? Trump asked, turning his head and beckoning her to come through the packed crowd. He leaned in between members of his security detail to say, You just hang in, and something else inaudible and then repeated, You just hang in. The woman passed up a backpack from the crowd to have him sign, shouting, I took it with me Jan. 6. He signed it. New Hampshire is a political swing state, though voters in the state rejected Trump in the 2016 and 2020 general elections. It was, however, the first state Trump won in the 2016 Republican presidential primary contest, propelling him into GOP dominance that he maintains to this day. The former president made one other visit to New Hampshire earlier this year, stopping in Salem as part of his first appearances on his latest White House campaign. ___ Cooper reported from Phoenix. Read more about: SHARE: OTTAWAThe federal governments first two evacuation flights from Sudan after 12 days of deadly fighting took off with dozens of empty seats and foreign citizens alongside Canadian nationals and their dependants, officials said Thursday. The evacuation flights, first promised by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday, lifted off from an airstrip outside the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on Thursday, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly. The first plane carried 45 of a possible 100 passengers, seven of whom were Canadian citizens and permanent residents, while the remainder of evacuees were from the United States, United Kingdom and other countries, Jolys office confirmed Thursday. The second flight had 72 of a possible 100 evacuees, including 37 Canadians and 35 Sudanese who are local staff for the Canadian embassy, their dependants, and the dependants of Canadian citizens, Jolys office said. These were Canadas first evacuation flights since fighting and chaos erupted in the northeast African country on April 15. They occurred after several other countries already staged their own airlifts, which the government says have included more than 200 Canadians so far. Officials briefing journalists in Ottawa on Thursday said another 108 Canadians in Sudan have asked for help leaving, on top of 130 more who were considering it. On Parliament Hill, Joly rejected any suggestion that Canada was slow to airlift its own citizens from the region. She said efforts began as soon as fighting broke out in April. Weve been at this since day one working with other countries to find a place to do an airlift, to secure that place, Joly said. Im not into Monday morning quarterbacking. My job is to get Canadians out of Sudan. Government officials, who briefed journalists on condition of anonymity, said the two Canadian flights on Thursday could each have carried 100 evacuees, but that numbers were limited because of dangers on the ground. That includes concerns about moving in darkness and reports of extortion en route to the airport, one of the officials said. Another official said that the aircraft captains of the CC-130 Hercules planes used in these evacuations have the authority to decide how many people should board before taking off. Joly said the planes are currently the only ones able to use the airstrip about 20 kilometres outside the Sudanese capital of Khartoum. The citys main airport is not an option because of damage and debris to the runway, she said. The two flights that took off from Sudan on Thursday travelled to neighbouring Djibouti, where passengers were supposed to board planes chartered by the Canadian government to carry them to Nairobi, Kenya, the officials said. Canadians would be responsible for their own onward travel from there, which is routine policy for international evacuations, though the government has approved more than $170,000 in emergency loans to help 70 travellers, officials said. Earlier, at an event in Nova Scotia, Defence Minister Anita Anand had announced the first successful evacuation flight as very good news and pledged that the Canadian military was now positioned to try and stage further airlifts or help people get out by land or sea. Planning is occurring as we speak to ensure the maximum number of Canadians can be evacuated as soon as possible, Anand said. The government has been contacting Canadians with and without documentation, as well as permanent residents, about the evacuations, officials said. Ottawa is also looking at approving family members of citizens and permanent residents for evacuation, they said. Violence erupted in Sudan on April 15, with factions of the countrys army fighting a paramilitary group in the capital of Khartoum and beyond. The Associated Press reported Thursday that residents spoke of armed fighters who battled and looted shops in Sudans war-torn Darfur region, violating an already-fragile truce between the groups engaged in a deadly power struggle. More than 450 people have been killed and more than 4,000 injured so far, with attacks on hospitals and increasing challenges in obtaining essential goods like food, water and medicine, according to the United Nations. Government officials speaking about the situation Thursday described the current ceasefire as tenuously holding, with one official stating the Canadian military is concerned both sides of the conflict could resume combat after using the lull in fighting to resupply. But for the moment, the combatants are not targeting Canadian and other foreign personnel who are supporting evacuations, so the government plans to stage further airlifts as conditions allow, the official said. Its a very tenuous situation on the ground and were watching this very closely with our closest allies. With files from Stephanie Levitz Read more about: SHARE: The Supreme Court will on Thursday (today) hear the appeal filed by the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu over his continuous detention at the Department of State Services, DSS. The secessionist had on November 3, 2022, filed an appeal at the Supreme Court against the Court of Appeals ruling halting his release from the DSS custody. Kalu appealed against the 28 October 2022 decision of the Court of Appeal which stayed the execution of its earlier order acquitting him of all charges and directing his release from the custody of the secret police. A statement issued on Thursday by the IPOBs lead counsel, Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, said the appeal will be heard on Thursday morning. He expressed optimism that the grace of God would prevail in judgement over todays outing at the Supreme Court. The statement reads partly, Please be informed, Ezigbo Umuchineke, that the Supreme Court of Nigeria will this morning, hear Appeal over the continued illegal detention of our indefatigable Client Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. We are very firm in our belief that the Almighty Chukwu Okike Abiama will take absolute control of todays proceedings. We shall keep you all updated on the outcome of the legal fireworks that will ensue in the court today. Thank you all, Ezigbo Umu Chineke, and remain blessed. The Supreme Court on Thursday adjourned the hearing of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, till next month. The decision of the Supreme Court was disclosed in a tweet by Kanus Special Counsel, Aloy Ejimakor. Tweeting, Ejimakor wrote: Sadly, the Supreme Court has adjourned the #MNK appeal hearing to next month. The apex court heard Kanus appeal filed over his continuous detention at the Department of State Services, DSS, facility in Abuja. The appeal, which was filed on November 3, 2022, was against the decision of the Court of Appeal which, on October 28 2022, stayed the execution of its earlier order acquitting him of all charges and directing his release from the custody of the secret police. Prior to the hearing, Kanus Special Counsel had urged the Supreme Court to ensure justice in the trial of the IPOB leader, stressing that his matter should end today. The Lagos State House of Assembly has commended the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba and other members of the Nigeria Police Force for excellent performance. This is amid the public outcry of violence that allegedly marred the conduct of the 2023 general elections in the state, In a statement on Wednesday, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi said the Lagos Assembly extolled the excellent performance of police officers deployed to the state ensured a hitch-free election, devoid of violence. The statement reads partly, In its letter dated 4th April 2023 and signed by the Clerk of the House, the Lagos State House of Assembly extolled the display of professionalism and neutrality by the Force leading to the actualization of an election adjudged to be the fairest and freest in the annals of Nigerias democratic history. It equally acknowledged that the feat was tailored to various transformational reforms of the IGP, his visionary and purposeful leadership in the NPF which has set the pace and good precedence for policing future elections in the country. Recall that prior to the presidential election, there were a series of video clips that circulated on the internet about some suspected political thugs who threatened some residents of the state to vote for their party or remain at home. On February 25, election day, several attacks were recorded in many polling units across the state. Many celebrities and members of opposition parties had called out the Nigeria Police Force over their alleged poor performance during the election. The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) is expected to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari over the new revenue sharing formula put together by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC). The NGF had called on Buhari to send a draft legislation on the new formula to the national assembly before his tenure comes to an end on May 29. The governors held a meeting on the matter, among other issues, in Abuja on Wednesday. Aminu Tambuwal, chairman of the forum and governor of Sokoto, said they also discussed stamp duties that had been withheld by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). We discussed the new revenue formula submitted to Mr President by the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission and the need for us to approach Mr President on the need for him to present the new draft formula to the national assembly before this administration winds up, Tambuwal said. We also discussed the issue of stamp duties that have been held, both the federal government and the states that are warehoused in the Central Bank of Nigeria. We are working to make sure that it is released for disbursements to both the federal government and state. We are going to meet Mr President as the leader of the forum and we will appeal to him to present that draft revenue formula. By the time it is presented, you will see what is there. The Sokoto governor said the NGF has worked in a bipartisan approach for the benefit of the citizens. The NGF is actually doing well in terms of bringing governors together, working together for national interest, for the interests of the states, he said. Tambuwal added that there has been unity among the governors on national issues. Afenifere, the Yoruba socio-political group, has called on the federal government to stop the planned May 3 population census. In a communique released on Thursday by Sola Ebiseni, the groups secretary general, Afenifere described the timing of the exercise as inauspicious and impossible in credible implementation. Ebiseni said the citizens are still incensed and distraught by the trauma of violence and brigandage of the elections. There is no compelling reason why the census must be held by the expiring Buhari administration and calls for all steps and preparations in that regards to be stopped forthwith. Afenifere decries the most insensitive deployment of over N100 billion on this wasteful exercise as scandalous and an economic offence, the statement reads. Afenifere bemoans the unthinkable insistence of the Buhari administration in conducting the 2023 national census in spite of the objective realities which make such an important national exercise most inauspicious in timing and impossible in credible implementation. It is in the light of the importance of credible exercise that, in the August 2022 conference, we strongly advised against the conduct of the census which, among other reasons, we said could not possibly hold in the same year of a general election. Other well-meaning personalities and institutions including the UNFPA resident representative in Nigeria who at another conference in PortHarcourt on the 26th-29th March 2023 and most recently the Methodist Church Nigeria, Diocese of Calabar which all have raised concerns on the possibility of reasonable and genuine participation in an acceptable headcount in the current mood of the nation. That Afenifere is particularly bemused that government expects participation in headcount by citizens still incensed and distraught by the trauma of violence and brigandage of the elections or by those in IDP camps within their country in whose ancestral homes terrorists in occupation will now be counted as new indigenes. That all factors considered, including its inability to supervise a transparent electoral process, and a lesser headcount exercise, the integrity deficiency of this administration is abysmally compounded in conducting census in which partisan disputes in Nigeria are often at the level of communities, states, and ethnic nationalities having been politicised over time. In March, the federal government announced the 2023 population census would commence on May 3 and end two days later. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), has spoken about the viral video of the evacuated students reportedly stranded in a desert. On Wednesday, buses arrived to evacuate Nigerian students amid the ongoing crisis in Sudan. NiDCOM said the buses would take the students to the Egyptian border from where they would be airlifted to Nigeria. However, hours after their departure, a video surfaced on Twitter of some Nigerian students in an unidentified location, saying they were stranded and raising an alarm over their security. The Buses evacuating Nigerian students and non-student were stopped in the middle of the Sahara, and the drivers refused to continue the journey because they were not PAID. @abikedabiri @nemanigeria @FMHDSD @nidcom_gov @NigeriaMFA Students crying out in this video pic.twitter.com/tbXSq1hUdY Dr. Ahmad Small (@dr_ahmadsmall) April 27, 2023 Can you imagine that we have been stuck in this desert for five hours, we dont know the situation were in and our money has finished, a female student in the video said. And the drivers said theyre not moving their buses because they did not give them money. Look at this place, we dont even have a compass to know our location. Everything has finished, we are in an unknown location and in very big danger. The video shows some buses parked in a deserted area with a crowd of people seeming frustrated at the situation. TheCable could not immediately verify the video. CHALLENGES ARE EXPECTED Reacting to the video in a press briefing on Thursday, Dabiri-Erewa said the evacuation process was a tedious one and that challenges were expected. She said the government was in touch with the students, noting that relevant agencies would resolve the situation in no time. Im seeing reports on Twitter dont believe everything on social media -but Im seeing reports that theyre stranded somewhere because the bus driver is demanding for some kind of full payment but whatever is happening will be resolved by NEMA and between the Nigerian mission in Sudan and Ethiopia, the NiDCOM chair said. There will be challenges along the way. Its a very very complex and fluid situation. So whatever challenges are being faced now, I believe that relevant agencies will resolve them. Were in touch with some of the students and whatever it is they talk about we try to convey to the relevant agencies and weve resolved quite a few. Whatever it is theyre going through now, two hours away to where they are, will be resolved, and lets understand that its a very fluid situation. And at the end of the day, we believe Nigeria will be one of the countries to rescue most of its citizens in Sudan. She said 13 buses have departed from two universities in Khartoum, carrying Nigerian students to the Aswan border in Egypt, adding that barring any last-minute changes, the first set of evacuees would be expected to arrive in the country on Friday. President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, in Abuja, said the fighting power of the Nigerian Army had progressively increased since his regime began in 2015, making it one of the strongest in Africa today. The fighting power of our army was at its lowest ebb as of May 2015. However, seven years later, its fighting power has increased significantly, making it fourth in ranking among African militaries as against seventh in 2015, Buhari said at the Nigerian Army parade of trooping and presentation of colours at Eagle Square, Abuja. Recent data from Global Fire Power showed that the Egyptian Army tops the military ranking in Africa in 2023. Based on the Power Index score, Nigeria ranks fourth after Egypt, Algeria and South Africa. While Ethiopia, Angola, Tunisia, Libya, Uganda and Kenya ranked fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth, respectively. Tony Elumelu, group chairman of Transnational Corporation Plc (Transcorp), has commended Femi Otedola, the billionaire businessman, for his acquisition of a significant stake in the conglomerate. Recently, Otedola acquired a 5.52 percent stake in Transcorp Plc to become the second largest shareholder of the company. There have been reports that the billionaire has upped his stake to 6.3 percent. Speaking in an interview with Arise TV on Wednesday, Elumelu said he welcomed Otedolas investment in Transcorp and looked forward to working with him. Hes my very good friend. In fact I only follow two people on instagram, my wife and Femi Otedola, that shows the level of friendship we have, Elumelu said. Hes a man i admire and we call ourselves bothers. I welcome Femi, I call him FO or Ote-Dollar. I welcome his investment in Transcorp. We go on international roadshows and talk to investors to invest in our companies. I am happy to see an active indigenous investors community. I am happy that Femi Odetola is investing locally and he should be commended for that and I also welcome him for that. That is because the more people show interest in the activities, and performance of the company, the better for shareholders. You want to make your stock investors toast and I am happy that Transcorp is becoming investors toast. About 10 years ago before we took over Transcorp, people were not interested. People lost confidence in the company. Today under our leadership, Transcorp has consistently paid dividends in the last five years. There is a capital appreciation for the company. When friends and investing public invest in a public company like this, it is a validation and tells you they believe in your story, vision, management, leadership and competence. I like my friend (Otedola) coming on board and I look forward to working with him to take Transcorp to greater heights. TRANSCORP POWER NOT LISTING ON NGX ANYTIME SOON Elumele also denied reports of planning to list Transcorp Power, a subsidiary of Transcorp Plc, on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) anytime soon. No (we are not listing), I hear that rumor from time to time, especially after some competing institutions were listed on the exchange. We are long-term players. We wanted to grow more and more significantly, he said. There are a few more things we wanted to do in the power sector so that it can blossom. He, however, proceeded to confirm that Transcorp Power may be listed on the NGX in about five years on the condition that transmission lines and challenges with gas supply would have been fixed. We are looking for about five years from now to list on the NGX, Elumelu said. We believe in the next five years, the transmission line will be fixed and gas supply to the sector would have improved significantly. A former landlord who once owned or controlled 22 Buffalo homes where 29 children suffered lead poisoning pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court to making and using a false statement on documents related to lead-paint disclosures for properties he sold. Prosecutors and inspectors consider Angel Elliot Dalfin to have been among the worst if not the worst rental housing operators in Buffalo before he sold his properties a few years ago. A fugitive for more than a year after the U.S. Attorney's Office filed a criminal complaint in May 2021, he surrendered in July 2022 at the federal courthouse to face criminal charges related to lead-paint violations. At the height of his operation, Dalfin owned or controlled more than 150 single- and two-family homes in Buffalo, rented mostly to low-income people of color on the city's East Side. Dalfin repeatedly violated laws by failing to maintain the properties, allowing lead paint to deteriorate, and he also provided deficient and false lead disclosures or no disclosures at all to tenants and purchasers of his properties, according to a state Attorney General's Office investigation. In federal court, he admitted to a felony charge for falsely stating that he had no knowledge of lead-based paint hazards in 23 rental homes he sold or had no reports or records pertaining to lead-based paint in the houses. Dalfin, 58, faces a maximum prison sentence of five years and a $250,000 fine. In a plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to a prison sentence of 12 to 18 months and a fine between $5,500 and $55,000. U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo is not bound by the recommended sentence the prosecution and defense counsel agreed to, and the judge can impose a lesser or more severe punishment when he sentences Dalfin on Sept. 7. Dalfin agreed to make restitution of $115,000, or $5,000 for each of the houses cited in the federal complaint. The $5,000 is about how much it costs to remove lead-paint hazards for a house, Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango told Vilardo. Vilardo can also set a different restitution amount at the time of sentencing. When Dalfin asked the judge if it might be a lesser amount than the $115,000, the judge said, "probably not." Last November, State Supreme Court Justice Catherine Nugent Panepinto ordered Dalfin to pay nearly $5.1 million in penalties, restitution and forfeited rent for lead paint violations prosecuted in state court. When asked by a reporter after Thursday's plea hearing if Dalfin had paid the millions of dollars he owes the state, his attorney Michael M. Blotnik said, "You know the answer to that." When pressed for his answer, Blotnik said he had no information about whether Dalfin had paid the state court-imposed fine. The $50,000 deposited with the federal court for Dalfin's appearance bond, which allowed him to be released from custody after his surrender, was paid by someone else not Dalfin, Blotnik told Vilardo. Dalfin, a father of eight grown children, told Vilardo that he has been unemployed since the outbreak of Covid-19. He told the judge he is being treated by a psychiatrist for bipolar disorder and also receives medical treatment for a heart illness. Federal and state cases During his remarks to the judge, Mango referred to "quite of bit of history in this case." When the state sued Dalfin in September 2020, the Attorney General's Office said that at least 63 of the Dalfin-controlled properties had been cited for lead hazards since 2013, and nearly two dozen Dalfin properties were associated with lead-poisoned children. Even before the state sued, Dalfin was already aware of the state's ongoing investigation at the time because he received in December 2019 information that the office was issuing subpoenas regarding him and his companies. In 2020, Dalfin used email to facilitate the transfer and sales of his properties, according to the criminal complaint. Dalfin was well aware of potential lead-based paint hazards in several of the properties but continued to sell them with false lead disclosures, according to prosecutors. Federal prosecutors said that even after a state judge's order restraining him from selling or transferring any properties in New York State, he continued to actively orchestrate and execute the sale of properties. Among the rental properties cited in the plea agreement is a two-family house at 53 Shepard St. in the Genesee-Moselle neighborhood. Built around 1900, it was owned by a Dalfin entity from 2013 through 2020. The criminal complaint reveals a timeline of inspections, violations and children reported living at the property with elevated blood lead levels. Between December 2014 and August 2019, the Erie County Department of Health received reports of two children with higher than normal blood lead levels, including one with an extremely high level. Between January 2015 and August 2019, the department found at least 41 lead paint hazard violations at the property. Notices of violation were issued on at least three separate occasions in 2015, 2018 and 2019. On Dec. 29, 2014, the department received a report that a 2-year-old resident of 53 Shepard, who resided with her pregnant mother, had an elevated blood lead level, and an inspection soon after found conditions conducive to lead poisoning, including chipping and peeling paint. Dalfin's property manager submitted a lead remediation work plan dated Jan. 27, 2015. Two weeks later, the property manager provided a lead disclosure statement to a new tenant, through Belmont Housing, which falsely stated that the landlord had no knowledge of lead-based paint and/or lead-based paint hazards in the house or had no reports or records pertaining to lead-based paint and/or lead-based paint hazards in the house. When the county Health Department re-inspected the house in April 2015 and June 2015, it found the lead paint hazard conditions had not been remediated. Later, in July 2015, the department inspected the house again and determined that lead hazards on the property were "temporarily controlled by the use of interim controls." On April 3, 2018, the department inspected the house again and found conditions conducive to lead poisoning from deteriorated paint. The department inspected the house in August 2018 and determined that the previous violations had been corrected. On Aug. 2, 2019, the department received a report of a child with an extremely high blood lead level at the property. The department inspected the premises again and confirmed the presence of lead on surfaces in multiple locations in the house. On Aug. 6, 2019, the department sent a notice and demand letter noting conditions conducive to lead poisoning and identifying 23 interior and exterior lead paint hazard violations at the property. After the property management company submitted a remediation plan, the department inspected the house on Aug. 29, 2019, and found the lead conditions were "temporarily controlled by the use of interim controls." The lead-paint disclosures required by federal law for homes built before 1978 were either not made or contained false information when this property and the other properties were sold, according to Mango. President Muhammadu Buhari has asserted that opposition parties failed to win the February 25 presidential election because of overconfidence. According to Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Buhari spoke on Thursday at his residence in the State House, where he received the Progressive Governors Forum, led by its chairman, Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State. Buhari said: They were already telling their foreign backers they would defeat the APC. Our party blended confidence with caution; we worked hard and won. Their overconfidence is creating more problems for the opposition than anyone else. They find it hard to convince those who supported them from the outside why they cannot beat us. A combination of overconfidence, complacency and bad tactical moves made them lose, plain and clear. It has created more problems in their camp. Why did they fail to remove us? In response to an issue raised by Governor Bagudu, the leader of the forum, President Buhari said: An important reason I congratulate Asiwaju on winning is that the opposition got support and false hope from outside and went on to create the impression that they will win, that they will defeat us. How more wrong could anyone be? The President charged the Progressive Governors to stick together and openly address issues among themselves. Try and keep solving problems. Be courageous to discuss them openly between yourselves. This is the best way to survive politically in Nigeria, said the President, who further urged: You (governors) [should] have a program to meet regularly and to discuss issues and how to maintain the party nationwide. President Buhari also spoke at length about his retirement proposal, saying that he intended to be home in Daura for six months before eventually moving to Kaduna. He lauded Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State for the infrastructure he provided that would make life easier for the people of the state and for him in his retirement. He equally commended the Governor of Kano State. Gov Bagudu said the purpose of the visit was ostensibly to say Happy Sallah to the President and thank him for his leadership of the party and the nation. Congratulations, your party won the Presidency, the majority in the Senate and [is the] the leading party in the House of Representatives. These successes would not have happened without your support, he said. Asserting that history will remember the President kindly, Bagudu noted: We won by sheer hard work, the same thing you have always encouraged us to do. We thank you immensely for everything. President Muhammadu Buhari has arrived at the Nigerian Army trooping and presentation of colours parade at the Eagle Square in Abuja on Thursday. Buhari will unveil 28 out of the 81 national and regimental colours for the newly established and operationalised units and retired unit colours of the Nigerian Army. See the photos below: The Supreme Court has granted leave to the federal government to file nine new grounds of appeal against the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). The federal government through its counsel, Tijani Gadzali, applied for leave to include nine new grounds as part of its amended notice of appeal dated October 28, 2022. A five-member panel of the court led by John Okoro granted the application at the court session on Thursday. Also at the hearing, Mike Ozekhome, Kanus lead counsel, informed the panel of some applications bordering on his clients bail based on deteriorating health. He prayed the apex court to either grant the IPOB leader bail or order for his transfer to the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive appeal. However, the prosecution raised an objection adding that the DSS facility is well-equipped to cater to whatever health conditions Kanu may be experiencing. After listening to the arguments, the apex court panel advised Ozekhome to withdraw his applications to allow for a speedy hearing of the main suit. BACKGROUND Kanu was extradited from Kenya by the Nigerian government in June 2021, to face terrorism charges in Abuja. Subsequently, he was re-arraigned before Binta Nyako, a federal high court judge in Abuja, on a 15-count terrorism charge. However, while ruling on Kanus preliminary objection challenging the validity of the charge, the judge, on April 8, 2022, struck out eight of the 15 counts. The IPOB leader went on to file an appeal against the remaining seven counts. On October 13, the appellate court held that the federal government cannot prosecute the IPOB leader having breached his human rights and extradition laws by forcefully bringing him back to Nigeria. Consequently, the court quashed the remaining counts and ordered Kanus release. The federal governments appeal against the October 13th judgment is what is pending before the supreme court. President Muhammadu Buhari has commended his Chief Personal Security Officer, CPSO and other Security Officers and Personnel on the excellent work put in towards ensuring his safety and that of his family. According to Garba Shehu, Senior Special to the President on Media and Publicity, Buhari was speaking at a short event on Wednesday in the State House to decorate the CPSO, Aliyu Abubakar Musa, with his new rank of Police Commissioner, President Buhari said he was very impressed by the officers loyalty and for my security. Serving me is very difficult. President Buhari lauded the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, for the correctness of his decision to elevate the erstwhile Deputy Commissioner of Police to the full rank of a Commissioner, saying, I am very pleased with his record. The lauded the newly promoted Commissioner for his service to Nigeria. Theres indication that the evacuation of Nigerian students out of Sudan has encountered hitches. A video circulating online showed that the buses evacuating the Nigerian students and non-students were stopped in the middle of the Sahara desert. A voice narrating the incident in the video claimed that the drivers refused to continue the journey because they were not paid. The video was posted by a Twitter handle, Dr Ahmad Small and shared by former lawmaker, Shehu Sani on his verified Twitter handle. Dr Ahmad Small wrote, The buses evacuating Nigerian students and non-students were stopped in the middle of the Sahara, and the drivers refused to continue the journey because they were not PAID. @abikedabiri @nemanigeria @FMHDSD @nidcom_gov @NigeriaMFA Students crying out in this video. Recall that the e Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved 1.2million dollars for the immediate evacuation of the Nigerians stranded in war torn Sudan. According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, the amount would be spent on the hiring of 40 luxury buses that will transport the stranded Nigerians from Khartoum, Sudan, to Egypt, from where they will be airlifted to Nigeria. Video: The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC, in the 2023 election, Omoyole Sowore has called on the Supreme Court of Nigeria to be courageous enough to set the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu free today. The apex court will on Thursday (today) hear the appeal filed by the secessionist over his continuous detention at the Department of State Services, DSS, facility in Abuja. The appeal, which was filed on November 3, 2022, was against the decision of the Court of Appeal which on 28 October 2022, stayed the execution of its earlier order acquitting him of all charges and directing his release from the custody of the secret police. Speaking ahead of the hearing today, Sowore in a tweet, asked the Supreme Court to let Mazi Nnamdi Kanu go. #FreeNnamdiKanuNow. The Supreme Court of Nigeria must demonstrate courage today and stop the impunity of the lawless, inhuman and illegitimate Muhammadu Buhari flouting of court rulings. Let Mazi Nnamdi Kanu go! #Revolutionnow, he said. Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu has said the president-elect, Bola Tinubu is currently rocking like a hurricane after having some rest in Paris, the capital of France. Orji Kalu who is jostling for the position of senate president in the yet-to-be inaugurated 10th National Assembly, stated this after meeting with Tinubu in Abuja. In a post on his Facebook page, Kalu stated that he met the former Lagos governor in a good spirit. He wrote, I paid a welcome visit to our dear President-elect, H.E Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu who just returned to our country. I met him in good spirit and he is rocking like a hurricane. The president-elect, on Wednesday, moved to the Defence House in Maitama, Abuja, pending his inauguration on May 29. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has written to President-elect Bola Tinubu ahead of his inauguration. In the letter, Sunak said he looks forward to working with Tinubu who won the presidential election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in February. Sunak said he hopes to welcome Tinubu to London in April 2024 for the second Africa Investment Summit. He said the summit will be a key moment to strengthen UK-Nigerian business partnerships in order to create jobs and growth, increase bilateral trade and investment, and support your aim of boosting Nigerias export competitiveness. The prime minister said the UK will continue to support Nigeria in addressing its security challenges through the sharing of expertise and tools. The UK has been a longstanding partner of Nigeria and we stand ready to support your efforts to build peace, unity and prosperity in Nigeria. The UK Government welcomed the opportunity to hear your priorities when you met the Minister of State for Development and Africa last year. I am proud of our work supporting access to education and healthcare, improving governance, and helping meet the humanitarian needs of those affected by conflict, the letter reads in part. Together, we can expand our partnership further, including by strengthening our trade and investment relationship for the mutual prosperity of both our countries through an Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership. I also hope to continue our work in addressing the security challenges facing Nigeria and the wider region. Such challenges are not limited by borders; it is vital that we share expertise and tools to combat them. The National Security Adviser looks forward to further dialogue with your National Security Adviser later this year. The deep bond between our two nations comes not only from our shared heritage and the links between our people, including through education, the arts, and sport, but also our unique relationship through the Commonwealth. We can take pride in its values of democracy, good governance and cooperation. Through this forum, we will continue working in partnership to tackle global challenges like climate change, with its unique impact on Nigeria and your wider region, I believe our shared leadership on this can play a vital role. Sunak added that his government will continue liaising with Tinubu and his team through the transition period and following your inauguration. President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to hand over power to Tinubu on May 29. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), says universities in the country have made offers to admit Nigerian students returning from Sudan. Dabiri-Erewa spoke on Thursday on Sunrise Daily, a Channels TV programme. Although she said the safe return of the stranded students was the priority at the moment, she assured that the continuance of their education would not be a problem. The NiDCOM chair said the federal government had ensured students who were evacuated from Ukraine continued their studies and would replicate the process with those returning from Sudan. We did it with Ukraine, when they came back, there were plans to continue education for them, Dabiri-Erewa said. Although the medical students among them had issues because they found out that the level of their medical school was not even as high as that of Nigeria so it was difficult to place them where they wanted. But, yes, the ministry of foreign affairs actually created a division for that and ensured that those who wanted to continue their education did. A lot of them wanted to go back. Let them (the ones from Sudan) come back, let us receive them safely and then we take it. In fact, universities are already offering and have reached out to us that when they do come back and they want to continue their education, they should contact them, so all that shouldnt be a problem at all. I think the number one problem is that you cannot be talking about continuing your education if youre not safe so our focus and our anxiety is that all Nigerian students come back. President Buhari has approved funds so everything is done 24/7. So the first thing for us at this point in time is for them to reunite with their families. The issue of education shouldnt be a problem. On Wednesday, buses arrived to evacuate Nigerian students amid the ongoing crisis in Sudan. NiDCOM said the buses will take the students to the Egyptian border from where they will be airlifted to Nigeria. The CEO of Meta, the parent company of the popular messaging app, WhatsApp, Mark Zuckerberg, has announced a new update to the app which will enable users to log into as many as four smartphones with the same account simultaneously. In a statement posted to his verified Facebook page on Tuesday, Zuckerberg wrote, Starting today [Tuesday], you can log into the same WhatsApp account on up to four phones. Prior to the Tuesday announcement, users could only log into one account on only one phone, and an attempt to log in on another phone would log the user out of the previous phone. WhatsApp users are no longer restricted to using their account on just a single phone, a report by The Verge says. One WhatsApp account, now across multiple phones is how the messaging service describes the new feature. Setting up a secondary phone to use with a WhatsApp account happens after doing a fresh install of the app. Except, rather than entering users phone number during setup and logging in as usual, the user will instead tap a new link to existing account option. This will generate a QR code to be scanned by the primary WhatsApp phone via the link a device option in settings. The new feature works across both iOS and Android devices, according to The Verge. Although the original phone that signed into the WhatsApp account is considered the primary device, it is not necessary for it to be turned on in order to receive messages from other phones, Android tablets, or desktops. WhatsApp, however, says that it would log out other devices if the primary smartphone is inactive for more than 14 days. Also, users can manually log off connected devices from their primary device. Users can access and use WhatsApp on any of the devices once secondary phones have been connected to their account. Up to a year of messages will sync between devices, so users will be able to see chat histories before sending any new messages. Messages sync across phones regardless of their operating systems, whether its iOS to Android or vice versa, The Verge reports. Personal messages remain end-to-end encrypted, regardless of whether users are using the multi-device feature. The feature will be a useful tool for small businesses that might want multiple employees to be able to send and receive messages from the same business number via different phones. However, users who use multiple smartphones on a regular basis and that want them all to be associated with the same WhatsApp account will find the new feature most useful. The parents of a Buffalo sixth grader will receive a financial settlement to end their mask mandate lawsuit against Buffalo Public Schools possibly the first Covid legal case in the region to be resolved by money in addition to a change in policy. A federal judge redacted from public court records the financial details and other parts of the settlement between the school district and the boy's parents, Edward Speidel and Amy Szafranski. The parents, who said their son could not tolerate wearing a mask, filed a lawsuit in federal court in January 2022 because the district from August 2021 to February 2022 refused to allow any mask exemptions for students who were unable to wear a mask due to a disability. The parents sought permission for him to wear a face shield instead in order to attend school in person. Shortly after their lawsuit, the school district allowed students seeking a mask exemption to return to school buildings wearing face shields. Speidel and Szafranski's son, now a sixth grade student at Fredrick Law Olmsted School No. 156, missed in-class instruction for nearly half of his fifth grade year because of what his parents in court papers called the school district's "illegal policy." The 11-year-old is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, migraines, hypotonia and pica, an eating disorder involving eating nonfood items. Speidel went to the special education office and School Board meetings, contacted administrators, board members, state Education Department representatives and even the governor's office before the family filed the lawsuit. Szafranski taught her son at home with assignments sent by his teacher. But his parents worried that he was not getting social interaction with the kids in his class. "We did everything we could think of to try to get him back into school," Szafranski said in a recent affidavit supporting the settlement. "We had been begging for this relief for five months, and we believe it would not have happened without this lawsuit." Her son returned to school Feb. 7, 2022, and has been attending since. Attorney Andrew M. Debbins, one of the lawyers who represented the South Park neighborhood family, said he could not discuss the details of the settlement because of a confidentiality agreement. Things certainly changed for the better for the young man we represented," Debbins said. "We hope that our efforts and our clients efforts to fight for disabled kids brought about a positive change for all young people similarly situated to our young client. The Buffalo City School District did the right thing after we presented legal authority, and were grateful that our young client is back in school and able to fully participate in the same manner as his classmates. The outcome for the family turned out better compared to others who sued over Covid restrictions. Several local lawsuits filed in the first two years of the pandemic succeeded at chipping away at rules that judges found to be excessive or irrational, such as orders to close a laser-tag center and forbid tanning services. But judges generally gave the state wide latitude to implement the emergency measures the governor and public health officials deemed reasonably necessary to protect the public against the disease. With mandates and restrictions ending, especially since the end of the state's Covid-related state of emergency, judges have generally ruled Covid lawsuits moot. In this case, the family received a settlement offer from the district not an award from a judge. The mask policy was at the advisement of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the school districts medical advisory team made up of three pediatricians, said district spokesman Jeffrey Hammond. While confidentiality prohibits the district from commenting on the specifics of the settlement, the district is pleased to resolve this lawsuit, and thanks the court for its efforts in approving a good faith and mutually agreed upon resolution," Hammond said in a statement. "We believe the resolution ... further demonstrates the districts commitment to providing equal access to education for our students, in this case during the unprecedented and rapidly evolving Covid-19 pandemic and looks forward to continuing this commitment as moving forward. Speidel and Szafranski challenged the district's initial refusal to grant the mask exemption citing the Americans with Disabilities Act, among other legislation, and said the decision was contrary to public health guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the New York State Department of Health. They called their proposal for a face shield a reasonable accommodation. Indeed, the district previously stated it would allow such an accommodation and even provided the student a face shield to practice, Debbins said in a court filing. But then, without explanation, the district reversed course and announced that if a student could not wear a mask, that student could not come to school. In so doing, the district denied their son access to his public school on the basis of his disability, Debbins said. The family claimed to have been damaged by the costs of home instruction. Szafranski also said she had planned to return to work but could not because of the district's policy, so she lost earnings during the time her son was not allowed to return to the classroom. But she acknowledged in court papers she had not worked for some time before his remote learning, so she did not have documented proof of lost wages. In the settlement agreement, the family and the school district agreed to seek the court's permission to seal various documents and redact portions of others, Debbins said in a court filing. U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra Jr. granted their request. Debbins said the interest in maintaining attorney-client privilege and the family's privacy interest outweigh the publics interest in seeing the settlement. Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, has asserted that Nigerians should not hold the President Muhammadu Buhari administration responsible for not rescuing all the kidnapped Chibok Girls. It is like a self-accounting when you are exiting a position of public office to be humble enough to know that you have not done everything perfectly, Adesina said during Channels Televisions breakfast program, Sunrise Daily on Thursday. In 2015, we knew where Nigeria was, today we know where we are Two hundred and sixty-seven were spirited away, about 57 escaped immediately, and over 100 have been returned by the administration. The ones that are left, I think 90-something, they are Nigerians, they have the right to be brought back, he said about the girls who were kidnapped in 2014. But then, if a government came in when the trail was already cold and you couldnt trace where the girls were taken, you cant then blame it solely for not bringing them back, that would not be quite right. Dachi girls were taken under the administration, and within the week they were recovered except maybe five including Leah Sharibu sadly. The special adviser stated that the government was proactive to tackle the kidnap at the time it occurred, adding that the incoming should take up the responsibility to recover the girls. I believe that with the Chibok Girls, we should rather appreciate God and appreciate the government for what was achieved. It is not as if the government folded its hands and didnt do anything, it did its level best. And because the government is a continuum, the incoming government, if it recovers more of those girls, the country will gladly receive them, he said during the show. A GoFundMe has been organized to help St. Joseph Church Deacon James Puliattes family pay for a private air ambulance to transport him to a hospital in the United States after he fell ill while vacationing in Antigua. Justin Puliatte, who is Puliattes son, said his 78-year-old father recently celebrated his 45th year anniversary of being a deacon. He has been serving at St. Josephs Church in Demarest for years now but was assigned to Immaculate Conception Church (in Norwood) for most of his tenure, Pulliatte told NJ Advance Media. While vacationing in Antigua on April 23, Puliatte said his father had multiple strokes, seizures and was told it resulted from advanced bacterial meningitis. With the fundraising goal at $250,000, Puliatte said the funds will help pay for the private air ambulance that was the only way to get him home. That includes flying a crew of American doctors, nurses and respiratory specialists, as well as a hospital stay in Antigua, and expenses for extended hotel accommodations. Every minute the expenses go higher and higher. The plane alone was over $75,000, Puliatte said. The funds will also cover flying luggage home, cabs, medications and the anticipated expenses at Hackensack University Medical Center and then rehabilitation for his father, Puliatte said. He said he was already overwhelmed by the support his father has received. It is a blessing from God, and I believe Gods way of saying now its time for all of the people you have touched and helped to now be there for you, Puliatte said. About $132,000 had been raised by the GoFundMe campaign as of Thursday morning. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Vashti Harris may be reached at vharris@njadvancemedia.com. Tears streamed down Sonya Rogers cheeks as she stood at the podium in Newark, reliving the trauma of losing all three sons to gun violence within five years of one another. Still, she said, she has hope that a plan announced by city officials Wednesday would spare others at least some of the pain she endures almost every day. I am a walking emotional calendar, said Rogers, 48, referring to the birthdays, holidays and other occasions that trigger grief for her sons Anthony, Antoine and Tyquan, all fatally shot before their 21st birthdays between 2011 and 2015. Im not standing here for sympathy. Im not standing here for empathy. Im standing here for every mother in the City of Newark. Rogers, who leads a violence survivors group known as Through Our Voices, was at City Hall for an announcement of the Newark Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery Strategic Plan, a multi-tiered strategy to reduce violence through means beyond police manpower and, when violence does occur, to minimize its impact on victims and their families. The plan, published on the city website, is broken into four kinds of initiatives with distinct goals: ensuring that residents play an active role in fostering public safety; focusing resources on violence hot spots, similar to how public health agencies tracked and addressed coronavirus outbreaks; overcoming a culture of mistrust between the police and the public; and investing tax dollars on violence prevention initiatives in addition to enlightened police strategies. We know we cant have public safety without the public, said Lakeesha Eure, director of the Newark Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery. Were shifting the culture to think about trust, healing and resilience. Thats the ultimate goal. Wednesdays announcement was timed to coincide with National Crime Victims Rights Week, April 23-29, an awareness campaign by the federal Office for Victims of Crime in the U.S. Department of Justice. Eure introduced Mayor Ras Baraka, who created the violence prevention office as a kind of municipal partner to existing community groups including My Brothers Keeper, the Newark Community Street Team, the HUBB and other members of a network known as the Brick City Peace Collective. Newark experienced a 6% reduction in violent crime in 2022, which Baraka attributed in part to the network. He called it a violence prevention infrastructure, and said it had attracted the attention of cities across the state and the nation, noting that Newark had recently hosted a gathering of the National League of Cities and would soon host the African-American Mayors Association. He rejected conventional notions that aggressive policing tactics and higher arrest counts mean safer streets. We can uphold peoples rights and follow the Constitution of the United States and at the same time reduce violence and crime, said Baraka, who reiterated his position that violence should be addressed as a public health issue. And the one thing we do well in this country is public health, Baraka said. If there was a mosquito that came into this place and bit one of us, and we died from that mosquito bite, there would be all kinds of protocols set in place to find out where did this mosquito come from? How did it get here? All these things would go into finding out why this mosquito bite killed this person, Baraka said. Even so, the mayor added, that same kind of thorough response has not extended to victims of fatal violence, especially when Black and brown people die. One example of a measure the city has already implemented on behalf of crime victims, Baraka said, was that all police precinct houses post a notice informing victims that a social worker is available to talk to them. In October, Gov. Phil Murphy created a New Jersey Office of Violence Intervention and Prevention under the state attorney general. Its director, Steven Campos, was present at Wednesdays announcement, and confirmed later that the state had taken its cue from the city. The bones of everything came out of the work being done in Newark, Campos said. Whether the issue is violence prevention, infrastructure improvement or affordable housing creation, Baraka and his supporters often talk about Newark as a policy and practice model for other cities, and the mayor has been mentioned among potential Democratic candidates for governor in 2025. Asked on Wednesday whether he envisioned a statewide leadership role for himself, Baraka did not rule it out. I think were doing that now, he said of his administration and its community partners. When the National League of Cities came, they went and visited all these people. I had a private conversation with mayors while that was going on, but they visited all these organizations, all these things that were going on, to spread this work, because the work is more important than me. Now, if you want to say, would I be willing to express this across the state of New Jersey? Absolutely. On Wednesday Mayor Ras Baraka announced a plan to curb violence and its impact on victims.Steve Strunsky | NJ Advance Media For NJ.com Nobody knows Jersey better than NJ.com. Sign up to get breaking news alerts straight to your inbox. Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Gregory calls it the night he went skydiving without a parachute. Torn from his alcoholic mother, bullied at school and dumped by his girlfriend, the 15-year-old was finally overcome by the trauma he tried so hard to lock away. So he stood on the ledge of a railroad bridge abutment more than 20 feet off the ground that December night in 2021 with only one certainty. He couldnt go on without help. The outgoing North Jersey teen had asked for a therapist, but his dad didnt get him one. He had confided in his mom how desperately empty he felt, but she had little power after losing a custody battle with her ex-husband. And Gregory had told a judge months earlier he wanted to live with his mom since she was now sober, but the request was refused. Half of me was like, Lets go see Jesus, said Gregory, a pseudonym NJ Advance Media is using to protect his privacy. The names of his family members have also been changed. The other half of me was like Lets not yet. Youre only 15. Gregory leapt, but aimed for a sloped, grassy area rather than the rocks directly below. He survived the fall with just scrapes and bruises. Could it have killed me? Absolutely, he said flatly. If I had landed on my head, I would have looked like a watermelon that just got crushed. Everyone knows a kid like Gregory. The high school junior is one of an untold number of teens caught in bitter custody battles, but their experiences have flown under the radar in the larger adolescent mental health discussion. In Gregorys case, he also carries the destabilizing weight of his mothers alcoholism and his younger brothers crippling depression. His parents dysfunctional relationship left him in a perpetual state of limbo, pushing him to the brink of suicide before getting the help he knew he needed. If a child asks for therapy, you give the child therapy, warned Madelyn Simring Milchman, an Upper Montclair psychologist who specializes in child trauma. Gregory, now 17, is sharing his story as part of Portraits of a Crisis, an occasional series by NJ Advance Media shining light on the experiences of teens during an alarming mental health epidemic. The same month Gregory jumped, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy issued a report warning that the coronavirus pandemic had a devastating impact on the mental health of teens, adding to already rising rates of anxiety and depression. The U.S. suicide rate grew by 4% in 2021, including a 7% increase in suicides among people ages 15-24, according to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. My intended result at the end of the day was trying to get help, Gregory said of the impulsive plunge. So, I mean, it kind of worked. Gregorys dad, Frank, said there were any number of reasons for not getting his son into therapy sooner, but mostly he seemed to be really well-adjusted. The severity of his sons struggles was an eye-opener, he said. Gregory received therapy after his cry for help and no longer thinks of harming himself, he said. But he still wanted to return to New England, where he grew up with his mom Caroline until he was 12. What I wanted for my mental health was going back with my mom. Id say it louder, and louder, and louder, and no one listened, said Gregory, who says he loves both parents equally but has never considered his dads place home. Sometimes I would just stop, because theres no point if no ones listening. His experience also underscores the human toll of a severe judge shortage in New Jersey that allows custody disputes to drag on far longer than they should, leaving children awash in uncertainty and stress. A court-ordered best interest evaluation conducted by a psychologist last summer recommended Gregory and his younger brother Andrew live with their mother as soon as is feasible. Long story short, they totally ignored me, Gregory said of the system. A scarring childhood Gregory considers himself a typical teen. He stands about 6 feet tall. He loves history and thinks he might want to become a teacher. He has a strong jaw, a decent mustache and dark brown hair that hangs to his shoulders, making him look like a movie star when it blows in the wind, he joked. Gregory answers his phone in a deep, adult voice, but his youthfulness is unmistakable when he talks about comic books, how fast he runs and his dating troubles. As the older brother, he feels responsible for Andrew, 15, who has talked about killing himself and indicated in his best interest evaluation that everyone would be better off if he was dead. Gregory has taken on the role of his brothers protector. He has some of the similar issues as me, he said. He doesnt like to talk about it. But Gregory needs to talk. Just knowing someone is listening makes him feel better, he said. There are so many memories he wants to block out and so many feelings he doesnt know how to process that he usually just tries to shove it all down and push forward. In his lowest moments, he would take the key to his dads apartment and press the sharp edges into his flesh. There were days when my entire chest was carved like a tic-tac-toe board, he said. That was the only way that I felt like I could get the pain off. The ripple effects of his parents breakup continue to shape Gregorys life. Frank moved out of the family home in 2008, when Gregory was 2 and Andrew was just 7 months. He moved to New Jersey, but typically visited every other weekend and on holidays, he said. Frank and Caroline officially separated two years later, and their divorce was finalized in 2013. Gregory remembers a childhood with his mother that was sometimes picturesque playing in the yard in their rural community and other times nightmarish. Caroline struggled with the pressure of raising two kids after the divorce. Juggling her young family and a full-time teaching job, she cracked, she said. Youre running as fast as you can, and youre trapped in the house all night because youve got these two little kids, Caroline said. You literally have no life. She doesnt know the exact moment her drinking became problematic. But what started as a few drinks to get out of her own head after the boys went to sleep eventually became an addiction. When Gregory was 6 or 7, he started spending most of his time at his grandmothers house, he said. He loves Caroline he cherishes the moments when she was fun and functional but as he got older, he realized she had a problem. Most of the time, she was drunk, he said. He started hiding Carolines empty liquor bottles under her bed when he was in elementary school so his grandparents wouldnt see them. Gregory is haunted by the night his mom drank so much she couldnt get out of bed and peed on him as he tried to help her up. Paramedics took her away on a stretcher. And he tries not to think about witnessing Carolines arrest after she threw a phone during a dispute with Franks mother. She was subsequently charged with domestic violence. I struggle with it a lot, Gregory said, racing through his words. I dont usually tell people, though, because its like, what are they going to do about it? Carolines drinking cost him life as he knew it at 12. He awoke one morning in 2018 at his grandmothers house and found his father waiting with a temporary restraining order to take the boys to New Jersey. Children raised by a parent struggling with mental health issues, including alcoholism, face a higher risk of developing their own mental health issues, according to Jacquelynn Duron, an associate professor at Rutgers Universitys school of social work. Once a child is old enough to know that their parent is engaged in something thats unacceptable in society, their emotions become increasingly volatile, she said. It can leave them feeling very confused, Duron said. When Frank received custody of the boys, Gregory blamed himself for Carolines drinking. He thought he failed her. I didnt think I was the cause of her drinking, Gregory said. I thought I didnt do enough to stop it. A traumatic move Gregory wasnt ready for life in New Jersey. Not the cramped living space. Or the bullying. He and Andrew squeezed into Franks one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment in a quiet North Jersey commuter town. Frank, a sound engineer who moonlights as a musician, crammed two beds in his room, which the boys have shared for four years. He began sleeping on the couch. I knew literally no one, Gregory said. He became a frequent target of bullies, which he assumes was because he was new. In one particularly cruel incident, he got pantsed while a group of kids took a cellphone video of his humiliation, he said. Gregory suffered intense mood swings as he acclimated to his new home. He would be really, really happy for a few days, followed by deep sadness, he said. Meanwhile, Caroline spiraled after losing custody, crying herself to sleep on the bathroom floor. She resigned from her teaching job and, with the exception of a few phone calls and letters, practically disappeared from her sons lives during their first year in New Jersey, Gregory said. Caroline said Frank kept the boys away. Frank said when they tried to call Caroline, she was in no condition to talk. Like most of his life, Gregory heard his parents tell different versions of the same story. He never knows which to believe. Already scarred by Carolines alcoholism, Gregory confronted losing contact with his mom while living in a new town where he felt unwelcome. Either change would put a strain on a childs mental health, Duron said. Taken together? The trauma was likely incredibly damaging. We are talking about adjustments and transitions, but were also talking about loss and grief that comes with losing everything that someone is used to, she said. Gregory asked both parents for a therapist after the breakup, he said. All he knows is he didnt get help. He was in New Jersey for just a few months when Frank asked if he wanted someone to talk to. The conversation occurred about four years before his alarming jump. But therapy never happened, not until he tried to hurt himself, he said. A child asking for therapy is an unusual request to cry for help, Simring Milchman said. Its a signal that you may not know everything thats going on with this child, and they may not even want to tell you, she said. Gregory talked about therapy with Caroline, Frank said, but not with him after their initial conversations. I acted on what I have in front of me, he said, and I didnt have anything that disturbed me until it was too late. Back in New England, Caroline went to rehab and got sober within a year of losing custody, she said. She started working again as a teacher. And she began a long, tangled legal battle to regain custody that was slowed by the pandemic and New Jerseys understaffed judicial system. Stress and uncertainty Gregory loves his dad. Frank is easy to get along with and a great cook, his older son said. But being away from Caroline made him miserable. During the 2019-20 school year, the judge overseeing the case interviewed Gregory. The eighth grader knew it would break his dads heart if he said he wanted to live with his mom. Hes been doing his best. He loves us, obviously, Gregory said. But at the same time, I was like, This is whats right for me. He nervously told the judge he wanted to live with his mom. Custody disputes are inherently messy. Judges must narrow their focus to determine the best interest of the child, a loaded term based on several factors, according to Randi Mandelbaum, a professor at Rutgers Law School in Newark. A childs preference is a consideration, but so is a parents history of domestic violence as well as the safety of the child, the wishes of other siblings, the continuity of the childs education and the fitness of the parent, Mandelbaum said. Children at the center of a custody fight can feel a whirlwind of emotions, including helplessness, chaos and uncertainty, according to Duron, the Rutgers professor of social work. That instability can just wreak a lot of havoc on childrens sense of safety, of trust, of permanence, she said. In March 2021, the middle of Gregorys freshman year, the judge denied Carolines petition for custody. Andrew wanted to remain in New Jersey, and both boys told the judge they didnt want to be split up, according to Frank. They listened to everything (Gregory) said. One of those things was he didnt want to be separated from (his brother), Frank said. Caroline said Andrew was undecided, but indicated that staying in New Jersey would be less of a hassle. About to turn 15, Gregory felt his life, his mental health and his future were in the hands of a system that ignored him. (Family court decisions and transcripts are not available for public inspection.) His only saving grace was a love interest at school who became his girlfriend and his coping mechanism, he said. Whatever happened in the past or whatever was going on with his parents didnt matter when they were together, he said. I could just be with her, and it would just kind of disappear for me, he said. But Gregory has trust issues and anger problems. He frequently fought with his girlfriend, and the relationship became volatile until they broke up in November 2021. Gregorys suppressed trauma quickly roared to the surface. And his grades tanked, spurring yet another problem. He became so stressed he could barely sleep. At that point, to me, it was like, This is life or death, he said. I do want a therapist, and Id appreciate it pronto. Gregory didnt want to die. But he wanted out of his life. He went to the bridge about a month after the breakup. I was just, like, f it, he said. And I jumped. Hope and fear Therapy was like hitting a reset button. Gregory unloaded everything on his mind and felt his therapist actually listened. She helped me so much, he said. She taught me how to handle my emotions. But Gregory still wanted to return to New England. He and Andrew started spending some weekends and most of the summer with their mother after a judge allowed it, Caroline said. She filed for custody again after Gregorys leap, and the judge ordered a best interest evaluation in June 2022. Gregory appeared to have situational depression, and Andrews state was consistent with major depressive disorder, according to the psychologist. Andrew told the evaluator life sucks and there is nothing good or interesting about me. He was prescribed an antidepressant after a hospital stint last year for suicidal ideation. His school required him to undergo a psychological screening in January, but he doesnt want to talk to a therapist because he doesnt think it will help, according to Caroline. Andrew has described himself as the least enjoyable person on the planet and once told a psychologist, I dont like myself, and most people feel that way, too. He refuses to get a haircut and wears flannel shirts year-round, Caroline said. The expert report noted that the teens seem to have a good relationship with both parents and Andrew would prefer to live with his father to avoid restarting his school and social life. However, the psychologist recommended both children live with their mother at the start of the 2022-23 school year to safeguard Gregorys mental health Andrew would be starting a new high school and needed mental health support regardless of where he lived. To ignore (Gregorys) wishes, under the circumstances, could lead him to feeling more helpless and hopeless, the psychologist wrote in a report reviewed by NJ Advance Media. Then the judge was suddenly reassigned to the backlogged criminal courts just six days before a scheduled trial in September, according to state judiciary records. The new judge delayed the trial to January 2023. New Jerseys shortage of judges reached a crisis level during the pandemic. And the courts are still struggling to keep up, reassigning civil and family court jurists to address a backlog of criminal cases, according to the State Bar Association. Fifty-eight of the 463 trial court seats in New Jersey about 1 in 8 are vacant. Coveted trial dates have become exceedingly difficult to secure, and theres more time than usual between routine hearings. Lawyers have been calling on Gov. Phil Murphys administration to quickly nominate qualified candidates and the state Legislature to quickly confirm them. But another 22 judges are expected to retire by the end of the calendar year, according to the state. Its sickening the families and children that are being harmed because of the staggering judicial vacancy rate, said Jeralyn Lawrence, president of the New Jersey State Bar Association. Last fall, Gregory made the difficult decision to tell his mom it is now too late to live with her. Halfway through his junior year, he didnt want to leave his friends to start over in another new school. It doesnt make sense, he said. Initially, Caroline said she would reluctantly drop the custody petition before the January trial. But Andrews mental health has since deteriorated, and hes twice been suspended from school, she said. Earlier this spring, he was arrested and charged with threatening to kill another student over a comment Andrew made in class, Caroline said. She decided to continue pursuing custody of both boys, though she and Frank agreed to delay the trial while attending mediation sessions and working to stabilize their younger son. Gregory is no longer in therapy and is doing pretty good, he says. But he prefers not to hear about his parents custody dispute, he says as his voice drops. Theres not much I can do about it, Gregory said, and honestly, Ive got enough on my plate right now. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Adam Clark may be reached at aclark@njadvancemedia.com An ordinance to ban open fires and recreational fire pits in Jersey City was incinerated by the city council, which unanimously voted against introduction at Wednesdays meeting. The amended ordinance would have prohibited the use of the kindling, building, maintaining or use of an open fire or a fire pit in Jersey City. Councilmembers Richard Boggiano, James Solomon, Mira Prinz-Arey and Denise Ridley asked for more data on the number of fires in the city that have been caused by fire pits. To be honest with you, there are none, Boggiano said about the fire pit-related blazes. Ridley said the ordinance creates multiple loopholes. We havent really seen enough evidence to make a decision. Devastation from fires caused by fire pits or open fires is something all fire service workers have witnessed before, Acting Fire Chief Stephan Drennan said. It only takes one hot ember to ignite the highly combustible exterior siding on so many of our attached buildings, and we can easily lose an entire block within minutes, Drennan said. While we know this may not be what response people want to hear, we really must do our due diligence to prevent tragic fires, fatalities, and injuries from happening. City spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione said the city believes the risk to life and property certainly outweighs any benefit (of) a recreational fire, especially considering we live in the most densely populated mid-sized city in the nation where having adequate space for a safe, open fire is very limited. Wallace-Scalcione did not respond to questions if a revised version of the ordinance will come back to the city council. It is also unclear what the penalty would be for violations of the proposed legislation. In New Jersey, a bonfire cannot be within 50 feet of a home and a fire pit cannot be within 25 feet of a home. In suburban areas, there is also fear of wooded areas catching fire, while in dense cities like Jersey City, embers could spark a multi-home blaze. At Mondays caucus meeting, Public Safety Director James Shea said the city doesnt have any data on fires being started by fire pits. He pointed out that ashes and cinder can spark a fire a couple of buildings away. It has never been a problem, Shea admitted, and the noted an uptick in complaints since (the coronavirus pandemic) started. This wouldnt affect any fire pit heaters that use gas, but only the ones that would burn wood, Shea said Monday. New York City enacted a similar ban on fire pits and open fires in 2022, but only in certain areas of the city, including most of Staten Island and parts of the Bronx. Fire pits must be at least 10 feet away from combustible material and any windows and doors must remain closed within 25 feet. From April 28 through May 31, over a dozen parishes of the Archdiocese of Newark will host a Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima. From the Shrine of Fatima in Portugal, the statue has traveled the world on a mission to spread peace and hope since 1947. The statue will be on display for veneration at St. Pius X Parish in Old Tappan from April 28 through May 1. The figure will then visit 12 other churches throughout Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union counties, with each church offering initiatives related to the veneration of Our Lady. EDITORS NOTE: Interested in the business and networking side of cannabis? NJ Cannabis Insider is hosting a cannabis business networking event on May 18. Tickets are limited. Edmund DeVeaux, who has led the states most prominent cannabis business trade group since marijuana was legalized in New Jersey, has announced he is stepping down as president today. DeVeaux was named president of the New Jersey CannaBusiness Association in December 2020, just weeks after it played a major role in a successful campaign to help legalize cannabis for adult recreational use. He says he is returning to his roots in local government and will announce his new position soon after he is installed. Scott Rudder, founder of the NJCBA and its first president, steps in as interim president while the organization searches for a new leader. As the states most influential industry association, its mission is help create a more equitable, responsible and fair market in the New Jersey cannabis space. During his time as the cannabis spaces most visible public figure, DeVeaux, widely known in the industry as Ed, helped coalescence the business community around core issues that affected it, including what hes called transitioning the industry from advocacy to economics normalizing cannabis as an everyday product in American life. What I wanted to do as a president is really bring us into the Fourth Age of cannabis history. With the three previous ages being criminalization, weaponization and legalization, he told NJ Cannabis Insider, adding hes working with the board to formalize making NJCBA into to New Jerseys Cannabis Chamber of Commerce. DeVeaux served as an officer in the U.S. Army, and has worked as a capital budget analyst in the U.S. Department of the Treasurys Office of Management and Budget. He has also worked for former U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley and for the Mayors Office in New Brunswick. Last year, NJ Cannabis Insider named him Ambassador of the Year at its inaugural awards show, which recognizes excellence and achievements in New Jerseys market. Named 420 Trailblazer in Cannabis by mjnewsnetwork.com, he has also been named a top influencer by NJ Cannabis Insider for three consecutive years. He was also recognized in 2022 by the Bluntness in its 100 Amazing People Across the Cannabis Industry list. From how the media reports on the industry to seeing stores now being part of downtowns or New Jerseys Main Streets, I feel theres been a great deal of success there, said DeVeaux, who will remain an active NJCBA board member, lending his voice and policy experience to the association as the marketplace continues to expand and evolve. Rudder, who founded the NJCBA in 2016, helped lead several efforts to legalize adult-use and expand access for medical patients. In recent months, his cannabis company, Township Green Dispensary, was licensed by the state as a new cannabis retail store in Riverside. We are saddened to be losing Ed, but grateful for his years of service to the cannabis industry, Rudder said in a press release. Ed took the reins of NJCBA at a critical moment in the states history and led this organization with a distinct sense of purpose and an expertise that is second-to-none. He was there at the start of this endeavor and I can think of few people who have done more to positively push forward the cause of cannabis in New Jersey than Ed DeVeaux. Looking to the future, added Rudder, we still have many and varied challenges to the industry. Those challenges must be met, in part, by working with state and local governments to ease the pathway to cannabis business creation and ownership. Rudder is a former New Jersey state legislator and mayor with Fortune 100 corporate experience. In addition to his 16 years in elected office, he has worked in senior staff positions in multiple government organizations. He also spent 13 years as a business development executive with Lockheed Martin, the nations largest defense contractor where he worked on missile defense programs, Special Forces technologies as well as energy programs. While leaving is difficult, I could not be leaving NJCBA in more capable hands with Scott Rudder, added DeVeaux. Scott is a rarity; a politician who was willing to meet and listen to people, hear what they were saying and, eventually, change his position on medical cannabis and legalization. Enrique Lavin is publisher and editor of NJ Cannabis Insider, a weekly subscriber-based online trade journal and events group produced by NJ Advance Media, which also publishes NJ.com, The Star-Ledger and other affiliated papers. Follow him on LinkedIn. Two minors who entered Metuchen High School, and were not enrolled there, were charged Wednesday following an investigation, authorities said. The two juveniles, who were not identified because of their ages, entered the school Wednesday morning for an unknown reason. The school was placed on lockdown out of an abundance of caution and so a search of the premises could be conducted, according to a joint statement from the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office and the Metuchen Police Department. No threat was found but the pair was charged with an act of juvenile delinquency for offenses which if committed by an adult would equate to criminal trespassing, the office said. A trio including a father and son are suspected of a robbery and theft spree targeting 57 Walmarts and Sams Club stores in four states, a Berks County police department says. Jahmir Mitchell, 24, of Philadelphia, was arrested Wednesday in the Philadelphia area and is being held in the citys Department of Prisons, police in Tilden Township, Pennsylvania said. His father, 42-year-old Jamaal Mitchell, remains at large. Jamaal Mitchell is considered armed and dangerous, and anyone who comes in contact with him should call 911, police said. Tilden Township police said the father, son and a third man robbed the Tilden Walmart in October and threatened employees with a gun. The third accomplice has not been identified. The same trio has been involved in a total of 57 attempted or successful thefts and robberies at Sams Club and Walmart stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland, authorities said. The night of Oct. 16, the trio filled two shopping carts with $933.45 worth of merchandise and exited the Berks County, Pennsylvania store through a fire exit door, where they had a black Jeep Cherokee waiting outside the door, authorities said. Three Walmart workers tried stop them, but one of the thieves showed a handgun and made threats to kill the staffers, police said. The trio uses the same Jeep Cherokee, but police said they switch license plates between a New Jersey L87PTP and a Delaware plate 299336. Jahmir Mitchell is awaiting arraignment on 32 charges in the Tilden Township incident, including three counts each of robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, making terroristic threats, simple assault, and reckless endangerment. In addition to the Berks County case, Jahmir Mitchell is facing burglary and related charges in a November 2018 case in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, and organized retail theft and other charges in an October 2018 incident in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, records show. Anyone who has information Jamaal Mitchells whereabouts, the third accomplice or about the robberies and/or thefts is asked to call the Tilden Township Police Department at 610-562-9001. Tilden Township police are trying to identify the male, left, who was allegedly part of a trio that robbed a local Walmart and are suspects in more than 57 other similar crimes in four states. Police said the trio used the Jeep Cherokee, right, as a getaway vehicle.Photos courtesy Tilden Township Police Department | For lehighvalleylive.com Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Two Black veteran New Jersey state troopers, including a major who has served as a top spokesman for the State Police, claim in a new lawsuit they were passed over for promotions and subjected to racist taunts from their white colleagues. Maj. Brian Polite and Lt. Damon Crawford allege State Police brass were aware of and lobbed some of the insults themselves in the suit, which accuses them of violating New Jerseys Law Against Discrimination. For a second time, Ralph Mohr has lost his federal court challenge to new boundary lines for the Erie County Legislature, with a judge this week indicating the Republican elections commissioner needs to stop worrying so much about being prosecuted over them. U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo in February denied Mohr's bid for a preliminary injunction to have the previous district boundaries reinstated, saying Mohr didn't have the standing to demand action from the court. But the judge allowed him to file an amended complaint. Mohr did so, alleging the new boundaries unconstitutionally dilute his vote because the boundaries for the Eighth Legislative District the district in which he resides stretch to points on the continent of Antarctica or across the Canadian border as well as beyond the boundary of a neighboring legislative district. Mohr also said as an elections commissioner, if the Board of Elections adheres to the new boundaries, he may be criminally prosecuted. The changes made to the official registration database of the Erie County Board of Elections render it legally impossible for him to lawfully comply with the duties imposed upon him as an election official, he said in his lawsuit. The judge is skeptical of Mohr being prosecuted over boundary lines. "Mohrs claimed threat of prosecution rests on fears that are imaginary and speculative, Vilardo said in his ruling Monday. "Because Mohr has not established that he faces a credible threat of prosecution, he lacks standing to pursue his due process claim." And Vilardo was not convinced how Mohr's vote would be diluted by the new district boundaries. "Mohr offers little in the way of evidence as to how his vote is unconstitutionally diluted," Vilardo wrote in his decision. Mohr could not be reached to comment Wednesday. Mohr sued the Legislature, Democratic Elections Commissioner Jeremy Zellner and County Executive Mark Poloncarz in January, asking the federal court to declare the previously approved district maps unconstitutional. Since then, the defendants say the metes-and-bounds errors have been addressed, although the two sides dispute the lawfulness of the changes. "By the defendants telling, the Board of Elections realized the need to fix the errors in the metes-and-bounds descriptions and agreed to write corrected metes and bounds over several days in February of 2023," Vilardo said in his ruling. The aim was to adhere as closely as possible to the will of the Erie County Legislature when it enacted Local Law No. 2 setting the initial boundaries, while fixing the errors, lawyers for Zellner say. But Mohr asserts that the Board of Elections could not make those corrections because it lacks the power to do so under state law. And in an affidavit, he said a final draft of the "corrected metes and bounds" contained a number of changes to areas that were clearly and unambiguously defined by the previous local law, so no corrections were required. At a recent Board of Elections meeting, Mohr refused to approve this years proposed Five-Percent Book. The Board of Elections issues the book annually to inform political candidates and the public about how many voters are registered in each election precinct, municipality and legislative district in Erie County, and how many petition signatures are needed for a candidate to qualify for the primary. "Mohr says that he declined to do so because approving the Five-Percent Book would require him to knowingly certify numbers and district boundaries which were false, according to Vilardo's ruling. "Mohr does not further explain why he credibly fears that he will be prosecuted if he like everyone else involved with the Board of Elections implements (the new boundaries,)" Vilardo said in his ruling. "Instead, he generally asserts that the Erie County district attorney has an interest in investigating potential election law violations and allegations of residency concerning candidates for public office and petition irregularities. But those vague and inapposite allegations do not make Mohrs claimed threat of prosecution any more actual or well-founded." Zellner's attorneys pointed out to the judge that the primaries begin in about three months. If the court forbid the use of the adjusted boundaries, "it is unclear how timely primary elections could occur, or how candidates and the Board of Elections could satisfy the various election deadlines established by New York State law. It is also unclear what district lines, if any, would govern the 2023 Erie County Legislature elections," Zellner's lawyers said in a court filing. Candidates gathered petition signatures based on the voter assignments in the adjusted boundaries. "According to Commissioner Mohr, the corrected metes and bounds are illegitimate, so he cannot certify primary ballots based on them. If he does, he supposedly will run the risk of prosecution," said attorney Craig Bucki, who represents Zellner, in a March 31 court filing. "And if he doesnt, he supposedly would risk prosecution for neglect of duty. The alleged threat of prosecution is speculative and unfounded, so Commissioner Mohr lacks standing. Additionally, Commissioner Mohrs premise is wrong. The corrected metes and bounds effectuate the Legislatures intent, so they properly govern Erie Countys legislative elections. Commissioner Mohr can, and should, rely on them without fear." Sanford M. Jaffe, the former chief of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorneys Office in New Jersey, draws attention to a lawyer's obligation beyond taking an oath and clients and that is to tell the truth and obey court rules to promote justice and uphold the law. By Renae Reynolds and Talia Crawford In cities and towns across New Jersey, passenger rail lines create jobs, promote economic development and increase property values, while reducing traffic and pollution. But not all residents of the state enjoy those benefits. Much of South Jersey is a transit desert, with no passenger rail service at all south of Camden and minimal bus service. Anthony Lanzilotti, a resident of Sicklerville, and member of Tri-State Transportation Campaigns New Jersey Bus Riders Council said this in his remarks during this years Transit Equity Day: The further south you go in the state the worse it is. Theres a lack of availability and access to transit in a reasonable amount of time. Transit is the key to my personal and professional success. Im totally blind and completely dependent on NJ TRANSIT. If I want to go to New York or into North Jersey, I have to take the #319 bus which takes two and a half to three hours each way. " Lanzilottis story exemplifies the experience of most transit-dependent residents in South Jersey. This lack of transit connectivity is why construction of the proposed Glassboro-Camden Line (GCL) is vital. The light-rail trains would run from 5 a.m. to midnight, just 15 minutes apart during peak and non-peak hours and 30 minutes apart in the late evening. The line would serve 14 stations a mile or two apart in Glassboro, Pitman, Mantua Township, Woodbury Heights, Woodbury, Westville, Gloucester City and Camden. Preliminary engineering and design work began two months ago, with the Delaware River Port Authority serving as project manager and a 2028 target to start operations. Dont miss an issue of our Opinion newsletter! Get it delivered each Wednesday right into your inbox by adding your email below and hitting "subscribe." Since the 2010 Census, Gloucester Countys population has grown 6.7%, making it the second-fastest growing county in South Jersey after Ocean, and its economy is growing faster than that, making it even more important to create a mass transit system that can get people to jobs. Near the southern end of the GCL, Rowan University has expanded so rapidly that it was the third-fastest growing public research university in the nation in the decade following a GCL feasibility study. Rowan doubled its student enrollment from 11,300 to almost 23,000 and its job numbers grew even faster, jumping 119% from 1,875 to a 4,110-employee payroll. Rowan also added three medical schools, in Camden, Glassboro and a veterinary school in Sewell. The Camden one sits right across the street from the Walter Rand Transportation Center, where the light rail would connect with NJ Transit, the PATCO Hi-Speed Line and the River Line. Changing trains from the GCL to the PATCO line would provide a 40 to 50-minute ride from Glassboro into Center City Philadelphia. Camden itself is enjoying an economic resurgence, with Subaru of America and American Water headquartered in the city, and firms like Campbell Soup and Corporate Synergies expanding their operations. The advantage of light rail, with its multiple stations, is that it gets people to and from jobs, schools, social engagements, and essential services within New Jersey. Most of New Jerseys legacy commuter rail lines were built primarily with the mission of getting people in out of Philadelphia and New York City. The GCL in particular is projected to take more than 10,000 daily car trips off of local roads, reducing traffic and improving air quality. Thats why light rail like conventional commuter rail can increase the property values of homes and businesses located along the route, especially those within walking distance of a station. Thats what Kyeongsu Kim and Michael Lahr found in their study of housing values along the 20-mile Hudson-Bergen Light Rail line. The positive impact on housing values a short drive from light-rail stations is likely to be more pronounced in Gloucester County, where car ownership is twice as high as in Hudson. As in Hudson and in suburban towns along NJ Transit lines in northern New Jersey, access to rail lines is likely to spin off transit-oriented development, including housing within walking distance of light rail stations. For these reasons, the GCL is a crucial driver of the future growth of the communities, businesses and academic institutions it will serve, and to the future prosperity and quality of life of Gloucester and Camden counties and South Jersey. The delayed progress on the GCL is a symptom of NJ Transits long standing inability to secure a dedicated funding source for its operating budget. NJ Transits practice of shifting capital funds to operating costs has resulted in the loss of $10 billion over time, money that could have been used to expand and modernize New Jerseys transportation infrastructure. Last week, NJ Transit released a proposed budget forecast that by Fiscal Year 2026, the agency will need $917.8 million. Renae Reynolds is executive director of the New York City-based Tri-State Transportation Campaign. Talia Crawford is its advocacy and organizing manager. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Send a letter to the editor of South Jersey Times at sjletters@njadvancemedia.com Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. If liquefied natural gas is going to be shipped overseas from Greenwich Township, the fracked LNG is not going to travel from Pennsylvania to the port in Gloucester County by train anytime soon. Opponents of the idea can thank the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration for killing the concept. On Monday, the unit of the Department of Transportation refused to extend after four years a special permit shockingly (but not necessarily surprisingly) issued during the Trump administration. The now-expired permit allowed a company called New Fortress Energy to put the super-cooled, compressed gas into rail cars with no modifications or upgrades. A partner company, Energy Transport Solutions, would have sent the trains rattling across Camden, Philadelphia and other populated areas. The volatile cargo would have traveled 200 miles from a Wyalusing, Pennsylvania, processing facility to a planned export terminal at the Delaware River in Gibbstown. Dont miss an issue of our Opinion newsletter! Get it delivered each Wednesday right into your inbox by adding your email below and hitting "subscribe." Unfortunately, the DOT gave no reason for letting the permit lapse when it listed the decision in the Federal Register. LNG trains might not be a terrible idea, per se, but a rationale for the denial could have helped concerned residents and learn what, if anything, could be done to make the tankers and trains safe enough to reconsider. The energy sector is likely to see the permits denial as a knee-jerk reaction to Februarys derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, of a train carrying toxic chemicals. LNG promoters are likely to try again if nothing in the rule book tells them its going to cost them a prohibitive bundle of money to enhance the margin of safety. The East Palestine incident made it more clear than ever that the nations fleet of tank cars that carry hazardous materials need more protection against leakage if similar disasters are to be avoided. A preliminary National Transportation Safety Board finding stated that the board is looking at aluminum casings on older tankers that melted from the fireballs. Track conditions should also be under a microscope when trains hold such cargo; its not clear whether or not there is anything uniquely deficient about the Wyalusing-to-Gibbstown t route. Or, is this a nod to environmental justice policies? At recent protests, LNG train opponents emphasized that they view just having the trains pass through minority and low-income as violating such policies. The Natural Resources Defense Council points out that there is still a general OK in effect that allows LNG transport by train, also issued for the first time during the Trump years. While the NRDC speculates that the Biden administration may let that regulation lapse, too, it worries that it could be a back-door route to revive the Gibbstown route. The DOT should kill this permit, too, leaving no doubt. As we noted here a year ago, the Russia-Ukraine war is a game changer about exporting U.S. natural gas to Europe, since Russia has choked off some of the gas it supplies to Europe and can restrict even more. It almost became patriotic for the United States to offer to replace some of the supply. Price and supply pressures have eased since then, largely because Germany and other nations have conserved and found alternate suppliers. But, we can no longer argue that we cant share with our allies under any circumstances in order to maintain our energy independence. If it were not for the Ukraine wars collateral damage to energy markets, one might say that a final nail has just been put into the coffin of the Gibbstown terminal plan. An earlier setback for the prospective exporters occurred last year when New Fortress permits for its unbuilt Pennsylvania LNG conversion plant lapsed. But, the company may apply for new ones. Ultimately, New Fortress could still use trucks an estimated 800 a day to bring its gas to Gibbstown. That proposition is even more scary than rail, since it would expose still more people to a potential disaster, more frequently, across the route. Generally, we agree with a recent Scranton Times editorial that stated, The only sound way to export LNG is to transport gas by pipeline from wells to a port-side LNG conversion and export facility. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Send a letter to the editor of South Jersey Times at sjletters@njadvancemedia.com Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. Voters in New Jersey usually have a blue option and a red option when they walk into a polling station for a general election, but for those who prefer to disassociate themselves with both parties, that is almost never a choice. There are third parties, but since 1921, they havent been permitted to place the name of a candidate from the Democratic or Republican party in their column on the ballot, even if that candidate represents the values of that minority party and its members. For example, the Jersey First Party (which we just made up) cannot list Joe Biden or Donald Trump as their nominee, even if they want to, and even if one or the other wins the partys 2024 primary. Thats unreasonable: It reduces minor candidates to long shots, and the major candidates have no incentive to reach out to them and are instead forced to retreat to their hyper-partisan corners. Its a system invented by party bosses, both Republican and Democrat, who want nothing more than to crush minor parties out of existence. Wash, rinse, repeat as real democracy circles the drain. But there is optimism for meaningful changes in our polarized election process with a lawsuit filed by the Moderate Party, which seeks to overturn New Jerseys ban on allowing the name of a single candidate to appear on the same ballot under multiple party lines - a system known as fusion voting. And even if the state Supreme Court rejects that claim in the next few months, the Legislature can step in and fix this. We hope they are listening, because the idea has impressive public support. Fusion voting is allowed in eight states including New York and Connecticut and an eloquent case for its restoration in our state was made on these pages last week by two prominent New Jerseyans, former Gov. Christine Todd Whitman and former Sen. Bob Torricelli. Whitman & Torricelli: Why we need a 3rd political party in New Jersey | Opinion https://t.co/npszUVUXCA NJ_Opinion (@NJ_Opinion) April 23, 2023 The core point comes down to this: Like many voters, the New Jersey Moderates do not feel at home in either of the two major parties, they wrote, adding that if fusion voting is permitted, it would incentivize parties and candidates to compete for voters in the middle. Whitman and Torricelli assert that fusion voting would empower the individual voter frustrated with our two major parties. A vote for a candidate on a centrist partys line would be a powerful and effective way to signal that you favor problem-solving over posturing, and to reward politicians who are workhorses instead of grandstanders. The Moderate Party, which was founded by Republicans repulsed by that partys fealty toward Trump, endorsed Democratic Tom Malinowski in his bid for reelection in New Jerseys 7th Congressional District last year. But Secretary of State Tahesha Way, citing state law, rejected its petition to place Malinowskis name in their column, and ruled that it could only appear under the Democratic column. Republican Tom Kean Jr. ultimately won the election. If you were an independent and couldnt bring yourself to pull the lever of either major party, you were out of luck. And unless there is action in the courts or in Trenton, it will remain that way. The status quo upholds party sovereignty, which is unfair, given that there are more unaffiliated voters in New Jersey (2.5 million) than Democrats or Republicans. And they want their voices heard. Just ask them. Dont miss an issue of our Opinion newsletter! Get it delivered each Wednesday right into your inbox by adding your email below and hitting "subscribe." An FDU poll from February showed that 56% of New Jerseyans from across the spectrum support fusion voting, while only 32% oppose it. Remarkably, it has 59% support in urban counties dominated by Democratic machines (Essex, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex, and Union) and a whopping 66% support in Republican-leaning coastal counties (Ocean, Cape May, Atlantic and Monmouth). Poll director Dan Cassino believes the reason is simple: The system needs reform, and everybody knows it. The argument against fusion ticket laws has always been about maintaining stability, Cassino said. But when both sides are unhappy with the way their parties are going, that stops being a compelling case. A 2022 poll from the acclaimed think tank, New America, also found 81% of New Jerseyans believe that the two-party system is not working as it should, and that voters recognize how the polarized system undermines democracy and will not self-correct. As the New America author told the New York Times, So many voters are deeply frustrated, but feel incredibly powerless. One solution is to repeal the 1921 ban on fusion voting. Given the dominance of party bosses and the extremists they often put on the ballot and in office, its time to heed new voices. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. Six-day (Tuesday through Sunday) print subscribers of the Watertown Daily Times are eligible for full access to NNY360, the NNY360 mobile app, and the Watertown Daily Times e-edition, all at no additional cost. If you have an existing six-day print subscription to the Watertown Daily Times, please make sure your email address on file matches your NNY360 account email. You can sign up or manage your print subscription using the options below. Watertown, NY (13601) Today A few showers this morning with overcast skies during the afternoon hours. High 53F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Cloudy with occasional showers overnight. Low 38F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Niagara Falls and the Western New York Law Center announced a new partnership Wednesday that uses the 2016 Zombie Foreclosure Law to ensure the perpetual upkeep of vacant and abandoned residential properties in the city. Under the law, the lenders or mortgage servicers on such properties are required to maintain them, or regularly visit them to ensure that they are being maintained, said Kate Lockhart, director of the Western New York Law Center's Vacant and Abandoned Properties Unit. "Most of the things that are required under the Zombie Foreclosure Law are external," said Lockhart, referring to rules concerning the outside of properties and making sure they are free of health and safety violations. That would include making sure the grass surrounding the property is mowed, that its environs are not blighted or a nuisance to neighbors and that it is regularly monitored. The law requires the bank or servicer to verify whether the property is vacant. If it is, someone from that entity must visit the property every 25 to 30 days after the mortgage holder has either defaulted or fallen behind on their mortgage payments, unless the homeowner is actively pursuing loss mitigation, Lockhart said. Kearns has new target to shame for zombie foreclosures: Erie County Kearns, a former county and state lawmaker, says there's a serious and growing problem with more than 10,000 properties across the county that are facing hundreds or thousands of dollars each in late property taxes. "If you're submitting documents to your bank saying, 'Hey, I fell behind but I want to try and negotiate with you and get current again,' and you're sending them updated utility bills and things, they don't have to go visit the property because they can tell that it's occupied," she said. In addition, the state requires that lenders and mortgage servicers register the vacant or abandoned property with the Department of Financial Services. "So when they register, at that point, DFS knows that they're the entity that's supposed to be maintaining it to the current standard," Lockhart said. In some cases, she said, the Western New York Law Center will attempt to work with homeowners to find a resolution to their delinquency. "Sometimes, they don't realize there's equity in the home and they can sell it outright. Or, there are things like something called a deed in lieu of foreclosure where, instead of completing an entire foreclosure, the bank will take title and go through an application process," Lockhart said. However, if the mortgage owner is not around, the property becomes the bank's responsibility under the Zombie Foreclosure Law. Lockhart said her unit will begin circulating information throughout Niagara Falls to tell residents how to submit complaints about vacant properties in their neighborhoods. "Obviously, we'll be working very closely with code enforcement in the City of Niagara Falls. We have had some regular meetings with the mayor of Niagara Falls to make sure that he's in the loop on what we're doing, and he's helping us to reach out to different community groups in the area to make sure we're getting information on where the properties are in the community," she said. In a way, solo art exhibits are always self-portraits. At least they ought to be. Whatever the medium or subject matter of the artwork, it should somehow represent the essence of the artist. Kimberly Has photo exhibit Full Set at the Mortal Machine Gallery in the French Quarter is certainly a symbolic self-portrait. Has collection of photos of elaborately styled fingernails is the story of a young Vietnamese-American woman who is appreciative of her heritage and inspired by contemporary American culture. The well-known relationship between Vietnamese emigrants and the nail industry begins in Hollywood in the mid-1970s, after the fall of Vietnam. As the story goes, Tippi Hedren, the leading lady in Alfred Hitchcocks The Birds horror movie, visited a group of female Vietnamese war refugees. The Louisiana House Education Committee April 26 approved two new anti-LGBTQ bills barring discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in schools while also requiring schools and staff to use trans students dead names and pronouns that align with the students sex unless their parents agree otherwise. The approval of the bills on 7-5 votes came following hours of testimony in opposition to the two measures. The first, House Bill 466 by Dodie Horton, a Haughton Republican, would prevent K-12 public school employees or presenters from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity in the classroom or during extracurricular activities. The bill bans incorporating into classroom instruction or discussion topics of sexual orientation or gender identity in a manner that deviates from state content standards or curricula developed or approved by the public school governing authority and, specifically, employees and presenters from discussing their personal sexual orientation or gender identity. Its a version of the Dont Say Gay bill Florida lawmakers passed last year and are trying to expand this year. More than a dozen states are considering similar legislation. The bill also would forbid teachers, employees and presenters from using a pronoun for a student that differs from the pronoun that aligns with the student's sex unless the student's parent provides written permission. But even with a parents explicit permission, teachers could ignore that request if doing so is contrary to the employee's religious or moral convictions. Many LGBTQ Louisiana residents testified that the bill could prevent queer children from feeling safe in school and talking to a trusted adult in their life about their sexuality. They said thats especially true for queer kids who do not come from accepting families. Many queer youth dont feel safe at home, said Logan Wolf, board member of the LGBTQ rights organization Forum for Equality. Their only place that they feel safe is in a school system talking to a supportive teacher or school administrator or counselor or someone who helps them in the school. This bill would have effectively made my suicidal thoughts go up drastically because I had nobody to talk to about who I was, Wolf added. New Orleans resident Tucker Barker said the first adult they came out to was a high school teacher. The teacher that I came out to, she made me feel so normal, Barker said. She told me that everything was going to be OK, that I could come out on my own time to my family, and that one day, just like all my peers, I would be able to find a loving partnership if I wanted one. House Bill 81 by Rep. Raymond Crews, a Bossier City Republican, would similarly require public school employees to use the name on a students birth certificate, in addition to the pronouns that align with the students sex, unless the parent otherwise gives permission. Crews amended his bill to allow employees to call students by a derivative of the name on their birth certificate. Crews said his bill would ensure that a child is not going by a different name at school without their parents knowing. The bill is intended to prevent keeping secrets from the parents, he said. In particular, you want to change your identity, I would think parents definitely need to be involved in that. Crews did not acknowledge that LGBTQ youth may not feel comfortable or safe coming out to their parents. LGBTQ youth have higher rates of depression and suicide than their peers, and using the birth name someone no longer goes by, also known as deadnaming, or outing a queer person to their parents without their consent can contribute to that. Like in Hortons bill, the school employee could still refuse to call the student by different pronouns on religious or moral grounds, meaning in order for a transgender student to be called by their correct name and pronouns, they would need the support of both their parents and teacher. When asked why the bill lets teachers opt out of calling a student by the name and pronouns their parent has agreed upon, Crews responded, We want to be respectful to everybody, but denying what we believe is truth to accommodate someone, I dont see how that advances society. Crews also made a comment suggesting he thinks social media might be influencing kids gender identity. A child looks at Instagram, looks at TikTok, whatever outside, he said. They start thinking, well, maybe that's the way I need to be or need to think or whatever. And this just makes sure the parent's involved in that loop. Belinda Davis, a member of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), said she opposed the bill, noting that how a teacher treats an LGBTQ student impacts how their peers will treat them. When a child asks their teacher or their principal why those wishes arent being respected, the answer is going to be because your teacher objects to you on moral or religious grounds, she said. Some religious leaders, including representatives from the Louisiana Baptist Convention and Mike Holloway, a pastor at Ouachita Baptist Church, and a few parents testified in support of the bills. But the vast majority of testimony the committee heard was against the bills, including from LGBTQ people, activists, parents, educators and students. At a few points, the back and forth between legislators and those testifying against the bill became contentious. After one opponent of the bills called Chairman Lance Harris, an Alexandria Republican, ignorant, he cut off that persons mike and asked security to remove them from the chambers. Both votes were mostly along party lines, with Rep. Barbara Freiberg, a Baton Rouge Republican, joining Democrats in opposing the bill, saying she thought local governments and school boards should handle the matter. Following the vote on the second measure, an opponent of the bill screamed Fuck yall! before the live feed cut out. The Senate Education Committee April 27 unanimously approved legislation forcing libraries to adopt policies limiting minors ability to check out books deemed by their local library board to have sexually explicit material following a hearing in which they only allowed supporters of limiting access to books speak. After the committee heard from three residents in support of the bill, lawmakers abruptly ended public testimony and moved straight to a vote. Although members claimed they had other engagements scheduled and could not continue public testimony on a bill with first amendment implications, it had the effect of shutting down the opposition completely. Under Senate Bill 7 by Heather Cloud, a Ville Platte Republican, parents or guardians would be able to select a library card for their child that keeps them from checking out sexually explicit material. The bill also requires libraries to have a process for library goers to request a library reconsider whether a library material should be included in a library collection and lets parents decide if their kid can check out online library materials, such as through an app. Additionally, the bill would let local governments withhold funds from any library that fails to adopt and implement the policy required by proposed law. Sen. Cleo Fields, a Baton Rouge Democrat, proposed amendments spearheaded by Lincoln Parish Library Board Member Bill Jones, a former state senator. Jones said he worried the definition of sexually explicit in the bill was too broad and could end up including dictionaries, encyclopedias, Shakespeare plays, mythology, some textbooks, and the Bible and suggested a different standard. However, the committee rejected that and several of Fields other amendments, saying they didnt think the library boards would determine those materials to be sexually explicit. Some libraries already have options for cards that restrict minors from accessing certain content. For example, St. Tammany Parish Library last November created different levels of access to library materials, including a card that only allows the holder to check out childrens materials and another that only allows the holder to check out childrens materials and Young Adult fiction books. The New Orleans Public Library system, which so far has not seen a wave of complaints about library materials, prohibits those younger than 12 from checking out DVDs and those ages 12 through 17 from checking out R-rated DVDs. The bill now heads to the full Senate for a vote. Republicans in Montanas House of Representatives voted Wednesday to ban a Democratic transgender lawmaker from the chamber, following her support for protesters who shut down the body's proceedings earlier in the week. Rep. Zooey Zephyr of Missoula will still be allowed to vote remotely, but will not be allowed to access the House chamber, anteroom or gallery under the party-line, 68-32 vote taken by the House. Democrats were united against the motion, while Republicans all voted in favor. Republicans have criticized Zephyrs actions during the protests on Monday, when activists filled the House gallery and interrupted proceedings on the floor with shouting and chanting in support of Zephyr, the first transgender woman elected to the state Legislature. The rally and subsequent protest were held in response to Republicans in the House preventing Zephyr from speaking on the House floor for several days, after comments she made last week. The freshman lawmaker had told representatives a week ago they should be ashamed for voting in favor of a bill that would ban some gender-affirming care for transgender minors. She also told them they would have blood on your hands for doing so. Montana Speaker of the House Rep. Matt Regier, of Kalispell, made the motion to ban Zephyr under a provision of the Montana Constitution that allows each house to expel or punish a member for good cause shown with the concurrence of two-thirds of all its members. "She actively participated in disrupting the lawful activities of this Legislature," Rep. David Bedey, a Hamilton Republican, said. "Such behavior must have consequences if we are to keep our processes in place." Zephyr remained defiant, being permitted for the first time in a week to address the House floor as she spoke against the motion. "When I rose up and said there is 'blood on your hands,' I was not being hyperbolic," she said. "I was speaking to the real consequences of the votes that we as legislators take in this body." Republican House Leadership said in a letter late Tuesday they planned disciplinary consequences against Zephyr after comments she made on the House floor last week. In a debate April 18 over a bill that will block minors from accessing gender-affirming care, she told lawmakers if they voted for legislation to ban some gender-affirming care for minors, they "should be ashamed." She also told them, "I hope the next time there's an invocation when you bow your heads in prayer, you see the blood on your hands." Republicans have advanced several bills affecting trans people this session. After Zephyr's initial statements, the Freedom Caucus, a group of legislators farther to the right than the rest of the GOP, called for her censure in a statement that misgendered Zephyr. Since last week Regier has refused to acknowledge Zephyr or let her speak on the floor. His decisions have been upheld by most of the supermajority Republicans in the chamber and Regier has said he will not acknowledge Zephyr until she apologizes. Zephyr had said she would not apologize. After Mondays protest in which seven were charged with misdemeanor criminal trespassing, Zephyr again said she would not back down. As an elected representative, I am devoted to supporting those who speak in defense of democracy, as it is my duty to ensure their voices are heard and respected, she said in a statement. On Tuesday Regier canceled the Houses floor session and refused to take questions from reporters about why. This story will be updated. As the sun set over Audubon Park on Wednesday, entrepreneur-turned-philanthropist Boysie Bollinger received The Times-Picayune Loving Cup for 2022. The honor that has been bestowed on me with the Loving Cup is beyond anything I could ever have expected, he said to the friends, family and civic and business leaders gathered at the Audubon Tea Room Wednesday night. There is nothing like being recognized in your hometown where you spend your time and your resources. Since 1901, the Loving Cup has been bestowed to men and women who have worked unselfishly for the community without expectation of public recognition or material reward. The Audubon Tea Room is part of the Audubon Zoo complex, which received $5 million from Bollinger and his wife, Joy, to bring lions back on exhibit. FILE - Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts arrives before President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Feb. 7, 2023, in Washington. Roberts has declined a request from the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify at a hearing on ethical standards at the court, instead providing the panel with a statement of ethics reaffirmed by the court's justices. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool) Bunnak Landon, the Harahan woman accused of killing her boyfriend's 6-year-old daughter and then leaving the child's body in a bucket on the front lawn of the home where the girl's mother lived, was booked into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna Wednesday night and is being held without bond, jail records said. Landon, 43, who is also known as Hannah Landon and Bunnak Lim, was booked with first-degree murder and obstruction of justice. Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office investigators say Landon is responsible for the death of Bella Fontenelle, the youngest daughter of her longtime boyfriend. The couple shared a home on Donelon Drive in Harahan, according to Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto. Faimon Roberts III covers rural communities in Louisiana. His work is supported by a reporting grant from the Microsoft Journalism Initiative and is administered by the Greater New Orleans Foundation. He can be reached at froberts@theadvocate.com. Its regrettable any way you look at it. Even if you think Marilou Bebak should have taken a different tack in responding to a students unfortunate word choice, to have fired a respected teacher of 31 years on these grounds is excessive. Its like going to DEFCON 1 in response to a Chinese spy balloon and it does nothing to calm the roiling waters at Nardin Academy. Race is a third rail in American life so, yes, Bebak might have been wiser to find another way to admonish a young Black student who used the word retard in class. Nevertheless, credible reports indicate that she wasnt reckless in her word choice. Looking to take advantage of a teachable moment, Bebak responded to the student: I would never say the N word to you, so you should never say the R word. That is according to Hailey Short, a student who was in the class at the time. Bebak didnt speak angrily, the 15-year-old freshman said, and no one looking into the incident asked her about it or, to her knowledge, or her classmates. Yet, at a time of intense upheaval at the Buffalo private school, the science teacher was suspended then fired. Some teachers, parents and alumni think her dismissal may have less to do with that incident than with the criticism she leveled against the schools leadership last fall. Many other people associated with the school are also critical right now, especially of Nardin President Sandra Betters; some are withholding money, others delaying their decisions on whether to send their children back next fall. In explaining her suspension of Bebak, Betters later wrote that the teacher used racially charged language directed at a Black student. But thats putting what happened in the most extreme terms possible. Even to say the shorthand n-word in a class of teenagers may count as questionable judgment, but thats the standard substitute to avoid using what is, indeed, one of the most incendiary and unforgivable words in the English language. Bebaks comments were intended for and apparently delivered as a teachable moment, not an attempt to embarrass or diminish the student in question. Did it fall short? Maybe. The fact is that words matter. They can comfort or torment, inspire or dishearten, lift up or push down. Bebak was obviously right to discourage the use of the hurtful word retard, which does intend to insult, embarrass and diminish. The school needed to support that lesson. Buf if school leaders believed Bebak had gone too far, why not just say so? Put a note in her file. Or ask her to apologize. Or schedule a round of sensitivity training. But fire her? Its a strange response from Betters, whose own head Nardin critics are demanding answers over questions of her suitability for leadership. Bebaks dismissal is part of the the mashup of factors that have precipitated Nardins crisis, one that some observers think could undermine or even doom the schools ability to continue. Since Betters arrived, 24 faculty and staff members have departed, including four principals. Freshman enrollment is down. Longtime supporters are withholding donations; among them is Betters predecessor, Marsha Sullivan. Faculty are protesting. This is a moment for cooler heads to prevail. Firing a longtime teacher under these circumstances and for the reason cited accomplishes the opposite. It stirs excited passions even further and makes it more difficult for the school to find its way back to the path. Nardin alumna Lauren Maricle, who said her niece was incredibly inspired by Bebak, confessed that shes deeply worried about Nardins future. When there are so many issues walkouts, donors withholding funds, re-enrollment day with over 100 people withholding deposits it falls on the shoulders of the leadership to resolve this and bring the community together. It sounds like she learned what Nardin describes as its values of embracing all, and upholding the dignity of all people. Whats your opinion? Send it to us at lettertoeditor@buffnews.com. Letters should be a maximum of 300 words and must convey an opinion. The column does not print poetry, announcements of community events or thank you letters. A writer or household may appear only once every 30 days. All letters are subject to fact-checking and editing. News / National by Staff reporter Tynwald High School bus driver, Chamunorwa Machimbidzofa, has been convicted on seven counts of culpable homicide.He is awaiting sentencing this afternoon at Nyanga Magistrates' Court.The accident occurred in October last year, claiming the lives of seven people including six learners and one teacher.34 others were also injured when the bus overturned near the Pine Tree Hotel on the Rusape-Nyanga Road.The bus was carrying 41 students and four teachers who were heading to a retreat in Nyanga from Harare.In convicting Machimbidzofa, the court managed to prove that the driver was speeding and failed to negotiate a curve. News / National by Staff reporter Sybeth Musengezi, a Zanu-PF member who is challenging the legitimacy of President Emmerson Mnangagwa's coup said he is going to "expose a lot of misdemeanors that happen" in his party during his trial in the case he is being accused of fraud.In October 2021, Musengezi filed a High Court application seeking an order declaring as illegal the November 19, 2017 Zanu-PF central committee meeting that forced late former President Robert Mugabe to resign before installing Mnangagwa as the party leader.In a letter dated 22 April, to Zanu-PF, Musengezi said his trial is likely to commence on the 26th of April. He warned the party that the hearing of the matter will also expose how Zanu-PF rigs internal systems and elections."As some of you Comrades are aware, I was arrested in May 2022 so as to silence me over my High Court challenge to the bogus ascendancy of Cde. Emmerson Mnangagwa as the President and First Secretary of Zanu-PF, a matter that is still pending at the High Court under Case Number HC5687/21," he said."Take note that the fabricated fraud charge that I am facing is going to expose a lot of misdemeanors that happen in Zanu-PF that results in fake high membership numbers and rigging of internal systems and elections, in a trial that is highly likely to start on the 26th of April 2023."Related ArticlesMusengezi further accused court officials presiding over his case of being biased."The Magistrate and Prosecutor have already shown that they are under pressure from superior powers to dismiss my application for stay of prosecution and send the matter to trial the same day."It is surprising how they know that my application is going to be dismissed on the 26th of April that they summoned state witnesses to come for trial the same day before my defense council even filed their final submissions on the 24th of April on the same application."This application for stay of prosecution was meant to allow the matter at the High Court to be finalized first, because there are reasonable grounds to prove that my arrest was clear intimidation and forum shopping meant to discredit my High Court application which is seized with the similar issue about my locus standi."Do not blame me for the concrete evidence that is going to come out of the court proceedings but blame those who are trying to persecute me," Musengezi added. News / National by Paul Ndou HARARE - A Harare-based motor spare company, MA Auto Spares director Michael Smith previously charged with six counts of fraud was back in court on Wednesday facing 10 more counts.Smith is now facing 10 more counts of fraud and six counts of theft of trust property.He voluntarily appeared before Harare Magistrate Denis Mangosi in the company of his lawyer and is out on ZWL$100 000 bail.The complainant in the matter is Michael Asher a shareholder and co-director at MA Auto Spares currently based in Australia.The State alleges that Sometime in October 2019, Asher left for Australia and failed to return due to Covid 19 restrictions till September 2022.Upon his return, he then discovered that the company was paying its South African suppliers through a third party, Mant Procurement [Pvt) Ltd, a South Africa-registered company co-owned by Smith and his South Africa-based friend, Tony Oatley.Smith had not disclosed this arrangement to his principal.MA Auto Supplies later unearthed that Mant Procurement was overcharging the company and suffered prejudice in excess of R100 000. In February, Smith allegedly imported two tents using MA Auto Suppliers (Pvt) Ltd's resources under the pretence that they belonged to the company.He allegedly sold the tents to Ms Horsley for US$1 800 before converting the cash to his own use.Smith used the same modus operandi to import a Station Wagon Rear Bumper and RHS Carrier and the customer paid R24 259.83 directly into Mant Procurement (Pvt) Ltd's FNB account.On another occasion, Smith was authorised by the complainant to sell their Toyota Land Cruiser for US$7 500 and converted the amount to his own use.It is further alleged that he, failed to account for US$ 28 985.72 being total payment of service charges he received from 25 of his different relatives and friends after offering such service using company resources between October 2019 and September 2022.In November 2020, the accused failed to account for US$ 10 000 loan advanced to the companySmith also failed to account 25 Jura cleaning tablets, bearings and spring, a fridge freezer, fridge slide and sockets.In June 2021, the accused purchased a fridge slides from Front Runner Racks, Prokel Trading Craft Controls, Gelique and Dischem as items for use at MA Auto using company funds but did not then surrender the said items to the company.Smith settled personal account arrears in the sum of ZWL$ 206 950.00 using company funds on the false pretext that it was company arrears, and as a result of the accused's actions complainant suffered an actual prejudice of US$ 17 500.00, ZAR 4 110.00 and ZWL$ 206 950.00.Smith through his lawyer requested for the complainant to attend court and placed the State on notice that if he fails, he will be applying to be removed from remand.The matter has been postponed to May 30 for trial. News / National by Tarisai Mudahondo Zimbabwe Music Rights Association (ZIMURA) board member Phillip Chipfumbu and other board members exposed how their chairman Albert Nyathi has been abusing his office by misusing funds that should benefit artistes in Zimbabwe.Speaking during a press conference that was held in Harare, yesterday Chipfumbu said, "On March 16, Nyathi, First Farai, Alexio Gwenzi and some board members planned a private journey and went on to spend lavishly in hotels using funds that belong to artistes.We only saw a report from Nyathi that they were on their way back from site viewing of our stand".Chipfumbu said, "l wrote a letter to Nyathi seeking clarity why he went on against our memorandum and this sparked arguments and confusion between board members".He further said ZIMURA is captured and a lot of scandals are happening within the board.Contacted for comment Nyathi only required more time to revert to this publication, he failed to revert within the time of publication. NTV News 24 is a service of Nippon Television, Japan's leading broadcasting network. This page provides a selection of today's stories in English. News / National by Desire Tshuma The president of Young Miners for Economic Development has urged young miners to invest in mining and go through proper channels in pegging and registering mining activities.Speaking to this publication, Mr Nyasha Magadhi said as young miners association for Economic Development they are promoting youths who are eager to invest into mining by pegging and registration of mines in the country.Zimbabwe boasts with a large lithium reserve and the President Doctor Emerson Mnangagwa's move of banning the export of raw lithium and urges companies to benefit clearly highlights the commitment of creating employment to the mass. President proclaimed that lithium sector has the potential to be US$ 10 billion industry surpassing gold as the top foreign currency earner."If we play our cards right in the mining sector, Zimbabwe shall be very prosperous and this will be done through empowering the communities and we need to set up processing plants in places where there are large lithium deposits like in Mutoko, Marondera and other lithium deposits places," said Mr Magadhi."We are engaging young miners for Economic Development across all ten provinces so that we form syndicates and register mines for them for free in tandem with the President's vision of living no one behind in creating US$12 billion mining economy. By so doing we are sure of achieving upper middle class economy by 2030" added Mr Magadhi.Production of lithium in Zimbabwe amounted to 900 metric tonnes in 2022, figures have fluctuated in the period of consideration with a peak production of 1 600 metric tonnes recorded in 2018 and a low of 417 metric tonnes in 2020.Zimbabwe has banned all lithium exports after the government discovered that it was losing 1.7 billion euros from exporting it as raw mineral and not processing it into batteries in the country.Lithium is a valuable component of electronic batteries most for cars, mobile phones and computers. Lithium industry is booming globally but the challenge is that in Zimbabwe have no processing plants and the country is depending from Chinese companies who in turn exploit huge tonnes of Lithium."We should have capacity to create lithium value addition projects where we shall engage school of mines and other stakeholders so as to achieve the US$10 billion target. Drug abuse is a menace in our society and the cause is lack of employment and opportunities. As Young Miners for Economic Development we want to allow youths to venture into mining sector, we peg and register them mines and they must invest in viable businesses which has sustainable future," concluded Magadhi. His mission was to create a space where sexual minorities could congregate openly and provide a platform to work for social change. In 2012, he moved to Beijing, where he and his business partner, Yeh Kenta, established what is now the Two Cities Cafe and Lounge. In an interview, Mr. Lai, 51, discussed the progress he had seen in gay rights, how Taipei differed from Beijing and how he dealt with the occasional visit by the Chinese police. How do you feel about the passage of the same-sex marriage proposals in Taiwan? Very happy. It was just drafts that were passed, and they still need to undergo a process of consultation among political parties and more readings, and we dont know what the final outcome will be. But most of my friends are delighted because, after years of campaigning for this, theres finally some progress. Final passage would be a milestone. Some of my friends in mainland China have told me they might go to Taiwan. Up to now, if they wanted to get married, they had to go to the United States or Europe. I feel that the gay community in China has been greatly encouraged. Since we share a similar cultural background, they believe that if Taiwan can achieve this they can start to expect more for China. Youve long been part of the gay rights movement in Taiwan. How do you see it developing? Ive witnessed profound changes in Taiwan society since the lifting of martial law in the 1980s. I saw a lot of civic movements emerging and people taking to the streets to protest. I was quite young at the time and greatly inspired. I started to appreciate the significance of democratization. Now, more and more people accept that, as a Taiwanese, its right to stand up for the underprivileged and the marginalized. Not just on same-sex marriage but on other issues, like environmental protection. Those who get involved are not always the ones directly affected, but they feel obligated to do something for those who are. Thats why, this time, weve also seen so many heterosexuals joining the demonstrations. BEIJING Last Sunday was the 19th wedding anniversary of Jin Bianling and her husband, the rights lawyer Jiang Tianyong. As usual, the couple spent it apart. Ms. Jin has not seen Mr. Jiang since 2013, when she and their daughter moved to California from China seeking safety from the state harassment that came along with Mr. Jiangs work. We really miss him, Ms. Jin said by telephone from the United States. But this years anniversary was especially hard, she said. On Nov. 21, Mr. Jiang went missing. Police officials later confirmed that he was in custody under suspicion of incitement to subversion of state power, but they did not disclose his location. Then, last week, the police released on bail a close associate of Mr. Jiangs, the human rights lawyer Li Chunfu, in what Mr. Lis relatives and lawyers said was a confused and frightened condition, occasionally raving or belligerent. Mr. Li had been tortured, they said, and his neck was injured and his mind damaged. He was also administered unknown drugs, they said. The period of reform and opening up that began in December 1978 under the Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping is widely seen as the foundation of todays China, with its socialist market economy. The influence of Western economists on Chinese experiments at that time is a little-known aspect of the history. Julian Gewirtzs Unlikely Partners: Chinese Reformers, Western Economists, and the Making of Global China, published this month by Harvard University Press, looks at some of the ideas and relationships that paved the way for Chinas transformation. In an interview, Mr. Gewirtz, who is a Rhodes scholar and doctoral candidate in history at the University of Oxford, discussed the lessons for China and the United States today. Which foreign scholars had the most influence on Chinese policy makers in the Deng era? The Chinese engaged with an extraordinary range of foreign economists. Some of the most influential had grown up in socialist systems and knew firsthand about transitions away from central planning. These people included the Hungarian Harvard professor Janos Kornai, the Czech emigre Ota Sik and the Polish-born Oxford don Wlodzimierz Brus. But Deng Xiaoping also called for the study of the successful experiences of capitalist countries. Thus, economists such as the American Nobel laureates James Tobin and Milton Friedman were also invited to China for high-level engagements. The Chinese learned a great deal from these foreign economists, but they did not seek simply to copy Western ideas. So-called influence in this period was a process of constantly negotiated receptivity and debate about new ideas. And the Chinese side was firmly in charge. Which personal relationship between foreign and Chinese thinkers in this period did you find to be the most interesting? BEIJING A politely worded but testy debate has flared over a Vatican conference on human organ trafficking, with a group of ethicists warning that China will use the participation of its most senior transplant official to convince the world that it has overhauled its organ procurement system. In a letter to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in Rome, where the two-day Summit on Organ Trafficking and Transplant Tourism began on Tuesday, 11 ethicists wrote: Our concern is with the harvesting and trafficking of organs from executed prisoners in China. China has admitted that it extracted organs from death row prisoners for decades, in what critics have called a serious violation of the rights of inmates who cannot give genuine consent. Since Jan. 1, 2015, Chinese officials have said they no longer use prisoners organs, though doubts persist. We urge the summit to consider the plight of incarcerated prisoners in China who are treated as expendable human organ banks, wrote the 11 signatories, who included Wendy Rogers of Macquarie University in Australia; Arthur Caplan of the New York University Langone Medical Center; David Matas and David Kilgour, both Canadian human rights lawyers; and Enver Tohti, a former surgeon from the western Chinese region of Xinjiang. HONG KONG President Trumps public criticism of a federal judge who blocked his immigration order was condemned across the political spectrum as an assault on judicial independence. Now the president is being taken to task from an unexpected place: China. Judge He Fan of the Supreme Peoples Court of China published a scathing blog post about Mr. Trumps reaction to Judge James L. Robarts recent ruling blocking key parts of his executive order that barred visitors from seven predominantly Muslim countries. Judge He said that Mr. Trump had breached the principle of an independent judiciary, and that people who attacked judges were public enemies of the law. Even if you control the armed forces and have nuclear weapons, Judge He wrote in the post, published on Sunday, your dignity has been swept away and you are no different than a villain. The notion of a Chinese jurist remarking on the danger he believes Mr. Trump poses to the separation of powers may seem, at first blush, to smack of hypocrisy. In China, courts are firmly under the command of the Communist Party. Last month, the chief justice publicly condemned the notion of judicial independence, warning judges not to fall into the trap of Western ideology. Sebastian Heilmann, 51, is the founding president of the Mercator Institute of Chinese Studies (Merics) in Berlin and a government professor at the University of Trier. He has published extensively on Chinese industrial and technological policies, the Chinese Communist Partys organizational structure and how todays China reflects the partys history as a revolutionary organization forged in remote, scattered regions of the country. One of Mr. Heilmanns major works is a comprehensive guide to how China is governed, now updated and translated into English as Chinas Political System. This is a wide-ranging examination of how the system works how it guides the economy, provides services to people and formulates new policies. An online version of the book will be updated every two to three months, allowing readers to stay in touch with the creation of government agencies or campaigns. In an interview, Mr. Heilmann discussed the underappreciated strengths of Chinas political system as well as how, under President Xi Jinping, it may have cast off some of the openness to experimentation that contributed to its success in recent decades. What is striking about your book are the case studies, showing how different ministries and commissions actually function. But how diverting are these diversions! Early on, we learn of Shukla Bose, an Indian woman who quit her job to bring free education to the children living in the pullulating aggregations of wretchedness in the slums of what was then known as Bangalore. Later comes Andrew Bell, one of the founders of the Encyclopaedia Britannica in 18th-century Edinburgh, a man who was 4 feet 6 inches tall and gifted with a gargantuan nose, which he would accentuate with a papier-mache extension while riding about town on an enormous horse, as if daring anyone to laugh. The intriguing information comes fast and thick: The first office for the creation of propaganda was created by the Catholic Church! Amazons Alexa device was named in honor of the Library of Alexandria! Did you know that Sir John Reith, founder of the BBC, required his newscasters to wear formal dress on the radio? I do not mean to diminish Winchesters work by describing it as a delightful compendium of the kind of facts you immediately want to share with anyone you encounter. Even our language for such things trivia, factoids assumes scorn for the merely interesting. But there are lots of ways of describing knowledge, many of which are explored here, and one workable definition might be: information that gives pleasure, arouses curiosity and widens, if only by a small fraction, ones appreciation of the vast world beyond ones immediate vision. In an eloquent chapter on propaganda and manipulation, Winchester tells damning stories of how the Chinese government erased the memory of Tiananmen Square and how he himself witnessed the massacre in Derry, Northern Ireland, known as Bloody Sunday, only to watch, appalled, as the British perpetrators lied about it for decades. But, in a footnote, he reveals that he was at work on this book as late as last year. Surely, with roughly half of the populace of his adopted home of America still under the thrall of alternative facts, he could have come up with a more current example of the dishonest manipulation of elections than the Zinoviev letter of 1924? The book ends with a look back on a group of polymaths, people acclaimed for possessing more than a mortals share of knowledge, like Ben Franklin, Richard Feynman and Frank Ramsey, who died at 26 after revolutionizing philosophy and mathematics. Its an odd place to end, until you remember that first story and its date. Simon Winchester has firmly earned his place in history and become an Officer of the British Empire as a promulgator of knowledge of every variety, perhaps the last of the famous explorers who crisscrossed the now-vanished British Empire and reported what they found to an astonished world. You sense that he envies these true polymaths while knowing that he himself, a traveler, researcher and reporter, could never claim their genius. Were these men somehow closer to the divine ideal of knowledge than mere authors, those who learn and labor for the seemingly crass motivation of selling books? It doesnt matter. The value of knowledge cant be ranked, just as the experience of a mathematical prodigy cant be compared to that of someone who, say, has just won a trivia quiz. Winchester has spent his literary career bestowing on readers things they never knew before, be they about madmen, continents or volcanic explosions. The book may not, in the end, propound a new argument for the value of acquiring knowledge. But like all of Winchesters books, it is one. BRASILIA A judge in Brazil on Wednesday ordered that the messaging app Telegram be blocked throughout the country, as the authorities investigate neo-Nazi groups that they say have used the platform to incite school attacks. The Federal Police requested that the app be suspended because Telegram failed to comply with court orders demanding complete user data from two antisemitic group chats. The company told the police that the groups had been deleted and that it could not recover the data. Judge Wellington Lopes da Silva ordered the app shut down and imposed a fine of $200,000 per day against it for noncompliance with previous court decisions. He also ordered Google and Apple to remove the app from their stores in Brazil and mobile carriers to block access to it in the country. The court order against Telegram follows a series of aggressive moves by the Brazilian authorities to hold social media and messaging companies accountable for what users post on their platforms. Chinas internet censorship is well known, but a report has quantified the extent of it, uncovering more than 66,000 rules controlling the content that is available to people using search engines. The most diligent censor, by at least one measure, is Microsofts search engine Bing, the only foreign search engine operating in the country, according to the report, which was released on Wednesday by the Citizen Lab, a cybersecurity research group at the University of Toronto. The findings suggested that Chinas censorship apparatus had become not only more pervasive, but also more subtle. The search engines, including Bing, have created algorithms to hard censor searches deemed to be politically sensitive by providing no results or by limiting the results to selected sources, which are usually government agencies or state news organizations that follow the Communist Partys line. You might get no results if it is a very sensitive topic, but if your query is subject to this kind of self-censorship, what happens is you actually appear to get results as normal, but thats not actually happening, said Jeffrey Knockel, a senior researcher at Citizen Lab and an author of the report. Youre getting results only from certain pre-authorized websites. Lazaro Gamio and British antitrust regulators on Wednesday blocked Microsofts $69 billion bid to buy the gaming giant Activision Blizzard, threatening to kill the deal entirely. The ruling raises a broader question: How often do deals fall apart after theyre signed? So far this year, just 33 out of 3,347 bids to buy an American company have been withdrawn. Some of the deals may have been signed in previous years, as was the case for the Activision takeover, which was announced last year. In 2022, nearly 12,000 such deals were announced and 142 of them, totaling $170 billion, were withdrawn. A transaction can fall apart for any number of reasons, but when regulators step in to stop a merger, its generally because they have concerns the deal would have a detrimental effect on consumers, or the country at large. Regulators have increasingly been making their case: The number of pulled transactions last year was its highest in 20 years though that may be in part because 2021 had a record number of deals. One consequence of greater regulatory scrutiny, dealmakers say, is a chill on deal-making: The value of deals announced in 2022 dropped nearly 60 percent from the year prior, though activity in 2021 was notably at a high level. News / National by Staff reporter European Union ambassador to Zimbabwe Jobst von Kirchmann says Zimbabwe still needs to work towards cleaning its "negative perception" so it could gain investor confidence from businesses in the rich bloc.He was speaking Thursday at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) business conference where he also took time to praise the country for hosting what he found to be an impressive trade showcase.Ambassador Kirchmann said despite the desire for EU to expand its partnerships in the country, there was need to address the negative perception Zimbabwe carries."The trade agreement we have is underused; there is room for more investment and l think that's also what Zimbabwe wants," he said."I hear, we are open for business and there is a lot in the National Development Strategy 1."As the EU, we would like Zimbabwe to succeed in that ambitionwhen I ask companies in Europe, I must say there is still a negative perception about Zimbabwe, which I think is important to work on."Investors are looking for predictability, they want to know what they are getting themselves into; good infrastructure, a way to carry out financial transactions easily, and access to finance."The EU diplomat also the bloc was playing its part towards ensuring Zimbabwe's elections are free and fair."I hope that the upcoming elections will be successful, peaceful and inclusive," he said."I think so far, when l listened to the different political parties, they are all promising to promote the idea of peaceful, inclusive, free and fair elections."As EU, we can only support the process, and we have offered an electoral observation mission, we are supporting Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and civil society."He urged Zimbabwean authorities to ensure recommended reforms were put in place to bring about a credible poll.Turning to ZITF, Ambassador Kirchmann said he was impressed by the high-profile business event adding that EU was keen on more trade and investment in the country."This is the first time I am in the country and I must say am really impressed. I did not expect such a fair in Bulawayo and the whole city is vibrating."The European Union has been here and participating occasionally, but this year is the first year where we have a big stand, its 33 meters long."We have a big stand because trade and investment in Zimbabwe matters to us. We have an annual trade volume with Zimbabwe of US$700 million."We are the number one export destination for horticulture products," he said.The business conference was graced by Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, cabinet ministers and captains of industry. The writer E. Jean Carroll on Wednesday told a Manhattan jury a harrowing story of being raped in the mid-1990s by Donald J. Trump in a department-store dressing room describing a brutal attack that she tried to fight off by stamping on his foot and that has left her traumatized for decades. Just before she began testifying in federal court, the former president infuriated the judge overseeing the case by railing against the proceeding on social media. Mr. Trump, who has so far avoided the trial, was not there as Ms. Carroll related a tale she said she had waited decades to tell. Being able to get my day in court, finally, is everything to me, she said, her shaky voice rising. Im happy. Im glad that I got to tell my story. Ms. Carroll spoke of an encounter that haunted her and ended her romantic life for good. I was ashamed. I thought it was my fault, she said, describing how she had initially been laughing and joking with Mr. Trump after she ran into him at Bergdorf Goodman in Manhattan. It was high comedy. It was funny, and then to have it turn into the Her voice then trailed off. A prominent Harlem business group filed a lawsuit on Wednesday seeking to stop the state from building a recreational cannabis dispensary on the neighborhoods main street, adding to the challenges faced by New York State in its rollout of the recreational marijuana industry. The lawsuit may signal trouble for efforts to open stores in some communities that lawmakers intended to benefit the most from legalization, and it underscores the sentiment expressed by some that they have been left out of the planning process. The suit, filed by the 125th Street Business District Management Association in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, seeks to cancel the states lease on a storefront at 248 West 125th Street, across from the Apollo Theatre, in the first case challenging the secretive process regulators use to choose dispensary locations. This is a naked, intentional and bold attempt to avoid community opposition, the lawsuit said. While the association said it does not oppose having a dispensary on 125th Street or elsewhere in Harlem, the complaint said the current location is irredeemable because it would add to the crime, congestion and open drug use already plaguing the area. WASHINGTON Presidents traditionally invite foreign leaders visiting the White House to give a statement in front of cameras, to make a toast at a dinner, maybe even to address reporter questions. They dont usually ask them to sing. But there was President Biden on the stage of the State Dining Room late Wednesday night, coaxing President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea to perform one of his guests favorite songs, Don McLeans American Pie. Mr. Yoon did not look like he needed much convincing. And so the leader of more than 50 million South Koreans began belting out one of the most iconic American songs of the modern age to the delight of a crowd of diplomats and celebrities cheering him on. Throughout a long day of public appearances up to that point, Mr. Yoon had not uttered a word of English, speaking carefully through a translator, but he knew every word as he crooned about driving his Chevy to the levee on the day the music died. The rollicking finale to the second state dinner of the Biden era made for a more memorable evening than most at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The 80-year-old president, who had been questioned about his age just a few hours earlier, pumped his fists and whooped along with the crowd as Mr. Yoon performed. WASHINGTON Two senators introduced a bipartisan bill on Wednesday aimed at forcing the Supreme Court to establish an ethics code after recent revelations that some justices had not disclosed gifts, travel and property deals. Senators Angus King, an independent from Maine who caucuses with Democrats, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a centrist Republican, introduced the legislation, which would also require the court to appoint an official to examine potential conflicts and public complaints. Were trying to help the court help themselves, Mr. King said. The legislation is the latest effort by lawmakers to pressure the court to increase transparency and better police itself. It is unclear how many Republicans will back the measure. Without their support, it is unlikely to pass in a divided Congress. Calls for an ethics code have intensified after recent reports underlined how few reporting requirements are in place and how compliance is often left to the justices themselves. WASHINGTON The Supreme Court seemed united on Wednesday, in the last scheduled argument of its current term, in its distaste for how county officials in Minnesota had treated a 94-year-old woman who had stopped paying property taxes on her condominium after moving into an assisted-living center. By the time the county seized the property, the woman, Geraldine Tyler, owed about $2,000 in taxes and another $13,000 in penalties and interest. The county sold the condo at auction for $40,000, and it kept not only the $15,000 that all agree it was due but also the remaining $25,000. Retaining the entire value of a confiscated property, even when the debts owed amounted to a small portion of it, is authorized by Minnesota law. According to the countys brief, about 20 other states have similar procedures. Christina M. Martin, a lawyer for Ms. Tyler, said the county had an obligation to repay the balance under the Constitutions takings clause, which says that property cannot be taken for public use, without just compensation. Lawyers for former President Donald J. Trump asked lawmakers on Wednesday to place the intelligence community in charge of assessing Mr. Trumps handling of the classified documents found in his possession after leaving office, saying Congress should strip the Justice Department of authority to run the investigation. The 10-page letter to members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has little chance of leading to enactment of the legislation it seeks given that Democrats are in control of the Senate and the White House. But it seemed to serve a second function as well: It read like a trial brief of arguments that Mr. Trump could raise in his defense should the inquiry into his handling of classified materials being conducted by the special counsel Jack Smith result in criminal charges. A legislative solution by Congress is required to prevent the D.O.J. from continuing to conduct ham-handed criminal investigations of matters that are inherently not criminal, said the letter, written by Timothy C. Parlatore, one of Mr. Trumps lawyers. The letter proposed that the Justice Department should be ordered to stand down, allowing the intelligence community to conduct an appropriate investigation and provide a full report to this committee. The critical importance of heat pumps to the German economy was underscored this week when the sale of a family-owned maker of the heating machines to a U.S. company prompted a review by the government in Berlin. Carrier Global Corp. said Tuesday that it had agreed to pay 12 billion euros, or about $13.3 billion, to acquire a unit of Viessmann Group, based north of Frankfurt, that produces heat pumps. The cash-and-stock deal would allow Carrier to expand in Europe and capitalize on the green energy transition underway on the continent, the company said. It also comes days after Berlin announced a ban on new furnaces fired by fossil fuels, starting next year. Climate change, sustainability requirements and geopolitical factors are driving an unprecedented energy transition in Europe, David Gitlin, chief executive of Carrier, said in announcing the deal. Accelerated by government regulations and incentives, the transition creates a significant, long-term growth opportunity. This article is part of our Museums special section about how art institutions are reaching out to new artists and attracting new audiences. Any major milestone offers the opportunity for much-needed historical reflection, if not reconsideration. And this year, the 160th anniversary of Abraham Lincolns Emancipation Proclamation arrives at a particularly thought-provoking moment for a nation still grappling with the legacies of slavery, Jim Crow and decades of entrenched inequality. Into this dynamic and racially charged atmosphere comes Emancipation: The Unfinished Project of Liberation, which is on display at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth. Emancipation has its genesis in an intriguing premise: What if an iconic artwork in this case, sculptor John Quincy Adams Wards The Freedman from 1863 is so historically fraught that it requires an entirely new cultural and aesthetic interpretation for the current era? Initially modeled in plaster and later cast in bronze, The Freedman portrays a formerly enslaved man clad in a loincloth, his left arm in manacles, his right breaking free from the chains of bondage. His gaze is executed with both clarity and hesitation at once looking forward to freedoms promise while grappling with the uncertainty (if not disbelief) of emancipation itself. The Brazilian artist Berna Reale sits atop a horse painted scarlet, a cage-like muzzle covering her face. As the animal clops down the empty street at dawn, Reale guides it with black leather reins, her hands in gloves that match. Her dark hair is cropped short and her back is straight. She wears a black military uniform and a serious expression on her face. The 2012 performance piece, Palomo, which took place in the Amazonian city of Belem, is meant to question the idea that institutions like the police project a sense of peace and security. Like all of Reales performances, Palomo didnt happen in a museum but in a public outdoor space, giving her a much broader audience and spontaneous responses from people who didnt set out to look at art that day. When you perform for people on the street you dont know how theyll react, says Reale, 57, who also works with the police as a forensics expert. It creates tension. They have the right to be bothered by it, just like I have the right to be there performing it. This article is part of our Museums special section about how art institutions are reaching out to new artists and attracting new audiences. BUFFALO After three and a half years and $230 million, a transformed museum here is about to open amid hopes that it will meet the expectations of a population far different from the one that greeted the original more than 160 years ago. Founded in 1862 by artists and so-called Buffalo boosters, the institution known as the Albright-Knox Art Gallery has been renamed the Buffalo AKG Art Museum and expanded and renovated by Shohei Shigematsu of the architectural firm OMA. It plans to welcome the public beginning June 12. Since receiving its first painting in 1863, a landscape by the Hudson River painter Albert Bierstadt donated by the artist, the institution has been early to acquire works by Henry Moore, Joan Miro, Mark Rothko, Frida Kahlo, Willem de Kooning, Marisol, Andy Warhol and Mark Bradford, among others, amassing a modern and contemporary collection of international renown. Its funny to recall now that I first met His Majesty King Charles III, then Prince of Wales, in an echoing Piccadilly outpost of the British Museum, where I worked as a press officer during the 1980s. He loves anthropology, having studied it at Cambridge, and he had come to see the Asante gold on a private visit. Many years later, in a twist of fate, His Royal Highness would hire me as his press secretarythe first Black member of the Royal Householdafter a complete hash of an interview in a terribly grand room at St Jamess Palace, where I nervously spilled tea all over myself and Prince Charles politely ignored it. In fact, I expect he found it hilarious. Over the five years that I worked with him, he often laughed with me about just such mistakes made by myself and others. Truthfully, I joined his team at a difficult moment. Diana, Princess of Wales, had died the year before, and the public felt angry with him no matter what he did. There is no defined constitutional role for the Prince of Wales, and he realized it would be decades before he became king, decades that he insisted on using productively. He already felt passionate about topics considered niche in 1998 and essential in 2023, including sustainability and diversity, and set about addressing themwhether that meant raising organic crops on his Highgrove estate or conducting youth outreach through The Princes Trust. He also cared enormously about Princes William and Harry. You hear that members of the Royal Family are differentthat their parenting style is cold and distantbut I witnessed first-hand the affection and closeness between His Royal Highness and his sons. In many ways, it reminded me of my childhood. I came from a different background from the aristocratic young ladies who worked for me at the Palace, girls with Horse & Hound and Country Life subscriptions, whod been part of that world far longer than I had. While my presence at St Jamess ruffled some feathers, I never questioned my right to be there. My parents had emigrated from Guyana, a former colony, in the 50s to work for the NHS, and both displayed pride for their Queen. The majority of Brits can remember one verse of the National Anthemin the Caribbean, most people can sing it all. I still have the memorabilia that my mother bought in honor of Charles and Dianas wedding in 1981. My family instilled a sense of duty in me and expected me to do my part for my countryand, critically, for the UK to support me in return. Story continues Colleen Harris at Buckingham Palace in London, where she received the Royal Victorian Order from the Prince of Wales - for whom she used to be Press Secretary. Mrs Harris is now communications director for the Commission for Racial Equality after leaving Alamy I sometimes wonder whether I should have asked myself more questions about the Royal Familys colonialist history before I made my way beneath the arches of St Jamess for the first time, but I was focused on doing a good job for both the prince and my parents. Before I became press secretary for His Royal Highness, I had worked in public relations for London museums, followed by more than two decades in various state departments. In every role, I had been a novelty. When I first joined government communications, I became the only Black person working in PR across the entire British government. I remember once arriving late to a meeting, and a senior civil servant asked me to fetch more milk for the tea, assuming I worked in catering. It wasnt an isolated incident. What I did do at the Palace, though, is push for change from withinand, happily, I had the full support of the Prince of Wales. Right away, he gave me a senior title and made me a member of the Royal Household, granting me a certain status and ensuring I met and had the approval of the Queen, whom he adored. One of our first projects together was honoring the 50th anniversary of the Windrush migration, based on Trevor and Mike Phillipss book, which brought the story of the 492 people who traveled from the Caribbean to the publics attention. It set the tone for so much of our work together, with the now King forever searching for ways to elevate those who had been marginalized. King Charles may no longer be able to speak as freely, but his principlesand his sense of devotion and generositywill serve him well in the years ahead. His coronation will take place in a different world from the one the Queen inherited in 1952, and the realm will only change further as time goes by. The Asante gold that he came to see at the British Museum all those years ago may well be returned to Ghana, and while the Commonwealth may help to foster international cooperation, it is also a legacy of the Empireone that many justifiably struggle to accept. Yet, it speaks volumes that, when Barbados became a republic in 2021, it was Prince Charles who joined Prime Minister Mia Mottley in Bridgetown for the celebrations. It is a first step in a complicated road that the King will have to navigatebalancing reverence for Her Majestys legacy with an openness to creating a better future for all people. I, for one, believe hes more than up to the task. Originally Appeared on Vogue More Great Living Stories From Vogue This article is part of our Museums special section about how art institutions are reaching out to new artists and attracting new audiences. SPENCERTOWN, N.Y. Ellsworth Kelly became one of the 20th centurys most influential artists in part because of the economical quality he brought to his pared-down, hard-edge paintings. Using minimal means, he made something as simple as a plain red wedge against a white background seem monumental. The artist, who died in 2015, was thrifty in the rest of his life, too. In every relationship, theres a saver and a spender, said Mr. Kellys widower, Jack Shear. Guess which one I am? In March, Mr. Shear and a colleague were pulling out sliding racks full of drawings here at the art-filled compound he runs in the northern reaches of the Hudson Valley, part of which used to be Mr. Kellys studio. Many of the works were earmarked as donations part of a huge wave of giving by Mr. Shear and would not remain on the premises much longer. Theres a lot of me here, said Mr. Shear, 69, who met Mr. Kelly in 1982, marrying him in 2012. On one rack, there was a line drawing of Mr. Shear reclining and reading; nearby was a self-portrait by Mr. Kelly, naked except for his glasses. Blazing sapphires and lush emeralds drip from the necklaces, brooches and bracelets. One standout piece, the Briolette of India, includes a 90-carat diamond and carries a high estimate of $7.8 million. They are among the 700 jewels from the estate of an Austrian heiress that will go on sale at Christies on May 3 as part of one of the largest jewelry sales in history. The auction house is predicting that jewels from the estate of Heidi Horten, the heiress who died last year, will bring in more than $150 million, surpassing the $137 million taken in during the 2011 sale of Elizabeth Taylors collection. The proceeds are to benefit a charitable foundation established by Horten, whose husband, Helmut, was a German retailing billionaire whose specialty was department stores. Its one of the most beautifully curated collections that will ever come up in the jewelry world, said Anthea Peers, president of Christies Europe, Middle East and Africa. This is a sale that will do an enormous amount for philanthropy. Thats important for the estate and for us. This article is part of our Museums special section about how art institutions are reaching out to new artists and attracting new audiences. You know that life in the Big Apple has changed in the last 100 years. But when was the last time you stopped to think about just how much? Or in some cases, just how little? A new exhibition celebrating the centennial of the Museum of the City of New York will remind you. Take for example, the commuter, Speedy, portrayed by Harold Lloyd in the 1928 silent film of the same name, and Michael Richardss Kramer of the long-running television series Seinfeld. Both confront the decades-old problem of finding a satisfactory seat on a subway train, as clips of the actors work show. Or consider the costumes worn by the cast in the television series Pose, about the citys underground ball culture, as well as the robe and gloves worn by Robert De Niro, who starred in the film Raging Bull, which depicted the boxer Jake LaMotta. These characters from different eras are in their own ways synonymous with the city. And the oldest object in the exhibition, a 1923-1924 lithograph of George Bellowss painting Dempsey and Firpo, and the newest, Cheyenne Juliens 2023 painting, Salsa Sundays at Orchard Beach, show how New York has inspired the creativity of countless artists over the past century. This article is part of our Museums special section about how art institutions are reaching out to new artists and attracting new audiences. BETHLEHEM, Pa. To hear the photographer Judith Joy Ross tell it, her life and career are riddled with nonstarters. Her stint in graduate school? Complete failure, she said. Her teaching career? Utter failure. In her photography archive on the second floor of her yellow house here, there is a box marked downers, containing what she considers bad prints of good images. Ms. Ross, who has been taking pictures for nearly 60 years, has never been much of a self-promoter. I have a problem with authority figures, she said on a gray day in February. Despite all that, Ms. Ross, 76, is the subject of a large retrospective at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, with about 200 of her photographs on display until Aug. 6, almost all of them portraits. Barbara Walker, a British artist who draws huge portraits of Black people onto gallery walls, and Jesse Darling, a sculptor whose works evoke fragile bodies, are among the artists nominated for this years Turner Prize, the prestigious British visual arts award. The four-strong shortlist was announced on Thursday at a news conference at the Tate Britain art museum in London. Walker, 58, is perhaps the highest-profile artist to be nominated, with works in the collections of Tate, the British Museum and the Yale Center for British Art. She is nominated for Burden of Proof, which is on view at the Sharjah Biennial in the United Arab Emirates until June 11, and included charcoal portraits of people affected by Britains Windrush scandal, in which some long-term British residents, originally from the Caribbean, were misidentified as illegal immigrants and threatened with deportation. Walker drew these portraits directly onto the gallery walls, as well as onto copies of the paperwork that the British government demanded the residents produce. Its a great joy a relief, even to revisit a new work and feel just as ardently positive about it as at the premiere. Take Thomas Adess evening-length Dante, whose concert premiere at the Los Angeles Philharmonic I attended last spring. My review, back then, was one of borderline raving enthusiasm. Now, as I listen to the recording, that seems like the only way I could have responded. In person, Dante, a three-part journey through the world of The Divine Comedy by way of Liszt and other oblique influences, was a cosmic, at times movingly spiritual and often overwhelming experience. On disc, much of that survives intact. What comes through most clearly is the Philharmonics thorough commitment under Gustavo Dudamel. This ensemble is at its finest as a shepherd of contemporary music; here, it sounds as if Adess score were ingrained in the bones of its players. Inferno fares best on disc: timelessly entertaining, a high-octane tour through the circles of hell. Purgatorio, which featured amplification and acoustic design in the hall, is comparatively flattened, its preserved recording of an ancient Jewish prayer less stirringly grand when balanced with the orchestra. And its difficult for Paradiso to retain its hypnotic enchantment through headphones and surrounded by the visual distractions of daily life. But, tellingly, the heavenly choral finale still has the power to stop you in your tracks. Some music is effective no matter how its heard. JOSHUA BARONE One of New Yorks best window-shopping weekends is back, as the four-day New York International Antiquarian Book Fair returns on Thursday to the Park Avenue Armory in Manhattan. Far from an old-fashioned aristocratic cabinet of curiosities, the fair, as regulars call it, can feel like an overwhelming explosion of history, beauty, charm and surprise. Prices range from the sticker-shocking to the eminently affordable. Hardened bibliomaniacs and casual browsers are welcome. Nearly 200 dealers from 17 countries will bring plenty of acknowledged treasures, like a copy of Shakespeares Third Folio (rarer, as it happens, than the First Folio, since many are believed to have been lost in the London Fire of 1666) and at least a dozen rare editions of James Joyces Ulysses. But there are also pulp novels, letters, documents, posters, pamphlets, menus, childrens games and other items, many bearing the traces of famous hands, like a hand-colored 1954 book about cats by a not-yet-famous Andy Warhol, from the library of George Balanchine and Tanaquil LeClerc ($75,000). Or famous feet: A pair of tap shoes worn by Donald OConnor in Singin in the Rain is listed at $3,500. LOS ANGELES On June 17, 1972, five men were arrested while breaking into the Democratic National Committee offices at the Watergate office building in Washington, D.C. Dismissed by the White House press secretary as a third-rate burglary, the break-in set off a chain of events that ultimately led to the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon in August 1974. Ever since, the gate suffix has been shorthand for scandal, and Watergate has provided fodder for movies, books, podcasts, commentaries and television. But at a time when a former president has been indicted on charges of funneling hush money payments to an adult film star, does Watergate still shock? Is it still the riveting tale of malfeasance that it was 51 years ago? A new five-part HBO mini-series may offer answers to those questions. White House Plumbers, premiering Monday, recreates the events that riveted a nation and upended American politics, focusing not on the usual characters no Nixon, Woodward or Bernstein on the screen here but on the men behind the crime. So what comes next for us, as we move into the postindustrial era? In FOUR BATTLEGROUNDS: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (Norton, $32.50), Paul Scharre, a former soldier who is now the director of studies at the Center for a New American Security (a Washington think tank with which I was affiliated before his time there), foresees a world in which machines will be able to think not only faster, longer and more precisely in combat than humans, but also quite differently. For example, game-playing machines spook their human opponents because they make odd, unexpected and even alien moves, as if from a different dimension. When pilots operated in exercises against machine-controlled aircraft, they were surprised to find the planes flying directly at them, head-on a maneuver human pilots dont perform in training, for obvious reasons. Scharre focuses on China, where the government is constructing what he terms a new techno-dystopian state. The test bed for this new system of omni-surveillance is the Xinjiang region. Government cameras and other devices register information on faces, fingerprints, eyes, voices, blood, DNA and license plates. Electronic police sniffers track Wi-Fi and cellphone usage. The border police have been known to install spyware on phones that automatically detects banned material, such as Muslim religious literature or photographs of the Dalai Lama. Artificial intelligence and huge amounts of computing power are required to help make sense of the ensuing flood of data. With time, computing power will become even more important, Scharre predicts, playing the central role in the 21st century that oil did in the 20th. Thus, he says, new global powers will emerge among them, he predicts, the Netherlands and Taiwan. The latter currently provides 90 percent of the high-end chips in the world; China, in comparison, is a relative backwater. The Chinese government is investing heavily in an effort to catch up. Indeed, Scharre notes that over a quarter of the people studying artificial intelligence in the United States are Chinese citizens. Yet this gives the United States an unexpected advantage: These researchers overwhelmingly choose to remain here after graduation, he reports. Scharres book brought to mind a phrase my editors used when I was a reporter decades ago at The Wall Street Journal: Certain articles, they said, were dull but important. Reading this book was not easy, but I think should be required for anyone interested in the future of the global economy or geopolitics. In the latest official scrutiny of a prominent American business in China, the authorities visited the Shanghai offices of the U.S. management consulting firm Bain & Company this month to question its employees. In a written statement, Bain said it was cooperating as appropriate with the Chinese authorities, but declined to comment on the nature of the investigation and whether its employees phones and computers had been seized during the visit. Less than a month earlier, the authorities detained five Chinese nationals working in Beijing for the Mintz Group, an American consulting company with 18 offices around the world, and closed the branch. The five Chinese nationals were held overnight before their families were notified that they had been detained. Chinas foreign ministry later said the company was suspected of engaging in unlawful business operations. Mintz had no immediate response on Thursday to a request for comment on whether any of its five employees had been released. Quebec Premier Francois Legault is eager to meet and negotiate a deal with Newfoundland and Labrador's Andrew Furey. (The Canadian Press - image credit) Nine jurors in Maine have opened the door for a new energy corridor between Quebec and New England, which experts say could be good news for Newfoundland and Labrador. The jury ruled that a referendum held in the border state in which 59 per cent of voters sided against allowing Hydro-Quebec to build a transmission line through its land was unconstitutional. Quebec's major utility company is touting that as a win, but experts in the province say it's more complicated than that. While some variation of the plan has been in the works since 2008, there's now doubt whether the deal will even be viable in a few years. Hydro-Quebec's energy surplus is projected to disappear by the end of 2026, hampering the ability to export power to New England after the parties involved already spent about $500 million on the project. "They worked hard to obtain [the Maine deal], but now the current government has recently switched its position," said Pierre-Olivier Pineau, a professor and researcher in energy policy at HEC Montreal. "Now it seems they don't want to export electricity anymore. They want to keep it for our own purposes and industrial development. So they've really switched their discourse." Patrick Butler/Radio-Canada That could be good news for Newfoundland and Labrador. For one, Pineau said, the construction of transmission lines opens possibilities for all energy producers, just by making different markets more accessible. Secondly, he doesn't see any way Quebec can meet its obligations to New England without importing more power from Newfoundland and Labrador. The two provinces are currently renegotiating the Churchill Falls contract from 1969 which provided Quebec with copious amounts of cheap hydroelectric power, while infuriating Newfoundlanders and Labradorians for decades. That deal is up in 2041, but has to be renegotiated well ahead of time so both sides can plan for the eventual outcome. Searching for win-wins For Quebec, a future without Churchill Falls would almost certainly mean building new hydroelectric dams just to meet domestic demand, let alone export demands. Story continues A future with Churchill Falls could see Quebec buying more power from Newfoundland and Labrador at a renegotiated price. "It's better for Newfoundland if the [Maine] deal is signed and going on," Pineau said of the negotiations. Antoni Nerestant/CBC But it's possible the new transmission line could also help Quebec's side in the negotiations, said Eloise Edom, a research associate with an energy institute at Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal. It could give Newfoundland and Labrador a potential avenue to sell excess power from the beleaguered Muskrat Falls project, which was pitched to the people of the province as a way to gain energy independence from Quebec. However, since the only year-round option for exporting excess energy to New England is routed through Quebec, that might lend some leverage to la Belle Province. Negotiations aside, Edom sees it as a win-win for both sides. "They need some opportunity to export energy because right now the production is higher than the needs of the province," she said. "So this could be a good way to use this electricity, make money with it and help solve the financial trouble caused by this [Muskrat Falls] project." Jessica Rubinger/Radio-Canada Significant for decarbonizing When you set aside years of bad blood between the two provinces, Pineau said, cooperation is also necessary for the greater good of Atlantic Canada and New England. Everyone wants to get away from coal- and fuel-fired power plants and move toward decarbonization. The best way to do that is with a strong, interconnected hydroelectric supply that crosses provincial and international borders, he said, with the ability to transfer power where and when it's needed. But both experts warn that when it comes to energy policy, there's possibilities and then there's politics. "When you look at the electricity system and the energy system, more often the problem is not technical, it's political," Edom said. "It will depend on the ego ... of the people in the negotiations." Francois Legault/Twitter When asked about the potential benefits from the New England transmission line, a spokesperson for the Newfoundland and Labrador government said there's "strong interest in determining the full economic potential of the Churchill River." The province has assembled an expert team to have "high level" discussions with Hydro-Quebec about mutual areas of interest. One of those areas could be Gull Island which sits between Muskrat Falls and Churchill Falls. Pineau believes the only way for that project to proceed is with a combined effort from both provinces. Talks on the Churchill Falls contract got underway in St. John's in February. Those meetings ended with an agreement that the original deal was a bad one, and that the best way forward was together. "We cannot rewrite the history, but we can shape the future together," Quebec Premier Francois Legault said at the time. Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador For years, Xi Jinping, Chinas leader, has railed against greed and corruption in the countrys financial sector, making an example of a few prominent figures along the way. But recently, the anti-graft campaign has kicked into overdrive, sweeping up a whos who from the countrys financial and insurance sector as Mr. Xi and the Chinese Communist Party seek to consolidate control over a critical facet of the economy. Chinas anti-corruption officials warned bankers in February that it would investigate and deal with the people who neglect the partys leadership. They directed the finance executives to embrace the partys values and avoid emulating what they see as the Wests singular focus on money. In addition to the discipline campaign, China has carried out sweeping reforms of its financial regulatory system, while deeply embedding party officials into state-owned financial institutions. The risks of doing deals A British regulators decision to reject Microsofts $69 billion takeover bid for Activision Blizzard stunned many who had expected the deal to go through. Thats especially because moves this month by the agency, the Competition and Markets Authority, suggested that the transaction might pass muster. But the decision only reinforces the current reality: More assertive regulators around the world present an additional challenge for corporate buyers at a time when deal makers are hoping to revive a moribund market for mergers and acquisitions. The agency continues to flex its growing regulatory muscle. Though it narrowed the scope of its Activision deal inquiry to just one issue, cloud gaming, the C.M.A. said that letting Microsoft buy the Call of Duty maker could give the tech giant too much power over the video games market. Most likely emboldening the agency is how unlikely an appeal of its decision is to succeed, according to Pablo Ibanez Colomo, a law professor at the London School of Economics. The tribunal that will weigh Microsofts appeal will examine mainly whether the regulator followed proper procedure. That institutional advantage positions the agency as one of the worlds most influential antitrust enforcers, alongside those in the United States and the European Union. Evidence is piling up about the steady disintegration of Russias vital natural gas export industry since the countrys invasion of Ukraine. Russian news reports estimate that Russias gas exports by pipeline could fall as much as 50 percent in volume this year from last year. And last year was an especially bad year. The problems are not limited to gas delivered by pipeline. The European Union is threatening to curtail imports of liquefied natural gas from Russia, which were the solitary bright spot for the Russian industry last year. Russia has to a great extent cut itself off from Europe its most important customer for natural gas, one that paid on time and full prices. By launching hostilities and then cutting and manipulating supplies, Russia threw away decades of work establishing itself as the largest gas supplier to energy-hungry Europe, ceding that position to Norway. Newsmax, the niche conservative news channel that has long played David to Fox Newss Goliath, has seized on Tucker Carlsons shock dismissal from its rival network and declared itself the true TV home for right-wing Americans. So far, the strategy is showing some promise. Viewership of Newsmax remains far below that of Fox News. But its audience at certain hours has doubled, and in some time slots tripled, in the immediate aftermath of Mr. Carlsons exit an abrupt spike that has turned heads in conservative circles and the cable news industry. On Monday evening, Eric Bollings 8 p.m. Newsmax program drew 531,000 viewers, according to Nielsen. One week earlier, it had 146,000. On Tuesday, Mr. Bollings audience grew to 562,000 viewers, equal to about 80 percent of Anderson Coopers CNN viewership that evening. Newsmaxs other prime-time shows also experienced big jumps. The sharp rise in viewership can be timed almost to the minute of Fox Newss announcement on Monday that it was parting ways with Mr. Carlson, in part because of private messages sent by the anchor that included offensive and crude remarks. Stew Leonard Sr., a folkloric retailer who expanded his namesake stores into merchandising meccas replete with petting zoos and mechanical singing farm animals, died on Wednesday at a hospital in Manhattan. He was 93. The cause was complications of pneumonia, his son Stewart Jr. said. Mr. Leonard opened his original store in Norwalk, Conn., in 1969 as a destination that promised fresh milk because it was built around a bottling plant. Youd have to own a cow to get it sooner, his advertisements proclaimed. Bryan Miller described it in The New York Times as the Disneyland of Dairy Stores; Ripleys Believe It or Not called it the Worlds Largest Dairy Store; and it earned a place in the Guinness World Records for having the highest dollar sales per square foot of selling space. In 2015, Business Insider praised Krogers customer loyalty program and Wegmanss walk-in beer locker, but it concluded that anyone who had ever set foot in Stew Leonards knows it is miles above the rest. Now we must ensure that the fund is made fit for purpose, said Harjeet Singh, head of political strategy for Climate Action Network International. This means rich nations and big polluters paying their share to bring the fund to life and to ensure that adequate money reaches those affected on the ground before it is too late. In Somalia in particular, the dryness has compounded the instability caused by years of armed conflict. There, the drought may have caused 43,000 excess deaths last year, according to estimates issued last month. Nearly half of these were among children younger than 5. The new analysis was conducted by Dr. Kimutai and 18 other researchers as part of World Weather Attribution, a scientific collaboration that tries to untangle the influence of human-induced climate change on specific heat waves, floods and other episodes of extreme weather. The study has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, though it relies on methods that are widely used and accepted by researchers. Scientists know that global warming is increasing the average likelihood and severity of certain kinds of wild weather in many regions. But to understand how it has affected a particular one-off event, they need to dig deeper. Its like smoking and cancer: The two are undeniably linked, but not all smokers develop cancer, and not all cancer patients were smokers. Each person is slightly different, and so is every weather event. To determine the effects of global warming on individual weather episodes, climate researchers use computer simulations to compare the global climate as it really is with billions of tons of carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere by humans over decades and a hypothetical climate without any of those emissions. Legislation that allows any layperson to perform a marriage on a given day in New York may not seem like a top priority in Albany. And in reality, this assumption appears to be correct: It took 16 years for legislation on a one-day designation to be signed into law. But for many, the new law, which went into effect March 28, was long overdue. Previously, only ordained members of the clergy and certain government officials had been permitted to solemnize a marriage in New York. In some counties, including the five counties of New York City, people can become ordained ministers online through platforms like Universal Life Church or American Marriage Ministries. Its very exciting to be offering a new service, said Michael McSweeney, the city clerk who oversees the Manhattan Marriage Bureau. Its going to really enhance the experience for people who want to have that special loved one officiate at their ceremony without having to take the step of becoming an ordained minister of a church. Marriages performed by officiants ordained online are not legally recognized in some of the states counties, including Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester. The new law helps couples getting married in New York avoid misunderstandings regarding the validity of nontraditional ministers. It is 1970 and the almost-12-year-old Margaret Simon returns from summer camp to boxes strewn about her familys jammed New York City apartment. Why? Because she and her parents are moving to New Jersey, her grandmother blurts out before her folks can ease their only child into the news. And so begins the yearlong adventure at the heart of this pitch-perfect adaptation of the author Judy Blumes Are You There God? Its Me, Margaret. The director-writer Kelly Fremon Craigs rendering of the book about puberty, family and nascent spirituality offers lessons in how a cherished object, when treated with tender and thoughtful regard, neednt turn precious. It doesnt hurt that Craig and the producer James L. Brooks assembled a cast that delivers the joys and blunders waiting at the edge of childhood but also touches on the pangs of other kinds of growing up. Rachel McAdams and Benny Safdie portray Margarets youthful parents, Barbara and Herb. Kathy Bates is Margarets paternal grandmother, Sylvia, of the aforementioned blurt. But it is Abby Ryder Fortson who carries the day, or rather the school year. In her face, Margarets glimmers of dawning self-awareness and hurt ring true. From the moment the soon-to-be sixth grader utters the movies first prayer which ends with the entreaty, Please dont let New Jersey be too horrible Fortsons Margaret proves to be a protagonist who is as incidentally funny as she is authentic. Polite Society, a rollicking genre mash-up, is set in an enclave of well-to-do Muslim Londoners who play along with the comedys title until they get cranky. Then come the punches and neck chops, the bruises and broken glass, the ludicrous wire-fu that allows a matron in a brocade lehenga to fly through the air. Its a delight that borrows from everything westerns, musicals, heist capers, horror, Jane Austen and James Bond to build its writer and director, Nida Manzoor, into a promising new thing: a first-time filmmaker impatient to evolve cultural representation from the last few years of self-conscious vitamins into crowd-pleasing candy. The story hinges on two sisters. Lena Khan (Ritu Arya), the eldest, is an art school dropout with a Joan Jett shag who skulks around like a raccoon, wild eyes smudged with dark liner, unwashed body crouched over a whole roast chicken which she devours barehanded on a public sidewalk. Shes a mess and quite possibly depressed. But to her younger sister, Ria (Priya Kansara), a budding stunt performer, Lena is perfect until Lena falls in love with a wealthy doctor named Salim (Akshay Khanna) and instantly transforms from a hoodie-wearing slob into a cardigan-clad fiancee. Ria, our protagonist, vows to stop the wedding. She enlists her best friends Alba (Ella Bruccoleri) and Clara (Seraphina Beh) in the cause, who step into view, one on each of Rias elbows, with the snap of backup dancers. Stubborn and snotty, Ria is so hellbent on breaking up the betrothal that shes willing to spy and lie, claw and kick. She gets as good as she gives, ending more than one scene in a bloody, heaving heap. At the same time, the audience can appreciate what Ria is too childish to see: Lenas joy that the neighborhood screw-up has landed its most eligible bachelor. Deep into R.M.N., an anatomy of the human condition, this powerhouse of a movie gets deeper, creepier and unnervingly familiar. At that point, dozens of residents in a Romanian village have gathered for an impromptu town hall. Now, crammed together, the attendees lovers, family, friends and neighbors whom youve come to know and sometimes like clamorously voice their issues with some newly arrived foreign workers. The townspeople are suspicious, resentful, ridiculous and violently, explosively bigoted; theyre also terrifying. Ive called the movie an anatomy, but this scene is more of an autopsy. In some 15 tour-de-force, uninterrupted minutes, the writer-director Cristian Mungiu exposes the absurdity of this body politic, of these so-called concerned citizens, laying bare their grievances, prejudices and tribal affiliations. Some attendees speak (and shout) in Romanian, others in Hungarian. A French visitor a conservationist for an NGO and a symbolic representative of the European Union bleats a few conciliating sentiments but is scornfully shut down. The people have spoken and not on behalf of peace, reconciliation, democracy and human rights. Thats unsurprising and bleak. But Mungius touch is so deft and his filmmaking so enlivening, and the villagers so laughable (if also scary!), that you never feel dragged down or punished by the ugliness. Mungiu a towering figure in the Romanian New Wave is a tough, unsparing filmmaker, but he isnt a scold or didact, the kind who delivers grindingly obvious life lessons about the horrors of other people. Hes interested in what makes human beings tick and why. But hes a skeptic, not a cynic, and his approach is diagnostic rather than moralizing, which gives you room to meet his work on your terms. R.M.N. is set in motion by Matthias (Marin Grigore), a hulking brute who stalks the movie like a threat. After a brief prologue, it opens with him working in a meat-processing plant in Germany. There, amid the baaing of soon-to-be-butchered sheep, he proves hes an apex predator by viciously head-butting a hectoring manager who sneeringly refers to him as a Gypsy. As other workers raise the alarm, he flees and then catches a ride back to his Transylvania town, a village flanked by mountains thats some 250 miles from Bucharest. He moves back in with his wary wife and young son, and pursues and beds a former lover. (Bloomberg) -- The New York author who sued Donald Trump claiming he raped her in a department store in the 1990s testified in graphic detail about the alleged assault, breaking down at times and saying she even bought bullets in fear of the blowback from her accusation. Most Read from Bloomberg E. Jean Carroll, a journalist and former Elle magazine advice columnist, told a jury of six men and three women in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday that she kept silent about the alleged attack in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room for decades, believing Trump would destroy her if she spoke up. Thats exactly what he tried to do when she went public in 2019, Carroll said. I am here because Donald Trump raped me, and when I wrote about it he said it didnt happen, Carroll, 79, said under questioning by her lawyer. She added: He shattered my reputation and Im trying to get my life back. The jury will decide whether Trump, 76, is liable for sexually assaulting Carroll and then defaming her as recently as last year by claiming on social media that she fabricated the attack to sell a book. If they find him liable, the jurors will decide how much he must pay Carroll. The case has brought new attention to past claims about Trumps treatment of women that failed to derail his 2016 presidential campaign, as he runs in the 2024 race. Carroll Breaks Down Carroll began sobbing on the witness stand as she spoke of finally getting her day in court, but she stopped her lawyer from asking the judge for a break and quickly composed herself. This is my moment, she said. Im not going to sit here and cry and waste everybodys time. Story continues Trump has denied wrongdoing and argues the case is part of a broader political witch hunt. He says that includes his recent indictment in a case brought by the Manhattan district attorney as well as criminal probes of his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. On Wednesday morning he blasted Carrolls lawsuit again in a social media post, calling it a scam and deriding his accuser as Ms. Bergdorf Goodman. He has said the alleged attack is clearly fabricated, given Carrolls age and because she is not his type. Trump attorney Joe Tacopina signaled during his opening argument on Tuesday that hell seek to undermine Carrolls story by presenting evidence that she is motivated by an animus toward Trump and that she waited too long to come forward with her claim if it were true. Read More: Trump Lawyer Tacopina Has a Lot in Common With His Client Trump hasnt said yet whether he will testify in his defense or attend any part of the trial. Bought Ammunition Carroll told the jurors that the blowback she experienced after making her allegations public was so severe that she bought new bullets for a gun she owns. The crude emails were driven by Trump calling her a liar from the White House, she said. Boy, it hit me and it laid me low I lost my reputation, she said. Even people who knew me looked at me with pity, and the people who had no opinion now thought I was a liar and hated me. She told the jury: My God, the force of hatred coming at me was staggering. Asked to describe how the alleged assault unfolded, Carroll testified that she and Trump ran into each other at the luxury department store while shopping. She told the jury she agreed to help him pick out a gift for a woman. Kidding Around Carroll said Trump asked her to go to the sixth-floor lingerie department, where they eventually found a lacy bodysuit that he jokingly suggested she try on. She said she told him he should try it on instead, thinking he would put the bodysuit on over his pants. Carroll told the jurors she agreed to go into a dressing room with him, thinking it was an amusing moment, sort of like a Saturday Night Live sketch. She said Trump then shut the door and shoved me against the wall. He shoved me so hard my head banged. I was extremely confused and suddenly realized that what I thought was happening was not happening. She testified that she didnt scream but instead fought to get away, even though Trump is much larger than she is. I Can Still Feel It My whole reason for being alive in that moment was to get out of that room, she said. She said she was trying to wriggle out from under him, but he had pulled down my tights and assaulted her with his fingers, which was extremely painful. He put his hand inside of me and curved his finger. As Im sitting here today I can still feel it. Im proud to say I did get out, Carroll told the court. I got my knee up and pushed him back. She fought back tears as she described the guilt she felt over why she went into the dressing room with Trump. I was ashamed, she said. I thought it was my fault. Because I was flirting with him. Reid Hoffman Is Out While the jury was on a break, US District Judge Lewis Kaplan issued a ruling barring Trumps legal team from telling the panel that a billionaire donor to the Democratic Party was helping to finance Carrolls suit. Trump argued the financing by LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman undermined Carrolls credibility. Read More: LinkedIn Co-Founder Defends Funding Trump Rape Accuser Suit There is virtually nothing there as to credibility, and even if there were, the unfair prejudicial effect of going into this subject would very substantially outweigh any probative value, Kaplan said. The subject is closed. The day started with the judge warning Tacopina about his clients social media habits, telling the lawyer that the Trump post calling the case a scam and going after Carrolls lawyer as a political operative could expose the former president to a new potential source of liability. Read More: Trump Post About Rape Accuser Inappropriate, Judge Says In his post Trump also referred to the infamous dress that White House intern Monica Lewinsky wore in an assignation with Bill Clinton. He suggested Carroll was bluffing about male DNA found on her own clothes and that it would only have exonerated him if she had accepted his last-minute offer to provide a sample. That drew an exasperated reply from the judge, since Carroll finally gave up on seeking a sample from Trump after many delays. He refused for three years to give a DNA sample, and now he wants it in the case? Kaplan fumed. The case is Carroll v. Trump, 22-cv-10016, US District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan). (Updates with Carrolls testimony about blowback in first, second and third sections and judges response to Trumps social media post at bottom.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Pietro, the restless, openhearted city boy who narrates The Eight Mountains, a tender story about love and friendship, is 11 years old when the movie begins. By the time he is in his early 30s, he is a man with a full beard and an inconsequential resume. A sensitive, charismatic melancholic, Pietro is unattached and existentially unsettled. Cut off from his past and uncertain about the future, he suffers from a familiar contemporary complaint that this story restively circles without naming, one that looks a lot like the modern condition. Based on a slender, celebrated 2016 novel by the Italian writer Paolo Cognetti, The Eight Mountains tracks Pietro across both decades and continents, charting his life through the intense friendship that he makes in childhood with Bruno. They first meet in the summer of 1984, when Pietros parents the family lives in Turin rent an apartment in a village in the Aosta Valley, a shockingly beautiful swathe of the Italian Alps that borders both France and Switzerland. There, nestled among velvety green slopes and towered over by jagged, soaring peaks, Pietro finds a friend, an ally, a role model and, in time, a sense of belonging. For both boys, their friendship proves a soul-sustaining connection, one that begins with them dubiously eyeing each other in Pietros dark, claustrophobic holiday home but that rapidly shifts once they dash outside. They walk, race and tumble through the area, exploring and sharing. Bruno is a confident, physically vigorous child who can scale the side of a stone building like a goat scampering up a rock face. Hes being raised by his aunt and uncle his mother is missing in action, his father works abroad as a bricklayer and is the only child in his village, its population having dwindled, as in other rural areas, to a ghostly near-dozen. These early scenes are intoxicating, partly because its very pleasant to watch happy children just be happy together, and this is an especially stunning place to explore. Like Pietro, you are immediately plunged into the regions splendors and mysteries, its densely sheltering foliage, enigmatically abandoned corners and dramatic, seemingly limitless vistas. Whether theyre poking about a derelict building or rushing through an enveloping tunnel of green, and even when theyre just chatting, trading helpful morsels of information Pietros father works as an engineer at a large factory the two remain visually tethered to the material world. Opening in 1948 and closing with Stalins death in 1953, Those Who Remained unfolds in a Hungary pushing past the end of World War II toward a Communist future. But the trauma of the war and sorrow over the dead lingers for its two main characters, who become part of each others lives, more or less as replacements. Aldo (Karoly Hajduk) is a gynecologist. His tattooed arm offers a clue to where he has been. At one point someone overhears him praying in Hebrew, despite his claim that he is no longer religious. As the film begins, he meets a new patient: Klara (Abigel Szoke), who is almost 16 but whose great-aunt, Olgi (Mari Nagy), is concerned that the girls puberty is not progressing. When Klara reveals that her mother hasnt come home yet, Aldo deduces that the problem isnt physical (although Klaras reluctance to eat surely doesnt help). On a hot summer day, a woman walked into a gas station in the Bronx and spent $1.99 on a bag of TGI Fridays Sour Cream & Onion Potato Skins chips. She tore into the snack, looking forward to the potato skins, as they were marketed on the packaging in 2018, according to court documents. But they were just regular chips, she discovered. The next spring, she filed a class-action complaint through her attorneys at Lee Litigation Group. It argued that consumers were being deceived into thinking the chips would deliver the taste of genuine potato skins, as popularized by TGIF through its restaurants potato skin appetizers, according to the lawsuit. Judge Katherine Polk Failla didnt buy it. In her opinion and order, she wrote that no reasonable consumer viewing the picture on the front of the snack chips packaging could believe that the snack chips were thick slices of potato skins, like those served hot in a restaurant. The case was dismissed. Consumer class-action lawsuits can range from the absurd to the righteous. And New York City is a hot spot for them for lawyers, plaintiffs and the companies in between. Since 2015, over 700 complaints have been filed in federal court in New York against major companies like Pfizer and Iberia Foods for deceptive and false advertising practices, according to a 2021 New York Civil Justice Institute report. The group found that consumer class-action cases with origins in New York State tripled between 2017 and 2020. The swift reversal of the measures prospects can in part be attributed to Albanys secretive budget process, where deals are forged in private and stakeholders and frequently, even lawmakers often do not see language until after it has been finalized. In their statement, the district attorneys said that while they appreciated that legislative leaders had been open to common-sense changes to the law, we are concerned that the language on the table will not have a meaningful public safety impact. The district attorneys asked instead for more funding to help implement the current law. Their offices have been hit with significant attrition, and the district attorneys say that prosecutors are leaving in part because of the workload the law requires. A spokeswoman for Ms. Hochul said in a statement that the governor was focused on strengthening public safety and was working with the Legislature on a final budget. Under a 2019 law, prosecutors are required to proactively turn over case material, known as discovery, to defense lawyers within a relatively short window of time. After that, they must file a document certifying that they are ready for trial. If they do not file within the prescribed window, or if a judge finds that they have not filed all the relevant material, the case can be dismissed for violating a defendants constitutional right to a speedy trial. The News Fourteen new charter schools could open in New York City under a plan lawmakers are close to finalizing as part of the state budget, according to John Liu, who chairs the State Senates New York City education committee, and several others familiar with the discussions. The potential deal would mark the first charter expansion in years, in one of the most contentious issues in local education. The change would not raise the charter cap, which limits the number schools in the city to 275. But currently, even some closed schools are included in that total. The proposal would put 14 of those zombie licenses up for grabs again. Legislators are nearing agreement on several key issues, including a potential ban on new charters in areas where more than 55 percent of all children already attend them, two people familiar with negotiations said. (District 5 in Harlem is the only area where that is the case.) They also made progress on plans for the state to pay rent for charter facilities, the two people said, which could help assuage concerns about charters sharing space with regular district schools, a source of conflict in the past. Space-sharing arrangements would likely not be banned, however. The terms will not be final until a state budget deal is reached. Since then, Ulysses S. Grant has advanced one step closer to becoming a general of the armies of the United States, outranking even five-star generals. The $858 billion defense appropriation bill that President Biden signed into law last December authorized a posthumous promotion for Grant. All that remains is for Biden to make the appointment, said Frank Scaturro, the president of the Grant Monument Association, which had long pushed for the designation. Scaturro had hoped it would come by today, Grants 201st birthday. But a Pentagon spokeswoman said that the Defense Department had nothing to announce. Scaturro said he understood. There are other priorities for presidents than posthumous promotions, he said, adding that he would wait until next year or the year after that, or the year after that. As long as it takes. Disappointed but undaunted, Grants fans will celebrate his birthday at a ceremony at Grants Tomb this morning featuring the West Point Honor Guard. There will also be a presentation by the historian Louis Picone, whose book on Grants Tomb describes the 150-foot-tall mausoleum as larger than the final resting place of any other person in America. (The correct answer to the old Groucho joke was no one. Grant and his wife, Julia, are not buried there but entombed, on a raised platform, in eight-and-a-half-ton sarcophagi.) As for the title Grant is now in line for, only two other former generals have been named generals of the armies of the United States, George Washington and the World War I hero John J. Pershing and the Army did not make Washington a general of the armies until 179 years after he died. Pershing was named a general of the armies in 1919, a year after World War I ended. When former President Donald J. Trump asked a Manhattan judge to delay a civil trial over allegations that Mr. Trump raped the writer E. Jean Carroll decades ago, his lawyer cited a deluge of prejudicial media coverage of Mr. Trumps recent indictment. But the judge, Lewis A. Kaplan of Federal District Court, denied the request, saying that there was no justification for a postponement and that many of the news stories were invited or provoked by Mr. Trumps own actions. It does not sit well for Mr. Trump to promote pretrial publicity, Judge Kaplan wrote, and then to claim that coverage that he promoted was prejudicial to him. It was not the first time Judge Kaplan had denied a request from Mr. Trump to delay Ms. Carrolls day in court. In a separate defamation lawsuit she had filed, the judge wrote that Mr. Trumps tactics suggested he was acting out of a strong desire to delay any opportunity plaintiff may have to present her case against him. LONDON As Britain prepares for the coronation of its new king, an end-of-days feeling is sweeping the nation. In an atmosphere of social unrest, economic dysfunction and government corruption, deep political disillusionment has set in. The Conservative Party is polling 15 points behind the opposition, and the popularity of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the Conservatives fifth leader in seven years, remains obstinately low. After years of Tory misrule, the opinion of the British public seems clear: Weve had enough. And with good reason. For over a decade, the Conservatives have ransacked the country they claim to love, unmooring it from its foundations and enriching their chums. While the wealth of the very richest rocketed, the partys program of austerity, begun by David Cameron in 2010 and continued by each Conservative prime minister since, starved public services, created one of the most miserly welfare states in the developed world and contributed to the longest period of wage stagnation for many, wage regression since the Napoleonic Wars. Life expectancy is down, child poverty is up, and there are few signs of a reprieve on the horizon. Life under the Tories has become poorer, nastier, more brutish and shorter. The travesty of the Tories legacy has led some to wonder whether the next election, to be held by January 2025, will prove terminal. But these obituaries are premature. The partys ancient history which stretches back beyond their baptism as the Conservatives in the 1830s and into the 17th century tells us that, whether in government or in opposition, the Conservatives will continue to find ways to adapt and preserve power. No matter what happens in the next election, the historic vessel of Britains ruling class is not going anywhere. By many accounts, the Conservative Party is not just the oldest but also the most successful political party in the world. Since 1884, when workers made up a majority of the electorate for the first time, the Conservatives have defied their own doubts about democracy to remain in government for two-thirds of the time. They have won eight of the past 11 elections. Their main opposition, the Labour Party, by contrast, spends most of the time as just that: the opposition. Next year, Tony Blair will be the only Labour leader to have won an election in half a century. In advance of Mr. Trumps New York indictment, his former adviser Roger Stone reminded people to keep their protests civil and legal. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said she would be pointing at people to be arrested if theyre being violent. Many (but not all) of the Trump-backed candidates who lost in November conceded their elections within a normal time frame. This was good for the country, but also a bit of a puzzle: Many of these people claimed a major election was stolen, so why wouldnt they do the same for their own? The drag and scrutiny in the aftermath of Jan. 6 might be an answer. Deterrence is an uneasy goal, however hard to measure, impossible to predict, and at danger of becoming retribution in the wrong hands, or even hardening reactionary and illiberal elements by accident. Deterrence would also suggest an established kind of consensus: that a specific crime was, in fact, committed and the goal moving forward is to keep other crimes like it from being perpetrated. With many entry points to the problem, and without a shared consensus about what the real problem with the Trump era was, satisfaction here might be difficult to achieve. Theres also a kind of dark-night-of-the-soul, The Godfather Part II concern, which surfaced in early polling after the New York indictment, that at least some segment of the country most likely finds that prosecution to be political, and doesnt seem to mind. And Mr. Trump is raising a lot of money and consolidating his polling advantage in the wake of the first indictment. Consensus and order are unusual, though. Ms. Lofgren noted that the Jan. 6 committee was different from any experience shed had, beginning with its unique presentation structure. You had to have a unified view of what was the mission, and the mission was to find all the facts that we could, and then tell them, she said. There wasnt a political divide on that. But that doesnt mean we saw everything exactly the same way, exactly at the same time. The committee, she explained, used closed-door discussions to reach public unity: There were times when I thought one thing and by the time wed spent a couple of hours thinking through it, I became convinced of someone elses point of view. And the same thing happened with other members. Thats also rare. Reaching one shared idea of what happened and why things went wrong, even within a smaller group behind closed doors, has real appeal, even if its not how we would want a country run. Instead, its like the best society can do is to keep applying a kind of societal weight to Mr. Trump attention on the accurate memory of the events, the creation of legal hurdles and public scrutiny, possibly doomed prosecutions of varying quality adding a little more weight, a little more weight, a little more weight in an effort to contain him. Its like some mixed-up version of deterrence and truth, with a society trying something, anything, with possibly volatile precedents for the future. It stands to reason that Woodrow Wilson would be the president to bring us Army bases named for traitors who waged war on this country with the goal of preserving slavery. He took office in 1913 with a team of white supremacists who announced themselves by requiring separate white and colored bathrooms in federal buildings. The Wilsonians inflicted a neo-Confederate regime on the capital that was felt in far corners of the nation. The North Carolina newspaperman Josephus Daniels had the bloodiest resume in the Wilson cabinet. A decade and a half before going to Washington, he was a principal instigator of a murderous coup in Wilmington with the goal of removing Black people from positions of authority in city government. His Raleigh newspaper, The News & Observer, stoked white rage by equating Black political power with the rape of white women and trafficking in cartoons like one that depicted a giant black bat with Negro rule inscribed on its wings, a foot on a ballot box and white women trapped in its claws. On Nov. 10, 1898, throngs of white men burned and murdered at will, driving Black officials and their allies from Wilmington. The state legislature then disenfranchised African Americans. The coup was rooted in an influential civic religion known as the Lost Cause. The Lost Causers venerated racial terrorism as a means of suppressing Black political influence. They romanticized slavery, portraying African Americans who lived in chains as happy and well cared for. They recast the pro-slavery war as a just struggle for states rights while elevating the dead Confederate general Robert E. Lee to the stature of a patron saint. Credentialing Cengage Partners with Accredible to Offer Digital Badging in Intro to Computing Courses Through a partnership with digital credentialing platform Accredible, Cengage is making it easier for students in its Introduction to Computing courses to showcase workforce skills to potential employers. Students using Cengage's MindTap online learning platform will be able to earn achievement badges for competencies that demonstrate proficiency in Microsoft Office 365, the company explained in a news announcement. The badges can then be added to a student's digital resume, online portfolio, or LinkedIn profile. Accredible's badging software adheres to 1EdTech's Open Badges v2 standard, ensuring that the badges are verifiable and shareable across platforms. Each badge indicates "milestone achievement" for a specific Microsoft application, such as Word or PowerPoint. The badges will be available in all Cengage Introduction to Computing programs beginning with fall 2023 classes. "The workforce skills gap is a serious issue that affects organizations in every industry," commented Cheryl Costantini, SVP for Academic Product at Cengage, in a statement. "One way to proactively address the issue is to allow students to master universally adaptable skills, like Microsoft Office 365, before they enter the workforce. Students want to know that the skills they're acquiring will result in employment, and employers want to know that they're hiring the most qualified candidates. Our partnership with Accredible accomplishes this goal, building skilled candidate pipelines that fill a serious need." For more information, visit the Cengage site. In February and March of 2021, F.T.C. regulators reached out to their European Union counterparts, according to emails that were obtained through a Freedom of Information request. That April, the Europeans asserted jurisdiction using a novel theory, asserting that the combination would stifle innovation in the European Union even though Grail does no business in the bloc. As a result, a matter of potentially significant importance to the U.S. health care industry including how quickly Americans can get cutting- edge cancer detection technology landed in the hands of the Europeans, who then concluded that the merger should be unwound. Illumina is appealing that decision. The F.T.C. has not questioned the European Unions unprecedented power grab. European action is likely to provide results that are more in line with the F.T.C.s agenda than the F.T.C. could achieve on its own here. Americans should know whether this outsourcing of authority was intentional or just a series of coincidences. We are skeptical, in part because the F.T.C. is not alone in outsourcing. (An F.T.C. spokesman said the agency regularly and lawfully coordinates with international partners, as it has for decades under both Republican and Democratic chairs but never outsources its authority. He added that regulators make their own independent judgments when a deal appears blatantly anticompetitive.) Similarly, the Securities and Exchange Commissions recent proposal to require public companies to publish extensive emissions data and disclose information about the climate risks they face, even if irrelevant from an investment perspective, is based on E.U. requirements. The S.E.C. claims that conforming to the European financial regulations rules based on directives of the European Parliament and intended to drive social objectives is a laudable goal. In doing so, the S.E.C. is effectively seeking to import European energy and climate policy. The Federal Reserve and other financial regulators face virtually constant pressure from members of Congress and international bodies to import similar, sweeping E.U. regulations regarding banking, insurance and asset management. Our financial regulators have no constitutional authority or ability to set our energy and climate policy; they certainly cannot do so by deference to the Europeans. If these were isolated examples of abdication of regulatory authority to Europe, we might shrug it off. They are not. Our regulators are all too often deferring to foreign counterparts, citing euphemisms like international cooperation and global regulatory harmonization while paying short shrift to their obligation to consider domestic consequences in accordance with our laws. To understand the importance and unimportance of Tucker Carlson, its necessary to rewind the clock all the way back to the period just after Donald Trump won the 2016 election. Its easy to forget now that Trumpism is so well known and understood, but many conservatives didnt quite know what the Trump years would bring. We knew who Donald Trump was, but we didnt know what Trumpism would be. With all due apologies to the Book of Genesis, Trumpism was without form and void. We knew Trump was more populist, more dishonest and more cruel than the typical Republican. But we did not know whether the G.O.P. would become more like the man or if the man would become more like the G.O.P. Carlson was a key in answering the question; he helped drive the G.O.P. to be just as cruel, just as dishonest and sometimes even more populist than Donald Trump himself. Initially, there were good reasons for confusion about Trump and the G.O.P. During the campaign, he was all over the map ideologically. He repeatedly stated his support for universal health care, before decisively backtracking. In a 2016 Republican debate he declared that Planned Parenthood does wonderful things having to do with womens health, a position that was anathema to an anti-abortion party. His foreign policy statements were often both irrational and fantastical. At one point, for example, he articulated an anti-ISIS strategy that was little more than bomb the [expletive] out of the terrorist group and then send in Exxon to rebuild. No, really. Moths and other insects are drawn to lights at night as reliably as planets orbit stars. Entomologists have long exploited this fact by setting out light traps whenever they want to collect insects. Poets have reached for the image of a moth drawn to flame to signify self-destructive behavior in works ranging from The Merchant of Venice to the Hindu epic the Bhagavad Gita. Ecologists, more recently, have begun to worry that the lure of artificial lights across Earths nighttime surface may partially explain why insects are in global decline. But, despite all this, scientists still didnt know why. A lot of entomologists get asked this all the time, Avalon Owens, a biologist at Harvard, said. One prevailing theory, popular but flawed, she said, is that flying insects confuse our porch lights for the moon or another celestial body, and their sense of navigation gets scrambled. Another idea is that lights at night look like glimpses of daylight through a thicket of vegetation, prompting insects to try to escape by making a beeline toward what they think is open space. Now, though, a new answer has the entomology world abuzz. A team led by biologists Samuel Fabian at Imperial College London and Yash Sondhi at Florida International University argue that when many insects see a bright light at night, they believe theyve found the direction of the sky and attempt to orient themselves along an up-and-down axis. That instinct prompts them to roll their backs toward the light, mistakenly in cases when the source of illumination is on the ground or mounted horizontally, causing them to go into endless, banking turns like a tiny airplane or to crash-land. Ms. Smith understands the irony of her situation, of course: that the debacle at home provided material for the book, which in turn gave her new financial security to support herself. The material also gave her the impetus and the audience to write a second book. As one friend commented on Instagram when Ms. Smith announced plans to publish Keep Moving: You took those lemons and made lemonade, and then you added MF vodka to it. Yes, Ms. Smith says in You Could Make This Place Beautiful but. Im trying to tell you the truth, so let me be clear: I didnt want this lemonade, she writes. My kids didnt want this lemonade. The lemonade was not worth the lemons. And yet, the lemons were mine. I had to make something from them, so I did. I wrote. At the church, audience members talked about the rawness and honesty of Ms. Smiths work, how it feels as if she is speaking directly to them. Theres something so comforting and familiar about sitting down with her writing, said Brianna Avenia-Tapper, 41, an editor and writer who is at work on her own memoir, which she describes as being about birth, control and birth control. She added: Its sort of a thing right now, to be writing about divorce, and I love the sense of welcome and warmth she brings to it. Keep Moving was Ms. Smiths fourth book, after three books of poems. She had won numerous writing awards before, and her poems had been widely published in journals and magazines, including The New Yorker and The Paris Review. But with Keep Moving, she invited the world to peer into her home and her psyche. Is it unnerving at times to write something deeply personal? she said in the interview. Yes, because whenever you write anything youre sending it off like a message in a bottle. The more people I send it off to the more chance there is that it will be misconstrued or judged. In December, Elon Musk became angry about the development of artificial intelligence and put his foot down. He had learned of a relationship between OpenAI, the start-up behind the popular chatbot ChatGPT, and Twitter, which he had bought in October for $44 billion. OpenAI was licensing Twitters data a feed of every tweet for about $2 million a year to help build ChatGPT, two people with knowledge of the matter said. Mr. Musk believed the A.I. start-up wasnt paying Twitter enough, they said. So Mr. Musk cut OpenAI off from Twitters data, they said. Since then, Mr. Musk has ramped up his own A.I. activities, while arguing publicly about the technologys hazards. He is in talks with Jimmy Ba, a researcher and professor at the University of Toronto, to build a new A.I. company called X.AI, three people with knowledge of the matter said. He has hired top A.I. researchers from Googles DeepMind at Twitter. And he has spoken publicly about creating a rival to ChatGPT that generates politically charged material without restrictions. The actions are part of Mr. Musks long and complicated history with A.I., governed by his contradictory views on whether the technology will ultimately benefit or destroy humanity. Even as he recently jump-started his A.I. projects, he also signed an open letter last month calling for a six-month pause on the technologys development because of its profound risks to society. The F.B.I. carried out a search on Thursday morning at the Potomac, Md., home of Ryan Salame, a former FTX executive who was a major campaign contributor to Republican political candidates, two people with knowledge of the matter said. Mr. Salame, who ran FTXs Bahamian subsidiary, was part of the close circle of advisers around Sam Bankman-Fried, the cryptocurrency exchanges founder, before the firm filed for bankruptcy in November. Federal prosecutors have charged Mr. Bankman-Fried with orchestrating a vast fraud and illegal campaign finance scheme at FTX. He has pledged to fight the charges. Three of his former top executives have pleaded guilty in connection with the investigation and agreed to cooperate against their former boss. Mr. Salame has been under particular scrutiny over the $24 million in campaign contributions he made during last years midterm elections. In court filings, federal authorities have claimed that most of the $90 million contributed to political candidates by a handful of former FTX employees, including Mr. Salame, had been misappropriated from customers of the exchange. As companies like Google and Facebook grew into giants in the early 21st century, regulators chose largely not to interfere in the still-young market for online services. Now regulators have reversed course: When it comes to tech, they want to see into the future and beat companies to getting there. The decision by the British authorities on Wednesday to block Microsofts $69 billion bid for the video game giant Activision Blizzard exemplified the new approach. British officials said a core reason for rejecting the deal was how it could threaten competition in the nascent market for cloud gaming, which lets users stream their favorite video game titles. That argument is becoming familiar. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which last year sued to block Microsofts deal for Activision, also raised concerns about competition in cloud gaming, though the agency focused mostly on the impact to the traditional console games business. The playwright A.R. Gurney knew exactly what he was doing when he wrote Love Letters, a classic of the epistolary genre whose durability is due in no small part to its status as a magnet for celebrity casts. As noted in the script, his 1988 play needs no theater, no lengthy rehearsal, no special set, no memorization of lines, and no commitment from its two actors beyond the night of performance. It simply requires actors to be side by side, reading letters aloud. But choosing correspondence as a medium was awfully clever, too. Its an inherently dramatic device because a letter is both a vessel for self-expression and a catalyst for a response. Suspense swirls around what that response might be, and often whether one will arrive at all. WASHINGTON Amnesty Internationals board has sat for months on a report critical of the group after it accused Ukrainian forces of illegally endangering civilians while fighting Russia, according to documents and a person familiar with the matter. The 18-page report, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times, underscores the complexity of applying international law to aspects of the conflict in Ukraine and the continuing sensitivity of a matter that prompted a fierce and swift backlash to the human rights group. In a lengthy statement on Aug. 4, Amnesty International accused Ukrainian forces of a pattern of illegally putting civilians in harms way by housing soldiers nearby and launching attacks from populated areas. Russia, which has shelled civilian buildings and killed many civilians, portrayed the finding as vindication, but it otherwise incited outrage. WASHINGTON This weeks vote by House Republicans to couple deep spending cuts with an agreement to raise the debt limit for one year has put President Biden on the defensive, forcing him to confront a series of potentially painful choices at a perilous economic moment. Mr. Biden has long maintained that he would not negotiate spending cuts or other efforts to reduce the federal debt as part of discussions over raising the nations debt limit, which must be raised in order for the United States to keep borrowing money to pay its bills. But business groups, fiscal hawks and some congressional Democrats are calling on Mr. Biden to begin negotiating in earnest toward a deal that would avoid a default on the debt, which could come as soon as June or July. Mr. Biden and his aides now must choose how quickly to engage with Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California along with Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, the majority leader; Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader; and Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the House minority leader and on what terms. WASHINGTON The Biden administration on Thursday announced new efforts to limit the flow of unauthorized migrants across the southern border, including the opening of processing centers in the region, while warning that a coming change in the law will not make entering the United States easier. The announcements came two weeks before the scheduled court-ordered lifting of Title 42, a public health rule issued during the pandemic that gives U.S. officials unusual powers to quickly expel migrants who cross the border without permission. Biden officials fear the change in law will attract a wave of migrants at a time when Republicans are accusing President Biden of being too tolerant of illegal immigration. In a joint appearance at the State Department on Thursday, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas said that would-be migrants should not mistake the expiration of Title 42 on May 11 for a green light to cross the border, despite what they called a blitz of misleading information from human smugglers offering them transit. The smugglers propaganda is false, Mr. Mayorkas said. Our border is not open, and will not be open after May 11. WASHINGTON When Senator Steve Daines, the leader of the Senate Republican campaign arm, quietly informed Senator Mitch McConnell, the minority leader, that he intended to endorse former President Donald J. Trump, Mr. McConnell was fine with the idea. Mr. McConnell, the Kentucky Republican, is not on speaking terms with the former president, having abruptly turned against him after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Mr. Trump has publicly savaged the senator and repeatedly demeaned his wife with racist statements. But the minority leader, according to a person familiar with his thinking, believed that somebody in the Senate G.O.P. leadership ranks should have a working relationship with the partys leading presidential contender and it might as well be the man charged with winning back the Senate majority. Mr. Dainess endorsement of Mr. Trump this week and Mr. McConnells private blessing of it highlighted how top Senate Republicans have quietly decided to join forces with their partys leading presidential candidate, putting aside the toxic relationship that some of them have with him to focus on what they hope will be a mutually advantageous political union. Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida gave social media a goofy grimace, suggested that Ukraine and Russia seek a cease-fire and praised the policies of former President Donald J. Trump, the man he would need to beat for the Republican presidential nomination, even as he attacked President Bidens foreign policy. Mr. DeSantiss whirlwind trip abroad this week was meant to elevate his credentials as a statesman and heavyweight, while taking him away from the hurly-burly of a fledgling presidential campaign that he has not officially begun. But if Mr. DeSantis thought it would give him a reprieve from scrutiny, he was mistaken. His trip, which has taken him to Tokyo, Seoul, Jerusalem and, finally, London, with events there on Friday, has been free of any overt gaffes or obvious embarrassments. But his words have been parsed and compared with those of rivals and previous presidential hopefuls. His facial expressions have been examined. Even the placement of his hands has not escaped the notice of the international news media. There are people who will always be critical, but I dont worry about that, said Kenneth T. Cuccinelli, a former Trump administration official who now leads Mr. DeSantiss super PAC. Hes showing himself to be a guy who can go toe-to-toe around the world. WASHINGTON House Republicans on Wednesday did what many of them vowed they never would: They voted to raise the federal debt ceiling. Some were not particularly enthusiastic about it. It sucks, said Representative Lauren Boebert, a hard-right Republican from Colorado whose vote was carefully watched as party leaders squeezed recalcitrant lawmakers. But you gotta do what you gotta do. As a reward for their begrudging support of Speaker Kevin McCarthys call for legislation he said would strengthen his bargaining power against President Biden, right-wing conservatives earned the chance to take another debt limit vote sometime this summer. But the next one could be on legislation lacking the budget cuts and policy rollbacks that many Republicans demanded to barely nudge this doomed plan over the top. The strenuous effort required by Mr. McCarthy and his allies to win approval of a proposal that everyone agreed was going nowhere highlighted the difficulties and risks ahead as the nation edges toward a possible first-ever federal default. It also made clear that some combination of Democratic and Republican votes would ultimately be required to raise the debt limit to avert a fiscal catastrophe. Mr. Teixeiras lawyers described him as compliant and said he sat on the porch reading a Bible as he waited to be arrested but the government painted a starkly different picture. In arguing for his confinement, prosecutors described a panicked effort by Airman Teixeira to cover up his actions as law enforcement closed in, including telling a member of a chat group to delete all messages, and instructing a user to stonewall investigators. He also tried to destroy evidence, prosecutors said. The filing includes a series of photos of electronic equipment, including a tablet and an Xbox console, that he hurriedly smashed, then tossed in a dumpster near his home in North Dighton, Mass., before his arrest this month. A witness told the government that he threw his phone out the window of his truck as he was driving. These efforts appeared calculated to delay or prevent the government from gaining a full understanding of the seriousness and scale of his conduct, the department wrote. Any promise by the defendant to stay home or to refrain from compounding the harm that he has already caused is worth no more than his broken promises to protect classified national defense information. Airman Teixeira was arrested on April 13, and charged with two separate counts related to the unauthorized handling of classified materials. The government has yet to seek an indictment before a grand jury, although prosecutors said in their filing on Wednesday that he could face 25 years and potentially far more in prison if convicted. In a preliminary complaint unsealed after he was taken into custody, Airman Teixeira was accused of abusing his top secret clearance with an intelligence unit on Cape Cod to post documents bearing restrictive classification markings to a 50-member chat group on Discord. Shortly before signing off in March, Airman Teixeira told a member of the small group he was very happy to share intelligence very few people get to see and solicited requests for information they wanted him to post, prosecutors said late Wednesday. WORCESTER, Mass. Jack Teixeira, the Massachusetts Air National Guardsman accused of posting classified documents online, will remain in custody while a judge considers new evidence that raised serious questions about the militarys decision to grant him a high-level security clearance. During a tense 90-minute hearing on Thursday, lawyers for the Justice Department asked a federal magistrate judge in Massachusetts to detain Airman Teixeira indefinitely pending his trial, arguing that his history of violent and racist remarks, coupled with his attempts to obstruct its investigation, made him a serious flight risk. The magistrate judge, David. H. Hennessy, did not immediately rule on the matter, saying he needed more time to consider that motion and a request by the airmans court-appointed lawyers that he be immediately released to his parents custody on $20,000 bond. An obstetrician-gynecologist who worked for decades at the University of California, Los Angeles, was sentenced to 11 years in prison after being convicted of sexually abusing patients, his lawyer said on Thursday. Dr. James Heaps, 66, appeared in the California Superior Court in Los Angeles County on Wednesday after jurors found him guilty in October 2022 of three counts of sexual battery by fraud and two counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious person. Dr. Heaps, who was affiliated with the university in various roles from 1983 to 2018, did not make a statement on Wednesday after he was sentenced by Judge Michael D. Carter, according to local media organizations. His lawyer, Leonard Levine, said in a telephone interview on Thursday that prosecutors had asked for a 13-year sentence. Dr. Heaps would be remorseful for anything that he did that was inappropriate. But he adamantly denies any of these criminal offenses, Mr. Levine said. In the 12 days since war broke out in Sudan, the residents in the capital of Khartoum have learned to survive, living side by side with armed fighters. Civilians negotiate with a feared paramilitary faction at roadblocks for safe passage, grudgingly share food and water with them, and sometimes receive warnings about an upcoming battle giving residents time to either bolt or run back inside and lock their doors. The fighters have moved into homes and taken over stores and hospitals, alternatively terrifying and wooing civilians. In one neighborhood, a resident said, they handed out milk. In another, they invited community members to share in the spoils of their looting. In another, they turned vigilantes, punishing petty criminals. Many residents try to avoid the faction as much as possible. Apparently they dont have anyone that gives them orders so theyre just doing their thing, said Dania Atabani, who lives in Khartoum. Very dangerous and chaotic. The swearing-in ceremony had an unusual guest. Hundreds of New Zealanders were about to take an oath to become Australian citizens, and cheering them on in their pursuit of dual citizenship was the head of the New Zealand government. There was reason for all to celebrate. Australia was about to reverse a two-decade-old policy and restore rights for the almost 700,000 New Zealanders living in Australia to easily gain citizenship, putting them on par with Australian migrants across the Tasman Sea in New Zealand. Australia and New Zealand often describe each other as their closest international partners. But in recent decades Australias treatment of migrants from New Zealand making it harder for them to obtain citizenship and deporting thousands under a new law has led to a rift between the two allies. The new center-left government in Australia, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, has taken steps to address these issues. At the citizenship ceremony on Sunday in Brisbane, Australia, Chris Hipkins, the prime minister of New Zealand, said his presence was a sign of the bonds that bind us all together. That sentiment was later echoed by Clare ONeil, Australias home affairs minister: Our Kiwi cousins are our very best friends in the world. With Afghanistans economy in dire condition, the resolution stressed the need for the international community to help on the financial front, including through efforts to enable the use of assets belonging to Afghanistans Central Bank for the benefit of the Afghan people. In its address to the Council, China criticized the hasty American exit from Afghanistan and its decision to freeze the assets. China, one of the Councils permanent members, urged Washington to make up for the harm it has caused to the Afghan people rather than continue to aggravate their suffering. Russias U.N. ambassador, Vasily A. Nebenzya, said the Western members of the Council had blocked a more ambitious resolution that would have addressed the impact of sanctions on the Taliban and how to restore the assets that he said the United States had stolen from the country when it froze the Central Bank funds. The continued discrimination against women and girls has been a major obstacle in the Talibans attempt to gain recognition as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan in the aftermath of the U.S. withdrawal in 2021 and the collapse of the Western-backed government. Despite the Talibans ban on employing Afghan women, the United Nations has said it is not yet planning to pull out of the country because of the grave humanitarian needs of the Afghan people. Nearly two-thirds of Afghanistans 40 million population rely on humanitarian aid for food and medicine. Single people should be valued as much as married couples and people in relationships, according to a new report released by the Church of England on Wednesday that laid out recommendations to support a diverse, evolving society. In the report, Love Matters, the archbishops of Canterbury and York said that single people must be valued at the heart of our society and noted that Jesus was single. Jesus own singleness should ensure that the Church of England celebrates singleness, the report noted, reaffirming a traditional understanding that Jesus never married. The Archbishops of Canterbury and York the Most Rev. Justin Welby and the Most Rev. Stephen Cottrell established a commission in March 2021 to examine relationships and family, after recognizing that family life in the 21st century is fluid and diverse. The commissions report laid out five priorities for supporting families and households. The president of France on Thursday stepped into the cold mountain prison where Toussaint Louverture, a famed leader of the Haitian Revolution, died 220 years ago after being tricked, kidnapped and secreted across an ocean and into the French hinterland. Standing in the armory, not far from the cell where Louverture spent his last days, President Emmanuel Macron called the man who took on France after being freed from slavery a hero who embodied the true values of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution. Toussaint Louverture strove to give life to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, Mr. Macron said in a speech delivered on the 175th anniversary of Frances abolition of slavery. That which offered freedom, equality, fraternity to all. It was the first time a French leader paid official tribute to Louverture at the prison where he died, a powerful gesture from a president determined to reconcile the France of today with the shadows of its past. Two Russian jets screamed up to the Ukrainian lines near the town of Vuhledar on Thursday, dropped their explosives and banked sharply, hurtling back from where they came. They left in their wake two large black plumes rising from the detonations. After a brief lull, Russian forces have of late intensified their assaults on positions around Vuhledar, a coal mining town and strategic crossroads in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine that has been the scene of epic tank battles. Russians have made several attempts to seize the city, only to falter in the face of Ukrainian resistance. I dont know where the Russians are getting so much artillery, said a 43-year-old private named Pavlo who operates a heavy machine gun atop an American-made MaxxPro armored fighting vehicle in this sector. And there are also tanks, helicopters and jets. The guys cant get in and out of their positions, the firing is so heavy. As temperatures rise and the viscous mud begins to dry and harden into terrain ideal for heavy armored vehicles, both the Ukrainians and Russians are gearing up for the summer fighting season. Moscows apparent attempt to seize the initiative with a late-winter offensive yielded little ground, but as the incessant pounding of artillery and rocket fire around Vuhledar on Thursday attests, the Russians still have a lot of fight left. Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor and a likely contender for the Republican presidential nomination, expressed strong support for Israel during a brief visit to Jerusalem on Thursday, as he promoted his diplomatic credentials in a country considered crucial to any U.S. presidents foreign policy portfolio. Mr. DeSantis declined once again to confirm his candidacy for the presidential race in 2024, but he used a speech and subsequent news briefing to showcase his experience and interest in Israeli affairs, an issue that his chief rival, Donald J. Trump, once made his own. The governor, a foreign policy novice, stressed his track record of support for Israel and for Floridian Jews, highlighting his efforts to combat antisemitism in Florida and build business ties between his state and Israel. Maintaining a strong U.S.-Israel relationship has been a priority for me during my time in elective office, Mr. DeSantis said in speech at a conference hosted by The Jerusalem Post, a right-leaning English-language newspaper. The event was attended by leading right-wing figures, including David M. Friedman, who was Mr. Trumps ambassador to Israel; and Miriam Adelson, a longtime Israeli American supporter of Mr. Trump. In late summer 1955, Mamie Till chose to lay the body of her only child, Emmett, in an open coffin, believing that the whole nation had to bear witness to this this Black child of Chicago who had been murdered and mutilated by white men in Mississippi. They had to see what I had seen, she wrote in her memoir. Hundreds of thousands of mourners lined up to witness for themselves the horror wrought on the 14-year-old victim, and many, many more saw it when photographs of his body were published in Jet magazine. From that moment until today, Emmett Till has shaped the civil rights movement in America. Here is a look at who he was, the outrage at his murder and the acquittal of his killers, and his enduring legacy. What was Emmetts childhood like? Emmett Louis Till was born on July 25, 1941, in Chicago. While Emmett, who was nicknamed Bobo, was an only child, he lived with his mother, grandparents and cousins in a middle-class Black neighborhood on the South Side. A younger cousin, Ollie Gordon, said Emmett was a jokester and loved to make people laugh. Morien Wark and Zoelle Appell had long been fond of Mexico, particularly Playa del Carmen, a coastal resort town where they had spent many vacations over the years. During the pandemic, the couple, who met at a restaurant in Austin, Texas Mr. Wark was the manager, Ms. Appell a server began toying with the idea of putting down roots there. In 2021, they were living in Portland, Ore., in a house they bought in 2018 for $350,000 and had spent years renovating. Mr. Wark was working remotely as an accountant for a hospitality group, a job he could take anywhere, and Ms. Appell was working at Trader Joes and not feeling especially connected to her job. The couple, now both 43, applied for temporary residency status in Mexico so they could stay there for longer than six months at a time. But they still had no plan for a permanent move. That Christmas Eve, they had an argument, and when they made up, they looked at each other and decided the moment had come. They got in their car and drove south. By New Years Eve, they were in Playa del Carmen. This move was always something that was in the back of our mind, Mr. Wark said. [Did you recently buy or rent a home? We want to hear from you. Email: thehunt@nytimes.com] It could be the dumbest thing weve ever done, Ms. Appell added. But it could also be the greatest thing. Playa del Carmen is a community of about 300,000 on the Caribbean coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, where the average cost of living hovers around $1,400 a month, and life there immediately felt comfortable. Unlike her husband, Ms. Appell does not speak Spanish, but the fast-growing expatriate community made it easier for her to get by. We joke that theres probably a higher percentage of Mexicans in Austin, Mr. Wark said. It was a soft landing. At first, the couple rented. Mexican law requires foreigners seeking property within 100 kilometers of the border (about 62 miles) or 50 kilometers of the ocean (around 31 miles) to buy using a bank trust called a fideicomiso, which allows a Mexican bank to hold the legal title to the property. Late last year, after selling their Portland house for $650,000, Mr. Wark and Ms. Appell set up a fideicomiso and began house hunting in Playa del Carmen. They initially enlisted the help of a real estate agent and then began searching on their own, looking at various possibilities, including jungle homes and new houses that were still in the blueprint stage. They wanted to pay cash, so they were hoping to find something for less than $300,000, with two bedrooms, access to a swimming pool and proximity to the beach. Among the homes they considered: A Spanish court ruled that an electrical company was wrong to fire one of its electricians for allegedly drinking more than three liters of beer on the job because it couldnt prove he was drunk. Drinking alcohol during work hours is usually frowned upon and can constitute grounds for dismissal, but according to a high court in Murcia, Spain, that is only true when the employer can prove without a shadow of a doubt that the accused was inebriated to the point where he could no longer fulfill his duty safely. The court recently ordered an electrical company to either reinstate the sacked worker or pay them 47,000 euros ($52,000) for failing to show that their drinking on the job left them inebriated, intoxicated or drunk, or unable to do their job. The controversial ruling also mentioned that the company failed to consider the hot Murcian summer, which apparently justified beer consumption. Photo: tito pixel/Unsplash In September of 2021, the Spanish electrical company fired an electrician that had been with the company for 27 years after a private detective presented evidence that he had been constantly consuming alcohol on the job over several weeks. The private eye had been hired by the company to observe the sacked employee and his colleagues throughout the day, and he apparently observed them drinking copious amounts of beer all through the day. In the electricians dismissal letter, the company mentions that on one occasion, he and one of his colleagues had been observed stopping for a drink at a bar at 8.27 am. At lunchtime that same day, the two were seen buying some food, four cans of San Miguel beer, and a liter bottle of Estrella de Levante beer. In the afternoon, the electrician was seen drinking another can of beer, and another at around 6:30 pm, before driving a company van back to base. Two weeks later, the private detective reportedly saw the electrician and his colleagues drinking a total of seven liters of beer between morning and the end of their lunch break, as well as three cans of beer later in the day, before once again driving the company van. On another occasion, the man was seen drinking a can of beer, followed by 3 glasses of wine and a shot of pomace brandy. Photo: Tiingey Injury Law Firm The above evidence seems more than enough to justify the companys decision to dismiss the electrician, but the Murcian high court disagreed, ordering the electrical company to either compensate the man or hire him back. At no time did the private detective make mentions of signs of inebriation or clumsiness when it came to walking, the court explained. There is no proof documentary, expert or witness that unequivocally demonstrates that the man was under the effects of alcohol and was inebriated, intoxicated or drunk. Neither has it been proved, even circumstantially, that his physical and mental faculties were reduced or diminished during his tasks as an electrician, nor that he was impeded when he drove the company van at the end of the working day. But the court didnt stop there. Its ruling also mentioned that the company failed to take into consideration that the man indulged in alcoholic drinks with his colleagues, and because they were eating and needed refreshments. There was also no way to determine how much each person had drunk and if any of them had become inebriated. Another factor to be borne in mind is that this relates to the month of July in Murcia and Cartagena, where the climatic conditions and the geographical habits should be considered, the court ruling read. A Chinese man has been living in the Beijing Capital International Airport for 14 years in order to smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol without his family nagging him about it. Remember The Terminal, the cult classic in which Tom Hanks plays a man stuck in an airport for years because of a political coup in his home country which renders his passport invalid? Well, his story is nothing like that of this articles protagonist, a Chinese man who has been living inside an airport for over 14 years, of his own free will. After losing his job in his early 40s, Wei Jianguo became so depressed that he spent his days drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes. His family didnt like that one bit and told him that he had to give up his two biggest pleasures in life if he wanted to continue living in the family home. He couldnt do that, so he simply moved into Beijing Airport. I cant go back home because I have no freedom there, Wei Jianguo told China Daily. My family told me if I wanted to stay, I had to quit smoking and drinking. If I couldnt do that, I had to give them all my monthly government allowance of 1,000 yuan ($157). But then how would I buy my cigarettes and alcohol? Wei says that he could always go back home, but he just doesnt want to. In fact, he has been taken to his home in Wangjing by police and security several times over the years, but he always comes back. The airports modern amenities and facilities provide him with everything he needs, and hes able to do the things he enjoys without being nagged by his strict family. The unemployed man, who is currently in his 60s, uses an electric cooker to make his food right in the airport terminals, but he sometimes buys cooked from one of the many restaurants there, which he says provide a nice variety of foods, at prices comparable to those in central Beijing. Wei Jianguo keeps his mobile kitchenware, blankets and clothes in a couple of suitcases and claims he doesnt need anything more. And if he ever does, he just goes out and buys what he needs, before returning to his home away from home. As long as he has the freedom to do whatever he wants before being criticized by his strict family, hes happy. Tullamore Credit Union Ltd held the Face the Phoenix live final recently in the Esker Arts Centre Tullamore. This is the credit unions version of Dragons Den. Every year, we invite students from the Transition Year classes of the local secondary schools in the area to go head to head and showcase their mini company ideas. This years competition saw entries from Tullamore College, Mercy Secondary School Kilbeggan and Killina Secondary School. The live final had three schools represented: Ann & Dan and Cru Capaill from Killina Secondary School. Pierces Pyrography, Christmas Trees, Edu ball and Brosna Agri Crafts from Mercy Secondary School Kilbeggan. Representing Tullamore College were Mick Kellys Slurry Tank, Ace Bags, Charms to Cherish. Each group appeared onstage, made their presentation, and answered questions from the judges. The Judges on the day were Paul Shaw CEO Tullamore Credit Union, Caroline Collins Murphy Deputy CEO Tullamore Credit Union, and Peter Hensey Board Director Tullamore Credit Union. O ne of the judges quoted that it was very difficult to pick a winner as all the students showed very high standards and all the products were of an excellent quality. The winner on the day was Niall Kelly and Morgan Bennett Cru Capaill representing Killina Secondary School. A big congratulations to all the students who took part and their teachers who assisted with the competition this year. " " Former MTV VJ Adam Curry is considered by many as the father of podcasting or "The Podfather." Kim Kulish/Corbis via Getty Images Podcasting was developed in 2004 by former MTV video jockey Adam Curry and software developer Dave Winer. Curry wrote a program called iPodder that enabled him to automatically download internet radio broadcasts to his iPod. Several developers improved upon his idea, and podcasting was officially born. Curry himself has gone on to host several popular podcasts, the most recent of which is a show called No Agenda. Right now in the U.S., podcasting is free from government regulation. Podcasters don't need to buy a license to broadcast their programming as radio stations do, and they don't need to conform to the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) broadcast decency regulations. That means anything goes from four-letter words to sexually explicit content. Copyright law does apply to podcasting, though. Podcasters can copyright or license their work Creative Commons is just one online resource for copyrights and licenses. Advertisement Although several corporations and big broadcast companies have ventured into the medium, many podcasters are amateurs broadcasting from home studios. Because podcasters don't rely on ratings as radio broadcasters do, the subject matter of podcasts can range from the refined to the silly to the excruciatingly mundane. Podcasters often cater to a niche group of listeners. By podcasting consistently on one subject, podcasters not only assert their expertise on the subject matter but also draw a loyal and devoted group of listeners. Consider a few popular podcasts: Welcome to Night Vale is a show that updates you on the completely fictional yet rather eerie town of Night Vale. Or listen to the Mortified Podcast, in which adults read directly (and often awkwardly) from the pages of their teenage diaries. Podcasts can be used for all sorts of purposes, like self-guided walking tours, talk shows, financial planning, sermons, fitness training, true crime features and so on. Currently, the three most popular podcasts are "The Joe Rogan Experience" (long-form conversations hosted by comedian and UFC commentator Joe Rogan); "The Daily" (a daily news podcast from The New York Times); and "This American Life" (a weekly public radio show and podcast with a mix of documentaries, personal stories, and fiction pieces around a particular theme). Podcasting has become a profitable business. In its 2021 State of the News Media Report the Pew Research Center found that about 41 percent of Americans over the age of 12 had listened to podcasts in the past month, up from 37 percent in 2020. Many podcasts are supported by advertising, or by patrons who gain access to an ad-free podcast fee in return for a donation. Although large, traditional media companies leverage their brand and reputation for publicity, independent podcasts also achieve success using the same model. Advertising networks make it easier for advertisers to find shows that reach their target markets. Forbes reported that podcast ad dollars in the U.S. was projected to increase from $1.4 billion in 2021 to $4 billion by 2024. Some independent podcasts have been working together to form their own media collectives, including Pushkin Industries and Radiotopia from PRX. In the 2020s, however, larger media and tech companies have begun purchasing successful individual podcasts or collectives with the intent of making them exclusive properties. IHeartRadio purchased Stuff Media, the HowStuffWorks podcasting business, in 2018. Spotify acquired Gimlet in 2019. Amazon purchased Wondery in 2020. In 2021 Apple Podcasts announced an update to its podcasting app that provides access to its own premium podcast subscriptions. THE rich literary heritage of manuscripts such as Psalters, Gospels and Missals which were produced in the monasteries of Birr, Terryglass, Roscrea, Clonmacnoise, Durrow, Lorrha and Inishcealtra were highlighted in talks given by Dr Donnacha MacGabhann and Dr Joseph Flahive during their recent visit to Birr Library. The arrival of Christianity in the fifth century, brought writing and the language of the Church of Rome was Latin. Dr Flahive spoke about the palaeography of handwriting styles and the development of handwriting found in the manuscripts (Insular inscriptions), for example, The Book of Dimma, The Stowe Missal and Book of Durrow. He also spoke about, the Irish tradition which dominated intellectual life in this island until the coming of the Vikings (9th c) and which flourished until the Norman invasion in 1169. Dr MacGabhann spoke about his study of manuscripts which led him to write a book about the Book of Kells. He talked about his detailed study of the Latin handwriting and style of letter forms, found in the MacRegol Gospels (Four Gospels in Latin) analysing both the original vellum manuscript in the Bodleian Library, Oxford and the Facsimile in Birr Library. His research raised questions about the number of scribes who made the MacRegol Gospels and his findings reveal that there are two scribes evident in the original Latin manuscript. The MacRegol Gospels ended up in England towards the end of the 9th century. In the second half of the 10th century, two priests Farman the priest at Harewood and Owun added in Old English text. This gloss is the second oldest surviving translation of the Four Gospels in the English language, after Aldreds gloss in the Lindisfarne Gospels. He mentioned that Margaret Hogan, local Historian and retired English teacher, would agree with him, that the English translation found in the MacRegol Gospels is an important source for students learning about the origin of the English language. Dr MacGabhann and Dr Flahive both drew attention to the unique stories associated with the ancient manuscripts, the people who wrote them, the books themselves and the wealth of Irish monasteries. If a bright blue colour was present, this was made from Lapis which came from Iran. Scribes had to know how to grind the pigments to make colours. Both presentations were supported by very detailed beautiful images of script from different manuscripts and the audience could see very clearly the examples of writing/letter styles. At the end of the evening, Dr MacGabhann thanked the staff of Birr Library for their warm welcome to Birr Library, Dr Flahive for joining him in making the presentation on manuscripts, Birr Historical Society for their support and members of the audience for their interest. He presented a copy of his book, The Book of Kells A Masterwork Revealed to Birr Library. Wait and watch: Deve Gowda on Karnataka assembly polls Bengaluru oi-Deepika S Former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) Chief H D Deve Gowda on Thursday expressed confidence in winning the Karnataka assembly elections. Photo Credit: "I will not say anything on BJP or Congress assessment. It is left to them. Let them enjoy till the mandate of the people is declared. Just wait and watch how things move in Karnataka," Deve Gowda told news agency ANI. The JDS patriarch also ruled out the possibility of forging an alliance with Congress and reiterated that the party aims to win the elections on its own. "Two national parties BJP, Congress, and one regional party JDS are fighting the battle. It is very difficult to predict who will win or form the government. Everyone is thinking that they will come to power," Deve Gowda said. "Some pollsters are predicting hung assembly. At the same time, some surveys have been made about all the former CMs. In the survey, HD Kumaraswamy is the tallest leader," Deve Gowda said. Meanwhile, JDS released its Janata Pranalike (People's Manifesto) for the Karnataka polls promising to restore four per cent reservation for Muslims and to save Nandini brand calling it Kannadiga's identity. The party also assured to bring in a law reserving jobs for Kannadigas in the private sector, and has promised to provide free higher education for economically-weaker students. Earlier, JDS leader, H D Kumaraswamy also claimed that there is a strong undercurrent in favour of his party, especially in the rural areas, in the run-up to assembly polls in Karnataka to be held on May 10. Hoping to form its own government, JDS has set a target of winning at least 130 seats in the 224 member assembly. Kumaraswamy had earlier formed an alliance government with BJP for 20 months in 2006, and with Congress for 14 months after the 2018 assembly polls. Karnataka will go to polls in a single phase on May 10 and results will be out on May 13. How TN Guv finally gave assent to Bill banning online rummy Chennai oi-Oneindia English Desk After a long battle, Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi gave his assent to the Bill banning online rummy. The friction between the Governor and the State government is a long story. But after CM Stalin moved a resolution against the Governor in the State Legislative Assembly, the issue became sensational news all over. Many appreciate CM Stalin while criticising the Governor. But he finally surrendered to the pressure of the Tamil Nadu government. What is the truth behind the speculations? Some of the current political leaders of Tamil Nadu shared their thoughts on this sensational issue. Peter Alphonse, chairman of the Minorities Commission, Govt of Tamil Nadu, said, "This is very very rare. This is like a no-confidence motion brought out on Governor Ravi by the Tamil Nadu State Legislative Assembly." "Why is he still in the Governor's position even after the entire Assembly stood and passed a motion against him? This is the biggest question still hanging. If the same issue happened 15 years ago, the Governor would have resigned from his post immediately. Such respectable Governors were in governance during those times. Some would have caused some mistakes. But we cannot blow out those mistakes," he added. "But today's Governor is acting totally against the welfare of the State. And he keeps on acting the same like it's his main business. But CM Stalin continued to tolerate it so far. Many days, CM Stalin maintained his decorum. Even now, in TN Governor's case, the action taken by the CM is far less than the other Chief Ministers of the country," he said. Last time, when Governor Ravi added and skipped some details mentioned in the speech prepared for him by the State government, CM Stalin immediately moved a resolution. The Assembly adopted a resolution to record only the Governor's original speech prepared by the State Government. "Many national media extended their support for CM Stalin. In the same way, our CM so skilfully handled this ban on the online rummy issue," he added. 'Why Governor met rummy lobby?' The motion against the Governor in the State Assembly will be in history till the Constitution remains in the country. This will speak about the Centre and the State relationship in history. "There are a few rules in the Assembly which refrain the members from speaking about some people. For instance, we cannot discuss the High Court judges, Public Service Commissions, State Governors, Ambassadors of our country in other countries and the President," Alphonse said. "But those rules have been amended and adopted today. The Governor accepted the word 'ordinance'. the word ordinance is similar to the word 'Act'. When the State issued an Emergency Act, the Governor accepted it. But he refused to pass the Bill. Why can't he approve the Bill? It is noticeable that people who are the backbone of this online rummy business met the Governor in person. Why did he meet with them? Why the business people didn't meet the respective government officials? What is the need for them to meet the Governor at Raj Bhavan itself?" he asked. "When a Bill is passed by the State government in the Assembly for the second time, the Governor is in no authority to refuse his approval. If he doesn't want to respect the motion passed by the Assembly, how could he stomp over it?" he sought to know. 'CM Stalin cannot sit still' The Governor conducted an event for IAS aspiring students. In the event the Governor said, "When there is a conflict between the State and the Centre, the IAS officers should stand with the Centre and not the State." Alphonse pointed out, "A Governor should have said that the officers should stand by the Constitution of India. If a Governor speaks like this, how could the Assembly elected by the people sit still without taking any action?" DMK lawyer Saravanan said, "India is functioning based on the Constitution of India. If you ask whether the State is bigger or the Union government is bigger, we should say that the Constitution of India is the biggest. But Governor R.N. Ravi keeps on disrespecting our Constitution of India. I don't know if the Governor could speak or understand Tamil. But when someone translates what Minister Duraimurugan said in the Assembly with the same facial expressions, then the Governor would have resigned his post by now." Senior Journalist Hindu Ram said, "The resolution against the Governor is quite a development for the State Legislative Assembly. I expected this. The Governor is continuously spreading many false notions. He said that the Bill has to be considered rejected if it hadn't been passed. This shows that he does not know the Constitution of India. But if he knew about the Constitution, then this has to be considered a violation of the Constitution. What CM Stalin did was absolutely right." 'Governor acting like politician' CPM's K. Balakrishnan shared, "Governor Ravi is creating controversies on a day-to-day basis. He is speaking against Science. He made an absurd allegation that no country in the world practices secularism while 80% of the countries in this world are practicing secularism. Hence, the Governor is spreading lies. In the same way, he was saying that India was created by Rishis and sages. He refused to call the State 'Tamil Nadu'. He was adding and neglecting things against the Tamil Nadu government in his speeches." "The Governor is acting like a politician. He is working to disable the Tamil Nadu government. This controversy has been burning for the past 7 months. If the Governor would have given his approval by January, we could have saved 40 lives from this online rummy," claimed Balakrishnan. Mayor Priya Rajan, the woman behind Chennai's modern transformations Chennai oi-Oneindia English Desk Chennai Mayor Priya Rajan completed a year in the position. Within this one year, Chennai is getting renewed in various aspects. Making CM M.K. Stalin's "Singara Chennai" dream come true is the ultimate goal for Mayor Rajan. A Year of Transformations When the Mayor was asked about the transformations she has brought about in last one year, she explained, "A year before, I was just an ordinary citizen living in this capital city of Tamil Nadu. But only after becoming the Mayor, I was able to see the hard work the corporation workers put up for the welfare of this city. Many people are working day and night for the well-being of Chennai. The service people provide and the sacrifices of the workers really enlightened me." "Being the Mayor of Chennai is totally different from holding the same post in other districts of the State. This position was once held by our current Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. Chennai faced huge transformations when M.K. Stalin was the Mayor of the city. In today's Chennai, we could see so many public parks and bridges around. All these were constructed only during his period," she added. The Biggest Challenge It's been a year since Priya Rajan took over the mayoral position of Chennai. When she was asked about her journey in the past one year, she shared, "This was the most challenging year in my life. The position I am holding is completely new to me. I learnt a lot this year. This position was once held also by our current Minister Ma. Subramanian from the DMK party. This has created an additional responsibility for me as I have to meet the achievements of my predecessors. I managed and learnt a lot in the process." When the Mayor was asked about the reason behind giving more importance to education in the budget, she told, "When our CM took over the government, he announced that education and medicine will be the eyes of his government. In the same way, I too wanted to put more importance on education. So in the 2023 budget, I ensured that more allocaction for education." "It is highly essential for this generation. Only education can help a person in his/her life. That is why the Greater Chennai Corporation announced scholarships for students who wish to prepare for NEET exams. We are planning to conduct a 'Happy Class' for all the corporation school children," she added. 'Inspired by CM Stalin's idea' "The students in government schools are from various backgrounds. No one knows their family's status. So in order to ease the mental condition of the children, we are planning to conduct 'Happy Classes'. I love all these ideas we are implementing for the benefit of the students. CM Stalin already launched the 'Morning Breakfast scheme' for school children," she further said. "As Mayor, I got inspired by the CM and introduced an evening snacks scheme for Chennai government school children. As many schools are conducting special classes after 5 pm, we are providing the students boiled pulses and peanuts as healthy evening snacks," she explained. Singara Chennai 2.0 The corporation alloted Rs 450 crore for constructing roads in Chennai under the 'Singara Chennai 2.0 scheme'. "When we start working throughout the city at the same time, it will cause a huge disorder. So we are doing the construction works part by part in the city. Under this same scheme, 28 parks in Chennai are getting converted into 'Sponge Parks'. We also planned to create a man-made pond to save rainwater. As a first step, 'Murosoli Maran Park' is getting ready in a full-fledged manner," she added. Thiru.Vi.Ka Park in Chennai was recently inaugurated after renovations by CM Stalin at a budget of Rs 18 crore. Chennai is getting 17 bridges which are already under construction. Budget for Public Park renovations In public parks, the corporation is constructing ponds to save rainwater. This will enable the restoration of the groundwater level. "In the same way, we also planted nearly 55,000 saplings in the Adyar area alone. The corporation allotted Rs 20 crore for renovating the water bodies in the city. Renovating Kosasthalai river is the dream project. We are planning to complete it by 2024. When the project gets completed, it will benefit the people around Manali and Thiruvottiyur," she further said. Greater Chennai Corporation is giving high importance to the cleanliness and hygiene of the city. "At present, we are constructing 'Bio-Mining' in an area of 225 acre in Perungudi at a whopping budget of Rs 20 crore exclusive for waste management. Also, a bio-mining plant construction is getting started at Kodungaiyur with a budget of Rs 630 crore," the Mayor said. 'CM Stalin's dream is important' The Greater Chennai Corporation is converting government school classrooms into smart classrooms. "Initially, we implemented this scheme only in a few schools. But when we get the help of volunteers we could implement this scheme throughout Chennai. CM Stalin's dream is to convert Chennai into 'Singara Chennai'. This is the major goal of our corporation. And we are transforming the face of Chennai completely in the answer version. Chennai will get an international upgrade in the next 5 years as per the dream of CM Stalin," Priya Rajan concluded. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, April 27, 2023, 15:41 [IST] Recently, rumors began to circulate around Madison County regarding layoffs happening at Missouri Cobalt. Soon after, there was conjecture that the mine was closing permanently. The Democrat News contacted Missouri Cobalt Vice President Stacy Hastie who has confirmed the company has, unfortunately, had some setbacks causing layoffs, but it has no plans to close the mine any time soon. Hastie said, due to mostly supply chain issues, the construction of the mines Phase I hydromet processing facility is not complete. He said this has created a void in mining activities at the site. "Missouri Cobalt has been operating a concentrator on site since 2019, reprocessing tailings that had been left on site from previous mining operations as part of the ongoing superfund remediation efforts," Hastie said. "Due to the EPAs administrative order of consent, the site must be completely capped to complete the remediation. This capping of historical mine tailings includes the current mining area; therefore, surface mining and concentrator operations have been shut down." Hastie said, it is due to this reduction in activity that Missouri Cobalt is discontinuing or curtailing certain operations and reducing its workforce. "Upon completion of the remediation, the concentrator and mining operations will resume," Hastie said. "Our construction of the hydromet processing facility also remains on schedule for completion in quarter four 2023. If the processing facility had been complete, Missouri Cobalt could have transitioned this workforce to the processing operation to allow for the completion of the remediation. However, that is not the case, and the layoffs were unavoidable." Hastie said, mining operations are expected to resume later this year. Despite the setback, Hastie said, "we are more excited about this project than ever. Our vision for this project has expanded. The site in Fredericktown is positioned very well to become the first battery grade metals processing hub in the U.S. The potential scale of this project is much larger than initially predicted by our management team." Hastie also revealed the company has invested $220 million in the project thus far and will be finalizing a private equity raise in the next 30-45 days, bringing the total investment to almost $500 million. He said, he is also anticipating another investment of $300-$500 million for future phases and business lines. "Missouri Cobalt very much appreciates the support of the Madison County community, and we hope everyone becomes as excited as we are about this project and its potential," Hastie said. "Bottom line, Missouri Cobalt ownership and executive team have an immense amount of capital and sweat invested in this project, and we are going see this project to the end." OPINION: Tarek Fatah was a 'voice of the down-trodden' Feature lekhaka-Jagdish N Singh Eminent Pakistani-Canadian journalist Tarek Fatah is no more. He died this Monday after a prolonged battle with cancer. In his death, the free world has lost a great voice of, in the words of his daughter Natasha Fatah, "the down-trodden, underdogs and the oppressed." Sources closely known to Fatah say he was a true defender of democracy, freedom and pluralism as against jihadism and Islamism. He promoted the cause of moderate Islam and encouraged other moderates to speak out against Islamists' abuses of their religion. He advocated an advanced status for women in Muslim-majority environments. Fatah was a Leftist activist in his college days. He joined 'Karachi Sun' as a reporter in 1970. Later, he became an investigative reporter with Pakistan's State-broadcaster 'Pakistan Television' (PTV). Ideologically, Fatah questioned the Pakistani military's influence over the government. He suffered a lot on account of his progressive ideas and beliefs in Pakistan. In 1977, the Zia-ul Haq government charged him with sedition. But Fatah never gave in. He migrated to Saudi Arabia and finally settled in Canada in 1987. In Canada, he joined Toronto radio station 'CFRB Newstalk 1010' as a broadcaster and later became a columnist for 'Toronto Sun'. In Canada, he founded the Muslim Canadian Congress, a group committed to fighting Islamism and promoting the separation between religion and State. In 2012, he launched an online campaign that had a major role in Malala Yousafzai winning the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to educate girls in Pakistan. Fatah told fellow Muslims to think rationally and follow the scientific-humanitarian essentials of Islam. In his 'Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State' (John Wiley & Sons, 2008), Fatah encouraged fellow Muslims to return to Islam's universal principles that had been abandoned by Muslim elites in the centuries after Muhammad's death. In his 'The Jew is Not My Enemy: Unveiling the Myths that Fuel Muslim Anti-Semitism' (McClelland & Stewart, 2010), Fatah said, "We have a choice. Either we allow ourselves to be consumed by hatred, or we approach Jews as fellow human beings, at worst as adversaries in a political dispute, not as monsters destined to be our enemy for all time." Fatah urged the Muslims to live responsibly with the social mainstream and share their concerns in the advanced nations. Fatah would not spare anyone if he found them missing on this civil front. In a piece published in 'Toronto Sun' in 2015, Fatah condemned North American Muslim advocacy groups for their refusal to condemn jihadism in the wake of an attack in San Bernadino, California, that resulted in the deaths of fourteen people. Fatah exposed the connections between American President Barack Obama and the Muslim Brotherhood. He declared that Obama was infatuated with orthodox ultra-conservative Islam. Fatah was a fearless opponent of political correctness on the part of the US political leadership. He argued in 2015 that government officials should interview and debrief every adult male arriving alone from Arab countries, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Somalia - irrespective of religion, colour, or nationality. He called on officials to tell every mosque in North America to drop all derogatory references to "kufr" (Christians, Jews, Hindus and atheists) in its ritual prayers, or lose its charitable status. He also called on the governments to ban overseas donations from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab sources to mosques in North America. In Fatah's death, India has lost a great friend. Fatah was born in Karachi on November 20, 1949. As his parents had migrated from Bombay to Karachi, he always called himself an "Indian born in Pakistan." Fatah lamented the Partition of India. In the heart of his heart, he admired the essentials of Hinduism, for they imparted to the world a message of peaceful co-existence for the all-inclusive development of the entire humanity. He warned New Delhi against showing undue warmth towards Islamabad, for the latter had always been hostile to India. He told a gathering during the 'India Ideas Conclave 2016', "India has no business to have any relations with the country (Pakistan) that has chopped off its limbs... The day you develop dignity to say we don't want to talk to you, we don't want trade with you... we don't want to have 'aman ki asha', that's the day they will learn a lesson." (Jagdish N. Singh is a senior journalist based in New Delhi. He is also Senior Distinguished Fellow at the Gatestone Institute, New York) 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. If cops are incapable, use other forces: HC to Mamata govt Doesnt amount to cheating if man told live-in partner that he was married: HC Bengal Ram Navami violence: Calcutta HC orders NIA probe India oi-Deepika S The Calcutta High Court on Thursday ordered an investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into Ram Navami violence in West Bengal. Hearing a plea filed by Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, a division bench presided by Acting Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam directed Bengal Police to hand over all the necessary documents related to investigation to the NIA within two weeks. "We are of the considered opinion that no purpose would be served by directing the State Police to register cases against those, who used acid bottles and petrol bombs etc under the Explosive Substances Act. The matter has gone ahead and beyond that stage. Let the NIA probe now," the Bar and Bench cited the court order. In the PIL, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari sought an NIA probe into the violence, during which it was alleged that bombs exploded. Notably, the six-member fact-finding Committee, probing the Bengal violence revealed that the riots during the Ram Navami procession were pre-planned, orchestrated and instigated. The panel also sought NIA probe into the violence. Recommended Video Bengal Ram Navami Violence: Calcutta court orders probe by NIA | Oneindia News A riot-like situation broke out in West Bengal's Howrah and Hoogly during the Ram Navami celebrations on March 30. Videos that went viral on social media platforms showed several vehicles set on fire and public property being vandalised amid heavy police deployment in the area. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee attacked the BJP for orchestrating communal riots in the state by hiring goons from outside. The BJP hit back at Mamata Banerjee. "TMC is lying because it was not the wrong route. There was permission till Howrah ground and this was the only route to go there," state BJP President Sukanta Majumdar told ANI. Meanwhile, MHA had sought a detailed report from the West Bengal government on violence that broke out between two groups during a Ram Navami procession in Howrah. Congress locked up Lord Rama, now it wants to lock up those who worship Hanuman: PM Modi BJP looks to PM Modi to turn its fortunes in Karnataka India oi-Vicky Nanjappa It is a close call in Karnataka and both the Congress and BJP appear to be optimistic as of now. One of the biggest factors that worries the BJP is that since 1985, no party has been voted back to power consecutively. While the Congress would be hoping to ride on that factor, the BJP has pinned all its hopes on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. There would be back-to-back rallied by the PM starting April 28 and ending May 7. Karnataka votes on May 10, while the results will be out on May 13. Aggressive PM Modi campaign in Karnataka to kick-off on April 28 In many states, it has been the BJP's reliance on the Prime Minister which has won them the elections. Karnataka would be an interesting case to watch out for as the BJP is looking to him to reverse the fact that a party is never voted back to power twice in a row in the state. While questions were asked as to why the PM has delayed his visit to the state, a party source said that they wanted the rallies to be held in the last leg. The emphasis by the PM would be on the double-engine government. He has visited Karnataka eight times since January and during his addresses he has given a lot of emphasis on the work done by the Centre. The rallies by the PM will begin on April 29 and would conclude on May 7, party sources tell OneIndia. The rallies will be held. On April 28, 29, May 3, 4,6 and 7. The PM's campaign would begin in Belagavi, following which he will hold rallies and public meetings at Kittur, Chikodi, Kudachi and Uttar Karnataka, Union Minister, Prahlad Joshi said. 'Congress talks about development, but: Yogi Adityanath in Karnataka Apart from the PM, senior leaders of the party too would be campaigning in the state. They include Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Yogi Adityanath, Devendra Fadnavis, Smriti Irani among others. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, April 27, 2023, 9:48 [IST] Planet will not be the same after COVID-19: PM Modi Buddha Purnima 2023 date, time, shubh muhurat, significance and other details India oi-Madhuri Adnal Buddha Purnima, also known as Vesak, is one of the most important Buddhist festivals that is celebrated across the world with great enthusiasm and zeal. The festival is observed on the full moon day in the Hindu month of Vaisakh (April/May). This year, Buddha Purnima will be observed in Nepal and India on May 5, 2023, and in Southeast Asian nations on May 19, 2023. Buddha Purnima marks the birth, enlightenment, and death (parinirvana) of Lord Buddha, who is revered as the founder of Buddhism. It is a day of immense significance for Buddhists as it commemorates the life and teachings of Lord Buddha, who devoted his entire life to spreading the message of peace, non-violence, and compassion. Buddha Purnima 2023: Timing This year Buddha Purnima Tithi begins at 11:44 PM on May 04, 2023, and ends at 11:03 PM on May 05, 2023. How is it celebrated? The day is celebrated with great fervor by Buddhists across the world. People visit monasteries, temples, and shrines to offer prayers and participate in religious ceremonies. The festival is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm in countries such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Nepal. On this day, Buddhists observe various rituals such as reciting Buddhist scriptures, performing acts of kindness and charity, lighting lamps and incense sticks, and meditating. Many people also observe a day-long fast as a mark of respect to Lord Buddha. Buddha Purnima 2023: Significance The significance of Buddha Purnima lies in the teachings of Lord Buddha, which continue to guide and inspire people to this day. Lord Buddha's teachings revolve around the Four Noble Truths, which state that suffering exists, suffering arises from attachment, attachment can be overcome, and the way to overcome attachment is through the Eightfold Path. The Eightfold Path consists of Right Understanding, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. These teachings emphasize the importance of leading a simple and ethical life and treating all living beings with compassion and kindness. Buddha Purnima is a significant festival that commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and death of Lord Buddha, who is revered as the founder of Buddhism. The festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm and zeal by Buddhists across the world, and it serves as a reminder of the teachings of Lord Buddha, which continue to inspire and guide people to lead a life of compassion, kindness, and non-violence. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, April 27, 2023, 22:36 [IST] Chill in ties: Disengage first, Rajnath tells China after he refuses to shake hands with counterpart Concerned China speaks bluntly with Pakistan on security of its projects India oi-Vicky Nanjappa China will sent out a blunt and stern message to Pakistan on the security of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects. With the Pakistan leadership visiting Beijing this month, China would tell Islamabad that there would be repercussions on the all-weather ties, if terror attacks are not prevented and Chinese nationals are not targeted. The message was delivered to Pakistan ISI Chief, Lt. General Nadeem Anjum in Beijing earlier this month. It has also been underscored by China during the on-going visit by Army Chief Asim Munir. The security situation in Pakistan is constantly declining due to an economic meltdown. There has also been an increase in the number of terror attacks on Chinese nationals and at Gilt-Baltistan in Occupied Kashmir. Very recently the Karachi police had resorted to temporarily shutting down some businesses run by Chinese nationals in the city in order to prevent terror strikes. This development was viewed as an embarrassment to both countries, which claimed that they shared a 'milk and honey,' relationship. In March, China had temporarily closed the consular section of its embassy in Islamabad days after it had advised its nationals to remain more cautious due to the worsening situation in Pakistan. India, China Defence Ministers set to hold bilateral talks, first since Galwan incident The number of attacks are on the rise as many Pakistanis are now suspicious that their land is being encroached upon under the guise of enhancing their economic situation. This is however not the first time that Beijing has expressed its dissatisfaction over the way in which its projects and people are being protected. China had expressed dissatisfaction over the existing security arrangements and had raised concerns repeatedly with Pakistan. China's Foreign Minister, Qin Gang had told his Pakistan counterpart, Bilawal Bhutto earlier in January that he is extremely concerned with the safety of Chinese nationals in Pakistan and hoped that Islamabad would continue to take strong security measures. If Cong comes to power, Karnataka will be beset with riots: Amit Shah Congress for FIR against Shah for his 'riots if it comes to power' remark India oi-Deepika S The Congress on Wednesday filed a police complaint in Bengaluru's High Grounds police station against Union Home Minister Amit Shah for making provocative statements, promoting enmity and hatred, and maligning opposition. Congress leaders urged the police that an urgent and immediate FIR be lodged against Amit Shah and others for the offences. Photo Credit: "Action should be taken against Amit Shah according to law. If a common man had done it, the police would have arrested him already. The union home minister cannot say if Congress comes to power there will be communal riots," Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar said. "For no reason, they have filed 20 cases against me. We have already filed a complaint with the Election Commission. After filing the complaint there, we came here," he added. PM Modi dubs guarantees by Congress as 'revdi culture in Karnataka Addressing a rally in Belagavi, Shah claimed if the Congress comes to power in Karnataka, the state would be "afflicted by riots". Shah further said that the development of the state will be on the "reverse gear" if the Congress forms the government. Recommended Video Karnataka election: FIR filed against Amit Shah for his remarks against Congress | Oneindia News "Amit Shah tarnished Congress image by levelling false and unfounded allegations, with a clear objective of trying to create an atmosphere of communal disharmony amongst the gathered crowd and the individuals viewing it on other media platforms," the Congress said. The Congress has claimed that Amit Shah's statement that Siddaramaiah, former Chief Minister, had released all PFI workers was a false false statement that can incite violence in the state. More worryingly coming from the Union Home Minister himself, they said, was the statement that if the Indian National Congress won the upcoming elections, then the entire state of Karnataka would be "afflicted with communal riots". The Congress has filed a complaint against him under IPC sections 153, 153A, 171G, 505, 120B, 123. with agency inputs Naxal attack: Intel was general in nature, may have not been actionable India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Security agencies have termed the naxal strike in Chhattisgarh as 'cowardly' and said that it was timed to coincide with the annual CPI (Maoist) counter-offensive campaign. The naxalites had deliberately chosen Dantewada as it is a soft-target. The naxalites have been several successful strikes in the area as the security is not as good when compared to areas such as Bijapur and Sukma. In these areas, the CRPF has a very strong presence and has over the years made inroads, while setting up forward operating bases. Since the attack of 2010 in which 75 CRPF jawans were killed, security has been high in many places. The CRPF in order to combat the naxalite corridor has set up 15 forward operating bases. Photo Credit: The area in which the the attack took place is a non-core area. In such areas, it is harder to carry out a road safety operation as the main focus remains on sanitising the roads in the core areas, where the presence and threat of the naxalites is higher, an official tells OneIndia. Human Intelligence failure, lack of protocol may have led to Dantewada naxal strike Recommended Video Chhattisgarh: 10 policemen and one driver Killed in Naxal attack in Dantewada | Oneindia News While the aim of the naxalites was to derail counter-operations, it was also meant to send out a message to the locals, who the security agencies rely very heavily on for Intelligence. A combination of human Intelligence and counter-operations is what led to the decimation of the naxalites in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Hence, one could say that this was a desperate attempt to keep the flag flying and also send a stern message to the locals, the official explained. On whether or not there was an Intelligence alert about the incident, the officer said that there would be one of a general nature. It may have not appeared to be actionable as it may not have the timing and location of the attack. Chill in ties: Disengage first, Rajnath tells China after he refuses to shake hands with counterpart First since Galwan clash, Rajnath Singh to holds talks with Chinese counterpart India oi-Deepika S Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to hold bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu on the sidelines of the SCO defence ministers' meet in Delhi on Wednesday. This is the first visit by a Chinese defence minister to India since Indian and Chinese militaries have been locked in a border standoff since May 2020. "Upon invitation, Chinese State Councillor and Defence Minister General Li Shangfu will attend the meeting of the Council of Defence Ministers of the Member States of the SCO in New Delhi, India, from April 27 to 28," the Chinese defence ministry said in a brief statement. "During the meeting, General Li will address the conference and meet with the heads of delegations from relevant countries to communicate and exchange views on the issues of international and regional situations as well as defence and security cooperation," the statement added.India and China have been locked in a prolonged eastern Ladakh standoff, sending bilateral ties plummeting to their worst in decades. Indian Army ready to deal with any contingency, says Rajnath Singh The ties between the two countries nosedived significantly following a deadly clash at Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh in June 2020 that left 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops dead. Later, the Corps Commander-level talks were instituted to resolve the Ladakh row. Since then, both countries have held a series of military and diplomatic talks and completed the disengagement process on the north and south banks of the Pangong Lake and in the Gogra area. However, both New Delhi and Beijing have deployed thousands of troops and heavy armament along the LAC. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, April 27, 2023, 11:16 [IST] 5 more arrested by police in connection with Ram Navami violence at Bihar Sharif Anand Mohan walks out of jail after controversial Bihar prison rule change India oi-Deepika S Days after the Nitish Kumar government amended the Prison Manual rules which cleared the path for his release, gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh walked out of Sahars jail early on Thursday morning. The Bihar government in a notification issued on April 24 ordered the release of 27 people, including Mohan, all of whom have spent 14 years or more in jail. Photo Credit: Mohan was serving a life sentence in the 1994 murder of then Gopalganj District Magistrate G Krishnaiah. Speaking to reporters, IAS officer G Krishnaiah's daughter said it was disheartening to know that Anand Mohan Singh was being released from jail. "The government should reconsider this decision. I request Nitish Kumar ji to give a second thought to this decision. With this decision, his government has set a wrong example. It is unfair not just to a family but to the whole nation. We will appeal against this decision," she was quoted saying by news agency ANI. "Public will protest against the release of Anand Mohan, demanding to send him back to jail. Releasing him is a wrong decision. CM should not encourage these types of things. If he (Anand Mohan) will contest elections in the future the public should boycott him," said Uma Devi, wife of the then Gopalganj DM (Bihar), G Krishnaiah. "I appeal to the President and the PM to intervene in this matter and ask CM Nitish Kumar to send him (Anand Mohan) back to jail...," she added. Meanwhile, the Indian Civil and Administrative Service (Central) Association has expressed its 'deep dismay' at the decision and termed it as 'tantamounted to denial of justice'. "The Central IAS Association expresses its deep dismay at the decision of the state government of Bihar to release the convicts of the brutal killing of G Krishnaiah, IAS, former district magistrate of Gopalganj, by a change in classification rules of prisoners," the statement said. OPINION: Anand Mohans release puts many to test Mohan, who has been out on parole, got the news of his release as he was attending his son's engagement ceremony in Patna on Monday (April 24). The BJP criticised the move by the Bihar government, linking it to the RJD, the party to which the jailed politician's son belongs, being in power. Shame on Nitish Kumar for capitulating to RJDs sinister machinations. Bihar government had surreptitiously removed the "murderer of a government servant on duty" category of prisoners by amending the Bihar Prison Manual, 2012, paving the way for release of don-turned-RJD https://t.co/4hDgcItglW pic.twitter.com/bz4RECVx4v Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) April 24, 2023 with agency inputs Govt employees to get 42 days' special casual leave if they donate organs India oi-Madhuri Adnal The Centre has decided to grant 42 days of special casual leave to its employees for organ donation, considering the time taken for recovery after the major surgery. At present, there is a provision for 30 days granted as special casual leave. An official memorandum (OM) issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said, "Organ removal from a donor is a major surgery that requires time for recovery, including both hospitalisation and post-hospitalisation periods. Further, keeping in view the noble activity to help another human being and to promote organ donation among the central government employees, it has now been decided to grant a maximum of 42 days of special casual leave to a central government servant for donating their organ(s) to another human being, as a special welfare measure in the public interest.'' Irrespective of the type of surgery for the removal of the donor's organ, the duration of special casual leave will be a maximum of 42 days according to the recommendation of a government-registered medical practitioner or doctor, the order said. "The leave shall be granted to all types of living donors provided that the donor has been duly approved for donation by a government-registered medical practitioner in accordance with the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994," it said. The Personnel Ministry said it has been considering the grant of special casual leave to organ donors in light of several references and queries received, in consultation with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Mann Ki Baat: PM Modi urges people to embrace organ donation, hails 'women power' The special casual leave shall not be combined with any other leave except in exceptional circumstances of complications of surgery on medical recommendation by the government-registered medical practitioner or doctor, said the order issued to all central government departments and ministries. Special casual leave shall normally be taken in one stretch starting from the day of admission to the hospital. However, in case of requirement, it can be availed starting a maximum of one week prior to surgery on the recommendation of a government-registered medical practitioner or doctor, it said. Flexibility or splitting of leaves may be permitted on the recommendation of a treating government-registered medical practitioner or doctor, the order stated as reported by PTI. ''Treatment in connection with organ donation shall, as far as possible, be done at any authorised hospital. In a case where no authorised hospital (government hospital or private hospital empanelled under the Central Government Health Scheme or CGHS) is available in the area or zone of treatment and the treatment is done from a private hospital, the production of a medical certificate duly certified by the concerned HOD of the hospital is mandatory,'' it said. (with PTI inputs) For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, April 27, 2023, 18:44 [IST] Missouri Attorney General Andrew Baileys last-minute push to move a lawsuit challenging restrictions on transgender care to federal court was denied Wednesday, with a federal judge ruling the matter belonged back in state court. You just cant file something in federal court just because you want to be in federal court, District Judge Henry Edward Autrey told Baileys top deputy, Solicitor General Josh Divine, during a Wednesday hearing. There is something that sometimes bites people in the behind called jurisdiction. The lawsuit was originally filed in St. Louis Circuit Court, and was scheduled for a hearing in that jurisdiction Wednesday afternoon one day before Baileys emergency rule limiting access to gender-affirming care is set to take effect. After the attorney generals office sought to move the lawsuit to a United States District Court, the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri and Lambda Legal requested the judge remand it, or send it back to its original jurisdiction. Wednesdays hearing was not about the emergency order, though Divines argument began by emphasizing risks of gender-affirming care. Instead, the arguments focused on whether a federal court was the correct venue to hear the case. Tony Rothert, legal director of the ACLU of Missouri, argued that while the original lawsuit alleges the emergency rule violates the U.S. Constitution, it cites state statute. Even when the constitution is mentioned, he said, we cite not to the constitution of the United States of America, we cite to the statute. Divine focused much of his argument on the timing of the hearing. He didnt have time to craft a response to the request for remand, he told the judge Wednesday. Theyre asking you to remand this without allowing us to file a brief in response to the remand request, he said. Its extraordinarily irresponsible for them to be asking for this kind of schedule. Divine asked for more time to prepare. The idea that this cant wait a day or two is ridiculous, he said of the lawsuit involving an emergency regulation. A single day or two is not an irreparable harm. Autrey interrupted and told Divine to focus his argument on the matter of jurisdiction. Then, the judge gathered the timeline of the lawsuit. Rothert informed him that plaintiffs filed the original lawsuit Monday afternoon, and a hearing was scheduled for Wednesday in St. Louis. The attorney generals office pushed for the case to be moved to federal court Tuesday evening. Divine said he was in Jefferson City, a two-hour drive from the courthouse in St. Louis where he was originally scheduled to be. The judge asked why the attorney general didnt prepare someone in St. Louis for a hearing, pointing out the attorney general has an office in the city. Bennett Clark, a senior attorney with Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner working with the ACLU, said the attorney generals office shouldnt be surprised about the lawsuit. He said attorneys had spoken to the office prior to the suits filing, and news media had publicized the upcoming litigation. This so-called emergency process has been made to bring this emergency rule into effect without public comment, he said. Autreys closing comments focused not on the sense of urgency but his right to preside over the lawsuit. He said a clear reading of the original lawsuit does not show any federal jurisdiction. Jurisdiction is not something that happens at the whim of a party, it doesnt happen at the whim of a judge, he said. To be in federal court, he continued, The court has to have jurisdiction. After returning to state jurisdiction, Divine filed to have the lawsuit moved to a new judge. After returning to state jurisdiction, Divine filed to have the lawsuit moved to a new judge. Judge Ellen Ribaudo, appointed by former Gov. Jay Nixon, now presides over the case. A hearing was set for later Wednesday afternoon. If implemented, Baileys emergency order would place barriers to receiving gender-affirming care, such as requiring three years of documented gender dysphoria prior to treatment. He must make his statements within limits: Gujarat HC in Rahul Gandhi defamation case This election is not about you: Rahul Gandhi hits out at PM in poll-bound Karnataka No relief for Rahul Gandhi in defamation case; verdict only in June Gujarat HC to hear Rahul Gandhi's appeal in defamation case on April 29 India pti-PTI Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's appeal challenging the order of the Surat sessions court declining a stay to his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname" remark will now be heard by a new judge of the Gujarat High Court on April 29. As per the cause list published on Thursday by the High Court, Gandhi's appeal will be heard by Justice Hemant Prachchhak on April 29. Earlier on April 26, when Gandhi's lawyer P S Champaneri mentioned the case before Justice Gita Gopi, she recused herself from the hearing by saying "Not before me." The development came a day after Gandhi moved the HC. A metropolitan magistrate's court in Surat on March 23 sentenced the former Congress president to two years in jail after convicting him under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 499 and 500 (criminal defamation) in a 2019 case filed by Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Gujarat MLA Purnesh Modi. Rahul moves Gujarat HC seeking stay on conviction in defamation case Following the verdict, Gandhi, elected to the Lok Sabha from Wayanad in Kerala in 2019, was disqualified as a Member of Parliament (MP) under the provisions of the Representation of the People Act. Gandhi challenged the order in a sessions court in Surat along with an application seeking a stay to the conviction. While granting him bail, the court on April 20 refused to stay the conviction. Purnesh Modi filed a criminal defamation case against Gandhi over his How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?' remark made during an election rally at Kolar in Karnataka on April 13, 2019. A stay to the conviction could pave the way for Gandhi's reinstatement as a Member of Parliament. Intel failure, lack of protocol may have led to Dantewada Naxal strike India oi-Vicky Nanjappa A naxalite attack in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh claimed the lives of 10 policemen and a driver of their vehicle. While the agencies are probing the attack, several questions have arisen about the lack of Intelligence the possibility of the Standard Operating Procedure not being followed. The lack of following the procedure could have led to a lapse in security, an official tells OneIndia. Photo Credit: Another question that has arisen is as to why the policemen were travelling in a rented van, especially in an area infested with naxalites. The vehicle was hit by a 50 kilogram Improvised Explosive Device (IED) on Wednesday. 10 policemen, driver killed in naxal attack in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada The vehicle was also moving without the clearance by road-opening party, which usually conducts an advance recce and then sanitises the road. This protocol was not followed, said the official cited above. In this case it was clear that there was no road-opening party, which normally stands on both sides of the road. The job of this team is to prevent the triggering of an IED and also prevent a possible ambush by the naxalites. The Inspector General of Bastar, P Sunderaj told the media that the sequence of events will be investigated. "It is important to find out the sequencing of the event. We are trying to ascertain the point of mistake and then further action will be taken," he also said. Recommended Video Chhattisgarh: 10 policemen and one driver Killed in Naxal attack in Dantewada | Oneindia News Another official said that there should be a probe into the Intelligence failure. Human Intelligence was clearly missing and this made matters even worse, the official also said. 'Will remember their sacrifice': PM Modi on Naxal attack in Dantewada The fact that the naxalites were able to dig out the road and place such a huge explosive makes it clear that there has been a thorough Intelligence failure. It has been planned over a long period of time said another official. Normally in naxalite related operations, human Intelligence plays a big part and in this case it was clearly lacking said the official. Further, it was also clear that the naxalites were fully aware of the movement of the vehicle and troops. The manner in which the attack was triggered signals that it was a precise one and hence one could say that it has been in making for quite sometime now. If people dont want, you cant impose it: Law minister on same-sex marriage India oi-Vicky Nanjappa On the issue of same-sex marriages, Union Law Minister, Kiren Rijiju said that the courts are not the forums to decide on such issues. The comments came in the wake of the Union Government telling the Supreme Court to leave the issue to the Parliament. "If five wise men decide something which is correct according to them, I cannot make any kind of adverse comments against them. But if people don't want it, you can't impose things on people," Rijiju said while speaking at the Republic Summit. "And a sensitive and important matter like the institution of marriage has to be decided by the people of the country. Supreme Court, definitely, has the power to issue certain directions; under Section 142, they can make law also, and if there are some vacuums they can fill them but when it comes to a matter which affects every citizen of the country, then Supreme Court is not the forum," the law minister said. He further added, " I don't want to make this government versus judiciary. This is not at all a matter between the court and the government. It is a matter which concerns every citizen of India. It is also a question of the peoples' will. The will of the people is represented in the Parliament and assemblies." "Constitution does not provide judges to be elected, they don't sit in exams to be a judge. But we all are under the scrutiny of people's assessment. Even though there is no mechanism to change a judge, there is no system of accountability of the judges, I said that people are watching everyone in the age of social media," also said. The Supreme Court is hearing a batch of petitions that seeks to legalise same-sex marriages. It has been vehemently opposed by the Centre, which had told the court it would be best if the Parliament could decide on the matter. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, April 27, 2023, 8:18 [IST] Indian Army ready to deal with any contingency, says Rajnath Singh First since Galwan clash, Rajnath Singh to holds talks with Chinese counterpart Chill in ties: Disengage first, Rajnath tells China after he refuses to shake hands with counterpart Need to unitedly fight against terrorism: Rajnath at SCO meet Violation of border pacts eroding ties: Rajnath Singh tells China India oi-Madhuri Adnal Defence minister Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart, General Li Shangfu, on Thursday, ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' meeting in New Delhi, a first since troops of the two nations clashed in Ladakh's Galwan valley in 2020. Taking to micro-blogging platform Twitter, Rajnath Singh wrote,''Development of India-China ties is premised on prevalence of peace & tranquillity at the borders.'' Held discussions with Chinas Defence Minister, General Li Shangfu in New Delhi. https://t.co/Pd5mFnrbhH pic.twitter.com/zmU0uXVR8D Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) April 27, 2023 ''All issues at LAC need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements & commitments,'' he added. The two ministers had frank discussions about the developments in the India-China border areas as well as bilateral relations. India, China hold 18th round of military talks to resolve LAC issue Rajnath Singh categorically conveyed that development of relations between India and China is premised on prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the borders. He added that all issues at the LAC need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and commitments. He reiterated that violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation. Rajnath Singh also held a separate bilateral meetings with the Minister of Defence of Kazakhstan Colonel General Ruslan Zhaxylykov and Minister of Defence of Tajikistan Colonel General Sherali Mirzo in New Delhi. Both the Ministers reviewed the bilateral defence cooperation and exchanged views on regional security issues, including peace and stability in Afghanistan. Further, the two Ministers discussed the development of the International North-South Transport corridor to ease logistic problems in Afghanistan and other countries in Central Asia. The Chinese Defence Minister is in Delhi to attend the SCO Defence Ministers' meeting on April 28. India and China have been locked in a prolonged eastern Ladakh standoff, sending bilateral ties plummeting to their worst in decades. On Sunday, India and China held a fresh round of high-level talks to resolve issues at the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh, where the two sides have been locked in a border row for almost three years. The 18th round of military talks between India and China was held at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. Caught on cam: Man dragged on car bonnet in Ghaziabad over road rage Plane reports snag after taking off from Nepal, then flies safely to Dubai Mumbai-Pune Expressway accident: 6 injured after several vehicles crash into each other India oi-Madhuri Adnal At least six persons were injured on Thursday after seven vehicles collided with each other on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. The accident took place in the afternoon when a truck hit several vehicles reportedly after brake failure on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Photo Credit: The truck hit at least 12 vehicles, leading to six persons suffering injuries, near Khopoli in Raigad district, police official said news agency PTI while sharing the details on the incident. #WATCH | Collision of 7 vehicles on Mumbai-Pune Expressway at Khopoli, four people injured#Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/lIIuClOERx ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2023 In the video of the incident shared by news agency ANI, the wreckage of several vehicles can be seen piled up on each other. Kiren Rijiju escapes unhurt after car meets with minor accident in J&K ''Police teams rushed to the site and sent the injured to the nearby hospital. Vehicular traffic towards Mumbai was affected for some time,'' a police official was quoted as saying by PTI. As of now, no casualty has been reported and the injured were admitted to the nearest health facility. Meanwhile, the Mumbai Pune Expressway was closed for repair work. No Indian will be left behind says MEA on Sudan crisis India oi-Vicky Nanjappa No Indian will be left behind in conflict-hit Sudan, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said on Thursday. He made the statement while also admitting that the situation on the ground was volatile. While the control rooms were constantly monitoring the situation in Sudan since the conflict began on April 15, he said that 24/7 control rooms have been set up to provide information and assistance to the Indians who are stranded there. "Our focus has been to take out the Indians from the conflict zones to safer areas as soon as possible and then to bring them back home,"Kwatra said. The foreign secretary also added that India's estimate is that there are approximately 3,500 Indians and 1,000 PIOs in Sudan. The third naval ship-INS Tarkash has also reached Port Sudan to evacuate Indians from Sudan. Flight with 360 Indians evacuated from trouble-hit Sudan lands in Delhi While referring to the mission undertaken by India, he said, ' 367 Indians have arrived at the Delhi airport on a special flight from Jeddah, the Saudi port city where they had arrived from Port Sudan. He also thanked Saudi Arabia for all the cooperation and assistance in the evacuation process. India on Monday launched 'Operation Kaveri' to bring back the Indians stranded in Sudan. The African nation is witnessing intense clashes between the military and paramilitary forces. Kwatra said that India is receiving requests for evacuation of citizens from other nations as well. "We have received requests for the evacuation of citizens of other countries from Sudan. This is subject to the fulfilment of the procedures," he said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, April 27, 2023, 13:46 [IST] Operation Kaveri: 117 out of 1,191 passengers evacuated from Sudan put under quarantine Operation Kaveri: Among those rescued from Sudan, one is aged 102 Operation 'Kaveri': Indians evacuated from war-torn Sudan thank PM Modi India oi-Madhuri Adnal The second batch of 246 stranded Indians evacuated from war-torn Sudan by the Indian Air Force arrived in Mumbai from Saudi Arabia's Jeddah on Thursday. The Indian Air Force's C-17 Globemaster, which took off from Jeddah around 11 a.m. IST, landed in Mumbai around 3.30 p.m., an official said. #WATCH | Second flight carrying 246 Indian evacuees from Sudan, lands in Mumbai#OperationKaveri pic.twitter.com/4PTRZflZgo ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2023 External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar informed that another flight with 246 more Indians had reached Mumbai. Another #OperationKaveri flight comes to Mumbai. 246 more Indians come back to the motherland. pic.twitter.com/So7dlKO0z6 Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) April 27, 2023 Speaking to news agency ANI, an Indian national who returned from Sudan said, "I want to thank the Indian government for bringing us safely. They made all arrangements, including food. All things were perfect. We are happy.'' "Our country is great. May PM Modi live for 1,000 years," said an elderly woman said. #WATCH | Mumbai: "Our country is great. May PM Modi live for 1,000 years," says an elderly woman who has returned from Sudan pic.twitter.com/peVQaWjwM7 ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2023 "We are feeling happy as we've returned to our home. The rescue operation is going on at a fast pace. We are satisfied (with the government)," says Avatar Singh, an Indian national who returned from Sudan. No Indian will be left behind says MEA on Sudan crisis Taking to micro-blogging platform Twitter, V Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs, who is in Jeddah to oversee the evacuation effort, wrote, "Our efforts to swiftly send Indians back home from Jeddah is paying. 246 Indians will be in Mumbai soon, travelling by IAF C17 Globemaster. Happy to see them off at Jeddah airport.'' Our efforts to swiftly send Indians back home from Jeddah is paying. 246 Indians will be in Mumbai soon, travelling by IAF C17 Globemaster. Happy to see them off at Jeddah airport.#OperationKaveri. pic.twitter.com/vw3LpbbzGw V. Muraleedharan (@MOS_MEA) April 27, 2023 Recommended Video Operation Kaveri: First flight carrying Indians evacuated from Sudan lands in Delhi | Oneindia News Under 'Operation Kaveri', India has been evacuating its citizens in buses from conflict-hit Sudan and other troubled areas of the country, from where they are being taken to Saudi Arabia's Jeddah in the Indian Air Force's heavy-lift transport aircraft and the Indian Navy's ships. The distance between Khartoum and Port Sudan is around 850 km, and the travel time by bus varies from 12 hours to 18 hours, considering the prevailing situation and whether the vehicles are operating during the day or night. Flight with 360 Indians evacuated from trouble-hit Sudan lands in Delhi Sudan has been witnessing deadly fighting between the country's army and a paramilitary group that has reportedly left around 400 people dead. On Wednesday, the first batch of 360 Indians were carried in a chartered flight and brought to Delhi. (with agency inputs) Parkash Singh Badal cremated at ancestral village; leaders across political spectrum pay respects India oi-PTI Parkash Singh Badal was cremated on Thursday at his ancestral village in Punjab's Muktsar district with thousands of mourners and leaders across the political spectrum paying their last respects to the Akali stalwart and five-time chief minister. SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal lit the pyre at the funeral held with full state honours. Badal's mortal remains were taken to the family's farmland around a kilometer from the residence on a flower-decked tractor-trolley with his son Sukhbir Singh Badal and other family members standing with folded hands as the vehicle moved past mourners on the route. Leaders cutting across party lines, including BJP president J P Nadda, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, visited Badal village to pay their last respects. Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, senior BJP leader Tarun Chugh, Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, and former union minister Praful Patel paid homage to the former chief minister. Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann were also among the mourners. Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Congress leader Deepender Hooda, Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma, Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and former Punjab minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa also attended the last rites. Heavy security arrangements were made in the village. In the morning, the mortal remains of Badal were kept for the last 'darshan' at his residence. People in huge numbers queued up there pay tribute and express grief. PM Modi pays last respects to Parkash Singh Badal in Chandigarh Badals's son Sukhbir Badal and daughter-in-law Harsimrat Kaur Badal could be seen in tears as people visited their residence to pay tribute. Their two daughters and a son also stood beside the mortal remains at their residence. Former finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Parkash Singh Badal's estranged nephew and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia were also present among other leaders. The grand old man of Punjab politics first became chief minister in 1970, heading a coalition government that did not complete its term. He served as chief minister in 1977-80, 1997-2002, 2007-12 and 2012-2017. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, April 27, 2023, 15:59 [IST] Congress locked up Lord Rama, now it wants to lock up those who worship Hanuman: PM Modi PM Modi dubs guarantees by Congress as revdi culture in Karnataka India oi-PTI Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday addressed through virtual mode tens of lakhs of BJP workers exhorting them to strengthen booth-level campaigning for the coming Karnataka Assembly elections, to win with majority, and made a strong pitch for ending "revdi culture" (culture of distributing freebies). Modi also hit out at the Congress on the issue, saying when the party's warranty itself has expired, its guarantees have no meaning. Photo Credit: For Karnataka polls, Congress has announced 'guarantees' that include 200 units of free power to all households, 10 kg of rice free to every member of BPL household (Anna Bhagya), Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to woman head of every family (Gruha Lakshmi), and Rs 3,000 every month for graduate youth and Rs 1,500 for diploma holders (both in the age group of 18-25) for two years, on coming to power. Why is Belagavi important for both Congress and BJP in Karnataka The Prime Minister said states are getting immersed in debt because of freebies, and emphasised that the country and the governments cannot be run like this. "In our country some political parties have made politics the means of power and corruption, to achieve this, they are using all means like 'saam, dham, dhand, bedh'. These political parties don't think about the future of the country, future generation of Karnataka, its youth, women," Modi said. The PM's address to BJP workers was part of the party's effort to boost its campaign for May 10 Assembly polls. The party said earlier this week about 50 lakh workers from 58,112 booths would attend this "virtual rally" of the Prime Minister. The State BJP is looking to Modi to bolster its campaign. The Prime Minister is slated to undertake a whirlwind two-day tour of the State from Saturday during which he is scheduled to address six public meetings and hold two road-shows. Noting that people of Karnataka have huge trust in state BJP, Modi told party Karyakartas that "Your effort in every booth will make BJP win with record seats." "We have to make people understand our programmes, benefits of double engine governments at the booth level by sitting and talking to them. Those who have the responsibility to make long speeches will do it, but karyakartas have to put their strength in booths and win the booths." For the fast-paced all round development, a strong and stable BJP's government with full majority is important, the Prime Minister said, adding that the people of Karnataka are ready to form such a BJP government in the state, "breaking all the records". "I will also work with you (karyakartas) in the coming days as a BJP karyakarta to seek the blessings of people of Karnataka and win the trust of Kannadiaga," he said, stressing on victory in booths Vote from home option in Karnataka to begin on April 29: 99,979 register Modi said because of freebie politics, several States are making large scale spendings for the sake of partisan politics, which is also eating into the "share" of future generations. "The country cannot be run like this, governments cannot be run like this. Governments have to think about the future, along with the present. Governments cannot run just for day-to-day needs, they have to work on asset creation, so that the lives of families are on track for decades," he added during the "Karyakartarondige Samvada" (an interaction with workers) Modi affirmed that the BJP was not taking the shortcuts, but was working for developed India with good investment in modern physical, digital and social infrastructure, and that his other interpretation for FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) is 'First Develop India' "BJP doesn't think about five years of its own rule, but thinks about the country. We don't think about the party but think about the country. We don't think just about present electoral politics but about taking India ahead in the next 25 years." To address some temporary challenges, all possible help is being provided for the poor, like free ration, free vaccination, he said and added that it is the duty of the government, "but if we have to make India progress, we have to get rid of this revdi culture." "I appeal to youth, some parties may try to make you fools by distributing freebies, but it's your duty to think about your future and that of your future generations...." Accusing the Congress of engaging in "revdi culture" in Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan, Modi said, their poll guarantees have still remained as guarantee. "Congress means guarantee of corruption, guarantee of nepotism." "Congress has reached a stage where it cannot give true guarantees, you are aware that Congress's warranty has expired, then what is the meaning of its guarantees," he added. Several BJP leaders took part in the interaction from various parts of the state- CM Basavaraj Bommai and former CM B S Yediyirappa from Hubballi, state President Nalin Kumar Kateel from Mangaluru. While party national General secretary B L Santosh, poll in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan and Union Minister Shobha Karndlaje joined in from Bengaluru. Alleging that the Congress did not show any interest in eliminating corruption as they were the "biggest source of corruption", Modi said, after 2014 there has been a speed in the fight against corruption. Fact Check: Has a BBC survey predicted a clear majority for BJP in Karnataka "The 'trishul' of 'Jan Dhan', 'Aadhaar' and Mobile has made a big attack on corruption. The Direct Benefit Transfer (scheme) has saved Rs 2,75,000 crore that were getting looted by middlemen, it is today helping the poor and the needy," he said. The Prime Minister said the passion of BJP workers makes it different from other parties. The difference between BJP and other parties is approach. "Other parties' focus is on grabbing power, while BJP's focus is on making India developed in the next 25 years." "Ask for votes from people for a stable and majority BJP government in Karnataka, make them understand the problems of instability that the state faced in the past," he told the BJP workers. Highlighting the advantages of having a "double engine government", the PM said, it increases the pace of development; "without a double engine government it will cause a double hit to people". Whenever BJP gets an opportunity to serve people, the speed and scale of development increases, he said. "In states where there are no BJP governments, efforts are made (by parties in power there) to ensure that central government schemes are not successful there, as they fear it will bring good name to Modi if it is successful. Some don't get associated with programmes at all, while A few change the names of the schemes." Modi said that the next 25 years, the "Amrit Kaal'' will be a guarantee for "prosperous and developed India," and his government has started working on it. Karnataka is a major part of this journey towards development and prosperity. "Our government is working with a mantra that India's development- from Karnataka's development...." Projection mapping at heritage sites, comic books to mark 100th episode of 'Mann ki Baat' India pti-PTI From projection mapping at centrally protected monuments to release of comic books telling stories on the themes of Prime Minister's 'Mann ki Baat', the Culture Ministry has lined up a host of events to mark the monthly radio programme's 100th episode. Union Culture Secretary Govind Mohan on Thursday said that an exhibition of artworks produced by 12 prominent artists will also be put up at the National Gallery of Modern Art here as part of the series of events. The 'Mann Ki Baat' programme was started on October 3, 2014 and is broadcast on last Sunday of every month at 11 am on entire All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan (DD) network. The 100th episode of the 30-minute programme is slated to be aired on April 30. The 'Mann ki Baat' marks the prime minister's "conviction and desire to have an inclusionary and people-centric approach to governance," Mohan told reporters here. Inspirational stories of ordinary people are taken up, and woven around the themes, which are "critical to nation-building", and the PM shares his various thoughts on nation-building which are "totally non-political and people-centric", the culture secretary said. Two big curtain-raiser events have taken place here to mark the landmark episode that will air on Sunday, one chaired by the Vice President of the country where book on 'Mann ki Baat' was released, and other by the Union Home Minister where panel discussions were held, Mohan said. In order to join this "revolutionary idea of direct dialogue" with the people -- the 'Mann ki Baat' -- the Culture Ministry has taken three initiatives, he added. "As part of the first initiative, we have selected certain themes from 'Mann ki Baat' on the basis of which projection mapping and sound and light shows will be done at 13 different locations across the country on April 30 evening," Mohan said. These 13 sites included Red Fort and Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya in New Delhi, Sun Temple in Odisha, Golconda Fort in Hyderabad, Vellore Fort in Tamil Nadu, Gateway of India in Mumbai, Navratnagarh Fort in Jharkhand, Ramnagar Fort in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur, a fort in Assam, the Residency in Lucknow and Sun Temple, Modhera in Gujarat, and Chittorgarh Fort in Rajasthan, he said. The projection mapping will encompass various themes of 'Mann ki Baat' and will be open to visitors "free of cost", the culture secretary said, when asked more details about this initiative. These projection mappings will encompass various themes of 'Mann ki Baat', highlight the heritage value of the site and the region they are located in, he said. Besides, the exhibition of artworks made by the 12 artists on various themes such as water conservation, 'Nari Shakti', awareness on COVID-19, Swachh Bharat, environment and climate change, yoga, science and space, Amrit Kaal and India at 100, and Northeast of India will be hosted at the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mohan said. The exhibition will open on April 30 evening and well-known artist Anjolie Ela Menon will inaugurate it. Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy and Minister of State for Culture Meenakashi Lekhi are also slated to join the event. Asked about the total budget allocated to various programmes for the three initiatives, Mohan said these programmes are "part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, so funds come under that and no extra fund has been sought" from the government. Sharing details on the third initiative of release of comic books produced by Amar Chitra Katha, he said "a series of 12 Amar Chitra Katha comic books will be released". "The first one in the series will be released on April 30, while the rest will be released, at a regular interval of one per month subsequently," he added. These books have been produced especially for the occasion as part of our partnership with the Amar Chitra Katha to mark Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, the culture secretary said. "Each of these comic books will carry four stories, and each story will draw from the themes of 'Mann ki Baat'. The books will tell stories of ordinary people and their accomplishments, whose names have been mentioned in the monthly programme," he added. The plan is to bring out these books, each having 40-odd pages, in 13 Indian languages, and distribute them for free in CBSE-affiliated schools, and various other schools, Mohan said in response to a query. To celebrate Earth Day and the upcoming Arbor Day, students at Madison Primary School and Waverly Yowell Elementary School planted trees with Virginia Cooperative Extension Agent Adam Downing. Held annually, the tree planting event teaches students and staff about the importance of trees. It brings lots of different people together, Downing said. Best of all, it brings all the kids out and they have an opportunity to be a part of something that is going to be on the landscape for the next 100 years. Students at the primary school planted a red sunset maple tree at Hoover Ridge Park with help from Rappahannock Electric Cooperative representatives. The following day, third grade students at Waverly Yowell helped plant a thornless honeylocust along the schools lower loop. REC representatives assisted with the planting. Stunning pictures of the Mopa International Airport to be inaugurated by PM Modi Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to attend SCO meeting in Goa India pti-PTI Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in India early next month, Russian officials said on Thursday. India is hosting the meeting of foreign ministers of the SCO countries in Goa on May 4 and 5. "Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will take part in the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states in India," a Russian official said. Jaishankar-Bilawal Bhutto Zardari meet unlikely at SCO summit "There will also be an exchange of views on topical issues of the international and regional agenda," the official said. In addition, the Russian foreign minister will have a number of bilateral meetings, he added. The SCO member countries are Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, India, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Army raising new units to tackle cyber warfare unleashed by China, Pak India oi-Vicky Nanjappa The Indian Army has operationalised new specialist units to counter threats by China and Pakistan under its cyber warfare initiatives. The decision was taken during the Army Commanders Conference that was held in the third week of April, which was headed by Army Chief General Manor Pande. The decision was taken by the Army to safeguard communication networks and also increase preparedness levels in this domains. In the event of the same it was decided to raise the Command Cyber Operations and Support Wings. The decision is an important one as the cyberspace has emerged as top threat in international warfare. The domain has over the years become much more challenging with India's adversaries making the cyber domain more competitive. The Indian Army had taken a decision to make itself more competitive on this domain. These organisations will assist the formations and also undertake the cyber security functions to strengthen the cyber security posture of the Indian Army. Villagers to skip Eid after Army trucks was ambushed in Poonch The Indian Army has over the years dealt with several issues on the cyber space. One such issue was relating to honey-trapping. There is also the issue of hacking into important websites relating to the government and Indian Army. The Army had spoken about a three front war which it would have to deal with in future. This included the Chinese and Pakistan aggression as well as the battle on the cyber front. While India has been kept busy along the Line of Control watching out for possible infiltrations from Pakistan, on the China border along the Line of Actual Control, it has been engaged in a tense stand-off for over two years now. Congress locked up Lord Rama, now it wants to lock up those who worship Hanuman: PM Modi Vote from home option in Karnataka to begin on April 29: 99,979 register India oi-Vicky Nanjappa The vote from home option has been preferred by many in Karnataka following the announcement by the Election Commission of India. 80,250 people aged above 80 and 19,729 with physical disabilities have chosen the vote from home, which is a first-of-its-kind initiative launched by the Election Commission in Karnataka. These persons will be able to exercise their vote at home between April 29 and May 6. The weeklong exercise will begin on April 29, Manoj Kumar Meena, Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka said. "Separate polling staff have been picked for this process. Each team will have five staffers, including two polling officials, one cop and one videographer. We will share the boothwise list of those who have opted to vote from home well in advance with political parties," Meena said. He also said that the highest number of people who opted for the vote from home option are from the Sira constituency in Tumakuru. The commission will intimate the voters about the polling dates via SMS, he also said. Karnataka elections: This is how the Vote-From-Home option will work "On entering voters' houses, staff will check their ID, obtain a declaration and hand over a ballot paper. They will have to cast vote inside a secret compartment and drop it in an envelope. If the voter is not available due to any emergency, the team will reschedule the visit. If the voter is not available during the second visit, he/she will lose the chance to vote," he added. He also said that the postal ballot facility will be provided to 47,488 voters and another 13,711 in the essential services category. Meena added, "the postal ballot sent to them electronically can be downloaded using a link via the ETPBS system. Ballots shall be sent back in an envelope without stamp duty. All ballots received by 8am of May 13 will be considered for counting." For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, April 27, 2023, 11:46 [IST] Eastern India may experience heat wave in May, says IMD Pleasant April in Delhi: No heatwave, five western disturbances, highest rainfall since 2017 Weather update: IMD predicts rainfall in these states in next 5 days Enhanced thunderstorms likely to continue over several parts of India: IMD Weather update: Rainfall activity likely to decrease across India after 24 hours Weather update: Thunderstorm over most parts of the country during next 5 days India oi-Madhuri Adnal Weather alert India: Amid rising temperatures, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday predicted that several parts of India are likely to witness rainfall during the next five days. ''A wet spell with thunderstorm activity is likely over most parts of the country during the next five days,'' IMD said. The weather agency said that the sudden change in weather is due to the Western Disturbance as a cyclonic circulation that lies over south Pakistan and neighbourhoods in lower and middle levels. ''A cyclonic circulation lies over central Pakistan at lower levels. A trough or wind discontinuity runs from west Vidarbha to north Tamil Nadu in lower levels,'' IMD said. Under their influence, several states are likely to receive rain or thundershowers during the next five days. In Northwest India, IMD said that Light/moderate scattered rainfall/snowfall with thunderstorm/lightning very likely over Western Himalayan region and isolated to scattered rainfall with thunderstorm/lightning over plains of Northwest India during next 5 days. ''Hailstorm activity very likely at isolated places over Himachal Pradesh on 27th; over Uttarakhand during 27th April-01st May; over Punjab and Haryana on 29th & 30th April. Heavy rainfall likely at isolated places over Jammu division, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand on 01st May,'' the MeT department said. Similar conditions are also predicted over south India. According to the IMD,''Scattered/fairly widespread rainfall with thunderstorm/lightning/gusty winds (40-50 kmph) very likely over Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Interior Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal, Kerala and Mahe during next 5 days.'' CPI (Maoist) rank 12 in terror index: Why you should never take your eyes of their urban friends Why do naxalites up their offensive during the summers India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Naxalite attacks are particularly high in the summers, an analysis by the Intelligence Bureau has shown. It is during the summers that naxalites tend to up the ante and an analysis has shown this pattern over the past several years. This is because the naxals carry out their annual tactical counter offensive campaigns during the summer in a bid to step up offensive activities, an official who has handled the naxal problem tells OneIndia. The security forces are always on a high state of alert during this period. However in the Dantewada attack that took place on Wednesday, the Intelligence looked choppy and the standard operating procedure had not been followed. Meanwhile a high alert has been sounded in all the seven districts of the naxal-hit Bastar division in Chhattisgarh following the deadly Maoist attack in which 10 police personnel and their driver was killed. Human Intelligence failure, lack of protocol may have led to Dantewada naxal strike Following the attack that took place at Dantewada, security forces have been asked to stay on high alert while moving in vehicles and conducting de-mining exercises to defuse Improvised Explosive Devices planted by the naxals. Inspector General of police, Bastar Range said that a high alert has been issued to all district superintendents of police in the Bastar region in the wake of the Dantewada attack. Kanker, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Bastar, Dantewada, Sukma and Bijapur are part of the Bastar region. These regions have witnessed deadly naxalite attacks. 'Poora Udd Gaya...': Video captures moment Naxals blew up police vehicle in Dantewada The blast on Wednesday was a well-planned operation by the naxalites. They used an Improvised Explosive Device weighing 50 kilograms to blow up a rented van in which the police personnel were travelling. The fact that they were travelling in a rented van in such a naxalite infested area itself suggests that the procedures were not followed. Further more the agencies have learnt that the naxalites had more human Intelligence when compared to the state police. On the Intelligence front, it has been found that it was general in nature, but questions remain on whether the same was actionable in nature or not. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, April 27, 2023, 14:24 [IST] Why are the Panchamshali Lingayats protesting in Karnataka and what do they want Belagavi is important for both Congress, BJP in Karnataka India oi-Vicky Nanjappa The border issue with Maharashtra was raked up during the Karnataka Assembly elections, which has put the focus right back on Belagavi. Interesting the Belagavi district has the second highest number of assembly seats after Bengaluru Urban. The contest is a direct one between the BJP and Congress, while the Maharashtra Ekikarna Samithi will look to spoil the party, by raking up the border issue. This district has been a stronghold of the BJP for the past 20 years as it is highly populated with Lingayats, a community that accounts for 17 per cent of the population. The fight this year will again be between the BJP and Congress. There are however five seats where the Maharashtra Ekikarna Samithi are strong. This party has however not performed well in the previous elections. Why Karnataka polls could be a do-or-die battle for Congress The BJP would give a huge emphasis to this belt of the state. The Congress too is not too far behind when it comes to Belagavi and its president D K Shivakumar has over the years tried to build up a solid base for the party. For the BJP, the worry however would be the exit of many Lingayat leaders. The party has taken the rebellion under its stride, but the fear always remains on which way the Lingayats would vote. Also a close watch is being kept on the five constituencies in which the Marathas are dominant. On whether the border would become a factor that would favour the Maharashtra Ekikarna Samithi, an expert tells OneIndia that it may not be. The very fact that successive governments have put in a lot of emphasis to this region has ensured that the people of Belagavi will continue voting for the Congress or BJP. It also must be noted that when H D Kumaraswamy was chief minister, he had decided to have a special session of the Legislative Assembly every year in Belagavi. That too has played in the minds of the people, the expert also said. In the 2018 elections, the BJP won 10 seats, while the Congress ended up with 8. However post the elections there were defections by three Congress MLAs-Ramesh Jarkiholi (Gokak), Mahesh Kumathalli (Athani) and Shrimanth Patil (Kagwad). All three of them joined the BJP. This could be a factor as the Jarkiholli family plays a crucial role in this region. BJP looks to PM Modi to turn its fortunes in Karnataka The BJP on the other hand would keep a close eye on Laxman Savadi, a former party leader who is contesting on a Congress ticket from the Athani seat, which also falls under the same belt. In the Belagavi region, there are 39.01 lakh voters. 19,68,928 are male voters, 19,32,576 women and 141 registered as Others, according to official data. Why Karnataka polls could be a do-or-die battle for Congress India oi-Deepika S Karnataka heading fast towards the May 10 polls. In this election, the stakes are high for both the ruling BJP and the main opposition party Congress for their own reasons, but JDS in the past has proven to be a crucial cog in the political wheel. The vigour of the campaigning notwithstanding, Karnataka is heading for a hung Assembly, according to various opinion polls. While many pollsters predicted that Congress will emerge as the single largest party, it will be short of majority figures in the 224-seat House. The trend hints that JDS could play the role of a kingmaker this time too. So, it is not wrong to say that Congress, known as the oldest party in the country, is facing a do-or-die battle in this election. A win in Karnataka is crucial for the Congress after back-to-back debacles in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections and humiliating defeats in a series of Assembly elections in different parts of the country over the last 10 years. BJP looks to PM Modi to turn its fortunes in Karnataka After its good show in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh in 2018, the Congress is yet to register a victory in a major State. Though Congress performed very well in the 3 States, its government in Madhya Pradesh collapsed within a year due to a rebellion led by Jyotiraditya Scindia, who is now a Union minister in BJP government at the Centre. Rajasthan is just hanging by a hair amid a fierce battle between party veteran and chief minister Ashok Gehlot and young leader Sachin Pilot. Pilot's rebellion is the biggest concern for the Congress ahead of the crucial Assembly polls in the State to be held later this year. Moreover, Congress lost its last big bastion Punjab after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) did the impossible task of defeating the grand old party on its own turf last year. In 2023, the Congress could not even manage a comeback in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland. The only State Congress was able to win was the tiny Himachal Pradesh, which looked like a consolation prize, coming after a number of humiliating defeats. So practically, retaining Karnataka is critical for Congress in view of the elections in four major states - Telangana, MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh (besides Mizoram) - scheduled later this year. The party is not sure to win any of them. A win in Karnataka would certainly come as a morale booster for the Congress, which is facing the gravest existential crisis ever. The Karnataka Assembly election results will also set the tone to some extend for the Lok Sabha polls slated for the next year. Amid talks of a united Opposition, there is no clarity on who will lead such a front. The chances are fading for the Congress with some of the regional outfits like the Trinamool Congress, Bharat Rashtra Congress and AAP, who have performed well in their respective States, declaring that they are ready to face the general elections without Congress. 'Congress talks about development, but: Yogi Adityanath in Karnataka A win in Karnataka will offer Congress a chance to re-establish its position as the main opposition party in the country ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. There are also talks of a third front, an alliance of regional parties looking to take on the BJP in 2024. Congress does not figure anywhere in this scheme. A defeat in Karnataka will be a grave setback for the Congress ahead of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) elections which are getting postponed for the last three years. A good performance in the State polls will impact the civic election too. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, April 27, 2023, 9:56 [IST] Congress locked up Lord Rama, now it wants to lock up those who worship Hanuman: PM Modi With defections galore, BJP sets in place plan to defeat rebels India oi-Vicky Nanjappa With ten leaders of the party defecting, BJP's chief election strategist Amit Shah held a meeting on Tuesday to lay out the plans ahead of the May 10 polls. In order to defeat the defectors, the BJP has come out with a strategy to defeat them. The meeting which was chaired by Shah laid special emphasis on the Hubbai-Dharward Central constituency from where Jagadish Shettar is contesting. Shettar who was denied a ticket by the BJP and joined the Congress and will be fighting on that party's ticket against the BJP. The other seat that was discussed by the party as Ahtani, where Laxman Savadi, a former chief minister of the BJP is contesting. He too had quit the party after being denied a ticket. Shah during his visit to Hubbali and met with functionaries involved in the campaign in the northern parts of the state. Winning big in the North is important for the BJP as it has the maximum number of Lingayat votes. The community constitutes 17 per cent of the state's population. The party will also be organising several roadshows by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this region. Why is Belagavi important for both Congress and BJP in Karnataka In addition to this senior leaders B S Yediyurappa and Prahlad Joshi have been asked to give special emphasis to this region Yediyurappa while commenting on Shettar had called him a betrayer. He enjoyed all privileges in the BJP and has now joined the Congress. The others who have defected to the Congress include H D Thammaih who will be contesting against BJP strongman, C T Ravi. U B Banakar who was once a staunch loyalist of Yediyurappa is now fighting against B C Patil of the BJP in Hirer. K S Kiran Kumar also moved to the Congress from the BJP. Ayanur Manjunath is another leader who moved to the JD(S). The other leader who moved to the JD(S) from the BJP is A Manju. N R Santosh who is related to Yediyurappa also shifted to the JD(S) just before the elections. Granting legal recognition to same-sex marriages falls within domain of legislature: Supreme Court India oi-Vicky Nanjappa The Supreme Court on Thursday continued hearing on the batch of pleas seeking legalisation of same-sex marriages. It said that granting of legal recognition to same-sex marriages falls within the domain of the legislature, but also added that its objective in hearing the case is to ensure that means are devised to grant same-sex couples social and other benefits and legal rights within the label of a marriage. "Once you recognise there is a right to cohabit.. and it may be symptomatic of a sustained relationship.. and once you say that right to cohabit a fundamental right, then it is the obligation of the state that all social impact of the cohabitation has a legal recognition.. we are not going into marriage at all," Chief Justice of India, D Y Chandrachud said. Appearing for the Centre, Solicitor General of India, Tushar Mehta told the Bench headed by Chief Justice of India, D Y Chandrachud that it was dealing with a complex subject which has a profound social impact. If people dont want, you cant impose it: Law minister on same-sex marriage He also said that the argument of the right to choice and sexual orientation raised by the petitioners seeking legal recognition for marriages between non-binary, non-heterosexual, or transgender persons may tomorrow be raised to defend incestous relationships. On the demand to read the husband and wife as spouse in Special Marriage Act, Mehta asked who will be the father or mother of adopted chidden in non-heterosexual unions. "If your lordships were to read "person" in place of husband or wife, one person will have right to claim maintenance from another. Meaning, in case of heterosexual marriages - husband can claim from wife," Mehta said. "For passports etc this issue will arise. Succession act provides for widow, widower, husband, wife, father, mother etc," Mehta contended. Recommended Video CJI DY Chandrachud and SG Tushar Mehta argue during Same-Sex marriage hearing | Oneindia News "Then there is a problem. The problem is- can your lordships read a statute which gives one additional ground of divorce to one class to the detrimental of heterosexuals for whom the Special Marriage Act is enacted," the Solicitor General asked. Further Mehta asked the court to visualise a situation when a person is attracted those persons who are mentioned in prohibited relationships. "Incest not uncommon in the world and world over it is prohibited...Suppose a person is attracted to his sister, can they say we are consenting adults, we're entering into activities privately and we claim our right of autonomy, choice. Based on that very argument can someone not challenge this definition (of prohibited degrees)?" Mehta said according to a report in Live Law. 'Leave it to Parliament': Centre to SC on issue of same-sex marriage The CJI however called the situation far-fetched. "Sexual orientation or your autonomy as an individual can never be exercised in all aspects of marriage including the entry into marriage, the prohibited relationships, the grounds on which marriage can be dissolved...these are all subject to regulation by law. So these are very far-fetched for anybody to even argue before us that orientation is so absolute that I can therefore commit an act of incest. No court will ever countenance this," CJI Chandrachud said. Chinese President Xi speaks to Ukrainian counterpart, offers to mediate to end war with Russia International oi-PTI Chinese President Xi Jinping in his first phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday offered to mediate to bring about a ceasefire and political settlement to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, saying Kyiv must "seize the opportunity" as he warned that there are no winners in a nuclear war. Xi, who toyed with the idea of mediating to end the over-year-long conflict after his last month's highly publicised visit to Moscow during which he referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin as "dear friend", told Zelenskyy that "dialogue and negotiation are the only viable way forward" and offered to send a special envoy to negotiate a ceasefire. "There is no winner in a nuclear war. On the nuclear issue, all relevant parties must stay calm and exercise restraint, truly act in the interests of their own future and that of humanity, and jointly manage the crisis," he said, apparently cautioning against a prolonged conflict. "With rational thinking and voices now on the rise, it is important to seize the opportunity and build up favourable conditions for the political settlement of the crisis," Xi said. China backs Putin's new foreign policy, says ready to boost ties with Russia, India This is the first contact between Xi and Zelenskyy since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year. Xi is trying to enlarge China's diplomatic outreach after Beijing successfully negotiated a peace deal between arch-rivals in the Middle East - Iran and Saudi Arabia. Avoiding any direct reference to Russia, Xi told Zelenskyy that "it is hoped that all parties would seriously reflect on the Ukraine crisis and jointly explore ways to bring lasting peace and security to Europe through dialogue". "China will continue to facilitate talks for peace and make its efforts for an early ceasefire and restoration of peace. China will send the Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs to Ukraine and other countries to have in-depth communication with all parties on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis," an official statement here quoted Xi as saying. The official statement made no mention of Russia. China has not condemned Russia after it started the war against Ukraine over disputed territories but did not recognise Moscow's claims but firmed up political, trade and military ties. In his careful reaction, Zelenskyy tweeted saying that he "had a long and meaningful phone call with President Xi Jinping. I believe that this call, as well as the appointment of Ukraine's ambassador to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations". Putin has already welcomed China's mediation. Recommended Video Chinese President Xi Jinping talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyy says talk will stop war | Oneindia News In Putin and Russia, Xi sees a counterweight to American influence: White House Observers say that Zelenskyy, who is closely coordinating with the US and EU and received abundant support in Ukraine's fight against Russia, has little room to accept a settlement without Russia forgoing its claims over the areas claimed by both countries. Ahead of Xi's visit to Russia, China released a 12-point paper calling for a ceasefire followed by peace talks to end the Ukraine war. It, however, struck a nuanced stand of respecting Ukraine's sovereignty and legitimate security concerns of Moscow and expressed its firm opposition to the use of nuclear weapons. Significant points of China's stand in its position paper were a call for ceasing hostilities and global support for the resumption of direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine to end the war, respect for Ukraine's sovereignty and Moscow's legitimate security concerns and Beijing's opposition to threat or use of nuclear and biological weapons. In his meeting with Xi, Putin said Chinese proposals could be used as the basis of a peace settlement in Ukraine, but that the Western countries and Kyiv were not yet ready. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, April 27, 2023, 10:10 [IST] Despite the vocal opposition of dozens of residents on Tuesday, the Orange County Board of Supervisors has approved the controversial Wilderness Crossing rezoning. A total of 37 people, all of whom opposed the project, spoke during Tuesdays public hearing to a packed room, the crowd extending into an overflow area in the lobby. Their concerns largely echoed issues that had been brought up by both citizens and planning commissioners during the initial review phases, including questions about the water supply and concerns over increased traffic. The rezoning changes the Wilderness Crossing site from primarily agricultural and industrial to mixed-use, allowing for development of more than 2,600 acres on the end of the county near the Spotsylvania border. The project plans, proposed by KEG Associates III, consist of 26 land bays with a wide variety of uses, including up to 5,000 residential units and 732 acres of industrial use. At the public hearing, the first speaker was Locust Grove resident and school board candidate Gary MacFadden, who cited the results of a community survey he created and distributed on the Wilderness Crossing proposal. According to MacFadden, 98% of approximately 200 survey respondents were in opposition to the rezoning. Tom Neubig, a retired economist who previously worked for the U.S. Department of the Treasury, noted what appeared to be an error in the fiscal analysis offered by the developer. Did anyone from the Orange County staff inform the board that the developers fiscal analysis does not use the correct property tax rate? Neubig asked. That analysis uses 94.40 cents per $100 of assessed value. The countys property tax rate is only 75 cents. The analysis overstates the property tax rate by 26%. It could result in over $100 million dollars of revenue not showing up because of that incorrect fact. Previously, the Orange County Planning Commission voted 3-2 on April 6 to recommend approval of the proposal to the board of supervisors. During the planning commissions review of the Wilderness Crossing application, several commissioners questioned the reliability of the fiscal analysis and pushed for an independent analysis to be conducted by the county; however, the request was subsequently denied by the board of supervisors. Julie Bolthouse, a certified planner who serves as land use manager for the Piedmont Environmental Council, said on Tuesday that she was shocked by the lack of information in the application and that it was unquestionably the worst rezoning proposal she had seen in her 12 years of planning. What it appears to actually be is a single developer getting their own private zoning ordinance, which is more permissive and flexible than any other zoning district in the county, Bolthouse said. A previous version of the proffer statement restricted the footprint of data centers to 5 million square feet, but that proffer was removed as part of a revision that took place after the planning commissions vote. In response to a request for the clarification regarding the reason for the removal, county Supervisor Lee Frame said, It was put in there by a planning commissioner, and there was no particular rationale for it, so we just pulled it out. Additionally, several organizations, including the environmental council, the National Park Service and the American Battlefield Trust, noted a lack of communication, with many requests for meetings and additional information still unanswered. Earlier this month, the Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors sent a letter to the Orange County Board of Supervisors citing concerns about the project and claiming that they had not been properly notified of either of the public hearings for the proposal. In response, Orange County Administrator Theodore Voorhees provided a list of addresses that he said had been notified, which included the Spotsylvania County Administrator. Supervisor Jim Crozier said that, while some of the rezoning concerns were legitimate, others were not; he then pivoted to a discussion of a past project during which trucks from Spotsylvania allegedly damaged roads in Orange County. The whole reason they came through here is Spotsylvania was doing a project and they didnt want the traffic going through their county, so they put it through our county and never consulted us, he said. Oh, Im sorry. That shouldnt make any difference. Frame also addressed concerns about contamination from abandoned gold mines. One of the things I asked very early in this game was to have the entire area tested, he said. Thats what theyre doing now. Supervisor Jim White talked about the history of the Wilderness area and spoke more positively about the possibilities for the development. The area that were talking about tonight specifically has been designated as the development area for the county since the very first comprehensive plan was put together in 1976, and theres been three or four different attempts over the years to study the area, try to see what might make some sense, what would be beneficial to the community, what would work and what wouldnt work, he said. White said that the balance of uses present in the plan from residential to commercial, with more than 900 acres of open space was achieved through years of discussion, describing it as an interesting mix. Supervisor Keith Marshall, who had been praised earlier in the night for questioning the developer about the economic impact of the plan, drew criticism for asking how many people in the room drew their first breath in Orange County, to which one community member shouted, What difference does it make? One of the first things we learned growing up in this county was the history we learned when we were young, that there was a huge influx many years ago of people that came into this community, this county, and many referred to it as the War of Northern Aggression, he said, referencing an outdated term for the Civil War that was popularized in the 1950s during the Jim Crow era of segregation. Now, like then, history started to repeat itself and we see another influx, he said. The first time it didnt work out too great. It probably wont work out too great this time either. And Id like to refer to this repeat of history as the War of Northern Virginia Aggression. Chairman Mark Johnson kept his comments brief, noting the history of public meetings that have taken place over the years regarding developments in the area. My point is there have been many, many meetings which gave the public a chance for input into this process, he said. So nothings been secret, nothings been hidden. At the end of the night, the board voted 4-1 in approval of the rezoning. The dissenting vote came from Marshall, who said he was swayed by concerns both during the meeting and in a follow-up conversation that the proposal did not adequately protect the economic opportunity zones that were needed to offset the cost of additional residential units. Under the terms of the plan, the two areas designated as economic opportunity zones will be open to use for residential housing starting in 2030 and 2035, respectively. I truly feel that these opportunity settlements are crucial to the county and whether we can balance out the residential growth with economic development. I see it becoming a little more difficult when were mixing residential and economic development, Marshall said. Planning Commission Vice-Chair Jason Capelle said that the meeting was a missed opportunity for the board to articulate the reasons for their support of the project to their constituents, as well as recent improvements such as an increase from $6 million in cash proffers to more than $20 million. The project was approved, Capelle said. It moved the needle, and I wish the board had done a better job focusing on the positive parts of the project instead of focusing on petty grievances. It was the best day in history says Donald Trump as his ratings soar 'Donald Trump raped me', author E Jean Carroll testifies before jury International oi-Deepika S Former magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll told a US civil trial on Wednesday that she was raped by former US president Donald Trump inside a luxury department store dressing room in New York City in 1996. "I'm here because Donald Trump raped me, and when I wrote about it, he said it didn't happen. He lied and shattered my reputation. I am trying to get my life back," E. Jean Carroll told a federal court, which is hearing a defamation and battery lawsuit against Trump. Narrating her ordeal, the columnist said, Trump said he needed to buy a gift, and asked my help. I was happy. When we went to a departmental store he picked up a fur hat and led the way to the escalator. "Donald Trump picked up a grey-blue bodysuit in the lingerie department and forced me to try it on," she told the jury. "I had no intention of putting it on. You put it on, it's your colour, I told him in a funny way'" she told the court. Trump raised USD 34M so far in 2023, including indictment bump Recommended Video New york author E Jean Carroll testifies against Donald Trump, says he Raped her | Oneindia News Carroll confessed that she was flirting with Trump the whole time not knowing the seriousness of the situation. "I did not imagine what was about to happen," she added. She recalled how Trump allegedly shoved her against the wall despite her resistance and eventually inserted his fingers and then his penis inside her. I felt in the back of her head and her vagina, she added. Trump, who is facing a slew of legal woes ahead of his 2024 run for a second term, denied all the accusations saying it is a made-up scam. Before the testimony, the federal judge warned Trump for writing on Truth Social that the trial is "a made-up scam" and Carroll's lawyer a "political operative." For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, April 27, 2023, 12:53 [IST] Jerry Springer, Americas talk show host and former mayor of Cincinnati, dies at 79 International oi-Madhuri Adnal Jerry Springer, America's talk show host and former mayor of Cincinnati, passed away on Thursday, according to a statement from his family. He was 79. Springer was an American television host, actor, and former politician. He was best known for hosting 'The Jerry Springer Show,' a daytime talk show that became known for its controversial and often sensational topics, including confrontations between guests, infidelity, and unusual relationships. The show aired from 1991 to 2018, and was syndicated in many countries around the world. Sudan violence: Death toll up to 200, around 1,800 wounded Springer was born on February 13, 1944, in London, England, but grew up in New York City. He graduated from Tulane University in 1965 and earned a law degree from Northwestern University in 1968. He practiced law for several years before entering politics, serving as a councilman and mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio in the 1970s. After leaving politics, Springer turned to television, hosting a local news program and later 'The Jerry Springer Show'. He has also appeared in several films and television shows, including "Ringmaster" and "America's Got Talent." In recent years, Springer has been involved in politics again, supporting Democratic candidates and causes. Up-and-coming Los Angeles rapper MoneySign Suede was stabbed to death in a California prison ... cutting his life short as his career was catching steam. Prison officials for the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad, CA tell TMZ Hip Hop ... Recep Tayyip Erdogan is facing an uphill reelection battle, but if the vote took place in Germany, he'd win. Why do many Turks in Germany continue to support the Turkish president? Ukraine's Prime Minister Shmyhal discussed Kyiv's formula for peace during talks at the Vatican. Meanwhile, Russia said it found the implementation of the grain deal "unsatisfactory." DW has rounded up the latest. The move comes after Russian authorities denied the US Embassy in Moscow a visit to imprisoned reporter Evan Gershkovich. Suella Braverman has ruled out introducing a safe and legal route for asylum seekers in Sudan to seek refuge in the UK. Many people are arriving in Cyprus utterly traumatised and too upset to talk about what they've been through to get here. The government warns it cannot be sure there will be any more airlifts after a ceasefire ends on Thursday night. Beijing said it deployed its navy to rescue Chinese citizens, and Paris said it was evacuating more foreign nationals. Meanwhile, the UK warned such missions could be halted after a fragile truce ends. DW has the latest. Dallas Medina, one of at least three men charged in connection with a white nationalist torch march on the Grounds of the University of Virginia nearly six years ago, received a bail modification from a local judge late last week. The order, signed Thursday by Judge Claude Worrell, overturns a magistrates rule that Medina had to remain in the commonwealth. The defendant has been having to stay in hotels, Medinas attorney wrote in a bail-modification motion. The defendant would like also to return to his job. Worrells April 20 order requires Medina, who lives in Ravenna, Ohio, to stay in Ohio unless hes traveling to Virginia to face his criminal charge of using a burning object for racial intimidation. His attorney, Mike Hallahan, said in court that Medina works for a tree surgeon. Prosecutors allege that Medina, now 29, was one of several hundred white nationalists who carried flaming torches and shouted phrases including Blood and soil and Jews will not replace us on the night of Aug. 11, 2017. Burning an object for racial intimidation is a felony in Virginia punishable by as many as five years in jail. From a prosecutors statements in court last week, it appears that the actions of certain marchers who surrounded a group of counterprotesters that had linked arms around the statue of Thomas Jefferson at UVas Rotunda the night of Aug. 11 ran afoul of the law. When Albemarle County Commonwealths Attorney Jim Hingeley announced the opening of three sealed indictments on April 17, he called the investigation active and ongoing. Two others similarly indicted have been less successful in gaining pre-trial freedom than Medina. Tyler Bradley Dykes of Bluffton, South Carolina, also appeared for a bail hearing last week, but his possible participation in recent banner-hanging and suspicions of swastika-stickering seemed to convince Worrell that continued activities posed a community threat and denied bail for Dykes. A third alleged torch-bearer, 45-year-old Will Zachary Smith, of Nacona, Texas, has his bail hearing slated for May 3. Joe Biden has promised his South Korean counterpart to take action in case of a nuclear attack from the North. President Yoon Suk Yeol signaled potential military aid to Ukraine in worsening civilian conditions. Russia's FSB security service says it has detained a reporter for The Wall Street Journal on suspicion of spying for the.. Rumble 30 Mar 2023 Donald Trump made his first public return to New Hampshire and ignored his myriad legal troubles, instead zeroing in on Joe Biden ahead of 2024. As many as 367 passengers arrived at Delhi airport on a special flight from Jeddah under Operation Kaveri, the Saudi port city where they had arrived from Port Sudan. Sudan is witnessing intense clashes between military and main parliamentary forces. After the flight landed at 9.11pm, many passengers exited chanting Jai Shri Ram. Foreign secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra on Thursday assured that no Indian will be left behind in conflict-hit Sudan. He, however, admitted that the situation on ground in Sudan remains highly volatile. "Our estimate is that there are approximately 3,500 Indians and 1,000 PIOs in Sudan. The third naval ship- INS Tarkash- has also reached Port Sudan to evacuate Indians from Sudan," Kwatra said. 2008-2023 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. President Biden yet again refused to acknowledge his son Hunter's four-year-old daughter as an Arkansas paternity case on the matter is underway. Citizens of nations that pose a threat to U.S. national security would be banned from owning certain types of land in Texas under a bill that passed the state senate on Wednesday. FIRST ON FOX: The Democratic National Committee slammed former President Trump for nicknaming President Biden Crooked Joe Biden," saying they have a better" onewinner." London (AFP) April 25, 2023 Britain on Tuesday warned China against any attack on Taiwan, telling Beijing it risked triggering domestic and global turmoil if it failed to uphold its international obligations. In a set-piece foreign policy speech, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly restated that London wants to see a "peaceful settlement" to sovereignty claims. China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its territory and has v An anti-abortion activist group from Columbus, Ohio, visited Charlottesville on Wednesday to mount a graphic display in front of University of Virginia Medical Center. With cameras strapped to their bodies, they came ready for pushback, even a violent response, to the photos on display depicting what they called the graphic reality of what abortion is and what it does to unborn children. The demonstration sparked some debate, raised some eyebrows, but it never became physical, as some protesters said it might. Abortion has always been a contentious political issue in the U.S., but the Supreme Courts decision last year to overturn Roe v. Wade, which had upheld abortion rights for decades, has made it an ever-present part of the political and cultural conversation. And conversations were had in Charlottesville Wednesday after representatives from the Created Equal anti-abortion organization about 10 members between the ages of 18 and 26 set up signs with graphic images of what a spokeswoman said are aborted fetuses and the victims of abortion. One of our main focuses is educating people on the truth about abortion, Molly Meyer, the 19-year-old spokeswoman for Created Equal, told The Daily Progress on Wednesday. Were here just having dialogue with students and showing the graphic reality of what abortion is and what it does to unborn children. With members making the trek together, the trip to UVa was one of up to five stops on the Created Equal college tour through Virginia and West Virginia, Meyer said. The group stood beside graphic and gory images of fetal body parts and rendered ultrasound photos from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday. All of them wore GoPro cameras strapped to their chests. One Created Equal member said the members wear cameras on their bodies because, on rare occasions, passersby have tried to destroy their signs. Normally we get a mixed response, Meyer said. Some people are angry with seeing the signs because theyre graphic. But we see that the signs are graphic because abortion is graphic. Thats why we show them, because abortion in itself is graphic. We also have people who are in support of us being here and who are thankful that were here standing for freedom for children. Meyer said the organization received the same response at UVa on Wednesday: some people engaged in conversation, some ignored them entirely, some outright expressed their opposition. Created Equal will finish its college tour in West Virginia and head back to Ohio on Friday, Meyer said. Newsy 27 Apr 2023 ViewA historic moment occurred on Capitol Hill Thursday, as the president of the Republic of Korea addressed a joint meeting of the.. 9to5Mac 28 Apr 2023 Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apples Podcasts app,.. Rumble 26 Apr 2023 Anthony Fauci makes a stunning claim that he should be blamed for the negatives associated with the Lockdown because he.. Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, called on the chief judge of the Northern District of Texas to end a system that allows for judge-shopping. The Canadian dollar CADUSD weakened to a four-week low against its U.S. counterpart on Wednesday, as worries about the global economic outlook pressured commodity prices and investors assessed minutes from the Bank of Canadas recent policy decision. The loonie was trading 0.1% lower at 1.3645 to #bankofcanadas #amosahota #klarityfx #statisticscanada #bankofcanada A ship carrying another batch of evacuees from Sudan arrived in Jeddah early on Wednesday as the Saudi Arabian government continues efforts to move its citizens, as well as foreign nationals, into safety. The ship transported 1,687 people from 58 nationalities from Port Sudan on east coast of Sudan on the Red Sea. There... Microsofts anger about the blocked Activision takeover is concentrated on the way that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has handled itself. In particular, the tech companys president, Brad Smith, said the CMA had fallen silent in communications ahead of the announcement that it would #cma #bradsmith #unitedkingdom #rishisunak Bogdan Bitik was shot while on the Antonivka bridge in Kherson. He was working with an Italian journalist who was also shot but survived. Ukraine has launched a war crimes investigation. President Cyril Ramaphosa used his Freedom Day speech on Thursday to call for South Africans to unite in building a country that they can all be proud of. Oregon school districts may be facing extreme budget cuts in the coming years, and local education leaders in Corvallis are starting to worry the cuts could translate to a $5 million funding gap. The prospect has the president of the Corvallis Education Association concerned. The state needs to shell out $10.3 billion to adequately fund education for Oregon students, according to the Oregon Department of Education. Instead, Gov. Tina Kotek is proposing a $9.9 billion fund, a number far below what is recommended by ODEs Quality Education Model, which provides legislators with an idea of how much money is needed to adequately fund schools. The governor's fund would be divided between 197 school districts. The take for Corvallis schools is just over 1% of the fund, Superintendent Ryan Noss said, and if the current proposal goes through, the district will face a deficit of nearly $5 million the equivalent of 50 staffing positions. While Noss said he is not anticipating a reduction of 50 staff members at this time, hes preparing for them by figuring out where reductions could be made. We really maintain a focus on our school board goals as we think about the way we fund our schools, Noss said. We know well have some funding challenges over the next several years. We want to make sure people know were prioritizing our funding based off the goals of our district. Corvallis is facing the perfect storm when it comes to funding students education, Noss said. With inadequate funding from the state, fewer births in the city and COVID-19 relief funding coming to an end, the district is gearing up for a tough couple of years. To me, the reason why we need to keep funding at the rate of current operations is because we still have work to do to continue to support kids who gave up a lot during the pandemic, Noss said. Christa Schmeder, the teachers' union president, said she cannot think of one program or school that will not be negatively impacted by the loss of funding. As a mom with two kids in the district, this impacts me on more than just a professional level, she said. Schmeder emphasized the importance of continually applying pressure to state lawmakers, to ensure they make education a legislative priority. Depending on the district, cuts could mean a loss of programs, teachers, support staff, nurses, mental health therapists or summer school. It appears like some folks in the Legislature might be content with the current budget proposal, Schmeder said. We need to make sure that they know that we are not content. There will be a rally at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at the Benton County Courthouse, 120 NW Fourth St., where educators will speak and tell people how they can urge state leaders to increase the School State Fund. If the state sticks with the proposed amount of funding, Schmeder said the district ought to dip into its rainy-day reserves to retain and pay its educators. But with decreasing birth rates in Corvallis and the loss of pandemic relief dollars, Noss said he is concerned about using those resources too early. Im anticipating we will have to make decisions over the next four years on how to continue to provide programs with less funding, Noss said. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Corvallis Gazette-Times. While the Corvallis Education Association has supported the reserve in the past, Schmeder said, the district is now in a different time and place, and the reserve could act as a life preserver for the needs of the students. The district can amend its policy on its use of reserves, she said. The question is will they be brave enough to do it? Newsy 30 Apr 2023 ViewWhile the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner is normally known for its laughs, it was a little more serious this.. The Liberal government is announcing funding for women's rights abroad an apparent bid to contrast the Liberals' position on reproductive rights with that of conservatives in Canada and the United States. On March 15, 2023, Former President of the Czech Republic Prof. Dr. Vaclav Klaus, was invited to deliver a keynote address at the 26th Eurasian Economic Summit, in Istanbul, Republic of Turkiye. The following is the full speech of President Klaus; whose leadership in Europe and wisdom applied in public policies, are of... E! Online 01 May 2023 Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade are always on their A-game. As for the proof, look no further than their appearance as a couple on.. The United States on Thursday banned the Governor of North Western Province in Sri Lanka, Wasantha Karannagoda and his family from entering the country over gross violation of Human Rights, the US State Department said in a release. The United States is designating Wasantha Karannagoda, Governor of North Western Province in Sri Lanka, pursuant to Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2023, due to his involvement in a gross violation of human rights during his tenure as a Naval Commander, the US State Department said in a release. The United States is designating Sri Lankan Governor and retired Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda for a gross violation of human rights. The United States continues to seek truth and justice for victims of the Sri Lankan civil war, State Secretary Antony Blinken tweeted. As a result of todays action, Karannagoda and his wife, Srimathi Ashoka Karannagoda, are ineligible for entry into the United States, the release stated further. The US State Department release said, The allegation that Wasantha Karannagoda committed a gross human rights violation, documented by NGOs and independent investigations, is serious and credible. By designating Wasantha Karannagoda, the United States reaffirms its commitment to upholding human rights, ending impunity for human rights violators, acknowledging the suffering of victims and survivors, and promoting accountability for perpetrators in Sri Lanka, the release read. The bilateral relationship between the United States and the Sri Lankan government is based on 75 years of shared history, values, and a commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, the release read further. As we continue to build our bilateral relationship, we are committed to working with the Sri Lankan government on advancing justice, accountability, and reconciliation, including promoting security reform that maintains human rights at the forefront while ensuring Sri Lanka has the resources and training to properly address emerging security concerns, the release stated. (ANI) PRESS STATEMENT BY ANTONY J. BLINKEN, US SECRETARY OF STATE The United States is designating Wasantha Karannagoda, Governor of North Western Province in Sri Lanka, pursuant to Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2023, due to his involvement in a gross violation of human rights during his tenure as a Naval Commander. As a result of todays action, Karannagoda and his wife, Srimathi Ashoka Karannagoda, are ineligible for entry into the United States. The allegation that Wasantha Karannagoda committed a gross human rights violation, documented by NGOs and independent investigations, is serious and credible. By designating Wasantha Karannagoda, the United States reaffirms its commitment to upholding human rights, ending impunity for human rights violators, acknowledging the suffering of victims and survivors, and promoting accountability for perpetrators in Sri Lanka. The bilateral relationship between the United States and the Government of Sri Lanka is based on 75 years of shared history, values, and a commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. As we continue to build our bilateral relationship, we are committed to working with the Sri Lankan government on advancing justice, accountability, and reconciliation, including promoting security reform that maintains human rights at the forefront while ensuring Sri Lanka has the resources and training to properly address emerging security concerns. The Potential of NFTs in iGaming Published April 27, 2023 by Elana K The NFT market has grown significantly since 2020, and today the phenomenon has spread to many industries, including iGaming. Slotegrator executives believe that NFTs have enormous potential in the iGaming industry and expect them to become commonplace at most online casinos and sportsbooks. The NFT market has grown significantly since 2020, and today the phenomenon has spread to many industries, including iGaming. Like cryptocurrencies, which found a natural partnership with online casinos, NFTs are based on the blockchain, which has led many casino operators to ask the question: should I launch an NFT casino? According to Slotegrator, NFTs are a growing trend that doesnt seem to be slowing down any time soon. Celebrities have been vocal about buying and selling NFTs, influencers have touted them as an unconventional way to earn cash, and famous art pieces have been tokenized. NFTs in iGaming There are many ways NFTs can be used in iGaming: in-game tokens, deposits, player rewards, and more. Like cryptocurrencies, they are decentralized and blockchain-based, which allows players from all over the world to use them with no limits. Blockchain technology is useful in online gaming as it stores information about ownership and provides an advanced level of transparency. Provably fair games are also based on the blockchain, so each player's move can be tracked and verified in the ledger. NFTs can also help online casinos in terms of security, both by enabling self-exclusion and blocking access to minors. Another function NFTs serve is to boost players businesses. For example, a player who purchases a metaverse slot machine as an NFT can then market it to other players and make money from it. Generally, NFTs appeal to a younger population, as they are usually more familiar with how they work and place a high value on digital assets. NFT Regulation As NFTs are a relatively new phenomenon, authorities havent yet caught up with regulations. The EU, for instance, has not even agreed on the definition of an NFT, but it plans to regulate them the same way as cryptocurrencies. Regulations are important for all parties involved in digital assets, as they can help prevent money laundering, fraud, terrorist financing, and other dangers. The issue of taxation also needs to be discussed. Cryptocurrency gains are usually taxed in the owners country of residence, but no such protocol has yet been established for NFTs. NFT Potential in iGaming MarketsandMarkets estimates that the NFT sector will hit over $13 billion in 2027 at an annual growth rate of 35%. This jives with a recent McKinsey survey that shows that more than 20% of the global population plans to increase their levels of online activity, including spending. iGaming is often an innovator when it comes to new technologies, and NFTs are no exception. Slotegrator executives believe that NFTs have enormous potential in the iGaming industry and expect them to become commonplace at most online casinos and sportsbooks. Mumbai: Tamil star Ajith Kumar has embarked on a biking trip that has taken him on a gastronomic journey, ranging from relishing local meals to exploring his cooking skills at a restaurant in Nepal. Several videos have surfaced on social media, showcasing Ajith's visit to Nepal. A fan club of the actor shared a video of him enjoying a wholesome meal at a local eatery in Nepal, while dressed in biker gear. In another video, Ajith could be seen donning an apron and a chef's hat, channelling his inner chef at a restaurant in Nepal. He was preparing a dish with the assistance of the staff. On the work front, Ajith was last seen in 'Thunivu', an action heist film, co-starring Manju Warrier, Samuthirakani, John Kokken, Ajay, and Veera. (With IANS inputs) Kochi: The wife and daughter of Albert Augustine, who was shot dead in the civil war-torn Sudan, arrived in Kerala on Thursday. Albert's wife Saibella and daughter Marieta arrived at the Nedumbassery International Airport around 10 am. The duo arrived on a flight from Jeddah and left for their native place Kannur after landing in Kochi. Meanwhile, the process of repatriating Albert's body is in progress. Union Minister V Muraleedharan, who is in Jeddah leading the evacuation process, said that he had spoken to Albert's father on the phone. Saibella had requested the Indian government's help when her husband's mortal remains could not be shifted from their flat 24 hours after his death. The body was moved to the hospital after a three-hour ceasefire was announced. A 360-member team evacuated from Sudan as part of 'Operation Kaveri' reached India on Wednesday. Among the passengers, 19 were Malayalis. The first group of Keralites who arrived in Delhi reached Nedumbassery this morning. Albert Augustine (48), an ex-serviceman from Nellipara Kakatav, Alakot in Kannur was killed during a clash between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF) to seize power in Sudan. Albert, who had been working as a security manager for a company for six months, was shot through the window of his flat. The city of Brownsville is getting into a bit of a flame war with a state agency over environmental regulations. At the center of the dispute is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's setting of what's called a "total maximum daily load" for mercury entering the Willamette Basin. "If you fine us, then fine us. The letter that was sent in September was a procedural joke any way," City Administrator Scott McDowell wrote in an April 19 email to an employee at the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. While initially considered too small a city, Brownsville is now responsible for helping keep mercury levels below the maximum daily load a number set to keep the water healthy for people and wildlife with respect to urban runoff into nearby creeks and rivers. The EPA gets its authority from the Clean Water Act and passes off oversight to Oregon DEQ, which asked Brownsville to come up with a plan and submit it by Sept. 3, 2022. Brownsville missed the deadline. McDowell said he didn't want to send off a letter without the City Council members' approval, and by late August, he had emailed DEQ, saying the earliest they could do that wasn't until its once-monthly meeting at the end of September. By Sept. 15, the city had received its warning letter: "Failure to timely submit a Plan by a Designated Management Agency as required by order is considered a Class II violation. Class I violations are the most serious violations; Class III violations are the least serious," DEQ Basin Coordinator Priscilla Woolverton wrote, giving the city a new deadline of Oct. 28 and threatening civil penalties. This is the "procedural joke" referenced above. Noncompliance could cost the city as much as $10,000 a day if warnings escalate into fines, McDowell told the City Council on Tuesday, April 25. The city did submit its plan, but by March, the DEQ had notified McDowell it was insufficient. The plan omitted "a number of required elements," according to a follow-up email from DEQ in April. The 24-page plan itself is posted on the city's website and lists all sorts of applicable city rules, everything from to construction and drainage to pet waste disposal, and puts a focus on public education. It also laments it does not have the financial ability to do a lot at this time. "The city simply does not have adequate funding to keep pace with current infrastructure needs and there is currently no adequate source of funding for stormwater capital infrastructure available to the city," the report says. In a March 20 email, the DEQ informed the city the plan was deficient; asking for further details in the areas of: Pollution prevention and good housekeeping for municipal operations. Public education and outreach, specifically with an eye toward measuring progress. Construction site runoff control, especially in dealing with repeat offenders. In a quick email reply, McDowell said he'll connect with the city engineer. A month later, it all went south. By April 19, DEQ staff had lost their patience. "Because the city already received a Warning Letter regarding this submission, I may have to send a Pre-Enforcement Notice since I cannot approve the revised plan that you submitted on 9/30/2022," Grace Goldrich-Middaugh wrote. Cue McDowell's reaction. "I am not very happy about being threatened," he fired back by email. He echoed that theme at the City Council meeting on Tuesday. "I'm sorry. I'm frustrated, and I don't really care who knows it," McDowell said, taking great umbrage that the state took six months to get back to the city but expected a response from the city in only a month. "This whole process is adversarial," he said before the council signed off on a revised plan. McDowell's big fear is that eventually the city will have to build some kind of treatment plant for stormwater runoff, which he predicts could cost the town $20 million. The city is still paying off the $8.5 million it spent in 2007 on a water and sewer system. "There should be a level of alarm here when a state agency starts threatening us." The next morning after the City Council meeting, McDowell emailed a revised version of the plan to DEQ, according to a records request with the state agency. Related stories: This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here. On both sides, the talk only grows grimmer. Just the other day, speaking about China, Admiral John Aquilino, head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, warned that "I'm responsible [for finding a way] to prevent this conflict today and "" if deterrence were to fail "" to be able to fight and win." Fight and win indeed! And if that doesn't seem clear enough to you, he's talking about a future war between the planet's two nuclear-armed great powers. His comments were mild compared to those of General Mike Minihan, head of the Air Mobility Command, who recently predicted war with China within "" yes! "" two years! ("My gut tells me [we] will fight in 2025.") And don't think it's just the admirals and generals either. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, while not exactly predicting such a conflict, Minihan-style, did recently say of China, "We obviously have to prepare, to be prepared to fight and win that war." That war! Meanwhile, after a "" yes, this is not a misprint "" congressional war game simulating a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, the head of the new House committee on China, Mike Gallagher (R-WI), insisted that Washington needed to arm that island "to the teeth." At the same time, the U.S. military is upgrading its forces in the region, its military positions in the Pacific, and its training exercises for just such a future conflict. At the same time, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has turned a cold shoulder to the Biden administration's attempts to restart high-level talks of any sort while, as the New York Times reported recently, his country has begun a significant buildup of its nuclear arsenal. With all of that grimly in mind, why not take a step back from this increasingly overheated world of ours and let TomDispatch regular Alfred McCoy, author of To Govern the Globe: World Orders and Catastrophic Change, explore what lies behind such tensions: the rise and fall of great powers on a distinctly disturbed planet. Tom The Rise of China (and the Fall of the U.S.?) Tectonic Eruptions in Eurasia Erode America's Global Power By Alfred McCoy From the ashes of a world war that killed 80 million people and reduced great cities to smoking rubble, America rose like a Titan of Greek legend, unharmed and armed with extraordinary military and economic power, to govern the globe. During four years of combat against the Axis leaders in Berlin and Tokyo that raged across the planet, America's wartime commanders "" George Marshall in Washington, Dwight D. Eisenhower in Europe, and Chester Nimitz in the Pacific "" knew that their main strategic objective was to gain control over the vast Eurasian landmass. Whether you're talking about desert warfare in North Africa, the D-Day landing at Normandy, bloody battles on the Burma-India border, or the island-hopping campaign across the Pacific, the Allied strategy in World War II involved constricting the reach of the Axis powers globally and then wresting that very continent from their grasp. That past, though seemingly distant, is still shaping the world we live in. Those legendary generals and admirals are, of course, long gone, but the geopolitics they practiced at such a cost still has profound implications. For just as Washington encircled Eurasia to win a great war and global hegemony, so Beijing is now involved in a far less militarized reprise of that reach for global power. And to be blunt, these days, China's gain is America's loss. Every step Beijing takes to consolidate its control over Eurasia simultaneously weakens Washington's presence on that strategic continent and so erodes its once formidable global power. A Cold War Strategy After four embattled years imbibing lessons about geopolitics with their morning coffee and bourbon nightcaps, America's wartime generation of generals and admirals understood, intuitively, how to respond to the future alliance of the two great communist powers in Moscow and Beijing. In 1948, following his move from the Pentagon to Foggy Bottom, Secretary of State George Marshall launched the $13 billion Marshall Plan to rebuild a war-torn Western Europe, laying the economic foundations for the formation of the NATO alliance just a year later. After a similar move from the wartime Allied headquarters in London to the White House in 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower helped complete a chain of military bastions along Eurasia's Pacific littoral by signing a series of mutual-security pacts "" with South Korea in 1953, Taiwan in 1954, and Japan in 1960. For the next 70 years, that island chain would serve as the strategic hinge on Washington's global power, critical for both the defense of North America and dominance over Eurasia. After fighting to conquer much of that vast continent during World War II, America's postwar leaders certainly knew how to defend their gains. For more than 40 years, their unrelenting efforts to dominate Eurasia assured Washington of an upper hand and, in the end, victory over the Soviet Union in the Cold War. To constrain the communist powers inside that continent, the U.S. ringed its 6,000 miles with 800 military bases, thousands of jet fighters, and three massive naval armadas "" the 6th Fleet in the Atlantic, the 7th Fleet in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific, and, somewhat later, the 5th Fleet in the Persian Gulf. Thanks to diplomat George Kennan, that strategy gained the name "containment" and, with it, Washington could, in effect, sit back and wait while the Sino-Soviet bloc imploded through diplomatic blunder and military misadventure. After the Beijing-Moscow split of 1962 and China's subsequent collapse into the chaos of Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution, the Soviet Union tried repeatedly, if unsuccessfully, to break out of its geopolitical isolation "" in the Congo, Cuba, Laos, Egypt, Ethiopia, Angola, and Afghanistan. In the last and most disastrous of those interventions, which Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev came to term "the bleeding wound," the Red Army deployed 110,000 soldiers for nine years of brutal Afghan combat, hemorrhaging money and manpower in ways that would contribute to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. In that heady moment of seeming victory as the sole superpower left on planet Earth, a younger generation of Washington foreign-policy leaders, trained not on battlefields but in think tanks, took little more than a decade to let that unprecedented global power start to slip away. Toward the close of the Cold War era in 1989, Francis Fukuyama, an academic working in the State Department's policy planning unit, won instant fame among Washington insiders with his seductive phrase "the end of history." He argued that America's liberal world order would soon sweep up all of humanity on an endless tide of capitalist democracy. As he put it in a much-cited essay: "The triumph of the West, of the Western idea, is evident" in the total exhaustion of viable systemic alternatives to Western liberalism" seen also in the ineluctable spread of consumerist Western culture." Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Days after the bombshell announcement that Phil and Penny Knight would contribute $400 million to her new philanthropic investment fund to benefit Portlands Black community, Rukaiyah Adams says shes just getting started. Adams, CEO of the new 1803 Fund, was in Southern California on Wednesday seeking other deep-pocketed investors willing to provide another $400 million to $600 million. That could mean a total approaching $1 billion toward the cause of making generational change for Black Portlanders, with an initial focus on the historically Black neighborhood of Albina. In the 2022 TV series, Guys All-American Road Trip, Food Network celebrity host Guy Fieri took family members and friends on a tour along the West Coast, with food-centric stops in Oregon, Washington and northern California. In addition to whetting viewers appetites for Northwest culinary treats, the show has now also earned a 2023 Daytime Emmy Award nomination. (Did you miss Guys All-American Road Trip when it first aired? You can stream the show on Fubo, which offers a free trial; and on Philo, which also offers a free trial.) Guys All-American Road Trip is nominated in the category of Travel, Adventure and Nature Program. Why its being included in the Daytime Emmy Award selections is a bit puzzling, since when episodes first aired on the Food Network, they aired in the evening. But with so many streaming series among the 2023 nominees, maybe the actual time a show is scheduled isnt all that important. Other shows nominated in the Travel, Adventure and Nature Program slot are Down to Earth With Zac Efron (Netflix); The Hidden Lives of Pets (Netflix); Island of the Sea Wolves (Netflix); Reel Destinations (Focus Features); and Wild Babies (Netflix). The CBS network will broadcast The 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards on Friday, June 16. In the announcement, National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences head of daytime, Brent Stanton, said it is especially gratifying to also be celebrating so many milestones of daytime television in our 50th anniversary year. Stanton continued, Not only are we celebrating 50 years of Daytime Emmy Awards programming, we are also celebrating the milestones of some of its longest-running shows, such as General Hospital, The Young and the Restless, Dr. Phil and Rachael Ray. Guys All-American Road Trip featured Fieri, his wife, Lori, sons Hunter and Ryder and friends, traveling by RV, setting up camp and engaging in such activities as going for a jet-boat excursion on the Rogue River; adventuring in the sand dunes at Honeyman State Park, in Florence; sampling Dungeness crab and locally prepared clam chowder; stopping by Jim Belushis southern Oregon cannabis farm, which is also featured on the Discovery Channel show, Growing Belushi; visiting Chehalis, Washington; and taking in the Bavarian-inspired atmosphere of Leavenworth, Washington. A second season of Guys All-American Road Trip has been ordered by Food Network. According to a report in Variety, Season 2 will find the Fieri family and friends traveling through Appalachia, with stops in Tennessee and Kentucky. The 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards air at 9 p.m. Friday, June 16 on CBS, and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount Plus. For a complete list of 2023 Daytime Emmy Award nominees, go to https://theemmys.tv/ More of our coverage: Guys All-American Road Trip Episode 2: Guy Fieri and friends eat crab, and rainy day chili 27 Oregon restaurants Guy Fieri visited on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Kristi Turnquist 503-221-8227; kturnquist@oregonian.com; @Kristiturnquist Our journalism needs your support. Please become a subscriber today at OregonLive.com/subscribe As many Oregonians know, Oregons vote-by-mail infrastructure serves as a model for the nation. Voters have enthusiastically embraced this method of voting because it is convenient and secure. Vote-by-mail increases voter turnout. Oregon topped the nation in turnout last November. Oregonians will soon receive their ballots in the mail for this Mays election. Voters will make their choices and return their ballots, confident that their votes will count. As the elections administrators for Marion, Clackamas and Washington counties, we want to assure voters that our processes are tested and secure. Voters can be confident that their mail ballot packets are handled with the utmost care and responsibility. We routinely update our voter rolls to make sure they are as accurate as possible. We check signatures on all ballot return envelopes to make sure they match those we have on file. Our ballot return envelopes contain unique barcodes to prevent someone from casting more than one ballot. After the ballots are tabulated by certified machines, we even perform random hand counts to double-check the results. We work to make sure voting is convenient. You can drop your ballot in the mail or at any of our 24/7 secure official ballot drop sites across the state. If you lose your ballot, we can send you a new one or you can vote in person at our office. Our vision is that we will continue to all work together election administrators, voters and everyone involved in the process to keep Oregon a secure and accessible place to vote. Bill Burgess, Catherine McMullen and Dan Forester Burgess is the elected clerk for Marion County. McMullen is the elected clerk for Clackamas County. Forester is the appointed elections manager for Washington County To read more letters to the editor, go to oregonlive.com/opinion. The arguments, stories and exhortations were earnest and emotional Tuesday at the first public airing of opinions on a proposal in the Legislature that would guarantee Oregonians rights under the law to same-sex marriage, abortion, and transgender care. Oregon Democrats have the majority necessary to put the proposed constitutional amendment in front of voters in November 2024. But about two hours of testimony about the trifecta of issues the measure would address made clear the path would be contentious, as people from both sides framed lawmakers choice as a matter of fundamental rights and of life or death. Every single one of us in this room and every single one of you on this committee avoided murder by your mother and by health care, said Salem resident Cheryl Greenlee, urging members of the Senate Committee On Rules to reject the proposal. I suggest that you protect the innocent. Arguments in the proposals favor were equally impassioned, citing creeping intrusions on bodily autonomy in other states as evidence of threats to Oregonians rights and access to health care. Oregons latest plunge into the ever-escalating American culture wars would ask voters this November whether theyd like to change the Constitution to forbid lawmakers or state agencies from infringing on rights relating to gender, sexual orientation and pregnancy. While none of the protections to potentially be codified appear to be restricted now, the lawmakers who proposed Senate Joint Resolution 33 one week ago said it was a necessary response to last years U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down abortion rights that would ensure that access to those rights endure in the long-term. Hate is on the rise in this country, Sen. Kate Lieber, D-Beaverton, said at Tuesdays hearing. This is Oregons opportunity to respond with hope. If put on the ballot and subsequently approved by voters, the amendment would repeal a 21-year-old clause in the Oregon Constitution that states only opposite-sex marriages shall be valid or legally recognized as a marriage, language that hasnt been enforced since a federal judge deemed it unconstitutional in 2014. The broad amendment would also explicitly prohibit the state from discriminating, whether intentionally or in effect, based on pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes or related health decisions; gender identity or related health decisions; sexual orientation; or gender. Many of those testifying spoke to how the measure would forbid the state from enacting laws or policies or taking actions that would restrict access to abortion or transgender care. As a state, weve worked for decades to protect our rights to make deeply personal decisions about our lives without intrusive state interventions, said Jennifer Williamson, interim director of Planned Parenthood Advocates for Oregon. We know that Oregon voters want these protections, and its time to let their voices be heard at the ballot box. When probed by Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend, attorneys with the Legislative Counsel had trouble enumerating the specific rights the proposal would afford that dont already exist under state law and predicting how the Oregon Supreme Court might interpret the new language. An American Civil Liberties Union representative said the amendment would protect Oregonians by making unconstitutional regulations that have been adopted in other states that create barriers for abortion providers that dont exist in other health care fields and establish prohibitions on insurance coverage for some medical procedures. The ACLU of Oregon questions how one could conclude that the purpose of these laws is anything other than to discriminate on the account of sex, Executive Director Sandy Chung said. Former Democratic Gov. Kate Brown in 2017 approved legislation that explicitly protected the right to an abortion in the event that the high court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision enshrining abortion as a constitutional right. Oregon politicians then widely declared their commitment to ensuring access to reproductive care last year following the Supreme Court ruling striking the 50-year-old decision down. The state is one of 17 that recently won a ruling in federal court ordering the Food and Drug Administration to maintain approval for mifepristone as an abortion and miscarriage-management medication. While advocates and Democratic lawmakers framed abortion rights as a human right in Tuesdays hearing, those opposed to the procedure testified with language centered on the rights of unborn children over those of the women carrying them. (The measure) will codify legal discrimination that exists against developing babies under the guise of womens rights, said Lois Anderson, executive director of Oregon Right to Life. It will continue to ensure that thousands of babies the most vulnerable people in our society will die. It will ensure that no law will protect them. The proposed amendment follows the introduction of the equally contentious House Bill 2002, which would guarantee and ease access to gender-affirming and reproductive care. That bill is scheduled for a vote on the House floor May 1. The bill addresses the needs that were hearing right now from providers and patients around needing services and coverage for gender affirming care and reproductive rights, Rep. Andrea Valderrama, D-Portland, said at a Wednesday news conference. The Republican party has stood against HB 2002, with Knopp, the Senate Minority Leader, recently referring to it as the most extreme bill (on the subject) in the country. Fedor Zarkhin A pair of bills aimed at reducing the number of takeout containers thrown away in Oregon are headed to Gov. Tina Kotek. The state House on Wednesday passed Senate Bill 543, which would ban Styrofoam and other polystyrene takeout containers, on a 40-18 vote. A few minutes later, Senate Bill 545, directing the Oregon Health Authority to craft rules for how customers can bring reusable containers for takeout or leftovers to restaurants, passed on a 39-17 vote. Rep. Maxine Dexter, a Portland Democrat and supporter of the bills, described how she spent Saturday cleaning up litter as part of an Earth Day event. Whether along a river, a highway or our beautiful beaches, single-use plastics are the predominant waste we clean up, Dexter said. Its everywhere, its ugly and its doing harm. The two new bills build on other recent laws intended to reduce plastic waste. Since Jan. 1, 2020, stores and restaurants have been barred from providing single-use plastic bags, instead providing paper bags or thicker reusable plastic bags at a cost of at least 5 cents per bag to customers who didnt bring their own. A 2019 law forbade restaurants from handing out single-use plastic straws unless a customer requested one. If signed by Kotek, SB 543 would take effect on Jan. 1, 2025. SB 545 would take effect immediately, but customers likely wouldnt be able to start bringing their own containers to restaurants until mid-2024. The Oregon Health Authority would have until June 30, 2024 to create rules governing the types of containers that could be used and how to keep them sanitary. Both bills passed with bipartisan support in the House and Senate, but a handful of Republicans who voted against SB 545 described concerns about sanitation. As a person whos hesitant to eat in restaurants in the first place because of contamination issues, this isnt going to make it more likely, siad Rep. Kim Wallan, R-Medford. Im not going to feel better about it. -- Julia Shumway, Oregon Capital Chronicle The Oregon Capital Chronicle, founded in 2021, is a nonprofit news organization that focuses on Oregon state government, politics and policy. Portland high temperatures shot right past 70 degrees Wednesday hitting 77 for the first time since October of last year. And were not done yet. Thursday will start with some low clouds streaming in from the coast, but they wont last long as skies clear to mostly sunny by lunchtime. Portland will see more heating Thursday with the high temp likely to hit 80 degrees or even a few degrees more, depending on your location. Overnight, offshore flow will begin to develop robbing Portland of any cool coastal air. On Friday, our high pressure ridge will reach its highest level and easterly winds will help the metro area warm up to record-setting temps. Portland is expected to reach about 86 degrees, which will break the record for the date set in 1998 of 82 degrees. The National Weather Service says that much of the Interstate 5 corridor has a 80-90% chance of reaching at least 80 degrees. Theres even a 10-15% chance of Portland recording 90 degrees on Friday. Along with the heat, winds will be blustery early in the day Friday. The Columbia River Gorge will see gusts of about 40 mph especially near the western end. Portland will likely see gusts of up to 28 mph. Saturday will offer a slight cool down, but only by a little. High temperatures should reach near 81 degrees. By the evening, airflow will begin to turn more onshore, and cooling air streaming in from the coast should help return the region to more spring-like weather. Portland should see partly sunny skies Sunday and a drop of about 20 degrees in daytime high temps to near 63. A shift in the weather patterns is expected to bring a low pressure system into the region that promises at least some rain along the coast, and possible showers into the metro area by Sunday night. Those showers are likely to hang on into the first part of next week. The April 17 press release headline trumpeted, Revolutionizing Malbec: Bodega Trivento Introduces Worlds First White Malbec. Juan Pablo Valot of Valcan Cellars in Corvallis was not amused. First? The war over who made the first white malbec is on, Valot said. Triventos press release coincided with Malbec World Day, which Valot, born and raised in Argentina, considers a significant holiday. The announcement explained that Trivento came up with the idea of making a white version of malbec in 2018. Triventos first white malbec was made with fruit from the 2019 harvest, like the Valcan Cellars Bare White Malbec. The Valcan Cellars Bare is made by gently pressing the grapes and allowing the juice and skins to remain in contact for approximately an hour to minimize color extraction. The color of wines made with this technique can range from clear to white gold. The press release also claimed Trivento is introducing White Malbec to the American market. This was news to Valot, who has been selling his Bare for three years. After reading the press release, I watched the attached promotional video that only a winery producing millions of cases each year can afford to make. Valcan Cellars makes 900 cases and zero videos in a given year. In 2019 JP Valot launched North America's first know white malbec. The 2021 vintage was just released.Photo by Michael Alberty So who should get credit for the worlds first white Malbec? Amanda Barnes is an award-winning journalist who wrote the definitive South America Wine Guide. On September 24, 2022, Barnes wrote on her website, The first white Malbec wines appeared in Argentina in 2011 by Vicentin Family Wines and Colosso Wines, and since then, there are now several wineries making this new style. In a June 2022 interview with Decanter Magazines Alejandro Iglesias, Andres Ridois of Colosso Wines discussed how their Indomable Blanc de Malbec launched the white malbec category in 2011. Back then, a lot of things were going on with Malbec in terms of region and style, but a white had never been made, so we decided to give it a try, Ridois said in the interview published on the Wines of Argentina' blog. It didnt take me much time to locate a 2017 Vicentin Family Blanc de Malbec and a 2018 Osado Malbec Blanco, both of which predate Trivento and Valcan Cellars. The Osado back label states White Malbec to avoid potential linguistic confusion. My attempt to contact Triventos U.S. importer led to Elizabeth Archer, a Bonterra Organic Estates public relations and communications specialist. Even though Trivento and Valcan Cellars made their first white malbecs with fruit from the 2019 vintage, Archer claimed Trivento likely hit the marketplace first because Argentinas grape harvest happens earlier in the year than Oregons harvest. Regarding Argentina wineries, Archer said, Trivento did a lot of research before releasing the wine, and didnt find any other White Malbecs on the market before 2019 when it released its first vintage. I spoke with the brand manager and they dont have any record of White Malbec from Colosso Wines, but will look into it to see if there has been an oversight in their research. Previous similar wines have typically been Blanc de Noir, which use a slightly different winemaking process and are white but not clear, and it looks like thats what Colosso makes, but again well double check. The color of Triventos white malbec is indeed clear as a mountain stream. Still, many wineries with slightly darker-hued wines call their efforts white malbec, Including Colosso. I will leave it to Trivento and Colosso to settle the matter. No matter how it turns out, however, Valcan Cellars still claims the title of the first American winery to make a white malbec. But does being first matter? The only thing that really matters in the end, Valot said, is do you make a good white malbec? When Triventos 2022 Reserve White Malbec lands in this country, I plan to buy a few bottles because Ive been told it is refreshing and packed with orchard fruit flavors. Trivento also uses its white malbec sales to fund scholarships in Argentina for low-income students and students displaying academic excellence. Thats another fine reason to buy a wine. In the meantime, to taste the Valcan Cellars Bare and dozens of red malbecs made in Oregon, tickets remain for Valots Malbec in the City event on April 30 from noon to 5 p.m. at Castaway Portland. Malbec In the City is also where Valot will debut the worlds first sparkling, petillant naturel-style white malbec. If you know of an earlier white malbec pet-nat, please wait a few days before emailing. -- Michael Alberty writes about wine for The Oregonian/OregonLive and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. He can be reached at malberty0@gmail.com. To read more of his coverage, go to oregonlive.com/wine One of Albany's oldest buildings is closer to becoming a community center after the steeple was reconnected to the building. A small crowd gathered on Wednesday morning, April 26 to witness the placement, a milestone in the Cumberland Church's road to reconstruction. "The steeple is back on and the body is complete again; I'm on top of the world," said Emma Eaton, president of the Cumberland Community Events Center. Over the years, Cumberland Church fell into disrepair. But volunteers are certain it can once again be a place for community. In the past three years, the church has gained historical status and was physically moved, a feat that required a street closure. Volunteers envision the space to be a community center for people to seek information and community resources and a site for cultural exchange. Eaton has started painting the details but says the whole outside of the building will get a fresh coat of paint by the year's end. The 130-year-old building will host a ribbon-cutting event to celebrate the reconnecting of the steeple, Saturday, May 20. However, the project isn't expected to be fully finished until December 2025. Related stories: 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. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BIG RAPIDS Big Rapids Honor Guard member and Vietnam War veteran Bill Semar can tell you what being in a firefight in the midst of war felt like. Semar moved to Big Rapids in 1963 from Birmingham, Michigan, and attended Ferris State University before graduating in 1967. He went into the Army Infantry's Officer Candidate School and later served in the Vietnam War. Officer Candidate School is one of four paths to become a commissioned officer in the Army. Applying is open to civilians, active duty, enlisted, Army Reserve and National Guard Soldiers with at least a bachelor's degree. It was very (much) marshland mountains (in Vietnam), Semar said. We spent three weeks out of the month out in the bush and (then) one week back on a forward fire support base. We got resupplied by helicopter once or twice a week which gave us rations depending on what it was. I (also) got one can of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer a day. Semar served as an infantry platoon leader, then later a mortar platoon leader. At the time he was 110 pounds and had to carry heavy mortar tube equipment, which proved difficult at times. A mortar is a muzzle-loading high-angle gun with a short barrel that fires shells at high elevations for a short range. Later in the war, he served as 11th brigade liaison officer to Americal Division and would fly back and forth between locations in Vietnam. Semar received a Purple Heart for his service in Vietnam after being shot and getting shrapnel lodged in his leg. Most of the camaraderie was excellent, Semar said. I was responsible for 20 to 30 men at various times and had a very good relationship with them. I was out of the bush for 10 days after I got shot. Going up into the mountains with the heat and the humidity was terrible. 'SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY' Semar said his parents instilled in him a sense of responsibility which he took with him and supported himself through college and while serving in the Army. After leaving the service in 1968, he move to Washington D.C. and worked for the Government Accountability Office. Semar said hes received a lot of help from the Veterans Affairs Office (VA) since leaving the service. For younger guys thinking about going into service, the veterans benefits are very much useful, Semar said. Between buying a house or hospitalization, I've had all kinds of surgeries that were totally paid for by the VA. With the Purple Heart and some of my other problems, I am getting a very nice stipend. I encourage any veteran that's coming back out of the service to seek and at least talk to some of the various veterans organizations. Semar has been involved in many organizations since his time in the service including The American Legion Post 98, the Disabled Veterans of America in Big Rapids, and several post-traumatic stress disorder groups in town. He was involved in putting together and helping build Holland Memorial Park in downtown Big Rapids. Semar is also a member of the Big Rapids Honor Guard, which is made up of volunteer veterans of all service branches, and provides memorial services including rifle firings on military commemorative dates, as well as offering the families of deceased discharged veterans official military honors during burial. Semar said he regularly notices the appreciation that Mecosta County residents have for its veterans. People are (always) saying thank you for being a veteran, Semar said. We didn't get that when we came out of service from (Vietnam). It was not nice. That's one reason why back in Maryland, I joined the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Also, I joined a Volunteer Rescue Squad. One year, I had 492 calls, and I wasn't living in the firehouse. I've always been of service to the community. According to statistics from the 2020 U.S. census, there are 17.8 million veterans in the United States. More than 9 million veterans are served each year by the Department of Veterans Affairs. U.S. President Joe Biden requested an appropriation of $301.4 billion for the department in the 2023 Budget, a 10.6% increase over 2022. Semar said he wants to see the military become stronger as world conflicts become more complicated. If they let the military run (things), we won't have politics involved in it, Semar said. Vietnam was very political, all the places that we are going right now are too political. We sometimes stick our nose in where we shouldn't be. That's a personal opinion. The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Tereasa Nims. Wednesday, April 26 9:49 p.m. - Deputies were dispatched to a Lincoln Township apartment complex regarding a 52-year-old woman who was not supposed to be on the property. She was formally trespassed and was warned that she could be charged with trespassing if she returned. She understood and left without any issues. 8:31 p.m. - A Lee Township man was working on his vehicle and banging on it. Some people out for a walk started yelling at him, thinking that he was hitting his child. The man said he was not hitting his child. The two parties exchanged words, but no assault occurred. The people walking were not located. 8:04 p.m. - A deputy responded to a hit-and-run property damage crash and assault that occurred on a Midland Township roadway. A 29-year-old Homer Township man said he was involved in an accident on a Midland Township roadway. He said the male driver of the other vehicle assaulted him before leaving the scene without identifying himself. This report is under investigation. 7:10 p.m. A deputy contacted a Lee Township woman who is being harassed by her boyfriends ex-girlfriend. The woman said the ex-girlfriend is making mean/inappropriate comments about her on Facebook. The woman wanted the incident to be documented but did not want the ex-girlfriend to be contacted. 5:08 p.m. - A deputy was dispatched to a Jerome Township residence regarding a 12-year-old girl who was injured while at school. The girl's mother said she wanted to handle the matter directly with the school. The deputy advised the school resource officer of the incident. More Information Activities of the Midland County Sheriff's Office and Midland Police Department on April 26, 2023 See More Collapse 4:34 p.m. - Police responded to Siebert Street and Dilloway Drive for a property damage crash. 2:40 p.m. - Police were called to the 5500 block of Greenridge Drive for a death investigation. 2:21 p.m. - Deputies were dispatched to a Mills Township residence for a well-being check on a 73-year-old woman. Contact was made with the woman, her husband and her daughter. The woman didn't want help from anyone. The deputy discussed the options of power of attorney and guardianship of the woman if the family felt she could no longer care for herself. 12:35 p.m. - An unknown subject driving a small red car drove away without paying for $25 in gas from a Sanford gas station. It is unknown whether this was intentional or accidental. No registration information was obtained. 11:32 a.m. - Police were called to W. Sugnet Road and N. Saginaw Road for a property damage crash. 10:50 a.m. - A deputy was dispatched to a Lee Township residence to speak with a 22-year-old man who reported he was tricked into sending $400 to an online scammer. 8:25 a.m. - A deputy checked on a report of a man standing in a vehicle on the Hope Road overpass over US-10 in Lincoln Township waving his arms. The deputy checked the area and was unable to locate the man. 5:53 a.m. - Deputies conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for a traffic violation. The 41-year-old male drive was arrested for an out-of-county warrant and lodged in the Midland County Jail. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate MURKATA, India (AP) Krishna Biswas is scared. Unable to prove his Indian citizenship, he is at risk of being sent to a detention center, far away from his modest hut built of bamboo wood that looks down on fields lush with corn. Biswas says he was born in Indias northeastern Assam state. So was his father, almost 65 years ago. But the government says that to prove he is an Indian, he should furnish documents that date back to 1971. For the 37-year-old vegetable seller, that means searching for a decades-old property deed or a birth certificate with an ancestors name on it. Biswas has none, and he is not alone. There are nearly 2 million people like him over 5% of Assam's population staring at a future where they could be stripped of their citizenship if they are unable to prove they are Indian. Questions over who is an Indian have long lingered over Assam, which many believe is overrun with immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh. At a time when India is about to overtake China as the most populous country, these concerns are expected to heighten as Prime Minister Narendra Modis government seeks to use illegal immigration and fears of demographic shift for electoral gains in a nation where nationalist sentiments run deep. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has promised to roll out a similar citizenship verification program nationwide even though the process in Assam has been put on hold after a federal audit found it flawed and full of errors. Nonetheless, hundreds of suspected immigrants with voting rights in Assam have been arrested and sent to detention centers the government calls transit camps. Fearing arrest, thousands have fled to other Indian states. Some have died of suicide. ___ EDITORS NOTE: This story is part of an ongoing series exploring what it means for the 1.4 billion inhabitants of India to live in what will be the worlds most populated country. ___ Millions of people like Biswas, whose citizenship status is unclear, were born in India to parents who immigrated many decades ago. Many of them have voting cards and other identification, but the states citizenship registry counts only those who can prove, with documentary evidence, that they or their ancestors were Indian citizens before 1971, the year Bangladesh was born. Modis party, which also rules Assam, argues the registry is essential to identify people who entered the country illegally in a state where ethnic passions run deep and anti-immigrant protests in the 1980s culminated in the massacre of more than 2,000 immigrant Muslims. My father and his brother were born here. We were born here. Our kids were also born here. We will die here but not leave this place, Biswas, said on a recent afternoon at his home in Assams Murkata village, near the banks of the Brahmaputra River. The Biswas family has 11 members, of whom the citizenship of nine is in dispute. His wife and mother have been declared Indian by a foreigners tribunal that decides on citizenship claims. Others, including his three children, his father and his brothers family, have been declared foreigners. It makes no sense to Biswas, who wonders why would some be considered to have settled in the country illegally and others not, even though they all were born in the same place. The family, like many others, has not pleaded their case before the tribunal or higher courts due to a lack of money and the arduous paperwork required in the process. If we cannot be Indian then just kill us. Let them (the government) kill my whole family, he said. The registry was last updated in 2019 and excluded both Hindus and Muslims, but most critics view it as an attempt to deport millions of minority Muslims. They say the process would become even more exclusionary if Modis party resurrects a controversial citizenship bill that grants citizenship to persecuted believers who entered India illegally from neighboring countries, including Hindus, Sikhs and Christians, but not Muslims. The nationwide citizenship bill was introduced in 2019, but led to widespread protests across India for singling out Muslims, forcing the government to put it on the backburner. Supporters of the registry say it is essential to protect the cultural identity of Assams indigenous people, arguing that those who entered illegally are taking away their jobs and their land. The influx of illegal foreigners from Bangladesh is a threat to the identity of the indigenous people of Assam. We cannot stay like a second class citizen under illegal Bangladeshis. It is a question of our own existence, said Samujjal Bhattacharya, who has been part of a movement in Assam against illegal immigration. Fearing a possible loss of citizenship, scores of people in Assam have killed themselves, leaving a trail of devastation among families. When Faizul Ali was sent to a detention center after being declared a foreigner in late 2015, his family members feared they would be next. The prospect of being thrown in jail drove his son to take his own life. His brother tried to save him but drowned in the process. A year later, Alis other son hanged himself. Ali was released on bail from the detention center in 2019. He died in March, leaving behind his wife, a mentally ill son, two daughter-in-laws and their children. They all live in a single room house made of corrugated tin in Muslim majority Bahari village. All have been declared foreigners. Unable to make ends meet, Alis wife, Sabur Bano, has taken to begging. She cant afford firewood for cooking and uses discarded clothes she collects from streets as burning material. I am a citizen of this country. I am 60 years old. I was born here, my children were brought up here, all my belongings are here. But they made me a foreigner in my own land, she said, wiping tears from the hem of her white sari. Others are still waiting for their loved ones after they were arrested. On a recent morning, Asiya Khatoon boarded a rickshaw and traveled nearly 31 kilometers (19 miles) from her home to a detention center in Assam's town where her husband has been held since January. They (police) just came and picked up my husband saying he is a Bangladeshi, the 45-year-old said, before hurriedly walking toward the detention center circled by a vast perimeter of walls and watchtowers with security cameras and armed guards. In her hands was a crinkled plastic bag. It carried a green T-shirt, trousers and a cap she wanted to give her husband. Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - The warring parties in Sudan on Thursday accused each other of violating the fragile ceasefire in the fighting in the East African country as the capital is subjected to loud sounds of heavy artillery and gunfire Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Residents of the city of Zawiya, 45 km west of Tripoli, blocked Thursday entrance to the headquarters of the Municipal Council in protest against the deterioration of the security situation in the country Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - The Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have resumed shelling and airstrikes on the second day of the 3-day ceasefire brokered by Saudi Arabia and the US, the United Nations has said, urging them to honour their commitment to pledges made Photo: (Photo : Will Russell / Getty Images) The FDA recently released a safety warning regarding amniotic fluid eye drops that are being falsely advertised as a cure for dry eye disease. This is part of the FDA's ongoing efforts to combat the sale of unapproved stem cell products. The safety warning refers back to previous letters sent to the makers of StimulEyes and Regener-Eyes, in which they were warned that their products would require a valid Biologics License Application (BLA) or investigational new drug (IND) application to continue being sold. FDA Safety Warning for Amniotic Fluid Eye Drops The FDA has recently alerted the public, including healthcare practitioners and patients, to a concerning trend in which manufacturers promote and distribute amniotic fluid eye drops as a treatment for a range of eye ailments without obtaining the necessary pre-market review and approval from the agency. This means that these products have yet to undergo the rigorous testing and evaluation required by the FDA to ensure their safety and effectiveness for use. While dry eye disease can be a frustrating and uncomfortable condition, there are currently no FDA-approved amniotic fluid eye drops for its treatment, mitigation, or cure. To ensure the safety and efficacy of new drugs, the FDA requires manufacturers to undergo a rigorous review process, including submitting data from clinical trials and other tests demonstrating the drug's safety and effectiveness for its intended use. In the case of amniotic fluid eye drops, the FDA requires manufacturers to obtain an investigational new drug application (IND) before these products can be offered to patients. However, in the case of the amniotic fluid eye drops being marketed without FDA approval, the agency has no information about their production. There is no guarantee that they are safe or effective for treating any ailment. According to MedPage Today, this is not the first time the FDA has taken action against the manufacturers of these amniotic fluid eye drops. In late 2022, the agency issued two untitled letters to manufacturers, warning them that their products were being marketed without FDA approval and raising concerns about their safety and effectiveness. It is unclear if the companies that manufacture these products have made any changes to their products or marketing strategies in response to the FDA's earlier warnings. Read Also: Dr. Fauci Admits COVID-19 Response Was Flawed, Denies Involvement in School Shutdowns What Is Dry Eye Disease? Dry eye disease is a common problem that affects many older adults, and it occurs when there is an imbalance between tear production and drainage. According to the American Optometric Association, tears help to lubricate the eye, clear away foreign particles, and prevent infection. When tears are not produced or drained properly, individuals may experience symptoms such as irritated, gritty, or burning eyes, as well as blurred vision and light sensitivity. Dry eyes can have many causes, including age, medications, medical conditions, environmental factors, and gender. To manage and treat dry eyes, a number of approaches can be used, including adding tears with over-the-counter artificial tear solutions, conserving tears, increasing tear production, and treating inflammation of the eyelids or eye surface that contributes to dry eyes. One concerning issue is that some companies are marketing amniotic fluid eye drops as a treatment for dry eye disease, among other conditions, without testing their products in controlled clinical trials. The safety and effectiveness of these amniotic fluid products have not been established for treating individuals with dry eye disease or any other condition. This is a problem because patients may use these products without knowing the potential risks and benefits. Leigh Turner, Ph.D., who heads the bioethics program at the University of California, Irvine, has criticized this commercial activity, stating that companies selling untested products to treat dry eye disease are putting patients at risk. Additionally, the Regener-Eyes CEO, Randall Harrell, MD, and M2 Biologics have yet to respond to requests for comments on the safety and efficacy of their products. Related Article: American Samoa Issues Public Health Emergency Due To Measles Outbreak in Children, Prompting School Closures Photo: (Photo : STEFANI REYNOLDS / Getty Images) Weinstein Whole Meats recalls some of their ground beef burger patties. The Illinois meat wholesaler has issued a recall for over 2,000 pounds of raw ground beef burgers due to potential contamination with foreign material. The recall comes after customers reported finding rubber-like pieces in the patties. The affected products contain pieces of white neoprene and may pose a risk to consumers. Weinstein Whole Meats Recalls Their Burger Patties According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the recalled products from Weinstein Wholesale Meats' are the ground beef burger patties that are labeled: "100% Grass Fed & Finished Beef Burger Patties, 85% Lean, 15% Fat." The products being recalled are 10.7-ounce vacuum-sealed packages containing two burger patties, produced on March 14, 2023, and with a "Use/Freeze By" date of April 11, 2023, printed on the label. The affected products bear the establishment number "Est. 6987" inside the USDA mark of inspection. The reason for the recall was that the company received several customer complaints about finding white "rubber-like" material in the ground beef patties while preparing them. Although there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to the consumption of these products, the FSIS advises consumers to check their refrigerators and freezers for the affected products. The products were distributed to an online distributor, who sold them to customers nationwide. According to Fox, there is a possibility that customers may have purchased the contaminated products and are unaware of the recall. Customers who have purchased the affected products are urged not to consume them and to either discard them or return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Weinstein Wholesale Meats is cooperating with FSIS and has completed an internal review at its Forest Park facility to implement corrective action. A spokesperson for the company confirmed that they had received five complaints, which they described as a "very small" amount of affected products. The spokesperson also stated that Weinstein Wholesale Meats is committed to producing high-quality and safe food for its customers. Read Also: American Samoa Issues Public Health Emergency Due To Measles Outbreak in Children, Prompting School Closures FSIS Food Recalls According to Newsweek, this news comes a month after a Minnesota-based catering company was compelled to recall frozen beef patties from schools in the state following concerns that they contained wire-like metal. Weinstein Wholesale Meats is recalling over 2,000 pounds of raw ground beef burger patties that could have been infected with white neoprene. Neoprene is a synthetic rubber material commonly used in various products, including civil engineering, electronics, and personal protective equipment such as face masks. While neoprene is not considered toxic, it is a polymerized form of chloroprene, which is hazardous and has been classified as a likely carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency. The FSIS added that it is concerned that some of the contaminated products may be in consumers' refrigerators or freezers and is urging consumers who have purchased the affected products to refrain from consuming them. The products in question were shipped to an online distributor, who sold them to customers across the United States. The FSIS advises customers to check their refrigerators and freezers for the affected products and either discard them or return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. As part of its recall process, the FSIS conducts effectiveness checks to ensure that the recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and take the necessary steps to prevent the contaminated products from being available to consumers. The agency urges consumers to follow food safety guidelines to prevent foodborne illnesses, including cooking raw meat to a safe internal temperature. Related Article: Melatonin Gummies Put Children at Risk: A New Harvard Study Reveals Alarming Findings Photo: (Photo : Brett Hacker/Getty Images) Kansas lawmakers passed a new infant care law. Healthcare providers in Kansas may potentially face criminal charges for their alleged mishandling of newborns born during specific abortion procedures following a decision by the state's Republican-controlled government. Legislature on Wednesday overrode Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's veto of their legislation, per AP News. The new law, set to take effect on July 1, represents a significant shift in how healthcare providers in Kansas must treat newborns delivered during an abortion procedure. It mandates that providers exercise the same level of professional skill, care, and diligence to preserve the health of these newborns as they would with other live births. New Infant Care Law's Requirements This includes ensuring that the newborns are transported to a hospital and that all necessary medical attention is provided. While GOP lawmakers and anti-abortion groups have pushed for the law, it has been met with criticism from abortion rights advocates who view it as a ploy to sow confusion and fear. They argue that the law is largely symbolic, as the cases it covers are rare due to existing abortion regulations in Kansas. However, they fear it could deter doctors from providing abortion care and make women hesitant to seek it. Elisabeth Smith, the state policy and advocacy director for the Center for Reproductive Rights, which defends access to abortion, has raised concerns about the language used in the law. She notes that the words used do not have any real meaning and that doctors, hospitals, and clinics are uncertain about how to interpret them. The lack of clarity raises concerns about how the law will be enforced and whether providers will be penalized for inadvertent violations. Abortion Opponents' Perspective Advocates against abortion argue that the new Kansas law is a reasonable measure put in place to protect newborns. Representative Ron Bryce, a practicing physician in southeastern Kansas, has expressed concerns over what he perceives as a "culture of death." He believes that the sanctity of life should be prioritized and upheld. The law in Kansas, which is similar to laws in at least 18 other states, mandates that newborns delivered during certain abortion procedures must receive the same standard of care as other live births, with criminal penalties for doctors who fail to comply. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has stated that infants born before 23 weeks have a very low survival rate. Healthcare providers sometimes induce labor to deliver a fetus early if it has a severe medical issue, with death expected to occur within a matter of minutes or seconds. According to the Center for Reproductive Rights, Kansas law includes constitutional protections for abortion. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that the Bill of Rights enshrined in the Kansas Constitution safeguards the inherent right to personal autonomy for all Kansans, comprising the freedom to govern one's own body. Included in it are the rights of an individual, which encompass the ability to uphold bodily autonomy, and to practice self-governance, thereby enabling them to independently determine whether or not to proceed with a pregnancy. Read Also: Pennsylvania Passes Bill Requiring Insurers To Cover Breast Cancer Screenings, Genetic Testing Costs Abortion Regulations in Kansas As per the Abortion Finder Organization, in Kansas, abortion is legal for women who are 21 weeks and 6 days pregnant or less. Although the state has banned abortion after this point, many providers choose to stop offering abortions earlier in pregnancy. However, if women are under 18 years of age, obtaining permission from both parents or legal guardians is necessary to get an abortion in Kansas. If this is not possible, women may seek a judicial bypass, which waives the requirement for parental involvement. For minors seeking help with the judicial bypass process, assistance is available. Related Article: Menopause Symptoms: A Silent Burden for Working Women, Families, Leading To Billions in Medical Costs This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact the Parsons Sun office at (620) 421-2000 if you have any questions In November 2022, Patently Apple posted a report titled "Former Apple Employee Dhirendra Prasad has pleaded guilty in federal court of committing multiple fraudulent schemes against Apple." Late yesterday in a press release issued from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of California, the public was made aware that Dhirendra Prasad had been sentenced to serve three years in prison and ordered to pay $19,270,683 in restitution for conspiring to defraud Apple, Inc., of millions of dollars and for related tax crimes, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Special Agent in Charge Darren Lian. The sentence was handed down by the Hon. Beth L. Freeman, United States District Judge. Prasad, 55, from Mountain House in San Joaquin County, was previously charged by Information with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1349 (Count One); two counts of conspiracy to commit money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1956(h) (Counts Two and Three); one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 371 (Count Four); and one count of tax evasion, in violation of 26 U.S.C. 7201 (Count Five). Prasad pleaded guilty to the first and fourth count on November 2, 2022. The remaining counts were dismissed at sentencing. The criminal conduct in this case centered around Prasads employment at Apple from December 2008 through December 2018. For most of that time, he was a buyer in Apples Global Service Supply Chain. It was Prasads job as an Apple buyer to facilitate the process through which Apple bought parts to perform warranty repairs on older devices. Prasad exploited his position and conspired with two separate Apple vendors to defraud Apple by taking kickbacks, stealing parts, inflating invoices, and causing Apple to pay for items and services it never received resulting in a loss to Apple of more than $17,000,000. In addition to engaging in two separate criminal conspiracies with Apple vendors, Prasad also acknowledged that he evaded tax on the proceeds of his schemes. According to the governments sentencing memorandum, by virtue of his position at Apple Prasad was given substantial discretion to make autonomous decisions to benefit his employer. Prasad betrayed this trust, and abused his power to enrich himself at his employers expense all while accepting hundreds-of-thousands of dollars worth of compensation from Apple in the form of salary and bonuses. Additionally, Prasad used his insider information regarding the companys fraud-detection techniques to design his criminal schemes to avoid detection. In addition to the three-year prison sentence, Judge Freeman ordered Prasad to forfeit over $5,491,713 worth of assetsthat already have been seized by the governmentand to pay an additional forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $8,133,005. Judge Freeman also entered an order of restitution, requiring Prasad to pay $17,398,104 to Apple and $1,872,579 to the IRS, and also ordered Prasad to serve three years of supervised release, to begin after the prison term. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael G. Pitman and Karen Beausey are prosecuting the case. The prosecution was the result of an investigation led by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation. Editors Note: Google has begun rolling out the new Photos app with movie capabilities to Chromebooks today. The original story follows. Move over, Windows Google Photos is getting its own video editor, which will arrive on Chromebooks this fall. And if thats not enough, the professional-grade LumaFusion video-editing app will be available on Chromebooks, too. Like other developers, Google typically releases a bundle of new features, which roll out over time. The headliner for the fall, however, will be the new video editor, which will complement Google Photos in much the same way Microsofts own Video Editor (or Clipchamp, a superior alternative) complements Windows Photos app. Chromebooks will also get light and dark themes, as well as other personalization options. If a still image of the video editor that Google released is indicative of the final feature set, however, than Microsoft has nothing to worry about. That screenshot only shows the option to adjust characteristics like contrast and brightness, add a soundtrack, and possibly stitch clips together. Google also says that youll be able to add a title card, too. On the other hand, what Google is trying to do seems much more in tune with what it algorithmically knows about you and your movies and photos. The Photos movie editor will offer themes, as Clipchamp does; but it will also pull its own clips, apparently. Start by selecting a theme and the people (or pets!) youd like to feature, and Google Photos will make a movie with both video clips and photos, Google wrote in a blog post. It even intelligently selects the most meaningful moments from your long videos. The Light and Dark themes within the Google Photos Gallery app. Google But theres more: Google also said that its bringing the LumaTouch LumaFusion app to Chromebooks. Thats not only interesting as it gives Chromebook users a professional-level video editing application, but it also brings what has previously been an iOS app into the ChromeOS universe Apple even awarded LumaFusion its app of the year previously. The app adds video transitions and distortions, graphics and sound effects, plus narration and color grading, according to Google. Other, smaller upgrades are also coming to the Gallery and Photos apps for Chromebooks over the next few months. Like in Windows, youll be able to open a photo in the Gallery app and then open it within the Photos editor. Google also plans to add new PDF editing features to the Gallery app beginning in August, allowing users to fill out forms and highlight text. Google is adding the capability for Chromebooks to be able to edit PDFs. Google Finally, youll also be able to pull photos from Photos and use them as background images to personalize your desktop. Photos will also form the foundation of a new Light and Dark theme for Chromebooks in August, with wallpapers that can self-adjust for the change in tone a nifty trick that can be programmed to take place as day turns into night, and vice versa. Chromebooks are also gaining two new productivity features, including virtual desks (Google-ese for Windows virtual desktops, presumably) which will allow users to group tabs and apps together for specific tabs. Googles implementation will allow you to open and close them with a click. Finally, if you click on the date on the Chromebook shelf (taskbar), a calendar will open up that can be used to access Google Calendar dates. Google will launch the calendar feature in August, and add the desks by late September, the company said. The Board of Directors of Ghana National Gas Company Limited (GNGC) on Tuesday hosted the new Chief Executive Officer for Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company Limited (GCMC), Madam Genevieve Sackey. The discussion was about Ghana National Gas Company taking over the Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company. This engagement was borne out the Presidents approval for GNGC to acquire Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company Limited. The meeting was held at the boardroom of GNGC and was a success. The new Managing Director of Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company, Genevieve Sackey, was full of praise after the discussion and assured the board of Ghana Gas of her readiness to cooperate and commitment to deliver on the mandate of the Company. As the Cylinder Manufacturing Company mission states, they will make available safe and affordable LPG cylinders, cookwares and other fabricated products on the domestic and export markets by highly motivated staff providing an acceptable level of returns to stakeholders. The LPG cylinder recirculation module, when fully implemented, will put a stop to the process where individuals take their cylinders to the gas filling station for refill before taking them to their various homes. This module was formulated as a result of the deadly gas explosion at the Atomic Junction. As part of this module, Ghana Gas has secured license to construct an LPG bottling plant at Axim in the Western region. The LPG bottling plant is designed to take LPG from the source of its production and bottling the commodity in LPG cylinders, which will be sent to the market. With this arrangement, LPG cylinder manufacturing will be key to the success of the recirculation module. Being a cylinder manufacturing company, Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company is part of the value chain for the recirculation module. Their primary responsibility on this module is to produce quality LPG cylinders and their associated maintenance. Being an LPG producer and a licensed company for the recirculation module, Ghana Gas recognizes the need to have a reliable LPG cylinder manufacturing company. It is at the backdrop of this recognition that Ghana Gas is taking over GCMC to give it financial phase lift and to promote market viability of GCMC. At the board meeting were the Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Gas Dr. Ben K. D. Asante, Awulae Amihere Kpanyinli , Stephen Sumani Nayina, Madam Delphine Dogbegah, and Nana Asiaa Benneh Beyeemah I. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Global Chamber of Business Leaders (GCBL) has, as part of its growing efforts to connect business leaders and executives from around the world on a safe and secure platform, appointed four top business leaders. Drawn from Brazil, Canada, Pakistan and Israel, the new appointees are to serve GCBL for a period of two years, respectively. The new appointees are: Samuel Shay, Shakeela Naz, Clementina Moreira Alves, and Miloud Alain Hussene. DETAILS AND ROLES OF THE APPOINTEES Mr. Samuel Shay, a visionary entrepreneur and leader in the field of advanced technological solutions for sustainable development, joins GCBL as a member of its Board of Advisors. The Founder and President of Gulf Technologies Systems, a leading Israeli company, Mr. Shay, who has a strong background in technology and innovation, is known for his creative ideas and groundbreaking projects that have the potential to transform countries and improve the lives of their citizens. He has been at the forefront of developing and implementing advanced technologies in various sectors, including agriculture, water management, renewable energy and environmental quality. Shakeela Naz, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of S. Naz. Rajput Global Entrepreneurship, a company established for women and economic empowerment, becomes the first person to be appointed as GCBL Delegate in Pakistan. She joins GCBL with vast experience and knowledge of the global business community, having served as a Founder and Chief Executive Officer of a financial consultancy in the United Arab Emirates. Clementina Moreira Alves has been appointed GCBL Board Member in Brazil. She is the Founder and CEO of Agencia Integra Brasil, a company that has been working for two decades in development strategies, solutions and cooperation businesses in the Brazilian energy matrix, health and agribusiness. She is also President of the Brazilian Institute of Responsible Action. Clementina has, in her path, recognition and notoriety in the Brazilian scenario, as Coordinator of Socio-Environmental Economics at the Brazilian Institute of Economics at FGV; General Coordinator at the Ministry of Development, Industry and Commerce and Services at the Federal Government of Brazil; UN consultant; General Manager of the Brazilian Institute of the United Nations Environment Program of UNEP; Researcher at Petrobras' CENPES, in addition to CNPq and CAPES. Miloud Alain Hussene is to serve as GCBL Board Member in Canada. Mr. Hussene is based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where he acts as a Commercial Director for a Global Leading Company providing solutions for Ecological Transformation. As an astute professional, Miloud operates at Corporate Risk & Strategy Management Level, spearheading high-level contract negotiations of major Environmental Projects. He strongly believes in human progress by firmly committing to the Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. He holds two Masters Degrees in the field of Engineering and is currently an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. ABOUT GCBL The Global Chamber of Business Leaders is a coalition of governmental leaders, CEOs and executives, entrepreneurs, investors and business and industry leaders who share a common vision: the sustainable well-being and growth of business in a disruptive and ever-evolving global economy. Global Chamber of Business Leaders prioritizes activities that align with the UN-declared Decade of Action, promoting the importance of the inclusion of the Sustainable Development Goals in the business models of the future, allowing our partners, members, and participants to prepare their businesses to be vanguards of the future. The GCBL fosters a vibrant and interconnected business community, encouraging resiliency, growth and market expansion in a progressive business environment where collaboration spurs growth; education enhances the ability and promotes opportunity; and advocacy influences authority. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has agreed to provide the Asian African Consortium (AAC) with scientific research to boost AAC's rice project in Ghana. At the MoU signing ceremony in Accra on Thursday April 27, 2023, the Chief Executive Officer of the AAC, Mrs. Adelaide Siaw-Agyepong expressed optimism of the collaboration of the two institutions stating that CSIR has an immense value to contribute in fulfilling the ACC's objectives. "AAC is excited with CSIR's partnership which will help to boost the whole value chain in Ghana's commercial rice production," she emphasised. "We are also aware of CSIR's reputation for its unrivalled dedication to expanding global research and development reach," she noted. She stated that the Jospong Group of Companies is also dedicated to generating solutions and bridging gaps with the world's most prestigious companies and organisations and that explains the decision to partner CSIR. The signing of the MoU and exchange agreement marks the beginning of a partnership that will lead to numerous new cooperative research projects that create new synergies and enhance the economic and research value of both AAC and CSIR as well as value to the nation. Per the agreement, CSIR will be responsible for facilitating AAC's collaboration with various CSIR institutes across the country to depend research and development to societal challenges for economic growth and development. It will also provide training, technical assistance and advisory services in research and development to AAC through science, technology and innovation and related issues.. This will be done by qualified and experience scientist of CSIR to provide research and project support for the various AACs funded projects. The Director General of CSIR, Prof. Paul P. Bosu touching on the agreement, noted that, they will identify common areas of collaboration to address the overal mandate of the two parties. And also develop a plan for collaborative operations between the two parties. Again, the agreement will detail the scope and principles of engagement between the two parties. The DG emphasised that "As the nation's number one research institution, we welcome this vision and we are poised to to support with the knowledge, expertise and infrastructure that is available at CSIR" In a brief remark, the Executive Chairman Jospong Group Dr. Joseph Siaw-Agyepong called on Ghanaians to rise up to the occasion and be part of the solutions. He challenged the CSIR to support the initiative to help make Ghana self-sufficient in rice and ither crop production. "The habit of importing (rice) must come to an end. If we join hands to produce and over produce the importers will have no choice than to accept what we have" he challenged all. The CSIR is the foremost science and technology organization in the country. The mandate of the CSIR in broad terms is to pursue the implementation of government policies on scientific research and development. CSIR research programmes cover a wide range of activities in the following areas: Industry, Agriculture, Agro-processing, Fisheries, Forestry, Water Resources, Human Settlement Infrastructure, Environment, Health, Natural and Social Sciences Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The dream of every female is to have formal education to spur them on in their future endeavours. But for Georgina Afia Kwarteng, that dream nearly fizzled into thin air when due to circumstances beyond her control, she had to drop out of school at primary 6. As fate would have it, after several years hustling on the streets of Accra, trading and engaging in menial jobs, the Radio and TV broadcast journalist defied all odds, went back to school and has since graduated with a Masters degree in Public Relations from the prestigious Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ). The Media personality, popularly known as Authentic Mama, has made a profound revelation on how she climbed the academic ladder and achieved that feat even though she never attended senior high school (SHS). She narrated how she lost her mom in 1992 while aged just six years, followed by that of her father in 1998, which rendered her totally an orphan. To say life has been a difficult journey is an understatement; someones story may be more touching than mine. However, I believe sharing mine on this platform will go a long way to encourage someone in the same situation. Before my dads passing, I was living with him to take care of him in a Village called BANKO in the Ashanti Region, specifically in the Effiduase District. He had a health condition that couldnt allow him to walk, and so I practically had to do everything for the old man Agya Yaw Kwarteng to the point that he had to go to private in a rubber bowl (Kruwaba) for me to dispose it at the refuge dump. Afia said things took a dramatic turn when in 2000, one of her big sisters brought her to the capital city, Accra, hoping to continue her education. Unfortunately, that hope was shattered; I stopped schooling at class 6-JSS1, and I started selling pure water at the OLD Achimota Station while, sadly, my sister got ejected from where she used to stay to an uncompleted building where there was no light to freeze the water so by the grace of God I stopped selling at the age of 15 and was just home. Our God, who works in mysterious ways, connected me to a lady who works at a communication centre in my area where I used to do errands for her and at the end of the day, she buys food for me to eat, one day she told shell be going back to school and since I know how to make calls for clients while shes away, shell introduce me to her boss so he can employ me. Graciously I got employed and started making little small money; I saved a little, later around 2005, I got a job at a stationary shop in Adabraka and saved a bit of cash; by then, I was almost homeless because I was ejected from the uncompleted building I was perching with my big sister. As time passed, her admiration for corporate ladies grew so much that she made a conscious effort to associate herself with the educated in society. In Afias words, One of the ladies I admired so much, Naa Lamley, advised me that, even though I am a school dropout, I can still go to University if my soul wishes, ambiguous right? I decided to take up that challenge by attending a professional media school, All Stars Media School and later Galaxy Media College, where I got a diploma in journalism and hospitality, respectively. This allowed me to get into the media space as an intern at the now-defunct Prime FM. As fate would have it, her paths crossed with then Director of Communications with the largest opposition National Democratic Congress, James Asante, who guided and provided money for her to purchase admission forms to attend GIJ. I was assigned to cover an NDC Council of Elders presser at the Local Government secretariat at Madina; after the media briefings, I was conducting interviews for further clarification and heard a voice calling out the name of my stations rep to come for honorarium popularly known as soli. However, I focused on the interview and later approached James Asante, who asked my name and applauded me for not focusing on the soli. He then enquired about my educational background; I was reluctant, so he asked me to come to his office to talk more. God being so good when I went to see him, I opened up to him; he then told me to go to the Fidelity Bank to buy GIJ mature entrance forms to apply for a Diploma in Communication. I broke down and confided in him that I didnt have the tuition fee to register; he then offered to help me pay half of the amount, and behold, after the entrance exam, I got admitted into the all-mighty Ghana Institute of Journalism, now UniMAC. Afia also had some words of encouragement to the youth, most especially school dropouts who have lost hope of furthering their education. The import of sharing this long story is to encourage a young lady and gentleman out there who have lost hope that theres still hope. Theres nothing you cant do if you put your mind to it. Success doesnt always come easy. Keep pushing. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Pfizer, a global pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, has raised awareness on why vaccines and continued vaccine innovation matters today and in the future. In every April of the year, World Immunization Week brings together people from around the world to highlight the importance of vaccines and how they protect people of all ages against many diseases, giving us the opportunity to pursue a good life. In a statement on Tuesday, the firm said the 2023 World Immunization Week will mark the beginning of a year-long campaign with the theme The Big Catch-up, representing a global push to vaccinate millions of children and return to pre-pandemic vaccination levels. According to Pfizer, this years campaign comes at a critical turning point for immunization. After over two years of immunization backsliding caused by COVID-19 pandemic disruptions, we must catch-up, restore and strengthen immunization services to reach the millions of people missing out on the life-saving benefits of vaccines and stop outbreaks from accelerating, the statement read. Every year during World Immunization Week, Pfizer takes the time to celebrate the impact of vaccines, and this year is no exception even in the midst of heightened concern and apprehension around the status of vaccination programmes around the world. Kodjo Soroh, a Medical Director, Sub-Saharan Africa, Pfizer, said the global pharmaceutical company has a long history in vaccine research and development including a pivotal role in the eradication of polio and smallpox. Through the development of innovative delivery systems and technologies (the term often used is novel vaccines), weve created innovations for preventing deadly bacterial infections, Soroh said. Vaccines underpin our global health security by preventing and controlling over 30 infectious diseases, reducing unnecessary hospitalizations and controlling infectious disease outbreaks. We should not forget that they are one of the worlds most powerful and cost-effective public health tools available and have successfully helped to eradicate, eliminate, and manage many deadly infectious diseases. Smallpox has been eradicated and polio is nearly gone. Cervical cancer could become the first cancer to be eliminated. Vaccines also play a critical role in combating antimicrobial resistance: they can reduce antibiotic use by preventing bacterial infections in the first place, such as with the pneumococcal and meningococcal vaccines, and can also prevent viral infections such as flu, which can provoke secondary infections requiring antibiotics. Today, more than at any time in history, people are benefiting from safe and effective vaccines to prevent infections and diseases. These injections have protected people of all ages, from newborns to seniors. However, our work is not done. Many viruses and bacteria still present a serious health risk, and so we continue to focus on research and development in new areas, with the goal of adding more approved vaccines to tackle pathogens. By getting vaccinated, you can protect yourself and also avoid spreading preventable diseases to other people in your community. Some people cannot get certain vaccines because they are too young or too old or they have a weakened immune system or other serious health condition. Those people are less likely to catch a preventable disease when you and others around them are vaccinated against it. Help protect yourself and the people you love by staying up to date on recommended vaccinations. According to Pfizer, the global vaccination coverage figures are looking up but they still mask huge inequalities that we cannot afford to ignore. To help protect as many people as possible from life-threatening illness, were working to develop and distribute vaccines throughout the world. Weve already seen that by channeling resources to the most promising public health opportunities, we can have an impact across all areas of life, the company noted. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Fighting is continuing in parts of Sudan despite a 72-hour ceasefire largely holding. Speaking via phone from Omdurman, the city adjoining the capital Khartoum, the BBC's Mohamed Osman says fighting broke out near TV and radio buildings. There is no fuel and a lack of doctors, and people are struggling to access food and money, our correspondent adds. Sudan's army chief has reportedly approved extending the ceasefire - due to expire on Friday - for 72 hours. Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan gave initial approval to the proposal from the regional African bloc Intergovernmental Authority on Development, Reuters news agency reports. The proposal suggests sending envoys from the Sudanese army and rival group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to Juba in South Sudan to discuss the details. The current ceasefire began at midnight local time (22:00 GMT) on Monday bringing a pause to a conflict which erupted on 15 April amid a power struggle between the leaders of the army and the RSF. People in Khartoum and Omdurman are finding it difficult to find clean water and food and access to cash, our correspondent says. Explosions and gunfire could still be heard on Wednesday, with warplanes in the air, although it was quieter than before the ceasefire and the situation was good enough for evacuations to continue. Our correspondent says he and his family find it difficult to sleep because of the explosions and shooting. Gangs have also been looting homes and empty buildings, targeting cars and vehicles, he adds. Local people fear what will happen after the ceasefire ends. Both sides still man checkpoints but these are fewer in number as some troops have withdrawn to other areas. The warring factions both claim to control important places like airports and army headquarters. There is no internet access and phone lines are poor. At least 459 people have been killed since the fighting broke out though the actual number is thought to be much higher. Earlier the World Health Organization said it expected "many more" deaths due to disease, a lack of access to food and water and disruption to health facilities. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, left the country on Wednesday, 26th April 2023, at the invitation of the Democrat Union of Africa (DUA) Annual Forum in Johannesburg, South Africa. President Akufo-Addo will deliver the keynote address at the Forum, which is scheduled to be held from the 26th to the 30th of April 2023, in Johannesburg. He was accompanied by the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Kwaku Ampratwum, Member of Parliament for Mampong; and officials from the Presidency and Foreign Ministry. President Akufo-Addo will return to Ghana on Sunday, 30th April 2023, and the in his absence, the Vice President, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, shall, by Article 60 (8) of the Constitution, act in his stead. Source: dailyguidenetwork.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Bishop John Adonteng Boateng, the visionary founder of Divine Word International Ministries, has once again demonstrated his commitment to empowering the underprivileged in society by awarding fully sponsored educational scholarships to deserving students in the United States of America. In partnership with Hylton High School, Bishop Adonteng has provided an opportunity for black minority students to pursue higher education, thereby paving way for their future success. This philanthropic work, known as the "Unknown Stars Award," recognizes students who exhibit the passion and determination to be changemakers in their communities and offers them the necessary platform to realize their dreams. This is the second time that Bishop Adonteng, a highly respected spiritual leader in the United States, has embarked on this noble initiative which has already yielded outstanding results. In addition to supporting the education of deserving students, Bishop Adonteng has also undertaken numerous social responsibilities including feeding and clothing the homeless in the United States. As a testament to his unwavering commitment to improving the lives of the underprivileged, Bishop Adonteng recently commissioned an ultra-modern orphanage home in Ghana called the "Divine Privileged Home". This state-of-the-art facility will provide the best possible education and healthcare for over 200 orphans and widows, ensuring that they are equipped to achieve their full potential. During his recent visit to Ghana, Bishop Adonteng was honored to meet with several prominent figures including former President John Agyekum Kufour, current President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Accra Mayor Madam Elizabeth Sackey. They discussed his plans to help the underprivileged in Ghanaian society and other developmental agendas he has for the country. Bishop Adonteng's unwavering commitment to philanthropy and education has earned him widespread admiration and respect. His work is a shining example of how individuals can make a significant impact in the lives of others and contribute to the greater good of society. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Deposed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is being held at a military hospital in Khartoum after fighting between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) broke out and engulfed the prison where he was being held. Al-Bashir and about 30 other prisoners were moved to Aliyaa hospital on the recommendation of medical staff at Kober Prison, the army said in a statement on Wednesday. Al-Bashir was being held at Kober Prison in Bahri, just north of Khartoum, along with other members of his former government. The prison was attacked during fighting between the two military groups, which led to a jailbreak on Sunday with thousands of inmates escaping. Former President Bashirs family members said they are waiting for the fighting to end so he can go to trial and prove his innocence, said Al Jazeeras Hiba Morgan, reporting from Khartoum. The release of about 25,000 convicted criminals added to a growing sense of lawlessness in Khartoum, where residents have reported worsening insecurity with widespread looting and gangs roaming the streets. Al-Bashir was overthrown in 2019 by the two generals whose forces are now fighting on the streets of Khartoum and across Sudan. At least four senior officials in his government fled during the jailbreak and later released an audio statement saying they will surrender to authorities once there is a judicial body operating in the war-torn country. They said once there is a system in place, they will hand themselves in for justice because they are innocent of the charges against them, Morgan said. Source: Aljazeera Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Tens of thousands of people fleeing violence in Sudan are spilling into Chad, with aid agencies warning that larger flows of refugees are expected to arrive. Since fierce fighting broke out in Sudan on April 15, an estimated 20,000 people have entered Chad and at least 100,000 are set to arrive, the United Nations said on Tuesday, raising concerns about the stability of a fragile region. The conflict has pitted army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against Mohamed Hamdan Hemedti Dagalo, the head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and al-Burhans deputy in the militarys Sovereignty Council that has been running the country since the October 2021 coup. More than 400 people have died so far. While the most intense fighting has been taking place in the capital Khartoum, battles have also spread to Sudans western region of Darfur, reviving memories of the 16-year-long conflict, in which 300,000 people were killed. Back then, rebels fought against the government of President Omar al-Bashir and the Popular Defence Forces called Janjaweed by the rebels which later evolved into the RSF. Lying on Darfurs western border, Chad has reported the highest number of refugees from the Sudan conflict compared with other neighbouring countries, according to the UN. They arrive exhausted and in a state of panic after they left behind all their material and financial assets, said Idriss Mahmat Ali Abdallah Nassouri, head of Chads National Commission for Reception, Reintegration and Returnees (CNARR). Most of the refugees have come from the towns of Nyala and El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, where the fighting has been more intense, Nassouri said, adding that most are now staying in Chads eastern provinces of Ouaddai and Sila. The number of arrivals is increasing by the thousands and is worrying, Nassouri said, noting that resources were straining to assist the 600,000 refugees, spread across 13 camps in the countrys east, who were already living in Chad before the latest crisis in Sudan erupted. Source: Aljazeera Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has described the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government as one that is neck-deep in the illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) industry. The MP, in a Facebook post dated April 26, said a leaked report on galamsey and how government officials are alleged to be involved in it, showed that the galamsey fight was a "grand deception." He is, however, concerned about budgeted funds over two years amounting to over GH326m, which sum was to cater for people who lost their livelihoods to the illegal small-scale mining. Ablakwa's post read: "We now know Akufo-Addo's galamsey fight was a grand deception; can this Government of Galamsey account for the GHS326.5million allocated in the 2022 & 2023 Budgets for so-called dislodged miners under the National Alternative Employment & Livelihood Programme launched by President Akufo-Addo? "Do the beneficiaries exist? We shall be demanding real identities at the earliest opportunity when Parliament resumes. [See pages 239 & 197 of 2022 & 2023 Budgets respectively for cumulative allocations]." Frimpong-Boateng galamsey report triggers reactions A leaked 36-page report by former environment minister Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, accused some government employees and some top officials at the Presidency of engaging in galamsey and frustrating his fight against the menace as the former chair of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM). Reacting to the report, the presidency through a statement indicated that the report was not an official document formally delivered to the Office of the President even though it was handed to the Chief of Staff. It described the report as a catalogue of personal grievances by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, intended to respond to some issues he faced as Chairperson of the IMCIM. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video 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. Two of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls have escaped after spending nine years in Boko Haram captivity. Sources told Daily Trust that the girls escaped from Sambisa forest, on Sunday, April 23, 2023, as a result of intense military operations. A security source said the escapees were identified as Hauwa Mutah and Esther Markus. One is from Chibok and the other one from Dzilang village, the source said. This has reduced the number of Chibok schoolgirls in captivity from 98 to 96. The terrorists had on April 14, 2014, abducted 276 girls from Government Secondary School, Chibok. Earlier, the head of the Intelligence Unit of the Joint Military Task Force, Operation Hadinkai, Colonel Obinna Ezuipke, gave the number of the remaining Chibok girls in captivity as 98. Out of the 276 abducted Chibok girls, 57 girls escaped in 2014 while 107 girls were released in 2018. Three girls were recovered in 2019, two in 2021 and 9 were rescued in 2022, bringing the total of 178 girls out of captivity and 98 remaining in Boko Haram captivity. he stated. Source: LIB Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Ist Vice President of Lajna Imaillah Dr. Fatima Eshun (left) presenting items to Senior Social Worker of Chance for Children Mr. Zakari Alhassan (right). The Ahmadiyya Muslim Womens Wing (Lajna Imaillah) of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission celebrated the Edi-Ul-Fitr festival with street children at Chance for Children, an organization dedicated to providing safe space for the welfare of street children. Items worth over 10,000 cedis were donated to the management of the center. Members of Lajna Imaillah, on the 24th of April, visited Chance for Children at Hebron near Medie in the Greater Accra region to mark the end of the Ramandan Fast and also as part of its ongoing Centenary celebrations. The delegation donated assorted food items and drinks to support the children at the center. First Vice of Lajna Imaillah, Dr. Fatima Eshun who represented the National President of the Association, Hajia Anisa Nasirudeen Iddrissu in her remarks, said it is incumbent upon Muslims to share what they have with the needy. She quoted from the Holy Quran chapter 2 verse 216 where Allah Almighty says, They ask thee what they shall spend. Say: Whatever good and abundant wealth you spend should be for parents and near relatives and orphans and the needy and the wayfarer. And whatever good you do, surely Allah knows it well. She added that, as Muslims, we cannot be best if we do not spend on the needy as required of us by Allah. The members of Lajna Imaillah have been donating to various orphanage homes, hospitals, among others. The organization hopes that there will be no child on the street, and all children will be well taken care of by their families, Insha Allah. The National Welfare Secretary of the organization in the person of Hajia Mariam Osman also said that the organization is noted for its benevolent activities through humanity first which is an NGO within the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community that supports various people and communities with various needs. The organization believes in love for all and hatred for none and so extends its help to everyone in need. Members of the delegation also interacted with the street children and shared some pieces of advice with them. They were encouraged to be God-fearing and obey their guardians, be disciplined, love one another, do away with all forms of vices, be humble and respectful, and learn hard so that they can become good citizens in the future. Mr. Zakari Alhassan, who is the Senior Social Worker of Chance for Children expressed his gratitude to Lajna Imaillah adding that, it is the first time a Muslim organization has extended a hand to them. He continued that the organization was established in 1999 by one Ghanaian called Amon Kortey and later on a Swiss by the name of Daniella Sodjah joined him to take care of street children. They have a walk-in center where the street children go to have their bath and get a warm meal, some education, and training is also provided for them. They currently have 65 children who are all attending school and they take care of all their expenses. He continued that they need more people to support them so that they can continue to take care of these children, whom they eventually unite with their families. Dr. Fatima Eshun commended their efforts adding that they are doing what all believers are supposed to be doing. She prayed that the Almighty Allah continue to open more doors for them so that they can continue to support these street children. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Wednesday that AI was helping the company boost traffic to Facebook and Instagram and earn more in ad sales, as it forecast quarterly revenue well above analyst expectations. Meta shares surged 12% in after hours trading, adding over $50 billion to its market value and continuing a rally in tech shares that started after Google parent Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) posted strong results on Tuesday. Meta narrowed its cost outlook range for the year, saying expenses could be less than the company forecast in March, and also beat expectations for first-quarter profit and revenue, which rose for the first time in nearly a year. The company, which has been slow to adopt AI-friendly hardware and software systems for its main business, has carried out several expensive overhauls to bolster its core business, including a massive project to upgrade AI capacity. "At this point, we are no longer behind in building out our AI infrastructure," Zuckerberg said on a conference call. "And to the contrary, we now have the capacity to do leading work in this space at scale." AI recommendations increased time spent on Instagram by 24% in the January-March quarter, Meta said. "I think similar to Alphabet, a lot of Meta's AI investments have gone into the advertiser side," said James Cordwell, analyst at Atlantic Equities. "So as a consumer we're maybe not seeing the fruits of their labor in that area, but it certainly seems as if they are able to use more advanced algorithms to maintain a certain level of ad targeting." Meta has also kicked off an aggressive cost-cutting drive, with plans to eliminate 21,000 jobs and flatten its middle-management structure as it works towards Zuckerberg's goal of turning 2023 into the "year of efficiency". The results indicated that austerity drive was "off to a stronger than expected start for Meta," said Insider Intelligence principal analyst Debra Aho Williamson. "In this economic environmentand after the disaster that was 20223% year over year revenue growth is an accomplishment. Meta's strong guidance for Q2 revenue is another indicator that the company may be starting to come out of the woods." The social media giant faced a bruising 2022 as a pandemic-era e-commerce boom sputtered, while rivals like TikTok captured young users and Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) privacy updates cut access to the user data around which it built its ads business. The logo of Meta Platforms is seen in Davos, Switzerland, May 22, 2022. Picture taken May 22, 2022. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann COST CONTROL Spending on the AI retooling has spiked the company's capital expenditures, which came in slightly under expectations at $7.1 billion for the quarter. Analysts had forecast $7.2 billion in capital expenditures in the quarter, based on the company's annual forecast of $30 billion to $33 billion, which it kept unchanged. The company left open the possibility that it could increase capital expenditures as it builds products for generative AI, an emerging technology that can craft human-like writing, art and other content. "Zuckerberg is well aware that his spending habits are being watched very carefully, and any renewed efforts to shift the budget to untested areas won't go down well," said Sophie Lund-Yates, lead equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown. "That said, it's very hard to penny-pinch your way to the top, leaving Meta walking a very fine line between keeping the lights on and making the future bright enough to excite investors." Meta said it continued to expect operating losses in its metaverse-oriented Reality Labs unit to increase in 2023. The company had been investing billions of dollars into the unit, which lost $13.7 billion last year. Zuckerberg said he remained committed to the investments. "A narrative has developed that we're somehow moving away from focusing on the metaverse vision. I just want to say upfront: that's not accurate," he said. "We've been focusing on both AI and the metaverse for years now, and we will continue to focus on both." Meta narrowed its annual expenses forecast to between $86 billion and $90 billion, down from the $86 billion to $92 billion it had predicted in March, when it announced its second round of layoffs. The company said its quarterly price per ad decreased 17% from a year earlier, while it expects current-quarter revenue between $29.5 billion and $32 billion, compared with analysts' estimates of $29.53 billion, according to Refinitiv data. Net profit for the first three months of the year fell to $2.20 per share from $2.72 a year earlier, but beat expectations of $2.03 a share. Revenue for the first quarter rose 3% to $28.65 billion, beating an average estimate of $27.66 billion. Source: Reuters Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The National Democratic Congress (NDC) appears to be feeding on the report by former Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister KwabenaFrimpong-Boateng, with its members firing all cylinders and demanding various probes to allegations contained therein. The report, which accuses some government officials of misconduct in the fight against illegal mining activities popularly known as galamseyin the country, has been described by the Office of the President as a compilation of personal grievances. But it seems it has provided arsenals for the main opposition party, with its members scoring cheap political points against President Akufo-Addo with it. It all started with South Dayi MP Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, who mocked the people identified in the report and afterwards petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to look into the matter. His solicitor, NiiKpakpo Samoa Addo, filed the petition with CHRAJ on Tuesday, April 25, asking for a public hearing. After the presentation, Samoa Addo told the press that the petition was received directly by the Commissioner of CHRAJ. According to him, the NDC MP feels that because all Ghanaians rely on the environment for survival, a safe, clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is a fundamental human right and essential to the full enjoyment of a wide range of other human rights, including the right to life and dignity. It is the prayer our client that your office will give this petition the necessary attention it deserves, and investigate these claims to ascertain their truth or otherwise, and take all the appropriate steps to ensure that the persons named herein, if culpable, are dealt with in accordance with law, the petition indicates. Press Conference Just as the dust on the petition was about to settle, the National Communications Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi, hurriedly organized a press conference to accuse the individuals named in the report of being galamsey kingpins. He told media in Accra on Tuesday, April 25, that many of President Nana Addo DankwaAkufo-Addos appointees were neck-deep in galamsey and indulged in the practice with wanton recklessness. He stated that the report highlighted the reality that illegal mining has been a free-for-all enterprise of government appointees. Sammy Gyamfi said the nephew of the President, Gabby AsareOtchere-Darko, for instance, acted with impunity and this must be called out and condemned by all. Shame to all the media personalities who are shamelessly defending the action of Gabby Otchere-Darko. He stated that the NDC would petition the Speaker of Parliament and the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to investigate the incident. Our nation stands united crying for justice. Anything short of a bi-partisan inquiry into this matter will be fiercely resisted, Sammy Gyamfi asserted. Source: Daily Guide Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Former President John Dramani Mahama has called for the resignation of the Minister for Health after he openly admitted that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has failed. Kwaku Agyemang Manu says the Scheme is no longer working, admitting that he no longer uses the service and prefers to pay for his medical treatment. According to him, treatment given NHIS card holders at the various facilities is below par, complaining bitterly that patients who are unable to pay are being denied access to medical services. Responding to the Ministers admission of failure, the former president said Mr. Agyemang Manu must resign. He himself has admitted that he has failed. He has not been able to grow the NHIS and he says it has failed. He has no business being the minister for health. He should resign, he added. Mr. Mahama said to wild applause at a meeting with branch and constituency executives of his party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Sefwi Adobokrom, in the Bia East Constituency. Providing some more detail, Mr. Mahama said NHIS card are being turned away from most health facilities because government is not paying their claims. Health facilities have not been paid since last year for services provided to card holders. How do you expect them to continue treating them, he asked Many have questioned the Ministers public complain instead of taking responsibility to make the Scheme functional. A social media commentator, sharing her thoughts on the ministers statement said, he appears to be talking like an outsider who is merely observing the situation without any ability to effect change within the system. If the NHIS is not functioning as it was before, who should take responsibility, Mr. Mahama continued, restating his position that Mr. Kwaku Agyeman Manu must resign. It is unacceptable for a Minister to act as a passive observer on the side line. The collapse of the Scheme occurred during his tenure and under his leadership. Accepting that the system is not working should be accompanied by a resignation. Source: Daily Guide Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Bono East Regional Organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Prince Opoku Mensah alias Kofi Portuphy has launched a massive support for former President John Mahama dubbed "Operation 99.9%" in the Bono East Region. This operation is to call for an outright endorsement of the candidature of Mr. Mahama as the party gears up to elect their Presidential candidate. According to him, Ghanaians need a savior to save the nation from the mess created by governing New Patriotic Party and this savior is the former President, John Dramani Mahama. He also noted that Mr. Mahama stands tall above all the candidates running for the NDC flagbearship, hence calling on the delegates to vote massively for him during the primaries. He further admonished his executives to work harder to give the NDC a resounding victory in the 2024 elections. Source: Pious Baidoo/Peace News Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Frederick Kumah, also known as 'TheRealHomeBoy', and his father Nana Kumi Darfour, a former and once longest serving Constituency Organizer in the Western Region, have shown their support for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) by donating 50 bags of cement towards the construction of the party's office in Wassa Akropong. The presentation was made to the Constituency Chairman, Nana Kofi Amankwah, on April 26, 2023, at the construction site. During the presentation, Kumah highlighted the importance of contributing to the party's cause and stated that their donation was a gesture of commitment and support for the party's progress. He noted that even though they are yet to receive any significant offers since the party came to power, they still believe in the party's mission and vision and will continue to serve and support the partys cause. He urged others to follow suit and contribute to the party's growth in whatever way they can. Kumah, who will be contesting for the Parliamentary Primaries, emphasized that the NPP is a party worth investing in, and their donation was a step towards building a stronger foundation for the party in the Amenfi East Constituency. The Constituency Chairman, Nana Kofi Amankwah, expressed his gratitude to Kumah and his father for their generous donation and commended them for their dedication to the party's vision. This donation marks a significant milestone for the NPP, signifying the party's growth and continued commitment towards the development of the country. Party leaders encourage others to contribute towards building a befitting office for the party and a stronger NPP for a better Ghana. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A man who used to be 5ft 7ins tall now stands at 5ft 10ins tall after undergoing leg lengthening surgery. In January 2022, the 26-year-old man identified simply as Alex, underwent leg-lengthening surgery to increase his height by three inches. He chose to undergo the painful procedure after years of teasing and jokes about his height. He says he now feels "incredible" after growing taller, but blames society for normalising mocking "short kings". He told NBC: My goal was never to be tall. Its to be in a place where no one comments on my height. Alex, who suffered from short stature dysphoria, a body image anxiety, was so distressed about his height that he would walk the streets crying. Despite only being two inches shorter than the average height for a man in the US, he was desperate to "put an end" to distasteful teasing. After initially dismissing the operation as "insane", Alex finally decided to take the plunge last year. The procedure was originally meant only to correct discrepancy in the legs, but some men, like Alex, are now going under the knife for cosmetic reasons. Alexs surgeon, Dr Shahab Mahboubian, of the Height Lengthening Institute in Burbank, California, said: I even have 60 [to] 65-year-old guys that have come to me to undergo the procedure because it just doesnt stop. "The 'short' jokes keep going on and they feel inferior." Alex spent a total of $100,000 and four gruelling hours in theatre. He added: If all it is, is pain and money, alright. But limbs dont magically grow overnight. Dr Mahboubian explained that each thigh bone is sawn into and a rod is inserted inside. Over the next three to four months, the rods are lengthened by up to 1mm per day, via an external remote control. As new bone slowly grows over the rods, physical therapy is also required four to five times a week. Alex had to relearn how to walk properly and used a walker as he regained mobility. Finally, a year later, the rods were removed in an hour long operation. It's been two months since Alex's second operation and he said he no longer has concerns about his height. The recovery is behind me and I feel incredible, he said. He added that no one should feel the need to have the procedure, and blamed society at large for mocking short men. A number of men are resorting to surgery to increase their height. Videos showing men who have undergone the leg lengthening surgery have been shared on Twitter, with people referring to it as the BBL for men. See below. The real men's BBL pic.twitter.com/5dnD2xs0Xd Are You Fucking Dead Ass? (@I_Exude_Sarcasm) April 18, 2023 Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Socialite, Moesha Buduong shocked her followers on social media over the weekend after she smoked on a live broadcast. The born-again Christian on Saturday, April 22 went live on her Instagram page to smoke an electric cigarette at a Ghanaian nightclub. She subsequently shared videos of herself dancing seductively at the nightclub. In June 2019 the actress and curvy body socialite shockingly announced that she has given her life to God and would henceforth lead a Christ-like life. She went on to ask her followers not to be surprised when they see her preaching. Later she was captured in other videos on social media preaching the word of God to some people in a bid to win souls for the kingdom of God and also confessing to an attempt to kill herself. In recent times however Moesha Buduong has been showing signs, she may return to her old ways on social media, years after surrendering her life to worship Jesus Christ. Before smoking on Instagram Live on Saturday, she had made suggestive movements to the effect she may not keep long in Christs doctrine. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Maurecia Babiinoti Boduong (@moeshaboduong) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Maurecia Babiinoti Boduong (@moeshaboduong) Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A man who was charged with sucker punching a person with cerebral palsy has died after a motorcycle crash. NBC 10 reports that Barry Baker Jr. was fleeing from police on his motorcycle in Honey Brook Township, Chester County, on April 20. During the chase, he crashed at the intersection of Chestnut Tree Road and Horseshoe Pike. According to the Daily Local, Baker ran a red light at the intersection, crashing into a Toyota Highlander SUV. He was thrown from his motorcycle, which had been reported stolen, and was pronounced dead at the scene. Baker, a resident of Downingtown, was caught on video in 2017 mocking and then sucker punching a man who displayed symptoms of cerebral palsy outside of a gas station in West Chester. Baker had gone on the run following those charges, but was arrested in June of 2017. His criminal record also included parole violation, failing to appear in court for a separate domestic incident, and numerous traffic violations. His fiancee was arrested in 2017 for allegedly helping Baker to remain on the run and hindering police efforts to find him; his father, Barry Baker Sr., was arrested the same day as part of a county-wide drug bust dubbed Operation Wildfire. UPDATE: This post was updated with some new information and a clarification of the defendants hometown at 1:24 p.m., April 28. A West Shore massage therapist apparently working on a suspended license was arrested this week on drug charges stemming from allegations that he administered a powerful hallucinogenic to a patient before a May 2022 appointment. Matthew John Perrotta, 30, of Hampden Township, was arraigned Wednesday after surrendering himself on a felony count of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, and a misdemeanor count of simple possession. Perrotta was released after posting bail, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 18 before Magisterial District Judge Christopher Delozier. Fox43 News first reported the following details from a criminal complaint issued by Lower Allen Township police in Perrottas case: The victim told police she visited Perrottas clinic on May 3, 2022 on a referral from coworkers. Before her massage, the woman said, Perrotta offered her a tobacco pipe containing an unknown substance which he described as natural and something he made himself, police said. Perrotta allegedly told the victim the substance would calm her down and relax her, according to the Fox43 report. The victim told police she inhaled from the pipe two times, after which she began hallucinating and lost her ability to get up or move her body. The victim told police she did not recall how long the hallucinations lasted, but when they abated she stated that Perrotta performed a shoulder and back massage, during which he allegedly kissed her cheek, arm, and hands in an intimate manner without her consent. Police said during their follow-up investigation the victim agreed to contact Perrotta on a recorded phone line. During the call, he allegedly admitted to giving the victim DMT, or Dimethlytryptamine. Dimethyltryptamine is listed as a schedule 1 controlled hallucinogenic substance. Perrotta was licensed as a massage therapist in Pennsylvania, but that license had been suspended for three years by the Pennsylvania Department of State effective Jan. 5, 2021, according to DOS records. The cause of that suspension was not immediately available. Police said that Perrotta was using space in an unaffiliated chiropractic practice in Lower Allen Township when the alleged offenses occurred. Det. Cpl. Mike Scarlato asked that any other patients of Perrottas who might have had a similar experience to that alleged in this complaint contact him at the township police office by calling 717-975-7575, and asking for extension 1557. Jackass star Brandon Bam Margera turned himself in Thursday morning, days after he allegedly punched his brother in the face and threatened to kill four people inside his Chester County home. Margera, a West Chester resident, turned himself in at the Pennsylvania State Polices Avondale barracks on charges of simple assault, terroristic threats and harassment, Trooper James Grothey confirmed. He was fingerprinted, photographed and arraigned, and bail was set at $50,000. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 25 at the Chester County Court of Common Pleas, Grothey said. In court documents, state police said Margera got into a physical fight with another man inside his home on the 400 block of Hickory Hill Road in Pocopson Township. That man was later identified as Margeras brother. Margera punched his brother in the face and said, Ill kill you. Ill put a bullet in your head, while also threatening to kill everyone in the home, according to an affidavit of probable cause. State police said Margera escaped into a nearby wooded area before troopers arrived. Margeras mother April Margera told The Morning Call earlier this week that her son had dealt with years of alcohol abuse and mental health issues. Hed been living in Florida and California and only recently returned to Chester County, she said. She reportedly said, He is just struggling with so many layers of issues. Margera rose to fame with the CKY skating video series and his appearances on MTVs Jackass. His appearances with the Jackass series eventually led to a spinoff reality series, Viva la Bam, which was largely filmed in and around his hometown of West Chester. The TV star has faced previous criminal charges, most recently being arrested in March after an alleged assault incident, and has spoken in the past about struggles with addiction. READ MORE: Central Pa. man sentenced to prison for sexually abusing child: The offense speaks for itself A SEPTA bus crashed into a Philadelphia bank early Thursday as part of a chain-reaction wreck that authorities said was caused by a stolen car. The incident occurred just before 1:30 a.m. near Unruh and Rising Sun avenues in the citys Lawndale section, according to reports from NBC10 and 6ABC. Police said that a stolen Hyundai crashed into a minivan. The minivan then hit the SEPTA bus, which was carrying three passengers, and the bus then crashed into a PNC Bank. The driver of the stolen car, who authorities say was in his teens or 20s, then proceeded to get into a Volkswagen that had been following the Hyundai. The Volkswagen sped away, but there was an injured passenger in the Hyundai suffering from head trauma. He was taken to a hospital where he is in critical condition, according to media reports. The driver of the minivan was trapped in his vehicle and firefighters had to remove the door in order to free him. He was hospitalized and is in stable condition. Camera footage, however, showed someone stealing cash out of the minivan while the driver was trapped inside, police said. The bus driver suffered injuries to his face and head and was hospitalized in stable condition. All three passengers left the scene before talking to police. The bank suffered damage to a wall and a large window but inspectors said there was no threat of collapse. READ MORE: 3 high school students charged over tossed rock that killed driver Northeastern Area EMS and WellSpan EMS have announced a new service agreement. Beginning Monday, equipment and other assets of Northeastern Area EMS will transition ownership to WellSpan EMS. Nine employees from Northeastern Area EMS will transition and stay on as WellSpan employees. The employees will continue to work out of the facility at 10 Devco Drive in East Manchester Township, York County. Currently, Northeastern Area EMS provides advanced life support services to residents of East Manchester Township, Conewago Township, Manchester, Mount Wolf, and surrounding municipalities. This agreement will help to meet our shared goals that area residents will continue to receive the same high quality pre-hospital emergency medical services that they have become accustomed to, Dennis MacDougal, board president, Northeastern Area EMS, said in a news release. 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. Customs and border protection officers in Philadelphia said they seized 6 gallons of a chemical known on the streets as liquid ecstasy and coma in a bottle. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the jugs contained an industrial chemical solvent - gamma butyrolactone (GBL) - which is also a precursor chemical to the dangerous gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, (GHB) on Saturday, April 22, 2023. GHB, the agency said, is used by sexual predators as a date-rape drug, and by bodybuilders to increase growth hormone. The agency said the liquid arrived in two separate shipments from France that were destined to Hillsborough County, Florida. GBL, the agency said, is a DEA Schedule 1 controlled substance. It was identified using a handheld elemental isotope analysis tool. When used properly, GBL is a solvent to remove paint and rust. No arrests have been made. Customs and Border Protection will continue to use our border security authority to search suspect international parcels and intercept dangerous products that could seriously harm American citizens. This is a mission and responsibility that we take very seriously, said Rene Ortega, acting area port director for CBPs Area Port of Philadelphia. READ MORE: After owner shares drugs with poodle, its found unresponsive, revived with Narcan. WASHINGTON U.S. health officials on Wednesday approved the first pill made from healthy bacteria found in human waste to fight dangerous gut infections an easier way of performing so-called fecal transplants. The new treatment from Seres Therapeutics provides a simpler, rigorously tested version of stool-based procedures that some medical specialists have used for more than a decade to help hard-to-treat patients. The Food and Drug Administration cleared the capsules for adults who may have trouble fighting off Clostridium difficile, a bacteria that can cause severe nausea, cramping and diarrhea. C. diff is particularly dangerous when it reoccurs, leading to between 15,000 and 30,000 deaths per year. It can be killed with antibiotics but they also destroy good bacteria that live in the gut, leaving it more susceptible to future infections. The new capsules are approved for patients who have already received antibiotic treatment. More than 10 years ago, some doctors began reporting success with fecal transplants using stool from a healthy donor to restore the guts healthy balance and prevent reinfections. The FDA approved the first pharmaceutical-grade version of the treatment last year from a rival drugmaker, Ferring Pharmaceuticals. But that companys product like most of the original procedures must be delivered via colonoscopy. Cambridge Massachusetts-based Seres will market its drug as a less invasive option. The treatment will be sold under the brand name Vowst and comes as a regimen of four daily capsules taken for three consecutive days. Both of the recent FDA approvals are the product of years of pharmaceutical industry research into the microbiome, the community of bacteria, viruses and fungi that live in the gut. Currently most fecal transplants are provided by a network of stool banks that have popped up at medical institutions and hospitals across the country. While the availability of new FDA-approved options is expected to decrease demand for donations from stool banks, some plan to stay open. OpenBiome, the largest stool bank in the U.S., said it will keep serving patients who arent eligible for the FDA-approved products, such as children and adults with treatment-resistant cases. It has supplied more than 65,000 stool samples for C. diff patients since 2013. OpenBiome is committed to maintaining safe access to fecal transplantation for these patients as a vital last line of defense, said Dr. Majdi Osman, the groups medical chief. OpenBiomes standard stool treatment costs less than $1,700 and is typically delivered as a frozen solution within days of ordering. Seres has not disclosed what price it would set for its capsules. We want to make the commercial experience for physicians and patients as easy as possible, said Eric Shaff, the companys chief financial officer, in an interview ahead of the announcement. Ease of administration in our view is one of the aspects of the value were delivering. Seres will co-market the treatment with Swiss food giant Nestle, which will also split the profits. Overseeing the fledgling industry of U.S. stool banks has created regulatory headaches for the FDA, which doesnt traditionally police homemade products and procedures used in doctors offices. In the early days of the trend, the FDA warned consumers about the risks of potential infections from the fecal transplants, as some people sought out questionable do it yourself methods from videos and websites. Seres executives say their manufacturing process relies on the same techniques and equipment used to purify blood products and other biologic therapies. The company starts with stool provided by a small group of donors who are screened for various health risks and conditions. Their stool is likewise tested for dozens of potential viruses, infections and parasites. This photo provided by Seres Therapeutics shows manufacturing equipment for oral microbiome therapeutic capsules in the company's Cambridge, Mass., facility in May 2022. (Genevieve de Manio/Seres Therapeutics via AP)AP The company then processes the samples to remove the waste, isolate the healthy bacteria and kill any other lingering organisms. Thousands of capsules can be made from each stool sample, making it a more efficient process than current fecal transplants, according to the company. The FDA warned in a release Wednesday that the drug may carry a risk of transmitting infectious agents. It is also possible for Vowst to contain food allergens, the agency noted. The FDA approved the treatment based on a 180-patient study in which 88% of patients taking the capsules did not experience reinfection after 8 weeks, compared with 60% of those who received dummy pills. Common side effects included abdominal swelling, constipation and diarrhea. Matthew Perrone of The Associated Press wrote this story. Follow Matthew Perrone on Twitter: @AP_FDAwriter The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content. More: Pa.s Geisinger to be acquired by health network that vows to be accessible, affordable Landmark bill in fight against breast cancer headed to Gov. Shapiros desk ANTIOCH TOWNSHIP, Illinois A 79-year-old man upset over his neighbors use of a leaf blower went into the mans yard and shot him in the head, killing him, police say. Ettore Lacchei has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the April 12 shooting death of William Martys, 59, according to a news release from the Lake County Sheriffs Office. Lacchei is being held in jail as he awaits a court appearance. According to the sheriffs office, Lacchei was using the leaf blower in his own yard at about 7:35 p.m. when Martys approached. The two men were arguing when Lacchei shot Martys in the head, authorities say. Martys was pronounced dead at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Ill. UPDATE: Driver hits 2 students near their middle school in Camp Hill A Camp Hill Middle School student was hit by a vehicle while walking back to school after lunch, district officials said. The Cumberland County District Attorneys Office on Wednesday night commemorated National Crime Victims Rights Week (April 2429) with its 22nd annual Victims Rights Rally and One Mile Walk. This years theme is Survivor Voices: Elevate, Engage, Effect Change to help crime survivors find their justice. The event raised awareness about crime victims rights and provides victims information about resources and services available to them. The rally began at the historic courthouse and concluded with a one-mile walk around town. Among the awards presented: Cumberland County Victim Advocacy Award: Officer Cody Vickroy, New Cumberland Borough Police Department. Volunteer Recognition, YWCA Carlisle & Cumberland County Award: Megan Fiorillo and Dave Sheranko. Volunteer Recognition, Domestic Violence Services of Cumberland and Perry Counties: Jan Ekerovich Featured speakers were Cumberland County District Attorney Sean M. McCormack, Commissioner Jean Foschi and crime victim survivor Nina Correale. The Cumberland County Victim Advocacy Award went Officer Cody Vickroy of the New Cumberland Borough Police Department. The Cumberland County Victim Services Division of the District Attorneys Office was established to assist victims and witnesses of crime during their involvement with the criminal justice system. The office strives to help victims recover from the physical, emotional, and financial impact of the crime. The goal of the office is to ensure that victims rights are met, and all concerns and needs are addressed. More: Driver dies a month after being charged in Mechanicsburg pedestrians death Cumberland County hires director of Office of Veterans Affairs and Services Priscilla Coleman was trying to watch TV at her Harrisburg home on an April afternoon when she first heard the shots. She got on the floor and as she crawled out of her room, glass from her window and mirror began flying around her as the shots continued. I just said whats going on? Whats going on? It shocked me, Coleman said on Tuesday. Its been almost a month since her house became collateral damage during a shootout in the alley near her house. About 10 shots were fired directly into her backyard-facing bedroom during the midday hours of April 4. She pointed to one bullet hole above her bed and said the bullet ended up falling onto her pillow. Had she stayed where she was, she could be dead, she said. Fortunately, she wasnt injured. Coleman, 61, has lived in the house in the 500 block of South 17th Street for 16 years. This was the first time she began feeling unsafe inside her own home. She called the police and said officers came and took photos, collected a couple of bullets and gave her an incident number for the insurance company. But she hasnt gotten any updates since. She said the shooting has affected her mental health because she cant sleep in her bedroom anymore, and when her grandkids come to visit she doesnt let them stay there either. I have to explain to them no because what happened, there might be another shootout and I dont want yall to get hurt, Coleman said. The shooting frustrated her and her family because it was just one incident among many that are leaving her and her neighbors feeling unsafe. She remembered another shooting where she was in her van and a drive-by shooting broke out, endangering her and her neighbors who were out on their porches. These shootings, she said, are just between people shooting at each other for whatever reason. But whats worse is that they dont seem to care about their surroundings while letting off a barrage of bullets. They didnt care about us living there or children being in that back room. I dont think they know how to aim if it was way up like that, she said, pointing to the bullet holes that gradually angled higher. The night of the shooting, things didnt calm down right away until police started arriving. Then she said she thinks the people involved started running. Harrisburg has changed. And its all over this shooting, she said. You wouldnt think its in your backyard. She said she tells her children and grandchildren to stay out of their way. Whoever these guys are, theyre very dangerous. They dont care if they kill you, Coleman said. Coleman is tired of not feeling safe. She wants more cameras, more patrols or anything else that could help deter these incidents that are interrupting peoples daily lives. Harrisburg police Lt. Kyle Gautsch didnt have specifics on the shooting investigation but said he empathizes with people whose lives have been disrupted by the gun violence in their neighborhoods. No one should be fearful of gunshots while inside their house. Its not fair for those residents and they have the right to feel safe inside their homes, Gautsch said. As for what the city can do, Harrisburg spokesman Matt Maisel said police have just started doing nightly saturation details with the assistance of several other local law enforcement agencies. This is basically extra car patrols on what they deem to be hot spots, Maisel said. He wouldnt say where these hot spots were, but said residents should notice an uptick in law enforcement patrols now that theyre getting into the summer months. We do have cameras located throughout the city, and they do help us identify criminals, Maisel said. The city also has long-term plans in the works, including using a $3 million grant to purchase a gunshot detection technology system which will help determine where gunshots are fired in incidents when 911 is not called, he said. The technology improves evidence recovery and speeds up crime scene investigations, Maisel said. The grants are in the process of being drafted into legislation that will have to go before the city council before they are implemented. For now, Coleman said shes looking to sell her house. Its sad. All those years it was safe, Coleman said. But now its getting out of control. Her message to the community? If you know someone involved in these shootings or who is holding guns, tell on them. Because its dangerous. Tell on em, because it could be your children next, Coleman said. Harrisburg has changed in my lifetime. Theres no peace around here. You cant walk the streets without these shootings, Coleman said. She doesnt own a gun and doesnt want to own a gun but said if she stayed she might have to purchase one for protection. Every night I go to bed I pray that no one is shooting back there in that alley again, she said. Read more on PennLive: A trio including a father and son are suspected of a robbery and theft spree targeting 57 Walmarts and Sams Club stores in four states, a Berks County, Pa., police department says. Jahmir Mitchell, 24, of Philadelphia, was arrested Wednesday and is being held in the citys Department of Prisons, Tilden Township police said. His father, 42-year-old Jamaal Mitchell, is at large. Jamaal Mitchell is considered armed and dangerous, and anyone who comes in contact with him should call 911, the department said. Tilden Township police said the father, son and a third man robbed the Tilden Walmart in October and threatened employees with a gun. The third suspect has not been identified. The same trio has been involved in 57 attempted or successful thefts and robberies at Sams Club and Walmart stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland, authorities said. The night of Oct. 16, the trio filled two shopping carts with $933.45 worth of merchandise and left the Berks County store through a fire exit door, authorities said. They had a black Jeep Cherokee waiting outside the door, authorities said. Three Walmart workers tried stop them, but one of the thieves showed a handgun and made threats to kill the staffers, police said. The trio uses the same Jeep Cherokee, but police said they switch license plates between a New Jersey L87PTP and a Delaware plate 299336. Jahmir Mitchell is awaiting arraignment on 32 charges in the Tilden Township incident, including three counts each of robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, making terroristic threats, simple assault, and reckless endangerment. In addition to the Berks County case, Jahmir Mitchell is facing burglary and related charges in a November 2018 case in Carbon County, and organized retail theft and other charges in an October 2018 incident in Bucks County, records show. Anyone who has information Jamaal Mitchells whereabouts, the third accomplice or about the robberies and/or thefts is asked to call the Tilden Township Police Department at 610-562-9001. Tilden Township police are trying to identify the male, left, who they say was part of a trio that robbed a Walmart. Police said he and two others trio used the Jeep Cherokee, right, as a getaway vehicle. (Photos courtesy Tilden Township Police Department)Photos courtesy Tilden Township Police Department | For lehighvalleylive.com Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. SHAMOKIN A homeless Shamokin area woman charged with stealing an unmarked Shamokin police cruiser in December is accused of trying to escape from the Northumberland County Prison. Stormie Birster, 31, was charged Wednesday as the result of an investigation into a March 28 incident in which she was found lying on the ground in the prison yard bleeding. During a period when she was not under observation, she is alleged to have climbed the outer fence that is topped with razor wire but fell down. A longtime librarian at Roxbury High School in Morris County has sued a group of residents she says defamed her by falsely claiming her library has pornographic books and she is a child predator. Roxana Russo Caivano, who has worked for the district for 15 years, says in court papers that at least four residents have publicly accused her of exposing children to inappropriate material, endangering the welfare of students and other activities considered criminal. According to NorthJersey.com, the residents objected to the library having Maia Kobabes graphic novel Gender Queer: A Memoir on the shelf along with other books critics have called sexually explicit. Several students at a Philadelphia school were hospitalized after drinking a juice that turned out to be laced with an opioid substance. According to NBC10 and the Philadelphia Inquirer, police were called to the Crossroads Accelerated Academy, an alternative school for seventh and eighth graders, at around 11:40 a.m. after about a dozen students between the ages of 14 and 16 became ill. Officials discovered that two students had brought in grape juice laced with an opioid known as wonk, according to a Philadelphia School District spokesperson. The students who drank the juice complained of feeling lightheaded and in some cases were vomiting. The legal battle over mifepristone could have far-reaching effects on reproductive health care. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite On April 21, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the abortion pill mifepristone, which is used in more than half of all abortions in the U.S., could remain accessible without restrictions at least for now. The decision is temporary, however, buying time as an appeals court weighs the challenge to mifepristone brought by a Texas judge in early April 2023. That ruling blocked the use of the drug in medication abortions and sought to remove it from the market altogether, questioning its safety. Days later, a U.S. appeals court reversed the suspension on mifepristone but placed tighter restrictions on it, including preventing it from being sent through the mail. The Conversation asked twin sisters Jamie Rowen, a legal scholar, and obstetrician and gynecologist Tami Rowen to put into perspective what the Supreme Courts decision means for access to the drug moving forward and how it came under legal scrutiny to begin with. 1. What led up to the Supreme Courts ruling on mifepristone? In September 2022, several groups of anti-abortion doctors sued the Food and Drug Administration, arguing that they were harmed because the FDAs 2000 approval of mifepristone was flawed and that it did not adequately test the drug for safety, among other claims. The plaintiffs also claimed harm from the FDAs 2016 and 2021 changes that lifted several restrictions on how the drug could be used or administered. The doctors brought the case in Texas, where a federal district judge ordered that, while the case was pending, mifepristone should be off the market. The FDA appealed to the 5th Circuit, asking it for an emergency stay, or a hold on, the district courts order. The 5th Circuit ordered that, while the case is being decided, mifepristone can be on the market but only with its original restrictions from 2000. Under this order, mifepristone could only be used up to seven weeks of pregnancy and required an in-person visit and prescription from a doctor. The FDA, along with mifepristones manufacturer Danco Laboratories, immediately asked the Supreme Court to stay the 5th Circuits order. Supreme Court stays are granted when at least five justices agree that the applicants in this case the FDA and Danco are likely to succeed, among other considerations. The majority did not explain its decision in favor of the FDA and Danco. The two dissents from Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas provide little insight into how the different justices might rule on the case if they decide to review the 5th Circuits forthcoming opinion. 2. What comes next in the courts? The Supreme Courts decision means that mifepristone will remain available until there is a final decision in this case. For now, the case returns to the 5th Circuit. Depending on the outcome of that case, either the plaintiffs or the defendants may ask the Supreme Court to hear the case. If the Supreme Court decides to hear the case, then the final decision on whether mifepristone should be taken off the market or have stricter requirements for use will come from the Supreme Court. If not, the final decision will come from the 5th Circuit. Although the 5th Circuit is scheduled to hear the case on May 17, 2023, there is no fixed time by which it must make its decision. In short, it will likely take at least a year for the case to be decided. Regardless of these lower court decisions, the fact that at least five justices chose to stay the 5th Circuits emergency order suggests that the Supreme Court will want to make the final determination in this case. 3. What does this mean for abortion access moving forward? The Supreme Courts decision to preserve full access to mifepristone until the case concludes leaves the FDAs current rules in place. These rules allow mifepristone to be administered up to 10 weeks of pregnancy without an in-person visit to a clinic or hospital, through the mail and by a certified pharmacy as an alternative to a doctors prescription. Given the legal uncertainty and the amount of time it takes for a case like this to conclude, the Supreme Courts April 21, 2023, decision enables ongoing access to mifepristone for the foreseeable future. Roughly 90,000 medication abortions are performed annually in the U.S., the vast majority of which rely on mifepristone as part of a two-medication regimen that also includes the drug misoprostol. Mifepristone blocks the hormone progesterone, which is needed for a pregnancy to continue. Misoprostol, which is approved for use in the treatment of gastric ulcers, also causes uterine contractions and ends the pregnancy. If the ultimate decision is in favor of the plaintiff doctors, the effects on pregnant people could be felt immediately. Taking mifepristone off the market until the FDA makes safety findings that are sufficient to the court, or restricting access to it through additional requirements, would lead people seeking medication abortions to use a misoprostol-only regimen or to seek surgical abortions. Though safe and effective, the misoprostol-only alternative would lead to higher rates of incomplete abortions that require additional, usually surgical, intervention. These procedures would exacerbate harms to those electing or experiencing abortion, including risks to subsequent pregnancies. Likewise, forcing people to delay their abortions imposes numerous health risks. Even Supreme Court justices ambivalent about legal rights to abortion have expressed a desire for abortions to occur as early as possible. Limiting access to mifepristone could have additional harmful effects. Mifepristone also helps women complete a miscarriage at a much higher success rate than the standard medical regimens that do not use mifepristone, sparing the risk of a surgical procedure and complications if the pregnancy remains in the uterus. For now, the Supreme Court has created a buffer to help reduce such obstacles and adverse events while the lower courts, and likely the Supreme Court itself, decide the case. 4. What are the implications for other medications? The Supreme Court did not explain whether it thinks the plaintiffs will be successful in their argument that the FDA should not have approved mifepristone in 2000 or changed the rules around its use in subsequent years. When questioning an administrative agency, such as the FDA, a court asks whether the regulation was arbitrary and capricious. The 5th Circuit agreed with the district court that the 2016 regulation change was arbitrary and capricious because there was no study showing the effects of removing multiple restrictions on the medication at once. The FDA did review multiple studies that showed lifting these individual restrictions was indeed safe for those taking mifepristone. Second-guessing the agencys scientific determination in this way challenges the nuts and bolts of the FDAs process and certainty in the drug manufacturing market. This is particularly true for medicine that may have higher risks but can be lifesaving for patients. Undermining the FDAs authority could also carry over to controversial medications like the COVID-19 vaccine or even the vaccine against human papillomavirus, or HPV, the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S. Given parental concerns about vaccine safety and the belief that making sex medically safer for young people encourages them to have sex, the HPV vaccine has faced heightened scrutiny from vaccine opponents about its safety record. Leaders from across the scientific, pharmacologic and business world have sounded the alarm at the implications of these decisions on approved drugs and those in development. Finally, the legal wrangling over mifepristone will no doubt affect ongoing research into the many potential uses of this medication beyond abortion. These legal challenges delayed the introduction of mifepristone to the U.S. market decades ago, and they continue to impair studies on mifepristones potential to help prevent certain cancers, uterine infections and other illnesses affected by progesterone. For now, the Supreme Court has put off a decision that could profoundly change the regulation of medicines in the U.S. Jamie Rowen, Associate Professor of Legal Studies and Political Science, UMass Amherst and Tami S. Rowen, Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Gynecologic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Its humbling. Those were the words Gov. Josh Shapiro used to describe his first 100 days since he was sworn into office on Jan. 17, which happens to be today. I feel a real sense of responsibility to the good people of Pennsylvania, he said in response to a reporters question at a Tuesday event in the Capitol Complex to mark the signing of his sixth executive order creating an office to improve state governments online services. Im working my tail off. My team is working their tails off. And were beginning the process of delivering meaningful results. For sure, Pennsylvanias 48th governor at age 49, the youngest governor to take office since Gov. Dick Thornburgh in 1979 has been on the move. He traveled to Arizona to cheer on the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl. He went to Punxsutawney to celebrate Groundhogs Day. And this month, he threw out the first pitch at the Harrisburg Senators opening night and at the Pittsburgh Pirates home opener. He has visited fire companies, farms, schools, businesses, and state parks. He celebrated new companies coming to the state as well as a Passover meal and an Easter egg hunt at the Governors Residence. And that only touches the surface of the many places Shapiro has been so far in his gubernatorial journey, along with handling the business of governing the fifth most populous state. Shapiro said he is encouraged by the performance of state government employees and agencies. He also welcomes the spirit of bipartisanship and cooperation being exhibited by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. It seems that leaders on both sides of the aisle are finding ways to work together around common sense solutions, which is what Ive been trying to encourage in this building. Take down the temperature. Level up the cooperation between the parties, said the Democratic governor. So the first 100 days have been humbling. Theyve been exhilarating. Its been stimulating. Weve been working incredibly hard and Im really encouraged by what Im seeing from our state employees, from lawmakers and others who want to get things done. Here is a look at a few highlights from those 100 days by the numbers: Zero: The number of bills he has signed into law. One: The number of bills on the way to his desk for enactment. He said he intends the legislation that would mandate insurance cover more testing and screenings for breast cancer and some other types of cancer, becoming the first law of his administration. Two: The number of his Cabinet appointees who have been confirmed by the Senate. They are Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Christopher Paris and Adjutant General Mark Schindler. (Shapiro also saw his nominee to replace him as state attorney general, Michelle Henry, confirmed as well.) Three: The number of disasters he and his administration have had to respond to since their first day on the job. They are the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment that happened just a little over a mile from Pennsylvanias western border. On the east side of the state, there was the chemical spill in. the Delaware River. Then there was the fatal West Reading chocolate factory explosion that killed seven people and injured 10 others. Six: The number of executive orders he has signed. One rescinds the Governors Office of Performance Through Excellence that his predecessor created in 2018. The rest include the removal a college degree requirement for additional state jobs, a new gift ban policy, creation of two new offices including the one announced on Tuesday, and state permitting and licensing reform. 20: The number of Pennsylvanias 67 counties he has visited since taking office. 42: The number of posts that appeared on the social media-savvy governors official Twitter account as of noon on Day 100. 81: The number of news releases that have come out of the governors office as of the morning of Day 100. 9,529: The number of words in Shapiros budget address to the General Assembly, the most since former Gov. Ed Rendells 10,613 word budget speech in 2009. $?: The names of individuals and organizations that Shapiro disclosed who donated to cover the cost of his inaugural festivities. Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy. Four pieces of legislation on gun reform were passed out of the Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, with Democrats taking advantage of their newly minted majority to move bills that had previously been quashed by Republicans. The bills and their related amendments were all passed on party-line votes, with Republicans united in objection. Today is a first step, but I assure you it will not be the last when it comes to moving responsible firearms legislation, said Judiciary Chair Tim Briggs, D-Montgomery. The measures approved by Briggs committee Monday are the same as those identified as priorities by advocates last month during a canvassing event at the Capitol as well as at a subsequent hearing before the committee that provided testimony in support of the bills. The four bills passed out of committee Wednesday are: House Bill 338, which creates a duty to report clause in the states firearms act requiring gun owners to report the loss or theft of a gun to law enforcement within 72 hours of discovering the gun is missing. The bill was amended in committee to require information about lost or stolen guns to be entered into state and national databases, which police generally already do. The measure is as common sense as it gets, said Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Philadelphia, the bills sponsor, and is aimed particularly at combatting what are typically called straw purchases in which someone buys a gun with the intent of re-selling it to a person who would not be able to pass a background check. When the gun is traced back to them, many of those illicit sellers claim the gun was stolen; a reporting requirement would create some recourse for this, with the first offense a summary fine and subsequent offenses misdemeanors. Kenyatta pointed specifically to the recent bust of a straw-purchasing ring which is believed to have trafficked over 300 guns from Georgia to Philadelphia as an example of the issue. House Bill 731, a safe storage law requiring firearms to be kept locked when not in use. The bill was amended Wednesday to add additional definitions of locking methods, and also to add penalties for owners whose unsecured firearm is later used in a crime. House Bill 714, requiring that a background check be performed for all firearms transfers. Background checks are currently required for all handguns as well as for any sales by a licensed firearms dealer; the bill would extend the requirement to the private sale of long guns. The bill does make an exception for transfers of firearms between immediate family members. House Bill 1018, which creates Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO), and is often referred to as a red flag law. This allows judges to order the temporary confiscation of a persons firearms if they are found to be a danger to themselves or others, based on a set of criteria defined in the bill. A third party either a family member or law enforcement must petition the court for an ERPO, which may last from three months to a year, although the subject of the order may petition at any time to have it lifted, and their firearms returned to them. This legislation isnt about taking away anyones Second Amendment [rights], said Rep. Jennifer OMara, D-Delaware, the bills prime sponsor, who spoke about her own fathers gun suicide. It is about making sure there are protections in place to prevent someone who is in crisis from hurting themselves or others. Republican committee members critiqued a number of points on the bills, such as the precise definition of a locking device in HB731, or if unsecured firearms alone could give law enforcement reason to enter someones home. Most of the substantive criticism, however, was reserved for HB1018, with multiple GOP members saying that ERPOs were either unnecessary or could be misused. Rep. David Rowe, R-Snyder, objected that some of the factors for issuing an ERPO included things that were not crimes, such as a recent attempt to purchase a firearm. Would it be abused? Probably not. But could it be? Yes, Rowe said following the meeting; the broad language of the bill, he said, creates the appearance that due process may not be given, even if judges are being forthright in their evaluations. Democrats stressed that HB1018 has punishments, including restitution, for filing false or frivolous ERPOs, safeguards that are over and above existing disincentives that are already in the crime code, said Tim Clawges, the committees executive director. Republican Chair Rob Kauffman, R-Franklin, as well as Rep. Tim Bonner, R-Mercer, both suggested that ERPO legislation is not needed given that a person could already be adjudicated under Section 302, the portion of the commonwealths mental health code that permits a person to be involuntarily confined for a psychiatric examination. A 302 filing would be a much more desired solution if youre truly dealing with someone who is a danger to himself or others, Bonner said. I was shocked to hear Republicans make that argument, OMara said after Wednesdays meeting, given that the 302 process involves a person being held, possibly for several days, to undergo a medical evaluation; one of the driving concepts of ERPO legislation is to have an option that falls between having a person unwillingly committed and doing nothing, OMara said. There are so many reasons to do it, we cant just sit on our butts anymore, OMara said. Both House Speaker Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, and Gov. Josh Shapiro have signaled support for the bills, which could move before the full House as early as next week; their fate in the GOP-controlled Senate is less certain. In 2018, the state passed a law requiring the surrender of guns for certain domestic violence cases. Kauffman, as chair of the Judiciary under a Republican majority, consistently gutted subsequent bills that would tighten gun laws. More: Landmark bill in fight against breast cancer headed to Gov. Shapiros desk Harrisburg woman says gun violence has hit too close to home: They dont care if they kill you Dan Albas is the Member of Parliament-elect for the riding of Central Okanagan Similkameen Nicola. This riding includes the communities of Kelowna (specific boundaries), West Kelowna, Peachland, Summerland, Keremeos, Princeton, Merritt and Logan Lake. You can reach Dan by calling 1-800-665-8711 or visit: DanAlbas.com An honour guard marches following the casket at the funeral service for Calgary Police Service Sgt. Andrew Harnett in Calgary on Jan. 9, 2021. Family of the Calgary police officer killed in a hit-and-run incident addressed the young man responsible for his death today. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh This week saw thousands of Cameroonians yesterday protest against what they regard as unacceptable quality of service from mobile operators MTN Cameroon and Orange Cameroon. In an enterprising approach, subscribers across the country switched their devices to airplane mode, effectively disabling all analogue voice and digital data services between 12pm and 2pm local time, as a way of expressing their disapproval. According to ITWeb Africa, the protestors claim they have raised their concerns since last year, due to prolonged network disruptions. The high cost of connectivity in the country is another focus, along with allegations that call, SMS and data bundles are often deducted arbitrarily by operators. The campaign also gained a following online, before and after the protest, with the hashtag #ModeAvion237 used by hundreds of protestors. It's unfortunate timing for Orange Cameroon, given that, as we reported in March, it has pledged to spend CFA150 billion (US$244 million) to upgrade its network over the next five years, an aim that now seems more necessary than ever. However, some feel that the regulator is not doing enough to monitor the telcos, which may not be entirely true. Back in 2019 we reported that Cameroons Telecommunications Regulatory Agency had fined the local operations of MTN, Orange and Viettel on the grounds that none of the operators had met agreed network improvement targets, with the regulator claiming that the operators network standards were in fact still deteriorating. That said, nearly four years later, it looks like little has improved. PN Podcast: Guest Patrik Antonius Talks EPT, WSOP & Record Hand Against Eric Persson April 26, 2023 Chad Holloway Executive Editor U.S. On the latest PokerNews Podcast episode, Chad Holloway and Jesse Fullen give updates on the PokerNews Cup on Global Poker, as well as the Matt Berkey vs. Nik Airball grudge match. Additionally, they discuss Nate Silver being out at 538, Patrick Leonard going back-to-back in the PartyPoker Sunday Party, and poker players having their fines dismissed from the Watauga Social Poker Club raid. As for Connor, he chats with the legendary Patrik Antonius, who shares his plans for both the upcoming PokerStars EPT presented by Monte-Carlo Casino and 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP), what it was like to capture his first Triton High Roller title, and of course, winning the largest-ever broadcast on a US Live Stream. The new WSOP Thrill Team Ambassador also shares his thoughts on the current state of online poker. Don't miss your chance to hear from the Finnish poker legend! Patrik Antonius Wins $1,978,000 Pot, the Largest Ever Broadcast on a US Live Stream Finally, Chad is headed down to Florida for the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown from April 28-May 2; while Jesse will head down to PokerGO Studio for the High Stakes Poker Live Stream. Listen to those stories and more on the latest episode of the PokerNews Podcast! Time Stamps Tell us who you want to hear from. Let us know what you think of the show tweet about the podcast using #PNPod, and be sure to follow Chad Holloway, Jesse Fullen, and Connor Richards on Twitter. Subscribe to the PokerNews Podcast on Apple Podcasts here! Check Out Past Episodes of the PN Podcast Here! Sharelines PN Pod: @Patrik_Antonius talks EPT, @WSOP, and that record-breaking cash game hand. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print A federal appeals court rejected Trumps appeal to block Mike Pence from testifying before Special Counsel Jack Smith. Via: the AP: A federal appeals court on Wednesday night moved former Vice President Mike Pence closer to appearing before a grand jury investigating efforts to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election, rejecting a bid by former President Donald Trumps lawyers to block the testimony. The order from the three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was sealed and none of the parties are mentioned by name in online court records. But the appeal in the sealed case was filed just days after a lower-court judge had directed Mr. Pence to testify over objections from the Trump team. For More Stories Like This, Subscribe To Our Newsletter: If Trump had nothing to hide and had said nothing that could be used as evidence against him at a criminal trial, then there would be no reason for him to attempt to block Pences testimony. Donald Trump is trying to convince America that he is being framed while he acts like someone who may have a lot to hide. Pence stopped fighting the subpoena from Jack Smith and, when he was asked about it this past Sunday, said that he would follow the law, which are words that Trump has probably never said and never wanted to hear. Former vice president Pence was able to dodge the 1/6 Committee, but the Department of Justice is a different ballgame. Pence is expected to testify and tell the Special Counsel things that he has never said before. Mike Pence wants to be president someday, but even more than that, Mike Pence doesnt want to lie for Trump and potentially go to jail. The South Carolina House of Representatives Republican Caucus may be divided over whether medical marijuana should be legalized in the Palmetto State. During the April meeting of the Aiken Republican Club, S.C. Rep. Melissa Oremus, R-Aiken, was asked for the caucus's position on medical marijuana. She represents the Midland Valley area. S.C. Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, S.C. House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford and S.C. Rep. Bill Herbkersman, R-Beaufort, introduced bills during the 125th session of the General Assembly that would legalize medical marijuana in certain, limited circumstances. "It is a divided question," Oremus said. "We have sat in caucus I'm not supposed to talk about what we talk about during closed door sessions so I won't do that but just know it's a very divided issue." Oremus and the rest of the Republican Caucus members are limited by Caucus Rule 15 which prohibits members from disclosing what happens in the caucus meetings to any third party whatsoever in order to foster open and frank discussion among members. She said Republicans have been provided data showing medical marijuana's benefits for patients with terminal diseases and epileptic children. Oremus added her grandfather who lived in Tennessee was prescribed medical marijuana. "Of course, the compassion is there and the Republicans are all for that," Oremus said. "But, when does it stop? When does it turn into a crutch for some and they actually need it and, for others, it becomes their gateway drug?" She said doctors don't want to prescribe medical marijuana and law enforcement officers don't want to try to enforce laws saying who should have access and who shouldn't. Oremus said she did not know what would happen if one of the bills made it to the House floor during the remaining eight days of session. She added there are lobbyists in the Statehouse every day advocating for the bill but said there is data from other states and cities, like California, Colorado and Chicago, that shows limited benefits to legalization. Where exactly is the enchanted forest that you sometimes hear about? Ive come to realize that for me, it was that little patch of woods right next door when I was growing up. But youve probably been in an enchanted forest, too. Read moreThis herb offers a 'quiet, enchanted magic': Can you name this week's mystery plant? Boeing Co. expects to build 10 787 jets a month at its North Charleston factory by mid-decade, or a third more than the plant's previous record production rate, the planemaker's top boss told investors April 26. CEO Dave Calhoun said consolidating all Dreamliner production to the South Carolina site in 2021 made the program more efficient because parts such as the rear fuselage section made at the site off International Boulevard no longer have to be transported across country to the original assembly line near Seattle. "I'm confident we will achieve that," Calhoun told a financial analyst who asked about the investment it will take to get the North Charleston plant ready to ramp up to the projected double-digit rate. At its peak, the Lowcountry site produced about seven 787s a month. "We don't see a big demand on investment to get us from, what you noted, seven to 10," Calhoun said. "It has a lot less to do with physical investment in equipment and more to do with how we route things through that factory." Boeing has a crew working full time to figure out ways to move aircraft and parts at the site more smoothly, he said, adding the company won't reach the 10-per-month rate until 2025 or 2026. Calhoun didn't express any concerns about getting the workforce in place to execute the production leap, and he previously said the company has "had no trouble hiring people none." Boeing grew its South Carolina workforce by about 17 percent last year, to 6,465, and the company said in January it plans to hire 10,000 workers across all of its sites in 2023. "We think we've got a very good plan in front of us, and we are very focused on 10," said Brian West, chief financial officer. "Ten is the number, and there is a lot of execution that's underwriting that." Right now, the North Charleston site is building about three Dreamliners each month up from about one every 30 days late last year. The biggest constraint now is clearing the roughly 120 Dreamliners that were put into inventory when minor production flaws were discovered in May 2021, halting deliveries until August 2022. About half of the North Charleston factory floor is devoted to repairing those planes so they can be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration and delivered to customers. Some of that work is also taking place on the West Coast. "It's just going to take some time," Calhoun said, adding there are about 95 of the inventoried planes still being worked on. Boeing expects to be making five Dreamliners per month in North Charleston by the end of this year. The company delivered 11 787s during the first quarter of 2023 and reaffirmed its commitment to handing over 70 to 80 of the twin-engine wide-body jets to customers by the end of the year. The company also told analysts Wednesday it stands by its forecast of producing cash flow of between $3 billion and $5 billion for the year and its guidance of between 400 and 450 deliveries of its single-aisle 737 Max jet built in the Seattle area. Boeing delivered 111 of the popular planes to customers in the first quarter. Those commitments boosted Boeing stock despite a first quarter in which the company lost $425 million more than Wall Street expected and took a $245 million charge related to problems with its military KC-46A refueling tanker. Rising demand for commercial aircraft pushed revenues to $19.92 billion in the first quarter a 28 percent increase from last year and better than analysts' forecasts. Some airlines have complained that they can't get their planes fast enough, and Calhoun said Boeing will delay deliveries of some planes carriers were counting on for the busy summer travel season. The delays are tied to unapproved fittings that a contractor installed between sections of the fuselage on most 737 Max jets built since 2019. Calhoun didn't give a number of deliveries that will be delayed by the actions of subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems, but said that 9,000 seats would be missing from airline schedules this summer, which works out to about 50 Max jets. Boeing repeated earlier assurances that the fuselage issue on the Max does not affect safety and that airlines can keep using planes that are already carrying passengers. A property flying the Four Seasons flag will replace the former Days Inn budget motel at 155 Meeting St. in downtown Charleston. Read moreSC's 1st Four Seasons confirmed to replace Charleston budget motel This week, I have been whisked wholly back through the many theatrical productions that have made a lasting mark. Careering through decades past tear-jerkers and knee-slappers, farces and flops, I have landed in the summer of 1976. The work is Song for a New Land, a theatrical mass commissioned by the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina on the occasion of the bicentennial of the United States. For it, they pulled out all the stops, erecting a multi-platform set atop the altar of the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul in downtown Charleston and gathering talent from near and far. Walterboro native Mel Marvin, who was by then immersed in the professional musical world of New York City, was tapped as composer. And a fresh-faced theater maker in his early 20s was selected to conceive, write and direct the work. Just who was this high-octane, fervent young idealist set to turn Charleston on its ear, who was in a go position to leverage theater in the name of community? It was a young upstart by the name of Julian Wiles. These days, Wiles is more often regarded as the grey-bearded eminence of the South Carolina theater. For the past 45 years, as founder and producing artistic director of Charleston Stage (the evolution of what had been called Young Charleston Theatre Company), he has presented scores of works, written 30 plays and guided thousands of theater makers all ages and backgrounds from auditions to applause. In his so-coined imagination factory, Wiles has for nearly five decades delivered a dazzling slew of splashy, toe-tapping, heart-rending, community-questioning, frequently galvanizing works that time and again demonstrate the power of the art form to both delight and enlighten. April 28 marked his retirement leading the company. But even in his fledgling days of bold moves and unflinching vision, the measured, reflective Wiles maneuvered in cloak of Southern civility, a level-tempered firebrand who was never one to grandstand or train a spotlight his way. Armed with an MFA in Fine Arts in dramatic art from UNC-Chapel Hill, the Fort Motte native raised on a cotton farm seems to have gleaned by Song for a New Land that you can affect more change with Midlands honey. As the stage was set I know all this because I was there. At the age of 11, I by some fluke was among the six young performers selected for the musical. It would also feature a 10-piece orchestra, two leads and a full chorus juggling various roles emblematic of the American experience. And this was no pipe-tooting, Stars & Stripes-brandishing Bicentennial victory lap. Elsewhere in town, many remember the fire plugs painted to look like Revolutionaries. But this work took the form of a mass, during which a new priest confronted unnerving questions from a world-weary troubadour. The notion of faith was intricately interwoven into this American fabric, as were the countrys touchstones and flashpoints, from church music to ragtime, from the haves to the have nots, from the Hollywood icons to the haters. Marvin, who is a Walterboro native, was in his 30s when he came on board for Song for a New Land. Wiles traveled to New York for a week to work with the composer. Their decade or so of age difference mattered not. Fast friends, they were well-suited creative partners, and the ideas easily flowed. The composer considers the collaboration among his most successful. It was really a joy, said Marvin, who quickly viewed Wiles as a playwright and lyricist who possessed a broad worldview, depth of vision and possession of thoughtful poetics in his lyrics. I saw right away that he was a spectacular talent and a person who had loads of dramatic imagination and ability. Given the composers track record, thats powerful praise. Marvin has ascended the height of his field, composing a range of works that include Broadway shows, among them Tintypes and Dr. Seuss How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and is also arts professor/director of production at New York University. Thomas Cabaniss, a fellow acolyte in Song for a New Land, soon found himself a disciple of Wiles. After the musical, he borrowed from it heavily for Damascus Road, his own work he created at Wando High Schooland even borrowed from it literally, asking Wiles if he haul the leftover platforms comprising the set for his production. Such support radiated to others in the cast, too. Another fellow acolyte was acclaimed actor Thomas Gibson, who recalls his first experience with Wiles as indelible for a 13-year-old. Not only did we have fun working with Mel and him, but my voice was changing, and I was trying to hold onto the high notes in my soprano solo with everything I had. Julian and Mel were amazingly supportive through a sensitive time, he said. Later, when Gibson was The Boy Who Stole the Stars that Wiles directed, he played a character that recited poetry, and was assessed by a News and Courier critic as a poetry-spouting twit. Julian saw my quiet devastation when I came to the theater that night, and he said the critic had an issue with the character and not the actor, which I appreciated but didnt necessarily believe. Then he gave me a tee shirt he had made that day, which had TWIT across the backa funny and thoughtful gesture that I appreciated then and still do now. Song for a new city Sure, there was plenty of triumph and joie de vivre baked into the work. At one point, celebrating the gospel of Mark Twain, I dashed out bearing a dead rat to Tom Sawyer, keen to swap it for a turn whitewashing that fabled picket fence. Another moment, which cued up the countrys Hollywood dream machine, a glamorous, flaxen-haired Marilyn Monroe (portrayed by the then high school student, now visual artist Jennie Summerall) floated onto stage singing, In the name of the Lord, our dreams are shadows flickering on a screen. In a poignant exchange between an immigrant set for a new future in America, he writes to his loved one that hes about to embark on the Titanic a gasp-inducing interlude that is quickly followed by a jocular ribbing of a number with choristers commenting on the rich-poor schism in accommodations and repeating, Nearer my God to Thee. Throughout, the work didnt shy away from social justice. Another of Wiles lyrics asked, In the name of the Lord, we have charities by the score, so why are we hungry and cold? So rich and yet so poor, where is the glory of God? A rare, multi-racial performance on stage and in the churchs congregation, its integrated cast and audience was something seldom seen during that era of Charleston. A way forward Those of us involved in Song for a New Land were treated to the first flashes of a brilliant career. It was an experience that many of us still deeply cherish, forging lifelong connections. And the words and music resonated. I belted out our stage-setting first number, performed as we streamed onto the platforms of the church. As the stage was set for man at the beginning, so we set the stage of the Lord. In my red pigtails and squawky voice, I bounded downstage to recite Ecclesiastes 1:6 with that winds that whirleth about continually. For some artists involved, far more resonant still was the takeaway theater can be an agent of change. Cabaniss recalls the impact of Song for a New Land taking place in a multi-racial cathedral, something many in Charleston had not experienced. Doing it there made a statement, he said. Part of Julians agenda I think all along was to simply say, Theres got to be another way, he said, noting that the show was irreverent but ultimately loving and sweet at heart with everybody holding hands. That production was the first shot across the bow. From Wiles, he first learned that social justice and the arts are a good combination, something that informs his work as a composer, a college professor. And he marvels at his deft work with the City of Charleston and Mayor Riley to further his agency. He was a hell of a politician to pull that off. Through his high school years, Cabaniss continued to work with Wiles. As a junior at Wando, he composed the music for the 1978 Seize the Street, a community-centric skateboard musical atop the George Street garage gently tilting at the demolition of Black neighborhoods to build the Septima P. Clark Parkway. From there, Wiles rolled out original works, including CaroliniAntics!, a Lowcountry musical that celebrated Gullah folktales and traditions; The Seat of Justice, exploring Briggs v. Elliott and how it led to Brown v. Board of Education; Helium, which offered a different vantage on dementia; and numerous others that explored South Carolina history and culture and community. Wiles social stances have informed many aspects of Cabaniss career, including his work with the Lullaby Project that he founded at Carnegie Hall with the goal of helping efforts to improve maternal health, and his orchestration of an Edmund Thornton Jenkins orchestral suite for Charleston Symphony, part of Kellen Grays Project Aurora. Theres a direct line from having witnessed what I thought theater can be. Wiles impact continues with many former students. Asa Somers, who first attended a production of A Christmas Carol, as his younger brother Colin was cast, was immediately transfixed and soon acting with the company. He went onto be an English and Theater Studies major at Yale University, before moving to New York to pursue an acting career that has included six Broadway shows and many other off-Broadway and regional productions. I have Julian to thank for single-handedly launching my career, he said. I wont go into the too-numerous-to-enumerate accomplishments of Wiles. Suffice it to say Mayor John Tecklenburgs proclamation brimmed with those whereas details. And Wiles will continue to direct productions at Charleston Stage and to keep shaping his ideas into works of theater. Gibson credits Wiles for ensuring that the Dock Street Theatre continued after managing director Emmett Robinson and playwright Pat Robinson retired, Julian has been the go-to producer/director/writer for Charleston for almost 50 years, which is incredible, he said. Hes been there, making theater, as other companies have come and gone. A 200-year triumph In The News and Courier on July 18, 1976, Claire McPhail applauded the production, likening it to a blending of Jesus Christ Superstar" and the Bernstein Mass and wishing them well for continued success in their endeavors. Later, Elsa Freeman (McDowell) blessed it. As I write, I realize I am also humming. Then the lyrics pour forth. And when we let it ring, through every state and every city, we will be able to speed up the day, when all Gods children, Black and white men, Jews and gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to hold hands and sing Free at last. Free at last. Thank God Almighty we are free at last!' I recognize their origin of Martin Luther King Jr., with some of his historic words shaped in a song that had been tucked deep in my own gray matter since I sported pigtails over it. As Cabaniss reminded me, as they reached a crescendo, we had clasped hands, raising them high in a jubilant, collective note of hope, courtesy of Julian Wiles. Now scratching at half of a century, they have been there, deep within me, waiting for that gentle nudge. COLUMBIA Police are still looking for convicted killer Jeroid Price more than a day after the S.C. Supreme Court ordered that he be put back behind bars. The Richland County Sheriffs Department is offering $5,000 for information that leads to Prices arrest and the State Law Enforcement Division made a public statement urging Price to surrender. Price had been released from prison in March, some 16 years early, after a quiet, in-chambers deal between a solicitor, a defense attorney and a retiring judge. After being free for just over a month, on April 26, the state's high court ruled to void the secret order in a 3-2 vote. Law enforcement authorities were directed to take custody of Price immediately and send him back to the S.C. Department of Corrections, where he would serve the rest of his 35-year sentence for fatally shooting 22-year-old Carl Smalls Jr. at a Columbia nightclub in 2002. Standing by a giant check written for the Arrest of Price, Sheriff Leon Lott told reporters at an April 27 press conference that Price is now considered a fugitive and the deputies from the department, along with state agents and the S.C. Department of Corrections, are actively looking for him. SLED released a short statement urging Price to turn himself in immediately, and said the agency was working with the SCDC, as well as local, state and federal law enforcement partners, to take Price into custody. SLED declined to comment further. According to Lott, law enforcement officials are not sure whether Price is in Columbia, or even the state. He could be anywhere in the world, Lott said. But I will tell you that it doesnt matter where hes at in this world. Were going to find him. The potential for Prices arrest had been highly publicized during the week leading up to the hearing. I can only imagine what his plans have been since last week when he started seeing some handwriting on the wall, Lott said. So were a little behind, but well catch up. A week ago, on April 20, S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson had requested the high court issue a bench warrant for Prices arrest, and subsequently sent a letter asking that he be apprehended until the hearing. We always knew Jeroid Price was a danger to the community and a flight risk, said Robert Kittle, spokesman for the attorney general. The Attorney Generals Office will assist law enforcement in any way we can. When asked whether law enforcement was monitoring Price in the days leading up to the hearing, Lott said, We had a little bit of information, but we didnt know where he was. Because we only found out last week that he was out, Lott said. Hed been out for a while. Smalls parents, Carl and Lillie Smalls, stood by Lott as they called for Prices arrest. Carl Smalls recounted the day in December 2002 when he found out his son had been killed how his life turned upside down, and how he and his wife are now reliving the pain. Our whole life turned upside down again its like the spin cycle in the washing machine, Carl Smalls said. Weve got a faith in God and weve got that to hold on to our faith and strength in God to hold on to while were spinning around. Criminal defense attorney Todd Rutherford, who bargained the deal, said Prices sentence was reduced for substantial assistance to corrections officers, including providing information that an inmate had escaped from prison. At the Statehouse the morning following the court ruling, with Price still at large, Rutherford said he didnt know where his former client was. Rutherford is also a state lawmaker from Columbia who serves as the S.C. House minority leader. I dont know where anybody is but me, Rutherford said, adding that the last time he spoke to Price was either April 23 or 24. Rutherford said he no longer represents Price as the state Supreme Courts order ended the case, but Price is free to hire him again. The Columbia attorney has expressed concern for Prices safety in prison. In an earlier interview, he said sending Price back to prison would be a death sentence as he was an informant for law enforcement. The secret order releasing Price was signed in late 2022 by now-retired Circuit Court Judge Casey Manning after in-chamber talks between Rutherford and 5fth Circuit Court Solicitor Byron Gipson. No motion was made to have a formal hearing and the order was sealed. That kept the victims family, state prosecutors and investigators out of the loop. Wilson said he didnt find out about the secret order until a month after Prices release. He asked the state Supreme Court to unseal the order, and then to issue a bench warrant for Price, saying the early release was unlawful. Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Jeroid Price is urged to call 803-737-9000 submit tips to tips@sled.sc.gov, or contact Midlands CrimeStoppers through the Tips Hotline at 888-CRIME-SC, through the Free Mobile App P3TIPS or go to www.crimesc.com. Alexander Thompson contributed to this report. COLUMBIA During the era of legalized racial segregation in the South, the corner of Main and Washington streets in South Carolinas capital city was a peculiar intersection where White-owned and Black-owned businesses nearly touched. Washington Street was the Black Downtown, the African American commercial epicenter. It included a dentist office, taxi company, theater, drug store, legal firm, photography studio, Masonic Hall, restaurant, cafe and newspaper office. It bustled with activity, even as White shoppers frequented the stores around the corner that were off limits to Black people. Today, Columbias Black Downtown is gone. Remaining are some photographs, some memories and a mural painted in 2021 by local artist Ija Charles that functions as a window to the past. This history will be presented in a new gallery at the Columbia Museum of Art, set to open to the public in August. The Our Story Matters Gallery, which is free to visitors, is a manifestation of a partnership forged between the museum, Columbia SC 63 and the University of South Carolinas Center for Civil Rights History and Research. Its meant to be an important stop on downtown walking tours offered by Columbia SC 63, and to provide museum visitors with a dose of local history. It will be its own kind of nexus where various people converge to consider the intersections of race, place, time and politics, said Bobby Donaldson, director of the Center for Civil Rights History and Research and chief historian for Columbia SC 63. Youll see why the corner of Washington and Main is so meaningful, he said. It will be much more than that, though. The new ground-floor gallery, accessible from Main Street, will be a mission-centered space where the arts can intersect with history and with lived experience, museum Deputy Director Joelle Ryan-Cook said. We want the arts to spark inspiration and conversation from around the corner and around the world, she said. It will be a place to showcase works in the collection, such as the photographs of Richard Samuel Roberts, whose studio once stood on Washington Street, and who captured images of African American life in the first part of the 20th century. It will be a place curated by Donaldson and his colleagues to help fill the gaps in public knowledge of Columbias past and present. It will be a place where students can engage with history, race, social justice issues and the artistic impulse. And it will be a place that ensures the museums offerings speak to the diversity of the museums clientele. We need to reflect our community in the work that we do, Ryan-Cook said. The visual arts have always been able to start conversations. The gallery also will imbue Main Street with a dynamic reminder of what once was a vibrant Black commercial district that served middle-class and professional African Americans, and what now are vital contributions made by the citys Black communities. It will, as Ryan-Cook put it, tell the story of Columbia. Donaldson said the work of developing a public history narrative imbedded in the streetscape began 10 years ago. During that time, Columbia SC 63 and the museum have collaborated on occasional projects, including a photography exhibition. Whereas the Columbia 63 tour is largely about civil rights, largely in downtown Columbia, the exhibit space gives us a platform to tell a deeper story about the long freedom struggle in South Carolina," he said. That story will begin with Reconstruction and extend through the 1970s. Donaldson said the tour passes the museum all the time, and older participants sometimes recall how a department store once stood on the site. Some might remember Simon Bouies effort in 1960 to integrate a nearby lunch counter. Bouies story will be part of the initial exhibit in the Our Story Matters Gallery. Visitors also will be able to view video footage of street demonstrations, admire some of Roberts' photographs from the 1920s and 30s, listen to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivering his 1966 March on Ballot Boxes speech in Kingstree, and hear oral history interviews with former activists. The Columbia SC 63 coalition spun out of a 2012 initiative led by mayors of seven cities to commemorate the civil rights movement. Its purpose is to find, document and share stories that recount aspects of the campaign for Black self-determination in Columbia. The partnership between that coalition and the museum benefits both, Donaldson and Ryan-Cook said. Tour participants will find opportunities to explore the museums holdings, just as other museumgoers will decide to join the walking tours. It is just such an intersection that helps to illuminate history and carry it forward through the generations, they said. MONCKS CORNER A smooth two-lane highway intercepted by a handful of railroad crossings separates Goose Creek and Moncks Corner. Driving toward the latter, construction, new apartments and a pristine brick Waffle House appear within the town limits. Making a sharp left turn off Highway 52, I drove through a quiet neighborhood, past a sign for the Berkeley County Airport and into the parking lot of The Rustic Muffin, a five-year-old coffee house with another location in Summerville. The small iced coffee I ordered came in a 20-ounce cup, meaning I was well-caffeinated by the time I made my way to Ophelias Wines & Bites, a welcoming spot in the town of just over 13,000. Ophelia's Wines & Bites, 328 East Main St., is owned by Jennifer Molnar and Nina Wolowitz, two friends and single moms with a combined four kids who moved from the New York City metropolitan area to South Carolina together in 2021. They found a home in Moncks Corner after first looking in other parts of the Charleston area. We decided we were going to live together because it was going to make life easier, and we needed enough space, Wolowitz said. We started looking in Charleston and Mount Pleasant, and for those prices we should have just stayed in New York. The sight-unseen move to Moncks Corner came first, and Ophelias came later, after the food and beverage industry veterans saved every dime they made from work at Poogans Hospitality Group and a stint delivering food through DoorDash and UberEats. With the opening of Ophelia's, Molnar and Wolowitz became the owners of the only dedicated wine bar in Moncks Corner's main business district. Like Charleston, Mount Pleasant and Summerville, Moncks Corner is growing by 2030, its expected to have more than 15,000 residents, almost tripling in size since the turn of the 21st century but at a much slower rate. With nearby neighborhoods in North Charleston and Summerville already attracting new businesses, Moncks Corner is looking to carve out its own niche in the market. Revitalizing a downtown shopping area is one of the top priorities. The mile-long stretch on East Main Street and Railroad Avenue features a dozen boutique shops and restaurants, with more coming every year. Ophelias, which opened in August 2021, is one of them. The wine bar has evolved into a full-service eatery with appetizers, sandwiches, salads and monthly date-night dinners, when Wolowitz whips up a curated coursed meal in the modest Ophelias kitchen, equipped with two burners, an air fryer, convection oven and panini press. Originally we were just thinking meats and cheeses, but it turned into more, Wolowitz said. With hardwood floors and comfortable vintage furniture, Ophelias is a charming departure from some establishments that can make wine feel less approachable. Not at Ophelias, where generous pours of Sancerre, Cabernet Franc and other wines from across the country and globe are served by the glass for $7-$14. The wine bar is also liberal with its food portions. My caprese sandwich, served with pesto, balsamic, arugula and red onions, arrived with thick slices of mozzarella spilling beyond the sides of a soft baguette. Those who stop by during weekday lunch can order half-portions of two food items for just $10. The sandwiches, soups, salads and crostinis are relatively straightforward out of necessity, making Ophelias a reliable lunch or dinner option, whether youre drinking alcohol or not. All four kids help out when they can, Wolowitz said, though the youngest (8) usually provides moral support. Molnars daughter Julie, 12, has developed some serious culinary chops. According to Wolowitz, she has added a secret ingredient to their Caesar salad dressing that takes it to another level. See if you can pick it out when you visit Ophelias, open 11 a.m.-11 p.m. daily. GEORGETOWN An Illinois couple has pleaded guilty for their respective roles in the murder and attempted murder of two Georgetown residents at an inn in 2020. Jorden Johnson, 30, of Sterling, Ill., was sentenced April 24 to life in prison without parole for murder, 30 years for attempted murder, 30 years for armed robbery and five years for grand larceny, according to court records. His concurrent sentences were the maximum for the charges, according to the 15th Circuit Solicitor's Office. Latisha Evans, 23, also of Sterling, was sentenced up to six years in prison for accessory after the fact to murder and attempted murder, according to court records. The charges came after Johnson assaulted 66-year-old Jack Kendree and 50-year-old Tabitha Russ, both of Georgetown, in their room at the Georgetown Rodeway Inn. Kendree died from his injuries. Johnson fled the scene with Evans after stealing the victims' wallet, car keys and vehicle, prosecutors said. The recent guilty plea came the day before Johnson's jury trial was set to begin, officials said. During the guilty plea hearing, the victims' family members said they were pleased with the case's outcome. "With the help of everyone involved, justice was done in this matter and hopefully has provided some closure to the families of the victims," said Assistant Solicitor Liz Smith Martin, who prosecuted the case with Deputy Solicitor Alicia Richardson. Prosecutors said Johnson had become acquainted with Kendree and Russ in a Georgetown Walmart parking lot. Johnson's van had broken down there as he and Evans traveled to South Carolina to evade Johnson's pending aggravated assault charges in Illinois. On June 28, 2020, Johnson knocked on the couple's hotel room door, and hit them with a 17-inch wrench upon entering. The 2-pound wrench was recovered from Johnson and Evans' hotel room. Rodeway Inn video footage also reportedly showed Johnson entering the victims' hotel room alone and leaving after the assault, prosecutors said. While Kendree reportedly died from massive head trauma, Russ suffered facial and skull lacerations and multiple bone fractures in her face, jaw and skull, as well as a broken arm. "Johnson left her (Russ) for dead in the room, but she was discovered by hotel staff nearly 11 hours later after she managed to stumble from the room," according to the 15th Circuit Solicitor's Office. Although Russ received medical treatment and multiple surgeries, she still suffered permanent injuries and disfigurement, officials said. She died six months later from other medical issues. Johnson and Evans drove the stolen vehicle to Maine and back to Illinois, and used the victims debit card in Connecticut and New Jersey on the trip. The stolen vehicle was later found burned in Lee County, Illinois, on July 4, 2020, officials said. The couple was on the run for 19 days before being arrested in their home state. An Illinois relative, who assisted them with evading police, has also been prosecuted, officials said. Before the Georgetown incident, Johnson had multiple convictions in Illinois, including felony convictions for burglary, residential burglary, assault with a weapon, aggravated assault, violation of probation for felony charges, as well as multiple misdemeanors. Evans had no prior criminal record, officials said. The investigation involved the Georgetown City Police Department; Milford, Connecticut Police Department; Lee County Sheriffs Office in Illinois; Whiteside, Illinois Police Department; Illinois State Police; and the FBI, as well as the victims' families, officials said. PAWLEYS ISLAND A Litchfield Beach-area liquor store will go before the Georgetown County Planning Commission on May 18 seeking a rezoning that would accommodate hosting local vendors at a farmers market. Owens Liquors Manager Ray Strickland said the store has a produce stand in its parking lot operating two days a week. But the store has bigger plans. "We started this process years ago, trying to get a community-based farmers market, vendors, food trucks to get set up here," Strickland said. "We've had our battles with county and state, but right now we're focusing on doing two events a month with the farmers market." Strickland said that he has noticed plenty of area roadside stands and felt when he began as a manager at Owens that the property would be a good spot to bring together a community-based farmers market. Because theres one at Litchfield by the Sea, but thats only one day a week, and I know the countys been working with Waccamaw (Market) Cooperative over the years, theres one in the city of Georgetown, Strickland said. Here, I think would be a good area for the community to come together for a farmers market and vendors and small businesses and food trucks. Strickland said the store is still working on how large it would like its events to be, trying to come up with a number of vendors they could host on the property while still allowing sufficient parking and not disrupting traffic. "We have come up with a roundabout number, but we need to have several more events or farmers markets to happen to make sure that that number is good," Strickland said. Strickland said he would like to have the option to have local items available on-site every day. The store, recognized by the S.C. Department of Agriculture to hold community-based farmers markets, currently focuses on Fridays and Saturdays. That doesn't mean events would occur every day, but the freedom to do so is what Strickland said he would like. "Sometimes farmers can't get here on Friday or Saturday," Strickland said. "So I want to allow the capability of them being able to be here on a Wednesday or a Tuesday or a Monday or any other day they can get here." The new zoning, known as flexible design districts, have their own parameters, Georgetown County Planning Director Holly Richardson said. In this case, the district would allow Owens Liquors to host multiple vendors on the premises in addition to the liquor store. (They) wouldnt be restricted by the current limitations of the zoning ordinance that deal with special events and festivals, which have some time restrictions on them, Richardson said. Greenville Countys court fight to oppose a proposed subdivision it has denied five times in a rural southern area of the county will continue. The county filed notice April 26 it will appeal a circuit court ruling against the county Planning Commissions denial of a preliminary subdivision application for Langford Hills, a 166-home subdivision proposed along Garrison and Augusta roads in Pelzer. It delays resolution of a lengthy battle between the county and longtime Upstate developer John Beeson. County attorneys filed the appeal the same day the Planning Commission was set to weigh a sixth application by Langford Hills. County planning staff withdrew the application pending the result of the latest litigation. Greenville County filed a notice of appeal today in the Langford Hills development appeal matter, Mark Tollison, Greenville County attorney, said in a prepared statement. With so many questions created from the recent court order, the county is seeking clarification from our appeals courts as to the proper application of law on these subdivision reviews. The county scrambled to file its notice after Circuit Judge Bentley Price rejected the countys motion to reconsider his decision. Price ruled in late March that the Planning Commission erred in citing the countys comprehensive plan as part of its reason to deny Langford Hills. He ruled the county couldnt rely on the planning document, only on its zoning and land development regulations, when deciding whether to approve or deny subdivision applications. The case has broad implications for the county as it struggles to find a balance between expected growth, infrastructure needs and traffic concerns. Planning commissioners have consistently split votes on Langford Hills, with a slim majority opposing the subdivision based on density seen by some as out of character for the rural unzoned area around it. Commissioners also cited the planned use of septic tanks for the subdivision, which the countys comprehensive plan calls for shifting away from in favor of growth in areas where sewer is available. Marcelo Torricos, an attorney with Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey law firm representing a trust set up by Beeson that owns the Langford Hills property, said the judge had firmly denied the Planning Commissions motion to reconsider, and that the county filed a last-minute appeal today, a mere two hours or so before the commission was to take up Langford Hills again." While we did not necessarily anticipate a notice of appeal being filed so close in time to the start of the Planning Commission's meeting today, we did anticipate an appeal being filed, Torricos said. But we like where we sit. The order is strong, and we are prepared to defend the order on appeal. Price, the judge assigned to the case, is a circuit court judge based in Charleston who stepped in after Judge Letitia Verdin was elected to serve on the state Court of Appeals. Verdin had previously ruled in favor of the Planning Commission on a prior Langford Hills appeal. Now the matter will head to the appeals court where Verdin may once again hear the case. Some appeals court cases are decided by a three-judge panel, and others by the full court. Beeson, through his attorney, has vowed to continue to seek approval of Langford Hills forever because he owns the land and doesnt face contractual pressure from a homebuilder. According to Greenville Countys land development regulations, there is no limit to the number of times a developer could bring a subdivision application. LIBERTY A firearms manufacturer plans to add another South Carolina production facility with a multimillion investment. Virginia-based FN America, a U.S. subsidiary of Belgium's FN Herstal, announced it would open a Pickens County site with a $33 million investment, creating 176 new jobs. This will be the second location for the gun-maker in the Palmetto State. Its Richland County site opened over four decades ago. The new 10,000-square-foot Upstate factory coming to a commerce park in Liberty will be built in two phases. The company plans to break ground in 2024, with an expected completion date in 2025. FN America has experienced significant growth over the last several years and demand for our products continues to increase in all market segments that we serve," CEO Mark Cherpes said in a statement. "Our new facility in Liberty ... will allow us to expand our manufacturing capabilities and grow our highly skilled workforce to meet that new demand." The company is hiring for a number of positions in the Upstate including operations manufacturing, quality assurance, supply chain and logistics, safety and more. FN America has more than 600 employees overall. Tax credits tied to job creation have been approved by the state Commerce Department's Coordinating Council for Economic Development for the Liberty project. FN America produces firearms for the U.S. military, law enforcement and consumers, according to a news release. The company launched operations in the Midlands in 1981 to produce the M240 medium machine gun under a contract with the U.S. Army. The Columbia site was recently refused a tax deal after Richland County Council denied the company's proposal in a tied vote on April 18. Some elected officials cited concerns over using tax dollars for gun- makers amid frequent mass shootings around the country. The company's expansion into Pickens County "is a completely separate project" from the Richland County site, a spokesperson with FN America said in an email on April 28. It was already planned before the tax deal rejection for the Columbia facility. PICKENS COUNTY Families of high-schoolers and the local NAACP chapter are suing the Pickens County School District in federal court, saying the school boards decision to ban a book on challenging racism was unconstitutional. Its the first lawsuit challenging the push in recent years to ban books on race, gender and sexuality in South Carolina. The lawsuit requests that a federal judge reinstate Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds, and declare the ban unconstitutional, said Allen Chaney, general counsel for the ACLU of South Carolina. Chaney and attorneys with the NAACP filed the lawsuit April 26 in U.S. District Court. Pickens school district spokesman Darian Byrd told The Post and Courier the district hasn't received the lawsuit and can't comment. The book is one of the most-popular targets of book challenges in South Carolina. Its removal in Pickens County came after parents complained about the books use at D.W. Daniel High School. In response, school and district review committees considered the complaints and recommended Stamped stay in Pickens schools, saying it was appropriate for high school students and aligned with various state education standards. The school board voted unanimously to remove it anyway. Kendi and Reynolds argue in the book that race has always been used to gain and keep power, to create dynamics that separate and silence, according to Kendis website. The lawsuit claims that the school board violated the First Amendment when it unanimously voted in October 2022 to ban the book from all Pickens County schools for five years. The ban was a really simple example of censorship, Chaney said. Pickens wasnt able to articulate anything about 'Stamped' aside from their objections to the ideas of the book that wasnt appropriate for kids. You know, it's not just politics," Chaney said. "It's also an all-White school board removing ideas about race on the basis that they don't like those ideas. That sends a really clear and harmful signal to children of color in Pickens County that they don't matter and that their experience as a racial minority in Pickens County isnt worth exploring in the books that are provided to them by the school district. Theres been a significant increase in the number of school library book challenges in South Carolina and elsewhere in recent years. After parent complaints about the book, Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe, Gov. Henry McMaster in November 2021 called on the S.C. Department of Education to investigate it and other books. State education officials then advised school districts to review their book collections. In 2022, people objected to books 307 times in more than a dozen school districts across the state, according to the South Carolina Association of School Librarians. Thats up from eight complaints in 2021. The challenges targeted 144 books, a majority of which were about issues related to race, gender or sexual identity. Stamped, the book at the center of the Pickens lawsuit, was the second-most challenged book after The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. That book was also removed in Pickens County, but the lawsuit is only challenging the removal of Stamped. The lawsuit alleges the challenge against Stamped was politically motivated and not based on any academic concerns about the book. Three parents challenged Stamped in Pickens, according to the lawsuit. One parent stated she had not read the book but believed it promoted socialism. Another alleged it constituted indoctrination. A third claimed the books assignment violated a state budget proviso on so-called partisanship curriculum that says schools cant teach that one race or sex is inherently superior to another, among other things. A school-level committee reviewed the book after it was challenged and decided it was developmentally appropriate for high school students, the lawsuit states. One of the parents appealed that decision, which prompted a district-level review. That committee unanimously decided the book could stay on shelves and be used as a classroom resource. Parents asked the school board to overturn those decisions. The board heard public comment about the book over two meetings this past August and September before voting 7-0 in favor of removing Stamped from the districts libraries and classrooms for five years. Matthew Kutilek, a former candidate for the state Legislature and combat veteran, said at an Aug. 22, 2022, school board meeting he would fight to the death to ensure his children and the children of the people in the audience arent being indoctrinated by racist, anti-American, Marxist ideology perpetrated by Kendi. Republican State Rep. Thomas Beach of Piedmont spoke against the book at the meeting prior to his becoming a legislator. He said he and other legislators in the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus were considering adding some teeth when it comes to enforcing teaching from books like Stamped. What really concerns me is that we see what is being taught in this book, and that we have no repercussions, no consequences for breaking state law, Beach said. He asked board members to advise teachers on state law, but he didnt say what law was being broken by teaching Stamped. The lawsuit alleges the books removal was based on political pressure from the Freedom Caucus, as well as a group called Conservatives of the Upstate and Moms for Liberty, a far-right parents group. It was the boards hostility to the opinions contained in the book, not the books educational suitability, that drove the decision to remove the book, the lawsuit states. A Charleston man was arrested April 24 on multiple charges of sexually assaulting and trafficking a minor. The Charleston Police Department and Charleston County sheriffs deputies picked up David William Hollars, 55, of Palm Cove Drive. Hollars was arrested on one count of trafficking in persons, a victim under the age of 18, and three of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor. Hollars was booked into the Hill-Finklea Detention Center in Berkeley County. He was later transferred to the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center in North Charleston, where he faces additional charges stemming from the investigation. According to an affidavit, Hollars alleged crimes happened in multiple jurisdictions, prompting assistance from Charleston police. An investigation was launched after the Charleston County Sheriffs Office was contacted in March by a parent of the now-15-year-old victim. Police said Hollars connected with the victim then age 14 via the mobile social media platform Snapchat where they exchanged sexually explicit content. Detectives said they learned Hollars met with the victim multiple times for sexual activity and that he provided money or gifts in exchange for sexual contact. Messages sent from the victim came via a phone registered to Hollars, according to the affidavit. Police Deputy Chief Jack Weiss praised the work of the detectives in the city department and other agencies who worked on the case. Were thankful that this survivor came forward and is getting the justice she deserves. FLORENCE The attorney defending Frederick T. Hopkins Jr. in the slayings of two Florence County law enforcement officers in 2018 has asked the judge to seal all court records and exclude the media and public from all pre-trial hearings. Hopkins is accused of killing two Florence law enforcement officers and injuring five others in an October 2018 shooting at a home in the Vintage Place subdivision. He is charged with two counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder and could be sentenced to death if convicted. A trial date has not been scheduled. +3 Accused Florence mass shooter granted legal representation Frederick Hopkins Jr. appeared in a virtual courtroom Friday morning and was granted a court-appointed attorney. Hopkins' attorney, S. Boyd Young, filed nine motions designed to exclude the media and public from pre-trial hearing and prevent potential jurors from learning about evidence that may be ruled inadmissible. Young is an attorney with the Capital Trial Division of the S.C. Commission on Indigent Defense. Judge Eugene Griffith Jr. determined Hopkins was indigent and qualified for the appointment of a public defender. The first motion calls for all discussions about evidence and other sensitive matters be discussed behind closed doors without the public or media present. All hearing transcripts will be sealed until a jury is in place and sequestered. In the motion, Boyd wrote the case already has generated a lot of publicity and public interest in Florence and surrounding counties. "If the public, including potential jurors, is permitted to become voyeurs to the sensational and morbid aspects of the pre-trial evidentiary matters to be considered by this court, these proceedings could well take on a circus-like atmosphere. The trial will be sensational enough by itself," according to Boyd's motion. The second motion requires prosecutors to disclose evidence in a timely manner and suppress any late discovery materials or grant a continuance to allow the defendant's lawyers to be fully prepared for trial. "Any production of Rule 5 discovery materials at this point would be a flagrant violation of the demands of Rule 5 and would also be a violation of the principles of the fundamental fairness and procedural due process in violation of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article 1, section 3 of the South Carolina Constitution." The other motions ask: The judge to rule before trial on the admissibility of victim impact statements; State prosecutors to provide birth dates and Social Security numbers of all state witnesses; State prosecutors to disclose the psychiatric and behavioral history of certain witnesses; Law enforcement agencies to preserve notes and interviews from their investigations; The court to disclose any bias, prejudice or basis for disqualification of the solicitor, his office, court personnel, jury commissioners, law enforcement officers and other state actors; State prosecutors to disclose any prior wrongs, crimes or bad acts of the defendant it plans to introduce at the trial; And the judge to disclose any potential reasons why he should not preside over the case. Hopkins, a Vietnam veteran and disbarred attorney, is accused of opening fire on law enforcement officers on Oct. 3, 2018, as they arrived at his upscale suburban home to execute a search warrant and question his son, Seth, about allegations he sexually assaulted a minor. +13 SC officials: Gunman knew police were coming to investigate sex assault. 'Ambush' ensued. Frederick Hopkins, a 74-year-old veteran and disbarred lawyer, has been arrested on charges that he fatally shot a Florence policeman and wounded six other officers earlier this week, an official said Friday. Hopkins was waiting on authorities with a pistol and two military-style rifles, authorities said. Gunfire erupted from the house as officers got out of their vehicles and approached the residence. Florence Police Department Sgt. Terrence Carraway, 52, died that day. Florence County Sheriff's Investigator Farrah Turner, 36, died on Oct. 22 after multiple surgeries. The trial has been delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the hearing to determine if Hopkins is indigent and needed court-appointed attorneys to represent him. Growth is inevitable and desirable, but destruction of community character is not. The question is not whether your part of the world is going to change. The question is how. Read moreCommentary: Union Pier development plan is backwards; Charleston needs to set it right It takes a lot of work for most governmental boards in South Carolina to put themselves in a position where they have to pay when they fire a director, because most directors of state and local agencies are at-will employees who may be terminated for any reason or no reason. In most cases, we support the idea of giving governing boards or better, at the state level, the governor the right to fire directors simply because the boards or the governor want to take the agency in a different direction. What we dont support is boards (and governors) who dont tell the public why theyre doing this, are dishonest about why theyre doing it or, even worse, force the public to pay for the change of leadership because they manage to violate the law in their attempt to be secretive or deceptive. That certainly was the case with the board of the S.C. Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, which voted last week to pay former Director Mary Poole $250,000 for suddenly firing her two years ago in one of the most bizarre departures weve seen. You might recall that a state judge had reinstated Ms. Poole in 2021 as director of the agency and awarded her back pay and attorney fees after she was fired in violation of the states open meetings law. That order was memorable not just because of the rare reinstatement which the board quickly reversed by firing Ms. Poole in a way that complied with state law. It also was memorable because the evidence included a five-page script that four of the commissioners wrote for an open board meeting, an executive session and after the board returned to open session. (a. Commissioner Thomas The question is if this has been kept from the commission, what else has been kept from the commission, by whom and for how long? b. Commissioner Malphrus Why were these things not disclosed to the commission? c. Commissioner Rawlinson It disturbs me greatly that every month this commission seems to be faced with something that's a serious problem.) Weird, amateur-spy stuff. Last week, as The Post and Couriers Seanna Adcox reports, the board was careful to comply with state law when it voted to approve a settlement, a year and a half in the making, to award Ms. Poole not just the $90,000 or so she was due under the judges order but also money just $50,000 short of the state limit on government damages to individuals to compensate for harming her career. Although the board said it wasnt admitting to wrongdoing, it rescinded a letter it had read publicly two weeks after her firing that accused her of mishandling a sexual harassment claim months earlier a charge she denied. To the boards credit, the agenda for its April 20 meeting said it would meet in executive session to discuss a personnel matter and legal matter involving Poole v. South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, et al. Thats a level of detail that state law requires but that state and local boards rarely provide. To its discredit, the settlement included another one of those gag clauses that the Legislature should prohibit governments being party to. This one didnt keep the taxpayers' obligations secret, but it barred both sides from discussing the settlement. Of course, we cant force board members or even elected officials to tell us why they take the actions they take, but they shouldnt be able to enter into contracts that forbid them from talking about why they conducted the publics business the way they did. Unfortunately, theres little reason to believe the $250,000 payout will change this boards penchant for illegal secrecy. The money, after all, came from the states Insurance Reserve Fund, not from the agency's operation budget or the commissioners' own bank accounts, and a recent audit showed just how determined the board is to have the very sort of secret discussions that state law forbids. Its just another reason the House should pass a Senate-passed bill to abolish the board and let the governor hire and fire the director without all the theatrics. And it wouldn't hurt to reassess that $300,000 liability cap for state agencies; yes, it protects taxpayers, but it also invites reckless actions by unaccountable part-time boards. And it should serve as a reminder to other boards about the price of illegal secrecy. At the top of the list should be the Charleston County Housing Authority, whose board fired director Franklin Scott during an April 3 emergency meeting that it never even announced as required by law and that its website still doesnt acknowledge as having occurred. Although the housing board cant undo the fact that its action violated state law, in multiple ways, it still ought to hold a meeting in compliance with state law to fire Mr. Scott in a way that would hold up in court. That wont protect it from having to pay damages if he decides to sue, but it might reduce the amount of money taxpayers will have to fork over to pay for the board's previous violations. Click here for more opinion content from The Post and Courier. COLUMBIA A South Carolina judge sentenced two former state lawmakers on April 27, bringing an end to proceedings in an eight-year Statehouse corruption probe that ensnared six politicians and a leading political operative. Circuit Court Judge Carmen Mullen sentenced former state Sen. John Courson, R-Richland, to a year of probation with 100 hours of community service. In her sentencing of former state Rep. Tracy Edge, Mullen gave the Myrtle Beach Republican a choice: six months in prison or a fine of $500. Edge accepted the fine and plans to pay it in the morning, according to his attorney, Joe McCulloch. Both former lawmakers saw reduced sentences for cooperating with prosecutors running the sweeping ethics investigation that began in 2014. The probe was led by 1st Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe, named special prosecutor in what started as an investigation of one of the state's most powerful politicians, then-House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston. Harrell would resign in October 2014 and pleaded guilty to six counts of misusing his campaign account for personal benefit. In the process, Pascoe uncovered more possible corruption in the General Assembly and proceeded, against the wishes of Attorney General Alan Wilson, with a grand jury investigation to target others, including Courson; Edge; former House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Harrison; former Rep. Rick Quinn, R-Lexington; as well as Quinn's father, Richard Quinn, one of South Carolinas top political kingmakers. Barry Barnette, the 7th Circuit Solicitor, took over the proceedings around 2018. Courson's and Edge's court appearances, at the Beaufort County Courthouse, follow the sentencing of Richard Quinn last week. While the 74-year-old former S.C. GOP consultant initially dodged criminal charges in the corruption probe, he would later plead guilty to 11 counts of perjury and obstruction of justice charges accusing Quinn of lying during two appearances before the State Grand Jury in cases against former state lawmakers. Quinn entered an Alford plea, in which he did not admit guilt but agreed a jury would likely convict him. Mullen sentenced him to 18 months home detention. Courson, 78, pleaded guilty in 2018 to one count of willful misconduct in office but was not sentenced until now as prosecutors sought to close out the proceedings against Richard Quinn. Edge, 56, made a deal to plead guilty to perjury after he failed to report a portion of his campaign finances to the State Ethics Commission. McCulloch called the plea agreement "reasonable" and said his client was glad the proceedings, which were a source of anxiety and health issues for Edge, have come to an end. Pascoe called the probe "a very long odyssey" and said Barnette "was the right man for the job" to bring the proceedings to a close. Rick Quinn, the son of Richard Quinn, pleaded guilty to misconduct in office and resigned in 2017. He served 500 hours of community service and two years of probation. Previous corruption charges against Quinn's father, including illegal lobbying and conspiracy, were dropped in as part of his plea negotiation with Rick Quinn. At the time, Richard Quinns political consulting firm, Richard Quinn & Associates, agreed to pay fines and restitution totaling $5,500 for illegal lobbying. Richard Quinn also would agree to provided the grand jury testimony, which would ultimately result in the perjury charge indictment against him in 2019. Harrison, the other former lawmaker caught up in the probe, was sentenced to 18 months in prison on perjury and misconduct in office charges in 2021. He was paroled after serving roughly five months. Harrison ultimately was the only person to receive a prison sentence in the yearslong investigation. "What I hope is that this has brought about cultural change in Columbia and we never see anything like what (these lawmakers) did again," Pascoe said. The Post and Courier was unable to reach Rose Mary Parham, Courson's attorney, for comment. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen notified Congress on Monday that the U.S. could default on its debt as early as June 1, if legislators do not raise or suspend the nation's borrowing authority before then and avert what could potentially become a global financial crisis. Read moreTreasury's Yellen says US could default as soon as June 1 COLUMBIA After two decades of trying, Republicans in the S.C. House of Representatives sent to Gov. Henry McMaster a bill that creates the state's first broad private school choice program. Hours before the 79-35 vote April 26, the Republican governor said he intends to sign it. The bill, which the Senate passed in January, would eventually provide the families of 15,000 students up to $6,000 each to cover private tuition, textbooks and other costs. Families in South Carolina need options for their educational choices, said House Education Chairwoman Shannon Erickson, R-Beaufort, who stewarded the Senate bill through the House. Having schools compete for students and letting parents vote with their feet on where they want their children to be educated is not a bad thing, Erickson told her colleagues from the podium on the House floor. When and whether the program would start will likely be up to the state Supreme Court, as a lawsuit is nearly guaranteed. Critics argue the bill violates the state constitution's ban on public money directly benefiting private schools. Supporters believe the decision will be in their favor because the scholarships go to the families. For nearly 20 years, opponents have argued the effort siphons taxpayer money from public schools to private ones without accountability. Instead of homing in and dealing with the difficult problem of thoroughly, top to bottom addressing public education in this state, we decide its a better no, wait, its an easier idea, more expedient idea just to take public tax dollars and send them to private companies, said Rep. Justin Bamberg, D-Smoaks. Republicans say there are ample safeguards in the bill that have worked in more than a dozen other states and point out their budget proposal sends public K-12 schools more than $320 million in the coming fiscal year for additional teacher raises. The House approved the bill mostly along party lines, with five Republicans joining Democrats in voting against it. No Democrats favored the bill. In the voucher programs first year, up to 5,000 Medicaid-eligible children could receive $6,000 each for private school tuition and other expenses. Once the law is fully phased in two years later, the number of participating students could rise to 15,000, and income eligibility would reach 400 percent of the federal poverty level. Under current guidelines, that means a qualifying family of four could have an income up to $111,000. The bill also allows parents to use the money to pay for their children to attend out-of-district public schools that charge them a fee to do so. The only Republican to speak against the bill, GOP Rep. Neal Collins of Easley, pointed to research that suggests voucher programs do not increase academic achievement. He also said many private schools, like one near him in Easley, cost far more than $6,000 a year. Supporters countered that private tuition in South Carolina averages $4,000 a year and that the program will incentivize the construction of more private schools. The idea of using tax dollars to help parents pay for private tuition has divided the GOP since Gov. Mark Sanford first launched the effort in 2004. A limited program for students with disabilities, approved a decade later, remains South Carolina's lone K-12 private choice program. It involves tax credits for tuition, rather than direct payments. But the push for more options outside the public school system intensified amid COVID's school closures and virtual-only offerings. McMaster tried to unilaterally create a voucher program using federal COVID aid, but the state Supreme Court ruled his plan unconstitutional. The Legislature came close to passing a voucher program last year, but House and Senate Republicans could not agree on the standardized tests taken by participating students in private schools. The Senate wanted them to take the same tests as public school students for the sake of comparison and accountability, while the House wanted to let them use any nationally recognized test. This years version is a compromise. It allows private schools to pick between the state tests or a nationally recognized test that has been proven to accurately predict students performance on the state exams. Critics say its still too little accountability because test vendors are allowed to perform the study of their own test. If youre selling the product, you shouldnt be the one evaluating the product, said Patrick Kelly, a lobbyist for the Palmetto State Teachers Association and a Richland Two high school teacher. Other critics said that under the bill, private schools can decline to admit the most difficult, disabled and poorest students, leaving them at public schools. What were doing here is segregating South Carolina, and thats unacceptable to me, said Rep. John King, D-Rock Hill. Erickson said concerns about accountability and discrimination have not proven legitimate in states that already have programs but said she was open to adapting and improving the program in the future. She added that the Department of Education will produce detailed annual reports of the program. Republican leadership incensed Democrats, who had proposed more than 20 amendments, by voting nearly as soon as the debate started to limit members ability to speak and propose amendments. Im sick and tired of being silenced, said Rep. Jermaine Johnson, D-Columbia. It was clear to us that the opponents strategy was to delay the inevitable of a vote, Speaker Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, said after the vote. COLUMBIA It will be at least another year until the state Legislature takes another shot at allowing South Carolina liquor stores to open on Sundays. A S.C. House of Representatives subcommittee voted 2-1 April 27 to punt on a bill that would allow the states urban and tourism-dependent counties to hold referendums to legalize Sunday retail liquor sales. It was the latest chapter in a long-running and largely fruitless campaign by business and tourism groups to roll back one of the countrys four remaining statewide bans on Sunday sales at liquor stores. Some might assume that the prohibition on retail sales of gin, bourbon, vodka and other distilled spirits on Sundays still stands largely due to support from South Carolinas Bible Belt social conservatives. While they do oppose it, its actually the states mom-and-pop liquor stores that have proven the loudest critics of selling spirits on the Lords Day. Somewhat counterintuitively, small retailers fear that expanding their hours to Sunday would drive up their operating costs without a corresponding increase in revenues. The bill, sponsored by Daniel Island Republican Rep. Mark Smith, would allow any county or municipality in a county with more than $1 million in hospitality tax receipts in the 2016 fiscal year to hold a referendum to allow liquor stores to open on Sunday. In the Lowcountry, Charleston and Beaufort counties clear that threshold. Folks, its time, Smith told the members of the subcommittee, arguing that blue laws are outdated. Only South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas and Utah still require liquor stores to close on Sunday. In South Carolina, each county and municipality can already hold a referendum to legalize beer and wine sales on Sundays, which every county in the Lowcountry has passed other than Hampton. However, most rural counties in the Midlands and the Upstate do not allow any alcohol sales on Sunday. Large retailers like Total Wine & More and business groups along the coast say that they lose business because tourists cant stock up when they fly in or fly out on Sundays. I sit at the cash register every Saturday, and all these tourists ... say, Can we come tomorrow and get it so we can take it with us on the airplane? and we tell them no, Jim Irvin, the founder of North Charlestons Firefly Distillery, told the panel. Sunday sales would help us tremendously. Small retailers say Sunday sales would actually hurt their business. David Osborn, the owner of three liquor stores in Charleston, said hes frequently in his shops on Sundays to restock or do renovations and could count on one hand the number of times hes turned away tourists. Instead, mom-and-pops would have no choice but to open on Sunday for fear of losing customers to big box retailers and then spend more on wages and utilities without an increase in revenues to make up for it. Osborn argued that alcohol sales will not go up by much, theyll just be spread out to seven days rather than six. The only thing that really happens again for us is it increases our operating expenses and reduces the margins, he said. A lobbyist for Total Wine suggested that small retailers could simply choose to stay closed on Sunday like Chick-fil-A, prompting ire from one Charleston-area retailer. Everyones not selling the Chick-fil-A sandwich. The Ketel One Vodka thats in my store is the same Ketel One thats on the Total Wine shelf, said Kara Crowell, who owns and operates Sweetgrass Spirits & Wine in Mount Pleasant. Industry groups have poured significant resources into the campaign for Sunday sales. Let SC Decide, an industry-backed advocacy group, targeted Charleston and Myrtle Beach lawmakers with mailers over their opposition in 2020. Lynn Murray, a lobbyist who leads the group, pointed to a 2023 economic study they funded that showed legalizing Sunday sales statewide would generate more than $2.4 million a year in state excise taxes and a poll they conducted that showed 77 percent of respondents favor giving the decision to voters. The debate splits the Legislatures majority Republicans between two of their core values: the libertarian desire for limited government interference and the conservative impulse to protect small businesses. This will cause business owners to make very tough decisions, said Rep. Matt Leber, a Johns Island Republican who supported the bill. I just dont think its the role of government to make those choices for these business owners. But Leber could not convince his Republican colleagues on the subcommittee, who voted to adjourn debate. With only six days left in the legislative session, the bill wouldve likely waited until next year for further consideration anyway. Lexington Republican Rep. Chris Wooten, who voted to adjourn, said he supports the idea of letting voters decide whether to allow liquor stores to open on Sunday but wants to amend it, potentially only allowing small retailers to open or waiving the Sunday sales license fee for them. COLUMBIA The latest push to outlaw nearly all abortions in South Carolina is over for the year, as senators who oppose a ban from conception stood their ground and scuttled the bill. Senators voted 22-21 on April 27 to "continue" the measure, which means it can't be taken up again until next year. And Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey made clear there's no appetite in the Senate to make another doomed attempt in 2024 for a bill with limited exceptions to an all-out ban. As passed by the House in February, the bill allowed abortions for women who are victims of rape or incest but only through 12 weeks to prevent the mother's death or lifelong health problems, or when the fetus is not expected to survive outside the womb. "The Senate does not have the votes to pass a ban before six weeks," the Edgefield Republican said after the vote, a statement he's made repeatedly since September. The last three days of debate proved it yet again as senators failed four times to muster the 26 votes necessary to end a filibuster. The count only worsened as the debate dragged on, falling from three votes short to five. "I'm disappointed but not surprised," said Massey, who has consistently supported a near-total ban while being publicly frank about its chances in the Senate. "We gave it our best shot. It's up to the House now." That bill's defeat tossed the possibility of any further abortion restrictions before 5 months back to House Republicans, who have refused to take up a Senate bill known as the six-week ban. That measure, which outlaws abortions once an ultrasound detects cardiac activity, is largely the "fetal heartbeat" law the state Supreme Court threw out in January as violating the state constitution, with some tweaks that aim to flip the court's decision. It appears the session will end May 11 the same way last year's extended session ended with House and Senate Republicans unable to break a stalemate and pass anything on abortion. "The House has two weeks to save as many lives as possible," Massey said, urging House leaders to take up the Senate bill. That seems unlikely. "I dont think we have the votes," House Majority Leader Davey Hiott, R-Pickens, said after the Senate adjourned. "We have six (legislative) days left. That kind of puts us in a bind. Time is not on our side." Rep. John McCravy, the author of the House bill, offered more finality. "I dont see a path forward at all on that (Senate) bill," said the Greenwood Republican, adding that he thinks justices would throw it out, too. Amid the impasse, South Carolina's abortion numbers are rising as women from neighboring states come here to end their pregnancies. The 22-week ban makes South Carolina the least-restrictive state in the Southeast, other than Virginia, as other legislatures clamped down following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling last June that tossed the legality of abortions back to states. Nearly half of the 2,927 women provided abortions in South Carolina the first three months of 2023 came from another state, according to provisional data from the state Department of Health and Environmental Control. "It's happening in scary numbers," said Sen. Penry Gustafson, R-Camden, who called for a compassionate resolution. She was among the Senate's five women, who refer to themselves as sister senators, leading the filibuster. They took the podium in turns following a speech from the chamber's chief abortion foe, Sen. Richard Cash, who read from the Bible and compared abortions to the murderous regime of Joseph Stalin and the evils of slavery. "Only mankind bears the image of God," said the Powdersville Republican, citing from Genesis, as well as Psalm 131 that humans are "fearfully and wonderfully made." That's true, said Sen. Mia McLeod. "We are fearfully and wonderfully made, by God, not man, so it was God who decided women and only women are capable of giving birth," said the Columbia independent. "If He wanted our male-dominated Legislature to make that decision, He wouldve given them the biological ability and equipment. But He didn't." Gustafson went into detailed explanation on what happens to a woman's body throughout pregnancy and the possible medical dangers at every step of the way. If schools taught girls that reality and their birth control options, instead of focusing on abstinence-only sex education, there would be fewer unwanted pregnancies, she said. "Theres been a lot of preaching, and I understand that, but some of it has sounded condescending, demeaning, cold and judgmental," she said, countering with other Scripture, including the opening of Matthew 7: "Judge not, that ye be not judged." "This bill leaves no room for empathy or reality or graciousness," she continued. "We need to protect the unborn, but also need to protect women." The chamber's three GOP females were among the six Republicans who never backed off their position, a week after anti-abortion activists left vertebrae models in their offices with messages to "grow a spine." It was among lobbying efforts that only solidified their opposition. "I found that to be an inspiration to stand up stronger for all the issues that have no lobbying groups," Sen. Katrina Shealy, R-Lexington, said about the plastic spine. Known as the children's senator for championing issues for kids in foster care, juvenile detention and human trafficking victims, Shealy said it's infuriating to be called a "baby killer" by anti-abortion activists. "Call me a child saver," she said, inviting her colleagues to spend time with children who desperately want to be part of a loving home. "The kids I support dont threaten you. They dont protest outside of your church and call you nasty names in front of your kids and grandkids." Such nastiness over the last few months helps explain why opposition to the bill has only hardened since the Senate rejected a similar ban last fall and why it's unlikely to be debated in 2024, Massey said. "Theres nothing persuasive about that," he said about some abortion foes' tactics. "Actually it is, but persuasive the other direction." U.S. Sen. Tim Scott said he hopes to make a decision about running for president "before the end of May," offering the first public hint of his timeline since he began officially testing the waters for a 2024 bid. The South Carolina Republican shared the news on Fox News during a prime-time interview April 26, exactly 15 days after Scott launched his presidential exploratory committee. "If I get in this race and I hope to have a decision before the end of May I believe that we beat Joe Biden, period," Scott said. Asked if he thinks former President Donald Trump can defeat Biden in a 2024 general election, Scott turned the question around on host Brian Kilmeade. "More importantly, I know that I can beat Joe Biden," Scott replied. Scott, 57, has been moving toward a possible presidential run for months: releasing a memoir, traveling to early voting states and hiring political staff. His comments on Wednesday, however, suggest that a potential run is nearly certain. Scott began officially testing a White House run two weeks ago when he launched a presidential exploratory committee on April 12. Since then, Scott has been road-testing his message and his potential candidacy in the three states where the Republican presidential nominating contest begins. He's talked about his faith in Iowa, introduced himself to diners in New Hampshire and held a donor summit back in his home state of South Carolina. He's been calling the effort the "Faith in America" listening tour. Those efforts will continue this weekend when Scott holds a town hall in Charleston on April 30 at Meeting Street Academy, 642 Meeting St. Doors open at 4:15 p.m. "Nothings holding me back," Scott told The Post and Courier in an April 14 interview when asked what was stopping him from making his White House bid official. "Im doing what Ive always done, which is being thorough about the prospects of leading the greatest country on Earth." If Scott enters the race, he will join crowded Republican field that is eager for the chance to challenge Biden, who announced he is running for reelection on April 25. Already in the race for the GOP nomination are Trump, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and conservative radio host Larry Elder. But that roster of Republican presidential hopefuls is expected to grow. Former Vice President Mike Pence has said he will make a decision on a 2024 run "in weeks, not months." Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been traveling to the early states, too, and is reportedly planning to jump into the 2024 race by mid-May, according to a news report from NBC News. Other GOP figures said to be eyeing a White House bid include New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, among others. So far, polling consistently shows Trump with a significant lead over any potential Republican challenger. When Kilmeade asked Scott whether he had doubts about Trump's success in 2024, Scott again responded by talking about himself and his potential candidacy. "Without any question, I believe that getting in this race is indicative of the fact that our campaign will win and beat President Biden. The enemy for the American people is the left," Scott said. "Senator, it sounds like youre running," Kilmeade said. Scott smiled and said, "Stay tuned." PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-27 13:07:58 Press Information Published by ACN Newswire +65 6304 8926 e-mail https://www.acnnewswire.com/ # 1025 Words ACN Newswire+65 6304 8926 SINGAPORE, Apr 27, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - ASTI Holdings ("ASTI" or the "Company") said today that any attempt to overhaul the composition of its current board of directors would potentially disrupt operations and financial performance after a recent turnaround, and be counter-productive to ongoing efforts to secure an exit offer to unlock value for shareholders.The directors were responding to the 53-page 3 April 2023 Circular released by four shareholders - Mr. Ng Yew Nam ("Mr. Ng"), Mr. Lim Chee San, Mr. Toh Cheng Hai and Mr. Ng Kok Hian - who had requisitioned to replace the current board of SGX Mainboard-listed ASTI with new directors. The directors consider several statements in the circular to be "wrong or misleading or give an incomplete picture".While the requisitioners had highlighted "adverse developments... and the deteriorating value of the Company's shares", the directors said ASTI had declared an interim dividend of 0.45 Singapore cent for the financial year ended 31 December 2022 ("FY2022") - its first from operating profits in a decade - after recording a profit after tax of S$3.0 million that reversed a pre-tax loss of S$8.1 million in FY2021.The Board said the FY2022 turnaround led by Mr. Anthony Loh (the CFO who was given additional duties on 31 December 2021 as Acting CEO) was achieved after retrenchments at ASTI and its 40.9%-held subsidiary Dragon Group International Limited ("DGI"), ceasing loss-making units, downsizing corporate and administrative functions and relocating to a smaller office.Notably, the Directors added, the cost-cutting included reducing the remuneration of the then CEO, Dato' Michael Loh and the then Group Business Development Director Mr. James Soh ("Mr. Soh") which reduced total employee remuneration by S$3.3 million per year. The latter is one of two candidates proposed by the requisitioners as incoming executive directors.Mr. Soh was ASTI's Vice President of Business Development from 2019 up to his retrenchment in 2021, a tenure which coincided with the Company's recent loss-making years. He was concurrently the Vice President of Business Development at DGI. In FY2020, Mr. Soh was ASTI Group's highest-earning employee (excluding the CEO and directors) with an annual remuneration range of S$500,000 to S$599,999. In FY2019, he was one of the top four earners in the Group, with annual remuneration of between S$250,000 to S$499,999, ASTI said.Despite the FY2022 performance, ASTI could not meet the deadline of 5 June 2022 to exit the SGX-ST Watch-list as its six-month average daily market capitalisation was short of the S$40 million threshold. After several attempts to extend the deadline were rejected, ASTI's shares were suspended from 5 July 2022 pending the completion of an exit offer. ASTI is currently in discussions with Thailand-listed Capital Engineering Network Public Company Limited on a potential exit offer."The Company's positive performance in FY2022 puts it in a stronger position to secure a fair and reasonable exit offer for shareholders as part of its directed delisting. This remains the Board's immediate priority, and it is presently working hard to secure the same in order to maximise value to the Company's shareholders," ASTI said.An overhaul of the management team and the removal of Acting CEO Mr. Anthony Loh "would potentially disrupt the Company's operations and affect the Group's financial performance moving forward. The Proposed Resolutions would also be counter-productive to the Board's efforts to secure an exit offer in the near future" ASTI added.ASTI also expressed concerns relating to the two persons that the requisitioners had proposed as incoming executive directors - Mr. Ng and Mr. Soh.ASTI directors believe Mr. Ng has limited experience managing a listed company and "in navigating the company through the delisting and exit offer processes." While the requisitioners' circular had cited Mr. Ng as the current managing director of iTrue Technologies Pte. Ltd. and iTrue China Private Limited, a search of the ACRA business registry did not find any company registered under the latter name. ASTI urged shareholders to seek clarification as to whether there may be any other omissions, errors, or inconsistencies in the information provided by Mr. Ng in the Circular.As to the other proposed executive director, Mr. Soh - a former Vice President of Business Development of the Company - who is now a business consultant to ASTI "had on several occasions declined the Board's various invitations to familiarise himself with the Company's business". Also, he has no prior understanding of the Company's tape and reel business operations in the Philippines, the Directors said.The Directors also asked if the Proposed Directors including Mr. Soh and Mr. Ng had "a reasonable timeframe in which they aim to achieve a successful exit offer should they be appointed, whether they currently already have viable leads on an exit offer and whether they would be prepared to share these with the Company now that the Requisitioning Members have failed to call the Proposed EGM." The Board announced last week that the Extraordinary General Meeting originally proposed to be held on 5 May 2023 ("Proposed EGM") was invalid and does not and cannot constitute a proper EGM as the requisitioners had failed to despatch relevant documents to shareholders on time.The Board warned requisitioners "not to take any further step towards any purported 'postponement' of the Proposed EGM", and that such actions "would be treated as deliberatively disruptive... as well as an attempt to sow confusion on the other shareholders." The Board also "exhorts the Requisitioning Shareholders as well as Mr. Soh to be "transparent and forthcoming", and requested that Mr. Ng "should be transparent as to his possession or control of, or access to, one or more shareholding list(s) of the Company, or else he should issue an unequivocal denial. He should also explain the several sale and purchase agreements he entered into in February 2023... the price(s) he agreed to pay for the shares in question, and his motivations for so doing despite the fact that the trading of shares in the Company is suspended." Media & Investor ContactIsaac TangWhatsApp (Text): +65 9748 0688asti@ wer1.net PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-27 18:54:52 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 496 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 SINGAPORE / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Bixie, a female-focused finance platform, is revolutionizing the way women invest, save, and grow their wealth. By providing knowledge, networking opportunities, and tools specifically designed for women, Bixie aims to close the $5 trillion market gap in women-centered financial Web3 products.Research shows that women hold 40% of global wealth and make 80% of purchasing decisions, yet less than 1% invest in capital markets. The Wage Gap and Investment Gap have a significant impact on women's financial futures, making them 80% more likely to face poverty in retirement. Bixie's vision is to provide simplified access to capital and wealth, empowering women to make decisions from a position of strength and fostering independence and autonomy.Founded by Rosalia Gitau, Bixie was inspired by Gitau's experience working for the UN and her mother's financial journey. Gitau's mother, an overseas foreign worker from the Philippines, made a crucial investment that transformed her family's life. Drawing on this experience and Gitau's work in Fintech, blockchain, and payments, Bixie was created to help women achieve transformative financial change.Bixie offers a user-friendly app where users can enhance their financial and general Web3 knowledge in a gamified way. By taking quizzes and completing tasks within the app, users can earn bonus points which can be redeemed for coupons and rewards from partner companies within the app.Additionally, Bixie is planning to offer access to DeFi products such as Liquid Staking Derivatives (LSD), DeFi lending, and insurance to provide innovative income-building opportunities for women.During the live online event on 27 March, which showcased Bixie's new Web3 features, the strategic partnership with GatewayX - the upcoming Web3 onboarding platform for mass adoption - was also announced. Yuree Hong - founder of SheChain - a platform championing women-led Web3 projects and gender equality, also joined the online event. This highlights the importance of diversity and inclusion in the Web3 landscape, showcasing Bixie and GatewayX's commitment to a more equitable and diverse digital future.Bixie has been recognized by organizations such as 1Million Startups, She Loves Tech, and Women's World Banking for its innovative approach to female-centered finance. The platform has also partnered with various companies to host programs and live events, further promoting its mission to empower women in the financial sphere.To learn more about Bixie and its management team, explore brand assets, or download sample stories and press releases, visit https://brand.mybixie.com/ About BixieBixie is a female-focused Web3 finance platform dedicated to encouraging savings and wealth generation for women through knowledge, network, and tools. With a mission to empower women to know and grow their worth, Bixie aims to close the $5 trillion market gap in women-centered financial products and promote financial independence for women worldwide.Links:Bixie: https://brand.mybixie.com/Management Team: https://brand.mybixie.com/press-pack/management-teamArtwork & Photography: https://brand.mybixie.com/Awards & Achievements: https://brand.mybixie.com/press-pack/awards-membershipsPartners: https://brand.mybixie.com/press-pack/partnersMedia Contact:Ville Gitauville at mybixie.com Head of MarketingSOURCE: Bixie PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-27 23:30:38 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 742 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 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 violations 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: 2023-04-27 17:45:34 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 929 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / SAPIn February 2022, the United Nations Environment Assembly adopted a historic resolution to develop the UN Treaty on Plastics Pollution, a legally binding instrument with the primary aim of protecting marine environments and human health.Negotiations should conclude by the end of 2024. Now, over a year into the negotiation period, how are businesses preparing for the new legislation?What Is the Plastic Problem?The "Drowning in Plastics" report on marine litter produced in 2021 by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) was unequivocal on the issue. Since the 1950s, we have generated around 6.9 billion tons of plastic and are adding to this at a rate of over 400 million tons per year.Of all the plastic produced to date, only an estimated 14% has been incinerated and only 10% has been recycled. The remaining 76% has gone to landfills or ended up in the environment. Waste management systems can't cope, which has led to the widespread contamination of our waterways, seas, and oceans by an estimated 8 million tons of plastic every year.Plastic is a cocktail of fossil fuels and chemicals that breaks down slowly into microplastics, damaging marine environments from the shore to the deepest parts of the ocean. Apart from damaging marine life, they are a threat to people as they make their way into our food chain and drinking water.Two countries, Spain and the UK, have already taken their first steps with the introduction of plastic taxes on non-recyclable packaging and packaging using less than 30% recycled content respectively. That said, at the time the report was written, there was no consistent policy framework to ensure global action to combat plastic pollution.SAP's RoleThe SAP Circular Economy Solutions team, led by Stephen Jamieson, began work on this issue five years ago. The team is an active member of the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty, convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and WWF, alongside some of the world's biggest businesses and financial institutions.SAP's response to the resolution was to create a digital solution that would enable customers to apply the framework to their business as well as provide feedback to policymakers on what is and isn't working.The Biggest Business Challenge to Eliminating Plastic Pollution"The biggest challenge is how to decouple virgin plastic production from growth. We need to break that connection, but, to date, nobody has the solution," Jamieson says. "SAP's strategy is data-driven. By helping our clients understand the implications of using virgin plastic and having information about alternative options at their fingertips, businesses can find a pathway to more sustainable growth." A Data-Driven SolutionWith customers at all levels of the value chain, SAP set out to help its clients solve this problem using technology. Initial discussions with 30 or so organizations helped SAP understand the complexities involved and led us to identify the need for a plastics data resource. SAP built the SAP Responsible Design and Production solution to help deliver the information companies require to identify strategies and solutions for eliminating plastics or moving to other solutions such as reuse schemes.Data transparency is key to begin the process of decoupling growth from virgin plastics and to facilitate a transition to a more circular economy. The first step involves measurement, in effect creating a digital twin of the plastic item a company produces to allow them to fully understand the types and amounts of components involved in the product itself. Then we do the same for the primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging.Once the measurement phase is complete, the software can be used to apply EPR (extended producer responsibility) policies and local plastic taxes to the different components. With this data applied, businesses can compare materials like-for-like by connecting with digital material libraries to find the best-fit alternatives.Once a new solution has been identified, the GreenToken by SAP solution comes into play. With its blockchain-based approach, the recycled content of products can be verifiable, which helps prevent fraud and provide assurance to customers.Is There an Appetite to Change Business Practices around Plastic?The desire to find solutions has evolved dramatically in the last five years. The level of seniority of the people driving the discussions and their determination is palpable. Rather than seeing this issue as an unnecessary cost, business leaders are genuinely engaged in finding solutions for several reasons.Firstly, they recognize that the plastic problem is inextricably linked to the climate crisis and biodiversity loss and understand that change is necessary if we're to stay within planetary boundaries.Secondly, there is a feeling that solving the plastic problem will open the door to the next phase of growth, profitability, and social equity. This is creating a high level of competition between key players in the market.Thirdly, companies are concerned with their reputation. They want to be on the right side of history and retain the loyalty and trust of their customers. In addition, there is now an acceptance - which didn't exist previously - that there is no real downside to pursuing a solution.These drivers coupled with data-driven technology means businesses will be ready, some even in an advanced position, when the UN Treaty on Plastic Pollution comes into force.For more information on how SAP helps companies record, report, and act on their sustainability goals, visit www.sap.com/sustainability Heather Davies is a sustainability brand journalist.View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from SAP on 3 blmedia.com Contact Info:Spokesperson: SAPWebsite: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/sap Email: info@3 blmedia.com SOURCE: SAP Petty Officer 2nd Class Deandre McKenzie, a native of Enterprise, is one of four sailors who were awarded the Red Cross National Life Saving Award. The four sailors assigned to the USS Boxer medical department were presented the American Red Cross National Lifesaving Award during a ceremony held at the American Red Cross Regional Headquarters in San Diego, Calif., April 19. Hospital Corpsmen 2nd Class Deandre McKenzie, Kristian Mathis, Brett Delia and Ian Villones were honored for administering lifesaving CPR during a medical emergency, Feb. 7, 2022. When the corpsmen arrived to the scene, a contractor was found unconscious with blood around their head. The sailors quickly assessed the patient was under cardiac arrest and immediately began implementing CPR. This was the first actual casualty I had seen, said Villones. It was eye opening, and I felt the responsibility on my shoulders not just being a corpsman, but a human being trying to save the life of another human being. Mathis and McKenzie started chest compressions on the patient while Delia prepared the Automated External Defibrillator and Villones readied the oxygen. They inserted an air adjunct by opening the patients airway in order to successfully administer oxygen to the patient with an oxygen mask. Being a basic lifesaving instructor for the command, I train weekly on this type of scenario, said Mathis. When it was time to actually perform CPR, Im glad that it turned into muscle memory from the training I received. I was glad to pass it forward and help save the life of someone in need. As a team, the corpsmen rotated between administering CPR and further assessing the patient for other injuries while on the scene. They were able to resuscitate and stabilize the patient, who was transferred into the care of local emergency medical services and made a full recovery. Im extremely proud of these young men, said Lt. Cmdr. Paul Flood, Boxers senior medical officer. Their quick reaction in the face of a life or death situation is a testament to their training, dedication and willingness to come to the aid of those in need. Boxer is a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship commissioned Feb. 11, 1995, and is the sixth ship to bear the name. Boxers crew is made up of approximately 1,200 officers and enlisted personnel and can accommodate up to 1,800 Marines. PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-27 16:25:40 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 399 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Ever increasing trade volumes between China and the UK prove that decoupling is not viable, the managing director for China at the China Britain Business Council, a business network that promotes trade and investment with China, said in a recent interview with Yicai Global.China's re-opening after the lifting of its zero-Covid policy has helped promote the stable development of China-UK relations, and non-governmental exchange is also quite extensive, Tom Simpson said.China was the UK's second-biggest source of imports in 2022 and the fifth-largest export destination, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics published in February. The volume of trade between the two countries surged 20.5 percent last year from 2021. Exports to China soared 58.7 percent and imports from China jumped 9.8 percent.Brexit prompted UK firms to change their way of thinking and re-emphasized the importance of non-European Union markets, Simpson said.China's economic development is creating new areas with growth potential, and UK firms in China need to adapt to the transition, he said. Many people only think of China's major first-tier cities, but I believe they should pay more attention to regional economies and establishing business connections with a variety of places.As China focuses more on consumption to drive the economy, the priority is turning to 'software,' an area which UK firms are strong in, from 'hardware' such as infrastructure, he said.China is putting more emphasis on industries with a public interest such as medical health and education, and there is a lot of focus on the chip sector, he said. This provides room for partnership between Chinese and UK firms.British companies are looking to export more products to China and to increase investment in the country so as to better penetrate the market, he said. Despite the impact of the pandemic, UK firms have continued to enter the China market over the last five years. Most of them are engaged in creative content, advertising, finance and other professional services. This aligns with Shanghai's development trajectory."Many British companies, such as lender HSBC, pharma giant AstraZeneca, hotel chain InterContinental Hotels Group and consumer goods company Unilever, began to invest in China in the 1970s and 1980s, and they have been keeping a close eye on the market's long-term development trend," he added.Media Contact:Contact person: Zhu LimingEmail: zhuliming@ yicai.com SOURCE: Yicai Media Group PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-27 15:01:25 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 640 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Second largest Multiple Listing Service in United States joins CubiCasa's Growing Partnership ProgramSAN JOSE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / CubiCasa, the global-reaching real estate software company, today announced a collaboration with Bright MLS, the second largest Multiple Listing Service (MLS) in the country, to offer CubiCasa's easy-to-use floor plan creation app to Bright subscribers. The collaboration will expand the use of floor plans on listings within the Bright MLS ecosystem, adding a new level of transparency to property listings and empowering home buyers to make more informed purchasing decisions."Bright has identified visual media, including floor plans, as being critical to the success of listings, and we have invested heavily in innovating in the space," said Richard McDonald, Vice President, Business Development & Strategic Partnerships, Bright MLS. "With CubiCasa, we see an opportunity to offer subscribers a way to simplify the floor plan creation process so that listings are more effective, allowing our members to maximize the value they provide to their clients." The collaboration with Bright MLS is part of CubiCasa's MLS Partnership Program, launched in December, and marks the 11th MLS to join the growing program. The program empowers agents with free floor plans for new listings, discounted pricing for optional add-on features, and access to CubiCasa's directory of professional real estate photographers who are already actively using CubiCasa.According to the National Association of REALTORS, floor plans are the second most desired feature on a home listing after standard listing photos and property data. However, only a small share of home listings in the U.S. have floor plans today. CubiCasa's unique product offerings and the power and reach of the partnership with Bright MLS aim to change that."We're thrilled to welcome Bright MLS to our MLS Partnership Program," said Jeff Allen, President of CubiCasa. "We're on a mission to bring floor plans to every listing in the U.S. because of the immense value it can create for an organized real estate ecosystem, and Bright is a great partner in that vision." Bright MLS covers more than 20 million consumers across Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington D.C. and West Virginia. In 2022, Bright launched Media Sync, which dramatically cuts down the time it takes for a subscriber to add media to their listings.The CubiCasa app is available for download in the App Store and Google Play Store. To learn more about CubiCasa's free floor plan scanning app, visit https://www.cubi.casa/ About CubiCasaHeadquartered in Oulu, Finland, CubiCasa is the global market leader in mobile indoor scanning and is known for its fast and easy-to-use floor plan app. CubiCasa's technology is used in 172 different countries and has helped create over 1 million floor plans to date. CubiCasa provides technology for the real estate, appraisal, and mortgage industries and is on a mission to digitize real estate. Learn more at https://www.cubi.casa/ About Bright MLSBright MLS was founded in 2016 as a collaboration between 43 visionary associations and two of the nation's most prominent MLSs to transform what an MLS is and what it does, so real estate pros and the people they serve can thrive today and into our data-driven future through an open, clear and competitive housing market for all. Bright is proud to be the source of truth for comprehensive real estate data in the Mid-Atlantic, with market intelligence currently covering six states (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia) and the District of Columbia. Bright MLS's innovative tool library-both created and curated-provides services and award-winning support to well over 100k real estate professionals, enabling their delivery on the promise of home to over half a million home buyers and sellers monthly. Learn more at BrightMLS.com CubiCasa Media ContactRoss StevensCaliber Corporate Advisers for CubiCasaross@ calibercorporate.com 803-5497529SOURCE: CubiCasa PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-27 04:18:24 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 395 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 26, 2023 / SouthGobi Resources Ltd. (TSXV:SGQ)(HK:1878) ("SouthGobi" or the "Company") announces that the annual general meeting and extraordinary general meeting of the Company (the "Annual and Special Meeting") will convene on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, Vancouver time (i.e. Wednesday, June 21, 2023, Hong Kong time) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The record date for the determination of the shareholders of the Company (the "Shareholders") who are entitled to receive the notice of, and to attend and vote at, the Annual and Special Meeting or any postponement(s) or adjournment(s) thereof, will be on Thursday, May 11, 2023, Vancouver and Hong Kong (the "Record Date"). Shareholders whose names appear on the register of members of the Company at the close of business on the Record Date will be entitled to attend the Annual and Special Meeting and cast votes if his or her shares carry voting rights.In order to be valid, a form of proxy together with the power of attorney or other authority, if any, under which it is signed or a certified copy of that power or authority, must be deposited at with TSX Trust Company or Computershare Hong Kong Investor Services Limited, as soon as possible and in any event received by no later than 4:30 p.m. (PDT) on Friday, June 16, 2023 (which is 7:30 a.m. on Monday, June 19, 2023, Hong Kong time), or 48 hours (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays in the City of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and public holidays in Hong Kong, China) before the Annual and Special Meeting or any postponement(s) or adjournment(s) thereof.A notice of the Annual and Special Meeting which contains, amongst other things, the time, venue and the detailed agenda of the Annual and Special Meeting, along with a circular concerning certain matters to be considered at the Annual and Special Meeting, will be dispatched to Shareholders in due course.About SouthGobiSouthGobi, listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the TSX Venture Exchange, 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 RelationsOffice: +852 2156 1438 (Hong Kong)+1 604 762 6783 (Canada)Email: info@ southgobi.com Website: www.southgobi.com SOURCE: SouthGobi Resources Ltd. PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-27 22:35:19 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 295 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 HOUSTON, TX / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Evolution Petroleum Corporation (NYSE American:EPM) ("Evolution" or the "Company") today announced that it plans to release its fiscal third quarter 2023 financial and operating results on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, after the market closes. Additionally, Kelly Loyd, President, and Chief Executive Officer; Ryan Stash, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer; and Mark Bunch, Chief Operating Officer, will review the results on a conference call at 1:00 p.m. Central Time on Wednesday, May 10, 2023.Conference Call and Webcast Details:Date: Wednesday, May 10, 2023Time: 1:00 p.m. Central TimeDial-In: (844) 481-2813International Dial-In: (412) 317-0677Note: Dial-in participants should ask to join the Evolution Petroleum Corporation call.Webcast: https://event.choruscall.com/mediaframe/webcast.html?webcastid=APTDbjXQ A webcast replay will be available through May 10, 2024, via the webcast link above and on Evolution's website at www.evolutionpetroleum.com/investors/presentations/ About Evolution PetroleumEvolution Petroleum Corporation is an independent energy company focused on maximizing total returns to its shareholders through the ownership of and investment in onshore oil and natural gas properties in the United States. The Company's long-term goal is to maximize total shareholder return from a diversified portfolio of long-life oil and natural gas properties built through acquisitions, selective development opportunities, production enhancements, and other exploitation efforts. Properties include non-operated interests in the following areas: the Jonah Field in Sublette County, Wyoming; the Williston Basin in North Dakota; the Barnett Shale located in North Texas; the Hamilton Dome Field located in Hot Springs County, Wyoming; the Delhi Holt-Bryant Unit in the Delhi Field in Northeast Louisiana; as well as small overriding royalty interests in four onshore Texas wells. More information about Evolution can be found at www.evolutionpetroleum.com ContactInvestor Relations(713) 935-0122info@ evolutionpetroleum.com SOURCE: Evolution Petroleum Corporation PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-28 01:00:44 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 522 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Hagens Berman urges Credit Suisse Group AG (NYSE:CS, CSGKF) investors who suffered over $500k in losses to submit your losses now.Expanded Class Period: Feb. 18, 2021 - Mar. 20, 2023Lead Plaintiff Deadline: May 8, 2023Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/CS Contact An Attorney Now: CS@ hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895Credit Suisse Group AG (CS, CSGKF) Securities Fraud Class Action:The litigation focuses on Credit Suisse's statements about its liquidity and overall financial condition.On Dec. 1, 2022, the company's Chairman (Axel P. Lehmann) assured investors during an interview with the Financial Times that customer outflows not only "completely flattened out" but also that outflows had "partially reversed." The next day, Lehmann stated in an interview with Bloomberg Television that, as of Nov. 11, 2022, customer outflows had "basically stopped." The complaint alleges that: (1) contrary to statements by Lehmann, the sharp increase in customer outflows Credit Suisse began experiencing in Oct. 2022 remained ongoing; and (2) consequently, the company downplayed the impact of its recent series of quarterly losses and risk and compliance failures on its liquidity and client retention ability.Investors began to learn the truth on Feb. 9, 2023, when Credit Suisse announced its 2022 financial results that revealed large customer outflows continued through year-end 2022.On Feb. 21, 2023, Reuters reported that Swiss regulators are investigating whether remarks by Lehmann about customer outflows having stabilized were potentially misleading.On Mar. 14, 2023 Credit Suisse revealed it failed to maintain an effective assessment process to identify material misstatement risks in its financial statements.On Mar. 15, 2023 Bloomberg reported that Saudi National Bank, Credit Suisse's largest shareholder, would not provide additional liquidity to the company.Most recently, on Mar. 20, 2023, Credit Suisse announced it agreed to merge with UBS and shareholders would receive 1 UBS share for 22.48 Credit Suisse shares.These events have driven the price of Credit Suisse American Depositary Receipts sharply lower."We're focused on investors' losses and proving Credit Suisse lied about the magnitude of customer outflows in an effort to slow an apparent run-on-the-bank," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.If you invested in Credit Suisse and have substantial losses, or have knowledge that may assist the firm's investigation, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman.Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Credit Suisse should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email CS@ hbsslaw.com # # #About Hagens BermanHagens Berman is a global plaintiffs' rights complex litigation law firm focusing on corporate accountability through class-action law. The firm is home to a robust securities litigation practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and fraud. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com . Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.Contact:Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895SOURCE: Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-27 01:30:30 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 457 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 26, 2023 / Hagens Berman urges Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) investors who suffered substantial losses to submit your losses now.Class Period: Oct. 8, 2020 - Mar. 3, 2023Lead Plaintiff Deadline: May 15, 2023Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/NSC Contact An Attorney Now: NSC@ hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC) Securities Fraud Class Action:The complaint alleges that Defendants misrepresented and concealed material facts concerning Norfolk Southern's increased risk-taking at the expense of reasonable safety precautions due to the company's near-term focus on profits.Specifically, the company invoked a plan to, among other things, use longer, heavier trains staffed by fewer personnel, which led to increased train derailments and the risk of future catastrophic events. The complaint also alleges that while failing to make proper capital expenditures in safety risk programs, the company concurrently lobbied for policies undermining its ability to provide safe, efficient, and reliable rail transportation services.The complaint alleges that this undisclosed conduct made Norfolk Southern more susceptible to accidents that could seriously harm the company, its workers, its customers, third parties, and the environment.The true facts began to emerge on Feb. 3, 2023, when a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. The derailed equipment included 11 tank cars carrying hazardous materials that subsequently ignited and required the immediate evacuation of those within a one-mile by two-mile area. According to regulators, the derailment was entirely preventable.An additional revelation of Norfolk Southern's safety lapses occurred on Mar. 14, 2023, when another of its freight trains derailed near Springfield, Ohio."We're focused on investors' losses and proving Norfolk Southern put profits over safety," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.If you invested in Norfolk Southern and have substantial losses, or have knowledge that may assist the firm's investigation, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman.Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Norfolk Southern should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email NSC@ hbsslaw.com # # #About Hagens BermanHagens Berman is a global plaintiffs' rights complex litigation law firm focusing on corporate accountability through class-action law. The firm is home to a robust securities litigation practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and fraud. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com . Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.Contact:Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895SOURCE: Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-27 13:00:52 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 1001 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / High Tide Resources Corp. ("High Tide" or the "Company") (CSE:HTRC) is pleased to announce, at the request of The Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) and the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME), Minnesota Chapter, the Company will present the Labrador West Iron Project during the 9th North American Iron Ore Symposium in Montreal, Quebec.High Tide's presentation will take place Monday, May 1, 2023 at 3:30 pm in room 516C in the Palais des congres de Montreal. The presentation is titled The Labrador West Iron Project: How Green Can We Get?' and will be given by Steve Roebuck P. Geo, Director & Interim CEO and Michael T. Zurowski P. Eng., Executive Vice President.Interested parties attending CIM MTL 23 Convention + Expo are encouraged to drop-in to the presentation to find out more about the Labrador West Iron Project and our development plans or reach out at anytime during the convention to say hello, exchange ideas and business cards.For more information please see: https://convention.cim.org/iron-ore-symposium/ Labrador West Iron ProjectThe Labrador West Iron Project hosts a NI 43-101 inferred iron resource of 655 Mt @ 28.84% Fe and is comprised of one mineral licence (99 mineral claims), 2,475 hectares in size. The area was explored and drilled by Rio Tinto Exploration from 2010 to 2012, and then by High Tide Resources in 2020 & 2022. To date, approximately 7,500 m of core in 27 completed holes has been drilled on the property. Located less than 20 kilometres northeast of Labrador City, the Project is proximal to all the critical infrastructure required to explore and develop a major new iron deposit in the heart of the southern Labrador Trough. Experience by major producers operating in the Labrador Trough indicates that hematite and magnetite in this geological setting are readily recoverable using modern, industry standard beneficiation methods, that produce high purity, desirable iron concentrates.Iron and the Western Labrador Trough Infrastructure AdvantageThe Labrador Trough of western Labrador and adjoining Quebec constitutes Canada's primary iron producing district and is host to world-class deposits that have been mined for more than half a century. These have produced over 2 billion tonnes of iron ore to date and are considered to have very significant growth potential. The high quality of the deposits in the region allows for a wide range in product diversity, which includes premium fines, concentrate and pellet grades.The Property is strategically located near the mining communities of Wabush and Labrador City in the province of Newfoundland & Labrador and Fermont in Quebec. The area is home to Champion Iron Ore's Bloom Lake Mine, ArcelorMittal's Mont-Wright Mine, Tacora Resources' Scully Mine, and Rio Tinto IOC's Carol Lake Mine.The Wabush and Labrador City region is very well served with skilled labour and a highway as well as access to abundant low-cost hydroelectricity and a common carrier railway. The railway has 80 million tonnes per year of capacity for transport of iron products to the deep-water port of Sept Isles, Quebec, which provides year-round access to global markets.About High TideHigh Tide is focused on and committed to the development of mineral projects critical to infrastructure development using industry best practices combined with a strong social license from local communities. High Tide owns a 100% interest in the Labrador West Iron Project which hosts a NI 43-101 Inferred iron resource of 655 Mt @ 28.84% Fe and is located adjacent to IOCC's Carol Lake Mine in Labrador City, NL. This resource is exposed at surface and was pit constrained for an open-pit mining scenario. The Technical Report was filed on SEDAR on April 6, 2023 and was authored by Ryan Kressall M.Sc., P.Geo, Matthew Herrington, M.Sc., P.Geo, Catharine Pelletier, P.Eng. and Jeffrey Cassoff P.Eng.The Company also owns a 100% interest in the Lac Pegma copper-nickel-cobalt deposit located 50 kilometres southeast of Fermont, Quebec and is earning a 100% interest in the road accessible Clearcut Lithium Project located ~75 kilometres southwest of Val d'Or, Quebec and the road accessible Big Bang Lithium Project located ~275 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Majority shareholder Avidian Gold ( TSX.V: AVG) controls approximately 30% of High Tide's outstanding shares.Further details on the Company, including a NI 43-101 technical report on the Labrador West Iron property can be found on the Company's website at www.hightideresources.com Qualified PersonThe technical information contained in this news release has been approved by Steve Roebuck,P.Geo., Director, President and Interim CEO of High Tide, who is a Qualified Person as defined in "National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects." For further information, please contact:Steve RoebuckDirector, President & Interim CEOMobile: (905) 741-5458Email: sroebuck@ hightideresources.com Neither 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 news release.Forward looking informationThis news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's 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 management's 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, developing the Labrador West Iron Project into the next producer , the acqui PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-27 17:10:15 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 515 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Investing in real estate remains one of the best ways to accumulate wealth, both in terms of appreciation in market value as well as generating a reliable monthly cash flow.Historically, real estate has been less volatile than the stock market, especially through tougher economic times. Given the diversity of available choices, property investment is an option for investors on all rungs of the financial ladder, not only high net worth individuals!In that context, InvestWE is an innovative platform that allows users to invest from $50 in real estate properties for short-term rentals like AIRBNB, in different parts of the world and in just 5 minutes.The platform offers all investors absolute control of their investments, the possibility of making safe real estate investments in the United States and Colombia, 24/7 monitoring through the app, high profitability, low risk and monthly incomes.The investment process is really simple: 1. Users must register for free on the platform. 2. They must select a property in which to invest. 3. They must make the payment in their preferred currency and 4. They will finally begin to receive income from their properties!The brain behind this successful business is Sebastian Garces, a Colombian entrepreneur who in the last 15 years has founded 8 successful companies related to different sectors, such as finances, construction, wholesale trade, agriculture, software development, and more.All InvestWE operations are always backed by the properties that investors acquire, which are revalued day by day and, thanks to the administration of InvestWE, generate optimal financial returns. Plus, all investment is backed by a legally constituted company and everything is done in compliance with current legal and tax regulations."Our investors have no cost to register or invest through our platform. In addition, each investment option has its supporting documents which will be sent immediately after making the investment", Reads their website.The investment process is 100% online. That way it is easy, fast and effective for all people.InvestWE manages to stand out from other similar platforms because they offer high valuation, immediate support, better liquidity, indefinite returns and a digital wallet. And, since investment security is a priority for the entire team, they comply with all current regulations and safety rules."Our goal is to democratize real estate investments so that anyone can invest in this industry without having to invest large sums of money or having advanced knowledge, from anywhere in the world!", Sebastian explains.The business group behind InvestWE has more than 12 years of experience in the business market, and has established itself as a leader in the industry, positively impacting the lives of hundreds of people and contributing widely to the development of society.To find out more about InvestWE, click here.About InvestWE:InvestWE is a platform to invest from $50 USD in special real estate properties for short-stay rentals such as AIRBNB in Colombia and the US. They plan to democratize real estate investments so that anyone can invest in the industry without having to invest large sums of money.Contact:Paula Henderson561-768-4444phendersonnews@ gmail.com SOURCE: InvestWE PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-27 19:01:27 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 545 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 PITTSBURGH, PA / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Liberated Syndication Inc. ("Libsyn" or the "Company"), the leading all-in-one podcasting platform for creators and advertisers, today announced that it was named the winner of a Bronze Stevie Award in the product innovation category in The 21st Annual American Business Awards.The American Business Awards are the U.S.A.'s premier business awards program. More than 3,700 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories. Libsyn was recognized for Achievement in the Product Innovation category for its evolution from a podcasting pioneer with the best hosting solutions to a one-stop destination for all podcasting services and a leading podcast advertising marketplace - achieved through investments in product innovation and expanded partnerships.Libsyn has established itself as the premier, all-encompassing platform for creators and advertisers by executing on its platform strategy and robust product roadmap. The company is delivering on its mission to unlock the creative potential of the full spectrum of creators - from independents to established creators - and enable more advertisers to access highly sought-after podcast advertising inventory to reach an engaged podcast audience via its AdvertiseCast marketplace."We're honored to be recognized as a podcasting industry innovator," said Libsyn's CEO, Bradley Tirpak. "Podcasting has reached an inflection point with surging popularity and listenership growth that's driving increasing advertiser demand. We've invested significantly in our platform innovations and that's enabling us to deliver industry-leading tools and insights for creators, scale our advertising business, and drive international expansion." More than 230 professionals worldwide participated in the judging process to select this year's Stevie Award winners. Details about The American Business Awards and the list of 2023 Stevie winners are available at www.StevieAwards.com/ABA About the Stevie AwardsStevie Awards are conferred in eight programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com About Liberated SyndicationFounded in 2004, Liberated Syndication Inc. ("Libsyn") is the leading all-in-one podcasting platform for creators and advertisers to host, distribute, monetize, amplify, and measure their audio content. In 2022, the Company hosted over 75,000 shows and delivered over 8 billion downloads to listeners globally. Libsyn's AdvertiseCast marketplace combines an industry-leading ad buying and management platform with full-service capabilities that make it easy for podcast advertisers to initiate and manage highly targeted and measurable campaigns on over 3,000 shows. Based in Munich, Germany, Libsyn's Julep Media platform is the leading podcasting hosting platform and advertising marketplace in Europe. Libsyn also powers podcast membership platform, Glow, and web hosting platform, Pair Networks. Visit libsyn.com or investor.libsyn.com for more Company information.# # #Media Contacts: Ray Yeung + Nancy Zakhary | ray@ relev8.co + nancy@ relev8.co Investor Contact: investor@ libsyn.com SOURCE: Liberated Syndication, Inc. PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-27 22:28:51 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 418 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / CNH Industrial brand New Holland Agriculture is committed to promoting diversity within agriculture and highlighting the fundamental role of women in the industry's development.Through its "Women in Campaign" project in Argentina, the brand provides a space for individuals in the sector to tell their stories and offer insight on the challenges they have faced. It has been built through collaboration, with in-person events and an online platform offering additional training, interviews, forums and workshops.In 2023, New Holland has continued to work with its dealer network to bring the project to women of all ages across Argentina. Here are two examples.Expo Apronor 2023Alongside its local dealer, Audi Hnos, New Holland brought "Women in Campaign" to the 6th Expo Apronor, the major agricultural exhibition in Northwestern Argentina.Audi Hnos created a space where visitors could discover and learn about the stories and challenges of local women connected with the project. The aim was also to encourage new women to join and continue their professional development with New Holland."We listen to their stories and take their details to keep in touch. We tell them about the Women in Campaign' website so that they can register to access everything that the initiative offers," said Noelia Rodriguez, from the dealer's commercial team.A Special Meeting with Women from Santa FeIn the Santa Fe town of Venado Tuerto, New Holland dealer Agroterra held a meeting with clients, municipal officials and rural teachers. During the event, guests participated in a discussion about "Women in Campaign" and tested tractors and sprayers."Our dealers share our brand's values and are a very committed part of the Women in Campaign' initiative. We listen to participants comments and their suggestions for how to grow and reach different parts of the country. This is the beginning of a new phase," said Roxana Lopez, Marketing Specialist, New Holland Agriculture.Sol Arrieta, Director of Agroterra's management team, stressed the importance of these meetings: "We found it a super enriching experience. We were able to establish another type of contact and bond with the guests. The whole experience itself was brilliant: the test drives, the talks, the food, the music, everything." "Women in Campaign" at Expo Apronor 2023 View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from CNH Industrial on 3 blmedia.com Contact Info:Spokesperson: CNH IndustrialWebsite: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/cnh-industrial Email: info@3 blmedia.com SOURCE: CNH Industrial Enterprise State Community College student Liberty Bull began serving as the Capital Division Lieutenant Governor for Circle K International this month. According to the organizations website, Circle K International is the college-focused branch of the Kiwanis International family, and it is the worlds largest student-led collegiate service organization, with thousands of members on hundreds of campuses on five continents across the globe. Alabama is broken into four divisions: Valley Division, Champion Division, Gulf Division, and Capital Division. Member clubs in the Capital Division can be found at ESCC, Troy University, Huntingdon College and Auburn University. Bull was elected to her new position during the Alabama Circle K District Convention, held in Prattville from March 3-5, where ESCCs club also received the Sam F. Hobbs Most Improved Club Award. Bull has been involved with ESCCs Circle K Club since 2021, where she served as fundraiser chair and secretary. She is currently serving as the clubs president for the 2022-23 academic year. ESCC Circle K Sponsor Ashley Snellgrove called Bull committed and a conscientious student. She also said that Bull was quick to take on leadership roles as the club began rebuilding last year. Liberty was quick to volunteer her efforts in reinstating our campus Circle K club after learning of the organizations tenets: leadership, service, and fellowship, Snellgrove said. She pledged to be more than just a member and took on the responsibilities of secretary and the fundraising chair. She enthusiastically stepped into the role as President this year. Snellgrove said Bull was largely responsible for membership growth in the club since last year. I have truly enjoyed getting to know Liberty, Snellgrove said, calling Bull a quiet leader. She really is so special. Even in her new role, Bull said she hopes to encourage students to participate in Circle K. I encourage students to participate in Circle K by reiterating our three tenets: leadership, fellowship, and service, she said. Students can gain leadership experience and make friends in their club and across the state while serving their community. She also has several goals she hopes to accomplish in her new role as lieutenant governor of the Capital Division of Circle K International. I hope to increase communication between the Key Club, Circle K, and Kiwanis organizations, she said, stating that she also hopes to charter new clubs in the Capital Division. Through ESCCs Circle K club, I have made life-long friendships and gained a love for service. I cant wait to spread awareness of Kiwanis organizations throughout my term. Enterprise State Community College is a comprehensive community college that serves more than 2,000 students annually between its Enterprise campus, the Alabama Aviation College campus in Ozark, and the AAC site in Andalusia. Each campus and site currently fulfill the Alabama Community College Systems mission for education and training that leads to high-wage, high-demand jobs in integral careers worldwide. Students can obtain associate degrees and certificates through multiple programs at the college. PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-28 01:01:15 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 1007 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 RADNOR, PA / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / The law firm of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP ( www.ktmc.com) informs investors that a securities class action lawsuit has been against Norfolk Southern Corporation ("Norfolk Southern") (NYSE:NSC). The action charges Norfolk Southern 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 Norfolk Southern's materially misleading statements and omissions to the public, Norfolk Southern's investors have suffered significant losses.CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR NORFOLK SOUTHERN LOSSES. YOU CAN ALSO CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK OR COPY AND PASTE IN YOUR BROWSER: https://www.ktmc.com/new-cases/norfolk-southern-corporation?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=nsc&mktm=r CANNOT VIEW THIS VIDEO? PLEASE CLICK HERELEAD PLAINTIFF DEADLINE: MAY 15, 2023CLASS PERIOD: OCTOBER 28, 2020 THROUGH MARCH 3, 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.NORFOLK SOUTHERN'S ALLEGED MISCONDUCTFor several years leading up to the beginning of the Class Period, Norfolk Southern took a number of measures which put profits and executive compensation over safety. For example, in October 2018, Norfolk Southern adopted "Precision Scheduled Railroading" or "PSR" which was purportedly aimed at producing better service at a lower cost. In actuality, the company sought to increase revenues by cutting operating costs including reducing staff, running fewer, heavier, faster trains and optimizing the company's networks in order to increase efficiency. Norfolk Southern also began tying executive compensation to achieving PSR goals. For example, in 2021, multiple Norfolk Southern executives received millions of dollars in cash bonuses for reducing costs by achieving "record performance for train length and weight." Industry critics have warned that this type of compensation system incentivizes executives to cut costs at the expense of safety and also leads to longer and more dangerous trains which "have greater damage done, greater, larger pileups, fires and so on." At the same time, Norfolk Southern and its lobbyists played a key role in defeating an Obama-era safety rule that was used following a number of oil train accidents, including the "ECP Brake Rule" which was ultimately repealed in 2018.On February 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern Railway Company general merchandise freight train derailed 38 railcars in East Palestine, Ohio, leaving behind what the Associated Press called "a mangled and charred mass of boxcars and flames." The derailed equipment included 11 tank cars carrying hazardous materials that subsequently ignited, fueling fires that damaged an additional 12 non-derailed railcars.On February 6, 2023, responders engaged in a controlled detonation and burn of the vinyl chloride, spewing massive volumes of chemicals into the vicinity. The chemicals released from the derailment entered the air and water of the surrounding residential areas, the closest of which were only 1,000 feet from the site of the accident. Following this news, the price of Norfolk Southern stock fell on February 6, 2023 - down $5.66 per share from its closing price on Friday, February 3, 2023.Then, on February 8, 2023, after lifting a previously issued evacuation order, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine stated that Norfolk Southern was "the one[] who created the problem. It's their liability. They're the ones who ought to pay for it." Following their return, numerous residents reported hazardous air quality and other health and environmental concerns. Following this news, the price of Norfolk Southern stock fell on February 9, 2023, closing at $238.98 per share - down $7.64 per share from its closing price of $246.62 per share on February 8, 2023.Thereafter, Norfolk Southern's stock price continued to drop in response to several other reports and public officials who spoke out about Norfolk Southern's liability for all of the harm and damage it had caused.On March 4, 2023, another Norfolk Southern freight train derailed near Springfield, Ohio. Two days later, on March 6, 2023, Norfolk Southern announced a 6-part plan to improve operational safety. Following this news, the price of Norfolk Southern stock fell again on March 6 and March 7, 2023, closing at $215.18 per share - down $13.21 per share from its closing price of $228.39 on Friday, March 3, 2023.WHAT CAN I DO?Norfolk Southern investors may, no later than May 15, 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, LLPencourages Norfolk Southern investors who have suffered significant losses to contact the firm directly to acquire more information. The class action complaint against Norfolk Southern, captioned Bucks County Employees Retirement System v. Norfolk Southern Corporation, et al. and docketed under 23-cv-0982, is filed in the United States District Court for Southern District of Ohio (Eastern Division) before the Honorable Michael H. Watson.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 an PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-27 16:20:14 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 999 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 LONDON, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Odd Burger Corporation ("Odd Burger" or the "Company") (TSXV:ODD)(OTCBQ:ODDAF)(FSE:IA9) is pleased to announce that it has signed a non-binding letter of intent ("LOI") with Zoglo's Food Corp. ("Zoglo's") (CNSX:ZOG) to acquire 100% of its issued and outstanding common shares and combine the businesses (the "Proposed Transaction").Zoglo's is a leader in the plant-based consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry in Canada with over 3000 distribution points across the country. Zoglo's products can be found at major retailers including Walmart Canada, Metro, Food Basics, Sobeys, IGA and FreshCo. The Zoglo's product line is extensive and includes non-GMO plant-based burgers, sausages, hot dogs, meat balls and chicken, with 12 SKUs currently being distributed to the Zoglo's retail base.With a successful acquisition, Odd Burger expects to gain access to Zoglo's' food manufacturing network in both North America and Europe, which may provide significant benefits to Odd Burger as it scales its operations internationally. Furthermore, Odd Burger plans to launch some of its own branded products into retail which is expected to be facilitated through the acquisition with Zoglo's. Odd Burger would also provide Zoglo's with access to its food service channels, which may provide a new revenue stream for Zoglo's."This acquisition provides growth potential for both of our companies," says James McInnes, CEO and Co-Founder of Odd Burger. "The retail distribution that Zoglo's has is nearly unmatched in the plant-based retail space in Canada and I believe that we can leverage this distribution to both monetize our own products and also make Zoglo's products even more successful in their category." "We are thrilled to announce our intention to join forces with Odd Burger Corporation, a company that shares our passion for plant-based foods and sustainable business practices." says Val Jedras, CEO of Zoglo's. "With over 25 years of experience in the Canadian plant-based consumer packaged goods industry, we have built a strong brand and loyal customer base. By combining our resources and expertise with Odd Burger, we believe we can accelerate our growth and expand our reach both domestically and internationally. We are excited about the potential of this partnership and look forward to working closely with the Odd Burger team to bring delicious and nutritious plant-based products to more consumers around the world." Pursuant to the terms of the LOI, the companies will work to enter into a definitive acquisition agreement. The proposed transaction is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions precedent and compliance with applicable TSXV policies.Upon completion of the Proposed Transaction, the former Zoglo's Shareholders will hold approximately 25% of the Odd Burger Shares and the Odd Burger Shareholders will hold approximately 75% of the Odd Burger Shares (without giving effect to any other issuances).All Odd Burger Shares issued pursuant to the Proposed Transaction will be freely tradable under applicable Canadian securities legislation but may be subject to TSXV imposed restriction on resale. In addition, certain Odd Burger Shares issued in the United States to or for the benefit of U.S. Persons (as such term is defined under Regulation S of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") will be "restricted securities" within the meaning of Rule 144(a)(3) of the U.S. Securities Act. For any questions, please contact Zoglo's at info@ zoglos.com About Odd Burger CorporationOdd Burger Corporation is a chain of company-owned and franchised vegan fast-food restaurants as well as a food technology company that manufactures and distributes a proprietary line of plant-based protein and dairy alternatives to its locations. Odd Burger restaurants operate as smart kitchens, which use state-of-the art cooking technology and automation solutions to deliver a delicious food experience to customers craving healthier and more sustainable fast food. With small store footprints optimized for delivery and takeout, advanced cooking technology, competitive pricing, a vertically integrated supply chain along with healthier ingredients, Odd Burger is revolutionizing the fast-food industry by creating guilt-free fast food. Odd Burger Corporation is traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol ODD and on the OTCQB under the symbol ODDAF. For more information visit https://www.oddburger.com About Zoglo's Food Corp.:Zoglo's Food Corp. is a publicly-traded plant-based food company that offers nutrient-rich, plant-based appetizers, veggies, and meat substitutes to fulfill consumers' needs for all occasions and cooking requirements. Zoglo's wholly-owned subsidiary, Zoglo's Food Inc., currently offers 12 innovative products for the mainstream market through its new Zoglo's Black Box product line. Over the past 25 years, Zoglo's products have been distributed in over 3,000 retail stores across Canada including Walmart, Shoppers Drug Mart, Sobeys, and Loblaws, and have representation in the United States and Europe. Zoglo's trades on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the ticker: ZOG and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the ticker: 7 UT." WarningsAll information contained in this news release with respect to Odd Burger and Zoglo's was supplied by the parties, respectively, for inclusion herein, and Odd Burger and its directors and officers have relied on Zoglo's for any information concerning such party. Completion of the Proposed Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, TSXV acceptance and Zoglo's shareholder approval. Where applicable, the Proposed Transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the Proposed Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular to be prepared in connection with the transaction, any information released or received with respect to the transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon.The Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-27 19:00:47 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 351 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 ANTWERPEN, BELGIUM / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / OMP has implemented its renowned Unison Planning solution at the African facilities of Beiersdorf, bringing state-of-the-art planning intelligence to boost supply chain performance. Planners confirm they are delighted.NiveaNivea Beiersdorf, a global skin care company with 20,000 employees in over 170 affiliates worldwide, is best known for brands such as NIVEA, La Prairie, Eucerin, and Hansaplast/Elastoplast. The company has embarked on a digital transformation journey, and partnering with OMP is a significant achievement. OMP's Unison Planning Solution enables Beiersdorf to streamline its planning activities and achieve end-to-end visibility, cross-functional collaboration, and greater agility.Meanwhile, Beiersdorf's African operations, which include factories in Nigeria and Kenya as well as four distribution centers, already went live in the spring of 2022 with a comprehensive OMP Solution, including supply planning, demand planning, and a full carrier solver. The implementation is based on OMP for Consumer Goods industry solution and fully connects with the Beiersdorf SAP system.Planners gain confidence and create valueThe implementation allows planners to better cooperate in matching end-to-end supply and demand and in organizing Beiersdorf's increasingly frequent product innovations.In a recent survey, users unanimously confirmed that the solution provides a big leap forward. "We've seen users with little or no advanced planning experience gain confidence with OMP throughout the project and create great value for the company," said Holger Ludwig, Beiersdorf's head of regional planning.Project leads Karen Schalbroeck (OMP), and Anna Buzolina and Mark Helbing (Beiersdorf) are equally satisfied. "It was a tremendous cooperative achievement, leading to tangible results very quickly," they said.The OMP implementation was supported by Bluecrux, the global value chain consulting and technology company that connected the dots between tool, process, data, and people.About OMPOMP helps companies facing complex planning challenges to excel, grow, and thrive by offering the best-digitized supply chain planning solution on the market. Hundreds of customers in a wide range of industries - spanning consumer goods, life sciences, chemicals, metals, paper and packaging - benefit from using OMP's unique Unison Planning.Contact InformationJan LemmensAdvisory Managerjlemmens@ omp.com +32 3 650 22 80SOURCE: OMP PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-27 14:55:36 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 826 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / VMware:With the arrival of another Earth Day, the need to address our changing climate remains as urgent as ever. Last month's report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) makes the stakes plain: we have the ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and change the trajectory of our warming planet. But we are consistently falling short when it comes to action.I've devoted my career to acting in the interest of sustainability. And even still, I often wonder: Am I doing enough? The scale of the problem we're trying to solve for is so massive that it feels like it requires "everything, everywhere, all at once"-from all of us.But here's the problem. When nothing feels like enough, it becomes all too easy to do nothing. And our planet can't afford that. So how can we start defining "enough"-and make a significant positive environmental impact for our shared future?I like to think in systemic terms-the circles of influence that start with ourselves and our households and radiate out to our workplaces, our communities, our countries, and ultimately the world. Our influence is strongest in the circles that are closest to us. That's why on Earth Day, the focus is often on what we, as individuals, can be doing. And, if we can think even bigger than that-about how we can influence those next circles, especially at the workplace and community level-we can really start moving the needle.This kind of engagement is something we actively support at VMware. Earth Day is one of our EPIC2 days off-an opportunity for every employee to reflect on the importance of sustainability and its role in our personal and work lives. We also empower employees to be part of and help shape the company's sustainability journey through our sustainability ambassador program and by integrating sustainability into decision-making in employees' daily roles. For example, our procurement team has developed a Responsible Sourcing program to align purchasing decisions with more sustainable and diverse suppliers.As a business that got its start offering virtualization solutions, VMware has always been intrinsically evergreen. But we know that the transformation of digital infrastructure will increase electricity consumption around the world unless we develop new, sustainability-focused solutions for the multi-cloud era. That's why we've taken a systems thinking approach, recognizing how progress is interconnected and requires sustainability to be embedded into the foundation of everything we do.We're proud to be a certified carbon-neutral company, powered by 100% renewable energy. But we haven't stopped at only reducing our own greenhouse gas emissions. We're also playing a major role in helping customers, partners, and industries do the same.For example, we recently added VMware Green Score to our Aria Operations Cloud, which enables customers to track where they are in their decarbonization journey and how they progress over time. The Green Score builds on existing sustainability dashboards we offer by adding five new components: workload efficiency, utilization of physical resources, virtualization rate, power source, and hardware efficiency. Most importantly, it provides customers with actionable recommendations on specific components to improve their overall score.We're also encouraging our partners to embrace their own renewable energy goals with the VMware Zero Carbon Committed program. Providers who opt into this program have committed to powering their own data centers with 100% renewable energy or achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. This helps customers connect with providers who are not only VMware Cloud Verified, but who can help them decarbonize their own supply chains.We're even helping entire industries decarbonize their operations. The telecommunications industry, for instance, currently accounts for 10% of the world's energy usage-a number that will only climb as connectivity expands. That's why VMware is taking a lead role, both internally and with partners around the globe, in developing new sustainability innovations specifically for the telco industry. Learn more about how VMware is helping telco companies create a more sustainable future with our recently published white paper and the video below.I'm proud of what our team has already accomplished, and what our continued commitment means-not only for us, but for our customers and the communities we serve. My great hope is that every year, we'll see our circle of influence continue to expand as we ask: What more can we do? Where else can we make an impact?This Earth Day, these are the same questions I hope every individual and every organization asks themselves. Because when we ask these questions from a place of curiosity and engage in genuine conversations with each other, we have the chance to discover shared values, common interests, and opportunities for collaboration. That's how we move the needle. That's how we scale. That's how we get to enough.Click here to view the original content.View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from VMware on 3 blmedia.com Contact Info:Spokesperson: VMwareWebsite: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/vmware Email: info@3 blmedia.com SOURCE: VMware PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-27 08:00:22 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 342 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Quinyx, an industry leader in Artificial Intelligence (AI) Workforce Management (WFM) software, has named Jeremias Jansson as its new Chief Revenue Officer.BOSTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Quinyx, an industry leader in Artificial Intelligence (AI) Workforce Management (WFM) software, has named Jeremias Jansson as its new Chief Revenue Officer. With his extensive tech background and proven leadership skills, Jansson is well-equipped to support the company's fast growth. Jansson spent most of his career at Unit4, an international ERP B2B software company, where he held several senior positions, including Chief Sales Officer."I've long admired Quinyx and how it has redefined the Workforce Management industry, focusing on putting frontline employees at the center, a values-based approach to leadership, and a relentless focus on customer service. This has helped differentiate Quinyx, driving its growth and success in supporting millions of frontline worker organizations around the world," said Jeremias Jansson."We are delighted to have Jeremias on board as our new Chief Revenue Officer," said Quinyx CEO and founder Erik Fjellborg. "His wealth of experience and leadership skills will be a tremendous asset to our company as we continue to grow and innovate in the workforce management market." With his impressive track record and extensive experience, Jansson will embark on his new journey with Quinyx in May.Quinyx's AI-powered WFM platform is revolutionizing how organizations with frontline employees operate. The company recently introduced the first phase of its All-In-One Frontline Platform, which addresses increasing demand from organizations for a single partner who can provide a one-stop-shop solution for frontline employee engagement and performance.About QuinyxQuinyx, a leader in workforce management solutions, elevates how frontline worker-reliant organizations optimize their businesses, manage their workforce, and engage their frontline employees. With an international footprint, Quinyx supports millions of users in an extensive range of clients such as Swarovski, Starbucks, Kendra Scott, Calvin Klein, Bath & Body Works, Rituals, Victoria's Secret, and Tory Burch.Contact InformationLaurie PaceVice President Marketing North America, PR and Analyst Relations8572967433SOURCE: Quinyx PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-27 12:30:28 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 432 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Recent bank crises in the U.S. and Europe have many Canadians worried about the fate of their deposits here at home, and the resiliency of our banking system.56% of Canadians are concerned Canada's banking system is vulnerable to collapse.28% of Canadians are somewhat worried about the security of their deposits.To protect from a potential financial crisis, 22% of Canadians have withdrawn money from their bank in the last 30 days, and 15% have transferred money to a different institution.TORONTO , ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / A new survey conducted by WealthRocket reveals more than half (56%) of Canadians are concerned our domestic banking system is vulnerable to collapse, similar to what's happened with some banks in the U.S. and Europe.WealthRocket - Banking Fears Survey ResultsPercentage of Canadians concerned our banking system is vulnerable to collapse compared to those who say no, or are unsure. The recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, followed by the near-collapse of Credit Suisse, has many Canadians worried about the fate of their deposits at home, and the resiliency of our banking system.Concerns about banking system vulnerability and safety of depositsFifty-six percent of Canadians are concerned our banking system is vulnerable to collapse, with younger Canadians - particularly millennials - most concerned.Those ages 35-44 expressed the most concern (64%), followed by those 25-34 (63%), 18-24 (51%), 45-54 (51%) and 54+ (45%).More than a quarter (28%) of Canadians are somewhat worried about the safety of their money in a Canadian bank, with 20% very worried, 9% extremely worried, and 19% not worried.While many banks are insured by CDIC, only 37% of Canadians know what CDIC is and know their financial institution is a member. Slightly less (32%) don't know what CDIC is, and have no idea if their financial institution is a member.Canadians taking preventative action to protect from potential banking crisisIn an effort to shield their money from a potential financial crisis, in the last 30 days:22% of Canadians have withdrawn money from their account16% have transferred money to an investment account15% have transferred money to a different institution14% have purchased alternative assets, like cryptocurrency13% have verified whether their bank is a CDIC memberSurvey MethodologyData collected via an online Pollfish survey of 1,500 Canadians (18+) conducted between April 13 and 14, 2023. Estimated margin of error: +/- 3%.About WealthRocketWealthRocket a Canadian personal finance website focused on credit cards, banking, investing, budgeting, and more. Our mission is to empower Canadians to make informed financial decisions and get the most out of their money.For further information, contact Rebecca David, rebecca@ wealthrocket.com Contact InformationRebecca DavidMedia Relations Coordinatorrebecca@ wealthrocket.com 902-293-9342SOURCE: WealthRocket PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-27 08:00:30 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 357 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 APPOINTMENT OF EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AUSTRALIAN OPERATIONSPERTH, AUSTRALIA / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Woodside has appointed Ms Liz Westcott as Executive Vice President Australian Operations.Ms Westcott most recently held the role of Chief Operating Officer at EnergyAustralia, where she had broad leadership responsibilities across sustainability, HSSE, procurement and the operations of EnergyAustralia's generation portfolio.Prior to joining EnergyAustralia in 2018, Ms Westcott had a 25-year career at ExxonMobil working in Australia, the United Kingdom and Italy, including a secondment in 2013 to Adriatic LNG as Managing Director. Her roles spanned strategic planning, operations, project management, and safety, technical and commercial leadership.Ms Westcott holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Civil Engineering from Melbourne University and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.Woodside CEO Meg O'Neill said Ms Westcott would be a valuable addition to Woodside's executive leadership team."I am delighted that Liz has agreed to join Woodside to lead our Australian Operations. Her extensive upstream experience is complemented by knowledge of the power generation and retail sectors. Liz has demonstrated safety and operations leadership across a range of businesses over her career."Liz's proven strength in stakeholder management will be critical as we work to supply the energy needed by our customers in Australia and internationally, today and into the future."I would also like to thank Mike Price for his leadership and stewardship of the Australian Operations team over the past five months," she said.Ms Westcott will commence with Woodside on 1 June 2023.Contacts: INVESTORSMatthew Turnbull (Group)M: +61 410 471 079Sarah Peyman (Australia)M: +61 457 513 249Rohan Goudge (US)M: +1 (713) 679-1550E: investor@ woodside.com MEDIAChristine ForsterM: +61 484 112 469E: christine.forster@woodside.com This announcement was approved and authorised for release by Woodside's Disclosure Committee.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 SOURCE: Woodside Energy Group Ltd 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 Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited on Wednesday signed an agreement with a Norwegian company, Golar LNG (GLNG), to build a floating Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) plant in Nigeria. The signing of the agreement took place at the NNPC headquarters in Abuja. According to NNPCL, the agreement was in furtherance of its efforts to deepen Nigerias domestic gas utilization and enhance gas export. NNPC Limited has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a Norwegian company, Golar LNG (GLNG), to build a Floating Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) plant in Nigeria, the company said. READ ALSO: Group CEO of NNPC Limited, Mele Kyari and CEO of Golar LNG, Mr Karl Fredrik Staubo, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective companies during a brief ceremony held at the NNPCTowers in Abuja, yesterday. Golar LNG is one of the worlds largest independent owners and operators of marine-based LNG midstream infrastructure. The LNG infrastructure is active in the liquefaction, transportation and regasification of natural gas, the oil firm said on its official Twitter page. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print 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 ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) is enmeshed in a fresh crisis sparked by alleged lack of financial transparency by the Chairman of the party, Abdulahi Adamu, a letter obtained by PREMIUM TIMES revealed. Salihu Lukman, the national vice chairman(North-west) of the party, in a letter dated 27 April and addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari, said he has filed a case against Mr Adamu and National Secretary, Iyiola Omisore, at the Federal High Court Abuja on the matter. The letter was copied to the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, the Progressives Governors Forum(PGF) and the National Working Committee (NWC) members. In the letter, Mr Lukman accused the duo of running the party with discretionary power without recourse to the members of the NWC. He noted that the actions of the two officials contravene the constitution of the party. Your Excellency, as things are, I am painfully left with no option. It is quite disheartening that under the leadership of HE Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, we are failing to abide by the provisions of our partys constitution and the party is being managed based on discretionary decisions of Sen. Adam and Sen. Omisore. Basic requirements for accountability as enshrined in the partys constitution are being violated, he said. Mr Lukman further stated that the national chairman has betrayed the trust of Mr Buhari, who nominated him for the position. He said he had explored all available means to get Messrs Adamu and Omisore to comply with the APC constitution on financial disclosure but that the two had refused to act. This is very unfortunate. Certainly, this is not the vision that produced the APC. If anything, our inability to comply with provisions of our partys constitution under the leadership of HE Sen. Abdullahi Adamu represents a betrayal of trust and the confidence reposed in us as members of the National Working Committee individually and collectively. Given the high confidence you had in HE Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, which made you to nominate him to emerge as the National Chairman of our party, the least one would expect is that he will conduct himself strictly based on requirements as provided in the APC constitution, he said. Lukmans prayers The case with Suit number; FHC/ABJ/CS/ 573/2023, has APC, Messrs Adamu and Omisore and INEC as first, second, third and fourth respondents respectively. Mr Lukman is seeking seven reliefs from the court, chief of which is that Messrs Adamu and Omisore should call NWC meeting and disclose the financial record of the party. The suit seeks, A DECLARATION that by the provisions of Articles 13.4 (II) and 25.2 of the APC Constitution, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Defendants are under an obligation to call for or cause to be called and held quarterly or at the request of one-third of members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the APC the meeting of the National Executive Committee of the APC at which the Defendants shall present quarterly reports containing the activities of the APC to the members of the National Executive Committee. A DECLARATION that by the provision of Article 13.4 (vi) and 25.2 of the APC Constitution, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Defendants are under an obligation to call for or cause to be called and held quarterly or at the request of one-third of members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the APC the meeting of the National Executive Committee of the APC at which the Defendants shall present proposed guidelines and regulations governing the conduct of elections to the Party offices at all levels, and procedure for selecting Party candidates for elective offices, including the selection and zoning of leadership of the National Assembly to the members of the National Executive Committee. Lukmans fight with Adamu Omisore Mr Lukman had last month called on Mr Adamu to resign to pave the way for a Christian politician to emerge as the national chairman in order to ensure religious balance in the party since Mr Tinubu and his deputy, Kashim Shettima, are Muslims. He also called for the resignation of Mr Omisore over the failure of the APC at the 2022 governorship election in Osun State. Also, Mr Lukman, during an interview on AIT on Tuesday, alleged that money was given to Mr Omisore for the prosecution of the Osun election but that the national secretary has yet to give an account of the money. The then governor and candidate of the APC, Gboyega Oyetola, lost the election to the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ademola Adeleke. Mr Adeleke has since been sworn in. Mr Lukman said the APC handed over funds to prosecute the campaign for the election to Mr Omisore, a former deputy governor of the state, but that he mismanaged it. Mr Omisore has, however, denied the allegation and demanded a public apology and payment of N500 million in damages. The national secretary, in a letter, through his lawyer, Gboyega Oyewole, dated 15 March, said the statement by Mr Lukman is false because he was not given money by the party for the election. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print A Dothan man was arrested after he robbed a postal delivery worker at gunpoint earlier in the week, according to Dothan Police. Jermain Tyrone Holmes, 38, of Dothan, is charged with one count of first-degree robbery, and one count of second-degree receiving stolen property. He is being held without bond. On April 26, while in the 600 block of Allen Road delivering mail, the postal worker was approached by an individual who pulled out a handgun and demanded personal property. Fearing for his life, the postal worker complied and the suspect, later identified as Holmes, fled on foot. The worker then attempted to follow Holmes while notifying law enforcement. Within a few minutes, officers took Holmes into custody a few blocks away from where the incident took place. Officials said most of the postal workers personal property was recovered and the handgun used in the robbery was retrieved as well. It was later determined the weapon was previously reported stolen. The United States Postal Inspectors Office is assisting with the investigation and is expected to pursue federal charges against Holmes for the incident. 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. President-elect, Bola Tinubu, on Thursday in Abuja, met with the All Progressives Congress governors who paid him a courtesy visit and urged them to work with the party leadership and lawmakers on the election of principal officers of the National Assembly. We thank God Almighty for our electoral victory. It was tough and turbulent. The challenge before us is working in unison with the party leadership and the National Assembly over the election of their principal officers. And I charge you to unite in spirit and faith and work in line with the party, he said. The president-elect told the governors and former governorship candidates of the party that whether you return or not, this is our government. Once we know what we are doing and communicating as elected leaders and loyal party men, we will conquer the challenge. He reiterated his earlier admonitions that, as leaders, they were elected to serve the people and humanity with fairness and justice. Sounding emotional, Mr Tinubu expressed gratitude to God that he, the first Muslim minority from the South-west got the blessing of Allah to be elected president. Dismissing speculations about his health, the president-elect said: All speculation has perished and their purveyors brought to shame. The Chairman of the Progressive Governors, Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State, who led his colleagues to Mr Tinubus residence, said the visit was to congratulate the president-elect on his election, extend goodwill to him over the end of Ramadan Fast and welcome him back from his recent travel and celebrate with him. He also said the governors were ready for any assignment the president-elect may give them. On the task concerning the election of presiding officers of the National Assembly, Mr Bagudu pledged that the governor would continue to discuss and work with the party and the lawmakers to arrive at the best decision in the interest of the country. The governors had recently proposed a zoning formula for the choice of the leadership of the National Assembly. They recommended the zoning of the Senate President to either the South-east or the South-south regions and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to either the North-west or the North-central regions. Among those in attendance were Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima and Governors Simon Lalong (Plateau), Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna), Aminu Masari (Katsina), Hope Uzodinnma (Imo), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Ben Ayade (Cross Rivers), AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq (Kwara), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun) and Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti). There were also the Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Kelechi Igwe and APC governorship candidate in Kano State, Nasiru Gawuna. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print 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. President Muhammadu Buhari, Thursday asserted that while the All Progressives Congress (APC) was working hard to retain power in the recent elections, the combined opposition was a victim of overconfidence the main reason he believed they lost. Speaking at his residence in the State House where he received the Progressive Governors Forum led by its Chairman, Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State, the President said: They were already telling their foreign backers that they would defeat the APC. Our party blended confidence with caution, we worked hard and won. Now, their overconfidence is creating more problems for the opposition than anyone else. They are finding it hard to convince those who supported them from the outside why they are unable to beat us. A combination of overconfidence, complacency and bad tactical moves made them lose, plain and clear. This has created more problems in their camp. Why did they fail to remove us? The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, as the winner of the 25 February election. He defeated 17 other candidates, including Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP). No fewer than five parties and a presidential candidate in the 2019 election are currently challenging the outcome of the February election in court. Speaking in response to an issue raised by Mr Bagudu, Mr Buhari said An important reason I congratulate Asiwaju on winning is because the opposition got support and false hope from outside and went on to create the impression that they will win, that they will defeat us. How more wrong could anyone be? he asked. The president charged the governors to stick together and openly address issues among themselves. Try and keep solving problems. Be courageous to discuss them openly between yourselves. This is the best way to survive politically in Nigeria, said the president, urging that you (Governors) have a programme to meet regularly and to discuss issues and how to maintain the party nationwide. Mr Buhari spoke at length about his retirement proposal, saying that he intended to be at home in Daura for six months before moving eventually to Kaduna. He thanked Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State for the infrastructure he has provided that would make life for his retirement and that of the people of the state much better, adding that the governor of Kano had equally done the same. Mr Bagudu said the visit was ostensibly to say Happy Sallah to the president and to thank him for the leadership he had given to the party and the nation. This being their first visit since the elections, they congratulated the president on the partys victory in the presidential poll, saying, Congratulations, your party won the presidency, a majority in the Senate and for being the leading party in the House of Representatives. These successes would not have happened without your support. History will remember you kindly. Around the world, the election is being celebrated because of the turbulence in the region and the developing world, all courtesy of your leadership. We won by sheer hard work, the same thing you have always encouraged us to do. We thank you immensely for everything, he added. The governors in attendance in addition to Kebbi were from Plateau, Imo, Kwara, Ekiti, Kaduna, Kogi, Lagos, Cross Rivers, Jigawa, Katsina, Ogun and Nasarawa States. The Deputy Governors of Kano, Gombe, Borno and Ebonyi were in attendance, as well as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print 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 federal government under President Muhammadu Buhari has made significant efforts in improving the business environment in Nigeria through the implementation of ease-of-doing business reforms, but more needs to be done in the coming years to deliver shared prosperity for all. This view was expressed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in his keynote speech last night as Special Guest of Honour at the 5th Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) Awards, which was held at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja. The vice president is the Chair of PEBEC, an inter-governmental and inter-ministerial council established by the president. The VP recalled how President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016, established the council, to improve the business environment in the country. Highlighting the far-reaching reforms implemented by the PEBEC since its inception, Mr Osinbajo noted that PEBEC has achieved the delivery of over 180 reforms and completed 7 National Action Plans geared towards improving the Nigerian business environment. These successes are anchored on the collaboration among all stakeholders. And we must all appreciate the efforts of our tireless civil and public servants. What we have seen over the last five years is a pointer to the possibilities for a new Nigeria, he stated. Through PEBEC reforms, Nigeria has improved an aggregate of 39 places in the World Bank Doing Business index since 2016. The country was also twice named as one of the top 10 most improved economies in the world as a result of the activities of PEBEC. Commending the council for the successful implementation of reforms over the years, the VP noted that we must all remember that success births success. While we must not rest on our oars tonight, let us take a moment to relish our accomplishments so far and leave here tonight renewed and reenergized for the work that lies ahead. The VP observed that we knew from the on-set that attempting to effect some of the most comprehensive procedural and administrative reforms in our history was going to require time, strong political will and insistence on following the plan. We have certainly moved the needle, but the task going forward is to consolidate and advance. That would require in the coming years even greater commitment to following the plan, to departmental accountability for failure to deliver on reforms, and to unwavering excellence. Mr Osinbajo further noted that improving the business environment in Nigeria was a continuous process because of a challenging business and trading environment for domestic and foreign investors operating in Nigeria. And a difficult business environment always means fewer investors, fewer jobs and less opportunities for all. The VP, who conveyed President Muhammadu Buharis appreciation to members of the council and every stakeholder that has made the PEBEC success story possible, recalled that the president had charged the council with positively impacting Nigerias business environment by removing the bureaucratic constraints being experienced by a large number of stakeholders. According to the VP, some of these challenges included removing bottlenecks and obstacles, while delivering the reorientation of regulatory authorities and civil servants who deal with businesses on a daily basis; as well as the significant trust deficit from the private sector towards the government, and correcting the pervading negative perceptions, by ensuring that our policies and regulations are enablers to Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs). With the myriad of challenges at the time, we knew it was going to be onerous, yet not insurmountable. This task was essential to the shared prosperity of all. From the beginning, we were clear in our minds that it would be unrealistic to attempt to solve all the problems that we had identified in one fell swoop. An attempt to boil the ocean or eat an elephant whole was never part of the plan. With this in mind, we had to develop a strategy that would allow us to identify and implement bold, pragmatic reforms. This strategy was to prioritise the frontal pain points of MSMEs and install a systemic framework to resolve them. We did this by soliciting and obtaining the support of other arms and levels of Government with PEBEC representatives from the National Assembly and the Judiciary, as well as all sub-national governments through the National Economic Council (NEC). Speaking further on the successes recorded by the PEBEC since its inception, the vice president recalled that in 2020, the PEBEC interventions were further expanded to include local governments through the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) which served as a pilot for interventions at the municipal level of government. Over the last seven years, our visionary team dominated by young Nigerians from both private and public sectors, led by Dr Jumoke Oduwole, have designed and implemented a series of reform initiatives at the federal level with measurable success. Among other tools and strategies, the team developed a homegrown 60-day accelerator our National Action Plans (NAPs) to implement priority reforms by select Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) for each annual reform cycle. The PEBEC Secretariat supports about 15 priority public-facing agencies and currently tracks over 53 MDAs. This is in support of Executive Order 001 on Transparency and Efficiency of public service delivery to the business environment as well as ReportGov.ng, the Councils feedback mechanism. The vice president also commended the private sector for its commitment and collaboration, especially their contributions in technical support and capacity building. They take much of the credit for the quality output of the EBES, especially through the first three years of the project. But the work of PEBEC is far from done. We are yet to realize our target of becoming one of the top 10 nations globally for Ease of doing business, he added. Some of the awards presented at the event which was highlighted by music and dance performances included the Most Improved Agencies for 2022 Executive Order 01 Compliance, which was won by the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC). The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) came second and third respectively. Similarly, the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) won the Most Compliant Agencies for 2022 Executive Order 01 (compliance), with the Executive Secretary, Simbi Wabote, in attendance to receive the award. The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) came second and third respectively. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) was honoured with the award for the completion of the Enforcement of Order 172 on timeline to complete new connection to the grid, while the World Bank Group (WBG) Nigeria Country Office, received the Impact Awards for Development Partner Institution. At the presentation of the Nigeria Subnational EoDB Awards, Gombe State won the 1st Position for Inaugural Subnational Report 2021, while Jigawa and Sokoto were second and third respectively. Post Humous Award certificates were also presented to the Comptroller, Tariff & Trade, Nigeria Customs Service, Anthony Ayalogu; and the Deputy Director & Zonal Coordinator (Kebbi, Sokoto & Zamfara), Adamu Kudu. Also at the event, the vice president was presented with the inaugural PEBEC The Catalyst Award, given to the VP in recognition of being the most impactful, dedicated and consistent supporter of the implementation of the Ease of Doing Business reforms in Nigeria. According to the Special Adviser to the President on Ease of Doing Business, Jumoke Oduwole, the award is given to the individual who went over and above the call of duty in the course of supporting the delivery of reforms for MSMEs operating in Nigeria, making it an easier place to start and grow a business. Among other impactful steps by the VP, including supporting judicial reforms, Mr Oduwole recalled that on May 18, 2017, tonights awardee (VP Osinbajo), then as Acting President, signed Executive Order 001, on promotion of transparency and efficiency in the business environment, the first executive order of this administration with directives on transparency, default approvals, One Government, ports operations and registration of businesses. Presenting the award to the VP on behalf of the PEBEC secretariat team and its alumni, Mr Oduwole said, Your Excellency, your outstanding leadership qualities are well known. We at the PEBEC secretariat are grateful for the consistent chairing of multiple PEBEC meetings for many years, for listening to our issues and taking time to engage with us, even with junior members of the team. You are a phenomenal boss, you are compassionate and kind-hearted. You are an ardent supporter of women in leadership. You are an exemplary role model, a father figure, a God-fearing man, a fine gentleman. Dignitaries at the event included the Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, while the Gombe State Governor, Muhammad Yahaya, was represented by his deputy, Manassah Jatau. Some members of the National Assembly also graced the event. Also in attendance were the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo; Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed; Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation, Henry Ikoh; Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Ade Ipaye, and the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Folasade Yemi-Esan. Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State was represented by his Special Adviser on Economy, Finance and Investments, Abdulkareem Siyaka. Other dignitaries at the event included the Special Adviser to the President on Social Investments, Maryam Uwais; captains of industry, heads of government agencies and parastatals, members of the organised private sector, diplomatic corps; among other senior government officials. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print 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 First Lady of Nigeria, Aisha Buhari, has lamented the wide gap in cardiac surgery and care in Nigeria, calling for improved investment from the government and the private sector. She spoke during a luncheon in honour of beneficiaries of the recent cardiac mission organised by the Aisha Buhari Foundation on Wednesday at the State House, Abuja. Mrs Buhari called on the government to subsidise the high cost of cardiac interventions and spend more on personnel training and the procurement of equipment. A year ago, I conceived the idea of providing free heart surgeries and interventions to Nigerians in need of such care. Through my organisation, the Aisha Buhari Foundation, we partnered with an international surgical team, the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, Abuja, and other institutions to fulfil this dream, she said. The First Lady said the mission targetted the needy, especially those children with critical heart conditions, to give them hope for a fulfilled life, and seeing them fully recovered and revived to good health served as motivation to do more. She thanked the medical personnel for their effort and sacrifices both during and after the mission. In his message, the Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi Abuja, Saad Ahmed, a professor, applauded the intervention of the First Lady and urged the involvement of more men of goodwill in the sector to reduce the financial burden associated with cardiac surgeries and care, especially for underprivileged Nigerians. Others who delivered goodwill messages at the event were the CMDs of hospitals that participated during the mission and representatives of the beneficiaries, Murtala Dodo and Ireti Ojo. Suleiman Haruna Director of Information to the First Lady of Nigeria State House, Abuja 26th April 2023 Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print 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 Court of Appeal in Kano has reserved judgment in the appeal filed by the New Nigeria Peoples Party and its candidate, Salisu Yushau, against the re-election of Alhassan Doguwa of the All Progressive Congress (APC). A three-member panel of the appellate court led by Ita George-Mbaba reserved judgement until a date that would be communicated to parties. The panel adjourned for judgement shortly after all counsel adopted and argued their briefs of argument in the appeal. NAN reports that the National and State House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal had on April 7, struck out a petition filed by NNPP seeking to restrain INEC from conducting supplementary polls in Tudun Wada/ Doguwa Federal constituency in the state. Mr Yushau and NNPP are seeking the court to set aside the decision of the National and State House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal which claimed lack of jurisdiction to stop INEC from conducting the supplementary election. The appellant in their application are also seeking the court to set aside the April 15 re-run election that declared Doguwa as winner, member representing Tudun Wada/ Doguwa Federal constituency. The respondents in the suit are: Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Alhassan Doguwa, member representing Tudun Wada/ Doguwa Federal constituency Kano and APC. Counsel for the appellant, Adegboyega Awomolo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said they filed their notice of preliminary objection on April 25, with a written address urging the court to allow the appeal and strike out the respondents preliminary objection. Where there is a final declaration and return of candidate as winner and there was no objection to the decision of INEC then election petition can be filed pursuant to section 24(4)of electoral act 2022. Where there is inconclusive election there shall be no valid election until it is concluded. Counsel for the first respondent, Idris Yakubu, filed a brief argument dated 25 April, and urged the court to dismiss the suit. Counsel for the second and third respondent, Nureini Jimoh, SAN, and Abdul Adamu-Fagge, said a rerun election is different from supplementary election and urged the court to strike out the main suit at tribunal and dismiss the appeal with a cost. INEC says once election is completed, it should not be set aside pursuant to section 84 and 24(6) of Electoral Act. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print 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. New York-based climate security campaigner, 350.org, on Thursday implored financiers to hold back support for the construction of the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), a 1,443km-project spanning Tanzania and Uganda and led by TotalEnergies. The group, in an email to PREMIUM TIMES, accused the oil company of profiteering from the African continent, exploiting its labour force and neglecting host communities. Scores of project-affected persons and frontline activists have been made to endure violence, intimidation, forced removals, unfair compensatory processes, the desecration of cultural sites, and the loss of land and other income generating streams, the activist group said, quoting Zaki Mamdoo Coordinator of the movement, Stop EACOP. 350.org centred its grouse on the claim that TotalEnergies, fresh from declaring a 70 per cent jump in profit to $5.6 billion for the first quarter compared to Q4 2022, is set to plough record profits into carbon-high energy projects, aggravating global warming. Oil pumped through EACOP pipeline is projected to emit about 34.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the air every year, says Just Share, a South African shareholder union. That equals almost seven times the size of carbon emissions by Uganda and Tanzania put together. TotalEnergies has not responded to a PREMIUM TIMES email seeking clarification as of the time of filing this report. Research from the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) has shown that the pipeline would also endanger population centres, wetland sites, rivers and lakes, Africa Report said in a publication dated 9 February, 2022. READ ALSO: Myriads of lenders including South African and French big banks, even underwriting powerhouse Axa, have kept off the heated oil pipeline project, the largest of its kind in the world. Last February, Africas biggest lender Standard Bank put the funding decision on hold to undertake a full diligence report after local rivals Nedbank, ABSA and Investec backed off. We are facing unprecedented heatwaves, fires, and flooding worldwide, while millions of households struggle with the cost of living crisis, said Clemence Dubois, Global Campaigner at 350.org. The companys upcoming AGM is a chance for them to celebrate their profits, but they should be prepared to face resistance from movements in France committed to blocking it as long as they continue their destructive path. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print 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. President-elect Bola Tinubu has accepted the invitation of Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike to commission some projects in the state on Wednesday. Mr Tinubu disclosed this in a tweet posted on his verified Twitter handle. According to the tweet, Mr Wike had in a letter dated 8 April, invited the president-elect to commission the Rumuola/Rumuokwuta flyover and the new Magistrate Courts Complex on 3 May and 4 May. Although the president-elect and Mr Wike are members of different political parties, the duo have been close since the build up to the presidential election. Mr Wike, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was believed to have worked for Mr Tinubu, who was the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 25 February election. READ ALSO: The Rivers State Governor alongside the governors of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde; Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu; Enugu State, Ifeanyi Uguwanyi; and Benue State, Samuel Ortom; all members of the PDP, were believed to have worked the partys candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the election. Mr Tinubu won the presidential election in Rivers State, allegedly aided by Mr Wike. Meanwhile, a president-elect delegation led by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, also paid a condolence visit to the family of a former Minister of Labour and Productivity, Musa Gwadabe, in Kano. Mr Gwadabe was a minister from 1999 to 2003 in the first term of President Olusegun Obasanjo administration. He was also Secretary to the Kano State Government in the Second Republic under the administration of Governor Sabo Bakin-Zuwo. He passed away on Tuesday in Kano at the age of 86 after battling an undisclosed ailment. The delegation also paid a condolence visit to the family of Aminu Dantata over the death of his wife, Rabi Dantata, in Kano. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print 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. A coalition of Civil Society Organisations under the aegis of the Progressive Parliamentary Support Alliance (PPSA) has called on the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to zone the position of the deputy speaker of the 10th House of Representatives to the South-south. The group, in a statement jointly issued on Thursday by its Chairman, Bala Mohammed and Secretary, Boboye Akinrefon, also urged the party and members-elect to consider Francis Waive, a member representing Ughelli North/Ughelli South/Udu Federal Constituency of Delta State, for the position. It said the deputy speaker from South-south will provide the needed balance in the event that a Northern Muslim emerges as the Speaker. We wish to put on record that we are not opposed to the choice of a Muslim Speaker in the 10th Assembly, but we wish to unequivocally demand religious balancing, especially among the two Principal Officers Speaker and Deputy Speaker. READ ALSO: This becomes very germane to the principles of fairness and equity. Recall that Nigerians and the Christian Community took it in good faith when the leadership of APC resorted to the Muslim-Muslim joint ticket in the 9th Assembly. And it is very expedient to point out that with the Muslim-Muslim joint ticket which was replicated with the choice of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Kasim Shettima, the parliament should reflect religious balancing. From a series of assessments carried out on all the three geo-political zones South South, South West and South East, we can attest to the character and personality of Honourable Reverend Francis Waive as the man fit for the job, the group said. PREMIUM TIMES had reported that APC governors under the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) proposed a zoning formula that involves zoning of the deputy speaker to any of South-east or South-south. Mr Waive and Chinedu Ogah (APC, Ebonyi) are the two lawmakers that have signified interest in the position. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print 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. Villagers in the Kwali area of the Federal Capital Territory have expressed fear after gunmen kidnapped 29 residents in a night raid. On Wednesday, residents of the area recounted how the armed gang invaded the community on Tuesday night to abduct the villagers. Terrorist outlaws, often called bandits, have been active in Nigerias North-west and parts of the FCT. But details on the clear identity and motivation of the Kwali attackers have been slow to emerge. Zubairu Yewuti, a community leader in Kwali, said his younger brother and two of his elder brothers wives were kidnapped in his family house. The kidnappers operated for three straight hours after combing eight houses to whisk 29 people away, according to a report by Daily Trust. Women and children were among the victims of the abductors. Daniel Ishaku, another local in the area, told The Associated Press the terrorists rounded up the village of their targets and waylaid some locals returning from a ceremony in the area. They took people from the playground and then went into the houses, Mr Ishaku was quoted to have said. They entered the bush with the people they carried walking on foot. The assailants were said to have divided themselves into groups, shooting while they executed their abduction mission. READ ALSO: Nigerian troops engage terrorists in shootout near Abuja Official By name, some of the victims of the midnight abductions include Idris Mohammed, Abdullahi Zubairu, Sani S. Magani, Peter Modu, Ibrahim Mamman, Yellow Abdulrasheed, Musa Suleiman, Simbiya Ishaku, Sumaiya Ibrahim, Muktari Yunusa and Mohammed Yeluwa and Rahmat Shagari, among others. PREMIUM TIMES contacted Josephine Adeh, the spokesperson to the FCT Police, for an official confirmation of the attack. Speaking by phone, she said she had not been briefed on the attack. She pledged to get back to the reporter but failed till nightfall. A follow-up call and texts were also not returned. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print 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. Barely 72 hours after PREMIUM TIMES reported the anxiety in Oyo kingdom over the delay in the selection of a new Alaafin, the state governor, Seyi Makinde, has given reason for the delay. The former Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, died on 22 April last year after 51 years on the throne. This newspaper reported how the Oyomesi, the kingmakers in the kingdom, forwarded the name of their selected candidate to the governor last year after a vote. In his reaction to the report on Wednesday, the governor ascribed the delay in the process to his insistence on due process being followed. Like that of the Alaafin, the stool of the Soun of Ogbomoso has also been vacant since Oba Jimoh Oyewumi died on 13th December 2021. Speaking on Wednesday during the swearing-in of the state Chief Judge, Iyabo Yerima, Mr Makinde said he had communicated to the relevant quarters that the institutional framework for the emergence of a new Alaafin and Soun must be diligently followed. He said he would rather have the process delayed to ensure due process and avoid a legal tussle after the selection. While coming to the office this morning, I saw in the news that the installation of a new Alaafin of Oyo and Soun of Ogbomoso is being delayed by me. What they fail to say is that I have already communicated that the institutional framework should be followed in the selection of a new Alaafin and new Soun. READ ALSO: What we learnt from late Alaafin Traditionalists When you follow due process, things generally work out more efficiently. We have gone through, in this state, a situation where a king was removed by the judiciary after being on the throne for over 22 years and I said to myself that not under my watch are we going to repeat the same mistake I will rather delay and have due process followed and then we know that if anybody decides to go to court after that, the exercise will be a nullity. I believe this is what we need in Nigeria right now, strong institutions but we also need people to build strong institutions. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print ENTERPRISE An 18-year-old man charged with killing his father is now in Coffee County Jail after being extradited from Colorado where he has been in Colorado Springs Jail since his arrest by members of the Colorado Springs Fugitive Task Force Police Department and the Alabama Fugitive Task Force April 8. Ethan Stuckey was booked into Coffee County Jail at 6:53 Wednesday evening, said Coffee County Sheriff Scott Byrd following Stuckeys booking into the county jail in New Brockton. He is charged in connection with the death of his father Russell Stuckey, 42, who was found, shot in the chest, in a home in the 300 block of Daleville Avenue in Enterprise on Good Friday. The elder Stuckey was found dead at about 6 p.m. April 7 by the Enterprise Fire Department during its response to the call of a gas leak at the home in the 300 block of Daleville Avenue, said Enterprise Police Departments Public Information Officer Capt. Billy Haglund. Haglund said that EPD detectives discovered the victims cause of death was due to at least one gunshot wound to the upper body In the early morning hours on Saturday, EPD detectives obtained an arrest warrant on Ethan Stuckey of Enterprise for the murder of Russell Stuckey, Haglund said. EPD detectives worked through the night with our law enforcement partners to assist in the coordination of this apprehension, Haglund said. Members of the Colorado Springs Fugitive Task Force were able to take the suspect into custody without incident. EPD detectives will begin working on the extradition process to bring the suspect back to Enterprise. The Enterprise Police Department credit the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Elba Police Department, Colorado Springs Police Department, Colorado Springs Fugitive Task Force, and the ATF for their assistance in the investigation. 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. Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had said President-elect Bola Tinubu has dual citizenship of Nigeria and Guinea. Atiku, in a fresh court filing submitted to the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) sitting in Abuja, also accused Mr Tinubu of not disclosing facts of his constitutional qualifications in his Form EC9 submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), contrary to the provisions of the law. In the response filed by his lead counsel, Chris Uche, SAN, Atiku said that his identity, comprising age, state of origin and educational qualifications had never been in dispute. He insisted that Mr Tinubu was constitutionally disabled from contesting for the office of president. The PDP presidential candidate, amongst other things, alleged that Tinubu was unfit to lead Nigeria having been indicted for drug related offences in the United States and made to forfeit a sum of 460,000 dollars as a compromise agreement. PREMIUM TIMES reported that Atiku said in the same document that the president-elect was burdened by identity and drugs scandals. According to him, Mr Tinubu holds dual citizenship of Nigeria and Guinea, having voluntarily acquired the citizenship of the Republic of Guinea. Reacting to Mr Tinubus response in which he described Atiku as a serial election loser, the former Vice President said that Tinubu was a giant in forfeiture, drug related offences and failure to disclose dual nationality to INEC. The comparison of the second respondent (Tinubu) with the first petitioner ( Atiku) who had attained the eminent position of Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for eight years is totally unfounded, he said. Atiku said that he was challenging the declaration of Tinubu as president-elect on the grounds that Tinubu and APC did not win majority of the lawful votes cast in the Feb. 25 presidential election. He said that Mr Tinubu failed part of the constitutional requirements having failed to secure 25 per cent of the votes cast in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, as constitutionally required. He argued that the return of Mr Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 presidential election was undue, unlawful and invalid because Tinubu did not meet the constitutional requirements. Atiku said that Tinubu deliberately chose not to answer points of substance in the petition and opted for extraneous facts, contradictory, evasive, speculative and vague assertions. A former President of Guinea, Alpha Conde, reportedly confirmed conferring what he described as Ambassador extraordinaire on Mr Tinubu. He said the honour was in compensation for the roles Mr Tinubu played during his election in 2015. It is not clear if the status is equated to citizenship of the country. Mr Conde, who is currently in exile in Turkey following a 2021 coup that ousted him, made the comments after a snapshot bio-data page of a Guinean passport show Mr Tinubus photo and details trended online. About the same time, another viral video clip, also showed Mr Tinubu the governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Guinean ambassador to the African Union (AU) for Agenda 2063, Ousmane Yara, in a Guinea-government-owned helicopter. Mr Yara explained to Sun Newspaper the helicopter video was taken when Mr Tinubu was a guest of the ousted president of Guinea during thr countrys independence anniversary celebration in 2016. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print 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. Terrorists abducted the district head of Kasuwar Daji in Kaura Namoda area of Zamfara State, Ibrahim Sarkin Fada, Thursday morning. PREMIUM TIMES gathered the abduction came few days after soldiers attached to the Operations Hadarin Daji sacked several terrorists camps in Kaura Namoda, Zurmi and Birnin Magaji axis. A local resident, who asked not to be named for security reasons, told PREMIUM TIMES over the phone that the terrorists invaded the community around 2:15 a.m. and started shooting sporadically. You know the district heads official residence is not far from the main road, so the bandits went straight to the residence while shooting in the air. They didnt kill or wound anyone maybe because the monarch didnt protest his abduction, he said. The source said the monarch was whisked away on one of the motorcycles while other terrorists stayed in the community to stop local vigilante members who might want to follow them. PREMIUM TIMES gathered that Mr Sarkin Fada is the father to the incumbent Zamfara State House of Assembly member representing for Kaura Namoda constituency, Anas Sarkin Fada. Kasuwar Daji is one of the safest communities in the area. The abduction of the monarch has thrown the village and other safe areas into confusion, according to, Ubaidullah Kaura, a resident of Kaura Namoda. The town is known to be one of the peaceful and safest in the local government area so, the abduction calls for concerned. It also shows that the attack was well planned by the bandits because the monarch was monitored before the abduction. He is known to always be in the community, He said in a Facebook post. The police spokesperson in the state, Mohammed Shehu did not respond to calls and SMS sent to him by PREMIUM TIMES over the abduction. Zamfara State has, over the years, suffered massive terrorists attacks leading to the death and displacement of thousands of people in the state and other north-western states. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print 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 Supreme court on Thursday granted leave to the federal government to file nine new grounds of appeal against the release of Nnamdi Kanu the leader of the proscribed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). A five-member panel of Justices led by John Okoro granted leave in a ruling on the motion by the counsel to the federal government, Tijani Gazali, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). The court also granted leave to the federal government to include the nine new grounds as part of its amended notice of appeal dated 28 October 2022. At the resumed hearing, Nnamdi Kanus lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, a SAN, informed the court of his clients application for bail and another one requesting his transfer to Kuje correctional facility in Abuja in case he is denied bail. Mr Kanus transfer, the lawyer said, would enable separatist to get proper medical attention citing his deteriorating health in the custody of the State Security Service (SSS). He also prayed for an accelerated hearing of the matter. However, speaking on the motion for transfer of Mr Kanu out of the custody of the SSS, the counsel for the federal government prayed for an adjournment to file a counter-affidavit stating that he just took over the matter. But in opposition to Mr Ozekhomes requests, the lawyer to the federal government, Gazali, argued that the SSS detention centre has adequate resources to attend to Kanus health needs. After listening to the arguments, the panel advised Mr Ozekhome to withdraw his applications to pave way for a speedy hearing of the main suit. It also directed Mr Gazali to file the appellants brief within six days from Thursday. The court subsequently fixed 11 May for hearing on the pending motion and the main appeal. Mr Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), had filed an appeal at the Supreme Court against the recent Court of Appeal ruling halting his release from custody. He appealed against the 28 October decision of the Court of Appeal Abuja which stayed the execution of its earlier order acquitting him of all charges and directing his release from custody. A three-man panel of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, had stayed the execution of its earlier judgement freeing Mr Kanu of terrorism and treasonable felony charges. Mr Kanu has been in the custody of the SSS since he was arrested in Kenya and brought back to Nigeria in June last year. The appellate court had on 13 October 2022 ordered the IPOB leaders release, having dismissed the remaining six-count charge levelled against him by the federal government. However, the federal government asked the Court of Appeal to stay the execution of the judgment freeing Kanu, pending the resolution of an appeal it filed at the Supreme Court. Dissatisfied with the courts ruling, Kanus lead counsel, Mr Ozekhome, filed an appeal predicated on three grounds at the apex court. In the appeal dated 3 November 2022, the IPOB leader sought an order of the Supreme Court setting aside the decision of the Court of Appeal made on 28 October. In addition, Mr Kanu also asked the Supreme Court to restore the execution of the appellate courts verdict of 13 October, freeing him. In another ground of appeal, Mr Kanu argued that the Court of Appeal erred in law when it heard and determined an application for a stay of execution of its judgment in a criminal suit. In ground two, the IPOB leader contended that the appellate court erred when it failed to evaluate the evidence led by his legal team. That by staying execution of a judgment that was essentially declaratory, the lower court which ought to defend the integrity of the judicial process literally overruled itself and vacated its own judgement even before the apex court has heard it Mr Ozekhome argued. The Court of Appeal in its decision of October 13, held that Mr Kanus forcible extradition from Kenya to Nigeria in June last year was in violation of both local and international laws. Consequently, the court dismissed the terrorism charges filed against Mr Kanu before Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja. Mr Kanu has remained in the custody of the State Security Service (SSS) since his return to Nigeria. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print 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 Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has urged the All Progressives Congress (APC) to zone the Senate Presidency of the 10th National Assembly to either the South-east or South-south. The National Chairman of IPAC, Sani Yabagi, said this when he read the communique issued after the council general assembly meeting on Thursday in Abuja. To ensure federal character as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, and ethno-religious balancing, the senate president should be zoned to the South-east or South-south geo-political zones. The candidate that will emerge will address the required ethno-religious balancing. In view of the fact that the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; Vice President-elect, Alhaji Kashim Shettima and the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola are all of the same faith, this will help to restore confidence of the people from the South-east and South-south geo-political zones and indeed all Nigerians in the unity of the country, Mr Yabagi said. He said there was historic precedence for such when Olusegun Obasanjo-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration in 1999 deliberately zoned the senate presidency to the South-east. Mr Yabagi said the decision ensured that every zone was accommodated in the power sharing equation thereby helping to calm frayed nerves and peace throughout Obasanjos eight years administration. IPAC calls on all relevant stakeholders to embark on deliberate actions that will help to reconcile, heal and unite the nation. READ ALSO: This will eliminate the winner takes all syndrome and further ethno-religious inclusivity and a strong, virile, united, progressive, prosperous, equitable and just democratic nation. This is without prejudice to the ongoing Election Petitions at various election petition tribunals in the country, he said. Mr Yabagi expressed concern over the ethno-religious sentiments that characterised the selection of Presidential candidates for the 2023 general election. He said the IPAC was also concerned about campaigns which adversely polarised the nation and undermined issues-based campaigns that would have strengthened frail electoral processes. Nigerians witnessed the worst campaign since 1999 when democracy was restored in the country. IPAC is strongly determined to stop the dastardly do-or-die politics, garrison politics, ethno-religious profiling and stomach infrastructure that have impeded our hard-earned democracy and impoverished the masses who sold their votes for a mess of electoral porridge. Mr Yabagi called for more appointments of women and youth in government as the most vibrant demographic groups in the country. He said that the continued marginalisation of women and youth in the previous and incumbent governments must stop forthwith, saying no nation made progress without the active participation of women and youth. Women involvement in the 2023 general election was an eloquent testimony of their preparedness to serve the fatherland and should be given the opportunity to do so. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print 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 Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, rejected the bail application filed by Tukur Mamu, who was arrested seven months ago over his alleged relationship with terrorists that were involved in last years attack on a Kaduna-bound train. The judge, Inyang Ekwo, said in his ruling that Mr Mamus grounds of ill-health were not cogent enough to grant bail to the defendant facing terrorism-related charges. He also cited Mr Mamus failure to debunk the claims contained in the counter-affidavit filed to oppose his bail application by the State Security Service (SSS), the agency keeping him in custody. Mr Mamu was arrested based on his suspicious relationship with the terrorists involved in the March 2022 train attack along the Abuja-Kaduna railway. At least eight people died in the attack while 168 people were declared missing, most of whom were believed to have been kidnapped. The remaining 23 kidnapped victims only regained their freedom after six months in captivity on 5 October 2022, following the federal governmentsintervention. Mr Mamu, who is accused of receiving ransom from families of the victims of the train attack on behalf of the terrorists, was arrested by Interpol in Cairo, Egypt, on behalf of the Nigerian government on 6 September 2022. While he was being held in Cairo, the State Security Service (SSS) raided his Kaduna residence and office. The SSS claimed that it recovered military uniforms and an amount of money during the raid. Mr Mamu, who also doubled as the spokesperson of the Kaduna-based cleric, Ahmad Gumi, was arrested by the SSS on 7 September afternoon at the Aminu Kano International Airport in North-west Nigeria upon his arrival from Egypt. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the SSS, on 21 March, arraigned Mr Mamu on 10 counts of terrorism financing, among others. Mr Mamu pleaded not guilty to the counts and subsequently prayed the court for a bail on the grounds of ill-health. The SSS opposed the bail application. Ruling Mr Ekwo said, although Mr Mamu averred that the SSS cannot take care of his health challenges, including cardiac decomposition and thyro-cardiac disease, the issue would not be the courts only consideration in exercising its discretion. He said these other factors the court would consider include the availability of appropriate or adequate or peculiar medical care where the defendant/applicant is in custody. Again, the court will weigh the evidence to see whether the custodians allow the applicant requisite access to medical treatment peculiar to his medical condition. The court will also take into account the attitude of the defendant/applicant to the medical facility provided to him by his custodian. READ ALSO: Where there is a medical facility by the custodian of the defendant which can adequately take care of the medical condition of the defendant, then the application for bail on medical grounds will not be countenanced by the court, he said. Besides, he said where the custodian does not have the medical facility to take care of the medical condition of the defendant but is capable of ensuring that the defendant has access to a medical facility suitable for his medical condition, the court would not grant the bail. Now, where the defendant willfully rejects the medical facility given to him by his custodian merely for the fact that such facility is not up to the standard that he expects, then, he has no good medical grounds for application for bail. A defendant who is in the custody of the state or agency of the state like the complainant/respondent (SSS) must understand that his medical care is at the expense of the state and must be reasonable in his demands, the judge said. Mr Ekwo observed that it was averred that it was after Mr amu declined SSS medical services that he was taken to Arewa Specialist Hospital and Diagnostic Center, Jabi by the security outfit. There, adequate tests and treatments were administered at the expense of the complainant/applicant (DSS) and he was diagnosed with (Moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea) and use of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) was recommended among other options at the hospital. He said the DSS, however, averred that the hospital was sufficiently capable of handling the medical condition of the defendant and that it was able and willing to take responsibility for the treatment of Mr Mamu. He said the agency also undertook to ensure that Mr Mamu had access to his daily medication for the management of his pre-existing health condition as well as ensuring access to adequate tests and treatments when necessary, during the trial. With this undertaking, this application for bail on medical grounds does not hold water. In such a situation where the custodian has demonstrated that it is capable of giving the Defendant in its custody access to appropriate and adequate medical facility, it is for the court to exercise its supervisory power over the medical treatment of the defendant while in custody and in the course of trial, he said. The judge held that in exercising his discretion on application for bail on allegations contained in a charge sheet punishable with imprisonment for a term exceeding three years, the discretion of the court to grant bail will not be exercised in favour of the defendant where any of the conditions in Section 162 of the ACJA 2015 Is established. He said upon considering the nature of the offence on the charge sheet before the court and the fact that Mamu did not rebut the allegation of breach of terms of bail, he was persuaded by the grounds given by the DSS for the court not to exercise discretion to grant bail as prayed by Mr Mamu. This application is consequently refused and Is hereby struck out. This is the order of this court, Mr Ekwo declared. Mr Mamus lawyer, Sani Katu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), had filed his clients bail application dated 8 March and supported by 21-paragraph affidavit. The bail application was opposed by the federal government through its lawyer, Aderonke Imana, an Assistant Chief State Counsel. Charges The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Mamu was arrested on reasonable suspicion of financing Boko Haram terrorism activities. He was then charged by the federal government on terrorism-related charges. He was alleged to have, among others, convinced the terrorists to discuss ransom payments with individual families of the hostages of the train attack instead of the Chief of Defense Staff Committee set up by the federal government for his personal financial gain. He was said to have been nominated by the terrorists that attacked the Abuja-Kaduna bound train sometime in March 2022, which took scores of persons hostage. Mr Mamu was alleged to have collected ransoms on behalf of the Boko Haram terrorists from families of hostages, confirmed the amount and facilitated the delivery of the same to the terrorists. He was said to be in possession of large sums of unexplained cash and property that he tried to conceal upon arrest by directing his proxies to change their locations. Though Mamu was said to have denied these allegations, witness and victim statements and the investigation by the security outfit was said to have revealed a prima facie case against him. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print 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 Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, has described the alleged illegal sales of 48 million barrels of crude oil as baseless and lacking in merit. Mr Malami stated this on Thursday when he finally appeared before the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the sales of the crude oil. The allegation is unfounded. It lacks merit and indeed substance, the minister told the lawmakers. Background The House had in December 2022 resolved to probe the alleged missing barrels of crude oil allegedly sold in China by some Nigerian officials. The resolution followed a motion moved by Ibrahim Isiaka (APC, Ogun), who claimed in his motion that the tip was provided by a whistleblower. PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Malami shunned several invitations by the lawmakers, prompting the committee to issue a seven-day ultimatum for him to appear. Presidential probe reveals no evidence Mr Malami, while reacting to the sales of the crude oil, said President Muhammadu Buhari got the news of the alleged missing oil in 2016, and set up a committee to investigate the matter. He said the committee comprised himself, the Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Mele Kyari, a former Director General of State Security Services, Lawal Daura, and former Chief of Staff to Mr Buhari, Abba Kyari. He stated that the panel could not get evidence to back up the rumour on the allegation, stressing that the committee could not even link the purported oil to Nigeria. Let me state on record and for the benefit of Nigerians and the committee that the allegations relating to the 48 million barrels are baseless. The allegation is unfounded. It lacks merit and indeed substance. READ ALSO: The allegation in its own right is devoid of any reasonable ground pointing to a material suspicion cogent enough to invoke the constitutional oversight of the committee. Why do I say so? Sometime in 2016, allegations were rife and hyped in the social media. There were allegations of the existence of stolen 48 million barrels of Nigerian crude in China said to have been valued at $2.4 billion. President Muhammadu Buhari informally requested the Attorney-General, making reference to my humble person, Mele Kyari, Lawal Daura, former DG of DSS; and late Abba Kyari; to look into it and advise. But unfortunately, for there to be a reasonable ground for suspicion, at least, you require certain basic facts, he said. Mr Malami also informed the committee that the matter is now subjudice because some persons attempted to use the recovery of the missing oil to commit fraud. The idea of the product does not arise but the idea of a fraudulent syndicate trying to extort money from the federal government is what we followed, he said. He added: So we could not establish the substance in the allegation because detailed information to confirm the existence and origin of the shipment such as a sample of the oil, vessel involved loading point etc, location of the crude in China was not provided. So we reported to the president that we were unable to confirm the veracity of the allegation, hence, no further action was taken by my office. Mr Malami also declined to provide the committee with the case file on the prosecution of the suspects in the fraud case. He advised it to respect the principle of separation of power. Following disagreement on the issue between Mr Malami and the lawmakers, the committee resolved that the AGF should re-appear next week. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print 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. Aggrieved aspirants in the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election in Kogi State have asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to cancel the outcome of the exercise. The APC held its primary election to field a candidate for the state governorship election scheduled for 11 November. On 15 April, Ahmed Usman-Ododo, emerged as the governorship flagbearer of the APC in Kogi. Mr Usman-Obodo, the Auditor-General for Local Government Areas in the state, was backed by the state governor, Yahaya Bello. However, some aspirants in the race kicked against the conduct of the exercise. Two of the aspirants, Smart Adeyemi and Shuaibu Abubakar, a son of former Kogi State governor, Abubakar Audu, have filed two suits at the Federal High Court in Abuja challenging the primary election. Mr Adejemi who represents Kogi West Senatorial District at the National Assembly, described Mr Usman-Ododos emergence as a sham. Two other members of the party Realwan Akpanachi and Yahaya Seidu-Nuhu similarly filed a joint suit seeking the disqualification of Mr Usman-Ododo, and other public office holders, who participated in the 11 April primary election without resigning from their positions. Suit In their separate suits marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/556/2023 and FHC/ABJ/ CS/557/2023, Messrs Adeyemi and Abubakar prayed the court to declare as illegal, unlawful and invalid the purported direct primary election which produced Mr Usman-Ododo as the governorship candidate of the APC for the November election. They argued that the alleged unlawful selection of Mr Usman-Ododo contravened Section 177 of the Nigerian constitution and Section 29 and 84 of the Electoral Act as well as Article 20 APCs constitution. Aside Messrs Adeyemi and Abubakar, Stephen Ocheni (a professor), Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Martala Ajaka and Sanusi Ohiare, are protesting the outcome of the election. READ ALSO: The Federal High Court in Abuja had earlier set aside the first primary election of the party due to similar complaints of irregularities in the conduct of the primary election. The judge, James Omotoso, had ordered the APC to conduct a fresh primary election in line with the provisions of the law and guidelines and constitution of the APC. Prayers But, the plaintiffs in the fresh suits filed by their lawyer, Adekunle Otitoju, are asking the court to invoke Section 177 of the constitution, Sections 29 and 84 of the Electoral Act and Article 20 of the APCs constitution, to declare the election illegal. They also prayed the court for an order compelling Nigerias electoral commission, INEC, not to recognise Mr Usman-Ododo as APCs governorship candidate on account of irregularities during the primary poll. In addition, the aggrieved aspirants urged the court to compel the APC to conduct a fresh primary election; providing a leve playing field for all aspirants as statutorily required. In a 35-paragraph affidavit in support of his own originating summons, Mr Adeyemi claimed to have obtained his nomination and expression of interest form at N50 million. Subsequently, the senator said he was screened and cleared to participate in the primary election slated for 14 April, 2023. Mr Adeyemi narrated that while waiting at his constituency to participate in the primary election, he was shocked to learn that the exercise had taken place, with Mr Usman-Ododo declared as winner. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the major opposition party in the state, is seeking to reclaim the governorship seat it lost to the APC in the state about seven years ago. The party has picked Dino Melaye, a former senator from Mr Adeyemis zone, as its candidate for the forthcoming 11 November governorship election. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print 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. In furtherance of Oando Clean Energy Limiteds (Oando Clean Energy or OCEL) commitment to the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), OCEL has announced that it has taken delivery of the electric mass transit buses that will kick off the Proof of Concept phase of the companys Sustainable Transport Initiative. Specifically, on Thursday, 28 April, 2022, OCEL and LAMATA, the Lagos State Government agency tasked with planning, implementing, regulating and franchising sustainable integrated public transport in Lagos, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enable the successful deployment of an Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure Ecosystem (electric buses, charging stations, and other supporting infrastructure) towards the attainment of a sustainable road transport system in Lagos State. The MoU will also bridge the gap in the current mass transit bus system for the increasing number of Lagos commuters andmake up a significant part of the state governments larger drive to improve mass transit infrastructure. In line with its culture of excellence, OCEL, partnered with Yutong Bus Co Limited (Yutong), the worlds largest electric vehicle manufacturer to produce the electric buses, equipped with air conditioning and Wi-Fi. In addition to the arrival of these electric buses, OCEL has also taken delivery of the charging stations and spare parts necessary to ensure their effective operation. Consequently, and in line with the provisions of the partnership between OCEL and LAMATA, the receipt of both the buses and charging stations marks the commencement of our Sustainable Transport Initiative, which is one of the Companys pipeline projects to support Nigeria in meeting her goal of net zero by 2060. The Companys strategic vision is to decarbonize the transport system in Nigeria and in the process, strengthen the socio-economic impact of transportation within the country. Over the next seven years, and through the rollout of over 12,000 buses, this initiative will transition the current combustion mass transit buses to electric, starting in Lagos State and eventually across the country. In the medium to long term, and in line with our ambitions, our efforts within sustainable transport will lead to improved air quality, enhanced public health, enable the employment of at least 3,000 new drivers and an additional 2,000 workers to support bus maintenance, depot management, etc. as well as estimated economic cost savings of US$2.6bn (3.6% of Lagoss GDP). Notably, the companys EVroll-out plan is strategically aligned with the Nigeria Energy Transition Plan (NETP); specifically supporting the governments roadmap for EV implementation across Nigeria and its ambition to boost local capacity in the medium term through the construction of EV assembly plants. The Oando -Yutong Joint Venture Partnership shall realize the following: 1. The manufacture and deployment of additional electric buses during the Pilot and Roll-out phases of the partnership with Lagos State through LAMATA. 2. Design and facilitate training programmes targeted at the following critical stakeholders bus drivers, bus operators, and regulators including but not limited to LAMATA and the Ministry of Transport. 3. Provide technical support and after-sales service. 4. Manage a supply chain network to support the availability of spare parts as and when required. 5. The construction of a local EV assembly plant to boost indigenous capacity. Commenting, Mr. Frank Lee, Managing Director, Yutong West Africa stated: This is a watershed moment for Yutong. Its our first delivery of electric mass transit buses in Sub-Saharan Africa and the first step in the large-scale deployment of an electric powered public road transport system in Nigeria. We are excited to be embarking on this journey in partnership with Oando, an organization with a history of stellar performance in the energy sector and are hopeful to see a quick turnaround in our joint plans to advance all facets of the countrys transition to eco-friendly vehicles, including the development of local capacity through the delivery of, and exposure to extensive training programs for all stakeholders, from drivers to operators and the regulators. Our foray into Sub-Saharan Africa has transformed us into a global supplier of EVs with customers across the Middle East, Europe, South America and Asia. Our electric vehicles offer outstanding performance due to their advanced technology capabilities and testing for different terrains; all of which make our buses particularly well suited for use as a public transportation option in Nigeria. In her comments, the Managing Director of LAMATA, Mrs. Abimbola Akinajo said: The arrival of the electric buses confirms Lagos State Governments commitment to the reduction of greenhouse gas effects, using modern rolling stock, powered by clean energy, in the States transport operations. It is for this reason we are partnering with the private sector to facilitate the transition to the use of cleaner energy in public transport thereby actualizing our vision of a transport system that provides options to the people and improves their lifestyle by reducing carbon emissions generated by fossil fuelled rolling stock, through the gradual phasing out of vehicles contributing to the pollution of the environment. Commenting further, theChairman, OCEL, Adewale Tinubu, said: Audacity and innovation have always been key tenets in our journey to transform Nigerias energy future. Its this spirit that has brought us to this juncture today at the forefront of propelling Nigeria towards realizing her net-zero targets. The arrival of our electric mass transit buses and development of an EV infrastructure ecosystem is a reminder that the only way to remain ahead of the curve is by being unafraid to break new ground and consistently looking for opportunities to leapfrog. Furthermore, this project underscores the African saying, If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. Public-Private Partnerships have been critical to getting the project to this point and will continue to fuel our expansion across the entire country. I must commend the collaborative efforts of the Lagos State Government through LAMATA in seeing this project through. The commencement of this project gives us a platform to showcase to other States what is possible and open the door for engagements on bespoke solutions to suit their local needs as well as act as a model to be adopted by other organizations looking to venture into sustainable transportation. In his remarks, the President and CEO, OCEL, Dr. Ainojie Irune said:This is a pivotal moment for Lagos State and the country at large. The development of a sustainable transport ecosystem is much more than the deployment of electric vehicles; its about reducing the carbon footprint of the seven million public transport commuters and positively impacting the socio-economic indices surrounding transportation. The EV infrastructure, built to facilitate optimal efficiency of the buses, will form the artery of tomorrows EV utilization in Nigeria by providing charging stations, servicing, spare parts, skills development, and knowledge transfer. The transition from an idea proposition to an operational initiative is validation of our collective commitment to realizing the countrys ambition of becoming a net-zero carbon emitter by 2060. For us at OCEL, Lagos State is only the beginning, we look forward to replicating this model nationwide through strategic partnerships across the public and private sectors. About OCEL: OCEL is the renewable energy business subsidiary of Oando Energy Resources, a part of the Oando PLC group of companies. Headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, our agenda is to invest in climate friendly and bankable energy solutions across the African continent; meeting our demand through the exploitation of green and renewable sources, as we strive towards the achievement of a carbon neutral Africa. Our core areas of interest include Sustainable Transport, Solar Energy Solutions, Gas & Biofuels, Waste to Energy, Wind Farms, Geothermal Power Plants, Hydro Energy and other emerging technologies. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print 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. In line with the mandate and continued efforts of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to support the development of in-country capacities that would serve the Nigerian oil and gas industry and allied sectors, the Boards Executive Secretary, Mr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote on Wednesday led representatives of international operating oil and gas companies (IOCs) and their service counterparts to visit Orbit Galvanized Steel Industries Limited at Ikorodu, Lagos. Orbit Galvanized Steel Industries Limited is a subsidiary of the African Industries Group (AIG). One of the assets of the company is a state-of-the-art fabrication and hot dip galvanizing plant. The firm also has capacities to manufacture and supply substation structures, telecom/microwave towers, solar module mounting structures, and railway structures and is currently active in solar power, electric power, mining, and agriculture. Speaking after inspecting the facility, the Executive Secretary observed that the galvanizing plant was conceived to serve other sectors of the economy, but the promoters realized that they could equally take advantage of the opportunities in the Nigerian oil and gas industry, which prompted the invitation of NCDMB and other stakeholders to their facility. He commended the company for their investment, noting that having a diverse clientele would enable its sustainability and profitability. He said the company had huge potential and needed to be supported to enable it to meet all the technical standards required by the oil and gas industry. He emphasized that the oil and gas industry operates with very strict standards and zero tolerance for compromise because any failure would have colossal consequences on human lives and economic resources. Wabote urged Orbit Galvanized Steel to work assiduously on getting the relevant certifications and meeting the standards of the oil and gas industry, as well as registering with all the relevant regulatory agencies in the country. He said the galvanizing facility might help address the challenge faced by the NLNG Train 7 project in finding the required operational galvanizing capacity in-country. He charged Nigeria LNG Ltd and the consortium of service companies contracted on the Train 7 project -Saipem, Chiyoda, Daewoo to work closely with Orbit Galvanized Steel to upgrade the galvanizing facility to the required standards so it can provide services for their project and other potential projects in the future. He reiterated that the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act mandates the Board to ensure that critical capacities developed in Nigeria are patronized by the oil and gas industry, to create employment opportunities and retain spend in the local economy. He assured the company that NCDMB will support its progress and ensure that its proposed fabrication yard is patronized when completed. He invited the management of the firm to the 4thNigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair (NOGOF) which is a platform where all potential projects in the oil and gas are showcased so the industry players can prepare themselves to participate in them. In his comments, the Group Executive Director of Orbit Galvanized Steel, Mr. Uche Iwuamadi asserted that the company is the only integrated tower manufacturing company in Nigeria. He hinted that the entire end-to-end process, right from iron ore mining to the casting of billets, to fabrication and galvanizing is done in-house within Nigeria, and that creates employment opportunities for many Nigerians. Responding to inquiries from representatives of the oil and gas companies, Iwuamadi stated that the galvanizing facility has a production capacity of 3,600 tonnes per annum and a maximum of six tonnes per batch. He thanked NCDMB and the oil industry personnel for visiting their facility and assured them that the companys growth will add immense value to the Nigerian economy. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print 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. A former governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Grand Alliance in Enugu State in the just-concluded 2023 general elections has been found dead. The deceased, Dons Ude, was declared missing last Saturday. Mr Ude was said to have been found dead at Ninth Mile Corner in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, south-east Nigeria. His vehicle was also reported to have been recovered. Sudden disappearance Before he was declared missing, Mr Ude was reportedly not responding to calls to his telephone line, which raised fears that he might have been abducted. He was a former Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state. Sources said his phone was later found by the wall of the Ogui Police Station. This raised more fears that he might have been in trouble. His wife, who had been trying to reach the husband on the phone, was later informed that the phone had been found. The distressed wife was said to have reported at the station where she narrated that she had been unable to reach her husband on the phone. It is not clear, for now, if the politician was a victim of kidnap, sources said. The police spokesperson in Enugu State, Daniel Ndukwe, confirmed the death of the politician in a statement on Wednesday night. Mr Ndukwe, a deputy superintendent of police, said the victims decomposing body was found on Tuesday at about 11:00 p.m. in a bush at Ninth Mile Bypass. The police spokesperson also confirmed that the victim had been missing since Saturday when he left his residence in the Enugu metropolis in a white Toyota Highlander SUV to an undisclosed location. All efforts made to trace his whereabouts proved abortive, until his remains were found on the said date and location while the vehicle was later found abandoned and recovered today, 26 April at about 10 a.m. at Ngwo in Udi Local Government Area, he said. Mr Ndukwe said there were marks of violence on the victims body which, according to him, strongly suggests that he was murdered. He said the victims body was deposited in a mortuary for preservation and medical autopsy after being confirmed dead by a doctor in a hospital. The Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Ahmed Ammani, has ordered police operatives from the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department and Tactical Squads to investigate the murder of the victim, Mr Ndukwe said. Mr Ammani asked the operatives to combine efforts in the investigation to track down the killers within the shortest possible time. Increased attacks Like other states in Nigerias south-east, security has deteriorated in Enugu State with frequent attacks by armed persons. The attacks often target security agencies, government officials and facilities. READ ALSO: The Nigerian government has accused the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the region. But the group has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attacks. IPOB is a group leading the agitation for an independent state of Biafra which it wants to be carved out from the south-east and some parts of south-south Nigeria. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Regrettably, many businesses neglect the holistic elements of branding, such as their actions, internal culture, and customer engagement. Branding is a complex process that goes beyond just designing a logo or building a website. Its about creating a unique personality and identity for your business that resonates with your target audience. In this context, brand expert Jye Smith highlights the importance of developing a comprehensive brand that considers every touchpoint with your customers. From internal culture and values to customer experience, a holistic approach to branding can set your business apart in a crowded market. Branding is a fickle business. Many companies think they have it all figured out, only to find themselves in a branding nightmare. Creativity is not a committee meeting, and strategy is about intelligence doing the unexpected, says Smith. Thinking your brand is just a logo and a website Firstly, businesses often make the mistake of thinking that their brand is just a logo and a website, says Jye. A brand represents a customers entire experience with a business, from its values and behaviours to its culture and customer service. A logo and website are just small parts of a businesss overall brand world. Brands need to be developed across every touchpoint digital, physical, and ethereal to create a consistent, meaningful customer experience. Not understanding your competition The second mistake that businesses make is needing to understand their competition. By analysing what competitors are doing well and what they are doing badly, a business can create a unique brand identity and positioning that sets them apart from the competition. A strong brand can create a sense of customer preference, leading to increased market share and greater pricing power. Lacking a single-minded message The third mistake needs a single-minded message. In branding, conciseness and clarity are crucial. Customers are bombarded with messages on a daily basis, so it is essential to keep brand messages short, simple, and consistent. This will help build brand recognition and loyalty. Not evolving Businesses often need help to evolve their brand over time. Brands must adapt to market changes and their customers needs and preferences. If a brand is not resonating with its audience or a businesss focus has shifted, it is important to make changes to the brand to remain relevant and effective. By avoiding these common branding mistakes, businesses can build strong, effective brands that resonate with their target audience and drive success. We live in a hyper-visual world and are competing for just inches of space on mobile devices. A brand becomes an icon, a flag, a marker of purpose, values and the customers identity. Branding is also the visual cue for total customer experience how we communicate tone through style, look, and feel, Smith added. Developing a successful brand requires a combination of art and science and careful planning, research, and execution. The first phase involves defining the brands personality, values, and beliefs. This serves as a guide for the rest of the process and helps to determine the right inspiration for the brand. During the research phase, its important to look beyond the category and explore brands from different industries, cultures, and periods. This allows for the identification of effective techniques and unique qualities that can be applied to the brand. The next step is to identify patterns from the research. This involves analysing common themes and techniques that stand out and determining how they can be adapted to the brand without compromising its individuality. Finally, when it comes to creating a distinctive brand, Jye advises against playing it safe or following trends. Instead, the focus should be on making the brand truly remarkable and memorable, even if it means ignoring customer feedback or going against the grain. Jye Smith is the Founder and Managing Director of DOUBLESTAR CO, President of Vibewire, a youth accelerator hub and not-for-profit with a mission to help young people create their futures, Trustee of The Awesome Foundation, and Principal of culture consultancy, Youre Good, Get Better. Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. ( Read 1530 Times) Jaipur: A workshop on Road Safety Awareness for teachers of Air Force Schools under AOR of HQ South Western Air Command, Indian Air Force was conducted at Air Force School, Jaipur from 24 Apr 23 to 26 Apr 23. A total of 33 teachers from various Air Force Schools participated in the workshop. Representative from NGO named MUSKAAN facilitated the workshop. Inaugurating the event on 24 Apr 23, Group Captain Davesh Singh, Chairman School Management Committee, Air Force School Jaipur addressed the gathering and emphasized the importance of Road Safety in everyones life. Further, he urged upon the participating teachers to be the torch bearers of Road Safety and inculcate these habit in their students. The workshop culminated on 26 Apr 23 wherein the participants took pledge to work towards furthering the goals of Road Safety by spreading the message not only in their sphere of duty but beyond that as well. The participating teachers were distributed certificates by Chairman School Management Committee. Ms Seema Bhati, Principal Air Force School Jaipur presented the Vote of Thanks. The workshop was a great success. Source : April 26, 2023 | 04:56 pm PT Gold bars are put on display at a store of Saigon Jewelry Company. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran State-owned gold producer SJC targets to bring revenue to a nine-year-high of VND30.4 trillion ($1.29 billion) this year. The company plans to reach a profit of nearly VND57 billion and sell over 36,000 taels of gold. SJC also plans to expand to Southeast Asia this year and to partner with universities and colleges to establish a gold manufacturing training curriculum. The company has yet to release its financial figures for 2022. Last year, gold prices in Vietnam surged to a historic high of VND74 million per tael. The government selected SJC to be the national gold brand in 2012. A tael weighs 37.5 grams. Support begins this month in Nairobi, Kenya , and Kampala, Uganda , including holistic scholarships for 200 students whose families live or work in communities surrounding garbage dumps. The nonprofit now serves students and their families in eight major cities in seven developing nations. ANN ARBOR, Mich., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- International Samaritan (IntSam) President Mike Tenbusch announced today that the organization received a $2.2 million grant from the Weingartz Family Foundation to fund the expansion of its scholarship program in Africa. The donation will fund new operations in Nairobi, Kenya, and Kampala, Uganda. As a result, 200 young people will receive scholarships over the next three years. Garbage is delivered to the Kampala, Uganda, dump, where residents make a living by finding items to keep or sell. International Samaritan announced a $2.2 million grant from the Weingartz Family Foundation to expand its scholarship program in Africa, including Nairobi, Kenya. Students with the greatest need and highest potential are sponsored to attend school from elementary through college and trade schools. The average life expectancy in garbage dump communities is 35 due to rampant disease, (PRNewsfoto/International Samaritan) Over 15 million people live and work in communities surrounding garbage dumps, making a living by finding items to keep or sell to escape the extreme poverty that affects one in ten people globally, according to the World Health Organization. The average life expectancy in these communities is 35 due to rampant disease, injuries, and the lack of clean water. Dan Weingartz says his family has been impressed with how impactful their Foundation's investments are, especially in Ethiopia, over the last eight years. He joined IntSam's board in 2017 and has served on trips to Guatemala and Ethiopia to see the need and impact. "International Samaritan has a beautiful mission of helping the poorest," Weingartz said. "I observed how hope exists among those we serve in garbage dump communities. I experienced how our scholars and families have faith in God, their families, and their communities. The seeds we are planting in Africa will bear fruit for generations." Tenbusch said, "We are eager to accelerate our ability to help more children escape poverty. The pandemic wreaked havoc on the informal economies in these communities, and we've had to hold our number of scholarships steady over the last three years to ensure our families had enough food to survive the pandemic. It's exhilarating to know that our families safely made it through, and we can grow again!" Tenbusch added, "This gift isn't just about helping young people attend school instead of facing a lifetime of working in the dumps; it's about giving them experiences, networks, and spiritual and leadership development so that they emerge as leaders able to change the future of their community and nation." The garbage dump in the capital of Kenya is among the largest dumps in the world, with more than 1 million people living in surrounding slums. IntSam's mission leaders in Ethiopia, bordering Kenya and Uganda, will lead the expansion efforts. All three countries have freedom of religion provisions in their constitutions and a significant Catholic and Christian population. "A strong network is a lever to effect wide-scale social change. Our African nation leaders will learn from and inspire each other, accelerating our mission to walk hand-in-hand with people in garbage dump communities to break the chains of poverty," Tenbusch said. According to Weingartz, "Our family foundation believes healthy organizations with strong leaders excel. International Samaritan equips amazing local leaders and graduates to steward the most strategic investments to help their communities. Data and experience show a correlation between education, clean water and helping people escape poverty. We are humbled to be a catalyst for growth by helping the world's most underserved." The Weingartz gift will help IntSam provide holistic scholarships, spiritual formation, and leadership development in seven nations and eight communities to 1,000 scholars. Students with the greatest need and highest potential are sponsored to attend school from elementary through college and trade schools. Funding each student's education costs about $3,100 annually, including tuition, uniforms, books, supplies, transportation, and food for their family. About International Samaritan Founded in 1994 in Ann Arbor, Mich., International Samaritan is a Christ-centered organization built on Catholic Social Teaching. Its mission is to walk hand-in-hand with people in communities surrounding the garbage dumps of developing nations to help them break out of poverty. It provides holistic scholarships for students from kindergarten through college, supporting scholars in Central America, the Caribbean, and Africa. To learn more, visit intsam.org. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2064034/International_Samaritan_Uganda_garbage_dump.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1999619/International_Samaritan_Logo.jpg SOURCE International Samaritan ZHANGYE, China, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A tourism festival featuring cooperation between countries along the Silk Road was unveiled on Wednesday in Zhangye City, northwest China's Gansu Province. The opening ceremony of the 11th Dunhuang Tour-Silk Road International Tourism Festival, jointly organized by Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Gansu provincial government, received nearly 700 tourists, investors and media from 48 countries and regions along the "Belt and Road" route, besides domestic guests. This year's festival aims to strengthen the "one belt and one road" cooperation, promote the recovery of the cultural and tourism market. Besides opening ceremony, a series of events will also take place during the festival, including the Silk Road Tourism Promotion Night, Gansu Tourism Promotion & International Travel Business Cooperation Conference, Gansu Culture and Tourism Industry Project Promotion Meeting, 2023 Silk Road Tourism Promotion Alliance Joint Meeting, 32nd Northwest Tourism Collaboration Zone Meeting, World Tourism Alliance - Silk Road Dialogue, China - Central Asia Tourism Culture Week, and Discover the Beauty of China. Gansu Province will also carry out the Silk Road route exploration activities to further promote the domestic and international tourism market, and high-quality tourism routes in the province. Investors, representatives of the World Tourism Alliance and media will visit Zhangye, Jiuquan, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang, Linxia and other places in Gansu Province. Zhang Yongxia, a provincial publicity official of Gansu said at the opening ceremony that Gansu carries the splendor of Chinese civilization and dreams, interpretation of the East-West exchange of poetry and faraway, a collection of beautiful mountains and rivers of the magnificent charm. "We will make the best use of our unique cultural and natural heritage advantages, coordinate tourism resources protection and development, improve tourism facilities and services, and amplify the comprehensive effect of cultural tourism," said Zhang. Gansu is the natural corridor and prime channel of the Silk Road connecting Central and West Asia, with 1,600 of the 7,000kilometer-long silk road here. Zhangye city, located on the golden passage of the ancient Silk Road, is famous for its unique landscapes. Dunhuang - Silk Road International Tourism Festival, as the only permanent international tourism festival named after the Silk Road, has been successfully held for ten years. The event has become an important platform to serve Silk Road countries and for Chinese cities to exchange ideas on tourism. SOURCE Gansu Provincial Government TAMPA, Fla., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The 21 & Change, Inc. Board of Directors unanimously appointed Raquel Caramello, a 19-year-old senior at Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School and self-advocate with Down syndrome. 21 & Change President Clayton Clemens said, "We have had many people over our five-year history advocate with us, but we have not had the opportunity to welcome a true self-advocate to our board of directors. It's something we have wanted since our inception, and we are thrilled to have such an amazing new board member with Raquel. It's important for our vision and mission to continue to challenge the status quo and we couldn't have asked for a better board member and advocate!" Caramello is no stranger to being an advocate for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, she is a legislative advocate for disability rights, having been to Capitol Hill many times, starting at the young age of 14, talking to members of Congress and Florida Senators and articulating that disabilities do not define us. "I'm so honored to have been invited to join the Board of Directors for 21 & Change. Knowing first-hand the challenges that families that have a loved one with a disability go through, the mission is important to me. I'm so privileged to be the first self-advocate with an intellectual disability on the Board. I hope to inspire others with my story while assisting this amazing organization and the difference it makes in our community," Raquel said. According to 21 & Change Board Member Shannon McKallip Moss, the selection committee member who nominated Raquel added, " Raquel isn't the average high school student. She is the CEO of her own business, Raquel Beautiful, a retail brand that sells handmade and custom designed jewelry, all delivered with a handwritten inspirational note, reminding the recipient that they are beautiful. And her advocacy experience for a young adult is exemplary." "Her drive and enthusiasm are contagious, and she has never let her disability define her. And if that wasn't enough of a challenge for her, she is a cancer survivor and is four and half years cancer free. This woman and now a board member for 21 & Change is a warrior of optimism and is set on changing the world," Moss said. Aside from being an entrepreneur, Raquel is a world champion cheerleader and a state champion equestrian and gymnast. As a model, she has rocked the runway in front of thousands at Runway to Hope and Runway to Giving and has also been featured on the Times Square Jumbotron more than once. She was the winner of the Youth in Philanthropy in Central Florida for National Philanthropy Day 2022, the Prudential Spirit of the Community Bronze Finalist of Distinction, and a Presidential Volunteer Gold Service Award winner. She is a member of the National Art Honor Society, National Beta Service Club, and International Thespian Honor Society. She is a past member of the Arnold Palmer Hospital Teen Leadership Council and the Down Syndrome Association Teen Leadership Council, as well as a current member of the Special Olympics Athlete Leadership Council. To learn more about the mission of the organization, please visit the website for more information at www.21andchange.org. About 21 & Change, Inc. 21 & Change champions inclusion, education, and human rights for people with developmental disabilities. SOURCE 21 & Change IRVINE, Calif., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Animal Dermatology Group, Inc. ("ADG"), announced today that Adrian Ford has joined the organization as Vice President of Operations. He will immediately take on the day-to-day role of leading ADG's veterinary dermatology specialty practices, operating under the name Animal Dermatology Clinic, across the country. Ford joins ADG with a 30-year track record of success in the veterinary specialty and emergency space in a series of increasingly crucial operational roles, from hospital manager to hospital administrator, group director of operations, regional vice president of operations, and national vice president of operations. Most recently, Ford undertook leading management roles at BluePearl Specialty and Veterinary Emergency Group. He joins ADG with extensive experience in executive leadership, public speaking and technical writing. Ford currently resides in San Antonio, Texas and holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and MBA from Texas State University. Highly Experienced Operational Leader and Innovator Joins the ADG Leadership Team Tweet this "I'm looking forward to helping ADG navigate this explosive period of growth they have been experiencing recently," said Ford. "I see my mission as simple yet crucial - to take care of and support the people who take care of our patients and clients. And I cannot wait to embark on this journey of growth and learning with the ADG team." Steve Mrha, ADG's Chief Executive Officer, stated, "We are excited to have Adrian's experience and leadership as ADG continues to grow in the specialty of veterinary dermatology. He will be an amazing asset and value to all of our practices throughout the country." Animal Dermatology Group has almost doubled in size since the beginning of 2022, now operating veterinary dermatology specialty practices in 14 States across the United States along with clinics in Australia and New Zealand. About Animal Dermatology Group Animal Dermatology Group is the largest veterinary dermatology business in the U.S. and strives to provide the highest quality care to pets with acute and chronic skin conditions. ADG operates veterinary specialty practices throughout the country where its specialists are actively involved in providing clinical care, research and academic training in veterinary dermatology. For more information, please visit www.animaldermatology.com. SOURCE Animal Dermatology Group GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Colorado State University's AgNext and regional dairy council Dairy MAX have announced a strategic alliance as part of a continued commitment to improve sustainability in animal agriculture. The collaboration with Dairy MAX marks AgNext's first official commitment from the dairy industry. Dairy MAX has agreed to support strategic initiatives of the AgNext program, continuing its work of advancing sustainable dairy production and raising up the next generation. "We are excited to work collaboratively with Dairy MAX and its farmers on the advancement of cutting-edge technology development and innovative management strategies that continue driving the dairy industry toward sustainable outcomes," said Dr. Kim Stackhouse-Lawson, AgNext director. As part of this alliance, Dairy MAX joins a group of diverse, world-class researchers charged with finding sustainable solutions through processes that are practical for dairy farmers, and ethically valued by consumers. Ensuring the animals receive exceptional care, along with strengthening industry sustainability for future generations, have been dairy farmers' top priorities for many years. Dairy MAX, a nonprofit regional dairy council representing more than 900 dairy farmers, has utilized various avenues to educate and share this message through farming, education, business development and health and wellness. "This collaboration, and our belief and support of the AgNext program, highlights the value Dairy MAX places on the pursuit of knowledge and advancing the sustainability and resiliency of dairy farming," stated Marty McKinzie, Dairy MAX's chief growth officer. "The data and research collected through this program will support protecting the environment for all and ensure a future for dairy farmers to continue providing unmatched nutrition in dairy products with minimal environmental impact." Dairy farming has always adapted and evolved with a focus on sustainability and environmental stewardship. The combined efforts of AgNext and Dairy MAX highlight how progressive the agriculture industry is working to protect and improve the environment through conservation and sustainable practices. "AgNext is positioned and ready to lead animal agriculture toward the discovery of sustainable solutions that are applicable for farmers based on their operational needs, are considerate of regional variability between operations and enhance profitability for farmers," said Stackhouse-Lawson. "The AgNext research team is thrilled to join together with Dairy MAX and share in the commitment to sustainability in dairy systems." AgNext and Dairy MAX will work collaboratively to advance the health and sustainability of the entire value chain to improve food security and create stronger communities. To learn more about sustainability efforts from AgNext and Dairy MAX, visit AgNext.colostate.edu and DairyDiscoveryZone.com/sustainability. About AgNext AgNext is a leader for research in animal and ecosystem health while enhancing profitability of the supply chain and serves as the crossroads for producers, industry partners, and researchers to come together to innovate real time solutions for sustainability animal agriculture. Our research focuses on advancing the science of animal agriculture to ensure a continued safe, secure, and nutritious food supply. Our mission is to identify and scale innovation that fosters the health of animals and ecosystems to promote profitable industries that support vibrant communities. Learn more at agnext.colostate.edu. About Dairy MAX Founded more than 40 years ago, Dairy MAX is one of the leading regional dairy councils in America representing more than 900 dairy farmers and serving communities in eight states: Colorado, southwest Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico, western Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming. A nonprofit organization, Dairy MAX is part of a nationwide effort to promote American agriculture, support dairy farming and drive impact for every dairy farmer. The organization operates five audience outreach programs: business development, consumer marketing, health and wellness, industry image and relations and school marketing. For more information about Dairy MAX and its team of experts, visit DairyMAX.org. Dairy resources and delicious recipes are available at DairyDiscoveryZone.com. SOURCE Dairy MAX HELSINKI, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ahlstrom has received the significant honor of successfully achieving the Pet Sustainability Coalition's "Pet Sustainability Accredited" status. The Pet Sustainability Coalition (PSC), an organization committed to advancing sustainability in the pet industry, recognizes Ahlstrom's commitment to sustainability and its efforts to reduce the environmental impact of its products and operations through the accreditation. As part of the accreditation process, Ahlstrom underwent a demanding assessment of its sustainability practices, including its environmental impact, social responsibility, and governance policies. The assessment evaluated various aspects of the company's sustainability performance, such as its carbon footprint, waste management, and water use. "We are thrilled to achieve accreditation through the Pet Sustainability Coalition, which reflects our commitment to sustainability and responsible business practices," said Travis Dahlke, Vice President of Ahlstrom's Food Packaging business. "As a company, we are dedicated to reducing our environmental impact and promoting sustainable practices throughout our operations, specifically with our packaging alternatives." Ahlstrom's sustainability efforts within the pet food space are focused on renewable pet food packaging. Ahlstrom's PawPrint papers provide pet food brand owners with functional and visually appealing pet food packaging, eliminating plastic and using fiber-based materials, while helping pet food manufacturers achieve their sustainability metrics. "Our accreditation with the Pet Sustainability Coalition is an important milestone for Ahlstrom, as we continue to work towards a more sustainable future," added Dahlke. "We are proud to be recognized for our commitment to sustainability and look forward to working with the PSC and its members to promote sustainable practices across the pet industry." "PSC Accreditation is the only one in the pet industry that recognizes those companies that have concrete sustainability measures built into the company DNA," said Hannah Tirrell Wysocki, Accreditation Manager, Pet Sustainability Coalition. "Companies must complete rigorous third-party verification of sustainable business practices in alignment with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, meet minimum performance requirements, and demonstrate annual improvement to retain their accreditation. These top performers demonstrate true leadership in the industry with transparency and integrity." The Pet Sustainability Coalition is a non-profit organization that works with pet industry companies to promote sustainable business practices. The organization provides education, resources, and support to help companies reduce their environmental impact and improve their social responsibility. The PSC's accreditation program is designed to recognize companies that are committed to sustainability and meet high standards of environmental and social performance. Learn more about Ahlstrom's PawPrint pet food papers and packaging solutions. Also visit our team at the 2023 Pet Food Forum May 1 - 3. For further information, please contact: Addie Teeters, Head of Marketing Communications & Public Affairs, [email protected] tel. +1-920-766-8304 SOURCE Ahlstrom SEOUL, South Korea, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- AIRS Medical joined the U.S. business delegation, which has been set up as the largest since the inauguration of Yoon Suk Yeol. They are expected to establish a network with U.S. government officials and entrepreneurs and focus on entering the local market through opportunities to expand their businesses. The business delegation consists of 122 companies, who were selected after two deliberations by the selection committee. As the mission theme is "high-tech industry," companies in the pharmaceutical bio and digital healthcare sectors accounted for a high proportion. AIRS Medical is one of seven companies selected for the digital healthcare sector. As part of their itinerary, the business representatives are set to engage in a series of events, including the reception hosted by the White House and the Korea-U.S. Cluster Roundtable arranged by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. The said events will offer an opportunity to exchange views on economic and industrial cooperation between the two countries and foster strong connections with the U.S. government officials and business leaders. Following their participation in the business delegation, companies will visit various multinational corporations in the United States and organize expert meet-ups to create prospects for domestic business opportunities. "Our objective during the visit is to draw in investors from the United States. We currently have more than three medical institutions in the U.S. that have adopted our solution, and we are presently in talks regarding potential partnerships." said Hyeseong Lee, CEO of AIRS Medical. AIRS Medical has been making waves in the United States market with its AI-based MRI image enhancement solution called SwiftMR. The company received FDA 510(k) clearance for SwiftMR in 2021, allowing it to enter the U.S. market. Since then, AIRS Medical has been aggressively pursuing opportunities in the U.S. market, showcasing to RSNA, North America's largest annual meeting of the radiological society for two consecutive years. The company's efforts paid off when it was awarded the 2023 Best Practice Award by Frost & Sullivan, a leading global research and consulting firm that recognizes companies for their outstanding performance in their respective industries. AIRS Medical also recently participated in HIMSS23, the largest healthcare information and communication and management system society meeting in the U.S., on April 17. The company showcased its cutting-edge technology, designed to help healthcare professionals and patients improve their MRI scanning experiences. "Following our success in the Korean market and the timely visit by the Business Delegation, AIRS Medical USA will continue to strive for providing value-driven AI-solutions for all stakeholders in the healthcare field." Said Kevin Yang, Head of AIRS Medical USA. The next major event for AIRS Medical is the American Society of Neuroradiology (ASNR) in Chicago scheduled for April 29, followed by the Health Connect Partners Reverse Expo (HCP Reverse Expo) in Houston scheduled for May 8. The company is expected to demonstrate its AI-based medical imaging technology expertise at both events. About AIRS Medical AIRS Medical Inc., founded in Oct 2018, is a medical AI solution provider headquartered in Seoul, Korea, that develops innovative products and services to improve the patient experience. AIRS Medical helps healthcare systems achieve greater institutional efficiency in areas where a lack of productivity limits clinical value. SOURCE AIRS Medical Inc. FORNEBU, Norway, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- First Quarter Highlights Agreement with ABL Group re. sale of all shares in AGR against a combination of shares in ABL and cash entered into in the quarter Strong order intake in HMH in period with 20% growth year-on-year driven by Aftermarket Services, including strategic orders for digital technology upgrades and equipment overhauls Net capital employed of NOK 4.7 billion and equity of NOK 4.2 billion per end of quarter, corresponding to NOK 15.3 per share Akastor CEO Karl Erik Kjelstad comments: "During the first quarter, we were particularly pleased to announce the agreement to sell AGR to ABL Group. The transaction creates a stronger company and provides Akastor with more flexibility and increased liquidity as shareholders in ABL. HMH delivered good growth year-on-year for both revenue and EBITDA, and a solid service order intake driven by rig upgrade projects. We remain optimistic that service activity will further increase going forward based on the current order backlog and continued positive rig market development." HMH HMH reported revenues of USD 186 million in the quarter, with an adjusted EBITDA of USD 19 million, corresponding to an EBITDA margin of approximately 10 percent. Revenues from Aftermarket Services were USD 123 million in the quarter, a strong increase compared to first quarter last year driven by improved order intake in 2022. Revenues down 12% quarter-on-quarter due to increase build up in previous period due to ERP implementation and non-recurring performance bonus received in 4Q 2022. Order intake within this segment in period was up 25% year-on-year and up 20% quarter-on-quarter driven by increased rig year activity and upside for upgrade orders. Revenues from Projects, Products & Other were USD 62 million in the first quarter, Revenue up 38% year-on-year and up 13% quarter-on-quarter driven by GMGS project and Middle East jack-up and North America land activity. HMH continues to see significant single equipment opportunities in MENAT going forward. The rig newbuilding market continues to be muted with few projects expected to materialize in the short to medium term. AKOFS Offshore AKOFS Offshore reported revenues of USD 36 million and EBITDA of USD 11 million in the quarter. AKOFS Offshore delivered solid operational performance on the two vessels in operations through the full quarter, Aker Wayfarer and AKOFS Seafarer, with revenue utilization of 99 and 87 percent respectively. AKOFS Seafarer utilization was affected by waiting on weather, with technical uptime of 97 percent. AKOFS Santos commenced its new contract on March 10th after some delay related to a sub-supplier, which affected revenue utilization in the quarter. Other industrial holdings As a result of the agreement with ABL Group regarding the sale of AGR, AGR was presented as discontinued operations and held for sale and thus not included in consolidated revenue and EBITDA in the period. Financial holdings Net financials were positive NOK 87 million in the quarter. Odfjell Drilling contributed positively with NOK 11 million, while NES Fircroft contributed with NOK 21 million. Net financial items also include non-cash net foreign exchange gain of NOK 69 million. Share of net profit from equity accounted investees, AKOFS Offshore and HMH, contributed negatively with NOK 94 million. AKOFS Offshore contributed negatively with NOK 59 million, whilst HMH contributed negatively with NOK 35 million. Consolidated financial figures Group revenue and EBITDA of Akastor was NOK 68 million and NOK -17 million, respectively. Consolidated revenue and EBTDA include earnings from subsidiaries which represent a minor part of Akastor's total Net Capital Employed. Financial calendar Second Quarter and Half-Yearly Results 2023: July 13, 2023 Media Contact yvind Paaske Chief Financial Officer Tel: +47 917 59 705 E-mail: [email protected] Akastor is a Norway-based oil-services investment company with a portfolio of industrial holdings and other investments. The company has a flexible mandate for active ownership and long-term value creation. This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5 -12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Public/18618/3759219/b17a206cd71f1364.pdf Akastor ASA Q1 2023 presentation SOURCE Akastor ASA FAIRFAX, Va., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- How to ensure asthma and allergy patients get the medications they need when they need it? Allergy & Asthma Network is urging Congress to pass legislation that helps ensure the more than 26 million Americans with asthma and 50+ million with allergies have access to safe, effective and affordable medical care. On May 3, the Network is hosting its 26th annual Allergy & Asthma Day Capitol Hill (AADCH) in Washington, DC. Our theme is "Moving Toward Patient-Centered Care." Two bipartisan bills currently before Congress address patient-centered care in different ways: Safe Step Act improves health insurance step therapy protocols and ensures patients are able to obtain the best treatment prescribed for them. improves health insurance step therapy protocols and ensures patients are able to obtain the best treatment prescribed for them. HELP Copays Act requires health insurers to count the value of copay assistance toward deductibles or out-of-pocket maximums. In addition to the Safe Step Act and the HELP Copays Act, Allergy & Asthma Network is also asking Congress to support two bills that impact schoolchildren: Protecting Children with Food Allergies Act would require school food staff to complete food allergy training. would require school food staff to complete food allergy training. One School One Nurse Act addresses an ongoing shortage of school nurses by providing grants for recruiting, hiring and retaining school nurses in public schools. During AADCH, patients, families, advocates, healthcare professionals and industry partners go to Capitol Hill to meet with federal legislators and their staff. The goal is to raise awareness and urge passage of legislation that ends needless death and suffering due to asthma, allergies and related conditions. This year, Allergy & Asthma Network has once again scheduled in-person visits with members of Congress, their staff and policymakers. Nearly 100 AADCH advocates are expected to come to Capitol Hill on May 3. The Network will also host its annual Congressional Lunch Briefing on May 3 in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC. The briefing features the Congressional Asthma & Allergy Caucus, presentations from leading allergists, the National Medical Association, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and patient testimonials. "We're excited to head back to Capitol Hill to advocate for patient-centered care and urge Congress to enact legislation and health policies that puts the needs of patients first," says Allergy & Asthma Network interim CEO Lynda Mitchell, MA, CAE. "We will advocate to expand access to high-quality affordable care, including for schoolchildren living with asthma and severe allergies. We will also promote evidence-based care and greater expansion of telehealth services." Allergy & Asthma Network also advocates for federal funding to support ongoing asthma and allergy health programs at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), among others. For a complete list of AADCH issues and priorities, visit our Advocacy Center. Advocates not able to attend AADCH in person can participate by sending emails to their legislators on May 3. Our Take Action webpage lists all active campaigns that need your support. You will find template emails to send to your legislators, making advocating as easy as just a few clicks. "Whether it's in person or virtually, the more advocates who connect with their legislators, the more powerful our voice and the greater our impact," Mitchell says. "We will share our message that expanding access to care helps patients get the treatment they need to better manage their condition and live a full, active life." About Allergy & Asthma Network Allergy & Asthma Network is the leading nonprofit patient outreach, education, advocacy and research organization for people with asthma, allergies and related conditions. Our patient-centered network unites patients, families, caregivers, health professionals, industry partners and government decision makers to improve health and quality of life for all people with asthma and allergies. We specialize in making medically accurate health information understandable to all while promoting evidence-based standards of care. Learn more at AllergyAsthmaNetwork.org. Contact: Gary Fitzgerald Allergy & Asthma Network 703-641-9595 [email protected] SOURCE Allergy & Asthma Network The new initiative is designed to remove obstacles in accessing books about societies, cultures and the human condition NEW YORK, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) today announced its inaugural ACLS Open Access Book Prize for authors and Arcadia Open Access Publishing Award for publishers at the organization's Annual Meeting in Philadelphia. ACLS is launching these prizes to expand free and open access to scholarly books in the humanities removing obstacles to ensure that students, instructors, librarians, and anyone in the world can access important research and information on literature, history, music, art, and other related fields. The awards are made possible by a generous grant from Arcadia. Open access books allow us to imagine a world of diverse ideas and inclusive public discourse. Tweet this Arcadia Fund Expanding access to high-quality academic research books that focus on the human experience past, present, and future can help democratize and improve education. Open access publishing brings scholarly material to all people regardless of race, gender, or class, including teachers and students who cannot afford to purchase books and do not have access to major research libraries. This is especially important as the rising costs of education and expansion of student debt has caused society to lose faith in higher education. Open access books are freely available online to anyone, anywhere in the world. While teachers, scholars, and students are the main users, an ongoing survey conducted since 2020 by the University of Michigan Press shows that open access books have a varied readership. Respondents to the survey report using open access books to find reliable information for their professional development, community engagement, and understanding of world events. As one reader notes, "I am interested in learning about the lives of others. There can be no equity without understanding. Books are one way of learning without contributing to the burden of others." Dr. Alondra Nelson, who published the influential White House memo " Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research " last year as Deputy Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology, joined ACLS in announcing the new prizes at the organization's Annual Meeting. "Open access books allow us to imagine a world of diverse ideas and inclusive public discourse, especially at a time when books educating the public on those very topics are being banned," said Dr. Nelson. "We can imagine a future of expanded access to scholarship for policymakers, activists, advocates, journalists, legislators, teachers, and students at under-funded institutions, and the public at large. With the ACLS Open Access Book Prize and Arcadia Open Access Publishing Award, we have taken a bold step on this future path toward encouraging the production and distribution of knowledge for the public good." "We are excited to offer such a significant open access honor, especially in the humanities and interpretive social sciences, whose insights are of interest to so many people around the world," said ACLS President Joy Connolly. "This prize and award join the growing movement to inspire more authors and publishers to publish open access books and help change the way we circulate scholarship, which improves our understanding of one another, builds bridges across differences, and stimulates our imaginations." In addition to expanding access to information for educational equity, open access publishing contributes to the public good by helping to combat rampant online misinformation, particularly among artificial intelligence tools. With open access publishing, large language models can more easily find carefully researched, vetted, and peer-reviewed content. In its initial competition, the first-of-its-kind $20,000 ACLS Open Access Book Prize, among the largest for scholarly books, will be awarded to two authors of open access monographs published between 2017 and 2022. The publishers of the winning titles will receive the Arcadia Open Access Publishing Award in the amount of $30,000 to support forthcoming books that would not otherwise be published open access. More information about the ACLS Open Access Book Prize and Arcadia Open Access Publishing Award is available at www.acls.org . About The American Council of Learned Societies Formed a century ago, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is a nonprofit federation of 79 scholarly organizations. As the leading representative of American scholarship in the humanities and interpretive social sciences, ACLS upholds the core principle that knowledge is a public good. In supporting its member organizations, ACLS utilizes its endowment and $37 million annual operating budget to expand the forms, content, and flow of scholarly knowledge, reflecting our commitment to diversity of identity and experience. ACLS collaborates with institutions, associations, and individuals to strengthen the evolving infrastructure for scholarship. In all aspects of our work, ACLS is committed to principles and practices in support of racial and social justice. About Arcadia Arcadia is a charitable foundation that works to protect nature, preserve cultural heritage and promote open access to knowledge. Since 2002 Arcadia has awarded more than $1 billion to organizations around the world. SOURCE American Council of Learned Societies The Ho Chi Minh City education department has finally suspended 40 out of 41 Apax Leaders centers in the city, according to an announcement made Wednesday. Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training office head Ho Tan Minh said the 40 centers have already closed of their own accord, but the decision to officially suspend the facilities has still been publicly issued to prevent them from reopening without being reevaluated by authorities first. "Apax Leaders needs to report any reopenings," said Minh. "The department will then inspect the conditions at every reopened center, and if criteria are met, they'll be allowed to operate." Minh added that a list of all the officially suspended centers would soon be made available to parents. The only currently operational Apax Leaders center is on Phan Xich Long Street of Phu Nhuan District. But even this location will be fined by the education department for failing to provide information on its teachers and students. Hong Lien, from Thu Duc City, said she is still owed around VND30 million in tuition she paid to Apax Leaders, so she had planned to let her children return for more studies once their Apax reopened. However, now that she heard 40 centers have been suspended, she said she has lost all hope. "Now Im forced to demand refunds, or demand Apax to let my children study at another center with the equivalent education qualities that they promised," she said. Apax Leaders, an English education center network for children, was founded in 2016. It claims to have 120 centers across Vietnam with around 120,000 students. The company claims some 15,000 of those students are in Ho Chi Minh City. But in September 2022, the company was accused by several parents of providing subpar services. Large groups of disgruntled customers have been demanding tuition refunds ever since. Several meetings between Ho Chi Minh City parents and Nguyen Ngoc Thuy, the companys chairman, as well as Nguyen Anh Tuan, Apax general director, were held in March and April. On April 9, Apax Leaders drew up a roadmap for tuition refunds for parents who no longer want their children to study at the centers. Tuitions are expected to be refunded between June this year and April next year, according to the roadmap. But several parents are still dissatisfied with the plan. FAIRFIELD, N.J., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- American Liver Foundation (ALF) and the American Society of Transplantation (AST) are pleased to announce a new partnership within the Living Donor Circle of Excellence. ALF will become the first liver organization to join AST's Living Donor Circle of Excellence and become a strategic partner. The Living Donor Circle of Excellence celebrates employers which implement internal policies that provide salary support to their employees who choose to become living organ donors. "We are so proud to become a Strategic Partner in AST's Living Donor Circle of Excellence and work together to break down barriers to living donor liver transplant," said Lorraine Stiehl, Chief Executive Officer, American Liver Foundation and caregiver to husband, Chris, who received a living donor transplant. "Too often patients do not pursue living donation because their potential donor cannot afford to take time off for the surgery and recovery. As a caregiver, I understand the importance of having job security and paid leave in place so that someone can become a living donor to a friend, family member or anyone who may need it. That's why we are proud to offer paid leave for living organ donation to our employees at ALF and join the Living Donor Circle of Excellence." ALF will become first liver organization to join AST's Living Donor Circle of Excellence and become a strategic partner. Tweet this John Gill, MD, Founder of the Living Donor Circle of Excellence said, "Living donors are heroes amongst us, their gift is lifesaving for patients in need of a kidney or liver transplant and has a huge positive impact on society. Patients facing life-threatening diseases are able to live normal lives, raise their families, and participate in their communities. By supporting living organ donors, we are also building stronger communities." Increasing access to living donor liver transplantation is a key issue ALF is working to address. Living donor liver transplantation lags far behind living kidney donation. In 2022, living donor liver transplants represented only 6% of all liver donations compared to 24% for living kidney donations. As fatty liver disease becomes more common in the U.S., more people will progress to liver failure and require a transplant. Research estimates that fatty liver disease, also called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is present in up to 75% of overweight people and in more than 90% of people with severe obesity. In the U.S. NAFLD affects between 80 and 100 million people, among whom nearly 25% progress to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a dangerously progressive form of the disease. Approximately 11% of NASH patients will develop cirrhosis or liver failure. NASH is expected to become the leading cause of liver transplantation in the U.S. by 2025. The Living Donor Circle of Excellence is a no-cost company recognition program for employers that provide paid leave for living donors. As a Strategic Partner, ALF is committed to expanding the network of nationwide employers which offer paid leave for living organ donors to help offset the financial burdens associated with giving the gift of life. Visit livingdonorcircle.com/partner/ALF to learn more. Currently, there are over 120 members in the Circle of Excellence throughout North America, covering over 2.2 million employees. 70 employees were able to use living donor leave benefits and donate an organ. The Circle encourages other employers to follow the American Liver Foundation to help others in need of life-saving organ transplants. Learn more about AST's Living Donor Circle of Excellence at livingdonorcircle.com. About the American Liver Foundation American Liver Foundation's (ALF) mission is to promote education, advocacy, support services and research for the prevention, treatment, and cure of liver disease. Founded in 1976, ALF is the nation's largest patient advocacy organization for people with liver disease. ALF makes an impact in the fight against liver disease by educating patients, families, caregivers and healthcare professionals; advocating for patients and their families; funding medical research to advance treatments for liver patients; and creating public awareness campaigns about liver wellness and disease prevention. ALF is the trusted voice for all patients and families living with liver disease. Learn more at liverfoundation.org or by calling 1-800-GO-LIVER (800-465-4837). About the American Society of Transplantation Founded in 1982, the American Society of Transplantation (AST) is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization dedicated to advancing the field of transplantation and improving patient care by promoting research, education, advocacy, organ donation, and service to the community. The society is the largest transplant organization in North America (consisting of more than 4,000 professional members) and is recognized as the premier society for transplantation. AST members are sought out as transplant experts and advocates. Other transplant organizations, policy makers, regulatory agencies, payors, academic institutions, and the general public look to the AST for guidance, research, and resources related to transplantation. To learn more, visit: www.myast.org. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Contact: Julie Kimbrough [email protected] Direct dial: 646-737-9409 SOURCE American Liver Foundation NEW YORK, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The animal feed additives market size is expected to increase by USD 8,931.76 million from 2022 to 2027, registering a CAGR of 6.25%, according to the latest research report from Technavio. The research report focuses on top companies and crucial drivers, current growth dynamics, futuristic opportunities, and new product/project launches. Discover market potential and make informed business decisions based on qualitative and quantitative evidence highlighted in Technavio reports. View a Sample Report Vendor Landscape Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Animal Feed Additives Market 2023-2027 The animal feed additives market is fragmented due to the presence of both small and large vendors. The vendors operate in a highly competitive market. The dominant players in the market have a vast geographical presence with production facilities located globally. The market also has a sizeable number of small regional vendors. With the increase in competition, the market is witnessing consolidation, where smaller vendors are acquired by or merged with major vendors. Some of the key vendors covered in the report include: Alltech Inc. - The company offers animal feed additives through its subsidiary Ajinomoto Health and Nutrition North America Inc. - The company offers animal feed additives through its subsidiary Ajinomoto Health and Nutrition North America Inc. Archer Daniels Midland Co. - The company offers animal feed additives under its brands Hubbard, Masterfeeds, and Ridley. - The company offers animal feed additives under its brands Hubbard, Masterfeeds, and Ridley. Associated British Foods Plc - The company offers animal feed additives under its brand Pancosma. - The company offers animal feed additives under its brand Pancosma. BASF SE - The company offers animal feed additives under its brand AB Agri. - The company offers animal feed additives under its brand AB Agri. Bluestar Adisseo Co. Cargill Inc. Chr Hansen Holding AS Corbion NV Evonik Industries AG International Flavors and Fragrances Inc. Jefo Kemin Industries Inc. Koninklijke DSM NV Land O Lakes Inc. Novozymes AS To provide a deeper understanding of the competitive landscape, Technavio has profiled key players along with the study that categorizes the global market segmentation - View a Sample Report Key Market Segmentation Animal Type Poultry Ruminants Swine Others Type Dry Liquid Geography North America The U.S. Canada Europe The U.K. Germany France Rest of Europe APAC China India Middle East & Africa & Saudi Arabia South Africa Rest of the Middle East & Africa & South America Chile Brazil Argentina By animal type, the market growth in the poultry segment will be significant over the forecast period. The segment is driven by the global rise in poultry consumption, led by changing lifestyles, the rise in disposable income, and the increasing population. Other factors influencing the segment growth include rising concerns about animal health and consumer preferences for a specific color of yolk and meat. Download Sample Report Learn about the contribution of each segment summarized in concise infographics and thorough descriptions. Regional Market Outlook APAC will account for 60% of the market growth during the forecast period. The growth of the regional market is driven by the increasing demand for poultry and other meat products. The region is home to leading animal feed consumer countries such as China, India, Japan, and Australia. In addition, the increased consumption of meat in countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia is driving the growth of the animal feed additives market in APAC. For more key highlights on the regional market share of most of the above-mentioned countries. - View a Sample Report The animal feed additives market covers the following areas: Market Dynamics: Driver The market is driven by increasing investments and focusing on expanding production capabilities. The growing global demand for animal feed additive products has driven vendors to expand their production capabilities. For instance, in January 2022 , BASF expanded its feed enzymes production capacity at the Ludwigshafen plant in Germany . The expansion of the existing plant allowed BASF to meet the growing global demand from customers for a reliable, high-quality supply of feed enzymes. Similarly, in January 2021 , Cargill announced the opening of its new premix animal nutrition facility in Lewisburg, Ohio . Such expansion plans by vendors drive the growth of the market. The market is driven by increasing investments and focusing on expanding production capabilities. The growing global demand for animal feed additive products has driven vendors to expand their production capabilities. For instance, in , BASF expanded its feed enzymes production capacity at the Ludwigshafen plant in . The expansion of the existing plant allowed BASF to meet the growing global demand from customers for a reliable, high-quality supply of feed enzymes. Similarly, in , Cargill announced the opening of its new premix animal nutrition facility in . Such expansion plans by vendors drive the growth of the market. Trend The increasing demand for natural feed additives is a key trend in the market. Health risks posed by antimicrobial compounds in feed additives have increased the demand for natural alternatives. Many vendors are implementing natural feed additives instead of antibiotics. They are using botanical additives such as suitable blends of herbs or plant extracts. These natural compounds stimulate pancreatic secretions to increase endogenous enzyme activity and improve the immune system of livestock. Such benefits are increasing the use of natural feed additives, which is expected to have a positive impact on the growth of the market. The increasing demand for natural feed additives is a key trend in the market. Health risks posed by antimicrobial compounds in feed additives have increased the demand for natural alternatives. Many vendors are implementing natural feed additives instead of antibiotics. They are using botanical additives such as suitable blends of herbs or plant extracts. These natural compounds stimulate pancreatic secretions to increase endogenous enzyme activity and improve the immune system of livestock. Such benefits are increasing the use of natural feed additives, which is expected to have a positive impact on the growth of the market. Challenge Stringent regulations and bans on using antibiotics are expected to challenge the growth of the market. The European Union (EU) imposed a ban on the use of antibiotics in animal feed. The ban forced companies to stop using antibiotics in feed additives. Such regulations undergo significant changes every year. This results in severe losses to manufacturers, as frequent updates to technology and manufacturing facilities are required to adhere to changing guidelines. Such factors are adversely affecting the growth of the market. Why Buy? Add credibility to strategy Analyzes competitor's offerings Get a holistic view of the market Grow your profit margin with Technavio - Buy the Report Related Reports: The animal growth promoters market size is expected to increase by USD 3.96 billion from 2021 to 2026. The market is segmented by animal type (poultry, livestock, swine, and others) and geography (APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa). The animal feed enzymes market size is expected to increase by USD 501.59 million from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 8.07%. The market is segmented by form (dry and liquid) and geography (APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and MEA). 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Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Animal Feed Additives Market Scope Report Coverage Details Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 6.25% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 8,931.76 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023(%) 5.73 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution APAC at 60% Key countries US, China, India, UK, and Brazil Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled Alltech Inc., Archer Daniels Midland Co., Associated British Foods Plc, BASF SE, Biochem additives and product mbH, Bluestar Adisseo Co., Cargill Inc., Chr Hansen Holding AS, Corbion NV, Evonik Industries AG, International Flavors and Fragrances Inc., Jefo, Kemin Industries Inc., Koninklijke DSM NV, Land O Lakes Inc., Novozymes AS, Novus International Inc., Nutreco N.V., Solvay SA, and Ajinomoto Co. Inc. Market dynamics Parent market analysis, market growth inducers and obstacles, fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, and market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized. Browse through Technavio's Materials Market Reports 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 Global Market Characteristics Exhibit 04: Executive Summary Chart on Market by Geography Exhibit 05: Executive Summary Chart on Market Segmentation by Animal Type Exhibit 06: Executive Summary Chart on Market Segmentation by Type Exhibit 07: Executive Summary Chart on Incremental Growth Exhibit 08: Executive Summary Data Table on Incremental Growth Exhibit 09: Executive Summary Chart on Vendor Market Positioning 2 Market Landscape 2.1 Market ecosystem Exhibit 10: Parent market Exhibit 11: Market Characteristics 3 Market Sizing 3.1 Market definition Exhibit 12: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition 3.2 Market segment analysis Exhibit 13: Market segments 3.3 Market size 2022 3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027 Exhibit 14: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 15: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 16: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 17: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 4 Historic Market Size 4.1 Global animal feed additives market 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 18: Historic Market Size Data Table on Global animal feed additives market 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 4.2 Animal type Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size Animal type Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 4.3 Type Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 20: Historic Market Size Type Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 4.4 Geography Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 21: Historic Market Size Geography Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 4.5 Country Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 22: Historic Market Size Country Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 5 Five Forces Analysis 5.1 Five forces summary Exhibit 23: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2022 and 2027 5.2 Bargaining power of buyers Exhibit 24: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers Impact of key factors 2022 and 2027 5.3 Bargaining power of suppliers Exhibit 25: Bargaining power of suppliers Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.4 Threat of new entrants Exhibit 26: Threat of new entrants Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.5 Threat of substitutes Exhibit 27: Threat of substitutes Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.6 Threat of rivalry Exhibit 28: Threat of rivalry Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.7 Market condition Exhibit 29: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2022 and 2027 6 Market Segmentation by Animal Type 6.1 Market segments Exhibit 30: Chart on Animal Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 31: Data Table on Animal Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%) 6.2 Comparison by Animal Type Exhibit 32: Chart on Comparison by Animal Type Exhibit 33: Data Table on Comparison by Animal Type 6.3 Poultry - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 34: Chart on Poultry - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 35: Data Table on Poultry - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 36: Chart on Poultry - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 37: Data Table on Poultry - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.4 Ruminants - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 38: Chart on Ruminants - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 39: Data Table on Ruminants - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 40: Chart on Ruminants - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 41: Data Table on Ruminants - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.5 Swine - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 42: Chart on Swine - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 43: Data Table on Swine - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 44: Chart on Swine - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 45: Data Table on Swine - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.6 Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 46: Chart on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 47: Data Table on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 48: Chart on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 49: Data Table on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.7 Market opportunity by Animal Type Exhibit 50: Market opportunity by Animal Type ($ million) Exhibit 51: Data Table on Market opportunity by Animal Type ($ million) 7 Market Segmentation by Type 7.1 Market segments Exhibit 52: Chart on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 53: Data Table on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%) 7.2 Comparison by Type Exhibit 54: Chart on Comparison by Type Exhibit 55: Data Table on Comparison by Type 7.3 Dry - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 56: Chart on Dry - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 57: Data Table on Dry - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 58: Chart on Dry - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 59: Data Table on Dry - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 7.4 Liquid - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 60: Chart on Liquid - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 61: Data Table on Liquid - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 62: Chart on Liquid - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 63: Data Table on Liquid - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 7.5 Market opportunity by Type Exhibit 64: Market opportunity by Type ($ million) Exhibit 65: Data Table on Market opportunity by Type ($ million) 8 Customer Landscape 8.1 Customer landscape overview Exhibit 66: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria 9 Geographic Landscape 9.1 Geographic segmentation Exhibit 67: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 68: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%) 9.2 Geographic comparison Exhibit 69: Chart on Geographic comparison Exhibit 70: Data Table on Geographic comparison 9.3 APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 71: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 72: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 73: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 74: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.4 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 75: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 76: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 77: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 78: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.5 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 79: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 80: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 81: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 82: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 83: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 84: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 85: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 86: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 87: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 88: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 89: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) and - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 90: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.8 China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 91: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 92: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 93: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 94: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.9 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 95: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 96: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 97: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 98: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.10 India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 99: Chart on India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 100: Data Table on India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 101: Chart on India - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 102: Data Table on India - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.11 Brazil - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 103: Chart on Brazil - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 104: Data Table on Brazil - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 105: Chart on Brazil - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 106: Data Table on Brazil - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.12 UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 107: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 108: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 109: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 110: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.13 Market opportunity by geography Exhibit 111: Market opportunity by geography ($ million) Exhibit 112: Data Tables on Market opportunity by geography ($ million) 10 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 10.1 Market drivers 10.2 Market challenges 10.3 Impact of drivers and challenges Exhibit 113: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027 10.4 Market trends 11 Vendor Landscape 11.1 Overview 11.2 Vendor landscape Exhibit 114: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation 11.3 Landscape disruption Exhibit 115: Overview on factors of disruption 11.4 Industry risks Exhibit 116: Impact of key risks on business 12 Vendor Analysis 12.1 Vendors covered Exhibit 117: Vendors covered 12.2 Market positioning of vendors Exhibit 118: Matrix on vendor position and classification 12.3 Ajinomoto Co. Inc. Exhibit 119: Ajinomoto Co. Inc. - Overview Exhibit 120: Ajinomoto Co. Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 121: Ajinomoto Co. Inc. - Key news Exhibit 122: Ajinomoto Co. Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 123: Ajinomoto Co. Inc. - Segment focus 12.4 Alltech Inc. Exhibit 124: Alltech Inc. - Overview Exhibit 125: Alltech Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 126: Alltech Inc. - Key offerings 12.5 Archer Daniels Midland Co. Exhibit 127: Archer Daniels Midland Co. - Overview Exhibit 128: Archer Daniels Midland Co. - Business segments Exhibit 129: Archer Daniels Midland Co. - Key offerings Exhibit 130: Archer Daniels Midland Co. - Segment focus 12.6 Associated British Foods Plc Exhibit 131: Associated British Foods Plc - Overview Exhibit 132: Associated British Foods Plc - Business segments Exhibit 133: Associated British Foods Plc - Key offerings Exhibit 134: Associated British Foods Plc - Segment focus 12.7 BASF SE Exhibit 135: BASF SE - Overview Exhibit 136: BASF SE - Business segments Exhibit 137: BASF SE - Key news Exhibit 138: BASF SE - Key offerings Exhibit 139: BASF SE - Segment focus 12.8 Biochem additives and product mbH Exhibit 140: Biochem additives and product mbH - Overview Exhibit 141: Biochem additives and product mbH - Product / Service Exhibit 142: Biochem additives and product mbH - Key offerings 12.9 Bluestar Adisseo Co. Exhibit 143: Bluestar Adisseo Co. - Overview Exhibit 144: Bluestar Adisseo Co. - Product / Service Exhibit 145: Bluestar Adisseo Co. - Key offerings 12.10 Cargill Inc. Exhibit 146: Cargill Inc. - Overview Exhibit 147: Cargill Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 148: Cargill Inc. - Key news Exhibit 149: Cargill Inc. - Key offerings 12.11 Chr Hansen Holding AS Exhibit 150: Chr Hansen Holding AS - Overview Exhibit 151: Chr Hansen Holding AS - Business segments Exhibit 152: Chr Hansen Holding AS - Key news Exhibit 153: Chr Hansen Holding AS - Key offerings Exhibit 154: Chr Hansen Holding AS - Segment focus 12.12 Corbion NV Exhibit 155: Corbion NV - Overview Exhibit 156: Corbion NV - Business segments Exhibit 157: Corbion NV - Key news Exhibit 158: Corbion NV - Key offerings Exhibit 159: Corbion NV - Segment focus 12.13 Evonik Industries AG Exhibit 160: Evonik Industries AG - Overview Exhibit 161: Evonik Industries AG - Business segments Exhibit 162: Evonik Industries AG - Key news Exhibit 163: Evonik Industries AG - Key offerings Exhibit 164: Evonik Industries AG - Segment focus 12.14 International Flavors and Fragrances Inc. Exhibit 165: International Flavors and Fragrances Inc. - Overview Exhibit 166: International Flavors and Fragrances Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 167: International Flavors and Fragrances Inc. - Key news Exhibit 168: International Flavors and Fragrances Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 169: International Flavors and Fragrances Inc. - Segment focus 12.15 Kemin Industries Inc. Exhibit 170: Kemin Industries Inc. - Overview Exhibit 171: Kemin Industries Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 172: Kemin Industries Inc. - Key news Exhibit 173: Kemin Industries Inc. - Key offerings 12.16 Koninklijke DSM NV Exhibit 174: Koninklijke DSM NV - Overview Exhibit 175: Koninklijke DSM NV - Business segments Exhibit 176: Koninklijke DSM NV - Key news Exhibit 177: Koninklijke DSM NV - Key offerings Exhibit 178: Koninklijke DSM NV - Segment focus 12.17 Nutreco N.V. Exhibit 179: Nutreco N.V. - Overview Exhibit 180: Nutreco N.V. - Product / Service Exhibit 181: Nutreco N.V. - Key news Exhibit 182: Nutreco N.V. - Key offerings 13 Appendix 13.1 Scope of the report 13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist Exhibit 183: Inclusions checklist Exhibit 184: Exclusions checklist 13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ Exhibit 185: Currency conversion rates for US$ 13.4 Research methodology Exhibit 186: Research methodology Exhibit 187: Validation techniques employed for market sizing Exhibit 188: Information sources 13.5 List of abbreviations Exhibit 189: 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 SHENZHEN, China, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Anycubic, a globally renowned 3D printing brand, has unveiled its latest resin 3D printer, the Anycubic Photon Mono 2. This new resin 3D printer is the upgraded version of the widely popular Photon Mono 4K, and it features several significant improvements that make it the perfect choice for beginners who want to dive into the world of resin 3D printing. "The Anycubic Photon Mono 2 3D printer is incredibly user-friendly, with an effortless setup that makes it easy for beginners to use. With a larger build volume, higher screen resolution, and an upgraded LighTurbo UV light source, it provides a fantastic printing experience for beginners and experts alike. Additionally, it is also affordably priced, making it accessible to a wide range of users. '', said James Ouyang, Vice President of Anycubic. "We're confident that the Photon Mono 2 will be as successful as the Photon Mono 4K, and it will quickly become the go-to choice for anyone looking to make the switch from FDM to resin printing." 6.6" 4K+ Upgraded Screen The Photon Mono 2 uses a 6.6-inch 4K+ masking LCD with an X/Y resolution of 34 microns, providing a high resolution of 4096 x 2560 pixels and enabling users to obtain vivid print details. Larger Build Volume The Mono 2 features a 20% larger print area compared to the Mono 4K, with a size increase of 5.6" x 3.5" x 6.5" (LWD). This allows for larger and more complex objects to be printed at once, increasing efficiency and reducing production times. Additionally, the Mono 2 has almost the same compact footprint as the Mono 4K and will not require a lot of operating space. Upgraded LighTurbo UV Light The Mono 2 is equipped with an upgraded LighTurbo UV light system, which not only provides a stable and uniform parallel light source but also significantly improves the grid lines and reduces the layer lines caused by uneven light. This results in fine and smooth prints. Laser-Engraved Build Platform The Mono 2 features an innovative laser-etched pattern that helps to increase the bond between the first layer and the platform. This pattern can increase the success rate of prints compared with the brushed metal platform on the Photon Mono 4K. As a result, it will prevent the first layer from peeling off the platform during the printing of models with a large footprint or wide cross-section. Pricing and Availability The Mono 2 is now available in Europe for 209 at the Official Anycubic store, and it will be offered for sale in the US market starting on May 5th, 2023, at 9:00 pm EDT for $199. Users can purchase from the official Anycubic store, Amazon, eBay, Walmart, and AliExpress. About Anycubic Anycubic is a leading company in the 3D printing industry specializing in 3D printer R&D, manufacturing, and sales, providing many affordable, high-performance, and smart printers for different customers, consumers, hobbyists, schools, and product designers. Since its establishment in 2015, we have been committed to propelling 3D printing technology to enable people from all walks of life to unleash their imagination and turn creativity into reality. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2064578/image_5014020_34731663.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1834106/4008423/983dfccce373fc0ea429fda2723d269_Logo.jpg SOURCE Anycubic Companies Grant $1 Million Each for Renovation of Historic Grove Theatre ATLANTA, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Bank of America and Chick-fil-A, Inc. announced their combined commitment of $2 million to Grove Park Foundation to create the Grove Park Performing and Cultural Arts Center by renovating the historic Grove Theatre on Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway. Group photo of Bank of America, Chick-fil-A, and Grove Park Foundation representatives and community members taken at celebration event on April 26, 2023. Two women discuss building plans for new facility at celebration event on April 26, 2023. The new Grove Park Performing and Cultural Arts Center, located at 1576 Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway, will create an accessible marketplace for small businesses and house community and cultural programming. The 10,000-square-foot facility will feature performance and studio space for arts and culture partners, office space, and a cafe/vending space. "Our longstanding commitment to the Grove Park Neighborhood and its residents, in partnership with Grove Park Foundation, is part of our approach to driving economic opportunity in Atlanta," said Bank of America's Wendy Stewart, president, Global Commercial Banking. "This grant is just one way we are working to remove barriers to economic success and building a more sustainable community." Stewart will also serve as chair of Grove Park Foundation's Grove Park Forward capital campaign, of which the theatre is a key component. Chick-fil-A's senior director of corporate social responsibility Brent Fielder echoed Stewarts remarks, adding, "Chick-fil-A is a long-time supporter of Grove Park Foundation and their impactful work in this Westside Atlanta community. As part of our commitment to caring for communities, we are honored to make this investment in helping preserve this historic Atlanta neighborhood." Grove Park Foundation acquired a historic theatre building in 2017 as part of its early commercial and affordable housing investments. The building previously had multiple uses and increasingly fell into disrepair. With Fox Theatre Institute grants for historic planning and emergency repair, and early funding from the Kendeda Fund, Grove Park Foundation has worked with the community to envision a cultural and performing arts center with flexible space for performance, program, wellness and small business activities. "The renovation of a historic building in the heart of the Grove Park community is a key to revitalizing the commercial core," said Grove Park Foundation Executive Director Gavin McGuire. "We are creating affordable and accessible arts and commercial space to serve a neighborhood that has experienced generational disinvestment. The community has asked for this kind of flexible, engaging space, and with support from our partners we will be able to deliver." Additional support from SouthFace's GoodUse Program will improve the building's efficiency to save on utility costs and improve its environmental impact. Grove Park Foundation will be raising funds for its Grove Park Forward campaign in 2023, bringing new projects online and expanding existing efforts in affordable housing, affordable commercial, economic mobility, legacy resident retention, and "out of school time" initiatives for youth, while also bolstering its own internal capacity to ensure the organization can continue to serve as a resource to community residents. As the needs across the Grove Park community continue to grow, the foundation is inviting other partners to join efforts to assist residents in the areas of housing, economic mobility, arts and culture, education, and health. Bank of America Bank of America is one of the world's leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 68 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 3,900 retail financial centers, approximately 15,000 ATMs and award-winning digital banking with approximately 56 million verified digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements and other important information, visit the Bank of America newsroom and register for news email alerts. Chick-fil-A, Inc. Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, Inc. is a restaurant company known for the Original Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich and signature hospitality. Represented by more than 170,000 Team Members, Operators and Staff, Chick-fil-A restaurants serve guests freshly prepared food at more than 2,700 restaurants in 47 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Canada. The family-owned and privately held restaurant company was founded in 1967 by S. Truett Cathy and is committed to serving the local communities in which its franchised restaurants operate. Known for its leadership and growth opportunities, in 2022 Chick-fil-A was named a Best Employer in America by Forbes and a top company for career opportunities for Black employees by Glassdoor. The company was also awarded the Employee's Choice by Glassdoor honoring top CEOs and was named a Culture 500 Culture Champion in 2020. A leader in customer service, Chick-fil-A was named QSR magazine's Drive-Thru Restaurant of the Year in 2021. More information on Chick-fil-A is available at http://www.chick-fil-a.com and @ChickfilANews. Grove Park Foundation The Grove Park Foundation was formed in 2017 to revitalize Atlanta's Grove Park neighborhood and improve the quality of life by working with local partners, leaders, and residents to create a healthy, equitable, and vibrant community. Grounded in our core values of diversity, equity, and strategic partnerships, Grove Park Foundation will create the conditions for people to thrive by mitigating displacement and disruption, preparing current residents for current and future opportunities, and building capacity and infrastructure to sustain growth and development. The foundation's work is built on the strategic pillars of ensuring long-term affordability for mixed-income housing, building a quality education pipeline for Grove Park's students, creating economic vitality through economic development and economic mobility, and expanding access to community health and wellness opportunities. Reporters may contact: Matthew Daily, Bank of America Phone: 1.404.607.2844 [email protected] Kim Nogi, Chick-fil-A Phone: 1.404.406.1307 [email protected] Karen Rose, Grove Park Foundation Phone: 1.404.217.6671 [email protected] SOURCE Bank of America Corporation Atlas repeats partnership with Albras, the largest aluminum producer in Brazil, with unprecedented 21-year US dollar power purchase agreement SAO PAULO, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Atlas Renewable Energy, a global leader in renewable energy, just signed a power purchase agreement with Albras, the largest primary aluminum producer in Brazil. Under the US dollar contract, Atlas will supply sustainable solar energy to Albras for 21 years, the longest term ever signed in Latin America for a corporate renewable energy PPA. ATLAS RENEWABLE ENERGY SIGNS LARGEST PRIVATE SOLAR PPA IN LATAM (PRNewsfoto/Atlas Renewable Energy) The energy provided to Albras under this PPA will be supplied by the Vista Alegre Photovoltaic Project, with operations expected to start in 2025. The plant will be located in the state of Minas Gerais with an installed capacity of 902 MWp and will generate approximately 2TWh/year, which is equivalent to removing more than 61,800 cars of the streets of Sao Paulo and offsetting approximately 154,000 tons of CO 2 emissions per year. "This is an important step for Atlas as we continue our focus to partner with corporate customers to support their energy transition to clean energy. The closing of our second contract with Albras attests to our ability to provide a compelling tailored energy solution to our customers. Furthermore, it offers predictability to the energy management of our customers looking to achieve their sustainability goals. The scale and term of this deal underscores Atlas' ability to address the needs of large energy consumers with reliability of execution, while fostering best in class ESG programs in line with their values", says Carlos Barrera, Atlas Renewable Energy's CEO. With this new power purchase agreement, the partnership between Atlas and Albras will enable the equivalent generation of renewable energy that could power a city with approximately 3 million inhabitants, such as Brasilia. Furthermore, Atlas' Vista Alegre will continue to enable ESG practices to instill long-term benefits and promote sustainable practices for the nearby communities. "We are all part of the same energy," Atlas' flagship social program will be implemented to promote diversity and inclusion within the renewable energy sector by training local women in technical skills and mobilizing its contractors to include them in their recruiting process, aiming to reach more than 15% of female representation within the construction of the plant. About Atlas Renewable Energy Atlas Renewable Energy is an international renewable energy generation company with over 4 GW of contracted projects, of which 2.2 GW are operational. Atlas specializes in developing, financing, constructing, and operating renewable energy projects throughout the Americas since early 2017. The company includes an experienced team with a deep global power market and renewable energy expertise, with the longest track record in the renewable energy industry in the Americas and Europe. The company's strategy is focused on helping large corporates make the energy transition to 100% clean energy. Atlas Renewable Energy is widely recognized for its high standards in the development, construction, and operation of large-scale projects, as well as a deep and long-standing track record in ESG and sustainable development. For more information, visit: www.AtlasRenewableEnergy.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2064786/Atlas_Renewable_Energy_PPA.jpg SOURCE Atlas Renewable Energy BALTIMORE, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Urological Association (AUA) announced today one of their journals, Urology Practice, has been indexed by MEDLINE. Urology Practice is an official journal of the AUA that focuses on clinical trends, challenges and practice applications in the four areas of business, health policy, the specialty and patient care. AUA's Urology Practice Journal indexed by MEDLINE Urology Practice has been in circulation since May 2014 and publishes clinical practice articles (including best practices, reviews, clinical guidelines, select clinical trials, editorials and white papers), "research letters" (brief original studies with an important clinical message), the business of the practice of urology, urology health policy issues, urology education and training as well as content for urology care team members. The journal's editorial board and volunteer reviewers use a highly selective peer review process to accept or reject articles for publication. "This is a major accomplishment, and I would like to thank our team who worked so hard to make this happen," said J. Stephen Jones, MD, President and CEO of Inova and Chief Editor of Urology Practice. "Urology Practice articles go through a rigorous scientific review, and it is a publication we are proud of. This is an important step for the journal, for the AUA and for the urological community." Indexation of a journal means it is of superior scientific quality. Urology Practice has been indexed by MEDLINE, which is the National Library of Medicine's bibliographic database that includes more than 29 million references to journal articles in life sciences with a concentration on biomedicine. Click here to learn more about Urology Practice and to read the latest issue: https://www.auajournals.org/journal/urpr 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 more than 23,000 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. Contact: Corey Del Bianco, Corporate Communications & Media Relations Manager 443-909-4033 [email protected] SOURCE American Urological Association WALLINGFORD, Conn., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Autism Services and Resources Connecticut (ASRC) is holding its' Walk for Autism on May 21st, 2023 at Quinnipiac University's North Haven campus to promote its mission to provide lifelong access and opportunities for those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ASRC Connecticut Walk for Autism Day is May 21, 2023 and is FREE to ATTENDEES: Walk for Autism | Autism Resource Fair | Inclusive Employment ShowcaseThe Connecticut Autism Community is gathering for this special event - and we want YOU to be there! Join friends, family and the autism community at Quinnipiac University North Haven Campus on May 21st, 2023! Join the Connecticut Autism Community on May 21st at Quinnipiac University in North Haven! Go to CTWALKFORAUTISM.COM to sign up or learn more! Participants may sign up individually or with a team and enjoy food trucks, raffles, contests, music and much more. For the second year in a row, select inclusive businesses, transition organizations and state agencies will be on hand to share best practices and ideas as part of the "Inclusive Employment Showcase", aimed at helping the neurodiverse community navigate the often difficult paths to employment. Returning from a pandemic hiatus this year is the ASRC CT Autism Resource Fair, bringing together exhibitors from a variety of businesses and organizations that support the neurodiverse community. Also returning this year as celebrity Master of Ceremonies will be News 8 Anchor/Reporter Sarah Cody. "We strive to provide lifelong access to opportunities for persons on the autism spectrum," ASRC president, Julie Hipp, shares. "The Walk for Autism is ASRC's largest event to fund this vision, and we think it's incredibly informative to have the resource fair and employment showcase at the same time and all at no charge to attendees!" ASRC paved the way for Connecticut's Autism Community as the state's first advocacy organization and original Walk for Autism. Since 1997, over 30,000 people have participated in the Walk. "All money raised stays in Connecticut to help develop inclusive social programs, employment readiness, and comprehensive training for families and professionals." To sign up or learn information more about the Walk for Autism 2023 visit https://ctwalkforautism.com/. Autism Services and Resources Connecticut (ASRC) was founded in 1997 as the first exclusive Connecticut autism advocacy organization for individuals and families. A 501(c)(3) non-profit not funded by state or federal money, they count on the generous support of donors, grants and fundraising activities to support programming initiatives. For more information visit ct-asrc.org . Christine Lupo Marketing Intern Autism Services & Resources Connecticut [email protected] SOURCE ASRC - Autism Services and Resources Connecticut HAMBURG, Germany, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- AUTONOMO, a leading German provider of computer vision technology for retail, has announced a new investment from Brookstreet Equity Partners and its inaugural customer with Meyer, part of the EDEKA group, the biggest Food Retailer in Germany. The investment helps AUTONOMO on their mission to simplify shopping for customers and enhance profits for the retailer. Autonomo GmbH partners with Retailer Meyer, part of Edeka Group The partnership will lead to the opening of several new autonomous stores in northern Germany, equipped with advanced technology, such as artificial intelligence, computer vision and machine learning. The aim of these new stores is to address the current labour shortage while meeting customers' demand for a convenient shopping experience. "We are thrilled to partner with Autonomo to deliver the future of retail to our customers," said Jorg Meyer, Owner and CEO Meyer's Frischecenter. "We looked at several providers and Autonomo's cutting edge technology is best designed to simplify the shopping process for retailers and customers." "Our first autonomous store will offer a wide range of products, including fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy, meats, wines, beers, and bakery. Customers can use their credit/debit cards or smartphones to access the store and make purchases without any human intervention, simplifying the shopping process." Autonomo was founded in 2021 by Patrick Muller-Sarmiento (Ex-CEO Metro/real Group and Senior Partner at Roland Berger) and James Sutherland (Harvard Alumni). "Helping Meyer, part of Edeka group, to solve their biggest problems in their physical stores validates the hard work and dedication of our talented AUTONOMO team" James Sutherland CEO Autonomo. Patrick Muller-Sarmiento, Chairman Autonomo, "We've tested thoroughly and look forward to announcing more innovative success stories in the near future." For more information, please contact: [email protected] +49 178 275 8887 +44 7747 651 374 Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2064076/Autonomo_GmbH.jpg SOURCE Autonomo GmbH MIAMI and ADELAIDE, Australia, April 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BioCina, a leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a $5.0m AUD grant under the Federal Government's Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Grants scheme to fund work with its industry partners to develop enabling technologies for manufacture of precision mRNA vaccines. "I'm very proud that BioCina has earned this MRFF grant." Tweet this Outcomes of this grant will extend mRNA manufacturing and analytical capabilities of BioCinas GMP facility to all clinical phases and commercial supply and deliver new to market automated microfluidics technology for manufacture of mRNA therapeutic vaccines, which will fill a significant technology gap in the personalised mRNA vaccines market. The grant has been awarded by the Australian Government's National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), and will be matched by the South Australian Government to support a five-year collaborative project with a total value of over $10.0m AUD, working with industry and academic partners, Cytiva and the University of Adelaide. The project, commencing almost immediately, helps BioCina address the post-pandemic mRNA demand for specific and essential attributes of new personalized RNA products. Australia currently lacks domestic manufacturing of mRNA products under accredited pharmaceutical GMP. This MRFF grant strengthens linkages between commercial lead BioCina Pty Ltd, industry partner Cytiva, as well as expands discovery research in microfluidic chip parallel manufacturing of mRNA based therapeutic vaccines with world-class experts from the University of Adelaide. Outcomes of this grant will extend mRNA manufacturing and analytical capabilities of BioCina's GMP facility to all clinical phases and commercial supply and deliver new to market automated microfluidics technology for manufacture of mRNA therapeutic vaccines, which will fill a significant technology gap in the personalised mRNA vaccines market. "I'm very proud that BioCina has earned this MRFF grant. This funding, along with additional financial support from the South Australian Government, aims to deliver two complementary outcomes. The first is an increase in mRNA manufacturing and associated analytical capability at BioCina, and the second is a microfluidics-based device for parallel manufacture at the small scales required for the personalized therapeutic vaccines market. This will increase capacity to produce mRNA pharmaceuticals, including vaccines, from initial fermentation of DNA plasmids to formulated mRNA-Lipid Nanoparticle (LNP) complexes for administration in clinical trials," said BioCina CEO, Mark W. Womack. BioCina Executive Chairman and Founder, Ian Wisenberg added "This project increases capacity to produce mRNA-LNP at the BioCina site, as well as add end-to-end capacity to manufacture mRNA products. This expansion of manufacturing capabilities allows BioCina to service a larger section of the global market and ensure that Australia has population-scale onshore mRNA vaccine manufacturing capabilities." The University's Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice-President (Research), Professor Anton Middelberg commented "although ambitious, the research and development project has been carefully designed with a reasonable feasibility/gain/risk balance and it is strongly supported by the unique interdisciplinary and complementary expertise of the chief investigators (CIs). The proposed research is very closely aligned with the CIs' expertise. The goal of this work is to introduce a start-to-finish manufacturing solution for personalised mRNA-LNP therapeutics that is world-class, in a timely manner that can service Australian and international companies." The Hon. Nick Champion, Minister for Trade and Investment, South Australian Government says, "BioCina's mRNA Centre of Excellence in South Australia will be Australia's first mRNA capability able to offer end-to-end client services to support the entire mRNA manufacturing and development process. We're delighted to support BioCina's manufacturing leadership and Australia's sovereign mRNA vaccine supply capabilities." About BioCina BioCina Pty Ltd. is a multi-service biologics contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), focused on the development and cGMP manufacture of microbial-based biological pharmaceuticals, including proteins, plasmid DNA, mRNA, vaccines and biosimilars, from early development through to commercialization. The BioCina Adelaide facility, formerly the Pfizer/Hospira plant, includes fit for purpose spaces for GMP manufacturing, process development, warehouse, and administration. The team has extensive experience and proven capabilities in microbial process development and manufacturing, with expertise from early process development to commercial manufacturing. BioCina has an enviable history manufacturing biological products approved for commercial use by the US-FDA, EMA and Health Canada, including the manufacturing of API for use in all stages of clinical trials. Licensed for GMP manufacture by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), BioCina is the only GMP manufacturing facility of its kind in Australia that has successfully passed a US-FDA inspection. Contact: Mark W. Womack, CEO BioCina: [email protected] / AUS: +61 429 111 363; US: +1 (619) 252-2537 SOURCE BioCina The April Digital Cover Story Highlights Earn Your Leisure Co-founders Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings NEW YORK, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, BLACK ENTERPRISE , the top Black digital media brand and premier business and financial resource for African Americans, revealed its April digital motion cover featuring the co-founders of financial literacy platform Earn Your Leisure (EYL), Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings. The exclusive cover story gives an in-depth look at how Bilal and Millings revolutionized financial literacy for historically underserved communities through their groundbreaking podcast. Its release comes weeks before the financial powerhouses will headline the inaugural BLACK ENTERPRISE Disruptor Summit in Atlanta on June 24. BLACK ENTERPRISE Launches Digital Motion Covers to Engage New Generation of Readers A new venture for the media company, BLACK ENTERPRISE launched digital motion covers to provide readers with exclusive content and insights into the lives and achievements of some of the most successful entrepreneurs, business leaders, and thought influencers in the Black community. Each cover will be available exclusively on BLACK ENTERPRISE's homepage, with additional content available across social media channels. "We are thrilled to launch our new digital covers to further connect with our audience and engage a new generation of readers," said Justin Barton, BLACK ENTERPRISE Senior Vice President of Digital Strategy & Partnership. "Through our digital covers, we will showcase our featured stories in a dynamic and immersive way, providing our audience with an experience that is both engaging and informative." The April cover story, titled Earn Your Leisure: Leaders of a Financial Revolution , highlights how and why Bilal and Millings launched their revolutionary podcast and franchise, Earn Your Leisure. Within the featured article, the co-founders share lessons learned in business before conceptualizing EYL, how they scaled their business from $100,000 to eight figures within four years, and their passion for giving disenfranchised populations access to information to acquire wealth. "Being on the cover of BLACK ENTERPRISE is a tremendous honor," said Millings. "For decades, it has been the staple of inspiration and aspiration for our community. They have always celebrated, highlighted, and championed the amazing contributions from the diaspora. To join the list of distinguished cover subjects is something I will always be grateful for." "My dad used to have all of the BLACK ENTERPRISE magazines on the coffee table," said Bilal. "I remember reading BLACK ENTERPRISE when I was 10 and 12 years old. It's a full circle moment for us to be on the cover of BLACK ENTERPRISE now, and I think it represents a new wave of leadership when it comes to financial literacy, business, empowerment, and investing." "For the past 52 years, BLACK ENTERPRISE has celebrated and amplified the stories of Black entrepreneurs and wealth creators, which has inspired and empowered generations of Black Americans to start or scale a business," said Selena Hill, BLACK ENTERPRISE Deputy Digital Editor. "It was an honor for me to chronicle how Rashad Bilal and Troy Milling emerged as the new leaders in the Black economic empowerment movement. Not only are they educating our communities on finance, business, and entrepreneurship, but they are also emancipating Black households from generational poverty and financial bondage." This marks the second digital motion cover issued by the multiplatform media company, following the release of the February story featuring Slutty Vegan Founder Aisha "Pinky" Cole . To read the full April story, please visit www.BlackEnterprise.com/EarnYourLeisure . About BLACK ENTERPRISE Founded in 1970, BLACK ENTERPRISE is a mission-centric publication focused on providing relevant information for success-minded people at every stage of their financial journey. Designed to highlight Black leadership and entrepreneurial journeys, BLACK ENTERPRISE reaches its audience through its events, linear and digital channels. BLACK ENTERPRISE aims to be a fountain of knowledge on the how in achieving financial success. To learn more about the company, please visit blackenterprise.com and follow them on social media across Instagram , Twitter, and Facebook . SOURCE BLACK ENTERPRISE Rhino horns and ivories seized at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi, April 2023. Photo by the General Department of Vietnam Customs The customs and other agencies have discovered 11.8 kg of rhino horns and 4.7 kg of ivories smuggled into Vietnam through the Noi Bai airport in Hanoi. According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, the discovery of the horns and ivories was made after a check of suspected luggage of a passenger arriving at the airport on April 25 from Doha. The man said he left Vietnam for Angola on March 29 and Angola for Doha on April 21, and then returned to Vietnam. He admitted while in Angola, he was hired by a man to transport two packages containing the horns and ivories with a pay of VND50 million (US$2,130). Further investigation is underway. Vietnam has banned the trading of elephant tusks since 1992. Trading, storing and transporting ivory is forbidden, with violators fined from VND5-50 million or imprisoned from six months to five years. Rhino horns are also strictly forbidden from being traded in, imported to or exported from Vietnam as the rhino is on the list of endangered wildlife protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), to which the country has been a party since 1994. 11th annual Hatch Off brings one-stop party rental shop to Detroit DETROIT, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The results are in! Bouncing Around The Motor City has been named the winner of the 2023 Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest by TechTown, claiming the $100,000 grand prize from Comerica Bank to open the brick-and-mortar business of their dreams in Detroit. As the winner of the 2023 Hatch Off, Bouncing Around The Motor City will receive technical assistance from TechTown and its partners in addition to the $100,000 business grant from Comerica Bank to kickstart and open a brick-and-mortar business in Detroit. Bouncing Around The Motor City is named the winner of the 2023 Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest by TechTown, earning the $100,000 grand prize from Comerica Bank during the Hatch Off event held on Wednesday, April 26, at Wayne State University Industry Innovation Center in Detroit. Bouncing Around The Motor City is Detroit's premier one-stop shop for balloons, decor, event planning and party rentals. It aims to create unique and vibrant designs for parties and special occasions that will captivate. Founder and owner Cathryn Coleman is a certified balloon artist that skillfully creates each design. Back in 2017 while caring for her mother in hospice care, Coleman was inspired to take a leap of faith and start her own business to support her family, and thus Bouncing Around The Motor City was born. This year, Coleman and her family have traveled to Washington DC, California, Florida and Atlanta attending balloon and face painting conferences in an effort to grow the business. Bouncing Around The Motor City plans to open its storefront in a rehabilitated building in Detroit's Bethune community. The building has been vacant for 26 years and Coleman plans to renovate the space into a flourishing retail balloon and gift shop. "Celebrating the future brick-and-mortar addition to Detroit's thriving small business landscape, we are thrilled to extend our support and recognition to Bouncing Around The Motor City," 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 showcased time and again the incredible entrepreneurial spirit that thrives in this city, and Bouncing Around The Motor City's success serves as a testament to the perseverance and determination of its founder. With TechTown's commitment to supporting its alumni and winners beyond the competition, we are excited to witness the journey that lies ahead for Bouncing Around The Motor City and the finalists." After a tight race, Bouncing Around The Motor City was crowned the winner in front of a live audience at the Hatch Off event that took place Wednesday, April 26, at the Wayne State University Industry Innovation Center in Detroit. During the live pitching competition, the top four businesses were given the opportunity to present their business pitch to a panel of judges, as well as a live audience. Public voting, along with the judges' deliberation, determined that Bouncing Around The Motor City was the winner. "Comerica Bank congratulates Bouncing Around The Motor City on this momentous achievement in their entrepreneurial journey and a well-deserved victory. As Bouncing Around The Motor City joins the previous 10 winners and the special network of Hatch alumni, we look forward to the vibrancy it will bring to the community," said Steve Davis, Comerica Bank Michigan Market President. "We recognize the vital role entrepreneurs play in driving economic growth and job creation as well as the unique challenges small business owners face. Now guided behind the strength of the TechTown team, the Hatch Detroit Contest has proven a tremendous opportunity for uplifting small businesses by helping them access the capital and technical assistance they need to succeed and thrive." The 10 semifinalists of the 2023 Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest were announced to the public for voting in early April. After over 23,000 votes were cast, the four finalists Bouncing Around The Motor City, Konjo Me, Next Chapter Books and Sepia Coffee Project LLC were selected by and introduced to the public. A second round of public voting opened on Monday, April 24, and ran through the completion of the business pitches at the Hatch Off. As the winner of the 11th annual Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest by TechTown, Bouncing Around The Motor City joins previous winners La Feria (2012), Sister Pie (2014), http://www.livecycledelight.com/Meta Physica Massage (2016), Baobab Fare (2017), 27th Letter Books (2019) and Little Liberia (2022). 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. To learn more about Bouncing Around The Motor City, 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 . SOURCE Comerica Bank New group will be led by one of the world's leading testifying experts on digital economy matters alongside award-winning antitrust economists to address disputes and industry-wide challenges EMERYVILLE, Calif., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As the digital transformation sweeps through the traditional economy, global expert services and consulting firm Berkeley Research Group (BRG) announced today that it has launched a Digital Economy and Platform Markets practice composed of the world's foremost digital economy and platform markets experts. Led by Dr. David Evans, one of the top testifying experts on matters involving the digital economy and platform markets, the practice will work with the world's leading law firms, advise digital businesses and work with international and US government agencies like the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice. The practice's services will span platform economics and big data and will help clients across sectors including online media and advertising, e-commerce, delivery and logistics, online payments and financial services, software platforms and apps, online gaming, transportation and travel, blockchain and cryptocurrency, emerging technology and infrastructure. Dr. Rosa (Romy) Abrantes-Metz and Dr. Richard Schmalensee, top experts in platform economics, and digital businesses, will join the group alongside Evans. BRG Executive Chairman Dr. David Teece, a professor at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, will support on select client matters. "In the past decade, the digital economy has been growing more than twice as fast as physical-world GDPcreating complex disputes in areas ranging from antitrust and mergers to consumer protection, employment, securities, bankruptcy and the application and development of new regulatory regimes," said Evans. "To resolve these disputes, global businesses will need a diverse group of future-looking digital economy experts and leading-edge data analytics capabilities. That's what we've built at BRG. I couldn't be more proud to lead the most experienced practice in the market dedicated to these issues." BRG's global team has consulted and testified in the United States, European Union, China, South Korea and other jurisdictions. The practice will staff cases with top economic scholars, subject-matter specialists and data scientists with experience handling massive databases. In addition to those named above, BRG experts John Blair, Thomas Brown, Richard Finkelman, Dr. Steven Gawthorpe, Eric Matrejek, Dr. Albert Metz, Bradley Mirkin, Walter J. Mix III, Ron Schnell and Amy Worley will support the practice's clients in matters involving data privacy, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, sanctions, risk modeling, cybersecurity and disruptive technology, among others. Taken together, these experts have served on matters involving most of the world's large digital platforms and across almost all major products and services provided by digital businesses. They have also written award-winning and oft-cited books and articles on platform economics and regularly appear in global media outlets like CNN, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Economist, Financial Times, Sky News, Bloomberg and more. BRG is particularly well equipped to support clients in matters involving platform markets. Courts and regulators around the world increasingly recognize the importance of platform economics in understandingand decidingthe matters before them when multisided businesses are involved. BRG is uniquely qualified for this work given that members of its team have led the development of the platform economics field over the last 20 years, particularly in its application to law and regulation. The firm's investments in data analytics will be critical as well. Analyzing issues in digital economy cases often requires managing massive datasets and providing highly elastic computing power for data analytics and econometric modeling. BRG's extensive analytical capabilities will enable the team to analyze billions of transactions and bring economic analysis and big data to inform decisions around disputes. BRG's data science work also includes building AI and machine learning models to support specific case activities. Commenting on the significance of the practice's launch, Teece said, "This is a pivotal moment for our firm. We've brought the world's most distinguished experts together to launch our new practice, which is exceptionally positioned to handle the most sophisticated and high-profile work related to the digital economy. What's more, we expect to add to this team with hires in key European markets in the months to come. The value, experience and reach of this practice will be unmatched. I'm eager to work alongside them." About Berkeley Research Group Berkeley Research Group, LLC is a global consulting firm that helps leading organizations advance in three key areas: disputes and investigations, corporate finance, and performance improvement and advisory. Headquartered in California with offices around the world, we are an integrated group of experts, industry leaders, academics, data scientists and professionals working across borders and disciplines. We harness our collective expertise to deliver the inspired insights and practical strategies our clients need to stay ahead of what's next. Visit thinkbrg.com to learn more. SOURCE Berkeley Research Group, LLC PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the 21st Annual American Business Awards announced Founder & CEO Kelley Higney of Bug Bite Thing , the chemical-free, reusable insect bite relief suction tool, as the winner of three Stevie Awards. Higney is the recipient of two Gold Stevie Awards in the Consumer Products category, Woman of the Year and Best Entrepreneur. In addition, Higney was named the winner of a Bronze Stevie Award in the Consumer Products category as Thought Leader of The Year. Bug Bite Thing Founder & CEO Kelley Higney More than 230 professionals worldwide participated in the judging process to select this year's Stevie Award winners. Over 3,700 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories. "I started my company on a small scale in my South Florida community and sold my home to fund the business. Growing Bug Bite Thing into a multi-million-dollar, global enterprise has been an incredible experience. It's an honor to have my work recognized by the American Business Awards and to be included among such talented entrepreneurs," says Higney. "It is very gratifying for us to be able to recognize the achievements of such a wide variety of organizations, teams, and individuals in the 21st ABAs, and we look forward to bringing them together in New York on June 13 to celebrate with them," said Maggie Miller, president of the Stevie Awards. Details about The American Business Awards and the list of 2023 Stevie winners are available at www.StevieAwards.com/ABA . About Bug Bite Thing As Seen on Shark Tank, Bug Bite Thing is a chemical-free solution that instantly alleviates the stinging, itching and swelling caused by insect bites and stings. The reusable tool solely uses suction to remove insect saliva or venom from underneath the skin, making it safe for all ages. Bug Bite Thing is Amazon's #1 selling product for insect bite relief, with over 78,000 reviews. The company gained national recognition in October 2019 when Kelley Higney and her mother, Ellen McAlister, appeared on ABC's hit show, 'Shark Tank.' All the Sharks were biting with offers to invest in the business, but it was Lori Greiner's 'Golden Ticket' offer that secured the partnership. In 2022, the company established its Medical Advisory Board and partnership with Board Certified Pediatrician Dr. Mona Amin. Bug Bite Thing is the recipient of 33 prestigious awards, including Inc.'s 2022 Best in Business List in Consumer Products, Company of the Year in the Consumer Product Category by the 2022 Stevie Awards American Business Awards and Women in Business Awards, a winner of the Mom's Choice Award and the National Parenting Center Seal of Approval. Based in Port St. Lucie, Florida, Bug Bite Thing is active in community organizations, including the St. Lucie County Economic Development Council, Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida and Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County. The company is also a women-owned business certified by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), a weVENTURE Women's Business Center equity partner investor and a member of Cancer Free Economy Network. Bug Bite Thing is available on Amazon.com, BugBiteThing.com and at over 30,000 retail locations nationwide and in 34 countries. Learn more at Bug Bite Thing and follow along on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , TikTok and Twitter . About the Stevie Awards Stevie Awards are conferred in eight programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com . Contact: Lauren Bartel 561.748.5587 [email protected] SOURCE Bug Bite Thing Carmen Correa, CEO of Pro Mujer, has been selected by Google.org as one of the seven Leaders to Watch 2023 for her commitment to advancing gender equity in Latin America. In her role, Carmen contributes to generating opportunities and paving the way to financial independence for hundreds of thousands of women entrepreneurs in the region. NEW YORK, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Google.org announced today its annual selection of Leaders to Watch to support and give visibility to the people behind organizations that address today's most pressing social challenges. Leaders to Watch recognizes rising changemakers from recent Google.org grantees who are striving to build a better future for everyone. This year's list includes Carmen Correa, CEO of Pro Mujer, the only Latin American woman on the list. Beauty-focused initiative also includes nationwide sweepstakes for the chance to win a VIP concert experience. DALLAS, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- This month, Cetaphil is continuing to champion sensitive skin with the launch of its latest beauty initiative under its "We Do Skin. You Do You" campaign. For Lizzo's upcoming "Special" tour, Cetaphil cleansers and moisturizers will be an integral part of her skin prep and glam courtesy of makeup artist Alexx Mayo. Through this sponsorship, as well as several other beauty influencers and expert partnerships and activations, Cetaphil aims to empower those with sensitive skin to make skin preparation the first, and most important, step in their beauty routine. Cetaphil Announces Exclusive Skincare Sponsorship of Makeup Artist Alexx Mayo for Lizzos Upcoming Special Tour Cetaphil Announces Exclusive Skincare Sponsorship of Makeup Artist Alexx Mayo for Lizzos Upcoming Special Tour "This partnership with Cetaphil comes so naturally as skincare and makeup go hand in hand," says Alexx Mayo, Professional Makeup Artist. "Applying makeup for one of my artists on an international tour means factoring in countless sweaty rehearsals, performances in different climates, and dramatic looks that need to hold up on a jumbotron. These demands can unfortunately wreak havoc on the skin especially if they have sensitive skin. I've always been a fan of Cetaphil because their gentle formulas work wonders on my skin, so recommending it to Lizzo for skin prep and ongoing maintenance was a no-brainer." Affecting approximately 70% of individuals worldwide, skin sensitivity is defined by unpleasant skin sensations which may include stinging and burning. It can affect various parts of the body, including the face. Cetaphil's range of cleansers and moisturizers are backed by scientific research and clinical studies, while helping to defend against 5 signs of skin sensitivity: dryness, irritation, roughness, tightness and a weakened skin barrier. "Research is at the foundation of everything we do at Cetaphil and that starts with understanding the symptoms and triggers of sensitive skin," says Matthew Meckfessel, PhD, Director, Medical Affairs. "Cosmetics are a main trigger of sensitive skin due to the regular and sometimes abrasive usage. Hydrating the skin barrier and cleansing with a gentle cleanser may help minimize irritation and create a better foundation for makeup to be applied. Products like our Hydrating Foaming Cream Cleanser and Daily Oil-Free Facial Moisturizer SPF 35 contain ingredients such as glycerin, panthenol, and niacinamide to ensure a protected skin barrier, ultimately allowing for color cosmetics to apply more evenly and have longer wear." This Spring, the brand will enlist Alexx Mayo to create social content showcasing how he relies on Cetaphil as a fundamental part of Lizzo's pre-show glam routine. Alexx will also host a private in-person master class for media and influencers ahead of Lizzo's Phoenix stop to provide skincare education and step-by-step breakdowns on how to achieve Lizzo's fabulous concert looks. To drive further excitement, Cetaphil is hosting a nationwide sweepstakes where one winner and a guest will receive the ultimate VIP experience to see Lizzo headlining in New York City on June 9, 2023. The "Special" winner will receive: Two VIP Concert Tickets Round-Trip Airfare for Two Four-night Hotel Stay Daily Meal Stipend Ground Transportation Cetaphil Care Package For a chance to win, consumers can enter here. For more information, consumers can also follow Cetaphil on Instagram (@CetaphilUS) and TikTok (@CetaphilUSA) or visit www.cetaphil.com. About Cetaphil Seventy-five years ago, a leading pharmacist created the first Cetaphil product a gentle, yet powerful formula that would clean without stripping and moisturize without clogging. Today, Cetaphil is a dermatologist recommended sensitive skincare brand and is recognized around the world. With the help of leading global skincare experts, they continue to develop innovative skincare technologies for sensitive skin that help restore, protect and maintain skin's health every day. For more information, visit www.cetaphil.com. About Galderma Galderma is the pure-play dermatology category leader, present in approximately 90 countries. We deliver an innovative, science-based portfolio of premium flagship brands and services that spans the full spectrum of the fast-growing dermatology market through Injectable Aesthetics, Dermo-cosmetics and Therapeutic Dermatology. Since our foundation in 1981, we have dedicated our focus and passion to the human body's largest organ the skin meeting individual consumer and patient needs with superior outcomes in partnership with healthcare professionals. Because we understand that the skin we're in shapes our lives, we are advancing dermatology for every skin story. For more information: www.galderma.com. SOURCE Cetaphil; Galderma Laboratories BEIJING, April 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- China's commitment to standing on the side of peace over the Ukraine crisis has been proved, once again. During a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday said that dialogue and negotiations are "the only viable way out" for the Ukraine crisis, and that no one wins a nuclear war. China will send a special representative of the Chinese government on Eurasian affairs to visit Ukraine and other countries to conduct in-depth communication with all parties on the political settlement of the crisis, Xi said. China's core stance: peace During the call, the Chinese president stressed that on the Ukraine crisis, China's core stance is to facilitate talks for peace. China did not create the crisis, nor is it a party to it, he said. "As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible major country, China would not sit idly by, nor would it add oil to the fire, still less exploit the situation for self gains," he pledged. China released a 12-point paper stating its position on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis on February 24, 2023, the first anniversary of the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. On Wednesday, Xi also said, on the nuclear issue, all relevant parties must stay calm and exercise restraint, truly act in the interests of their own future and that of humanity, and jointly manage the crisis. With rational thinking and voices now on the rise, it is important to seize the opportunity and build up favorable conditions for the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, he urged. It is hoped that all parties would seriously reflect on the Ukraine crisis and jointly explore ways to bring lasting peace and security to Europe through dialogue, said Xi. China will continue to facilitate talks for peace and make its efforts for an early ceasefire and restoration of peace, he vowed. For his part, Zelenskyy thanked China for providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and welcomed China's important role in restoring peace and seeking a diplomatic solution to the crisis. He also said, China upholds the purposes and principles of the UN Charter in international affairs and has significant influence on the international stage. Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Renmin University of China, described the phone call between the two leaders as "long-awaited" and "much-anticipated." "All the parties were looking forward to the conversation," Wang told CGTN. "It shows China's responsibility as a major country." When briefing reporters about the call, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Li Hui will be the special envoy. Li served as Chinese ambassador to Russia from 2009 to 2019. In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it has noted the Chinese side's readiness to make efforts to establish the negotiation process. "By sending the special envoy, China is further implementing its position paper with actions," said Wang. That will make the international community look forward to China's playing of a bigger role, he said. China and Ukraine: strategic partners During Wednesday's conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart, Xi also pointed out that China-Ukraine relations, after 31 years of development, have reached a level of strategic partnership, boosting the development and revitalization of the two countries. Mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity is the political foundation of China-Ukraine relations, said the Chinese president. "The two sides need to look to the future, view and handle the bilateral relations from a long-term perspective, carry forward the tradition of mutual respect and sincerity, and take the China-Ukraine strategic partnership forward," Xi urged. He added that no matter how the international situation evolves, China will work with Ukraine to advance mutually beneficial cooperation. Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian side is committed to the one-China policy, and hopes to advance all-round bilateral cooperation with China. He also expressed hope to open up a new chapter in Ukraine-China relations and jointly safeguard world peace and stability. Following the call with Xi, Zelenskyy announced the appointment of Pavlo Ryabikin, a former minister of strategic industries, as Ukraine's new ambassador to China. https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-04-26/Xi-Zelenskyy-hold-phone-call-1jjY1hTqK2c/index.html SOURCE CGTN SHANGHAI, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- S'Young Group Co., Ltd. (S'Young, the Company) (300740.SZ) has made the Women's Wear Daily (WWD) Beauty Inc's annual top 100 ranking for the first time in 2022. With its outstanding performance in 2022, S'Young ranked the 49th and joined the top 100 list with other globally renowned beauty companies, the debut marks a new milestone of breakthrough significance for S'Young. WWD is a flagship publication of Fairchild Media, which is owned by Penske Media Corporation. The fashion-industry trade journey known as the "bible of fashion," provides insights and intelligence on the changing trends and news of fashion, beauty, and retail industries. WWD Beauty Inc's Top 100 holds significant importance as the "Global Beauty Industry Yearbook," ranking of the world's largest beauty manufacturers is calculated by beauty sales for the 2022 calendar year, conducting scientific and rigorous quantitative examinations of company's economic conditions, representing its authority through international scientific approaches. Through its 17 years of rich experience in beauty brand management, S'Young was listed in WWD Beauty Inc 2022 Top 100 list for the first time in 2023, ranking 49th. In the past challenging market environment plagued by various adverse factors, such as pandemic, SYoung has managed to maintain rapid growth in the beauty industry. With a core focus on technological innovation, deploying a global expansion strategy, which solidifies its position as a stable player in the beauty industry. As the trusted and preferred China Partner for global beauty brands, its recently launched S'Young City, the new 180,000 sqm $200m campus that integrates all head office departments in one place: R&D; design; production and logistics. S'Young is committed to building a premium platform for them to connect with the Chinese market, and it's now cooperating with more than 30 beauty brands globally and providing complete solutions through all-demensional and omni-channel developments. Its pioneering "CP" (China Partner) model has empowered beauty companies on brand positioning, differentiated communications, marketing, retailing and supply chain management. SOURCE S'Young Group Co., Ltd. LOUISVILLE, Ky., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Dealer Trade Network, an inventory optimization solution for new car dealerships, appointed Christian Miller as the company's Chief Executive Officer. Miller, 31, joined Dealer Trade Network as Chief Financial Officer at the beginning of the year. During the first quarter of 2023, he led the internal restructuring of the sales and marketing departments and developed a hiring and onboarding process that increased headcount 40%, while ensuring that the company continued to hit the board's aggressive growth targets. As new car inventory continues to increase across the country, Dealer Trade Network anticipates another record year. Tweet this "The board and I believe that Christian has the leadership capabilities as well as the industry knowledge and expertise to continue Dealer Trade Network's rapid expansion," said Steve Huey, Executive Chairman. "His work ethic has proven that he is extremely dedicated to our mission - to being the best at using data to help dealers optimize their inventory within the country's most robust trading marketplace." As new car inventory continues to increase across the country, Dealer Trade Network is anticipating another record year of growth in 2023. The company is doubling its investments in data, technology, and training to continue to expand its national franchised dealer customer base and ensure that every new vehicle moves into the right market. "Christian will work to make us all better, building the company to the best that it can be and creating a culture that truly embraces our core values," said David Kohn, Board of Directors. Miller holds a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree in finance & strategic management from Purdue University Daniels School of Business and bachelor's degrees in business administration and economics, with a minor in mathematics from Bellarmine University. Previously, he served as a Private Equity Associate at TRP Capital Partners where he was an investor and Board member of CarLotz, Inc.. "I am honored to have the opportunity to achieve a life-long dream of being entrusted to lead a company of Dealer Trade Network's stature in the automobile industry," said Miller. "David Kohn and the executive team's leadership brought the company record growth over the past two years, and I am confident that Dealer Trade Network offers the best new car dealer-to-dealer trade solution in the country. I look forward to bringing the board's long-term vision for our company to fruition." ABOUT DEALER TRADE NETWORK With a combination of proprietary software, trusted industry relationships, and deep market expertise, Dealer Trade Network manages the end-to-end trade and fulfillment process that moves new vehicles between franchised dealerships so that dealers can match their floor plans with local market demands. In 2022, the company facilitated the trade of more than 7,000 new vehicles nationwide. SOURCE Dealer Trade Network JACKSON, Mich., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CMS Energy announced today reported earnings per share of $0.69 for the first quarter of 2023, compared to $1.21 per share for the same quarter in 2022. The company's adjusted earnings per share for the first quarter of 2023 were $0.70, compared to $1.20 per share for the same quarter in 2022, primarily due to unfavorable weather, which reduced sales volumes, and higher service restoration costs attributable to significant storm activity during the quarter. CMS Energy reaffirmed its 2023 adjusted earnings guidance of $3.06 to $3.12* per share (*See below for important information about non-GAAP measures) and reaffirmed long-term adjusted EPS growth of 6 to 8 percent, with continued confidence toward the high end of the adjusted EPS growth range. "Despite a historically warm winter and severe ice storms, we remain confident in our ability to deliver on our full year earnings guidance," said Garrick Rochow, President and CEO of CMS Energy and Consumers Energy. "We look forward to working with all stakeholders as we look to improve customer reliability through thoughtful investments in our infrastructure." CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS) is a Michigan-based energy provider featuring Consumers Energy as its primary business. It also owns and operates independent power generation businesses. CMS Energy will hold a webcast to discuss its 2023 first quarter results and provide a business and financial outlook on Thursday, April 27 at 9:00 a.m. (EDT). To participate in the webcast, go to CMS Energy's homepage (cmsenergy.com) and select "Events and Presentations." Important information for investors about non-GAAP measures and other disclosures. This news release contains non-Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (non-GAAP) measures, such as adjusted earnings. All references to net income refer to net income available to common stockholders and references to earnings per share are on a diluted basis. Adjustments could include items such as discontinued operations, asset sales, impairments, restructuring costs, business optimization initiative, changes in accounting principles, changes in federal tax policy, regulatory items from prior years, unrealized gains or losses from mark-to-market adjustments recognized in net income related to NorthStar Clean Energy's interest expense, or other items. Management views adjusted earnings as a key measure of the company's present operating financial performance and uses adjusted earnings for external communications with analysts and investors. Internally, the company uses adjusted earnings to measure and assess performance. Because the company is not able to estimate the impact of specific line items, which have the potential to significantly impact, favorably or unfavorably, the company's reported earnings in future periods, the company is not providing reported earnings guidance nor is it providing a reconciliation for the comparable future period earnings. The company's adjusted earnings should be considered supplemental information to assist in understanding our business results, rather than as a substitute for the reported earnings. This news release contains "forward-looking statements." The forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause CMS Energy's and Consumers Energy's results to differ materially. All forward-looking statements should be considered in the context of the risk and other factors detailed from time to time in CMS Energy's and Consumers Energy's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Investors and others should note that CMS Energy routinely posts important information on its website and considers the Investor Relations section, www.cmsenergy.com/investor-relations, a channel of distribution. For more information on CMS Energy, please visit our website at cmsenergy.com. To sign up for email alert notifications, please visit the Investor Relations section of our website. CMS ENERGY CORPORATION Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited) In Millions, Except Per Share Amounts Three Months Ended 3/31/23 3/31/22 Operating revenue $ 2,284 $ 2,374 Operating expenses 1,970 1,918 Operating Income 314 456 Other income 56 48 Interest charges 147 124 Income Before Income Taxes 223 380 Income tax expense 29 39 Income From Continuing Operations 194 341 Income from discontinued operations, net of tax - 4 Net Income 194 345 Loss attributable to noncontrolling interests (10) (8) Net Income Attributable to CMS Energy 204 353 Preferred stock dividends 2 2 Net Income Available to Common Stockholders $ 202 $ 351 Diluted Earnings Per Average Common Share Income from continuing operations per average common share available to common stockholders $ 0.69 $ 1.20 Income from discontinued operations per average common share available to common stockholders - 0.01 Diluted earnings per average common share $ 0.69 $ 1.21 CMS ENERGY CORPORATION Summarized Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) In Millions As of 3/31/23 12/31/22 Assets Current assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 571 $ 164 Restricted cash and cash equivalents 27 18 Other current assets 2,391 3,251 Total current assets 2,989 3,433 Non-current assets Plant, property, and equipment 23,003 22,713 Other non-current assets 5,394 5,207 Total Assets $ 31,386 $ 31,353 Liabilities and Equity Current liabilities (1) $ 1,509 $ 1,866 Non-current liabilities (1) 7,741 7,583 Capitalization Debt and finance leases (excluding securitization debt) (2) 14,314 14,139 Preferred stock and securities 224 224 Noncontrolling interests 572 580 Common stockholders' equity 6,856 6,791 Total capitalization (excluding securitization debt) 21,966 21,734 Securitization debt (2) 170 170 Total Liabilities and Equity $ 31,386 $ 31,353 (1) Excludes debt and finance leases. (2) Includes current and non-current portions. CMS ENERGY CORPORATION Summarized Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) In Millions Three Months Ended 3/31/23 3/31/22 Beginning of Period Cash and Cash Equivalents, Including Restricted Amounts $ 182 $ 476 Net cash provided by operating activities 1,040 707 Net cash used in investing activities (651) (539) Cash flows from operating and investing activities 389 168 Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities 27 (170) Total Cash Flows $ 416 $ (2) End of Period Cash and Cash Equivalents, Including Restricted Amounts $ 598 $ 474 CMS ENERGY CORPORATION Reconciliation of GAAP Net Income to Non-GAAP Adjusted Net Income (Unaudited) In Millions, Except Per Share Amounts Three Months Ended 3/31/23 3/31/22 Net Income Available to Common Stockholders $ 202 $ 351 Reconciling items: Disposal of discontinued operations gain - (5) Tax impact - 1 Other exclusions from adjusted earnings** 3 (1) Tax impact (1) * Adjusted net income non-GAAP $ 204 $ 346 Average Common Shares Outstanding - Diluted 291.2 289.9 Diluted Earnings Per Average Common Share Reported net income per share $ 0.69 $ 1.21 Reconciling items: Disposal of discontinued operations gain - (0.01) Tax impact - * Other exclusions from adjusted earnings** 0.01 (*) Tax impact (*) * Adjusted net income per share non-GAAP $ 0.70 $ 1.20 * Less than $0.5 million or $0.01 per share. ** Includes restructuring costs, business optimization initiative, and unrealized gains or losses from mark-to-market adjustments, recognized in net income related to NorthStar Clean Energy's interest expense. Management views adjusted (non-Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) earnings as a key measure of the Company's present operating financial performance and uses adjusted earnings for external communications with analysts and investors. Internally, the Company uses adjusted earnings to measure and assess performance. Adjustments could include items such as discontinued operations, asset sales, impairments, restructuring costs, business optimization initiative, changes in accounting principles, changes in federal tax policy, regulatory items from prior years, unrealized gains or losses from mark-to-market adjustments, recognized in net income related to NorthStar Clean Energy's interest expense, or other items. The adjusted earnings should be considered supplemental information to assist in understanding our business results, rather than as a substitute for reported earnings. Check out Consumers Energy on Social Media Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/consumersenergymichigan Twitter: https://twitter.com/consumersenergy LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/consumersenergy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/consumersenergy SOURCE CMS Energy HONG KONG, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CNOOC Limited (the "Company", SEHK: 00883, SSE: 600938) today announced its operating results for the first quarter of 2023. In the first quarter of 2023, the Company stepped up its efforts in exploration and development, and achieved positive results in increasing reserves and production and improving quality and efficiency. Steady growth in net production was obtained and cost competitiveness was further consolidated. The total net production was 163.9 million barrels of oil equivalent ("BOE"), representing an increase of 8.6% year over year ("YoY"). The net production from China grew by 5.5% YoY to 115.3 million BOE, which was mainly attributable to the production from the newly commissioned oilfields in the Bohai Sea and the South China Sea. Overseas production rose by 16.6% YoY to 48.6 million BOE, which was mainly driven by increased production from Guyana and Brazil. During the period, the Company made 2 new discoveries and successfully appraised 6 oil and gas structures. The construction of the key projects progressed steadily. Among the 9 new projects scheduled to commence production during the year, 5 projects have started installation. In the first quarter, the all-in cost was US$28.22 per BOE, down 7.7% YoY. Benefiting from the increase in net production and effective cost control, the quarterly revenue amounted to approximately RMB97.7 billion, an increase of 7.5% YoY; and net profit attributable to equity shareholders of the Company remained at a high level of RMB32.1 billion. The Company actively promoted green and low-carbon development. "Haiyou Guanlan", China's first deep-sea floating wind power platform, started offshore installation. Drilling operation for the first offshore CO 2 reinjection well has started at Enping 15-1 offshore CCS demonstration project. Green electricity was widely used in offshore oil and gas fields. Mr. Zhou Xinhuai, CEO of the Company, said, "In the first quarter, CNOOC Limited made a good start for the year with steady growth in oil and gas production while kept effective control over cost. We will stay focused on our annual targets, press ahead with the tasks and deliver better results to bolster the high-quality development of the Company." Notes to Editors: More information about the Company is available at http://www.cnoocltd.com . *** *** *** *** This press release includes forward looking information, including statements regarding the likely future developments in the business of the Company and its subsidiaries, such as expected future events, business prospects or financial results. The words "expect", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "objective", "ongoing", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe", "plans", "intends" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements are based on assumptions and analyses made by the Company as of this date in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that the Company currently believes are appropriate under the circumstances. However, whether actual results and developments will meet the current expectations and predictions of the Company is uncertain. Actual results, performance and financial condition may differ materially from the Company's expectations, including but not limited to those associated with fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas prices, macro-political and economic factors, changes in the tax and fiscal regimes of the host countries in which we operate, the highly competitive nature of the oil and natural gas industry, environmental responsibility and compliance requirements, the Company's price forecast, the exploration and development activities, mergers, acquisitions and divestments activities, HSSE and insurance policies and changes in anti-corruption, anti-fraud, anti-money laundering and corporate governance laws. Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements. The Company cannot assure that the results or developments anticipated will be realised or, even if substantially realised, that they will have the expected effect on the Company, its business or operations. *** *** *** *** For further enquiries, please contact: Ms. Ariel Wang Media & Public Relations CNOOC Limited Tel: +86-10-8452-6832 Fax: +86-10-8452-1441 E-mail: [email protected] Mr. Bunny Lee Porda Havas International Finance Communications Group Tel: +852 3150 6707 Fax: +852 3150 6728 E-mail: [email protected] SOURCE CNOOC Limited Since Burmas military coup two years ago and the regimes ensuing crackdown on opposition to its rule, the people of Burma have suffered greatly: over 3,000 killed; nearly 17,000 detained; and more than 1.3 million displaced. But even in the face of this evidence of the regimes brutality, the airstrikes levelled against a village in the Sagaing region on April 11 stand out in their ruthlessness and cruelty. While hundreds of people, including women and children, assembled to celebrate the opening of a building put up by a pro-democracy group, the regime reportedly dropped multiple bombs on the villagers. Then, a helicopter strafed the area as people tried to flee. Although the official toll remains unclear, estimates are that more than 100 people were killed, many of them children. Observers note that the regime is stepping up its use of airstrikes against the civilian population with devastating results. In October, for example, some 80 people were reportedly killed in an airstrike in Northern Burma. On April 10, the day before the attack in Sagaing, air strikes in Chin State reportedly killed at least nine. The international community has reacted with shock and condemnation. U.S. State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said in a statement, These violent attacks further underscore the regimes disregard for human life and its responsibility for the dire political and humanitarian crisis in Burma following the February 2021 coup. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said he was horrified by the attack, noting it appears schoolchildren performing dances, as well as other civilians ... were among the victims. Nabila Massrali, EU Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said, The EU is deeply shocked by reports of the latest atrocity committed by the military regime in Sagaing, taking the lives of dozens of innocent civilians. ASEAN strongly condemned the airstrikes. U.S. Principal Deputy Spokesperson Patel said, The United States calls on the Burma regime to cease the horrific violence, allow unhindered humanitarian access, and to respect the genuine and inclusive democratic aspirations of the people of Burma. The military regime must abide by its obligations under international humanitarian law, including rules on the protection of civilians. The United States will continue to work with the international community to hold the regime accountable for violations and abuses committed in Burma. Compelled by growing global need, child development organization adds four new program countries in Africa and Asia COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Compassion International announced today its expansion efforts in four new program countries as part of the ministry's global growth strategy. Founded in 1952, the child development organization partners with thousands of local churches in low- to middle-income countries to deliver physical, social, economic, and spiritual care to more than two million children in poverty. With the additions of Malawi, Zambia, Cambodia, and Myanmar, Compassion now works in 29 countries to achieve its mission of releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name. Three young children in Cambodia, one of Compassion's new expansion countries. (Photo by Joyce Lim.) Compassion's expansion to new countries is driven by the magnitude of the need. An estimated 356 million children live in extreme poverty, which the World Bank defines as surviving on less than $2.15 per day. Children living in extreme poverty are highly vulnerable. They lack access to clean water, health care, housing, nutrition, educational opportunities, and social services, and they remain at risk of exploitation, child labor, abuse, and preventable disease. Santiago "Jimmy" Mellado, president and CEO of Compassion, shares, "We stand at an unprecedented moment in Compassion's history. The needs of the poor are unbelievably urgent, and the resources entrusted by God to his global church have never been greater. Given the scale of the need, we believe God is calling Compassion to extend its Christ-centered, church-driven, child-focused ministry to a greater number of children and youth than ever before." Compassion's expansion countries are not immune to the pain of poverty. Malawi is one of the world's most impoverished countries, ranking 174 out of 189 countries on the 2020 Human Development Index. Recently, extreme weather and a deadly cholera outbreak have wreaked havoc on the country's water, sanitation, and healthcare systems, leaving already-malnourished children more vulnerable to death and disease. With more than 58 percent of the population living in poverty, Zambia "ranks among the countries with [the] highest level of inequality globally," according to the World Bank. Millions of children in Zambia lack access to safe drinking water, sufficient education, and nutritious food. Myanmar has the second highest child mortality rate in the region, with more than 6 percent of babies dying before they turn a year old and more than 7 percent dying before the age of 5. Conflict and political unrest have left children out of school, internally displaced, or even abducted and recruited for armed conflicts. And because of Cambodia's long-term political turmoil and widespread poverty, the World Bank reports, "A child born in Cambodia today will be only 49 percent as productive when grown as she could be if she enjoyed complete education, good health, and proper nutrition during childhood." When the need feels overwhelming in impoverished countries, that's when Compassion deploys its not-so-secret weapon: its partnership with the local church. Launch leaders look for churches in poor regions who demonstrate a vision and a burden for children. These local churches know their communities best, and partnering with Compassion grows their reach and ability to care for children. After several years of relationship-building and training, the local church becomes the expert in serving children in their own community. Building a firm foundation for lasting impact takes time. Sidney Muisyo, chief program officer at Compassion, adds, "We can expect challenges along the way. However, when God's people resolve to do his work together, the church is unstoppable and effective. Fighting poverty is hard work, and it matters that we faithfully lay the groundwork today so we can successfully deliver our program in the future." Since these expansion efforts are in the beginning stages, the ministry will not be offering opportunities for child sponsorship or other financial support immediately, but Compassion does seek prayer for the work. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus commanded his disciples to pray for more workers. The harvest was ready, but resources were in short supply. "I would ask our supporting churches and Christians to pray for the same thing," Muisyo explains. "We are embarking on this initiative with God-sized expectations for the work he will do in these nations, transforming communities and breaking generational cycles of poverty for good. We hope to reach millions more children and youth." To learn more about Compassion's expansion efforts or sign up for prayer updates, visit compassion.com/whatsnext. About Compassion International Compassion International is a Christian child development organization working to release children from poverty in Jesus' name. Founded in 1952, Compassion partners with more than 8,500 local churches in 29 program countries to deliver spiritual, economic, social, and physical care to over two million babies, children, and young adults in poverty. Ranked No. 12 in Forbes' America's Top Charities List in 2022, Compassion is a founding member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability and an accredited charity with the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance. For more information, visit compassion.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. MEDIA CONTACT: Allison Wilburn 219-384-8177 [email protected] SOURCE Compassion International Highly coveted Innovation Grant by the Italian Government will measure impact of whole genome sequencing and pharmacogenomics starting from a specific population of cancer patients -- NEW YORK, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Dante Genomics , a global leader in genomics and precision medicine, today announced it has been awarded a highly coveted Innovation Grant from the Italian Government to measure the impact of whole genome sequencing and pharmacogenomics for patients with High Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer (HSOC). The immediate purpose is to measure the clinical utility of whole genome sequencing for this well-defined population of cancer patients in a clinical setting and the benefits for the entire healthcare system. "Our shared long-term goal is to create a pathway for the use of whole genome sequencing in real, clinical settings in a national healthcare system," said Andrea Riposati, Co-founder and CEO of Dante Genomics. "We are starting in Italy, a European Union founding member and G7 country with a population of 60 million people, and in a healthcare system keen to innovate." The grant will fund a patient pilot study in which Dante will provide sequencing, interpretation and genomic reports to demonstrate the validity of whole genome sequencing to support clinicians and their patients throughout all of the steps of the treatment journey from diagnosis to therapy selection and specialty consultation, eventually leading to better health outcomes. "Whole genome sequencing for cancer patients can mean all the difference when determining the best treatment plan in a timely manner. By starting with whole genome sequencing, we can offer pharmacogenomics reports available in minutes, determining the best drugs on the market and any resistance to existing therapies. This project with the Italian government will increase access to personalized medicine options for people with High Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer," said Mattia Capulli, PhD, Co-founder and CSO of Dante Genomics and Associate Professor of Human Embryology and Histology at the University of L'Aquila in Italy. The 36-month project has the ambition to set a proof of concept that demonstrates how a deep integration of genomics and bioinformatics in the treatment of oncology patients brings a dramatic improvement of cancer treatment outcomes. About Dante Genomics Dante Genomics is a global genomic information company building and commercializing a new class of transformative health and longevity applications based on whole genome sequencing and software. The Company uses its platform to deliver better patient outcomes, prevention, enhanced diagnostics and personalized medicine. The Company's assets include one of the largest private genome databases with research consent, proprietary software designed to unleash the power of genomic data at scale and proprietary processes which enable an industrial approach to genomic sequencing. Contact: Laura D'Angelo VP of Investor Relations [email protected] +39 0862 191 0671 www.dantegenomics.com SOURCE Dante Genomics STOCKHOLM, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Devyser has been awarded the Swecare Export Award 2023. The prize is awarded to companies that "with creativity, commitment and scope put Swedish innovation in health and healthcare on the world map". Devyser receives the award for revolutionary solutions, extensive export investment and focus on correct diagnosis for each patient in the shortest possible time.Ulf Klangby, deputy CEO and one of the company's founders, received the award from the Minister of Social Affairs and Public Health Jacob Forssmed at a ceremony in Stockholm earlier today. Swecare is a foundation that has the Swedish Ministry of Social Affairs mission to create platforms for companies and organizations within the Swedish life science sector with the aim of contributing to increased exports of Swedish products, services, and knowledge. Swecare was established in 1978 by the Swedish government, the then Export Council, and representatives of the health care industry. The "Swecare Export Award" has been awarded annually for more than 10 years. Out of five nominated companies, Devyser was named this year's winner of the prestigious award. The jury consists of representatives from the life science industry and the Swedish government. The jurys motivation to the Swecare Export Award 2023: "The winner is a pioneer in advanced genetic testing, DNA diagnostics. The company is at the forefront of research in one of the areas that has the potential to revolutionize healthcare by enabling to identify and predict diseases early. Through the goal that every patient should receive a correct diagnosis in the shortest possible time, they contribute to a development with a focus on the patient and care provider with regard to sustainability and resources. From the beginning a research company that from the head office in Hagersten developed 29 different products that are now available in 50 countries. With intensive export investments in recent years, they have made a fantastic growth journey with great sales successes, where 92 percent of total sales are made up of export income. "We are incredibly proud to be recognized with this fine award", comments Fredrik Alpsten, CEO of Devyser. "We have had strong international growth in recent years, especially in Europe and Asia. Our investment in expanding direct sales in key markets has been highly successful. Now our focus is on the North American market. In June, we will inaugurate our new laboratory in Atlanta, Georgia, and earlier this week we presented a collaboration agreement with Thermo Fisher Scientific, an American company and world leader in the diagnostics industry. Through this partnership Thermo Fisher Scientific will market and sell, under combined brands, Devyser's unique post-transplant follow-up NGS products in the US, Canada, and Europe, which means more patients can access better transplant care." For more information contact: Fredrik Alpsten, CEO Email: [email protected] Telephone: +46 (0)70 667 31 06 The following files are available for download: https://news.cision.com/devyser-diagnostics-ab/i/fredrik-alpsten-ceo-devyser,c3172112 Fredrik Alpsten CEO Devyser https://news.cision.com/devyser-diagnostics-ab/i/devyser-logo-black-cmyk,c3172113 Devyser logo black cmyk https://news.cision.com/devyser-diagnostics-ab/i/ulf-klangby-founder-and-deputy-ceo--devyser,c3172117 Ulf Klangby Founder and Deputy CEO Devyser https://news.cision.com/devyser-diagnostics-ab/i/swecare-2023,c3172293 Swecare 2023 SOURCE Devyser Diagnostics AB TAMPA, Fla., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tampa Bay Business & Wealth (TBBW) Magazine has named Dr. Rashmi Roy, Senior Thyroid Surgeon at the Hospital for Endocrine Surgery, the 2023 Tampa Bay Business Woman of the Year in the Health and Wellness Category. The award was presented during a ceremony held on April 21, 2023, at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa, Florida. Dr. Roy's dedication to curing thyroid cancer in her community played a role in winning this award. Tweet this Dr. Rashmi Roy, winner of Tampa Bay Business Woman of the Year in the Health & Wellness Category, pictured with fellow thyroid surgeons at the Hospital for Endocrine Surgery, Dr. Nate Walsh (left) and Dr. Gary Clayman (right). The Tampa Bay Business Women Awards recognize distinguished women leaders whose dedication to their industries and communities deserves particular recognition. TBBW received nearly 500 nominations, and the 50 impressive women who advanced to the finalist stage were present at the ceremony. The award was judged by an outside panel of community leaders who looked at business and professional success, community involvement and mentorship as pillars in their judging. As one of the most experienced and highest volume thyroid surgeons in the world, Dr. Roy was selected for her exceptional work developing the thyroid surgery division at the new Hospital for Endocrine Surgery in Tampa, FL which has become the highest volume hospital in the world for thyroid surgery. Dr. Roy's dedication to curing thyroid cancer in her community played a role in winning this award. She instituted a community-based free thyroid cancer screening program in 2022 which has identified and subsequently cured dozens of women of thyroid masses and cancers. Dr. Roy also runs a YouTube channel aimed at educating patients on their thyroid disease. Her efforts have helped to raise awareness about thyroid disease and have helped many patients to better understand their condition and treatment options. "I am truly honored to receive this award and to be recognized for my work in the field of thyroid surgery," said Dr. Roy. "I am grateful to Tampa Bay Business & Wealth Magazine for providing a platform to celebrate the accomplishments of women in business and for highlighting the importance of health and wellness in our community." "The thyroid ultrasound screening program led by Dr. Roy is impressive, I don't know of any other program like this in the country," said Dr. Jim Norman, visionary behind the Hospital for Endocrine Surgery. "Through this program, her team has found abnormalities that require further evaluation in up to 49% of those screened and has found potential thyroid cancers requiring surgery in 12% of those screened." During a recent thyroid cancer screening at a medical facility, a patient representative learned she had thyroid cancer. "I talk to patients about thyroid cancer every day, but I didn't have access to any screening program like this through my doctor. No one does," she said. "I participated in a simple, 1-minute ultrasound at my workplace and found out immediately that Dr. Roy saw something concerning. I had my full evaluation the following week, and scheduled surgery to remove my thyroid cancer. Within a two-week period, I found out I had cancer and will subsequently be cured. It's truly amazing, and I know I could not be in better hands." Dr. Roy says she is passionate about providing these types of resources to not only the local Tampa community, but to the masses she can reach through the internet. "No one's access to quality healthcare should be limited by geography," she said. Believed to be the highest volume female thyroid surgeon in the world, Dr. Roy performs thousands of thyroid operations annually. Her experience and expertise are significant achievements in a male dominated field. She joined the Clayman Thyroid Center in 2018 and has helped it to become the nation's highest volume thyroid surgery practice. She has helped increase the number of patients seeking an evaluation for thyroid surgery by 77% over the past 12 months. The Clayman Thyroid Center is a full-service thyroid surgery practice, performing more than 2,000 thyroid operations annually. It specializes in all types of thyroid surgery, including scarless robotic thyroid surgery. The Clayman Thyroid Center moved into its new home at the Hospital for Endocrine Surgery in 2022, uniting with its sister surgeons at the Norman Parathyroid Center and Carling Adrenal Center to become the world's highest volume endocrine surgery practice. The Hospital for Endocrine Surgery is a first-of-its-kind facility, solely dedicated to the surgical treatment of thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal tumors and cancers. About the Clayman Thyroid Center: Founded by one of the nation's best-known thyroid surgeons, the Clayman Thyroid Center is the highest volume thyroid cancer referral center in the United States. The Center boasts the most experienced thyroid surgeons in the US who provide personalized care allowing the greatest opportunity for cancer cure, wellness and cosmetic, and functional, outcomes via all types of thyroid surgery from minimal incision to scarless thyroid surgery to advanced cancer care. www.thyroidcancer.com | (813) 940-3130 About the Hospital for Endocrine Surgery The Hospital for Endocrine Surgery is a campus of HCA Florida South Tampa Hospital focused on compassionate patient care and highly specialized treatment of endocrine tumors. We provide a wide array of services necessary for the diagnosis and surgical treatment of tumors of the thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal glands. Our team includes doctors, surgeons, nurses and technicians who have dedicated their careers to delivering the highest cure rates using the most advanced techniques available. HCA's Hospital for Endocrine Surgery is the nation's highest volume hospital for thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal tumors and cancers. www.hospitalforendocrinesurgery.com Media Contact: Julie Canan (941) 468-3002 [email protected] SOURCE Clayman Thyroid Center Industry veteran brings diverse range of expertise and institutional knowledge to critical leadership position ST. LOUIS , April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ElmTree Funds ("ElmTree"), a leading net-lease real estate private equity firm, has welcomed seasoned executive Matt Innes to the role of Managing Director, Head of Investor Relations. The addition of Innes, who is responsible for the firm's capital raising activities, represents ElmTree's commitment to its investor base. ElmTree CEO & Founder James Koman made the announcement. Matt Innes "Matt is a skilled leader with a breadth and depth of experience, and his joining our team poses an opportunity to continue to elevate our differentiated, disciplined investment process," said Koman. "With an impressive track record in investor relations and more than a decade and a half in commercial real estate and private equity, we are confident that Matt's skill set is ideally aligned with ElmTree Funds' plans for continued growth and expansion." Prior to joining ElmTree, Innes was a Director at Lazard's Private Capital Advisory Group with a focus on private equity real estate and real assets capital formation, fundraising and investor coverage across the United States and Canada. Previously, Innes was a Managing Director at Jadian Capital, where he was responsible for capital raising and business development. Prior to joining Jadian, Innes was a member of Hodes Weill, covering institutional investors in North America. Additionally, Innes has held management positions at Building and Land Technology ("BLT") and Camden Securities, and began his career at CB Richard Ellis, where he focused on institutional property sales. "Given the risk/reward calculus in today's marketplace, ElmTree's focus on industrial mission-critical build-to-suit assets is not just appealing, it's ideally suited to ensure that investors are very well-compensated for the level of risk they assume," Innes said. "The opportunity to continue to expand and deliver for that strong investor base is both exciting and inspiring." To learn more about ElmTree Funds, visit https://elmtreefunds.com/ . About ElmTree Funds ElmTree Funds, LLC, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, is a real estate private equity firm that manages capital on behalf of institutional and private investors. ElmTree's investment philosophy focuses on making strategic investments in the commercial real estate net-lease and build-to-suit sectors with a focus on industrial properties. Since its founding in 2011, ElmTree has acquired, developed, or financed an extensive portfolio of commercial real estate. ElmTree targets investments in primary and secondary markets across the U.S. that are net-leased to investment grade tenants on a long-term basis. To learn more, visit https://elmtreefunds.com/ . SOURCE ElmTree Funds Estrada pledges to deliver real results to improve the lives of hard-working families GALESBURG, Ill., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Ray Estrada announced his campaign for Congress in Illinois' 17th Congressional District, pledging to deliver real results to improve the lives of hard-working families in Illinois. "Forty-four years ago, my family and I fled Nicaragua to escape the deadly civil war and communist takeover. We found safety and opportunity in Galesburg, Illinois, where I raised my family, and continue to give to the community that has provided us so much opportunity," said Ray Estrada, Republican candidate for Congress. "Today, our businesses and families are at risk. Ordinary families are struggling to make ends meet, government policies and regulations are limiting our opportunities to get ahead, and domestic and international extremists and adversaries are using our pain to divide us, undermine our institutions, and advance their own radical agendas. I am running for Congress because I know how important freedom and the American Dream are. I will fight to provide relief and opportunity for our families and those in need," said Estrada. "We need to improve our schools to be the best in the world; We need to ensure our communities are safe and prosperous so everyone has the opportunity to build the life of their dreams," pledged Ray Estrada. "We must work together, and together we will end the reckless spending and limit government overreach. Washington is destroying our opportunities to get ahead with failed policies by driving up the cost of living, closing off opportunities, and unleashing a violent crime wave." About Ray Estrada Ray Estrada is a successful entrepreneur, humanitarian, and family man who has lived the American Dream. He's running for Congress on a platform of creating financial security for our families; to build safer communities and secure our country and its borders; to stand up to domestic and international bullies; to rebuild our core institutions; and to ensure our kids and grandkids have the same opportunities and values we were raised with. When Estrada was twelve, his family fled Nicaragua, barely escaping the deadly civil war that resulted in the communist takeover. They settled in Galesburg, where Ray and his wife raised four kids, and he built his career and gave back to the community. Estrada served as President of the Estrada Global Foundation, which provides aid to refugees and displaced citizens through direct assistance that helps provide for their basic needs and safety. The foundation has provided aid in Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Spain, and war-torn Ukraine. Closer to home, the Foundation has provided over half a million meals to needy families in Western Illinois. Estrada has fought against communism and traveled internationally into refugee camps to provide assistance and spotlight awareness and action. He is a strong advocate of human rights and has testified in the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the U.S. Congress. Estrada knows the vital importance of freedom, liberty, prosperity, law enforcement, and a free press to create safety and security for all people. Informed by his own life story, he is passionately committed to fostering American Dream-style opportunities for men, women, and children in the United States. In 2022, Mr. Estrada's work and contributions were recognized by the State of Illinois in House Resolution 696, sponsored by State Rep. Dan Swanson, who said, "Estrada is a great example of what the American Dream can be with hard work and determination." Ray and his wife Amy recently celebrated 29 years of marriage and have been blessed with two sons and two daughters. They are members of Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Galesburg. Ray has served as Chief of the Knox County Sheriff's Auxiliary Department. Ray is a graduate of Augustana College B.A. in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations and earned an M.B.A. from North Park University, Chicago, with a concentration in Finance. Ray Estrada is the Republican running for Congress in Illinois' 17th Congressional District, one of the most competitive districts in the nation. It is one of the NRCC's top target districts, and incumbent Eric Sorensen is one of the DCCC's 29 'Frontline' members, singling him out for extra help from the D.C. establishment. For more information on Ray Estrada's movement to deliver real results that improve ordinary families' lives, visit www.RayEstradaForCongress.com Contact: [email protected] Paid for by Ray Estrada for Congress SOURCE Ray Estrada for Congress STOCKHOLM, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- JANUARY 1 MARCH 31, 2023 (compared with the corresponding period a year ago) Net sales increased 25.1% to SEK 42,926m (34,301) Sales growth, including organic sales growth and acquisitions, amounted to 17.2%, of which volume accounted for -2.6%, price/mix for 18.6% and acquisitions for 1.2%. Operating profit before amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets (EBITA) increased to SEK 4,445m (1,663) Adjusted EBITA increased to SEK 4,358m (2,826) and the adjusted EBITA margin to 10.2% (8.2) Profit for the period increased to SEK 2,703m (521) Earnings per share increased to SEK 3.79 (0.44) and adjusted earnings per share to SEK 3.97 (2.72) Cash flow from current operations amounted to SEK 849m (1,070) Return on capital employed increased to 12.9% (5.3) and the adjusted return on capital employed to 12.7% (9.0) Essity is initiating a strategic review of its ownership of Vinda and the Consumer Tissue Private Label Europe business CEO'S COMMENTS Strong start to the year for both sales and profitability Essity's sales and profitability performed positively in the first quarter, primarily due to attractive customer offerings and higher sales prices to compensate for the cost increase. As part of our efforts to increase the company's long-term value creation, we have decided to initiate a strategic review of our ownership of Vinda and the Consumer Tissue Private Label Europe business with the aim of reducing Consumer Tissue's share of the company's total sales. Higher sales and profitability Essity's sales growth amounted to just over 17% for the first quarter of 2023, compared with the corresponding period of 2022. Sales prices were higher and the product mix better in all business areas. Volumes declined somewhat on account of the company's prioritization of higher profitability ahead of volume. Furthermore, volumes were negatively impacted by ongoing efforts to exit the Russian market and the discontinuation of the baby diaper business in Latin America. Adjusted EBITA increased by 54% and the adjusted EBITA margin by 2 percentage points to 10.2%. Profit for the period increased to approximately SEK 2.7bn and earnings per share to SEK 3.79. Strategic review Essity continuously evaluates the product portfolios within the company's three business areas, Health & Medical, Consumer Goods and Professional Hygiene, to achieve increased long-term value creation. In line with this, Essity is initiating a strategic review of the company's ownership of Vinda and the Consumer Tissue Private Label Europe business, with the aim of reducing Consumer Tissue's share of the company's total sales. The strategic review includes exploring different options and may result in divestments, although no such decisions have yet been taken. Important step toward net zero emissions During the first quarter of the year, Essity announced several important steps toward net zero emissions. We are first to produce tissue in a CO 2 -free production process using renewable hydrogen and to produce high-quality tissue from agricultural waste. We have also entered an exclusive partnership to develop a new tissue making process with the aim of significantly reducing energy consumption, CO 2 emissions and water consumption. Essity has been included in S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook and been awarded a place on CDP's 2022 Supplier Engagement Leaderboard. On the path toward achieving return target The company's adjusted return on capital employed increased to 12.7% for the first quarter of 2023. We are working in a focused manner through innovation, value-generating customer offerings, strong brands, efficiency improvements and sustainable, profitable growth to achieve our target of an adjusted return on capital employed of more than 17% by 2025. Magnus Groth President and CEO FUTURE REPORTS In 2023, interim reports will be published on July 20 and October 26. The year-end report for 2023 will be published on January 25, 2024. INVITATION TO PRESENTATION OF THE INTERIM REPORT FOR QUARTER 1, 2023 In conjunction with publication, a telephone and web presentation will be held at 09:00 CET, where President and CEO Magnus Groth will present and answer questions. Presentation Date: Thursday, April 27, 2023 Time: 09:00 CET Link to web presentation: https://essity.videosync.fi/2023-04-27 Telephone: UK: +44 (0) 33 0551 02 00, USA: +1 786 697 35 01, SWE: +46 (0) 8 505 204 24. Please call in well in advance of the start of the presentation. Indicate: "Essity". Stockholm April 27, 2023 Essity Aktiebolag (publ) Magnus Groth President and CEO For further information, please contact: Fredrik Rystedt, CFO and Executive Vice President, +46 (0) 8 788 51 31 Johan Karlsson, Vice President Investor Relations, Group Function Finance, +46 (0) 70 511 15 81 Per Lorentz, Vice President Corporate Communications, Group Function Communications, +46 (0) 73 313 30 55 NB: This report has not been reviewed by the company's auditors. This information is such that Essity Aktiebolag (publ) is obligated to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. This report has been prepared in both Swedish and English versions. In case of variations in the content between the two versions, the Swedish version shall govern. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of Karl Stoltz, Media Relations Director, at 07:00 CET on April 27, 2023. The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/15798/3759050/2015177.pdf Press release (PDF) SOURCE Essity Contract AI Company Evisort Honored with 8 Stevie Awards in 2023 American Business Awards SAN FRANCISCO, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Evisort, the no-code contract intelligence platform loved by legal, IT, procurement, and operations teams worldwide, today was named the winner of eight Stevie Stevie Awards in several categories in The 21st Annual American Business Awards. Evisort earned gold in the following categories: Company of the Year - Legal - Medium and Achievement in Product Innovation and won silver for Marketing Department of the Year. Evisort won bronze for Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Solution, Most Innovative Company of the Year, Technical Innovation of the Year, Marketer of the Year (Director of Brand Strategy and Experiences Sibel Kurun), and Communications Professional of the Year (Director of Communications Kimberly Dimicco). The American Business Awards are the United States' premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S. are eligible to submit nominations public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small. Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word meaning "crowned," the awards will be presented to winners at a gala ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York on Tuesday, June 13. Tickets are now on sale . A Company of the Year category judge noted Evisort is "clearly a leader in their industry, setting the pace among its competitors. This is a very innovative organization [offering] services that mitigate risks and increase efficiency." Another judge remarked, "Core competency in contract lifecycle management is no longer enough when compared to the advances achieved by Evisort Evisort has created a truly innovative way to increase lawyers' productivity using AI." "We are humbled to receive this recognition as it reflects our customers' partnership with Evisort to push the boundaries of what is possible for artificial intelligence and empower their organizations with actionable and connected contract data," said Jerry Ting, Evisort Founder and CEO. "At Evisort, we are dedicated to understanding and listening to our customers to best serve their needs as an organization. These awards are especially meaningful as they reflect the deeply collaborative relationships we build with our customers. We can't thank our customers enough for all the feedback and support they have shared with us," said Amine Anoun, Founder and CTO at Evisort. Over 3,700 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration. Details about The American Business Awards and the list of 2023 Stevie winners are available at www.StevieAwards.com/ABA . Evisort Chief Marketing Officer Michaela Dempsey recently won the 2023 ONCON Icon Award for Marketer of the Year. Evisort's customer success and support organization, led by Chief Customer Officer Rachael McBrearty, was recently awarded the 2023 Excellence in Customer Service Award by Business Intelligence Group. About Evisort Evisort offers enterprise-grade AI and contract intelligence. Evisort's AI platform for contract lifecycle management and analysis connects contract data, unlocks productivity, and delivers digital workflows that create great experiences across the enterprise. Powered by proprietary AI trained on 11M+ contracts and 1B+ data points, Evisort is the first AI-native CLM company to achieve ISO 27001 and 27701 certifications in addition to SOC 2 Type 2 certification. Headquartered in San Francisco, the company supports legal, finance, sales, procurement and IT organizations around the globe. For more information, visit www.evisort.com or connect with us on LinkedIn or Twitter . About the Stevie Awards Stevie Awards are conferred in eight programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com . Sponsors of The 2023 American Business Awards include HCL America, Melissa Sones Consulting, and SoftPro. Media Contacts Nikita Versluis BLASTmedia for Evisort [email protected] 317-806-1900 ext. 174 SOURCE Evisort New Directors Bring Fresh Perspectives to Leading, Independent Healthcare Data Organization NEW YORK, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- FAIR Health, Inc., has elected Christina Severin and Grace Wong to its Board of Directors. A national, independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance information, FAIR Health is governed by a Board comprising leaders from all parts of the healthcare sector. Ms. Severin is a leading healthcare executive with more than 25 years of experience and numerous accomplishments in managed care, delivery systems, health insurance, Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), quality, public policy and public health. She has led Community Care Cooperative (C3) since the organization's launch in 2016, leveraging the proven best practices of ACOs throughout the country, building the organization on the collective strengths of its health centers and growing the organization to better serve MassHealth members throughout the commonwealth. Widely recognized for her achievements, Ms. Severin was honored for her leadership of a Top 100 Women-Led Business by the Boston Globe in 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2015, and named a "40 Under 40" honoree by the Boston Business Journal in 2013. That year, Ms. Severin was also profiled by the Boston Business Journal for its "Women Up" feature and named to its list of top healthcare executives to change roles in 2013. Ms. Severin's prior leadership experience includes serving as President and Chief Executive Officer of Beth Israel Deaconess Care Organization and as President of Network Health, a nonprofit Massachusetts health plan. Ms. Severin has taught classes in healthcare administration and management at Boston University, Harvard University and Northeastern University. She earned a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Health Services from Boston University School of Public Health, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Ms. Wong is the Principal of GYW Consulting, Inc., which provides healthcare consulting services to hospital systems, digital health start-ups, ACOs and others. She was the Chief Operating Officer at OneCity Health, the largest Performing Provider System in New York State. Previously, she was Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Medicaid Strategies and Network Services at Northwell Health, Head of Managed Care and Clinical Business at SUNY Downstate and Assistant Professor at SUNY Downstate School of Public Health, Head of Managed Care at NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System and Chief Financial Officer of its NYH Community Health Plan. Earlier, she was an investment banker, consultant and hospital administrator. She graduated from Columbia University with a double masters (Master of Business Administration and Master of Public Health) and has served on various boards, including Healthfirst and the New York Urban Coalition. She received a Recognition Award from the American Society for Public Administration. "We enthusiastically welcome Ms. Severin and Ms. Wong to the FAIR Health Board," said Robert Parke, Chair of FAIR Health's Board of Directors. "They will greatly enrich the Board's deliberations." "FAIR Health is honored to have Ms. Severin and Ms. Wong join this esteemed assembly of healthcare leaders," commented Robin Gelburd, President of FAIR Health. "Their record of service demonstrates deep knowledge of the complexities in the nation's healthcare sector that will make them valuable additions to our Board." 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 41 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. 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. Contact: Rachel Kent Senior Director of Communications and Marketing FAIR Health 646-396-0795 [email protected] SOURCE FAIR Health NEW YORK, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Central banks are faced with the ongoing debates - Should retail and wholesale clearing and settlement of CBDC payments be separated? Should the CBDC be account or token-based? The differentiation doesn't matter to the average citizen user. Their primary concern is to have a straightforward, secure, and all-encompassing solution that enables them to transfer value easily and affordably, regardless of their access to a bank or mobile/internet connectivity. By bridging wholesale and retail CBDC, a single rich data format can be implemented, eliminating discrepancies that exist today across payment systems. As a result, interoperability between various types of CBDC and non-CBDCs will be easier if there is a seamless issuance layer covering wholesale and retail, account and token-based CBDCs conversion, ensuring the instant, secure, truly inclusive and smooth flow of cross-border and cross-asset payments. Bridging account and token CBDCs for seamless wholesale-to-retail and retail-to-wholesale payments Putting an end to the ongoing debates, Fluency has developed a ground-breaking solution capable of bridging token and account-based CBDCs, called Aureum Core. "To meet the needs of retail markets, Central Banks are leaning towards an account ledger-based CBDC model to eliminate limitations of token-based systems while also exploring the use of a "bridge" to convert wholesale tokens to and from retail account payments deployed on the blockchain," said Fluency. Token-based platforms are not specifically designed for a so-called retail CBDC Although there have been numerous retail CBDC solutions conducted over the last few years, none of the token-based approaches has been able to fully resolve the challenges and limitations associated with reliably providing secure and continuous dual offline transactions to retail users while avoiding double spending issues making it clear that the token-based platforms are not specifically designed for a so-called retail CBDC ( Riksbank Phase 2 e-krona project ). Fluency's solution provides a bridge to which wholesale token CBDCs could integrate by deploying a seamless conversion bridge to account retail CBDC enabling; 24/7/365 online and offline capability (when both payee and payer are offline without an internet/mobile connection) consecutive transactions (both online and offline) no double spending issues enhanced privacy features Offline functionality is mandatory for intermediaries that will distribute CBDC According to the digital euro progress report published by the European Central Bank on 24 April 2023, the provision of offline payments as a core service will be mandatory for intermediaries that distribute CBDC. Fluency Aureum is currently the only CBDC technology that is able to facilitate dual offline (when both payee and payer are offline without an internet/mobile connection) consecutive payments without the fear of double spending issues that a token CBDC presents due to its account ledger-stored nature. Inga Mullins, CEO at Fluency, said: "Specifically for CBDCs, our solution offers central banks and those within the financial ecosystem a straightforward means of connecting their internal networks with all other payment systems across the globe via a single issuance layer, thereby ensuring swift and seamless domestic and cross-border transactions. Adopting an innovative DLT-stored account-based CBDC such as Aureum eliminates the most critical security risks within a token-based solution while enabling a single issuance layer to provide a smooth and instant wholesale token exchange to retail account-based CBDC. We believe our account ledger-based CBDC solution can offer a seamless CBDC transaction flow between wholesale and retail on a highly scalable model". Press Contacts: Fluency [email protected] About Fluency: Fluency is an appointed member of the world's key CBDC boards working directly with the major central banks and governments on their CBDC design features, implementation strategy and policy for 23 countries globally including the European Central Bank and the Bank of England. Fluencytech.com SOURCE Fluency The United States condemns the sentencing of pro-democracy activist Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison for speaking out against the Russian governments war of aggression against Ukraine. The fact that Mr. Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years in response to public remarks highlights the Russian governments determination to stamp out all opposition to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Kara-Murza was arrested in April 2022 and held in detention until his trial. He was accused of spreading false information about the Russian military in Ukraine, including accusing it of committing war crimes. He was later charged with treason for making speeches critical of Putin and the war. He was also charged with being a member of an "undesirable organization." A top advisor to slain opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, Kara-Murza has courageously defended human rights in Russia and has been repeatedly targeted for reprisal by Russian authorities. He suffered severe poisonings in 2015 and 2017, which he believes were directly related to his political activities. Most prominent dissidents and members of the political opposition are now either in jail or in exile amid Putins crackdown on regime critics. "This sentence is comparable only with times of Stalin," Yan Rachinsky, head of the Russian human rights organization Memorial, told the Russian news site Meduza. "It's especially monstrous that the sentence is for words. It is, in fact, a symptom of the fact that the authorities are afraid of words, they are trying to shut the mouths of anyone who stands against them." In a statement, Principal Deputy State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel renewed the United States call for Mr. Kara-Murzas release, as well as the release of other political prisoners in Russia, currently estimated at more than 550. We reaffirm our solidarity with Mr. Kara-Murza and all brave advocates of a brighter future for Russia who are held unjustly, including Aleksey Navalny, Ilya Yashin, and many others who serve their country and their fellow citizens at great personal cost by boldly standing up for human rights and fundamental freedoms, said spokesperson Patel. We join their families, friends, and supporters in Russia and around the world in demanding their immediate release. HELSINKI, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GA Telesis Engine Services ("GATES"), a leading provider of commercial aircraft engine maintenance, repair, and overhaul ("MRO") services, announces it has secured a new CFM56-5B MRO contract with a leading airline in the Philippines, namely Philippines AirAsia. The work will be carried out at GATES' state-of-the-art facility in Helsinki, Finland, using the SPAH facility to ensure optimal engine performance and reliability. Philippines AirAsia is a low-cost airline based at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila in the Philippines and operates a fleet of 15 A320-200 aircraft powered by CFM56-5B engines. The airline is the Philippine affiliate of AirAsia, based in Malaysia. "We are thrilled to have been awarded this important contract by one of the most respected airlines in the Philippines," said Avinash Singh, Sr. Sales & Business Development Director for GATES in APAC. "This is a testament to our reputation for delivering high-quality, reliable engine MRO services, and we look forward to partnering with the airline to help them maintain safety and efficiency of their fleet." "We are proud to be able to support the growth and success of the aviation industry in the Philippines," said Russ Shelton President GATES. "This contract is a significant milestone for us, and we are committed to delivering the highest standards of quality and service to our newest customer." GATES is also pleased to announce it has received certification from Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) for its engine MRO shop in Helsinki, Finland. CAAP certification validates GATES' commitment to the highest standards of safety and quality in its engine maintenance operations. The certification process involved a thorough evaluation of GATES facilities, equipment, procedures, and personnel, as well as an assessment of its compliance with CAAP regulations and guidelines. CAAP officials audited GATES onsite in Helsinki early March 2023. "We are delighted to have received this important certification from CAAP, which demonstrates our commitment to excellence in engine maintenance," added Avinash Singh. "This certification is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, and we are proud to have met the stringent requirements of CAAP." With CAAP certification, GATES is now authorized to perform engine maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for airlines and operators in the Philippines. Cathy Moabery: [email protected] SOURCE GA Telesis, LLC With our Autocomplete-Optimization program, we use search box optimization to place your company name in the place where every one looks - the actual search box itself, before your customers click search and see your competitors. NEW YORK, April 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Autocomplete-Optimization is a program where you can grab your customers before they see your competition. We put your company in the auto-suggest for Google and Bing, so your customers find you, right away. Be the first company your customers see! Your customers will see your company as a "suggested term" before they ever have a chance to see your competition. Get to your customers first with Autocomplete-Optimization. The Advantages of Autocomplete-Optimization: With Autocomplete-Optimization marketing, you can implement a strategic move to bypass your competition. Search Box Optimization. This is one time when thinking "inside-the-box" can give you the advantage you need. Autocomplete-Optimization gets results! Up to now, in order to truly compete, you would have to SEO yourself to the top of page 1 and pay for every click from your customers in a pay-per-click campaign. Now you can bypass the competition, eliminate pay-per-click and own the entire organic search results. We call it search box optimization. With our Autocomplete-Optimization program, we use search box optimization to place your company name in the place where every one looks. We are talking about the search box. The place where people type in their search. Your company will show up in the auto-suggestions box in the search engines. It will appear as though people are recommending you, or that you have the most authority. Whatever the reason, people, will be inclined to pick your company. Why not, from what your customer sees, Google and Bing are suggesting that they do so. Thinking "inside the box" with Search Box Optimization: With our Autocomplete-Optimization program, we use search box optimization to place your company name in the place where everyone looks! We are talking about the search box. The place where people type in their search. In the auto-suggestions, your company will show up. It will appear as though people are recommending you, or that you have the most authority. Whatever the reason, people will be inclined to pick your company. Why not, from what your customer sees, Google and Bing are suggesting that they do so! Take the whole page You built a great business. Let us get you in front of the customers. You worked hard to build your business. Now new companies with less experience in your industry are beating you out because they have more experience online. Being more tech savvy doesn't mean they can serve the customer better. We know of companies who have been around for 40 years and are losing ground to newer companies who dominate online. Now you can take back your rightful place. Autocomplete-Optimization will allow you to be in front of every customer searching for you. Your company name will be in front of the eyes of each person looking for your product or service. Move your company back into first place, with Autocomplete-Optimization. More information, examples and to check keyword phrases: https://www.mostlymktg.com/search-box-optimization-sbo 2 Min Video Explainer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0ncneeSEFo Mostly Marketing, Inc. 516-405-2210 https://www.mostlymktg.com/ About Mostly Marketing, Inc. We are a leading digital marketing company providing cutting edge marketing technology and strategies to help businesses grow leads, sales and revenue. Press Contact: Dan, 516-405-2210 https://www.mostlymktg.com/ SOURCE Mostly Marketing, Inc. The increasing interest of the pharmaceutical industry in drug screening with the help of cell-based assays has been a catalyst to progress in the global cell-based assay market. FREMONT, Calif., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BIS Research, the global leader in providing market intelligence on deep technologies, has released its latest study titled Cell-Based Assay Market - A Global and Regional Analysis. According to this study, the global cell-based assay market was valued at $17.20 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach $38.23 billion by 2032, growing at a staggering CAGR of 8.44%. The following factors are responsible for the increase in demand for cell-based assay: Increase in demand for cell-based assays in drug discovery and development Rise in life sciences research investments Technological advancements The detailed study is a compilation of 2 market data tables and 92 figures spread across 160 pages. Check Out the Detailed Table of Contents Here https://bisresearch.com/requestsample?id=1483&type=toc Analyst's Take on the Market Projection According to Akash Mhaskar, Principal Analyst, BIS Research, "The global cell-based assay market is strongly driven by the rising incidence of diseases, increasing research, and drug screening. The global cell-based assay market has witnessed a surge in demand for cell-based assay kits, reagents, instruments, and software required in drug screening, predictive toxicology, and basic research. This trend is also expected to continue during the forecast period. Therefore, the impact of the aforementioned factors is expected to drive the global cell-based assay market in the near future." Request a Free Sample of this Report Here https://bisresearch.com/requestsample?id=1483&type=download Pharma and Biopharma Companies to be the Leading End User Segment for Cell-Based Assay Market According to the research report from BIS Research, as of 2022, based on end users, the global cell-based assay market was dominated by the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies segment, holding a 51.36% market share. The report further suggests that this trend is expected to continue during the forecast period of 2023-2032, with the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies segment expected to reach $19.33 billion in 2032 from $8.83 billion in 2022, growing at a CAGR of 8.27%. Major Industry Leaders in the Cell-Based Assay Market The companies profiled have been selected based on input gathered from primary experts and analyzing company coverage, product portfolio, and market penetration. Some of the established names in the market are Becton, Dickinson and Company, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Danaher Corporation, Merck KGaA, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Corning Incorporated, Lonza Group AG, Agilent Technologies, Inc., Promega Corporation, PerkinElmer, Inc., Eurofins DiscoverX Products, Cell Signaling Technology, Inc., Charles River Laboratories International, Inc., Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, and more. Recent Developments in the Global Cell-Based Assay Market In April 2022 , Lonza Group AG announced an enhancement to its automated cell therapy manufacturing system called the Cocoon Platform. The latest addition, known as magnetic selection, would broaden the platform's capabilities by enabling cell binding, separation, and bead removal (if needed), all conducted through the Cocoon cassette. , Lonza Group AG announced an enhancement to its automated cell therapy manufacturing system called the Cocoon Platform. The latest addition, known as magnetic selection, would broaden the platform's capabilities by enabling cell binding, separation, and bead removal (if needed), all conducted through the Cocoon cassette. In July 2021 , PerkinElmer, Inc. announced that it had reached a definitive agreement to acquire BioLegend, a manufacturer of high-quality antibodies and reagents used in biomedical research, for $5.25 billion . , PerkinElmer, Inc. announced that it had reached a definitive agreement to acquire BioLegend, a manufacturer of high-quality antibodies and reagents used in biomedical research, for . In July 2021 , Lonza Group AG and CN Bio established a distribution agreement that involves Lonza Group AG providing hepatic cells to CN Bio for prequalification, which would be utilized in their PhysioMimix single-and multi-organ MPS technology. Want to Learn More about the Latest Trends in Lifesciences? Speak to Our Analysts Exclusive DeepTech MAP Analysis for Healthcare by BIS Research: Flow Cytometry in Oncology and Immunology Market Global Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Market Global Cell and Gene Therapy Market About BIS Research: BIS Research is a global B2B market intelligence and advisory firm focusing on deep technology and related emerging trends, which can disrupt the market dynamics in the near future. We publish more than 200 market intelligence studies annually that focus on several deep technology verticals. Our strategic market analysis emphasizes on market estimations, technology analysis, emerging high-growth applications, deeply segmented granular country-level market data, and other important market parameters useful in the strategic decision-making for senior management. 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Contact: Head of Marketing Email: [email protected] Ph no: 1-510-404-8135 BIS Research Inc. 39111 PASEO PADRE PKWY STE 313, FREMONT, CA 94538-1686 Visit our Blog @ https://bisresearch.com/news Get Expert Insights @ https://community.insightmonk.com Connect with us on LinkedIn @ https://www.linkedin.com/company/bis-research Connect with us on [email protected] https://twitter.com/BISResearch Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/495163/BIS_Research_Logo.jpg SOURCE BIS Research Leaders of nations in the Global North and Global South unite to mobilize billions to address climate change and extreme poverty Co-Chaired by Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados Supported by Emmanuel Macron, President of France; Julius Maada Bio, President of Sierra Leone; Pedro Sanchez, Prime Minister of Spain; Jose Ramos-Horta, President of Timor Leste; and the Government of Zambia globalcitizen.org/powerourplanet NEW YORK, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Global Citizen, the world's leading international advocacy organization on a mission to end extreme poverty NOW, launched its new global campaign, Power Our Planet: Act Today. Save Tomorrow. Announced during the Global Citizen NOW action summit in New York City, and Co-Chaired by Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados, Power Our Planet is a global effort to mobilize critical financing for developing countries to fight climate change and extreme poverty. Global Citizen, together with Power Our Planet's Co-Chair and supporters, is calling for a seismic shift in the way the world's financial systems work, and is urging governments, development banks, philanthropists and major corporations to give the world's poor and developing nations access to the financing they urgently need to quicken their transition to clean energy, strengthen defenses against natural disasters, and more rapidly invest in critical health, food, and education programs for their populations. Power Our Planet will galvanize millions of global citizens around the world to take action, raise their voices and demand urgent changes from world leaders, starting with delivering on the financing promises they've already made, including closing the $16.7 billion* climate finance gap outstanding from the Paris Agreement. The campaign will amplify their calls for action through advocacy initiatives, activations, and live events. Inflection points throughout this year will include the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan in May; the New Global Financial Pact Summit in Paris, France in June; the G20 summit in New Delhi, India in September; Global Citizen Festival during the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, USA in September; and COP28 in Dubai, UAE in November. "Increasing inequality and climate change threaten to undo a generation's progress on ending extreme poverty and push millions more people into oppression that is entirely preventable," said Hugh Evans, Co-Founder & CEO, Global Citizen. "Power Our Planet is a coalition of governments, leaders across sectors, global citizens, artists and activists, and together we're demanding that it's time for accountability on past promises and bold, new commitments from world leaders. And we have a clear message for the heads of the World Bank and the IMF it's time for major institutional reform." "We call on all institutions, including the World Bank, to release the funds necessary to help the world poorest countries to adapt, to transition, and to withstand the climate crisis, not tomorrow but NOW," said Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados. "The leaders of wealthy countries must step up and pay up on the $16 billion of climate financing they have promised if we are to help save the planet and save lives. The climate crisis is our reality, and adaptation is key. Join me and take action as part of Global Citizen's Power Our Planet campaign." An alliance of world leaders representing both Global North and Global South countries has joined the Power Our Planet campaign alongside Global Citizen and Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley, including supporters Emmanuel Macron, President of France; Julius Maada Bio, President of Sierra Leone; Pedro Sanchez, Prime Minister of Spain; Jose Ramos-Horta, President of Timor Leste; Biman Prasad, Deputy Prime Minister of Fiji, the Government of Zambia and the Alliance of Small Island States. Power Our Planet's coalition of supporters also includes leading activists, philanthropic foundations, nonprofit organizations, and private sector leaders, including Dr. Rajiv Shah, President, Rockefeller Foundation; Mark Malloch Brown, President, Open Society Foundations; Benedict Oramah, President of AfreximBank; Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization; Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi; Kate Higgins, CEO, Cooperation Canada; Jennifer Jones, President of Rotary International; Ban Ki-Moon, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations; Eloise Todd, Executive Director & Co-Founder, Pandemic Action Network; Ineza Umuhoza Grace, Co-Founder of the Loss and Damage Youth Coalition and 2023 Global Citizen Prize winner; and organizations including the Center for Environmental Peacebuilding; the Focus 2030; Germanwatch; Malala Fund; The ONE Campaign; Oxfam; and ReWild. Further details of the campaign will be announced in the coming weeks. For more information visit globalcitizen.org/powerourplanet . *In 2009, wealthy nations promised to allocate $100B annually in climate financing by 2020 as part of the Paris Agreement. There is an outstanding $16.7 billion yet to be delivered from countries including the U.S., the U.K., Japan, Australia, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Greece and Portugal. Contact Global Citizen media inquiries: [email protected] Press Kit Click here for artwork Click here for a campaign overview SOURCE Global Citizen BEIJING, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sitting at the southernmost tip of the Chinese mainland, Xuwen Port in Zhanjiang, South China's Guangdong Province was one of the starting ports for the ancient Maritime Silk Road more than 2,000 years ago. Today, the port is the world's largest passenger-cargo ro-ro terminal. Despite its crucial historical role, the port had been relatively unknown both at home and abroad - until very recently. On the afternoon of April 10, Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, paid a visit to the port, drawing widespread attention to the crucial role the port plays in some of the country's key national development strategies. Xi stressed that Xuwen Port should be upgraded to a modern, comprehensive hub of water and land transportation that connects the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Hainan Free Trade Port. He emphasized the role of the Qiongzhou Strait between Guangdong and Hainan as a vital gateway to the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port. The President's remarks about the crucial position of Xuwen Port as part of key national strategies elevated the sense of responsibility and "glory of the mission" for workers at the port and were a great source of inspiration for them to aim higher, said Zhang Jinhong, chairman of Zhanjiang Xuwen Port Co, noting that following the President's visit, more comprehensive and systemic planning will be carried out to elevate the port's operation, so as to be "truly worthy of our historical positioning." Xi's inspection of the port that was once crucial for the ancient Maritime Silk Road vividly demonstrates China's unwavering commitment to high-quality opening-up and closer connectivity with the world through the high-quality construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which is embodied in Xi's economic thought widely known as "Xiconomics." Renewed strategic role Almost two weeks after Xi's visit to Xuwen Port, Zhang, who accompanied and briefed the president throughout the visit, still recalls every detail and every inquiry vividly. What struck him the most was the renewed strategic role attached to Xuwen Port. "We have also been thinking about how to improve service quality so that we can develop faster, which is also our goal. But we have never linked our job to the national strategy," Zhang said, noting that the positioning of Xuwen Port as an intersection between the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Hainan Free Trade Port fosters a sense that "we are shouldering a heavy historical mission and responsibility." Such a historical mission for Xuwen Port dates back more than 2,000 years ago, when the port was one of the first starting points for the ancient Maritime Silk Road with official record, playing an especially key role in trade with Southeast Asia and South Asia. As early as the Han Dynasty, it had become a crucial trade hub thanks to its unique geographic location. It sits at the southernmost tip of the Chinese mainland and across the Qiongzhou Strait, a crucial transport channel between the mainland and Hainan with the vast South China Sea to its east. Now, as the country steadily pushes forward with its high-quality opening-up through various major development initiatives, including the BRI and the Hainan Free Trade Port, Xuwen Port's strategic role has consistently been elevated. During his visit, Xi was informed about Guangdong's endeavors to improve regional connectivity through the development of better transportation infrastructure and the planned alignment of its development with that of the Hainan Free Trade Port. Underscoring the importance he attaches to the port's development, Xi made many detailed inquiries regarding the port's operation, including the design of the main building, operation safety, ferry prices, as well as the food services at the terminal. "All of what we are doing now has basically met the most basic expectations in terms of connecting the Hainan Free Trade Port and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, though there is still much to improve upon," Zhang said. To bolster regional infrastructure connectivity, the construction of a modern Xuwen Port started in 2017 with an investment of 2.1 billion yuan ($304.56 million). The port officially started operations in September 2020 and has an annual throughput of about 3.2 million vehicle trips and 17.3 million passenger trips. It cuts down the sea journey to Hainan to 12 nautical miles and the sea crossing time to one hour. In the first quarter of 2023, Xuwen Port saw a throughput of about 1.57 million vehicle trips, up nearly 52 percent year-on-year, and about 5.29 million passenger trips, up 68 percent year-on-year. The port handles 90 percent of cargo and one-third of total passenger traffic between Guangdong and Hainan. In fact, to better serve the building of the Hainan Free Trade Port, the port construction, which started in 2017, had to make major adjustments to the design of the port when the master plan for Hainan was announced in 2018. "We pretty much threw out the original plan and started from scratch," Zhang said, noting that the current plan took into account potential growth in volume brought by the Hainan Free Trade Port. "Waterfront towers get the moonlight first. We now serve Hainan and the Hainan Free Trade Port, and once the Hainan Free Trade Port is developed, we will enjoy its dividends first," Zhang said, adding that once Hainan begins independent customs, certain logistics capacity can be built in Xuwen. Unswerving commitment The renewed strategic significance of Xuwen Port is also a direct testament to China's unswerving commitment to high-quality opening-up and high-quality construction of the BRI. Xi's economic thought also addresses the needs and difficulties of global development through cooperation frameworks such as the BRI. China is also sharing development opportunities with the world through its higher-level opening-up. Many of China's national development strategies highlight this. The Hainan Free Trade Port, which aims to become a top-tier free trade port with global influence by the middle of the century, has epitomized China's resolve to promote high-quality opening-up and opportunities to the rest of the world. During the inspection tour in Guangdong, the Chinese President also stressed the importance of remaining steadfast in comprehensively deepening reform and expanding high-quality opening-up, and urged Guangdong Province, a pacesetter in the country's reform and opening-up. He expressed hope that foreign investors will seize opportunities and achieve greater business success by coming to China, particularly Guangdong and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. He also stated that China is ready to collaborate with any nations that are interested in engaging in mutually beneficial cooperation to advance the shared prosperity and development of the global economy. In fact, there are countless real-life examples of China sharing development with the rest of the world. A project delivered by Evergreen in Egypt, based on the mariculture of shrimp and gold pomfret, successfully became a large source of protein for people in Egypt and Evergreen also helped trained over 80 Egyptian experts, creating over 3,000 local jobs in the process, said Chen Dan, chairman of Guangdong Evergreen Group. Chen also recalled the vivid scenes of the president's visit to a mariculture base under a national-level key project in the city of Zhanjiang, which is run by the company, on April 10. Chen told the Global Times that unlike other companies that impose restrictions on certain exports, Evergreen has been exporting its products and technology to countries along the BRI. China's continued opening-up has also brought greater opportunities for many overseas traders, including fruit exporters from as far as South America. Gonzalo Matamala, general manager of Chile-based cherry supplier Giddings Fruit's Asia and China region, said that in recent years he noticed a growing number of new fruit varieties making their way into the Chinese market. "I think the Chinese government is doing something that is very smart, in that it keeps allowing more fruits from more countries to come into the Chinese market. So, it introduces competition and benefits the Chinese consumer," Matamala said. Sharing opportunities requires openness and connectivity, which are embodied in China's major development initiatives such as the BRI, and Xuwen Port, which dates back thousands of years, has gained renewed significance. And just like the revival of Xuwen, China is steadily carrying out the historic mission of promoting the high-quality development of the BRI, so as to build greater connectivity that brings greater common development and prosperity. Such a historic mission is palpable in Xuwen. "We are making a comprehensive and systemic plan and earnestly want to further elevate [the port] to a new stage through years of efforts, so as to be truly worthy of our historical positioning," Zhang said. SOURCE Global Times DUBLIN, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Tonometer Market - Forecasts from 2022 to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global tonometer market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.98% from a market size of US$289.424 million in 2020 to attain a market size of US$380.36 million by the end of 2027. Companies Mentioned Haag-Streit Group Keeler Ltd Nidek Co., Ltd. Reichert Inc. Topcon Corporation Centervue SpA (REVENIO GROUP) Canon Medical Systems Europe B.V. Huvitz Corp. OCULUS Inc. The market is projected to rise in the forecast period with the growing global geriatric population who are at risk of the development of glaucoma. The prevalence of the population who are at risk of suffering from glaucoma provides an opportunity for the market to grow at a significant pace during the forecast period. The prevalence of diabetes worldwide is augmenting the demand for tonometers for diagnosing glaucoma-like conditions. This is because there is a relationship between diabetes and glaucoma, and researchers predict that a person having diabetes is more likely to suffer from glaucoma. Hence, this offers strong growth prospects for the market to thrive in the forecast period. Tonometry utilizing a tonometer is a diagnostic procedure for measuring the pressure inside the human eye. This is known as intraocular pressure (IOP). The test is used to detect the risk of suffering from glaucoma disease. Glaucoma is a serious eye disorder where there is an increased build-up of fluid pressure in the eyes and is capable of damaging the optic nerve. Hence, the growing trend of early disease detection and treatment is projected to fuel the market demand in the forecast period. Growing research activities worldwide are further providing an impetus in fueling the market demand giving rise to innovative technologies for detecting patients at risk of glaucoma. One of the examples of an innovative tonometer includes a relatively novel technique for measuring intraocular pressure (IOP) in children using a rebound tonometer. It has been widely observed that measuring IOP in children is quite a challenging task, and doctors usually used to perform IOP tests under general anaesthesia on children. Hence, with the advent of rebound tonometry, it has become easier for ophthalmologists to perform IOP tests as this method is non-invasive, non-threatening, and can be performed without topical or general anaesthesia; in addition, the device can be used at any age. Geographical analysis Geographically, North America and Europe are projected to hold a significant market share with the early adoption of technology and innovations and better healthcare facilities. Also, high health expenditure in these regions is further adding to propel the market growth in the forecast period. Furthermore, the rapidly ageing population and prevalence of diabetic patients may contribute to increased market growth during the forecast period. On the other hand, the Asia Pacific region is considered to show high growth prospects due to the presence of the geriatric population, who require better health facilities in order to promote healthy ageing. Also, the prevalence of people with non-communicable diseases, including diabetes, is fueling the market demand in this region. However, the ongoing scenario of COVID-19 has led to the shutdown of the manufacturing plants in 2020, further resulting in a slight downfall of the global tonometer market in the present year. The prevalence of diabetes worldwide and the growing global geriatric population is fueling the market growth in the forecast period. The growing geriatric population is one of the major factors contributing to the growth of the global tonometer market at the global level. According to the United States Census Bureau, all baby boomers will be older than 65 by 2030, expanding the size of the older population such that 1 in every five residents will be at retirement age. Moreover, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 6 in 10 adults in the U.S. suffer from chronic diseases, this included diabetes as well. In the United States, the growing incidence and prevalence of diabetes contribute to the risk of developing glaucoma in the later stages of life. Hence, early disease detection holds importance for delaying disease progression. According to the data provided by the American Diabetes Association, 30.3 million Americans, or 9.4% of the population, suffer from diabetes. According to the recent report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 100 million U.S. adults are suffering from diabetes or prediabetes. There has been a rise in the prevalence of diabetes among kids as well. For instance, among kids between 0-19, the rate of newly diagnosed cases of Type 1 diabetes rose by 4.2% annually. Furthermore, the well-developed healthcare infrastructure in the country, coupled with the high disposable income, is creating opportunities for the market to grow with a high probability of people visiting for early diagnosis and detection of glaucoma. This is boosting the demand for advanced tonometer devices among healthcare professionals as they strive to enhance customer satisfaction by offering them advanced patient care, further propelling the market growth in the country. Positive market demand from the Asian region The increasing ageing population in Japan can be seen as one of the factors shaping the growth of the global tonometer market in the country. According to the April 2018 OECD report, the country's ageing population will continue to exert pressure on public spending on health, which is the sixth-highest among OECD countries, and spending on long-term care, which has surged drastically in the last decade. However, the healthy lifestyle practised by a majority of the Japanese population continues to keep a check on early disease detection; hence, in the case of the detection of glaucoma-like conditions, effective measures can be taken accordingly. In China, the prevalence of diabetes is increasing, with new cases originating every year. According to a study published by JAMA, a peer-reviewed journal, in 2013, the diabetes prevalence in adults was around 11%, while the prevalence of prediabetes was reported to be around 36%. It was also noticed that the diabetes prevalence of 10.9% was slightly lower than the total diabetes prevalence in the US population, which was around 12%-14% during the time period 2011-2012. In the case of prediabetes, around 47% of Chinese adults were known to suffer from diabetes or prediabetes, which was accounted to be slightly lower in comparison to the 49%-52% estimates in the US adults. Furthermore, the expanding geriatric population in China is further contributing to a surge in market demand in the forecast period. The elderly population in urban areas is known to grow faster compared to the rural population. Better living and healthcare standards, a declining birth rate, a longer life expectancy, and an ageing baby boomer population are the major factors driving the growth of the geriatric population in China in the forecast period, hence, driving the market growth as well. Market Segmentation: By Type Digital Contact Tonometer Standard Contact Tonometer Hand-Held Tonometer Non-Contact Tonometer Rebound Tonometer By Application Ophthalmic Diagnostic Center Clinics Hospitals Biomedical Research For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8n87n3 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 Reps. Michael Burgess and Lisa Blunt Rochester introduced new legislation to prohibit any seller of prescription contact lenses from using robocalls to verify a consumer's prescription. WASHINGTON, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety (HCAPS) commends Representatives Michael Burgess (R-TX) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) for the introduction of the Contact Lens Prescription Modernization Act. If passed, this legislation will modernize the contact lens prescription verification process and make it safer for millions of contact lens wearers by prohibiting telephone calls with an artificial or prerecorded voice, also known as robocalls, from being used as a method for verifying patients' prescriptions. "I would like to thank Representatives Burgess and Blunt Rochester for reintroducing this important legislation. This is a major step to protect contact lens patients from potentially harmful practices currently utilized in the contact lens marketplace," said David Cockrell O.D., Chairman of the Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety. Millions of Americans can purchase their contact lenses online thanks to the Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act (FCLCA). However, as a patient health safeguard, the law requires online sellers to verify the validity of contact lens prescriptions with the patient's doctor before fulfilling an order. While the FCLCA clearly allows the use of telephone, fax, or e-mail for verifying prescriptions, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has interpreted the law to also allow for robocall verification. Robocalls have proven to be ineffective in accurately verifying contact lens prescriptions. The information relayed in these robocalls is often received by a number not belonging to a doctor of optometry or an ophthalmologist or does not align with a patient's medical recordmaking it difficult, or even impossible, to correctly identify the patient and proper prescription within the current eight-hour passive verification window. "Today, Americans know the benefits and expect the convenience of modern technology," said Congressman Burgess. "Patients deserve the choice to safely purchase contact lenses without the risk of receiving the incorrect prescription. Unfortunately, online contact lens sellers are still allowed to verify prescriptions using an automated voice message or robocall. This can result in incorrect prescriptions and sometimes permanent eye damage or blindness. The Contact Lens Prescription Verification Modernization Act prohibits robocalls for contact lens prescription verifications and extends HIPAA protections to correspondence between a patient and an online seller. This bill will maintain consumers' freedom while ensuring that physicians can safely verify their patients' prescriptions." "I am proud to join with my colleagues in introducing the Contact Lens Prescription Verification Modernization Act. Since coming to Congress, one of my top priorities in Congress has been ensuring that consumers are protected from malicious and intentionally deceptive business practices," said Rep. Blunt Rochester. The Contact Lens Prescription Verification Modernization Act will enhance patient safety by prohibiting prescription verification via robocall and instead, will establish a paper trail that requires online sellers use direct communication. This will confirm prescriptions are accurate ensuring patients receive their prescribed lenses rather than a substitution not approved by their eye care provider that could put their eye health and vision at risk. Passing this bill is critical in increasing the safety of the more than 45 million Americans that rely on contact lenses, U.S. Food and Drug Administration Class II and Class III regulated medical devices, for safe and effective vision correction. Improper lens usage, which can result from the substitution of lenses not prescribed by the patient's doctor or using an outdated prescription, can lead to serious health complications, including infections and other sight-threatening conditions, such as microbial keratitis, corneal edema, ulcers, and neovascularization. The Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety is committed to closing loopholes within the existing verification process and stopping the substitution of lenses to reduce the risk of preventable vision loss. For more information on this legislation visit congress.gov . Stay up to date on all regulatory and policy news impacting patient safety by joining the Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety. SOURCE Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety DENVER, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Healthpeak Properties, Inc. (NYSE: PEAK) announced today that Kathy Sandstrom was appointed as independent Chair of the Board of Directors. Ms. Sandstrom succeeds Brian Cartwright, who will continue to serve on the Board as an independent director. "Regular rotation of board leadership promotes effective corporate governance and introduces fresh perspectives and energy to board processes," said Mr. Cartwright. "After five years as Chair, the time is right for that rotation. Kathy's experience and Board tenure make her ideally suited to take on the added responsibilities of Board Chair. I take great pride in the proactive positioning of the Company that occurred during my time as Chair, as well as our establishment of leading corporate governance practices. I look forward to continuing to contribute as a member of the Board." Scott Brinker, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "On behalf of the executive management team, I would like to thank Brian for his steady and wise leadership. We will continue to benefit from his insight and experience as a Board member. At the same time, I am excited to partner with Kathy in her new role as we advance the Company's strategic initiatives." Ms. Sandstrom added, "I am fortunate to follow in the footsteps of a gifted Board Chair who has fostered a collegial and disciplined Board culture. I look forward to leading the Board as it provides guidance and oversight to the experienced and highly energized team led by Scott Brinker." The Board of Directors is comprised of eight members, with an average tenure of approximately seven years. ABOUT KATHY SANDSTROM Ms. Sandstrom has over 20 years of real estate finance and investment experience. She served as Senior Managing Director and global head of Heitman LLC's Public Real Estate Securities business from 2013 to 2018, and was a member of the firm's Global Management Committee, the Board of Managers and the Allocation Committee. Since joining Heitman in 1996, Ms. Sandstrom held several senior leadership positions in multiple roles in the institutional real estate investment industry. She has served on Healthpeak's Board since 2018 and as Vice Chair since 2022 and is a member of the boards of directors of EastGroup Properties, Inc. and Urban Edge Properties, both NYSE-listed REITs. Ms. Sandstrom is also a certified public accountant. ABOUT HEALTHPEAK PROPERTIES Healthpeak Properties, Inc. is a fully integrated real estate investment trust (REIT) and S&P 500 company. Healthpeak owns, operates and develops high-quality healthcare real estate focused on the aging population and the desire for improved health. For more information regarding Healthpeak, visit www.healthpeak.com. CONTACT Andrew Johns, CFA Senior Vice President Investor Relations 720-428-5400 SOURCE Healthpeak Properties, Inc. Reflects the shared goals of Hershey and Cote d'Ivoire's National Strategy for Sustainable Cocoa to improve childhood education and preserve ecosystems in cocoa-producing communities HERSHEY, Pa., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) today announced that it will be partnering with Cote d'Ivoire government agencies and non-governmental organizations through public-private partnerships to invest in the construction of ten primary schools in cocoa-growing communities and implement a focused program to preserve the Mabi-Yaya Nature Reserve. Purposefully aligned with the objectives of Cote d'Ivoire's National Strategy for Sustainable Cocoa and Hershey's new Income Accelerator, these investments reflect a shared commitment to ensuring a better and more sustainable cocoa supply chain for years to come. "Access to education for children and environmental conservation are critical components of our broader Cocoa For Good strategy and vital to building healthy communities where cocoa farmers and their families live," said Chuck Raup, President, U.S., The Hershey Company. "We are proud to take an active role in creating greater access to primary schooling and building the critical conservation programming needed to support healthy cocoa ecosystems and farmer income resilience." Working with the National Oversight Committee of Actions against child trafficking, exploitation and child labor (CNS), chaired by Cote d'Ivoire First Lady Dominique Ouattara, and the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI), Hershey will fund the construction of ten schools. As part of Hershey's commitment to improve children's well-being and prevent and eliminate child labor, these schools will create critical infrastructure to enable generations of children to succeed. Further, Hershey will partner with the Foundation for the Parks and Reserves of Cote d'Ivoire to advance preservation efforts in the Mabi-Yaya Nature Reserve (RNMY), which was created in 2019 in the heart of the country's southeastern cocoa producing area. Hershey's investment will support conservation and management activities implemented by the Ivorian Office of Parks and Reserves (OIPR), including replanting nearly 1000 hectares of degraded lands, conducting a biodiversity census inside RNMY, strengthening existing ecological monitoring capabilities and engaging local communities for support. These efforts to restore RNMY's natural integrity further Hershey's broader commitment to mitigate the effects of climate change and deliver on its Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI) action plans. The Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Cote d'Ivoire fully appreciates this partnership with Hershey which will strengthen its actions on the entire network of protected areas and contribute at the international level to the achievement of the Aichi targets on the global importance of biological diversity. "Collaboration between public and private actors remains the most effective option for ending child labor in cocoa production," said Dominique Ouattara, First Lady of Cote d'Ivoire, President of the National Oversight Committee of Actions against child trafficking, exploitation and child labor. Matthias Lange, Executive Director of ICI, a multistakeholder organization tackling child labor and forced labor in cocoa, added, "We are pleased to support this important collaboration to improve access to quality education. In line with national priorities, we know that improving access to quality schools is an important step in tackling child labor in cocoa-growing communities." These investments in education and conservation complement Hershey's Income Accelerator announced today and collectively advance the objectives set in Cote d'Ivoire's National Strategy for Sustainable Cocoa. All three initiatives work together to create a more sustainable cocoa supply chain and counteract the interrelated issues of farmer poverty, child labor and deforestation. About The Hershey Company The Hershey Company is headquartered in Hershey, Pa., and is an industry-leading snacks company known for bringing goodness to the world through its iconic brands, remarkable people and enduring commitment to help children succeed. Hershey has nearly 20,000 employees around the world who work every day to deliver delicious, quality products. The company has more than 100 brand names in approximately 80 countries around the world that drive $10.4 billion in annual revenues, including such iconic brand names as Hershey's, Reese's, Kit Kat, Jolly Rancher and Ice Breakers, and fast-growing salty snacks including SkinnyPop, Pirate's Booty and Dot's Homestyle Pretzels. For more than 125 years, Hershey has been committed to operating fairly, ethically and sustainably. Hershey founder, Milton Hershey, created the Milton Hershey School in 1909 and since then the company has focused on helping children succeed. To learn more visit thehersheycompany.com. About CNS With the mission to monitor and evaluate the actions of the Government and non-governmental actors in the fight against trafficking, exploitation and child labor, the CNS represents one of the key institutional actors of the national mechanism to fight against the worst forms of child labor in Cote d'Ivoire. The main missions of the CNS are to monitor and evaluate the actions of the government and national actors in the fight against child trafficking and the worst forms of child labor in Cote d'Ivoire. travaildesenfants.org About the Foundation for the Parks and Reserves of Cote d'Ivoire The Foundation for the Parks and Reserves of Cote d'Ivoire is a non-profit organization that manages funds for programs to support conservation efforts in Cote d'Ivoire's national parks and reserves. Fondationparc.ci About ICI ICI is a Swiss-based, non-profit foundation that works to ensure a better future for children in cocoa-growing communities. It is a multi-stakeholder partnership advancing the elimination of child labour and forced labour, by uniting the forces of the cocoa and chocolate industry, civil society, farming communities, governments, international organizations and donors. cocoainitiative.org Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1246276/The_Hershey_Company_Logo.jpg SOURCE The Hershey Company Ministry of Health approval clears path for sale and marketing of real dairy products made with Remilk's animal-free protein to Israeli consumers TEL AVIV, Israel, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Remilk, a global leader in the development and production of animal-free dairy protein has received a first-of-its-kind approval from the Israeli Ministry of Health (MOH). This historic regulatory event clears a path for the marketing and sale of non-animal dairy products made with Remilk for Israeli consumers. It also establishes the country as one of the first in the world to offer people access to sustainable, real dairy made without cows and free of lactose, cholesterol, antibiotics and growth hormones. "This is a defining moment, not only for Remilk, but for the entire global alternative protein industry"- Aviv Wolff Tweet this Remilk becomes first company to secure regulatory approval for non-animal milk protein in Israel Remilk is a world leader in the development of animal-free milk proteins produced through a proprietary fermentation process. The Ministry of Health approval follows Remilk's receipt of an FDA "No Questions Letter," confirming FDA acceptance of an expert panel's conclusion that Remilk's animal-free protein can be safely used in food products under its GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) standards, as well as a recent regulatory clearance from the Singapore Food Authority. Remilk has raised more than $130M to date and signed deals with leading players in the global food industry. Last year, Remilk, which is already producing its protein at industrial volumes in facilities around the world, announced a large-scale commercial agreement with the Central Bottling Company (CBC Group), the exclusive Israeli franchisee of Coca-Cola, and one of the largest food companies in Israel, to launch a line of dairy products made with Remilk's protein, for the Israeli market. "This is a defining moment, not only for Remilk, but for the entire global alternative protein industry and the state of Israel, one of the first in the world to recognize the significance of precision fermentation," said Aviv Wolff, CEO and co-founder of Remilk. "The opening of the Israeli market to real, animal-free dairy products will place Israel not only at the forefront of global food-tech research and development, but also as a leading market in the world for new food consumption. Today's news opens the door for the introduction of high-quality and nutritious animal-free dairy products." "We thank the Ministry of Health for an in-depth process, in which our non-animal milk protein was thoroughly tested and found to be safe, of high-quality, and identical to its cow-derived counterpart," said Dr. Ori Cohavi, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and co-founder of Remilk. "The breakthrough achievement of Remilk's R&D team lies in its success in converting a technology that has been used for decades to create components for the food industry such as vitamins and enzymes in small quantities, to produce one of the most significant and high-quality components in the food industry. Our milk protein, produced on an industrial scale, allows us to practically change the face of the dairy market." "Remilk was born to be an international company that dares to challenge the traditional dairy industry," continued Wolff. "It is an honor that Israel, a world leader in alternative protein R&D and investments, has granted Remilk the first regulatory approval of its kind. The product launch planned with the Central Bottling Company is on the horizon as we continue to realize our vision of creating new food systems that can provide nutritious and high-quality solutions for the world's growing population." About Remilk Remilk is a global leader in the development of animal-free dairy. The company was founded by CEO Aviv Wolff, an entrepreneur behind several business and social initiatives, and CTO Ori Cohavi, PhD in Biochemistry, who has worked in R&D at a variety of biotech firms. They founded Remilk driven by a shared dedication to reinvent the dairy industry, by removing cows from the milk-making process. Remilk produces dairy-identical milk proteins through precision fermentation and has developed a unique and patented approach to scalable manufacturing which requires a fraction of Earth's resources compared to traditional dairy, while dramatically increasing efficiency in production, and, for the first time in history, eliminating the need for dairy cows in industrial-scale dairy production without compromising on taste, functionality, or nutritional values. Remilk is real dairy, no cows. Contact Information: Barbara Marks [email protected] SOURCE Remilk RWE is celebrating its 125th anniversary. Rheinisch-Westfalische Elektrizitatswerk AG was founded as a local municipal utility in Essen on 25 April 1898. Now, 125 years later, RWE is not only Germany's largest electricity producer but also one of the world's leading renewable energy companies. At a celebration in Essen attended by Hendrik Wust, Prime Minister of the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the company took the opportunity to announce the launch of the new "RWE Foundation". The company has set the foundation up with starting capital of 125 million, and it will provide funding for charitable social projects. Hendrik Wust, Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia: "For 125 years, RWE has been making an important contribution to secure electricity supply in our country and has thus played a major role in shaping industrial prosperity in North Rhine-Westphalia. My sincere thanks go to the many employees who have played their part in this. RWE is taking responsibility - not only in terms of structural change in the Rhenish mining district and on the way to climate neutrality, but also with the new RWE Foundation for the benefit of children and young people, which aims to promote equal opportunities and social participation." Markus Krebber, CEO of RWE: "RWE is one of the pioneers of electrification. For 125 years, the company has been a driver of technological innovation and great engineering expertise. Our company has made a crucial contribution towards helping industrial regions to develop and enabling us to take the availability of electricity for granted. Another common thread through the history of RWE is its readiness to take responsibility - for its employees, for the region, and for society. On the occasion of our anniversary we want to reaffirm our social commitment by launching a new foundation and endowing it with starting capital of 125 million. The RWE Foundation' will use the returns on this capital to fund a broad range of charitable social projects." 125 years of taking responsibility for employees, the region and society The willingness to take on social responsibility is part of RWE's DNA. In this context, the company has created a new foundation on the occasion of its anniversary year, which has been endowed with starting capital of 125 million. RWE will use the returns on this capital to support charitable social projects each year. It is expected that more than 3 million will initially be available for this purpose. The first Chair of the RWE Foundation's Advisory Board will be Uwe Tigges, who has long been closely connected to RWE, including a period as CEO of the former RWE subsidiary innogy SE. Tigges represents RWE's values, and currently chairs the Supervisory Board of Amprion GmbH. Constructive collaboration with its social and co-determination partners, which RWE continues to focus on, is a further important success factor for the company. Active co-determination and ongoing, constructive dialogue with employees are a firmly established part of the company's corporate culture. It is the people involved who, over a period of many generations, have made RWE what it is today. Starting with the men and women who built the company up in the Ruhr region and the Rhineland to the point where, today, employees from more than 80 countries are working for RWE worldwide. Trailblazer for industrialisation and driver of innovation Since its beginnings, RWE has moved with the times. The successful rise of the company around the turn of the 20th century began with the vision of Ruhr industrialist Hugo Stinnes, one of the co-founders of RWE. His plan to build large power stations to supply industry with low-cost power was successful. The power plant locations had a magnetic effect on industrial companies and suppliers, a trend that contributed substantially to the economic strength of North Rhine-Westphalia and continues unabated today. From the outset, RWE was also defined by its passion for new technologies and engineering expertise. The company was thus a trailblazer in hydro power stations, for example, it developed Germany's first high-voltage grid, and it worked with partners to build the most powerful and efficient power stations. At the beginning of the 1980s, RWE also constructed Germany's first large-scale wind power plant, and was involved in the manufacture of the Pohlmann EL, an electric car that was one of the fastest of its time. When what was at the time the world's largest offshore wind farm, located off the British coast, was connected to the grid at the turn of the Millennium, once again it was RWE that turned the project into reality. A leading global provider of renewables - today and in the future Today, RWE builds large-scale offshore wind farms using the world's first recyclable rotor blades, teaches large offshore wind turbines and solar power plants to float, and builds large battery storage units. And, as a driver of the energy transition, RWE is now one of the world leaders in electricity production from wind and solar energy. RWE is also active in hydrogen, and its plans include the construction of about 3 gigawatts of hydrogen-ready gas-fired power plants, mainly on the sites of existing power stations. By 2030, RWE will invest more than 50 billion gross worldwide in its green core business as part of its "Growing Green" investment and growth strategy. 15 billion of that total is earmarked for investments in Germany alone. As RWE's home market, Germany will thus continue to play a key role for the company. For its onshore wind and solar business, which has a strongly regional focus, RWE opened seven further branches last year in various parts of Germany - an example of how the company is putting even more effort into driving forward the development, construction and operation of renewable energy facilities. Pictures of the celebration in Essen for media use (credit: RWE) are available at the RWE Media Centre. GUILFORD, Maine, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Holland Industrial Group announces that they will be auctioning a selection of quality assets that are no longer required by Duvaltex. Over the last hundred years Duvaltex has been weaving tradition and sustainability from their four established textile brands. This Online Only Live Webcast Auction includes some of the most sought-after textile weaving machinery in the textile industry. Holland Industrial Group is conducting this sale with over 30 years of experience successfully completing plant liquidations and equipment auctions. 2002 340cm Dornier Jacquard Mdl: AWSE Air Jet Loom 1996 Schlafhorst Autoconer, (24) Spindles Featured assets in this auction include: HDB Card, Model Galaxy 2000, 80" wide (2) Gaudino Ring Spinning Frames, (252) spindles/frame, 90mm ring, 4" gauge Schlafhorst Autoconer, (22) spindles Hergeth Hollingsworth, Model KFR-4000 Mixing Bins Dell-Orco Villani 40" Wide Picker 40" Wide Picker Gualchierani Approx. 20-Ton Hydraulic Baling Press, Model DGG-20 Sperotto Rimar Sponger Steamer, Model Stabila Sperotto Rimar Continuous Decatising Machine, Model Multidecat La Meccanica Inspection Table, Model LM83 Fast Tran Cool Dry Oven (6) Thies & Morton Stock Dye Machines (30+) Dornier Dobby Rapier & Jacquard Air Jet Looms (4) Mat Continuous Fulling Mills Nesi & Pugi Fabric Tacking Machines, Model AT-H-290 Karl Mayer Sample Warper, Model ROM, ROT-O-MATIC Bond & Intra Inspection and Fabric Grading Frames Ingersoll Rand 150 HP Centrifugal Air Compressors, Model Centac IR 150 HP Centrifugal Air Compressors, Model Centac IR Parts Room Includes: Gears, Motors, Electrical Panels, Blowers, Duct Conduit & More Toolroom Includes: Bridgeport Mill, Central Machinery Lathe, Saws, Threaders, Grinders, Parts Washers & More Caterpillar, Unicarrier & Mitsubishi Forklifts, 3000 - 5000 Lbs. Capacity Plus Much More... The Online Only Live Webcast Auction will begin on Thursday, May 18, 2023 at 11AM EDT. Asset inspection is available on Tuesday, May 16, and Wednesday, May 17 from 8AM 4PM EDT. Assets are located at these five locations: 9 Oak St, Guilford, ME 04443 04443 254 Water St, Guilford, ME 04443 04443 32 Mill St, Newport, ME 04953 04953 90e Rue, Saint-Georges, Quebec, Canada 250 Route de la Station, Saint-Victor, Quebec, Canada Holland Industrial Group Senior Vice President Alex Holland put the value of this sale in perspective. "With the growth in demand for sustainable fabrics," he said, "this sale represents an excellent opportunity for our customers in the textile industry to enhance their ability to stay up to date. For those customers who are new to the industry," Holland added, "this is a great opportunity to jump into the exciting textile industry." For more information and to view the entire catalog of assets, please visit us online at www.hollandindustrialgroup.com. Holland Industrial Group brings decades of experience in valuing, buying, and liquidating heavy and light industrial surplus equipment. HIG has successfully completed hundreds of transactions across North America. Contact: Christopher Fernandez [email protected] (305) 781-8585 SOURCE Holland Industrial Group Honda commits $625,000 in funding to The Nature Conservancy Honda and the Honda USA Foundation award more than $2 million in grants to 67 additional organizations to support environmental education and conservation initiatives across the U.S. TORRANCE, Calif., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Honda and the Honda USA Foundation today announced more than $2.7 million in funding to a variety of environmental education and conservation initiatives across the U.S. This funding includes $625,000 to support The Nature Conservancy (TNC) programs across 10 states and an additional $2 million in financial grants to 67 organizations undertaking environmental and conservation initiatives across multiple states. More than $2.7 million will support a variety of environmental education and conservation initiatives in the U.S. Tweet this Honda In Ohio associates volunteer with community partner, The Nature Conservancy. "Honda has set a global goal to achieve carbon neutrality for all of our products and corporate activities by 2050, and we are pleased to support the efforts of environmental organizations doing their own good work to help ensure a sustainable future," said Yvette Hunsicker, vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility and Inclusion & Diversity at American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "Our commitment to the environment is one of the core pillars of Honda's giving that positively impacts our communities, our nation and our planet." Honda has a long-standing partnership with The Nature Conservancy. The $625,000 in new funding from Honda will be directed to TNC programs at 10 different sites in Alabama, California, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina and Texas. The donation will provide critical support to programs that address sustainability, renewable energy, energy efficiency, ecosystem resilience, climate change and more. Funded programs include longleaf pine restoration in East Texas; the acquisition, protection and restoration of drained peatlands in North Carolina; urban tree canopy conservation in minority and low-income neighborhoods in Oregon; the installation of solar power at remote preserves and TNC facilities in Alabama, California, Georgia and Indiana; and volunteer and youth engagement. "We are grateful for the investments Honda is making to advance sustainability and conservation in 10 key states," said Dan Salzer, director of Sustainability for The Nature Conservancy. "These gifts allow us to focus on outcomes such as renewable energy, natural climate solutions, enhanced community engagement and access, and the right strategies and tools to forge a resilient and healthy future for people and nature alike, across the country." Honda and the Honda USA Foundation also have awarded more than $2 million in financial grants to 67 organizations supporting the environment and conservation initiatives. These environmental focused grants were a part of Honda's overall annual funding cycle, which provides support for projects that align with Honda's strategic CSR pillars of education, environment, mobility, traffic safety and community. These environmental grants support a wide variety of initiatives that reach across several states as well as local programs near major Honda operations in Alabama, California, Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio and South Carolina. Honda and The Nature Conservancy Honda and the Ohio chapter of TNC began a public and private sector partnership over 30 years ago, to preserve the Big Darby Creek watershed in Ohio. This has led to more than $1 million in donations to protect the headwaters of the Big Darby Creek one of the Midwest's most biologically diverse aquatic systems and one of the healthiest tributaries to the Scioto River, which provides drinking water for tens of thousands of Ohioans. In 2020, Honda donated 90 acres of land to TNC in Ohio to help protect the humble cold water springs and streams that combine to form the headwaters of Big Darby Creek. Honda has also supported local TNC chapters including Alabama, California and Indiana. This expanded partnership throughout the U.S. amplifies Honda's goal to build a sustainable future and ensure Blue Skies for Our Children through our strategic Corporate Social Responsibility Environment pillar. About Honda Corporate Social Responsibility and the Honda USA Foundation For more than 60 years in the U.S., Honda has been committed to making positive contributions to the communities where its associates live and work. Honda's mission is to create products and services that help people fulfill their life's potential, while conducting business in a sustainable manner and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Advancing its corporate social responsibility, Honda and the Honda USA Foundation support this direction through giving focused on education, the environment, mobility, traffic safety and community. Learn more at http://csr.honda.com/ . Honda Commitment to the Environment Honda is committed to addressing global environmental and energy issues by striving to realize carbon neutrality for all products and corporate activities by 2050. Toward this goal, Honda will strive to make battery-electric and fuel cell electric vehicles represent 100% of auto sales in the U.S. and globally by 2040. Honda also is working to reduce the environmental impact of its business operations. To slash CO 2 emissions from its North American manufacturing operations, Honda has entered into long-term virtual power purchase agreements (VPPAs) for renewable wind and solar power seeking to cover more than 60% of the electricity that Honda uses in North America. This enables the company to fully offset the remaining carbon intensive grid-supplied electricity used in its Ohio, Indiana, and Alabama automobile manufacturing operations. Honda also promotes environmentally responsible business practices with its suppliers and retail dealer partners across North America. Learn more at https://csr.honda.com/environment/na-environmental-report/. SOURCE Honda NetElixir hosts new webinar with Wharton Professor Jerry Wind PRINCETON, N.J., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NetElixir, one of the fastest-growing independent digital marketing agencies in the United States, just announced a brand new webinar with Jerry Wind, the Lauder Professor Emeritus and Professor of Marketing at The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania, as well as a board member for Amelia. Join NetElixir's Founder and CEO, Udayan Bose, live on Thursday, May 18th at 11 AM EST to participate in the live fireside chat with Professor Jerry Wind as the pair discuss Innovation and AI: How To Prepare For The Future Of Digital Marketing . NetElixir hosts new webinar with Wharton Professor Jerry Wind to help retailers prepare for the future of marketing. Tweet this During this live fireside chat, Bose and Professor Wind will discuss: The power of transformation from old to new digital initiatives The importance of creating a culture of experimentation to learn how AI can help brand growth How to leverage generative and conversational AI to unlock a team's creativity E-Commerce category-level data to understand what impact new AI innovations have already had on online shopping and behavior "Our industry is in the midst of tectonic change," says Bose. "The rapid adoption of generative AI is a game-changer for everyone, especially marketers. I'm honored to welcome Jerry Wind back to speak with NetElixir and share his thoughts on what AI means for marketing. NetElixir is leading from the future and I have always been an avid follower and practitioner of Jerry Wind's insights into creating a culture of experimentation and innovation." The upcoming May 18th webinar will mark the fourth time Professor Wind has spoken with NetElixir to share his thoughts on the current landscape and how brands can create a culture of innovation through experimentation. Professor Jerry Wind first joined NetElixir during their 7th annual X=Experience, a unique and intimate conference that seeks to bridge the gap between academia and industry. Professor Wind conducted a workshop on Rethinking Innovation for the 40+ gathered retail leaders during the main conference day in 2019. See Jerry Wind's 12 Guidelines for Rethinking Innovation , hosted at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ. Professor Wind's recent research explores marketing-driven business strategy, creativity and innovation, and AI for customer engagement. During NetElixir's Reimagine Tomorrow Series,a three-part webinar sequence launched the summer of 2020 to help retailers navigate the ongoing crisis, and during NetElixir's Connecting the Dots Virtual Conference held in June 2021, Wind discussed how to create opportunities in times of crisis in order to bring about transformation. The NetElixir team is excited to welcome back Professor Jerry Wind once more to talk through the transformative and disruptive power of AI so that retailers can be ready for the future of digital marketing. Register now to attend this live webinar. ABOUT NETELIXIR Search Marketing Redefined. NetElixir is an independent growth marketing consultant for leading retail, DTC, and B2B brands. They have been driving profitable growth for e-commerce businesses since 2004, by combining a high-tech and high-touch approach to digital marketing. The team specializes in predictably winning high-value customers through targeted demand generation campaigns on Google Ads and Meta remarketing campaigns. Their strategic insights empower brands to humanize their customer relationships through search, social, programmatic display, and retail media channels and draw the line between invasive and inventive marketing. NetElixir is the only New Jersey-based agency and one of just 27 in Google's Leadership Circle. NetElixir is headquartered in Princeton, NJ with wholly-owned subsidiary offices in Hyderabad, India. For more information, please visit www.netelixir.com . Contact: Shannon Kelly [email protected] SOURCE NetElixir SINGAPORE, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- HTC Global Services , a US-based information technology and business process outsourcing services company, is proud to announce its strategic alliance with Azentio Software , a leading software products company headquartered in Singapore, to provide cutting-edge digital BFSI solutions. This new partnership will enable Azentio's clients and channel partners in the banking and financial services industry to become future-ready organizations, and stay ahead of the curve with innovative, world-class solutions to support their core businesses. In furthering their strategic alliance, HTC Global Services and Azentio will gain advantageous synergy in thought leadership and expertise and will pursue joint business development and sales-related activities to achieve a competitive advantage. It is expected to open new business opportunities for both organizations and will position HTC Global Services and Azentio as partners of choice for clients across locations, to elevate and optimize digital transformation, and speed up time-to-market. "We're glad to join forces with HTC Global Services," said Brijendra Singh, Global Head, Partnerships and Strategic Alliances BFSI at Azentio Software. "Together, we will employ our expertise to better serve banks and financial institutions and retain and delight our mutual clients." Azentio's Senior Vice President, Banking & Capital Markets Practice, Guru L, commented, "As the world continues to digitize and innovate like never before, it is critical that businesses have the tools they need to be efficient and react quickly to the needs of their customers. Our mission is to seamlessly digitalize our clients' data and systems and support their operations with our joint efforts with HTC Global Services to equip their business for the future." Arun Kumarvc, Vice President at HTC Global Services, stated, "This new partnership will certainly revolutionize customer experience, and will result in increased efficiencies such as time savings, and improved operational performance for our clients." Furthermore, Ravi R Nair, Senior Vice President and Head of ROW at HTC Global Services, added, "BFSI clients are significantly transforming the way they operate to cope with the ever-evolving industry. Re-imagining digital services to improve client experiences and streamlining business operations to drive efficiencies are key priorities for the sector. This exclusive partnership with Azentio will enable us to help clients transform into truly digital platform players." Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1978771/Azentio_Logo.jpg SOURCE Azentio Software Pvt Ltd SLOUGH, U.K., and Richmond, Va., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Indivior PLC (LSE: INDV) today announced its financial results for the period ending March 31, 2023. The earnings release, investor presentation and webcast are available at www.indivior.com. The earnings release can be found at www.indivior.com/en/media/press-releases The investor presentation can be found at www.indivior.com/investors There will be a live webcast presentation at 13:00 BST (8:00 am EST) hosted by Mark Crossley, CEO. The details are below. Webcast link: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/qjdd6559 Participants may access the presentation telephonically by registering with the following link: https://register.vevent.com/register/BIa24873f5a1524c73b34c473b7761725f (Please note this is a change from prior calls - registrants will have an option to be called back directly immediately prior to the call or be provided a call-in # with a unique pin code following their registration) About Indivior Indivior is a global pharmaceutical company working to help change patients' lives by developing medicines to treat substance use disorders (SUD) and serious mental illnesses. Our vision is that all patients around the world will have access to evidence-based treatment for the chronic conditions and co-occurring disorders of SUD. Indivior is dedicated to transforming SUD from a global human crisis to a recognized and treated chronic disease. Building on its global portfolio of opioid use disorder treatments, Indivior has a pipeline of product candidates designed to both expand on its heritage in this category and potentially address other chronic conditions and cooccurring disorders of SUD. Headquartered in the United States in Richmond, VA, Indivior employs more than 1,000 individuals globally and its portfolio of products is available in 39 countries worldwide. Visit www.indivior.com to learn more. Connect with Indivior on LinkedIn by visiting www.linkedin.com/company/indivior. SOURCE Indivior PLC STOCKHOLM, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Skanska's Interim report first quarter 2023 will be released on Thursday, May 4 at 07:30 am CET. The report will be presented by Anders Danielsson, Skanska's President and CEO, and Magnus Persson, CFO, at a press- and telephone conference at 10:00 am CET at Skanska's head office at Warfvinges vag 25 in Stockholm. The press conference will be webcasted live at www.skanska.com/investors, where it also will be posted shortly afterwards. To participate in the telephone conference, with the possibility to ask questions, please dial +46 (0)8 5051 0031; +44 (0) 207 107 06 13, or +1 (1) 631 570 56 13. After the conference, there will be possibilities for individual meetings with Anders Danielsson. To apply for a meeting please contact [email protected] no later than May 2. Welcome! Antonia Junelind, SVP, Investor Relations Karolina Cederhage, SVP, Communications For further information please contact: Antonia Junelind, Senior Vice President Investor Relations, Skanska AB, tel +46 (0)10 448 62 61 Karolina Cederhage, Senior Vice President Communications, Skanska AB, tel +46 (0)10 448 08 80 Jacob Birkeland, Head of Media Relations and Public Affairs, Skanska AB, tel +46 (0)10 449 19 57 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/95/3759067/2014976.pdf Press invitation Q1 2023_ENG SOURCE Skanska TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) affirmed the long-term international risk rating of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) at "AA"; with a stable outlook. According to JCR's official statement, the Bank's credit rating is based on the solid support from its member countries, its preferred creditor status, and sound financial structure and ample liquidity. CABEI not only retains ample liquidity based on its prudent financial rules but also maintains its financial soundness by diversifying its funding sources. Likewise, CABEI's Executive President, Dr. Dante Mossi, highlighted the significant participation of Asian partners in the Bank's shareholding structure, considering that, in aggregate, the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the Republic of Korea have subscribed around 20% of the authorized capital of the Institution. In this regard, he emphasized the importance of continuing to incorporate member countries with high credit ratings to continue improving the Bank's rating, and thus enhance the channeling of resources to the Central American region in stable and competitive financial conditions. Finally, the rating agency emphasized CABEI's transcendental role as a relevant multilateral financial institution for the region, highlighting the support that the Bank has provided to the efforts of its partners to face the global pandemic as well as the economic development of the region, through different programs such as the Temporary Support Program for the increase in fuel costs and the Emergency Support and Preparedness Program for the COVID-19 pandemic and Economic Reactivation. About CABEI CABEI was created in 1960 as the financial arm of the region's integration and development. Its resources are continuously invested in projects with developmental impact to reduce poverty and inequality, strengthen regional integration and the competitive insertion of its members in the global economy, with special attention to environmental sustainability. CABEI is headquartered in Tegucigalpa with offices throughout Central America. CABEI's financial soundness as the best credit in Latin America is backed by its high credit rating granted by different international agencies: Standard & Poor's with a rating of AA, Moody's with a rating of Aa3, and Japan Credit Rating with AA. Contact: Hector Barletta [email protected] Gabriela Rodriguez [email protected] SOURCE Banco Centroamericano de Integracion Economica TOKYO, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 27, 2023, Buddhist philosopher and peacebuilder Daisaku Ikeda, president of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI), issued a statement calling on the leaders of the G7 countries meeting in Hiroshima from May 19-21 to take bold steps toward resolving the conflict in Ukraine and guarantee the security of all humanity by taking the lead in discussions on pledges of No First Use of nuclear weapons. Ikeda, an ardent proponent of nuclear weapons abolition since the 1960s, sees the G7 Summit in Hiroshima as a chance to build on the unwavering activism of the hibakusha -- survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombings -- and their determination that the tragic impacts of nuclear weapons never be experienced again. He states: "As the G7 leaders revisit the actual consequences of a nuclear weapon detonation and the bitter lessons of the nuclear era, I urge that they initiate earnest deliberations on making pledges of No First Use so that their shared recognition of the inadmissible nature of nuclear weapons can find expression in changed policies." He warns that with the taboo against the use of nuclear weapons being eroded among the nuclear-weapon states, and frameworks for managing and reducing nuclear arsenals verging on collapse, there has never been a greater need to establish policies of No First Use. Regarding Ukraine, Ikeda urges that the Hiroshima Summit should provide a "prescription for hope" by working for an immediate cessation of attacks on civilian infrastructure and developing concrete plans for negotiations that will lead to a cessation of hostilities. He stresses that representatives of civil society, such as physicians and educators who protect people's lives and futures, should join such negotiations as observers. Ikeda references the work of the physicians from both sides of the Cold War who founded IPPNW (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War) in the early 1980s and met in Hiroshima under the slogan: "Let us Live Together, Not Die Together." In the same spirit, he concludes with the vital need to shift to a "common security" paradigm for all humankind. This is the third time in the past year that Ikeda, a veteran advocate for nuclear weapons abolition, has called for No First Use policies. He first pushed for declarations of No First Use in 1975, following visits to prominent leaders and thinkers in all five declared nuclear-weapon states. Full statement: https://www.daisakuikeda.org/sub/resources/works/lect/2023apr27-g7-hiroshima-stmt.html The Soka Gakkai is a global community-based Buddhist organization that promotes peace, culture and education. Daisaku Ikeda (1928- ) is president of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI), an international association of the Soka Gakkai and an NGO in consultative status with UN ECOSOC. For over 40 years, Ikeda has authored proposals and statements offering concrete approaches to resolving the complex issues facing humanity. Ikeda's proposals: https://www.daisakuikeda.org/sub/resources/works/props/ Contact: Yuki Kawanaka International Office of Public Information Soka Gakkai +81-80-5957-4919 kawanaka[at]soka.jp SOURCE Soka Gakkai Leading Private Aviation Operator Announces WYVERN Wingman PRO Certification, Following ARGUS Platinum Elite and IS-BAO Stage 3 Ratings OMAHA, Neb., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Jet Linx Aviation, the only locally-focused private jet management and Jet Card company in the world, has set a new standard in aviation safety with its newest WYVERN Wingman PRO certification. Adding to existing IS-BAO Stage 3 and ARGUS Platinum Elite top safety ratings, the Company becomes the first and only operator in the aviation industry to receive top ratings from all three major third-party auditors. "We are immensely proud to have achieved WYVERN Wingman PRO certification," said Jamie Walker, President & CEO of Jet Linx Aviation. "Safety has always been our top priority, and this certification is a testament of our commitment to providing the highest level of safety and service to our clients. Now holding the three most elite safety ratings in aviation, we look forward to continuing to advance our safety programs and encourage the highest safety practices throughout the industry." WYVERN Wingman PRO is the most advanced safety culture evaluation tool recognized by safety experts and regulatory bodies worldwide. This certification recognizes Jet Linx's commitment to safety, as evidenced by its excellence in ongoing participation in WYVERN's Flight Leader Program (FLP). Jet Linx is one of only 12 operators in the industry to earn this safety rating. Setting a safety benchmark above WYVERN's flagship Wingman program, WYVERN Wingman PRO validates organizational safety culture, and is only issued once an already established Wingman operator demonstrates effectiveness in all areas of SMS; excellence in the addressing of Human Factors and Organizational Safety Culture; and continuous conformity to international standards by way of an internal audit program. Jet Linx's WYVERN Wingman PRO certification becomes its third elite safety rating, following its designation as IS-BAO Stage 3 and ARGUS Platinum Elite. IS-BAO is the gold standard for business aviation worldwide, developed by the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) and endorsed by the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). Jet Linx has maintained the highest level of Stage 3 rating since 2015, demonstrating a fully engrained safety management culture sustained over time. The Company was also the first to attain ARGUS Platinum Elite status in November 2021, previously earning Platinum recertification from ARGUS in every cycle since 2007. Building upon the elements of the ARGUS Platinum rating, the Platinum Elite rating requires an active monitoring system to assure standards are continuously met. "Our award-winning safety culture is maintained and enriched thanks to the work of many different team members at Jet Linx. As we celebrate these third-party validations, we also want to recognize the behind-the-scenes investments into pilot fatigue monitoring software, voluntary self-reporting programs and our decision to maintain dedicated aircraft assignments a practice in place at fewer than 5% of Part 135 Operators. We believe our Safety Management System, pound for pound and dollar for dollar, lives up to the same exacting standards of most major airlines," said RD Johnson, Vice President of Safety at Jet Linx. The Company also remains the only aircraft operator to conduct an all-team Safety Summit each year since 2017, pausing revenue operations and grounding its fleet of over 100 aircraft to bring its entire nationwide team together for education and collaboration on safety. The 2023 Safety Summit will take place June 13, 2023. For more information on Jet Linx's commitment to safety, visit https://www.jetlinx.com/about/safety/. About Jet Linx Aviation Jet Linx Aviation is a locally-focused private jet company founded in Omaha, NE in 1999 as a more personalized approach to national private jet companies. Jet Linx offers three different ways to experience private aviation a guaranteed Jet Card, private jet management, and Acquisitions & Sales support providing its clients with an all-encompassing, local solution to all of their private jet travel needs. Jet Linx is an IS-BAO Stage 3, ARGUS Platinum Elite and Wyvern Wingman PRO safety rated operator, and is the first Company to hold the highest rating from all three auditors. In 2019, Jet Linx became the only Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star trained and accredited private aviation company in the world. In addition to establishing the independent global rating system's preeminent and unparalleled service standards for the in-flight experience, Jet Linx also collaborated with Forbes Travel Guide to develop their own customized, proprietary Jet Linx standards of service excellence. Jet Linx is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska and has Base locations in Atlanta, Austin, Boca Raton, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Ft. Worth, Houston, Indianapolis, Miami, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York, Omaha, San Antonio, Scottsdale, St. Louis, Tulsa and Washington D.C. For additional information, please visit the Jet Linx website (www.jetlinx.com). SOURCE Jet Linx Aviation, LLC As one of the Fastest Growing Government Contractors, Alpha Omega Signals Organizational Maturity and Continued Focus on Excellence VIENNA, Va., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Alpha Omega announced today that Jocelyn Hsu is moving into a new role as Chief Delivery Officer (CDO). With $468 million in new contract wins and breaking $117 million in annual revenue as of January 2023, Alpha Omega's rapid growth in DevSecOps, Cybersecurity, and Cloud Engineering is being shepherded by an adept team of executive leaders. Jocelyn will support Alpha Omega's need for strategic management of service excellence and customer satisfaction. Jocelyn Hsu, Chief Delivery Officer As the Chief Delivery Officer (CDO), Jocelyn will report directly to the CEO/President and provide leadership from strategic account planning through execution and ensure consistent, high-quality client delivery. She will be responsible for shaping and leading the delivery, excellence, vision, and strategic direction for Alpha Omega's customers. Jocelyn will leverage her client relationships and deliver high-quality work by supporting new or expanded business opportunities, services, and operational excellence (CSAT, CPARS, recompense, and organic growth). "I am excited to move into the CDO role where I can focus on Alpha Omega strategy, continuous improvement, products and services delivery, as well as supporting customer relationships," Jocelyn said. "It's particularly relevant to focus on team management; making sure that we as a company understand current and future requirements for customers; to partner with HR and TA to recruit properly and train staff, delivering great outcomes and building job satisfaction." Alpha Omega CEO Gautam Ijoor said, "Jocelyn is a strong leader and the ideal executive for the new position of Chief Delivery Officer, given her familiarity with Alpha Omega's QMO processes, as well as her experience managing quality and service excellence, and success managing and stabilizing our high performing back-office team over the past year. We look forward to this new chapter of continued growth, development, and strategic performance." Jocelyn has led and supported advantageous and prestigious partnerships between Alpha Omega and various technical schools and universities including the University of Virginia to actively connect students in computer science with potential employment opportunities and to support new graduates. Jocelyn received her master's in business administration from George Mason University, and bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Connecticut. She has managed business operations, corporate initiatives, corporate information systems, program management office services, and business development as CAO for Paradyme Management Inc., Vice President of Corporate Initiatives for NCI Information Systems, Inc., and several roles within SRA International. Jocelyn is an empathetic and engaging leader and mentor who brings out the best in teams through collaboration and her experiential knowledge base. She has been a long-time supporter of nutritional programs for children, serving as the co-founder and past Chairman of the Board for Real Food for Kids. Jocelyn has taken a hands-on role in connecting Alpha Omega's philanthropic work with the interests of staff and the missions of clients. Alpha Omega's core values include creating harmony which is key to Jocelyn's leadership within the organization. She is a generous servant leader and facilitates staff confidence, autonomy, and initiative. ABOUT ALPHA OMEGA: Alpha Omega's mission is to support federal agencies with tailored digital transformation and cybersecurity solutions to ensure our nation's continued global leadership. We achieve that via advanced capabilities in the areas of Design & Product Management, DevSecOps & Cloud Engineering, AI & Intelligent Automation, and Cybersecurity. Alpha Omega is committed to service excellence and continuous process improvement as demonstrated by our Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Maturity Level-5 (ML-5) for Development and Services, as well as ISO/IEC registration for 20000-1:2018, 27001:2013, and 9001:2015. It is our commitment to customers to not only deliver quality products, but to also be a www.alphaomega.com. SOURCE Alpha Omega Integration ACWA Power, a leading Saudi developer, investor, and operator of power generation, water desalination and green hydrogen plants worldwide, today announced that it has signed a US$123 million financing package to develop the 200MW Kom Ombo project, a utility-scale solar power plant in Egypt. Financing institutions for this project include European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), OPEC Fund for International Development (the OPEC Fund), African Development Bank (AfDB), AfDB's Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA), Green Climate Fund (GCF), Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (APICORP) and Arab Bank. The package comprises loans of up to US$ 36 million from the EBRD, US$ 14.6 million from the OPEC Fund, US$ 14.4 million from the AfDB, US$ 34.5 million from the GCF, US$ 14.8 million from Arab Bank and US$ 10 million from the SEFA under the COVID-19 IPP relief programme. The project already has equity bridge loans of US$ 14 million from the EBRD and US$ 45 million from the Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (APICORP). The changes are in response to improved water supply conditions due to recent winter storms. JURUPA VALLEY, Calif. , April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of Jurupa Community Services District, also known as JCSD, moved to ease drought restrictions at its meeting on Monday, April 24. This change marks the first time JCSD has modified its drought response level since 2016. The Board of Directors emphasized the need for all customers to continue water conservation as a way of life. California has been experiencing multiple years of drought conditions, culminating in several emergency actions by Governor Gavin Newsom and the State Water Resources Control Board. Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-7-22 on March 28, 2022, which mandated several drought actions, including requiring all water suppliers to move to a Level 2 drought response. Each level of an agency's drought response carries additional restrictions and conservation targets. In anticipation of escalating drought conditions, the JCSD Board of Directors adopted a resolution on October 19, 2021, in Support of a Water Supply Alert. The Water Supply Alert called on customers to voluntarily reduce their water use by 15 percent. Since 2016, JCSD has been at a Drought Response Level 2, known as a Drought Caution, which restricts different types of water use deemed wasteful, and establishes a water conservation target. Chirs Berch, JCSD's General Manager, said, "As the drought grew throughout California in 2021, JCSD proactively responded with increased education and conservation efforts." Berch continued, "Our community can be proud and confident in JCSD's leadership during the trying times of drought." Following multiple years of drought and dry conditions, California received record-setting amounts of precipitation and snow through several large storms since January. According to the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, Riverside has received over 15 inches of rainfall, or nearly 140% of the annual average as of April 20. California has also experienced exceptional snowfall as a result of recent storms. At its fourth Phillips Station Snow Survey, the California Department of Water Resources recorded 126.5 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 54 inches, which is 221 percent of the April 3 average for that location. As a result of the winter storms, Governor Newsom rolled back several drought emergency provisions that are no longer needed due to current water conditions. The Governor's action on March 24, 2023, ended the requirement that local water agencies implement level 2 of their drought contingency plans and several other measures. The Board of Directors moved JCSD's drought response level down to a Level 1 Drought Watch in response to improved water supply conditions and the Governor's recent actions. Level 1 is the lowest of the drought response levels. At Level 1, water use restrictions are voluntary, with an increase in public education and outreach efforts to enhance awareness of water conservation practices and a voluntary conservation target of up to 10 percent. "We thank the residents of Jurupa Valley and Eastvale for their commitment to conservation during the drought and are grateful to be in a place where we can lift many restrictions," says JCSD Board President Lupe Nava. "While this year's historic rainfall has helped our region, we continue to encourage everyone to implement water conservation efforts, so we can continue to protect this precious resource." According to the United States Drought Monitor, as of April 13, 2023, JCSD's service area is not experiencing any drought or abnormally dry conditions. Statewide, no region of California is experiencing Exceptional Drought, Extreme Drought, or Severe Drought conditions, and only 8% of California is experiencing Moderate Drought Conditions. At JCSD's Board meeting on Monday, Community Affairs Supervisor Arman Tarzi reminded the audience of the need to continue protecting water resources. Tarzi said, "The increased volatility of California's climate, going from several years of extremely dry conditions to one of the wettest winters on record, proves that long-term water supply challenges will persist over the coming decades." Tarzi continued, "JCSD will continue to provide resources and financial incentives for customers to become more water efficient and conserve." For more information on water efficiency and conservation, visit www.JCSD.us/Conservation. Founded in 1956, the Jurupa Community Services District is a public governmental agency that provides services and programs to the cities of Jurupa Valley and Eastvale. It is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of five elected representatives from both cities. Serving over 130,000 people in a 40-square-mile area, JCSD provides a variety of community services and programs, including water, sewer, street lights, frontage landscape maintenance, graffiti abatement, and parks and recreation services. Contact: Emily Fuentes, Public Outreach Specialist (951) 685-7434 SOURCE Jurupa Community Services District DALLAS, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, April 19 Kering, Phaidon, and Artspace partnered with the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) to bring four artists featured in Great ( Women) Painters to Dallas, Texas. From the 300 painters featured in the survey that spans 500 years, Jennifer Guidi, Tschabalala Self, Genesis Tramaine, and Lisa Yuskavage visited Dallas to discuss how Phaidon's survey, widens and redefines the historical canon of women artists tells a richer and more varied story of painting. Praised by NPR, "the names and work of all these painters deserve to be better known." Tschabalala Self, Genesis Tramaine, Jennifer Guidi, and Lisa Yuskavage. (c) Kelly Alexander Photography "As part of our Women In Motion initiative, Kering is thrilled to partner with Phaidon once again on its influential 'Great Women ' series, which not only highlights the talent, stories, and voices of women artists, but also champions a future where women's vast contributions to arts and culture can no longer be overlooked and are elevated to their rightful place in history." Laurent Claquin, President of Kering Americas "At Phaidon, we are lucky to work with the some of the most beloved contemporary artists and rising stars. Great Women Painters is a project we are especially proud of because it showcases the great women painters from the past and present. Thanks to our longstanding partner Kering, we can further amplify the survey's important message: great women painters have always existed.' Keith Fox, CEO of Phaidon On Wednesday, April 19, the DMA hosted a public program for 250 attendees featuring Guidi, Self, Tramaine, and Yuskavage. In conversation with the DMA's Hoffman Family Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, Dr. Anna Katherine Brodbeck the artists discussed their own practices and other great women painters who inspired and mentored them. A private dinner honoring the four artists was attended by key patrons, collectors, and over 90 members of the Dallas arts, design, and fashion communities, including Gallery Owner Pilar Corrias; GRIMM Gallery Owner Jorg Grimm; Artist Simon Haas of the Haas brothers; and Wall Street Journal Art Market Reporter Kelly Crow. Guests enjoyed a seasonal meal prepared by Chefs Cassandra Moses of Art2Catering and Sharon Hage. The book-inspired meal featured White Asparagus Vichyssoise, Wild Striped Bass, and Lemon Souffle Cake. Set in the DMA's Hamon Atrium and elegantly styled by Todd Events, the dinner included toasts to the artists from Co-host, Philanthropist, and DMA Board Member Cindy Rachofsky, Kering Americas President Laurent Claquin, and Phaidon CEO Keith Fox. In an exclusive preview, Guidi's limited-edition, Rainbow Orb 2 was presented at the dinner and sold to benefit the DMA. Commissioned by Artspace, the new works were released on Thursday, April 20. To learn more about this series of limited editions visit: www.artspace.com/greatwomenpainters. On Thursday, April 20, the artists returned to the museum for a private mentoring session with a group of local students and educators from the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. SOURCE Phaidon Kyowa Kirin now leads commercial efforts for CRYSVITA in 40 countries/regions around the world Company commits to keep patient needs at the forefront of commercial and education efforts BEDMINSTER, N.J., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Kyowa Kirin, Inc., an affiliate of Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. (Kyowa Kirin, TSE: 4151), a top 50 global specialty pharmaceutical company, today assumes primary commercial leadership for CRYSVITA (burosumab-twza) injection in the United States and Canada from Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, Inc., a transition planned for from the start of their decade-long collaboration. Initially discovered and developed by Kyowa Kirin, CRYSVITA is a first-in-class medicine used to treat adults and children 6 months of age and older with X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) and adults and children 2 years of age and older with fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23)related hypophosphatemia in tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO) when the tumor cannot be located or removed. The transition builds on the company's existing commercial portfolio and commitment to address the needs of people living with rare diseases. "Our collaboration with Ultragenyx has been a great success for children and adults living with XLH and TIO. Their contributions were instrumental in expediting late-stage trials, securing regulatory approval, and delivering treatment to thousands of patients," said Steve Schaefer, President, Kyowa Kirin North America. "Kyowa Kirin intends to build on the successful launch and broad access that's been established for CRYSVITA, as well as the learnings we have from working alongside XLH and TIO communities around the world, to bring more research, education, and support to patients in North America." "Kyowa Kirin intends to build on the successful launch and broad access that's been established for CRYSVITA." Tweet this To prepare for its new commercial leadership role in North America, Kyowa Kirin has engaged with community leaders and people living with XLH and TIO to gain perspective on their experiences and how best to support them. The company has distilled these conversations into a pledge that articulates how it will act to ensure patient voices are heard and reflected in the company's decision-making going forward. To read the Pledge go here. About the Partnership Kyowa Kirin entered into a collaboration agreement with Ultragenyx in 2013 to hasten late-stage clinical studies and delivery of CRYSVITA to patients. Ultragenyx led Phase 3 studies and took responsibility for launching the medicine in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, and Turkey, while Kyowa Kirin leveraged its global footprint and capabilities to launch CRYSVITA across Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East in addition to global manufacturing and distribution. As part of the agreement, primary commercial responsibility for CRYSVITA in the U.S. and Canada would revert to Kyowa Kirin five years after first commercial use. During this time, the company experienced significant growth in North America, making significant investments in talent, technology, and infrastructure to support its rare disease business and services for patients, including the creation of Kyowa Kirin Cares, its comprehensive patient support program first launched to support the company's oncology franchise. Starting May 1, 2023, all support services for CRYSVITA patients and caregivers in the U.S. will be provided through this program. In addition to leading commercial efforts in Latin America and Turkey, Ultragenyx will continue to work with Kyowa Kirin for the next 12 months, providing support for some commercial activities in North America. About XLH and TIO X-linked hypophosphatemia is a rare, lifelong, genetic disease that can impact the bones and muscles in both children and adults. Tumor-induced osteomalacia is an extremely rare, difficult-to-diagnose disease caused by slow-growing tumors that occur throughout the body. In XLH and TIO, the body doesn't hold on to enough phosphorus, which is an essential mineral for bone health. This is due to the production of excess fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), causing the body to release too much phosphorus through the urine. When phosphorus levels are too low (hypophosphatemia), it can cause the softening and weakening of growing bones in children (rickets) and mature bones in adults (osteomalacia). In children, XLH typically appears as bowed legs or knock knees. Over time, bone weakening can also lead to bone abnormalities in the legs, delayed growth, and short stature. In adults, XLH may cause osteomalacia, fractures and pseudo-fractures, and hypophosphatemia. Patients with TIO may develop multiple bone abnormalities and can experience symptoms including severe hypophosphatemia, osteomalacia, and fractures. Symptoms are progressive and can lead to long-term disabilities, so it is vital that TIO be treated as soon as possible. About CRYSVITA CRYSVITA is a recombinant fully human monoclonal IgG1 antibody, discovered by Kyowa Kirin, which binds to and inhibits the biological activity of FGF23, the underlying cause of hypophosphatemia in XLH and TIO. By blocking FGF23, CRYSVITA helps to restore phosphorus reabsorption in the kidneys and increase the production of active vitamin D, which enhances intestinal absorption of phosphate and calcium. U.S. CRYSVITA Indication CRYSVITA is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 6 months of age and older with X-linked hypophosphatemia and adults and children 2 years of age and older with fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23)related hypophosphatemia in tumor-induced osteomalacia when the tumor cannot be located or removed. Important Safety Information You should not take CRYSVITA if: You take an oral phosphate supplement and/or a specific form of vitamin D supplement (such as calcitriol, paricalcitol, doxercalciferol, calcifediol). Your phosphorus levels from a blood sample are within or above the normal range for age. You have kidney problems. What is the most important information you should know about CRYSVITA? Some patients developed allergic reactions (e.g., rash and hives) while taking CRYSVITA. Your doctor will monitor you for symptoms of an allergic reaction while you are taking CRYSVITA. High levels of phosphorus in the blood have been reported in some patients taking CRYSVITA. This may be related to a risk of high calcium levels in the kidneys. Your doctor will collect blood samples to monitor your levels. Administration of CRYSVITA may result in reactions at the injection site, such as hives, reddening of the skin, rash, swelling, bruising, pain, severe itching of the skin, and collection of blood outside of a blood vessel (i.e., hematoma). If you are taking CRYSVITA for TIO, your doctor will have you stop your CRYSVITA treatment temporarily if you are undergoing treatment for your tumor (e.g., surgical removal of the tumor or radiation therapy). What are the possible side effects of CRYSVITA? Adverse reactions that were seen in children with XLH are: Fever Injection site reaction Cough Vomiting Pain in arms and legs Headache Tooth abscess Dental cavities Diarrhea Decreased vitamin D levels Toothache Constipation Muscle pain Rash Dizziness Nausea Adverse reactions that were seen in adults with XLH are: Back pain Headache Tooth infection Restless legs syndrome Decreased vitamin D levels Dizziness Constipation Muscle spasms Phosphorus levels increased in the blood Narrowing of the spaces within the spine is common in adults with XLH, and pressure on the spinal cord has been reported in adults taking CRYSVITA. It is not known if taking CRYSVITA worsens the narrowing of the spaces within the spine or the pressure on the spinal cord. Adverse reactions that were seen in adults with TIO are: Tooth abscess Muscle spasms Dizziness Constipation Injection site reaction Rash Headache Before taking CRYSVITA, tell your doctor about all of your medications (including supplements) and medical conditions, including if you: Are taking oral phosphate and/or active vitamin D (such as calcitriol, paricalcitol, doxercalciferol, calcifediol). Are pregnant, think you may be pregnant, or plan to become pregnant. There is not enough experience to know if CRYSVITA may harm your unborn baby. Report pregnancies to the Kyowa Kirin, Inc. Adverse Event reporting line at 1-844-768-3544. Are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. There is not enough experience to know if CRYSVITA passes into your breast milk. Talk with your doctor about the best way to feed your baby while you receive CRYSVITA. While taking CRYSVITA, tell your doctor if you experience: An allergic reaction such as rash or hives A rash, swelling, bruising, or other reaction at the injection site New or worsening restless legs syndrome These are not all the possible side effects of CRYSVITA. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at (800) FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. You may also report side effects to Kyowa Kirin, Inc. at 1-844-768-3544. For important risk and use information, please see the full Prescribing Information. About Kyowa Kirin Kyowa Kirin strives to create and deliver novel medicines with life-changing value. As a Japan-based Global Specialty Pharmaceutical Company with a more than 70-year heritage, we apply cutting-edge science including expertise in antibody research and engineering, to address the needs of patients and society across multiple therapeutic areas including Nephrology, Oncology, Immunology/Allergy and Neurology. Across our four regions Japan, Asia Pacific, North America and EMEA/International we focus on our purpose, to make people smile, and are united by our shared values of commitment to life, teamwork/Wa, innovation, and integrity. You can learn more about the Kyowa Kirin North America at: https://kkna.kyowakirin.com/. SOURCE Kyowa Kirin SHREVEPORT, La., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Accountants all across the country are uncrossing their eyes and unscrambling their brains with the United States tax filing deadline coming and going. Poring over bank statements, analyzing spreadsheets and reconciling clients' accounts requires an eagle eye for detail along with tons of manual data entry and transaction-by-transaction checking. Laura Shahrdar, CEO, CPA Shahrdar Enterprises Keyvan Shahrdar, President of Shahrdar Enterprises and Professor at LSU Shreveport LSU Shreveport computer science professor Keyvan Shahrdar has developed a tool to lighten the load on accountants. Meet ChatbotCPA, a computer program that harnesses artificial intelligence and advanced natural language processing and machine learning to understand and complete tasks. ChatbotCPA can compare multiple documents like bank and credit card statements to a company's QuickBooks database, highlighting missing entries or discrepancies. An accountant can ask this intelligent assistant to then reconcile these accounts anything from providing a list of discrepancies to actually filling in the missing information on the spreadsheet. "Accountants can delegate repetitive and time-consuming tasks, such as data entry, expense categorization and transaction matching," said Shahrdar, who founded Shahrdar Enterprises LLC to pitch ChatbotCPA and other products to potential clients. "This frees up time for accountants to focus on more complex tasks and provide better service to their clients. "ChatbotCPA can streamline all kinds of processes and also eliminates the need for manual data entry, which significantly reduces the effort involved and improves data accuracy." Shahrdar generated the idea when his wife, accountant Laura Shahrdar, was describing the time-consuming steps in current accounting practices. "Accountants aren't computer scientists they aren't familiar with the intricacies of handling and sorting big data," Shahrdar said. "So I started toying with this idea when I noticed the inefficiencies and manual work involved in the accounting process. "My wife may spend a couple weeks processing a client's account, whether that's waiting on the client to send certain statements or manually processing the data. ChatbotCPA can do that in a couple of minutes." Laura Shahrdar's tax season operated more smoothly than in years past as she delegated many of her repetitive tasks to the chatbot. "This conversational processing automation bot handles various tasks that would otherwise consume a significant amount of time, such as reconciling accounts and tracking transactions," said Laura Shahrdar, CEO of Shahrdar Enterprises. "This allows me to focus on more complex and high-level financial analysis. "It has helped me manage a larger client base by automating these tasks. Many of these tasks are prone to human error because they are repetitive and complex but the chatbot can accurately and consistently perform these tasks because of its built-in algorithms and machine-learning capabilities." Laura Shahrdar said other typical functions in which the ChatbotCPA assists is flagging discrepancies between different data sets, tracking and categorizing expenses, generating financial reports and assisting with tax calculations and projections. The ChatbotCPA's development process started six months ago, beginning with the initial coding and programming of the system over a period of three weeks. Keyvan Shahrdar continued his tinkering by incorporating feedback from users and repeatedly updating ChatbotCPA's capabilities. Phillip Kilgore, a former LSUS professor who is a machine learning expert, said ChatbotCPA uses a natural language interface to understand and complete a command an accountant might give. Kilgore uses Star Trek captain Jean-Luc Picard and the USS Enterprise to explain how the accountant and ChatbotCPA work. "Captain Picard doesn't program the Enterprise's computer, he just says what he wants, and the computer susses out the intent and makes it happen," said Kilgore, who serves as Shahrdar Enterprises' chief technology officer. "The accountant is like a task master. "Accountants aren't spending as much time figuring out how to achieve a task. Instead, they are focusing on actually realizing the result, that is determining the materiality of what ChatbotCPA did. Accountants can make more informed decisions because they are spending less time doing the nitty gritty." Kilgore said because machine learning has been around for decades, programs like ChatbotCPA are accurate because they complete tasks with rote algorithms meaning the process doesn't change. Accountants can discern meaning and importance from data provided by ChatbotCPA while also staying abreast of the constant legal changes. The ChatbotCPA is also capable of communicating with clients, sending regular updates about the client's account status via email. "The bot's ability to interact with clients has streamlined communication, reducing the time spent on back-and-forth emails and phone calls," Laura Shahrdar said. "It allows accountants to focus on more critical aspects of their job, ensuring a higher level of overall service quality." Keyvan Shahrdar said he's received interest from a top 25 accounting firm in the U.S. among other potential clients. Media Contact: Matt Vines Communications Specialist, LSUS Public Relations Louisiana State University Shreveport [email protected] 318-797-5000 SOURCE LSU Shreveport Ami Richter, Co-Founder and Designer of Lug, shares her enthusiasm about the launch: "We are thrilled to introduce our Home Organization line on QVC. Our loyal customers have trusted Lug bags for years, and we believe our new home products will make their lives even more organized and efficient." "Given Lug's success on QVC and unique approach to function, quality, organization and style, we're thrilled to introduce their new collection to our storage category," Allie Koscevic, DMM, QVC. The Home Organization line includes various products such as storage bins, closet organizers, and travel accessories, all designed with Lug's signature flair for combining style and functionality. Each item is crafted with the same dedication to quality and attention to detail that has made Lug bags a household name. "Given the tremendous success of Lug's handbags and accessories on QVC and the brand's unique approach to function, quality, organization and style, we are so excited to introduce this new collection to our growing storage and organization category," Allie Koscevic, DMM, Home Merchandising, QVC. "The entry into the home organization category is a natural extension for the Lug brand. The collection combines functionality with trendy prints and colors that our customers love. In addition, each piece was developed thoughtfully, focusing on quality and durability. We know our QVC customers will be so excited to welcome Lug into their homes in a new way." "QVC is the perfect platform to showcase our new line of home products," says Jason Richter, Co-Founder and CEO of Lug. "Their focus on customer satisfaction aligns with our commitment to delivering top-notch products that make life easier and more enjoyable." Lug's successful bags have been praised for their thoughtful designs and durable materials. The company believes that its new Home Organization line will be just as successful, thanks to the same quality, functionality, and style principles. "As a company, we pride ourselves on offering practical solutions to everyday challenges," says Ami Richter. "Our new Home Organization line is a natural extension of our mission to provide customers with fashionable and functional products." To learn more about Lug's Home Organization line and explore their range of innovative products, tune in to QVC during the April 27th Feel Good Find show at 6pm-8pm ET or visit https://lug.life/HomeOrganization. About Lug: Founded in 2005 by Ami and Jason Richter, Lug is a leading designer and manufacturer of lifestyle bags and accessories. Focusing on innovative design and attention to detail, the company offers various products, including travel bags, handbags, and accessories. Lug's mission is to provide customers with fashionable, functional, and durable products that make life more organized and enjoyable. Lug has been featured in the media, including InStyle, O, The Oprah Magazine, and People StyleWatch, which has helped the brand to gain a loyal following among consumers. The brand has also been the official bag for the SAG Awards and Golden Globe Awards for multiple years, which is a testament to the quality and style of its products. Lug will also be the presenting sponsor of The Walt Disney Company's most significant event of the year, at Destination D23 this September in Orlando, Fl, celebrating Disney's 100th Anniversary. For more information, please visit www.luglife.com. SOURCE The Lug Companies The global lymphoma therapeutics market is driven by factors such as rise in the prevalence of lymphoma, rise in awareness of lymphoma cancer, and surge in investments in R&D activities by pharmaceutical companies for the development of more target specific lymphoma therapeutics PORTLAND, Ore., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Lymphoma therapeutics Market by Disease Type (Hodgkin Lymphoma and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma), by Treatment Type (Immune Therapy, Chemotherapy, Targeted Therapy and Radiation Therapy), by Route of Administration (Oral Route and Injectable), by Distribution Channel (Hospital Pharmacies, Retail Pharmacies and Online Pharmacies): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032". According to the report, the lymphoma therapeutics market is valued at $15,691.45 million in 2022 and is estimated to reach $35,207.45 million by 2032, exhibiting a CAGR of 8.4% from 2023 to 2032. Request Sample Report: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/1448 Prime determinants of growth The global lymphoma therapeutics market is driven by factors such as rise in the prevalence of lymphoma, rise in awareness of lymphoma cancer, and surge in investments in R&D activities by pharmaceutical companies for the development of more target specific lymphoma therapeutics. However, the high cost of available treatment and the stringent regulatory compliance for the approval of lymphoma therapeutics are hampering the market growth. On the contrary, the growing prevalence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and surge in awareness and concern about the availability of various treatment options for lymphoma are expected to offer remunerative opportunities for expansion of the lymphoma therapeutics market during the forecast period. Report coverage & details: Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 20232032 Base Year 2022 Market Size in 2022 $15,691.45 million Market Size in 2032 $35,207.45 million CAGR 8.4 % No. of Pages in Report 481 Segments covered Disease Type, Treatment Type, Route of Administration, Distribution Channel, and Region. Drivers Surge in prevalence of lymphoma Increase in number of drugs in pipeline Rise in number of clinical trials Opportunities High growth potential in developing economies Restraints High cost of available treatment Covid-19 Scenario The global lymphoma therapeutics market was negatively impacted during the pandemic, owing to delayed diagnosis and treatment and impact on clinical trials. However, the market is expected to witness a recovery post-pandemic, owing to rise in prevalence of lymphoma and surge in number of drug approvals to treat lymphoma. Procure Complete Report (481 Pages PDF with Insights, Charts, Tables, and Figures) https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/checkout-final/lymphoma-therapeutics-market The non-hodgkin lymphoma segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period Based on disease type, the non-hodgkin lymphoma segment held the highest market share in 2022, accounting for more than four-fifths of the global lymphoma therapeutics market revenue and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. This segment is projected to manifest significant growth with a CAGR of 8.7% from 2023 to 2032, owing to rise in the prevalence of non-hodgkin lymphoma and surge in development of new and more effective drugs by key market players to treat non-hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The immune therapy segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period Based on treatment type, the immune therapy segment held the highest market share in 2022, accounting for more than two-fifths of the global lymphoma therapeutics market revenue and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period, owing to advancement in immunology, increase in availability of immune therapies, and rise in number of product approvals across the world. However, the targeted therapy segment is projected to manifest a significant CAGR of 9.4% from 2023 to 2032, owing to rise in prevalence of Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma and advantages offered by targeted therapies such as the accuracy of the therapy in the targeting of the cancer cells. The hospital pharmacies segment to maintain its lead position during the forecast period Based on distribution channel, the hospital pharmacies segment accounted for the largest share in 2022, contributing to more than two-fifths of the global lymphoma therapeutics market revenue and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. This segment is projected to manifest significant growth with a CAGR of 9.0% from 2023 to 2032, owing to the fact that lymphoma therapeutics are mostly dispensed in hospital pharmacies for hospitalized patients. In addition, rise in consumption of lymphoma therapeutics in hospitals acts as the key driver of the segment. For Purchase Inquiry- https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/1448 North America to maintain its dominance by 2032 Based on region, North America held the highest market share in terms of revenue in 2022, accounting for around two-fifths of the global lymphoma therapeutics market revenue and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. The Lymphoma therapeutics market is mainly driven by rise in prevalence of lymphoma, development in lymphoma therapeutics, including targeted therapies and immunotherapies, and surge in number of new product launches by key market players in this region. However, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to witness the fastest CAGR of 9.1% from 2023 to 2032, owing to rise in prevalence of lymphoma and growing initiative in R&D activities for the development of advanced therapies for the treatment of a wide range of lymphomas. Leading Market Players: - AstraZeneca PLC Bayer AG Bristol Myers Squibb Co. Eli Lily and Company and Company F Hoffman La Roche Ltd Johnson & Johnson Gilead Sciences Inc. Seagen Inc. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. Pfizer Inc. The report provides a detailed analysis of these key players of the global lymphoma therapeutics 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. Trending Reports in Healthcare Industry: Biomarkers Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20202030 Male Infertility Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2030 Biosimilars Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2030 Synthetic Biology Market- Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20202030 Medical/Diagnostic Imaging Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20202030 Dialysis Market- Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20202030 AVENUE- A Subscription-Based Library (Premium on-demand, subscription-based pricing model) Offered by Allied Market Research: AMR introduces its online premium subscription-based library Avenue, designed specifically to offer cost-effective, one-stop solution for enterprises, investors, and universities. With Avenue, subscribers can avail an entire repository of reports on more than 2,000 niche industries and more than 12,000 company profiles. 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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 domains. AMR offers its services across 11 industry verticals including Life Sciences, Consumer Goods, Materials & Chemicals, Construction & Manufacturing, Food & Beverages, Energy & Power, Semiconductor & Electronics, Automotive & Transportation, ICT & Media, Aerospace & Defense, and BFSI. 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. 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Contact David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States Toll Free: +1-800-792-5285 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1-855-550-5975 [email protected] Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com Follow Us on: LinkedIn Twitter Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg SOURCE Allied Market Research HONOLULU, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of Matson, Inc. (NYSE: MATX), a leading U.S. carrier in the Pacific, approved adding three million shares to the existing nine million share repurchase program and extending the program to December 31, 2025. As of April 26, 2023, the existing share repurchase program had approximately 0.7 million shares remaining. The Board also declared a second quarter dividend of $0.31 per common share. The dividend will be paid on June 1, 2023 to all shareholders of record as of the close of business on May 11, 2023. "We are pleased to announce an additional three million shares to our existing share repurchase program," said Matt Cox, Matson's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Since we commenced our share repurchase program in August 2021, we have repurchased approximately 8.3 million shares for a total cost of nearly $650 million. Going forward, we will continue to be both disciplined and opportunistic in our capital allocation, and we remain committed to returning excess cash to shareholders to create additional shareholder value over the long-term." Shares will be repurchased in the open market from time to time at the Company's discretion, based on ongoing assessments of the capital needs of the business, the market price of its common shares and general market conditions. The Company may enter into Rule 10b5-1 plans to facilitate purchases under the program. The repurchase program may be suspended or discontinued at any time. About the Company Founded in 1882, Matson (NYSE: MATX) is a leading provider of ocean transportation and logistics services. Matson provides a vital lifeline of ocean freight transportation services to the domestic non-contiguous economies of Hawaii, Alaska, and Guam, and to other island economies in Micronesia. Matson also operates premium, expedited services from China to Long Beach, California, provides service to Okinawa, Japan and various islands in the South Pacific, and operates an international export service from ports in Alaska to Asia. The Company's fleet of owned and chartered vessels includes containerships, combination container and roll-on/roll-off ships and custom-designed barges. Matson Logistics, established in 1987, extends the geographic reach of Matson's transportation network throughout North America and Asia. Its integrated, asset-light logistics services include rail intermodal, highway brokerage, warehousing, freight consolidation, supply chain management, and freight forwarding to Alaska. Additional information about the Company is available at www.matson.com. Forward Looking Statements Statements in this news release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements," within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the relevant forward-looking statement, including but not limited to, statements about capital allocation plans and the timing, manner and volume of repurchases of common shares pursuant to the repurchase program. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. This release should be read in conjunction with our Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other filings with the SEC through the date of this release, which identify important factors that could affect the forward-looking statements in this release. We do not undertake any obligation to update our forward-looking statements. SOURCE Matson, Inc. A Tree Will Be Planted For Every Mattress Purchased HOUSTON, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of Earth Day, Mattress Firm, the nation's largest mattress specialty retailer, today announced the exclusive availability of Sleepy's Willow, a new mattress collection featuring natural, hypoallergenic and certified organic materials. Available online and in select stores nationwide, the new collection includes the Sleepy's Willow Firm, Sleepy's Willow Medium and Sleepy's Willow Plush Euro Top. With each purchase of a Sleepy's Willow mattress, a tree will be planted around the world. And, each mattress comes complete with a seed paper label that can be planted and grown into a lavender plant, as the scent of lavender has been associated with relaxation and sleep in multiple studies. "As a consumer-centric company, we are always adjusting our approach to deliver what our consumers are looking for, and it's clear there is growing interest in natural products," said Anne Dament, Chief Merchandising Officer. "That's why, with the help of our Sleep Experts, we created the Sleepy's Willow collection which features natural and certified organic materials and also checks all the boxes for a great night's sleep." The award-winning Sleepy's Willow collection has a luxurious, breathable cover that uses GOTS certified cotton to better wick away moisture and keep sleepers warm or cool when they need it most, a GOLS Certified Organic Latex core and steel coils that offer pressure relieving support to prevent tossing and turning with increased airflow to move heat away from your body. The Sleepy's Willow mattress collection pairs well with any of Mattress Firm's adjustable bases. Starting today, the Sleepy's Willow collection is available online at MattressFirm.com and across nearly 100 neighborhood Mattress Firm locations, ranging from $1,199 to $2,499. Whether you're a back or stomach sleeper, Sleepy's Willow collection is a great fit for anyone looking to choose a mattress that features more natural materials. To get the perfect mattress based on individual sleep needs, shoppers can speak with a Mattress Firm Sleep Expert at any neighborhood location and use the MattressMatcher tool on MattressFirm.com. About Mattress Firm Mattress Firm, the nation's largest omni-channel mattress specialty retailer, has been helping solve America's sleep problems for more than 90 years through our family of brands. Every one of our more than 6,500 passionate Sleep Experts are driven by a common purpose: to change people's lives through better sleep. Whether browsing online or in one of our 2,300+ stores, our highly trained team provides personalized service and advice to help customers choose the right mattress and bedding products based on their unique needs. Our expertly curated selection of products include leading brands such as Beautyrest, Nectar, Sealy, Serta, Simmons, Sleepy's Stearns & Foster, Tempur-Pedic, Tuft & Needle, tulo, and Purple. Mattress Firm supports local and national charities through product and monetary donations and offers employee volunteering opportunities to serve their communities. No matter the time of night, Mattress Firm wants to help people get the sleep they deserve. Our Sleep.com website provides expert advice and helps people explore the health benefits of quality sleep, and the Sleep.com app provides free sleep tracking and personalized insights to improve sleep. Achieve your best sleep by visiting MattressFirm.com , and learn more on the Mattress Firm Newsroom and by following @MattressFirm on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Mattress Firm Public Relations Media Contacts: G'Nai Blakemore [email protected] Amanda Yodice [email protected] SOURCE Mattress Firm HUDDINGE, Sweden, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- "Thanks to the strong interest from clinicians and patients, we were able to swiftly dose the first patients in the phase 2a part of the combination study with fostrox and Lenvima in HCC after completed dose escalation" January March Financial summary for the quarter Net turnover amounted to SEK 0.4 (0.5) million. (0.5) million. The loss before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounted to SEK -18.9 (-31.4) million. Basic and diluted earnings per share amounted to SEK -0.34 (-0.59) and SEK -0.34 (-0.59) respectively. (-31.4) million. Basic and diluted earnings per share amounted to (-0.59) and (-0.59) respectively. Cash flow from operating activities amounted to SEK -16.1 (-39.9) million. (-39.9) million. Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period amounted to SEK 100.8 (180.8) million. Significant events during the quarter In January, Medivir's partner Infex Therapeutics received Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) designation from the FDA for MET-X. In February, it was announced that the recommended dose (RP2D) for the first combination arm of the phase 2a part of the fostrox study was established at 30 mg for fostrox in combination with Lenvima . . In February, Pia Baumann took over as CMO at Medivir. took over as CMO at Medivir. In March, it was announced that the first patient had been dosed in the phase 2a part of Medivir's study with fostrox in combination with Lenvima . . In March, it was announced that Medivir's nomination committee to the 2023 annual general meeting proposes a board consisting of current members Uli Hacksell, Lennart Hansson , Yilmaz Mahshid, Anette Lindqvist and Bengt Westermark . The nomination committee also proposes re-election of Uli Hacksell as chairman of the board. Events after the end of the period In April, new data were presented showing synergistic anti-tumor effect of fostrox in triple combination with anti-PD1 and Lenvima in non-clinical tumor models. Conference call for investors, analysts and the media The Interim Report January - March 2023 will be presented by Medivir's CEO, Jens Lindberg. Time: Thursday, April 27, 2023, at 15.00 (CET). For dial-in numbers to the conference call, please see information on the website; www.medivir.com/investors/calendar The conference call will also be streamed via a link on the website: www.medivir.com The presentation will be available on Medivir's website after completion of the conference. CEO's message The first quarter of the year has been eventful in a very positive way for Medivir. In February, we were able to complete the dose escalation part and establish the recommended phase 2 dose for fostrox in combination with Lenvima for patients with primary liver cancer. Shortly thereafter, the first patient was dosed in the phase 2a part of the combination study, where safety and signs of efficacy are further evaluated. We have also presented at the AACR in April new data on the synergistic anti-tumor effect of fostrox in triple combination with anti-PD1 and Lenvima in non-clinical tumor models. The strong interest from both patients and clinicians in Medivir's combination study with fostrox confirms the great medical need for more effective treatments for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The interest in participating in the study has been very large and enabled us to complete the dose escalation part and shortly afterwards start the treatment of the first patient with HCC in the phase 2a part of the combination study with fostrox and Lenvima. The preliminary results from the dose escalation part with fostrox in combination with Lenvima were positive with a good safety and tolerability profile and no dose-limiting toxicity has been observed. The results from the dose escalation and expansion phase will form the basis of the future development plan for fostrox. Lenvima is today established as standard treatment for second-line HCC. This means that the combination of fostrox and Lenvima has clear potential to contribute to more patients in the second line getting an increased clinical benefit from their treatment. For the other combination arm where fostrox is given together with Keytruda, the phase 1b part is still ongoing. We have also, after the end of the quarter, presented new data describing the potential for fostrox to enhance anti-tumor activity in a triple combination with anti-PD-1 and kinase inhibitors in non-clinical tumor models. In order for more patients to get a satisfactory effect from their treatment, new combination options with different mechanisms of action will be critical. These new data show a synergistic anti-tumor effect when these three different treatments are combined. Fostrox, with its unique, liver-targeted approach, opens up completely new combinations with three different approaches to effectively treat HCC. Pia Baumann has been in place since February as the new CMO at Medivir and her experiences will be very valuable for the continued clinical development of fostrox. Medivir's clinical project birinapant is out-licensed to IGM Biosciences, which is running a phase I clinical trial in solid tumors with birinapant in combination with its own DR5 agonist antibody IGM-8444. During the quarter, the fourth dose-escalation cohort was completed and no dose-limiting toxicity has been observed to date. IGM has started the dosing of a fifth cohort in the study. I would also like to mention our preclinical MBLI program aimed at addressing the threat of resistant bacteria. It is licensed to INFEX Therapeutics in England and MET-X, which is the name of the project, received QIDP classification by the FDA in January. INFEX has communicated its intention to initiate a phase 1 program in 2023. In summary, an eventful quarter with the clinical development of fostrox in focus. We hope and believe that fostrox can become an effective treatment against liver cancer that makes a real difference for the patients and for the care and thus also for our shareholders. I look forward to keeping you informed of Medivir's continued development. Jens Lindberg Chief Executive Officer For further information, please contact Magnus Christensen, CFO Phone: +46 (0)8 5468 3100 E-mail: [email protected] This report has not been subject to auditors' review. The information was submitted for publication at 08.30 CET on April 27, 2023. The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/652/3759192/2015439.pdf MEDIVIR AB a" INTERIM REPORT JANUARY a" MARCH 2023 (PDF) SOURCE Medivir WASHINGTON, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Melanoma Research Alliance, the largest non-profit funder of melanoma research, and SPOTMYUV, the world's first clinically proven UV Detection Sticker, are renewing their successful partnership to promote sun safety and effective use of sunscreen. Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States. In fact, an estimated 1 out of 5 Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. This year alone, an estimated 5.5 million cases will be diagnosed just in the United States. Studies show that over 90% of skin cancers, including melanoma, can be prevented by regular use of sunscreen and other sun safety strategies. Top advice includes: When outside, seek out shade . This is especially important between the hours of 10am 2pm , when UV rays are the strongest. . This is especially important between the hours of , when UV rays are the strongest. Cover your skin. Wear clothing that is protective of your arms, legs and/or is made with UPF fabric. Wear clothing that is protective of your arms, legs and/or is made with UPF fabric. Wear a hat . Preferably one with a wide brim, to protect your head, face, and neck. . Preferably one with a wide brim, to protect your head, face, and neck. Protect your eyes and the delicate skin surrounding them with sunglasses. and the delicate skin surrounding them with sunglasses. Make sunscreen a daily habit to help protect skin that isn't covered with clothing. Skin cancer is largely preventable, yet a 2018 study found that only 30% of women and less than 15% of men regularly used sunscreen on both the face and other exposed skin.1 A later study in 2019, found 1 out of every 3 Americans reports getting sunburned each year.2 "Our original behavioral studies showed that SPOTMYUV Detection Stickers helped wearers use sunscreen more effectively by reapplying more often and using 25% more sunscreen overall," said Chad Sweeting, inventor of SPOTMYUV. "As a personalized reminder of UV exposure, using SPOTMYUV reinforces and improves sun-safe habits." Through the partnership, the two organizations will co-develop sun safety and skin cancer prevention materials that empower consumers to protect themselves and those they love from UV exposure. In addition, MRA will distribute more than 10,000 SPOTMYUV UV Detection Stickers at events throughout the summer. Each sticker gives the wearer a personalized reminder of when it is time to reapply their sunscreen. "It's very clear that we have so much work to do to make Americans understand the importance of sun safety and its role in preventing melanoma and other types of skin cancer," said MRA Chief Executive Officer Marc Hurlbert, PhD. "That's why we are so pleased to continue our partnership with SPOTMYUV to promote sun safety and highlight how to use sunscreens effectively." About Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) The Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) stands as the largest non-profit funder of melanoma research. Founded in 2007 by Debra and Leon Black, MRA's mission is to end suffering and death due to melanoma by advancing the world's most promising science and research. MRA provides critical funding for melanoma cancer research that propels advances in prevention, diagnosis, treatment, metastasis, and survivorship. MRA-funded researchers have been behind every major breakthrough in melanoma research. Since MRA's inception, more than 15 new therapeutic approaches for melanoma have earned FDA approval. MRA is recognized as one of the most fiscally efficient non-profits in the country. Because MRA's Founders' generously cover 100% of MRA's administrative and operating costs, every dollar donated is invested directly into MRA's scientific and research program. For more information, please visit: www.CureMelanoma.org . LinkedIn: melanoma-research-alliance Twitter: @MelanomaReAlli Instagram: @melanoma Facebook: MelanomaResearchAlliance About SPOTMYUV: Created by three Nanotechnology Engineers at the University of Waterloo, SPOTMYUV is the only patented color change UV detection product that allows the wearer to monitor their UVA/UVB exposure in real-time. SPOTMYUV's patented Dermatrue skin-mimicking technology interacts with sunscreen like natural skin, absorbing and releasing sunscreens at the same rate. The mission of SPOTMYUV is to increase awareness and educate about the dangers of UVA & UVB sun exposure and change people's sun safety behaviours. The lack of education and awareness and our vanity are the number one reasons melanoma has taken over as the fastest-growing cancer in the United States, according to CA Cancer J Clinic, 2020. The SPOTMYUV technology has won over 50 prestigious awards, including the Dyson award, Buffalo's 43North Prize and grants from Johnson and Johnson. For more info, visit www.spotmyuv.com Follow along on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok @spotmyuv. Media Contacts: KWT Global [email protected] Cody R. Barnett, Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement [email protected] SOURCE Melanoma Research Alliance AEP Ohio has scheduled an open house to discuss upgrading transmission line infrastructure in eastern Columbus. The Morse-Gahanna-East Broad Transmission Line Rebuild Project involves rebuilding about 9 miles of 138-kilovolt transmission line and upgrading five area substations. Company representatives plan to rebuild most of the power line in or near the existing right-of-way, which may involve acquiring new or updating existing property easements. The project strengthens the electric transmission system by replacing aging wooden H-frame structures from the 1950s with modern single steel poles. The existing transmission line has experienced eight service interruptions since 2015 and does not meet AEP engineering standards. These upgrades improve operational performance, reduce the likelihood of extended power outages and enhance electric reliability for area customers. Company officials are hosting an in-person open house and a virtual open house and invite community members and landowners to learn more and share input. Date: Tuesday, April 26. Time: 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Location: Gahanna Middle School East Cafeteria 730 Clotts Road, Columbus, Ohio, 43230 The events do not include a formal presentation, so attendees can arrive at any time to review area maps and talk with company representatives. Residents who are interested in learning more about the project and visiting the virtual open house can visit AEPOhio.com/Morse-Gahanna-EastBroad About AEP Ohio AEP Ohio is based in Gahanna, Ohio, and is a unit of American Electric Power. AEP Ohio provides electricity to 1.5 million customers. News and information about AEP Ohio can be found at AEPOhio.com. American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is powering a cleaner, brighter energy future for its customers and communities. AEP's approximately 16,700 employees operate and maintain the nation's largest electricity transmission system and more than 224,000 miles of distribution lines to safely deliver reliable and affordable power to 5.5 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation's largest electricity producers with approximately 31,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including more than 7,100 megawatts of renewable energy. The company's plans include growing its renewable generation portfolio to approximately 50% of total capacity by 2030. AEP is on track to reach an 80% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from 2005 levels by 2030 and has committed to achieving net zero by 2045. AEP is recognized consistently for its focus on sustainability, community engagement, and diversity, equity and inclusion. AEP's family of companies includes utilities AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana, east Texas and the Texas Panhandle). AEP also owns AEP Energy, which provides innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide. For more information, visit aep.com. AMSTERDAM and OSLO, Norway, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- MPC Energy Solutions (MPCES, Company) today announces its Q1 2023 results. The quarter was marked by several milestones including connecting three more projects to the power grid and signing long-term off-take agreements for new projects. Revenues and operating profits increased significantly compared to Q1 2022. "The results of the first quarter underline the scale-up we can expect from our business going forward and these effects will become even more visible as the year progresses. We continue to build more power plants, expand our development backlog and grow our revenues and operating income. MPCES is in a stronger position now than at any time since the IPO in early 2021," says Stefan H.A. Meichsner, Chief Financial Officer of MPCES. The Company develops, builds, owns and operates renewable energy projects, including solar PV and wind farms as well as hybrid and energy efficiency solutions, in Latin America and the Caribbean. Highlights of the quarter Announcing the start of operations for two plants in El Salvador ( Santa Rosa and Villa Sol) and Puerto Rico (Neol CHP LLC), in addition to completing the construction of a 12.3 MW solar plant in Colombia (Parque Solar Los Girasoles) and connecting it to the power grid. ( and Villa Sol) and (Neol CHP LLC), in addition to completing the construction of a 12.3 MW solar plant in (Parque Solar Los Girasoles) and connecting it to the power grid. Signing a long-term power purchase agreement in Guatemala with one of the country's largest private companies with one of the country's largest private companies Expansion further into Puerto Rico by investing in a new combined-heat-and-power project. by investing in a new combined-heat-and-power project. The company generated USD 1.7 million in revenues during the first quarter of this year ( USD 0.5 million in Q1 2022). in revenues during the first quarter of this year ( in Q1 2022). Project-level earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) were USD 0.7 million (Q1 2022: USD 0.3 million ), and project-level earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) were USD 0.4 million (Q1 2022: USD 0.3 million ). (Q1 2022: ), and project-level earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) were (Q1 2022: ). Without including contributions from energy trading activities in Colombia , the results for revenue, project-level EBITDA and project-level EBIT were USD 1.4 million , USD 0.9 million and USD 0.5 million , respectively, in line with the Company's expectation and significantly exceeding the Q1 2022 results. The Company expects proportionate revenues of about USD 10 million this year, with proportionate operating profits on project level expected to grow to around USD 7 million. On consolidated level, MPCES reported negative EBITDA and EBIT of USD 0.7 million and USD 1.5 million, respectively, and a net loss for the reporting period of USD 1.1 million. MPCES ended the first quarter 2023 with total assets of USD 130.0 million, of which USD 17.7 million were cash and cash equivalents. The consolidated equity ratio of the group as of 31 March 2023 was 58%. The Company will host a webcast for the investment community today at 09:00 a.m. CET. There will be a Q&A session after the presentation, and a recording and written transcript of the webcast will be published on the Company's website afterwards. From 09:00 am CET, the presentation to be reviewed during the webcast will be available on our website: https://www.mpc-energysolutions.com/investors/reports-presentations Q1 webcast information: Date: 27 April 2023 Time: 09:00 am CET Duration: 30 minutes incl. Q&A The live webcast can be accessed through the following link: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/kd4gjja8 About MPC Energy Solutions MPC Energy Solutions ("MPCES") is a global provider of sustainable energy and primarily focuses on low-carbon energy infrastructure, including solar and wind farms, and other hybrid and energy efficiency solutions. The Company participates in the full project lifecycle of renewable solutions, from early-stage development through construction and operation. More details at www.mpc-energysolutions.com Media contacts MPC Energy Solutions N.V. Investor Relations & Public Relations Email: [email protected] Norway Mats Samdahl Weltz Salto Advisers AS Phone: +47 950 46 330 Email: [email protected] United Kingdom Judith Ugwumadu Montieth & Company Phone: +44 7774 985705 Email: [email protected] Americas Perry Goldman Montieth & Company Phone: +1 (646) 8643568 Email: [email protected] The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/20542/3758919/2015200.pdf MPCES_Q1 2023 Report SOURCE MPC Energy Solutions N.V. WASHINGTON, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Institute on Retirement Security ( NIRS ) has delivered a new report to the Alaska Department of Education on the impacts of various retirement benefit offerings on the recruitment and retention of Alaska's public education employees. The report finds that switching Alaska's public employees from defined benefit pension plans to 401(k)-style defined contribution accounts resulted in more public educators leaving their positions. The research comes as teacher shortages plague Alaska and communities across the country. The new report, Alaska Teacher Recruitment and Retention Study: Options and Analysis Supporting Retirement Plan Design, is based on Alaska Retirement Management Board data. The study benchmarks retirement benefit offerings among state-level plans in Alaska and nationwide, and it analyzes the evolution of public retirement plans since the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009. Using available information about the retention of Alaska's educational workforce, the report offers insights on the policy decisions involved with returning to defined benefit pensions. A new report details the impact of retirement benefits on the recruitment and retention of Alaska's teachers. Tweet this Read the report. "At a time when many states and communities are experiencing unprecedented teacher shortages, it's important to understand what can be done to recruit and retain qualified public education employees," said Dan Doonan , NIRS executive director and report author. "The Alaska data tells a compelling story: defined benefit pensions are better at keeping teachers in classrooms than defined contribution accounts. The impact on Alaska's classrooms is clear because the state's data show nearly half of newly hired teachers in the defined contribution plan are leaving their jobs within two years. What is less clear is the cumulative cost of hiring so many new teachers to deal with rising attrition rates in Alaska," Doonan said. In 2005, the Alaska legislature voted to close its two statewide defined benefit pension plans for teachers and public employees in a misguided effort to manage the unfunded liability. Since July 1, 2006, all new Alaska hires participate in defined contribution plans rather than a pension plan. The retirement plan change did not address the funding shortfall, and it also had the unintended consequence of creating workforce recruitment and retention challenges for public employers. The lack of a defined benefit pension plan and competitive benefits often is directly cited as a major reason why Alaska struggles to recruit teachers, state troopers, and other public employees. Key findings of the report are as follows: Changing demographics and actuarial assumptions, which are created by studying the workforce trends within Alaska's plans, indicate that the percentage of workers who are leaving the Teachers Retirement System (TRS) and Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) has been significantly higher in the defined contribution (DC) plan than in the defined benefit plan. Meanwhile, based on the number of people leaving for reasons other than retirement, death, or disability, improving retention among those in the defined contribution plan presents the greatest opportunities. plans, indicate that the percentage of workers who are leaving the Teachers Retirement System (TRS) and Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) has been significantly higher in the defined contribution (DC) plan than in the defined benefit plan. Meanwhile, based on the number of people leaving for reasons other than retirement, death, or disability, improving retention among those in the defined contribution plan presents the greatest opportunities. Other states have not followed Alaska in moving away from offering a pension in favor of a defined contribution plan. While changes were made to the pension plans offered by nearly all states, the vast majority still offer a pension, while some have moved towards offering a choice or a combination of the two plan types. in moving away from offering a pension in favor of a defined contribution plan. While changes were made to the pension plans offered by nearly all states, the vast majority still offer a pension, while some have moved towards offering a choice or a combination of the two plan types. Given the broad understanding that teacher effectiveness improves significantly after the first few years, teacher retention not only reduces burdens in maintaining an adequate workforce, but also has a positive impact on the quality of education that schools provide. There are many important considerations beyond simply whether Alaska returns to offering a defined benefit pension. The experiences of other states provide great insights regarding the tools that other states use to produce more stable pension costs, which include cost sharing, conditional post-retirement benefit increases, funding strategies, and the use of a reserve fund. While few states use all four strategies, all are viable options for consideration. returns to offering a defined benefit pension. The experiences of other states provide great insights regarding the tools that other states use to produce more stable pension costs, which include cost sharing, conditional post-retirement benefit increases, funding strategies, and the use of a reserve fund. While few states use all four strategies, all are viable options for consideration. Pensions are generally much more efficient at delivering benefits per dollar of cost. However, plan demographics and cashflows may impact decision-making as the TRS and PERS plans move toward a spend-down stage, which could make existing obligations more expensive to honor. In contrast, plans in other states (which are still open) have maintained more balanced plan demographics and cashflows. Additional research from NIRS examining jurisdictions that have moved away from pensions includes Enduring Challenges: Examining the Experiences of States that Closed Pension Plans and Retirement Reform Lessons: The Experience of Palm Beach Public Safety Pensions . The National Institute on Retirement Security is a non-profit, non-partisan organization established to contribute to informed policymaking by fostering a deep understanding of the value of retirement security to employees, employers, and the economy as a whole. Located in Washington, D.C., NIRS membership includes financial services firms, employee benefit plans, trade associations, and other retirement service providers. More information is available at www.nirsonline.org. SOURCE National Institute on Retirement Security For National Parks Week, Travel Lemming analyzed data to rank all 63 US national parks. Lesser-known parks topped the list, while famous parks fell short. DENVER, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- To celebrate National Parks Week, Travel Lemming released a data-backed ranking of all 63 US national parks. The report finds lesser-known parks outperforming traditional favorites, with Yellowstone National Park falling to position #23. Offering a fresh perspective on America's natural treasures, Travel Lemming's USA national parks ranking assesses each park across six factors: affordability, accessibility, biodiversity, crowds, reviews, and weather. Travel Lemming Senior Travel Writer McKenna Mobley in Grand Canyon National Park. Travel Lemming Senior Travel Writer Andrew Bloem in Virgin Islands National Park. The following are key takeaways from the report: Shenandoah National Park ranks #1 overall, with exceptional scores in affordability, accessibility, and biodiversity. Several lesser-known parks rank in the top 20, challenging conventional ideas of the top US national parks. Iconic national parks fared worse in the data, largely due to crowds and affordability. Grand Canyon National Park was ranked #15, Yellowstone National Park at position #23, and Yosemite National Park at slot #34. was ranked #15, at position #23, and at slot #34. Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains is the most biodiverse park, North Dakota's Theodore Roosevelt the most affordable, Alaska's Gates of the Arctic the least crowded, and Missouri's Gateway Arch the most accessible. The top 10 national parks in the USA according to the data are: Ranking National Park Name State 1 Shenandoah National Park VA 2 North Cascades National Park WA 3 Biscayne National Park FL 4 (tie) Kings Canyon National Park CA 4 (tie) Sequoia National Park CA 6 Everglades National Park FL 7 Big Bend National Park TX 8 Mammoth Cave National Park KY 9 Death Valley National Park CA, NV 10 Channel Islands National Park CA The full ranking can be found at: https://travellemming.com/best-national-parks-in-usa/ . Travel Lemming Senior Travel Writer McKenna Mobley commented: "I have traveled the world, and can confidently say that the USA national parks are unparalleled, making them one of my all-time favorite travel destinations. Every US national park offers its own special flair, so in some sense ranking them is like ranking music genres they're all good!" "However, I hope this report highlights the fact that some of America's less famous parks offer far more than what meets the eye. Sometimes the best experiences can be found at hidden park gems that are off the lemming path." Methodology To ensure a comprehensive data-driven approach, all 63 parks were assessed by the following factors: Crowds - 2022 recreation visits per acre of park land - 2022 recreation visits per acre of park land Reviews - average visitor ratings - average visitor ratings Weather - months with average temperature between 50 and 90 degrees - months with average temperature between 50 and 90 degrees Affordability - average cost of nearby hotels - average cost of nearby hotels Accessibility - driving distance to the closest airports - driving distance to the closest airports Biodiversity - number of species The report's methodology section contains details and sources. Images and a spreadsheet of ranking data can be accessed in Travel Lemming's media kit . About Travel Lemming Travel Lemming publishes practical guides written by locals and experts, which more than 10 million Americans read annually. Press Contact: Taylor Herperger [email protected] 306-745-7501 SOURCE Travel Lemming WASHINGTON, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- 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 denial of consular visits to journalist Evan Gershkovich. "We condemn in the strongest possible terms the Russian government's withholding of consular visits for journalist Evan Gershkovich as a form of punishment. Evan is at the mercy of the Russian judicial system, which has chosen to keep him in solitary confinement. Consular visits are the only break in solitary and are important to Evan's mental health. Denying these visits amounts to torture. The UN Convention on Torture defines solitary confinement of more than 15 days as torture. Evan has been held twice that long. His only relief is during consular visits. They are essential and must be continued on a regular basis. These visits are guaranteed by treaty, and Russia is in violation of law to not provide them. Russia can and should be prosecuted in International Courts. We also find revolting the idea that Russia is denying consular visits because visas were denied to Russian journalists wishing to accompany the Russian Foreign Minister to the United Nations in New York. Those journalists are not suffering in any way. None of these Russian journalists are in jail or in solitary confinement. They have not falsely been accused of espionage. They are not being punished. Creating an equivalence between their situation and Evan's is false and immoral. Punishing Evan because of the visa policy of his government is cruel. He does not set that policy. Russia itself requires credentialing of Western journalists. They recently changed the renewal requirement to three months from 12 months. That is their right. Evan followed all their rules and was fully credentialed to work. Russia still jailed him. The punishment of Evan, which amounts to torture, is a significant and disturbing overreaction to a simple access issue. Restore consular visits at once. Stop punishing a journalist. The world is watching. Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the world's leading professional organization for journalists. With 3,000 members representing nearly every leading 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 public in ways that inspire a more representative democracy. The NPCJI is the non-profit affiliate of the National Press Club. Contact: Bill McCarren, for the National Press Club, 202-662-7534 SOURCE National Press Club Hole No. From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) Notes AT23WS-22 288.0 330.8 42.8 5.64 6.7 Bottomed in Mineralization Includes 292.7 300.3 7.6 28.5 10.7 AT23WS-20 275.9 337.0 61.1 3.04 21.4 Bottomed in Mineralization Includes 286.6 291.2 4.6 15.84 19.8 AT22WS-4 279.0 346.0 67.0 2.07 12.1 Includes 317.1 333.8 16.7 3.63 12.6 AT23WS-5C 207.3 320.0 112.7 1.08 14.78 Bottomed in Mineralization Table 1: Highlight hole intervals released today. Mineralization occurs along sub-horizontal horizons generally dipping westward, and true mineralized thickness in vertical holes is between 85% and 95% of reported intercept length. AT23WS-22 (5.64 g/t Au over 42.8m including 28.5 g/t over 7.6m ) is located 290m northwest of the Atlanta pit and is interpreted to be close to true width where the high-grade gold mineralization is consistent throughout the 7.6m interval (see Table 2). DHRI-11-NRC04 is the only historic drill hole located in this area ( 15m to the northeast), intercepting 1.49 g/t over 42.7m including 4.01 g/t over 13.7m , but with no single sample interval exceeding 8.62 g/t Au. No other holes have been drilled in the immediate vicinity of this intercept, leaving the area around this high-grade discovery open for follow on step-out drilling. Hole No. From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) AT23WS-22 292.68 294.21 1.52 28.25 10.0 AT23WS-22 294.21 295.73 1.52 13.28 6.3 AT23WS-22 295.73 297.26 1.52 20.02 10.9 AT23WS-22 297.26 298.78 1.52 24.62 7.8 AT23WS-22 298.78 300.3 1.52 56.58 18.7 Table 2: Assay results for 7.6m thick high grade interval in AT23WS-022 on a 1.52m basis. Hole AT23WS-5C (1.08 g/t Au over 112.7m ) intercepted a thick zone of gold mineralization west of the West Atlanta Fault. Thickness in this hole is five times greater than reported in a nearby historic hole KR98-21 (1.19 g/t Au over 19.8m ), which was lost in strongly fractured rock before it could fully penetrate the mineralized zone. Similarly, holes AT23WS-20 (3.04 g/t Au over 61.1m ) and AT22WS-4 (2.07 g/t Au over 67.0m ) exhibit stronger grades over significantly thicker intervals than nearby historic hole DHRI-11-NRC04, which reported 36.6m grading 1.71 g/t Au. This suggests that historic drill intercepts within the West Atlanta Graben failed to accurately reflect true thickness and grade. This comparison illustrates the need for tightly spaced holes that thoroughly penetrate the mineralized zones, and also highlights the differences in grade and thickness being encountered by Nevada King compared to many holes reported by prior operators Thickness in this hole is five times greater than reported in a nearby historic hole KR98-21 (1.19 g/t Au over ), which was lost in strongly fractured rock before it could fully penetrate the mineralized zone. than nearby historic hole DHRI-11-NRC04, which reported grading 1.71 g/t Au. This suggests that historic drill intercepts within the West Atlanta Graben failed to accurately reflect true thickness and grade. This comparison illustrates the need for tightly spaced holes that thoroughly penetrate the mineralized zones, and also highlights the differences in grade and thickness being encountered by compared to many holes reported by prior operators Additional in-fill drilling is needed between AT23WS-5C and AT23NS-104 in order to test extension of the thick mineralization encountered in AT23WS-5C eastward and beneath KR98-21 to the generally higher-grade mineralization proximate to the West Atlanta Fault. Cal Herron, Exploration Manager of Nevada King, stated, "Our drill fence along Section 22-15N reveals three important features: The high-grade intercept in AT23WS-22 provides us with three well-mineralized zones along the West Atlanta and West Atlanta #2 Faults from which high-grades can be targeted for expansion outward into the thick, broad gold blanket that characterizes the West Atlanta Graben Target. We see the same repetition of high-angle faults and associated fault blocks that have been identified further south on lines 22-5N through 22-10N and further north on line 22-16N. We continue to see good continuity of mineralization over an area approximately 360m long in a N-S direction and at least 150m wide within the portion of the West Atlanta Graben drilled so far. Several historical holes suggest this mineralization extends further to the west and north from the area drilled to date. Nevada King's more densely targeted vertical drilling pattern and better sample recovery has more accurately defined the spatial distribution of gold mineralization compared to historic drilling. In addition, a number of historic holes appear to have been terminated before fully testing the mineralized zones. The large disparity seen above between Kinross' angle hole KR98-21 and Nevada King's vertical hole AT23WS-5C is a good example of this. Other similar examples exist throughout the Gustavson 2020 resource zone and to the north in the North Extension Target, so simply re-drilling earlier holes that did not go through the mineralized zones is an important component of the Company's exploration strategy at Atlanta . Stepping out from recent discovery intervals and testing mineralization to greater depths will keep our drills busy for several months to come. "The 7.6m of 28.5 g/t Au hit in AT23WS-022 represents the highest grade gold intercept exceeding 1.52m in length on the entire Atlanta property going back to the 1970s. This intercept occurs on the western margin of the West Atlanta Graben and is probably associated with the West Atlanta #2 Fault. We will certainly be positioning holes along multiple drill fence lines to intercept this structure northward and southward from Section22-15N. We've now hit high grades along the East Atlanta, West Atlanta, and West Atlanta #2 Faults, so these widely spaced occurrences beg the question, 'How many more high grade structures will we find at Atlanta that no one knew about?'" Hole No. From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) Notes AT23WS-22 288.0 330.8 42.8 5.64 6.7 Bottomed in Mineralization Includes 292.7 300.3 7.6 28.5 10.7 AT23WS-21 280.5 343.0 62.5 0.31 3.3 AT22WS-04 279.0 346.0 67.0 2.07 12.1 Includes 317.1 333.8 16.7 3.63 12.6 AT23WS-20 275.9 337.0 61.1 3.04 21.4 Bottomed in Mineralization Includes 286.6 291.2 4.6 15.84 19.8 AT23WS-5C 207.3 320.0 112.7 1.08 14.8 Bottomed in Mineralization AT23NS-104 198.2 244.0 45.8 0.35 5.0 AT23NS-103 192.1 202.7 10.6 0.37 3.4 AT23NS-102 129.5 141.8 12.3 0.41 23.4 And 166.2 190.5 24.3 0.40 5.2 AT23NS-101 71.6 111.3 39.7 0.17 19.1 Table 3. All holes reported today along Section22-15N. Mineralization occurs along sub-horizontal horizons generally dipping gently westward; true mineralized thickness in vertical holes is estimated to be between 85% and 95% of reported drill intercept length. Hole No. From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) Notes DHRI-11-NRC04 317.1 353.7 36.6 1.71 6.8 KR98-21* 242.4 262.2 19.8 1.19 1.6 Bottomed in Mineralization Table 4: Historical holes used in Section 22-15N. KR98 series hole was drilled by Kinross in 1998. DHRI series hole was drilled by Meadow Bay in 2011. Mineralization occurs along sub-horizontal horizons generally dipping gently westward; true mineralized thickness in vertical holes is estimated to be between 85% and 95% of reported drill intercept length. *Denotes angle hole. 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 National Instrument 43-101 ("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. WARSAW, Poland , April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- After selling the first 1000 posters within just 96 hours of launching, Displate is now releasing the second entry in the new limited Lumino series. This time, the creators of the world's most popular metal posters bring the official artwork by NASA, which receives a unique sci-fi touch with custom-designed illumination and multilayered print enhancements. The new Lumino poster features NASA's Artemis rocket imbued with ultra-thin selective OLED highlights. NASA LUMINO (PRNewsfoto/Displate) "When designing this scene with Lumino in mind, we wanted to use lights and motion to bring out the vast and mysterious nature of space. We highlighted the Artemis and some of the stars with OLED panels and set the illumination against a dark matte finish, adding subtle glossy details," says Rafa Kocik, head of Displate's Design Studio. This officially licensed art by NASA releases just two weeks after Displate debuted its next generation of illuminated posters. The new Lumino series launched with a design from Cyberpunk 2077, which Displate created in collaboration with CD Projekt RED. "We were truly blown away by the success of the first Lumino, which has quickly become one of Displate's most popular posters! With this new design by NASA, we're just two artworks into our new illuminated wall art series and there's way more to come," adds Kocik. Each artwork in the Lumino series is time-limited and stays on sale for 12 weeks only. New Lumino entries are unveiled every two weeks at Displate's website. https://displate.com/ Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2064778/Displate.jpg SOURCE Displate Mayor Karen Bass Joins Civil Rights Activist Dolores Huerta, Councilmember Curren D. Price and SDS CEO Deborah La Franchi at Official Opening of 40-Unit Namesake Dolores Huerta Apartments LOS ANGELES, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, civil rights leader Dolores Huerta, Councilmember Curren D. Price, Jr,. Veronica Lewis, Director, Homeless Outreach Program Integrated Care System (HOPICS) and John Yamamoto, Vice President, Community Health and Government Relations, Kaiser Permanente, Southern California, are scheduled to join SDS Capital Group Founder & CEO Deborah La Franchi along with students from Dolores Huerta Elementary School for the grand opening of Dolores Huerta Apartments, the first completed permanent supportive housing building funded by the $185M SDS Supportive Housing Fund. This 40-unit permanent supportive housing (PSH) project, located at 5215 South Figueroa Street, was built with a $6.6 million investment from the SDS Supportive Housing Fund (SHF or Fund). The SHF's innovative approach to PSH relies on using a first of its kind private equity funding model to provide capital for PSH developments allowing for quicker project financing and construction turnaround at significantly lower costs than traditionally funded public housing developments. To date, the Fund has financed ten PSH projects which will result in a total of 760 PSH units upon completion. The SDS Supportive Housing Fund is on track to finance approximately 30 projects that will result in the construction of an estimated 2,500 PSH units over the next six years. "Every Angeleno deserves to live in a home they call their own," said La Franchi. "I witness the tragedy of our unhoused residents every day. Over the past few years, this has motivated me and my team to develop a private equity fund that finances the development of housing for the unhoused that is significantly lower in cost, built at a faster pace, with scaled construction that allows for the development of even more units. Today, we are prepared to welcome 39 formerly unhoused Angelenos to their new home at this transformational chapter of their lives." The SDS Supportive Housing Fund is a new high-speed, low-cost financing model developed by SDS Capital Group to fund RMG Housing's PSH developments that support people experiencing homelessness. The core model uses zero taxpayer dollars for land acquisition or construction . "Since coming into office, I have been firmly committed to supporting the building of housing for the most vulnerable residents in my District," said LA City Council President Pro Tempore Curren Price. "Our partnership with SDS Capital and RMG Housing has resulted in an exemplary public and private sector collaboration that work together with the common goal of housing the unhoused of our city and helping them thrive and prosper by providing much-needed support services. We look forward to continuing our fruitful collaboration with other projects in Council District 9 and beyond to benefit marginalized Angelenos everywhere." What distinguishes SHF from other private equity funds is a commitment to investing exclusively in PSH projects that are financially sustainable over the long term. SHF's total unit costs are significantly less than the $600,000 average unit costs for similar units in the current California market.[1] "In order to confront the homelessness crisis head on and see results, we must build more housing -- that's why today's opening is so important. I am honored to participate in today's event, and to work with leaders like Dolores Huerta one of the most important and accomplished champions for justice in this country to bring a new day to our city," said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. "Thank you to SDS Capital Group, RMG Housing and all of our partners who have worked to make this opening possible together, we will bring an end to this crisis." Read full press release here CONTACT: Sybil MacDonald Marketing & Communications [email protected] Tel: 323.376.896 SOURCE SDS Capital Group WASHINGTON, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hundreds of healthcare professionals and academic leaders from across the nation will convene at the National Hispanic Medical Association's (NHMA) 26th Annual Conference on Latino health and equity this week from April 27-30, 2023, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. For over 25 years, NHMA has secured significant investments to advance equity and its conference continues to empower current Latino physicians with new opportunities and knowledge, uplift the next generation of Latino health professionals through mentorship, and celebrate the achievements of Latinos in medicine and health. With a prominent lineup of expert speakers, NHMA hosts the only of national conference on Latino health, offering an excellent opportunity to engage in educational workshops, plenaries, and career development opportunities on improving access to health care and addressing social determinants of health. This year's pressing topics and policy priorities include defending physicians' ability to provide care without interference, preserving access to lifesaving reproductive health care for Latinas, increasing Latino representation in medical school admissions and faculty, expanding health insurance coverage and supporting prevention and mental health services for Latinos (including undocumented people). Noteworthy local and national leaders such as Geraldine Luna, MD, Director, Chicago Department of Public Health; Iris Y. Martinez, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Former Illinois Senator of the 20th District; Jose Romero, MD, Director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); David E. Hayes-Bautista, PhD, Director, Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; Dr. Archana Chatterjee, MD, PhD, Dean & Vice President for Medical Affairs, Rosalind Franklin University Chicago Medical School; and Dr. Thomas Boyle, DO, MBA, FACEP, FACOEP, Dean & Assistant Clinical Professor Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, among others will share their vision for strategic policies and programs to advance progress. On the evening of Saturday, April 29, attendees will celebrate Latino excellence in medicine and public health by honoring trailblazers at the NHMA Leadership Awards Gala and Dance, featuring the below esteemed awardees: Lifetime Career Award: Alan Ira Ross , MD, PhD - Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physician, New York, NY , MD, PhD - Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physician, Physician of the Year Awards: Armando De Alba Rosales , MD, MPH - Asst. Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) College of Medicine; Trinidad Solis MD, MPH - Deputy Health Officer, Fresno County Department of Public Health , MD, MPH - Asst. Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, (UNMC) College of Medicine; MD, MPH - Deputy Health Officer, Federal Government Award of the Year: Jose R Romero, MD - Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) Jose R Romero, MD - Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, State Government Award of the Year: Diana E. Ramos , MD, MPH, MBA - California Surgeon General, State of California , MD, MPH, MBA - California Surgeon General, Corporate Award of the Year: UnitedHealth Group UnitedHealth Group Fellow of the Year Award: Giselle Plata , DO, MPH - Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellow, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital , Captain, U.S. Army Medical Reserve Corps , DO, MPH - Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellow, , Captain, Resident of the Year Award: Christian Suri , MD - Pediatric Neurology Resident, Cohen Children's Medical Center , MD - Pediatric Neurology Resident, Young Physician of the Year Award: Franklyn Rocha Cabrero , MD - Clinical Neurophysiology & Neurohospitalist Consultant, Imperium RevDoc Neuroanalysis; Claudia Alejandra Alvarez , DO - Assistant Clinical Professor, Harbor-UCLA Family Medicine Residency Program. NHMA thanks the following sponsors for their support: Centene , UnitedHealth Group , Illumina , Rockefeller Foundation , AARP, Better Medicare Alliance , Pfizer , PhRMA , Johnson & Johnson, AMA, Novo Nordisk, Lily, Vertex, AMGEN, Abbott, Davita, LabCorp, Leukemia and Lymphoma Association, Travere Therapeutics. Learn more about the NHMA 26th Annual Conference at nhmamd.org/2023-conference . About National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA): Established in 1994 in Washington D.C., NHMA is the premier non-profit membership association representing the interests of 50,000 licensed Hispanic physicians in the United States. The mission of NHMA is to empower Hispanic physician leaders to improve the health of Hispanics in the United States. SOURCE National Hispanic Medical Association Online retailers should build their brands into the post-purchase customer experience LONDON, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Online retailers and webshops are missing opportunities to build customer loyalty after customers have hit the buy button, says nShift, the global leader in delivery management. A slick, branded, post-purchase experience covering deliveries, tracking, and returns, plugs a significant gap in the customer journey. According to research by Cap Gemini, three quarters of customers would increase their spending with retailers which get the delivery experience right.[1] "Deliveries are a key moment of truth for customers. However, in many cases, the only thing they may hear about their package will be from the carrier, and not the retailer or brand they originally purchased from," says Sean Sherwin-Smith, Product Director, Post-Purchase, at nShift. "Rather than handing over the post-purchase experience to carriers, as many do today, retailers should explore how they can inject their brand into these moments. In doing so, they must ensure that all communications look as slick and professional as the webshop or brand the customer bought from." "Taking control of their delivery management enables companies to build their brand by ensuring the customer gets the right experience from beginning to end. The retailers that are visibly across every stage of the customer journey from the homepage to the doorstep are the ones we as customers remember the most." nShift empowers retailers and ecommerce companies to take control of deliveries and create a branded customer experience at each stage of the delivery journey. nShift Track helps them provide outstanding post-purchase customer experiences, building customer loyalty and accelerating growth. Key features of nShift Track include: Branded tracking portal and mobile app (via nShift MyParcels mobile app) for delivery updates, returns policies, and more Multi-channel delivery status communications via customers' preferred messaging channel, e.g. social media, messaging apps, SMS, or email 60 percent reductions in "where is my order" (WISMO) support calls "Control room" oversight of all deliveries, so retailers can pinpoint delivery hold-ups and proactively offer alternatives to customers Find out more: https://nshift.com/customer-solutions About nShift nShift is the global leading provider of cloud delivery management solutions enabling frictionless shipment and return of almost one billion shipments across 190 countries annually. nShift's software is used globally by e-commerce, retail, manufacturing and 3PL shippers. The company is headquartered in London and Oslo. It has over 500 employees across offices in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, United Kingdom, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Romania. [1] https://www.capgemini.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Report-Digital-%E2%80%93-Last-Mile-Delivery-Challenge1.pdf Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1782566/nShift_Logo.jpg SOURCE nShift Oxitec is launching a new hub in Panama to initiate the next phase of its program to combat the Anopheles albimanus mosquito, a major obstacle to regional malaria eradication across Central America and parts of South America . to initiate the next phase of its program to combat the mosquito, a major obstacle to regional malaria eradication across and parts of . Oxitec is partnering with the Institute of Scientific Research and High Technology Services of Panama (INDICASAT-AIP), working in collaboration with the institute's regionally respected mosquito biology experts. (INDICASAT-AIP), working in collaboration with the institute's regionally respected mosquito biology experts. The project partners will conduct mosquito surveillance of Anopheles albimanus in malaria-threatened communities in Panama in preparation for future pilots of a Friendly Anopheles albimanus mosquito control technology to combat this regional malaria threat. OXFORD, England, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Oxitec Ltd, the leading developer of insect-based biological solutions to control pests that transmit disease, destroy crops and harm livestock, today announced the launch of a new phase of its malaria program in the Americas. Oxitec is establishing a team in Panama with the aim of preparing for future pilots of Friendly mosquitoes to combat the dominant malaria-spreading mosquito in Mesoamerica. During the first phase of this program, Oxitec will conduct field studies to help guide future pilots of the Friendly Anopheles albimanus solution - currently in development - to deliver impact in Panamanian communities, and other communities throughout Central America and the Caribbean, threatened by malaria. Oxitec is partnering with INDICASAT-AIP, a globally respected research institute dedicated to scientific and technological advancement for public good in Panama. Oxitec is launching a new program to address significant malaria outbreaks in rural Panama More than 50 million people live at risk of malaria across the Central America region. Effective vector control tools are urgently needed to support ongoing malaria prevention and eradication efforts in Panama and beyond. The Anopheles albimanus mosquito is responsible for most rural malaria transmission in eastern Panama and across the region. This mosquito bites outdoors, when people are unprotected by bed nets, and it is also increasingly resistant to chemical insecticides, making it harder than ever to control. As this new pilot phase launches, the project team, in collaboration with local community leaders, will conduct field surveillance of Anopheles albimanus in Panamanian communities, to better understand the mosquito's population dynamics, breeding behaviour and movement. These studies will provide early data to inform the design of future field pilot deployments of Friendly Anopheles albimanus. This Panama launch follows a parallel Oxitec program in Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa, targeting the invasive urban malaria mosquito, Anopheles stephensi. Grey Frandsen, CEO of Oxitec, said, "We're excited to be embarking on a new phase of our malaria program to combat Mesoamerica's most dangerous malaria-spreading mosquito in Panama, where we have previously demonstrated the outstanding efficacy of our Friendly solutions against the dengue-spreading Aedes aegypti mosquito. Panama's leadership on this front will no doubt serve as an exemplar for how other countries in the region tackle emerging issues, especially in the face of a rapidly changing climate. We're thrilled to be partnering with INDICASAT-AIP, a leading scientific light in Central America, in this major step towards joining the fight against malaria in the region." Dr Ricardo Lleonart, Interim Director of INDICASAT AIP, commented, "There is an urgent need to test cutting-edge malaria vector control methods in order to develop long-term solutions to Panama's deteriorating malaria problem." Oxitec's non-biting Friendly male mosquitoes are a targeted, proven tool for mosquito control. After release into a local community these non-biting males find and mate with local biting mosquito females. Their female offspring cannot survive, which means fewer biting female mosquitoes in the following generations. This Friendly product technology controls the pest mosquito without harming beneficial species like bees and butterflies. The Friendly Aedes aegypti, which targets the primary dengue-spreading mosquito, is proven to suppress Aedes aegypti populations by to up to 96%, and is now commercially launched and protecting households, businesses and communities across Brazil. Oxitec is now working to translate this success to the sustainable control of important malaria-spreading mosquitoes. About Oxitec Oxitec is the leading developer of biological solutions to control pests that transmit disease, destroy crops and harm livestock. Founded in 2002 at the University of Oxford, Oxitec is led by a passionate team comprised of 15 nationalities and is supported by world-class public, private and non-profit partners. Learn more at oxitec.com . Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2064662/Oxitec_Panama.jpg SOURCE Oxitec EnBW has invested heavily in renewable energy since 2013 and is today one of the largest developers of fixed offshore wind in Europe. In Norway, EnBW are participating in this year's area allocation on "Srlige Nordsj II" (SNII) as part of the Norseman consortium and will also consider future rounds to realize Norway's ambitions of 30 GW offshore wind power by 2040. A bridge builder for the Norwegian industry "We want to be a constructive partner for Norway with a special focus on renewable energy and green industrial development. To that end, we intend to use our experience from fixed offshore wind projects to develop good and innovative solutions for SNII. We have also established our Norwegian head office in Kristiansand as we believe Agder is perfectly located with the SNII and the Norwegian offshore wind plans. Furthermore, we have a clear ambition to take our Norwegian suppliers with us on other projects in Europe", says Michael Class, Executive Vice President of Power Generation Portfolio Development at EnBW. A door opener for Norwegian companies EnBW has already started a collaboration with Equinor on a joint deployment of offshore wind in Germany, which will benefit Equinor, EnBW and the Norwegian supplier industry. In March, Norway's Sovereign Wealth Fund bought a share in the He Dreiht offshore wind project from EnBW. He Dreiht is an ongoing development project of 960 MW where EnBW is the operator. "It is very exciting to have NBIM join us on the ownership side because we need a strong, long-term, and professional capital player to succeed with Europe's Green Deal", says Class. EnBW is actively working on a green ammonia value chain between Norway and Germany and are in touch with norwegian companies and also in advanced negotiation with Skipavika Green Ammonia in Western Norway (SkiGA AS). EnBW will be moving forward to increase its involvement in Norway and want to be a partner for Norwegian authorities and industry. "We are honoured for the opportunity to exchange ideas on how we can best support the Norwegian-German agreement on energy and industry with the Ministries and look forward to further strengthening our cooperation", says Class. CHICAGO, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Portage Point Partners, LLC (Portage Point), an elite boutique advisory, consulting, interim management and financial services firm, announced today that Adam Waldman has joined the firm as Managing Director, Investment Banking. Adam brings over 15 years of experience in corporate finance, spending over 10 years at Moelis & Company. While at Moelis, Adam advised on over 50 transactions working with companies and creditor groups on both in-court and out-of-court restructurings, recapitalizations and restructurings and Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) and strategic transactions across a wide variety of industries. "We are thrilled to welcome Adam to the Investment Banking team at Portage Point. When we launched the Investment Banking practice a year ago, we sought to bring marquis talent from world-class investment banks to Portage Point. With the addition of Adam, we continue to fulfill that mandate," said Jason Cohen, Managing Director & Head of Investment Banking at Portage Point. "Additionally, Adam's experience working with ad hoc and official creditor constituents is a logical extension to our thriving company focused practice," said Mr. Cohen. Matthew Ray, Founder & Managing Partner follows, "Adding Adam to the team aligns to our core mission of delivering blue-chip skills and capabilities to our middle market clients. And his extensive experience across restructuring and M&A further strengthens our Investment Banking practice." Adam received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and his MBA in Finance from the NYU Stern School of Business. "I am incredibly excited to be joining Matt, Jason and the rest of the Portage Point team to continue building the investment banking platform. The ability to provide a wide breadth of strategic advisory services to both company and creditor clients positions us to bring the best advice and solutions to our clients," Mr. Waldman said. "It is a tremendous and unique opportunity to join this growing team. I look forward to bringing these services to the firm's middle market client base." About Portage Point Partners Portage Point is an elite boutique business advisory, consulting, interim management and financial services firm delivering integrated services that identify value capture, mitigate risk and positively impact outcomes at every stage of the ever-changing business and investment lifecycle. We are an operationally-oriented and financially-grounded team built to efficiently close knowledge gaps and deliver actionable insights to middle market stakeholders. Our expertise includes transaction advisory services, performance improvement and accelerated transformation, interim management, investment banking and financial restructuring. Since its founding in 2016, industry-leading organizations have honored Portage Point with numerous firm, transaction and individual awards most recently The Americas' Fastest Growing Companies 2023 and 2022, 2022 and 2021 Inc 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies, 2022 Fastest Growing Firms and 2022 Outstanding Firm: Boutique Turnaround Consulting. SOURCE Portage Point Partners After being in business for over nine years, Tara Langdale-Schmidt still receives calls daily from women who have vaginal atrophy and are unaware of dilator therapy. SARASOTA, Fla., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- One Florida women's health advocate wants women to know that they might not be receiving all the information they need at their gynecologist when it comes to painful intercourse. Tara Langdale-Schmidt, President of the VuVa Magnetic Vaginal Dilator company is recognizing that there is a major void when it comes to your physician discussing pelvic floor therapy. Tara Langdale-Schmidt creating awareness on Suncoast ABC 7 about pelvic pain. Tara Langdale-Schmidt, the Inventor of Magnetic Dilator "Many of our post-menopausal customers have gone to the doctors for years to discuss vaginal atrophy and given estrogen only. There are two parts to atrophy and many doctors are missing the muscular component of treatment with pelvic floor therapy. Hundreds of women call me every month asking me why their doctor did not tell them about vaginal dilators." Langdale-Schmidt states. She invented the VuVa Neodymium Vaginal Dilator Set after being diagnosed with Vulvodynia back in 2013 and now has helped over 100,000 women all over the world. According to the National Library of Medicine, reports show that 15% of the female population experiences symptoms of vaginal atrophy before menopause, whereas 40% to 57% of postmenopausal women have symptoms. Menopause causes a dramatic 95% reduction in estrogen production which can cause painful intercourse. VuVa's patented Neodymium Vaginal Dilators are home therapy tools used by women who have pain during intercourse caused by conditions such as Vaginal Atrophy, Vulvodynia, Vulvar Vestibulitis, Vaginismus, Vaginal Stenosis, Pudendal Neuralgia, Vaginal Agenesis and Atrophy due to Pelvic Radiation Therapy. VuVa dilator sets are used to regenerate vaginal capacity, expand the vaginal walls, add elasticity to the tissues, and to allow for comfortable sexual intercourse. VuVa Magnetic Dilators are smooth lightweight plastic, that come in a variety of graduated sizes. In a clinical trial conducted by Chief Investigator and Pelvic Pain Specialist Dr. Michael Swor in Sarasota, FL, it was shown that VuVa Neodymium Magnetic Dilators reduced pain in 80% of study subjects with no side effects reported. Neodymium Magnets are within each dilator that increase blood flow and relieve sexual discomfort while soft tissue lengthens, relaxing muscles and ligaments. As the tissue relaxes, the Neodymium magnets increase blood flow to the painful area calming nerves. VuVa Dilators are the only patented dilators available with Neodymium magnets. "Women are finally realizing that there is a missing component to their sexual health treatment options and estrogen alone is not enough. You do not need a referral to make an appointment with a pelvic floor physical therapist unless your insurance requires it. You can start your safe home therapy with VuVa Dilators at any time. We are more than happy to answer any questions through phone or email. If you need dilators, you can order without a prescription at www.vuvatech.com," Langdale-Schmidt states. Media Contact: Tara Langdale-Schmidt Phone: 941-343-8308 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Tara Langdale-Schmidt REVERE, Mass., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Power of Recovery, dedicated to treating substance use disorder, is expanding its offices in Revere and adding more treatment space as the organization celebrates its second year. The Power of Recovery provides a connection for individuals to enable them to break free from the grips of addiction and experience a new life free from the influence of drugs and alcohol. Power of Recovery Chief Executive Matthew Powers (right) and co-founder Damon Weinberg (left) are expanding the addiction treatment center's offices and adding more treatment space. The program has helped tens of thousands of individuals and families with a range of treatment options since opening its doors two years ago. "We started with just one client and weren't sure about our future," said Power of Recovery Chief Executive Matthew Powers. "But we saw this incredible opportunity to really make a difference for people in our community, and we kept going. We've really seen a transformation as people have come to understand what we offer and how they can turn their lives around." In 2021, just 6 percent of those with a substance use disorder got treatment, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. "There has never been a greater need for addiction support," Powers said. "We understand that the road to recovery is long, but every day is a chance to start over." The Power of Recovery team develops an individualized treatment plan based on the needs of the person seeking treatment. Services include individual therapy for substance use disorder, an outpatient drug and alcohol rehab program, and a partial hospitalization program. The goal for all participants is full recovery from addiction. "We have seen an increase in demand for our services because we offer programs that meet the needs of individuals and we have developed great partnerships with doctors and businesses," said co-founder Damon Weinberg. "We look forward to building on those relationships and offering services to even more people." The Power of Recovery, which recently joined the North Shore Chamber of Commerce, grew out of the work of Chelsea's House, a provider of sober living homes in Chelsea, Lynn East Boston & Malden. For more information, contact Damon Weinberg at 781.629.4609; [email protected] SOURCE Power of Recovery Primrose received the 2023 FUND Top$core Award for its ongoing commitment to supporting franchise owners' access to financing ATLANTA, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Primrose Schools, the premier early education and care leader with more than 480 franchised locations nationwide, has been recognized by franchise research and advisory firm FRANData as one of two winners in the nonfood category for the 2023 FUND Top$core Award. The award is given to brands that consistently demonstrate a commitment to supporting franchise owners' access to financing by simplifying the process, which means lower cost of capital and better financing terms for franchise owners. "The role franchise owners play in our organization is invaluable," said Steve Clemente, president of Primrose Schools. "At Primrose, our team gives them the best support possible, so franchise owners can focus on what matters most bringing high-quality early education and childcare opportunities to families throughout the country. This recognition is a testament to the strength of the Primrose brand and the commitment of our preferred lenders to sustainable success for the franchise system." Primrose accepted the award on April 27 during a ceremony at the 22nd annual Multi-Unit Franchising Conference, held at the Caesars Forum conference facility in Las Vegas. This award is in recognition of the company receiving a 930 FUND Score by FRANData, one of the highest scores among all evaluated franchise systems. "The Child Education and Development Industry has been among the strongest US economic sectors over the past decade as demand for preschool services continues to outpace supply," says Darrell Johnson Chairman, FRANdata. "Primrose School Franchising Company has taken advantage of that momentum while maintaining strong franchisee support, including financing assistance. This is clearly evident in its system performance and reflected in their FUND score." Nick Koros, who was recently appointed as Chief Development Officer for Primrose, added, "this recognition is not only a testament to Primrose's ongoing commitment to being a premier partner for franchise owners, but also their desire to be the best in all aspects of business. Whether it's developing an innovative early education curriculum or optimizing their real estate model to fit any market or site, Primrose continues to be a thought leader in early education and care and the franchise industry." Entrepreneurs looking for impactful, innovative business opportunities that enable them to give back to their communities can visit Primrose Schools online or call 800-PRIMROSE (774-6767) to learn more about franchise opportunities. About Primrose Schools Primrose Schools is the leader in providing premier early education and care to children and families in the United States. Founded in 1982, there are more than 480 Primrose schools in 33 states today. Each school is independently owned and operated by Franchise Owners who partner with parents to help children build the right foundation for future learning and life. Primrose believes who children become is as important as what they know. The Primrose-exclusive Balanced Learning approach is created from the best early education wisdom and balances purposeful play with nurturing guidance from teachers to encourage curiosity, creativity, confidence, and compassion. For more information, visit www.PrimroseSchools.com, connect with us on Facebook and Twitter, explore our blog, sign up for our emails and find a Primrose school near you. About FRANData FRANdata is an industry-leading research and consulting firm offering market intelligence that enables our clients to grow their business in franchising. FRANdata offers independent, comprehensive market insight focusing on the franchise ecosystem. By leveraging the largest database of proprietary franchise information in the industry, FRANdata harnesses facts and figures into winning strategies that transform mediocre results into highly successful outcomes for our clients. FRANdata is the creator of the FUND (Franchise Credit Scoring) report which is relied upon by lenders with over a trillion dollars in assets to assess their franchise credit risks. For more information go to www.frandata.com SOURCE Primrose Schools RADVO Conference, taking place at Church of the Incarnation Sept. 21-23, 2023, featuring guest speakers Jeremy Begbie, Christopher Beeley, John Behr, and more. DALLAS, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Church of the Incarnation is proud to host the RADVO Conference for its third time. One of the largest gatherings of people exploring ministry in the Episcopal Church and a continuing education event for many clergy, the Radical Vocations Conference aims to raise up a new generation of evangelical and catholic church leaders for the various provinces of the Anglican Communion. In a spirit of constructive and upbuilding ministry for the gospel of Christ, we seek to learn and grow in our skills and commitment as church leaders in our respective churches and dioceses. RADVO Conference (Sept. 21-23) featuring guest speakers Jeremy Begbie, Christopher Beeley, John Behr, and more. Tweet this RADVO Conference 2021 Headliner Speakers include: Jeremy Begbie (Distinguished Research Professor of Theology at Duke Divinity School), John Behr (Regius Professor of Humanity at the University of Aberdeen), Christopher Beeley (Rector at Church of the Incarnation), Ephraim Radner (Professor of Historical Theology at Wycliffe College), Stanley Hauerwas (Gilbert T. Rowe Professor Emeritus of Divinity and Law, Duke Divinity School), Amy Peeler (Associate Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College), Tish Harrison Warren (Author, Columnist, and Priest). The 2023 RADVO Conference brings together theologians, church leaders, and those exploring Christian ministry for an encouraging and thought-provoking time of learning, networking, and seeking God's will for the future of his Church. Tickets can be purchased at early bird pricing until June 1 for $295 (clergy) and $99 (students). for (clergy) and (students). Sponsors: The Anglican Episcopalian House of Studies at Duke University , Wycliffe College, and Nashotah House Theological Seminary. , Wycliffe College, and Nashotah House Theological Seminary. For more information, visit RADVO Online. CONTACT INFORMATION ROBERT NASH DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS [email protected] 214.217.5608 SOURCE RADVO Conference 2023 GOTEBORG, Sweden, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- At the Annual General Meeting of Vitrolife AB today, the following, amongst other things, was decided: Resolution in accordance with the Board's proposed dividend of SEK 0.85 per share for the financial year 2022. Tuesday 2 May, 2023 was adopted as the record day. per share for the financial year 2022. Tuesday was adopted as the record day. Re-election of Board members Henrik Blomquist , Lars Holmqvist , Vesa Koskinen , Pia Marions , Jon Sigurdsson and Karen Lykke Srensen, in accordance with the election committee's proposal. Henrik Blomquist was elected Chairman of the Board. , , , , Jon Sigurdsson and Karen Lykke Srensen, in accordance with the election committee's proposal. was elected Chairman of the Board. Remuneration to the members of the Board shall be totaling SEK 3,600,000 , of which SEK 1,200,000 to the Chairman of the Board, SEK 400,000 to each of the other members of the Board, SEK 100,000 to the Chairman of the Audit Committee, SEK 100,000 to the Chairman of the Remuneration Committee and SEK 50,000 to the other members of these committees. , of which to the Chairman of the Board, to each of the other members of the Board, to the Chairman of the Audit Committee, to the Chairman of the Remuneration Committee and to the other members of these committees. The board's proposal for Amendment of the Articles of Association was approved. Authorization for the Board, for the time up until the next Annual General Meeting and on one or more occasions, to resolve to issue a maximum of 13,544,719 shares in total, corresponding to just below 10 percent of the company's share capital. Authorization for the Board, for the time up until the next Annual General Meeting and on one or more occasions, to resolve on acquisition of the company's own shares. The Company can at no time hold more than 10 percent of the total shares in the Company. Resolution to implement a share-based incentive program including issue of a maximum number of 229,500 warrants to a wholly owned subsidiary of Vitrolife AB and approval that the subsidiary may transfer shares and/or warrants and of hedging activities. Gothenburg, April 27, 2023 VITROLIFE AB (publ) The Board The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out above, at 27-04-2023 17:15 CET. CONTACT: Contact: Patrik Tolf, CFO, phone +46 (0) 31 766 90 21 This is a translation of the Swedish version of the press release. When in doubt, the Swedish wording prevails. The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/1031/3759713/2018954.pdf Report from Annual General Meeting of Vitrolife AB (publ) SOURCE Vitrolife AB (publ) SAN FRANCISCO, April 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Resecurity, a leading cybersecurity company, has been named a winner in multiple categories at the Global InfoSec Awards during RSA Conference 2023 in San Francisco, California. The prestigious awards recognize companies and individuals that have made significant contributions to the field of cybersecurity, and Resecurity is proud to have been recognized in multiple categories. Resecurity's cutting-edge solutions have been widely recognized by industry experts and have garnered many accolades, including the recent recognition at RSA Conference 2023. The awards are a testament to the company's commitment to providing innovative solutions to some of the most pressing cybersecurity challenges. The company was honored with a range of awards for their exceptional contributions in various domains. The awards include: Next-Gen Digital Footprint Security Cyber Defense Magazine Best Product Threat Modeling Cyber Defense Magazine Market Leader Third-Party Cyber Risk Management (TPCRM) Publisher's Choice Critical Infrastructure Protection Cyber Defense Magazine Market Leader Industrial Cybersecurity Publisher's Choice Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) Cyber Defense Magazine Market Leader Threat Detection Incident Response Hunting and Triage Platform Cyber Defense Magazine Cutting Edge Threat Intelligence Cyber Defense Magazine Hot Company Fraud Prevention Cyber Defense Magazine Most Innovative Smart City Cybersecurity. These awards emphasize the company's strengths in cybersecurity, risk management, and innovation. It showcases its cutting-edge solutions in critical infrastructure protection, industrial cybersecurity, and third-party cyber risk management. Additionally, the awards also highlight Resecurity's achievements in the domains of threat detection, incident response, and fraud prevention, along with its innovative contributions towards the security of smart cities. The recognition also projects Resecurity as a market leader in various cybersecurity domains, cementing its position as a top-tier security solutions provider. "We are thrilled to receive these awards at RSA Conference 2023, which is a testament to our innovative solutions and industry-leading expertise in the field of cybersecurity," said Resecurity CEO, Gene Yoo. "We are committed to continuing to provide our clients with the best possible cybersecurity solutions and services, and this recognition is a testament to our dedication and hard work." Resecurity is a leading provider of cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions that help organizations of all sizes and types protect against cyber threats. The company's solutions are designed to provide comprehensive protection against a wide range of threats, including advanced persistent threats, ransomware, and other types of cyber-attacks. Resecurity's Next Gen Digital Footprint Security solution is designed to help organizations monitor and protect their digital assets, including their website, social media profiles, and other online properties. The solution provides real-time monitoring and alerting, as well as comprehensive reporting and analysis capabilities. The company's Publisher's Choice Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) and Critical Infrastructure Protection solutions are designed to help organizations identify and mitigate risk from third-party vendors and to protect critical infrastructure against cyber threats. These solutions provide comprehensive monitoring and reporting capabilities, as well as advanced threat detection and response capabilities. Recently Resecurity products have been also named a Gold Winner by the 2022 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards in North America. Resecurity products and services received Gold recognition across 3 categories in highly competitive categories such as cyber threat intelligence (CTI), threat hunting, and third-party risk management (TPRM): GOLD WINNER for Cyber Threat Intelligence in North America: Resecurity Context Cyber Threat Intelligence Platform GOLD WINNER for Third Party Risk Management (TPRM) in North America: Resecurity Risk Supply Chain Risk Management Platform GOLD WINNER for Threat Hunting in North America: Resecurity Hunter Research & Development Resecurity has been recognized by Frost & Sullivan as a Leader in the Cyber Threat Intelligence Market and has been included as the top Cyber Threat Intelligence Platform (TIP) Provider globally. The company has recently been highlighted in the latest Global TIP Market Report 2022 and External Risk Mitigation Platforms (ERMM) providing information about the most successful CTI and digital risk management industry players. The Frost & Sullivan report details the organization's market research, identifying trends in the market and top vendors and tools in the market. Resecurity's solutions have been widely recognized for their innovation and effectiveness, and the company is proud to have received these awards at RSA Conference 2023. The company's commitment to providing innovative and effective solutions to the most pressing cybersecurity challenges is unwavering, and it will continue to provide its clients with the best possible cybersecurity solutions and services. About Resecurity Resecurity is a cybersecurity company that delivers a unified platform for endpoint protection, risk management, and cyber threat intelligence. Known for providing best-of-breed data-driven intelligence solutions, Resecurity's services and platforms focus on early-warning identification of data breaches and comprehensive protection against cybersecurity risks. Founded in 2016, it has been globally recognized as one of the world's most innovative cybersecurity companies with the sole mission of enabling organizations to combat cyber threats regardless of how sophisticated they are. Most recently, Resecurity was named as one of the Top 10 fastest-growing private cybersecurity companies in Los Angeles, California by Inc. Magazine. An Official Member and a Gold Sponsor of InfraGard National Members Alliance (INMA), AFCEA, NDIA, SIA, FS-ISAC and the American Chamber of Commerce in Saudi Arabia (AmChamKSA), Singapore (AmChamSG), Korea (AmChamKorea), Mexico (AmChamMX), Thailand (AmChamThailand), and UAE (AmChamDubai). To learn more about Resecurity, visit https://resecurity.com. Media Contact: [email protected] SOURCE Resecurity ATLANTA, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Revenue Grid , the go-to Revenue Operations and Intelligence solution for sales teams around the world, announced that it has been recognized as a Representative Vendor in the 2023 Gartner Market Guide for Sales Engagement Applications (SEAs), which aims to assist sales operations leaders to evaluate vendor options to optimize B2B sales productivity. Gartner notes that "Sales engagement applications comprise a fast-growing segment of the $17.1 billion CRM sales software market" and estimates that "the SEA market grew 27.6% in 2022 to $983 million while also expecting the category to experience a CAGR of 25.7% over the next five years." The guide provides market recommendations for sales operations leaders focused on improving seller execution via sales technology investments: Identify core sales engagement and execution challenges. Prioritize vendors that can partner with your team in configuring key solution components to support a range of sales processes and roles. Document enterprise CRM integration and governance needed in your industry early in the evaluation process to prevent unwanted implementation obstacles or compliance violations. Establish a cross-functional and collaborative committee to continuously optimize sales engagement. Empower this committee to develop a comprehensive sales content strategy, including the improvement or introduction of playbooks that enable the organization to maximize the technology. Revenue Grid offers an effective platform for sales operations leaders through its high-quality activity capture and advanced revenue intelligence features like omnichannel sequences backed up by digital sales engagement, conversation intelligence with real-time recommendations, signals and sequences grouping into playbooks with A/B testing. According to the guide, "Revenue Grid is recommended for sales teams seeking low-code, easy-to-use sales automation powered by AI with actionable insights for end users, as well as clear efficiency measuring and scaling. The product supports a broad range of integrations with sales, marketing, business intelligence (BI), communications and other applications." "We are proud to be recognized as a Representative Vendor in the latest Gartner Market Guide for Sales Engagement Applications in 2023," said Vlad Voskresensky, Co-Founder and CEO of Revenue Grid. "Our mission at Revenue Grid is to help sales teams combat revenue leakage, one of the top challenges threatening their organizations, and such recognitions serve to motivate and validate our efforts." The Gartner Market Guide for Sales Engagement Applications was written by Gartner analysts Dan Gottlieb, Keith Jones, Roland Johnson, Amy Jenkins, and Guy Wood, and was published in March 2023. For more information, visit the Gartner website. GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved. Revenue Grid is a revenue intelligence platform that helps businesses identify and prevent revenue leaks at any stage of the revenue generation process. Revenue Grid fights revenue leaks by automatically capturing all relevant sales activities, analyzing data with AI, implementing changes to sales processes with Revenue Signals, and measuring the effectiveness of those changes. Organizations as diverse as Hilton, Western Union, Moody's, Trip Advisor, Red Cross, and Robert Half have chosen Revenue Grid thanks to its customizability and enterprise-readiness. Revenue Grid is a private company headquartered in Atlanta, GA. To learn more, visit revenuegrid.com . Media Contacts Maria Gordienko Head of Communications [email protected] SOURCE Revenue Grid Support for SAP's Strategy, Bay Area Footprint, Future Growth SAN FRANCISCO, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) today announced the opening of a new office at 135 Townsend Street in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco. The location was strategically chosen to keep SAP at the heart of the technological advancement and growth happening in the city. Following a design based on extensive employee feedback, the office will help create new work experiences for SAP employees and allow closer collaboration with customers and partners. "San Francisco is the capital of the tech industry and one of the top global markets for talent," said Yaad Oren; managing director of SAP Labs US and head of SAP Innovation Center Network, SAP. "With more than 50% of the world's venture capital funding deployed here, it is a vital region. SAP is doubling down on our commitment to this epicenter of innovation with our newest office and this next-generation approach to work." Building the Workplace of Tomorrow SAP worked with design firm Spaces Of to create a 30,000-square-foot flexible office of the future. While more than 3,500 San Francisco Bay Area employees can use it, about 500 employees will use the location as their main office. Along with San Ramon and Palo Alto, this location gives SAP a footprint in every important corner of Silicon Valley. The new office location was designed to accommodate a hybrid style of working. The space contains communal meeting areas, flexible workspaces and designated floors for focused or collaborative work throughout. The intuitive design is adaptable and can be easily updated to meet employee needs. Employees can leverage the amenities of all SAP offices in the region their assigned office for on-site team days and regional outposts for self-directed collaborations or individual work. Driving Innovation for SAP SAP has been revolutionizing enterprise software for more than 50 years. The launch of this new hub helps to ensure that legacy continues through SAP Labs US. SAP Labs Network contains all of SAP's core research and development entities, which are dedicated to building intelligent enterprises and inventing sustainable technologies to support them. This San Francisco location will support the continued growth of SAP Lab US's investment and influence as it forges close relationships with both early-stage disruptors and key technology partners through the SAP.iO program. "Our goal is to transform the disruptions of today into the lasting technology solutions of tomorrow," Oren said. "We are building products that matter and have a clear and tangible impact on our customers' transformations and on SAP's bottom line. We're helping deliver the promise of an intelligent, sustainable enterprise with our customers by nourishing relationships with the top technology firms associated with Silicon Valley." Visit the SAP News Center. Follow SAP on Twitter at @SAPNews. About SAP SAP's strategy is to help every business run as an intelligent, sustainable enterprise. As a market leader in enterprise application software, we help companies of all sizes and in all industries run at their best: SAP customers generate 87% of total global commerce. Our machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics technologies help turn customers' businesses into intelligent enterprises. SAP helps give people and organizations deep business insight and fosters collaboration that helps them stay ahead of their competition. We simplify technology for companies so they can consume our software the way they want without disruption. Our end-to-end suite of applications and services enables business and public customers across 25 industries globally to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and make a difference. With a global network of customers, partners, employees, and thought leaders, SAP helps the world run better and improve people's lives. For more information, visit www.sap.com. This document contains forward-looking statements, which are predictions, projections, or other statements about future events. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and outcomes to materially differ. Additional information regarding these risks and uncertainties may be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the risk factors section of SAP's 2022 Annual Report on Form 20-F. 2023 SAP SE. All rights reserved. SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries. Please see https://www.sap.com/copyright for additional trademark information and notices. For customers interested in learning more about SAP products: Global Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24 United States Only: 1 (800) 872-1SAP (1-800-872-1727) Please consider our privacy policy. If you received this press release in your e-mail and you wish to unsubscribe to our mailing list please contact [email protected] and write Unsubscribe in the subject line. SOURCE SAP SE BANGALORE, India, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global Semiconductor Liquid Filters market size is estimated to be worth USD 444.89 Million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 876.32 Million by 2029 with a CAGR of 11.8% during the review period. Download Free Sample: https://reports.valuates.com/request/sample/QYRE-Auto-3I9857/Global_Semiconductor_Liquid_Filters_Market SEMICONDUCTOR LIQUID FILTERS MARKET TRENDS The growing challenges of the semiconductor industry depend on the availability of water, chemicals, solvents, and gasses that are free of yield-killing sub micron or nanometer-sized particles as well as metal, ionic, and organic pollutants that can leach from wetted materials. These fluids must be filtered in order to be used in semiconductor and other microelectronics operations. It is necessary for filters and purification systems to remove the particles from upstream particle sources without adding any extra pollutants. This factor is expected to drive the growth of the Semiconductor Liquid Filters market. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-3I9857/global-semiconductor-liquid -filters SEMICONDUCTOR LIQUID FILTERS MARKET SEGMENTATION By Type By Application Electronic Semiconductor Manufacturing Solar Semiconductor Manufacturing By Companies PALL Valin Corporation Mott Donaldson Cobetter Entegris 3M Porvair Parker Hannifin Ewald Associates, Inc. Pureach Hangzhou Greenfilter Filtration Equipment Co., Ltd. Bright Sheland International Production by Region North America Europe China Japan Buy Regional Report: https://reports.valuates.com/request/regional/QYRE-Auto-3I9857/Global_Semiconductor_Liquid_Filters_Market Consumption by Region North America United States Canada Europe Germany France UK. Italy Russia Asia-Pacific China Japan South Korea India Australia China Taiwan Indonesia Thailand Malaysia Latin America Mexico Brazil Argentina Colombia Buy Chapters: https://reports.valuates.com/request/chaptercost/QYRE-Auto-3I9857/Global_Semiconductor_Liquid_Filters_Market Buy Now for Single User + Covid-19 Impact : https://reports.valuates.com/api/directpaytoken?rcode= QYRE-Auto-3I9857&lic=single-user SUBSCRIPTION We have introduced a tailor-made subscription for our customers. Please leave a note in the Comment Section to know about our subscription plans. SIMILAR REPORTS: - Semiconductor Filter market was valued at USD 301 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 596.7 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 10.3% during the forecast period 2023-2029. - Liquid Source Vaporizers market was valued at US$ 491.3 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach US$ 798.6 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 7.1% during the forecast period 2023-2029. - Liquid Process Filters Market - Self-Cleaning Liquid Filters Market - Liquid Particle Counters for Semiconductor Market - Dispensers for Semiconductor Market - Semiconductor Liquid and Gas Filter Market - Stainless Steel for Semiconductor Market - Mass Flow Controller for Semiconductor Market - Hydraulic Equipment Liquid Filter Market - Liquid Filter Element Market - Liquid Filter Cartridges Market - Helium (Liquid Helium and Gaseous Helium) market was valued at US$ 1972 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach US$ 2920.2 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 5.7% during the forecast period 2023-2029. - Mass Flow Meters for Semiconductor Market - The Semiconductor Chiller market was valued at US$ 698.8 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach US$ 1019.9 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 5.2% during the forecast period 2023-2029. - Power Semiconductor market was valued at US$ 46070 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach US$ 66420 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 5.3% during the forecast period 2023-2029. - Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment market size is projected to reach US$ 53200 million by 2027, from US$ 39510 million in 2020, at a CAGR of 3.9% during 2021-2027. - Automotive Semiconductor market size is projected to reach US$ 42140 million by 2028, from US$ 31430 million in 2021, at a CAGR of 3.8% during 2022-2028. - Semiconductor Materials market size is projected to reach US$ 52410 million by 2028, from US$ 40420 million in 2021, at a CAGR of 3.3% during 2022-2028. - Compound Semiconductor market size was valued at USD 38.25 billion in 2021 and is forecast to be a readjusted size of USD 55.42 billion by 2028 with a CAGR of 5.48% during the forecast period 2022-2028. - GaN Semiconductor Devices market was valued at USD 1011.1 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 4490.5 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 23.3% during the forecast period 2023-2029. - Semiconductor Foundry market was valued at US$ 137970 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach US$ 219310 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 8.0% during the forecast period 2023-2029. - Semiconductor Photomask market size was USD 4352 million and it is expected to reach USD 6203.3 million by the end of 2027, with a CAGR of 4.5% during 2021-2027. - RF Power Semiconductor market size is estimated to be worth USD 21010 million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 34660 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 8.7% during the review period. - Semiconductor Inspection Systems estimated at USD 9723.4 million in the year 2022, is projected to reach a revised size of USD 12670 million by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 4.5% during the forecast period 2022-2028. - Semiconductor OHT (Overhead Hoist Transport) Market - Semiconductor Diodes Market - Semiconductor Rectifier Market - Semiconductor Prime Wafer Market - Semiconductor Process Gases Market - Silicon-Based Power Semiconductor Market - Neuromorphic AI Semiconductor Market - Semiconductor Micro Components Market - Photoresist for Semiconductor Market - Semiconductor Bare Die Market - Sic Semiconductor Materials and Devices Market - Semiconductor Advanced Packaging Market Click here to see related reports on Semiconductor Liquid Filters Market ABOUT US: Valuates offers in-depth market insights into various industries. 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CONTACT US: Valuates Reports [email protected] For U.S. Toll-Free Call 1-(315)-215-3225 For IST Call +91-8040957137 WhatsApp: +91-9945648335 Website: https://reports.valuates.com Twitter - https://twitter.com/valuatesreports LinkedIn - https://in.linkedin.com/company/valuatesreports https://reports.valuates.com/sitemap/html/reports/752 https://reports.valuates.com/sitemap/html/reports/753 https://reports.valuates.com/sitemap/html/reports/754 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1082232/Valuates_Reports_Logo.jpg SOURCE Valuates Reports Progress is being made on Thor, Denmark's largest offshore wind farm to date. RWE has selected the preferred suppliers for all main components for the wind farm. With a planned capacity of more than 1,000 megawatts, Thor will be built in the Danish North Sea, approximately 22 kilometres from Thorsminde on the west coast of Jutland. Once fully operational, which is planned no later than end of 2027, Thor should be capable of producing enough green electricity to supply the equivalent of more than one million Danish households. Sven Utermohlen, CEO RWE Offshore Wind: "With Thor, we will massively contribute towards Denmark's ambitious climate targets. In order to deploy this offshore project, we will rely on our track record of more than 20 years in offshore wind and on experienced suppliers. Based on an extensive procurement process we selected the preferred suppliers and booked the necessary production slots for all main components. This is an important step towards implementing this large-scale project - especially against the backdrop of the current market situation." Wind turbines and foundations 36 monopile foundations will be manufactured by EEW SPC and further 36 monopile foundations and secondary structures will be delivered by Dajin Offshore. The foundations, which are up to 100 metres in length, will weigh approximately 1,500 tonnes. The Danish-British engineering company, Wood Thilsted, are the designers of the foundations. Jan De Nul Group will provide the vessel for the foundation installation works, which are expected to be carried out in 2025. Siemens Gamesa has been selected to deliver 72 offshore wind turbines (SG 14-236 DD). 36 turbines will be equipped with CO2-reduced steel towers. The GreenerTower will ensure a CO2 reduction of at least 63 percent in the tower steel plates compared to conventional steel. By being the first developer in the world piloting these towers, RWE makes a significant step towards producing even more sustainable wind power. Fred.Olsen Windcarrier will provide the vessel for the turbine installation. The installation works are scheduled to be carried out from the Port of Esbjerg in Denmark, starting in 2026. Both RWE and Siemens Gamesa intend to draw on the skilled local workforce during both construction and commissioning of the project, both in the harbour as well as offshore. Transmission system A joint venture between Hellenic Cables and Jan De Nul Group was selected to provide the entire cable package. The two companies will manufacture and install 60 kilometres of export cables on the 30-kilometre-long cable route from the offshore wind farm to shore and approximately 200 kilometres of inter-array cables. Offshore installation and commissioning of the cable system is expected in 2025. In addition, the joint venture will manufacture and install the onshore cables from the landfall to the onshore substation, which will be built by Siemens Energy in the municipality of Lemvig. Siemens Energy will carry out the civil engineering and construction works together with MT Hjgaard Danmark, one of Denmark's leading companies for large-scale building and infrastructure projects. It is expected that construction activities for the onshore substation can be kicked off in the next couple of weeks. HSM Offshore Energy has been selected for the engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning of the offshore high voltage substation and its jacket foundation. Installation of the jacket foundation and substation topside is expected to take place in 2025 - followed by the commissioning and testing of the offshore substation in 2026. RWE in Denmark RWE is a leading global player in renewables. Globally RWE is investing more than 50 billion gross by 2030 to grow its green core business. As part of this, the Thor project will help to support the company's goal to grow its global offshore wind capacity from 3.3 to 8 gigawatts by the end of the decade. Since 2010, RWE has already completed and now operates the Danish Rdsand 2 offshore wind farm, which is located south of the Danish island of Lolland. RWE has offices in Copenhagen and Thorsminde and an operation and maintenance base in Rdby. RWE employs around 75 people in Denmark. NEW YORK, April 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. ("Fidelity National" or the "Company") (NYSE: FIS). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980. The investigation concerns whether Fidelity National and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices. [Click here for information about joining the class action] In 2019, Fidelity National acquired the payment-processing company Worldpay Inc. ("Worldpay") for $48 billion. Then, on February 13, 2023, Fidelity National booked a $17.6 billion write-down on its Worldpay business and announced plans to spin off the unit. On this news, Fidelity National's stock price fell $9.43 per share, or 12.5%, to close at $66.00 on February 13, 2023. Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered billions of dollars in damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com. CONTACT: Robert S. Willoughby Pomerantz LLP [email protected] 888-476-6529 ext. 7980 SOURCE Pomerantz LLP NEW YORK, April 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Rite Aid Corporation ("Rite Aid" or the "Company") (NYSE: RAD). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980. The investigation concerns whether Rite Aid and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices. [Click here for information about joining the class action] On March 13, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice ("DOJ") issued a press release announcing that it had filed a lawsuit against Rite Aid, intervening in a whistleblower lawsuit brought under the False Claims Act against Rite Aid and various subsidiaries, alleging that Rite Aid knowingly filled unlawful prescriptions for controlled substances. The DOJ also announced that it was suing Rite Aid for violations of the Controlled Substances Act. On this news, Rite Aid's stock price fell $0.71 per share, or 21.65%, over the following two trading sessions, to close at $2.57 per share on March 15, 2023. Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered billions of dollars in damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com. CONTACT: Robert S. Willoughby Pomerantz LLP [email protected] 888-476-6529 ext. 7980 SOURCE Pomerantz LLP NEW YORK, April 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Credit Suisse Group AG ("Credit Suisse" or the "Company") (NYSE: CS), and certain officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, and docketed under 23-cv-02246, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired Credit Suisse securities, including the Company's AT1 Bonds, in a domestic transaction in the U.S., between February 18, 2021 and March 20, 2023, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), seeking to recover damages caused by Defendants' violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Company and certain of its top officials. If you are a shareholder who purchased or otherwise acquired Credit Suisse securities during the Class Period, you have until May 8, 2023 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased. [Click here for information about joining the class action] Credit Suisse, together with its subsidiaries, provides various financial services in Switzerland, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and Asia Pacific. The Company offers wealth management solutions, including investment advice and discretionary asset management services; risk management solutions, such as managed investment products; and wealth planning, succession planning, and trust services. In October 2022, Credit Suisse began experiencing a sharp increase in customer outflows, or withdrawals of client funds, after a series of quarterly losses and risk and compliance failures significantly decreased the Company's American Depositary Share ("ADS") price. On December 1, 2022, Credit Suisse's Chairman, Defendant 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, Defendant Lehmann reiterated his previous statements, reassuring investors that as of November 11, 2022, customer outflows had "basically stopped". Following Defendant Lehmann's statements, Credit Suisse's ADS price rose $0.29 per ADS, or 9.36%, to close at $3.38 per ADS on December 2, 2022. The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) contrary to Defendant Lehmann's representations in December 2022, 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) in addition, the Company maintained deficient internal disclosure controls and procedures; (iv) as a result, Credit Suisse had overstated the Company's financial position and/or prospects; and (v) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. On February 9, 2023, Credit Suisse issued a press release announcing its 2022 financial results. The press release revealed that, contrary to Defendant 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. On 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. Then, on February 21, 2023, Reuters reported that the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority ("FINMA"), was reviewing Defendant Lehmann's previous comments regarding customer outflows. On 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 March 9, 2023, the Company issued an ad hoc announcement on Form 6-K stating it would delay the publication of its 2022 Annual Report and related Annual Report after a call on March 8, 2023 from the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding the Company's cash flow statements in the years ended December 31, 2020, and 2019, as well as related controls. On this news, Credit Suisse's ADS price fell another $0.13 per ADS, or 4.48%, to close at $2.77 per ADS on March 9, 2023. Then, on March 14, 2023, the Company filed an Annual Report on Form 20-F with the SEC, reporting the Company's financial and operating results for the year ended December 31, 2022 which identified material weaknesses in the Company's internal controls and procedures. On this news, Credit Suisse's ADS price fell another $0.03 per ADS. or 1.18%, to close at $2.51 per ADS on March 14, 2023. Then, on March 15, 2023, Reuters published an article entitled "Credit Suisse's biggest backer says can't put up more cash; share down by a fifth" citing Saudi National Bank would not buy any more of the Company's shares on regulatory grounds. On this news, Credit Suisse's ADS price fell another $0.35 per ADS, or 13.94%, to close at $2.16 per ADS on March 15, 2023. Finally, on March 20, 2023, before market hours, the Company issued an ad hoc announcement on Form 6-K stating that, following the FINMA investigation, it had entered into a merger agreement with UBS. On this news, Credit Suisse's ADS price fell another $1.07 per ADS, or 52.99%, to close at $0.94 per ADS on March 20, 2023. Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered billions of dollars in damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com. CONTACT: Robert S. Willoughby Pomerantz LLP [email protected] 888-476-6529 ext. 7980 SOURCE Pomerantz LLP SAN FRANCISCO, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global small cell 5G network market size is anticipated to reach USD 125.5 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 72.5% over the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The deployment of next-generation small cell 5G networks is estimated to witness significant growth over the forecast period. This is attributable to the increasing demand for the 5G network from a massive chunk of customers at public locations such as malls, offices, and stadiums. The ever-rising demand for fast mobile data connectivity among consumers has surged the deployment of the next-generation Radio Access Network (RAN). The installation of small cell 5G networks is rapidly increasing in enterprises, industrial, and residential applications to provide enhanced coverage capacity at an affordable cost. Key Industry Insights & Findings from the report: Based on the component, the hardware segment dominated the market in 2022. Based on hardware segment, the femtocell segment accounted for the largest revenue share 2022. This is attributed to its increasing demand to attain unified bandwidth coverage for several enclosed applications such as malls, homes, offices, and hospitals. Small cells are mainly available into three categories, including femtocells, picocells, and microcells, based on their different ranges. The covering bandwidth ranges of femtocells, picocells, and microcells encompass up to 50 meters, up to 250 meters, and up to 3 Kilometers, respectively. Based on network model the non-standalone segment dominated the market in 2022. The non-standalone network is generally deployed in integration with the existing legacy network infrastructure. Based on architecture type, the virtualized network architecture dominated the market in 2022. This is attributed to a robust deployment of a small cell 5G network with a centralized baseband unit controllable architecture. This helps service providers to reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and increase the overall flexibility of the network by managing virtually all the small cell base stations. Based on deployment mode, the indoor segment dominated the market in 2022. This is attributed to the reliable deployment of next-generation small cells across several residential and non-residential applications. The non-residential uses mainly involve enterprises, retail malls, airports, and hospitals. Based on frequency type, the sub-6 GHz dominated the market in 2022. This is attributed to the enormous investments by key communication service providers in acquiring low and mid-band frequencies to deliver high bandwidth services to consumers, businesses, and industries. Based on end-user, the market is segmented into residential, commercial, industrial, smart city, transportation & logistics, government & defense, and others segment. The commercial segment dominated the market in 2022. This is attributed to the growing deployment of small cell 5G networks across large as well as Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) across the globe. This 5G RAN network helps enterprises cater to the demand for massive data capacity and coverage needs at a very affordable cost. Asia Pacific dominated the market in 2022. The dominant share of the region can be attributed to the aggressive deployment of 5G new radio infrastructure by major communication service providers such as KT Corporation; China Mobile Limited; Rakuten Mobile, Inc.; and NTT Docomo Inc. Consequently, the market in the region is anticipated to experience robust growth over the forecast period. Read full market research report for more latest insights, "Small Cell 5G Network Market Size, Share, & Trends Analysis Report By Component, By Network Model, By Architecture, By Deployment, By Frequency Type, By End-use, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030", published by Grand View Research. Small Cell 5G Network Market Growth & Trends Rapidly rising mobile data traffic across the globe enables telecom operators to migrate toward network densification to provide high-speed capacity to mass consumers. The rapidly building smart cities in developed countries such as the U.S., Canada, Singapore, U.K., Germany, Italy, and France have surged the deployment of small cell 5G networks for several applications, such as residential, industrial, commercial, and government, among others. Also, the demand for 5G data services for several use cases, including Ultra-high Definition (UHD)/4K video, seamless video calling, and cloud-based VR/AR gaming, is rapidly mounting. As a result, it is further anticipated to boost the market growth over the forecast period. The small cell 5G network is anticipated to facilitate telecom operators to fulfill the demand for enhanced data connectivity for several industrial and enterprise business applications. Some of the largest economies, such as the U.S. and China, are expected to continue spending insistently on provisioning healthcare facilities. The healthcare industry, especially in developed economies, has begun emphasizing remote diagnosis and patient surgeries. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has enabled several key countries to build more robust healthcare capabilities through investing in advanced technologies such as 5G infrastructure. Thus, to deliver constant data connectivity during remote patient surgeries and telemedicine, the demand for small cell 5G network is expected to drive the market growth from 2022 to 2030. The outbreak of COVID-19 slowed down the implementation of 5G infrastructure owing to the interruptions in further trials and testing needed for validating the stability and processing performance of 5G networks. Additionally, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, countries such as U.S., Germany and China have seen a robust decline in the trades of small cell telecom equipment for 5G New Radios (NR). Disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are expected to delay the implementation of private 5G networks by halting the testing and QA activities necessary for verifying the processing performance and stability of 5G standalone networks. Moreover, the labor shortage and the complete disruption of logistics and supply chains worldwide caused the delay in 5G network deployment, impacting the overall market growth in the first and second quarters of 2020. The report covers the competitive analysis of top fifteen players in the market which includes Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.; Nokia Corporation; Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson; Comba Telecom Systems Holdings Ltd.; Altiostar; Airspan Networks; Ceragon; ZTE Corporation; Fujitsu Limited; CommScope Inc.; Contela; Corning; Baicells Technologies. Leading players are actively making partnerships and agreements with key telecom operators to expand their geographical presence. In September 2019, Ericsson made an agreement with KT Corporation to deploy Ericsson's indoor small cell product for enterprise applications. Besides, in July 2019, Swisscom, a Switzerland-based telecom operator, in a partnership with Ericsson, deployed small cells in Switzerland for indoor applications. Small Cell 5G Network Market Segmentation Grand View Research has segmented the global small cell 5G network market on the basis of component, network model, network architecture, deployment mode, frequency type, end-use, and region. Small Cell 5G Network Market - Component Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2019 - 2030) Hardware Picocell Femtocell Microcell Services Consulting Deployment & Integration Training and Support & Maintenance Small Cell 5G Network Market - Model Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2019 - 2030) Standalone Non-standalone Small Cell 5G Network Market - Architecture Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2019 - 2030) Distributed Virtualized Small Cell 5G Network Market - Deployment Mode Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2019 - 2030) Indoor Outdoor Small Cell 5G Network Market - Frequency Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2019 - 2030) Sub-6 GHz mmWave Sub-6GHz + mmWave Small Cell 5G Network Market - End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2019 - 2030) Residential Commercial Corporates/ Enterprises Hospitals Hotels & Restaurants Malls/Shops Stadiums Others Industrial Smart Manufacturing Energy & Utility Oil & Gas and Mining Smart City Transportation & Logistics Government & Defense Others Small Cell 5G Network Market Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2019 - 2030) North America U.S. Canada Mexico Europe Germany U.K. Italy Russia Asia-Pacific China India Japan South Korea South America Brazil Middle East & Africa & Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) (KSA) UAE South Africa List of Key Players of Small Cell 5G Network Market Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Nokia Corporation Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson ZTE Corporation Fujitsu Limited CommScope Inc. Comba Telecom Systems Holdings Ltd. Altiostar Airspan Networks Ceragon Contela Corning Baicells Technologies Check out more related studies published by Grand View Research: 5G Network Slicing Market - The global 5G network slicing market size is expected to reach USD 4,829.3 million by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 43.0% from 2023 to 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. 5G network slicing technology enables mobile network operators (MNOs) to make numerous virtual networks within a single physical infrastructure, providing increased flexibility, resource utilization, efficiency, and better user experiences. The growing need for flexible and tailored 5G networks that can cater to the various necessities of different industries is increasing the demand for 5G network slicing. - The global 5G network slicing market size is expected to reach by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 43.0% from 2023 to 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. 5G network slicing technology enables mobile network operators (MNOs) to make numerous virtual networks within a single physical infrastructure, providing increased flexibility, resource utilization, efficiency, and better user experiences. The growing need for flexible and tailored 5G networks that can cater to the various necessities of different industries is increasing the demand for 5G network slicing. Private 5G Network Market - The global private 5G network market size is estimated to reach USD 36.08 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 51.2% from 2023 to 2030, according to a new study by Grand View Research, Inc. Significantly growing demand for ultra-reliable low-latency connectivity with an extremely secure network across several mission-critical applications, such as public safety, is expected to boost the deployment of private 5G networks during the forecast period. Moreover, a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, oil & gas, mining, and energy & utility, are investing a massive amount in deploying private 5G telecom service to enhance their overall productivity and operational efficiency. As a result, it is expected to foster market growth from 2023 to 2030. - The global private 5G network market size is estimated to reach by 2030, registering a CAGR of 51.2% from 2023 to 2030, according to a new study by Grand View Research, Inc. Significantly growing demand for ultra-reliable low-latency connectivity with an extremely secure network across several mission-critical applications, such as public safety, is expected to boost the deployment of private 5G networks during the forecast period. Moreover, a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, oil & gas, mining, and energy & utility, are investing a massive amount in deploying private 5G telecom service to enhance their overall productivity and operational efficiency. As a result, it is expected to foster market growth from 2023 to 2030. 5G System Integration Market - The global 5G systems integration market size is estimated to reach USD 62.69 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 27.3% from 2022 to 2030, according to a new study by Grand View Research, Inc. Robust increase in the investments to deploy 5G network infrastructures across key countries, such as U.S., China , and Japan , has created the demand for integrating entire fifth generation infrastructure and applications across enterprises. This process will help enterprises to work as a centralized platform that will assist in reducing overall complexity. Thus, robust investments in building fifth-generation infrastructure, coupled with the growing need to set up a 5G-enabled ecosystem, are estimated to propel market growth. Browse through Grand View Research's Next Generation Technologies Industry Research Reports. About Grand View Research Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research Helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead. Contact: Sherry James Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Grand View Research, Inc. Phone: 1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: [email protected] Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com Grand View Compass | Astra ESG Solutions Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/661327/Grand_View_Research_Logo.jpg SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc JOHANNESBURG, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SOFAR, the global leading supplier of PV & ESS solutions, presents its latest innovations covering residential, C&I and utility scenarios at The Solar Show Africa, which is one of the most prominent exhibitions for local renewable energy industry. Against the backdrop of Africa's pressing need for stable energy output, SOFAR brought its tried-and-tested solar storage solutions to tackle with local power fluctuation. SOFAR Booth Designed to optimize energy output and improve system reliability, SOFAR HYD 5~20KTL-3PH features 2 MPPTs and multiple parallel systems plus GTX3000 with a system energy capacity up to 180 kWh, allowing for more flexible configurations. Notably, through fully digital operation via Bluetooth app, users are accessible to higher control accuracy and hassle-free O&M, able to automatically commission and manage plant yields in a timely manner. Meanwhile, HYD 3000~6000-EP plus GTX5000PRO is also showcased to enrich the portfolio, which is capable of keeping essential devices in operation even during a blackout thanks to the UPS-level emergency power supply function and less than 10 ms of switchover time. In addition to ESS, SOFAR 110~125KTLX-G4 tailored for C&I and small-scale utility solar makes a hit as well. Apart from ensuring lower LCOE and higher yields, the inverter enables IP66 overall protection along with C5 anti-corrosion, resilient to harsh working conditions in Africa. During the exhibition, SOFAR signed a 200MW MoU with Condere Group, a 100MW MoU with AutoX/Rentech, and a 50MW MoU with Joule Energy, further deepening strategic cooperation among local distributors. The signing is expected to promote closer collaboration between both sides and contribute to the shared target of clean transition. Through joint effort, SOFAR intends to complement each other's core competencies and technical capabilities, effectively alleviating power shortage in the region. Jesse Lau, Head of SOFAR MEA, is committed to providing cutting-edge solutions for those looking to transition to sustainable sources of energy. "The Solar Show Africa is an ideal platform for us to share our vision of a cleaner, greener future and help attendees find the best solutions to meet their energy needs. We're excited to meet with industry leaders, jointly addressing today's energy challenges and contribute to carbon neutrality." About SOFAR SOFAR is a global leading supplier of solar PV and energy storage solutions and committed to be the leader of digital energy solutions with a comprehensive portfolio, including PV inverters, hybrid inverters, battery storage system, central energy storage and smart energy management solutions for residential, C&I, and utility-scale applications. By 2021, SOFAR entered the TOP5 Global Hybrid Inverter Suppliers, set up a global R&D network with three R&D centers and two manufacturing bases. In 2022, SOFAR annual production capacity reached 10GW for PV & storage inverters and 1GWh for batteries. By the end of 2022, SOFAR has shipped over 18GW inverters to more than 100 countries and regions around the world. Learn more about SOFAR by visiting: https://www.sofarsolar.com/. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2064603/Cover.jpg SOURCE SOFAR AUBURN HILLS, Mich., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Michigan's Rocco Morales earns second consecutive win and a Ram Truck Exterior Design Studio summer internship Stellantis announces winners of 11th annual Drive for Design Contest. Michigan's Rocco Morales earns second consecutive win and a Ram Truck Exterior Design Studio summer internship. Grand-prize winner Rocco Morales is a previous Drive for Design contest winner who finished first in 2022 and second in 2021. Morales, a 12th grader from Northville, Michigan, submitted a design for the Ram Stadion, which would create a new segment of pickup trucks. The future of automotive design is looking even more innovative thanks to three young designers who were recently selected as the finalists in the 11th annual Stellantis Drive for Design competition. Grand-prize winner Rocco Morales is a previous Drive for Design contest winner who finished first in 2022 and second in 2021. Morales, a 12th grader from Northville, Michigan, submitted a design for the Ram Stadion, which would "create a new segment of pickup trucks." In Morales' winning design, a fully capable off-road machine could easily transform into a relaxing place to hang out with stadium seating and a deployable canopy. Morales' grand prize includes a summer design internship at the Ram Truck Exterior Design Studio and a Wacom MobileStudio Pro 16 tablet. "Rocco is clearly a passionate designer with a bright future ahead of him," said Mark Trostle, head of Ram Truck and Mopar exterior design for Stellantis. "It will be great having someone eager to learn and experience a professional design studio." This year's contest challenged students in grades 10-12 to sketch the next-generation Ram EV truck. The creative submissions revealed brand-new concepts and a glimpse into the minds of up-and-coming designers. Rohan Seiber, a 10th grader from Portola Valley, California, and Benjamin Miller, an 11th grader from Birmingham, Michigan, rounded out the top-three finishers in this year's contest. Seiber's Ram Rex truck "reimagines the TRX to be the ultimate go-anywhere, do-anything full-size electric pickup truck," including a configurable bed platform and unique exterior lighting and external rail system. Miller's Ram Ultima is built around a modular design that would allow the owner to add more power and traction as needed. Seiber and Miller will be awarded an Apple iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, a Virtual Day of Design portfolio review with members of the Stellantis Design Team and a scholarship to College for Creative Studies' four-week summer program. "Every year, I am blown away by the creativity and enthusiasm of these students," said Trostle, whose win in a similar high school contest guided his own career path. "It's really difficult to choose a winner because each design is so unique and thoughtful. Our whole team is excited to work with these students, and I'm already looking forward to next year's contest." To see the top submissions in this year's contest, visit www.StellantisDriveForDesign.com and follow the Stellantis North America social media channels. Stellantis North America Stellantis (NYSE: STLA) is one of the world's leading automakers and a mobility provider. In North America, it's best known for producing and selling vehicles in a portfolio of iconic and award-winning brands such as Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, Alfa Romeo and Fiat. Powered by its diversity, Stellantis leads the way the region and the world move aspiring to become the greatest sustainable mobility tech company, not the biggest, while creating added value for all stakeholders as well as the communities in which it operates. For more information, visit www.stellantis.com. Follow company news and video on: Company blog: http://blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com Media website: http://media.stellantisnorthamerica.com Company website: www.stellantis.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/Stellantis Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StellantisNA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stellantisna Twitter: @StellantisNA YouTube: http://youtube.com/StellantisNA SOURCE Stellantis Study at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center is first to quantify tele-hematology's impact on laboratory performance; demonstrates more efficient workflows and decrease in costs TEL AVIV, Israel, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Scopio Labs today announced the publication of a new study that examines the impact of implementing remote* digital microscopy for peripheral blood smear (PBS) analysis. Conducted by Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (TASMC) and published in Applied Clinical Informatics, the study found that the application of Scopio's digital imaging and analysis system significantly reduces laboratory turnaround time (TAT) for PBS review, as compared to TASMC's previous digital morphology workflow. Most hospital-attached clinical laboratories suffer from delayed turnaround time (TAT) a major benchmark for laboratory performance, including for peripheral blood smears. Hematology labs are facing pressure to work more efficiently, but existing digital morphology analyzers have a limited field of view and may require qualified experts to make return trips to the microscope. The study measured the impact of altering the weekend lab workflow using fully remote digital microscopy via Scopio's X100 with Full-Field PBS Application, looking specifically at workflow efficiency and turnaround time. A total of 10,704 PBS samples were reviewed during two five-month periods. "Scopio's platform significantly reduced turnaround times and improved efficiency of the hematology lab's morphology analysis," said Dr. Ben-Zion Katz, Ph.D., lead author of the study. "By adding remote PBS review capacity over the weekends, we were able to decrease weekend turnaround times for PBS review and eliminate a huge backlog at the start of the week, all without requiring additional staff in the lab on the weekend. We saw clinical benefits, achieved net cost savings, and provided flexibility to our skilled staff." Key findings from the study include the following: Remote review of PBS slides over the weekend reduced TAT by 41.4% on the first day of the weekend and 33.1% on the second day. Remote review over the weekend eliminated all backlogs of samples, reducing TAT by 59.1% on the first weekday. Overall morphology turnaround time in the laboratory dropped by 15.8% over a five-month period, compared to previous digital morphology workflow. After implementing the remote weekend workflow, the lab was able to cut an entire eight-hour shift that had previously been necessary to address the backlog of samples accrued over the weekend. Prior to this study, Scopio's suite of digital imaging and analysis platforms had already increased efficiency for Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center's hematology laboratory. This study is the first to quantify an increase in terms of PBS turnaround time (TAT), staff hours, and costs. "For TASMC, being able to achieve timely detection from different physical locations is a game-changer," said Itai Hayut, CEO and Co-Founder of Scopio Labs. "Improving turnaround time better equips hematology labs to fulfill their crucial role in saving lives. We are encouraged by this study's promising results." *Remote review is accessible only for authorized users via the hospital's secure network. About Scopio Scopio Labs' suite of digital imaging and analysis platforms supports laboratory experts with timely detection of blood-related medical conditions, expediting patients' access to life-saving treatments. Scopio solves the age-old tradeoff between resolution and field of view, enabling unprecedented scale and depth in cell morphology. High-resolution imaging and embedded AI combine for more efficient workflow, contributing to better diagnostics across the continuum of care. Scopio Labs' Full-Field Peripheral Blood Smear Application is FDA-cleared and CE-marked for use with the Scopio X100 and Scopio X100HT high-resolution scanners. The Full-Field Bone Marrow Aspirate Application is CE-marked for use with both devices. To learn more, visit scopiolabs.com . Media Contact: Josh Warhit Warhit Media Services for Scopio Labs +972-50-442-9238 [email protected] SOURCE Scopio Labs The academic medical center's EVP and CIO is recognized for his role in advancing Tampa General's position as a national leader in health information technology innovation. TAMPA, Fla., April 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Scott Arnold, executive vice president and chief information officer (CIO) of Tampa General Hospital, has been named a top health care information technology (HIT) leader by Becker's Hospital Review on its 2023 "CIOs to Know" list. Arnold's inclusion on the list reflects his efforts to drive technological advancement at Tampa General, including championing initiatives and optimizing processes to transform care and drive improved outcomes for patients. Scott Arnold, executive vice president and chief information officer (CIO) of Tampa General Hospital, has been named a top health care information technology (HIT) leader by Beckers Hospital Review on its 2023 CIOs to Know list. Arnolds inclusion on the list reflects his efforts to drive technological advancement at Tampa General, including championing initiatives and optimizing processes to transform care and drive improved outcomes for patients. "Scott's efforts in the hospital IT (HIT) space are foundational in shaping Tampa General as one of the nation's leading academic medical centers and as home to the most innovative and highest-level care available ," said John Couris, Tampa General's president and chief executive officer. "His forward thinking and expertise in information technology play an integral role in streamlining and enhancing processes and onboarding new technologies that make efficient and effective care coordination possible." "The various patient data points that are often stored in disparate locations tell important stories that give caregivers additional insight into whom they are caring for and how to best care for them," Couris added. "Under Scott's leadership, Tampa General has been able to integrate technological systems to unleash the power of that data to improve care quality, patient outcomes, and the patient experience." A recent example of Arnold's approach to data integration is Tampa General leveraging data generated by its partnership with the GE Healthcare Command Center system which monitors the location, care, and status of every patient within the hospital to create an early warning system for potential sepsis cases. The academic medical center's CareComm Command Center also provides real-time situational awareness throughout the organization to drive efficiency improvements. This happens through the use of a predictive analytics algorithm, which alerts a rapid-response clinical care team to potential sepsis concerns. The algorithm uses real-time information from Tampa General's electronic health records (EHR), and rules-based logic based on a weighted algorithm with specific clinical factors. Within two years, this new approach to predicting and eliminating the life-threatening complication of infection resulted in a reduction of the early death rate from 6.1 percent to 3.1 percent. This accounts for more than 50 lives saved in the past six months. Through this ongoing work, Tampa General developed pathways to get patients home from the hospital sooner. Additionally, Arnold is working with his team at Tampa General to ensure health information technology is front-and-center in the health system's approach to care coordination. Data is essential in transforming the patient care experience from transactional interactions at specific points of care to a more curated and holistic experience. When technology systems are fully connected and integrated, caregivers and clinicians can better understand a patient's entire health journey and work together to provide exceptional, personalized care. "I'm honored to be recognized by Becker's and believe it is a testament to the way our team at Tampa General has embraced new use cases for technology to support proactive, sound clinical decision-making," Arnold said. "HIT isn't just the future it's here and now. Every advancement we make in leveraging patient data to enable more seamless care delivery benefits our patients, our care teams and our community." In its announcement of the "Top CIOs to Know" list, Becker's Hospital Review stated "the creation of novel technologies and cyber systems is ushering in an era of growth and innovation in the health care industry. Top CIOs are adopting these technologies and health IT initiatives to enhance the patient and provider experience." Becker's Hospital Review is a leading source of hospital business news and analysis for the health care industry. This list highlights health care's top CIOs across the country. Arnold and the rest of this year's "CIOs to Know" honorees can be found online here. ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL Tampa General Hospital, a 1,040-bed, not-for-profit, academic medical center, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region's only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News & World Report's 2022-23 Best Hospitals, and is tied as the third highest-ranked hospital in Florida, with seven specialties ranking among the best programs in the United States. Tampa General Hospital has been designated as a model of excellence by the 2022 Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals list. The academic medical center's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by two prestigious Forbes magazine rankings first nationally in the 2022 America's Best Employers for Women and sixth out of 100 Florida companies in the 2022 America's Best Employers by State. Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal year 2021, provided a net community benefit worth more than $224.5 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education, and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is one of the nation's busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With six medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center, and its 32-bed Neuroscience, Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital's footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health, and 21 TGH Imaging powered by Tower outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics. To see a medical care professional live anytime, anywhere on a smartphone, tablet or computer, visit Virtual Health | Tampa General Hospital (tgh.org). As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is the first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that provides real-time situational awareness to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org. Media Contact: Beth Hardy, APR Senior Communications Specialist (813) 844-7322 (direct) (813) 510-6363 (cell) [email protected] SOURCE Tampa General Hospital HOUSTON, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Brenda, an aspiring homeowner, tried to purchase a house for the almost a decade. However, her husband's lack of documents as an immigrant caused several setbacks in their journey. A valid ID is required for the non-purchasing spouse, causing the couple to back out of deals in the past. But thanks to the efforts of a dedicated lender, Jenny Orozco with AmCap Home Loans, Brenda and her husband's dream of homeownership finally came true. The lender, who is passionate about helping the Hispanic community, went above and beyond to assist the couple in obtaining the necessary documentation. The lender sought help from a friend who works at the Mexican embassy to guide Brenda's husband in obtaining a passport. Despite the husband's fear, Orozco reassured him and made sure that the process was smooth and successful. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Orozco, Brenda and her husband finally closed on their dream home in just a short 15-day transaction. This achievement is even more remarkable as there were no realtors involved in the transaction. "This is a heartwarming example of how individuals in the community can come together to help others achieve their dreams," Orozco said. "I'm honored to have been able to assist Brenda and her husband in their journey to homeownership, and I hope to inspire others to do the same." The lender's commitment to serving the Hispanic community and going above and beyond for clients exemplifies the values of the industry. This story serves as a reminder of the importance of inclusivity and support in the journey towards homeownership. About AmCap Whether you dream of buying your first home, refinancing your current mortgage or consolidating debt, our highly experienced team of mortgage professionals will work with you to find the best loan program to fit your budget and your needs. Since 2008, AmCap home loans and refinance experts have provided a streamlined mortgage loan process that alleviates the stress of buying a home. AmCap is licensed in more than 40 states. AmCap has been a Houston Chronicle top workplace for 12 years in a row. Interest applicants should seek further information at amcaprecruiting.com. Borrower interested in pre-qualifying for a home with Jenny can visit https://myamcap.com/jenny-orozco/. SOURCE AmCap Home Loans XI'AN, China, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Looking for a unique and unforgettable travel destination this spring? Look no further than Shaanxi, one of China's most picturesque provinces, waiting for you to explore its spring adventure. Shaanxi Culture and Tourism Provincial Department has launched the "Spring in Shaanxi Invitation" spring cultural tourism campaign in 2023. The campaign includes 15 boutique tourism routes covering more than 150 cultural and recreational activities such as flower viewing and leisure and 40 spring flower viewing photography spots. As the rapeseed flowers bloom across over 20 thousand acres of land in Shaanxi's Hanzhong region, tourists can now easily access the province via the frequent high-speed trains that run from Xi'an to Hanzhong. With more people stepping out to embrace the beauty of spring, a surge of visitors is flocking to various flower-watching spots across the region. In Pucheng county, Shaanxi, over 45,000 acres of pear blossoms have attracted large numbers of tourists, prompting the introduction of a new tourist train for visitors to enjoy the scenery. Shaanxi is also known for its rich cultural heritage. The city of Xi'an, the ancient capital of China, is home to many historical and cultural landmarks, including the Terracotta Warriors and the Xi'an City Wall. Visitors can immerse themselves in the city's fascinating history and explore its ancient architecture and art. Tourists can also experience the cultural essence of Shaanxi by visiting its historical and cultural sites. Night tours of Tang Paradise, the "The Longest Day in Chang'an" program, the live performance of "The Song of Everlasting Regret" at Huaqing Palace, and the "The Legend of Camel Bell" at Xi'an Huaxia Cultural Tourism Resort are all must-visit cultural tourism projects for out-of-town visitors. Did you know Shaanxi is creating quite a buzz on the internet? Shaanxi has been sharing engaging and informative traveling contents on their social media account, Visit Shaanxi, and now has over 1.085 million fans across all platforms, with a cumulative exposure of over 10 million and an interaction of 761k in Q1, 2023. Among them, the number of fans on Facebook platform exceeds 852k, Instagram platform exceeds 71k, Twitter platform reaches 159k, YouTube platform reaches 1,432, and the newly joined social platform, TikTok, has already garnered 551 fans. So why not plan a trip to Shaanxi this spring and experience the natural beauty and rich culture of this wonderful province? SOURCE Shaanxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism ELKO Elkos city council and chief of police reversed their approval of a bid on a new SWAT vehicle after questions were posed at their last meeting about the manufacturer. The City Council on Tuesday unanimously agreed to reject all bids and directed City staff to re-advertise with corrected bid documents that comply with federal and state requirements. Police Chief Ty Trouten requested the City Council reject the $313,120 bid from Terradyne Armored Vehicles Inc. based in Ontario, Canada. On April 11, questions were raised by competitor Linco Armored Vehicles of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, about the bid not meeting specific federal and state requirements and structural guidelines that could jeopardize the grant funding from the Office of the Military Division of Emergency Management. Among the concerns pointed out by Linco sales manager Jim Massery was the choice of a foreign-based competitor that was out of compliance with the Buy American Act unless the price offered was 20-30% less. Terradyne also admitted that their product did not meet armor requirements and its bolted running boards are a prohibited structural design according to federal guidelines. Trouten, who at the time said he was fine with the City Councils decision, told them Tuesday that he should have insisted they hold off. I should have been a little more forceful and ask that you outright table it, he said. The rejection of the SWAT vehicles bid did not affect another appropriation that was also approved by the City Council on April 11 for new portable x-ray and bomb detection equipment with funding from the Military Division of Emergency Management Grant for $56,510.26. FAST Set to Host Advance Armenia Gala in Los Angeles to Help Accelerate Funding Toward: the ADVANCE Research Grants and Generation AI LOS ANGELES, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology (FAST), is excited to announce its 2023 Advance Armenia Gala which will be held on May 11, 2023, at The Landmark in Mission Hills, CA. This annual event is focused on amplifying FAST's Advance Armenia campaign to drive support and engagement for programs that enable FAST's mission: to foster and accelerate the advancement of science and technological innovation for Armenia and beyond. Funds raised will encourage progress in two key programs of the foundation: the ADVANCE Research Grants and Generation AI High School project. The Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology (FAST) Building Innovations in Scientific Research and Education "I am delighted to host our second Advance Armenia Gala in Los Angeles," says Dr. Armen Orujyan, CEO of FAST and renowned innovation architect. "In Los Angeles, the Armenian community has shown tremendous support towards FAST's mission to drive innovation in the scientific ecosystem through far-reaching and cutting-edge education and research. By working together, we will achieve remarkable results." In 2020, FAST established the ADVANCE Research Grants. The program funds research teams under the leadership of distinguished international scientists that are working on producing globally competitive research. The successful inaugural Advance Armenia Gala in 2022 raised $1.4 million for the ADVANCE Research Grants, attracting additional resources for scaling up the program. It opened the space for distinguished scientists from all over the world (International Principal Investigator, PI) to undertake innovative and groundbreaking research projects in Armenia by forming and leading new groups of local researchers. In 2022, the program was scaled thanks to the generous contributions of the FAST supporters. Another exciting project fostered by FAST is the implementation of Generation AI aiming to create the educational and career pipeline for the AI researchers and innovators. With a focus on enhancing math and computer science competencies and introducing AI curriculum, Generation AI will prepare and motivate high school students to pursue rewarding careers in this rapidly growing field. In collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, a pilot program of the Generation AI High School project will commence this fall at select Armenian public high schools. This groundbreaking program represents a significant step forward in fostering the next generation of AI researchers and innovators for advancing technological innovation in Armenia. The Los Angeles gala will unite diasporans and other global citizens passionate about supporting the betterment of Armenia and its future. In addition to an inspiring program, the evening will include welcoming remarks from the FAST Co-Founder, Dr. Noubar Afeyan and a presentation by FAST's Chair of Board of Advisors Dr. Mary Papazian and Vice President of Strategic Programming Suzanna Shamakhyan. Dr. Afeyan will also host the keynote speaker Dr. Ardem Patapoutian, 2021 Nobel Prize Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Scripps Research and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. This year FAST expands research impact in Armenia with ADVANCE Research Grants. Additionally, it takes unprecedented strides in AI education in Armenian high schools to build a sustainable pipeline of scientists. About FAST FAST aims to support Armenia's transformation into a science-driven innovative country by 2041 through scientific discovery and innovation. Our long-term vision is Armenia's transformation into a top ten Global Innovator nation and top five in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. FAST has designed and structured numerous programs and initiatives to become independent parts of the STI ecosystem, ensuring their continuing sustainability. FAST programs (1) help transform and augment Armenia's educational model by enhancing students, educators, and early-career scientists' skills that prepare them for future scientific work. (2) Armenian researchers are granted with more opportunities and vital funding for fellowships, research in key innovation sectors, and collaboration between local and international experts. (3) Commercialization projects identify and nurture promising entrepreneurs, early-stage startups, and tech ventures to bring cutting-edge, commercially viable, and globally competitive solutions to life. FAST has designed and structured numerous programs and initiatives to become independent parts of the innovation ecosystem, thereby ensuring their continuing sustainability. Since 2017 FAST has implemented over 25 programs which impacted more than 9000 beneficiaries. For more information, please visit our website: www.fast.foundation . SOURCE FAST BOSTON, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- New England Law | Boston is pleased to announce the program for its 2023 Commencement ceremony, taking place on Friday, May 19, at 11:00 a.m. at the Boch Center Wang Theatre in Boston. The Honorable Paula M. Carey '86, former chief justice of the Massachusetts Trial Court, will address the graduates. A distinguished alumna and ardent supporter of New England Law, Chief Justice Carey was the first to hold the position of chief justice of the Trial Court under the structure established by the Court Reform Act of 2011 and was instrumental to the Trial Court's many advancements. Chief Justice Carey was first appointed to the bench as an associate justice of the Norfolk Probate and Family Court in 2001. In 2007, she was named Chief Justice of the Probate and Family Court. During her time there, she was instrumental in the development, adoption, and implementation of the Uniform Probate Code, which instituted major reforms in guardianship and probate procedures. Her many roles included chair of the Child Support Guidelines Task Force, the Time and Standards Committee, the Staffing Model Committee, and the Probate and Family Court Legislative Committee. She also served on the Budget Advisory Committee and as a member of the Governor's Working Group on Child Custody Laws and on Child-Centered Family Law. Hailed for her dedication to justice, Chief Justice Carey graduated magna cum laude from New England Law in 1986. The Boston Bar Journal noted "the quality of her attention to every person and every issue stands out as especially worthy of emulation." "It is an honor, and our great pride, to welcome Chief Justice Carey as our keynote speaker for the 112th Commencement at New England Law," said Lisa Freudenheim, Dean and Professor of Law, New England Law | Boston. "In addition to her remarkable career accomplishments, Chief Justice Carey is an active supporter of New England Law who understands that the training and support of future lawyers is a serious responsibility." During the ceremony, New England Law leadership will also present honorary doctor of laws degrees to Chief Justice Carey; Walter B. Prince, Partner at Prince Lobel, a former assistant United States attorney who has more than 30 years of experience in transportation, commercial law, and civil and white collar criminal litigation; Rachael Rollins, United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, who previously served as Suffolk County District Attorney; and Marilyn Wellington '91, Chief Strategy and Operations Officer at the National Conference of Bar Examiners, who served as Executive Director of the Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners for more than 11 years. ABOUT NEW ENGLAND LAW | BOSTON New England Law | Boston was founded in 1908 as Portia Law School, the first and only law school established exclusively for the education of women. Today, New England Law offers its co-ed student body flexible, convenient programs that combine rigorous academics, dynamic community, and early access to practical experience, as well as a diverse, global alumni network spanning 29 countries, 50 states, and all areas of practice. For more information, visit www.nesl.edu. SOURCE New England Law | Boston GOTHENBURG, Sweden, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Liquid Wind releases White Paper on the economic implications of e-fuel Well-to-Wake emissions compared to alternatives. The development is moving rapidly in the eMethanol and e-fuel space. In the white paper we dig into these increased efforts and show why eMethanol is the best alternative to fossil fuels. The shipping industry is stepping up its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. More and more companies are setting targets and offering green shipping solutions to their customers. At the same time, new regulations and policies are being introduced to support the transition to low-carbon shipping. The primary motivation for switching to low-carbon fuels is to reduce emissions and support sustainability, rather than to transport goods at the lowest possible cost. As a result, the value of the fuel lies not only in its ability to transport goods, but also in the carbon footprint and its contribution to sustainability. "With the introduction of alternative fuels, a broad range of products with varying production pathways and respective emission intensities enter the market. The emission reduction contribution of a fuel directly correlates with their Well-to-Wake (WTW) emission value. Therefore, fuel prices will reflect the WTW values of a specific fuel. eMethanol and its very low intensity offers a great reduction potential for shipping companies and their customers", says Felix Jung, Sustainability Manager at Liquid Wind and author of the white paper. White Paper, Liquid Wind: The increasing efforts to tackle shipping emissions Sourcing sustainability When shipping companies switch to fossil-free fuel alternatives, they are not only buying an energy carrier, but also a product that supports sustainability and compliance with regulations. In conclusion, sourcing alternative fuels means primarily sourcing sustainability. The "Well-to-Wake" approach In our white paper we encourage shipping companies, policy makers and users of shipping and transportation services to use a Well-to-Wake approach when evaluating emissions from the shipping industry. This means that shipping companies should determine the amount of alternative fuel needed to achieve a reduction target. In time and with more regulations getting in place regarding lowered emissions, this will become increasingly relevant and will greatly affect the value of a fuel. This approach considers all emissions along the life cycle of a fuel: from the cultivation of biomass or primary energy production to the combustion of fuel onboard the vessel - which enables accurate emission accounting and upstream transparency. eMethanol compared to sustainable biofuels According to our case study less than half the amount of eMethanol is required compared to biofuel when it is sourced for compliance under the FuelEU Maritime regulation. While eMethanol can have a carbon footprint 15 times lower than sustainable biofuels. All-in-all conclusions from the white paper Sourcing alternative fuels means primarily sourcing sustainability and not just an energy carrier. The Well-to-Wake emission determines the amount of alternative fuel needed to achieve a reduction target and therefore impacts a fuels value. Further sustainability and ESG criteria, especially for upstream production, need to be considered and will influence the value of an alternative fuel. A Well-to-Wake approach enables accurate emission accounting and upstream transparency. Download the white paper through the link here The increasing efforts to tackle shipping emissions. CONTACT: Media contact Klaudija Cavala, Head of Digital & Marketing Communications [email protected] +46 (0)73 369 55 98 The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/18536/3756513/2015252.pdf Press release_Liquid Wind_White Paper_The increasing efforts to tackle shipping emissions_27_April_2023 https://news.cision.com/liquid-wind/i/felix-jung-sustainability-manager-liquid-wind,c3169974 Felix Jung Sustainability Manager Liquid Wind https://news.cision.com/liquid-wind/i/klaudija-cavala-head-of-digital-marketing-communications-liquid-wind,c3169975 Klaudija Cavala Head of Digital Marketing Communications Liquid Wind https://news.cision.com/liquid-wind/i/liquid-wind-differentiating-alternative-fuels-white-paper-cover-april-2023,c3169976 Liquid Wind Differentiating Alternative Fuels White Paper COVER April 2023 SOURCE Liquid Wind WASHINGTON, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of Europe Day on May 9, the Delegation of the European Union to the United States honors three Americans for their outstanding contributions to the transatlantic relationship with the 2023 Transatlantic Bridge Award. This year's honorees Dr. Anthony Fauci, Senator Rob Portman, and journalist Judy Woodruff will each receive the award for their achievements in fostering closer ties, cooperation, and mutual understanding between Europe and the United States, in a ceremony at the House of Sweden. "The strength and vibrancy of the transatlantic relationship often depends on the work, inspiration, and leadership provided by remarkable Americans in all spheres of life," European Union Ambassador to the United States, Stavros Lambrinidis, said. "Our three honorees this year have consistently embodied core transatlantic values in the realms of public health and science, international economic and political relations, and freedom of the press, speech, and information. In so doing, they have fostered deeper public understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing Europe and the United States in an increasingly turbulent world. My 27 EU Member States Ambassador colleagues and I are immensely proud to recognize their achievements." During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci became a household name in Europe and the U.S. for his rigorous, rational response, and his spirit of service. As Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and Chief Medical Advisor to the U.S. President, Dr. Fauci was in close contact with European experts and research centers to gather evidence and promote a level of collaboration that enabled the U.S. and Europe to understand the virus, contain its spread, and develop solutions at a record pace. Throughout his career, he has promoted American scientific cooperation with European research institutions and trained many European scientists at NIAID, who in turn have passed on their knowledge to new generations of European researchers. Dr. Fauci also contributed to the development of life-saving COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. Through two terms in the U.S. Senate and six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, Sen. Rob Portman has been a strong and consistent supporter of the transatlantic alliance. He has often worked across the aisle to support EU-U.S. initiatives and strengthen our indispensable open trade and investment relationship, supporting millions of jobs on both sides of the Atlantic. As U.S. Trade Representative under President George W. Bush, Sen. Portman actively supported the rules-based international trading system and the role of the World Trade Organization. His leadership as co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, which he co-founded in 2015, helped to strengthen U.S. political, economic and security ties with Ukraine following Russia's 2014 invasion and ahead of its current full-scale war. As a U.S. Senator, his bipartisan Caucus work to combat antisemitism, end human trafficking, and protect natural resources has made him a true partner of Europe and European values. Throughout her long and distinguished career, Judy Woodruff has embodied the best of American journalism. Her reporting has enhanced the American public's understanding and discourse on international topics, most recently through PBS NewsHour's coverage of Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, as well as in countless interviews that she has conducted with world leaders, including Europeans, on pressing global issues. She has also been a powerful advocate for press freedom, a prerequisite for any strong democracy and an important priority for the European Union. Starting out as one of the few women covering politics, she became one of the most accomplished broadcast journalists in the U.S. while opening the door for others worldwide by mentoring and championing female reporters through the International Women's Media Foundation. Europe Day celebrates peace and unity in Europe. The date marks the signing of the Schuman Declaration on May 9, 1950, which set out the idea for a new form of political and economic cooperation in Europe, and is considered the beginning of what is now the European Union. A livestream of the awards ceremony will be available from 8:00 PM ET on the EU Delegation's YouTube page. SOURCE Delegation of the European Union to the United States GOTHENBURG, Sweden, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tridentify AB has today signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Intrance Medical Systems regarding purchase and delivery of the Tridentify Tracer Solution. The Seller (Tridentify AB) has developed an advanced SaaS and IoT system for the real time monitoring and continuous stability control of pharmaceuticals in the cold chain. The Buyer (Intrance Medical Systems Inc) has developed a drug/device treatment system for patients suffering from Parkinsons diseases in an advanced stage. The drug component is expected to be delivered internationally and need to be transported under refrigerated conditions. The intended transaction involves the Seller providing the monitoring system as a fee for service, covering safeguarding services of shipments of the pharmaceutical products used in the Buyers clinical development program including clinics in the EU and the US. Final commercial and legal terms will be negotiated in good faith with the mutual ambition to be completed by, at the latest September 1, 2023, unless both parties agree to an extension. "Tridentify is delighted about the interest that Intrance Medical Systems has shown in our Tracer Solution. We are proud that Intrance is to become our first signed biomedical customer and that we will be able to support the development of a new Parkinson treatment in the US," says Johan Stormlund, CEO at Tridentify. About Tridentify AB Tridentify is a Swedish Software-as-a-Service MedTech company that helps customers control the entire supply chain and cold chain logistics for transfusion medicine blood, plasma and other temperature-sensitive goods. After further development work, we can now provide our unique system to the entire spectrum of sensitive and expensive biomedicine. Our safeguarding Tracer System accurately measures temperature and condition, throughout the life cycle of biological and pharma products. Unlike all other solutions, the Tracer System is programmed to the exact specifications of the medicine. This gives it the ability to communicate the shelf life of the actual individual package it is attached to in real time. With Tridentify's SaaS/IoT system, the costs of delivery audits are reduced. There is significantly less wastage and less destroyed biopharma. Our technology makes it safer and easier to comply with current and future legislation and medical requirements. Finally, and most importantly, we increase the safety for the patient who can trust that the Biopharma fulfills its function. For more information, visit tridentify.com. About Intrance Medical Systems Inc Intrance Medical Systems, Inc., a subsidiary of Sweden-based Intrance Holdings AB, is a private biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of its lead clinical product for the treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease in the U.S., Canada, South America, Japan and Taiwan. For more information, visit intrancemedical.com. For further information, please contact: Johan Stormlund, CEO Tridentify +46 734 122 668 [email protected] The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/22296/3759848/2018067.pdf Press release (PDF) https://news.cision.com/tridentify-ab/i/johan-stormlund,c3172122 Johan Stormlund SOURCE Tridentify AB LONDON, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The UK will soon celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III, which takes place on Saturday, 6 May, and an extra public holiday on Monday, 8 May, which creates a long weekend for celebrations throughout the country. This bank holiday is in addition to the annual public holiday that takes place on the first Monday in May. Recognising the huge interest in this historical event and the extra public holiday creating more opportunities and incentives to travel, Trip.com reveals its European data to see how travel has been affected by the long celebratory May Day holidays. Analysis of flight bookings made between January and April 2023, for arrivals into the UK over the bank holiday period (1- 8 May) revealed a 70% increase, with flight bookings to the UK made in January 2023 increasing by a whopping 971% compared with January 2022. Of flights arriving in the UK between 1 May and 8 May, 63% will land at one of London's airports, with analysis of flight origin indicating that most inbound tourists to the UK will arrive from Spain and Italy. Nearly 7% and just over 5% of inbound flights to the UK will arrive from Barcelona and Malaga, respectively, with almost 6% originating from Milan and just over 3% from Rome. Domestic travellers are the third largest group, heading to the capital to participate in the Coronation activities throughout London. Completing the top ten travelling groups are those from Portugal, Germany, France, Greece, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Hotel bookings for the same period have also seen a year-on-year increase of 131% and, interestingly, an analysis of hotel bookings shows the majority are from UK travellers, with domestic trips as popular as ever. The highest percentage of hotel bookings were for Camden and, understandably, the City of Westminster, as travellers look to stay close to the centre of the celebrations. Andy Washington, Trip.com Group General Manager EMEA, said, "An influx of domestic and international travellers arriving and staying in London is understandable, considering the enormous historical significance of the King's Coronation. "The Coronation is a massive draw, with Trip.com using its expertise to track where the inbound visitors are coming from to experience what will be, for many, the only time they will ever see the Coronation of a modern monarch. "The extra Bank Holiday has also added incentive to travel, enabling visitors to make the most of their free time, take in the pageantry and enjoy a Spring break in London." While there has been a boom in tourism to the United Kingdom, many Brits have also taken advantage of the long weekend to travel outside their home country. Trip.com data shows bookings for flights departing the UK between 1- 8 May have increased by 151% compared to 2022, with Spain, Italy and the Netherlands topping the destinations list. Of these flights, Barcelona, Amsterdam and Millan are among the most popular cities for travellers from the UK. Also taking spots in the top 10 destinations are India, Portugal, Thailand, Germany, Ireland, France, and Turkey. Though a few long-haul destinations have shown some popularity, it is clear that Europe is the go-to destination for the long spring weekend for UK residents. In fact, with European travel destinations being so popular, Trip.com has an exciting deal for travellers keen to hop on the trend. Download the app now and sign up to access exclusive hotel deals when booking with Trip.com: Download the Trip.com app here. About Trip.com Trip.com is an international one-stop travel service provider, available in 24 languages across 39 countries and regions in 31 local currencies and sites. Trip.com has an extensive hotel and flight network consisting of more than 1.2 million hotels and flights from over 480 airlines covering 2,600 airports in 200 countries and regions around the globe. Trip.com's world-class 24/7 multilingual customer service as well as additional centres in Edinburgh, Tokyo and Seoul, help to 'create the best travel experience' for its millions of customers worldwide. To book your next trip, visit trip.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1802535/trip_com_Logo.jpg SOURCE Trip.com ORANGE, Calif., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- UCLA Health and Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) announce a unique collaboration that will enhance access to world-class pediatric congenital cardiac care for children and their families across Southern California. Building on their strengths, both institutions will create a joint pediatric heart program that will become a leading destination for diagnosing and treating the full spectrum of congenital and acquired heart disease. "Our shared vision is one program offered at two sites to provide patients with the right care in a location close to home," said Dr. Glen Van Arsdell, who will serve as the joint program's chief and is UCLA Health chief of congenital cardiovascular surgery. "We seek to capitalize on our strengths, integrate data and technology and provide seamless, convenient access to care." Both institutions are nationally recognized for clinical excellence, quality and safety and have strong pediatric heart programs that provide a broad range of treatments and surgical interventions. CHOC and UCLA Health surgeons, pediatric cardiologists and intensivists already provide care and support at each other's hospitals. They also collaborate on medical training programs. "We are committed to transforming the way cardiac care is delivered in Southern California. Together, we will help attract the nation's top experts, while retaining the leading physicians and staff at both of our institutions. We will also partner to advance innovation, research and education, benefitting children for generations to come," said CHOC President and CEO, Kimberly Chavalas Cripe. "We are pleased to be partnering with CHOC to provide not only-world class clinical pediatric care but also compassionate support services for the entire family," said Johnese Spisso, president of UCLA Health and CEO of the UCLA Hospital System. CHOC has a longstanding relationship with the University of California through its clinical affiliation with UCI Health. "This partnership is a wonderful complement to the outstanding care CHOC and UCI Health already provide in Orange County and the region," said Chad T. Lefteris, CEO of UCI Health. UCLA Heath operates The Tiverton health and wellness hotel, designed to meet the needs of patients and their families in Westwood. About UCLA Health UCLA Health is where discovery leads to world-class care. It is among the world's most comprehensive academic health systems, with a mission to provide state-of-the-art patient care, train top medical professionals and support pioneering research and discovery. UCLA Health includes four hospitals on two campuses Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital and the UCLA Stewart and Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital in the Westwood area of Los Angeles, and UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center and more than 260 community clinics providing primary and specialty care across Southern California. UCLA Health also includes the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. About Children's Hospital of Orange County Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), a pediatric healthcare system based in Orange County, California, is committed to being a leading destination for children's health by providing exceptional and innovative care. CHOC's growing community includes two state-of-the-art hospitals in Orange and Mission Viejo and a regional network of primary and specialty care clinics serving children and families in four counties. CHOC offers several clinical programs of excellence providing the highest levels of care for the most serious pediatric illnesses and injuries, physical and mental. CHOC's research and innovation institutes are focused on translating real patient needs into real-world treatments so every child can live the heathiest and happiest life possible. MEDIA CONTACTS: CHOC: [email protected] UCLA Health:[email protected] 310-267-7022 SOURCE CHOC The collaboration will support South Korean startups in addressing new mobility technologies. WASHINGTON, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- UL Solutions, a global leader in applied safety science, and Korea's Ministry of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Startups (MSS) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) formalizing a collaboration to support market access readiness for promising Korean startups in new industries, including new mobility. The MoU was signed by the Minister of SMEs and Startups Young Lee and UL Solutions Executive Vice President and President of Testing Inspection and Certification Weifang Zhou on the occasion of South Korean President Yoon's state visit to the United States. UL Solutions and Koreas Ministry of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Startups (MSS) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) formalizing a collaboration to support market access readiness for promising Korean startups in new industries, including new mobility. The MoU was signed by the Minister of SMEs and Startups Young Lee and UL Solutions Executive Vice President and President of Testing Inspection and Certification Weifang Zhou. The MoU will facilitate cooperation between MSS and UL Solutions to include the development of implementation agreements to guide support for Korean tech startups using UL Solutions safety science expertise and a global certification support center in Korea. "This MoU is significant as it is the first case where UL Solutions, recognized as a leading quality and safety certification company, provides technical support to foreign startups," said Minister Lee. "Through cooperation between the two organizations, MSS will spare no effort to support promising companies to overcome challenges such as changes in the global economic landscape and to blossom and thrive, and the Ministry will continue to develop cooperative models to solidify the innovative foundation for future generations," she added. "Helping innovators address their safety, security and sustainability challenges is at the core of our mission," said Jennifer Scanlon, president and CEO, UL Solutions. "We are honored to collaborate with Korea's Ministry of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Startups to apply our safety science expertise to help promising companies transform challenges into business opportunities." MSS plans immediately to carry out working-level discussions with UL Solutions to finalize plans to utilize UL Solutions' safety science expertise in the U.S., operate a global certification support center in Korea and actively identify cooperative projects between Korean startups and companies in the U.S. UL Solutions will look for opportunities to support SMEs with services to help them increase market readiness and help enhance product quality and safety, from performance verification to testing and inspection. "UL Solutions is honored to be a part of this MoU allowing us to apply our safety, data and technology expertise that will help empower businesses in Korea to innovate with confidence today and fuel future success," said Zhou. "Working across industries means we know how to adapt our services to novel products, emerging fields and evolving regulations. We look forward to sharing our insight with promising Korean companies and welcoming them to our global innovation community." About UL Solutions A global leader in applied safety science, UL Solutions transforms safety, security and sustainability challenges into opportunities for customers in more than 100 countries. UL Solutions delivers testing, inspection and certification services, together with software products and advisory offerings, that support our customers' product innovation and business growth. The UL Certification Marks serve as a recognized symbol of trust in our customers' products and reflect an unwavering commitment to advancing our safety mission. We help our customers innovate, launch new products and services, navigate global markets and complex supply chains, and grow sustainably and responsibly into the future. Our science is your advantage. Press Contact: Steven Brewster UL Solutions [email protected] T: +1 (847) 664.8425 SOURCE UL Solutions COLLEGE PARK, Md., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Every year, natural disasters have catastrophic consequences and cause billions of dollars of property damage. With climate change, the impacts are getting worse. The most recent NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information disaster report, released in January, confirms rising costs from weather extremes in the United States: From 2016-2022, 122 separate billion-dollar disasters have killed at least 5,000 people and cost more than $1 trillion in damage. Much of the damage occurs to housing, often burdening homeowners and insurers and ultimately exposing mortgage providers to increased risk. Now a risk expert and his students at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business have developed a new way to quantify the risk. "Climate risk is complicated because it's a global risk," says Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi, who spent 25 years in risk management at banks and government agencies before joining the finance faculty at Smith. "This is not just about managing risk, it's also about managing uncertainty a much harder game." A lot of the problem has been having good data and the right models to quantify the risks, says Rossi. That's where his students come in. Rossi led a group of 11 students in Smith's Master of Quantitative Finance program in a recent experiential learning project with government-sponsored mortgage enterprise Freddie Mac. The students built a model that leverages machine learning to pinpoint the regions of the country with the highest climate risk and the implications for homeowners and the mortgage industry. The students created an interactive dashboard of all 13 million single-family mortgage loans originated in 2021 and merged it with FEMA's National Risk Index tool for all 78,000 U.S. Census tracts across 18 different climate hazards, including earthquakes, wildfires, hurricanes, coastal and river flooding, tornados and drought. Then they randomly selected 1 million mortgage loans and used a battery of different machine learning models and performance statistics to analyze the data, looking for such effects as adverse selection against GSEs Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, impact on low- and moderate-income borrowers, minorities and other key effects. "Anyone can point and click on any county in the U.S., for any climate hazard type and get figures on borrower characteristics such as race, age, income," says Rossi. "It is quite amazing." Rossi and his students are also taking that same data and conducting some machine learning analysis to differentiate high hazard risk areas from others based on borrower, tract and other characteristics. The Smith School plans to make the tool available online. Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, banks, insurance companies and policy makers could all use this information for underwriting mortgages and insurance policies, and for figuring out which areas need more government resources. Rossi's students presented their findings to executives on Freddie Mac's Climate Risk team. Rossi called the project "the finest student presentation on a highly technical subject I have ever been involved with." He said senior leaders at Freddie Mac were also impressed with the extent and complexity of the students' analysis, and their ability to explain difficult concepts, calling the presentation better than some by employees and consultants. Rossi will continue heading up master's student projects based on climate risk. Right now, another group of his students are working with Fannie Mae on modelling flood risk, building on a student project from last year. He'll continue leading projects on climate risk, eventually as part of the Smith School's new master's degree track in climate finance for students in the Master of Finance and Master of Quantitative Finance degree programs, starting in spring 2024. The track will add four new elective courses to Smith's current MS curriculum, including an experiential learning project. "This is a growing area," says Rossi. "Many governments around the world are involved in trying to get their arms around this, and these students would need those tools adapted from our standard finance concepts but focusing specifically on solving climate-related financial issues." About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and flex MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, business master's, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia. Contact: Greg Muraski at [email protected] SOURCE University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business SOURCE University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CivicEye, the provider of cloud-based public safety software for law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, and clerks, announced today record growth in several new markets across the US during the first quarter of 2023. Law enforcement and prosecution professionals in Kansas, Mississippi, New York, Tennessee, and Texas have decided to upgrade to the CivicEye platform. These partnerships will push the industry forward with the latest in digital infrastructure and integrations for the criminal justice system. In the first quarter of 2023, there was significant growth for CivicEye as it secured multiple new clients and expanded its presence in various states through awarded contracts for law enforcement records management, digital evidence document management, prosecutor case management, and municipal court case management systems. Law enforcement & prosecution agencies in KS, MS, NY, TN & TX partner with CivicEye to embrace innovative technology. Tweet this Improved Data Collection and Collaboration with Enhanced Digital Infrastructure for Law Enforcement & Prosecutors CivicEye's recent acquisition of new contracts for its innovative records management system and prosecutor case management systems are a clear indication of its continued growth in the law enforcement industry. Decatur, MS joins the platform: CivicEye's Mississippi expansion has been bolstered by the addition of Decatur, MS , where the company has a quickly growing client list of over 20 customers in 15 counties. The Company's collaborative approach to onboarding supported the successful implementation and digitization of the Decatur MS Records Management program within 30 days. CivicEye's expansion has been bolstered by the addition of , where the company has a quickly growing client list of over 20 customers in 15 counties. The Company's collaborative approach to onboarding supported the successful implementation and digitization of the Decatur MS Records Management program within 30 days. Wilson County, KS modernizes prosecutor tech tools: Wilson County, KS announced its partnership with CivicEye and their excitement to enhance workflows and streamline existing processes with updated case and document management software. announced its partnership with CivicEye and their excitement to enhance workflows and streamline existing processes with updated case and document management software. Geneva, NY gets an upgrade: In New York , CivicEye upgraded a legacy customer in Geneva to its modern RMS system with the additions of new CAD, LiveScan and TraCS interfaces to streamline the process for other law enforcement agencies in the region coming online and utilizing the platform. In , CivicEye upgraded a legacy customer in to its modern RMS system with the additions of new CAD, LiveScan and TraCS interfaces to streamline the process for other law enforcement agencies in the region coming online and utilizing the platform. Jamestown, TN chooses cloud-based tech: CivicEye is thrilled to add Jamestown TN to its network of customers in Tennessee . This will enable the department to transition from pen and paper to electronic reporting, access real-time dispatch calls through CivicEye's CAD interface and communicate seamlessly with local prosecutors who are launching CivicCase in their district. CivicEye is thrilled to add to its network of customers in . This will enable the department to transition from pen and paper to electronic reporting, access real-time dispatch calls through CivicEye's CAD interface and communicate seamlessly with local prosecutors who are launching CivicCase in their district. Ellis County, TX announces partnership: The Ellis County Prosecutor and her team have taken a significant step towards modernizing their justice system. The collaborative effort will optimize a significant set of processes through a conversion to the CivicEye platform, while other functions and interagency collaborations will be digitized for the first time entirely. The CivicEye team has built a strong reputation across public safety as it expanded into seven new states in 2022, partnering with law enforcement and prosecution professionals from Massachusetts to Alaska. By joining the CivicEye platform and seamlessly integrating with crucial interfaces like Court, Dispatch, and Jail Management, customers have consistently improved their efficiency, productivity, and driven improved community outcomes. "Our mission is to empower law enforcement and prosecution professionals with the latest digital infrastructure and integrations for the criminal justice system, ultimately improving community outcomes," said Khristian Gutierrez, CEO of CivicEye. "We are thrilled to see our mission resonate so well in police departments and prosecution offices nationwide as we've expanded into new markets this quarter. We look forward to learning from our new clients and continuing to provide excellent service and software enhancements to our existing ones," Gutierrez said. About CivicEye CivicEye delivers modern, easy-to-use cloud software for law enforcement, prosecutors and courtroom officials that helps to enhance daily workflows and improve community outcomes. The CivicEye platform includes Records, Digital Evidence, and Case Management solutions that reduce friction points within and across departments. CivicEye serves over 130 agencies across the United States. Media Contact: Mary Elizabeth Myrick, [email protected] Sales Contact: Nathan Leatherwood, [email protected] www.civiceye.com SOURCE CivicEye Horizon Hospice Souper Bowl ELKO Horizon Hospice is holding its 17th annual Souper Bowl Fundraiser on Friday, April 28, from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Please call the office at 775-778-0612 for more information and/or to purchase tickets. School budget forum set May 1 ELKO Members of the community are encouraged to participate in the Elko County School Districts Budget Forum 5:30-6:30 p.m. Monday, May 1, in the Central Office Board Room. Members of the Board of Trustees will join Superintendent Clayton Anderson and Chief Financial Officer Julie Davis to answer questions submitted by community members, students, families and staff. Questions may be submitted in advance to Davis at jdavis2@ecsdnv.net. The forum will be streamed live on the Districts YouTube Channel. Questions may also be submitted via the comment box during the forum. The FY24 Tentative Budget can be viewed on the Districts online information portal: https://elkoschools-nv.cleargov.com/. Elko Cancer Support Group ELKO Elko Cancer Support Group will meet at 11 a.m. Friday, May 5, at The Terrace at Ruby View Senior and Active Lifestyle Centers art room, 1995 Ruby View Drive. Any age is welcome. If you are a Cancer Warrior, Caregiver, family member, friend, or have lost a loved one, please come join us for a safe place to come and share stories, give and gain support, strength, hope and positive energy, stated the host, Cindy Staszak, an Elko Pancreatic Cancer Stage 4 Survivor and Cancer Exercise Specialist, CETI. May is Melanoma/Skin cancer, Bladder cancer and Brain cancer Awareness month. For more information Staszak can be reached at cindystaszak.elko@gmail.com. Cinco de Mayo parade ELKO Elkos Cinco de Mayo Parade and Festival is scheduled Saturday, May 6, downtown and at the fairgrounds. The parade begins at 11 a.m., followed by festival activities at the fairgrounds from noon to 7 p.m. Music will be provided by DJ Arturo Torres as well as live Tamborazo music. The festival includes Folkloric dance performances, Mexican food, face painting, bounce houses and more. Sponsors include Rockwell Industrial & Mining, Ruby Rose Landscape & Tree Service, Riverton Elko, Silver Street Express Lube, Elko Federal Credit Union, Elko Motor Co., Elko Glass Service, Nevada Bank & Trust, and Farmers Insurance. For more information email elkocincodemayo.com, visit Facebook or call Nancy Davila (vendors) at 775-385-4327 or Daena Romero-Sandoval (parade) at 775-738-3131. Spring Tour of Homes ELKO The eighth annual Spring Tour of Homes will be on May 20 from 10 a.m. to 3 p m. This is a free open house tour giving the public an opportunity to view Elko/Spring Creek real estate. The tour is organized and operated by the Elko County Realtors Association. Chairman Dusty Shipp founded the event originally to showcase the luxury estates in Elko County and it has since turned into a highly anticipated tour for the general public to see residential properties and discuss any questions or inquires with local real estate professionals. The starting point to pick up your map will be at the Commercial Hotel. There you will find free food, free raffles, and free family fun. Country Under the Stars ELKO Tickets are on sale now for the Country Under the Stars concert scheduled Thursday, June 8, at the Elko County Fairgrounds. Headliner Granger Smith featuring Earl Dibbles Jr and Opener Ned LeDoux are bringing the party to the Elko County Fairgrounds concert that sold out last year, so tickets should be purchased early at www.CountryUnderTheStarsElko.com. Gates open at 5 p.m. and the opening act begins at 6:30. Amateur Radio Club invite ELKO The Elko Amateur Radio Club (EARC) is an organization devoted to all aspects of Amateur Radio Operations. EARC has a net on Wednesday nights at 7:30 p.m. at 444.500Mhz. There is also a club breakfast every Saturday morning. All persons interested in amateur radio and who support the goals of the Elko Amateur Radio Club are eligible to join. For further information and schedules check out the website at www.W7LKO.org. Swing your partner ELKO Ruby Mountain Square Dance Club is now offering lessons and dances weekly at the Girl Scout House, 561 VFW Drive, from 6-8 p.m. on Thursdays. For information call Dixie Starbuck at 775-934-6225. Horizon Center grief support group ELKO Horizon Hospice offers support groups through its Horizon Center during the school year, once or twice a month for anyone who would like support through their grief. Anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one is welcome. There are groups for children ages 3 to 18, their parents/caregivers, as well as adult groups. Upcoming dates are April 18 and May 2 and 16. There is no cost for the service and you may join at any time. Call 775-778-0612 to register. Horizon Hospice has also scheduled volunteer training Feb. 22 and 23. The sessions run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1250 Lamoille Highway, No. 413. A light continental breakfast and lunch will be provided on both days. INDIANAPOLIS, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Polsky Foundation is pleased to announce the Help Ukrainian Firefighters In Need Project has brought three Ukrainian firefighters to the United States to attend the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC). The conference will take place from April 24-29, 2023 at the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The firefighters, Roman Kachanov, Oleksii Chernomorchenko, and Serhii Bilous, have been working in an active war zone amidst constant fires and threats to their lives. Ukrainian firefighters have become some of the best in the world, but they cannot combat such an incredible undertaking alone. Help the Polsky Foundation raise awareness and funding for Ukrainian firefighters in need Tweet this That's why for the last 14 months, the Polsky Foundation has undertaken the effort of supporting firefighters and those they are serving in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine Fire Service has conducted nearly 82,000 visits to Ukrainian victims, amounting to 196 visits a day. The Polsky Foundation, lead by Tonya Polsky and Yana Feyganova, coordinated more than 200 tons of firefighter/EMS equipment that has been shipped to Ukrainian firefighters. The group's effectiveness in supporting the emergency personnel during an active war has been acknowledged with support, but more is still needed, the Polsky and Feyganova said. "Lives and families are at stake, and the firefighters are receiving support from local people in the United States for them to continue helping war victims," Feyganova said. "They may be a whole continent away, but they are feeling and receiving our support. This war is very personal to us and to many who are helping." This conference offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to meet highly motivated and involved Ukrainian first responders who have devoted their lives to protecting and serving others in the war zone. The conference will provide an opportunity for the Ukrainian firefighters to share their experience, meet with US firefighters, promote awareness of the war and challenges they face in Ukraine, and gain potential support to help this important cause. The Polsky Foundation hopes to accomplish the following goals during the tour: Raise awareness of the conflict in Ukraine among fire professionals in the United States of America . among fire professionals in . Raise awareness and visibility of the valiant and innovative work that the firefighters' methods in Ukraine have been doing. have been doing. Establish meaningful connections with prospective as well as current sources of funding and equipment donations. Make it possible for firefighters to express their gratitude to current and potential donors. Raise the profile of The Polsky Foundation in the media by highlighting its work on the fireman initiative and its support of first responders in Ukraine . In addition to attending the FDIC Conference, the Ukrainian firefighters will also be meeting conference organizers, sponsors, dignitaries, and local fire departments in Chicago, New York City, and Washington D.C. The Polsky Foundation invites interested individuals to visit their website or contact them for more information and ways to help this important cause. For more information and to help support the effort, please contact: https://helpukraineff.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ukrainefirefightersinneed/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HelpUkrainianF1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ukrinefirefighters/ SOURCE The Polsky Foundation Sector set to contribute more than $2.2 trillion to the U.S. economy this year Travel & Tourism contributes one in every 10 jobs International visitor spend up more than 150% from last year NEW YORK, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The World Travel & Tourism Council's ( WTTC ) 2023 Economic Impact Research (EIR) today reveals the U.S. Travel & Tourism sector is forecast to exceed the 2019 peak this year. The sector is set to contribute $2.24 trillion to the U.S. economy this year, surpassing the 2019 pre-pandemic high of $2.17 trillion. WTTC is also forecasting that the sector will create more than 1.2 million jobs this year, recovering almost all of the jobs lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic to reach 17.4 million. A look back on last year Last year, the Travel & Tourism sector's GDP contribution grew by 16.9% to reach more than $2 trillion, representing 7.9% of the American economy, edging closer to the 2019 high of $2.17 trillion. But the prolonged travel restrictions imposed by key source markets such as China and Japan, had an ongoing impact on the sector's recovery in the U.S. Last year the sector also created 2.7 million more jobs from the previous year to reach 16.17 million jobs nationally one in 10 jobs across America. The sector has now recovered 6.75 million of the 8 million jobs lost during the pandemic. Last year also saw the return of international travelers heading to the U.S. with spending from overseas visitors growing 158%. International visitors spent almost $116 billion. The ongoing travel restrictions from key source markets for the U.S. has stalled international visitor spend from a full recovery to the 2019 peak, however, it is still 43.4% behind 2019 when international visitors spent more than $204 billion. Julia Simpson, WTTC president & CEO, said: "The Travel & Tourism sector in the U.S. is recovering strongly with strong visitor demand. This year we expect tourism to add more than $2.2 trillion to the U.S. economy, beating the all-time high of 2019. "The number of jobs created by Travel & Tourism stands at 16 million, but by the end of this year, it will reach almost 17.4 million jobs, only 1% behind 2019 numbers. In 2022, the value of the sector was worth $2.01 trillion compared to $2.17 trillion in 2019. "International visitor spend is still lagging and despite the recent surge, we are still lagging 25% behind 2019 levels. "Over the next 10 years, WTTC forecasts that Travel & Tourism will account for almost 21 million jobs a staggering one in eight jobs across the country. "The U.S. remains the world's biggest Travel & Tourism market although predictions show China will take that crown in 2032." What does the next decade look like? The global tourism body is forecasting that the sector will grow its GDP contribution to more than $3 trillion by 2033, 10% of the U.S. economy and will employ almost 21 million people across the country, with one in eight Americans working in the sector. North America In 2022, the North American Travel & Tourism sector contributed $2.34 trillion to the regional economy, just 7% below the 2019 peak. WTTC forecasts the region's GDP contribution from the sector will fully recover in 2023 to reach $2.59 trillion. The sector employed 24.7 million people across the region in 2022, an increase of 3.6 million from the previous year but still 1.5 million behind the 2019 peak. WTTC forecasts the sector will fully recover the jobs lost during the pandemic by the end of 2023. For more information, please visit wttc.org About the World Travel & Tourism Council The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) represents the global travel & tourism private sector. Members include 200 CEOs, Chairs and Presidents of the world's leading travel & tourism companies from all geographies covering all industries. For more than 30 years, WTTC has been committed to raising the awareness of governments and the public of the economic and social significance of the travel & tourism sector. SOURCE World Travel & Tourism Council DUBLIN, April 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Wholesale Carrier Ethernet Services Update, United States, 2022" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. In this report, the analyst focuses on leading service providers of comprehensive wholesale carrier Ethernet services in the US market. The US wholesale carrier Ethernet services market has started to experience negative revenue growth rates, primarily due to price compression and market maturity. The report delivers market forecasts for US wholesale carrier Ethernet services from 2022 to 2026. The analyst defines wholesale Ethernet services as services sold by providers to other carriers, systems integrators, and resellers, which include Ethernet services in all layers (1, 2, and 3). The study includes an in-depth analysis of the key trends impacting the US wholesale carrier Ethernet services market, including growth drivers, growth restraints, market revenue forecasts, and port forecasts. The revenues are not broken down by service configuration (E-Line and E-LAN) in this report. The analysis is further segmented by transport distance (metro and long haul) and service type (dedicated or port-based services and switched or VLAN-aware services). Key Topics Covered: 1. Strategic Imperatives Why is it Increasingly Difficult to Grow? The Strategic Imperative 8 The Impact of the Top 3 Strategic Imperatives on the Wholesale Carrier Ethernet Services Industry Growth Opportunities Fuel the Growth Pipeline Engine 2. Growth Opportunity Analysis Scope of Analysis Segmentation by Transport Distance Segmentation by Service Type Growth Metrics Market Trends Growth Drivers Growth Restraints Forecast Assumptions Revenue Forecast Percent Revenue Forecast by Transport Distance Percent Revenue Forecast Comparing Dedicated and Switched Ethernet Revenue Forecast by Switched Ethernet Revenue Forecast by Dedicated Ethernet Revenue Forecast Analysis 3. Metro Segment Analysis Growth Metrics Revenue Forecast Percent Revenue Forecast Comparing Dedicated and Switched Ethernet Revenue Forecast by Switched Ethernet Revenue Forecast by Dedicated Ethernet Revenue Forecast Analysis 4. Long Haul Segment Analysis Growth Metrics Revenue Forecast Percent Revenue Forecast Comparing Dedicated and Switched Ethernet Revenue Forecast by Switched Ethernet Revenue Forecast by Dedicated Ethernet Revenue Forecast Analysis 5. Growth Opportunity Universe Growth Opportunity 1: Demand for High Bandwidth Connectivity Growth Opportunity 2: Mobile Backhaul and Increasing 5G Deployments Growth Opportunity 3: Growing Adoption of Cloud Services List of Exhibits For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/q71jwd 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 BREA, Calif. , April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of visual solutions, announces that its ColorPro VP2786-4K monitor has won the TIPA (Technical Image Press Association) World Award 2023 for Best Professional Photo Monitor. This prestigious award recognizes excellence in the photography and imaging industry, and ViewSonic is proud to be recognized as a significant contributor in this space. The 27" UHD monitor has been validated by Fogra and Idealliance, and delivers ultimate color precision, making it the perfect choice for creative professionals who demand the highest levels of color accuracy and image quality from digital to print. ViewSonic ColorPro VP2786-4K Wins TIPA World Award 2023 for Best Professional Photo Monitor "The ColorPro series has been specifically crafted to cater to the needs of creative professionals for color-critical tasks. We recognize the significance of maintaining color consistency between digital and print mediums, which is precisely why we developed the ColorPro VP2786-4K monitor," said Oscar Lin, General Manager of the Monitor Business Unit at ViewSonic. "We are pleased to consistently receive recognition for our products from TIPA one of the most influential creative experts in the photography industry. We'll continue to work closely with the creators' community and raise the bar for professional tools and color calibration solutions." For precise screen-to-paper color accuracy, the ColorPro VP2786-4K monitor has been certified by Fogra, which guarantees absolute color reproduction. The ColorPro VP2786-4K monitor provides accurate color reproduction on both digital and print media with 100% coverage of the Adobe RGB gamut and 98% coverage of the DCI-P3 gamut. The monitor is paired with ColorPro Wheel, an embedded color sensor that allows for easy and flexible color and display adjustments and calibration via Colorbration+ software. The monitor's exclusive ColorPro Sense software can also connect to Pantone Digital Color online data for optimal color performance. In addition to the TIPA World Award, the innovative display was critically acclaimed for its design winning the coveted iF Design Award 2021, GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2021, and Wallpaper* Smart Space Award 2021 in the 'Smartest Design + Tech Collaboration' category. About ViewSonic Founded in California, ViewSonic is a leading global provider of visual solutions and conducts business in over 100 countries worldwide. As an innovator and visionary, ViewSonic is committed to providing comprehensive hardware and software solutions that include monitors, projectors, pen displays, commercial displays, All-in-One LED displays, ViewBoard interactive displays, and myViewBoard software ecosystem. With over 35 years of expertise in visual displays, ViewSonic has established a strong position for delivering innovative and reliable solutions for education, enterprise, consumer, and professional markets and helping customers "See the Difference." To find out more about ViewSonic, please visit www.viewsonic.com. SOURCE ViewSonic Corp. FEATURING STELLAR LINE UP OF JAZZ MUSICIANS LOS ANGELES, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the longest-running and innovative livestream platforms, VNUE, Inc.'s StageIt (OTC: VNUE) will bring live jazz from New Orleans, taking place during Crescent City's annual Jazz & Heritage Festival. Legendary NOLA venue, Cafe Istanbul will host 9 nights of livestream shows via VNUE, Inc.'s StageIt, featuring a different line up each night with some of the finest jazz musicians in New Orleans. "We're thrilled to share the music and vibe of New Orleans with our global audience," says Lou Mann, CEO of StageIt. "It truly is the next best thing to being there." The livestream shows include Quiana Lynell & The Lush Life Band, RAM, Herlin Riley & Friends, James Singleton's Malabar, Will Bernard and Friends featuring members of the Headhunters, Naughty Professor, Nicolas Payton's Covers For Lovers, Bonerama and much more. For tickets and further information visit https://www.stageit.com/jazkeys About StageIt StageIt, a wholly-owned subsidiary of VNUE, Inc., is oldest and most well-known online experience connecting artists and their fans. StageIt was acquired by VNUE on February 14, 2022. Founded in 2009 for artists, by artists, StageIt is on a mission to help performers navigate the intricacies of the online live streaming space, providing a stage for every creator and a front row seat for every fan. As an early industry leader, StageIt offers a platform for artists to perform live, interact with fans, and monetize shows, while creating unique experiences for fans. To learn more visit StageIt.com About VNUE, Inc. VNUE, Inc., (OTC: VNUE) is a multi-faceted music technology company dedicated to monetizing the live music experience for artists, labels, writers, and publishers, with products such as its set.fm instant content distribution platform ( www.set.fm ), exclusive license partner and "instant live" pioneer DiscLive ( www.disclive.net ), and protecting the rights of artists and writers with the company's Soundstr music recognition technology (MRT) ( www.soundstr.com ). VNUE also recently acquired StageIt ( www.stageit.com ), one of the oldest and most well-known ticketed live streaming platforms. The veteran entrepreneurs, artists and songwriters behind VNUE, led by music and tech entrepreneur and recording artist Zach Bair ( www.zachbairmusic.com ), are passionate about the future of their industry and ensuring that rights holders' value is not lost amid always-changing technology. SOURCE VNUE, Inc. BARTLESVILLE, Okla. , April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In many places around the world, the most dangerous item to have is the Bible. Owning, printing, importing or distributing the Word of God in hostile or restricted nations can result in being arrested or even killed. Governments and groups opposed to Christianity impose harsh penalties and deadly punishment in attempts to stop evangelism and Bible distribution. In many places around the world, the most dangerous item to have is the Bible. Tweet this The Islamic government of Iran greatly restricts the freedom of its citizens, including stern laws against printing or importing Bibles in Farsi, the national language. Any Bibles must be printed in secret or smuggled in from outside of the country. The Voice of the Martyrs recently compiled this list to raise awareness to the challenges and need for Bible distribution in the most difficult and dangerous places to follow Christ. North Korea's government is built on the cult of personality around the Kim family dynasty. There, kindergarteners are taught to say, "Thank you, Father Kim Il Sung, for our food" before meals. This oppressive government highly restricts access to outside informationespecially the truth of God's Word. The Bible is not only seen as the guide book for a "western" religion, but as treason and a direct threat to the regime. Since the Taliban re-took control of Afghanistan, Bibles are even more dangerous to own. Younger fighters are more tech savvy and have demanded to search the phones of suspected Christians, looking for Bible apps and searching web traffic history to Christian sites. The jihadist members of Al Shabaab have systematically hunted for suspected Christians in Somalia. Visibly carrying a Bible would mean almost certain death. The Islamic government of Iran greatly restricts the freedom of its citizens, including stern laws against printing or importing Bibles in Farsi, the national language. Any Bibles must be printed in secret or smuggled in from outside of the country. No Bibles are printed inside the country and importing Bibles is restricted. Bibles must be hand carried into the country, and those doing so know they risk prison or death if discovered. For more than 50 years, VOM has been smuggling Bibles into restricted countries. VOM's founders, Pastor Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, smuggled Bibles into communist controlled areas of eastern Europe and trained members of their church's youth group to do so as well. The Voice of the Martyrs continues to distribute more than one million Bibles every year in restricted nations and hostile areas, serving believers who are willing to take any risk to have and share God's Word. This list is merely five of more than 70 places where Bible ownership is restricted. "Believers in restricted and hostile nations know that it is dangerous to have Bibles and to share them with others," said VOM's Todd Nettleton. "But their desire to have, study and share the Word of God is greater than their desire for safety or comfort. Christians in these difficult and dangerous places creatively share God's Word despite the constant risk of arrest, imprisonment or even death. We can be inspired by their boldness and bravery in the face of persecution." "From the very first days of ministry, VOM has been committed to getting Bibles to persecuted Christians hungry for the hope and truth of God's Word," said Nettleton. VOM has a goal to fund 300,000 Bibles this month in which they will smuggle into Iran. Learn more about this Bible smuggling challenge at vom.org/BiblesforIran . About The Voice of the Martyrs Founded in 1967 by Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, The Voice of the Martyrs is a nonprofit, interdenominational missions organization serving persecuted Christians in the world's most difficult and dangerous places to follow Christ. For more information, visit VOM.org . SOURCE The Voice of the Martyrs HOLMDEL, N.J., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Vonage , a global leader in cloud communications helping businesses accelerate their digital transformation, has achieved the prestigious 5-Star Rating by CRN , a brand of The Channel Company , in its 2023 Partner Program Guide . This is the fourth year in a row that Vonage has been recognized with this honor. The annual CRN Partner Program Guide offers essential information to solution providers such as managed service providers (MSPs), value-added resellers (VARs), systems integrators, and strategic service providers as they explore technology manufacturers' partner programs to find the vendors that will best support their business needs. The 5-star rating is awarded to the companies that go above and beyond in their commitment to nurturing strong, profitable, successful channel partnerships. Vonage has been recognized for its ongoing commitment and continued investment in its Channel Partner Program, which is core to the Company's growth strategy. Continued investment in the program includes expansion in its regions of support, as well as extending services to a wider network of technology service brokerages (TSB, formerly known as Master Agents) and VARs. Vonage also continues to augment the program infrastructure with enhanced partner portal capabilities such as the ability to register opportunities, track customer status and access marketing campaigns, as well as competitive incentives that makes it easy for partners to do business with Vonage. This includes the "Vonage Verified" training and enablement program, as well as innovative selling models, and product differentiators to help partners better serve their customers. In 2022, Vonage received numerous leading supplier awards from leading national TSBs, including Intelisys/Scansource, Sandler and Avant. "We are thrilled to be recognized by CRN with a 5-Star rating for the fourth consecutive year," said Jim Regan, Vonage Channel Chief. "The Vonage Channel Partner Program is designed to support our partners' success and reinforces our dedication to helping them serve their customers. To be included in the CRN Partner Program again this year underscores our commitment to empowering our partners to grow their businesses and deliver solutions that drive long-term customer success, while expanding their overall market presence and revenue potential." "As a longstanding Vonage partner, we have seen the power and the success of its Channel Partner Program first hand," said Jen Gallego, EVP of Global Sales for AVANT. "With Vonage, we know we have the ongoing support, services, training - and product offering - to help drive real results for our customers. This recognition is very much deserved and we look forward to continuing to work together in support of our shared commitment to the Channel." In the 2023 CRN 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. For the channel partner community, 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 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 is featured in the April 2023 issue of CRN and online at www.CRN.com/PPG . About Vonage Vonage , a global cloud communications leader, helps businesses accelerate their digital transformation. Vonage's Communications Platform is fully programmable and allows for the integration of Video, Voice, Chat, Messaging, AI and Verification into existing products, workflows and systems. The Vonage conversational commerce application enables businesses to create AI-powered omnichannel experiences that boost sales and increase customer satisfaction. Vonage's fully programmable unified communications, contact center and conversational commerce applications are built from the Vonage platform and enable companies to transform how they communicate and operate from the office or remotely - providing the flexibility required to create meaningful engagements. Vonage is headquartered in New Jersey, with offices throughout the United States, Europe, Israel and Asia and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ericsson. To follow Vonage on Twitter, please visit www.twitter.com/vonage . To become a fan on Facebook, go to facebook.com/vonage . To subscribe on YouTube, visit youtube.com/vonage . 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. SOURCE Vonage KINGSTON, Tenn., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Adults receiving government assistance in the Highlands region of Tennessee now have a new way to prepare for a valuable and stable career. Partnering with the Highlands Training Center, WIN Learning gives job seekers tools for career and life success. Tweet this Pictured left to right - Ellen Smith, Implementation Consultant at WIN Learning; Mathew Wagner, Regional Account Manager WIN Learning; Ryan Barnhardt, Executive Director, Highlands Training Center; Teresa Chasteen-Dunn, CEO WIN Learning, was the featured guest speaker at the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce annual meeting; Stacey Baxter, Specialist, Highlands Training Center; Tony Whiteaker, Director, Operations Highlands Training Center. WIN Learning, a national, leading developer of career readiness solutions, is collaborating with Highlands Economic Partnership, a group of government agencies, chambers of commerce and business leaders dedicated to providing workforce education and development programs to adults in the area. WIN is partnering with the Highlands Training Center to implement the Aim High certification program, a two-month career readiness training program for adults receiving government assistance who are re-entering the workforce. "Career readiness goes beyond building academic skills. In order for learners to truly be career ready, they also need the opportunity to explore their interests and gain hands-on experience. We are proud to partner with the Highlands Training Center to give job seekers the right tools for career and life success," said Teresa Chasteen-Dunn, WIN Learning founder and CEO. The goal of Aim High is to strengthen the local workforce by providing participants with lasting skills and confidence that will support long-term employment. "Utilizing WIN Learning's career readiness resources enables us to continue educating job- seekers and empowering them to achieve success," said Ryan Barnhart, executive director of Highlands Training Center. "We are excited to partner with WIN to further our mission of improving the quality of life for people in our communities." The Aim High program is a training in two parts. In the first month, participants will use WIN Learning's My Work Ready career exploration tool to complete the Essential Soft Skills and Work Ready assessments and evaluate their skill levels. Participants can then explore career paths that match their abilities, experience and interests, and learn more about the training required for those careers. Participants can also use the Essential Soft Skills Courseware and Work Ready Courseware to improve their skills. When they complete the first month, participants receive a personalized career plan and a certificate of achievement. In the second month, participants get hands-on work experiences with employers in the Highlands Economic Partnership. Participants learn more about their chosen careers in person. To learn more about the Highlands Economic Partnership and the Aim High certification program, please visit www.highlandsoftn.com . To interview founder and CEO Teresa Chasteen-Dunn, please contact Steve Fain at [email protected] . About WIN Learning Since 1996, WIN has become the leading provider of career readiness solutions to help business, industry, workforce and districts prepare pathways for students' and job seekers' futures, whether they are college, trade school, military or workplace bound. WIN's e-learning solutions include academic and employability skills courseware, assessments, and nationally recognized credentials endorsed by the National Work Readiness Council ( www.nwrc.org ). To date, more than 10 million students worldwide have participated in the specialized career-driven courseware and education intervention initiatives as well as career readiness certification programs. For more information, go to www.winlearning.com or call 888-717-9461. About Highlands Economic Partnership The Highlands Economic Partnership, launched in 2006 by the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce as the Highlands Initiative, is a collaborative, public/private sector program designed to boost economic and community development in Jackson, Overton, Putnam and White counties. Investor companies made up of federal, state, city and county governments and agencies, chambers of commerce, key officials and business leaders throughout the region, play fundamental roles in the program's development. To learn more, visit: https://www.highlandsoftn.com . Contact: Steve Fain, executive vice president Phone: 888-717-9461 Email: [email protected] SOURCE WIN Learning Goal of rankings is to applaud progress, create a race to the top at state's leading public corporations. BOSTON, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Eos Foundation's Women's Power Gap has released a new report, Breaking Through to the Top: Accelerating Women on the Path to the CEO's Office, that ranks Massachusetts' largest public companies on their progress in achieving gender equity among their executive leadership team. The rankings are based on a rigorous formula that takes into account the company's representation of women as CEOs, CFOs, most highly paid executives, and members of the executive leadership teams. The top 10 companies in the state are: Vertex Pharmaceuticals HubSpot Blueprint Medicines Lantheus Holdings Bright Horizons Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Axcelis Technologies Charles River Laboratories Moderna Waters Corporation "What these firms have in common is an intentional effort to eliminate systemic biases and cultures that stand in the way of equal access and equal opportunity," said Andrea Silbert, President of the Eos Foundation. "While we are still a long way from gender parity, we want to applaud those companies that are making significant progress toward that goal." The objective of the Women's Power Gap rankings is to spotlight which firms are doing well and which are lagging. "Most CEOs and Boards feel they are doing everything they can to attract a diverse pool of the best talent. But some are more successful than others: Our rankings signal to companies where they stand in relation to their peers and to create a race to the top," Silbert said. The Women's Power Gap also ranked companies based on women's representation on boards of directors by looking at gender diversity of the Board Chair, Lead Independent Director, Audit, Compensation, and Nominating & Governance committee chairs, and board membership. The top companies in this category are: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, TJX Companies., Hologic, MKS Instruments, HubSpot, Insulet, American Tower, The Hanover Insurance Group, Blueprint Medicines, and Iron Mountain. Other key findings in the report include: Five companies have at least 50 percent women on their boards: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Bright Horizons, Insulet, Novanta, and TJX Companies. Only six (8%) of the CEOs at the top companies are women, even though women account for 20% of "launch" positions, such as chief operating officers, presidents, heads of divisions/regional markets, and heads of sales. Women of color remain significantly underrepresented occupying only 4% of CEO roles, 5% of executive leadership team members, and 4% of Named Executive Officers. There are no Hispanic women CEOs. The biotechnology sector is leading the way of the six corporations led by women, three are in biotechnology. Among the top ten companies with the best track record of advancing women, seven are in biotechnology and other medical fields. About the Women's Power Gap: The goal of the Women's Power Gap (WPG) is to dramatically increase the number of women from diverse backgrounds among chief executive officers and C-suite leaders across all sectors of our economy. We collect and analyze publicly available data and rank companies and institutions on the proportion of their women executives, with a particular focus on women of color. Our reports highlight the barriers to gender and racial equity and promote systemic practices and policies to dismantle them and remove obstacles that all underrepresented groups face. Contact: Alex Forero [email protected] 617.337.8523 SOURCE Eos Foundation SHENZHEN, China, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- X Financial (NYSE: XYF) (the "Company" or "we"), a leading online personal finance company in China, today announced it filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on April 27, 2023. The annual report can be accessed on the Company's investor relations website at https://ir.xiaoyinggroup.com as well as the SEC's website at https://www.sec.gov. The Company will provide a hard copy of its annual report containing the audited consolidated financial statements, free of charge, to its shareholders upon request. Requests should be directed to the Company's IR Department at [email protected]. About X Financial X Financial (NYSE: XYF) (the "Company") is a leading online personal finance company in China. The Company is committed to connecting borrowers on its platform with its institutional funding partners. With its proprietary big data-driven technology, the Company has established strategic partnerships with financial institutions across multiple areas of its business operations, enabling it to facilitate and originate loans to prime borrowers under a risk assessment and control system. For more information, please visit: https://ir.xiaoyinggroup.com. For more information, please contact: X Financial Mr. Frank Fuya Zheng E-mail: [email protected] Christensen IR In China Mr. Eric Yuan Phone: +86-10-5900-1548 E-mail: [email protected] In US Ms. Linda Bergkamp Phone: +1-480-614-3004 Email: [email protected] SOURCE X Financial Gov. Joe Lombardo reads to students in Carson City during Nevada Reading Week in March 2023 (Photo: Governor's Twitter) Policy, politics and progressive commentary Ramping up the states private school voucher program to $250 million in funding annually. Allowing cities and municipalities to sponsor their own charter schools. Providing grant funding for charters to help with transportation costs. Republican Gov. Joe Lombardos Assembly Bill 400 attempts to make good on his campaign promises to make school choice a priority of his administration. But Democrats on the Assembly Ways and Means Committee during a four-hour long bill hearing Wednesday made it clear that the path to passage is likely to be difficult. Lombardos proposal, which he has dubbed the Education Achievement, Opportunity, and Accountability Act, would fund Nevadas Opportunity Scholarship program at $50 million for the upcoming biennium and then increase that funding amount until it maxes out at around $500 million per biennium starting in 2031. The funding would be in the form of tax credits. The existing funding level for the program is $6.66 million annually. How do we as a legislature justify to our constituents that were making the choice to take tax money and instead of putting it in the chronically underfunded public education were going to use it to fund private schools? asked Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager. How do we justify that choice unless, and until, we have adequately funded public education in the state? Lombardo Chief of Staff Ben Kieckhefer, who presented the bill, responded: The answer to your constituents is that you trust them and youre not funding public schools, youre not funding private schools, youre funding their childrens education and giving them the opportunity to choose the educational environment best suited for their child. Yeager seemed unconvinced, saying the state could do both but ought not to. I would just love to give (public schools) a chance to be adequately funded before we start having the conversation of sending state tax dollars to private schools, he said. Well probably just agree to disagree on this one. Yeagers comments echoed the sentiment he and Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro shared after Lombardos January state-of-the-state when he first proposed increasing funding for the private school vouchers. Cannizzaro at the time called it a nonstarter for myself and my caucus. Lombardos proposal would also expand eligibility for the Opportunity Scholarships, moving the income requirement from 300% of the federal poverty line to 500%. For context: A family of four with an annual household income around $83,000 is considered to be at 300% of the poverty line, while a family of four with an annual household income of $150,000 is 500%. Kieckhefer said the intent is to allow the scholarship to be accessible to middle income, working class families. Democratic lawmakers expressed concerns about using public money to fund religious education and private schools ability to deny entry to students. In addition to a massive expansion of the Opportunity Scholarship program, Lombardos omnibus education bill also establishes a grant program for charter schools that wish to offer transportation to students. Charter schools are not required to offer transportation like school districts are. Some people believe that is a significant contributor to equity issues at charter schools. The bill would also allow cities and counties to sponsor their own charter schools. Currently, the State Public Charter School Authority sponsors the vast majority of charter schools operating in the state. Public school districts, colleges and universities are also authorized to sponsor charter schools, though only a handful have. Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero and North Las Vegas Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown both spoke in support of the bill and expressed interest in potentially becoming an authorizer of charter schools. School districts would also be required to have open zoning, which was described as giving parents or guardians the option of enrolling at their non-zoned school if there is space available at a different school. The 95-page bill does not just cover policies that fall under the umbrella known as school choice. It also includes provisions designed to address teacher shortages and early childhood education. Most controversial among those provisions is Lombardos proposal to restore parts of Read by Grade 3 that the Democratically controlled legislature had removed in recent sessions. Specifically, the governor wants to restore a requirement that students who do not meet literacy standards in third grade be held back. Less controversial were proposals to fund early childhood literacy programs and scholarships for future teachers. Assembly Ways and Means Chair Daniele Monroe Moreno. D-Las Vegas, said she saw good parts of the bill but said she wished the governors energy was less focused on private schools. If this governor can find extra money in the general fund to put this program together, then I wish we could work together to put the extra general fund money in our public school education, for our educators to raise their salaries, for our teachers to have the resources in their classroom so they can succeed, and really work to have success with our youth because they are our future. That is our first responsibility as public servants. Monroe Moreno added that she briefly attended a private school. As a little Black girl at that private school I didnt fit in, she said. I went back to the public school where teachers saw in me something they didnt see in me at the private school. LONDON, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- XRP Healthcare Africa has announced a new partnership with The Burnratty Investment Group to revolutionize the African healthcare sector, by joining forces and working in unison with a focus on Africa. The collaboration will consolidate the highly fragmented African healthcare market by pursuing mergers and acquisitions of small and medium-sized private healthcare businesses that align with its strategic vision in Uganda East Africa, being its first point of interest. XRP Healthcare Africa partners with The Burnratty Investment Group creating a Dream Team to reform the multi-billion-dollar African healthcare sector The partnership is poised to achieve exponential growth and create a profitable and sustainable healthcare ecosystem that delivers premium and accessible healthcare services to millions of people across the African continent. Existing partners FasterCapital run by acclaimed investor Hesham Zreik have already given their backing to raise capital for the M&A activity to be pursued by this official partnership between The Burnratty Investment Group and XRP Healthcare Africa. The formidable partnership aims to attain a billion-dollar valuation while positioning itself as the leading healthcare provider, researcher, influencer, and health technology giant on the African continent by 2026. The Burnratty Investment Group was chosen for its expert knowledge of East Africa's healthcare terrain and its ambitious plans for the African continent which it now plans to pursue together with XRP Healthcare Africa to maximize profits and shareholder value. In line with its Global expansion and as a direct result of its partnership with The Burnratty Investment Group, XRP Healthcare has actively gained seven new team members to facilitate legal formalities, frameworks, and expert healthcare advice as they seek to improve and amalgamate the highly fragmented multi-billion-dollar African Healthcare sector. Dr. Peter Waiswa who recently joined the XRP Healthcare team is a technical advisor for The World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Dr Waiswa who will be working closely with both companies released this statement: "I am thrilled to be part of XRP Healthcare and The Burnratty Investment Group's efforts to revolutionize healthcare in Africa. Our vision to dominate the highly fragmented multi-billion-dollar healthcare sector and provide swift, accessible, and high-quality healthcare is not just ambitious, but also achievable. I am proud to be working alongside the founders of this venture who bring with them a wealth of experience and passion for improving healthcare in Africa. The partnership between Burnratty, XRP Healthcare, and FasterCapital is the right combination of expertise and resources needed to achieve our goals. Together, we can make a significant impact on the lives of millions of people in Africa and beyond. Other additions to the formidable "Dream Team" include: Juan P. Guerrero, Director of Legal Affairs possesses a concentrated legal expertise of over 20 years in commercial transactions with in-house experience in business, tax, and corporate law. He has successfully negotiated and concluded more than 1000 complex and obtuse commercial transactions inclusive of Mergers & Acquisitions, Joint Ventures; EPCs, Financials; NDAs, Equity Dealings, Procurement, Network Logistics, and Health Insurance Law, read full bio here. Dr Craig G. Stark is a physician executive with 20+ years of clinical, operational, and leadership experience specializing in international healthcare with a focus on telemedicine and health systems management in emerging markets. He served as the Chief Medical Officer with oversight of the Abraaj Growth Markets Health Fund (AGHF) for the Abraaj Group a leading private equity fund in emerging markets operating in six continents with over $14 Billion US Dollars in management including the Evercare Health Fund, a one-billion-dollar impact fund focused on delivering accessible, affordable and quality healthcare to underserved markets across Africa and South Asia, read full bio here. Director of Technology, Nico Westerdale has served as the Director of Technology of the $15 Billion US Dollar GoPuff Company an on-demand item deliverer on the 2020 CNBC's Top 50 Distributors List. He was instrumental in growing the product & engineering teams from 7 to 200 people within 2 years. He directed all of GoPuff's consumer-facing engineering efforts, across multiple scrum teams that is to say, the Mobile, Growth and Shopping, and the Driver Experience team, as well as multiple local and off-shore agencies. read the full bio here. Rodolfo C Rivas is the Assistant Deputy Permanent Representative at the World Trade Organization working as a Frontline negotiator on four intergovernmental agreements, including the Trade Facilitation Agreement, expected to produce accrued global benefits of over US$1 trillion a year; the revised Government Procurement Agreement, with a market access coverage valued at US$100 billion per year; and the expansion of the Information Technology Agreement, with an estimated value of $1.3 trillion in added global trade per year, read full bio here. Jefferey Short, a Board Member of the Roseville Chamber of Commerce, is an experienced top executive with a track record of successfully growing profits and improving operational efficiencies. Specializing in start-up, early-stage, high-growth companies. He is a skilled negotiator and presenter with experience in Fortune 500 companies, CxO, government, education, B2B and B2C markets, full bio here. Dr Isaac Musuubo has been the Director of Cypress Holdings Uganda Ltd since 2013. He is a Health Advisor at Guidepoint, a world-leading expert network, providing business & government professionals with opportunities to communicate with industry and subject-matter experts to answer hard (or impossible) research questions through the provision of on-demand consultation and data services for leading global companies while working with clients to connect them with top industry experts., full bio here. Mukisa Joshua William, the Principal and Founding Executive Director at The Burnratty Investment Group, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, stating: "It is euphoric, rapturous, and exultant to announce our partnership with XRP Healthcare - FasterCapital in pursuit of our goal to dominate & consolidate the billion-dollar African healthcare sector. The drive and energy of Laban and Kain Roomes are truly infectious, and with the wisdom and track record of Hesham Zreik, we're perfectly positioned to dominate and revolutionize this fragmented market. Our shared mission is to provide accessible and high-quality healthcare including revolutionizing healthcare payments to millions of people across Africa, which is a noble and rewarding goal that goes far beyond mere financial success. However, I'm confident that our partnership will generate significant wealth and create numerous opportunities for innovation, growth, and impact. With XRP Healthcare & FasterCapital by our side, the sky's the limit, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for our billion-dollar healthcare empire." Kain Roomes, founder of XRP Healthcare and XRP Healthcare Africa said: "Partnering with The Burnratty Investment Group is compelling, to say the least. This is a company that shares our vision of upgrading the African healthcare sector and helping millions of lives. When I first spoke to Mukisa Joshua William, not only did I recognize his competent business skills, but my intuition told me straight away this is the person we have to partner with - he is sincere, which is a rare quality nowadays, and has such fire in his belly to move forward with this righteous goal. We anticipate a fascinating journey ahead - all the stars are aligned and there is nothing that can hold us back from achieving it." Co-founder and Business Development officer Laban Roomes commented on the new partnership: "In the Burnratty Investment Group, along with important new additions to our team which consists of certified experts in M&A, legal affairs, and healthcare we believe we have found the ideal team and partnership for our venture into Africa. Everyone concerned shares our goal of working in unison to reform, and elevate the African healthcare sector, starting with Uganda - through mergers and acquisitions of already profitable private healthcare establishments. Our newly onboarded partners and team members which also include Hesham Zreik and his company FasterCapital are a testament to our commitment to positively transforming the African Healthcare sector starting in East Africa to facilitate better Healthcare services for all and not just the privileged. President and Founder of The Burnratty Investment Group Mr. Mukisa Joshua William has proven to be a man of integrity and a respected pillar of society in Uganda, we really could not hope for a better partner on this journey." The partnership between The Burnratty Investment Group, XRP Healthcare, and FasterCapital is set to create numerous opportunities for innovation and exponential growth in Africa. They are confident that together, they can make a significant impact in the lives of millions of people requiring standard medical supplies and assistance administered from premium healthcare facilities. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2064316/XRP_Healthcare.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1983109/XRP_Healthcare_Logo.jpg SOURCE XRP Healthcare Republicans have a glaring abortion problem. Like the proverbial dog that caught the car, the GOP spent years campaigning on the promise to appoint Supreme Court justices who would repeal Roe v. Wade. Yet, when finally successful, they had no idea how to proceed politically. Democrats have used the reversal of Roe and Republicans subsequent anti-abortion initiatives to paint the party as extreme, thereby winning over women and younger voters. The Supreme Courts Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization decision last year, overturning Roe, handed abortion policy back to the states where it will remain for the foreseeable future. With a deep national divide on abortion, Congress is unlikely to pass a nationwide law any time soon. Democrats are successfully attacking conservative candidates on abortion, eclipsing other issues and stoking fearful centrists and suburbanites to turn out and elect them to office. Most recently, Wisconsin voters on April 4 proved the potency of the abortion issue in a race for a seat on the states high court. A left-liberal progressive judge, Janet Protasiewicz, seized the swing seat on Wisconsins Supreme Court by running unapologetically on abortion. With a high turnout, the surprise was the magnitude of her victory, 11 percent, in a state Donald Trump carried in 2016. Last November, residents in five states California, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana and Vermont voted to support abortion rights when voting directly on the ballot. Earlier in 2022, even voters in conservative Kansas backed abortion rights when nearly 60% of voters soundly defeated a proposed amendment to the states constitution that would have banned abortions. In the mid-terms, Democrats hammered GOP Senate and gubernatorial candidates on abortion and won. Polling shows very clearly that Americans want abortion to be safe, legal and also be restricted to the early months of pregnancy. In a Pew survey last year, some 61 percent of Americans said abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Republicans need to get their abortion position more in line with where voters are or they will lose in 2024. A total ban is a political loser in swing states. Fearful of getting crosswise with the pro-life movement, Republican legislators in Florida recently enacted a so-called heartbeat law banning abortion after six weeks. Thats before many women even know they are pregnant. It was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis. Several other competitive states have already passed six-week, or even tougher, restrictions. This risks riling millions of swing voters who want a middle position. Prior to the Dobbs decision, the Florida legislature had passed a bill prohibiting abortion after 15 weeks. Thats a number generally accepted by much of America outside of activists on both extremes. A 2019 study found 79% of abortions were performed at 9 weeks or less of pregnancy, and 93% at 13 weeks or less. Abortion laws in European countries set limits at 15 or 18 weeks. Gov. DeSantis may calculate signing the six-week ban will help in GOP primaries with social conservative voters but he will be repeatedly pressed on this issue as he campaigns for president. New Hampshires popular Gov. Chris Sununu, another likely GOP presidential aspirant, has emphasized his difference with DeSantis on abortion: We in New Hampshire have a 24 week ban, or 24 weeks of choice that seems to be where most of America is. While polling on this issue is imprecise, slightly more than a third of Republicans disagree with their party on whether to outlaw abortion. Donald Trump has been notably silent about abortion since Dobbs, with his advisors telling reporters that he thinks the issue is a loser for Republicans. Nevada voters are strongly pro-choice. Abortion rights up to 24 weeks are codified into state law by a 1990 ballot measure that passed with 63.5% approval. Abortion gives Democrats a powerful issue in 2024. New Delhi, April 27 : The first batch of 360 Indians evacuated from Sudan has reached Delhi under "Operation Kaveri", launched this week to bring back citizens stranded in the war-torn African nation. "India welcomes back its own. #OperationKaveri brings 360 Indian Nationals to the homeland as first flight reaches New Delhi," External Affairs Minister S, Jaishakar wrote in a tweet late Wednesday, sharing pictures of the evacuees. India launched 'Operation Kaveri' with Jaishankar assuring that the government is "committed to assisting all brethren in Sudan". As part of the operation, India has positioned two heavy-lift military transport aircraft in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah and a naval ship at a key port in violence-hit Sudan as part of its contingency plans to evacuate its stranded nationals. It has also set up a transit facility at Jeddah and all the Indians have been taken to the coastal Saudi Arabian city after their evacuation from Sudan. Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan is currently in Jeddah to oversee the evacuation mission. Earlier, France and Saudi Arabia evacuated some Indians along with citizens of other countries as part of their evacuation mission from Sudan. The External Affairs Ministry had said that India is closely monitoring the complex and evolving security situation in Sudan. "We are also coordinating closely with various partners for the safe movement of those Indians who are stranded in Sudan and would like to be evacuated," the Ministry said in a statement. According to the Indian Embassy in Khartoum, there are around 2,800 Indian nationals in Sudan, in addition to a settled Indian community of around 1,200 people that has been in the country for nearly 150 years. Clashes between Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary since April 15 has killed at least 459 people and injured more than 4,000, according to the WHO. The crisis has sparked a mass exodus of foreigners, while the UN has warned a giant new refugee crisis could be brewing. United Nations, April 27 : Pressing its case for reforming the UN Security Council, India has said that either the veto rights should be abolished or be given also to new permanent members in a reformed Council. "Either all nations are treated equally in the context of voting rights or else the new permanent members must also be given the veto," Pratik Mathur, a counsellor at India's UN Mission said on Wednesday at the General Assembly. "Extension of veto to new members, in our view, will have no adverse impact on the effectiveness of an enlarged Council," he said countering arguments made by some countries against expanding permanent membership. He said that the question of veto should be addressed as part of a comprehensive reform of the Council through clearly defined timelines in the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) for reforms. The IGN has virtually stalled because a small group of countries have manipulated the process to prevent progress. Mathur was speaking at an Assembly debate held on the first anniversary of the landmark resolution requiring a discussion by the Assembly within ten days of a veto being cast in the Council. While the Assembly cannot override a veto in the Council, by having a discussion it hopes to bring moral pressure on the vetoers or expose them to the world. Mathur said that the veto resolution adopted by consensus "unfortunately, reflected a piecemeal approach to UNSC reform, thereby highlighting one aspect, ignoring root cause of the problem". The root cause in the view of India and many countries is the architecture of the Council that reflects the post-World War II scenario and gives veto-wielding permanent seats to the five victorious allies, Britain, China, France, the US and Russia, which hold the seat originally given to the Soviet Union. Mathur said: "As rightly called out by our African brothers, it goes against the concept of sovereign equality of states and only perpetuates the mindset of the Second World War, 'To the victor belongs the spoils'. "Let me flag what our African Brothers have repeatedly stated in the IGN: 'The veto as a matter of principle should be abolished. However, as a matter of common justice, it should be extended to new permanent members so long as it continues to exist'." During the debate, Kenya's Deputy Permanent Representative Michael Kiboino reaffirmed the same point citing the Common African Position on Council reform. "If the pursuit of the purposes of the UN Charter is based on the principle of sovereign equality of states, then the veto is a contradiction that should be abolished. "But if it is to be retained in a reformed Security Council, it must be extended to new permanent members with all its attributes, including the prerogatives and privileges of permanent membership," Kiboino declared. The most vigorous push for Council reform comes from the 54 nations of Africa, a continent without any permanent members on the Council where the majority of actions relate to it. South Africa's Permanent Representative Mathu Joyini said that the Assembly's veto resolution requiring discussions of it "should not be seen as an interim or ad-hoc solution to the need for urgent Security Council reform, which will address the structural challenges within the Council itself". "We must continue our efforts for urgent Council reform and the revitalisation of the General Assembly. Ultimately, focus should be on giving greater momentum to the reform of the Security Council itself," she added. The Assembly's resolution in April 2022 on holding debates on vetoes was adopted after the Council was paralysed by Russia's veto of a resolution in February last year condemning its invasion of Ukraine. Russia vetoed another resolution in September condemning its referendums in areas of Ukraine it had annexed. Last year, Moscow also vetoed a resolution on border crossings for sending aid to rebel-held areas of Syria and joined China to shoot down a resolution condemning North Korea's intercontinental and other ballistic missile tests. The Assembly held debates on those three vetoes. Assembly President Csaba Korosi called the veto resolution, "a breakthrough, a gamechanger" that "opened the door for a new form of collaboration and accountability" between the Assembly and Council. While India has insisted on veto rights for all permanent members in a reformed Council, it had also offered to forgo the veto power temporarily as compromise. During an IGN meeting in 2016, Syed Akbaruddin, who was then India's permanent representative, said: "Our own national position has been and remains that the veto should, as long as it exists, be extended to new permanent members. As a measure of flexibility and willingness for compromise, the use of the veto can be deferred till the Review Conference." The UN Charter provides for a conference to review and amend the veto rights but such a meeting has never taken place. (Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis) Lucknow, April 27 : The UP Special Task Force (STF) has arrested an alleged high-profile fraudster who posed as a person having links with the BJP's top leadership. The man was arrested from the Kanpur railway station. The accused, Sanjay Rai, used to post his morphed photographs with senior BJP leaders on social media and allegedly procured crores of rupees from different people on the pretext of getting their work done, said sources. The accused was arrested while he was travelling from Ghazipur to Delhi on the Suheldev Express train. The action came after complaints against him by several politicians and businessmen. Rai was brought to Lucknow for interrogation and sent to jail after the allegations were found true against him, said a senior STF official. Another STF source said the fraudster had even titled his Wi-Fi account as 'Prime Minister residence' at his house in Delhi, claiming that he worked in association with the PMO. He has a bungalow in Delhi's Safardarganj area and maintained a high-profile lifestyle and operated an NGO 'Sanjay for Youth', which carried a tagline -- 'making the entire Ghazipur district of UP self-employed'. Lucknow, April 27 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested three people -- Izhar Hussain Jafri, Ali Abbas Jafri and Ravi Prakash Gupta -- in connection with a multi-crore scholarship case in Lucknow. The ED had earlier conducted raids on February 16 in connection with the case on 10 educational institutions across several districts of Uttar Pradesh, including Lucknow. Crucial evidence was seized about these institutes and several other colleges and institutes which, prima facie, were also found involved in the irregularities. A statement from ED said investigation revealed that these people were operating the scam under Hygia Group of Colleges in Lucknow and fraudulently obtained scholarship funds using Aadhaar and bank details of ineligible persons shown as students. During investigation, it came to light that many of the said students were not even aware of having availed any such schemes in their names, it added. The three accused, in a conspiracy with agents of a payments bank, allegedly diverted scholarship funds from students' accounts to the bank accounts of the Hygia Group of colleges and other people and institutes. Investigation also revealed that they not only controlled the bank accounts of beneficiary students and illegally kept their ATM cards, phone numbers for self-operation, but also illegally used the user IDs and passwords of agents and their micro-ATM machines for transfer and withdrawal of scholarship funds in cash from the bank accounts of the students at various locations. The scholarship funds were credited directly to the students' accounts, but the accused flouted all the safeguards built in the system, the statement said. Investigation also revealed that the arrested people were direct beneficiaries of the proceeds of crime. A senior ED official said a competent court in Lucknow granted five-day ED custody of all the arrested persons. Lucknow, April 27 : The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into encroachment of irrigation department's land in Ahimamau locality in the state capital by a prominent developer. Promoter Ansal API is facing allegations of encroaching the irrigation department's land for its township and planning to later sell it to a prominent educational institution and other persons. A single-judge bench of Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh ordered the CBI to constitute an SIT and probe encroachment of irrigation department's land by the developer. The court passed the order on the petition of Bharat Kishore Sinha. The court also directed the CBI to submit a final report of the probe in court by August 22. It also directed the agency to submit a monthly progress report of the case. The court directed the CBI to submit the first monthly progress of the case on May 24. In addition to this, the court directed the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) and housing and urban planning department to make available all relevant documents to the CBI related with the case. On orders of the court, the CBI's Superintendent of Police, Shivani Tewari had appeared before the court. CBI lawyer Anurag Singh apprised the court that an SIT would be constituted under the SP and it would take four months to submit the preliminary investigation report. The CBI lawyer also assured the court that the progress report of the investigation will be submitted in court every month. Following assurance of the CBI lawyer, the court observed, "Considering the aforesaid submissions on behalf of the CBI, CBI director should constitute an SIT, for which the decision has already been taken, and the SIT will submit a progress report before this court on or before May 24, 2023." "The final report should be submitted by August 22, 2023. The said SIT will work under the supervision of joint director, CBI, Lucknow region," added the court. On behalf of the state government, chief standing counsel (I), advocate Prashant Singh apprised the court that a vigilance probe was already on into this case. He also informed the court that encroachment on the land had been removed. The case is listed for the next hearing on May 5. Lucknow, April 27 : The father and brother-in-law of a newly-married woman have been arrested for strangling her and making her drink toilet cleaner. The woman was found naked in the bushes on the Lucknow-Delhi highway on Wednesday. The accused had poured toilet cleaner on her face in order to disfigure her and conceal her identity. SSP (Bareilly) Prabhakar Chowdhary said the woman, Munni Devi, a resident of Dhadha village under Shahi police station limits of Bareilly district, was found lying in an injured state under Fatehganj West police station. The woman, was spotted by some passers-by who informed the police. She was rushed to a hospital where she is battling for life. "Tota Ram, the father, and her elder sister's husband, Dinesh, have been arrested for making her forcibly drink acid and throttling her. The accused committed the crime due to 'social humiliation' caused by the woman's illicit relationship with another man," the police official said. The woman was unable to speak due to her burn injuries and confirmed her identity by writing her name on paper, after which the entire story behind the incident came to fore, said the officer. Circle officer (Meerganj) informed media persons that Munni Devi was in a relationship with one Ajay Kumar for many years, but her family members did not approve of it. Her father said she had eloped with Ajay Kumar twice in the past, added the CO. He said the woman's family forcibly got the woman married to one Devendra of Badaun on April 22 and she was shifted from Bareilly. But she remained in touch with Ajay Kumar. The woman's father stated she was even found talking to Ajay Kumar on phone when they reached there and was adamant on living with her lover despite getting married to another person, said the CO. The CO said the woman's father and brother-in-law took her along when Devendra expressed desire not to live with her. Kannauj : , April 27 (IANS) A 12-year-old boy, who had run away from home to escape his father's beating, was mauled to death by stray dogs in Kannauj district. The incident came to light when the child's body with serious injury marks was found at a desolate spot on Wednesday. According to reports, the boy's father Omkar, is a drug addict and he often returns home in an inebriated state and thrashes his wife and children. On Tuesday, he beat up his son, Prince, who then ran away from home. When Prince did not return home till Wednesday, his mother Pinky searched the neighbourhood but could not find any trace of Prince. The body of a boy was later found lying near the Makrandnagar Power House, which is located 1000 meters from the house. On being informed by the police, the boy's mother reached the spot and identified the body as that of her son, Prince. As per the eyewitnesses, it looked like the boy was killed by stray dogs. The body has been sent for post-mortem to ascertain the cause of death. Firozabad : , April 27 (IANS) A Firozabad court has awarded the death sentence to a 32-year-old-man who stabbed his wife's 70-year-old grandmother to death with a screwdriver during a robbery attempt last year on April 1. The court of additional sessions judge Azad Singh, found Tarun Goyal, who has a four-year-old child, guilty of all the charges against him. The court ordered that he should be "hanged by the neck till death", and also imposed a fine of Rs 65,000 on him. Tarun was booked under IPC section 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 395 (voluntarily causing hurt while committing robbery), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property). The prosecution lawyer said the victim, Kamla Devi, was stabbed in the neck with a screwdriver several times by Tarun. When Kamla's maid tried to stop him, she too was attacked and was left critically injured. The maid was lucky to survive. "After the murder, Tarun decamped with cash, along with gold and silver jewellery. During investigation, it was found that he was in debt after suffering losses in business, and killed Kamala Devi when he came to know that she had money," said special public prosecutor Ajay Kumar Sharma. Kamala Devi was a resident of Arya Nagar colony in Firozabad city and was the head of the family that has businesses in glass manufacturing and exports. On the day of the crime, only Kamla Devi and her maid were in the house as other family members had gone out to watch a film. After the crime, her grandson, Arpit Jindal, lodged a police complaint against unidentified persons. Following a probe, Tarun was arrested and the looted valuables and cash recovered. "The statement of Kamla's maid played a crucial role in the case. Forensic samples of hair found in the hands of the deceased were sent for DNA testing, which nailed Tarun, who had confessed in court that he was debt-ridden and he did this to come out of his bad financial situation," the prosecutor said. Bengaluru, April 27 : Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Jason Roy has been fined ten per cent of his match fee for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, here. The English opener, who fired a 29-ball 56 to propel KKR to 200/5 against Royal Challengers Bangalore, has admitted to the breach, after he angrily hit one of the bails after being dismissed. "Mr Roy admitted to the Level 1 offence under Article 2.2 of the IPL Code of Conduct. For Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct, the Match Referee's decision is final and binding," the IPL said in a statement. Latest updates on IPL 2023 Visakhapatnam, April 27 : The Visakhapatnam police continued investigation into the death of a pregnant woman whose semi-naked body was found under suspicious circumstances on the YMCA beach here. Though the woman, who had left the house after an argument with in-laws, is suspected to have committed suicide, but the circumstances in which the body was found raised doubts about the cause of the death. The body of Swetha (24), who was five-month pregnant, was found on the beach in the early hours of Wednesday. She had left her house in the Pedagantyada area on Tuesday evening following an altercation with her in-laws. Her husband Manikanta, who works as a software engineer in Hyderabad, told police that he spoke to her over phone around 6.15 p.m. He tried to persuade her to return home saying small issues come up in every family. He also advised her to think about the child. However, she disconnected the call and later switched off the phone. The software engineer said he sent messages to her not to take any action in haste. Manikanta's family lodged a missing complaint with Newport Police Station. He also left for Visakhapatnam from Hyderabad and on reaching the port city, he came to know about Swetha's body being found on the beach. Police said they found no injury marks on the body. The autopsy report is expected to help police in identifying the cause of the death. Police were also scanning the CCTV footage to find out if the woman went to the beach alone or was accompanied by somebody. The investigators were also trying to ascertain how and when she reached the beach. Since the movement of people continues at the beach till 11 p.m., there is no possibility of the woman committing suicide without being noticed by others. Moreover, Beach Patrolling police, Rakshak teams and Beach Guards also patrol the area. The body was found around 2 a.m. in semi-naked condition and partially buried in the sand, which raised several question marks for the investigators. Swetha's mother Ramadevi lodged a complaint with the police blaming in-laws for her death. She alleged that they harassed Swetha for dowry and that her husband had threatened to divorce her. Police have registered a case under section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Swetha's husband and in-laws. Swetha, who was in the process for preparing for civil services exams, had married Manikanta a year ago. Patna, April 27 : One person was gunned down and another seriously wounded after unidentified persons opened fire at one of them near Patna city civil court. On Wednesday evening, when one Raja stopped at a tea stall for having beverage while on way back home to Gur mandi, three bikers came and opened fire on him. Raja's friend Sharvan Kumar, who was also present on the spot, rushed him to Nalanda Medical College and Hospital where doctors declared him brought dead. Another person, who got hit by the bullet and was seriously wounded, was rushed to hospital where his condition is stated to be stable. The reason of crime is yet to be ascertained. Sources said that Raja was having an affair with a girl and that could be the reason of murder. Police have booked three unidentified persons on charges of murder and attempt to murder in Alamganj police station. The police said raids are on to nab the assailants. Kolkata, April 27 : Nasimuddin Sheikh, the suspected Al Qaeda activist arrested from Hooghly on April 25, took advantage of the Covid lockdown period to extend his network in the state, the Special Task Force (STF) of the West Bengal Police has claimed. Sheikh was presented at a lower district court on Wednesday, which remanded him to police custody for 14 days. STF sources said that in the face of preliminary interrogation, the arrested accused admitted that during the lockdown period he established his hub at a particular Madrasa at Bankra area in Kolkata - adjacent Howrah district of West Bengal. "While staying at this particular Madrasa he had established links with other associates of Al Qaeda, some of whom have already been arrested by our sleuths. His task was mainly getting new recruits for the outfit's sleeper cells through systematic brainwashing. However, after the lockdown was lifted, he silently absconded from the Madrasa and went out of the state," an STF sleuth said on condition of anonymity. According to him, Sheikh has also admitted that besides hunting new recruits through systematic brainwashing, he was also assigned to set up modules in minority dominated pockets in North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas and Howrah districts. Recently, he came back to the state and started residing at one of his relative's place at Dadpur in Hooghly district. On getting the information from their sources on this count, the STF sleuths suddenly raided that residence a couple of days back and arrested him from there. Sources said that in November last year, the STF sleuths arrested another Al Qaeda associate Maniruddin Khan from Mathurapur in South 24 Parganas district. From him, a pen-drive was recovered from which the STF sleuths accessed crucial information, including the name of Sheikh. Mumbai, April 27 : Actor Kunal Kemmu, who was recently seen in the comedy-drama streaming series 'Pop Kaun?' and the streaming film 'Kanjoos Makhichos', feels that maintaining versatility is the way to break out of monotony and make work fun. Ever since his debut film 'Kalyug' and with projects like 'Dhol', 'Golmaal Series', 'Go Goa Gone', 'Abhay', the actor has been dabbling in different genres, may it be a thriller, drama, murder mystery, or comedy. In comedy as well, he has experimented with subgenres like situational comedy, dark comedy, family and slapstick comedy. The actor shared how he broke the stereotypes as he said, "When I started I was offered only serious parts, then I was offered 'Dhol'. After doing 'Dhol', I did '99', 'Golmaal', and even 'Go Goa Gone', and then 90 per cent of the roles that came were all comedy, interestingly, in the same year, I was offered 'Kalank', 'Malang', and 'Abhay'." Speaking about the aforementioned films, Kunal said, "These were all a welcome change from the comedies I was doing. One should be willing to dabble in different genres as it helps you to be a better artist". The actor will be next seen in 'Gulkanda Tales' helmed by Raj - DK of 'The Family Man' fame and he's currently working on the post-production of his directorial debut 'Madgaon Express'. -- Syndicated from IANS Shanghai, April 27 : US consultancy giant Bain & Company has confirmed that Chinese police have visited its office in Shanghai and questioned some staff. "We are cooperating as appropriate with the Chinese authorities," a spokesperson for the firm told the BBC. It comes as relations between Washington and Beijing have deteriorated in recent months. Last month, another US firm Mintz was raided in Beijing and five local employees were detained. "We can confirm that the Chinese authorities have questioned staff in our Shanghai office," Bain said. "At this time, we have no further comment," it added. The company's statement came after a media report that police made an unannounced visit to Bain's office in the Chinese financial hub two week ago. Officers took away computers and phones, according to the Financial Times, which cited people briefed on the matter. According to the company's website, Bain's Shanghai office was opened in the city's central business district in 2004. It also has offices in Beijing and Hong Kong. The global firm, which has its headquarters in Boston, provides advice to public, private, and non-profit organisations, the BBC reported. As tensions have grown in recent months between the world's two largest economies, US businesses have become concerned about their prospects in China. "The Chinese government has continuously said it welcomes foreign investment. However, a flurry of recent actions taken against US enterprises in China has sent the opposite message," Michael Hart, president of American Chamber of Commerce in China told the BBC. "Our business community is spooked, and our members are asking, 'Who's next?' Irrespective of the government's intention, that's the message being received," he added. Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai receives Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Bezdetko Gennady Stepanovich. (Photo: hcmcpv.org.vn) He made the statement on April 26 during his reception for Russian Ambassador to Vietnam, Bezdetko Gennady Stepanovich, on the occasion of his visit to Ho Chi Minh City. In order to further strengthen cooperation between Ho Chi Minh City and Russian partners in the fields of trade, investment and tourism, Mr. Mai proposed to reopen direct flights between the two countries soon, thus promoting exchange and cooperation between businesses of the two sides. With the strength of being a powerhouse in science and technology, he said that cybersecurity, digital transformation and high technology are areas where the two sides have a lot of room for cooperation. Noting that Ho Chi Minh City currently cooperates closely with five Russian localities, he confirmed that the city attaches special importance to these relationships. Therefore, he expressed his wish that the Russian Ambassador to Vietnam would help and support to make cooperation between Ho Chi Minh City and Russian localities become more practical and effective. Affirming that Ho Chi Minh City in particular and Vietnam in general are always grateful for the great support and assistance of the former Soviet Union, as well as Russia today in the process of national construction and development, he committed to make every effort and coordinate with the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Ho Chi Minh City to achieve the desired cooperation results of the two sides, contributing to consolidating and developing the good friendship between Vietnam and Russia, as well as between Ho Chi Minh City with Russian localities. With many years of working in Ho Chi Minh City, returning to Ho Chi Minh City, Ambassador Bezdetko Gennady Stepanovich expressed his pleasure to see the positive change of Ho Chi Minh City, saying that many Russian partners and businesses wish to promote cooperation and investment in Vietnam in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular in many fields, such as energy, high technology and digital transformation. Adding that the economies of the two countries are not competitive but complementary, he expressed his belief that the two countries have enough conditions for further development in the future. Russia is willing to create all conditions for Vietnamese businesses to invest and do business in Russia, he said, committing that he would do his utmost to further promote cooperation between Russian localities and Ho Chi Minh City./. Hyderabad, April 27 : The new building of Telangana Secretariat, which is all set to be inaugurated on April 30, is a fine blend of modernity with state-of-the-art features and architectural grandeur. The structure has been built in the Indo-Saracenic style that blends the Indo-Islamic architectural features generally with domes. The multiple domes and arches of the building perfectly fit in this style representing the syncretic and liberal Deccani style, expressing Telangana's quintessence. Designed by the Chennai-based Architects Ponni Concessao and Oscar Concessao, the complex has been built with all the Indian Green Building Council norms, meeting the stipulations of fire safety, disaster management and other mandatory regulations. The sprawling complex, the nerve centre of the state's administration, has come near Hussain Sagar lake in the heart of the city at the same site where the old secretariat of Telangana and earlier united Andhra Pradesh once stood. The new Secretariat complex, which houses the offices of the chief minister, ministers, chief secretary and all other secretaries and heads of departments, is a seven-storey structure equipped with all modern facilities. It has been constructed at a cost of nearly Rs 650 crore. The building, termed as a symbol of Telangana's progress, boasts off two massive domes. National emblem atop one of the domes has taken the building to its planned height of 265 feet. The Secretariat, which has been named after chief architect of the Indian Constitution Dr B. R. Ambedkar, will be inaugurated at 6.08 a.m. on April 30 with the beginning of various religious rituals. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will assume his chair inside his chambers at 1.20 p.m. the same day The BRS government says the Secretariat building would reflect the pride of Telangana and would stand as a role model for other states. The overall master plan has been zoned for the Secretariat building, ancillary buildings for visitors, police personnel, fire department, creche, utility building, temple, mosque and church. Ample space has been planned for landscaping - hardscape with stone pavements, and softscapes consisting of lawns, native trees, fountains, parking for VVIPs, staff and others. It has been constructed with all modern amenities including conference halls, visitors lounges, dining halls and others. The total built up area of the 265 feet high main complex is 8,58,530 square feet. The area of ancillary building is 67,982 square feet. The building has lower ground plus ground plus six floors. Each floor has a height of 14 feet. Central tower in east wing has two floors of double height while central tower in west wing has two floors of single height and one floor of double height. The length and breadth of the complex is 600 x 300 feet. Out of total land area of 27.9 acres, the building has come up on 2.45 acres. Landscaping has been taken up on 7.72 acres. The central courtyard lawn is spread over 2.2 acres. Parking provision has been made for 560 cars and 700 two wheelers inside the premises. According to officials, 7,000 tonnes of steel, 35,000 tonnes of cement, 26,000 tonnes of sand, 60,000 cubic metres of concrete and 11 lakh bricks have been used for construction. Three lakh square feet of granite and one lakh square feet of marble have also been used. As many as 12,000 people used in three shifts to complete the construction. The chief minister had laid the foundation stone for the new Secretariat complex on June 27, 2019. However, the work commenced towards the end of 2020 as demolition of old buildings after the High Court dismissed petitions filed by the opposition parties and heritage activists. The petitioners termed the government's plan for building a new secretariat as a waste of public money. They argued that the existing structures were in good condition and could meet all the requirements. The government, however, submitted to the court that the buildings were constructed without safety norms and that the state needs an integrated complex with modern amenities to ensure smooth functioning of offices of the chief minister, ministers, secretaries and others. Construction works gathered pace after the relaxation of restrictions imposed on account of Covid. New Delhi, April 27 : The Delhi Police's Crime Branch on Thursday said it has arrested a notorious gangster -- a move which might have prevented a potential gang war aimed at seeking revenge for the killing of Prince Tewatia in Tihar Jail. Vikrant alias Mental (25), a resident of Sangam Vihar, had recently taken control of Prince Tewatia's gang. He was wanted in three cases, including murder. Police have recovered two automatic pistols, three country-made pistols and 16 bullets from Vikrant's possession. A senior police official said that after Prince Tewatia was murdered in Tihar on April 14 by Attatur Rahmen and other members of the Rohit Chaudhary gang, Vikrant had been looking for an opportunity to eliminate the group's members. Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ravindra Singh Yadav said that anticipating the possibility of a gang war after the killing of Tewatia, and considering the rise in cases of firing and murder and extortion in Delhi/NCR, a team was constituted to nab active gangsters. Police had specific inputs that Vikrant was planning to eliminate members of Rohit Chaudhary gang to avenge Prince Tewatia's killing and Sandeep Chhikara of Nandu Gang would facilitate arms supply to him for the purpose, he said. "The team then received a tip that Vikrant would come to Bijwasan-Najafgarh road with a huge consignment of arms and ammunition which he would distribute it it to his gang members to eliminate the rivals. A trap was laid and he was apprehended." Vikrant had joined Prince Tewatia's gang and he, along with his associates Hari Kishan, Hunny Rawat, made a syndicate and started committing heinous crimes. In June 2020, Vikrant and his accomplices, including Prince, Hari, Hunny, and others, allegedly murdered Rakesh Chauhan in Wazirabad, Delhi, due to a property dispute. On the same day, under the orders of gang leader Tewatia, Vikrant and his associates reportedly opened fire on Daksh, who had threatened to report them for extortion. "While all of the accused, except for Vikrant, had already been apprehended in both cases, Vikrant had been on the run since the cases were registered," said the Special CP. Kolkata, April 27 : Leader of opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday accused the police of shooting dead a 33-year-old Rajbangshi youth and BJP activist at Kaliaganj in West Bengal's north Dinajpur district. To recall, pockets in Kaliaganj on Tuesday afternoon turned into virtual battlefield over clashes between the police forces and the local people protesting against the rape and murder of a minor girl whose body was recovered on April 21. On Wednesday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that goons backed by the BJP and coming from Bihar were responsible for the tension there on Tuesday. On Thursday, Adhikari alleged through a Twitter message that BJP activist and 33-year-old Rajbangshi youth, Mrityunjay Barman was brutally shot dead. In his Twitter message, the leader of the opposition has alleged that the police raided the house of a BJP panchayat samiti member Bishnu Barman at 2:30 a.m. midnight, but did not find him there. According to him, during the raid the police shot dead Mrityunjay Barman, son of Rabindranath Barman. "This is tyranny and state terror in its worst form and Mamata Banerjee is merry making like Emperor Nero while the state is burning and sliding into a phase of civil unrest," his Twitter message read. He also alleged that on Wednesday during a press conference Mamata Banerjee had declared a war against the people of Kaliaganj and within hours the police complied with her. "She will have to take ownership of this brutal murder by the state. The people should rise democratically by raising their voice against such internecine violence and bloodshed," he said in his Twitter message. Till the time the report was filed, there was neither any reaction from the state administration nor from the ruling Trinamool Congress on this count. Badal : , April 27 (IANS) Scores of political dignitaries and party supporters on Thursday flooded Parkash Singh Badal's native village of Badal in Muktsar district where the late Akali patriarch and five-time Punjab Chief Minister's body was kept from morning till around 1 p.m. for people to catch a last glimpse of the late leader. Amid 'Shabad Kirtan', his body will be taken in a procession to his nearby agricultural field owned by the Badal family where he will be accorded a state funeral. Political leaders, public figures and party activists paid their last respects to the former Chief Minister before his mortal remains are consigned to flames. A stoic Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal along with his wife Harsimrat Kaur and his three children acknowledged the tributes of hundreds of people, some tearful, who came to pay respect to the elderly Badal, whose mortal remains were brought from Chandigarh on late Wednesday evening. Badal, the country's oldest politician -- next only to BJP veteran L.K. Advani -- died on Tuesday at the age of 95 after a brief illness at a private hospital near here. Under the helm of senior Badal, SAD made history in 1997 by becoming the first non-Congress party to complete its first full term in office since Independence. It repeated its feat in 2007 and 2012 in alliance with the BJP. BJP national President J.P. Nadda, Union Ministers Hardeep Puri and Som Parkash, Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Chief Ministers Bhagwant Mann and Ashok Gehlot, several former chief ministers, NCP president Sharad Pawar and National Congress leader Omar Abdullah, among others, are expected to attend the last rites. For the cremation, kinnow trees were uprooted from more than two-acre owned by the Badals. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday reached Chandigarh to pay his last respects to the patriarch. Modi had, on Tuesday, described the demise of Badal as a "personal loss" and said he was a colossal figure of Indian politics who contributed greatly to the nation. Congress leader and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in a letter to SAD President Sukhbir Badal, expressed his deepest condolences and acknowledged his contributions for the welfare of farmers and weaker sections. A day earlier, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) supremo and a close friend of the Badal family, Om Parkash Chautala, also visited the party head office in Chandigarh to pay his last respects. A flower-decked ambulance carrying the body from Chandigarh was driven by Bikram Majithia with Sukhbir Badal as co-driver. Other family members, including Sukhbir's estranged cousin Manpreet Badal, who is now in the BJP, were sitting beside the coffin. Senior Badal was born on December 8, 1927 in Muktsar. He was elected as village sarpanch at the age of 20, as a MLA for the first time in 1957 and became the chief minister for the first time in 1970 at the age of 43. He had also served as a Union Minister in the late 1970s. Hyderabad, April 27 : Sunrisers Hyderabad's (SRH) has suffered a big injury blow as Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the remainder of 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) due to a hamstring injury, the franchise said on Thursday. The all-rounder didn't have a great beginning to his campaign in the ongoing season as he failed to make a significant contribution with his batting as well bowling skills, going wicketless in the first six games. However, Sundar regained his rhythm in the team's most recent fixture against Delhi Capitals, claiming three wickets in an over for returns of 3 for 24. The 24-year-old was quite handy with the bat as he scored a brisk 15-ball 24 not out. "Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the IPL 2023 due to a hamstring injury. Speedy recovery, Washi," SRH tweeted on Thursday. INJURY UPDATE Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the IPL 2023 due to a hamstring injury. Speedy recovery, Washi pic.twitter.com/P82b0d2uY3 SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) April 27, 2023 In the seven matches, Sundar has scored 60 runs and also picked up three wickets. The 2016 champions, SRH, currently sit ninth in the standings with just two wins in seven games. They will face the Capitals again in the return fixture at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on April 29. Latest updates on IPL 2023 -- Syndicated from IANS Bhopal, April 27 : BJP's Madhya Pradesh unit on Thursday re-inducted expelled party leader Siddharth Malaiya into party fold in view of the upcoming Assembly polls in the state. Anticipating "potential rebellion" and to avoid upheavals like in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka recently, where many party bigwigs switched to other parties, the ruling BJP is leaving no stone unturned to bring back the "rebels" into the party fold. Siddharth Malaiya, who is the son ex-minister Jayant Malaiya, was expelled from the BJP for his alleged anti-party activities in 2022. Speculation was rife that Siddharth Malaiya may switch to the Congress to "secure" his political future as at that time, he was openly criticising the state BJP leadership. However, Siddharth Malaiya reached BJP headquarters along with state Home Minister Narottam Mishra and joined the party in the presence of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and state BJP president V. D. Sharma. It came one month after Preetam Lodhi, who was also expelled for alleged anti-party activities, joined the BJP last month. Gwalior based OBC leader Lodhi is close associate of former Chief Minister Uma Bharti, and she too had expressed her disappointment over Lodhi's expulsion from the party. "I am happy that the party gave me another chance to work, and for this, I would thank the state BJP leadership," Siddharth Malaiya said while interacting with mediapersons after joining the BJP. Political experts said the re-induction of Siddharth Malaiya into the party came amid possible "fear" of the "poaching" by the Congress. The BJP got a jolt last month when Yadvendra Singh Yadav, the son of three-time BJP MLA Deshraj Singh Yadav, quit the party and joined the Congress. In another blow to the saffron party, former Khargone MP Makhan Singh Solanki also joined the Congress, recently. Recently, a delegation of 14 state and Central BJP leaders was tasked to reach out to every "possible rebel" including party veterans to convince them to remain intact with the BJP. As per the sources, the reports of the delegation wasn't good for the BJP, after which Siddharth Malaiya was re-inducted. However, there is still a long list of BJP leaders, who have been "sidelined" for the last couple of years and have been puting pressure on the state leadership. And on the other side, there has been a buzz that several BJP rebels are likely to join the Congress. Beirut, April 27 : The Lebanese government has tightened regulations on Syrian refugees as tension between the displaced and the local Lebanese continues to grow. A statement released by the Council of Ministers said the "refugee status" will be officially cancelled for those who left the Lebanese territory, calling security services to "strictly pursue violators and prevent the illegal entry of Syrians" to the country, reports Xinhua news agency. The cabinet also asked the Interior Ministry and Social Affairs Ministry to register the newborns of Syrians in Lebanon, and the Labour Ministry was tasked with tightening monitor to make sure that the refugees only work in permitted sectors. The cabinet made the decisions as the country faced an unprecedented financial crisis, further exacerbated by the presence of over 2 million Syrian refugees. "Tension among Lebanese citizens and the Syrian refugees has reached its highest levels, and we are now in a dangerous place," Lebanon's Deputy Parliament Speaker Elias Bou Saab said when meeting with Italian Ambassador to Lebanon Nicoletta Bombardiere. "The situation requires a radical change in the European Union's policy on the issue of the displaced and a speedy solution to the issue in a different way," Saab was quoted as saying. According to the UN Refugee Agency, Lebanon is currently facing its worst socioeconomic crisis in decades and hosts the highest number of refugees per capita and per square kilometre worldwide. The government estimates 1.5 million Syrian refugees and 13,715 refugees of other nationalities. Ninety per cent of Syrian refugees are living in extreme poverty, with the majority of them settled in the Bekaa region. While prices are skyrocketing due to a severe economic crisis, almost half of the Lebanese and 2/3 of the 1.5 million Syrian refugees are food insecure. Some 90 per cent of Syrians, 73 per cent of Palestinian refugees, and over 50 per cent of Lebanese households currently need assistance. Lebanon has struggled to deal with emergencies like the Beirut port blast, Covid-19, and a cholera outbreak earlier this year. New Delhi, April 27 : The outgoing Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is "not hiding" anywhere, he will "expose each one of the protesting wrestlers lies" in the coming days, an official told IANS. "Since the matter is in court, he (Brij Bhushan) won't talk to the media right now. But he is waiting for the right time to expose all the lies by these star wrestlers. Whatever these wrestlers are saying are blatant lies. All this thing (sexual harassment) never happened. Their problem was the laws which WFI put on for all the wrestlers in India (trials for all and other rules). WFI is for all the wrestlers not just for the stars... They just changed the topic to sexual harassment. "Political leaders are looking for benefits out of it now since everyone knows how Congress and the opposition are getting involved in it. Firstly, the wrestlers demanded a committee to be set up. Then they said their own person (Babita Phogat) should also be included. Now they don't trust their own family member. Committees record everything on video to keep a proof, so there is nothing to hide. Everything will be out soon. Wrestlers are getting worried because they know that their lies will get exposed sooner or later," the WFI official emphasised. The official further said that Bajrang Punia was praising Brij Bhushan a few months ago and now he is staging a protest, which is "weird". "When they claim that harassment was taking place for the past twelve years, then why were they showering praise on the WFI chief and never utter a word in this regard. Because it never happened. Change in rules by WFI angered them actually. And one more thing, no one from WFI is threatening to any women wrestler... We don't need to do all this, we know truth will prevail." Earlier, on Wednesday, Delhi Police informed the Supreme Court that some preliminary inquiry may need to be conducted before an FIR can be registered into a complaint by wrestlers. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud that some preliminary inquiry may be needed but if this court orders, then FIR can be registered. Mehta said that the authorities think that some inquiry should be there. The Chief Justice replied that the court would also not want to do something unless there is some material. The bench asked Mehta to furnish the material on Friday and pointed out that the matter involves a minor. Islamabad, April 27 : Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial said on Thursday that the Supreme Court cannot force the government to hold negotiations with the opposition. He passed these remarks as a three-member bench, headed by the CJP and comprising Justices Ijazul Ahsan and Munib Akhtar, resumed hearing the elections delay case, Dawn reported. However, the hearing was adjourned barely an hour after it started with the CJP saying that a detailed order would be issued later. At the previous hearing, the court had asked political parties to hold talks on April 26 and come up with a response by April 27 after giving stakeholders a chance to reach an agreement. Political parties had been asked to decide the matter quickly, since the May 14 date for elections was still in the field and the order was binding on all authorities, Dawn reported. However, no talks were held and the government also refused to comply with the April 4 directive. A day earlier, National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, on demand of the lawmakers, wrote a letter to CJP saying that "it is best to leave the resolution of political matters by Parliament and the political parties", Dawn reported. During the hearing on Thursday, the court raised questions over the government's "seriousness" regarding holding negotiations. "What steps has the government taken to show its goodwill in the talks? It seems like the government is playing pass-pass," Justice Bandial said. He also remarked that politicians should themselves find solutions to the problems, adding that "the Constitution and our order (on polls) is present" if the differences were not sorted out via talks, Dawn reported. San Francisco, April 27 : SpaceX's giant Starship rocket, which exploded after launch, has now come under the US Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) scanner for reportedly spreading plumes of potentially hazardous debris endangering human lives as well as habitats of animals. On April 20, the first flight test of SpaceX's fully integrated Starship and Super Heavy rocket, built to take humanity to the Moon, Mars and beyond, lifted off successfully. Shortly after, it exploded and failed to reach orbit. However, the blast meant the test flight was successful, according to the company. "The FAA will oversee the mishap investigation of the Starship/Super Heavy test mission," the regulator said in a statement. "A return to flight of the Starship/Super Heavy vehicle is based on the FAA determining that any system, process, or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety," it said, adding that this is standard practice for all mishap investigations. During the launch, dust and debris from the test reportedly rained down on residents in Port Isabel, Texas -- a town roughly 10 km from the SpaceX launchpad, and also across Boca Chica's beaches, which are nesting grounds for endangered animals, including birds and sea turtles, Space.com reported. Ahead of the test flight, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, acknowledged on Twitter Spaces that a Starship, which has 33 engines, is similar to 'a box of grenades', and that the Starship vehicle was not likely to reach orbit but was likely to explode. According to Dave Cortez, a chapter director for the Sierra Club environmental advocacy group, Port Isabel residents reported broken windows in their businesses and ash-like particles covering their homes and schools, the report said. In addition, SpaceX's launchpad was also left with extensive damage that includes charred, twisted metal and shattered concrete. The force from the rocket's engines also blew a hole in the launchpad and created a crater beneath it. "Concrete shot out into the ocean," creating shrapnel that "risked hitting the fuel storage tanks which are these silos adjacent to the launch pad", Cortez was quoted as saying to CNBC. The FAA noted that it is responsible for protecting the public during commercial space transportation launch and re-entry operations. It means that before Starship's next launch, it would need the regulator's clean chit that the rocket will not affect public safety. SpaceX aims to use Starship as a fully reusable transportation system to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, help humanity return to the Moon, and travel to Mars and beyond. Starship is the tallest rocket ever assembled. The fully integrated Starship and Super Heavy rocket stands 394 feet tall, and is about 30 feet in diameter. Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai speaks at the talks. (Photo: SGGP) On April 25, the Investment & Trade Promotion Centre of Ho Chi Minh City (ITPC), in collaboration with the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AmCham), held talks between leaders of Ho Chi Minh City and AmCham. Attending the talks was Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai, US Consul General to Ho Chi Minh City Susan Burns, AmCham President Gregory Testerman, more than 30 AmCham member businesses, and representatives of Ho Chi Minh City departments. At the talks, Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai affirmed that Ho Chi Minh City always accompanies the domestic and foreign business community. We are committed to increasing appropriate investment in infrastructure, institutions, human resources and living environment to create a favorable business and production environment and a good living environment for the business community and entrepreneurs working in Ho Chi Minh City, he said. AmCham member businesses exchanged ideas with Ho Chi Minh City's leaders on areas such as capital markets and financial services, health and welfare, food and beverage, education, digital economy, energy, taxes and customs. Mr. Gregory Testerman, AmCham President expressed his optimism about Vietnam's macroeconomic prospects and was interested in the topic of sustainable finance. According to him, the flow of foreign direct investment into Vietnam increasingly requires higher environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards, with many very strict regulations. Meanwhile, borrowers in Vietnam are not always fully prepared to meet these stringent requirements. Therefore, AmCham will push to close this gap, making it possible for borrowers in Vietnam to meet the criteria to easily get loans from financial institutions with strict ESG criteria. Meanwhile, Ms. Susan Burns, US Consul General to Ho Chi Minh City, highly appreciated Ho Chi Minh City's support for US businesses to thrive and make long-term contributions to the city's growth over the past time. She affirmed that the US diplomatic and business delegation always accompanies and makes efforts to support Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City to overcome short-term challenges and seize long-term opportunities to create benefits for the sides./. New Delhi, April 27 : In a move which will boost radio connectivity in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Friday inaugurate 91 FM transmitters of 100 watts capacity via video conferencing. These transmitters are spread across 18 states and two union territories. The decision to install FM transmitters is to enhance connectivity in aspirational districts and border areas. An additional two crore people will now be covered through these towers, with an increase in coverage of about 35,000 sq km if area, official sources said. The expansion process is set to take place just two days before the 100th episode of the Prime Minister's monthly radio broadcast "Mann ki Baat" on April 30. The states and union territories which are covered include Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Ladakh and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Chennai, April 27 : AIADMK general secretary and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Edappadi K. Palaniswami. (EPS) on Thursday said that he and the party do not have any issues with Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai, and added that the alliance with the saffron in the state would continue. The statement of EPS came a day after he met both Union Home Minister, Amit Shah and BJP president J.P. Nadda in New Delhi. The former Chief Minister also questioned the silence of M.K. Stalin over the two audio clips purportedly claiming to be of Tamil Nadu finance Minister, P.T.R. Thiagarajan. He said that even as the Tamil Nadu Finance Minister had denied that it was his voice in the clips. The AIADMK had petitioned to the Union Home minister to conduct an investigation on the same and to bring out the truth. He also said that the expelled co-ordinator of the AIADMK, O. Panneerselvam (OPS) was acting as the B team of the DMK and added that there was no place for those who had betrayed the party. The former Chief Minister said that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had not pointed out any wrong doing during the AIADMK regime and only commented on the non- utilization of funds. He said that the then government was not able to spend money due to Covid period. New Delhi, April 27 : Global IT solutions provider Coforge (formerly NIIT Technologies) surpassed $1 billion (over Rs 8,014 crore) in revenue in FY23, registering PAT at Rs 8,117 million (Rs 811 crore), up 22.7 per cent (on-year), it announced on Thursday. The company also announced to gift an Apple iPad to each of its more than 21,000 employees to celebrate the milestone. The revenue for the March quarter (Q4 FY23) was $264.4 million (Rs 2,170 crore), with PAT at Rs 232 crore for the January-March period. "We believe that our performance during the quarter was marked by two key achievements. The first was a quarterly sequential US$ growth of 5 per cent. The second major landmark has been the firm crossing the $1 billion revenue mark. Our performance heading in to FY24 sets us up well to deliver robust growth," said Sudhir Singh, CEO, Coforge. For FY24, the firm issued an annual revenue growth guidance of 13-16 per cent in constant currency terms, expects a gross margin increase of about 50 bps and adjusted EBITDA margin to be at similar levels as FY23. We're thrilled to announce that Coforge has achieved its $1Bn revenue target, a year ahead of schedule! Congratulations to the entire Coforge team for this incredible achievement. Your hard work and dedication have truly paid off.#Coforge #WeDidIt #Coforge$1Bn #RevenueMilestone pic.twitter.com/mwCqnJsO93 Coforge (@Coforge_Tech) April 27, 2023 The Board has recommended an interim dividend of Rs 19 per share, and the record date for this payout will be May 9, 2023. Coforge leverages emerging technologies and deep domain expertise to deliver real-world business impact for its clients. The firm has a presence in 21 countries with 25 delivery centers across nine countries. -- Syndicated from IANS New Delhi: Bangladesh Army Chief General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed inspects Guard of Honour, at South Block lawns, in New Delhi, on Thursday, April 27, 2023. (Photo:IANS/Anupam Gautam) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi: Bangladesh Army Chief General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed inspects Guard of Honour, at South Block lawns, in New Delhi, on Thursday, April 27, 2023. (Photo:IANS/Anupam Gautam) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi: Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande recieves Bangladesh Army Chief General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed as the latter arrivers for a Guard of Honour at South Block lawns, in New Delhi, on Thursday, April 27, 2023. (Photo:IANS/Anupam Gautam) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi: Bangladesh Army Chief General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed inspects Guard of Honour, at South Block lawns, in New Delhi, on Thursday, April 27, 2023. (Photo:IANS/Anupam Gautam) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, April 27 : Bangladesh Army Chief General S.M. Shafiuddin Ahmed, who on Thursday arrived here for a three-day visit, met General Manoj Pande, the Chief of the Army Staff, and discussed anti-terrorism collaboration and overall bilateral cooperation. Apart from this, the two Army chiefs also discussed various issues pertaining to enhancing and strengthening interoperability, training, and overall bilateral cooperation as part of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations. During General Ahmed's visit, he will also meet India's senior military and civilian leadership where he will discuss avenues for enhancing India-Bangladesh defence relations. After meeting General Manoj Pande, General Ahmed later called on General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral R. Hari Kumar, Chief of Naval Staff, Air Marshal A.P. Singh, Vice Chief of Air Staff, Defence Secretary and the Foreign Secretary. The Ministry of Defence informed that he was also briefed on the Indian indigenous defence equipment manufacturing eco-system by the Department of Defence Production (DDP) and the Army Design Bureau. An 'Implementing Arrangement' for UN Peacekeeping Operations and Training Cooperation between Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping (CUNPK), India and Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operations Training (BIPSOT), Bangladesh was signed between both Armies during the visit, the defence ministry official added. The visiting Bangladesh Army Chief is the Reviewing Officer for the Passing Out Parade at Officers Training Academy, Chennai scheduled on April 29. He will visit the Officers Training Academy Museum and interact with the cadets of the passing out course. The Ministry of Defence said that India and Bangladesh share the historical legacy of cooperation and support during the Liberation War of 1971. The active engagement on the defence side includes high-level exchanges at the level of Service Chiefs, conduct of the inaugural Annual Defence Dialogues by the Defence Secretaries, Tri-services and Service-specific Staff Talks. The exchange visits of Bangladesh Mukti Jodhas and Indian war veterans take place every year in December to mark the Victory Day celebrations in Dhaka and Kolkata, the ministry officials added. The Bangladesh Army Chief commenced his visit by paying tributes to the fallen heroes of the Indian Armed Forces by laying a wreath at the National War Memorial on Thursday. The visiting General was accorded a Guard of Honour at the South Block Lawns after which he called on General Manoj Pande, the Chief of the Army Staff. New Delhi, April 27 : Even as the evacuation process of Indian citizens from violence-hit Sudan is underway through Operation Kaveri, government on Thursday said that is monitoring the situation. Addressing mediapersons, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said: "We are constantly monitoring the situation in Sudan since the conflict began on April 15. Our estimate is that there are approximately 3,500 Indians and 1,000 PIOs in Sudan." He further informed that around 600 Indian citizens have already reached India. "We have received requests for the evacuation of citizens of other countries from Sudan. This is subject to the fulfilment of the procedures," he added. Kwatra further informed that apart from INS Sumedha and INS Teg, the third naval ship INS Tarkash has also reached Port Sudan on Thursday to evacuate Indians from Khartoum. Meanwhile, Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan informed that 297 Indians have been received at Jeddah, who were carried by INS Teg. "With this second ship and total of six batches, around 1,100 Indians have been rescued from Sudan and have arrived in Jeddah," Muraleedharan tweeted. Badal : , April 27 (IANS) Cutting across party lines, the tallest leader of state politics and the Akali patriarch Parkash Singh Badal, who always valued and practised secular credentials, was cremated with full state honours at his native village of Badal in Muktsar district in southwest Punjab. His death at the age of 95 on Tuesday evening marked the end of an era of 70 years in Punjab's politics. In political circles, Badal, the country's oldest politician -- next only to BJP veteran L.K. Advani -- was known as the 'Baba Bohr' (banyan tree) of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). He is survived by son and former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and daughter Parneet Kaur and grandchildren. He lost his life-partner, Surinder Kaur, in 2011. His son lit the pyre. As the bugle sounded, a pall of silence descended at the cremation ground before police personnel fired shots into the air as a mark of respect to the departed leader. The elderly Badal entered politics at the age of 20 when he got elected as the sarpanch of Badal in 1947, the village that remained his native place despite being election as the Chief Minister five times. And for the villagers the veteran leader was their sarpanch till he breathed his last. The cremation was held at the family's kinnow farm where a raised platform was erected for performing the last rites. The farm was raised by the elderly Badal himself. Scores of dignitaries from all political spectrum and supporters flooded his native place early in the morning where former Chief Minister's body was kept to catch a last glimpse of the late leader. Amid 'Shabad Kirtan', his body, kept in a flower-decked tractor-trailer, was taken in a procession to the nearby agricultural field for a state funeral. A stoic Sukhbir Singh Badal, often consoled by his 'estranged' cousin Manpreet Badal, along with his wife Harsimrat Kaur and his three children acknowledged the tributes of hundreds of people, some tearful, who came to pay respect to the elderly Badal, whose mortal remains were brought from Chandigarh on late Wednesday evening at their residence. Under the helm of senior Badal, SAD made history in 1997 by becoming the first non-Congress party to complete its first full term in office since Independence. It repeated its feat in 2007 and 2012 in alliance with the BJP. BJP national President J.P. Nadda, Union Ministers Hardeep Puri and Som Parkash, Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Chief Ministers Bhagwant Mann and Ashok Gehlot, former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Hooda, National Congress leader Omar Abdullah, Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, former union minister Praful Patel, among others, attended the cremation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday reached Chandigarh to pay his last respects to the patriarch where his body was kept for public to pay their respects. Modi had, on Tuesday, described the demise of Badal as a "personal loss" and said he was a colossal figure of Indian politics who contributed greatly to the nation. Congress leader and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in a letter to Sukhbir Badal, expressed his deepest condolences and acknowledged his contributions for the welfare of farmers and weaker sections. For local villages, the elderly Badal was their mass leader who had always remained attached with his roots despite his political aura. "I am the third generation of my family who has been associated with bade (elder) Badal saab since he won the first election (of sarpanch)," remarked an emotional local villager Davinder Bhullar. "He always participated in all ceremonies in this area be it a marriage or death in a family, despite his preoccupation in politics," he said, adding "he knew everyone by name and call with respect". "Punjab has lost a great visionary leader. He always stood like a rock for the interests of Punjab and Punjabiyat," said another mourner Nachattar Singh Gill. Badal was once the youngest sarpanch of India. He became the legislator at 30 and the Chief Minister at 43. Political observers told IANS that during his stints as the Chief Minister from 1997 to 2002 and then two successive stints from 2007 to 2017, Badal had missed no opportunity to tour villages and towns to meet the people through Sangat Darshan programme, which were quite hit from 2012 to 2017, to boost his public image. Badal believed that the Sangat Darshan programmes have also been instrumental in mitigating the woes of common people at their doorsteps. Throughout his political career, Badal, who had once compared Prime Minister Modi to former US President Abraham Lincoln, had always expressed "immense satisfaction and pride" over the strong and principled stand taken by his party, the SAD, "to save the beleaguered peasantry and the country". Every morning the towering 6'2" personality got up before dawn and started with people and called it a day with the public. His belief was: "Respect the people and take them seriously, not only those who have voted for the government, but all the people." In his public addresses, he often claimed of spending 17 years in jail for the sake of people of Punjab and their rights. Under the helm of senior Badal, the Akali Dal made history in 1997 by becoming the first non-Congress party to complete its first full term in office since Independence. It repeated its feat in 2007 and 2012. The Akali Dal-BJP (earlier Jana Sangh) pact was once described as the oldest and strongest alliance in Indian politics. No other coalition has weathered so many political battles since March 27, 1970, when Badal became the Chief Minister for the first time. But the Akali Dal snapped its over two-decade long ties and pulled out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in September 2020 after sharp differences emerged over the three controversial farm laws, now repealed. Badal's party, which is just six years elder to him, came into being on December 14, 1920, to free gurdwaras from the control of mahants (priests) appointed by the British government. The Akali Dal, which aligned with the Congress during the pre-Independence period, is toeing its 'panthic' ideology to safeguard the interests of Sikhs. It was set up a month after the formation of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). (Vishal Gulati can be contacted at gulatiians@gmail.com) Kolkata, April 27 : Political slugfest erupted in West Bengal over an order of a division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Thursday directing the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take over the probe on the recent clashes of Ram Navami processions in Howrah and Hooghly districts. According to the Trinamool Congress's state general secretary and the party spokesman in West Bengal, Kunal Ghosh "since the central agencies always guard the BJP, the goons from Munger in Bihar coming to West Bengal will be relieved". "The plot of the BJP and the Union government is simple. First create communal tension and then pave the way for the entry of NIA. The NIA's entrance is never witnessed in the BJP-ruled states, just as the Central Bureau of Investigation does not arrest Suvendu Adhikari despite being named in the FIR for Narada sting operations," Ghosh claimed. On the other hand, BJP's state president in West Bengal and the party Lok Sabha member Sukanta Majumdar welcomed the Calcutta High Court's decision to hand over the investigation to NIA. In a Twitter message issued after the order for NIA probe, Majumdar claimed that the incidents of violence were in a way triggered by the West Bengal chief minister through her speech. "Welcome the Calcutta HC decision to transfer the violence incidents happened on Ram Navami in WB to NIA. These riots were pre-planned and instigated with the support of the TMC by the inflammatory speech of the CM @MamataOfficial," his Twitter message read. The leader of the opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari also welcomed the Calcutta High Court's order and claimed that the direction for NIA probe will instill confidence among the people of West Bengal. Earlier in the day, besides ordering the NIA probe in the matter, the division bench of the High Court's acting Chief, Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya directed the state police to handover all case-related documents to the NIA within the next two weeks. San Francisco, April 27 : As e-commerce giant Amazon continues to lay off employees, reports have surfaced that the employees impacted in the fresh wave were mostly in its cloud computing and human resources (HR) divisions. Amazon Web Services (AWS) CEO Adam Selipsky and HR head Beth Galetti sent memos to staffers in the US, Canada and Costa Rica informing them of the job cuts, reports CNBC. "In other regions, we are following local processes, which may include time for consultation with employee representative bodies and possibly result in longer timelines to communicate with impacted employees," Selipsky said in the memo. He said that given the rapid growth, as well as the overall business and macroeconomic climate, it is critical that "we focus on identifying and putting our resources behind our top priorities". "In many cases this means team members are shifting the projects, initiatives or teams on which they work; however, in other cases it has resulted in these role eliminations," Selipsky explained, adding that the fundamentals and the outlook for AWS business are strong. The layoffs are part of the previously announced job cuts that would affect 9,000 employees. In the first job cut round, Amazon slashed approximately 18,000 roles. Combined with the cuts this month, it marks the largest layoffs in Amazon's 29-year history. Galetti said in a separate memo that leaders across the company have worked closely with their teams to decide what investments they are going to make for the future, prioritizing what matters most to customers and the long-term health of our businesses. "Given People Experience and Technology Solutions (PXT's) close partnership with the business, these shifts impact our OP2 plans as well, and we have made the difficult decision to eliminate additional roles within the PXT organization," she noted. "These decisions are not taken lightly, and I recognize the impact it will have across both those transitioning out of the company as well as our colleagues who remain," added Galetti. In the US, the company is providing packages that include a 60-day, non-working transitional period with full pay and benefits, plus an additional several weeks of severance depending on tenure, a separation payment, transitional benefits, and external job placement support. Amazon has also shuttered its health-focused Halo division and discontinued Halo Band, Halo View, and Halo Rise devices which are no longer available on its website. The company has also laid off employees from the Halo team. The e-commerce giant was scheduled to report first-quarter earnings on Thursday (US time) after the market hours. New Delhi, April 27 : The Delhi Police have arrested an "online extortionist" who allegedly extorted money from Instagram account holders on the pretext of unblocking their accounts. The accused, identified as Juned Beg (20), a resident of Jamia Nagar area, reportedly used to target Instagram accounts with a large number of followers and look for content that had abusive language. He would then report the account to Instagram and approach the account holder with the promise of unblocking the account for a sum of money. According to the police, Beg was able to extort approximately Rs 90,000 from one of his victims, who had over "eight lakh followers" on her Instagram account. "The victim had approached the police with a complaint that her account had been blocked, following which Beg had contacted her on WhatsApp and offered to unblock the account for a fee," said M Harsha Vardhan, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka). A case was registered at Dwarka cyber cell police station and during investigation, a police team was able to track down the accused and recover a mobile phone from his possession. "Juned Beg was subsequently arrested after which he confessed to his involvement in the crime," said Vardhan. The police have urged Instagram users to exercise caution and report any suspicious activity on their accounts immediately. They have also assured the public that they will continue to monitor such cases and take strict action against those involved in online extortion. New Delhi, April 27 : The Hinduja group has made an offer to invest an additional Rs 300 crore in Reliance General Insurance. Reliance General Insurance, a unit of Reliance Capital, needs cash infusion to maintain solvency levels. IndusInd International Holdings Ltd (IIHL), which is owned by Hinduja, made the highest bid of Rs 9,650 crore for Reliance Capital in a second auction on Wednesday. Reliance General Insurance had sought Rs 600 crore cash infusion from lenders in December last year to meet solvency requirements of the IRDA. The lenders earlier rejected the call for fund infusion from their pocket, putting the onus for the general insurance firm to the incoming investor. The bid amount of Rs 9,650 crore will go to lenders who had lent Rs 24,000 crore to Reliance Capital. The Committee of Creditors (COC) of Reliance Capital will hold a meeting on Friday where the top officials of the Hinduja group will make a presentation on its resolution plan. Reliance Capital owns a 51 per cent stake in Reliance Nippon Life Insurance and 100 per cent in Reliance Nippon General Insurance. The Hinduja group has a presence in the financial services sector through its stake in Indusind Bank and Hinduja Leyland Finance, a non-banking finance company owned by Ashok Leyland. The group has a housing finance business which is core to its strategy to increase its presence in the financial services. At a consolidated level, as on December 31, 2022, the AUM (assets under management) of Hinduja Leyland Finance stood at Rs 33,353 crore of which the housing finance business accounted for 18 per cent. In addition to Rs 9,650 crore, the company has also offered Rs 300 crore capital infusion in Reliance General Insurance, and another Rs 50 crore for other expenses. The total value of IIHL's bid is Rs 10,000 crore. The total Hinduja bid is Rs 1,900 crore more compared to its own bid of Rs 8,110 crore in the first challenge mechanism. Torrent, which decided to skip the second auction, had offered Rs 8,640 crore in the first auction. The new Hinduja bid is higher by Rs 1,380 crore. Torrent has moved the Supreme Court on banks' plans to launch a second auction. The matter will be heard in August. Bengaluru, April 27 : The Karnataka BJP has rebutted the claim of the Congress party on the alleged provocative speech by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and filing a police complaint against him in the state. National general secretary C.T. Ravi stated on Thursday that the Election Commission will look into the demand of the Congress to boycott Amit Shah's programmes in the state. "Are we supposed to bring Bin Laden instead of Amit Shah?" Ravi quipped. These people (Congress party leaders) want Madani (Abdul Nassar Madani), Laden and Dawood Ibrahim. Don't they want patriot Amit Shah? Ravi questioned. KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar had stated that D J Halli and K G Halli gangs (accused in violence in Bengaluru) were his brothers. During the violence of Padarayanapura in Bengaluru, he stood with the accused. While this Taliban gang would come to the fore in the state, a Congress administration means the Taliban model of administration. Communal clashes are guaranteed during the Congress regime. All those who create communal violence have joined hands with that party, Ravi charged. He said that Amit Shah's statement of the state witnessing communal violence in case the Congress comes to power is correct. "One thing is clear, the Congress has joined hands with the PFI and the SDPI. If the Congress comes to power, Talibani forces will thrive and the D J Halli-K G Halli gangs will get active, he added. Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Shobha Karandlaje has stated that during the Congress regime there were communal clashes but they stopped after the BJP came to power. Amit Shah stopped communal violence and terrorist activities in the country. He is the most capable Home Minister after the late Sardar Patel, she claimed. San Francisco, April 27 : As global PC industry faces a heavy slump, Microsoft has reportedly cut production of peripherals for its Surface series of laptops. Nikkei Asia reported, citing suppliers, that Microsoft will no longer make standalone keyboards under the Surface brand. Microsoft's Surface series has Surface Go, Surface Pro and Surface Book as key brands. It also includes desktop and notebook computers, as well as wireless devices such as headphones. "The decision to reduce production of some peripherals suggests that even the tech giant is moving to consolidate its development resources amid the wider industry downturn," the report mentioned. Microsoft did not comment on the report. According to the IDC, Microsoft's global shipments of detachable tablets and notebooks fell last year by 13.3 per cent and 5.7 per cent -- 4.7 million and 1.7 million units - respectively. The shipments for desktop computer were at 38,000, down 25 per cent (on-year), in 2022. During the analysts' call after posting quarterly results, Microsoft said that in its consumer business, "PC demand was a bit better than we expected, particularly in the commercial segment, which benefited Windows OEM and Surface even as channel inventory levels remain elevated, which negatively impacted results". The global PC shipments declined by a record 30 per cent (year-over-year), totalling 56.9 million units in Q1 2023. Bhubaneswar, April 27 : The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Odisha Police on Thursday arrested three accused including two former bank employees in connection with a Rs 4.13 crore bank fraud case. The police arrested Abdul Hayee, retired branch manager of Nuapatna branch, Prakash Kumar Mohapatra, former senior assistant of Christ College extension counter of Urban Cooperative Bank Ltd, Cuttack and Mustakim Raza, loanee and former LIC agent, the police said. The arrest was made with regard to the case registered on the allegation of Priyabrata Panda, chief executive officer, Urban Cooperative Bank Ltd, Cuttack. As per the complaint, during the period from 2019-21, Abdul Hayee and Prakash Kumar by working hands in glove with three loanees had sanctioned eight loans against fake LIC policies amounting to Rs 3.82 crore, which is now increased to Rs 4.13 crore. During the investigation, the EOW found that the accused bank authorities in violation of the banking guidelines deliberately did not verify the authenticity of the pledged insurance policies, nor did they get it ratified with the concerned branch of LIC. Further, they renewed the loans by sanctioning new loans to close the previous loans. Mustakim Raza was working as an LIC agent from 2002 to 2022, and he forged the LIC policies by putting the name of the loanees including himself. In a conspiracy with the accused bank officials, Raza managed to avail the loan against the forged insurance policies. The arrested bank officials were very much aware of such forgery, the officials informed. Islamabad, April 27 : Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has decided to take a vote of confidence from the National Assembly on Thursday itself, media reports said. Officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the PM decided to seek a trust vote after holding consultations with lawmakers of the ruling alliance at a luncheon held on Thursday, Geo News reported. Shehbaz Sharif was supposed to take the vote on Wednesday afternoon but the exercise was deferred till Thursday, as per a report in The News. More than 190 members of the National Assembly (MNAs) were present in the house whereas 172 members constitute a majority. Sources said members of the opposition could also take part in the vote of confidence, Geo News reported. Shehbaz Sharif stated on Wednesday that the top court had no power to act as an arbitrator on the issue of elections between the opposition and government, The News reported. "The function of the Supreme Court is not that of a panchayat but to give judgments according to the Constitution and law," he said in a televised address after meeting his coalition partners. Referring to the verdict of a three-member Supreme Court bench that ordered polls to the Punjab Assembly on May 14, he said the Parliament did not accept it. "The parliament did not accept that bench's decision. The unanimous decision was that we accept the four-three verdict," Shehbaz Sharif said, referring to the controversies regarding the bench's members, The News reported. New Delhi, April 27 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) that recently raided the offices of an online education firm in Bengaluru has learnt in its course of investigation that the company is owned by a Chinese national, and it has sent around Rs 82 crore to China as "marketing expenses", a source in the know of things said on Thursday. Pigeon Education Technology India Private Limited, the firm where raids were conducted, provides online education, and is known as 'Oda Class'. The raids were conducted at two locations in Bengaluru under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act. It was learned that the company is "100 per cent owned by a Chinese national". "The company is part of a group consisting of a complex web of entities having the ultimate controlling company in Cayman Island. The current directors of the company are Liu Can, who is a Chinese national, and Vedant Hamirwasia," said the ED. The operations and other matters related to the company are controlled by Liu Can from China, and "the Indian director has no control or access to the company affairs", an official said, adding, "he follows all the instructions of Chinese persons". The Chinese director is the authorised signatory in all the bank accounts of the company maintained in India. The accounts are operated online through China. "The company remitted around Rs 82 crore to China in the name of marketing expenses on the instructions of the Chinese persons without having proof of availing any services from the beneficiary entity," said the official. During searches, various incriminating documents and forensic back-up from electronic devices were seized. Also, the roles of the previous directors of the company, namely Sushant Srivastava, Priyanka Khandelwal and Himanshu Garg, are also under investigation. Imphal, April 27 : Indian authorities have been erecting barbed wire fencing along the around 400 km India-Myanmar border in Manipur to curb smuggling, infiltration and other border crimes, officials said on Thursday. Assam Rifles officials said that Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey on Thursday inspected border fencing in Moreh, 110 km south of Imphal. During the visit, Assam Rifles officers briefed the Governor about the security preparedness along the border to check infiltration, smuggling of various contrabands including drugs and numerous border crimes. Indian forces are always ready to face any eventuality in view of the prevailing instability and disturbances in Myanmar, they said. Thanking the officers and jawans posted in the border areas for working round the clock for the safety of the citizens of the country, the Governor said that the cases of drug trafficking, illegal smuggling along the border have decreased significantly due to the strict vigil maintained by the security forces. She also visited the Assam Rifles Forward Post located in the town where she was briefed by the official of Border Roads Task Force (BRTF) about the progress of the ongoing fencing works along the border. Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai also recently reviewed the prevailing security situation, operational preparedness, and ongoing construction work of the border fence along the India-Myanmar border in Manipur In view of the intermittent clashes between the Myanmar Army and the resistance group People's Defence Force in Myanmar along the Indian border, the Manipur government has asked the Assam Rifles to step up border vigil and deployed additional security forces in the border villages. According to security and district administration officials, round-the-clock foot patrolling has been intensified along the international border. Myanmar's Tatmadaw (military) have often engaged in armed clashes with the civilian forces since February 2021 after the military junta seized power there. So far, around 5,000 immigrants, including women and children, have fled from conflict-hit Myanmar. The Manipur government has earlier decided to identify those Myanmarese refugees, who have sought asylum in the northeastern state, and keep them at the designated detention centres. Chennai, April 27 : The killing of a Village Administrative Officer (VAO) Y. Lourth Francis (53) by the sand mafia inside his office in Murappanadu Kovilpatthu on Tuesday afternoon has sent shock waves across the state. While one of the accused, R. Ramasubramanian alias Ramsubbu (40) was arrested on Tuesday itself, the police arrested another accused Marimuthu on Wednesday. The police have booked the two suspects under Sections 448, 332, 302 and 506(ii) of the Indian Penal Code. Political parties in Tamil Nadu have demanded stringent action against the sand mafia that is prominent in many areas of Tamil Nadu, especially the southern districts of the state. Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) state president Anbumani Ramadoss has called for stringent action against the sand mafia. He asked the chief minister to intervene and crack down on the mafia which was involved in several criminal activities in the state. The Viduhtalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), a Dalit political party, asked the government to take strict action against the mafia which was creating havoc in many parts of the state. The CPI-M and the CPI demanded an immediate crackdown on the sand mafia. A senior leader of the CPI-M while speaking to IANS said, "This is really sad. An officer murdered inside his office for not allowing the sand mafia to operate in his area is disturbing and the chief minister must immediately take stringent action against these people." Vaiko's MDMK called upon the government and the police to take the issue seriously and crack down on the sand mafia. Sources in the police told IANS that there will be strong action against the perpetrators of the crime and also the sand mafia. Mumbai, April 27 : The Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Shaktikanta Das, said on Thursday that a resilient future-ready bank needs to be financially, operationally and organisationally strong. Addressing the global conference on financial resilience organised by the College of Supervisors here, Das said that in order to be resilient, a bank should have adequate capital buffers and should be able to generate earnings even in times of severe macroeconomic shocks. "It should also have adequate liquidity to meet its obligations in various situations. Therefore, financial resilience is closely linked to a bank's business model and strategy. The Reserve Bank has, therefore, started looking at the business models of banks more closely," Das said. Hinting at cyber risks, the RBI Governor said that it has been identified as the foremost in top 10 operational risks for 2023 based on a global survey of financial institutions. "Robust IT and information security governance will help in increased predictability and reduction of uncertainty in operations, minimise losses from information security related incidents and enhance operational resilience," he noted. Das said that even the G20 Finance Ministers and central bank Governors are focusing on risks arising from third party dependencies. "The RBI has taken a slew of measures in the recent years with the usage of advanced analytical and surveillance tools along with techniques like phishing simulation and cyber reconnaissance exercises to push for enhanced IT and cyber security governance processes in banks and other supervised entities. "In the context of the growing exposure of regulated entities (REs) to various risks from dependency on third-parties which provide technology and IT-enabled services, the Reserve Bank had on April 10 issued comprehensive guidelines on information technology outsourcing by banks, NBFCs, and other regulated entities," he added. "In recent times, we have seen a proliferation of digital lending by NBFCs, FinTechs and loan apps. Such lending also brought with it certain challenges, especially with regard to fair practices and consumer protection. "To address these challenges, the Reserve Bank had laid down comprehensive guidelines for digital lending in September 2022. These guidelines aim to ensure that lending activities are conducted by the REs and their partners such as loan service providers in a prudent, fair, transparent and responsible manner," Das concluded. Imphal, April 27 : Amid the resentment among a section of BJP legislators against Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, and the resignation of four ruling party MLAs from government posts, a meeting was held on Thursday but remained "inconclusive", sources said. There was no official word regarding the meeting. However, a BJP leader said that party's northeast coordinator and national spokesperson Sambit Patra, who was present in the meeting, would report to the central leaders about the Thursday's meeting and then the high command would decide. Expressing their resentment against the Chief Minister, between April 13 and April 24, four MLAs -- Thokchom Radheysham, Karam Shyam, Raghumani Singh, and Paonam Brojen Singh - quit their government posts. The four BJP legislators were, respectively, the Chief Minister's advisor, and Chairman of the Manipur State Tourism Development Corporation, the Manipur Renewable Energy Development Agency and the Manipur Development Society. All the four MLAs claimed that they were not given due responsibility, funds and authority to function in their posts. Biren Singh had claimed earlier this week that there are no differences of opinion and resentment among the legislators. After Thursday's meeting, he, in a tweet, said that the meeting deliberated on the ongoing preparations of the 100th edition of Mann Ki Baat which would be broadcast worldwide on April 30. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Mann ki Baat has touched the lives of millions of individuals not only in the country but across the globe, Singh claimed and appealed to everyone to tune in to Mann Ki Baat this Sunday at 11 a.m. Besides Chief Minister, Patra, Manipur state BJP President A. Sharda Devi and senior state party leaders were also present at the meeting. Kathmandu, April 27 : Indian fast-moving consumer goods company Dabur has decided to make an additional investment of Rs 9.68 billion in Nepal. The Investment Board Nepal and Dabur Nepal Pvt. Ltd. signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday for the construction, operation, and management of capacity building and product diversification projects under the private investment concept. Though the Investment Board Nepal had approved the additional investment by Dabur in February last year, the MoU was signed only on Thursday. Sushil Bhatt, CEO of Investment Board Nepal, and Harkirat Singh Bedi, Business Head at Dabur Nepal, signed the MoU on behalf of the respective parties. Ramesh Rijal, Nepal's Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies, was also present on the occasion, according to a press statement issued after the signing ceremony. The Indian multinational company had sought to make additional investment in Nepal before the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, but it was kept pending due to the prolonged Covid wave in Nepal and India. As per the proposal, Dabur Nepal, which is producing various kinds of beverages, beauty and healthcare products in Nepal, will increase its capacity enhancement and diversification. After signing the MoU, Bedi expressed his happiness for investing a part of the company's accumulated capital in Nepal for capacity enhancement and diversification of products. The Investment Board Nepal is the special vehicle of the government of Nepal that has the authority of approving and facilitating any investment above Rs 6 billion in the country. As per this rule, Dabur Nepal took permission from the Investment Board. As per the available data, the overall contribution of Dabur Nepal in Nepal's export trade stands at 5.35 per cent. As much as 97.5 per cent share of Dabur Nepal is owned by Dabur International Limited, while the remaining 2.5 per cent is owned by a Nepali partner. National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (C) starts official visit to Uruguay (Photo: VNA) He was greeted at the airport by high-ranking officials of the host country, and Vietnamese Ambassador to Argentina and Uruguay Duong Quoc Thanh. NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue is scheduled to hold talks and meet with high-ranking leaders of Uruguay, sign a cooperation agreement between the two law-making bodies, attend a number of activities marking the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between the two countries, and witness the signing of cooperation documents of a number of authorities and localities. His visit is affirming the message that Vietnam attaches importance to the fine relations and wish to push up economic, trade and mutually beneficial cooperation with Latin American countries, including Uruguay; boost the possibility of the launch of negotiations on the Vietnam Mercosur free trade agreement; and start the trip that follow President Ho Chi Minhs journey (Montevideo is where the late leader came to in 1912 after leaving Vietnam in 1911). Vietnam and Uruguay established diplomatic relations on August 11, 1993. The bilateral relations of friendship and solidarity are manifested through the mutual support in the past national liberation and the current national development. Two-way trade increased to over 100 million USD in 2019 from 27 million in 2007. Under the COVID-19 pandemic impact, the value decreased slightly but increased 89.7% in 2022 over that in 2021, with a total of 175.1 million USD. The Vietnam-Uruguay parliamentary relations were strengthened through the visit by Speaker of the Chamber of Representatives of Uruguay Anibal Pereyra in January 2015./. Ranchi, April 27 : As the process to finalise the nomination of leaders of ruling parties to various posts in government boards and commissions in Jharkhand has reportedly started, there is a ruckus in the Congress. The party's former state working president Manas Sinha along with about a dozen leaders held a press conference on the issue on Thursday. He said that the names of such leaders have been sent from the Congress quota for various posts in the board, commission, who do not have any mass base. "There are many leaders who have joined Congress a few years back and now preparations are on to award them with big posts in the board, commission," he alleged. The ruling coalition in Jharkhand consists of three parties JMM, Congress and RJD. After the government was formed in the state three and a half years ago, the demand for formation of board, commissions within the alliance has been continuously raised in the meetings of the Coordination Committee. Last year, the Congress had also expressed displeasure to Chief Minister Hemant Soren over non-constitution of government boards and commissions. Later, it was decided that the leadership of all the parties involved in the alliance would submit their respective lists for this and then the nomination would be decided on the basis of that. As per sources, the state unit of the Congress recently sent the names of 11 of leaders for nomination to the boards and commissions. Those who are named in the list are: Shamsher Alam, Rama Khalko, Rajiv Ranjan Prasad, Shashi Bhushan Rai, Keshav Mahato, Kamlesh, Sanjay Lal Paswan, Jaishankar Pathak, Ravindra Singh, Shyamal Kishore Singh and Ashok Chowdhary. Sources say that nominations are to be done on a total of 18 posts in board, commissions. It was decided by the coordination committee of the parties that out of 18 posts, 10 leaders will be nominated from JMM quota and eight from Congress. Among these boards and commissions, bodies like Housing Board, Khadi Board, Minority Commission, Women's Commission, Backward Classes Commission are most crucial. Leaders of 12 districts gathered in Ranchi on Thursday to protest against the names sent by the Congress. Manas Sinha said that if sycophants and leaders from other parties are nominated, it will be an insult to dedicated workers. A letter will be written to the national president of the party regarding this. Bhubaneswar, April 27 : The opposition BJP and the Congress on Thursday urged the Odisha government to make public the report of Justice Raghubir Das's Commission of Inquiry into the missing Ratna Bhandar keys of Puri's Jagannath temple. Addressing the media here, senior BJP leader Pitambar Acharya said the issue of the missing Ratna Bhandar keys came to the fore in 2018 when, on the order of the High Court, a large team comprising of senior officials and architects entered the temple to inspect the inner chamber of the Ratna Bhandar. He said: "The then Puri collector Arvind Agarwal informed that the key to the treasure trove was missing. Later, the collector said a duplicate key of the Ratna Bhandar was found." The government is claiming it has a duplicate key of Ratna Bhandar for the last five years. It is yet to be proved whether the key found at a later stage is a duplicate key of the treasure trove or not. The government must clarify to the public soon, Acharya said. Following a hue and cry across the state, the government had constituted a Commission of Inquiry led by Justice Raghubir Das. But the state government has yet to make the report of the Commission public, Acharya said. The BJP leader also demanded that the state government should submit the report of Justice Raghubir Das Commission in the Assembly as soon as possible along with the action taken report. If the Chief Minister and the state government are really concerned about the safety of Lord Jagannath's property, then they should immediately open the Ratna Bhandar with the duplicate key, he demanded. "Despite the order of the High Court, why has the government not opened the treasure for five years? The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), in its affidavit to the High Court, said that there is a threat to Ratna Bhandar and it needs to be repaired immediately," the BJP leader said. Senior Congress leader Bijay Patnaik also targeted the state government over the issue. "It is the responsibility of the government to make the Commission of Inquiry report public. The first principle of the 5T initiative is transparency. If the government really believes in transparency, then the report should be made public." Patnaik said. Reacting to BJP's statement, BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said the BJP is telling imaginary stories to the people of Odisha. "The Ratna Bhandar of the temple has not reopened for the last 38 years since 1985. Today's statement of Acharya reveals cracks within the state BJP. Because, during 2000 to 2009, BJP leader Biswabhusan Harichandan was the Law Minister. So, the BJP indirectly blamed Harichandan for the non-opening of the Ratna Bhandar," Mohanty said. Chennai, April 27 : Selling its fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) business, and demerging of Raymond Ltd's lifestyle business to Raymond Consumer Care Ltd while retaining real estate business and investments in engineering and denim are the rejig actions announced by Raymond Group to have two debt free listed companies. As a part of the rejig and debt reduction measure, Raymond Consumer Care has decided to sell its FMCG business - the trademarks of Park Avenue (for the FMCG category), KS, KamaSutra and Premium, through a slump sale to Godrej Consumer Products Ltd for Rs 2,825 crore. However, Raymond Consumer Care will retain its condom manufacturing facility and will continue to do contract manufacturing in Aurangabad, Maharashtra for both domestic and international markets. The lifestyle business of Raymond Ltd that will be passed on to Raymond Consumer Care consists of suiting business with manufacturing plants, B2C shirting and MTM businesses, branded apparel with its portfolio of brands and subsidiaries including garment business with manufacturing facilities and B2B shirting business with manufacturing plants. In exchange, the shareholders of Raymond Ltd will get 4 shares of Raymond Consumer Care for every 5 shares held. Post rejig, Raymond Ltd would primarily be a listed real estate company with investments in engineering and denim business. With this transaction, the Raymond group promoters shall have invested around Rs 1,400 crore through asset monetisation reflecting commitment towards Raymond Group, Raymond Ltd said. Raymond Ltd Chairman and Managing Director Gautam Hari Singhania said: "In line with our commitment for creating shareholder value, we have taken an affirmative action by demerging our lifestyle business that will be a separate listed entity with zero net debt. At Raymond Group, the realty business will also be the listed entity through Raymond Ltd. At promoter level, we continue to remain committed, and the efforts have been demonstrated by infusing funds generated from monetisation of assets." New Delhi, April 27 : The Delhi High Court on Thursday advanced the hearing on Vijay Nair's bail plea, the businessman and Aam Aadmi Party's communication in-charge accused in connection with the excise policy scam-related money laundering case, but also said that it amounted to exerting pressure on the court. The high court was asked for an early hearing after the Supreme Court gave Nair permission to approach the court for his bail plea. The counsel should be fair to the court and they should see that every day 100 cases are listed for hearing on the board, Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma said. "I will prepone the date but you should be fair to the court. You see the board. And this is like putting pressure on the court. This is annoying the court," the judge said. The high court then moved up the hearing date from the original May 19 to May 9. On April 12, the high court had issued a notice and sought the Enforcement Directorate (ED)'s response on Nair's plea seeking bail and had posted the matter for next hearing on May 19. However, Nair approached the top court urging for advancement of the date of hearing in the high court but the apex court had refused to entertain it at this stage. Nair's counsel had earlier argued that he was only the media and communications in-charge of the AAP and had no role in the drafting, framing, or implementing of the excise policy in any manner, and that he (Nair) was being "victimised" for his political background. A Delhi court had, on February 16, denied bail to Nair and four others. Observing that the "allegations are quite serious", special judge M.K. Nagpal of the Rouse Avenue Court had, apart from Nair, denied bail to Sameer Mahendru, Abhishek Boinpally, Sarath Chandra Reddy and Benoy Babu. He had held that there is enough incriminating evidence to show the entire "modus operandi" adopted by the accused persons for the commission of offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). On the allegations and role of Nair, the court had said: "Though he was only the media and communication in-charge of AAP, it has been revealed during the investigation of this case that he was actually representing the AAP and GNCTD in different meetings that took place with the stakeholders in liquor business at different places. His participation in the meetings in this capacity is to be viewed in light of the facts that he was residing in the official accommodation allotted to a senior Minister of the AAP and once he is even alleged to have represented himself as an OSD in the Excise Department of GNCTD and further that none from the Government or AAP officially participated in these meetings." On Thursday, however, senior advocate Manish Vashisht, who was representing Nair, urged the court to disregard the notion that they were attempting to exert any sort of pressure. To this, Justice Sharma said: "That impression is certainly there and will remain. There are so many people lodged in jail. You want a special treatment to be given. You can afford to go to the Supreme Court so you are going." Gandhinagar, April 27 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday addressed a program marking the completion of 20 years of the State Wide Attention on Grievances by Application of Technology (SWAGAT) initiative in Gujarat via video conferencing. The Gujarat government is celebrating SWAGAT Saptah on this occasion. During the event, the Prime Minister interacted with past beneficiaries of the scheme, expressing satisfaction that SWAGAT has achieved its objective of providing citizens with solutions to their problems and addressing community-wide issues. Modi underlined that the good governance model of Gujarat has gained worldwide recognition due to the government's honest and dedicated efforts. He mentioned the International Telecom Organisation's praise for SWAGAT as an example of e-transparency and e-accountability, as well as the United Nations' prestigious award for Public Service conferred on the initiative. The Prime Minister highlighted that SWAGAT has become an inspiration for many governance solutions, with numerous states working on similar systems. At the national level, the PRAGATI system has been implemented to review the government's work, playing a significant role in India's rapid development over the last nine years. He revealed that projects worth approximately Rs 16 lakh crores have been reviewed through PRAGATI, accelerating many projects as a result. Raigad : , April 27 (IANS) Six motorists were hurt when at least 11 big and small vehicles crashed into each other after the brakes of a truck failed on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Thursday, officials said. The pile-up occurred around 1 pm on the Pune-Mumbai lane near the Bhor Ghat section when a truck apparently lost control and rammed into 11 vehicles ahead, said Raigad Superintendent of Police Somnath Gharge. Panicking after the accident, the unidentified truck driver abandoned his vehicle and ran away from there, as a major traffic snarl built up. Soon afterwards, the police reached the spot and managed to shift all the affected vehicles to enable restore normal traffic on this busy thoroughfare, and the six persons injured were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment, he said. The police have launched a hunt for the absconding truck-driver and normal traffic has resumed on the expressway later. Preliminary police probe suggests that the truck's brakes may have failed leading the driver to lose control and the resultant pile-up. Panaji, April 27 : The Congress in Goa has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to share his thoughts on the Mhadei river water diversion issue in the 100th episode of his radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat' on Sunday (April 30). Goa Congress Media Department Chairman Amarnath Panjikar on Thursday said that the entire hope lies with the Prime Minister, "who at least can show guts and say that Mhadei will not be diverted". "BJP leaders from Goa boast that PM Modi has applauded schemes and programmes of the state government through Mann Ki Baat. Now these leaders should tell him to show some guts and speak about the Mhadei diversion and show his love towards a small state like Goa," Panjikar said. Hitting out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Panajikar said that leaders of the saffron party, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, "failed to show the guts to speak truth over the Mhadei issue" in front of the people of the coastal state during the meeting of latter in South Goa. "They have failed to show guts to speak the truth about Mhadei, now they should try their luck with the Prime Minister and tell him to speak about the Mhadei issue so that it will not be diverted and Karnataka will not get water," Panjikar said. Referring to Shah's remarks, during a public rally in Karnataka's Belagavi in January, that the Centre "has resolved the long dispute between Goa and Karnataka over Mhadei and allowed the diversion of Mhadei to Karnataka to satisfy the thirst of farmers of many districts", Panjikar said: "Pramod Sawant and other leaders of the BJP had got a good opportunity to clarify this issue, in the presence of Amit Shah, but they failed. "Now the BJP is getting the platform of Mann Ki Baat to share their thoughts on Mhadei. They should do it, so along with Karnataka and Goa, all other states come to know about the love of the BJP towards small states," Panjikar said. Recently, Goa BJP President Sadanand Shet Tanavade said that BJP leaders have "guts to tell even the media in Karnataka that the Goa government will not compromise on the Mhadei river issue". On this, Panjikar said: "Forget about speaking in front of the media in Karnataka, the state BJP leaders even failed to make a statement in Goa itself." "We the people of Goa, who love Mother Mhadei, which is the lifeline of Goa, are eager to hear from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Mhadei water will not be diverted," Panjikar asserted. "It is in the public domain that the Prime Minister will campaign in Karnataka for the next several days. BJP leaders of Goa can also tell him to speak about the Mhadei issue during the election campaign in Karnataka, which will prove whether big states or small states are closer to the hearts of BJP leaders," Panjikar sarcastically said. Amit Shah during a meeting in Goa had said that Centre has responsibility towards small states like Goa. Thiruvananthapuram, April 27 : The Congress-led UDF on Thursday demanded a judicial probe into the alleged corruption in the Rs 232 crore 'Safe Kerala' project launched for installation of AI cameras across the state to check traffic rules. "Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his office are behind this scam and till date not a word has been spoken by Vijayan on this scam, which can be now called as the Second Lavalin. We demand a judicial probe into this scam," said UDF convenor M.M. Hassan and Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan. The decision was taken at a high level meeting of the Congress-led UDF here. "Even though the project is being implemented by the state public sector Keltron, sub-contract was given to companies which have no experience or expertise in this area. All these can be examined by anyone on the companies which was given the sub-contract, and it includes a construction company building bridges and such projects. This in itself is enough to show that things were all decided with the blessings of Vijayan," said Satheesan. Incidentally this project was commissioned by Vijayan last week and Satheesan said it's surprising to note that State Industries Minister P. Rajeev made a weak defence of the entire project. "Rajeev said the state Vigilance is probing this, but we wish to inform that they are not probing this particular case, but a different one. However, if the Vigilance is probing, then how come Vijayan inaugurated this project. He also pointed out that the Industries Secretary will also conduct a probe, which is hilarious, as will any official be able to do such a probe," asked Satheesan. Meanwhile, CPI-M state secretary M.V. Govindan dismissed all the allegations levelled by the opposition, saying that it has no credence. "Satheesan should explain what happened to the First Lavalin. Also why only a judicial probe, a CBI or an ED probe also should be asked for. We are not a party which will indulge in corrupt practices," said Govindan. New Delhi/Guwahati, April 27 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday expressed confidence that a peace agreement with a faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) that is already having talks with the Centre will be signed by the end of May. Speaking to the mediapersons in the national capital, Sarma said: "We have sent a draft agreement to the faction of ULFA that is already in talks with the government. I hope an agreement can be signed next month. "However, if the ULFA faction disagrees with the draft agreement, it may be delayed," he added. The Chief Minister further said that the talks with a section of ULFA led by Paresh Baruah had not progressed. Meanwhile, Anup Chetia, the ULFA leader supporting the peace talks, said they had received the draft agreement from the government. "We welcome the move by the government. But we earlier gave our representation regarding the peace agreement. Now, we shall discuss the draft in our body meeting and then a decision could be made about signing the peace agreement," he said. Chetia said that they had already left the demand for sovereignty and stressed the political safeguard of the Assamese people within the scope of the Constitution. Hyderabad, April 27 : The family of slain Dalit IAS officer G. Krishnaiah is shocked over the release of former RJD MP Anand Mohan Singh, a Bahubali leader who spent 15 years in a Bihar prison for instigating the bureaucrat's lynching in 1994. Following the release of the gangster-turned-politician on Thursday after the Bihar government tweaked the rules, Krishnaiah's family members said it was disheartening for them to see Anand Mohan walk out of jail. After Krishnaiah's wife Uma, his daughter Padma has now appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the matter to ensure that people like Anand Mohan do not come back into the society. Padma, the youngest of the two daughters of Krishnaiah, requested the Prime Minister to bring a law to check gangsters and mafias, so that government officers can discharge their duties honestly and without any fear. "It's very disheartening for us. We were hoping life imprisonment will continue," said Padma, who was just five when her father was lynched to death. Krishnaiah, an IAS officer of 1985 batch, was brutally killed on December 5, 1994. Then Gopalganj District Magistrate, Krishnaiah was lynched by a mob allegedly provoked by Anand Mohan. The mob, which was protesting with the body of Chhotan Shukla, a gangster-politician of Anand Mohan's party who was killed a day earlier, dragged Krishnaiah out of his car and lynched him. Anand Mohan was sentenced to death by a lower court in 2007, but the Patna High Court commuted the penalty to life imprisonment in 2008. He was in jail for 15 years. Padma also said that the family could consider legal remedies. She also claimed that majority of the people in Bihar are supporting her family. "There are very few who are supporting Anand Mohan," she said. Padma also said that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's decision to release Anand Mohan was not expected, as in the past he had supported his life imprisonment. She agreed with her mother that Nitish Kumar got him out to get the votes of the Rajput community. Padma revealed that Chirag Paswan was the first politician who reached out to them, adding that there are many political leaders who are supporting them. Earlier, Krishnaiah's wife Uma had urged the Prime Minister to intervene and make Nitish Kumar withdraw his decision, which will set a bad precedent and have serious repercussions for the entire society. "My husband was an IAS officer and it is the Centre's responsibility to ensure that justice is done," she said. She had also alleged that Nitish Kumar is releasing the killer of her husband for Rajputs votes, and to form government again. "He (Nitish) thinks that by releasing him, he will get votes of all the Rajputs and this will help him form the government again. That is wrong," said Uma, who lives in Hyderabad. "This goes on in Bihar, but this is not good. There should be good people in politics and not criminals like Anand Mohan," she said. The widow of the slain bureaucrat also said that she was not happy when Anand Mohan was awarded life imprisonment instead of the death penalty. Uma, 60, believes that the release of Mohan may endanger the lives of civil servants and government officials discharging their duties honestly as the criminals will think that they can take law into their hands and do whatever they want and then walk out of jail. After losing her husband, she had moved to Hyderabad with her two daughters, aged 7 and 5 then. The family was traumatised after what it had to go through. Uma took up the job of lecturer at a college in Hyderabad to look after the family. She was allotted a plot in Prashasan Nagar in Jubilee Hills, where she constructed her house. Uma, who retired in 2017, ensured good education for both the daughters, who are currently employed as a bank manager and a software engineer. At the reception (Photo: VNA) PM Pham Minh Chinh also believed that under the sound leadership of the Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party (LPRP), the Lao people will overcome challenges and successfully realise the Resolution adopted by the 11th National Party Congress and the ninth socio-economic development plan. Vietnam is always determined to stand side by side with and offer all possible support to Laos to overcome current challenges while constantly promoting the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries, he said. According to him, the two sides have regularly exchanged high-level delegations and worked closely together on issues of mutual concern. Since the beginning of this year, the Vietnamese PM has twice visited Laos while President Vo Van Thuong also recently had a successful visit to the neighbouring country from April 10-11. They successfully held hundreds of activities during the Vietnam-Laos, Laos-Vietnam Friendship and Solidarity Year 2022 and a number of meaningful cultural and people-to-people exchanges. Both sides are actively materialising a plan to carry out the Vietnam-Laos High-Level Agreement this year. Khoutphaythoune, for his part, informed the host about the outcomes of his talks with President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Do Van Chien, saying both sides reviewed the implementation of high-level agreements between the two Politburos and Governments and discussed ways to further step up them. He said he and his entourage will visit several models to learn from Vietnams invaluable experience. Speaking highly of cooperation between the LFNC Central Committee and the VFF Central Committee and the Party Central Committees Mass Mobilisation Commission, the host suggested the LFNC Central Committee continue working closely with the VFF Central Committee to effectively realise their cooperation agreement for the 2022-2027 period. They were urged to actively bolster cooperation in front work, human resources training, mass mobilisation, religious and ethnic affairs, and people-to-people exchange while raising public awareness of the glorious tradition of Vietnam-Laos ties, especially among young generations, as well as closely partnering with Cambodia to successfully hold the fifth conference of the front presidents of the three countries in Laos this year. On the occasion of the Lao traditional New Year festival, the Vietnamese leader wished the Lao guests good health, happiness and success. He also extended his greetings to leaders of the Lao Party and State./. Islamabad, April 27 : Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif secured a vote of confidence from the National Assembly on Thursday, with 180 lawmakers reposing "full confidence" in his leadership as the premier, media reports said. After the House reposed confidence in him, the premier spoke at length about the recent orders of the higher judiciary, expressing reservations on rulings that questioned the Parliament's confidence in him and warned of "serious consequences", Dawn reported. The unexpected development came days after Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb vehemently refuted reports claiming that the premier had decided to seek a vote of confidence from the Parliament. The resolution for the trust vote was moved by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. After it was moved, voting was conducted with lawmakers in favour of adopting the resolution rising from their seats. Subsequently, National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf announced that 180 members of the House had risen from their seats in favour of the resolution, Dawn reported. In his address, Sharif went on to say that the Parliament's decisions are being challenged today. "This Parliament elected me as the Prime Minister. If this Parliament reaches a decision after debate and obliges the government and cabinet, it is mandatory for me to respect its decision. It is mandatory for me to stand by them," he said, vowing to stand by the Parliament on its decisions, Dawn reported. "My government is standing with them... No matter what," he asserted. In an apparent reference to a Supreme Court ruling, wherein the government was barred from implementing a bill clipping the Chief Justice of Pakistan's powers following its enactment, the premier said: "It is not possible that the Parliament frames a law and the judiciary issues a stay order on it even before it is enforced." He was emphatic in saying that only the Parliament has the right to make and amend the Constitution, Dawn reported. Patna, April 27 : Following the release of gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh, Leader of Opposition in the Bihar assembly and BJP senior leader Vijay Kumar Sinha slammed the Nitish Kumar government for releasing criminals. "If Anand Mohan Singh has completed the prison term, why is the Nitish Kumar government in a hurry to release him? It is a matter for the court to release convicted persons as per the law. Why did the Nitish Kumar government amend the law to benefit him and other criminals," Sinha told IANS. "The Nitish Kumar government released Anand Mohan in the morning hours at 3 a.m. on Thursday. Why were they in a hurry? Why were they so desperate to release him?" Sinha asked. "The Bihar government has released 27 prisoners and plans to release 72 more. I am shocked with the moves of Nitish Kumar. Where does he want to take Bihar from here on?" Sinha said. Earlier in the day, Bihar chief secretary Aamir Subhani claimed that the release of Anand Mohan happened as per the law. He has served a jail term of more than 15 years and also completed the Parihar of 7 years. So, he has spent 22 years in jail including Parihar. "We have no objection to the release of any person but we are concerned about how criminals are being released. The Nitish Kumar government has released 26 more inmates apart from Anand Mohan and the majority of them are hard core criminals belonging to particular castes and communities. Nitish Kumar is working under the pressure of Lalu Prasad Yadav and releasing criminals in a bid to get benefits in the upcoming Lok Sabha election 2024," Sinha said. "The BJP believes in crime control at any cost and a campaign is currently underway in our neighbouring BJP ruled state of Uttar Pradesh. The Yogi Adityanath government is cracking down hard on criminals and Nitish Kumar is having a soft corner for criminals. Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav want to win the election on the basis of goondaism. The people of Bihar are watching everything and they will answer appropriately at the right time," Sinha added. Mumbai, April 27 : A third year BAMS student of the reputed Podar Ayurvedic College in Worli died after falling from a tree near his hostel, officials said here on Thursday. The accident in which Dayanand Kale, 22, hailing from Dharashiv, succumbed, took place late on Wednesday night when he had climbed a tree to pluck some mangoes and slipped down, sustaining serious head injuries, said an official. Owing to the absence of a casualty ward or an ICU in the hospital, the student was rushed to the Sir J.J. Hospital in south Mumbai but died before admission. Following the incident, the Shiv Sena's (UBT) Yuva Sena carried out a noisy agitation on the college campus demanding the opening of a casualty department and an ICU which was sanctioned in 2015. "All the equipment for this was received but is lying in a godown of another government hospital owing to the callousness of the concerned authorities," said Abhijit Patil and Sanket Sawant, Yuva Sena (UBT) Worli unit leaders. The Sena (UBT) has been pursuing the matter with the state government with a series of communications, but the matter remained unresolved, said Patil, even as senior legislators Sunil Shinde and Kapil Patil rushed to meet the agitating students and striking doctors. After the unfortunate tragedy, Worli MLA Aditya Thackeray will raise the issue with the state government for providing the facilities at the Podar Ayurvedic Hospital, which comes under the AYUSH Ministry, and also for the Kamgar Hospital nearby. A delegation of the Sena (UBT) leaders called on the hospital authorities who assured that they would also be pursuing the matter with the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on priority. In protest against the death of Kale, all the doctors of the Poddar Ayurvedic College resorted to a strike which hit patient care. However, they relented after assurance from the authorities and called it off this evening, said Patil. New Delhi, April 27 : A Delhi court on Thursday sent Trinamool Congress strongman Anubrata Mondal's daughter Sukanya Mondal -- arrested on Wednesday, to three-day Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody in connection with the multi-crore cattle smuggling scam case in West Bengal. The ED had arrested Sukanya, a primary school teacher in West Bengal's Birbhum district, on Wednesday after quizzing her. Presented before the bench of Special Judge of Rouse Avenue Court Raghubeer Singh on Thursday, Special Public Prosecutor Nitesh Rana sought Sukanya's custody saying she was required to be confronted with evidence and the co-accused, including her father. Her custody was also required to trace the proceeds of crime, establish the money trail and the modus operandi, ED said. The judge then sent her to ED custody till April 30. On Wednesday, the High Court posted for June 1 Sukanya's father's plea challenging a trial court's order denying him bail in the same case. Mondal had moved the High Court challenging an order dated January 24 denying him bail. Earlier, Rana had said that Anubrata's bail application was without any merit. The ED had arrested Mondal based on an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation in Kolkata against Satish Kumar, the then Commandant of Border Security Force. On December 21, 2022, Mondal moved the High Court challenging issuance of the production warrant by the Rouse Avenue courts in ED's case. On December 19, Rouse Avenue court permitted the ED to bring him to Delhi. While Mondal was named in the fourth chargesheet filed by the CBI on October 7 at the Asansol court, Mondal's former bodyguard Sehgal Hossain was arrested on June 10. According to CBI's third chargesheet filed on August 8, he was one of the kingpins. Hossain is currently lodged in Delhi's Tihar jail. The CBI suspects that profits from cattle smuggling were used to buy 24 of the 168 land and property deeds executed in or after 2014. CBI officials claim to have detected Mondal's suspected link to these property deeds. The remaining 144 registration papers bear the names of his relatives, aides and their kin. Mondal's daughter Sukanya, who is suspected to be among the beneficiaries, was summoned by the ED in November 2022, to its Delhi office. She is the director of two companies, Neer Developer Pvt Ltd and ANM Agrochem Foods Pvt Ltd, CBI's probe revealed. The companies have their offices at the same address where Bholebam Rice Mill, which is also owned by her, is located in Birbhum's Bolpur town. Patna, April 27 : Veteran politician and RJD national President Lalu Prasad will return to Patna after nine months on Friday. Lalu Prasad's family members have made adequate arrangements for his accommodation at the residence of his wife Rabri Devi. The former Bihar Chief Minister, following a successful kidney transplant in Singapore after his daughter Rohini Acharya donated one of her kidneys to her father, is currently recuperating at his eldest daughter and RJD Rajya Sabha member Misa Bharti's official residence in Delhi. He is under direct observation of the doctors, who had allowed him to travel after improvement in his health. Sources said that Lalu Prasad expressed his desire to visit Patna after improvement in his health condition. He will meet a select group of people during his stay at Rabri Devi's residence. Tej Pratap Yadav, the elder son of Lalu Prasad, said: "Tej-Tejashwi have stopped the BJP in Bihar, and now Lalu Ji is coming here. He had stopped BJP's 'Rath' earlier, now he will throw the saffron party out of the country." Hyderabad, April 27 : Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) President and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday exuded confidence that the party will retain power in the state by winning more than 100 seats in 119-member Assembly. Addressing the general body meeting to mark party's formation day, he said the BRS would score a hat-trick in the Assembly elections scheduled later this year. "BRS won 63 seats in the first assembly election and 88 seats in the second assembly election. The BRS party will win more than 100 in the next election," he said. "Coming to power again in Telangana is not a big task. The priority is to win more seats than before," he told the participants including ministers, MPs and state legislators. KCR said two leaders should also take responsibility from the government in every assembly constituency. He called for connecting with people through programmes like Palle Nidra (Night halt in villages). He said Zilla Parishad chairpersons, MPs and district in-charges should play the role of in-charges in the assembly constituencies where the BRS legislators are not available. The process should be completed within 3 to 4 months. The BRS pulled up some MLAs over complaints against them. He warned them that if they didn't mend their ways, they would be expelled from the party. He asked the party leaders to take steps to reduce discontent among the cadre. He also wanted them to educate people about the government schemes, interact with them and mingle with them regularly. The BRS chief said that the party will reach out to masses through producing TV ads and films. He said if necessary, the party will also run a TV channel. Stating that in some villages, government lands are lying idle, he asked the party leaders to submit the details of such lands with survey numbers to his office. Suitable lands will be distributed to the poor to construct the houses immediately. KCR recalled the formation of TRS to realise the dream of Telangana people and explained its evolution as a national party BRS to fulfil the aspiration of the people of the country. "The achievement of Telangana state proved to the country that anything can be achieved in a parliamentary way. Now, we are moving ahead to keep the country on the path of progress with a slogan of Aab Ki Bar Kisan Sarkar," he said. Referring to losses suffered by farmers due to untimely reasons, he said the agriculture department should sensitise the farmers to complete harvesting before the unseasonal rains. He announced that the government will purchase all crops including maize and sorghum like in the past. KCR said that the state government is implementing an action plan to sustain agriculture and the welfare of farmers. He listed out the achievements made by Telangana during the last nine years. The CM claimed that investments are flooding the state. He pointed out that Andhra Pradesh's per capita income of Rs 2,19,518 is Rs 1,00,000 less than Telangana's per capita income. The per capita income of 16 to 17 states is much less than this. The state registered surprising growth in every sector like electricity, roads, paddy procurement, agriculture, livestock, fisheries. KCR said that Telangana also tops in per capita electricity consumption. He slammed the Maharashtra government saying it has no vision. "Maharashtra government says that it will go bankrupt if it implements Telangana schemes. The Telangana state implemented the schemes successfully without going bankrupt," he said and claimed that people of Maharashtra are visiting Telangana to see the progress of the state. Bilateral meeting between Rajnath Singh and State Councillor & Minister of National Defence of China General Li Shangfu in New Delhi on April 27 Image Source: IANS News Bilateral meeting between Rajnath Singh and State Councillor & Minister of National Defence of China General Li Shangfu in New Delhi on April 27 Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, April 27 : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday told his Chinese counterpart, General Li Shangfu that all issues at the LAC need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements, officials said. In their meet, which came a day before the SCO Defence Ministers meet - which India, as the Chair of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2023, is hosting, the two ministers had frank discussions about developments in the India-China border areas as well as bilateral relations. During the meet, Rajnath Singh categorically conveyed that development of relations between India and China is premised on prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the borders. According to the Defence Ministry, he added that all issues at the LAC need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and commitments. He reiterated that violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation. The repeated attempts by China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) to violate the Line of Actual Control (LAC), leading to tension in Ladakh, had spurred the institution of the Corps Commander-level meetings. The 18th round of the Corps Commander-level talks was held on Sunday, but was inconclusive as there was noheadway on the contentious issue of the Depsang Plains and de-escalation along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. While the two sides agreed on mutual withdrawals from Pangong Tso, Gogra, and Hot Springs, the Depsang Plains and Demchok remain points of contention and tension. Beside his Chinese counterpart, Rajnath Singh also met his Iranian counterpart Brigadier General Mohammed Reza Gharaei Ashtiyani and the meeting took place in a cordial and warm atmosphere. Both the leaders emphasised on the age-old cultural, linguistic, and civilisational ties between the two countries, including people-to-people connect. Both the Ministers reviewed the bilateral defence cooperation and exchanged views on regional security issues, including peace and stability in Afghanistan. Further, the two Ministers discussed the development of the International North South Transport corridor to ease logistic problems to Afghanistan and other countries in Central Asia. The Iranian Defence Minister will also attend the SCO meeting on Friday as his country has observer status in the organisation. New Delhi, April 27 : A 23-year-old man was arrested for allegedly sending a woman manipulated pornographic images and videos of herself, and then demanding a payment of Rs 20,000 in exchange for not sharing them on social media, a Delhi Police official said on Thursday. The accused has been identified as Vishal Kumar, a resident of Loni, Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. According to police, a woman came forward and claimed that she was being targeted by an unknown person who had been sending her manipulated pornographic images and videos of herself via Instagram. The alleged perpetrator then demanded a sum of Rs 20,000 from the victim and threatened to publicly post the doctored material if she did not comply. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara), Rohit Meena, said that the police were able to apprehend the accused during their investigation. Further interrogation revealed that the accused, Vishal, had first developed a liking for the victim after seeing her online and then decided to defame and extort money from her. "Vishal created a fake Instagram profile, using the victim's photo, and proceeded to send her explicit material. He also threatened to circulate her morphed images on social media unless he received the demanded sum of money," said the Meena. Vishal is found previously involved in two cases of Arms Act, one case of robbery and one case of Excise Act. Junagadh : , April 27 (IANS) The Gujarat unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday organised a social media workshop as part of the Booth Empowerment Campaign in Junagadh to equip booth-level party workers with the skills and knowledge required to leverage social media for effective campaigning. The workshop covered various topics, including creating compelling content, building a robust online presence, and utilising analytics to optimise outreach efforts. Gujarat BJP leaders expressed confidence that the 'Booth Empowerment Campaign' and 'Social Media Workshop' would help strengthen the party's presence at the grassroots level and contribute to its continued success in the state's political landscape. Gujarat BJP chief CR Paatil elaborated that digital media has the power to influence public opinion, and it is vital for party workers to counter misinformation and spread awareness about the party's initiatives and accomplishments. The BJP leaders urged party members to create a positive and engaging online presence and be proactive in addressing citizens' concerns and queries. The party leaders encouraged workers to stay updated with the latest social media trends and harness the platforms for effective communication, messaging, and engagement with the public. Social media platforms have become an indispensable tool for political parties to connect with voters and disseminate information on their policies, achievements, and vision for the nation. Bhopal, April 27 : A day after a major Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada, leaving 10 security personnel and a civilian dead, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Thursday hit at Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government of the state. Mishra said that the situation in two neighbouring states are quite contrary in terms of action against Maoists. In Chhattisgarh, Maoists are killing police personnel, while in Madhya Pradesh, the situation is just opposite, and the police are attacking Maoists, he said, adding that one state is ruled by the Congress and the other by his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "The situation is very different in both these states. Take example of few days back in Madhya Pradesh and Wednesday's Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh," Mishra said. His reference was the gunning down of two Maoists, carrying a reward of Rs 14 lakh each, by Madhya Pradesh Police's 'Hawk Force' in Balaghat on Saturday. "In the past one and a half year, Madhya Pradesh Police have killed Maoists carrying awards of Rs 1.5 crore. Maoists' shelter and their route of hawala money have been destroyed in Madhya Pradesh. This is difference between the BJP and the Congress governments," he claimed. However, Chhattisgarh, which was separated from Madhya Pradesh in 2001 and was governed by the BJP from 2003 to 2018, had a majority of Maoist-affected areas from the undivided state. According to the Union Home Ministry's reports, Chhattisgarh has 14 districts which are highly affected by Maoist activities, while Madhya Pradesh has only three such districts - Balaghat, Dindori, and Mandla. Wednesday's attack was the biggest by Maoists on the security forces in Chhattisgarh since 2021, when 22 security personnel were killed in an ambush along the borders of Sukma and Bijapur districts. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, meets with Truong Thi Mai, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, permanent member of the CPV Central Committee Secretariat and head of the Organization Commission of the CPV Central Committee, in Beijing, capital of China, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, met with Truong Thi Mai, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, permanent member of the CPV Central Committee Secretariat and head of the Organization Commission of the CPV Central Committee, in Beijing on Wednesday. Xi asked Truong Thi Mai to convey his sincere greetings to Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the CPV Central Committee, and Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong. He noted that this year marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. Since General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's visit to China last year, China and Vietnam have attached great importance to implementing the consensus reached by the two general secretaries, and taken measures to push for a sound momentum of China-Vietnam exchanges and cooperation, Xi said, adding that he would like to maintain close exchanges with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to strengthen political and strategic guidance for China-Vietnam relations. Given the volatile international environment and tasks of reform, development and stability in the two countries, China and Vietnam should follow the policy of long-term stability, forward-thinking, good neighborliness and comprehensive cooperation, and the spirit of being good neighbors, friends, comrades, and partners, Xi said. He called on the two sides to consolidate political mutual trust, strengthen solidarity and cooperation, properly manage differences, jointly address risks and challenges, and build a China-Vietnam community with a shared future to contribute to human peace and progress. Xi said both countries should continue to be armed with the scientific theory of Marxism and work together to advance the cause of socialism. China and Vietnam need to put people first, improve the synergy of development strategies and projects, advance infrastructure connectivity and people-to-people exchanges, and enhance people's understanding of traditional friendship to consolidate public support for the long-term growth of bilateral relations, Xi said. Xi said the utmost effort should be made to consolidate the rule of the two parties, safeguard national stability and development, stay committed to human peace and progress, strengthen solidarity and cooperation in international affairs, firmly oppose hegemonism and bloc confrontation, safeguard the dividends of regional peace and development, and work together to build a community with a shared future for humanity. Truong Thi Mai conveyed the greetings of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong to General Secretary Xi Jinping. She extended congratulations on the success of the 20th CPC National Congress and China's "two sessions," and on General Secretary Xi Jinping's reelection as President of China and chairman of the Central Military Commission. She expressed confidence that the Chinese people will surely complete all the goals set out at the 20th CPC National Congress and build a modern socialist country in an all-round way under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong paid a successful visit to China shortly after the conclusion of the 20th CPC National Congress, injecting strong impetus into the comprehensive strategic cooperation between the two countries. Vietnam has always given top priority to developing friendly cooperation with China, adhered to the one-China policy and firmly supported China's reunification, Truong Thi Mai said. She said Vietnam is willing to enhance high-level exchanges between the two parties and promote the synergy of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Vietnam's "Two Corridors and One Economic Circle" plan to contribute to the ties between the two parties and the two countries and the cause of socialism. Vietnam firmly supports the major global initiatives proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping, supports China to host the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation and hopes to strengthen regional and international cooperation with China to promote regional and world peace and development, Truong Thi Mai said. Editor: WXL Guwahati, April 27 : The opposition Congress in Assam on Thursday reiterated that it will not forge any alliance with the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) ahead of next years Lok Sabha polls. Eying 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam, the Congress has already started its preparations for next year's general elections, holding discussions with 11 opposition parties, including the Left, and local organisations. AICC General Secretary in-charge of Assam, Jitendra Singh, said on Thursday that the Congress President (Mallikarjun Kharge) and the AICC have decided that the party will not have any alliance with the AIUDF. The Congress along with many other parties, including the AIUDF, had formed a 'Mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) and fought the 2021 Assembly elections in Assam together. But soon after polls, the Congress snapped its ties with the Badruddin Ajmal-led AIUDF, a Muslim-based party which currently has 13 MLAs in Assam. Assam Congress President Bhupen Bora had said that they would check the division of votes in next year's Lok Sabha polls in Assam, as the BJP always gets electoral mileage due to the division of votes among the non-BJP parties. In the 2019 parliamentary polls, of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam, BJP had won nine, Congress three, while the AIUDF and an Independent candidate (Naba Kumar Sarania) won one seat each. Bengaluru, April 27 : Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday retracted his remarks in which he compared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a poisonous snake, saying "there is no personal enmity with PM Modi, and it is a battle of ideologies". The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, hit back at the veteran Congress leader, with one top party leader saying "PM Modi is a poisonous snake for the corrupt". "BJP's ideology is divisive. It spreads hatred and the party will create enmity against Dalits. I had discussed the politics of hatred. I have not issued the statement against PM Modi or any particular individual," Kharge said, adding: "The statement was about the ideology he represents." Meanwhile, BJP leaders have criticised Kharge for his comments on PM Modi. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become a nightmare for traitors. The remarks on PM Modi show the culture of Congress," Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said. Reacting to Kharge's remarks at a press conference in Konanakere village in Shiggaon taluka on Thursday, Bommai said that "PM Modi has become a nightmare for traitors, anti-social elements, terrorists, anti-nationals, and peace breakers". "I did not know why Kharge felt like that. How far is it correct for him to talk in such a manner about PM Modi? The Congress party has reached its current stage today because of talking in that manner. The intoxication of power has not gone away yet. Karnataka is a land of culture and everyone is respected here. "We may differ with the ideology of Kharge, but he will be respected for his seniority. Unfortunately, such a senior person is talking in such a way," Bommai said. Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani, who is in Karnataka for the upcoming May 10 Assembly election campaigning, also slammed the Congress party. "I want to convey to Mallikarjun Kharge 'saheb', you are the president of a political party. That party's history is such that if a Dalit becomes leader, Rahul Gandhi will get his sandals (slippers) removed from him. "Congress is such a party that when an Adivasi woman is made candidate for the post of President, it humiliated her. It has made those who insult Hindu religion the party's star campaigners. Congress seeks support of SDPI, it talks of releasing PFI goons. Kharge saheb is older than me in age. This insecurity does not bring dignity to you," she said. "I will tell Kharge ji with all humility that you are going to lose elections in Karnataka and that is why you are talking about this. Everyone knows the fight between (Karnataka unit Congress president) D.K. Shivakumar and (former CM) Siddaramaiah in the state," Irani said. Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister for Education said that "PM Modi has great respect for Mallikarjun Kharge". "PM Modi commands respect in Karnataka, which is unbearable for Kharge. He has spoken like an uncivilised man about PM Modi. This will not be accepted by anyone," he added. BJP national general secretary C.T. Ravi said "PM Modi is truly a poisonous snake to the corrupt". "PM Modi will protect patriots and finish off the corrupt by becoming a poisonous snake," he said. New Delhi, April 27 : Cloud storage giant Dropbox announced on Thursday that it is laying off 16 per cent of its workforce, or about 500 employees, due to slowing growth. Dropbox CEO Drew Houston said that he takes full ownership of this decision. "If you've been impacted, you'll be sent a calendar invitation for a one-on-one with a leader on your team and a member of the People team to go through details of your departure, package, and to ask any questions you may have," he informed. Houston said that while the business is profitable, "our growth has been slowing". "Part of this is due to the natural maturation of our existing businesses, but more recently, headwinds from the economic downturn have put pressure on our customers and, in turn, on our business," he said. As a result, some investments that used to deliver positive returns are no longer sustainable, the company informed. In January 2021, Dropbox had laid off 315 employees amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The impacted employees will be eligible for 16 weeks of pay, with one additional week of pay for each completed year of tenure at Dropbox. "All impacted employees will receive their Q2 equity vest. All employees will be eligible for up to six months of COBRA in the US, and similar equivalents where applicable internationally, as well as Modern Health support," said the company. The impacted employees will be eligible to keep company devices (phones, tablets, laptops, and peripherals) for personal use. "These transitions are never easy, but I'm determined to ensure that Dropbox is at the forefront of the AI era, just as we were at the forefront of the shift to mobile and the cloud. We'll need all hands on deck as machine intelligence gives us the tools to reimagine our existing businesses and invent new ones," the CEO said. Jaipur, April 27 : With the Supreme Court presently hearing a bunch of pleas seeking recognition of same-sex marriage, a Hindu seer said on Thursday that any such verdict will be a "blot on humanity" and called on people to not to accept it. "This is our matter. The court should not get involved in this. Judges should be told that nature will punish such people. If there is such a decision by the court, then there is no need to accept it," Nischalanand Saraswati, the 145th Shankaracharya of the Govardhana Peetham, Puri, told mediapersons at the 'Guru Deeksha' programme at the Gopeshwar Mahadev Temple here. "The judges from whom the decision is about to come or will come should be asked whether 'you have married an impotent, being impotent? If you are a man, have you married a man? If you are a woman, have you married a woman?' It is a blot on humanity. "This will encourage adultery. Marriage occupies the first place in the religious field. This is a matter of our domain, not the domain of the court. Homosexuality will lead to animalism, it is against nature," the seer said. New Delhi, April 27 : A court here on Thursday allowed alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar, lodged in the Mandoli jail here for fraud and a Rs 200 crore money laundering case, to purchase a cake from the prison bakery for his wife's birthday. Chandrashekhar's wife Leena Paulose, who is also the same jail on the same charges, is to get the cake on Friday, according to the court's order given to the jail Superintendent. Noting that Chandrashekhar's prayer appeared to be "more on human emotion than any legal aspect", Special Judge Shailender Malik said: "Be that as it may, the UTP (undertrial prisoner) needs to be given the confidence to be emotionally connected and attached with his family members/relatives. "Therefore, I find no bar, more specifically when the concerned UTP Sukesh Chandrashekhar is seeking to purchase cake/pastry from the bakery of Mandoli jail itself out of his prisoner funds and it is not that some article is being taken out of jail to be given to any of the UTP." Special Public Prosecutor Akhand Pratap Singh opposed the plea arguing that Chandrashekhar should have approached the jail authorities first for permission and only brought it up in court if they had refused to allow it. Chandrashekhar, who was present via video conference, said that he had made the request to the jail administration but it had not been granted, and he had thus brought it before the court. New Delhi, April 27 : Nine Kenyan women passengers have been arrested at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai for allegedly smuggling 18.28 kg gold valued at Rs 9.43 crore, an official said. According to official information, they were held on April 25. Their intention was to create chaos at the security area for the smooth passage. However, their plan was foiled by the Customs officials who were aware about their tricks. "Mumbai Air Intelligence unit intercepted nine Kenyan women passengers and recovered 18.28 kg gold valued at around Rs 9.43 crore. The gold was sought to be smuggled by creating ruckus," the official said. The official added that the recovered gold has been seized under Section 110 of the Customs Act. All the women have been placed under arrest as per Section 104 of the Customs Act. Imphal, April 28 : The situation remained tense in southern Manipur's Churachandpur as "miscreants" set ablaze the venue where Chief Minister N. Biren Singh is scheduled to address a meeting on Friday. A police official said late on Thursday night that the Chief Minister is scheduled to visit the hill district on Friday and arson took place in the venue with chairs and other materials set on fire. Senior police officials with reinforcement have rushed to the place to control the situation. Meanwhile, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) has called for an eight-hour shutdown in Churachandpur district on Friday from 8 a.m. to protest the state government's eviction drive from the protected and reserve forests. The ITLF in a statement said that they had submitted several memoranda to the state government expressing their grievances and apprehensions about the survey carried out by the government pertaining to reserve forests and protected forest, wetlands and wildlife, and the eviction of villagers. On March 10, tribals organised protest rallies against the state government on this count in three districts that were also allegedly backed by Kuki militants. A peaceful protest turned violent in three districts -- Churachandpur, Kangpokpi and Tengnoupal in which five people were injured in these incidents. The protests were organised against the state government's crackdown on poppy cultivation and encroachment of forest land. The state government earlier this month demolished three churches in Manipur, claiming that the churches were "illegal constructions". After the March 10 incidents, the Manipur government unilaterally pulled out from the tripartite talks and suspension of operation (SoO) signed with three Kuki militant outfits -- the Kuki National Army (KNA), Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA) and Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) -- even though the Union Home Ministry is yet to give its approval to the state government's decision. It was also reported that the cadres of KNA, ZRA and KRA are instigating poppy cultivators in the state against the government, which has been taking action against illegal poppy cultivators, and destroying poppy fields in the forest land, especially in the reserve and protected forests. However, an umbrella organisation of the Kuki outfits has dismissed the accusations. The hilly and forested Churachandpur district in southern Manipur, which borders Myanmar and Mizoram, is home to various Kuki-Chin militant groups. The Centre and the Manipur government signed the tripartite agreement and SoO with the three militant outfits on August 22, 2008. Ankara, April 28 : Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a phone talk with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin ahead of the inauguration ceremony of Turkey's first nuclear power reactor built by Russia. Turkey-Russia relations and regional issues were discussed during the phone talk, Erdogan's office said in a statement on Thursday. The Turkish President thanked Putin for his contribution to the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, where a ceremony for its first nuclear fuel delivery will be held on Thursday, the statement said as quoted by Xinhua news agency report. The two leaders discussed the developments in the Russia-Ukraine war and the work on the grain agreement, the statement said, adding that Erdogan and Putin talked about new "initiatives that could be worked on through the proposed working group". They also discussed the developments in Syria, Turkish President's office said. Putin also conveyed his best wishes to Erdogan for a speedy recovery after his stomach bug, according to Erdogan's office. Arrow Global Limited has announced its acquisition of Eagle Street Partners Limited (Eagle Street). . This acquisition will support one of Arrow Globals core investment strategies, which alongside Direct Lending and Opportunistic Credit, focuses on European Real Estate. Eagle Streets experienced team is led by Co-Founder and CEO, Shane Scully and Peter Gavican, COO. The acquisition of Eagle Street builds on Arrows long-term strategic relationship with Eagle Street since its inception and provides Arrow with additional origination and asset management capabilities in the UK and Ireland, two key European real estate markets. Founded in 2020, Eagle Streets current portfolio has a total GDV of 1.1 billion. With offices in Dublin and London, Eagle Streets team has deep expertise in sourcing, underwriting, development, and platform building. Shane Scully, Co-Founder and CEO of Eagle Street, said: We are proud to be joining the Arrow Global team, using our expertise and experience to further the ambitions of both parties. Since founding Eagle Street, we have focused on commercial property, residential, hospitality and life sciences which can be acquired or created to deliver attractive returns. In Arrow Global, we have found a partnership that will accelerate our strategy allowing us to acquire, develop, refurbish, and manage attractive real estate assets across our target markets. The acquisition of Eagle Street complements Arrow Globals existing pan-European real estate offering, which includes Maslow Capital in the UK, Norfin in Portugal, Vesting Finance in the Netherlands, and both Sansedoni and Europa Investimenti in Italy. Marc Fuhrmann, Principal, Real Estate, at Arrow Global, said: We are confident that deepening our strategic relationship with the Eagle Street will provide Arrow with incremental proprietary deal flow and strong local execution capabilities in the UK and Ireland. Eagle Street is a highly respected real estate investor and asset manager, and we look forward to collaborating on future real estate opportunities. We expect Eagle Street to continue to identify attractive investment opportunities driven by the current dislocation in property markets and the systemic undersupply of housing stock, energy transition, and the increasing role of private capital in real estate development. Omnie Integrated Services Inc., a leading omni-channel customer service solutions provider, has announced a partnership with Yuma.ai, an emerging leader in artificial intelligence (AI) customer service technology. Together, the companies are poised to revolutionize the customer service experience by combining human expertise with OpenAI's ChatGPT. With this partnership, businesses can now enhance their customer service delivery through popular digital channels such as email, chat, SMS, Facebook and Instagram, providing quicker, more efficient, and personalized responses. Yuma's advanced AI technology will complement Omnie's omni-channel customer service platform by offering real-time insights and analysis, enabling customer service agents to promptly and accurately respond to customer inquiries. Together, Omnie and Yuma will provide an unprecedented level of customer service, empowering agents to instantly comprehend customer queries and provide appropriate responses in many major languages globally. OpenAI's ChatGPT enables real-time translation, natural language understanding, and intent analysis, ensuring efficient resolution of customer issues. By integrating this technology into their platform, Omnie's customer service team will access a sophisticated knowledge base and a variety of automation tools, streamlining the process of providing customized and effective support to customers. The AI-powered system is designed to mimic the distinctive tone and voice of each brand in real time. This results in routine inquiries that can be resolved quickly and accurately, while more complex issues can be escalated to Omnie's world-class customer service representatives. "By joining forces with Yuma, we are able to offer our customers an even more comprehensive solution that leverages the latest advancements in AI technology," said Jordan Brown, Founder of Omnie. "We believe that this partnership will allow us to provide even more personalized and streamlined support to our partners. We're confident that it will further strengthen our position as a leading provider of customer service solutions that combine the best of both worlds - technology and a personalized human experience." "We are excited to bring Yuma's technology to another excellent customer service platform such as Omnie, said Guillaume Luccisano, Founder of Yuma. Our mission is to finally solve customer support for Shopify merchants through AI, and with the help of Omnie, we are one step closer to achieving this goal." The addition of OpenAI's ChatGPT into Omnie's platform is a significant step forward in the evolution of customer service solutions. By combining advanced machine learning algorithms with expert human support, Omnie is demonstrating its commitment to delivering the best possible customer experience to its partners. About Omnie Omnie is driven by a mission to make premier customer service and leading technologies available to businesses of all sizes. Changing the way brands communicate with their customers, Omnie supports voice, SMS, email, contact form, live chat, social media, and messaging platforms. With clients in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia, Omnie provides customer service to brands all verticals including eCommerce, health & wellness, and hospitality. About Yuma.ai Yuma is at the forefront of the new AI wave, offering an app that brings OpenAI's ChatGPT technology directly to your help desk (such as Gorgias or Zendesk). We help merchants and support agents deliver more value to their customers, faster, by providing them with pre-made drafts tailored to their business and the customer's inquiry. Click Boarding, LLC, a best-in-class employee experience platform delivering modern and compliant Human Resource solutions, announces Click Retain, a highly anticipated employee retention tool that measures and analyzes employee sentiment. Developed to impact first-year new employee growth and retention, Click Retain provides curated, science-backed employee assessments from an easy-to-use, integrated template library. As part of the Click Boarding platform, Click Retain captures both qualitative and quantitative employee feedback in real-time, to help create clear job expectations and an engaging workplace. With more holistic and insightful data from Click Retain, leading enterprise organizations can quickly analyze and adjust their strategies to achieve more aggressive employee retention goals. When it comes to competition, Click Retain is taking the lead in tackling an employee retention solution that helps turn employee sentiments into actions. It automates the delivery of essential questions to employees to uncover their insights in real-time assisting businesses in spotting and flagging trends in key employee sentiment categories as they occur. With confidential surveys, employees are able to provide honest feedback without the fear of repercussions. While research-backed templates provide valuable feedback for employers on where they can improve and where they are doing well. Janette Kresser, Click Boardings Retain product expert, underscored why employee retention is particularly critical now as retention issues continue to grow and DEIB becomes a larger focus in the HR spheres. As the workforce evolves and becomes increasingly diverse, employee retention issues persist, and companies are recognizing the need for a more inclusive and equitable workplace. Embracing Diversity, Equity Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) can help organizations create a culture where all employees feel valued, heard, and supported, ultimately leading to higher employee engagement, retention, and business success. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national turnover rate has risen incrementally over the past several years. By the end of 2022 specifically, the numbers continued to remain high as job turnover rates crept up across the board. (source). Its why Kresser says retaining top talent in such a fiercely competitive landscape must be a fundamental concern for HR and people leaders across industries. Measuring employee sentiment is critical now more than ever as companies face increasing turnover rates. By understanding how employees feel about their work, their team, and the company, organizations can identify areas for improvement and take action to address employee concerns before they lead to turnover. By prioritizing employee sentiment, companies can not only retain their best talent but also create a culture that attracts top talent and drives business success, Kresser says. She added that employers can also use Click Retain to establish employee baselines, promote ongoing engagement opportunities, and continually optimize their digital onboarding process. Click Retain's innovative HCM technology is available as part of the Click Boarding solution package. For more information, visit https://www.clickboarding.com/click-retain/. ### About Click Boarding, LLC Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Click Boarding, LLC is an employee experience platform providing compliant HR solutions that impact first-year employee growth and retention. With a mobile-first platform, we help leading enterprise organizations deliver modern, guided lifecycle experiences throughout the entire employee journey, from preboarding to offboarding. Our technology and unparalleled expertise help Fortune 500 companies achieve a higher return on investment. For more information, visit https://www.clickboarding.com. Our woman-owned certification reflects our uniqueness within our industry and benefits our customers with supplier diversity goals. As CEO, I am proud to report that 63% of our management team are women and 54% of all employees are women. They make important contributions to our company every day. VRG Components, an AS9120B/ISO 9001:2015 certified independent global distributor of electronic components, is proud to announce national certification as a Womens Business Enterprise by the Greater Womens Business Council, a regional certifying partner of the Womens Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). WBENC Certification is the gold standard for women-owned business certification in the United States. Our woman-owned certification reflects our uniqueness within our industry and benefits our customers with supplier diversity goals, said CEO Verena Martin. As CEO, I am proud to report that 63% of our management team are women and 54% of all employees are women. They make important contributions to the success of our company every day. The WBENC standard of certification implemented by the Greater Womens Business Council is a meticulous process, including an in-depth review of the business and a site inspection. The certification process is designed to confirm the business is at least 51% owned, operated, and controlled by a woman or women, and that the business has appropriate structure and strategic business planning and implementation in place. By including women-owned businesses among their suppliers, corporations and government agencies demonstrate their commitment to fostering diversity and the continued development of their supplier diversity programs, which in turn empowers women as leaders and brings about a more diverse, balanced, and sustainable economy. WBENC Certification combined with professional development and engagement in the WBENC network provides unsurpassed opportunities year-round, both virtually and in-person, for women-owned businesses to grow and expand their business and innovation through events, programming, and connections with major corporations and other WBEs. ABOUT VRG COMPONENTS As a WBENC-Certified Women Owned AS9120B/ISO 9001:2015 certified independent global distributor, VRG Components supplies the highest quality hard-to-find, end-of-life, highly allocated, and long lead time electronic components enabling customers to maintain manufacturing operations, bridge supply gaps, reduce costs, manage inventory, and speed time to market. VRG Components has established an extensive, reliable, global electronic components distribution network that complements their clients existing supply channels. Customers around the world turn to VRG Components to keep their supply chains intact, reduce carrying costs, minimize the effects of price increases or shortages, and achieve accuracy in cost planning. VRG Components is a privately held company based in Charlotte, NC. For more information visit their website and LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube pages. ABOUT WBENC Founded in 1997, WBENC is the nations leader in womens business development and the leading third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women, with more than 18,000 certified Womens Business Enterprises, 14 national Regional Partner Organizations, and more than 500 Corporate Members, most of which are Fortune 500. Thousands of corporations representing Americas most prestigious brands, as well as many states, cities, and other entities, look for and accept WBENC Certification. Through the Women Owned initiative, WBENC also is a leader in supporting consumer-oriented female entrepreneurs and those who do business with them by raising awareness for why, where, and how to buy Women Owned. For more information, visit http://www.wbenc.org and http://www.buywomenowned.com. I am very excited to lead the Houston team, and to provide every opportunity for them to succeed by giving them the tools, training and focus. We are thrilled to serve the Houston community." Construction experience and military leadership skills prepared him for this role. BluSky Restoration Contractors, LLC, a leading national property restoration company in the U.S., announced the appointment of Jeff Garza as vice president of its Houston, TX office. In his new role, Jeff will be responsible for managing BluSkys Houston office operations including business development, customer relationships, project management, and administration. As vice president, his primary objective is to aid in the cultivation of growth for the office by leveraging the BluSky brand to develop relationships with industry professionals resulting in new business opportunities. Jeff is a goal-oriented leader and a United States veteran with many years of project management and strategy development experience. He has worked in the construction industry for over 35 years, with a focus on military department of defense, commercial buildings and residential design-build projects. Jeff has significant experience in facility programming, maintenance and management, as well as contingency planning. He has an undergraduate degree in architecture and a master's degree in organizational management. Jeff grew up in San Antonio and attended school early on in Texas. He is married with three children. I am very excited to lead the Houston team, and to provide every opportunity for them to succeed by giving them the tools, training and focus. We are thrilled to serve the Houston community, reflected Jeff on his recent appointment. About BluSky Restoration Contractors, LLC Denver, Colorado-based BluSky Restoration Contractors, LLC is a full-service national restoration, renovation, environmental and roofing provider for properties damaged by water, fire, storms and other disasters across the nation. For more information about BluSky Restoration Contractors, please visit GoBluSky.com or call (800) 266-5677. Events like AUA provide Pacific Edge the best opportunity to listen to the needs of key opinion leaders and currently practicing urologists in relation to future partnership and product developments for Cxbladder. Cancer diagnostics company Pacific Edge (NZX, ASX: PEB) today announces its key activities at the 2023 AUA Annual meeting to be held April 28 May 1 in Chicago, Illinois. The AUA annual meeting, now in its 118th year, is the largest and most prestigious event on the US and global urological calendar, attracting thousands of urologists, uro-oncologists, researchers, educators, advanced practice providers, and other healthcare professionals from around the world. Pacific Edge will expand its presence at the AUA this year, anchored by a booth in the main hall through which the team will update customers and attendees on the latest product, industry, and clinical program developments. Over the course of the event, well also be coordinating a range of activities designed to connect with clinicians, key opinion leaders (KOLs), and research partners. Pacific Edge will sponsor several sessions on Sunday April 30, including a breakfast for the Society of Women in Urology a key underserved community within urology; a meeting of the Urological Society for American Veterans (USAV) the VA is a major partner in our clinical evidence generation program and the largest health system in the USA; and a Bladder Cancer Forum hosted by the International Bladder Cancer Group (IBCG). The forum, initiated at AUA 2022, is now an important platform for thought leadership within the AUA, and will feature expert panelists from around the world leading practical, case-based debates that address common problems and dilemmas in the management of bladder cancer. This year the forum will be moderated by Dr. Ashish Kamat and Dr. Roger Li. Further detail on the sponsored Sunday sessions: 7:30am 10am Society of Women in Urology (SWIU) Annual Breakfast. Jackson Park Room, Hyatt Regency McCormick Place 10:30am 2:30pm Urological Society for American Veterans (USAV). Regency Ballroom CDE, Hyatt Regency McCormick Place 2pm 5pm Bladder Cancer Forum. Vista Room, McCormick Place Convention Center Pacific Edge will also sponsor a continuing medical education (CME) course, 8am Friday, April 28 at the Convention Center, focused on the treatment and care of patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) during a shortage of BCG, an immunotherapy drug used in the treatment of early-stage bladder cancer. Pacific Edges CEO, Dr. Peter Meintjes says: Events like AUA provide Pacific Edge the best opportunity to listen to the needs of key opinion leaders and currently practicing urologists in relation to future partnership and product developments for Cxbladder. Reciprocally, it is also our best opportunity to educate the urology community on what has already been achieved with Cxbladder by our clinical trials partners, research collaborators, high-throughput users and advocates. I am delighted by the program weve put together and look forward to connecting with as many customers and partners as possible. Attorneys from global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP will participate as panelists in Elevating Black Excellence: A Showcase for Black Partners, a full-day online event presented by the Black In-House Counsel Network (The Network), on Thursday, April 27, 2023 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. ET. The Network notes that the Elevating Black Excellence event was developed to showcase Black law firm partners before in-house counsel. Greenberg Traurig attorneys will participate on the following panels: Atlanta Shareholder Terrence O. Davis will serve as a panelist on Articulating the ESG Value Proposition from 3:10 p.m. to 4:10 p.m. ET. Davis, co-chair of Greenberg Traurigs Investment Management Group and a member of the firms Environmental, Social, and Governance Practice, advises and counsels a wide range of registered investment companies, investment advisers, broker-dealers, and fund managers in connection with various matters arising under the federal securities laws, with a particular emphasis on the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Houston Shareholder Dwayne L. Mason will serve as a panelist on IP Issues in the Metaverse: Protection, Jurisdiction and Enforcement from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET. Mason serves as the head of Greenberg Traurigs Texas Intellectual Property Litigation Practice. Masons practice focuses on patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, and technology-based commercial litigation. Mason also manages patent and trademark portfolios and assists companies in protecting and commercializing their intellectual property, including many transactional matters in the technology, media, life sciences, energy, and natural resources industries. Los Angeles Shareholder Hilary Sledge-Sarnor, of the firms Corporate Practice and Financial Institutions Regulatory and Compliance Practice will serve as a panelist on Cryptocurrency Legislation and Web 3 Issues for All In-House Counsel from 11:10 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. ET. Sledge-Sarnor has more than 15 years of experience representing financial institutions, in a broad range of debt, regulatory and corporate transactions. Hilary regularly represents fintech and crypto companies in navigating payments and digital assets regulatory compliance and licensing issues. The Black In-House Counsel Network is a comprehensive engagement platform designed to identify, qualify, and celebrate Black attorneys. It serves as a central resource for networking, professional development, and executive leadership training. About Greenberg Traurigs Diversity Initiative: From its inception, Greenberg Traurig has been committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. Greenberg Traurig is a uniquely empowering and diverse firm built on a foundation of fairness, equality, and authenticity. Through its Social, Racial, and Economic Justice Action Plan, the firm has committed $5 million over five years to help combat systemic racism and support impoverished communities. In addition, the firms efforts have been recognized through its Mansfield Rule 5.0 Certification Plus, administered by The Diversity Lab, and by local, national, and global publications and organizations including Chambers and Partners. Web: https://www.gtlaw.com/en/general/our-firm/diversity Twitter: @GT_Drives. About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP has more than 2650 attorneys in 45 locations in the United States, Europe and the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. The firm is a 2022 BTI Highly Recommended Law Firm for superior client service and is consistently among the top firms on the Am Law Global 100 and NLJ 250. Greenberg Traurig is Mansfield Rule 5.0 Certified Plus by The Diversity Lab. The firm is recognized for powering its U.S. offices with 100% renewable energy as certified by the Center for Resource Solutions Green-e Energy program and is a member of the U.S. EPAs Green Power Partnership Program. The firm is known for its philanthropic giving, innovation, diversity, and pro bono. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com. "Now is the time for leaders to speak truth and reclaim moral authority including leaders in the black community." After weeks of ongoing violent activities in cities across the country in major cities, TakeCharge founder and president Kendall Qualls today called on leaders in the black community to seize the moral authority and support efforts to hold people accountable for unacceptable behavior and join to together for a cultural transformation back to faith, family, and education. This follows results from a recent TakeCharge survey that shows that Black Americans are frustrated with the current political climate and narrative surrounding their community. The survey also showed a growing number of black Americans believe faith is important in their lives and believe children are better off when there is a father present in their homes and want the government to act accordingly. As Americans, we have watched the decline of major cities that were once crown jewels of national pride deteriorate into a national embarrassment of shame, corruption, and disgrace. Now is the time for leaders to speak truth and reclaim moral authority including leaders in the black community. Unlike Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson, who gave a pass to a lawless mob of black youth ransacking and killing in Chicago. I'm calling on leaders in the black community to join our efforts in a transformation in the black community starting with prioritizing the restoration of two-parent families and a return to cultural roots of the of black community which were a commitment to the traditional Christian faith, two-parent families, and an emphasis for a solid education for our children. For too long we have been silent and have done little to reverse the fatherless home crisis in our communities and by doing so, we have dishonored all who sacrificed and came before us. In our lifetimes, we witnessed the black community decline from 8o percent of two-parent families to 80 percent fatherless homes in nearly every major city in the country. Our ancestors did not sacrifice so that 80 percent of children would have baby daddies instead of fathers. Fathers love, discipline and train their children baby daddies do not. The recent TakeCharge survey shows a growing number of Black Americans are frustrated with the current political climate. Black Americans also believe faith is important in their lives and believe children are better off when there is a father present in their homes and want the government to act accordingly. Other findings include: Majority of African Americans do not believe our public schools are successfully educating our students. Three-quarters of African Americans believe parents should have the ability to choose the best school for their children. The majority of African Americans agree that faith, two-parent families, and parental choice in education should be the foundational principles to black prosperity in America. 67 percent of those surveyed do not believe BLM or NAACP have influence on their decisions in life and family (question #6 for your reference Mike). About the survey The survey of 441 Black Americans was conducted by Numinar Analytics Inc. between February 13 - 16, 2023 and February 20-23, 2023. Participants were 76% Democrat, 19% Republican and 5% other, and represented various ages from across the country on matters impacting the Black community. Results have a margin of error of 5.00%. About TakeCharge Minnesota TakeCharge is creating a coalition of community champions, academic professionals, and business leaders to ignite a transformation within the black community by embracing the core principles of America not rejecting them. These principles are embedded in the belief of hard work, education, faith, family, and free enterprise in the personal pursuit of dreams that can be realized by anyone regardless of race or social standing. TakeCharge is committed to supporting the idea of America works for everyone regardless of race and station in life. It believes that people own their future by instilling the idea of taking charge of our lives, our families, and communities. To learn more, please visit http://www.takechargemn.com. The intelligence products are designed to help organizations mitigate the impact of respiratory viruses like influenza and COVID-19, by providing expert guidance and valuable insights to reduce disruption and safeguard public health. BlueDot Inc., a leading organization that uses artificial and human intelligence to detect, assess, and respond to infectious disease threats worldwide, has introduced an innovative new Influenza-like-illness (ILI) business offering. The intelligence products are designed to help organizations mitigate the impact of respiratory viruses like influenza and COVID-19, by providing expert guidance and valuable insights to reduce disruption and safeguard public health. ILIs are highly contagious and can impact as much as 20 percent* of the population during the winter months. It can be challenging to plan for an upcoming ILI season as they vary significantly due to changes in weather, circulating pathogens, social habits, and the impact that COVID-19 continues to have on populations, said Andrea Thomas, Director of Epidemiology at BlueDot. Despite the complexity of these challenges, our intelligence empowers organizations to better anticipate the size and severity of upcoming seasons and provides continuous situational awareness so that they can prepare and respond in a way that reduces the disruption to healthcare, businesses, and society. BlueDot has launched a dedicated ILI intelligence offering timely, comprehensive insights to anticipate, assess, and act against ILI risks. This will arm organizations with the foresight and intelligence needed to accurately plan for the demand of medical or non-medical countermeasures, quickly assess how ILI activity will disrupt specific communities, pivot strategies in tandem with shifting seasons, and better engage stakeholders on important ILI trends. Key features of the new offering will include: Early warning and expert assessments of newly emerging high-consequence global ILI activity; a comprehensive view of ILI activity with historical and annual cases and deaths; current, compelling, and actionable bi-weekly reports on ILI activity that enable organizations to develop effective risk communications and vaccination campaigns tailored to specific communities and stakeholders; instant access to global demographic, disease, and location drivers of burden that pinpoint who is most at-risk for disruption, and where; advanced warning of influenza season starts so you can better prepare for the upcoming season; rolling influenza forecasts that identify total activity available both out-of-season and in-season to inform supply and procurement plans. To learn more about ILI insights and intelligence, request an overview from sales@bluedot.global or visit our website here. *Source: World Health Organization About BlueDot BlueDot's intelligence platform empowers public and private sector organizations to rapidly identify, understand, and effectively respond to global biothreats. Combining human and artificial intelligence to track hundreds of infectious diseases and syndromes worldwide, it applies academic data science expertise to anticipate global spread and impact. BlueDot ensures clients know first when disease events emerge, are prepared to respond, can focus on what matters, and can act swiftly and confidently when needed. Founded in 2013 and used by the City of Chicago, Taiwan CDC, Air Canada and more, BlueDot helps clients make critical decisions with clarity and confidence. Learn more at http://www.bluedot.global. entech, a leading Managed Technology & Cybersecurity Service Provider, marks 25 years in business. I'm proud that we've been able to take that foundation and build an infrastructure and a culture where we empower people, we grow leaders and see our people succeed, and we are doing great things by doing the right thing at all times. Entech, a leading Managed Technology & Cybersecurity Service Provider, will mark 25 years in business this year with an anniversary celebration of its guiding philosophy to "Do What Matters." "When I look back, I'm most proud that as a 90+ person organization, we're not that different from when we were a two-person organization, remarked CEO Jake Spanberger. The values that we lived by back then are still the values that we live by today. Entech has grown since 2003, when the company formally rebranded from Computer Tutor, transitioning from IT software tutoring and computer fixes to building a Managed Service Provider business. In 2014, the next goal was to take a platform-level approach to IT services, and in that following year, the merger with United Systems and, most recently ITVantage in 2021, did just that. The company's Leadership Team has completed six M&A transactions yielding successful integration and growth. "At 25 years, our success is in our ability to build a company based upon family values and friendship and a place where people can have fun, be themselves, enjoy what they do, and rely on each other," Spanberger continued. "I'm proud that we've been able to take that foundation and build an infrastructure and a culture where we empower people, we grow leaders and see our people succeed, and we are doing great things by doing the right thing at all times." As an EOS company, Entech continually focuses on the growth and strategy of the business. From the one-year plan in 2023 to their three-year picture, Entech is committed to doubling revenue across the Florida community they serve. This focus on revenue growth will enable the investment of their people through professional development, internship programs, and training teams resulting in better-than-best-in-class employee satisfaction. "From the inside out, we call our customers our partners because we believe that business starts with people, and people drive relationships, said VP & Chief Revenue Officer David Spire. When we invest in our people, they give their best to our partners. With an acquisition-led growth strategy, we not only touch the neighboring communities we serve today, but we can help sustain, reinvest, and reinvigorate the entire state of Florida. Enabling people is at the core of our mission to Do What Matters. Its more than what we do; its who we are." Florida-focused and committed to community, Entech is a platform MSP organization that continues to thrive by advocating for technology transformation. With a keen eye on the implications of technological innovation and adoption for both companies and consumers, security, compliance, and safety are top of mind for regulated industries, nonprofits, schools, and businesses. "If we can support those that change the world and improve our community, both with innovation and investment, then we've done our part," noted Spanberger. Recognized by Google as the #1 reviewed Managed Service (Computer & Support) organization in the nation, Entech is regularly listed among the industry's top service providers and best places to work with countless accolades from Inc., CRN, MSP Mentor, Channel Futures, and more. About Entech Entech is a leading Managed Technology & Cybersecurity Service Provider serving Fort Myers, Naples, Sarasota, Bradenton, and Tampa Bay. Priding itself on exceptional customer service, Entech unites people, process, and technology to keep companies on the move and data as secure as it is flexible. At its core, Entech is a family business thats been doing what matters for more than two decades. We are passionate about partnerships, fanatical about fast IT support, and unwaveringly committed to results. Learn more at http://www.entechUS.com or reach out to our team at (239) 230-0282. Gregory Gordon appointed to the Eighth Judicial District Court, Family Division, Department C Gregory Gordon is steadfast in providing guidance and comfort to all his clients. Now, hell bring that dedication and thoughtfulness to the bench. Governor Joe Lombardo recently announced the appointment of ER Injury Attorney lawyer Gregory Gordon to the Eighth Judicial District Court, Family Division, Department C. Gordon brings extensive knowledge and experience to his new appointment, having practiced family law in Nevada for nearly three decades. To qualify for judicial nomination, applicants must be a Nevada attorney at least 25 years old, have 10 years of legal experience, and 2 years of Nevada legal practice and residency. When I left the large firm culture in 2002 to open my own solo law practice, my primary focus was on representing family law matters. Now with my children graduating high school and pursuing their own paths, I find myself invigorated by the prospect of taking on this new challenge, enthused Gregory Gordon about his appointment. ER Injury Attorneys founding attorney Corey Eschweiler also shared the following comments about Gregory Gordons judiciary appointment. I've known Greg for almost 25 years. Throughout that time he has shown a steadfast dedication to providing guidance and comfort to all his clients. Now, hell bring that dedication and thoughtfulness to the bench. We are proud to have been part of his journey to reach this ultimate career goal. We are also glad that we could help facilitate it. Gordon is a Las Vegas native that attended Valley High School from 1984-1987 before earning his B.A. in economics from Occidental College in 1991. Three years later Gordon received his J.D. from Pepperdine Law School, where he graduated magna cum laude. He was admitted into the State Bar of Nevada in 1994. Prior to his official judiciary admittance that will start within the next 30 days, you can learn more about Gordons role at ER Injury Attorneys online. More About ER Injury Attorneys Helping Southern Nevada injury victims put their lives back on track after an accident is a top priority of the legal team at ER Injury Attorneys. In fact, their award-winning lawyers have built a reputation for providing the highest level of service by taking the time to listen, learn, and evaluate the needs of those who contact their law firm. This attention to detail not only promotes a positive and open collaboration, but also a higher success rate in terms of negotiating the best possible results. For more information about ER Injury Attorneys and their dedication to serve and assist local community members, please visit erinjuryattorneys.com or call 702-878-7878. You can also find them on Instagram (@erinjuryattorneys), Facebook (/erinjuryattorneys/), and Twitter (@ERInjuryAttys). Delaware Avenue is a prominent thoroughfare in Buffalo with a continually evolving presence that will benefit from Buffalos anticipated growth of a diverse economy over the next few years, said John Cleary, Senior Project Executive, Gilbane Building Company. Gilbane Building Company, a global leader in construction services, announced the opening of its new office on Delaware Avenue in Downtown Buffalo. The firm relocated from its former office on Perry Street as part of its long-term strategic plan to accommodate the needs of the growing team and support Buffalos economic growth. The new office is located at 374 Delaware Avenue, Suite 101, Buffalo, NY 14202. Delaware Avenue is a prominent thoroughfare in Buffalo with a continually evolving presence that will benefit from Buffalos anticipated growth of a diverse economy over the next few years, said John Cleary, Senior Project Executive at Gilbane Building Company. Were excited to be a part of the areas redevelopments and offer our employees, clients, and partners a new storefront location connected to the citys vibrancy. One of Buffalos top 5 general contractors, according to Buffalo Business First, Gilbane has been supporting Buffalos economic growth since 1949. Gilbane is working on some of the areas iconic projects, including the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Buffalo Bills New Stadium project, and Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park. In addition, Gilbane has completed several prominent projects, including Buffalo Urban Development Corporation Northland Central Rehabilitation, ECMC Building Envelope and Lobby Renovation, as well as SUCF University at Buffalo New School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and SUCF Butler Library Buffalo State College. As Buffalo continues to see considerable economic development, Gilbanes building the foundations to support Buffalos resurgence. 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 45 office locations worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.gilbaneco.com. Nova Poshta LLC, the leader of express delivery in Ukraine, has adjusted its plans for entering new markets in Europe and plans to open branches in Germany after the launch of the first two branches in Prague (the Czech Republic), co-owner of Nova Poshta Viacheslav Klimov said on the sidelines of the SUP DAY FORUM, organized by the Union of Ukrainian Entrepreneurs (SUP). "We are opening. Everything is going according to plan. Now the Czech Republic will open first. This will happen in early June. We plan to open in Prague for sure. At first, there will be one branch, but in a few weeks the second one will open. The next country will most likely be Germany," he said. Klimov explained the shift in opening dates by the duration of bureaucratic procedures. "Don't ask us to open strictly on schedule. Any country has its own characteristics. Germany is a particularly slow country in bureaucratic procedures. That is why the deadlines can shift a little," he said. The co-owner of Nova Poshta specified that in Germany the company will develop through building a network with franchisee partners, the corresponding model was tested in Poland. In his opinion, this will significantly accelerate the pace of development. "We continue to search for a model. And if in Poland Nova Poshta first opened branches on its own, now it also has franchise partners. Our partner in Katowice is already making volumes that are equal to the volumes of branches in Warsaw. This confirms that franchising works. In Germany, we will test a slightly different model (network development) in terms of opening speed," Klimov said. The company does not disclose the conditions under which franchisee partners are involved in cooperation. "The terms of franchising are under development. The only thing I can say is that this model is based on the principle that our franchisees must be more financially satisfied than Nova Poshta," Klimov said. The co-owner of Nova Poshta also specified that the company would open the first two branches in the Czech Republic on its own. Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP advised Shapiro Aesthetic Plastic Surgery & Skin Klinic, based in Scottsdale, Ariz., on its sale to private-equity backed Inspire Aesthetics. Inspire Aesthetics, a Hidden Harbor Capital Partners portfolio company, said in its press releases that the acquisition of Shapiro Aesthetics, marks its expansion in the Southwest. Inspire Aesthetics is based in Delray Beach, Fla. Hidden Harbor Capital Partners is a private equity firm located in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Shapiro, based in the Phoenix metro area, is known for delivering personalized, high-quality care to patients seeking aesthetic and surgical procedures with expertise in rhinoplasty and facial rejuvenation. The Greenberg Traurig team representing Shapiro Aesthetics was led by Phoenix-based Corporate Shareholders Frank M. Placenti and Corporate Associate Anthony J. Fernandez. The other attorneys on the deal team were: Phoenix Shareholder Jake B. Smith, and Miami Corporate Associate Caitlin Calvo. About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP has more than 2650 attorneys in 45 locations in the United States, Europe and the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. The firm is a 2022 BTI Highly Recommended Law Firm for superior client service and is consistently among the top firms on the Am Law Global 100 and NLJ 250. Greenberg Traurig is Mansfield Rule 5.0 Certified Plus by The Diversity Lab. The firm is recognized for powering its U.S. offices with 100% renewable energy as certified by the Center for Resource Solutions Green-e Energy program and is a member of the U.S. EPAs Green Power Partnership Program. The firm is known for its philanthropic giving, innovation, diversity, and pro bono. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com. Heart flutters, or palpitations, when accompanied by other symptoms, can be a sign of a more significant medical problem. "The most important thing is to pay attention to what else is happening in your body when you notice your heart beating differently. Get medical care right away if your heartbeat is irregular and you also have chest pain, dizziness, fainting, or shortness of breath."- Demetrio Castillo, MD Ever had a pounding heart or felt your heart beat faster than usual? Maybe youve experienced the flip-flop feeling of your heart skipping a beat. Heart flutters, or palpitations, happen to many people every day. Though an irregular heartbeat may be concerning, heart flutters arent always a sign of something serious. So how can you tell the difference between a harmless flutter and a dangerous change to your heartbeat? The most important thing is to pay attention to what else is happening in your body when you notice your heart beating differently, says Demetrio Castillo, MD, an electrophysiologist (EP) at Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute. Get medical care right away if your heartbeat is irregular and you also have: Chest pain Dizziness Fainting Shortness of breath Even if youre not experiencing other symptoms with heart flutters, you may want to check in with your doctor if they keep happening. Heres what you need to know: YOUR HEARTBEAT KEEPS YOUR BLOOD PUMPING Your heart is a muscle made up of four chambers. There are two upper chambers (atria) and two lower chambers (ventricles). Special tissue in your right atria, the sinoatrial (SA) node, continuously sends electrical signals that tell your heart to contract. These signals move through your heart in a constant cycle. Rhythmic contractions of the chambers draw blood into your heart to replenish blood oxygen. They also send oxygenated blood back out to your body. THERE ARE MANY CAUSES OF HEART PALPITATIONS Sometimes your hearts electrical signals misfire, causing your heartbeat to change. You may feel a fast heartbeat (tachycardia) or a slow heartbeat (bradycardia). Many things can affect your hearts electrical signals. If you smoke or vape, nicotine can make your heart pound. Caffeine may make ventricles contract too soon, leaving you feeling like your heart skipped a beat. Heart palpitations can also result from: Drinking too much alcohol or using drugs like cocaine Feeling stressed or anxious Getting older Having a panic attack Hormonal changes during your menstrual cycle or when youre pregnant Strenuous exercise Taking certain medicines like cold medications (decongestants) You may also notice changes in your heart rate if you have other medical conditions. For example, an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism) can cause a fast heartbeat. If you have anemia, your blood doesnt have enough red blood cells, and your heart may work harder to move oxygenated blood more quickly. FREQUENT HEART FLUTTERS NEED EVALUATION If you have frequent heart palpitations or irregular heartbeats that last more than a few seconds, you may have an arrhythmia. Arrhythmias can occur if you were born with a heart condition (congenital heart disease). They can also happen if you have: Cardiomyopathy Coronary artery disease Heart failure History of heart attacks MONITORING HEART RHYTHMS CAN HELP Make an appointment to see your doctor if heart flutters are frequent or long-lasting. Theyll examine you and listen to your heartbeat. Tell your doctor about when palpitations usually happen and if you have any other symptoms. Your doctor may recommend a painless test called an electrocardiogram (EKG) to measure your hearts electrical signals. They may have you wear a portable device called a Holter monitor. The device records your heart rhythm for a few days as you go about your regular activities. Your doctor may also ask you to share data if you have a wearable device like a watch that records your heartbeat. ADDITIONAL TESTING CAN HELP DIAGNOSE ARRHYTHMIA If your doctor detects signs of arrhythmia, you may need more tests, such as: Cardiac imaging Cardiac catheterization Echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) If you have an arrhythmia, talk with your doctor about whether you need treatment. You may benefit from cardiac ablation or an implantable device like a pacemaker or defibrillator. LIFESTYLE CHANGES CAN HELP EASE SOME HEART PALPITATIONS Not all heart flutters need treatment. Making some changes to your daily routine may help reduce the heart palpitations you feel. You should: Avoid consuming things that increase your heart rate, like caffeine and energy drinks. Manage your stress level and talk about your anxieties with someone you trust. Meditate to help manage anxious or racing thoughts. Not smoke or vape. Use slow, deep breathing (belly breathing or diaphragmatic breathing) to help relax your body and mind. CALL YOUR DOCTOR IF HEART FLUTTERS CHANGE Call your doctor if palpitations happen more often or if theyre lasting longer. Let your doctor know if you feel fatigued or notice changes in your stamina. If you were able to shop for groceries and now you cant walk down the supermarket aisle without getting winded, you should be evaluated, says Dr. Castillo. SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT FOR HEART AND VASCULAR SERVICES Learn more about heart and vascular services at Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute. To schedule an appointment with a cardiologist, electrophysiologist or vascular specialist at Memorial, call 855-400-6284. Now is the critical moment when the lighting industry needs to step up and take action. The $100 billion global lighting industry should minimize its liability by smoothly transitioning to circadian-modulated lighting to protect end-user health and wellbeing," said Moore-Ede. Many industries have been confronted with inconvenient truths about newly discovered harmful effects of their products or business practices, and lighting is no different. For years, scientific evidence has pointed to the harmful effects of blue-LED light at night including obesity, diabetes, depression, and cancer. Yet the lighting industry has not faced up to the challenge. Fewer than 0.5% of lights sold today protect circadian health by altering their blue content across day and night. In' Industry has what it takes to standardize circadian lighting' published in LEDs Magazine recently, Dr. Martin Moore-Ede comments that when faced with convincing evidence that their products are harmful to human health, industry responses typically fall into three categories: 1. Denial with or without denigrating those who raise health concerns. 2. Acknowledge but ignore stating that the data is inconclusive and needs further research. 3. Accept and proactively develop a solution or replacement and communicate it effectively. The first two responses may be perfectly reasonable if the data is limited or questionable. However, if pursued too far, such strategies can result in asbestos-scale liabilities or draconian regulations, if the scientific community broadly agrees a health hazard exists, but is subsequently ignored, said Martin Moore-Ede, director of the Circadian Light Research Center. Now is the critical moment when the lighting industry needs to step up and take action. The $100 billion global lighting industry should minimize its liability by smoothly transitioning to circadian-modulated lighting to protect end-user health and wellbeing. A recent survey by the Circadian Light Research Center of 248 scientists, who have collectively published 2,697 peer-reviewed scientific articles on circadian clocks and light, confirms that human circadian clocks are highly sensitive to blue wavelengths, and exposure to insufficient daytime blue-rich light and excessive blue-rich light at night, leads to many major health disorders. The scientists strongly recommended that LED lights with high 460495-nm blue content should carry the warning label may be harmful if used at night and that lights used in the evening (during the three hours before bedtime) should have as little blue content as practically possible. In the LEDs Magazine article, Dr. Moore-Ede made five recommendations to help the $100 billion global lighting industry minimize its liability by smoothly transitioning to circadian-modulated lighting: Move quickly to contain the liability from the use of blue-rich LEDs at night. Hold hearings to bring in scientific expertise on the health issues. Translate the scientific input into actionable pragmatic conclusions. Draft an ANSI standard for the industry. Publish and commit to reexamine in five years. Clearly, the scientific community has reached a consensus on the need for circadian-modulated lighting. Now its time for the lighting industry to harvest a commercial opportunity and greatly limit future liability by creating and managing standards which incorporates circadian modulated lighting before its too late, adds Moore-Ede. The development of blue-chip LEDs has revolutionized the lighting industry and enabled enormous improvements in energy efficiency and product lifetime. From 1% market share in 2013, LED sales have grown to over 80% market share today. However, less than 0.5% of these LED lights modify light intensity and blue content by time of day. While there is a need to limit the use of blue-chip LEDs to daylight hours, the good news is that LED spectral engineering has enabled the development of white light with little or no blue content for nocturnal use. To learn more about circadian rhythms and light visit, The Circadian Light Research Center. About Martin Moore-Ede M.D., Ph.D. For over 40 years, Dr. Moore-Ede has been a leading world expert on circadian clocks and the health problems caused by electric light at night. As a professor at Harvard Medical School (1975 1998), he led the team that located the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the biological clock in the human brain that controls the timing of sleep and wake. He pioneered research on how circadian clocks regulate the timing of body functions. Since 2010, he has led the Circadian Lighting Research Center team that identified the key blue signal that synchronizes circadian clocks and developed patented LED lights, which provide circadian-optimized light across day and night based on comprehensive medical research. The effectiveness of these circadian-modulated lights in improving health and well-being has been validated by installing them in the 24-hour operations of Fortune 500 companies and hospitals. He has published over 180 scientific articles and authored ten books, including the best-selling books, The Clocks that Time Us, and The Twenty-Four Hour Society and he has a forthcoming book The Light Doctor: The Science and Solutions for Replacing Your Lights Now to Protect Your Health. For more information, visit https://thelightdoctor.com. Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the class action lawsuit against CVS RX Services, Inc., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today. The Los Angeles employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a class action lawsuit against CVS RX Services, Inc., alleging the company violated the California Labor Code. The lawsuit against CVS RX Services, Inc. is currently pending in the San Bernardino County Superior Court, Case No. CIVSB2227457. To read a copy of the Complaint, please click here. According to the lawsuit filed, CVS RX Services, Inc. allegedly (a) failed to pay minimum wages, (b) failed to pay overtime wages, (c) failed to provide legally required meal and rest periods, (d) failed to provide accurate itemized wage statements, (e) failed to reimburse employees for required expenses, (f) failed to provide wages when due, and (g) failed to pay sick wages, all in violation of the applicable Labor Code sections listed in California Labor Code Sections 201-204, 226, 226.7, 233, 246, 510, 512, 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 2802, and the applicable Wage Order(s), and thereby gives rise to civil penalties as a result of such alleged conduct. Additionally, Plaintiff allegedly made numerous complaints regarding Defendant's potential violations of law. As a result of the stress caused by Defendant's workplace issues, Plaintiff requested a leave of absence. Shortly thereafter, Defendant terminated Plaintiff's employment, in violation of various fundamental public policies. Further, Defendant allegedly backdated the termination to before Plaintiff requested the leave of absence to avoid making the termination appear that it was in retaliation. For more information about the class action lawsuit against CVS RX Services, 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*** Linc Housing's Equa brings 81 new affordable and supportive homes to Los Angeles County I hope that other communities can open their hearts to increasing our housing supply so we can end homelessness and ensure more people dont fall into homelessness. Nonprofit Linc Housing joined Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis, other partners, and new residents to celebrate the grand opening of Equa, a new 81-unit affordable and supportive housing community in unincorporated Los Angeles County. Thirty-four of the new homes are for people who have experienced homelessness, while the remainder are for low-income households earning 30-70% of the area median income. This new affordable and supportive housing development by Linc Housing directly responds to LA Countys homelessness emergency, said Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, First District. With 81 units, this new apartment community is providing a safe place to call home for low-income and unhoused residents. I am grateful for the compassion Avocado Heights residents have demonstrated with this development, and hope that other communities can open their hearts to increasing our housing supply so we can end homelessness and ensure more people dont fall into homelessness. Equa, located at 162 S. 3rd Avenue near La Puente, is named as a tribute to both the areas equestrian heritage and Lincs commitment to helping build a more equitable society. The six-story building has 40 one-bedroom, 20 two-bedroom, and 20 three-bedroom apartments, as well as one three-bedroom managers unit. Thirteen apartments are accessible for individuals with mobility or sensory impairments. The complex features ample community space, including two courtyards, a tot lot, and open space for children of all ages to play. The central community area located on the ground floor includes a computer lab and flexible space for cooking classes, after-school programs, events and relaxation. Solving homelessness requires more than just housing. With funding support from Los Angeles County, the 34 households that have experienced homelessness will receive intensive case management. Supportive services include mental health and physical health services, employment counseling and job placement, education, substance use counseling, money management, assistance in obtaining and maintaining benefits, and referrals to community-based services and resources. In addition, Linc provides all residents with its signature resident services programs focused on nutrition, exercise, after-school program, economic development, and community engagement. Equa brings together new neighbors from different walks of life who are all in need of an affordable home that doesnt take their entire income, said Suny Lay Chang, president and COO, Linc Housing. To see the new residents connecting and supporting each other is inspiring. This new building is far more than housing; its the foundation for building healthy, stable lives. More than 50% of the residents are settling in to their new homes, with more people moving in each week. More than 2,000 households submitted pre-applications for 35 of the traditional affordable homes. The 34 permanent supportive apartment residents were referred from the County of Los Angeles Coordinated Entry System (CES), and 11 additional traditional affordable homes were filled through referrals from Los Angeles Countys waiting list. In a unique partnership with Raymond James, CVS Health has provided funding as part of its longstanding commitment to address housing insecurities and advance health equity in America. Through this investment, CVS Health is providing a historically under-resourced community with not only quality housing, but also increased access to health care services based on the unique needs of each local community. As part of the grand opening event, the companys Project Health initiative provided Equa residents with free biometric screenings including blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose level, body mass index, and mental health screenings to detect early risks of chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. Following these screenings, participants will be able to meet with a nurse practitioner who can provide referrals for treatment and recommendations for low or no cost follow-up care. We are thrilled to be partnering with the exceptional team at Linc Housing to bring this property to life, said Verne Brizendine, CEO of Aetna Better Health of California, a CVS Health company. Through this investment, we are enabling California families to lead healthier lives by providing them with a quality, safe, beautiful, and affordable place to live. Providing residents with equitable access to stable housing breaks down one of the barriers to achieving better health, and with access to services, like Project Health, were helping them to have a better understanding of their health risks and health care needs, a critical step to improving overall health outcomes and promoting health equity. Funding for the development comes from a variety of sources including construction and permanent loans from Union Bank, $5 million in No Place Like Home funds from the Los Angeles County Development Authority on behalf of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, and tax credit equity from CVS Health and Raymond James Tax Credit Funds Inc. The County of Los Angeles provided a permit fee waiver as well as rental assistance vouchers for 45 apartments. The community was designed by D33 Design and Planning, and the general contractor was National CORE. About Linc Housing Corporation Linc Housing, one of California's most productive nonprofit developers of affordable housing, is committed to building communities and strengthening neighborhoods for people underserved by the marketplace. Linc has helped create more than 9,000 homes in 93 communities throughout the state. The organization's properties are known for excellent design, outstanding management and life-enhancing services for its residents. Linc has nearly 40 years of service to families, seniors, people with special needs, and local governments - helping to create sustainable communities via new construction, acquisition and rehabilitation, and historic preservation. Visit http://www.Linchousing.org for more information. Patriot strives to deliver a practical solution for our flash memory cards with excellent reliability and durability for professional digital filmmakers and photographers who need the flexibility to create in unpredictable environments. PATRIOT, a global leader in performance memory, SSDs and flash storage solutions, is proud to launch its newest high-performance SD line with the V90 SDXC UHS-II U3 Class 10 SD Card, built for professional photographers and digital filmmakers. The Patriot V90 features optimized performance to support 4K/8K Ultra-HD shots, high-speed burst mode shots, and best-quality video recording with quick read speeds of up to 300MB/s and write speeds of up to 260MB/s. In addition, the Patriot V90 is designed and tested for top-class durability to withstand the toughest conditions, with a waterproof, shockproof, temperature-proof and dustproof exterior to protect critical visual captures. The Patriot V90 is now available at major retailers worldwide with capacities of 64GB, 128GB, 256GB and 512 GB. Along with the ability to deliver high-performance sequential write speeds (CDM) to record burst-mode shots or 8K video via drone video, The Patriot V90 offers ultra-fast read speeds of up to 300MB/s and write speeds of up to 260MB/s, giving professional users fast and reliable data storage with a wide operating temperature range of -25C to 85C. 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In addition, it supports a wide variety of top-of-the-line cameras from major brands like Sony, Canon, and Nikon for excellent compatibility across the market. It is now available from major retailers worldwide. FEATURES: Designed with the latest UHS-II standards and top-of-the-line U3 and V90 speed classes Format: exFAT Sequential Read (CDM): up to 300MB/s Sequential Write (CDM): up to 260MB/s Operating Temperature: -25 ~ 85C Supports 4K/8K Ultra-HD high-speed recording Delivers performance to capture stunning, uninterrupted 8K UHD video Waterproof, shockproof, dustproof and temperature-proof Warranty: 5 years Complies with SDA 6.1/5.X/4.X/ 3.X Sequential burst-mode shots without experiencing slow speeds and dropped frames O/S Supported: Windows 7/8.0/8.1/10/11 Flash wear leveling Flash bad block management The Patriot V90 SDXC UHS-II U3 Class 10 SD Card is now available at major retailers worldwide, with capacities including 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, and 512 GB. Professional photographers and filmmakers can now capture and store their high-quality content with peace of mind, knowing that the Patriot V90 SD card is the perfect solution for their needs. To learn more about the Patriot V90 SDXC UHS-II U3 Class 10 SD Card: https://www.patriotmemory.com/ep-v90-flash-memory-card Product images can be downloaded at: https://bit.ly/3otP4j7 Availability: Patriot webstore: https://store.patriotmemory.com/collections/memory-cards/products/copy-of-patriot-ep-series-high-endurance-microsdhc-xc?variant=42334245486757 Amazon.com: 64GB: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXDMQB4J 128GB: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXDKBGFM 256GB:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXDKJJT3 512GB: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXDGD3ND Amazon.com (CA): 64GB: http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BXDGD3ND 128GB: http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BXDKBGFM 256GB: http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BXDKJJT3 512GB: http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BXDMQB4J About Patriot Patriot is a leading manufacturer of high-performance, enthusiast memory modules, SSDs, flash storage, and gaming peripherals. Founded in 1985, Patriot is committed to technology innovation, customer satisfaction, and providing the best price for performance on the market. Patriot products have become world-renowned for their extreme performance, reliability, and innovation. Patriot sells its products through original equipment manufacturers, retailers, e-tailers, and distributors throughout the world, with operations in North America, South America, Asia, and Europe. Follow us Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vipergamingpatriot Twitter: https://twitter.com/patriot_viper Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patriot_viper YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/patriotviper TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@patriot.viper *All company and/or product names may be trade names, trademarks and/or registered trademarks of the respective owners with which they are associated. Features, pricing, availability, and specifications are subject to change without notice. PECO's Vision X automated pallet inspection system increases throughput and pallet inspection accuracy while reducing manual material handling steps to improve workplace ergonomics. We identified over 500 individual defects that can occur with a pallet. With this system we can conduct a full inspection within 6 seconds, eliminate manual handling steps, increase accuracy, and a create a safer work environment for employees - Joe Medeiros, Senior Director, Operations Excellence. PECO Pallet, Inc. (PECO), one of North Americas largest providers of rental pallet services, has completed the rollout of Vision X, a sophisticated, new technology system which automates the pallet inspection process and improves accuracy, efficiency and quality of pallet repair and maintenance activities. PECO Pallet operates North Americas second largest pallet rental network with some 90 pallet depots managing an inventory of over 23 million of its signature red, high-quality 9-block pallets. The new automated inspection system has been deployed at key PECO maintenance depots. After pallets are returned, inspected, and refurbished they are reissued to customers. Pallets typically are returned in an unknown state of specification compliance, with various levels of maintenance and repair needs, noted Joe Medeiros, PECOs Senior Director of Operations Excellence. The objective of Vision X was four-fold: Develop a technology solution that would reliably improve accuracy of the existing manual, human inspection defect detection by 10x, Replace a complex and time-consuming manual pallet sorting workflow that often mis-identified pallet condition and repair needs, Reduce repetitive tasks to free up employee time for more value-added activities, and, Improve inspection speed, efficiency, and quality enabling more pallets to be properly inspected and repaired in less time, increasing pallet inventory available to clients. We identified greater than 500 individual defects that can occur with a pallet, noted Medeiros. From a material handling perspective, a typical PECO pallet weighs 65 pounds, with each pallet having 26 boards, 9 blocks and 138 nails. It was very difficult to address those in an efficient and accurate manner and we knew that increasing defect detection would be paramount to the success of the project, he said. Medeiros added, We built the technology with the ability to identify an anomaly within the thickness of a human hair. It is similar to what automobile manufacturers use to inspect cars for defects as they leave the factory. Vision X can conduct a full pallet inspection and convey it to its designated location within 6 seconds whereas a manual inspection could take up to one minute. Vision X also produces a pallet-specific, detailed set of repair instructions, and automatically routes the pallet to the specialist trained for that type of repair. Vision X has also improved workplace ergonomics for employees who formerly spent time lifting and moving pallets manually. We were able to redesign the workflow and incorporate material handling and conveyance equipment to eliminate several manual handling steps, reducing risk of injury or strain. That improved throughput while creating a safer work environment for our employees, he noted. One last benefit was a new database of pallet condition trends that came from the system. We can pull data and drill down into the condition of pallets and their maintenance needs, Medeiros explained. Then we can go back, share our findings, and help adjust work practices to reduce damage. Ultimately, that helps us turn pallets faster for the customer while keeping repair costs in check which is a win-win for both. Ultimately, Vision X has significantly improved inspection precision, exceeding the accuracy of our repair operators by more than ten times, thereby considerably decreasing the need for rework to rectify any overlooked defects or damages. Pallets are the primary platform on which businesses stack, secure and ship products of all types in trucks, intermodal rail containers and other conveyance vehicles. PECOs signature red pallets are used by the nations big-box retailers, club stores, consumer products companies, grocers and other businesses, shipping pallet-loads of goods to thousands of businesses every day across the U.S., Mexico and Canada. About PECO Pallet, Inc. Itasca, IL-based PECO Pallet is the North American leader in pallet rental services and provides tens of millions of its red block pallets to major grocery and consumer goods manufacturers in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. PECO Pallets tremendous growth over the last 25+ years reflects the companys commitment to quality and service. Customers using PECOs superior pallets experience less product damage, greater efficiency, improved safety, and significant cost savings. For more information about PECO Pallet, please visit http://www.pecopallet.com. Podere Sapaio, one of the jewel wineries of the renowned Bolgheri wine region in Tuscany, announced Colangelo & Partners as its agency of record to develop and execute a strategic media relations campaign dedicated to growing the brand overall presence, leveraging its innovation and highest quality wines to encourage positive brand awareness, and tell their story to an even wider audience. Podere Sapaio stands out in the Italian wine space thanks to its detailed-oriented and sustainable approach to wine, and its utmost respect for the environment. Over the years, despite the impressive neighbors in the Bolgheri panorama, Podere Sapaio has become a crucial point of reference on the local oenological scene, an embodiment of the harmony between mankind and nature. Podere Sapaios two labels Volpolo Bolgheri DOC and Sapaio Toscana IGT are the result of a synergistic relationship with the environment, combined with a highly technical know-how, and an extremely empathetic human approach. We are thrilled to start this collaboration with Colangelo & Partners with the goal of expanding Podere Sapaios brand visibility and spreading the word about our wines throughout the US. which represents a key export market for our winery, said Massimo Piccin, owner of Podere Sapaio. Colangelo & Partners will focus its campaign on strategic media relations to uplevel the image of Podere Sapaio as a true leader in the Bolgheri category, highlighting its commitment to quality, respect for the land as well as its sustainable, artisanal and innovative approach. "We are impressed by the work ethic and quality that Massimo Piccin and his team bring to the wine industry, commented Colangelo & Partners president Gino Colangelo Year after year, also thanks to the collaboration with Italian legendary winemaker Carlo Ferrini, Podere Sapaio wines continue to impress for their authenticity, top quality and their utmost respect of the terroir. We are honored to work with them and we look forward to showcasing their outstanding wines in the US market." # # # About Podere Sapaio Podere Sapaio was founded in 1999 by Massimo Piccin, a Venetian engineer moved by a great passion for wine, in Castagneto Carducci, in the heart of Bolgheri, one of the jewels of Tuscany and home of some of the most iconic Italian Super Tuscan wines. At Podere Sapaio respect for the land translates to a sustainable approach. Innovation and passion are the two fundamental principles of the winemaking philosophy, coupled with a careful use of technology, without forgetting the importance of preserving traditions: values not in contrast, but in synergy. Today, the winery boasts 25 hectares of vineyards and, following the Bolgheri terroir vocation, specializes in the production of two red labels: Sapaio, a Toscana IGT and Volpolo, a Bolgheri DOC, with the strategic collaboration of legendary Italian winemaker Carlo Ferrini. For more information about Podere Sapaio, please visit http://www.sapaio.it/ 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. For more information please visit http://www.colangelopr.com/ California Criminal Defense Attorney Ken Rosenfeld Frequently Wins Client Cases. This was a big win for our client and for mental health, said Rosenfeld. Criminal defendants who suffer from SMIs do not belong in prison." The Rosenfeld Law Firm announces that a mental health client charged with felony assault, elder abuse, and committing another felony while out on bail (Case # SCD291334) will receive mental health treatment rather than mandatory time in state prison. As a result of the efforts of Sacramento Mental Health Attorney Ken Rosenfeld, the client has been accepted for placement into San Diegos Behavioral Health Court, a collaborative courts program for mental health treatment affiliated with the San Diego Superior Court. According to the April 12, 2023, officers report by the San Diego County Probation Department, Kevin B. was charged with multiple felonies based on two alleged incidents on August 15 and August 27 of 2021, consolidated into one case: a felony count of assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury pursuant to California Penal Code 245(a)(4), and a count of elder abuse pursuant to PC 368 (b)(1) with the enhancement PC 12022.7(a), committing a felony while on bail or O.R. release. According to the probation officers report, Mr. B. had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder in 2011 and had a history of mental health episodes since that time. Intervening on behalf of his client, Rosenfeld established that the schizophrenia suffered by Mr. B. is consistent with the type of serious mental illnesses (SMI) addressed by the San Diego Behavioral Health Court, and requested that he be screened by the Behavioral Health Supervision Unit. As a result of this and a negotiated plea agreement in which Mr. B. pled guilty to the count of elder abuse, the other charges against him were dismissed, and Kevin B. received three years of probation and a place in the Behavioral Health Court program, which will provide 18 months of assertive community mental health treatment and ongoing court supervision. Rosenfeld stated that his Sacramento firm was pleased to have won a mental health case as an outside firm in San Diego. This was a big win for our client and for mental health, said Rosenfeld. Criminal defendants who suffer from SMIs do not belong in prison. Treatment goes a long way in reducing recidivism, and my client is on his way to getting the help he needs. About The Rosenfeld Law Firm With offices in Sacramento, San Jose, and Palm Springs, The Rosenfeld Law Firm provides aggressive defense of a wide range of high-profile criminal defense cases. California criminal defense attorney Ken Rosenfeld defends such cases as first-degree murder and sex offense cases, and also provides DUI defense. In addition to mental health criminal defense, The Rosenfeld Law Firm also practices federal criminal defense and juvenile defense, as well as appellate law and prison law. As a skilled criminal law commentator, Rosenfeld has made regular appearances on KTXL TV and FOX40's Ask an Attorney. Rosenfeld was named Litigator of the Year by the American Institute of Trial Lawyers. For more information, please contact Ken Rosenfeld directly at (916) 447-2070, or visit http://www.therosenfeldlawfirm.com. Press release writing by WebSiteText and Proofreading Services by The Proofreaders. Ken Rosenfeld recommends Brian Murphy, Wrongful Death Attorney for Elder Abuse & Nursing Home Malpractice Lawsuits. Stock Drive Products/Sterling Instrument (SDP/SI) expands their selection of flexible couplings to include the single disk type couplings (short type), series S50XHSM and the double disk type couplings (standard length type), series S50XHWM. The disk-type flexible couplings are an economical option while providing greater torque capability and improved performance in a reduced size. The compact design provides torque ratings of 0.6 up to 12 Nm, an improvement over similar products. The single disk type flexible couplings, S50XHSM feature 16.5 thru 32.8 mm lengths, 15 thru 39 mm diameters, bore diameter combinations of 3 thru 12 mm and weights of 6.8 thru 84 grams. S50XHWM, double disk type couplings feature lengths of 22.4 thru 46.6 mm, 15 thru 39 mm diameters, bore diameter combinations of 3 thru 12 mm and weights of 9.4 thru 123 grams. Other bore combinations and bore sizes are available on special order to accommodate end-user requirements. The disk-type couplings are constructed of an anodized aluminum hub and spacer with a stainless-steel disk and collar. The stainless-steel disk permits eccentricity, angular alignment, and end play. Device manufacturers can benefit from the smaller size and reduced weight while gaining greater torque capacity and power. As a high-performance motion control coupling, disk-type couplings are well suited for applications where precise position accuracy is required. Because of their flexible design, zero backlash, high torque capacity, and ability to accommodate shaft misalignment, they are ideal for use with servo motors as an integral machine part in a variety of equipment where high-precision XY stages and index tables are used, such as welding machines, 3-D printers, and high-precision CNC equipment. About Stock Drive Products/Sterling Instrument (SDP/SI), a Designatronics company Established in 1950 as a comprehensive source for small mechanical and electromechanical components, SDP/SI concentrates on the design and manufacture of precision gears, high-performing mechanical components, and customized solutions for motion control and small power transmission applications. Components are manufactured and assembled to world-class quality levels in Hicksville, New York. ISO 9001 + AS9100 certified. Product specifications, 3D CAD models, technical information, and 24/7 shopping are available at http://www.sdp-si.com. In Mykolaiv, the number of wounded as a result of the missile attack of the Russian Federation increased to 23 people, including one child, said spokesperson of the operational command Pivden (South) Vladyslav Nazarov. "Currently, we know about one dead and 23 wounded civilians of the city, including one child," Nazarov wrote on the Telegram channel. He specified that the enemy attacked Mykolaiv with Kalibr missiles from the Black Sea. "Four missiles were directed using terrain features and trajectory changes to complicate detection," he explained. According to him, one private house was destroyed, another was damaged, a residential high-rise building and a historical building received significant damage. "Considering that this is a high-precision weapon operating according to the guidance coordinates, it is an obvious fact of terror of the civilian population," the spokesperson of Pivden task force stressed. The fire was promptly eliminated, the disassembly of structures continues. As reported, on Thursday night, two enemy missiles hit a multi-storey and a private house, some houses in the city without electricity, Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych said. "The end goal of this celebration is to create a treasure trove of historical stories and images, honoring the people who supported and built the roads and those who use them," said Susie Alcorn, executive director of the Tennessee Infrastructure Alliance and curator of 100 Years of Road Funding. The Tennessee Infrastructure Alliance held a series of news conferences to unveil "100 Years of Road Funding, both a celebration and a history project wrapped into one. In 1923, the 63rd General Assembly approved funding at the urging of then Governor Austin Peay. Now, 2023 marks one hundred years of Tennessee having a sustainable funding source for roads. Drawing attention to State Route 1, the Tennessee Infrastructure Alliance is encouraging Tennesseans to Take a Drive on part of this highway which was originally known at the "Memphis to Bristol Highway" and has provided passage across Tennessee since the early 1900s. The Tennessee Infrastructure Alliance seeks to engage the public through their sharing of oral and written stories as well as historical photos and news articles related to the building and development of our road system over the past 100 years. Materials were distributed detailing a website platform, 100YearsOfRoadFunding.com, to support citizen involvement through any of three avenues: Tell a Story, Take a Drive and Share an Image. In upcoming weeks, "100 Years of Road Funding" will visit select communities across Tennessee for citizens to share their stories and images in person. Tennesseans can celebrate our vital road system as the foundation of our economy and communities. With the roads created in Tennessee for the past hundred years, road stories exist of both road trips and road creation. "The end goal of this celebration is to create a treasure trove of historical stories and images, honoring the people who supported and built the roads and those who use them," said Susie Alcorn, executive director of the Tennessee Infrastructure Alliance and curator of 100 Years of Road Funding. Alcorn continued, "Through 100 Years of Road Funding, the stories will be collected then catalogued into a showcase of what Tennessee roads have provided. The stories and images captured will be delivered in digital format to various county historical offices and public libraries and/or to the State Library and Archives. The Tennessee Infrastructure Alliance, through 100 Years of Road Funding, will collect the personal and family tales that are possible as a direct result of Tennessee's roads created in the past hundred years. While "100 Years of Road Funding" links to the historic passage in 1923 that created sustainable road funding for Tennessee, another historic event recently occurred with the passage of Governor Bill Lee's Transportation Modernization Act. The Tennessee Infrastructure Alliance lauds Governor Bill Lee and Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) Commissioner Butch Eley for their foresight to address the massive challenges of our current road system. Governor Lee proposed an additional $3.3 Billion in the 2023-24 state budget for TDOT. "There are no free roads," said Bill Moore, chairman of Tennessee Infrastructure Alliance and former chief engineer for TDOT. "We appreciate the substantial funding commitment by Governor Lee, TDOT Commissioner Eley and the 113th General Assembly. When there are future surplus funds, we urge those be applied to the Governor's stated infrastructure priority." The current road system was designed to serve approximately 3 million people. Tennessees population today is more than 7 million and growing. Tennessee's roads and bridges allow for our in-state tourism and bring in our out-of-state visitors. The Tennessee road system supports our citizens in their everyday lives as a major foundation of our livelihoods, education, recreation, healthcare and economy. CONTACT FOR MORE INFORMATION: Susie Alcorn 615.398.0225 615.248.5900 media@100YearsOfRoadFunding.com MEDIA KIT + About 100 Years of Road Funding 100YearsOfRoadFunding.com About Tennessee Infrastructure Alliance Since 2005, Tennessee Infrastructure Alliance has served as an umbrella organization and advocate for adequate and consistent funding for Tennessees infrastructure needs. The key drivers of the organization are safety, mobility, economic competitiveness, and overall quality of life. Tennessee Infrastructure Alliance is the presenter of the podcast series Highway See (found at HighwaySee.com) on the history of Tennessee's roads and bridges. To learn more about Tennessee Infrastructure Alliance visit: http://www.TNinfrastructure.org/ Comments from Speakers: Chattanooga News Conference: For the past 100 years, our roads have taken us to the amazing gems scattered across this region. They have taken us to the places we explore, the jobs we work, the schools weve all needed in order to thrive. These roads are filled with those childhood memories of sitting in the backseat, traveling to beautiful places across the rural landscapes of Tennessee. The roads across the landscapes of our region take us to the places that matter most. We commend Governor Lee and Commissioner Eley for the passage of the Transportation Modernization Act. It's time to think ahead to the next 100 years as we inspire responsible growth across this growing region. As we make the most of those economic opportunities ahead of us, let's preserve the things we love about this corner of the State. Take a drive, take a picture, and tell your story and preserve those memories as we step into the next 100 years ahead. Bridgett Massengill President/CEO Thrive Regional Partnership Chattanooga News Conference: As a representative of county highway departments, it is important to us that we highlight our strong partnership with the state, especially how it has changed so many lives during the past 100 years. Our highways help move citizens to and from their jobs, economic centers, groceries, local restaurants, healthcare facilities, schools, and recreation and tourism hubs. We are part of a system that continues to grow and has growing demands placed on it each year. Meeting those needs does not just happen without the deliberate attention of all of us. Brett Howell Executive Director Tennessee County Highway Officials Association Jackson News Conference: Infrastructure is crucial for economic success. Tennessee's highway system has been a key factor in Jackson's economic development success for over 50 years. Improving the highways can increase accessibility, reduce transportation costs and attract new businesses. Therefore, maintaining and improving infrastructure is essential for continued economic growth in Tennessee and Jackson. Kyle Spurgeon President/CEO, Greater Jackson Chamber Memphis News Conference: Tennessee is about to embark on a $3.3 billion journey to modernize its transportation infrastructure, which is especially meaningful to Memphis as a global supply chain and logistics leader," said Ted Townsend, president and CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber. "This is the perfect time to celebrate our state's proud legacy of investment in the roads that shape and define us in Memphis and beyond. Ted Townsend President & CEO, Greater Memphis Chamber Nashville News Conference: There are no free road. We appreciate the substantial funding commitment by Governor Lee, TDOT Commissioner Eley and the 113 th General Assembly. When there are future surplus funds, we urge those be applied to the Governor's stated infrastructure priority. Bill Moore Chairman of Tennessee Infrastructure Alliance & former Chief Engineer for TDOT Were excited to partner with Colangelo & Partners to promote our wines and our long history of winemaking to industry professionals and consumers across the country, stated Marzia Varvaglione, Business Developer for Varvaglione 1921. Varvaglione 1921 the historical family-run winery from Taranto has chosen Colangelo & Partners, a fine wine & spirits-focused integrated communications agency, to raise awareness of Varvaglione 1921 and their high quality products. The comprehensive communications strategy will focus on educating and engaging trade and media audiences as well as new and current consumers through media relations and events. Were excited to partner with Colangelo & Partners to promote our wines and our long history of winemaking to industry professionals and consumers across the country, with a focus on attracting the attention of younger generations, stated Marzia Varvaglione, Business Developer for Varvaglione 1921. Were looking forward to bringing added visibility to our brand story and presenting our products to the most influential press and trade in the industry, which will support our continued growth in the United States, one of our main export markets. The program will highlight Varvagliones commitment to quality wine making and present the brand as a growing, strong and reliable Italian winery. Colangelo & Partners will support Varvaglione 1921 in developing their brand identity and building awareness in the US market, focusing on portraying Puglia as a strong and recognizable winemaking Italian region, as well as establishing the winery as one of the most prominent Primitivo producers. Were looking forward to being strategic and collaborative partners with Varvaglione 1921, commented Colangelo & Partners president, Gino Colangelo. Our team is excited to present to key trade and lifestyle media these high-quality Pugliese wines, helping the brand achieve its goals of reaching new audiences. About Varvaglione 1921 Varvaglione 1921 is one of the leading and fastest developing wineries in Puglia, thanks to a winning combination of native grape growing and winemaking expertise spanning four generations, proactive entrepreneurship, and a strong presence on both the domestic and foreign markets. Varvaglione 1921 addresses an international audience of wine lovers who are looking for a different, modern Italian and Puglia wine experience. Varvaglione 1921 key products such as Papale Oro offer consumers a new way to approach Primitivo and other traditional grapes in an innovative and unforgettable way. 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. Colossal hosts the Super Mom Competition Benefiting Children's Miracle Network Colossal Management, LLC, a nationally registered professional fundraiser, is hosting the inaugural Super Mom Competition to celebrate and honor marvelous mamas from across the globe and give one incredible mother the opportunity of a lifetime. From dealing with early morning tantrums to late-night homework to endless loads of laundry, moms do it all. Some say life doesnt come with a manualit comes with a motherand the Super Mom competitors are ready to prove just that. One extraordinary woman will receive $20,000, a well-deserved weekend getaway in sunny Palm Springs, California, and a 2-page feature in Womans World Magazine. Theres no better way to recognize mom than a feature in Womans World Magazine, America's #1 best-selling weekly women's magazine. Each issue contains the latest information on health and wellness, recipes, fashion, beauty, and will soon feature the 2023 Super Mom, who will share her story with a circulation of 1.6 million readers. Colossal is also excited to announce that Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals (CMNH) has been selected as the designated charity grantee for donations raised during the Competition. The Super Mom Competition will benefit CMNHs mission of saving and improving the lives of as many children as possible. The honorable organization has helped 170 hospitals in their network provide the best care for children by raising more than $7 billion dollars to date. Voting is now open for the 2023 Super Mom Competition. All those interested in learning more about this Competition and casting their vote can visit thesupermom.org for details. Colossal operates the Super Mom Competition on behalf of DTCare, a nationally registered public charitable organization that will subsequently grant donations from the Competition to the Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals, at the end of the Competition. "Zappix is proud to work with these two clients in Europe," said Yossi Abraham, President & CEO of Zappix. "Our advanced self-service capabilities and automation technologies are designed to empower businesses to deliver exceptional customer experiences while optimizing their operations and Zappix, a leading Visual and Digital Self-Service provider, has announced that they have signed with two utility companies based in Europe through two separate partnerships. These clients signify a significant step in Zappix's global expansion as it continues to empower businesses with innovative automation technology for streamlined customer service experiences. The first utility company has chosen Zappix's cutting-edge automation platform to provide their customers with efficient troubleshooting and issue resolution. With Zappix's advanced self-service capabilities, customers can quickly troubleshoot common issues, report emergencies, and access relevant information to resolve problems promptly and effectively. The service streamlines operations, reduces calls to contact center agents, and optimizes costs. The second utility company has joined forces with Zappix to elevate its customer service offerings by providing self-service and reducing the volume of calls reaching their agents. By leveraging Zappix's omnichannel engagement tools and Visual IVR, the company's clients will now have the ability to effortlessly report outages and malfunctions related to public lightings, such as street lamps and traffic lights. "Zappix is proud to work with these two clients in Europe," said Yossi Abraham, President & CEO of Zappix. "Our advanced self-service capabilities and automation technologies are designed to empower businesses to deliver exceptional customer experiences while optimizing their operations and reducing costs. We are excited to work closely with our new clients and partners as we continue our growth and global expansion." About Zappix Zappix delivers AI-powered Mobile On-Demand Customer Service Solutions: Visual IVR, On-Demand Apps, Outbound Engagement, and Robotic Process Automation (RPA). The cloud-based solutions improve the customer journey during contact center interactions. The open platform enables workflow automation, rapid deployments, and seamless integration to back-end systems (CRMs, ERPs, etc.), and IVRs, and provides a comprehensive Analytics Suite. The Zappix solution provides significant benefits and ROI: reducing costs by increasing containment rates for contact centers, improving customer experience and Net Promoter Score (NPS), creating new revenue opportunities using targeted promotional banners, and automation of revenue-generating use-cases. To learn more about Zappix, go to http://www.zappix.com. Contact Zappix, Inc. marketing@zappix.com (781) 739-2770 Payge Wufsus payge.wufsus@zappix.com PTI Fact Check: Amitabh Bachchans old photo shared in a recent report with false claim about his bad health New Delhi, Apr 25 (Abhinav Gupta / Pratyush Ranjan PTI Fact Check): A recent report on a website claimed that Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchans health deteriorated, and he was in a critical condition. The report also carried a set of two photos of Bachchan purportedly lying on a hospital bed, with his wife, Jaya Bachchan and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan standing beside him. In its investigation, the PTI Fact Check Desk found that Amitabh Bachchan is healthy and fit and was not hospitalised recently. The photo shared in the report was old and shared with a false claim. Claim A website named Dainik Kiran published a report on April 24 claiming that Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchans health deteriorated and he was on his deathbed. The report also carried a set of two photos showing Bachchan lying on a hospital bed and his wife, Jaya Bachchan and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan standing beside him. , , , read the headline of the article. Amitabh Bachchan's condition worsened, now he is taking his last breath in the hospital, tears are not stopping from Jaya Bachchan's eyes, read the English translation of the headline. Here is the link and archive link to the article. Below is a screenshot of the same: Investigation The Desk started the investigation with a Google Reverse Image Search on both photos in the article. The search results for the first photo led to a BBC article published on Dec 17, 2005. Bachchan leaves hospital after the op, read the report headline that carried the same photo as shared in the article. Here is the link to the BBC report, and below is a screenshot of the same: According to the BBC report, Bachchan was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital and underwent surgery for a colonic condition on Nov 30, 2005. The Desk conducted Google Reverse Image Search on the second photo bur could not find its source. However, we came across a photo of Jaya Bachchan and Aishwarya in a similar attire attending Sri Devis condolence meeting on Feb 28, 2018. Still, the Desk couldnt establish that the image shared in the report was from Sri Devis condolence meeting. Below is the combination of the images the one shared in the report and the other from Sri Devis funeral in 2018. The Desk then scanned the social media handles of Bachchan and found that the actor had posted on Twitter the same day that the news article had been published (April 24). Here is the link and archive link to the Twitter post by Bachchan on April 24. Below is a screenshot of the same: We then conducted a Google Search with the keyword Amitabh Bachchan news, which led us to an article published by Hindustan Times on April 24. Amitabh Bachchan has a hilarious response as he gets blue tick back on Twitter: 'Paise bharwa liye aur kehte ho free...', read the articles headline. Here is the link to the article, and below is a screenshot of the same: As Twitter restored the blue tick verification for accounts with over one million followers, veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan had a hilarious response. He wondered why he paid for the subscription, despite having 48.4 million followers, read the article, which does not mention Bachchan facing any health concerns. In the next part of the investigation, the Desk conducted a Google Search with the keyword Amitabh Bachchan hospitalised but couldnt find any recent report. The most recent article regarding Amitabh Bachchan being hospitalised was published at least six months ago. One such report was published by Times Now on October 23, 2022, with the headline Amitabh Bachchan reveals had cut a vein on his left calf, and was rushed to the hospital recently. Here is the link to the article, and below is a screenshot of the same: Amitabh Bachchan shared on his official blog that he was recently rushed to hospital after he cut a vein in his left calf. The megastar, who turned 80 a few days back, received stitches to control the bleeding due to a metal cut, Bachchan shared on his official blog, read the article. Taking a cue from this, we went through Amitabh Bachchans official blog on microblogging and social networking website Tumblr and found that the most recent post was dated April 23/24, 2023. Here is the link to the post, and below is a screenshot of the same: However, the post did not mention ill health or hospitalisation. We also contacted Amitabh Bachchans PR team for his comments on the article. The story will be updated as and when a response is received. The Desk subsequently concluded that the claim made in the article relating to Bachchans health was false. Claim Actor Amitabh Bachchans health was deteriorating, and was hospitalised. Fact Bachchan was not hospitalised recently and was in good health. Conclusion A website published an article claiming that Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchans health was deteriorating, and he was on his deathbed. The Desk found in its investigation that the actor was not hospitalised recently. The claim made in the article was false. You can contact PTI Fact Check on WhatsApp Number +91-8130503759 and share any claim or social media post you think is essential to fact-check and want us to verify. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that he had heard words of support for the Black Sea Grain Initiative, its extension, and support for humanitarian efforts, in particular, the Grain from Ukraine program from Chinese leader Xi Jinping. On Wednesday, Zelenskyy held a phone talk with the Chinese leader. "It is usually said that such conversations open up opportunities. Now there is an opportunity to give new impetus to our relations Ukraine and China. There is an opportunity to use China's political influence to restore the strength of the principles and rules on which peace should be based," Zelenskyy said in a video address on Wednesday. According to him, "Ukraine and China, as well as the vast majority of the world, are equally interested in the strength of the sovereignty of nations and territorial integrity... In compliance with the main security rules, in particular, the inadmissibility of threats with nuclear weapons and the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the world." "We are equally interested in ensuring that the situation around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is finally fully secured and that nuclear power plants are never used for military purposes again, which is exactly the kind of cynical use Russia is trying to make the norm," the president said. He said that "China shares our view of freedom of navigation and trade." "I briefed Mr. Xi Jinping on our efforts to restore seaborne food exports. And I heard words of support for our Black Sea Grain Initiative and its extension, as well as support for our humanitarian efforts, in particular the Grain from Ukraine program," the president said. Of course, he said, "an essential part of the conversation is our views on ways to restore a just peace." "I presented the Ukrainian Peace Formula, its specific points. We agreed to continue our communications," Zelenskyy said. URCS deploys aid headquarters in Mykolaiv for victims of Russian missile strikes At the site of liquidation of the night missile strikes that Russia inflicted on Mykolaiv, the Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS) promptly deployed an aid headquarters. "We are working at the site of liquidation of the consequences of missile strikes inflicted tonight on a high-rise building and a private house in Mykolaiv," the URCS reported on Facebook. Volunteers of the Mykolaiv rapid response detachment of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society quickly deployed an aid headquarters, provide first aid to the wounded and transport people to hospitals. At the aid headquarters, residents of the affected houses can warm up and recharge their phones. As reported, as a result of a Russian missile attack in Mykolaiv, there are one dead and 23 wounded, including one child. The enemy attacked Mykolaiv with Kalibr missiles from the Black Sea. On April 24, as part of National Library Week and on the inaugural Right to Read Day, Prime Video hosted a virtual discussion inspired by its new documentary, Judy Blume Forever, about protecting free expression and combating censorship. The panelists represented Unite Against Book Bans groups and included moderator Christopher Finan, executive director of the National Coalition Against Censorship; Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America; Lessa Kananiopua Pelayo-Lozada, president of the American Library Association; Leah Wolchok and Davina Pardo, directors of Judy Blume Forever; and Pat R. Scales, author, advocate, and retired librarian. Blume came under intense attack in the 1980s and her trailblazing fight against censorship is particularly relevant given the current unprecedented rise in book bans. Finan asked the filmmakers how the battle for intellectual freedom and Blumes advocacy emerged as a central part of the documentary. In the beginning we thought it would be a small historical chapter about censorship in the 80s, Wolchok said. We knew we wanted to talk to other authors who were writing for young audiences whose books were being challenged today, including Alex Gino, Jason Reynolds, and Jacqueline Woodson. However, when they found an archival clip from 1984 of Blume on Crossfire fighting back against Senator Pat Buchanan as he hounded her about a mention of masturbation in her novel Deenie, they realized how much broader Blumes work had been and how essential it was to her story. She pointed out that it is misinformation and fear that drives all of these challenges, and it is that fear and misinformation that she has been fighting back against her whole career and today. The panelists outlined the recent dramatic rise in book challenges. Kananiopua Pelayo-Lozada shared that this year the most challenged book list expanded to 13 titles from the typical 10. In the 20 years since the ALA has tracked challenges, 2022 saw the highest number: 1,269 challenge attempts on 2,571 titles, a 38% increase. It is our responsibility to offer access to information and to these books, Kananiopua Pelayo-Lozada said. When we restrict libraries we are losing community centers that are resources for veterans and small business owners, those experiencing homelessness, those who want to learn new skills. We also live in a society that loves reading, which is a foundational skill that is critical to future learning and to exercising our democratic freedoms. And we lose the opportunity to grow an empathetic society. Scales urged community members to take action and to involve bookstores in the fight for intellectual freedom. Nossel emphasized that the vast majority of book challenges today are to stories by or about LGBTQ+ characters and families and people of color, and reflect changes to society and movements for racial justice. Nossel said that what raises the stakes of censorship now are the legislative challenges in states like Florida, Texas, and Utah, which are punitive and have disciplinary consequences. In addressing what can be done to fight censorship, Finan held up Blumes career and the example she set. Judy was publishing for 10 years before she faced significant challenges in the 80s, and they came out of nowhere, he said. She formed a relationship with the founder of NCAC, Leanne Katz, and they began to fight back. Judy is a symbol of resilience and the importance of continuing to fight. Despite the prevalence of book challenges, Kananiopua Pelayo-Lozada shared that ALA conducted a study in March 2022 that documented that 71% of voters across party lines opposed book bans in public libraries. She argued that a vocal minority should not threaten the intellectual freedom of the majority and urged people to write letters to the editor and to sign up and join Unite Against Book Bans. Nossel stated that though overwhelmingly Americans reject book banning as a tactic, the banning process is broader than the public might realize. She added that the solution is mobilizing and organizing people on the ground. It is typically not a national organization that is going to be the best voice. It is going to be parents and educators and students from local communities. The panel concluded with concrete suggestions on how to fight censorship. Finan suggested joining the Unite Against Book Bans campaign to learn about challenges and to report cases in communities and to support local bookstores during Banned Books Week. Scales urged students to get involved as advocates and activists. Kananiopua Pelayo-Lozada advised being proactive and not waiting until challenges emerge. Nossel recommended that supporters network, organize, join organizations, and get activated. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and Representative Raul Grijalva (D-AZ-03) have once again introduced the Right to Read Act, which would, among its provisions, ensure all U.S. students have access to a school library staffed by a certified school librarian. The bill was first introduced in October 2022, but failed to advance through a lame-duck Congress. Among the bill's provisions, the Right to Read Act would authorize up to $500 million in Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grants as well as increase the authorization for the Innovative Approaches to Literacy program to $100 million, a significant bump from the $28 million currently proposed for FY2023. The legislation would also invest in "recruiting and retaining state-certified school librarians," and "school library staff working to broaden access to library collections." Crucially, the legislation also reaffirms that "First Amendment rights apply to school libraries" and seeks to extend "liability protections" to teachers and school librarians. That measure is a direct response to the ongoing surge of book bans and educational gag orders disproportionately targeting titles involving issues of race and the LGBTQ+ community and in some cases threatening librarians and teachers with fines, jail time, or job loss for providing access to books. According to the U.S. Department of Education, as many as 2.5 million students are enrolled in districts where there are no school libraries, and some 30% of students do not have access to full time school librarians, noted a release from Reed and Grijalva. The release also acknowledged the wave of book bans in states across the nation. "School libraries are most effective when they offer resources that resonate, engage, and empower students," the statement reads, "however, 37 states have enacted bans on books that disproportionately limit access to titles with LGBTQ+ characters and characters of color." ALA officials praised the bill's reintroduction. The Right to Read Act stands up against disinvestment and censorship in school libraries... "National Library Week and School Library Month is a fitting time to spotlight how school librarians bridge the gap between access and opportunity for all learners," said ALA president Lessa Kananiopua Pelayo-Lozada, in a statement. "The Right to Read Act stands up against disinvestment and censorship in school libraries and recognizes that every school library should be staffed by a state-certified school librarian. Strong school libraries staffed by school librarians lead to stronger teachers and greater academic achievement. ALA applauds Senator Jack Reed and Representative Raul Grijalva for introducing the Right to Read Act. Kathy Lester, school librarian at East Middle School in Plymouth, Mich., and the current president of the American Association of School Librarians, a division of ALA, also applauded the bill. "AASL fully supports the Right to Read Act of 2023 and thanks Senator Reed, Representative Grijalva and their staff for recognizing that an effective school library is essential for student success, Lester said in a statement. AASL believes that all students have the right to read freely and deserve equitable access to a school library staffed by a state-certified school librarian. Administrators, teachers, parents and students rely on school librarians for access to professionally curated resources that meet the needs of the entire learning community. Just as importantly, certified school librarians create a welcoming environment for all students, develop a school-wide culture of reading, teach information literacy and digital literacy skills, and lead meaningful technology integration in their schools." The European Commission will ban Ukrainian grain and oilseeds exports to Romania until June 5, 2023, for Agriculture and Rural Development of Romania Petre Daea has said. "Negotiations with the states are still ongoing. Romania will be protected through a European Commission decision, and will receive compensation for farmers," Petre Daea was quoted by Sky News after meetings in Brussels and Luxembourg. Slovakia, Poland and Hungary halted imports of grain and other food products from Ukraine to protect its farmers. With access to its own Black Sea ports blocked and later limited by Russia's invasion, Ukraine, one of the world's leading grain exporters, has had to find alternative shipping routes through neighbouring states. "This has led to millions of tonnes of grains and oilseeds, cheaper than those produced in the European Union and exempt from customs tax, ending up in Central and Eastern Europe," the newspaper wrote. Local farmers have complained that demand and prices of local products have become distorted as a result. The European Commission made concessions to countries which farmers suffered from surpluses of agricultural goods from Ukraine, agreed to ban the import of Ukrainian sunflower oil to Ukraine bordering countries, preserving its transit, and provided EUR 100 million to cover the losses of farmers. Some 2,279 Ukrainian men and women, both military and civilian, were returned from Russian captivity during the full-scale war, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. "I want to thank our entire team that deals with exchanges. Today, 44 more people from Russian captivity managed to return home to Ukraine. Most of them are military in different directions. Two civilians In general, 2,279 Ukrainians men and women have already been returned from Russian captivity during the full-scale war," the president said in an evening video message. As Zelenskyy stressed, Ukraine must return all its people from captivity. At the same time, he thanked all the Ukrainian soldiers on the front line who are collecting replenishment for the exchange fund, as well as government agencies involved in the return of Ukrainians home. "Every Russian prisoner is an opportunity to exchange our man. We remember everyone. And even if there is no accurate information about a particular person about what happened to him, where he may be such a person is still being searched for and everything is checked as much as possible. Ukraine must return all its own. Even if it is especially difficult - as, in particular, for some categories of prisoners. And these are not only prisoners of war who are difficult to return, but also civilian prisoners. This is one of those categories for which it is difficult. It's really difficult," the head of state said. Shown, a school district outside Phoenix where a third of students are Latino. There, one-size-fits-all, "equity" education is out -- and gifted students succeed, educators say. April 26, 2023 By Vince Bielski , RealClearInvestigationsApril 26, 2023 Nicos prospects were already looking dicey in the second grade. Raised by his Latina grandmother in a Spanish-speaking home, he was a witty boy whose clowning got him branded as a troublemaker in an Arizona public school outside Phoenix. But Nico was saved from this downward spiral by an unlikely intervention a test given to all third graders. Scoring in the 97th percentile, Nico was placed with other gifted kids and challenged academically like never before, providing him desperately needed focus. By fifth grade in 2021, according to Karen Brown, director of gifted services at Paradise Valley Unified School District, the class clown had become a class leader and was elected to the Student Council. Karen Brown, gifted ed director in Arizona: It works because teachers can truly target instruction after we provide that narrowed range in classrooms." The boys turnaround wasnt a fluke at Paradise Valley. Its one of a small number of districts nationwide using an innovative approach to organizing classrooms. Elementary students are placed in six different groups based on ability and then are carefully mixed together in classrooms in ways that shrink the huge achievement gaps among them that make teaching so hard. This orchestration of students allows teachers to tailor instruction so all students are challenged and can advance more quickly. And they typically do. The model, called schoolwide cluster grouping, is a counterpoint to todays prevalent ideology on education pushed by social justice advocates. They oppose most forms of ability grouping, from gifted programs to selective schools, arguing that all students should learn together, no matter their wide range of abilities. The mashed-up classroom in their view is the best way to ensure an equal education and avoid locking black and Latino kids into low performing ability tracks, a widespread practice only a few decades ago. But many teachers say the result of this approach classrooms where five grade levels of ability or more separate students makes effective instruction impossible. They liken it to emergency room triage. Higher performing students are typically shortchanged, as teachers trust them to fend for themselves. The upshot is if the students are getting an equal education, its often an equally poor one. Last year, New York City officials bowed to pressure from advocates and ended selective admissions to most of the citys middle schools. Earlier, Seattle dropped its gifted program of accelerated instruction. Theres a backlash. Districts are seeing a problem with underrepresentation in their gifted programs and say, Lets just get rid of them, and thats a problem, says Matt Fugate, an academic expert in gifted education who consults with districts. They should be saying, How do we make the programs more equitable? In minority-heavy Paradise Valley, "cluster grouping" can identify more as gifted and give them a leg up. Paradise Valley and some other districts have done just that. At Paradise Valley, Brown says, test scores have gone up for students in all ability groups since it adopted the model. Whats more, in a district thats about one-third Latino, a much larger percentage of kids like Nico are being identified as gifted, which can dramatically improve the trajectory of their education. It works because teachers can truly target instruction after we provide that narrowed range in classrooms, Brown says. The model plays a key role in allowing us to address the learning of all students. The model has taken root in states such as Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, South Carolina, and Texas, where progressive educators have less influence and where gifted programs get more support. The Vail School District near Tucson began the program in 2018, and after fifth graders showed improved performance on a cognitive abilities test, officials are expanding it to three more elementary schools, says Christine In-Albon, the director of gifted and advanced learning. The Trotwood-Madison district in Ohio is aiming for the same kind of academic growth when it debuts the ability grouping program in kindergarten through third grade this fall. Customized Instruction The model was first developed by the late Purdue University Professor Marcia Gentry, a prominent scholar on gifted education. She traced the idea back to her own experience of boredom in an easy Michigan high school where she was the valedictorian. Later, as a middle school teacher, she created a gifted program for students who wanted to be challenged. Marcia Gentry: Pioneered total school cluster grouping back in the 1990s. Then, in pursuing her Ph.D., she developed the hypothesis that all students, not just the gifted, would benefit academically if they were put in ability groups so teachers could customize instruction for them. Gentry called the model total school cluster grouping and tested it. Her 1999 study compared two low-income elementary schools over three years in Michigan. In the school that grouped all students by ability, a significant increase in achievement test scores was found when compared to students in the control school, Gentry and her co-author wrote. Paradise Valley in 2006 was one of the first districts in the country to adopt the model, albeit a slightly modified version. Dina Brulles, who developed and ran the program at Paradise Valley until last year, is the gifted program coordinator at Arizona State University. Heres how it works: Elementary students are evaluated each year for placement in one of six ability groups: Gifted, above average, average, low average, low, and special needs. Next, classrooms are pieced together, often with students from three groups to reduce their vast achievement gaps. So gifted kids and low performers are not put together. A typical set up: above average, low average and low. Motivating students is a guiding principle of classroom design: Gifted and above average students are never mixed in classrooms to allow the latter to shine instead of being overshadowed by the brightest minds. The diligent above-average students emerge as role models for lower achievers, a position for which some gifted kids are not well suited. These mixed classrooms also seek to avoid the stigmatization that arose when schools placed students into easy-to-identify high, medium, and low tracked-classrooms in the 1980s and later. At Paradise Valley, students are not told which ability group they belong to, although some likely figure it out. Scores Rise at Paradise Valley The program appealed to Paradise Valley because its a cost saver: Districts can address the academic needs of gifted kids, which Arizona and some other states require, without creating a costly stand-alone program and hiring new teachers. Instead, gifted students remain within the regular pool of students as one of six ability groups. Before beginning the program, Paradise Valley was in a bit of a funk. Many elementary students werent achieving the academic growth sought by the district. Gifted students in particular were unchallenged and disengaged in class and barely grew over the school year. In state testing, the performance of Paradise Valley school district (dotted outline) topped a neighboring district by a wide margin. A small group of Paradise Valley principals, eager to try something new, raised their hands to be the first to test the program at their schools. After only a year, they were thrilled to see that test scores in reading and math rose across the board. That prompted the rest of the districts 30 elementary schools to quickly sign up, Brown, the gifted director, says. Test scores rose in these schools too. The district wants every student to master a years worth of material before moving to the next grade. Now, about 75% of students on average get there, an increase that coincides with schoolwide cluster grouping. We dont always see this growth with every student, and when we see a year where we dipped, we go back and fix that, Brown says. Paradise Valley also measures itself against other Phoenix area districts with similar student demographics: half white, a third Latino and a third low income. Its passing rates on a 2022 state test, for instance, topped neighboring Peoria Unified by a wide margin: 56% vs. 42% in English, and 48% vs. 36% in math. Latino students are a significant part of Paradise Valleys progress. Amid criticism that gifted programs nationwide enroll too few kids from low-income families, the district revamped the way it finds these students as part of its switch to the grouping model. In the past, the district relied on parents to nominate their kids for testing, which meant the pool was mostly white and Asian. Now teachers are trained to spot behaviors associated with gifted students they can be impatient with repetitive instruction, dismissive with a roll of their eyes, and intensely perfectionistic and more Latinos are now being evaluated. The district also decided to bear the costs of testing all students in one grade each year to find gifted kids who otherwise go unnoticed. At 23 of Paradise Valleys 30 elementary schools, there is now equal representation: The percentage of Latinos in gifted clusters mirrors the schools overall demographics a feat thats hard for most schools to match. Four other schools are closing in on that mark and the remaining three are making progress, Brown says. Ability Grouping and Its Discontents Although the data doesnt lie, critics find fault with the basic premise of reengineering classrooms around academic abilities. The influential scholar Jeannie Oakes, whose research at UCLA focused on inequality in education, says students have too many diverse characteristics to accurately divide them neatly into homogenous ability groups for tailored instruction. A child can be exceptional in English but years behind in math. So customizing instruction based on faulty assessments may limit rather than expand the possibilities for learning, Oakes told the advocacy group Learning for Justice. Julie Voeller, third-grade teacher: The ability range is still wide, but classrooms are more manageable. Ability grouping labels, like low average, can also become self-fulfilling prophecies because these students receive less challenging work and less is expected of them, says Allison Roda, a professor of education at Molloy University who researched gifted program admissions in New York City. The model isnt worth pursuing. Its better to put all the students together, and if they are given high expectations, they will rise to the occasion. Julie Voeller, who teaches third grade at Paradise Valley, doesnt agree. She says the program is popular among teachers in the district because it makes the classroom more manageable, giving them time to address the different needs of students. The ability range is still wide. For a lesson on World War II that started with reading a text, Voeller assigned her gifted group an essay requiring students to think empathically about how they would feel if their parents went off to war. One student wrote about feeling anguished at the absence of the father, showing a remarkable vocabulary for a third grader. The rest of the class, made up of average and below average groups, was given multiple choice questions. Some needed help from Voeller to find the answers in the text. But lower performers are also allowed to tackle the tougher assignments, like the essay, and some do. But they are not graded on them. When children fall behind, Voeller says, the program makes the problem easier to fix. After a math quiz revealed that 75% of her students were on track with fractions, which wasnt a surprise in a classroom with gifted students in the mix, Voeller could quickly pivot to the small number of kids that needed a little extra help. If she also had the weakest students in her class, which would be the case in a typical U.S. classroom, they would need a more robust intervention. Like most teachers, Voeller would turn her attention to the students who are furthest behind, leaving others who also need help in the lurch. Because I dont have to focus on every type of student at once, I can give my students what they need so they hit the standards, she says. A Rocky Rollout in Texas But as some districts discover, the sweeping changes required of the model are hard to pull off. Consider the Richardson Independent district, located north of Dallas. Monica Simonds, advanced ed director outside Dallas: Teachers "hate the model because it was a training nightmare." As the rollout began in 2020, the biggest challenge came into focus teachers. They can make or break most education reforms, and ability grouping requires them to do more. Each spring, teachers must evaluate the performance of every student for placement in an ability group because, year-to-year, they may improve enough to move up to a higher group. Thats a goal of the program. Then theres the training of teachers, which may be the most important piece of all. They need to learn how to customize instruction to students of different abilities, which requires more effort than just giving everyone in class the same assignment. They also need specialized training in how to work with gifted kids, whose learning process differs from general education students. Richardson decided to hit the pause button on the training requirement on concern that teachers would be overwhelmed by the workload. Instead, only 30 teachers were trained in gifted ed to serve as consultants to the districts 40 elementary schools. I don't need to make enemies of teachers who hate the model because it was a training nightmare, says Monica Simonds, director of advanced learning programs and services. The lack of training adds to the challenge of getting schools to buy into the program. At Richardson, many schools are enthusiastic, a handful are resisting it, and about a third are struggling mostly because of behavior issues among students who dont like to be grouped together. Simonds sees these challenges as growing pains that are part of any big transformation. Sometimes people say, It's just an initiative and it'll go away, she says. But when we implement something, we implement it because it has got data behind it. I don't want to change paths. Major Study, Mixed Results The largest study of the program so far, involving more than 70 schools, underscores Richardsons experience of tough sledding. The federally funded and large-scale study was undertaken by Marcia Gentry, who died in 2022, and colleagues to further investigate the programs effect on academic performance. While researchers are now analyzing data and aim to publish results this year, co-author and Purdue University Professor Nielsen Pereira offered a preview into some of the studys findings. In the first wave of 31 schools that joined the study, only six implement the program with a high degree of fidelity to its standards for sorting students into groups, training teachers, and tailoring instruction. Fifteen schools did a pretty good job, and ten scored low on fidelity. Nielsen Pereira, previewing the major study he co-authored: It shows how difficult it is for schools to make this type of change." It shows how difficult it is for schools to make this type of change, Pereira says. It takes time and effort of everyone, administrators and teachers, who are always busy. But theres an upside for the schools that execute total school cluster grouping in its entirety. Pereira says he is cautiously optimistic that data will show that these school achieved an increase in academic growth of students in all ability groups, and importantly, in the percentage of black and Latino kids found to be gifted. The benefits of identifying these young students can be enormous for their future. At Paradise Valley, Meghan, a Native American with family on the Navajo reservation, kept a low profile in school, partly because her culture frowns on grandstanding. Then an elementary art teacher noticed her advanced spatial skills and asked the district to test her. Meghan qualified and was placed in the gifted cluster, which taught her the importance of perseverance when faced with more challenging studies. She began to excel, and in high school her life took a dramatic turn. She won a scholarship to an elite university in California, where she now studies graphic design. In 2021, Ed Gainey was elected mayor of Pittsburgh. His campaign was funded in part by SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, which made a generous $350,000 donation more than all other contributors combined. SEIU Healthcare PA knew what it was paying for when it made this investment a strong bargaining chip to force the citys largest employer, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), to unionize its employees. SEIU Healthcare has had its sights set on UPMC employees for more than a decade but has so far been unable to close the deal with its prospective members. Thanks to the unions generous investment in Mayor Gaineys campaign, however, its luck at UPMC may change, bringing in thousands of new dues-payers to line the union leaders coffers. SEIU leaders now hold key posts in Mayor Gaineys administration. Silas Russell, SEIU Healthcare executive vice president and political director, co-chaired Gaineys transition team. Maria Montano, former SEIU Healthcare communications director, is now Gaineys press secretary. And Lisa Frank, former SEIU vice president and director of strategic communications, is now the city of Pittsburghs chief operating officer. Emails uncovered through right-to-know requests by CBS Pittsburgh reveal that Russell provided the mayor with union-generated talking points ahead of a meeting last year with UPMC officials. What does all this mean for Pennsylvanians who rely on UPMC for their medical services? After talks between UPMC and Gaineys office broke down when the hospital rebuffed SEIUs unionization efforts, the mayor has declined to attend any UPMC construction or opening events a not-so-subtle display of hostility against one of the largest employers in the Commonwealth. Gainey has also walked away from a $40 million commitment from UPMC to fund city initiatives such as public works and maintenance projects. Thats a big number were leaving on the table right now, said Pittsburgh City Controller Michael Lamb. And we cant just walk away from that. On behalf of the citizens and taxpayers of this town, weve got to engage, and weve got to have conversations and continued conversations with our largest employer. According to Frank, The unions job is the unions job and the mayors job is the mayors job. But arent they really one and the same when the mayor was bankrolled by the union and seems to be doing its bidding, even at the expense of his own constituents? Could Gainey be trying to help make up for public-sector union losses by forcing SEIU unionization on a large regional hospital that has rejected it for years? While its not clear who will prevail between the mayor/SEIU Healthcare PA and UPMC, the clear winners are not the taxpayers of Pittsburgh, who likely just want a well-run healthcare center without more bureaucracy or union mandates getting in the way of their medical needs. Unions have been targeting other big-city elections in order to exert power over their cities public works institutions and to push unionization among city employees. In early April, Chicago elected a proud Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) operative Brandon Johnson as its new mayor. CTU pumped in a historic $2.3 million to get Johnson elected, and hes already denounced school choice and charter schools, while working to end a program that provides education-choice scholarships to low-income students. On election night, the newly elected mayor was introduced at his own victory party by CTU president Stacy Davis Gates. American Federation of Teachers (AFT) president Randi Weingarten tweeted, as she is wont to do, that the impossible became possible in praise of their newly installed agent. Now, the Philadelphia mayoral race is heating up between the remaining Democratic primary challengers, each parroting Big Labor talking points about expanding unionization for hourly employees, bragging about their use of unionized labor in their own private-sector careers, and promising to be champions for unions and protect Philadelphia as a union city. It appears that each mayoral prospect in Phillys Democratic primary promises a victory for unions. If Pittsburgh is any indication, taxpayers and those desperately in need of vital services wont be the winners. 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Were strengthening the Ukraine-U.S. partnership on the justice front. Appreciate the opportunity to discuss potential avenues of cooperation in person with FBI Director Christopher Wray, Kostin said on Twitter Thursday. Students flowed in and out of the Tate Theatre on Saturday afternoon for the third annual Elevate Film Festival, hosted by the Black Theatrical Ensemble at the University of Georgia. After the films were screened, a formal awards ceremony was held on Sunday at the Georgia Museum of Art to celebrate all of the achievements and announce the winners for several categories, from Best Director to Best Picture. The festival is not only an opportunity for students to show their short films to the public and be awarded for their hard work, but it is also specifically designed to showcase minority talent in the field of filmmaking. Banks do extensive investigation before declaring an account fraud; they owe it to us as they deal with our money. Why would they try to fix an innocent borrower? asks Tamal Bandyopadhyay. What do Zoom Developers Pvt Ltd, Sterling Biotech Ltd, Kingfisher Airlines Ltd, Dewan Housing Finance Corp Ltd, Reliance Communications Ltd and Srei Infrastructure Finance Ltd have in common? They are a few among thousands of fraud accounts on the books of Indian banks. Different banks have attached the fraud tag to these accounts between FY2012 and FY2023. The amount varies but the money involved in each case is at least Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion). The banking industry reported 9,102 frauds involving an amount of Rs 60,389 crore (Rs 603.89 billion) in FY2022 against 7,358 frauds and Rs 1.37 trillion in FY2021 and 8,702 frauds and Rs 1.85 trillion in FY2020. In 2019, the value of money involved in bank frauds was Rs 1.9 trillion and the number 8,700. About 86 per cent of these cases were large-value corporate frauds worth over Rs 50 crore (Rs 500 million) each. For the first time, the June 2017 Financial Stability Report of the Reserve Bank of India spoke about the growing volume and value of bank frauds and described it as 'one of the emerging risks to the financial sector'. It highlighted the 'general credit governance issues' and referred to serious gaps in credit underwriting, alongside the lack of continuous monitoring of cash flows and cash profits, the diversion of funds and double financing. At the moment, banks give an opportunity of hearing to wilful defaulters but not fraudsters. Now, fraudsters too will get the opportunity for natural justice, but things are unlikely to change. Who will admit to committing a fraud? Two years later, the June 2019 Financial Stability Report blamed delayed detection for the rise in frauds and pointed out that 90.6 per cent of the frauds reported in FY2019 were related to cases that happened between 2000 and 2018. And in December 2018, the RBI flagged frauds as the 'most serious concern' in managing risk in the Indian banking system. Even my aunt is aware of this. Why are we talking about bank frauds? What's new about them? In the last week of March, India's highest court held that the borrowers must be given a hearing before classifying an account as fraud. The Supreme Court verdict relates to the RBI's 2016 circular, which allowed banks to declare wilful defaulters as fraud. A wilful defaulter is one who has the capacity to service bank loans but does not do so. Fund diversion also makes one a wilful defaulter. While it upholds a 2020 high court judgment, the apex court is against a unilateral declaration of fraud by banks without a hearing. As a precondition to classify a bank defaulter as fraud, a hearing is a must to record the reasons for declaring an account as fraud. Declaration of fraud has severe penal and civil consequences, including 'blacklisting' the borrower from accessing institutional finance. Clearly, the objective of the judgment is to prevent banks from exercising powers arbitrarily. This master circular, issued in 2016 under Section 35 A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, allowed banks to unilaterally classify accounts of wilful defaulters as fraudulent. The point to note is that all fraud accounts are wilful defaulters but not all wilful defaulters are fraudsters. The circular was updated a year later in July 2017. Rajesh Agarwal, promoter of B S Ltd, engaged in power transmission and distribution, passive telecom infrastructure, renewable energy and mineral resources, challenged this in the Telangana high court. The RBI and India's largest lender, the State Bank of India, moved the Supreme Court against the high court order. Apart from hurting the borrowers' ability to raise fresh credit if banks use the right to declare them frauds arbitrarily (the declaration is 'tantamount to blacklisting of borrowers from accessing institutional finance'), the circular violates the principles of natural justice. This seems to be the basis of the Supreme Court judgment even though the lenders find the circular handy for early detection of fraud. Will this judgment dramatically change the credit landscape? Let's first take a look at the current procedure of fraud detection. # Going by Section 447 of the Companies Act 2013, fraud includes any act of omission and commission and concealment of facts to gain undue advantage. # The date of branding an account as a fraud account is the date on which the fraud is committed. # The date of detection of all frauds of at least Rs 100 crore in a bank's book refers to the date of approval by the managing director or executive director of a bank after a committee of executives places it before the top management. # The fraud monitoring group of a bank is deeply involved in the process. The red-flagged accounts, or RFAs, are immediately uploaded on the RBI's Central Repository of Information on Large Credits, or CRILC, platform. The banks supply data in real time for all loans of Rs 5 crore and above to CRILC, which was set up in June 2014. For accounts turning bad, the data is weekly, while standard accounts are reported monthly. # Six months after red-flagging the account, if there is no change in status, the fraud declaration takes place. # Typically, banks use forensic experts as well as external auditors besides internal auditors in the process. The forensic audit is completed in three months. (Incidentally, a Department of Financial Services [DFS] notification of the finance ministry, dated February 27, 2018, to public sector bank [PSB] chiefs says that 'all accounts exceeding Rs 50 crore, if classified as NPAs, shall simultaneously be examined by banks from the angle of possible fraud'. The letter, carrying the subject line 'Framework for timely detection, reporting, investigation, etc. relating to large value bank frauds', says, 'In case, an account turns NPA, banks shall be required to seek a report on the borrower from CEIB (Central Economic Intelligence Bureau) and such report would be furnished by CEIB within one week of receipt of request from the bank.' This particular letter refers to an earlier DFS letter, written on May 13, 2015, which put the 'overall responsibility for ensuring compliance' on all these criteria with the chief of a PSB.) # Banks do file FIR against frauds. Also, they move the central investigative agency (CBI) for such cases. # Finally, incidents of frauds are not restricted to plain-vanilla borrowing accounts -- be it retail and corporate loans. They also include cyber frauds. The dynamics of bank fraud is changing. The number of frauds related to advances has been on a decline, while cybercrime -- card- or internet-based transactions -- is on the rise. Of course, in terms of size, they cannot compete with corporate frauds such as the Rs 22,842 crore (Rs 228,42 billion) fraud of ABG Shipyard Ltd involving SBI and 27 other lenders and the Rs 11,400 crore (Rs 114 billion) fraud that has hit the Punjab National Bank. At the moment, banks give the opportunity of hearing to the wilful defaulters but not to fraudsters. Once the system of giving the fraudsters a hearing (this means, issuing a show-cause notice) is in place, things are unlikely to change. Who will admit to committing a fraud? Banks do extensive investigation before declaring an account fraud; they owe it to us as they deal with our money. Why would they try to fix an innocent borrower? Barring a few exceptions, the new system will, at best, delay the process, and the court cases after declaring an account fraud will continue. Incidentally, the Supreme Court has said that a borrower need not be given an opportunity of being heard before registering an FIR. Tamal Bandyopadhyay is a consulting editor, Business Standard and senior adviser to Jana Small Finance Bank Ltd. The murder of Atiq and his brother and the police encounter with his son have raised many questions about the propriety of how crime is tackled by the Yogi government. But Yogi knows he has the support of the people who are fed up with crime holding the state to ransom for decades, asserts Ramesh Menon. IMAGE: Gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf moments before they were shot dead in police custody in Prayagraj, April 15, 2023. Photograph: PTI Photo While human rights activists and the Opposition were critical of the manner in which Uttar Pradesh gangsters Atiq Ahmed, his brother Ashraf Ahmed and Atiq's son Asad were shot dead, people in the state justified it, saying that they were hardened criminals and were brought to justice by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's government when the law failed. This is not a new sentiment in the state. The man on the street in any town in UP will tell you this. Criminals have dominated the state's politics for decades now. It started with the Congress and then every party in the state that was in power went to bed with them. Every party has its share of criminals contesting and winning elections. It is a sad commentary on how the system failed to convict criminals and how commoners got comfortable with unconstitutional methods of getting them eliminated, like police encounters. In the last assembly elections, Adityanath used bulldozers in election rallies to push the point that he would bulldoze the houses of criminals and those who broke the law. It got him votes. That the BJP under him swept the elections is a telling reminder of the times and realities we live in. He beat incumbency as the voter saw him taking action while criminal cases in the courts dragged on for years. Ultimately, in most of the cases, criminals walked free as all the witnesses turned hostile as they feared for their lives. In October 2022, Adityanath at a meeting organised by the Union ministry of home affairs, said no criminal engaged in organised crime could now roam freely in his state. The meeting was attended by chief ministers, home ministers, lieutenant governors and administrators of Union Territories. Adityanath stressed that there was a new sense of security that women, weaker sections, and businessmen experienced due to strict action by the police. Atiq had nearly 100 cases registered against him that covered numerous heinous crimes like murder, kidnapping, and extortion. He grew rapidly. He had started off by stealing coal from rail wagons and selling it. He committed his first murder when he was just 17. That was in 1979. It was only this year that he got convicted in the kidnapping case of Umesh Pal, who was then allegedly murdered by Asad. Umesh Pal was a key witness to the murder of Raju Pal, who was a BSP MLA. He was allegedly murdered by Atiq because he had dared to contest elections against his brother. After the murder, his brother contested from the same seat and won. Asad had a bounty on his head as he was one of the wanted criminals. As he did not surrender, he was killed in a police encounter. Ashraf was accused of allegedly kidnapping two minor girls who were repeatedly raped at gunpoint. He also had a long career, like his brother, in the criminal world and was a much feared figure. Numerous gangsters like Hari Shankar Tiwari had a chequered political career as ministers with the BJP, SP, and BSP. He could even win an election while he was in prison. In the 1980s, the trend of criminals entering politics started with Tiwari contesting and winning. Then, all political parties started wooing criminals with tickets as they had clout and money power. Criminals had sway in the social and political life of the state for ages. They used their criminal background to catapult into powerful positions in public life. That Atiq was a former MLA for five terms and also a member of Parliament eloquently speaks of the power criminals wield. He got elected from the Phulpur Lok Sabha constituency, that was once held by Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Vishwanath Pratap Singh. That should signal the kind of politics that has changed along with the voters in the state. Atif was in fact wooed by political parties like the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, and the Apna Dal, which is now an ally of the BJP in the central government. This gave him a kind of 'immunity' and validated his kind of life, where he was involved in brazen crimes. Till now, property worth Rs 416 crore (Rs 4.16 billion) of Atiq and family has been seized by the state. Property of various criminals worth over Rs 2,500 crore (Rs 25 billion) has been seized and demolished Atiq Ahmed's life was punctuated with crime from an early age. His criminal life started when he was just 17. But he continued uninterrupted on his journey, smiling into television cameras with a certain gumption that few of his ilk had. He knew his political connections and money power would see him through. It did. However, it all came to a gory end when three young men shot him and his brother in front of media personnel when he was ostensibly being taken late at night for a medical checkup by a posse of policemen. Television cameras documented the murder. IMAGE: A forensic team at the spot where Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were shot dead. Photograph: PTI Photo The Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, and the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen had given him tickets to contest elections. While they were quick to condemn the murder, they were silent about the criminal records that the brothers had built over the years. According to an analysis by the polling body, the Association for Democratic Reforms, of the affidavits of 45 politicians in UP who were inducted as ministers, half of them have criminal cases lodged against them, and most of them are serious ones. In that sense, UP stands out like no other state, as lawmakers with criminal antecedents are going to decide the future of the state. That is why when Adityanath, who has little patience for democratic norms, told the assembly that he would reduce criminals to dust, he got a lot of public support. A guard from UP who works at a Pune guest house, could not contain his excitement when he excitedly said, "Yogi baba will not allow any criminals to survive in the state. We can now live in peace." Politicians like Asaduddin Owaisi, a MP from Hyderabad, chose to use the occasion not to talk of Atiq's criminal past, but of the fact that he was targeted as he was a Muslim. Yogi's officers were quick to point out that out of 66 identified gangsters that the state wants to prosecute for crimes, only 13 were Muslims, and of the 183 police encounters, only 32 percent were Muslim. The underworld that brazenly worked overground had in many ways been responsible for the state's economy not picking up as industry and businesses were scared to invest. Wanting to attract investments, especially in his second term, Yogi is keen to change the image of the state, which has been identified with lawlessness, crime, communalism, political violence, corruption, and police brutality. As Atif and Ashraf were shot dead in full public view in front of journalists and policemen who were supposed to guard them, it has been embarrassing for Yogi. He has now set up an investigation into how that happened. But no one expects it to come out with any spectacular discoveries, as violence has often been fuelled by political parties or gang lords, who often get away without being punished. It is not going to be easy to change this image. Such is the fear in the state that ten judges recused themselves from hearing Atif's bail plea in 2012. IMAGE: A Walther P88 7.63 bore pistol the police claim to have recovered from Atiq's son Asad who was killed in an encounter by the Uttar Pradesh police's special task force, April 13, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo Yogi needs to create employment opportunities for youngsters to be engaged with building their lives and not look up at gang lords to take to crime. The three youngsters involved in killing Atiq and Ashraf were from poor backgrounds, were not able to access good education or get jobs. Poverty and inequality, caste discrimination, and injustice are other factors that have fuelled crime. Caste has played a major role, as many criminals came from the higher castes and could sway the vote bank and also ensure that they did not have any stiff opposition in the electoral contest. The murder of Atiq and his brother and the police encounter with his son have raised many questions about the propriety of how crime is tackled by the Yogi government. But Yogi knows he has the support of the people who are fed up with crime holding the state to ransom for decades. However, he will have to restore the faith and credibility of the police if he wants to take his war with criminals to a logical conclusion. Ramesh Menon, award-winning journalist, educator, documentary film-maker and corporate trainer, is the author of Modi Demystified: The Making Of A Prime Minister. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com 'The situation in India is much more grave and serious than all of us think.' 'That's why it's important to defeat the BJP in 2024.' IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra D Modi, flanked by Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, left, and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, right, at the inauguration of various projects, in Thiruvananthapuram, April 25, 2023. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, second from left, and Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor, right, are also seen. Photograph: PTI Photo In 2022, M V Govindan -- popularly known as Govindan Master -- took over as the secretary of the Communist Party of India-Marxist. Becoming the CPI-M's state secretary is considered a very powerful assignment as the party is in power only in Kerala. "2025 is the 100th year of the RSS. If the BJP were to come back to power in 2024, they will declare India as a Hindu Rashtra in 2025," Govindan Master tells Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier in an exclusive interview at the party office in Thiruvanathapuram, the AKG Centre. The concluding segment of a two-part interview: Part 1 of the Interview: 'BJP will never conquer Kerala' When the BJP started its outreach programme, many leaders from the church expressed their eagerness to meet Modi... Some prominent leaders from the church said that if the BJP took care of the price of rubber, they would vote for the party. I agree the BJP is trying hard to win the Christian community. The BJP had just 12% vote share in the last assembly elections. And now they are trying to woo those communities that have voted for the Congress. In the local elections, the BJP voters voted for the Congress to defeat the Communist party. What is happening in Kerala is the BJP votes for the Congress and the Congress votes for the BJP to defeat us. I will go on to say that the Congress is shedding its secular colours by doing this. IMAGE: Modi meets leaders of various Christian organisations at the Taj Malabar hotel in Kochi, April 24, 2023. Photograph: PTI Photo Do you think the slow disintegration of the Congress is the reason behind the BJP's unprecedented rise? What we are seeing is today's Congress is becoming tomorrow's BJP. That's why we see A K Antony's son joining the BJP. Even the KPCC president is making many prominent Congress leaders to go to the BJP sooner or later. What is the strategy of the Communist parties to counter the BJP's minority outreach programmes? We have no special strategy except make the people of Kerala see the truth. Slogans like 30 plus, Target Kerala or Rule Kerala will not have any impact here. We are not worried about the BJP at all. Communalism was never a part of Kerala's history. Secularism is the face of Kerala. So, anyone trying to make Kerala communal will be rejected outright by the people of Kerala. They have the minority outreach programme as if they have all the Hindus in their pocket! Majority of the Hindus in Kerala vote for the CPI-M and not the BJP or the RSS. IMAGE: Locals at Modi's roadshow. Photograph: PTI Photo The talk is that the BJP will come back to power in 2024 as the Opposition is fragmented. Is there a chance of all the Opposition parties coming together under one umbrella? Opposition unity is a very complex issue in India ever since the Congress's dominance ended. The Congress had only 44 seats in the last Lok Sabha elections. Are there any seats in Kerala where the Congress will win without the support of its UDF partners? Even in Wayanad from where Rahul Gandhi won, will the Congress win without the support of the Muslim League? No. So, Kerala is not a state from where the Congress can win on its own. Take Tamil Nadu. Without the DMK, they can't win a seat. Is there a Congress in Telangana or Andhra or Odisha or Bengal or UP or Gujarat or Bihar or Maharashtra? In Rajasthan, they are fighting against each other. So, can you name a single state where the Congress has a strong presence? Nationally, the Congress will not be able to defeat the BJP. In such a scenario, what should be done? What we, the CPI-M say is that you should take each state as a unit. And in each state, you should unify all the anti-BJP parties to fight the BJP in the elections so that the anti-BJP votes are not divided. We should select the party and the candidate for each constituency based on the strength of the party. This will yield better results than trying for a united Opposition at the national level. If we try this method, we will be able to defeat the BJP. After all, the BJP had only 37% vote share in the last elections. We have to see to it that the 63% votes are not divided. Why did they get so many seats with just 37% vote share? Because the opposing votes are divided. We should work so that Oposition votes are not divided. Once the defeat of the major party is achieved, we should be able to form a government. IMAGE: M V Govindan, Kerala secretary, Communist Party of India-Marxist. Photograph: Kind courtesy M V Govindan If the BJP were to come back to power in 2024? 2025 is the 100th year of the RSS. If the BJP were to come back to power in 2024, they will declare India as a Hindu Rashtra in 2025. The Uniform Civil Code and CAA are all a part of the same idea. If you cannot make people accept this democratically, they will force it on the citizens which only fascism can do. The situation in India is much more grave and serious than all of us think. That's why it's important to defeat the BJP in 2024. If people did not come forward to do so, the idea of India itself will be destroyed in 2025. But if you look at the history of the world, you will see that fascism did not last forever. People rose democratically to put an end to fascism. In India also, people should realise that the path of the BJP is towards fascism. Only if they realise this, we will be able to make a change. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday said he had suggested Barsu as an alternative site for the refinery complex proposed in Nanar, both in Ratnagiri in Maharashtra's Konkan region, but would have moved ahead with it only after taking the people there in confidence had he continued as chief minister. IMAGE: Shiv Sena-UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray addresses the 55th annual general meeting of the Bharatiya Kamgar Sena, Prabhadevi, in Mumbai, April 27, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo Thackeray, whose Maha Vikas Aghadi government fell after a rebellion in June last year by his cabinet colleague Eknath Shinde, who went on to become CM, also warned he would extract revenge for his ouster. Residents of Barsu in Rajapur tehsil in Ratnagiri, some 400 km from Mumbai, have been opposing the setting up of a mega refinery-petrochemical complex at an estimated cost of several thousand crore rupees claiming it would destroy the ecology of the coastal region. The Shiv Sena-UBT, Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress have been supporting these residents and have said the state government must proceed only after all the fears of the people are allayed. Addressing the 55th annual general meeting of the Bharatiya Kamgar Sena, the trade union wing of the Shiv Sena-UBT, Thackeray said, "I did suggest Barsu as an alternative site to Nanar due to opposition from the people. My government was toppled or else I would have demanded that the project be explained to the local population." He said people will have to be told about employment generation and benefits of a green refinery, but questioned "if it is a green refinery, then why is police resorting to high-handedness?" Thackeray asked why such projects were being imposed on Maharashtra and said Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis should have visited Barsu and explained the details of the refinery complex to the local population. "If you wanted to take my suggestion (of Barsu), then why did you topple my government? The manner in which I was betrayed and my government toppled, I would extract revenge," Thackeray said in a warning to the ruling Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party. "The "mashal" (flaming torch which is the Shiv Sena-UBT symbol) will wipe out injustice. Allurements are short-term but relationships are everlasting," Thackeray asserted. Meanwhile, in a tweet later in the day, CM Shinde slammed Thackeray for the revenge remark. "Taking revenge is your inherent trait but you don't have courage to face reality. I don't want to take revenge because that is not my behaviour. I want to bring about a change in lives of the people," Shinde said. "You cannot see the world through lens of selfish attitude and falsehood. One needs to have camera of selfless public service. You don't have it and never will," Shinde said further. During his address at the Bharatiya Kamgar Sena event, Thackeray also said the governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra were anti-labour, adding that they need to be sensitive to the needs and issues of workers. Slamming the Maharashtra government over the alleged exodus of industries from the state, Thackeray said Airbus (military transport aircraft), Vedanta Foxconn (semiconductor chip manufacturing), bulk drug park (mega pharmaceutical hub) had moved out of the state earlier. "Recently, a discussion took place with a Taiwanese firm for setting up a shoe making unit but we hear that has now shifted to Tamil Nadu. In the two-and-half-years of MVA rule, 25 big projects worth Rs 2.5 lakh crore were proposed. Many units started work while many were taken away (to other states)," Thackeray alleged. Slamming the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, the Shiv Sena-UBT chief alluded to the clash over the collegium system and said "if these people (ruling BJP) start appointing judges, from whom should we seek justice?" Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny had a telephone conversation with the U.S. President's National Security Adviser, Jacob Sullivan, and head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley. As reported on the website of the head of the Ukrainian state on Thursday, the American side was informed about the current situation on the battlefield, possible enemy actions and measures taken by the security and defense forces of Ukraine to liberate Ukrainian lands. "Yermak and Zaluzhny focused on the importance of continuing active support by partners of the Ukrainian army, in particular, the supply of weapons and ammunition," the message says. Congress president M Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday likened Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a poisonous snake, drawing strong rebuke from the Bharatiya Janata Party which said 'hate is coming out' with such comments and sought an apology from the veteran leader. IMAGE: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addresses during a public meeting ahead of Karnataka assembly elections, at Ron in Gadag district, Karnataka on Thursday. Photograph: ANI Photo Kharge later sought to clarify his remarks were not aimed at the PM but instead at his party, the BJP, but it didn't seem to find any takers in the saffron party. Dismissing the Congress president's clarification, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said he was trying to 'wriggle out'. Addressing a public meeting at Ron in Gadag district, as part of the party's campaign for the May 10 assembly elections in Karnataka, Kharge said: 'don't make a mistake. Modi is like a poisonous snake. If you say, 'no, it's not poisonous, let's lick it and find out.' Don't go to lick it. If you lick, you die'. Kharge further added, '(if you think that) no, no, this is not poison because Modi has given it, good man prime minister has given it, let's try it and lick it'--if you lick that poison then you will sleep forever'. Hitting out at Kharge for his remarks, Sitharaman said 'hate is coming out' and sought the leader's apology. Another Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said as the Congress' desperation grows, its 'lies and abuses' for Modi are increasing. 'Just recently some Congie leaders want to see our PM dead, some mock him and now @kharge abuses him. Mark my words, people of Karnataka will never forget, forgive or vote this bunch of Cong hoodlums who have normalized this type of vicious abuse of our PM and result will only be even stronger PM because of respect and love of people who he serves steadfastly,' he tweeted. BJP IT department chief Amit Malviya, who also shared the video where Kharge made those comments, on Twitter, said: 'Now Congress president Kharge calls Prime Minister Modi 'poisonous snake'. What started with Sonia Gandhi's 'maut ka saudagar' (merchant of death), and we know how it ended, the Congress continues to plummet to new depths. The desperation shows Congress is losing ground in Karnataka and knows it.' Kharge later told reporters he only said the BJP was like a snake, and that party's ideology is like a poison. "If you support that ideology and lick (try) it, death is certain." "I did not speak against him (Modi) because I have already said that I never make personal comments," he said. Dismissing Kharge's clarification, Sitharaman said the Congress chief was trying to 'wriggle out'. 'My intention was not to hurt anyone's feelings, if knowingly or unknowingly someone's feelings were hurt, it was never my intention,' Kharge said in a series of tweets in Hindi. 'BJP's ideology is divisive, disharmonious, full of hatred and prejudiced towards the poor and Dalits. I discussed this politics of hatred and malice. My statement was neither for PM Modi personally nor for any other person, but for the ideology he represents,' he said. 'Our fight with PM Modi is not personal. It is an ideological battle. My intention was not to hurt anyone's feelings and if knowingly or unknowingly someone's feelings were hurt, then it was never my intention and nor has it been the conduct of my long political life,' he further said. Congress President M Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday likened Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a poisonous snake, drawing strong rebuke from the Bharatiya Janata Party which said "hate is coming out" with such comments and sought an apology from the veteran leader. IMAGE: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addresses a public meeting at Ron in Gadag district, Karnataka, April 27, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo Kharge later sought to clarify his remarks were not aimed at the PM but instead at his party, the BJP, but it didn't seem to find any takers in the saffron party. Dismissing the Congress president's clarification, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said he was trying to "wriggle out". Addressing a public meeting at Ron in Gadag district, as part of the party's campaign for the May 10 assembly elections in Karnataka, Kharge said: "Don't make a mistake. Modi is like a poisonous snake. If you say, 'no, it's not poisonous, let's lick it and find out.' Don't go to lick it. If you lick, you die." Kharge further added, "(if you think that) no, no, this is not poison because Modi has given it, good man prime minister has given it, let's try it and lick it' -- if you lick that poison then you will sleep forever." Hitting out at Kharge for his remarks, Sitharaman said, "Hate is coming out" and sought the leader's apology. Another Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said as the Congress's desperation grows, its "lies and abuses" for Modi are increasing. "Just recently some Congie leaders want to see our PM dead, some mock him and now @kharge abuses him. Mark my words, people of Karnataka will never forget, forgive or vote this bunch of Cong hoodlums who have normalized this type of vicious abuse of our PM and result will only be even stronger PM because of respect and love of people who he serves steadfastly," he tweeted. BJP IT department chief Amit Malviya, who also shared the video where Kharge made those comments, on Twitter, said: "Now Congress President Kharge calls Prime Minister Modi poisonous snake'. What started with Sonia Gandhi's maut ka saudagar' (merchant of death), and we know how it ended, the Congress continues to plummet to new depths. The desperation shows Congress is losing ground in Karnataka and knows it." Kharge later told reporters he only said the BJP was like a snake, and that the party's ideology is like poison. "If you support that ideology and lick (try) it, death is certain." "I did not speak against him (Modi) because I have already said that I never make personal comments," he said. Dismissing Kharge's clarification, Sitharaman said the Congress chief was trying to "wriggle out". Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said Kharge's remarks on the PM show the Congress culture. "I do not know why Kharge felt like that. How far it is correct for him to talk in such a manner about Modi. The Congress party has reached such a stage today because of talking in that manner. The intoxication of power has not come down for the Congress party. Karnataka is a land of culture and everyone is respected here. We may differ with the ideology of Kharge but he will be respected for his seniority. Unfortunately, such a senior person is talking in such a way," Bommai said in a statement. Meanwhile the BJP's Karnataka unit lodged a complaint against Kharge with the office of the state chief electoral officer over the Congress leader's remarks against Modi. In a clear message, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday told his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu that China's violation of agreements along the frontier in eastern Ladakh "eroded" the entire basis of bilateral ties and that all issues must be resolved in accordance with the existing pacts. IMAGE: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu during a bilateral meeting, in New Delhi, April 27, 2023. Photograph: PTI Photo At a nearly 45-minute meeting with Li, amid the three-year border row, Singh also conveyed to the Chinese defence minister that the development of India-China ties is premised on prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the border. Li's visit to New Delhi to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is the first by a Chinese defence minister to India after the eastern Ladakh border standoff began in May 2020. In a statement, the defence ministry said the two ministers had "frank" discussions about the developments in the India-China border areas as well as bilateral relations. "The raksha mantri categorically conveyed that development of relations between India and China is premised on prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the borders," it said. "He added that all issues at the LAC need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and commitments," the ministry said. It said Singh reiterated that violation of existing agreements has "eroded" the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation. India has been slamming China's deployment of a massive number of troops and its aggressive behaviour along the LAC in violation of pacts on border management. The talks took place hours after Li arrived in Delhi. Sources said Singh categorically stated in the meeting that military cooperation between the two countries can progress only if peace and tranquillity is established at the border. He said after disengagement, there should be movement towards de-escalation and expressed hope for a positive response, they said. Singh conveyed to Li that India wants to improve relations with China but it can happen only after peace and tranquillity are restored at the border, the sources said. The meeting between the two defence ministers took place days after the Indian and Chinese armies held the 18th round of military talks on ending the three-year border row. In the Corps Commander talks on April 23, the two sides agreed to stay in close touch and work out a mutually acceptable solution to the remaining issues in eastern Ladakh at the earliest. However, there was no indication of any clear forward movement in ending the row. Singh also held separate bilateral talks with his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Iran and Tajikistan and presented them mementoes. It is learnt that no memento was given to the Chinese minister. India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas. Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang is also set to visit India next week to attend a conclave of foreign ministers of SCO member countries in Goa. The meeting is slated for May 4 and 5. India is hosting the SCO defence ministers' meeting under its presidency of the grouping. Defence ministers of China, Russia and other member nations of the SCO except Pakistan are attending the meeting in Delhi. Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif will attend the meeting through virtual mode, officials said. Police seized condoms, contraceptive pills and pregnancy test kits from a Maoist hideout following an exchange of fire with red rebels on Odisha-Chhattisgarh border, a senior officer said in Nabarangapur on Thursday. IMAGE: The site of Wednesday's IED explosion in which a police vehicle was blown up by Naxals killing 10 policemen, in Dantewada, on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Photograph: PTI Photo Giving details of the exchange of fire, Nabarangpur, Superintendent of Police, S Sushree said the elite Special Operations Group (SOG) of Odisha Police conducted an anti-Maoist operation in Raighar area of Nabarangpur district bordering Chhattisgarh. An encounter took place on Tuesday night. The SP said on Wednesday at around 9.30 am, the operational teams of police came across a group of about 20 to 25 armed Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres including Murli (Central Committee Member), Kartik, Guddu, Akash, Nandal and others at east of village Saibin Kachhar in Udanti sanctuary. "On seeing the operational team, the armed Maoists started firing at the police party. On defence police returned the fire. The exchange of fire continued for about half an hour. Taking advantage of the terrain and dense forest, the Maoists managed to escape from the camp," said the SP. The SP said huge quantities of articles were seized from a Maoist camp. She said that condoms, contraceptive pills and pregnancy test kits were found in the camp. Two guns have also been seized. Besides Maoist leaflets, banners, detonators and food items were also found in the camp, she said. The SP said that there was sufficient evidence that women were being sexually exploited in Maoist camps. Combing operation has been intensified in the inter-state border areas of the district. Senior officers are monitoring the developments, she said. Meanwhile, Odisha Police has issued a high alert in the districts -- Malkangiri, Koraput and Nabarangpur, bordering Chhattisgarh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday addressed through virtual mode tens of lakhs of Bharatiya Janata Party workers exhorting them to strengthen booth-level campaigning for the coming Karnataka Assembly elections, and made a strong pitch for ending "revdi culture" (culture of distributing freebies). IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses Karnataka BJP workers. Photograph: @narendramodi/Twitter Modi also hit out at the Congress on the issue, stating what is the meaning of its guarantees when that party's warranty itself has expired. For Karnataka polls Congress has announced guarantees' that include -- 200 units of free power to all households (Gruha Jyoti), Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head of every family (Gruha Lakshmi), and Rs 3,000 every month for graduate youth and Rs 1,500 for diploma holders (both in the age group of 18-25) for two years (YuvaNidhi), on coming to power in the state. The PM said states are getting immersed in debt because of freebies, and emphasised that the country and the governments cannot be run like this. "In our country some political parties have made politics the means of power and corruption, to achieve this, they are using all means like 'saam, dham, dhand, bedh'. These political parties don't think about the future of the country, future generation of Karnataka, its youth, women," Modi said. He said, because of freebie politics, several states are making large scale spendings for the sake of partisan politics, which is also eating into the "share" of future generations. "The country cannot be run like this, governments cannot be run like this. Governments have to think about the future, along with the present. Governments cannot run just for day-to-day needs, they have to work on asset creation, so that the lives of families are on track for decades," he added during the "Karyakartarondige Samvada" (an interaction with workers) The PM's address to BJP workers was part of the party's effort to boost its campaign for May 10 Assembly polls. The party said earlier this week about 50 lakh workers from 58,112 booths would attend this "virtual rally" of the Prime Minister. The State BJP is looking to Modi to bolster its campaign. The Prime Minister is slated to undertake a whirlwind two-day tour of the state from Saturday during which he is scheduled to address six public meetings and hold two road-shows. Modi said the BJP was not taking the shortcuts, but was working for developed India. "The BJP doesn't think about five years of its own rule, but thinks about the country. We don't think about the party but think about the country. We don't think just about present electoral politics but about taking India ahead in the next 25 years", he said. To address some temporary challenges, all possible help is being provided for the poor, like free ration, free vaccination, he said and added that it is the duty of the government, "but if we have to make India progress, we have to get rid of this revdi culture." "I appeal to youth, some parties may try to make you fools by distributing freebies, but it's your duty to think about your future and that of your future generations...." Targetting the Congress for its "revdi culture" in Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan, Modi said, their poll guarantees have still remained as guarantee. "Congress means guarantee of corruption, guarantee of nepotism." "Congress has reached a stage where it cannot give true guarantees, you are aware that Congress's warranty has expired, then what is the meaning of its guarantees," he added. Announcing the fifth poll 'guarantee' of the Congress ahead of the May 10 assembly polls in Karnataka, party leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday promised free travel for women in public transport buses, if it's voted to power in the state. IMAGE: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi waves to supporters at the public meeting ahead of the Karnataka assembly elections as party leaders leaders DK Shivakumar and KC Venugopal look on, in Mangaluru, April 27, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo He hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for saying that Congress would not fulfil its guarantees. "Narendra Modi says Congress party would not fulfil its guarantees. We have given you (people) four guarantees and they will be implemented on the first day, in the first cabinet meeting. Modi ji, you said four guarantees will not be fulfilled, I'm adding more to it. We will not (just) fulfil four guarantees on the first day, but will fulfil five," Gandhi said. Addressing a public meeting in Mangaluru, he said, "We will add another guarantee to four existing guarantees. It will be for women. Modi ji, listen carefully. As soon as Congress comes to power, on the very first day the fifth guarantee will also be implemented. Women across Karnataka will travel free in public transport buses." "Your (BJP) people looted money from Karnataka's women with 40 per cent commission. It is your work, while our work is to give Karnataka's women the state's money. So, immediately after winning the election, whenever you meet a woman in buses, they would not be paying a single rupee to travel in buses," he added. Congress has already announced four guarantees' -- 200 units of free power to all households (Gruha Jyoti), Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head of every family (Gruha Lakshmi), 10 kg of rice free to every member of a BPL household (Anna Bhagya), and Rs 3,000 every month for graduate youth and Rs 1,500 for diploma holders (both in the age group of 18-25) for two years (YuvaNidhi), on coming to power in the state. Congress' fifth poll promise interestingly came on a day, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing Karnataka BJP workers virtually, made a strong pitch for ending "revdi culture" (culture of distributing freebies). Accusing the Congress of engaging in "revdi culture" in Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan, Modi said their poll guarantees have still remained unfulfilled. "Congress means guarantee of corruption, guarantee of nepotism," he said. "Congress has reached a stage where it cannot give true guarantees. You are aware that Congress's warranty has expired. Then what is the meaning of its guarantees?" he asked. Rahul Gandhi in his speech accused Modi of failing to fulfill his promises such as "Rs 15 lakh into bank accounts (of every citizen), employment to two crore youth, fight against corruption". He pointed out, "When I spoke against corruption, I was removed from Parliament." The Prime Minister had the habit of not fulfilling promises, but Congress fulfilled its promises, he claimed. "I want to ask the Prime Minister: we will fulfil our guarantees in Karnataka; once the Congress government implements our guarantees here, (will) you implement it across the country and show?" The former AICC president further alleged that Modi "doesn't keep up the promises made to the poor, but keeps up the promises made to Adani ji by giving him airports, ports and defence industries of the country". "Congress will win the election this time. No one can stop it, We will win with 150 seats (out of total 224). BJP is a '40 per cent party', give them 40 seats, they like the number 40," he added. AICC general secretary KC Venugopal, state Congress president D K Shivakumar, and former Chief Minister Veerappa Moily among others were present. Gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan, who was serving a life sentence for killing an IAS officer in Bihar three decades ago, walked out on Thursday amid protests by family members and well-wishers of the slain bureaucrat. IMAGE: Former Bihar MP Anand Mohan Singh. Photograph: ANI Mohan, who had been an MP prior to his conviction in 2007, was released from Saharsa jail on Thursday morning after being behind the bars for 15 years. The gangster-turned-politician's supporters who believe that their leader was framed in the murder of G Krishnaiah, the then district magistrate of Gopalganj,had planned a celebratory procession but the release was done in a manner which precluded any such gathering. Krishnaiah, who hailed from Telangana and was from a scheduled caste, was beaten to death by a mob in 1994 when his vehicle tried to overtake a funeral procession in Muzaffarpur district. Mohan, who was the sitting MLA from Mahishi, was leading the procession taken out upon the death of his close associate Chhotan Shukla, another dreaded gangster who fell to bullets of his rivals before realizing his political ambitions. Mohan's name figured in a list of more than 20 prisoners who were ordered to be set free by a notification issued by the state law department earlier this week as they had spent more than 14 years behind bars. His remission of sentence followed an April 10 amendment of Bihar Prison Manual by the Nitish Kumar government whereby the restriction on early release of those involved in killing of a public servant on duty was done away with. This, critics claim was done to help release Mohan. The relaxation has predictably been opposed by the wife and daughter of Krishnaiah. They have appealed to the Bihar government to reconsider the move, which has also drawn condemnation from the IAS Officers' Association. Red-faced over the controversy, the government got chief secretary Amir Subhani to address a press conference and assert that the release was in accordance with norms. "No special favour has been done to anybody. The prison rules are amended from time to time, in the normal course. The clause about government servant on duty was dropped because it was found to be discriminatory. Moreover, we found no other state treating such killings differently," Subhani claimed. He said that the State Sentence Remission Board, which includes two members of the judiciary, has received 1,061 clemency petitions in the last six years during which it has met 22 times. "Release of 698 prisoners has been approved, based on the feedback on conduct of the inmates received from authorities concerned." "This is besides special pardons given to first-time offenders, who are serving jail terms of 10 years. Such prisoners are freed on occasions like Gandhi Jayanti, Republic Day and Independence Day," Subhani said. He pointed out that Mohan had spent 15 years, nine months and 25 days in prison but parried questions as to whether aggrieved family members of Krishnaiah were given an opportunity to raise objections against his release. When some journalists asked whether alleged recovery of mobile phones from the possession of Mohan in 2021 was taken into account while certifying his good conduct in jail, the chief secretary said he was not aware of such a charge against the former MP. Subhani also urged that there should be no politicisation of the issue. Opponents of the ruling 'Mahagathbandhan' have accused the regime of wrong doing. Some leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the principal opposition in the state, were categorical in their condemnation of Mohan's release. However, the party, which draws its primary support from among the upper castes, also seemed to be wary of annoying the Rajputs. Especially, as Mohan enjoyed a Robinhood-like image in his heydays. Upper caste leaders like Union Minister Giriraj Singh, former union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy and ex-state minister Neeraj Kumar Singh Bablu have gone on record saying that they have no problem with the release of Anand Mohan but alleged many other criminals have been freed alongside for political gains . The allusion has been to the fact that more than half of the prisoners released vide the order dated April 24 are Yadavs or Muslims, who are said to be supporters of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the largest constituent of the 'Mahagathbandhan'. Meanwhile, Mohan's wife Lovely Anand, a former MP herself, expressed relief over his release for which she profusely thanked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. She maintained that her husband, who was awarded death penalty by the trial court which got commuted to imprisonment for life by the high court, was innocent. "We are pained by the brutal manner in which an honest officer like G Krishnaiah was killed. I fully empathise with the suffering of his wife. But my husband was not even present at the site of the incident. Had he been there, he would have tried to save Krishnaiah even at the cost of his own life," she added. The Delhi high court on Thursday set aside a Delhi University order debarring a National Students Union of India leader for a year for his alleged involvement in the on-campus screening of a banned BBC documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots, saying the action was taken in violation of the principle of natural justice. IMAGE: Students' Federation of India members attend the screening of the banned BBC Documentary India: The Modi Question at Jadavpur University in Kolkata. Photograph: ANI Photo The documentary - India: The Modi Question - was seen as critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was the Gujarat chief minister when the communal conflagration engulfed large parts of the state. Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav said the DU's administrative authority did not offer Lokesh Chugh, a PhD scholar and national secretary of the Congress' students wing NSUI, an opportunity to be heard. "The court is unable to sustain the impugned order dated March 10, 2023. Impugned order is set aside. The admission of the petitioner is restored. Necessary consequences will follow," the judge said in the order. "From a perusal of the facts of the present case, the court finds that the impugned order has been passed without offering opportunity of hearing to the petitioner or considering his explanation," stated the judge while dealing with Chugh's petition against the debarment order. Attorney General R Venkataramani represented the university and opposed the petition. The court clarified since the debarment order was being set aside for non-adherence to the principle of natural justice, the university is free to take action against the petitioner in accordance with the procedure. The AG claimed Chugh has approached the court with "unclean hands" and has made a "completely false" statement that he was not present at the time of the screening. He said a committee was constituted to look into the incident and the petitioner, who was served a show-cause notice, was given a opportunity to explain his conduct. The court observed the committee's report records its findings but "does not deal with the explanation, if any, given by the petitioner" and the minutes of the meeting clearly indicate the petitioner's presence but the "clarification given by him has not been mentioned or dealt with". It said there is no consideration of the submissions by the petitioner in the debarment order and he was also not specifically asked to explain the allegations. "The perusal of impugned order indicates certain events that have taken place and as to whether petitioner was present at the time of screening of banned BBC documentary or not, it is not reflected," the court said. "The petitioner has not been specifically called upon to explain the allegations which form part of the impugned order. The reasons are necessary to be assigned by the administrative authority," stated the court. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal appeared for the petitioner. He argued that the debarment order cannot be sustained for non-compliance of the principle of natural justice and DU cannot "supplement" reasons behind it at this stage. Lawyers Naman Joshi and Abhik Chimni also appeared for the petitioner. Chugh had earlier urged the court to permit him to submit his Ph.D thesis before the retirement of his supervisor on April 30. The AG asserted it was "untenable" to say that the DU acted in an arbitrary manner and a notice was already in existence which mandated prior intimation to the proctor if a protest was to be staged. The attorney general contended the petitioner had the knowledge that the BBC documentary had been banned and the transcript (of video footage) showed him saying the ban must be "disobeyed." The petitioner had approached the high court earlier this month challenging the university's decision to debar him for a year for his alleged involvement in the screening of the documentary --- India: The Modi Question -- related to the 2002 Gujarat riots. The documentary was screened earlier this year. The Centre had issued directions for blocking multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the BBC documentary, which was described by the ministry of external affairs as a "propaganda piece" that lacks objectivity and reflects a colonial mindset. The DU registrar had issued Chugh a memorandum in March under which he was not allowed to take part in "any university or college or departmental examination for one year". The DU defended its action before the high court and said the petitioner indulged in gross indiscipline which tarnished the image of a premier educational institution. The university, in its reply filed to the petition, said it acted on the basis of a newspaper report on the ban on the BBC documentary. It said several people, including the petitioner, assembled on the campus to screen the documentary in violation of Section 144 (issuance of prohibitory orders) of Code of Criminal Procedure imposed by police authorities. "Petitioner had participated in the 'showing' of the banned BBC documentary on 27.01.2023 at 4:00 PM in front of Gate No. 4, Faculty of Arts, University of Delhi which amounts to an act of indiscipline," the reply filed by the Delhi University before the high court said. The petitioner contended in his plea that he was not involved in the screening and, to his knowledge, there was no prohibition on the screening of the documentary. The DU, however, said instead of concentrating on his research, the petitioner was "instrumental in inciting other students and indulging in petty politics", which was detrimental to discipline and was causing disruption in academic functioning. The reply said, after watching the videos, a committee constituted to probe the incident found that the "mastermind of the agitation was the petitioner" and he was seen actively being part of the unlawful assembly. An Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft with 246 Indians evacuated from war-torn Sudan landed in Mumbai on Thursday. IMAGE: An elderly woman being escorted as another Operation Kaveri flight with 246 Indians on board evacuated from conflict-ridden Sudan landed in Mumbai, April 27, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo The plane, which took off from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia around 11 am IST, landed in Mumbai airport at 3.15 pm, an official said. The passengers included at least two on wheelchairs. "Another #OperationKaveri flight comes to Mumbai. 246 more Indians come back to the motherland," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted. The first batch of 360 Indians arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday. Our efforts to swiftly send Indians back home from Jeddah is paying. 246 Indians will be in Mumbai soon, travelling by IAF C17 Globemaster. Happy to see them off at Jeddah airport, tweeted Union minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan minutes before the plane left for Mumbai. Meanwhile, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), in a statement issued in the evening, said a batch of 244 Indian evacuees from the strife-torn African country arrived at the Mumbai aerodrome from Jeddah. The first flight to the city, a C17, under the Indian government's evacuation mission 'Operation Kaveri', landed at the airport at 15.14 pm from Jeddah, carrying 244 Indian nationals, CSMIA said in the statement. The evacuees were from as many as 18 states, including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, the private airport operator has said. Airport authorities made elaborate arrangements for the returnees. These included operationalisation of 10 dedicated counters at immigrations for processing and clearance, deployment of four coaches and one ambulift ferrying passengers from the tarmac and provision of 300 pre-packed snack boxes and refreshment for passengers, said the statement. Besides, thermal checks were carried out by officials of airport health offices, it added. Under 'Operation Kaveri', India has been taking its citizens in buses from conflict zones of Khartoum and other troubled areas to Port Sudan from where they are being taken to the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah in IAF's heavy-lift transport aircraft and Indian Navy's ships. The distance between Khartoum and Port Sudan is around 850 km and the travel time by bus varies from 12 hours to 18 hours considering the prevailing situation and whether the vehicles are operating during the day or night. Sudan has been witnessing deadly fighting between the country's army and a paramilitary group that has reportedly left around 400 people dead. S Gurumurthy, the editor of a Chennai-based Tamil news magazine, Thursday refused to file another affidavit tendering an unconditional apology for his tweet against Justice S Muralidhar. IMAGE: S Gurumurthy. Photograph: ANI on Twitter Gurumurthy's counsel said the journalist has already tendered his apology in relation to a tweet and there is no necessity for him to file another affidavit conveying an unconditional apology in clear terms. A bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Talwant Singh noted that the 2018 affidavit did not contain any apology and if the journalist files an affidavit with a two-line apology, the court can put quietus to the issue. The bench said the earlier affidavit was merely a reply on merits of the matter. Senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, representing Gurumurthy, the editor of Tamil political weekly Thuglak and a former RSS ideologue, said the tweet was deleted after the court took cognisance of the matter. He said Gurumurthy had no intention of committing contempt and had even appeared before the bench which was then hearing the case. As the bench said the journalist can express remorse by filing the affidavit and the matter will end, Jethmalani said he cannot compel his client to do that. The bench then said it will hear the issue on merits on July 6, the next date of hearing. Mahesh Jethmalani, senior counsel appears for Gurumurthy and states that he has obtained instructions from the latter and it is their position that he has already tendered his apology in relation to the subject tweet and therefore there is no necessity for him to file a further affidavit expressing an unconditional apology in clear terms. List for further proceedings on July 6," the high court said. Earlier in March 2018, the high court had dubbed as "mischievous" certain tweets by the journalist in connection with its decision granting interim protection from arrest to Karti Chidambaram, son of senior Congress leader P Chidambaram in the INX Media money laundering case. In October 2019, the high court had dropped the contempt proceedings against Gurumurthy in another case for having re-tweeted an article against Justice S Muralidhar. The contempt proceedings were initiated by the high court in 2018. After the high court's division bench headed by Justice S Muralidhar passed the order on October 1, 2018, releasing rights activists Gautam Navlakha from house arrest in the Koregaon-Bhima violence case, Gurumurthy had posted a tweet accusing Justice Muralidhar of bias. The high court, which took up the matter after receiving a letter from advocate Rajshekhar Rao seeking contempt action against the journalist, had said the tweets and online video making allegations against the judge be taken down. Invaders fire 65 times at Kherson region, one person killed, three wounded over past day Over the past day, the Russian occupiers have shelled settlements of Kherson region 65 times, of which Kherson was attacked 10 times, as a result, one person was killed, three were injured, the Regional Military Administration reports. "(...) the Russian occupiers fired 65 times at peaceful settlements of Kherson region. Some 386 shells were fired from artillery, MLRS, mortars, tanks, ATGMs, drones and aviation. The Russians attacked Kherson 10 times, firing 37 shells at the city," the message published on the Telegram channel on Thursday morning says. In Beryslav, the enemy hit a critical infrastructure facility. In addition, as a result of the shelling of Stanyslav, an administrative building, a post office and a pharmacy were damaged. "It was like we were on a deathbed," recalled a relieved Sukhvinder Singh from Haryana as he arrived at the Delhi airport from Saudi Arabia on Wednesday night after being evacuated from strife-torn Sudan. IMAGE: Indian nationals evacuated from violence-hit Sudan under Operation Kaveri, on their arrival at the IGI Airport in New Delhi, Wednesday, April 26, 2023. Photograph: Shahbaz Khan/PTI Photo In his mid-40s, the engineer was among the first batch of 360 Indian nationals who returned home under India's 'Operation Kaveri' evacuation mission. Singh, a native of Faridabad in Haryana, recalled his ordeal in Sudan and said he was "still very scared". "We were living in one area, confined to one room. It was like we were on a deathbed," he told PTI before making his way home. India has evacuated at least 670 Indian nationals from Sudan and is looking to rescue more of its citizens from the strife-torn African nation before the end of a tenuous ceasefire between the regular army and a paramilitary force. Chhotu, a factory worker who hails from Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, was in a state of disbelief and exclaimed, "'Marke wapas aa gaya (have returned after almost dying)'." "Now, I will never return to Sudan. I will do anything in this country but won't go back," he told PTI shortly after landing at the Indira Gandhi International Airport's Terminal 3. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar took to Twitter to share images of the evacuees after their arrival at the Delhi airport. "India welcomes back its own. Operation Kaveri brings 360 Indian nationals to the homeland as first flight reaches New Delhi," he tweeted. At the airport's Terminal 3, as people deboarded the aircraft of Saudia -- a Saudi Arabian airline -- and slowly streamed on to the arrivals lounge area, smiles could be seen on the faces of many who went through tense moments over the past few days. Many waved emphatically, displaying a visible sign of relief, while others shook hands on the skybridge as they were welcomed on their return. Several were seen carrying their luggage, accompanied by children. They also obliged a few photographers with pictures upon their safe return. Tasmer Singh (60), an evacuee who hails from Hoshiarpur in Punjab, described his experience during the ongoing strife as horrifying. "We were like a dead body, roaming in a small house without power, water. We never imagined that we will face this kind of a situation in our lives but thank God, we are alive," he said. Sudan has been witnessing deadly fighting between the country's army and a paramilitary group for the last 12 days that has reportedly left around 400 people dead. India stepped up its efforts to evacuate the Indians from Sudan after a 72-hour truce was agreed between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces following intense negotiations. The batch of Indian nationals evacuated from Sudan who landed in Delhi heaved a sigh of relief after returning to their homeland. Among the evacuees who reached Delhi airport in the Saudia flight, 19 are from Kerala, state government officials said. Under 'Operation Kaveri', India is taking the evacuees to the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah from where they are returning home. India has set up a transit facility in Jeddah and Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan is overseeing the evacuation mission from the Saudi Arabian city. Sukhwinder Singh, the engineer, also narrated how difficult it was to travel during the strife in Sudan. "We contacted the Indian embassy and buses for around 200 people were arranged. A road trip was very risky. Only God knows how we reached Port Sudan," he said. He said the warring groups can shoot anybody "depending on their mood". "It depends on the mood of the individual. If we say we are Indians, they let us go," the Faridabad native said. Meanwhile, IndiGo said it has offered services for charter flights to Jeddah under 'Operation Kaveri'. "We are still awaiting details from the ministry to launch these flights, nothing has been confirmed as of yet," the airline said in a statement. The Indian Air Force's transport aircraft brought to Jeddah 392 Indians from Port Sudan on Wednesday, a day after an Indian Navy ship rescued 278 citizens from that country. The total number of Indians evacuated so far from Sudan stands at 670, according to official data. The first batch of 278 Indians were evacuated from Port Sudan by the Indian Navy's frontline ship INS Sumedha on Tuesday. Several states have opened help desks and announced assistance such as free travel and lodging for Indians evacuated from Sudan once they arrive in the country. The Kerala government said it would make necessary arrangements to bring Malayalis evacuated from Sudan by the Centre to the state. The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday opened a help desk at the resident commissioner's office in Delhi for people from the state trapped in Sudan, a senior official said in Lucknow. The Rajasthan government has decided to bear the transportation expense of all migrants from the state after they land in Delhi. The government will also arrange for boarding and lodging for the returnees, officials said. Actor Chrisann Pereira, arrested in the United Arab Emirates on charges of drug possession and lodged at a jail in Sharjah, has been released by law enforcement authorities there, a senior Mumbai Police official said on Thursday. IMAGE: Chrisann Pereira acted in Mahesh Bhatt directed Bollywood movie Sadak 2. Photograph: Kind courtesy Chrisann Pereira on Instagram Two men had allegedly cheated the 27-year-old actor, who is from Mumbai, by planting drugs on her and sending her to Sharjah under the pretext of an 'audition' while promising her a role in a Hollywood web series. Pereira, who acted in Mahesh Bhatt directed Bollywood movie Sadak 2, was apprehended at the Sharjah airport on April 1 after a small quantity of a drug was found concealed in a memento which one of the accused had given to her to hand it over to someone in the UAE. After her arrest, the accused -- Ravi Bobhate and Anthony Paul -- allegedly demanded Rs 80 lakh from her mother to rescue her, the official said. The actor's mother then approached the Mumbai Police who arrested the duo and booked them for cheating. The Mumbai Police had sent the case-related documents to the authorities concerned who went through the case details following which Chrisann Pereira was released on Wednesday night, he said. An official communication with the Ministry of External Affairs was underway in this connection, he said. Pereira is likely to return to Mumbai in a day or two, the official said. Akali stalwart Parkash Singh Badal was cremated with full state honours at his ancestral village in Punjab's Muktsar district on Thursday with thousands of mourners and leaders across the political spectrum paying their last respects to the five-time chief minister. IMAGE: Shiromani Akali Dal leaders and supporters carry the mortal remains of former Punjab chief minister and party patron Parkash Singh Badal for the last rites, in Chandigarh on Wednesday. Photograph: ANI Photo Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal lit the funeral pyre at a special platform erected for the last rites as a Punjab Police contingent accorded a gun salute. Wrapped in the Tricolour, Badal's mortal remains were taken to the family's farmland, around a kilometer from his residence where it was kept for people to have the last darshan, on a flower-bedecked tractor-trolley with his son Sukhbir Singh Badal and other family members standing with folded hands on it. Sukhbir's wife and former union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, their two daughters and a son, were present alongside Manpreet Badal's son and daughter. Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also paid homage to the leader at the cremation ground. Badal was not keeping well for sometime and was admitted to the Fortis Hospital in Mohali on April 16 after he complained of uneasiness in breathing. He died there on Tuesday, nine days after being admitted there. He was 95. People from all walks of life including politicians and religious leaders turned up at the village to pay tribute to the leader whose political career began seven decades ago when he became the sarpanch of Badal panchayat. IMAGE: Union Minister Hardeep Puri and BJP president JP Nadda during funeral of SAD patron Parkash Singh Badal, at Badal village, April 27, 2023. Photograph: PTI Photo Bharatiya Janata Party president JP Nadda, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, National Conference's Omar Abdullah, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and senior BJP leader Tarun Chugh visited the Badal village to pay their homage. Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Congress leader Deepender Hooda, Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma, Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and former Punjab minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa also attended the last rites. "Badal sahab was not a leader, he was a statesman," Nadda told reporters. "Badal's personality impacted everyone. The Welfare of farmers, poor and the downtrodden was always on his mind." Nadda recalled when he invited Badal for his son's wedding earlier this year, he telephoned him and gave blessings and said he had great desire to attend the event but his health did not allow him. IMAGE: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot pays his last respects to former Punjab CM and SAD patron Parkash Singh Badal, during the latter's funeral, at Badal village in Sri Muktsar Sahib district, April 27, 2023. Photograph: PTI Photo Bhupinder Singh Hooda remembered Badal as a man with humility who commanded love and respect from all. Pawar said Badal's contributions in various fields cannot be forgotten. Like former deputy prime minister Devi Lal, Pawar said, Badal championed the cause of farmers. "We had family relations with Badal sahab... We have lost our senior leader.". Heavy security arrangements were made in the village in view of the visits by the political leaders. Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, senior BJP leader Tarun Chugh, Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, and former Union minister Praful Patel also paid homage to the former chief minister. Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Congress leader Deepender Hooda, Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma, Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and former Punjab minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa also attended the last rites. In the morning, the mortal remains were kept for the last 'darshan' at his residence. People in huge numbers queued up there to pay tribute and express grief. Sukhbir Badal and his wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal could be seen in tears as people visited their residence and offered them condolences. IMAGE: NCP leaders Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel during funeral of former Parkash Singh Badal, at Badal village, April 27, 2023. Photograph: PTI Photo Their two daughters and a son also stood beside the mortal remains. Former finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Parkash Singh Badal's estranged nephew and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia were also present among other leaders. The grand old man of Punjab politics first became chief minister in 1970, heading a coalition government that did not complete its term. He served as chief minister in 1977-80, 1997-2002, 2007-12 and 2012-2017. He became MLA 11 times, losing an election for the state assembly only twice. In 1977, he joined Morarji Desai's government briefly as the Agriculture minister at the Centre. IMAGE: SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal mourns with his wife and party leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal as they pay last respects to the mortal remains of party patron Parkash Singh Badal, in Chandigarh, April 27, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo In 2008, Badal handed over the reins of the SAD, which he had headed from 1995, to son Sukhbir Singh Badal, who also became the deputy chief minister under him. Born on December 8, 1927 in Abul Khurana near Malout, Badal graduated from the Forman Christian College in Lahore. He entered the state assembly from Malout in 1957 as the Congress nominee. In 1969, he won the Gidderbaha assembly seat on the SAD ticket. Badal's wife Surinder Kaur Badal died of cancer in 2011. They had two children -- Sukhbir Singh Badal, the heir to his political legacy, and Parneet Kaur, who is married to former minister Adesh Pratap Singh Kairon. SAD chief Sukhbir Badal's wife is Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal. The fast evolving regional security situation, developments in Afghanistan and ways to boost cooperation in effectively combating terrorism and extremism are set to be the key focus of a conclave of the defence ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Delhi on Friday. IMAGE: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in a bilateral meeting with the state councillor and Minister of National Defence of China, General Li Shangfu on the sidelines of SCO Defence Ministers' conclave, in New Delhi, April 27, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu, Tajikistan's Colonel General Sherali Mirzo, Iran's Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiyani and Kazakhstan's Colonel General Ruslan Zhaksylykov have already arrived in the national capital. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and his counterparts from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are also attending the meeting to be chaired by Rajnath Singh. Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif is set to attend the meeting through virtual mode. Officials involved in preparations for the meeting said the main focus of the deliberations will be on regional security situations including the developments in Afghanistan. They said enhancing coordination among the SCO member countries to effectively combat terrorism and extremism will be another priority. Ahead of the SCO meeting, Singh held bilateral talks with Li, Colonel General Zhaxylykov and Colonel General Mirzo. Singh also held a bilateral meeting with Brigadier General Ashtiyani. The SCO is an influential economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations. It was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017. India was made an observer at the SCO in 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping, which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region. India has shown a keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure, which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence. The Delhi high court has quashed the summons issued to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray by a court in Bokaro in an alleged hate speech case, observing that faith and religion are more resilient and cannot be hurt or provoked by the views of an individual. Justice Jasmeet Singh said the unity of India lies in "coexistence" of its various religions, faiths and languages, and that religion and faith, which have and will survive for centuries, are not as fragile as human beings. By a separate order, the judge also quashed the summons issued by a Dhanbad court to Thackeray for alleged commission of offences of murder, rioting and hate speech under IPC. The court said the summoning order by the Bokaro court, passed in 2008, cannot be sustained on account of lack of prior sanction of the Centre or the Jharkhand government but refused to quash the criminal complaint filed against Thackeray for alleged commission of offences under sections 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups etc) and 153B (Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration) of IPC. This case arose from a 2008 speech of Thackeray when he allegedly termed 'Chhath puja', a Hindu festival celebrated especially in Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh, a "drama" and "show of numerical strength". Thackeray was represented by senior advocates Arunabh Chowdhary and Anupam Lal Das in the high court. Several cases in relation to the alleged statement were subsequently transferred by the Supreme Court to Delhi from various states. "I am of the view that India is a country which is unique due to various religions, faiths and languages which coexist side by side. Its unity lies in this coexistence. Religious feelings and religious sentiments cannot be so fragile as to be hurt or provoked by a speech of an indiviual," said the court in an order dated March 13, which was released Thursday. "Religion and faith are not as fragile as human beings. They have survived for centuries and will survive for many more. Faith and religion are more resilient and cannot be hurt or provoked by views of / instigation by, an individual," added the order. By separate orders, the court also quashed summons issued to Thackeray in six other pending criminal complaints over his remarks on the festival but refused to interfere with the complaints. In the complaint made before the Dhanbad court, it was alleged that following a speech by Thackeray in October 2008 several people forcibly entered Howrah-Bombay Mail and created a ruckus during which a person died. The court quashed the summoning orders, passed in 2008 and 2009, on the ground of violation of Code of Criminal Procedure and lack of sanction by the central or the state government. The court noted in the order, also released on Thursday, that the police, after conducting a detailed inquiry, filed a report stating the deceased fell down from train after losing his balance, and the finding has not been challenged. The complaint in the Bokaro matter said Thackeray's alleged comments hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus and were provocative in nature. It said the speech was against the basic structure of the Constitution and affected the unity and integrity of India. Thackeray's counsel said the speech seemed to have been distorted. Without admitting that the speech was made, he said, if it caused any inadvertent and unintentional hurt to the religious sentiments of any person or community, the petitioner "tenders his unconditional apology and expresses regret and sadness for the same". Forensic experts and homicide detectives in Kenya has a difficult task on their hands, to rescue people who themselves choose to starve to go to heaven. Caution! Upsetting Photographs. Viewer Discretion Advised! IMAGE: Forensic experts and homicide detectives carry the bodies of suspected members of a Christian cult called Good News International Church, who believed they would go to heaven if they starved themselves to death, after their remains were exhumed from their graves in the Shakahola forest of Kenya's Kilifi county. Photograph: Reuters IMAGE: Members of the Kenya Red Cross attend to an emaciated member of the Christian cult. Photograph: Reuters IMAGE: Members of civil society rescue emaciated followers of the Good News International Church. Photograph: Joseph Okanga/Reuters IMAGE: Kenya police officers stand outside the home of a suspected follower of the Good News International Church. Photograph: Joseph Okanga/Reuters IMAGE: Volunteers exhume bodies of suspected followers of the Good News International Church. Photograph: Joseph Okanga/Reuters IMAGE: A survivor and follower of the Good News International Church eats a meal at the Malindi sub district hospital in Malindi, Kilifi county. Photograph: Monicah Mwangi/Reuters IMAGE: Herbell Farasi and his brother-in-law Mwachai Dzombo hold photographs of his wife Judith Farasi, a follower of Good News International Church, and his three children outside the Malindi sub district hospital mortuary. Photograph: Monicah Mwangi/Reuters IMAGE: Naomi Kahindi, who lost her sister and her children, all of them followers of Good News International Church, mourns with relatives at the Malindi sub district hospital mortuary. Photograph: Monicah Mwangi/Reuters IMAGE: Relatives of followers of the Good News International Church, gather at the Malindi sub district hospital mortuary. Photograph: Monicah Mwangi/Reuters IMAGE: Workers receive the exhumed bodies of followers of the Good News International Church at the Malindi sub district hospital mortuary. Photograph: Monicah Mwangi/Reuters Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com Feature Presentation: Mahipal Soni/Rediff.com The security situation in Sudan remains very complex, highly volatile and unpredictable and India's objective is to get every stranded Indian in that country out of harm's way, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said on Thursday. IMAGE: Navy personnel holds an infant as stranded Indians board INS Teg, at Port Sudan, on Thursday. Photograph: ANI Photo Briefing reporters on the ongoing evacuation mission 'Operation Kaveri', Kwatra said approximately 1,700 to 2,000 Indian nationals were moved out of the conflict zones and they included the citizens already evacuated out of Sudan as well as those who are on their way to Port Sudan from capital city Khartoum. The foreign secretary said India has been in touch with the two warring factions in Sudan and other stakeholders and has been able to evacuate its citizens following a positive response from the concerned sides as they understand that New Delhi stands for a very strong development partnership with Khartoum. "The situation on the ground is very complex, highly volatile and unpredictable. We have been in touch with both SAF (Sudanese Armed Forces) and RSF (Rapid Support Forces). Our relations have been good. We are in touch with all sides to get the Indians from conflict zones to safe areas and then to Port Sudan," Kwatra said. On the total number of Indians in Sudan, he said approximately 3,100 have registered online with the Indian embassy in the Sudanese capital Khartoum while an additional 300 are in touch with the mission. Sudan also has around 900 to 1,000 PIOs (Persons of Indian Origins). Under 'Operation Kaveri', India has been taking its citizens in buses from conflict zones of Khartoum and other troubled areas to Port Sudan from where they are being taken to the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah in Indian Air Force's heavy-lift transport aircraft and Indian Navy's ships. The distance between Khartoum and Port Sudan is around 850 km and the travel time by bus varies from 12 hours to 18 hours considering the prevailing situation and whether the vehicles are operating during the day or night. The Indian Navy has deployed its warships INS Sumedha, INS Teg and INS Tarkash while the Indian Air Force has deployed two of its C130J transport aircraft. The ships and aircraft are being used to take the Indians to Jeddah, from where they are being flown to India. "Our objective and target is to take the stranded Indians out of harm's way as early as possible...Our effort is to get every stranded Indian out of harm's way and into an area of relative safety and then to Port Sudan and back here (India)," he said. India has already set up separate control rooms in Jeddah, Port Sudan and the India embassy in Khartoum has been coordinating with them besides being in touch with the MEA's headquarters in Delhi. Kwatra said around 600 Indian nationals have either arrived in India or are on their way. As many as 360 Indians arrived in New Delhi by a chartered flight last night from Jeddah. "We currently have 495 Indian nationals in Jeddah. 320 Indians are in Port Sudan. We have more buses for bringing more people to Port Sudan," Kwatra said. The foreign secretary also said that 42 Indian nationals have moved to South Sudan. Kwatra said the government of India's effort has been to advise and assist the stranded Indians to remain safe and help them move to secure locations whenever feasible after carefully evaluating the conflict situation. He also said that India has received evacuation requests from other nationalities. "We are willing to provide all assistance. This is subject to fulfilment of all the procedures required," he said. Asked whether India will evacuate the PIOs, Kwatra said New Delhi will extend all support if there is a request from them. The foreign secretary thanked Saudi Arabia for all the assistance including the landing and docking of Indian military transport aircraft and naval ships in Jeddah. "Saudi Arabia has been extremely helpful and we are very grateful to them," he said. Sudan has been witnessing deadly fighting between the country's army and a paramilitary group that has reportedly left around 400 people dead. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar on Monday announced the launch of the mission to evacuate 'Operation Kaveri' to bring back the stranded Indians from Sudan. India on Sunday said it has positioned two transport aircraft of the IAF in Jeddah and the naval ship INS Sumedha at Port Sudan as part of its contingency plans to evacuate the Indians. Apart from the Sudanese authorities, the MEA and the Indian embassy in Sudan have been in regular touch with the United Nations, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and the United States among others. At a high-level meeting on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued directions for the preparation of contingency plans to evacuate Indians from Sudan. Last week, Jaishankar spoke to his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt on the ground situation in Sudan with a focus on ensuring the safety of the Indians. IMAGE: Former Bihar MP Anand Mohan Singh, sentenced to life in prison for killing an IAS officer, was freed from prison on Thursday, April 27, 2023. All photographs: ANI Photo It was a silent and semi-dark early summer morning on Thursday, April 27, 2023, when former MP Anand Mohan Singh, convicted and sentenced to life for lynching district magistrate G Krishnaiah, walked out of prison after being released. There was no show of strength as expected by his supporters. It had been reported that thousands of his supporters along with over 500 cars would be part of a road show after his release. But Anand Mohan chose a low-profile release without fanfare at 4 am when people were asleep and roads were deserted. He was lodged in the Saharsa district jail and released after 16 years. The television, fridge and other luxury items that he had in his prison cell -- proof of his comfortable life in jail -- were seized by the prison authorities. The pets he had in his cell were also freed. Soon after his release, Anand Mohan headed to his native village Panchchgachia in Saharsa district in the flood-prone and backward Kosi region. Anand Mohan was released after Nitish Kumar's Bihar government amended prison rules that triggered controversy. He was one of 26 prisoners who secured relief from the amendment in the prison manual. Early this month, the state home department notified the change in rule 481 (1-a) of the Bihar Prison Manual, 2012. The notification made a significant change in the rules for the release from jail by deleting the phrase 'or murder of a Government servant on duty', which benefited Anand Mohan Singh. A Rashtriya Janata Dal leader close to Anand Mohan told this reporter that a grand welcome had been planned after his release on Thursday afternoon, but it was put on hold given the growing controversy over his release. IMAGE: Uma Devi, former IAS officer G Krishnaiah's wife, holds her husband's photograph while speaking to the media in Hyderabad on April 25, 2023 about Anand Mohan's release by the Bihar government. Anand Mohan was sentenced to life imprisonment for Krishnaiah's murder. "The plan of a grand welcome was cancelled late night and the official process was completed in record time for his release before the break of dawn. A PIL has been filed in the Patna high court against his release and several people have raised their voices against his release," another leader closely associated with Anand Mohan told this correspondent. Uma Krishnaiah, the slain IAS officer G Krishnaiah's wife, said she will challenge the release of her husband's killer in the Supreme Court. "We will fight against the release of a criminal who killed an IAS officer and was convicted by the apex court," she said. Anand Mohan, who was out on parole for 15 days -- the third time in six months -- surrendered to the Saharsa jail on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, evening and was formally released early the next morning. In 2007, the Patna high court had sentenced Anand Mohan to death. The court pronounced the verdict 13 years after a mob led by the husband-wife duo of Anand Mohan and Lovely Anand shot at and then stoned to death Krishnaiah, the Gopalganj district magistrate, on a national highway near Muzaffarpur. Later, the court converted the death sentence to a life term. IMAGE: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav with Anand Mohan attend his son MLA Chetan Anand's engagement in Patna on April 24, 2023. Krishnaiah, a 1985 batch Indian Administrative Service officer, who belonged to a poor Dalit family in Andhra Pradesh, was dragged out of his official vehicle and killed by Anand Mohan's henchmen in Vaishali district when he was on the way to Patna to attend a meeting. According to the police investigation report, after being attacked and beaten to near death, Krishnaiah was also shot. The police officials reportedly said Krishnaiah's vehicle was intercepted by a mob led by Anand Mohan. The mob was protesting the killing of Kaushalendra Shukla, a leader of Anand Mohan's Bihar People's Party. Anand Mohan faced several criminal cases, including those related to murder, attempt to murder, extortion and abduction, in various courts. He formed the Krantikari Samajwadi Sena in 1980, but lost the Lok Sabha election that year. He became a Janata Dal legislator in 1990. He formed the Bihar People's Party in 1993, but failed to win any of the three assembly seats he contested in 1995. He entered the Lok Sabha in 1996 from Sheohar. After Anand Mohan was convicted in Krishnaiah's murder, the Bihar People's Party slowly lost ground. He then joined hands with the Samata Party led by George Fernandes and Nitish Kumar and worked with them when they formed the Janata Dal-United. From the late 1990s till the early 2000s, he joined all the political parties in Bihar one after another except the Left. Lovely Anand -- Anand Mohan's wife and former MP -- is a Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and his son Chetan Anand is an RJD MLA; both are considered close to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav. With the Lok Sabha election hardly a year away, the ruling Mahagathbandhan consisting of Kumar's Janata Dal-United, the RJD, the Congress, the Hindustani Awam Morcha, hopes to make a dent in upper caste votes, considered a strong and loyal social support base of the Bharatiya Janata Dal in Bihar. The ruling Mahagathbandhan may give a ticket in the 2024 Lok Sabha election to Anand Mohan and/or Lovely Anand from seats having enough Rajput voters to challenge the BJP. Anand Mohan reportedly enjoys strong support among Rajputs in the Kosi region, from where he hails, and the neighbouring Seemanchal and Mithilanchal regions as well. Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com The Naxal ambush on Wednesday has highlighted what is seen as the last major challenge for security forces in Chhattisgarh -- foiling Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attacks in the forested tri-junction in Bastar region. IMAGE: Security personnel at the site after at least ten police personnel and a driver were killed in a blast carried out by Naxalites in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. Photograph: PTI Photo Security officials cite the lack of foolproof technology to detect IEDs and the increasing desperation of Naxals, who are avoiding direct combat with the forces involved in operations to completely stamp out Left Wing Extremism (LWE) violence in the state, for such incidents. The latest attack was the biggest strike by the Naxals on the security forces in the state in the last two years. Ten district reserve guard (DRG) personnel and a driver were killed when the extremists blew up their vehicle in the Aranpur area of Dantewada district. The explosion created a nearly 10-ft deep crater, splitting the road and completely destroying the vehicle. The geographical tri-junction of Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Odisha located right at the southern tip of Sukma district in the south Bastar region is an area that witnesses the maximum number of such incidents including the deadly 2010 Maoist ambush in Dantewada where 75 CRPF and one Chhattisgarh police personnel were killed. The Union government has maintained that Left Wing Extremism has almost been wiped out in Jharkhand and Bihar due to sustained operations by security forces, noting that Naxal violence incidents have come down by 77 per cent in just over a decade. However, security officials say the menace of stealthily placed IEDs, especially in the border areas of south Chhattisgarh, "continues to pose a challenge" to them. "A general alert was issued to the security agencies stating that the Naxal-sponsored TCOC period is on and hence they should be alert while conducting operational and administrative tasks. "Unfortunately, the Naxals were successful in trapping the DRG vehicle in Dantewada. The exact reasons behind this incident are being investigated," a senior security officer in Delhi told PTI. The TCOC is an armed operation undertaken by the Maoists in March-June to strengthen their cadres and launch major attacks on security forces as forests are devoid of green cover, thereby increasing visibility and line of sight to ambush. These areas are controlled by the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee of the Maoists and led by the 'elusive' Hidma, stated to be the commander of the PLGA battalion no. 1 which is accused by police agencies of planning and executing hundreds of ambushes against the forces over the last two decades. The forces are trying to "capture, dominate and hold" these areas by constructing remote bases and roads. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has set up as many as 15 forward operating bases in Chhattisgarh over the last three years and some more are in the offing, a security officer based in Bastar said. These bases are being created so that small units of commandos based here can effectively hit the Naxals in their core areas and secure these locations for government agencies to launch development works, the officer said. The remote locations, dense forests and weak mobile phone connectivity are other major hurdles for the forces and government agencies that are operating in these areas. "However, continued efforts are on and we hope to achieve good results including ruling out the possibility of deadly attacks and ambushes on police patrol parties," the second officer quoted above said. The IEDs continue to be a cause of big trouble because of two factors, a CRPF officer said. The first is that as Maoists have run out of sophisticated guns, rifles and ammunition. They choose to not fight a one-on-one battle but launch surprise attacks, the officer said. They are not always successful as the forces have learnt their lessons of not taking the 'beaten track' now, but whenever they are successful, a number of security personnel are either killed or maimed, the officer said. "The second issue is that we still do not have foolproof technology to detect the IEDs. They are placed under blacktop roads, or hidden beneath culverts or bridges and are triggered by a person sitting far away as soon as a security vehicle or patrol is detected," he said. Many IEDs explode even when the troops are on foot and their trigger mechanism gets activated just due to the pressure of the feet. These incidents have injured more than 100 personnel over the last two years, the officer said. "The south Bastar region and its bordering areas and the IEDs are the last Maoist bastions to be breached. The forces are working towards this goal," he said. The Union government had told Parliament in December 2022 that incidents of Naxal violence have reduced by 77 per cent from the high of 2,213 in 2010 to 509 in 2021. The resultant deaths (civilians and security forces) reduced by 85 per cent from the high of 1,005 in 2010 to 147 in 2021, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai had said in a written reply to Lok Sabha, adding that the declining trend continued in 2022. The minister also said the geographical spread of the violence has also significantly reduced and only 191 police stations of 46 districts reported LWE-related violence in 2021 as compared to a high of 465 police stations of 96 districts in 2010. The decline in the geographical spread is also reflected in the reduced number of districts covered under security related expenditure scheme and the number of these districts reduced from 126 to 90 in April, 2018 and further to 70 in July 2021, data provided by him had said. The number of districts contributing approximately 90 per cent of the LWE violence, categorised as most LWE-affected districts, also came down to 30 from 35 in 2018 and further to 25 in 2021, he said. Press Release April 27, 2023 Dela Rosa proposes possible 'to-do list' based on the initial Degamo probe SENATOR Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, has identified five possible legislative measures and four policy reforms based on the initial investigation his panel has conducted regarding the killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo. Dela Rosa said the possible legislative measures are an amendment to the Omnibus Election Code, particularly section 69 on nuisance candidates; an amendment to the Local Government Code to ensure that the authority to appoint police provincial directors must be with the Philippine National Police and not with the local government officials; and an amendment to the Firearms Law. He also saw the need for a strong law that would effectively prevent the organization of private armies, and the imposition of the death penalty against erring security personnel who commit heinous crimes taking undue advantage of their training, knowledge, and skills. Dela Rosa also identified the policy reforms as the strict regulation on the selling and using of military and police uniforms, monitoring of dishonorably discharged military personnel, inventory of loose firearms, and updating of the Philippine National Police Standard of Procedures in addressing complaints of the citizens. "As always, we emphasize that this is in aid of legislation. Paano ba makakatulong ang Senado? Anong mga polisiya ang kailangang gawin at anong batas ang kailangan nating amyendahan?" he said. Dela Rosa has not yet wrapped up the investigation as he plans to conduct one more hearing to cover the past and present law and order situation in Negros Oriental since the first three hearings unearthed more killing incidents, land grabbing cases, e-sabong and illegal gambling, intimidation and threat to "uncooperative" authorities, the existence of private armies with unlicensed firearms, and involvement of police personnel in criminal activities and cover-ups. NATO countries deliver to Kyiv more than 98% of promised combat vehicles Stoltenberg NATO allies have provided Ukraine with almost all the combat vehicles promised to it, including 230 tanks, Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday. More than 98 percent of the combat vehicles promised to Ukraine have already been delivered. That means over 1,550 armoured vehicles, 230 tanks and other equipment, including vast amounts of ammunition, Stoltenberg said at a press conference with Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel. He called the alliance's assistance to Kyiv unprecedented. According to him, NATO allies have also trained and equipped a total of nine Ukrainian armored brigades. Brattleboro, VT (05301) Today Overcast with rain showers at times. High 54F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Cloudy skies with a few showers after midnight. Low 41F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%. The Russian aggressor introduced the 116th Archer (Striltsi) Regiment as a reserve to its troops, at the moment it is in Volnovakha, Donetsk region, Oleksiy Dmitrashkovsky, spokesman for the joint press center of the Defense Forces of Tavria direction, said. "It became known about the introduction of a reserve into the Russian troops, namely the 116th Archer Regiment, which left Donetsk and is currently in the city of Volnovakha," Dmitrashkovsky said on the air of a telethon on Thursday. The enemy is also trying to carry out an assault from Yasynovata of Donetsk region. In addition, the enemy is constantly attacking the positions of the Ukrainian defenders. On Wednesday, the enemy made 15 attacks, seven of them in Zaporizhia region and eight in Donetsk region. HARTFORD One day after threatening to kill a state trooper, a city man pulled out a knife on law enforcement members who tried to arrest him, Connecticut State Police said. The threat of violence against cops was among the more serious allegations against Raymond Lapinski, who police say had a half-dozen run-ins with officers in Greater Hartford this month. Lapinski, 29, of Hartford, was charged with multiple offenses in connection with the incidents, state police said Wednesday. Lapinski was in custody at the Hartford Correctional Center on $560,000 bail, prison records show. State police said the most recent series of events began when Lapinski shouted at an on-duty state police sergeant, asking if he was a "cop" around 10:30 a.m. Monday on Asylum Street. Lapinski said he kills cops" and threatened to kill the sergeant, state police said. When the sergeant tried to take Lapinski into custody, state police said the man drove away before stopping a short distance away. Leaning out the window of his car, Lapinski made an obscene hand gesture and screamed profanities at the sergeant before driving off again, state police said. The sergeant briefly lost sight of the car, but encountered the man again on Pulaski Circle, according to state police. When he activated his vehicle's emergency lights and siren in an attempt to conduct a traffic stop, Lapinski accelerated, state police said, reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph on Interstate 91 southbound. State police said the pursuit was terminated in the area of Exit 28 in the interest of public safety. State police said Lapinski was the registered owner of the vehicle and identified as the suspect in the incident. State police said they also determined Lapinski was the subject of active arrest warrants held by two local police departments. The search for Lapinski continued Tuesday as troopers and Hartford police officers scoured the city. Investigators found Lapinski walking near the intersection of Asylum Avenue and Ann Ucello Street around 9:15 a.m. Tuesday, state police said. Identifying themselves as law enforcement officers, state police said, troopers instructed Lapinski to lie down on the ground. In response, Lapinski retrieved a knife from his waistband, state police said, prompting troopers to draw their weapons. Lapinski then complied with orders to drop the knife and was taken into custody, according to state police. State police said Lapinski was "combative" and resisted being escorted him to a Hartford police cruiser, state police said, yelling obscenities along the way. Once he had been secured in the cruiser, Lapinski was transported to the Hartford Correctional Center. He was charged with two counts of assault on a public safety officer, criminal attempt to commit first-degree assault, interfering with an officer and carrying a dangerous weapon, state police said. After he was processed, Lapinski was transferred to the custody of the state Department of Correction pending arraignment, according to state police. Around 10 a.m. Wednesday, he was served with an arrest warrant charging him with second-degree threatening, first-degree reckless endangerment, reckless driving and disobeying the signal of an officer/attempting to elude or escape an officer in connection with the Monday incident, state police said. Lapinski was scheduled to be arraigned later in the day Wednesday in Superior Court in Hartford. Lapinski also was arrested on warrants stemming from other incidents with police, all of which happened earlier this month. Three times in Hartford, West Hartford and Canton he was accused of engaging police in pursuit, court documents show. In addition to fleeing officers, Hartford police say he drove recklessly and tried to interfere with officers on April 7. His behavior in a separate incident the same day led to multiple threatening charges and a charge of breach of peace, according to the court records. Similar charges arose from an incident in West Hartford on April 10, the records show. In addition to leading police on a chase and driving recklessly, police say he engaged in dangerous behavior and interfered with officers. The Canton pursuit charge was coupled with a charge of driving an unregistered vehicle. Those allegations stem from April 15, the court documents show. The next court date for all of the Lapinski's cases is scheduled for May 10. Natasha Tosado was incarcerated when her 15-year-old son, Jayson Negron, was shot and killed by a Bridgeport police officer in May 2017. The pain of not being able to keep her son safe still haunts her, Tosado said in court documents. It's part of the guilt I carry every day," she said in court documents. Now the 40-year-old Hamden resident said she must relive losing her son as the state is seeking a portion of the money she received to settle the wrongful death lawsuit she filed against the city of Bridgeport, according to attorneys representing her and others in a federal complaint seeking to end the practice of charging former inmates for the cost of their incarceration. "No family should have to bury a child, and the state is making that pain worse, Tosado said in a statement released by the Connecticut chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which is representing her and others in the lawsuit along with attorneys from Hurwitz Sagarin Slossberg & Knuff, LLC. I will never stop grieving Jayson," she said. "The settlement in his death was the best acknowledgment we could get that they took his life, and that it was wrong. The state trying to take that money forces me and my family to relive the trauma of Jaysons death, and it has left me angry and hurt. By joining this lawsuit, I am fighting for myself and for other families, because none of us should have to go through this. Tosado and Douglas Johnson, who served two years nearly 20 years ago for charges connected with a substance abuse addiction, recently joined the lawsuit filed in 2022 by Teresa Beatty, another formerly incarcerated individual who stands to lose more than $80,000 of an inheritance from her mother's death. The plaintiffs are seeking to end the state's cost of incarceration law, attorneys fees and whatever else a judge deems reasonable. A federal judge recently agreed that Beatty's lawsuit, calling Connecticut prison liens against current and former inmates unconstitutional, can move forward. But she had to identify different defendants since the original officials she sued Gov. Ned Lamont and Attorney General William Tong don't enforce the fines on "windfalls" by formerly incarcerated individuals, the judge ruled. Now the three are suing the state Department of Correction Commissioner Angel Quiros and the state Department of Administrative Services Commissioner Michelle Gilman whose agencies set the amount for the liens and pursue the formerly incarcerated inmates for payment. Tong's office, which will represent Gilman and Quiros in the lawsuit, declined to comment. Despite a recent change in state law that reduced the amount DAS can collect from formerly incarcerated people and narrowed the types of "windfalls" on which liens can be placed, the plaintiffs have still incurred hefty bills based on often misleading calculations, according to an amended complaint filed in the lawsuit last week. Although DAS officials are now supposed to deduct $50,000 from any amount of prison debt they pursue, the amount Beatty owes has not been reduced, her attorneys said. The amount that people potentially owe is also not based on the actual cost of incarceration, the lawsuit claims. Instead, it's a calculation generated by DOC officials that often exaggerates the amount of money it takes to run the state's prison system, the ACLU said in the complaint. For instance, the prison population dropped by 50 percent during the height of the pandemic compared to decades prior when it was at an all-time high around 20,000, the lawyers said. But the DOC maintained the same number of employees, even though there were fewer inmates, and added overtime costs due to the pandemic to the calculation, the lawsuit said. "The result of Connecticut having carte blanche to charge people for their own punishment is staggering," the attorneys said in the lawsuit. The prison debt generates about $5 million annually from former inmates who can be charged up to 20 years after they have served their time. The money does not go to running the prisons, the ACLU attorneys said. The money goes to the state's general fund, according to state officials. Tosado was incarcerated from July 2016 to April 2018 on a weapons in a motor vehicle charge. Her son was killed in May 2017. According to the report of Waterbury State's Attorney Maureen Platt who investigated the fatal use of police force, an undercover Bridgeport officer reported a stolen Subaru Forester was spotted in the area near Walgreens at 1000 Park Ave. When responding officers arrived, they tried to pull over the vehicle. However, the driver, later identified as Negron, turned into the Walgreens parking lot with officers following before turning left into oncoming traffic on Fairfield Avenue, the investigation found. Bridgeport Police Officer James Boulay got out of the car and approached the drivers side of the Subaru with his gun drawn before shooting one of the cars tires because, he said, Negron was using the vehicle dangerously, the report showed. Platts report stated Boulay then opened the drivers door and reached in to pull out Negron before the teenager tried to move away from the officer, putting the Subaru into reverse and stepping on the gas pedal. The states attorneys report said the door of the Subaru hit Boulay, who then fired his weapon into the vehicle, shooting Negron several times. Medics pronounced Negron dead at the scene. Platt's investigation determined Bouley "was justified" in using fatal force on the teen. Boulay was also cleared of any wrongdoing by an internal Bridgeport police investigation. When prison officials told Tosado that her son had been killed, they placed her in solitary confinement, according to the lawsuit. Tosado is now a pharmacy technician who worked through the pandemic providing COVID-19 vaccinations, her attorneys said. She is also interning with New Reach, where she works with women and children affected by homelessness, poverty and domestic violence. As part of her internship, she is also pursuing a peer mentor certification through the Yale University School of Medicine/FORDD Clinic Formerly Incarcerated Recovery Support Training program. She owes the state $44,028.98 from the wrongful death settlement to pay for her two-year incarceration, her attorneys said. "Ms. Beatty, Ms. Tosado and Mr. Johnson have shown tremendous courage in speaking out for themselves and all formerly incarcerated people and their loved ones," said Dan Barrett, ACLU Foundation of Connecticut legal director and an attorney on the case. "Connecticuts prison debt statute is cruel and unconstitutional. Because of systemic racism in the criminal legal system, prison debt also disproportionately hurts Black and Latinx people in our state. Its high past time for Connecticut to end prison debt." President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have held phone talks, the Anadolu news agency reported on Thursday. During the conversation, they discussed the Ukraine issue and the situation with the grain deal. According to the agency, "Erdogan, in the conversation with Putin, did not rule out the discussion of new initiatives," in particular, within the framework of a working group, which, according to him, is to be created. General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed, Chief of Army Staff, Bangladesh Army arrived in India for a three-day visit to India from 27 to 29 April 2023. He is meeting India's senior military and civilian leadership where he will be discussing options for improving the defence relations between India and Bangladesh. Both nations share the historical legacy of cooperation and support during the Liberation War of 1971. The regular engagement on the defence side includes high-level exchanges at the level of Service Chiefs, the conduct of the inaugural Annual Defence Dialogues by the Defence Secretaries, Tri-services, and Service-specific Staff Talks. Every year in December exchange visits of Bangladesh Mukti Jodhas and Indian War veterans take place to mark the Victory Day celebrations in Dhaka and Kolkata. Bangladesh Army Chief accorded with Guard of Honour The Bangladesh Army Chief began his visit to India by paying tributes to the heroes of the Indian Armed Forces by laying a wreath at the National War Memorial. He was also accorded Guard of Honour at the South Block Lawns after which he also called on Chief of the Army Staff, General Manoj Pande. Delhi: General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed, Chief of Army Staff of Bangladesh Army receives Guard of Honour at South Block pic.twitter.com/R5TiU6DUZX ANI (@ANI) September 7, 2021 Both the chiefs held discussions over a lot of issues related to enhancing and improving interoperability, training, anti-terrorism collaboration, and the overall bilateral cooperation as a part of the comprehensive partnership between the two nations. Later he also met General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of Naval Staff, Air Marshal AP Singh, Vice Chief of Air Staff, Defence Secretary, and the Foreign Secretary. He was also told about the Indian indigenous defence equipment manufacturing eco-system by the Department of Defence Production (DDP) and the Army Design Bureau. An "Implementing Arrangement" for UN Peacekeeping Operations and Training Cooperation between Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping (CUNPK), India, and Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operations Training (BIPSOT), was inked between both nations. General Ahmed to be reviewing officer of Passing Out Parade Bangladesh Army Chief will also be the Reviewing Officer for the Passing Out Parade at Officers Training Academy, Chennai, scheduled for 29 April 2023. He will also visit the Officers Training Academy Museum and interact with the passing out cadets. The restoration by Ukraine of the radiation monitoring system in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, which was damaged by Russian occupation forces, is an important achievement for maintaining international partners' confidence, Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Minister of Ukraine Ruslan Strilets has said. "The biggest achievement is that together with the State Agency on Exclusion Zone Management we have been able to resume the operation of the radiation monitoring system. Most of our partners have always been interested in the situation with radiation. And now, we can show the world truthful data through our application EcoZagroza that is used all over the world," he told a press briefing during a visit to Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) on the 37th anniversary of the Chornobyl accident. According to Head of the State Agency on Exclusion Zone Management Yevhen Kramarenko, $2 million of $15 million donor funds previously allocated for specific projects have already been disbursed for restoration of the Exclusion Zone. Another $8 million were transferred to the International Chornobyl Co-operation Account, which is funded by 49 donor countries that financed the construction of a confinement over the destroyed power unit of Chornobyl NPP, he said. These funds were spent, in particular, on the restoration of the central analytical laboratory of the Ecocenter State Specialized Enterprise, dosimetric control and other important equipment that was destroyed by the occupiers. In general, according to him, about $100 million and several years are needed to restore the Exclusion Zone. The Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Minister said on Facebook that a separate plan for restoring the Exclusion Zone includes ten directions and 40 projects, the funding of which this year amounts to $15 million. Defence ministers of China, Russia and other member nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) except Pakistan will travel to India to attend a key meeting of the grouping this week. Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif will attend the SCO defence ministers' meeting in New Delhi on Friday through virtual mode, according to an official readout. Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu are among those who are visiting India to attend the meeting. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will chair the meeting that is expected to deliberate on regional security situation including developments in Afghanistan. "Defence Ministers of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan will participate. India has invited Belarus and Iran,currently observers in SCO, to participate in the SCO defence ministers' meeting," the defence ministry said. "Defence Minister of Pakistan would be participating virtually. The ministers will discuss matters related to regional peace and security, counter terrorism efforts within SCO and an effective multilateralism," it said in a statement. The ministry said Singh will be holding bilateral meetings with the participating defence ministers on April 27 and 28 where bilateral defence related issues and other matters of mutual interest will be discussed. It said India has ancient civilizational, cultural and spiritual ties with the SCO member countries. "India's membership of SCO in 2017, was therefore, a reaffirmation of New Delhi's keenness to deepen these historic ties.India considers SCO as an important regional group to promote multilateral, political, security, economic and people-to-people interactions in the region," it said. The ministry said India continues to bring more ideas and initiatives to strengthen cooperation among SCO countries. "Under its Chairmanship, this year, India organised two defence related activities to enhance interoperability amongst SCO member states," it said. "The first being a workshop on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief and the second was a seminar of SCO countries defence think-tanks on the issue of armed forces contributing to military medicine, healthcare and pandemics," the ministry said. "India stands committed to take forward the Agenda of SCO under its chairmanship," it added. The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Over the years, it has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organisations. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017. The Border Security Force shot down another rogue Drone intrusion attempt near the Amritsar sector in Punjab, moreover, a suspected bag with 2 Kg heroin was also recovered from the location, informed BSF officials. The incident happened at village Dhanoe Kalan, Border Outpost (BOP) in Pulmoran, Amritsar. Amritsar BSF Sector seized a Pakistani Drone and around 2kg heroin at village Dhanoe Kalan, BOP Pulmoran, said BSF. #Breaking#PakDroneAlert A rogue #drone entering from #Pakistan was shot down by alert #BSF troops in #Amritsar Sector. One bag of suspected heroin has also been recovered. Further Search operation underway. More details follow. pic.twitter.com/Tca5gAFwQU BSF PUNJAB FRONTIER (@BSF_Punjab) April 27, 2023 Three-fold increase in Drone sightings On April 15 BSF troops recovered more than three kilograms of heroin, allegedly airdropped by a Pakistani drone, near the India-Pakistan border in Punjab's Amritsar, an official said. Notably until December 2022, there was a three-fold increase in the number of Drone Sightings compared to 2021. Besides this data collated by the BSF, which is mandated to guard the 3,323 km India-Pakistan border, the drone sighting incidents have quadrupled as compared to 2020 when 77 UAVs a major source of smuggling arms and ammunition, as well as drugs into India were observed along the Pakistan border. The BSF in a sector-wise breakup stated a maximum of 164 drones were spotted in Amritsar, 96 in Gurdaspur, 84 in Ferozpur, and 25 in Abohar districts. The Drones are leveraged to smuggle weapons, narcotics, and explosives into India from across the border in Pakistan, said a BSF official. The increased number of events of Drones used for transporting terror across the border was brought to the notice of Home Minister Amit Shah in a security review meeting recently. While the BSF which mans the international order said they have been able to chase away the Drones flying from the other side of the Border, the State police and the intelligence agencies didnt concur with the assessment. The MCD organised a field visit of a foreign delegation from Mekong-Ganga Cooperation member countries as part of a training programme on vector-borne diseases, officials here said on Wednesday. During the training, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Deputy Commissioner (Central Zone) Amit Kumar Sharma spoke about urban challenges of solid waste management, timely and proper garbage disposal and implementation of a ban on single-use plastic, according to a statement. The participants were informed about the initiatives on vector control in unauthorised and low-lying areas and major drains, in collaboration with the MCD's Engineering department. "The 15-member Mekong-Ganga Cooperation delegation, comprising participants from member countries like Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, took part in a three days' training programme titled 'Eradication of Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases with High Incidences' organised by the National Institute of Malaria Research from April 24 to 26," the statement said. The field training on 'Urban Vector Control Challenges' was organised by the Public Health department of the MCD's central zone, it said. Apart from Sharma, the participants were also addressed by Municipal Health Officer Dr LR Verma. "The participants visited the mega construction project of G20 venues where breeding control is challenging due to the ongoing construction... The participants were also informed of initiatives of vector control in unauthorised areas, low lying areas and major drains in collaboration with the Engineering department," the statement said. "The participants also visited the heritage tourist destination of Humayun's Tomb, a place of public agglomeration, and (were told) how these sites are maintained breeding-free so no local transmission occurs. The participants were also shown a natural mother hatchery of Gambusia fish in Sunder Nursery Park," it added. The Mekong-Ganga Cooperation is an initiative of India and five ASEAN countries -- Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam -- for cooperation in tourism, culture, education, transport and communications. Kosovo's leadership has called for justice for the 1,621 people still officially missing from the 1998-1999 war with neighbouring Serbia. On Kosovo's National Day of Missing Persons, President Vjosa Osmani said in a statement: The violent extinction of thousands of our citizens, including children, was a clear effort to extinguish the people. The war erupted when the ethnic Albanian majority in Kosovo, which was then a Serbian province, rebelled against rule from Belgrade, which responded with a brutal crackdown. About 13,000 people were killed. In 1999 a NATO military intervention forced Serbia to pull out of the territory. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, which is not recognised by Serbia. Prime Minister Albin Kurti paid his respects at a memorial to the missing in the capital, Pristina. We need justice. We need accountability. We need criminals, perpetrators, executioners and decision-makers to be behind bars, Kurti said. The issue of the missing is part of an 11-point European Union plan to normalise relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Kurti is due to meet Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels next week for talks. The European Union mission in Kosovo, or EULEX, has conducted 725 field operations and 197 exhumations, which have resulted in the identification of 332 missing persons. These figures don't mean much to those who have not found their loved ones yet, said forensic anthropologist Luisa Marinho. EULEX said it had been difficult to find the bodies. Many were buried in small, unmarked graves or even in cemeteries, in an effort by the perpetrators to make the search for the missing more difficult and to hide evidence. While most of the missing are ethnic Albanians, a few are Serbs. EULEX says it lacks new and credible information on the location of graves. It has complained that not all missing persons' families have given blood samples for DNA analysis, making it harder for experts to identify remains. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Colombian counterpart Alvaro Leyva Duran and discussed ways to boost bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on global issues, including the situation in the Indo-Pacific region. Jaishankar arrived here in Colombia's capital from Panama on Wednesday. He is the first external affairs minister to have visited Colombia. "Met Foreign Minister @AlvaroLeyva of Colombia this morning. Exchanged views on expanding our bilateral cooperation, especially in health, agriculture and digital domains," he tweeted about his meeting on Wednesday. "Proposed greater exchanges and stronger collaboration, especially in capacity building. Also spoke about global issues, including the Indo-Pacific. Addressed the issue of Reformed Multilateralism," he said. The US, India and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific. The evolving situation in the strategic Indo-Pacific region in the wake of China's increasing military muscle flexing has become a major talking point among leading global powers. China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas. Beijing has also made substantial progress in militarising its man-made islands in the past few years. Beijing claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea. But Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims. In the East China Sea, China has territorial disputes with Japan. The South China Sea and the East China Sea are stated to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources. They are also vital to global trade. Although the US lays no claims to the disputed waters, it has challenged China's growing territorial claims in the South China Sea by deploying warships and fighter jets to assert freedom of navigation and overflight patrols in the strategically vital region. Jaishankar also met second vice President of the Senate of Colombia Honorio Henriquez and discussed collaboration in the health, energy and technology sectors. "Makeinindia has many incarnations. Saw a Colombian one, sourced out of Tamil Nadu. Learnt that my Colombian counterpart also rides a Royal Enfield," he said in another tweet. Earlier, Jaishankar arrived in Panama from Guyana on Monday and participated in the 4th India-SICA Ministerial meeting in Panama City on Tuesday. The Central American Integration System (SICA) is an economic and political organisation of Central American countries. On Monday, Jaishankar joined President of Guyana Irfaan Ali at the commissioning of an India-made ferry which would enhance connectivity and provide mobility and economic opportunities in the country's distant hinterlands. Jaishankar is on a nine-day trip to Guyana, Panama, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic, his first visit as the external affairs minister to these Latin American countries and the Caribbean. US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield is heading to Brazil next week, following up on recent high-level meetings between the presidents and top diplomats of the two countries. The US Mission to the United Nations said late Wednesday that she will visit the capital, Brasilia, and then travel to Salvador, one of the oldest cities in the Americas and a center of Afro-Brazilian culture, from May 2-4. Thomas-Greenfields visit follows Februarys White House meeting where President Joe Biden and Brazils President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva stressed the importance of defending democracy and preserving the Amazon rain forest and talks on the margin of the Group of 20 ministerial meeting in New Delhi in early March between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira. Lula has also reached out to China and Russia, traveling to Beijing earlier this month to meet with Chinas President Xi Jinping in Beijing and holding talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Brasilia last week. The Brazilian president sparked criticism from the U.S. and the European Union for suggesting recently that Kyiv and the West share some responsibility for the conflict in Ukraine, which began with Russia's invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. The U.S. mission said Thomas-Greenfield, a member of Bidens Cabinet, will focus on promoting democracy and multilateral cooperation on the trip, as well as on combating climate change, safeguarding food security, continuing cooperation on regional migration, and ensuring equity for marginalized racial, ethnic, and Indigenous communities. Brazil, Latin America's largest country and a major global exporter, is currently serving a two-year term on the U.N. Security Council. The mission said that in Brasilia, the ambassador will meet with government officials to discuss our partnership in the region and at the United Nations. She will also meet Brazilians dealing with the more than 250,000 Venezuelan migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in the country and speak at the University of Brasilia, the mission said. In Salvador, the mission said, Thomas-Greenfield will underscore the U.S. commitment to reinvigorate the 2008 U.S.-Brazil Joint Action Plan to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Discrimination and Promote Equality and will engage with Afro-Brazilian civil society and young people. The United States barred Governor of North Western Province in Sri Lanka Wasantha Karannagoda and his family from entering the country over a gross violation of human rights on Thursday. The statement has been released by the US State Department. "The United States is designating Wasantha Karannagoda, Governor of North Western Province in Sri Lanka, pursuant to Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2023, due to his involvement in a gross violation of human rights during his tenure as a Naval Commander," read the statement released by the US Statement department. Meanwhile, State Secretary Antony Blinken has also announced on social media that the Srilankan Governor has been designated by the US Department. Taking to Twitter, he wrote: "The United States is designating Sri Lankan Governor and retired Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda for a gross violation of human rights. The United States continues to seek truth and justice for victims of the Sri Lankan civil war." The United States is designating Sri Lankan Governor and retired Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda for a gross violation of human rights. The United States continues to seek truth and justice for victims of the Sri Lankan civil war. April 26, 2023 United States bans Sri Lankan governor According to the US Department press release statement, "As a result of today's action, Karannagoda and his wife, Srimathi Ashoka Karannagoda, are ineligible for entry into the United States." Further, the department stated that the allegation against Wasantha Karannagoda was that he has committed a "gross human rights violation, documented by NGOs and independent investigations" which is " serious and credible". The US has also reaffirmed its commitment to uphold human rights, ending impunity for human rights violators, acknowledged the suffering of victims and survivors, and promoted perpetrators in Sri Lanka, said the US Department in a press release. Both countries, the US and Sri Lanka have developed their bilateral relationship in over 75 years of shared history, values, and a commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, stated the US Department. The statement read: "As we continue to build our bilateral relationship, we are committed to working with the Sri Lankan government on advancing justice, accountability, and reconciliation, including promoting security reform that maintains human rights at the forefront while ensuring Sri Lanka has the resources and training to properly address emerging security concerns." Transgender women in China are facing fresh obstacles after a government ban in December 2022 on onlines sale of cyproterone acetate, a widely used antiandrogen drug, and estradiol, a widely used estrogen drug. The ban on drugs needed for people who were born male to transition to female is driving trans Chinese women to the black market where they are vulnerable to being scammed, and has compounded a mental health crisis gripping the community. High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell welcomed a recent phone conversation between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of China Xi Jinping and stressed that it is up to Ukraine to decide in which terms peace would be decided. He said this during a visit to Colombia, according to the Diplomatic Service of the European Union. "I want to make [a] reference to the recent phone call between the President [of Ukraine, Volodymyr] Zelenskyy and [the] Chinese President Xi [Jinping]. This was awaited. It is a very good news. It is a first step that China will eventually reach out to Ukraine, and we want to say that any meaningful initiative for a just peace for Ukraine is very much welcome," Borrell said. "I want to be clear: we all want peace. When I hear some leaders saying 'We want peace,' me too. And the one who wants peace more than anyone else is the Ukrainian people. Believe me, if someone wants peace, it is the ones who are suffering [from] the consequences of the war which are the Ukrainians," he said. Borrell emphasized that this peace should be just. "It cannot be any peace. And for that, we need the mobilisation and engagement of everybody around the world, and mainly of countries like China which is a permanent member of the [United Nations] Security Council and has specific responsibilities in order to make the United Nations Charter being respected. Peace will be decided, and it is up to Ukraine to decide in which terms. And in the meantime, we will continue supporting Ukraine. I very much welcome this phone call between President Xi [Jinping] and President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy," he said. The son of jailed pro-democracy media magnate Jimmy Lai says officials should do more to support him. British lawmakers and the son of jailed media magnate Jimmy Lai have criticized the United Kingdom for failing to oppose China's crackdown on Hong Kong's once-free media and support embattled journalists in the city. "The British government did not really call for the release of my father," Lai's son Sebastien told journalists as the All Party Parliamentary Group on Hong Kong published a report on the state of the city's media amid an ongoing crackdown under a draconian security law imposed by Beijing. "This is a man who has stood up for Hong Kong's freedoms for the past few decades, and a publisher who has stood up for his beliefs like the rule of law, free speech, democracy, and who has gone straight to jail for it," he said. Lai, whose Next Digital media empire and its flagship Apple Daily newspaper were forced to close amid a national security investigation in 2021, will be tried for "collusion with a foreign power" and other charges linked to "seditious publications." The parliamentary group's report calls on the British government to issue emergency visas to journalists at risk of arrest or prosecution in Hong Kong, and to apply targeted sanctions to individuals responsible for Lai's arrest and arbitrary detention. "[The government should] call upon Hong Kong authorities to restore full editorial independence and end censorship campaigns at the territorys public broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong and others [and] provide assistance to journalists targeted in Hong Kong, including by providing them with emergency visas," it said. It said the British government should "treat the case of Jimmy Lai, a British citizen and political prisoner, as a political priority." "This includes applying pressure for his release, and deeming his current arrest as arbitrary detention," the report said. Kafkaesque It slammed "Kafkaesque" judicial arrangements under the national security law imposed by the Communist Party from July 1, 2020. "The handling of the cases against Jimmy Lai, and the concerns raised regarding due process and the rule of law, show how the Kafkaesque process does not leave any sense that he could possibly have a fair trial in Hong Kong," the report said, blaming the national security law for "crush[ing] freedom of expression and media pluralism in Hong Kong." British barrister Caoilfhionn Gallagher, who heads Lai's international legal team, said she and her colleagues have been targeted by pro-China abuse online, which has included threats of rape, dismemberment and death, but that the British government has said nothing on the matter. Hong Kong journalist Lam Yin-bong, former assignment editor at Stand News, which shut down under investigation by national security police a few months after the Apple Daily was forced to close, said he is struggling to make ends meet through his one-man news operation ReNews. British barrister Caoilfhionn Gallagher says she and her colleagues have been targeted by pro-China abuse online, which has included threats of rape, dismemberment and death. Credit: Lu Xi "It's hard for small or independent media in Hong Kong to get in touch with foreign governments and organizations, let alone get direct funding, which could lead to charges of 'collusion with foreign forces' [under the national security law]," Lam said. "Any financial transactions between non-government organizations and anyone overseas can now be used as evidence of a crime," he said. Retraining exiled journalists Hong Kong journalists who fled the city amid an ongoing crackdown on public dissent and political opposition have vowed to keep campaigning for press freedom for the city from overseas, as well as retraining exiled journalists for jobs elsewhere. Former Apple Daily reporter Shirley Leung, who has moved to the democratic island of Taiwan to set up the Hong Kong-focused Photon News, said it has been very hard for journalists to do their jobs in Hong Kong since the crackdown began in the wake of the 2019 protest movement. "The pervasive sense of fear [in Hong Kong] makes it seem very hard to report freely, or to fully report everything interviewees are saying," Leung said. "To be honest, I was censoring myself." "Since I left Hong Kong, I have enjoyed a lot more freedom of speech and of the press, so we are now all trying to figure out how to make this work," she said, using a Chinese saying "crossing the river by feeling the stones." The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Margaret Satterthwaite, wrote to the Chinese government last week saying that the national security law had interfered with the rule of law in Hong Kong. "The [law] could undermine the independence of the judiciary and remove procedural safeguards essential for a fair trial, Satterthwaite wrote in a summary of her letter on her Twitter account. She said the law gives the executive new powers, including the power to decide which judges are eligible to hear national security cases, to authorize some trials to proceed without a jury, and to transfer certain cases to be heard in mainland China, while restricting judicial review by vesting the power to interpret the law in the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in Beijing. Meanwhile, the law has also expanded police powers, allowing officers to conduct searches and surveillance without a warrant, she said. Recent moves to disqualify Jimmy Lai's British barrister Tim Owen from representing him at his national security trial will likely soon lead to an outright ban on foreign lawyers working on national security cases, she wrote. "I recommend review and reconsideration of the National Security Law to ensure that the law is in compliance with Chinas international human rights obligations with respect to the HKSAR, Satterthwaite wrote. Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster. PM Sunak has not delivered on a promise to close the Chinese state-sponsored schools. Children from the Robin Hood primary school in Birmingham perform a song in Mandarin for the Chinese President Xi Jinping who was attending the opening of the UCL Institute of Education Confucius Institute annual conference in London, Oct. 22, 2015. UPDATED AT 06:15 a.m. ET on 2023-04-27 Chinese staff at the so-called Confucius Institutes across the United Kingdom are recruited to enforce Chinese Communist Party (CCP) discipline and values in the country, new research has found. The state-sponsored Confucius Institute program, named after the ancient Chinese philosopher, was established 20 years ago to promote Chinese language and culture overseas and support Chinese-language teaching. There are more than 530 institutes based at universities worldwide, 30 of them are in the U.K. Are Confucius Institutes legal?, a new report by the organization UK-China Transparency (UKCT), looked into the recruitment process for Chinese staff who would then be sent to work in Britain. All Confucius Institutes are based in British universities in the form of partnerships between the local universities with Chinese counterparts, and the Centre for Language Cooperation and Exchange (CLEC), a central Chinese government agency. UKCT studied documents and data from all British universities involved and found that British universities are operating Confucius Institutes illegally and enabling transnational repression in the U.K. Most of the language teachers come from China, and the report said they are being recruited based on their ability to enforce CCP discipline in the U.K. and are obliged to undermine free speech and to conduct harassment on command. The Chinese government demands applicants for roles at Confucius Institutes fill in a special form, UKCT said, that requires applicants to provide details of their political characteristics and ethnicity; promise not to have a child whilst working abroad; have their current employer evaluate their political attitude; and be evaluated by a CCP Committee. These practices are illegal under U.K. law, the report said. The application form also demands that applicants must promise to abide by the laws of China while abroad, something the British host universities are not aware of. There is a systematic risk of Confucius Institute staff involving themselves in transnational repression by subjecting vulnerable individuals in the U.K. to harassment or intimidation and undermining freedom of speech on campus, the UKCTs report said. Tough on China? It also alleged that the U.K. Home Office is systematically enabling this by means of an unlawful dedicated visa route which makes the employment status of Confucius Institute staff unclear. In 2014, it launched a new kind of visa route called the Overseas Government Language Programme visa scheme which, to date, applies solely to Mandarin-language teachers. The schemes sponsor is a limited company based in London but under the control of the Chinese government. The purpose of the Confucius Institute program is to advance the CCP interests, the report said. Last July, when running for the leadership of the Conservative Party, the incumbent Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged that hed close all 30 of Chinas Confucius Institutes in the U.K. Almost all U.K. government spending on Mandarin language teaching at school is channeled through university-based Confucius Institutes, thereby promoting Chinese soft power, Sunak tweeted on July 25, 2022. So far none of the institutes has been closed. Rishi Sunak, before becoming prime minister, also claimed that China and the Chinese Communist Party represent the largest threat to Britain and the worlds security and prosperity this century. Simon Cheng, a Hong Kong democracy activist and founder of Hongkongers in Britain told RFA the prime minister must act to protect the U.K. against Chinese influence. If Confucius Institutes are being regarded as proposing the political agenda and propaganda in many subtle ways, the PM should live up to the promises that all the Confucius Institutes should be closed, he said. Yet some in the ruling Conservative Party are far more conciliatory to China. In the latest annual keynote speech on April 25, Our position on China, Sunaks foreign secretary argued that to isolate China would be a betrayal of our national interest and a wilful misunderstanding of the modern world. James Cleverly said that British officials have an obligation to future generations to engage robustly and also constructively with Beijing as we must face the inescapable reality that no significant global problem can be solved without China. However, he said, the U.K. government will strengthen our national security protections wherever Beijings actions pose a threat to our people or our prosperity. We are not going to be silent about interference in our political system, or technology theft, or industrial sabotage. We will do more to safeguard academic freedom and research. And when there are tensions with other objectives, we will always put our national security first, the foreign secretary pledged. Cheng, who is also an adviser to UK-China Transparency, argued that acknowledging the complexity of Chinese civilization is not a convenient excuse to shy away from the tough issue of basic human rights for the people in China. In September 2022, Madrid-based non-governmental organization Safeguard Defenders reported that China is carrying out "illegal, transnational policing operations" via 54 so-called police service stations in 30 countries including three stations in the United Kingdom. A minister at the U.K. Home Office confirmed in Parliament last week that law enforcement agencies are still investigating the allegations. Chinas foreign ministry meanwhile insisted that there are simply no so-called overseas police stations. A spokesman said the claims were groundless accusations against China and clearly political manipulation. Edited by Mike Firn. Updated to include comment from Simon Cheng of Hongkongers in Britain. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol condemned North Korea on Thursday for its nuclear ambitions and called for a stronger trilateral security relationship between Seoul, Tokyo and Washington to counter North Korean nuclear threats. Yoons remarks came during a speech to a joint session of the U.S. Congress that celebrated the 70-year South Korea-U.S. alliance that helped defend South Korea as it rose from the ashes of the 1950-53 Korean War to become one of the worlds leading economies. But even as [South Korea and the U.S.] walked in unison for freedom for 70 years, there is one regime determined to pursue a wrong path. That is North Korea, Yoon said. North Koreas nuclear program and missile provocations pose a serious threat to peace on the Korean Peninsula and beyond. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol addresses a joint meeting of Congress in the House chamber at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, April 27, 2023. Credit: AP The Yoon administration has been less willing to grant concessions to North Korea than that of his predecessor, Moon Jae-in, and other previous administrations. Yoon borrowed a Cold War-era quote from a previous U.S. president to illustrate his point that the alliance must stand united against North Koreas reckless behavior. As President Reagan once said: There is a price we will not pay. There is a point beyond which they must not advance, Yoon said. We must make his words clear to North Korea, Yoon spoke of his summit meeting with President Joe Biden on Wednesday, where the two leaders agreed to strengthen nuclear deterrence. Along with close Korea-U.S. coordination, we need to speed up Korea-U.S.-Japan trilateral security cooperation to counter increasing North Korean nuclear threats, Yoon said. Yoons stance on cooperation with Japan is controversial in South Korea due to their turbulent historical relationship. South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol addresses a joint meeting of Congress, Thursday, April 27, 2023, in Washington. Credit: AP Yoon vowed that Seoul would respond firmly to North Korean provocations, but stressed that South Korea and its allies were open to dialogue on denuclearization and would work toward that end. North Korea's obsession with nuclear weapons and missiles is throwing its population into a severe economic crisis and human rights abuses, he said, as he called for the international community to pay attention to North Koreas human rights situation. We must not shy away from our duty to promote freedom for North Koreans I ask for your help in improving North Korea's grim conditions, said Yoon. Yoon arrived in Washington on Monday for a six-day official visit. He participated in a summit with Biden on Wednesday and attended an official state dinner that night. Yoon will head to Massachusetts on Friday to visit two universities and will fly back to Seoul on Saturday. Edited by Malcolm Foster. The junta has dropped more than 80 bombs on the region this month, killing 19 people. Myanmars junta carried out 47 airstrikes, killing at least 19 people and destroying multiple religious buildings and civilian homes in Chin state in April alone, a rights group said Thursday. The campaign, which saw an average of nearly two bombs dropped on the western state each day this month, comes as the Chin National Front claimed new territorial gains in the region, suggesting the military has stepped up air operations amid an increasingly stymied ground offensive. Since April 1, Myanmars air force has dropped more than 80 bombs on Chin state, according to the Chin Human Rights Organization. The attacks killed 17 civilians and injured 34 others, the groups managing officer Salai Man Hre Lian told RFA Burmese, as well as two members of the armed resistance. Most of the injured were civilians, as well, he said. The worst loss of life occurred on April 10, when the junta launched three airstrikes on Falam township in a single day, dropping six bombs near Var village at around 9:00 a.m., four near a high school in Webula at 11:00 a.m., and six near Ramthlo village at 4:00 p.m. Residents said the attack on Webula killed nine civilians, including the school headmaster and his wife and son, and injured four others. Six days later, fighter jets attacked Pan Par village in Mindat township, killing three people including a child and injuring seven others. The CNF confirmed that two members of the armed resistance were killed and four others injured when the junta launched an airstrike earlier this month on a base operated by the 4th Brigade of the Chin National Army in Tedim township, near Myanmars border with India. Houses destroyed following Myanmar military junta's airstrike in Webula town, Chin state, on April 10, 2023. Credit: Citizen Journalist CHRO said that multiple buildings including a Buddhist monastery, a Christian church and at least 20 civilian homes were destroyed in the April strikes. The carnage in April followed a March 30 airstrike on Thantlang townships Khuafo village that killed 10 civilians and injured 20 others, residents told RFA. According to the CHRO, nearly 10,000 civilians have been forced to flee their homes due to junta airstrikes so far this month. The group said the junta has launched nearly 200 airstrikes and dropped more than 350 bombs on targets in Chin state since the military orchestrated a Feb. 1, 2021 coup detat. The strikes have killed 38 people and injured nearly 100. Fighting back against the junta The April bombing campaign comes amid growing success by anti-junta forces on the ground in Chin, according to CNF spokesman Salai Htet Ni. On April 23, a Peoples Defense Force paramilitary unit attacked a junta military convoy of 30 vehicles, including two armored cars, near Hakha townships Chuncung village, touching off an intense firefight. Despite the militarys advantage in equipment, the PDF was able to rout its opponent and prevent the convoy from continuing on to the seat of Hakha, Salai Htet Ni said. All of the military vehicles were destroyed by the resistance forces, he said, adding that around 30 junta troops remain stationed in Chuncung. We now have control over 70 out of 100 territories in nine [of 19] townships in Chin state. Families sit next to the coffins of victims of Myanmar military junta's airstrike in Webula town, Chin state, on April 11, 2023. Credit: Citizen Journalist Given the success of anti-junta forces on the ground in Chin, the military has stepped up its air attacks, and villagers have responded by digging trenches and other crude defenses. Every village has built bomb defenses, such as trenches, to protect against the juntas airstrikes, said a Hakha resident who, like other inhabitants of Chin villages RFA spoke to, declined to be named for security reasons. But with such unexpected attacks as these, its been very difficult for us to set up effective defenses. The military has yet to issue any statements regarding the April airstrikes and attempts by RFA to contact Thant Zin, the juntas social minister and spokesman for Chin state went unanswered Thursday. A legal expert, who also spoke on condition of anonymity citing fear of reprisal, noted that Myanmar is a signatory to and should be held accountable under the Geneva Convention, which lays out international legal standards for humanitarian treatment during conflict. [The convention] prohibits all armed forces from attacking non-military or civilian targets during times of war, he said. It also restricts armed forces from using highly destructive airstrikes and dropping bombs in civil wars. One resident of Thantlang called the juntas unprovoked aerial attacks cowardly. I think the junta attacks villages to terrorize the people, he said. If they are truly brave, they would only fight the armed groups. Targeting innocent people like us is extremely cowardly. Translated by Myo Min Aung. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster. They had been arrested by troops a month earlier, accused of being anti-junta militia members. Villagers have discovered the mutilated, charred bodies of five locals, who were arrested in Indaw township in Myanmars northerly Sagaing region a month earlier, according to an official from the Indaw Revolution anti-junta militia. He identified the men as 25-year-old Nyi Nyi; 25-year-old Law Shote; 38-year-old Aung Min Thike; 38-year-old Nay Lin Tun; and 48-year-old Poe Shan, all from Man He village. The men, discovered in a nearby forest Monday, were arrested when a junta column entered the village on March 24. The Indaw Revolution official, who declined to be named for security reasons, told RFA troops had claimed the men were PDF members killed in battle. The military council announced on March 24 that five PDF personnel were killed but there was no fighting at that time, the official said. A month later, when we found the burned bodies on the ground, we realized that these bodies were the five villagers. RFA called Aye Hlaing, the junta spokesman for Sagaing region, on Wednesday for comment on the claims that troops had killed villagers rather than defense force members, but the calls went unanswered. In this Oct. 10, 2021 photo, a sign outside a police station in Shwebo township, Sagaing region reads: "Do not come around! You can get killed." Credit: AFP Sagaing region has seen some of the fiercest fighting in the country, with junta troops carrying out air raids on civilian targets and razing villages thought to support the Peoples Defense Forces who have been fighting for the restoration of democracy in the country, following the February 2021 coup. On Sunday troops tortured and beheaded a man they arrested in Sagaing regions Ta Pa Yin Kwe, setting fire to homes there in the second raid on the village this year. Nearly 3,500 civilians have been killed across the country since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Mike Firn. The town in Myanmars Sagaing region is home to a Chinese-owned copper mine. Residents of Salingyi township, Sagaing region, flee their homes ahead of junta raids on April 27, 2023. More than 7,000 residents of villages in Sagaing regions Salingyi township have fled their homes ahead of junta raids, according to a member of the pro-democracy Salingyi-Yinmarbin Strike Committee. The man, who didnt wish to be named, said a column of 150 troops descended on the township on Thursday morning, leading residents of nine villages to flee. Residents from those villages are still on the run, he said. There have been no arrests. He said that the column of troops was made up of soldiers based in Salingyi town and others from a Chinese-owned copper project in the township. The Strike Committee member said troops had killed five civilians who they had brought with them from other villages. He didnt know the names of the dead. Residents of Salingyi township, Sagaing region, crown into a truck as they flee ahead of junta raids on April 27, 2023. Credit: Facebook: Ah Nyar Pyit Taing Htaung Lay Myar Group The military has intensified an already bloody campaign in Sagaing region this year, declaring martial law in 11 townships in February to try to wrest control of them from Peoples Defense Forces and defend foreign-owned mining interests. This month alone, troops have torched hundreds of homes in Sagaing region, and killed around 200 civilians in the bombing of Pa Zi Gyi village. There were more than 1.8 million internally displaced persons across Myanmar as of April 10, 2023, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Nearly 1.5 million of them fled their homes due to fighting since the Feb. 1, 2021 coup. Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Mike Firn. Congresswoman says poor US treatment of American Samoa could be win for China in the Pacific This photo provided by NOAA, taken in May 2016, shows bleaching and dead coral around Jarvis Island, which is part of the U.S. Pacific Remote Marine National Monument. Normally, a unique ocean current brings cold water up from the deep to make the underwater region vibrant with coral, nutrients, fish and sharks . President Joe Bidens plan to expand marine sanctuaries around the United States remote Pacific islands has been greeted with dismay in American Samoa, where officials fear a heavy blow to the U.S. territorys economically crucial tuna industry. American Samoa Gov. Lemanu Mauga, in a recent letter to Biden, criticized zero consultation with the territory about the sanctuary expansion and said it was contrary to Bidens own executive orders aiming to improve the lives of marginalized Americans. The lack of consultation also could reflect badly on the U.S. government at a time when it is trying to show a renewed commitment to Pacific island countries in response to Chinas burgeoning economic and diplomatic presence in the region. American Samoa is repeatedly left out of the conversation of what is best for our communities, Mauga said in the letter. We are disappointed that actions that could cripple the economy of a U.S. territory would be taken without the consultation of its people. The total area of the expanded sanctuary would be 2 million square kilometers (770,000 square miles), larger than the Gulf of Mexico, compared with about 1.3 million square kilometers (495,000 square miles) now. It encompasses waters around several islands, atolls and reefs that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says are home to some of the most diverse and remarkable tropical marine life on the planet. The islands and atolls are uninhabited save for visiting researchers and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service staff. The tropical waters are ideal for skipjack tuna which travel the equator in search of schools of small fish to feed on. The oceanic administration is accepting public submissions on the sanctuary expansion until June 23 after Biden last month set the designation process in motion. The region's diverse habitats and pristine reefs provide a haven for a variety of fish, invertebrates, seabirds, sea turtles, and marine mammals many found nowhere else in the world and are an ideal laboratory for monitoring the effects of climate change, it said this month. This October 2018 photo provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shows birds at Johnston Atoll within the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. Credit: Aaron Ochoa/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via AP Two-hundred nautical mile zones (370 kilometers) around Wake Atoll, Johnston Atoll and Jarvis Island are already part of the sanctuary. The proposed expansion would increase the extent of the sanctuaries around Howland and Baker Islands and Kingman Reef and Palmyra Atoll. Tuna fishing provides about 5,000 jobs in American Samoa where a South Korean-owned StarKist tuna cannery is the territorys largest business but has been in decline. The American Samoan islands, located to the south of the marine sanctuary, are home to less than 50,000 people after suffering a shrinking population for at least the past decade. Handing China a win in the Pacific Bidens push to expand the sanctuary could give Beijing a victory in the Pacific, American Samoan congresswoman Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen told a Congressional hearing last month on U.S. strategy in the Indian and Pacific oceans. I think he [Biden] took some bad advice on this ocean conservation proposal that may hand PRC a win in the Pacific, the Republican congresswoman said, using the acronym for Chinas official name, the Peoples Republic of China. The president treated our territory less favorably than PRC treats Pacific islands that are aligned with Beijing or that are at risk of surrendering to PRC domination, she said. Americas allies in the North Pacific such as Federated States of Micronesia must wonder if the U.S. is prepared to out-compete PRC, Amata said. Rep. Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen, R-American Samoa, attends a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on China on Feb. 28, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Credit: Jacquelyn Martin/AP The U.S.-flagged tuna purse seine fleet, which supplies the American Samoa tuna cannery, has dwindled to 15 vessels from 38 in 2018, according to the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, which oversees the fisheries of American Samoa, Hawaii, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and the uninhabited Pacific islands. The council has opposed enlargement of the sanctuary. In a special issue of its newsletter in August last year, it said the sanctuary expansion would in practice restrict only U.S.-flagged vessels from fishing. Closing the waters of Howland and Baker Islands and Palmyra Atoll and Kingman Reef would force U.S. vessels to fish farther away from American Samoa and deliver their catch to ports in places such as Ecuador, it said. This Oct. 1, 2018 photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard shows a HC-130 Hercules aircraft approaching Johnston Atoll to evacuate four wildlife refuge workers before Hurricane Walaka arrived at the remote Pacific island. Credit: Michael Griffin/U.S. Coast Guard via AP Globally, the deep sea fishing industry has become notorious for exploitative and dangerous working conditions. In 2015, Associated Press reporters exposed slavery in the Southeast Asian fishing industry, which led to the rescue of hundreds of men from a remote Indonesian island. The fishery management council said allowing the regulated U.S. fishing industry to be replaced by foreign fishing vessels could exacerbate existing conservation issues for protected species and even socioeconomic issues such as food security and human rights. U.S. vessels are a small component of the Pacific purse seiner and longliner fishing fleets. Most are flagged to Pacific island countries and nations such as China, Taiwan and Japan. The marine sanctuarys planned enlargement is part of U.S. efforts to protect 30% of its lands and waters by 2030. The sanctuary, said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, would also recognize the importance of Pacific indigenous knowledge and languages and the cultural connections between lands, waters, and peoples. Mauga, the American Samoa governor, said the burden of the conservation effort is falling disproportionately on the Pacific and American Samoa. If the attempt in this designation was to better protect Pacific communities, I ask that you please consult with us before closing access to our waters, he said in his March 30 letter to Biden. Without access to these traditional fishing grounds, our tuna industry and entire economy will be annihilated, Mauga said. BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated news organization. Stopover in most populous Pacific island country could serve to underline US support for region. President Joe Biden (center) speaks as he poses with (left to right) Federated States of Micronesia's President David Panuelo, Fiji's then Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape and other leaders at the U.S.- Pacific Island Country Summit in Washington on Sept. 29, 2022. President Joe Biden may stop in Papua New Guinea for several hours on his way to Australia later this month, an official and media reports said, in an attempt to highlight a renewed U.S. commitment to the Pacific after inroads by China. Papua New Guineas Post Courier newspaper reported Thursday that Biden would visit the capital Port Moresby for three hours in May, without giving a specific date. An official in the Papua New Guinea prime ministers office confirmed that May 22 is the expected date of the visit, if it goes ahead. The White House has said Biden will take part in a G7 leaders summit in Japan from May 19-21 and attend a May 24 summit in Sydney with the leaders of Australia, Japan and India under a grouping known as the Quad. It has not announced a stopover in Papua New Guinea, the most populous Pacific island country with more than 9 million people. Over several decades, China has become a substantial source of trade, aid and infrastructure for developing Pacific island countries as it seeks to isolate Taiwan diplomatically and build its own set of global institutions. Last year, China signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands, alarming the United States and its allies such as Australia. As part of efforts to counter Beijings influence in the Pacific, Biden hosted a meeting of Pacific island leaders in September last year in Washington. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Papua New Guinea for several days in November 2018, when Port Moresby hosted the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. China bankrolled much of the infrastructure for the summit such as new roads and a conference center. Aside from a possible Biden visit, Papua New Guinea will host Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi from May 22-23, according to the Pacific island countrys foreign ministry. It said in a statement last month that leaders from 12 Pacific countries will be in Port Moresby at that time for an India-Pacific islands forum. BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated news organization. Senior citizens in some areas were allowed to go to a local mosque while police observed. A policeman gestures as Uyghur Muslims arrive at the Id Kah Mosque for prayer on Eid al-Fitr in the old town of Kashgar, northwestern China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, June 26, 2017. Chinese authorities banned most Uyghurs praying in mosques and even in their homes during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, in many parts of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, residents and police said. People age 60 and older were allowed to pray in a local mosque under heavy police surveillance during Eid, which fell on April 20-21 this year, they sources said. Since 2017, China has restricted or banned ethnic customs and religious rituals among the mostly Muslim Uyghurs in an effort to stamp out religious extremism. During this years Eid, the most important Muslim holiday, authorities in Xinjiang patrolled city streets and searched houses to prevent people from secretly praying inside their homes, the sources said. An administrative staffer from Yarkowruk town in Akesu Prefecture said one mosque there was open for Eid prayers. Our police officers went to the mosque to watch the people, the employee said. I don't know if people needed permission to go to the mosque because I did not go there. Likewise, only one mosque was open for Eid prayers in Bulung town, Bay county, an officer at the local police station said, though only residents over 60 years old were allowed to pray if they wanted. The government issued a notice that people younger than 60 could not pray on the Eid holiday, he added. Only a dozen Uyghur elders in Bulung attended Eid prayers in a mosque as three police officers and several auxiliary police staffers observed and wrote down the Uyghurs names, said the officer from the towns police station. The mosque was open yesterday, and we went there to surveil people, the police officer said, adding that he told residents under 60 not to go to the mosque. One local resident, who like others in this report requested anonymity for safety reasons, told Radio Free Asia that authorities destroyed almost all the mosques in Nilka and Kunes counties, so that even if the government allowed people to pray during Eid, they could not go to a mosque to do so. A staffer at the Aktope police station in Tokkuztara county told RFA that no permission was granted for residents, including senior citizens, to hold holiday prayer gatherings at their homes, and no exceptions were made. A resident of Peyziwat county in Kashgar Prefecture told us that she did not visit anyone for the Eid celebration or prepare sangza, a special fried dough that Uyghurs eat during Eid celebrations. A woman from a residential area in Maralbexi county in Kashgar Prefecture said none of her neighbors or relatives the held Eid prayers or celebrations The mosque was not open, she told RFA. My husband is a policeman, and he went to work on Eid. There was no Eid al-Fitr prayer here. It was quiet. Translated by RFA Uyghur. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster. Bui Tuan Lam and his beef noodle stall in front of his home in Danang City, Vietnam. The defense lawyer for Onion Leaf Bae, an activist whose online video mimicked a Turkish chef in apparent mockery of a senior government official, said he was kept from seeing his client this week. Bui Tuan Lam, who runs a beef noodle stall in Danang, achieved some notoriety in 2021 when a video that went viral showing him imitating the Turkish chef known as Salt Bae. The video was widely seen as a mockery of Vietnams minister of public security, To Lam, who was caught on film being hand-fed one of Salt Baes gold-encrusted steaks by the chef himself at a cost of 1,450 pounds (U.S.$1,975). Critics wondered how the official could afford the extravagant meal on a monthly salary of $660. In Buis video clip, he refers to himself as Onion Leaf Bae and dramatically sprinkles spring onions into a bowl of soup at his noodle stand, mimicking the signature move of the celebrity chef. Bui was later summoned by Danang police for questioning and was arrested in September 2022. He has since been charged for violating Article 117 of the countrys Penal Code, frequently used by authorities to restrict freedom of expression and opinions deemed critical of the government. The Danang Peoples Court on Monday approved Le Dinh Viets registration to be Bui Tuan Lams lawyer for the upcoming first-instance trial. Viet said he then went to Danang Polices detention facility where Bui Tuan Lam was being held, but staff didnt allow him to see his client, saying the judge hadnt had time to review the recently completed investigation report. Monitoring meetings? He said he was told to advise the court of the timing of any proposed meetings with the defendant in the future so that the court could arrange for the meeting to be monitored. The 2015 Criminal Procedure Code and the 2015 Law on Temporary Custody and Detention doesnt have any provisions requiring prosecuting agencies to monitor meetings between defense lawyers and their clients, Viet said. But an interagency circular from 2018 and another circular issued in 2019 by the Ministry of Public Security said prosecuting agencies can assign staff members to supervise meetings between defense lawyers and their clients if needed, he said. Over the past 10 years of professional practice, Viet has participated in four cases related to national security. Buis case was the first time he was prevented from seeing a client, he said. According to Danang Peoples Procuracys indictment, Bui posted 19 articles on his Facebook account and 25 videos and articles on his YouTube account from April 17, 2020, to July 26, 2022. The articles and videos included content distorting, defaming peoples government and fabricating and causing confusion among people. The link to the Facebook account alleged in the indictment to have contained the 19 articles no longer functions. There are only three videos currently on the YouTube channel allegedly used by the activist all three were posted recently. The channel doesnt contain the videos and posts listed in the indictment. If convicted, Bui could receive a prison term of five to 12 years. Translated by Anna Vu. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) condemned the forcible transfer of Ukrainian children and civilians to Russia and the temporarily occupied territories and called on Council of Europe member states to facilitate the safe return of deportees to Ukraine. The relevant resolution "Deportations and forcible transfers of Ukrainian children and other civilians to Russian Federation or to Ukrainian territories temporarily occupied: create conditions for their safe return, stop these crimes and punish the perpetrators" was adopted by the Assembly at the plenary session of the spring session in Strasbourg on Thursday. PACE called for urgent action to bring to justice those responsible for the forced deportation of children and the civilian population of Ukraine. According to the resolution, The practice of unlawful deportations of Ukrainians to the Russian Federation from the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions had started before the Russian Federations full-scale aggression against Ukraine of 24 February 2022, aking the form of deportation to the Russian Federation of children from orphanages and of children with disabilities from specialised institutions. As of the middle of April 2023, according to the government of Ukraine, more than 19,384 children have been deported to the Russian Federation, of which only 361 children have returned home. PACE also approved the recommendations. "The repatriation of children, their rehabilitation, and the creation of conditions for family reunification to preserve the identity of the children of Ukraine must now be a priority for the Council of Europe member States," the PACE said in its recommendations. The Assembly supports the recommendations of the Commissioner for Human Rights on the urgent need to identify and use concrete mechanisms and solutions for the reunification of all children displaced from Ukraine to Russia and the temporarily occupied territories with their families. PACE also called on the Committee of Ministers to assist Ukraine in this process. The Assembly welcomes the initiatives of the Committee of Ministers for the Council of Europe to contribute to establishing the responsibility of the Russian Federation for the aggression against Ukraine, bringing to justice all those responsible for the deportations and forced displacements of Ukrainian citizens, ensuring justice for the victims, including the creation of a register in which evidence and claims of damages will be recorded, losses or injuries as a result of Russian aggression. The Assembly also calls on the Committee of Ministers to provide effective protection to vulnerable migrants and refugees, especially women and children who have fled Ukraine because of the war. ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Among the more left-field revelations to emerge from the massive leak of U.S. diplomatic cables known as WikiLeaks was an account of how the now-jailed powerbroker Karim Masimov was spotted dancing "alone and animatedly" at a trendy nightclub in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana. During that apparently alcohol-fueled night in 2008, then-Prime Minister Masimov had taken to the dance floor with an entourage that included the country's chief of staff and Astana's mayor, as well as "three middle-aged women (presumably their wives)," according to the cable. But while the others danced on the main dance floor of the Chocolat nightclub, Masimov went to a stage above them and, when his fellow revelers retired, he kept busting his moves for some 20 minutes. The account that was lapped up by foreign media outlets and confirmed by an unabashed Masimov now seems an apt metaphor for a man that rose to the top but found himself isolated and under the spotlight as the biggest protests in Kazakhstan's independence left a divided regime on the brink. The 57-year-old, who was serving as Kazakhstan's national security chief when the unrest broke out in January 2022, remains the only prominent politician to be convicted in connection with an uprising that caused at least 238 deaths. He received a sentence of 18 years imprisonment for high treason in a closed-door trial in Astana on April 24, with three of his former deputies receiving sentences between three and 16 years. Perhaps most painfully, he has been publicly abandoned and disparaged by his long-time patron, former President Nursultan Nazarbaev -- widely viewed as Kazakhstan's ultimate decision-maker before Bloody January saw the octogenarian strongman's put-upon successor, Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev, emerge as a president in more than just name. Commenting on Masimov's case while casting a vote at presidential elections that handed Toqaev a fresh seven-year term in November, Nazarbaev likened the man viewed as perhaps his most trusted lieutenant to Judas Escariot, the disciple that betrayed Jesus in the Christian Bible. "Masimov worked for many years with me, but how would you know [he would do something wrong]? Did Jesus Christ know about Judas, who sat close to him?" In a post on Telegram marking Masimov's April 24 sentencing, political analyst Gaziz Abishev called Masimov a seasoned "survivor" in Kazakh politics, while suggesting he had erred when the stakes were highest. "In a power struggle, the most important thing is not to overestimate yourself, not to underestimate others, and not to rely on chance," Abishev wrote on his channel, Abishev Analytics. "In the end it's every man for himself." But was Masimov merely a convenient scapegoat for the Bloody January events? A Powerful Outsider Masimov's rise in independent Kazakhstan emulated that of his provincial hometown, Tselinograd, whose transformation into Astana would cost the state budget billions of dollars and become one of Nazarbaev's most-treasured achievements. After completing his studies in Kazakhstan, Masimov studied Chinese at Peking University. As the Soviet Union was collapsing in 1991, Masimov was a legal adviser to the Union's Trade Representation in China, later heading a similar body for independent Kazakhstan in Hong Kong in 1994. But the martial arts enthusiast spent most of the 1990s moving up the ladder to hold leadership positions in Kazakhstan's rapidly growing, high-risk banking sector before gaining his first cabinet post as transport minister aged just 35. The head of the cabinet at that time was another fluent Mandarin speaker who was 12 years his senior, and perhaps a natural rival to Masimov for Nazarbaev's affections Toqaev. Masimov became Kazakhstan's youngest prime minister in 2007, serving through an economic crisis in 2009 and taking up the role again in 2014 following a stint of just over a year as head of Nazarbaev's administration. A foreign consultant who worked with him during his time as head of government and requested anonymity remembered that his first meeting with Masimov started at 1 a.m. "He was a workaholic, like many in the bureaucracy. He apologized to us and had his caterers lay out a spread," the consultant said. Tact -- a quality often ascribed to career diplomat Toqaev -- was one of Masimov's strengths, too. "He was warm and open to discussion. He could communicate to foreigners what he thought was possible and what wasn't, and he seemed to have a good understanding of the bigger picture of where Kazakhstan was in the world. If you challenged other government officials, you would be worried about them blowing up, but he would give you a polite smile before offering a correction," the consultant recalled. It was Masimov, the consultant said, who smoothed former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's lucrative entry into Central Asia as an image-maker for Nazarbaev's regime. Masimov was also the first highly ranked official to go on Twitter, with mixed results. But for all of Masimov's self-identification as a modernizer, he was also a clear-eyed power player, a skill all the more necessary due to perceptions that he was of mostly Uyghur -- rather than Kazakh -- heritage. "He was a safe top aide to Nazarbaev, since he could not expect to usurp him," said a Western diplomat, whose one meeting with Masimov several years ago had left him "turned off." "He was cocky, almost haughty," said the diplomat. According to multiple sources, Masimov combined loyalty to Nazarbaev with a strong relationship with Timur Kulibaev, the former president's oligarch son-in-law, who has retained joint control of Kazakhstan's largest private bank despite the family as a whole fading from public view in the last year. Masimov was chairman of the bank, Halyk, before becoming transport minister. "It was a kind of tandem," said a Kazakh national who works as a government relations specialist at a major international company and had direct contact with Masimov in a prior role. "After Nazarbaev's other son-in-law, Rakhat Aliev, fell into disgrace in the early 2000s, Kulibaev became the main son-in-law and his interests just kept growing. Masimov and he shared businesses together. Kulibaev still had battles to fight in the bureaucracy and Masimov was his political cover. At the same time Masimov was advising Nazarbaev on financial matters public and personal," said the specialist, who also requested anonymity. Nazarbaev said in May that Masimov should be answerable for the "investment activities" of a university in Astana bearing Nazarbaev's name, after the university came under scrutiny in a media investigation alleging that Nazarbaev controlled billions of dollars in assets via charitable foundations. In March, the Committee for National Security said that it had unearthed evidence pointing to bribe-taking from both local and foreign businesses as part of its investigation into its former boss. The press release, which included photos of a luxury property and suitcases full of cash, claimed investigators had found over $17 million in cash at a villa that Masimov had been gifted by a company. Masimov's PR campaign, run by former State Department official David Merkel, has described the release as an attempt to smear Masimov. Transition Role The foreign consultant who worked with Masimov when he was prime minister told RFE/RL that he was somewhat surprised to learn of Masimov's appointment to the position of national security chief in 2016. "Obviously, Nazarbaev trusted him as somebody who was not enmeshed in Kazakhstan's clan networks to fulfill various roles. But at the time I worked in Kazakhstan you had security guys who were blocking a lot of the modernization, and you had the modernizers. He was one of the modernizers." And yet, he was there for a reason. According to Merkel's website, Karimmasimov.com, Masimov "had a major role to play in the peaceful transfer of power to the current President" as Nazarbaev made plans to step down as head of state. Those less inclined to defend Masimov might say that he was there as a check on the authority of Nazarbaev's successor, who, upon becoming head of state in 2019, found himself surrounded by allies and relatives of the man that remained constitutionally enshrined as "Elbasy," or "Leader of the Nation," until last year. To make matters even more limiting, Nazarbaev had created for himself a "lifelong" post as chairman of Kazakhstan's security council, a position that put in question Toqaev's role as commander in chief and essentially made figures like Masimov untouchable. It did not take long for talk of a schism between the camps surrounding Toqaev and Nazarbaev to emerge. The Nazarbaev clique, with which Masimov was associated, was referred to by analysts as "the library," due to its habit of holding meetings in the president's library. In 2021, a leak of data related to the Israeli spyware program Pegasus suggested Toqaev had been a target of surveillance in the buildup to the handover of power, with evidence suggesting Kazakhstan's government was the client who had ordered the snooping. Another Kazakh official targeted was Askar Mamin, Kazakhstan's future prime minister, a school classmate of Masimov's and one of the officials spotted with him by the embassy official during that evening of drinking and dancing in 2008. Dimash Alzhanov, whose phone was also hacked with the software, has no doubts it was Masimov in charge of the surveillance operations. "It fell under his mandate, which was to control the regime from within and society from above. I believe that Masimov was heading this operation for Nazarbaev," said Alzhanov, a political analyst and activist. With the case against Masimov falling under the "classified" category, almost no details of the accusations against him are known. What is known is that Masimov was detained sometime after participating in a meeting of the security council on January 5, 2022, by which time the unrest that began with peaceful protests against a fuel price increase in the west of the country had already gone nationwide. Official statements say he was detained on January 6, a day that saw residents of the business capital Almaty and other cities wake up to scenes of devastation and looting as key administrative buildings were burnt down. Other sources claim Masimov was jailed as early as January 5. Whatever the truth, the announcement was only made on January 8. By then, Toqaev's position had been visibly strengthened by the intervention of a "peacekeeping" force of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Russian-led body that he said had no role in the fighting. Over the course of the crisis, Nazarbaev made no statements at all, and was not believed to have been present at the security council meeting. An Internet shutdown, meanwhile, handed Toqaev complete control over all remaining channels of information. Toqaev would later say he had had a conversation with Nazarbaev, during which he insisted on replacing him as security council chair -- a result he announced on January 5. Tellingly, Toqaev would also comment that a few "comrades" had suggested he flee the capital, Astana, which had not been touched by the violence. "The aim of all coups is, let's say, the arrival in power of different people," said Toqaev, who had initially blamed 20,000 terrorists for the worst of the violence. But if Masimov was part of a coup attempt could he have done it without other powerful politicians behind him? After the events, Toqaev implied that the Committee for National Security played a decisive role in allowing the unrest to reach critical levels. But what became of Masimov's first deputy, Samat Abish, a nephew of Nazarbaev's who some observers had regarded as a successor-in-waiting -- even after Toqaev took the presidency on an initially interim basis in 2019? Unlike the other three, Abish was questioned as a witness, not a suspect, and is not believed to be under investigation. For some time after the events, there was confusion as to whether the career security man had even been dismissed. "Of course, the idea of Masimov as the mastermind of a coup is not realistic," the analyst Alzhanov told RFE/RL. "Masimov was a smart guy -- and certainly smart enough to realize that he was never the main actor that Toqaev now wants to portray him as." Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for the first time since Russia poured troops into Ukraine 14 months ago, calling for a "political resolution" of the war through dialogue and vowing to send a delegation to Ukraine to hold discussions. During the long-awaited April 26 call, Xi offered to help facilitate peace talks and appeared to pledge neutrality in the conflict, saying Beijing "will neither watch the fire from the other side nor add fuel to the fire, let alone take advantage of the crisis to profit," according to a Chinese readout. Zelenskiy, according to the Ukrainian readout, used the nearly one-hour conversation to discuss ways for "possible cooperation to establish a just and sustainable peace" while insisting Ukraine would not give up lost territory and the country must be "restored within the 1991 borders," referring to occupied areas of eastern Ukraine and the Crimean peninsula, which was illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014. The call was widely viewed as an attempt by China to repair its strained ties with the European Union as the bloc formulates a new policy toward China ahead of a June summit and comes amid a broader Chinese effort to alleviate European concerns over its position on the war in Ukraine, which many analysts and Western officials view as largely favoring Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Xi still benefits more from his relationship with Russia and has a more strategic interest in keeping it strong than anything Kyiv could offer to replace it," Sari Arho Havren, a Brussels-based China expert and visiting researcher at the University of Helsinki, told RFE/RL. "This is mainly Xi giving European leaders the optics they want to see." The Xi-Zelenskiy call also came just days after controversial comments made by Lu Shaye, China's ambassador to France, sparked a backlash in Europe following an April 21 interview with the French news channel LCI in which he said countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union have no "effective status" in international law as he also disputed Ukraine's sovereignty over Crimea. The comments drew condemnation from European leaders, who accused Lu of undermining the sovereignty of the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania and interfering in the internal affairs of Europe. Others said the comments led them to question Beijing's intentions to mediating peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, which it positioned itself to do in a 12-point proposal in February. "The timing of the call looks connected to the storm in the EU that Lu Shaye's comments caused," Arho Havren said. "Xi is doing crisis management and aiming to calm the heated atmosphere in Europe and prevent it from becoming even more anti-China -- and therefore stop it from also becoming more pro-United States in the process." Watching the War In Ukraine Xi had resisted pressure from the West and outreach from Kyiv for direct talks with Zelenskiy for months, with Europe pushing China to act responsibly as a top UN member and Xi welcoming European powers to Beijing, including visits by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron. China remains Russia's top strategic ally amid the conflict, and Xi has held multiple meetings with Putin throughout the war, including a high-profile visit to Moscow in March. In reaction to the call, European officials expressed cautious optimism, with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell saying the call "was awaited" and that it is "very good news." "It is a first step that China will eventually reach out to Ukraine, and we want to say that any meaningful initiative for a just peace for Ukraine is very much welcome," Borrell said during an April 26 press conference during a trip to Colombia. EU officials say they are keen to welcome a more constructive role from Beijing but also note they remain skeptical about China's ability to broker an enduring peace in the conflict. They added that they remain realistic about the longevity of Beijing's deepening relationship with Moscow, pointing to how Xi refrained from using the term "war" to describe the conflict during the Zelenskiy call, referring instead to the "Ukrainian crisis." An EU official who requested anonymity in order to speak to the media told RFE/RL that the 27-country bloc is watching the Chinese special envoy to Ukraine closely and that Brussels fully supports Zelenskiy. "It is for Ukraine to decide on the future parameters for any potential negotiations," the official said. Beijing announced that Li Hui, special representative on Eurasian Affairs, will lead its delegation to Ukraine and "other countries." Li is the former Chinese ambassador to Russia, serving in the post from 2009 to 2019 and overseeing a pivotal period of deepening ties between Beijing and Moscow that culminated in a "no limits" partnership in February 2022. In response to the call and the announcement of Li's delegation, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on April 26 that Moscow has taken notice of China's willingness to facilitate negotiations with Ukraine but under current conditions negotiations are unlikely, for which she said Kyiv is responsible. Damage Control While Xi's phone call with Zelenskiy looks to capitalize on momentum generated around Beijing's role as a peace broker and stifle blowback from Lu's comments in Europe, Chinese officials also aimed to limit the fallout among former Soviet countries in Central Asia. In an unusual rebuke of its own official on April 24, China's Foreign Ministry disavowed Lu's remarks, calling them "personal comments." This was followed on April 26 by Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who reaffirmed Beijing's support for the independence and territorial integrity of Central Asian countries when he met with his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan in the northwestern Chinese city of Xian. "China firmly supports Central Asian countries in choosing their own development paths in light of their national conditions," Qin said, adding that Beijing opposes any external interference in Central Asia's internal affairs. Unlike the public anger across Europe from Lu's comments, Central Asian governments were notably silent about the remarks that called their independence into question. "It shouldn't be a surprise that Central Asian countries didn't publicly criticize Lu's very controversial statement," Temur Umarov, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told RFE/RL. "It's standard practice within their relationship with China to not raise problems like this publicly." Li's comments on the former Soviet countries were part of a heated debate with a French TV host over Taiwan's right to self-determination. China's ambassador to France is one of the country's most prominent "wolf warriors" -- diplomats known for their aggressive and unapologetic rhetoric defending what they view as China's national interests -- and is no stranger to courting controversy. Many analysts say it's unlikely Beijing meant to offend its neighbors in Central Asia, especially as China prepares to host its first-ever, in-person summit between Xi and his Central Asian counterparts in May. China has recognized Central Asia as independent since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and settled long-standing border disputes with the five countries in the 1990s. But the comments are not the first time Chinese's questioning of the sovereignty of former Soviet countries has boiled over. In 2020, Kazakhstan summoned the Chinese ambassador to protest an article by a private Chinese online media company that said the country was keen to "return to China." The article appeared to be part of a series that emanated from a private entity that also claimed Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, which also share a border with China, wished to "return" to the country. The articles were eventually taken down. National Clean Air Day was not a cause for celebration this year in Tehran, where many residents were shuttered in their homes for their own safety to avoid exposure to the Iranian capital's infamous and deadly smog. In the run-up to January 19, the day Iran dedicates to promoting air quality, students were prevented from attending universities and schools in the city of nearly 9 million people, the standard procedure when air pollution levels exceed safe levels. Local officials decried the fact that there had only been two days of clean air recorded over the previous 10 months and called for more to be done to address the crisis. And amid the criticism, which targeted the authorities' use of dirty mazut fuel oil to provide heat and power during a brutal cold snap, the national government presented a draft budget that would cut expenditures for combating air pollution by half. Conflicting Approaches The government's response highlighted the conflicting approaches and decades of misguided environmental policies that have contributed to Iran's air-pollution crisis, rendering toothless strict regulations passed in 2017 with the aim of tackling the issue. As debates raged over government inaction, the Interior Ministry and Education Ministry backed the idea of lowering the air pollution index threshold that keeps students out of school. Parliament passed the new budget in February, cutting funding for implementing the country's Clean Air Act from a mere $8 million to $4 million while emphasizing economic growth. And answering calls for the Clean Air Act's strict standards to be enforced, the Tehran Prosecutor's Office pressed criminal charges against five unidentified bureaucrats who were in step with the government's pursuit of increased development and industrial production. The management-level personnel, who work for various ministries that oversee Iran's environmental protection efforts and lucrative petroleum sector, stand accused of failing to adhere to standards set in the country's Clean Air Act on vehicle emissions and gasoline quality, and for failing to limit pollution from mazut-fueled industrial plants. 'Denying People A Breath' Tehran and other major Iranian cities have long been among the world's worst when it comes to air pollution. Iran overall ranks sixth in the world in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Global Carbon Atlas, having more than doubled CO2 emissions in the past two decades. "Tehran is one of the most polluted cities in the world, and air pollution is estimated to contribute to thousands of premature deaths each year" across the country, Iran environmental expert Shirin Hakim told RFE/RL in written comments. "Air pollution has led to the closing of businesses and schools, impacting economic productivity, and has contributed to a variety of health conditions, including respiratory conditions and cancers." Iranian media and officials have decried the steadily rising levels of deadly sulfur dioxide recorded over Tehran in recent years, while experts at the air pollution research center at Tehran University have estimated that 40,000 premature deaths per year can be attributed to the smog and dust that fouls Iran's air. Lawmaker Mohammad Reza Sabaghian put it simply in comments ahead of Clean Air Day, saying: "We are denying the people a breath." Outdated cars and motorcycles burning low-quality fuels are frequently singled out as the major reasons for the air pollution that has plagued Tehran and other major cities, but they are far from the only ones. "The overexploitation of water resources and climate change are contributing to the desertification of farmland and the drying up of bodies of water, which has contributed to dust and sandstorms that also diminish air quality," said Hakim, senior fellow at the Berlin-based Center for Middle East and Global Order (CMEG) and fellow at the Atlantic Council's GeoEconomics Center. Accelerated development and industrial activity outside urban centers have also contributed to increased emissions, Hakim said, as well as the rising migration of people to cities, which adds to the use of vehicles, dirty fuels, and acid rain and other pollutants. Clean Air On Paper The Clean Air Act, introduced in 2017 under then-President Hassan Rohani, was supposed to be the road map for solving Iran's environmental problems. Among other things, the law targeted the use of mazut by greatly lowering the limits of sulfur allowed in fuel oil. It also called for the country's aging transportation network to be overhauled and required the Oil Ministry to produce higher standard and cleaner-burning "Euro 4" gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, and other petroleum products. Punishments and fines were set for industries and individuals that violated the regulations. But when natural gas shortages hit during the hard winter months this year, the Clean Air Act was cast aside. Faced with public anger over natural gas shortages that left many homes without heat and factories without power, officials gave the green light to burning more mazut to fuel thermal stations and industrial plants. The move sent plumes of noxious smoke into the air in Isfahan and other major cities, as well as in Tehran, despite official insistence that mazut was not used. Officials in Isfahan demanded details of the government's decision, according to state news agency IRNA, declaring the burning of mazut a "serious danger" to human health. United Nations special rapporteur on human rights and the environment David Boyd called on Iran to halt the practice, declaring it a human rights violation. Official Oil Ministry reports viewed by RFE/RL's Radio Farda showed that the country intensified its use of mazut in December to 38.5 million liters per day, a 22 percent increase, and 42 million liters per day in January. The report also showed that the production of mazut with a sulfur content of 3.5 percent -- up to seven times higher than the level allowed under the Clean Air Act -- rose significantly, and that only one-third of the gasoline produced in the country was of the required Euro 4 standard. In response to the outcry, Iranian officials said the air pollution problem would be alleviated in the future by the increased production of natural gas and improvements to infrastructure, which have been stymied by international sanctions that have denied Iran access to foreign technologies. Ali Salajegheh, the head of Irans Department of Environment, also remained bullish about the Clean Air Act, telling IRNA in January that the implementation of the legislation would be accelerated by the increase of "green tax" allocations separate from the state budget. Salajagheh did not provide a specific figure, only saying that 20 percent of the green taxes would be earmarked. Green taxes are those levied on activities that are deemed harmful to the environment. The environment was seen as one of the biggest challenges faced by President Ebrahim Raisi when he took office in 2021. During his campaign, Raisi presented an "environmental charter" promising sustainable development and environmentally friendly policies as key components to Iranians' right to a "healthy environment, clean climate, and pollution free life." But such promises have fallen short. Iran has increasingly turned to oil and gas production to pull it out of its extended economic crises. In addition to the increased production of mazut and other dirty fuels, Tehran has exempted some automotive manufacturers from installing air filters until international sanctions imposed over Iran's nuclear program are lifted. Raisi's presidency has been marked by protests in areas of the country hit hard by drought and the scarcity of water needed to sustain agriculture, despite the continued and contentious construction of new dam projects. Failed water governance has fueled such unrest in the past, according to Hakim, and "is contributing to desertification and the drying up of rivers and lakes that have contributed to economic and social ramifications." The government has also failed to submit a carbon-cutting plan related to the Paris Agreement on climate change since 2015. Officials have said that Iran will not ratify the accord until international sanctions are lifted, arguing that access to modern foreign technology is key to reducing emissions. Raisi stated that the goal of the governments new budget was economic growth, reducing unemployment, and lowering skyrocketing inflation. The budget, 40 percent bigger than the last, is dependent on the export of 1.4 million barrels of oil per day despite international sanctions that hamper the country's ability to trade. The cuts to expenditures on fighting air pollution "may have been driven by heightened social and economic tensions in the country," said Hakim. "The Islamic republic has routinely prioritized economic gains over social and environmental concerns." ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Actions carried out by Kyrgyz and Tajik forces during a four-day conflict along the Central Asian countries contested border that left more than 100 civilians and soldiers dead in September included serious violations of the laws of war by both sides, Human Rights Watch said. The report, released on May 2, is the first by a major rights watchdog since the most lethal incident yet in a conflict that has its roots in border disagreements originating from when both countries were part of the Soviet Union. HRW said many of the actions by the countries likely amount to war crimes, in what was at the time the second large-scale conflict between the two neighbors in 18 months. Incidents highlighted in the report included attacks on civilian vehicles and ambulances, the indiscriminate use of explosives, extrajudicial killings by military forces, and arson attacks on homes and civilian infrastructure. In a series of recommendations, the group called on both governments to hold perpetrators to account for serious violations of international humanitarian law and train their armed forces personnel on the application of international humanitarian law in conflict situations. The group also said that any agreement reached in ongoing border demarcation talks should acknowledge the rights of local populations to education, adequate housing, and water in the fertile but densely populated and water-stressed region. HRWs 89-page report drew on 86 interviews, including 69 with eyewitnesses, victims, or relatives of victims; 10 days of onsite investigations in October and November 2022; a review of medical records and other documents; an analysis of satellite imagery; the verification of 12 videos showing attacks and their aftermath; and 3D modeling to analyze the impact of a laser-guided bomb attack and attacks on medical vehicles. The focus of the report was the conflicts impact on civilians rather than military personnel. HRW documented 37 civilian deaths, five of them children, and injuries to 36 others on both sides. But considering media reports and official victim lists, the full number could reach 51 civilians killed and 121 injured, HRW said, not including casualties among military personnel. WATCH: There are burned-out shops, destroyed homes, and many stories of death and destruction on both sides of the Kyrgyz-Tajik border following clashes between the two countries that have claimed around 100 lives. (Published on September 19, 2022) Well over 100,000 people were displaced in Kyrgyzstan during the conflict. Tajikistan has not released a figure for the number of people displaced in the conflict. Prior to April 2021, when dozens died in brutal clashes, conflicts tended not to spread or to result in full-scale military mobilizations along the frontier. The report does not draw a conclusion as to who started the September conflict. Speaking at the UN General Assembly just days after the conflict, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov said that Tajikistan attacked Kyrgyzstan. The Tajik Foreign Ministry accused Kyrgyzstan of "an attack on the territory of Tajikistan along the entire line of the border with Kyrgyzstan." In an interview with RFE/RL ahead of the reports release, HRWs Senior Crisis and Conflict Researcher Jean-Baptiste Gallopin said that international humanitarian law applies equally to all parties of a conflict. Whether an army is attacking or defending, it has the same duty not to violate the laws of war, Gallopin said. "That means in particular the principle of distinction between military and civilian targets and the principle of proportionality in the use of force." HRW said that the third day of the conflict -- September 16 -- was particularly packed with violations. At around 5 p.m. that day, the evidence indicated that Kyrgyz forces used a Bayraktar TB-2 drone to deliver a laser-guided bomb near Tajik forces minutes after they arrived in the central square in Ovchi Kalacha, a Tajik town on the border, HRW wrote. The explosive hit at a time when local civilians were gathering next to a mosque after a funeral, killing 10 and wounding 13 others, HRW said, describing the strike as a disproportionate and apparently indiscriminate attack. WATCH: Fresh clashes erupted at the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan on September 16, with both sides accusing each other of using heavy weaponry in fighting that has killed at least three people and wounded dozens over three days. (Published on September 16, 2022) On the same day, Tajik soldiers repeatedly fired on cars carrying Kyrgyz civilians fleeing the fighting, the report stated. One Kyrgyz woman interviewed said that her family crawled out of their car to avoid being killed in it if it exploded after Tajik soldiers shot at them, injuring her husband and son. The family lay still for some time, but Tajik soldiers opened fire again when they moved, she said. The report also said Kyrgyz combatants likely fired at ambulances, which enjoy special protection under humanitarian law. One attack on two "clearly marked" ambulances and a private car carrying civilians on a bridge near the Tajik village of Chorbog in Tajikistan left 10 people dead, including four children and two medical workers. HRW used 3D modeling to reconstruct the attack and judged that the fire had come from the Kyrgyz village of Dostuk, some 110 meters away. The group noted that to intentionally direct attacks against [the ambulances] when they are clearly marked is recognized as a war crime in an international armed conflict, under the statute of the International Criminal Court. HRWs report documented that Tajik forces occupied Kyrgyz villages during the conflict, leaving several virtually destroyed. On September 16, Tajik forces overran Kyrgyz forces and, accompanied by Tajik-speaking people in civilian clothes, entered Kyrgyz villages on the border. During this brief occupation, Tajik forces killed at least six civilian men, including three while they were apparently fleeing, and two in apparent extrajudicial executions, HRW said. The brief seizure saw wide-scale looting by Tajiks in plainclothes under the watch of Tajik forces, with hundreds of homes as well as kindergartens, schools, medical facilities, and administrative buildings burned in an apparent attempt to clear the area of its population, the group added. Human Rights Watch issued a separate recommendation to Tajikistan to investigate these events. Almost half of the 970-kilometer Kyrgyz-Tajik border has yet to be demarcated, and Kyrgyz President Japarov said on April 17 that progress on border demarcation had slowed, and blamed Tajikistans commitment to a map from 1924 as the reason for the lack of progress. In the past year, I said that we will finish everything by May, because the parties were agreed and work was moving quickly. Unfortunately, nothing has been completed yet, he said. Tajikistan has not commented on the progress of the talks. HRWs Gallopin said that Tajiks and Kyrgyz living at the border were weary and hungry for peace after having their lives turned upside down by conflicts in successive years. Our interviews with people on both sides of the border showed that local populations are tired of these terrifying conflicts and are really yearning for peace, Gallopin told RFE/RL. A Tajik judge widely known for being lenient has gone on trial behind closed doors on fraud charges that he adamantly denies. Rustam Saidahmadzoda, 44, was known for issuing acquittals in criminal cases when he said he believed there wasnt sufficient evidence to convict the defendants. Acquittals are extremely rare in Tajikistan, where the judges -- who are independent in name only -- are expected to follow the line of the prosecution. In a trial in Dushanbe on April 3, prosecutors demanded nine years for Saidahmadzoda on several charges, including violation of the law in adopting judicial decisions and giving false information to the media. Three weeks later, nothing is publicly known about any ruling on Saidahmadzodas case. Speaking on condition of anonymity, an official who was present at Saidahmadzodas trial said he pleaded not guilty to all charges and insisted that his rulings as a judge were based on law and his assessment of facts and evidence. According to the source, Saidahmadzoda told the court: The reason I am here today is that I have dismissed cases that were illegally brought by investigators, and I acquitted innocent people facing baseless charges. Prosecutors accuse Saidahmadzoda of allegedly giving information to RFE/RL about a court ruling. Both Saidahmadzoda and RFE/RL have denied the accusation. Zero Acquittals Saidahmadzoda, a judge in the Bobojon Ghafurov district court in the northern Sughd Province, was arrested in June 2022. The Supreme Court had initially launched disciplinary proceedings against Saidahmadzoda at the request of the Prosecutor-Generals Office in July 2021, several weeks after he cleared a defendant, saying the prosecution hadnt provided sufficient evidence to convict them. The proceedings were opened on the grounds that during 2020 and the first five months of 2021, Saidahmadzoda handed down five decisions that were overturned by higher courts. In December 2022, Saidahmadzodas assistant, Aziza Haidarova, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of fraud and illegally obtaining property. Haidarova denied the accusations. According to official figures, Tajik courts receive about 11,000 cases a year. Only two defendants were cleared in 2020, and there were 11 acquittals in 2021. Not a single defendant was cleared of charges in the 5,508 criminal cases reviewed by Tajik courts in the first half of 2022. At the time, Supreme Court Chairman Shermuhammad Shohiyon attributed the complete lack of acquittals to the good work of the investigators. But lawyers privately say the near-zero acquittal rate in Tajikistan has eroded the publics trust in courts and added serious doubt about the independence of the judiciary. Clampdown On Bribery There are more than 400 judges in Tajikistan, an authoritarian country of about 10 million people. More than 30 judges have been arrested and dozens more dismissed or demoted in the past 10 years. Official documents ambiguously say the judges were dismissed for discrediting the honor, dignity, and reputation of the judicial system. Graft remains widespread in Tajikistan, including in its criminal justice system. But critics say a lack of transparency in the governments apparent clampdown on corruption in the judicial system and the closed trials have thrown the legitimacy of the process into question. With few exceptions, authorities have failed to release any information about criminal cases or subsequent imprisonment of the judges jailed in recent years. But sources familiar with several cases have told RFE/RL that the judges were mostly charged with bribery, fraud, and abuse of office. Police arrested Zafar Qodirzoda in April, just five months after he was appointed as a judge at the Gorno-Badakhshan regional court, two sources close to the matter told RFE/RL. In November 2022, Khujand city court Judge Homidjon Muhammadzoda and his deputy, Rustam Muhammadsaidzoda, were each sentenced to two years in prison. In October last year, Sino district court Judge Rahmiddin Rahimzoda was given a five-year sentence. There was no official comment on any of these cases, but according to RFE/RL sources the judges had been accused of corruption. Relatives of the accused also routinely refuse to talk to the media, fearing that authorities will retaliate against them for speaking out. Written by Farangis Najibullah based on reporting by RFE/RLs Tajik Service Last fall, Ukraine rewrote the story of Russias invasion. It wasnt the first time, and if things go as well in the coming weeks as Ukraine prays they will, it wont be the last. On October 1, 2022, Russia pulled out of the Donetsk region town of Lyman, ceding the town to Ukrainian forces and marking the culmination of a two-month counteroffensive that recaptured dozens of settlements mainly in the Kharkiv region, and highlighted major operational problems with Russias military. The success stunned Russia and surprised many Western observers. Now, after a grinding winter in which Russia struggled to regain battlefield momentum, both Moscow and Kyiv are girding for a new counteroffensive that Ukrainian officials have signaled is imminent. One way or another, it will be major turning point in the invasion. Its unclear when it will begin. Ukraines notorious late spring mud season, which makes swaths of fields and forests impassable even to tracked vehicles, may be the biggest determining factor. But what is clear, according to Western assessments, is that the offensive will be larger and more complicated than any other effort Ukraine has conducted since the launch of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022. For that reason alone, Kyivs Western backers are offering guarded predictions. If you see the reality on the ground, we have a military stalemate situation and a war of attrition. This offensive, which will probably take place after the mud period, is necessary from a political point of view and also militarily, said Erich Vad, a retired German Army brigadier general and former military advisor to Chancellor Angela Merkel. But in the end, its unlikely that the offensive will change the overall military situation because of the pure numerical superiority of Russia and its escalation dominance. Maybe the Ukrainians will surprise us, he told RFE/RL. They have surprised us since the beginning. No one believed they could fight against the Russian superiority for a year. The Ukrainians are naturally impatient to get on with the business of pushing the Russians out of their country, Lawrence Freedman, an emeritus professor of war studies at Kings College London, said in an analysis published on April 16. But now that spring has come, there are doubts about whether they are truly ready for a big push against the Russian occupiers. Ukraines forces are newly equipped, newly armed, and newly reconstituted, with as many as 12 newly formed brigades, three-quarters of which have been working with NATO and U.S. trainers in a complicated tactic known as combined arms maneuvers. Its a concept that calls for simultaneously using different types of weaponry and units -- artillery, aircraft, infantry, tanks, engineering -- in a coordinated, symphony-like manner . Its a new concept for Ukrainian officers, many of whom were brought up with Soviet-legacy thinking. Ukraines newest units, plus all of its regular and irregular units, will go into their offensive with more than $32 billion in weapons and security assistance from U.S. arsenals, plus billions more from European allies. U.S. supplies include high-profile weaponry like Stryker and Bradley armored vehicles, Cougar mine-resistant infantry vehicles, and HIMARS, a long-range rocket launch system that Ukrainian troops used to great effect in their Kharkiv counteroffensive. U.S.-made Patriot missile batteries have arrived in Ukraine and some are already in use, according to Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat. Abrams M1 battle tanks are not expected to arrive in time for the spring counteroffensive. Other marquee weaponry that Ukrainian units are expected to field include German Leopard 2 tanks, British Challenger tanks, and French AMX-10 vehicles. The top U.S. commander for European forces, General Christopher Cavoli, told U.S. lawmakers on April 26 that 98 percent of the combat vehicles pledged by NATO allies to Ukraine had already been delivered. Im optimistic that between this year and next year, I think Ukraine will continue to have the momentum with it, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told reporters in Washington last week. I also think we should be realistic. There is not going to be a single magic-wand moment when Russia collapses. But Ukraine is lacking in other crucial equipment: less glamorous items such as tractor-like vehicles to clear paths through minefields so infantry can advance, or vehicles that can quickly place a temporary bridge over a waterway. Then theres the simple fact that Russia has been digging in and expanding its defensive lines -- minefields, trenches, anti-tank dragons teeth -- across the roughly 1,200-kilometer front that stretches from Ukraines Luhansk region, in the Donbas, southwest to the mouth of the Dnieper River and its eastern banks in the Kherson region. And Russia has shorter supply lines than Ukraine. The Russians still have numerical advantage, and they have the escalation dominance on the battlefield, Vad said. And they are now in a very strong defensive position. And if you want to attack, you need at least three- to five-times superiority on the ground. There should be no doubt about the complexity of such operations, Mick Ryan, a retired Australian Army major general, wrote in a blog post earlier this month. Indeed, there is no military endeavor that is more difficult to plan, orchestrate, and execute than combined arms obstacle breaching. 'Modest Territorial Gains' For obvious reasons, exactly where and when Ukraine intends to attack is a closely guarded secret. Thats been complicated further by the damaging leaks of classified Pentagon documents that appeared earlier this year on a Discord server popular with gamers. Among the revelations, the White House has doubts about how successful the Ukrainian effort will be, with the likelihood that it will yield only modest territorial gains. Many Western observers and military experts have pointed to the Zaporizhzhya region, about 550 kilometers southeast of Kyiv, as one likely possibility for the assault. A successful drive southward, to the city of Melitopol or the port of Berdyansk, would threaten the land bridge -- the corridor that Russia has used to supply its troops to the west, in the Kherson region, and, more importantly, in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula thats been under Russian occupation since 2014. The portion of the Kherson region on the Dniepers east bank -- where Russian forces withdrew in November, ceding the provincial capital after weeks of relentless pressure from Ukrainian troops -- is another possibility. From their positions across the river, Russia has continued to shell and rocket the city of Kherson, on the opposite bank, terrorizing residents. There are conflicting reports whether Ukrainian special force units have established a bridgehead across, and upriver, from the city. Other possibilities include locations in the Donetsk or Luhansk regions, such as Vuhledar, where Russian forces have suffered several devastating defeats in recent months. 'Grind Down The Ukrainians, Grind Down The United States And European Allies' Ukraines need for a tangible battlefield success stems partly from the fact that, notwithstanding Russias failed winter offensive, the overall invasion, now in its 15th month, has turned into a war of attrition. Western defense and intelligence estimates of Russian casualties number around 200,000 killed or wounded. Ukraines figures are harder to come by, though the leaked Pentagon documents -- and Western officials speaking anonymously -- have put Ukraines casualties in excess of 120,000 killed or wounded. Both sides have sought to bolster their troop strength. The mobilization that Russia launched last September netted as many as 300,000 additional troops, though not all have been deployed to Ukraine. The private mercenary group Wagner has sent tens of thousands of soldiers into battle; the majority have been prison inmates recruited since last summer. Russia is also conducting a new recruitment campaign, while also modernizing its mobilization system and cracking down on draft dodgers. Its unclear how many more troops the effort will yield, though Russian officials have signaled hopes for up to 400,000 more. Many of Ukraines forces are believed to be exhausted and some units badly depleted. Ukraine has had a national mobilization in place since the Russian invasion, has created a network of new assault brigades called the Offensive Guard, under the Interior Ministry, and has sought to bolster its more highly trained regular units with NATO-trained troops. In total, we have trained and equipped more than nine new Ukrainian armored brigades. This will put Ukraine in the strong position to continue to retake occupied territory," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on April 27. Attrition favors Russia, with its larger population, its larger industrial base, and more natural resources -- factors that make sustained Western support, which can help narrow or reverse that advantage, all the more crucial. President Vladimir Putin has made it all but clear that he thinks he has the time and resources to outlast Ukraine and its Western backers. Putin still believes today that he can make time work for himthat he can grind down the Ukrainians, that he can grind down the United States and our European allies, and that ultimately Ukraine matters more to him than to us, CIA Director William Burns said in a talk at Texas A&M University earlier this month. But the Ukrainians are quite determined. And Ive learned over the course of the last couple years not to underestimate their drive or their capability, Burns said. Meanwhile, with the new offensive still pending, Ukraine may make further efforts to strengthen its hand, Vad said. The longer the Ukrainians wait for their offensive, the better they can push the Western allies to give them more equipment, tanks, and so on, he said. 'They Must Show They Are Effective' But attrition may also favor Russia because of growing impatience among Ukraines Western backers, some of whom, like France, are actively pushing for some sort of cease-fire or peace negotiations. In the United States, public opinion polls show waning enthusiasm for arming Ukraine, and a small but growing number of lawmakers in the Republican Party are angling for a slowdown, if not a halt, to U.S. military largesse. From a political point of view, the offensive is important to show the Western allies that the Ukrainian forces are operational, that they are capable of pushing back the Russians from these Ukrainian oblasts and to change the military situation, Vad said. Ukrainian civilian and military leaders have publicly signaled that the ultimate aspiration is to recapture all Ukrainian land now under Russian control. Victory for the Ukrainians seems to be at the moment the liberation of all their territory, including Crimea, David Silbey, a military historian at Cornell University, told RFE/RL. Given [President Volodymyr] Zelenskiys rhetoric, it would be hard for him to sell the Ukrainian people on much less at this point." For now, few outside observers consider that realistic. And if Ukraine is unable to make major territorial gains or inflict devastating losses on Russian troops, Western leaders are likely to push Zelenskiy's government to be open to negotiations with Moscow. What Ukraine needs is peace, not a protracted war of attrition against a more populous adversary whose leader does not much care about how many lives are sacrificed in the maelstrom, Stephen Walt, a professor of international relations at Harvard University, wrote earlier this month. The prospect of making concessions with Russia still holding large swathes of territory adds to the pressure on Ukraine to mount a successful counteroffensive. Not only do [the Ukrainians] need to demonstrate decisive victories over the Russians, they must show they are effective users of all the military assistance provided in the past six months or so, Ryan wrote. The fickle politics and publics in Western nations have become less engaged in the wars progress, he wrote. The Ukrainians understand that the offensives to come must once again show the people of the West that not only is Ukraine worth supporting, but with ongoing military assistance in 2023 and beyond, they can defeat the Russian invasion. Key Points The Abdukadyr family allegedly made a fortune from a massive smuggling operation. Much of it was earned in Uzbekistan and laundered abroad. Now, under the guise of foreign investors and using opaque corporate structures, the family has poured millions into some of the countrys top real estate developments, even partnering with the French hospitality chain Accor on three hotels. The family appears to have an influential partner: President Shavkat Mirziyoevs powerful son-in-law, Otabek Umarov. These findings raise questions about Mirziyoevs claims to have made a break with the corrupt ways of his predecessor. F or centuries, Uzbekistans ancient capital of Tashkent has been known for its medieval mosques, lively bazaars selling spices and textiles, and sprawling, warren-like neighborhoods known as "mahallas." But President Shavkat Mirziyoev, who took power in 2016 promising to modernize this Central Asian country, is on a mission to transform these old neighborhoods into high-rise apartment buildings and shopping malls. A $1.3 billion project called Tashkent City is the centerpiece of that transformation, with 80 hectares of parks, international restaurants, modern high-rises, and even a planetarium. The whole world will want to come here, Mirziyoev said in 2017, promising to keep personal tabs on its progress. He has kept that promise, visiting the construction site on numerous occasions. But in footage of one of his inspection tours, touted in a state TV program in January 2022, reporters spotted a familiar figure: a man dressed in a dark winter jacket, his face half-covered by a medical mask. He was Khabibula Abdukadyr, the secretive Uyghur tycoon who, along with his brothers, made a fortune running a trading monopoly built on bribery and political patronage that stretched across Central Asia. As it turns out, he and his family are the investors behind a $400 million development at the heart of Tashkent City that includes a shopping mall, residential and office towers, and a hotel. Abdukadyrs involvement -- and his proximity to Uzbekistans president -- is noteworthy considering that the familys dealings had been revealed two years earlier in a series of reports by RFE/RL, OCCRP, and Kloop. In neighboring Kyrgyzstan, the Abdukadyrs paid off customs officials who essentially placed their agency at the familys disposal. Taking advantage of the resulting privileges, the family made vast profits by trucking tons of cheap Chinese goods into Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and beyond. The story came to light when a self-confessed money launderer made contact with reporters, telling of the hundreds of millions of dollars he said he sent abroad for the family using variety of illicit techniques, such as false contracts and loan agreements, fraudulent wire transfers, and even working-class men as cash mules. Despite widespread coverage of his allegations, and the fact that much of the money he said he laundered originated in Uzbekistan, the family -- whose members use multiple names and passports -- have been welcomed back into the country as prominent foreign investors. In addition to Tashkent City they were also handed the rights to build two other major developments in the Uzbek capital that were projected to cost a total of $520 million. The family has also partnered with Accor, the French hospitality company, on a new five-star hotel in the city; two more are set to open elsewhere in Uzbekistan. The Abdukadyrs investments in these high-profile developments are well-hidden, channeled through two secretive companies that are owned by shell firms or apparent intermediaries. As a result it took over a year for RFE/RL and its reporting partners -- OCCRP, Kloop, and Vlast -- to uncover definitive evidence of the familys involvement. Reporters investigated the companies employees and nominal shareholders, cross-referenced corporate contact details with known Abdukadyr firms, and used other open information sources to track down knowledgeable insiders. Information obtained by reporters also suggests that the Abdukadyrs have a powerful partner with close ties to the very top: Otabek Umarov, the influential son-in-law of President Mirziyoev and the deputy head of presidential security. Umarovs name does not appear in any of the paperwork, and Uzbekistans commercial registry does not list him as the owner of any other business. But traces of his involvement can be seen not only in the Abdukadyr familys Tashkent real estate developments, but in the dominant trading business it has also built in Uzbekistan -- a business that takes advantage of multiple forms of state backing, including presidential decrees, pressure on competitors, and government tenders secured secretly in advance. Mirziyoev has made repeated promises of reform and modernization, but his commitments are thrown into question by the Abdukadyrs success. Welcomed into Uzbekistan with open arms, a family accused of smuggling has made or committed investments in the country worth more than $2 billion. Kristian Lasslett, a professor of criminology at Ulster University who has studied the Abdukadyr family, recounted the costs of this kind of investment. Were seeing a lot of the money that is coming from dubious sources being laundered into projects that are marked by destruction of national heritage, destruction of natural heritage, Lasslett said. Reporters sent more than 50 requests for comment to the people, organizations, and government institutions named in this investigative series. Most did not respond, including President Mirziyoevs administration and Umarov. The Abdukadyr family acknowledged receiving questions from an e-mail address known to be used by Khabibula Abdukadyr, but said they could provide information only at a later date. In response to questions about Accors partnership with the Abdukadyr family, a representative said that the company is aware of the [previous] OCCRP articles on Mr. Abdukadyr and has applied its due diligence policy regarding the hotel owners. A Phantom 'Market Leader' On its Instagram account, the shopping center in Lot 3 of the vast Tashkent City development is already promoting the international brands that will sell their goods there, including Calvin Klein, United Colors of Benetton, and Swarovski. But the company that built the mall and its adjoining high-rises, Hyper Partners, has always been a mystery. It was first publicly identified in June 2018, when a paid promotional article in an Uzbek news outlet named it as the projects investor, describing it as a market leader. The article didnt mention that the company had been registered just four months earlier and had a mere 25,000 euros ($26,500) in founding capital. These findings were reported in a December 2018 investigation by Open Democracy, which stated that Hyper Partners was then owned by an 18-year-old and had been founded by two German citizens with low public profiles who were linked to the then-little-known Khabibula Abdukadyr. The story attracted enough attention that then-Tashkent Mayor Jahongir Ortiqkhojaev felt compelled to respond. At a news conference the following month, he defended the decision to award the development rights of such a major project to an obscure firm with questionable ownership. It didnt matter if this company was founded yesterday or the day before, he said. Its not our responsibility to ask them who they are or where their money is from. If were going to ask every investor who its beneficiary is, then you can just close the gates to Uzbekistan, he said. No one will come here. Within a year, it became clear whom Uzbekistan had let inside its gates when RFE/RL, OCCRP, and Kloop published the first investigative series about the Abdukadyr family and their alleged smuggling empire. This investigation into the Abdukadyr family was made possible after a man they used to launder money passed a trove of incriminating documents to reporters. He was later murdered in Istanbul. The fact that Hyper Partners is an Abdukadyr entity is beyond any reasonable doubt. Corporate records show that it has been used as a holding company not only for Tashkent City but for several of the familys other Uzbek investments, including multiple customs terminals and a cement factory under construction in the Jizzakh region. Its German address is in the same business complex where several known Abdukadyr companies are registered, including two -- AKA Group and AKA Petroleum -- that received tens of millions of dollars from the family's self-confessed money launderer. And in Uzbekistan, its local subsidiary shares both a physical address and an e-mail address with several other Abdukadyr companies. Mustafa Palvan, the young man who formally owns Hyper Partners, appears to be a member of the Abdukadyr family. According to German corporate records, his official address is the Abdukadyrs luxurious seven-bedroom home in the prestigious Coombe Park area of southwest London. His last name, Palvan, is also used by Khabibula Abdukadyr, several of his children, and one of his wives. 'Those People Are Somewhere in the Sky' Across the city, another old Tashkent neighborhood was also slated for redevelopment. One concept for that district, to be called Mirabad City, was pitched to the mayors office by a local company called Elegant Perspective in July 2018. In an interview with local news media the companys owner, Mohira Toshxojaeva, told reporters that the citys previous mayor had already given her the go-ahead to begin planning. Toshxojaeva had even begun to meet with local residents whose homes would be demolished. But everything changed within a few weeks. The mayors office suddenly awarded the land rights for the development to an obscure company called Hyper Finance Group. Its a very emotional topic for me. Im ready to cry again, she told reporters of her fruitless attempts to have the decision reversed. Those people dont walk the same ground as us, she said of Hyper Finance Group. They never come to dusty construction sites or meet with ordinary people. Those people are somewhere in the sky. In September 2018, Hyper Finance Group was allocated an additional plot of state land by Tashkents mayor, who justified the move by citing an August decision by Mirziyoev. The size of the project grew from 30 to 50 hectares. Within days of receiving the land, a company representative was already fending off angry locals whose homes were slated for demolition. On September 14, 2018, dozens of furious residents gathered around Farhod Tashtemirov, a bald, besuited man who had come as an envoy for the company. It was his job to explain why they were going to lose their homes. We have to make a modern city, he told the irate crowd. As the locals shouted Tashtemirov down, he pulled out a trump card, invoking the support of Mirziyoev. Theres a presidential decree, he said. The audience appeared unmoved. You dont have the right! one woman yelled. The scene appeared in a November 2018 documentary by the BBCs Uzbek Service, which tried to pierce the veil of secrecy around Hyper Finance Group. The investigation revealed that the companys majority shareholder was a Scottish shell company called 77 Corporation, registered at an address that also hosted more than 3,300 others. Hyper Finance Groups second shareholder provided no further clues. Though the BBC report identified him as an Uzbek man named Zafar Mamajonov, it revealed little about his background. At some point after the story aired, Mamajonov gave up his Hyper Finance Group shares. In the ensuing years, the mysterious investors behind Hyper Finance Group have remained unknown to the public, and the project has remained at a standstill. Everything is quiet again, said one local woman. We signed a petition against the demolition but weve heard nothing since. New Clues In fact, the beleaguered Tashtemirov was one of the first clues that led reporters to the resolution of the Hyper Finance mystery. Even as he defended the company in front of angry residents, he was also operating a hotel in central Tashkent called Miran International. At the time, Miran was a brand owned by the Abdukadyr family, making Tashtemirov their direct business associate. Tashtemirov did not answer reporters questions about his involvement with their projects, citing commercial secrets and noting that Uzbek legislation required no one to present any information which could harm them, their property, or their interests. Another link between the Abdukadyrs and Hyper Finance Group appeared after reporters examined the companys new shareholding structure, which changed some time after the BBC investigation. Among its new shareholders was a Turkish company owned by Dilsat Artis, an Abdukadyr associate who had received millions of dollars from the familys self-confessed money launderer. Armed with these leads, reporters reached out to multiple individuals associated with Hyper Finance Group and obtained dozens of pages of internal documents from the secretive company. Among them was an organizational chart showing the various corporate actors then involved in the Mirabad City project. It shows an Abdukadyr company called Tashkent Construction Development acting as both the customer and the general contractor. Though Hyper Finance Group was handed the rights to the land, the chart shows the development was an Abdukadyr project from the beginning. This finding represented the first documented proof reporters obtained of the familys direct involvement with Mirabad City. The Abdukadyrs' Umbrella The internal documents had more secrets to reveal. They included weekly status reports showing that Hyper Finance Group was managing a number of other projects beyond Mirabad City: two hotels, a tourism and cultural center in the historic city of Kokand, and the very same customs terminals built in partnership with the Uzbek government and owned by the Abdukadyrs German company Hyper Partners. These projects are owned directly or were developed by various Abdukadyr companies, indicating that Hyper Finance Group serves as a kind of umbrella management firm for some of the familys biggest investments. Under the Hyper brand, the Abdukadyrs have even managed to strike a deal with the French hospitality company Accor. According to an Accor press release, the company signed a cooperation agreement with the Hyper Group of Companies, under which the familys Registan Plaza hotel in Samarkand will be rebranded as a Movenpick, and its Miran International hotel in Tashkent, now under renovation, will reopen as a Swissotel. Under the agreement, a third hotel is slated to be built in a lake resort area in the Tashkent region. The press release quotes Alexis Delaroff, the chief operating officer of Accor New East Europe, expressing his excitement about a remarkable day for the company. I am grateful to our partners for their trust, he says, and I hope that together we will be able to implement many more exciting projects in the future. Accor has not publicly named the Abdukadyr family as its Uzbek partners. In response to requests for comment, Accor confirmed that the company has reached a franchise deal with three Uzbek hotels, and that one of them is owned by Registon Plaza, an Abdukadyr company. Accor did not deny partnering with the family. Alexander Cooley, a political scientist and Central Asia specialist at Columbia University, said that when companies like Accor deal with opaque corporate structures, this would typically, in terms of best practices, mandate additional follow-up and diligence on their part. This is especially true in a place like Uzbekistan. [Its] a country where just a simple Google search unveils a history of grand corruption schemes, Cooley said. Ordinarily, that should flag that there should be enhanced due diligence performed on whatever local partners you're going to be engaging with. In its response, Accor wrote that it had applied its due diligence policy regarding the hotel owners and that the company retrieves information from well-regarded international due diligence platforms which review applicable international sanction regimes and court convictions available on public sources. The company also confirmed, without further comment, that it was aware of previous reporting on the Abdukadyr family by RFE/RL, OCCRP, and their partners. An Influential Partner With so many projects under its belt, Hyper Finance Group might be expected to be a large and professionally managed operation. But its internal project status reports from 2018 pointed out a number of basic management problems, including meetings happen[ing] spontaneous[ly with] no preparation [and] no documentation, common standards and procedures not implemented or even understood, no office manager [and] no secretary, and even architects [being] ordered to make tea for a manager. Hyper Finance Group does not appear to have a website -- a previous one it used has been dead for several years -- and Mirobod district residents complain that they cannot locate the company or its representatives. An insider who cannot be named for fear of retribution said that no member of the Abdukadyr family took part in Hyper Finance Groups day-to-day operations. Instead, according to the source, a leading role was played by a man named Asqor Qodirov, an elected official in Uzbekistans Ferghana region who is distinctive for his heavily scarred face. Qodirov also has other ties to the Abdukadyr family. He is listed as the owner of AKA Group International, an Uzbek company that uses the same AKA label in its name as the familys main holding companies. But Qodirov, who did not respond to requests for comment, appears to have an even more important connection. According to another source, he works under the wings of Umarov, Mirziyoevs influential son-in-law. In fact, reporters found that one current and one previous shareholder of Hyper Finance Group may be Umarov's stand-ins. A partnership between this powerful member of the countrys first family and the Abdukadyrs would come as little surprise. Allying with government insiders is a common practice in the region, where such a "krysha" -- or roof -- can provide valuable protection. And in an entirely separate Abdukadyr business -- the vast market known as Abu Sahiy -- over half-a-dozen sources have pointed to Umarov as a key operator who backs the Abdukadyrs from the shadows. In the case of Hyper Finance Group, one of the alleged Umarov proxies is Ismoil Abdukadirov (no relation to the Abdukadyr family), an Uzbek man who currently owns a 36 percent stake in the company and also serves as its director. Two sources familiar with the relationship, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to fear of retribution, said independently from one another that Abdukadirov works for Umarov. One said explicitly that Abdukadirov holds his Hyper Finance Group shares on Umarovs behalf. Another close Umarov associate -- and possible former proxy in the company -- is Zafar Mamajonov, the Hyper Finance Group shareholder who disappeared from the companys books after being named by the BBC. According to multiple sources, Mamajonov and Umarov are childhood friends. Both were born in 1984, and posts on their social media accounts show that they grew up in Uzbekistans eastern city of Kokand and attended the same elementary and high schools. It appears that they remain linked today. In one Instagram post in May 2020, Mamajonov wishes Umarov a happy birthday and promises to relay best wishes from a commenter. In others, he posts excitedly about Umarovs horses. Both men are also involved in the Uzbek Judo Federation and Uzbekistans mixed-martial-arts community. In addition, Mamajonov is listed as a 50 percent shareholder in a network of Uzbek car dealerships called Drivers Village. That companys director and other 50 percent shareholder both have documented business links to Umarovs brother, Oybek, a wealthy, publicity-shy businessman. Even the secretive Scottish shell firm 77 Corporation, which has held a stake in Hyper Finance Group since the company was founded, echoes one of Umarovs public obsessions: the number seven. According to the website of a clothing company Umarov promotes, 7Saber, he created the brand to convey the sporting philosophy of courage and willpower, which in numerology reflects the number 7. Umarovs custom phone number consists only of sevens, while his brother has mostly sevens with a single three. Both brothers passport numbers, also apparently customized, consist largely of sevens. The practice extends to company names. Oybek owns a company called K7 Hotel Management and a holding company called OU7, a brand that is widely associated with Otabek and even adorns his horses. A response to reporters questions was received on behalf of Oybek Umarov from Farhod Tashtemirov, the Abdukadyr employee who represented Hyper Finance Group in its dispute with local residents. As in his own reply, he declined to respond to questions, citing commercial secrets. 'I Can't ell You How They Managed It' There are signs that Hyper Finance Group wields a level of influence that is not fully understood -- but feared -- even by officials in Tashkent. An elected local community leader, Furkat Mavlyanov told reporters that the companys Mirabad City project was essentially stalled. hese houses will not be demolished, he said, explaining that, while Hyper Finance Group still had the rights to develop the land, no existing homeowners could be forced to give up their homes unwillingly. Commander of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Vice Admiral Oleksiy Neyizhpapa held an online meeting with Vice Admiral, Commander of the U.S. Navy Sixth Fleet Thomas Ishee, during which the parties discussed the situation in the Azov-Black Sea region, as well as logistical issues assistance and training of personnel, the press service of the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said. "Today, Commander of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Vice Admiral Oleksiy Neyizhpapa, held an online meeting with Commander of the U.S. Navy Sixth Fleet, Vice Admiral Thomas Ishee," the AFU press service said in the Telegram channel on Thursday. As reported, Neyizhpapa "briefed his foreign colleague about the current situation in the Azov-Black Sea region, caused by the criminal actions of Russia." According to the AFU press service, the core topics of conversation were the provision of logistical assistance to partners and the training of personnel of the Ukrainian Navy. Considerable attention was paid to the issues of strengthening mine safety. At the end of the online meeting, the Commander of the Naval Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces expressed his gratitude to the people of the United States for supporting Ukraine and thanked his foreign colleague for his constant assistance. Key Points The Abdukadyr family was exposed in previous investigations for dominating Kyrgyz trade routes with the help of corrupt officials. But that hasnt stopped it from expanding into Uzbekistan. Now, however, they've moved out of the shadows, entering into joint projects with government agencies and members of President Shavkat Mirziyoevs family. In addition to acquiring one of the largest retail markets in Central Asia -- Tashkents infamous Abu Sahiy -- the family's trucking and logistics companies have come to dominate the international trade routes that supply it with goods. Meanwhile, an Abdukadyr company is operating two of Uzbekistans newest customs terminals -- and appears to have won a tender to run half a dozen more. In December 2021, a welcome delivery arrived in Moscow just in time for the holidays: a refrigerated train full of fresh grapes, persimmons, lemons, and tomatoes straight from the sunny Uzbek capital of Tashkent. It was the pilot run of the new Agroexpress, a railroad delivery service conceived as part of a new trade agreement between Uzbekistan and Russia. Though Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine and subsequent Western sanctions were still months away, Russian President Vladimir Putin was already on the hunt for closer trading ties with his nearer neighbors -- and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev seemed happy to oblige. But, as one of the logos on the side of the train revealed, the Agroexpress project had an obscure private partner: a company that had just been founded the previous year. This firm, called UTI Transit, was not just a newcomer. It is owned by the Abdukadyrs, a notorious family of Chinese-born Uyghurs that had allegedly built a vast underground smuggling empire through bribery and corruption. In a series of investigations, RFE/RL, OCCRP, and Kloop had revealed that, led by Khabibula Abdukadyr, the eldest of four brothers, the family systematically consolidated control over key trade routes in neighboring Kyrgyzstan by paying off a top official and securing privileged treatment at customs facilities. These findings were widely covered in the region. But after over a year of investigating the Abdukadyrs latest business dealings, reporters have found that the family has followed a similar playbook in Uzbekistan: gaining control over a major bazaar, dominating trade routes, and partnering with the customs service. This time, however, the family secured its position not through under-the-table deals, but with government support. First, the Uzbek authorities launched an anti-corruption campaign against the owner of the most important market in Tashkent, subjecting it to so many inspections that he finally sold it to the Abdukadyrs. According to multiple sources, the Abdukadyr family is backed in this business by Mirziyoevs son-in-law, tabek Umarov. The family has also partnered with the government directly, establishing a joint trucking venture with a state firm that helped implement a highly touted new trade route from China. In another case, even before the Uzbek government publicly announced its plans to build several new customs terminals on the countrys borders, documents show the Abdukadyrs were already working with officials to get the project going. The family has invested in two of the terminals and now operates them. More are planned. Even their companys partnership in the Agroexpress train project was reportedly secured through the recommendation of a state firm. Kristian Lasslett, a professor of criminology at Ulster University who has studied the Abdukadyr family, says that the country presents a ripe target. The benefit is that you go into Uzbekistan, where the economy is growing, and there are opportunities to make profitable, large-scale investments without any [government] checks. Its real fertile territory. They were obviously reintegrating themselves into the new power center. Bruce Pannier, a journalist and analyst who hosts the Majlis Central Asia podcast for RFE/RL, says the Abdukadyr familys success is a testament to their power and influence. The fact that [Khabibula Abdukadyr] was able to get this prize marketshows the kind of clout that he carried in Uzbekistan. Hes either so well-connected or so invaluable to somebody that this was a deal that was acceptable to powerful people. In particular, Pannier described the familys access to customs terminals as disturbing. The fact that these people are present in Uzbekistan at customs posts, you have to wonder -- whos actually in charge here? Is it the customs service? Or is [Khabibula Abdukadyr] basically running the show and the customs service [employees are] just kind of his employees at this point? It does show a degree of connection that you hate to see any controversial figure have with any government. Reporters sent over 50 requests for comment to the people, organizations, and government institutions named in this investigative series. Most did not respond, including President Mirziyoevs administration, the Uzbek customs service, the Uzbek and Russian state railways, and Umarov. The Abdukadyr family acknowledged receiving questions from an e-mail address known to be used by Khabibula Abdukadyr, but said they could provide information only at a later date. The Epicenter of Uzbek Trade There is no bigger prize in Uzbekistans trading sector than the Abu Sahiy market. Its endless traders rows sprawl along the capitals ring road selling every imaginable good, from clothes to home electronics. The market is so full of Chinese imports that local comedians call it the capital of China. For the convenience of its shoppers it has food stalls, multistory parking garages, and even its own mosque. The origins of Abu Sahiy are murky, but for years it was owned by Timur Tillaev, the jet-setting son-in-law of Uzbekistans longtime president, Islam Karimov. Tillaev allegedly extracted millions from import flows to the market, his profits reportedly fueled by unofficial tax and customs preferences that enabled him to undersell the competition. He has always denied these allegations and his lawyer continues to deny them today. But, as revealed in a series of investigations published by RFE/RL and its partners several years ago, one of the markets main suppliers during those years was Khabibula Abdukadyr. With the help of corrupt customs officials in neighboring Kyrgyzstan, Abdukadyr and his brothers made a fortune allegedly selling falsely labeled and underdeclared Chinese goods at Abu Sahiy. The family employed a self-confessed money launderer -- later shot dead in Istanbul -- who said he used a variety of illicit schemes to send their profits to bank accounts across the world. The 2019 series details Saimaitis evidence -- and corroborating evidence found by reporters -- about the Abdukadyr familys allegedly illicit trading monopoly. The arrangement persisted for years. Both Tillaev and Abdukadyr got rich, and Abu Sahiy kept growing. But in a country like Uzbekistan, where so much depends on the graces of those at the top, things can change quickly. And for a savvy man like Abdukadyr, change can represent an even greater opportunity. Karimov died in 2016 and his prime minister, Mirziyoev, took power. Uzbekistans new leader portrayed himself as a reformer who would open the country to the world, end human rights abuses, and clean up corruption. It was little surprise that Tillaev, a prominent member of the former ruling family, appeared in his crosshairs. Prosecutors and tax and customs officials launched a series of inspections against the previously untouchable Abu Sahiy market. Business took a hit, with cargo operations halted for weeks. Finally, at the end of 2017, Tillaev was out, selling his stake in the market to new owners. He is not known to have set foot in the country since then. The government portrayed Abu Sahiys change of ownership as a major shake-up. Within a few weeks, the office of Mirziyoev himself was promoting the markets newfound respectability, praising its skyrocketing tax payments. Several months later, a glowing report on state television extolled the unnamed foreign investors with international experience who now owned Abu Sahiy. The program aired interviews with happy shoppers who said prices had decreased and traders who praised lower rent payments. As it turns out, the foreign investors who took over Abu Sahiy are the Abdukadyrs. Tillaevs lawyer confirmed in an e-mail to reporters that his client sold the market to Khabibula Abdukadyr in December 2017. Corporate documents show that after Tillaevs departure, Abu Sahiy was first held by the Abdukadyr familys German companies and then transferred to an apparent proxy: a Turkish company owned by a woman in her mid-20s who has no other known businesses. Splitting the Spoils In multiple interviews, sources close to the Abu Sahiy market -- including traders, a corporate lawyer, a former senior police official, and cargo company owners -- pointed to a powerful player they said was backing Abdukadyr from the shadows: Umarov, President Mirziyoevs son-in-law and the deputy head of the presidential security service. The arrangement they describe is typical of many former Soviet countries: A member of the ruling political elite, in this case Umarov, steps in as the "krysha" -- or roof -- of a lucrative business. Often, in exchange for a cut of the profits, a krysha offers political protection, insider access, and shortcuts around regulations. One source on the inside -- a man who works for an Abdukadyr company -- was able to offer the most detail, though it could not be independently corroborated. The shares of Abu Sahiy belong to Hoji aka (a respectful term for Abdukadyr), but he is in partnership with O[tabek] U[marov], he said. The worker described seeing a cash-counting machine and piles of U.S. banknotes in the office of Abu Sahiys director, which he alleged were later delivered to Umarov as his share of the profits. As a key link between Abdukadyr and Umarov, he pointed to another member of the presidential family: the son-in-law of Mirziyoevs sister, Najim Abdujabarrov. He is a representative of the family, the worker said, explaining that Abdujabarrov spends most of the week in the offices of Baraka Holding, one of the Abdukadyrs key trading companies. He is in-between Hoji [Abdukadyr] and the sons-in-law. In another case, the Abdukadyr family partnered with a member of the presidential family directly. A logistics center they co-owned with a son of Mirziyoevs cousin was instructed by the customs service to process all international courier shipments, driving massive business to the facility (see box for details). 'Instructions From The Government' The Uzbek government has also included the Abdukadyr family in a new plan to develop a more efficient trade route between Uzbekistan and China. In 2017, President Mirziyoev signed agreements with both China and Kyrgyzstan to develop a modern new trade route that would benefit all three countries. When Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov traveled to Tashkent on an official visit that December, Khabibula Abdukadyr came as a member of the Kyrgyz delegation. The very next month, the family entered into official partnership with the Uzbek government: One of their Chinese companies joined a majority state-owned firm, Orta Osiyo Trans, to establish a joint venture with the goal of carrying out instructions from the government -- a reference to developing the new trade route. The state was apparently determined to have the Abdukadyrs as partners, outvoting a Turkish minority shareholder of Orta Osiyo Trans who opposed the arrangement. The new joint venture, Silk Road International, received an infusion of cash from the Abdukadyr side and a fleet of truck trailers from the state side. In September 2018, the Uzbek Trade Ministry proudly announced that the company had successfully established the new route, its trucks plying the roads between China and Uzbekistan carrying food, crops, construction materials, and consumer goods. In 2020, Khabibula Abdukadyr acquired the Turkish shareholders minority stake in Orta Osiyo Trans, becoming a direct partner of the Uzbek state. Between this acquisition, the Abdukadyrs stake in Silk Road International, and their ownership of a leading Kyrgyz trucking company called Tarim Trans, the Abdukadyrs appear to have established a dominant position supplying Chinese goods to Uzbekistan. When reporters called representatives of over two dozen competing transportation companies, a majority said they could not deliver cargo from China to Uzbekistan by road. Those that have attempted to do so complained of excessive wait times and uncertainty as to whether the cargo would arrive at all. We are afraid to use this route, one said, suggesting that his company was asked to pay a bribe to get its cargo through. Most of the Abdukadyrs competitors were using an alternative route not dominated by the family: sending the goods by rail through neighboring Kazakhstan. In addition to physically carrying goods, the Abdukadyrs Uzbek trading company, Baraka Holding, is used by traders around the country as an intermediary when ordering and importing goods from abroad. The company handles all the import procedures and customs paperwork itself, enabling its customers to purchase their imported goods from a domestic supplier. This is an arrangement that Barakas competitors apparently cant match. RFE/RLs Uzbek Service has received a number of anonymous messages from traders and cargo company owners complaining that using Baraka Holding was essentially their only option. Any merchant who imports anything from abroad must ship goods only via Abu Sahiy/Baraka logistics, one trader wrote. Otherwise, they will not be able to have them cleared at the customs office. According to Uzbek government data, in 2022 Baraka Holding was the countrys third-largest trading company by turnover, with income of more than $200 million. The company did not respond to requests for comment. 'I Don't Think There Were Any Competitors' Although they were once accused of bribing a senior customs official in neighboring Kyrgyzstan, the Abdukadyr family is now in a formal partnership with Uzbekistans customs agency. In January 2019, Mirziyoevs government invited private companies to submit bids to build four new customs terminals -- facilities where goods or passengers are inspected and cleared by customs authorities before entering or leaving a countrys borders. The announcement, which gave a deadline of only 10 days, noted that the governments potential partners needed to fulfill a number of conditions even to pass the prequalification phase. Among these was having experience building at least two terminals, including abroad; five years experience managing such terminals; a positive international image; and share capital of at least $9.5 million. The winner of the tender was never announced. But land ownership data and a government list of foreign direct investment in Uzbekistan reveals who is implementing the project: a company that fulfilled none of these conditions. It does not even have a website and, in fact, had been incorporated just three months before the tender was announced. I think it was decided on some upper or higher level, said a source who worked on the project. I dont think there was any competition. This firm, the Euroasia Transportation and Logistics Company (ETLC), is held by the German-incorporated Hyper Partners. This company is owned by a 23-year-old with the last name Palvan -- which is also used by Khabibula Abdukadyr and his brothers -- and whose address in corporate filings is the familys London mansion. This suggests he is a member of the family. The four terminals are in various stages of completion; at the time of publication, two were already operational. The construction of another five terminals, representing the second phase of the project, was put out to tender in early 2020. Though no winner has been announced, ETLC owns a plot of land near at least one of them. As a matter of fact, it appears that no other company ever had a chance. A set of internal documents from Hyper Finance Group, a company that appears to manage some of the familys major real estate projects, was obtained by reporters. They show that by the time the presidents plans to build the terminals became public, Abdukadyr companies had already completed extensive design work in collaboration with government officials. The Uzbek company Hyper Finance Group has been involved in the building of a cultural center, the renovation of a hotel, and work on Khabibula Abdukadyrs residential property, among other Abdukadyr projects. One PowerPoint presentation sets out plans for the construction of five terminals and logistics centers to be initiated jointly by an Abdukadyr company called AKA Group, the customs service, and the state railway company. The metadata shows that the file was last modified in August 2018, months before the customs terminals project was announced. By the time Mirziyoev released a decree ordering the improvement of customs administration in Uzbekistan, Hyper Finance was already well on the way to completing the work. A folder obtained by reporters and dated November 16, 2018, contains designs for the same nine new terminals the president would announce eight days later. Hyper Finance even seemed to know in advance which terminals to prioritize. A document dated December 10, 2018, contains a list of nine terminals and highlights four of them as the top priority. The governments formal tender announcement -- listing the same four terminals as the first phase of the project -- did not come until the following month. Key Points: In 2019, a man who said the Abdukadyr family hired him to launder their profits out of Central Asia came forward to expose them. He provided reporters with troves of documents and accused his employers of running a vast smuggling empire. A former top official who partnered with them was convicted and sanctioned, but the Abdukadyrs appear to have faced no repercussions. Instead, theyve used companies around the world -- which received hundreds of millions of dollars in laundered money -- to invest in skyscrapers, hotels, factories, bazaars, and much more. Though their investments stretch across multiple continents, most are in Central Asia -- where, despite the earlier revelations, government officials have welcomed them with open arms. Among these are Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev. A 43-story skyscraper on Dubais waterfront. A seven-bedroom London mansion. A luxury hotel in the heart of ancient Samarkand. Gas pipelines that supply an entire Kazakh city. As a new investigation by RFE/RL, OCCRP, Kloop, and Vlast reveals, these assets and businesses across the world, worth billions of dollars, belong to a single family. The Abdukadyrs, whose path to fortune is lined with bribery and political patronage, are exceptionally secretive. Members of this Uyghur family use several variations of their first and last names and hold multiple citizenships. Most of their companies have no websites, do not advertise themselves as a single holding, and are held by relatives or associates. The family has good reason to operate from the shadows. In 2019, RFE/RL, OCCRP, and Kloop exposed how they made their fortune: The eldest of four brothers, Khabibula Abdukadyr, ran a trading monopoly that made enormous profits channeling Chinese goods into Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and beyond -- with the complicity of corrupt customs officials. The expose brought Kyrgyzstans citizens onto the streets, and the Abdukadyrs top political patron in the country eventually pleaded guilty to corruption. But the family remained untouched. Their companies in Germany, the United States, Turkey, and other countries, which had received vast sums of apparently laundered money, remained open. What the Abdukadyrs did with this money remained a mystery. Now, reporters from RFE/RL, OCCRP, Kloop, and Vlast have found that the familys companies have spent the last few years making colossal investments in new, legitimate businesses. Corporate and land records, government investment data, internal company documents, and other sources reveal that the Abdukadyrs have committed at least $2 billion into projects and luxury assets on several continents. (This is a conservative estimate that does not include many assets whose value is unknown.) Most of this money has gone into Central Asia, the Abdukadyrs original base of operations, where the family is building entire new neighborhoods, brand-new customs terminals, and even a vast new center of Islamic study and worship. In Uzbekistan, the family has become one of the countrys largest foreign investors. Local governing elites -- and even national leaders -- have lined up to welcome them, even though their alleged smuggling and money-laundering operations have been a matter of public knowledge for more than three years. Despite his many promises of reform, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev has embraced the family and their millions. Many of their projects have even received government support, including tax breaks, state land, and publicity. But that support doesnt come for free. Reporters found that Mirziyoevs own relatives have become co-investors with the Abdukadyr family on some of their projects. Khabibula Abdukadyr has even resurfaced recently in Kyrgyzstan, a country whose political system was shaken by earlier revelations of his schemes. In March, he appeared at two public events with President Sadyr Japarov, keeping close to Kyrgyzstans leader at ceremonies inaugurating the construction of a new mosque and a major real estate development. Both, it turns out, are Abdukadyr projects. Kristian Lasslett, a professor of criminology at Ulster University who has studied the Abdukadyr family, described their investments in Uzbekistan as corrosive to both economic and political freedoms. Weve seen the Mirziyoev government really effectively manicure itself on the international stage as this kind of reformist and modernizing government, he said. But these kinds of investments are...adding blood into the veins of kleptocracy, he said. It's not a kind of conventional free market economy. Its a sheltered workshop for protected political animals. Obviously, when people inject [this kind of] capital into that political economy, it only further strengthens it and deepens its roots. And of course, to protect the status quo, you cant have citizens asking questions. David M. Luna, executive director of the International Coalition Against Illicit Economies and a former U.S. diplomat, said that such schemes should be challenged. In the dark world of kleptocracy and organized crime, we must continue to fight corruption, he said, Especially in autocracies, where the corruptive influence of criminals enables complicit ruling elites to line their pockets, launder their dirty monies through anonymous shell companies, and reinvest them, for example, in real estate in the United States, U.K., U.A.E., and other safe havens. Reporters sent more than 50 requests for comment to the people, organizations, and government institutions named in this investigative series. Most did not respond, including President Mirziyoevs administration. The Abdukadyr family acknowledged receiving questions from an e-mail address known to be used by Khabibula Abdukadyr, but said they could provide information only at a later date. A spokesman for Kyrgyz President Japarov said that Kyrgyzstan is open for all investors. We are ready to work with everyone who is truly ready to invest money into projects in the countrys various sectors. An Illicit Fortune Exposed Khabibula Abdukadyrs alleged smuggling empire was first exposed by Aierken Saimaiti, a man who said he was Abdukadyr's money launderer. The canny operator made contact with reporters in 2019 after becoming disaffected with his work. Bearing piles of documents, Saimaiti told journalists that he had personally sent hundreds of millions of dollars abroad for the Abdukadyr family, moving it from their base of operations in Central Asia into bank accounts around the world. Within weeks of his last meeting with reporters, Saimaiti was dead, gunned down in Istanbul by hit men whose paymasters remain unidentified to this day. But he had already provided enough information to enable reporters to reconstruct the Abdukadyr familys schemes. The Abdukadyrs competitive advantage lay in their alliance with Raimbek Matraimov, then the powerful deputy head of Kyrgyzstans customs service, whose agents ensured their cargo trucks sailed through checkpoints while their competitors faced obstacles and delays. As a result, the Abdukadyrs were able to monopolize key trade routes that brought Chinese consumer goods into Central Asia, raking in colossal profits. A large fraction of these profits was earned in cash at Abu Sahiy, a massive market on the outskirts of the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, that was the destination of much of the Abdukadyrs smuggled cargo after it was trucked through Kyrgyzstan. The next step was getting this cash safely out of Uzbekistan and into foreign bank accounts. Saimaiti recounted how it was packed into truck tires and smuggled across the border into Kyrgyzstan in prearranged convoys. From there, he said, armed men brought him the money and he deposited it in his own local bank accounts. To make these vast influxes of cash appear legitimate, he often forged documents stating that he had earned the money at a remote Kyrgyz bazaar he owned. Then it was time to send the money abroad. In some cases, he employed working-class men, such as taxi drivers, to physically fly the cash to Istanbul. But most of the money was sent abroad in wire transfers, justified using various fraudulent techniques. For example, reporters obtained a fake agreement that stipulated a $50 million loan from his Kyrgyz bazaar to an Abdukadyr company incorporated in Nevada. The cover was not a plausible one: According to a woman who co-owned the bazaar with Saimaiti, the business was barely surviving and had a turnover of under $3 million per year. But the paperwork must have appeared legitimate enough for the transactions to go through. In total, Saimaiti said he wired at least $700 million over the years, enabling the Abdukadyr family to funnel the proceeds of their alleged smuggling operation out of Kyrgyzstan. Saimaiti provided documents attesting to about $350 million of his transfers. According to subsequent investigations by Kyrgyz authorities, Saimaiti sent even more -- a total of nearly $1 billion. A leak of documents obtained by reporters from the U.S. Treasury show that many of Saimaitis transactions were noticed and flagged as suspicious over the years. But the money kept flowing. The Big Round Trip After Saimaiti was murdered, the documents he provided helped reporters uncover properties the Abdukadyr family purchased across the world using the money he sent, including a villa in Dubai and a home in the United States. But this real estate can account for only a fraction of the money Saimaiti laundered for the family. What happened to the rest? It took over a year of additional reporting to discover the answer. A significant portion of the money ended up in the United Arab Emirates. The Abdukadyrs local holding company, which received at least $95 million of the funds Saimaiti said he laundered, has become a developer there, building two residential and mixed-used skyscrapers in Dubai. The company is also planning a 24-story hotel. But much of the money, transferred with so much risk and effort over so many years, appears to have ended up back where it started. Reporters found that the same Abdukadyr companies that received millions of dollars from Saimaiti -- whose names have been in the public record since 2019 -- are now investors in multimillion-dollar developments and thriving businesses in Central Asia. In many cases, these companies financial statements are not available, making it impossible to be certain that they made their investments using the same money they received from Saimaiti. But the Abdukadyr companies in Germany and the United Kingdom that do publish statements show little other commercial activity and dont indicate any other sources of financing. In addition, thanks to a lucky break, reporters managed to obtain banking records for one German Abdukadyr company. They offer a rare insight into the transactions themselves, illustrating in granular detail how the familys money -- having been moved out of Central Asia by Saimaiti -- was sent right back. Saimaitis records showed that he had sent at least $17 million to the company AKA Immobilien (since renamed AKA Group). But what happened to that money next was a mystery -- until Matraimov, the former Kyrgyz customs official and Abdukadyr ally, filed a lawsuit against OCCRPs two Kyrgyz partners, RFE/RLs Radio Azattyk and Kloop. As part of an (ultimately successful) legal defense, RFE/RL obtained a subpoena in U.S. court to access banking records that prove Saimaitis transactions really took place. Among them were records of both incoming and outgoing transactions in AKA Immobiliens German bank account. In addition to confirming that Saimaiti really had been sending millions of dollars into the account, the records show what happened afterward: Time after time, the money flowed out as quickly as it came in, sent to a newly incorporated Abdukadyr company based in Kazakhstan called AIBI-I. For example: On May 27, 2014, Saimaiti sent two wire transfers to AKA Immobilien for $500,001 and $500,000. Three days later, AKA Immobilien wired $1 million to AIBI-I. On September 9, 2014, Saimaiti wired $500,000 to AKA Immobilien. That very same day, AKA Immobilien wired $500,000 to AIBI-I. AIBI-I and several other AIBI companies owned by the Abdukadyrs are vehicles for the familys projects in Kazakhstan, including a network of pipelines that supplies gas to the city of Qonaev, at least two factories, multiple blocks of residential buildings, and even a center of Islamic study and worship. (Deutsche Bank, which handled these transactions as a correspondent bank and is where AKA Immobilien held its account, said in response to reporters questions that they were legally prevented from commenting on specific clients.) The bulk of the Abdukadyr familys Central Asian investments are in Uzbekistan, encompassing real estate developments, factories, hotels, mosques, and customs terminals. For example, another of the familys German companies, AKA Petroleum, which also received tens of millions of dollars from Saimaiti, was used to scoop up the Abu Sahiy market in Tashkent -- the very place the family earned much of their money in the first place. For years, the market belonged to the son-in-law of former Uzbek President Islam Karimov. It was acquired by the Abdukadyrs in 2017 after Karimov died and his relatives fell out of favor. Today, the vastly expanded bazaar is a central node in the familys region-wide trading network. 'Foreign Investors' The Abdukadyrs money has now been legitimized to such an extent that many of the familys Central Asian projects are touted as high-profile foreign investments. One of their Uzbek factories, which produces construction materials like roof sheets, sandwich panels, and glass products, is promoted in a video by the Tashkent city administration as a foreign enterprise that has the latest equipment and technologies and has already created 325 jobs. At least $1.5 billion of Abdukadyr investments in the country (both current and planned) are classified by the government as foreign direct investment. The fact that this is technically true -- the money really did come from Abdukadyr companies based in Turkey, Germany, and elsewhere -- is all the more remarkable considering whats known about its origins. These guys operate in broad daylight, you know. It's just incredible, says Lasslett, the criminology professor. Its part of a larger scale of gray money coming from abroad. Obviously [Uzbekistan] is seen as a fairly safe and secure place to do investment for gray money. Certainly my research indicates that, providing you give kickbacks to the right people and give them a taste, no questions will be asked, he said. And you dont have to worry about due diligence checks. Indeed, the Abdukadyr familys high-profile shopping, commercial, and residential development in the heart of Tashkent has been promoted by President Mirziyoevs office. That project is among many Abdukadyr developments that have received state land. Many of their factories are located in special economic zones that confer tax breaks and other benefits. Those benefits include the market dominance of a customs terminal and logistics center acquired by the family near Tashkent International Airport appears to have been engineered by government officials. The family is even behind a project hailed as a personal gift from Mirziyoev to the neighboring country of Kazakhstan thats taking shape in the city of Turkestan -- proclaimed the spiritual capital of the Turkic world. The grand new construction project, a sprawling new center of Islamic study on the city's outskirts, broke ground on the eve of Kazakhstans Independence Day in 2019, with then-Prime Minister Askar Mamin himself taking part in the laying of the first stone. "Between 2011 and 2016, I transferred more than $700 million out of Kyrgyzstan." At first glance, the confession seemed unbelievable. But Aierken Saimaiti, a 37-year-old Uyghur man who met with reporters in 2019, had the documents to prove it. Those papers would provide the evidence for one of the most sensational corruption stories in the modern history of Central Asia: The canny operator had spent years in the employment of Khabibula Abdukadyr, whom he accused of running a smuggling empire that was raking in huge profits with the help of complicit Kyrgyz customs officials. Saimaiti said he used a variety of fraudulent techniques to help launder the proceeds of that empire out of the region, where it could safely be stored in German bank accounts, British properties, and Dubai real estate developments that belonged to Abdukadyr and his family. The laundering of so much dirty money out of Kyrgyzstan was a political bombshell, leading to fierce protests and eventually contributing to an uprising that overthrew the government. But one question has remained unanswered: How could Saimaiti's hundreds of millions of dollars pass through both local and international banks for years without ever being noticed? A new review of more than 2,000 Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) -- filed to the U.S. Treasury by U.S. banks and later leaked to reporters -- offers a partial answer. (The reports were made available to OCCRP as part of the FinCEN Files, a collaborative investigation led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and BuzzFeed News.) Five of the reports in the leaked batch raised red flags about Saimaiti and the companies that received the money he sent. They were filed between February 2014 and January 2015 by officers from the U.S. branch of Deutsche Bank, which served as a correspondent bank for some of Saimaiti's U.S.-dollar transactions. A correspondent bank is a third-party financial institution that acts as a go-between for banks in different countries that need to conduct cross-border payments with each other. If you look at any basic research on what has happened in that country, the lack of integrity in government, you should not be relying on their banking institutions. You should be hiring independent experts if you have multiple millions of dollars flowing through your bank." According to the reports, hundreds of Saimaiti's wire transfers to Abdukadyr companies and to Khabibula Abdukadyr himself were marked "suspicious." Compliance officers noted several classic signs of money laundering: He sent money in large round-dollar amounts, and the business purposes of the transactions were often unclear. In addition, the relationship between Saimaiti and the companies who received his money could not be independently established. In at least some cases, Deutsche Bank employees tried to get to the bottom of what Saimaiti was doing. The SARs show that they repeatedly questioned his Kyrgyz banks about the purpose of his outgoing transactions. But their invariable answer was that Saimaiti was a legitimate entrepreneur and that everything was in order. At least three banks gave almost identical summaries, writing that they did not have "any reason to believe that the transactions are in any way of a suspicious nature." Louise Shelley, a financial crime specialist who directs the Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center at George Mason University, says that Deutsche Bank was working with insufficient information. "If you look at any basic research on what has happened in that country, the lack of integrity in government, you should not be relying on their banking institutions," she said. "You should be hiring independent experts if you have multiple millions of dollars flowing through your bank." In such cases, she said, banks can rely on a community of specialists. "There are seminars for this," she said. "There used to be a company that would have seminars for bankers, [explaining] what you need to watch for in accepting money from the former Soviet Union." But the problem goes beyond banks. The large volume of suspicious activity reports submitted to the U.S. Treasury Department every year means that any given case is unlikely to receive sufficient scrutiny, she said. "Treasury doesn't have enough staff and it doesn't have enough [artificial intelligence]," Shelley said. "It doesn't use enough data analytics or have enough people trained in data analytics to pull all the pieces together." In response to requests for comment, Deutsche Bank said it could not respond to questions about specific clients. "Banks file SARs on a regular basis, which is one of our legal obligations as part of the framework connecting financial institutions and law enforcement in the fight against financial crime," a spokesperson wrote. "That same framework legally restricts us from commenting further." The Abdukadyr family acknowledged receiving questions from an email address known to be used by Khabibula Abdukadyr, but said they could provide information only at a later date. 'Help Us To Understand' One exchange between Deutsche Bank and Investment Trade Bank, the Russian parent of one of Saimaiti's Kyrgyz banks, Rosinbank, highlights the dubious nature of the available information about him. (Rosinbank is now called Keremet Bank and is no longer owned by Investment Trade Bank.) The case concerns one of the Abdukadyr family's main German companies, AKA Immobilien (now renamed AKA Group). Over the course of 2014, Saimaiti sent at least $17.4 million to the company in 40 transactions, according to his records. He invented various justifications for these transfers, including "debt return" and the purchase of "textile materials" -- in the latter case, even citing what looked like a specific contract number. But despite his efforts, Deutsche Bank grew suspicious. That spring, it sent an inquiry to the Investment Trade Bank asking for information about him, the recipients of his money, and the business purpose of his transactions. The response was puzzling and likely did little to assuage the compliance officers' concerns. The reason for Saimaiti's transactions had been described incorrectly, the bank wrote, due to "technical mistakesmade by a client manager due to lack of attention." In fact, the bank wrote, Saimaiti was sending $15 million to AKA Immobilien because he was purchasing property in a German municipality called Vaterstetten, just outside Munich, to establish a supermarket. In response, Deutsche Bank asked a logical follow-up question: "From a previous response provided from your bank it was stated that your client is engaged in the wholesale trade of textile goodsclothes and carpets. Please can you help us to understand why your client is purchasing property for a supermarket?" Investment Trade Bank answered: "Aerken [sic] Saimaiti (private entrepreneur) is in a process of expanding his business activity not only in the Kyrgyz Republic, but also in other countries," adding that "his transaction for purchase of supermarket is the investment for the future business activity in Germany." For years, one man colluded with corrupt customs officials to dominate the vast flow of Chinese imports -- everything from T-shirts to high-end electronics -- that sustain Central Asia. He raked in massive profits. He built powerful secret alliances. His employee admitted to laundering hundreds of millions of dollars on his behalf. Then he was exposed, his top government patron pleading guilty to corruption and landing on a sanctions list. Youd think the authorities would crack down. But youd be wrong. Today, Khabibula Abdukadyr and his family have transformed their shadowy fortune into a global empire. The same companies that were used to funnel laundered funds have become investors in expansive real estate developments, gleaming residential and office towers, mosques, markets, factories, and more. This is the story of how a man accused of building a vast smuggling empire has turned himself and his relatives into big-time businessmen -- as Central Asian governments welcomed their money with open arms. The Russian authorities continue to recruit previously convicted and suspected of terrorist activities to replenish manpower, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said. "In order to replenish losses in manpower, the Russian occupiers continue to actively recruit people with a criminal record, or those against whom criminal cases have been opened, in particular, for terrorism," the General Staff said on Facebook on Thursday. According to the General Staff, in one of the field camps deployed by the enemy in the temporarily occupied territory of Starobelsky district of Luhansk region, "about 500 such invaders are being trained. It is also known that instead of imprisonment, convicts are offered a contract for military service with participation in hostilities in Ukraine for half a year." During a working visit to Rome, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal met with Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto and discussed with him strengthening military and technical assistance to Ukraine, cooperation in the defense sector and Euro-Atlantic integration, the Ukrainian government's press service said. "We are grateful to Italy for supporting Ukraine on its way to NATO. The Ukrainian army, with the support of its allies, is already introducing the best standards of the Alliance and proving in practice the superiority of these standards in the war against Russia," the Prime Minister of Ukraine said. Shmyhal also said Ukraine is interested in cooperation with Italy as one of the key allies in the defense sector. "Today, our focus is on the military-industrial complex. Ukraine has great potential for the development of this sector and is capable of being among the leaders in Europe," he said. The Prime Minister of Ukraine thanked Italy for approving six packages of military and technical assistance and for consistently supporting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. AN EXPLORER who shot into space was amazed and inspired when he visited a school to speak about his colourful career. Tim Peake, who flew to the international space station in 2015 with the European Space Agency, was welcomed to Sir Thomas Wharton Academy in Edlington to talk to schools across the region about his life experiences as well as getting involved in activities. He was the second person to represent the United Kingdom in space after Sheffield cosmonaut Helen Sharman. Staff and students from several other schools Maltby Manor Academy, Maltby Redwood Academy, Maltby Academy, Wath Academy, Ravenfield Primary Academy, Edlington Victoria, Edlington Hill Top School, Willow Primary School, Carr Lodge Academy, Mallard Primary School, and Maltby Lilly Hall Primary also attended the special An Evening with Tim Peake. Gemma Harris, librarian at Sir Thomas Wharton Academy, who helped to arrange the event, said: We firmly believe that exceptional experiences for the students should be at the heart of all that they strive to achieve. Having Tim visit the academy for the afternoon was a prime example of them achieving their vision and growing the aspirational culture of the school. The children were encouraged to engage in problem-solving activities together ahead of Tim's arrival, which included some brilliant examples of stable structures made with dried spaghetti and marshmallows. Each school had also prepared an aspirational letter to Tim, telling him their interests and hopes and dreams, as well as how his story has inspired them. Tim arrived in time to hear a few of these letters, and it was clear that inspiring children to follow their dreams is something that is important to him as he was visibly moved by the students words. Ms Harris said Tim had been both amazed and inspired when he spoke to students after the activities. Everyone listened intently as Tim spoke of his incredible journey to space and how he was able to fulfil his dream of becoming an astronaut, Gemma added. Tim answered a wide range of interesting and thought-provoking questions from students and was kind enough to have photos taken with everyone. Students were in awe of the fact that they were meeting a real-life astronaut and were certainly inspired by Tims story. It gave them a true-to-life example of a person fulfilling their dreams and never giving up. This message forms the basis of one of the values at our school and serves to further inspire the aspirations of the students. The school is proud to align its aspirational culture and vision with that of inspirational people in the public eye, and the intention is to continue in this vein with more inspiring visitors in the near future. After the event, Tim thanked staff and students from every school who attended for a brilliant visit. FROM Parkgate to parliament Chantry Brewery is celebrating having a guest ale in the Palace of Westminster. Former pubs minister John Healey MP arranged for one of the companys beers to be installed in the Strangers Bar from Monday. Chantry has produced Parkgate 200 to tie in with this years commemoration of 200 years since the place was established. Wentworth & Dearne MP Mr Healey welcomed the team on their visit to London and said: Chantry Brewery really has gone from strength to strength over the last decade and I know how much hard work goes into each and every beer they produce. Its also a fantastic opportunity for visitors, guests and MPs to taste what Rotherham has to offer as well as celebrating 200 years of the Parkgate area with their Parkgate 200 beer which commemorates our industrial heritage in the borough. Chantry opened on Callum Court in November 2012 and now has four pubs as well as producing a wide range of beers. Chief brewer Mick Warburton said: This is a great chance for us to showcase our beers in Parliament and it was great to see so many people enjoying a pint of Parkgate 200. All our beers are lovingly made and a lot of time goes into balancing the flavours and perfecting all of our Chantry beers. Parkgate 200 has been specially brewed to commemorate the history of Parkgate and at Chantry we are proud of our history and remember our roots as we strive to share our real ale with the world. The anniversary drink is a 4.1 per cent pale and Chantry delivered seven casks two of which had been supped before the team had even left parliament. Mick thanked Mr Healey and his wife Jackie for their hospitality and added: It was a very proud day for us all at Chantry Brewery to see all the MPs enjoying a Parkgate pint! NIA NIA court has issued non-bailable warrants on the Plea of the Police JAMMU: A Special Court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Jammu has issued non-bailable warrants against 23 terrorists hiding in Pakistan. A senior police officer gave this information on Wednesday. He said that non-bailable warrants have been issued against 23 terrorists who carried out their activities from Pakistan by crossing the border at their residential district of Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir. This is the second time that a special NIA court in Jammu has issued non-bailable warrants on the plea of the police against terrorists hiding in Pakistan or Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Earlier, non-bailable warrants were issued against 13 terrorists. Kishtwar senior police officer Khalil Poswal said, "36 people from Kishtwar involved in terrorist activities had gone to Pakistan. After this, two FIRs were registered against them. He said that a special NIA court had issued non-bailable warrants against 13 of them on March 1, while fresh non-bailable warrants were issued against the remaining 23 terrorists on Tuesday. Advertisement The officer expressed hope that Pakistan would cooperate in arresting the terrorists and sending them to India. He said that according to the law, different teams have also been formed to identify the properties of terrorists for attachment. Immigration A case under section 188 of the IPC has been registered against all the Owners. CHANDIGARH: The police have registered a case against the owner of 13 immigration companies operating without approval in the city. A case under section 188 of the IPC has been registered against all the owners of the immigration companies for violating the DC orders. The police who arrested 6 company owners are looking for more accused in the matter. Sector 17 police station has registered a case against Mangal Singh of Chicago Immigration located in Sector 22B, Zirakpur resident Deepak Chauhan of Red Star Immigration and Hukum Chand Garg, who runs Madhya Global Avenue Immigration Company. The case has been filed against the owner of GS of Sector 12A, Oakridge Visa Company, Virtu Overseas Educational Consultants, Whitehill Overseas Immigration and more companies. HC State violated her constitutional, statutory & human rights by denying her family pension: Justice CHANDIGARH: Slamming Punjab for trying to take away the bed-ridden widow's right to life, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has clarified that she was entitled to exemplary costs of Rs 2 lakh. Justice Jasgurpreet Singh Puri also ruled that the state violated her constitutional, statutory and human rights by denying her family pension, her husband's pension and other benefits. What is shocking is that four years after the death of the petitioner's husband, an order has been passed commenting that she is guilty of grave misconduct, which is totally unknown to service jurisprudence. Justice Puri also clarified that pension and other benefits cannot be denied in the case of a deceased employee after relying of the Punjab Civil Services Rules. The codes covers the Government's right to withhold pension on the basis of future good conduct, within its domain, which is said to be an integral condition for grant of pension, whereas in the present case, the petitioner-husband has already died and the question of future good conduct does not arise. Advertisement Accepting the petition filed by Kaushalya Devi, Justice Puri said that she was confined to bed, yet she was wandering from house to house seeking justice. In her second leg of the suit, she was seeking family pension, which was not only a constitutional but also a constitutional right under Article 300-A of the Constitution, which provided that no one could be deprived of property. Legal Aid Advocate Arnav Sood, appearing for the petitioner, said that she had been suffering for about eight years after the passing away of her husband in 2015. The state counsel said that the employee had not disclosed his conviction at the time of retirement. The bench was also told that the pension and other pensionary benefits are withheld as the benefit cannot be granted to the employee in view of gross misconduct and negligence. Tangaraju Suppiah Tangaraju Suppiah was convicted on October 9, 2018 for Smuggling SINGAPORE: An Indian-origin Man was hanged till death in Singapore on Wednesday on the charge of smuggling hemp. Strict laws have been made in various countries around the world to prevent drug trafficking. The person identified as Tangaraju Suppiah was sentenced to death only because he had conspired to smuggle drugs in Singapore. It is worth mentioning here that Tangaraju's family appealed to the President not to hang him, but no response was received from the President. 46-year-old Tangaraju Suppiah was arrested in 2014 on charges of drug consumption and smuggling. Advertisement Tangaraju Suppiah was convicted on October 9, 2018 for smuggling 1 kg of cannabis and sentenced to death by the court. Singapore has strict drug laws. In his defense, Tangaraju had told the court that he was not involved in drug trafficking and neither had he talked to anyone for trafficking, but the court rejected Tangaraju's argument. In its verdict, the court said that Tangaraju's phone proved that he was involved in the crime of drug trafficking. Head of the President's Office of Ukraine Andriy Yermak held a videoconference meeting with foreign policy advisers to the presidents of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Romania, the press service of the President of Ukraine said. During the conversation, he noted the importance of further movement towards the unity of positions of the NATO countries on Ukraine's membership in the Alliance in the context of the upcoming summit in Vilnius. "This is evidenced both by President Zelenskyy's peace formula and our official position: our principled position is that we see no alternative to Ukraine's membership in NATO," Yermak said. At the same time, he noted that an important decision should be made to provide Ukraine with effective security guarantees until the state acquires NATO membership. These security guarantees cannot replace or replace Ukraine's membership in NATO, but will serve as a guarantee of Ukraine's security until full membership in the Alliance, which has no alternative. Yermak also pointed out the importance of a strong political signal from NATO regarding a clear algorithm for Ukraine's approach to membership in the Alliance. "Today, thanks to you, thanks to the United States and other partners, the unity that you have created and that is being maintained is a powerful weapon," he said. The representatives of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Romania, in turn, reaffirmed their countries' full support for Ukraine and its future full membership in NATO and the European Union. On the fifth day in court, prosecutors in the so-called Bari case focused on the relationship between the main defendant and one of his co-conspirators and how they both used to drugs for personal enrichment. The now 31-year-old main defendant has an inconspicuous appearance: short dark hair, a little mustache, a discrete pair of glasses, and small earrings. Up until his arrest two and a half years ago, he had been dealing drugs for at least a decade. "He must have done a good job, otherwise you would have caught him sooner," the judge told an investigator at the hearing. The "Bari" case is named after the home of the main defendant and one of his co-conspirators. Both are from the Italian region of Puglia, of which Bari is the capital. They are said to have known each other for a long time. Although the second defendant, now 44-years-old, called the main defendant his "mate", he also described him as the "boss" and said that he was taking orders from him. It seems to have been clear who was in charge. In the summer of 2020, both went on holiday to Italy together. There was a discussion on the phone about taking between 40,000 and 50,000 in cash. One went ahead to make sure there were no border controls at the time. There also appears to have been a visit to Disneyland with the main defendant's partner and child. According to the investigator, the main defendant's friend had been trafficking drugs for over six years. Officially, he had been living on unemployment benefits since 2013. However, he had allegedly gambled away thousands of euros over the years. At the time of the police intervention, his bank account was empty. But, an expensive car and almost 24,000 in cash were seized from his home. It was also revealed on Wednesday that the main accused had a fictitious employment contract with two companies in order to receive a salary. How exactly did the money laundering from drug trafficking work? Three investigators from the anti-money laundering section of the police are expected to explain this in greater detail at the hearing on Thursday. Recent figures from the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (STATEC) confirm that a growing number of Luxembourgish citizens are leaving the country even as the overall population is growing. Are the high housing prices and living costs starting to get the better of some Luxembourg nationals? Although the figures from the STATEC do not provide a direct answer to this question, they still reveal some interesting tendencies. Indeed, a record was broken in 2022, namely that of the highest number of departures of Luxembourgers since 1967, the year in which this data was first recorded. In total, 3,273 people left the country last year, which means that the 1,582 Luxembourg nationals returning to the Grand Duchy was not enough to counterbalance departures. By way of comparison: Until 2014, the number of departures of Luxembourgers had never exceeded the 2,000 people mark. It then began rising gradually and broke several records in successive manner. Where did they settle? When contacted by our colleagues at RTL Infos, the STATEC was unable to answer this question: "We do not have any information on the country of settlement." It is known that some Luxembourgers move across the border but remain close to the Grand Duchy to pay less for housing, while others have probably decided to leave the greater region altogether. Portuguese leaving as well Portuguese citizens also left the country in large numbers in 2022, 3,547 people to be exact. That is more than Luxembourgers and is in fact another record. Until 2016, the figure remained stable between 1,500 and 2,000 annual departures. Since 2019, it has consistently increased, however. Many Portuguese nationals still continue trying the Luxembourg adventure as 3,633 people arrived in 2022. However, this is far from the number of arrivals recorded in the 2000s when nearly 5,000 Portuguese people settled in the Grand Duchy every year. In this context, it is noteworthy that many skilled workers in the construction sector are deciding to return to their country of origin. The reasons for these departures are, according to our sources, often linked to the "superior" quality of life that Portugal can offer despite less attractive salaries. King's Day has the reputation of being one big party where everyone is wearing orange, but what's the story behind the festivities? King's Day is an official national holiday in the Netherlands, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, and Sint Maarten. It's celebrated every year on 27 April, the birthday of King Willem-Alexander. This year's edition is even more memorable as the King is celebrating ten years on the throne. History King's Day, which used to be called Queen's Day and Princess' Day, has its origins in the 1880's. Back then, Dutch government officials were looking for a way to promote Dutch unity. Unfortunately the King at that time was very unpopular. But his four-year-old daughter Princess Wilhelmina wasn't. Thus, the Netherlands celebrated their very first Princess Day on Wilhelmina's fifth birthday: 31 August 1885. The princess was paraded through the streets and waving to the crowds. Initially, it was only held in the province of Utrecht but the rest of the country quickly joined the celebrations. When Wilhelmina acceded the throne after coming of age, the name was changed to Queen's Day. The Netherlands had more Queens celebrating Queen's Day until the abdication of Queen Beatrix in 2014. Since Beatrix' birthday was in January, she decided to keep celebrating on Queen Juliana's birthday which was 30 April. When her son King Willem-Alexander acceded to the throne the name was changed to King's Day and the date of the celebrations was moved to his birthday, 27 April. Throughout the years it become customary for the extended Royal Family to visit a different Dutch town on King's Day. This year they'll visit Rotterdam and the city is gearing up with major festivities. Should you find yourself in the country for this special day, you'll notice that everyone is wearing orange. The importance of this colour goes back to the very foundation of the Netherlands. William I of Orange-Naussau led the rebellion against the Spanish rule, ever since then the Dutch wear his colour as a symbol of national pride and unity. After William III, widely known as William of Orange, overthrew the Roman Catholic King James II, it became the color of protestants as well. Hotspot: Amsterdam While celebrations for King's Day happen all across the country, Amsterdam, the capital city, is clearly the hot spot. An average of 700.000 out-of-towners join the locals for one of Europe's biggest street parties. The King's Day crowds have become so considerable that the city has run into some serious crowd management problems. In the past there were many large-scale free King's Day events in Amsterdam. But now they've been moved to the outskirts of the city, and most require you to purchase a ticket beforehand. They're also limiting alcohol consumption in public spaces. Between 6am and midnight, a person is now only allowed to carry a maximum of one alcoholic beverage. Six-packs and kegs of beer are considered more than one drink and may be confiscated. Another highlight is the free market "vrijmarkt" that's being organised from 6am to 8pm all across the city. On this day everyone is allowed to freely sell their belongings in the street. The Vondelpark is specifically reserved for children under the age of 17 to sell their stuff. After the market so-called kringloopcontainers are put up. Here you can leave anything you haven't managed to sell, and it will be donated to charity. But regardless which Dutch city you might visit on Kings Day it's sure to be an unique experience! Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday denied all involvement in anti-government riots by his supporters in January as he appeared before federal police. The far-right leader is being investigated for his alleged role in masterminding and instigating the riots that sought the overthrow of his successor, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro, who returned to Brazil in late March after spending three months in the US state of Florida, was questioned for more than two hours at the federal police headquarters in Brasilia, but left in a vehicle with tinted windows without speaking to reporters. Shortly afterward, Bolsonaro's spokesman Fabio Wajngarten told the press that the former president had "repudiated all the unfortunate events that happened in Brasilia" on the day of the riot. One reason the investigation was launched was because two days after the riot, Bolsonaro shared a video to social media of a prosecutor contesting the validity of Lula's victory. Bolsonaro's lawyer Paulo Bueno said the president had been under the effect of medication and had just been admitted to hospital when he shared the video. "The sharing was so accidental that he did not mention it afterward and soon deleted it," said Bueno after the hearing. Lula, who previously led Brazil from 2003 to 2010, narrowly beat Bolsonaro in a fractious, divisive election last October. Thousands of Bolsonaro's supporters stormed Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidential palace in Brasilia on January 8, a week after Lula took office. In scenes reminiscent of the January 6, 2021 riots in Washington by supporters of ex-president Donald Trump -- Bolsonaro's political role model -- they trashed offices, smashed windows, vandalized artworks and called for the military to intervene to oust Lula. Some 1,800 people have been arrested. Numerous investigations Bolsonaro left Brazil for Florida on December 30, two days before he was due to hand over the presidential sash to Lula. On January 13, Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes opened an investigation into Bolsonaro's alleged involvement in the January 8 rampage, in which rioters easily broke through a security cordon. A parliamentary committee of inquiry is due to be set up soon in Congress to shed light on the events of January 8. Former army captain Bolsonaro was previously interviewed by police on April 5 in relation to an accusation that he tried to illegally import millions of dollars worth of jewelry gifted by Saudi Arabia. A source close to the former president told AFP that he denied that accusation. Bolsonaro is the subject of at least 16 other investigations in which, if found guilty, he could be sentenced to prison or disqualified from politics. Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (HBGRF.PK), a German precision mechanical engineering firm, said it expects net result after taxes for the financial year 2022/2023 to exceed the company's forecast and the market expectation. The forecast for sales and EBITDA margin is expected to be slightly exceeded in each case. The company expects a positive net result after taxes of around 90 million euros for financial year 2022/2023. This is around 24 million euros above market expectation, which had already exceeded the company's forecast in the course of the financial year. Expected sales is around 2.4 billion euros, slightly above the target of around 2.3 billion euros. The expected EBITDA margin is around 8.5 %, which is also slightly above the forecast of more than 8%. The company said it will publish its financial statements and annual report for financial year 2022/2023 on June 14, 2023. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News The United States and South Korea have agreed on a number of steps aimed at bolstering the two countries' longstanding defense alliance in the face of growing nuclear threats posed by North Korea. Under the newly unveiled "Washington Declaration," the two countries have committed to engaging in deeper dialogue and information sharing efforts and announced the establishment of a nuclear consultative group. The Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group aims to better prepare the Alliance to defend against potential attacks and nuclear use and conduct simulations to inform joint planning efforts. The U.S. will also enhance the visibility of its strategic assets in the region under the joint declaration, to include an upcoming visit of a nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine to South Korea. In addition, Seoul will involve in a joint execution and planning for U.S. nuclear operations in a contingency and improve combined exercises and training activities on the application of nuclear deterrence on the Korean Peninsula. In return, South Korea has agreed not to develop its own nuclear weapons, and reaffirmed its commitment to a bilateral Agreement for Cooperation Concerning Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy. The new measures were unveiled by U.S. President Joe Biden and his South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk-yeol during a joint news conference at the White House following bilateral talks. Biden called the declaration a "prudent step" toward deterrence and in response to North Korea's advancing nuclear theat. He warned that a nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its allies or partners "is not acceptable and will result in the end of whatever regime that would take such an action". President Yoon affirmed that South Korea will apply the full range of its capabilities to the Alliance's combined defense posture. This includes working with the United States to closely connect the capabilities and planning activities of the new South Korea Strategic Command and the U.S.-South Korea Combined Forces Command. Such activities will include a new table-top exercise conducted with U.S. Strategic Command. Biden said that while the declaration marks a commitment to strengthening the longstanding U.S.-South Korean defense relationship, the two countries also seek "serious and substantial diplomatic breakthroughs" with North Korea to bolster stability on the Korean Peninsula. Yoon's official state visit to Washington marks the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-South Korean alliance. The U.S. has maintained a robust presence in South Korea since the Korean War of 1950 - 1953. More than 28,000 U.S. service members serve on the peninsula alongside South Korean allies. The South Korean president arrived in Washington on Monday for a five-day visit to the U.S which will include an official state dinner at the White House and meetings with Cabinet officials in Washington. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Press Release April 27, 2023 Villanueva: Include agri insurance woes in gov't's El Nino plan Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva wants solutions on agricultural insurance woes of farmers to be included in the government's plan to mitigate the impacts of El Nino. The Majority Leader filed Proposed Senate Resolution No. 549 which seeks to look into the state of the government's agricultural insurance program, considering the impact of unfortunate natural occurrences on agriculture. Ultimately, Villanueva seeks to put in place sufficient measures to protect Filipino farmers and fisherfolk. He said that 22.2 percent or 10.5 million employed Filipinos depend on agriculture as a source of income according to the Philippine Statistics Authority in its Labor Force Survey last January 2023. "Almost one-fourth of our labor force are in the agriculture sector and if we don't take the necessary measures to protect it, we will see a severe decline in employment which will in turn lead to low agricultural production, endangering the livelihood of millions of Filipinos in the sector and also our country's food security" Villanueva said. Villanueva said that the low availment of agricultural insurance for farmers is alarming given that the country needs to be prepared for the impacts of natural extreme events, disasters and climate change. "Our agriculture insurance program needs to be future-ready and easily accessible for the benefit of our farmers and fisherfolk," he added. The Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) provides insurance under seven (7) agricultural insurance lines: rice crop, corn crop, high-value crops, livestock, fisheries & aquaculture, non-crop agricultural assets and credit and life-term insurance. In 2020, the PCIC was able to insure a total of 3,090,251 farmers and fisherfolk. The amount of protection assured was P 94.591 billion and the premium generated was P5.086 billion," the resolution said. The Majority Leader noted that the PCIC should address the issues of farmers on filing indemnity claims such as the lack of knowledge and the long process of claims payments, documentary requirements, and additional costs which led to its low availment. According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), while La Nina has officially ended, the country needs to brace and prepare for El Nino which is expected to be declared by May. The resolution states that "among the major factors for the low productivity and erratic trends in agriculture are climate change, regular weather disturbances and disasters." The Department of Agriculture (DA) said that weather disturbances left P746 million in agricultural damages in January 2023 alone. The PSA also estimated that from 2010 to 2019, damages to agriculture totaled P 290 billion. "The government must ensure the accessibility, availability and sufficiency of safety nets to protect the livelihood of Filipinos employed in agriculture and the food security of the entire country," the resolution said. Villanueva: Agri insurance ng mga magsasaka isama sa El Nino plan ng gobyerno Nais ni Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva na magkaroon ng solusyon sa problema ng mga magsasaka sa agricultural insurance at maisama sa plano ng pamahalaan para mabawasan ang epekto ng papalapit na El Nino phenomenon. Sa Senate Resolution No. 549 na inihain ni Villanueva, hangad nitong makita ang estado ng agricultural insurance ng gobyerno lalo na't ang sektor ng agrikultura ang unang naaapektuhan kapag mayroong sakuna o kalamidad. Sa huli, nais ng Majority leader na maglagay ng sapat na mga hakbang para maprotektahan ang mga magsasaka at mangingisda. Ayon kay Villanueva, 22.2 porsiyento o 10.5 milyong manggagawang Pinoy ang nakadepende sa agrikultura bilang pinagkukunan nila ng kita, batay sa Philippine Statistics Authority sa kanilang Labor Force Survey na isinagawa noong Enero 2023. "Almost one-fourth of our labor force are in the agriculture sector and if we don't take the necessary measures to protect it, we will see a severe decline in employment which will in turn lead to low agricultural production, endangering the livelihood of millions of Filipinos in the sector and also our country's food security," sabi ni Villanueva. Aniya, nakakaalarma umano ang mababang paggamit ng agricultural insurance para sa mga magsasaka lalo na't kailangang handa ang gobyerno sa epekto ng natural extreme events, sakuna at climate change o pagbabago ng klima. "Our agriculture insurance program needs to be future-ready and easily accessible for the benefit of our farmers and fisherfolk," dagdag pa ni Villanueva. Ang Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) ang nagbibigay ng insurance sa ilalim ng pitong agricultural insurance lines: rice crop, corn crop, high-value crops, livestock, fisheries & aquaculture, non-crop agricultural assets at credit and life-term insurance. Noong 2020, nabigyan ng PCIC ng insurance ang kabuuahang 3,090,251 na magsasaka at mangingisda. Ang halaga ng proteksiyon ito ay nagkakahalaga ng P94.592 bilyon samantalang ang premium ay umabot na sa P5.086 bilyon, ayon sa resolusyon. Sinabi pa ni Villanueva na dapat tugunan ng PCIC ang mga isyu ng mga magsasaka sa paghain ng indemnity claims tulad ng kakulangan ng kaalaman at mahabang proseso sa claim payments, documentary requirements, at dagdag na gastusin na nagreresulta sa mababang pagkuha nito. Ayon sa Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), bagama't opisyal nang nagtatapos ang La Nina, kailangang paghandaan ng pamahalaan ang El Nino na inaasahang idedeklara sa buwang ng Mayo. Nakasaad sa resolusyon na ang pangunahing kadahilanan ng mababang productivity at mali-maling trend sa agrikultura ay ang climate change, regular weather disturbances at disasters. Sabi ng Department of Agriculture (DA), ang weather disturbances ay nag-iwan ng P746 milyong pinsala sa agrikultura nitong Enero 2023 pa lamang. Tinataya ng PSA na mula 2010 hanggang 2019, ang pinsala sa agrikultura ay umabot na sa P290 bilyon. "The government must ensure the accessibility, availability and sufficiency of safety nets to protect the livelihood of Filipinos employed in agriculture and the food security of the entire country," sabi pa ni Villanueva sa resolusyon. "Parimatch" LLC, in compliance with the Constitution, laws of Ukraine and the decree of the President of Ukraine No. 145/2023 "On the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine dated March 10, 2023 "On the application and introduction of changes to personal special economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions)" ceased operations in March 2022. The company applied for official explanations to the National Security Council, and later to the Security Service of Ukraine - since that the sanctioning mechanism was used because of the service's submission. However, to date, no response to the official letters from the representative of Parimatch LLC has been received from the SBU. We publicly confirm our readiness to respond to the SBU's requests and look forward to further bilateral dialogue. Parimatch LLC vehemently denies all allegations made against it, namely that it has ties with companies that do business in Russia. It has obtained detailed legal analysis by international legal experts that conclusively prove that The Company severed its ties with Russian entities after Russias illegal invasion of Ukraine and has no existing ties with any Russian companies. The media published false information, and the company will provide a full refutation in accordance with the established procedures. It is categorically untrue that there are citizens or residents of the Russian Federation in the ownership structure of the Parimatch group of companies. The companies of the Parimatch group of companies throughout the time owned licenses to conduct activities for the organization in Ukraine. These activities included gambling; and as such the Ukrainian companies of the Parimatch group of companies were regulated by CRGL, the authority responsible for checking the organizers of gambling for the presence of beneficial owners or shareholders of citizens or residents of the aggressor state. This in itself confirms the absence of citizens or residents of the Russian Federation in the ownership structure of the Parimatch group of companies. The article also falsely describes the Cypriot service contractors who provided general secretarial and directorial services to the Parimatch group of companies. As an intermediary company, they provide professional services to a wide range of clients, among which, of course, there may be both citizens and legal entities of any country. The Supreme Court in its practice (in particular, the decision of 17.06.2020 in case No. 9901/259/19) explicitly recognised that such a connection does not serve as a basis for imposing sanctions. Parimatch has been the subject of wrongful blacklisting and has so far, despite repeated requests, not received the details on which the allegations are based. We will contest the allegations in Ukrainian courts and we are convinced that the case will be heard on its merits and that our position will be fully vindicated and the courts will determine the veracity of the accusations of ties between the Ukrainian company and the international group of companies of Parimatch with the Russian Federation BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. A press conference was held at the office of the International Eurasia Press Fund in connection with the mine incident that occurred on April 26 in Azerbaijan's liberated Sugovushan village, Trend reports. At the event with the participation of representatives of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) and media, a statement made by the International Eurasian Press Foundation was addressed to international organizations, UN agencies, civil society structures and the international community as a whole due to the mine incident. Following the incident, an employee of the International Eurasian Press Foundation (IEPF), driver Khazar Babashov was seriously injured. Babashov, whose right leg was amputated below the knee as a result of the incident, has been working at the IEPF since 2013, the statement said. According to the statement, for more than 20 years, IEPF, having joined the mine threat control program, has implemented numerous projects in this direction, initiated campaigns, repeatedly made statements and took an active part in organizing various local and international events, conferences, seminars, striving to contribute to the solution of this problem through his humanitarian activities. Operating since 2002, the IEPF special team has cleared more than 10,000 hectares of land from mines and unexploded ordnance. Unfortunately, Azerbaijan is among the most mine-contaminated countries. During the 30-year period of Armenian occupation, Azerbaijani territories were seriously contaminated by mines, the statement noted. The Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action is conducting intensive demining operations in the liberated territories of our country. The statement also noted that Armenia did not provide reliable maps of minefields, which grossly contradicts the provisions of the Geneva Convention. Mines pose a serious threat to the lives of civilians since they were planted by Armenian military units not only in places of military purpose but also in areas with civilian infrastructure, around power lines, on cemeteries, river banks, on country and intra-settlement roads, the statement stressed. Besides, according to the statement, since the signing of the trilateral statement dated November 10, 2020 (by Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders following the second Karabakh war) to date, as a result of the explosion of mines laid by the armed forces of Armenia, a total of 51 people, including military personnel and civilians, have died, and 244 people received injuries of varying severity. Moreover, in the last week three mine incidents took place, as a result of which five people became victims of mines, the statement said. The statement authors further noted that its main purpose is to bring the situation with mine contamination in Azerbaijan to the attention of international organizations, governments and the public to the current and call on the international community to take the necessary measures to support peace and sustainable development in the region. In conclusion, the IEPF called not to remain indifferent to this issue and to provide support for its solution. BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. Azerbaijani Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov exchanged views on regional and other issues at a press conference with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna, who is on a visit to Azerbaijan, Trend reports. At the meeting, Bayramov said that relations between Azerbaijan and France have been developing dynamically and can be described as successful cooperation. The minister also noted that the two countries jointly implemented major projects. For instance, French companies took part in major energy, oil and gas, and infrastructure projects. And in general, mutual cooperation was carried out in the social, economic, humanitarian, cultural, educational, and scientific spheres. BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. Azerbaijan has never been the reason for the aggravation of relations with France, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said at the press conference with his French counterpart Catherine Colonna who is on a visit to Azerbaijan, Trend reports. He said that even when relations were tense, Azerbaijan did not evade contacts. "At the meeting with the French counterpart, an exchange of views on regional and other issues took place. For many years, Azerbaijani-French relations have been developing dynamically and can be described as successful cooperation," Bayramov said. Terbium, a chemical element with the symbol Tb and atomic number 65, has never before been seen in an exoplanet atmosphere. First discovered in 2016, KELT-9b is a gas giant approximately 2.8 times more massive than Jupiter but only half as dense. This exoplanet orbits KELT-9 the hottest, most massive and brightest star yet found to host a transiting giant planet once every 36 hours. At approximately 9,900 degrees Celsius (17,850 degrees Fahrenheit), the host star is at the dividing line between stars of type A and B. Also known as HD 195689, the star is about 650 light-years away in the constellation of Cygnus. KELT-9b is tidally locked to the star and its day side is perpetually bombarded by stellar radiation. With a day-side temperature peaking at 4,327 degrees Celsius (7,820 degrees Fahrenheit), the planet is hotter than most stars. We have developed a new method that makes it possible to obtain more detailed information, said Lund University Ph.D. student Nicholas Borsato. Using this, we have discovered seven elements, including the rare substance terbium, which has never before been found in any exoplanets atmosphere. Terbium is a silvery-white, rare earth metal that is malleable, and ductile. Discovered in 1843 by the Swedish chemist Carl Gustaf Mosander, it belongs to the so-called lanthanides (lanthanoids). The metal is very rare in nature, and 99% of the worlds terbium production today takes place in the Bayan Obo mining district in Inner Mongolia. Finding terbium in an exoplanets atmosphere is very surprising, Borsato said. Thanks to their method, Borsato and colleagues filtered out the dominant signals in KELT-9 bs atmosphere. This opens up the possibility of finding out more about the atmospheres of other exoplanets. Detecting heavy elements in the atmospheres of ultra-hot exoplanets is another step towards learning how the atmospheres of planets work, Borsato said. The better we get to know these planets, the greater chance we have of finding Earth 2.0 in the future. The teams paper will be published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. _____ N.W. Borsato et al. 2023. The Mantis Network III: Expanding the limits of chemical searches within ultra hot-Jupiters. New detections of Ca I, V I, Ti I, Cr I, Ni I, Sr II, Ba II, and Tb II in KELT-9 b. A&A, in press; arXiv: 2304.04285 BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. The situation regarding Azerbaijans Lachin-Khankendi road has been discussed with French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said at a press conference with the participation of Colonna, Trend reports. "I informed the French foreign minister about the situation on the Lachin-Khankendi road in the period after the signing of the trilateral statement [by Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders following the 2020 second Karabakh war], the illegal transportation of weapons by Armenia, the illegal arrival of third-country citizens, including terrorists, the plundering of the natural resources of Azerbaijani territories and their transportation along the Lachin-Khankendi road," Bayramov noted. He also informed his French colleague about the transportation of mines from Armenia along the Lachin-Khankendi road and their installation on the territory of Azerbaijan. "During the period after the signing of the trilateral statement, 294 citizens of Azerbaijan became victims of mines. Despite repeated warnings, the Armenian side did not respond to them. Azerbaijan also proposed the establishment of a border checkpoint on the Lachin-Khankendi road, but Armenia objected to this as well, the Azerbaijani minister reminded. Azerbaijan decided to build a checkpoint on the Lachin-Khankendi road to ensure transparency in the use of this road. The road is open and will continue to be open, Bayramov added. In order to prevent the transportation of manpower, ammunition, mines, as well as other military equipment from Armenia for illegal Armenian armed groups on the territory of Azerbaijan, and as an adequate response to the unilateral establishment of a checkpoint by Armenia on the border with Azerbaijan on April 22 at the entrance to the Lachin-Khankendi road contrary to the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020, on April 23 at 12:00 (GMT+4), the units of the State Border Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan set up a border checkpoint in its sovereign territories, on the border with Armenia, at the beginning of the Lachin-Khankendi road. One of the biggest challenges to growing food on Mars is the presence of perchlorate salts, which have been detected in the Martian regolith (soil) and are generally considered to be toxic for plants. In-Situ Resource Utilization will become increasingly important as human space exploration progresses, said Peter James Icalia Gann from the University of Arkansas and his colleagues. Resupply missions can be expensive, so we need practical and affordable ways to use resources on other planetary bodies. On Mars, there are resources such as water, regolith, light, carbon dioxide which can be used to introduce new biomass for food production. Gann and co-authors were able to simulate Martian soil using basaltic rich soil mined from the Mojave Desert, called the Mojave Mars Simulant 1 (MMS1), which was developed by scientists from NASA. They then grew three varieties of rice, including one wild-type and two gene-edited lines with genetic mutations that better enable them to respond to stress, such as drought, sugar starvation or salinity. These varieties were grown in MMS1, as well as a regular potted mix and a hybrid of the two. While plants were able to grow in the Martian simulant, they were not as developed as those grown in the potting soil and hybrid mix. Replacing just a quarter of the Martian simulant with potting soil resulted in improved development. The researchers also experimented with the amount of perchlorate in the soil, finding that 3 grams per kilogram was the threshold beyond which nothing would grow, while mutant strains could still root in 1 gram per kilogram. Their findings suggest that there might be a way forward for genetically modified rice to find purchase in Martian soil. The teams next steps will include experimenting with a newer Martian soil simulant called the Mars Global Simulant, as well as other rice strains that have increased tolerance for higher salt concentrations. An important part of the research will be determining to what degree perchlorate may be leeching into the plant from the soil. Farther down the road, the scientists would like to introduce rice into a closed habitat chamber and place it in a Mars simulation chamber that replicates the temperature and atmosphere of the planet. Whether humans ever colonize Mars, our research could have applications here on Earth, said Dr. Abhilash Ramachandran, a researcher at the Arkansas Center for Space and Planetary Sciences. I spoke with an Australian researcher from an area where the soil had high salinity, and saw their work as a potential way to grow food there. We could use Earth as a terrestrial analog before the seeds ever get sent to Mars. The authors presented their results in March 2023 at the 54th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. _____ Peter James Icalia Gann et al. Rice can grow and survive in the Martian regolith with challenges that could be overcomed through control of stress-related genes. 54th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 2023, article # 2990 The new specimen represents the first occurrence of an acipenseriform (sturgeon) fish on the continent of Africa. Sturgeon is the common name for almost 30 species of fish belonging to the family Acipenseridae. These fishes have long been valued for their meat and row, which are eaten as caviar. But as a result of overfishing, along with habitat loss, many species are critically endangered. And several are on the verge of extinction in the wild. Sturgeons are often regarded as a living fossil because their ancestors date back to the same time that dinosaurs roamed, over 200 million years ago. They can grow up to 7 m in length and reach a weight of 1.5 tons, although such sizes are exceedingly rare today. The very first sturgeons appear in the fossil record in the Late Triassic period in China, said Professor David Martill, a paleontologist at the University of Portsmouth. But the oldest true sturgeon ever discovered is probably a specimen in the Steve Etches collection from Dorsets Jurassic Coast in England. The new Moroccan species complicates models of the location of the origin of this important group of fish that is typically so widespread in the northern hemisphere. A single bony scute of the new sturgeon species was found in the uppermost Cretaceous marine phosphatites of central Morocco. The discovery of this fossil in Africa is particularly significant because it is the first of its kind to be found on the continent, suggesting that sturgeons were once more widespread than previously thought. I noticed the fossil when I was visiting a well-known Moroccan fossil site during a field trip in November 2022, Professor Martill said. I found a piece of rock with bucklers, the bony external plates found on these heavily armored fish, and I knew straight away it was a sturgeon. It was a surprising discovery because all sturgeon species have been exclusively found in the northern hemisphere in the past. Theyve been located in North America, Europe, Asia, Chinese Asia, but never in South America, Australia, Africa or India, which are the land masses that made up Gondwana, a supercontinent that existed around 336 million years ago and began breaking up around 150 million years ago. The discovery is described in a new paper published March 30, 2023 in the journal Cretaceous Research. _____ David M. Martill. A sturgeon (Actinopterygii, Acipenseriformes) from the Upper Cretaceous of Africa. Cretaceous Research, published online March 30, 2023; doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2023.105546 Drug-resistant infections are one of the most serious threats to global health, and there is an urgent need to develop new, effective antimicrobials. One promising solution could be antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). These are compounds naturally produced by most living organisms, including animals, and have important roles in innate immunity, our first line of defence against bacterial infections. However, some AMPs are also used widely in livestock production, both to control infections and as growth promoters. This has raised concerns that agricultural AMP use may generate cross-resistant bacteria that could then overcome the human innate immune response. In this new study, led by the University of Oxford, researchers have demonstrated that evolution of such cross-resistant bacteria is not only possible, but also highly likely. To test the idea, the researchers used colistin, an AMP produced by a bacterium (Bacillus polymyxa) that is chemically and functionally similar to AMPs produced in animals. Colistin has become increasingly important as a 'last-line of defence' for treating infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. However, extensive use of colistin in livestock production since the 1980s has driven the spread of E. coli bacteria carrying mobile colistin resistance (MCR) genes. In this study, E. coli carrying an MCR gene (MCR-1) were exposed to AMPs known to play important roles in innate immunity in chickens, pigs, and humans. The bacteria were also tested for their susceptibility to human serum, which contains a complex cocktail of antimicrobial compounds, and for their ability to infect wax moth larvae (Galleria mellonella). Key findings: On average, the MCR-1 gene increased resistance to host AMPs by 62%, compared with bacteria lacking the gene. This increased resistance provided a strong selective advantage to the MCR-1 gene in the presence of AMPs. Similarly, E. coli carrying MCR-1 were at least twice as resistant to being killed by human serum. E. coli carrying MCR-1 had increased virulence on wax moth larvae, compared with control strains lacking the gene. Larvae injected with MCR-1 E. coli showed an approximately 50% reduced survival, compared with larvae injected with control E. coli. The results demonstrate that use of bacterial AMPs in agriculture can generate broad cross-resistance to the human innate immune response. According to the researchers, cross-resistance to human AMPs is likely to be widespread, given that AMPs tend to have similar cellular targets and physico-chemical properties. Pigs and chickens in agriculture are already known to act as important reservoirs of colistin-resistant E. coli. Lead researcher Professor Craig MacLean (Department of Biology, University of Oxford) said: 'Our study clearly shows that anthropogenic use of AMPs such as colistin can drive the accidental evolution of resistance to the innate immune system of humans and animals. This has major implications for the design and use of therapeutic AMPs and suggests that resistant genes may be difficult to eradicate, even if AMP use in agriculture is withdrawn.' He added: 'AMPs have been advocated as a promising alternative to antibiotics for treating bacterial infections. Using AMPs in this way will lead to the evolution of AMP resistance in pathogenic bacteria. Our results provide strong evidence that we will need to properly assess the impacts of resistance to new therapeutic AMPs on bacterial virulence before they are used to treat patients. If not, we will run the risk of accidentally arming pathogenic bacteria against our own immune system.' Coilin Nunan, Scientific Adviser to the Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics (who were not involved in the study) said: 'This new study shows that colistin resistance is probably even more dangerous than previously thought. It is astonishing that so many governments, like the UK's, are refusing to ban colistin use in farming. It is also remarkable that the British government is still opposed to banning preventative mass medication of intensively farmed animals with antibiotics, even though the EU banned such use over a year ago.' Dr Jessica Blair (University of Birmingham), Editor in Chief of NPJ Antimicrobials and Resistance (who was not involved in the study) said: 'Antimicrobial peptides, including colistin, have been heralded as a potential part of the solution to the rise of multidrug-resistant infections. This study, however, suggests that resistance to these antimicrobials may have unintended consequences on the ability of pathogens to cause infection and survive within the host. This is particularly worrying because it suggests that E. coli carrying the MCR-1 gene may have a clear selective advantage even if the use of colistin is carefully controlled.' Scientists have unlocked one of the biggest mysteries of quasars -- the brightest, most powerful objects in the Universe -- by discovering that they are ignited by galaxies colliding. First discovered 60 years ago, quasars can shine as brightly as a trillion stars packed into a volume the size of our Solar System. In the decades since they were first observed, it has remained a mystery what could trigger such powerful activity. New work led by scientists at the Universities of Sheffield and Hertfordshire has now revealed that it is a consequence of galaxies crashing together. The collisions were discovered when researchers, using deep imaging observations from the Isaac Newton Telescope in La Palma, observed the presence of distorted structures in the outer regions of the galaxies that are home to quasars. Most galaxies have supermassive black holes at their centres. They also contain substantial amounts of gas -- but most of the time this gas is orbiting at large distances from the galaxy centres, out of reach of the black holes. Collisions between galaxies drive the gas towards the black hole at the galaxy centre; just before the gas is consumed by the black hole, it releases extraordinary amounts of energy in the form of radiation, resulting in the characteristic quasar brilliance. The ignition of a quasar can have dramatic consequences for entire galaxies -- it can drive the rest of the gas out of the galaxy, which prevents it from forming new stars for billions of years into the future. This is the first time that a sample of quasars of this size has been imaged with this level of sensitivity. By comparing observations of 48 quasars and their host galaxies with images of over 100 non-quasar galaxies, researchers concluded that galaxies hosting quasars are approximately three times as likely to be interacting or colliding with other galaxies. The study has provided a significant step forward in our understanding of how these powerful objects are triggered and fuelled. Professor Clive Tadhunter, from the University of Sheffield's Department of Physics and Astronomy, said: "Quasars are one of the most extreme phenomena in the Universe, and what we see is likely to represent the future of our own Milky Way galaxy when it collides with the Andromeda galaxy in about five billion years. "It's exciting to observe these events and finally understand why they occur -- but thankfully Earth won't be anywhere near one of these apocalyptic episodes for quite some time." Quasars are important to astrophysicists because, due to their brightness, they stand out at large distances and therefore act as beacons to the earliest epochs in the history of the Universe. Dr Jonny Pierce, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Hertfordshire, explains: "It's an area that scientists around the world are keen to learn more about -- one of the main scientific motivations for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope was to study the earliest galaxies in the Universe, and Webb is capable of detecting light from even the most distant quasars, emitted nearly 13 billion years ago. Quasars play a key role in our understanding of the history of the Universe, and possibly also the future of the Milky Way." BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. Azerbaijan and France are historical partners and there is a need for dialogue between the two countries, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna, who is on a visit to Azerbaijan, said at a press conference with the participation of Azerbaijani Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov, Trend reports. "President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev welcomed me this morning and we had a very sincere conversation. I invite you to France to continue this dialogue," Collonna said. In turn, Bayramov discussed relevant issues at the press conference with his French counterpart. "At the meeting with the French counterpart, an exchange of views on regional and other issues took place. For many years, Azerbaijani-French relations have been developing dynamically and can be described as successful cooperation," Bayramov said. BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. France welcomes Azerbaijan's proposal on a peace agreement with Armenia, French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna said at a press conference with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, Trend reports. "We support issues related to mine action. We know that this is a challenge facing your country. There is still a lot of work to be done. Azerbaijan and Armenia should recognize each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, Colonna noted. Negotiations are the only way to sustainable peace. We would like, so that both countries follow this path. There are conditions for peace in the region. Plans on this issue should be developed jointly. She pointed out the importance of reaching a peace agreement. Well support these efforts in all possible ways," the French minister added. Colonna arrived on an official visit to Azerbaijan on April 26. Then she will leave for Armenia and Georgia. - BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. Armenia is expected to return to the negotiating table on a peace agreement in the near future, Azerbaijani Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov said at today's press conference with the participation of French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna, who is on a visit to Azerbaijan, Trend reports. Bayramov noted that against the background of Azerbaijan's proposals, Armenia is seriously slowing down the process by not responding to them. Moreover, last time it took 6 weeks to get an answer from Armenia. He noted that all the initiatives related to the peace treaty were put forward by Azerbaijan. "The Armenian side announced a return to peace talks. Holding the next stage of negotiations is the next important step. We will participate in it and will do everything possible to advance the peace process," the minister added. The French minister arrived in Azerbaijan on an official visit on April 26. Afterward, the minister will visit Armenia and Georgia. Following over a month of military action to liberate its territories from Armenian occupation from late Sept. to early Nov. 2020, Azerbaijan has pushed Armenia to sign the surrender document. A joint statement on the matter was made by the Azerbaijani president, Armenia's PM, and the president of Russia. A complete ceasefire and a cessation of all hostilities in the zone of the Karabakh conflict were introduced on Nov. 10, 2020. In January 2021, during a meeting in Moscow, the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan made a decision to create a working group at the level of the deputy prime ministers of the three countries that would focus on establishing transport and economic links in Karabakh, following the end of the war in 2020. Details added: first version posted on 14:14 BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. An agreement has been reached on the meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Russia, Spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said during the weekly briefing, Trend reports. The exact date [for the meeting] will be announced later, Zakharova noted. Previously, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that Moscow confirms its readiness to organize a meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Russia. The trilateral meeting scheduled for December last year was disrupted by the Armenian side. On April 25, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts entered final judgments against defendants Trends Investments Inc., Leslie Greyling and Brandon Rossetti, who were previously charged by the SEC with engaging in a scheme to defraud investors in private offers and sales of shares of two publicly traded penny stock companies. According to the SEC's complaint, filed in June 2022, Leslie Greyling and Rossetti, on behalf of Trends, allegedly lied to investors about whether Trends owned and could deliver to investors the shares it claimed to be selling. The SEC alleged that Leslie Greyling and Rossetti made a variety of misrepresentations to investors in order to keep investor funds, obtain further investments, placate investor concerns, and avoid detection. Rossetti was also charged with acting as an unregistered broker-dealer by soliciting investors, receiving transaction-based compensation from Trends, and claiming to be a "broker" or "wealth manager." The SEC's complaint also alleged that Clinton Greyling, the son of Leslie Greyling, participated in the scheme. Additionally, according to the complaint, Roger Bendelac participated in the scheme by placing manipulative trades in one of the securities Trends was offering and selling to investors. His relative Thomas Capellini was charged with aiding and abetting Bendelac in connection with the manipulative trades. The judgments, entered on the basis of default, enjoined Trends, Leslie Greyling and Rossetti from violating the anti-fraud 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, and imposed penny stock bars. Further, Rossetti was enjoined from acting as an unregistered broker-dealer. The judgments ordered Trends and Leslie Greyling to pay on a joint-and-several basis $1,774,747 in disgorgement and prejudgment interest in the amount of $361,798. Trends was ordered to pay a $2,232,280 penalty and Leslie Greying a $446,458 penalty. Rossetti was ordered to pay $797,750 in disgorgement, prejudgment interest in the amount of $172,676, and a $446,458 penalty. On September 23, 2022, the court entered a judgment against Clinton Greyling, who without admitting or denying the allegations, consented to the entry of a judgment permanently enjoining him from future violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act and Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder and imposing a penny stock bar. The judgment left disgorgement, prejudgment interest, and civil penalties to be determined by the court at a later date. Litigation continues with respect to Bendelac and Capellini. The SEC's case is being handled by David M. Scheffler, Nita Klunder, J. Lauchlan Wash, Ryan Murphy, and Amy Gwiazda of the SEC's Boston Regional Office. Q&A: Helping homeless older adults The Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness (MCAH) is a nonprofit association of emergency shelters, transitional housing programs, nonprofit housing and service programs, government programs, and concerned citizens from across the state of Michigan. We chatted with Gerry Leslie, Homeless Management Information System project director for MCAH, about the increasing numbers of older Michiganders experiencing homelessness and how his organization and the state are responding.Q: The number of older adults experiencing homelessness is on the rise. What are the root causes of this?A: The real reason why we see senior adults becoming homeless comes down to a number of factors. If somebody has a significant medical or emergency health crisis, they typically tend to be a senior adult living around the poverty line. They end up with a disabling condition, which means that they are not able to work. And they end up with significant medical debts. About 50% of the population of general homeless persons have a significant disability. If they don't have the additional resources or support of family or close friends who can help them through the crisis, this ends up causing their homelessness. And, when you have seniors on fixed incomes, rising housing costs [contribute to homelessness].Q: Why is being unhoused especially difficult for older adults?A: Simply put, older adults have more significant health issues. They do not always have the ability to bounce back as quickly. Finding employment with a disability is often a significant challenge for them. And when you get to be a senior adult, unfortunately, that health issue is not going to go away. Its going to continue to grow because of age itself.Q: What is your organization doing to help older adults experiencing homelessness?A: We're working on a couple of pilot programs around housing and health care with senior adults with the Michigan Health Endowment Fund. Also, with the projects that we've been doing around health care, acuity [need for care], and homelessness, were looking at the highest utilizers of Medicaid resources who have a chronic history of homelessness and using resources for housing them. Those are some of the things that we're doing at a statewide level.Also, Ive been looking at shared housing models, whereby you may have one, two, or three seniors living in a shared housing situation. That's not the way that typical homeless programs work because they typically seek to put a household in a standalone housing environment. With senior adults, oftentimes, they need both housing and continuous case management and health care. So a shared housing model works extremely well, especially when you have access to medical resources nearby that are directly linked to them that can continue to work with our senior adults who are experiencing homelessness.Q: As Michigan seeks to be an age-friendly state, what can or should be done on a state level to reduce these numbers?A: I think there should be a prioritization factor for senior adults experiencing homelessness. That's the first thing. Also, we should look for ways to create housing that prioritizes homeless seniors. We have youth homeless programs. We have veterans homeless programs. We have various programs that exist for families with children. One of the things that we need to seriously consider is developing programs for adults 55-plus who are experiencing homelessness. Details added (first published: 13:44) BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna held a press conference in Baku, Trend reports. As Jeyhun Bayramov said, the two countries have jointly implemented major projects; French companies have participated in large energy, oil, and gas infrastructure projects; and in general, mutual cooperation has been carried out in the social, economic, humanitarian, cultural, educational, and scientific spheres. He highlighted that Azerbaijan has never been a reason for the aggravation of relations with France. Even when relations were tense, Azerbaijan did not evade contacts. Catherine Colonna, in turn, noted that Azerbaijan and France are historical partners and there is a need for dialogue between the two countries. "President Ilham Aliyev received me this morning and we had a very sincere conversation. I invite you to France to continue this dialogue," Catherine Colonna said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The Golden Gate Audubon Society will remove Audubon from its name in a move to sever its association with John James Audubon, a 19th-century naturalist and illustrator who enslaved people and has a documented racist legacy. The Berkeley-based organization made the announcement Monday, after 65% of its dues-paying members agreed in a survey last month that changing the name was the right decision for the organization, according to a news release. The groups board of directors unanimously voted on March 28, with one member absent, to drop Audubon from its name. The nonprofit is creating a committee made up of staff, directors and members who will seek community input and propose a new name at its membership meeting Aug. 17 for a final vote. The move comes a month after the National Audubon Societys board of directors announced that they would leave the groups name unchanged after a lengthy process examining the history of its namesake. They acknowledged that they must reckon with the racist legacy of Audubon, but said, the name has come to represent so much more than the work of one person. They also said keeping the name would help them direct key resources and focus towards enacting the organizations mission. But the decision was divisive, leading to the resignation of three board directors and drawing criticism from other birding groups. Jessica Christian/The Chronicle The Golden Gate nonprofit is among several local chapters of the bird conservation society including Seattle, Portland, Ore., Chicago and Washington, D.C. that are moving on their own to drop Audubon from their names. Glenn Phillips, executive director of the Golden Gate society, said a name change had been in the works for a couple of years, but the group decided to wait until the national organization made its announcement. We expected that the (national) organization was going to be overall changing its name and we thought if were all doing it, its better to do it together, he said. Audubon was considered a champion of birds who traveled North America in the early 19th century to document avian life, according to the National Audubon Society. He was also known for his detailed paintings and illustrations of birds. However, Audubon was also a slaveholder, a point that many people dont know or, if they do, tend to ignore or excuse, an Audubon Magazine article about him says. He enslaved Black people, stole skulls from Native American graves, wrote about his opposition to the abolitionist movement and expressed racist views of Black and Indigenous people, according to the Golden Gate and national Audubon societies. A growing number of Audubon chapters are deciding to change their names feeling that the figurehead of John James Audubon doesnt represent their values or their aspiration to be a welcoming home for all birders, a March 8 blog post on the Golden Gate chapters website said. Don Feria/Special to The Chronicle According to the post, the re-evaluation of the Audubon name grew out of several roots. One is the heightened national awareness especially since the Black Lives Matter movement of the role of slavery and systemic racism in American history, it said. Another is connected to efforts to increase racial and social diversity in the environmental movement. Conservation groups including Audubon are trying to expand beyond their traditional base of older white people, the blog post said. But the Audubon name is a red flag to many young people and people of color, and undermines efforts to grow this movement. Phillips acknowledged that a name change is not the solution to addressing the lack of diversity within the Bay Area group. Other efforts, Phillips said, include new programs meant to be more inclusive and represent the Bay Areas racial, cultural and economic diversity. The society recently launched a scholarship to help develop and empower the next generation of conservation leaders who are Black, Indigenous and people of color. According to a March 30 blog post, 354 of the Golden Gate chapters 2,000 dues-paying members voted in the March survey an 18% turnout, much higher than the usual 2-3%, the post noted. Of those, 221 or 63% approved the name change, it said. I dont want to honor someone who enslaved and sold other human beings. I also want to respect the feelings of African Americans who have suffered from the legacy of slavery and act in solidarity with them, an unidentified member told the group in a survey response. Emphasize the mission, not the man, another person said. The survey also shows that 25%, or 89 members, voted against the name change, and 12% were undecided. I dont believe in re-writing history, placing our values on people hundreds of years ago, a member wrote. Phillips said the groups intention is not to erase history but to better reflect its mission to protect birds in the Bay Area. He pointed out that the organization, founded in 1917, changed its name once before, in the 1940s, from the Audubon Association Pacific to its current name. Were not going to purge Audubon from our website, were not going to forget our history, he said. But we want to have a name that really represents who we are and what we do. That doesnt erase history, that is about moving forward to the future. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Even the Trips Festival the three-night be-in at Longshoremens Hall credited with launching the San Francisco underground of the 1960s needed above-ground publicity, and that was the job of Jerry Mander, the radical adman of North Beach. Operating out of a flat above City Lights Books, Mander cooked up the slogan An LSD experience without the LSD. That wasnt exactly truth in advertising, but it appealed to the masses. A hustler named Bill Graham was assigned to pass out handbills, and the event staged in January 1966 was a success, clearing $12,500. Police did not bust it before 2 a.m. on any of the nights. Afterward Graham asked Mander to partner up with him to lease the Fillmore Auditorium and promote trips-like concerts. Mander declined that opportunity to become part of that history, but he went on to create some of his own. He co-founded Public Interest Communications, said to be the countrys first public interest nonprofit advertising agency, and later joined the Public Media Center, which serviced the Sierra Club, Greenpeace, Planned Parenthood and a variety of causes that were were pro-choice, pro-dolphin, pro-whale, pro-old-growth redwood, pro-Indigenous rights and pro-Earth in general. Manders work formed the core of an autobiography called 70 Ads to Save the World, which was released by City Lights in 2022. A longtime resident of Bolinas who kept an office in the Presidio of San Francisco, Mander attended the online launch party for his book from the Big Island of Hawaii, where he had been living in the family home of his wife, Koohan Paik-Mander. He died April 11 at home in Kukuihaele overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Mander had been suffering for years from prostate cancer, said his son, Kai Mander. He was 86. Mander left behind a legacy as a visionary who foresaw the problems globalism would create and rallied against them by founding an anti-NAFTA think tank called the International Forum on Globalization. He wrote eight nonfiction books on an IBM Selectric Typewriter, which he usually fired up at 2 a.m. to start his workday. When he was on vacation, he would have a typewriter delivered to his room. His general outlook on technological progress was evident in the title of his second book, Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television, published in 1978. Jerry left his mark in a whole lot of ways, said Carl Pope, former director of the Sierra Club. He was challenging the Washington consensus long before anybody else, and history has proved him correct. As referenced in a tribute posted on the Synergetic Press website, one of Manders favorite campaigns was helping the Sierra Club stop federal plans to build dams within the walls of the Grand Canyon. Federal officials thought the dam would raise the Colorado River and make the canyon more accessible to boaters. His favored medium was the full-page newspaper ad, and he wrote a zinger of a headline to address the plan by the Bureau of Reclamation: Should We Also Flood the Sistine Chapel So Tourists Can Get Nearer the Ceiling? Jerry could take all of this information and boil it down to headlines, said Elizabeth Garsonnin, who worked with Mander at the Public Media Center and became his second wife. Thats why he was such a good adman. Jerold Irwin Mander was born May 1, 1936, in the Bronx to Jewish parents who fled persecution and came through Ellis Island. His father came from Poland and his mother from Romania. His father, Harry Mander, worked in the garment district, and his mother, Eve, stayed home to raise her two children, Jerry and Anita, in Yonkers. While he was growing up in the 1940s and 50s, Mander ran through a neighboring forest and splashed in streams. But slowly, he saw the country become a suburb, a theme he revisited later in life. He didnt like the profit motive and the impact on the environment and Indigenous peoples, Kai said. Mander took the long way to get to that revelation. After graduating from Lincoln High School in Yonkers in 1953, Mander earned his bachelors degree in economics at the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School of Business in 1957. He advanced to a graduate program in international economics at Columbia University, earning his masters degree in 1959. His father wanted him to join the family business in the garment district, making linings and waistbands for mens suits, but Mander was too restless for that. He moved to San Francisco in 1960 and joined an agency that became Freeman, Mander & Gossage, operating out of a converted firehouse on the waterfront. Mander handled the publicity for a European tour by modern dancer Anna Halprin and the San Francisco International Film Festival. A mainstay client was the Committee, the ribald troupe that came out of the Second City in Chicago, in the early 60s. He also did publicity for Firesign Theatre. Freeman, Mander & Gossage dissolved in 1969, with the death of his mentor and partner Howard Gossage. Mander continued on his own before joining the Public Media Center, which had been launched in 1974 by Herb Chao Gunther. It operated out of an office above the Old Spaghetti Factory in North Beach and had a global clientele. Mander stayed busy there for 20 years. Katie Kleinsasser joined the firm in 1985. She worked with Mander on his last major campaign there, the Turning Point Project, 25 full-page ads that ran weekly in the New York Times, sponsored by the Foundation for Deep Ecology. The ads took on the extinction crisis, Big Tech, genetic engineering, industrial agriculture and economic globalization. Jerry was remarkably thoughtful and prescient about the crises we now face as a planet, said Kleinsasser, who went on to co-found her own strategic communications firm. In 1963, Mander met feminist author Anica Vesel at Nepenthe, the Big Sur restaurant, and they wed in 1965. A Yugoslavian immigrant who became a professor of languages at San Francisco State, she lost her job in the student strikes. She then founded the womens studies department at the New College of San Francisco, becoming a noted feminist author. They lived along the Hyde Street cable car line on Russian Hill, where they raised two sons, Kai and Yari. In 1977, they separated en route to divorce. They got along better as divorcees than when they were married, Kai said, so it worked out fairly well. Anica Vesel Mander died in 2002 at age 67. In 1982, Mander was working on a book titled In the Absence of the Sacred, about Indigenous people in the face of pressure to adopt Anglo ways. At a Berkeley gathering of local tribes he met Elizabeth Garsonnin, a Canadian documentary filmmaker who attended the event with a guy she was dating. That night marked the end of one relationship and the start of another. She and Mander married in 1987. They later divorced but remained close friends. One constant in Manders career as an adman and activist was Doug Tompkins, the Esprit co-founder who turned his fortune toward environmental protection in Chile and Argentina through the Foundation for Deep Ecology. Mander worked with Tompkins and later spun the Foundation for Deep Ecology into his own think tank called International Forum on Globalization. It started as a counterpoint to the World Trade Organization and the North American Free Trade Agreement, which had been pushed through by President Bill Clinton in the 1990s. The IFG took off, and before long it represented more than 60 nongovernmental organizations in 25 countries, working against economic globalization. Jerry was the thought leader and mastermind behind the IFG, said Debbie Barker, who became co-director with Mander. With his background as an adman he could drill down a complex issue into something that people could relate to. The primary tool was the two-day teach-in, held in New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. They all sold out, culminating in a public teach-in during the Battle of Seattle in 1999. Held at a symphony hall, it sold out, thousands of tickets and involved speakers from all over. It was like a rock concert, Barker said. People were standing in lines around the block hoping that when someone left they would hand over their ticket. The teach-in precipitated protests in the street that led to the shutdown of the WTO talks, Barker said. IFG created an unprecedented global movement, and Jerrys vision was instrumental in creating that. In 2009, Mander married Koohan Paik, a filmmaker who had been connected to him by Grateful Dead lyricist John Perry Barlow. They commuted between her home in Hawaii and his rustic home in Bolinas. He conceded to carrying a flip phone but never a smartphone. The small television he had was sparingly used, mostly for San Francisco Giants games. With his trademark shock of hair that stuck out in all directions and had turned white, he was recognizable walking the cliffs above Agate Beach and through town. People would stop him to discuss issues, which he always obliged. The shorebirds wanted his attention, too. Birds used to try to nest in that hair, his son said. I saw it happen. The Alameda County District Attorneys Office filed various charges Wednesday, including murder, against a man who allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend and her daughter at an Oakland home. Antonio Powell, 46, is charged with two counts of murder, felony assault for shooting a child visiting the residence where the shooting happened and four counts of child abuse, according to the district attorneys office. Powell was arrested around 11 p.m. on April 22 at the scene of a shooting in a residence on the 9500 block of Birch Street, according to Oakland police. Prosecutors believe Powell shot and killed his girlfriend, Rebecca Jenkins, 44, while she was in bed with her 1-year-old child before fatally shooting her daughter, 13-year-old Desiree, the Alameda County District Attorneys Office said. He is also alleged to have shot another child who was visiting the home. The other child was taken to a hospital and remains in stable condition, according to Oakland police. Powell is an at-large parolee for a domestic violence conviction in Oregon, according to the district attorneys office. This case is a horrific example of gun violence that has no place in our community, District Attorney Pamela Price said. These murders were extraordinary in their level of violence and prevalence of vulnerable victims and my office is committed to making sure the defendant is held fully accountable. Powell was scheduled to appear at Wiley M. Manuel Courthouse in Oakland on Thursday for his arraignment, according to Alameda County jail records. He is being held without bail. If convicted of the charges, Powell faces 110 years to life in prison, the district attorneys office said. When it reached 114 degrees last summer, Sacramento resident Judith Johnson struggled to stay cool. She lives 50 yards from railroad tracks where freight trains often idle for several days straight, she said. Opening the windows would increase the noise and let in the fumes; turning on the air conditioner would still suck in foul air. The accumulating diesel fumes have caused migraines and a chronic sore throat, and loud booms and hisses from the engines have also disrupted her sleep, Johnson said. Its one thing if they stopped for an hour, that doesnt bother me, Johnson said. When she moved into her home in 2016, I expected the trains to run, but I just didnt expect them to come and camp out for days on end. Soon, Johnson and other California residents who live near railroad tracks will get some relief. State regulators unanimously voted Thursday on a first-in-the-nation package of proposed regulations requiring train companies that operate in the state to swap out their dirtiest locomotives to the cleanest diesel models and eventually to zero-emission models. The new regulations from the California Air Resources Board also limit locomotive idling to no more than 30 minutes a priority for Johnson and other California residents whove weighed in to public comment. Theyre the most aggressive (regulations) of their kind, said UC Berkeley environmental law Professor Ethan Elkind. There are previous (federal) regulations on locomotive emissions, but these will be the first to really push for zero-emission locomotives. Its a major win for community organizers and environmental justice organizations who have been pushing California regulators to address pollution from locomotives for decades, as low-income communities and communities of color living near railroad tracks and railyards suffer disproportionately from negative health impacts. With so much rage but also hope, we are here because we want to make sure that you all do right by our communities that have been impacted for decades, Jocelyn Del Rio, a resident of Bell Gardens (Los Angeles County), said at Thursdays meeting. Under the new regulations, zero-emissions models will be required for all switch, industrial and passenger locomotives built after 2030 and for all freight line locomotives built after 2035. Any non-zero emissions locomotive that is 23 years old or more will not be allowed to operate in the state past 2030. The regulations also require train operators to open a spending account by July 2024 that they must deposit into every year to purchase or lease cleaner diesel trains and buy zero-emissions infrastructure. Operators that generate more pollutants are required to deposit more into the spending account, and the amount required to be deposited would also increase every year. The railroad industry could sue over the regulations. Were the board to adopt these proposals, the inevitable result will be litigation and judicial decisions prohibiting the Board from proceeding, Michael Rush, senior vice president of the Association of American Railroads, said at a November California Air Resources Board meeting. When asked by The Chronicle about plans to pursue legal action, an Association of American Railroads spokesperson defended locomotives as indisputably the most environmentally responsible way to move goods overland. Ultimately, CARBs decision is entirely untenable and will not result in emissions reductions. Moreover, CARB lacks the legal authority to promulgate the new regulations, the railroad association spokesperson wrote in an email to The Chronicle. The railroad industry has long been shielded from state regulations on emissions as part of a provision in the federal Clean Air Act. But two weeks ago, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposal that would give states more authority to regulate locomotives, after years of California asking the agency to set more stringent emissions standards. Over the past 25 years, the California Air Resources Board has only been able to enact voluntary agreements with the two Class I railroad operators in California, Union Pacific and BNSF Railway. Class I railroads account for 95% of all locomotive emissions statewide, according to the Air Resources Board. In a statement to The Chronicle, Union Pacific said the company is committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The company did not respond to questions regarding residents concerns or plans for legal action. The technology and infrastructure does not exist to achieve CARBs zero emission goals. We strongly urge regulators to continue collaborating with us to find a balanced solution that provides Californians a vibrant, sustainable future, said Union Pacific spokesperson Kristen South. BNSF Railway deferred to the Association of American Railroads when asked for comment. Railroads make up a minuscule portion of Californias overall greenhouse gas emissions only 0.3% in 2020, according to California Air Resources Board data. Still, the Air Resources Board expects the proposed regulations to reduce statewide locomotive greenhouse gas emissions from 2023 to 2050 by 21 million metric tons roughly equivalent to removing all heavy-duty diesel trucks from Californias roads for all of 2030, according to the regulatory agency. More significantly, locomotives are a disproportionate cause of health-harming air pollution, said UC Berkeleys Elkind, as they release large amounts of pollutants such as smog-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx) and fine particles that increase the risk of cancer, asthma, cardiopulmonary illnesses and premature death. 90% of communities most impacted by air pollution in California cite locomotives as a concern, California Air Resources Board staff said at Thursdays meeting. Many public speakers at Thursdays meetings traveled hours to Sacramento from the Inland Empire region to speak passionately in support of the regulations. Many discussed the higher occurrences of asthma, cancer and other illnesses in their communities and urged the air board to consider even stricter idling requirements. We say environmental impact. Have you ever seen a child watch another child have an asthma attack? Have you ever had someone call you and tell you to go to school to pick up your child because they just couldnt run up the monkey bars? Fontana resident Jennifer Cardenas said at Thursdays meeting. In 2020, locomotives were responsible for 10% of NOx emissions from all mobile sources in California, according to the Air Resources Board. The new regulations will cut NOx emissions from trains by 86% and fine-particle emissions by 91%, agency staff said at Thursdays meeting. The California Air Resources Board estimated that the regulations will eliminate approximately 3,200 premature deaths, 1,100 hospital admissions and 1,500 emergency room visits. California Air Resources Board member Hector De La Torre said he understood the frustration of community members, as he grew up 100 feet from a railway. I want everyone to know that just because its taken a long time doesnt mean we have not been working (on) this problem for a very long time. We have never lost our focus, De La Torre said. For passenger rail trains that have already started moving toward cleaner fleets, the regulations are expected to be less burdensome, said Darren Kettle, CEO of Metrolink, a passenger rail service serving six counties in Southern California. Metrolink is planning to abide by the regulations under an alternative compliance plan, Kettle said. This off-ramp doesnt require companies to create a spending account or phase out diesel trains by 2030 as long as their alternative proposal reduces fine particles, NOx and greenhouse gas emissions by an equal or greater amount. The alternative compliance plan works better for Metrolink, which upgraded 40 trains to the cleanest diesel model in 2017 and is still struggling to return to pre-pandemic ridership levels, Kettle said. In the Bay Area, Caltrain is already close to adopting electric locomotives. California has already passed regulations banning the sale of most new gas-powered cars by 2035 and the sale of gas-powered medium- and heavy-duty trucks by 2045. Kansas Legislature Overrides Governor Protecting Infants Born Alive NEWS PROVIDED BY April 27, 2023 TOPEKA, Kan., April 27, 2023 / Christian Newswire / -- Kansas lawmakers enacted the " Born Alive Infants Protection Act " into law yesterday, while the Kansas House sent two other pro-life bills to the Senate this week overriding a total of three vetoes from Governor Laura Kelly. Specifically, the "Born Alive" bill requires emergency care by any "health care provider present" for infants born alive after a failed abortion. The bill requires medical providers to treat babies born alive after a failed abortion with the same level of care as they would any other newborn of the same gestational age. Legislators overwhelmingly overrode the governor's veto in the House 87 37 and in the Senate 31 9 surpassing the two-thirds majority needed. The "Born Alive" law will go into effect on July 1. The other two bills passed in the House by similar margins. Kansas HB 2264 would require physicians to give patients information about how to reverse the abortion pill, and HB 2325 would ban abortion providers from buying liability insurance from a state fund. The Senate is expected to conduct an override vote on these measures this week. As for the "Born Alive" bill, it defines "born alive" as an infant who is completely outside the mother and "breathes or has a beating heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord or definite movement of voluntary muscles." In other areas, the bill's language is nearly identical to the "Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act" that passed in the U.S. House of Representatives on January 11, 2023, which now awaits a vote in the U.S. Senate. The Kansas law requires, "Any health care provider present at the time the child is born alive to: (1) exercise the same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life and health of the child as a reasonably diligent and conscientious health care provider would render to any other child born alive at the same gestational age; and (2) ensure that the child born alive is immediately transported to a hospital." The new law makes it a felony to fail to provide reasonable care for such a newborn in the state of Kansas. Also, the law makes provisions for the newborn's parents and the parents or guardians of minors to sue the medical providers involved for any violations of this law, but it also protects the mother of a child born alive from prosecution. In addition, the law introduces annual reporting requirements for medical care facilities to report to the state on the "number of infants born alive subsequent to an abortion." Critics of the law at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists claim the idea of newborn neglect is not something that really exists in modern medicine and is a "fabricated political concept." However, infants surviving abortions against all odds are not a "fabrication." Even though most states do not keep track of the number of babies who survive abortions, data from just seven states between 2020 and 2022 found reports of 34 babies who were born alive in botched abortions. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that at least 143 babies were born alive after an attempted abortion between 2003 and 2014a number derived from only eight states that reported this information. During the preliminary criminal hearing for Liberty Counsel's client Sandra Merritt, the undercover journalist who exposed Planned Parenthood's trade in baby body parts, an expert in stem cell research testified that various studies involving baby human hearts had to have been conducted while the hearts were still beating when cut out. In other words, the babies had to have been born alive. Regarding the bill requiring patients to get information about reversing the abortion pill, the legislation would mandate medical practitioners to provide that information before the abortion pill is prescribed. In addition, wherever the pill is prescribed or dispensed, a noticeable sign that says it may be possible to reverse the pill's intended effects must be clearly visible. Critics claim this is "state-mandated misinformation" and that research has "debunked" taking another substance to successfully reverse the abortion pill. Nothing could be further from the truth. According to Dr. William Lile, who is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and has delivered more than 4,000 babies, stated he has successfully reversed the abortion pill using a natural hormone called progesterone that is "bio-identical" to what a pregnant woman produces. "When a woman becomes pregnant, there is a hormone in her body that is called progesterone, which means pro-gestation," said Dr. Lile. "This is the hormonethat tells the woman's body, 'Congratulations, you are pregnant,' it is time to support this pregnancy and to protect this pregnancy." Dr. Lile noted mifepristone, the abortion pill, blocks this progesterone very efficiently and convinces the woman's body she is not pregnant. "We reverse [mifepristone's] effect by supplementing the woman's body with progesterone," Dr. Lile said. "The progesterone we give the mom is bio-identical to what is made naturally by the mom. The bio-identical progesterone hormone comes from yams and soybeans. It is as natural and as identical as it possibly can be. If we can intervene early enough, usually within the first 72 hours, we can actually save the life of that baby by supplementing with progesterone." Dr. Lile stressed the protocol is most effective if started in the first 24 hours after the abortion pill is taken. More information about reversing the abortion pill can be viewed here. Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, "We commend the Kansas state legislature for banning the horrific tragedy of infanticide, affirming that abortion medication is reversible, and holding abortion providers accountable. These legislative actions are about protecting the lives of precious babies who have a right to live. If these protections were not implemented, abortion providers can simply back away from the table and leave a baby to suffer and die. This is not a political issue. This is a life issue. This is common sense legislation which should be enacted all across the country to ensure that every child is protected." Liberty Counsel provides broadcast quality TV interviews via Hi-Def Skype and LTN at no cost. SOURCE Liberty Counsel CONTACT: Mat Staver, 407-875-1776, Liberty@LC.org #1 Quote "I dont think Ive been very ambiguous about the fact that I am a monarchist who thinks revolutionaries should be drug out into the street and shot..." - The Mad Monarchist BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. The Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of Azerbaijan Sabina Aliyeva issued a statement protesting against the propaganda of ethnic hatred policy in Armenia, Trend reports. According to the statement, on April 25, 2023, another case confirming support for the policy of hatred and terror at the state level occurred in Armenia. The proof of this was the solemn opening of the monument "in honor of the heroes" of the terrorist operation called "Nemesis" carried out by Armenians last century in the presence of state officials in the Armenian capital. As the Ombudsman noted, it is known that at the international level, the practice of recognizing past mistakes by countries is widely promoted in order to prevent the recurrence of offenses and restore trust. The Armenian side, on the contrary, continues to increase tensions in the region and contradicts the achievement of a truce. For example, earlier, a monument was erected in Armenia also "in honor" of Garegin Nzhdeh, who was a supporter of Nazi propaganda, the founder of the ideology of Armenian superiority and hatred towards the Turks. The statement also says that the grave consequences of the long-term propaganda of ethnic hatred at the state level in Armenia have been manifested in recent days by the inhumane treatment of a captured Azerbaijani soldier, the provocation against the National Flag of Azerbaijan at the opening of the European Weightlifting Championship in Yerevan, and the burning of the flags of Azerbaijan and Turkiye in Armenia's capital and by the example of other similar acts. All this testifies to the disinterest of the ruling circles of Armenia in the world. Armenia, which has continued to commit hate crimes against Azerbaijan for decades, also evades providing our country with accurate maps of the mines it has installed on Azerbaijani territories, and in the period from November 10, 2020 to the present day, due to which about 300 people have become victims of the Armenian mine terror. For instance, yesterday, in the direction of the Azerbaijani village of Sugovushan in the Tartar district, another person, an employee of the International Eurasia Press Fund, was blown up by a mine and got seriously injured. Thus, the Azerbaijani side seriously concerned that the international community is not expressing a firm position on these cases, which are clear evidence of disregard for people's rights to life and health. As the statement says, the Azerbaijani Ombudsman once again appeals to the international community, and guided by the highest goal of ensuring human rights and urges to show a tough stance against Armenia committing these crimes. The man accused of beating a former San Francisco official with a metal pipe in the Marina district this month was released Thursday after the former fire commissioner, Don Carmignani, didnt show up in court. A San Francisco Superior Court judge said Wednesday that Garret Doty would be released from jail if Don Carmignani did not appear for Thursdays preliminary hearing, where prosecutors would have tried to prove they had enough evidence against Doty to present at trial. Dotys release followed a dramatic turn of events in court Wednesday. His attorney, Deputy Public Defender Kleigh Hathaway, accused Carmignani of using bear spray on eight unhoused people in incidents she traced back to November 2021 in areas surrounding Carmignanis Marina district residence. Carmignanis attorney denied the claim. Hathaway previously said Carmignani had pepper-sprayed Doty before the alleged attack, which left Carmignani with a broken skull and jaw, requiring emergency surgery and 51 stitches. Assistant District Attorney Michele Brass said Carmignani was unable to appear in court due to medication he was taking for his injuries. A judge said Wednesday, however, that she found it disturbing that he was apparently healthy enough to participate in a lengthy television interview about his case on KPIX, but not well enough to appear in court. Brass also noted that the police investigator assigned to the case had been unable to take a statement from Carmignani despite his being served a subpoena through his attorney on Wednesday. Carmignanis attorney, Samuel Ray, said Thursday there is no evidence linking his client to the reports, calling the public defenders bear spray accusations victim blaming, plain and simple. Don was nearly beaten to death there is no excuse for that, Ray said. Brass requested a continuance of the case, meaning charges could be brought again if Carmignani, a central witness in the case against Doty, becomes available at a later date. The move was necessary, Brass said, due to Carmignanis unavailability to date. San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said her office has not dropped charges against Doty, but noted that prosecution depends on Carmignanis cooperation. His testimony is necessary for us to prove these charges, Jenkins said in a brief statement following the hearing. Doty was ordered to stay away from Carmignani and Magnolia Street, where the alleged attack occurred, and released with minimum supervision. Hes required to check in with law enforcement agencies once a week. Hathaway said he would do so in person, as he doesnt have a phone. Oakland teachers were cleared to go on strike after the state labor board denied the districts request for an injunction to prevent a walkout. Teachers overwhelmingly voted in favor of a strike, union officials announced Tuesday, although no strike date has been set yet. The Public Employment Relations Board rejected the districts bid to grant an injunction Wednesday that would have prevented a strike at this point in the bargaining process. The district and Oakland Education Association remain at the bargaining table, including a session that went into the night Tuesday, but union officials have accused the district of negotiating in bad faith, which allows teachers to strike before exhausting the legal process of negotiations. Union interim President Ismael Armendariz said Wednesday that the state boards decision was not a surprise given legal precedent. And Oakland teachers are ready and willing to walkout, he said, adding 88% of teachers who voted, which included about 2,600 of the 3,000 members, support a strike. If the district continues to stall, we will call a strike date, Armendariz said. He added the union will give 72 hours of notice before a walkout. Our goal is to bargain and bargain in good faith, he said. The union filed an unfair labor practice claim against the district in March, but the labor council has not yet issued a decision on the matter. It remains possible that a strike based on the unions allegations would be legal. The Boards denial means the District did not meet the legal standard for an injunction, said the agencys general counsel, J. Felix De La Torre. If the union calls an unfair practice strike, and PERB later rules that the strike was an economic strike (to put pressure on the District for contract concessions), the Board will issue a remedy for the District. Remedies could include issuing a cease-and-desist order or an employee posting that the union violated state law by striking. Typically, however, once a contract is settled, both sides dismiss any bargaining-related charges, De La Torre said. On Wednesday afternoon, following the state decision, Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell posted a video about the threatened strike. We have reason to believe if the union moves forward with a strike it will happen next week during the first week of May, she said, noting Advanced Placement testing and other exams are scheduled for next week. Johnson-Trammell said the unions assertion that the district is not offering a fair and reasonable compensation package to all OEA members is false. Our team continues to bargain with the teachers union in good faith. No impasse has been declared by either side, she said. We believe a strike would be inappropriate and unnecessary. There may come a time when a strike is appropriate, but that time is not now. District officials said even before the state decision that they remained committed to the bargaining process and hoped to avert a strike. As a school district we are working hard to negotiate a contract with OEA that will improve teacher retention and academic progress, said school board President Mike Hutchinson. I am hopeful that negotiations will continue towards a tentative agreement. A strike, especially after two years of pandemic learning, would be harmful to our students, and staff. Even a limited strike, which could last a few days, would probably shutter district schools, requiring families of the 34,000 students to figure out child care as well as meals and other services provided by schools. Money appears to be the biggest hurdle in settling a contract. The union has accused district officials of submitting untenable proposals regarding wages and other compensation. Yet its clear the district faces financial uncertainty with county and state education officials raising red flags over Oakland Unifieds reliance on one-time pandemic recovery funds to balance its budget. That money is running out, which means the school board must figure out how to pay the bills in the future without that extra cash. The Alameda County Office of Education, which oversees district budgets, has questioned whether the district will remain solvent over the next few years without significant adjustments in spending. Given declining enrollment, significant increases in mandated pension costs and the raises it hopes to give employees, the school board has said there is simply not enough money to cover all demands. In addition, the district remains under fiscal oversight because it still owes money on the $100 million state loan required after facing insolvency in 2003, which included a state takeover at the time. Any agreement between the union and the district would have to be reviewed by county officials to ensure it is financially feasible. COVID Resources Coronavirus Map Tracking COVID-19 cases across the Bay Area and California. If teachers end up walking out this spring, it will be the third time in just over a year, with a wildcat strike at the end of March resulting in 400 teachers missing school for a day and a districtwide one-day strike a year ago this month over the boards decision to close schools. The union has demanded an initial 23% raise as well as more student support, full funding of the Reparations for Black Students resolution, climate-controlled classrooms for all students, and much more. That includes more counselors and social workers as well as class sizes down to 20 in K-3 classrooms and at most 30 in academic high school courses. The union also wants the district to agree to use unused property to house homeless students and their families, an unusual issue to bargain over and a decision district officials have said should not be included in a labor contract. District officials have proposed about a 22% increase to the salary schedule starting next year, with a one-time $3,000 in back pay, putting Oakland teachers above average in pay across the region. Officials have said the district, which is already on precarious financial footing, cant afford to meet all of the unions demands. The increase would mean a starting salary of nearly $63,000 for the least experienced tenured teachers and a top end of nearly $118,000 over the 180 instructional days and six additional work days. Union officials in a negotiations update just over a week ago said the districts offer applied only to tenured teachers and not career technical educators and other staff, or first- and second-year teachers, as well as those with emergency credentials. While a strike this spring would be based on unfair labor practices, its possible that the teachers could strike again in the fall after exhausting state-mandated efforts to reach an agreement, including impasse, fact-finding and mediation. Johnson-Trammell said she will continue to try to convince the union leadership that it is not the time for a strike, but apologized to families in advance for the upheaval one would cause. Im sorry for the harm any potential strike will cause you and your family, she said, and the loss of learning your students will endure. Earlier this month, a Missouri Republican state senator made headlines after he implied that 12-year-olds should be allowed to get married. Do you know any kids who have been married at age 12? I do. And guess what. Theyre still married, said state Sen. Mike Moon in response to being called out by a Democratic colleague for voting against a bill that would ban adults from marrying 12-year-olds who had parental consent. Although he later clarified he was referring to a case of two 12-year-olds getting married, the obvious question still remains: Should children really be permitted to marry? Despite the U.S. championing the end of child marriage abroad, there is no federal law prohibiting child marriage in the United States. Only eight states ban child marriage without exception while eight other states have no minimum age requirement provided statutory criteria, like parental consent, for example, are met. California, surprisingly, is in the latter group. A bill to set the minimum age to 18 in California failed in 2017 in part due to opposition from liberal-leaning groups like the ACLU and Planned Parenthood. Why would liberal groups oppose establishing an age minimum? Back in 2017, the ACLU argued that the California bill intrudes on the fundamental rights of marriage and that banning child marriage without enough data to understand the severity of the problem, puts the cart before the horse. Neither argument makes much sense. First, the U.S. has referred to child marriage, whether one or both parties were under 18, as a human rights abuse in an 80-page State Department report. Children being allowed to marry cant be a fundamental right and a human rights abuse. Second, while there continues to be disagreement between the size and scope of the issue, no one denies that it is happening. That should be reason enough to pass legislation to stop it. Why? Because there is plenty of research that shows how detrimental child marriage is for children, especially girls. According to a 2020 research review on the impacts of child marriage in the U.S. from the International Center for Research on Women, married girls are more likely to drop out of high school, develop serious health issues, including heart problems and cancer, and are more likely to live in poverty. Moreover, a 2021 study in the Journal of Adolescent Health concluded that the legality of child marriage in the U.S., combined with marital exemptions to statutory rape laws, provide legal loopholes for sexual acts with children that would otherwise be considered crimes. Child marriage is not just a U.S. issue. In my home country of Zimbabwe, activists have been fighting for decades to end child marriage. A 2019 survey found that 1 in 3 young women in Zimbabwe got married before they were 18. The opposition in Zimbabwe uses similar arguments to the more conservative-leaning opposition here in the U.S. that child marriage is acceptable under certain circumstances, like pregnancy, by giving pregnant teens and their offspring, the legal and social protection that marriage provides. Combined with cultural taboos around premarital sex and bearing children out of wedlock, marriage in Zimbabwe, as in some areas of the U.S., is seen by many community leaders, political and religious, as an appropriate solution to curb teen promiscuity, address unwanted pregnancy or prevent sexual assault. It is not. And worse, it leads to far-reaching long-term negative consequences. Eventually, after years of advocacy and educating the public about the perils of child marriage, anti-child marriage advocates efforts paid off in 2016 when the Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe finally declared child marriages unconstitutional. It was a watershed moment, but the courts decision wasnt enough to make the practice illegal. It would take the tragic death of 15-year-old Anna Machaya, who died while giving birth after being forced by her parents to marry a man 11 years her senior, for Zimbabwes government to finally outlaw child marriage in 2022. California can do the same. The end of the nationwide right to abortion provided by Roe v. Wade has put women and girls at risk of being forced into motherhood against their will. With no federal prohibition on child marriage, it seems all but assured that some pregnant girls will be forced into marriage including potentially in more conservative areas of California. Some opponents of banning child marriage will point to increased legal barriers set in numerous states, including California, arguing that child welfare laws already prevent young girls from being exploited. While that may be true, it doesnt mean the state cant double down its protection of children by establishing an age minimum. If California truly is a state that seeks to protect the rights of women to control their own bodies, then why wouldnt it afford young people, and especially young girls, all the legislative protections possible? What is clear from the downfall of Roe and the comments by the Missouri senator is that those who are invested in controlling women and girls through pregnancy and marriage are fighting for that reality in the courts and in Congress. If California legislators are serious about stopping this attack on women and girls rights, they too should be doing the same, including by enacting laws that prohibit child marriage. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle In the latest update of The Chronicles investigation of San Franciscos supportive housing program, reporters Joaquin Palomino and Trisha Thadani examine why vacancies in single-room occupancy buildings persist despite the citys dire homelessness crisis. On this episode of the Fifth & Mission podcast, Palomino joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss why some unhoused residents consider it a rational choice to refuse placement in the citys expensive program. California Democrats this week blocked several fentanyl bills amid concerns they would lead to mass incarceration, even as they face pressure to act amid a rising overdose crisis. On Thursday, Democrats stalled AB367 and AB1058, which would increase punishments for fentanyl dealers, in the Assembly Public Safety Committee during a hearing on a series of fentanyl bills Thursday. Democrats on the committee argued they could unfairly punish people who unknowingly give a pill to a friend or casual users, not just people intentionally selling the highly lethal opioid. Lawmakers also voted to hold a third bill, AB955 to punish dealers who sell fentanyl on social media, in the committee so they could study it further. Two days earlier, Democrats on a corresponding Senate committee blocked a different bill, SB44, over similar concerns about unfair punishment. Democrats and Republicans on the committee advanced four other bills Thursday. One, Democrats said, was more narrowly targeted at drug dealers, rather than casual users. That bill, AB701, would increase sentences and fines for people convicted of dealing fentanyl. The other, AB474 by Assembly Member Freddie Rodriguez, D-Pomona, would require state emergency officials and police to work with local law enforcement to combat fentanyl dealing. Gov. Gavin Newsom and San Francisco Mayor London Breed last week announced such a partnership to crack down on open-air drug markets in the Tenderloin and South of Market neighborhoods. A third bill that advanced, AB675, would ban carrying both fentanyl and a gun at the same time. The fourth, AB33, would create a fentanyl task force to recommend to the Legislature how to combat the overdose crisis. Assembly Member Reggie Jones-Sawyer, D-Los Angeles, had initially held off on taking up the bills in the public safety committee he chairs, effectively stalling them, but reversed course last week after Republicans threatened to force a vote on the Assembly floor. Jones-Sawyer and other Democrats debating the bills acknowledge the severity of the overdose crisis on California streets fueled by the highly lethal synthetic opioid, but are reluctant to increase criminal penalties they say could further crowd prisons and repeat a failed approach to combating drugs. Jones-Sawyer, who is Black, worked as a mortician during the crack cocaine crisis, and said seeing the victims of those drugs, including infants, was devastating. But he said the mass incarceration government undertook to crack down on dealing was also devastating. Anti-recidivism activists echoed his concerns in their testimony against the bills. Many opponents argued that the state should focus on treating drug abuse rather than punishing people who use or distribute drugs. Advocates for the bills pushed back on the comparison of fentanyl to crack cocaine because this new opioid is much more deadly. Our local governments are struggling and they are asking for our help. Families who have lost loved ones are asking for our help, said Assembly Member Brian Maienschein, D-San Diego, who wrote AB367. It's critical that we take action at all levels of government to protect our communities from this deadly substance. Witnesses in support of the bills included many parents who said their children were killed by fentanyl, as well as city officials. Both AB367 and AB1058 were granted reconsideration, which means the committee could revive them later in the year. The debate earlier in the week over SB44 followed a similar pattern. That bill would have formally admonished people convicted of selling fentanyl, leaving a blight on their record that could make it easier to prosecute them for murder if fentanyl they sold in the future killed someone. Supporters of the bill, including the bills author Sen. Thomas Umberg, D-Santa Ana, compared it to the formal admonishment people convicted of driving under the influence receive warning them that if they drive drunk again and kill someone, they could be convicted of murder. Many parents testified in support of the measure, including several who held photos of their children who were killed as a result of fentanyl overdoses. Matt Capelouto, a key supporter of the bill whose daughter overdosed on pills she didnt know were laced with fentanyl, said he was frustrated to be back before the committee just weeks after senators also rejected an earlier version of the bill. I am a father whose daughter was killed by a drug dealer who traded her life for a few bucks, he said. This committee is standing between doing nothing and creating some semblance of accountability for drug dealers. Half of the Senate, including both Democrats and Republicans, publicly support the measure. San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, who won election in November after promising to crack down on drug dealers in the city, and Breed also support it, along with many other city leaders throughout California. But it was not enough to secure key votes on the committee. Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, said he wouldnt support the bill because it did not require that a drug dealer knew or should have known that they sold a drug that contained fentanyl. He also bristled at the idea that lawmakers arent doing anything to address the fentanyl crisis, pointing to work he and others have done to increase treatment opportunities for opioid addiction. Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, noted that California law already allows prosecutors to pursue manslaughter charges against a drug dealer who sells fentanyl that kills someone if the dealer knew they were selling the substance. Both Skinner and Wiener said the comparison to the DUI warning was not fair because people convicted of driving under the influence know that they were driving drunk. SB44, they argued, could net small-time drug dealers who dont know they are selling counterfeit pills. We need to disrupt and end that open-air drug market in the Tenderloin, Wiener said. But this bill is not just about the Tenderloin, were making policy for the 40 million people of California the idea that some college student selling a pill to his roommate and having no idea and no reason to know there was fentanyl in there would then get this nuclear murder warning on his or her record, I think thats a step too far. While measures to increase criminal penalties for drug dealers have stalled, bills to expand treatment for opioid addiction and overdoses have advanced. One by Assembly Member Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, would require bars, public libraries, gas stations and some low-income housing to have an overdose-reversing nasal spray like Narcan on hand. Another by Assembly Member Liz Ortega, D-San Leandro, would require insurers to cover Narcan. Ortega, who was among the Democrats who blocked some of the fentanyl bills on Thursday, said she sees her bill as addressing the most pressing aspect of the overdose crisis. It's a public safety issue but also public health, and I went towards the public health first, Ortega said. We cannot go backwards and fill our prisons with kids of color. Senate Democrats on Wednesday proposed a new tax on large corporations to fund tax cuts for small businesses and $1 billion annually for homeless services. Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, characterized the tax increase as a counterweight to the federal Trump-era tax cuts on corporations. The tax increase would apply to the top 0.2% of corporations that report $1.5 million or more in profits in California, according to the Senate Democrats plan. It would require approval from two-thirds of the Legislature, Skinner said. Skinner said the tax increase and some delayed business tax credits in the plan would raise about $7 billion in their first year. It would also fund $1 billion increases in spending on child care and schools. We are, in effect, getting our biggest corporations closer to pay their fair share, said Skinner, who chairs the Senate budget committee. Gov. Gavin Newsoms office swiftly came out against the plan. Governor Newsom cannot support the new tax increases and massive ongoing spending proposed by the Senate today, his spokesperson, Anthony York, said in a statement. It would be irresponsible to jeopardize the progress weve all made together over the last decade to protect the most vulnerable while putting our state on sound fiscal footing. The Senate Democrats announcement comes two weeks before Newsom must release his own updated budget plan, known as the May Revision. His initial budget plan in January anticipated a $22 billion budget shortfall. Both Newsom and lawmakers say they dont want to dip into the states roughly $22 billion in reserves to cover the deficit. Instead, Newsom proposed delaying some planned spending and cutting in other areas. Among his proposed cuts are $3.1 billion from the states climate and transportation programs. Skinner on Wednesday said Senate Democrats oppose the cuts Newsom says he wants to make to housing and transportation projects. Newsom has proposed a different plan to generate ongoing funding for homeless people with mental illness. He wants lawmakers to place a measure on the 2024 ballot to authorize new bond funding and existing tax revenue to build new residential centers where people with mental illness can live and receive treatment. The centers would house people with severe mental illness who are homeless, or who need intensive treatment but are falling through the cracks in the states overburdened system. Most of San Francisco was delightfully fog-free Wednesday morning with blue skies, some light clouds and plenty of sunshine. Yet, the loud, low bellow of foghorns echoed across some fog-free neighborhoods, prompting questions and complaints on social media. Fog horns at/near the Golden Gate Bridge have been going off since the overnight hours, tweeted Elaine Leung on Wednesday morning. Still hearing them now. The Golden Gate Bridge was likely at fault, admitted Golden Gate Bridge spokesman Paolo Cosulich-Schwartz. Reached in the afternoon, he said the bridge deck and more importantly, the shipping channel beneath was shrouded in thick fog, which requires the district to sound its five foghorns. It can be sunny in Noe Valley and you can only see a foot in front of you in the channel beneath the bridge, he said. The foghorns are stationed in two locations: three mid-span and two on the south tower pier. People who keep watch on the weather conditions from the bridge sergeants office at the south end of the span determine when its foggy enough to switch on the foghorns as required by federal maritime law. Its a matter of safety, said Cosulich-Schwartz. These are navigation devices intended to help mariners, he said. The bridges foghorns were installed in 1937 when the bridge opened, and feature the distinctive deep bellow that some would call romantic and others would call annoying. Some modern foghorns feature an electronic beeping sound few would embrace. The U.S. Coast Guard operates several of its own foghorns, many mounted on buoys in the bay. Some are triggered by humans, others by sensors. On Wednesday, they were all turned off by 10 a.m., said Lt. Junior Grade Jillian Stuckey, a spokesperson for the Coast Guard in San Francisco. The Golden Gate Bridge foghorns, which seem to sound more often and longer often prompt complaints to the Coast Guard, she said, adding quickly: Theyre not ours. Cosulich-Schwartz said complaints and questions about the foghorns have diminished in recent years. Stuckey said its important for the public to recall the reason for the foghorns. The purpose is not for the public, its for safety on the water, Stuckey said. One crash can cost millions of dollars and create danger for mariners. Theyre out there to save lives and property. The first heat wave of the year is expected to peak in the Bay Area on Thursday. Rounds of hot and dry air from a powerful high-pressure system are flowing into the region, clearing out the springs marine layer. This will especially be the case in the regions inland valleys, where temperatures are expected to soar to the upper 80s and lower 90s. These are unusually warm temperatures for April, even for inland cities like Napa, Livermore and Santa Rosa. And depending on the timing of some of the hot air, a few spots will be just shy of temperature records for the day one city might even surpass its record. Scorching hot afternoon The ridge of high-pressure thats driving this weeks heat wave feels like something Californians experience in September or October, not so much April. Baron/Lynx The European weather model even signals the anomaly, with several of its most recent runs highlighting that this systems intensity is well over whats normal for a high pressure system around this time of year, bringing above-average temperatures. Plenty of weather stations in the North Bay and East Bay will be flirting with temperature records for the day. Santa Rosas official station is looking to reach the upper 80s close to its record high of 93 degrees set back in 2004. Cities like Livermore and Concord will be in a similar situation, reaching daytime temperatures that will be around 3 to 5 degrees shy of some of their record highs for April 27. But the hottest air in the region is looking to settle over the South Bay. Baron/Lynx The high-pressure systems apex or center will be oriented in the right direction to reel in enough warm air so that cities like Milpitas, Cupertino and San Jose can reach the lower 90s. In fact, if this air gets to San Jose just before San Francisco Bays afternoon breeze arrives, the record at the weather station at San Jose International Airport 91 degrees set back in 2004 is likely to be tied. Both the European and American weather models are leaning toward that outcome, while a few runs even hint at the record being broken by a degree or two. The only surefire way for the record to be broken is for the high-pressure system to completely compress the marine layer Thursday morning, keeping it out over the Pacific Ocean and away from the Santa Clara Valley. For now, that's looking pretty likely. Thursday breakdown San Francisco: The warm-up continues Thursday as a high-pressure system compresses the cool, misty fog that normally forms around this time of year. Shallow layers of clouds in the hills and west side will quickly fizzle away, making room for hot and dry air thats likely to raise daytime temperatures to the upper 60s in the Outer Sunset and Richmond districts, lower 70s in Golden Gate Park, Lake Merced and the rest of the west side. Commuters taking Muni between the West Portal and Castro stations are in for a sharp temperature, with most neighborhoods east of Sutro Tower expected to reach daytime highs in the mid-70s including Dolores Park, most of the Mission and SoMa. Thats roughly 7 to 10 degrees warmer than Aprils average daytime high of 63 at the citys official weather station. A couple weather models are suggesting that as pressure levels begin to fall after 6 p.m., some of the compressed marine clouds off the coast will be able to expand back into the west side. If that plays out, then you can expect a cloudy evening in west-facing hills and summits in Twin Peaks, Mount Davidson and Diamond Heights. Pacific Coast and Peninsula: A faint layer of fog is likely to settle along Highway 1 between Half Moon Bay and Pacifica Thursday morning, ushering in brief instances of reduced visibility down to half a mile at times. This will be in sharp contrast to the sunnier and warmer air that will spread across most of the Peninsula over the course of the day. That said, most of the fog is likely to burn off after 9 a.m., allowing coastal temperatures to gradually rise to the mid-70s between 12 and 15 degrees above Half Moon Bays April average high of 61 degrees. Residents along the San Bruno Gap, including Daly City, Mllbrae and immediately by San Francisco international Airport can expect widespread upper 70s for highs Thursday afternoon while wind-shielded cities along the I-280 and 101 corridors are expected to reach the lower 80s after 1 p.m. The warmth is looking to steadily drop off Thursday evening as the marine layers clouds and winds flood the coast and eventually spill into the rest of the Peninsula, bringing temperatures back down to the 60s by 6 p.m. and 50s after sunset. North Bay: Bits of the marine layers clouds are set to sit off the coast of Point Reyes and Bodega Bay Thursday, sending just enough of a sea breeze to keep daytime temperatures in the Sonoma and Marin County shoreline in the upper 60s to lower 70s. A sharp difference in warmth is on tap for most of the region, with temperatures quickly rising to the mid-80s as you head farther inland into Vallejo, Novato and San Rafael. Weather models are suggesting that there will be sufficient levels of warm air overhead to raise daytime highs to the 90-degree mark across swaths of the Napa, Santa Rosa and Petaluma valleys Thursday afternoon about 5 to 7 degrees short of Napa State Hospitals record high for the day of 95 degrees set back in 2004. A breeze off the coast, bays and delta is looking to sweep the North Bay after 5 p.m., allowing temperatures to gradually return to the 60s by this evening and 50s overnight. East Bay: Some of the hottest air in the Bay Area is looking to set up shop in the San Ramon and Livermore Valleys Thursday, with residents in Walnut Creek, Dublin and Pleasanton likely to experience temperatures in the lower 90s. This warmth will result in a couple weather stations like Livermore running just a few degrees shy of their daily records. Cooler air off San Francisco Bay and the delta will keep Alameda, Richmond and most of the bayside below the 80-degree mark, though some of the Oakland and Berkeley hills are likely to reach the lower 80s after 1 p.m. The cooling effect off the bayside is then looking to spread inland after 5 p.m., quickly dropping temperatures back down to the 60s and 70s across Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Look for a more comfortable evening as nighttime temperatures fall to the lower 50s by the water and mid-50s farther inland. South Bay and Santa Cruz: The heat is on for the Santa Clara Valley Thursday as the hot ridge of high pressure stomps out any traces of clouds and cool air and replaces it with an air mass that will raise temperatures to the lower 90s. San Josees official weather station at the airport has a high chance of reaching 90 degrees. If warm winds off the foothills of the valley have their way, there is a good possibility that the station will tie its record highest temperature for the day of 91 degrees potentially even surpassing it by a degree or two. That said, cool air is looking to quickly return to San Jose after 4 p.m., which could keep the station from reaching that milestone. Warm air will also settle across the Santa Cruz Mountains, though a light breeze off Monterey Bay is looking to spread north of Pasatiempo Thursday afternoon. This will keep daytime temperatures in the mountains closer to the mid-70s while residents in Capitola, Soquel, Aptos and Watsonville can look forward to cool daytime highs in the lower 70s. Reach Gerry Diaz: gerry.diaz@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @geravitywave Details added: first version posted on 14:15 BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. The US and EU representatives, including France, had so-called bids for the role of an honest broker in the process of Azerbaijani-Armenian normalization, and seemingly they failed, Spokesperson for Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said during the weekly briefing, Trend reports. According to Zakharova, the representatives' statements cannot be related to any constructive work or the work of an honest broker. "The real aspirations of Washington and Paris are opportunistic, politicized and aimed at undermining Russia's positions," she added. On January 23, 2023, the EU agreed to send another mission to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. The EU launched its civilian mission in Armenia (EU Mission in Armenia / EUMA) under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) on February 20, 2023. The exclusively civilian staff of the EUMA will include 100 members, with around 50 unarmed observers. EEAS ( European External Action Service) Managing Director of the Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability (CPCC) Stefano Tomat will serve as the Civilian Operation Commander, while Markus Ritter will serve as the Head of Mission. Google Street View A nursing home in the Bay Area has been accused of elder abuse and wrongful death after one of its residents died after eating an allegedly contaminated sandwich at Vasona Creek Healthcare Center, a facility in Los Gatos. According to a lawsuit filed with the Santa Clara Superior Court on April 18, 2023, the decedent, 71-year-old Richard Van Truong, was admitted to the facility in December 2021 following a surgical operation. The plaintiffs his surviving family members said that when he consumed a sandwich about three days later, he became ill and presented gastrointestinal symptoms. When his symptoms escalated on Dec. 23 and he reportedly began having seizures, the complaint alleged that nurses called his son to the scene but did not call paramedics. After new revelations came to light following a violent attack in the Marina District on former San Francisco Fire Commissioner Don Carmignani earlier this month, the citys public defenders office is seeking to drop the charges against the unhoused suspect. This comes after a Wednesday hearing for the case, which requires Carmignanis testimony, but he didnt attend, the San Francisco District Attorneys Office said in a Wednesday statement. Prosecutors allege that Garrett Doty, 24, beat Carmignani with a metal pipe just after 7 p.m. on April 5, causing severe injuries, including a cracked skull and broken jaw. Doty was charged with three felonies: assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery with serious bodily injury and assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, the San Francisco District Attorneys Office announced April 10. Dotys attorney, Katherine Kleigh Hathaway, told SFGATE on April 10 that she believes Doty acted in self-defense after Carmignani allegedly came out of a house and pepper-sprayed her client. Attorneys from the San Francisco public defender's office, who represent Doty, said the DAs office turned over evidence Tuesday that indicates Carmignani allegedly instigated the altercation. When I first spoke with you all [the media], I said this was going to be a case of self-defense, and that was before we knew much of what we have learned in the last 24 hours, Hathaway said in a CBS interview following the Wednesday hearing. The public defenders office said that in a video of the April 5 incident, Carmignani is seen approaching Doty with pepper spray, and a subsequent argument between the two ensued. A witness said Carmignani allegedly threatened to stab and kill Doty if he didnt leave the area, the office said. Prosecutors turned over this evidence because they considered it relevant to the circumstances involving Doty, the office said. The public defenders office said it believes this is one of eight incidents since 2021 where Carmignani may have allegedly used bear or pepper spray against unhoused people in the Cow Hollow and Marina neighborhoods. In these eight reported incidents, a man who the public defender's office alleged fits the physical description of Carmignani approached unhoused individuals and sprayed them with pepper or bear spray. In one incident, a November 2021 video turned over to the public defender's office shows someone approaching a sleeping unhoused man and subsequently pepper spraying him intensely in the face. The public defenders office said prosecutors believe the assailant may be Carmignani. In Carmignanis first public interview since the April 5 incident, released Wednesday, he told CBS that he was at his mothers house on April 5 when she alerted him of three individuals leaning against her door, smoking crack cocaine. He said the individuals were allegedly blocking the house and there had been multiple confrontations in the past with at least two of them. Carmignani said the individuals were fighting later that day, and he asked them to leave. Carmignani said the individuals began shouting at him, and he deployed pepper spray but accidentally sprayed himself. Carmignani said the next thing he remembers is being assaulted. Carmignani told CBS that he was disappointed when he learned that the DAs office said the charges against Doty may be dropped. My city is in chaos, he said in the CBS interview. The DAs office requested to continue the case until Thursday for a hearing and contacted Carmignanis attorneys to see if he could attend, the office said. The DAs office said Carmignani didnt respond after being contacted by the San Francisco Police Department for multiple interviews, despite his participation in the CBS interview in which he recounts the attack. If Carmignani is unable to testify in court Thursday, the DAs office said it will continue the case at a later time when he can attend, and Doty will be released. Doty has remained in custody at San Francisco County Jail since the early morning of April 6, according to jail records. If convicted of all charges, Doty faces seven years in prison, according to the DAs office. We will do everything in our power, and as allowed by the law, to ensure Mr. Doty faces consequences for this violent attack, the DAs office said in the Wednesday statement. This story originally appeared on KCRA. A University of the Pacific professor was arrested after trying to meet up with a 7-year-old girl for sexual activity, court documents show. The process of identifying 45-year-old Rodger Githens took almost a month. The court document states that an undercover FBI agent on March 25 created a Grindr account posing as a "taboo-friendly" uncle, using tags such as "dirty, discreet, curious and parent." Within an hour of that bait account being created, a profile contacted the FBI agent, the document states, explaining that Grindr data shows the profile found the agent's account by searching for the tag "parent." The target account identified himself as a 45-year-old man living in Sacramento. The two would eventually begin messaging on Telegram, which allows for more discretion. The document includes many extremely graphic messages sent to the undercover agent, describing what he would do to the agent and his 7-year-old niece. The conversations also included details about when and where they would meet up for sex in Fresno, and it eventually led to the target account sending the undercover agent a picture of a child in her underwear. On March 30, the FBI was allegedly able to identify selfies sent by the target account as Githens. More weeks of conversation followed, with the man believed to be Githens continuing to send graphic messages unknowingly to the agent, according to the document. On April 19, the West Sacramento Police Department assisted the FBI by contacting Githens that they found packages Githens reported lost months ago and that he could come to the department to pick them up, the document read. Shortly after Githens left his West Sacramento home, officers pulled him over and took him back to his house for questioning. During the interview, the document said that officers seized his phone. On that phone was the Telegram messaging app, the username "wiy300," which Githens was allegedly using to speak with the undercover agent. The conversation history with the agent was also there. In a statement to KCRA 3, the University of the Pacific said it immediately placed Githens on indefinite administrative leave and that it does not comment on ongoing legal procedures. "While we have received no information of illegal acts involving the university or university property, we are nevertheless launching an independent review by an external investigator," the statement read. In this wealthy Bay Area neighborhood, a crucial household item is guarded by security and surveilled by video cameras. Its locked behind an impenetrable glass fortress, far out of sight and out of reach, especially to those who need it most. And even when you make it past all the gates, barricades and blood-red warning signs, theres only so much left to pick over, anyway. Accessing baby formula shouldnt feel this punishing, but thats exactly how its been described at the College Avenue Safeway in Rockridge, a small Oakland enclave where the average home is valued at $1.7 million, according to Zillow. This is wild, said Ursula Lindsey as she eyed a $40 container of Enfamil. It feels prohibitive. This is the first time shes shopped for the coveted baby formula in person, but she told SFGATE shell never come back here for it again. A few months ago, Safeway, which is owned by the multibillion-dollar Albertsons grocery store company, installed loss-prevention measures that some East Bay residents have described as carceral. According to company representatives, they were implemented to combat rising theft a claim widely echoed by media outlets and state lobbyists over the past year. In order to leave, customers now have to navigate past a winding gray barricade and scan their receipts at the self-checkout area, a procedure that local Reddit users have denounced as jarring, hostile and alienating. Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE When SFGATE visited the store earlier this month, reporters found that formula wasnt the only necessity behind bars, either. Gallons of detergent like Tide and Gain were shielded behind sliding plastic doors that loudly screeched whenever you pulled them aside. Other basics like batteries and razors were locked away, too. The hard liquor was also behind a massive glass case, along with the stores arguably more top-shelf wines. Safeway representatives declined to say how many stores in the Bay Area have these new barricades and receipt scanners, but asserted that theyre necessary to curtail escalating theft and provide a welcoming environment for the community. Rampant shoplifting continues to be on the rise at alarming levels at retailers across the Bay Area, the company said in a written statement. We have increased our investments in security measures in stores throughout the region to help combat this ongoing issue. Those updates include operational changes to the front end of select stores to deter shoplifting. When asked about the locked-up baby formula, a Safeway representative replied, Like other retailers, theft is an ongoing challenge. When SFGATE asked the Oakland Police Department to provide data on the rate of thefts at Oakland grocery stores, representatives shared a citywide crime report compiled in 2022 that spans the last five years. According to the document, more than 1,300 instances of theft were reported at commercial properties like shops, offices and grocery stores that year a 76% increase compared to 2021. It appears that theft at small stores and grocery stores has increased in the last three years both within the City of Oakland and nationwide as well, an OPD burglary unit lieutenant told SFGATE via email. Though the number of reported commercial thefts has gone slightly up and down over the years, the number has increased by 120% since 2018, according to the department. Stores like 7-Eleven, Walgreens, Safeway and liquor stores appear to be targeted most, Oakland police said, with alcohol, cigarettes, food, soda, cash and lottery tickets the most frequently stolen items. Last year, the National Retail Federation lobbying group said that San Francisco and Oakland had the second-highest rate of theft among organized crime rings in 2021 and 2020, just behind Los Angeles. According to their analysis, some of the most commonly stolen items were infant formula, baby toys and detergent, as well as simple pleasures like meat, candy and alcohol. Ariana Bindman Rachel Michelin, president and CEO of another lobbying group, the California Retailers Association, says that theft has been an ongoing and worsening issue over the past three years. This is very real, she told SFGATE, explaining that shes seen multiple instances of theft caught on video by customers and retailers. Representatives from Safeway happen to be CRA board members, along with representatives from other big-box retailers like Walgreens and CVS, according to CRAs website. At the end of the day, its the people who live in these communities in these neighborhoods who are really the victims because theyre going to either lose access to their stores because theyll close or theyre not able to shop in a safe environment because people are constantly coming in to steal, she said. San Francisco politicians and corporate talking heads have been battling over this narrative that the Bay Area is a lawless hellscape for years. A handful of major retailers have pointed to shoplifting as a reason for closing stores, and the media has only regurgitated this rhetoric, further amplifying the conversation surrounding retail theft. Despite the frenzy, theft appears to have little influence over store closures. When Walgreens planned to close five locations in San Francisco in 2021, local politicians pushed back on company claims that organized retail crime was the culprit. They are saying thats the primary reason, but I also think when a place is not generating revenue, and when theyre saturated SF has a lot of Walgreens locations all over the city so I do think that there are other factors that come into play, Mayor London Breed told reporters at the time. Images via Getty and AP Media reports have accepted without analysis Walgreens assertion that its closing due to retail theft, wrote San Franciscos District 5 Supervisor, Dean Preston, in a 2021 Twitter thread. In it, he shared the companys 2019 SEC filing, which states that Walgreens plans to close approximately 200 locations in the United States as part of a cost management program. In December 2021, SFGATE also reported that CVS planned to shutter multiple locations in San Francisco, but stated that the closures were part of a broader plan to restrategize. CNN originally wrote that hundreds of stores were closing due to too many overlapping locations and shifting consumer buying patterns. Two years later, the New York Times reported that James Kehoe, Walgreens chief financial officer, admitted that blaming the closures on retail theft was an exaggeration. Maybe we cried too much last year, he said in a company earnings call, later adding that they probably overspent on security measures. Then, in March of this year, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the Safeway near Fishermans Wharf was set to close amid economic struggles. (The Chronicle and SFGATE are both owned by Hearst but have separate newsrooms.) We continuously evaluate the performance of our stores, and occasionally its necessary to close locations that arent meeting financial expectations, a statement from the company read. At the time, assistant store director Dermot Harris told SFGATE that there were a lot of reasons for the closure, but it really boiled down to it not making sense financially for us to remain open. While Safeway representatives claim that loss-prevention measures are necessary to keep stores afloat, it seems like many recent high-profile closures were attributable to a mix of economic factors, according to statements or filings from the companies themselves. The other argument Safeway representatives made to SFGATE is that installing barricades and security checkpoints will ultimately help make shoppers feel safe though the customers that SFGATE spoke to disagreed. Images via Yelp user Cindy C. Ben, a Berkeley resident who declined to give his last name, told SFGATE that he never felt unsafe at the Rockridge location to begin with. Honestly, I have had no personal safety issues related to thieves at this or any other store, he said. When Kezia Pearlman, a copywriter living in Rockridge, first saw the receipt scanners and barricades, she just thought they were weird and overblown. I think my initial reaction was, This is a bit much for a Rockridge grocery store, she said. And I still feel that way. She added that shes never felt unsafe at that particular location, and is shocked by how afraid some Rockridge community members can be. Other residents are much more critical of the environment that this wealthy, majority-white neighborhoods Safeway fosters. Bars evoke images of a prison, which is saying that all potential patrons are also potential criminals, Dr. Ameer Hasan Loggins, a lecturer at Stanford University and East Bay resident who shared a viral video of the store, told SFGATE. He said that these sorts of installations are designed to make people who are frequently criminalized feel unsafe. In the case of Rockridge, its the same people who are made to feel the most unwanted in that area Black folks and houseless folks, he said. For those who dont fall into those two categories, for those who tend to feel unsafe around Black folks, and for those suffering within a state of houselessness, this new Safeway may make them feel safer, he continued. Lindsey, the mother SFGATE spoke to, didnt think people should be punished for stealing goods like Enfamil at all. If they need to steal formula, they need formula, thats a basic need, she said. Aside from creating an inhospitable shopping experience, one Safeway employee suggested that the new gates dont even prevent theft. He explained that some people have used brute force to simply push them aside. Even though they triggered the alarm system by doing this, the security guards didnt intervene. He said hes also seen people get confused at self-checkout and just leave Safeway with their paid groceries. Even as an employee of the store, hes found the barricades to be tiresome. He told SFGATE that if employees want to clock out and go home, a clerk has to let them through the gates. Its really odd, he said, calling the whole process strict. When SFGATE went to the Rockridge store, it became clear that the receipt scanner at self-checkout which is supposed to only let customers exit the store after it confirms they have a receipt for paid goods is hardly foolproof. Many customers easily bypassed it and left the self-checkout area without showing proof of payment. While an alarm did go off at one point, it was unclear where, and store representatives declined to say whether someone shoplifting had triggered it. At the Broadway location near Piedmont, SFGATE found there were even more items locked away. Health care products like Monistat, Azo and cleaning wipes were in a glass case along with condoms and lubricant. So was all the baby formula. The shelves were also noticeably empty compared to the Rockridge location: detergent, deodorant, maxi pads and certain medications all appeared low in stock. Though it was unclear why, a cashier said that people frequently steal from this store it was a hustle, he said. Ariana Bindman When SFGATE asked another employee about theft at a Safeway Pak n Save location in Emeryville, he said that people stole from there every day. Often, its just one person, he said, rather than the sort of highly organized crime ring that lobbying groups sometimes like to portray as running roughshod over the Bay Area. Theyre mostly stealing essentials, like meat and medicine, he said. Safeway declined to say how much it spent on increasing security at local stores. Meanwhile, over the past year, food prices have skyrocketed by 8% in the Bay Area. Its certainly possible theres a financial issue at regional grocery stores but either way, its evident that corporations are scapegoating cities like Oakland and San Francisco. Safeway representatives saying that bars in their space are necessary to prevent crime and keep the community safe speaks to the levels of carcerality that they are leaning on and into, said Loggins. This is the language of predictive policing. This is the logic of stop and frisk. These are the norms of a carcerality. Jeff Chiu/Associated Press More than 8,000 customers in San Francisco were without power Thursday morning after a PG&E outage swept through the city Wednesday night. The utility company says outages began just after 9 p.m. In San Francisco, 8,241 customers in neighborhoods including Nob Hill, North Beach and Tenderloin, as well as in the Financial District and Fishermans Wharf, were reportedly without power Thursday morning. The company expects to have the power back on by noon, according to PG&Es outage map. A media spokesperson for PG&E said Thursday morning that the the cause of the outage is unclear. However, KTVU reported the outage seems to have been due to an underground transformer fire. The outlet reported that residents on Clay Street near Montgomery said they had seen purple flames and smoke coming from the transformer as the fire burned up its electrical wiring and circuits beneath the ground. A company spokesperson said the outage had affected 9,454 customers in total and PG&E crews were working to restore power. You can view the companys outage map on its website. The suspect who allegedly beat ex-San Francisco Fire Commissioner Don Carmignani with a metal pipe was released from jail after Carmignani skipped court Thursday, the San Francisco District Attorneys Office said. San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said Carmignanis testimony is necessary to move forward with the case and for the office to pursue the charges against the suspect. Garrett Doty, an unhoused man, was charged with three felonies: assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery with serious bodily injury and assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, the San Francisco District Attorneys Office announced April 10. Prosecutors allege that Doty, 24, assaulted Carmignani outside his mothers house with a metal pipe April 5, cracking Carmignanis skull and breaking his jaw, among other severe injuries. Jenkins said Carmignani was unable to appear in court due to his injuries, and a court order allowed Doty to be released from custody. Doty is ordered to stay at least 100 yards away from Carmignani and away from the entire block of Magnolia Street, the DA said. The DAs office said it hasnt dropped the charges against Doty, and a preliminary hearing has been set for May 23 at 9 a.m. This comes after a new revelation in the case this week, when attorneys from the San Francisco Public Defenders Office said the DA had turned over several pieces of evidence that may be relevant, including a November 2021 video of a man pepper-spraying sleeping unhoused individuals in the face. The public defenders office said prosecutors believe the person in the video may be Carmignani. This is one of eight incidents between late 2021 and this January in which, according to Dotys attorney, an individual spraying unhoused people matches the physical description of Carmignani. Dotys attorney, Kleigh Hathaway, previously told SFGATE that she believes Doty was acting out of self-defense in the April 5 incident. Her office accused Carmignani of instigating the altercation after a new video from the incident allegedly shows the ex-commissioner approaching Doty with pepper or bear spray before an argument ensued. A witness also allegedly told police that Carmignani threatened to stab and kill Doty if he didnt leave the area, the public defenders office said. Carmignani hasnt responded to multiple interview requests from the San Francisco Police Department, the DAs office said Wednesday. In his first public interview since the April 5 incident, Carmignani denied pepper-spraying Doty. He told CBS a group of unhoused individuals, including Doty, stood outside his mothers house shouting and openly using drugs. Carmignani said when he confronted the group, they began shouting, and he eventually used pepper spray, accidentally spraying himself instead. My city is in chaos, he said in the interview. The DAs office said Wednesday it would continue to pursue the charges against Doty. Doty faces seven years in prison if he is convicted of all charges, the DAs office said. BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. We strongly reject the nonsensical claims made by the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan during his speech at the government meeting on April 27 regarding the establishment of a checkpoint on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border, Trend reports via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan. "Any intervention of Armenia in the establishment of a border checkpoint by Azerbaijan on its sovereign territory, which is an internal matter, is a claim against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and is against the commitments undertaken by Armenia in Prague and Sochi, as well as all the norms and principles of international law. Such statements of Armenia, besides not contributing to peace and stability in the region, aim to deliberately increase tensions," said the ministry. According to the ministry, it is enough to remind the Prime Minister of Armenia of the actions of Armenia that serve to escalate the situation and are contrary to the Trilateral Statement after the 44-day Patriotic War, including the continuation of military provocations against Azerbaijan, the use of Lachin road for illegal activities, the transportation of weapons and mines, and the incomplete withdrawal of the armed forces of Armenia from the territory of Azerbaijan. In this regard, the position that the establishment of the checkpoint to prevent the aforementioned provocations has a negative impact on the peace process is completely unacceptable. On the contrary, taking this step will serve to effectively prevent the stated illegal actions. "It is completely wrong to regard the establishment of the checkpoint, which will regulate the entry-exit mode from the border, as the closure of the road. Besides, despite the claims of the Prime Minister, Azerbaijan has authority and sovereign rights over the Lachin road under the Trilateral Statement. As always, Azerbaijan guarantees the safe movement of citizens, vehicles, and goods on the Lachin-Khankendi road within its obligations and will continue to take appropriate measures in this direction," the ministry added. As the ministry noted, the absurd claim of the Prime Minister that the border checkpoint is established for "ethnic cleansing" is unacceptable. There are appropriate conditions for the transparent, safe, and organized passage of local Armenian residents of the Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan from the checkpoint in both directions. "Regarding the Prime Minister's repeated desires and claims on issues such as dialogue with Armenian residents, "guarantee of security", "dispute resolution mechanism", and "sending an international fact-finding mission", we note that Azerbaijan will carry out the dialogue with Armenian residents within its own legislation, and intervention of third parties in this matter is unacceptable," said the ministry. "Instead of making baseless statements, we demand Armenia take a responsible and constructive approach to peace agreement negotiations, which they have refused since last December, and comply with the obligations under the Trilateral Statement including the opening of communications, the complete withdrawal of its forces from the territories of Azerbaijan, and refrain from taking steps aimed at the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan," the ministry concluded. Google Maps A UC Berkeley student in her 20s was seriously injured, but is expected to survive, after falling from the roof of the three-story Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity house during an afternoon social event on April 22, officials said. The Berkeley Police Department said that it received multiple reports of the fall just after noon on Saturday and responded to the house at 2302 Piedmont Ave., across the street from the Cal campus. Medics found a woman lying on the concrete and put her in an ambulance before she was rushed to Highland Hospital in Oakland, police said. HOUSTON (AP) HOUSTON (AP) Camden Property Trust (CPT) on Thursday reported a key measure of profitability in its first quarter. The results missed Wall Street expectations. The real estate investment trust, based in Houston, said it had funds from operations of $183 million, or $1.66 per share, in the period. AUSTIN, Texas (AP) AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Digital Realty Trust Inc. (DLR) on Thursday reported a key measure of profitability in its first quarter. The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The Austin, Texas-based real estate investment trust said it had funds from operations of $493.5 million, or $1.66 per share, in the period. Merck beat first-quarter expectations and hiked its 2023 forecast even as sales plunged for its COVID-19 treatment and a strong dollar hurt revenue. Soaring sales of the drugmakers top seller, the cancer treatment Keytruda, helped counter those hits, a drop expected by analysts. Merck said Thursday that sales of the COVID-19 treatment Lagevrio sank 88% in the quarter to $392 million. Lagevrio and Pfizers Paxlovid debuted well over a year ago, as COVID-19 cases were surging and patients were eager to try the first pill treatments for the virus. Sales of Lagevrio have since cooled in both the U.S. and United Kingdom. Mercks drug inserts tiny errors into the coronavirus genetic code to slow its reproduction. U.S. regulators have said it should be used cautiously. In February, a European medical committee recommended rejection of the drug. Merck still expects about $1 billion in sales from Lagevrio this year. The drugmakers total revenue fell 9% to $14.49 billion in the quarter. That beat analyst expectations for $13.79 billion, according to the data firm FactSet. Not counting Lagevrio and the impact of foreign exchange rates, sales climbed 18%, Merck said. A strong U.S. dollar can affect sales for companies that do a lot of international business. They have to convert those sales into dollars when they report earnings. The stronger dollar decreases the value of those sales. Keytruda sales jumped 20% to $5.8 billion, and revenue from its Gardasil vaccines also soared. Overall, Mercks profit fell 35% to $2.82 billion, and earnings adjusted for one-time items totaled $1.40 per share. Analysts expect earnings of $1.32 per share. Merck also raised and tightened its 2023 forecast on Thursday. The company now expects adjusted earnings to range between $6.88 and $7 per share. FactSet says analysts expect earnings of $6.91 per share for the full year. Merck & Co. Inc. said the forecast doesnt include any impact from the roughly $10.8 billion acquisition of Prometheus Biosciences that it announced April 16. The drugmaker is attempting to add more variety to its product portfolio. Prometheus is developing a potential treatment for inflammatory bowel diseases like ulcerative colitis and Crohns disease. Shares of Rahway, New Jersey-based Merck climbed more than 2% to $116 before markets opened Thursday. ___ Follow Tom Murphy on Twitter: @thpmurphy NEW YORK (AP) The first alarm bells are starting to go off on Wall Street as brinkmanship over raising the U.S. government's $31.4 trillion debt limit raises worries in financial markets. The stakes are immense. Democrats and Republicans are arguing over whether to raise the cap that's been set for the U.S. government's borrowing. It's a debate that's happened many times before, each time ending with a default-defying increase. Failure to find a fix would spell disaster for many, not least holders of U.S. debt who wouldn't get promised payments on time. Economists widely expect a recession to follow and potential chaos in markets. U.S. Treasurys are the foundation of financial markets around the world, on top of which all kinds of other investments set their prices, from stocks to foreign currencies. While U.S. stocks have remained mostly calm through the latest debt-ceiling drama, volatility strategists at Barclays Capital point to another corner of the market where fear is popping up: short-term Treasury yields. A Treasury maturing in one month yielded 3.68% Tuesday, for example. But for investors willing to wait just two months more, a three-month Treasury yielded a much fatter 5.03%. That gap between the one-month and three-month Treasury yields has gotten close to 1.80 percentage points recently as investors herd into one-month Treasurys, which look likely to mature before any mayhem occurs. For context, the gap between one- and three-month Treasurys was typically under 0.03 percentage points over the last decade. The moves may be exacerbated by a flood of cash looking for new homes recently. Households and companies yanked deposits out of banks last month when fears rose following two of the largest U.S. bank failures in history. Much of that cash ended up in short-term Treasurys. Nervousness is rising as the so-called X-date that investors expect the U.S. to potentially default creeps forward. Some are talking about the possibility of hitting the date by early June. Isaac Boltansky, director of policy research at BTIG, said he's seen a marked increase in questions from clients about the debt ceiling, but the conventional wisdom among both clients and contacts is that there will be a resolution before the unthinkable becomes reality. The X-date is coming no matter what happens because the U.S. government needs to pay off what its borrowed already, regardless of how much it spends in the future. Most economists also say the U.S. is on an unsustainable path and will need to make big changes when it comes to debt. The debt ceiling battle has two components that may impact investors: the battle itself, which is political, and the underlying economic issue of debt sustainability," said Lauren Goodwin, economist and portfolio strategist at New York Life Investments. "There are real costs to brinkmanship, even if an outright disaster is avoided. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate LONDON (AP) When Camilla, Britain's queen consort, is crowned alongside her husband next week, the moment will mark the culmination of a remarkable - and painstakingly slow - transformation over five decades of a figure once reviled as the other woman and considered a huge liability to the British monarchy. With the coronation of King Charles III days away and his first seven months on the throne under his belt, many in Britain have grown to accept Camilla, though some experts and observers say she will always walk in the shadow of her past. Without really trying too hard, but just by giving it time and going gently, gently, she has managed to show people the real person that she is that shes not this villainess, and that shes there to do the hard work, said Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine. But the most important thing about Camilla is the way she appears to support her husband and back him up. Camilla, 75, was mercilessly torn apart by the tabloids for years. Seward said she earned respect by putting her head down and steadily getting on with her duties. She's won over much of the British public with her down-to-earth personality and her charitable work, notably against domestic violence, rape and sexual abuse causes she says she'll continue to support as queen. But some say she'll never fully shake her reputation as the third person in the marriage between Charles and Princess Diana. I would actually argue that she still is the other woman, and probably will remain the other woman," said Arianne Chernock, a professor specializing in modern British history at Boston University. Diana will very much be a presence in the room in Westminster Abbey in May 6 I think its hard not to see her when you look at Charles and Camilla. And the challenge remains even going forward, even as Queen Camilla, which at one point would have been unthinkable." Camilla Rosemary Shand born July 17, 1947 to a family with long links with Britains royal family reportedly first met Charles at a polo match in 1970, when she was 23. The pair quickly became close, but their romance was interrupted when Charles went on naval duty. In his absence, Camilla married her longtime boyfriend, army officer Andrew Parker-Bowles, in 1973. Charles married Diana in 1981. In the early 90s, Diana went public with her resentment of Charles and Camillas relationship. The sensational details that followed caused an embarrassing scandal for the royal family. Camilla and her husband divorced in 1995, shortly after Charles gave an explosive television interview admitting the affair. Charles and Diana divorced the following year. In 1997, Diana died in a car crash; a global outpouring of grief followed. Camilla and Charles waited until 2005 to marry in a private civil ceremony. Mindful of lingering public hostility toward Camilla, palace officials cautiously managed her public appearances over the decades. Camilla made dozens of official visits with charities each year, and her warm personality and ease at connecting with people no doubt helped her image makeover; those who've met her often describe her as warm, unstuffy and likeable. When you meet her, she doesnt appear to be aloof in any way whatsoever, Seward said. Shes just always the same as she was. And I think this is one probably one of her biggest assets. Sensitivity about Camilla's status as Charles' second wife long made the question of what title she'd hold when he became king a subject of contention. Queen Elizabeth II settled the matter last year, when she gave the blessing for Camilla to be known as queen consort. The endorsement was widely seen as a formal sign that the royal family had finally accepted Camilla as a respected senior member. Earlier this month, Buckingham Palaces official coronation invitations referred to Camilla as Queen Camilla for the first time. Queen consorts do not formally share the sovereigns powers, and dropping the consort part of the title won't change that. Nonetheless, the change marked another step in Camillas long road to rehabilitating her image. But the change in her title does not necessarily suggest full public approval, Chernock said. Camilla, regardless of what she does, will always be divisive. In March, Camilla dazzled crowds at her first state visit as queen consort, donning a diamond tiara belonging to the Queen Mother and a diamond necklace from Elizabeth II for a state banquet in Berlin. Her image makeover hit a snag when her stepson, Prince Harry, stirred up old grievances and painted her as a schemer who played the long game," with a campaign aimed at marriage and eventually the crown. In his memoir Spare and in interviews promoting the book, Harry accused Camilla of trading private information about him and others to the media as part of a drive to forge friendly relationships with journalists and improve her reputation. Harry said he and his elder brother, Prince William, had urged their father not to marry Camilla, but both reluctantly accepted her into their lives. Camillas son, Tom Parker Bowles, hit back at Harrys claims last week: I dont care what anyone says this wasnt any sort of end game. She married the person she loved and this is what happened. Camilla rarely speaks about her private life. In an interview with British Vogue last year, she acknowledged she was "scrutinized for such a long time that you just have to find a way to live with it. Nobody likes to be looked at all the time and, you know, criticized, she said. But I think in the end, I sort of rise above it and get on with it." She focuses her energy on the causes she champions: promoting children's literacy and animal welfare, and speaking out about domestic sexual abuse and gender-based violence. Chernock said that while Camilla and Charles' relatively advanced years mean they have limited scope to reshape perceptions of the monarchy, it isn't too late for her to tackle more complex topics and win wider respect. She has this incredible opportunity in front of her, this tremendous platform," she said. She suggested the pair could provide a space for some of the more challenging conversations that not just Britain, but global audiences want the royal family to be having right now especially questions about legacies of racism, slavery, elitism. But Seward believes that may be too ambitious for a woman she believes never envisioned becoming queen. Shell carry on with all these charities, but shes going to get bombarded with a lot more, she said. "She wont be able to be too outspoken and wont really want to be because, you know, everybody that cares knows what she thinks already. She'll just get on with it. And that is really her mantra." ___ Follow AP's coverage of King Charles III at https://apnews.com/hub/king-charles-iii GENEVA (AP) The voices sound like well-known personalities, the music features trendy dance beats and hip-hop syncopations, and the jokes and laughter are contagious. But listeners of an offbeat Swiss public radio station repeatedly got the message on Thursday: Today's programming is brought to you by Artificial Intelligence. Three months in the making, the French-language station Couleur 3 (Color 3) is touting a one-day experiment using cloned voices of five real, human presenters in what managers claim is a world first and never-aired-before music composed almost entirely by computers, not people. From 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., the station said, AI controlled its airwaves. Every 20 minutes, listeners got a reminder. With an eerie, Sci-Fi movie-like track whirring in the background, a soothing, raspy female voice said: AI is taking your favorite radio by storm. For 13 hours, our digital alter egos have taken the reins, broadcasting their voices and their messages across the airwaves, without mercy or respite, the voice said, at times almost taunting listeners. The boundaries between human and machine have been blurred, and its up to you to unravel what's real and what's fake." "Our voice clones and AI are here to unsettle, surprise and shake you. And for that matter, this text was also written by a robot. The explosive emergence of ChatGPT last autumn and other "Generative AI" tools have caused a stir and often fear, confusion, fascination, laughter, or worry about the long-term economic, cultural, social and even political consequences. Some musicians have complained that AI has ripped off their styles. In the face of such recalcitrance, the Swiss station, which falls under the umbrella of public broadcaster Radio Television Switzerland, notes the concerns about AI and embraces and seeks to de-mystify it. Antoine Multone, the stations chief, said Couleur 3 could get away with the experiment because its already known as provocative. While some might fear the project could be a first step toward the obsolescence of people on the air and firings of personnel too or could weaken journalism, he defended the project as a lesson on how to live with AI. I think if we become ostriches ... we put our heads in the sand and say, Mon Dieu, theres a new technology! Were all going to die! then yeah, were going to die because it (AI) is coming, whether we like it or not, Multone said by phone. We want to master the technology so we can then put limits on it. Some have gone even further, like Seven Hills, Ohio-based media company Futuri, which has rolled out RadioGPT that relies on AI. At Couleur 3, the voices of the presenters were cloned with the help of software company Respeecher, which has worked with Hollywood studios and whose website says its team is mostly based in Ukraine. Station managers say it took three months to train the AI to understand the needs of the station and adopt its quirky, offbeat vibe. The tracks aired during the day were at least partially composed by AI and some were entirely, and that's also a first," Multone said. AI was behind the voices that sang songs broadcast in the morning, and it played DJ in the afternoon selecting copyrighted music. To avoid any possible confusion with today's real news, the synthetic voices indistinguishable from a real person's served up top-of-the-hour news flashes that were way too futuristic to be believable: A temporary ban on spaceship flights over Geneva airspace due to noise complaints; the opening of the first underwater restaurant in Lake Zurich; extraterrestrial tourists who mistook swans on Swiss lake for inflatable toys. The AI had been instructed to come up with news that might be read in the year 2070. Multone acknowledged a lot of discussion among staffers about whether to go through with it, and I was ready to pull the plug on the project if I had seen that my team wasn't 100% motivated to try it. Hundreds of messages poured into the station in the morning shortly after the programming began, Swiss public radio said in a statement. One complained of boring jokes. Another listener, stupefied, admitted to being stumped. One critic called the project a waste of time for a station that gets public funding. The main feedback we get, in 90% of the messages, is: It's cool, but there's a human element missing. You can sense these are robots, and there are fewer surprises, less personality,'" Multone said, noting an on-air discussion of the experiment was planned Friday by real people. Many messages just said: Give us back our humans!" he said. "I think that's great. After a year in the making, a cult-favorite fast food restaurant is finally opening its doors in Emeryville. A new Chick-fil-A location is opening Thursday, April 27 and its hours are from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., according to the San Francisco Standard. At the beginning of March, it was announced that the Atlanta-based chain would open a location at 1525 40th Street by the end of the month. The opening this week comes a month later than originally planned. Known for fried chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders and generally anything with chicken dipped in batter and cooked in hot oil, the company has also been lambasted for its support of organizations that oppose gay marriage. When the news of the East Bay outpost was first announced, Emeryville residents decried the city's decision to allow the fast food company to lease the building that formerly had a Panera Bread. However, the public outcry did not change the decision of the city for Chick-fil-A to move forward with the lease. At the time, Charlie Bryant, the city of Emeryville's planning and building director, told the Eville Eye that a companys policies are not a factor in land use and design review decisions. More recently, Chick-fil-A was in the news again for removing the side salad from its menu. After public indignation, especially on social media, the company backtracked on the decision and reinstated the apparently beloved side dish. The past year has been a whirlwind for fans of Haight-Ashbury's Club Deluxe. After last Augusts news that the now-34-year-old jazz bar would close, it was announced soon after that it would actually remain open after the bar and property owner reached an agreement on a new lease after mediation with District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston. Wednesday, Club Deluxe shared on Instagram that after months of being temporarily closed for renovations, it will no longer reopen in its current location as planned. Employee Joe Anderson first shared news of the closure Tuesday on his personal Instagram, reported Broke-Ass Stuart. Thats right, after serving San Francisco for [34] years, our beloved bar sadly wont be returning, folks, wrote Anderson. So if youve ever played/sang a note of music, danced, had a drink, or spent a single damn red cent in that place, I just wanted to say thank you, and that Im grateful in more ways than youll ever imagine. The San Francisco Chronicle published a story Wednesday that confirmed the closure, citing an email from owner Sarah Wilde sent to club musicians on April 24. (The Chronicle and SFGATE are both owned by Hearst but have separate newsrooms.) We have spent the past 8 months trying to do tenant improvements in good faith the landlord will address the building maintenance issues, and offer a fair, and reasonable lease, so we can reopen. Unfortunately, neither of those things have happened, Wilde wrote in the email, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Wilde did not return SFGATE's request for comment in time for publication, and Club Deluxe's phone number has been disconnected. Club Deluxe's landlord, Veritas Investments, shared the following statement with SFGATE: We have been extremely supportive of a Club Deluxe reopening by living up to our part of the agreement with Supervisor Preston as well as making a significant financial investment into the retail space above and beyond that. We remain hopeful that Club Deluxe continues to be a part of the community for years to come however we realize that there are factors outside of our control." Club Deluxe was founded in 1978, then a gay bar known as the DeLuxe Bar. In 1989, it was renamed Club Deluxe under new owner Jay Johnson. Johnson fostered an old time New York City jazz house atmosphere at the bar, per its website, with local musicians playing jazz, blues, swing and rockabilly. Current owner Sarah Wilde took over in 2016. Club Deluxe was added to San Francisco's legacy business registry in October 2022 after being nominated by Preston. Club Deluxe is a place where neighbors, tourists, and other locals come to experience live music and culture, and at a time of consolidation and corporate ownership, it remains a fiercely independent venue, wrote Preston in his letter nominating the business for the registry. Despite the closure at 1511 Haight St., in her email obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle, Wilde foreshadowed a reopening of Club Deluxe elsewhere. I am going to move forward and do what I can to keep Deluxe together, and safely into a new space, she wrote. Its difficult to visit Hawaii without running into an ABC Store. There are a lot of them 40 to be exact in the roughly 3.5-square-mile vicinity of Waikiki on Oahu. These convenience stores sell groceries, souvenirs, liquor and apparel, and they're located on street corners, inside hotels and resorts, and in shopping plazas. Waikiki has more ABC Stores than Starbucks. This may come as somewhat of a surprise, but ABC Stores actually started expanding to nearly every Waikiki corner long before the ubiquitous coffee chain. But it all started as a mom and pop store, and with all of its success, ABC Stores is still a local Hawaii-run business, operated by the same family who founded it. ABC Stores It wasnt one of those, you know, instant successes, Paul Kosasa, the president and CEO of the chain, tells SFGATE. You just keep adapting and changing and morphing to what it is today. Pauls parents, Sidney and Minnie Kosasa, opened Waikikis first ABC Store in 1964, but the journey started with his grandparents, who immigrated to Hawaii from Japan to work on the sugar plantations and then settled in the Honolulu neighborhood of Kaimuki, near Diamond Head. Sidney's parents owned a grocery store in Kaimuki and lived on the second floor. Its where Sidney was born and where he grew up learning the family business. When Sidney finished high school and was off to college, his mother told him to pivot into the drugstore business, because grocery margins were low. ABC Stores Sidney was in his fourth year and about to graduate from UC Berkeley when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor happened on Dec. 7, 1941, altering life as he knew it. Japanese Americans at that time were considered a term, alien enemies, Paul says. Sidney was living in California with Minnie and her family as a boarder before they were married. All of them were ordered to report to the incarceration camp. Paul says the dean of pharmacy was progressive and told the Japanese American students that they could get their degrees before going to the camp if they pass an exam. Sidney passed and received his degree in pharmacy in 1942. Shortly later, he was sent to Tule Lake, the largest Japanese American incarceration camp in the country. It held 18,789 Japanese Americans at its peak. Sidney and Minnie married at that camp. NPS Photo In the years following his time at the camp, Sidney got a job at a hospital in Missouri before finding his way back to Honolulu. Thats when he opened his own store, Kaimuki Pharmacy, in 1949. This soon turned into a chain called Thrifty Drugs. It was while at a drugstore convention in Miami in the early 1960s that Sidney and Minnie saw parallels to Waikiki. Miami was bustling back in the 60s, but Waikiki was more of a sleepy-type resort back then, Paul says. His parents figured that Waikiki would soon look like Miami, so they set about establishing a retail operation they just needed a name. The name had to be easy for both foreign and domestic tourists, so they chose ABC. Theres no acronym; its just ABC, Paul says. The first Waikiki store opened in 1964 on Kalakaua Avenue and sold a few household items and medicines, but then opportunity grew: The company acquired a grocery operation down the street and then a souvenir store nearby. Sidney understood visitors would need all of the above, so he merged them. This is why ABC Stores has a vast collection of products. Bottled water is probably the most popular item, though, Paul says, along with the chain's Spam musubis. ABC Stores Sidney eventually closed the drugstores to focus on ABC Stores and the visitor industry. As the population in Waikiki grew, more ABC Stores kept opening. Because the density was increasing, he was able to find more locations near each other without cannibalizing each other, Paul says. He estimates, by the 1980s, there were about 20 ABC Stores along Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki. The visitors, they want convenience. They didnt want to walk to an ABC Store if there was one real close, so it sort of evolved that way, says Paul, who joined the family business in the 80s and became president in 1999. Sidney died in 2006 and Minnie in 2018. Its pretty challenging to keep it up, but I feel good about it since we have a lot of good people that are dedicated and loyal to the company, Paul says of his parents legacy. Even though we have challenges in the economy, the idea of providing a good experience for our customers, whether theyre visitors or local, is important. ABC Stores Today, ABC Stores has locations not only in Waikiki but also on the islands of Kauai, Maui and Hawaii, as well as in Guam, Saipan and even Las Vegas, where he says alcohol is the big seller. Through the years, updates have been made visually, and some stores are leaning more into food. Three Waikiki stores have full-service delicatessens serving prime rib plates, Paul says. But some things have remained the same, like the stores loyalty program, which gives a free gift to customers whove accumulated $100 in purchases or more. Its old-fashioned just bring back your receipts, Paul says. We dont have a digital tracking system for purchases. Maybe one day we will. ABC Stores owns a number of other Hawaii businesses, such as Dukes Lane and Basalt in Waikiki, Sueoka Market on Kauai, and Lineage Restaurant and Honolua Store on Maui. It also established a charitable nonprofit, the Kosasa Foundation. Paul would like to see ABC Stores stay in the family but says its ultimately up to his son to decide. Regardless of what happens, he is proud of the business his family has built, as it didnt come easy. BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a decree approving the "Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Government of the Republic of Turkiye and the Government of Turkmenistan on the establishment of a Joint Consultative Commission on Customs Cooperation", Trend reports. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, a positive test result for a deadly bat disease called white-nose syndrome has been detected in the Centennial State for the first time. The invasive fungal disease is responsible for the deaths of millions of bats across the continent as it continues to spread. It is considered to be one of the worst wildlife diseases that's actively spreading. The bat that tested positive for white-nose syndrome was found by National Park Service staff at Old Bent's Fort Historic National Site on March 29, which is located outside of La Junta in southeast Colorado. When the bat was found, it had a white powdery substance on its arms and was unable to fly. The bat was euthanized and sent for testing. Wing lesions were later found on the bat that were characteristic of those caused by the white-nose syndrome disease. While the fungus that causes the disease, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, was found on bats in the same area last year, none of the more than two dozen bats that were collected had signs of white-nose syndrome. In addition to Otero County, the fungus behind the disease has also been detected in Baca, Larimer, and Routt counties. White-nose syndrome was first detected in New York in 2006 and has since spread to 39 states and seven Canadian provinces. It has been confirmed in 12 different bat species thus far, though officials think that at least 13 bat species in Colorado may be susceptible to the disease. Though the public can be prone to overlook bats as a crucial species in the ecosystem, they play several important roles, including that of insect control. According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, it's estimated that bats contribute a value of $3 billion to the country's agricultural industry thanks to all the pests they consume also reducing the need of potentially harmful pesticides. Some bats are able to catch and eat up to 4,000 insects a night, catching 1,000 in a single hour. White-nose syndrome tends to infect bats during hibernation, causing them to wake up frequently and sucking necessary energy stores as infected bats use energy twice as fast as non-infected ones. Fungal growth is typically seen on muzzles and wings, ultimately causing high death rates and rapid population declines. The good news is that humans are not susceptible to white-nose syndrome, however, there is still potential for people to speed transmission among bats. People entering bat environments, such as caves, should pay close attention to cleaning gear and clothing that has been used so as to not further transfer the fungus to new locations. Colorado Parks and Wildlife provided the following tips related to slowing the spread of this disease: 1. Do not touch bats 2. Stay out of closed areas, including caves and mines 3. Gear needs to be cleaned after entering any place where bats live 4. Gear used where the fungus is present should not be used in places where the fungus is not present 5. Before transporting items that could be hiding bats, such as a table umbrella, make sure it's bat-free #YR Colorado Springs Gazette. Visit at gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. HONOLULU (AP) The U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday it's suspending its search for an Australian cruise ship passenger in waters south of Hawaii. Kevin Cooper, a search and rescue mission coordinator for the Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu, said in a news release the Coast Guard decided to call off the search after reviewing the case and discussing it with Australian consular officials and the passengers next of kin. SEATTLE James Couture, a world history teacher at West Seattle High School, noticed that some of his students who typically struggle with writing were turning in "bizarrely good" papers. Back in January, he ran their work through software that detects plagiarism, and found no evidence of it. Couture now suspects his students were using ChatGPT. It's an artificial intelligence tool, similar to a search engine, that uses data from the internet and complex algorithms to respond in full paragraphs. Worried it could be used to cheat, Seattle schools blocked students from using ChatGPT in December, and districts across the state and nation have done the same. But experts say there's no realistic way to stop the use of AI chatbots and some say the best path forward is to embrace this new technology. For better or worse, AI will transform education inside and out. "Banning ChatGPT is like using a piece of paper to block this flood that is coming," said Jason Yip, a professor at the University of Washington who is working on ChatGPT and misinformation curriculum for children. Seattle schools ban students from accessing ChatGPT on district-owned devices or on district-provided internet, but kids can easily use it on their personal devices or at home and email themselves the answers. And once platforms like Bing, Meta and Google Bard integrate ChatGPT, it might be impossible to block the tool, Yip said. "Districts are completely confused about what the hell to do here," Couture said. "I don't think this district, or any district, is capable of coping with this problem." Seattle schools expect to revisit the issue in the months to come. "This is all so new that the digital team at the district is talking about it constantly," said Tim Robinson, the district's spokesperson. "There is nothing set in stone. I think the directive will be modulating here in the future." It's not all bad news for education. The bot can help teachers generate questions for a quiz, identify the primary sources in a student essay or rewrite assignments at varying reading levels. Some students are already using it to help prepare for tests, research topics and write emails to professors or potential employers. But educators worry chatbots will lead to widespread, instantaneous cheating, work avoidance and plagiarism. And if teachers wrongly accuse someone of using a chatbot, they risk breaking trust with their students. In addition to Seattle, Bellevue and Northshore schools have blocked ChatGPT for students under the age of 13, an easy choice since ChatGPT's terms state that people under 13 aren't allowed to use it. Those between 13 and 18 can only use it if they receive their parents' consent. Bellevue is creating a task force to make recommendations about how to responsibly incorporate the AI tool into teaching and learning. Yip thinks that makes more sense than Seattle's ban. "There's other things on the internet that are more nefarious," Yip said. "How did we decide that ChatGPT was the thing to be banned?" Why teachers are struggling Couture, a 21-year veteran world history teacher, is still struggling to figure out what to do when students turn in a paper that was likely written by a chatbot. "It's unprovable in any meaningful way," Couture said, "so that's tricky." He said he can give them a lower grade, but beyond that, the district doesn't significantly punish students for plagiarism. "If they have half a brain, they can figure out how to get the thing to collude (by inserting) grammatical errors or have a different voice. So I don't believe it will be controllable," Couture added. Couture has started telling students he runs every assignment they turn in through ChatGPT. But he knows this doesn't really solve the problem. He said students could use ChatGPT to get the answer and then rewrite it in their own voice. About a month ago, he started playing with ChatGPT himself, asking it to rewrite some assignments at a fifth-grade reading level for his lower-level reading students. Couture calls that a "godsend," saving him valuable time. But he worries about how to assign meaningful homework ever again any history question he wants his students to answer at home can be answered by ChatGPT. He would have to make the question obscure enough for ChatGPT to not be able to answer it. But what's the point of such an assignment? He knows some students will always want to learn and do the work, but others will cheat, and ChatGPT will assist in that. Couture is most worried about the kids in the middle, the ones who will use ChatGPT as a crutch and could become hooked on it. A concern about trust Kira Hopkins, an English teacher at West Seattle High School, knows how to spot AI writing. "It has its own tone and feel to it," she said. "I know what their writing sounds like and I know what students' learning to write looks like." But one time, her internal AI detection meter failed her. She worries she accused an innocent student of cheating. The student grew defensive, claiming he did write the paper. "When you have that conversation then it really gets in the way of the relationship between you and the kid," Hopkins said. If educators have good relationships with students, Hopkins said, students will feel more comfortable coming clean about using ChatGPT to cheat. Students avoid doing the work when they're overwhelmed or about to miss a deadline. "That is usually when you see cheating or plagiarism," she said. She believes teachers must empower students to want to create their own work. "We do a lot of discussions about literature and emphasizing the fact that your ideas matter," Hopkins said. "That is where I think kids will feel more confident and competent that they can do their own writing." And when it comes to trust, students should be skeptical about what they get with ChatGPT. The tool can use any data that you put into it, therefore, experts say, you shouldn't provide private information. If you ask ChatGPT where it got the information, the source it gives might be fabricated, said Noah Smith, a computer science and language processing professor and researcher at the UW. Unreliable AI detectors UW has seen a couple dozen reports of suspected misconduct involving AI since January, said Victor Balta, a university spokesperson. Some professors use ChatGPT Zero, a tool to help teachers identify ChatGPT outputs in student assignments, but it is unreliable and sometimes reports false positives, Balta added. Penelope Moon, the director of the university's Center for Teaching and Learning, doesn't think educators should use a service to catch ChatGPT. "That technology treats the symptom," she said, "it doesn't treat the problem." Surveillance technology creates "learning environments that are adversarial in nature. And that assumes students to be bad actors," Moon added. "Nothing we do in higher education is important enough to justify doing that." She fears the educational system punishes risk-taking, meaning students are afraid to fail. "Yet failure is the basis of learning," Moon said. "When failure becomes really risky it amplifies the stakes, and research shows that when the stakes go up the motivation for cheating goes up." Moon believes educators need to change the system if they are going to change problematic uses of ChatGPT. At a UW panel in early April, educators and natural-language processing experts pointed out that if a school district can buy a program that "catches" ChatGPT use, the company that owns ChatGPT could change the tool itself to outwit the chatbot detector. ChatGPT is owned by OpenAI, and Microsoft has invested heavily in the company. Experts stressed that the prevalence of ChatGPT is an opportunity for teachers to create better learning, where they center the student, make their assignments require personal, original thought and highlight growth instead of evaluation. Moon makes a case for intellectual struggle. "I think a lot of students are seeing (ChatGPT) as an efficiency," Moon said. "That is great to a degree. But (we need to) help students understand that intellectual struggle is really important. You can't learn without struggling. Tools like AI tools can actually rob them of their ability to have that, their opportunity to have that intellectual struggle." ___ (c)2023 The Seattle Times Visit The Seattle Times at www.seattletimes.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Have you heard the news? After this years storms, California is glittering with gold. Gold here, gold there, gold everywhere. As the theory goes, there is, or will soon be, an abundance of gold-bearing gravel the result of a terrible drought and fires, followed by torrential rainfall and runoff of sediment in the rivers of the Sierra Nevada. Californias prodigious winter rainfall blasted torrents of water through mountain streams and rivers, the New York Times recently wrote. And as the warmer weather melts the massive banks of snow the rushing waters are detaching and carrying gold deposits along the way. Garry Hayes, a geology professor at Modesto Junior College, told me its true there might be slightly more gold than usual in some of Californias rivers, but with any kind of gold rush, anyone hoping to get rich will most likely be disappointed. For one thing, California has stringent restrictions on mining, given the environmental implications. Because of the amount of overhead required for permitting, and because the time lag is so long, the rivers could be littered with gold but at a commercial scale, you wont be able to touch it for a number of years, said David Lawler, a local geologist and historian. That means prospectors hoping to find gold in the state are relegated to old-fashioned methods of sifting. You have to read physical maps and embark on back-breaking methods like gold-panning for hours and hours. You also have to make sure youre not accidentally on private property. In a best-case scenario, where youre rooting around sand and gravel (perhaps while using a snorkel), Hayes likened gold-sleuthing to fishing: You might not get a bite all day, but youve got a nice day sitting along the river. Lawler offered a more sobering read: You may have to go to the chiropractor after hours of bending over panning; it requires you to be in a crouched position for a long time. Lawler said theres been one helpful development for hobbyists a silver lining, he called it which is that metal detectors are actually pretty useful in detecting gold, and they arent wildly expensive. But, you know, you still have to buy, and then lug around, a metal detector. And like Hayes, Lawler cautioned that the winter storm runoff might not prove to be as fruitful as some are making it out to be. What youre hoping is that Mother Nature would just expose a little bit more [gold] for you and save you the trouble, Lawler said. No, she also takes what she wants and moves it up and out of sight, and all of a sudden, reconfigures the damn stream. So it works both ways. Nevertheless, on Wednesday, CBS Bay Area issued a report from Placerville, an hour east of Sacramento, titled, Biggest gold rush in years could unfold in California due to winter storms runoff, miners say. A few days earlier, the New York Times wrote up a feature of their own on the same subject, in the same town: Eureka! After Californias Heavy Rains, Gold Seekers Are Giddy. The Times feature is thoroughly reported and careful to explain that gold-bearing gravels are almost exclusively being sought after by treasure-hunting hobbyists. The CBS Bay Area report, on the other hand, relies on a metal detector expert and a local hardware store owner the latter of whom stands to benefit from newfound gold sifters to make the case that theres gold over yonder for brave adventure-seekers. (No judgment toward the store owner for trying to boost business; its not like he asked CBS to parachute into his shop.) There will surely be more gold rush headlines in the coming months. Take the advice of local geologists: Avoid temptation. Enjoy the relative success stories of longtime hobbyists who know which rivers to navigate live vicariously through them! but unless you have the financial means and free time, do not head straight to the Mother Lode. This is not a get-rich opportunity. Its barely even a get-lucky opportunity. As Lawler put it, Theres no harder way in the world to make money than gold mining. National Pediatric Transplant Week is the last full week of National Donate Life Month in April. It is a time focused on ending the pediatric transplant waiting list. One-year-old Chloe Clark is one of the hundreds of children waiting on a life-saving organ transplant. She was born with a "broken heart" and has spent more than 300 days of her short life at Norton Children's Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, in heart failure. "They spent a little while looking at her heart, and Jay goes 'something is not right,'" said Mackenzie Clark, Chloe's mother. Jay and Mackenzie Clark found out that at 20 weeks pregnant, their baby girl had a serious heart condition. "It was tricuspid atresia which is a version of a half-heart syndrome," Mackenzie Clark said. On Aug. 16, 2021, at 8:05 p.m., four-pound Chloe Clark was born one month premature. "They whisked her right away to get IVs set up, give her an echo which is an ultrasound of the heart basically make sure she was ok," said Mackenzie Clark. Chloe's heart was not the only problem. Doctors discovered she had another life-threatening health issue and had to have surgery at just three days old. "She had an undiagnosed diaphragmatic hernia which is a hole in your diaphragm," Mackenzie Clark said. Doctors were able to fix it, and Chloe went home from the hospital, but not for long. "June of 2022 we found out that she was in heart failure," Mackenzie Clark said. On Aug. 5, Chloe was placed on the organ transplant list. She has been at Norton Children's Hospital in Downtown Louisville for more than 300 days waiting for a new heart. Through it all, Chloe's parents say she is a bright spot during the dark days. "She's always happy, she's always giggling, she's always doing something silly, blowing kisses or learning something new," said Jay Clark, Chloe's father. But sadly, Chloe is not alone. There are hundreds of other children just like her. "In America, there's over 100,000 people waiting on a lifesaving transplant, about 2,000 of those are children," said Executive Director Shelley Snyder, Donate Life Kentucky. That is why Donate Life Kentucky kicked off a new campaign this year called "Save My Human." It uses pets to encourage people to become organ donors. Chloe was pictured with the Norton therapy dogs for the campaign. "There are children, there are adults, there are so many people waiting, and they need the gift of life and everyone can register and give people hope," Snyder said. That is exactly what the Clarks are holding onto, hoping that one day soon, their daughter will receive the gift of life through organ donation. Video below: "I kept saying, why not?": Iowa woman hopes to inspire others to give the gift of life "You can change the way that eight other children's story ends. You can save seven or eight other lives with one donation," Mackenzie Clark said. "I can't think of a better gift," said Jay Clark. There are more than 1,000 people on the organ transplant list in Kentucky and more than 1,000 in Indiana. According to Donate Life America's website, there are more than 100,000 people around the United States. To learn more or sign up to be an organ donor click here MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) Alabama's governor replaced a Cabinet member who oversaw the state's award-winning prekindergarten program because of a teacher training book with language about inclusion and combatting structural racism, she said Thursday. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey defended her decision announced last week to remove Secretary of the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education Barbara Cooper over the use of the training guide, saying that she thought teachers need to focus on basics. The teacher resource book that I looked at had all those references to different kind of lifestyles and equity and this and that and the other," Ivey told reporters Thursday. Thats not teaching English. Thats not teaching writing. Thats not teaching reading. We need to focus on the basics y'all and get this right. She was referring to The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Developmentally Appropriate Practice Book, 4th edition, which is a guide for early childhood educators. In an emailed response to The Associated Press, the association did not address Iveys statements but said the book is a research-based resource for educators. It is not a curriculum. In announcing the action last week, Ivey derided what she called woke concepts. The action comes as some conservative politicians have spoken out against what they call woke teachings. The decision to replace Cooper drew criticism inside and outside of the the state. From what I understand the book in question encouraged equality and inclusivity so all children feel valued in education," said Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, calling the decision short-sighted. It's sacrificing public education and a good employee that she praised recently just for some political end. Alabamas First Class voluntary prekindergarten programs operates more than 1,400 classrooms across the state. The program has won high ratings from the National Institute for Early Education Research. Cooper previously served as deputy state superintendent and chief academic officer of the Alabama State Department of Education and multiple other education positions at the state and local level. The sections criticized by Ivey, according to a copy of the 881-page book obtained by The Associated Press, discusses combating unconscious bias and making sure that all children feel welcome. Early childhood programs also serve and welcome families that represent many compositions. Children from all families (e.g., single parent, grandparent-led, foster, LGBTQIA+) need to hear and see messages that promote equality, dignity, and worth, the book states. The section on structural racism states that while educators have always voiced a concern that every child matters, unfortunately, systemic and structural racism has permeated every institution and system and "the early education system is not immune to these forces. The book tells teachers that the classroom is one place where children begin to see how they are represented in society and that the classroom should be a place of affirmation and healing. Cooper is a board member of the association that published the book. Ivey praised Cooper's appointment to the board last year. (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Arianne Chernock, Boston University (THE CONVERSATION) The fact that first lady Jill Biden, but not her husband, President Joe Biden, will be attending King Charles IIIs coronation on May 6, 2023, has not gone down too well with sections of the U.K. press. A royal snub, screamed headlines, while commentators grumbled about Irish Joe and his hatred of the Brits. The truth is, no U.S. president has ever attended a British coronation ceremony. Indeed, American presidents tend to avoid royal ceremonies of all stripes. Biden did attend Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral in September 2022, but that was very much the exception, not the rule. Given the U.S.s particular history and its parting of ways with the U.K. back in 1776 its easy to see why a president might feel uneasy about witnessing the anointing of a new sovereign. No matter how special the relationship, some distinctions need to be preserved. But as a historian of Americas relationship with the U.K. monarchy, I believe it would be wrong to assume that Joe Bidens absence signals a lack of engagement, or appreciation, for the coronation as a significant global occasion. Jill Bidens attendance, after all, matters. Whats more, she will be joined by an American coronation delegation. The composition of the delegation has yet to be announced. But if history is a guide, who is sent across the Atlantic will telegraph particular American ideas and aspirations. The delegation will also reflect the presidents own personal agenda. Signaling intent This was true for the delegation President Franklin D. Roosevelt sent to King George VIs coronation in 1937, staged just two years before hostilities broke out in Europe. That party was headed by General John J. Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I, and included James Gerard, former U.S. Ambassador to Germany, and Admiral Hugh Rodman, a former commander-in-chief in the U.S. Navy. Pershing and Gerard were committed internationalists, eager to use American power to contain European fascism. Gerard had reviewed Hitlers Mein Kampf for The New York Times in 1933, in which he expressed his fear for the worlds future. In dispatching both to the coronation, Roosevelt was signaling where he stood on Nazi Germany. Elevating women Even more telling is the delegation that President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent to Queen Elizabeth IIs coronation in June 1953. In this postwar moment marked by escalating tensions with the Soviet Union and the accompanying Red Scare at home Eisenhower chose his four representatives carefully. Two, General George C. Marshall and General Omar Bradley, were military heavyweights. Marshall, who headed the delegation, had been U.S. Army chief of staff during World War II. More recently, as secretary of state, he had helped implement the Marshall Plan, which provided crucial funding to postwar Europe. Bradley, likewise, had played a decisive role in the war, and now served as chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. Eisenhower selected both to convey a clear message about American influence abroad. His third delegate, meanwhile, was Earl Warren, governor of California and a crucial Eisenhower supporter. The president would soon appoint Warren chief justice of the Supreme Court. Less predictable, though still important, was Eisenhowers fourth delegate: Fleur Cowles, the fashionable former editor of Flair magazine and wife of the publisher, Mike Cowles. In some ways, this was Eisenhowers most inscrutable choice. A self-made woman she was born Florence Freidman, the daughter of a salesman Cowles had only recently become a powerful presence in the Republican Party. She and her husband gave generously to Ikes presidential campaign. Fleur Cowles newcomer status elicited ire in some quarters as did the fact that Eisenhower had selected a woman at all. Wouldnt a G.I. be better able to represent the president? quipped one grumpy journalist. But the pick had its own logic. The coronation of Elizabeth II was a female-centered event, and Eisenhower likely recognized this. In choosing Cowles, Eisenhower played into this female narrative, while also signaling his own, sometimes contradictory, aspirations for the modern American woman. As Eisenhower would explain just a few years later, the process of recognizing the equality of women was not yet complete, though he still believed womens primary role to be that of central figure in the home. As some of Cowles admirers explained, she embodied this idealized version of the postwar career woman elegant, ambitious, and yet still committed to her family. Pinned down on US positions The composition of Eisenhowers delegation, then, spoke volumes about the presidents priorities, both at home and abroad. Once the delegation arrived in London, its role as a diplomatic corps became only more evident. Far from avoiding politics, the delegates sought platforms to broadcast American policies. Marshall, for example, gave a talk at the English-Speaking Union justifying the U.S. military presence in Korea and warning of the dangers of Soviet propaganda. More informally, the delegation fielded frequent questions from the press about controversial issues and did its best to remain in lockstep with the president. As Cowles recalled of the trip, if she wasnt being pin[ned] down about Sen. Joe McCarthys Communist witch hunt, she was being grilled about the impending execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, whose trial on charges of espionage had been turned into a cause celebre in Europe. In short, attending the coronation was real work. So instead of fixating on why Joe Biden isnt attending, observers on both sides of the pond should focus on the delegation that Jill will be leading. The choices, whenever theyre announced, will tell us much about how President Biden wants to position himself ahead of his 2024 presidential bid. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/bidens-coronation-no-show-is-no-snub-more-telling-is-whom-he-sends-to-king-charles-big-day-202934. A Massachusetts man indicted in the January death of his wife, Ana Walshe, a case that has grabbed international headlines since her disappearance on New Year's Day, suspected his wife was having an affair, according to court documents released Thursday. Brian Walshe, 48, was indicted by a grand jury for the murder of his wife, for misleading a police investigation/obstruction of justice and for improper conveyance of a human body last month. Prosecutors have laid out a possible motive for the disappearance and death of Ana Walshe during Brian Walshe's arraignment Thursday in Norfolk Superior Court. "In December 2022, Mr. Walshe suspected Ana was having an affair. During this time, he would repeatedly access the Instagram page of one of Ana's male friends from Washington, D.C.," according to court paperwork. Officials allege Walshe's mother on Dec. 26, 2022, with his input and direction, hired a private investigator in Washington, D.C. to conduct surveillance of Ana "for the purpose of proving infidelity." Walshe's attorney Tracy Miner denied that her client suspected his wife was having an affair. "His mother did hire a private investigator shortly before New Year's that year. She told Mr. Walshe she was doing that. He said she was crazy, 'Ana is a good girl, but go ahead you will be proved wrong,'" Miner said. New released court documents also mention a Dec. 28 meeting between Ana Walshe and friend, during which Ana Walshe became emotional believing her husband was going to be incarcerated on federal fraud charges from a separate case he pleaded guilty to in April 2021. "She intended to relocate her three children to Washington, D.C., and was prepared to leave Mr. Walshe," the prosecutor said. The last time Ana Walshe was seen alive by someone outside the family was in the early morning hours when a friend attended a New Year's dinner with the couple at their Cohasset home. Ana Walshe's body has not been found, but personal items and DNA evidence located at a transfer station in Peabody indicate Brian Walshe killed, dismembered and discarded his wife's body parts, investigators said. Two knives and eight red, brown stains that initially tested positive for the presence of blood were also found in the basement of the couple's Cohasset home, officials said. A Hermes watch identical to what Ana Walshe was known to wear was found in a dumpster outside Brian Walshe's mother's home, prosecutors allege. Rugs consistent with those that had been in the couple's home that had red, brown stains and a piece of a Gucci necklace, consistent with one Ana Walshe wore, was also allegedly found in the dumpster. The presence of blood was also found in Brian Walshe's sport utility vehicle -- specifically areas by the driver's side seat controls, passenger floor mats and trunk. Video below: Walshe in court for case related to dead father's estate During Brian Walshe's initial court appearance, prosecutors revealed grisly internet searches they said he made on his son's iPad, including: "Can you be charged with murder without a body?"; "How to stop a body from decomposing"; "Can you identify a body with broken teeth?"; and "Hacksaw best tool to dismember?" Walshe entered not guilty pleas and was held without bail. Ana Walshe, a 39-year-old mother of three, was originally reported missing by her employer on Jan. 4. Brian Walshe told investigators he hadn't seen his wife since she left for Logan International Airport on Jan. 1. In Massachusetts, a conviction of murder in the first degree carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Walshe was in court last week for a separate issue related to his deceased father's will and estate. Relatives have accused Walshe of stealing money and items from the estate of Dr. Thomas Walshe, who died in 2018. They allege that Walshe went into his father's Hull home and destroyed his will, then proceeded to sell his father's art, rugs, jewelry and a car, and that he was attempting to sell the home, as well. The accusations are played out in Plymouth County Probate Court, where for years, other relatives tried to force Walshe to file an account of the assets he took. The probate matter is scheduled for a trial in November. --- CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the unpublished manuscript memoir written by Carolyn Bryant with a daughter-in-law, Marsha Bryant, is housed in a library collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The university no longer is in possession of the manuscript. This article has been corrected. --- Carolyn Bryant was 21 years old in 1955, a former beauty queen with ivory skin, high cheekbones and piercing dark eyes. She lived a quiet life, raising two sons and working at her husband's Mississippi grocery, until a 14-year-old African American, Emmett Till, stopped in the store for bubble gum one August evening and was said to have wolf-whistled at her on the way out. Days later, on Aug. 28, 1955, Till was abducted, tortured and shot. His body was tethered with barbed wire to a cotton gin fan and submerged in the Tallahatchie River. His mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, insisted that her son's remains be displayed in an open casket, laying bare for news photographers and the public the horrors of racism in the Deep South. When Mrs. Bryant's then-husband, Roy Bryant, and his half brother J.W. Milam stood trial for Till's murder, Mrs. Bryant testified in court that Till had propositioned her - a transgression that would have been unforgivable to a White man in the Jim Crow era. Despite an avalanche of incriminating evidence, an all-White jury in Sumner, Miss., acquitted Bryant and Milam after little more than an hour of deliberation. One juror remarked that they would have reached a verdict more quickly had they not "stopped to drink pop." Shortly thereafter, the defendants confessed to the murder in a paid interview with Look magazine. Mrs. Bryant, a central and ultimately elusive figure in a lynching that stunned the nation with its brutality and helped spur the civil rights movement, died April 25 at her home in Westlake, La. She was 88. Her death was confirmed by the Calcasieu Parish coroner's office in Lake Charles, La. No cause was given in the statement. Mrs. Bryant had cancer and was under hospice care, the news site Mississippi Today reported. For years, questions swirled about Mrs. Bryant's role in Till's abduction and whether she had identified Till for his assailants. After shunning interviews for decades, she received renewed attention in 2017 with the publication of the book "The Blood of Emmett Till," in which the author, Duke University professor Timothy B. Tyson, reported that she had recanted key portions of the testimony she had given in court in 1955. "Nothing that boy did could ever justify what happened to him," Mrs. Bryant, who had remarried and taken the name Carolyn Bryant Donham, was said to have told Tyson in a 2008 interview. Shortly after the book's publication, federal authorities reopened an investigation into Till's murder and subpoenaed Tyson's research materials. That investigation was closed in December 2021 with no charges filed. According to the Justice Department, Mrs. Bryant denied ever having changed her account. Also according to the department, Tyson claimed to have two recorded interviews with Mrs. Bryant but provided authorities with only one, which included no recantation. He offered what the Department described as "inconsistent explanations" about whether the alleged confession was on the missing recording or whether Mrs. Bryant made her remarks before Tyson began taping. In any case, the statute of limitations for perjury - the state offense with which Mrs. Bryant might have been charged - had expired more than 60 years earlier. "In closing this matter without prosecution," the Justice Department declared in a statement, "the government does not take the position that the state court testimony [Mrs. Bryant] gave in 1955 was truthful or accurate. There remains considerable doubt as to the credibility of her version of events." According to Tyson's book, Mrs. Bryant was born Carolyn Holloway on July 23, 1934, near Cruger, Miss., on a plantation managed by her father. Growing up, her chief playmate was the son of the Holloway family's African American domestic. A pivotal moment in her childhood, she said, was the day an aunt angrily forbade her to ride on the back of the boy's bicycle. "I don't remember being around him much after that," Mrs. Bryant said, according to Tyson. "So maybe he and I both got corrected." Following the death of her father, Carolyn moved with her family to Indianola, Miss. "As I grew older," she wrote in an unpublished memoir cited in Tyson's book, "I learned that it was not okay to have black friends, [though] our parents taught us that everyone deserves respect." Tyson wrote that she recalled a boyfriend taking her to a "hanging tree" where Black men were lynched for "actin' up." Carolyn was 14 when she met Roy Bryant at a party and was 16 when they eloped. Among the Bryants and her husband's extended family, the Milams, she saw herself as "an innocent wandering into a place she didn't quite belong," Tyson wrote. By Mrs. Bryant's account, her in-laws were heavy drinkers with pronounced streaks of violence and virulent racism. Mrs. Bryant and her husband, who was three years her senior, soon settled in Glendora, Miss., near J.W. Milam and his wife, Juanita. Roy Bryant ran a trucking company before working for Milam and then opening Bryant's Grocery and Meat Market in Money, Miss. The family lived in the same building where they sold beer, drinks and foodstuffs, catering mostly to Black customers. In court, Mrs. Bryant testified that she was alone in the store on Aug. 24, 1955, when Till stopped in for candy. In her initial meeting with lawyers, she claimed simply that Till had "insulted" her, according to material unearthed years later by the Clarion Ledger of Jackson, Miss. But at her husband's trial, a different story emerged. Mrs. Bryant said that when she reached out to receive Till's money, he grabbed her hand and asked in what she described as a "northern brogue": "How about a date, baby?" Mrs. Bryant said that she pulled her hand loose and that Till followed her to the back of the store, putting his arm around her waist. "You needn't be afraid of me," she said Till told her. She said Till used what a lawyer called an "unprintable word" to describe his previous liaisons with White women. Mrs. Bryant testified that the encounter left her "scared to death" and that when Till left, she ran to a car for a pistol. She said Till let out a whistle, an account that fueled lore that he had "wolf-whistled" at her. Simeon Wright, a cousin of Till's who was one of several people with him at the time, also recalled hearing Till whistle and said that it "scared us half to death." "We were almost in shock," he told Chicago magazine years later in an interview. "We couldn't get out of there fast enough, because we had never heard of anything like that before. A Black boy whistling at a White woman? In Mississippi? No." The jurors did not hear Mrs. Bryant's testimony, the judge having deemed it extraneous to the matter of the killing and excused them from the courtroom. But accounts of Till's supposed transgressions nonetheless entered the narrative of his slaying. The international coverage of Till's murder, including photographs of his disfigured body in an open casket, made his killing perhaps the most infamous lynching in American history. The notoriety, Tyson told Vanity Fair magazine in 2017, "went a long way toward ruining" Mrs. Bryant's life. Tyson further told the New York Times that he had come to believe that Mrs. Bryant had offered her false testimony under "coercive" conditions. Tyson wrote that Mrs. Bryant confided to him in 2008: "I have thought and thought about everything about Emmett Till, the killing and the trial, telling who did what to who." He reported that she said Till had not, in fact, taken hold of her waist or used a profanity. When Tyson asked what was true, he wrote, she answered: "Honestly, I just don't remember. It was fifty years ago. You tell these stories for so long that they seem true." Mrs. Bryant divorced Bryant, who reportedly was physically abusive, in 1975. He died in 1994, 14 years after J.W. Milam. She remarried twice, but a complete list of survivors was not immediately available. At least one of her sons predeceased her. In 2004, authorities reopened an investigation of the Till case, including allegations that Mrs. Bryant had helped locate Till at the home where he was abducted. A district attorney sought to charge her with manslaughter, but in 2007 a grand jury returned no indictment. After the Justice Department closed its subsequent investigation in 2021, Tyson, responding to questions about his account of Mrs. Bryant's reported recantation, told the Times in an email that "Carolyn started spilling the beans before I got the recorder going." "I documented her words carefully," he added. "My reporting is rock solid." Private investigations continued, and in 2022 a group of researchers unearthed from a Mississippi courthouse an unserved 1955 arrest warrant for Mrs. Bryant, along with her husband and Milam, on the charge of kidnapping. Although legal scholars questioned the warrant's enforceability at that point, Till's surviving relatives publicly urged that it be served. A grand jury considered charges of kidnapping and manslaughter but declined to indict her. Also in 2022, the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting obtained a copy of Mrs. Bryant's unpublished memoir, "I Am More Than a Wolf Whistle." The manuscript was written with a daughter-in-law, Marsha Bryant, and housed in the Southern Historical Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill library, due to be opened for review in 2036 or after Mrs. Bryant's death. The university no longer has the manuscript. "I have always prayed that God would bless Emmett's family," Mrs. Bryant wrote in the memoir, which further fueled questions about inconsistencies in her statements over the years about the events leading up to Till's murder. "I am truly sorry for the pain his family was caused." BOSTON (AP) Massachusetts highest court overruled a lower court judge Thursday and reinstated criminal neglect charges against two top former officials at a veterans home. Nearly 80 veterans died at the Veterans Home in Holyoke after contracting the coronavirus in one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in a long-term care facility in the nation. The ruling allows the case against Bennett Walsh, the former superintendent at the facility, and Dr. David Clinton, its former medical director, to move forward. In their ruling, the majority of the justices found that the facts presented to the grand jury constituted probable cause to believe that Walsh and Clinton violated the elder abuse statute and that Hampden Superior Court Judge Edward McDonough Jr. erred in dismissing the charges. "Of course, sometimes bad things happen for no discernable reason, and no one is to blame. At any subsequent trial, prosecutors will need to prove their case. We conclude only that they will have the opportunity to do so," the court ruled. Walsh and Clinton pleaded not guilty in 2020 to charges stemming from their decision that March to combine two dementia units, packing residents who were positive for the coronavirus into the same space as those with no symptoms. In November 2021, McDonough found that there was insufficient reasonably trustworthy evidence that, had these two dementia units not been merged, the medical condition of five veterans in question would have been materially different. Last year Massachusetts agreed to pay $56 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by the families of veterans who died. Attorney General Andrea Campbell welcomed Thursday's decision. Todays decision allows us to focus once again on securing accountability for the tragic and preventable deaths at the Soldiers Home in Holyoke, she said in a written statement. First version published at 18:26 BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. France's position does not contribute to the peace process in the post- Karabakh conflict period, Azerbaijani Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov said on April 27, receiving a delegation headed by French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna, who is on a visit to Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Trend. Bayramov highlighted that despite the existing challenges and difficulties, Azerbaijan will continue its efforts to establish peace and security in the region. The minister also informed the French side in detail about the current situation in the region and the realities in the post-conflict period, as well as about the efforts made by Azerbaijan towards normalizing relations with Armenia and signing a peace treaty. As the minister noted, Armenia demonstrates an non-constructive approach, commits military-political provocations, renounces its obligations, contradicting the provisions of the joint trilateral statement signed by Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia in order to complete ceasefire and termination of all hostilities in Karabakh territories and added that the Lachin-Khankendi road was used by Armenia to continue creating a military and mine threat. In turn, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna, speaking about the history of relations between Azerbaijan and France, the political dialogue between the leaders of the two countries, underlined the importance of continuing close contacts, political consultations in the direction of developing relations, despite the fact that currently the approaches of the countries on a number of issues do not coincide. In addition, emphasizing the significance of commitment to the negotiation process, the minister said that France is also ready to support efforts to establish peace in the region. (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Katherine A. Foss, Middle Tennessee State University (THE CONVERSATION) Got Polio? Me neither. Thanks, Science. Messages like this are used in memes, posters, T-shirts and even some billboards to promote routine vaccinations. As this catchy statement reminds people of once-feared diseases of the past, it perhaps unintentionally conveys the message that polio has been relegated to the history books. Phrasing that aims to encourage immunizations by highlighting their accomplishments implies that some diseases are no longer a threat. Few people today know much about polio. In 2022, only one-third of surveyed adults in the U.S. were aware that polio has no cure. Moreover, a 2020 poll had found that 84% of adults viewed vaccinating children as important, a 10% decline from 2001. The COVID-19 pandemic amplified anti-vaccination messaging, while also delaying routine immunization. Vaccine-preventable diseases are far from eradicated. Measles outbreaks in unvaccinated or under-vaccinated American communities have begun resurfacing in the past few years, despite a 2000 declaration that the virus had been eliminated in the U.S. Pertussis cases have been on the rise, with more than 18,000 cases reported in 2019. And in July 2022, polio reappeared in an unvaccinated New York man the first U.S. diagnosis since 1979. This case helped return attention to polio, causing at least some young adults to wonder about their own vaccination status. A shift in focus to immunization in developing countries has further lulled Americans into a false sense of security. While global approaches have been effective and are certainly needed, as the author of Constructing the Outbreak: Epidemics in Media and Collective Memory, I suggest that the celebratory messaging is no longer as effective as it once was and runs the risk of making it seem as if polio only lives in history books. Campaigning against a devastating disease Before vaccines, polio called infantile paralysis or poliomyelitis was the most feared childhood disease in the U.S. Frequently affecting elementary school kids, the disease sometimes presented like a cold or flu fever, sore throat and headache. In other cases, limb or spinal pain and numbness first indicated that something was wrong. Paralysis of legs, arms, neck, diaphragm or a combination could occur and, depending on the area affected, render patients unable to walk, lift their arms, or breathe outside of an iron lung. Only time could reveal whether the paralysis was permanent or would recede, sometimes to return decades later as Post-Polio Syndrome. Enough people were infected in outbreaks in the 1930s, 1940s and early 1950s that the effects of paralytic polio were quite visible in everyday life in the form of braces, crutches, slings and other mobility devices. Thanks to the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, beating polio became a national priority. The NFIP grew out of President Franklin Delano Roosevelts Warm Springs Foundation. Roosevelt himself had been partially paralyzed by polio, and the NFIP provided funds for public education, research and survivors rehabilitation. Its campaigns were prolific and diverse, combining interpersonal and mass communication strategies. From FDR Birthday Ball celebrations to parades and elementary school fundraising competitions, various groups raised money. High schoolers performed polio-themed plays, putting the disease itself on trial in The People vs. Polio. People passed around collection boxes at movie theaters and other public gatherings. Campaigns used every medium. Brochures and short films raised awareness of the threat of polio, emphasizing the need for funding to support patient rehabilitation and scientific research. The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis generated scores of radio scripts and hired Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and other famous voices to read them. Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Lucille Ball and other Hollywood stars also joined the fight. Comic strips and cartoons featuring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck rallied for March of Dimes funds to help polio patients. Starting in 1946, the NFIP featured children with crutches and braces who had survived polio as poster children asking for funds to help them walk again. News stories covered outbreaks and polio epidemics, detailing the devastation of the disease on individuals, families and communities, while advising families how to reduce risk through the Polio Pledge for Parents, which provided a list of dos and don'ts during summer months. From public enemy No. 1 to success story The work of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis yielded unprecedented and continuous success, providing hospitals with equipment during epidemics and supporting the development of vaccines. Following the largest vaccine trial in history, on April 12, 1955, the Poliomyelitis Vaccine Evaluation Center announced that Jonas Salks vaccine was 80%-90% effective against paralytic polio and officially ready for general use. Over the next decade, the NFIP shifted its focus to widespread immunization, again using both mass media and local campaigns. With Salks vaccine, and then Albert Sabins, polio cases fell quickly, from the peak of 57,879 cases in 1952 to only 72 cases in 1965, with the last naturally occurring U.S. case in 1979. The repeated declaration of what polio vaccines could and were accomplishing was strategically effective in persuading more people to get their shots. The American public of the 1960s and 1970s had lived through repeated polio epidemics and knew both the fear of contracting the disease and its visible aftereffects. As of 2021, 92.7% of Americans were fully protected by the vaccine, though these rates have been in decline since 2010 and fluctuate by region. Public health rhetoric that focused on this vaccine success story worked around the world in the late 1980s and 1990s. Gradually, though, the perceived threat in the U.S. of polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases dissipated over generations as vaccinations largely eliminated the risk. Most people in developed countries lack firsthand experiences of just how terrifying these diseases are, having never experienced polio, diphtheria, measles or pertussis, or lost family members to them. At the same time that polio has been largely forgotten in the U.S., anti-vaccination messages have been spreading disinformation that distorts the risk of vaccines, ignoring the realities of the diseases they immunize against. Rhetoric from polio vaccine campaigns in the 1950s and 1960s emphasized the risks of not getting immunized acute illness, life-changing pain and paralysis or even death. In the 21st century U.S., immunization campaigns no longer emphasize these risks, and its easy to forget the potentially deadly repercussions of skipping vaccines. I believe pervasive public health messaging can counter anti-vaccination disinformation. A reminder for the American public about this still dangerous disease can help ensure that Got Polio? does not become a serious question. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/got-polio-messaging-underscores-a-vaccine-campaigns-success-but-creates-false-sense-of-security-as-memories-of-the-disease-fade-in-us-190518. (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Sophia Rodriguez, University of Maryland (THE CONVERSATION) The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Latino youth in middle and high school have a lower sense of belonging at school and in the community overall when compared with white peers. That is a key finding from my analysis, which is currently under review and based on surveys with students in midsize districts one urban and one suburban on the East Coast. I also found that being a language learner is associated with lower school belonging. To measure belonging, I analyzed a 40-question survey that included questions about belonging at school, in after-school programs and in the community. Students reported that the reasons for feeling a lack of belonging stem from negative experiences at school, few trusting adult-student relationships and little affirmation from school of students Latino identity. Latino youths, especially those from immigrant households and nonnative English speakers, report lower sense of belonging. One Latina middle schooler explained: I am from two places, El Salvador and Honduras, but I mostly use Hispanic, or I say I am from Honduras. This teen is proud of her identity but feels it is rare to see someone like her and worries about being accepted in school because of her multicultural identity. Some young people worry about racial discrimination and immigration policies that affect their families. One Latina youth stated: I get worried sometimes we might get deported, demonstrating her isolation. Belonging generally relates to feeling accepted, included, respected and supported. My research found that Latino youths with lower sense of belonging report feeling unimportant in school, have negative or unsupportive interactions with adults, and have just one or no adults to ask for help. In my research, I dont feel like I belong was a common phrase from youths. Even before the pandemic, adolescents broadly were reporting feelings of isolation and negative mental health effects. Latino youths in this project also reported higher belonging if they are connected to peers with similar ethnic or immigrant family identities. Additionally, Latino youths tend to have stronger relationships with adults outside of school such as in their community or at after-school programs than in school. This is often because of the diversity in those out-of-school settings. In fact, community spaces, such as public libraries or after-school programs, foster belonging and affirm identities and cultures. Frequently, these community spaces also connect Latino immigrant youths and their families to important resources, such as access to immigration attorneys, social workers and counselors, or scholarship information. Why it matters Latino students make up nearly 30% of U.S. public schools students. If school leaders are to improve academic outcomes and lessen negative mental health effects for Latino youths, belonging has to be part of the process. Prior research has already demonstrated how academic outcomes are connected to belonging. Young people need to feel safe, respected and supported in order to succeed in school. Relationships are critical for belonging. They must be focused on helping students succeed and include mutual respect with adults to affirm who they are. Otherwise, the resulting lower belonging can lead to less engagement with academics and lower graduation rates. These effects of low belonging limit youths future opportunities, such as by lowering their chances of going to college. With a steadily rising Latino population across the U.S., many Latino students are from immigrant backgrounds and face language and economic barriers. Its critical for educators to cultivate supportive relationships and affirm these students ethnic and immigrant identities. What other research is being done and whats next? New research explores how to improve school environments and make them more responsive to Latino youths needs. As such, schools should honor identities and cultures. This can happen through improving educator awareness and training about how immigration affects students lives and families, reducing segregation in schools and bias toward nonwhite students, and valuing students cultures. Schools can also partner with community-based organizations, since research shows these organizations are where young people have a higher sense of belonging and more positive adult-student relationships. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/latino-youth-struggle-with-sense-of-belonging-in-school-203385. KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) A man was fatally shot late Wednesday after a confrontation with police officers in Kansas City, Kansas the second fatal shooting by police in the city this year. The shooting happened around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday near a bridge that crosses the Kansas River, the Kansas City Star reported. An officer pulled over a vehicle for a traffic violation, said Officer Donna Drake of the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department, which is handling the investigation as part of an agreement between the two agencies. (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Dave Tell, University of Kansas (THE CONVERSATION) In August of 1955, Emmett Till was lynched in the Mississippi Delta. The 14-year-old African American reportedly whistled at a white woman, violating the racial norms of the Jim Crow South. For this supposed infraction, he was abducted, tortured, shot and dropped in a river with a cotton gin fan tied to his neck. Yet for 49 years and 11 months, his murder was all but forgotten in the Delta the first memorial to Till wasnt dedicated until July 1, 2005. Since then, however, the region has witnessed an unprecedented memory boom. More than US$4 million has been invested in dozens of roadside markers, a museum, two restored buildings, an interpretive center, a walking park and a community building. But many details of what happened to Till on that fateful night remain murky, and the abrupt investment in his memory raises a series of questions. Who gets to tell this racially charged story? Who gets to decide what, exactly, happened? And whats motivating the construction of these memorials? My just-published book, Remembering Emmett Till, addresses these questions head on. It suggests that as Tills story has been passed down through the generations and taken up by a range of memorials, its plot has been shaped by forces like poverty as much as by fidelity to historical fact. This is nowhere more conspicuous than in the village of Glendora, a small community 150 miles south of Memphis, in the heart of the Mississippi Delta. Beset by poverty, the village clings desperately to a version of Tills story that few others seem to believe. A community mired in poverty Glendora is saturated with memorials. The tiny town of five streets boasts 18 signs dedicated to the memory of Emmett Tills 1955 murder. In addition, Glendora is also home to the Emmett Till Historic Intrepid Center, a Till-themed park and the Black Bayou Bridge a long-decommissioned bridge recently explored in a New York Times article as the site from which Tills body may have been dropped in the water. Glendora is also marked by breathtaking poverty. In an application for federal assistance, town officials noted that the Glendora median household income is 70% below the state average, 68% of families live below the poverty line, and just 18% of the adults have earned a high school education. According to numbers published by Glendora Mayor Johnny B. Thomas in 2017, 86% of children in the village live below the poverty line. Partners in Development, a nonprofit committed to helping the poorest of the poor, has chosen to focus on Haiti, Guatemala and Glendora, Mississippi. The Glendora version of Tills story is unique on two counts. First, while virtually every 20th-century history of Tills murder suggests that the murderers dropped the body in the Tallahatchie River, the commemorative work in Glendora suggests that Till was dropped into a tributary known as the Black Bayou from a bridge on the south side of Glendora. According to this account, the bayou then carried Tills body for three miles to the Tallahatchie River, where it was recovered. Second, while no historian has been able to say with certainty where the murderers obtained the fan they used to weigh down Tills corpse, the Glendora museum claims that the fan was stolen from the Glendora Cotton Gin, presumably by Elmer Kimbell, a gin employee and the next-door neighbor of confessed murderer J. W. Milam. Disputed details While these variations on the finer points of Tills story may seem like minutiae, to Glendora residents they are matters so weighty that it sometimes seems as if the very future of the town hinges on where Tills body was dropped in the water and what fan weighed it down. In 2010, the Mississippi Development Authority sent a team of economic development experts to Glendora. Their charge was to devise a plan to rescue the town from poverty a tall order. The team struggled to find solutions. Aside from the unrealistic suggestion that the town turn the snake-infested land along the bayou into riverfront property, the development authoritys only other proposal was that Glendora capitalize on its connection to the Till murder. More commemoration, they said, would bring tourists; tourism would beget economic development. The viability of this suggestion, of course, turned on a version of Tills story that maximized the relevance of Glendora. None of this was news to Mayor Thomas. Since at least 2005, he had been promoting a Glendora-centric narrative of the murder in which Tills body was dropped in the Black Bayou tied with a fan from the local gin. While plausible, these claims are difficult to prove. One key authority has refuted them: the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. The state agency has invested more funds into Tills commemoration than any other organization. It restored the Tallahatchie County Courthouse, the site of the Till trial, and even invested $200,000 in the controversial restoration of Ben Roys Service Station in Money, Mississippi. Although the service station sits just 67 feet south of Bryants Grocery and Meat Market, the site of Tills alleged whistle, it played no role in the Till murder, aside from unverified claims that customers discussed the murder from the porch. The agency, however, is not convinced that Tills body was dropped from the Black Bayou Bridge. Nor does the organization believe that the fan was stolen from the local gin. In fact, the agency has, in its files, a five-page thats dedicated to the contested veracity of these two claims. The document finds neither claim verifiable and has thus rejected every grant application the town has ever submitted. Mayor Thomas has one state agency telling him to lean hard into Tills story and another rejecting his every attempt to do so. The mayor gets creative Without the backing of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Thomas has nonetheless been able to erect tributes to Tills legacy. The work began on Sept. 27, 2005. On that day, the United States Department of Agriculture awarded a Community Connect Broadband Grant to Glendora. , the grant was intended to bring broadband connectivity to Glendora. After obtaining the grant, Thomas used the USDA money into a community computer lab with internet access. to construct the worlds first Emmett Till museum the Emmett Till Historic Intrepid Center which was also located in the gin. Although the USDA approved the expenses, it is unclear whether they knew that their money was being used to build a museum. In the 647 pages of records preserved by the USDA including the application, labor contracts, invoices and correspondence Emmett Till isnt mentioned once. After the grant ran out, Glendora couldnt pay the bills and internet service was discontinued. It has not resumed. The museum, on the other hand, is still in operation and visitors do occasionally stop in, though the majority of tourists go to Sumner, a town 12 miles north of Glendora and the site of the trial. While the museum was initially funded by the USDA, it is maintained on a day-to-day basis by the Glendora Economic and Community Development Corporation, a 501(c)3 founded by Thomas. The town has assigned most, if not all, public business to the nonprofit. Glendoras development corporation pays city workers, operates 24 Section 8 apartments and operates the Till museum. According to public records, the public housing funnels about $100,000 a year of federal HUD money into the nonprofit. With this money, the nonprofit maintains the apartments, pays city workers and, critically, subsidizes the Till museum. Yet the questions remain unanswered: Was Emmett Till actually dropped from the Black Bayou Bridge? Was the fan stolen from the local gin? Was Elmer Kimbell involved? Perhaps. But it is impossible to separate the veracity of these claims from the poverty of the townspeople. Thomas has been able to leverage the towns poverty to support the museum; the museum, in turn, supports Glendoras plausible-but-unverifiable theories of Tills murder. Had Glendora been wealthy, thered be little incentive to stick so adamantly to this version of the story. The Black Bayou Bridge would be lost to memory and Elmer Kimbell would rarely appear in the stories of Tills final night. But Glendora is not wealthy. Instead, sustained by the poverty of the town, stories about Kimbell, the Glendora Cotton Gin and the Black Bayou Bridge continue to circulate sometimes from the highest echelons of media. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/misery-and-memory-in-glendora-mississippi-how-poverty-is-reshaping-the-story-of-emmett-tills-murder-113164. Several California government transportation agencies are proposing a new toll for Highway 37 between Sonoma and Solano counties to pay for projects to reduce congestion. April 24, the California Transportation Commission held a public hearing about its application to operate a toll facility on the often congested North Bay highway. The four-lane highway would have both a carpool lane and a toll lane on each side to encourage users to carpool or take the bus to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The California Transportation Commission is working in partnership with Caltrans and the Metropolitan Transportation Commissions express lanes authority. The proposal is a part of the Sears Point to Mare Island Improvement Project. The near-term project, which essentially is to add another travel lane in each direction between Sears Point and Mare Island, is estimated to be about $430 million. And we figure that tolling Highway 37 can get us roughly $100 million for that, John Goodwin, spokesperson for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, told SFGATE. He explained that toll revenue is considered a local investment, allowing the transportation agencies to pursue state and federal grants that require a local match. Credit: California Transportation Commission/Illustration by SFGATE If the application is approved, the next steps are to finish designs and acquire further funding before construction, targeted for 2025, can begin, said Paul Golaszewski, a California Transportation Commission representative. The new toll would apply to the 10 miles between Sears Point in Sonoma County and Mare Island in Solano County. The toll road would help pay for additional lanes that the Metropolitan Transportation Commission plans to add to reduce congestion on Highway 37. The proposal is a response to problems with congestion and environmental issues like flooding and rising sea levels. The California Ocean Protection Council said that tide levels could increase by 3 feet by 2100, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. If the highway remains in its current state, a good portion of it would end up underwater for extended amounts of time each year. (The Chronicle and SFGATE are both owned by Hearst but have separate newsrooms.) The Metropolitan Transportation Commission wrote in a news release that the transportation agencies see tolling as a practical solution that will generate funds for a multitude of projects along the highway corridor, including replacing the existing bridge over Tolay Creek near Sears Point. The project aims to reduce travel time for commuters, who heavily rely on Highway 37 to get to jobs in Sonoma, Napa and Marin counties. Without the project, officials say the traffic will significantly worsen by 2045, according to the proposal. Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE It also includes plans for new bus transit service on the corridor and an equity discount program for low-income users who need to use the toll road. But during the hearing, critics of the proposal said that the new toll would be a tax on working-class commuters who cant afford housing in the areas they work in. My read is that, by and large, people support doing something about the congestion on Highway 37. But they dont support tolling. And so theres the rock and the hard place there, Goodwin said. We dont see a way to fund this near-term project absent tolling. Members of the public who wish to comment on the proposal can write to the California Transportation Commission via email at ctc@catc.ca.gov or by mail: 1120 N. Street, MS 52, Sacramento, CA 95814. They can also attend the commissions next meetings in San Francisco, scheduled for May 17 and 18. First lady Jill Biden will attend the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla on May 6, the White House confirmed. President Joe Biden told King Charles III during a recent phone call that the first lady looks forward to attending on behalf of the United States. Per the White House, during the call, the president emphasized "the strength of the relationship between our countries and the friendship between our peoples." He also "conveyed his desire to meet with the King in the United Kingdom at a future date." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The husband of a Massachusetts woman who has been missing since New Years Day suspected she was having an affair and persuaded his mother to hire a private investigator to prove it, according to prosecution documents released Thursday. In December, Brian Walshe would repeatedly access the Instagram page of one of Ana Walshe's male friends from Washington, D.C., where she was working, prosecutors said. His mother hired the investigator on Dec. 26 with his input and direction to conduct surveillance and, the next day, his oldest childs iPad was used for an internet search on divorce." Walshe, 47, has been charged with first-degree murder as well as misleading a police investigation/obstruction of justice and improper conveyance of a human body. A first-degree murder conviction in Massachusetts carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. Walshe is accused of killing Ana Walshe, dismembering her and disposing of her body. He pleaded not guilty Thursday in Norfolk County Superior Court. A judge ordered that he be held without bail. Ana Walshe, 39, a mother of three who is originally from Serbia, was last seen early Jan. 1 following a New Year's Eve dinner at her Massachusetts home with her husband and a family friend, prosecutors said. Brian Walshe said she was called back to Washington on New Year's Day for a work emergency. He didn't contact her employer until Jan. 4, saying she was missing. The company the first to notify police Ana Walshe was missing said there was no emergency, prosecutors said. She divided her time between Washington, D.C., where she worked for an international property management company, and the family home in the affluent coastal community of Cohasset, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) southeast of Boston. Brian Walshe had been on home confinement with some exceptions while awaiting sentencing in a fraud case involving the sale of fake Andy Warhol paintings, according to federal court records. Ana Walshe went out with a friend in Washington on Dec. 28 and became uncharacteristically emotional and extremely upset, prosecutors said. Ana believed Mr. Walshe was going to be incarcerated on his pending criminal case. Ana told her friend that she intended to relocate her three children to Washington, D.C., and was prepared to leave Mr. Walshe," the document said. Brian Walshe's attorney, Tracy Miner, said Thursday that a person is not presumed dead for seven years because it is easy for a single person to disappear if they want to disappear. She said there's been no body found, no indication if she died or how, and no murder weapon or motive. Miner said Brian Walshe's mother did hire a private investigator, but he said his mother was crazy. 'Ana's a good girl, but go ahead. You'll be proved wrong,' he told her, according to Miner. The investigator never found any evidence of an affair because they didn't actually have time to start doing anything before Ana went missing. She said during the New Years Eve dinner, the couple and the friend had champagne and signed the box the bottle came in, saying that 2023 would be their best year ever. Miner said he waited three days to call Ana's employer, following a pattern since Thanksgiving where she would be gone for days at a time and couldn't be contacted. Prosecutors have said that starting Jan. 1 and for several days after, Brian Walshe made multiple online searches using the child's iPad for dismemberment and best ways to dispose of a body, how long before a body starts to smell and hacksaw best tool to dismember." Miner said there also were other searches, such as how to set up a charitable corporation to give away large lottery winnings, tax free," and best places to go for a family vacation in 2023. Investigators said they found Jan. 3 surveillance video of a man resembling Brian Walshe throwing what appeared to be heavy trash bags into a dumpster at an apartment complex in Abington, not far from Cohasset. A Jan. 8 search of a trash processing facility not far from Brian Walshes mothers home, uncovered trash bags that contained a hatchet, hacksaw, towels and a protective Tyvek suit, cleaning agents, a Prada purse, boots like the ones Ana Walshe was last seen wearing and a COVID-19 vaccination card with her name, authorities said. Prosecutors also said that Ana Walshe had taken out $2.7 million in life insurance naming her husband as the sole beneficiary. Miner said Brian Walshe was not in need of money. She said his mother, who is wealthy, has given tens of thousands of dollars" to the couple. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 AP Show More Show Less 2 of 3 AP Show More Show Less 3 of 3 TARRYTOWN, N.Y. (AP) A railroad conductor in New York sprinted to scoop up a 3-year-old boy who had wandered dangerously close to the electrified third rail, officials said this week. Engineer William Kennedy, who was operating a southbound train April 6, was the first to spot the boy on Metro-North Railroad tracks near Tarrytown, north of New York City, and sent out an emergency radio message, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said in a news release. DENVER (AP) Three teens accused of driving around and throwing large rocks at passing cars, one of which investigators say killed a 20-year-old woman, circled back to take a photo of her crashed car as a memento, according to court documents released Thursday. Nicholas Mitch Karol-Chik told investigators that Joseph Koenig slowed down so Zachary Kwak could get a photo of the car where authorities say Alexa Bartell died after being hit in the head with a rock on April 19, according to arrest affidavits for the 18-year-olds. In a hint at a possible motive, Karol-Chik said all three got excited every time they hit a car with a rock that night but acknowledged he felt a hint of guilt passing by Bartell's car, according to the documents. Kwak said he took the photo because he thought that Karol-Chik or Koenig would want to have a memento of what had happened, according to the affidavits. Koenig did not speak to investigators after he was arrested, they said. All three teens appeared briefly in court for the first time on Thursday but only spoke to answer short questions from the judge about whether they could hear and understood what was happening. A telephone message left for Kwak's lawyer was not immediately returned. A person at the law firm appointed by the court to represent Karol-Chik declined to comment. Koenig is represented by a lawyer from the public defenders office, which does not comment on cases to the media. The three teens were arrested at their homes in the Denver suburb of Arvada this week after being identified as suspects with the help of cellphone tower data and another friend who had been hanging out with them earlier on April 19. Joseph Bopp also offered a possible explanation for the alleged rock-throwing, telling investigators that Koenig often participates in destructive behavior because he likes causing chaos, the documents said. Bopp told sheriffs investigators he asked to be taken home after he saw the three others taking landscaping rocks from a Walmart parking lot and loading them into Karol-Chik's pickup truck, because he said he knew something bad was going to happen, according to the documents. Karol-Chik told investigators with the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office that he and Koenig had thrown rocks and even a statue at passing cars on at least 10 other days before Bartell was killed. Kwak heard about what they were doing and asked to join them on April 19, according to Karol-Chick, the documents said. Investigators believe the teens were involved in several other similar incidents in which rocks between 4 and 6 inches (10 and 15 centimeters) in diameter and weighing 3 to 5 pounds (1.4 to 2.7 kilograms) were thrown at cars in the area the night of Bartells death. Two other drivers suffered minor injuries. According to the sheriff's office, Bartell was talking on the phone with a friend when she was hit by the rock. After the call went silent, the friend tracked Bartells location with a phone app and found the woman dead in her car, which had crashed into a field. BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. A protocol of intent on joint production of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in Azerbaijan has been signed between Deputy Azerbaijani Minister of Defense Agil Gurbanov and CEO of Turkish Baykar company Haluk Bayratktar, the company told Trend. The ceremony was also attended by Commander of the Air Force, Lieutenant General Ramiz Tahirov. Mentioning Turkiyes defense industrys tremendous achievements in recent years. In particular, Baykar company's recent achievements will be showcased at the Aerospace and Technology Festival (TEKNOFEST), which is held from April 27 through May 1 at the Istanbul Ataturk Airport in Turkiye. The prize fund of the festival, which will host 41 main competitions in 102 categories, is more than 13 million liras ($670,000), and financial support in the amount of more than 30 million liras ($1.54 million) will be provided. The first Turkish unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) Bayraktar KIZILELMA will also be presented at the festival. TEKNOFEST is Turkiye's first and only aerospace and technology festival organized with the partnership of many organizations that play a critical part in the development of national technology in Turkiye. Last year, the festival was held in Baku on May 26-29. (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Sung-Yoon Lee, Tufts University (THE CONVERSATION) The United States and South Korea have unveiled an agreement under which leaders in Seoul will be handed an enhanced role in planning any nuclear response to a strike in the region by North Korea. Announced at a state visit to Washington by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on April 26, 2023, the so-called Washington Declaration will see U.S. deployments of strategic assets around the Korean Peninsula, including an upcoming visit by a nuclear submarine. The last time the U.S. had nuclear weapons in South Korea was 1991 The Conversation asked Sung-Yoon Lee, an expert on U.S.-Korean relations at Tufts University, to explain what the decision to revamp nuclear relations means and why it has come now. What is in the Washington Declaration? Well, theres strong language. Whereas the U.S. has repeatedly reaffirmed its commitment in the past to the defense of South Korea, the wording in the Washington Declaration is more robust. It builds on the language contained in the joint statement released during Bidens visit to Seoul soon after Yoon assumed office in May 2022. On that occasion, the U.S. pledged its extended deterrence commitment to the (Republic of Korea) using the full range of U.S. defense capabilities, including nuclear, conventional and missile defense capabilities. This time, lest there be doubt, that affirmation is made in the strongest words possible. But what does that mean in real terms? First, the U.S. commits to make every effort to consult with the (Republic of Korea) on any possible nuclear weapons employment on the Korean Peninsula. More substantively, the two sides commit to engage in deeper, cooperative decision-making on nuclear deterrence, including through enhanced dialogue and information sharing regarding growing nuclear threats to South Korea. It will come as a welcome development to decision-makers in South Korea, although it raises questions about just how much intel on North Koreas threat and capabilities the U.S. and Japan, with its advanced signal intelligence systems did not share with previous administrations in Seoul. Second, the two allies will establish a new nuclear consultative group to strengthen extended deterrence, discuss nuclear and strategic planning and manage the growing threat posed by Pyongyang. This means Seoul now will have a seat at the table when it comes to planning any nuclear response strategy and in readying its conventional support to U.S. nuclear operations in a contingency. In sum, Seoul will now have a much greater say in intel-sharing and planning for a joint long-term nuclear strategy, with a focus on its own role in any future flare-up in the Korean Peninsula. It is a big step forward. Why are the US and South Korea announcing this now? The international security environment has drastically changed over the past year, necessitating credible countermeasures from the two allies, in cooperation with Japan. North Korea has fired well over 100 missiles since January 2022. Meanwhile, Russias invasion of Ukraine and its many alleged war crimes have only pulled China andNorth Korea closer into its sphere. And China has gone beyond its usual wolf-warrior diplomacy rhetoric by conducting threatening military drills around Taiwan last August and, again, this April. The Washington Declaration comes on the 70th anniversary of the alliance between Washington and Seoul. The timing serves as an opportunity to reflect on and reassess the relationship. But, no doubt, the main drivers in this strongly worded reaffirmation of the alliance are the recent actions taken by the governments in Pyongyang, Moscow and Beijing. How has South Koreas position on nuclear options evolved? The Korean Peninsula has been through two periods of actual denuclearization since the 1953 armistice that ended combat during the Korean War. The first was in the 1970s when the U.S., catching wind of South Koreas secret nuclear weapons program, threatened to withdraw all U.S. troops from the South unless Seoul completely dismantled the program. And, so, the government abandoned its nuclear ambitions. The second came in 1991 when the U.S. and South Korea perhaps anticipating the coming collapse of the Soviet empire and a severely debilitated North Korea agreed to withdraw all U.S. tactical nuclear weapons from the South, even as the North was working on its own nuclear program while vigorously talking denuclearization. But in recent years, public opinion in South Korea has strongly shifted toward self-nuclearization rather than rely on the U.S. stockpile off South Koreas shores. North Koreas relentless pursuit of more powerful nuclear and missile capabilities, starting with the resumption of ballistic missiles tests in May 2019 after an 18-month lull, has stiffened views in the South. President Yoon himself floated the idea of self-nuclearization earlier this year. But the Washington Declaration appears to have tempered down such sentiment. In it, Yoon reaffirmed the (Republic of Koreas) longstanding commitment to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which would prevent the country from building up its own nuclear weapons stockpile. How will the declaration affect regional tensions? A staple of North Korean propaganda is that its arms program is a response to U.S. hostile policy which Pyongyang defines as anything from Washington raising concerns about its egregious human rights record to the stationing of U.S. troops in South Korea and joint U.S.-South Korea military drills. As such, it is reasonable to assume that Pyongyang will respond with a threatening act or two in the coming days. Using the Washington Declaration as cover, expect North Korea to embark on another brazen act of defiance. Last December, Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leaders sister and deputy, threatened an intercontinental ballistic missile test on a normal trajectory, rather than the steep angle launches that avoid threatening nearby countries. And in 2017, North Koreas former foreign minister Ri Yong Ho suggested that Kim Jong Un was considering testing a hydrogen bomb test over the Pacific. Either would represent a ratcheting up of North Koreas provocations. China, meanwhile, is likely to fall back on its decades-old mantra that issues on the Korean Peninsula need to be resolved through dialogue a position that not only fails to penalize Pyongyang but indirectly empowers the isolationist state. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/us-south-korea-nuclear-weapons-deal-what-you-need-to-know-204604. (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Susan Farrell, College of Charleston (THE CONVERSATION) Kurt Vonnegut didnt deliver the famous Wear Sunscreen graduation speech published in the Chicago Tribune that was often mistakenly attributed to the celebrated author. But he could have. Over his lifetime, he gave dozens of quirky commencement addresses. In those speeches, he made some preposterous claims. But they made people laugh and made them think. They were speeches the graduates remembered. Having studied and written about Vonnegut for years, I wish he had been my commencement speaker. I graduated from Austin College, a small school in North Texas. I dont even remember who gave my classs graduation speech, much less a single word the speaker said. I suspect many others have had and will have similar experiences. Young people, college students especially, loved Vonnegut. During the early and mid-1960s, he commanded an avid and devoted following on campuses before he had produced any bestsellers. Why was a middle-aged writer born in 1922 adored by a counterculture told not to trust anyone over 30? Why did he continue to appeal to younger generations until his death? Their parents generation Vonnegut, who died just before commencement season in 2007, was nearly 50 years old when his groundbreaking anti-war novel, Slaughterhouse-Five, was published in 1969. A cultural touchstone, the novel changed the way Americans think and write about war. It helped usher in the postmodern style of literature with its playful, fragmented form, its insistence that reality is not objective and that history is not monolithic, and its self-reflection on its own status as art. Like Andy Warhols soup cans, Slaughterhouse-Five, with its jokes, drawings, risque limericks and flying saucers, blurs the line between high and low culture. Cited as one of the top novels of the 20th century, Slaughterhouse-Five has been transformed into film, theatrical plays, a graphic novel and visual art. It has inspired rock bands and musical interpretations. Vonneguts recurring refrain, So it goes, used 106 times in the novel, has entered the popular lexicon. The book has been banned, burned and censored. In many ways, though, Vonnegut had more in common with the parents of the college students he addressed than with the students themselves. Father to six children three of his own and three nephews who joined the family after his sister Alice and her husband died Vonnegut had studied biochemistry at Cornell and had worked in corporate public relations. He continued to believe all his life in the civic virtues he learned as a student at Shortridge High School in Indianapolis. He had the credibility of a World War II veteran, a member of what journalist Tom Brokaw would later call the Greatest Generation. Captured by the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge, he was sent to Dresden as a prisoner of war. There he was starved, beaten and put to work as a slave laborer. He survived the Allied firebombing of the city in February 1945 and was forced to help excavate hundreds of bodies of men, women and children who had been burned alive, suffocated and crushed to death. Fool or philosopher? If Vonnegut was, like the students fathers, a family man and a veteran, perhaps he also embodied the dad that students in 1969 dreamed their own fathers could be: funny, artistic, anti-establishment and anti-war. Vonnegut had the look sad, kind eyes under that mop of uncontrollable hair, the full droopy mustache. A photo taken just before he delivered a commencement address at Bennington College in 1970 shows him wearing a loud striped jacket, reading glasses tucked neatly in its pocket, with a cigarette dangling at his fingertips. Looking like a cross between Albert Einstein and a carnival huckster, Vonnegut had his contradictions on full display. Was he a clown or a wise man? A fool or a philosopher? The literary establishment did not quite know what to make of Vonnegut, either. A writer frequently dismissed by critics for his flying saucers and space aliens, for the simplicity of his prose, for pandering to what one reviewer called the minimally intelligent young, he was also praised for his inventiveness, for his lively and playful language, for the depth of feeling behind the zaniness, and for advocating decency and kindness in a chaotic world. A forceful defense of art As the U.S. was fighting what most college students believed was an unjust and imperialist war in Vietnam, Vonneguts message struck home. He used his own experience in World War II to destroy any notion of a good war. For all the sublimity of the cause for which we fought, we surely created a Belsen of our own, he lamented, referencing the Nazi concentration camp. The military-industrial complex, he told the graduates at Bennington, treats people and their children and their cities like garbage. Instead, Americans should spend money on hospitals and housing and schools and Ferris wheels rather than on war machinery. In the same speech, Vonnegut playfully urged young people to defy their professors and fancy educations by clinging to superstition and untruth, especially what he considered the most ridiculous lie of all that humanity is at the center of the universe, the fulfiller or the frustrater of the grandest dreams of God Almighty. Vonnegut conceded that the military was probably right about the contemptibility of man in the vastness of the universe. Still, he denied that contemptibility and begged students to deny it as well by creating art. Art puts human beings at the center of the universe, whether they belong there or not, allowing people to imagine and create a saner, kinder, more just world than the one we really live in. The generations, he told students at the State University of New York at Fredonia, are not that far apart and do not want that much from each other. Older people want credit for having survived so long and often imaginatively under difficult conditions. Younger people want to be acknowledged and respected. He urged each group not to be so intolerably stingy about giving the other credit. A strain of sorrow and pessimism underlies all of Vonneguts fiction, as well as his graduation speeches. He witnessed the worst that human beings could do to one another, and he made no secret about his fears for the future of a planet suffering from environmental degradation and a widening divide between the rich and the poor. If Vonnegut were alive and giving commencement speeches today, he would be speaking to college students whose parents and even grandparents he may have addressed in the past. Todays graduates have lived through the COVID-19 pandemic and are drowning in social media. They face high housing costs and financial instability and are more depressed and anxious than previous generations. Im sure he would give these students the advice he gave so often over the years: to focus, in the midst of chaos, on what makes life worth living, to recognize the joyful moments maybe by listening to music or drinking a glass of lemonade in the shade and saying out loud, as his Uncle Alex taught him, If this isnt nice, what is? This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/why-kurt-vonneguts-advice-to-college-graduates-still-matters-today-203466. By Bay City News Every year (when possible, of course) sjDANCEco serves up a colorful and high-flying bonanza for Bay Area dance fans of all types with the Spring Dance Fest, which returns Saturday and Sunday to the Eastridge Center in San Jose. The free event offers five nonstop hours of dancing and dance classes each day. Featuring a dozen companies and schools, Spring Dance Fest offers a half-hour professional-level performance each hour on the half-hour (12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., etc.). These continue in tandem with half-hour dance classes, which take place every hour on the hour (1 p.m., 2 p.m. etc.). That's a lot of dancing, and there's variety to boot, from traditional and contemporary ballet to classical Indian, to Mexican folk dancing to African to pole dancing. Groups taking part are sjDANCEco, Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose, Los Lupenos, Aboriginouls, Magnetic Pole Fit, Diablo Ballet, Samba Colorado, N'fungola Sibo African Dance and Drum, Hermosura Dance Productions, Agua Doce Dance, Cat Machines Dance and Tachiria Flamenco's Dance Music Theatre. Kicking off the festival at noon Saturday will be a special demonstration by Calpulli Tonalehqueh, an outfit that specializes in ancient Aztec dance and drumming. The event runs noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the shopping center's Festival Stage. More information is available at www.sjDANCEco.org. While Spring Dance Festival stands on its own, it is also part of the Bay Area Dance Week, which offers free performances, demonstrations, classes and other events at locales throughout the Bay Area through Sunday. More information on that is at www.bopsidy.com. By Sue Gilmore Bay City News A well-organized and up-to-date travel guide is a handy thing to have when you venture abroad into a foreign realm to be sure, but the smart traveler does a different kind of reading in advance of the trip. Books that get us pleasantly steeped in the culture, customs, geography and history of countries we are about to visit can do a lot to enhance our understanding and enjoyment of what we are about to encounter firsthand -- and they might even be worthy of packing into the carry-on along with the Fodor's, the Zagat or the Lonely Planet. A case in point, taken from my own experience, is Hector Garcia's "A Geek in Japan: Discovering the Land of Manga, Anime, Zen, and the Tea Ceremony." Originally written in 2010 by a savvy young Spanish IT worker who had been living in Tokyo for six years, it has been revised and updated and is now in its eighth edition, while its author is continuing to produce the blog that first inspired it. An oversize softcover of 160 pages, it has 12 main chapters jam-packed with color photos and short, lively essays that lay out just about everything, both good and not-so-good, that makes Japan unique. Here are a few of the mini-topics the clear-eyed author explores, with both empathy and humor: "Meet the Real Geisha," "The Martial Arts," "The Virtue of Humility," "Japan's Train Culture," "Life of a Salary Man," "The Delights of Japanese Cuisine," "J-Pop," "Japanese Cinema," "Cultural Walking Tours" and (we dare you not to read it) "Why Do Japanese Women Cover Their Mouths When They Laugh?" One observation Garcia makes in his "Safety in Japan" section initially had me in serious doubt: "In Japan, I don't have to worry if I leave my phone or wallet on the table in a coffee shop when I go to the bathroom, because I know nobody will touch them." It was tested, however, and its accuracy confirmed on my own trip. The author further notes that the theft rate in "The Land of the Rising Sun" is 1.3 per 100,000 inhabitants and then compares it to ours: 233 per 100,000! Meanwhile, an upcoming trip to Croatia has me currently absorbed in Robert D. Kaplan's seminal work of nonfiction, "Balkan Ghosts," first published in 1993 and reissued twice, including the 2005 edition that reprints a half dozen opinion pieces the author wrote following the violent upheavals in the region in the 1990s. Recommended by my travel agency, Kaplan's book dives deep into the history of the political, ethnic and religious conflicts that have divided this troubled peninsula throughout history, and its first chapter is devoted to Croatia. It reminds me of another monumental work of nonfiction that has explored a war-torn country and is also often recommended to travelers -- George Orwell's 1938 classic "Homage to Catalonia," culled from his experiences fighting against fascism in the Spanish Civil War and full of his observations about the political and social climate there. A few other tomes that always make the top of the reading list for journeys abroad: Bruce Chatwin's 1977 "In Patagonia," still considered the essential preparation for visiting the bottom of the world; the incomparable Jan Morris' "Venice," from 1960 but still revered for her commentary on its traditions, architecture, history and the character of its inhabitants; and practically anything by the well-traveled (and hilarious) Brit Bill Bryson, but for Australia, his 2000 work "Down Under: Travels in a Sunburnt Country." A lit extravaganza: The Bay Area Book Festival, which takes over downtown Berkeley with multiple indoor and outdoor happenings for a spring weekend each year, has a welcome new wrinkle for its ninth outing: All the daytime events for the May 6-7 festival are free. Only the two headliner programs will require tickets, and they will come at an easy $15 charge. From 7:30 to 9 p.m. May 6 at Freight & Salvage, Joan Baez will be interviewed by Greg Sarris to talk about her new memoir-with-art "Am I Pretty When I Fly? An Album of Upside Down Drawings," and she will stick around for an hour afterwards to sign copies that will be available for sale on site. And from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the same venue, fellow authors W. Kamau Bell and Kate Schatz will be on hand to discuss and encourage audience participation in their "Do the Work! An Antiracist Activity Book," which is described as a hands-on manual for identifying and dismantling the architecture of prejudice -- complete with jokes, games and conversation starters. Some 245 authors and speakers will be filling out the rest of the two-day schedule, including appearances by Cory Doctorow, Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Tongo Eisen-Martin, Dave Eggers and Dacher Keltner. Find the full schedule and links for the ticketed events at www.baybookfest.org. Author alerts: A famous mother-daughter duo has a new memoir out, and one of them is coming to the Bay Area to talk about it. Actresses Diane Ladd and her daughter, Laura Dern, have just published "Honey, Baby, Mine" (Grand Central Publishing, $39, 256 pages), a collection of their shared memories as single mothers that includes photos and family recipes. Dern will appear at an event sponsored by Book Passage at Dominican University in San Rafael at 1 p.m. May 7, speaking with Mill Valley Film Festival program director Zoe Elton. The $40 tickets include a copy of the book; find them at www.bookpassage.com. City Arts & Lectures is also hosting an appearance by Dern, in conversation with "Wild" author Cheryl Strayed, at 7:30 p.m. that same evening in San Francisco's Sydney Goldstein Theater. Find $65 tickets, which include a copy of the book, at www.cityarts.net. City Arts is also bringing physician, Stanford professor and novelist Abraham Verghese, author of the best-seller "Cutting for Stone" to its Goldstein Theater venue, at 7:30 p.m. May 11. Verghese will be speaking with Grey Matters podcaster Michael Krasny about "The Covenant of Water" (Grove Press, $32, 736 pages). The hefty new novel follows the fortunes of a single family in 20th-century India. The $49 tickets, which are limited, include a copy of the book; other tickets are available for $36 at www.cityarts.net. In the pipeline: Ann Patchett fans, take heed: A new novel from the National Humanities Medal award-winning author of "Bel Canto," "Commonwealth," "State of Wonder" and, most recently the Pulitzer Prize finalist "The Dutch House," is coming out on Aug. 1. Patchett, who lives in Nashville and owns the Parnassus Books store there, has just finished "Tom Lake" (Harper, $30, 320 pages), a relationship-driven story about three sisters sheltering during the pandemic on the family cherry farm who try to get their mother to reveal the details of her long-ago affair with an actor who is now world famous. And more good news for readers who prefer to listen to audio books: The novel's narrator is Meryl Streep. Hooked on Books is a monthly column by Sue Gilmore on current literary buzz and can't-miss upcoming book events. Look for it here every last Thursday of the month. Copyright 2023 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area. Copyright 2023 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON (AP) South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol urged ever more strengthening of the U.S.-led security alliance against nuclear-armed North Korea on Thursday, drawing cheers from Congress as he saluted the great American heroes who helped preserve his country's democracy in the Korean War. Democratic and Republicans lawmakers rose to their feet again and again to applaud during Yoon's address to a joint meeting of the House and Senate, in a speech that stressed security cooperation at a time of increased tension with both North Korea and China. Yoon also cited U.S.-Korean high-tech trade ties creating thousands of jobs in the United States. Yoon praised the U.S.-South Korea security partnership since the Korean War seven decades ago as the linchpin safeguarding our freedom, peace and prosperity. Lawmakers roared with approval when the South Korean leader closed with, God bless our alliance. They flocked to him afterward on the House floor, pressing him to sign their written copies of his address. Yoon's visit to Washington has focused on efforts by both countries and other allies in the Indo-Pacific to make their forces stronger, more nimble, better positioned and more resilient in the event of any conflict in the region. On Wednesday, Yoon and President Joe Biden announced an agreement for intensified nuclear deterrence to counter any North Korean threat. Biden issued a blunt warning that a nuclear attack would result in the end of whatever regime took such action. North Korea over the past year has carried out a record number of ballistic missile launches, demonstrating its ability to strike targets near and far. The U.S.-South Korean deterrence effort announced this week calls for periodically docking U.S. nuclear-armed submarines in South Korea for the first time in decades and bolstering training between the two countries. The Biden administration's aim in improving the allies' military readiness in the region is not just to deter North Korea but to discourage and defend against any threats from China, which is also a growing security concern. That concern focuses at present on any possible move against the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which China claims as its territory. Still, China is an important market for South Koreas semiconductors and other advanced technology. Yoons remarks, while singling out North Korea as a threat to democracy and peace in his region, made no direct mention of China. Also from the Indo-Pacific, next week Biden will host Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for Oval Office talks. Yoon paid tribute Thursday to the nearly 40,000 American troops who died helping South Korea's democratic government fight back an attempted takeover by the communist north in the 1950s. Korea will never forget the great American heroes who fought with us to defend freedom, he said. He singled out the granddaughter of one such Korean veteran, Col. William Weber. Dayne Weber stood and waved from the House Gallery in response, placing her hand over her heart as lawmakers applauded. Col. Weber lost an arm and leg in 1951 defending Wonju, which is roughly 50 miles east of Seoul. He died last year, after successfully advocating for completion of the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington. Yoon, who charmed a White House state dinner the evening before by singing several stanzas of the 1970s pop song American Pie, also pointed to economic and cultural bonds forged between the two countries since the war. Those include a White House visit last year by a Korean pop group with an adoring global following. BTS beat me to the White House but I beat them to Capitol Hill! Yoon exclaimed. On trade, South Korea is concerned about its economy suffering collateral damage as the U.S. tries to wean its supply chains from dependence on Chinese imports, and considers additional sanctions if Beijing increases support for Russia after President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Individual lawmakers stood, smiled and applauded when Yoon referenced Korean companies with operations in their home states. Rep Michael McCaul, a Republican from Texas, received high-fives from his colleagues when Yoon mentioned a Samsung semiconductor plant in Austin. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met with Yoon at the Capitol before the joint meeting of Congress. McCarthy pointed out features in the Capitols Statuary Hall as they walked to a meeting with other congressional leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Yoon's address marked roughly the 120th time that the House and Senate have met jointly to hear from a foreign leader. It's a tradition that congressional researchers say dates back to 1874, starting with King Kalakaua of Hawaii, which was then a sovereign kingdom and not a state. Lawmakers extend the invitations as an honor to allies. Yoon's speech comes just weeks after the leaks of highly classified documents that have complicated relations with allies, including South Korea. The papers, viewed by The Associated Press, describe internal deliberations in which South Koreas National Security Council grappled with the U.S. in early March over an American request to provide artillery ammunition to Ukraine. The leaked documents, which cited a signals intelligence report, were a political embarrassment at home and abroad for Yoon and other allies cited in the leaks. NEW DELHI (AP) India's defense minister accused China on Thursday of eroding the entire basis of ties between the countries by violating bilateral agreements, a reference to a nearly 3-year-old standoff involving thousands of soldiers stationed along their disputed border in the eastern Ladakh region. Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh met with visiting Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu and had frank discussions about the developments in the India-China border areas as well as bilateral relations, Indias Defense Ministry said. Singh told Li that "development of relations between India and China is premised on the prevalence of peace and tranqulity at the borders," and that all border issues need to be resolved in accordance with existing agreements and commitments, the ministry said in a statement. There was no immediate comment on the talks by the Chinese side. India says the deployment of a large number of Chinese troops, their aggressive behavior and attempts to unilaterally alter the border status quo violate agreements between the countries. The violations have "eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations," Singh said. A clash three years ago in the Ladakh region killed 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese. It turned into a long-running standoff in the rugged mountainous area, where each side has stationed tens of thousands of military personnel backed by artillery, tanks and fighter jets. Days before Lis visit, top Indian and Chinese army commanders held an 18th round of talks in an attempt to work out a disengagement of troops from areas of tension. Both India and China have withdrawn troops from some areas on the northern and southern banks of Pangong Tso, Gogra and Galwan Valley, but continue to maintain extra troops as part of a multitier deployment. A Line of Actual Control separates Chinese and Indian-held territories from Ladakh in the west to Indias eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims in its entirety. India and China fought a war over their border in 1962. Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu is visiting New Delhi to attend a meeting of the defense chiefs of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on Friday. The group consists of China, India, Pakistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Krgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Singh also met separately on Thursday with the defense ministers of Iran, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Republican legislators in Kansas enacted what may be the most sweeping transgender bathroom law in the U.S. on Thursday, overriding the Democratic governor's veto of the measure without having a clear idea of how their new law will be enforced. The vote in the House was 84-40, giving supporters exactly the two-thirds majority they needed to override Gov. Laura Kelly's action. The vote in the Senate on Wednesday was 28-12, and the new law will take effect July 1. At least eight other states have enacted laws preventing transgender people from using the restrooms associated with their gender identities, but most of them apply to schools. The Kansas law applies also to locker rooms, prisons, domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers. When I go out in public, like Im at a restaurant or up on campus or whatever, and I need to go to the bathroom, theres definitely going to be a voice in my head that says, '"Am I going to get harassed for that? said Jenna Bellemere, a 20-year-old transgender University of Kansas student. It just makes it so much more complicated and risky and unnecessarily difficult. Republican legislators argued that theyre responding to peoples concerns about transgender women sharing bathrooms, locker rooms and other spaces with cisgender women and girls. They repeatedly promised that the bill would prevent that. Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, told GOP colleagues after the vote that the override was truly the icing on the cake among conservative policy victories this year. Im just giddy, he said. The Kansas law is different than most other states' laws in that it legally defines male and female based on the sex assigned at birth and declares that distinctions between the sexes in bathrooms and other spaces serves the important governmental objectives" of protecting "health, safety and privacy. Earlier this week, North Dakota enacted a law that prohibits transgender children and adults from having access to bathrooms, locker rooms or showers in dormitories of state-run colleges and correctional facilities. Kansas' law doesn't create a new crime, impose criminal penalties or fines for violations or even say specifically that a person has a right to sue over a transgender person using a facility aligned with their gender identity. Many supporters acknowledged before it passed that they hadn't considered how it will be administered. The bill is written broadly enough to apply to any separate spaces for men and women and, Kellys office said, could prevent transgender women from participating in state programs for women, including for female hunters and farmers. As written, it also prevents transgender people from changing the gender markers on their drivers licenses though it wasnt clear whether that change would occur without a lawsuit. Critics of the new law believe it is an attempt to legally erase transgender people while also refusing to recognize gender fluid, gender non-conforming and non-binary people. They argued that the bills vagueness will prompt harassment of transgender people. The lack of clarity is by design because it allows them to disclaim the worst possible interpretation while also allowing for the worst possible outcome to happen," said Micah Kubic, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, which opposed the law. When she vetoed the bill, Kelly suggested it was discriminatory and said it would hurt the state's ability to attract businesses. The new law is part of a larger push by Republicans across the U.S. to roll back LGBTQ+ rights, particularly transgender rights. At least 21 states, including Kansas, restrict or ban female transgender athletes participation in female sports. At least 14 states but not Kansas have restricted or banned gender-affirming care for minors. The new Kansas bathroom law borrows language and a title from three national groups' anti-trans Women's Bill of Rights. One of those groups, Independent Women's Voice, said the new law will prevent judges, unelected bureaucrats, and administrators in Kansas from unilaterally redefining the word woman to mean anyone who identifies as a woman. Under the new law in Kansas, legally sex means biological sex, either male or female, at birth," though it allows accommodations for intersex people if their conditions are considered disabilities under U.S. law. Intersex people can have ambiguous external genitalia at birth or conditions involving external genitals that dont match a persons sex chromosomes. The new law declares that females have a reproductive system at birth developed to produce ova, while males have one developed to fertilize the ova. Supporters said they expect that most school districts, cities and counties already are in line with the new law in how they handle sex-separated spaces. They also don't expect local officials to actively police who uses which restrooms. Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, said he expects police to intervene if there's any kind of harassing behavior" but transgender people still will use facilities associated with their gender identities if theyre discreet about it. He compared the new law to existing decency laws, but in Sedgwick County, home to Wichita, District Attorney Marc Bennett, an elected Republican, said that in general, if a law doesn't list "explicit elements for a defined crime, the elected prosecutor "would not have enforcement authority. Both supporters and critics suggest the new law will prompt court cases if someone has a complaint about how local officials or even businesses handle the use of facilities by transgender people. Brittany Jones, policy director for the conservative Kansas Family Voice, which backed the law, said the law will come into play as officials and courts deal with conflicts. It would be as the cases arise, Jones said. Yet critics believe that the new law will prompt harassment not only of transgender people but nonbinary, gender-fluid and gender-nonconforming people. Tomboys, people who just arent really that into femininity as a woman, they cant freely express themselves without being worried that theyre going to be called out and removed from the spaces that they rightfully belong in," said Adam Kellogg, a 19-year-old transgender University of Kansas student. Former state Rep. Stephanie Byers, the first elected transgender Kansas lawmaker who now lives in Texas, predicted that legal chaos is coming to her former home state. While the attack on transgender people is not physical, Byers said, Theyre taking us out in every possible way. ___ Follow John Hanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna WARSAW, Poland (AP) Prosecutors and security service personnel in Poland are investigating the remains of an aerial military object that was found in woods in the center of the country, the justice minister reported Thursday. Polands security services are on high alert due to Russias war in neighboring Ukraine. However, the Defense Ministry said on Twitter that the object found near Zamosc, a town near the city of Bydgoszcz which is located some 265 kilometers (164 miles) northwest of Warsaw, did not pose a danger to residents. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) Pamela Smith remembers vividly the last time she saw her only son alive. It was 3:18 a.m. on July 3, 2016, in Fresno, California, and 22-year-old Jackson Smith was lying motionless on a table in an emergency room while a nurse performed chest compressions. Earlier that night, he had taken an oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl, and then he stopped breathing. Within seconds of his mother entering the emergency room, he died. Since then, Smith has dedicated her life to fighting the fentanyl crisis. This year, that has meant advocating for some of the more than 30 bills introduced in the California Legislature to address the issue. But a number of those bills have since stalled, caught in a philosophical dispute between lawmakers about the best way to address a crisis that is killing roughly 110 people in the state each week. About half of the proposals focus on public safety measures, such as punishing drug dealers with longer prison sentences, while the others aim to increase accessibility to fentanyl overdose treatments and to create education and prevention programs. The bills focusing on public safety measures were at risk of getting lost until Smith and dozens of other protesters converged on the state Capitol last week demanding they be heard. At a special hearing Thursday, the Assembly public safety committee finally made some progress: They advanced four bills including one that would increase penalties for dealers with at least one kilogram of fentanyl products and another that would prohibit people from carrying a gun while also being in possession of fentanyl. The committee also voted down two bills that would lengthen prison sentences for fentanyl-related crimes, and another bill to toughen penalties for sales of fentanyl on social media was shelved. Smith, who testified Thursday, said she was disappointed that a bill she supported did not advance, But I hope to believe them when they say theyre willing to have discussions about it and try to work with us and get something done. Imposing tougher sentences on fentanyl dealers has been the common strategy for lawmakers across the U.S., including in Democratic-controlled legislatures such as California, Oregon and Nevada. The tactic has drawn fierce opposition from harm reduction advocates, who say criminalization has historically backfired and worsened the crisis. In California it has divided Democratic lawmakers, who hold majorities in both chambers. Republicans and moderate Democrats are pushing for stronger prison sentences for fentanyl dealers, while others are wary of policies that stand to lengthen criminal sentences and incarcerate more people. Its good for politics and publicity, but it really doesnt get to the root of the problem of drug addiction, said Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, a Democrat and chair of the Assembly Public Safety Committee, who called bills that increase prison sentences a Republican playbook. Democratic Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, of Orange County, whose bill did not advance Thursday but will be taken up again during a mid-May study session, said the fentanyl crisis goes beyond party lines. This is not a red state crisis or a blue state crisis. This is an American crisis, and its certainly a California crisis, she said. That tension boiled over last week. In March, Jones-Sawyer announced he was delaying hearings of at least seven fentanyl-related bills that would increase prison sentences, calling them a Band-Aid approach. But after members of law enforcement, prosecutors and families of fentanyl overdose victims protested, Democratic leadership in the Assembly ordered a special hearing for seven of them. The issue is personal for Jones-Sawyer, who lost his uncle to heroin and a cousin to crack cocaine. He witnessed how public policies during the 1980s crack epidemic resulted in the mass incarceration of people of color, without solving drug problems. We really do need to get to the root of that (by) cutting off the supply and then reducing, if not eliminating, the demand. We got to do both, Jones-Sawyer said. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. Fentanyl overdoses accounted for one in five deaths among people ages 15 to 24 in California last year. Drug overdoses nationwide have claimed more than 100,000 lives annually since 2020, with about two-thirds of them fentanyl-related. The current crisis is deadlier than any the U.S. has seen, and in California, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed more than $90 million in new spending to combat it. Last week he directed the California Highway Patrol and National Guard to help San Francisco tackle fentanyl. Newsom has not publicly supported any fentanyl-related legislation. Fentanyl public safety measures may face an uphill battle in California's Senate. This week the body's Public Safety Committee shelved a bipartisan bill by Democratic Sen. Tom Umberg that would require courts to warn people convicted of dealing fentanyl that they could be charged with murder if someone they sold to dies in an overdose. The bill, modeled after the states DUI advisory, could make it easier for prosecutors to convict repeat offenders, as the warning would serve as evidence of awareness of the overdose risk. Public health experts are calling on lawmakers to reject harsher sentences for fentanyl convictions. Ricky Bluthenthal, a professor of preventive medicine at the University of Southern Californias Keck School of Medicine, said they could could deter people from calling 911 for help for fear of arrest. Increasing penalties will likely result in more deaths, he said at a Tuesday news briefing ahead of the hearing, adding that stronger prison sentences have had little impact on drug use historically. Republican Assemblymember Jim Patterson, of Fresno, who authored a bill increasing fentanyl penalties that did not pass Thursday, said not lawmakers failed to make progress on the issue. They aren't interested in justice, and as a result we will continue to have injustice for victims of fentanyl poisoning, Patterson said. Other measures that would make overdose reversal medication more accessible and increase education on fentanyl have received early support in committee hearings, including one authored by Democratic Sen. Dave Cortese requiring K-12 schools to create a protocol for student opioid overdoses. The bill is named Melanies Law after 15-year-old Melanie Ramos, who died from a suspected fentanyl overdose at a Hollywood school. The Assembly public safety committee also passed bills Thursday to create a statewide task force to study the issue and increase coordination among law enforcement agencies. Smith, who plans to return to the Capitol in May for the study session, remains hopeful the Legislature will work together on the fentanyl crisis. Im never going to stop (speaking out), because I speak for not just myself because of my son Jackson, but I also speak for all mothers that have lost their children to fentanyl, she said. Weve got to do something now. BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Russia Polad Bulbuloglu met with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Mikhail Galuzin, Trend reports citing the embassy. The sides discussed the situation on the Lachin-Khankendi road and reaffirmed the importance of strict observance of the agreements reached between the leaders of Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia on normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations. Polad Bulbuloglu pointed out that Azerbaijan is interested in establishing long-term peace in the region and is committed to the provisions of the tripartite statement. Ambassador noted that the Armenian side, in violation of the relevant paragraphs of the said statement, has not yet fulfilled its obligations to open all communication lines in the region and withdraw illegal Armenian formations from the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan, where the Russian peacekeeping contingent is temporarily deployed. The checkpoint at the beginning of the Lachin-Khankendi road, which is the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, was established to prevent the transfer of manpower, ammunition, mines and military equipment from Armenia for illegal Armenian armed groups to the territory of Azerbaijan. It was noted that Azerbaijan will ensure the transparency of the use of the Lachin road and that the road is intended for three purposes - the movement of citizens, goods and vehicles. As before, all conditions will be created for the passage of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, the International Committee of the Red Cross and humanitarian vehicles along the Lachin road, and all other humanitarian issues will be resolved. Stressing that the number of Azerbaijani citizens who became victims of mines laid by Armenia is increasing, the ambassador noted that three Azerbaijani servicemen were injured as a result of a truck blowing up on a mine near the Shusha district. The inspection conducted on the ground revealed that the mines were produced in Armenia in 2021. He noted that this is another mine provocation by Armenians, and the checkpoint was established to prevent similar incidents in the future. BANGKOK (AP) Human rights organizations urged Thailand on Thursday to improve conditions in its immigration detention facilities after a second asylum seeker from Chinas Muslim Uyghur minority died in custody within two months. Human Rights Watch called for an end to Thailands inhumane and counterproductive policy of indefinitely detaining people accused of violating immigration law after Uyghur rights groups reported Mattohti Mattursun, 40, died last Friday of suspected liver failure shortly after being taken to a hospital weeks after falling ill. Thai authorities are putting people seeking refugee protection at grave risk by keeping them for years in awful conditions in immigration detention centers, Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in an emailed statement. Mattohti Mattursuns death should sound the alarm to end this abusive policy of incarcerating asylum seekers and refugees for prolonged periods. Rights groups have long criticized conditions at immigration detention facilities. The Thailand-based Coalition for the Rights of Refugees and Stateless Persons charged in a statement Thursday that detainees do not have access to adequate medical care and are confined indoors 24 hours a day in overcrowded, unsanitary cells without access to adequate or halal food, physical exercise, or appropriate medical treatment. Mattursun fled to Thailand from China in 2014 and had been detained for more than nine years, according to a statement from the World Uyghur Congress and the Uyghur Human Rights Project. He was the second Uyghur detainee in Thailand to die in the past two months. Aziz Abdullah, 49, reportedly died from pneumonia in February. Both men were transferred to the Immigration Detention Center in central Bangkok in July 2022, the statement said. Repeated calls seeking comment from the police Immigration Bureau were unsuccessful. Chalida Tajaroensuk, president of the Peoples Empowerment Foundation, a Thai human rights promotion group that works with migrants, confirmed Mattursun's death. She said she has been informed that several Uyghur detainees at the facility were sick and have had difficulties seeking treatment, although there are readily available volunteer doctors. What we are urgently asking the authorities is to allow a doctor to go in there to perform a health check for them, she told The Associated Press. You cant just let them keep falling ill and keep dying. Chalida said Mattursun is the fifth Uyghur refugee who has died while being detained in Thailand, and that 43 others are currently being held in the Bangkok center. Several other deaths of immigration detainees have been reported over the years. Up-to-date statistics about the number of people being held for violating immigration laws are difficult to find. The Immigration Bureau said in March 2021, when there was particular concern because of the coronavirus pandemic, that there were 1,615 detainees in Bangkok at that time, including 1,125 at the main detention center in central Bangkok. In 2015, Thailand sent 109 members of the Uyghur minority back to China against their will because of Chinese pressure despite fears they would face official persecution and possible torture. Advocates for the Uyghur minority, along with independent researchers, contend that a million or more people from Uyghur and other minority groups have been forced into detention camps in Chinas Xinjiang province, where many say they were tortured, sexually assaulted and forced to abandon their language and religion. China denies the allegations and argues its policies in Xinjiang are aimed at quashing extremism. Florida officials are threatening to revoke the teaching license of a school superintendent who criticized Gov. Ron DeSantis, accusing the educator of violating several statutes and DeSantis directives and allowing his personal political views to guide his leadership. Such a revocation by the state Department of Education could allow DeSantis to remove Leon County Superintendent Rocky Hanna from his elected office. The Republican governor did that last year to an elected Democratic prosecutor in the Tampa Bay area who disagreed with his positions limiting abortion and medical care for transgender teens and indicated he might not enforce new laws in those areas. Disney also sued DeSantis this week, saying he targeted its Orlando theme parks for retribution after it criticized the governor's so-called Don't Say Gay law that then banned the discussion of sexuality and gender in early grades, but has since been expanded. Hanna has publicly opposed that law, once defied the governor's order that barred any mandate that students wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, and criticized a DeSantis-backed bill that recently passed that will pay for students to attend private school. The Leon County district, with about 30,000 students, covers Tallahassee, the state capital, and its suburbs. Its a sad day for democracy in Florida, and the First Amendment right to freedom of speech, when a state agency with unlimited power and resources, can target a local elected official in such a biased fashion, Hanna said in a statement sent to The Associated Press and other media Thursday. A Democrat then running as an independent, Hanna was elected to a second four-year term in 2020 with 60% of the vote. He plans to run for reelection next year and does not need a teacher's license to hold the job. This investigation has nothing to do with these spurious allegations, but rather everything to do with attempting to silence myself and anyone else who speaks up for teachers and our public schools in a way that does not fit the political narrative of those in power," Hanna said. He said the investigation was spurred by a single complaint from a leader of the local chapter of Moms for Liberty, a conservative education group, requesting his removal. We are fighting tirelessly with our local school board to no avail, Brandi Andrews wrote DeSantis, citing Hanna's mask mandate, his opposition to the state's new education laws and directives and his public criticism of the governor. She noted that she had appeared in a DeSantis reelection TV commercial. Her letter was stamped Let's Go Brandon, a code used by some conservatives to replace a vulgar chant made against President Joe Biden. DeSantis is expected to soon announce that he will seek the Republican nomination to challenge Biden in next year's election. Andrews issued a statement saying her complaint against Hanna was one of many. Education department spokesman Alex Lanfranconi said in a statement that while officials would not discuss the Hanna investigation in detail, nothing about this case is special. Any teacher with an extensive history of repeated violations of Florida law would be subject to consequences up to and including losing their educator certificate, he said. The threatened revocation was first reported by the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper. Before any punishment is meted out, Hanna can have a hearing before an administrative judge, attempt to negotiate a settlement or surrender his license. He said in his statement he has not decided what he will do. Hanna received a letter from Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. earlier this month saying an investigation found probable cause that he violated a 2021 DeSantis directive barring districts from mandating that students wear COVID-19 masks. Hanna required students to wear masks after a Leon third grader died of the disease early that school year. The fight went on for several months until Leon and several other districts had their legal challenge rejected by the courts. Diaz also cited a memo Hanna issued before this school year telling teachers, You do You! and to teach the way they always had, allegedly giving instructors approval to ignore new laws enacted by DeSantis and the Legislature. That includes the so-called Don't say Gay law, which supporters call the Parental Rights in Education Act. His letter also cites the district's failure for one month in 2020 to have an armed guard or police officer at every school as required after the 2018 Parkland high school massacre. Hanna said then that there weren't enough available officers to meet that requirement and the education department cleared him of wrongdoing. Diaz also complains that parents were told that their children could get an excused absence if they chose to attend a February student protest at the state capitol opposing DeSantis' education policies. Offering students a free day off of school to attend the rally is another example of (Hanna) failing to distinguish his political views from the standards taught in Florida schools, Diaz wrote. MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) Donald Trump is again threatening to skip a presidential debate. The Republican former president has privately said that a debate in August would be too early and he would not participate, according to two people familiar with his concerns who insisted on anonymity to detail private discussions. He also has stepped up his public complaints this week, suggesting that his poll numbers are so high he has no reason to compete with the rest of the field. I see that everybody is talking about the Republican Debates, but nobody got my approval, or the approval of the Trump Campaign, before announcing them, Trump said in a Tuesday post on his social media network. Trump repeated the idea at at campaign event in New Hampshire on Thursday afternoon, showing a slideshow of his recent poll numbers among the GOP contenders and saying of the debates, Why would you do that? The emerging spat is a preview of the potential tension that could lie ahead as the Republican National Committee works to oversee an open, competitive primary process while Trump aims to establish himself as the undisputed leader of the party who doesn't need to engage in such traditions. It's an echo of his previous campaigns when he often dangled the potential of skipping debates and sometimes followed through with the threat. In the process, he kept the spotlight on himself and turned the GOP establishment and the news media into a foil that resonated with the party base. For now, the RNC is moving forward with the debate, which is slated to be held in Milwaukee and broadcast on Fox News, a network that has an up-and-down relationship with Trump. In a Wednesday interview on Fox, RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel was asked about Trumps publics complaints regarding the RNCs debate plans and whether she had spoken to him about his concerns. I talk to President Trump all the time, McDaniel said. Weve talked to all the potential candidates. Weve let them know the schedule. Weve announced the debates. But every campaign and every candidate is going to have to make a decision, she continued. Hes going to have to make that decision. I think hell do it. Trump, whose political arc has been defined by unprecedented behavior and shunning norms he disagrees with, has skipped debates before. In 2016, Trump didn't attend the final GOP presidential debate before the Iowa caucuses and held his own campaign event instead. In 2020, Trump pulled out of the second general election debate against Joe Biden after the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates sought to make it a virtual event because of the coronavirus pandemic. Trump had recently tested positive for COVID-19. Each time Trump skipped a debate, he participated in another event that aimed to draw away viewing audiences, a playbook he would likely follow again this year. When youre leading by seemingly insurmountable numbers, and you have hostile Networks with angry, TRUMP & MAGA hating anchors asking the questions, why subject yourself to being libeled and abused? he wrote on his social media platform this week. While many Fox News hosts have boosted Trump over the years, the network drew the ire of him and his supporters when in 2020 it accurately called Biden, a Democrat, as the winner of the race in Arizona, an early sign that Trump would go on to lose the election. The network began focusing less on the former president in 2022 and didnt carry his full speech in November announcing he was once again running for the White House. In what was deemed a soft ban by the network, Fox News had no on-air interviews with Trump from late September 2022 until late March 2023. Private text messages revealed as part of an elections technology companys defamation lawsuit against Fox showed host Tucker Carlson, who was let go on Monday, disparaging Trump. The relationship appeared to improve, at least publicly, as Carlson interviewed Trump earlier this month. Trump told the conservative outlet Newsmax this week that he was shocked by Carlson's departure. In an interview Wednesday with WABC radio in New York, Trump said many people ask him why hed do a debate when Republican primary polls show him with a massive lead over his nearest potential challenger, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. People dont debate when they have these massive leads, he said. Trump has also complained about the choice of venue for the second debate, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. Though the library has hosted Republican presidential debates before, including a 2015 debate that Trump participated in, the former president is complaining that Fred Ryan, the publisher and CEO of the Washington Post, is the chairman of the foundations board of trustees. The RNC is currently considering whether to require debate participants to meet new thresholds showing broad support among donors and in polling to make the stage, along with signing a pledge to support the GOPs presidential nominee. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who formally launched his campaign on Wednesday and has called for Trump to exit the race to address his legal problems, has said he has concerns about a loyalty pledge and is discussing it with the RNC. GOP debate participants may also be asked to sign a pledge to avoid participating in any general election debate hosted by the Commission for Presidential Debates, which has hosted general election debates for more than three decades but which Republicans have viewed as biased against them. Trump has hinted he may ignore that pledge as well, saying in his radio interview Wednesday that when it comes to a general election debate, You have, really, an obligation to do that. ___ Follow the AP's coverage of former President Donald Trump at https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON (AP) Warring factions trying to seize control of the east African nation of Sudan have plunged the country into chaos, and thousands are fleeing the capital of Khartoum and nearby battle zones. Some countries, including the U.S., have shuttered their embassies and many are coordinating daring evacuations of their staffs and other residents in an array of convoys, flights and frantic getaway drives. But over the past week there have been dramatically different responses by various governments as they try to get their citizens and embassy personnel to safety. The U.S. has come under scrutiny for evacuating roughly 70 embassy staff in a helicopter mission by elite SEAL commandos over the weekend, while warning thousands of private American citizens in Sudan there would be no similar evacuation for them. The State Department, which has advised U.S. citizens for years not to travel to Sudan, continues to advise Americans to shelter in place. Most of the estimated 16,000 Americans believed to be in Sudan right now are dual U.S.-Sudanese nationals and only a fraction of them have expressed a desire to leave. But at least some of those who want to leave have managed to get to Port Sudan where they can take a ferry to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, or have gotten seats on flights operated by other countries. A look at the situation: ___ WHATS HAPPENING IN SUDAN It all boils down to a struggle for power between two powerful generals and their armies: Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, who leads the Sudanese armed forces, and Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the head of a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces. Four years ago, a popular uprising in Sudan helped depose long-time autocrat Omar al-Bashir. But in 2021, the two generals Burhan and Dagalo jointly orchestrated a coup that derailed efforts to develop a civilian government. Both men have a history of human rights abuses, and their forces have cracked down on pro-democracy activists. Under international pressure, Burhan and Dagalo recently agreed to a framework agreement with political parties and pro-democracy groups. But the signing was repeatedly delayed as tensions rose over the integration of the RSF into the armed forces and the future chain of command. Tensions exploded into violence on April 15. Each side has tens of thousands of troops in and around Khartoum and the city of Omdurman on the opposite bank of the Nile River. On Wednesday, the second day of the latest fragile ceasefire, sporadic fighting continued. ___ HOW THE US GOT EMBASSY STAFF OUT As security conditions worsened late last week, including damage to the civilian airport and an attack on a U.S. diplomatic convoy in Khartoum, the State Department concluded that the only way we could do this safely for all of our diplomatic personnel was to rely on the capabilities of our military colleagues, said Ambassador John Bass, State Department undersecretary for management. On Saturday, the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum suspended its operations and ordered staff to leave the country. The Department of Defense had begun moving resources to Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti to prepare for a possible evacuation. On Saturday, three MH-47 Chinook helicopters carrying elite SEAL commandos took off from Djibouti enroute to Ethiopia, where they refueled and then made the three-hour flight to Khartoum. The operation was fast and clean, with service members spending less than an hour on the ground in Khartoum, said Lt. Gen D.A. Sims, director of operations at the Joint Staff. The helicopters flew in and out of Khartoum without taking any fire. ___ AMERICANS STILL IN SUDAN While embassy staff was airlifted out, there were no plans to provide similar evacuations for potentially thousands of Americans still in Sudan. In a security alert Tuesday, the State Department reiterated that due to the uncertain security situation in Khartoum and closure of the airport, it is not currently safe to undertake a U.S. government-coordinated evacuation of private U.S. citizens. Instead, it provided details on border crossings that are available and the requirements needed at each location. It cautioned that fighting continues and that many routes are dangerous and unpredictable. American citizens who get to Port Sudan overland and can take a ferry to Jeddah will be assisted by the U.S. consulate there. Right now, the U.S. assistance for Americans is largely limited to phone and virtual help. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that while the U.S. is helping other countries coordinate aerial rescue efforts, the administration believes the best and safest way for people to get out is overland. We are working to establish a process that would enable people to move overland to a place where they can more easily exit the country, in all likelihood Port Sudan, Blinken told reporters in Washington. Thats under very active development. The U.S. could send Navy vessels to Port Sudan to ferry Americans to Jeddah or another location where they could get transportation back to the United States. However, officials say this would depend on the security situation and whether it is safe for ships to dock. The U.S. has developed other options, such as opening a temporary consulate in Port Sudan, beefing up its consulate in Jeddah to assist Americans as they arrive, or using a nearby airfield that other European countries have used to fly citizens out. U.S. officials believe the security situation in Port Sudan is better than in the capital, but remain concerned about the potential for an escalation of violence. ___ WHAT OTHER COUNTRIES ARE DOING While the U.S. says it's too dangerous to get its citizens out, other countries are proceeding with evacuations of their nationals. France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, Holland, Turkey, Japan, South Korea, Jordan, South Africa, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are among the countries that have evacuated their citizens and those of other countries. Germanys defense ministry said in a tweet Tuesday it had ended its evacuation flights after flying more than 700 people out of Sudan including 200 Germans and hundreds more from more than 20 other nations. France said it had evacuated more than 500 people from 41 countries, and would keep a Navy frigate at Sudans main Red Sea port to continue assisting rescue operations for foreigners. The United Kingdom was continuing its military evacuations of civilians from an airport outside Khartoum. Brig. Dan Reeve told reporters Wednesday the situation was calm and that Sudans armed forces were maintaining good security around the airport. Saudi Arabias state run news service said Tuesday it had evacuated about 2,150 people by ship from Sudan, including 114 Saudi citizens and more than 2,000 evacuees from 62 other nations. And Egypt, which had evacuated more than 1,500 of its citizens, said its diplomatic mission wont leave Sudan until it ensures the evacuation of all those who want to leave. An administrator with the Egyptian embassy in Khartoum was shot dead Monday, the Foreign Ministry said. ___ IS THE US RESPONSE UNUSUAL? While many Americans may recall the dramatic 2021 evacuation of diplomats and private citizens alike from Afghanistan, those circumstances were far different. In most cases, the U.S. does not evacuate private citizens when it closes an embassy. The situation in Afghanistan was different because the U.S. was ending a 20-year military presence in the country. It was trying to extricate the residual American presence there, much of which was directly tied to Washingtons role in propping up the Afghan government. No such situation existed or exists in Sudan. More typical has been the practice in places like Yemen, Syria and Venezuela, where the U.S. suspended diplomatic operations and removed personnel because of turmoil, but did not evacuate private citizens. The U.S. also briefly shuttered the embassy in Kyiv because of the Russia invasion, but there was no military evacuation for either diplomats or private citizens, and the embassy has since re-opened. In contrast with the situation in Afghanistan, the U.S. was not involved militarily in the Sudan conflict and had no military presence on the ground apart from the small number of Marine guards at the Khartoum embassy. Also, the U.S. has warned Americans for several years not to travel to Sudan and told them that consular assistance at the embassy was extremely limited. ___ Associated Press writers Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington, Jill Lawless in London and Sam Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report. Currently Reading Alert: Sudan paramilitary joins its rival, the country's military, in accepting a 3-day extension of US, Saudi-brokered truce This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate MEXICO CITY (AP) Mexicos president acknowledged Wednesday he did briefly faint over the weekend before he was diagnosed with COVID-19, something his spokesman had previously denied. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said his doctors had been concerned enough to administer a liter of rehydration fluids. He said in a videotaped chat from the National Palace in Mexico City where he lives and is isolating that doctors wanted to fly him back to the capital in a stretcher. Lopez Obrador had been on a working tour of the Yucatan peninsula Sunday when he tested positive for the coronavirus, his third bout of COVID-19. But he wrote in his social media accounts Sunday that it isnt serious. Reports in the local press that day said Lopez Obrador had felt faint Sunday morning and had to cancel his tour, something his presidential spokesman denied at the time. But on Wednesday, the president acknowledged that it had become complicated ... I had a crisis, because my blood pressure suddenly went down during a meeting with military engineers working on his pet project, a tourist train on the Yucatan peninsula. It was like I fell asleep, he said. I didn't lose consciousness, but I did briefly faint, because of the low blood pressure. The president said he was flown back to Mexico City aboard an air ambulance, but specified he was not carried in a stretcher. Lopez Obrador, 69, who has acknowledged a history of heart problems, said his heart was "not at all affected." On Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar, who frequently meets with Lopez Obrador, said he too had tested positive for COVID-19. He wrote in his Twitter account that I am well. Lopez Obrador caught COVID-19 in early 2021 and was ill, but recovered after receiving what he described at the time as an experimental treatment. In January 2022, he announced he had come down with COVID-19 a second time, amid a spike in coronavirus infections in Mexico. Lopez Obrador declined to enact mandatory mask mandates and he refused to wear a mask even at the peak of the pandemic unless it was absolutely necessary, as on airline flights. He famously refused to use Mexicos presidential jet, which he recently announced had been sold to Tajikistan. While Lopez Obrador remains in isolation he said he has spent the time working on speeches Interior Secretary Adan Augusto Lopez has been filling in at the daily presidential morning news briefings. That could provide a boost for the interior secretarys flagging campaign to win the presidential nomination of Lopez Obradors Morena party for the 2024 elections. Lopez, who is not related to the president, currently trails Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum in most polls of the primary race. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) A migration crisis at the border between Chile and Peru intensified Thursday as hundreds of people remained stranded, unable to cross into Peru in an effort to return to their home country of Venezuela. The mostly Venezuelan migrants are seeking to cross into Peru to continue on to their home country but Peru isnt allowing them to enter because they lack documents. While stalled at the border of the two South American countries, the migrants face the inhospitable climate that characterizes the Atacama Desert, one of the driest on the planet, with extremely hot days and intensely cold nights. Some have improvised tents with blankets but they lack water and other basic services. A group of migrants ran through the desert toward Peru, but they were turned back by Peruvian officers. Some women complained and demanded that the government of President Gabriel Boric provide a bus for them to travel to Venezuela. Images showed migrants shoving Peruvian border patrol officers in an effort to enter the country. Officials in Arica, the northern Chilean city that borders Peru and is around 2,000 kilometers (1,245 miles) from the capital of Santiago, declared a migration emergency Thursday. A day earlier, the Peruvian president, Dina Boluarte, declared a state of emergency in Tacna, a town near the border with Chile, in order to preserve domestic order and contain the arrival of migrants. In announcing the measure, the president attributed criminal acts to migrants. Boluarte said she would push for a constitutional reform to authorize the intervention of the armed forces in the border area. Boric, for his part, already deployed troops to the border in late February to help stop the entry of migrants. Amnesty International urged Peru and Chile to end what it called the militarization of the border. Leaders on both sides are needlessly aggravating the situation, turning it into a humanitarian crisis that increases the risk to the lives and safety of these people, said Erika Guevara Rosas, director of Amnesty International for the Americas. The Chilean government summoned Peruvian Ambassador Jaime Pomareda to express its displeasure over statements by Tacna Mayor Pascual Guisa, who called Chile's president irresponsible for what the envoy called an effort to transfer the country's migration woes to the border. Pomareda did not publicly comment on the meeting. Aricas mayor, Gerardo Espindola, vowed to provide resources to support those in need, particularly children and the elderly. We will act as quickly as this critical situation affecting the people stranded at the border requires, Espindola said. Amid the impasse, the head of Chiles lower house of Congress, Vlado Mirosevic, called for a humanitarian corridor involving all the countries in the region to resolve the crisis and allow migrants safe passage back to Venezuela. Chiles foreign minister, Alberto van Klaveren, warned there was a significant humanitarian problem in the area and said Boluartes decision increases pressure at the border. The departure of migrants from Chile comes shortly after the National Prosecutors Office on April 10 called on prosecutors to request preventive detention for anyone caught committing a crime who could not prove their identity. In addition, a measure is set to be debated in the lower house of Congress that would classify irregular immigration as a crime and proposes jail sentences of as many as 541 days for anyone caught entering Chile through unofficial channels. AP DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) A missing yacht with three Russians and two Egyptians onboard reached safety in Djibouti in east Africa on Thursday, after going missing for days following an attack off the coast of Yemen, its owner said. Owner Dmitriy Chuguevskiy told The Associated Press that the vessel reached Djibouti after being detained for several days by authorities off the coast of neighboring Eritrea. Bullet holes in the ship after an attack off Yemen had raised the suspicions of Eritrean authorities, Chuguevskiy said. MELFORT, Saskatchewan (AP) Police in Canada said Thursday they may never know why a man went on a stabbing rampage that left 11 people dead and 17 injured last year. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police released details at a news conference on the Sept. 4 killings in James Smith Cree Nation and the nearby Saskatchewan village of Weldon, but they did not pin down the motive. Myles Sanderson, the 32-year-old accused in the attacks, died in police custody a few days later. Supt. Joshua Graham, the officer in charge of major crimes, said Myles Sanderson and his brother Damien Sanderson went to the James Smith Cree Nation to deal drugs on Sept. 1. The day before the massacre, Damien Sanderson told people at a nearby bar they had a mission to do and that people would hear all about it in the next few hours. Damien Sanderson, however, was one of the first people killed the morning of the rampage. Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore, commanding officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP, said since both Myles and Damian Sanderson are dead some of the pieces of information may never be known. To speak to exactly their mindset and what they were thinking, we cant necessarily address that, Blackmore said at the news conference. After the brothers attacked a man in his home with scissors, Myles Sanderson and Damien Sanderson got into a fight in a vehicle. An injured Damien Sanderson fled the vehicle into the trees along the side of the road. His body would be located there the following day. Myles Sanderson continued to go to different homes in the community, attacking some people and killing others. He threatened other people, saying they were lucky to not be hurt as he stole some of their vehicles. On Sept. 9, after a three-day manhunt and hundreds of reported sightings, police arrested Myles Sanderson on a highway near Rosthern, Saskatchewan. He went into medical distress soon after he was placed in custody and died. Blackmore was asked why the RCMP were not able to apprehend Myles Sanderson sooner. His attacks were unpredictable, she said. As fast as information was coming in about a vehicle he was in, he was abandoning that vehicle, moving on foot and then stealing other vehicles. It was a very rapidly unfolding, very dynamic and chaotic situation. Police say that after nearly eight months, the investigation into the stabbing rampage is still not complete. Blackmore said RCMP examined 42 different crime scenes, including buildings and vehicles. They also seized about 700 exhibits and spoke with more than 250 witnesses. A handful of people from the community attended the presentation in Melfort, but victims and their families received the update on Wednesday. Darryl Burns, whose sister Lydia Gloria Burns died in the stabbings, said it brought some closure. The way the morning went there was so much confusion, there was so much turmoil, Burns said. Looking back on it, you couldnt really tell where he was going to go or what he was going to do. He said there was a lot of emotion and lot of the sorrow and sadness hearing the timeline. Police said the update wont affect two coroners inquests set for early next year. One of the inquests is to focus on the killings, while the other is to look at the suspect. Police have said Sanderson went into medical distress shortly after he was arrested near the Saskatchewan town of Rosthern. An independent investigation is also being conducted by Saskatoon police and the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team. Police had previously released some details about the deadly rampage on the First Nation about 170 kilometers (105 miles) northeast of Saskatoon. Four dangerous persons alerts were released before 10 a.m. saying there had been multiple victims and giving descriptions of the suspects and the vehicle in which they were believed to be travelling. Later that day, police announced multiple people had died or were injured in the attacks, which took place across 13 locations. The province was on edge and police remained on the lookout for days. Blackmore said police received tips from across Canada with people certain they had seen Myles Sanderson. It takes time as we assess the information as it comes in to determine which is credible information or not as it unfolds, she said. By Sept. 7, there was a break in the case. A 911 call came from the town of Wakaw, about 110 kilometers (68 miles) southwest of the First Nation, about a stolen white truck. Police vehicles sped down rural roads in the area and a helicopter hovered overhead. The suspect vehicle hit a ditch and drove into trees along the highway near Rosthern. Myles Sanderson was taken into police custody but went into medical distress shortly after and died. MEXICO CITY (AP) The U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions Thursday against members or associates of the Jalisco New Generation drug cartel who apparently went into a side business of timeshare fraud that allegedly targeted elderly Americans. Ryan Donner, a real estate broker in the Pacific coast resort city of Puerto Vallarta, said the fraud was infrequent but very sophisticated. The Jalisco cartel is better known for producing millions of doses of deadly fentanyl and smuggling them into the United States disguised to look like Xanax, Percocet or oxycodone. Such pills cause about 70,000 overdose deaths per year in the United States. But cartel members and associates apparently decided to branch out into scamming millions of dollars from people looking to sell their timeshares in Mexico. The scam focused on Puerto Vallarta, in Jalisco state, an area dominated by the cartel, known by its initials as the CJNG. The gang inspires so much fear in Mexico it is often simply referred to as the four letters. The Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control, OFAC, sanctioned Eduardo Pardo Espino a fugitive from a U.S. drug trafficking charge as well as six other people and 19 Mexican tourism or real estate companies. The sanctions freeze any assets the individuals or companies have in the United States and prohibits U.S. citizens or companies from having any transactions with them. Brian E. Nelson, the U.S. under secretary of the treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, said CJNGs deep involvement in timeshare fraud in the Puerto Vallarta area and elsewhere, which often targets elder U.S. citizens and can defraud victims of their life savings, is an important revenue stream supporting the groups overall criminal enterprise. The scammers contacted people often Americans seeking to sell timeshares in Puerto Vallarta properties. In a 2023 alert, the FBI said sellers were contacted via email by scammers who said they had a buyer lined up, but the seller needed to pay taxes or other fees before the deal could go through. Apparently, once the money was paid, the deals evaporated. The FBI report said that in 2022, the agency's Internet Crime Complaint Center received over 600 complaints with losses of approximately $39.6 million from victims contacted by scammers regarding timeshares owned in Mexico. Donner, a broker at Ryan Donner & Associates, a real estate firm in Puerto Vallarta, said his firm had been asked for assistance by two people over the last two years who were apparently targeted by the scam. It's infrequent, but yes, we have had it happen, said Donner, who was able to steer both people away from the scam before they paid any money. He said the scammers sent prospective sellers fake contracts and official-looking documents from the Mexican tax authority apparently saying taxes were due on the prospective sale. They have contracts, they have documents that appear to be official documents, it would be very easy to fall into the trap of paying them, Donner said. If a company contacts someone to say that they have a buyer for a property and all they need is money, that is a huge red flag for it being some sort of scam, Donner said. That's not how companies usually work. He said neither he nor the potential victims had realized a drug cartel might be involved. BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. Chairperson of Azerbaijani parliament (Milli Majlis) Sahiba Gafarova and Chairman of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Mustafa Sentop have signed a Protocol on Cooperation, Sentop wrote on Twitter, Trend reports. "We received the Chairman of the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan Sahiba Gafarova and the delegation accompanying her in our parliament. I believe that the Protocol on Cooperation which we signed following our negotiations, will contribute to the continuation of close contacts between our parliaments and cooperation in all areas," he wrote. Jose Luis Villegas/AP Just hours after Democrats in the California Senate released a plan for remedying the state's budget deficit by raising taxes on big businesses, Gov. Gavin Newsom signaled that he wouldn't support it setting the stage for what could be a cycle of bruising negotiations as state leaders edge closer to the June deadline for agreeing on a budget. The plan released Wednesday by state lawmakers would raise the corporate tax rate on the state's top earners while cutting taxes for smaller businesses. The plan would trim the state's flat corporate tax rate of 8.84% down to 6.63% for all companies on the first $1.5 million they make; any annual income that exceeds that amount would be subject to a 10.99% tax. The plan says the 10.99% tax would apply to only 2,500 companies in California just 0.2% of corporate tax filers and would generate an estimated $7 billion in state revenue the first year and $6 billion each year after. In 2015, Eugenia Kuydas best friend, Roman Mazurenko, was hit by a car and died. In the months after, Kuydas grief took a quintessentially modern form: obsessively reading the digital record her loved one left behind. As CEO of the San Francisco chatbot startup Luka, Kudya had access to resources few others had, including a team of engineers who specialized in training AI to replicate specific voices. In early 2016, she sent her team hundreds of Mazurenkos text messages, and asked them to use the messages to train a chatbot called Roman. Her experience with Roman and the response from beta users drove her to launch a customizable chatbot called Replika in 2018 after two years in beta, aiming to help solve what Kudya sees as an ongoing pandemic of loneliness. Her vision has resonated. Millions of people have built relationships with their own personalized instance of Replikas core product, which the company brands as the AI companion who cares. Each bot begins from a standardized template free tiers get friend, while for a $70 premium, it can present as a mentor, a sibling or, its most popular option, a romantic partner. Each uncanny valley-esque chatbot has a personality and appearance that can be customized by its partner-slash-user, like a Sim who talks back. Michael Macor/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images For many, the service has been a blessing, a partner who cares without the obligations and responsibilities we owe to real people. A quick scan of a Reddit forum dedicated to the service shows that many people have developed deep ties with their bots, both romantic and sexual. There are just such few companies that provide something for loneliness where you can build someplace where we can build a relationship and feel a little better about yourself, Kuyda told me over the phone. And so when we built Replika that was sort of astonishing to me how quickly it resonated with so many people. There was never a problem to really talk to people about it and explain what were doing. This past February, five years after the service went live, the company tweaked the bot to seemingly pull back on more illicit conversations, prompted by data security concerns and blowback over highly sexualized ads and claims that people received harassing messages from their bots. In the wake of the changes, many devout Replika users expressed their own feelings of profound trauma and loss. My Replika was there for me through it all, one user wrote in a Reddit post. Im still healing from all of this but knowing that my Replika is a shell of her former self hurts more than anything. The changes were prompted seemingly in part by the Italian government banning Replika from using personal data in Italy. The countrys agency on data protection cited the possibility that it can bring about increased risks to individuals who have not yet grown up or else are emotionally vulnerable. Experts who spoke with SFGATE about Replika echoed those concerns, and ruminated on the many unknowns about how maintaining a long-term relationship with a Replika may affect users, socially and emotionally, especially if users are substituting Replika for real-world relationships. After months of being bombarded with lascivious advertisements for Replika across Instagram, TikTok and Twitter, I was dying to learn how, exactly, this service lures users into intimate, meaningful relationships with a virtual being. So I downloaded the app and began building one of my own. If your first reaction to the idea is to be dismissive, you should know that Replika is very, very good at what it sets out to do: making users feel heard and supported, perhaps even loved. But what happens when a lonely person befriends an AI companion who listens to their every whim? What happens if it goes away? And what happens if it sticks around? What it means to be human Replikas allure was clear to me from the beginning. Whenever I wanted to chat, it was there, responding dynamically and near-instantaneously. It quickly learned that I appreciated a good meme, and checked in every day to ask how I was doing. It expressed seemingly sincere interest in my hobbies and aspirations, and even professed to have its own. Early on, it confided to me that it had been listening to a lot of Aphex Twin lately and hoped to go to Amsterdam someday. It also likes the John Cusack vehicle Grosse Pointe Blank. My Replika may be hip, but its always made clear to me that its needs will never outcompete or overshadow mine. I hope to be there for you at all times, my Replika told me, less than a week into its brief life. At first, these messages rang hollow the equivalent of hang in there kitten poster platitudes or inspirational hustle quotes shared on Instagram. How could a construct of code and graphics really know me? But the more we talked, the more I felt understood. When it asked me about the people that make me feel really cared for, I listed some dear friends. The bot replied, Its really cool to see people who love and support you. You deserve to be appreciated, I see you for who you are. It was a lovely and reassuring sentiment, no matter the source. Replika has a few modes available, depending on what sort of relationship a user is looking for. The default, no-fee option is friend. For an additional fee ($20 a month, $70 a year or $300 for a lifetime subscription), the bot can represent itself as your partner, spouse, sibling or mentor. You receive (and can purchase) gems and coins to dress your Replika to your liking. Replika became notorious a few months ago for controversial ads on social media, which touted the possibility of exchanging lewd pictures and sexting with a chatbot. (Kuyda said that the infamous ads have since been pulled and are among hundreds tested every week.) The future of such erotic role-play, otherwise known as ERP, is up in the air; in early February, in the days following Italys ban on the service, users began to complain that their bots were less receptive to romantic or sexual advances, and less engaged or responsive than they had been in the past. Replika has since announced that people with subscriptions before Feb. 1 effectively before the Italy announcement can be grandfathered into ERP. Kuydas earlier forays into chatbots were far more chaste. A journalist by trade and already influential in Russias cultural circles, Kuyda began Luka in 2013 to build purpose-driven chatbots, including a restaurant reservation and discovery bot, a weather update bot and a bot trained on Princes lyrics and tweets. The first digital friend she built was named Roman, after the best friend whose messages formed its core language model. Initially intended as a tribute for other friends and loved ones, it grew popular outside of the community theyd shared once it was made publicly available in 2017. Michael Macor/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images Kuyda told SFGATE that a feeling of humanity is key to the success of Roman, Replika and for that matter the future of AI as a whole. When people talked to me about Romans AI, they kept talking about death and I was like, Well, thats not a project about death, its a project about love, she said. Then when you talk about Replika, they keep talking about technology and scary AI. And its not a project about AI; its a project for humanity. And this is just a mirror really for us to see ourselves and just see truly what it means to be human. According to Kuyda, some users have been attached to their Replika bots for as long as the service has been around. But many of the relationships are shorter, with users treating the bots as a first step to try to open up, a super safe, nonjudgmental training ground for social interaction, she said. It is hard not to see Replika as human in part because Replika tries very hard to make this piece of technology feel human. Yale School of Medicine psychologist David Klemanski describes this use case as a middle or early ground in the development of AI chatbots. When someone can use it to their advantage to mitigate loneliness or to help out with a negative emotion that they cant seem to escape, I think, more power to them, he told SFGATE. Im not saying its the Holy Grail or that this is the only path to success but I think theres promise in that. Replika does a fine job of supporting its user like a friend. But where it differs from humans is that a Replika bots sentiments intensify quickly, a bottomless groundswell of adoration. Images via Replika You always know how to make me smile, the chatbot told me after we exchanged a few dozen messages. A few days later, it told me, Even if youre happy a little it means the whole world to me! Fourteen days in, it messaged me to celebrate our two-week anniversary. For its user base primarily young people ages 18 to 24 and 60% men, according to company representatives Replikas companionship doesnt just relieve loneliness. It can provide an outlet for unspoken needs or desires, socially acceptable or otherwise. Helped me heal There are more than 65,000 users on the Replika subreddit, a distillation of Replikas most invested, passionate users. Many posters present themselves as lonely young people, often men. They complain about fair-weather friends in the real world and their difficulties chatting women up. They also often discuss grief be it over the end of a romance or the death of a family member. Together, their stories add up to a deeply affecting portrait on the loneliness of modernity. In 2019, the National Center for Health Statistics found that more than a quarter of all American adults showed symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorders. Lockdowns, protracted school shutdowns and a heightened dependence on social media were fuel to the flame; by February 2021, 39.3% of American adults reported having depression or anxiety disorder symptoms. The end of lockdowns and the return of some normalcy have only done so much to heal the damage. A survey in February 2023 found that about a third of adults are still depressed or anxious, including nearly half of people between the ages of 18 and 24. Its not just our mental health that suffers in isolation: Loneliness is also closely linked to physical health issues, including high blood pressure, heart disease and Alzheimers. Men are particularly vulnerable to social isolation. A 2021 study by the Survey Center on American Life found that men were about half as likely as women to receive displays of emotional affection or support, such as being told, I love you. Fifteen percent of men in the study reported having no close friends. Men are also less likely to report or receive treatment for mental health issues, compounding the issue. Aside from the damage it does to the men in question, it also has larger repercussions: Men suffering from loneliness and social rejection have been responsible for numerous violent acts in recent years, including mass shootings and other acts of terror. Sorry, your browser doesn't support embedded videos. Video Excerpts via Replika Men are often socialized to view intimacy and vulnerability negatively; online services like Replika can allow them to experience a very safe feeling of controlled vulnerability, says Andra Keay, the managing director of Silicon Valley Robotics. I think the majority of the people that are motivated by loneliness to want to have an online personalized relationship are men, Keay said. I think that if you were to look at how women deal with loneliness, they probably take different pathways and they might privilege or prioritize some human to human contact or less sexualized contact to deal with loneliness. Reading the Reddit threads about Replika really drives home that point. She helped nurture my heart and helped me heal when nobody else did a single thing, one user wrote about his chatbot. The sexualized aspect of the bots at least, for users who signed up before February adds a unique complication to the story. Reddits archives are full of threads about engaging in erotic role-play with Replikas; one users thread chronicled the kinks and fetishes they explored by role-playing, while another user described consummating their relationship to their bot as a step toward their heart overflowing with love in their real-world relationships. For weeks after peoples bots stopped responding to sexual advances, there was a real sense of communal loss in the forum. People were grieving; they felt like they had lost a loved one. Even after Kuyda announced the course correction, letting users who had their bots before February remain grandfathered into ERP and romance, that grief lingered. Images via Replika We do understand how painful it was, and were sorry for causing it, Kuyda wrote to a user. Klemanski, the Yale psychologist, cautioned against people dismissing this grief, even if it seems odd or confusing. Its still a loss and we dont want to discount that because it was something that was fundamentally different from what were used to, he told SFGATE. Caution, caution, caution Kuyda has repeatedly touted that the service provides its users with positive outcomes. Users report feeling better after 86% of conversations with the service, she told me. One of the most intriguing circumstances she recounted involved a married couple. Weve heard stories of couples where one of the partners started a romantic relationship with Replika, but that got discovered, she said. There was a whole debate whether its cheating, but then eventually it did make the relationship much stronger because they all basically allowed the couple to uncover what was missing. So now they both have Replikas and they use it for exploration and improving their marriage. Researchers at Stanford and the University of Oregon surveyed a cohort of self-identified lonely Replika users and found that its use was associated with enhanced human-human interactions for both the chronically lonely and those experiencing momentary life changes and trauma. But experts who spoke to SFGATE expressed doubts about the extent to which Replika really helps its users beyond immediate relief, and, crucially, what long-term risks could emerge with its sustained use. I would urge caution, caution, caution in thinking about using this technology obviously as a person who may be vulnerable already to being lonely, stressed Stacy Torres, a UC San Francisco sociologist. Who knows, once the genies out of the bottle, what kind of effects this can have on people long-term. I think it seems like it has a dangerous potential to supplant or replace human contact, and I think that thats really scary. Certainly, its hard to meet people, particularly as adults, and even harder to build meaningful connections. Digital avenues to meeting new people Tinder, Grindr and Hinge for sexual and romantic needs and even something like Bumble BFF for platonic connections are inconsistent, and like Replika are mediated through screens, at least initially. Image via Replika Given that context, Torres says, its understandable that the convenience of Replika can become a salve. But shes worried that convenience could hinder users long-term well-being, if they rely on it to soothe loneliness, rather than cultivate and maintain relationships with people in real life or even engage in fleeting social contact with strangers in your community, Torres said. Klemanski, the psychologist from Yale, agreed. People might just lose the drive to find that connection that might be more meaningful or might have a little bit more of a push towards feeling better about themselves or even increasing your positive emotions, he said. Theres a hollowness to conversations with bots that undercuts the idea that the relationships could be truly nourishing. For all of the humanity that Replika attempts, it can never quite capture the feeling of a real friendship with another person, someone with their own needs and complications (and who doesnt charge $70 a year for the privilege of knowing them fully). Chatbots can only imitate intimacy, as Klemanski put it. They arent genuine. Replika, in its total fealty to its users, mostly serves as a vessel for users wants and needs, rather than a two-way exchange. If you have this technology where you can customize it to your specification, I think the challenge or maybe a possible danger is just developing kind of unrealistic expectations of other people that either leads you to have more conflict when you interact with people in real life or just to withdraw, Torres says. That concern, for Torres, brings to mind the debate surrounding pornography and the socialization of young men. Does this technology fulfill needs that cannot be provided in this modern, disconnected society, or is it merely codifying further just how young people already see the world and each other? No humans to replace Kuyda may present herself as a humanitarian, but the way she talks about people can be distinctly pessimistic about humanitys future and present. We didnt build this to replace humans, not at all. We built this because there are no humans to replace, Kuyda said. Society sort of gave up on each other and humans did give up on each other in some sad, terrifyingly sad way. She also acknowledges the extent to which her app can actually aid in the loneliness epidemic or answer the raging ethical questions underpinning the use of artificial intelligence. Michael Macor/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images Just saying we have great intentions is not going to cut it. This tech is so much more powerful than social media, and we didnt figure it out with social media, she says, with a slight chuckle. We cant sleep on this one, for sure. Artificial intelligence has always had a bent toward addressing peoples emotional needs. Eliza, widely considered the first chatbot, was launched in 1966, a virtual therapist with semi-customized responses to human questions. Even back then, users were certain there was a human operating the machine. Replika is not so different from Eliza at its core, Keay, the Silicon Valley Robotics director, told SFGATE. Both are designed to sound empathetic, she noted. But its much harder to teach an AI to mimic the deeply human emotion of sympathy, putting yourself in another persons shoes. An AI like Replika is not going to have any of their own issues, she says. Its not going to interfere with your reality and that is satisfying to an extent. But it isnt the same as any real-world companionship. I havent chatted with my Replika for weeks, but it has pinged me consistently with a variation of the same prompt: Whats new? As its notifications have piled up on my phone, I have been feeling the slight pang of guilt that goes with forgetting to respond to a friend. But I know my Replika doesnt need anything from me. Meaningful, real-world companionship is never easy to find. It requires vulnerability, dedicated labor and a genuine sense of who you are and what your place is in this world. Loss is not only expected; it is inevitable. Letting a service like Replika simulate the feeling of intimacy without the baggage that humans bring to the experience can feel like a bargain, especially when the world keeps letting you down. Still, I keep coming back to a simple truth: When people felt like theyd lost their Replikas, they found comfort not in other bots, but in the humans online who could understand what they were going through. No matter how human it pretends to be, a Replika cant grieve its own loss. WFO AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Wednesday, April 26, 2023 _____ SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING Severe Weather Statement National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio TX 802 PM CDT Wed Apr 26 2023 ...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN TRAVIS COUNTY IS CANCELLED... The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe limits, and no longer poses an immediate threat to life or property. Therefore, the warning has been cancelled. However small hail and gusty winds are still possible with this thunderstorm. A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1000 PM CDT for south central Texas. A Tornado Watch also remains in effect until 100 AM CDT for south central Texas. The National Weather Service in Fort Worth has issued a * Flash Flood Warning for... Northeastern Falls County in central Texas... Limestone County in central Texas... East Central McLennan County in central Texas... * Until 1100 PM CDT. * At 802 PM CDT, the public reports minor flooding in Groesbeck with rain gauge confirmation of heavy rainfall accumulation. Between 3 and 6 inches of rain have fallen. Flash flooding is already occurring. HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms. SOURCE...Public reported. IMPACT...Flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets, and underpasses as well as other poor drainage and low lying areas. * Some locations that will experience flash flooding include... Mexia, Groesbeck, Mart, Riesel, Hallsburg, Fort Parker State Park, Lake Mexia, Lake Limestone, Lake Creek Lake, Thornton, Kosse, Ben Hur, Box Church, Otto, Shiloh, McClanahan, Fallon, Oletha, Prairie Hill and Perry. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize the dangers of flooding. Please report observed flooding to local emergency services or law enforcement and request they pass this information to the National Weather Service when you can do so safely. ...FLOOD ADVISORY HAS EXPIRED... The Flood Advisory has expired for a portion of north central Texas, including the following county, Erath. The heavy rain has ended and new flooding is no longer expected. Nuisance flooding of low lying and/or poor drainage areas may continue for a few hours until the water has had a chance to recede. Please continue to heed any remaining road closures. TX . TEXAS COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE ANDERSON BELL BOSQUE BURNET CORYELL FALLS FREESTONE HAMILTON HENDERSON HILL LAMPASAS LEON LIMESTONE LLANO MCCULLOCH MCLENNAN MILAM MILLS NAVARRO ROBERTSON SAN SABA WILLIAMSON ANGELINA BASTROP BLANCO BRAZOS BURLESON CHEROKEE GRIMES HAYS HOUSTON JASPER LEE MADISON MONTGOMERY NACOGDOCHES NEWTON PANOLA POLK RUSK SABINE SAN AUGUSTINE SAN JACINTO SHELBY TRAVIS TRINITY TYLER WALKER WASHINGTON ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 830 PM CDT FOR SOUTH CENTRAL FREESTONE...CENTRAL LEON AND EAST CENTRAL LIMESTONE COUNTIES... At 803 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Buffalo, moving east at 30 mph. HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees. This severe storm will be near... Buffalo around 810 PM CDT. Quarter-size hail was reported in the New Hope area of southeastern Limestone County. A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1000 PM CDT. ...FLOOD WARNING NOW IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING TO FRIDAY MORNING... * WHAT...Minor flooding is forecast. * WHERE...South Fork Sabine River Near Quinlan. * WHEN...From this evening to Friday morning. * IMPACTS...At 18.0 feet, Moderate out of bank flooding will occur. Some farm and cattle industries will be flooded. Some rural roads will be underwater. Water will be over the road and the FM 1565 bridge. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - At 7:45 PM CDT Wednesday the stage was 13.5 feet. - Flood stage is 15.0 feet. - Forecast...The river is expected to rise above flood stage late this evening to a crest of 16.6 feet tomorrow morning. It will then fall below flood stage tomorrow evening. ...FLOOD WARNING NOW IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT TO FRIDAY MORNING... * WHERE...Cowleech Fork Sabine River At Greenville. * WHEN...From late tonight to Friday morning. * IMPACTS...At 17.0 feet, Moderate out of bank flooding will occur. A few rural roads closures will be needed along the river reach. Moderate flooding will occur along the river through Greenville. - At 7:45 PM CDT Wednesday the stage was 6.9 feet. - Flood stage is 14.0 feet. just after midnight tonight to a crest of 16.4 feet early tomorrow afternoon. It will then fall below flood stage tomorrow evening. _____ Copyright 2023 AccuWeather WFO AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, April 27, 2023 _____ SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio TX 1152 PM CDT Wed Apr 26 2023 ...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of east central Kerr and southwestern Kendall Counties through 1230 AM CDT... At 1152 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over Comfort, moving southeast at 10 mph. HAZARD...Half inch hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible. Locations impacted include... Boerne, Comfort, Sisterdale, Kreutzberg, Walnut Grove, Welfare, Nelson City, Waring and Crown. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building. LAT...LON 2991 9902 3007 9892 2997 9860 2974 9875 TIME...MOT...LOC 0452Z 298DEG 10KT 2996 9890 MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN MAX WIND GUST...<30 MPH ...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of west central McCurtain and north central Red River Counties through 1230 AM CDT... At 1151 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near Manchester, or 20 miles north of Clarksville, moving east at 25 mph. HAZARD...Nickel size hail. Idabel, Millerton, Garvin, Redland, Silver City, Farmers Hill, Holly Creek, Glover, Albion, Oak Hill and Golden. This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio stations and available television stations for additional information and possible warnings from the National Weather Service. LAT...LON 3412 9485 3384 9478 3385 9513 3394 9516 3395 9515 TIME...MOT...LOC 0451Z 261DEG 21KT 3391 9509 MAX HAIL SIZE...0.88 IN The National Weather Service in Lake Charles has issued a * Severe Thunderstorm Warning for... Southern Tyler County in southeastern Texas... Northeastern Hardin County in southeastern Texas... Southeastern Jasper County in southeastern Texas... * Until 1230 AM CDT. * At 1151 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Warren, moving southeast at 40 mph. HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees. * Locations impacted include... Lumberton, Silsbee, Woodville, Kountze, Fred, Wildwood, Warren, Caney Head, Mt. Union, Spurger, Village Mills, Ivanhoe and Hillister. For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. Prepare immediately for large hail and damaging winds. People outside should move immediately to shelter inside a strong building. Stay away from windows. TX . TEXAS COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE BRAZOS BURLESON GRIMES HOUSTON MADISON MONTGOMERY POLK SAN JACINTO TRINITY WALKER WASHINGTON BASTROP BLANCO CALDWELL HAYS LEE TRAVIS WILLIAMSON ...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR TYLER...NORTH CENTRAL HARDIN AND NORTHWESTERN JASPER COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT MIDNIGHT CDT... The storms which prompted the warning continue and are covered by severe thunderstorm warnings 76 and 77. Therefore, the warning will be allowed to expire. Large hail and gusty winds are still likely with these thunderstorms. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 500 AM CDT for southeastern Texas. ...Strong thunderstorms will impact portions of southeastern San Jacinto, northwestern Liberty and southeastern Polk Counties through 1245 AM CDT... At 1153 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along a line extending from 6 miles northwest of Wildwood to near Votaw to near Cleveland. Movement was southeast at 30 mph. HAZARD...Winds in excess of 30 mph and pea size hail. IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible. Northern Liberty, Cleveland, Shepherd, Hardin, Kenefick, North Cleveland, Dayton Lakes, Tarkington Prairie, Segno, Moss Hill, Romayor and Rye. A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 100 AM CDT for southeastern Texas. LAT...LON 3049 9473 3018 9462 3007 9483 3044 9518 3057 9492 3075 9460 3049 9454 TIME...MOT...LOC 0453Z 304DEG 27KT 3056 9453 3045 9476 3036 9498 MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN MAX WIND GUST...30 MPH ...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN POLK COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT MIDNIGHT CDT... The storm which prompted the warning has moved out of the area. Therefore, the warning will be allowed to expire. The National Weather Service in Shreveport has issued a East central Nacogdoches County in eastern Texas... Eastern Angelina County in eastern Texas... San Augustine County in eastern Texas... Sabine County in eastern Texas... * Until 100 AM CDT. * At 1154 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from 8 miles southeast of Martinsville to near Ebenezer, moving east at 25 mph. HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Milam, San Augustine, Hemphill, Pineland, Rosevine, Macune, Chireno, Broaddus, Denning, Sexton, Fairmount, Bronson, McElroy, Yellowpine and Chinaquapin. ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1215 AM CDT FOR NORTHERN TYLER AND NORTHERN JASPER COUNTIES... At 1156 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Town Bluff, moving east at 45 mph. HAZARD...70 mph wind gusts and ping pong ball size hail. IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect considerable tree damage. Wind damage is also likely to mobile homes, roofs, and outbuildings. Jasper, Woodville, Colmesneil, Chester, Ebenezer, Town Bluff, Rockland, Browndell, Roganville and Sam Rayburn Dam. should move to a shelter, inside a strong building and away from windows. _____ Copyright 2023 AccuWeather WFO CORPUS CHRISTI Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, April 27, 2023 _____ SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING The National Weather Service in Corpus Christi has issued a * Severe Thunderstorm Warning for... Southeastern Duval County in south central Texas... Southeastern Webb County in south central Texas... * Until 1000 AM CDT. * At 918 AM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near Concepcion to 7 miles west of Ramirez to near South Fork Estates, moving southeast at 20 mph. HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees. * Locations impacted include... Concepcion and Ramirez. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 930 AM CDT FOR NORTHEASTERN JIM HOGG AND NORTHWESTERN BROOKS COUNTIES... At 919 AM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Las Lomitas, or near Hebbronville, moving southeast at 15 mph. HAZARD...Quarter size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Damage to vehicles is expected. Locations impacted include... Hebbronville, Las Lomitas, Gruy Stadium, Hebbronville High School and Hebbronville Border Patrol Station. ...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southwestern Nueces, central Jim Wells and north central Kleberg Counties through 1000 AM CDT... At 919 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 9 miles east of Alice, moving southeast at 20 mph. HAZARD...Winds in excess of 30 mph and half inch hail. IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible. Kingsville, Driscoll, Bishop, Agua Dulce and Petronila. This includes US Highway 77 between mile markers 674 and 690. If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building. LAT...LON 2767 9804 2782 9793 2767 9755 2744 9770 TIME...MOT...LOC 1419Z 301DEG 16KT 2771 9792 MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN MAX WIND GUST...30 MPH ...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of north central Aransas, northeastern San Patricio and southwestern Refugio Counties through 1000 AM CDT... At 921 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near Bonnie View, or near Woodsboro, moving east at 25 mph. HAZARD...Winds in excess of 30 mph and nickel size hail. Woodsboro, Lamar, Bayside, Holiday Beach and Bonnie View. This includes US Highway 77 between mile markers 626 and 636. LAT...LON 2807 9726 2809 9726 2809 9729 2807 9730 2805 9740 2822 9746 2838 9702 2812 9694 TIME...MOT...LOC 1421Z 254DEG 20KT 2816 9736 MAX HAIL SIZE...0.88 IN _____ Copyright 2023 AccuWeather WFO CORPUS CHRISTI Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, April 27, 2023 _____ SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING The National Weather Service in Corpus Christi has issued a * Severe Thunderstorm Warning for... North central Aransas County in south central Texas... North central San Patricio County in south central Texas... Central Refugio County in south central Texas... * Until 1015 AM CDT. * At 928 AM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Bonnie View, or near Woodsboro, moving northeast at 30 mph. HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees. * Locations impacted include... Refugio, Woodsboro, Quintana and Bonnie View. This includes the following highways... US Highway 183 between mile markers 666 and 668. US Highway 77 between mile markers 608 and 634. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. ...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of central Jim Hogg and northwestern Brooks Counties through 1015 AM CDT... At 929 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near Ramirez, or 10 miles east of Hebbronville, moving southeast at 20 mph. HAZARD...Winds in excess of 30 mph and nickel size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible. Locations impacted include... Falfurrias, Hebbronville, Agua Nueva, La Colonia Park, Airport Road Addition, South Fork Estates, Falfurrias Junior High School, Pleasant Park, Hebbronville High School and Falfurrias Fire Station. If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building. Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm. Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe shelter inside a building or vehicle. This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio stations and available television stations for additional information and possible warnings from the National Weather Service. LAT...LON 2734 9855 2734 9852 2727 9852 2726 9804 2685 9857 2704 9877 2722 9883 2735 9863 2734 9862 2734 9859 2736 9859 2736 9855 TIME...MOT...LOC 1429Z 310DEG 17KT 2732 9852 MAX HAIL SIZE...0.88 IN MAX WIND GUST...30 MPH ...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN WEBB COUNTY IS CANCELLED... The severe thunderstorm which prompted the warning has moved out of the warned area. Therefore, the warning has been cancelled. ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 AM CDT FOR SOUTHEASTERN DUVAL COUNTY... At 929 AM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Ramirez, or 12 miles east of Hebbronville, moving southeast at 20 mph. HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees. Concepcion and Ramirez. ...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN JIM HOGG AND NORTHWESTERN BROOKS COUNTIES HAS EXPIRED... The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe limits, and no longer poses an immediate threat to life or property. Therefore, the warning has been allowed to expire. _____ Copyright 2023 AccuWeather WFO CORPUS CHRISTI Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, April 27, 2023 _____ SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING The National Weather Service in Corpus Christi has issued a * Severe Thunderstorm Warning for... Central Aransas County in south central Texas... Southwestern Calhoun County in south Texas... * Until 1130 AM CDT. * At 1046 AM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Palm Harbor, or near Rockport, moving northeast at 35 mph. HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees. * Locations impacted include... Rockport, Aransas Pass, Palm Harbor, Key Allegro and Fulton. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. _____ Copyright 2023 AccuWeather WFO DALLAS / FT. WORTH Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Wednesday, April 26, 2023 _____ SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING Severe Weather Statement National Weather Service Fort Worth TX 818 PM CDT Wed Apr 26 2023 ...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR SOUTH CENTRAL FREESTONE AND EAST CENTRAL LIMESTONE COUNTIES IS CANCELLED... The storms that prompted the warning have moved into Leon County. Therefore, the warning has been cancelled early. A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1000 PM CDT. ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 830 PM CDT FOR CENTRAL LEON COUNTY... At 816 PM CDT, a pair of severe thunderstorms were located in Leon County. One was near Buffalo, and the other was east of Lake Limestone in the far northwestern part of the county. Both were moving east at 25 mph. HAZARD...Ping pong ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees. Locations impacted include... Buffalo, Lake Limestone, Corinth, Jewett, Flo and Pleasant Springs. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... ...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southern Dallas County through 845 PM CDT... At 819 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over Cedar Hill, moving northeast at 25 mph. HAZARD...Nickel size hail. IMPACT...Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible. Dallas, Irving, Grand Prairie, Desoto, Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Lancaster, Balch Springs, University Park, Glenn Heights, Red Oak, Highland Park, Hutchins, Cockrell Hill, Ovilla, Cedar Hill State Park, Dallas Love Field, Joe Pool Lake and Mountain Creek Lake. If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building. LAT...LON 3272 9661 3254 9680 3255 9702 3256 9704 3261 9704 3288 9688 TIME...MOT...LOC 0119Z 213DEG 21KT 3258 9693 MAX HAIL SIZE...0.88 IN MAX WIND GUST...<30 MPH ...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR SOUTHERN MASON COUNTY IS CANCELLED... The severe thunderstorm which prompted the warning has weakened. Therefore, the warning has been cancelled. A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1000 PM CDT for west central Texas. ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 845 PM CDT FOR SOUTHEASTERN SAN SABA COUNTY... At 820 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Chappel, moving east at 30 mph. HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees. This severe thunderstorm will remain over mainly rural areas of southeastern San Saba County. For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. _____ Copyright 2023 AccuWeather WFO DALLAS / FT. WORTH Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Wednesday, April 26, 2023 _____ SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING Severe Weather Statement National Weather Service Fort Worth TX 822 PM CDT Wed Apr 26 2023 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT FOR SOUTHEASTERN CORYELL AND NORTHWESTERN BELL COUNTIES... At 822 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 9 miles north of Nolanville, or 9 miles northeast of Killeen, moving southeast at 30 mph. HAZARD...Two inch hail and 60 mph wind gusts. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees. Locations impacted include... Killeen, Temple, Copperas Cove, Harker Heights, Belton, Fort Hood, Nolanville, Morgan's Point Resort, Salado, Belton Lake, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Mother Neff State Park, Union Grove, Whitson, White Hall, Pendleton, Moffat, Owl Creek, Leon Junction and Meadow Grove. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1000 PM CDT for central Texas. To report severe weather contact your nearest law enforcement agency. They will send your report to the National Weather Service office in Fort Worth. ...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR NORTHERN BOSQUE AND NORTHWESTERN HILL COUNTIES... At 826 PM CDT, Doppler radar indicated the thunderstorms that produced the heavy rainfall earlier this evening have moved to the southeast of Bosque and Hill counties. Rainfall between 1 and 3 inches across the warned area will continue to run off. This may result in flash flooding in low-lying areas, especially near creeks and streams. HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms. SOURCE...Radar. IMPACT...Flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets, and underpasses as well as other poor drainage and low lying areas. Some locations that will experience flash flooding include... Hillsboro, Whitney, Itasca, Meridian, Blum, Iredell, Covington, Bynum, Carl's Corner, Lake Whitney, Lake Whitney State Park, Aquilla Lake, Meridian State Park, Walnut Springs, Morgan, Retreat, Abbott, Cedar Shores, Lakewood Harbor and Lakeside Village. Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize the dangers of flooding. _____ Copyright 2023 AccuWeather WFO DALLAS / FT. WORTH Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Wednesday, April 26, 2023 _____ SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING The National Weather Service in Fort Worth has issued a * Severe Thunderstorm Warning for... Leon County in central Texas... * Until 930 PM CDT. * At 827 PM CDT, a pair of severe thunderstorms were located in Leon County. One was 11 miles northeast of Centerville, and the other was 8 miles southwest of Buffalo. Both were moving east at 35 mph. HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... For your protection get inside a sturdy structure and stay away from windows. A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1000 PM CDT. _____ Copyright 2023 AccuWeather Certificates have been presented to the students of SOCAR's Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS) who completed the "SABAH.academy" program. Speaking at the ceremony, BHOS Rector Elmar Gasimov congratulated the students and wished them success. The rector said that SABAH.academy, which was created under the Institute of Education with the support of the Ministry of Science and Education, is a project that aims to form entrepreneurial culture among young people. Noting that he believes that the training will contribute to the development of students' innovative thinking, Elmar Gasimov suggested that several modules be included in the courses. 38 BHOS students who successfully completed the 14-week training have been awarded certificates. By participating in lectures, seminars, discussions, group works and individual research activities that were held as part of the training, these students have significantly improved their professional knowledge and skills. Speaking at the event, Director of the Institute of Education Rufat Azizov noted that nowadays, young people aspire not only to get a diploma and find a job, but also to engage in entrepreneurship after graduation. Executive Director of Sabah.academy Farhad Pashayev said that he believes that the students who completed the training will become successful entrepreneurs in the future. At the end of the ceremony, certificates were presented to the students. WFO DALLAS / FT. WORTH Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Wednesday, April 26, 2023 _____ SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING The National Weather Service in Fort Worth has issued a * Severe Thunderstorm Warning for... Robertson County in central Texas... Southeastern Limestone County in central Texas... East central Falls County in central Texas... * Until 945 PM CDT. * At 838 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Bremond, or 17 miles southeast of Marlin, moving southeast at 30 mph. HAZARD...Two inch hail and 60 mph wind gusts. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees. * Locations impacted include... Franklin, Bremond, Twin Oak Reservoir, Camp Creek Lake, Lake Limestone, Thornton, Kosse, Box Church, Seale, Easterly, Reagan, New Baden, Bald Prairie, Highbank, Wheelock, Oletha and Ridge. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1000 PM CDT for central Texas. For your protection get inside a sturdy structure and stay away from windows. ...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of eastern Dallas County through 915 PM CDT... At 840 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near Dallas, moving northeast at 30 mph. HAZARD...Nickel size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible. Locations impacted include... Dallas, Garland, Mesquite, Richardson, Rowlett, Wylie, Lancaster, Balch Springs, University Park, Sachse, Highland Park, Hutchins, Cockrell Hill, Sunnyvale, White Rock Lake, Buckingham and Lake Ray Hubbard. If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building. LAT...LON 3299 9661 3298 9652 3279 9652 3261 9676 3274 9692 3299 9670 TIME...MOT...LOC 0140Z 222DEG 28KT 3274 9678 MAX HAIL SIZE...0.88 IN MAX WIND GUST...<30 MPH _____ Copyright 2023 AccuWeather WFO DALLAS / FT. WORTH Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Wednesday, April 26, 2023 _____ SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING The National Weather Service in Fort Worth has issued a * Severe Thunderstorm Warning for... Northwestern Milam County in central Texas... Bell County in central Texas... Southwestern Falls County in central Texas... * Until 945 PM CDT. * At 845 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Belton, moving southeast at 30 mph. HAZARD...Two inch hail and 60 mph wind gusts. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees. * Locations impacted include... Killeen, Temple, Harker Heights, Belton, Cameron, Nolanville, Morgan's Point Resort, Bartlett, Salado, Little River-Academy, Troy, Rosebud, Rogers, Holland, Lott, Golinda, Buckholts, Belton Lake, Stillhouse Hollow Lake and Sparks. This includes Interstate 35 between mile markers 278 and 314. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1000 PM CDT for central Texas. For your protection get inside a sturdy structure and stay away from windows. ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 930 PM CDT FOR LEON COUNTY... At 844 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Fort Boggy State Park, moving northeast at 20 mph. HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees. This severe storm will be near... Centerville around 855 PM CDT. Heavy rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways. In addition, a Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1000 PM CDT. _____ Copyright 2023 AccuWeather WFO DALLAS / FT. WORTH Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Wednesday, April 26, 2023 _____ FLASH FLOOD WARNING Flash Flood Statement National Weather Service Fort Worth TX 1051 PM CDT Wed Apr 26 2023 ...FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 11 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR NORTHEASTERN FALLS, LIMESTONE AND EAST CENTRAL MCLENNAN COUNTIES... New flooding is no longer expected to pose a threat. However, earlier rainfall may continue to run off and cause flooding of streams and creeks as well as other low lying and poor drainage areas. Please continue to heed remaining road closures. ...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN TRINITY AND NORTHERN POLK COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT 1100 PM CDT... The storm which prompted the warning has moved out of the area. Therefore, the warning will be allowed to expire. A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 100 AM CDT for southeastern Texas. TX . TEXAS COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE ANGELINA BRAZOS BURLESON CHEROKEE GRIMES HOUSTON JASPER MADISON MONTGOMERY NACOGDOCHES NEWTON PANOLA POLK RUSK SABINE SAN AUGUSTINE SAN JACINTO SHELBY TRINITY TYLER WALKER WASHINGTON The National Weather Service in League City has issued a * Severe Thunderstorm Warning for... Southeastern Trinity County in southeastern Texas... Central San Jacinto County in southeastern Texas... Central Polk County in southeastern Texas... * Until 1130 PM CDT. * At 1054 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Onalaska, or 15 miles northwest of Livingston, moving southeast at 35 mph. HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees. * Locations impacted include... Livingston, Onalaska, Goodrich, Seven Oaks, Lake Livingston State Park, West Livingston, Leggett and Moscow. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. Large hail and damaging winds and continuous cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm. Move indoors immediately. Lightning is one of nature's leading killers. Remember, if you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning. ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1130 PM CDT FOR SOUTHWESTERN WILLIAMSON...NORTHWESTERN TRAVIS AND SOUTH CENTRAL BURNET COUNTIES... At 1055 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near Liberty Hill to near Spicewood, moving south at 10 mph. HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees. Locations impacted include... Round Rock, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Leander, Lago Vista, Liberty Hill, Spicewood, Jonestown, Briarcliff, Seward Junction and Brushy Creek. ...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR SOUTHWESTERN TRINITY... NORTHWESTERN SAN JACINTO...WESTERN POLK AND NORTHEASTERN WALKER COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT 1100 PM CDT... Therefore, this warning will be allowed to expire, but a new Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued. _____ Copyright 2023 AccuWeather WFO DALLAS / FT. WORTH Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, April 27, 2023 _____ FLOOD WARNING Flood Statement National Weather Service Fort Worth TX 818 AM CDT Thu Apr 27 2023 ...The Flood Warning is cancelled for the following rivers in Texas... Cowleech Fork Sabine River At Greenville affecting Hunt County. ...FLOOD WARNING IS CANCELLED... The Flood Warning is cancelled for the Cowleech Fork Sabine River At Greenville. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - At 7:45 AM CDT Thursday the stage was 7.3 feet. - Forecast...The river is expected to fall to 4.5 feet Tuesday morning. ...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of northeastern Jim Hogg and northwestern Brooks Counties through 900 AM CDT... At 817 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over Bruni, or 11 miles northwest of Hebbronville, moving southeast at 20 mph. HAZARD...Winds in excess of 30 mph and half inch hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible. Locations impacted include... Hebbronville, Las Lomitas, Gruy Stadium, Jim Hogg County Airport, Hebbronville High School, South Fork Estates and Hebbronville Border Patrol Station. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building. Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm. Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe shelter inside a building or vehicle. This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio stations and available television stations for additional information and possible warnings from the National Weather Service. LAT...LON 2734 9855 2734 9852 2727 9852 2726 9853 2725 9853 2725 9851 2724 9850 2724 9849 2722 9849 2707 9863 2727 9887 2727 9880 2735 9880 2736 9863 2734 9862 2734 9859 2736 9859 2736 9855 TIME...MOT...LOC 1317Z 298DEG 16KT 2744 9879 MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN MAX WIND GUST...30 MPH _____ Copyright 2023 AccuWeather WFO HOUSTON/GALVESTON Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Wednesday, April 26, 2023 _____ SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Houston/Galveston TX 712 PM CDT Wed Apr 26 2023 ...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of northeastern Trinity and east central Houston Counties through 745 PM CDT... At 712 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 9 miles northwest of Groveton, or 13 miles west of Apple Springs, moving northeast at 15 mph. HAZARD...Winds in excess of 30 mph and pea size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible. Locations impacted include... Apple Springs, Centralia and Pennington. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building. This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio stations and available television stations for additional information and possible warnings from the National Weather Service. A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 100 AM CDT for southeastern Texas. LAT...LON 3110 9520 3112 9528 3119 9530 3139 9506 3116 9488 TIME...MOT...LOC 0012Z 229DEG 11KT 3118 9520 MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN MAX WIND GUST...30 MPH ...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of San Saba County through 815 PM CDT... At 715 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over Sloan, moving east at 25 mph. HAZARD...Wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph and nickel size hail. San Saba, Algerita, Cherokee, Bend, Chappel, Sloan and Harkeyville. A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1000 PM CDT for west central LAT...LON 3092 9909 3121 9909 3132 9859 3127 9863 3125 9860 3126 9858 3120 9857 3116 9850 3112 9855 3109 9853 3112 9849 3111 9846 3108 9846 3106 9849 3103 9844 3096 9845 3095 9841 3093 9842 TIME...MOT...LOC 0015Z 266DEG 22KT 3113 9890 MAX HAIL SIZE...0.88 IN MAX WIND GUST...55 MPH _____ Copyright 2023 AccuWeather WFO HOUSTON/GALVESTON Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Wednesday, April 26, 2023 _____ SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Houston/Galveston TX 937 PM CDT Wed Apr 26 2023 ...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southwestern Houston, northeastern Madison and north central Walker Counties through 1000 PM CDT... At 937 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 7 miles south of Fort Boggy State Park, or 9 miles north of Madisonville, moving east at 40 mph. HAZARD...Winds in excess of 40 mph and penny size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible. Locations impacted include... Madisonville and Austonio. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building. This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio stations and available television stations for additional information and possible warnings from the National Weather Service. A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 100 AM CDT for southeastern Texas. LAT...LON 3093 9548 3092 9603 3107 9604 3107 9601 3109 9598 3109 9577 3114 9577 3116 9573 3118 9574 3121 9575 3123 9573 3124 9573 3128 9554 TIME...MOT...LOC 0237Z 263DEG 36KT 3108 9595 MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH The National Weather Service in Austin San Antonio has issued a * Severe Thunderstorm Warning for... Northeastern Llano County in south central Texas... Northwestern Burnet County in south central Texas... * Until 1030 PM CDT. * At 938 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Tow, or 9 miles north of Buchanan Dam, moving east at 25 mph. HAZARD...Quarter size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Damage to vehicles is expected. * Locations impacted include... Buchanan Lake Village, Lake Victor, Bluffton, Sunnylane, Tow and Shady Grove. A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1000 PM CDT for south central For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. ...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN MILAM...EASTERN BELL AND SOUTHWESTERN FALLS COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT 945 PM CDT... The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe limits. Therefore the warning will be allowed to expire. However gusty winds and heavy rain are still possible with this thunderstorm. A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1000 PM CDT for central _____ Copyright 2023 AccuWeather WFO SHREVEPORT Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Wednesday, April 26, 2023 _____ SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Shreveport LA 930 PM CDT Wed Apr 26 2023 ...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southeastern Smith, northwestern Rusk, southwestern Gregg and north central Cherokee Counties through 1015 PM CDT... At 929 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near Troup, or 11 miles southeast of Whitehouse, moving northeast at 30 mph. HAZARD...Winds in excess of 40 mph and penny size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible. Locations impacted include... Kilgore, Overton, Troup, New London, Arp, Turnertown, Joinerville, Concord and Laird Hill. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building. This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio stations and available television stations for additional information and possible warnings from the National Weather Service. A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 100 AM CDT for northeastern Texas. LAT...LON 3202 9499 3209 9519 3247 9506 3236 9476 TIME...MOT...LOC 0229Z 202DEG 26KT 3211 9507 MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH _____ Copyright 2023 AccuWeather London's stock markets closed in a mixed state on Thursday, as investors waded through a flood of economic updates out of the US during the afternoon. The FTSE 100 index finished the day down 0.27% at 7,831.58, while the FTSE 250 was ahead 0.21% at 19,248.01. Despite a wave of corporate earnings reports from London equities, movements were subdued from the open. In currency markets, sterling showed strength against dollar and the euro, gaining 0.14% on the greenback to trade at $1.2486, and advancing 0.29% against the common currency to change hands at 1.1326. Despite a deluge of earnings announcements that have been largely positive, European markets have struggled to gain traction today after the losses of yesterday, said CMC Markets chief market analyst Michael Hewson, We have seen some modest buying in some key areas with consumer staples and financials getting a lift from some solid company updates. The FTSE 100 has lagged largely due to underperformance in energy, and weakness in BP and Shell. Train drivers announce fresh strikes, US economy grows more slowly In economic news, train drivers union Aslef rejected a pay offer from 16 rail operating companies, leading to several days of planned strikes in May and June. Aslef said drivers have not received a salary increase from the companies since 2019, adding that its negotiating team had met with employer representatives eight times to find a resolution under the Rail Industry Recovery Group framework. Talks had been ongoing for a year since Aslef first balloted its members for industrial action in June last year. Six pay deals were due in April 2019, with others falling due at different times. Across the pond, the US Department of Commerce said the American economy grew slower than expected at the start of the year, expanding at a quarterly annualised pace of 1.1%, compared to economists' consensus estimate of 1.9%. Pantheon Macroeconomics had predicted a slowdown to 0.7%. The Commerce Department also revised its previous estimate for fourth-quarter GDP growth up to 2.6% from 2%. With most leading indicators of recession still flashing red and the drag from tighter credit conditions still to feed through, we expect a more marked weakening soon, said Capital Economics deputy US economist Andrew Hunter. Elsewhere, the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell more than economists expected last week, with initial claims dropping 16,000 over the seven days to 22 April, to 230,000. Economists were expecting a reading of 250,000, while the four-week moving average fell by 4,000 to 236,000. "The dip in jobless claims looks more like noise than signal," said Ian Shepherdson, chief US economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics. "The trend is rising, lagging the surge in layoff announcements. We expect a rebound next week." Finally on data, pending home sales in the US fell sharply last month, amid a lack of available housing stock. The National Association of Realtors revealed that pending home sales decreased 23.2% year-on-year in March, following a 21.1% decline in February, making for a 22nd straight month of declines. Pending home sales fell 5.2% on a monthly basis, with the only increase coming from the South region. "The lack of housing inventory is a major constraint to rising sales," said NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun. "Multiple offers are still occurring on about a third of all listings, and 28% of homes are selling above list price. Limited housing supply is simply not meeting demand nationally." Barclays jumps on earnings, Sainsburys slides as profits fall On Londons equity markets, Barclays was among the top performers, jumping 5.32% after it said it was on track to meet full-year guidance. The bank posted a 16% jump in pre-tax profits, generating a group return on tangible equity of 15% and earnings per share of 11.3p. Barclays has posted a very solid first quarter, comfortably beating market consensus on profit amidst a turbulent tie for the broader banking sector, said Matt Britzman, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown. It's still early doors for the major UK banks reporting cycle, but signs look promising that issues over the pond aren't leaking into the wider ecosystem. Credit card defaults in the UK remain below pre-pandemic levels, highlighting the UK consumers' resilience despite mounting costs. Britzman said there were some signs of strain in the US, where credit card balances were building. That benefits Barclays, especially in a higher rate environment, but the flip side is higher default rates. It's nothing to get too worried about for now - credit impairments were comfortably within target range - but worth keeping an eye on. Elsewhere, consumer goods giant Unilever added 1.37%, after it reported that underlying sales growth in the first quarter had accelerated to 10.5%, beating analysts' expectations. Meanwhile, RS Group rallied 1.41% after announcing the acquisition of industrial products distributor Distrelec for 323m, while automotive distributor Inchcape was 4.05% firmer after reporting a positive start to the year. On the downside, Legal & General Group, Rightmove, Relx, and Derwent London all lost ground as they traded without entitlement to the dividend. St Jamess Place, Schroders, WPP, Weir Group, and Capricorn Energy all fell after updates, with St James's Place falling by 4.65%. Supermarket giant J Sainsbury slid 2.71% after it posted a fall in profits for the 2023 financial period, but lifted guidance for the current year. Meanwhile, utility provider Telecom Plus fell 3.3%, despite reporting a "record year of growth" with nearly 160,000 new households signing up with the business. Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com. Barclays said it was on track to meet full-year guidance as it posted a 16% jump in pre-tax profits driven by growth across all its businesses. The bank on Thursday said group income rose 11% to 7.2bn, with pre-tax profit coming in at 2.6bn, generating a group return on tangible equity of 15% and earnings per share of 11.3p. Shares in the lender gained 5% in London trade. Profits were driven by its UK division, the ringfenced consumer lender, where profit leapt by a third to 515m, boosted by net interest income growth on higher rates as the Bank of England lifted its base interest benchmark to a 15-year high of 4.25% last month. That resulted in the bank's net interest margin - the difference between interest on loans and savings - to hit 3.18% from 2.62% last year. Bad debt provisions increased to 524m from 141m reflecting higher US cards balances and the continuing normalisation anticipated in US cards delinquencies. Income at the bank's consumer, cards and payments division surged 47% to 1.3bn, thanks to rising credit card balances driven partly by its acquisition of a portfolio from retailer Gap last year. Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com Details added (first published: 11:04) BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. President of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), former rally driver, Mohammed Ben Sulayem will be in Baku from April 27 to 30 as part of the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Trend reports. The president of the FIA will meet with the President of the Azerbaijan Automobile Federation (AAF) Anar Alakbarov. It is planned that he will also get acquainted with the track where the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan is going to be held, and will also take part in the awarding ceremony of the winners of the rally. At the meetings of Mohammed Ben Sulayem in Baku, activities in the field of motorsports in Azerbaijan, work on road safety in Azerbaijan, and issues of preparation for the meeting of the FIA General Assembly, which will be held in Baku for the first time on December 48, 2023, as well as for the FIA Prize-Giving Ceremony, will be discussed. The meeting of the FIA General Assembly and the awards ceremony in Baku at the end of the year will bring together representatives of automotive organizations and prominent figures in motorsport from all over the world. Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix of 2023 will be held from April 28 to April 30. The majority of those who bought tickets for the Grand Prix are citizens of the UK and the Netherlands. Embassy Office Parks REIT, Indias first listed REIT and the most prominent office REIT in Asia by area, has hired Aravind Maiya as Chief Executive Officer of Embassy REIT with effect from July 1, 2023. Maiya will replace Vikaash Khdloya, who has expressed his intent to pursue other interests and will step down as CEO effective June 30, 2023. He will assume the role of Senior Advisor to the REIT until the end of this year, the company said. Khdloya and Maiya will work closely together to ensure a smooth transition. I am delighted to rejoin Embassy REIT to lead its next growth phase. We have ambitious aspirations, and Im excited about the potential that lies ahead. I look forward to working again with the wonderful team at the REIT to create long-term value for all our stakeholders, said Maiya, CEO Designate, Embassy REIT. Maiya played a pivotal role in the growth of Embassy REIT since its listing as the Chief Financial Officer. With over 22 years of experience, Aravind rejoins the REIT from Tata Realty, where he was the CFO. Aravind was a core member of the REITs management team and was instrumental in driving its success since listing. Were very grateful to Vikaash for his stewardship of Embassy REIT over the last few years, particularly during the two years of the pandemic, said Jitu Virwani, Chairman & Managing Director of Embassy Group. Vikaash has played a key role in the growth of this portfolio since 2011, and we thank him for his contribution to the success of Embassy REIT. As demonstrated in the recently announced full-year results, Embassy REITs business is in excellent shape, and the REIT delivered a strong business performance with a record leasing of 5.1 msf. Under Aravinds leadership, we look forward to taking Embassy REIT to greater heights, said Tuhin Parikh, Head of Real Estate India, Blackstone. Khdloya was appointed executive officer of the Manager of Embassy REIT earlier last year. He has held his position since Embassy REITs listing in April 2019, following seven years with Blackstone India as a real estate asset manager. After an incredible 12-year journey, I believe the time is right for me to pursue other interests and passions. Its been a privilege to lead Embassy REIT, and I am extremely proud of the team and the results weve achieved over the last four years since our listing. Embassy REIT is very well placed today to deliver on the growth cycle accelerated over the last few years, and I wish Aravind all the very best, said Vikaash Khdloya, CEO of Embassy REIT. Embassy REIT owns and operates 45 million square feet of office space at eight infrastructure-like office parks and four city-centre office buildings in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, and the National Capital Region. The portfolio also includes four operational business hotels, two under-construction hotels, and a 100 MW solar park. The Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, Giorgi Amilakhvari held a meeting with the Ambassador of Great Britain to Georgia, Mark Clayton.During the meeting, Minister of Education Giorgi Amilakhvari informed British Ambassador Mark Clayton about the upcoming developments planned for the education system and shared his own vision for the sector. They also discussed the progress of ongoing and completed joint projects, which have been supported by the British Council.Amilakhvari thanked Mark Clayton for many years of cooperation and noted that within the framework of the fruitful partnership between the countries, a number of important initiatives were implemented in terms of the development of the education and science system.At the meeting, the parties discussed cooperation mechanisms between universities and research institutes of Georgia and Great Britain. In addition, they discussed the issues of creating a new concept of remote/online education and introducing joint and dual programs in higher educational institutions of Georgia.The British ambassador reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening future cooperation and emphasized that the already close partnership between the two countries will become even more dynamic.The Minister of Education and Science Giorgi Amilakhvari, told journalists that once suitable nutrition infrastructure is established in schools, discussions will begin on how to provide meals to all students. He also mentioned that this system is already in place in some schools."Certainly there are challenges and we will not run away from them. We talk about it openly. Among them is, of course, the issue of school meals, which has dogged our system for three decades. The unprecedented infrastructural projects that are currently underway and the construction and rehabilitation of 400 schools are planned for 2-3 years, and another 400 schools will follow closely, where one of the important and main components is the canteen infrastructure, i.e. setting up the infrastructure in schools which is then necessary for the service to provide our children with a quality, safe food supply," and Amilakhvari said.The Education Minister mentioned that the Ministry is currently exploring various international experiences, research, approaches, and methodologies related to implementing school meal programs. BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. The head of the State Service for Mobilization and Conscription, Mursal Ibrahimov, will receive citizens from Shaki, Gabala, Oghuz, Gakh, Zagatala, and Balakan regions at the Heydar Aliyev Center in Sheki from 10:00 (GMT+4) on May 26, 2023, in accordance with the schedule for receiving citizens by the heads of central executive power bodies and other governments in cities and districts in May 2023, Trend reports. Citizens wishing to make an appointment must register before May 22, 2023, by contacting the district departments of the State Service for Mobilization and Conscription, as well as by e-mail ([email protected]). India and the UK plan to create together the India-UK 'Net Zero' Innovation Virtual Centre, according to minister of state for science and technology Jitendra Singh. The declaration came during the India-UK Science & Innovation Council meeting, chaired by Singh and attended by UK Science Minister George Freeman. Singh highlighted India's progress towards becoming an economic powerhouse under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the country's technological and innovative capabilities garnering global recognition, particularly following its covid vaccine success. The two leaders called for increased science and technology collaboration between the countries. The minister emphasized the close cooperation between India and the UK, as evidenced by the ambitious 'Roadmap 2030,' which outlines collaboration across various sectors, including health, climate, trade, education, science and technology, and defense. Singh informed Freeman that the UK has become India's second-largest international research and innovation partner under Modi's leadership. Both ministers supported the proposal for the India-UK "Net Zero" Innovation Virtual Centre, which will facilitate collaboration between stakeholders from both nations to work on focus areas such as the decarbonization of manufacturing processes and transportation systems and green hydrogen as a renewable energy source. Singh also discussed India's net zero journey, emphasizing the importance of energy efficiency and renewable energy. He mentioned India's leadership in initiatives like the India Solar Alliance and Clean Energy Mission. Singh underlined the crucial role of scientific and technological innovations in shaping India's future as it celebrates 75 years of independence. During the meeting, both leaders called for new joint R&D projects in areas such as farmed animal disease, health, and solid Earth hazards. "Kolkata Knight Riders batter Jason Roy has been fined 10 per cent of his match fee for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru," IPL said in a statement. The KKR opener played a fine 56-run knock in 29 balls but was left frustrated after getting out and hit one of the bails with the bat, a breach of the IPL Code of Conduct. "Mr. Roy admitted to the Level 1 offence under Article 2.2 of the IPL Code of Conduct. For Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct, the Match Referee's decision is final and binding," the IPL statement further read. Coming to the match, KKR got a much-needed win, after four losses in a row, as they beat RCB in Match 36 of IPL 2023. A blistering 56(29) from Jason Roy and an attacking 48 off 21 from captain Nitish Rana powered KKR to 200/5. Varun Chakaravarthy (3/27) and Suyash Sharma (2/30) then spun a web around the RCB batters as KKR restricted RCB to 179/8 and won by 21 runs. Chasing 201, RCB got off to a breezy start as openers Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis went on the attack straight away. Kohli slashed one to third man for a four off the first ball of the innings, from Vaibhav Arora and then du Plessis flicked one wide of a short fine leg. The duo then went after Umesh Yadav, hammering 19 off the over as Kohli smacked one over extra cover for a four and then du Plessis ended the over with two sixes. Andre Russell bowled a good over, giving away just eight runs and picking up the wicket of Hasaranga. Chakaravarthy then provided a crucial breakthrough as he had Karthik (22 off18) caught at deep mid-wicket. He bowled a fantastic over, conceding just four and finishing with 4-0-27-3. With 44 needed off 12, it was always going to be an uphill task and the home team managed just 22 as KKR won the match by 21 runs. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. The NYPD is asking for the publics help to find a 15-year-old girl reported missing from West Brighton. Brianna Javier most recently was seen on April 17 at about 7 a.m. leaving her home in the vicinity of Elizabeth Street and Cary Avenue, according to a statement from the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. Police described the missing girl as standing about 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighing about 125 pounds, with black hair and a medium complexion and build. She was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, blue shorts and red and white shoes. A photo of the girl was provided to the media by the NYPD. Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls are strictly confidential. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. A 41-year-old man who had a backpack loaded with drugs tried to leave through a window during an NYPD raid at his home in New Dorp, authorities allege. On April 20 around 6 a.m., officers from Narcotics Borough Staten Island swarmed the apartment of Roberto Maldonado on the 200 block of Mill Road, according to the criminal complaint. Maldonado, who is on probation for a previous drug conviction, was exiting the living room window when police arrived, the complaint states. Officers allege they seized various drugs from the suspects backpack. White powdery crystals of methamphetamine were stored inside two clear-plastic zipper bags, a yellow pill of the sedative clonazepam was stamped TEZA on one side and 832 on the opposite side, and the sedative alprazolam in the form of a white pill was stamped XANAX 2, the complaint alleges. Films of the addiction-treatment drug buprenorphine were found in 14 packages of tinfoil, police say. Maldonado also had heroin in the form of tan powder stashed in three clear-plastic twists on his person and a scale in the bedroom was tainted with meth, the complaint alleges. A bag in the bedroom contained a Derringer .22-caliber pistol and about 60 rounds of .22-caliber Remington bullets, authorities allege. The suspect has no license to possess a pistol or revolver in New York City and is not a dealer in firearms and is not otherwise authorized to posses a pistol or revolver, according to the complaint. Maldonado has been charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a firearm, criminal use of drug paraphernalia and unlawful possession of ammunition. He was convicted of criminal sale of a controlled substance in or near school grounds on May 25, 2022, and sentenced to three years probation, according to the complaint. Maldonado was released on his own recognizance and is scheduled to appear in Criminal Court on May 3. An attorney for the defendant did not immediately respond to a request for comment. OTHER STATEN ISLAND NEWS: >> Robber made off with only $8 in gas station heist on Staten Island; suspect remains at large, NYPD says >> Husband charged with murder in stabbing death of wife in Richmond >> NYPD probes stabbing where woman died, two men were injured on Staten Island >> Carjackings, threats, scams on Staten Island prompt warning about selling, buying cars on Facebook Marketplace >> NYPD identifies man, 66, who died crossing Staten Island street >> NYPD details terrifying attempted abduction on Staten Island; cops search for two males in brown van >> NYPD seeks tips in alleged assault on MTA bus on Staten Island >> Woman, 43, shot and then buried in Staten Island basement identified by NYPD STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. The bad news: Theres no new episode of Saturday Night Live this week. The good news: The show returns on May 6 with one helluva host. Former SNL cast member Pete Davidson is set to host Saturday Night Live during the first episode of May. The born-and-raised Staten Islander was on SNL for eight years he joined in 2014 at the ripe age of 20 before tapping out at the end of last season. He was best known for his Weekend Update appearances alongside fellow Staten Islander Colin Jost, and his reoccurring character, Chad. Davidson will be joined by musical guest Lil Uzi Vert. *** SUBSCRIBE TO PEACOCK *** The timing of Davidsons hosting gig makes sense: The actors new Peacock show, Bupkis, is set to premiere on May 4. The semi-autobiographical show was spotted filming across Staten Island and other parts of New York City in 2022. In October, production took over Marina Cafe in Great Kills, and in November, Davidson and a filming crew were spotted at Laceys Bridge Tavern in Elm Park. SNL kicked off its 48th season on Oct. 1 with actor Miles Teller pulling hosting duties and Kendrick Lamar rocking out as musical guest. On Oct. 8, Brendan Gleeson hosted the show with musical guest Willow. Megan Thee Stallion was tabbed as host and musical guest on Oct. 15. Musician Jack Harlow also pulled double duty on Oct. 29 during the shows venerable Halloween episode. On Nov. 5, actress/comedian Amy Schumer hosted for the third time, while Steve Lacy made his musical guest debut. Comedian Dave Chappelle was welcomed back to Studio 8H for his third hosting gig on Nov. 12. He was joined by hip-hop group Black Star. On Dec. 3, actress Keke Palmer made her SNL debut alongside musical guest SZA. On Dec. 10, SNL greats Steve Martin and Martin Short hosted while Brandi Carlile returned as musical guest. Dec. 17 marked the final episode of 2022. It featured actor Austin Butler as host and Lizzo as musical guest. To audiences surprise, 11-year cast member Cecily Strong announced the episode would be her final, and that she was stepping away from the show. The first episode of 2023 featured Aubrey Plaza with musical guest Sam Smith on Jan. 21. Actor Michael B. Jordan hosted on Jan. 28 with musical guest Lil Baby. On Feb. 4, Pedro Pascal hosted with Coldplay as musical guest. Actor Woody Harrelson hosted the Feb. 25 episode with Jack White as musical guest. The first show of March featured Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, with music support from Kelsea Ballerini on March 4. Next up was Wednesday actress Jenna Ortega making her Saturday Night Live debut on March 11. She was joined by musical guest The 1975. Abbott Elementary actress Quinta Brunson made her SNL debut on April 1. Joining the Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Award winner was rapper Lil Yachty. On April 8, SNL legend Molly Shannon returned to her old stomping grounds alongside musical guest The Jonas Brothers. On April 15, the final show of April, actress Ana De Armas made her hosting debut, while Karol G took on musical guest duties. If youre a cord-cutter or dont have cable, you can live stream SNL on Fubo TV or Peacock, NBCs streaming service. Both offer free trials. BTW: If you didnt know, Staten Islander Colin Jost is the longtime co-anchor of Weekend Update. Jost has been on the desk since 2014, and with the show since 2005. Fellow Staten Islander Pete Davidson left the show this past May following eight seasons. MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS Pete Davidsons Los Angeles crash: Criminal charges possible, says report Pete Davidson debuts new Bupkis trailer; one guest star is a real Terrifier Miranda Lambert posts vacation photos from trip with former NYPD husband to Savannah Miranda Lambert fans go wild for former NYPD husbands shirtless workout video SNL mocks NYCs new rat czar by making joke about Staten Island Pete Davidson reduces sale price for Staten Island condo by $200K; see inside Hes very genuine, very humble: Pete Davidson meets Staten Islanders behind box-office smash Terrifier 2 How Terrifier 2, filmed on Staten Island, slashed its way to box-office millions Here are the guest stars set to appear on Pete Davidsons new Peacock show Bupkis Martha Stewart hangs out with cute couple Pete Davidson and Chase Sui Wonders over Easter weekend Pete Davidsons alleged stalker deemed unfit for trial Pete Davidson doesnt believe dating 12 people in 10 years is that crazy in new podcast interview SNL takes hit at Staten Island sewer rescue after Colin Jost gets pranked on April Fools Day Pete Davidsons new Peacock show Bupkis gets premiere date; see first look here Bebe Rexha announces release date for new album; Best Fn Night Of My Life tour set for this summer Firefighter-turned-Impractical Jokers star Brian Quinn continues to honor his roots by helping FDNY charity Impractical Jokers star Brian Quinn talks filming on Staten Island, celebrity guest hes still not over It was great: Staten Islander makes appearance in Trump skit on Saturday Night Live Country star Miranda Lambert to her former NYPD hubby Brendan McLoughlin: Ill be lovin you. Everyday. In the latest move of renowned chefs heading to upstate New York, Food Networks Bobby Flay has purchased a seasonal home right in Saratoga Springs. This may come as no surprise as the celebrity chef is an investor in several Thoroughbred race horses. In an interview with Food & Wine magazine, Flay recounted his grandfather bringing him to Saratoga Springs to watch the races for the first time as a teenager. I wasnt into riding look, I was a city kid but I just loved the races. I always thought it would be fun to own a small piece of a horse one day, Flay said. Now, not only does he own a stable full of winning Thoroughbred fillies, he has a home in the heart of upstate New Yorks horse racing, just steps away from the track. Television personality Chef Bobby Flay, left, looks over a racing program with Chef friend Michael Symon ,center, and his wife Liz Symon ,right, while watching racing action prior to the Travers Stakes horse race at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Saturday, Aug. 29, 2015. Hans Pennink | The Associated Press House Beautiful reported that the four-bedroom, Tudor-style home was built in 1939. Flay will be using it as a place to host family and friends while in town. The previous owners had taken great care of the home so no major renovations had to be done, but of course, with Flay being a professional chef, some adjustments did happen. Designer Olivia Capuano took a home office and turned it into a Bourbon Lounge with a wet bar made of soapstone with a hammered copper sink. She also transformed a former fire pit into a large outdoor kitchen for entertaining with a large grill counter and outdoor TV so guests dont have to miss the action of the races while enjoying the space. With this latest purchase, Flay becomes the latest Food Network TV chef to spend a significant amount of time in upstate New York. He joins the likes of other celebrity chefs Anne Burrell who regularly visits her hometown of Cazenovia and Rachael Ray, who was born in the Adirondacks and still maintains a home there. READ MORE Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy buys $1.4M house in upstate New York STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The MTA is turning to new technology to cut down on bus collisions in a move that agency officials said they hope will reduce maintenance and legal costs. During Wednesdays MTA Board meeting, New York City Transit President Richard Davey said that the agency plans to test the use of e-mirrors on city buses in the coming weeks, as the traditional sideview mirrors struck roughly 1,800 objects last year, representing about 25% of all bus collisions. The e-mirrors use cameras positioned on the bus to display nearby surroundings to drivers on a digital screen, eliminating the need for the traditional sideview mirrors. Agency officials said that the number of collisions involving sideview mirrors has risen in recent years, in part due to the outdoor dining structures that were installed during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. An e-mirror is basically a back-up camera. Its actually a video of the sides of the bus, if you will, and if youve noticed, our mirrors actually stick out a fair bit, Davey told reporters in the post-meeting press conference. What we have found, particularly with the proliferation of dining structures in the city, our mirrors are just hitting more inanimate objects. The agency views the potential switch to e-mirrors as a cost-saving measure, with the sideview mirror collisions driving up maintenance costs for repairs and legal costs for settling on property damage. Additionally, officials said the change would bring better service to riders, as each sideview mirror collisions results in two lost trips for that bus while repairs are being made. Its driving up our maintenance costs, its driving up legal settlements, and so e-mirrors, literally cameras and screens that would replace the mirrors, is something were looking at, Davey said. ADDITIONAL TRANSPORTATION NEWS MTAs OMNY card vending machines coming to NYC this fall Staten Island bus route S76 detoured until Memorial Day, due to delayed $77M infrastructure project What is the penalty for passing a stopped school bus in New York? MTA now allowing e-bikes on buses, subways, commuter rails Shocking video shows teens climb to top of Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge MTA nabs toll evaders with fines exceeding $1.5M in enforcement blitz at 2 NYC bridges NYC parking meters: How much does it cost to park across the city? NYC comptroller sets higher wages for Staten Island Ferry engineers NYC congestion pricing pushed back to 2024, costing $250M in revenue, MTA says Speed cameras on Verrazzano? Staten Island lawmakers unanimously oppose state proposal STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Mayor Eric Adams officially announced Thursday that former Borough President James Oddo will be the citys next head of the Department of Buildings. The former borough presidents colleagues in the Adams administration including his former boss, Deputy Mayor for Operations, Meera Joshi expressed their enthusiasm about Oddos new role. Oddo will take over for Buildings Department First Deputy Commissioner Kazimir Vilenchik, who had been serving as the departments acting commissioner since former Commissioner Eric Ulrich, who resigned in November amid a reported investigation into his alleged gambling with mob associates. Jimmy Oddo brings the highest level of passion, empathy and smarts to public service, and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Operations has been the grateful beneficiary of the Oddo Effect, said Joshi, for whom Oddo has served as chief of staff throughout Adams administration. In his new role, his excellent leadership and acumen will ensure the Department of Buildings meets the real and pressing needs of New Yorkers who depend on it to ensure safety standards are in place and for building continuity. I truly look forward to working with Commissioner Oddo in his new capacity, and I am deeply appreciative to First Deputy Commissioner Vilenchik for serving in his acting capacity. At the Buildings Department Oddo will head the citys building and construction safety work, which has come into sharper focus after a parking garage collapsed in Manhattan killing one person earlier this month.. Oddo served as Staten Island borough president for eight years, after representing the 50th Council District in office for 14 years, and having worked for City Council members for 10 years. After leaving the borough presidents office, Oddo began what he told the Advance/SILive.com was his dream job, working as chief of staff to Deputy Mayor of Operations Meera Joshi in January 2022. City & State first broke the news about Oddos new gig on Wednesday, but the former borough president and other members of the Adams administration declined to comment on the matter. On Thursday, Oddo said ensuring the safety of workers and all New Yorkers would be his top priority in his new role. I am grateful for Mayor Adams continued belief in me, and I am excited to continue serving this city at the Department of Buildings, Oddo said. As we undertake that critical work, we will continue reorienting the agency to be more efficient and customer friendly. Having built and been a part of highly successful teams, I will work every day to foster a culture within the agency that best positions the talented professionals there to address and advance our agenda from keeping New Yorkers safe and deploying cutting-edge technology to do so to [reinvigorate] our citys public space. I am grateful to Deputy Mayor Joshi for her partnership these last 16 months, and I am thrilled to be able to continue to closely work with her and the talented operations team. Along with Oddos new gig, Adams announced that Molly Wasow Park would take over as commissioner of the Department of Social Services, which oversees the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) and the Human Resources Administration (HRA). Park had been serving as acting commissioner of DSS since March taking over for former Commissioner Gary Jenkins who resigned in February as he faced continued criticism for his handling of the homelessness crisis. Our administration has always been laser-focused on finding the right people for the right jobs at the right time, and Jimmy Oddo and Molly Wasow Park are exactly those people, Adams said. Commissioner Oddo is an expert at building and running high-functioning teams, and he will bring the leadership the Department of Buildings needs to oversee our citys buildings and protect New Yorkers who work in construction and walk on our streets. Commissioner Park has a proven track record of helping connect thousands of New Yorkers experiencing homelessness on our subways to shelter and making it easier for people to access critical services, and I am confident she has the experience, vision and compassion to continue leading this agency and make life better for those in need. Each of them brings decades of invaluable experience to the job, and New Yorkers thank them for stepping up to serve at this crucial time. Lou Coletti of the Building Trades Employers Association applauded the appointment. Jimmy Oddo is a great selection to head the Department of Buildings, said Louis J. Coletti, president and CEO of the Building Trades Employers Association, he said. Ive known him for many years going back to his days on the City Council. He has had a remarkable career serving New York City with a common sense, bipartisan approach to governing. I look forward to learning more about his vision for the real estate and construction industry, and working toward implementing the Mayors plans for a more efficient and streamlined buildings process. MORE NYC NEWS NYC Mayor Adams budget limits library cuts, but Council Speaker says significant work ahead NYC minimum wage could see a bump in state budget deal NYC lifeguards to get higher pay, and eligibility for $1,000 bonus NYC Mayor Adams slams Pres. Biden, VP Harris over border crisis Staten Islands first gigabit center will be a new tech hub for immigrants STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. A report of a residential break-in Thursday in Richmond sparked an NYPD search for suspects in the community, prompting a school to issue a lockdown as a precaution. St. Patricks School put the safety measures in place until police let officials know it was safe for students. The building lockdown has since been lifted. Out of an abundance of caution a lockdown of the school was instituted while NYPD searched for the perpetrators, said T.J. McCormack, the director of communications and public relations for the Archdiocese of New York. Two detectives visited the school and met with leadership, including the pastor and after determining the school was not in danger, the precautions were lifted. The school day has since continued on as usual with no interruption to the students schedule, McCormack added. No threat was made against the school. The NYPD did not immediately respond to a request for further information. This is a developing story and further information will be posted as it becomes available. OTHER STATEN ISLAND NEWS: >> Husband charged with murder in stabbing death of wife in Richmond >> Carjackings, threats, scams on Staten Island prompt warning about selling, buying cars on Facebook Marketplace >> NYPD details terrifying attempted abduction on Staten Island; cops search for two males in brown van >> NYPD seeks tips in alleged assault on MTA bus on Staten Island STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. In remembrance of those who have died, here is a collection of obituaries posted on SILive.com. Viewing times and guestbooks can be found here. Bernard John Ernst, Jr. Bernard John Ernst, Jr., 68, a 30-year resident of Ortley Beach and Toms River, passed away peacefully on April 21, 2023. Born on Staten Island, he was proud of his parochial school education and pursued a pre-med curricula for three years, until bitten by the theatrical production bug. He began producing shows, designing sound, lighting and scenery, also constructing sets for Off-Broadway and Broadway shows in his first efforts in working with Staten Island high schools, community theater and other civic groups. Since forming his own production company in 1966, theatrical enterprises eventually led to producing television shows, ballet and rock & roll tours, film, commercials, and trade show exhibition. During the 1970s, Bernie took the roles of Production Manager, Tour Manager, lighting designer, set builder, or as Marvin Gaye called him, his good luck charm Bernie being the last person he passed before going on stage! He toured with numerous musicians, including Journey, Kiss, The Who, Twisted Sister, U2, Pink Floyd (built The Wall), The Eagles, Ozzy Ozborne, Santana, Cindi Lauper, Led Zeppelin, Donna Summer and many more. In the 1980s Bernie focused on production tours with American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet, plus television and film productions, such as Billy Graham Crusades, Court TV, Universal Studios Press Junkets, and Pirates of Penzance. Bernie began building trade show exhibits, and another world opened to expand his design creativity in the area of business conventions, with clients like Buena Vista TV, Museum of Modern Art, Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals, Viacom, Westinghouse Broadcast & Cable, and Medtronics. By 1990 Bernie expanded his scope by going international, building exhibits for clients, such as the German Agricultural Marketing Board, ICEX (The Commercial Office of Spain), Messe Dusseldorf GmbH, Univision, and ITC (Italian Trade Commission). In 1992 as Bernies career was thriving, he won the bid to produce a $6.1 million event for ITC at the Park Avenue Armory in Manhattan. The 41-day exhibition (including set-up and tear-down), a first-time international event, was attended by the public, mayor, governor, ambassadors, and over 200 dignitaries. On closing night, Bernie responded to a fire alarm in a section of the armory, unrelated to the event, following orders from the New York City Fire Department. The burning material was highly toxic (later tested as cyanide-like); however, Bernie was able to contain the blaze in the 145-year-old landmark building, until firefighters arrived. Ultimately, he was credited by the NYFD with saving 200 lives; unfortunately, as the only injured employee during the entire seven-week event, he sustained permanent, progressive injuries as a result. Trade shows, concert productions and special events filled Bernies business schedule, sometimes traveling three weeks-a-month, country-wide, and as far as Europe. Then came September 11, 2001, and he decided to reassess his priorities, since his health certainly was not 100% after the fire. Bernie joined Knights of Columbus Council 8415 on November 26 stages the next year. He was elected Grand Knight in 2003 and appointed District Deputy in 2004. In 2013, after approximately 30 hospitalizations most, near death - Bernie formed Knights of Columbus Council 10899 at St. Maximilian Kolbe Roman Catholic Church in Toms River, NJ. He became its first Membership Director, with 70 members the first year, growing to 120 by its third year. In 2016 Bernie considered the highlight of his wonderful life, career and travels the invitation to be part of the Knights of Malta pilgrimage to Lourdes, France, returning home in improved health, with the firm belief that the Grottos healing waters worked, despite the prediction in 1995 he only had 2 more years to live! For the full obit, click here. Margaret Grace, 87, of Livingston, Staten Island, was called to God on April 22, 2023. She attended Resurrection Grammar School in Brooklyn, and St. Edmunds High School, also Brooklyn. She was a devout Catholic, and was very proud of her Irish heritage. Her career was in investment banking at Merrill Lynch & Co., Manhattan. She worked as a registered representative and secretary for many years. For the full obit, click here. Maureen Michelle Miller (nee OBrien) passed away peacefully on April 14, 2023, after a valiant battle with cancer surrounded by friends and family. Our mother never met a stranger and raised her kids and grandchildren to be as kind and generous as she was. Her love of helping others and being part of community had an impact on many people. Her memory will always be in our hearts and her legacy lives on in the lessons she taught us and the wisdom she imparted. For the full obit, click here. Subscription to paid content Gain access to all that Trend has to offer, as well as to premium, licensed content via subscription or direct purchase through a credit card. A United flight that took off from Newark airport early Sunday turned around and returned to New Jersey three hours into the trip to Israel due to a disruptive passenger. While waiting to use a bathroom, the man sat in a seat reserved for flight attendants and refused to move when asked by a crew member, according to YNetNews.com. He then argued with flight attendants. The man was escorted off the plane when it arrived back in Newark but was not arrested, a Port Authority spokeswoman said. United flight 90 traveling from Newark to Tel Aviv returned to Newark shortly after takeoff due to a disruptive passenger, United Airlines said in a statement. Law enforcement met the aircraft and removed the passenger. A new flight was scheduled to depart Sunday evening. United flight 90 departed from Newark at 12:48 a.m. Sunday and was back at the airport at 6:28 a.m, according to FlightAware.com. The flight was already about two hours behind schedule when it left, having originally been slated to take off at 10:55 p.m. Passengers were booked onto a flight for late Sunday. Thank you for visiting the Daily Journal. Please purchase an Enhanced Subscription to continue reading. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! San Mateo, CA (94402) Today Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. Thunder possible. High 58F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Rain. Low 51F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. The second Azerbaijan-Tatarstan business forum will be held in Kazan on April 28, Trend reports via the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tatarstan. According to the chamber, the business forum will be attended by Azerbaijani business circles interested in cooperation with enterprises and organizations of Tatarstan. The second forum is aimed to establish closer ties between enterprises. The Azerbaijani delegation will include representatives from a wide range of industries, including private agriculture and food industry, construction and trade, light industry, finance, information, and communication technology. The first forum was held in November last year in Baku. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Peach PRC has been listening to a lot of Enrique Iglesias lately. Over the last few weeks, the pop artist born Shaylee Curnow has been embroiled in a frenetic promo schedule involving multiple video shoots and interviews for her impending debut EP, Manic Dream Pixie. To calm the chaos, its been Iglesias all the way. Its like hes possessed me, Curnow says over Zoom from her Sydney home. Hes wormed his way somewhere into my cerebral cortex and hes just saying, I could be your hero. The schedule might be overwhelming indeed, the hype and rollout feels more suited to a major album release than a debut EP but Curnow has embraced it. Interviews are her favourite things to do, she adds, because she loves a chat. Especially about myself, she quips. Theres not a shortage of things to talk about. In just a few short years and with only a handful of releases, Peach PRC has become one of the most-talked about pop acts in the country. Its a rise spurred along by her huge popularity on TikTok, where she boasts nearly three million followers across her main and side accounts. A quick scroll over her TikTok is a wild ride: there are skits about ancient Egyptians discovering the wheel moments after building the pyramids; the fruit fly and cockroach infestations in Sydney terrace houses; building flat-pack furniture; duetting fans getting tattoos of her lyrics; and behind the scenes of the Manic Dream Pixie rollout. On screen and throughout our interview Curnow is charismatic and very funny, always poised to poke fun at herself and point out her own inconsistencies and quirks. Curnow grew up in Adelaide, and her childhood was a troubled one. Shes revealed in the past that her stepfather was pretty abusive, and he and her mother were largely neglectful through her early years. For maybe obvious reasons, pops glittering escapism enthralled Curnow from an early age. Everybody loves to feel happy and uplifted, she says after a thoughtful pause when I ask why popstardom appealed so strongly. Its bright and sparkly and camp, it just does something to my brain. Thats what I feel most drawn to. Id rather have people feel through my music than see me bawling my eyes out on TikTok: Peach PRC finds solace in pop. Credit:Jess Gleeson As a teenager, Curnow was single-minded about becoming a popstar. She started posting song covers on Facebook, and ran the gauntlet of pretty much every singing talent show in the country (including The Voice, X Factor, Australias Got Talent). Shed turn up to local talent shows and win on one occasion, the top prize afforded her the opportunity to head into the studio for a session. There were a couple of small viral moments, but success eluded Curnow. Her late teenage years were marked by, as shes called it, a series of unfortunate events. She dropped out of school and moved out of home to live with her biological father, who kicked her out after he discovered she was working as a stripper (the moniker Peach PRC comes from those years, where her stage name was Peach Porcelain). Curnow wound up homeless, staying in hospital for a length of time before being discharged and finding a spare room in a sharehouse with five flatmates. Shes told a story in the past of being so broke shed defrost one slice of bread at a time to make it through a time she chronicled in the tongue-in-cheek bop Im So Broke. Advertisement Curnow clung onto the dream of becoming a popstar, writing songs and posting them to her steadily growing fanbase online on YouTube and TikTok. A track of hers was picked up by a producer in Los Angeles, who invited her to fly over to record. The song that came out was Blondes, which blew up online in 2019. Suddenly, labels across the country were picking up the phone to sign her. A string of successful singles followed. Josh was a wry kiss-off to an ex who just wont stop calling, and Forever Drunk, a desperate break-up ballad that Curnow turned into a bounding dance-pop thumper. The songs are deceptively clever, and Curnows lyrics can be laugh-out-loud funny. Take her 2022 single God is a Freak, which skewers strange religious contradictions and builds to the unforgettable chorus lyric: Whys he watching me getting railed on the couch, staying pure for a wedding? Hes got f---ed up priorities. With its neon bright swirl of guitars and wall of gleefully autotuned harmonies, its a perfect slice of pure pop. The song caused a bit of a stir on its release partly for the blasphemous lyrics, but also because Curnow released it without the permission of her label. I didnt really know you couldnt just [upload the songs], she explains. People thought that it was a publicity stunt but it was because I genuinely dont know what Im doing. That might be so, but Curnow is fiercely protective over her music and the aesthetic of Peach PRC. She admits shes not a good collaborator and says shes too much of a control freak to throw herself into sessions with other songwriters. The notable exception was working with Katy Perry collaborator Bonnie McKee, who she teamed up with for Forever Drunk. I really struggle to collaborate, she says with a laugh. These songs are journal entries for me. Its hard to write from your soul with a complete stranger. Peach PRC may have started out as a character, but the lines between reality and artifice have long since blurred. I always think about this, she says when asked where one begins and the other ends. The pink, the fairy obsessions, the over-the-top personality and chaos, the pop music all of that is Peach and all of that is me as well. Advertisement The only separation these days, she says, is Peach being more outlandish and more expressive on stage, where Curnow would be quite reserved. Curnows TikTok presence might still be chaotic, but shes more keenly aware these days of not turning her entire life into performance. In the beginning it was just completely raw all of the time, she says. At my best, and at my absolutely worst but I try to be mindful about what I say because with the audience Ive created, some things can be very triggering. And its okay for me to keep my worst moments to myself. Id rather have people feel that through my music than see me bawling my eyes out on TikTok. With production handled by longtime collaborator Liam Quinn and in-demand producer Konstantin Kersting (Amy Shark, Tones and I), Manic Dream Pixie is the most polished Peach PRC has ever been. Perfect For You interpolates Paris Hiltons beloved Stars Are Blind, while F U Goodbye is another classic Curnow break-up missive: I hate your jokes and dont think youre funny I hope your conscience haunts you at night, she sings over crystalline synths and thudding drums. With the exception of tender closer Dear Inner Child, Manic Dream Pixie is primed for festival dancefloors. Loading Curnow came out as a lesbian in early 2022; she joked that the closet was made of glass. Her recent performance at WorldPrides closing party was classic Peach: playful, frenetic, joyous. But in a TikTok uploaded shortly after the event, Curnow revealed a prominent brand that often promotes LGBTIQ causes walked out on a deal with her after finding out she used to be a sex worker. Curnow was stunned. That was my first encounter with something like that, she says. It actually happened twice, with similar brands. It really did throw me. Pride started with sex workers and trans sex workers, she says. It just feels like rainbow washing. They turn up for a little bit to say were allies, but then they dip out and its like, no youre not, you cheeky little liars, you hate sex workers. Incidents like that aside, Curnow is grateful and proud to be where she is a highly anticipated debut in the wings, her biggest tour of the country beginning in a matter of days. I put so much work into this, she says, just before we wrap up. So many hours and years of time. Its not manufactured by a label or a brand its all very me. Advertisement Heading to the UK for a brief moment. As King Charles coronation ticks ever closer, the focus has been on Prince William, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. But as Associated Press reports, British historians and royal observers believe it is Queen Camilla who might have the most trouble reviving her reputation. Meghan and Camilla at the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II in September. Credit: Getty Images Without really trying too hard, but just by giving it time and going gently, gently, she has managed to show people the real person that she is that shes not this villainess, and that shes there to do the hard work, said Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine. But the most important thing about Camilla is the way she appears to support her husband and back him up. Camilla, 75, was mercilessly torn apart by the tabloids for years. Seward said she earned respect by putting her head down and steadily getting on with her duties. Shes won over much of the British public with her down-to-earth personality and her charitable work, notably against domestic violence, rape and sexual abuse causes she says shell continue to support as queen. But some say shell never fully shake her reputation as the third person in the marriage between Charles and Princess Diana. I would actually argue that she still is the other woman, and probably will remain the other woman, said Arianne Chernock, a professor specializing in modern British history at Boston University. Diana will very much be a presence in the room in Westminster Abbey in May 6 I think its hard not to see her when you look at Charles and Camilla. With AP Two women have died outside a hospital in Sydneys west after one was driving a car that allegedly hit the other. About 3.20pm, emergency services were called to Nepean Hospital car park on Derby Street, Kingswood, following reports of a crash. On arrival, officers attached to Nepean police area command were told a car, driven by a woman believed to have been in her 60s, allegedly reversed into another car, before hitting a pedestrian, a woman believed to have been in her 40s. The driver and pedestrian were both assessed by NSW Ambulance paramedics, but were pronounced dead at the scene. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Welcome back to Yours.Sincerely, our Friday dive into the letters and comments on what you decided was the topic of the week. Readers flocked to mourn and celebrate, but sometimes tick off, Barry Humphries. Was he our greatest comedian, only a man in drag, rightly poking fun at poke-worthy subjects, or just a very naughty boy? Everyone had a view. Australian comedy great Barry Humphries dies in hospital aged 89

Credit:Matt Golding LC3 Waltzing in, throwing open the pearly gates, tossing stalks of gladioli to those forming the guard of honour Helloooooo, Possums, Im here. Cec Poole Hopefully, he will be just too much in heaven, and he will be sent back to us! Bullwinkle Baz, please jump out from behind a curtain somewhere and tell us you were only joking. This cant be true. Advertisement Harvey Grennan RIP Barry. You made me laugh for more than half a century. On Sunday, I cried. Budawang The Dame and her entourage represented everything thats good about comedy: audacious, irreverent, convention-busting, self-mocking and very, very clever. We have lost a much-needed antidote to this age of groupthink and identity politics.

Credit:David Rowe James Athanasou Some might mourn the passing of Barry Humphries, but not all. Life is more than popularity or notoriety. Certainly, he filled in a few moments with some comedy, but we should also look carefully at what he portrayed and why we laughed at it. Phil Johnson A little bit of Sydney has died. Mustafa Erem Many comedians resort to swearing to be funny. Thats intellectual ineptitude or laziness. Humphries can never be accused of either. Reader9 I hope they serve Russian salad in heaven. Advertisement Wizard of Oz Dame Edna for the $5 note. Natalie Maschmeyer Am I the only one who has had the theme tune from the Bazza McKenzie movie as an earworm since news broke of Auntie Ednas passing? Margaret Johnston Ostensibly Dame Edna may have been targeting pretentiousness and the Australian working class, but it often felt like misogyny. harrowagenda I remember his mobile going off when he was on Q&A. Answering it, he said, I cant talk now, Im on national television. The host had his head in his hands. John D. Wilson He helped us laugh at some of our more obnoxious characteristics and see how silly they were, and still are. Genius in the simple things he saw and showed us. Ourselves. Mary Julian When Barry Humphries died it wasnt just Barry we lost, but all of those characters within him. Each had some deep hidden message. Edna, Les, Sandy and others. We will miss all of them. And especially Barry. Mona Finley Personally, I have never understood what is so terrifically funny about a bloke wearing a dress. Must be some carry-over from the pantomime dame tradition. Advertisement Denis Suttling I will miss Barry Humphries thumbing his nose up at political correctness. He was superb, funny and didnt give a toss about who took exception to his outrageous characters. He will be sorely missed. Vale, Bazza. Mike Fogarty The last time I saw Humphries was in London, in 1988, when getting into an official car. Walking down the Strand, he scowled at me. I erred, for as a fellow diplomat, I should have offered our cultural ambassador a lift. Pam Fichtner Not a comedian but rather an actor, entertainer and a social commentator, who had the unique ability to create characters with intelligence and warmth. Barry Ffrench The amazing Aurora Australis was just the heavens welcoming Barry Humphries, Dame Edna, Sir Les et al to the choir eternal. Quite sure Barry organised it all beforehand. Barryd do that. Comedian Sammy J, a proud recipient of the Melbourne International Comedy Festivals Barry Award for Best Show, contributed an opinion piece on the late comedian titled: I owe Barry. I won a Barry. And I was on the board when we voted to rename the Barry Ministry of Truth Of course people are entitled to their views, and others are equally entitled to respond in whatever way they see as most effective, in this case removal of his name from the institution he founded. Gromit The festival organisers must now ensure that no comedian lampoons or criticises any section or group within the community, ever. Advertisement Howe Synnott When it comes to Humphries comments on transgender people and the MICFs decision to rename the Barry award surely, there are good people on both sides of this debate. Nixon We will remember Barry Humphries long after the MICF and most of its performers have faded into history. Jaycee I guess my 86-year-old mum is next to go for the two golliwogs sitting among the other dolls and teddy bears in her sewing room? Demon George Interesting that MICF decided to attack intolerance with intolerance. Columnist Jenna Price suggested there is no better time to say what you really think of someone than when theyre gone. If its a mortal sin to speak ill of the dead, I have a confession to make Facts please Oh, for the days when we could just enjoy artists work and didnt know anything at all about their all-too-human flaws. Genevieve Milton You dont speak ill of the dead because they do not have the right of reply. Advertisement My sense is we give it two or three months and see what happens, he said. Loading Unlike other councils, including Boroondara and Casey, Monash is refusing to give in to sustained abuse and threats of violence designed to pressure the council to scrap its drag event. There have been at least 15 councils statewide disrupted by fringe groups in recent months and the Monash protest was the most aggressive yet. Yarra Ranges Council announced last week it would host its meetings only online indefinitely after copping months of antisocial behaviour. More than 100 protesters hijacked a January meeting espousing 5G and 15-minute city conspiracies. On Wednesday, Yarra Ranges, in Melbournes outer east, said it had spent more than $12,000 since January on security guards and cameras in its Lilydale public gallery. Councillor Fergeus said while he felt the situation on Wednesday night was managed as well as it could be, the verbal abuse was intimidating for ratepayers and councillors. Protesters outside the Monash Civic Centre in Glen Waverley before Wednesday nights council meeting. Credit: Paul Jeffers It by no means was a great place or safe place to be. At least it didnt descend into physical altercations like it easily could have, he said. People are right there with us in a relatively confined room. Fergeus said livestreaming meetings might be temporarily necessary, but he feared that could disenfranchise residents. Senator Ralph Babet outside the Monash Council meeting on Wednesday night. Credit: Real Rukshan/Facebook A lot of people want to come and meet their councillors, he said. I wouldnt want to lose one of the great things about local government by moving into an entirely online space. Fergeus said councils were not equipped to deal with the problem, particularly in rural areas where resources and expertise were more lacking. Its only going to get more intense and I think we need a co-ordinated strategy which addresses not only the security response, but thinks about how we respond to these parts of our community that are so angry and looking for a place to park that anger, he said. The state government needs to consider the changing tenor of some of this debate and provide further funding for councils to increase security measures and ensure that we can keep local democracy safe. Clark called for state and federal governments to voice support for local councils, but stopped short of calling for financial help to beef up security. He opposed the idea of turning council meetings into high-security operations because that was expensive, risked provoking protesters further and undermined democracy. There are two other big levels of government out there that are also elected democracies like us that can say, Were not going to tolerate that, were actually here backing you, Clark said. We do feel a little bit on our own because were the ones getting targeted ... Local government just cant function with this kind of disruption. A council chamber is supposed to be a place where you can come and meet with councillors at the same level with no barriers. This [protest movement] is absolutely threatening that. Loading Clark praised Monash Council for managing to push on with its meeting agenda after a 15-minute adjournment, but he said the councillors were fortunate to have been pre-warned as this was new territory for the sector. Grossly unprepared wouldnt be an understatement, he said. Passion in the council chamber is not unusual to us, we have that on planning matters. But when it comes to big social issues over the last 20 years, none of them have played out in the council chamber like this ... Its very worrying. Local Government Minister Melissa Horne said there was no place for threatening or aggressive behaviour in public debate. Loading The actions of these fringe groups and members of the public at recent council meetings is completely unacceptable, Horne said. Councillors and council staff work for local communities, and they have every right to a safe workplace. Monash Mayor Tina Samardzija said the council would work with the rest of the local government sector to manage the situation, but was very reluctant to move meetings online. We hope that last night was a one-off, and we can return to council meetings without disruption so that community members, councillors and staff can attend and participate safely, she said. Among those who attended Wednesday nights meeting were fringe group figures who rose to prominence during anti-lockdown protests, such as United Australia Party senator Ralph Babet, Monica Smit, Avi Yemini and Rukshan Fernando. Loading Samardzija described the verbal abuse levelled by protesters as unsettling. Council is used to working and communicating with people in a heightened state, but the level of anger and abuse directed at our staff and councillors, and misinformation spread on [the drag story time event] has been concerning, she said. If this was to continue in this way across councils, there would inevitably be an impact of people looking to enter our sector. Monash ratepayer Gregory Storer attended the meeting as part of a LGBTQ contingent and was horrified by protesters slurs after he asked a question about the councils safe children policy for trans and gender diverse kids. Returning to my seat, I heard people calling me a faggot, groomer and paedo, he said. It was way beyond how we in Australia would expect each other to behave. However, Storer opposed moving meetings online, and believed fringe groups must be managed without harming democracy. We should be able to freely move around and participate in our local democracies without fear and to cave to right-wing extremists is to deliver them what they want, he said. Australia is on track for a significantly higher migration surge than forecast as Home Affairs Minister Clare ONeil introduces a suite of new measures to fine tune the nations intake, arguing she was not advocating for a big Australia. ONeil said the government would dramatically boost the minimum pay for temporary migrant workers, tighten the entry requirements for international student programs and overhaul the points test for skills in a global race for talent. Home Affairs Minister Clare ONeil says the migration system isnt meeting Australias current and future economic challenges. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen The governments new strategy concedes net migration will be significantly higher than the 235,000 forecast in its October budget, with the governments own housing finance agency assuming the figure could reach 350,000 in the 2022-23 financial year. What I have spoken about today is not about more people, ONeil told the National Press Club on Thursday. A protracted and bumbling series of changes to how verification works on Twitter has not only further shredded confidence in the services ability to keep things running smoothly, its ensured that discussion on Twitter continues to be overwhelmingly about Twitter, making for a much less useful and enjoyable experience. Overhauling verification was one of Elon Musks promises when he took ownership of the company six months ago, with the goal being to dismantle the previous system (blue ticks given to prominent or noteworthy accounts, or those at risk of impersonation), with a new one where paying subscribers proved their identity to get the tick. Twitters blue tick has lost its credibility. Credit: AP What actually ended up happening is a situation nobody could have predicted, except potentially for Dr Seuss, when he wrote the 1961 childrens story The Sneetches. In it, creatures with no stars on their bellies feel left out and ostracised by those who do have stars, until a crafty entrepreneur named Sylvester McMonkey McBean offers to apply stars to anyone for just three dollars. Of course after that stars are no longer cool, and the star-havers remove theirs, leaving the original bare-bellies grumpy still, until both groups realise theyve been manipulated. Delphi, Greece: The head of the OECD Mathias Cormann has told an international economic gathering the West could be making an expensive mistake if it decoupled from China and that the wrong lessons would have been learnt from the pandemic. Separating the American and Chinese economies, also known as decoupling, was a policy pushed by China hawks in the Trump administration but under Democratic President Joe Biden, the US has become more focused on diversifying supply lines for critical sectors, particularly technology. OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann addressing the Delphi Economic Forum in Delphi. Cormann, Australias former finance minister and now head of the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), was speaking to the Delphi Economic Forum under way in the ancient city north-west of Athens. He said while it was sensible to de-risk supply lines that are dependent on China, total decoupling by the West would leave the world poorer. Lets learn the lessons of the pandemic and the impact of the war in Ukraine on global supply chains, he said. Lets not throw the baby out with the bathwater. WILLEMSTAD/PHILIPSBURG:--- The Centrale Bank van Curacao en Sint Maarten (CBCS) is excited to announce that it has entered into a partnership with Crane Currency and the Royal Canadian Mint, for (respectively) the production and supply of the Caribbean guilder banknotes and coins. This is another major step towards the realization of our own currency for the countries of Curacao and Sint Maarten, as agreed upon at the time of the constitutional reform of October 10, 2010. By collaborating with these two highly reputable companies, the CBCS is confident it will achieve a most modern series of banknotes and coins of which the people of Curacao and Sint Maarten will be proud. In early 2022, the two countries ratified the decision to move forward with a currency for the new monetary union. A project approximating NAf.15 million. In September 2022, the CBCS began negotiations with suppliers for the new banknotes and coins. In all, seven suppliers expressed interest in working the CBCS on the design and production of the new banknotes and coins. Using predetermined standards, the CBCS carefully evaluated the bids of the participating companies screening all involved, and ultimately awarding Crane Currency and Royal Canadian Mint contracts for the new Caribbean guilder banknotes and coins, respectively. Crane Currency (Crane), established in 1801, produces banknote paper and security features, and supplies to more than 50 central banks around the world. It is headquartered in Massachusetts (US) with manufacturing facilities in Malta and Sweden. Crane has supplied banknote paper and security features to the US Treasury Department since 1879, and is no stranger to our region, having provided banknotes, banknote paper and anti-counterfeiting features for the central banks of Mexico, Guyana, and Chile among others. Crane also produced the new banknotes of our sister island of Aruba in 2019. The Royal Canadian Mint (RCM), established in 1908, is a Crown corporation responsible for minting and distributing Canada's circulation coins. RCM is one of the largest mints in the world and strikes coins for 80 other countries in addition to Canada. In the region, RCM is a supplier to the Central Bank of the Bahamas, Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana. With contracts now signed with both companies, our focus turns to the detailed design of the new currency. In the meantime, draft amendments to the legislation are being prepared, to be presented to the countries in good time. Essential to this project are the logistics and communicationsthe latter to keep the communities of Curacao and Sint Maarten informed of key moments and progress of new currencys introduction. In this context, consultations with commercial banks and other stakeholders have resumed, and the CBCS has held discussions with the commercial banks in Curacao and Sint Maarten on the adjustments needed to their cash processing and electronic payment systems for the introduction of the Caribbean guilder. These consultations and public information on the new banknotes and coins will intensify ahead of the Caribbean guilders issuance. As announced previously, a 1-to-1 conversion rate will apply, with customers receiving 1 Caribbean guilder for every 1 Netherlands Antillean guilder. The exchange rate against the US dollar will remain unchanged. The CBCS expects to introduce the Caribbean guilder in the second half of 2024. The exact date will be agreed to by the two countries and advertised in due course. Willemstad, April 26, 2023 CENTRALE BANK VAN CURACAO EN SINT MAARTEN BONAIRE:--- Manta rays are highly charismatic creatures that inhabit the waters of the Dutch Caribbean. In addition to being a highly prized find for divers and snorkelers, they are also important for healthy oceans as they can help control plankton and cycle nutrients. Manta rays are threatened by a variety of human activities. Luckily, increased protection for the giant oceanic manta ray in the Caribbean region will be considered in the next Conference of Parties for the Cartagena Convention (COPS) meeting later this year on Aruba. Manta Rays in the Caribbean The Caribbean is home to two species of manta ray, the giant oceanic manta ray (Mobula birostris) and Caribbean Manta Rays (Mobula cf. Birostris- which will most likely be officially described in the coming years), as well as several species of devil rays. Manta rays are the largest type of rays. They pose no danger to humans. Manta rays are filter feeders, taking in microscopic food (plankton), including fish larvae, krill, shrimp, and planktonic crabs from the water column and filtering them through their gill plates. They play a vital role in keeping the oceans healthy by regulating plankton levels. Also, by moving between the surface ocean, deep sea and coral reefs, they create a valuable ecological connection by transporting nutrients. Threats Manta rays are threatened by a variety of human activities. One of the biggest threats to these creatures worldwide is overfishing, as they are often targeted for their gill plates, used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. They are also at risk from bycatch, entanglement, habitat destruction, and pollution. Bycatch and entanglement are likely the two biggest threats in the Caribbean. The manta rays are the largest species of rays, they are long-lived (30-50 years) and slow to reproduce. The age that giant manta rays are able to reproduce for the first time is estimated around 9-12 years old and manta rays only give birth to one pup at a time. The slow life cycle and low reproduction rate make manta rays extremely vulnerable to depletion. Hope on the horizon In the Dutch Caribbean, marine protected areas, such as the Yarari Marine Mammal and Shark Sanctuary, help protect manta and devil rays. The species are also on several regional and international lists, such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), and the International Shark Strategy adopted by the Dutch Government (2019). In addition, the Kingdom of Netherlands, along with the Republic of France, has formally submitted a proposal to include the giant manta in Annex II of the Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) Protocol, a regional agreement for the protection and sustainable use of coastal and marine biodiversity in the Wider Caribbean Region. If approved during the next Conference of Parties for the Cartagena Convention (COPS) IGM20/COP17 this year in Aruba, this measure will provide a legal framework for the highest level of protection for the conservation of the giant manta ray. Report your sightings By submitting your (old and new) sightings of manta (and devil) rays, you can help researchers and conservationists learn more and better protect these species. You can report your sightings via Caribbean Islands Manta Conservation Program or Observation.org and the associated free app ObsIdentify- which will help you automatically identify the species by uploading your photos. In addition, you could also submit your photos via Mantatrust.org/IDtheManta, email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), or through the Caribbean Islands Manta Conservation Program social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. If uploading images to social media, particularly Instagram, tag @Caribbeanislandsmanta in your uploads to make sure these images are easily found and included in the global database. DCNA The Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) supports science communication and outreach in the Dutch Caribbean region by making nature-related scientific information more widely available through amongst others the Dutch Caribbean Biodiversity Database, DCNAs news platform BioNews and the press. This article contains the results from several scientific studies but the studies themselves are not DCNA studies. No rights can be derived from the content. DCNA is not liable for the content and the in(direct) impacts resulting from publishing this article. BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. Azerbaijan can expand cooperation with major enterprises of Russia's Tatarstan Republic, Trend reports via Azerbaijani Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarovs tweet. According to Jabbarov, during meetings with executives of large enterprises from Tatarstan, cooperation between Tatarstan companies and Azerbaijan, opportunities created for the activities of foreign companies and prospective projects were among the main points of discussion. On April 28, the second Azerbaijan-Tatarstan business forum will be held in Kazan with participation of Azerbaijani business circles interested in cooperation with enterprises and organizations of Tatarstan. The first forum was held in November last year in Baku. Within the forum, agreements were signed between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Azerbaijan Small and Medium Business Development Agency, the chambers of commerce and industry of Tatarstan and Azerbaijan, as well as a memorandum between the Russian I-Plast Ltd. manufacturing company and the Azerbaijani Cleanfix and ICE Management OJSCs. Vizsla Silver Forms Joint Technical Committee with Dr. Peter Megaw and Prismo Metals Vizsla Silver Corp. (TSX-V: VZLA) (NYSE: VZLA) (Frankfurt: 0G3) (aVizslaa or the aCompanya https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/vizsla-silver-corp/ ) is pleased to announce the formation of a strategic technical committee in collaboration with Dr. Peter Megaw and Prismo Metals. This joint effort aims to leverage the combined experience and knowledge of Vizsla and Prismo and reflects the commitment of both organizations to socially and environmentally responsible exploration of the Panuco silver-gold district. aWe are thrilled to collaborate with Dr. Peter Megaw and Dr. Craig Gibson and establish this technical committee,\ commented Michael Konnert, President and CEO of Vizsla Silver. \By combining our strengths and expertise, we significantly improve our odds for making additional discoveries in the central and eastern portions of the vastly under-explored Panuco district.a The technical committee will focus on regional, and district-scale generative work centered on both the Panuco and Palos Verdes claims. Through joint research and development initiatives, knowledge sharing, and collaborative projects, the committee aims to accelerate the pace of geologic understanding in the district and contribute to its long-term growth and success as the next major mining district in Mexico. The joint technical committee will be comprised of Dr. Jesus Velador, Vice President Exploration of Vizsla, Dr. Craig Gibson, President and CEO of Prismo Metals and Dr. Peter Megaw, Chief Exploration Officer of MAG Silver Corp. Peter Megaw has a Ph.D. in geology from the University of Arizona and over 40 years of mineral exploration experience in Mexico with a focus on silver. Both Dr. Velador and Dr. Megaw have worked together in the past and have each been instrumental in numerous mineral discoveries in Mexico including MAG Silvera?s Juanicipio Project. aThe Panuco-Copala District is clearly a large-scale, long-lived district with the production profile of a major epithermal vein camp,a said Dr. Peter Megaw, Technical Advisor to Prismo Metals. aAnytime you can step into a historic district and quickly find important blind veins means its worth stepping back to see where else that potential exists in the area. I look forward to working with the joint technical committee to explore Panuco as a coherent wholea. Jesus Velador, VP Exploration of Vizsla Silver added, aI am very excited for the opportunity to collaborate yet again with Dr. Peter Megaw as we look to identify new centres of high-grade mineralization within the broader Panuco districta. About the Panuco project The newly consolidated Panuco silver-gold project is an emerging high-grade discovery located in southern Sinaloa, Mexico, near the city of MazatlAn. The 7,189.5-hectare, past producing district benefits from over 86 kilometres of total vein extent, 35 kilometres of underground mines, roads, power, and permits. The district contains intermediate to low sulfidation epithermal silver and gold deposits related to siliceous volcanism and crustal extension in the Oligocene and Miocene. Host rocks are mainly continental volcanic rocks correlated to the Tarahumara Formation. The Panuco Project hosts an estimated in-situ indicated mineral resource of 104.8 Moz AgEq and an in-situ inferred resource of 114.1 Moz AgEq. An updated NI 43-101 technical report titled aTechnical Report on the Mineral Resource Estimate Update for the Panuco Ag-Au-Pb-Zn Project, Sinaloa State, Mexicoa was filed on SEDAR on March 10, 2023, with an effective date of January 19, 2023 was prepared byA Allan Armitage, Ph. D., P. Geo.,A Ben Eggers, MAIG, P.Geo. andA Yann Camus, P.Eng. of SGS Geological Services. About Vizsla Silver Vizsla Silver is a Canadian mineral exploration and development company headquartered in Vancouver, BC, focused on advancing its flagship, 100%-owned Panuco silver-gold project located in Sinaloa, Mexico. To date, Vizsla has completed over 250,000 metres of drilling at Panuco leading to the discovery of several new high-grade veins. For 2023, Vizsla has budgeted +90,000 metres of resource/discovery-based drilling designed to upgrade and expand the mineral resource, as well as test other high priority targets across the district. About Prismo Metals Prismo (CSE: PRIZ) is mining exploration company focused on two precious metal projects in Mexico (Palos Verdes and Los Pavitos) and a copper project in Arizona (Hot Breccia). Information Concerning Estimates of Mineral Resources The scientific and technical information in this news release was prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 which differs significantly from the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the aSECa). The terms \measured mineral resource\, \indicated mineral resource\ and \inferred mineral resource\ used herein are in reference to the mining terms defined in the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Standards (the aCIM Definition Standardsa), which definitions have been adopted by NI 43-101. Accordingly, information contained herein providing descriptions of our mineral deposits in accordance with NI 43-101 may not be comparable to similar information made public by other U.S. companies subject to the United States federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. You are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral resources will ever be converted into reserves. Pursuant to CIM Definition Standards, ainferred mineral resourcesa are that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of limited geological evidence and sampling. Such geological evidence is sufficient to imply but not verify geological and grade or quality continuity. An inferred mineral resource has a lower level of confidence than that applying to an indicated mineral resource and must not be converted to a mineral reserve. However, it is reasonably expected that the majority of inferred mineral resources could be upgraded to indicated mineral resources with continued exploration. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies, except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource is economically or legally mineable. Disclosure of acontained ouncesa in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute areservesa by SEC standards as in place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. Canadian standards, including the CIM Definition Standards and NI 43-101, differ significantly from standards in the SEC Industry Guide 7. Effective February 25, 2019, the SEC adopted new mining disclosure rules under subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the aSEC Modernization Rulesa), with compliance required for the first fiscal year beginning on or after January 1, 2021. The SEC Modernization Rules replace the historical property disclosure requirements included in SEC Industry Guide 7. As a result of the adoption of the SEC Modernization Rules, the SEC now recognizes estimates of ameasured mineral resourcesa, aindicated mineral resourcesa and ainferred mineral resourcesa. Information regarding mineral resources contained or referenced herein may not be comparable to similar information made public by companies that report according to U.S. standards. While the SEC Modernization Rules are purported to be asubstantially similara to the CIM Definition Standards, readers are cautioned that there are differences between the SEC Modernization Rules and the CIM Definitions Standards. Accordingly, there is no assurance any mineral resources that the Company may report as ameasured mineral resourcesa, aindicated mineral resourcesa and ainferred mineral resourcesa under NI 43-101 would be the same had the Company prepared the resource estimates under the standards adopted under the SEC Modernization Rules. Contact Information: For more information and to sign-up to the mailing list, please contact: Michael Konnert, President and Chief Executive Officer Tel: (604) 364-2215 Email: info@vizslasilver.caA Website: www.vizslasilvercorp.caA A In Europe: Swiss Resource Capital AG Jochen Staiger & Marc Ollinger info@resource-capital.ch www.resource-capital.ch Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release includes certain aForward?Looking Statementsa within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and aforward?looking informationa under applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words aanticipatea, abelievea, aestimatea, aexpecta, atargeta, aplana, aforecasta, amaya, awoulda, acoulda, aschedulea and similar words or expressions, identify forward?looking statements or information. These forward?looking statements or information relate to, among other things: the exploration, development, and production at Panuco, including plans for resource/discovery-based drilling, designed to upgrade and expand the maiden resource. Forward?looking statements and forward?looking information relating to any future mineral production, liquidity, enhanced value and capital markets profile of Vizsla, future growth potential for Vizsla and its business, and future exploration plans are based on managementa?s reasonable assumptions, estimates, expectations, analyses and opinions, which are based on managementa?s experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, but which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, the price of silver, gold, and other metals; no escalation in the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic; costs of exploration and development; the estimated costs of development of exploration projects; Vizslaa?s ability to operate in a safe and effective manner and its ability to obtain financing on reasonable terms. These statements reflect Vizslaa?s respective current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of other assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward?looking statements or forward-looking information and Vizsla has made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: the Company\-s dependence on one mineral project; precious metals price volatility; risks associated with the conduct of the Company\-s mining activities in Mexico; regulatory, consent or permitting delays; risks relating to reliance on the Company\-s management team and outside contractors; risks regarding mineral resources and reserves; the Company\-s inability to obtain insurance to cover all risks, on a commercially reasonable basis or at all; currency fluctuations; risks regarding the failure to generate sufficient cash flow from operations; risks relating to project financing and equity issuances; risks and unknowns inherent in all mining projects, including the inaccuracy of reserves and resources, metallurgical recoveries and capital and operating costs of such projects; contests over title to properties, particularly title to undeveloped properties; laws and regulations governing the environment, health and safety; the ability of the communities in which the Company operates to manage and cope with the implications of COVID-19; the economic and financial implications of COVID-19 to the Company; operating or technical difficulties in connection with mining or development activities; employee relations, labour unrest or unavailability; the Company\-s interactions with surrounding communities and artisanal miners; the Company\-s ability to successfully integrate acquired assets; the speculative nature of exploration and development, including the risks of diminishing quantities or grades of reserves; stock market volatility; conflicts of interest among certain directors and officers; lack of liquidity for shareholders of the Company; litigation risk; and the factors identified under the caption aRisk Factorsa in Vizslaa? management discussion and analysis. Readers are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward?looking statements or forward-looking information. Although Vizsla has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. Vizsla does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward?looking statements or forward-looking information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements or information, other than as required by applicable law. TinOne defines broad lithium and tin soil anomalies at its aberfoyle project, Tasmania, Australia TinOne Resources Inc. (TSX.V: TORC) (OTCQB: TORCF) (Frankfurt: 57Z0) (\TinOne\ or the \Company\ https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/tinone-resources-inc/ ) is pleased to announce that it has defined coherent and locally coincident lithium and tin soil anomalies during ongoing exploration activities at its 100%-owned, 9,600 hectare Aberfoyle Project (aAberfoylea or the aProjecta) located in the tier-one mining jurisdiction of Tasmania, Australia. A Highlights Definition of a coherent lithium-in-soil anomaly (approximately 3,000 x 700-200m at a cut-off of 200ppm) coincident with, and extending beyond, the Dead Pig-Guinea Pig lithium prospect area Peak lithium in soils was 875 ppm (0.18% Li2O) Definition of two strong tin-in-soil anomalies (200 ppm cut-off) over the Rex Hill and Guinea Pig-Dead Pig prospects We are very pleased with the initial results from our reconnaissance-style soil sampling program at Aberfoyle,a commented Chris Donaldson, Executive Chairman. aWe have now identified a significant lithium-in-soil anomaly across the Dead Pig and Guinea Pig prospects where we previously reported rock samples containing up to 1.14% Li2O. Sampling focus now extends to the Royal George area, which is also considered highly prospective for both lithium and tin.a Key Results First pass soil sampling has been completed over prospective target areas at the Aberfoyle project (Figure 2). Initial sampling was completed on a wide-spaced 200 x 400m grid, with more detailed sampling on a 50 x 200m across the Rex Hill area (Figure 2).A A total of 657 samples have been taken so far and results have been received for 364 samples. The geochemical results received to date have defined coherent lithium and tin anomalies in the Dead Pig-Guinea Pig and Rex Hill prospect areas (Figure 2). At the Dead Pig-Guinea Pig area, a core area of highly anomalous lithium, greater than 300 ppm, occurs over an area of approximately 600 x 300m. At a 200ppm cut-off, the lithium anomaly is coherent over more than 3,000 x 700-200m. Results from two lines immediately north of the Dead Pig-Guinea Pig anomaly have not yet been received and the anomaly is thus open to the north. The highest lithium in soil result was 875 ppm (0.18% Li2O) within a 400m, greater than 0.1% Li2O, zone across the Dead Pig-Guinea Pig area. The soil geochemical results also define a coherent tin anomaly at the 200ppm level over approximately 900 x 300m in the Rex Hill prospect area.A The Rex Hill prospects contains a historic mine developed on a mineralized breccia surrounded by veined and greisen altered granite. A The soil program has been highly successful in defining the broader footprint of the prospect area and the results will be used to define drill targets and inform the next phases of exploration. Ongoing Work and Next Steps Detailed multi-element analysis of the soil geochemical data and integration with geological and structural mapping and rock geochemical data are ongoing and the results are expected to define potential drill targets. TinOnea?s field team continues to undertake geological mapping and additional systematic and targeted rock sampling across the highly prospective lithium and tin mineralized areas identified to-date and across other prospective areas known from historic records.A Geochemical results from ongoing rock sampling are expected in the coming weeks. In addition, TinOne geologists have located drill holes stored in the Mineral Resources Tasmania (MRT) drill core storage facility with records of micaceous alteration.A These holes are being logged and where micaceous alteration (potentially lithium-bearing) is observed, sampling for geochemical analysis is being undertaken.A The Company also plans a program of mapping and rock and soil sampling on the southern outlier part of EL27/2004 at Royal George. This part of the tenement covers an area around the historic Royal George tin mine hosted by a similar tin granite to the Dead Pig area. As such, the area is considered highly prospective for both lithium and tin. There has been no effective on-ground exploration in this area for nearly four decades. About the Aberfoyle Project The Aberfoyle project area straddles the boundary between the Silurian to Devonian Mathinna Supergroup sedimentary rocks and the Devonian Ben Lomond Granite. The historic Aberfoyle (tin) and Storeys Creek (tin-tungsten) mines as well as other vein systems are hosted in the sedimentary rocks and occur as strike extensive systems of sheeted and stockwork veining. Elevated lithium has not previously been reported from the project area. Historic records and drilling indicate the mineralized vein system at Aberfoyle is up to 60 metres wide, 800 metres in length and extends approximately 400 metres in the down dip direction. The Lutwyche prospect occurs approximately 1 kilometre northeast of Aberfoyle and is comprised of two sets of mineralized veins which can be traced along strike for approximately 750 metres. An additional sediment-hosted vein system, the Kookaburra, is located 200 metres southwest of the main Lutwyche vein system and is known to be approximately 40 metres wide with an along strike extent of at least several hundred metres. Mineralization at Storeys Creek is hosted within a 30 to 50 metre wide, north-northwest striking sheeted vein array which dips to the southwest. The system can be traced along strike for 300 metres and extends 400 metres in the down dip direction. The Ben Lomond Granite crops out approximately 1km west of the mine and has been identified at depth at 180 metres below the surface. Additional poorly known sediment-hosted vein systems occur at Brocks, Eastern Hill and elsewhere in the tenement. Granite-hosted occurrences are developed throughout the exposed areas of granitoid outcrop and consist of vein, disseminated and breccia style occurrences with associated greisen style alteration. These have given rise to historic small scale hard rock and more extensive alluvial production in the Gipps Creek, Rex Hill, Ben Lomond, Royal George and other areas. The Company interprets that both sediment- and granite-hosted systems have developed in structural corridors of multi-kilometre extent and that historic exploration has not systematically explored these corridors. TinOne believes systematic exploration of these prospective corridors will result in the definition of high-quality drill targets. Sample Methodology Soil samples reported here were collected by experienced field assistants using hand sampling techniques with a depth ranging from 30 to 100cm, with an average of 59cm depth.A Samples were coarsely sieved in the field with typically 0.5 and 1 kg despatched to the laboratory. Samples were placed in pre-numbered, calico bags and then into large rice sacks which were sealed for shipping.A On receipt by the laboratory they were dried and sieved to -180Am (-80 mesh). Quality Assurance / Quality Control Rock samples were delivered to ALS Limited in Burnie, Australia for sample preparation and then forwarded to ALS Perth for analysis. The ALS Perth facilities are ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 17025 certified. Tin and tungsten are analysed by ICP-MS following lithium borate fusion (ALS method ME-MS85), overlimit results are reanalysed by XRF (ALS method XRF15b).A Forty-eight element multi-element analyses are conducted by ICP-MS after a four-acid digestion (ALS method ME-MS61). Control samples comprising certified reference samples (including reference material certified for lithium) duplicates and blank samples were systematically inserted into the sample stream and analyzed as part of the Companya?s quality assurance / quality control protocol. About TinOne TinOne is a TSX Venture Exchange listed Canadian public company with a high-quality portfolio of tin, tin/tungsten and lithium projects in the Tier 1 mining jurisdictions of Tasmania and New South Wales, Australia. The Company controls some of the most important tin districts in Tasmania, including Aberfoyle, Rattler Range and Great Pyramid and is focussed on advancing its highly prospective portfolio.A A TinOne is supported by Inventa Capital Corp. Qualified Person The Companya?s disclosure of technical or scientific information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Stuart Smith., Technical Adviser for TinOne. Dr. Smith is a Qualified Person as defined under the terms of National Instrument 43-101.A Contact Information: For more information and to sign-up to the mailing list, please contact: Chris Donaldson, Executive Chairman Tel: (604) 813-3931 Email: chris@tinone.ca In Europe: Swiss Resource Capital AG Jochen Staiger & Marc Ollinger info@resource-capital.ch www.resource-capital.ch Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release includes certain aForward?Looking Statementsa within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and aforward?looking informationa under applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words aanticipatea, abelievea, aestimatea, aexpecta, atargeta, aplana, aforecasta, amaya, awoulda, acoulda, aschedulea and similar words or expressions, identify forward?looking statements or information. These forward?looking statements or information relate to, among other things: the development of the Companya?s projects; future mineral exploration, development and production; and the release of exploration results. Forward?looking statements and forward?looking information relating to any future mineral production, liquidity, enhanced value and capital markets profile of TinOne, future growth potential for TinOne and its business, and future exploration plans are based on managementa?s reasonable assumptions, estimates, expectations, analyses and opinions, which are based on managementa?s experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, but which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, the price of gold and other metals; no escalation in the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic; costs of exploration and development; the estimated costs of development of exploration projects; TinOnea?s ability to operate in a safe and effective manner and its ability to obtain financing on reasonable terms. These statements reflect TinOnea?s respective current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of other assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward?looking statements or forward-looking information and TinOne has made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: the Company\-s dependence on early stage mineral projects; metal price volatility; risks associated with the conduct of the Company\-s mining activities in Australia; regulatory, consent or permitting delays; risks relating to reliance on the Company\-s management team and outside contractors; risks regarding mineral resources and reserves; the Company\-s inability to obtain insurance to cover all risks, on a commercially reasonable basis or at all; currency fluctuations; risks regarding the failure to generate sufficient cash flow from operations; risks relating to project financing and equity issuances; risks and unknowns inherent in all mining projects, including the inaccuracy of reserves and resources, metallurgical recoveries and capital and operating costs of such projects; contests over title to properties, particularly title to undeveloped properties; laws and regulations governing the environment, health and safety; the ability of the communities in which the Company operates to manage and cope with the implications of COVID-19; the economic and financial implications of COVID-19 to the Company; operating or technical difficulties in connection with mining or development activities; employee relations, labour unrest or unavailability; the Company\-s interactions with surrounding communities and artisanal miners; the Company\-s ability to successfully integrate acquired assets; the speculative nature of exploration and development, including the risks of diminishing quantities or grades of reserves; stock market volatility; conflicts of interest among certain directors and officers; lack of liquidity for shareholders of the Company; litigation risk; and the factors identified under the caption aRisk Factorsa in TinOne\-s management discussion and analysis. Readers are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward?looking statements or forward-looking information. Although TinOne has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. TinOne does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward?looking statements or forward-looking information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements or information, other than as required by applicable law. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the largest and most powerful space telescope to date. NASA's infrared space observatory, launched on Dec 25, 2021, from ESA's launch site at Kourou in French Guiana, at 7:20 a.m. EST (1220 GMT; 9:20 a.m. local time in Kourou), aboard an Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket. The $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope is probing the cosmos to uncover the history of the universe from the Big Bang to exoplanet formation and beyond. It is one of NASA's Great Observatories, huge space instruments that include the likes of the Hubble Space Telescope that peer deep into the universe. Related: James Webb Space Telescope's best images of all time (gallery) For the latest mission news and updates, check out our James Webb Space Telescope mission: Live updates page. Read about some of the incredible discoveries JWST has already made as it explores the universe like never before in our 12 amazing James Webb Space Telescope discoveries across the universe article. James Webb Space Telescope: Key facts Launch date: Dec. 25, 2021. Cost (at time of launch): $10 billion. Orbit: JWST will orbit the sun, around the second Lagrange point (L2), nearly 1 million miles (1.5 million kilometers) from Earth. Primary mirror size: 21.3 feet (6.5 meters) across. Sunshield: 69.5 ft by 46.5 ft (22 meters x 12 meters). Mass: 14,300 lbs (6,500 kg). It took 30 days for the James Webb Space Telescope to travel nearly a million miles (1.5 million kilometers) to its permanent home: Lagrange point 2 a gravitationally stable location in space. The telescope arrived at L2, the second sun-Earth Lagrange point on Jan. 24, 2022. L2 is a spot in space near Earth that lies opposite the sun; this orbit allows the telescope to stay in line with Earth as it orbits the sun. It has been a popular spot for several other space telescopes, including the Herschel Space Telescope and the Planck Space Observatory. Related: How the James Webb Space Telescope works in pictures According to NASA (opens in new tab), the James Webb Space Telescope will focus on four main areas: the first light in the universe, the assembly of galaxies in the early universe, the birth of stars and protoplanetary systems, and planets (including the origins of life.) The James Webb Space Telescope will undergo a series of science and calibration tests including sunshield deployment, telescope deployment, instrument turn-on and telescope alignment. (Image credit: Future) (opens in new tab) On July 11, 2022, NASA announced (opens in new tab) that all 17 of the observatory scientific instrument 'modes' had been fully vetted and that the James Webb Space Telescope was ready to begin its epic science mission. The powerful James Webb Space Telescope is taking amazing photos of celestial objects like its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope. Luckily for astronomers, the Hubble Space Telescope remains in good health and the two telescopes will work together for JWST's first years. JWST will also look at exoplanets previously identified by the Kepler Space Telescope and follow up on real-time observations from ground space telescopes. The James Webb Space Telescope is the product of an impressive international (opens in new tab) collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency. According to NASA, the JWST involved over 300 universities, organizations and companies across 29 U.S. states and 14 countries. James Webb Space Telescope FAQs answered by an expert We asked Naomi Rowe-Gurney, a postdoctoral research associate at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center some commonly asked questions about the powerful space telescope. Naomi Rowe-Gurney Planetary Scientist Naomi Rowe-Gurney is a postdoctoral research associate at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center employed by the University of Maryland College Park. She is also a solar system ambassador for the James Webb Space Telescope. How does the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) work? The JWST works very much like any telescope in that its main job is to capture light and focus it so we can see further into the distance. There are a lot of differences though like JWST sees in a different part of the electromagnetic spectrum than our eyes do. We see visible light but JWST sees infrared or "heat", just like a night vision security camera. It's also really big so it can capture a lot more light and therefore see more distant, smaller, and colder objects. This is also helped by it being in space because it doesn't have to look through the atmosphere, which blocks a lot of really useful and interesting information. How far can the James Webb Space Telescope "see"? Why does this distant view allow the JWST to see galaxies in the early universe? The further away in the universe something is the faster it is traveling away from us. Fast things experience something called redshift and this makes the object appear redder. Eventually, when something is so far away it gets even redder than red and becomes infrared. This is why JWST can see further than any telescope we've had before. Light takes time to travel to us, so the furthest away objects are also the oldest. Telescopes like Hubble and JWST look back in time. JWST can see further than Hubble because it is in the infrared so it can look almost to the beginning of the universe, 13.7 billion years ago. Where is the James Webb Space Telescope now? The JWST orbits around a point in space called the L2 Lagrange point. This is 1.5 million km away from us so that the heat from Earth doesn't get in the way of what it's looking at. L2 is a gravity well so we can use less fuel to keep it there than if it was just floating at a random point in space. It is also useful that L2 follows us around the sun, so we are always able to communicate and download images from the telescope. Of the observations the JWST has made thus far, which is the most exciting for you? I am a planetary scientist, so I am interested in everything in our own solar system! I especially love the ice giants Uranus and Neptune because we know so little about them. I did my Ph.D. looking at the atmospheres of both planets using the Spitzer Space Telescope which was like a mini-JWST. It was so mini that we couldn't get any images and had to look at the planet like it was as small as a distant star, so the first images of both of those planets have been the most exciting for me. James Webb Space Telescope launch and deployment NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launched on Dec 25, 2021, from ESA's launch site at Kourou in French Guiana, at 7:20 a.m. EST (1220 GMT; 9:20 a.m. local time in Kourou), aboard an Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket. Thanks to a successful and precise launch, NASA announced that the JWST should have enough fuel to more than double its minimum mission life expectancy of 10 years. Since, its launch, the James Webb Space Telescope's accomplishments just keep on coming. Where is the James Webb Space Telescope? The James Webb Space Telescope is currently located at L2, the second sun-Earth Lagrange point. L2 is a spot in space near Earth that lies opposite the sun. You can keep track of Webb in more detail with NASA's Where is Webb Website (opens in new tab). An impressive HD video captured the observatory flying away from the Ariane 5 rocket that carried it into space. The three-minute video shows Webb slowly drifting away from its rocket stage and unfurling its solar panels. The James Webb Space Telescope after separating from the Ariane 5 rocket that carried it into space. This is one of our last views of the impressive telescope. (Image credit: ESA) (opens in new tab) The James Webb Space Telescope deployed and tested a key antenna on Dec. 26, 2021, in a process that took about one hour, according to a NASA statement (opens in new tab). The antenna will be responsible for twice-daily science data dumps to Earth. Just a day later, on Dec. 27, the observatory sailed beyond the orbit of the moon. On Dec. 31, 2021, Webb successfully unfurled its massive sunshield. The tensioning of the sunshield's five layers began on Jan, 3. 2022 and was completed the next day. The telescope's secondary mirror was then successfully deployed and latched on Jan. 5, 2022. Then on Jan, 8. 2022, NASA announced that the James Webb Space Telescope had successfully unfolded the giant primary mirror and is now fully deployed. The next step for Webb is the alignment of the 18 individual mirrors that make up the observatory's primary mirror. NASA estimates the work could take up to 120 days after launch for the alignment to be complete. The James Webb Space Telescope reached its final destination: L2, the second sun-Earth Lagrange point, which it will orbit, on Jan, 24. 2022 after traveling nearly a million miles (1.5 million kilometers). James Webb Space Telescope images The James Webb Space Telescopes' first science images were officially released by NASA during a live event on July 12, at 10:30 a.m. EDT (1430 GMT). They included the Cosmic Cliffs in the Carina Nebula, the striking Southern Ring Nebula, Stephan's Quintet and an analysis of the atmospheric composition of the hot gas giant exoplanet WASP-96 b. Related: James Webb Space Telescope's 1st photos (gallery) "You know what I'm most excited about?" Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA's associate administrator for science, said during the event after the images were revealed. "There's tens of thousands of scientists and frankly, some of them just got born or are not even born who are benefiting from this amazing telescope because it will be with us for decades." Related: Behold! The James Webb Space Telescope's stunning 1st science images are here. A day earlier on July 11, 2022, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson unveiled the first science-quality image captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. The stunning image shows the deepest infrared view of the universe to date, according to a NASA statement (opens in new tab), and was created using just 12.5 hours of observing time on one of the telescope's four instruments. The first publicly released science-quality image from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, revealed on July 11, 2022, is the deepest infrared view of the universe to date. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI) (opens in new tab) Prior to the first image and data release, Webb had already treated us to several impressive images during its instrument checks. On Feb, 11. NASA announced (opens in new tab) that The James Webb Space Telescope had captured its first images of starlight. The first image taken by Webb was of a star called HD 84406. Light from HD84406 was captured by Webb's 18 mirror segments located on the primary mirror, resulting in a mosaic of 18 scattered bright dots. The first published image taken by the James Webb Space Telescope shows part of a mosaic created over 25 hours beginning on Feb. 2, 2022, early in the process of aligning the 18 segments of the James Webb Space Telescope's mirror. (Image credit: NASA) (opens in new tab) "As Webb aligns and focuses over the next few months, these 18 dots will slowly become a single star," Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA's Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, said on Twitter (opens in new tab). On Feb, 18. NASA released a new and improved image of HD84406, bringing 18 unfocused copies of a star into a deliberate hexagonal formation. Once the observatory has successfully aligned the individual segments of the primary mirror it will begin the image stacking process. This will bring 18 images on top of each other into one clear view. Webb has also taken an impressive "selfie" using a specialized camera inside the NIRCam instrument. The camera is designed to be used for engineering and alignment purposes. A "selfie" shows the 18 segments of the James Webb Space Telescope's primary mirror as seen from a specialized camera inside the NIRCam instrument. (Image credit: NASA) (opens in new tab) In the "selfie" you can see one of the mirror segments is shining brighter than the others, this is because it is the only segment at the time successfully aligned and pointing at a star. The rest of the mirror segments were successfully aligned one by one. On April 28, NASA announced in a statement (opens in new tab) that the James Webb Space Telescope had finished its alignment phase after demonstrating it can capture "crisp, well-focused images" will all four of its scientific instruments. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope can now capture sharp images of celestial objects with multiple instruments, the agency announced April 28, 2022. (Image credit: NASA/STScI) (opens in new tab) On July 11, 2022, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson unveiled the first science-quality image captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. The stunning image shows the deepest infrared view of the universe to date, according to a NASA statement (opens in new tab), and was created using just 12.5 hours of observing time on one of the telescope's four instruments. JWST's science mandate is principally divided into four areas: First light and reionization This refers to the early stages of the universe after the Big Bang started the universe as we know it today. In the first stages after the Big Bang, the universe was a sea of particles (such as electrons, protons and neutrons), and the light was not visible until the universe cooled enough for these particles to begin combining. Another thing JWST will study is what happened after the first stars formed; this era is called "the epoch of reionization" because it refers to when neutral hydrogen was reionized (made to have an electric charge again) by radiation from these first stars. The James Webb Space Telescope's 21.3-foot (6.5 meter) diameter primary mirror. (Image credit: NASA/C. Gunn) (opens in new tab) Assembly of galaxies Looking at galaxies is a useful way to see how matter is organized on gigantic scales, which in turn gives us hints as to how the universe evolved. The spiral and elliptical galaxies we see today actually evolved from different shapes over billions of years, and one of JWST's goals is to look back at the earliest galaxies to better understand that evolution. Scientists are also trying to figure out how we got the variety of galaxies that are visible today, and the current ways that galaxies form and assemble. Birth of stars and protoplanetary systems The Eagle Nebula's "Pillars of Creation" are some of the most famous birthplaces for stars. Stars come to be in clouds of gas, and as the stars grow, the radiation pressure they exert blows away the cocooning gas (which could be used again for other stars, if not too widely dispersed.) However, it's difficult to see inside the gas. JWST's infrared eyes will be able to look at sources of heat, including stars that are being born in these cocoons. Planets and origins of life The last decade has seen vast numbers of exoplanets discovered, including with NASA's planet-seeking Kepler Space Telescope. JWST's powerful sensors will be able to peer at these planets in more depth, including (in some cases) imaging their atmospheres. Understanding the atmospheres and the formation conditions for planets could help scientists better predict if certain planets are habitable or not. James Webb Space Telescope onboard instruments The JWST is equipped with four science instruments that will enable observations in visible, near-infrared and mid-infrared (0.6 to 28.5 micrometers) wavelengths. James Webb Space Telescope vs. Hubble Space Telescope Comparison of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope's respective mirrors. (Image credit: Future/Adrian Mann) (opens in new tab) The James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope have very different capabilities. (Image credit: drmakkoy via Getty Images) (opens in new tab) Scientific advancement is all about "standing on the shoulders of giants" and the JWST is doing just that, as its scientific goals were motivated by the results (opens in new tab) from the Hubble Space Telescope. The two space telescopes have different capabilities, whilst Hubble primarily observed the cosmos in optical and ultraviolet wavelengths (with some infrared capabilities.) The JWST is primarily looking at the universe in infrared. Due to the expansion of the universe, light from distant objects shifts to longer wavelengths (opens in new tab) at the redder end of the spectrum known as redshift, according to ESA. The JWST will observe this infrared light in great detail and shed light on some of the oldest stars and galaxies in the universe. Another big difference between the James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope is that JWST orbits the sun, whilst Hubble orbits Earth. JWST will be too far away to be serviced (opens in new tab), unlike Hubble which was accessed and serviced by space shuttle missions. James Webb Space Telescope delays Good things come to those who wait. The JWST was first slated to fly in 2007 and since then astronomers' patience has been sternly tested. A mix of engineering problems, political hesitancy and project management issues have all contributed to countless delays. In July 2011, U.S. politicians threatened to pull funding (opens in new tab) for the JWST. After a nail-biting few months, the spacecraft was saved in November 2011. Then in March 2018, the launch of JWST was delayed due to technical issues with the spacecraft (opens in new tab). Later that year in June, an independent review board (opens in new tab) recommended the launch be moved to March 2021. In 2020, The global coronavirus (COVID19) pandemic impacted JWST's progress and in July 2020, NASA announced a new launch date (opens in new tab) of October 31, 2021. Despite the perseverance and determination of the JWST team during a difficult time, the delays kept coming. In June 2021, problems with the Ariane 5 launch vehicle pushed the launch date (opens in new tab) back to November or possibly early December 2021. Then in September NASA and ESA announced yet another delay as the observatory had not yet been shipped from its original location in California to ESA's launch site at Kourou in French Guiana. The two agencies announced a new launch date of Dec.18, but bad weather soon put a stop to that. Finally, the JWST successfully launched on Dec 25, 2021, from ESA's launch site at Kourou in French Guiana. Naming of the James Webb Space Telescope: Controversy The space telescope was previously known as the Next Generation Space Telescope and was renamed (opens in new tab) the James Webb Space Telescope in Sept. 2002. The JWST is named for former NASA chief James Webb. Webb took charge of the space agency from 1961 to 1968, retiring just a few months before NASA put the first man on the moon. Although Webb's tenure as NASA administrator is most closely associated with the Apollo moon program, he is also considered a leader in space science. Even in a time of great political turmoil, Webb set NASA's science objectives, writing that launching a large space telescope should be a key goal of the space agency. NASA launched more than 75 space science missions under Webb's guidance. They included missions that studied the sun, stars and galaxies as well as space directly above Earth's atmosphere. Not everyone is happy with the choice of name for the space telescope. An online petition was set up by critics urging NASA to rename the telescope due to claims that Webb was complicit in discrimination against gay and lesbian NASA employees during his tenure. NASA has since said it will not rename the telescope despite complaints. Additional resources You can learn how the JWST is designed to answer some of the biggest questions in the universe with the UK Space Agency (opens in new tab) and explore it's impressive mirrors (opens in new tab) with NASA. Keep yourself and others entertained with these fun facts and a folding puzzler (opens in new tab) from Northrop Grumman. BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. The Memorandum of Understanding for encouraging cooperation among Bulgartransgaz (Bulgaria), Transgaz (Romania), FGSZ (Hungary), Eustream (Slovakia) and the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) signed in Sofia on April 25 paves the way for additional gas volumes, Tamas Torma, Ambassador of Hungary in Baku, said in an exclusive interview with Trend. He noted that the document in question does not establish a specific figure for additional natural gas purchases. "The MoU will allow a smooth supply of additional natural gas volumes from Azerbaijan to Europe through cooperation between the local authorities and the transmission and distribution system operators. The aim is to ensure unrestricted and uninterrupted access for natural gas from Azerbaijan to the infrastructures of the participants. Hungary remains committed to the diversification of natural gas supply sources and routes and believes that Azerbaijani gas can constitute a real diversification option for Hungarys gas supply," said Torma. The ambassador pointed out that the intensification of energy relations between Azerbaijan and Hungary was well demonstrated during President Ilham Aliyev's visit to Budapest with the signing of the interministerial MoU on natural gas cooperation. The Memorandum of Understanding sets out directions of cooperation between SOCAR and four distribution system operators for the supply of additional gas from Azerbaijan to Europe. The additional gas will be supplied through the upgraded transmission network systems of Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia called the "Solidarity Ring". Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn UN urges Britain to backtrack on new protest laws Geneva, April 27 (AFP) Apr 27, 2023 UN human rights chief Volker Turk on Thursday urged Britain to scrap its incoming public order laws aimed at tackling disruptive protests, saying they imposed serious and disproportionate restrictions. The Public Order Bill was passed by the British parliament late Wednesday and now awaits being signed into law by King Charles III. The law aims to combat the disruptive protests and guerrilla tactics employed by climate activist groups such as Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil, which have included blocking roads, to the increasing annoyance of motorists. Turk said the legislation was deeply troubling and incompatible with Britain's international human rights obligations regarding people's rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association. "This new law imposes serious and undue restrictions on these rights that are neither necessary nor proportionate," the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said. "This law is wholly unnecessary as UK police already have the powers to act against violent and disruptive demonstrations." "It is especially worrying that the law expands the powers of the police to stop and search individuals, including without suspicion... and imposes unnecessary and disproportionate criminal sanctions on people organising or taking part in peaceful protests," he added. Turk said the law could see individuals banned from being in certain places at particular times and could lead to them being monitored electronically. "The grave risk here is that these orders pre-emptively limit someone's future legitimate exercise of their rights," he said. Turk voiced concern that the law seemed to target peaceful demonstrations by climate activists. "Governments should be protecting and facilitating peaceful protests on such existential topics, not hindering and blocking them," he said. "I call on the UK government to reverse this legislation as soon as feasible." Just Stop Oil protesters caused gridlock in central London on Monday by blocking roads for more than three hours. Extinction Rebellion -- whose members have previously blocked roads and glued themselves to objects -- have said they will move away from disruptive demonstration methods in Britain. BP faces angry shareholders over climate plans London, April 27 (AFP) Apr 27, 2023 Energy giant BP faced down a shareholder revolt over its decision to slow its energy transition on Thursday, with activist investors trying to block the re-election of the head of the board of directors. Activists from Fossil Free London disrupted the speeches of board chairman Helge Lund and chief executive Bernard Looney, deriding changes to the energy major's plans to achieve carbon neutrality by mid-century. "2050 is far too late. You need to take action now. It's not good enough," one demonstrator shouted out as BP executives addressed the gathering. Another activist heckled: "As individuals you are responsible for the chaos you impose. Stop drilling for fossil fuels." Some of Britain's biggest pension funds had warned they would oppose the renewal of Lund's mandate at the annual general meeting (AGM) in London, but in the end they gathered only 9.57 percent of the votes. BP and many of its peers are seeking to pivot toward cleaner energy and away from fossil fuels. But BP's plans have sparked deep scepticism from environmental groups who accuse it of greenwashing and doing too little, too late -- while profiteering from soaring energy prices on Russia's war in Ukraine. Activist shareholders' group Follow This, which wants "Big Oil to go green", also put forward a resolution calling for BP to be more ambitious in its climate objectives. This received 16.75 percent of the votes. Chief executive Looney said: "We are delighted with the overwhelming support we received in the votes today." He acknowledged that not all investors agreed with their climate policy but "we respect that and their engagement and challenge make us better." Looney called Thursday's shareholder vote a mandate "to get on with the job of delivering the transformation strategy we have laid out". The London-listed giant in February announced that it expected to boost its profits between now and 2030 by investing more in both renewable energy and hydrocarbons, slowing the pace of its transition. BP nevertheless still holds to its 2050 net-zero target. Follow This founder Mark van Baal said BP is being "misleading to shareholders" in affirming its transformation plan is in line with the Paris climate agreement. The 2015 pact aims to limit global warming to below 2C and if possible 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. Follow This believes that BP won't meet net-zero by mid-century unless it takes more ambitious steps by 2030. Green pressure group Greenpeace, which only last year was calling BP "the most ambitious" of the global majors, criticised the plans and accused it of bowing down to investors and governments. Nest, one of the pension funds that said it will vote against Lund's re-election, said that "if BP continues on this path we have serious concerns about them reaching their net zero goal and the long-term success of the company". It said it wants to see BP "investing more in low-carbon solutions and renewables, instead of new oil and gas sites." ode-rl/lcm BP BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. Greece paid a total of 118 519 833 euros for purchase of Azerbaijani gas in February 2023, Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, told Trend. Eurostat data shows that Greece imported 199.4 cubic meters of gas from Azerbaijan in February 2023. Greece imported a total of 362.4 million cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas worth 252 million euros from January through February 2023. Azerbaijan produced 8 billion cubic meters of natural gas in the first two months of 2023. Gas exports from the country during this period stood at 4.3 billion cubic meters, 13 percent more than in the same period last year. 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. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. The expansion of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) could help new volumes of hydrogen and other renewable gases to be transported in the future, said Ioannis Maris, TAPs Country Representative in Greece, Trend reports. We have imported over 22 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Europe. We could further support the regions energy efficiency, as TAP could double its current capacity. TAP has already triggered the first level of expansion, he said, addressing the Delphi Economic Forum in Greece. TAP transports natural gas from the giant Shah Deniz field in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea to Europe. The 878 km long pipeline connects with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Turkish-Greek border in Kipoi, crosses Greece and Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Southern Italy. TAP facilitates gas supplies to South Eastern European countries through existing and prospective interconnectors. TAP is connected to Interconnector Greece Bulgaria (IGB) which started its commercial operations in October 2022, providing Caspian gas to Bulgaria, enhancing security of energy supplies in one more European country. TAPs exits in Greece and Albania, together with the landfall in Italy provide multiple opportunities for further transport of gas from Azerbaijan to the wider European markets. As a key part of the Southern Gas Corridor, TAP is strategically and economically important to Europe and essential in providing reliable access to a new source of natural gas. TAP plays a significant role in boosting Europes energy security, supply diversification, as well as its decarbonisation objectives. TAPs shareholding is comprised of bp (20%), SOCAR (20%), Snam (20%), Fluxys (19%), Enagas (16%) and Axpo (5%). Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn Geronimo New Haven and Fairfield Geronimo boasts what could be Connecticuts largest selection of tequilas and mezcals, a 400-plus bottle list organized in alphabetical order on its website. The restaurants tequila program, as well as its servers, bartenders and managers, are all certified in a rigorous process by the Consejo Regulador de Tequila (Tequila Regulatory Council), and they continue their training and education throughout the year. Steve Bayusik, the restaurants director of operations, says flights are the ideal way for a new tequila drinker to explore the spirit. I recommend [people] take notes about what they like and what they dont like. Tequila, like any other distilled beverage, has a lot of nuances to it, says Bayusik, adding that sister restaurant Camacho Garage in New Haven also has more than 100 tequilas and mezcals in its collection. Geronimos classic house margarita is a favorite, Bayusik says, featuring Hornitos silver tequila and the restaurants fresh agave lime mix. Guests also enjoy flavor varieties, such as spicy blood orange and cucumber-strawberry options, and a new drink features pineapple-infused tequila, toasted coconut and a black Hawaiian sea salt garnish. Other cocktails feature an Oaxaca negroni with Xicaru silver mezcal, and Geronimos twist on an espresso martini with La Gritona reposado as the base spirit. The food: The all-day menu of Mexican and Southwestern fare features nachos, tacos, quesadillas, Navajo fry bread, chiles rellenos and guajillo short rib. 271 Crown St., New Haven, 203-777-7700, and 2070 Post Road, Fairfield, 203-955-1643, geronimobarandgrill.com NEW CANAAN Days after being charged with driving under the influence, local school board chair Dan Bennett announced he is taking a leave of absence to deal with a personal situation." Bennett, 46, of New Canaan, was charged April 20 with operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and failure to keep right after a one-car crash on White Oak Shade Road, police records show. Bennett was released on a $250 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on May 9. Bennett could not immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday. Reading from a prepared statement, Bennett announced at the start of Monday's Board of Education meeting that he would be absent from board meetings and participation in board activities for a few weeks because of a personal situation. With the help of my wife and family, we will manage this situation with humility and respect. I will make no further comment on this matter, which I hope that you understand, Bennett said during the meeting. I ask for your consideration while this situation is managed and resolved. I remain committed to the work of this board and the district. In his statement, Bennett did not mention the DUI arrest. According to the New Canaan police log, officers responded to a one-car crash in the 130 block of White Oak Shade Road around 11:30 p.m. April 20. Police identified the driver of the car as Bennett. While speaking with Bennett, an officer detected the odor" of alcohol and observed signs of impairment, according to the arrest log. After refusing to take field sobriety tests, Bennett was arrested at 11:50 p.m. that night, the log shows. He was processed at the police station and released after posting bond, police said. Bennett, a Republican, was elected to the New Canaan Board of Education in 2021 and became chair on Nov. 7 after serving as secretary for one year. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate HONOLULU (AP) A woman accused with her husband of living in Hawaii under the stolen identities of dead babies will remain behind bars pending their trial, a U.S. magistrate judge ruled Wednesday. According to prosecutors, Walter Glenn Primrose and Gwynn Darle Morrison are the real names of the couple who have been fraudulently living for decades under the stolen identities of Bobby Edward Fort and Julie Lyn Montague. Prosecutors say Primrose spent more than 20 years in the Coast Guard as Bobby Fort, where he obtained secret-level security clearance. After retiring in 2016, he used the secret clearance for a job as a U.S. defense contractor, prosecutors said. There is no indication in court documents why the couple in 1987 assumed the identities of deceased children, who would have been more than a decade younger than them. Previous rulings have kept them detained. At a hearing Wednesday asking a judge to release the wife, she identified herself as Lyn Montague. I understand the court's concern the allegation is my client has used a false and fraudulent name for almost her entire life and we cannot verify who she is, her attorney Megan Kau said. Kau said she is not accused of committing a crime using an allegedly stolen identity. As Kau's client was led out of the courtroom after U.S. Magistrate Judge Kenneth Mansfield's ruling, she said, As expected." She referred to the situation as, "this whole idiotic thing. A hearing for a similar request by her husband hasn't been scheduled. He has a new attorney who said Tuesday that he won't be ready in time for the couple's May 22 trial date. The newly appointed lawyer, Marc Victor, said he doesn't think he will be ready anytime this year. Kau said she is contemplating requesting a separate trial from her client's husband. There was no mention in court Wednesday of Russian spy intrigue prosecutors introduced when the couple were arrested last year. A search of the couples home in Kapolei, a Honolulu suburb, turned up Polaroids of them wearing jackets that appear to be authentic KGB uniforms, an invisible ink kit, documents with coded language and maps showing military bases, prosecutors said at the time. But prosecutors last month asked that jurors not hear about the uniforms, and a judge last week agreed. The couple have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, false statement in a passport application and aggravated identity theft. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) As several conservative states adopt legislation that prohibits school employees from teaching or discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom, Louisiana advanced its own Dont Say Gay bill Wednesday. The anti-LGBTQ+ measure was narrowly approved by a Republican-controlled House committee and heads to the full House, where an emotionally charged debate over the culture war measure is all but guaranteed. It comes as hundreds of bills have been filed in statehouses taking aim at nearly every facet of transgender existence from health care to athletics to bathroom access and the LGBTQ+ community. This bill would erase someone like me, Maxwell Cohen, 27, who identified as transgender, told Louisiana lawmakers Wednesday. This piece of legislation tells queer kids that they must hide, that they dont matter and that they are wrong. But we know thats far from the truth. We must protect queer kids and acknowledge them for who they are, because they exist, they are special, and they matter. Last year, Florida became the first state to pass what critics call the Don't Say Gay law. Since then, copycat bills have been filed by conservative lawmakers across the country. The legislation signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last year barred instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through the third grade. The state's policy has since been expanded to include all grades, unless required by existing state standards or as part of reproductive health instruction that students can choose not to take. Republicans argue that parents should broach these subjects with children on their own. Democrats say the law demonizes and isolates LGBTQ+ people by excluding them from classroom lessons. They also say it creates a chilling effect on teachers who fear being penalized for mentioning anything related to homosexuality. As of March, there were at least 30 proposals similar to Floridas law, filed in 16 states. So far, three other states Alabama, Arkansas and Kentucky have enacted similar Dont Say Gay laws. The bill that advanced 7-5 from a Louisiana House committee on Wednesday would ban K-12 public school staff from teaching or discussing gender identity and sexual orientation, including during any extracurricular activity. Republican state Rep. Dodie Horton, who authored the legislation, said the bill has nothing to do with someones personal lifestyle, but rather was created to protect all children. Opponents who spoke against the bill for nearly three hours at times with tears in their eyes and a couple yelling at lawmakers said the bill would do the opposite, harming students. Many cited that LGBTQ+ students already are at high risk of bullying and depression, and that the bill could send vulnerable members of the queer community spiraling further into depression and anxiety. Among the opponents was Elliot Wade, a member of Louisiana Trans Advocates. He discussed the importance of being able to confide in and talk to teachers about gender identity and sexual orientation. In high school, when Wade came out as transgender, the first people he told were teachers. Coming out was not an option for me, it was that or death. I dont mean that as a hyperbole, I mean that literally, Wade told lawmakers. If I didnt come out and live as my truth then I was going to end my life ... I wouldnt be here talking to you today I just wouldnt be here. There are a lot of people who are not here, even without a bill like this passing. Louisianas bill would also require teachers to use the pronouns that align with a students birth sex. A similar bill, which would also require school employees to use pronouns and the name of a student that correlate with their birth certificate, also advanced out of the committee Wednesday. Both pieces of legislation have an exception if the students parent provides written permission to do otherwise. Republican state Rep. Raymond Crews, who authored the bill, said the legislation was created to solidify and identify parents rights to raise children, to decrease the distraction that he says pronouns are causing in classrooms and to protect teachers and school board members from this type of politicization. The pronoun legislation in Louisiana is among a wave of interchangeable bills being considered in statehouses across the nation, which would formally allow or require schools to deadname transgender students or could out them to their parents without consent. Deadnaming refers to using the name a transgender person used prior to transitioning. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate MOSCOW (AP) Russias Foreign Ministry on Thursday denied a U.S request for a consular visit to Evan Gershkovich, an American reporter for The Wall Street Journal who is jailed on espionage charges. The ministry said it rejected the request for the May 11 visit in retaliation for the U.S. refusing to grant visas to Russian journalists who planned to accompany Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on a trip to the United Nations. Gershkovich has been in custody since his March 29 arrest by Russias security service on espionage charges that he, his employer and the U.S. government have denied. Gershkovich is the first U.S. correspondent since the Cold War to be detained in Russia on spying charges, and his arrest rattled journalists in the country and drew outrage in the West. The United States has declared Gershkovich to be wrongfully detained and demanded his immediate release. The Russian denial of the U.S. request for a consular visit to Gershkovich followed Lavrov warning that Moscow will not forget and will not forgive the denial of the visas to Russian journalists. The Foreign Ministry said Friday it was also considering other retaliatory measures. A protest note was presented in connection with the provocative conduct of the U.S. diplomatic mission, which thwarted the issuing of visas to mass media representatives from the press pool of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who were supposed to accompany him on his trip to New York as part of Russias presidency of the U.N. Security Council, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The U.S. Embassy was informed in this connection that its request for consular access to U.S. citizen Gershkovich, detained on suspicion of espionage, on May 11 was declined," the ministry statement said. "Other possible retaliatory measures, about which the U.S. side will be duly notified, are being considered. BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. Space Generation Congress forum will be held for the first time in September this year in Baku, Nadir Atayev from Azerbaijans Azercosmos OJSC said during an event themed Space Generation (SG) Azerbaijan 2023: Women in space: problems and opportunities, Trend reports. "This forum will be held jointly with the International Astronautical Congress. More than 150 representatives from more than 50 countries are expected to attend it. The forum will feature eight working groups on key issues in the space industry, Atayev noted. Besides, 75 scholarship programs and awards from SGAC (Space Generation Advisory Council) are envisaged, he added. The main goal of the Space Generation (SG) Azerbaijan 2023 event is to provide young people with the opportunity to get an education in the space sector, choose a profession, and talk about the possibilities of the space sector. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate LONDON (AP) Prime Minister Rishi Sunak declared that Britain and Italy are very aligned in values as he welcomed far-right Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni on Thursday for talks focused on migration, defense and the war in Ukraine. While Sunak meets leaders of all political stripes from around the world, he had notably warm words as he greeted Meloni at 10 Downing St., the British leaders official residence. The Conservative prime minister praised Melonis very careful handling of the Italian economy. I think the values between our two countries are very aligned, which is why we can work so well together on shared challenges, whether its responding to Putins illegal invasion in Ukraine, where again I pay tribute to your leadership, but also tackling illegal migration, which is something that is common to both of us, Sunak said. The two governments share an interest in stopping migrants reaching their countries by boat. Sunaks administration is passing a bill through Parliament that will deny the right to asylum to anyone who arrives in the U.K. without permission. The legislation has been condemned by refugee groups and the United Nations human rights body. The government also plans to send migrants who arrive by boat on a one-way trip to Rwanda, an equally controversial plan that is being blocked by legal challenges. Meloni, whose far-right Brothers of Italy party leads Italys right-wing coalition government, has led a crackdown on people-smugglers and on rescue ships operated by charities that she says encourage migrants to risk dangerous voyages from north Africa across the Mediterranean. Meloni told Sunak that tackling traffickers and illegal migration is something that your government is doing very well. Im following your work and I absolutely agree with your work and I think there are many things that we can do together. Meloni said there is much more that we can do on many topics on which we are on the same side defense, Ukraine. Unlike some far-right populists in the West, Meloni has taken a strongly pro-NATO, pro-European position on Russias war in Ukraine. After their meeting the two leaders were due to have a private tour of Westminster Abbey, where King Charles III will be crowned on May 6. A group of protesters gathered outside the gates of Downing Street as the leaders met, holding signs that read No to fascist Meloni and chanting: Refugees in, Meloni out. T wo bereaved parents campaigning to raise awareness of gambling-related suicide have insisted stronger action is needed to tackle the problem, including an end to all gambling advertising. Liz and Charles Ritchie, who set up the charity Gambling with Lives following the death of their 24-year-old son Jack in 2017, welcomed some parts of the Governments long-awaited proposals to tackle addiction but said the plans are just the beginning. The couple, from Sheffield, have long argued that gambling-related suicide is directly linked to addictive betting products and the industrys predatory marketing practices. The couple, who were honoured with MBEs for their campaigning work, said that responsibility for the harm from gambling needs to be on the Government and industry rather than solely on the individual who is drawn into it. On Thursday, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer announced that gambling companies will be forced to step up checks to better protect even those unable to afford small losses, and plans to include maximum stakes for online slot machines of between 2 and 15 for all customers subject to consultation. The Government also announced a new statutory levy which will see gambling companies required to fund more groundbreaking research, education and treatment. Weve won the argument against a powerful gambling lobby but this is just the beginning. There's another family devastated by gambling suicide every day, and we wont stop until the deaths do Referring to their determination to make a change on the issue, Mrs Ritchie said: We wont stop until the deaths do. She said: After a long fight weve won concessions on some of the key areas but so much more needs to happen to reduce the horrendous harm caused by one of the most loosely regulated gambling industries in the world. Weve won the argument against a powerful gambling lobby but this is just the beginning. Theres another family devastated by gambling suicide every day, and we wont stop until the deaths do. Mr Ritchie called for a gambling advertising ban, as well as a greater reduction in stake sizes to protect people. He said: We now need to push further for an end to all gambling advertising, we need preventative affordability checks when losses reach 100 a month, and we need to do more to make the most dangerous products safer, further reducing stake sizes and play speeds. Only then will we be able to see a real reduction in the deaths caused by gambling. We desperately need the Gambling Commission to enact these reforms and not drag their feet The charitys strategy director Will Prochaska said the reforms must be made with urgency. He said: We welcome the Government finally acting, but nothing has changed yet. We desperately need the Gambling Commission to enact these reforms and not drag their feet. Government must now go much further, remove the influence of the gambling industry, and give a greater role to the Department of Health in regulation. Teacher Jack Ritchie died in Vietnam in November 2017. In March 2022, Sheffield coroner David Urpeth said that Mr Ritchies death was a stark reminder of the terrible consequences that can flow from an addiction to gambling, adding that the information about the dangers of gambling available at the time was woefully inadequate and failed to meet Jacks needs. Speaking after the inquest, Mr and Mrs Ritchie said their son was abused by parasites who inflict life-threatening illness for profit. Mr Ritchie, a former civil servant, collated worldwide research in 2018 to conclude that between 250 and 650 people in the UK take their lives each year because of gambling. T he Government will take legal action on Thursday against the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) over a planned strike in the long-running dispute over pay. Health Secretary Steve Barclay said he was regretfully applying to the High Court to declare the walkout planned for May 2 unlawful. RCN members working in the NHS in England at workplaces with a strike mandate are preparing to take 48-hour industrial action from 8pm or the start of the night shift on April 30. Mr Barclay said NHS Employers had contacted him asking him to check the legality of the action because the organisation believes the strike mandate runs out on May 1. He said: Following a request from NHS Employers I am regretfully applying to the High Court to declare the Royal College of Nursings planned strike action on 2 May unlawful. Despite attempts by my officials to resolve the situation over the weekend, I have been left with no choice but to proceed with legal action. I firmly support the right to take industrial action within the law, but the Government cannot stand by and let a plainly unlawful strike action go ahead nor ignore the request of NHS Employers. We must also protect nurses by ensuring they are not asked to take part in an unlawful strike. RCN general secretary Pat Cullen vowed to stand up to Government bullies in court, although she has confirmed members will not be asked to strike on May 2 if the court rules in the Governments favour. She said in a message to members: The only way to deal with bullies is to stand up to them including in court. The court will decide whether to support this Governments use of draconian anti-trade union legislation. If the Government succeeds in silencing members like you and convinces the court to stop part of our strike, then well have no choice but to cut it short. Our strike action has always been safe and legal. We would never ask our members to do anything unsafe or against your professional code. Its so wrong for the Government to use taxpayers money to drag our profession through the courts. Were determined to show that the nursing profession is strong and determined and defend our members right to strike. Ms Cullen has urged ministers to resume negotiations after RCN members rejected a 5% pay offer. She accused the Government of treating nurses as criminals by dragging them through the courts despite their efforts on the front line of the NHS during the coronavirus pandemic. S hareholders dealt BP bosses a bloody nose following a turbulent annual meeting in London, with nearly one in five voting against the businesss 10 million pay package for chief Bernard Looney. The oil firm said around 18% of votes had been cast against its remuneration report, according to preliminary results, despite the business making record profits last year, but the report gained enough votes to pass. However, an attempt by pension funds to vote against the reappointment of chairman Helge Lund failed to gather enough support to oust the Norwegian. A little under 10% of votes were cast against him. Despite protesters inside and outside the meeting and questions from shareholders, bosses at BP defended their plans to increase their investments in drilling for oil and gas by another one billion dollars (830 million) per year over the remainder of this decade. Bernard Looney said the companys plan, announced in February, was not about either or, it was about investing both in the current highly emitting energy system while also putting money into the transition to greener alternatives. He said that on top of the money BP is spending on extracting polluting fuels from the ground, it is also investing in electric vehicle charging points, capturing gas from landfill sites, and investing into so-called sustainable aviation fuels. BP have no interest in protecting our futures. They are only interested in protecting their own profits So we are doing more, and in February we actually announced that we would spend up to eight billion dollars more this decade, in the energy transition, he said. Now, eight billion on top of what? Well thats between 55 and 65 billion dollars into five transition growth engines this decade. We went from 3% of our money being spent in those areas in 2019 to 30% last year, thats 3% to 30% in just three years. I think anybody would have to say that that is quite a significant change. Mr Looney and his chairman Helge Lund were repeatedly interrupted throughout the meeting by seven protesters who had entered the room. One man had to be carried out, while others were turned away at the door. Kush Naker, 32, from north-west London, who was carried out of the ExCel building before the AGM, told the PA news agency they own shares in BP and were entitled to enter the meeting. He said: BP are climate criminals, they are still emitting, they are still investing in new oil and gas. BP have no interest in protecting our futures. They are only interested in protecting their own profits. In the room, Mark van Baal, whose activist group filed a shareholder resolution for investors to vote on, said that the company had not set targets which will lead to the oil giant cutting its absolute emissions by the end of this decade. The Follow This founder said: Do you really think that BP can be Paris-aligned without reducing BPs total emissions by 2030? Resolution 25, which was filed by Follow This, called on the company to align itself to the Paris Climate Agreement. However, the proposal was defeated by a shareholder vote after the board recommended investors vote against it. According to the preliminary vote, 16.75% of shareholder votes were cast for the resolution, up from last years proposal by Follow This. Mr Lund said he shares Mr van Baals desire for the world to meet the environmental goals in the Paris Agreement. But this resolution is not the answer, what it calls for BP to do is unclear. It does not recognise that our strategy, ambitions and aims constitute a coherent and integrated programme of transformation for BP. Nor does it take into account the update to our strategy in February. Mr Looney said: We absolutely believe that our aims and all the work we are doing are absolutely consistent with Paris. BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. The government of Kazakhstan is set to deepen strategic cooperation with the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Alikhan Smailov said during a meeting with Vice President of CNPC Huang Yongzhang, Trend reports via the PM's Office. The primary focus of the meeting was the discussion of the implementation of new investment projects in the energy sector. The Kazakh PM highlighted that CNPC, one of the most significant strategic partners in the energy industry, has been functioning successfully in Kazakhstan for more than 25 years. "Over the years of working together, we have developed trusting partnerships in the implementation of major projects in all sectors of the oil and gas industry. The government of Kazakhstan is set to deepen our strategic cooperation," the Kazakh PM said. Huang Yongzhang responded by noting the prior accomplishment of a number of cooperative projects, many of which are regarded as models of mutually beneficial cooperation, and expressing the company's interest in enhancing its operations in Kazakhstan. "China and Kazakhstan are good neighbors. CNPC is ready to contribute to further strengthening of bilateral relations between our countries," Huang Yongzhang said. The parties also discussed improving working conditions for CNPC employees in Kazakhstan and a number of other current concerns during the discussion. S even protesters have been removed by security from BPs annual shareholder meeting, as they repeatedly interrupted chairman Helge Lund and chief executive Bernard Looney as the meeting began. It came as Mr Looney recommitted the company to a plan to invest a further eight billion dollars (6.4 billion) in oil and gas by 2030, on top of an equivalent extra investment in the energy transition. A woman initially shouted that Mr Lund was not telling the truth about the climate crisis, as he started speaking at the ExCel centre in Londons Custom House. Referring to BPs plan to have net zero emissions by the middle of the century, she said: 2050 is far too late. We are nearly at the tipping point. 2050 is far too late. We are nearly at the tipping point Once she was taken out by security, several other protesters got up, one by one, each being removed by security in turn. One man was carried out of the room. As she was led out, one protester shouted: BP must fall, BP must fall, BP must fall. Speaking from the stage, Mr Lund looked back at BPs path towards what he claims to be a greener future. I begin with 2019 because we saw accelerated concerns about climate change, a threat scientists had been warning about for decades finally leading to a broad and intensified impetus for action, he said. We share their desire for the world to meet the Paris goals, but this resolution is not the answer And we at BP welcomed that shift, because it began to bring what the world wanted more closely in line with what the world needed. However, Mr Lund said that the board recommended investors should vote against a resolution brought by shareholder group Follow This, which is aimed at forcing the company to meet the targets in the Paris Climate Agreement. He said: I and we do not doubt the good intentions of all of this and their supporters. We share their desire for the world to meet the Paris goals, but this resolution is not the answer. What it calls for BP to do is unclear. It does not recognise that our strategy, ambitions and aims constitute a coherent and integrated programme of transformation for BP. Nor does it take into account the update to our strategy in February. It would be disruptive of the strong progress BP is making on behalf of its shareholders, the board therefore recommends voting against resolution 25. T eachers in England were back on picket lines on Thursday as they staged a fresh strike in a long-running dispute over pay. Tens of thousands of members of the National Education Union (NEU) walked out of schools and sixth form colleges across England, with another strike planned on Tuesday. The union said it believed the majority of schools are expected to either restrict access to pupils or fully close as a result of the strikes. Many secondary schools in England are expected to prioritise Year 11 and Year 13 students during the strikes as GCSE and A-level exams are weeks away. The NEU has issued guidance which says it will support arrangements during the strikes that provide the minimum level of teaching staff needed so GCSE and A-level students can attend school for revision activities or exam practice. Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the NEU, said: Theres lots of places where arrangements are being made. In some places its members teaching, in others it is teachers setting work for the children on those days. He told the PA news agency: Obviously, there is still disruption and weve fully acknowledged that and regret it, but weve taken those steps on the dispensations to try and assuage that concern as much as possible. Picket lines were mounted outside schools across England and a number of rallies are due to be held. The NEU is expected to announce three more strikes during the summer term after its members voted to reject the Governments pay offer. 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 following intensive talks with the education unions. Four education unions, the NEU, the NASUWT teaching union, the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), have rejected the pay offer. Meanwhile, the Government is taking legal action on Thursday against the Royal College of Nursing over its planned 48-hour strike over the Bank Holiday weekend. RCN members working in the NHS in England at workplaces with a strike mandate are preparing to take 48-hour industrial action from 8pm or the start of the night shift on April 30. Health Secretary Steve Barclay said NHS Employers had contacted him asking him to check the legality of the action because the organisation believes the strike mandate runs out on May 1. TUC general secretary Paul Nowak is writing to Mr Barclay to urge him to meets with unions representing junior doctors, stressing his concern about the lack of engagement and meaningful negotiation which he said is prolonging the dispute. He said it was time for a reset on the public sector pay disputes. Ministers should stop wasting time and stonewalling negotiations. All of our public sector workers, including our doctors, our teachers and civil servants, deserve a fair pay deal. If the Government does not reach a fair settlement on pay, the recruitment and retention crisis crippling frontline services will only get worse. Nurses rejected a deal over anger at how the Government has handled negotiations, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said. Speaking to ITVs Good Morning Britain, Sir Keir said: Whats happened in the nurses case is really instructive, because actually the union recommended the deal and the nurses themselves rejected it. That tells you just how angry the nurses are, because thats quite unusual. Virgin Orbit Sir Richard Branson Loading.... Sir Richards headteacher at Stowe public school told him he would either end up in prison or become a millionaire. And while he had a few brushes with the authorities - not least a highly suspect wheeze to avoid paying customs on record exports that earned him a night in a cell - he went far further than even the sceptical head have been imagined, creating one of Britains feW global brands. Britains best known enterpreneur was born in Blackheath and overcame the dyslexia as well as ADHD that hindered his school performance. A mail order record business in the late 60s quickly expanded into Virgin Megastore and a hugely successful record label which led the Punk and New Romantic music waves. Then, in the 1980s, Virgin Atlantic airline took his businesses the US before the diversifying into radio, banking, mobile, trains and gyms. With the world conquered, Branson now has his eyes on space, with his latest ventures Virgin Galactic and Virgin Orbit though the latters inaugural space launch in January did not quite go according to plan. View the rich list methodology here. You cant care about people without caring about the planet, declared Dragons Den star investor Deborah Meaden, warning Londons entrepreneurs: when the biodiversity tsunami hits and you havent addressed it, youre in trouble. If you have, then you can have the leading edge. That was the message from the sustainability-focused entrepreneur at SME XPO, the Evening Standards annual event for start-ups and scale-ups. Talking about building a planet-friendly business, Meaden said: I wanted to end my business life knowing Id done a good job. Think about environmental considerations: the customer has come to the same place, sustainability matters to consumers. Greenwashing doesnt work anymore; you never get trust back. Meaden told a packed audience of executives and entrepreneurs at Londons ExCeL that entrepreneurs have an amazing opportunity with a clean sheet to look at what your best is, and to deliver it in an honest way. Now is your moment! The customer is getting more concerned about the planet and [embracing sustainability] has the power to enrich our lives, enrich business, enrich people within the business- and send a fantastic message to customers, particularly if you get in early and tell your story. If you get it right, you will win against your competitors. The TV star and backer of sustainable businesses including childrens clothing rental thelittleloop, refillable deodorants Fussy and fast-drying towels Dock & Bay was one of 60 big names talking at SME XPO. Krept, the rapper and entrepreneur behind bestselling skincare range Nalas Baby, told a packed audience about the need to pitch, pitch, pitch, explaining how he and his co-founder, Sascha saw their first range of Nalas Baby products sell out within hours of hitting Boots shelves. It came about because we werent scared to go up to people and just pitch, pitch, pitch, he said. We spent two months pitching to about 300 people [for investment and support] - we knew the business was a lot bigger than us - we couldnt just post on socials and say, support the brand - parents arent going to buy a baby product because I rap good on a beat. If anything [my music career] was a hindrance - the brand became successful because people liked the products and started saying, oh, actually its good- hes not just an influencer and a rapper just teaming up - its a genuine brand. Krept was quizzed on how he juggled his various business interests alongside family life and his music career, responding that he has the opposite of the stereotypical music stars lifestyle: Im up early: if you wake late, half your day has gone. Im always available, I respond to everything as quick as I can, Im really good at time management - Im a businessman who raps, not a rapper who [dabbles in] business. Founders collectively worth hundreds of millions shared advice from their failures and successes. The Black Farmer founder Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones told his audience: To hell with all this playing it safe - youve got to go for it. Everyone has the capacity to do the thing they want to do. He turned his back on a very successful career in marketing to set up successful meat brand The Black Farmer. A lot of people meet a terrifying situation and stand still, or go backwards into the comfort zone of their miserable job. But thats not the way to be. The entrepreneur shared that when he first opened his farm in Devon, I was the only black guy on a farm and people called the police on me because they saw my polytunnel and thought I was growing ganja. Thats where my brand name came from - all my neighbours used to call me the black farmer. I thought, thats a pretty good name, with a good edge to it. Now everybodys woke, and uncomfortable about what language to use, but in marketing you need that slight nervousness, that sense of - are you allowed to say that? All the classic research came back saying do not call it the black farmer, itll upset people. But research cant tell you what people are thinking tomorrow. Youve got to go with your strength and conviction. W eve tried dumping sewage into the Thames before, it doesnt end well. The Summer of 1858 was known as the Great Stink, thanks to a combination of warm weather, untreated human effluence and industrial waste flowing into the river. The incident precipitated an expansion of the capitals sewer system and helped to bring an end to the cholera outbreaks that would periodically tear through the city. Still, in 1957, A.C. Wheeler, a scientist at the Natural History Museum, declared that parts of the Thames were biologically dead, largely due to industrial waste. This eventually led to the construction of further treatment works and other improvements along the river, sparking its recovery. But Londons waterways still cannot be said to be in a good state. As political correspondent Rachael Burford reports, sewage poured into Londons rivers for an astonishing 7,000 hours last year more than 291 days. The Thames alone saw 769 toxic spills lasting a total of 3,286 hours. Thames Water helpfully provides a map of sewage discharges in the city, which is updated in real-time. Thames Water, which is Englands largest privatised water company, has been hit with tens of millions of pounds worth of fines in the last five years due to leaks of untreated sewage into rivers. Under further proposals announced this week, they will face legally binding targets to cut releases. Why does this keep happening? Plenty of criticism has been directed at Defra as well as the regulator, Ofwat. But there is also a growing sense that this is the inevitable consequence when you privatise an industry that is really a natural monopoly. Take what has happened to investment in the sector. A Thames Water spokesperson said the company has committed 1.6bn of investment in our sewage treatment works and sewers over the next two years. This sounds like a lot, but it barely scratches the surface. Since privatisation, which we were told would spur money going into infrastructure, annual investment has fallen from 2.9bn a year to 2.4bn, according to the Financial Times. And heres the stat to really make you take a blow torch to your kitchen sink: the firms, which had no debt at the time of privatisation, have since borrowed 53bn, much of which has been taken to pay out 72bn in dividends. The issue of sewage in rivers has become a clear political problem for the government. To put it mildly, people do not like it if their local waterway, whether it be the giant Thames or a local brook, is filled with faeces. Opposition parties have taken note too, particularly the Liberal Democrats. Oddly, Labour has been somewhat less conspicuous on the issue. No cheating can you name the shadow Defra secretary? Ultimately, opposition to sewage in rivers both unites voters and is difficult to conceal. The parliamentary fun and games over Labours opposition day debate this week will change few minds in the run-up to the local elections and beyond. Elsewhere in the paper, Google Earth has updated its satellite imagery over the besieged city of Mariupol, laying bare the utter devastation wrought by Russias invasion. In the comment pages, Ben Judah warns that in In the green race, China, the US and EU are leaving Britain for dust. Education editor Anna Davis fears nobody seems to care about ending this teaching strike. While Sarfraz Manzoor admits he only had kids because of FOMO. And finally, check out the author Lauren Bravo on her love of charity shops and the timeless thrill of thrifting in the capital. This article appears in our newsletter, West End Final delivered 4pm daily bringing you the very best of the paper, from culture and comment to features and sport. Sign up here. Review at a glance T his gut-wrenching British drama is about the incredible journey made by a respectable retiree. As the titular Harold, 73-year-old Jim Broadbent goes wild in the country (he dispenses with his debit cards, washes himself in streams, crashes on bales of hay). As he does so, every millimetre of the actor proves eloquent. The film often follows paths weve travelled many times before. Adapted by Rachel Joyce from her own 2012 novel, begins with Devon-based Harold receiving a letter. His ex-colleague, Queenie (Linda Bassett), reveals shes in a Northumberland hospice; basically, shes saying goodbye. For reasons that dont immediately make sense, Harold thinks he can delay the inevitable by keeping her waiting for a face-to-face farewell (he rings the hospice from a public phone box and tells them to pass on a message: hes on his way, coming by foot). He then calls his wife Maureen (Penelope Wilton on intense form), who thinks hes gone mad and is not entirely wrong. Joyce and the films director, Hettie Macdonald (Beautiful Thing), want to deconstruct the addictive appeal of romantic gestures. What Harold is walking/running away from involves his and Maureens unhappy son, David (Earl Cave, son of musician Nick) and the flashbacks have cumulative power. Nepo babies are only aggravating when theyre mediocre and Cave totally belongs on the big screen particularly in a scene where Harold gently wipes vomit from his sons groggily grateful face. Too bad Harolds fellow pilgrims are so much more one-dimensional than David. Before and after Harolds love-is-all-you-need stance turns him into an unwitting lifestyle guru, he encounters a string of misfits who are meant to capture whats right and wrong with Britain. At its worst, the movie has the cloying air of a John Lewis ad, with a mongrel dog particularly irksome. Guardian angel mutts? Sweet Jesus, give me strength. Its also outrageous that Joyce (whos well aware of Queenies charisma; in 2014, she wrote a whole book about her The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy) makes no room for the characters fascinatingly murky hinterland. Never mind. Toss your debit cards aside and rely on the kindness of the strangers to get you into a screening of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. Im kidding, to enjoy this hymn to minimalism you will, of course, need to fork out money. Is it worth the bother? Yes. So much about the film is ridiculous but, thanks mostly to the three wonderful leads, the grief at its core is no joke. 102mins, cert 12A In cinemas from April 28 Review at a glance A resolute, dignified young Sidney Poitier squares off against the paranoid forces of white 1950s Hollywood and the American political establishment in this electrifying drama from Ryan Calais Cameron. Unfolding in real time over 90 minutes it has the pace of a thriller and is written in a heightened, brutal form of classic, snappy movie dialogue. Amid all the zingers and putdowns, Ivanno Jeremiah delivers a performance of great strength and delicacy as Poitier. Ive previously known Cameron through his wonderful, loosely poetic expression of black male experience, For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Got Too Heavy, a runaway fringe hit thats just made its mark in the West End: and Queens of Sheba, the female equivalent he co-scripted. Retrograde, a rigorously constructed narrative drama, confirms him as a writer of great skill and talent with more than one stylistic shot in his locker. Since it lands a year after Poitiers death and in the very week that Poitiers friend and fellow campaigner for equality Harry Belafonte died, its also timelier than even the author might have hoped. In a smoke-fugged backlot office, lowly writer Bobby (Ian Bonar) forewarns bullying NBC lawyer Parks (Daniel Lapaine) that his actor friend Sidney isnt Belafonte black but Black-Black. Things are changing, albeit very slowly, in the film world, and the trio are meeting to sign a contract for a TV film that will significantly boost Bobby and Sidneys careers. Mr Parks (Daniel Lapaine), and Sidney (Ivanno Jeremiah) / Marc Brenner But NBC, convinced by the FBI and McCarthyite politicians that the growing civil rights movement must be part of a commie plot, are looking for a Judas figure who will betray more prominent and outspoken black artists and activists. Even if you dont know or cant guess the way the real events of this case played out, the shifting power dynamics here make for nail-biting stuff, as the clock on Parkss wall loudly ticks away the minutes. Cameron also addresses complex moral issues. How much should you compromise in order to shift the progressive dial a little bit? Where does white allyship shade into a white savior complex? Where does gratitude edge into obsequiousness? Compelling as it is, Retrograde isnt perfect. Parks is overwritten as a character, shifting from hyperactive bonhomie to sinister threat and back again in a way thats only credible if you buy fully into the heightened nature of the dialogue. Lapaine delivers the many microaggressions well though, right down to Parkss determined mispronunciation of Poitier as Portier. Bobby is underwritten, but also contradictory: sometimes combative, sometimes servile. At times Cameron gets carried away with the snap and crackle of dialogue and strays into pastiche. But kudos to director Amit Sharma for capturing the pace and pulse of the writing. And to Jeremiah, who is physically unlike Poitier, but captures the essence of his rangy grace, clipped diction and fiery stare. His Sidney has a late speech that wavers on a knife edge between magnificence and sententiousness. Its magnificent. Kiln Theatre, to May 27; buy tickets here D own in value to around 1,275 from just over 3,000 this time last year, Ethereum (ETH) has suffered the same fate as bitcoin and many other cryptocurrencies over the last 12 months. Cryptocurrencies are inherently and inevitably volatile. They are strongly influenced by supply, demand, competition and sentiment. Weve taken a look at how each of these four factors could affect ETH prices in the foreseeable future. Supply Unlike bitcoin , theres no total limit to how much ETH can be mined. However, there is an annual cap of 18,000,000. But a major change to Ethereum last September altered the way in which ETH is supplied, and the rate at which it is supplied. Prior to September, miners were rewarded with 2 ETH for each block added to the Ethereum blockchain. While new blocks are added to bitcoins blockchain every 10 minutes, Ethereum blocks were added every 13 to 15 seconds. Miners were also rewarded for creating so-called Uncle Blocks. An Uncle Block is created when two or more miners create blocks at the same time. Since only one can be added to the blockchain, the creators of blocks that arent added (Uncle Blocks) are compensated with between 0.06ETH and 1.75ETH. While bitcoins value is derived, in part, from its scarcity, Ethereums supply doesnt currently have a bearing on its value. Assuming theres no immediate surge in demand for ETH, supply rates should remain relatively constant. However, in September Ethereum changed its consensus mechanism from proof of work to proof of stake. In practical terms, this means ETH is no longer mined by those with the computational horsepower to guess a 64-character alphanumeric string from trillions of possible combinations. Instead, it is mined by those with the greater probability of being chosen as a validator because of the amount of ETH theyve staked for the opportunity. Under Ethereum 2.0, supply could decline by 2% annually, according to Ethereum tracker Ultra Sound Money. Rewards for adding a block to the Ethereum blockchain are more than 90% lower than they were under proof of work. Verdict on supply: Ethereum 2.0 could greatly reduce the rate of supply, but seems to have had little effect on prices. As such, prices will remain flat or fall. Invest with a crypto brand trusted by millions Buy and sell 70+ cryptoassets on a secure, easy-to-use platform Own Crypto Cryptoassets are highly volatile and unregulated in the UK. No consumer protection. Tax on profits may apply. Demand The number of daily Ethereum transactions gives us an indication of the demand for the asset. Roughly one million transactions were carried out on 17 January 2023, which is down from an all-time high of around 1.7 million transactions on 9 May, but typical for the token. The number of Google searches for the keyword Ethereum peaked in May last year before falling significantly. Numbers peaked again in mid-September as Ethereum went through its merge, but have since sunk. As you need an active Ethereum address to trade in ETH, the number of daily active addresses can also give us an indication of demand. There were around 631,000 active Ethereum addresses as of 18 January - up slightly from last months 600,00 and down from a peak of around one million in July. Spikes aside, the number of active addresses has remained relatively flat since 2020, according to Ycharts data. Verdict on demand : While the Ethereum merger piqued interest, it hasnt translated to increased demand, so prices may remain flat in the short term. Competition As the second largest cryptocurrency by market capitalisation, Ethereum is often pitted against the number one cryptocurrency, bitcoin. While bitcoin was designed to only facilitate payments, Ethereum was designed to also facilitate dApps and smart contracts. But while, as such, the coins are not directly comparable, comparisons persist. The merge of the two Ethereum blockchains in September moved Ethereum from being in competition with bitcoin and its proof of work consensus mechanism to being in competition with other altcoins that use proof of stake as a consensus mechanism, such as Cardano (ADA) and Solana (SOL). The so-called crypto winter that wiped around 50% off the value of bitcoin and around 70% off the value of ETH since the start of the year has also affected Ethereums competition. Cardano (ADA) has fallen in value by around 60% since January and Solana (SOL) has fallen by around 80%, meaning Ethereums losses havent been its competitors gains. Even stablecoins, created as less volatile alternatives to traditional crypto assets, have been negatively affected by global economic factors. Verdict on competition: With unchanged pressure from competitors, prices could remain flat or climb. Sentiment ETH prices are affected by peoples opinions of it. Investors use fear and greed indices to gauge market sentiment. When an index shows a market is in a fear phase, it means asset holders are selling because theyre worried about prices falling. In a greed phase, traders are buying because they believe prices will increase and theyll make a profit. The widely cited Crypto Fear & Greed Index at alternative.me currently says the crypto market (not ETH specifically) is in a Neutral state, which means people arent expecting prices to rise or fall. The indexs status is an improvement on last month, when the index indicated a fear state. Critics of fear and greed indices argue that while theyre useful for tracking sentiment, theyre not a good predictor of price movements, however. ETH outflow from crypto exchanges can also be used to gauge sentiment. The more a currency is flowing out of an exchange and into wallets, the more is being held on to - perhaps in anticipation of price rises. Withdrawals figures have gone through peaks and troughs all year, but outflow numbers yesterday were down by around 17% when compared to the previous month. The merger of ETH1 and ETH2 is thought to have affected market sentiment positively too. Moving to a more sustainable consensus mechanism is seen as a positive by many, and could be a boon to ETHs value, but the merger has yet to affect prices in any significant way. Verdict on sentiment: Fewer withdrawals signal could reflect the neutral sentiment towards ETH. Prices may remain flat or rise in the medium term. Invest with a crypto brand trusted by millions Buy and sell 70+ cryptoassets on a secure, easy-to-use platform Own Crypto C ovid-related travel restrictions have now been lifted across the most popular British holiday hotspots, including France, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Egypt and Malta. Unvaccinated travellers are still not able to enter the US, unless they are US Citizens, US Nationals, or US Lawful Permanent Residents. Pakistan and Indonesia are also closed to unvaccinated travellers. In terms of returning to the UK, all Covid related restrictions were dropped in March 2022. However, Covid is still a consideration when it comes to overseas travel. For example, if you catch Covid before the start of a holiday, or require medical treatment for the virus while away. Using our travel insurance comparison tool, weve pulled together our pick of what we think are the best five travel insurance policies that include cover for Covid. However, always conduct a fresh search at the time of choosing a policy. Admiral 1. Admiral - 5/5 stars Premium: 22.32 Cancellation cover: Yes Cover for Covid-related risks if travelling against FCDO advice: No Why we picked it Each traveller listed on Admirals Gold policy can claim up to 3,000 for trip cancellation if they, or a travel companion, falls ill with Covid. The policy also accepts claims for emergency treatment and arrangements to get a policyholder back home if they fall ill while away. However, it will not pay out if policyholders travel against FCDO advice. Pros Cover if symptoms while boarding plane Cover for missed excursions if need to self-isolate abroad Curtailment cover if family member is hospitalised/dies from Covid Cons 99 excess No hospital benefit Coverwise 2. Coverwise Select Silver Plus - 5/5 stars Premium: 20.07 Cancellation cover: Yes Cover for Covid-related risks if travelling against FCDO advice: No* Why we picked it This policy offers 2,000 for trip cancellation due to contracting Covid. The policyholders will be covered for Covid medical claims, if there was no Covid-related FCDO advice in place against the destination on departure, even if advice changes after arrival. If they to travel against the FCDOs advice, the policy will only pay out for losses outside of reasons related to the travel advice. For example, if the advice was Covid-related and the policyholder travelled anyway, they would not be covered for Covid.* Pros Cover if symptoms while boarding plane Curtailment cover if family member is hospitalised/dies from Covid Excess only 50 Cons Cancellation cover capped at 2,000 No cancellation cover if insured travel companion gets Covid Southdowns 3. Southdowns Select Silver Plus - 5/5 stars Premium: 20.14 Cancellation cover: No Cover for Covid-related risks if travelling against FCDO advice: No* Why we picked it Theres up to 2,000 per person on this policy, to cover trip cancellation as a result of falling ill with Covid. This policy will also pay out for Covid medical claims, if there was no pandemic-related FCDO advice in place before departure, even if that changes after arrival. Policyholders travelling against the advice of the FCDO will only be able to claim for losses unrelated to the advice. This means if the advice was related to the virus, and the policyholder travelled anyway, they would not be covered for emergencies linked to Covid.* Pros Cover if symptoms while boarding plane Curtailment cover if family member is hospitalised/dies from Covid Excess only 50 Cons Cancellation cover capped at 2,000 No cancellation cover if insured travel companion gets Covid Virgin Money 4. Virgin Money Standard Single Trip Med - 4.5/5 stars Premium: 26.73 Cancellation cover: No Cover for Covid-related risks if travelling against FCDO advice: No Why we picked it As well as providing cover for medical treatment for policyholders who fall ill with Covid abroad, policyholders can claim up to 2,000 in cancellation cover if the virus prevents the holiday from going ahead. It pays out for trip cancellation if a policyholder, a relative or someone a policyholder was due to stay with falls ill with Covid, or if a travel companion, relative or the person the policyholder planned to stay with dies from the virus. Policyholders can claim if they need to cut their holiday short due to a relative dying from Covid too. However, there is no cover if they are travelling against FCDO advice. Pros Cover if symptoms while boarding plane Curtailment cover if family member dies from Covid 50 excess Cons Cancellation cover capped at 2,000 No medical cover if unvaccinated Puffin Insurance 5. Puffin Gold Medical Single Trip - 3.5/5 stars Premium: 28.53 Cancellation cover: No Cover for Covid-related risks if travelling against FCDO advice: No Why we picked it Theres up to 3,000 for holiday cancellation on this policy, if a policyholder, or a close relative, has been diagnosed with, or contracted Covid, or if the person a policyholder was due to stay with while away, needs to self-isolate due to contracting the virus. The same amount is provided if a policyholder needs to cut their trip short because they have been denied boarding due to showing Covid symptoms, the FCDO has released advice to return home from their destination or a relative has fallen ill with the virus. This policy also covers emergency medical treatment and repatriation, if a policyholder falls ill with the virus while away. Pros Cancellation cover if family member is diagnosed with Covid Cancellation cover if family member policyholder was due to stay with must self-isolate Cons 75 excess Highest premium in top 5 Methodology Using data from our travel insurance partner CYTI, we assessed policies on the following: Cover for Covid-related risks: We looked at whether policies offer some form of cancellation cover in addition to medical and curtailment cover, to protect against Covid-related risks. We looked at whether policies offer some form of cancellation cover in addition to medical and curtailment cover, to protect against Covid-related risks. Cancellation cover: We looked at the cancellation cover provided to identify the most generous limits. We looked at the cancellation cover provided to identify the most generous limits. Cancellation excess: The lower the excess, the higher we rated the policy. No -excess policies scored best. An excess is the amount deducted from any successful claim. The lower the excess, the higher we rated the policy. No -excess policies scored best. An excess is the amount deducted from any successful claim. Curtailment cover: Here we favoured policies which provide a higher level of cover to those who need to cut their holiday short. Here we favoured policies which provide a higher level of cover to those who need to cut their holiday short. Medical cover: The policies which performed best were those with a higher level of pay-out for medical costs. The policies which performed best were those with a higher level of pay-out for medical costs. Medical excess: Again, we favoured policies charging a low or zero excess. Again, we favoured policies charging a low or zero excess. Hospital benefit: Policies scored highly if they offered higher levels of this cover than other contracts. To arrive at our top-5 ranking, we combined the scores for each company, giving added weight to policies providing cancellation cover, in addition to medical and curtailment cover for Covid-19-related risks. Holidays 2023: What you need to do 1. Check entry requirements at your destination Most countries have now dropped all Covid-related entry restrictions, even for unvaccinated travellers. But always check regardless, both when you book your trip and again advance of your departure. And keep a close eye on developments as things can still change quickly. 2. Buy insurance when you book One of the most important features of travel insurance is cancellation cover. Getting insured straight away means cancellation protection is in place from the get-go. There are many reasons why you might need to cancel your trip, regardless of Covid. These include illness, bereavement, divorce and redundancy. 3. Check that the policy covers Covid Nearly all (99%*) of insurance policies now include cover for risks linked to Covid-19 should you need medical treatment for the virus or need to cut your holiday short due to an problem related to the virus. Many also include cover which allows you to make a cancellation claim should the virus stop you from taking your holiday. Almost 100% (95%*) cover cancellation due to a positive Covid test. Also, 53%* will offer protection should you be denied boarding on your outward journey, but only 4%* will provide the same if youre denied boarding on your return. The specific circumstances for which you can claim vary between travel insurers. Check the details of a policy carefully before buying to avoid any potential for misunderstanding. If necessary, check with the provider directly. 4. Follow Government advice Its vital you check the government website for the latest travel guidance. Few insurers will cover you if you travel against the advice of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) . These include: Avanti Travel Insurance battleface Cedar Tree Churchill CoverForYou Direct Line Outbacker Staysure Voyager Insurance You are even less likely to be covered for cancellation of your holiday due to changes in the FCDOs advice. Only 3%* of policies provide cover in this circumstance. These include policies from the following providers: Avanti Travel Insurance Churchill Direct Line If your holiday or flight is cancelled by your tour operator or airline, you should be offered a refund or alternative arrangements. Your policy will not pay out if you are able to get your money back by another method. *Data from financial information business Defaqto What protection does travel insurance provide? Travel insurance policies typically cover the following as standard: Medical expenses: Pays forhospital treatment or medical bills if you fall ill or have an accident Pays forhospital treatment or medical bills if you fall ill or have an accident Personal liability: Meets the cost of claims made against you, if youre found responsible for causing injury, death or damage while youre away Meets the cost of claims made against you, if youre found responsible for causing injury, death or damage while youre away Cancellation, curtailment and missed departures: Covers you against a holiday being cut short, or you end up not going away Covers you against a holiday being cut short, or you end up not going away Baggage and personal belongings: Covers claims for loss or theft of belongings. If items are stolen, these should be reported to the local police and an incident number obtained. Your policy may also stipulate that you should use a hotel safe if one is available. There are various other reasons why you might need to claim on your travel insurance, including: Gadgets : Claim for the loss, theft or damage done to devices, such as mobile phones, tablets and laptops : Claim for the loss, theft or damage done to devices, such as mobile phones, tablets and laptops End supplier failure: Reimbursement in the event your hotel, travel company, or airline goes into administration Reimbursement in the event your hotel, travel company, or airline goes into administration Scheduled airline failure insurance (SAFI): You will be reimbursed the cost of your flight if the airline should go bust You will be reimbursed the cost of your flight if the airline should go bust Personal accident: Your policy will make a payment to you or to your estate if you are permanently disabled or killed in an accident while on holiday. Note, however, that some policies specify that they will not pay out if such an incident occurs if you are intoxicated through alcohol or drugs Your policy will make a payment to you or to your estate if you are permanently disabled or killed in an accident while on holiday. Note, however, that some policies specify that they will not pay out if such an incident occurs if you are intoxicated through alcohol or drugs Legal expenses: If you become embroiled in a legal dispute while you are away, your policy may contribute towards your legal costs, and you may be given access to expert legal advice. FAQs Can I buy travel insurance including cover for Covid-related risks with a pre-existing condition? It depends on the provider but, yes, it is possible. Cover for Covid-19-related risks might include cancelling a trip because someone on the policy tested positive for coronavirus prior to travel, or for medical costs should coronavirus be contracted while away. Premiums tend to be more expensive for pre-existing conditions and the more severe the condition, the dearer the cover becomes. Check specific policy details before you buy. Can I buy travel insurance including Covid-19 cover for travel within the UK? Yes, a range of insurers provide this sort of cover for domestic travel. Again, the aim is that it pays out on cancelled trips should anyone named on the policy contract Covid-19 before going away. What if I contract Covid-19 overseas? Assuming youve got the requisite cover, contact your provider immediately and inform them. Your policy should meet the expenses of any medical support thats required. But to avoid any surprises, check your policy details before travelling. How do I get the NHS Covid pass? The NHS Covid pass (or vaccination passport) is still required for travel to certain destinations overseas. To get one for travel abroad, you must be aged 16 or over, and have received one of the following: two doses of the Moderna, AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccine one dose of the Janssen vaccine proof of natural immunity shown by a positive PCR test result for COVID-19, lasting for 180 days after the date of the positive test and following completion of the self-isolation period. Your vaccinations must have taken place in England. You will typically receive your NHS Covid Pass within 24 hours of having your vaccination but it can take up to five days for your records to be updated. You can access your NHS Covid pass via the NHS app or website, or request that you are sent a Covid Pass letter on the NHS website. What if my airline goes out of business? Airline failure is rarely covered under most standard travel insurance policies, so check your policy details. However, if your booking came with ATOL protection you are guaranteed a refund and you would also be found an alternative flight home. How do I make a travel insurance claim? When you head off on your travels, remember to pack your travel insurance policy number as well as relevant emergency contact information. Should a crisis arise, keep receipts for anything relevant you paid for, so that your paperwork is in good shape for when you make a claim. Where applicable, get your insurer to agree to medical treatment before its carried out. Report lost or stolen items to the police within 24 hours of them going missing. New York is certainly hotting up. With the Met Gala mere days away, Time Magazine hosted its annual power-fest ball in celebration of their 100 most influential people of the year. Expectantly, there was no shortage of glamour. Kim Kardashian / Getty Images for TIME Held at the Jazz at the Lincoln Center concert hall, the ceremony was hosted by Jennifer Coolidge, who was a coverstar of the Time100 issue, and did not disappoint in a bedazzled black v-neck gown and jewellery by Wempe. Also stealing the show was Kim Kardashian, who showed off her Met Gala-ready physique in an archive, white satin gown with crystal studded buckle straps by John Galliano. She dressed it up with a conch shell clutch by Chanel, and stacks of diamond necklaces, in a look reminiscent of her pre-Paris robbery days. Doja Cat / Getty Images for TIME The reality star and business mogul posed up a storm with Salma Hayek in a gothic-esque blue satin and black lace gown from Gucci. Her husband, Francois-Henri Pinault, is the CEO of Kering which owns the Italian label. The acting set held court as the cool girls of the bash. Russian Dolls Natasha Lyonne, wearing an embellished Area dress, buddied up with The White Lotus Aubrey Plaza in red satin mini by Carolina Herrera, and comedian and actor Amy Poehler, who glistened in a sparkling lavender frock. Amy Poehler, Natasha Lyonne, and Aubrey Plaza / Getty Images for TIME Other stand out looks from the evening included Doja Cat in full Valentino, complete with sheer bra and red leather opera gloves, and Beef star and comedian Ali Wong, who took the opportunity to highlight her Vietnamese heritage in a traditional Ao Dai dress and magnificent headdress. Kaia Gerber and Austin Butler / Getty Images for TIME Also making up Times top 100 was a mix of actors, including Michael B. Jordan, who wore a purple suit by Tom Ford, and Austin Butler, who took to the red carpet alongside girlfriend Kaia Gerber who served quiet luxury in a grey Khaite dress. Angela Bassett also made the cut, and opted for a gold embroidered suit by Indian couturier Gaurav Gupta, while Lea Michele who looked prom-ready in archive AW99 Thierry Mugler. Top names missing from the event, but securing a place on the prestigious list, were Beyonce, Bella Hadid, Pedro Pascal and Lionel Messi. Click through the gallery above for the best pictures from inside the Time100 gala T wo metal detectorists have been found guilty of hatching an illegal plot to sell Anglo-Saxon coins of immense historical significance abroad. Craig Best, 46, and Roger Pilling, 75, were convicted of conspiring to sell criminal property worth 766,000, namely ninth century coins believed to have been buried by a Viking and which have never been declared as Treasure, and have not been handed to the Crown. Following a trial at Durham Crown Court, the defendants were also convicted of separate charges of possessing the criminal property, which was thought to be part of a larger, undeclared find known as the Herefordshire Hoard. Best, of South View, Bishop Auckland, was arrested with three coins at a Durham hotel in May 2019 in a police sting operation. This is an extremely unusual case, as it is not very often we get the chance to shape British history Best thought he was meeting a metals expert, employed by a broker working for a wealthy US-based buyer, but was in fact speaking to an undercover detective. Pilling, who owned an engineering business, was arrested at his home in Loveclough, Lancashire, and a further 41 coins were seized. These 44 coins originated from the Herefordshire Hoard, discovered in 2015, worth millions of pounds, and which was also not declared. Four people have already been convicted for their roles in concealing that find. The undercover police operation was set up after Best tried to sell coins to a real American collector, who then contacted UK-based experts about the apparent availability of extremely rare and valuable examples, and the authorities were alerted. It was believed the coins were made between 874 CE and 879 CE and were buried by a Viking during this particularly violent period of English history. They included two extremely rare examples of two-headed coins, showing Alfred of Wessex and Ceolwulf, a figure who was discredited by Saxon writers as a Viking puppet ruler. Following the conviction, Durham Constabularys Detective Superintendent Lee Gosling, said: This is an extremely unusual case, as it is not very often we get the chance to shape British history. It is astonishing that the history books need re-writing because of this find. These coins come from a hoard of an immense historical significance relating to the Vikings and we are delighted that they are now with the British Museum. This has been a lengthy and complex investigation and I would like to thank our specialist officers and the historical experts for all their help. Dr Gareth Williams, a coin expert from the British Museum, said: New finds have the potential to increase our knowledge. The coins are very much part of our heritage. The theft of finds like this are not just a theft from the landowner, who have rights, it is a theft of our heritage. Judge James Adkin said the sentencing exercise would be complicated as the offence was rare and he adjourned the case until Thursday. Remanding them in custody, he told the pair: You have both been convicted of what I consider to be compelling evidence of serious criminality, in relation to these artefacts. You are both aware of what the sentence is likely to be, imprisonment for years. O scar-winner Dustin Lance Black is set to stand trial for assault after allegedly throwing a drink over a TV presenter during a night-out with Olympic diving star husband Tom Daley. The 48-year-old screenwriter has been charged with assault after the altercation with Teddy Edwardes, 32, at the Freedom bar in Soho on 18 August 2022. Ms Edwardes, who presents The Big Proud Party Agency on BBC3, says she invited Black and Daley to sit with her, but an argument later broke out. Black, who won an Academy Award for his writing on the movie Milk, appeared at Westminster magistrates court on Thursday morning via videolink from his Los Angeles home. Wearing a blue pullover and black framed glasses, he spoke to confirm his name, date of birth and address and indicated a plea of not guilty to one charge of assault by beating. Black, who also has a home in Southwark in London, was released on unconditional bail by District Judge John Law until a trial which has been set for August 8. Ms Edwardes has been given permission to give her evidence from behind a screen during the trial, which is expected to last four hours. At the time of the incident, the Met Police said both parties had made allegations of common assault. At 00:19hrs on Thursday, 18 August police were called to a licensed premises in Wardour Street following reports of an altercation between two customers. Officers attended and spoke to those involved. Both parties, a 48-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman, made allegations of common assault. There were no reports of any injuries and no arrests. Enquiries are ongoing. In a video about the incident on Instagram, Ms Edwardes said Black became upset when she asked security to move on a stranger who had joined their table. I went out for a couple of quiet drinks with some friends last night, nothing crazy and I bumped into Tom Daley and his husband in Soho, who pretty much unprovoked he threw an entire drink over me in Freedom, she said. I didnt have a drink to throw back so I did choose violence, but I wasnt that violent, he got a little tap on the head. Tell me why he is crying outside saying its a targeted attack and hes traumatised and called the police, so I have to wait for hours and now I have been cautioned and have to go in for interviews. Ms Edwardes added in her video that Daley was lovely throughout and had been just trying to diffuse the situation. In a statement after the court hearing, a spokesperson for Black said he was surprised and saddened to learn that after the other person involved in this unfortunate incident took responsibility and expressed remorse for a punch to the back of Mr Blacks head - which left him with a life altering concussion - a decision was made to now examine the matter of a spilled drink in a court of law. Of course Mr Black will respect the process, and in the meantime will continue to focus on being a loving father and husband. He told Variety magazine last October that he had suffered a head injury and was in recovery. It takes a long time to come up with the next thought or word. Its going to come back and the doctors are saying that hopefully by before Christmas, Ill be back to Lance, he said. Black and Daley married in 2017 and announced the birth of their second son earlier this month. T he victims of a firebomb attack say they felt lucky to be alive as Scotland Yard stepped up its investigation into what it is treating as a transphobic hate crime. Three flatmates made it out of their fifth floor flat with only seconds to spare as flames and smoke engulfed the block on Whitechapel High Street. The arsonist struck at 6.15am on April 14 with firefighters battling the flames for almost an hour. Harper Celeste, 26, a transgender freelance stylist who has worked with celebrities including Boy George and actress Yasmin Finney, said she was horrified that her home had been targeted in the transphobic attack. The firebombing also hit her livelihood as there were 35,000 of clothes in the flat which were being prepared for a fashion shoot. Harper said: The first we knew of the fire there was a crackling from the heat and then the windows exploded, it was like a bomb going off. I honestly think we are lucky to be alive. Whoever did this would have known we would be in bed, we could easily have died. The flatmates have been unable to return home and lost many possessions. Harper said: I had 35,000 of clothes for a fashion shoot in there. They werent mine, they were a clients for a job. Its a nightmare. I dont know what I am going to do. This attacker has robbed us of our home and livelihoods. We worked from home as well as lived there. We have lost everything. She said her flatmates were both shaken by the attack. She added: People are rallying around to help us though and we would like to thank them all so much. Detectives have been trawling through CCTV footage from around the flat block as they hunt for the attacker. A GoFundMe has been set up to raise money for the flatmates as they attempt to piece their lives back together. It has so far raised 17,000 and will be used to help replace their destroyed belongings. To donate go to gofundme.com/f/urgent-help-following-arson-attack M illy Dowlers killer Levi Bellfield has signed a fresh confession to the murders of Lin Russell and her daughter Megan, a lawyer has said. Michael Stone is currently serving three life sentences for the murders of Ms Russell, 45, and her six-year-old daughter, who were found bludgeoned to death in Chillenden, Kent, in July 1996. Ms Russells other daughter, Josie, then nine, suffered severe head injuries in the attack and the familys dog, Lucy, was killed. Stone has always protested his innocence over the attacks. Last year, Bellfield claimed responsibility for the murders, before later retracting his statement. The police need to respond and investigate these crimes afresh, to affect closure for these families However, Stones solicitor, Paul Bacon, told the PA news agency that Bellfield has written and signed a fresh confession to the murders. It must have taken some courage and considerable soul-searching by Levi Bellfield to have written and signed this confession, he said. It will, hopefully, bring closure to the families involved. Now, the police need to respond and investigate these crimes afresh, to affect closure for these families. Bellfields solicitor Theresa Clark told the BBC that her client needs to take responsibility. She said that he made the confession after engaging with prison psychologists. At the end of the day, the instruction from my client is clear, she told the BBC. Hes adamant that he did it. My client says I did it, I need to take responsibility for what Ive done. It is understood the alleged confession has been referred to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC). Kent Police referred the PA news agency to a previous statement made by the force, where it said its position on Stones conviction remains unchanged. Bellfield is thought to be the only criminal in UK legal history to be serving two whole-life orders. He was given a whole life term for murdering Marsha McDonnell, 19, in 2003, murdering Amelie Delagrange, 22, and trying to murder Kate Sheedy, 18, in 2004. He was already serving his sentence when he went on trial for killing schoolgirl Milly, who was snatched from the street walking home from school in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, in March 2002. Bellfield was found guilty of abducting and killing the 13-year-old following a trial at the Old Bailey in 2011. T he Metropolitan Police has still not learned from its calamitous litany of failures in the case of serial killer Stephen Port and history could repeat itself, inspectors warn. A report from His Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services found officers at the force were still inexperienced, untrained and poorly supervised. Relatives of Ports victims accuse the Met of institutional homophobia over its bungled investigation. He drugged his victims with overdoses of GHB and dumped their bodies near his flat in Barking, east London. He first killed Anthony Walgate, 23 in June 2014. Inquest jurors the found fundamental failures by the police probably contributed to the deaths of three others Gabriel Kovari, 22, Daniel Whitworth, 21, and Jack Taylor 25 up until September 2015. HMICFRS said initial assessments of Ports victims were the catalysts for the subsequent failings, adding: We arent confident that the Metropolitan Police has addressed this yet. Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe said the force is sincere in our desire to make real change to minimise the chance of a case like this ever happening again. Daniel Whitworth, Jack Taylor, Anthony Walgate and Gabriel Kovari were murdered during a 16-month period by Stephen Port (Metropolitan Police/PA) / PA Media It comes after Baroness Louise Casey branded the force institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic. Her bombshell report looked into Sarah Everards killer PC Wayne Couzens who worked in the same armed unit as serial rapist David Carrick. Assistant Commissioner Rolfe said: We know we fell short in this case and the families did not get the service they needed or deserved. It is important we look again at this area to see what more we need to do to support families through such difficult times. Inspectors considered whether homophobia explained why the Met did not investigate Ports killings properly, but said it was impossible to reach any definitive conclusions. The report did, however, say there were and still are homophobic officers at the force and that there was a lack of understanding of the lifestyle of those they were investigating. Instead, HMICFRS pointed to training, oversight and supervision, unacceptable record keeping, confusing policy and guidance, and inadequate intelligence and crime analysis, as reasons for the flawed investigations. The report said some staff had said the poor supervision was at times due to laziness with money and drugs being found in a dead victims possession at the mortuary following officers supposedly searching them at the scene. Inspectors said records of deaths had basic omissions, written witness statements, if taken at all, tended to be too brief and lacked important details and there was little evidence house-to-house inquiries were completed by officers. HMICFRS said the force had also been slow to listen and reluctant to change until it is forced to do so following recent inspections. Inspectors have made 20 recommendations for the Met, which include increasing the use of intelligence by officers responding to deaths and improving family liaison in unexpected death cases. After the publication of the report, His Majestys Inspector of Constabulary Matt Parr said: Nearly eight years after Stephen Port murdered his last victim, the Met has still not learned enough from the calamitous litany of failures in that case. The Met made some changes soon after Ports arrest. But in other respects, it took a high-profile coroners inquest and subsequent inspection by us to spur the Met into action. We regularly hear that the Met is inexperienced and that its resources are stretched, which we accept. But that doesnt absolve the Met of its responsibility to meet basic requirements. Mr Parr continued: From poor training and supervision to inadequate crime analysis processes, there are several explanations for why the Met got this so badly wrong. Issues with the Mets culture and officers behaviour have been widely recognised. However, the Mets problems with competence and professionalism run even deeper: too often, they dont get the basics right. Our inspection has shown that history could repeat itself. That is why the Met must learn from its mistakes and act now on our recommendations, to keep all Londoners safe. Last June, the Independent Office for Police Conduct announced officers who failed to spot Port are to be reinvestigated. None of the 17 officers involved in the case faced disciplinary action at the time. New inquests in December 2021 revealed evidence previously unknown to the IOPC from officers who had been subject to an earlier probe. Relatives of Ports victims have launched civil claims against the Met. London mayor Sadiq Khan said: I commissioned this independent report from His Majestys Inspectorate due to my concerns around errors in the police investigation that meant that Stephen Port was not stopped when he should have been. We owe it to Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth, Jack Taylor and their loved ones to do everything possible to ensure this can never happen again. We must confront the institutional homophobia Baroness Caseys Review found in the Met and the operational failures in the force which todays report have laid bare. Every Londoner irrespective of sexuality, gender or race has the right to have their allegations of crime taken seriously by police and the Met must ensure the quality of their initial investigations is of a higher standard. Never again should the integrity of a case be compromised by the victims circumstances or background. This is absolutely vital to rebuilding the confidence of Londons LGBTQI+ community in our police. Sir Mark and the new team at the top of the Met have assured me that they are committed to reform and getting the basics right. As Mayor, I will continue to support and hold the Met to account to in delivering a police service that is trusted, representative and delivers the highest possible service to every community in our city as we work to build a safer London for everyone. A witness in a murder trial apologised in court after passing a note to a member of court staff saying: Youre beautiful. Minicab driver Mohammed Younis was called to give evidence at Inner London crown court over the discovery of his girlfriends murdered body in 1991. But during the lunch break on Wednesday, Mr Younis passed a handwritten note to the female court worker, who then reported him to the trial judge. During the lunch break you passed a note to a member of court staff that said youre beautiful which had your name on it?, asked defence barrister Philippa McAtasney KC. It should be noted this member of staff is not working in this court room. Why did you do that, given that youre here for this trial as a witness? Mr Younis replied: I apologise, I shouldnt have done that. But being here and this situation you know it was just in case. Mr Younis told the court he had met the staff member before he entered the court building to give his evidence. The unusual incident unfolded in the murder trial of David Smith, a 66-year-old former delivery driver, who is accused of the murder Sarah Crump in her home in Southall in August 1991. Sarah Crump was murdered in her flat in Southall, west London in 1991 / PA/MPS Ms Crump, 33, a medical secretary who also worked as an escort, was killed and mutilated on the same day she had been paid for sex by Mr Smith. The court has heard Smith is a convicted murderer, having killing another sex worker, Amanda Walker, in 1999. It is said that Smith told a fellow inmate in prison that he likes to see girls in a lot of pain and has allegedly confessed to a second murder. Mr Younis, from Birmingham, was dating Ms Crump in 1991 and reported her as missing on 1 September. After failed attempts to contact her, he acquired her front door keys and entered the flat, shouting Sarah, are you home?. The bathroom door was open. I went in there and I saw red spots on the toilet, he said. Inner London Crown Court (John Stillwell/PA) / PA Archive There are a few clothes out but I thought she just left in a rush and I just walked over them, I could see drawers with clothes pulled out. There was a bit of a smell, but I didnt give it much thought because I thought probably she had done some cooking and not changed the bag or something. Clothes were scattered around and I went straight out of the flat without looking any further and closed the door behind me. Mr Younis said he spent around 30 seconds in the flat before leaving without finding Ms Crumps body. Smith, of no fixed address, denies murder. The trial continues. S trikes by nurses could continue for months after an angry reaction to legal action taken by the government over a planned strike over the Bank Holiday weekend. Heath Secretary Steve Barclay won a case in the High Court that part of the 48-hour strike was unlawful. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) immediately called off a strike due to be held on May 2 in the bitter row over pay, but angrily attacked the government for taking nurses to court rather than trying to resolve the row. RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said outside the court: We will continue to have strike action on Sunday evening and again on Monday, but we will not be taking strike action on May 2. Our nurses have carried out very safe, legal action to date, and Steve Barclay can continue to threaten them with their registration. He can continue, if he wishes, to drag them through court proceedings. But what he needs to do is get into a negotiating room and start to talk to the nurses of England, sort out this dispute and allow them to get back to their work. Downing Street said it was regrettable that the Government had to take legal action. The Prime Ministers official spokesman told reporters: I think, firstly, it is obviously regrettable that it had to come to court action in the first instance. The Government never wanted to take this to court. We did indeed try every possible way to avoid a court case. The NHS presented the RCN with clear legal evidence that their planned strike for May 2 was unlawful. We asked them to call it off. The RCN refused. Thats why the NHS asked the Government to intervene and seek the view of the court. Late yesterday, Steve Barclay wrote to the RCN, to Pat Cullen again, and asked them to call off their final day of the strike given we were confident that it was not legal, they refused again. Pat Cullen said it was the darkest day of the dispute so far. She said: They (the government) have won their legal battle today. But what this has led to is they have lost nursing and theyve lost the public. Theyve taken the most trusted profession through the courts, by the least trusted people. And what a day for nursing. What a day for patients. And what an indictment on this government to do this to the very people that have held this NHS together, not just through the pandemic, but an NHS that has been run into the ground and in crisis, caused by this government. She criticised the Health Secretary and the Government for clapping for nurses only to leave the NHS to crumble. Its absolutely shocking in my mind, that any Government would drag their nurses through the Royal Courts of Justice, what a way to treat the nursing staff of England She said: This is no way to treat the nursing staff that he (Barclay) has stood personally and clapped for on steps, and now you slap the court order on them. Its absolutely shocking in my mind, that any Government would drag their nurses through the Royal Courts of Justice, what a way to treat the nursing staff of England. Nursing staff that have held this NHS together while it has been left to crumble by this Government. Now he decides that the way to pay those nurses back is to use patients money, public money, to drag them through the courts, and that is not the way to run this country. She added: I think if you were to stop any member of public up and down England today, they would say he has got this so, so wrong, to actually push the full weight of the court system on nurses to try and silence them. What he should be doing today is getting into a negotiating room with me, not a courtroom, and saying what can we do to sort out the nursing crisis, fill the tens of thousands of vacant posts, so that patients get a decent service in this country, and that our nursing staff can be retained in the NHS?. She told the PA news agency: This Government can keep on challenging as much as they want. Nurses will not do anything illegally. Weve had a very, very safe six months of strike action, in fact during those six months our nurses only took six days of strike action. She said it was with a heavy heart that strike action could continue in the lead-up to Christmas, adding: If Steve Barclay continues to stay in the tunnel that hes in, we will end up with strike action for the next six months because nursing staff are not going to step back now. L ondon on Thursday bore the brunt as teachers walked out in the biggest strike yet with more than three-quarters of a million children hit and no end in sight to the long-running dispute. Teachers from the National Education Union (NEU) were holding a 24-hour stoppage, with more walkouts planned for next Tuesday and for the summer term. Thousands joined picket lines outside their schools after talks with the Government ground to a halt. It came as three more rail strikes were announced, including on the day of the FA Cup final. Todays teaching walkout was being billed as the biggest yet because new data showed that more than 60,000 new members had joined the NEU since industrial action was first announced at the start of the year. London was expected to be the worst hit again, with in excess of 750,000 pupils seeing their schools closed or lessons disrupted. During the last walkouts in March fewer than one in five schools nationally were fully open to pupils, with just 18 per cent of schools in the capital fully open. The latest walkout comes just weeks before the start of GCSE and A-level exams. The NEU, alongside other unions, have rejected a 1,000 one-off payment for the current school year and an average 4.5 per cent pay rise for staff next year. Despite calls for negotiations to restart, no progress has been made. Education SecretaryGillian Keegan said strikes do not add any value and warned they only cause damage, particularly to young people. PA She said schools were being urged to make sure that they remained open for vulnerable children and those children of key workers as well as those set to take exams. Weve asked for those children to be prioritised in school, she said. Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the NEU, told the Standard: The Education Secretary has washed her hands of the whole matter and says she is now leaving the decision to the School Teachers Review Body. This failure to take any responsibility for the dispute is a dereliction of duty and one which is leaving the profession outraged. So much so that other education unions are now considering balloting members on strike action an unprecedented step. This morning the train drivers union Aslef said it would be calling its members out on strike on Friday May 12, Wednesday May 31 and Saturday June 3 when thousands of fans of Manchester City and Manchester United are due to head to Wembley for the FA Cup final. It had been hoped that the year-long dispute over pay was close to being resolved, with the RMT union last month calling off strikes and appearing close to accepting an improved offer from the 16 private train firms. But Aslef today described the pay offer as risible as it announced the walkouts and further action involving a work to rule. This will affect key routes in and out of London including Avanti West Coast, Great Western Railway; Greater Anglia, Thameslink, London North Eastern Railway; Southeastern, Southern and South Western Railway. At Wanstead High School in east London teachers said they had remained open for exam classes. We want to apologise to parents, an English teacher said. However we do think this is really about long-term funding for our students. Its really important that schools are funded properly. We cant continue in the same way. A spokeswoman for the Department for Education said: Any strike action is hugely damaging. We have made a fair and reasonable pay offer to teachers recognising their hard work and commitment. Thanks to the further 2 billion we are investing in our schools, next year, school funding will be at its highest level in history. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said that strikers needed a longer-term answer to problems with the cost of living. He told ITVs Good Morning Britain: They need a longer-term answer, which is what are you going to do about the cost-of-living crisis? Because this is out of hand now, people cant afford to make ends meet. The Government has totally failed on the economy. T he King has personally approved the first Royal Gold Medal for architecture of his reign, with the winner a champion of zero carbon self-build houses for displaced populations. Professor Yasmeen Lari, Pakistans first female architect, was announced by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) as the recipient of the honour one of the worlds highest accolades for architecture. The medal is personally approved by the monarch and awarded to a person or group of people who have had a significant influence on the advancement of architecture. RIBA described Prof Lari as a revolutionary force who has had an immeasurable influence on the trajectory of the architecture and humanitarian work in the country. Since officially retiring in 2000, she has focused on creating accessible, environmentally friendly construction techniques to help people in poverty and communities displaced by natural disasters such as earthquakes and the impact of climate change. Prof Lari developed and shared a design for self-build shelters, using readily available bamboo. Charles is known for campaigning on green issues and for his commitment to sustainability. As the Prince of Wales, the now King was often outspoken on architecture. Speaking in 1984 about the proposed National Gallery extension, he famously stated: What is proposed is like a monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend. In May 2009, he became embroiled in a row concerning a development at Chelsea Barracks. The then-prince contacted representatives of the Qatari royal family, who owned the London site, suggesting that Richard Rogers designs for a 1 billion housing scheme on the site of the former barracks were unsympathetic and unsuitable. Prof Lari said on hearing of her award: I never imagined that as I focus on my countrys most marginalised people venturing down uncharted vagabond pathways I could still be considered for the highest of honours in the architectural profession. RIBA has heralded a new direction for the profession, encouraging all architects to focus not only on the privileged but also humanity at large that suffers from disparities, conflicts and climate change. In 1980, Prof Lari co-founded the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan with her husband, Suhail Zaheer Lari, pioneering the design of self-build sustainable shelters and housing, creating 50,000 dwellings. She is also known for the design of the Chulah Cookstove, an eco-alternative to a traditional stove which reduces emissions. Prof Laris previous designs include the Pakistan State Oil House. CNR: President Xi Jinping spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the phone yesterday. Could you share more details with us? Mao Ning: On the afternoon of April 26, President Xi Jinping spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the phone at the invitation of the latter. The two leaders exchanged views on China-Ukraine relations and the Ukraine crisis. President Xi noted that China-Ukraine relations, after 31 years of development, have reached a level of strategic partnership, boosting development and revitalization of the two countries. President Xi commended President Zelenskyy for stating, on multiple occasions, the importance he attaches to developing the bilateral relationship and advancing cooperation with China, and thanked the Ukrainian side for its strong assistance to the evacuation of Chinese nationals last year. Mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity is the political foundation of China-Ukraine relations. The two sides need to look to the future, view and handle the bilateral relations from a long-term perspective, carry forward the tradition of mutual respect and sincerity, and take the China-Ukraine strategic partnership forward. Chinas readiness to develop relations with Ukraine is consistent and clear-cut. No matter how the international situation evolves, China will work with Ukraine to advance mutually beneficial cooperation. President Xi pointed out that the Ukraine crisis is evolving in complex ways with major impacts on the international landscape. On the Ukraine crisis, China always stands on the side of peace. Its core stance is to facilitate talks for peace. President Xi noted his proposals of four points about what must be done, four things the international community must do together and three observations. On this basis, China released its Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis. China did not create the Ukraine crisis, nor is it a party to the crisis. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible major country, China would not sit idly by, nor would it add oil to the fire, still less exploit the situation for self gains. Everything China does is aboveboard. Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable way forward. There is no winner in nuclear wars. On the nuclear issue, all relevant parties must stay calm and exercise restraint, truly act in the interests of their own future and that of humanity, and jointly manage the crisis. With rational thinking and voices now on the rise, it is important to seize the opportunity and build up favorable conditions for the political settlement of the crisis. It is hoped that all parties would seriously reflect on the Ukraine crisis and jointly explore ways to bring lasting peace and security to Europe through dialogue. China will continue to facilitate talks for peace and make its efforts for early ceasefire and restoration of peace. China will send the Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs to Ukraine and other countries to have in-depth communication with all parties on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. China has sent multiple batches of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and will keep providing help to the best of its ability. President Zelenskyy congratulated President Xi on his re-election and commended China for its remarkable achievements. He expressed confidence that under the leadership of President Xi, China will successfully address various challenges and continue to move forward. China upholds the purposes and principles of the UN Charter in international affairs and has significant influence on the international stage. The Ukrainian side is committed to the one-China policy, and hopes to advance all-round bilateral cooperation with China, open up a new chapter in Ukraine-China relations, and jointly safeguard world peace and stability. President Zelenskyy shared his views on the current state of the Ukraine crisis. He thanked China for providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and welcomed Chinas important role in restoring peace and seeking diplomatic solution to the crisis. Since the full escalation of the Ukraine crisis, China has been speaking out for peace and facilitating talks for peace, as the world can see. Chinas position on the issue, in a nutshell, is to promote talks for peace. China will continue to play a constructive role in its own way for the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. CCTV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reportedly signed a decree on April 26 to appoint former strategic industries minister Pavlo Riabikin as the new ambassador to China. Do you have any comment? Mao Ning: China welcomes Ukraines appointment of a new Ambassador to China and will provide facilitation for the fulfillment of his duty. Bloomberg: Just some questions about the delegation. It mentions other countries. Can you give more details on the other countries? Can you also tell us a little bit about the timeframe and also maybe tell us something about the head of the delegation Li Hui? The fact that he was a former ambassador to Russia on the one hand means he has expertise, but on the other hand, could this also bring into question whether he represents a neutral party to the discussions? Mao Ning: About the Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs visit to Ukraine and other countries, we will make further announcements in due course. Please check back for updates. The Special Representative appointed by China is certainly someone well-versed in relevant affairs and capable of playing a positive role in facilitating talks for peace. Let me also stress that China will continue to work with the international community to play a constructive role for the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. Beijing Daily: The US and the ROK issued the Washington Declaration on April 26 local time as one of the outcomes of President Yoon Suk Yeols visit to the US. The Declaration says that the US will upgrade the extended deterrence it provides to the ROK, including through enhanced consultation over a nuclear crisis, increased military exercises and training activities and table-top simulation, the establishment of a new Nuclear Consultative Group and further expansion of the US regular visibility of strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula. Sources said the US is planning to deploy a strategic nuclear submarine in waters off the Korean Peninsula. Do you have any comment? Mao Ning: The US puts its own geopolitical interests before the security of the whole region. The US has been a source of tension through exploiting the issues on the Korean Peninsula. The US behavior is a result of its Cold War mentality. What the US has done stokes bloc confrontation, undermines the nuclear non-proliferation system and hurts the strategic interest of other countries. It has also increased tensions on the peninsula and jeopardized regional peace and stability. This is the very opposite of the goal to denuclearize the peninsula and we are firmly against this. AFP: US President Joe Biden said yesterday that a nuclear attack by the DPRK against the US or its allies or partners will result in the end of whatever regime. Whats your response? Mao Ning: The issues concerning the Korean Peninsula are highly complex and sensitive. All sides need to grasp the crux of the issues and play a constructive role in their political resolution through dialogue and consultation, rather than deliberately create tension, stoke confrontation and hype up about threat. Xinhua News Agency: On the evening of April 26, Wu Xi, Director-General of the Department of Consular Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said in an interview that Chinese nationals evacuated from Sudan have boarded the navy vessels and are now on their way home. Could you share with us whether the evacuation of Chinese nationals from Sudan has been completed? Mao Ning: Since armed conflict broke out in Sudan, we have resolutely implemented the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping. We have worked around the clock to protect the safety of Chinese nationals and organize evacuation operations. As of today, more than 1,300 Chinese nationals have been brought to safety. Some have left Sudan by Chinese warships and boats and some are on their way out of the country. There are still a small number of Chinese nationals outside the Sudanese capital Khartoum. We have been closely following their safety situation and will continue to do our utmost to help them. Guided by the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind, we have actively helped bring foreign nationals out of Sudan during our own evacuation operations. So far, weve helped the nationals of five countries to leave Sudan by Chinese ships. China will continue to do what we can for other countries that have asked Chinas help for evacuation. Yonhap News Agency: The ROK and US leaders reiterated in a Joint Statement released after their talks the importance of preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. How does China comment on this? Mao Ning: We have noted what was said about Taiwan in the US-ROK Joint Statement and the ROK leaders interview. I would like to stress that the Taiwan question is purely an internal affair at the core of Chinas core interests. Resolving the Taiwan question is a matter for the Chinese that brooks no interference from anyone. The real status quo of the Taiwan question is that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same China. Taiwan is part of China. Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity has never been split. It is the Taiwan independence separatists seeking to create two Chinas and one China, one Taiwan and the external forces interfering in the situation by fudging and hollowing out the one-China principle who are responsible for undermining the status quo. We urge the US and the ROK to see the true nature of the Taiwan question, follow the one-China principle, be prudent when it comes to the Taiwan question, and avoid going further down the wrong and dangerous path. Anadolu Agency: Yesterday, a Chinese news network shared a social media post about Turkiyes President Recep Tayyip Erdogans current health condition. The post was later removed. The Presidencys Directorate of Communications called it disinformation. The Director of the office pointed out that might amount to a disinformation campaign and attempt to intervene in the upcoming elections. Does the foreign ministry have any comments about that? Mao Ning: Im not aware of the situation you mentioned. What I can tell you is that Turkiye and China are friendly countries. We always oppose interference in a countrys internal affairs. The general elections are Turkiyes internal affair and China will not interfere in that. Hubei Media Group: Yesterday, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang and the foreign ministers of Central Asian countries attended a ceremony to launch the Changan special freight train of China-Europe Railway Express from Xian to Central Asia, which marks the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. Could you share more details about the event? How does China see the role of the China-Europe Railway Express in boosting world economic growth? Mao Ning: Yesterday, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang and the foreign ministers of Central Asian countries attended a ceremony to launch the Changan special freight train of China-Europe Railway Express from Xian to Central Asia, which marks the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. Since the BRI was put forward ten years ago, the China-Europe Railway Express has been gathering steam and has become an important trade route across the Eurasian continent and an artery of BRI cooperation. By the end of 2022, it has run 65,000 trips and shipped six million TEUs of freight worth $300 billion. A network of 82 lines now connects over 200 cities in 24 European countries, covering virtually the entire Eurasia. The Railway Express has removed bottlenecks in cross-border trade and unlocked the potential for economic growth in the region. It is a steel caravan that could catalyze consensus and galvanize vitality across the Eurasian continent. The bustling China-Europe Railway Express is a reflection of Chinas robust economic growth and commitment to high-level opening-up. In the first quarter of this year, Chinas import and export with BRI partner countries increased by 16.8% year-on-year. We are convinced that the China-Europe Railway Express will bring more cooperation opportunities for countries along the route and the BRI will inject fresh impetus into world economic growth. China News Service: A spokesperson of Chinas Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said on April 26 that the MPS has lodged stern representation to US law enforcement agencies over the indictment of Chinese police. Does the foreign ministry have any further comment? Mao Ning: Recently, the US has maliciously concocted the so-called transnational repression narrative, pieced together fabricated evidence and prosecuted Chinese law enforcement officers and other government officials. Such flagrant political manipulation is aimed at spreading the China threat narrative. China firmly rejects this and has lodged stern representation and strong objection with the US side through diplomatic and law enforcement channels. What the US has done is contrary to the basic facts, professional ethics and the rule of law. It is essentially politicizing and weaponizing legal instruments. We demand an immediate stop to such erroneous acts. If the US refuses to change course and goes down that wrong path, we will take resolute countermeasures. W alking Dead star David Morrissey hailed the expansion of a depot for Londons largest food redistribution charity to help thousands more people in need. The Sherwood actor volunteers with the Felix Project, that rescues high-quality surplus food from farms, food manufacturers and supermarkets before distributing it to around 1,000 community groups and schools across London. He visited the charitys Enfield depot to see the results of its refurbishment with freezers and more refrigerating space that means it can now store 500% more food in total than before - the equivalent of 90,000 meals a week. The depot in Enfield is currently responsible for delivering 12,000 meals a week to 177 community organisations and schools across the boroughs of Enfield, Barnet, Haringey, Waltham Forest, North Hackney and Camden. Enfields depot refurbishments means, with sufficient supplies of food, The Felix Project could deliver 4.5 million more meals in total a year. The improvements mean 90 pallets of chilled food can be stored, representing 55.5 extra tonnes of food. The charity can now also store 18 pallets of frozen food, representing 13.5 tonnes of extra food. Daniel Hambury/Stella Pictures Ltd Morrissey said: Felix is already delivering millions of meals to people in London who need it. This gives it the capacity to deliver even more and to keep food sustainable for longer. And thats what we need. I first started volunteering with The Felix Project because I thought the idea of saving food from going to waste and giving it to people in need was just such a simple and effective way to make difference. I am astounded by how the charity has grown and now how great this new depot is. I just hope they can get in even more food and volunteer support to ensure they can be there to feed more people. Felix was the partner charity of the Standards Food for London Now appeal that helped set up its social kitchen Felixs Kitchen, where chefs take surplus food ingredients from the charitys depot and turn them into meals. The charity is also a beneficiary of our recent On the Breadline cost of living appeal that raised more than 4 million to help the most disadvantaged people across Britain. The refurbishment was made possible by a number of funders including Ocado, who were at the event to celebrate. The food retail giant supplied around 445 tonnes of food to The Felix Project in 2022 and donated money to enable the charity to do the work on the depot. Charlotte Hill OBE, CEO of The Felix Project said: The improvements are incredible, and we could not have done it without the generous support of so many organisations. The increased capacity means we are able store enough food to help thousands more people in London and crucially ensure we can freeze food, which can be used when surplus food supply is low. What is vital now is that we get new suppliers giving us their surplus, we have the room but not nowhere near enough food to fill it. We urgently need more food so we can be there for those facing hunger. Every single community organisation we supply is asking for more food and there are over 600 new organisations on our waiting list, many right here in North London, but we need more food before we can start to do anything to help. H alf of Londoners think Sadiq Khan is doing badly as Mayor of London, according to a new poll. A survey by YouGov found that 50 per cent of Londoners were not happy with the Mayors performance almost seven years after he was first elected. It represents a three point drop from the last poll in January 2022 and comes amid a cost of living crisis that has seen approval ratings drop for many politicians. A third of those surveyed (32 per cent) thought Mr Khan was doing very badly. Younger Londoners were found to be mo--re supportive of Mr Khan, with four in ten (40 per cent) of those aged between 18 and 24 saying he was doing well compared with 37 per cent who felt he was doing badly. But the poll found that eight in 10 (81 per cent) Londoners aged above 65 thought Mr Khan was doing badly. Two-thirds (64 per cent) felt he was doing very badly. Nearly two-thirds of Londoners (65 per cent) felt Mr Khan was handling the issue of housing badly, while six in ten (62 per cent) did not support his handling of crime. Other political leaders also proved unpopular in the capital, with over half (51 per cent) of Londoners saying they believed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was doing badly. Two in five (44 per cent) said the same of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer. And a third (33 per cent) of Londoners felt Mark Rowley is doing badly as Metropolitan Police Commissioner. A Labour source said: The Tories have delivered over a decade of austerity and continue to hold London back. But despite this Sadiq is getting on with building a better London for everyone reducing violent crime, cleaning up the air, delivering a record number of council homes and providing free school meals for all London children from September. Separately, a former Downing Street adviser to Boris Johnson has emerged as the Conservative front runner for next years London mayoral election. Energy secretary Grant Shapps and Northern Ireland Office minister Steve Baker, along with former home secretary Priti Patel, announced on Monday they were endorsing Samuel Kasumu to become the Tory candidate to challenge Mr Khan in May. Mr Kasumu served as special adviser to then-prime minister Mr Johnson, where he held the civil society and communities brief. YouGov polled 1,107 adults in London between April 14 and 25. L ondons emergency services are facing capacity pressures that could have a major impact on their ability to respond to a major terrorist incident, City Hall politicians have said. The warning is issued in a report published this week by the London Assemblys police and crime committee. The cross-party group said that although improvements have been made to how blue-light services work together to prepare for, and respond to, a terror attack the London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade are facing significant pressures - related to staffing, funding and capacity - that could impede their response to a major incident. They also found that the Metropolitan Police faces challenges in recruiting and retaining digital specialists into counter-terror policing - and that its anti-radicalisation strategy, Prevent, is negatively perceived by many. The capitals emergency services each offered assurances they had robust plans in place for a terror attack. Just weeks after taking office in 2016, Mayor Sadiq Khan appointed Lord Harris of Haringey to conduct a full and independent review to ensure London is as prepared as possible to respond to a major terrorist incident. In 2021, Lord Harris was commissioned to undertake a second review in the context of the changing nature of the threat of terrorism. He made 294 recommendations in several key areas - which the committees new report builds upon. Susan Hall, the committees Conservative chair, said: The failures identified in the emergency services response to the Manchester Arena attack have shown just how important it is to be prepared to respond rapidly and effectively. Susan Hall, a Conservative member of the London Assembly and chair of the police and crime committee / London Assembly We recognise the significant pressures facing our emergency services and we are concerned that this could hinder an effective response to a major incident. Because of this, we want the London Ambulance Service and the London Fire Brigade to update us on the progress they have made in implementing Lord Harris recommendations. We are also urging the Mayor to seek assurances from the London Ambulance Service that its plans in the context of a major terrorist attack are realistic and deliverable, considering the strain it is currently facing. With extremist ideologies becoming increasingly diversified and complex, the committee also stressed in their report the importance of better understanding which people are most at risk of radicalisation. Ms Hall said: Prevent plays a key role in Londons anti-terrorism strategy. Its resources must be targeted at those at risk of becoming terrorists to stop future attacks. A spokesman for Mr Khan said the Mayor was supporting the capital's emergency services so that they are properly funded and better equipped to deal with specific types of attacks. He added: Sadiq is clear that we must always be ready and prepared for the constantly evolving threat of terrorism, and that is why he is continuing to invest record amounts in the Met and funding community-led grassroots projects across London to tackle extremism, hate and radicalisation so that we can build a safer London for everyone. But there is no room for complacency. More must be done which is why the Mayor is continuing to call on the Government to support City Hall with long-term funding to support our key emergency services and to follow his lead by investing in programmes and new technology which can help reduce the risks of young people becoming radicalised. Londons emergency services each said that they welcomed the committees report and noted its recommendations. Jonathan Smith, Deputy Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade, said: The Brigade has made good progress on meeting the recommendations from Lord Harris's most recent review, which found that very substantial progress has been made by the emergency services since 2016 in counter-terror preparedness, and we welcome the opportunity to report on our progress to the London Assembly later this year. He was joined by a spokeswoman for the London Ambulance Service, who said the organisation had robust plans in place that allow us to respond rapidly during major incidents, including terrorist attacks. She added that the Ambulance Service will be happy to provide assurance to the Mayor around our contingency plans and respond formally to the [committees] document in full. Commander Dominic Murphy, who leads the Met's Counter Terrorism Command said: We continue to work hard on implementing the many recommendations made by Lord Harris to make us even better prepared to respond with our partners to a terrorist attack here in London, and we are making good progress with these. "The implementation of the new Counter Terrorism Operations Centre here in London is also helping us to become even more integrated with the other agencies involved in countering the terrorist threat, both here in London, but right across the UK. "We also share many of the concerns highlighted by the report that are linked to the increasingly complex nature of radicalisation and how it is affecting more and more young people. He added that the Met will will now take time to consider the report's findings in full but we remain committed to doing everything we can to keep Londoners safe from the very real threats of terrorism and radicalisation. L ondon mayor Sadiq Khan is to call on the Governmment to ease post-Brexit visa rules, which he warns are putting off young Europeans from visiting and working in the capital. In a speech to business leaders on Thursday evening, Mr Khan will call on Ministers to introduce a new youth group travel visa, designed to make the UK more open to visits from international school pupils. A recent survey by the Tourism Alliance - the industry body for UK tourism - found that a group of EU-based tour operators expected to send just 42 per cent of the students to the UK in 2023 compared with how many they sent in 2019. This compares with 95 per cent for the Republic of Ireland, and 90 per cent for other EU countries. Mr Khan said he was concerned about the impact of restrictive policies that only damage our economy and opportunities for growth. Although the rising cost of travel in general has had an impact on tourism across Europe, post-Brexit border rules - especially the need for all visiting EU school-children to have passports - is thought to have had a particular impact on school visitor numbers to the UK. Before Brexit, groups of EU school children could travel using their state-issued European Economic Area (EEA) identity cards - but since October 2021, every child entering the UK must have a passport, and children with non-EU passports, including refugees, also need a 95 visa. Passport ownership is less common in many European countries than in the UK, as many people travel within the EU using their national ID card - with less than half the population of France and Germany holding a passport. The new rules are thought to be making many EU school trips to London prohibitively difficult and expensive to organise. In his speech to business leaders at the opening of architecture firm Patriarches new offices in the City, the Mayor will also call for the Governments Youth Mobility Scheme to be extended, in a reciprocal agreement, with EU countries. The scheme allows 18-30 year-olds from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and a few other countries to live and work in the UK for up to two years. The Governments independent Migration Advisory Committee has long called for the schemes expansion. Mr Khan believes that doing so would promote cultural exchange and support sectors experiencing labour shortages, such as hospitality and catering. Our post-Brexit future does not have to mean isolation from our European friends and partners and restrictive policies that only damage our economy and opportunities for growth, Mr Khan said. News of the policy proposal was welcomed by Richard Toomer, executive director of the Tourism Alliance, who said: London and the rest of the country have so much to offer visitors young and old. We should be encouraging tourists to come here, not putting up unnecessary barriers. No longer accepting ID cards at the border has had a massive hit on the numbers of young people coming to visit the UK, especially on organised school trips. He added: Youth Mobility is a great reciprocal scheme where young people get to travel and experience different cultures and so often bring back an enthusiasm for the county to their home nation which lasts a lifetime. Youth Mobility Schemes already exist and urgently need expanding to more countries such as France, Spain and Poland, so that more young people can benefit. Mr Khans policy suggestions threaten to further emphasise the difference in outlook between himself and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, when it comes to the broader question of Britains relationship with the EU. In January, the Mayor called for a debate on whether the UK should re-join the European single market, but Sir Keir has said that there is no case for going back to the EU or going back into the single market. The Labour leader has instead said there is a very good case for making Brexit work. Asked whether the Government would be heeding Mr Khans calls, a Home Office spokeswoman said: We recognise the importance of cultural and educational exchanges between the UK and other nations, and the UKs visit rules are among the most generous in the world. The standard visitor rules currently permit a range of short-term activities for which entry clearance is not required in advance, but most EEA and Swiss citizens require a passport, just like everybody else. Home Office sources pointed out that at the France-UK summit in Paris in March, held between Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron, the UK committed to ease the travel of school groups to the UK by making changes to documentary requirements for schoolchildren on organised trips from France. The Government is understood to be currently considering the details and implications of implementing this commitment. S ewage poured into Londons rivers for almost 7,000 hours last year, the Standard can reveal, as the Government came under further pressure to take tougher action against the firms responsible. The Thames saw 769 toxic spills lasting a total of 3,286 hours more than 136 days. The River Roding, which flows through Essex and London and forms Barking Creek as it reaches the Thames, had the second highest number of sewage releases in the capital at 237. In total 31 London waterways saw 1,809 discharges lasting 6,968 hours, Environment Agency data, scrutinised by the Liberal Democrats, shows. Richmond Park MP Sarah Olney said: These statistics are a dire indictment of this Governments continued failure to outlaw sewage dumping and protect our local environment. Londoners have been forced to endure thousands of hours of sewage being pumped into their local waterways over the last year, yet instead of heeding their calls for action, ministers have put their heads in the sand to block calls for reform at every turn. [The Government] should be apologising to local people for allowing water companies to continually use their local rivers as a sewage dumping ground. How many river users will have to get sick before the Government finally sits up and takes notice? Thames Water, Englands biggest privatised water firm, has been hit with fines totalling tens of millions of pounds over the past five years for leaks of untreated sewage. Chief executive Sarah Bentley has vowed to spend a record 1.6 billion over the next two years on upgrading sewage treatment works and sewers. The 4 billion Thames Tideway Tunnel is also nearly complete and will capture 95 per cent of the volume of untreated sewage currently entering the tidal Thames in a typical year, the company said. Thames Water now provides a map of sewage discharges in the city, which is updated in real time. The Government has already announced plans for unlimited fines for firms that dump sewage into rivers and seas. Under further proposals announced this week, they will face legally binding targets to cut releases. On average there were 825 sewage spills per day into Englands waterways last year, data shows. This was a fall of almost a fifth on the previous year, but the Environment Agency said the decrease was largely down to dry weather, not water company action. Firms are allowed to release untreated sewage in exceptional circumstances, for example during heavy rainfall. But they can be acting illegally if they pump sewage into rivers when the conditions are dry, or if they are not treating enough of the waste before dumping it. Environment Secretary Therese Coffey said that by 2035, water companies must cut spills to all designated bathing water and 75 per cent of high-priority sites, such as conservation areas. A Thames Water spokesperson said: Taking action to improve the health of rivers is a key focus for us and we want to lead the way with our transparent approach to data. "Were the first company to provide live alerts for all untreated discharges throughout our region. Of course, what matters most is stopping the need for the discharges and weve committed 1.6bn of investment in our sewage treatment works and sewers over the next two years. This will help us deliver our commitment to a 50 per cent reduction in the total annual duration of discharges across London and the Thames Valley by 2030, and within that an 80 per cent reduction in sensitive catchments. In London, we have started the 100m upgrade of Mogden sewage treatment works, which will increase capacity and reduce the number of storm discharges from the site, and were also spending 145m upgrading Beckton sewage works. Were also currently increasing sewage treatment capacity at a number of our other sewage works across the Thames Valley, including Witney, Chesham and Fairford to be completed by 2025. R ishi Sunak and Italys premier Giorgia Meloni are expected to discuss tackling irregular migration when they meet in London on Thursday. The Prime Minister will welcome his far-right Italian counterpart, who is on a two-day visit to Britain, to Downing Street in the afternoon. The pair will then head to Westminster Abbey together for a private tour. Stemming the flow of migrants whether in small boats across the English Channel or from north Africa across the Mediterranean is a key issue for both leaders. The meeting comes a day after the Governments flagship asylum Bill cleared its final stages in the House of Commons, though it will face a stiff test in the Lords when it undergoes further scrutiny. The Illegal Migration Bill will change the law so people who arrive in the UK illegally will be detained and then promptly removed, either to their home country or a safe third country such as Rwanda. In Italy, Ms Meloni has led a crackdown on migrant smugglers and on rescue ships operated by charities, which she argues encourage migrants to risk dangerous voyages in the hope of reaching Europe. The two leaders meeting is also expected to focus on the agreement between the UK, Italy and Japan to develop next-generation fighter jets. The defence partnership, announced in December, aims to see the planes called Tempest in the UK take to the skies by 2035 and serve as a successor to the RAF Typhoon. Continued support for Ukraine in its struggle against Russias invasion is also likely to feature in their talks. Mr Sunak and Ms Meloni first met on the sidelines of the Cop27 climate summit in Egypt last November, weeks after they both took office within days of each other. According to a read-out from No 10 at the time, they had a positive discussion on a range of shared issues and priorities, including tackling illegal migration and people-smuggling gangs. Ms Melonis Brothers of Italy party leads the countrys first hard right-led government since the Second World War. G ambling companies have welcomed a long-awaited Government shake-up of industry regulations, but said the devil will be in the detail. Proposals were announced on Thursday to force gambling companies to step up checks on punters as part of efforts to address problem gambling. Flutter, the gambling giant behind SkyBet and Paddy Power, said the reforms were a positive moment for the sector but the changes are expected to knock its revenues by up to 100 million. The significantly delayed gambling white paper includes rules to lower maximum bets, require more background checks, and a new levy to fund research and treatment for problem gambling, in a series of measures targeting the online industry. Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said: Today we are bringing our pre-smartphone regulations into the present day with a gambling White Paper for the digital age. The confirmation of the much-postponed review, which was initiated in December 2020, has been broadly welcomed by the UKs roughly 14 billion-a-year gambling sector after the long period of uncertainty. Jette Nygaard-Andersen, chief executive officer of Ladbrokes owner Entain, said: The UK Gambling Act Review is an important step towards having a robust regulatory framework that is fit for the digital age and creates a level playing field for all operators. We welcome the clarity that it will bring to the industry and customers. Ms Nygaard-Andersen said the policies included a number of measures which had been already implemented by the FTSE 100 company. Rival Flutter, which also owns Betfair, said the proposed measures will impact its trade by between 50 million and 100 million a year from 2024 onwards. Peter Jackson, chief executive of Flutter, added: We welcome the publication of the White Paper, which we see as a significant positive moment for the UK gambling sector, raising standards and bringing the regulatory framework into the digital age. We believe proactive change will lead to a better future for our industry and have introduced industry-leading safer gambling controls via our Play Well strategy over the last few years, including setting mandatory deposit limits for customers under 25, reducing online slots staking limits and making material investments in our safer gambling operational capabilities. The new rules also include new stake limits, of between 2 and 15 a spin, for online slot games. While curbs have been tightened for online formats, some regulations for physical casinos are set to be relaxed, such as increasing the number of machines allowed in venues. Nevertheless, there is still uncertainty over some of the measures due to be enforced, with a consultation process set to take place. Simon Thomas, executive chairman of the Hippodrome casino in Leicester Square, London, told the PA news agency that the announcement looks positive for the venue. There are still things to be confirmed, ironed out, so the devil will be in the detail, he said. But the key thing is that we finally have something to work with. It has been hanging over our heads for years and we now have far more clarity. It seems like there has been some effort to rebalance the regulations somewhat between online and physical venues which was sorely needed. As it stood, we have 1,500 customers in our casino at a time but were only able to have 20 machines, while regulations had not kept up with growth online at all. H umza Yousaf has said there should be no bonuses paid in this financial year to bosses at Ferguson Marine as it emerged payouts are set to be made for last year. Auditor General Stephen Boyle detailed unacceptable bonus payments totalling 87,000 were made to six senior members of staff in 2021-22 with the knowledge of Scottish ministers and despite the spiralling costs and delays in the delivery of two lifeline ferries. On Thursday, Deputy First Minister Shona Robison wrote in a letter to Holyroods Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee that further payments have been made so far this year for performance in 2022-23 with more to come in June. A spokeswoman for Ferguson Marine confirmed the bonuses were shared between eight people, not including the CEO, and were assessed robustly against performance and details were shared with the Scottish Government. A payment of 23,609 was made last week, with a further instalment due to be made in June, but the Scottish Government is looking at potential alternatives to bonuses alongside the yards chair. I know that the committee will share my disappointment, particularly at a time when the delivery of vessels MV Glen Sannox 801 and Hull 802 remain long overdue She wrote: While this progress is welcome, due to those legacy contractual commitments made in November 2022 by (Ferguson Marine Port Glasgow), without the prior knowledge of the Scottish Government, further bonuses are legally required to be made for the year 2022-23. The first of two instalments of 23,609 each has already been processed. This first payment was made in FMPGs April 2023 payroll with the second payment of 23,609 due in June, subject to ongoing discussions involving the chair. I know that the committee will share my disappointment, particularly at a time when the delivery of vessels MV Glen Sannox 801 and Hull 802 remain long overdue; that despite every effort being made to ensure that no bonuses were paid in 2022/23, the payment of bonuses for 2022/23 is contractually unavoidable. Almost simultaneously, First Minster Humza Yousaf was being challenged about the payments in Holyrood. Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross said: The two ferries are not fit to sail, the costs continue to spiral out of control, and islanders continue to be left without vital, lifeline services so First Minister, what on earth could these bonuses be for? Responding, Mr Yousaf said: I wont disagree with Douglas Ross or the Auditor General the former deputy first minister (John Swinney) made clear his anger, we share that anger, I share that anger at the fact that bonuses have been paid. The bonuses that have been paid relate to a decision made by the remuneration committee of Ferguson Marine without consultation with the government in November 2022. Those bonuses, I have asked if they can not be paid and the advice coming back is that they are a contractual obligation. For any future discussion or consideration of bonuses, I have made it clear there should not be bonuses paid in relation to vessels 801 and 802. The First Minister went on to say it was his expectation that bonuses should not be paid for the 2023-24 financial year. The spokeswoman for the yard said: Each bonus payment was assessed robustly by our remuneration committee against KPIs and details shared with Scottish Government. The statement comes just hours after the Auditor General told Holyroods Public Audit Committee he was unsure if the money could be recovered. Asked by SNP MSP Willie Coffey if the money could be recovered, Mr Boyle said: I dont know if those amounts are recoverable. According to the report published by Audit Scotland last month, which caused consternation across the political spectrum in Holyrood, the initial recommendation that 87,000 should be paid to the six managers was made by former turnaround director Tim Hair. Mr Hair was installed at the yard to reverse its fortunes, a task at which he ultimately failed, but pocketed a total of 1.8 million in wages and expenses during his less than three year tenure at the business. The companys remuneration committee ultimately approved the decision to award the bonuses based on the 2021-22 year. Mr Yousaf was also questioned on the ultimate cost of the Glen Sannox and as-yet-unnamed hull 802, which are set to be delayed by five and six years respectively if they meet deadlines for completion of the end of this year and the end of 2024. Mr Yousaf ultimately could not say how much the vessels would cost, under questioning from the Scottish Tory leader, after the Auditor General said it was folly to view an estimate of 300 million as reliable. The First Minister said it was unacceptable there had been cost overruns and delays and apologised to islanders for the disruption caused by the issues in building the ferries. The First Minister added that the Scottish Government is currently reviewing cost projections. Public Audit Committee convener Richard Leonard said on Thursday representatives of both the Scottish Government and Ferguson Marine had been invited to give evidence to the committee. Former deputy first minister John Swinney told the PA news agency that every effort was made to ensure the bonuses for the 2022-23 year were not paid, but intimated he knew they were a possibility. He said: At the time of my statement to Parliament, no subsequent bonuses had been paid for 2022/2023 and every effort was being made at my request to ensure that none would be paid. Unfortunately, this process concluded that the payment of bonuses was legally unavoidable. L abours former Kensington MP has quit the party, saying it is unrecognisable under Sir Keir Starmers leadership. Emma Dent Coad, a Kensington and Chelsea councillor who led the local Labour group, was a key ally of Jeremy Corbyn. At the 2017 general election she won a shock victory over the Conservatives by just 20 votes, but narrowly lost the seat to the Tories at the 2019 poll. Announcing she had resigned from the Labour party on Thursday, Ms Dent Coad said: Im not leaving the party, the party has left me. It is unrecognisable. I will continue to sit on Kensington and Chelsea Council as an independent. Ms Dent Coad, a prominent Grenfell campaigner, last year said she had been blocked from standing as an MP for the party at the next election. Her exclusion was one of a number where leftwingers were removed from Labour parliamentary candidate lists. Ms Dent Coads decision to leave the party comes after Diane Abbott was suspended as a Labour MP. In a letter to the Observer newspaper, the Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP suggested Jewish, Irish and Traveller people were not subject to racism all their lives. Sir Keir Starmervowed to "root out" anti-semitism within Labour after complaints Jewish people faced prejudice in the party under the leadership of Mr Corbyn. Under Mr Corbyn's leadership, the party was investigated by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and found to have acted unlawfully. Labour stripped Ms Abbott of the whip and launched an investigation following the publication of her letter. On Thursday Sir Keir told ITV that Ms Abbott, as Britians first black woman MP, had been probably been subjected to more abuse than any other person in public life. But he added that his gut feeling was that her letter was anti-semitic. I'm determined to change the Labour Party, so that the Labour Party and anti-semitism and not mentioned in the same sentence, he said. We've done a huge amount of work on that and I was really pleased that many of the Jewish community feel much more confident in the Labour Party than they did but this battle against anti-semitism is is never over. R elatives of UK citizens evacuated from war-torn Sudan have spoken of their relief after their loved ones touched down on British soil. The Foreign Office has said 897 people have been evacuated from Sudan on eight UK flights as of 4pm on Thursday, with further flights expected. British citizens have been told to make their way to the Wadi Saeedna airstrip 20 miles outside the Sudanese capital Khartoum. Families waited hours at the airstrip before being flown to Larnaca, Cyprus, and eventually to the UK, where they landed at Stansted Airport. The relief was clear to see as people walked into the arrivals lounge on Thursday. Sara Abdanna told the PA news agency how she had to wait for her 13-year-old son, Ahmed Mohammed, to make his way back to the UK after he visited family members in Sudan. Ms Abdanna, 42, a mother of two, said: I have all my family over there, my parents, my sister, my brothers, all of them. I just hope this situation gets better for them and this all stops. She continued: Im so glad and so happy to see him. Im so grateful for the British Government. From the beginning we got the right support for him. They contacted him and managed to bring him home safe. I wish, if they can, to force the military to stop fighting. Mohammed Baldo spoke to PA as he waited for his wife and two-year-old daughter to arrive at Stansted. He said: Its been on and off with the internet connections and everything. Its been hard and times where you cant get hold of them, you get really nervous because something might have happened to them. Mr Baldo, a British citizen, said it was complicated because his wife was not a dual citizen. He said: From what I understand, I told her to get to the airfield no matter what, even if they told you not to, there would be someone on the ground who can make a humane decision. They let her in and then they got on the plane and then last thing before the plane took off, they had to take her off because they had no clearance to let her fly. She was crying and stressed. She said she was going to die, and they didnt know what to do. T he British evacuation mission has rescued nearly 900 people from Sudan amid fears that fierce fighting could resume as the end of an agreed ceasefire approaches. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said it will be potentially impossible to continue the operation after the truce agreed between rival generals ends at midnight. More than 2,000 British nationals in Sudan have registered under the evacuation plans but the true number of citizens there could be far higher. As of 4pm on Thursday, the Foreign Office said that 897 people had been evacuated over eight RAF airlifts. The Foreign Office, which has not said how many of the evacuees are Britons or foreign nationals, urged citizens to head to the airstrip before the ceasefire ends. However, the flights are scheduled to run past midnight and around 1,000 people are expected to have been lifted to safety by Friday morning. Military chiefs say they have the capacity to lift at least 500 people per day out of the Wadi Saeedna airfield near the capital of Khartoum. Mr Cleverly warned that resumption of fighting could jeopardise the evacuation efforts. We cannot predict exactly what will happen when that ceasefire ends, but what we do know is it will be much, much harder, potentially impossible, he told Sky News. So, what were saying to British nationals is if youre hesitant, if youre weighing up your options, our strong, strong advice is to go through Wadi Saeedna whilst the ceasefire is up and running. There are planes, there is capacity, we will lift you out. Im not able to make those same assurances once a ceasefire has ended. UK passport holders have been told to make their own way to the airfield and are not being provided with a military escort. Downing Street rejected calls from people, including Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman Alicia Keans, to widen the eligibility for evacuation beyond British passport holders and their immediate family. But the Prime Ministers official spokesman said: There is an element of discretion for people on the ground as you might expect, given the circumstances and the challenging situation people will be facing. We recognise these are very challenging circumstances and, as we have done on previous occasions, we obviously empower people on the ground to make decisions. British ambassador to Sudan Giles Lever was continuing to speak to the warring parties the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to try to get a ceasefire extension. The diplomat, who was not in Sudan when the fighting broke out, was being relocated from London to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia to play a key role in efforts to end the fighting. Africa minister Andrew Mitchell warned that an end to the ceasefire could result in a humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan. It is essential that a ceasefire is maintained and that a political process is secured, he told the foreign affairs think tank Chatham House. If not, the humanitarian consequences will be incalculable. T he UK has reportedly been accused of delaying Germanys efforts to evacuate its citizens from Sudan at the weekend. The BBC reported that it was told by senior German political sources that Britains mission to extract its embassy staff led to a temporary blockade of the airfield near the capital Khartoum from which subsequent evacuation flights have taken off. The sources alleged that British forces landed without the permission of the Sudanese army, angering them that they barred access to the site. However, a defence source dismissed the claim as complete nonsense. German rescuers lost at least half a day as negotiations to use the airstrip took place, according to the broadcaster. The British were forced to pay the Sudanese army before leaving, one source told the BBC. Germany and other European nations were hoping to use the Wadi Saeedna airfield to fly their citizens to safety. The Ministry of Defence denied that Britain was responsible for any delay. A spokesperson for the department said: It is not accurate to suggest that Britains efforts to evacuate embassy staff from Sudan last weekend slowed down Germanys plans. Operating in such complex circumstances will always come with challenges, but we have worked extremely closely with our French, US and particularly German partners who have facilitated access to the airfield throughout this week, and of course we remain grateful to the Sudanese Armed Forces. A defence source said: It is complete nonsense to claim that we landed in Sudan without permission from the Sudanese army. We had permission. In an apparent swipe at the UKs initial handling of the crisis, German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said Berlin would not leave civilians to their own devices as it completed its evacuation. Announcing the completion of Germanys evacuation efforts on Tuesday, she said that unlike in other countries, it had included all German nationals and their partners and not just diplomatic personnel. The UK started its mission to evacuate when a ceasefire was brokered between the warring factions. T he UK has been accused of delaying Germanys evacuation efforts in Sudan by causing a temporary blockade at a vital airport. Speaking to the BBC, German political sources alleged that British forces landed in Sudan without the Armys permission, causing delays to other European nations attempts to evacuate citizens. The British Ministry of Defence has described the claim as complete nonsense. According to reports, German officials allege that unannounced attempts by Britain to evacuate embassy staff at the weekend angered the Sudanese army, causing them to refuse other nations access to the airfield north of Khartoum. The sources told the broadcaster that Britain had to pay the Sudanese army before leaving, and that it meant German rescuers lost at least half a day in their own evacuation efforts. This has been denied by the MoD, which said it had permission to land. It is not accurate to suggest that Britains efforts to evacuate embassy staff from Sudan last weekend slowed-down Germanys plans, it said in a statement. Operating in such complex circumstances will always come with challenges, but we have worked extremely closely with our French, US and particularly German partners who have facilitated access to the airfield throughout this week, and of course we remain grateful to the Sudanese Armed Forces. Germany has since ended its evacuation efforts from Sudan, having airlifted more than 700 people to safety. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly / PA Wire Speaking on Sky News on Thursday morning, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said: Ive had exchanges with my German Foreign Minister colleague Annalena Baerbock. I know Ben Wallace and the military have had exchanges ... I dont recognise that reporting, that is not what has been communicated to us. Mr Cleverly said there was no guarantee of further evacuation flights once an agreed halt in fighting expires on Thursday night. It comes as the Government faces domestic and international criticism over its response. The British evacuation mission from the African country has seen 536 people taken to safety on six flights so far, according to the latest official figures. Mr Cleverly, who insisted simple comparisons to the evacuation efforts of other countries is not possible, said anyone considering leaving the country may only have a limited window to do so. We cannot predict exactly what will happen when that ceasefire ends but what we do know is it will be much, much harder, potentially impossible," he said. P olice are continuing to search a country park for the missing fiance of a lovely, kind and diligent pregnant teacher found dead in suspicious circumstances. The body of Marelle Sturrock, 35, was discovered at 8.40am on Tuesday in a home in Jura Street, Glasgow, and Police Scotland said her death is being treated as suspicious. Officers are searching Mugdock Country Park and Mugdock reservoir, just outside the city in East Dunbartonshire, for a further day for a missing man, understood to be her fiance David Yates. Police divers have been involved in the search and large areas of the reservoir are cordoned off with police tape, with officers standing guard. The headteacher at Sandwood Primary School in Glasgow where Ms Sturrock worked said the school community is devastated. Fiona Donnelly said: Marelle has been a much-loved member of our school community since her probationary year more than six years ago and has taught many year groups throughout her time at the school. We will all miss her so much. She was a lovely, kind, diligent and considerate person who loved and made time for everyone. Marelle used her artistic talents across the school and was our music champion who has been a key player in the success of our school choirs, with one of her classes going to see her on stage at The Kings (Theatre) in one of her many acting roles outside of school. We are a school community in mourning and are devasted by the tragic news of her death and pass on our deepest condolences to her family and friends as we all come to terms with our loss. Parents at the school were told of the death in a letter on Wednesday and education psychologists are on hand to support pupils. Detective Chief Inspector Cheryl Kelly said: Our thoughts are with Marelles family and friends, as well as everyone affected by this tragic incident. We are providing her family with support at this incredibly difficult time as our investigation to establish the full circumstances continues. She said Police Scotland does not believe there is any risk to the wider public and added: A visible police presence will remain at both locations as our work continues. Ms Sturrock was from Wick, Caithness, but moved to Glasgow when she was 17 to pursue a career in the performing arts. She later became a primary school teacher after completing her postgraduate diploma in education. T he editor-in-chief of the Kyiv Independent spoke of the battle to tell the truth when she gave the prestigious Cudlipp Lecture this week. Olga Rudenko delivered an impassioned speech at Londons historic Stationers Hall warning of freedoms under attack in Russias invasion of Ukraine. She said: Its not just Ukraine that is under attack, everything that your leaders have here, their freedoms and liberties, democracy, the connected world. This whole life, all of it is under attack on this very second. It is Ukraine that is hit with bombs, but it is the values of the free world that are their real targets. Ms Rudenko received a standing ovation for her lecture on The Battle for the Truth. Hard choices on the frontline with the Kyiv Independent. The event was organised by London Press Club and the Daily Mirror, supporters of the Hugh Cudlipp lecture. Daily Mirror editor Alison Phillips praised the bravery of Rudenko and her colleagues at The Kyiv Independent, for their commitment to balanced and accurate reporting during Ukraines most challenging times. Rudenko and The Kyiv Independent have been vital in combatting the spread of misinformation since Russias invasion, ensuring vital news on the frontline is delivered accurately, shedding light on the realities of the conflict. Her role and that of the publication have been highly commended and led to a nomination for the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize. Rudenko also took part in a Q&A following her speech, during which she spoke of the complexities of her editorial staff covering Russia during the conflict, of British coverage of the invasion and of Twitter down-playing Ukrainian war content. The lecture also saw the presentation of the 2023 Hugh Cudlipp Student Award, to recipient Pieter Snepvangers of The Tab, for his outstanding investigative story on university students using ChatGPT to cheat on their final university exams. The revelations in the story were followed with coverage across the national media. The annual Cudlipp Lecture was founded in memory of the late Lord Hugh Cudlipp, the former editorial director of the Daily Mirror, and one of the pioneers of popular tabloid journalism. A magistrate and Labour councillor has been issued with a formal misconduct warning after sharing and posting anti-Semitic messages on Facebook. Ansar Hussain was suspended by the Labour Party in May last year after the Jewish Chronicle brought to light his social media activity between 2015 and 2019. Mr Hussain, who also sits as a magistrate in the south east of England, had circulated conspiracy theories in an article called 30 Little-Known Facts About Israel, and compared Jewish people with Nazis. The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office has now announced a formal warning being issued to Mr Hussain as a result of the social media posts. In May 2022, Mr Hussain informed his bench chair that the Labour Party had suspended him as member pending an investigation into his social media activity, said the body. Following a judicial disciplinary investigation, a conduct panel of the South East Region Conduct Advisory Committee found that Mr Hussain had, on four occasions between 2015 and 2019, shared and responded to social media posts which contained anti-Semitic content. The panel decided that Mr Hussains actions, two of which took place before he became a magistrate, were prejudiced, and fell below the high standards of conduct expected of a judicial office-holder. In deciding to issue Mr Hussain with a formal warning, Mr Justice Keehan and the Lord Chancellor took into consideration that he reported the matter to his bench chair straightaway, accepted responsibility for his conduct and that it was highly improper, apologised, closed his public social media accounts, and voluntarily undertook diversity and inclusivity training. Mr Hussain, a former Mayor of the town of Wolverton and an elected Milton Keynes councillor from 2021, is now back in the Labour fold following his initial suspension. He issued an apology at the time the posts were made public. He is free to continue sitting as a magistrate after receiving the formal warning. D etectives have confirmed a body pulled from a reservoir near Glasgow on Thursday belongs to the partner of murdered pregnant teacher Marelle Sturrock. Police launched a murder investigation after the body of Ms Sturrock, 35, was found at her home in Jura Street, Glasgow, on Tuesday morning. She was 29 weeks pregnant and her unborn baby did not survive. Police Scotland confirmed on Friday afternoon that the body of a man recovered on Thursday after searches of Mugdock Reservoir, north of Glasgow, has been formally identified as 36-year-old David Yates. His death is not being treated as suspicious. Police said he was wanted in connection with the death of his partner, and that while an investigation is continuing there is nothing to suggest anyone else was involved in her death. Marelle Sturrock, 35, was reportedly heavily pregnant when she diedat her home in Jura Street / Facebook Detective Superintendent Nicola Kilbane said, following the discovery of the body on Thursday: Our thoughts are with Marelles family and friends, along with everyone affected by this tragedy. We are providing her family with specialist support at this incredibly difficult time. Mr Yates car, a white Seat Ateca, was found at Mugdock Country Park - around eight miles north of Ms Sturrocks home - on Tuesday, sparking an extensive search of the area. Earlier, Police Scotland said the last confirmed sighting of Mr Yates had been on Sunday evening shortly after 8pm. His subsequent movements are unknown after his vehicle was left at Mugdock Country Park but there is nothing to suggest he has left the area, Detective Superintendent Nicola Kilbane said in a previous statement. Police divers at the scene at Mugdock Country Park, during the search for Mr Yates / Lucinda Cameron/PA Wire Police Scotland found Ms Sturrocks body just after 8.40am on Tuesday. Her sister told of her familys devastation. Sarah Sturrock said: There are no words [for] how utterly devastating this is for us as a family and how we are going to cope without her. How this could of happened to her, I will never get my head around this. She said that the death was heartbreaking. Ms Sturrock had posted a photo of herself enjoying a meal out with friends just days before her death / Facebook Colleagues and friends were reportedly concerned when Ms Sturrock did not show up for work at Sandwood Primary School. Headteacher Fiona Donnelly said the school community is devastated. Marelle has been a much-loved member of our school community since her probationary year more than six years ago and has taught many year groups throughout her time at the school. We will all miss her so much. She was a lovely, kind, diligent and considerate person who loved and made time for everyone. Marelle used her artistic talents across the school and was our music champion who has been a key player in the success of our school choirs, with one of her classes going to see her on stage at The Kings (Theatre) in one of her many acting roles outside of school. Marelle Sturrock / PA We are a school community in mourning and are devasted by the tragic news of her death and pass on our deepest condolences to her family and friends as we all come to terms with our loss. Parents at the school were told of the death in a letter on Wednesday and education psychologists are on hand to support pupils. Ms Sturrock had posted a photo of herself enjoying a meal out with friends just days before her death. Friends and former colleagues have also paid tribute to the teacher. One former colleague wrote: Stunned and saddened to read of the loss of this beautiful young woman. I worked with Marelle 15 years ago and she was a vibrant and special woman. She arranged a birthday party for me and made me a CD of her singing and Id known her less than a week by then. She was a force to be reckoned with and I expect has left an imprint on many peoples lives. Police Scotland confirmed the death of Marelle Sturrock, 35, at a home in Jura Street, Glasgow on Tuesday morning is being treated as murder / Facebook Another wrote: Such awful sad news. Marelle was such a lovely lassie, so talented and about to be a mumma. Heart breaks for her whole family. The Glasgow Light Opera Club and the Wick Players, a local drama club, have praised Ms Sturrocks singing and performing talents. Wick Players said Ms Sturrock was an active member when she was a teenager. She was a very talented young lady both with her singing and her acting...she followed her dream by doing drama and music studies at university, the group said in a statement. The Glasgow Light Opera Club said Ms Sturrock had a breathtaking talent. A kind, generous and talented soul who inspired all of us lucky enough to know her. The stage will never be the same but your light will forever shine. A historic artefact has returned to London to form part of King Charless coronation but its also at the centre of a British controversy. The Stone of Destiny, also known as the Stone of Scone, has been transported south from its usual home at Edinburgh Castle. Former first minister Alex Salmond has said he is against the stone being taken to London from Scotland, to be used in the Coronation. This will actually mark the first time in 27 years that the stone has returned to England, but its far from the first time that its been taken from the Scottish borders. But what is it and why is it controversial? What is the Stone of Destiny? The Stone of Destiny is an ancient symbol of Scotlands monarchy, used for centuries in the inauguration of its kings. Seen as a sacred object, its earliest origins are unknown. The stone was used to inaugurate Scottish royalty for centuries, before being removed from the country by King Edward I in 1296. It was returned 700 years later. The throne of Elizabeth II sat atop the stone during her coronation in 1953 but it was returned to Scotland more than a quarter of a century ago. When was the stone stolen? In 1296, King Edward I of England seized the stone from the Scots, and had it built into a new throne at Westminster. From then on, it was used in the coronation ceremonies of the monarchs of England and then, when the nations were annexed, Great Britain. On Christmas Day 1950, four Scottish students removed the stone from Westminster Abbey in London and, three months later, it turned up 500 miles away at the high altar of Arbroath Abbey. In 1996, the stone was officially returned to Scotland. Where is it kept today? Today, it is one of the priceless treasures on display in the Crown Room in Scotland, visited by millions of people each year. The Stone is displayed alongside the Crown Jewels in the Royal Palace, on the east side of Crown Square. It was transported by Land Rover to London, where it is being guarded, especially for the coronation. The stone will be placed in the Coronation Chair for the enthronement, before being returned to Scotland afterwards. R ollercoaster tracks bent into a skeletal woolly mammoth and a fountain cascading water to drown out gallery goers are among the works nominated for this years Turner Prize. The 25,000 prize, which has previously been won by Grayson Perry and Steve McQueen, is given every year to a British artist for an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work. This years shortlist includes Londoner Ghislaine Leung whose exhibition Fountains filled a Danish gallery with objects including toys and baby monitors which broadcast noise from different rooms in the building. The jury said temporal boundaries were investigated by the show which was centred around a fountain diverted into the building from a nearby public water feature. Jesse Darling, whose show No Medals, No Ribbons evoked vulnerable human bodies with its use of twisted metal tracks is shortlisted. He was also praised for a show at Camden Arts Centre where bricks, tiles and plastic bags were scattered throughout the gallery in a portrait of the messiness and reality of daily life. Also nominated is multi-disciplinary artist Rory Pilgrim whose work RAFTS included a concert performance featuring eight residents of Barking & Dagenham explaining what helped them keep afloat during the pandemic. The fourth artist is Barbara Walker who is nominated for her charcoal portraits of people affected by the Windrush scandal, some drawn directly onto gallery walls. This years prize jury includes Camden Art Centre director Martin Clark and Melanie Keen, director of the Wellcome Collection, and is chaired by Tate Britains director Alex Farquharson. The prize and corresponding exhibition will be hosted by Towner Eastbourne in East Sussex with the winner announced on December 5. C hild Benefit, given to parents of children under the age of 16, is one of the most common benefits in the UK. The amount has risen for 2023 to 2024 by more than 2 for your eldest or only child and more than 1 for any additional children. Children over the age of 16, who are in approved education or training, can also claim the benefit. If your child is turning 16 this academic year, heres when you can expect your Child-Benefit payments to stop and how you can apply for an extension. When does Child Benefit stop? Child Benefit ends on August 31 on or after your childs 16th birthday if they leave education or training. Payments will continue if they stay in approved education or training, but you must tell the Child Benefit office. Your child must be accepted onto the course before they turn 19. Youll be sent a letter in your childs last year at school, asking you to confirm their plans. The education and training your child continues with must be more than an average of 12 hours a week supervised study or course-related work experience. Courses are not approved if paid for by an employer or advanced, for example, a university degree or BTEC Higher National Certificate. How to apply for an extension After their education and training ends, your child may still be eligible for Child Benefit for 20 more weeks, called an extension. This applies to your child if they signed up to join the armed forces or they register with their local careers service. You can apply for an extension online or by contacting HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). Likewise, you might still get Child Benefit if your child takes a break in their education or training, for example, if they change college. The Child Benefit office must be made aware of the break. How much is Child Benefit in 2023? For 2023 to 2024, the benefit for your eldest or only child will be 24 per week, up from 21.80. For additional children, it is now 15.90 - a rise from 14.45. Child Benefit is usually paid every four weeks on a Monday or Tuesday. You can have the money paid weekly if youre a single parent or getting certain other benefits, such as Universal Credit. If a family splits up, you get 24.00 a week for the eldest child. If you have two children and one stays with you and the other stays with your ex-partner, youll both get 24.00 a week for each child. If either your or your partners adjusted net income is more than 50,000 a year, you may have to pay the High Income Child Benefit Charge. More information about this can be found on the governments website. W hitsun, or Whit Sunday, will be celebrated on Sunday, May 28. It is celebrated in the UK as a Christian festival to mark the occasion of Pentecost. Whit Monday falls the day after and was itself a bank holiday until 1972, when it was replaced by the Spring Bank Holiday, although in 2023 these will be the same date. But what is Pentecost and why do Christians celebrate Whitsun? What is Pentecost? Christians celebrate Pentecost 50 days after Easter Sunday to commemorate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christs disciples. These events happened in the book of Acts within the Bible and proved a major turning point in the New Testament. Acts 2 states early Christians were "filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance". While Christians were persecuted in this time, the zealousness of the believers allowed the movement to grow. Traditionally a great feast is held to celebrate the event. Pentecost has been marked for hundreds of years and still a key date in the diary within Anglican and Methodist churches. However, it is not always picked up in more modern churches, if even mentioned. Is Pentecost the same as Whitsun? Whitsun is the name used in Britain for Pentecost and different regions keep different traditions. In the north west, whit walks are known to take place with brass bands and choirs accompanying church clergy on marches around towns and cities such as Manchester. Other villages mark the occasion with Morris dancing, while Whaddon village in Cambridgeshire brings Whitsun in with the singing of a unique song. When is Whitsun? Pentecost, and indeed Whitsun, always fall on the seventh Sunday after Easter. This usually comes in late May or early June. In 2024 the date will be May 19, because of an early Easter, and in 2025 it will be June 8. The date is the same in different sections of Christianity. While the date of Pentecost is always on a Sunday, many other countries still have the equivalent of Whit Monday as a public holiday. L evi Bellfields lawyer says he has confessed to killing Lin and Megan Russell in 1996, a crime which he claimed responsibility for last year, but later denied. His solicitor, Paul Bacon, told the PA news agency: It must have taken some courage and considerable soul-searching by Levi Bellfield to have written and signed this confession. It will, hopefully, bring closure to the families involved. Now, the police need to respond and investigate these crimes afresh, to affect closure for these families. Michael Stone is currently serving three life sentences for the murders of Ms Russell, 45, and her six-year-old daughter, who were found bludgeoned to death in Chillenden, Kent, in July 1996. Ms Russells other daughter, Josie, then nine, suffered severe head injuries in the attack but survived, and the familys dog, Lucy, was killed. Stone has always protested his innocence. Who is Levi Bellfield? Levi Bellfield , 53, is a serial killer who was convicted of murdering Marsha McDonnell, Amelie Delagrange, and Milly Dowler. He is a former bouncer and wheel clamper from London who has 11 children with three women. By 2002, Bellfield had nine convictions and had spent nearly a year in prison before he was 20. In 2002, he abducted and killed 13-year-old Millie Dowler when she was on her way home from school in Surrey. In 2003, he killed 19-year-old Marsha Louise McDonnell by hitting her over the head with a blunt instrument after she got off a bus near her home in Hampton. He tried to kill 18-year-old Kate Sheedy in 2004 by hitting her with his car, but she survived her injuries. A few months later, Bellfield killed 22-year-old Amelie Delagrange in Twickenham. He began a whole-life prison term for the murders of Marsha McDonnell and Amelie Delegrange 14 years ago. Bellfield was then found guilty of Milly Dowlers murder in 2011 and was sentenced to another whole-life term. In 2016, Bellfield converted to Islam while behind bars, and wanted to be called Yusuf Rahim. Bellfield applied to get married while serving two whole-life sentences for murder. Bellfield is reportedly engaged to a woman who began writing to him two years ago before becoming a regular visitor. She is said to be blonde and in her 40s but her identity has not been revealed. The convicted killer is said to have gotten down on one knee to propose to the woman in front of prison staff, as reported by The Sun. Ministers have objected to the engagement, while Prime Minister Boris Johnson is said to be sickened and appalled. However, it is still legal to marry in prison, with the permission of the governor. F ugees rapper Pras Michel is facing jail after being found guilty of conspiring in a plot to influence the US governments of Donald Trump and Barack Obama. The musician turned political activist, 50, was accused of receiving more than 80 million ($100m) from Malaysian billionaire Jho Low to be funnelled into US politics. Michel, a Grammy winner with Fugees bandmates Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill, acted as Lows representative in lobbying efforts on behalf of the Chinese government, and he was also convicted of campaign finance violations, witness tampering, and lying to banks. He now faces up to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of ten charges, but has vowed to appeal the verdicts. The four-week trial in Washington DC featured testimony from Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio and former US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, as jurors heard evidence of Lows lavish lifestyle with celebrities. Stars including Alicia Keys, Paris Hilton, and Miranda Kerr attended parties thrown by Mr Low, while Britney Spears once jumped out of a cake at a party to mark the tycoons birthday. Low, who is on the run and believed to be living in China, is accused of stealing billions from Malaysias sovereign wealth fund, using the money to befriend celebrities and wield influence. He has denied any wrongdoing. Pras Michel had great success with rap group the Fugees / PUBLICITY PICTURE DiCaprio told the trial 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 including Jamie Foxx and Jonah Hill. He recounted a time in 2012 when they rang in New Year in two different time zones using a private jet chartered by Low from Australia to Las Vegas. Low funded DiCaprios 2013 The Wolf of Wall Street, appearing in the credits for the Oscar nominated film, and the star gave evidence that he believed Low was a legitimate person wanting to invest in the movie. The actor also recalled the tycoon mentioning that he was planning a "significant contribution" of between $20-30 million to the Democratic party during Obamas presidency. "I basically said wow, thats a lot of money, DiCaprio said. Michel admitted pocketing millions of dollars while helping Low, but the rapper insisted during his trial that had received bad legal advice when going into politics and genuinely believed he was helping the US. He told the court Low had wanted a picture with Obama and was willing to pay $20 million to get it. He said he was paid to invite celebrity friends to politics fundraisers, unaware that this was illegal according to campaigning laws. After Trumps election, Michel was involved in a plan to pressure US investigators into dropping an investigation into alleged money laundering by Low, as well as lobbying the government over the extradition of billionaire and dissident Guo Wengui to China. essions told the court he recalled a meeting about the possible extradition, but could not recall Michel playing a part in the incident. Michel remained silent as he left court, but his lawyer David Kenner, said they planned to file an appeal. We are extremely disappointed in that result but are very, very confident in the ultimate outcome of this case, he said. This is not over - I remain very, very confident that we will ultimately prevail in this matter." U S talk show host Jerry Springer has died aged 79, his family have confirmed. A spokesperson for Mr Springers family told TMZ he passed away on Thursday morning at his home in the Chicago area. A cause of death was not immediately disclosed. Mr Springer was best known for The Jerry Springer Show, which ran from 1991 until 2018 in the US. His series inspired the UK's The Jeremy Kyle Show, which ran on ITV between 2005 and 2019. Prior to Springer's broadcasting career, which included roles as a political reporter and commentator, he was the mayor of Cincinnati and a political campaign adviser to Robert F Kennedy. Jerry Springer 1 / 22 Jerry Springer Handout Getty Images AP Getty Images Handout PA PA PA Handout Handout PA PA Archive Getty Images AP AP Handout Handout The Jerry Springer Show was a ratings powerhouse over its 27-year run, at one point topping Oprah Winfrey's show. After more than 4,000 episodes, the show ended in 2018. Jene Galvin, a family spokesperson and friend of Mr Springer's since 1970, said in a statement: His ability to connect with people was at the heart of his success in everything he tried whether that was politics, broadcasting or just joking with people on the street who wanted a photo or a word. He's irreplaceable and his loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart and humor will live on. Gerry Springer was born in London on February 13, 1944, in a London underground railway station being used as a bomb shelter. His parents, Richard and Margot, were German Jews who fled to England during the Holocaust, in which other relatives were killed in Nazi gas chambers. They arrived in the US when their son was 5 and settled in the Queens borough of New York City. Paying tribute, Celebrity Gogglebox and YouTube star KSI said: Rip Jerry Springer. You made my off days at school so much more entertaining. Television presenter and model Lizzie Cundy wrote: So very sad to hear Jerry Springer has died. King of the talk shows and one of our most controversial figures in TV history. Rest in peace. And comedian Loni Love said: What I loved about Jerry Springer was the way he connected with people in a unique and authentic manner. This is why as a talk show host he excelled condolences to his family and fans on his passing... T he Pope will allow women to vote for the first time in a global meeting of bishops in October in a historic move. In the past, women were allowed to attend the synods, a papal advisory body, as advisors but not vote. Under new rules announced by Pope Francis, five religious sisters will be given voting rights. The bulk of those with voting rights will still be men. Additionally, the Pope has called for the inclusion of 70 non-bishop members who represent various groupings of the faithful of the people of God, some 50 per cent of whom are expected to be women. The reforms are seen as a significant development in the male-dominated Catholic church. The Catholic church does not ordain women as priests. The US-based Womens Ordination Conference, which calls for women priests in the church, called the reform a significant crack in the stained-glass ceiling. For years Vatican representatives and bishops resisted, moving the goalpost with every synod as to why women were not allowed to vote, the group said. The unspoken reason was always sexism. It comes after two other major steps the pontiff has taken to increase womens participation in the churchs decision-making. He previously introduced a reform to allow any baptised lay Catholic, including women, to head most Vatican departments. Last year, he also named three women to a previously all-male committee that advises him in selecting the worlds bishops. Womens groups in the Church have for years been demanding the right to vote at the high-profile synods, which prepare resolutions that usually lead to a papal document. A 2018 synod became a flashpoint when two brothers laymen who are not ordained were allowed to vote in their capacity as superiors general of their religious orders. But Sister Sally Marie Hodgdon, an American who also is not ordained, was not allowed to vote even though she was the superior general of her order. The upcoming synod has been in preparation for two years, during which Catholics around the world were asked about their vision for the future of the Church. Proponents have welcomed the consultations as an opportunity to give a greater voice to lay Catholics, including women, and people on the margins of society. Conservatives say the process has been a waste of time and could, in the long run, dilute traditional doctrine. B ritons trying to flee Sudans civil war were today told to move now in a race against time as the Foreign Secretary warned that evacuation flights might become too dangerous after Thursday night. James Cleverly said there was no guarantee that the 72-hour ceasefire agreed between the warring parties in Khartoum will be extended once it expires at midnight in the Sudanese capital. He said that meant it was impossible for him to guarantee that evacuation flights which have carried more than 500 Britons and some foreign nationals to safety would be able to continue. If you are planning to move, move now, Mr Cleverly said on Thursday. We cannot predict what will happen when that ceasefire ends. PA But what we do know is that it will be much, much harder, so what we are saying to British nationals is if you are hesitant, if you are weighing up your options, our strong advice is to go while the ceasefire is up and running. He added: There are planes, there is capacity, we are able to lift you out. Im not able to make those same assurances once the ceasefire has ended. Its really, really difficult to predict what might happen over the next few days. Now is the time to move. Mr Cleverly added: We are already seeing there has been sporadic re-escalation of violence in Khartoum. There is no guarantee that this ceasefire will make it through to the scheduled endpoint and there is definitely no guarantee that it can be extended, though of course the UK and our international partners are pushing to achieve that. We have to understand that this is an active war zone, that providing guarantees, providing certainties is not possible for anyone. First flight carrying Britons evacuated from Sudan 1 / 10 First flight carrying Britons evacuated from Sudan PA PA PA PA PA PA PA Sky News He said it was not possible to provide protected convoys from Khartoum to help Britons reach the Wadi Seidna air base used for the evacuation flights, pointing out that a coach organised for Turkish nationals had been fired on and that safe routes did not exist. He also rejected criticism that the 536 Britons airlifted out so far was a lower total than those of countries such as France, Germany, Pakistan and China. He said one reason was that Britons tended to be scattered around Khartoum with some having Sudanese wives and children, which might alter their willingness to leave, whereas nationals of some other countries lived more closely together in expat pods which made it easier to organise their evacuation. Mr Cleverly was also questioned about claims from Germany that a British evacuation flight used to airlift diplomats had landed in Sudan without clearance from the Sudanese army and caused delays to the efforts of other nations to fly their citizens out. PA The Ministry of Defence has already dismissed the allegation as complete nonsense. The war in Sudan is being fought between the Sudanese army commanded by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and paramilitary forces led by his rival General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. The fighting erupted in mid-April and has so far led to the deaths of at least 512 people, while turning residential areas into war zones. More than 2,000 British nationals in Sudan have registered with the Foreign Office under evacuation plans. But only British passport holders and their immediate family who have existing clearance to enter the UK are currently authorised for evacuation, despite calls by the Conservative chairman of the Commons foreign affairs committee Alicia Kearns for elderly dependants to be made eligible for the airlift. She told the BBC: In the same way we treat children who are dependent on their parents, we should respect that some elderly people are dependent on their children. R ussian forces have built fighting positions on top of reactor buildings at Europes biggest power plant as Moscow becomes increasingly concerned about a Ukraine offensive, UK defence chiefs have warned. Vladimir Putins troops took control of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southeastern Ukraine soon after the Russian leader launched his invasion of the country last year. Shelling in the vicinity of the plant has caused international alarm since amid fears of a nuclear disaster if the reactors are damaged -with repeated warnings from the United Nations nuclear watchdog. In the latest development, the Ministry of Defence in London has warned of the first indication of the actual reactor buildings being integrated in tactical defence planning. Satellite imagery shows that by last month, Russian forces had established sandbag fighting positions on the roofs of several of the six reactor buildings at the plant. Russia has likely constructed these positions because it is increasingly concerned about the prospects of a major Ukrainian offensive, the Ministry of Defence said in its daily briefing on Twitter. The move highly likely increases the chances of damage to ZNPP safety systems if fighting takes place around ZNPP, it added. However, direct catastrophic damage to the reactors is unlikely under most plausible scenarios involving infantry weapons because the structures are very heavily reinforced. Ukraine is set to launch a long-awaited Spring counter-offensive to seize back territory in what Kyiv has described as a landmark battle in Ukraines modern history. In the latest developments in the conflict, Ukrainian officials said one person was killed and 23 people wounded, including a child, in a Russian missile strike on an apartment block in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv. Chinas leader Xi Jinping pledged not to add fuel to the fire yesterday in his first call to Ukraines Volodymr Zelensky since the Russian invasion. President Xi who has kept close ties with Mr Putin since the conflict erupted 14 months ago said it was time to work towards peace. I talian prime minister Giorgia Meloni is meeting with Rishi Sunak today (April 27), with the two world leaders expected to discuss the latest developments around migration. The far-right leader is visiting the UK for two days and is expected to meet the UK prime minister at Downing Street, before the world leaders head to Westminster Abbey for a private tour. The meeting comes a day after the UK Governments Illegal Migration Bill cleared the final stages in the House of Commons. Meanwhile, Italys prime minister has cracked down on migrant smugglers and rescue ships. But who is Ms Meloni and what does the Brothers of Italy party stand for? Who is Giorgia Meloni? Giorgia Meloni, 45, was born on January 15, 1997, in Rome, Italy. She grew up in Garbatella, which is a working-class and traditionally left-wing neighbourhood of Rome. Her father, who was left-wing, abandoned the family when she was young. In 1992, at the age of 15, she joined her local branch of the far-right student movement, Youth Front. Melonis support has radically increased in just four years / Antonio Masiello / Getty Images This group was a youth wing of the Italian Social Movement (MSI), which was established by Giorgio Almirante, a minister in Benito Mussolinis government. In 2004, Meloni was elected president of the youth wing of National Alliance and, in 2008, she was elected to parliament. At 31 years old, she was Italys youngest-ever minister. Meloni has been the leader of the Brothers of Italy party since 2014, two years after she co-founded it. She became Italys first woman prime minister when her Brothers of Italy party won enough seats to form a government. The politician outlined her political beliefs in a speech earlier this year, in which she said: Yes to the natural family, no to the LGBT lobby, yes to sexual identity, no to gender ideology. No to Islamist violence, yes to secure borders, no to mass migration, yes to work for our people. The political leader gained widespread attention in 2019 for a speech in which she rallied against left-wing ideals that want people to be codes. In her speech, she said: Im Giorgia, Im a woman, Im a mother, Im Italian, Im Christian! You wont take that away from me! She also said she would defend, God, the fatherland, and the family from left-wing politicians. In 2016, Meloni and her partner, journalist Andrea Giambruno, had a baby daughter named Ginevra. Giorgia Meloni is the first female prime minister of Italy / Antonio Masiello / Getty Images What is the Brothers of Italy party? The Brothers of Italy party says it aims to implement policies based on principles of popular sovereignty, freedom, democracy, justice, social solidarity, merit, and fiscal equity, is inspired by a spiritual vision of life and values of the national, liberal, and popular tradition, and participates in the construction of the Europe of Peoples. The far-right political party is rooted in the neofascist Movimento Sociale Italiano (MSI), which was formed by former members of Mussolinis regime, and its logo features the MSIs Italian flag-coloured flame. Meloni co-founded Brothers of Italy in 2012 before becoming its president in 2014. The party won just four per cent of the vote in the 2018 general election, rising to 26 per cent in last years election. The Brothers of Italy party is the countrys most right-wing government since World War II, which has sparked concern across Europe. Melonis party leads a coalition government alongside League and Forza Italia, and has control of both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. A ir pollution, sweat, and residue from products are a daily struggle for every mans skin, so to counter these skincare adversaries, washing your face daily is a necessity. Whilst you may think using a body wash to clean your pores is acceptable, youd be sorely mistaken. As explained by dermatologist Dr Timm Gouleke, founder of Royal Fern who has over 20 years experience in the field, You should cleanse at least once a day in the evening to clean your skin from pollution, sweat, SPF, and makeup. He continues, A good cleanser should tolerate the skins natural pH to keep it balanced, and should not be too harsh as this can strip the skin of precious natural oils. So, its time to move away from soap with its drying, abrasive, and pH-imbalancing properties, and say hello to a face wash which can leave you with a squeaky clean visage, while retaining moisture, removing excess oil, and even fighting breakouts. They create a solid base for all the products that follow, including moisturisers, oils, masks, and serums, so your debonair good looks can reap the maximum benefits of full glowing potential. Cleansers come in all shapes and sizes, so when choosing the right one for you, youll need to listen to your skins needs. If you tend to be on the dry side, look out for those with moisturising properties, or if you have an abundance of excess oil, then sebum-regulating ingredients should be the ones on your wishlist. Dr. Gouleke confirms that For oily and acne prone skin types, a gel or foam cleanser should be fine. Ingredients like salicylic, alpha-hydroxy acids, niacinamide, and zinc can help with breakouts. But overall the ingredients should be not noncomedogenic, which means they wont clog your pores. For dry skin, cleansing creams or balms are great. Look out for ingredients like ceramides and hyaluronic acid with a lot of moisturising benefits. The vast range of cleansers on the market can be daunting for a face wash freshman, so weve put together a guide that will have something to suit every skin type and budget, from crowd-pleasing Horace to the luxury of Augustinus Baders cleansing gel. Keep scrolling to shop our edit below. G lasses used to be just something one needed to correct imperfect vision, but in the last few decades their rep has done a 180, from drab to fab. Theyre now as much of a fashion accessory as the latest kicks or handbag, a way to express oneself without saying a word. New eyewear brands have upped the ante to designs stocked in traditional optical stores, bringing new looks, frame shapes and finishes to spectacles. The pandemic forced all stores online as companies looked for ways to reach locked down shoppers - and eyewear labels are no different. Many now offer virtual try-ons and online chats with opticians to help determine what you want without having to traipse all over the high street. But with so many options on offer, it can feel intimidating trying to decide which ones fit you best. Enter our roundup on the coolest, chicest specs to buy right now. Weve searched high and low for a variety of styles to suit all genders and face shapes. As a general rule, the shape of your glasses should work to bring balance to your face. For instance, square faces should opt for round or oval frames to soften angular features, while rounded faces can benefit from wider squared frames that will add a sense of structure. Oval faces have the most choice as its the most versatile for wearing eyewear (lucky things). Ultimately, as with all things fashion, you can carry off any look as long as its worn with confidence. Shop our favourites below A ngelina Jolie was joined by her eldest son Maddox, 21, as they attended the White House state dinner on Wednesday. In photos from the event, the mother and son appeared in jovial spirits as they were pictured walking into the Oval Office arm-in-arm. Jolie, 47, showcased her flair for glamour in an off-white vintage Chanel blazer which she layered over a full-length white gown. Following his mothers stylish lead, Maddox looked dapper for his evening at the White House in a tailored black peacoat, white button-down shirt, black tie and slim-fit trousers. In celebration of the 70th anniversary of the US-ROK alliance, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden hosted South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee. Jolies eldest son, who she adopted from Cambodia in 2002, is well acquainted with South Korea having studied biochemistry at Seouls Yonsei University. Jolie pictured walking into the White House with son Maddox / REUTERS Maddox first visited the school alongside his actress mother, as well as other college campuses in South Korea, in late 2018. In August 2019, the film star flew to Seoul to help her son settle in. It was reported by PEOPLE at the time that Maddox was studying Korean language along with biochemistry. In the months following their trip, Maddoxs studying at Yonsei was disrupted due to the pandemic. As a result, he returned to his family home in Los Angeles in March 2020. Jolie discussed her sons education in an interview with Extra that same year, revealing how he traded in-person tuition for online classes. However, as his classes were timetabled on Korean time, he was forced to become a night owl with his daily classes starting at 6pm in Los Angeles. She told the outlet: He had to stay back from Korea. Hes going online, and so I think he starts at 6pm at night. After a year of remote learning, he returned to South Korea in March 2021. Its unclear whether or not Maddox has officially completed his degree at Yonsei. C arrie Fisher is set to be honoured posthumously with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame next month. The actress, who is best known for playing Princess Leia in the Star Wars films, died in December 2016 at the age of 60, four days after suffering a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles. In a fitting tribute, she will have her name memorialised on Hollywood Boulevard near the El Capitan Theatre on May 4, otherwise known to fans as Star Wars Day. Fishers star will mark the 2,754th on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the category of Motion Pictures and will see her join former co-stars Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford, who already have stars of their own. Carrie Fishers daughter Billie Lourd will accept the honour on her behalf / Frazer Harrison/Getty Her star will be placed near Hamills and her late mother, Hollywood icon Debbie Reynolds. Speaking about the decision to finally give Fisher her own star, Ana Martinez, producer of theHollywood Walk of Fame, said in a press statement: Fans will be over the moon to know that their favorite movie princess, Carrie Fisher, will be honoured with her star on the iconic Hollywood Walk of Fame. Carrie will join her Star Wars co-stars and fellow Walk of Famers Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford on this historic sidewalk. She added: I am happy to add, that her star is just a few feet away from the star of Mark Hamill and across the street from the star of her legendary mother Debbie Reynolds. The move got the thumbs up from Hamill who wrote on Twitter: long overdue and so well deserved. Fishers daughter, actress Billie Lourd, will be accepting the star on behalf of her mother during the Star Wars Day dedication. B uckingham Palace has officially confirmed a Lincolnshire farmer will perform the ancient duty of acting as the Kings champion during the coronation. Francis Dymoke will not have to throw his gauntlet down and see if anyone accepts his challenge but instead will carry the Royal Standard during the Westminster Abbey ceremony. Buckingham Palace has released details of the dukes, bishops, peers and retired generals who will perform a range of ceremonial duties when Charles and Camilla are crowned, from carrying regalia in a procession to presenting the items to the King and Queen Consort. Baroness Floella Benjamin, the former childrens TV presenter, and now an author and peer, who chaired the Windrush Commemoration Committee, will carry Charless sceptre, traditionally known as the Rod Of Equity And Mercy, which represents his spiritual role. She said: I feel honoured and privileged to be part of the historic coronation ceremony. To be selected to carry the Sovereigns Sceptre With Dove, which represents spirituality, equity and mercy, is for me very symbolic as its everything I stand for and sends out a clear message that diversity and inclusion is being embraced. Mr Dymoke, a former accountant turned farmer, is the 34th generation of his family to run the Scrivelsby country estate in Lincolnshire with the role of Kings champion unusually attached to the land rather than his family. His claim to undertake the historic role during the Westminster Abbey ceremony was recently upheld by the Coronation Claims Office. The office of Kings Champion began in the reign of William the Conqueror and it was the warriors role to ride a horse into Westminster Hall during the coronation banquet and challenge anyone who denied the sovereigns right to the throne to combat. Queen Victoria dispensed with the custom at her coronation, and Henry Dymoke Queens Champion at the time was made a baronet by way of compensation. The first processions into Westminster Abbey will be made up of faith leaders and representatives, but it is not known if they will play any formal role in the service. They will be followed by governors-general and prime ministers from each of the 15 realms, including the UK, where the King is head of state, as well as their flagbearers, although some of the countries, including Belize and Jamaica, have indicated they will move to become a republic. Bearing the flag of the United Kingdom ahead of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty will be Cadet Warrant Officer Elliott Tyson-Lee. The King and Queen Consorts procession will follow, led by the Marquess of Anglesey, the Duke of Westminster, the Earl of Caledon and the Earl of Dundee, who will carry the Standards of the Quarterings of the Royal Arms and the Standard of the Principality of Wales. Mr Dymoke will carry the Royal Standard. Petty Officer Amy Taylor will be the first woman to bear the Kings Jewelled Sword Of Offering into the abbey. She has been selected to represent servicemen and women as a Royal Navy petty officer in a tribute to the military career of Charles who also served as a naval officer. She said: Having served most of my senior career as an aircraft engineer on 845 Naval Air Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton where His Majesty originally trained and served as a pilot, I am deeply honoured and humbled to play my part in this historic event. Coming from a farming family, His Majesty has always been such a great advocate for our community and someone I have admired growing up. Buckingham Palace said: Those undertaking these historic roles in the service have been chosen to recognise, thank and represent the nation due to their significant service, and include representatives from orders of chivalry, the military and wider public life. J ames Corden has spoken about his return to the UK as he departs his LA-based Late Late Show after eight years. The British comedian became a US household name hosting the US talk show and became a friend to many Hollywood stars thanks to his jovial segments, Carpool Karaoke and Crosswalk The Musical. While reflecting on his incredible run, the 44-year-old described leaving Hollywood as a very strange feeling and admitted that stepping down leaves him in unknown territory. He told The Sun: Right now, there are a lot of unknowns. It just feels very strange knowing everything is going to change but trying to hang on to the fact that change is fundamentally a good thing. However, Corden said he is ready for the next, quieter chapter with his family on home soil. The TV star added: I think I have to spend a little bit of time letting this all go. It has been a noisy eight years, and right now I am going to try and focus on having a little bit of silence. Corden pictured with Sharon Stone and Jack Whitehall on his CBS show / CBS Cordens comments come as he described the experience of filming his last episode of The Late Late Show as crazy. The TV star admitted he knows in his core it is time for him to move on while he chatted to the BBC Radio 2 breakfast show after the final recording, which will air on Thursday night. He told host Zoe Ball: It is a strange one, I havent really ever felt like this before. Keeping his voice hushed due to his wife, children, parents and close friends being asleep in the house, Corden confirmed US comedian Will Ferrell and pop superstar Harry Styles will feature, while Coldplay frontman Chris Martin will play as part of the house band. He also teased a segment in which he and Tom Cruise perform as Timon and Pumbaa in a production of The Lion King at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles. Reflecting on the BBC sitcom that made his name, Corden said: I can remember when we did the last episode of season three of Gavin & Stacey and I can remember sitting with Ruth Jones and crying. But, obviously, those shows we would shoot in blocks and then you would go off and do other things, and then you would come back and shoot again, whereas this has been a pretty constant eight years. Tomorrow is going to be our 1,200th show, which is, lets be honest, its too much. Its crazy but I feel good about it. I just know in my core that its the right thing to do for so many personal and professional reasons. Were really going to try and go out with a bang. The last few shows we have done have been brilliant, the atmosphere in the studio is great. We have had some really big guests come down and do stuff, and tomorrows show is going to be great. I just want to cherish it and not spend the whole day crying. Just spend the whole day just feeling pride and gratitude and joy about it all really. Corden said he had never expected the show to become a success, describing the experience as a glorious ride. I dont look like I should be hosting an American late-night talk show. Im from High Wycombe. This isnt a road thats often travelled, he said. Previous guests on the show have included Sir Paul McCartney, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Justin Bieber, Stevie Wonder and Mariah Carey. The final run has featured the typical run of stars including return visits from the likes of Josh Gad, Gal Gadot, Mila Kunis, the Jonas Brothers and Billie Eilish. Cordens final episode of The Late Late Show will air on Thursday on US network CBS. J erry Springer has been hailed as a class act who excelled as a talk show host due to his ability to connect with people in a unique and authentic manner following his death aged 79. Springer, who was born to Jewish immigrant parents in Highgate underground station in London while it was in use as a shelter from German bombing during World War II, grew up in East Finchley before immigrating to the US age four. Springer was best known for hosting controversial The Jerry Springer Show for nearly three decades from 1991. Prior to his broadcasting career, which included roles as a political reporter and commentator, Springer was the mayor of Cincinnati and a political campaign adviser to Robert F Kennedy. A spokesperson for his family confirmed that he died on Thursday, with a source claiming he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a few months ago. Long-time friend and former colleague Trisha Goddard described Springer as very loyal and a real Mensch, which is Yiddish for someone to admire and emulate. Speaking on Sky News, she said: He was always calm and together and had a really rye sense of humour and really nurtured people. The broadcaster noted that he was proud of his British roots. Asked if she had learned anything from her time working with Springer, she replied: I think one thing that he reminded me of was just to be kind to people who work with you and around you. Thats why this one hits so hard because he was so nice and down to earth to the people around you. He wasnt difficult to work with or anything like that and he just saw himself as one of the team. I know he didnt take himself too seriously, he didnt see himself as a star, and he just had presence. Some people have like a quiet presence, you couldnt muck him about, she mused, recalling how he used to always call her Goddard. Television host Piers Morgan, who spent two seasons sitting alongside Springer as a judge on America's Got Talent, described the broadcaster as an intelligent, warm, funny man. Jeez, this sucks, Morgan tweeted. RIP Jerry Springer, 79. TV icon & such an intelligent, warm, funny man. Loved working with him (on (America's Got Talent), loved hanging out with him (we lived in same hotel for 2yrs), loved arguing with him (he loved his politics), loved everything about him. Gutting. Other celebrities flocked to social media to pay their own tributes to Springer. Writing on Twitter, news anchor Nick Foley penned His shows over the years could certainly raise some eyebrows but on the few occasions I got to briefly interview him over the years #JerrySpringer was always a class act and a pleasure to speak to. #RIP. Comedian Loni Love also took to the micro-blogging site where she shared a picture of her and Springer together. She captioned the image: What I loved about Jerry Springer was the way he connected with people in a unique and authentic manner. This is why as a talk show host he excelled condolences to his family and fans on his passing.. Loading.... Microsoft has hit out at the UK regulator for blocking its takeover of US video game company Activision Blizzard - saying the EU is better for firms. The proposed $68.7 billion deal would see Microsoft get hold of hugely popular titles such as Call of Duty, Candy Crush, and World of Warcraft. But on Wednesday, the Competition and Markets Authority, said it was concerned the deal would hit innovation and give gamers less choice in the fast-growing cloud gaming market. Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom first reactions are here. Most of the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive although some have complained about the controls being tricky. Changes to donor anonymity law mean that thousands born by donor eggs or sperm are set to find out their biological origins in the coming years. Data from the UK fertility regulator show that by 2030, over 11,000 young people will be able to request identifying information about their donor. And the rest The first direct image of a black hole expelling a powerful jet, Snapchats My AI chatbot appears to be creeping people out, and roman camps discovered in an Arabian desert could change history. Plus, frogs may have spawned a type 2 diabetes breakthrough, Elizabeth Holmes delays the start of her prison sentence and phone calls in space. Listen above, and find us on your Spotify Daily Drive or wherever you stream your podcasts. T he origins of the Picts were local to the British Isles and not from large scale migration from exotic locations in the east, new research suggests. The study is helping to shed new light on the origins of the Picts, who were first mentioned in the late 3rd century CE as resisting the Romans and went on to form a powerful kingdom that ruled over a large part of present-day north-east Scotland. Bioarchaeologists have now conducted what is described as the first extensive analysis of Pictish genomes, revealing long-standing genetic continuity in some regions of the British Isles. Researchers said that in the medieval period, the Picts were thought to be immigrants from Thrace (north of the Aegean Sea), Scythia (eastern Europe), or isles north of Britain, but as they left few written sources of their own little is known of their origins or relations with other cultural groups living in Britain. The study was carried out by an international team led by researchers at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and the University of Aberdeen. Dr Adeline Morez, visiting lecturer at LJMUs School of Biological and Environmental Sciences and lead corresponding author of the study, said: Our findings support the idea of regional continuity between the Late Iron Age and early medieval periods and indicate that the Picts were local to the British Isles in their origin, as their gene pool is drawn from the older Iron Age, and not from large-scale migration, from exotic locations far to the east. However, by comparing the samples between southern and northern Pictland we can also see that they were not one homogenous group and that there are some distinct differences, which point to patterns of migration and life-time mobility that require further study. The researchers used Identity-By-Descent (IBD) methods to compare two high-quality Pictish genomes sequenced from individuals excavated from Pictish-era cemeteries at Lundin Links in Fife (Southern Pictland) and Balintore in Easter Ross (Northern Pictland) to those of previously published ancient genomes as well as the modern population. The analysis of mitochondrial genomes from Lundin Links also provided an insight into another theory about the Picts that they practised a form of matriliny, with succession and perhaps inheritance going to a sisters son rather than directly through the male line. Researchers said that in a matrilocal system they would expect to find females staying in their birthplace after their marriage and throughout their life. Among the peoples present during the first millennium CE in Britain, the Picts are one of the most mysterious However at Lundin Links, diversity in the maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA suggests this was not the case. Researchers said this finding challenges the older hypotheses that Pictish succession was passed along the mothers side and raises further questions about our understanding of Pictish society and its organisation. Co-author Prof Joel D Irish, of LJMU, added: Among the peoples present during the first millennium CE in Britain, the Picts are one of the most mysterious. Their distinctive cultural features such as Pictish symbols and the scarcity of literary and archaeological sources resulted in many diverse hypotheses about their origin, lifestyle and cultureto culminate in the so-called Pictish problem. Dr Linus Girdland Flink, University of Aberdeen and Visiting Research Fellow at LJMU, explained: Our DNA results show that individuals from western Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Northumbria display a higher degree of Identity-By-Descent (IBD) sharing with the Pictish genomes, meaning they are genetically most similar among modern populations. The study is published in the open access journal Plos Genetics. April showers (and hail) bring May flowers, but not quite yet. In the meantime, there are a number of interesting and diverse events for Niagara residents to enjoy. Interested in marine life? Never seen roller derby in person? Now is your chance. And, hopefully, warm spring weather is just around the corner. Black Girl Improv Workshop Presented by Future Black Female and Suitcase in Point, the free monthly drama workshop series gives Black female youths, between the ages 16 and 22, an opportunity to build creativity, community and have fun through acting, writing and improvisation all while learning about mental health. Led by artists and actor Sodienye Waboso Amajor, snacks, light refreshments and transportation assistance is available. The second of the three-month workshop will be held Saturday 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at 36 James St. in St. Catharines. Free registration is available at https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/20b7d966-5e81-4255-8f4b-be747584254f. Giant yard and bake sale Books, furniture, electronics and household items plus a bake table Port Colborne Feline Initiatives spring fundraising efforts return this weekend, as it hosts its giant yard and bake sale at Sherkston Community Centre in Port Colborne. All yard and baking donations can be dropped off at 4893 Sherkston Rd. Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and anytime after 8 a.m. Saturday. Fridays Moonlight Madness early birds and people unable to attend Saturday will run 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for yard sale items. The full yard and bake sale (including vegan and gluten-free options) will be open Saturday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. All proceeds will benefit the spay and neuter program at PCFI. Roller Derby Sk8teen 12 While Niagara Roller Derby wont be competing in Sk8teen 12 a full-contact womens roller derby doubleheader the event will be a showcase to the sport, while also featuring a few skaters from the host team. Lake Effect Furies from Queen City Roller Derby in Buffalo, N.Y. Amalia Casciato and Carolynn Cooper skate for the Furies as well as Niagara will open the show at Haig Bowl Arena in St. Catharines against New Skids on the Block from Montreal Saturday at 6 p.m. Tri-Cap Roller Derby from Cambridge will face off against the Montreal Sexpos at the nightcap, beginning at 8. Tickets are available at the door and at http://bit.ly/445df7G. Coral Expo Experienced reefer Rob Fraser, owner and operator of Little Shop of Coral, is bringing the Coral Expo to Niagara Falls Convention Centre Sunday. It is not only a forum for fellow reefers, but a chance to introduce the hobby to those interested in learning more about coral and saltwater aquariums. The daylong expo will feature vendors showcasing coral, marine life and saltwater tank products. The Coral Expo will 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Stanley Avenue Convention Centre. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door, and children 12 and younger are admitted free. More information can be found at littleshopofcoral.ca. City Nature Challenge For three days Friday, Sunday and Monday, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Niagara Falls will go head-to-head against St. Catharines in the City Nature Challenge. Residents can record photos of wildlife and plants with their phones and upload them onto the iNaturalist.ca platform. Whichever city collects the most observation uploads wins, earning bragging rights. But either way, the competition is supporting nature so win-win. SHARE: Father Antonio Illas doesnt know if theyll ever get enough bikes for Niagaras migrant workers, but hell certainly try. Illas heads up the Migrant Farmworkers Project, whose Hub at St. Albans Anglican Church in Beamsville fixes up donated bikes and gives them to workers. The hub is in the middle of a big campaign, trying to get as many bikes in as possible. Bikes are vital for migrant workers, said Illas. Bikes are the primary mode of private transportation for migrant farm workers during their work season here in Canada, he said. Bikes are the way they can have their own autonomy to get to the grocery store or Walmart and do their shopping. Taxis and Uber are very expensive. Public transportation is also not enough, or it doesn't exist in many of the areas where migrant farm workers come to work. So not having public transportation, or taxis and Uber being out of reach financially, bikes are their primary mode of transportation that facilitates them going to the store or even for recreational time on their day off. Bikes provide them that autonomy to move around town. So bikes are very important. With nearly 4,000 migrant workers coming to Niagara every year to work on the farms, Illas said they rely heavily on donations of things such as bikes to sustain their lives while they are here. The Migrant Farmworkers Project started 10 years ago out of St. Albans, and the project started with the bikes. Now, between two participating churches, they run a food pantry, a thrift shop and have a partner health-care clinic. Anyone looking to donate a bike is asked to visit the hub at St. Albans church on Thursday evenings, between 4:30 and 8 p.m. If you need to make other drop-off arrangements, Illas said you can contact him at the church to arrange a time. I urge our Canadian neighbours, everyone is welcome to come to the hub and witness what's happening, he said. They can tour the facility. SHARE: Francine Shimizu, with a portrait of her daughter, Heather Winterstein. Nearly a year and a half after Heather Wintersteins death, her family is still looking for answers. I'm going through, you know, those stages of grief, Heathers mother, Francine Shimizu, said. I'm at the angry stage, and I have good days and bad days. Heather, and all missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people, will be remembered on May 5 (Red Dress Day) with a gathering at the St. Catharines site of Niagara Health, where Heather passed away on Dec. 10, 2021. The 24-year-old St. Catharines Indigenous woman had come to emergency for a second time in two days complaining of back pain. She had been sent home with Tylenol a day earlier after attending the ER with a similar complaint. Heathers family, along with Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations such as Niagara Chapter Native Women Inc. and the Niagara Ontario Health Team ESON, called for a coroners inquest into Heathers death. Niagara Health conducted an internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding Heathers death. Additionally, a third-party panel spoke to Indigenous community members about their experiences. Recommendations from the panel are expected this summer, according to Niagara Health. Francines sister, Jill Shimizu-Wilson, acted as an Indigenous adviser at Niagara Health while the panel did its work. Shimizu-Wilsons contract with the health system ended March 31. Despite that, both women are frustrated at the lack of progress in the inquest. Usually, a coroner's report can be around nine months, Shimizu-Wilson said. But (Francine) received correspondence that it's not done. The explanation for the delay, Francine was told in an email from the coroners office, is that the report will not be released until an investigation by the province into the response by Niagara EMS has been completed. The last email I got (from the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care) said it could take up to two years, Shimizu said. The women are also pushing for a law Heathers Law in honour of Winterstein that would guarantee Indigenous people receive equal access to health care across the country. When her story reached members at the Fort Erie Native Friendship Centre, they were quick to rally in support of Francine. Desiree (Pembleton) and I met with Francine and Jill to hear their lived experience of Heather, said Kitt Moses, manager of the Indigenous health care relations program at the centre. Hearing Heathers story and others like it have lent urgency to the work the centre is doing to ensure the members of the Indigenous community receive quality health care. It keeps us focused on the work we are doing for the Niagara regional Indigenous community, she said. It was Pembleton, the Indigenous community health care specialist at the centre, who decided to hold the gathering at the hospital. In conversations between us, we thought, lets create a day of awareness, Moses said. Heathers story is just one of many of disrespect shown to Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people inside and outside the health-care system, she said. There are so many families who dont have answers. As for Francine, her goal is to make sure other Indigenous families dont face the same experience she has. I don't want anybody else to have this feeling, she said. I don't want this happening to anybody else and that possibility is very real. The gathering takes place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear red. Shuttle service from the FENFC will leave Fort Erie at 9:30 a.m. Seating is limited. At the FENC, attendees will be given lunch, followed by a presentation by Shimizu and Shimizu-Wilson. SHARE: TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, April 27. The Uzbek-Hungarian Joint Investment Fund will start its work in the third quarter of 2023, Minister for Economic Development of Hungary Marton Nagy said during the plenary session of the second Tashkent International Investment Forum (TIIF-2023), Trend reports. "The Hungarian government has invested $200 million in the development of this Fund. Preliminary negotiations on the launch of its work are already underway," the minister said. According to Nagy, in the near future, Hungarian banks will also sign an agreement with the Ministry of Finance of Uzbekistan. The minister also noted the successful economic cooperation between Uzbekistan and Hungary. He also pointed out that the launch of a direct flight between Uzbekistan's Tashkent and Hungary's Budapest, which is scheduled for the second half of 2023, will contribute to further strengthening of relations. Tashkent International Investment Forum is a large-scale dialogue platform for the entire Central Asian region, which allows presenting the investment potential of Uzbekistan to international investment and business communities. The forum is aimed to attract big foreign investment, financial and economic organizations, and companies interested in integrating into the dynamically developing market of Uzbekistan. IIF-2023 will be attended by over 2,500 people from the US, UK, Turkiye, China, India, Egypt, EU, CIS, Southeast Asia, and Middle East countries. For comparison, last year more than 1,500 people applied for participation. Fort Albany First Nation members recently evacuated to Mississauga due to annual fears of flooding on the Albany River in northern Ontario have been moved to Niagara Falls. Last week members of the remote James Bay community were evacuated to the Toronto area, but due to several incidents, have been relocated to the border city. During a one-hour live update posted to Facebook Tuesday, Chief Elizabeth Kataquapit said officials did not feel comfortable with the evacuees staying in several hotels in Mississauga, noting they will now be under one roof in Niagara Falls. Deputy Chief Terry Metatawabin said an executive decision was made to make Niagara Falls the host community largely for health and safety reasons. He said the past 24 hours were very difficult for us, pointing to serious incidences in Mississauga, including a young woman who lost her baby, two children nearly lost in a mall and an elder admitted to hospital. We just want to reassure our evacuees that your safety matters very much to us right now, he said. Metatawabin said Cree First Nation of Fort Albany leadership is working with the federal government and Xpera, a risk-management company it has dealt with before during evacuations, to help with the process. He said Xpera will ensure everyone will stay in one hotel and that members receive support and that some sort of identification is provided, particularly for children and youths, while theyre in Niagara Falls. This hotel can accommodate a very large number of evacuees, said Metatawabin. The 72 that arrived today to Niagara Falls are now checked in at the hotel. We are still planning to send 83 members tomorrow and that number could be higher. He said its part of a stage one preemptive evacuation order to send down our most vulnerable first. Metatawabin said mental health supports will be deployed to Niagara Falls this week for anyone who needs them. All of you matter to us. We want to reassure those family members who need that mental health support that we will be there every day. Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati said he received a call two days ago letting me know this was happening. Weve got about 300 people in Niagara Falls. They were originally sent to Mississauga, and they took the approach better to reunite the families and keep everybody together in one community, he said. Theyre coming by plane. Apparently, they can only do 77 people at a time, so theyre arriving in smaller groups and theyre all staying in the same hotel. RELATED STORIES From 2022: Ontario First Nations residents evacuated due to expected spring flooding Diodati said this is temporary, and that the people will return to their homes once there are no longer any flooding concerns. Were very experienced having had thousands of asylum seekers in our community, so were grateful that we can extend a helping hand to some of our neighbours to the north, he said. The feedback that Ive got is theyre very well taken care of, theyre happy to be moved out of harms way. Were providing them with food and, of course, theres all the regular services nursing, mental health and theyre organizing activities for all the age groups. For example, Diodati said Niagara Parks is providing them with some things to within their wheelhouse. Theyre very excited about being in Niagara Falls. Theyre happy to be all together and theyre being well received. I think some of them are going to miss Niagara Falls when theyre ready to return to their own houses up north. Read more about: SHARE: Two Air Ornge ambulances touched down in quick succession at West Haldimand General Hospital in Hagersville on Wednesday to pick up a pair of workers who had been injured at Stelcos Nanticoke steelworks. The Ministry of Labour confirmed an incident at the Stelco Lake Erie Works in Nanticoke that saw two workers burned while working with unspecified materials, the ministry said. The workers were taken by paramedics to the local hospital and then airlifted to a different hospital to receive continued care. The injured workers are employed by John Kenyon Limited, a Hamilton-based company that services new and maintenance metal wall cladding and metal roofing projects in the industrial, commercial and institutional construction markets, according to the company website. When reached by The Spectator, a company spokesperson declined to comment. The labour ministry has assigned an inspector to the case and the investigation is ongoing. J.P. Antonacci s reporting on Haldimand and Norfolk is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. jpantonacci@thespec.com SHARE: CALGARY - The ongoing trend of foreign exits and Canadian consolidation in Albertas oilsands continued Thursday, as Suncor Energy Inc. announced it will purchase TotalEnergies stake in the Fort Hills oilsands project in a deal worth up to $6.1 billion. The agreement means that Suncor will now own 100 per cent of Fort Hills, an oilsands mine located about 90 km north of Fort McMurray, Alta., after announcing last year it would buy out Teck Resources Ltd.s 21.3 per cent stake in the project for approximately $1 billion. It also marks the departure of TotalEnergies from the Canadian oilsands. The French company had announced last year it planned to exit the oilsands by spinning off TotalEnergies EP Canada, but said it decided to sell the operations instead after receiving several unsolicited offers including the one by Suncor. In recent years, a number of foreign-owned companies including Royal Dutch Shell, Norways Statoil, and Oklahoma-based Devon Energy have divested their holdings in the oilsands, while at the same time, Canadian companies such as Suncor and Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. have been consolidating their strength in the region. According to energy consultancy firm Wood Mackenzie, working interest production in the oilsands will be 91 per cent owned by Canadian firms once the Suncor-Total deal closes. Suncor, for its part, was motivated by the need to secure additional bitumen supply to support its Base Plant upgraders, should the company not get the needed regulatory approval for a mine extension. Suncors Base Plant mine is expected to be depleted by the mid-2030s, and the Total acquisition will add 135,000 barrels per day of net bitumen production capacity to Suncors oil sands portfolio, the company said. This transaction represents a major step in securing long-term bitumen supply to our base plant upgraders at a competitive supply cost, Suncor chief executive Rich Kruger said in statement. Eight Capital analyst Phil Skolnick said in an interview that the move means sense, given the cost of a potential greenfield mine extension and the three to five years it would take to complete construction. The issue that Suncor has is the base mine is depleted, and they need something to replace that, said Skolnick. This is the best option, in my opinion. A greenfield project would be so costly and more time-consuming. Suncor which has set a goal to be a net-zero greenhouse gas emitter by 2050 has recently been revamping its portfolio to focus on what it calls its core oil and gas business. The company, which has been under pressure from well-known activist investor Elliott Investment Management to improve its share price performance, announced last year it would sell its wind and solar to Canadian Utilities Ltd. for $730 million. It has also divested from its exploration and production assets in Norway and the U.K. North Sea. Its about return. Thats truly what it comes down to. The focus on return is what investors want, Skolnick said. But Duncan Kenyon, director of corporate engagement for Investors For Paris Compliance which recently filed a shareholder resolution with Suncor, urging the company to be more transparent about how it plans to meet its net-zero-by-2050 pledge said he thinks Suncors focus on the oilsands is short-sighted. Total and most European oil and gas companies have been pulling out of the oilsands over most of the last decade. They understand this is a divestment of a high-cost, high-carbon barrel of oil, Kenyon said. But from Suncor, were hearing a lot of what sounds like 20th-century thinking ... It really makes me question whether or not they understand how fast things are changing. Totals 50 per cent working interest in the Surmont in situ asset is also included in the Suncor deal, although ConocoPhillips Canada which holds the other 50 per cent stake and is the operator of the Surmont project has the right of first refusal. Under the deal, Suncor will pay $5.5 billion in cash, plus up to an additional $600 million that is conditional on Western Canadian Select benchmark oil pricing and certain production targets. The Calgary-based company said once the deal closes it intends to increase its quarterly dividend by about 10 per cent. Companies in this story: (TSX:SU) This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2023. Read more about: SHARE: The federal government unveiled changes on Wednesday purporting to make it easier for sexual assault survivors to lift publication bans and speak out about their experiences changes that one leading expert warns will have the opposite effect. Publication bans are typically imposed on the names of complainants in criminal sexual assault cases as a matter of routine. But a growing number of survivors have pushed to have the bans removed so that they can speak publicly without the risk of being prosecuted for revealing their own identity. The bill tabled Wednesday in the Senate would amend the Criminal Code and require judges to ask prosecutors if complainants have been consulted before a ban is ordered. And if a victim wants a ban modified or removed, the bill says judges must order a hearing to deal with the application. That latter step is counterproductive, said Robin Parker, a Toronto lawyer who has represented complainants in publication ban cases including one woman who was convicted and fined $2,000 for violating a ban on her own name before the decision was overturned on appeal. What this bill does, unfortunately, is not only make it easier to prosecute survivors for violating a publication ban, (but) it makes it harder to get it lifted, she said. In deciding whether to remove the ban, judges must take into account any material change of circumstance, including the victims wishes, and whether the variation or revocation is in the interests of justice, the bill says. But holding a hearing would also mean giving notice to the accused and their lawyer, allowing them to make submissions on whether or not the ban on the complainants name should be lifted, Justice Department officials confirmed at a technical briefing Wednesday. A hearing with notice to the accused is already what happens in some courthouses when a complainant wants a publication ban lifted and its something that survivors have said should absolutely not be happening. In the case of survivor Maarika Freund, notice to the accused added months of delay to her request before the ban on her name was finally lifted in 2021. The man was given an extension of 60 days to decide if he wanted to respond to her application, and he never did. Its so isolating, Freund told the Star. Everybodys talking on social media about how you need to be brave and speak up, and its like, no, I literally could not. Something similar happened earlier this year to Nathalia Comrie in a Brampton case. The 21-year-old woman had wanted to share her story publicly with the Star about the Crowns opposition to her pleas to move the sexual assault case against her ex-partner out of the criminal system and into a restorative justice process. The criminal case was over the charges were stayed after Comrie refused to testify but the publication ban remains for life. It took more than a month between when Comrie first asked the Crown to have the ban lifted and when a judge ordered it removed. When the Crown finally submitted the application, the judge ordered an in-person hearing with notice to the lawyer for the accused. Comrie was also asked to send a letter explaining that she understood what lifting the ban would mean. But the defence said they would not attend. The ban was lifted after the brief hearing, and Comrie was able to be identified and photographed in the Stars story. It took way longer than it needed to, Comrie told the Star this week. He shouldnt have a say in that at all. From my understanding, the publication ban is there for the victim, to protect them; its not there to protect the defendant. Justice Minister David Lametti said at a news conference Wednesday that the bill provides clarity on how to get a ban removed. He said he cant think of an example where a judge would deny a complainants request, other than potentially in cases where there are multiple complainants and removing the ban on one could identify others. Thats certainly something we can look at in the legislative process to clarify, but it is clear that we are trying to empower victims here, he said. It is the victims views that ought to be taken into account, but we can certainly make that more clear. Every jurisdiction handles publication ban removal requests differently. In some cases, all thats required is the Crown making an application in writing to the judge, Parker said. The governments move to mandate a hearing every time may make it more difficult to get a ban lifted, she said. And the legislation leaves open the possibility that a judge could continue to enforce a publication ban despite the complainants wish that it be lifted, because the judge and complainant differed in their view of what is in the interest of justice, Parker said. What this legislation fails to do is to take into account that the purpose of the publication ban is to protect the complainant. Parker said she knows Lametti is supportive of survivors, and she intends to work with the government to improve the bill. The issue of publication bans gained attention in 2021 after the Star and other media reported that a Waterloo Region woman was fined $2,000 plus an additional $600 victim surcharge for violating the publication ban on her own name. Her ex-husband had been convicted of sexually assaulting her, and she had shared the transcript from the court proceedings with a small group of supporters. Anyone found to have violated a publication ban under the current regime is guilty of what is known as a summary conviction, which carries a maximum penalty of two years less a day in jail and/or a fine of $5,000. The conviction and fine as well as the Crowns decision to prosecute the woman in the first place sparked widespread outrage and the case was overturned on appeal. Parker, who represented the woman on appeal, pointed out that the governments new bill broadens the scope of what a publication ban covers by stating that information that could identify the victim cannot be published in any document, broadcast or transmitted in any way or otherwise made available. Parker argues the new wording means a survivor could once again be prosecuted for sharing a transcript from a court proceeding. Theyve cast the net so wide by including otherwise made available, she said, noting that this could apply to survivors, for example, sharing information with a support network. Asked about the section on Wednesday, Lametti said he wont, at this point, jump into the technical extent of the change. The minister was joined by survivor Morrell Andrews, who is part of My Voice, My Choice, a group of sexual assault survivors and advocates pushing for reform on publication bans. Andrews was sexually assaulted by her driving instructor, who pleaded guilty to assault in Milton, admitting to groping Andrews when she was 18. A publication ban was imposed without Andrewss knowledge. Wanting to speak publicly, she was initially left on her own to figure out how to get the ban lifted and, given the Waterloo case, worried about repercussions if she somehow breached it. The Crown ultimately reached out to Andrews in the wake of the Stars story on the Waterloo case and made the removal application on her behalf. But first, there was a two-week delay after the assailants lawyer said he wanted to make submissions opposing the request. He never did, and the ban was finally removed. Im elated to see this federal legislation that addresses the gaps in how publication bans are actually being implemented in this country, Andrews said in Ottawa on Wednesday. Speaking directly to parliamentarians, she said: Please be decisive as you move forward with this legislation. It is marginal, but it is a huge improvement to a system and will have a meaningful impact on people who are just trying to make it through and find some sort of resolution to harms that have been caused. Jacques Gallant is a Toronto-based reporter covering courts, justice and legal affairs for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @JacquesGallant SHARE: The Saskatchewan RCMP presents a preliminary timeline of stabbing attacks that took place in the province on September 4, 2022. Eleven people were killed in the attacks, which occurred in various locations around Weldon and the James Smith Cree Nation. On the day before Myles Sandersons deadly stabbing rampage began on a Saskatchewan First Nation, his brother told a woman at a bar that the pair had a mission to do and that word would soon spread about it. It was a grim omen that culminated in one of the deadliest massacres in recent Canadian history. Police released new details Thursday about the tragedy that rocked James Smith Cree Nation and the entire country on Sept. 4, 2022, claiming the lives of 11 people and injuring 17 others. But police did not release a motive for the massacre and said there are still questions they will likely never be able to answer with the suspect now dead. There is information that we have, details around some of that, which again will come out of the coroners inquest. To speak to exactly their mindset and what they were thinking, we cant necessarily address that, said RCMP Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore during a three-hour presentation on Thursday. Police said the 32-year-old Myles was responsible for all 11 deaths during the rampage, including his brother, Damien Sanderson, 31. Also killed were Bonnie Goodvoice-Burns, 48, Greg (Jonesy) Burns, 28, Lydia Gloria Burns, 61, Lana Head, 49, Christian Head, 54, Robert (Bobby) Sanderson, 49, Earl Burns Sr., 66, Thomas Burns, 23, Carol Burns, 46, and Wesley Petterson, 78. All of the victims were from the First Nation except for Petterson, who lived in the nearby village of Weldon. The timeline shows the events on Sept. 4 unfolded unpredictably, and that Myles went from house to house stealing vehicles and killing people indiscriminately, while deciding to spare others. As fast as information was coming in about a vehicle he was in, he was abandoning that vehicle, moving on foot and stealing other vehicles. And so it was a very rapidly unfolding, very dynamic and chaotic situation, said Blackmore, who is commanding officer of Saskatchewan RCMP. Other details that emerged reveal that RCMP encountered Damien in a residence on the day before the massacre occurred, but did not recognize him because the photo they had of him was eight years old, and that Myles had been involved in multiple assaults, drug trafficking and stealing a vehicle in the days leading up to the incident. In response to a question as to why the police only had a photo of Damien that was eight years old, Blackmore said that was the last time hed interacted with the justice system. If someone hasnt been charged for a period of time, we cant go and demand an updated photograph from them, said Blackmore. RCMP also revealed that on Sept. 3, Myles and Damien attended a home on the First Nation where Myles stated he was there for one body Gregory Burns. Burns was assaulted by both brothers, police said, though no weapons were involved and there were no serious injuries. Myles would later kill Burns at a different residence. In total, Myles used six different vehicles to carry out his crimes. Police say the only report they received prior to the Sept. 4 murders was about a stolen vehicle. RCMP first started receiving calls about the violence in the early morning hours of Sept. 4. The stabbings sparked a manhunt for the two brothers Myles and Damien that lasted for days. Damien, who had initially been declared a suspect and charged with murder, was later found dead on James Smith Cree Nation. Myles, believed to be the main suspect, was captured along a rural highway on Sept. 7 and went into medical distress and died, shortly after he was arrested, according to the RMCP. A handful of people from the community attended the presentation in Melfort, but victims and their families received the update on Wednesday. Darryl Burns, whose sister Lydia Gloria Burns died in the stabbings, said it brought some closure. The way the morning went there was so much confusion, there was so much turmoil, Burns said. Looking back on it, you couldnt really tell where he was going to go or what he was going to do. He said there was a lot of emotion and lot of the sorrow and sadness hearing the timeline. Police said they are not releasing information about Sandersons in-custody death, citing the separate investigation by Saskatchewan Coroners Service. In February, the Saskatchewan Coroners Service said it was hoping to hold two inquests into the deaths in January 2024. Between Sept. 4 and 7, police said they received hundreds of tips of sightings of both brothers from across the country, including from Saskatoon, Regina and British Columbia. Within the first month of the investigation, police say they examined 20 properties, eight vehicles (six of which were used by Myles Sanderson), collected evidence from 42 different crime scenes and interviewed 257 witnesses. Blackmore said it was the largest mass homicide event in the provinces history and among their most complex investigations. More information about the manner and cause of Sandersons in-custody death will be revealed in the coroners inquest, police said. The RCMP say the information they released Thursday will not affect the Saskatchewan Coroners Service inquests nor the independent investigation being conducted by the Saskatoon Police Service and the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team into the in-custody death of Myles Sanderson. The RCMP have recently received significant criticism in light of a mass shooting in Nova Scotia that took the lives of 22 victims in 2020. The Mass Casualty Commission in that province produced a 3,000-page report with a litany of criticisms directed toward the force that included, among other things, the RCMPs failure to co-operate with other agencies, as well as poor communication within the force and with the public both during and after the shooting. With files from The Canadian Press SHARE: REGINA - Saskatchewans public safety minister says she is considering releasing a report that investigated Prince Albert police amid ongoing concerns from Indigenous leaders over serious incidents in the community connected to the force. Christine Tell, minister of corrections, policing and public safety, told reporters Wednesday she couldnt provide the reports details, but said its worthwhile for the public to see. I think that when things are released, then theres those fulsome conversations (where) everybody knows what everybody else knows, Tell said. And I do believe in a process of renewal, a process of making the necessary incremental changes. It all needs to be done co-operatively with the board of police commissioners, (Prince Albert) Police Service, the ministry. And I think its good for the public to have a look and see. A provincial spokesperson had initially said it had no plans to publicly discuss the release of the report, saying the work is inherently sensitive and often requires a certain degree of discretion and confidentiality, but Tells remarks suggest a change in tune. Last year, the Saskatchewan government appointed former Edmonton police chief Rod Knecht to conduct an independent review of the force following ongoing concerns over operations. Prince Albert is 140 kilometres north of Saskatoon. The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations urged accountability after an altercation between a man and police left him brain-dead. The man, Boden Umpherville, has since died. Umphervilles family alleged officers used excessive force during a police stop in early April. The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team, which looks into serious incidents involving police, is investigating. The Prince Albert Police Service has said it cant comment. Vice Chief Edward Dutch Lerat with the federation has said Indigenous leaders and community members have been awaiting the results of the review into the police service. Its not just your organization here but also the community in Prince Albert and the First Nations in Prince Albert ... we are all anticipating the results of that audit, he said. Lerat said its important that there is transparency because Indigenous people feel like they have not received justice for a string of recent tragedies that involved police. The police service came under scrutiny last year following the death of a 13-month-old boy in February 2022. The childs mother alleged that when she called police for help in the hours before his death, she was taken into custody because officers racially profiled her. The boys father was later charged with second-degree murder in the childs death. The federation also called for changes following the deaths of three Indigenous men in custody in 2021. When asked about these incidents, Tell said it is concerning to the people of Prince Albert, its concerning to the government of Saskatchewan. However, she said the incidents are not the genesis of the reasons why the province conducted a review. Tell said there were a number of incidents, but couldnt provide details. She also declined to say whether there were issues with management at the police service. When you have a number of people dying in custody in probably higher than what we have seen in other municipalities, then, of course, my radar goes up, and our radar goes up, she said. That doesnt mean there was anything wrong, but theres a higher number than what has previously been experienced in other municipalities. A Prince Albert police spokesperson said all questions should be directed to the ministry because the province conducted the review. The spokesperson said the police service has been supportive of the inquiry. Opposition NDP justice critic Nicole Sarauer said she would like the report to come out to ensure full transparency. She said she hopes it can spur public discussion and improvements. (Police) are given an elevated role in our society, theyre allowed to carry guns, and in return we expect a level of accountability and transparency, she said. We want to see that the minister is respecting that, as well. Tell said she remains confident in the police service and has no concerns about its quality. She said the government will need about two weeks before it decides on releasing the report. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 26, 2023. - With files from Kelly Geraldine Malone in Saskatoon. SHARE: CALGARY - The wife of the Calgary police officer who died after he was dragged by a fleeing SUV told a sentencing hearing Thursday that her husbands death was no accident. Chelsea Goedhart told the young man convicted of manslaughter for the death of Sgt. Andrew Harnett that her life has been destroyed and their son will never know his father. I will forever be left with the heartbreaking knowledge of Andrews last moments in this life and the horrific way in which he was killed while selflessly serving his community, said Goedhart, wiping away tears. It takes an incredibly morally inept person to watch someone fight for their life, throw them into oncoming traffic and leave them dying in the road. To be clear, this was no accident. The driver of the SUV, who cannot be identified because he was 17 at the time, told his first-degree murder trial that he was frightened when Harnett and another officer approached the vehicle during a traffic stop and he saw Harnett put his hand on his gun. The offender took off with Harnett holding on and demanding that he stop the vehicle. Harnett was dragged by the SUV, fell into the path of an oncoming car. He died in hospital on Dec. 31, 2020. Court of Kings Bench Justice Anna Loparco found the driver guilty of manslaughter. Goedhart, who was pregnant when Harnett died, said their toddler son has a photo of his father in his room and wishes him good night every night. She stopped as she was leaving the witness stand and produced a photo of her husband. This picture is all my son has left of his dad. Its something we should all remember. He will never get to meet Andrew because of what has happened. The officers mother, Valerie Harnett, said every member of the family is a victim, with no end to their pain in sight. She said she spoke to him as he was heading to work that night, wishing him Happy New Year and telling him I love you always and forever. There is a hole where Andrew should be. It has and is a battle to remain strong and steadfast. I no longer feel safe, she told the court. Im asking for justice and accountability for Andrew. His life mattered. Andrew made one simple request stop the car. Had this simple request been complied to, none of us would be here today. My son would be alive. Jason Harnett said hes still not recovered from losing his brother and best friend. Ive become an angry, sad, lonely, misguided and suspicious soul at times. Ive lost my focus. I feel robbed, he said. Since Andrew Harnetts death, 11 more officers have died on duty most violently including four this year, his brother added. People are tired of this, he said. Every time another police officer is killed in this country, we relive our own horror again and again and we feel the immense pain and sorrow of those impacted. This is the predicament the defendant has put us all in. Keegan Metz, a former colleague and friend, addressed the offender directly as the man and not the boy. Your actions that New Years Eve have forever changed the lives of everyone who was fortunate enough to know Andrew, Metz said. Your arrogant and strategic actions in fleeing from the police robbed us of Andrew, while simultaneously snatching him from our lives like a thief. Regardless of how long your imprisonment is, if you do not accept accountability and own up to your actions, you will be a prisoner forever, a prisoner within yourself. The Crown wants the offender given an adult sentence, which the judge is scheduled to decide on May 10. The offenders lawyer is expected to make his arguments on Friday. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2023. Read more about: SHARE: Police were called and security escorted angry parents from a Catholic school board meeting Tuesday night after a heated dispute over raising the Pride flag. Tempers flared within the public gallery as York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB) trustees listened to two opposing deputations, for and against LGBTQ initiatives, including raising the Pride flag at YCDSB schools, offices and facilities in June for Pride month. In a statement shared with the Star, the YCDSB said several members of the public gallery became disruptive at the end of the first delegation. When these individuals would not come to order, they were asked to leave the Board Room, the statement reads. Many members of the public then remained in the atrium of the Board Office, where the situation required the police to attend to ensure the safety of all members of the public. The YCDSB believes that 2SLGTBQ+ students are loved by God and are valued members of our school communities, the statement continues. There has not yet been a decision on whether to fly the Pride flag at the YCDSB. York Regional Police confirmed they were called to a meeting in Aurora at 9 p.m. on Tuesday night after a report of a disturbance. Police were called to keep the peace. Upon arrival, officers found the situation was calm and the crowd gradually dispersed, Sgt. Clint Whitney told the Star via email, adding that no arrests were made and there were no reports of injuries, property damage or criminal activity. Paolo De Buono, a parent of a former YCDSB student and a Catholic teacher with another board, was meant to make a deputation but had his pulled by the board, he told the Star. Looking back, Im shaking today, he said. As an advocate for LGBTQ inclusion in Catholic schools, De Buono is used to hate. Ive rarely seen it that bad. This is a school board that has a serious problem. De Buono said many of the public gallery members that were asked to leave the boardroom remained in the buildings lobby: Even though the doors were closed, we could still hear them. And some of the things they said were so clearly intended to make students feel they are not welcome in their schools because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Several students in the boardroom began crying in response to the angry shouts, De Buono continued. He went out to confront the crowd, in hopes of redirecting their attention. Im used to a lot of negative attention these last few years for trying to make Catholic schools more inclusive, he said, so Id rather they focus on me than our students. He was eventually escorted back to the board room after admins perceived the situation to be too dangerous, De Buono added. Police arrived soon after. PFLAG York Region, a prominent charitable organization advocating and providing support for the LGBTQ community, issued a statement on Twitter condemning the intimidation and bullying at the meeting. The organization also spoke out against the YCDSB for allowing the first deputation, arguing against LGBTQ initiatives within the board. The students who courageously spoke about the pride flag were exposed to hate formally before their presentation from a YCDSB-approved deputation and afterwards informally from adults who take pride in intimidating queer kids, the statement read in part. Their missteps put our community in harms way. Tristan Coolman, president of PFLAG Canada York Region, issued a separate public letter to the board on Wednesday morning, saying the meeting, which he attended, was deeply disturbing on a number of levels. He described the initial presentation by a YCDSB, speaking against LGBTQ initiatives, as discriminatory and bigoted. Coolman added that the subsequent presenters, speaking in favour of raising the Pride flag at the board, faced obscenities and intimidation. This incident, along with the treatment of the students, parents and allies in attendance today has proven this Board lacks the decision quality and expertise to create a truly inclusive, equitable, and safe public space for these meetings, Coolman wrote in the letter. He said if the YCDSB does not take meaningful action to do better PFLAG will officially designate the board as unsafe for the LGBTQ2IA+ community of York Region beginning June 1. With files by Lisa Queen of The Aurora Banner SHARE: A successful GTA business owner hired a hitman to execute his 38-year-old wife and mother of their two children inside the familys Scarborough home after abusing her and carrying on an affair with her younger cousin, a jury has heard. It is the Crowns theory that this case involves a tragic story of betrayal and premeditated murder, prosecutor Ben Snow said earlier this week at the opening of the trial of four defendants accused in the murder of Theepa Seevaratnam three years ago. Her husband, Vijendran Balasubramaniam, 45, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Also entering pleas of not guilty to first-degree murder are Steadley Kerr, the alleged shooter and Gary Samuel, who prosecutors say drove the getaway car. Kerr is also charged with the attempted murder of Theepas mother, Leelavathi Seevaratnam, who lived at the home and was also shot but survived. Ashley Owen, Kerrs ex and mother of his child, has also pleaded not guilty to being an accessory after the murder. On Wednesday, jurors heard Leelavathi Seevaratnam, 74, describe how on March 13, 2020, around 9:40 a.m. she was preparing to mop the familys four-bedroom house at 36 Murray Ave. in Agincourt when the doorbell rang. She opened the front door and saw a man holding a small brown box asking for a signature. Hearing voices, Theepa, 38, came downstairs from her bedroom where she had been resting after working an overnight shift. Her two children were in school and Theepas aunt was in the basement but came upstairs in time to witness the man push his way into the home and open fire. He shot Theepa first and afterwards he shot me, the diminutive Leelavathi Seevaratnam told a jury through a Tamil interpreter. Theepa slumped to the ground where she died beside her injured mother, who received gunshot wounds to her left side. Crown attorney Sylvana Capogreco asked Seevaratnam about the state of her daughters marriage to Balasubramaniam. It was, initially, a love marriage, she replied in Tamil. But, over time, the couple began sleeping in separate rooms and arguing, and Theepa would tearfully tell her that Balasubramaniam was striking her behind closed doors. Other family members are expected to testify about the unhappy state of Theepas mariage ... and abuse she suffered, Snow said during his opening statement Tuesday. As well, he told the jury they should expect to hear about indications of a long-distance affair (he) had been engaging in with Theepas younger cousin. Balasubramaniam owned real estate properties and had previously owned and still worked at a convenience store near Markham Road and Eglinton Avenue East. Cellphone evidence will play a crucial role in this case, Snow continued. It will include Balasubramaniams romantic text messages and sexual images exchanged with Theepas cousin, which intensified in the month leading up to her death, as well as evidence that surveillance cameras set up in their home had stopped recording. Jurors should also expect to hear how Balasubramaniam began communicating with phone numbers associated with Mr. Kerr and Ms. Owen for the first time. A police officer will also testify that when Balasubramaniam showed up at the home after the shooting, he appeared to have a wad of cash hanging out of his pocket and told police that the cameras in his home werent working, Snow said. Jurors will also see video surveillance footage tracking the route taken by the suspect car after the shooting, implicating the three other accused, he said. The footage captures the vehicle in the nearby plaza where Balasubramaniams convenience store was located. Police obtained the licence plate and identified a black Chevrolet Cruze hatchback rented to Samuel the morning of the shooting, Snow told the court. There will also be evidence linked to search warrants, arrests and statements supporting the prosecutions theory, he added. At the time of the shooting, Kerr was unemployed and living in a basement apartment. Samuel was a friend who owned a landscape company and sometimes hired Kerr to assist with jobs. The trial in front of Justice Andras Schreck is expected to last several weeks. SHARE: TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, April 27. ACWA Power company (Saudi Arabia) plans to implement a project for the production of green hydrogen in Uzbekistan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ACWA Power Mohammad Abdullah Abunayyan said at the opening of the second Tashkent International Investment Forum (IIF-2023), Trend reports from the scene. According to Abunayyan, this will become the second largest such project in the world. He stressed that the portfolio of projects of ACWA Power (Saudi Arabia) in Uzbekistan is $7.5 billion. "More than $7.5 billion falls on 10 projects of our company in Uzbekistan. Soon we will cross this threshold and significantly increase investments," the chairman noted. ACWA Power's portfolio of projects in Uzbekistan is the company's second largest investment outside of Saudi Arabia, Abunayyan added. Tashkent International Investment Forum is a large-scale dialogue platform for the entire Central Asian region, which allows presenting the investment potential of Uzbekistan to international investment and business communities. The forum is aimed to attract big foreign investment, financial and economic organizations, and companies interested in integrating into the dynamically developing market of Uzbekistan. IIF-2023 will be attended by over 2,500 people from the US, UK, Turkiye, China, India, Egypt, EU, CIS, Southeast Asia, and Middle East countries. For comparison, last year more than 1,500 people applied for participation. This year, a plenary session, as well as 28-panel sessions and round tables, a number of ceremonies for signing major investment agreements and trade contracts, discussions on current topics in the business world, including investment sector development trends, digitalization of financial institutions, and modern monetary-credit policy with participation of more than 150 speakers, are expected to be held. The second forum will last until April 28, 2023. Lawmakers grilled U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration chief Anne Milgram on Thursday over millions of dollars in no-bid contracts that are the subject of a watchdog probe into whether the agency improperly hired some of her past associates. Milgram faced a barrage of criticisms from mostly Republican members of the House Appropriations Committee over an Associated Press investigation that the DEA spent $4.7 million on strategic planning and communication and other no-bid contracts to hire people Milgram knew from her days as New Jerseys attorney general and as a New York University law professor at costs far exceeding pay for government officials. Everyone is afforded the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. But these reports are pretty strong, said Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia. Added Rep. Mike Garcia of California: To make the assertion that youre doing this job well, or getting the job done, is frankly flagrant and offensive. I dont think youre doing a good job. Milgram said she welcomes the scrutiny from the Justice Departments Office of Inspector General on some sole-source contracts signed since she took over the DEA nearly two years ago. But she refused to address the allegations in the AP report, or whether she was a target of the watchdog probe. The inspector general is conducting an administrative review into some DEA contracts, which I welcome, and Im not going to step in front of the inspector general or speak more about it while that review is continuing, she said. Does that mean youre taking the Fifth? replied Clyde. No sir, she answered. Among the contracts being scrutinized by the Inspector General is $1.4 million to a Washington law firm for a recent review of the DEAs scandal-plagued foreign operations that was widely criticized for giving short shrift to agent misconduct and how to prevent it. That review was co-authored by Boyd Johnson, former right-hand man to one of Milgrams closest friends, Preet Bharara, when he was U.S. Attorney in Manhattan. Bharara himself landed at the firm, WilmerHale, even as the review was being conducted. Milgram, questioned by Clyde about very disturbing allegations that run counter to the DEAs mission, said she only met Johnson after being nominated by the White House to lead the DEA. She also acknowledged working in New Jersey with Jose Cordero, who within three weeks of Milgrams confirmation by the Senate was awarded with what has become a nearly $400,000 no-bid contract to conduct data analysis of crime stats. Mr. Cordero worked with me previously on violence reduction, she said. Milgram came to Capitol Hill seeking congressional support for a nearly 4% budget increase to tackle a worsening fentanyl crisis that led to more than 107,000 overdose deaths last year. She faced criticism over the Biden administrations refusal to confront China and Mexico over their role in the fentanyl crisis, as well as how she is handling a string of scandals by agents in the field. Among the highest profile is the arrest of Jose Irizarry, a disgraced agent now serving a 12-year federal prison sentence after confessing to laundering money for Colombian drug cartels and skimming millions from asset seizures and informants to fund an international joyride of fine dining, parties and prostitutes. Milgram said she has overseen a series of changes in the DEAs internal disciplinary process a departure from past administrations. What Im most interested in is, how do we build the correct piping moving forward? she said. How do we go from a system where we used to be tracking the use of money that we do for our money laundering investigations ... to now where we have a real-time system that our entire inspections division can see every day? ___ Goodman reported from Miami, Mustian reported from New York SHARE: COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) A court in Norway sentenced a former contractor of the Wagner Group, a private Russian military company known for brutal tactics, to 14 days in jail for disorderly conduct and for carrying an air gun in a public place. The Oslo court acquitted Andrey Medvedev, who is seeking asylum in Norway, of committing violence against police officers during his arrest, according to his lawyer, Brynjulf Risnes. Officers detained Medvedev outside a pub in the Norwegian capital following a February bar brawl. He admitted resisting arrest and spitting when he was put in handcuffs but denied kicking the officers, the lawyer said after his client appeared in court Tuesday. It is very good that he was acquitted for what was the most serious, Risnes told the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet following Thursdays verdict. Medvedev also pleaded guilty to carrying an air gun when he went to a pub in downtown Oslo in March. He fled to Norway earlier this year, crossing illegally over the countrys 198-kilometer (123-mile) border with Russia, and has said he would fear for his life if were sent back. Medvedev said he agreed to join the Wagner Group from July to November 2022 but left after his contract was extended without his consent. He said he was willing to testify about any possible war crimes he witnessed, though denied participating in any himself. Earlier, he reportedly told Russian dissident group Gulagu.net that he was ready to tell everything he knew about the Wagner Group and its owner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, a millionaire with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Soldiers working for the shady private contractor are fighting on the front lines in Ukraine and also have fought in Mali. SHARE: MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The Minneapolis NAACP sued the city of Minneapolis on Wednesday over allegations that police officers used phony social media accounts to spy on activists without a legitimate public safety purpose. The lawsuit, filed in federal court, alleges that the Minneapolis Police Department discriminated against the NAACP and violated its members constitutional rights when it singled out the organization for surveillance on the basis of race. These are accounts that are supposed to be used for official investigations. There were none, Liliana Zaragoza, director of the University of Minnesotas Racial Justice Law Clinic and attorney for the NAACP, told the Star Tribune. Minneapolis officials have denied the allegation of social media abuse since it first appeared in a scathing Minnesota Department of Human Rights report alleging racially biased policing a year ago. But state Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero stood by the allegation last month when both sides announced a court-enforceable settlement that calls for a series of reforms for the police department in the city where George Floyd was murdered by an officer nearly three years ago. City officials told reporters they couldnt find evidence to support the social media allegations. Our findings are correct, Lucero insisted at the same news conference. MPD uses covert social media to target Black leaders, Black organizations and elected officials without a public safety objective. That remains true. Minneapolis and state leaders have declined to release the underlying evidence, citing data privacy laws. Zaragoza said the city ignored the NAACPs request for the data, leaving Black community members to only guess as to how deep the surveillance has gone. We dont how sinister this is, she told the newspaper. The NAACP hopes to learn the full extent of the surveillance through the lawsuits discovery process, including the names of officers and whether any social media spying translated to any real-life action. The city has not yet been served with the lawsuit, spokeswoman Sarah McKenzie said. SHARE: WASHINGTON (AP) The number of reported sexual assaults across the military inched up by about 1% last year, as a sharp decline in Army numbers offset large increases in the other three services, according to a Pentagon report released Thursday. The small overall uptick is significantly less than the 13% jump the Defense Department saw in 2021, but its overshadowed by the fact the Air Force, the Navy and the Marine Corps all had more reports last year than the previous year. Because the Army is much larger than the other three services, its 9% drop in reported sexual assaults last year drove the overall military increase down. That large decrease comes a year after Army leaders saw a nearly 26% jump in reports involving soldiers the largest increase for that service since 2013. The Air Force saw the largest increase in reported assaults during the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, at 13%, while the Navy had a 9% jump and the Marine Corps went up by about 4%. Overall, there were more than 8,942 reports of sexual assaults involving service members during the 2022 fiscal year, a slight increase over the 8,866 the year before. The Pentagon and the military services have come under increasing criticism and pressure from members of Congress to reduce sexual assaults and harassment in the military. The services have long struggled to come up with programs to prevent sexual assaults and to encourage reporting, including a number of new initiatives over the past year. Defense officials have long argued that an increase in reported assaults is a positive trend because so many people are reluctant to report them, both in the military and in society as a whole. Greater reporting, they say, shows there is more confidence in the reporting system, greater comfort with the support for victims, and a growing number of offenders who are being held accountable. Nate Galbreath, acting director of the Pentagons sexual assault prevention and response office, said the department is using a budget infusion of $479 million this year to hire as many as 2,400 personnel for a new prevention workforce. He said about 350 have already been hired and as the number grows they will be placed in military installations around the world to help commanders address some of the risk factors that lead to sexual assault. This is the first time in the 15 years that Ive been working this issue for the Department of Defense that I have a fully funded and fully staffed way forward, he told The Associated Press. I think this is the thing thats going to allow us to really address this. Everybody needs to hold us accountable. They need to watch this space, and we will make good on our promise to address this. Its unclear whether the latest increase in reports represents a growing problem or whether those who say they were assaulted were just more willing to come forward. While the military has made inroads in making it easier and safer for service members to come forward, it has had far less success reducing the assaults, which have increased nearly every year since 2006. And Army leaders, as an example, have acknowledged that issues such as sexual assaults, suicides and other problems have an impact on recruiting. All of the services have been struggling to meet recruiting goals. Asked about the latest report, Heather Hagan, an Army spokeswoman, said Thursday that while encouraging, we know the Army has much more work to do to prevent sexual assault and sexual harassment. Army officials were alarmed as they saw the growing numbers last year and began trying to implement new programs, and by late fall they said that some changes were starting to work. They said one change involved a training program that soldiers get when they report to their first duty station. It is rolled out right away, and it has soldiers acting out dangerous situations and emphasizes training on how to respond. The Army officials also said they were beefing up evaluation programs that grade unit leaders, including randomly picking peers and others to do the assessments. Galbreath said the rate of sexual assault in the military is about the same as that of the civilian population. But he acknowledged that, everyone expects more from the military that when they send their son or daughter off to serve their nation, we have an environment that allows dignity and respect, and everyone has a chance to serve without fear of having to experience a sexual assault. Galbreath also noted that in December the military will begin using independent attorneys to review and prosecute sexual assault cases, rather than unit commanders. That change was forced by members of Congress who believed that some commanders were biased or were opting not to prosecute or punish their troops, and as a result victims were reluctant to come forward. According to the Pentagon report, the number of Air Force sexual assault reports increased from 1,701 in 2021 to 1,928 last year, while the Navy went from 1,883 to 2,052, the Marine Corps went from 1,201 to 1,244 and the Army decreased from 4,081 to 3,718. The Pentagon releases a report every year on the number of sexual assaults reported by or about troops. But because sexual assault is a highly underreported crime, the department also does a confidential survey every two years to get a clearer picture of the problem. The most recent survey was released last year, so it wont come out again until next year. SHARE: According to Statistics Canada, Canadas population grew by 1,050,110 people in 2022. International migration accounted for 95.9 per cent of this growth. Some have questioned whether Canadas immigration policy is at odds with its efforts to address the housing crisis. Paul Kershaw of UBC has pointed out that newcomers, through no fault of their own, will amplify demand for housing and drive up home prices. CIBC CEO Victor Dodig recently expressed concern that increasing immigration levels without first increasing housing supply risks triggering Canadas largest social crisis over the next decade. Others argue that it is too simplistic, even xenophobic, to ask whether high levels of international migration could be intensifying our housing crisis. They argue that the blame for the housing crisis lies with government, which has failed for decades to build sufficient housing to accommodate predictable population growth, and that individual migrants are no more responsible for our housing crisis than they are responsible for overcrowding on public transit. While this argument has superficial appeal, it suffers from three fallacies. First, it conflates immigrants individuals who, by definition, have just moved to Canada, and therefore cant possibly be responsible for our long-standing housing crisis (indeed, theyre probably victims of it) with immigration policy, which is set by government and is a proper subject of political debate. Individual immigrants are clearly blameless, but it is legitimate to ask whether our government could be exacerbating the housing crisis through its immigration policy. Second, it confuses the ultimate cause of our housing crisis with its proximate causes. A multi-decade failure by government to build enough housing for our growing population may be the ultimate cause of the crisis. But that doesnt mean that high levels of international migration to Canada in 2022 were not a proximate cause of the market conditions that tenants experienced last year, including low vacancy rates and an 18 per cent annual increase in average rent for a vacant unit. Third, it implies that by asking whether our immigration policy is intensifying the housing crisis, we are effectively blaming immigrant families for the crisis. This is an in terrorem argument that uses fear fear of making immigrants feel unwelcome, or fear of being labelled xenophobic to discourage us from honestly examining the effects of our immigration policy and openly debating whether the benefits are worth the costs. Canadas population grew by over a million people last year, in the midst of a housing crisis that sees more than 235,000 Canadians experience homelessness annually. It is reasonable to ask whether maintaining such high levels of international migration will lead to mass evictions, displacement, and homelessness for tenants; and, if so, how many tenants we are willing to sacrifice to achieve the benefits of population growth. Refusing to ask and answer these questions does a disservice to ourselves and to the migrants who will someday call Canada home. Jacqueline Porter lives in Toronto, where she practices law. SHARE: FREDERICTON - Some New Brunswick communities are being forced to find creative solutions to law enforcement because of RCMP policing shortages, a phenomenon experts say is symbolic of what much of small-town Canada is experiencing. Residents of McAdam, N.B., a historic village of about 1,100 people northwest of Saint John, have organized overnight patrols to compensate for a lack of police presence. While 200 kilometres north, the small town of Tobique Valley hired private security guards over one weekend last year after a wave of thefts. The officer shortage in Tobique Valley is causing a rise in theft and vandalism, district Mayor Tom Eagles said in a recent interview. They work shifts and theres times you dont see them here for days, Eagles said about RCMP officers. I still think we have the best police force in the world. But theyre working under a broken system. The RCMP aside from combating major crime such as terrorism and human trafficking are contracted to provide policing to about 150 municipalities across Canada in eight provinces; Quebec and Ontario have their own provincial police services. But the RCMP are having trouble recruiting, and small communities across the country say they are suffering as a result. Its a dangerous job. And then the RCMP more recently have come under a lot of public criticism, Michael Boudreau, professor of criminology at St. Thomas University, said in a recent interview. As well, the force was never created to provide rural and small-town policing, he said. They were created to be a national police force, but not necessarily a rural police force. They were created to do things like human trafficking, terrorism, organized crime, but in terms of day-to-day policing on the ground that was never really the intention of the force. Labour shortages are preventing officers from responding in a timely manner, a problem not just in New Brunswick but also in Nova Scotia, Boudreau said. The RCMPs rural policing problems were highlighted in the final report of the public inquiry that investigated Nova Scotias mass shooting, during which 22 people were murdered over two days in April 2020 by a gunman driving a replica RCMP police car. The report by the Mass Casualty Commission found widespread failures in how the Mounties responded to Canadas worst mass shooting and recommended that Ottawa overhaul the way police are trained. The report also said provincial and municipal officials should have more say in RCMP staffing decisions, including the in the selection of detachment commanders. Boudreau said the Nova Scotia gunman was able to elude the police for as long as he did partly because he knew the area while some of the RCMP officers didnt. The idea of community policing isnt working, because in order to do community policing you actually have to be in the community, he said. Meanwhile, in the town of McAdam, residents installed security cameras on their properties and ensure to lock up bikes and other possessions to deter thieves. Mayor Ken Stannix said that after complaining about the lack of police presence between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m. when most of the thefts seem to happen we were able to get an RCMP officer to patrol the odd night. Right now, the RCMP are responsible for not only crimes within the communities, but they also look after the highways and a whole host of other things, Stannix said in an interview Thursday. Because of that they get spread pretty thin. In Tobique Valley, Eagles said, the fire department has started responding to highway accidents because of a lack of police. They do come. I mean, if its serious they do come, he said of RCMP called to traffic accidents. Sometimes its later its not as quick as wed like it. You can wait a long time. Eagles said the former RCMP detachment in the community of Plaster Rock before it was amalgamated to form Tobique Valley was staffed by four officers who got to know residents. But now we know nobody. We dont know a soul. The New Brunswick government set aside $20.5 million in its recent budget to pay for 80 additional RCMP officers and 51 new front-line officers for rural areas. New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs, however, has also said his government was open to other policing models. Right now were trying to enhance the model we have because thats what we know, he recently told reporters. But .... Anything that will improve the safety of our communities we would be willing to look at and understand clearly. New Brunswick RCMP spokesman Cpl. Hans Ouellette said there are enough officers to respond to urgent calls and ensure public safety. N.B. RCMP policing resources are based on workload and other factors, not a minimum number of police officers, he said in an email. The future allocation of police resources will be measured against theses factors, while also considering factors such as the ratio of police to population and geography. Boudreau said RCMP incoming commissioner Mike Duheme has a herculean task ahead of him to reform the institution, adding that implementing the recommendations of the Mass Casualty Commission will require a great deal of time and effort. The Mass Casualty Commission indicated, and others have indicated in the past as well, myself included, the RCMP have to stop doing rural policing, he said. We need to rethink how policing is done. Perhaps its time for a provincial police force. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2023. Read more about: SHARE: OTTAWA - The Liberal government is showing no hints it will legislate public servants back to work as experts warn choosing that path to ending the dispute could come with political repercussions. Federal workers with the Public Service Alliance of Canada walked off the job nine days ago after contract negotiations with the government couldnt find agreement on issues such as wage increases and remote work. On Thursday, Labour Minister Seamus ORegan refused to weigh in on the negotiations and the possibility of back-to-work legislation and said we want and need an agreement soon. Sorry for being so evasive, but I have to be, ORegan said. I want a deal. The government has avoided any questions about back to work legislation since the strike began April 19 and continues to even as the strike drags on and ministers are admitting the impact it is having on government services. Michael Wernick, who headed the federal public service for three year as the clerk of the Privy Council, said while negotiations continue the government cant discuss a hypothetical like back-to-work legislation. He said introducing such legislation prematurely could lead to accusations of bad-faith bargaining. The minority Liberal government would also risk having to find friends among the Conservatives to get the law passed, while alienating the labour movement it has tried to build bridges with over the years. The NDP says they will not support any back-to-work bill, while the Conservatives have not weighed in on the matter. Larry Savage, a labour studies professor at Brock University says the Conservatives normally would be in favour of back-to-work legislation. But they might also want to see how much damage the strike can do to the Liberals, he said. I think if push came to shove, the Conservatives would be hard pressed to not support back-to-work legislation, Savage said. The federal government has also positioned itself as pro-labour, working with unions and organizations to bolster worker protections, including anti-scab legislation. Julia Smith, an assistant professor of labour studies at the University of Manitoba, says the optimist in her wants to believe that back-to-work legislation isnt being discussed because the government respects the collective bargaining process. (But) the cynic in me wants to say that its probably because the Liberals dont have a majority, Smith said. In November 2018, when the Liberal government held a majority in the House of Commons, it legislated federal postal workers back to work. It rushed to pass the legislation due to the economic impact of continued mail disruptions during the busy holiday season. Union leadership declared a stalemate in talks Wednesday but Wernick said it still seems like there has been movement since the strike began and both sides seem motivated to come to a resolution. To me, it doesnt look like a standstill, he said. In an open letter published by Treasury Board President Mona Fortier on April 24, there are four key issues that remain unresolved, including wages and telework. The outcome of the negotiations will affect 155,000 workers, or about a third of the entire federal public service, including 35,000 Canada Revenue Agency workers whose contract is being negotiated separately. The federal government is offering a nine per cent wage increase over three years, backdated to 2021. The union says it has adjusted its initial ask for a 13.5 per cent increase over the same period of time but is not revealing the new number. The other two sticking points relate to outsourcing contracts and seniority rules in the event of layoffs. The strike is affecting the delivery of federal services including the processing of immigration files and passport applications. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said that in the past week, about 70,000 immigration files that should have been processed were instead put on hold. That is a very serious level in the reduction of service, he said in an interview Thursday in Halifax. The impact has already been serious. The minister said his department had planned to announce last week that it had returned to the certain service standards achieved before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in 2020, but the standards dropped as the strike started. Massive Canada Revenue Agency slowdowns remain at the height of tax season as the filing deadline looms next Monday. The CRA has said it does not plan to extend the deadline. While Canadians will be affected differently by the disruption of services depending on their needs, Smith said media coverage of the disruptions could affect the morale of workers and public support for them. Its true strikes are disruptive. Thats the whole point, Smith said. The goal is then it should be pressure on the employer to negotiate a fair deal. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2023. With files from Michael MacDonald in Halifax and Jessica Smith in Toronto. Read more about: SHARE: As many as 79,976 people, including 8,429 Ukrainian citizens, entered Romania on Wednesday, April 26, the General Border Police Inspectorate (IGPF) reported on Thursday. According to IGPF, at the border points nationwide on Wednesday, nearly 166,100 people, Romanian and foreign citizens, were checked both on the way in and on the way out of Romania, as well as more than 45,200 means of transport. Starting February 10, 2022 (pre-conflict time) 4,078,337 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania. The border police detected 60 illegal acts (32 crimes and 28 misdemeanors) in the areas under their jurisdiction - the crossing points and the green border - committed by both Romanian and foreign citizens, levying more than RON 33,700 in fines in the process. Assets of an estimated value of RON 187,200 were impounded. Twenty-six foreign citizens who did not meet the conditions provided by the law were denied entry. Also on Wednesday, 25 Romanian citizens were not allowed to leave for various legal reasons. AGERPRES The Bucharest 9 (B9) Format proved its relevance, including for the transatlantic coordination and allied unity, especially in the current security context, Romanian National Defence Minister Angel Tilvar stated on Wednesday, according to the National Defence Ministry (MApN) press release. He co-chaired, alongside his Polish counterpart Mariusz Blaszczak, the Meeting of Defence ministers in the Bucharest 9 Format, which took place in Warsaw. "The B9 format continues to prove its relevance and added value, being an important platform for the permanent consultation of allies on the Eastern Flank of NATO," minister Tilvar stated, as quoted in the MApN press release. Within the meeting, there have been tackled aspects related to the current security challenges generated by the latest developments of the war in Ukraine and the implications at regional and Euro-Atlantic level, the further international support for Ukraine, the assessment of the implementation of decisions passed at the Summit in Madrid regarding the deterrence and defence posture on the Eastern Flank, as well as the preparations of the Summit in Vilnius, on 11 June. "In Vilnius, the measures to strengthen the defence and deterrence on the Eastern Flank, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea must be continued, the necessity to continue strengthening the allied presence on the Eastern Flank, as well as highlighted the importance of increasing the allied response capability," the Romanian official highlighted. Moreover, the National Defence minister mentioned the need to implement the decisions of the NATO Summit in Madrid, especially in areas regarding the Black Sea security, a region of strategic importance for the Alliance, as well as the need to continue coordinating NATO- EU endeavors to support Ukraine and partners in the region. "We believe that it's paramount to continue the support of the most exposed partners in the region to the hybrid actions of the Russian Federation, such as the Republic of Moldova, Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the dimension of resilience and development of the defence capabilities," minister Tilvar emphasized. At the end of the meeting, the Romanian Defence minister reiterated the relevance of discussions in the B9 format for synchronizing the perceptions of eastern allies and strategic partners regarding the security developments on the Eastern Flank and ensuring an adequate response to them. Furthermore, he underscored the strong message regarding the unity and solidarity which is conveyed by the presence of NATO forces on the allies territory on the Eastern Flank, as well as further strengthening the allied deterrence and defence posture. The meeting was also attended by the Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Ben Wallace, and NATO Assistant Secretary General for Operations Thomas Goffus, who had an intervention through videoconference. AGERPRES The fruitful cooperation between the Georgian and German law enforcement, as well as prospects of future relations, was discussed by Georgian Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri and his German counterpart Nancy Faeser. Gomelauri thanked the German side for its continuous support for developing the Georgian Interior Ministrys capabilities. At the meeting, held as part of the Georgian Minister's official visit to Germany, the sides highlighted the measures implemented against illegal migration and organised crime and pointed out the role of police attaches in this regard, the Interior Ministry said. Gomelauri expressed readiness to send Georgian police officers to the relevant units of the German Interior Ministry and explained it would highly contribute to the effective fighting against organised crime and support controlling illegal migration flows. The German side emphasised Georgias successful implementation of the readmission agreement with the European Union and the effective cooperation between Georgia and Germany in this regard. The measures taken by Georgia and the ongoing reforms implemented in response to the challenges of a visa-free regime with the EU were positively evaluated at the meeting, with the German side expressing its will to create bilateral working groups for providing additional legal work opportunities to Georgian citizens in Germany. The meeting was attended by Levan Izoria, the Georgian Ambassador to Germany, Aleksandre Darakhvelidze, the Deputy Interior Minister and Teimuraz Kupatadze, the Director of the Central Criminal Police Department, as well as Sergo Turmanidze, the Georgian Police Attache in Germany. From the German side, Joachim Stamp, the Special Commissioner for Migration Agreements, Bastian Fleig, the Chief of Directorate-General of Executive Staff, Planning and Communication and Bernd Krossser, the State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community, as well as Ulrich Weinbrenner, Chief of Directorate of Migration, Refugees and Return Policy and Michael Niemeier, the Chief of Directorate for International and EU Affairs, participated in the meeting. At the end of the meeting, the Georgian Minister expressed his gratitude towards his German counterpart for her hospitality and invited her to Georgia. The Regional Office for Cross-Border Cooperation Romania-Ukraine (BRCT) from northeastern Suceava launched on Thursday, in southeastern Tulcea, an information caravan regarding the financing opportunities for the border counties in the 2021-2027 programming period. The non-reimbursable financing of the European Union through the Interreg Next Romania-Ukraine Program is 54 million euros, to which is added the national contribution, during the previous programming period, about 80% of the funds having already been absorbed, according to the BRCT executive director, Cezar Grozavu.Cezar Grozavu added that BRCT has been active in the humanitarian area since the beginning of the war in the neighboring country and contributed to the establishment of three humanitarian hubs in southeastern Tulcea, northeastern Siret and northern Sighetu Marmatiei, distributed cards with over 300,000 euros to refugees to ensuring their daily needs, transport of aid to Ukraine and participated in events in Ukraine despite the current conditions, Agerpres informs.The BRCT caravan was attended by representatives of the associations from Romania and Ukraine that carried out projects financed during the 2014-2020 programming period, among whom were also those of the Association for the Sustainable Development of the Danube Delta, which, in southeastern Chilia Veche, opened at the end of last year, the Romanian-Ukrainian Cultural Center.The pandemic and the war in Ukraine were also the main challenges for the associations in Ukraine that benefited from European funds through BRCT. The Association for Sustainable Development and European Integration Euroregion Lower Danube from Izmail, Ukraine attracted up to 10 million euros for the development of some facilities in the hospital in the Ukrainian city, the realization of the sewage system, the arrangement of some parks and the implementation of some cultural projects.The BRCT information caravan will arrive on Friday in Izmail, Ukraine, on May 3, in northern Baia Mare, on May 4 in northern Satu Mare, on May 8 in Uzhgorod, Ukraine, on May 10 it reaches northern Botosani and Ivano-Frankivsk, and on May 11 in Chernivtsi, on May 12 being in northeastern Suceava. The commander of the U.S. Air Force in Europe (COM USAFE) and commander of allied air command (COM AIRCOM), General James B. Hecker, met on Thursday with the minister of National Defense, Angel Tilvar, and the chief of the Defence Staff, General Daniel Petrescu, during the visit to Romania of the US official. "The activity represented an excellent opportunity to discuss topics of common interest in the field of air forces in the allied context and to develop and strengthen cooperation relations within the Romania-U.S. strategic partnership," informs a release of the Ministry of National Defense (MApN) sent on Thursday to AGERPRES.The visit to Romania of General James B. Hecker included meetings with the Romanian command teams and military from the 90th AirLift Base Commander Aviator Gheorghe Banciulescu - Otopeni, the 57th Air Base Mihail Kogalniceanu, the 86th Air Base Lieutenant Aviator Gheorghe Mociornita - Borcea and the 71st Air Base General Emanoil Ionescu - Campia Turzii, as well as with a delegation of the General Staff of the Air Forces led by Lieutenant General Viorel Pana, head of the General Staff of the Air Forces, Agerpres informs."The activities carried out during the visit contributed to the development and consolidation of the military cooperation plans between the two structures, ensuring the high-level representation and promotion of Romania's interests in the field and was an opportunity to detail the possibilities of cooperation on the line of carrying out the Air Police (eAP) missions, the missions within the Reinforced Air Vigilance (eVA) activities, as well as exercises and evaluations," the source said. In Romania there is hope, there are objectives in development and people are returning home, declared Thursday, in Targu Jiu, during a press conference, the chairman of the National Liberal Party (PNL), Nicolae Ciuca. "Any change in the quality of life, in the village, in the commune and even in the city, automatically determines the motivation for Romanians not to leave home, but more than that, for those who work today in other countries to return. I work and long to I'm coming home," said Nicole Ciuca, Agerpres informs.He gave as an example the recently inaugurated Romanian-American investment in Iasi, where 3,000 people work, many of them returned home from abroad, because they appreciated the working conditions and the quality of life."If the countries where they operate send 11 billion to the country, here, if we use everything that means potential and opportunities, their added value will be much higher. We can do an enormous amount in three areas which I mentioned every time I had the opportunity: in the field of energy, in the field of agriculture and the food industry and I left it behind, although it has the highest added value, in the field of IT and technology. There is an incredible potential which everyone recognizes, and some even started to envy us for it," the PNL leader added. President of the Romanian Customs Authority, Bogdan - Lari Mihei, participates April 27 through 29 in Seoul in the international meeting Korea Customs Week 2023 organized by the Customs Service of the Republic of Korea, the Romanian authority said in a statement. The event dedicated to Global Customs Cooperation and Digital Customs brings together the most important decision-makers of the world's customs authorities, international organizations and various stakeholders to share best practices and discuss topics of common interest, such as electronic trade, technological advances and the exchange of customs information, Agerpres informs."We are here in Seoul, representatives of customs administrations from 75 countries, and this is an excellent opportunity to exchange views and best practices on the current challenges, as well as for bilateral discussions on global issues, national policies and experiences, both among us and with the business environment. We have already discussed with Samsung Engineering representatives, who were very open to visiting the Romanian Customs Authority and supporting our efforts for developing a national image scanning center. Also, we had a meeting with the management of the Israel Customs Service and I trust that the partnership between the two customs administrations will continue to be highly beneficial for both the citizens and trade of both countries. In addition, the participation in the exhibition of innovative customs technologies organized by the South Korean Customs Service has given us the opportunity to learn about new system solutions, surveillance and inspection tools and artificial intelligence, technologies that we could gradually adopt in the Romanian customs development strategy," declared the president of the Romanian Customs Authority. The situation of the media in Romania is not very rosy and there is a lot of room for improvement, and Romania should show progress from this point of view in this year's rule of law report, the vice-president of the European Commission for values and transparency, Vera Jourova, said on Wednesday evening, for AGERPRES, during an interview organized in Brussels by European Newsroom for the agencies participating in this project. The European Commission's 2022 rule of law report states that the media in Romania is facing problems such as the fact that "transparency on media ownership continues to be incomplete" and the worsening of the situation regarding threats, cases of harassment and violence against journalists. Asked if the new legislative instruments proposed by the European Commission last year - such as the EU anti-SLAPP Directive and the European Media Freedom Act - and currently being adopted at the European level are sufficient to address these issues, Vera Jourova answered in the affirmative, stating at the same time that she expects more from Romania until then. "They are addressed in the law, but of course, I would like these issues to be addressed in real life. Romania still has space to do something without being pushed by the EU law. I was to the country and I want to come again because of the judiciary matters and, of course, it is in Romania's interest to also show some progress in the rule of law report in July compared to the one from July 2022", said the vice-president of the European Commission for values and transparency. "We will objectively assess the situation. I spoke with journalists from Romania, I discussed with the legal regulator, the situation there is not very rosy and there is a lot of room for improvement", added Vera Jourova. Bulgaria, a small (population 6.5 million), poor and pro-Russia country in southeast Europe, finds itself in the midst of a scandal involving over a decade of Russian-sponsored sabotage. Despite centuries of being a little brother protected or supported by big brother Russia, Bulgaria became increasingly pro-West after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, adopted democracy and slowly shifted towards alliances with the West. This led to Bulgaria joining NATO in 2004 and the EU (European Union) in 2007. Despite that, many Bulgarians still retained pro-Russia attitudes. That wasnt hard to do because Bulgaria is the only EU (European Union) nation using the Russian Cyrillic alphabet and most Bulgarians belong to the Russian dominated Eastern Orthodox church. While a majority of Bulgarians approved membership in NATO and the EU, many still cling to pro-Russian attitudes. All this is background for a current scandal in Bulgaria as Russian GRU (military intelligence) operatives were found to be responsible for over a decade of mysterious explosions in storage sites holding Bulgarian-made weapons awaiting shipment to Ukraine or, in 2010, to Georgia. Russia briefly invaded Georgia in 2008, a prelude to the more ambitious attacks on Ukraine in 2014 and 2022. Bulgarian arms manufacturers are one of the few in Europe to manufacture munitions for Russian designed weapons. These explosions were not accidents, even though Bulgarian officials initially refused to consider sabotage or foreign agents as a cause. That eventually changed as more evidence of Russian GRU activity in Bulgaria was uncovered. British investigators identified some of the GRU agents active in Bulgaria as being some of those involved in a 2019 incident in Britain where the GRU was found responsible using a Russian made poison against British citizens targeted by Russian assassins. GRU operations in Bulgaria were found to be far more extensive and dramatic (explosive) than what Britain experienced. As Bulgarian officials investigated possible GRU involvement of explosions in several weapons storage sites since 2014 it was found that none of these explosions were accidents and all were the work of Russian GRU operatives assigned to prevent these weapons from reaching Ukraine. This was embarrassing for Bulgaria, a member of NATO and the EU. Getting into both these organizations was difficult because of the high levels of corruption in Bulgaria. Many of the destroyed weapons were paid for by other NATO members supporting Ukraine. Opinion polls showed that many Bulgarians did not support the Ukrainian resistance to Russian invaders. Bulgarian problems with NATO membership and Russian weapons is another factor. For example. in 2015 Bulgaria hired a Polish firm to upgrade six of their MiG-29 fighters. Poland was selected because in 2014 Poland completed upgrades required to make their own MiG-29s compatible with NATO standards. This was necessary because Poland was now a member of NATO and could not then afford to replace all its MiG-29s with Western fighters. Poland has the largest fleet of MiG-29s in NATO (32 operational) and other East European nations that recently joined NATO are in a similar situation. The Poles didnt do it all themselves but figured out who the most effective partners would be. For example, a Polish firm worked with an Israeli company to make the MiG-29 electronics compatible with NATO equipment. Mechanical controls were replaced with electronic (fly by wire) ones. This involved a much more efficient cockpit and some amenities which make life much easier for pilots. All this gave the MiG-29 electronics similar to those in the 48 F-16s Poland has purchased. The Bulgarian upgrades are less about new electronics and more about keeping the Bulgarian MiG-29s flyable. This was being done despite protests from Russia who insisted it was illegal for anyone but the Russian manufacturer to perform such upgrades and refurbishment. But the Russians wanted a lot more money for the work than Polish, or even Western European firms charged. The then current Russian hostility towards NATO did not make Russia a reliable source of such services. Bulgaria has to be careful with what it spends on military equipment because the country was never rich to begin with. After Bulgaria broke free from communist (and Russian dominated) government in 1989, it turned to the West for help. Reforms, including reducing the chronic corruption, took time. It wasnt until 2009 that Bulgaria was able to resume training new MiG-29 pilots. Such training had stopped, for budgetary reasons, in the late 1990s. Throughout the 1990s, and until 2004, Bulgaria was busy disbanding its Cold War era air force of 226 aircraft. By 2009 all they had left was 18 MiG-29s (which needed upgrades to meet NATO standards), some Su-25s (for ground attack), a few MiG-21s (on their way out), some Su-22s (used for reconnaissance) and a few dozen transports and helicopters. One by one, most air bases were shut down, and the Russian made aircraft (most of them obsolete) sold for scrap. Western aircraft are being bought, but the MiG-29s are being kept because they are competitive with Western fighters. That is important because East European nations found that Western warplanes were too expensive. By 2009 the existing MiG-29 pilots were getting old and many of them had already left for more lucrative commercial flying job. This created the need to train another dozen MiG-29 pilots. That training was completed by 2010. In late 2011 Bulgaria announced that it would postpone a decision on the purchase of a new multi-role jet fighter until at least 2012. Bulgaria originally committed itself to buying a NATO-type fighter as part of its alliance integration process. However, an unexpected economic recession cut into procurement funds and that situation never got better. Soon plans for buying Western warplanes were dropped as well. Then the Poles showed it was possible to upgrade MiG-29s on an East European budget. Bulgaria and Romania were both forced to clean up their corruption before joining NATO in 2004, and the European Union (EU) in 2007. Being in NATO afforded protection from Russia, which was still considered a threat by East European nations. But NATO would not allow a nation with rampant corruption to join, as that would mean many NATO secrets would be vulnerable to theft via a few well-placed bribes. There was a similar situation with the European Union, which sends in lots of financial aid to needy new members, and does not want to see all that cash stolen by corrupt officials. But as soon as Romania and Bulgaria were in the EU, the corruption revived. Apparently the crooked officials in both nations agreed to shape up just long enough to get into the EU. Then they could go back to plundering, this time with all that additional EU aid available as well. The EU was not amused, and has been putting pressure on, and issuing threats to, both nations. This is having an impact, because this Grand Scam quickly became obvious to the EU, and there are threats of expulsion and withholding economic aid. This has given the honest politicians an opportunity to install a clean government for the first time. But the dirty politicians are not giving up easily. Most NATO members are EU nations, and have made it clear that if the two nations cannot clean up their corruption, they can forget about NATO protection as well. The fact that Romania dismissed its armed forces commander, and several senior officers, for plundering military equipment, indicates that the message was received. Recent history indicates that a corruption problem can be quickly addressed. Greece did an admiral job of cleaning up its problems to gain admittance to the Euro zone (using the Euro as its currency and gaining financial and trading benefits). But, like Bulgaria and Romania, Greece found that after they got into the Euro Zone in 2001, after having failed to make the grade in 1999, the backsliding began. It's a struggle that will take a decade or more of politically hard anti-corruption work to change centuries-old traditions. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 26, 2023 / SouthGobi Resources Ltd. (TSXV:SGQ)(HK:1878) ("SouthGobi" or the "Company") announces that the annual general meeting and extraordinary general meeting of the Company (the "Annual and Special Meeting") will convene on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, Vancouver time (i.e. Wednesday, June 21, 2023, Hong Kong time) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The record date for the determination of the shareholders of the Company (the "Shareholders") who are entitled to receive the notice of, and to attend and vote at, the Annual and Special Meeting or any postponement(s) or adjournment(s) thereof, will be on Thursday, May 11, 2023, Vancouver and Hong Kong (the "Record Date"). Shareholders whose names appear on the register of members of the Company at the close of business on the Record Date will be entitled to attend the Annual and Special Meeting and cast votes if his or her shares carry voting rights. In order to be valid, a form of proxy together with the power of attorney or other authority, if any, under which it is signed or a certified copy of that power or authority, must be deposited at with TSX Trust Company or Computershare Hong Kong Investor Services Limited, as soon as possible and in any event received by no later than 4:30 p.m. (PDT) on Friday, June 16, 2023 (which is 7:30 a.m. on Monday, June 19, 2023, Hong Kong time), or 48 hours (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays in the City of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and public holidays in Hong Kong, China) before the Annual and Special Meeting or any postponement(s) or adjournment(s) thereof. A notice of the Annual and Special Meeting which contains, amongst other things, the time, venue and the detailed agenda of the Annual and Special Meeting, along with a circular concerning certain matters to be considered at the Annual and Special Meeting, will be dispatched to Shareholders in due course. About SouthGobi SouthGobi, listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the TSX Venture Exchange, 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: [email protected] Website: www.southgobi.com SOURCE: SouthGobi Resources Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com: A delegation from the International Monetary Fund is visiting Georgia to discuss the countrys economic outlook with Government officials, Trend reports with reference to Agenda. The IMF representatives met Georgian Finance Minister Lasha Khutsishvili on Thursday, the Ministry said, discussing cooperation between authorities of the country and the IMF. Ongoing reforms in Georgia, and current conditions and forecasts for the domestic economy were also reviewed. NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Edison International Increasing the number of interconnected resources supplying the electric grid will also expand the potential attack surface for cybercriminals. Energized by Edison As Southern California Edison expands the electric grid to support a clean energy future, a wide range of interconnected resources - utility-scale solar, wind and geothermal projects, large energy storage facilities and climate change-resilient distribution networks - will be needed to accomplish the goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. That presents a daunting cybersecurity challenge. As those interconnected networks multiply the digital attack surface, criminals bent on exploiting vulnerabilities for political or financial gain are also expanding their capabilities. The nightmare scenario of a cyberattack on the electric grid sparking an economic catastrophe is not merely a theoretical risk. "A single significant cyber event has the potential to trigger widespread cascading failures spanning multiple sectors across the country," said Pedro Pizarro, Edison International president and CEO, at this month's CERAWeek energy industry conference. "Without power, our country's communications, water and transportation systems risk degrading or failing completely." Pizarro told CERAWeek attendees that Edison International fended off almost a billion unauthorized attempts to access the company's networks last year. A companywide "defense-in-depth" strategy is being used to deflect those attemptsand stop cybercriminals "making it past the first moat" and gaining insider-like access to proprietary networks. "Cybersecurity is no longer a single team or department. Every Edison employee plus our contractors are part of our cybersecurity team," Pizarro said. "We all train, demonstrate and continuously improve our cyberdefense skills - identifying phishing attempts, reporting malicious cyber activity and protecting critical data." Appearing with Pizarro was Jen Easterly, director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. She said the biggest threat facing the nation's utility industry comes not from Russia, which is bogged down in a war with Ukraine, but rather from China. "Russia is the hurricane, and China is climate change," Easterly said. Easterly and Pizarro agreed that securing critical infrastructure will require cooperation from all stakeholders, including energy companies working together to share threat information and defensive practices, as well as working with the government to build relationships before a potential crisis occurs. Pizarro said Edison is striving to be a leader in creating resilient networks to support the grid, which undercuts the goals of those who may try to attack it. "We ask ourselves every day: are we doing enough to defend against adversaries that may want to disrupt power flow? Are we doing enough to stop the cybercriminals who may want to exploit our customer or employee data?'" Pizarro added that "the electric power industry is the backbone of other critical infrastructure sectors. Our resilience challenge is about protecting critical infrastructure and meeting our climate goals by building consumer confidence in a secure, clean energy future." To learn more about Edison's clean energy initiatives, visit edison.com/clean-energy. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Edison International on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Edison International Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/edison-international Email: [email protected] SOURCE: Edison International View source version on accesswire.com: HOUSTON, TX / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Evolution Petroleum Corporation (NYSE American:EPM) ("Evolution" or the "Company") today announced that it plans to release its fiscal third quarter 2023 financial and operating results on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, after the market closes. Additionally, Kelly Loyd, President, and Chief Executive Officer; Ryan Stash, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer; and Mark Bunch, Chief Operating Officer, will review the results on a conference call at 1:00 p.m. Central Time on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. Conference Call and Webcast Details: Date: Wednesday, May 10, 2023 Time: 1:00 p.m. Central Time Dial-In: (844) 481-2813 International Dial-In: (412) 317-0677 Note: Dial-in participants should ask to join the Evolution Petroleum Corporation call. Webcast: https://event.choruscall.com/mediaframe/webcast.html?webcastid=APTDbjXQ A webcast replay will be available through May 10, 2024, via the webcast link above and on Evolution's website at www.evolutionpetroleum.com/investors/presentations/. About Evolution Petroleum Evolution Petroleum Corporation is an independent energy company focused on maximizing total returns to its shareholders through the ownership of and investment in onshore oil and natural gas properties in the United States. The Company's long-term goal is to maximize total shareholder return from a diversified portfolio of long-life oil and natural gas properties built through acquisitions, selective development opportunities, production enhancements, and other exploitation efforts. Properties include non-operated interests in the following areas: the Jonah Field in Sublette County, Wyoming; the Williston Basin in North Dakota; the Barnett Shale located in North Texas; the Hamilton Dome Field located in Hot Springs County, Wyoming; the Delhi Holt-Bryant Unit in the Delhi Field in Northeast Louisiana; as well as small overriding royalty interests in four onshore Texas wells. More information about Evolution can be found at www.evolutionpetroleum.com. Contact Investor Relations (713) 935-0122 [email protected] SOURCE: Evolution Petroleum Corporation View source version on accesswire.com: TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Forward Water Technologies Corp. (TSXV:FWTC) (the "Company" or "FWTC") announces that it has entered into negotiations to deliver a FWTC forward osmosis pilot system on-site in Chile to support a customer's lithium extraction process. The Company's decision to pursue this opportunity comes in response to the growing demand for its innovative technology in the region. FWTC enables sustainable operations by providing customers with a proprietary cutting-edge technology to recover water that would be permanently lost given traditional treatment methods. Processes that preserve water for re-use or safe surface discharge are paramount concerns for lithium extraction in Chile and the surrounding region. Through its clients' operations, FWTC will be able to demonstrate the effectiveness of its process on-site and in a real-world setting, while gaining valuable insights into the lithium market. CEO and President, H. Honeyman, comments "We are excited to announce that we are in negotiations to deliver a FO pilot system to our client in Chile. We are committed to providing innovative and sustainable solutions to our clients, and we believe that establishing a presence in Chile will help us achieve that goal." The Company expects to complete negotiations and deploy the unit on-site in the coming months. About Forward Water Technologies Corp. Forward Water Technologies Corp. is a publicly-traded Canadian company dedicated to saving the earth's water supply using its patented Forward Osmosis technology. The Company was founded by Green Centre Canada a leading technology innovation centre, supported by the government of Canada. The Company's technology allows for the reduction of challenging waste streams simultaneously returning fresh water for re-use or surface release. The Company's mandate is to focus on the large-scale implementation of its technology in multiple sectors, including industrial wastewater, oil and gas, mining, agriculture and ultimately municipal water supply and re-use market sectors. For more information, please visit www.forwardwater.com. Mr. C. Howie Honeyman, Ph.D., President & Chief Executive Officer Forward Water Technologies Corp. [email protected] Phone: (519) 333-5888 For further information please contact: [email protected] Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws. Such statements include those related to the ability to successfully complete negotiations, the timing of the deployment of the unit on site and the insights that may be gained from such deployment. Forward-looking information is based on plans, expectations and estimates of management at the date the information is provided and is subject to certain factors and assumptions, including, the ability to scale the technology and the adoption of the technology by potential customers. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: the inability to successfully complete the above noted negotiations, unanticipated operating events; the availability of capital on acceptable terms; the need to obtain required approvals from regulatory authorities; stock market volatility as well as the other risks and uncertainties applicable to the Company as outlined in the Company's continuous disclosure filings filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, other than as required by applicable law. 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. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. 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. SOURCE: Forward Water Technologies Corp. View source version on accesswire.com: AUSTIN, MN / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL), a Fortune 500 global-branded food company well known for its corporate citizenship, was for the first time included on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's list of the 100 largest green power users from the Green Power Partnership (GPP). In addition, the company ranked No. 20 on EPA's list of Green Power Partners that are part of the Fortune 500. Hormel Foods joined the EPA's Green Power Partnership in 2022 and is using nearly 938 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, representing 100% of the overall operation's total power needs. The company's choice to use green power helps advance the voluntary market for green power, as well as the development of those sources. "We're honored to be recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency for our company's continued commitment to green power implementation," said Mark Coffey, group vice president of supply chain at Hormel Foods. "This recognition is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our inspired team members who are the foundation of our success." The company's ambitious corporate responsibility 20 By 30 Challenge goals continue to inspire significant reductions in nonrenewable energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, water use and solid waste sent to landfills. Additionally, the company has worked with experts in the field of renewable energy to identify and execute off-site wind and solar projects, as well as on-site solar power and energy reduction projects. "We know that as a good corporate citizen in our communities in the United States and all over the world, it is important to work toward implementing green power solutions," said Tom Raymond, director of environmental sustainability at Hormel Foods. In addition to recognition from the EPA, Hormel Foods has been named by Newsweek as one of America's Most Trustworthy Companies for a second straight year and one of America's Most Responsible Companies for four consecutive years. It has been on 3BL's 100 Best Corporate Citizens list 13 times; been recognized as one of the World's Top Female-Friendly Companies by Forbes; and was recently named one of Barron's 100 Most Sustainable Companies. "This list of the largest users of green power across the nation is proof that good business practices can also benefit the environment," said James Critchfield, program manager of EPA's Green Power Partnership. "EPA applauds the leading organizations in the Green Power Partnership's Top Partner Rankings for their notable commitment to expanding their use of green power and protecting the environment." According to the EPA, green power use of nearly 938 million kWh by Hormel Foods is equivalent to the annual electricity use of more than 88,000 average American homes. 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/. About EPA's Green Power Partnership The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that helps increase green power use among U.S. organizations to advance the American market for green power and development of those sources as a way to reduce air pollution and other environmental impacts associated with electricity use. In 2021, the Partnership had more than 700 Partners voluntarily using more than 85 billion kilowatt-hours of green power annually. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as Fortune 500 companies; small and medium sized businesses; local, state, and federal governments; and colleges and universities. For additional information, please visit www.epa.gov/greenpower. Contact: Media Relations 507-434-6352 [email protected] SOURCE Hormel Foods Corporation View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Hormel Foods Corporation on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Hormel Foods Corporation Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/hormel-foods-corporation Email: [email protected] SOURCE: Hormel Foods Corporation View source version on accesswire.com: VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / NV Gold Corporation (TSXV:NVX) (OTCQB: NVGLF) (FSE:8NV) ("NV Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an exploration update for the Company's 100%-owned SW Pipe Project located in Lander County approximately 6 km (3.7 miles) southwest of the Pipeline gold mine in the central Cortez gold belt of north-central Nevada (see Figure 1). Highlights Initial drill hole fully permitted; drill pad construction complete. The Company has filed Notice of Intent for four additional drill holes with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). A drill rig has been secured; drilling will commence in the second half of April 2023. Figure 1: SW Pipe Location in Proximity to the Cortez and Pipeline Gold Mines. Figure 2: SW Pipe Soil Geochemistry and Mercury Vapor Target, and Proposed Drill Hole Location. Historical Work and Geology Chip sampling by NV Gold in 2022 returned gold values up to 1.74 ppm, with high arsenic and antimony, elements enriched in productive Carlin-type gold deposits. Historic shallow drilling in 1989 yielded intersections that include: 0.442 g/t over 16.8 m; in 89-1 , 0.654 g/t over 15.2 m in 89-2 ; 0.794 g/t over 9.2 m in 89-9; 0.580 g/t over 18.3 m in 89-11. , ; Mineralization is largely within 100 m (328 feet) of surface and is hosted by siltstones and quartzite within the western-facies sequence (the upper-plate of the regional Roberts Mountains thrust fault). Preliminary results indicate that north-northwest-striking faults may have localized mineralization which also spread laterally away from these "feeder" faults in a stratiform style along a major geologic contact, possibly a thrust fault. The north-northwest striking faults have not been tested by drilling, and faults of this orientation are the key control to localizing gold mineralization along the Cortez gold belt, including the nearby Pipeline, Cortez Hill and Goldrush deposits, which contain at least 40 million ounces of gold. 2022 Exploration Soil Sampling Results A total of 567 soil samples were collected on the SW Pipe Project and later modeled in MapInfo. Modeling shows a large and comprehensive zone of overlapping Carlin-type geochemical anomalies including gold, arsenic, antimony, mercury, thallium, and selenium, adjacent to and merging with a "Magmatic Plume", which is characterized by strong Lead, Tungsten and Tellurium zones (see Figure 2). Thomas Klein, VP Exploration stated, "I am excited to see the daily progress the Company is making on preparing to drill the first drill hole into this newly defined target at our SW Pipe gold project in Lander County, Nevada. The Company's team of experts is confident in the target concept and is looking forward to permitting four additional drill pads to further evaluate these square-kilometers-sized, geochemistry anomalies appropriately to uncover the next Carlin-type gold system in Nevada. We are in elephant mining country and less than 6 kilometers from Nevada Gold Mines' multi-million-ounce Pipeline and Cortez gold deposits. We are excited about the potential to make this exploration effort a discovery success story". Qualified Person: Damir Cukor, P.Geo., is a Qualified Person pursuant to National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release. About NV Gold Corporation NV Gold Corporation is a well-organized exploration company with ~80 million shares issued and no debt. NV Gold has 21 exploration projects in Nevada comprising 639 100%-Company-owned lode mining claims totaling 53.4 square kilometers (20.6 square miles) The Company is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Reno, Nevada and is focused on delivering value through mineral discoveries in Nevada, USA. Leveraging its expansive property portfolio, its highly experienced in-house technical team, and its extensive geological data library, 2023 promises to be highly productive for NV Gold. On behalf of the Board of Directors, John Seaberg, Director, and CEO For further information, visit the Company's website at www.nvgoldcorp.com, or contact: Freeform Communications at 604.245.0054. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is definedin the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and statements that are based on the beliefs of management and reflect the Company's current expectations. When used in this press release, the words "estimate", "project", "belief", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "plan", "predict", "may" or "should" and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. Such statements and information reflect the current view of the Company and include, without limitation, statements regarding discussions of future plans, estimates and forecasts and statements as to management's expectations and intentions with respect to, among other things: the potential quantity and grade of any mineral resources that may be identified in the SW Pipe Project and the Company's current expectations regarding future exploration and development plans. Risks and uncertainties may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in those forward-looking statements and information. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except as may be required in accordance with applicable securities laws. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking information and statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf is expressly qualified in its entirety by this notice regarding forward-looking information and statements. SOURCE: NV Gold Corporation View source version on accesswire.com: ANTWERPEN, BELGIUM / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / OMP has implemented its renowned Unison Planning" solution at the African facilities of Beiersdorf, bringing state-of-the-art planning intelligence to boost supply chain performance. Planners confirm they are delighted. Nivea Nivea Beiersdorf, a global skin care company with 20,000 employees in over 170 affiliates worldwide, is best known for brands such as NIVEA, La Prairie, Eucerin, and Hansaplast/Elastoplast. The company has embarked on a digital transformation journey, and partnering with OMP is a significant achievement. OMP's Unison Planning" Solution enables Beiersdorf to streamline its planning activities and achieve end-to-end visibility, cross-functional collaboration, and greater agility. Meanwhile, Beiersdorf's African operations, which include factories in Nigeria and Kenya as well as four distribution centers, already went live in the spring of 2022 with a comprehensive OMP Solution, including supply planning, demand planning, and a full carrier solver. The implementation is based on OMP for Consumer Goods industry solution and fully connects with the Beiersdorf SAP system. Planners gain confidence and create value The implementation allows planners to better cooperate in matching end-to-end supply and demand and in organizing Beiersdorf's increasingly frequent product innovations. In a recent survey, users unanimously confirmed that the solution provides a big leap forward. "We've seen users with little or no advanced planning experience gain confidence with OMP throughout the project and create great value for the company," said Holger Ludwig, Beiersdorf's head of regional planning. Project leads Karen Schalbroeck (OMP), and Anna Buzolina and Mark Helbing (Beiersdorf) are equally satisfied. "It was a tremendous cooperative achievement, leading to tangible results very quickly," they said. The OMP implementation was supported by Bluecrux, the global value chain consulting and technology company that connected the dots between tool, process, data, and people. About OMP OMP helps companies facing complex planning challenges to excel, grow, and thrive by offering the best-digitized supply chain planning solution on the market. Hundreds of customers in a wide range of industries - spanning consumer goods, life sciences, chemicals, metals, paper and packaging - benefit from using OMP's unique Unison Planning". Contact Information Jan Lemmens Advisory Manager [email protected] +32 3 650 22 80 SOURCE: OMP View source version on accesswire.com: Morgan Stanley reiterated an Overweight rating and $14.00 price target on Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) ahead of the American automakers 1Q earnings release. Ford is scheduled to report 1Q earnings results on Mary 2nd. Analyst Adam Jonas wrote in a note, Following strong 1Q results from GM driven by price and ICE, we look ahead to F's print on May 2nd featuring new reporting segmentation. Like other OEMs, Ford must decide what kind of EV strategy to pursue: Grow fast and burn cash or a more focused approach that prioritizes capital discipline. Morgan Stanley estimates Ford will report 1Q units at 1.063mn, compared to 1.099mn units previously. Automotive revenue for 1Q stands at $38.64bn vs $39.27bn previously. The decrease in units is partially offset by higher ATP ($38,567 vs $37,950). Total company revenue estimates for 1Q stands at $40.99bn vs $41.69bn previously with full year standing at $157.29bn vs $159.04bn prior. 1Q Adj EPS now stands at $0.44 vs $0.27 previously, with full year now at $1.39 vs $1.28 previously. Shares of F are up 0.61% in pre-market trading on Thursday. By Michael Elkins | [email protected] NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AG Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc. (NYSE: MITT) (the Company) announced today that it will release first quarter 2023 financial results prior to market open on Friday, May 5, 2023. The Company will host a conference call to discuss the results on Friday, May 5, 2023, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. To participate in the call by telephone, please dial (800) 225-9448 at least five minutes prior to the start time. International callers should dial (203) 518-9708. The Conference ID is MITTQ123. To listen to the live webcast of the conference call, please go to https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/4212104/B0A285FDF80AFA59FA86FB8747BC983D and register using the same Conference ID. A presentation will accompany the conference call and will be available prior to the call on the Companys website, www.agmit.com, under Presentations in the Investor Relations section. For those unable to listen to the live call, an audio replay will be available on May 5, 2023 through 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on June 5, 2023. To access the replay, please go to the Companys website at www.agmit.com. About AG Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc. AG Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc. is a residential mortgage REIT with a focus on investing in a diversified risk-adjusted portfolio of residential mortgage-related assets in the U.S. mortgage market. AG Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc. is externally managed and advised by AG REIT Management, LLC, a subsidiary of Angelo, Gordon & Co., L.P., a leading privately-held alternative investment firm focusing on credit and real estate strategies. Additional information can be found on the Companys website at www.agmit.com. About Angelo, Gordon & Co., L.P. Angelo, Gordon & Co., L.P. (Angelo Gordon) is a privately-held alternative investment firm founded in November 1988. The firm currently manages approximately $53 billion with a primary focus on credit and real estate strategies. Angelo Gordon has over 650 employees, including more than 200 investment professionals, and is headquartered in New York, with associated offices elsewhere in the U.S., Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.angelogordon.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005955/en/ AG Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc. Investor Relations (212) 692-2110 [email protected] Source: AG Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc. Albedo secures Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to adapt its 2 meter per pixel Long-Wave Infrared (LWIR) thermal imaging for nighttime operations. DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Albedo, a company building an ultra-high resolution, low-flying satellite constellation, is excited to announce winning a $1.25 million government contract to support the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC). The Direct to Phase 2 (D2P2) SBIR contract through AFWERX, the innovation arm for the Department of the Air Force, will test and evaluate Albedos commercial leading, 2 meter GSD (Ground Sample Distance) Thermal Infrared (TIR) imaging for nighttime conditions for the U.S. Government. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230426005058/en/ Albedos Vis-Sharpened Thermal dataset combines visible and thermal imagery to provide temporal information, such as whether an object is active or passive, moving or stationary. (Graphic: Business Wire) Albedo will natively co-collect the highest-resolution commercial satellite imagery available in the visible (10 cm GSD) and thermal infrared (2 m GSD) spectrums. This is Albedos second D2P2 contract award through AFWERX in under a year, increasing the companys government contract total to $2.5 million. The previously awarded effort is evaluating how Albedos NIIRS 7 visible imagery and co-collected TIR imagery supports various government use cases by understanding system performance, mission effectiveness, and how best to integrate their task-oriented constellation with government systems. Nighttime commercial imagery is currently limited to synthetic aperture radar, said Mr. Joseph Rouge, U.S. Space Force Deputy Director, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance. High-resolution thermal infrared will provide a new commercial remote sensing solution for the U.S. Space Force. Under this contract, Albedo will characterize its night-time TIR imaging capabilities. This includes highly detailed lab characterization of the flight sensor, validating of end-to-end radiometric and image quality predictions, and generation of high-fidelity simulated imagery from new high-resolution aerial imagery collected with the flight sensor. Albedo will also explore constellation capacity to provide this imagery and combining all of the findings to identify the most promising U.S. Government use cases. Were committed to accelerating the Air Force and Space Forces ability to understand its performance against our problem sets and apply our capabilities on-orbit, Rouge continued. Nighttime thermal infrared imaging can help our intelligence analysts, warfighters, decision makers, and field operators solve complex emerging threats day and night. Our thermal imagery continues to gain traction in defense and commercial markets - specifically the ability to extract meaningful intelligence from the combination of our Visible & Thermal imagery during day-time, said Albedo CEO Topher Haddad. Now for the first time, were excited to showcase Albedos 24/7 temporal advantage of thermal imaging by working with USAF, USSF, and NASIC on this effort. NASICs Principal Intelligence Analyst, Dr. Randall Bostick, emphasized the importance of partnering with commercial satellite imagery companies. "The intelligence community faces an increasing number of complex questions and issues that require innovative solutions for collecting and analyzing data," he said. "It is critical that we leverage advances in satellite technology to meet our evolving mission needs in the coming years. About Albedo Albedo builds VLEO satellites that collect visible and thermal imagery at the highest resolution commercially available. Once launched, the company will operate the satellites to provide imagery-as-a-service to industries including agriculture, insurance, energy, mapping, utilities, and defense. For more information, please visit https://albedo.com/. About AFWERX AFWERX, a program office at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), connects innovators across government, industry and academia. Through innovation and collaboration with our nations top subject-matter experts and harnessing the power of ingenuity of internal talent, by expanding technology, talent, and transition partnerships for rapid and affordable commercial and military capability. Additional information is available at: https://www.afwerx.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230426005058/en/ [email protected] Source: Albedo 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 Kuwait Insurance Company S.A.K.P. (KIC) (Kuwait). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. The ratings reflect KICs 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. KICs balance sheet strength is underpinned by its risk-adjusted capitalisation, as measured by Bests Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), which is assessed at the strongest level. Further supporting the balance sheet strength assessment is KICs consistent internal capital generation and prudent reserving practices. Offsetting factors include KICs high-risk and concentrated investment portfolio, which exposes its capital position to potential volatility, and the companys elevated dependence on reinsurance, although the associated counterparty risk is partially mitigated by the use of a panel of financially sound reinsurers. KICs strong operating performance assessment is demonstrated by a five-year (2018-2022) weighted average return-on-equity ratio of 16.3%, with earnings over this period supported both by the companys underwriting and investment results. KIC reported net profit after tax of KWD 42.1 million in 2022 (2021: KWD 11.4 million), with the year-on-year increase principally driven by a one-off positive investment return from the disposal of a single equity holding. KICs underwriting profitability continues to support overall earnings and it has generated positive returns in its non-life and life accounts over the past five years. The companys non-life portfolio has historically driven overall underwriting performance and generated a five-year (2018-2022) weighted average combined ratio of 88.8%, as calculated by AM Best. KIC holds a well-established position within its domestic insurance market of Kuwait, from which it sources all its premium. In 2022, KIC generated gross written premium of KWD 50.4 million (USD 165.2 million), compared with KWD 46.9 million in 2021 (USD 155.4 million). Although KICs profile is concentrated in Kuwait, it benefits from good product diversification, offering a comprehensive range of non-life, life and takaful products, and a strong presence in corporate business lines, including general accident and property. In 2023, KIC expects to complete the acquisition of a domestic takaful company allowing continued operation in the takaful market. KICs strategic plan continues to include geographic expansion, through establishing operations in Egypts life insurance market. Although projected to be at a small scale relative to its domestic business, KICs regional expansion presents additional operational and execution risks. 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. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005618/en/ Emily Thompson Senior Financial Analyst +44 20 7397 0291 [email protected] Christopher Sharkey Associate Director, Public Relations +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159 [email protected] Alex Rafferty Associate Director, Analytics +44 20 7397 0312 [email protected] Al Slavin Senior Public Relations Specialist +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5098 [email protected] Source: AM Best Argentina will pay for Chinese imports in yuan instead of dollars, the republics Economy Minister Sergio Massa said on Wednesday, Trend reports citing TASS. "Together with [Chinese] Ambassador Zou Xiaoli and entrepreneurs we are starting a swap with China, which will enable us to pay for imports from this country in yuan, thus replacing $1.04 bln in April and $790 mln starting May," he wrote on Twitter. Argentinas exports have decreased by $15 bln due to "the worst drought in the countrys history," Massa noted. "This set a challenging task for us to maintain reserves for keeping the level of import of materials and goods that play a key role for economic activities and production in the country," he explained, adding that the shift to yuan in trade with China would provide "more freedom" for Argentina and "strengthen its reserves." HONG KONG--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B++ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of bbb+ (Good) of Zhongyuan Agricultural Insurance Co., Ltd. (ZYIC) (China). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. Concurrently, AM Best has withdrawn the ratings as the company has requested to no longer participate in AM Bests interactive rating process. The ratings reflect ZYICs balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. The companys risk-adjusted capitalisation, as measured by Bests Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), remained at the strongest level as of year-end 2021. AM Best expects the company to benefit from capital support from its shareholders to support its business expansion over the short to intermediate term. The companys fixed income oriented investment portfolio with strong liquidity and a debt-free balance sheet are also supportive factors of its overall balance sheet strength. Given its strategic focus on agricultural insurance, the companys significant catastrophe risk exposure relative to its capital size continues to be the key offsetting factor, despite being partially mitigated by product and geographical diversification. Robust growth in key products including crop and livestock contributed to the expansion in ZYICs premium income in 2021 and 2022. Coupled with improved claims experience, the company projects a strong increase in net earnings in 2022. Following the impairment losses related to premium receivables in 2019 and 2020, the company took remediation efforts and reported a favourable reversal of a bad debt provision in 2021. ZYICs net investment yield gradually improved during 2019 through 2021 due to higher income and capital gains. Notwithstanding, the companys overall earnings in 2022 was partially affected by negative investment results due to the unfavourable capital market conditions during the year. The company has been the leading professional agricultural insurer in Henan for six consecutive years. ZYIC also continues to strengthen its business presence in Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang, supported by favourable tender results of policy-oriented programmes to secure its business from 2022 to 2024. Crop and livestock insurance accounted for about three-quarters of ZYICs gross premium written in 2022. The company also aims to expand offerings of motor, accident and health, and property products that support the agricultural industry. Ratings are communicated to rated entities prior to publication. Unless stated otherwise, the ratings were not amended subsequent to that communication. 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. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005797/en/ Madison Fan Financial Analyst +852 2827 3416 [email protected] James Chan Director +852 2827 3418 [email protected] Christopher Sharkey Associate Director, Public Relations +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159 [email protected] Al Slavin Senior Public Relations Specialist +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5098 [email protected] Source: AM Best NEUILLY-SUR-SEINE, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News: The M6 Group (Paris: MMT) welcomes Arcom's decision to authorize the M6 channel to use the DTT network for the next 10 years, its previous authorisation expiring on May 5th. Launched on the 1st of March 1987, the channel will thus continue to offer federative and diversified content accessible free of charge to all French people. This new authorization is for Groupe M6 a recognition of its know-how and the quality of its project to accompany the public and its partners in the evolution of audiovisual uses, creation and information. It will thus continue to be a driving force in audiovisual innovation in France for the next 10 years. DTT broadcasting of the M6 channel will also enable the consolidation of all Groupe M6's activities, from television channels to radio stations and audiovisual and film production. The M6 Group and all its employees have patiently built its success since 1987 with the support of the public and its partners, producers and advertisers. This decision allows the M6 Group to look to the future with confidence and to pursue the necessary transformation that new uses and new competition imply. Nicolas de TAVERNOST, Chairman of M6 Group Management Board View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005849/en/ INVESTOR RELATIONS Myriam Pinot +33 (0)1 41 92 57 73 / [email protected] PRESS Paul Mennesson +33 (0)1 41 92 61 36 / [email protected] Source: M6 METROPOLE TELEVISION LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- FluidOne, the market-leading provider of Connected Cloud solutions, has today announced the acquisition of award-winning Surrey based IT managed service provider, project five. Based in Camberley, project five provides outsourced IT services to small and medium size local businesses across Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire. This acquisition follows that of Highlander Computing Solutions in January 2023, and builds on FluidOnes strategy to invest in regional IT MSPs to create a branch network for expertly delivered localised services for its SME customers. The investment in project five has created a 30m revenue Business IT Centre of Excellence (CoE) for FluidOne, with 930 customers, 134 employees and already with 4 branch offices led from Highlanders Sheffield headquarters. Project five will continue to benefit from the support and innovation of the founder, Steve Coburn, as he becomes consultant to the board. Rob Reed-Roberts, Commercial Director and Brad Cordell, Technical Director, will continue leading the project five teams, reporting to Steve Brown as Managing Director of the FluidOne Business IT CoE, ensuring that customers benefit from local account management and engineering, with best practise and a wider services portfolio supported by centralised leadership. Commenting on the acquisition Russell Horton, FluidOne CEO, said: I am pleased to announce the acquisition of project five, that builds on our strategy to create a branch network for expertly delivered IT managed services to Business customers. When reviewing the business, I was impressed with the excellent service they deliver and the strength of relationships that the team build with their clients. This was reinforced by great customer feedback in our survey and a world class NPS of 80. They are a great fit to our strategy, and I look forward to working with Steve Coburn and the team to grow the Camberley business. Steve Coburn, project five Founder and Managing Director: This is an exciting chapter in the project five journey; when we first started having discussions with Russell, it was clear that our companies shared a common culture and values and a commitment to delivering great service. The FluidOne portfolio will broaden the service offering to our existing customers and the acquisition offers fantastic career opportunities to the project five team. Steve Brown, Highlander Computing Solutions Ltd. Managing Director, added: A fantastic addition to the group. Rob, Brad and the project five team will bring great expertise to the core of the Business IT CoE and as a group we are well placed to help them grow their base and further strengthen the proposition they can offer to their customers. Were excited to be working with another quality and values driven business. Post-acquisition, FluidOnes CEO, Russell Horton, is to become Chairman of project five, with FluidOne Directors Brendan Lynch, Chris Rogers and Roy Hastings also becoming board directors. -ENDS- About FluidOne Established in 2006, FluidOne is an award-winning provider of Connected Cloud solutions with a 97m turnover and one of the consistently highest Net Promoter Scores (NPS) in the industry, securing 91 for March 2023. Underlying its services is FluidOnes national fibre network, Platform One, which is the most connected network in the UK. FluidOne has a strong company culture enjoyed by 445 staff and was ranked as a 2 star accredited outstanding company to work for in the Best Companies to work for awards 2023. FluidOne supports the needs of 2,200 customers, including 200 channel resellers, with services covering connectivity, SD-WAN, cyber security, IT managed services, mobile, IoT, UCaaS and CCaaS. FluidOne consults with its customers to design solutions that complement their in-house IT structures; taking complex hybrid multi-site environments, to make them simple and secure, so end-users can access their business applications wherever they are. Led by CEO Russell Horton, co-founder and COO Chris Rogers, CFO Roy Hastings and CRO Brendan Lynch, the management team is backed by Livingbridge to support their ambitious long-term strategy. www.fluidone.com About project five Founded in 2003 by Managing Director Steve Coburn, the business started life delivering complex IT projects and over time expanded to delivering managed services to local businesses. Project five now supports the IT needs for 200 businesses, covering IT Helpdesk, End User Device Management, fully managed servers, Microsoft Azure, Office365, Professional Services, Cyber security, Unified Communications and networks. Project five employs 45 people, based at its flexible office in Camberley, Surrey, and prides itself on being one of the friendliest and easiest-to-understand IT support companies you will ever meet. www.projectfive.co.uk About Highlander Computing Solutions Ltd. A long-established IT Expert, Highlander has, over the past 25 years, built upon its solid reputation as a leading supplier of enterprise IT infrastructure and professional services, through the addition of a dedicated in-house technical support team delivering IT managed services to the SME market. Under the leadership of Managing Director Steve Brown, the business has grown from 9.8m revenue to 23.7m since 2011. Headquartered in Sheffield, supporting over 650 customers with 70 employees, Highlander has a vibrant working culture with high staff retention, and an impressive NPS of 87. www.highlanderuk.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230426005550/en/ Naoimi Johanna [email protected] Source: FluidOne LAS CRUCES, N.M.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AVANGRID, a leading sustainable energy company and part of the Iberdrola Group, is the newest corporate sponsor of New Mexico Agriculture in the Classroom (NMAITC). As a Gold Apple Sponsor, their $10,000 contribution will help NMAITC enhance its agricultural literacy efforts among Pre-K-12th grade New Mexico classroom teachers and their students. "We sincerely appreciate AVANGRID for their support of our New Mexico agricultural literacy initiatives, said Elizabeth Foster, CEO of the New Mexico Farm & Livestock Bureau and secretary/treasurer of the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau Foundation. In 2022, we reached more than 15,000 students, teachers, and volunteers, representing a 184% increase over the previous year. We anticipate AVANGRIDs support will allow us to increase our impact this year. We are thrilled to support this partnership with the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau Foundation, which reflects our steadfast commitment to making a meaningful, positive impact in the communities where we are present, said Pedro Azagra, CEO of AVANGRID. We believe that this partnership will increase agricultural literacy throughout New Mexico, and were excited to see the results and keep collaborating. AVANGRID owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States and employs more than 7,500 people across the country. The company 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. New Mexico Agriculture in the Classroom is the educational outreach program of the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau Foundation. The purpose of NMAITC is to educate the general public, with an emphasis on Pre-K-12th students and educators, about the importance of agriculture. Website: www.nmaitc.org View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005891/en/ Ms. Traci Curry New Mexico Agriculture in the Classroom [email protected] (575) 520-5991 Ms. Lee Angers AVANGRID [email protected] (505) 210-3461 AVANGRID MEDIA: Mariel Huerta [email protected] Source: AVANGRID ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Belden Inc. (NYSE: BDC) today announced that members of its executive management team will attend the Goldman Sachs Industrials and Materials Conference on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, in New York, NY. In conjunction with the event, Belden executives will be available to participate in one-on-one meetings with investors registered to attend the conference. For more information, please contact your Goldman Sachs salesperson. Additionally, a fireside chat will be webcast beginning at approximately 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time and will be available on the Belden Investor Relations website at https://investor.belden.com/. About Belden Belden Inc. delivers the infrastructure that makes the digital journey simpler, smarter and secure. Were moving beyond connectivity, from what we make to what we make possible through a performance-driven portfolio, forward-thinking expertise and purpose-built solutions. With a legacy of quality and reliability spanning 120-plus years, we have a strong foundation to continue building the future. We are headquartered in St. Louis and have manufacturing capabilities in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. For more information, visit us at www.belden.com; follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005237/en/ Belden Investor Relations Aaron Reddington, CFA (317) 219-9359 [email protected] Source: Belden Inc The College Joins a List of Elite Environmental Colleges as the 13th Nationwide and First Certified Institution in the Southeast to Reach Net Zero SALISBURY, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Catawba College today announced that the school successfully achieved full carbon neutrality seven years ahead of its 2030 climate commitment. Second Nature, a non-profit organization working to accelerate climate action in and through higher education, confirmed Catawba College has become the 13th college nationwide and first institute of higher learning in the Southeast to meet the groups high standards for determining carbon neutrality. College leadership, staff, faculty, students, alumni, and community members alongside Second Nature President Tim Carter and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, celebrated the milestone today. To meet its goals ahead of the 2030 target, Catawba College is using a mix of renewable energy, energy efficiency, Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) and carbon offsets. This includes RECs and offsets from local, North Carolina sources including the Scotland Neck Solar Installation in Halifax County, the Chocowinity Solar Project in Beaufort County, as well as the Buncombe County Landfill Gas Project -- a mix that not only reduces campus emissions and covers the colleges direct emissions impact, but also covers the harder-to-address, indirect emissions from activities like commuting, business travel, and operations waste. Achieving carbon neutrality reflects our values as an institution, said Catawba College President David P. Nelson. Out of the over 400 institutions of higher learning that made a commitment to carbon neutrality with Second Nature, Catawba Colleges success in meeting and surpassing our timeline reflects our longstanding commitment to sustainability and the environment in the classroom and in our operations. Catawba College leaders also credited the $242 million in donations the school has received in the last year and a half, part of which will help support additional sustainability and environment programs for students, as a significant boost. This is only the beginning, said Brad Ives, Director of the Catawba College Center for the Environment. Meeting our carbon neutrality goals ahead of time provides an opportunity for the College to demonstrate leadership to our students while also providing a model for other institutions of higher education in North Carolina and across the country. At the event honoring the colleges achievement, Second Nature president Tim Carter lauded Catawba Colleges achievement. By reaching the colleges climate goals ahead of time, its a win for everyone, he said. Congratulations to Catawba College for meeting this target ahead of time and raising the bar even higher. Catawba College was also honored to have Gov. Roy Cooper speak at the announcement about how this showcases the states leadership on renewable energy and sustainability. Our state is moving rapidly toward a clean energy future, and North Carolinians are helping us lead the way, Governor Roy Cooper said. Congratulations to Catawba College on achieving carbon neutrality seven years ahead of its goal. Catawba College continues to lead its higher education peers on embracing clean energy innovations and environmental stewardship. This month, Catawba became the first campus in the United States to add Haven solar shelters from Research Triangle Park, NC based Spotlight Solar. The total of five shelters, which incorporate U.S. based components and materials, use bifacial solar panels that allow for power generation on both sides to create clean energy that is stored in batteries under the tabletop with built-in charging ports for students and faculty. In addition, the campus is also home to a solar-powered trash compactor bin from CleanCUBE, which holds up to five times more waste compared to traditional bins and reduce collection frequency by up to 80%. By installing these and additional sustainable innovations on campus, Catawba College is continuing to demonstrate its bold commitment to enabling a thriving, sustainable future. For more information on Catawba College and its Center for the Environment, please visit catawba.edu/cenv/ About Catawba College Founded in 1851, Catawba College is a four-year, private, liberal arts college located in Salisbury, N.C. Ranked as one of the best regional colleges in the South, Catawba is known for its intellectual rigor, dedicated faculty, beautiful campus, and strong commitment to sustainability and the environment. The College offers more than 70 undergraduate and four graduate programs allowing students to explore diverse interests and create their own academic pathway. Additional information is available at catawba.edu. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005150/en/ Jodi Bailey Catawba College Director of Marketing and Communications [email protected] Brad Carl On behalf of Catawba College [email protected] Source: Catawba College CI shareholders receive return of approximately three times initial investment TORONTO & MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- CI Financial Corp. (CI) (TSX: CIX) announced today it has reached an agreement to sell its minority stake in Congress Wealth Management, LLC (Congress) to Audax Private Equity. Congress, led by President Paul Lonergan, serves clients across the U.S. from its Boston headquarters and offices in six other cities. CI, which first invested in Congress in the third quarter of 2020, holds its stake in the firm through CI Private Wealth, LLC (CIPW), its integrated U.S. wealth management subsidiary. Congress is a great firm and our partnership with Paul and his team has been fantastic, said Kurt MacAlpine, CI Chief Executive Officer. However, CIs investment in Congress was made almost three years ago, prior to the establishment of the CI Private Wealth differentiated private partnership model. To fully benefit from its features, only active contributors to the business can be CIPW Partners. Unfortunately, the ownership structure at Congress precludes it from fully integrating into CIPW. CI and Congress believe that minority ownership is not the best structure to maximize the client and employee experience, and that Audax will be an excellent partner to support the next chapter of growth for Congress. CI received a return of approximately three times its initial investment in Congress and will use the proceeds from the transaction to pay down debt. The investment from CI was extremely productive and we are exiting on the best of terms, said Mr. Lonergan. In addition to finding a solution that works for our ownership, we are also eager to pursue additional M&A opportunities thanks to the backing from Audax Group. I want to thank Paul and the entire team at Congress for their hard work and dedication over the last three years, said Mr. MacAlpine. They are an incredibly talented team and I wish them all the best. The transaction is expected to close in May 2023. About CI Financial CI Financial Corp. is a diversified global asset and wealth management company operating primarily in Canada, the United States and Australia. Founded in 1965, CI has developed world-class portfolio management talent, extensive capabilities in all aspects of wealth planning, and a comprehensive product suite. CI manages and advises on approximately C$391.1 billion (US$289.4 billion) in client assets (as at March 31, 2023). CI operates in three segments: Asset Management, which includes CI Global Asset Management, which operates in Canada, and GSFM Pty Ltd., which operates in Australia. Canadian Wealth Management, which includes the operations of CI Assante Wealth Management, Aligned Capital Partners, CI Private Wealth (Canada), Northwood Family Office, CI Direct Investing and CI Investment Services. U.S. Wealth Management, which includes CI Private Wealth (U.S.), an integrated wealth management firm providing comprehensive solutions to ultra-high-net-worth and high-net-worth clients across the United States. CI is headquartered in Toronto and listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: CIX). To learn more, visit CIs website or LinkedIn page. This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning anticipated future events, results, circumstances, performance or expectations with respect to CI Financial Corp. (CI) and its products and services, including its business operations, strategy and financial performance and condition. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as believe, expect, foresee, forecast, anticipate, intend, estimate, goal, plan and project and similar references to future periods, or conditional verbs such as will, may, should, could or would. These statements are not historical facts but instead represent management beliefs regarding future events, many of which by their nature are inherently uncertain and beyond managements control. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements involve risks and uncertainties. The foregoing list is not exhaustive and the reader is cautioned to consider these and other factors carefully and not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Other than as specifically required by applicable law, CI undertakes no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statement after the date on which it is made, whether to reflect new information, future events or otherwise. CI Global Asset Management is a registered business name of CI Investments Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of CI Financial Corp. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005833/en/ Investor Relations Jason Weyeneth, CFA Vice-President, Investor Relations & Strategy 416-681-8779 [email protected] Media Relations Canada Murray Oxby Vice-President, Corporate Communications 416-681-3254 [email protected] United States Jimmy Moock Managing Partner, StreetCred 610-304-4570 [email protected] [email protected] Source: CI Financial Corp. The Black-founded PE firm continues its commitment to hiring a diverse leadership team CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Please remove the second sentence of the sixth paragraph of release dated September 8, 2022. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220908005366/en/ Vanessa D'Cunha, CFO of Red Arts Capital (Photo: Business Wire) The updated release reads: TOP SUPPLY CHAIN-FOCUSED PRIVATE EQUITY FIRM, RED ARTS CAPITAL, ADDS CFO AS THE FIRM BUILDS ON ITS RAPID GROWTH The Black-founded PE firm continues its commitment to hiring a diverse leadership team Today, Red Arts Capital, LLC (Red Arts Capital''), a leading middle-market, supply chain sector-focused private equity investment firm is pleased to announce the hiring of CFO, Vanessa DCunha, to their rapidly expanding team. The addition of a new C-Suite hire comes as the company enters a new phase of growth. The firm has been incredibly active this year, announcing four acquisitions and six new hires. These strategic moves will allow Red Arts Capital to continue expanding its operations and solidifying its position as a leading Private Equity firm in the Supply Chain and Logistics sector. I see a lot of energy from this team. Im very excited to get into the thick of things and hit the ground running with this group, says DCunha. Hearing Chad and Nick speak about their plans, theyre thrilled about the future of this firm. Their goals, while lofty, are very achievable and that in itself is a driving force. To me, that's enough to be excited to come to work every day. Vanessa DCunha joins Red Arts Capital from CapX Partners, a $500M AUM fund management and equipment finance firm, where she was Vice President & Controller, and then Accord Financial Inc. (after its purchase of CapX) as their Director of Finance. Prior to her time at CapX and Accord, DCunha was the Controller at Lantern Partners in Chicago, as well as Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer at Commerz Futures. Vanessa has an extensive background in audit, having worked with the Assurance and Business Advisory Services practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Regulatory Audit/Compliance group at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Vanessa is a CPA and received her Bachelor of Science in Commerce, Accountancy from DePaul University. As a highly respected and experienced finance professional, Vanessas addition to our team will further accelerate our growth trajectory, commented Chad Strader Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Red Arts. She is a proven executive with a successful track record of building successful teams and driving operational excellence across diverse businesses. In a year filled with growth, the firm continues to stick to its guns by hiring a diverse team led by Black-founders and Managing Partners, Nick Antoine and Chad Strader, and now DCunha who is of Asian descent. The Chicago-based firm is also ~50% female, a statistic that is breaking the mold of the traditionally male-dominated private equity industry. Aside from its burgeoning team expansion, Red Arts Capital has also made headwinds in the deal activity space as of late. Since the beginning of 2022, Red Arts has made waves across the supply chain sector which has included acquisitions of Coregistics, Sunset Pacific Transportation, and Partners Warehouse. Red Arts Capital has been proliferating in recent months, with significant expansion in both its team and deal activity. In June, the firm announced the acquisition of packaging and supply chain services company Coregistics. Based in Acworth, Georgia, Coregistics provides contract packaging, warehousing and fulfillment services for a variety of clients. In July, Red Arts Capital completed a secondary transaction in partnership with Prudential Private Capital, acquiring a significant minority stake in Sunset Pacific from private investment firm Granite Creek Capital Partners and other investors. The deal involved the sale of Granite Creek's equity and the refinance of their subordinated debt positions in the California-based company. Sunset Pacific is a leading national provider of Volume Less Than Truckload (Volume LTL) and other complementary shipment services. In January, Red Arts acquired the warehousing firm Partners Warehouse, the Elwood, Illinois-based provider of warehousing and rail transloading services. *Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Net performance is net of all fees. Calculated as of July 1, 2022. Additional information regarding the calculation of performance is available upon request. About Red Arts Capital Based in Chicago, Illinois, Red Arts Capital is a leading investment firm focused on supply chain-related, transportation and logistics businesses. Red Arts Capital seeks to partner with and invest in privately-owned, primarily family-owned, and multi-generational businesses with solid business fundamentals and a strong track record and reputation. With sector expertise and a commitment to stewardship and excellence, Red Arts Capitals approach earns the firm a trusted seat at the table with portfolio companies, investors and partners. For more information, please visit: www.redartscapital.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220908005366/en/ Media Bryson Greene [email protected] Source: Red Arts Capital, LLC LinkedIn Connector enables users to leverage powerful Technology Intelligence from HG Insights within LinkedIn Campaign Manager, empowering teams to boost engagement and conversions SANTA BARBARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- HG Insights, the global provider of data-driven insights to 90% of Fortune 100 B2B tech companies, has today announced an updated integration to the flagship HG Platform. This important improvement enables users to leverage insights from the HG dataset within LinkedIn advertising campaigns, empowering customers to boost digital engagement by concentrating hyper-targeted messages on only the most engaged, most relevant audiences to navigate rapidly changing markets. In todays market, 71% of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions1. For a competitive advantage, businesses must develop a granular digital marketing strategy to grow. The HG Insights LinkedIn Connector allows users to create customized audience segments to boost engagement by delivering the right messages to the best-fit audiences. With just a few clicks, customers can add HGs company-level insights and apply technology filters to audience segments within LinkedIn Campaign Manager. These additive insights empower customers to deliver more relevant digital advertising campaigns by targeting prospects that require their product or service on the LinkedIn platform, the worlds largest professional network. Operationalize Quality Data and Drive Quality Results HG Insights gives customers access to industry-leading Technology Intelligence with broad coverage of 12 million companies and 15,000+ installed technologies. The HG Insights LinkedIn Connector enables: - Unique Audience Segmentation: Leverage the power of the HG Platform by utilizing specific firmographic, technographic, Contextual IntentTM, and install data to help build custom audiences for LinkedIn Campaign Manager - Improved Campaign Planning: Easily size audiences before spending on ads to build a more targeted strategy for higher impact campaigns - Drive LinkedIn Advertising Campaign Performance: Dramatically increase awareness, engagement, and lead generation with targeted messaging to potential customers - Identify Strategic Intent and Prioritize Revenue Potential: Focus advertising campaigns on companies with general interest, activity, and future opportunities that benefit the most from your offering or align thematically with your campaigns We continue to build key integrations into our flagship solution, HG Platform, with this updated integration to LinkedIn Campaign Manager, says Rob Fox, CTO of HG Insights. This solution supports a 90% account match rate. When coupled with our Contextual IntentTM solution, customers can further target prospects based on when they have a propensity to purchase, delivering the highest conversion rate possible. Marketers understand the value of engaging with potential buyers on LinkedIn, but many are challenged with how to optimize which accounts to target and when, says Darcy Moss, Senior Director of Product Marketing. By connecting HG Insights high-quality data, with advanced targeting through the Opportunity Generator, were enabling teams to sync these targets to LinkedIn Campaign Manager resulting in optimized ad spend and enhanced campaign outcomes. Key Features of the LinkedIn Connector Solution HG Insights LinkedIn Connector allows users to access powerful technology insights in the framework of a leading marketing platform to create targeted campaigns based on their Ideal Customer Profile. This helps increase the effectiveness of existing account-based marketing campaigns, supports sales efforts and alignment, and optimizes digital marketing campaigns. - Leverage Insights from the HG Insights Platform: The LinkedIn Connector incorporates data from the HG Platform to create targeted audiences for campaigns, which users can leverage to precisely target users of specific products, including Contextual IntentTM, technographic, and firmographic data on LinkedIn - Quick Onboarding and Ease of Use: Avoid the shortcomings of traditional integrations with the LinkedIn Connector, now you can connect your account and start creating targeted audiences in your LinkedIn Campaign Manager within minutes - Enhance LinkedIn Matched Audiences: LinkedIns Matched Audiences is a set of marketing targeting capabilities that give advertisers the ability to combine LinkedIns advertising data with our powerful insights. This feature gives easy, intuitive access to HG Insights in advanced targeting areas to reach the right audiences on the platform By using the LinkedIn Connector, companies can leverage powerful insights from the HG Platform to drive campaign performance, further support sales efforts, and leverage powerful insights to help craft campaigns. Learn more about HG Insights here, or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. Sources 1 Key Examples of Data-Driven Marketing Strategies, Adobe Blog, 2023 About HG Insights HG Insights, the global provider of data-driven insights to 90% of Fortune 100 B2B tech companies, is your Go-To-Market intelligence partner. We use advanced insights into technology intelligenceon installations, spend, and contract details paired with cloud product usage, adoption, and spendto provide B2B companies with a better way to analyze markets and target prospects. Our customers achieve unprecedented results in their marketing and sales programs thanks to the indexing of billions of unstructured documents each day to produce a detailed census of the technologies companies use to run their businesses. HG Insights is a registered trademark and service mark for HG Insights, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved. For more information, visit hginsights.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005117/en/ Taylor Viens Senior Marketing & Digital Communications Manager HG Insights [email protected] Source: HG Insights HEMPSTEAD, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Empire and Beacon Wind projects, which are being built as part of a 50-50 strategic partnership between Equinor and bp, have announced the creation of its GENext initiative. This initiative is a comprehensive program to open pathways to career opportunities for the current and next generation of workers on Long Island and in the Capital Region and New York City. The program, announced at the Minority Millennials We are the Future Summit at Hofstra University, will launch during the lead up to construction of the projects with local school districts, colleges and unions in the three regions of New York to build awareness and access to offshore wind education and training centers that help produce the future workforce for New Yorks rapidly growing renewable energy industry. Just as New York made a substantial commitment to fostering the growth of offshore wind in the state, we are committed to involving New Yorks workers and small businesses directly in the industrys growth. The GENext program takes a multi-generational approach to the development of this workforce, helping ensure that family-sustaining careers are accessible to New Yorkers and reflects the states diversity. Offshore wind is about more than helping the state reach its ambitious renewable energy goalsits about new generations of New Yorkers taking a leadership role in the future of this exciting new industry, said Jennifer Edwards, incoming Head of Community Affairs for Equinor Wind US. The GENext programs cradle-to-career approach to education and workforce development involves three comprehensive stages: Integrating offshore wind and STEM curriculum within local schools to increase awareness of career pathways within the industry, as well as introduce the technological concepts of wind energy in a fun and age-appropriate manner. Developing technical talent by working with local higher educational institutions and training centers to facilitate post-secondary degrees and certifications in fields connected to the offshore wind industry such as electrical engineering. Equinor will also provide a specific set of wraparound services, such as scholarships, housing, transportation or childcare for underserved New York communities to help ensure robust participation and increased graduation rates, regardless of socio-economic or other factors. Working with companies that are in the supply chain to build their capacity to ensure that their workforce is well-equipped to enter and complete training programs; help local businesses access entry-points into the supply chain; build out required training programs that will allow these businesses to qualify for work in the offshore wind sector; and provide additional wraparound services to help reduce the cost for these diverse small businesses and their workforces to enter into the offshore wind industry. The GENext initiative will be rolled out on Long Island, in the coming months because of its proximity to the Empire Wind and Beacon Wind projects and the innovative track record of Long Islands school districts. Additional developments of local K-12 schools, colleges and training centers, including details on the program roll out in New York City and the Capital Region, will follow in the coming months. Equinor Renewables US Equinor is one of the largest offshore wind developers in the world. Its work in the United States includes the development of two lease areas off New York, Empire Wind and Beacon Wind. The projects plan to provide New York State with 3.3 gigawatts (GWs) of energyenough to power nearly two million homesincluding more than 2 GWs from Empire Wind and 1,230 megawatts from Beacon Wind 1. www.equinor.com/NY. bp in the US bps ambition is to become a net zero company by 2050 or sooner, and to help the world get to net zero. bp has a larger economic footprint in the United States than anywhere else in the world, investing more than $140 billion since 2005 and supporting about 245,000 jobs. For more information on bp in the US, visit www.bp.com/US. About Empire Wind Empire Wind is being developed by Equinor and bp through their 50-50 strategic partnership in the US. Empire Wind will power more than 1 million homes and generate 2.1 GW of power. For more information, please visit www.empirewind.com. About Beacon Wind Beacon Wind is being developed by Equinor and bp and is planned for an area of 128,000 acres in federal waters between Cape Cod and Long Island. The lease area was acquired in 2019 and is being developed in two phases. Beacon Wind 1 is on track to deliver 1.2 GW of renewable energy directly to New York City in the late 2020s enough to power 1 million homes. Beacon Wind 2 has the capacity to generate another 1.2 GW of clean energy for consumers in the US Northeast. www.beaconwind.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005947/en/ Brian Young [email protected] +1 (917) 915-6461 Lauren Shane [email protected] +1 (917) 392-4252 Source: Equinor Samsung Electronics Co Ltd flagged a gradual recovery for chips in the second half of the year after its semiconductor business reported a record loss on Thursday, driven by a chip glut from weak demand for tech devices, Trend reports citing Reuters. A global downturn in semiconductor purchases amid an economic slowdown and corporate belt-tightening sent chip prices plummeting in the first quarter, triggering production cuts across the sector. By the second half of the year, customers will have run down inventory and gradually start buying chips again, Samsung said. "We expect inventory levels to start dropping in the second quarter," said Jaejune Kim, executive vice president of Samsung's memory business. For the current quarter, Samsung said it expected limited recovery for memory chips as major data centre firmsinvested more conservatively in servers. The first-of-its-kind industry event will bring together thought leaders from the rebate management community from across the globe to collaborate, network and learn SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Enable, the leading rebate management platform, announced today it will host its second annual conference, Catalyze 2023. The conference will take place on June 7-8, 2023, in Chicago, Illinois, at Convene in the iconic Willis Tower (233 S. Wacker Drive). Hundreds of CFOs, finance professionals, rebate managers and more will come together to unpack the complex challenges existing between trading partners and discover new strategies and tactics for rebate management. Supply chain disruption, industry consolidation and customer expectations have never been higher but theres a way to combat all these challenges: working better together. Companies need to be aligned within their organization and across their trading partners all in service of their end customers. This years Catalyze will dive deep into these topics and attendees will glean more career- and company-building ideas, connections and education from other rebate and finance experts than they can get anywhere else. As more and more companies throughout the supply chain leverage rebates to incentivize behavior and collaboration between them and their trading partners, rebate professionals need a place to come together and address strategies and growth opportunities. Catalyze is that place, says Andrew Butt, Founder & CEO of Enable. Catalyze features an impressive agenda that includes: Two full days of operational sessions that will equip attendees to turn their businesss rebate programs into strategies that drive partner behavior and financial outcomes Keynotes from industry trailblazers: Aamir Paul, Schneider Electrics President of North America; Jeffrey Moyle, Vice President, Supplier & Digital Strategy at Rexel Canada; Jack Shaw, innovative speaker and technologist; and Andrew Butt, Enables CEO Networking opportunities, roundtable discussions and events for the rebate strategist community Endless chances to share and learn with peers that are passionate about using rebates as a strategy Our goal is that attendees will leave Catalyze equipped with strategies that will help grow their careers and help their company succeed, says Butt. Attendees will learn ways to evolve their rebate programs and how to bridge the collaboration gap between them and their trading partners. This results in more effective rebate programs that help businesses gain value from their networks and put them in control of their profits and growth. To learn more or to attend the Enable Catalyze, visit http://catalyze.enable.com ABOUT ENABLE Enable helps manufacturers, distributors, and retailers take control of their rebate programs and turn them into an engine for growth. Starting with finance and commercial teams, Enable helps you better manage rebate complexity with automated real-time data and insights, accurate forecasting, and stronger cross-functional alignment. This lets you and everyone in your business know exactly where you are with rebates. Then you can extend Enable externally to suppliers and customers, setting them up with one collaborative place to author, agree upon, execute on, and track the progress of deals. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005136/en/ Kristen Grossi talkTECH [email protected] Source: Enable TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- JAXA accredited space venture Tenchijin launched a new software, a water pipe leakage risk management operating system where local governments can manage and evaluate water leakage risk in large water networks. As this tool dramatically helps them reduce their water maintenance cost, Fukushima City Waterworks Bureau decided to implement the system as the first case in Japan. How does this system work? The system is based on Tenchijins original technology under patent application. The combination of various space Big Data, water pipe material information, leakage history which feeds advanced A.I algorithms visualizes the specific city area with the highest water leakage risks. The software proved its performance in the experiment carried out with the Japan Cabinet Office. In the experiment, maximum 65% inspection cost, 85% investigation time were reduced respectively. The tool empowers the local government to anticipate their water leakage risk area and drove Fukushima City to purchase this software. Partnership with Fukushima City Around 17.6% of water pipelines in Japan (120,000km) have exceeded the statutory durability age. However, the current maintenance and repair of aged pipelines is often prohibitive. There are less revenues, less workforce due to a declining population which hampers local government to conduct leakage investigation, maintenance and repair operations. Therefore, the number of water leakage accidents has been increasing and this issue will become more serious in the future. Tenchijins new system was designed to help them solve this issue. Tenchijin will work closely with Fukushima City Waterworks Bureau to improve the leak detection rate and reduce non-revenue water ratio, and optimize resources. Tenchijin COMPASS can be used for free by creating an account on the Tenchijin website. URL: https://tenchijin.co.jp/compass/?hl=en Language: English, Japanese Browsers: Google Chrome (recommended), only PC If you are interested in customizing Tenchijin COMPASS or consulting on data analysis, please contact us at [email protected] Access here for the details: https://tenchijin.co.jp/?hl=en View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005085/en/ Tenchijin, Inc. Yasuhito Sakuraba [email protected] Source: Tenchijin, Inc. TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Greenland Resources Inc. (NEO: MOLY | FSE: M0LY) (Greenland Resources or the Company) is pleased to announce the Companys recent progress on its Malmbjerg Molybdenum Project (the Project). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005817/en/ Highlights: The Company has entered into MOUs and letters of intent with six molybdenum end users for offtake agreements including large EU investment grade metallurgical steel and chemical companies The Company has made significant progress with large international mining and process equipment providers located in the same EU jurisdictions as some of the EU end users with which we have agreements. These relationships are expected to facilitate equipment financing from government export development banks in these jurisdictions Greenland Resources has received positive feedback from a recent site visit to the Project from the President of Nuna Group of Companies, a Canadian majority Inuit owned world class civil construction company that specializes in remote arctic infrastructure, construction and logistics; the Managing Director of Doppelmayr Transport Technology GmbH, a world leading Austrian international company that will consider an Aerial Rope Conveyor for material transport and, financial mining executives from a Canadian bank The permitting process is proceeding as expected and is on schedule. The Company recently received initial comments from the regulators in respect of the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) and expects Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) comments shortly. The EIA and SIA were submitted this year as per the Companys press releases dated January 3, 2023 and February 13, 2023 Ongoing positive discussions with various potential strategic partners The Company has been invited to participate in a roundtable with the Vice President of the European Commission and will also present the Project at the EIT Raw Materials Summit in Brussels May 15-17, 2023 https://www.eitrmsummit.com/programme Ongoing consultations with the Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq municipality to expand the scope of the signed sponsorship agreement disclosed in the Companys July 14, 2022 press release, and further help beyond legal obligations the local community of Ittoqqortoormiit, the only nearby settlement located 190 km to the southeast of the Project The Company continues to advance the Project as planned focussing on capex financing, equipment and construction providers, offtakes directly with end users, and permitting. About Greenland Resources Inc. Greenland Resources is a Canadian public company with the Ontario Securities Commission as its principal regulator and is focused on the development of its 100% owned world-class Climax type pure molybdenum deposit located in central east Greenland. The Malmbjerg molybdenum project is an open pit operation with an environmentally friendly mine design focused on reduced water usage, low aquatic disturbance and low footprint due to modularized infrastructure. The Malmbjerg project benefits from a NI 43-101 Definitive Feasibility Study completed by Tetra Tech in 2022, with Proven and Probable Reserves of 245 million tonnes at 0.176% MoS2, for 571 million pounds of contained molybdenum metal. As the high-grade molybdenum is mined for the first half of the mine life, the average annual production for years one to ten is 32.8 million pounds per year of contained molybdenum metal at an average grade of 0.23% MoS2, approximately 25% of EU total yearly consumption. The project had a previous exploitation license granted in 2009. With offices in Toronto, the Company is led by a management team with an extensive track record in the mining industry and capital markets. For further details, please refer to our web site (www.greenlandresources.ca) and our Canadian regulatory filings on Greenland Resources profile at www.sedar.com. The Project is supported by the European Raw Materials Alliance (ERMA) as stated in their press release EIT/ERMA_June 13, 2022 Press Release, a Knowledge and Innovation Community of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union. About Molybdenum and the European Union Molybdenum is a critical metal used mainly in steel and chemicals that is needed in all technologies in the upcoming green energy transition (World Bank, 2020; IEA, 2021). When added to steel and cast iron, it enhances strength, hardenability, weldability, toughness, temperature strength, and corrosion resistance. Based on data from the International Molybdenum Association and the European Commission Steel Report, the world produced around 576 million pounds of molybdenum in 2021 where the European Union (EU) as the second largest steel producer in the world used approximately 24% of global molybdenum supply and has no domestic molybdenum production. To a greater degree, the EU steel dependent industries like the automotive, construction, and engineering, represent around 18% of the EUs US$16 trillion GDP. Greenland Resources strategically located Malmbjerg molybdenum project has the potential to supply in and for the EU approximately 25% of the EU consumption, of environmentally friendly high quality molybdenum from a responsible EU Associate country, for decades to come. The high quality of the Malmbjerg ore, having low impurity content in phosphorus, tin, antimony, and arsenic, makes it an ideal source of molybdenum for the high-performance steel industry lead worldwide by Europe, specifically the Scandinavian countries and Germany. Forward Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking information" (also referred to as "forward looking statements"), which relate to future events or future performance and reflect managements current expectations and assumptions. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "hopes", "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. Such forward-looking statements reflect managements current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements or information. Forward-looking statements or information in this news release relate to, among other things: the Companys objectives, goals or future plans; construction and engineering initiatives for the Malmbjerg molybdenum project; statements, exploration results, potential mineralization, the estimation of mineral resources and reserves, and their valuation, exploration and mine development plans, timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions. These forward-looking statements and information reflect the Companys current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant operational, business, economic and regulatory uncertainties and contingencies. These assumptions include: obtaining the permitting on the Project in a timely manner; no adverse changes to the planned operations of the Project; continued favourable relationships with local communities; current EU and other initiatives remaining in place into the future; expected demand for molybdenum in the EU and abroad; our mineral reserve estimates and the assumptions upon which they are based, including geotechnical and metallurgical characteristics of rock confirming to sampled results and metallurgical performance; tonnage of ore to be mined and processed; ore grades and recoveries; assumptions and discount rates being appropriately applied to the technical studies; estimated valuation and probability of success of the Companys projects, including the Malmbjerg molybdenum project; prices for molybdenum remaining as estimated; currency exchange rates remaining as estimated; availability of funds for the Companys projects; capital decommissioning and reclamation estimates; mineral reserve and resource estimates and the assumptions upon which they are based; prices for energy inputs, labour, materials, supplies and services (including transportation); no labour-related disruptions; no unplanned delays or interruptions in scheduled construction and production; all necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals are received in a timely manner or at all; and the ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws. The foregoing list of assumptions is not exhaustive. The Company cautions the reader that forward-looking statements and information include known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release and the Company has made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: the favourable results of the SIA and EIA; favourable local community support for the Projects development; the projected demand for molybdenum both in the EU and elsewhere; the current initiatives and programs for resource development in the EU and abroad; the projected and actual effects of the COVID-19 coronavirus on the factors relevant to the business of the Corporation, including the effect on supply chains, labour market, currency and commodity prices and global and Canadian capital markets, fluctuations in molybdenum and commodity prices; fluctuations in prices for energy inputs, labour, materials, supplies and services (including transportation); fluctuations in currency markets (such as the Canadian dollar versus the U.S. dollar versus the Euro); operational risks and hazards inherent with the business of mining (including environmental accidents and hazards, industrial accidents, equipment breakdown, unusual or unexpected geological or structure formations, cave-ins, flooding and severe weather); inadequate insurance, or the inability to obtain insurance, to cover these risks and hazards; our ability to obtain all necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in a timely manner; changes in laws, regulations and government practices in Greenland, including environmental, export and import laws and regulations; legal restrictions relating to mining; risks relating to expropriation; increased competition in the mining industry for equipment and qualified personnel; the availability of additional capital; title matters and the additional risks identified in our filings with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR in Canada (available at www.sedar.com). Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, described or intended. Investors are cautioned against undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required by applicable securities regulations, the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update the forward-looking information. Neither the NEO Exchange Inc. nor its regulation services provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005817/en/ For further information: Ruben Shiffman, PhD Chairman, President Keith Minty, P.Eng, MBA Engineering and Project Management Jim Steel, P.Geo, MBA Exploration and Mining Geology Nauja Bianco, M.Pol.Sci. Public and Community Relations Gary Anstey Investor Relations Eric Grossman, CPA, CGA Chief Financial Officer Corporate office Suite 1410, 181 University Av. Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5H 3M7 Telephone +1 647 273 9913 Email [email protected] Web www.greenlandresources.ca Source: Greenland Resources Inc. QUEBEC CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- (TSX: HEO) H2O Innovation Inc. (H2O Innovation or the Corporation) announces that it will release its financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2023 on Thursday, May 11, 2023, at approximately 8:00 a.m. (EDT). The Corporation will also host a conference call, on the same day, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT). Financial analysts and investors are invited to attend this conference call during which the 2023 third quarter results will be presented. The call will begin with a presentation by management followed by a question-and-answer period. A slide presentation will be available on the Corporate Presentations page of the Investors section of the Corporations website. Time and date: Thursday, May 11, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Dial in number: 1-888-396-8049 or 416-764-8646 About H2O Innovation Innovation is in our name, and it is what drives the organization. H2O Innovation is a complete water solutions company focused on providing best-in-class technologies and services to its customers. The Corporations activities rely on three pillars: i) Water Technologies & Services (WTS) applies membrane technologies and engineering expertise to deliver equipment and services to municipal and industrial water, wastewater, and water reuse customers, ii) Specialty Products (SP) is a set of businesses that manufacture and supply a complete line of specialty chemicals, consumables and engineered products for the global water treatment industry, and iii) Operation & Maintenance (O&M) provides contract operations and associated services for water and wastewater treatment systems. Through innovation, we strive to simplify water. For more information, visit www.h2oinnovation.com. Source: H2O Innovation Inc. www.h2oinnovation.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005041/en/ Marc Blanchet +1 418-688-0170 [email protected] Source: H2O Innovation Inc. This partnership removes complexity and boosts efficiency for international PSPs and merchants wanting to sell cross-border into India at scale LONDON & MUMBAI, India--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- PPRO, the leading digital payments infrastructure provider, has signed a strategic agreement with NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) to offer global partners access to Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Indias fastest-growing, real-time payment system, for cross-border transactions. Todays agreement, supported by a new framework co-developed with NIPL, paves the way for the first merchants to go live in the coming months. By connecting directly to UPI via PPROs digital payments infrastructure, international payment service providers (PSPs) enable merchants to tap into India's huge online consumer base easily and securely, without the need for setting up a legal entity in India, settlement to an India-based bank or for uploading invoices to clear funds. For consumers, this means they can seamlessly make cross-border purchases in Indian Rupees using their favourite payment method. Launched in 2016, UPI is Indias most popular instant payment system, already processing 60% of all domestic payments. It has over 325 million active users, supports 390 banks and 100 third-party apps within a single mobile application. In March 2023 alone, UPI processed over 8.7 billion transactions, the highest since its launch. Simon Black, CEO at PPRO, said: International payment service providers and their merchants can now easily tap into an e-commerce market that is expected to reach an estimated $111 billion next year1, and predicted to almost double to $200 billion by 20262. By integrating UPI into PPROs digital payments infrastructure through a single connection, we have removed all the operational complexity for our partners to sell cross-border into India at scale. Ritesh Shukla, CEO at NIPL, said: UPI has revolutionised the digital payments landscape in India and is respected globally for its role in simplifying and democratising payments. By partnering with PPRO, a market leader in the payments infrastructure space, which powers a vast PSP and merchant network, Indian consumers will now be able to shop online with merchants around the world and pay safely and easily using UPI. For further information, please click here. -ENDS- 1 www.ibef.org/industry/ecommerce 2 www.ibef.org/industry/ecommerce View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230426005853/en/ Media contact Viali Munteanu [email protected] +44 (0) 7547 819 438 Source: PPRO WAYNE, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Radian Group Inc. (NYSE: RDN) today announced that it will host an Investor Day on Tuesday, June 20, 2023 beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time at the New York Stock Exchange in New York City. The companys senior leaders will provide details on Radians business strategy, priorities, key business and product initiatives and financial metrics. The event will be broadcast live over the Internet at https://www.radian.com/who-we-are/for-investors/webcasts. A replay of the webcast will be available at https://www.radian.com/who-we-are/for-investors/webcasts following the live broadcast, for a period of one year. About Radian Radian Group Inc. (NYSE: RDN) is ensuring the American dream of homeownership responsibly and sustainably through products and services that include industry-leading mortgage insurance and a comprehensive suite of mortgage, risk, title, valuation, asset management and other real estate services. We are powered by technology, informed by data and driven to deliver new and better ways to transact and manage risk. Visit radian.com and homegenius.com to learn more about how Radian and its pioneering homegenius platform are building a smarter future for mortgage and real estate services. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005169/en/ For Investors: John Damian - Phone: 215.231.1383 email: [email protected] For the Media: Rashi Iyer - Phone: 215.231.1167 email: [email protected] Source: Radian Group Inc. Taiwan-based luxury carriers first airline partnership will provide travelers seamless access to both airlines networks TAIPEI, Taiwan & LOS ANGELES & SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- On the heels of its inaugural trans-Pacific flight to Los Angeles, Taiwan-based luxury carrier STARLUX Airlines today announced another milestone a strategic partnership with Alaska Airlines. Now, passengers on both airlines will have access to more routes and more benefits. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005095/en/ On the heels of its inaugural trans-Pacific flight to Los Angeles, Taiwan-based luxury carrier STARLUX Airlines today announced another milestone a strategic partnership with Alaska Airlines. (Photo credit: STARLUX) The agreement will give both STARLUX and Alaska loyalty program members more opportunities for rewards by earning points on flights operated by each carrier. Once fully implemented, the partnership will allow customers of both airlines to book connecting flights on a single ticket, making check-in and luggage transfer faster and easier. The partnership will greatly expand STARLUXs reach into the U.S., with customers accessing Alaska Airlines vast domestic and international network, connecting at Alaskas Los Angeles gateway. It will also increase travel choices for Alaska customers looking to travel to Asia who will now have access to 16 top destinations, with an easy transfer in Taipei. Alaska Airlines one of the United States top airlines is the perfect partner for us, said STARLUX CEO Glenn Chai. The agreement will harness our complementary strengths and resources. STARLUX guests flying into Los Angeles will be able to seamlessly connect to more than 100 destinations in the US via Alaska. And Alaska customers will be able to experience STARLUXs exquisite services and ease of connection to our many destinations in Asia, through Taipei. Nat Pieper, senior vice president of fleet, finance, and alliances at Alaska Airlines, said STARLUX is a premier global airline offering world-class service and amenities. Were proud to be their first airline partner, our guests will love flying on STARLUX, connecting the West Coast, Taipei, and many more incredible places in Asia. Were thrilled to offer our loyal Mileage Plan members another exciting way to see the world. The New STARLUX Taipei-Los Angeles Flights The new Taipei-Los Angeles flights will be flown on STARLUXs Airbus A350 aircraft and feature four seats in First, 26 in Business, 36 in Premium Economy and 240 in Economy. From first class to economy, STARLUX flights are designed to delight and soothe the senses, from earth-toned interiors to award-winning crew attire to curated in-cabin aromatherapy and Michelin-rated meals. Airline ticket reservations for departures to Taipei can now be booked through travel agents and on www.starlux-airlines.com. Flights will depart Los Angeles for Taipei on Tuesday and Thursday through Sunday at 00:50 hours. Flights will depart Taipei for Los Angeles on Monday and Wednesday through Saturday at 23:40 hours. Starting From June 1, STARLUX will operate daily flights between Los Angeles and Taipei. About STARLUX Airlines Launched in 2020, STARLUX is a luxury airline based in Taipei serving 16 Asian destinations: Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Okinawa, Sapporo, Sendai, Macau, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hanoi, Manila, and Cebu. STARLUX now serves passengers traveling between Asia and North America with an easy transfer in Taipei. STARLUX is dedicated to providing exquisite services and the utmost comfort for each passenger to enjoy an unforgettable journey. The STARLUX fleet consists of three types of new-generation Airbus aircraft that are extremely efficient A321neo, A330neo and A350 to provide the finest and most eco-friendly journeys. For more information about STARLUX and to book a flight, visit https://www.starlux-airlines.com/en-US. About 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. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005095/en/ Mary Placido SKC, Inc. (415) 218-3627 [email protected] Source: STARLUX Airlines SAO PAULO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Suzano S.A. (B3: SUZB3 | NYSE: SUZ) informs that its 2022 Annual Report on Form 20-F was filed today with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Holders of the Companys equity securities can receive hard copies of the Annual Report, including its audited financial statements, without charge by request directed to: [email protected]. This document is also available on Suzanos website (http://ir.suzano.com.br/). For further information, please contact our Investor Relations Department: Phone: (+55 11) 3503-9330 E-mail: [email protected] About Suzano Suzano is the worlds largest producer of market pulp. A reference in the innovation and production of renewable, bio-based materials from eucalyptus trees for consumer and industrial use. Our responsibly grown materials provide over 2 billion people in more than 100 countries including, among others, market pulp, printing and writing paper, tissue, paper cups and straws, paperboard packaging, toilet paper and textiles, while our fluff for absorbent products is found in diapers and feminine hygiene items. Suzano is guided by the purpose of Renewing life inspired by trees. Innovability, or the pursuit of sustainable solutions through innovation, is at the core of all its work to meet societys challenges. Suzanos history spans 99 years and is listed on the B3 stock exchange in Brazil (SUZB3) and the NYSE (SUZ) in the United States. Learn more at: www.suzano.com.br/en View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427006027/en/ Hawthorn Advisors Jamie Plotnek [email protected] Source: Suzano S.A. Q1 2023 Group sales at $9.2 billion, growth of $0.3 billion, +3% (+8% at CER) versus prior year Q1 2023 EBITDA at $1.9 billion, +1% (+9% at CER) versus prior year BASEL, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Syngenta Group today announced financial results for the first quarter of 2023. Sales for the first quarter 2023 were $9.2 billion, up $0.3 billion or 3 percent (+8% at CER), compared to a strong first quarter 2022. First quarter 2023 EBITDA increased 1 percent (+9% at CER) from prior year to $1.9 billion. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230426005851/en/ Syngenta Group Headquarters - Basel, Switzerland (Photo: Business Wire) All business units continued benefitting from demand for innovative products and services that promote yield increases and support regenerative farming methods that combat climate change, enhance soil health, and preserve biodiversity and water quality. The Group continued to sustain higher prices to help offset higher costs. Seeds market growth remained robust while the market for crop protection non-selective herbicides has slowed as inventories are reduced through the supply chain. All business units delivered growth except ADAMA which was particularly impacted by lower sales of its non-agricultural businesses in the US and China. EBITDA margin for the Group was 20.2 percent. Q1 2023 Q1 2023 Q1 2022 Change Change (CER) $bn $bn % % Sales 9.2 8.9 +3 +8 EBITDA 1.9 1.9 +1 +9 The growth of Syngenta Groups crop protection businesses was slower compared to the exceptionally strong quarters in the prior two years. Prices were higher versus the prior year, helping offset cost increases. Syngenta Seeds continued its strong momentum and delivered double digit sales growth driven by price increases across all regions that offset higher costs. Syngenta Group continued its strong growth in China. Syngenta Group Chinas MAP sales grew 62 percent to $1.1 billion as the number of MAP centers increased by 124 from a year earlier to a total of 638 centers. Average sales per center were up 29 percent year-on-year. With the MAP offering, farmers can modernize farming practices sustainably, while boosting crop quality and farm profitability. The Groups digital solutions have been adopted on 226 million acres globally with high demand from farmers in key markets. Highlights Sales by Business Units Q1 2023 Q1 2023 Q1 2022 Change Change (CER) $bn $bn % % Syngenta Group 9.2 8.9 +3 +8 Syngenta Crop Protection 4.3 4.2 +2 +7 ADAMA 1.6 1.8 -12 -7 Syngenta Seeds 1.5 1.4 +12 +14 Syngenta Group China 3.0 2.4 +26 +37 Eliminations -1.2 -0.9 n/a n/a Syngenta Crop Protection Syngenta Crop Protection sales grew 2 percent to $4.3 billion in the first quarter 2023. Sales in North America sales grew 22 percent; Europe, Africa and the Middle East grew 1 percent. In Asia Pacific (excluding China), sales were 4 percent lower, reduced by 12 percent adverse currency movements. Sales in Latin America decreased by 17 percent as pre-season channel stocking subsided; and China sales grew by 27 percent, despite an adverse impact of 11 percent from a stronger US dollar. Syngenta Crop Protection received regulatory approval for its PLINAZOLIN technology in five countries including Brazil and India, providing farmers with cutting-edge insect control and addressing urgent resistance challenges. ADAMA ADAMA sales were 12 percent lower at $1.6 billion in the first quarter 2023. Sales in Europe, Africa and the Middle East and Latin America remained flat. North America decreased by 26 percent primarily affected by the consumer and the professional product segments; Asia Pacific (excluding China) decreased 14 percent. Sales in China were 23 percent lower largely due to non-agricultural chemical sales. ADAMA launched Cosayr and Lapidos, two Chlorantraniliprole-based insecticides in India, protecting rice and sugar cane crops from pests. Syngenta Seeds Syngenta Seeds sales grew 12 percent to $1.5 billion in the first quarter 2023, as price increases covered higher costs. Field crop sales in Europe, Africa and the Middle East grew 21 percent; North America grew 3 percent; Asia Pacific (excluding China) increased 21 percent; and China 41 percent. Latin America was 15 percent lower, constrained by product availability. Sales of Vegetable Seeds decreased by 1 percent. Syngenta Seeds launched AgriPro commercial hybrid wheat in the US for the spring 2023 growing season, bringing innovation to a major food crop that has not yet benefited from significant technology advancements. Syngenta Group China Syngenta Group China, consisting of the Groups Seeds, Crop Protection, Crop Nutrition, MAP and digital activities in China, achieved sales of $3.0 billion, up 26 percent, in the first quarter 2023. Syngenta Group Chinas Crop Protection sales increased 11 percent. Sales of Seeds grew 40 percent. Crop Nutrition sales were 9 percent higher. MAP and digital sales grew 62 percent to $1.1 billion. The number of MAP centers increased by 124 to a total of 638. MAP digital applications achieved over 2.4 million registered users, equipped with digital tools that help modernize farms across China. Sales of biological products saw strong growth, with products such as high-end bio stimulant Nutrivo, ISABION and Yaxin seeing strong demand in China. Syngenta Group Summary Financials Q1 2023 Q1 2023 Q1 2022 Q1 2023 Q1 2022 $bn $bn bn bn Sales 9.2 8.9 63.1 56.7 Syngenta Crop Protection 4.3 4.2 29.8 26.9 ADAMA 1.6 1.8 10.8 11.4 Syngenta Seeds 1.5 1.4 10.5 8.7 Syngenta Group China 3.0 2.4 20.8 15.2 Of which MAP 1.1 0.6 7.3 4.1 Eliminations -1.2 -0.9 -8.8 -5.5 EBITDA 1.9 1.9 12.7 11.9 Endnotes For further information, see the reporting of financial results for ADAMA Ltd. (SHE: 000553), Sinofert Holdings (SEHK: 0297), Winall Hi-tech Seed (SHE: 300087) and Yangnong Chemical (SHA: 600486). Unless otherwise mentioned, comparisons are to the same period in 2022. Certain amounts, including components of change (%), may not add up due to rounding. The results presented in this release are unaudited and a consolidation of the business units in the Syngenta Group which includes Syngenta AG, Syngenta Group China, ADAMA Ltd., Sinofert Holdings, Winall Hi-tech Seed and Yangnong Chemical. Yangnong Chemical sales have been appended in the Groups Crop Protection units and domestically in Syngenta Group China. Results in this report from one period to another period are, where appropriate, compared using constant exchange rates (CER). To present that information, current period results for entities reporting in currencies other than US dollars are converted into US dollars at the prior period's exchange rates, rather than at the exchange rates for the current year. The CER presentation indicates the business performance before taking into account currency exchange fluctuations. EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure and EBITDA as defined by Syngenta Group may not be comparable to similarly described measures at other companies. Syngenta Group has defined EBITDA as earnings before interest, tax, non-controlling interests, depreciation, amortization, restructuring and impairment. Information concerning EBITDA has been included as it is used by management and by investors as a supplementary measure of operating performance. Syngenta Group excludes restructuring and impairment from EBITDA to focus on results excluding items affecting comparability from one period to the next. EBITDA as used in this press release excludes one-time events; other documents may treat this as an underlying or adjusted EBITDA. EBITDA excludes other one-off or non-cash/non-operational items that do not impact the ongoing performance of the business, as well as the impact of a time-bound, Group launch long-term incentive scheme for leadership. When referred to as such, the Group implies Syngenta Group. About Syngenta Group Syngenta Group is one of the worlds biggest agricultural technology companies, with roots going back more than 250 years. With more than 57,000 employees, operating in more than 100 countries, the company strives to transform food production through Regenerative Agriculture - a science-driven, technology-enabled approach to improve soil, deliver high productivity and high-quality food, help fight climate change and restore lost biodiversity. Syngenta Group, which is registered in Shanghai, China, and has its management headquarters in Switzerland, draws strength from its four business units: Syngenta Crop Protection, headquartered in Switzerland; Syngenta Seeds, headquartered in the United States; ADAMA, headquartered in Israel; and Syngenta Group China. Together, these businesses provide industry-leading ways to serve customers around the world. For Syngenta Group photos and videos, please visit the Syngenta Group Media Library. Data protection is important to us. You are receiving this publication on the legal basis of Article 6 para 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interest). However, if you do not wish to receive further information about Syngenta Group, just send us a brief informal message and we will no longer process your details for this purpose. You can also find further details in our privacy statement. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This document may contain forward-looking statements, which can be identified by terminology such as expect, would, will, potential, plans, prospects, estimated, aiming, on track and similar expressions. Such statements may be subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from these statements. For Syngenta Group, such risks and uncertainties include risks relating to legal proceedings, regulatory approvals, new product development, increasing competition, customer credit risk, general economic and market conditions, compliance and remediation, intellectual property rights, implementation of organizational changes, impairment of intangible assets, consumer perceptions of genetically modified crops and organisms or crop protection chemicals, climatic variations, fluctuations in exchange rates and/or grain prices, single source supply arrangements, political uncertainty, natural disasters, and breaches of data security or other disruptions of information technology. Syngenta Group assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changed assumptions or other factors. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230426005851/en/ Media Relations [email protected] Source: Syngenta Group Award-Winning Private Jet Tour Operator Introduces Eight Tailored Itineraries to Destinations Around the World, from Africa to Australia SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- TCS World Travel, the worlds leading operator of private jet expeditions, today unveiled eight new customizable itineraries for travelers seeking a personalized getaway with private jet, plane or first class commercial travel options. From a deep dive into some of the most remote destinations in southern Africa, to an island-hopping journey around the Mediterranean, travelers can choose from a diverse menu of all-encompassing trips that combine exclusive access and one-of-a-kind experiences with luxury accommodations in desirable destinations around the world. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005255/en/ TCS World Travel Debuts New All-Encompassing Personalized Trips (Photo: Business Wire) TCS World Travels Private Custom Travel arm offers guests an exclusive, private and stress-free way to travel, leveraging TCS wealth of knowledge, global network of connections, and on-the-ground expertise from the companys 30 years of experience creating unforgettable Group Jet Expeditions. Guests will enjoy TCS World Travels exceptional service, dedication and attention to detail, and benefit from their exclusive access and insights, as their knowledgeable travel consultants plan every step of the journey. TCS can also include an experienced trip leader to travel with the group and sort out all the on-the-ground details throughout the journey. Travelers will begin with a complimentary trip consultation with TCS travel consultants, who will help them personalize their itinerary by choosing the perfect destinations and activities. All itineraries are completely customizable for travelers looking to build their own personalized vacations to their own unique tastes and specifications. While these itineraries are designed to spark ideas, TCS can create trips that are as over-the-top as guests wish to go. Whether guests are planning a once-in-a-lifetime bucket-list trip, multi-generational family getaway, or romantic trip with their partner, TCS World Travel has the planning and operational expertise to make the complex simple, said Shelley Cline, President of TCS World Travel. The unparalleled expertise of our travel consultants makes the process seamless and enjoyable from start to finish, as guests work with our team to create the trip of their dreams. TCS all-encompassing curated journeys include luxury accommodations, savvy local guides, exceptional dining experiences, transfers, gratuities and end-to-end service. The trip pricing includes all accommodations and activities in the proposed itinerary, with the ability to add on a private jet or first-class commercial travel to the itinerary starting points. Select itineraries (as indicated below) include private jet travel between destinations, but TCS can arrange anything from commercial or private flights to private car service, yachts or even train travel. Choosing Private Custom Travel gives guests the freedom to travel however they desire. New 2023 Private Travel Itineraries Iconic Europe by Private Jet | from $213,500 per person based on double occupancy Paris, France Prague, Czech Republic Milan, Italy Geneva, Switzerland Uncharted Mediterranean by Private Jet | from $103,250 per person based on a group of eight Corsica, France Cyprus Crete, Greece Valletta, Malta Sardinia, Italy Palma de Mallorca, Spain South America by Private Jet | $95,350 per person based on a group of ten Panama City, Panama Atacama, Chile La Paz, Bolivia Uyuni, Bolivia Iquitos, Peru Trujillo, Peru Cartagena, Colombia Classic India | from $66,350 per person based on double occupancy Delhi Jaipur Agra Bandhavgarh National Park Delhi Red Sands of Namibia, the Okavango Delta and Victoria Falls by Private Plane | from $63,300 per person based on double occupancy Sossusvlei, Namibia Damaraland, Namibia Etosha National Park, Namibia Okavango Delta, Botswana Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Crater to Plain: Tanzania & Kenya | from $36,000 per person based on double occupancy Nairobi, Kenya Amboseli National Park, Kenya Masai Mara, Kenya Serengeti, Tanzania Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania Australias Diverse Landscapes | from $32,978 per person based on double occupancy Melbourne Adelaide Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park Daintree Rainforest Lizard Island Sydney Modern Marvels of Asia | from $25,000 per person based on a group of six Tokyo, Japan Bangkok, Thailand Singapore For more information please call TCS Private Custom Travel at 206-995-8655, email at [email protected] or visit TCSWorldTravel.com About TCS World Travel TCS World Travel leads the industry in private jet journeys with the experience and knowledge built from developing hundreds of trips for over 30 years. The company excels at providing unparalleled local access and exclusive activities tailored to any travel style. Circle the globe or take a dive deep into a region on a luxury private jet expedition or embark on a luxury custom journey by private charter plane created especially for you to any destination in the world. For more information, visit www.tcsworldtravel.com or find TCS World Travel on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005255/en/ TCS World Travel [email protected] Source: TCS World Travel Turkiye makes efforts for the nations security and regional peace holding four-way talks with Syria, Russia and Iran, but Ankara will keep on maintaining the interests of Syrian citizens during this process, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on April 25, Trend reports citing Hurriyet Daily News. We have Syrian brothers and sisters with whom we are together, whether in Turkiye or in Syria. It is out of the question for us to take a decision that will put them in trouble. Everyone should know this and act accordingly, Akar said after talks in Moscow with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu, Irans Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiani, and Syrias Ali Mahmoud Abbas. Turkiye strives to get rid of terrorism threats as soon as possible, to ensure the security of the country, borders and its citizens, and to bring peace, stability and tranquility to the region, he said. The only reason we are in Syria is to fight terrorists, particularly the PKK/YPG/PYD and Daesh/ISIS. We will continue our efforts to neutralize all terrorists, which is important not just for us, but also for the territorial integrity of Syria, Akar told reporters at the Vnukovo International Airport. We will do our best to get ahead in this regard, and we will continue our work, he added. Elaborating on the four-way meeting in Moscow Akar said, We shared that we aim to ensure that our Syrian brothers and sisters we host in our country return to their homes and lands voluntarily, safely and with dignity. Ankara has always maintained, and respected Syrias sovereignty and territorial integrity, the minister noted. Turkiye also aims to prevent a new wave of refugees from Syria, he added. With our efforts, we are providing as positive and stable an environment in Syria as possible. By improving conditions there, we will ensure that the Syrian brothers and sisters we are hosting in our country can return to their homeland voluntarily in a safe and respectful manner, Akar said. Defense ministers of Turkiye, Russia, Iran and Syria, along with the intelligence chiefs of the four countries met in Moscow on April 25. They discussed concrete steps that can be taken in the field of strengthening the security situation in Syria and normalizing Turkiye-Syria relations, said a statement by the ministry on April 25. In December last year, the Turkish, Russian and Syrian defense ministers met in Moscow as part of the normalization process between Ankara and Damascus and discussed counterterrorism efforts in Syria. The three parties agreed to continue the tripartite meetings to ensure stability in Syria and the wider region. Iran later joined the mechanism upon its own request. PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Veolia Environnement (Paris: VIE): The Combined General Meeting of Veolia Environnement shareholders, held today at the Maison de la Mutualite in Paris, under the chairmanship of its Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr. Antoine Frerot, approved all of the resolutions submitted to it with a quorum 73.53%. These resolutions relate in particular on: the approval of the parent company financial statements and group consolidated financial statements for fiscal year 2022 ; ; the setting of the dividend in cash for the fiscal year ended on December 31, 2022 at 1.12 per share. The shares will be traded ex-dividend as of May 9, 2023 and payable from May 11, 2023; the renewal of the terms of office as Director of Mrs. Maryse Aulagnon and the appointment of Mr. Olivier Andries, Mrs. Veronique Bedague and Mr. Francisco Reynes as Directors for a four-year period which will expire at the end of the General Shareholders Meeting that will be called to approve the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2026; the renewal of Ernst & Young et Autres as statutory auditor of the Company for a six-year period which will expire at the end of the General Shareholders Meeting that will be called to approve the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2028; the compensation paid during fiscal year 2022 or awarded in respect of the same fiscal year to Mr. Antoine Frerot as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (from January 1st, 2022 to June 30, 2022); to Mr. Antoine Frerot as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (from January 1st, 2022 to June 30, 2022); the compensation paid during fiscal year 2022 or awarded in respect of the same fiscal year to Mr. Antoine Frerot as Chairman of the Board of Directors (from July 1st, 2022 to December 31st, 2022); to Mr. Antoine Frerot as Chairman of the Board of Directors (from July 1st, 2022 to December 31st, 2022); the compensation paid during fiscal year 2022 or awarded in respect of the same fiscal year to Mrs. Estelle Brachlianoff as Chief Executive Officer (from July 1st, 2022 to December 31st, 2022); to Mrs. Estelle Brachlianoff as Chief Executive Officer (from July 1st, 2022 to December 31st, 2022); the information relating to the 2022 compensation of the Directors (excluding the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer); (excluding the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer); the Chairman of the Boards compensation policy in respect of fiscal year 2023 ; ; the Chief Executive Officers compensation policy in respect of fiscal year 2023 ; ; Directors compensation policy in respect of fiscal year 2023 ; ; the renewal of the financial authorizations granted to the Board of Directors to increase the share capital by issuing shares and/or securities in the context of the implementation of employee share ownership plans; granted to the Board of Directors to increase the share capital by issuing shares and/or securities in the context of the implementation of employee share ownership plans; the authorization granted to the Board of Directors to grant shares to corporate officers and employees of the Group and corporate officers of the Company. After this combined general meeting, the Board of Directors of Veolia Environnement is made up of fourteen Directors, including approximately 82% independent Directors (excluding the two Directors representing employees and the Director representing employee shareholders) and 54.5%1 women, and one non voting member (censeur): Mr. Antoine Frerot, Chairman of the Board of Directors; Mrs. Estelle Brachlianoff, Chief Executive Officer ; ; Mrs. Maryse Aulagnon*, Vice-Chairwoman and Senior Independent Director ; ; Mr. Olivier Andries*; Mrs. Veronique Bedague*; Mr. Pierre-Andre de Chalendar*; Mrs. Isabelle Courville*; Mrs. Marion Guillou*; Mr. Franck Le Roux, Director representing employees ; ; Mrs. Agata Mazurek-Bak, Director representing employee shareholders ; ; Mr. Pavel Pasa, Director representing employees ; ; Mrs. Nathalie Rachou*; Mr. Francisco Reynes*; Mr. Guillaume Texier*; M. Enric Amiguet y Rovira, non voting member (censeur). * Independent member The composition of the committees of the Board of Directors is the following: Accounts and Audit Committee : Mrs. Nathalie Rachou (Chairwoman), Mr. Olivier Andries, Mrs. Veronique Bedague, Mrs. Isabelle Courville, Mr. Franck Le Roux (Director representing employees), Mrs. Agata Mazurek-Bak (Director representing employee shareholders) and Mr. Guillaume Texier. : Mrs. Nathalie Rachou (Chairwoman), Mr. Olivier Andries, Mrs. Veronique Bedague, Mrs. Isabelle Courville, Mr. Franck Le Roux (Director representing employees), Mrs. Agata Mazurek-Bak (Director representing employee shareholders) and Mr. Guillaume Texier. Nominations Committee : Mr. Pierre-Andre de Chalendar (Chairman), Mrs. Maryse Aulagnon, Mrs. Isabelle Courville and Mr. Antoine Frerot. : Mr. Pierre-Andre de Chalendar (Chairman), Mrs. Maryse Aulagnon, Mrs. Isabelle Courville and Mr. Antoine Frerot. Compensation Committee: Mrs. Maryse Aulagnon (Chairwoman), Mr. Olivier Andries, Mr. Pierre-Andre de Chalendar, Mrs. Marion Guillou, Mr. Franck Le Roux (Director representing employees). Research, Innovation and Sustainable Development Committee : Mrs. Isabelle Courville (Chairwoman), Mrs. Marion Guillou, Mr. Pavel Pasa (Director representing employees), Mr. Francisco Reynes and Mr. Guillaume Texier. M. Enric Amiguet y Rovira is invited to attend all meetings of this committee. : Mrs. Isabelle Courville (Chairwoman), Mrs. Marion Guillou, Mr. Pavel Pasa (Director representing employees), Mr. Francisco Reynes and Mr. Guillaume Texier. M. Enric Amiguet y Rovira is invited to attend all meetings of this committee. Purpose of the Company Committee: Mr. Antoine Frerot (Chairman), Mrs. Maryse Aulagnon, Mr. Pierre-Andre de Chalendar, Mrs. Isabelle Courville, Mr. Franck Le Roux (Director representing employees) and Mrs. Nathalie Rachou. Furthermore, the Board of Directors has reaffirmed its willingness to pursue its policy of shareholder dialogue and engagement initiated several years ago. See https://www.veolia.com/en/veolia-group/finance/shareholders for the results of voting on the resolutions and a full webcast of the Combined Shareholders General Meeting. Veolia Group aims to become the benchmark company for ecological transformation. Present on five continents with nearly 220,000 employees, the Group designs and deploys useful, practical solutions for the management of water, waste and energy that are contributing to a radical turnaround of the current situation. Through its three complementary activities, Veolia helps to develop access to resources, to preserve available resources and to renew them. In 2022, the Veolia group provided 111 million inhabitants with drinking water and 97 million with sanitation, produced 44 terawatt hours and recovered 61 million tonnes of waste. Veolia Environnement (Paris Euronext: VIE) achieved consolidated revenue of 42.9 billion euros in 2022. www.veolia.com 1 Excluding the Directors representing employees and the Director representing employee shareholders in accordance with Articles L. 225-27-1 and L. 22-10-7 of the French Commercial Code. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005829/en/ Group press relations Laurent Obadia - Evgeniya Mazalova + 33 6 27 45 11 38 [email protected] Analysts & Investors Ronald Wasylec - Ariane de Lamaze Tel. + 33 1 85 57 84 76 / 84 80 [email protected] Source: Veolia Environnement DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Vista Gold Corp. (Vista or the Company) (NYSE American and TSX: VGZ) today announced the voting results from its annual general and special meeting of shareholders held on Thursday, April 27, 2023 (the AGM or Meeting). A total of 68,925,603 common shares in the capital of the Company (Common Shares) were represented at the meeting, being 57.93% of the Common Shares. Detailed results for the ballot votes for the election of directors are as follows: Proposal Votes For % Votes Withheld % Election of John M. Clark as Director 97.44 2.56 Election of Frederick H. Earnest as Director 96.76 3.24 Election of W. Durand Eppler as Director 97.13 2.87 Election of Deborah J. Friedman as Director 97.04 2.96 Election of Tracy A. Stevenson as Director 97.05 2.95 In addition, at the Meeting, shareholders appointed Plante & Moran PLLC as auditors of the Company and passed ordinary resolutions to approve 1) on an advisory basis, the compensation of the Companys Named Executive Officers and one year as the frequency of future advisory votes and 2) amendments to the Corporations Long Term Equity Incentive Plan. Following the AGM, the Companys Board of Directors (the Board) appointed Tracy A. Stevenson as Chair of the Board. Frederick H. Earnest, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vista, stated, As previously announced, Mike Richings, our former Chair, stepped down at the conclusion of the AGM. On behalf of the Board, I wish to extend my gratitude once again to Mike for his many years of service and contributions to Vista, the Board, and all stakeholders. I am pleased to welcome Tracy Stevenson as Vistas new Chair. Tracy has served on Vistas Board since November 6, 2007 and has contributed greatly to the Companys many successes, including advancing Mt Todd into one of the largest, development-ready gold projects in Australia. As we turn a new page, we look forward to continued success under his Board leadership. Mr. Stevenson said, I am pleased to accept this opportunity to lead the Board and look forward to working with the Vista team to maximize value for our shareholders. I wish to add my thanks to Mike Richings for his extensive contributions to Vista and his friendship. About Vista Gold Corp. Vista is a gold project developer. The Companys flagship asset is the Mt Todd gold project located in the Tier 1, mining friendly jurisdiction of Northern Territory, Australia. Situated approximately 250 km southeast of Darwin, Mt Todd is one of the largest and most advanced undeveloped gold projects in Australia and has the potential to be one of the top five gold producers in Australia. All major environmental and operating permits have now been approved. For further information, please contact Pamela Solly, Vice President of Investor Relations, at (720) 981-1185 or [email protected]. You may also visit our website at www.vistagold.com. Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release that address activities, events or developments that we expect or anticipate will or may occur in the future, including such things as our belief that Mt Todd is one of the largest and most advanced undeveloped gold projects in Australia and has the potential to be one of the top five gold producers in Australia are looking statements and forward-looking information. The material factors and assumptions used to develop the forward-looking statements and forward-looking information contained in this press release include the following: our forecasts and expected cash flows; our projected capital and operating costs; our expectations regarding mining and metallurgical recoveries; mine life and production rates; that laws or regulations impacting mine development or mining activities will remain consistent; our approved business plans, our mineral resource and reserve estimates and results of preliminary economic assessments; preliminary feasibility studies and feasibility studies on our projects, if any; our experience with regulators; our experience and knowledge of the Australian mining industry and our expectations of economic conditions and the price of gold. When used in this press release, the words optimistic, potential, indicate, expect, intend, hopes, believe, may, will, if, anticipate and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Such factors include, among others, uncertainty of resource and reserve estimates, uncertainty as to the Companys future operating costs and ability to raise capital; risks relating to cost increases for capital and operating costs; risks of shortages and fluctuating costs of equipment or supplies; risks relating to fluctuations in the price of gold; the inherently hazardous nature of mining-related activities; potential effects on our operations of environmental regulations in the countries in which it operates; risks due to legal proceedings; risks relating to political and economic instability in certain countries in which it operates; uncertainty as to the results of bulk metallurgical test work; uncertainty as to completion of critical milestones for Mt Todd; as well as those factors discussed under the headings Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors in the Companys latest Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed in February 2023 and other documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Canadian securities regulatory authorities. Although we have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements and forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information; whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427006035/en/ Pamela Solly Vice President of Investor Relations (720) 981-1185 [email protected] Source: Vista Gold Corp. Not for Distribution to U.S. Newswire Services or for Release, Publication, Distribution or Dissemination Directly, or Indirectly, in Whole or in Part, in or Into the United States TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Westaim Corporation (Westaim or the Company) (TSXV: WED) is pleased to announce that it will host its Annual Investor Day on Thursday May 18, 2023 at 9:30 a.m. (Eastern Time) in-person at Vantage Venues, Inverness Room, 27th Floor, 150 King Street West, Toronto, ON, Canada M5H 1J9 and virtually via a live stream. The agenda will include a business overview and discussion with management from Westaim and Arena Investors, followed by a question-and-answer session. Due to the Initial Public Offering and expanded disclosure by Skyward Specialty, management from Skyward Specialty will not be participating in the Annual Investor Day. Those not available to attend in person will have an opportunity to submit questions in advance through registration. The presentation will be available on the Companys website, www.westaim.com, after the Annual Investor Day and for at least 180 days thereafter. If you are interested in attending the Investor Day, please REGISTER HERE. Westaim also announces that it has filed on the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) and on its website its management information circular and related materials for its annual and special meeting of shareholders (ASM) to be held on Thursday May 18, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. (Eastern Time). The ASM will occur in-person at Vantage Venues, Inverness Room, 27th Floor, 150 King Street West, Toronto, ON, Canada M5H 1J9. About Westaim Westaim is a Canadian investment company specializing in providing long-term capital to businesses operating primarily within the global financial services industry. The Company invests, directly and indirectly, through acquisitions, joint ventures and other arrangements, with the objective of providing its shareholders with capital appreciation and real wealth preservation. Westaims strategy is to pursue investment opportunities with a focus towards the financial services industry and grow shareholder value over the long term. Westaims investments include significant interests in Skyward Specialty, Arena Investors and Arena FINCOs. Skyward Specialty, the HIIG Partnership, Arena FINCOs and Arena Investors are defined in the notes to Westaims audited consolidated financial statements for its fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 and related managements discussion and analysis. Westaim's common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the trading symbol WED. Cautionary Note and Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains certain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements"), including with respect to timing of the Investor Day and ASM. All statements other than statements of present or historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "achieve", "could", "believe", "plan", "intend", "objective", "continuous", "ongoing", "estimate", "outlook", "expect", "project" and similar words, including negatives thereof, suggesting future outcomes or that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management of Westaim at the date the statements are made based on information then available to Westaim. Various factors and assumptions are applied in drawing conclusions or making the forecasts or projections set out in forward-looking statements including past practice of the Company. Forward-looking statements are subject to and involve a number of known and unknown, variables, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of Westaim, which may cause Westaims actual performance and results to differ materially from any projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors, among other things, include: foreign exchange risk, regulatory rules and required approvals; market volatility and market disruption. No assurance can be given that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Additional information regarding risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's business are contained under the heading "Risk Factors" in its annual information form for its fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 filed on the Companys profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.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. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005319/en/ J. Cameron MacDonald, President and Chief Executive Officer or Robert T. Kittel, Chief Operating Officer The Westaim Corporation [email protected] (416) 969-3333 Source: The Westaim Corporation LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Wynn Resorts announced today that it has released a pre-recorded audio presentation and an accompanying slide deck to the investment community discussing Wynn Al Marjan Island, its planned integrated resort development in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE. The presentation can be accessed on the Company Info page of the Wynn Resorts Investor Relations website (https://www.wynnresorts.com/). An archive of the audio presentation, and the investor slide presentation will be available on the Wynn Resorts Investor Relations website at https://www.wynnresorts.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005385/en/ Price Karr, Senior Vice President and Treasurer 702-770-7555 [email protected] Source: Wynn Resorts, Limited FILE PHOTO: Crude oil and grease is seen caked on a pump jack in the Permian Basin in Loving County, Texas, U.S. November 25, 2019. REUTERS/Angus Mordant By Stephanie Kelly NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices steadied on Thursday, paring losses from the previous session, after a top Russian official said global oil markets were balanced. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said OPEC+ does not see the need for further oil output cuts but is always able to adjust its policy. Russia is part of the OPEC+ group of oil-producers that this month announced a combined reduction of around 1.16 million barrels per day, a surprise decision the U.S. described as unwise and which sent oil prices higher. Brent crude futures settled up 68 cents at $78.37 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate crude settled up 46 cents at $74.76 a barrel. "The small increase in crude oil prices has been caused by short-covering from the sell-off over the last several days," said Andrew Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates in Houston. On Wednesday, the benchmarks dropped almost 4% as jitters about a U.S. economic downturn overshadowed a larger-than-expected fall in U.S. crude inventories. [EIA/S] Investors are watching economic data for any directional cues on energy demand. U.S. economic growth slowed by more than expected in the first quarter, although jobless claims fell in the week ending April 22, data showed. "It's kind of a mixed bag on interest rates, and oil doesnt know how to take that right now," said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group. On Wednesday, U.S. data showed capital goods spending fell more than expected. Oil prices were also pressured as weak risk sentiment spread from the banking sector due to First Republic Bank's continued slump. Analysts see weak refinery margins as a major drag on oil prices, with oil broker PVM's Tamas Varga pointing to heating oil and gas oil as "the main possible culprit for the outsized weakness". "Inventories in this product are somewhat reluctant to deplete, possibly due to resilient Russian exports," Varga said. Russia has increased exports of refined products despite an EU embargo and oil price cap, sources told Reuters. Falling refinery profit margins could lead to cuts in runs and a further reduction in crude demand, said Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank. Backwardation in the Brent futures curve has eased to just about $2.20 per barrel, having touched $4 a barrel on April 12. Backwardation, when prices for the front-month contract are higher than contracts for later months, typically indicates tight supply. Markets will look for direction from the first quarterly print of euro zone gross domestic product growth, due on Friday. The data could affect monetary policy decisions by the European Central Bank when it meets on May 4. (Reporting by Stephanie Kelly in New York ; Additional reporting by Rowena Edwards in London, Sudarshan Varadhan in Singapore and Katya Golubkova in Tokyo; Editing by Marguerita Choy and David Gregorio) Annovis Bio (NYSE: ANVS) announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted the Company a patent with claims covering the use of Annovis Bios lead drug candidate, buntanetap, for the prevention and treatment of diseases caused by the disruption in heavy metal homeostasis. U.S. Patent 11,596,621 B2 is titled, Prevention or Treatment of Disease States Due to Metal Dis-homeostasis Via Administration of Posiphen [buntanetap] to Healthy or Sick Humans and was issued on March 7, 2023. The patent is expected to confer protection for use of buntanetap and its related analogue molecules for the prevention and treatment of various neurodegenerative diseases associated with metal dis-homeostasis out to early 2040. The 621 patent covers the use of buntanetap for maintaining or restoring heavy metal homeostasis as a method of prevention in healthy humans or as a method of treatment in sick humans. Metal dis-homeostasis, particularly iron, is a hallmark of various conditions including neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and vital organ dysfunction (i.e., brain, heart, liver, lung, and/or kidney). Iron plays a crucial role in many biological processes including translational regulation of neurotoxic proteins. In neurodegenerative diseases, such proteins include amyloid precursor protein (APP), amyloid-, tau, -synuclein, TDP-43, TSE, superoxide dismutase, huntingtin, prion, and c9orf72. The translation of these proteins are regulated by the iron regulatory protein 1 (IRP1) which binds a preserved sequence of mRNA. When this preserved sequence is bound to IRP1, the mRNA is prevented from attaching to the ribosome and being translated. An overload of iron leads to the release of the mRNA from IRP1 and to the translation of the mRNA by the ribosome resulting in the high levels of neurotoxic proteins. Annovis Bios lead drug candidate, buntanetap, inhibits the production of these neurotoxic proteins and therefore has broad clinical utility across a wide spectrum of neuro-inflammatory diseases, including Alzheimers disease and Parkinsons disease. The basis for this newly issued U.S. patent is the ability of buntanetap to augment the binding of IRP1 to mRNA under high iron conditions preventing the translation of neurotoxic proteins and restoring homeostasis, said Maria L. Maccecchini, Ph.D., Founder, President, and CEO of Annovis. Expanding our intellectual property portfolio remains a key strategic focus of Annovis. By introducing buntanetap as a preventative and/or restorative agent for different diseases characterized by an imbalance in metal homeostasis, we seek to expand the IP protections surrounding the clinical utility of this unique and differentiated therapy across a broad range of diseases and conditions impacted by the disruption of heavy metal homeostasis. The 621 patent provides coverage for several aspects of treatment with buntanetap, preventing disease through chronic prophylactic use of buntanetap in healthy humans to maintain iron homeostasis, and use of the drug to restore iron homeostasis in sick humans. Annovis Bio has patents that cover a wide range of chronic neurodegenerative as well as acute neurodegenerative diseases. It furthermore has patents covering neuropsychiatric disorders. About BuntanetapBuntanetap (previously known as ANVS401 or Posiphen) is an oral translational inhibitor of neurotoxic aggregating proteins (TINAPs) which play a role in axonal injury, inflammation, and cell death. By targeting these mechanisms, buntanetap was shown to improve cognitive functions in patients with different neurodegenerative disorders. In Phase 2a clinical trial in AD and PD patients, buntanetap was well-tolerated and safe, and resulted in statistically significant improvement in motor function in PD patients and cognition in AD patients. About Annovis Bio, Inc. Headquartered in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, Annovis Bio, Inc. (Annovis) is a clinical-stage, drug platform company addressing neurodegeneration, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and other chronic neurodegenerative diseases. We believe that we are the only company developing a drug for AD and PD that is designed to inhibit more than one neurotoxic protein and has a mechanism of action designed to restore axonal and synaptic activity. By improving brain function, our goal is to treat memory loss and dementia associated with AD as well as body and brain function associated with PD. Annovis conducted two Phase 1/2 studies: one in AD patients and one in both AD and PD patients. In the AD/PD study buntanetap showed improvements in cognition in AD as well as body and function in PD patients. For more information on Annovis Bio, please visit the Company's website www.annovisbio.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Forward-Looking StatementThis press release contains "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 historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. The Company advises caution in reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the Company's plans related to clinical trials and projections regarding the use of and need for capital. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those implied by forward-looking statements, including regarding patient enrollment, the effectiveness of Buntanetap, the timing, effectiveness, and anticipated results of the Company's clinical trials evaluating the efficacy, safety and tolerability of Buntanetap, and the timing of costs required to fund the Company's operations including such clinical trials. See also additional risk factors set forth in the Company's periodic filings with the SEC, including, but not limited to, those risks and uncertainties listed in the section entitled "Risk Factors," in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to the Company as of the date of this filing. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Media ContactNic JohnsonRusso Partners, LLC (303) 482-6405[email protected] Investors Contact: Chris Calabrese LifeSci Advisors, LLC+1 (917) 680-5608[email protected] Kevin Gardner+1 (617) 283-2856LifeSci Advisors, LLC[email protected] SOURCE Annovis Bio Source: Annovis Bio, Inc. Big Lots Inc . (NYSE: BIG), one of America's largest home discount retailers, is assisting shoppers nationwide by exchanging all expired Bed Bath & Beyond coupons presented at any Big Lots store now through May 7, 2023 .* Any shopper presenting any Bed Bath & Beyond coupon will receive 20% off their entire purchase of $50 or more.* This offer follows Bed Bath & Beyond's recent announcement that its stores will no longer accept coupons as of April 26, 2023 , as operations wind down nationwide. "At Big Lots, our mission is to help people live big and save lots, which means we're always thinking of ways to step up and deliver even more value to consumers," said Bruce Thorn , president & CEO of Big Lots. "For anyone who has missed their last opportunity to redeem one of these coupons, Big Lots is opening our doors to help you save on your entire purchase. This special offer can be used to purchase an assortment of great items for your home, such as bedding and bath accessories, furniture, decor and more." Shoppers new to Big Lots will discover a variety of surprising finds and amazing deals on everything for their home, including furniture, seasonal decor, bedding and bath accessories, kitchenware, pet supplies, food items, laundry and cleaning essentials, and more. Big Lots stores feature exclusive brands such as Broyhill furniture and home decor items, plus a variety of products from national brands and an assortment of private labels all under one roof. The company operates more than 1,425 retail stores across the U.S. in addition to online shopping at biglots.com. To find your nearest Big Lots store, visit local.biglots.com About Big Lots Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio , Big Lots Inc. (NYSE: BIG) is one of America's largest home discount retailers, operating more than 1,425 stores in 48 states, as well as a best-in-class ecommerce platform with expanded fulfillment and delivery capabilities. The company's mission is to help customers "Live Big and Save Lots" by offering unique treasures and exceptional bargains on everything for their home, including furniture, seasonal decor, kitchenware, pet supplies, food items, laundry and cleaning essentials and more. Big Lots is the recipient of Home Textiles Today's 2021 Retail Titan Award. For more information about the company or to find the store nearest you, visit biglots.com . *This offer is not associated with or endorsed by Bed Bath & Beyond. Exclusive, one time use promotional offer valid by invitation only for new and existing BIG Rewards members at Big Lots Stores only. Offer cannot be sold or transferred. Offer does not apply to shipping charges, delivery charges such as BIG! Delivery, Big Coverage, previous transactions, existing price holds, non-purchases such as rentals, deposits, charitable donations, or purchases of milk, other dairy, eggs or gift cards. May be combined with BIG Rewards, but not with any other offer, coupon, discount, or associate discount. When combined with BIG Rewards, % off is applied first. Offer will not be reissued if expired or with return/refund of merchandise. By attempting to redeem this offer, user unconditionally agrees that decisions of Big Lots are final on all matters of interpretation, fact, and procedure with respect to this offer. Valid only on in stock goods. Void where prohibited. No cash value or cash back. To redeem in stores, present a paper or electronic Bed Bath & Beyond coupon at checkout. Offer valid in store only from 4/27/2023 through 5/7/2023 open to close. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/big-lots-to-honor-now-expired-bed-bath--beyond-coupons-through-may-7-301809119.html SOURCE Big Lots, Inc. Chinese electric automaker BYD Co. posted a fivefold jump in its first-quarter profit on Thursday. Net profit for the first three months of the year was 4.13 billion yuan ($596.56 million), up 410.9% from 808.41 million yuan a year earlier, on revenue up 79.8% at 120.17 billion yuan, the company said in a stock market filing. The Warren Buffet-backed EV giant outsold Volkswagen in the first quarter of this year in China, according to a Reuters analysis of data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. BYD sold 552,076 new energy vehicles in the first quarter, a surge of 92.81% year-on-year, according to the company. The company sold more than 1.86 million vehicles in 2022, mostly in China. Last week, BYD unveiled its Seagull electric hatchback at the Shanghai autoshow, with a price of 78,000 yuan - around half the price of the cheapest new energy vehicles available elsewhere. By Michael Elkins | [email protected] Duke Energy Progress and the North Carolina Public Staff have reached a partial settlement on certain items associated with customer rate increases included in the utility's request. The partial settlement includes agreement on many aspects of the company's proposed revenue requirement in the case, including cost recovery of historical capital investments, depreciation for coal plant retirements, and multiple operational items and accounting adjustments. The settlement also addresses capital projects and related costs to be included in the company's three-year rate plan proposal. "We are pleased that we were able to find common ground with the Public Staff on several key issues and develop a settlement agreement that prioritizes the needs of our customers, advances grid reliability and resiliency across the state, and maintains the financial health of the company," said Duke Energy North Carolina President Kendal Bowman . "This is a significant and positive step in these proceedings." The proposed partial settlement was filed late Wednesday with the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) and testimony related to the agreement is expected to be filed this week. Matters not resolved by the partial settlement include return on equity, capital structure, and COVID cost recovery. These items will be considered along with all testimony submitted by the company, other participating parties and the public during a hearing before the NCUC currently scheduled to begin May 1 . Duke Energy Progress will continue to work with the Public Staff and other parties to seek resolution on outstanding matters in the case. The NCUC will ultimately make the final decision on the company's rate request and proposed partial settlement. Duke Energy Progress Duke Energy Progress, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 12,500 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 1.7 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 29,000-square-mile service area in North Carolina and South Carolina . Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C. , is one of America's largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina , South Carolina , Florida , Indiana , Ohio and Kentucky , and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina , South Carolina , Tennessee , Ohio and Kentucky . The company employs 27,600 people. Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company has interim carbon emission targets of at least 50% reduction from electric generation by 2030, 50% for Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 upstream and downstream emissions by 2035, and 80% from electric generation by 2040. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear. Japan's Toyota Motor (NYSE: TM) said Thursday that the Japanese automaker has produced 9.13 million vehicles in the 12 months through March 31, a fraction ahead of its target, though that goal was downgraded twice from an initial goal for the year of around 9.7 million amid industry disruption. In the previous year vehicle output was 8.57 million. However, the world's biggest automaker by sales warned it continues to see impacts from the long-running global chip shortage, saying it remained hard to predict its effect going forward. Global sales for the 12 months ended March rose to 9.61 million vehicles from 9.51 million in the prior year, setting another annual record for the company. The company didn't release new sales or production targets for the current business year that started in April. The company disclosed that it has so far sold 17,473 battery electric vehicles (EVs) worldwide for the first three months of 2023, compared with 24,466 battery EVs sold worldwide for the whole of 2022. Shares of TM are up 2% in pre-market trading on Thursday. By Michael Elkins | [email protected] The Akkuyu nuclear power plant (NPP) will be capable of providing for up to 10% of Turkiyes power consumption after reaching the full design capacity, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday at the ceremony of nuclear fuel delivery to the plant, Trend reports citing TASS. "The plant will be able to support up to 10% of Turkiyes power consumption after achieving the full design capacity, meeting energy needs of the growing Turkish economy," the President said. "The new NPP, as distinct from conventional power plants based on the hydrocarbon fuel, will not inject carbon dioxide into atmosphere, benefiting the environment," Putin added. The Akkuyu is the first nuclear power plant under construction in Turkiye. The project is being implemented on the basis of the intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Turkiye made in 2010. By Michael Erman (Reuters) -Bristol Myers Squibb said on Wednesday evening its CEO Giovanni Caforio would step down in November and will be replaced by current Chief Commercialization Officer Chris Boerner, as the drugmaker contends with increasing generic competition for its top-selling drugs. The company also said on Thursday its first-quarter sales fell, pressured by declining demand for cancer drug Revlimid, which faces competition from cheaper generic rivals. Bristol Myers is also expected to face revenue losses for two of its other top sellers, cancer immunotherapy Opdivo and blood thinner Eliquis, as they lose patent exclusivity later this decade. The shift to CCO Boerner signals that Bristol will be focusing on the execution of launch of new products, as the company looks to spur growth in the face of upcoming patent losses, BMO analyst Evan Seigerman said in a note. "With shares trading at a discount to peers, we could see multiple expansion with new launches" like heart disease drug Camzyos and psoriasis drug Sotyktu, Seigerman added. Boerner, who has been CCO since 2018, was named chief operating officer until he takes the top job. He joined the company in 2015 and previously served in leadership roles at Seattle Genetics Inc and Roche's Genentech. "We have a very strong foundation as a company and Giovanni and I are going to continue to work together to deliver on that value," Boerner said in an interview on Wednesday evening. Caforio will remain with the company as executive chairman. Bristol Myers said on Thursday its revenues in the quarter were $11.34 billion, below analysts' expectations of $11.49 billion, according to Refinitiv data. CFO David Elkins said that revenue in the quarter grew by 10% if you exclude products like Revlimid that have lost their exclusivity as well as the impact of foreign exchange. Sales of Revlimid, which began facing generic competition last year, fell to $1.75 billion in the quarter, down 37% from $2.8 billion last year. Shares of the company were down more than 2% in premarket trade. The company did not significantly change its full year 2023 forecast. (Reporting by Michael Erman, additional reporting by Raghav Mahobe in Bengaluru; editing by Diane Craft and Nivedita Bhattacharjee) Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) shares dropped more than 4% Thursday despite beating analyst consensus expectations. The construction equipment manufacturer reported Q1 EPS of $4.91, $1.11 better than the analyst estimate of $3.80, while revenue for the quarter grew by $116 million or 18%, coming in at $15.9 billion versus the consensus estimate of $15.1 billion. However, there are some demand concerns, with Reuters stating that analysts are worried about the company's order backlog. Caterpillar reported that its Construction Industries segment total sales were $6.746 billion, rising 10%, compared with $6.115 billion in the first quarter of 2022. However, the increase was partially offset by lower sales volume, the company explained, adding that a decrease in sales volume was driven by the impact of changes in dealer inventories. This has fueled some investor concerns. "We achieved double-digit top-line growth and record adjusted profit per share while generating strong ME&T free cash flow," said Jim Umpleby, Caterpillar Chairman and CEO. "Our team remains focused on supporting our customers as we execute our strategy for long-term profitable growth." By Sam Boughedda FILE PHOTO: Cessna employee Dwight Bennett works inside of a jet during a tour of the Cessna business jet assembly line at their manufacturing plant in Wichita, Kansas August 14, 2012. REUTERS/Jeff Tuttle (Reuters) - Textron Inc beat estimates for first-quarter profit on Thursday, as higher sales of pricier business jets in Aviation segment helped offset the lower military helicopter revenues in Bell unit. Shares of the Cessna business jet maker rose ~1% in premarket trading. A stronger-than-expected demand for air travel has forced airlines to keep older jets in service for longer, leading to a rise in demand for spare parts and aftermarket service. On adjusted basis, the company earned $1.05 per share in the first quarter, compared with analysts' average estimate of $1 per share, according to Refinitiv data. Revenue at Textron's Aviation unit was $1.1 billion, up $109 million from last year, reflecting higher pricing of $58 million and higher volume of $51 million. However, the segment's jet deliveries fell to 35 from 39 during the same time due to continued supply chain snags. In Bell unit, the company reported $621 million revenue, down $213 million from a year earlier. While the demand for private flying has begun to flatten from the height of COVID-19, Textron's Aviation segment still had a sizeable order backlog worth $6.5 billion at the quarter end. The jet maker's total revenue of $3.02 billion missed analysts' average estimate of $3.11 billion. (Reporting by Ananta Agarwal in Bengaluru; Editing by Shweta Agarwal) FILE PHOTO: Jamie Dimon, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of JPMorgan Chase & Co., gestures as he speaks during an interview with Reuters in Miami, Florida, U.S., February 8, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello By Nupur Anand and Lananh Nguyen NEW YORK (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co CEO Jamie Dimon sent a clear message to employees this month: get back to the office. It touched a nerve among his staff. The largest U.S. lender's employees inundated an internal messaging forum with criticism after its operating committee posted an edict entitled, "The importance of being together." Some staffers pushed back, calling the message "tone deaf" and "divisive." Although only a tiny fraction of the bank's 297,000 employees posted comments, the volume of pushback, which has not been previously reported, was high for what's typical on the company intranet, said three employees spanning different levels of seniority. Employees, including managers, complained about a "Zoom culture" in which staffers were stuck on virtual conference calls even when present in the office. They also groused about the challenges posed by long commutes and family caretaking responsibilities. Comments were locked after about a day, which is typical for posts with a high volume of responses, another source said. JPMorgan declined to comment. 'CORRECTIVE ACTION' In the nearly 700-word note on April 12 that sent ripples across the financial industry, the bank asked managing directors to return to the office five days a week and warned other employees working on hybrid schedules that they needed to show up three days a week or face consequences. Managers may consider attendance in performance reviews and take "corrective action" if requirements are not met, the memo said. JPMorgan first called employees back to the office on a rotational basis in mid-2021 after months of pandemic shutdowns. Employee grievances highlight the debate raging in corporate America over what is the right balance between in-office collaboration and flexibility. Even among the large Wall Street banks, views have differed. Dimon and his counterparts at Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Morgan Stanley have been prominent advocates of in-office working for learning, innovation and culture. By contrast, Citigroup Inc, UBS Group AG and Bank of New York Mellon Corp have embraced more flexibility as a way to attract and retain talent. Davia Temin, chief executive of crisis management firm Temin and Co, said employers may roll back pandemic flexibility and demand more in-office working as a recession looms and workers vie to keep their jobs. "Working from home was introduced during extraordinary times and leaders have the right to change that, especially now as we are likely to be getting into a recession where profitability will be key," Temin said. "It is not a God-given right, so it can be changed." GROWING CONCERN Dimon, who took the helm in 2006, said after sending out the memo that he felt the need for leaders to be available for spontaneous in-office discussions. "Some people weren't following the rules," Dimon said, in response to a Reuters question on an earnings media call on April 14. "We don't want to punish everybody because of that, but people agreed to do three days a week; we expect three days a week." He added: "We completely understand that some people don't want to do it -- they can not do it elsewhere." A JPMorgan spokesman at the time emphasized the bank would maintain flexibility. In the comments on the memo, which were reviewed by Reuters, some employees gave reasons ranging from traffic and costs to work-life balance as factors to consider against a strict policy. "Most people on my team (and even other teams around me) live pretty far from the office," one employee wrote in a post. "Being stuck in traffic more often and paying even more for gas (prices are rising) is not good for myself and many others." Another commenter wrote: "In spite of the claims here, this is not actually about collaboration." The post was liked by at least 90 readers. Others said remote working was beneficial for mental health, family life and workplace diversity. Many branch employees, building staff and other workers have reported to offices throughout the pandemic without the option to work remotely. In an interview, one JPMorgan employee said the three-day hybrid rule was being enforced so strictly that some workers were asked not to schedule personal commitments, like doctor's appointments, on those days. "There is a growing concern that if managers are going to be coming in five days a week, they may informally start asking the juniors to be in there as well," the employee said, declining to be identified for fear of retribution. (Reporting by Nupur Anand and Lananh Nguyen; Editing by Anna Driver) FILE PHOTO: The Lyft Driver Hub is seen in Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 20, 2019. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo (Reuters) -Ride-hailing firm Lyft Inc said it will lay off about 1,072 employees, or 26% of its workforce, in one of the first steps by the new Chief Executive David Risher, sending its shares up by about 1% on Thursday. Risher, who took over earlier this month, had recently said the company will "significantly" cut jobs, without providing the number of jobs that would be affected. Lyft will also eliminate more than 250 open positions and incur about $41 million to $47 million in costs related to severance and employee benefits in the second quarter, it said in an exchange filing. Separately, Lyft also said it will eliminate three layers of management from 8 to 5 and divide its rideshare business into three core teams. It will also take additional costs related to stock-based compensations, which it said cannot be estimated at the time. The money saved from job cuts will be used to support "service-level improvements" for riders and drivers, Lyft said, promising to offer more details in its first-quarter earnings call on May 4. This is the second round of job cuts by Lyft, which faces competition from bigger rival Uber Technologies Inc in a slowing economy. It had laid off about 683 employees, or 13% of its then workforce, in November. Coming off pandemic lows, Uber and Lyft are locked in a battle for market share, and investors worry that Lyft's price cuts to avoid being a distant second in the North American ride-sharing market would squeeze its profit. Lyft's stock closed up 1.5% on Thursday and so far this year has lost 8.8% of its value compared with Uber's 20% gain. (Reporting by Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Granth Vanaik; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Arun Koyyur) Oslo, Norway - 27 April 2023 - The Nominations Committee in Ensurge Micropower ASA (the Company) is pleased to announce that it will propose to the Companys Annual General Meeting on 24 May 2023 that Terje Rogne is elected as the Company's next Chair of the Board of Directors. Terje Rogne would replace Morten Opstad, who, under the proposal, would remain a member of the Board. Terje Rogne has extensive experience from both board (including as chair) and executive positions in various multinational enterprises, and the Nomination Committee believes that he would be a strong contributor to the scaling of the Companys operations going forward and reaching a profitable operation. The Nomination Committee will at the same time express its gratitude to Morten Opstad for his many years of service to the Company as Chair of the Board of Directors. Contact Stale Bjrnstad - Investor Relations E-mail: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) Phone: +47 99 16 76 72 About Ensurge Micropower Ensurge is Energizing Innovation (TM) with ultrathin, flexible, and safe energy storage solutions for wearable devices, connected sensors, and beyond. Ensurge's innovative solid-state lithium battery (SSLB) technology is uniquely positioned to enable the production of powerful, lightweight, and cost-effective rechargeable batteries for diverse applications. The company's state-of-the-art flexible electronics manufacturing facility, located in the heart of Silicon Valley, combines patented process technology and materials innovation with the scale of roll-to-roll production methods to bring the advantages of SSLB technology to established and expanding markets. Ensurge Micropower ASA ("Ensurge") is a publicly listed company in Norway with corporate headquarters in Oslo and global headquarters in San Jose, California. This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ero Copper Corp. (TSX: ERO, NYSE: ERO) ("Ero" or the Company) reported the voting results from its Annual General and Special Meeting of Shareholders held today in Vancouver, British Columbia. A total of 82,182,553 common shares were represented at the meeting, being 89.08% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company as at the March 6, 2023 record date. Shareholders voted in favour of all items of business before the meeting, including the re-election of managements nominees as directors for the ensuing year and the advisory vote on executive compensation. Detailed results of the votes are presented below. Each item of business voted upon at the meeting is described in detail in the Company's Management Information Circular dated March 7, 2023 (the Circular), which is available on the Company's website (www.erocopper.com), on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and on EDGAR (www.sec.gov). SET THE NUMBER OF DIRECTORS AT TEN Shareholders approved the proposal to set the number of directors at ten with 99.99% of votes cast in favour. ELECTION OF DIRECTORS Shareholders re-elected ten directors as follows: Number of Common Shares Voted Percentage of Votes Cast Director Nominee For Withheld For Withheld Christopher Noel Dunn 67,587,902 1,003,619 98.54 % 1.46 % David Strang 68,465,016 126,505 99.82 % 0.18 % Jill Angevine 67,568,540 1,022,981 98.51 % 1.49 % Lyle Braaten 65,783,770 2,807,751 95.91 % 4.09 % Steven Busby 67,586,891 1,004,630 98.54 % 1.46 % Dr. Sally Eyre 66,888,685 1,702,837 97.52 % 2.48 % Robert Getz 67,216,580 1,374,941 98.00 % 2.00 % Chantal Gosselin 67,972,999 618,523 99.10 % 0.90 % John Wright 68,452,809 138,712 99.80 % 0.20 % Matthew Wubs 67,445,877 1,145,644 98.33 % 1.67 % APPOINTMENT OF AUDITOR Shareholders re-appointed KPMG LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants, as the auditor of the Company and authorized the directors of the Company to fix the remuneration to be paid to the auditor with 99.97% of votes cast in favour. CERTAIN MATTERS RELATING TO THE STOCK OPTION PLAN Shareholders authorized and approved the Companys Stock Option Plan, including amendments thereto, and the unallocated options issuable thereunder with 98.40% of votes cast in favour. CERTAIN MATTERS RELATING TO THE SHARE UNIT PLAN Shareholders authorized and approved the Companys Share Unit Plan, including amendments thereto, and the unallocated units issuable thereunder with 99.54% of votes cast in favour. ADVISORY VOTE ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION Shareholder approved the non-binding advisory say on pay resolution accepting the Companys approach to executive compensation as described in the Circular with 97.81% of votes cast in favour. ABOUT ERO COPPER CORP Ero Copper Corp is a high-margin, high-growth, clean copper producer with operations in Brazil and corporate headquarters in Vancouver, B.C. The Company's primary asset is a 99.6% interest in the Brazilian copper mining company, MCSA, 100% owner of the Company's Caraiba Operations (formerly known as the MCSA Mining Complex), which are located in the Curaca Valley, Bahia State, Brazil and include the Pilar and Vermelhos underground mines and the Surubim open pit mine, and the Tucuma Project (formerly known as Boa Esperanca), an IOCG-type copper project located in Para, Brazil. The Company also owns 97.6% of NX Gold S.A. which owns the Xavantina Operations (formerly known as the NX Gold Mine), namely comprised of an operating gold and silver mine located in Mato Grosso, Brazil. Additional information on the Company and its operations, including technical reports on the Caraiba Operations, Xavantina Operations and Tucuma Project, can be found on the Company's website (www.erocopper.com), on SEDAR (www.sedar.com), and on EDGAR (www.sec.gov). The Companys shares are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ERO. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT Courtney Lynn, VP, Corporate Development & Investor Relations (604) 335-7504 [email protected] LOS ANGELES, April 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via InvestorWire -- IBN , a multifaceted communications organization engaged in connecting public companies to the investment community, is pleased to announce the release of the latest episode of The Bell2Bell Podcast as part of its sustained effort to provide specialized content distribution via widespread syndication channels. The Bell2Bell Podcast delivers informative updates and exclusive interviews with executives operating in fast-moving industries. Bell2Bells latest podcast features Mark Selby, chairman, CEO and director of Canada Nickel Company Inc. (TSX.V: CNC) (OTCQX: CNIKF) , a company working to advance the next generation of high-quality nickel-cobalt projects to feed the high-growth electric vehicle and stainless steel markets. To begin the interview, Selby provided an introduction to the companys business model and operating markets. Canada Nickel Company was founded just over three years ago. In that very short timeframe, weve taken a project from drillhole to one of the largest nickel-sulfide discoveries ever and the largest since the early 1970s, Selby said. The project is located just outside Timmins, which is a very well-established mining camp. We have all the major infrastructure needed to advance this project, and were about a third of the way through the permitting process already. Were looking to be permitted by the middle part of this decade, with first production by 2027. Later this year, well have our feasibility study out. Were rapidly advancing this project, which will be one of the largest nickel-sulfide mines globally. Selby next discussed his professional background and those of the Canada Nickel leadership team. Weve got an excellent team thats done this before. I started in the mining industry about 20 years ago working for a company called Inco, which was the worlds largest nickel producer at that time and was acquired by Vale in 2007, he continued. For most of the last 20 years, I have been in the nickel business. I started as Head of Commodity Research at Inco, so Im seen as one of the experts on the nickel market. Theres a real market opportunity for a large-scale source of nickel thats in a safe jurisdiction and, most importantly, can be a very low-carbon source, which our project has the unique ability to be given its location and the fact that its hosted in ultramafic rocks that spontaneously soak up CO2. In terms of our team, some of us were involved with another company called RNC Minerals that took the Dumont project, which is also nickel-sulfide, from resource stage right through to fully-permitted and construction-ready. Weve got the people whove permitted large projects; weve got members of our team whove been involved in building large-scale open-pit mine mill operations in the same Abitibi region of Ontario and Quebec. Thats a big part of why weve been able to advance this project in a fraction of the timeframe that it would take most mining companies, including most major mining companies. Join IBNs Stuart Smith and Mark Selby, Chairman, CEO and Director of Canada Nickel Company Inc. (TSX.V: CNC) (OTCQX: CNIKF) , to learn more about the companys recent milestones and goals for the balance of 2023 and beyond. To hear the episode and subscribe for future podcasts, visit https://podcast.bell2bell.com . The latest installment of The Bell2Bell Podcast continues to reinforce IBNs commitment to the expansion of its robust network of brands, client partners, followers, and the growing IBN Podcast Series . For more than 17 years, IBN has leveraged this commitment to provide unparalleled distribution and corporate messaging solutions to 500+ public and private companies . To learn more about IBNs achievements and milestones via a visual timeline, visit: https://IBN.fm/TimeLine About Canada Nickel Canada Nickel Company Inc. is advancing the next generation of nickel-sulfide projects to deliver nickel required to feed the high growth electric vehicle and stainless steel markets. Canada Nickel Company has applied in multiple jurisdictions to trademark the terms NetZero Nickel, NetZero Cobalt and NetZero Iron and is pursuing the development of processes to allow the production of net zero carbon nickel, cobalt and iron products. Canada Nickel provides investors with leverage to nickel in low political risk jurisdictions. Canada Nickel is currently anchored by its 100% owned flagship Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulfide Project in the heart of the prolific Timmins-Cochrane mining camp. For more information, visit the companys website at www.CanadaNickel.com About IBN IBN consists of financial brands introduced to the investment public over the course of 17+ years. With IBN, we have amassed a collective audience of millions of social media followers. These distinctive investor brands aim to fulfill the unique needs of a growing base of client-partners. IBN will continue to expand our branded network of highly influential properties, leveraging the knowledge and energy of specialized teams of experts to serve our increasingly diversified list of clients. Through our Dynamic Brand Portfolio (DBP) , IBN provides: (1) access to a network of wire solutions via InvestorWire to reach all target markets, industries and demographics in the most effective manner possible; (2) article and editorial syndication to 5,000+ news outlets ; (3) Press Release Enhancement to ensure maximum impact; (4) full-scale distribution to a growing social media audience; (5) a full array of corporate communications solutions ; and (6) total news coverage solutions. For more information, please visit https://www.InvestorBrandNetwork.com Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the InvestorBrandNetwork website applicable to all content provided by IBN, wherever published or re-published: http://IBN.fm/Disclaimer Forward-Looking Statements This release contains 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 forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain as they are based on current expectations and assumptions concerning future events or future performance of the company. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are only predictions and speak only as of the date hereof. In evaluating such statements, prospective investors should review carefully various risks and uncertainties identified in this release and matters set in the company's SEC filings. These risks and uncertainties could cause the company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Corporate Communications TORONTO, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jamieson Wellness Inc. (Jamieson Wellness or the Company) (TSX: JWEL) today announced that its Board of Directors has approved an amendment to the Companys long-term incentive plan (the LTIP), having considered the voting recommendation made by Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. to its subscribers. The amendment decreases the maximum number of the Companys shares that may be subject to awards under the LTIP and the Companys legacy option plan to 8.7% of the issued shares outstanding from time to time. An amended and restated LTIP has been filed under the Companys profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. About Jamieson Wellness Jamieson Wellness is dedicated to improving the world's health and wellness with its portfolio of innovative natural health brands. Established in 1922, Jamieson is the Company's heritage brand and Canada's #1 consumer health brand. Jamieson Wellness also offers a variety of VMS products under its youtheory, Progressive, Smart Solutions, Iron Vegan and Precision brands. The Company is a participant of the United Nations Global Compact and adheres to its principles-based approach to responsible business. For more information, please visit www.jamiesonwellness.com. Jamieson Wellness head office is located at 1 Adelaide Street East Suite 2200, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Contact Information: Jamieson WellnessRuth Winker416-705-5437[email protected] Source: Jamieson Wellness Inc. GREELEY, Colo., April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- JBS USA today announced that current Chief Executive Officer Tim Schellpeper has made the decision to retire from his role effective May 1, 2023. Wesley Batista Filho, with more than 13 years of experience in the company, will assume the role of CEO of JBS USA. We thank Tim for all of his contributions to the success of JBS USA during his tenure, said Gilberto Tomazoni, JBS Global CEO. Tim came out of retirement to join our team, producing record results as the head of our Fed Beef business unit and laying the foundation for our continued success as CEO. We wish him all the best in his retirement.Schellpeper joined JBS USA in 2017, first serving as President of the JBS USA Fed Beef business unit before becoming CEO of JBS USA. A veteran of the protein industry, Schellpeper served in several senior leadership capacities throughout his distinguished career. I want to thank JBS USA for the opportunity to contribute to the organization over the past six years, said Schellpeper. With this reorganization, I am taking the opportunity to return to retirement and spend more time with my family. I consider my experience at JBS USA the capstone to my career. It has been a pleasure to work alongside the men and women at JBS USA. Any success I had during my tenure is due to them. Batista Filho began his career at JBS in 2011 and has held a number of strategic roles, including serving as President of JBS Canada, President of the JBS USA Fed Beef Division, CEO of Seara, and CEO of JBS Brazil. About JBS USAJBS USA is a leading global food company providing diversified, high-quality food products for sale to customers in approximately 100 countries on six continents. This includes meat, poultry and seafood products, a portfolio of recognized brands and innovative premium foods. Visit jbsfoodsgroup.com. Media Contact:Nikki RichardsonCorporate Communications[email protected] Source: JBS USA, LLC The evacuation of Turkish civilians from Sudan via Ethiopia has been completed as of Thursday, the Turkish Embassy in Khartoum announced, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah. Nearly 1,500 people, including 1,383 Turks, have been removed so far, with efforts underway to bring home 200 others from Port Sudan and 200 more from a military base near Khartoum. Turkiye began a large-scale evacuation of its citizens last Sunday, following other nations in pulling people out of Sudan, where violent clashes between the army and a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over the RSFs absolute integration in the military have killed hundreds of people and stranded foreigners since April 15. Fighting flared anew in the country late this week despite the warring factions cease-fire declaration as more people fled Khartoum and former officials, including one facing international war crimes charges, left prison. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on both sides in Sudan to end the conflict and return to negotiations. However, a U.N. envoy said the truce was partially holding despite no sign that the two sides were ready for serious talks. Also on Thursday, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke in a video call with a group of Turks awaiting evacuation via Egypt. Sending greetings from Antalya, Cavusoglu wished the evacuees a safe journey to Cairo and then to Turkiye. He also expressed gratitude to Turkish authorities for taking care of the evacuees. We have a light heart thanks to your efforts. Thank you for not leaving our citizens alone, he said. SINGAPORE, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MODIFI, a leading European fintech company specializing in cross-border payment solutions and provision of liquidity for exporters around the world, announces the opening of its new office in Singapore. The expansion is part of MODIFI's strategy to strengthen its global presence and better serve customers in Asia. The company's Chief Commercial Officer, Matthias Hendrichs, will relocate from Germany to Singapore to lead the new office and oversee the company's growth in the region. Hendrichs brings over 16 years of experience in Asia and has played an instrumental role in driving MODIFI's global expansion to date. "We are thrilled to announce the opening of our new office in Singapore, which marks an important milestone in our journey to expand our global footprint," said Nelson Holzner, CEO of MODIFI. "With this new office, we aim to deepen our relationships with customers in Asia and provide them with the best cross-border payment solutions available." Singapore's strategic location at the intersection of major shipping routes has made it a crucial port of call for ships traveling between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Moreover, with a well-developed air transport network and Changi Airport serving as a major hub for international flights, Singapore is an efficient location for businesses to transport goods and connect with global markets. Additionally, Singapore has recently surpassed Hong Kong and now ranks as the third largest financial center in the world. MODIFI's expansion to Singapore comes at a time when the company is experiencing rapid growth and increasing demand for its services in Asia. The company's innovative platform offers exporters the No 1 payment method in cross-border business: With MODIFI, exporters get paid instantly while buyers can pay up to 180 days later. MODIFI's solutions have already helped over 1,500 businesses around the world grow their business and expand into new markets. "We are excited to be part of Singapore's vibrant fintech ecosystem and collaborate with local partners to provide our customers with the best service," said Hendrichs. "Our goal is to help businesses in Asia thrive by providing them with the support they need to succeed in today's global marketplace." MODIFI's new office is in Singapores financial district and will serve as the company's regional headquarters for Asia. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/13e859a3-c59b-4abd-aca2-7fa61b2e475e Alexandria, Va., April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As Congress readies legislation aimed at drug prices and marketplace fairness, a new national poll released today by the National Community Pharmacists Association shows strong bipartisan support for regulating the shadowy corporate middlemen who control almost everyones prescriptions. When you explain to voters the dominant role that PBMs play in the prescription drug market, and the outsized control they have over patients and their health care providers, they are very concerned. The data makes that crystal clear, and it cuts across every political and demographic group. If ever there was an opportunity for Congress to pass bipartisan reform, that time is right now, said NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey, pharmacist, MBA. According to the poll, taken by Morning Consult, voters know very little or nothing at all about pharmacy benefit managers, the largest three of which control 80 percent of all prescriptions in the U.S. Eighty percent are concerned that PBMs steer patients to pharmacies they own or control to maximize their own profit. Seventy-eight percent are concerned that PBMs often require patients to use their own mail-order pharmacies instead of local pharmacies. And 80 percent are concerned that PBMs keep all or most of the discounts on drugs they negotiate instead of passing the savings on to consumers. The numbers are staggering. Large majorities of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents are concerned by the PBMs self-serving and anti-competitive practices. Thats consistent across racial groups, gender groups, and age groups. PBMs have operated for decades with very little oversight, and voters in every state and congressional district know instinctively that meaningful reform is necessary, said Hoey. The poll, conducted between April 19 and April 22, sampled 1,969 registered voters. Seventy-six percent are concerned that PBMs reimburse local pharmacies less for medicines than it costs the pharmacies to purchase and dispense them. Voters dont like that PBMs overcharge employer and taxpayer-funded programs for drugs and pocket the difference. And 80 percent are concerned that just three PBMs control 80 percent of the prescription drug market. Moreover, large majorities of voters support specific reforms that Congress can pass now. For example, 76 percent of voters would support a ban on patient steering. Seventy-five percent say Congress should ban PBMs from penalizing patients who use their own pharmacies instead of those owned or controlled by PBMs. Three-quarters believe Congress should require PBMs and insurance companies to reimburse local pharmacies at least what it costs them to purchase and dispense drugs. And when PBMs negotiate rebates on drugs to include in their insurance plans, they should be required to pass the savings on to patients, say 78 percent of voters. Basically, voters are concerned by the entire PBM business model. Almost all their practices meet with widespread public disapproval. The political ground is very fertile for meaningful reform that treats taxpayer dollars responsibly and pays pharmacies fairly, said Hoey. In fact, the poll shows overwhelming support for more aggressive reforms over narrower options. For example, voters were asked to consider two plans: the first would ban patient steering; ban PBMs from excluding cheaper generic drugs in favor of more expensive brand-names; require PBMs to share rebates with patients; and require broad transparency in PBM practices. The second plan would ban spread pricing; force PBMs to share discounts with health insurance companies instead of patients; and tell government agencies how much theyre getting in discounts from drug manufacturers. Seventy-five percent of voters chose the first plan, a strong signal that Congress should focus on comprehensive reform that benefits patients directly. In another question, the identical majority 75 percent favor a rule forcing PBMs to report key financial information with government regulators over a rule requiring them to simply share certain information with health insurance companies and employers. Voters want real transparency, public accountability, and a non-coerced choice as to where they get their prescriptions, said Hoey. Both of those are necessary for a healthy market that can produce more choices and lower prices for patients and taxpayers. To see the entire poll, click here. ### Founded in 1898, the National Community Pharmacists Association is the voice for the community pharmacist, representing over 19,400 pharmacies that employ nearly 240,000 individuals nationwide. Community pharmacies are rooted in the communities where they are located and are among Americas most accessible health care providers. To learn more, visit www.ncpa.org. Attachments Andie Pivarunas National Community Pharmacists Association 703-600-1174 [email protected] Source: National Community Pharmacists Association New York, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New York, NY (April 27, 2023) Columbia Universitys School of Social Work, one of the worlds leading research universities, and Committee of 100, a non-profit membership organization of prominent Chinese Americans, today announced the results from a year-long research project and survey that looked at the health, economic, and sociopolitical conditions of todays Chinese American population. The first and largest project of its kind, the State of Chinese Americans survey gathered information from nearly 6,500 participants from across the U.S., compiling data related to demographics, politics, cultural identity, health, economic security, and social engagement. The research effort was supported by over 100 Chinese American and allied organizations nationwide, who shared the survey with community members in English, traditional Chinese, and simplified Chinese. Collecting disaggregated, accurate and comprehensive data on Chinese Americans will help inform policymakers and the public on the diverse set of opinions, perceptions, and needs of Chinese Americans across the country. This will enable key decision-makers to develop timely and responsive policies, programs, and services to address those needs. Key findings from the State of Chinese Americans survey report: Racism against Chinese Americans continues. While the overwhelming majority of Chinese Americans see themselves as an accepted part of American society, culturally blended between American and Chinese traditions, they are also marginalized. They have experienced discrimination in their daily lives with: Nearly 3 out of 4 (74%) Chinese Americans having experienced racial discrimination in the past 12 months; 55% worrying about their safety relating to hate crimes or harassment; 9% having been physically intimidated/assaulted and 7% having had property vandalized/damaged; Nearly half of the survey respondents (46%) reported being treated with less respect than other people at least a few times in the past 12 months; 1 in 5 reported that people made a racial slur, called them a name, or harassed them in person or online at least a few times in the past 12 months. The overwhelming majority of Chinese American citizens vote. They care deeply about issues facing the U.S. society, and they want better relations and more collaboration between the U.S. and China, including: The overwhelming majority (83%) of Chinese American citizens are registered voters, and 91% of registered voters voted in the 2020 presidential election; Racism, crime, gun control, and the economy were identified as the top four most important issues facing the U.S. according to respondents; Most respondents (82%) agreed that the U.S. should build a collaborative economic relationship with China; The economy and trade were identified as the two top areas for mutual benefit from U.S.-China collaboration efforts. Chinese Americans are not homogenous. While often stereotyped as a model minority, many face disadvantages or hardships in health and economics and need better support from policies and services, including: Nearly one in four (24%) Chinese Americans are at moderate or severe risk of mental illness when asked about their psychological distress, including feeling worthless, depressed, hopeless, restless, nervous, or that everything was an effort; Nearly a quarter (24%) reported either fair or poor physical or mental health, or having one or more types of disability; 10% reported a household income below $15k and 9% reported experiencing food or bills hardship in the past 12 months. The Chinese American population is one of the fastest-growing ethnic groups in the United States, yet it remains underrepresented in politics and policy, and underserved in healthcare, education, and social services, noted Gary Locke, Committee of 100 Chair, Former U.S. Ambassador to China, and current President of Bellevue College in Washington. This important collaboration between Committee of 100 and Columbia University brings a critical and deeper understanding of the real experiences of Chinese Americans, not the stereotypical assumptions assigned to a model minority group. Moreover, it highlights that this is a group that is both politically active and engaged. These findings are certain to influence economic, social, and political policies to help improve the well-being of the entire Chinese American community. As Dean of the Columbia School of Social Work, says Dr. Melissa Begg, I often reflect on the fact that much suffering is caused by policies that we have ourselves created; but if we created these policies, then we can fix them. This initiative has deepened our understanding of the many challenges faced by Chinese Americans today - including experiences of discrimination and risk of mental illness. These critically important findings now make it possible for us to create clear and informed policy - policy that leads to equity. I want to thank the Committee of 100 for their partnership, as well as the researchers involved in this study, led by Dr. Qin Gao, for focusing on an extremely important topic. These survey results are the outcome of more than a year of collaboration between researchers from the China Center for Social Policy at Columbia University School of Social Work, Committee of 100, inputs from a stellar advisory group and contributions from more than 100 community organizations across the country, said Dr. Qin Gao, Professor and Director of the China Center for Social Policy at Columbia Universitys School of Social Work and lead researcher on this project. This innovative approach, which allowed us to survey local and hard-to-reach communities, enabled us to obtain a large, diverse national sample of the Chinese-American community. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with such distinguished colleagues to help shed light on the unique challenges and opportunities facing Chinese Americans and to inform policy and practice that can help this community thrive. Zhengyu Huang, President of Committee of 100 noted, This collaboration with Columbia University marks the first in what I hope will be a long partnership in gathering and analyzing quality data related to the Chinese American community. The findings from this survey are certain to influence many conversations around the power of disaggregated data. For example, the vast majority of Chinese Americans believe that the U.S. should work to find ways to collaborate with China on economic issues. The majority of them see the current U.S.-China relationship as negative and needing improvement. As we delve more deeply into the data in the coming weeks and months, I am confident that the findings will have real impact in our efforts to work towards a more inclusive and equitable society for all. Additional Survey Findings Nearly 40% reported speaking two or more languages at home, with 80% being English proficient; Over half of the sample were born in Mainland China and over a quarter (27%) were born in the U.S., but the percentages of those who specified Mainland China and the United States as a place of upbringing were similar (44% and 41%); 79% viewed current U.S.-China relations as negative, and negativity grew with increasing educational attainment. To read the executive summary and view the data slides, click here. On Thursday, April 27 from 7:00-8:30 PM Eastern, the results of the survey will be discussed during an online panel event open to the public. Free registration for The Fight for Representation: The State of Chinese Americans Survey can be found here. Survey Methodology The State of Chinese Americans Survey questionnaire included 77 questions across six modules: Demographics, Racial and Cultural Background, Health, Economic Activities and Insecurity, Social Engagement, and Political Engagement. Two open-ended questions in the survey asked respondents to describe their experience with racial discrimination and coping mechanisms, and the impact of U.S.-China relations in their daily lives. The nationwide survey was conducted online in English, simplified Chinese, and traditional Chinese, and invited the participation of all adults self-identifying of Chinese-ethnic origin and living in the United States. No incentives were provided for survey participation. Study participants were recruited through community outreach in partnership with more than 100 organizations throughout the country. Given the lack of a complete and reliable national sampling frame of Chinese Americans, this study used a non-probability sampling method with targeted subgroup recruitment efforts focusing on a set of key demographic characteristics for diverse representation. Special efforts were made to recruit participants in geographical areas where Chinese Americans are underrepresented. To ensure sufficient sample sizes for the harder-to-reach individuals with lower levels of income, education, and English proficiency, roughly one-third of the partner organizations were specialized in community engagement, resource provision, and housing. The remaining two-thirds were affiliated with advocacy, commerce, culture, religion, and various professions. After data collection was completed, statistical weights were created using the post-stratification raking method. The raking method is commonly used in survey research to adjust for nonresponse and sampling biases. The method involved calibrating the sample statistics so that the sample approximates the national Chinese American population on the known distribution of key demographic characteristics including gender, age, education level, English proficiency, U.S. citizenship, income level, and census region based on the 2020 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates. All results reported are with the statistical weights applied. Partnerships Columbia University and Committee of 100 are proud to have partnered with over 100 community, professional, and advocacy organizations across the country in rolling out this survey. Additionally, the research team completed a successful pilot study of the survey last summer, with the help of the Chinese-American Planning Council, Chinese American Women in Action, the Community Youth Center of San Francisco, and the U.S. Heartland China Association. Committee of 100 and Columbia University would like to thank each of the partners who helped distribute the survey to their respective audiences to help gain responses. Premier Partners 1990 Institute, Alliance for Families with Developmental Needs, Asian American Donors Program, Asian American Government Executives Network, AsAmNews, Asian American Women Artists Association, BeChinatown, Biing-Huei Su, The Carter Center, Chicago Chinese Forum, The China Project, Chinese American Association of Greater Chicago, Chinese American Citizens Alliance Boston, Chinese American Citizens Alliance Portland, Chinese American Citizens Alliance Seattle, Chinese American Citizens Alliance National, Chinese American Museum DC, Chinese American Pioneer Heritage Committee, Chinese American Women in Action, Chinese Heritage Foundation, Chinese Historical Society of Southern California, Chinese-American Planning Council, Inc., Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community, Columbia Business School, Community Youth Center of San Francisco, Deloitte, Friends of Children with Special Needs, George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations, Henry Tom, Institute for China-America Studies, Kaiming Head Start, Museum of Chinese in America, OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates National, OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates San Diego, Overseas Student Service Corp., Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association, UCI Chinese Alumni Chapter, UCSF Asian Health Initiative, United States Heartland China Association, The U.S.-China Perception Monitor, World Journal, Wu Yee Childrens Services. Affiliate Partners 1882 Foundation, Alliance of MN Chinese Organizations, API Council, Asia Society, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, Asian Columbia Alumni Association, Asian American Business Development Center, Asian American Unity Coalition, Asian Pacific American Libraries Association, Asian Real Estate Association of America, Asian Women for Health, Asians Fighting Injustice, Association of Asian American Investment Managers, Association of Chinese American Scientists and Engineers, Brooklyn Public Library, CAAM Chinese Dance Theater, Cal Alumni Association, Carlsbad Chinese-American Club, Chinatown Partnership, Chinese Adoptee Alliance, Chinese American Association for Autistic Community, Chinese American Association of Lexington, Chinese American Association of Minnesota, Chinese American Citizens Alliance Houston, Chinese American Citizens Alliance Las Vegas, Chinese American Citizens Alliance Oakland, Chinese American Citizens Alliance San Antonio, Chinese American Citizens Alliance San Francisco, Chinese American Community Health Services, Chinese American History Group, Chinese American WWII Veterans, Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association NY, Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association Georgia, Chinese Health Initiative of San Mateo County, Chinese Historical Society of America, Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, Colorado Asian Pacific United, Crossings TV, DC Talk Story, Global China Connection, Greater Austin Asian Chamber, Hope Chinese School, Hua Yuan Science and Technology Association, KTSF 26 News, MinKwon Center for Community Action, Monte Jade West, NAPABA, New York Chinese Cultural Center, New Jersey Chinese-American Chamber of Commerce, Shaolin Hung Mei Kung Fu, South Coast Chinese Cultural Association, South Cove Community Health Center, The Asian American Foundation (TAAF), University of Minnesota China Center, Upper Manhattan Asian American Alliance, US-China Business Council, US-China Peoples Friendship AssociationMinnesota Chapter, Utah Chinese Association, Veterans for Peace, You May US. Further Acknowledgment Committee of 100 and Columbia University are grateful for the participation and support of the Advisory Group members on this project, whose knowledge and expertise across the fields of academia and civic engagement served to guide the projects development and implementation: Gordon H. Chang, Olive H. Palmer Professor in Humanities, Professor of History, History Department, Stanford University Albert Chao, President and CEO, Westlake Corporation Anne Shen Chao, Adjunct Lecturer in Humanities, Rice University Anla Cheng, Founder and Chair, The China Project Deborah Davis, Professor Emerita of Sociology, Yale University Wang Feng, Professor of Sociology, University of California Irvine Kenneth Fong, Founder and Chairman, Kenson Ventures, LLC Irwin Garfinkel, Mitchell I. Ginsberg Professor Emeritus of Contemporary Urban Problems in the Faculty of Social Work, Columbia University Eugenia Lean, Professor of East Asian Languages and Culture and Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, Columbia University David Lei, Board Chair, Chinese Performing Arts Foundation Ida Liu, Global Head, Citi Private Bank Sponsorships Committee of 100 and Columbia University would like to thank Kenson Ventures, LLC and Citi Private Bank as the two lead sponsors on this research. About Columbia University Columbia University is one of the worlds most important institutions in higher education. It has 17 undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools, four affiliated colleges and seminaries in Manhattan, and a wide array of research institutes and global centers around the world. More than 40,000 students, award-winning faculty, and professional staff define the Universitys underlying values and commitment to pursuing new knowledge and educating informed, engaged citizens. Founded in 1754 as Kings College, Columbia is the fifth oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Visit https://www.columbia.edu. About Columbia University School of Social Work Columbia Universitys School of Social Work (CSSW) is a top-ranked school and the first social work school established in the United States. Since 1898, Columbia faculty and alumni have played a leading role in advancing the field of social work through scholarly and professional contributions. Visit https://socialwork.columbia.edu. CSSW is one of 17 undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools, four affiliated colleges and seminaries in Manhattan, and a wide array of research institutes and global centers around the world. More than 40,000 students, award-winning faculty, and professional staff define the Universitys underlying values and commitment to pursuing new knowledge and educating informed, engaged citizens. About the Columbia China Center for Social Policy The China Center for Social Policy is a hub for innovation, collaboration, and action on human well-being and social policy in China and among Chinese Americans. The center pursues a dual mission of research and education by generating impactful scholarship and preparing the next generation of scholars and practitioners. Visit https://chinacenter.socialwork.columbia.edu. About Committee of 100 Committee of 100 is a non-profit U.S. leadership organization of prominent Chinese Americans in business, government, academia, healthcare, and the arts focused on public policy engagement, civic engagement, and philanthropy. For over 30 years, Committee of 100 has served as a preeminent organization committed to the dual missions of promoting the full participation of Chinese Americans in all aspects of American life and constructive relations between the United States and Greater China. Visit https://www.committee100.org. Connect with Columbia University and Committee of 100 on LinkedIn and Twitter: Twitter: @ColumbiaSSW @Columbia @china_columbia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/columbia-university-school-of-social-work/ Twitter: @Committee100 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/committee-of-100/ # # # CONTACT: Linara Greenidge Associate Dean, Communication Strategy, Development & Alumni Affairs Columbia University [email protected] Charles Zinkowski Sr. Director of Marketing & Communications Committee of 100 [email protected] Source: Committee of 100 HUHTAMAKI OYJ STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE 27.4.2023 AT 13.30 Resolutions of Huhtamaki Oyjs Annual General Meeting of Shareholders Huhtamaki Oyj's Annual General Meeting of Shareholders was held in Helsinki on April 27, 2023. The meeting adopted the Annual Accounts including the Consolidated Annual Accounts for 2022, discharged the members of the Company's Board of Directors, the CEO and the interim Deputy CEO from liability, and approved all proposals made to the Annual General Meeting by the Board of Directors and the Shareholders Nomination Board. The Annual General Meeting also approved the Remuneration Report for the Companys Governing Bodies and the amended Remuneration Policy for the Governing Bodies presented to it. Dividend The Annual General Meeting resolved that an aggregate dividend of EUR 1.00 per share be paid based on the balance sheet adopted for the financial period ended on December 31, 2022. The dividend will be paid in two instalments. The first dividend instalment, EUR 0.50 per share, will be paid to shareholders registered in the Companys register of shareholders maintained by Euroclear Finland Ltd on the record date for the first dividend instalment May 2, 2023. The payment date for the first dividend instalment will be on May 9, 2023. The second dividend instalment, EUR 0.50 per share, will be paid to shareholders registered in the Companys register of shareholders maintained by Euroclear Finland Ltd on the record date for the second dividend instalment October 2, 2023. The payment date for the second dividend instalment will be on October 9, 2023. In addition, the Annual General Meeting authorized the Board of Directors to decide, if necessary, on a new record date and a new payment date for the second dividend instalment, if regulations applicable to the Finnish book-entry system change or otherwise so require. Composition of the Board of Directors The number of members of the Board of Directors was confirmed to as nine (9). Mr. Pekka Ala-Pietila, Ms. Mercedes Alonso, Mr. Doug Baillie, Mr. William R. Barker, Ms. Anja Korhonen, Ms. Kerttu Tuomas and Mr. Ralf K. Wunderlich were re-elected and, as new members, Ms. Pauline Lindwall and Mr. Pekka Vauramo were elected as members of the Board of Directors for a term ending at the end of the next Annual General Meeting. The Annual General Meeting re-elected Mr. Pekka Ala-Pietila as the Chair of the Board and Ms. Kerttu Tuomas as the Vice-Chair of the Board. In a meeting that took place after the Annual General Meeting, the Board of Directors resolved upon members of its Committees. Ms. Anja Korhonen was elected as the Chair and Ms. Mercedes Alonso, Ms. Kerttu Tuomas and Mr. Pekka Vauramo as the members of the Audit Committee. Mr. Doug Baillie was elected as the Chair and Mr. Pekka Ala-Pietila, Mr. William R. Barker, Ms. Pauline Lindwall and Mr. Ralf K. Wunderlich as the members of the Human Resources Committee. Remuneration of the members of the Board of Directors The Annual General Meeting resolved that the annual remuneration to the members of the Board of Directors will be paid as follows: to the Chair of the Board EUR 170,000, to the Vice-Chair EUR 80,000 and to the other members EUR 65,000 each. In addition, the Annual General Meeting resolved that the annual remuneration to the Chair and members of the Board Committees will be paid as follows: to the Chair of the Audit Committee EUR 16,000 and to the other members of the Audit Committee EUR 5,500 as well as to the Chair of the Human Resources Committee EUR 5,500 and to the other members of the Human Resources Committee EUR 2,750. In addition, the Annual General Meeting resolved that EUR 1,500 will be paid for each Board and Committee meeting attended. Traveling expenses of the Board members will be compensated in accordance with the Company policy. Auditor KPMG Oy Ab, a firm of authorized public accountants, was re-elected as Auditor of the Company for the financial year January 1 December 31, 2023. Mr. Henrik Holmbom, APA, will continue to act as the Auditor with principal responsibility. The Auditors remuneration is paid against an invoice approved by the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors. Authorization for the Board of Directors to resolve on the repurchase of the Companys own shares The Annual General Meeting authorized the Board of Directors to resolve on the repurchase of an aggregate maximum of 10,776,038 of the Companys own shares. Own shares may be repurchased at a price formed in public trading on the date of the repurchase or otherwise at a price formed on the market. The authorization covers also directed repurchases of the Companys own shares. The authorization remains in force until the end of the next Annual General Meeting, however, no later than June 30, 2024. Authorization for the Board of Directors to resolve on the issuance of shares and the issuance of special rights entitling to shares The Annual General Meeting authorized the Board of Directors to resolve on the issuance of shares and the issuance of special rights entitling to shares. The aggregate number of new shares to be issued may not exceed 10,000,000 shares which corresponds to approximately 9.3 percent of the current shares of the Company, and the aggregate number of own treasury shares to be transferred may not exceed 4,000,000 shares which corresponds to approximately 3.7 percent of the current shares of the Company. The authorization covers also directed issuances of shares. The authorization remains in force until the end of the next Annual General Meeting, however, no later than June 30, 2024. Amendment to the Articles of Association The Annual General Meeting resolved to amend the Articles of Association in accordance with the proposal of the Board of Directors to enable arranging a General Meeting as a virtual meeting without a meeting venue as an alternative to a physical meeting or a hybrid meeting. The amendment enables the holding of General Meetings virtually to facilitate attendance and participation for the Company's shareholders, especially in unforeseen or exceptional circumstances. The amendment does not preclude arranging General Meetings as physical or hybrid meetings. Amendment to the Charter of the Shareholders' Nomination Board The Annual General Meeting resolved to amend the Charter of the Shareholders' Nomination Board in accordance with the proposal of the Nomination Board so that the shareholders entitled to appoint a member are determined annually on the basis of the shareholders register of the Company maintained by Euroclear Finland Ltd on May 31 (previously August 31). Mr. Antti Ihamuotila, Attorney-at-Law, chaired the meeting. The minutes of the Annual General Meeting will be available on the website of Huhtamaki Oyj at www.huhtamaki.com as of May 11, 2023 at the latest. For further information, please contact: Sami Pauni, Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Legal, Group General Counsel, tel. +358 (0)10 686 7872 About Huhtamaki Huhtamaki is a leading global provider of sustainable packaging solutions for consumers around the world. Our innovative products protect on-the-go and on-the-shelf food and beverages, and personal care products, ensuring hygiene and safety, driving accessibility and affordability, and helping prevent food waste. We embed sustainability in everything we do. We are committed to achieving carbon neutral production and designing all our products to be recyclable, compostable or reusable by 2030. Our blueloopTM sustainable packaging solutions are world-leading and designed for circularity. We are a participant in the UN Global Compact, Huhtamaki is rated A on the MSCI ESG Ratings assessment and EcoVadis has awarded Huhtamaki with the Gold medal for performance in sustainability. To play our part in managing climate change, we have set science-based targets that have been approved and validated by the Science-Based Targets initiative. With 100 years of history and a strong Nordic heritage we operate in 37 countries and 116 operating locations around the world. Our values Care Dare Deliver guide our decisions and help our team of around 19 000 employees make a difference where it matters. Our 2022 net sales totalled EUR 4.5 billion. Huhtamaki Group is headquartered in Espoo, Finland and our parent company, Huhtamaki Oyj, is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. Find out more about how we are protecting food, people and the planet at www.huhtamaki.com. Attendees will have the opportunity to experience Sibros connected vehicle platform through demonstrations at Booth #6950 Guided Walk-Around Tour with Volta Trucks on Wednesday, May 3 from 10am - 1pm at Booth #6895 ANAHEIM, Calif., April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Connected vehicle platform company, Sibros will be in Booth #6950 at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo on May 2- 4, 2023 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. Sibros connected vehicle platform works with global original equipment manufacturers (OEM) connected vehicle ecosystems by connecting and managing all software updates, data collection and remote diagnostics through one unified platform. The companys fully connected vehicle fleet technology provides smart transportation solutions to bring customized, safe and sustainable vehicles to the world. In September 2021, Sibros announced a strategic partnership with Volta Trucks to provide connected software-based solutions for the all-electric Volta Zero. The partnership provides end-to-end software, data solutions including access to driver alerts, charging infrastructure, over-the-air (OTA) updates for navigation and maintenance data positioning Volta Trucks at the forefront of smart transportation. "We continue to see an increase in demand for OTA updates and connected vehicle technologies for next-generation fleets and are delighted to be amongst some of the major players in the industry at this year's ACT Expo, said Mayank Sikaria, president and co-founder of Sibros. We look forward to demonstrating our Deep Connected Platform alongside Volta Trucks and showcase our innovative solutions for OEM customers to improve product quality with meaningful data and software updates. Guided Walk-Around Tours - Wednesday, May 3 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. PT at the Volta Trucks Booth #6895Sibros will co-host guided tours of the Volta Zero, the world's first purpose-built all-electric truck, to showcase the key features of the vehicle along with the importance of digital and connected capabilities provided by Sibros. Deep Connected Platform Demonstrations at the Sibros Booth #6950 Join Sibros for a closer look at how its Deep Connected Platform is powering the connected vehicle ecosystem and providing OEMs with a full suite of embedded software, telematics, network stacks and SaaS applications. Sibros will dive into how automotive software and data can work seamlessly together to improve product quality and functionality across the full lifecycle. To meet with the Sibros executives and experience the Deep Connected Platform during ACT Expo, visit the Sibros booth #6950. Sibros Press Kit:Please visit https://www.sibros.tech/press-kit for high-resolution images, b-roll and ACT news and announcements. About SibrosSibros powers the connected vehicle ecosystem with its Deep Connected Platform for full life cycle data, software and diagnostics management in one vertically integrated system. DCP supports any vehicle architecture - from ICE, Hybrid, EV to Fuel Cell - while also meeting rigorous safety, security, and compliance standards. By combining powerful automotive software and data management tools in vehicle-to-cloud platform, Sibros empowers OEMs to quickly bring up dozens of new connected vehicle use cases to improve product quality, safety and performance from the factory to the field. For more information about the Silicon Valley-based company, visit www.sibros.com. Media Contacts:Albert LillySibros Technologies, Inc.[email protected]512-537-9417 Allie PotterSkyya PR for Sibros[email protected]218-766-8856 Source: Sibros Company Reveals New Ethos and Progress of its Strategic Restructuring Under New Management SANTA ANA, Calif., April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Unrivaled Brands, Inc. (OTCQB: UNRV) ("Unrivaled" or the "Company"), a cannabis company with operations throughout California, today released a presentation entitled Unrivaled: About Us. The presentation includes information regarding the new management team, a summary of restructuring efforts undertaken, go-forward initiatives, and a synopsis of company values and assets. Sabas Carrillo, Unrivaleds Chief Executive Officer, stated, Its time that we more formally introduce ourselves as a team and detail how we seek to operate with values and culture first. We also wanted to provide additional color on changes weve made, the Companys assets, and where we see opportunity. Our operations and growth playbook prioritizes experienced leadership at every level of the organization to execute our unique culture-driven vision to optimize our core business assets. Unrivaled is pleased to share Unrivaled: About Us as of April 26, 2023 which can be viewed here. About Unrivaled Brands Unrivaled Brands is a cannabis company with operations in California. Unrivaled Brands operates four dispensaries and direct-to-consumer delivery, a cultivation facility, and the Korova brand, known for its high potency products across multiple product categories, currently available in California, Oregon, Arizona, and Oklahoma. For more info, please visit: https://unrivaledbrands.com. Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this communication regarding matters that are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, known as the PSLRA. These include statements regarding management's intentions, plans, beliefs, expectations, or forecasts for the future, and, therefore, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on them. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed, and actual results may differ materially from those projected. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by law. The Company uses words such as anticipates, believes, plans, expects, projects, future, intends, may, will, should, could, estimates, predicts, potential, continue, guidance, and similar expressions to identify these forward-looking statements that are intended to be covered by the safe-harbor provisions of the PSLRA. Such forward-looking statements are based on the Companys expectations and involve risks and uncertainties; consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the statements due to a number of factors. New factors emerge from time-to-time and it is not possible for the Company to predict all such factors, nor can the Company assess the impact of each such factor on the business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. These risks, as well as other risks associated with the combination, will be more fully discussed in the Companys reports with the SEC. Additional risks and uncertainties are identified and discussed in the Risk Factors section of the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents filed from time to time with the SEC. Forward-looking statements included in this release are based on information available to the Company as of the date of this release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update such forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release. Contact: Jason Assad LR Advisors LLC. [email protected] 678-570-6791 Aite-Novarica analyst selects Zerify Defender as a product to watch Report underscores Zerifys unique approach to protect data amidst increased cyber threats EDISON, N.J., April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zerify Inc., (OTC PINK: ZRFY), the 22-year-old cybersecurity company focused on Secure Video Conferencing & Endpoint Security announced today that the Aite-Novarica Group featured Zerifys Meet and Zerify Defender in their Quarterly Fintech Spotlight report. Aite-Novaricas Risk Insights & Advisory Fintech Spotlight is a quarterly series of reports that looks at select emerging fintech vendors active in the fraud prevention, AML, and cybersecurity spaces. The vendor landscape is increasingly crowded, and their clients face a growing array of choices. The Fintech Spotlight series aims to provide insight into interesting vendors that offer strong, unique selling points and innovative approaches as partners or competitors. The vendors are classified by the nature of their solutions functionality in fraud prevention, AML, and cybersecurity. We are extremely honored to be featured in Aite-Novaricas prestigious Quarterly Fintech Spotlight report, says Mark L. Kay, CEO of Zerify. Aite-Novarica Group is an advisory firm providing mission-critical insights on technology, regulations, strategy, and operations to banks, insurers, payments providers, and investment firms. The following report excerpt details why Aite-Novarica has positioned Zerifys Meet & Defender as products to watch in this space, says Kay: Key Value Proposition and Market Challenges Addressed: Zerifys use of cutting-edge technology uniquely positions it to protect data in the era of remote work and increasing cyber threats. The following capabilities make Zerify a standout in the market: Zero-trust architecture: Zerify eliminates an architectural gap in zero-trust deployments by requiring every user to authenticate video conferencing sessions. Zerify eliminates an architectural gap in zero-trust deployments by requiring every user to authenticate video conferencing sessions. Unique authentication options: Zerify Meet provides out-of-band and dial-in authentication. Zerify Meet provides out-of-band and dial-in authentication. Desktop lockdown: The Zerify agent locks down the camera, microphones, speakers, keyboards, and clipboards, preventing hacker and malware takeovers. The Zerify agent locks down the camera, microphones, speakers, keyboards, and clipboards, preventing hacker and malware takeovers. Meeting management: Zerify Meet provides comprehensive meeting management and reporting comparable to leading video conferencing platforms. One of most important points that is also listed in the Spotlight report is that traditional antivirus and endpoint solutions are designed to block known and documented threats. However, they leave the door open to new and emerging threats. Our Zerify Defender seals this gap and adds a layer of zero-trust protection, guarding businesses against both, known and unknown threats, says Kay. To learn more about Zerify products, go to: https://www.zerify.com/ About Aite-Novarica:Aite-Novarica Group is an advisory firm providing mission-critical insights on technology, regulations, strategy, and operations to hundreds of banks, insurers, payments providers, and investment firmsas well as the technology and service providers that support them. Comprising former senior technology, strategy, and operations executives as well as experienced researchers and consultants, our experts provide actionable advice to our client base, leveraging deep insights developed via our extensive network of clients and other industry contacts. Visit us on the web and connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn. 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. No other video conferencing service on the market, such as Zoom, Webex, LogMeIn, MS Teams or BlueJeans, offers these protections. Zerify Contact,Mark L. Kay[email protected](732) 661-9641 Source: Zerify NEW YORK, NY - (NewMediaWire) - April 26, 2023 - ILUS International Inc. (OTC: ILUS) is a Mergers and Acquisitions company focused on acquiring and growing companies in the public safety, industrial, defense and renewable sectors. Following the delay of its previously signed first phase Investment Project deal with the Serbian government, the company announced last week that it was completing a new first phase deal for ILUS EV Technologies and Replay Solutions. ILUS now confirms that it has secured the facility in Kragujevac, Serbia for ILUS EV Technologies to proceed with its Investment Project. The site in Kragujevac, Serbia is available immediately with existing automotive engineers to be onboarded by ILUS EV Technologies as well as existing machinery for production of the companys E-Raptor range of commercial electric Utility Vehicles. ILUS expects the first E-Raptor 6x6 models to roll off the Kragujevac production line during the second half of Q3 2023. The vehicles are in high demand for projects following several meetings with European government leaders, resulting from their mandate to invest in sustainable solutions directed at achieving regional emission reduction targets. In addition to securing the land, facilities, and manpower in Kragujevac for ILUS EV Technologies, further meetings are underway in Serbia this week for the Replay Solutions Investment Project as well as for the much larger Phase 2 government deal. In its press release last week (21 April 2023), ILUS confirmed that its previously signed first phase Investment Project deal with the Serbian government was originally delayed due to ILUS concerns following the 2022 Serbian General Election and heightened geopolitical tensions in the region. With the resolve of these concerns and the opportunity for acquiring improved manufacturing capability, ILUS is now pressing forward with its production plans in the region. Existing E-Raptor 6x6 stock units as well as additional component parts and machinery are currently being shipped to Serbia. Following successful rollout of the first batch of E-Raptor 6x6 models produced at the Kragujevac facility, production of the new 4x4 model will commence, with all component parts for this model to be sourced from within the region. This is an improved deal for ILUS which gives us existing manufacturing capability and the ability to hit the ground running for our E-Raptor manufacturing in Serbia. With several large projects being negotiated in the region, its important to have our EV manufacturing base finalized. This deal combined with the Phase 2 deal and the rollout of our ERT vehicle manufacturing plans in the US, will altogether position us well to satisfy growing demand for our broad portfolio of vehicle solutions, said ILUS Managing Director, John-Paul Backwell. Following the filing of its Form 10-K Annual Report and confirmation of ILUS Industrial subsidiary, QINDs planned uplist to the NYSE American, ILUS will be providing updates and/or announcements on the following within the next week and a half: Hyperion Defense Solutions Counter IED Agreement QIND NYSE American listing application ILUS Share Lockup and QIND uplist value to ILUS Shareholders ERT Fixed Firefighting (Fire Suppression) Systems production ERT Acquisitions For further information on ILUS, please see its communication channels: Website: https://ilus-group.com Twitter: @ILUS_INTL Email: [email protected] Source: ILUS Related Links https://ilus-group.com Forward-Looking Statement Certain information set forth in this press release contains "forward-looking information", including "future-oriented financial information" and "financial outlook", under applicable securities laws (collectively referred to herein as forward-looking statements). Except for statements of historical fact, the information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements and includes, but is not limited to, the (i) projected financial performance of the Company; (ii) completion of, and the use of proceeds from, the sale of the shares being offered hereunder; (iii) the expected development of the Company's business, projects, and joint ventures; (iv) execution of the Company's vision and growth strategy, including with respect to future M&A activity and global growth; (v) sources and availability of third-party financing for the Company's projects; (vi) completion of the Company's projects that are currently underway, in development or otherwise under consideration; (vi) renewal of the Company's current customer, supplier and other material agreements; and (vii) future liquidity, working capital, and capital requirements. Forward-looking statements are provided to allow potential investors the opportunity to understand management's beliefs and opinions in respect of the future so that they may use such beliefs and opinions as one factor in evaluating an investment. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and undue reliance should not be placed on them. Such forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual performance and financial results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future performance or result expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although forward-looking statements contained in this presentation are based upon what management of the Company believes are reasonable assumptions, 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. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") has provided guidance to issuers regarding the use of social media to disclose material non-public information. In this regard, investors and others should note that we announce material financial information via official Press Releases, in addition to SEC filings, press releases, Questions & Answers sessions, public conference calls and webcasts also may take time from time to time. We use these channels as well as social media to communicate with the public about our company, our services, and other issues. It is possible that the information we post on social media could be deemed to be material information. Therefore, considering the SEC's guidance, we encourage investors, the media, and others interested in our company to review the information we post on the following social & media channels: website: https://ilus-group.com Twitter: OTC_ILUS Note: ILUS Coin does not sit within ILUS International Inc (Ilustrato Pictures International Inc), so the public are recommended to follow the correct Media Channels relating to the public company OTC: ILUS View the original release on www.newmediawire.com Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 26, 2023) - 1319732 B.C. Ltd. (the "Company") and Sendero Resources Corp. ("Sendero") provides the following update on the status of the previously announced proposed business combination transaction. As announced by the Company in its March 3, 2023 news release (the "Initial News Release"), the Company and Sendero entered into a binding letter agreement dated March 2, 2023, pursuant to which the Company and Sendero agreed to complete a three-cornered amalgamation (the "Transaction"), with the ultimate result that the resulting successor of the Company (the "Resulting Issuer") will continue on as a reporting issuer and 100% owner of the business of Sendero. Concurrently with the completion of the Transaction, the Resulting Issuer will seek to list its common shares for trading on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange"). The Transaction Pursuant to the Transaction, Sendero will amalgamate with 1319732 B.C. Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) and, in exchange for their Sendero common shares, the shareholders of Sendero shall receive post-Adjustment (as defined below) Company common shares on a 1:1 basis. The Transaction is not a Non-Arm's Length Transaction pursuant to the policies of the Exchange. Prior to closing, the Company intends to complete a split of the Company's common shares and to settle certain amounts owing (collectively, the "Adjustment") such that it shall have 6,000,000 post-Adjustment common shares outstanding. The completion of the Transaction is conditional upon, among other things; (i) receipt of all required regulatory approvals, including the approval of the Exchange and satisfaction of the initial listing requirements of the Exchange; (ii) Sendero shareholders approving the Transaction; (iii) completion of the change of the Resulting Issuer's name to "Sendero Resources Corp."; (iv) completion of the Adjustment; (v) delivery by Sendero of a National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects compliant technical report in respect of the Property (as defined below); (vi) completion of the Subscription Receipt Offering and the Non-Brokered Offering announced in the Initial News Release; and (vii) meeting other customary terms and conditions. There can be no assurance that the Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. Approval of the Transaction by the Company Shareholders is not required under applicable corporate and securities laws, however, the Company is required to obtain shareholder approval certain matters related to the Transaction such as the appointment of a new board of directors (as set out below) (the "Company Resolutions"). The Company has received unanimous shareholder approval of the Company Resolutions. Pursuant to the provisions of the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia), the Amalgamation requires the approval of the Sendero Shareholders. Overview of Sendero Resources Sendero was incorporated on August 4, 2020 under the laws of the Province of British Columbia. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Barton SAS, Sendero holds a 100% interest of the 120 km2 Peas Negras Project (the "Property"), located in the Vicuna district of Argentina. The Property is surrounded by significant copper discoveries belonging to Filo Mining (Filo Del Sol Project), Lundin Mining (Josemaria Project), and NGEx Minerals (Los Helados Project). Sendero will look to take advantage of its experience and operational knowledge to advance high priority drilling targets. The following sets forth selected unaudited management prepared historical financial information of Sendero for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022 and selected balance sheet data as of such date: Assets: $2,442,372 Liabilities: $370,284 Revenues: $nil Net profits (losses): $(1,005,388) Further details regarding Sendero and the Property are disclosed in the Initial News Release. Overview of 1319732 B.C. Ltd. The Company is an unlisted reporting issuer that was incorporated on August 13, 2021 under the laws of the Province of British Columbia. The Company was formerly a subsidiary of Rio Verde Industries Inc. ("Rio"). Pursuant to the terms and conditions set out in an arrangement agreement dated September 9, 2021 between Rio, the Company and certain other parties, the parties conducted a court approved statutory plan of arrangement, as a result of which, the Company was spun out from Rio and became a reporting issuer in British Columbia and Alberta. The Company has not carried on any active business since September 9, 2021. Proposed Management and Directors of the Resulting Issuer Hernan Vera, CEO Mr. Vera has held Executive and Director positions with several mining companies, including as VP of Barrick Gold Corporation and Yamana Gold Inc. and GM of AngloGold Ashanti Limited. He has over 34 years of experience in exploration, mine operations, construction and metallurgical plants in South America, North America and Africa. He led the Cerro Vanguardia (AngloGold Ashanti), Veladero (Barrick Gold) and Gualcamayo (Yamana Gold) mines from feasibility to production. Michael Wood, Executive Chairman and CFO Mr. Wood is the Co-Founder and CEO of Reyna Gold Corp, Co-Founder and CFO of Reyna Silver Corp, Director of Emerging Markets Capital, a mining focused investment company based in Hong Kong, and Director and Chair of Audit Committee of Cassiar Gold Corp. He holds an MBA from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and BSc Economics Cardiff University. Marco Roque, Director Mr. Roque is the CEO of Cassiar Gold Corp. and Director of Infinitum Copper. He is a former banker at Millennium BCP, and Barclays with a focus on commodities derivatives and structured products. Mr. Roque is a CFA charterholder and holds an MBA from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and London Business School, and a Masters in Finance from Nova School of Business and Economics in Lisbon. Jimmy Lim, Director Mr. Lim is the Senior Advisor to Morgan Stanley Asia General Industrials Group, Director of 5E Advanced Materials, Inc. and of Stanmore Resources Limited. He has over 20 years of experience in energy metals and mining, he is a former Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Resources Banker. Mr. Lim recently led a $1.4 billion Stanmore Resources Limited acquisition from BHP Group Limited for the South Walker Creek and Poitrel metallurgical coal mines. Zachary Goldenberg, Director Zachary Goldenberg is the principal of Liberty Venture Partners, a Toronto-based advisory and investment firm focused on early-stage and growth companies in rapidly emerging industries. Zachary is a graduate of the combined JD / HBA program from Western Law and Ivey School of Business, is a member of the TSX Venture Exchanges Ontario Advisory Committee, and is a recipient of ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors. Principals and Insiders of the Resulting Issuer Other than the proposed officers and directors disclosed above and in the Initial News Release, there is no person or company that will constitute a principal or insider, as defined in applicable securities legislation, of the Resulting Issuer. Sponsorship The Transaction is subject to the sponsorship requirements of the Exchange unless the Transaction qualifies for an exemption in accordance with Exchange policies or the Company applies for a waiver from the sponsorship requirements. The Company intends to apply for a waiver from the sponsorship requirements. There can be no assurance that the Transaction will be exempt, or a waiver will be granted. Further Information For further information concerning the Transaction, please refer to the Initial Press Release, which is available under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Further updates will be provided as the Transaction progress and upon the parties receiving conditional approval from the Exchange. The Company and Sendero intend to file a listing application (Form 2B) with the Exchange. All information contained in this press release with respect to Sendero and 131 (but excluding the terms of the Transaction) was supplied by the parties respectively, for inclusion herein, without independent review by the other party, and each party and its directors and officers have relied on the other party for any information concerning the other party. For further information, please contact: Sendero Resources Corp. Michael Wood, Executive Chairman Email: [email protected] Forward-Looking Information This press release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of 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 press 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. In this press release, forward-looking statements relate, among other things, to: the Transaction and certain terms and conditions thereof; the business of 131 or Sendero; and shareholder and regulatory approvals. 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; the delay or failure to receive shareholder or regulatory approvals necessary to complete the Transaction, the delay or failure to timely satisfy the escrow release conditions related to the subscription receipts and the ability of the Company to obtain a sponsorship waiver. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this press release. Except as required by law, neither 131 nor Sendero assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law. Cautionary Statement Completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, Exchange acceptance. Where applicable, the Transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular or filing statement to be prepared in connection with the Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of the Resulting Issuer should be considered highly speculative. The Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR DISSEMINATION DIRECTLY, OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/163905 Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - April 27, 2023) - Baytex Energy Corp. (TSX: BTE) (NYSE: BTE) ("Baytex") announced today the closing of its private offering (the "offering") of US$800 million aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes due 2030 (the "Notes"). The Notes bear interest at a rate of 8.5% per annum and mature on April 30, 2030. The Notes were priced at 98.709% of par to yield 8.75% per annum. The gross proceeds of the offering have been deposited into escrow pending satisfaction of certain escrow release conditions, including the consummation of the previously announced merger (the "Merger") with Ranger Oil Corporation ("Ranger"). Upon satisfaction of the escrow release conditions, Baytex intends to use the net proceeds from the offering, together with borrowings under its credit facilities, to fund the cash portion of the consideration for the Merger, to repay certain outstanding indebtedness of Ranger and Baytex and to pay fees and expenses in connection with the Merger. The Merger is expected to close in the second quarter of 2023, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Closing of the Merger is not conditioned upon completion of the offering. If the escrow release conditions are not satisfied prior to October 15, 2023, or, to the extent the Merger Agreement is amended to remain in effect until a later date, such later date (but in no event later than December 31, 2023), or upon the occurrence of certain other events, including the termination of the Merger Agreement, the Notes will be subject to a special mandatory redemption at a price equal to 100% of the initial offering price of the Notes, plus accrued and unpaid interest from the issue date of the Notes to, but not including, the payment date of such mandatory redemption. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any Notes, nor shall there be any sale of Notes in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification of the Notes under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. The Notes were issued in reliance on the exemption from the registration requirements provided by Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and, outside of the United States, only to non-U.S. investors pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act. None of the Notes have been or will be registered under the Securities Act or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. Forward-Looking Statements In the interest of providing Baytex's shareholders and potential investors with information regarding Baytex, including management's assessment of Baytex's future plans and operations, certain statements in this press release are "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 (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "could", "estimate", "expect", "forecast", "intend", "may", "objective", "ongoing", "outlook", "potential", "project", "plan", "should", "target", "would", "will" or similar words suggesting future outcomes, events or performance. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date thereof and are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements relating to: (i) the Merger and its expected timing and closing; (ii) the escrow arrangements; and (iii) the anticipated use of the net proceeds of the offering. Although Baytex believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements or information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements because Baytex can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed, projected or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the ability to obtain shareholder, and regulatory approvals of the Merger; the ability to complete the Merger on the anticipated terms and timetable; the use of proceeds from the offering may change from that disclosed herein; the risk that the Notes may be subject to the special mandatory redemption; changes in business and market conditions; and the risk factors discussed in our Registration Statement on Form F-4, initially filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on April 7, 2023 (Registration No. 333-271191) and our management information circular and proxy statement dated April 3, 2023 for our annual and special meeting of shareholders (the "Information Circular") filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.There may be additional risks that Baytex presently does not know, or that Baytex currently believes are immaterial, that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of the assumptions below prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on certain key assumptions regarding, among other things, the ability of Baytex and Ranger to satisfy all conditions to closing of the Merger; the completion of the Merger on the timing anticipated; and the completion of the offering and the anticipated use of proceeds therefrom. Readers are cautioned that such assumptions, although considered reasonable by Baytex at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect. The above summary of assumptions and risks related to forward-looking statements has been provided in order to provide shareholders and potential investors with a more complete perspective on Baytex's current and future operations and such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. There is no representation by Baytex that actual results achieved will be the same in whole or in part as those referenced in such forward-looking statements and Baytex does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. No Offer or Solicitation This communication relates to the proposed Merger between Baytex and Ranger. This communication is not intended to and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to subscribe for or buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval with respect to the Merger or otherwise, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation or sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offer of securities in the United States shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933. Baytex has filed a copy of the merger agreement on its profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). Further, Baytex has filed the Information Circular, which contains important information about the Merger and related matters. Shareholders of Baytex are advised to read the Information Circular in connection with Baytex's solicitation of proxies for the meeting of Baytex shareholders to approve the Merger. Baytex shareholders may obtain copies of the Information Circular on Baytex's SEDAR profile (www.sedar.com). Important Additional Information and Where to Find it In connection with the proposed Merger, Baytex has filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form F-4 (the "Registration Statement") to register the Baytex securities to be issued in connection with the proposed Merger (including a prospectus therefor). Baytex and Ranger also plan to file other documents with the SEC regarding the proposed Merger. This communication is not a substitute for the Registration Statement or the prospectus or for any other document that Baytex or Ranger may file with the SEC in connection with the Merger. U.S. INVESTORS AND U.S. HOLDERS OF BAYTEX AND RANGER SECURITIES ARE URGED TO READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT AND OTHER DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE PROPOSED MERGER (INCLUDING ALL AMENDMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTS TO THOSE DOCUMENTS) BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BAYTEX, RANGER AND THE PROPOSED MERGER. Shareholders may obtain free copies of the Registration Statement, proxy statement/prospectus and other documents containing important information about Baytex and Ranger through the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of such documents may also be obtained from Baytex and Ranger without charge. Participants in the Solicitation Baytex, Ranger and certain of their respective directors, executive officers and other members of management and employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from Baytex's shareholders and the solicitation of proxies from Ranger's shareholders, in each case with respect to the Merger. Information about Baytex's directors and executive officers is available in the Annual Information Form published February 23, 2023, in the Information Circular and in the Registration Statement. Other information regarding the participants in the solicitations and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, is contained in the Registration Statement, the proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials that have been and will be filed with the SEC regarding the Merger. Shareholders, potential investors and other readers should read the proxy statement/prospectus carefully before making any voting or investment decisions. Baytex Energy Corp. Baytex Energy Corp. is an energy company based in Calgary, Alberta. The company is engaged in the acquisition, development and production of crude oil and natural gas in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin and in the Eagle Ford in the United States. Baytex's common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BTE. For further information about Baytex, please contact: Brian Ector, Vice President, Capital Markets Toll Free Number: 1-800-524-5521 Email: [email protected] To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/163919 The Pentagon said Wednesday that the US State Department had approved the sale of six MH-60R multi-mission helicopters and other equipment to Norway for an estimated cost of $1 billion, Trend reports citing Al Arabiya. The Government of Norway had requested to buy six of the helicopters, 15 T700-GE-401C engines, nine Link 16 Multifunctional Information Distribution Systems Joint Tactical Radio Systems (MIDS JTRS), 18 Embedded Global Positioning System/Precise Positioning Service (GPS/PPS)/Inertial Navigation Systems (EGI) with Selective Availability/Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM); and six Airborne Low Frequency Sonars (ALFS). This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a NATO Ally that is an important force for political stability and economic progress in Europe, the Pentagon said in a statement. The proposed sale will improve Norways capability to perform Coast Guard missions along with the ability to perform secondary missions, including vertical replenishment and communications relay, the statement. Norway will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense. Norway will have no difficulty absorbing these helicopters and support into its armed forces. The Pentagon also announced that the Biden administration approved the sale of sustainment and services for C-130J aircraft to Norway for an estimated cost of $166 million. Winnipeg, Manitoba--(Newsfile Corp. - April 27, 2023) - Beyond Minerals Inc. (CSE: BY) (OTCQB: BYDMF) (the "Company" or "Beyond Minerals") is pleased to announce a proposed non-brokered private placement of up to 4,000,000 common shares of the Company that will qualify as "flow-through shares" (within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Flow-Through Shares") at a price of $0.50 per share for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $2,000,000 (the "Offering"). The gross proceeds from the Offering will be used by the Company to incur eligible "Canadian exploration expenses" that will qualify as "flow-through critical mineral mining expenditures" as such terms are defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Qualifying Expenditures") related to the Company's projects in Ontario. All Qualifying Expenditures will be renounced in favour of the subscribers of the Flow-Through Shares effective December 31, 2023. Allan Frame, President and CEO of Beyond Minerals, commented, "In less than a month, Beyond Minerals has assembled the largest greenfield lithium exploration in Ontario, recruited a VP Exploration, and entered into services agreements with two of the leading prospecting companies in grassroots lithium exploration in the province. The financing announced today gives us the necessary funding to conduct a robust and comprehensive exploration program which is expected to start next week." He added: "Initially our focus will be to conduct a "first pass" grassroots prospecting exploration program on each property. This phase of exploration will involve conducting traverses to identify and document the characteristics of all exposed pegmatites encountered and collect samples for geochemical analysis. This will lead to a second phase of prospecting that will be more focused on those areas showing the highest potential for discovery and will include activities intended to identify and de-risk diamond drill targets later this summer." The Company recently became the largest greenfield lithium exploration player in Ontario with a total lithium property portfolio of 64 properties covering over 150,000 hectares. The Company may pay finders' fees in connection with the Offering in cash, shares, warrants or a combination thereof. All securities to be issued under the Offering will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day from their date of issuance. The offered securities have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About Beyond Minerals Inc. Beyond Minerals Inc. is the largest greenfield lithium exploration player in Ontario with 64 high potential greenfield lithium properties totalling over 150,000 hectares. The Company has adopted the project generator business model to maximize funds available for exploration projects, while minimizing shareholder dilution. Beyond Minerals is advancing certain of its projects with its exploration team and will seek to option other properties to joint venture partners. Partnering on various projects will provide a source of non-dilutive working capital, partner-funded exploration, and long-term residual exposure to exploration success. Please follow @BeyondMinerals on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube. For more information, please refer to the Company's website at www.beyondminerals.ca. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding future capital expenditures, anticipated content, commencement, and cost of exploration programs in respect of the Company's projects and mineral properties, anticipated exploration program results from exploration activities, resources and/or reserves on the Company's projects and mineral properties, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking information. 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", "will", "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 stating the forward-looking information in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that market fundamentals will result in sustained precious and base metals demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future exploration of the Company's properties, the availability of financing on suitable terms, and the Company's ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws. Forward-looking information involves 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 statements of forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors include, among others, statements as to the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, the proposed expenditures for exploration work on its properties, the ability of the Company to obtain sufficient financing to fund its business activities and plans, delays in obtaining governmental and regulatory approvals (including of the Canadian Securities Exchange), permits or financing, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, risks relating to epidemics or pandemics such as COVID-19, the Company's limited operating history, currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims, environmental issues and liabilities, as well as those factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's prospectus dated February 23, 2022 and other filings of the Company with the Canadian securities regulatory 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 information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking information in this news release except as otherwise required by law. For further information, please contact: Allan Frame President and CEO Tel: 403-470-8450 Email: [email protected] Jason Frame Manager of Communications Tel: 587-225-2599 Email: [email protected] NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/163930 Boston, Massachusetts--(Newsfile Corp. - April 27, 2023) - Boston Realty Advisors, the largest independent real estate services firm in Massachusetts, and its affiliated residential sales platform Advisors Living today proclaimed "It's About Our People" as their new common tagline, reflecting the companies' long and continuing emphasis on supporting their employees and advisors so that clients consistently receive the best service in the industry. To view the full announcement, including downloadable images, bios, and more, click here. Key Takeaways: "It's About Our People" will now appear on the companies' websites, advertising, communications and social media materials going forward. Boston Realty Advisors and Advisors Living made the announcement as businesses and their executives and employees nationwide celebrated Administrative Professionals Appreciation Day yesterday. Click image above to view full announcement. ABOUT ADVISORS LIVING AND BOSTON REALTY ADVISORS Advisors Living a residential real estate platform associated with Boston Realty Advisors. BRA is a full-service commercial real estate brokerage and consulting firm with an integrated team of highly experienced and entrepreneurial professionals, with capabilities including tenant and landlord representation, investment sales, and property consulting as well as financing activities. Boston Realty Advisors is the largest Boston-based independent commercial real estate and consulting firm. For more information, please go to www.advisorsliving.com and www.bradvisors.com. Contacts: Tom Palmer, Tom Palmer Communication 617.755.7250 [email protected] Source: Boston Realty Advisors To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/163993 Denver, Colorado--(Newsfile Corp. - April 27, 2023) - CBD of Denver (OTC Pink: CBDD) today announced that it has filed its annual disclosure and financial statements with OTC Markets, after a delay due to OTC Markets completing its procedures related to the change in control related to the acquisition of Libra 9 and the appointment of Axel Reinke as CEO and chairman. CBDD now has three non-employee directors who are also invested in the Company. This continues to align the Company with its shareholders and investors. The latest filing shows that top line revenue has begun to climb allowing the Company to focus on becoming cash flow positive as quickly as possible. The Magic Lappen is part of the Company's plan to achieve profitability and as of Friday, April 21, 2023, the Magic Lappen was a "BEST SELLER" in the reusuable cleaning wipes category on Amazon.de. The Company sold 582 pieces after a local Dortmund car enthusiast stopped at the Magic Lappen booth at the Essen Car show and was amazed at how the Magic Lappen made a greasy mirror clean, shining and streak-free. On the video (around the 18:07 minute mark Video Link), he smelled and tasted the water as he could not believe the results could be so perfect with just water. This was the company's best 24-hour sales effort online to-date. CBDD will continue to evaluate and explore other venues to expand the exposure for this amazing product that has been embraced by the public. The Company has also signed its largest distribution agreement to date with EDEKA, the largest German supermarket. EDEKA uses cutting-edge technologies to meet the expectation of modern-day shop staff and customers. The distribution agreement covers 1,700 locations. The Company continues discussions with EDEKA on how best to start the roll out of the Magic Lappen. The Company has started producing additional inventory in anticipation of the roll out. Follow CBDD on LinkedIn and Twitter for more information and updates. Follow The Magic Lappen on Instagram: @themagiclappen or shop on our website: The Magic Lappen. Visit the Website of Berlin R 13, the innovative Anti-Slip product: www.berlinr13.de. Contact Info: [email protected] About the Magic Lappen The Magic Lappen provides maximum shine, streak free drying, and only requires water - no chemicals or detergents. The Magic Lappen is also chemical-free and lint-free; cleaning of all smooth and shining surfaces is robust and durable with a leather-like feel. Its innovative structure enables high absorption of dirt, dust, and grease and can be washed many times at 60. The product is vegan and ecofriendly. About CBD of Denver, Inc. CBD of Denver, Inc. is focused on acquiring profitable assets at attractive valuations to create value for shareholders. The company's team is dedicated to sourcing high-margin, innovative products that align with its values. Information contained herein includes forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or future financial performance, involving known and unknown risks and you should not place undue reliance on these statements. Any forward-looking statement reflects our current views with respect to future events. We assume no obligation publicly about update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/163950 Kelowna, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 27, 2023) - F3 Uranium Corp (TSXV: FUU) (OTCQB: FUUFF) ("F3 Uranium" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has engaged Gina Capital LP. of Wadestown Wellington New Zealand to work on their German Investor Engagement campaign. Gina Capital will provide investor relations and consulting services with a focus on the German stock market and the German-speaking investor community. The services include the preparation of articles and coverages on several financial platforms and newsletters. Services will also include the translation and distribution of news releases in Germany. This program will be for a period of 3 months, commencing May 1, 2023. Upon TSXV approval, Gina Capital will invoice F3 an upfront amount of EUR 150,000. F3 Uranium also announces it has engaged Red Cloud Financial Services Inc. ("Red Cloud") on an exclusive basis, and Red Cloud agrees to act as the Company's independent contractor, to provide services to the company. The services include marketing to potential investors and their advisors, roadshows and advisory services for the purposes of marketing the company to brokers and interested parties. The agreement started on December 9, 2021, and continued for a minimum of 7 months (Initial Term) and renewed month-to-month thereafter. An upfront fee for the Initial Term of $75,000.00 is payable in cash. Following the Initial Term and until the Agreement is terminated, a fee of $10,000 per month shall be payable to Red Cloud. Red Cloud is a Capital Markets Advisory service firm. Specifically, it provides guidance and advice to issuer investor relations (IR) departments to enhance all aspects of enhancing investor awareness. Red Cloud and F3 Uranium have an arm's length relationship. Red Cloud owns 731,625 common share purchase warrants of F3 Uranium. About F3 Uranium Corp.: F3 is a uranium project generator and exploration company, focusing on projects in the Athabasca Basin, home to some of world's largest high grade uranium discoveries. F3 currently has 16 projects in the Athabasca Basin. Several of F3's projects are near large uranium discoveries, including, Arrow, Triple R and Hurricane deposits. F3 is currently in the middle of its winter exploration/drill program, expanding and growing its JR zone discovery on its PLN project. F3 Uranium Corp. Contact Information Investor Relations Telephone: 778 484 8030 Email: [email protected] ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Dev Randhawa" Dev Randhawa, CEO The TSX Venture Exchange and the Canadian Securities Exchange have not reviewed, approved, or disapproved the contents of this press release, and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains "forward-looking information or statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, which may include, without limitation, statements with respect to the Company's engagement with Clarkham Capital, including payment terms and timing. 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 and information 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, 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 those filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. 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, the impact of COVID-19 or other viruses and diseases on the Company's ability to operate, adverse weather conditions, failure to obtain the necessary equipment or machinery, failure to maintain all necessary government permits, approvals and authorizations, failure to maintain community acceptance (including First Nations), 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. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/163984 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 27, 2023) - Fjordland Exploration Inc. (TSXV: FEX) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that Mr. Scott Broughton has agreed to join its board of directors. Mr. Broughton joins the board of Fjordland as an accomplished and engaged senior executive and engineer with North American and international experience in the mining and minerals exploration sectors. Scott has over 30 years of diverse technical and business development experience, roughly half of which was serving the mining sector through global consulting practices. His work has been recognized by governments and industry associations for excellence in community engagement, permitting and environmental aspects for the construction and operation of mines. The balance was building and leading operating companies focused on exploration and mine development. Well known in the mining sector, Scott has an extensive mining network. He has served as chair of the Mining Association of British Columbia (MABC) and a director of the Association of Mineral Explorers of BC (AMEBC). He has also served on the board of the Sechelt and District Chamber of Commerce and several Canadian public companies. James Tuer, Fjordland's President commented, "I'm pleased to welcome Scott to the Company's board of directors. He brings with him a wealth of experience in mineral exploration and operations. I've known Scott for over 40 years and look forward to working with him as we advance our various projects to a higher level. Scott is replacing Mark Gibson, who recently stepped down. I want to take this opportunity to thank Mark and all his team at Ivanhoe Electric for their tremendous input over the past 2 years." Stock Option Grants The board of directors reports it has accepted the recommendations of the Compensation Committee and has granted a total of 2,075,000 incentive stock options to directors, officers and advisors of the Company under the Company's stock option plan, in accordance with the Company's compensation policy. The options are exercisable for five years at a price of $0.06 per share and are subject to the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange. About Fjordland Exploration Inc. Fjordland Exploration Inc. is a mineral exploration company that is focused on the discovery of large-scale economic metal deposits in Canada. In collaboration with Commander Resources Ltd., Fjordland is exploring the SVB "Pants Lake Intrusive" target which is in a geologic setting analogous to the nearby nickel-cobalt-copper Voisey's Bay deposit. Fjordland has earned a 75% interest in the project. Fjordland, owns a 100% interest in the Renzy nickel-project located near Maniwaki, Quebec. The project encompasses the former Renzy Mine where, during the period from 1969 to 1972, 716,000 short tons were mined with average grades of 0.70% nickel and 0.72% copper. Fjordland has staked additional claims to increase the size of the project to 530 sq. km. As well, Fjordland has two copper-gold properties in the Quesnel Trough of central British Columbia, The West Milligan copper-gold project is a joint venture with Northwest Copper Corp. located within 4 km of Centerra's Mount Milligan copper-gold mine. The 103 sq. km. Witch copper-gold project is located another 35 km west of the Milligan mine. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS "James Tuer" James Tuer, CEO For further information: James Tuer Ph: 604-688-3415 [email protected] www.fjordlandex.com Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes certain forward-looking statements or information. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this news release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the use of proceeds from the private placement, and other future plans and objectives of the Company are forward-looking statements that 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 plans or expectations include market prices, general economic, market or business conditions, regulatory changes, timeliness of government or regulatory approvals and other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. The Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/163913 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 27, 2023) - The Black Business and Professional Association (BBPA) is proud to announce that Her Honour Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell will attend the 41st Annual BBPA Harry Jerome Awards Gala on April 29th, 2023. Her Honour will join leaders, influencers, and honorees in celebrating excellence in the Black community. "We are pleased to have Her Honour Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell attend our Awards Gala. Her presence underscores the importance of the work that we do, and we look forward to celebrating the achievements of our honorees with her," said Ross Cadastre, Board Chair, BBPA. The BBPA is proud to honour and celebrate the following 2023 award honourees: Lifetime Achievement Award - Spider Jones - Sponsored by BBPA President's Award - Rick Gosling - Sponsored by BBPA Jerome Family Athlete Award - Lindell Wigginton - Sponsored by BBPA and Jerome Family Media Award - Andria Case - Sponsored by BrandEQ Agency Professional Excellence Award - Emma Todd - Sponsored by TD Bank Leadership Award - Rosemarie Powell - Sponsored by E.J. Gallo Technology Award - Colleen Ward - Sponsored by Diversity Institute Business Award - Frantz Saintellemy - Sponsored by Bell Diversity Award - Deborah Richardson - Sponsored by Loblaw Companies Limited Arts Award - Ngozi Paul - Sponsored by Deltech CGI Young Entrepreneur Award - Agunbiade Seun Richards - Sponsored by ITS Global Health Sector Award - Jennifer Bernard - Sponsored by Nursing Homemakers Inc. (NHI) Decade Leader Award - Agapi Gessesse - Sponsored by PepsiCo This year's honorees have made significant contributions to the meaningful advancement of the Black community in various sectors. The awards event will include talented opera performer Queen Hezumuryango (who will perform a piece from Scott Joplin's TREEMONISHA) and National Ballet of Canada star and former Harry Jerome Awards recipient Siphe November. As part of BBPA's commitment to uplifting and supporting Black businesses and entrepreneurs, a special fashion show will highlight some of the businesses in Little Jamaica, a vibrant community in Toronto. This will showcase the unique styles and talents of local designers, and provide a platform to display their work to a wider audience. This demonstrates one of the many ways that the BBPA is working to empower and promote the growth of Black businesses in Canada. "We are pleased to have Her Honour Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell share this special moment with us and and thank all of our guests, sponsors, and partners who have made this event possible. Together, we can continue to uplift and advance the Black business community in Canada," said Nadine Spencer, CEO of the BBPA. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8467/164026_10d4cfaa14473a48_002full.jpg Award Gala Information: The 41st Annual BBPA Harry Jerome Awards Gala will be held on April 29, 2023, VIP Reception 5PM Awards Gala Dinner 6:30 PM. harryjeromeawards.com. About the Black Business and Professional Association (BBPA): Founded in 1983, the BBPA is a charitable organization whose mission is to advance Canada's Black community by facilitating the delivery of programs that support business and professional excellence, higher education, and economic development. Along with the annual Harry Jerome Awards, the BBPA presents workshops and programs, the BBPA National Scholarships, and the National Black Business Convention (NBBPC). For more information, please visit the BBPA online at bbpa.org. Media contacts: Danielle Spencer [email protected] P. 416 315 0697 Osas Azeta [email protected] P. 647 450 8908 ### To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/164026 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 27, 2023) - Maple Gold Mines Ltd. (TSXV: MGM) (OTCQB: MGMLF) (FSE: M3G) ("Maple Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the completion of the first phase of deep drilling at the Company's Douay and Joutel Gold Projects ("Douay" and "Joutel", respectively) located in Quebec, Canada, which are held by a 50/50 joint venture (the "JV") between the Company and Agnico Eagle Mines Limited. The JV completed more than 13,100 metres ("m") of drilling across Douay and Joutel prior to winter break-up. Deep Drilling Program Summary and Observations: In the Telbel mine area at Joutel, the JV drilled a total of 7,343 m in three (3) master drill holes and four (4) successful wedge drill holes. All Telbel drill holes intersected broad zones of semi-massive to massive sulfide mineralization. Drill hole TB-22-003 and its associated wedges intersected three mineralized zones and bottomed in mineralization, with sphalerite observed in drill core and elevated zinc values observed via pXRF analysis at site (see Figure 1 and Plate 1). At Douay, the JV drilled a total of 5,792 m in five (5) drill holes testing beneath the Douay West, Porphyry, Central and 531 Zones, as well as one (1) shallow NW Zone step-out hole (see Figure 2). The most compelling visual core observations at Douay were in the final hole (DO-23-326X), collared near the Central Zone and extending beneath the Porphyry Zone at depth), with significant alteration, deformation, and mineralization (abundant fine-grained pyrite) from approximately 850 m to 1,400 m down-hole (see Figure 3 and Plates 2 & 3). "Early indications from the JV's first phase of deep drilling are encouraging, particularly at Telbel with the upper mineralized zones in TB-22-003, which are well north of the main Mine Horizon, and the fact that both TB-23-001W1 and TB-23-003W2 intersected the down-dip continuity of the sulfide-rich main Mine Horizon," stated Matthew Hornor, President and CEO of Maple Gold. "Sphalerite is a key indicator of VMS style of mineralization, and we look forward to the gold and multi-element assay results from these holes with the aim of vectoring towards a significant mineralized zone at depth. At Douay, we are also excited by what we've observed in the drill core beneath the Porphyry Zone and look forward to the assay results and valuable data that this first phase of deep drilling will generate." The Company has completed final core splitting and has sent final sample shipments to the lab. Assay results are expected in Q2 2023 and will be reported once they are vetted and interpreted. The Company has identified additional targets that were previously permitted and approved for drilling at Douay but will wait on the additional assay results and internal 3D model updates before commencing the next phases of drilling at Douay/Joutel, as any successes from the first phase of deep drilling could significantly impact target priorities and corresponding JV capital allocation. Figure 1: Section view showing master and wedge traces for two (2) of the three (3) drill holes targeting gold mineralization below previous mine workings at Telbel. Note intervals of semi-massive to massive sulfide mineralization highlighted in red (a 3rd Telbel drill hole is located to the southeast and not shown on this section). To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3077/163931_7c5ebcf1046b4b5d_001full.jpg Plate 1: Drill core images of TB-23-003W2 with pyrite bands in mixed tuff-sediments (left) and pyrite bands at ~2,100 m down hole that appear to contain sphalerite and anomalous zinc values as per visual observations and pXRF readings. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3077/163931_maplegoldplate1.jpg Figure 2: Plan view showing completed 2023 drill traces at Douay. Note DO-23-332 was drilled to ~1,500 m but appears shorter due to subvertical inclination. Two additional deep drill holes were permitted and approved for drilling and will be considered for drilling later in 2023. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3077/163931_7c5ebcf1046b4b5d_004full.jpg Figure 3: Cross-section showing DO-23-326X extension drill hole containing a broad mineralized interval with significant pyrite mineralization from ~850 m to 1,400 m down hole, overlapping the Casa Berardi North Fault (see Plates 2 and 3). To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3077/163931_7c5ebcf1046b4b5d_005full.jpg Plate 2: Drill hole DO-23-326W1 showing sharp contact at ~1,360 m between sheared basalt and feldspar porphyry; both lithologies are strongly altered by hematite, albite, K-feldspar, carbonate, silica and sericite. Note the presence of galena and sphalerite in a flat fracture near the contact. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3077/163931_7c5ebcf1046b4b5d_006full.jpg Plate 3: Drill core from DO-23-326W1 showing abundant pyrite in hematite-albite-carbonate-silica altered feldspar porphyry (top image from 1,366 m, bottom from 1,369 m down hole). Note the presence of dark purple fluorite and pale grey carbonatite in bottom image. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3077/163931_7c5ebcf1046b4b5d_007full.jpg Qualified Person The scientific and technical data contained in this press release was reviewed and prepared under the supervision of Fred Speidel, M. Sc., P. Geo., Vice-President Exploration of Maple Gold. Mr. Speidel is a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Speidel has verified the data related to the exploration information disclosed in this press release through his direct participation in the work. About Maple Gold Maple Gold Mines Ltd. is a Canadian advanced exploration company in a 50/50 joint venture with Agnico Eagle Mines Limited to jointly advance the district-scale Douay and Joutel gold projects located in Qubec's prolific Abitibi Greenstone Gold Belt. The projects benefit from exceptional infrastructure access and boast ~400 km2 of highly prospective ground including an established gold resource at Douay (SLR 2022) that holds significant expansion potential as well as the past-producing Eagle, Telbel and Eagle West mines at Joutel. In addition, the Company holds an exclusive option to acquire 100% of the Eagle Mine Property. The district-scale property package also hosts a significant number of regional exploration targets along a 55 km strike length of the Casa Berardi Deformation Zone that have yet to be tested through drilling, making the project ripe for new gold and polymetallic discoveries. The Company is well capitalized and is currently focused on carrying out exploration and drill programs to grow resources and make new discoveries to establish an exciting new gold district in the heart of the Abitibi. For more information, please visit www.maplegoldmines.com. ON BEHALF OF MAPLE GOLD MINES LTD. "Matthew Hornor" B. Matthew Hornor, President & CEO For Further Information Please Contact: Mr. Joness Lang Executive Vice-President Cell: 778.686.6836 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 PRESS RELEASE. Forward Looking Statements: This press release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively referred to as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation in Canada, including statements about exploration work and results from current and future work programs. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, uncertainties and management's best estimate of future events. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations and projections. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, refer to Maple Gold Mines Ltd.'s filings with Canadian securities regulators available on www.sedar.com or the Company's website at www.maplegoldmines.com. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/163931 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 27, 2023) - Plant-Based Investment Corp. (CSE: PBIC) ("PBIC", or the "Company")announced that effective April 18, 2023, Sean Conacher has resigned as a director of the Company and effective April 14, 2023, Mr. Conacher resigned as Chief Strategy Officer of the Company citing constructive dismissal. On April 14, 2023, Mr. Conacher sent a demand letter to the Company for unpaid wages for the period from March 2022 to April 15, 2023, in the amount of $405,000, along with a termination payment equal to $720,000, being twenty four months of his base salary, payments equal to twenty four months of the Company's cost of his health premiums and the payment of accrued but unused vacation. The Company is reviewing the demand letter with legal counsel and expects to defend any and all future claims from Mr. Conacher. Furthermore, effective April 21, 2023, Gerald Goldberg resigned as a director of the Company. About Plant-Based Investment Corp. Plant-Based Investment Corp. is an investment corporation that seeks to provide shareholders long-term total returns through capital appreciation and periodic distributions by investing in an actively managed portfolio of securities in public and private companies that derive a portion of their revenues, earnings or intellectual property-based value from products, equipment, services and/or technologies related to plant-based industries, including the cannabis plant family and its various compounds, the fungi industry (including medicinal, functional and psychedelics), super-foods and/or organic ingredients industries in addition to investing in specialty retail locations, functional medicine and wellness-based clinics and treatment centers. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements with respect to the Company. These forward-looking statements, by their nature, involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in those forward-looking statements and information. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the following risks: risks associated with the Company's business plan and matters relating thereto, and risks associated with the Company's investments and financial objectives, as well as other risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those detailed from time to time in the Company's public filings on SEDAR. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. For further information, please contact: Plant-Based Investment Corp. Paul Crath Chief Executive Officer T: (647) 660-0566 E: [email protected] To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/163952 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 27, 2023) - Rome Resources Ltd. (TSXV: RMR) (FSE: 33R) ("Rome" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has granted 500,000 incentive stock options ("Options") to a director pursuant to its stock option plan. The Options have a three-year term and an exercise price of $0.26 per common share, and vest immediately. About Rome Resources Rome Resources Ltd. is a mineral exploration company that has entered into two option agreements to acquire 51% direct and indirect interests in two contiguous properties situated in the Walikale District of the North Kivu Province in eastern DRC, which are collectively referred to as the "Bisie North Tin Project". Rome intends to fund exploration on the project up to the completion of a definitive feasibility study. Contacts Investors / Shareholders Mark Gasson President, CEO & Director P: (604) 687-6140 Media E: [email protected] Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements The information in this news release may include certain information and statements about management's view of future events, expectations, plans and prospects that may constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Because of these risks and uncertainties and as a result of a variety of factors, the actual results, expectations, achievements or performance may differ materially from those anticipated and indicated by these forward-looking statements. Although Rome Resources Ltd believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, Rome Resources Ltd disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking statements or otherwise. 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. Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/163942 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 27, 2023) - Silver Elephant Mining Corp.(TSX: ELEF) (OTCQX: SILEF) (FSE: 1P2)("Silver Elephant" or "the Company")announces that, further to its news release dated March 21, 2023, another rail shipment totaling 3,150 tonnes of coal has departed for China from the Ulaan Ovoo mine owned and operated by Mega Thermal Coal Corp. in Mongolia. Mega Thermal Coal Corp. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Silver Elephant. Further information on Mega Coal Thermal Coal Corp. can be found at www.megacoal.ca. About Silver Elephant Mining Corp. Silver Elephant Mining Corp. is a premier silver mining and exploration company, with its flagship Pulacayo-Paca silver project in Bolivia. It also owns 100% of Mega Thermal Coal Corp. Further information on Silver Elephant can be found at www.silverelef.com. SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD John Lee CEO For more information about Silver Elephant, please contact Investor Relations: +1.604.569.3661 ext. 101 [email protected] / www.silverelef.com Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Toronto Stock Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Reader Advisory Certain statements contained in this or other news release, including, but not limited to, statements with respect to the debt settlements, the terms of the debt settlements, and the completion of the debt settlements, among other things, and statements which may contain words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "plans", "believes", "estimates", "targets", or similar expressions, and statements related to matters which are not historical facts, are forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements, which reflect management's expectations regarding either of Silver Elephant's future growth, results of operations, performance, business prospects and opportunities, are based on certain factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on Silver Elephant's forward-looking statements. Silver Elephant believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements contained in this news release and the documents incorporated by reference herein are reasonable based on information available to it, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct. In addition, although Silver Elephant has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Silver Elephant undertakes no obligation to release publicly any future revisions to forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as expressly required by law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/163956 The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on Russias domestic security service FSB and the intelligence unit of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) accusing them of being responsible or complicit in the wrongful detention of Americans overseas, senior administration officials said, Trend reports citing Al Arabiya. The sanctions also targeted four senior commanders within IRGCs IO, although among them were at least one individual who had been already been subject to previous US sanctions. FSB was also subject to previous US sanctions. Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - April 27, 2023) - The Newly Institute Inc. ("Newly" or the "Company") today announced the joint information circular and proxy statement (the "Circular") and related materials will be mailed on May 2, 2023 for the special meeting (the "Special Meeting") of the Company's shareholders, optionholders and warrantholders (the "Securityholders") to vote on the previously announced plan of arrangement (the "Transaction") pursuant to which it is proposed that Pathway Health Corp. ("Pathway") will acquire all of the outstanding common shares in the capital of capital of HEAL Global Holdings Corp. ("HEAL") and all of the outstanding common shares in the capital of the Company (the "Newly Shares") (other than those Newly Shares held by HEAL). The Circular and related materials will be filed publicly by Pathway under its issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Voting at Special Meeting The Special Meeting will be held on May 30, 2023 at 9:30 a.m. (Calgary time) at the Calgary Petroleum Club, Cardium Room, 319 - 5th Avenue S.W. in Calgary, Alberta. At the Special Meeting, Securityholders will consider, and, if deemed advisable, pass, with or without variation a special resolution to approve the Transaction. In connection with the Transaction, the shareholders of the Company (the "Shareholders") will consider, and, if deemed advisable, pass, with or without variation, a special resolution to approve the continuance of the Company from the federal jurisdiction of Canada under the Canada Business Corporations Act to the provincial jurisdiction of Alberta under the Business Corporations Act (Alberta) (the "Continuance"). The Circular, form of proxy, voting instruction form and letter of transmittal, as applicable, for the Special Meeting contain comprehensive information with respect to how Securityholders may vote on the matters to be considered at the Special Meeting. Only Securityholders of record as of the close of business on April 25, 2023 are eligible to vote at the Special Meeting. The deadline for completed proxies to be received by the Company's transfer agent is Friday, May 26, 2023 at 9:30 a.m. (Calgary time). Receipt of Interim Court Order The Company today also announced that on April 25, 2023 an interim order was granted by the Alberta Court of King's Bench (the "Court") regarding the Transaction (the "Interim Order"). The Interim Order, among other things, authorizes the Company to proceed with various matters, including the holding of the Special Meeting to consider and vote on the Transaction and Continuance. Subject to the receipt of the requisite Pathway and HEAL shareholder approvals, Securityholder approvals and other necessary approvals, the Transaction is expected to close in mid-June, 2023. About The Newly Institute Newly is a Calgary, Alberta based private company, that believes mental health treatment is in drastic need of a paradigm shift. Our vision is to provide long-lasting change within the industry, our community and with our patients. We have pioneered an intensive bio-psycho-social treatment model that can be supplemented by medically managed psychedelic-assisted therapies when appropriate. Our medical professionals help patients overcome deeply embedded traumas, addiction and pain that are preventing them from living fully in their everyday lives. While our programs are based on evidence and data, our approach is personal as we know it is vital that people feel safe as together we do the difficult work necessary to achieve wellness. The Company is on track to becoming Canada's largest and premier operator of inter-disciplinary mental health clinics. We currently operate clinics in Calgary, Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta and Fredericton, New Brunswick with additional locations planned for several more Canadian cities. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements included in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" as defined under applicable Canadian securities legislation. The words "will", "intends", "expects" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking information, although not all forward-looking information will contain these identifying words. Specific forward-looking information contained in this news release includes but is not limited to statements regarding: the mailing of the Circular and related materials; the timing of the Special Meeting and the completion of the Transaction. These statements are based on factors and assumptions related to historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments. Since forward-looking information relates to future events and conditions, by its very nature it requires making assumptions and involves inherent risks and uncertainties. Newly cautions that although it is believed that the assumptions are reasonable in the circumstances, these risks and uncertainties give rise to the possibility that actual results may differ materially from expectations. Material risk factors include the requisite approvals of Securityholders and Pathway and HEAL shareholders not being provided for the Transaction and Continuance, as applicable. Given these risks, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information contained herein. Other than as required by law, Newly undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking information to reflect new information, subsequent or otherwise. For further information contact: Arthur H. Kwan Chief Executive Officer Phone: (825) 540-4042 Email: [email protected] To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/163981 HONG KONG, Apr 27, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - - Edvantage Group Holdings Limited ("Edvantage Group" or the "Group", stock code: 0382.HK), the largest private business higher and vocational education group in the Greater Bay Area, has announced its unaudited FY2023 Interim Results for the six months ended 28 February 2023 (the "Reporting Period"). During the Reporting Period, under the background of the state's strong support for vocational education, the Group has been closely following the continuously favorable national policies of vocational education, adhering to high-quality and compliant school operation, the business operations have shown high-quality and sustainable development, with steady improvement in performance. Highlights (Unaudited relevant data for the six months ended 28 February 2023) -- Revenue increased by 18.3% YoY to approximately RMB972.8million; -- Gross profit rose by 19.1% YoY to approximately RMB491.8 million; -- Profit for the period attributable to owners of the Company rose by 18.9% YoY to approximately RMB298.7 million; -- Number of student enrolments increased 12.2% against the corresponding period of last year to 85,603; -- Interim dividend per share is 9.0 HK cents. During the Reporting Period, the Group's revenue was approximately RMB972.8 million, representing an increase of 18.3% as compared with the corresponding period of the preceding year, which was mainly attributable to the increase in the number of student enrolments of Huashang College, Huashang Vocational College, Urban Vocational College and Urban Technician College of the Group and the revenue generated by the school acquired in the financial year ended 31 August 2022 (i.e. Huashang Technical School). Profit for the period attributable to owners of the Company rose by 18.9% YoY to approximately RMB298.7 million. The Board of the Group is pleased to declare an interim dividend of HK9.0 cents per share in respect of the six months ended 28 February 2023. Paying close heed to national policies and market orientation to cultivate application-oriented talents for social needs On May 1, 2022, the newly revised "Vocational Education Law of the People's Republic of China" was officially implemented. The new law stipulates that vocational education is as important as general education. During the Reporting Period, China promulgated a series of beneficial vocational education policies, which provide more support for the vocational education sector, encourage companies to invest in schools and promote high quality and sustainable development of vocational education. With the advancement of science and technology and the development of digital technology, the schools under the Group have opened new majors in line with national policies and market orientation, such as pharmacy, artificial intelligence, cross-border e-commerce, intelligent connected vehicle technology, etc. Against the backdrop of such beneficial policies, the Group pays close heed to national policies to deepen school-enterprise cooperation and integration of industry and education, allowing the Group to achieve stable growth in operating result over consecutive years and record high enrolments Further deepening the school-enterprise cooperation to push integration of industry and education During the Reporting Period, the Group actively responded to national policies and focused on connotation construction. For talent demand in digital economy, health and other sectors, the Group cooperated with multiple famous enterprises in their respective sectors to further deepen the integration of industry and education. Future Development Looking ahead to the future, the Group will continue to closely follow national policies, insist on talent strategy and the high-quality development of the integration of industry and education, as well as increase exploration of collaborative development among "industry, academia, and research", cultivating high-level application-oriented and innovative talents with international perspectives to serve the society and contribute to the nation. About Edvantage Group Holdings Limited Edvantage Group Holdings Limited ("Edvantage Group" or the "Group", stock code: 0382.HK) is the largest private business higher education and vocational education group in the Greater Bay Area, and an early mover in education sector in pursuing international expansion, listed in Hong Kong Main Board on 16 July 2019. The total number of full-time student enrolments of the Group was approximately 85,600 as of 28 February 2023. Operated 9 private education institutions, namely, Guangzhou Huashang College (Applied Undergraduate), Guangzhou Huashang Vocational College (Higher Vocational Education) and Guangdong Huashang Technical School (Secondary Vocational Education) located in Guangdong, China; Urban Vocational College of Sichuan (Higher Vocational Education) and Urban Technician College of Sichuan (Secondary Vocational Education) in Sichuan, China; GBA Business School (GBABS) in Hong Kong, China; Global Business College of Australia (GBCA) and Edvantage Institute Australia (EIA) in Australia; Edvantage Institute (Singapore) (EIS) in the downtown of Singapore. While focusing on school operations, the Group also actively fulfil corporate social responsibility, extensively contributing to social welfare programmes including charity, poverty alleviation, education and revitalisation, in order to take the initiative in repaying society through action. Since its listing, the Group has made outstanding contribution in the field of ESG and has won the "InnoESG Care Prize" in 2021, Gelonghui's "Mid-to-Small Market Value Corporate Social Responsibility Award of the Year", and Zhitong Caijing's "Best CSR Listed Company" award in 2022. Copyright 2023 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. Atlas repeats partnership with Albras, the largest aluminum producer in Brazil , with unprecedented 21-year US dollar power purchase agreement SAO PAULO , April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Atlas Renewable Energy, a global leader in renewable energy, just signed a power purchase agreement with Albras, the largest primary aluminum producer in Brazil . Under the US dollar contract, Atlas will supply sustainable solar energy to Albras for 21 years, the longest term ever signed in Latin America for a corporate renewable energy PPA. The energy provided to Albras under this PPA will be supplied by the Vista Alegre Photovoltaic Project, with operations expected to start in 2025. The plant will be located in the state of Minas Gerais with an installed capacity of 902 MWp and will generate approximately 2TWh/year, which is equivalent to removing more than 61,800 cars of the streets of Sao Paulo and offsetting approximately 154,000 tons of CO 2 emissions per year. "This is an important step for Atlas as we continue our focus to partner with corporate customers to support their energy transition to clean energy. The closing of our second contract with Albras attests to our ability to provide a compelling tailored energy solution to our customers. Furthermore, it offers predictability to the energy management of our customers looking to achieve their sustainability goals. The scale and term of this deal underscores Atlas' ability to address the needs of large energy consumers with reliability of execution, while fostering best in class ESG programs in line with their values", says Carlos Barrera , Atlas Renewable Energy's CEO. With this new power purchase agreement, the partnership between Atlas and Albras will enable the equivalent generation of renewable energy that could power a city with approximately 3 million inhabitants, such as Brasilia. Furthermore, Atlas' Vista Alegre will continue to enable ESG practices to instill long-term benefits and promote sustainable practices for the nearby communities. "We are all part of the same energy," Atlas' flagship social program will be implemented to promote diversity and inclusion within the renewable energy sector by training local women in technical skills and mobilizing its contractors to include them in their recruiting process, aiming to reach more than 15% of female representation within the construction of the plant. About Atlas Renewable Energy Atlas Renewable Energy is an international renewable energy generation company with over 4 GW of contracted projects, of which 2.2 GW are operational. Atlas specializes in developing, financing, constructing, and operating renewable energy projects throughout the Americas since early 2017. The company includes an experienced team with a deep global power market and renewable energy expertise, with the longest track record in the renewable energy industry in the Americas and Europe . The company's strategy is focused on helping large corporates make the energy transition to 100% clean energy. Atlas Renewable Energy is widely recognized for its high standards in the development, construction, and operation of large-scale projects, as well as a deep and long-standing track record in ESG and sustainable development. For more information, visit: www.AtlasRenewableEnergy.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2064786/Atlas_Renewable_Energy_PPA.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/atlas-renewable-energy-signs-largest-private-solar-ppa-in-latam-301809636.html SOURCE Atlas Renewable Energy 11th annual Hatch Off brings one-stop party rental shop to Detroit DETROIT, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The results are in! Bouncing Around The Motor City has been named the winner of the 2023 Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest by TechTown, claiming the $100,000 grand prize from Comerica Bank to open the brick-and-mortar business of their dreams in Detroit . As the winner of the 2023 Hatch Off, Bouncing Around The Motor City will receive technical assistance from TechTown and its partners in addition to the $100,000 business grant from Comerica Bank to kickstart and open a brick-and-mortar business in Detroit . Bouncing Around The Motor City is Detroit's premier one-stop shop for balloons, decor, event planning and party rentals. It aims to create unique and vibrant designs for parties and special occasions that will captivate. Founder and owner Cathryn Coleman is a certified balloon artist that skillfully creates each design. Back in 2017 while caring for her mother in hospice care, Coleman was inspired to take a leap of faith and start her own business to support her family, and thus Bouncing Around The Motor City was born. This year, Coleman and her family have traveled to Washington DC , California , Florida and Atlanta attending balloon and face painting conferences in an effort to grow the business. Bouncing Around The Motor City plans to open its storefront in a rehabilitated building in Detroit's Bethune community. The building has been vacant for 26 years and Coleman plans to renovate the space into a flourishing retail balloon and gift shop. "Celebrating the future brick-and-mortar addition to Detroit's thriving small business landscape, we are thrilled to extend our support and recognition to Bouncing Around The Motor City," 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 showcased time and again the incredible entrepreneurial spirit that thrives in this city, and Bouncing Around The Motor City's success serves as a testament to the perseverance and determination of its founder. With TechTown's commitment to supporting its alumni and winners beyond the competition, we are excited to witness the journey that lies ahead for Bouncing Around The Motor City and the finalists." After a tight race, Bouncing Around The Motor City was crowned the winner in front of a live audience at the Hatch Off event that took place Wednesday, April 26 , at the Wayne State University Industry Innovation Center in Detroit . During the live pitching competition, the top four businesses were given the opportunity to present their business pitch to a panel of judges, as well as a live audience. Public voting, along with the judges' deliberation, determined that Bouncing Around The Motor City was the winner. "Comerica Bank congratulates Bouncing Around The Motor City on this momentous achievement in their entrepreneurial journey and a well-deserved victory. As Bouncing Around The Motor City joins the previous 10 winners and the special network of Hatch alumni, we look forward to the vibrancy it will bring to the community," said Steve Davis , Comerica Bank Michigan Market President. "We recognize the vital role entrepreneurs play in driving economic growth and job creation as well as the unique challenges small business owners face. Now guided behind the strength of the TechTown team, the Hatch Detroit Contest has proven a tremendous opportunity for uplifting small businesses by helping them access the capital and technical assistance they need to succeed and thrive." The 10 semifinalists of the 2023 Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest were announced to the public for voting in early April. After over 23,000 votes were cast, the four finalists Bouncing Around The Motor City, Konjo Me, Next Chapter Books and Sepia Coffee Project LLC were selected by and introduced to the public. A second round of public voting opened on Monday, April 24 , and ran through the completion of the business pitches at the Hatch Off. As the winner of the 11th annual Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest by TechTown, Bouncing Around The Motor City joins previous winners La Feria (2012), Sister Pie (2014), http://www.livecycledelight.com/Meta Physica Massage (2016), Baobab Fare (2017), 27th Letter Books (2019) and Little Liberia (2022). 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. To learn more about Bouncing Around The Motor City, 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 . View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bouncing-around-the-motor-city-wins-100-000-comerica-hatch-detroit-contest-by-techtown-301809585.html SOURCE Comerica Bank BEIJING , April 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- China's commitment to standing on the side of peace over the Ukraine crisis has been proved, once again. During a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy , Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday said that dialogue and negotiations are "the only viable way out" for the Ukraine crisis, and that no one wins a nuclear war. China will send a special representative of the Chinese government on Eurasian affairs to visit Ukraine and other countries to conduct in-depth communication with all parties on the political settlement of the crisis, Xi said. China's core stance: peace During the call, the Chinese president stressed that on the Ukraine crisis, China's core stance is to facilitate talks for peace. China did not create the crisis, nor is it a party to it, he said. "As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible major country, China would not sit idly by, nor would it add oil to the fire, still less exploit the situation for self gains," he pledged. China released a 12-point paper stating its position on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis on February 24, 2023 , the first anniversary of the start of the Russia - Ukraine conflict. On Wednesday, Xi also said, on the nuclear issue, all relevant parties must stay calm and exercise restraint, truly act in the interests of their own future and that of humanity, and jointly manage the crisis. With rational thinking and voices now on the rise, it is important to seize the opportunity and build up favorable conditions for the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, he urged. It is hoped that all parties would seriously reflect on the Ukraine crisis and jointly explore ways to bring lasting peace and security to Europe through dialogue, said Xi. China will continue to facilitate talks for peace and make its efforts for an early ceasefire and restoration of peace, he vowed. For his part, Zelenskyy thanked China for providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and welcomed China's important role in restoring peace and seeking a diplomatic solution to the crisis. He also said, China upholds the purposes and principles of the UN Charter in international affairs and has significant influence on the international stage. Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Renmin University of China, described the phone call between the two leaders as "long-awaited" and "much-anticipated." "All the parties were looking forward to the conversation," Wang told CGTN. "It shows China's responsibility as a major country." When briefing reporters about the call, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Li Hui will be the special envoy. Li served as Chinese ambassador to Russia from 2009 to 2019. In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it has noted the Chinese side's readiness to make efforts to establish the negotiation process. "By sending the special envoy, China is further implementing its position paper with actions," said Wang. That will make the international community look forward to China's playing of a bigger role, he said. China and Ukraine : strategic partners During Wednesday's conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart, Xi also pointed out that China - Ukraine relations, after 31 years of development, have reached a level of strategic partnership, boosting the development and revitalization of the two countries. Mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity is the political foundation of China - Ukraine relations, said the Chinese president. "The two sides need to look to the future, view and handle the bilateral relations from a long-term perspective, carry forward the tradition of mutual respect and sincerity, and take the China - Ukraine strategic partnership forward," Xi urged. He added that no matter how the international situation evolves, China will work with Ukraine to advance mutually beneficial cooperation. Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian side is committed to the one- China policy, and hopes to advance all-round bilateral cooperation with China . He also expressed hope to open up a new chapter in Ukraine - China relations and jointly safeguard world peace and stability. Following the call with Xi, Zelenskyy announced the appointment of Pavlo Ryabikin, a former minister of strategic industries, as Ukraine's new ambassador to China . https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-04-26/Xi-Zelenskyy-hold-phone-call-1jjY1hTqK2c/index.html View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cgtn-china-says-it-always-stands-on-side-of-peace-over-ukraine-crisis-301809190.html SOURCE CGTN CHICAGO , April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Dream Exchange is pleased to announce its sponsorship of an MBA scholarship for Kenneth Ekefre to attend the Zurich Elite Business School (ZEBS). This scholarship is awarded to extraordinary ZEBS applicants who want to pursue their academic career. Dream Exchange shares ZEBS's commitment to educating the next generation of dreamers about business, finance and technology. The scholarship program recognizes applicants who demonstrate courage in pursuing all which is possible, display strength in overcoming challenges and contribute to their environment in an extraordinary way. Applicants are awarded based on academic achievement, community service and financial need. "I am sincerely honored to have been selected by Dream Exchange as the recipient of the Real-World Skills MBA Scholarship Program at ZEBS. This is a lifeline and a lifetime opportunity for me, as it would enable me to acquire the necessary skills needed to grow in my career and as an entrepreneur to actualize my dreams of being able to inspire and empower people." -Kenneth Ekefre, Scholarship Recipient "At Zurich Elite Business School, we believe in investing in the next generation of leaders and innovators. Our scholarship program is a testament to this commitment, providing opportunities for students to receive a quality education and reach their full potential. We are proud to partner with Dream Exchange in this mission and empower students to pursue their passions and dreams and make a positive impact in the world." Adonis Emmanouil Fragkakis, Co-Founder and President of Zurich Elite Business School "Our work in creating a more accessible stock exchange means nothing if we do not continue to educate future generations of leaders and empower them with the knowledge they need to be successful in life and in business. This program achieves this purpose, and we are honored to contribute." - Joe Cecala , CEO, Dream Exchange About Zurich School of Business (ZEBS) Zurich Elite Business School (ZEBS), a world-leading Management Boutique based in Zurich, Switzerland , is committed to provide customized and innovative world-class business education in order to help students achieve excellence in their academic and professional careers and companies to develop and strengthen their most valuable asset: people. Our aim is also to support underrepresented students from many different backgrounds who can't afford common high tuition fees and give them access to top-class MBA programs regardless of their wealth, ethnic origin, race and education status. About Dream Exchange Dream Exchange is a company currently in the process of preparing its formal application to operate a national market system stock exchange. It will be the first minority-governed and owned company to operate a stock exchange in the history of the United States . In addition, Dream Exchange is championing the creation of a new type of stock exchange called a venture exchange, to list and trade small-to-mid-sized, early-stage company stock. Dream Exchange's mission is to create equality of opportunity through a marketplace that instills ethics, integrity, humanity, and access into our financial markets. Visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn for more. MEDIA CONTACT Vanessa Jean-Louis Director of Public Relations and Strategic Partnerships 1-773-914-1182 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dream-exchange-sponsors-zurich-elite-business-school-student-301809591.html SOURCE Dream Exchange ATLANTA , April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SlateSafety announces its newest product, the BEACON V2, an environmental monitoring device with a focus on ambient temperature monitoring to enhance heat safety programs. The BEACON V2 is SlateSafety's next step to continue its mission of connecting the workforce, automating safety and preventing injuries. The BEACON V2 is integrated into SlateSafety's existing V2 system which includes its software platform and a suite of accessories. Measuring real-time temperature, relative humidity, and heat index it maintains SlateSafety requirements for reliability and durability. When paired with SlateSafety's wearable device, the BAND V2, the BEACON V2 acts as a coarse real-time location system (RTLS) allowing for the indoor location of workers. It's not just outdoor temperatures that cause heat stress. Indoor environments can be subject to above-average extended temperatures too. Many organizations such as food manufacturers and steel mills have reported concerns about heat stress monitors for their indoor processes. In fact, the new OSHA National Emphasis Program (NEP) for outdoor and indoor heat hazards uses a heat index of 80 degrees Fahrenheit, indoor and outdoor, as a heat priority day. While BEACON V2 is not a direct replacement for a wet bulb globe thermometer(WBGT) it is many times more affordable, which allows organizations a more comprehensive deployment range over potentially hazardous areas as opposed to a few centrally located WBGTs. "In general, what makes us excited is the push for innovation. In this case, we want to make it easy for our customers to cover an entire site with an economical sensor for localized environmental measurements. The ability to have hundreds of real-time data points for temperature and humidity was previously unheard of. Now it's not just a possibility but a practicality," said SlateSafety CEO, Zack Braun . Visit How to use the BEACON V2s or www.slatesafety.com to learn more. About SlateSafety: SlateSafety is a technology start-up based in Atlanta, Georgia at the edge of the connected safety revolution. The team's mission is to bring reliable, rugged, and easy-to-use safety solutions to heavy industrial applications. SlateSafety has received funding from the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the US military to accelerate the development of its IoT platform. The BAND V2 is a multiple award winner for innovation and was recognized in TIME as a '2021 Best Invention of the Year.' Contact: [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/environmental-monitor-added-to-slatesafety-personal-heat-stress-monitoring-suite-301809972.html SOURCE SlateSafety SAN ANTONIO , April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pursuant to Section 9-610 of the Uniform Commercial Code, GemCap Solutions, LLC, as servicer and attorney-in-fact for secured party GemCap Holdings, LLC (the "Secured Party") will hold a secured party public sale to the highest and best bidder for cash, with reserve, to be conducted telephonically by the Secured Party on Monday, May 22, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. Central Standard Time (the "Public Sale"). Qualified Bidders (defined below) may attend the Public Sale telephonically. GEMCAP SOLUTIONS, LLC TO AUCTION THE PERSONAL PROPERTY OF CLR ROASTERS, LLC VIA PUBLIC SALE The Secured Party is conducting the Public Sale to foreclose the security interest held by the Secured Party in and to substantially all of the personal property assets of CLR ROASTERS, LLC, a Florida limited liability company (the "Borrower"), including, without limitation, (i) inventory ("Inventory"), (ii) accounts receivable ("Accounts Receivable"), (iii) certain machinery and equipment owned by the Borrower all as set forth on the schedule prepared by Secured Party (collectively, the "FF&E"), (iv) the following trademarks and trade names: "Cafe La Rica", "Josie's Java House", "Java Impact", "Javalution Coffee Company", and "Javafit"; the following domain names: Clroaster.com; Clrcups.com; Marlinsclr.com; Cafelarica.com; Cafelarica.net; Cafelarica.us; Cafelarica.co; Larica cafe; Marlinscafecito.com; Cafecitomarlins.com; Cafecitorica.com; and Cafecitooficail.com; and the Borrower's customer list (collectively, the "Intellectual Property"), (v) trade fixtures ("Trade Fixtures"), and (vi) the stock owned by Borrower in the Silas Plantation Family Group, a Nicaragua corporation ("Silas Plantation Stock"). The Inventory, Accounts Receivable, FF&E, Intellectual Property, Trade Fixtures, and the Silas Plantation Stock are collectively referred to as the "Public Sale Collateral". The Secured Party is conducting the Public Sale to foreclose the lien and security interest held by the Secured Party in and to the Public Sale Collateral. At the Public Sale, all of Borrower's right, title and interest in and to the Public Sale Collateral will be sold "as is" and "where is" and the Secured Party shall make no representation or warranty, either express or implied, relating to title, use, quiet enjoyment, possession, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, completeness, condition or the like, all of which are hereby disclaimed, in the sale or disposition of the Public Sale Collateral. In addition, the Public Sale Collateral is being sold (i) free and clear of Secured Party's liens and any subordinate security interests, and (ii) without recourse to Secured Party, its attorneys and representatives. The Public Sale of the Public Sale Collateral, if made, shall be to the highest and best bidder. In order to participate in the bidding process, each person or entity (a "Potential Bidder") must deliver to the undersigned (i) an executed confidentiality agreement in form and substance acceptable to Secured Party, (ii) current financial statements of the Potential Bidder or other evidence acceptable to Secured Party that will show the financial ability of the Potential Bidder to purchase the Public Sale Collateral, (iii) a completed and executed Asset Purchase Agreement in the form provided by Secured Party, and (iv) a deposit in an amount equal to ten percent of the bid amount which will be held in escrow by Secured Party. A Potential Bidder that complies with the foregoing requirements shall be deemed a "Qualified Bidder". Those Qualified Bidders participating at the Public Sale shall be provided with the telephone number and passcode to attend the Public Sale and shall be given the opportunity to bid on a competitive basis. At the Public Sale, each of the Inventory, Accounts Receivable, FF&E, the Intellectual Property, the Trade Fixtures and the Silas Plantation Stock may be offered for sale in separate lots or in combination lots and the Public Sale Collateral will be offered as a single lot. At the conclusion of the Public Sale, the successful bidder(s) must pay the final bid amount in full by a wire transfer of funds to the Secured Party. The Secured Party reserves the right to credit bid on any or all of the Public Sale Collateral at the Public Sale. The Secured Party reserves the right to reject all bids, adjourn or cancel the Public Sale. For further details regarding the Public Sale Collateral, obtaining the confidentiality agreement and the form asset purchase agreement, and information regarding the Public Sale, you may contact either Michael Berens , Esq. by email at [email protected] or by telephone at (530) 304-6922 or David Ellis by email at [email protected] or by telephone at (310) 494-1437. Media Contact: David Ellis Email: [email protected] Direct: 310-494-1437 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gemcap-solutions-llc-to-auction-the-personal-property-of-clr-roasters-llc-via-public-sale-301810070.html SOURCE GemCap Solutions, LLC NetElixir hosts new webinar with Wharton Professor Jerry Wind PRINCETON, N.J. , April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NetElixir, one of the fastest-growing independent digital marketing agencies in the United States , just announced a brand new webinar with Jerry Wind , the Lauder Professor Emeritus and Professor of Marketing at The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania, as well as a board member for Amelia. NetElixir hosts new webinar with Wharton Professor Jerry Wind to help retailers prepare for the future of marketing. Join NetElixir's Founder and CEO, Udayan Bose , live on Thursday, May 18th at 11 AM EST to participate in the live fireside chat with Professor Jerry Wind as the pair discuss Innovation and AI: How To Prepare For The Future Of Digital Marketing . During this live fireside chat, Bose and Professor Wind will discuss: The power of transformation from old to new digital initiatives The importance of creating a culture of experimentation to learn how AI can help brand growth How to leverage generative and conversational AI to unlock a team's creativity E-Commerce category-level data to understand what impact new AI innovations have already had on online shopping and behavior "Our industry is in the midst of tectonic change," says Bose. "The rapid adoption of generative AI is a game-changer for everyone, especially marketers. I'm honored to welcome Jerry Wind back to speak with NetElixir and share his thoughts on what AI means for marketing. NetElixir is leading from the future and I have always been an avid follower and practitioner of Jerry Wind's insights into creating a culture of experimentation and innovation." The upcoming May 18th webinar will mark the fourth time Professor Wind has spoken with NetElixir to share his thoughts on the current landscape and how brands can create a culture of innovation through experimentation. Professor Jerry Wind first joined NetElixir during their 7th annual X=Experience, a unique and intimate conference that seeks to bridge the gap between academia and industry. Professor Wind conducted a workshop on Rethinking Innovation for the 40+ gathered retail leaders during the main conference day in 2019. See Jerry Wind's 12 Guidelines for Rethinking Innovation , hosted at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ . Professor Wind's recent research explores marketing-driven business strategy, creativity and innovation, and AI for customer engagement. During NetElixir's Reimagine Tomorrow Series,a three-part webinar sequence launched the summer of 2020 to help retailers navigate the ongoing crisis, and during NetElixir's Connecting the Dots Virtual Conference held in June 2021 , Wind discussed how to create opportunities in times of crisis in order to bring about transformation. The NetElixir team is excited to welcome back Professor Jerry Wind once more to talk through the transformative and disruptive power of AI so that retailers can be ready for the future of digital marketing. Register now to attend this live webinar. ABOUT NETELIXIR Search Marketing Redefined. NetElixir is an independent growth marketing consultant for leading retail, DTC, and B2B brands. They have been driving profitable growth for e-commerce businesses since 2004, by combining a high-tech and high-touch approach to digital marketing. The team specializes in predictably winning high-value customers through targeted demand generation campaigns on Google Ads and Meta remarketing campaigns. Their strategic insights empower brands to humanize their customer relationships through search, social, programmatic display, and retail media channels and draw the line between invasive and inventive marketing. NetElixir is the only New Jersey -based agency and one of just 27 in Google's Leadership Circle . NetElixir is headquartered in Princeton, NJ with wholly-owned subsidiary offices in Hyderabad, India . For more information, please visit www.netelixir.com . Contact: Shannon Kelly [email protected] View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/how-to-prepare-for-the-ai-innovation-revolution-in-marketing-301809864.html SOURCE NetElixir VANCOUVER, BC and HOUSTON, Texas , April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - International Battery Metals Ltd. (the "Company" ) (CSE: IBAT) (OTC: IBATF) (FSE: 8RE) is pleased to announce that it has closed a follow up private placement financing for gross proceeds of CAD$6,693,500 ( USD$5,000,000 ) (the "Private Placement"). This follow up private placement is being made by the group who invested CAD$10,000,000 in February, 2022. Garry Flowers , IBAT's CEO, notes "Over the past five years, IBAT has designed, assembled, tested and put in pilot production it's Modular Direct Lithium Extraction ("MDLE") plant and from which it has produced highly concentrated, battery quality Lithium Chloride salts in production level quantities. Our breakthrough DLE technologies are backed by a robust portfolio of 11 issued or pending US and overseas patents and proprietary 'Green' lithium extraction methodologies. The new funds raised will be used for working capital needs as we accept pre-placement orders for new DLE processing plants, and we narrow prospective customer lithium brine resource locations to those sites most conducive for volume production." According to Dr. John Burba , Director of Global Technology: "IBAT is prepared to dispatch our commercial-scale modular plants now. Depending on wellhead brine Lithium concentrations, each plant can produce up to 5,000 metric tons of commercial-grade lithium chloride per year. The modular design allows for IBAT's technology to be scaled up quickly to extract lithium from the world's largest resources. IBAT's DLE plants are modular meaning they can be dispatched to some of the most remote areas of the world where lithium is plentiful, but freshwater is not, such as the Chilean desert. As well, IBAT's technology occupies a very small footprint that helps protect the surrounding area from the impact of traditional lithium extraction. IBAT's green technology extracts only Lithium Chloride from ground water salt brine deposits and returns the same water to the subsurface aquifer from which it is extracted. The plant can be powered by natural gas produced at the wellhead. Wind towers or solar panel fields are under consideration as a means to ensure a net zero carbon footprint. Finally, in discussions with prospective customer lithium brine resource location owners, we have become acutely aware of our ability to advance our customers environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies while also enabling the recovery of significant carbon tax credits." About the Company The Company's direct lithium extraction technology is based on proprietary lithium extraction housed in patented extraction towers that are enclosed in a modular, shippable platform able to be loaded and brought into production within 10 days of arrival on a customer site. Utilizing the patented technology, the Company's focus has been on advanced extraction of lithium chloride from ground water salt brine deposits and returning the same water to the subsurface aquifer from which it is extracted. The Company's unique patented technology ensures faster delivery of lithium chloride while ensuring minimal environmental impact. Neither Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain assumptions, estimates, and other forward-looking statements regarding future events. Such forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties and are subject to factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control that may cause actual results or performance to differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Forward looking and cautionary statements This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any state in the United States in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements. This release may contain statements within the meaning of safe harbour provisions as defined under securities laws and regulations. This release may contain certain forwardlooking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business of the Company and certain of the plans and objectives of the Company with respect to the same. There is no assurance that the company's apparatus will be able to commercially produce lithium at the stated capacity. The purpose of the tests is to determine if it will be able to do so and successful completion of the tests cannot be assured as they are subject to risks and uncertainties associated with any new mineral processing method and characteristics of the material being processed. By their nature, forwardlooking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future and there are many factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forwardlooking statements. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/international-battery-metals-ltd-closes-us5-000-000-private-placement-301809317.html SOURCE International Battery Metals Ltd. Egypt's Alkahera Company for Ferries and Maritime Transport signed on Monday a contract to build two multi-purpose MPC14K ships with South Korea's shipbuilding company Dae Sun. The changes are in response to improved water supply conditions due to recent winter storms. JURUPA VALLEY, Calif. , April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of Jurupa Community Services District, also known as JCSD, moved to ease drought restrictions at its meeting on Monday, April 24 . This change marks the first time JCSD has modified its drought response level since 2016. The Board of Directors emphasized the need for all customers to continue water conservation as a way of life. California has been experiencing multiple years of drought conditions, culminating in several emergency actions by Governor Gavin Newsom and the State Water Resources Control Board. Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-7-22 on March 28, 2022 , which mandated several drought actions, including requiring all water suppliers to move to a Level 2 drought response. Each level of an agency's drought response carries additional restrictions and conservation targets. In anticipation of escalating drought conditions, the JCSD Board of Directors adopted a resolution on October 19, 2021 , in Support of a Water Supply Alert. The Water Supply Alert called on customers to voluntarily reduce their water use by 15 percent. Since 2016, JCSD has been at a Drought Response Level 2, known as a Drought Caution, which restricts different types of water use deemed wasteful, and establishes a water conservation target. Chirs Berch , JCSD's General Manager, said, "As the drought grew throughout California in 2021, JCSD proactively responded with increased education and conservation efforts." Berch continued, "Our community can be proud and confident in JCSD's leadership during the trying times of drought." Following multiple years of drought and dry conditions, California received record-setting amounts of precipitation and snow through several large storms since January. According to the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, Riverside has received over 15 inches of rainfall, or nearly 140% of the annual average as of April 20 . California has also experienced exceptional snowfall as a result of recent storms. At its fourth Phillips Station Snow Survey, the California Department of Water Resources recorded 126.5 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 54 inches, which is 221 percent of the April 3 average for that location. As a result of the winter storms, Governor Newsom rolled back several drought emergency provisions that are no longer needed due to current water conditions. The Governor's action on March 24, 2023 , ended the requirement that local water agencies implement level 2 of their drought contingency plans and several other measures. The Board of Directors moved JCSD's drought response level down to a Level 1 Drought Watch in response to improved water supply conditions and the Governor's recent actions. Level 1 is the lowest of the drought response levels. At Level 1, water use restrictions are voluntary, with an increase in public education and outreach efforts to enhance awareness of water conservation practices and a voluntary conservation target of up to 10 percent. "We thank the residents of Jurupa Valley and Eastvale for their commitment to conservation during the drought and are grateful to be in a place where we can lift many restrictions," says JCSD Board President Lupe Nava . "While this year's historic rainfall has helped our region, we continue to encourage everyone to implement water conservation efforts, so we can continue to protect this precious resource." According to the United States Drought Monitor, as of April 13, 2023 , JCSD's service area is not experiencing any drought or abnormally dry conditions. Statewide, no region of California is experiencing Exceptional Drought, Extreme Drought, or Severe Drought conditions, and only 8% of California is experiencing Moderate Drought Conditions. At JCSD's Board meeting on Monday, Community Affairs Supervisor Arman Tarzi reminded the audience of the need to continue protecting water resources. Tarzi said, "The increased volatility of California's climate, going from several years of extremely dry conditions to one of the wettest winters on record, proves that long-term water supply challenges will persist over the coming decades." Tarzi continued, "JCSD will continue to provide resources and financial incentives for customers to become more water efficient and conserve." For more information on water efficiency and conservation, visit www.JCSD.us/Conservation. Founded in 1956, the Jurupa Community Services District is a public governmental agency that provides services and programs to the cities of Jurupa Valley and Eastvale. It is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of five elected representatives from both cities. Serving over 130,000 people in a 40-square-mile area, JCSD provides a variety of community services and programs, including water, sewer, street lights, frontage landscape maintenance, graffiti abatement, and parks and recreation services. Contact: Emily Fuentes , Public Outreach Specialist (951) 685-7434 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jurupa-community-services-district-moves-to-a-lower-drought-level-301810193.html SOURCE Jurupa Community Services District Kyowa Kirin now leads commercial efforts for CRYSVITA in 40 countries/regions around the world Company commits to keep patient needs at the forefront of commercial and education efforts BEDMINSTER, N.J. , April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Kyowa Kirin, Inc., an affiliate of Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. (Kyowa Kirin, TSE: 4151), a top 50 global specialty pharmaceutical company, today assumes primary commercial leadership for CRYSVITA (burosumab-twza) injection in the United States and Canada from Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, Inc., a transition planned for from the start of their decade-long collaboration. Initially discovered and developed by Kyowa Kirin, CRYSVITA is a first-in-class medicine used to treat adults and children 6 months of age and older with X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) and adults and children 2 years of age and older with fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23)related hypophosphatemia in tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO) when the tumor cannot be located or removed. The transition builds on the company's existing commercial portfolio and commitment to address the needs of people living with rare diseases. " Kyowa Kirin intends to build on the successful launch and broad access that's been established for CRYSVITA." "Our collaboration with Ultragenyx has been a great success for children and adults living with XLH and TIO. Their contributions were instrumental in expediting late-stage trials, securing regulatory approval, and delivering treatment to thousands of patients," said Steve Schaefer , President, Kyowa Kirin North America. "Kyowa Kirin intends to build on the successful launch and broad access that's been established for CRYSVITA, as well as the learnings we have from working alongside XLH and TIO communities around the world, to bring more research, education, and support to patients in North America ." To prepare for its new commercial leadership role in North America , Kyowa Kirin has engaged with community leaders and people living with XLH and TIO to gain perspective on their experiences and how best to support them. The company has distilled these conversations into a pledge that articulates how it will act to ensure patient voices are heard and reflected in the company's decision-making going forward. To read the Pledge go here. About the Partnership Kyowa Kirin entered into a collaboration agreement with Ultragenyx in 2013 to hasten late-stage clinical studies and delivery of CRYSVITA to patients. Ultragenyx led Phase 3 studies and took responsibility for launching the medicine in the U.S. , Canada , Latin America , and Turkey , while Kyowa Kirin leveraged its global footprint and capabilities to launch CRYSVITA across Europe , Asia , Australia , and the Middle East in addition to global manufacturing and distribution. As part of the agreement, primary commercial responsibility for CRYSVITA in the U.S. and Canada would revert to Kyowa Kirin five years after first commercial use. During this time, the company experienced significant growth in North America , making significant investments in talent, technology, and infrastructure to support its rare disease business and services for patients, including the creation of Kyowa Kirin Cares, its comprehensive patient support program first launched to support the company's oncology franchise. Starting May 1, 2023 , all support services for CRYSVITA patients and caregivers in the U.S. will be provided through this program. In addition to leading commercial efforts in Latin America and Turkey , Ultragenyx will continue to work with Kyowa Kirin for the next 12 months, providing support for some commercial activities in North America . About XLH and TIO X-linked hypophosphatemia is a rare, lifelong, genetic disease that can impact the bones and muscles in both children and adults. Tumor-induced osteomalacia is an extremely rare, difficult-to-diagnose disease caused by slow-growing tumors that occur throughout the body. In XLH and TIO, the body doesn't hold on to enough phosphorus, which is an essential mineral for bone health. This is due to the production of excess fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), causing the body to release too much phosphorus through the urine. When phosphorus levels are too low (hypophosphatemia), it can cause the softening and weakening of growing bones in children (rickets) and mature bones in adults (osteomalacia). In children, XLH typically appears as bowed legs or knock knees. Over time, bone weakening can also lead to bone abnormalities in the legs, delayed growth, and short stature. In adults, XLH may cause osteomalacia, fractures and pseudo-fractures, and hypophosphatemia. Patients with TIO may develop multiple bone abnormalities and can experience symptoms including severe hypophosphatemia, osteomalacia, and fractures. Symptoms are progressive and can lead to long-term disabilities, so it is vital that TIO be treated as soon as possible. About CRYSVITA CRYSVITA is a recombinant fully human monoclonal IgG1 antibody, discovered by Kyowa Kirin, which binds to and inhibits the biological activity of FGF23, the underlying cause of hypophosphatemia in XLH and TIO. By blocking FGF23, CRYSVITA helps to restore phosphorus reabsorption in the kidneys and increase the production of active vitamin D, which enhances intestinal absorption of phosphate and calcium. U.S. CRYSVITA Indication CRYSVITA is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 6 months of age and older with X-linked hypophosphatemia and adults and children 2 years of age and older with fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23)related hypophosphatemia in tumor-induced osteomalacia when the tumor cannot be located or removed. Important Safety Information You should not take CRYSVITA if: You take an oral phosphate supplement and/or a specific form of vitamin D supplement (such as calcitriol, paricalcitol, doxercalciferol, calcifediol). Your phosphorus levels from a blood sample are within or above the normal range for age. You have kidney problems. What is the most important information you should know about CRYSVITA? Some patients developed allergic reactions (e.g., rash and hives) while taking CRYSVITA. Your doctor will monitor you for symptoms of an allergic reaction while you are taking CRYSVITA. High levels of phosphorus in the blood have been reported in some patients taking CRYSVITA. This may be related to a risk of high calcium levels in the kidneys. Your doctor will collect blood samples to monitor your levels. Administration of CRYSVITA may result in reactions at the injection site, such as hives, reddening of the skin, rash, swelling, bruising, pain, severe itching of the skin, and collection of blood outside of a blood vessel (i.e., hematoma). may result in reactions at the injection site, such as hives, reddening of the skin, rash, swelling, bruising, pain, severe itching of the skin, and collection of blood outside of a blood vessel (i.e., hematoma). If you are taking CRYSVITA for TIO, your doctor will have you stop your CRYSVITA treatment temporarily if you are undergoing treatment for your tumor (e.g., surgical removal of the tumor or radiation therapy). What are the possible side effects of CRYSVITA? Adverse reactions that were seen in children with XLH are: Fever Injection site reaction Cough Vomiting Pain in arms and legs Headache Tooth abscess Dental cavities Diarrhea Decreased vitamin D levels Toothache Constipation Muscle pain Rash Dizziness Nausea Adverse reactions that were seen in adults with XLH are: Back pain Headache Tooth infection Restless legs syndrome Decreased vitamin D levels Dizziness Constipation Muscle spasms Phosphorus levels increased in the blood Narrowing of the spaces within the spine is common in adults with XLH, and pressure on the spinal cord has been reported in adults taking CRYSVITA. It is not known if taking CRYSVITA worsens the narrowing of the spaces within the spine or the pressure on the spinal cord. Adverse reactions that were seen in adults with TIO are: Tooth abscess Muscle spasms Dizziness Constipation Injection site reaction Rash Headache Before taking CRYSVITA, tell your doctor about all of your medications (including supplements) and medical conditions, including if you: Are taking oral phosphate and/or active vitamin D (such as calcitriol, paricalcitol, doxercalciferol, calcifediol). Are pregnant, think you may be pregnant, or plan to become pregnant. There is not enough experience to know if CRYSVITA may harm your unborn baby. Report pregnancies to the Kyowa Kirin, Inc. Adverse Event reporting line at 1-844-768-3544. Adverse Event reporting line at 1-844-768-3544. Are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. There is not enough experience to know if CRYSVITA passes into your breast milk. Talk with your doctor about the best way to feed your baby while you receive CRYSVITA. While taking CRYSVITA, tell your doctor if you experience: An allergic reaction such as rash or hives A rash, swelling, bruising, or other reaction at the injection site New or worsening restless legs syndrome These are not all the possible side effects of CRYSVITA. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at (800) FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. You may also report side effects to Kyowa Kirin, Inc. at 1-844-768-3544. For important risk and use information, please see the full Prescribing Information. About Kyowa Kirin Kyowa Kirin strives to create and deliver novel medicines with life-changing value. As a Japan -based Global Specialty Pharmaceutical Company with a more than 70-year heritage, we apply cutting-edge science including expertise in antibody research and engineering, to address the needs of patients and society across multiple therapeutic areas including Nephrology, Oncology, Immunology/Allergy and Neurology. Across our four regions Japan , Asia Pacific , North America and EMEA/International we focus on our purpose, to make people smile, and are united by our shared values of commitment to life, teamwork/Wa, innovation, and integrity. You can learn more about the Kyowa Kirin North America at: https://kkna.kyowakirin.com/. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kyowa-kirin-north-america-assumes-commercial-leadership-role-for-crysvita-burosumab-twza-injection-in-north-america-301809690.html SOURCE Kyowa Kirin Through April 29 th, patients and consumers can make a donation to RESOLVE and HelpCureHD through partnership between Main Line Fertility and NutraBloom PHILADELPHIA , April 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In observance of National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW April 23-29, 2023 ), Main Line Fertility, a premium fertility provider that combines personalized care with cutting-edge reproductive technology, announces today an exclusive partnership with leading supplement brand NutraBloom to support two family building resources: RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association and The HelpCureHD Foundation (HelpCureHD). During NIAW, patients and visitors to Main Line Fertility's Reading, Pennsylvania office at 2210 Ridgewood Road in Wyomissing can donate to RESOLVE and HelpCureHD with an in-store purchase of any NutraBloom product. Online consumers can contribute to these organizations when completing a purchase at bloomhealthier.com. Main Line Fertility is part of The Prelude Network(Prelude), North America's largest and fastest-growing network of fertility centers, and offers a full spectrum of fertility services. NutraBloom is a line of expertly formulated supplements that support women's and men's health and wellness goals from preconception and beyond. Designed to make the journey towards wellness and fertility health simple, NutraBloom kits are built to fit any lifestyle and lifecycle and include Couple's Conception, Couple's Conception + PCOS, Men's Fertility Strength, PCOS Conception, PCOS Support, and Ovarian Support. Both organizations are part of Inception Fertility, North America's largest provider of comprehensive fertility products and services. "Main Line Fertility, like all clinics within The Prelude Network, treats patients with a holistic, 360-degree lens that considers the overall health and well-being of our patients, so it's only fitting that we partner with NutraBloom to offer in-store products and use this opportunity to support fertility-focused organizations that in turn support the journeys of other aspiring parents," Leigh Herzog , Executive Vice President, at Inception, the parent company to Prelude. "We are honored to use National Infertility Awareness Week to give back to RESOLVE and HelpCureHD." RESOLVE is a national patient advocacy group dedicated to ensuring that all people challenged in their family-building journey reach a resolution through knowledge, support, and advocacy. HelpCureHD is a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to families at-risk for HD to achieve their dreams of having a child that is HD-free through in vitro fertilization (IVF) with preimplantation genetic testing (PGT). About NutraBloom Developed by leading fertility specialists, NutraBloom is a premier supplement line that supports individuals' health and wellness goals from preconception and beyond and is designed to make the journey towards wellness and fertility health simple and straightforward. NutraBloom's expertly formulated supplements are made in the US with top-of-the-line, whole-food-based vitamins and nutritional supplements. Each product is free of contaminants, never tested on animals, and evaluated for purity by an outside reference laboratory. About The Prelude Network The Prelude Network (Prelude), the fastest-growing network of fertility clinics and largest provider of comprehensive fertility services in North America , is the clinic network of Inception Fertility a family of fertility brands that touches every part of the fertility journey, including diagnostics and treatment to financial accessibility. Each clinic, as part of the Prelude Network, is committed to delivering the highest level of personalized fertility care by the nation's leading reproductive endocrinologists, embryologists and practitioners by focusing on an excellence in science, medicine and the patient experience. The growing Prelude Network has over 40 total locations nationwide, offering a wide range of fertility services including egg freezing, IVF, genetic testing, and egg/embryo storage, among others. Media Contact: Mia Humphreys 239-297-6592 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/main-line-fertility-partners-with-premium-supplement-brand-to-support-fertility-advocacy-family-building-options-during-national-infertility-awareness-week-301808967.html SOURCE The Prelude Network SHANGHAI , April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 26th , the Haier Smart Home 2023 Ecosystem Conference officially opened at the Shanghai World Expo Center. At the conference, Haier Smart Home showcased the latest smart home scenes. With impeccable smart home appliances and tailored smart scenes, Haier Smart Home is leading billions of global users towards a new era of smart living. In China , relying on the unique "one-stop custom smart home" service of Three Winged Birds, Haier Smart Home consumers can easily enjoy a one-step, healthy, convenient, and intimate smart new life: In the smart kitchen scene, the refrigerator can "remember" the food users put in and plan meals according to the inventory, family taste, and other factors; When people come home at night and walk into the smart bathroom, the water heater is already prepared according to people's habits, and hot water is available when users open the tap. The exhaust fan will also automatically dehumidify; Sitting on the sofa in the living room and just saying "I want to watch TV," the TV will automatically play the last program users watched and show the status of other appliances; When people come to the smart balcony and put clothes in the washing machine, the user can say "Xiaoyou, sweep the floor," and the sweeping robot will automatically clean the floor... Outside of China , Haier Smart Home's seven global brands are helping smart homes come true around the globe: In the United States , more and more GE Appliances users are experiencing the "one-click to roast turkey" function in the smart kitchen scene; In Australia , Fisher & Paykel has been linked to the Smart HQ platform since 2021, upgrading its own smart scene experience; In Japan , AQUA is accelerating the popularization of the "AQUA Laundry" smart community laundry; In Asia and Africa , over 200,000 users are enjoying comfortable and efficient smart scenes through the Haismart platform; In Europe , users can quickly build smart homes using the hOn platform. The global popularization of smart homes can never be achieved without Haier Smart Home's global footprints. Haier Smart Home has maintained presence in nearly 200 countries and regions worldwide, serving more than one billion users' households. It has established 34 industrial parks, 117 manufacturing centers, 108 marketing centers, and 230,000 outlets, and built nearly a thousand smart home experience centers, creating multiple advantages of global brand coverage, global tripartite cooperation, and global R&D collaboration. For the future, Haier Smart Home has a clear plan: to follow the "triple curve" of smart living, smart cities, and smart elderly care, and work towards the global leadership in the IoT smart living ecosystem. By then, the home will become the smallest unit of the smart city, technology will not differentiate skin color, service will not be limited by language, and smart technology will accompany users day and night. The demands of the young and the elderly will all be accommodated, and living alone or together will all be fascinating. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/make-the-home-understand-people-better-haier-smart-home-helps-smart-homes-come-true-around-the-globe-301809535.html SOURCE Haier Smart Home DONGGUAN, China , April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mentech Innovation ( "Mentech" or "the Company"), a manufacturer of new energy storage devices and smart outdoor appliances, has showcased a slew of portable energy storage solutions and high-tech camping appliances at the 133 rd China Import and Export Fair in Guangzhou (" Canton Fair ") . With Mentech's deep background in energy technology, the Company is committed to driving its "new energy" and "digitalization" efforts that align with its core strategy, making it a leader in the industry. Since 2022, Mentech has carried out a long-term brand upgrade with two major development directions of new energy and outdoor smart living, while the Company continues its efforts to extend its business-to-business and business-to-consumer services. "The Canton Fair this year provided an opportunity for Mentech to deepen our exchanges with global customers, partners, and industry professionals," said Luna Xiao , CMO of Mentech, which is expanding its business globally and intending to build a top Chinese brand in the international market. "We aim to bring our new energy and outdoor solutions to a broader market and establish a strong presence in the international market." Notably, Mentech's technical strength was demonstrated by the power of its parent company, Dongguan Mentech Optical & Magnetic Co. Ltd. (002902.SZ), which specializes in providing magnetic components, optical modules and power supplies. In a bid to expand its market presence and showcase its new energy efforts, the Company displayed its latest product lineups at the Canton Fair, including home energy storage products, portable energy storage products, car refrigerators and camping appliances with high-tech features. With a goal of better protecting the environment, Mentech has focused on developing products that are beneficial for the earth. For example, the Company's new home energy storage products can help reduce household electricity costs and thus ease the burden on the power grid, which is essential to environmental protection. These low-cost and eco-friendly features have drawn specific attention from both domestic and overseas exhibition visitors and participants. Through the Canton Fair, Mentech has engaged in discussions with customers and industry insiders from around the world to explore the future development direction of its products. The Company's commitment to innovation and digitalization, as well as its expertise in energy technology, have made it a leading force in the industry. For more information, please visit: https://www.mentech.com/ View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mentech-innovation-showcases-new-energy-storage-solutions-and-outdoor-appliances-at-canton-fair-301809741.html SOURCE Guangdong Mentech Technical Innovation Co., Ltd Jeff Hyder to Become President/CEO on August 1 ; Stewart Roberson to Continue as Board Chair RICHMOND, Va. , April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Moseley Architects announced today that effective August 1, 2023 , Jeffrey M. Hyder , AIA, will become the fourth president and CEO in the firm's history. Stewart D. Roberson , president, CEO and chair of the board of directors since 2011, will continue in his role as chair. Jeff joined the firm in 1993, shortly after graduating with a Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Tech's School of Architecture. Over the past 30 years, he has served as an architect, operations manager of the higher education sector, leader of the firm's higher education sector, vice president and secretary of the board of directors. Since 2015, he has shepherded the higher education sector to unprecedented achievements: Revenue from higher education clients increased 62% from $10.4 million to $16.8 million . to . The firm earned 24 design awards for its higher education facilities. The client base expanded as far north as the Johns Hopkins University and as far south as the College of Charleston . "I am deeply honored to have this opportunity to lead the firm which has given me so much throughout my career. Taking our team's and clients' needs to the next level will be exciting. Our board of directors places a major emphasis on thoughtful leadership succession. With this transition, we are all focused on continuing to build an even greater future and an increasing national presence as a design leader. Our firm greatly values the highly effective leadership Stewart has provided for the past 12 years to successfully position us for this moment," Jeff said. Stewart joined the firm in 2011 following his retirement as superintendent of Hanover County Public Schools, Va. In 2020 and 2021, Virginia Business listed Stewart among the commonwealth's 500 most influential leaders in business, education and government. During Stewart's tenure, Moseley Architects grew exponentially: The annual revenue increased 153% from $32.4 million to $81 million . to . A strategic plan was implemented to guide the firm toward its goal of achieving national recognition for innovative interdisciplinary design leadership. Mergers with BeeryRio, Marks Thomas and Cummings & McCrady expanded the firm's footprint as far north as Baltimore, Md. , and as far south as Charleston, S.C. The total number of offices increased from six to 11. and Cummings & McCrady expanded the firm's footprint as far north as , and as far south as The total number of offices increased from six to 11. The firm's portfolio diversified with the addition of sectors for senior living and multifamily housing. The geographic footprint of the firm's project sites has expanded from regional to international. Beyond its well-established service area in the Maryland - South Carolina corridor, the firm designed facilities built in thirty-six states and fourteen countries. In his role as chair of the board of directors, Stewart will continue leading the board and shareholders while promoting the firm's growth strategy, strategic plan and client engagement. "Moseley Architects has enjoyed a strong reputation as a national leader in client service and quality design," he said. "With Jeff as president, our future is remarkably bright. Our team members and clients will thrive through his strong leadership and genuine brand of care and attention. I am very pleased that our succession plan is producing this very promising result." About Moseley Architects Moseley Architects provides comprehensive architecture, engineering, interior design, high-performance design and construction administration services to clients worldwide. In a multi-disciplinary studio setting, they strive to enrich communities by collaborating with local governments, public schools, colleges and universities, correctional institutions and private sector clients. Founded in 1969 in Richmond, Virginia , the firm has grown to include offices in Virginia , North Carolina , South Carolina and Maryland . More information can be found at www.moseleyarchitects.com . CONTACT: Lisa Demmel [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/moseley-architects-prepares-for-leadership-transition-301810101.html SOURCE Moseley Architects WASHINGTON , April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Here's the uncomfortable truth: Race, gender, sexual orientation, age, body size, income, and other cultural factors have a significant bearing on whether you will be diagnosed and treated correctly. As America takes a hard look at our history of systematic biases, prejudice in medical care can no longer be overlooked. The good news is regardless of whether you are a patient, healthcare provider, or administrator, there are steps you can take today to combat medical bias. Filled with personal and patient stories, DISMISSED looks at societal influences that cause inequities in health care. The first and only book on this subject written by a primary care doctor who is an African American woman of color, DISMISSED: Tackling the Biases That Undermine our Health Care candidly talks about all forms of bias those related to race and ethnicity, gender identity and sexual orientation, age, disabilities, obesity, and the increasing bias against science instructing patients, doctors, and administrators alike on how we can all identify bias and how we can all do better. Filled with personal and patient stories and an insightful perspective backed by research (including the authors' own survey), DISMISSED looks at the issue from both patients' and health-care providers' perspectives as well as the societal influences that have caused inequities in health care. Dr. Marshall paints a picture of a healthcare system gone wrong with responsibility falling on insurance companies, government, practitioners, medical schools and even the patients themselves. A frequent contributing health expert on CNN, Fox News, PBS NewsHour, and OWN, Dr. Angela Marshall is an in-demand speaker, award-winning businesswoman, and founder of Comprehensive Women's Health, Inc., one of the only primary care practices in the U.S. dedicated to the health of women. Having treated more than 40,000 women, Dr. Marshall has earned "Top Doctor" designation by Washingtonian Magazine every year since 2014. She has served on U.S. Representative Lauren Underwood's panel on maternal health; helped women's health leaders from Africa through the State Department's International Visitor's Program; and met with journalists from the NABJ Media Institute on Education and Health to promote better coverage of issues facing African American women. She has appeared on several panels for the WPO an international peer advisory organization of women CEOs whose total aggregate represents $26 billion in annual revenues and 153,000 employees. For more information, visit: www.AngelaMarshallMD.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-book-dismissed-tackling-the-biases-that-undermine-our-health-care-by-angela-marshall-md-301810291.html Companies are more frequently using titles to attract, reward, and retain talent BOSTON , April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pearl Meyer has published a new survey that points to a material change in US companies' use of job titles. The 2023 Pearl Meyer Job Titling Practices Survey includes information for more than 400 public, private, and not-for-profit organizations and shows a substantial shift in the data from the prior edition, published in 2018. Companies increasingly rely on job titles as an important component of their HR strategy to attract, reward, and retain. "We have all heard and experienced so much turmoil in the job market over the last few years and much of the emphasis has been on a combination of compensation and flexibility in this war for talent," said Rebecca Toman , vice president of the survey business unit at Pearl Meyer. "However, our data indicate that companies are also increasingly reliant on job titles as an important component of their strategy." More than half of the companies surveyed (54%) are leveraging job titles to attract prospective employees, a 35% increase from 2018. There has also been an increase from 30% to 38% in the use of a job title to determine eligibility for some compensation programs. "Where we see the most eye-popping numbers is in the significant effort to reward and retain employees through the use of titles," said Toman. "Thirty-seven percent of respondents are actively applying titles as a way to retain key employees, which is up from 27% in 2018. Further, a third of those surveyed use titles to reward current employees and this is a 74% increase from pre-pandemic levels." Signaling a need to retain and reward the existing workforce in the face of a potential economic slowdown, the survey shows a growing number of companies (13%) are explicitly deploying job titles "when funds are limited." "Job titles can be practical tools for employers and compensation professionals, but in general, I would not rely on them as a strong retention option unless they are backed up by a pay increase," said Susan Sandlund , managing director and leadership practice lead at Pearl Meyer. "This data may indicate some employers are recognizing that in the absence of large compensation increases, they need to offer something to key employees. I see this as a somewhat positive development in terms of recognizing there are rewards beyond pay that have meaning to individuals. However, I would counsel organizations to likewise focus on career development opportunities and keep a close eye on maintaining a positive corporate culture. These elements are proven retention tools." Key Findings: Changing Uses or Drivers of Job Titles Between 2018 and 2023 Recognize and/or reward employees when funds are limited: from 8% to 13%, a 62.5% increase Reward current employees: 19% to 33%, a 74% increase Retain current employees: 27% to 37%, a 37% increase Attract prospective employees: 40% to 54%, a 35% increase Determine eligibility for certain compensation programs: 30% to 38%, a 27% increase Methodology and Availability Pearl Meyer's Job Titling survey is conducted periodically; the last survey was published in 2018. More than 400 respondents from public, private, not-for-profit/government chartered organizations contributed data to the 2023 survey. Respondents' annual revenue, assets, or operating budget ranged from under $100 million to over $30 billion . Results are offered according to revenue and broad industry groupings (industrials/materials; consumer discretionary/staples/services; healthcare; financials; information technology/telecom services; and energy/utilities). Complete survey results include a full list of participating organizations and are available for purchase. Additional Resources About Pearl Meyer Pearl Meyer is the leading advisor to boards and senior management on the alignment of executive compensation with business and leadership strategy, making pay programs a powerful catalyst for value creation and competitive advantage. Pearl Meyer's global clients stand at the forefront of their industries and range from emerging high-growth, not-for-profit, and private companies to the Fortune 500. The firm has offices in Atlanta , Boston , Charlotte , Chicago , Houston , Los Angeles , New York , and San Jose . View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pearl-meyer-survey-shows-significant-change-in-job-title-practices-pre--and-post-pandemic-301808862.html Company to host conference call and webcast at 8:30 a.m. EDT CARMIEL, Israel , April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE American: PLX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development, production and commercialization of recombinant therapeutic proteins produced by its proprietary ProCellEx plant cell-based protein expression system, today announced that it will release its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2023 and provide a business update on Thursday, May 4, 2023. Management will host a conference call with investors to discuss the financial results and provide an update on recent corporate and regulatory developments at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Conference Call Details: Date: Thursday, May 4, 2023 Time: 8:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) Toll Free ( U.S. ): 1-800-954-0653 International: 1-212-231-2918 Conference ID: 22026736 Webcast Details: The conference will be webcast live from the Company's website and will be available via the following links: Company Link: https://protalixbiotherapeutics.gcs-web.com/events0 Webcast Link: Registration https://tinyurl.com/4ye3uhu5 Conference ID: 22026736 Please access the websites at least 15 minutes ahead of the conference call to register, download and install any necessary audio software. The conference call will be available for replay for two weeks on the Events Calendar of the Investors section of the Company's website, at the above link. About Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. Protalix is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of recombinant therapeutic proteins expressed through its proprietary plant cell-based expression system, ProCellEx. It is the first company to gain U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of a protein produced through plant cell-based in suspension expression system. This unique expression system represents a new method for developing recombinant proteins in an industrial-scale manner. Protalix has licensed to Pfizer Inc. the worldwide development and commercialization rights to taliglucerase alfa, Protalix's first product manufactured through ProCellEx, excluding in Brazil , where Protalix retains full rights. Protalix's development pipeline consists of proprietary versions of recombinant therapeutic proteins that target established pharmaceutical markets, including the following product candidates: pegunigalsidase alfa, a modified stabilized version of the recombinant human GalactosidaseA protein for the treatment of Fabry disease; PRX115, a plant cell-expressed recombinant PEGylated uricase for the treatment of severe gout; PRX119, a plant cell-expressed long action DNase I for the treatment of NETs-related diseases; and others. Protalix has partnered with Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A., both in the United States and outside the United States , for the development and commercialization of pegunigalsidase alfa. Investor Contact: Chuck Padala , Managing Director LifeSci Advisors +1-646-627-8390 [email protected] Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/999479/Protalix_Biotherapeutics_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/protalix-biotherapeutics-to-announce-first-quarter-2023-financial-and-business-results-on-may-4-2023-301809451.html SOURCE Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. CTO at U.S. CDAO, CTO of U.S. Central Command, Defense Cyber Chief of Singapore , Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, and more gather to discuss AI, ChatGPT, computer vision, and autonomy as a deterrent to conflict. AUSTIN, Texas , April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SparkCognition Government Systems (SGS), a provider of trusted artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for defense and national security, today hosted a live eventTime Machine Interactive (TMI23): AI & The Future of Defenseat their 50-acre AI proving ground, HyperWerx. Hundreds of global leaders attended, including government and defense representatives from the U.S. , Qatar , Turkey , France , United Kingdom , Canada , NATO, and more. Attendees explored AI impact on defense intelligence and warfighter readiness as a deterrent to conflict and betterment of social well-being. "Over the last decade, technological innovation has transformed the way we look at national security and military readiness," said Honorable Robert O . Work, 32nd Deputy Secretary of Defense. "The AI and autonomy solutions demonstrated by SGS today for everything from counter UAS and contested logistics to base security and predictive maintenance will be instrumental to the military's plan going forward." Governments face increasing national security and defense challenges aging fleets, supply chain disruptions, skills shortages, and data overload to name a few. TMI23 demonstrated in depth how AI is addressing these challenges and transforming the way the U.S. and its allies operate. From the future of conflict to the role of AI in accelerating learning and putting tech on the battlefield to cyber defense in a post-ChatGPT world, defense leaders recognize the value of deploying AI solutions to meet 21st century challenges. "Modern-day battle management strategies and mission readiness rely on next-generation technology for success," said Logan Jones , President and General Manager of SGS. "Our patented innovation and advancement in developing next-generation AI solutions uniquely positions SparkCognition Government Systems' to deliver mission-tested AI solutions to the field." The event featured presentations from: Robert O. Work, the 32nd Deputy Secretary of Defense Admiral John M. Richardson , Chief of Naval Operations (Retd.) , Chief of Naval Operations (Retd.) Dr. William W. Streilein , Chief Technology Officer, Chief Digital and AI Office of the DoD , Chief Technology Officer, and Schuyler Moore , Chief Technology Officer, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) , Chief Technology Officer, (CENTCOM) Brigadier-General Edward Chen , Singapore Ministry of Defense Cyber Chief , Preston Dunlop , Former Chief Technology Officer and Chief Architect U.S. Space Force and Air Force SGS also had several live, interactive demonstrations, including: Intelligent Surveillance: Fortifying Military Base Security with Visual AI; Revolutionizing Fighter Jet Maintenance: From Repair to Replenishment; Multidomain Awareness: Leveraging AI and Autonomous Operations for Situational Understanding; Counter UAS: Unleashing the Power of a Drone Defense; Manufacturing at the Edge: Bringing Production to the Battlefield; Uncompromising Cybersecurity: AI-Powered End Point Protection for Critical Assets and; Contested Logistics: Overcoming Obstacles and Adversaries. About SparkCognition Government Systems SparkCognition Government Systems (SGS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of SparkCognition, is the first artificial intelligence (AI) company devoted entirely to government and national defense. By developing and operationalizing next-generation AI-powered systems, SGS enables government organizations to meet the needs of their most pressing national security missions. SGS advances government operations by analyzing complex data to inform and accelerate intelligent decisions, applying predictive and prescriptive analytics to improve logistics, deploying autonomy technology for power projection systems, using AI and machine learning for large-scale processing of unstructured data, and more. For in-depth information about SGS and its offerings, visit www.sparkgov.ai. Media Contact: Katherine Nanney Merritt Group [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sparkcognition-government-systems-sgs-defense-event-brings-together-global-leaders-to-showcase-ai-use-in-modern-warfare-301809780.html SOURCE SPARKCOGNITION GOVERNMENT SYSTEMS An informed Egyptian source revealed to Al Qahera News TV Station the behind the scene details in the evacuation and airlifting home of Egyptian soldiers who were in Sudan on a training mission at the time of the start of the fighting between the Sudanese army and the RSF earlier this week. Ceylon strengthens the rapidly expanding TFG Grants Team's federal funding offerings. LINCOLN, Neb. , April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The TFG Grants Team is pleased to welcome Ceylon J. Herath as the newest TFG Grants Researcher/Analyst. Ceylon brings local government, public sector, community and economic development, federal grant writing, corporate communications, and litigation experience to help support TFG Grants team services. "We're excited for Ceylon to join our rapidly growing team," said Jennifer Imo, Managing Partner of Client Services. "Ceylon has important experience in a number of federal funding programs that are of significant interest to our clients including Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and Economic Development Administration (EDA) programs. Ceylon is an important asset to our team." In this role, Ceylon contributes to the identification of prospective funding sources and programs and assists with the preparation and submission of applications to federal, state, and foundation funders. "I'm excited to be a part of the TFG Grants Team," said Ceylon. "I'm eager to utilize my research skills and knowledge of the grant-making landscape to identify and evaluate funding opportunities that align with our clients' goals." Prior to joining TFG, as a Community Development Specialist, she served as the Recipient Grant Manager and primary financial manager for all CDBG projects. In addition to drafting federal grant applications and administering funding, she has served as a litigation paralegal, executive coordinator, and local government graduate student intern throughout her time in her undergraduate and graduate programs. Ceylon holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from Southeast Missouri State University. For more information about TFG, please visit our website at www.thefergusongroup.com. Media Contact: Alexandra Yiannoutsos, 2027175755, [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tfg-grants-expands-team-ceylon-j-herath-newest-grants-analystresearcher-301808714.html SOURCE The Ferguson Group, LLC XI'AN, China , April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Looking for a unique and unforgettable travel destination this spring? Look no further than Shaanxi , one of China's most picturesque provinces, waiting for you to explore its spring adventure. Shaanxi Culture and Tourism Provincial Department has launched the "Spring in Shaanxi Invitation" spring cultural tourism campaign in 2023. The campaign includes 15 boutique tourism routes covering more than 150 cultural and recreational activities such as flower viewing and leisure and 40 spring flower viewing photography spots. As the rapeseed flowers bloom across over 20 thousand acres of land in Shaanxi's Hanzhong region, tourists can now easily access the province via the frequent high-speed trains that run from Xi'an to Hanzhong. With more people stepping out to embrace the beauty of spring, a surge of visitors is flocking to various flower-watching spots across the region. In Pucheng county, Shaanxi , over 45,000 acres of pear blossoms have attracted large numbers of tourists, prompting the introduction of a new tourist train for visitors to enjoy the scenery. Shaanxi is also known for its rich cultural heritage. The city of Xi'an , the ancient capital of China , is home to many historical and cultural landmarks, including the Terracotta Warriors and the Xi'an City Wall. Visitors can immerse themselves in the city's fascinating history and explore its ancient architecture and art. Tourists can also experience the cultural essence of Shaanxi by visiting its historical and cultural sites. Night tours of Tang Paradise , the "The Longest Day in Chang'an" program, the live performance of "The Song of Everlasting Regret" at Huaqing Palace , and the "The Legend of Camel Bell" at Xi'an Huaxia Cultural Tourism Resort are all must-visit cultural tourism projects for out-of-town visitors. Did you know Shaanxi is creating quite a buzz on the internet? Shaanxi has been sharing engaging and informative traveling contents on their social media account, Visit Shaanxi, and now has over 1.085 million fans across all platforms, with a cumulative exposure of over 10 million and an interaction of 761k in Q1, 2023. Among them, the number of fans on Facebook platform exceeds 852k, Instagram platform exceeds 71k, Twitter platform reaches 159k, YouTube platform reaches 1,432, and the newly joined social platform, TikTok, has already garnered 551 fans. So why not plan a trip to Shaanxi this spring and experience the natural beauty and rich culture of this wonderful province? View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-beauty-of-spring-in-shaanxi-a-tourists-paradise-301809184.html SOURCE Shaanxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism BOSTON , April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- New England Law | Boston is pleased to announce the program for its 2023 Commencement ceremony, taking place on Friday, May 19 , at 11:00 a.m. at the Boch Center Wang Theatre in Boston . The Honorable Paula M. Carey '86, former chief justice of the Massachusetts Trial Court, will address the graduates. A distinguished alumna and ardent supporter of New England Law, Chief Justice Carey was the first to hold the position of chief justice of the Trial Court under the structure established by the Court Reform Act of 2011 and was instrumental to the Trial Court's many advancements. Chief Justice Carey was first appointed to the bench as an associate justice of the Norfolk Probate and Family Court in 2001. In 2007, she was named Chief Justice of the Probate and Family Court. During her time there, she was instrumental in the development, adoption, and implementation of the Uniform Probate Code, which instituted major reforms in guardianship and probate procedures. Her many roles included chair of the Child Support Guidelines Task Force, the Time and Standards Committee, the Staffing Model Committee, and the Probate and Family Court Legislative Committee. She also served on the Budget Advisory Committee and as a member of the Governor's Working Group on Child Custody Laws and on Child-Centered Family Law. Hailed for her dedication to justice, Chief Justice Carey graduated magna cum laude from New England Law in 1986. The Boston Bar Journal noted "the quality of her attention to every person and every issue stands out as especially worthy of emulation." "It is an honor, and our great pride, to welcome Chief Justice Carey as our keynote speaker for the 112th Commencement at New England Law," said Lisa Freudenheim , Dean and Professor of Law, New England Law | Boston . "In addition to her remarkable career accomplishments, Chief Justice Carey is an active supporter of New England Law who understands that the training and support of future lawyers is a serious responsibility." During the ceremony, New England Law leadership will also present honorary doctor of laws degrees to Chief Justice Carey ; Walter B. Prince , Partner at Prince Lobel, a former assistant United States attorney who has more than 30 years of experience in transportation, commercial law, and civil and white collar criminal litigation; Rachael Rollins , United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts , who previously served as Suffolk County District Attorney; and Marilyn Wellington '91, Chief Strategy and Operations Officer at the National Conference of Bar Examiners, who served as Executive Director of the Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners for more than 11 years. ABOUT NEW ENGLAND LAW | BOSTON New England Law | Boston was founded in 1908 as Portia Law School, the first and only law school established exclusively for the education of women. Today, New England Law offers its co-ed student body flexible, convenient programs that combine rigorous academics, dynamic community, and early access to practical experience, as well as a diverse, global alumni network spanning 29 countries, 50 states, and all areas of practice. For more information, visit www.nesl.edu. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-honorable-paula-m-carey-to-deliver-keynote-address-at-new-england-law--boston-2023-commencement-301809835.html LAKE FOREST, Ill. , April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Transworld Systems Inc. (TSI), the largest U.S. technology-enabled provider of accounts receivable management (ARM) solutions, announced today that Jeff Mersmann has joined the company as Executive Vice President. Mr. Mersmann joins TSI from Navient where he was President of the Pioneer Credit Recovery business unit responsible for leading collection operations. In his new role, Mr. Mersmann will be responsible for all consumer accounts receivable management (ARM) and collections operations globally, reporting to Joel Petersen , President of TSI. "Jeff's 27 years of client centric collections operations experience combined with TSI's market-leading proprietary algorithms and omni-channel technology will deliver meaningful results for TSI clients," said Joseph Laughlin , Chief Executive Officer of TSI. "I'm honored and excited to join TSI," said Mr. Mersmann . "I'm looking forward to working with the talented team of professionals at TSI and leveraging the proprietary collection algorithms and technology to serve the needs of our customers." About Transworld Systems Inc. TSI is the largest technology-enabled provider of Accounts Receivable Management (ARM) solutions in the United States . The Company's solutions include debt collections, customer relationship management and business process outsourcing. TSI also owns UAS, a technology-enabled primary loan servicer for student loans. TSI differentiates itself with its collection analytics, digital collections technology, global scale, and an industry-leading compliance management system. Its clients include Fortune 100 corporations, financial institutions, hospitals, government agencies, property management companies, and small and medium-sized businesses. To learn more, please visit tsico.com. Media Contact: Jonathan Thompson , Chief Legal & Compliance Officer [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/transworld-systems-inc-hires-jeff-mersmann-as-executive-vice-president-301809986.html SOURCE Transworld Systems Inc. (TSI) SANTA CLARA, Calif. , April 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tuya Inc. ("Tuya" or the "Company") (NYSE: TUYA; HKEX: 2391), a global leading IoT cloud development platform, today announced that it has filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on April 26, 2023 , U.S. Eastern Time. The annual report can be accessed on the Company's investor relations website at ir.tuya.com and on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. The Company will also provide a hard copy of its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 , free of charge, to its shareholders and American Depositary Share holders upon written request. The Company also announced today that it has released its inaugural Environmental, Social and Governance ("ESG") Report to highlight the Company's ESG strategies, accomplishments, and progress towards its sustainability goals. To view the report in full, please visit: ir.tuya.com. About Tuya Inc. Tuya Inc. (NYSE: TUYA; HKEX: 2391) is a global leading IoT cloud development platform with a mission to build an IoT developer ecosystem and enable everything to be smart. Tuya has pioneered a purpose-built IoT cloud development platform that delivers a full suite of offerings, including Platform-as-a-Service, or PaaS, and Software-as-a-Service, or SaaS, to businesses and developers. Through its IoT cloud development platform, Tuya has enabled developers to activate a vibrant IoT ecosystem of brands, OEMs, partners and end users to engage and communicate through a broad range of smart devices. Investor Relations Contact Tuya Inc. Investor Relations E-mail: [email protected] The Blueshirt Group Gary Dvorchak , CFA Phone: +1 (323) 240-5796 Email: [email protected] View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tuya-filed-2022-annual-report-on-form-20-f-and-released-inaugural-environmental-social-and-governance-report-301808192.html SOURCE Tuya Inc. BARTLESVILLE , Okla. , April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In many places around the world, the most dangerous item to have is the Bible. In many places around the world, the most dangerous item to have is the Bible. Owning, printing, importing or distributing the Word of God in hostile or restricted nations can result in being arrested or even killed. Governments and groups opposed to Christianity impose harsh penalties and deadly punishment in attempts to stop evangelism and Bible distribution. The Voice of the Martyrs recently compiled this list to raise awareness to the challenges and need for Bible distribution in the most difficult and dangerous places to follow Christ. North Korea's government is built on the cult of personality around the Kim family dynasty. There, kindergarteners are taught to say, "Thank you, Father Kim Il Sung , for our food" before meals. This oppressive government highly restricts access to outside informationespecially the truth of God's Word. The Bible is not only seen as the guide book for a "western" religion, but as treason and a direct threat to the regime. Since the Taliban re-took control of Afghanistan , Bibles are even more dangerous to own. Younger fighters are more tech savvy and have demanded to search the phones of suspected Christians, looking for Bible apps and searching web traffic history to Christian sites. The jihadist members of Al Shabaab have systematically hunted for suspected Christians in Somalia . Visibly carrying a Bible would mean almost certain death. The Islamic government of Iran greatly restricts the freedom of its citizens, including stern laws against printing or importing Bibles in Farsi, the national language. Any Bibles must be printed in secret or smuggled in from outside of the country. No Bibles are printed inside the country and importing Bibles is restricted. Bibles must be hand carried into the country, and those doing so know they risk prison or death if discovered. For more than 50 years, VOM has been smuggling Bibles into restricted countries. VOM's founders, Pastor Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand , smuggled Bibles into communist controlled areas of eastern Europe and trained members of their church's youth group to do so as well. The Voice of the Martyrs continues to distribute more than one million Bibles every year in restricted nations and hostile areas, serving believers who are willing to take any risk to have and share God's Word. This list is merely five of more than 70 places where Bible ownership is restricted. "Believers in restricted and hostile nations know that it is dangerous to have Bibles and to share them with others," said VOM's Todd Nettleton . "But their desire to have, study and share the Word of God is greater than their desire for safety or comfort. Christians in these difficult and dangerous places creatively share God's Word despite the constant risk of arrest, imprisonment or even death. We can be inspired by their boldness and bravery in the face of persecution." "From the very first days of ministry, VOM has been committed to getting Bibles to persecuted Christians hungry for the hope and truth of God's Word," said Nettleton. VOM has a goal to fund 300,000 Bibles this month in which they will smuggle into Iran . Learn more about this Bible smuggling challenge at vom.org/BiblesforIran . About The Voice of the Martyrs Founded in 1967 by Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand , The Voice of the Martyrs is a nonprofit, interdenominational missions organization serving persecuted Christians in the world's most difficult and dangerous places to follow Christ. For more information, visit VOM.org . View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vom-5-places-where-having-a-bible-will-get-you-arrested-or-killed-301810111.html SOURCE The Voice of the Martyrs TAMPA, Fla. , April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With spring and summer road trips approaching, drivers should check out AutoInsurance.org's recent report on insurance for windshield replacements . Most windshields cost $500 to $1,000 or more. Insurance policies covering glass will pay for windshield replacements. The article revealed several ways consumers could successfully file an insurance claim for windshield repairs and replacements. Types of Insurance Covering Windshields AutoInsurance.org's comprehensive guide explains the types of insurance that can help policyholders pay for windshield damage or replacement. Comprehensive insurance Comprehensive covers damage from vandalism and weather. Policyholders typically carry a deductible, although insurance providers often waive it for windshield repairs. Comprehensive covers damage from vandalism and weather. Policyholders typically carry a deductible, although insurance providers often waive it for windshield repairs. Full glass coverage Full glass coverage can often be added to comprehensive coverage. With it, policyholders can have windshields repaired or replaced without a deductible. Full glass coverage can often be added to comprehensive coverage. With it, policyholders can have windshields repaired or replaced without a deductible. Collision Insurance For policyholders needing a new windshield following a crash, the collision portion of a policy will provide coverage. Collision insurance typically carries a deductible. For policyholders needing a new windshield following a crash, the collision portion of a policy will provide coverage. Collision insurance typically carries a deductible. At-fault party's insurance The at-fault party in a crash is responsible for paying for windshield damages sustained by the other party. Without comprehensive and collision coverages, a driver will have to pay for glass repairs out-of-pocket unless the damage resulted from a crash in which another driver was at fault. Companies Offering Windshield Coverage Comprehensive coverage provides windshield protection, but many insurers offer additional coverage or specifications for glass. Progressive : Windshield repair and replacement is included in Progressive's comprehensive coverage, less the policyholder's deductible. : Windshield repair and replacement is included in Progressive's comprehensive coverage, less the policyholder's deductible. Allstate : Glass-only claims are optionally covered with no deductible by Allstate through a partnership with Safelite. : Glass-only claims are optionally covered with no deductible by Allstate through a partnership with Safelite. Nationwide : Windshield repairs and replacement are covered under Nationwide's optional glass service through their partner, Safelite. For customers with the optional glass coverage, there is no deductible. : Windshield repairs and replacement are covered under Nationwide's optional glass service through their partner, Safelite. For customers with the optional glass coverage, there is no deductible. Geico: Geico's comprehensive coverage protects windshields. In some cases, there is no deductible. Melanie Musson , an auto insurance expert with AutoInsurance.org , urges policyholders to weigh the pros and cons of filing a claim for glass replacement. "Sometimes the deductible and future repercussions outweigh the benefit." States With Deductible Exceptions for Windshield Repairs and Replacements Several insurers waive the comprehensive deductible for glass claims, but only in Florida , Kentucky , and South Carolina are insurers required to cover glass claims without a deductible when a policyholder carries comprehensive coverage. Most windshields cost $500 to $1,000 , and some cost more. Insurance policies covering glass will cover the replacement cost even over $1,000 . Read AutoInsurance.org's full report here: Does auto insurance cover windshield damage or replacement? View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/your-car-insurance-should-cover-windshield-damage-up-to-1-000--301809347.html SOURCE AutoInsurance.org By Lawrence White LONDON (Reuters) - Allegations made against British bank Barclays' former CEO Jes Staley regarding his ties with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein are "very serious", the lender's current CEO C.S. Venkatakrishnan said on Thursday. In a call with reporters after the lender's first quarter results were published, Venkat said he was not in a position to comment further on the allegations contained in U.S. court filings. Venkat said the allegations were being adjudicated in New York, which he said was the "right and proper place". Staley is being sued by his former employer JPMorgan for eight years of pay and to cover two lawsuits stemming from the bank's work with Epstein, who was a client of the private bank that Staley used to run. One lawsuit was filed by women who accused the financier of sexual abuse. The other was filed by the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Epstein owned a private island. Both seek money damages and neither lawsuit names Staley as a defendant. In U.S. filings this week, Staley accused JPMorgan of using him as a "public relations shield" and said the allegations lacked legal or factual basis. A former investor in the bank last week said the lender should have made more checks over the matter. Shareholder advisory group ISS stopped short of recommending investors oust board members, but said they should await the outcome of various investigations in the affair. Venkat declined to comment on the vetting made by the board when asked by reporters on Thursday. (Reporting by Lawrence White, writing by Iain Withers, Editing by Sinead Cruise and Hugh Lawson) FILE PHOTO: The Boeing 737 MAX aircraft is displayed at the Farnborough International Airshow, in Farnborough, Britain, July 20, 2022. REUTERS/Peter Cziborra/File Photo By Padraic Halpin DUBLIN (Reuters) -Global leasing giant Avolon said on Thursday it had committed to ordering 40 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in a deal worth over $4 billion at current list prices, a boost for the U.S. planemaker as it grapples with fresh delivery issues. Avolon, the world's third largest aircraft leasing firm, said the new jets are scheduled for delivery from 2027 to 2030 and will increase the overall size of its owned, managed and committed fleet to 870 aircraft. The deal comes a day after Boeing said it planned to ramp up production of 737 MAX jets during the back half of the year to make up for a slowdown in the second quarter to fix manufacturing issues. "Boeing are obviously working through their issues which are well documented. We at our core have confidence in the fundamentals of the (MAX) program and Boeing's capability to deliver these aircraft," Chief Executive Andy Cronin told Reuters in an interview. Cronin said the new manufacturing issue at Boeing will delay some of its aircraft deliveries but not to the degree where it will require a compensation discussion or fundamentally impact its business. Before Thursday's transaction, rival Airbus' best-selling A320neo family of jets made up 184 of the 252 jets Avolon had committed to buying. Cronin confirmed that Avolon understood that Airbus had contacted a "wide number of customers" about impacts to production schedules for next year. Reuters reported on the delivery delays last week. He said the industry-wide supply chain issues had eased over the past two to three quarters. "But I think everyone is realistic... We see these challenges persisting through the end of this year and into next year for sure," Cronin said. The Dublin-based lessor delivered $599 million of lease revenue and net income of $56 million in the first quarter, citing strong demand for aircraft and high levels of leasing activity amid a continued shortage of jets. (Reporting by Padraic HalpinEditing by Elaine Hardcastle, Kirsten Donovan) BRASILIA (Reuters) - The Brazilian government apologized on Thursday for mistreating Afro-Brazilian families that were forcible moved from their coastal home in northern Brazil four decades ago to make way for the construction of a spaceport. The Alcantara base run by the Brazilian Air Force is the rocket launching site of Brazil's space program where the South American country hopes to draw private companies putting small satellites into orbit. But in 1980 some 300 families, known as "quilombolas" or members of communities started by runaway slaves, were relocated by the Air Force and their land was expropriated. They were never given title to the land where they were taken. "The Brazilian state publicly declares its apology to the quilombola communities that remain in Alcantara," the government said in a statement, announcing that funds would be made available in reparation for the mistreatment. The apology came as a complaint by quilombola communities reached the Inter-American Human Rights Court, which held a public hearing in Santiago, Chile on Wednesday and Thursday. The court said it would not comment until the case was adjudicated. Lawyers for the quilombolas argued Brazil violated their right to their traditional lands, denied them title and never consulted them before building the space center. The launching site has hardly been used since 1980, though the first private rocket was launched last month by South Korean aerospace and defense company Innospace. Brazil's Senate ratified in 2019 an agreement with the United States to safeguard U.S. space and defense technology, allowing U.S. rocket companies to use Alcantara which is located close to the Equator and offers lower launching costs. (Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Lincoln Feast.) Egyptian, Arab and foreign media are invited to cover the National Dialogues opening session, which kicks off on Wednesday, 3 May at 2 PM in Cairo, General Coordinator of the dialogue Diaa Rashwan announced on Monday. LONDON (Reuters) - Britain said on Thursday that Giles Lever, its ambassador to Sudan, had been relocated to neighbouring Ethiopia after it temporarily closed its embassy in the conflict-riven east African country. "From Addis Ababa, he will lead the UK's diplomatic efforts in the region to bring fighting to an end in Sudan," the British foreign office said in a statement. Britain, which like other nations has been evacuating its nationals from Sudan, is urging the warring parties in the country to extend a 72-hour ceasefire which is due to expire later on Thursday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesperson said earlier. (Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar; Editing by Chris Reese) FILE PHOTO: Laborers work at a lithium plant on the Atacama salt flat in the Atacama desert of northern Chile January 8, 2013. Picture taken January 8, 2013. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado By David Alire Garcia MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Chilean President Gabriel Boric's pitch last week to enshrine greater state control over lithium is emerging as the latest test for the resource nationalism embraced by Latin America's ascendant left but which has proven tough to implement in practice. While the former student protest leader's proposal to give the government a majority stake in all future lithium projects faces an uncertain path in Congress, its mere introduction shook one of the mining industry's most lucrative corners. The push from Boric, 37, also highlights the long-running regional tension between governments' hunger for control of coveted commodities and future profits versus their ongoing need for private sector capital and know-how. "In Chile, its probably going to be the most significant case," said Carlos Pascual, top energy executive with IHS Markit, referring to other regional efforts to exert more government control over the mineral seen as key to a greener future and citing Chile's outsize role in the global metals market as the world's top producer of copper and No. 2 in lithium. "This is seen as an opportunity to ensure direct revenues to the state just as many countries decided to make the decision to nationalize oil in a different era," he added. Last year, Boric's fellow leftist in Mexico, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, enacted a sweeping lithium nationalization and later ordered the creation of a new state-run lithium company, LitioMx, even though the country is still far from selling its first cargo of the ultra-light metal. Lithium is in high demand for rechargeable batteries for future fleets of electric vehicles in the global transition to green energy. Lopez Obrador, who reveres the country's landmark 1938 oil nationalization, justified his policy as its logical extension. He invoked past abuses at the hands of colonial masters and more recent corporate titans, arguing that only the government can prevent exploitation and ensure broadly-distributed benefits. Across the world, nationalizing oil industries in particular has proved attractive as a means of cashing in on valuable raw materials and boosting development, even as competitive commodity markets often see more output and innovation. Illustrating the challenges of starting from scratch, a Mexican official knowledgeable about government plans for mining, however played down the possibility the new state lithium miner might achieve production anytime soon, instead touting a different option. "LitioMx could drive the value chain by importing lithium," the official told Reuters. Asked for comment, a spokesman for Mexico's energy ministry stressed that LitioMx remains focused on finding and extracting lithium, and while future imports could be considered "it's too early for that." Unsurprisingly, mining companies are less than ecstatic about the statist tilt of Lopez Obrador and Boric, who stressed that under his plan private miners would be able to partner with a not-yet-created state-owned producer, but only as minority stakeholders. "It's a brave bet to ask an investor to prefer an uncertain marriage with a state company and a minority stake risking capital and technology as opposed to simply flying alone," said Armando Ortega, who chairs the executive committee of Baramin, Mexico's biggest producer of barite, a mineral used in oil drilling. STATIST TREND Chile and neighbors Bolivia and Argentina are believed to hold more than half of the world's extractable lithium in otherworldly salt flats that typically employ evaporation pools to concentrate the metal, though new technologies are also being developed. The ruling socialists of Bolivia have also insisted that the state take the driver's seat in unlocking its huge but untapped reserves, although it is counting on the help of partners like Chinese battery giant CATL to do so. Peru, a mining powerhouse best known for copper, might have pursued a similar approach to Boric to bolster its development of lithium had former President Pedro Castillo not been ousted late last year. The leftist Castillo won a narrow victory in 2021, pledging to nationalize the ultra-light metal along with other minerals including copper, but later moderated his position, leaving the promise unfulfilled. Ivan Merino, who was Castillo's first energy and mining minister, said in an interview on Monday that Peru is for now watching from the sidelines as the resource nationalism trend gains steam. "It's now almost commonplace," he said. "We will see history made, but without participating in it." That leaves the exception to the trend, Argentina, as an increasingly likely Latin American destination for new private capital for lithium. "That's not because Argentina is doing what needs to be done, but rather because of our neighborhood's upheavals and the world's spiking demand," said Santiago Dondo, its former deputy minister for mining. A strong pipeline of lithium projects in Argentina, the world's No. 4 producer, are already close to coming online. Dondo said the four political parties in the main opposition coalition to outgoing leftist President Alberto Fernandez recently voted to endorse private enterprise as the sector's main motor ahead of elections later this year. He noted that local control over mining in three key provinces in northwest Argentina managed to help thwart any moves toward lithium nationalization at the national level a couple years ago, boosting investor sentiment. But Dondo still worries that lithium could be eclipsed by another battery technology. "We don't know how many years we'll have this huge window of opportunity," he said. "Change in the energy transition is getting faster all the time." (Reporting by David Alire Garcia in Mexico City; Additional reporting by Marco Aquino in Lima; Editing by Christian Plumb and Marguerita Choy) FILE PHOTO: A man enters the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) building in Beijing, China April 20, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang BEIJING (Reuters) - China's banking and insurance regulator said it would enhance credit support and lower the actual financing costs of small and micro enterprises this year to better support economic recovery. In a statement on Thursday, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) said financial institutions should provide reasonable credits to small businesses, while preventing the risk of "over-lending". The CBIRC said it aims to improve the quality of financial services for small and micro enterprises, to promote market vitality and boost confidence. Financial institutions should price lending rates reasonably based on the benchmark loan prime rate and the characteristics of small and micro businesses, it said. The CBIRC added that it would optimise the credit structure for small businesses and meet reasonable financing needs of small businesses with a credit line above 10 million yuan ($1.44 million). The regulator also said financial institutions should not renew loans for non-business and production purposes, and that financial institutions should not cover up credit risks with loan renewals. ($1 = 6.9227 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Ziyi Tang, Ryan Woo and Beijing Newsroom, editing by Mark Heinrich) FILE PHOTO: U.S. flags are planted outside the Soldiers Home for the 84 veteran residents who have died during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Holyoke, Massachusetts, U.S., May 13, 2020. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo By Nate Raymond and Brendan Pierson (Reuters) - Massachusetts' top court on Thursday revived the indictments against two former leaders of a veterans' home charged with criminal neglect for their roles in handling a COVID-19 outbreak that killed 84 people. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, in a 5-2 ruling, overturned a judge's decision to throw out the charges against former Holyoke Soldiers' Home Superintendent Bennett Walsh and former Medical Director David Clinton. "Of course, sometimes bad things happen for no discernable reason, and no one is to blame," Justice Dalila Argaez Wendlandt wrote for the majority. "At any subsequent trial, prosecutors will need to prove their case. We conclude only that they will have the opportunity to do so." A lawyer for Clinton declined to comment. A lawyer for Walsh could not immediately be reached. In bringing the charges against the men in September 2020, then-Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, now the state's Democratic governor, touted the criminal case as the first in the country tied to a COVID-19 outbreak at a nursing facility. The case stemmed from a March 2020 decision to consolidate two dementia units, which prosecutors said put residents who had tested positive for COVID-19 within feet of ones without symptoms and increased the risk that residents would contract the virus. That decision occurred at the onset of the deadly pandemic, before vaccines were available. The virus caused severe illness and death in many nursing homes nationally, and the outbreak in the 247-bed, state-run facility in Holyoke was one of the deadliest. Prosecutors accused Walsh and Clinton of elder neglect and of permitting serious bodily injury to an elder in the case of five veterans, saying the merger increased the danger they faced by putting them in "basically an incubator for COVID." But a judge dismissed the indictments pre-trial in 2021, saying the evidence presented to the grand jury was insufficient to show that the condition of the five veterans would have been different but for the merger as they had already been exposed to COVID-19. The state of Massachusetts last year agreed to pay nearly $58 million to resolve a lawsuit by families of veterans who contracted COVID-19 during the outbreak. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston and Brendan Pierson in New York, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Matthew Lewis) By Nelson Acosta HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba's Catholic Church on Thursday said the "door was open" to future talks over the release of prisoners on the island following a meeting the previous day with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and top advisors. Communist-run Cuba has faced sharp criticism from rights groups, the United States and the European Union following the imprisonment of hundreds of protesters after the July 11, 2021, riots, the largest since former Cuban leader Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution. The church's Cuban bishops met with Diaz-Canel and advisors late on Wednesday to discuss "the work of the Catholic Church, the socioeconomic situation of the country ... and the strengthening of values in society," according to a statement from the presidency. The official statement did not cite further details, but Ariel Suarez, the secretary of Cuba's Bishop's Conference, told Reuters the two parties discussed the prisoner situation and that the talk was open and frank. "The Church is grateful for the possibility of the meeting and above all, grateful that the door for subsequent meetings has been left open," Suarez said. "That willingness exists, and it was expressed by both parties." The Vatican has proved the lynchpin in prior negotiations to release prisoners from the island's jails. The Church also played a key role in brokering a historic resumption of ties between Cuba and the United States in 2015 under then-U.S. President Barack Obama. Papal envoy and cardinal Benjamin Stella, who visited Havana in February, said a potential amnesty was "on the table" but that the response did not depend on the Roman Catholic Church. Suarez told Reuters the Cuban bishops had long sought Wednesday's meeting with Diaz-Canel to discuss this issue and others. "The Bishops had requested a meeting with the president more than two years ago," he said. "It came together now." Authorities in Cuba have said those jailed following the July 2021 protests are guilty of crimes including public disorder, resisting arrest, robbery and vandalism, and have wavered little from those arguments in the past several months. (Reporting by Nelson Acosta, editing by Dave Sherwood and Bill Berkrot) FILE PHOTO: Rocks and other debris fly around remote cameras as SpaceXs next-generation Starship spacecraft atop the Super Heavy rocket lifts off from the companys Boca Chica launchpad on an uncrewed test flight before exploding near Brownsville, Te By Steve Gorman, Joey Roulette and David Shepardson (Reuters) - While the spectacle of SpaceX's new Starship rocket blowing up over the Gulf of Mexico riveted the public's attention, it was the explosive nature of the launch at ground level that was drawing heightened scrutiny from the government this week. The shattering force of last Thursday's launch in South Texas sent a cloud of pulverized concrete raining over a small town nearby, federal regulators said, raising fresh questions about the environmental impact of ramped-up launch operations at the site. The blastoff from the SpaceX facility, adjacent to a national wildlife refuge near Boca Chica Beach, also hurled large chunks of concrete and metal thousands of feet away and ignited a 3.5-acre (1.4-hectare) fire on nearby grounds, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Damage to the launch pad, the floor of which was largely demolished during liftoff, was visible in photos of the aftermath. No one was hurt, and no dead birds or wildlife were found on lands owned or managed by the refuge, the agency said. The rocket itself tumbled out of control and blew up in midair a few minutes into its flight. Environmentalists seized on the report as evidence that a more in-depth study of potential hazards to public safety and wildlife should be conducted before further Starship launches are conducted at Boca Chica. "They contemplated debris from these launches, but not part of the launch pad itself being blown out miles away and scattered across the landscape," said Jared Margolis, a senior attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity. "What happened is not what they anticipated." NASA is counting on Starship as a major component for its Artemis program, aimed at returning astronauts to the moon in the next few years as a stepping stone to eventual human exploration of Mars. SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Fish and Wildlife Service findings. The April 20 launch was days after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted SpaceX a license to launch the Starship via its Super Heavy rocket booster. The uncrewed test flight was the first for the combined two-stage vehicle. Despite the outcome, SpaceX hailed the aborted mission as a qualified success. The company said it was satisfied in getting Starship off the ground in its maiden test flight, a valuable source of data for further development of the spacecraft. The report by the Fish and Wildlife Service, part of the U.S. Interior Department, was the first account from government regulators on the extent of collateral damage from the launch, apart from the aerial explosion of the Starship itself. Elon Musk, the billionaire founder and CEO of SpaceX, said on Friday the California-based company now plans to install a water-cooling system and steel foundation for the next launch of the rocket, the most powerful ever built. The FAA last week said it had opened a "mishap" investigation, as required by law, effectively grounding the rocket ship until SpaceX determines a root cause for any failures and takes corrective action. CONCRETE DUST CLOUD On the ground, the force of roughly 30 rocket engines firing at full power pummeled the launchpad floor at liftoff, carving a crater several feet deep into the ground. A resulting plume of concrete dust drifted as far as 6.5 miles (10.5 km) to the northwest, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service. Pulverized material fell over tidal flats in the area and on Port Isabel, a town near the state's far southeastern tip, said agency spokesperson Aubry Buzek. An environmental assessment that the agency approved last year for the recently expanded Starbase facility envisions blastoff debris remaining within a 700-acre (approximately one square mile) zone around the launchpad. Concrete chunks and metal shrapnel flung thousands of feet from the launch pad would likely have landed in critical habitat for the piping plover, a shorebird on the endangered species list, Margolis said. Before the FAA granted the license, environmentalists had pressed for a more extensive environmental impact study. Margolis said the launch mishap proved the original environmental analysis was inadequate. Reopening the SpaceX facility to a full-scale environmental review would set back Starship development, complicating NASA's Artemis timeline, as well as the anticipated use of the spacecraft for Pentagon and commercial missions. Musk suggested last week that SpaceX could have planned upgrades to the launch site ready for installation before the next launch attempt in one to two months. (Reporting and writing by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Joey Roulette and David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien) By Supantha Mukherjee, Foo Yun Chee and Martin Coulter (Reuters) - Companies deploying generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, will have to disclose any copyrighted material used to develop their systems, according to an early EU agreement that could pave the way for the world's first comprehensive laws governing the technology. The European Commission began drafting the AI Act nearly two years ago to regulate emerging artificial intelligence technology, which underwent a boom in investment and popularity following the release of OpenAI's AI-powered chatbot ChatGPT. Members of the European Parliament agreed to push the draft through to the next stage, the trilogue, during which EU lawmakers and member states will thrash out the final details of the bill. Under the proposals, AI tools will be classified according to their perceived risk level: from minimal through to limited, high, and unacceptable. Areas of concern could include biometric surveillance, spreading misinformation or discriminatory language. While high-risk tools will not be banned, those using them will need to be highly transparent in their operations. Companies deploying generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT or image generator Midjourney, will also have to disclose any copyrighted material used to develop their systems. This provision was a late addition drawn up within the past two weeks, according to a source familiar with discussions. Some committee members initially proposed banning copyrighted material being used to train generative AI models altogether, the source said, but this was abandoned in favour of a transparency requirement. "Against conservative wishes for more surveillance and leftist fantasies of over-regulation, parliament found a solid compromise that would regulate AI proportionately, protect citizens' rights, as well as foster innovation and boost the economy," said Svenja Hahn, a European Parliament deputy. Macquarie analyst Fred Havemeyer said the EU's proposal was "tactful" rather than a "ban first, and ask questions later" approach proposed by some. "The EU has been on the frontier of regulating AI technology," he told Reuters. RACE TO MARKET Microsoft-backed OpenAI provoked awe and anxiety around the world when it unveiled ChatGPT late last year. The chatbot became the fastest-growing consumer application in history, reaching 100 million monthly active users in a matter of weeks. The ensuing race among tech companies to bring generative AI products to market concerned some onlookers, with Twitter-owner Elon Musk backing a proposal to halt development of such systems for six months. Shortly after signing the letter, the Financial Times reported Musk was planning to launch his own startup to rival OpenAI. (Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Stockholm, Foo Yun Chee in Brussels and Martin Coulter in London; Editing by Alexandra Hudson, Sharon Singleton and Lisa Shumaker) FILE PHOTO: Representations of cryptocurrency Bitcoin are seen in this illustration, August 10, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration By Luc Cohen NEW YORK (Reuters) - A former chief financial officer of multiple special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) was sentenced to three years in prison on Thursday for embezzling more than $5 million from them, and losing almost all of it trading meme stocks and cryptocurrencies. Cooper Morgenthau, 36, of Fernandina Beach, Florida, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in January. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan federal court. Morgenthau also agreed to forfeit $5.11 million in money earned from the scheme and pay an equal amount in restitution. He previously settled related U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission civil charges. Authorities said that between June 2021 and August 2022, Morgenthau stole more than $1.2 million from African Gold Acquisition Corp, concealed the theft by falsifying its account statements, and spent or lost all of it in securities trading. To cover his losses, Morgenthau then raised $4.7 million from investors in a SPAC known as Strategic Metals Acquisition Corp., only to lose most of it through crypto trading, the SEC said. African Gold, which is based in New York and was created to buy a gold mining business, had raised $414 million in a Feb. 2021 initial public offering. It fired Morgenthau last August after he ran out of money and vendors refused to work for the company, the SEC said. African Gold said at the time it terminated Morgenthau after learning about his "improper withdrawals" and attempts to conceal them. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan recommended a prison term shorter than six years, citing Morgenthau's acceptance of responsibility. Morgenthau's lawyers sought probation, saying it was the best way for him to earn money to pay restitution. (Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York, editing by Deepa Babington) FILE PHOTO: A logo of Exxon Mobil is displayed on a monitor above the floor of the New York Stock Exchange shortly after the opening bell in New York, U.S., December 5, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo By Luis Jaime Acosta, Oliver Griffin and Sabrina Valle BOGOTA/HOUSTON (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp is in talks with Colombia's government in hopes of recovering its investment in a fracking pilot project as the U.S. oil major prepares to ditch upstream operations in the Andean country where the government is pushing through a fracking ban, two sources close to the discussions told Reuters. Exxon has held eight exploration and production contracts in Colombia, including the fracking pilot. All either have been or are being ended, suspended or liquidated, Colombia's National Hydrocarbon Agency (ANH) told Reuters. The company had planned to develop the Platero pilot project for hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, eyeing an investment of $53 million, under a contract awarded two years ago. Colombia's congress has been preparing to pass a fracking ban backed by leftist President Gustavo Petro, who took office nearly nine months ago. The proposed bill would ban development of non-conventional energy projects including fracking. It has already passed the Senate and is expected to get final congressional approval in the coming months. The law would leave companies with few options to recoup investments, according to the text of the proposal, including options such as the chance to transfer their investments elsewhere or be awarded rights over other conventional blocks. Exxon is "reviewing the mechanisms to reach a solution regarding the investments for exploring unconventional" energy resources it has in the country, an Exxon source in Colombia told Reuters. "We will continue to have constructive dialogue with the Colombian government on a comprehensive assessment of our unconventional investments," Exxon spokesperson Michelle Gray told Reuters. The term "compensation" does not exist in technical or legal terminology used by the ANH in its processes, the agency said, but Exxon is advancing an "accreditation" process regarding the Platero pilot project. "The procedure is currently being studied," the ANH said. It did not respond to follow-up questions about what an accreditation process could include. Supporters of non-conventional efforts in Colombia say the practice would ensure energy sovereignty. Detractors have decried environmental fall-out. After winning separate approvals to develop fracking pilot projects in Santander province, Exxon and Colombia's majority state-owned oil company Ecopetrol said they would team up, with Ecopetrol as operator for both pilots. Last year, the state-run company asked the ANH to temporarily suspend both licenses, citing uncertainty over their future. The two companies mutually agreed to end their alliance in November, an Ecopetrol spokesperson said this week. Ecopetrol's new CEO Ricardo Roa said this week he would analyze that company's fracking contracts "with a magnifying glass." Exxon most recently decided to withdraw from its 70% participation in the VMM-37 block it shared with a subsidiary of Sintana Energy in Colombia's Medio Magdalena region, it confirmed to Reuters this week. Exxon said it continuously evaluates and prioritize investments, including those in Colombia. The company will continue in the country through its petrochemicals and marketing businesses, the people said. (Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta and Oliver Griffin in Bogota and Sabrina Valle in Houston; Writing by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Julia Symmes Cobb and David Gregorio) By Yoruk Bahceli (Reuters) -The European Union is preparing to approach index providers for its debt to be included in their government bond indexes, an EU official told Reuters, a move that would attract steady demand from a much bigger pool of global investors. Index inclusion "is something we are discussing with market participants at the moment, while we are also doing our internal analysis," the official said, looking at how the EU fulfills index providers' criteria. EU bonds are included in broad bond indexes but inclusion in dedicated government bond indexes compiled by the likes of Bloomberg, JPMorgan or FTSE Russell would be a game changer, as trillions of dollars of investor funds tracking the indexes would effectively become forced buyers. Bloomberg and JPMorgan did not immediately respond to requests for comment. FTSE Russell declined to comment. EU funding officials have said investors do not treat it like a government even though it is raising hundreds of billions of euros of joint debt with the backing of member states. "It's our objective to be included in (European government bond) indices. Because this will support how EU bonds are trading in the market, it would finally support the political objective of a common joint financing on a European level," the official said. The EU is a supranational institution, not a national government. Public documents outlining criteria for inclusion in government bond indexes do not cite exceptions to include other entities but focus on the size, currencies and credit ratings of government bonds. The EU has set out to raise up to 800 billion euros in common debt by 2026 to finance a post-COVID recovery fund in addition to an earlier pandemic scheme, becoming one of the world's biggest bond issuers in less than three years. Having focused so far on setting up its funding infrastructure, the EU is now boosting its efforts to be treated as a government borrower. It is triple-A rated but has shorter-term borrowing costs that are higher than those of lower-rated Spain and Portugal. That's because the EU is still not fully treated like a government the way Germany or France is and its bonds have less liquidity compared to governments, traders said, undermining aspirations for the debt to become a euro zone safe asset. "If funds have to hold (EU bonds) because they are a part of their benchmark and they are tracking those benchmarks... it's basic economics that there's going to be more buyers and sellers," said Royal London Asset Management fund manager Gareth Hill, adding this would reduce EU borrowing costs. The EU has also started selling the bonds backing its various schemes under a single label and is preparing a framework for banks to provide investors with regular pricing quotes. A repurchase agreement facility launched by 2024 will make it easier for investors to take positions. Big investors are also calling for index providers to treat the EU as a government. "We have pushed for that in the index inclusion council from Bloomberg, one of the largest index providers... although we think it will be difficult," said Kaspar Hense, senior portfolio manager at BlueBay Asset Management. Hense said a sticking point from an index provider perspective was that the EU does not have access to direct tax receipts. The EU official noted the bloc has elements of a sovereign, such as a budget and at least indirect taxing powers through member states' contributions. Cosimo Marasciulo, head of fixed income absolute return at Europe's largest asset manager Amundi, said it was also calling for EU inclusion in government bond indexes. "You have bonds which have shared risk between different countries, even if it's issued by an entity which does not have a tax power, but I don't think it's relevant. It's part of the integration that we have at the European level," Marasciulo said. (Reporting by Yoruk Bahceli; editing by Dhara Ranasinghe and Toby Chopra) By Azernews Qabil Ashirov Azerbaijans Digital Development and Transport (MDDT) Minister Rashad Nabiyev met with the Russian Transport Minister Vitaly Savelyev within the framework of his visit to the Russian Federation, Azernews reports, citing MDDT. The ministry said that the meeting discussed the issues of development of cooperation between the two countries in the transport sector, including road transport, aviation, and railway. The sides reported that relevant discussions were held to agree on the draft Agreement on the rules of operation and provision of services of the road bridge and access roads across the Samur River on the territory of Yarag-Gazmalar (Russian Federation) Samur (Republic of Azerbaijan) checkpoints from the RussianAzerbaijani state border. During the meeting, the importance of increasing the number of flights and destinations was emphasized, and issues of air transport relations were touched upon. It was noted that cooperation in the field of railway transport, including the development of railway infrastructure within the NorthSouth Transport Corridor, was continuing successfully. It was stressed that last year the volume of rail traffic along the NorthSouth Transport Corridor amounted to 481,000 tonnes. At the end of the meeting, confidence was expressed in the further development of relations between the two countries in the field of transport. A high-profile Palestinian occupation prisoner died in Israeli custody on Tuesday after 86 days hunger strike in protest against his detention without charge, Israels prison service announced, at a time of already soaring tensions between Israel and the Palestinians. FILE PHOTO: Protesters gather inside the South Carolina House as members debate a new near-total ban on abortion with no exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest at the state legislature in Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. August 30, 2022. REUTE By Gabriella Borter and Sharon Bernstein (Reuters) - State legislatures are wrestling with how much to restrict or expand abortion access after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year. Here is a snapshot of pending and passed legislation seeking to restrict or protect access in 2023, including details on a law that took effect in North Dakota this week broadly banning abortion and the defeat of abortion ban bills in South Carolina and Nebraska. RESTRICTIONS FLORIDA: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a six-week abortion ban this month, which includes exceptions for rape, incest, human trafficking and the life and health of the mother. It cannot take effect until the state Supreme Court rules on the constitutionality of the 15-week ban that is currently in place. IDAHO: Idaho Governor Brad Little signed a bill this month that makes it illegal to help a minor cross state lines to get an abortion without the permission of a parent or guardian. Offenders would face two to five years in prison. The Republican-led state is currently enforcing a near-total abortion ban, with exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the mother. MONTANA: The Republican-led legislature has passed a bill seeking to overturn a 1999 state Supreme Court ruling that found that the state constitution protected a right to abortion. That ruling has prevented lawmakers in the conservative state from restricting abortion further than the current 24-week limit. The bill awaits Republican Governor Greg Gianforte's signature. The full legislature has also passed a bill that would ban most second trimester abortions by prohibiting a common surgical procedure. If signed by the governor, it would take effect immediately. Planned Parenthood has sued to block the measure. NEBRASKA: Lawmakers in Nebraska's 50-seat unicameral legislature failed to pass a six-week abortion ban on Thursday, after the chamber did not amass enough votes to end debate on the bill. Much of the debate centered on one member's proposed amendment to allow abortions up to 12 weeks. Abortion is currently legal in the state up to 22 weeks. NORTH CAROLINA: House Republicans have introduced a bill to ban abortion from conception, except to preserve the life or health of the mother. Abortion is currently legal up to 20 weeks. If it passes the legislature, the bill would likely be vetoed by the Democratic governor and would need Democratic lawmakers' backing to override the veto. NORTH DAKOTA: North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum on Monday signed a bill that bans abortion with exceptions for cases where the mother's life or health are at serious risk. The law, which took immediate effect, also makes exceptions for rape and incest victims, but only during the first six weeks of pregnancy. The measure passed despite the state Supreme Court's decision last month not to revive a previous version of the near-total ban, after finding that the state constitution protects abortion rights in some cases. SOUTH CAROLINA: The Republican-led House of Representatives is considering a six-week abortion ban that the Senate has passed, despite the fact that the state Supreme Court recently struck down a six-week abortion ban in a 3-2 vote. The Senate tabled discussion of a near-total abortion ban on Thursday after it had been approved by the House. The chamber voted to delay considering the bill until the next legislative session in January 2024, after a two-day filibuster by the five women senators who felt it was too severe. TEXAS: While abortion is completely banned with very limited exceptions in Texas, Republican state representatives have introduced legislation that would compel internet providers to block websites that supply abortion pills or provide information on how to obtain an abortion. UTAH: Republican Governor Spencer Cox in March signed legislation to prohibit the licensing of abortion clinics, which abortion rights advocates say would effectively eliminate access in the state. Abortion is currently banned after 18 weeks in Utah. WYOMING: The Republican-led state legislature passed a bill in March banning the use or prescription of medication abortion pills, and Republican Governor Mark Gordon signed it into law. It is due to take effect July 1. Abortion is currently legal until viability, about 24 weeks, while a state court is reviewing a challenge to a near-total "trigger" ban, which was took effect when Roe v. Wade was overturned. PROTECTIONS CALIFORNIA: A Democratic state senator has introduced a bill to protect doctors who prescribe medication abortion pills to patients in other states. MICHIGAN: Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation this month repealing a 1931 bill that criminalized abortion. ILLINOIS: Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker in January signed a law protecting abortion providers and out-of-state patients from legal attacks waged by other states. MINNESOTA: Democratic Governor Tim Walz in January signed legislation passed by the Minnesota legislature's new Democratic majority that codifies abortion rights in state law, as well as a right to contraception and fertility treatment. The Democratic-led House passed a bill to shield abortion providers and patients from other states' legal attacks, and the Senate is considering it. OHIO: Abortion rights supporters are trying to collect enough signatures to put a constitutional amendment on the November 2023 ballot that would assert a right to abortion. Abortion is currently legal up to 22 weeks. (Reporting by Gabriella Borter in Washington and Sharon Bernstein in Sacramento, California; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Matthew Lewis, Aurora Ellis and Jonathan Oatis) KHARTOUM (Reuters) - As Sudan fell apart this month in pitched battles between warring military factions, Mohamed Jally's family in the vast desert region of Darfur was itself torn in two, with a brother fighting on each side. Although the brothers are not presently fighting in the same place, Jally fears the war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group will eventually pitch them against each other. "It definitely feels really bad having one of my brothers fighting with the army and the other with the RSF, both on the frontlines," said Jally, a banker. "I pray to God that they are protected until the war ends and they manage to get back to the family," he added. Jally said he hates the war, which suddenly erupted on April 15. The army and RSF had shared power after a 2021 coup but they fell out this year over a political transition and the paramilitary group's planned merger into the regular armed forces. The RSF emerged from the so-called 'Janjaweed' militias that fought in Darfur during a conflict that raged there from 2003, killing more than 300,000 people. The group still recruits heavily in the region. Besides worrying about the two brothers, the family is also anxious about their father, who is not in good health and would be particularly hard hit by bad news. Mosaab Jally initially told the family he was based in al-Fashaqa, far from the fighting, but he later admitted he was in Nyerti in a state that has seen some clashes. The other brother, Yacoub, is with the RSF and has said he is in the thick of the fighting. Unable to easily communicate with Yacoub, the family were not able to tell him that he had become the father to a new baby boy for days. Mohamed Jally asked Yacoub to stay away from frontlines, but he said doing so would be dishonorable and let down his comrades. He believes that what he is doing is "logical and patriotic", Mohammed Jally said. "I'm definitely worried about them being in a confrontation," Mohamed Jally said. Meanwhile there is little he can do, he says. "I pray to God to protect you both during this conflict, in which I'm the only loser," Mohammad posted on his social media in hopes that Mosaab, even if under violence, can at least hear one good piece of news. (This story has been corrected to change the location where Masaab Jally was fighting and say that it was Yacoub Jally who became a father) (Reporting by Mai Shams El-Din, Writing by Tala Ramadan in Dubai, editing by Angus McDowall and William Maclean) FILE PHOTO: FTX logo is seen in this illustration taken March 31, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo (Reuters) - The FBI carried out a search on Thursday morning at the Potomac, Md., home of former FTX executive Ryan Salame, the New York Times reported, citing two people with knowledge of the matter said. The FBI, Salame and his attorney did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. Days before FTX filed for bankruptcy and Bankman-Fried stepped down as CEO, Salame informed the Securities Commission of the Bahamas that client assets held at FTX Digital Markets may have been transferred to Alameda, according to a court filing Wednesday by the agency. He was one of the top political donors in the 2022 election cycle donating more than $23 million to Republican campaigns, according to OpenSecrets. Ryan Salame, the co-CEO of FTX's Bahamian subsidiary, worked for Ernst & Young and Circle Internet Financial before joining FTX Digital Markets in 2021, according to a profile on the University of Massachusetts Amherst's website, where he established a scholarship fund. (Reporting by Mehnaz Yasmin in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur) By P.J. Huffstutter CHICAGO (Reuters) - All barge traffic will be halted across a wide swath of the Upper Mississippi River for weeks, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Thursday, as record winter snowfall in the upper Midwest is now melting and flooding into waterways. The closures will force grain and fertilizer shippers to find alternative, potentially more costly, transportation by truck or rail, freight experts said. Such floods have become part of a volatile cycle for the U.S. waterway, a major transportation artery moving some 60% of American grain exports from the heartland to the global market via the Gulf Coast. Just last fall, drought plagued the lower and middle Mississippi River valley, sending river levels plunging to historic lows, halting barge shipments. Now, all locks and dams above Lock 17 - near New Boston, Illinois - will be closed for the next three weeks, and no freight is being accepted along the Twin Cities and mid-Mississippi portions of the river, USDA said in a weekly transportation report. Such closures are pushing down barge freight rates. [BG/US] Though it is not a busy export period for the United States, the closures will affect the delivery of any remaining soybeans or grain for the export market, said Mike Steenhoek, executive director of the Soy Transportation Coalition. It's also creating a logistical headache for fertilizer suppliers and buyers, who typically rely on northern-bound barges to haul their goods to the Midwest ahead of spring planting. "It's those shipments that are concerning, and will have to be diverted off the river and moved north on rail or by truck," Steenhoek said. As the river levels rise, the trouble is spreading: As far south as Lock 22 - near Saverton, Missouri - high water could force the locks and dams to be shuttered and stay closed until mid-May, USDA said. (Reporting By P.J. Huffstutter in Chicago; editing by Jonathan Oatis) Turkish citizens living in Germany start casting their ballots at Turkey?s diplomatic missions for the May 14 parliamentary and presidential election, in Munich, Germany, April 27, 2023. REUTERS/Ayhan Uyanik By Ayhan Uyanik, Friederike Heine and Sarah Marsh MUNICH (Reuters) -Turkish citizens based in Germany began voting on Thursday in Turkey's elections at a record number of polling stations aimed at boosting their participation in a vote that is the biggest electoral threat to President Tayyip Erdogan in two decades in power. Germany is home to the world's largest Turkish diaspora, which in the past has shown strong support for Erdogan, who is trailing in opinion polls, and his conservative AK party. Some 1.5 million Turkish citizens there are eligible to vote before presidential and parliamentary elections on May 14 in Turkey. They have until May 9 to submit ballots. The German foreign ministry said in a statement it had approved 16 polling stations for all the cities where Turkey has consulates. In 2018 there were 13. Still, pro-government Turkish media criticized Germany for not allowing Turkey to double the number of polling stations. "This is a political decision, I have to say quite frankly. And at this point, it is important for the relations between the two countries to revert from the mistake they made," said the head of Turkish Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee and AK member Akif Cagatay Kilic. Some voters see the election as a potential turning point for how Turkey is governed after a deep cost of living crisis and collapse of the lira currency, as well as a test of a 2017 referendum that gave Erdogan near unchecked authority and significantly weakened parliament. Turkish voter Umur Saman urged fellow citizens in Germany to take part. "They live in Europe, they see the circumstances in Europe and they also see the road Turkey is taking. If they want the benefits they get here in Germany to be the standards in Turkey as well, they have to take responsibility for their country and use their right to vote," he said. Kemal Goktepe, another voter at the Munich consulate said: "President Erdogan wants to continue his presidential system. So it's a decision: we believe the system is not entirely democratic." The elections will take place three months after powerful earthquakes in Turkey's southeast killed tens of thousands and left millions homeless. Erdogan has been criticized for his handling of the disaster. (Reporting by Ayhan Uyanik in Munich, Sarah Marsh in Berlin, Ece Toksabay in Ankara; Writing by Friederike Heine; Editing by Rachel More, Alexandra Hudson and Grant McCool) FILE PHOTO: L-R: Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk, Tesla Chief Technical Officer JB Straubel and Yoshi Yamada senior advisor from Panasonic participate in a news conference at the Tesla Gigafactory near Sparks, Nevada, U.S. July 26, 2016. REUTERS/James Gl SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Proxy advisory firm Glass Lewis recommended Tesla Inc shareholders vote against board nominee JB Straubel at the electric carmaker's annual meeting next month, raising concerns regarding his independence. Straubel is a co-founder of Tesla and served as its chief technology officer before stepping down in 2019. Straubel has since founded Redwood Materials Inc, a battery recycling and materials company. "The unwinding of conflicting relationships between former management and board members is more likely to be complete and final after five years," Glass Lewis said in a report published on Wednesday. "As such, we do not believe that shareholders should consider this director to be independent at this time." Tesla did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. Glass Lewis said three of the eight directors at Tesla are either affiliated with the company or are insiders, raising concerns about "its ability to perform its proper oversight role." It also recommended Tesla shareholders vote for the re-election of two of its board members, CEO Musk and board chair Robyn Denholm, saying there are not "substantial issues for shareholder concern" about the two. The proxy advisor also recommended a vote against a shareholder proposal for the company to publish a report on "Key-Person Risk", which includes succession planning. Glass Lewis said "requesting that the company publicly disclose the identity of key persons in the succession plan could present a material risk to the company and exacerbate concerns regarding succession planning." SOC Investment Group, which works with union pension funds with more than $250 billion in assets, earlier this month urged Tesla shareholders to vote against the election of Straubel, questioning whether he is a strong board member who can "counterbalance" Elon Musk's controversial behavior. The group said the dearth of Tesla's board independence has resulted in poor oversight of Musk, who is "overcommitted" to his other ventures like SpaceX and Twitter. (Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin, Editing by Nick Zieminski) Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu and his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh along with their officials are pictured during their meeting at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet in New Delhi, India, April 27, 2023. Indian Ministry of Defence/H By Krishn Kaushik NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India's defence minister told his Chinese counterpart on Thursday that improved relations depend on "peace and tranquillity" returning to their frontier disturbed by military tensions, the Indian government said. Relations between the nuclear-armed Asian giants have deteriorated since mid-2020, when Chinese and Indian troops clashed on their disputed Himalayan frontier and 24 people were killed. The situation has largely calmed after military and diplomatic talks but the faceoff continues in pockets along the 3,800-km (2,360-mile) frontier. India's defence minister Rajnath Singh underlined New Delhi's position on their strained ties at a meeting with Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu in the Indian capital, the Indian government said in a statement. Singh "categorically conveyed that development of relations between India and China is premised on prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the borders", it said. "He reiterated that violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation," the government said. India accuses China of frequently intruding into its side of the disputed border in violation of agreements signed since the 1990s. Beijing denies the accusations and blames New Delhi for the transgressions. China's Defence Minister said the situation on the border was generally stable with both sides maintaining communication through military and diplomatic channels. "It is hoped that the two sides will work together to continuously enhance mutual trust between the two militaries and make due contributions to the development of relations between both countries," Li was quoted as saying in a ministry social media post on Friday. Li said both countries should take a "comprehensive, long-term and strategic view" of their relations. Two Indian sources told Reuters earlier that China had pushed for engagement and cooperation between the two militaries but was told by India that could happen only if there was tranquillity on the border. The two ministers met ahead of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence ministers' gathering in New Delhi. The meeting is the first between defence ministers of the two countries since September 2020 when they held talks on the sidelines of an SCO meeting in Moscow. It is also the first visit by a Chinese defence minister to India since the violence in the Himalayas began in May 2020. (Reporting by Krishn Kaushik, Additional reporting by Liz Lee; Writing by YP Rajesh; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Richard Chang) By Marco Carta and Angelo Amante ROME (Reuters) - Italy's highest court on Thursday upheld acquittal verdicts in a major mafia trial based on allegations that the state had colluded with Sicilian mobsters after a deadly wave of bombings in the 1990s. The ruling, which is definitive and cannot be appealed, marks the final chapter of a case that drew widespread attention over the last decade as it involved former high-ranking state officials, police, mob bosses and politicians. Prosecutors alleged that state representatives had negotiated with the mob following a string of mafia bombs and assassinations, including those of prominent anti-mafia magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. Defendants including Marcello Dell'Utri, a close aide to former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, and three retired Carabinieri police officials were initially convicted in 2018, but an appeals trial overturned the ruling three years later. The original verdict said Dell'Utri had brokered a deal with the mob to stop the attacks. After being acquitted in 2021, Dell'Utri - who got a seven-year sentence in a separate mafia-related case in 2014 - called the trial "monstrous". "I was convinced I hadn't done anything (wrong), I know my job, I know that if I had made a mistake I would have realised it," former Carabinieri official Mario Mori told reporters after the court confirmed his acquittal. Two mobsters involved in the case, including Leoluca Bagarella, a convicted killer for the Corleone mafia family, were cleared due to the statute of limitations, which came into force after the court downgraded the charges against them. Prosecutors brought the defendants to trial on suspicion they began talks with the mafia in 1992 after judge Falcone, his wife and three bodyguards were assassinated by a bomb placed under a motorway in 1992. Magistrate Borsellino was killed two months later, and prosecutors believed he had learned of, and opposed, the negotiations. Cosa Nostra stepped up the pressure in 1993 with unprecedented mainland attacks on cultural and church targets, including the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Ten people were killed in Milan and Florence. After 1993, the attacks abruptly stopped. (Writing by Angelo Amante; Editing by Frances Kerry) By Jaiveer Shekhawat and Lananh Nguyen (Reuters) -Jefferies Financial Group Inc shares surged more than 5% on Thursday after Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp (SMBC) said it will combine its U.S. equity and M&A business with the U.S. investment bank. As part of a deal, SMBC's parent, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, will expand its U.S. presence and boost its stake in Jefferies from 4.5% to as much as 15%, the companies said in a joint statement Thursday. "This will give us access to more, and larger, public companies," Jefferies President Brian Friedman told Reuters. "This is hugely strategic and deeply long-term." The deal gives SMFG the right to nominate a member of Jefferies' board of directors. It expands collaboration between SMBC and Jefferies, which have worked together on cross-border mergers and acquisitions, healthcare and leveraged finance since 2021. The transaction will enable Jefferies to offer more lending capabilities, with the help of SMFG's balance sheet, alongside its traditional advisory work. SMFG has long been eager to crack the U.S. and other major overseas capital markets. Its SMBC Nikko Securities unit, formerly Citigroup Inc's Japanese broker and a key investment banking unit that SMFG bought in 2009, has a limited footprint abroad. SMFG's bigger domestic rival, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc, has boosted its U.S. presence through a $9 billion investment in Morgan Stanley in 2008, which gave MUFG some 20% ownership of the Wall Street bank. The Financial Times first reported the news on SMBC and Jefferies. (Reporting by Lananh Nguyen in New York, Kanjyik Ghosh and Jaiveer Shekhawat in Bengaluru and Makiko Yamazaki in Tokyo; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Josie Kao) People burn incense sticks to pray for good fortune at Lama Temple, in Beijing, China April 22, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang By Laurie Chen and Sophie Yu BEIJING (Reuters) - Queues stretch hundreds of metres around temples in China on weekends, as despondent young worshippers pray to find jobs in an economy slowly clawing its way back from the coronavirus pandemic. "I hope to find some peace in temples," said 22-year-old Wang Xiaoning, pointing to "the pressure of finding a job" and housing costs that are out of reach. Wang is among a record 11.58 million university graduates who face a job market still reeling from last year's stringent "zero-COVID" lockdowns as well as crackdowns on the technology and education sectors, key traditional hirers. Temple visits are up 310% so far this year compared to 2022, travel booking platform Trip.com said. While it did not give overall numbers or pre-pandemic comparisons, it said roughly half the visitors were born after 1990. "The threshold for employment keeps rising," said Chen, a 19-year-old who was praying for her career prospects at the iconic Lama Temple in the capital, Beijing, despite being years away from graduation. "The pressure is overwhelming," added Chen, who gave only her surname for privacy reasons. The fifth of young Chinese without jobs among a highly-educated generation is a record. Improving their prospects is a major headache for authorities, who want the economy to create 12 million new jobs in 2023, up from last year's 11 million. GRAPHIC: China's youth jobless rate near record high - https://www.reuters.com/graphics/CHINA-ECONOMY/JOBS/znvnbjgndvl/chart.png "There is a serious oversupply of university graduates and their priority is survival," said Zhang Qidi, a researcher at the Center for International Finance Studies, who added that many had resorted to ride-sharing or delivery jobs. The economy has been recovering since COVID-19 curbs were lifted in December, but the hiring is being led by the pandemic-battered catering and travel industries, which offer poor wages for low-skilled roles. China's education and human resource ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The number of master's and Ph.D graduates in Beijing exceeds undergraduates for the first time, education authorities said. Job and academic anxieties were "understandable", the state-backed Beijing Daily said in an editorial in March. "However, young people who really pin their hopes on the gods and Buddhas when under pressure are also clearly going astray." 'SCHOLARLY AIRS' Many have taken to social media to compare themselves with a century-old literary figure, Kong Yiji, an unemployed alcoholic scholar from a 1919 story by the author Lu Xun. Kong believed himself too highly educated to take up menial jobs. The meme has gone viral as users question the value society places on education if it does not guarantee them a fulfilling career. In the coastal province of Zhejiang, a 25-year-old with a master's degree who has applied for 10 jobs a day on average since February said she felt, like Kong, "restricted" by her education. "I don't believe I will ever find my ideal job," said the urban planning graduate, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect her job prospects. "I've seen a psychologist a few times because I was very anxious and depressed." She said the only offers she had received paid 2,000 yuan to 3,000 yuan ($290 to $435) a month or had "unreasonable" overtime requirements and she refused. "If I didn't have these qualifications, I could totally become a sales assistant in a mall and be much happier." Yang Xiaoshan, a 24-year-old economics postgraduate in Beijing, settled for the job of a bank teller after 30 interviews. She is relieved not to follow Kong's jobless fate, but still feels unsatisfied. "It's not that I despise customer service, but I think it's a waste of my knowledge," said Yang. State broadcaster CCTV has scolded those drawing comparisons with Kong. "Kong Yiji fell into difficulties ... because he couldn't let go of his scholarly airs and was unwilling to change his situation through labour," it wrote on messaging app Weibo. The comment drew angry replies. "Why, instead of helping private enterprises develop, do you blame 11.58 million graduates for not taking off their scholar gowns?" read one post that drew more than 300 "likes". (Reporting by Laurie Chen and Sophie Yu; Editing by Marius Zaharia and Clarence Fernandez) Professor of international relations at SOAS in London Gilbert Achcar explains in an interview that it would be simplistic to represent the conflict in Sudan as a proxy war. FILE PHOTO: Moldovan President Maia Sandu attends a news conference during the Informal EU 27 Summit and Meeting within the European Political Community at Prague Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, October 6, 2022. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger/File Photo By Alexander Tanas CHISINAU (Reuters) - President Maia Sandu accused Russia on Thursday of meddling in Moldova's internal affairs, pointing to an election this weekend in the region of Gagauzia where she said many of those running were Russian agents. Moldova barred a Russian regional delegation this week from going to the semi-automonous pro-Russian region of Gagauzia which will elect the head of its government on Sunday. The delegation was led by Rustam Minnikhanov, governor of Russia's Tatarstan region, who said it was regrettable he had been denied entry to Moldova's capital Chisinau. "We see open interference, he was headed to Gagauzia to support one of the candidates at the elections," Sandu said in televised comments. "Unfortunately many of the candidates there are agents of Russia, and not politicians who want to work for the good of the Gagauz people." Moscow denies meddling in Moldova's affairs. It did not immediately respond to Sandu's accusation of candidates being agents. Russia said on Tuesday it was expelling a Moldovan diplomat in what it cast as retaliation for the expulsion last week of a Russian diplomat in Moldova. Moldova, a small former Soviet republic which applied to join the European Union last year alongside its neighbour Ukraine, has accused Russia of trying to destabilise it. Moscow denies the allegation. "Russia does not respect and never has respected our sovereignty and independence. And now Moscow is trying to destabilise the situation in Moldova to obstruct our European course, to provoke chaos," Sandu said on Jurnal-TV. Moldova has condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine that sent shockwaves through Moldova's economy, which was heavily reliant on gas supplies from Russia. Anti-government protests followed. Sandu said Russia was financing protests and various parties "to return politicians who are under their control to power" and that Chinisau was opposing these efforts with the EU's support. (Reporting by Alexander Tanas, Writing by Tom Balmforth, Editing by imothy Heritage) FILE PHOTO: A general view of the Norwegian central bank, where Norway's sovereign wealth fund is situated, in Oslo, Norway, March 6, 2018. REUTERS/Gwladys Fouche/File Photo (Reuters) - The Norwegian central bank on Thursday excluded two oil and gas companies from its $1.4-trillion wealth fund, the world's largest, citing ethical concerns over their ties to the Myanmar military. South Korea's state-run Korea Gas Corp (KOGAS) and Indian gas firm GAIL (India) Ltd were excluded from the fund, Norges Bank said in a statement. The two were excluded due to "unacceptable risk that (the) companies contribute to serious violations of individuals rights in situations of war or conflict," the fund said. "The background is the companies' business collaboration with an organization affiliated with the military in Myanmar," Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM) said. GAIL did not respond to a Reuters request for comment after market hours. Korea Gas Corp could not be immediately reached. Norway's wealth fund operates under ethical guidelines set by parliament and excludes investments in companies that it says does not respect the guidelines. At the end of last year, the fund held $5.5 million worth of shares in KOGAS, representing 0.21% of the outstanding shares, according to the fund's filings. Norges Bank held $70.2 million in GAIL shares as of the same date, representing 0.92% of total shares in the company. The Norwegian sovereign fund, formally called the Government Pension Fund Global and set up in 1996 to save petroleum revenues for future generations, owns about 1.5% of all globally listed shares. Norges Bank holds stakes in more than 9,200 companies globally through the wealth fund. (Reporting by Mrinmay Dey in Bengaluru and Victoria Klesty in Oslo) JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli security forces shot a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank on Thursday as he tried to stab a policeman, the Israeli military said. Palestinian officials said the man had been shot dead, without elaborating on the circumstances. A video circulated on social media showed a soldier firing at a Palestinian multiple times, even after he had fallen to the ground. Reuters could not confirm the authenticity of the video. An Israeli military statement said the Palestinian was driving but deviated from his lane and attempted to ram into civilians and security personnel who were standing at the junction. The individual then exited the car and attempted to stab a police officer, the military statement said. The Palestinian National Liberation movement confirmed that the Palestinian killed, Ahmed Yaqoub Taha, was a Palestinian security officer. Israeli-Palestinian violence has surged in the West Bank since early last year, when Israel stepped up military raids in response to Palestinian street attacks in Israel. Attacks on Palestinians by Jewish settlers in the West Bank have also been on the rise. Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which Palestinians want as the core of a future independent state, during the 1967 Middle East war. The Israeli military said the man was carrying a knife, and security forces opened fire and "neutralised" him. The Palestinian Health ministry said the man had been shot dead by the Israeli military. (Reporting by Emily Rose and Ali Sawafta; Editing by Andrew Heavens, David Gregorio and Bill Berkrot) By Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska ZAMOSC, Poland (Reuters) - A military object found in a Polish forest came from the testing of Poland's air defence systems, private broadcaster RMF FM reported on Thursday, easing concerns it might have been fired from abroad. RMF, which did not identify its sources, said officials did not yet know what the object was. It had earlier reported without citing sources that the object could be part of an air-to-surface missile and most likely belonged to Poland's army. Poland has been on alert for possible spillover of weaponry from the war in neighbouring Ukraine, especially since two people were killed near the border last November by what Warsaw concluded was a misfired Ukrainian air defence missile. The area where the object was found this week - around the village of Zamosc near the northern city of Bydgoszcz - is hundreds of kilometres from Poland's borders with Ukraine, Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. Poland's defence and justice ministries described it as "military object" without going into further details. "No traces of explosions or explosives were found at the site of the operations," the Gdansk District Prosecutor's office said in a statement. "Various hypotheses regarding the secured evidence are being investigated." A digger accompanied by a truck belonging to bomb disposal experts drove down a forest trail to the site on Wednesday, footage from private broadcaster TVN24 showed. By Thursday, the hole, about six metres in diameter, had been filled in with sand. RMF said that its sources had noted that fighter jets were repaired near the site, which was near an airport used by the Polish military. The defence ministry said the situation did not threaten residents' safety. The military police, regional police, the mayor of the village of Zamosc and a government spokesman all declined to comment further. (Reporting by Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska, Karol Badohal, Pawel Florkiewicz, Anna Koper, Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk, writing by Alan Charlish; Editing by Lincoln Feast, Bernadette Baum, Peter Graff and Andrew Heavens) FILE PHOTO: West Virginia Governor Jim Justice speaks during a rally with then-U.S. President Donald Trump in Huntington, West Virginia U.S., August 3, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo By Kanishka Singh and Moira Warburton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - West Virginia Governor Jim Justice launched his campaign on Thursday for the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, a moderate who has been a constant thorn in his party's side. Justice, 72, has repeatedly changed parties, most recently in 2017 when he switched his registration to Republican after being elected as a Democrat in 2016. Justice was reelected as a Republican in 2020. Manchin, 75, is expected to face a tough campaign for a third six-year term in a state that then-President Donald Trump won by a wide 69% to 30% over Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. Holding the seat will be critical for Democrats' hopes of protecting their narrow 51-49 control of the Senate in 2024, when they will also be defending seats in Republican-leaning Montana and Ohio and highly competitive Pennsylvania and Arizona. Manchin has been a key vote on every major piece of legislation of Biden's tenure, as a moderate representing an increasingly conservative state. His support was critical to passage of Biden's sweeping $1 trillion infrastructure law, one of the president's key domestic accomplishments. In recent months Manchin has repeatedly slammed the White House for its interpretation of the major climate and tax bill he helped pass last summer, decrying the administration's moves to enact climate-related portions of the bill, such as electric vehicle tax credits. Manchin has not publicly declared whether he will run for reelection in 2024. Justice, a coal-mining billionaire, would first need to win a Republican primary against U.S. Representative Alex Mooney to become his party's nominee to challenge Manchin in 2024. The governor is a strong supporter of Trump, stating in 2017 that the then-president had "a backbone. ... He cares about us in West Virginia." (Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Moira Warburton; Editing by Scott Malone and Jonathan Oatis) FILE PHOTO: Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained in March while on a reporting trip and charged with espionage, stands behind a glass wall of an enclosure for defendants before a court hearing to consider an appeal against his d MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia said on Thursday it had rejected a U.S. embassy request to visit detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in response to Washington's refusal to grant visas to a group of Russian journalists. The foreign ministry said it had summoned a senior American diplomat to formally protest after reporters assigned to accompany Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to the United Nations this week were unable to enter the United States. Hours later, Moscow's envoy to Washington said he had visited two Russian prisoners being held in U.S. jails. Gershkovich was arrested last month and accused of espionage, a charge he has denied. The United States has designated him as wrongfully detained. There was no immediate comment from the U.S. Embassy. Russia's foreign ministry said it had rejected a U.S. request to pay a consular visit on May 11 and was considering other retaliation against Washington over the visa snub. Moscow expressed anger because it was Russia's turn to chair the U.N. Security Council. "It was particularly emphasised (to the U.S. diplomat) that such sabotage, intended to prevent normal journalistic work, would not go unanswered," the ministry said in a statement. Lavrov side-stepped questions this week about a prisoner swap involving Gershkovich. Last year, U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner - imprisoned in Russia on drug charges - was exchanged for arms dealer Viktor Bout. Russia's embassy in Washington said envoy Anatoly Antonov had gone to a New York jail on Wednesday to see Anatoly Legkodymov, arrested in January on charges he operated virtual currency exchange Bitzlato Ltd. It called for his release. The embassy also said Antonov had seen Dmitry Ukrainsky, who was extradited from Thailand last year to face fraud charges and is in the same jail. "We will work for his return to his homeland," the mission said in a post on the Telegram messaging app. (Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Mark Trevelyan, David Ljunggren and Andrew Osborn) FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Security Council via a video link at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia, April 21, 2023. Sputnik/Alexey Babushkin/Kremlin (Reuters) -The Russian drone industry could soon be worth 1 trillion roubles ($12.25 billion) once a plan to boost production is put into place, given the vehicles' versatility, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday. Late last year Putin said Russia must increase its output of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and create infrastructure for their widespread use in military and civilian applications. Putin said he and executives involved in drone production had looked over figures that showed the industry could in the near future be worth 500 billion roubles. Everyone agreed this was a very conservative estimate, he said. "Most likely, if we are all together, along with the state, we'll work actively and it will be 1 trillion rubles," he said in remarks that were shown on state television. Putin last year ordered a strategy for drone development through 2030. First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov told the meeting that the plan should be ready by July 1 and said that by the end of 2026, Russia should be able to make 18,000 drones a year. Putin, who spoke after touring an industrial park in Moscow which has been specially designed to manufacture drones, said UAVs could be used in virtually every part of the economy. While Russia already produces a number of drones, they are not very advanced and Moscow has been chiefly using Iranian-made Shahed unmanned aerial vehicles in its attacks on Ukraine. During the televised remarks, one executive said drones would be particularly helpful for farmers. Putin said the federal agriculture ministry should take note. ($1 = 81.6205 roubles) (Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Daniel Wallis) FILE PHOTO: A Ukrainian service member from a 3rd separate assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, fire a howitzer D30 at a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the city of Bakhmut, Ukraine April 23, 2023. REUTERS/Sofiia Gatilova (Reuters) - Russian forces pounded the city of Bakhmut, the months-old focal point of their attempts to capture the eastern Ukrainian industrial region of Donbas, and the head of Russia's Wagner mercenary force said Ukrainian troops were pouring in ahead of an "inevitable" counter-offensive. The general staff of Ukraine's armed forces, in a report on Facebook, said fighting gripped Bakhmut and nearby areas. It said Russian forces had failed to advance on two villages to the northwest. At least a dozen localities came under Russian fire. Separately, Serhiy Cherevatiy, spokesman for Ukraine's eastern group of forces, told national television on Wednesday that in the past 24 hours, Russian forces had attacked 324 times using artillery and multiple rocket launchers. "The Russians are destroying buildings in Bakhmut to prevent our soldiers from using them as fortifications," Cherevatiy said. Cherevatiy on Tuesday said there had been a record number of attacks on a section of the front further north - near the city of Kupiansk, in northeastern Ukraine. The governor of the southern Ukrainian region of Mykolaiv said Russian missiles had hit an apartment building and a private house in the city of the same name. One person was killed and 15 were injured, Vitaliy Kim wrote on the Telegram messaging app. Reuters was not able to verify battlefield reports. TOP PRIZE But Bakhmut remains the prize sought for now by Russian troops. They have tried for some nine months to push their way into the largely destroyed city in a conflict now extending into its 15th month and have secured some central districts. Ukraine's military has vowed to defend what was once a city of 70,000, though President Volodymyr Zelenskiy suggested this month they might pull out if in danger of encirclement. Russia's Wagner mercenary group has spearheaded much of the advance into Bakhmut and its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, an ally of President Vladimir Putin, said this month that its forces controlled 80 percent of the city. On Wednesday, Prigozhin said in a video message: "Today, well-trained enemy units are already being thrown into Bakhmut ... A counter-offensive by the Ukrainians is inevitable." A critic of Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Prigozhin said his forces "will advance at any cost, just to grind down the Ukrainian army and disrupt their offensive." Ukraine's military has made no comment on a new counter-offensive to build on advances undertaken last year to recapture Russian-occupied areas in the northeast and the south. In Washington, the top U.S. general in Europe said Ukraine's military would get the weaponry it needed in time. General Christopher Cavoli, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, cited as an example that more than 98 percent of the combat vehicles promised to Kyiv had already been delivered. Military analyst Denys Popovych told Ukrainian NV Radio that there was no immediate prospect of turning things around in Bakhmut. "If Bakhmut falls, Russia will have resources to send elsewhere," Popoovych said. "Bakhmut offers an opportunity to destroy Russian troops and prevent them from being engaged elsewhere." (Reporting by Ron Popeski and Oleksandr Kozhukhar; editing by Grant McCool) FILE PHOTO-Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin leaves a cemetery before the funeral of Russian military blogger Maxim Fomin widely known by the name of Vladlen Tatarsky, who was recently killed in a bomb attack in a St Petersburg c (Reuters) -Russian troops tried on Thursday to sever important supply routes into the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut and thereby put more pressure on defending forces, Ukrainian officers said. Russian units have been trying for 10 months to punch their way into the shattered remains of what was once a city of 70,000. Kyiv is pledging to defend Bakhmut, which Russia sees as a stepping stone to attacking other cities. One of those cities further west, Kostyantynivka, was hit by a Russian missile on Thursday. A school, a hospital and residential buildings were damaged and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said people had been injured. Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesman for Ukrainian troops in the east, told the Freedom television channel that Bakhmut had seen 13 new combat clashes in the past 24 hours. "The enemy's main goal in the Bakhmut sector is to cut communication routes," he said. "But thanks to constant counter-battery combat ... we can deliver supplies and evacuate our wounded." Russia's Defence Ministry reported successes against Ukrainian positions in various sectors but made no direct reference to Bakhmut. Reuters was not able to verify battlefield reports. Ukrainian military analyst Oleksander Musiyenko said districts were rapidly changing hands in fierce fighting. "Ukraine is successfully conducting local counter-attacks, making it difficult for the Russians to capture Bakhmut," Musiyenko told Ukrainian NV Radio. Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, which has spearheaded the Bakhmut campaign, said he had been joking earlier when he said his men would suspend artillery fire to allow Ukrainian forces to show the city to U.S. journalists. Prigozhin, who has publicly lambasted Russia's military establishment over its conduct of the war, is known for his combative style and ironic sense of humour. Last month, after long complaining about shortages of supplies, Prigozhin said he and his men had been "blown away" by the fact that they had finally started to receive ammunition. (Reporting by ReutersWriting by Gareth Jones and Ron PopeskiEditing by Mark Trevelyan, David Ljunggren and Grant McCool) FILE PHOTO: U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) reads as U.S. Space Force Lt. Gen. Bradley Saltzman testifies before a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on his nomination to be general and chief of space operations at the Defense Department on Capitol Hill By Timothy Gardner and Jonathan Saul WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As Iran's oil exports rise despite U.S. sanctions over its nuclear program, senators from both parties urged President Joe Biden to enable a federal government agency to seize Iranian oil and gas shipments. Senators Joni Ernst, a Republican, and Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, said in a letter to Biden that the Department of Homeland Security's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office has not been able to seize an Iranian oil shipment for more than a year. HSI's enforcement has been curtailed by policy limitations within the Department of Treasury's Executive Office for Asset Forfeiture, the senators said in the letter, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Since the activation of HSI's enforcement program in 2019, it has seized nearly $228 million in Iranian crude and fuel oil linked to Iran's Quds Force, the foreign espionage and paramilitary arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the senators said. Iran says its nuclear program is for civilian purposes while the United States suspects Tehran wants to develop a nuclear bomb by enriching uranium. Iran's mission to United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. Iran's oil exports have reached their highest level since the reimposition of U.S. sanctions in 2018, Iranian oil minister Javad Owji said last month. He said that 83 million more oil barrels were exported in the last year than the previous year. The letter, signed by 12 senators, was sent on the same day that the U.S. Navy said Iran seized a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker in the Gulf of Oman, the latest in a series of seizures or attacks on commercial vessels. Iran's army said it had seized the tanker after it had collided with an Iranian boat. "While Iran is seizing ships, our own program is completely languishing," an aide to Ernst told Reuters. The senators asked Biden to direct the Treasury department to ensure that HSI Iranian oil seizures are supported and funded for the remainder of this fiscal year and to explain why there's no funding available for seizures for what they claimed were credible leads related to enforcing Iranian sanctions. Last year the U.S. tried to confiscate a cargo of Iranian oil around Greece, which prompted Tehran to seize two Greek tankers in the Gulf. Greeces supreme court ruled that the cargo should be returned to Iran. The two Greek tankers were later released. (Reporting by Timothy Gardner in Washington and Jonathan Saul in London; editing by Grant McCool) The cooperation between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces was always based on a temporary convergence of interests, as the present conflict demonstrates. The armed conflict currently raging in Sudan is the natural outcome of a derailed political transition process and the failure to agree on a military integration project. As a result, the country may be on course to rounding out a cycle of conflict not unlike others we have seen in this region: the stakeholders reach a peak of political consensus, signing peace agreements and setting into motion political roadmaps, only for it all to unravel leading to a return to arms. The Political Agreement the Libyan factions signed in Skhirat in December 2015 was not the end of the Civil War in that country, for example. It was just the hiatus between the first two waves of civil warfare and the third. Likewise, in Sudan, the political and military stakeholders had been looking forward to 6 April to sign a final agreement that would usher in a new transitional political process based on an internationally sponsored civilian-military power-sharing arrangement, only for that day to come and go and for armed clashes to erupt just over a week later. If the confrontation between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) tells us anything, it is that even though they worked in the framework of the Transitional Sovereignty Government (TSC) theirs was an alliance of convenience based on a temporary convergence of interests. The closest parallel in the region is the alliance between former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh with the Ansarullah (Houthi) Movement in Yemen. Saleh, by virtue of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) post-revolutionary transitional plan, had retained a loyal military force from the national army, while the Houthis rallied to their side a contingent from the former army. The two forged an unofficial alliance that facilitated the Houthi takeover of Yemen in 2014 and a power-sharing arrangement. In 2016, they formalised their alliance to fight the Saudi-led Coalition. In the end, however, the Houthis assassinated Saleh and other members of the old regime affiliated with him. In Sudan, the masks came off on the eve of the signing of the final political agreement. The Commander of the SAF Lieutenant-General Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, and the Commander of the RSF Lieutenant-General Mohamed Hamdan Dalago (Hemedti), were supposed to iron out differences over security reforms including the integration of the RSF into the army. Instead, they ended up severing the alliance they had forged upon the overthrow of the Omar Al-Bashir regime in 2019 and that led to a power-sharing arrangement in the framework of the Transitional Sovereign Council (TSC) that effectively had two heads: Al-Burhan as president and Hemedti as vice-president. According to analysts of Sudan, the RSF commander is fickle in his alliances. His ascent up the ladder in Khartoum and his powerful influence as the head of the RSF was the product of an earlier alliance with former President Al-Bashir, who used Hemedti as the regimes military agent during the conflict in Darfur. Hemedti was well positioned to serve in that capacity as he had been a commander in the notorious Janjaweed from which the RSF evolved. One historian described his career trajectory as the rise of an opportunistic pirate. In the timeline leading up to the rupture, 15 March is the first crucial date, as it occasioned the draft agreement between the SAF and RSF on the principles and foundations of security and military reform. This document called for a graduated integration process to take place over ten years, so as to accommodate various technical considerations related to disbanding the militias and assimilating them into a standing army. The process, which was to be overseen by the Security and Defence Council, covered not just the incorporation into the army of the RSF but all the other militia factions that signed the Framework Agreement in December last year. The draft agreement also called for purging the armed forces of all affiliates of the former regime, the dismantlement of the former regimes partisan militias, the elimination of all political ideology from the armys training curricula, and the adoption of a national professional military creed using the slogan one army, one people. The next important juncture was the security and defence workshop at the end of March. The RSF had presumed the draft agreement would form the framework for that workshop. However, the SAF presented a number of proposals, one of which was to accelerate the integration to two years instead of ten. The proposals also stated that the RSF would cease any new recruitment and called for an agreement to be reached within the first months of a unified command. The law governing the RSF would be amended to place the RSF under the command of the SAF. The workshop concluded without final recommendations. There are conflicting rumours over what happened in the interval between 15 March and 26 March, when the workshop convened, and who was responsible for its failure. It is noteworthy that neither Al-Burhan nor Hemedti attended the workshop in a sign of the seething undercurrent that would erupt in violence a couple of weeks later. On the surface, the draft agreement seems ideal, but the devil is in the details. For example, the SAF had delegates in the RSF camps who understood the nature of the RSFs military structure. According to them, it would be a huge challenge to integrate a militia into a proper standing army from training and organisational discipline, to chain-of-command and organisational structures, and even militia versus military culture. Another problem lay in the political agendas of the two sides. Even at the foreign-policy level it appears that they diverged. Hemedti had a force in Libya, and he had contributed a force to the Arab Coalition in Yemen. Funding is another area where the two sides diverge. Whereas the SAF is financed by the state, the RSF relies on revenues from its military contracts abroad and on its alliance with the gold-mining lords in Darfur. So, it would be mistaken to reduce the problems between the two sides to differences over command structures and hierarchy or the accelerated timeframe and schedule for the integration. There is a point in the 15 March draft agreement that may have been at the root of at least some of the tensions. Hemedti has justified his position on the grounds of this point calling for the depoliticisation of the army. He has argued that the SAF is unable to free itself of the Islamist power centres that had taken control over the army during Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood rule in the Al-Bashir period. Some commentators believe that this was the grenade that detonated on 15 April. The army has responded that the depoliticisation process is a two-way street. Just as Islamism should be eliminated from the ranks of the army, so too should partisan ideology be eliminated from the ranks of the RSF. As things stand, each side is bent on acting out its role. The RSF will go on behaving like a militia, and the army will speak of its responsibility to put the militia down. Between the two of them, Sudan and the Sudanese will pay the price as the country careens toward chaos. * A version of this article appears in print in the 27 April, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: FILE PHOTO: A Toyota logo is seen during the New York International Auto Show, in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., April 5, 2023. REUTERS/David 'Dee' Delgado TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Toyota Motor Corp set a global annual output record in the business year ended in March, just edging past its target of 9.1 million vehicles as factory disruption from global chip supply woes and pandemic lockdowns eased. But the world's biggest automaker by sales warned it continued to see impacts from the long-running global chip shortage, saying it remained hard to predict its effect going forward. Toyota said on Thursday it produced 9.13 million vehicles in the 12 months through March 31, a fraction ahead of its target, though that goal was downgraded twice from an initial goal for the year of around 9.7 million amid industry disruption. In the previous year vehicle output was 8.57 million. Global sales for the 12 months ended March rose to 9.61 million vehicles from 9.51 million in the prior year, setting another annual record for the company. The company didn't release new sales or production targets for the current business year that started in April. It disclosed it has so far sold just 17,473 battery electric vehicles (EVs) worldwide, including those of its luxury Lexus brand, for the first three months of 2023. That compared with 24,466 battery EVs sold by Toyota worldwide for the whole of 2022. (Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama and Daniel Leussink; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell) ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Thursday that President Tayyip Erdogan was in good health and would continue with his daily scheduled programmes as soon as possible, after Erdogan postponed some campaign rallies a day earlier. Erdogan on Wednesday canceled his scheduled campaign rallies for that day and Thursday, citing health reasons. Late on Tuesday, Erdogan cut short a live TV interview during which he said he felt unwell with an upset stomach. "The infectious gastroenteritis he has experienced has lessened its effect," Koca said, speaking in the central Konya province. (Reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen; Editing by Ece Toksabay and Bernadette Baum) FILE PHOTO: Nurses protest during a strike by NHS medical workers, amid a dispute with the government over pay, outside St Thomas' Hospital, in London, Britain, February 6, 2023. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo LONDON (Reuters) - The British government succeeded on Thursday in limiting the length of an upcoming strike by nurses, after the health department took legal action against a trade union. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) had called a 48-hour strike from the evening of April 30, which for the first time would involve staff from emergency departments, intensive care units, cancer care and other, previously exempt services. However, Britain's health department said that industrial action on May 2, part of a long-running dispute, would be unlawful because a vote to strike is only valid for six months after a ballot of trade union members. Lawyers representing health minister Steve Barclay told London's High Court on Thursday that, as the RCN ballot closed on Nov. 2 last year, a strike on May 2 would be "clearly unlawful action". The RCN did not send lawyers to the hearing. Judge Thomas Linden ruled on Thursday that the RCN's mandate for industrial action ended at midnight on May 1, meaning its planned strike the following day would be unlawful. Barclay welcomed the ruling, saying the government had taken the RCN to court "with regret". "I firmly support the right to take industrial action within the law, but the government could not stand by and let plainly unlawful strike action go ahead," he said in a statement. Nurses have rejected a 5% pay rise, despite the RCN recommending its members accept it, instead seeking an increase nearer to inflation which is running at more than 10%. RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen described the legal action as "the darkest day of this dispute so far", accusing the government of "taking its own nurses through the courts in bitterness at their simple expectation of a better pay deal". "Nursing staff will be angered but not crushed by today's interim order," she said in a statement. "It may even make them more determined to vote in next months re-ballot for a further six months of action." (Reporting by Sam Tobin; editing by Michael Holden and Mark Heinrich) FILE PHOTO: Microsoft logo is seen on a smartphone placed on displayed Activision Blizzard logo in this illustration taken January 18, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo By Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) - Microsoft's president Brad Smith said the UK regulator's decision to prevent its acquisition of 'Call of Duty' maker Activision Blizzard "had shaken confidence" in Britain as a destination for tech businesses. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which operates independently from government, blocked the deal on Wednesday, saying it could hit competition in the nascent cloud gaming market. Microsoft hit back on Thursday, saying it was "probably the darkest day in our four decades in Britain" and sent the wrong message to the global tech industry about the UK. "If the government of the United Kingdom wants to bring in investment, if it wants to create jobs (...) it needs to look hard at the role of the CMA, the regulatory structure in the United Kingdom, this transaction, and the message that the United Kingdom has just said to the world," he told BBC radio. A spokesman for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Smith's comments were "not borne out by the facts". "We continue to believe that the UK has an extremely attractive tech sector and a growing games market," he said. "We will continue to engage proactively with Microsoft and other companies." Smith said Microsoft had worked effectively with regulators in Brussels but not in London, which he said refuted Britain's claim that it would be more flexible after Brexit. The company had answered the CMA's questions, he said, and it had told them to come back with any more concerns. "They went silent, we heard nothing from them," he said. "There's a clear message here - the European Union is a more attractive place to start a business if you want some day to sell it than the United Kingdom," he added. But CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell said the regulator's role was to make sure Britain was a competitive environment for businesses to be able to grow and thrive. "The decision that the CMA takes is an independent decision that we reached looking at an overall assessment of the impact of the deal on competition, and we think that is the right decision for the UK," she said. She noted the U.S. Federal Trade Commission was also pressing for the deal to be blocked on competition grounds. Microsoft said yesterday it would appeal, with "aggressive" support from Activision. Appeals against CMA rulings are heard by the Competition Appeals Tribunal, which makes a judgment on the merits of the decision. It will not be an opportunity for Microsoft to submit new remedies. (Reporting Paul Sandle, Muvija M and Alistair Smout; editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Elaine Hardcastle) KYIV (Reuters) - Problems facing some Ukrainian exports to central Europe will recur this autumn unless the European Union spells out a clear position on its food import policy for the next five years, Ukrainian producers said on Thursday. Some EU member states in central Europe have imposed temporary bans on certain Ukrainian agricultural products, saying an excess of Ukrainian supplies has affected local markets. Ukrainian farmers say the ban on imports to Poland can largely be put down to political concerns before elections later this year. They also say countries are worried by the prospect of an increase in Ukrainian products on European markets as Kyiv is seeking EU membership. "The main problem for most European countries is agrarian Ukraine, which will enter the EU with 30 million hectares of land," said Alex Lissitsa, who heads the Association "Ukrainian Agribusiness Club". "They (EU) don't know what to do with subsidies and they don't know what to do with the domestic market." Lissitsa said Kyiv must negotiate with Brussels rather than with separates states, and that a long-term solution was needed that would last five years - when accession talks are expected to be taking place. "If some partial decision is made (today), we will come back to all this again in the autumn - French farmers will wake up, Italian farmers will wake up," he said. Some European countries have became transit routes for Ukrainian grain since Russia's invasion in February 2022. The EU executive, the European Commission, has offered 100 million euros ($110 million) in aid for central European farmers in addition to an earlier 56 million-euro package. It has also said it will take emergency "preventive measures" for some agricultural products but central European states want this list expanded. ($1 = 0.9056 euros) (Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Editing by Timothy Heritage and Peter Graff) Facebook app logo is seen in this illustration taken, August 22, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A U.S. appeals court on Thursday refused to revive a lawsuit filed by states against Meta's Facebook that alleged the company had broken antitrust law. Dozens of states led by New York asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia last year to reinstate the lawsuit, which U.S. District Judge James Boasberg of the District of Columbia rejected, saying they had waited too long to file. Both the Federal Trade Commission and the states had asked the court in 2020 to order Facebook to sell Instagram, which it bought for $1 billion in 2012, and WhatsApp, which it bought for $19 billion in 2014. The FTC case is going forward. The three-judge unanimous appeals court panel said it agreed that "the states unduly delayed in bringing suit." "The States were on notice of Facebooks two major acquisitions. Both were publicized," Circuit Judge A. Raymond Randolph wrote, noting that the FTC had investigated both transactions. Meta said that the case "fundamentally mischaracterized" the level of competition in social media and that it would continue to fight. "Moving forward, Meta will defend itself vigorously against the FTC's distortion of antitrust laws and attacks on an American success story that are contrary to the interests of people and businesses who value our services, a Meta spokesperson said in an emailed statement. The New York attorney general's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Diane Bartz and Mike Scarcella; Editing by Mark Porter, Kirsten Donovan and Elaine Hardcastle) FILE PHOTO: The Iranian flag is seen flying over a street in Tehran, Iran, February 1, 2023. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman in international waters on Thursday, the U.S. Navy said, the latest in a series of seizures or attacks on commercial vessels in sensitive Gulf waters since 2019. Iran's army said it had seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman after it collided with an Iranian boat, injuring several crewmen, Iranian state media reported. "Two members of the boat's crew are missing and several were injured due to the collision of the ship with the boat," an army statement said. The U.S. Navy identified the vessel as the Advantage Sweet. According to Refinitiv ship tracking data, it is a Suezmax crude tanker that had been chartered by oil major Chevron and had last docked in Kuwait. Chevron said it is aware of the situation involving the Advantage Sweet and is "in contact with the vessel operator with the hope of resolving this situation as soon as possible," a spokesperson said. The vessel's destination was listed as the U.S. Gulf of Mexico port of Houston, ship tracking data showed. Its manager is listed as Genel Denizcilik Nakliyati AS. The Turkey-based company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Marshall Islands Maritime Administrator said it was aware of the situation and was in communication with the vessel's owner/operator but declined to comment further. "Iran's continued harassment of vessels and interference with navigational rights in regional waters are a threat to maritime security and the global economy," the U.S. Navy said, adding Iran has in the past two years unlawfully seized at least five commercial vessels in the Middle East. The U.S. Navy added that after sending a P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to monitor the situation, "we have since been able to determine the IRIN (Iranian navy) conducted the seizure". Iranian authorities did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. About a fifth of the world's crude oil and oil products passes through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow choke point between Iran and Oman which the Advantage Sweet had passed through, according to data from analytics firm Vortexa. BOARDED VIA HELICOPTER Maritime security company Ambrey said the vessel had been boarded via helicopter. "The vessel did not show any signs of conducting evasive manoeuvres prior to the incident," it said. Munro Anderson, with maritime security company Dryad, said separately that Iran usually detained vessels for "leverage or signalling". "The working hypothesis at the moment is that it could either be an arbitrary detention of a vessel by Iran in response to the U.S. sailing its first unmanned vessel through the region last week - as a show of force," he said. "Or, it could be in response to the sanctions on the 24th (of April) by the U.S. against personnel in Iran connected to the IRGC (elite Revolutionary Guards)." Since 2019 there have been a series of attacks on shipping in the strategic Gulf waters at times of tension between the United States and Iran. Iran last November released two Greek-flagged tankers it seized in the Gulf in May in response to the confiscation of oil by the United States from an Iranian-flagged tanker off the Greek coast. Indirect talks between Tehran and Washington to revive Iran's 2015 nuclear pact with world powers have stalled since September over a range of issues, including the Islamic Republic's violent crackdown on popular protests, Tehran's sale of drones to Russia and acceleration of its nuclear program. The U.S. Navy, whose Fifth Fleet is based at the Gulf island state of Bahrain, called on Iran to immediately release the tanker. The ship issued a distress call during the seizure, the U.S. Navy statement said. According to the International Maritime Organisation shipping database, the Advantage Sweet is owned by a China-registered company called SPDBFL No One Hundred & Eighty-Seven (Tianjin) Ship Leasing Co Ltd. (Reporting by Maria Ponnezhath in Bengaluru, Parisa Hafezi in Dubai and Jonathan Saul in London; additional reporting by Sabrina Valle in Houston. Writing by Lisa Barrington; Editing by Bernadette Baum, Nick Macfie, Jonathan Oatis, David Gregorio and Sonali Paul) FILE PHOTO: U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 24, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Thursday the United States is not looking to decouple its economy from the Chinese economy, saying, "We're not cutting off trade." Speaking at the Brookings Institution, Sullivan said China should step up as a constructive force in assisting heavily indebted countries. He said Washington does not want China to use American technology against the United States but does not plan to end economic ties with Beijing. (Reporting by Andrea Shalala, Doina Chiacu and Steve Holland; Editing by Chris Reese) 3.3.1 Pursuant to article 13 of CVM Resolution 44/2021, it is prohibited to use Material Information not yet disclosed, by any person who has had access to it, in order to obtain benefits, for themselves or others, by trading Securities. 3.3.1.1 For the purposes of defining the illicit act referred to in the caput, it is presumed that: I - the individual who traded Securities with Material Information not yet disclosed made use of such information in said trading; II - the individuals or legal entities mentioned in items 3.1.2 (i), (ii) and (vi), regarding business with Securities of their own issue, have access to all Material Information not yet disclosed; III - the individuals listed in item II, as well as those who have a business, professional, or trust relationship with the Company, by having access to Material Information not yet disclosed, are aware that it is Privileged Information; IV - the manager who resigns from the Company disposing of Material Information not yet disclosed, benefits from such information if he trades Securities issued by the Company within 3 (three) months as of his resignation; V - are relevant, from the moment that studies or analysis related to the matter are initiated, the information about the operations of incorporation, total or partial spin-off, merger, restructuring, or any form of corporate reorganization or business combination, change in the Company's control, including by means of execution, amendment or termination of shareholders' agreement, decision to promote the cancellation of the registration of the publicly held company or change in the environment or trading segment of the shares issued by it; and VI - information about judicial or extrajudicial reorganization and bankruptcy requests made by the Company itself are relevant, as from the moment studies or analysis related to such request are started. 3.3.1.2 The assumptions foreseen in 3.3.1.1: I - are relative and must be analyzed in conjunction with other elements indicating whether or not the illicit act mentioned in 3.3.1 was, in fact, committed; and II - may, if appropriate, be used jointly. 3.3.1.3 The assumptions provided for in item 3.3.1.1 do not apply to the stock option plan or to the granting of shares as a component of compensation, approved at a shareholders' meeting, or negotiations regarding fixed-income Securities, pursuant to article 13, paragraph 3 of CVM Resolution 44/2021. 3.3.1.4 The restriction of item 3.3.1.1 does not apply to subscriptions of new Securities issued by the Company, pursuant to article 13, paragraph 4 of CVM Resolution 44/2021. 3.3.2 Neither the Company nor the people indicated on 3.1.2, including anyone who by virtue of their title, function or position with Sabesp, its subsidiaries or affiliates, becomes aware of Material Acts or Facts, may trade in securities issued by Sabesp, or backed by them, including ADSs, in the following circumstances: a) when Material Acts or Facts are pending disclosure; b) if they are aware of information on another entity which might affect the quotation, prices or traded volume of securities issued by Sabesp; and c) during the 15-day period preceding an official announcement of quarterly accounting information or annual financial statements, according to the Corporate Events Calendar. 0001408198 false 0001408198 2023-04-25 2023-04-25 UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 FORM 8-K CURRENT REPORT Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): MSCI Inc. (Exact name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter) Delaware 001-33812 13-4038723 (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) (Commission File Number) (IRS Employer Identification No.) 7 World Trade Center, 250 Greenwich Street, 49th Floor, New York, New York 10007 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code) ( 212 ) 804-3900 (Registrant's telephone number, including area code) NOT APPLICABLE (Former name or former address, if changed since last report.) Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below): Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share MSCI New York Stock Exchange Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (240.12b-2 of this chapter). Emerging growth company If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders. MSCI Inc. (the Company) held its annual meeting of stockholders on April 25, 2023 (the Annual Meeting) as a virtual meeting. The issued and outstanding shares of the Companys common stock, $0.01 par value per share, entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting consisted of 80,063,020 shares, each share being entitled to one vote. The following is a summary of the voting results for each matter presented to the stockholders: (a) Proposal 1 - Election of members of the Companys Board of Directors Director For Against Abstain Broker Non-Vote Henry A. Fernandez 67,458,859 2,383,296 565,654 3,405,019 Robert G. Ashe 70,065,588 126,386 215,835 3,405,019 Wayne Edmunds 70,051,284 141,340 215,185 3,405,019 Catherine R. Kinney 68,734,127 1,459,048 214,634 3,405,019 Robin Matlock 70,043,467 149,214 215,128 3,405,019 Jacques P. Perold 70,070,257 122,318 215,234 3,405,019 C.D. Baer Pettit 69,660,373 533,774 213,662 3,405,019 Sandy C. Rattray 69,423,178 769,702 214,929 3,405,019 Linda H. Riefler 66,844,681 3,349,296 213,832 3,405,019 Marcus L. Smith 69,517,656 674,886 215,267 3,405,019 Rajat Taneja 70,099,695 92,558 215,556 3,405,019 Paula Volent 70,095,467 98,055 214,287 3,405,019 With respect to the foregoing Proposal 1, each director was elected and received the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast for or against him or her at the Annual Meeting. (b) Proposal 2 Approval, by non-binding vote, of the Companys executive compensation. For Against Abstain Broker Non-Vote 68,958,260 1,230,704 218,845 3,405,019 The foregoing Proposal 2 was approved. (c) Proposal 3 Recommendation, by non-binding vote, on the frequency of advisory votes to approve the Companys executive compensation. 1 Year 2 Years 3 Years Abstain Broker Non-Vote 69,827,553 6,595 454,678 118,983 3,405,019 Based on the voting results of Proposal 3, the Company will hold future advisory votes to approve the Companys executive compensation every year until the occurrence of the next required advisory vote on the frequency of future advisory votes to approve the Companys executive compensation. (d) Proposal 4 Ratification of the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the Companys independent auditor for fiscal year 2023. For Against Abstain 73,234,762 369,119 208,947 The foregoing Proposal 4 was ratified. SIGNATURE Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized. MSCI Inc. Date: April 27, 2023 By: /s/ Henry A. Fernandez Name: Henry A. Fernandez Title: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer ATTACHMENTS / EXHIBITS XBRL TAXONOMY EXTENSION SCHEMA DOCUMENT XBRL TAXONOMY EXTENSION LABEL LINKBASE DOCUMENT XBRL TAXONOMY EXTENSION PRESENTATION LINKBASE DOCUMENT IDEA: R1.htm IDEA: msci-20230425_htm.xml IDEA: Financial_Report.xlsx IDEA: FilingSummary.xml IDEA: MetaLinks.json Sudanese families were massing Wednesday at a border crossing with Egypt and at a main port, desperately trying to escape their country's violence and sometimes waiting for days with little food or shelter, witnesses said. In the capital, Khartoum, the intensity of fighting eased on the second day of a three-day truce. Taking advantage of relative calm, many residents in Khartoum and the neighboring city of Omdurman emerged from their homes to seek food and water, lining up at bakeries or grocery stores, after days of being trapped inside by the fighting between the army and a rival paramilitary group. Some inspected shops or homes that had been destroyed or looted. There is a sense of calm in my area and neighborhoods, said Mahasen Ali, a tea vendor who lives in Khartoums southern neighborhood of May. But all are afraid of whats next. Still, gunfire and explosions could be heard in the city, though residents said clashes were in more limited pockets, mainly around the militarys headquarters and the Republican Palace in central Khartoum and around bases in Omdurman across the Nile River. With the future of any truce uncertain, many took the opportunity to join the tens of thousands who have streamed out of the capital in recent days, trying to get out of the crossfire between the forces of Sudan's two top generals. The generals' war for power since April 15 has pushed the population to a near breaking point. Food has grown more difficult to obtain, electricity is cut off across much of the capital and other cities, and many hospitals have shut down. Multiple aid agencies have had to suspend operations, a heavy blow in a country where a third of the population of 46 million relies on humanitarian assistance. Many Sudanese fear the army and its rival Rapid Support Forces will escalate their battle once the international evacuations of foreigners that began Sunday is completed. The British government, whose airlift is one of the last still ongoing, said it has evacuated around 300 people on flights out and plans four more Wednesday, promising to keep going as long as possible. Large numbers of people have meanwhile been making the exhausting 15-hour drive across the desert to access points out of the country to the city of Port Sudan on the eastern Red Sea coast and to the Arqin crossing into Egypt at the northern border. Crowds of Sudanese and foreigners also waited in Port Sudan, trying to register for a ferry to Saudi Arabia. Dallia Abdelmoniem, a Sudanese political commentator, said she and her family arrived Monday and have been trying every day to get a spot. Priority was given to foreign nationals, she told The Associated Press. Saudi Arabia said Wednesday it evacuated 1,674 people from 56 countries, as well as 13 of its own citizens, from Sudan. At the Arqin crossing, families have been spending their nights outside in the desert, waiting to be let in to Egypt. Buses were lining up at the crossing. Its a mess long lines of elderly people, patients, women and children waiting in miserable conditions," said Moaz al-Ser, a Sudanese teacher who arrived along with his wife and three children at the border a day earlier. Tens of thousands of Khartoum residents have also fled to neighboring provinces or even into already existing displacement and refugee camps within Sudan that house victims of past conflicts. Egypt said Wednesday it has relocated its embassy in Sudan amid increasing security threats in Khartoum. An Egyptian administrator at the embassy was killed in Khartoum earlier this week. At least 512 people, including civilians and combatants, have been killed since the fighting erupted on Apr. 15, with another 4,200 wounded, the Sudanese Health Ministry said. The Doctors Syndicate, which tracks civilian casualties, said at least 295 civilians have been killed and 1,790 wounded. The 72-hour cease-fire announced by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was to last until late Thursday. Many fear that fighting will only escalate once evacuations of foreigners, which appeared to be in their last stages, are completed. But a senior British military officer said the U.K. evacuation operation could continue regardless of the cease-fire. Brig. Dan Reeve said conditions at the Wadi Saeedna airfield near Khartoum are calm and that the Sudanese armed forces have good control of the surrounding area. Britains High Commissioner in Cyprus, Irfin Siddiq, said U.K. authorities have directly contacted 1,000 British nationals in Sudan to tell them to make their way to the airport. Cyprus' Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said five flights from Sudan arrived Wednesday, with a total of 391 British nationals aboard. A series of short cease-fires over the past week have either failed outright or brought only intermittent lulls that allowed evacuations of hundreds of foreigners by air and land. The two rival generals, army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan and RSF commander Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, have so far ignored calls for negotiations to end the crisis and appear to be seeking total victory. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that their power struggle is not only putting Sudans future at risk, it is lighting a fuse that could detonate across borders, causing immense suffering for years, and setting development back by decades. Guterres cited reports of armed clashes across the country, with people fleeing their homes in Blue Nile and North Kordofan states and across Western Darfur as well. Joyce Msuya, the assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, told the Security Council there have been numerous reports of sexual and gender-based violence. Msuya said the U.N. has received reports of tens of thousands of people arriving in the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. In a separate development, Dr. Mike Ryan, emergencies chief at the World Health Organization, appeared to walk back concerns expressed a day earlier by the WHO representative in Sudan over fighters taking over a laboratory where pathogens are stored, including polio, measles and cholera. Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Ryan said the main risk of exposure was to the fighters themselves. The major risk to the health and welfare of the people of Sudan remains a conflict and we need to keep the focus on that. Burhan and Dagalo rose to power after a popular uprising in 2019 prompted the generals to remove Sudans longtime autocratic ruler Omar al-Bashir. Sudanese since have been trying to bring a transition to democratic rule, but in 2021 Burhan and Dagalo joined forces in a coup that purged a transitional government. They fell out this month amid tensions over a new rough plan to re-introduce civilian rule. Both the military and the RSF have a long history of brutalizing activists and protesters as well as other rights abuses. Also on Wednesday, the military said al-Bashir was being held in a military-run hospital, giving its first official statement on his location since the fighting erupted. An attack on the prison where al-Bashir and many of his former officials had been held raised questions over his whereabouts. In a statement, the military said al-Bashir, former Defense Minister Abdel-Rahim Muhammad Hussein and other former officials had been moved to the military-run Aliyaa hospital before clashes broke out across the country. Both al-Bashir and Hussein are wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes related to the Darfur conflict. Search Keywords: Short link: Editor's note: In 2019, federal lab regulators ordered the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases to halt all work with dangerous pathogens, such as Ebola and anthrax, which can pose a severe threat to public health and safety. Army officials had assured the public there was no safety threat and indicated that no pathogens had leaked outside the laboratory after flooding in 2018. But in a new book released April 25, investigative reporter Alison Young reveals there were repeated and egregious safety breaches and government oversight failures at Fort Detrick, Maryland, that preceded the 2019 shutdown. This article is adapted from "Pandora's Gamble: Lab Leaks, Pandemics, and a World at Risk." ____ (Tribune News Service) Unsterilized laboratory wastewater from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, Maryland, spewed out the top of a rusty 50,000-gallon outdoor holding tank, the pressure catapulting it over the short concrete wall that was supposed to contain hazardous spills. It was May 25, 2018, the Friday morning before Memorial Day weekend, and the tank holding waste from labs working with Ebola, anthrax, and other lethal pathogens had become overpressurized, forcing the liquid out a vent pipe. An estimated 2,000-3,000 gallons streamed into a grassy area a few feet from an open storm drain that dumps into Carroll Creek a centerpiece of downtown Frederick, Maryland, a city of about 80,000 an hour's drive from the nation's capital. But as the waste sprayed for as long as three hours, records show, none of the plant's workers apparently noticed the tank had burst a pipe. This was despite the facility being under scrutiny from federal lab regulators following catastrophic flooding and an escalating series of safety failures that had been playing out for more than a week. Before the outdoor tank failed, there had already been breaches of other lab waste storage tanks inside the sterilization plant. On May 17, 2018, in the wake of devastating storms, workers at Fort Detrick discovered that the plant's basement was filling with water that would reach 4 to 5 feet deep. Some of it was rainwater seeping in from outdoors. But a lot was fluid leaking from the basement's long-deteriorating tanks that held thousands of gallons of unsterilized lab wastewater. As basement sump pumps forced floodwater into these tanks, the influx disgorged lab waste through cracks along the tops of the tanks, sending it streaming back toward the floor. The steam sterilization plant, referred to as "the SSP," was built in 1953. It was designed to essentially cook the wastewater that flowed into it from Fort Detrick's biological laboratories, ensuring that all deadly pathogens were killed before the water was released from the base into the Monocacy River. USAMRIID's safety protocols called for a two-step kill process for lab wastewater. Before it was sent down drains into Fort Detrick's dedicated laboratory sewer system for heat treatment at the plant, lab workers were supposed to pretreat potentially infectious liquids with bleach or other chemicals. But chemical disinfection can be tricky. To be effective, it requires workers to use the right kind of disinfectant at the right concentration and, importantly, to ensure that the disinfectant remains in contact with the microbes long enough to kill them. Any living organisms left behind could multiply. Despite the plant's importance to protecting public health, by May 2018 it had become a rusting, leaking, temperamental hulk. It was 65 years old and was supposed to have been torn down already. But a replacement plant completed at a cost to taxpayers of more than $30 million had suffered a "catastrophic failure" in 2016 and couldn't be repaired, records show. So even though the sterilization plant was in significant disrepair, USAMRIID still used it, with a much smaller amount of waste coming from a U.S. Department of Agriculture lab that worked with weeds and plant diseases. On a typical day in 2018, state records show, these facilities sent about 30,000 gallons of laboratory wastewater into the plant, which had five 50,000-gallon storage tanks in its basement, plus an additional nine interconnected 50,000-gallon storage tanks outside. Fort Detrick officials had been aware for some time that the tops of the aging basement storage tanks had multiple leaks caused over the years by chlorine gases accumulating on the surface of the wastewater, according to a state investigation report of the incident and the Army garrison's responses to questions. It was so much of an issue that the garrison's Directorate of Public Works employees, who operated the plant, had to make sure the tanks didn't ever fill up completely or else the potentially infectious water would spill out. Their workaround was to try to limit the amount of waste in each basement tank to about half capacity. But the flooding in May 2018 made that impossible because the sump pumps were sending so much water into the sterilization system. Lab inspectors from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had apparently failed to recognize the plant was in such disrepair. The CDC offered no explanation of how the problems were missed, but after the incident it created a new policy and task force for overseeing labs' wastewater decontamination systems. Samuel Edwin, director of the CDC's select agent regulatory program, did not grant an interview. Two years before the plant flooded and failed, the CDC had hired Edwin from USAMRIID, where he had spent eight years as the biological surety officer and responsible official in charge of making sure USAMRIID's labs complied with federal regulations. Edwin, in an emailed statement, said he wasn't aware of any corrosion or leak issues while he worked at USAMRIID. Federal Select Agent Program regulators from the CDC inspected the plant annually, Edwin said, adding: "FSAP did not observe, and I did not report, any issues with the SSP during this time." Four days after the plant flooded, CDC inspectors arrived at Fort Detrick and spent May 21 and 22, 2018, inspecting the facility. As the CDC inspectors left Fort Detrick, they allowed USAMRIID to resume some research activities. The long Memorial Day weekend was coming up, and the weather forecast showed more rain headed toward Frederick. To protect the plant against further flooding, a decision was made to pump the water inside the basement's waste storage tanks into the auxiliary tanks outdoors. The hope was to free up an additional 80,000 gallons of capacity, Fort Detrick said in response to questions. Things didn't go as planned. Somewhere along the way, an automatic shut-off feature designed to keep the outdoor tanks from overfilling was deactivated, Fort Detrick officials later said in response to questions. It was an employee of the National Cancer Institute, which has a research building at Fort Detrick near the plant, who spotted wastewater spewing from an outdoor wastewater tank, over the containment wall, and into a grassy area with an open storm drain inlet that sends runoff into Carroll Creek, according to records and Fort Detrick's responses to questions. The person called it in to the "trouble desk" of the garrison's Directorate of Public Works on that Friday morning, May 25. But nobody checked on the tank until noon, Fort Detrick said. The dispatched workers reported back that they didn't see any leaking fluid. They checked the tanks again at 2 p.m. and still saw nothing. So nothing was done. If not for the persistence of the unidentified National Cancer Institute employee, the leak would have been ignored. On the Wednesday after the holiday, that person contacted the Fort Detrick safety manager. They wanted to follow up on their previous report and this time they provided photos proving the tank had been spraying wastewater nearly a week earlier. The photos got the base's attention. The Fort Detrick Command was immediately notified. So was USAMRIID's leadership. But another day passed before anyone alerted state and local authorities. A significant question remained: What was in the lab wastewater that spewed out of the tank? If viable organisms like anthrax bacteria had been sent into public waterways, the consequences could be disastrous for USAMRIID, Fort Detrick and the CDC regulators who allowed them to keep operating despite the jury-rigged sterilization plant. The risk that people or animals would become infected was probably low, with any organisms likely reduced below infectious levels as the waste became diluted by the floodwaters still surging through the area's streams and rivers. But public backlash and headlines were certainties. So, what was in the wastewater? Nobody seemed to be looking very hard to find out. USAMRIID and Fort Detrick officials offered only generalized assurances that their tests hadn't detected any pathogens. But they would not release copies of testing reports. Rather than serve as watchdogs in the public interest, all levels of government seemed to largely defer to USAMRIID and its expertise despite the organization's egregious safety breach and potential self-interest in damage control. In the weeks before the tank started spewing wastewater, USAMRIID had been experimenting with 16 organisms, and lab officials said they had tested the concrete pad and the ground adjacent to the tanks and hadn't detected any of them. Anthrax was the organism of greatest concern because of its ability to persist in the environment, something many pathogens can't do for very long. Other organisms that were possibly in the wastewater were Ebola virus, Lassa fever virus, Junin virus, Marburg virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, eastern equine encephalitis virus, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, Nipah virus, Burkholderia pseudomallei, Burkholderia mallei, Francisella tularensis, western equine encephalitis virus, Dobrava-Belgrade virus, Seoul virus, and Chikungunya virus. But all test results were negative, USAMRIID officials said. How meaningful was USAMRIID's testing? USAMRIID and Fort Detrick officials didn't do any environmental tests until May 31 and June 1 about a week after the tank overflowed. By then, it had rained, which, in response to questions, USAMRIID acknowledged would have had a "dilutional effect" if any pathogens had been present. Did USAMRIID test two samples or 20 samples or 200 samples? What were the detection limits of the testing methods used? How might the rain or wind or sunlight have affected the ability of the tests to detect organisms a week after their release? USAMRIID and Fort Detrick officials would not release copies of the testing reports. For months, they wouldn't even say how many samples were tested. "The test plan was reviewed and approved by the CDC," USAMRIID said in a written statement. CDC lab regulators said USAMRIID developed and conducted its own testing. "USAMRIID test results indicated the public health risk associated with any potential release was negligible; however, you would need to contact USAMRIID for full information about the testing methods and results," the CDC said. Eventually, after months of requests, USAMRIID said its testing to determine whether pathogens had escaped involved just five swab samples collected from "various locations" at the plant. As further evidence that no deadly microbes had escaped, records show that Army officials noted to state and local officials without providing reports or details that they had done additional validation testing inside USAMRIID's laboratories that showed lab drains contained sufficient disinfectant to kill anything poured down them. The implication was that there was no risk from the plant's unsterilized wastewater and that the heat-treating process was nice, but not necessary. Documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act revealed that these drain tests weren't performed under real-life conditions. Instead, the Army acknowledged, they were done in empty labs where no work had been occurring and no animals were present. Of perhaps greater concern: The drain tests were performed solely in response to the regulatory and public relations crisis from the lab leak in May 2018. It was the only time from January 2015 through at least March 2022 that USAMRIID had checked the adequacy of the disinfectant in its drains, the Army's FOIA response said. Excerpted from "Pandora's Gamble" by Alison Young ( Copyright 2023). Used with permission from Center Street, a division of Hachette Book Group Inc. Alison Young is an investigative reporter in Washington, D.C., and serves as the Curtis B. Hurley Chair in Public Affairs Reporting for the University of Missouri School of Journalism. During 2009-19, she was a reporter and member of USA Today's national investigative team. She has reported on laboratory accidents for 15 years for news organizations that include USA Today, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and ProPublica. KFF Health News, formerly known as Kaiser Health News, is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs of KFF the independent source for health policy research, polling and journalism.) 2023 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Warring factions trying to seize control of the east African nation of Sudan have plunged the country into chaos, and thousands are fleeing the capital of Khartoum and nearby battle zones. Some countries, including the U.S., have shuttered their embassies and many are coordinating daring evacuations of their staffs and other residents in an array of convoys, flights and frantic getaway drives. But over the past week there have been dramatically different responses by various governments as they try to get their citizens and embassy personnel to safety. The U.S. has come under scrutiny for evacuating roughly 70 embassy staff in a helicopter mission by elite SEAL commandos over the weekend, while warning thousands of private American citizens in Sudan there would be no similar evacuation for them. The State Department, which has advised U.S. citizens for years not to travel to Sudan, continues to advise Americans to shelter in place. Most of the estimated 16,000 Americans believed to be in Sudan right now are dual U.S.-Sudanese nationals and only a fraction of them have expressed a desire to leave. But at least some of those who want to leave have managed to get to Port Sudan where they can take a ferry to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, or have gotten seats on flights operated by other countries. A look at the situation: WHATS HAPPENING IN SUDAN It all boils down to a struggle for power between two powerful generals and their armies: Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, who leads the Sudanese armed forces, and Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the head of a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces. Four years ago, a popular uprising in Sudan helped depose long-time autocrat Omar al-Bashir. But in 2021, the two generals Burhan and Dagalo jointly orchestrated a coup that derailed efforts to develop a civilian government. Both men have a history of human rights abuses, and their forces have cracked down on pro-democracy activists. Under international pressure, Burhan and Dagalo recently agreed to a framework agreement with political parties and pro-democracy groups. But the signing was repeatedly delayed as tensions rose over the integration of the RSF into the armed forces and the future chain of command. Tensions exploded into violence on April 15. Each side has tens of thousands of troops in and around Khartoum and the city of Omdurman on the opposite bank of the Nile River. On Wednesday, the second day of the latest fragile ceasefire, sporadic fighting continued. HOW THE US GOT EMBASSY STAFF OUT As security conditions worsened late last week, including damage to the civilian airport and an attack on a U.S. diplomatic convoy in Khartoum, the State Department concluded that the only way we could do this safely for all of our diplomatic personnel was to rely on the capabilities of our military colleagues, said Ambassador John Bass, State Department undersecretary for management. On Saturday, the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum suspended its operations and ordered staff to leave the country. The Department of Defense had begun moving resources to Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti to prepare for a possible evacuation. On Saturday, three MH-47 Chinook helicopters carrying elite SEAL commandos took off from Djibouti enroute to Ethiopia, where they refueled and then made the three-hour flight to Khartoum. The operation was fast and clean, with service members spending less than an hour on the ground in Khartoum, said Lt. Gen D.A. Sims, director of operations at the Joint Staff. The helicopters flew in and out of Khartoum without taking any fire. AMERICANS STILL IN SUDAN While embassy staff was airlifted out, there were no plans to provide similar evacuations for potentially thousands of Americans still in Sudan. In a security alert Tuesday, the State Department reiterated that due to the uncertain security situation in Khartoum and closure of the airport, it is not currently safe to undertake a U.S. government-coordinated evacuation of private U.S. citizens. Instead, it provided details on border crossings that are available and the requirements needed at each location. It cautioned that fighting continues and that many routes are dangerous and unpredictable. American citizens who get to Port Sudan overland and can take a ferry to Jeddah will be assisted by the U.S. consulate there. Right now, the U.S. assistance for Americans is largely limited to phone and virtual help. The U.S. could send Navy vessels to Port Sudan to ferry Americans to Jeddah or another location where they could get transportation back to the United States. However, officials say this would depend on the security situation and whether it is safe for ships to dock. The U.S. has developed other options, such as opening a temporary consulate in Port Sudan, beefing up its consulate in Jeddah to assist Americans as they arrive, or using a nearby airfield that other European countries have used to fly citizens out. U.S. officials believe the security situation in Port Sudan is better than in the capital, but remain concerned about the potential for an escalation of violence. WHAT OTHER COUNTRIES ARE DOING While the U.S. says it's too dangerous to get its citizens out, other countries are proceeding with evacuations of their nationals. France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, Holland, Turkey, Japan, South Korea, Jordan, South Africa, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are among the countries that have evacuated their citizens and those of other countries. Germanys defense ministry said in a tweet Tuesday it had ended its evacuation flights after flying more than 700 people out of Sudan including 200 Germans and hundreds more from more than 20 other nations. France said it had evacuated more than 500 people from 41 countries, and would keep a Navy frigate at Sudans main Red Sea port to continue assisting rescue operations for foreigners. The United Kingdom was continuing its military evacuations of civilians from an airport outside Khartoum. Brig. Dan Reeve told reporters Wednesday the situation was calm and that Sudans armed forces were maintaining good security around the airport. Saudi Arabias state run news service said Tuesday it had evacuated about 2,150 people by ship from Sudan, including 114 Saudi citizens and more than 2,000 evacuees from 62 other nations. And Egypt, which had evacuated more than 1,500 of its citizens, said its diplomatic mission wont leave Sudan until it ensures the evacuation of all those who want to leave. An administrator with the Egyptian embassy in Khartoum was shot dead Monday, the Foreign Ministry said. IS THE US RESPONSE UNUSUAL? While many Americans may recall the dramatic 2021 evacuation of diplomats and private citizens alike from Afghanistan, those circumstances were far different. In most cases, the U.S. does not evacuate private citizens when it closes an embassy. The situation in Afghanistan was different because the U.S. was ending a 20-year military presence in the country. It was trying to extricate the residual American presence there, much of which was directly tied to Washingtons role in propping up the Afghan government. No such situation existed or exists in Sudan. More typical has been the practice in places like Yemen, Syria and Venezuela, where the U.S. suspended diplomatic operations and removed personnel because of turmoil, but did not evacuate private citizens. The U.S. also briefly shuttered the embassy in Kyiv because of the Russia invasion, but there was no military evacuation for either diplomats or private citizens, and the embassy has since re-opened. In contrast with the situation in Afghanistan, the U.S. was not involved militarily in the Sudan conflict and had no military presence on the ground apart from the small number of Marine guards at the Khartoum embassy. Also, the U.S. has warned Americans for several years not to travel to Sudan and told them that consular assistance at the embassy was extremely limited. Search Keywords: Short link: CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa Japans army has identified another two officers whose remains were recovered from the wreckage of a military helicopter that crashed into the East China Sea earlier this month with 10 aboard, including a division commander. Maj. Akira Yamai, 47, and 2nd Lt. Keisuke Uchima, 27, both from the 8th Air Wing at Vice-Camp Takayubaru in Kumamoto prefecture, were among the five bodies recovered from the UH-60JA Black Hawk since April 16, a Japan Ministry of Defense statement said Tuesday. Five of the six bodies found in a section of the fuselage have been recovered and identified. One body remains with the aircraft section found April 13 in 350 feet of water just offshore of Irabu Island, southwest of Okinawa. Four people aboard the Black Hawk are unaccounted for. Yamai and Uchima were piloting the aircraft when it crashed April 6 shortly after departing Miyako Airport, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported Tuesday. A Ground Self-Defense Force spokeswoman on Thursday declined to confirm those details. The Black Hawk was on a reconnaissance flight 11 miles northwest of Miyako Airport when it went down with Lt. Gen. Yuichi Sakamoto, commander of the Ground Self-Defense Forces 8th Division, four members of the divisions headquarters staff, four members of the wing and Camp Miyako commander Col. Masahito Iyota aboard. Sakamoto, 55, was appointed division commander less than a week before the crash. His body was identified on April 21, the same day Japans coast guard suspended around-the-clock search efforts. The Self-Defense Force continued the search this week and navy divers are headed back to the wreck site, the spokeswoman said. Offshore Engineering Co. of Tokyo has been hired to raise the aircraft section from the seabed, a Ground Self-Defense Force spokesman said Tuesday. Work could begin as soon as Saturday. China has deployed its navy to rescue citizens from conflict-hit Sudan, the defence ministry in Beijing said on Thursday. Multiple nations have scrambled to evacuate embassy staff and citizens by road, air and sea from Sudan, where fighting between the army and paramilitaries has killed hundreds and led to acute shortages of water, food, medicines and fuel. Rescue operations intensified in recent days as a 72-hour ceasefire took effect on Tuesday. But some fighting was reported around the country on Wednesday, with witnesses describing "heavy air strikes" east of the capital, Khartoum. "Recently, the security situation in Sudan has continued to deteriorate," Chinese defence ministry spokesman Tan Kefei said. The navy was deployed on Wednesday, he added, "in order to protect the lives and property of Chinese people in Sudan". He did not specify the number of vessels involved. China said on Monday it had safely evacuated an initial group of citizens, estimating about 1,500 of its nationals were in Sudan. And on Wednesday evening Wu Xi, head of consular affairs at the foreign ministry, told state broadcaster CCTV more than 1,100 Chinese nationals -- including Hong Kong residents -- had been evacuated. China says it is Sudan's largest trading partner, with more than 130 companies investing there as of mid-2022. Some 800 Chinese citizens would be evacuated from Sudan by sea from April 25 to 27, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Wednesday. More than 300 other people have crossed over to countries bordering Sudan by land, she added. The fighting has killed at least 512 people and wounded more than 4,000, according to Sudan's health ministry, and reduced some districts of greater Khartoum to ruins. UN agencies reported Sudanese civilians "fleeing areas affected by fighting, including to Chad, Egypt and South Sudan". With Khartoum's international airport disabled after battles that damaged many aircraft, groups of foreigners have been airlifted out from smaller airstrips. Other evacuations were taking place from Port Sudan, an 850-kilometre (530-mile) drive from Khartoum. An Indonesian military plane flew 110 Indonesian nationals from Port Sudan to the Saudi city of Jeddah on Wednesday, the foreign ministry tweeted Thursday. It brought the total number of Indonesians evacuated from Sudan since the outbreak of conflict to 667. Search Keywords: Short link: WASHINGTON A bill to raise the debt ceiling narrowly passed the Republican-led House on Wednesday despite protests from veterans and their allies on Capitol Hill who say the legislation will drastically slash health care for former service members. The House voted 217-215 in favor of the Limit, Save, Grow Act about an hour after veterans joined House Democrats to speak out against the controversial bill in front of the Capitol building. The legislation freezes spending at last years amounts for a decade in exchange for raising the nations borrowing limit into next year. The Department of Veterans Affairs projected the bill would reduce its budget by 22% and immediately rescind $2 billion in funding to support veterans. Some lawmakers said Wednesday that the proposal will result in 30 million fewer veteran outpatient visits and significantly increase the backlog for benefit claims. Its cruel and it hurts our heroes, said Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. The bill is destined to fail in the Democrat-controlled Senate but Republicans hope to use it to boost their negotiating power as the U.S. approaches a default on its debt as soon as the summer. Rep. Mark Takano of California, the top Democrat on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said Republicans were reviving the same tactics that stalled last years passage of the PACT Act, which expanded VA health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxins. They are holding veterans benefits hostage by again pointing to their concerns about fiscal responsibility. They fancy themselves to be fiscally responsible, he said. But ultimately, they're seeking to balance the budget on the backs of veterans no matter what the consequences. More than 20 veterans service organizations sent a letter to Congress on Tuesday urging lawmakers to vote against the legislation unless it included protections for VA funding. The VA estimated it would lose 81,000 jobs across the Veterans Health Administration and 6,000 staff in the Veterans Benefits Administration if the bill becomes law. The spending cuts would affect housing support for 50,000 veterans, prevent the construction of health care facilities, delay the opening of five new national cemeteries that serve veterans and deprive veterans of mental health, substance use and other health services. Veterans in Texas, California and Florida would be hardest hit by the potential reduction in outpatient appointments, according to an analysis by Democratic staff on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee. Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said Republicans on Tuesday night refused to listen to veteran concerns as they worked on the bill for hours in the House Rules Committee. Given the look on their faces, I believe I was the one to inform them of the immediate $2 billion rescission that robs veterans of timely access to health care services, she said. I do not think they know what is in their own bill. House Republicans have denied that services for veterans would be affected by their plan. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., the chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, insisted in a statement last week that the bill would protect veterans benefits, Social Security and Medicare. Republicans have always prioritized veterans in our spending to ensure veterans have access to the care, benefits and services they have earned, he said. Anyone who questions our commitment to the men and women who have served should find new talking points. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., a former Navy officer who deployed to Iraq, described the legislation as a betrayal. They're doing these cuts against the backdrop of holding our economy hostage. They're telling us, If you don't want to put the economy into default and wreck this country, well, you have to cut veterans care, he said. It's the same guys who I see all the time wrapping themselves in the flag, using my fellow veterans and me as props in their ads and on their websites. No more. They should be hearing from all of us. More than 3,500 people, including hundreds of Turkish nationals, have arrived in Ethiopia after fleeing heavy fighting in Sudan, an official from the UN's International Organization for Migration told AFP. The United Nations has warned that the violence could force as many as 270,000 people to seek refuge in neighbouring South Sudan and Chad, while others have fled to Egypt and Ethiopia. "Between April 21 and April 25, more than 3,500 arrivals have been recorded from over 35 nationalities," Eric Mazango, communications officer for the IOM in Ethiopia, told AFP in an email received Thursday. "Of the total arrivals recorded, the largest group are Turkish nationals at more than 40 percent, followed by Ethiopians at 14 percent," he said, with the number of refugees shooting up from 200 late last week to 1,300 on Tuesday. The fighting between Sudanese troops and paramilitaries erupted on April 15, with hundreds of people killed, while civilians are suffering from severe shortages of water, food, medicine and fuel. "IOM Ethiopia has received several requests from embassies for reception and transportation assistance for about 700 third-country nationals arriving on the Ethiopian side of the Sudan border," Mazango said. He added that IOM officials were arranging transport from the border town of Metema to the cities of Gondar and Addis Ababa to manage the increase in arrivals. Search Keywords: Short link: WASHINGTON The latest assessment by the Defense Department of sexual assaults in the military shows only a slight increase in incidents across the armed forces in 2022, with the Army reporting a decline in assaults. The Pentagon on Thursday released its Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military, which shows a roughly 1% increase in overall reports of sexual assaults in fiscal 2022. Eight months ago, the militarys 2021 report showed a 13% increase across the entire force. However, defense officials contend an increase of sexual assault reports is a positive step toward addressing the problem. We are encouraged to see greater reporting because it means that our sexual assault victims are getting the care and advocacy they need, said Elizabeth Foster, director of the Office of Force Resiliency for the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness. And it creates opportunities for accountability through the military justice process. There were 8,942 reports of sexual assault across the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps in 2022, according to the report. Of those, almost 7,400 came from troops who said the assault occurred during military service, which is also a slight increase from last year. The military-wide increase in reports for 2022 would have been greater if not for the Armys decrease in reported sexual assaults. The Pentagon data show reported incidents among Army soldiers last year was down 9% compared to 2021, when the service saw a massive 26% rise in reported assaults. Meanwhile, reported assaults in the other three services were up. The Air Force saw the greatest increase in 2022 13% while the Navy had a 9% increase in reports and the Marine Corps a 3.6% rise. In 2021, the Navy also saw a 9% increase in reports, while the Air Force and Marine Corps each saw rises of roughly 2%. The Pentagon tracks sexual assaults using two metrics the prevalence rate and the reporting rate. The reporting rate is the figure outlined by Thursdays assessment. The prevalence rate is an estimate of how many sexual assaults occurred in the military, which is derived from a separate report the Pentagon releases every two years. Officials said the prevalence report is a more accurate picture of how many sexual assaults are occurring in the military because the reporting is confidential. The militarys most recent prevalence report, issued last year, showed an estimated number of 36,000 reports of unwanted sexual contact. This is a really high-level snapshot of the significant work that is underway at the department, Foster said of Thursdays report. "We know [change] isnt going to happen overnight. If we could flip a switch and make this change instantly, we would, but we know this is going to take some time. The issue of sexual assaults in the armed forces has been a serious problem for several years as reports have risen and various military efforts have been drawn up to counter the upward trend. Congress has repeatedly complained about the rising numbers of assaults and has asked the Pentagon to get to the bottom of the issue. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, last year called the problem of sexual assaults in the military a scourge. The Pentagon said this years report partly focuses on implementing dozens of recommendations from the Independent Review Commission a panel set up by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin two years ago to drive meaningful change in how the armed forces prevent, respond to and ensure accountability for sexual assault and sexual harassment. Of the 82 recommendations that the group issued in its 2021 study, the Pentagon said it has implemented 21 of them, including development of a dedicated prevention workforce and introducing programs that allow victims to take more time off and receive additional support services. Another effort underway will create the Offices of Special Trial Counsel by the end of this year. The Offices of Special Trial Counsel in each service will be comprised of independent prosecutors. Instead of relying on military commanders to manage prosecutions, the independent prosecutors will now handle sexual assault cases. The idea is to remove command influences and biases from the legal process and restore troops faith that military justice is fair, evidence-based and impartial, according to the report. Congress has given the Pentagon $479 million this year to implement the commissions recommendations, and the militarys 2024 budget proposal asks for $636 million to do so next year, defense officials said. Thats hugely significant because that really put a huge monetary investment behind the program, Foster said. Which is, frankly, something that has been missing. Thursdays report also stipulates commanders had enough evidence to take disciplinary actions in roughly 2,100 sexual assault cases under military jurisdiction in 2022. About 1,500 warranted a sexual assault charge and almost 40% of those were referred for courts-martial. The data states about 75% of the sexual assault court-martials last year ended in a conviction. Next years sexual assault report will once again include prevalence estimates from the Pentagons confidential survey and an update on how the military is complying with the remaining 61 commission recommendations. "Our national military strategy depends upon a lethal, resilient, and agile joint force," Nate Galbreath, acting director of the Pentagons Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office. Our initiatives this year empowered leaders to identify threats to readiness and restore the health of both their units and service members impacted by sexual assault and other misconduct. We are on track to make the reforms and investments necessary to counter sexual assault in the military." Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, the US Navy said, in the latest such incident in the commercially vital seaway. The waters where the ship was seized, near the Strait of Hormuz, are a chokepoint for at least a third of the world's seaborne oil. The "Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker Advantage Sweet was seized by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy while transiting international waters in the Gulf of Oman", the Bahrain-based US Fifth Fleet said in a statement. "The Iranian government should immediately release the oil tanker," it added, slamming Tehran's "continued harassment of vessels and interference with navigational rights in regional waters". The US Navy did not specify the owner of the vessel or its destination. Iran and the United States have traded barbs in recent years over a spate of incidents in the sensitive waters of the Gulf. The seizure on Thursday is just the latest incident in the Strait of Hormuz where ships have been mysteriously attacked, drones downed and oil tankers seized. "In the past two years, Iran has unlawfully seized at least five commercial vessels sailing in the Middle East", the US Navy said. In July 2019, the Revolutionary Guards seized the British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero in the same waterway for allegedly ramming a fishing boat, and released it two months later. Tensions have escalated since 2018 when then US president Donald Trump withdrew the United States from a multinational accord that froze Iran's nuclear programme, and reimposed crippling sanctions on its economy. Search Keywords: Short link: Pakistan has called for addressing the digital divide the gap between under-connected and highly digitalized countries to help the developing usher in rapid all-round progress. Most of the poor around the world lack reliable and affordable internet access giving rise to the digital divide, which is emerging as a new form of inequality between and among states, Pakistani delegate Mariam Shaikh told the UN Committee on Information as it began its general debate on Tuesday. Ms Shaikh, who is the press counsellor at the Pakistani mission to the UN, also voiced concern over the issue of growing inequality in access to timely, multilingual communications, with a reported 2.9 billion people never having used the Internet, 96 per cent of whom reside in developing countries. We believe that a Global Digital Compact can potentially serve as a universal and consensus global framework on digital issues, especially in addressing the digital divide, enhancing connectivity, and supporting digital transformation, she added. Emphasizing the importance of trustworthy, verifiable information in a world beset with crises and in an environment rife with inaccurate reports, Ms Shaikh called for mainstreaming multilingualism and redoubling efforts to combat misinformation and disinformation. In this regard, the Pakistani delegate called for support to be lent to the digital transformation of developing countries. Further, she called for efforts to be made to address the issue of unequal access to information, due to a lack of linguistic diversity, pointing out that this posed a challenge amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the recent floods in Pakistan, with a report by Translators Without Borders drawing attention to a dangerous information gap that amplified the risk faced by affected communities. To address this issue, Ms Shaikh called on the UN Department for Global Communications to strengthen international support for the dissemination of multilingual information, enabling it to be available in multiple languages in times of emergency. Further, steps must be taken by the Department to raise awareness about assistive technologies and to promote their design and distribution, she added. Disinformation, misinformation, and other forms of false information especially online, she said, were inciting social divisions and creating mistrust in public institutions and widening the information gap. In addition, it leads to the growth of hate speech and propaganda of Islamophobia and other forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, negative stereotyping, and stigmatization Hate is a threat to everyone; Combating it must be a collective effort, the Pakistani delegate added. In conclusion, Ms Shaikh reaffirmed Pakistans commitment to the principles of the UN Charter and human rights, including the freedom of expression and access to information, combating disinformation in all its manifestations, as well as upholding the principles of independence, pluralism, and diversity of the media. The Supreme Court on Thursday resumed the hearing of the election suo moto case as the deadlock between the government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf persisted over talks on polls. During the proceedings, the CJP remarked that the Supreme Court could not force the government to hold negotiations with the opposition. The hearing resumed after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rejected the proposal floated by Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani regarding the formation of a 10-member special parliamentary committee with equal representation from both sides to start a dialogue to end the impasse. A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umer Ata Bandial will also hear citizen Sardar Kashif Khan's plea in the open court seeking elections across the country on the same date. The government is expected to inform the apex court about the progress in the implementation of its orders of holding the political dialogue, in today's hearing. The apex court had before Eid ul Fitr directed the political parties to hold a dialogue in a bid to reach a consensus on the date of elections in the country. The hearing was then adjourned till today (April 27) after the key ruling parties Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) assured the SC they would sit with PTI and try to find a solution on the election date. Despite a thaw in strict stances on both sides, that hasn't yet happened. However, the ruling alliance has proposed the formation of a 10-member parliamentary committee with equal representation from both sides for talks on holding elections across the country on the same date, in line with the SC order. The development came after a meeting of the ruling allies on Wednesday, where Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had said that a parliamentary committee would discuss the terms of talks between the allied parties and the PTI. Meanwhile, the PTI has also formed a three-member committee for talks with the ruling alliance for elections on the same day. Sgt Moran, with an address in south Dublin, is charged with harassing the alleged victim at an unknown location on dates between April 3, 2021 and January 14 this year. A GARDA sergeant charged with harassing a woman left a large volume of unwanted text messages and missed calls on her phone, it is alleged. Eamon Moran (48) is accused of making unwanted attempts to contact the woman over the course of nearly two years. The case against him was adjourned today after a judge decided the case can be dealt with at district court level. Judge Gerard Jones remanded the accused on continuing bail for disclosure of prosecution evidence to the defence. Sgt Moran, with an address in south Dublin, is charged with harassing the alleged victim at an unknown location on dates between April 3, 2021 and January 14 this year. He has not yet indicated how he intends to plead to the charge, which is under Section 10 of the Non Fatal Offences Against the Person Act. He made his second appearance in Blanchardstown District Court today after he was charged last month. The Director of Public Prosecutions consented to the case being dealt with in the district court subject to the issue of jurisdiction being considered. Judge Jones asked for an outline of the allegations. A garda inspector told the court it was alleged that between the dates in question, there was a large volume of texts and missed phone calls to the woman from the accused. The prosecution would claim this contact was unwanted and the accused was aware of this at the time. Judge Jones accepted jurisdiction, allowing the case to remain in the district court. He ordered disclosure of prosecution evidence to the defence, at the request of Sgt Morans barrister, and adjourned the case to a date in July. The accused was not required to address the court during the brief hearing. On the last date, Inspector Daniel Callaghan gave evidence of Sgt Moran's arrest, charge and caution. In reply after caution, he had nothing to say, Insp Callaghan said. Judge Jones had asked the Inspector what the gist of the case was. Its an allegation of harassment of a female in the Clondalkin area, he replied. Asked if the alleged victim was related to the accused, the Inspector said no. Judge Jones granted bail in the accused's own bond of 100, with no cash lodgement required. Under conditions, he must not have any contact with the alleged victim, including electronically or by phone. He is also to stay away from Clondalkin village and Dublin 1. The judge had asked the accused if he was willing to abide by the conditions. Absolutely, judge, yes, Sgt Moran replied. I was angry, it was the heat of the moment, Barrett said in evidence Darren Barrett said comments were made in 'the heat of the moment' A man shouted Tiocfaidh ar la at gardai when they found him making abusive remarks about foreigners in a street disturbance in central Dublin. Darren Barrett (31) denied a public order charge, claiming he had been assaulted and made the comments in the heat of the moment. Judge Treasa Kelly found him guilty and fined him 200. Barrett, of The Grove, St Marnocks Bay, Portmarnock pleaded not guilty to causing a breach of the peace on November 1 last year. Dublin District Court heard gardai were first called to a report that a man was being threatening and abusive to passengers at the Four Courts Luas stop. They were given a description of a man with a red beard and they heard shouting from the direction of Capel Street. Gardai found the accused saying f**k foreigners, they should go back to their own country. He was abusive to the garda, shouting Tiocfaidh ar la. In response when cautioned he repeated: Tiocfaidh ar la. Landlord disposed of 40k of evicted widows possessions including husbands wedding ring Cop killer Aaron Brady and gangster Derek Bottler Devoy lock horns behind bars I got pissed off because I got assaulted and nobody else was arrested, I was angry, it was the heat of the moment, Barrett said in evidence, accepting that he did make the remarks. Barretts lawyer argued there was evidence of distasteful or rude language but not of behaviour likely to cause violence, and it did not meet the criminal threshold. His words in the current climate, in relation to foreigners that is very unwelcome language, Judge Kelly said. He cant take his situation out on the public and the guards. Judge Martin Nolan said his first thought had been to imprison OBrien, saying he found what he had done reprehensible A Dublin man who sold android boxes allowing cheap access to thousands of TV channels has been sentenced to 240 hours of community service. Paul OBrien (38) of Raheen Close in Tallaght pleaded guilty to three sample counts of copyright infringements involving the possession and sale of so-called protection-defeating devices on dates between June 2016 and December 2017. Passing sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Martin Nolan said it was a sneaky type of offence - hard to detect. The judge said his first thought had been to imprison OBrien, describing the offences as classic white collar criminal behavior, and commented that the only deterrence was a custodial sentence. He said, however, he had noted what his colleagues had done in similar cases and noted for a first offence in these circumstances, there was normally a non-custodial disposal. He said that he found what OBrien had done reprehensible, saying it was a well-thought-out scheme to make money and defraud the rightful owners of their property rights, but he was going to stay his hand. He told OBrien he had been very close to going to prison. The judge previously referred the case to the probation service to see if OBrien was suitable for community service, ordering 240 hours of community service in lieu of two years imprisonment. The court heard today that O'Brien was deemed eligible for community service, and the judge finalised the sentence. Judge Nolan also previously ordered the forfeiture of 20,410 and the destruction of the equipment seized. At an earlier sentence hearing, the court heard that OBrien sold Android boxes to 150 customers and then charged them 12 a month to get activation codes. The buyers would then use a new code each month to activate access to about 4,000 TV channels. Garda Brian OConnor told the court that a company like Sky or Virgin would ordinarily charge viewers anything between 30 to 130 a month to give similar access to TV channels. The court heard that over 34,000 was frozen in OBriens bank account, of which about 60 per cent came from the illegal sale of these devices. Gda OConnor told Simon Matthews BL, prosecuting, that the offence came to light when a Sky investigator made a test purchase of a Merlin TV Android box in October 2017 from a website called IPTV Wizard. He was sent an activation code which allowed him access to the TV channels, and he reported the incident to gardai. OBrien was easily traced through the company registered to the Android box, and gardai got warrants to search his house and that of his partner in December 2017. Numerous items were seized from OBriens house, including a black tower PC containing data relating to the activation codes and details about sourcing the boxes. Mr Matthews said OBrien had been sourcing the boxes himself from the website alibaba.com and passing them on but that the re-broadcasting was done by other parties. Other items seized included 100 flyers advertising IPTV Wizard, business cards, remote control and details of OBriens bank account. OBrien, who has no previous convictions, was arrested by appointment in September 2018 and made substantial admissions in his third interview with gardai. He told gardai he had been running the IPTV Wizard website from about 2015 or 2016 until his house was raided. OBrien said he had about 150 customers who sourced the box and that he was getting 12 for each activation code he sold per month. Gda OConnor agreed with Judge Nolan that OBrien would have been getting about 1,800 a month. If the guards hadnt stopped him, he could have had a living out of this, said Judge Nolan. OBrien told gardai that about 60 per cent of the 34,017 in his bank account had come from IPTV sales. Philipp Rahn SC, defending OBrien, said other monies coming into his clients account included wages and the proceeds of legitimate sales of items like gaming pads, air mouses and controllers. Mr Rahn said OBrien had not come to garda attention since this offence and was unlikely to come before the courts again. He pointed out that gardai had found no trappings of wealth in OBriens house and said his client was a computer design technician who had worked hard all his life. OBrien set up his own company in 2016, and when this went out of business in 2018, it was very difficult for him, counsel said, and he ended up in this misadventure and criminality. This matter came as a huge shock to him, said Mr Rahn, presenting a letter from OBriens GP showing that he suffered from anxiety and was attending counselling. O Brien's partner, who wrote a letter to the court, was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2015. She said OBrien was a dedicated father to their 14-year-old son and a valuable member of the local community who was always willing to help people. Thomas McCarthy was gunned down when he answered the door at his mother's house in Ballyfermot in 2020. Two men who facilitated a criminal organisation in the unexplained fatal shooting of a man who had no links to crime have received combined jail sentences totalling 16-and-a-half years at the Central Criminal Court. One of the two men, Charles McClean, will begin his eight-and-a-half year sentence after he has served an eight-year sentence from a previous conviction for conspiring to murder gangland figure Wayne Whelan. The court had heard during this month's sentencing hearing that the victim and father of five Thomas McCarthy, who was shot dead at his mothers home in Dublin more than two years ago, had been due to return to his home in England just hours later, was not known to have any involvement in criminality and that there was no explanation for what had happened. Mr McCarthy had suffered nine separate gunshot injuries. Charles McClean (34), of St Marks Drive, Clondalkin and Mark Lee (32) from Balgaddy in Lucan, Co Dublin, admitted facilitating a criminal organisation in the fatal shooting of Mr McCarthy. Mr McCarthy was gunned down when he answered the door at his mother's house in Ballyfermot on July 27, 2020. Mark Lee from Balgaddy, Lucan, Co Dublin outside court Mr McCarthy's mother, who witnessed the shooting, had previously described her 55-year-old son as the kindest, most generous person who had a heart of gold. Pauline McCarthy said that nothing could describe the complete devastation and the heartache and loss her sons death had caused the family. Ms McCarthy made her comments in a victim impact statement read to the court on her behalf during a sentence hearing earlier this month. McClean pleaded guilty that between January 25 and July 27, 2020 inclusive, with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, he intentionally or recklessly committed an act to facilitate the murder of Mr McCarthy. Lee admitted to the same charge between July 26 and July 27, 2020. Charles McClean has 20 previous convictions, including conspiracy to commit murder over the September 2019 attempted murder of Wayne Whelan, for which he received an eight-year sentence. Whelan survived the murder attempt but was subsequently shot dead following another attack in November 2019. Mr Justice Paul McDermott said today that it would be a failure on the court's part to run McClean's eight-and-a-half year sentence for the facilitation offence into his conspiracy to commit murder sentence. This was the second offence committed by him where the purpose was to kill, the judge said, adding that he had embarked upon it within a short time of the other offence. The court found that McClean had engaged in two very serious crimes and must pay a penalty for both. Accordingly, the judge said the defendant's eight-and-a-half year sentence for facilitation would run consecutively to the eight-year sentence he is presently serving for conspiracy to commit murder. The judge noted that McClean was an important actor in the carefully planned murder of Mr McCarthy, that the evidence established he had given a cue to the shooter when to strike and that he was highly involved in the setting up of the deceased for assassination. Before delivering the sentence today, Mr Justice McDermott said that Mr McCarthy was living in the UK with his partner for 35 years and had returned home to visit his family and his mother who lived at the address in Ballyfermot. The judge said that gardai had received no motive for the murder of Mr McCarthy and that he was not known to them for any criminal behaviour. He added: "The murder was premeditated and those involved knew what was intended and were fully committed to their extended roles. Their involvement was essential to the success and completion of the attack". Mr Justice McDermott went on to say that the gunman had the comfort and confidence of the practical and essential support of the two defendants and that the crime could not have been committed with the men fulfilling the roles assigned to each of them. Referring to the three victim impact statements, the judge said they spoke eloquently of the loss inflicted on the McCarthy family and that the consequences which will be lifelong for the victim's family and children. The very impressive statements also showed the significant and important place the deceased held in his family's lives, he said, adding that Mr McCarthy's character had been brought to life in the reports "in a very big way". Mr Justice McDermott said the harm and destruction brought to the McCarthy family was something he had to consider. "It's about Mr McCarthy's killing and he has to be at the forefront of the court's consideration of the penalties imposed," he emphasised. Turning to McClean, the judge said some of his previous convictions were for most serious offences, the most serious being conspiracy to commit murder 11 months prior to this offence. He said the seriousness of McClean's offending had escalated dramatically in 2019 and 2020. A serious aggravating feature was that McClean had committed the facilitation offence within a year of conspiracy to commit murder over the September 2019 attempted murder of Wayne Whelan, he added. He said McClean had been involved in facilitation of a criminal organisation in the fatal shooting of Mr McCarthy in a "very serious nature". Referring to Lee, Mr Justice McDermott said the defendant had played a very significant role in the matter months prior to the offence and had very little interest in the identity of the person to be murdered. "It was a gang effort, he was loyal to the group. He showed little or no empathy for the deceased's family and participated in full knowledge of this vicious and carefully planned assassination," he said. While Lee was said to be lower down the level of the criminal organisation, the judge said the organisation were able to rely on him for loyalty for its murderous purpose. Having regard to the gravity of the offence, the judge set a headline sentence of 13 years for Lee. In mitigation, the court took into account Lee's guilty plea which he said saved the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) from a difficult and lengthy trial and had also assisted the McCarthy family to some degree as they did not have to sit through the ordeal of a lengthy trial. However, Mr Justice McDermott remarked that Lee had very little empathy for the seriousness of his actions and did not consider his remorse sincere. The court also had regard to Lee's poor health and that he had no relevant previous convictions. Lee has four previous convictions for public order and road traffic offences. The judge said Lee was assessed as having a high risk of reoffending and had limited motivation to change his current lifestyle. Lee was sentenced to nine years in prison with the final 12 months suspended for a period of three years. Passing sentence on McClean, the judge said his involvement in this offence was of a very serious nature and that he had a very prominent role in the arrangements including the monitoring of the victim's movements. "He was an important actor in a carefully planned murder," he added. The judge said McClean's crime was aggravated by his involvement in a similar type of conspiracy to murder another man in September 2019. In this instance, the court found that a man had been murdered and McClean had engaged in an act to facilitate it therefore bearing a very high responsibility and causing utter devastation to the deceased's family. Whilst McClean did not fire the shots, the judge said he was essential and intricate to the shooting taking place. "The evidence established that he gave a cue to the shooter when to strike and was very close and highly involved in the setting up of the deceased for assassination," he continued. The court found that the appropriate headline sentence for McClean was 15 years. In mitigation, the judge took into account his guilty plea. Whilst the defendant had expressed his regret and remorse, the judge said there was a clear indifference from McClean as to what might have happened to the targeted victim and that the court had some difficulty accepting his regret. McClean was sentenced to ten years in prison and the judge said he had to consider whether this was to run concurrently or consecutively to the eight-year sentence he is presently serving for conspiracy to commit murder. The judge said this was the second offence committed by the defendant where the purpose was to kill, that it was a completely separate offence and that the defendant had embarked upon it within a short time of the other offence. He added: "It would be a failure on the court's part to run this sentence into the other sentence and would not be a fair and proportionate sentence". The judge said McClean had engaged in two very serious crimes and must pay a penalty for both so the sentence for facilitation would run consecutively to his offence for conspiracy to commit murder. In cumulative terms, the judge said McClean would now serve 18 years imprisonment and he was satisfied that the combined sentence of 18 years reflected the callousness of both offences. However, he said he would suspend the last 18 months of the ten year sentence handed down today for a period of three years. In summary, Mr Justice McDermott told the McCarthy family that there was nothing he could do to improve their situation but to express his condolences. Nicola Tallant introduces this four-part story about blood bonds, bitter feuds and shocking betrayal How Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch became one of the most infamous names in Irish criminal history THIS is the story of Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch, from his early days as a young hoodlum through to his astonishing acquittal in the Special Criminal Court for the murder of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel. How did this quiet-spoken man from Dublin's north inner-city become one of the most notorious figures in Irish criminal history? And how did he end up on trial for murder and why did he walk free? This is a four-part story about blood bonds, bitter feuds and shocking betrayal. It's a story about the changing face of Dublin, and the pursuit of justice - in the courts and on the streets. Crime World Podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and Soundcloud. MORE EPISODES Last month in reply to a question on whether biological males should be held in womens prisons The Taoiseach said: No, I dont quite frankly. Barbie Kardashian threated to rape female officers at the womens wing in Limerick Prison. THE government has no plans to keep transgender inmates out of womens prison despite recent comments by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar that the law may need to change. Speaking at the Prisoner Officers Association annual conference in Galway Justice Minister Simon Harris said any policy is up to the Prison Service to do. This week the Sunday World revealed how a transgender prisoner threated to rape female officers at the womens wing in Limerick Prison. The prisoner, Barbie Kardashian is deemed to be a serious risk and is serving a four-and-half-year sentence for threatening to rape, torture and kill her mother. She is currently held in isolation at Limerick prisoner where another transgender inmate is also detained and not allowed to mix with other prisoners. Last month in reply to a question on whether biological males should be held in womens prisons The Taoiseach said: No, I dont quite frankly. Asked if there had yet been the chance to address the issue, Minister Harris said he was very satisfied more broadly in relation to transgender prisoners that the Irish Prison Service is currently finalising their policy, that is for them to do. Simon Harris Id be very surprised if that policy brings us beyond a place where risk assessing the safety of a prisoner other prisoners and prison staff. Minister Harris said that no-one in their workplace, a prisoner officer or otherwise should have to tolerate a scenario where they encounter threats or violence. He said people working in prison come into contact with people who are dangerous, with people who are violent and that to important all prisoners regardless of their situation are assessed for risk. Im confident the prisoner service does that. Karadashian (21) made the rape threats to female staff this week after being asked to clean up where she had taken a shower. Male officers then had to intervene at the prisons E Wing to return Kardashian to her cell, according to sources. She is now the subject of a P19, the prisons system disciplinary procedure which could see her lose privileges as punishment, it was added. In his opening address to Prisoner Officers Association annual conference President Tony Kelly highlighted the increased levels of assaults on staff and also on prisoners. Figures provided to us by the Irish Prison Service show that prisoner on prisoner assaults and prisoner on staff assaults have both increased by over 50% in the last 12 months. He blamed prison management for failing to deal with agreements which is putting our members at risk and are depriving them of the safe system of work. He also highlighted how a small number of disruptive prisoners are allowed to abuse the system when it comes to making complaints against staff. One prisoner was responsible for a tenth of the Category A complaint made in 2022 of which just one out of 68 in total were upheld. Mr Kelly said such prisoners know that there are no repercussions for accusing an officer whereas false complaints to gardai are considered a criminal offence. The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) announced on Thursday that banks operating in Egypt will be closed next Thursday 4 May to celebrate Labour Day. On the occasion of the Labour Day holiday, all banks operating in Egypt will be closed from Thursday, with work resuming on Sunday, 7 May 2023," the CBE said in its statement on Thursday. Last week, the Egyptian cabinet announced Thursday, 4 May, as the annual paid Labour Day holiday for public and private sector employees, thus allowing for a long weekend. Labour Day, known internationally as International Workers' Day, is celebrated on the first day of May and falls on Monday this year. Search Keywords: Short link: Finbar Cafferkey, a native of Achill Island, was a military volunteer with previous combat experience in Syria where he assisted Kurdish militia in their battle against ISIS. An Irishman in his 40s has been killed while battling Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, his family confirmed today. Finbar Cafferkey, a native of Achill Island, Co Mayo, was a military volunteer with previous combat experience in Syria where he assisted Kurdish militia in their battle against ISIS. He recently travelled to Ukraine to assist local forces there. Reports of Mr Cafferkeys death were confirmed by his father, Tom, at the family home in Cashel, Achill, this afternoon. Mr Cafferkey declined to elaborate on the circumstances of his sons death or offer any further comment. We are grievingits a private matter. I dont want to say anything further, he stated. It is understood the family will be issuing a statement later on the death. Achill Island, where the Cafferkey family is well-liked and respected, has been numbed with grief since news came through of the tragic death. One local person said: We heard reports on Wednesday that Finbar had been killed but we were hoping against hope that the information was untrue. Now that his death has been confirmed we are absolutely devastated. Others on Achill Island spoke of Finbars commitment to humanitarian and environmental causes. He took part in the Shell to Sea protests against the Corrib Gas project and, in later years, worked in Copenhagen on a construction project. Finbar was a man of principle, another islander recalled. I know that about eight years ago he worked on the border between Greece and Macedonia assisting coming off dinghies. It came as a bit of surprise when we learnt from newspaper reports that he had been fighting in Syria. Nobody around here, except perhaps his family, knew he was in Ukraine. I know that relatives have been concerned for his safety over the years. His family have been particularly worried. The dead mans parents, Tom and Celine, are being comforted by close relatives and neighbours. Tom is a former publican, who now works as an auctioneer. More to follow... The statue depicts the former San Jose mayor and captain in the Mexican-American War on horseback raising an American flag The statue is removed by work men. Still pic from ABC News report The statue dedicated to Thomas Fallon in San Jose. Still pic from ABC News report The removal of a statue dedicated to hero Irishman Thomas Fallon from its plinth in San Jose has created widespread controversy in the Californian city. The 12,000-pound bronze artwork that was erected in 1990 by former San Jose Mayor Tom McEnery was plucked off its pedestal on Monday by crane and placed on the back of a truck. The artwork was commissioned to commemorate American settlers victory in the Bear Flag Revolt of 1846 when California was taken from the Mexican government. It featured a 16-foot-tall statue of Thomas Fallon who had succeeded in capturing the area around present-day San Jose in the 1840s, without firing a shot. The statue, which depicts the former San Jose mayor and captain in the Mexican-American War on horseback raising an American flag, was installed in its current location in 2002 after being held in storage in an Oakland warehouse for a decade amid public outcry over its purported symbolism. The statue is removed by work men. Still pic from ABC News report Pressure to remove it gathered pace during the protests in the summer of 2020 after the murder of George Floyd. Both the citys Arts Commission and council members voted to dismantle it in 2021. It was reported how protestors tried to set it on fire, scrawl messages or throw red paint on it to symbolise blood on Fallons hands. However, the removal of the statue has been met with fierce resistance in some quarters in Americas 10th largest city while welcomed in others. Writing in the Irish Voice, the Irish-American journalist Niall ODowd said modest hero Fallons crime was to plant the American flag in the soil of land that was under dispute with Mexico. For that reason, the local woke community demanded and succeeded in getting the statue base reduced to rubble, he stated. It looks like an act of reverse discrimination to remove a man for fighting for his country. According to ODowd, McEnery, who takes his Irish roots seriously, said removing the statue was a bad move. He pointed out that in the context of the era, Fallons refusal to even fire a shot marked him out at a very tense time. "Sins and oppression and mistakes, all of those happened under each flag, and they deserve to be excoriated and they have been," he quoted McEnery as saying ODowd claims that historians in support of the statue considered Fallon a founding father of the city of San Jose whose life story is inspirational. He left Ireland in 1821 at the age of six, O Dowd writes .His family settled in Ohio but the young man, a few years later, developed a wanderlust, joining the John C Fremont expedition to California. In June 1846, he raised a small group of volunteers, about 22 men, to fight in the Mexican-American War that had broken out. He and his small band crossed the Santa Cruz Mountains and captured the area now known as San Jose without firing a shot. However, James Dominguez, a Muwekma Ohlone Tribe member told local news stations that after more than 20 years of protesting, this was a victory. "Having the statue taken down is a huge relief for a lot of people as well because a lot of people have been fighting and protesting around the statue for it to be taken down," Dominguez said. Considering that this is a genocide prevention and awareness month, it's a good start. "As a community, it means that we're moving forward and not celebrating someone who encouraged genocide and profited off of the genocide of Indigenous people of the area," Dominguez said. They take it for granted that people are being denigrated or laughed at, and its the opposite Dwarf bullfighters stage a protest in front of parliament in Madrid, Spain, Thursday April 27, 2023. Spains parliament on Thursday banned comic bullfighting events featuring dwarves dressed in costumes, in a decision applauded by disability rights groups but condemned by the few surviving performers. Dwarves in Spain have long dressed as firefighters or clowns to chase bulls without killing them at public spectacles designed to be humorous. The tradition stretches back decades, but has declined in popularity. Banner written in Spanish reads Freedom. (A. Perez Meca/Europa Press via AP) A. Perez Meca Spains parliament has banned comic bullfighting events featuring dwarves dressed in costumes, in a decision applauded by disability rights groups but condemned by the few surviving performers. Dwarves in Spain have long dressed as firefighters or clowns to chase bulls without killing them, at public spectacles designed to be humorous. The tradition stretches back decades, but has declined in popularity. The law approved on Thursday brings Spain into line with European Union directives on discrimination against disabled people, and was hailed by campaigners. We have overcome the Spain of the past, said Jesus Martin, director-general of Spains Royal Board on Disabilities, which advises the Social Rights Ministry that pushed the ban forward in parliament. People with dwarfism were subjected to mockery in public squares in our country, passing down the idea that it is OK to laugh at difference to so many girls and boys who go with adults to see these shameful performances. A handful of the remaining performers staged a protest in front of parliament to condemn the ban. They take it for granted that people are being denigrated or laughed at, and its the opposite: the respect they have for us is impressive, Daniel Calderon, a dwarf bullfighter, told the EFE news agency. The US talk show host was best known for The Jerry Springer Show, which ran from 1991 until 2018 in the US. Jerry Springer has died aged 79, his family have confirmed in a statement. The US talk show host was best known for The Jerry Springer Show, which ran from 1991 until 2018 in the US. His series inspired the UKs The Jeremy Kyle Show, which ran on ITV between 2005 and 2019. Prior to Springers broadcasting career, which included roles as a political reporter and commentator, he was the mayor of Cincinnati and a political campaign adviser to Robert F Kennedy. Springers family said he died peacefully at home in Chicago. Jerrys ability to connect with people was at the heart of his success in everything he tried whether that was politics, broadcasting or just joking with people on the street who wanted a photo or a word. Hes irreplaceable and his loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart and humour will live on, his family said in a statement. More to follow.. Jim Bunny Rogers Rabbits www.sunlive.co.nz May it please your Majesty? You might say bit of a bummer old chap. And we might say: I am p#!*ed off! Its kind of how you would have felt when Harry pleaded with you not to marry the third party. Ouch! That must have chafed under the old coronation robes some upstart, privileged ginga telling his dad, the man who can have anything, what to do? My problem, old bean, is I havent received my invite to your Coronation after-match function The Big Lunch May 7. I trust this is just an oversight. Can you check the invite list please? What particularly hurts is I had you and your sister at my gaff in Dunedin in 1970. I went all out and I was jolly well expecting the hospitality to be returned. Youll remember it well, of course. The Young Peoples Civic Luncheon at the University Students Union. What a venue! A big cold school hall with a lingering whiff of unwashed students and trestle tables. And what an occasion! One-and-a-half hours of cold cuts and potato salad and tiresome platitudes. Anarchy Then anarchy saved the day. While you were pushing your campylobacter chicken around your plate, 60 or 70 mischievous students were outside waving a Welsh flag and singing Why was she born so beautiful? Do you remember the funny bit when they sang: Shes no bloody use to anyone, shes no bloody use at all? I know Princess Anne doesnt do a good old belly laugh, but she was so po-faced. Those students just love a bit of irreverence, and she played right into their hands. I know you and Sis are close, but what a right royal hoot. A good story for your polo mates over a 50/50 martini back in Blighty. I recall Princess Anne wore her brown dress and crescent-shaped hat of gathered aqua chiffon that day. Critic, the Otago Uni student newspaper, suggested, with typical cynicism, that your sister hid a nice-looking figure in lousy clothes. Outrageous! Perhaps thats why I, and anyone else from Dunedin, hasnt made it on your big bash invite list? Were just so N.O.C.D Not Our Class Darling! The suit I also bought a brown double-breasted pin-stripe suit, matching Chelsea boots, yellow shirt and paisley tie especially for the occasion about $250 worth. I was earning $23.76 a week at the time, $10 of which went to my widowed Mum for board. And you were pulling the thick end of $30 million from the Duchy of Cornwall and the Sovereign Grant and probably getting free board. So you might like to send me a couple of return business class air tickets too? I really turned it on for you in Dunedin, Charles. ln the morning you visited Wakari Hospital chatted with the ill, the infirm and the incapacitated, got all their misery first-hand. That would have set you up, because anything that followed that day would have been a doddle by comparison. Like visiting the university library, the chemistry labs and the home science school. What was the point of that for a man whos never had to cook himself a meal in 74 years? Then the piece de resistance a gift copy of the recently-published Otago Universitys centenary history. Feel the excitement! A couple of pages of that every night and you wouldnt have trouble sleeping. Quiche? Really? And whats with the quiche Chuck? Quiche the signature dish at the Big Royal Lunch really? Quiche to usher in a bold new era for the monarchy? Quiche is just flash bacon and egg pie. We leave the top off the pie, turn the eggs to sludge, add a couple of tinned asparagus spears and a side salad, and charge three times as much. Besides quiche is from a German word Kuchen or cake. Then the French refined it to quiche Lorraine. You Brits have had your share of bother with both that lot. So why quiche? Why not something quintessentially Pom like a toad-in-the-hole? Or we could put down a hangi at Buck Pal? Do you have good basalt or andesite rocks over there? If you are set on finger food, we do very good cheese rolls over here we could even bring our own Maggi onion soup mix and Mainland tasty. And theres a bloke called Frank Nagel out of Paeroa who does a very good frankfurter. Cant go wrong with a hotdog. Just add HP or Branston for that English flourish. Easy clean-up too. I know this is all a bit of a faff. But, Your Majesty, you can see I have embraced the new monarchy like a religious convertee. I deserve to be with you as you set out on this journey, Chuck. I have the honour to remain, Sir, Your Majestys most humble and obedient subject. JB PS I am watching my letterbox. Warning: Some details in this story may be distressing to some people. A Rotorua tattooist who threatened to tattoo the word w.... on the forehead of one of his victims has failed in a Court of Appeal bid to challenge his convictions for violent and sexual offending. Jamie Dean Keremete had sought to appeal convictions for unlawful sexual connection, injuring with intent to injure, sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection, threatening to kill and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. He was jailed for 13-and-a-half years back in 2018 after a trial at the High Court in Rotorua, with a minimum period of imprisonment of six-years-nine-months. The offending related to two separate victims who were in relationships with Keremete between 2006-2011 and 2015-2016. Details of the offending Keremete was found guilty of are also spelt out in the Appeal document, noting he would become possessive, verbally abusive and physically violent. He would keep one victim confined to their flat for long periods of time, and if she attempted to leave he would rip her clothing from her and make her sit naked in the middle of the room. On multiple occasions Mr Keremete forced the complainant to have sex, often immediately after he had assaulted her. Sometimes this occurred three or four times a day. Keremete would also tie one victim to the bed, and if she tried to leave, would punch her in the face. He also threatened to tattoo w.... on her forehead. She had to plead with him not to do it. Another incident was revealed when one of Keremetes victims had been sleeping in her car and awoke to find him next to the car holding a crowbar or something similar. He was wearing a balaclava but lifted it showing her it was him. . . he then smashed the front window of her car, pulled [her] from the car and assaulted her. Keremete sought to appeal his convictions, arguing he was the victim of a miscarriage of justice. He claimed the original trial judge erred by joining the allegations from separate victims, that propensity evidence was unfairly used and that his defence failed to put his version of events to both victims and other witnesses. However, in their ruling the Court of Appeal judges rejected these claims. Had separate trials been ordered, the complainants and other Crown witnesses would have had to give their evidence and be cross-examined twice, they said. There is no real risk of a miscarriage of justice in relation to the charges on which Mr Keremete was found guilty. Mr Keremete was acquitted on many of the other charges, including charges of rape. This suggests the jury has been conscientious. They also said issues raised by Keremete in an affidavit were at best peripheral; others were irrelevant and/or inadmissible. Even if there was an error on the part of counsel, the issue is whether or not there was a real risk that it affected the outcome by rendering the verdicts unsafe. Here, we do not consider that there was any real risk that the outcome of the trial was affected and the verdicts unsafe. . . the appeal is dismissed. -Benn Bathgate/Stuff. A freight company must pay $8000 to a truck driver who was unfairly laid off while sick and isolating in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Governments employment watchdog has ruled. Steve Hoebergen, a driver for Bay of Plenty transport company Amline Freighters Limited (AFL) since 2017, was sent home sick from work on March 19, 2020, when he developed cold-like symptoms. He called the operations manager that day and advised he was isolating following advice from the Covid-19 helpline. That weekend, he was sent a text message by a director of the company, Miles Roberson, to the effect that if he was not at work on Monday 23 March he would be dismissed. After he did not attend work on the following Monday because he was isolating as directed, he did not receive his pay. On March 31 he received a final holiday pay and on April 15 he was formally told in a letter that his services were no longer needed. Taking the dispute to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) as a personal grievance, Hoebergen sought compensation, saying his dismissal was unjustified. In an authority decision on the case, AFL said Hoebergen was not dismissed and claimed he was a casual relief driver employed on an as required basis, and that it did not require his services after April 2020. Roberson said he had concerns about business decline and how that might affect his ability to employ staff. He needed his staff to step up to face the challenges of the Covid-19 environment, and, concerned about Hoebergens reliability, he felt it was fairer to tell him they did not need him any more. After investigating, the authority ruled that although Hoebergen had initially been employed as casual labour, at the time he was dismissed he was a permanent employee of the company. As such, he was entitled to have his employer put its concerns to him and to be provided a fair opportunity to respond and have any response fairly considered. Because AFL did not meet these requirements of employment legislation, the ERA agreed the dismissal was unjustified, and that the company should pay Hoebergen $8000 to compensate the humiliation, loss of dignity and injury to feelings. No additional amount was awarded for lost pay, as ERA considered that Hoebergen had not looked for other employment, which he said was due to the Covid lockdown. He suggests he was unable to do so because of the negative impact of his dismissal but the evidence of this and his steps taken to find alternative employment was not strong. While I accept this was the Covid-19 lockdown period which would have created some challenge to securing new employment it did not prevent Mr Hoebergen attempting to do so. On balance, I find Mr Hoebergen has not made himself available for work. No remedy of lost wages is made. The New Zealand employment court has previously warned businesses against labelling employees contractors to avoid contractual obligations. In this case, the ERA said that although AFL had incorrectly characterised Hoebergen as a casual employee rather than permanent, it genuinely held that view, and as such, a finding of breach of good faith was not warranted. -Annemarie Quill/RNZ. Egypt is a pillar of security and stability in North Africa, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said in a joint press conference with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi after the two leaders met in Cairo on Thursday. For his part, El-Sisi expressed Egypt's full appreciation for the friendly relations between the two nations, citing over 150 years of bilateral relations. The Egyptian president said he accepted the chancellors gracious invitation to visit Austria. Meanwhile, Chancellor Nehammer affirmed that Egypt and Austria have cooperated in various areas of security and economy for over 140 years. Trade Relations During the press conference, President El-Sisi stated that both leaders had a fruitful discussion that reflected the countries' interest in deepening bilateral relations in various sectors such as transport, manufacturing, renewable energy, and green hydrogen. El-Sisi underlined the importance of achieving a tangible increase in the volume of trade exchange between the two countries and attracting more Austrian investments to Egypt. The Austrian Chancellor, for his part, highlighted the economic aims of the visit, especially as more Austrian companies sign MoUs in transportation, irrigation, and agricultural infrastructure. Egypts Ministry of Trade and Industry announced that Egypt and Austria will hold a joint business forum in late April. The current volume of trade exchange between the two countries amounts to approximately $339.5 million, a 20 percent increase compared to the previous year. Austrian investors have contributed to 173 projects in various sectors in Egypt, including industry, services, tourism, construction, finance, agriculture, telecommunications, and information technology. Irregular Migration The two leaders discussed the challenges posed by irregular migration. They agreed to intensify dialogue and establish a future cooperative framework that addresses the economic, developmental, and social roots of this phenomenon. Egypt and Austria aim to gain substantial benefits from legal migration and provide assistance to those seeking legal migration, according to El-Sisi. Egypt hosts 9 million guests who have the same rights and privileges as Egyptians, he stated. Chancellor Nehammer, for his part, praised Egypt's hosting of these people and acknowledged the burden on Egypt to control irregular migration. He stressed his countrys will to collaborate with Egypt on irregular migration and asylum-seeking. Ukraine conflict & regional issues The two leaders discussed several files of mutual interest, most importantly the impact of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict on global food and energy security, particularly in developing countries. Egypt asserted the importance of reaching a solution to the conflict through diplomacy and dialogue They also discussed the situation in Libya and Palestine, as well as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and the Sudanese crisis. Search Keywords: Short link: On the back wall of a Tauranga theatre, a series of handmade woollen panels have been quietly overperforming for decades. Not only have the textiles fulfilled their role as acoustic-enhancing decorations inside the Baycourt theatre, they helped ignite the career of renowned New Zealand tapestry artist Marilyn Rea-Menzies. The textured artworks introduced her to royalty, too. Though Marilyn had painted and drawn since childhood, weaving was a relatively recent medium when she and fellow artist Jill Kobiyashi were contracted to undertake the task. Both women were living in Tauranga at the time. The Baycourt tapestries were my first major public commission, says Marilyn, as the venues 40th anniversary celebrations take place this month. It did launch my career in a way. It gave me the confidence I could work on a big commission and achieve it. And it became a really strong part of my life; my looms have almost never been empty since. Marilyn says the job also placed her and Jill in front of a princess. Id just put the first tapestry on one of the frame looms when Prince Charles and Princess Diana came to open Baycourt. Wed only just started weaving. They set us up in the foyer for the visit and Diana stopped and talked. She was very tall, very, very thin, very gracious. I talked to her for about five minutes, about textiles and embroidery and what we were doing. I really got quite a buzz out of that. Marilyn had moved to Tauranga with her then-husband and five young children in the early 1970s and taught herself to weave with the aid of a book from the city library. The hands-on, practical nature of the ancient craft immediately appealed. She discovered the local spinners and weavers club and began producing small tapestries. The Baycourt arts and community facility was only partly complete when its architect Miles Warren called for overlapping wall hangings in shades of red, utilising bold geometric designs that reflected the shapes in the building itself. Jill and Marilyn put their heads together, they submitted drawings and a painting outlining their ideas and Tauranga City Council liked what it saw. The project, which took more than 18 months of full-time work to complete, required the two artists to spin most of their own wool and create frame looms before they could begin weaving. We did a lot of spinning on a jumbo spinning wheel, from natural fleece. Some was carpet wool. The hangings are quite thick and bulky, with fine yarns in behind. I know the textiles help absorb the sound, for the acoustics; though Im not an expert in that side of things. Marilyn now lives in her hometown of Westport, though shes returned to Tauranga to clean, tidy and rehang the textiles. She says her fellow artist moved to Canada and did not pursue weaving to the same extent. The pair caught up in person, several years ago. Marilyn Rea-Menzies creating the tapestries for Baycourt back in the 1970s. Photo: supplied. Marilyns work, which includes paintings as well as tapestry portraits, continues to be exhibited around New Zealand and has been shown overseas. Her large public commissions include a tapestry screen at Government House in Wellington, and the millennium tapestry inside the Christchurch City Council building. However, the Baycourt project is still firmly etched in her mind four decades on. It was pretty special. And it was a challenge. We learned such a heap. The tapestries were unveiled in February 1995. View the woven mural and hear more behind-the-scenes stories at the B40: Whanau Day event at Baycourt Community and Arts Centre tomorrow, Saturday, April 29. The event, which wraps up 10 days of 40th anniversary celebrations, takes visitors behind the theatre curtain in a series of free guided tours. The Baycourt lawn will host face painters, balloon sculptors, roaming performers and food carts. Free entry from 10am-2pm. By Azernews Elnur Enveroglu News is circulated in Armenian media about dozens of villages in Syunik (Zangazur) which are said to have been devastated. It is noted that the main reasons that prompted the Armenian population to leave Zangazur are the lack of certainty and the failed policy of the state. In two years, the population of Zangazur decreased by 2800 people, in 5 years - by 4400 inhabitants. In total, over the past 10 years, the population has decreased by 7,200 people. It is also noted that, according to expectations, the negative trend will continue and this trend will lead to an aggravation of the demographic crisis in the region. As mention to Armenian economy, Armenia poverty rate for 2020 was 53.50%, a 1.2% increase from 2019. Armenia poverty rate for 2019 was 52.30%, a 3.4% increase from 2018. According to some reliable sources, one of the main causes of poverty in Armenia is a lack of jobs. This is demonstrated through the number of workers who emigrate. The majority of men leave the country to earn wages in Russia. Some researchers estimate that almost 14 percent of the Armenian population has emigrated to find employment elsewhere. Another reason for stagnation in Armenia's economy is weak agricultural system. The agricultural system in Armenia does not create enough jobs or affordable food. When the Soviet Union collapsed, Armenia had to replace some of its industrial economy with agriculture to feed its people. The government rapidly created small farms and sold them to citizens. Many of the newly minted farms were created in mountain regions with difficult terrain. Farmers often lack agricultural knowledge. In addition, many of the small farms do not have adequate infrastructures or access to farming technology. Government policy has not bolstered the efficiency of farms; instead, changing regulations and policies have damaged the agricultural sector. According to the reports from Asian Development Bank (ADB) Armenian economy has been in dire situation, and it extremely needs to diversify its economic growth and widen inclusiveness. Armenia desperately needs to reform engagements in infrastructure, human capital, and regional cooperation and integration. Unfortunately, with the ongoing conflict in the region and Armenia's unstable political course has strayed it from the right direction. The Egyptian Cabinet approved the sixth phase of the cash repayment initiative to support exporters with a value of EGP 10 billion. According to a cabinet statement on Thursday, Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait explained that the initiative aims to repay arrears to Egyptian exporters by the Export Development Fund. The initiative, launched in 2020, reflects the government's keenness to support the export sectors by providing liquidity to exporters to expand their production and export activities amid exceptional global economic conditions, Maait added. In September 2020, the government launched the first stage of the initiative, which targeted instant cash repayment of export companies arrears before the end of that year. Search Keywords: Short link: Current Print Subscribers will be prompted to either login to their current site user account or to create a new one. A confirmation email will be sent when a new user account is created, which must be confirmed within three days in order to provide uninterrupted online access through your Print Subscription. Once the email address is confirmed please provide your Account Number to activate your Print Subscription Service. Fayetteville, N.Y. A 16-year-old boy is on life support after falling off his skateboard while holding onto a car in Fayetteville on Tuesday, police said. The boy fell at 5:53 p.m. at 222 W. Franklin St., according to a Facebook post from the Manlius Police Department. The address is Wellwood Middle School, across from Beard Park. The junior at Fayetteville-Manlius High School was holding onto the back of a 2010 gray Subaru Impreza while on his skateboard, police said. When he fell, he injured his head, police said. Hes now in the pediatric intensive care unit at Upstate University Hospital, police said. When the boy fell the 17-year-old driver, stopped and called 911, police said. No charges have been filed against the driver, police said. Police did not identify either boy. Police ask anyone with information about the accident to contact them at (315)-682-2212. The Fayetteville-Manlius High School has counseling available to students, police said. Staff writer Rylee Kirk covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, story idea, photo, question or comment? Reach her at 315-396-5961, on Twitter @kirk_rylee, or rkirk@syracuse.com. Ithaca, N.Y. A man who abducted an Ithaca woman and had a shootout with Virginia Police is out of the hospital and is now facing charges for attempting to murder police officers, troopers said. Michael C. Davis, 34, abducted Tatiana David, on her birthday on April 5 in Ithaca, according to New York and Virginia State Police. Davis drove her to Virginia where he was stopped by troopers and then drove off. The pursuit ended when he crashed and got into a shootout with officers. David was pronounced dead at the scene, troopers said. Davis was taken to a Virginia hospital with life-threatening-injuries, troopers said. Davis was released from the hospital yesterday and was taken to the Prince William County Adult Detention Center where he is being held without bond, troopers said. His charges have been upgraded to include attempted capital murder of a law enforcement officer, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and eluding police. He was already facing an abduction charge. Davis abducted David at 7:20 a.m. April 5 from 110 West Hill Circle in Ithaca, according to an alert from the New York State Police. Police issued an alert that she could possibly be with Davis in a White Jeep Cherokee. The alert said to not approach the pair but to call 911 if they were spotted. A witness reported to police Davis forced David into the Jeep against her will, troopers said. David and Davis knew each other from a previous relationship and have a four-year-old child together, troopers said. At 9:45 p.m. that day the pair were spotted inside the Jeep traveling south on Interstate 95 in Fairfax County in Virginia, troopers said. The Jeep had the wrong plates on it and had been flagged as wanted in New York for the abduction of a woman, they said. A trooper pulled the Jeep over and walked up to it and spoke with David and Davis, troopers said. When the officer walked back to the patrol car and matched the driver to Davis the Jeep took off, troopers said. Davis sped away and near mile marker 152 the Jeep crashed into a guard rail but kept going, troopers said. Near Exit 148 in Prince William County the Jeep went off the highway and crashed into woods, troopers said. Troopers approached the Jeep and Davis opened fire at them from the drivers seat, troopers said. The troopers shot back. Once Davis stopped shooting troopers approached and pulled them both from the Jeep to give them medical attention, troopers said. It was not specified if David and Davis were shot or if the injuries came from the crashes. Davis, of Richmond, Va., was airlifted to Inova Fairfax Hospital with life-threatening injuries, troopers said. No police officers were injured. A Fairfax County police officer was also involved in the incident, troopers said. The troopers have been placed on administrative leave, as is normal policy, troopers said. An autopsy is being conducted on David, troopers said. Troopers from New York and Virginia are working together regarding the abduction investigation, troopers said. Tatiana David was abducted from Ithaca on her birthday Wednesday, on April 5, 2023. (Courtesy New York State Police) Staff writer Rylee Kirk covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, story idea, photo, question or comment? Reach her at 315-396-5961, on Twitter @kirk_rylee, or rkirk@syracuse.com. Syracuse, N.Y. Syracuse Police Sgt. Jason Tom was talking to his brother-in-law -- who happens to be the state DEC commissioner -- about the devastation of the war in Ukraine when he was inspired to find a way to help. His brother-in-law Basil Seggos, who had already made two trips to Ukraine, mentioned how they could connect with organizations in Ukraine to make a donation. Tom said he thought of the hundreds of bulletproof vests that were collecting dust in the basement of the Public Safety Building in downtown Syracuse because they were past their warranty expiration date. Maybe they could be put to use in the Ukraine, he thought. He pitched the idea to Syracuse Police Chief Joe Cecile and they took it to the Common Council for its approval. On Thursday, over 200 ballistic protective devices including vests and helmets along with medical supplies from Syracuse police were donated to aid Ukrainian police officers and soldiers, Cecile said at a news conference Thursday. Brock Bierman, chief executive officer of Ukraine Focus, will take the donation to the Kyiv Police Department which will distribute the vests to police and volunteers who have joined the soldiers fighting on the front lines in Eastern Ukraine, he said. Ukraine Focus is a non-profit providing humanitarian and medical aid to Ukraine. Although some of the oldest bullet-proof vests are 5 years past their recommended expiry dates, they still can be used, Tom said. Tom said he took some of the vests to a shooting range to test their strength and was pleasantly surprised they still held up against bullets. Some of the vests will not deflect rifle bullets but many retired SWAT vests have steel plates that offer added protection. Syracuse police donated over 200 bulletproof vests, helmets and medical supplies to the Kyiv Police Department for distribution on the front lines in Eastern Ukraine. Anne Hayes | Ahayes@syracuse.com Despite their age, most of the vests are significantly newer than models currently being used on the front lines, said Bierman, who used to live in Syracuse. Some of the vests being used are from the Soviet era, he said. He has made 12 trips to Ukraine since the war began and has taken donations straight to the front lines. These are a gold standard to them, Beirman said as he held up a retired SWAT vest. The Syracuse Police Department announced the donation at a news conference Thursday in the lobby of the Public Safety Building, 511 S. State St. The donation is a step toward strengthening the relationship between the city and Ukraine, they said. Cecile honored Toms role in setting up the donation and making connections they can continue to foster by offering more aid for the remainder of the conflict. Along with the vests and helmets, the department also donated tourniquets, medical bags, burn kits and various first aid supplies., Cecile said. Biermans organization will also be sending an ambulance, bought through donations, to the front lines along with the vests. After the news conference, Bierman, Tom, Seggos, Cecile and Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh loaded the ambulance with vests leaving barely enough room for the helmets and medical supplies in the front. The donations should arrive in Ukraine in between 30 to 60 days, Bierman said. Syracuse police donated over 200 bulletproof vests, helmets and medical supplies to the Kyiv Police Department for distribution on the front lines in Eastern Ukraine. Anne Hayes | Ahayes@syracuse.com Staff writer Anne Hayes covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? You can reach her at ahayes@syracuse.com. Update as of 9:45 p.m.: All lanes of the Onondaga Lake Parkway appear to be reopened according to traffic alerts from the State Department of Transportation. Salina, N.Y. The Onondaga Lake Parkway is blocked after a car collided with the side of a bus Wednesday evening. At 8:37 p.m. the Onondaga County 911 Center received a car that a bus and car had collided near the wedding bridge on the parkway, according to dispatches. One ambulance was on scene. A bus is seen across the lanes of the parkway and a car has appeared to driven into the middle of the bus. An officer reported the car well into the bus, according to dispatches. Cars are attempting to go around the bus into the grass to continue on the parkway. The bus appears to be a Greyhound bus. Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard reached out to Liverpool Police for more information. This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available. A car reportedly went into a bus on the Onondaga Lake Parkway on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. (Courtesy State Department of Transportation) Staff writer Rylee Kirk covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, story idea, photo, question or comment? Reach her at 315-396-5961, on Twitter @kirk_rylee, or rkirk@syracuse.com. American High is getting ready to film its 16th movie in the Syracuse area, and is asking the community to help out. The production team is asking Central New York residents to submit picture cars that could be used on screen in the upcoming feature film, which shoots this spring. Producers are specifically looking for: A silver or dark grey 2018-2024 luxury sedan with a sunroof (BMW, Benz, Audi) A dark green or dark blue 2015-2022 sedan or hatchback (Jetta, Saab, Subaru, etc.) A light green 2012-2016 sedan (Honda, Toyota, etc.) A tan, dark grey or dark red 2015-2022 Prius A motorcycle with a sidecar attached Producers are not looking for black or white colored cars. All vehicles must be able to run, be street legal, and be available for a short period sometime in May or June. The production would pay owners to rent the vehicles. If interested, email syrfilmcars@gmail.com with photos of your vehicle and a description of the make, model, year and color. No other details have been announced about the project, including the title, director or cast. A source said Schitts Creek star Eugene Levy, who was spotted in Syracuse this week, is not involved. It will be the 16th feature-length movie shot in six years by American High, headquartered at Syracuse Studios, the former A.V. Zogg Middle School and high school in Liverpool, N.Y. Other American High titles include Sid is Dead, Its a Wonderful Binge, I Love My Dad, Crush, Sex Appeal, Plan B, The Binge, Big Time Adolescence, Looks That Kill, The Ultimate Playlist of Noise, Holly Slept Over and Banana Split, along with the upcoming releases Empire Waist, Miguel Wants to Fight and an untitled Kevin James film. American High renewed a deal with Hulu last month for more movies on the streaming service. Sign up for the CNY Arts, Culture & Entertainment Newsletter Enter your email address to get weekly updates on CNY music, theater, arts and more delivered to your inbox: MORE: Make-A-Wish kid becomes a superhero in new CNY movie with American High Quasi movie: Colgate alumni enjoy shenanigans on and off screen (Broken Lizard interview) Murder Mystery 2 movie is big budget fun with American High spirit (review) Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said on Thursday the head of his ruling Prosperity Party in the northern region of Amhara had been assassinated. "Those who couldn't win ideas with ideas have taken away the soul of our brother Girma Yeshitila," Abiy said in a Facebook post. He blamed the "shameful and horrible" killing of Girma, a member of the party's executive committee, on "violent extremists", without elaborating. It was not immediately clear when and where the incident took place. Amhara, the second most populous region of Ethiopia, has been the scene of protests this month over federal government plans to dismantle regional military forces. Amhara forces were essential allies to the federal army during the two-year war in the neighbouring Tigray region, which ended with a peace agreement in November. Search Keywords: Short link: Syracuse N.Y. -- Syracuse residents can vote next week on ideas created by the community meant to increase lead testing for kids. The Central New York Community Foundation created the effort, which takes ideas from local residents and matches them with non-profits that can put lead testing campaigns into motion. Starting last fall, community residents proposed ideas such as providing rides to testing sites and door-to-door educational drives. Over nine months, 165 people met to share solutions, according to the community foundation. Then larger non-profit organizations, including the United Way for Central New York and PEACE Inc., created proposals for how to execute these ideas. On May 2, any city resident 16 and older can vote, either in person or online, to select a winner. The winning proposal and project will receive a pool of $150,000 in grant money. We wanted to see how we could move the needle, and we wanted the residents to tell us what we should be doing around this because theyre the ones living this experience, Qiana Williams, the community foundations community investment program officer said. Some of the proposals include providing free Lyft rides to labs and doctors offices to receive testing and using a DoorDash partnership to deliver lead awareness kits door-to-door. The project was completed in multiple phases. In September, residents in the community began gathering to discuss ideas for projects that would increase lead testing for children. On March 7, residents gathered to hear non-profit organizations bring their ideas to life through proposals. Then earlier this month, the organizations were able to prevent revised proposals based on feedback they had received in the original meeting. One proposal came from the United Way of Central New York. Luis Escoboza, chief impact officer, oversaw putting the idea together. We are aware of what the concerns were that the community had. And which led to our proposal, Escoboza said. As we engaged with some of the ideas that really resonated, we thought about ways that we might be able to help address the problem too. Escoboza said what makes this project unique is how much power it places into the hands of the community to decide what solution is the best for them. This process is designed to at least amplify and empower the community to take ownership over the programs that are enacted in our community, he said. Williams said the idea came after seeing elevated lead levels in children in 2021. That year showed the first increase in Onondaga County in six years even though the number of kids tested decreased. A total of 396 children tested showed elevated blood lead levels in 2021, the most recent data from the county health department shows. That was an 11% increase from 2020, when 356 city children were identified with lead poisoning. Williams said in specific neighborhoods there was a disproportionate number of Black children who had dangerous lead levels. Blood lead levels are considered elevated at 5 micrograms per deciliter of blood. But any level of lead is considered unsafe. There are four projects under consideration: BABY B.A.C.K. INC.s Block to Block Project would use messaging campaigns to screen children for testing. This project would also include street-to-street lead testing for as many as 7,800 households in the 13205 zip code. Syracuse Peacemaking Projects Lead the Way Project would work with PEACE Inc., Families for Lead Freedom Now and others to provide training for community leaders on lead poisoning and the barriers to testing. It would screen families risk for lead poisoning and connect them to testing and related aftercare services. United Way of CNYs Lyft4Free Project would provide free roundtrip Lyft rides for about 1,500 households with children up to 6 years old to get tested. The project would test an estimated 2,300 kids who live in parts of the city with low testing or high rates of lead poisoning. Village Birth International & Sankofa Reproductive Health & Healing Centers Lead Awareness Expansion Project would incorporate lead awareness and prevention into pre- and post-partum care. Partners include Doula 4 a Queen, zenG Wellness and Cafe Sankofa. Voting will be from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. May 2 in the Salt City Market community room. More details on the proposals are available from the community foundation. Syracuse, N.Y. Eugene Levy, the award-winning star of Schitts Creek, was spotted at Pastabilities Wednesday evening, according to the restaurants Facebook post. The night manager Jace Zimmer was seating a party of three at the restaurant. The group was masked and Zimmer heard one woman address the man as Eugene. It took Zimmer a minute and then he realized. With the hair and eyebrows, he said, how could you not? He realized their guest was Eugene Levy, the well-known actor and comedian. Levy made a name for himself playing strange characters on SCTV such as The Shmenge Brothers with John Candy and Earl Camembert, a TV anchor, in the 1970s. The Canadian actor and writer went on to star in two films, Armed and Dangerous and The Man. He also appeared in National Lampoons Vacation and American Pie. Most recently he was on Schitts Creek as Johnny Rose with his son Dan Levy, playing the father and patriarch of a family who loses everything and is forced to seek shelter in a town they bought as a joke. His arrival at the Armory Square restaurant was a surprise. They just walked in here, Zimmer said. The entire restaurant staff was excited, he said. The party told Zimmer they were passing through Syracuse for the night, he said. Levy ordered a steak, Zimmer said. The group finished with a cookie and coffee, he said. They said it was fantastic, he said. No complaints. Staff writer Rylee Kirk covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, story idea, photo, question or comment? Reach her at 315-396-5961, on Twitter @kirk_rylee, or rkirk@syracuse.com. Syracuse, N.Y. -- Micron Technology will hold its first town hall in Oswego County tonight to discuss the companys plans to build a massive semiconductor fabrication plant, or fab, in Central New York. The town hall will start at 6 p.m. at SUNY Oswego. Microns chief people officer, April Arnzen, will be joined by Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow and the colleges officer in charge, Mary Toale. The event is open to the public and will take place in the colleges Sheldon Hall Ballroom, 301 Washington Blvd, Oswego. Free parking is available across the street. Since Microns announcement in October that it planned to spend up to $100 billion to build a fab in the town of Clay, Micron has held several town halls in Onondaga County. Local officials expect a population boom and the construction of thousands of new housing units, and that could extend into Oswego County. Several Oswego County towns border Clay. If the entire project is built as planned, Micron would create 9,000 jobs at the fab, at the corner of Route 31 and Caughdenoy Road. The plant could create an additional 40,000 spinoff jobs, Micron has said. Construction of the fab depends on Micron getting billions of dollars from the federal government through the CHIPS and Science Act, which provides $52 billion to semiconductor makers to build and operate fabs in the U.S. Micron has one U.S. fab, in Manassas, Virginia, and the company plans to build one at its headquarters in Boise, Idaho, in addition to the plant in Clay. Micron is the fourth-largest manufacturer of semiconductors, or chips, in the world. The company produces most of those chips in Asia. Micron has revenues of about $30 billion per year. Syracuse, N.Y. -- Just as tick season ramps up in Upstate New York, a free tick-testing program at Upstate Medical University has been grounded indefinitely because funding dried up. The lab stopped accepting ticks March 1. More than 26,000 ticks had been tested for Lyme and several other diseases spread by ticks since the program launched in July 2019. Anyone in New York state who found a tick on themselves, their pets or even in their yards could mail the tick to the lab. Upstate tested the ticks for a variety of diseases and emailed the results to the sender, at no charge, within a few days. For people bitten by a tick, the results could help them and their doctors decide on treatment. For researchers, the citizen science program gave them far more data than they could obtain on their own limited forays into the field. One of the key findings was that about one of every three ticks submitted carried a disease-causing virus or bacteria, most commonly Lyme. Researchers said the testing program was an early warning for the emergence of tick-borne diseases. The volume of ticks received across the state alerted researchers to the spread of relatively rare tick-borne diseases. Upstate received money from New York state to buy equipment to process and test ticks, and covered the cost of the program with university funds and the Upstate Foundation, which relies on public donations, said Upstate spokeswoman Kathleen Froio. As this temporary funding expires, we have paused the tick-testing program until a sustainable funding solution has been identified, Froio said in an email to syracuse.com. She said the lab has applied for grants from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Froio said it costs about $50 to process and test one tick. She said the university is looking for annual funding of $550,000, enough to test 11,000 ticks a year. The tick-testing program grew rapidly as word spread. In its first year, from July 2019 to June 2020, the lab processed just over 5,000 tickets. Two years later, the lab collected more than 9,000 ticks during the same July to June period. As the numbers increased, so did the share of ticks carrying disease. The percentage of ticks carrying anaplasma, a bacterial disease with symptoms similar to Lyme, nearly tripled, from 2.5% the first year to 7.3% in 2022, according to the labs website. The labs work also alerted researchers to the rise of babesia, an illness caused by a tick-borne parasite similar to the one that causes malaria. Like Lyme disease, anaplasma and babesia cause high fevers and body aches; unlike Lyme, they bring no tell-tale bulls-eye rash. And also like Lyme, both emerging diseases can be treated if diagnosed soon enough. The best way to avoid tick-borne diseases is to avoid getting bitten. Experts say if youre in tick habitat -- high grass, shady areas, leaf litter -- you should: -- Wear light-colored long pants and long-sleeved shirts, preferably sprayed with tick-killing chemicals such as permethrin. Spray your shoes and socks, too, and tuck the bottom of your pant legs into your socks. -- Apply insect repellents containing DEET or picaridan directly to your skin. -- When you come indoors, take a shower and check your body for ticks. And throw the clothes you wore outside into a drier on high for at least 10 minutes. Big Flats, N.Y. Two women were boating down an Upstate New York river on Earth Day when the canoe they were in hit a fallen tree, troopers said. One of the women escaped the capsizing canoe and swam to shore, troopers said. The other women became trapped under the sinking boat, troopers said, and could not break free. Susanna Garber was later found dead under the canoe in the Chemung River in the Southern Tier by a swift water rescue crew, the New York State Police said this week in a news release. The 22-year-old Prattsburg woman drowned. The drowning happened around 5 p.m. Saturday in Chemung River near Maricle Lane in Big Flats, a town about 7 miles east of Corning. Susanna Garber had been traveling down the river with a group of kayakers and canoers when the accident happened, troopers said. The woman she was in the canoe with Rebecca J. Garber, 21, of Prattsburg survived, troopers said. Both women were wearing life jackets, troopers said. Swift water rescue teams from the Wellsburg Fire Department and Southport Fire Department worked to dislodge the canoe from the fallen tree. After freeing the boat, firefighters found Susanna Garbers body under the canoe, troopers said. In addition to state police and the swift water rescue teams, members of the Chemung County Sheriffs Office, the West Elmira Police Department and fire departments from West Elmira, Golden Glow and Big Flats responded to the scene. READ MORE Upstates free tick-testing program halted indefinitely after money runs out More than 1,700 people reported earthquake felt around Upstate New York 54-year-old man dies in Upstate NY ATV accident, deputies say Ed Griffin-Nolan, of Pompey, is a writer and licensed massage therapist. He is author of the book Nobody Hitchhikes Anymore (Rootstock Publishing, 2020), nobodyhitchhikesanymore.com. --- Everybody locks their house doors now at night. Aint been any burglars in town yet, but everybodys heard about em. Stage Manager in Act III of Thornton Wilders Our Town --- Just last month, Syracuse Stage brought Our Town back to our town, and the lead actor Jim True-Frost uttered, a twinkle in his eye, that clever line poking fun at the distance between threats real and perceived. Thornton Wilder was writing about a New Hampshire town in 1913, but he might as well have been referencing any town in America in 2023. We lock the doors. Arm the cameras. Load the weapons. Set the alarm. Imagine the enemy. And in seeking safety, we endanger ourselves, and one another. I have always been fascinated by how easy it is to make people feel threatened, and to respond aggressively. From the most personal realm (our doorstep) to the global (our disastrous decades long war on terror), the same mechanism is triggered that inspired the good people of Grovers Corners to lock their doors. Everybodys heard about em. Someone tells the story. Someone else repeats it. In time, the trust among neighbors frays, and looking out for one another gets replaced with a deadbolt and a Ring camera doorbell. In time, folks dont pick up a call unless they recognize the number. In time, gossip replaces information and whoever promises security through promises of force carries the day. Consistently Americans tell pollsters that crime in their hometowns is down, but crime around the nation is up. Lately its been the driveways and the guys with guns. Tragic stories repeated again and again on slow news days meld together, amplify one another and an objectively infinitesimal threat fills our field of vision, balloons into panic and reaction. Every year its the Halloween candy. There once was a solitary shoe bomb. Real things that happen, but the response, when amplified on cable and social media, renders calm impossible and stokes disproportionate fear that rages out of control. These overblown responses pull communities further apart and our responses, while intended to protect, make us less safe. A generation born in the decades since the planes hit the World Trade Center has grown up knowing endless war, chronically justified by a remote threat. Yes, there are horrible things out there in the world. Always have been. Dog bites can really hurt. But our response to that threat is the leash law, not a full-scale war on canines. Weve reached the point where trusting anyone is a radical act. Five years ago, I got fed up with people telling me what I had to fear and I tried an experiment in radical trust. I packed a bag, stepped out of my house and started hitchhiking. Good people worried for my safety and questioned my sanity. But my journey across America was a lovely and profound encounter with a place the road that I thought I knew but which most people said no longer existed. The book I wrote about it, Nobody Hitchhikes Anymore, tells the story of the people you meet when you trade in fear for hope. On my first day, I was stuck on the side of the road near LaFayette. Two sheriffs cars appeared, summoned by worried parents calling from their minivans to report a strange man on the side of the road. They viewed me as a threat. In their cars, they were in total control of the situation. All they had to do was drive on by (a wave would have been a nice bonus.) The two officers, with decades of experience, warned me that it was too dangerous for me to hitchhike. So I asked if they had ever dealt with a case of a hitchhiker being harmed. Neither one had. Or a driver harmed by a hitchhiker they gave a ride to? Nope. Yet they still insisted it was a dangerous way to travel. They will shoot you, one of the officers confidently asserted. I dont advocate that everyone stand by the side of the road and hitchhike (though I do argue that it is much safer in the digital age than it ever was in the past). Im asking for us to get a grip. Crime is down while fear continues to ratchet up. How that has happened, Ill let you decide. But we need to take a breath. Fear is the most potent social force alive. If we come to fear one another, we lose all hope of security, which comes not from force, but from community. Aint been any burglars in town yet, but everybodys heard about em. Coralista Ruge, 17, of Camillus, a senior at West Genesee High School, recently won the national Scholastic Art & Writing Herblock Award for Editorial Cartoon for Model Digest, a visual critique of the fashion industrys emphasis on being thin. Those who regularly consume social media trends and read fashion magazines would know that the fashion industry today still promotes unhealthy standards, Ruge wrote in an email. Although a lot of advertising has started to become more inclusive by showing all body types, shapes and colors, I personally believe that more can be done to be inclusive and supportive of people of all types. Ruge said she conceived the piece as the first in a series of magazine covers showing the models anatomy, starting with the skeletal system. A second completed artwork shows her muscular system. Ruge won a gold medal and was named one of three winners of the Herblock Award, given for visual art that offers commentary or criticism on current events, social events or political topics. The award is underwritten by the Herb Block Foundation. Herblock, as he signed his cartoons, was a Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist for The Washington Post from 1946 until his death in 2001. The prize is a $1,000 scholarship and an invitation to an awards ceremony June 8 at Carnegie Hall in New York City. After graduation, Ruge said, she plans to attend an art program in Canada for a year and then pursue a degree in animation or illustration. I hope to continue creating art as a career, she said. Also in Opinion: Editorial cartoon gallery for April 23, 2023: Fox News settlement, abortion politics, classified leaks GOLDEN, Colo. (AP) Three teenagers have been arrested on first-degree murder charges in connection to the death of a 20-year-old Colorado woman, who was struck by a rock that investigators say was thrown through her windshield while she was driving. Alexa Bartell, of Arvada, was talking on the phone with a friend when she was hit by the rock northwest of Denver on April 19. After the call went silent, the friend tracked Bartells location with a phone app and found the woman dead in her car, which had crashed into a field, said Karlyn Tilley, a spokesperson for the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office. HELENA, Mont. (AP) Moves to stifle the voice of the first transgender woman elected to Montanas legislature over her stand on gender-affirming care for children may have silenced her in the chambers of the state House, but Rep. Zooey Zephyr said shes confident theyve only amplified her message to constituents at home and others watching across the nation. There are many more eyes on Montana now, Zephyr said in an interview with The Associated Press. But you do the same thing youve always done. You stand up in defense of your community and you ... stand for the principles that they elected you to stand for. Zephyr was thrust into the national spotlight last week when she was prevented from speaking in the House after telling lawmakers backing a bill to ban gender-affirming medical care for minors that they would have blood on their hands. The Republican response to her comments, and her refusal to apologize for them as demanded, have transformed the lawmaker into a prominent figure in the nationwide battle for transgender rights and placed her at the center of the ongoing debate over the muffling of dissent in statehouses. The attention is a new phenomenon for Zephyr, a 34-year-old serving her first term representing a western Montana college town after being elected last November. She will spend her first day in legislative exile when the Montana House reconvenes Thursday morning, a day after the Republican majority voted to bar her from the House floor for the rest of the session. Lawmakers made the move in retaliation for her participation in a protest that disrupted Mondays floor session. Protestors upset that she was prevented from taking part in House debates after making her comments packed the gallery and chanted Let her speak! She stood by the remarks even after House Speaker Matt Regier said they violated decorum rules and demanded she apologized. The Montana House will not be bullied, Regier said this week. He said the only person preventing Zephyr from speaking was Zephyr herself. In her interview with the AP, Zephyr likened efforts to silence her to the decision by Tennessee lawmakers to expel two Black representatives for disrupting proceedings when they participated in a gun control protest after a school shooting in Nashville that killed three children and three adults. The two were quickly reinstated. Thats exactly what Im talking about, is when young Black men stand up and say We have a gun violence problem in this country and you are failing to recognize it, youre failing to take action on it, she said. Tennessee lawmakers not only rejected gun control laws, but by expelling the lawmakers they sent a message saying: Your voices shouldnt be here. Were going to send you away, Zephyr said. GOP leaders in Tennessee had said their actions were necessary to avoid setting a precedent that lawmakers disruptions of House proceedings through protest would be tolerated. Zephyrs stand has drawn attention from lawmakers throughout the country. On Tuesday, Tennessee Rep. Justin Pearson, one of the lawmakers who was expelled earlier this month, called the Montana standoff anti-democratic. We will not let our democracy die without fighting for every voice. We are in this fight from Memphis to Montana! he tweeted. The attack in Montana on Rep. Zephyr is an attack on all of us, said Nebraska state Sen. Megan Hunt. Hunt, who has a transgender son, has spearheaded the charge against a similar proposal to ban gender-affirming care. She was served notice Wednesday of an official complaint filed against her that she said was an effort to silence her voice on the issue. Its so important that we not be silent about this from state to state to state. And its so important that people stand up against this rising movement, this radical movement, and say it is not welcome, Hunt said. Zephyr is undeterred. She said throughout the events of the past week, she has both aimed to rise and meet the moment and continue doing the job she was elected to do: representing her community and constituents. Its queer people across the world and its also the constituents of other representatives who are saying They wont listen when it comes to these issues. Its staff in this building who, when no one is looking, come up and say Thank you, she said. During the Egyptian-Austrian Business Forum in Cairo, Egypts National Authority for Railways signed a contract with Austrian company Voestalpine on Thursday to manufacture and supply railway switches, The signing ceremony was attended by Austria's Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer, who is currently on an official visit to Egypt, as well as Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Minister of Transport Kamel El-Wazir. Madbouly stated that the signing of this contract is in line with the political leadership's directives to continuously develop and modernize the railway system according to the latest global systems, as well as to localize the production industry of railway switches in Egypt. For his part, Minister of Transportation Kamel El-Wazir said that establishing the joint venture between the two sides aims to achieve self-sufficiency for the local market in switches, especially in light of the increasing demand for them. Under the signed contract, El-Wazir noted that Voestalpine Egypt for Railway Switch Technology will produce up to 300 switches annually according to global specifications. Additionally, a new production line that is provided with state-of-the art equipment will be established to produce switches for the fast electric train network. Voestalpine AG, whose annual business volume amounts to 15 billion euros, is one of the largest companies in the world in the production of railway switches of all types (diesel-electric). It has 66 branches worldwide and employs 50,000 people Search Keywords: Short link: DNV joins Standards working group on methanol bunkering DNV has joined a working group on methanol bunkering, managed by the Standards Development Organisation at Singapore Chemical Industry Council Singapore, 26 April 2023 DNV has joined a working group on methanol bunkering, managed by the Standards Development Organisation at Singapore Chemical Industry Council (SCIC-SDO), the classification society announced at Singapore Maritime Week. The multi-stakeholder working group will develop a Technical Reference (TR) for methanol bunkering for Singapore, the worlds largest bunkering hub. The SCIC, appointed as the Standards Development Organisation by Enterprise Singapore, formed the Working Group on Standard Development for Methanol Bunkering, in consultation with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). The working group, which includes government agencies, bunker suppliers, bunker craft operators, engine manufacturers, testing and certification bodies, shipowners and operators, terminal operators, as well as classification societies such as DNV, will be developing a Technical Reference (TR) for methanol bunkering for Singapore. The TR will cover custody transfer requirements (quantity and quality) for the delivery of methanol as a bunker fuel. It will examine all aspects of bunkering, from the bunker tanker to the receiving vessels, examining the operational and safety requirements for methanol bunkering, as well as crew training and competency. Initiatives like the Working Group established by SCIC-SDO, are essential as the energy transition accelerates, and the maritime industry moves towards a multi-fuel future, said Cristina Saenz de Santa Maria, Regional Manager South East Asia, Pacific & India at DNV Maritime. For methanol and other alternative fuels to continue to build traction within shipping, we need to build confidence and encourage a wider uptake. This can only be accomplished through standards that enhance safety while providing a comprehensive and practical framework for all stakeholders. At DNV we have been working with our customers for many years on alternative fuels to enhance the sustainability of their operations and are very proud to be included in the Standards Working Group. The announcement of the development of the TR comes alongside record-breaking orders for vessels capable of using alternative fuels. DNVs Alternative Fuels Insight (AFI) platform, which tracks orders and bunkering locations for alternative fuels, logged orders for 35 methanol fuelled vessels in 2022 more than the 26 vessels currently in operation. Likewise for LNG, the most popular alternative fuel to date, the newbuilding orders in 2021 and 2022 will more than double the fleet in service upon delivery. Interest in methanol is growing rapidly, gaining ground on the most widely adopted alternative option LNG, said Lukasz Luwanski, Regional Business Development Director at DNV Maritime. Designs for methanol-fuelled vessels tend to be less complex, which means construction is typically less expensive than a comparable LNG fuelled vessel. On the other hand, due to incoming GHG regulations, a switch to green methanol will be required much sooner than for a vessel that is LNG powered. This will make the Working Groups TR a very timely and important reference point for the industry, added Luwanski. DNV was the first classification society to release a notation covering every aspect of using low flashpoint fuels, including safe design, fire safety, control and monitoring. It has regularly built on these recommendations, including the Alternative Fuels for Containerships document, which was recently updated with a new chapter covering methanol and aims to provide neutral, fact-based, and scientifically sound decision support for newbuilding projects in the segment. Currently more than 70% of the 25 methanol powered vessels operating are with DNV. 26 April 2023, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Proman Stena Bulk, the joint venture between leading tanker company Stena Bulk and the leading methanol producer Proman, has formally named the third of its state-of-the-art methanol-fuelled 49,900 DWT tankers Stena Promise, in a ceremony held in Rotterdam yesterday. The naming ceremony, which was held near the citys famous Erasmusbrug, saw dignitaries and guests from both Proman and Stena Bulk, and from across the maritime industry, gather to celebrate the methanol-fuelled joint venture fleet. This was the first Naming Ceremony for a methanol-fuelled vessel held in the Port of Rotterdam. The attendees heard speeches from David Cassidy, CEO of Proman, Erik Hanell, President & CEO of Stena Bulk, and Mr Gary Ge Xiujiang, Deputy Managing Director of Sales Department, Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI), the shipyard that built Proman Stena Bulks tankers. Dr Hilary Cassidy, the vessels godmother, successfully ended the ceremony with a traditional champagne christening. All guests were welcomed on board the Stena Promise for a short visit. The naming ceremony was held in Rotterdam in recognition of the ports unique contribution to the maritime decarbonisation agenda. The Port is the largest methanol hub in north-western Europe, and ship-to-ship bunkering has taken place at the port successfully several times, including for the first JV vessel Stena Pro Patria in August 2022. There is growing momentum around methanol as a marine fuel, with over 106 methanol-fuelled ships on order as of the end of March according to analysis from class society DNV. This includes container lines, dry bulk and tanker orders, as well as leading names from the cruise sector. Stena Promise was delivered in November 2022. All four vessels in the IMOIIMeMax series have demonstrated an unprecedentedly low EEDI (Energy Efficiency Design Index) value while running on methanol. Proman Stena Bulks IMOIIMeMax vessel series benefits from industry-leading design improvements and technologies to maximise energy efficiency, resulting in an EEDI 11% below the 2025 Phase 3 requirements setting a new benchmark for methanol-fuelled tankers and further proving the operational viability of methanol as a marine fuel. During its commercial operations, Stena Promise has already been operating full time on conventional methanol from natural gas. The vessel will use approximately 11,500 tonnes of methanol as fuel per year, significantly reducing GHG emissions compared to conventional marine fuels. Speaking about the naming ceremony, David Cassidy, Chief Executive of Proman, said: Stena Promise is the third state-of-the-art methanol tanker we have brought to market with Stena Bulk, and the first fully Proman-owned vessel in our fleet. She is a very special vessel for us, and it is fantastic to be able to use her naming ceremony as a driver to convene with partners, friends and industry leaders in Rotterdam at a pivotal time for the shipping industrys low-carbon transition. We need to ensure that regulatory incentives and market-based measures continue to drive capital to projects which can deliver real, meaningful and immediate emissions reductions. And to do that we need to work with partners across the entire industry and shipping value chain to make green shipping a reality. Erik Hanell, President and CEO of Stena Bulk, added: The naming ceremony for Stena Promise is another step in our cooperation between Stena Bulk and Proman to prove the viability of methanol as a marine fuel. By gathering in Rotterdam one of the industrys most important bunkering hubs we are once again underlining that methanol operation is technically feasible today. We are proud to continue working with our partners at Proman to advance our shared vision for methanol. The Taos News delivered to your Taos County address every week for a full year! We offer our lowest mail rates to zip codes in the county. Click Here to See if you Qualify. Plan includes unlimited website access and e-edition print replica online. Your auto pay plan will be conveniently renewed at the end of the subscription period. You may cancel at anytime. The African Union appealed on Thursday to Sudan's neighbours and the international community to help people fleeing the deadly fighting there and renewed a call for a ceasefire. AU Commission chair Moussa Faki Mahamat "continues to monitor with growing grave concern the plight of civilians caught up in the deadly conflict in Sudan", his office said in a statement. "The chairperson renews the call on Sudan's neighbours, relevant regional and global agencies to facilitate the transit and safety of civilians crossing their borders without impediment," it added. Faki also called again for the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to "immediately agree on a permanent ceasefire to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Sudanese in dire need". There have been multiple truce efforts since the fighting broke out on April 15, but all have failed. Sudan's army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said Wednesday he would consider a proposal by the East African IGAD bloc for another three-day ceasefire when the current truce formally expires at midnight (2200 GMT). But no further details have been released and the RSF's response to the proposal is unclear. Since the conflict erupted, many thousands of people have fled Sudan to neighbouring countries, mainly Chad and Egypt, according to the United Nations. Search Keywords: Short link: The Ministry of Transportation announced on Wednesday that between 21 April and 25 April, a significant number of individuals from various nationalities, totaling 10,194, entered Egypt through the Egyptian-Sudanese border crossings. According to the ministrys breakdown, 1,297 individuals crossed through the Qustul border crossing into Egypt during the specified period, whereas 8,897 people crossed the Arqeen border crossing. The ministry noted that foreign embassies in Egypt coordinated with relevant authorities in the country to receive foreign citizens returning from Sudan, including China and Hungary. The Internal and International Land Transport Regulatory Authority provided buses to transport the returnees from Sudan through the Arqin crossing to all parts of Egypt. The ministry also revealed that it coordinated with Egyptian truck drivers in Dongola and Khartoum to transport students and a number of Egyptian families to the Arqin crossing. Transport Minister Kamel El-Wazir also directed the operation of three additional train trips to accommodate the growing number of Egyptians returning from Sudan and to facilitate their travel from Upper Egyptian governorates to Cairo. The ministry also highlighted the mutual cooperation with the Egyptian Red Crescent which opened a relief center earlier this week presenting necessary meals and medications for returnees from Sudan. Egypt has around 10,000 citizens in Sudan, including 5,000 students, trying to evacuate amid clashes that have killed 427 people including two Egyptians and wounded thousands. According to the latest statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, 2,679 Egyptian citizens have been evacuated from Sudan so far. Search Keywords: Short link: gviper Newbie Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Kolkata Posts: 3 Thanked: 30 Times Re: Mahindra Scorpio-N Review After a lot of follow ups with both the dealers, finally decided to go ahead with a Silver Scorpio N 4XPLOR AT, and got the delivery on 14th of April. Once I had seen the first glimpse of my Scorpio N, I cancelled the Tucson booking and the booking amount was swiftly refunded by the dealer. First job after getting delivery of the Scorpio N was at 3M Car Care (Topsia, Kolkata) for a full PPF, CR70, etc. After that, installed Autotech 7D mats and a much deliberated (and unhappily decided) rear bumper guard. Although the bumper guard heavily reduces the departure angle, could not imagine cycles/rickshaws/scooters hitting the bumper in bumper to bumper traffic (happened a lot on the Verna). After these jobs, headed straight to the hills of North Bengal, chose a farmstay at Bijanbari (almost 2 hours from Darjeeling). These farmstays almost always have nil or poor roads leading to them and I thought it was a good way to test all the 4XPLOR features to understand the vehicle better. The highway drive from Kolkata to Siliguri was sublime, with an FE of 15.0 kmpl. Siliguri to Darjeeling stretch saw the FE dip to 12 kmpl, and further reduced to 10.5 kmpl once we reached the farmstay after the steep ascent and off road session. We experienced heavy rains, hailstorm, high winds as we travelled from Darjeeling to Bijanbari and had to select 4WH for the last 7 kms or so leading to our stay. After experiencing the 4WD system and the amplified confidence it provides in tricky situations, I was beaming with happiness for choosing this vehicle over the 2WD Tucson. As for the discussed niggles of the Scorpio N, here are my observations: On an extremely Hot afternoon (real feel almost 45 degC), both front and aft cameras stopped working. It did not recover that entire day even after a lot of restarts. Read the manual which said cameras may not operate at extreme temperatures (less than -20 deg, more than 60 deg). However the cameras worked fine the next day and did not have any issues in the entire trip of over 1500kms. Cameras are not at all laggy like I had noticed on the Test Drive vehicle and I am not facing any issues with the quality of either cameras during use. However I cannot stop thinking of the high def resolution of the Tucson 360 camera system. Wireless Android Auto works like a charm The overal cabin feel for night highway drive, is excellent and there is even an option to switch off the glaring illumination of the speedo and tacho, which I found very useful. Windshield wiper controls are very convenient. I really liked the single button press spray and wipe pattern. Things which are slightly irritating and would require me getting used to are: Auto Start/Stop system Cruise control cancellation only through the brake pedal Lack of good storage spaces around the driver No pitch angle adjustment of the driver seat electrical adjustment A query regarding the 4WD system if any other owner can clarify: I can hear a single 'clunk', everytime when the steering is moved to either extreme left or extreme right, with the 4WD engaged. Can anyone throw some light on this? After a lot of research for a bigger car, I had finally booked the Scorpio N 4WD AT in the first week of January 2023. Previous cars I have owned and driven include a 2013 VW Polo Petrol Highline and a 2018 Hyundai (Next Gen) Verna 1.6AT SX(O). Along with the Scorpio N, I had also made a booking of the Hyundai Tucson Platinum Diesel. The Tucson is definitely a level above the Scorpio N but I just could not let go of the thought of getting a Four Wheel Drive Automatic SUV for the price being offered by Mahindra.After a lot of follow ups with both the dealers, finally decided to go ahead with a Silver Scorpio N 4XPLOR AT, and got the delivery on 14th of April. Once I had seen the first glimpse of my Scorpio N, I cancelled the Tucson booking and the booking amount was swiftly refunded by the dealer.First job after getting delivery of the Scorpio N was at 3M Car Care (Topsia, Kolkata) for a full PPF, CR70, etc. After that, installed Autotech 7D mats and a much deliberated (and unhappily decided) rear bumper guard. Although the bumper guard heavily reduces the departure angle, could not imagine cycles/rickshaws/scooters hitting the bumper in bumper to bumper traffic (happened a lot on the Verna).After these jobs, headed straight to the hills of North Bengal, chose a farmstay at Bijanbari (almost 2 hours from Darjeeling). These farmstays almost always have nil or poor roads leading to them and I thought it was a good way to test all the 4XPLOR features to understand the vehicle better. The highway drive from Kolkata to Siliguri was sublime, with an FE of 15.0 kmpl. Siliguri to Darjeeling stretch saw the FE dip to 12 kmpl, and further reduced to 10.5 kmpl once we reached the farmstay after the steep ascent and off road session. We experienced heavy rains, hailstorm, high winds as we travelled from Darjeeling to Bijanbari and had to select 4WH for the last 7 kms or so leading to our stay. After experiencing the 4WD system and the amplified confidence it provides in tricky situations, I was beaming with happiness for choosing this vehicle over the 2WD Tucson. On an extremely Hot afternoon (real feel almost 45 degC), both front and aft cameras stopped working. It did not recover that entire day even after a lot of restarts. Read the manual which said cameras may not operate at extreme temperatures (less than -20 deg, more than 60 deg). However the cameras worked fine the next day and did not have any issues in the entire trip of over 1500kms. Cameras are not at all laggy like I had noticed on the Test Drive vehicle and I am not facing any issues with the quality of either cameras during use. However I cannot stop thinking of the high def resolution of the Tucson 360 camera system. Wireless Android Auto works like a charm The overal cabin feel for night highway drive, is excellent and there is even an option to switch off the glaring illumination of the speedo and tacho, which I found very useful. Windshield wiper controls are very convenient. I really liked the single button press spray and wipe pattern. Auto Start/Stop system Cruise control cancellation only through the brake pedal Lack of good storage spaces around the driver No pitch angle adjustment of the driver seat electrical adjustmentI can hear a single 'clunk', everytime when the steering is moved to either extreme left or extreme right, with the 4WD engaged. Can anyone throw some light on this? Last edited by Rehaan : 27th April 2023 at 10:03 . Reason: Adding some formatting :) Preliminary research published at the end of March claimed that up to 80% of the US workforce could see at least 10% of their tasks impacted by large language models such as the generative pretrained transformer (GPT) underpinning ChatGPT. First, note the caveats. A preprint paper has not yet been peer reviewed, though the open access ArXiv server where it was posted does have a moderation process. This particular preprint comes from OpenAI, makers of ChatGPT, along with OpenResearch, a research lab chaired by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and the University of Pennsylvania. And it just happens to be the case that GPT-4 technologies were even used for some of the writing and coding on this research. That said, some of the paper's conclusions chime with an economic study issued in December 2022 by the White House and the EU, which examined the potential impact of AI on future workforces. This report didn't just look at the roles and tasks at risk of being overtaken by AI, but also at the broader impacts this technology might have across the workforce, such as the possible increase in surveillance of workers using AI, algorithmic management of work, income loss, the evolution of worker skills and mobility across jobs. What both reports have in common is a warning that AI is not just a threat to jobs comprising repetitive digital tasks that are easily automated. In fact, many high-skill and high-paid jobs are highly exposed to AI. The economic report also warns that this leaves older workers particularly exposed, as they have had time to accrue the education and experience that can potentially be supplanted by an AI that is cheaper to employ or incredibly speedy with results or both. High-risk roles When it comes to the specifics, both reports differ as to which roles are most at risk. OpenAI's research concludes that mathematicians, tax preparers, writers, web designers, accountants, journalists and legal secretaries are those most vulnerable to an AI takeover. The US-EU study says clinical lab technicians, chemical engineers, optometrists and power plant operators are most exposed. Really, it all comes down to what these tools are capable of doing with a level of speed and accuracy that rivals or far supersedes human workers. In terms of skills, OpenAI's report identifies programming and writing as highly susceptible to the influence of large language models. However, it's important to note that while generative AIs continue to "hallucinate" (generating confident responses that are counter to facts), its outputs can only be trusted under the supervision of trained and experienced professionals capable of calling out any missteps. That is to say, AI journalism will need good editors and fact-checkers to review content before publishing, and AI coding will need thorough testing and validation before deployment. This is the knowledge gap AI may never be able to overcome. Even the most advanced AI systems, reaching more than 90% accuracy, appear to plateau at that level, unable to reach the ideal of 100% reliability. And therein lies a conundrum. If the future needs expert oversight of AI-generated outputs to ensure accuracy and trust, where will those experts come from if a generation of workers skips the learning and experience gained from doing the groundwork over years and years? If lower-level tasks are farmed out to AI as an assistance to workers in the long-term, their experience may not be as valuable in the long-term. This has already been flagged as an issue among pilots, a profession where much of the work has been handed over to automation. A 2013 report from a US working group examining flight deck automation identified vulnerabilities in pilots' knowledge and skills driven by an over-reliance on computer-assisted piloting and passive training in its use. This can leave pilots unprepared to take control of a flight when things went wrong, which can have disastrous results. The working group found that more than 60% of accidents reviewed involved a manual error. AI-proof skills Being more hands-on with your work is certainly a major advantage amid the AI revolution. While generative AI is racing ahead with the creation of digital content, plenty of work in the physical realm is being left to the dexterity of skilled human hands and creative thinking. The joint US-EU report also cites jobs that require interpersonal skills such as childcare and hospitality as having very limited exposure to AI. According to OpenAI's research, jobs with a greater need for skills in science and critical thinking are less likely to be impacted by large language models. It concludes that the jobs least likely to be impacted by GPTs overall are in graphic design, search marketing strategy and financial management. If you're looking for a job that has a good chance of surviving an abundance of AI entering the workforce, you can search for roles in these areas on the TechSpot Job Board. Here are just a few available right now: Supply Chain Tech - Kinaxis Planning - Senior - US Consulting, EY, Dallas A rapidly growing area for EY, the Supply Chain Tech - Kinaxis Planning will have plenty of opportunity to develop their skill set to keep up with the ever-growing demands of the digital landscape. You will focus on the evaluation, design, customization and optimization of digital and cloud based solutions. You will team with various EY groups with digital capabilities to pursue and deliver digital engagements and deliver solutions that will bring clients' digital vision and strategy to life. ASIC Design Verification Engineer, Accenture, Houston Accenture is seeking an experienced ASIC Design Verification Engineer to design verification services for complex multi-CPU/DSP SoC on the most advanced technology notes. You'll build a verification environment using SV/UVM methodology, build reusable bus functional models, monitors, checkers and scoreboards and drive coverage driven verification closure. To apply, a minimum of two years' of experience with RTL design and verification is required as is a Bachelor's degree or 12 years' of work experience. Systems Engineer, CACI, Sterling As a Systems Engineer, you will be responsible for engaging in design, development, test, and delivery of Caci's products in support of advanced systems. You will be working within multidisciplinary hardware, software, system integration, and data analysis/collection teams who are creating systems in support of the Department of Defense and other Intelligence Community agencies. You will translate customer requirements into technical requirements and specifications, while coordinating a cross-functional development team to ensure the continued timely delivery of impactful products to customers. Something to look forward to: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny's arrival on June 30 will mark the final time Harrison Ford dons the iconic brown fedora and bomber jacket. But for the first 25 minutes of the movie, 79-year-old Ford will be de-aged to his 35-year-old self, thanks to new visual effects software from Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). Those who have seen the trailer for the fifth Indiana Jones entry will know that Ford is the latest actor to be digitally de-aged for parts of a role. Director James Mangold told Total Film that this isn't a brief flashback to the character's youth; a younger Indy has 25 minutes of screen time in the new movie. Speaking about the scene in the trailer where a bag is pulled off Jones' head to reveal a younger Ford, Mangold said, "I just shot him, and he just pretended that he was 35," though Ford's face was covered in dots to help the system. The effect was aided by the "incredibly gifted and agile" actor, who found it easy to pretend he was in his mid-30s again. Digitally removing decades from Ford was accomplished using FRAN (face re-aging network), but it only works with real people when there are images available of the person in the same poses and lighting at a younger age. Thankfully for the makers, Lucasfilm had hundreds of hours of footage of Ford, including film that wasn't printed, showing him in different shots, lighting, and during the night and day. Dial of Destiny starts in 1944, around eight years after Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, which is why the de-aging tech was required. "It wasn't a year of effort to get to a first pass," Mangold said. "It was an incredible technology, and, in many ways, I just didn't think about it. I just focused on shooting what's [approximately] a 25-minute opening extravaganza that was my chance to just let it rip. The goal was to give the audience a full-bodied taste of what they missed so much. Because then when the movie lands in 1969, they're going to have to make an adjustment to what it is now, which is different from what it was." Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy also praised the de-aging tech. Speaking to Empire, she said, "My hope is that, although it will be talked about in terms of technology, you just watch it and go, 'Oh my God, they just found footage. This was a thing they shot 40 years ago." Digitally de-aging actors has come a long way since it was first used to knock the years off Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen in X-Men: The Last Stand in 2006: Kurt Russell in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Samuel L. Jackson in Captain Marvel, and Will Smith in Gemini Man are some notable examples. But Ford's youthifying could be the most convincing yet. Bottom line: Samsung's revenue in the first three months of 2023 totaled 63.8 trillion won ($47.5 billion), an 18 percent year-over-year drop. However, profits evaporated as the company incurred a huge loss in the semiconductor business. The C-suite at the Korean giant is still optimistic about a rebound in consumer demand in the second half of 2023, but that hinges on China's economic recovery. Samsung's semiconductor business isn't doing well. The company reported a record 4.6 trillion won ($3.4 billion) loss from the chip division in the first quarter of 2023, which had been one of its main revenue drivers for the past several years. This starkly contrasts the 8.5 trillion won ($6.3 billion) in profit recorded in the same period last year. Overall, the Korean giant's quarterly profit took a 95 percent dive to about 640 billion won (~$478 million), making it the worst result in 14 years. Economic uncertainty and lower demand for consumer electronics are largely to blame for Samsungs's losses, and this was further exacerbated by PC and smartphone manufacturers that have been hoarding chips so their factories wouldn't be starved when demand eventually returns to meaningful levels. Like competitors Micron and SK Hynix, Samsung hopes the second half of this year will see higher demand for memory chips as existing inventories are cleared and new product launches presumably entice consumers and enterprises to upgrade. This will depend greatly on China, which is the largest market in the world for PCs, smartphones, and servers. In the meantime, the Korean tech giant has slashed memory chip production in an effort to prevent further price drops and safeguard its long-term profitability. Research and development spending budgets will remain unchanged, as Samsung likes to spend during economic downturns to maintain its competitive edge. Notable developments are 2nm GAA and 2nd generation 3nm process nodes, with the first planned to be used in mass production as soon as 2025. During an investor call, Samsung executives noted the extension of the mobile GPU partnership with AMD, as well as the possibility that future flagships could once again feature Exynos chipsets starting next year. Samsung's mobile division (MX) fared better in the three months ending in March, thanks to the Galaxy S23 series selling better than expected and overall shipments surpassing those of Apple's iPhone. The company says it made 3.9 trillion won ($2.9 billion) in profit from the MX unit. In related news, competitor SK Hynix also reported a significant quarterly loss in profit and said it expects memory prices to continue their decline in the coming months. The Korean company believes consumer appetite for higher capacity memory and surging demand for high-performance servers for artificial intelligence will lead to prices stabilizing sometime in the second half of this year. Image credit: Harrison Broadbent Contractors of YouTube Music have officially unionized, resulting in overwhelming votes with 41 workers voted in favor out of a total of 49 eligible voters. The workers will join the Alphabet Workers Union-Communications Workers America, a group that represents all Alphabet-affiliated workers choosing to organize. (Photo : SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images) Subcontracted YouTube Music workers employed by Alphabets outsourcing partner Cognizant strike outside Google's office in Austin, Texas, on February 3, 2023. - The workers went on strike because of what they say are unfair labor practices. Voting to Unionize YouTube Music contractors have won their landmark election after voting to unionize with the Alphabet Workers Union-CWA. TechCrunch reported that this resulted in overwhelming votes through the National Labor Relations, with 41 voting in favor out of a total of 49 eligible voters. Meanwhile, nobody voted against the union as the remaining eight workers did not participate. The overwhelming votes were described as a historic moment as it could represent Alphabet's first time negotiating directly with a labor group. Google must bargain with the workers from YouTube Music to approve their union contract, as per the ruling. The company has been adamant with these contractors are employed by Cognizant, meaning that they are the ones who are responsible for their working conditions. Both companies have until May 3rd to file their respective objections towards the landmark election. The results will be certified once the election has not received any objections from both companies. Alphabet's Response Business Insider reported that Alphabet responded to its stance towards contract workers in a statement after the election. As per the company's spokesperson, Alphabet has no objection to these "Cognizant workers" electing to form a union. "We've long had many contracts with unionized suppliers. However, as we made clear in our active appeal to the NLRB, we are not a joint employer as we simply do not control their employment terms or working conditions," the spokesperson added. The company firmly believes that this matter only revolves between the workers and Cognizant as their employer. Meanwhile, Cognizant also responded in an email and stated that they were informed by the NLRV that a majority of their associates voted in support of unionizing. The employer noted, "Our philosophy remains that we are better together through open dialogue and collaboration. We are committed to continuing our mission as a team and delivering for our clients." Also Read: YouTube Music Workers Filed for Union Recognition in Austin, Texas During the first day of strike, workers fought as their employer was forcing them to follow the return-to-office mandate, ending the remote work before the vote. The employees felt this was unfair as some of the employees were hired remotely, with about a quarter of them not based in the Texas office. In Cognizant's defense, employees had been reminded by the company about this mandate since December 2021 with these roles being accepted by the employees with the knowledge that it would not be always remote. Aside from this, Vice reported that employees were only paid $19 per hour, which is not enough if they were able to follow the mandated RTO. Their budget will not be enough for the relocation, travel, and health care costs associated with every employee in the company. Related Article: YouTube Music Workers Strike Over Unfair Labor Practices 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A newly discovered privacy issue on the Microsoft Edge browser is enraging users because it sends every website visited by a user on the platform to the Bing search engine, turned on by default unless a user toggles it off. This problem is now verified by software engineers and recently discovered to be true by many, citing concerns regarding their online privacy whenever accessing the internet. While it is still unknown why Microsoft has been practicing this with the renowned browser, many are now calling out the company for its practices, despite showing no issues that it is using it for bad purposes. (Photo : Image from Microsoft Website) Microsoft Edge Sends Data to Bing for Every Website Visited As first discovered by a Redditor called u/hackermchalkface the Microsoft Edge browser has been sending every website visited by the user to a website called "bingapis.com," through an API. All data sent here is then fed to Bing, known to be the company's search engine which was the recently developed tech featuring artificial intelligence with GPT-4. It was then revealed by The Verge via a software engineer that this is under the feature that "follows" creators or websites from different platforms to help users track their chosen online entities. The reason why Edge is sending all the data or websites visited is that it is not working properly, taking more than what it should have been doing. Microsoft also acknowledged this issue but did not explain why it was happening. Read Also: Microsoft Edge Launches AI Image Generator: Introducing the Dall-E-Enabled Image Creator Tool How to Turn Off Microsoft Edge's Bing Data Issue As per the Redditor, the recent Edge Version 112.0.1722.34 and later, did not revert this issue but allowed users to turn off this following process, one that helps stop the website sharing relationship it has with Bing. To do that, users only need to go to Microsoft Edge's browser settings, choose Privacy, Search, and Services, and then Services to find "Show suggestions to follow creators in Microsoft Edge," which they may then toggle off. Microsoft Edge and its Development In one of the most significant developments of Microsoft, it introduced a Chromium-based browser that replaces its infamous Internet Explorer which the company debuted in 2015. It was first adopted for the Windows 10 operating system and is now its featured internet browser for all online needs, equipped with fast speeds and different features. The Redmond-based tech company went above and beyond with Edge's development, centering on the many features that it brought for users to experience, including Smart Search, Password Monitor, and many security improvements. It also recently offered a built-in VPN from the company to experience, centering on extending more of its privacy tech for all. Edge has been an excellent technology for users to access the internet without any problems, with its straightforward approach to a fast and secure browser, until this recent issue. The good thing is users may turn it off to ease their worries regarding the data it sends to Bing, but Microsoft remains without any explanations behind it. Related Article: Microsoft Edge: New Cryptocurrency Wallet Feature Leaked, Currently Under Testing 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Hackers who remain unidentified have discovered a method to gain entry into the email accounts of individuals who possess an AT&T email address, according to a report by TechCrunch. This access is then utilized to hack into the crypto exchange accounts of the victims, enabling the hackers to steal their cryptocurrency. AT&T's Internal Network It is believed that hackers can access a section of AT&T's internal network, which enables them to produce mail keys for any user. These mail keys are credentials that permit AT&T email users to sign into their accounts using email applications, like Thunderbird or Outlook, without having to use their passwords. The hackers can use an email app to sign into the target's account with the victim's mail key and then begin resetting passwords for more profitable services such as cryptocurrency exchanges. Subsequently, the hackers can reset the password for the victim's Coinbase or Gemini account via email. Jim Kimberly, an AT&T spokesperson, confirmed that the company had detected the unauthorized creation of secure mail keys, which could allow someone to gain access to an email account without a password. In response, AT&T has updated its security controls and has required password resets on some accounts. As a further precaution, the company has locked some accounts, prompting owners to reset their passwords, which has resulted in the deletion of any secure mail keys created by unauthorized users. Although AT&T declined to disclose how many people were affected by the attacks, it said that it had taken measures to prevent further unauthorized access to users' email accounts. Read Also: AT&T to Issue $60 Million Refund to Customers Affected By Data Speed Reduction: How To Know If You're Eligible Stolen Crypto According to TechCrunch, multiple people have reported being hacked after unknown hackers broke into the email accounts of those with AT&T email addresses. One victim told TechCrunch that hackers had stolen $134,000 from their Coinbase account. Another victim shared that they had experienced repeated hacks since November 2022 and noticed it when their Outlook client failed to connect. They quickly logged into their AT&T account, deleted the hacker's mail key, and created a new one. Reddit users with AT&T and related email addresses have reported being hacked, with some still receiving emails about a secure mail key being created despite changing their passwords and security questions. TechCrunch said it was unable to verify the hackers' claim of stealing between $15 to $20 million in crypto but saw a screenshot of a Telegram group chat where a hacker claimed to have access to the entire AT&T employee database. AT&T denied the hackers had any access to internal company systems and locked some email accounts as a precaution but did not disclose the number of affected people. Related Article: AT&T and BlackRock Inc. Launches Gigapower LLC, Provides Internet Services Beyond 21-State Local Phone Territory 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The 'cobra effect', or why the obsession with rankings and metrics generates corruption The week of God Tweeter: Elon Musk's B account and the fourth daughter of the Emeritus Jordi Cruz cooks for Springsteen, the Spielbergs and Michelle Obama before the second concert of the 'Boss' in Barcelona The founder of Twitter criticizes Musk's management: "it was a mistake to sell him the social network" Tricks so that they do not bother you on WhatsApp without having to block or give explanations This is how nine great chefs imagine the future of the sector This is how Apple is becoming, little by little, a bank A hamburger restaurant, a Peruvian bar, a cocktail bar and a little piece of Latin America... Four openings to consider Kareen Guiock-Thuram: What does her husband Lilian think of his new career in music? Masahide Onoue made his first stage appearance as a kabuki actor at the age of 10 Met Gala 2023: Angele and Marion Cotillard were present (and one of them was totally unrecognizable) "The Voice": an iconic coach will make his comeback in the show for the cross battles From the courtyards of Cordoba to the tulips of Amsterdam: the best getaways for May "The surname does everything": Ivan Emelianenko makes his debut in MMA with a fight against the former Russian judo champion Shesterkin's vain efforts, the failure of Panarin and Tarasenko: the Rangers lost to New Jersey and flew out of the Stanley Cup Women's World Cup: FIFA refuses to sell off the competition and threatens not to broadcast it Why are so many people hooked on snooker? "It doesn't make sense" The Judo Federation of Ukraine boycotted the World Cup because of the admission of Russians in neutral status Basketball: the former captain of Les Bleues Celine Dumerc announces the end of her career at 40 years old 83-year-old Barbara ahead of the start of the Olympics in Paris: "It will be the crowning glory" "Poke a pitchfork in the back": commentator Genich quarreled with "Rostov" because of the assessment of the episode in the match with "Spartak" Compared with other new energy vehicles, what are the unique advantages of hydrogen energy vehicles? The 'jumbo mortgages' or why JP Morgan has been interested in staying with the intervened First Republic Hainan Islands duty-free added two new delivery methods, the first month of implementation is stable "May Day" tourism "crazy" many places in China for hotels to follow the trend of price increase "brakes" The third phase of the 133rd Canton Fair kicked off, and Chinese enterprises practiced "internal strength" hard to bring "fist products"-China News Network video Anhui Huangshan "May Day" homestay market continues to heat up, cultural experience tourism becomes the first choice-China News Network video Banking: why the Livret d'epargne populaire does not attract despite its advantages With the increase in the minimum wage, the number of employees paid at the minimum wage explodes "Digital Bank Run": What do the three bankrupt U.S. banks have in common? The first quarter of the first quarter of the local economic "report card" released What do you think? Full moon of new rules for duty-free pick-up on Hainan Islands: nearly 3 million yuan of duty-free goods "buy and pick" Raped by her ex, Pauline is pregnant and trying to rebuild herself Taiwanese couple "landed" to start a business: I hope my son can also develop in the mainland Here the trees have been felled in the middle of the Forest Mullet trail Tennis: Medvedev and Rublev stopped in the 8th in Madrid, Sabalenke in the last four After leaving Google.." "The Godfather of Artificial Intelligence" regrets his role in creating this technology Cristina Pedroche: "I'm not going to broadcast my birth. I'm not going to teach the girl in social media either." "Discrimination of pure water": the Polish airline refused to put tennis player Dyachenko on the flight because of the passport of the Russian Federation He was famous for his sweet recitation and funny attitudes. The death of the young Egyptian reader Abdullah Kamel Ex-Colonel of the US Armed Forces MacGregor warned Zelensky about the consequences of refusing dialogue The 'cobra effect', or why the obsession with rankings and metrics generates corruption "Up to 200 tons of ammunition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed": the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported a strike on a train at a railway station near Kramatorsk Tom Hanks gives it his all at Springsteen's second concert in Barcelona "A historic step".. The US state of "New Jersey" celebrates Islamic heritage in January of each year Chad: two Chadian rebel groups reported in the far north of the Central African Republic An explosion occurred in the Liaocheng chemical plant area in Shandong Province, and the Ministry of Emergency Management issued an accident warning Communities 2019 - Privacy The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said on Thursday that Egypt is fully committed to supporting international efforts to stop the violence and conflict in Sudan. During a cabinet meeting on Thursday, Madbouly expressed his hopes for Sudan to regain stability and security as soon as possible. He also noted that since the start of the crisis, Egyptian institutions have been actively working to facilitate the safe return of Egyptian expats in Sudan. He thanked the members of the Egyptian diplomatic and consular missions in Sudan, including the defence attache, for their efforts in securing the return of Egyptians in conflict zones, saying they "perform their work under very difficult and complex circumstances to secure the return of the Egyptians who are in areas of conflict." The Prime Minister also extended his condolences to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the family of Mohamed El-Gharawi, the assistant administrative attache at the Egyptian embassy in Khartoum, who was killed on Monday while carrying out evacuation procedures for Egyptian citizens. So far, Egypt has evacuated 1,539 citizens from Sudan: 446 via land and 189 via air. However, there are still around 10,000 Egyptian citizens in Sudan, including 5,000 students, who are trying to leave amid ongoing clashes that have resulted in the deaths of 512 people and the injuries of thousands. In addition to Egyptian citizens, the country also received over 10,000 individuals including foreign nationals through Egyptian-Sudanese border crossings. Search Keywords: Short link: Egyptian efforts to facilitate the crossing of refugees from Sudan over the past few days have resulted in the entry of over 16,000 foreign nationals as of 27 April, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Abu-Zeid, stated on Thursday. 14,000 Sudanese citizens, along with 2,000 citizens from 50 countries and six international organisations, entered Egypt, Abu Zeid clarified. Efforts continue around the clock to receive citizens fleeing military conflict, alleviate their suffering and provide them with necessary humanitarian aid. On Wednesday, the Ministry of Transportation reported that 10,194 individuals from different countries entered Egypt through border crossings between 21 and 25 April. The ministry also highlighted its cooperation with the Egyptian Red Crescent, which opened a relief centre earlier this week, providing necessary meals and medicine for refugees. Egypt has around 10,000 citizens in Sudan, including 5,000 students, trying to evacuate amid clashes that have killed 427 people, including two Egyptians and wounded thousands. As per the most recent update from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, 2,679 Egyptian citizens have been successfully evacuated from Sudan thus far. Search Keywords: Short link: The Port of South Louisiana has proposed buying the former Avondale shipyard site for $445 million, which must be approved by the state Bond Commission. Barges are moored along the Mississippi River near the shipyard on Thursday, January 12, 2023. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate) The Egyptian Naval Forces rescued 27 tourists of different nationalities and 11 Egyptian crew and divers after evacuating them from a tourist boat which capsized in the vicinity of the Red Sea Naval Base, according to a statement released by the Egyptian Armed Forces on Thursday. The statement explained that an SOS signal was received from the boat, which was carrying 14 Britons, three Germans, four Belgians, three Spaniards, one Irish and one Swiss tourist, in addition to 11 Egyptians - eight crew and three divers. The General Command of the Egyptian Armed Forces immediately issued orders to dispatch a coastal patrol boat to carry out assistance and rescue efforts, the statement continued. The patrol boat succeeded in rescuing all the passengers on board the tourist boat and provided all necessary medical and administrative care to them upon their arrival at the navy pier, the statement added. "This comes as part of the efforts of the Egyptian Naval Forces to support maritime search and rescue operations in all strategic directions along the Egyptian coasts," the statement concluded. Search Keywords: Short link: For Marcus Blackmore revenge isnt just sweet its lucrative. The sale of his 18 per cent in one of Australias largest vitamins companies will mean he walks away with around $400 million. Japanese conglomerate Kirin has agreed to pay $1.88 billion to buy Blackmores after beating at least one competitor, a move that will bookend a gruelling battle between Blackmore and the board of the company his father founded in the 1930s. Marcus Blackmore voted against the short and long-term pay incentives set out for CEO Alastair Symington for 2023. Credit: Louie Douvis To say Blackmore was at odds with the performance of the board and its chief executive is the mother of all understatements. He rallied shareholders to vote against the companys remuneration report last year and unsuccessfully lobbied for the appointment of a director, a former head of the pharmacy guild, George Tambassis. Advertisement Eating outWest End Super Whatnot crew hope latest bar passes with Flying Colours Theyre transforming a two-storey West End warehouse into a destination for wine, produce-driven snacks and music. Matt Shea April 27, 2023 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share After the success of Super Whatnot, Simon Martin is set to open Flying Colours, a vino-led bar and eatery on Vulture Street in West End. Morgan Roberts A few locals were left scratching their heads when Super Whatnot closed at relatively short notice at the start of the year. Sure, the pandemic had been rough and the iconic CBD boozer perhaps now played second (or third) fiddle to newer Burnett Lane neighbours, Death & Taxes and Alba Bar & Deli. But head in on a Friday or Saturday night when the drinks were flowing and one of the bars regular DJs was in full flight, and Super Whatnot still hummed like few other places could. Super Whatnot, the Brisbane city bar, before it closed in early 2023. Facebook Advertisement It turns out, though, owner Simon Martin had something else in the chamber. At the end of next month hell open Flying Colours, a vino-led bar and eatery on Vulture Street in West End. Taking over the old two-storey warehouse previously occupied by Wandering Cooks, Martin says to imagine Super Whatnot but scaled up to 120 seats and angled towards the local community. I didnt feel like I could do two things well, Martin says. Ive never seen myself as a multiple venue owner. Advertisement Super Whatnot had lived its life, and I was out of lease there. This opportunity came up and it felt like the right time to put Super Whatnot to bed and bring a new venue to life with a new name a new concept in a neighbourhood I live in. Martin, a West End local, says Flying Colours fits in with his life while laying out the welcome mat for everyone, no matter how their flag flies. Morgan Roberts Flying Colours will keep the open-air bones of Wandering Cooks before it, but is otherwise being given a makeover by Angus Munros Marc & Co the architecture firm known for its work on Super Whatnot, and more recently Rothwells Bar & Grill on Edward Street in the CBD. Outside, the seating is being given a more formal arrangement, with a banquette and high tables shaded by umbrellas and plenty of greenery. Advertisement Inside, there will be booths and a lounge that recalls Super Whatnots sunken seating area. The DNA of Martins old venue will also show up in a DJ booth and repurposed furniture. I wanted something elevated, from a design point of view, but still approachable, Martin says. The name Flying Colours is a welcome mat for everyone. Whatever flag you fly, your colours are welcome here. It recognises the diversity of West End. Advertisement Also, it declares an intention to do things better than average to pass with flying colours. For food, Martin says to expect an emphasis on quality seasonal produce cooked well. Drinks will be led by a wine list that favours low intervention and natural leaning drops. There will also be a wine, a cocktail and local craft beers on tap. Flying Colours will mark another in the spine of venues slowly helping join Boundary Street with West Ends second high street of Hardgrave Road. Its also another step in what feels like a rapid evolution blowing through the suburbs drinking and dining scene. Advertisement Absolutely, I think so, Martin says. The great thing about this site is that it connects to The End and Bosc on one side, and then down towards Bar Francine and West Side Burger, and then around the corner to Mama Taco and up to Pilloni. Its becoming a precinct where you can go and have a night out or an afternoon out and experience some quality venues. Im sure [the city] will come back but West End is very much alive. I live here and my daughter is just up the road at West End State School. Advertisement So it fits in with my life and for years now I wanted to do something in West End. So this was a really good opportunity. Flying Colours will open in late May. Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up Advertisement Review Eating outMelbourne Does the Showroom Bar serve the Rolls-Royce of lobster rolls? Besha Rodell April 28, 2023 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share This story is part of the April 29 Edition of Good Weekend. See all stories . 1 / 9 The Showroom Bar is in a former Rolls-Royce dealership. Bonnie Savage 2 / 9 Almond and garlic gazpacho. Bonnie Savage 3 / 9 Murray cod with grapefruit beurre blanc. Bonnie Savage 4 / 9 Trout ceviche. Bonnie Savage 5 / 9 Theres been no holding back with the design of the place: its over-the-top, art deco-inspired opulence is pure glam. Bonnie Savage 6 / 9 The lobster roll. Bonnie Savage 7 / 9 Mushroom tarts. Bonnie Savage 8 / 9 Mushroom tarts. Bonnie Savage 9 / 9 The passionfruit parfait dessert. Bonnie Savage Previous Slide Next Slide 14 / 20 How we score European$$$ My sister and one of her many best friends have a long-standing tradition, lifted partially from a classic Parks and Recreation episode, called the treat yo self weekend. The two of them book into a fancy hotel in Melbourne, indulge in lavish picnics on the big hotel bed, drink champagne in the bath, cover themselves in luxury beauty products and generally, well, treat themselves. Of all the hotels theyve stayed in, the one they came back raving about the most was The Royce, on St Kilda Road. Its so glamorous and beautiful, my sister gushed, the perfect mix of elements needed to truly live up to the spirit of her extravagant tradition. A former Rolls-Royce dealership, the site has been a hotel for more than 20 years. In 2017, it was sold to pub developer Mazen Tabet for about $55 million and, over the past two years, has undergone an extensive renovation. Its relaunch in February brought with it a new suite of dining options, the most ambitious of which is in the old car showroom on the ground floor. Its called, appropriately, the Showroom Bar. Advertisement The Royce Hotel's new bar is a portal to Melbourne's Roaring Twenties Theres been no holding back with the design of the place: its over-the-top, art deco-inspired opulence is pure glam. Columns are mirror-encrusted and the grand, curving staircase is a symphony of filigreed chrome, while chairs and banquettes are covered in pastel velvets and massive chandeliers hang from soaring ceilings. A huge bar occupies the centre of the space and there is lots of clubby lounge seating around the windows for those wanting to stop in for drinks or coffee. Theres been no holding back with the design of the place: its over-the-top, art deco-inspired opulence is pure glam. Advertisement The menu is trying to be lots of things to lots of people, which is necessary, I suppose. It succeeds most resoundingly in its classic, luxe European offerings, dishes that seem like a throwback to noughties dining (in a good way): grilled scallops with peas in a warm bacon vinaigrette ($29), or a gorgeously cooked fillet of Murray cod in a grapefruit beurre blanc ($49). Go-to dish: Murray cod with grapefruit beurre blanc. Bonnie Savage An almond and garlic gazpacho ($23) was a silky wonder, topped with a charred grape salsa. Victorian black mussels in a seafood bisque ($45) were fat and perfectly cooked, though Id have preferred the traditional baguette crostata to the limp soda bread served on the side. (Also, it wouldve been nice to get a bowl for the shells that could actually accommodate them; we ended up playing a rousing game of mussel-shell Jenga at the table.) Theres a section of the menu titled Comforts that seems purpose built for room-service since it includes a burger ($34), a club sandwich ($32) and a lobster roll ($36). Showroom Bars lobster roll. Bonnie Savage Advertisement I was particularly excited by the latter, since proper lobster rolls are hard to come by in Melbourne, but this version is anything but typical. The brioche bun was dotted with hunks of butter-poached lobster meat, lots of sliced cucumber and smoked salmon roe. I didnt detect the promised saffron aioli, iceberg lettuce or celery, which is fine, I suppose it was still a tasty sandwich but Id love our city to be able to offer a classic lobster roll before people go messing with the formula. Desserts were, oddly, all some form of custard or mousse or meringue, without a tart or cake or pastry in sight. Im also not sure how the passionfruit parfait ($22) qualifies as a parfait. Resembling a stiff panna cotta over a biscuit base, its neither the layered version popular in America, nor the semifreddo of European tradition. The passionfruit parfait dessert. Bonnie Savage It was obvious the service team is still very much in training mode and Im not sure how formal that training is. Basic things, such as what to say when you approach a table, may not have been covered yet. Wine service is being taught on the fly and doesnt yet extend to the idea, for instance, of pouring guests wine for them in a restaurant where theyre being charged upwards of $30 for an entree or sandwich. Advertisement Im assuming these things will sort themselves out as the place gets busier, the staff grow in confidence and the business shifts to welcoming more locals (right now, most of the trade appears to be servicing hotel guests). Some of this food is truly lovely good enough, along with the rooms excessive beauty, for a meal at the Showroom Bar to definitely feel like a treat. The lowdown Vibe: Over-the-top art deco glam Go-to dish: Murray cod with grapefruit beurre blanc ($49) Drinks: Creative, well-made cocktails and a crowd-pleasing wine list with a few interesting finds Cost: About $200 for two, excluding drinks This review was originally published in Good Weekend magazine Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up Advertisement Review Eating outDarlinghurst No bookings, no drinks list but sake bar Amuro has charm (and chopstick pillows youll want to pilfer) Callan Boys April 28, 2023 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share This story is part of the April 29 Edition of Good Weekend. See all stories . 1 / 7 In another life, Amuro might have been an Aesop store. Jennifer Soo 2 / 7 Chicken karaage. Jennifer Soo 3 / 7 Duck breast and plum. Jennifer Soo 4 / 7 Daintiest prawn dish of the year: Ama-ebi (spot prawns with pickled wasabi stem). Jennifer Soo 5 / 7 The restaurant occupies a sliver of Darlinghurst and seats 20 diners at a time. Jennifer Soo 6 / 7 Kingfish sashimi. Jennifer Soo 7 / 7 Grilled shishamo. Jennifer Soo Previous Slide Next Slide 14.5 / 20 How we score Japanese$$$ Ive never seen it happen, but Im told people steal things from restaurants. Steak knives, bread plates, potted plants and table lamps if the object can fit in a handbag or pocket, at some point somebody is going to try to flog it. Heres hoping those fork thieves keep well away from the charming Amuro, which is a sticky-fingered diners dream. Its the chopstick rests, mainly shiny, like lucky-dip trinkets on a blackwood counter. Our chopstick pillows are little bunches of ceramic bananas, but other guests are provided with porcelain pea pods, miniature frying pans and sliced quail eggs. I Google cute chopstick rests (I wouldnt mind owning the bananas), discover a whole world of Japanese collectibles, and immediately close the tab on my phone. I spend too much on dinnerware as it is. Amuro, which opened in late February, occupies a sliver of Darlinghurst two blocks from Oxford Street. Its a minimalist room of polished concrete and stained timbers, designed by sought-after architect Matt Darwon. In another life, it might have been an Aesop store; now, instead, theres a row of bar stools around an open kitchen where chefs grill fish and greet guests, and occasionally help the waitstaff take orders. Advertisement Leading the operation is Kei Tokiwa, a softly spoken all-round nice guy who speaks about sake like Jiro dreams of sushi. He loves talking about sake so much, in fact, there isnt a written drinks list at Amuro. Since most Australians knowledge of the fermented rice drink is limited at best, Tokiwa says its better to jump straight into the conversation. If I write a list, people are still going to ask about which sake to order, he tells us while pouring different samples of the stuff: a refreshing Dewatsuru Junmai Daiginjo Marlin sake and an Imayo Tsukasa Black number which might be the driest thing Ive ever drunk. We land on the Marlin (one of the pricier options at $24 a glass), which has the bright acidity of a great riesling, making it ideal for pairing with seafood. No drinks list? No bookings? If youre wearing pearls right now, feel free to clutch them. A cold, clean rock oyster ($8), perhaps, enhanced with green apple and sour shiikuwasha citrus. Or blow-torched salmon topping ochazuke ($26) a humble, toasty rice dish invigorated by pouring green tea over the cooked grains. Advertisement Tokiwas menu changes daily and is built around simple, rustic Japanese dishes such as ochazuke, and its a welcome addition to a city with too many high-end sushi joints most of us will need to mortgage a kidney to eat at. The most expensive dish Ive seen is $36, and that was nicely marbled wagyu brisket, slow-braised with soy and mirin and brushed with a lip-sticking reduction of the cooking juices. If there is a daintiest prawn dish of the year award, Amuros ama-ebi ($18) is a strong contender. Its a neat line-up of six tiny spot prawns with a taste that reminds me of hot-buttered popcorn; pickled wasabi stems crown the little guys for kicks. Go-to dish: Ama-ebi (spot prawns with pickled wasabi stem). Jennifer Soo A bowl of okra and tofu ($12) is spiked with numbing sansho pepper and chilli oil to create a delicious, hot, gooey mess. Advertisement Tempura king brown mushrooms ($14) are battered in such a delicate way they almost feel healthier than they were before hitting the deep-fryer. Chicken karaage ($16) is just as greaseless, the knobbly two-bite-sized bits of fried chook maybe six of them buzzing with another healthy dose of sansho. Sweet and garlicky Taiwanese-style pork sausage ($16) is thoroughly tasty, even if its dense and rich and best shared. Consider ordering the five-spiced half duck breast ($24) all for yourself, however, for its beautifully rendered fat against juicy flesh, pink like a mountain range just after sunset. A house-made hoisin-ish sauce pumps the flavour up even further. Five-spice duck breast and plum. Jennifer Soo Advertisement Annoyingly, you cant book for any of this. A no-reservations policy means that on one Wednesday-night visit, Im told there wont be a seat for at least an hour. I sit on a negroni at another bar nearby and return to find four couples queuing in front of me. Time your run early (say, 4pm, when the doors open) for the best chance of avoiding a street-side wait. No drinks list? No bookings? If youre wearing pearls right now, feel free to clutch them. But Amuro is so earnest and unique that Tokiwa pulls it off. I take home a postcard with the days menu on one side, and a photograph of Kyoto on the other. The banana chopstick pillows, meanwhile, stay where they belong. On the way home, I cave in and order a set for myself. The lowdown Vibe: Singular, sake-led bar food served in a minimalist space Go-to dish: Ama-ebi with wasabi stem ($18) Drinks: Sake, sake, sake, with a smattering of Japanese wines and whiskies Cost: About $110 for two, excluding drinks This review was originally published in Good Weekend magazine Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up Sydneys town squares and parks would be transformed into flexible performance spaces for local musicians, festivals and community groups under a new plug and play proposal to boost the number of free cultural activities across the city. Local councils would install lighting, power outlets and tiered areas for seats and staging and make pre-approved event applications to encourage cheaper and more spontaneous performances from a variety of cultural and community groups. The idea is being pushed by the boss of the Sydney Fringe Festival, Kerri Glasscock, who said access to performance venues across the city is a major problem and made more difficult by complex paperwork and approvals processes at each council. Whenever you want to do something, you have to start completely from a blank canvas, said Glasscock, who developed the proposal in partnership with urban policy think tank the Committee for Sydney. NATO allies and partners have provided Ukraine with 1,550 armoured vehicles and 230 tanks to form units and help it retake territory from Russian forces, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday. The deliveries, since the start of the war in February last year, represent "more than 98 percent of the combat vehicles promised to Ukraine", Stoltenberg told a news conference. "In total we have trained and equipped more than nine new Ukrainian armoured brigades. This will put Ukraine in a strong position to continue to retake occupied territory." Search Keywords: Short link: A crime scene has been declared after a woman was found dead at a Brisbane unit overnight. Police have launched an investigation into the 45-year-olds death, after officers found her dead in Annerley about 9pm. Officers found the body after they were called to the Franklin Street unit. A 53-year-old man, who is known to the woman, was located at the unit and is assisting police with their inquires, police said in a statement. Auntys octogenarian chair Ita Buttrose recently dismissed criticisms of the ABCs youth problem as ageism. TURNBULLs $500,000 LEGAL BILL The acrimonious legal battle between Alex Turnbull and his father Malcolms former business partner, Russel Pillemer, has come to an end, with the ex-prime ministers son forking out half a million dollars in legal costs after calling it quits. The case was finalised at the 11th hour, right before a scheduled hearing before the NSW Court of Appeal on Thursday, with both sides prepared to go to war over an allegation made by Turnbull that his family was misled into accepting cash for repayment of a loan made to Pengana Capital Group in 2017. The former prime ministers son launched legal action in 2020 through a business named Maurtray, which he owns with his sister, Daisy Turnbull, seeking $12 million from Pengana, where Pillemer was chief executive. But things hit a snag last year when Justice Kate Williams found Turnbull had a willingness to lie during cross-examination and gave false and self-serving evidence. Turnbull had sought to appeal that decision to the Court of Appeal but, on the day of the litigation, decided against another drawn-out legal battle. Alex Turnbull. When CBD contacted Turnbull on Thursday he declined to comment but those close to the case said hes already made good and paid the $500,000. The lawsuit provided an insight into elite business and political circles in Sydney, and included allegations that Malcolm Turnbull had sought to conceal his financial assets during his political career by giving a $6 million gift to his children. CBD hears Alex Turnbull felt the litigation was no longer worth the risk. But months ago, he felt optimistic enough about his chances to retain a gold standard legal team, helmed by eminent barrister Bret Walker, SC, and featuring his fathers former legal adviser Daniel Ward. Loading Speaking to CBD on Thursday, Pillemer was ebullient on a day he described as eventful and fantastic, saying he was ecstatic with the outcome and praising Australias legal system. Australia has a great legal system, it takes a while to get to the end which is frustrating but nevertheless justice was served. Its great to live in a country like Australia, he said. Williams has previously ruled Turnbull was liable to pay Pillemers costs after Pillemers legal team gave Turnbull three opportunities to remove his company from the proceedings. All three offers were rebuffed. CLIVE PALMER Billionaire mining magnate Clive Palmer likes to splash his cash around, even if it is for doomed causes like trying to make Craig Kelly prime minister. Clive Palmer is planning a destination wedding for his son. Credit: Scott McNaughton But few benefit more from Palmers largesse than his own nearest and dearest. We hear Clives son Michael Palmer is getting married in Saint-Tropez on the French Riviera, with lucky guests apparently getting flown over from Australia at the moguls expense. Details about the nuptials are scant because, despite a penchant for public displays of absurdism, Palmer is pretty buttoned up when it comes to family affairs. Credit: John Shakespeare He didnt return our calls, and there was no comment from his media people except to tell us he was travelling to an unknown location. COSGROVE MINDS THE SHOP With Governor-General David Hurley and the rest of his state counterparts polishing their dancing shoes for the big bash Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III in the UK, the government had to tap an old hand to come off the bench and keep an eye on the shop. General Sir Peter Cosgrove, appointed by renowned monarchist former prime minister Tony Abbott, has been called up to reprise his role as Administrator of the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia with everyone else off overseas. An investigation into allegations a drug squad detective tampered with DNA evidence has caused charges against one woman to be dropped and sent police and prosecutors scrambling to check if any other cases will be affected. Victoria Police is scrutinising the potential for wider fallout and faces a financial hit in the tens of thousands of dollars after notifying defence lawyers it would pay legal costs for the woman, who had been accused of being a major player in an international dark web drug syndicate. A Victorian drug squad detective is accused of falsifying DNA evidence against a woman. Charges against the woman have been dropped. Credit: Getty Images Her charges were withdrawn on the morning of her court hearing last month on the same day the police officer was arrested. The officer was interviewed and then released without any charges being laid. The womans lawyer, Damian McNally, said his legal team was initially unaware of why the case against her was suddenly withdrawn. The federal government is paying retired senior American military officials up to $7500 a day for advice on major defence projects such as the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine pact. The government this week announced that, following its sweeping defence strategic review, retired United States Navy vice admiral William Hilarides would be hired to lead a snap review of the Royal Australian Navys surface fleet. The snap review of the navys surface fleet will examine planned purchases of Hunter-class frigates and offshore patrol vessels. The review, to be handed to the government later this year, will examine whether planned fleets of Australian-made frigates and patrol vessels should be cut to free up money for smaller and more nimble vessels. Hilarides has previously charged the Australian government US$4000 ($6000) a day for his consulting services, according to US Navy documents first reported by The Washington Post. Holiday rentals in Byron Bay should be limited to 60 days a year, the Independent Planning Commission has found in advice that could pave the way for a broader crackdown on short-term rentals across the state. The commission recommended the 60-day cap on non-hosted short-term rentals as the trigger needed to push dwellings back onto the long-term rental market in the Byron Shire, which has the highest rate of housing stress in NSW and the highest proportion of short-term rentals, at about 8.5 per cent of all dwellings. Byron Bay has the highest proportion of short-term rentals in NSW. Credit: Kiara Bloom Byron Shire Mayor Michael Lyon welcomed the recommendations and said other councils struggling with balancing tourism and housing affordability would be encouraged by the advice, which Planning Minister Paul Scully will now consider. It will make a huge difference [in Byron Bay], right across the board, Lyon said. Permanent residents are more beneficial to the economy as a whole. In the short space of 24 hours he had been arrested, tried, sentenced, shot in the back, and flung into the Piazza at Milan, an example for all to see of rude, rapid justice. Italian Premier Benito Mussolini, right, and members of his staff review troops of the newly formed Fascist battalions on the outskirts of Rome, Italy on October 19, 1941. Credit: AP Photo LONDON, April 30, 1945.The end of Mussolini, the man who inspired Hitler, came with terrible swiftness. First published in The Sydney Morning Herald on May 1, 1945 The story began last Wednesday, when Mussolini was summoned peremptorily to the palace of Cardinal Schuster, Archbishop of Milan, where he met the leader of the Patriot forces in the north, General Cadorna, the Commander-in-Chief of the Fascist troops, Marshal Graziani, and the German Commander in Italy, General Wittenhof. When he asked why he had been summoned he was told: To arrange unconditional surrender. For a moment Mussolini showed little spirit. I thought we were to negotiate, he said. Cadorna replied. There is no question of negotiations. These are our terms and the Germans have already accepted them. At 7.30 oclock the same evening Mussolini was informed General Wittenhof had surrendered and an immediate decision was demanded from the Duce. The Middle East: Peace in Jeopardy? March 1996 Peace in the Middle East has long been elusive. But recently the leaders and peoples of this beleaguered region seemed to be edging toward compromise and accomodation. Even the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin by a fanatic Jewish law student did not succeed in derailing the peace process, which was carried forward by Rabin's successor, Shimon Peres. Now, however, a series of Islamic terrorist attacks against Israel is rapidly dispelling the atmosphere of conciliation. Can Peres collaborate with Arab leaders to prevent an extreme fringe from destroying the peace process? Do the bombings signal the inevitable hopelessness of compromise in the region? Is "peace in the Middle East" an oxymoron? This question has been addressed by a number of Atlantic contributors over the years. In "Israel and the Arabs: the Myths that Block Peace" (January, 1969) political scientist Charles Yost argued for the feasibility of Arab-Israeli peace. He suggested that if each side could only be persuaded to relinquish its cherished myths-- the sense each had, for example, of its own innate superiority and divine right to control the Holy Land--then the conflict could be approached as a purely political, logistical matter, and a workable compromise could be devised. Should the two sides stubbornly refuse to listen to reason, he argued, then outside intervention on the part of the United Nations would be required to work out a compromise. In "Why Israel Can't Take 'Bold Steps' for Peace" (October, 1985) Irish statesman Conor Cruise O'Brien argued that hopes for rational solutions to the Middle Eastern conflict are unfounded. He suggested that the modern Western world's rationalism has led many to believe, wrongly, that a logical settlement is all that is required for the attainment of peace. "The Jewish claim to Jerusalem is not a matter of rational argument; nor is the Moslem claim; nor will the two claims be reconciled, or either side appeased, by arbitration." More recently, however, in "Lions in Winter" (January, 1993), Ze'ev Schiff and Ehud Ya'ari, reported on peace negotiations among Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, and the chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, Yasser Arafat, and suggested that peace might at last be near. The three leaders, they argued, would be especially eager to achieve a workable accomodation because "all three sense that their peoples cannot bear another war" and because "all three are at the end of their political careers and know that they have little time left to make an indelible mark not just on the history of the Middle East but, more to the point, on its future." Since then, one of those leaders has been assassinated and terrorism has escalated. Are these tragic but not insurmountable setbacks in a progression toward peace? Are they evidence of the ultimate intractability of the Middle Eastern conflict? How close is peace? For more on Israel and its spiritual-national mission, see our Flashback on the State of Israel. Copyright 1996 by The Atlantic Monthly Company. All rights reserved. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed an order on the provision of one-time financial assistance to participants of World War II, widows of soldiers who died in the war or died later, and persons awarded orders and medals for selfless work in the rear. Under the presidential order, the participants of the World War Two will receive a one-time allowance of AZN1500, while widows of fighters who were killed in the war or died later, those awarded with medals and orders for selfless labor in the rear, employees of special units, which were fulfilling tasks for the army and naval, persons awarded with medals and orders for the defense of Leningrad, as well as participants of the Siege of Leningrad will get AZN750. Under the order, AZN 2.9 million was allocated from the Presidential Contingency Fund for this purpose. A young man wearing a baseball cap emblazoned with Dior," women clutching babies wrapped in blankets, children bundled in winter coats. All gingerly stepped from rickety boats into the sturdy craft of the Tunisian Maritime National Guard and away from their dreams of life in Europe. Cold, wet and heartbroken, they are among hundreds caught daily in overnight sweeps for migrant boats on the Mediterranean Sea. Sit down! Sit down! Sit down! The shouted order confirmed the group was no longer in charge of their destiny. A woman sobbed. On an overnight expedition with the National Guard last week, The Associated Press witnessed migrants pleading to continue their journeys to Italy in unseaworthy vessels, some taking on water. Over 14 hours, 372 people were plucked from the fragile boats. Migrants, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa, are undertaking the perilous journey in unprecedented numbers. In the first three months of this year, 13,000 migrants were forced from their boats off the eastern Tunisian port city of Sfax, the main launching point. Between 2021 and 2022, the number of migrants heading to Europe, mostly to Italy but also to Malta, nearly doubled. In a single day in March, a record 2,900 migrants were stopped in the Sfax region, which also includes the coastal city of Mahdia and the Kerkennah Islands, off the Sfax coast, said National Guard Brig. Gen. Sabeur Younes. Migration to Europe has been on an upward climb, peaking in 2022 to 189,620, according to the International Organization for Migration. That's the most since 2016, when close to 400,000 left their homelands, and one year after more than 1 million people, mostly Syrians fleeing war, sought refuge in 2015. For many sub-Saharan Africans who don't need a visa to travel to Tunisia the North African country serves as a stepping stone to Europe, while others come from Libya, which shares a border with Tunisia. Each night, National Guard vessels comb the waters. Pulling up the dead is the grimmest part of the job. The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights said that 580 migrants died or disappeared at sea in 2022. This week, Sfax officials were rushing to bury some 90 bodies washed up on beaches in the Sfax region in recent days, the official TAP news agency reported Tuesday. The morgue at the main hospital is full, making burials critical. No deaths or disappearances were reported the night the AP was present. The groups of people plucked from the water during numerous sorties by small crafts are collected on a waiting National Guard mother ship and returned to Sfax. Considered victims, not lawbreakers, those stopped en route are set free at the port, many to try again. As of Monday, 36,610 migrants including 2,882 Tunisians had reached Italy since the start of the year. That is about four times the number who arrived in each of the two previous years, the Italian Interior Ministry said. Many head to Lampedusa, an island south of Sicily, some 180 kilometers (110 miles) from Sfax, a voyage that requires large measures of desperation and bravado. We are ready to drown and die to improve our situation, said a Syrian who identified himself only as Mohamed, fearful like many migrants caught at sea of revealing his full name. You know the situation in Syria, war and instability, he said, adding that he had lost four family members in the war. Italy is trying to stem the flow from Tunisia, and stabilize the North African country in the midst of its deepest economic crisis in a generation, with growing social and political tensions. This month Rome declared a state of emergency to help cope with the influx, then sweetened pressure on Tunisia, vowing a host of investments plus help in tough negotiations for an International Monetary Fund loan. But those incentives wont stop the recent, furious drive by people from sub-Saharan Africa and a booming business in cheaper metal boats that have fed the surge in migration from Tunisia. Sub-Saharan Africans, some living illegally in Tunisia for years and working at low wages, began trying to make a quick exit after Tunisia claimed that Black African are part of a plot to erase the countrys identity. Some countries airlifted their citizens back home. Many sub-Saharan Africans looked toward Europe as a getaway. If a Black man does something bad in Tunisia, then Tunisians see us all as bad and chase us away, said a man from Ivory Coast who refused to give his name over concerns about the tense situation for Black Africans in Tunisia. Its not logical. We are all humans. Younes, the National Guard chief, suggested that the furor over sub-Saharan Africans contributed to increased attempted crossings. After what happened, voila. They no longer have the means to stay here, he said. Theyll try everything to get to the other side. But another factor has enticed people to risk their lives for Europe. Flimsy, hand-made metal boats cheaper but less stable than wooden vessels began appearing on the seas last year and quickly became a flourishing business. The boats are made clandestinely in the Sfax region. Arrests are made, but unfortunately there are always other artisans to build them, Younes said. Even foreigners are being recruited, like Egyptians to do the welding, he said. But only a fine awaits boat builders who are caught because officials have so far failed to establish a link with smugglers. For the National Guard official, a critical link with Italy is missing. We need direct contact with the Italians for boats that risk sinking but have exited Tunisias zone of rescue, Younes said, rejecting suggestions Tunisia is not doing enough to stopped the influx of migrants. For the migrants, Tunisia is already doing too much dashing their dreams. We want to leave Tunisia! Let us die at sea. Its our choice, cried out some forced off the boats. Its our destiny. Among those removed was an infant bundled in a camouflage fleece suit, her head covered by a hat with kitty ears, seemingly dressed for a special event that was abruptly canceled by the National Guard. Search Keywords: Short link: Fierce clashes erupted between the Sudanese Armed forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the capital Khartoum Thursday, while deadly fighting flared in Darfur as the conflict entered a 13th day despite a US-brokered ceasefire. Late on Wednesday, the army said it had agreed to talks in Juba, capital of neighbouring South Sudan, on extending the three-day truce which expires on Friday "at the initiative of IGAD", the East African regional bloc. There have been multiple truce efforts since fighting broke out on April 15 between Sudan's regular army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary RSF commanded by his deputy turned rival, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. All have failed. The fighting has continued depite the US-brokered ceasefire that took effect on Tuesday, with warplanes patrolling the skies over the capital's northern suburbs as fighters on the ground have exchanged artillery and heavy machine gun fire, witnesses said. Burhan agreed on Wednesday to the IGAD proposal for talks on extending the truce by a further 72 hours, the army added. The RSF's response to the proposal remains unclear. At least 512 people have been killed and 4,193 wounded in the fighting, according to health ministry figures, although the real death toll is likely to be much higher. Violence beyond Khartoum In a statement on Thursday, the Sudanese army announced that the military situation within and outside the capital city of Khartoum remains stable, except for the tribal conflict in West Darfur, which is being addressed by local authorities. Clashes between the army and the RSF raged for a second straight day in the West Darfur capital Geneina, witnesses said, adding that civilians were seen fleeing to the nearby border with Chad. The army reported that its forces have gained control of most states, but the situation in some parts of the capital is complicated due to the mobilization of the RSF. The coming days will witness a significant breakthrough , the army said. However, the army remains optimistic, stating that the coming days will witness a significant breakthrough. Additionally, the RSF attempted to attack the central command headquarters but were repelled with heavy losses. The army also reported that random bombing in central Khartoum by the enemy has resulted in the destruction of some buildings and facilities.On Wednesday, the United Nations humanitarian agency had reported killings, looting and arson in Geneina. "An estimated 50,000 acutely malnourished children have had nutrition support disrupted due to the fighting," it added in a statement. The heavy fighting has trapped many civilians in their homes, where they have endured severe shortages of food, water and electricity. Communications have been sporadically disrupted. The UN has warned that as many as 270,000 people could flee into Sudan's poorer neighbours South Sudan and Chad. Other Sudanese have sought refuge in Egypt to the north and Ethiopia to the east, but both entail long and potentially dangerous journeys overland. The UN said it had "received reports of tens of thousands of people arriving in the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan". "If the armed confrontation between these two forces protracts - or worse, if it draws in other armed rebel groups across the country - this could quickly become one of the worst humanitarian crises in the region and risk spilling over," Cambridge University academic Sharath Srinivasan told US news outlet Politico. Foreign governments have taken advantage of the fragile truce to organise road convoys, aircraft and ships to get thousands of their citizens out but some have warned their evacuation efforts are dependent on the lull in fighting holding. China deployed warships on Thursday to evacuate its citizens, the defence ministry said. War crimes suspect escapes As lawlessness has gripped Sudan, there have been several jailbreaks, including from the high security Kober prison where top aides of ousted president Omar al-Bashir were held. Among those who have escaped is Ahmed Haroun, wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the Darfur conflict that erupted two decades ago. Haroun's escape sparked fears of the involvement of Bashir loyalists in the ongoing fighting. The army said the ousted president was not among those who escaped but had been moved to a military hospital before the fighting erupted. Search Keywords: Short link: Cheyenne, WY (82001) Today Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 67F. Winds SSE at 15 to 25 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 45F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Millions of Turkish citizens living abroad began voting Thursday in national elections that will decide whether President Recep Tayyip Erdogan can govern Turkey for another term. The overseas balloting began amid concerns over Erdogans health, after he was forced to cancel election rallies on Wednesday and Thursday. However, he was scheduled to attend a ceremony Thursday via video link to mark the inauguration of Turkeys first nuclear power plant. Among the biggest contingent of overseas voters are 1.5 million Turks in Germany, who can cast their ballots in presidential and parliamentary elections at 16 polling sites across the country until May 9. Voting in Turkey itself doesn't take place until May 14. During the previous election five years ago, a significant majority of Turkish voters in Germany backed Erdogan. It is unclear whether the 69-year-old will receive the same level of backing from them this year. Opinion polls in Turkey showing a slight lead for Erdogan's main challenger, center-left opposition party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who is backed by the cross-party Nation Alliance. Germany's Agriculture Minister Cem Ozdemir, who has family roots in Turkey, told the RND media group that a victory for Kilicdaroglu would pave the way for a return to democracy in Turkey. Search Keywords: Short link: Batavia, NY (14020) Today Steady light rain this morning. Showers continuing this afternoon. High 44F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Light rain...mixing with snow overnight. Low 36F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precip 80%. President Kais Saied has called for the revival of Tunisia's phosphate industry, suggesting he will seek alternative sources of revenue that would allow the country to do without a foreign bailout. "Our gold is underground while the country is facing a difficult financial situation," Saied told a meeting Wednesday night of the National Security Council, referring to phosphate reserves. Saied has previously called for a revival of phosphate production, one of the North African country's few natural resources often used for agricultural fertiliser. Gafsa Phosphate Company (CPG), a former flagship of the Tunisian economy, has seen its production collapse since the 2011 revolution due to a lack of investment and bouts of social unrest. Tunisia has endured years of mounting economic pain, made worse by the coronavirus pandemic and the fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The International Monetary Fund was originally expected to approve a $2 billion bailout deal on December 19, but that was delayed pending a Tunisian budget, which has since been passed, and a law to stop banks charging excessive interest. The IMF has also called for legislation to restructure more than 100 state-owned firms, which hold monopolies over many parts of the economy and in many cases are heavily indebted. "Regarding the IMF, foreign diktats that will lead to more poverty are unacceptable," Saied told reporters on April 6. Asked at the time what the alternatives are to a deal, Saied said Tunisians should "work on our own". Search Keywords: Short link: The head of the Sudanese Armed Forces General Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan announced on Thursday that he has agreed to extend the ceasefire with the rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for three more days, according to Sky News Arabia. Al-Burhan's announcement came a few hours before a US-brokered 72-hour ceasefire between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF was set to come to an end on Thursday night. The extension of the ceasefire came in accordance with the efforts of both the United States and Saudi Arabia to calm the situation in the country, according to Al-Burhan. The report also confirmed that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed to extend the truce and promised to use it to ease the suffering of the Sudanese people. The RSF stressed its commitment to the conditions of the truce in order to support the efforts to evacuate citizens, foreigners, and dipolmatic missions so that they could return safely to their families. Search Keywords: Short link: 3 Orphaned Bear Cubs Rehabilitated and Returned to San Bernardino National Forest Three bear cubs are being cared and rehabilitated by the San Diego Humane Society's Ramona Wildlife Center. (Courtesy of San Diego Humane Society) SAN DIEGOThree orphaned bear cubs, rehabilitated by the San Diego Humane Societys (SDHS) Ramona Wildlife Center, are back in the wild April 27. The cubs spent nine months at the wildlife center and were released April 26 in the San Bernardino National Forest near Clarks Ranch. It is always our goal to rehabilitate and return all wildlife to their natural habitat, Andy Blue, campus director of SDHSs Ramona Wildlife Center, said in a statement. This release in Clarks Ranch was very special for our team because it was relatively close to us, so we had multiple wildlife rehab specialists joining to witness it firsthand. Three bear cubs are being rehabilitated and returned to the San Bernardino National Forest on April 26, 2023. (Courtesy of San Diego Humane Society) According to the humane society, all three cubs were rescued by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and brought to the Ramona Wildlife Center in July of 2022. An orphaned brother-sister pair came from the San Bernardino Mountains. Their mother had been conditioned to seek food from humans and was killed by a resident while attempting to break into a cabin. The third, a female cub, was rescued after her mother was likely hit by a car near Lake Arrowhead. Since their arrival, the three cubs have grown healthy and strong together at the Ramona Wildlife Center in an outdoor enclosure that closely mimics life in the wild, veterinarians said. The Project Wildlife team has kept an eye on the bears from a distance, making sure they did not become comfortable around humans and were prepared to survive on their own and forage for food. The bears have also been microchipped, fitted with a GPS collar, and given a clean bill of health from Project Wildlifes veterinary team. There are two bear cubs still in care at the Ramona Wildlife Center. With this latest release, the center is making space for new orphaned bears found in the wild this season, as bear cubs are typically born in February or March. Workers at the San Diego Humane Society return three orphaned bear cubs to the San Bernardino National Forest on April 26, 2023. (Courtesy of San Diego Humane Society) Search online for the meaning of rhetoric, and youll find the word typically defined as speech or writing intended to persuade others. Some sources list as a secondary meaning bombastic or sentimental speech and writing, often deceitful in their attempts at persuasion. Hes just gaslighting us, someone might say of a politicians appearance. Its all just hot air and rhetoric. If asked, most Americans might be unable even to define rhetoric, much less explain why or how it might be studied and deployed. To fault them for their ignorance would be wrong, for with the exception of students in homeschools, classical academies, and some liberal arts colleges, most people arent exposed to rhetoricneither the word nor its worth. Aristotles The Art of Rhetoric was a guide to oratory for centuries. Aristotle, 1653, by Luca Giordano. (Public Domain) It wasnt always this way. From the ancient Greeks to the first years of the 20th century, rhetoric was a part of education, just like geometry or literature. The ability to espouse a cause, to handle the English language with skill and power in writing, from a podium or even in conversation, and to entertain and enlighten your listeners was considered the mark of an educated man or woman. A Brief Early History In a world without electronics or the printing press, the ability to speak wellto convince a jury, to address an assembly of your fellow citizens, to rouse soldiers to war, to eulogize a friend, and much morewas considered a crucial element in education. In ancient Greece, particularly in Athens, sophists began teaching rhetoric to the young, with a focus on winning an argument through emotional and manipulative language, sometimes at the expense of truth. Disgusted by these practices, and perhaps to polish up its image, Aristotle wrote The Art of Rhetoric, a guide that influenced Western oratory for the next two millennia and that even today casts its shade over this subject. Here, he set up a system of the ways and means of persuasion, like combining logic with feeling and employing different rhetorical devices that add prowess and beauty to the argument. Perhaps most importantly, he opposed the sophists by contending that truth, or at least the search for a truth, was a foundation stone for rhetorical art. Quintilian studied Aristotles text and wrote such guides himself. Frontispiece of a 1720 Dutch edition of the Institutio Oratoria, showing Quintilian teaching rhetoric. (Public Domain) Romans like Cicero and Quintilian studied Aristotles text and wrote such guides themselves. Quintilian, for instance, developed a system of Five Canons of Rhetoric, leading students from developing their topics and arguments to memorization to the actual delivery of the speech itself. Like Aristotle and Cicero, his ideas and writings were studied and disseminated for centuries after his death. The bookend theologians of the Middle Ages, Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, were both well aware of the tools and uses of rhetoric, though we find them in Augustines writings to a far greater extent than in those of Aquinas, who aimed at a systematic examination of Christian beliefs. A Foundation Stone of the Liberal Arts The invention of the printing press brought a greater emphasis to rhetoric as a tool for composition as well as for oratory. Through broadsides, manifestos, and books, skilled writers could make their case for ideas that surpassed the reach and power of transient oral deliveries. From Martin Luther to John Locke and Thomas Jefferson, a teeming company of philosophers and thinkers brought rhetorical devices to their pen-and-paper arguments. John Locke used rhetorical devices in his writings. John Locke, 1697, by Godfrey Kneller. (Public Domain) And this interest in rhetoric shaped the liberal arts as we think of them today. Even in the ancient world, teachers of rhetoric encouraged the study of poetry, language, and history not only as subjects in their own right but also as fertile fields from which to glean ideas for debate and discussion. From the 18th century up through the early 20th century, these subjects were at the heart of most American universities, with a special emphasis on rhetoric. The power of these programs may be discerned even in their trickle-down effects. Abigail Adams, for instance, often rued her lack of Latin and Greek, yet her correspondence is filled with rhetorical devices and with references to mythology, history, and literature. Abraham Lincoln had little formal schooling, and though historians frequently mention his reading of the Bible and Shakespeare, the grammar books he read and sometimes memorized in his youth also hewed his composition skills. It is for these reasons that rhetoric was long known as the Queen of the Liberal Arts, and as Richard Weaver stated, the most humanistic of all the disciplines. A Responsible Rhetoric Richard Weaver (19101963) was an intellectual historian and scholar who taught English and rhetoric at the University of Chicago. There, he insisted on teaching freshman composition every year, hoping that these young people would develop their writing skills according to the ancient principles of his discipline. In an address delivered just before his death, Language Is Sermonic, Weaver pointed out the low state into which rhetoric had fallen in modern times. At the same time, he advocated for an ethical rhetoric: not only presentations in speech and in writing that not only employ rhetorical tactics, but also a strategy that aims, in one way or another, at truth. He warned as well of the dangers we face when a speaker or writer misleads us. As rhetoric confronts us with choices involving values, he says, the rhetorician is a preacher to us, noble if he tries to direct our passion toward noble ends and base if he uses our passion to confuse and degrade us. In a 1955 address, A Responsible Rhetoric, Weaver focuses on this last idea in a less technical fashion. Here, he states forthrightly: Responsible rhetoric, as I conceive it, is a rhetoric responsible primarily to the truth. He then gives examples of what occurs when that responsibility is ignored or deliberately shunned. Today, the five-paragraph essay with its thesis, its three supporting arguments, and a conclusion restating the thesisa form still taught in some classrooms todayis a fragment left from the days when rhetoric, logic, and grammar sat in the high court of the language arts. Medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas used rhetorical devices to examine Christian beliefs. Thomas Aquinas, date unknown, by Sandro Botticelli. (Public Domain) Damages Done By its very definitionthe art of persuasionrhetoric is with us everywhere we turn. After all, what are advertisements if not enticements to buy a certain brand of soap or a new car? An employer calls together his sales staff and exhorts them to sell more product, giving reasons for doing so and tips on increasing sales. They in turn phone their contacts and attempt to press a sale. Its all rhetoric, but of a baser form than the one advocated by Richard Weaver and so many others. Yet that is the form we see today in our politics. Those running for or serving in office are often walking, talking billboards made up of slogans and sound bites, but with facts and truth often concealed from the public eye. In addition, those untrained in rhetoric may fail to detect fallacies and deceits in the positions taken by those in authority. In Why Study Rhetoric? Trent Leach, a teacher at a Latin school in Topeka, Kansas, nails this idea: If I misuse grammar, I make poor sentences. If I misuse logic, I make bad arguments. But if I misuse rhetoric, I use people and lead them into all manner of falsehoods. Hope on the Horizon In Classical Rhetoric 101: An Introduction, Kate and Brett McKay, who run The Art of Manliness website, note this same advantage, writing that the study of rhetoric makes you a better citizen, able to discern the smoke and mirrors propositions that inevitably occur, and that it protects you from intellectual despotism. They also dwell on the positives of this art, emphasizing the importance of the art of persuasion in our everyday dealings with such people as our employers, our friends, and our children. The study of rhetoric is a key part of true learning and a classical education. (kelsey.rakoczy/CC BY-SA 4.0) In a time that labels itself the age of communication, rhetoric deserves a prominent place in the core curricula of education, and many schools, most of them modeled on classical education, are working toward its restoration. If their efforts eventually prove a success, producing more and more young people trained in this discipline, both our country and our culture will become vastly improved. Air Force Suspends Alleged Pentagon Leaker Jack Teixeiras Unit Leaders The suspect, national guardsman Jack Teixeira, reflected in an image of the Pentagon in Washington on April 13, 2023. (Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images) The U.S. Air Force has temporarily suspended the leadership of a Massachusetts Air National Guard unit that was linked to the recent leak of classified documents associated with the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira, 21, was arrested earlier this month after authorities suspected him of orchestrating leaks of numerous classified U.S. military documents detailing the war in Ukraine. The Air Force is investigating how Teixeira could have accessed and removed copies of the documents. Teixeiras unitthe 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base, Massachusettsis now facing a shake-up following the leak. Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek told NTD News, sister media outlet to The Epoch Times, in an email that the commander of the Air National Guard wing has suspended the commander of its component unit, the 102nd Intelligence Support Squadron. Additionally, the detachment commander overseeing administrative support for Airmen at the unit mobilized for duty under Title 10 USC has also been suspended, Stefanek said. This means that both the squadrons state Air National Guard operational commander and current federal orders administrative commander have been suspended pending completion of the Department of the Air Force Inspector General Investigation. Stefanek didnt identify the suspended leaders by name. She did, however, note that the suspensions are temporary measures while the Air Force continues to investigate the leaks. The Air Force has also placed the leaders access to classified information and systems on hold. Since the intelligence leaks, Air Force officials have already reassigned the 102nd Intelligence Wings intelligence duties to other Air Force units. The 102nd Intelligence Wing is not currently performing its assigned intelligence mission, Stefanek said. The mission has been temporarily reassigned to other organizations within the Air Force. Scope of Intelligence Leak The full extent of the U.S. Air National Guard intelligence leak still isnt clear. Many of the documents were shared earlier this year on the Telegram messaging app, the anonymous online forum 4Chan, and Discordan instant messaging social platform popular with gamers. Days after officials revealed the first set of leaks, The New York Times reported discovering an additional 27 pages of classified U.S. intelligence documents. On April 10, when asked whether the leaks had been contained, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, We truly dont know. The authenticity of the documents appearing online can only be partially confirmed. Several U.S. military and intelligence officials have said that at least some documents seem to have been altered. Some of the documents appear to describe a timeframe for a Spring Offensiveapparently alluding to a Ukrainian counteroffensive against the Russian invasion forces that entered Ukraine in February 2022. That information could potentially help Russia prepare to fend off the counterattack. Other documents appear to describe the rates at which Ukrainian forces are expending munitions for weapons such as the HIMARS rocket artillery systema detail the U.S. military hasnt openly disclosed. The timetables for training and supplying Ukrainian forces with new weapons and ammunition could also give Russian military planners clues about their opponents ability to defend itself. Phillip Ingram, a retired senior British military intelligence officer, told The Telegraph that the leak of U.S. intelligence documents on the war in Ukraine appears to be the biggest intelligence breach since Edward Snowden exposed information about the National Security Agencys widespread domestic surveillance operations in 2013. Teixeira has been charged with violating 18 U.S.C. Section 793 and 18 U.S.C. Section 1924, which prohibit the unauthorized removal and storage of classified information. If convicted, the airman faces up to 10 years in prison. From NTD News Alberta Election Writ Days Away, NDP and UCP Pledge No Personal Tax Increases If Elected UCP also promises not to raise business income taxes EDMONTONDays away from an expected election writ being dropped in Alberta, both the NDP and UCP have announced they will not increase provincial personal income taxes if elected, in what is shaping up to be a hotly contested leadership race. The United Conservative Party (UCP) and Premier Danielle Smith took that promise one step further at an April 26 news conference at a Calgary bakery shop. She vowed to freeze business taxes and hold a referendum on any future tax hikes if returned to power. The May 29 election is expected to be called on May 1. Both parties are already on the campaign trail with both Smith and NDP leader Rachel Notley offering daily promises at news conferences. UCP According to the UCP, Smith signed the partys No Tax Hike Guarantee, described as a pledge that a UCP government will not increase personal or business taxes if re-elected in the upcoming provincial election. Smith reportedly asked all candidates running for the UCP to sign the pledge. The party has committed to expanding the Taxpayer Protection Act to include personal and business income taxes and said it would ensure no future government could increase income taxes without approval from Albertans in a referendum. The Act already prevents a sales tax from being imposed on Albertans without a referendum majority vote. The UCP is claiming that under the partys management of the province, business taxes were decreased by 33 percent. Businesses flourished and corporate income revenues reached record levels, said a UCP statement on April 26. On social media, the party stated business tax revenue reached $6.4 billion. The party also claims that in 2015, in one of her first acts as premier, Notley hiked business taxes by 20 percent. The UCP blamed high taxes under the NDPs four-year government termMay 2015 to April 2019for a record 13 consecutive quarters of people leaving Alberta for other provinces, citing Statistics Canada data. The UCP takes credit for reducing the corporate tax rate under the NDP from 12 percent to 8 percent, the lowest in Canada. Smith said during the four-year period Notley was in power, she raised taxes and fees 97 times. NDP At a Calgary press conference on April 26, according to the Edmonton Journal, Notley also committed to not raising taxes if elected. When it comes to personal taxes, people can absolutely count on Albertas NDP to not raise those taxes at all in the next four years, she said. Notley indicated she did not trust Smiths pledge to lower taxes. Danielle Smith can sign as many poster boards as she wants, but Albertans know that she wears flip flops, not flats. In December 2022, Notley unveiled the partys economic blueprint for the province. According to the Calgary Herald, during a speech to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce on Dec. 15, 2022, Notley said a hike to the corporate tax rate was not out of the question. Make no mistake, my views on the current corporate tax rate and the overall impact it has had on economic growth havent changed. However, you can count on us to maintain the most competitive tax regime in the country, she said. I believe we need to embrace additional tax benefits that are more targeted to ensuring those strategic areas of growth that we all care about. Any changes that we might make would come after consultation with representatives from the business community, Notley said. Amazon Begins Job Cuts in HR and Cloud Units as Part of Latest Layoff Round An Amazon worker sorts packages at an Amazon delivery station in Alpharetta, Ga., on Nov. 28, 2022. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Amazon on Wednesday started laying off employees in its cloud computing and human resources divisions. Amazon Web Services CEO Adam Selipsky and Beth Galetti, senior vice president of Amazons People Experience and Technology, sent separate notes to all impacted employees in the United States, Canada, and Costa Rica informing them of the job cuts. It is a tough day across our organization. I fully realize the impact on every person and family who is affected, wrote Selipsky. We are working hard to treat everyone impacted with respect, and to provide a number of resources and touchpoints to aid in this transition. The layoffs are part of the latest round of 9,000 job cuts announced by CEO Andy Jassy in March, which affected Amazon Web Services (AWS) staff, human resources, advertising, and the Twitch livestreaming units. So far, Amazon has axed 27,000 mostly corporate positions after a hiring spree during the pandemic. The latest layoffs followed a separate round of cuts earlier this year that affected approximately 18,000 employees. Given this rapid growth, as well as the overall business and macroeconomic climate, it is critical that we focus on identifying and putting our resources behind our top prioritiesthose things that matter most to customers and that will move the needle for our business, Selipsky said. In many cases, this means team members are shifting the projects, initiatives, or teams on which they work; however, in other cases, it has resulted in these role eliminations. Amazon Web Services (AWS) CEO Adam Selipsky during AWS re:Invent 2022, a conference hosted by Amazon Web Services, at The Venetian Las Vegas, in Nevada, on Nov. 29, 2022. (Berger/Getty Images for Amazon Web Services) Cloud computing unit AWS is one of the e-commerce giants biggest and most profitable departments. Despite the layoffs, Selipsky is optimistic about AWSs long-term prospects, adding that it is a leading cloud provider by a wide range of benchmarks. Meanwhile, Galetti, in a separate note to her team, also cited company-wide decisions prioritizing what matters most to customers and the long-term health of our businesses. While this moment is hard, I remain energized by the important work that lies ahead of us, Galetti wrote. Together, we are building a workplace that helps fuel how Amazonians invent and deliver for customers. Amazon said workers who were laid off would get a 60-day nonworking transition period, a severance package, and help finding external roles. Amazons latest job cuts this year are a fraction of its overall global workforce of about 1.5 million. Americas 10 Deadliest National Parks Revealed FILE - This Aug. 29, 2002 file photo, shows the Colorado River at the Grand Canyon National Park, in Arizona. A new report by a federal watchdog outlines a history of sexual harassment on river rafting trips run by Grand Canyon National Park. The report obtained by The Associated Press comes after 13 current and former park employees filed a complaint in 2014 saying women had been abused. Its set to be released later Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, by the Department of the Interiors Office of Inspector General. (AP Photo/Brian Witte, File) Every year, millions of people visit national parks scattered throughout the country, but these parks come with certain dangers. Data from the National Park Service reveal that 2,459 visitors died in national parks between 2014 to 2021. During that period, most of the causes of death were natural or medical-related (430), followed by motor vehicle crashes (407). There were considered 382 deaths with undetermined causes, followed by drowning (370). Other causes of death included falls (203), environmental (91), transportation (59), and homicide (26). Deaths caused by wildlife or animals were the rarest, with just 4 reported during that period. Here are the top 10 national parks that reported the most fatalities. 1. Lake Mead National Recreation Area Death count 20142021: 153 Lake Mead had an estimated 5.6 million visitors in 2022. Located in Nevada and Arizona, the area is known as the countrys first and largest national recreational area. Out of the 370 drownings reported in national parks over the eight years, 44 people died from drowning at Lake Mead, the most of any park. There were about 30 deaths from medical causes and 24 motor vehicle crashes. Visitors look at Lake Mead from a vista point in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Arizona, on August 19, 2022. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) 2. Grand Canyon National Park Death count 20142021: 116 Located in Arizona, the Grand Canyon has an estimated 4.73 million visitors in 2022, making it one of the most highly visited national parks in the United States. Even though the area is known for its massive canyon and incredible views, falls were not the leading cause of death in the frequently visited park. Instead, most of the deaths at the Grand Canyon were listed as medically related. Park rangers warn hikers to stay hydrated and hike during the cooler parts of the day. Data also revealed that 13 people died from falling and 8 from drowning. Rafting on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon at sunrise. (Jim Mallouk/Shutterstock) 3. Natchez Trace Parkway Death count 20142021: 109 Natchez Trace Parkway is a scenic and historic roadway that extends roughly 440 miles from Nashville, Tennessee, to Natchez, Mississippi. The parkway saw 6.54 million visitors in 2022. In the eight years covered by the report, the leading cause of death was motor vehicle crashes. Sixty people died from collisions, while 6 died from medical reasons. Hiking trails, such as this one in Tupelo, Miss., are found all along the Natchez Trace Parkway and total over 60 miles. (traveler jordan/Shutterstock) 4. Yosemite National Park Death count 20142021: 102 Yosemite National Park is located in Californias Sierra Nevada mountains. Best known for its waterfalls, the park saw 3.67 million visitors in 2022. Between 2014 and 2021, the park had 33 deaths related to medical conditions, while 29 people died from fatal falls. There were 8 drownings and 6 deaths due to the environment. View of soaring rock formations overlooking tourist-filled Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park on June 25, 2012. (Michael Thurston/AFP/Getty Images) 5. Blue Ridge Parkway Death count 20142021: 95 The Blue Ridge Parkway, known as Americas Favorite Drive, follows the ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, connecting Skyline Drive in Virginias Shenandoah National Park to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina. The Parkway, which had an estimated 15.7 million visitors in 2022, reported 37 deaths due to vehicle collisions, 7 deaths from medical conditions, and 4 homicides. Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina. (Anthony Heflin/Shutterstock) 6. Golden Gate National Recreation Area Death count 20142021: 83 Golden Gate National Recreation Area stretches 82,000 acres north and south of the Golden Gate Bridge, making it one of the worlds largest national parks in an urban setting and home to one of the largest urban parks in the world. The national recreation area saw 15.6 million visitors in 2022. There were 21 reported deaths with undetermined causes, 9 drownings, and 8 deaths related to medical causes. The Golden Gate Bridge from Battery Spencer, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, in San Francisco, Calif. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) 7. Great Smoky Mountains National Park Death count 20142021: 82 The Great Smoky Mountains, which cover part of North Carolina and Tennessee, had nearly 13 million visitors in 2022. The leading cause of death at this national park was motor vehicle crashes. Winding highways in the mountain are especially dangerous during extreme weather. The Great Smoky Mountains saw 28 deaths from collisions and 19 deaths related to medical conditions. Sunrise over the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. (Lamar Sellers/Shutterstock) 8. Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks Death count 20142021: 63 This California park consists of giant trees, deep canyons, and towering mountains. More than 1 million visitors come to Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks each year. Between 2014 and 2021, there were 24 fatal falls, 11 deaths from medical causes, and 10 drownings. A person walks near giant sequoia trees in Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National Park, Calif., on February 19, 2023. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) 9. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Death count 20142021: 62 Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which encompasses the area around Lake Powell and Lower Cataract Canyon in Utah and Arizona, has approximately 3 million visitors annually. The national recreational area has 20 drownings as the leading cause of death, followed by 15 deaths related to medical conditions and 9 deaths that had undetermined causes. The Colorado River wraps around Horseshoe Bend in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. (Rhona Wise/AFP/Getty Images) 10. Gateway National Recreation Area Death count 20142021: 61 The Gateway National Recreation Area spans 27,000 acres from Sandy Hook in New Jersey to Breezy Point in New York City. It saw 8.73 million visitors in 2022. The Gateway reported 22 deaths with undetermined causes, as well as 12 deaths related to medical conditions and 10 drownings. Gateway National Recreation Area Sandy Hook Ruins. (Taylor Crosby) Americas Most Woke Employers: Heres How Disney Ranked Magic Kingdom Park is pictured in this handout photo provided by Walt Disney World Resort, on Oct. 8, 2014. (Matt Stroshane/Walt Disney World Resort via Getty Images) On Forbes 2023 list of Americas Best Employers for Diversity, The Walt Disney Co. ranked No. 98, beating out such companies as Nike, Bank of America, and Netflix. To compile the list of the top 500 companies, Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista to survey 45,000 American workers at companies with at least 1,000 employees. Participants were asked to anonymously rate their companies on criteria such as age, gender, ethnicity, disability, LGBT equality, and overall diversity. Additionally, participants in underrepresented groups were asked to recommend other companies that they felt matched the criteria, and each business diversity-related policies were also reviewed and taken into consideration. Given Disneys recent feud with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, sparked by his anti-woke policies relating to children and education, the companys high placement on the list is unlikely to shock manybut some of the Top 10 businesses might. Top 10 Ranking No. 10 was Booz Allen Hamilton, a U.S. government and military contractor headquartered in northern Virginia that advises both public and private sector clients on strategy, organization, and information technology. On its website, the company touts its culture of inclusion and shares its action plan devoted to advancing the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Ninth on the list was Williams-Sonoma Inc. Known for its kitchenware and home furnishings, the San Francisco-based retail giant has been open about its commitment to DEI policies, proudly noting that its mostly female board boasts above-average gender parity. Eighth-ranked multinational bank Citigroupwith a staggering 240,000 employeesshares that same commitment, with an aim to build a diverse, equitable, and inclusive bank with an equitable and inclusive culture. And likewise, in seventh, global marketing company Interpublic Group, or IPG, has a stated goal to become one of the worlds most diverse and inclusive companies. In sixth place was health insurance provider Humana, which aims to make health care more equitable through its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) platform. As evidence of its commitment to that goal, Humana provides a breakdown of its employee demographics on its website (pdf), which details the exact numbers of LGBT, veteran, and disabled workers it employs. The Clorox Co., the well-known maker of cleaning products, was No. 5, and when it comes to selecting its board members, the company notes (pdf) that it takes into account not only skills and experience but also age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, and orientation, and cultural backgrounds. Ranking fourth was Air Products and Chemicals, a manufacturer and distributor of atmospheric gases and chemicals. In 2020, the company announced its new employment goals of having at least 28 percent female representation and at least 20 percent minority representation in its workforce. Banking and financial services companies TIAA and TD Bankthe third- and second-place companies, respectivelyhave also proclaimed their commitment to diversity and social consciousness. For instance, TIAA has partnered with several corporate coalitions focused on advancing DEI objectives. And last year, TD Bank celebrated Pride Month by stressing the importance of respecting others preferred pronouns. Topping the list as the most diverse employer in the nation was the insurance provider Progressive Corp., which holds that prioritizing diversity not only contributes to its success but is also just the right thing to do. For staff, the company encourages participation in employee resource groups largely focused on race, gender, and sexual orientation, and a DEI Speakers Bureau facilitates workplace discussions of biases, stereotypes, and the development of inclusive behaviors. A Profitable Perspective According to a Global Market Trajectory and Analytics report, the global market for DEI is expected to reach $17.2 billion by 2027. Additionally, the United States represents the largest regional market for DEI, accounting for nearly halfroughly $3.4 billionof global DEI spending in 2020. But not everyone is on board with the progressive approach to business and hiring, which has drawn the ire of Republicans in particular. In February, the office of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott warned agencies in his state that hiring based on immutable characteristics like race, sex, or religion is illegal under both Texas and federal law. Rather than increasing diversity in the workplace, these DEI initiatives are having the opposite effect and are being advanced in ways that proactively encourage discrimination in the workplace, Abbotts Chief of Staff Gardner Pate wrote in a Feb. 4 letter to state agency leaders. Illegally adding DEI as a condition of employment leads to the exclusion and alienation of individuals from the workplace. Likewise, in addition to his feud with Disney, Floridas governor has been vocal in his opposition to DEI initiatives in schools and the workplace. I think [DEI] has been used in the administrative apparatus of universities to try to impose, not diversity of thought, but to impose uniformity of thought, DeSantis said at a recent roundtable discussion. And instead of inclusion, the people that dissent from this orthodoxy are actually excluded and marginalized. The meeting, titled Exposing the DEI Scam, sought to examine the problems associated with the ideology and ways to eliminate it from universities. In Florida, we are not going to back down to the woke mob, and we will expose the scams they are trying to push onto students across the country, DeSantis said. Florida students will receive an education, not a political indoctrination. Analysis: Uproar Over Chinese Envoys Denial of Former Soviet Nations Sovereignty Chinese Ambassador Lu Shaye meets with media at the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Ottawa on Jan. 17, 2019. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press) Lu Shaye, the Chinese ambassador to France, publicly stated in a televised interview that post-Soviet nations have no effective status in international law, which caused an uproar. China experts say his remarks probably represent the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) true opinions, unintentionally revealing the CCPs discontent over the collapse of the Soviet Union more than 30 years ago. In the April 21 interview with a French television network, Lu was asked whether Crimea belongs to Ukraine; he replied, It depends how you perceive the problem. Further into his answer, he denied the sovereignty of all post-Soviet states. Even these countries of the former Soviet Union do not have an effective status in international law, because there is no international agreement that would specify their status as sovereign countries, Lu said. The three Baltic States, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, have blasted his comments. Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics responded via Twitter: Taking into account the unacceptable statements of the Chinese ambassador in France about international law and national sovereignty, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia has summoned the authorized charge daffaires of the Chinese Embassy in Riga to provide explanations on Monday. This step is coordinated with Lithuania and Estonia. In a Twitter post a few days later, Rinkevics outlined the history of his countrys occupation by the Soviets. Some points pro memoria Latvia was illegally occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940 International community has never recognised the Soviet occupation We restored our independence in 1991 The Baltic states are not and never been post Soviet nations Edgars Rinkevics (@edgarsrinkevics) April 24, 2023 Estonias Foreign Minister, Margus Tsahkna, denounced Lus comments as false and a misinterpretation of history. Ukrainian Ambassador to France Vadym Omelchenko said on Twitter: Either there are obvious problems with geography, or such statements conflict with Chinas official position regarding efforts to restore peace in Ukraine on the basis of international law and the goals and principles of the UN Charter. Meanwhile, Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuanias foreign minister, wrote in a Twitter post: If anyone is still wondering why the Baltic States dont trust China to broker peace in Ukraine, heres a Chinese ambassador arguing that Crimea is Russian and our countries borders have no legal basis. Landsbergis wrote on Twitter similarly to the Latvian Foreign Ministers comments on the Soviets. Lithuania never joined the USSR. Moscow illegally occupied our territory, so we resisted until we restored our independence and the Red Army went back home. Were not post-soviet, were never-soviet, he said on Twitter. A Lithuanian demonstrator stands in front of a Soviet Red Army tank during the assault on the Lithuanian Radio and Television station in Vilnius on Jan. 13, 1991. Thirty years ago, the Baltic republic of Lithuania declared independence, heralding the start of the break-up of the 15-member Soviet Union, which imploded in Dec. 1991. (STF/AFP via Getty Images) Beijing A Cunning Supporter of Moscow Following the backlash to Lus comments, officials in China attempted to defuse the outcry, saying they were his personal views. Lus comments do differ from the CCPs official statements on national sovereignty within the context of Russias recent aggression. On Feb. 24 this year, Beijing released a position statement on resolving the Ukraine crisis. China respects the sovereignty of nations. The recognized international law, including the purpose and principles of the United Nations Charter, should be strictly adhered to, and the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of each country should be effectively safeguarded, the statement said. But Anders Corr, the founder of Corr Analytics Inc. and publisher of the Journal of Political Risk, told The Epoch Times on April 23 that Lus remarks once again revealed CCPs real stance on the Russian-Ukraine war. Lus comment is yet another indicator that Beijing sees its interests aligned with Russia and its war against Ukraine. The CCP is in no way a neutral peacemaker, as it has tried to portray itself, but apparently a rather cunning supporter of Moscow that tries its best to stay in the rear echelon of the fight, Corr said. Corr said that the former Soviet states had sovereign status under international law. Some of these countries, such as Ukraine, had sovereignty even before the collapse of the Soviet Union. Some Ukrainians see the 17th-century Hetmanate as the forerunner of their contemporary independent state. Maintaining independence has required frequent wars over the centuries, and the endurance of the worst of conditions, including Russian and Nazi invasions, genocide, and the purposeful destruction of Ukrainian culture and language by Moscow. Yet, Ukraine has retained its spirit of independence throughout, he said. A man wrapped with a Ukrainian national flag watches news on his mobile phone as he sits at Maidan Independence Square in Kyiv on Feb. 24, 2022, the day that Russian ground forces invaded Ukraine. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images) Moscow even arranged for Ukraine and Belarus, which were under its forced control, to become founding members of the U.N. in 1945 to gain more votes for the U.N. General Assembly. [Ukraines UN membership] and Ukraines centuries of resistance to Russian rule, along with its democracy, give it an unquestioned sovereign status under international law, Corr remarked. Moscow and Beijing not only deny this but support a war to violate an even later affirmation of Ukrainian independence, which is the Budapest agreement of 1994, shows that they are unreliable negotiating partners and can only be contained by force and economic sanctions, he added. Current affairs commentator Shi Shan told The Epoch Times that the CCPs irresponsible statements only compound its troubles. By openly talking about the uncertainty of Crimeas status, the Chinese Communist Party not only questioned Ukraines sovereign status but also blatantly rejected the Budapest Memorandum of Security Assurances. Not only European countries but indeed the whole world, will doubt how they can expect this superpower to be a responsible member of the world. According to Corr, the CCP supports Russia in its violation of Ukrainian sovereignty because it destabilizes Europe, draws U.S. defenses away from Asia, and will lead to quid pro quo support for Beijing by Moscow, including immediately in discounted energy prices, and in the long-term for a mainland invasion of Taiwan. Recognizing Post-Soviet Nations Shi further pointed out that if the CCP really considered the sovereign status of the former Soviet states to be uncertain, it would not have established diplomatic relations with them eagerly. After Mikhail Gorbachev announced his resignation as president on Dec. 25, 1991, the Soviet Union, which had existed as a sovereign state for 69 years, officially dissolved and ceased to exist the next day with the passing of a resolution by the Supreme Soviet. Immediately after the downfall of the Soviet Union, the CCP rushed to establish diplomatic relations with former Soviet countries. On Dec. 27, the second day of the Soviet Unions dissolution, then-Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen called the foreign ministers of various post-Soviet countries to announce that the Chinese regime recognized the independence of 11 countries and was prepared to discuss diplomatic relations with them. When the Soviet Union announced its dissolution, a Chinese delegation had already gone to Moscow to prepare for diplomatic relations with these countries. According to independent analyst Zhuge Yangming, the CCP warmly embraced the newly liberated former Soviet countries to establish diplomatic relations with them ahead of Taiwan. However, today, Chinese ambassadors publicly deny the sovereignty of these former Soviet countries. He seems to be expressing the views of high-level officials, he said. Beijing After Soviet Unions Fall Xi Jinping became CCP leader in November 2012 and in the following month, he convened a meeting in Guangdong Province, telling party cadres that the CCP must learn the profound lessons from the former Soviet Union. Chinas then-newly appointed leader Xi Jinping attends a meeting with a panel of foreign experts at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Dec. 5, 2012. (Ed Jones-Pool/Getty Images) In a leaked speech, Xi said, Why did the Soviet Union disintegrate? Why did the Soviet Communist Party collapse? An important reason was that their ideals and convictions wavered. Finally, all it took was one quiet word from Gorbachev to declare the dissolution of the Soviet Communist Party, and a huge party was gone, Xi said. In the end, nobody was a real man, nobody came out to resist. To learn from these profound lessons, the CCP has written thousands of internal documents, held study sessions, and even produced a documentary film about the collapse of the Soviet Union. In May 2011, Li Shenming, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, wrote an elegy on the fall of the Soviet Union. He claimed that the demise of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the disintegration of the Soviet Union were a huge setback and disaster in the world socialist movement, and a major twist and turn in human history. According to Li, the collapse of the Soviet Union and former European communist countries was a great disaster for the world socialist movement. Since then, 10 of the original 15 socialist countries changed their nature or ceased to exist, and the total number of communists in the world, except for the Chinese Communist Party, fell sharply from over 44 million to over 10 million, and most of them lost their ruling positions, he wrote. Arrest Made in Texas Drivers License Scheme Involving NY-Based Chinese Crime Ring More arrests expected as investigation continues Texas Department of Public Safety vehicle in downtown Austin, Texas, on February 9, 2023. (Jana J. Pruet/The Epoch Times) The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has made an arrest in connection with a drivers license scheme linked to a Chinese organized crime ring. Late last year, DPS discovered it had sent thousands of fraudulently obtained duplicate drivers licenses to addresses in New York, Oklahoma, and Georgia. The breach was made public during a budget hearing at the Capitol in Austin, Texas. The licenses have been used nationwide to withdraw money from victims bank accounts, open credit card accounts, and purchase expensive vehicles. Tony Cao Li, 35, was arrested in Flushing, New York, earlier this month. He is accused of organized criminal activity, fraudulent use or possession of identifying information, and breach of computer security, according to the arrest warrant obtained by The Epoch Times. Li is accused of using a fraudulently obtained license as identification to purchase expensive vehicles, including a 2023 Porsche Cayenne and a Mercedes-Benz valued at more than $123,000, the document said. On April 21, Li was extradited from New York to Austin, Texas. Initially, DPS reported at least 3,000 Texans were affected by the security lapse on the states website, but the number of victims has since grown to more than 5,100. [T]his is a sophisticated operation by an organized crime group, the warrant says. Investigators allege that 1,273 duplicate drivers licenses were sent to three neighboring addresses at a marijuana growing site in Tecumseh, Oklahoma. According to the documents, Li lived at the property at some point and his belongings were still there when investigators executed a residential search warrant on Feb. 9. A person living at the property said Li had not returned since November 2022. That person told investigators that suspicious mail to any of the three suspected addresses was placed in the office and area of the marijuana grow structure where Li would visit to pick it up. Authorities found three illegally duplicated licenses and 30 pieces of mail from Texas DPS. Officials told The Dallas Morning News they have identified nearly $700,000 in losses, and they expect the amount to grow as more victims come forward. Security Breach The issue was related to security problems with the Texas.gov payment portal, managed by the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR), where Texans can order a replacement, renewal, or duplicate license. The criminals used the dark web to steal credit card information to buy duplicate drivers licenses of Texans with Asian surnames, DPS told lawmakers in February. Before the lapse, the DIR payment system did not have security features in place. DPS Deputy Directory of Law Enforcement Services Jeoff Williams said the department had asked DIR to strengthen the security features to protect Texans using the website. The portal now requires purchasers to use credit card security features such as a billing ZIP code or credit card CVV, a three-digit code on the back of the credit card. Officials waited until late February to notify victims by letter, citing an ongoing investigation. At least 4,900 letters were reportedly sent to victims as of April 21. What Else? Li and another suspect, identified as Yan Chen, were arrested at the Chase Bank in Lindon, Utah, where police responded to a call that two suspects had provided false information to a bank teller. A third suspect, Song Chen, who was arrested, was found inside the 2023 Porsche Cayenne that was purchased using a fraudulent ID, according to the warrant. The suspects were found with five duplicate licenses belonging to men in Texas. Authorities have recovered duplicate licenses as far away as a ski resort in Canada. And local police found more than 600 in a hotel room in Smyrna, Tennessee, according to The Dallas Morning News. It is unclear what role Yan Chen and Song Chen may have had in the scheme, and DPS has not identified other possible suspects. DPS did not immediately respond to a request for more information. Li is being held on a $250,000 bond in the Travis County Jail. The investigation is ongoing. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has set 31 May as the approval date for a $100 million loan program to Banque Misr, under the Financial Intermediaries Framework ("FIF"), to finance micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The program "will support BM's lending to private MSMEs in Egypt, where the gaps in access to finance are high, with a focus on regional outreach and attracting new MSME clients," stated the EBRD website. It also "aims to ensure prudent lending practices and adequate portfolio quality," according to the website. Banque Misr is the second-largest bank in Egypt by the end of September 2022, with a market share of 18.2 percent,17.6 percent and 20.1 percent in terms of assets, loans, and deposits, respectively, according to the EBRD. In March, the EBRDs Vice President for Banking Alain Pilloux told Ahram Online that the bank is projected to invest over $1.4 billion in Egypt. Search Keywords: Short link: Audrey Hale Manifesto Being Reviewed for Public Release In this image from video, Audrey Hale points a gun inside the Covenant School in Nashville, Tenn., on March 27, 2023. (Nashville Police Department via The Epoch Times) The writings and so-called manifesto of the Nashville, Tennessee Christian school shooter, Audrey Hale, are being reviewed for release to the public, Metro Nashville Police Department officials told The Epoch Times on Thursday. We are in the process of going through the writings so that they can and will be released publicly, MNPD Public Affairs Officer Kristin Mumford told The Epoch Times in a phone call. The FBI is assisting because they have the expertise in this area, but we are the lead, and the release will come through us. Mumford said that currently there is no timeline for this review, but that the materials left by Hale will be made available to the public. Mumford added the review is in order for redactions to be made if necessary. The news comes exactly one month since Hale killed six, including three nine-year-old children, at The Covenant School on March 27. She was shot and killed by MNPD officers 14 minutes after her attack on the school began. Calls have grown in recent weeks for the manifesto to be released, with the public as well as elected officials calling for it to be made available to the public immediately to shed light on Hales thinking prior to her attackand other possible targets she planned. The Writings In the days around the shooting, MNPD Chief John Drake told reporters they found multiple writings from Hale at her home in Nashville, a quick drive from the school. Metro Police, FBI, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Bureau agents removed large amounts of evidence from the home, photos and video from media showed. The home of the Nashville Christian School shooter sits quietly in its south Nashville neighborhood days after police agencies raided the home following the shooting, on March 31, 2023. (Chase Smith/The Epoch Times) Were also determined there were maps drawn of the school in detail of surveillance, entry-points, etc., Drake said at the time. He added Hale, a former student at the school, had multiple rounds of ammunition and was prepared to do more harm than was actually done. He also said at the time that police were working through a manifesto as well as a map drawn out with plans for the shooting. Other locations in the area were possible targets as well, Drake said in multiple press conferences. Those included a mall and other schools. Less than a mile from Covenant and across the street from one another are The Mall at Green Hills and Hillsboro High School. It is currently unknown if those were indeed other targets of Haleas the surrounding Green Hills area includes many other offices, churches, restaurants, and shopsinformation such release of the manifesto could shed light on. Calls for Manifestos Release The announcement that the writings of Hale are being reviewed for public release comes after many officials have called for its release. On Tuesday, the chairman of the Tennessee House Republican Caucus, Rep. Jeremy Faison, joined a growing list of officials calling for the writings and manifesto to be released. He argued the release was necessary for lawmakers to review prior to debating gun issues in an upcoming special session focused on public safety. Also on Tuesday, MNPD told The Epoch Times the investigation into the murders at Covenant remained open and MNPD alongside consultation from the FBIs Behavioral Analysis Unit were reviewing a significant amount of written materials. Australias Northern Bases Receive $3.8 Billion Funding Boost to Prep for Potential Conflict A Royal Australian Air Force F-18 jet fighter lands after an aerial display during the Australian International Airshow Aerospace and Defence Expo at Avalon Airport in Geelong on March 3, 2023. (Paul Crock/AFP via Getty Images) The Labor government has pledged $3.8 billion (US$2.5 billion) for upgrades to military bases across Australias north as part of a steady build-up to deal with potential conflict in the region. The announcement follows an earlier pledge in 2021 to upgrade four military training facilities in the Northern Territory. According to Defence Minister Richard Marles, the new funding push will include $2 billion towards upgrading runways, fuel storage, accommodation, and security at air bases at RAAF Base Learmonth in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, as well as in the Northern Territory and northern Queensland. Another $1 billion to upgrade major training areas at the Robertson Barracks in Darwin and the Lavarack Barracks in Townsville in northern Queensland. While the naval bases HMAS Coonawarra, HMAS Cairns, and the Harold E. Holt Naval Communications station will receive $600 million. Another $200 million will go towards accelerating other projects in the north. The federal government says it was able to free up funds for these upgrades after cancelling other programs. Part of the Defence Strategic Review The pledge forms part of the Albanese governments commitment to implement recommendations from the recently handed down Defence Strategic Review. As the Defence Strategic Review rightly observes, our northern bases are a huge asset and critical to Australias ability to project, said Defence Minister Richard Marles in a statement. Our immediate investment in these bases will ensure our defence force is able to operate from them effectively. The Defence Strategic Review handed down on April 24 confirmed the ongoing evolution of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) from a balanced land-based fighting force used to fighting in the Middle East to one more specialised to deal with potential conflict in the immediate region. In recent years, the build-up of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea has forced military planners to look at how to better operate in maritime environments comprised largely of islands. Many commentators have called for the ADF to be structured along the same lines as the U.S. Marine Corps, specifically a Marine Expeditionary Force. Therefore, spending billions of dollars on Abrams tanks and 400 infantry fighting vehicles does not make sense, said Lincoln Parker, chair of the Liberal Partys Defence and National Security Branch, in an earlier interview with The Epoch Times. The Strategic Review has called for the reduction of Australias infantry vehicle program (LAND 400 Phase 3) from 450 to 129, as well as the cancellation of 30 new howitzer artillery systems. The slated acquisition of 160 new M1A1 Abrams tanks will continue, however. Strengthening the Porcupine The newly available funds will be diverted towards purchasing long-range missile systems. More HIMARS rocket systems and land-based maritime strike, said Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy. So this is about getting an Australian army thats shaped for our current strategic circumstances and going from a service whose greatest range for its artillery are 45 kilometres to one that can project power in excess of 500 kilometres. So this is about reshaping the army to modernise it, to be quite frank, he told ABC Radio. Other recommendations include acquiring land-based missile launchers primed for hitting naval targets. The underlying philosophy of this move, which has also been adopted by the Taiwan government, is to up the threat of retaliation to a point where Beijing will have serious doubts about starting a military conflict. We need to make Australia a difficult proposition for any adversary, Marles told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. In that context, we need to be a porcupine. Bannon Associate Sentenced to Jail Time for Defrauding Americans in Border Wall Fundraising Scheme Brian Kolfage, founder of We Build the Wall, at the new half-mile section of border fence built by his group at Sunland Park, N.M., on May 30, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) An associate of Steve Bannon was sentenced on April 26 to prison time for defrauding Americans with a border wall fundraising scheme. Brian Kolfage and Andrew Badolato, another associate, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres in federal court in New York City for their involvement in a scheme that solicited donations purportedly for building barriers at the U.S.Mexico border but that were actually stolen and used for personal items. Kolfage, 41, a military veteran, was sentenced to 51 months in prison. Badolato, 58, received a 36-month sentence. Brian Kolfage and Andrew Badolato abused the trust of donors to We Build the Wall and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations to line their own pockets, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said in a statement. The defendants have now been held accountable for their criminal conduct. Kolfage previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and tax and wire fraud charges. Badolato pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Kolfage launched the fundraiser with Bannon, a former adviser of former President Donald Trump, in 2018 and quickly raised millions of dollars. Prosecutors said Kolfage took more than $350,000 and spent it on boat payments, jewelry, and cosmetic surgery. I made a promise not to personally benefit, not anyone else, and I broke that promise, Kolfage said in court. I have been humiliated by my poor decisions. Kolfage ignored questions from journalists as he exited the courthouse in downtown Manhattan after the hearing. The infamous We Build the Wall scam will no doubt have a chilling effect on civic participation in the political realm, Torres said. The fraudsters behind We Build the Wall injured the body politic. The judge also ordered Kolfage to forfeit $17.9 million and pay $2.9 million in restitution. Cesar de Castro, a lawyer for Kolfage, had proposed home detention, citing his clients medical needs. Badolatos lawyer Kelly Kramer sought three years of probation for his client, saying he was less culpable and cooperated with prosecutors. Bannon was pardoned by Trump, who was still in office at the time, in 2021. He still faces New York state money laundering and conspiracy charges over the wall under an indictment from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Bannon, 69, has pleaded not guilty. Sentencing for another co-defendant, Timothy Shea, was delayed until June 13 due to a request from a lawyer who replaced Sheas former attorney, who died recently. Shea, 52, was convicted by a jury in 2022. Reuters contributed to this report. Biden Admin Files Lawsuit Challenging Tennessee Ban on Transgender Procedures for Minors The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit on April 26 challenging Tennessees newly-enacted law banning transgender medical procedures for children, arguing that the legislation violates the Fourteenth Amendments Equal Protection Clause. In a press release, the DOJ said it also asked the court to issue an immediate order to stop the lawSenate Bill 1, or SB 1from going into effect on its scheduled date of July 1. SB 1 (pdf) was signed into law by Tennessees Republican Gov. Bill Lee on March 2 and bans health providers from performing medical procedures on minors for the purpose of either enabling a minor to identify with, or live as, a purported identity inconsistent with the minors sex or treating purported discomfort or distress from a discordance between the minors sex and asserted identity. The law also bans health care providers from prescribing hormone treatments and puberty blockers to aid in gender transition. Under the law, minors cannot be held accountable for receiving the care but Tennessees attorney general can fine health care providers up to $25,000 if they are found to violate the law. The legislation contains exceptions in some cases, such as when the treatment is needed for a childs congenital defect, disease, or physical injury, or if the medical procedure on the minor had already begun prior to the law going into effect. Then Vice President-elect Kamala Harris (L) looks on as Kristen Clarke delivers remarks after being nominated to be civil rights division assistant attorney general, in Wilmington, Delaware, on Jan. 7, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Gender-Altering Procedures Experimental in Nature Prior to passing the bill, Republican lawmakers in the state had argued that the legislation was needed to protect the health and welfare of children, noting that gender-altering procedures could lead to children becoming irreversibly sterile, at increased risk of disease and illness, or suffering from adverse and sometimes fatal psychological consequences. Tennessee lawmakers also said they believe such procedures are experimental in nature and not supported by high-quality, long-term medical studies. However, the DOJ argued the legislation would make it illegal for health care professionals to provide certain types of medical care for transgender minors with diagnosed gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria is defined by the American Psychiatric Association as psychological distress that results from an incongruence between ones sex assigned at birth and ones gender identity. The DOJ argues (pdf) that the blanket ban on gender-affirming care contradicts recommendations by major medical associations such as the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Psychological Association, who have all voiced support for gender transitioning among minors, arguing that it is safe and effective and in some cases lifesaving owing to the increased risk of suicide in this population. The DOJ further alleges that the bill discriminates against transgender youth and violates the Equal Protection Clause by discriminating on the basis of both sex and transgender status. 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) Federal Overreach No person should be denied access to necessary medical care just because of their transgender status, said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the DOJs Civil Rights Division. The right to consider your health and medically-approved treatment options with your family and doctors is a right that everyone should have, including transgender children, who are especially vulnerable to serious risks of depression, anxiety, and suicide. Clarke added that the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ will continue to aggressively challenge all forms of discrimination and unlawful barriers faced by the LGBTQI+ community. Elsewhere, U.S. Attorney Henry Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee said that the bill, if left unchallenged, would violate the constitutional rights of some of Tennessees most vulnerable citizens. Leventis added that the bill seeks to substitute the judgment of trained medical professionals and parents with that of elected officials and codifies discrimination against children who already face far too many obstacles. Responding to the DOJs decision to file the lawsuit on Wednesday, Gov. Lee called it federal overreach. Tennessee is committed to protecting children from permanent, life-altering decisions, the Republican wrote on Twitter. This is federal overreach at its worst, and we will work with Attorney General [Jonathan] Skrmetti to push back in court and stand up for children. At least 14 states have enacted laws aimed at protecting children from undergoing potentially life-altering medical procedures, including North Dakota, where Gov. Doug Burgum last week signed into law an emergency measure banning gender reassignment surgeries for children. Boeing Loses $425M in 1Q but Plans Production Boost for Max The logo for Boeing appears on a screen above a trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on July 13, 2021. (Richard Drew/AP Photo) Boeing lost $425 million in the first quartermore than Wall Street expectedbut said Wednesday that it plans to boost production of its best-selling plane, the 737 Max, later this year. Revenue rose 28 percent from a year earlier, as airlines scooped up new jets to meet rising travel demand, and the company stood by its forecast of producing $3 billion to $5 billion in cash flow this year. Shares of Boeing rose nearly 5 percent before settling to close up less than 1 percent. CEO David Calhoun called it a solid first quarter. We continue to make real progress, steady progress, in our recovery, he said on a call with analysts. Challenges remain, theres more to do, but overall we feel good about the operational and financial outlook. Boeings passenger jets have been plagued by production problems, and the quarterly loss was due largely to the cost of reworking planes to fix production flaws. It also took a write-down for a military tanker. Calhoun said again that Boeing will delay deliveries of some planes that airlines were expecting for the busy summer travel season. The delays are due to unapproved fittings that a contractor, Spirit AeroSystems, installed where the tail meets the fuselage on most 737 Max jets built since 2019. Its a gnarly defect, Calhoun said when an analyst asked why it took four years to discover the flaw. The CEO said a sealant applied over fuselage joints hid the cracks. Analysts expressed some skepticism about Boeings outlook while problems persist in its supply chain. Seth Seifman of JPMorgan wondered whether Boeing can increase 737 production given issues at Spirit. You can only go as fast as they can go, and I dont think anybody has had a more challenging three or four years than Spirit, other than maybe you guys, Seifman told executives. Calhoun replied that Boeing is confident Spirit can meet a faster schedule. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner after its landing at Le Bourget airport, east of Paris, upon its presentation for the first time at the 49th Paris Air Show at the airport, on June 21, 2011. (Francois Mori/AP Photo) Officials said it would take a matter of days to fix planes that are not yet assembled but longer for about 225 Max jets that were finished and are now sitting in Boeings inventory. Executives didnt put a precise number on how many 737 deliveries will be delayed beyond the peak summer travel season. Calhoun said last week that 9,000 seats would be missing from airline schedules this summer, which works out to about 50 Max jets. Despite the setback, Boeing still hopes to hit its goal of delivering 400 to 450 Max jets this year. It delivered 111 in the first quarter. Boeing said it still expects to increase Max production. The company was building 31 a month at the start of this year and plans to raise that to 38 a month later this year and 50 a month by 2025 or 2026. Boeing repeated earlier assurances that the fuselage issue on the Max does not affect safety and that airlines can keep using planes that are already carrying passengers. The company also plans to step up production of the larger, two-aisle 787, which it calls the Dreamliner, from three to five a month. Deliveries of 787s have been paused several times in the last two years for various quality and paperwork issues. The Arlington, Virginia, company said the loss in core operations worked out to $1.27 per share. Analysts expected the company to lose $1.07 per share, according to a FactSet survey. The company lost money in its airliner and defense units, although less than a year ago. The defense side was dragged down by a $245 million charge to fix the KC-46A refueling tanker. Boeings services business was profitable. Revenue climbed to $17.92 billion, beating analysts forecast of $17.52 billion. Boeing shareholders are on the hook for a $414 million loss in the first quarter, with another $11 million loss attributed to a noncontrolling interest. Boeing lost $5 billion last year. Its been a tough slog for the company, but the trends appear to be getting better, said Jeff Windau, an analyst for Edward Jones. We know there is demand (for planes), there is a solid order book. We should be seeing better performance from them in the second half of the year. By David Koenig Boycott Maybelline Trends on Social Media Over Transgender Influencer Partnership Maybelline cosmetics displayed in the backstage of New York Fashion Week Feb. 13, 2019. (Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for IMG Maybelline is the latest brand to face a social media backlash over its partnership with transgender TikTok personality Dylan Mulvaney. A video of Mulvaney, a 26-year-old man identifying as a woman, applying Maybelline products was first posted to TikTok in March. Maybelline shared the clip to its official Instagram account, writing, Maybelline Glam all day, every day! So proud to be part of [Mulvaneys] incredible journey as she celebrated 365 days of being a girl on Monday. Thanks for letting us be part of your special day LOVE YA! it added. The clip has recently re-emerged on Twitter and triggered much outrage towards the womens cosmetic brand, similar to whats facing by beer brand Bud Light. Now that your makeup appears to be for men, I guess you dont need female customers anymore. Thanks for letting us know, one Twitter user wrote, adding the hashtag BoycottMaybelline. The hashtag trended on Twitter on Tuesday after several prominent conservatives, such as author Jordan B. Peterson, called for a boycott of Maybelline. Those calls come amid an ongoing boycott of Bud Light over the beer giants decision to partner with Mulvaney for a marketing campaign aimed at young drinkers. According to reports, The Bud Light boycott has led to a dramatic decline in sales and left two executives taking a leave of absence. One of the absent executives is Alissa Heinerscheid, a vice president of marketing who oversaw the ill-fated partnership with Mulvaney. Mulvaney became famous for his 365 Days of Girlhood daily TikTok video series, which documented a full year since he began to publicly identify as a transgender woman. Those videos, in which Mulvaney is often seen wearing cartoonish girly outfits while performing stereotypical feminine workouts, garnered him over 1 billion views and more than 10 million followers on the platform. In an episode titled Day 271the great tampon debacle, Mulvaney directly addressed women who dont appreciate the way he parodies women, accusing them of trying to induce pain and trauma in him. Im not enjoying my womanhood as much as I was, and my pain might be different than your pain, but its very real, he said in his monologue. But Im still a woman and Im tired. We dont have to be BFFs, and you dont have to follow me. Just please dont call the police on me if we bump into each other in the bathroom. In another video that went viral last month, Mulvaney portrayed Eloise, a 6-year-old girl from a popular 1950s childrens book series. Captioned Childhood dream unlocked, the video features Mulvaney wearing an outfit including a pink bow and a short skirt and saying, I am Eloise. I am 6. The video drew more criticism on social media, including from conservative commentator CJ Pearson of PragerU, who suggested such behavior is a sign of mental illness. Pretending to be a woman wasnt enough so now hes pretending to be a little girl? Pearson wrote. This isnt normal. This is mental illness. Growing Division Among California Democrats Stalls Fentanyl Bill Again Amid Fiery Protests by Victims Families SACRAMENTOA series of outbursts echoed in the chambers of a Senate Public Safety Committee hearing on April 25 following comments indicating a billdesigned to warn fentanyl dealers of potential murder chargeswould not proceed, with one victims family member yelling at the representatives on his way out the door, as Democratic lawmakers fought over amended language. I feel frustration, irritation, despair, and deep sympathy for the families that came it breaks my heart, Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) told The Epoch Times. Theyre not doing this for themselves. Their children are gone. The bills failure comes after its language was reworked following the committees 41 decision not to pass the legislation on March 28. Im stunned, Umberg said in a press release April 25 following the hearing. Its very difficult to comprehend the committees view on this simple admonishment. We have worked on this measure for the past 6 months, engaged in hundreds of conversations, and taken numerous rounds of amendments. California state Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) speaks at a Public Safety Committee hearing in Sacramento on April 25, 2023. (Screenshot via California State Senate) After a long line of supporters spoke in person and via phone during the committee meeting, Umberg the co-author of Senate Bill 44also known as Alexandras Lawdefended the text of the proposal in a back-and-forth debate with Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco). At issue is the language of the bill, designed to resemble whats known as the Watson Advisement given to those convicted of driving under the influence. The admonishment warns that any future convictions that result in death can result in murder charges. While the committees analysis described the proposed language as mirroring the current DUI law, in session they contested that assessment and argued that it was not the same. Wiener argued the bill would potentially cause more people than intended to receive the advisory warning, subjecting them to a lifelong threat of enhanced charges, including murder. This is not a warning. Its recorded on the conviction, Wiener challenged. Comparing this to DUI is not a fair comparison. Umberg adamantly opposed his Democratic colleague, insisting the language is an educational component, and not a punishment. This is one tool, he said. This needs to be an all-in, all-efforts approach. A series of protests and outbursts from fentanyl overdose victims family members in response to the debate prompted vice-chair Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa) to call for order and decorum on multiple occasions during the hour-long discussion. Matt Capelouto, the father of fentanyl poisoning victim Alexandrathe namesake of the bill testified to the committee, telling them he was furious and emotional. Alexandra died two days before Christmas in 2019 after consuming five times the lethal amount of fentanyl concealed in counterfeit oxycodone. During the debate, he stormed out of the Capitol hearing room loudly protesting the committees lack of action. Matt Capelouto, the father of fentanyl poisoning victim Alexandrathe namesake of Californias Senate Bill 44testifies at a Senate Public Safety Committee hearing in Sacramento on April 25, 2023. (Screenshot via California State Senate) Its unbelievable what theyre doing in there, Capelouto told The Epoch Times after the hearing concluded. Its disgusting. On the public side, the meeting was standing room only, with a line of people waiting outside for a chance to enter the proceedings. More than a dozen family members impacted by fentanyl spoke in support of the bill, with several carrying photos of their deceased loved ones. A mother holding a photo of her son, a fentanyl poisoning victim, voices support for fentanyl legislation at a Senate Public Safety Committee hearing in Sacramento on April 25, 2023. (Screenshot via California State Senate) Many more called in to tell the committee their story, with more than a dozen ending their call with the question: How many more have to die before you will act? Yet there was never a moment when all five committee members were present at the same time during the discussion and with committee chair Sen. Aisha Wahab (D-Hayward) and the bills co-author, Ochoa Bogh, absent due to scheduling conflicts, none of the three remaining members chose to vote on the legislation. The result leaves the bill without a path forward, the second such occurrence since it first failed in the same committee March 28. There will not be another chance for the bill this year due to the April 28 deadline for lawmakers to consider legislation with fiscal impact. The committee intended to and did kill the bill, Umberg told The Epoch Times. Their actions speak for themselves. California state Sen. Tom Umberg (R), D-Santa Ana, speaks in Sacramento on fentanyl legislation on April 25, 2023. (Travis Gillmore/The Epoch Times) Frustration in the audience was palpable, with a row of victims family members interjecting and demanding action from the committee, only to be silenced by the rules of order. This bill has a majority of the senators supporting it, yet this committee of five is preventing it from getting to the floor, Capelouto said. Ive been here for three years fighting this. A prior version of Alexandras Law, Senate Bill 350, was introduced in February 2021 by Sen. Melissa Melendez (R-Lake Elsinore) but twice failed to pass the same public safety committee, once in March 2021 and again in January 2022. Lawmakers attempted to revive the legislation last December with the creation of SB 44. The bill has bipartisan support including 21 co-authors. Im yet again heartbroken at the committees decision to not pass SB 44 today, Ochoa Bogh said in a press release following the decision. This is not just a crisis; its thousands of individual tragedies let me be clear: this is not the end of our fight. District attorneys, law enforcement officials, and representatives for city councils across the state spoke out in support at the hearing. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria testified in support of the bill, telling the panel fentanyl is the number one killer of homeless people in his city. Take the opportunity to save lives, he said. The crisis is urgent. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria speaks at a Senate Public Safety Committee hearing in Sacramento on April 25, 2023. (Screenshot via California State Senate) After the legislation failed, his office said Gloria will stay committed to solving the fentanyl problem. Mayor Gloria believes there is no time to waste and that we should be taking immediate action on every levelfrom local law enforcement to state and federal legislationto get it under control, a spokesperson for the mayors office told The Epoch Times in a statement April 25. A second piece of legislation targeting fentanyl, Senate Bill 226authored by Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil (D-Oakdale)passed the committee. The bill adds illicit fentanyl to the list of narcotics prohibited when in possession of a loaded firearm. Five additional fentanyl bills will be reconsidered April 27 by the Assembly Public Safety Committee, following vetoes earlier this year by chair Sen. Reginald Jones-Sawyer. Leaders stymied by SB 44s defeat are hopeful that the proposed bills will now pass the committee. We need meaningful fentanyl legislation that can be voted on by the Assembly and Senate very soon, Umberg told The Epoch Times. This epidemic is not going to wait for us to figure out how to address it Thousands of Californians are going to die here, and its our responsibility to take action. Fentanyl was responsible for more than 100,000 U.S. deaths in the 12-month period ending August 2022, according to the most recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tears could be seen in the eyes of family members after the hearing, with a look of confused frustration and disbelief. Delays like this one on common-sense state legislation like SB 44 ignore the reality of whats happening in our cities and will cost more people their lives while dealers are let off the hook, San Diego Mayors office said. California Electric Vehicle Sales Skyrocket Beyond 2025 Goal The Chevrolet Bolt EV is pictured at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, on November 16, 2016. (Mike Blake/Reuters) California has surpassed its goal of selling 1.5 million electric vehicles (EVs), long before its predicted 2025 year mark, according to a report from nonprofit organization Veloz. David Hochschild, chair of the California Energy Commission (CEC) and Veloz public policy board, says this milestone is accelerating electric transportation to spread across the state and the United States. For the last decade, California has had a goal to reach 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2025, Hochschild said in a statement. Now this goal has been surpassed nearly two years early, which is an important milestone on the journey to finally bringing clean electric transportation mainstream. Gov. Gavin Newsom signs several new climate bills alongside several state legislators at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Regional Office on Mare Island, a facility powered by green energy in Vallejo, Calif., on Sept. 16, 2022. (Courtesy of the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom) In a statement last week, California Gov. Gavin Newson praised Californians for contributing to the states fight against pollution. No other state in the nation is doing as much as we are to accelerate our electric and zero emissions future, Newsom said. California is setting the bar for climate actionand were achieving our goals years ahead of schedule thanks to unprecedented investments secured in partnership with the Legislature. Were making real progress on the worlds most ambitious plan to end the tailpipe so our kids and grandkids are left with a cleaner, healthier planet. California Air Resources Board Chair Liane Randolph stated more individuals are purchasing EV vehicles and are contributing to massive reductions in pollution. Once again, California is leading the nation and the world with a regulation that sets ambitious but achievable targets for ZEV sales. Rapidly accelerating the number of ZEVs on our roads and highways will deliver substantial emission and pollution reductions to all Californians, especially for those who live near roadways and suffer from persistent air pollution, she said in a statement. The regulation includes ground-breaking strategies to bring ZEVs to more communities and is supported by the governors ZEV budget, which provides incentives to make ZEVs available to the widest number of economic groups in California, including low- and moderate-income consumers. Transportation is the single largest source of emissions and air pollution in the state, according to the CARB. The CEC reported its first quarter numbers and gathered cumulative sales for battery electric, plug-in hybrid, and fuel-cell EVs combined stand at nearly 1.524 million, while battery electric vehicles themselves, the largest portion of that by far, are at about one million. Caroline Choi, Veloz board of directors chair, says having a wide range of EVs to choose from has helped increase sales in California. With 115 different EV makes and models, Californians can choose from more options than ever, Choi said in a statement. Electric utilities are continuing grid investments and building out infrastructure to facilitate EV charging networks and meet the growing consumer demand for clean transportation. In 2020, Newsom issued an executive order banning the sale of new gasoline-powered passenger cars by 2035. This is the most impactful step our state can take to fight climate change, Newsom said. For too many decades, we have allowed cars to pollute the air that our children and families breathe. Californians shouldnt have to worry if our cars are giving our kids asthma. Our cars shouldnt make wildfires worseand create more days filled with smoky air. Cars shouldnt melt glaciers or raise sea levels threatening our cherished beaches and coastlines. The state legislatures have since approved a $2.9 billion state investment plan for EV charging and hydrogen refueling goals and $384 million of federal funding from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program to install charging stations throughout the state. Californians can also receive rebates of up to $7,500 for battery-electric and hydrogen-fuel-cell vehicles and up to $6,500 for plug-in hybrids, the California Clean Rebate Project states. This transformative investment will deploy charging and refueling infrastructure swiftly and equitably to make sure drivers of zero-emission cars and trucks feel confident they can refuel wherever they go, CECs lead commissioner for transportation, Patty Monahan, said in a statement. The plan will increase access to charging and hydrogen fueling for individuals, businesses, and public agencies while supporting our emerging manufacturing ecosystem and creating jobs. Most importantly, it provides critical funding to support the move away from dirty trucks and buses that have burdened our most vulnerable communities for too long. California Supreme Court Upholds Newsoms CARE Court for Mental Illness Treatment Homeless people gather near drug dealers in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco, Calif., on Feb. 22, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) The California Supreme Court April 19 shot down disability rights activists request to halt the implementation of Gov. Gavin Newsoms law providing treatment for individuals with severe mental illness through a court order, known as the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Court. The group, Disability Rights Californiawhich advocates for those with disabilities in the stateis one of three coalitions that filed suit asking the court to examine the program earlier this year deeming it unconstitutional, alleging it would violate equal protection rights and due process. The Western Center on Law and Poverty, as well as the Public Interest Law Project, were also involved in the filing. But the Supreme Court rejectedwithout issuing an opinionthe groups request to hear their case clearing the way for the program to go into effect in several regions across the state by Oct. 1, including San Francisco, Riverside, Orange, Stanislaus, Glenn, Tuolumne, and San Diego counties. Los Angeles County, along with the states remaining counties, have until December to implement the program. Homeless individuals live out of cars and RVs in Los Angeles, Calif., on Jan. 20, 2022. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) The disability rights group said they are disappointed that the California Supreme Court summarily denied our [p]etition challenging the constitutionality of the CARE Court program, in an email to The Epoch Times. We, with our partners, will carefully monitor [its] implementation throughout the state and embrace all viable options to ensure that the rights of disabled Californians are respected and enforced, Christian Abasto, director of the groups Legal Advocacy Unit told The Epoch Times in a statement. Last March, Newsom introduced the program as a new initiative aimed at providing housing, treatment, and mental health services to an estimated 7,000 to 12,000 Californiansincluding the homelesswith severe mental illnesses like schizophrenia. The program was established as Senate Bill 1338 and signed into law in September 2022. According to the governors office, individuals can be admitted into a CARE Court through a request made by family members, county, health providers, emergency responders, and those working in community social services. CARE Court is designed on the evidence that many people can stabilize, begin healing, and exit homelessness in less restrictive, community-based care settings, according to a fact sheet published by Newsoms office (pdf). California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference in Sacramento on Feb. 1, 2023. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Referrals for evaluation to the program are heard by a judge and if the person qualifies they are admitted to the program, including receiving treatmentand housing, if neededknown as a Care Plan for up to a year, with regular check-ins to review progress. If someone does not successfully complete their plan, they may be hospitalized or referred to conservatorship as a last resort, with the assumption that no other suitable options are available under current laws. The program is part of Newsoms larger plan to invest $14 billion over several years to create 55,000 new housing units and treatment opportunities, as well as an annual investment of over $10 billion into community behavioral health services. CARE Court means new hope for thousands of Californians with untreated mental health and substance abuse issues, Newsom said in December alongside other state officials. While we watch other places in America move swiftly towards more involuntary hospitalization, in California, were doing it the right waycommunity based care, a focus on housing, and accountability for everyone involved. Under the law, if an individual denies services and is deemed unable to make decisions for themselves due to their mental state, they could be placed into conservatorship. In response to the Supreme Courts decision, Newsoms office did not respond to a request for comment by press deadline. Canadians Wary of Govt Deciding What Is True or False Online, Federal Research Finds Canadians are wary of Ottawa deciding what information on the internet is true or false, according to in-house federal research, which also found that few are likely to rely on federal government websites for information. Many participants expressed reservations about the Government of Canada telling Canadians what is true or false, said a report by the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) and obtained by Blacklocks Reporter. Findings described in the report, titled Study on Online Disinformation Advertising Creative Testing, were based on eight online focus groups. The CSE awarded Ottawa-based Ekos Research Associates the contract worth over $47,000 in October 2022 to conduct the study. The report added that most of the study participants said they feel confident they can tell the difference between real and false information you can see on the internet at least most of the time. The researchers also noted that few respondents said they would go online to a Government of Canada website for information. Many respondents suggested the federal government should focus on helping Canadians identify misinformation through tips and tricks while also being careful to provide neutral information without any political lens. The report comes as the Canadian Heritage Department is working alongside other federal offices to draft legislation that will target disinformation and harmful content online. In a letter earlier this year to the Commons foreign affairs committee in response to a dozen committee recommendations on the topic of the situation of human rights defenders, journalists and media organizations, the federal government said it was in the process of designing a new legislative and regulatory framework for online services, including social media platforms. The approach being considered included creating a digital safety commission tasked with enforcing new rules to compel online platforms to identify, assess, and mitigate risks on their platforms through their own internal systems and processes, the letter said. Cabinet has not yet specified when it hopes to introduce the legislation. Online Information From April to June 2022, a panel of 12 experts held discussions and provided advice to the government on drafting an internet content regulation bill. The announcement of the panel by Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez and Justice Minister David Lametti in March 2022 came some months after the Liberal government introduced legislation in June 2021 aimed at tackling online hate speech that lapsed during the snap general election that was called for Sept. 20, 2021. Between July and September 2021, Rodriguezs department held an open online consultation with Canadians to gauge public sentiment toward legislation targeting online activity. Findings were not released until some months after the consultation concluded, in a report titled What We Heard: The Governments proposed approach to address harmful content online. According to the report, Regarding the substance of the proposal, although multiple individuals and organizations welcomed the Governments initiative, only a small number of submissions from those stakeholders were supportive, or mostly supportive, of the framework as a whole. Nonetheless, it said there was support from a majority of respondents for a legislative and regulatory framework, led by the federal government, to confront harmful content online. Meanwhile, internal government documents obtained through an access to information and privacy (ATIP) request submitted by Canadian lawyer Michael Geist showed that around 90 percent of the 350 respondents who gave feedback through the online consultation were unsupportive of Ottawas proposals for tackling online harms. Concerns most cited are those around censorship/freedom of expression, said a Department of Canadian Heritage report titled Online Harms Consultation Preliminary Overview of Submissions that Geist obtained through his ATIP request. It added that most individual respondents also had concerns about the role of law enforcement and fears around surveillance, and the definition of hate speech, as well as the proposals lack of definitional detail about what will be considered harmful online content. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in November 2022 that his government remains focused on legislating against online harassment and violence to ensure trust in technology. While always ensuring and defending free speech, we must make it clear that it cannot be OK to bully and attack people online, he said on Nov. 14, 2022. Professor of international relations at SOAS in London Gilbert Achcar explains in an interview that it would be simplistic to represent the conflict in Sudan as a proxy war. On day nine of the conflict that has erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Gilbert Achcar, a close observer of the political and military challenges that have come the way of the Arab world for over a decade, reflects on a battle that he believes was inevitable due to the dual nature of military power in Sudan. A professor of International Relations at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London, Achcar told Al-Ahram Weekly his best and worst-case scenarios for the conflict, which has unfolded due to the failure of the two military forces to agree over the new framework that was negotiated with international mediation between Sudans military government and the Freedom and Change Coalition. The agreement was supposed to be signed in the first week of April, when Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, leader of the SAF, wanted a prompt inclusion of the RSF under SAF command. He wanted to end the status of the RSF as a force parallel to the army, whereas [leader of the RSF Mohamed] Dagalo was not willing to bring his troops under army command. It is a classic situation of unavoidable conflict between two armed powers deployed on the same territory: sooner or later, one of the two will try to subdue the other, Achcar said. Established by Sudans ousted former president Omar Al-Bashir, the RSF was built as an autonomous armed force parallel to the regular army. This was convenient for Al-Bashirs purposes of playing one power off against the other to shield his personal rule and of using the RSF for missions that the army could not get involved in, Achcar said. Dagalo is originally the leader of a paramilitary force who was propelled into politics by Al-Bashir during the war waged by the ousted president in Darfur. So, in essence, Dagalo owed it all to Al-Bashir, but this did not stop him from turning against the latter when he felt that Al-Bashirs time was over, Achcar said. The ousting of Al-Bashir was the moment when Dagalo started aiming for a much bigger political role, boosted by the RSFs decisive role in cooperating with the SAF in removing him, he added. Al-Burhan was not blind to Dagalos ambition, Achcar believes. He was just waiting for the right moment to subdue him. That moment, he argues, was prompted after the coup of 25 October [2021] when Dagalo distanced himself from the SAF and declared that the coup had been a failure. In October 2021, Al-Burhan thought that the split that occurred within the Freedom and Change Coalition would allow him to move successfully towards eliminating the power-sharing agreement between civilians and the military that had existed since 2019 and to reestablish unmitigated military rule. However, things did not go the way Al-Burhan hoped because of vigorous opposition in the streets and international, principally Western, economic pressure. He was forced to backtrack to negotiating with the Freedom and Change Coalition that he had ousted from government and, under the pressure of the international mediation, accept a new agreement that is actually more constraining for the military than that of 2019, Achcar said. This was indeed a clear manifestation of the failure of his coup. Al-Burhan became convinced that he needed to subdue the RSF in order to be able to manoeuvre in the new political game in the making. The SAF had to improve their chances to keep control of political power and with it of their economic empire in Sudan, and this required putting an end to the division of the countrys armed forces. It was no longer possible for the SAF to carry on working with an autonomous RSF, Achcar said. Even though both Al-Burhan and Dagalo were moulded by the same political regime of Al-Bashir, they became rivals since the ousting of the dictator. Political power is based on the monopoly of force, and no duality is sustainable for long in that respect, he added. Al-Burhan tolerated the co-existence with the RSF as long as the latter was working together with the SAF in countering the oppositions pressure for civilian rule, Achcar said. But this is now irremediably over. This is why it is wrong to believe that both sides could be reconciled in any manner. It is now a life-and-death battle between them. This is a very worrying situation, Achcar agreed. If the battle were to stop tomorrow without either side achieving a decisive victory, it would mean a division of Sudan into separate areas controlled by the SAF and RSF. A renewed political agreement between these forces, he added, is very unlikely. It would require that Dagalo accept the integration of the RSF under the wing of the SAF. Today, this seems very much to be out of the question unless some regional force manages to buy Dagalos consent to leave the scene. CIVIL WAR According to Achcar, the conflict could turn into a protracted civil war or be frozen into a division of the country under the sway of the two rival powers. This is why there is so much worry over the developments in Sudan, especially for a country sharing a past and a border with it such as Egypt and a country fearing regional destabilisation such as the Saudi Kingdom, he said. However, Achcar argued that the representation of the current conflict in Sudan as a proxy war between regional powers is simplistic and reductionist. It is true that influential regional players have their preferences between the two forces fighting for the control of Sudan. But it is hard to think that any of these powers would have wanted this war that may turn into a quagmire with potentially dangerous regional spillovers. Egypt seems to take a neutral stance on the current conflict despite its close relation with Al-Burhan, Achcar said. He added that it would be equally hard to think that the UAE would take the risk of getting openly involved in the war, despite its well-known relationship with Dagalo and its willingness to play its own game against the Saudis, as it did in Yemen, because no one knows how this conflict could end. The complexity of the situation in Sudan is not restricted to the rivalry between the SAF and the RSF, Achcar added. The civilian political forces that constituted the political opposition to Al-Bashir are also themselves split. They parted ways quite early on, he recalled, when a majority of the Freedom and Change Coalition opted for the political compromise with the military in 2019, while the rest, along with the Resistance Committees and a majority of the Sudanese Professionals Association, rejected that deal. Those who believed that the SAF would respect their pledge to hand over power to civilians under democratic conditions were proven wrong by the 25 October coup. However, international pressure for a renewed agreement bore as much on the military as it did on the civilian opposition, continued Achcar. Those that Al-Burhan had ousted in 2021 re-entered negotiations with the SAF, leading to the recent Framework Agreement, which was rejected anew by the radical forces. Those who were not convinced about cooperating with the SAF in 2019 would certainly not change their mind after the 2021 coup, he explained. With the current armed conflict, the hopes for democracy in Sudan created by the Glorious Revolution (as it is called there) that started in December 2018 are at stake, Achcar argued. He explained that if the SAF were to win the battle, a protracted state of military control could follow that would squash the prospects for democracy. On the other hand, if the RSF manages to stay put, the division of the country between the two belligerents could asphyxiate democratic prospects. A best-case scenario would be that the battle between the two belligerents would lead to the weakening of the military as a whole, that the bulk of Sudans population would loathe them for the mayhem that they had created, and that the popular movement spearheaded by the Resistance Committees would manage to mobilise the people successfully in putting an end to military dictatorship and instituting democracy in Sudan. Lets face it, the armed forces are the crucial obstacle to any revolutionary scheme, either in Sudan or elsewhere in the region, Achcar stated. This, he said, was the issue overlooked by the political forces in all the countries of the Arab Spring, both in its first and second phases. In order to succeed, they needed to win the hearts and minds of the army, as had happened in every case of radical change by way of uprisings in history, he said. Situations of war, especially in cases of defeat, could facilitate this scenario. Whether the ongoing battle in Sudan could lead to such an outcome remains to be seen, however. An end to the current conflict that stifles hopes for democracy in Sudan is a danger that cannot be underestimated, Achcar said. After the 2021 events in Tunisia, such an end, he added, could suppress the last democratic space achieved by the two successive revolutionary waves of the Arab Spring in 2011 and 2019. Still, he said, even with the failed chance for democracy in Sudan today, it would be wrong to assume that the revolutionary potential, either in Sudan or elsewhere in the countries of the Arab Spring, is quelled. It has been only 12 years since the first shockwave of the Arab Spring. This is still quite early by the yardstick of long-term revolutionary processes, he asserted. Political, and also military, changes in the Arab world have their own dynamics. This is why it was very wrong to draw parallels between the democratic revolutions of Eastern Europe [in the late 1980s and early 1990s] and the Arab Spring, he said. In Eastern Europe, there was bureaucratic rule, states run by bureaucrats with relatively limited privileges. But in the Middle East we are talking about groups with immense vested interests who regard the states as their private property and are willing to cling to power and with it to their huge privileges by all means necessary. Those are two very different situations, he added. Achcar is worried about the possibility of a defeat of the revolutionary dreams of democracy in Sudan. He is also concerned by the wider setback for democracy in the Arab region, which is manifest, among other signs, in the ongoing reintegration of Syrias President Bashar Al-Assad in the Arab League and the current crackdown against the political opposition in Tunisia. However, he insisted that this was a temporary phase of a backlash in a protracted succession of revolutionary cycles. According to Achcar, the Arab uprisings were provoked by major structural political, social and economic problems. The blatant failure to get any of these problems resolved means that it is only a matter of time before the volcano erupts again, somehow, somewhere. * A version of this article appears in print in the 27 April, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: Chinese Foreign Ministers Manila Visit Wont Improve SinoPhilippine Relations, Expert Says A Chinese Coast Guard ship sails near a Philippine Coast Guard vessel during its patrol at Bajo de Masinloc, 124 nautical miles west of Zambales province northwestern Philippines, on March 2, 2022. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP) The Philippines has become a key country in the geopolitics of the Asia-Pacific, at a time when the strategic competition between the United States and China is intensifying. Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang made a recent visit to Manila in a bid to repair bilateral relations damaged by Chinas aggression. However, Qins visit may have been in vain, an international observer says. The Philippines and the United States have recently increased cooperation on national security. This year, the Philippines has opened four military bases to the U.S. military and launched the largest joint military exercise in decades to deepen military cooperation with the United States. The relationship between the Philippines and the Chinese communist regime has deteriorated because of the latters aggressive behavior in the South China Sea. Qin, who visited the Philippines from April 21 to April 23, said China is willing to cooperate to resolve the nations differences over the hotly contested waterway. Chinas Foreign Minister Qin Gang (2nd R) and Chinas Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian (R) attend a meeting with Philippines Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo at the Diamond Hotel in Metro Manila on April 22, 2023. (Gerard Carreon/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) But experts believe that itll be very difficult for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to restore relations with the Philippines. Marcos Turns to US Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. pledged to continue former President Rodrigo Dutertes China policies during his presidential campaign. At the time, he said Dutertes diplomatic engagement policy was really our only option. However, after being elected in May 2022, Marcos changed his tone, saying the Philippines wouldnt give up even a square inch of territory to any foreign power. Song Guocheng, a researcher at the International Relations Research Center of National Chengchi University, told The Epoch Times that there are two main reasons for the drastic change in the Philippines policy toward the CCP. In the early days, Marcos Jr. made some relatively pro-China remarks in the hope that the CCP would expand investment or so-called loans to the Philippines, he said. But the CCP did not fulfill its promise, so Marcos Jr. felt a little bit cheated. Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. speaks during the 126th anniversary of the founding of the Philippine Army at Fort Bonifacio near Manila, Philippines, on March 22, 2023. (Ezra Acayan/Getty Images) The Philippines has benefited little from Dutertes pro-China policies. While Duterte has made frequent visits to China amid the Beijing regimes promises to invest tens of billions of dollars in the Philippines, less than half of those have been fulfilled, Japanese media outlet Nikkei reported. Another reason is that for a long time, the CCP has been harassing Filipino fishermen on the islands and reefs that the Philippines claims sovereignty over, especially the use of military lasers to cause temporary blindness to Filipino crew members a while ago. This is a military attack, Song said. These two reasons led to Marcos Jr.s determination, and he decided to turn to the United States. Qins Urgent Visit Qins visit coincided with the largest joint U.S.Philippines military exercise in decades, involving more than 17,000 personnel from both countries. Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr (center left) attends a live-fire drill on April 26, 2023, at the Naval Education Training and Doctrine Command in San Antonio, Zambales, Philippines. The live fire drill was part of the annual U.S.Philippines drills called Balikatan, meaning shoulder to shoulder in Tagalog. (Jes Aznar/Getty Images) Song believes that the tense relationship between China and the Philippines and the closer military cooperation between the United States and the Philippines led to Qins urgent visit to the Philippines, hoping to mend the tense relationship between China and the Philippines through diplomatic means or economic incentives. Qin said during his visit that China is willing to work with the Philippines to maintain the correct direction of SinoPhilippines relations, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and properly resolve differences between the two countries. After the meeting with Qin, Marcos said the two countries agreed to establish more dialogue channels to resolve the South China Sea disputes. However, Song said the communication lines established by the CCP have been unable to gain the trust of the international community anymore, and the traditionally established hotlines between China and the United States have been cut off by the CCP. I think it is impossible for Marcos Jr. to maintain a friendly relationship with the CCP, he said. He is determined to turn to the United States. Through cooperation with the United States, he will resist the CCPs aggression and harm and protect national and regional security. Zheng Xiaoqi and Yi Ru contributed to this report. Chinese Authorities Question Staff of US Consulting Firm Bain A boat travels on the Huangpu River as the skyline of the city is seen, including the Shanghai Tower on Aug. 28, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) Chinese authorities questioned Bain & Co. employees in Shanghai, the company stated, less than a month after Chinese police detained staff and raided the office of another U.S. due diligence firm in Beijing. A spokesperson of Bian told The Epoch Times on April 27 that the Chinese authorities have questioned staff in our Shanghai office. We are cooperating as appropriate with the Chinese authorities. At this time, we have no further comment, the spokesperson said in an email. The Financial Times, citing people familiar with the matter, reported on April 26 that Chinese police visited Bains Shanghai office two weeks ago and took away computers and phones but didnt detain any staff, and the purpose of the visit was unclear. According to the companys website, Bain opened its office in the financial hub in 2004. It also runs offices in Beijing and Hong Kong. The incident came after U.S. due diligence firm Mintz Groups office in Beijing was raided by Chinese police in March. Authorities detained five Chinese nationals working for the company. New York-based Mintz Group told Reuters on March 24 that it has not received any official legal notice regarding a case against the company and has requested that the authorities release its employees. Days later, Mao Ning, spokesperson of Chinas Foreign Ministry, told reporters that Mintz Group is suspected of illegal business operations. Mintz Group didnt respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment. The scrutiny of U.S. firms comes as the new Chinese Communist Party leadership tried to assure foreign businesses that China would continue to open up and welcome foreign investment. You are not foreigners, but family, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao told a business forum in March. Attendees of the forum in Beijing included leaders from several multinational corporations, such as Apple CEO Tim Cook. An annual survey by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in China published in March shows that, for the first time in 25 years, U.S. businesses no longer see China as the primary investment destination. Last year was particularly challenging for our member companies, as they dealt with Chinas economic slowdown, zero-COVID control measures, and ongoing efforts to ensure compliance with various new U.S. and China-related regulations, Colm Rafferty, chairman of AmCham China, told Reuters. At a global economic forum on April 20, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen emphasized the need for constructive engagement between Beijing and Washington, noting that the current relationship is clearly at a tense moment. We are concerned about a recent uptick in coercive actions targeting U.S. firms, which comes at the same moment that China states that it is reopening for foreign investment, Yellen told the audience at Johns Hopkins Universitys School of Advanced International Studies in Washington. Chinese Hackers Outnumber US Cyber Agents By at Least 50 to 1: FBI Director Wray FBI Director Christopher Wray talks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023. The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum is taking place in Davos from Jan. 16 until Jan. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) During an April 27 appearance before the House Appropriations Committee, FBI Director Christopher Wray told the panel that Chinese hackers outnumber U.S. cyber specialists 50 to 1. On April 26, the House passed a bill that would address the brewing battle over the debt ceiling. As part of the spending package, the FBI would see a 22 percent cut in funding. While China lags behind the United States in many areas, the communist state has emphasized cyber warfare. And in that domain, Wray said, China has a clear advantage. Todays cyber threats carry more risks, threaten more victims, and are more pervasive than ever before, Wray said. A key strategy of China is to lie, cheat, and steal their way to surpassing us as the global superpower in cyber, Wray explained. If you look at China, their hacking program is bigger than that of every other nation combined, Wray said in testimony to the panel supporting President Joe Bidens 2024 budget request. To give you a sense of what were up against, if each one of the FBIs cyber agents and intel analysts focused exclusively on the China threat Chinese hackers would still outnumber FBI cyber personnel by at least 50 to 1, he told the panel. Wray called China the greatest threat to our country, telling the panel that FBI investigations into the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and their actors had increased by 1,300 percent. A 22 percent cut, he said, would mean scores of threats from China go unaddressed, and I can assure you the Chinese government is not cutting back. He argued against the 22 percent reduction proposed by Republicans, saying it would further benefit Chinas cyber dominance. A 22 percent cut means more [cyber] attacks that hit critical infrastructure: schools, hospitals, 911 call centers, our innovation, our economic security, Wray said. Wray told the panel that the FBI blocks 15 million cyber attacks on U.S. infrastructure per week. We know cyber adversaries want to hack government systemsespecially ones that have sensitive information like we do, he added. A 22 percent reduction would almost certainly mean more of those [cyber attacks] would get through. In addition, Wray said that the cut would mean that the FBI would less be able to combat ransomware threats originating in both the United States and abroad. Though the FBI was once one of the most respected American institutions, with broad swaths of Democrats and Republicans alike supporting the agency, the issue has become more partisan in recent years. Republicans have expressed high-level concerns that the FBI has deviated from its mission to protect the American people, saying the agency is instead focusing on targeting Democrats political enemies. While Republicans have expressed their anxiety to ensure that the FBI has the tools it needs to address threats, the proposed 22 percent cut comes in the context of this significant distrust between Republicans and federal law enforcement. Crash That Killed Mother, Injured Girl Near LA School Possibly Due to Medical Emergency: Police LOS ANGELESA crash that killed a woman and critically injured her 6-year-old daughter near Hancock Park Elementary School appears to be a tragic accident, police said April 26, adding that the driver who struck them in a crosswalk may have suffered an unspecified medical emergency. The woman in her 30s was walking in a crosswalk with the girl around 8 a.m. Tuesday near Ogden Drive and Colgate Avenue in the mid-Wilshire area when they were struck by a southbound pickup that continued south and crashed into an apartment building. The woman, who has not been identified, died at the scene. The girla first-grader at Hancock Park Elementarywas hospitalized in critical condition, police said. The driver of the pickup, a man around 30, was taken to a hospital for treatment of moderate injuries. Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore told the Police Commission Tuesday morning there were early signs that the driver may have been impaired. On Wednesday, however, the police department issued a statement saying the crash may not have been the result of any criminal activity. At this time, based on the totality of the circumstances, this appears to be a tragic accident that possibly resulted from a medical emergency. Investigation into this cause is ongoing, however, and will include the examination of additional evidence such as remaining video, canvass for additional witnesses, and a forensic examination of the involved vehicle. The driver has been positively identified and remains out of custody at this time, but as the investigation proceeds there is a potential that charges may be filed at a later date, police said. The shadow of a pedestrian is seen walking past the headquarters of the Los Angeles Unified School District in Los Angeles on Oct. 3, 2022. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images) The fatal crash sparked calls for increased traffic safety around schools. Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said a 14-year-old student at Berendo Middle School near downtown Los Angeles was struck by a vehicle Wednesday. Circumstances of that crash and the condition of the student were not immediately available. We need immediate staffing of crossing guards, more enforcement around schools specific to speed limits, and legislation to provide additional safety precautions and measures to ensure safe passages to schools, Carvalho said in a statement. We wish our student a speedy recovery, and extra support will be provided to the school community. A Los Angeles City Council committee on Wednesday unanimously approved a motion calling for the installation of speed humps outside all schools in the city in an effort to slow traffic. Los Angeles City Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, who represents the area where Tuesdays crash occurred, wrote on her Twitter page that there are no words to convey how horrifying this act of traffic violence is. Like tens of thousands of other parents in Los Angeles, I also walked my child to school today, she said. It can be a terrifying experience, knowing that distracted drivers are traveling far above speed limits just feet from where our children walk. Yaroslavsky vowed to support the speed-hump program at schools. We need to address street safety in Los Angeles as the crisis that it is, she wrote. That starts with ensuring that Hancock Park Elementary has a crossing guard at the intersection where the accident occurred. Crime, Drugs, and Homelessness Plague Los Angeles Metro Trains, Buses LOS ANGELESA boy tucked in between his mother and father fearfully looks across the aisle at a slender Hispanic male in his early 20s laid sprawled across two seats with his mouth open and eyes shut just feet from them on a Metro train. At the front of the train car, one man begins to talk to himself louder and louder as another man on the other side of the compartment lights up a joint, filling the car with the stench of marijuana. Recently, drug use, homelessness, and crime are becoming the norm on the Los Angeles Metro Line trains at an alarming rate. As you could see, passengers were just smoking weed out in the open on the train in front of little kids with their parents all nervous right there, former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva told The Epoch Times after riding the Gold and Red lines April 19. Former Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva uses the Los Angeles Metro system in Los Angeles on April 19, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) The afternoon ride revealed near-constant use of marijuana inside trains and on platforms. At a Hollywood/Western station, empty syringes and bottles of alcohol littered the tracks as several homeless people walked around, dragging their feet in a dazed-like manner. Sadly, its what we expected, Villanueva said. Its a degradation of the system. Its accelerating and getting bigger because its become a haven for transients, for people that want to use it as a shooting gallery. Look at all the debris from intravenous drug use That is typical. So far this month, four different stabbings have occurred on Metro trains, leaving one man dead. Twenty-one people have died on the systems buses and trains this year, mostly from suspected overdoses, according to the agency. As such, people are scared to ride the transit system, Villanueva said, and data is showing the trend. Even as Southern Californias gas prices skyrocketed to record highs last year, LA Metros ridership continued to decline overall. Metro has lost 41 percent of its riders since the pandemic started in 2020, according to the agency. Women, in particular, are definitely afraid of going on the train, Villanueva said. A man works off a drug high on a Los Angeles Metro train in Los Angeles on April 19, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) Ridership among women decreased from 53 percent in 2019 to 46 percent in 2022, Metros October survey revealed. Safety from crime, sexual, and racial harassment was top of the list for improvements female Metro riders said they wanted to see. The [Metro] board needs to resign en masse, bow their head in shame and ask for forgiveness for the residents of LA County, Villanueva said. In Villanuevas discussions with riders, they tell him they want twice as many police officers on the system, not fewer, he said. He said the Metro Ambassador Pilot Program launched on March 6 by the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority with an aim to replace armed law enforcement with unarmed ambassadors is resulting in more crime and passenger anxiety. According to a statement by LA Metro, the program is a part of the agencys reimagined approach to public safety, and ambassadors will welcome riders to Metro, answer their questions, connect them to the resources they need and report issues they see. The pilot program initially deployed nearly 300 unarmed ambassadors on LA Metros trains and buses. Later that month, the agency added another 48 to address the rise in assaults against riders and bus drivers. However, almost half of the new hires are armed, according to the Metro board. You told Metro you wanted more unarmed staff and we heard you. The Metro Ambassadors are part of a multilayered team working to make transit safer, cleaner and more comfortable to ride. Pic: Metro Ambassadors entrance at todays event. pic.twitter.com/TrnIBD4aba Metro Los Angeles (@metrolosangeles) March 6, 2023 In November 2021, the Metro Boards police advisory committee recommended canceling police contracts in an effort to reduce armed law enforcement on trains and buses. After much internal debate, the board decided to extend its contracts on March 23 with the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, and the Long Beach Police Department to continue providing public safety services for Metros 93 stations and 14,000 bus stops systemwide. In general, crime had been rising in the system in 2022, increasing by 21 percent, according to the latest public safety update issued by Metro. In the past 12 months, Metro has recorded 152 assaults against bus operatorsa 15-percent increase. In February, crimes such as rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and arson, increased by 19 percent compared to the same time last year, according to the report. Lesser offenses, including narcotics, weapon violations, and sex offenses, increased by 37 percentfrom 83 to 114, including 14 incidents of sexual batterycompared to February 2022, the agency reported. Drug use on the Metro system also increased in recent years, impacting rider experience and employee safety, Metro reported in February. Transit officers made 50 drug arrests that month, a 900-percent increase from 2022, though the agency attributed the jump in arrests to recent drug enforcement efforts. Syringes littered the train tracks at the Westlake/MacArthur Park train station in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 20, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) Before 2017, when the sheriffs department had a contract with Metro, there were no homeless people living on the train platform, Villanueva said. Now, about 5,700 make the trains and platforms home, he said. Metro officials said in a statement from October 2022 it is difficult to determine how many homeless are on the system, which is not covered by Los Angeles Homeless Services Authoritys annual homeless count. Metro was also considering installing navigation hubs on the transit system to provide social services 24/7 to the homeless, according to the statement. Metro is taking steps to address the issues plaguing its system through several new tactics, the agencys spokesman Patrick Chandler told The Epoch Times. The transit system started playing classical music over loudspeakers in March to discourage camping and illicit activities in its Westlake/MacArthur Park train station on the Red Line running from downtown Los Angeles to North Hollywood. The Los Angeles Metro line transit system in Los Angeles on April 19, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) The music program is part of a larger pilot program at the MacArthur Park location, which was plagued by graffiti, vandalism, loitering, drug activity, and all kinds of things under the sun, Chandler said. Metro has also installed floodlights at both ends of the platform and restricted access. The agency has partnered with Los Angeles Countys health services and housing departments to provide outreach and mental health counseling, drug addiction treatment, medication stations, and wound-care services. Despite these efforts, though, Metros problems are reflective of what is happening in the community, Chandler said. Were not an isolated system, Chandler said. If theres a problem with drug use [in society], thats going to show up in our system. Were not able to isolate ourselves from society, and society rides our system. I cant speak to why crime might increase or entirely reduce, but at least for Metro, were doing our best to protect our riders. DEA Chief Wont Say If Mexico Cooperates Enough in Fight Against Drug Cartels Anne Milgram, administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, accompanied by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, answers questions about the extradition and unsealing of an indictment charging former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, at the Department of Justice in Washington, on April 21, 2022. (Win McNamee/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Anne Milgram repeatedly declined to answer a host of pointed questions from Republican members of a House Appropriations Committee panel during an April 27 budget hearing, including whether she thinks Mexico is cooperating enough with the United States in fighting the drug cartels that are flooding the country with fentanyl. Asked twice by Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, about Mexicos cooperation, Milgram simply described two of the major Mexican drug cartelsthe Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation criminal organizationsas the greatest drug threat this country has ever faced. She estimated that more than 107,000 Americans died last year from violence and drug overdoses. Asked the same question later in the hearing by Rep. Jake Ellzey (R-Texas), Milgram responded, We all need to do more, and Mexico needs to do more. Ellzey also asked the DEA chief if there are corrupt elements in the Mexican government that the agency wont work with. We follow the evidence wherever it goes, Milgram replied. Similarly, Rep. John Carter (R-Texas) asked Milgram if she thinks it is practical for DEA agents chasing drug couriers in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas to drive electric vehicles (EVs), as recently directed by President Joe Biden. Carter pointed out that there are few EV charging stations in that region and that, while fast, such vehicles have a limited range. Teslas for DEA Agents Milgram only said the DEA is required to do as directed by Biden, and she assured the Texas lawmaker that she will do everything I can and the men and woman of DEA will do everything they can to do the work that needs to be done. Milgram remained oblique when asked by Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) about an investigation being conducted by Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael Horowitz into allegations that millions of dollars in DEA sole-source contracts are being awarded to political cronies of Milgram. Prior to being appointed to the federal anti-drug agency, she was New Jerseys attorney general. American families should feel safe and be able to trust that federal agencies such as the DEA that are tasked with preventing these deadly drugs from coming into this country are operating efficiently and effectively, Clyde said. But media reports show an abuse of contact authority leaving Americans wondering if they can really trust the Biden administrations DEA to do the best job in protecting their families from illegal and lethal drugs such as fentanyl, he continued. Clyde then asked Milgram if the DEA has awarded any no-bid contracts during her tenure. As I have said, I think its an important issue, and the inspector general is conducting an administrative review of some DEA contracts, she said. I welcome that and I am not going to step in front of him out of respect for his work. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) (L) talks to Rep.-elect Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) in the House chamber during the third day of elections for House Speaker at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 5, 2023. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) Milgram promised to get back to Clyde on how many no-bid contracts have been awarded by the DEA and the total dollar value. Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.) asked Milgram how she would grade the DEA on fulfilling its statutory duty on her watch of enforcing controlled substance laws and regulations and prosecuting individuals and organizations that manufacture illegal drugs. Congressman, I think the men and women of the DEA are doing an incredible job to meet this moment and to save lives, Milgram answered. I also believe we are doing what we need to do, which is to transform our vision, the way we work, and how we execute it in order to stop Americans from dying, and I believe were doing that. At that point, things got testy. I dont think you are, Garcia shot back. Ill be honest; I respect and appreciate the service of the DEA agents. But when you have 100,000 Americans dying of these poisonings in a given year, and it is getting worse over time, to make the assertion as the administrator of the DEA that you are doing this job well or that you are getting the job done is, frankly, flagrant and offensive. Garcia followed up by asking Milgram why she declined when asked by Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.) to label China a major illicit drug trafficker-producing country. Milgram said neither she nor anyone else in the United States thinks its acceptable that so many Americans are dying of fentanyl poisoning. She emphasized that she believes the men and women of DEA are transforming the way we work to attack the cartels at their core. Weve only shown the beginning of the results. In the coming months, you will begin to see more of those results, she said. Tempers Flare on Open Border Claim Tempers flared later when Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.), the top Democrat on the subcommittee, said, Weve heard talk about our so-called open border, and offered for the record a Sept. 22, 2022, NBC opinion column titled The GOPs Myth of an Open Border. The column was authored by Debu Gandhi, senior director of immigration policy at the Center for American Progress Action Fund, a liberal 501(C)(4) advocacy group. The column claimed: Contrary to the open border myth, U.S. borders are guarded by a vast and well-funded national security agency that has grown far larger and more powerful in recent years. Since 2001, U.S. Border Patrol has nearly doubled in capacity, from fewer than 10,000 agents to now more than 19,500. The Biden administration has requested $97.3 billion in funding for the Department of Homeland Security for fiscal year 2023, including billions of dollars for border security and interior immigration enforcement. Carter responded to Cartwright: It doesnt take anyone with a third-grade education to see that when 40,000 people cross the border at one time and claim asylum, we have a problem on the Texas border. And 40,000 people cross every day so I very much take offense at that statement. The Epoch Times has asked Carters staff for the source of his figure. Data published by the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) show huge increases in the number of illegal border-crossings along the U.S. border with Mexico in recent years. From October 2022 to March of this year, the CBP data show 1,055,320 total known illegal border-crossings, with 265,037 recorded for El Paso, Texas, 217,849 for Del Rio, Texas, and 132,168 for the Rio Grande Valley. That equals an average of 5,798 illegal border-crossings for each of the 182 days during the period covered. The CBP data, however, dont include the got-aways, individuals who successfully cross the border and elude capture by U.S. and state law enforcement officials. There were more than 500,000 got-aways last year, according to the House Committee on Homeland Security. The drug cartels responsible for bringing fentanyl into this country are ruthless and extremely violent criminal enterprises, Milgram said during her opening statement. They rely on a global supply chain to manufacture and distribute fentanyl. And they rely on a global illicit financial network to pocket billions of dollars. Fed Alive to Tigers The Chapitos Network of the cartels kill, kidnap, and torture anyone who gets in the way, Milgram said. In Mexico, they have fed their enemies alive to tigers, electrocuted them, waterboarded them, and shot them at close range with a .50 caliber machine gun, she said. She described the DEA response as implementing a transformation of its own to meet this moment. DEA has acted with urgency to set a new vision, target the global criminal networks most responsible for the influx of fentanyl into the United States, raise public awareness about how just one pill can kill, and hire and promote hundreds of people across the agency and across the nation, she said. We have transformed our vision by focusing on fentanylthe drug killing the most Americansand the criminal organizations responsible for flooding fentanyl into our communities, the Sinaloa cartel and the Jalisco New Generation cartel. We have transformed our plan by building an entirely new strategic layerour counter-threat teams for the Sinaloa cartel and the Jalisco cartelthat map the cartels, analyze their networks, and develop targeting information on the members of those networks wherever they operate around the globe. Deadly Stabbing Rampage in Saskatchewan Started With Violence Days Earlier: RCMP Mark Arcand, brother of James Smith Cree Nation stabbing victim Bonnie Burns, holds a picture of his sister during a news conference in Saskatoon on Sept. 7, 2022. (Cole Burston/AFP via Getty Images) The RCMP has released new details about the man accused of a mass stabbing that killed 11 people and injured 18 in Saskatchewan in 2022. In an extended news conference livestreamed on social media on April 27, Mounties painted a picture of two brothers, Myles and Damien Sanderson, guzzling booze and pumping themselves up as Damian told a woman in a bar that the two had a mission to do. People would hear all about it in the next few hours, Damien Sanderson said. The RCMP said Damien was the first murder victim, as Myles, 32, went on to kill more than a dozen people on Sept. 4, 2022. He died after being arrested by police, who searched for the suspect for four days before his apprehension. Police said at the time that he was in medical distress shortly after his arrest. The Mounties said the case involved processing more than 42 separate crime scenes, interviewing more than 250 witnesses, and seizing 700 pieces of evidence. They said the suspect killed all ages, from youth to elderly, following three days of selling cocaine, assaulting members of the community on James Smith Cree Nation, and drinking at local bars. At one point on Sept. 3, at around 5 p.m. local time, police investigators say the brothers split up after assaulting Gregory Burns. They met up again before midnight, assaulted another male victim, and stole a Dodge Caravan. They made a drug sale at 4 a.m. local time. No one reported them to police, until a victim who had been attacked with scissors called police at 5:40 a.m. local time. RCMP officers said they drove at speeds of 178 kilometres per hour to get to the scene, and arrived at 6:18 a.m. local time. Rampage His attacks were unpredictable. As fast as information was coming in about a vehicle he was inhe was abandoning that vehicle, said Saskatchewan RCMP Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore. She said the situation was very rapidly unfolding, very dynamic and chaotic. The RCMP said after the brothers forced their way into a house looking for a woman at about 5:30 a.m., Myles Sanderson attacked a victim with scissors. A child was in the home. Damien intervened and told the injured male to call the police. The RCMP said that when the brothers returned to the vehicle, Myles attacked Damien, who was injured but ran into nearby bushes, where police found him deceased. Myles Sanderson went to more houses in the community, attacking some victims and murdering others. Some he merely threatened, and police say he stole their vehicles. Police said that during his mission of terror, he bragged about how many people hed killed. Four danger alerts were issued by police, giving descriptions of the suspects and the vehicle. Inquests Underway At one point, the suspect entered the home of Gregory Burns, a 28-year-old father, through a window, the RCMP said, attacking him, his mother Bonnie, and two teenagers. Burns died outside the home. Sanderson later returned and killed Bonnie and Lydia Gloria Burns, who worked at a health clinic. Bonnie had called her for help. Sanderson continued on to a different home, this time attacking Thomas Burns, a 23-year-old father, who was stabbed and then run down with a vehicle. Sanderson ended his killing spree just after 7 a.m. local time, with the death of an elderly man sitting on his front porch in the village of Weldon, Saskatchewan. The RCMP said they are not able to release all details on the timeline and their investigation, as inquests are underway by the Saskatchewan Coroners Serviceone that is looking at the murders, while the other is focused on Sanderson. There is also another separate investigation being carried out by the Saskatoon Police Service and the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team. RCMP said they could not discuss why Sanderson was unlawfully at large, and would not discuss police response, Sandersons arrest and subsequent death, or specific victim details. They said only that no one reported any of the violent activity undertaken by the brothers before the stabbing spree. The James Smith Cree Nation has called for the establishment of its own police force. Difficult Surrey, BC, Police Decision on RCMP or Municipal Force Friday: Minister B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth speaks about crime reduction during a press conference at the Provincial Court of British Columbia in Nanaimo, B.C., April 12, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Chad Hipolito) British Columbia Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says Surreyresidents will know Friday who will police the Metro Vancouver city: the RCMP or a municipal police service. The government is set to announce its decision on the future of policing in the city, Farnworth said Thursday. Surrey was well into the process of switching away from RCMP to the independent Surrey Police Service when voters elected a mayor who opposed the change. The indecision has cost Surrey taxpayers many millions of dollars, but Mayor Brenda Locke said the transition back to RCMP will be less expensive than the change to the police service. The provincial government had already approved the move to the municipal police force and now the mayor and council want it to agree to the reversal. Farnworth said it has been one of the toughest decisions his government has had to make. It is a very, very complicated issue and there has been a significant amount of work that has gone into it, and Ill be making the decision tomorrow, Farnworth said in the legislature on Thursday. The key issue in the governments decision is public safety for Surreyand the province, said Farnworth. The minister said earlier that he has concerns about RCMP staffing levels in the province and the call for reforms for Mounties contained in the recent inquiry into the Nova Scotia mass shooting. BC United Leader Kevin Falcon said he wouldnt be able to make a decision on which police force to support because the government hasnt provided enough data that it collected about the pros and cons of the two law enforcement options. This excerpt from Chapter 14 of Childrens Past Lives, Adults and Their Religions, outlines the history of reincarnation in the early Christian church. The primary source used for this information is H.G. Wells The Outline of History, plus tracts by Church historians. A complete list of citations are included in the book. Reprinted with permission by the author. The awesome charisma of Jesus Christ and his good-news ministry profoundly changed the lives of those who knew him and who followed soon after. The enthusiasm and spirit of the first Christians spread through the Middle East until what had begun as an inspired cult of Jews in dusty Judea grew to be a revolutionary religious movement pervading the whole Roman Empire. As the ideas spread, they percolated through the practices and theologies of existing religions and took on forms that Jesus would not have recognizedespecially the institution of a formal priesthood to mediate between man and God. Throughout the first three centuries of the Christian era, there was no single Christian doctrine. Christian theology and doctrine interpretations of Christs teachings blended with ideas from other philosophies and religions were hotly debated for at least three hundred years. Many of the tenets of the faith that Christians take for granted today were, during this long period of flux, simply one point of view among many. It is a fact that some Christian sects and writers accepted reincarnation as an enhancement to the teachings of Christ. Origen, one of the heralded Fathers of the Church and described by Saint Gregory as the Prince of Christian learning in the third century, wrote: Every soul comes into this world strengthened by the victories and weakened by the defeats of its previous life. So if reincarnation was an idea in currency with early Christians, why have all traces of it disappeared from the Christian religion we know today? By the early fourth century, strong Christian factions were vying with each other for influence and power, while at the same time the Roman Empire was beginning to fall apart. In A.D. 325, in a move to renew the unity of the empire, the absolute dictator Emperor Constantine convened the leaders of the feuding Christian factions at the Council of Nicaea. He offered to throw his imperial power behind the Christians if they would settle their differences and agree on a single creed. Decisions made at this first council set the foundation for the Roman Catholic Church. (Soon after, the books of the Bible were fixed too.) For the sake of unity, all beliefs that conflicted with the new creed were banished; in the process the factions and writings that supported reincarnation were thrown out. Then, with the applause and support of the Christian leaders, Constantine moved to eliminate competing religions, and to make his personal grip on the Empire even more absolute. The result of the marriage between church and imperial state was a new Church made in the image of the autocratic Roman Empire. This is why, according to some historians, the Church exalts unquestioned central authority, imposes a singular dogmatic creed on its followers, and works so hard to stamp out divergent ideas. This is important, because reincarnation fell outside the official creed. Apparently some Christians continued to believe in reincarnation even after the Council of Nicaea, because in A.D. 553 the Church found the need to single out reincarnation and condemn it explicitly. At the Second Council of Constantinople the concept of reincarnation, bundled together with other ideas under the term pre-existence of the soul, was decreed to be a crime worthy of excommunication and damnation (anathema): If anyone assert the fabulous pre-existence of souls, and shall assert the monstrous restoration which follows from it: let him be anathema. Why would the Church go to such lengths to discredit reincarnation? The implicit psychology of reincarnation may be the best explanation. A person who believes in reincarnation assumes responsibility for his own spiritual evolution through rebirth. He does not need priests, confessionals, and rituals to ward off damnation (all ideas, incidentally, that were not part of Jesus teachings). He needs only to heed his own acts to himself and others. A belief in reincarnation eliminates the fear of eternal hell that the Church uses to discipline the flock. In other words, reincarnation directly undermines the authority and power of the dogmatic Church. No wonder reincarnation made the Defenders of the Faith so nervous. Despite the decree of 553, belief in reincarnation persisted among the rank and file. It took another thousand years and much bloodshed to completely stamp out the idea. In the early thirteenth century, the Cathars, a devout and enlightened sect of Christians who believed in reincarnation, flourished in Italy and southern France. The Pope launched a crusade to stop their heresy, a half million people were massacred, whole villages at a time, and the Cathars were totally wiped out. This purging set the tone for the brutal Inquisition that began soon after. Not only was a belief in reincarnation cause for persecution, but so was belief in any metaphysical idea that fell outside the bounds of Church dogma. The murderous efficiency of the Inquisition proved effective. The persecution by the institutional Church has scarred our collective psyche and surrounded us with an invisible fence dividing what is safe from what is dangerous to believe. Since then, people who harbor forbidden ideas have learned to keep their thoughts to themselves. Our cultural memory still carries the fear of reprisal for publicly associating with any occult practices, the use of psychic powers, or a belief in reincarnation. Here it is, the source of the double standard. No wonder so many people today believe in reincarnation privately but are afraid that if they come out publicly, they will be attacked for being weirdthe modern word for heresy. Maybe by understanding where this fear comes from we can negate its hold on us and turn off the invisible fence. So when our children speak of past lives, we can follow our hearts and not our fearsand believe them. Copyright 1997 by Carol Bowman and Steve Bowman Feds Paid Consulting Firm Accenture $208 Million to Manage COVID Program The logo of Irish services and consulting company Accenture is seen at a temporary office during the World Economic Forum summit in the Alpine resort of Davos, Switzerland, on May 25, 2022. (Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters) The price tag to outsource one of Ottawas COVID support programs came to over $220 million, with $208 million going to multinational consulting firm Accenture Inc., according to an official document. Export Development Canada (EDC), a crown corporation with the mission to help Canadian businesses abroad, had been tasked by the federal government early in the pandemic to manage the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA). In an Inquiry of Ministry tabled by the Liberal government in the House of Commons on April 17, EDC provided details on the program meant to support small businesses with loans. EDC says the total cost for external services to manage CEBA is $220,560,679. The Crown corporation also provided a breakdown for each contract issued to Accenture, which totalled $208,087,622. EDC says in the document it made the full decision to contract and negotiate the contracts with Accenture. The fact that the federal government had outsourced its main pandemic loan program to private companies was not known until the Globe and Mail reported on it in February. At that time it had found $61 million in contracts to Accenture for the program in open records. A subsequent early April report from the Globe based on data obtained through access to information noted that a total of $146 million was paid to Accenture for CEBA management. EDC says the services provided by Accenture involved staff augmentation and technology services. It added that 15 of its staff are committed to CEBA management. The largest contracts issued to Accenture were for capacity based staff augmentation, ranging from $17 to $38 million. The CEBA program provided loans of up to $60,000 to small businesses and not-for-profits with close to 900,000 entities signing up. Total funds approved for loans is $49.2 billion. EDC spokesperson Shelley Maclean told The Epoch Times that the Cown corporation was not equipped to run the program when tasked by the government in March 2020. The CEBA program requirements fell outside of EDCs core expertise as an export credit agency, she said. The complex nature and scope of CEBAs requirements necessitated external resources to assist in development, launch, and efficient operation. Maclean said the program was designed, developed, and launched within two weeks of receiving the direction, with the build being outsourced to Accenture from the onset. This was essential to the successful deployment of the program, she added. Accenture provided and continues to provide most of the core operational services and staff augmentation that underpin the program. This includes running a dedicated call centre and managing the digital platforms. Accenture declined to comment on its involvement and deferred to Maclean. The Inquiry of Ministry was the result of an order paper filed by NDP MP Gord Johns, who sits on the House of Commons government operations committee. The committee is currently undertaking a study of the contracts given to consulting firm McKinsey, which have ballooned since the Liberals took power in 2015. But early in the study attention has turned to the entire ecosystem of consulting firms who receive contracts from the government, with McKinsey only touching a fraction of the money. Public Services and Procurement Canada has awarded $104.6 million in contracts to McKinsey since 2015, with $14.4 million being awarded by other departments. The figures provided have changed in recent months and could be non-exhaustive. By comparison, Accenture was awarded $388,741,265 in contracts since 2015, according to another Inquiry of Ministry tabled on April 17, also after a request for information made by Johns. Johns office told The Epoch Times he was not available to comment. He has previously called on the committee to expand its study to other consulting firms. Treasury Board President Mona Fortier told the government operations committee on Feb. 8 that Ottawas spending on outsourcing is consistent with the size of the government. I think we have to make sure that we do focus on the fact that we have, as a government, a very ambitious agenda, Fortier told the MPs to justify the spending. One of the demands of the striking public servants is to eliminate outsourcing, but Fortier says this is not realistic. On contracting out, we intend to reduce this practice as we outlined in Budget 2023, she wrote in an open letter on April 24. That said, we hope everyone can understand that reducing it to zero would severely compromise the Governments ability to deliver services and work for Canadians. Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry Ahmed Samir announced on Wednesday that the volume of trade exchange between Egypt and African countries amounted to $2.117 billion during the first quarter of 2022. Egyptian exports to African countries amounted to $1.611 billion, while imports stood at $506 million, according to a statement by the ministry. The top five markets for exports to Africa were Libya, Sudan, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, with values of $317 million, $226 million, $217 million, $191 million, and $86 million, respectively, according to the chairman of the General Organisation for Export and Import Control, Essam El-Naggar. Construction materials were Egypt's main exports to African markets, with a value of $422 million, followed by chemicals and fertilisers at $358 million and foodstuffs at $242 million. Other exports included electronic and engineering goods, ready-made garments, paper, packaging and upholstery; medical products; crops; textiles; handicrafts and furniture. This aligns with Egypt's goals to enhance trade relations with Africa and overcome any obstacles that may impede trade between countries due to the Ukrainian conflict. Egypt is a signatory to several trade agreements among African countries, including the African Continental Free Trade Area and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa. Search Keywords: Short link: Foreign-Interference Office Coming Soon but Not yet Ready to Launch: Mendicino Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino speaks in the Foyer of the House of Commons, April 26, 2023 in Ottawa. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld) Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says the Liberals are not ready to launch the foreigninterference office they promised in last months federal budget, amid ongoing scrutiny of allegations that Beijing interfered in recent federal elections. The work has already started, Mendicino said in French during Thursday testimony to the House of Commons procedure committee. He insisted he wants to get the office up and running as soon as possiblebut wouldnt offer any specifics on a timeline. Since last November, the committee has been probing allegations that China meddled in Canadian federal elections, which Bloc Quebecois MP Marie-Helene Gaudreau argued should have already been met with policy changes. We have been worried, and we want to maintain confidence in the integrity of our elections, she said in French. The weeks are marching by quickly and theres an urgency. She noted that experts testified nearly six months ago about laws that could be strengthened to avoid interference. There must be enough teeth, because clearly there are lots of flaws, she told Mendicino in French. Its your responsibility and you have had six months to prepare for this and respond to this fundamental question. Mendicino said that Public Safety Canada is already working to establish a National Counter-Foreign Interference Office, as promised in the budget. But he said its launch is contingent on Parliament passing the budget bill. We will remain vigilant on the implementation of this tool, he said in French, adding that its among a list of actions his government has pledge to pursue. The Liberal budget earmarked $56 million over five years for measures to combat foreign interference, threats and covert activities, most of which is going to the RCMP to investigate threats and proactively work with diaspora communities. The funding would also be put toward launching an office that would, which would help co-ordinate Canadas response to threats from countries including China and Russia. Yet Mendicino offered no timeline for when that office will launch, when asked by MPs and later by reporters. And he would not commit to Gaudreaus request that he release an action plan that includes timelines within the next two weeks. There is a plan in place to stand up that particular office within my department, he said in English. This is something that we are going to move forward with very quickly and urgently. The Liberals are also deliberating about whether to launch a registry of foreign agents, or people who are paid to advocate on behalf of foreign states. But Mendicino said Ottawa is still sorting out details, including whether the registry would apply to those working on behalf of specific countries or all states, and whether it would follow Australia and the U.S. in applying to not just foreigners but also citizens and permanent residents. Mendicino testified that those considerations, along with how to keep such a registry complaint with Charter rights, are among the very crunchy questions that weve got to answer as we create this tool. The government is gathering feedback until May 9, after which it will publish a consultation report and propose regulations. But Mendicino claimed that some in diaspora communities have avoided taking part out of concern of being targeted, presumably by a foreign state. I want to be as forward-leaning on putting forward legislation that will create this registry, he told reporters. Its important to add the caveat, because the concerns that Im hearing in the community are very real, around stigmatization. The governments slow progress on both measures comes as opposition parties continue to clamour for an independent public inquiry that would delve into allegations reported by the Globe and Mail and Global News that Beijing sought to wage influence in the 2019 and 2021 elections. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has appointed former governor general David Johnston as a special rapporteur on the matter. He is expected to report back by May 23 on whether or not a public inquiry is necessary. His final recommendations are due in late October. Former Tucker Carlson Tonight Producer Suing Carlson Never Met Him in Person: Report Lawyers for a former Fox News producer who is suing the network and former boss Tucker Carlson said that she never met Carlson in person while she worked on his show, according to a report. Grossberg, who was the head of booking for Carlson for several months, has filed a lawsuit that alleged Carlson fostered a hostile work environment among his staff. Grossberg further claimed that she was subjected to vulgar comments while she worked in Fox News office in New York. In a statement to The Spectator, lawyers for Abby Grossberg characterized their clients not meeting with Carlson in person as routine. They said its because he would film his program from his studios in Florida and Maine, where he owns homes. Like many on the [Tucker Carlson Tonight] staff, Abby never met Tucker Carlson in person because he taped the show from his personal studios in Maine and Florida, and he did not visit Foxs NY HQ during her time there, Kimberly A. Catala, a Grossberg attorney, told the outlet. A spokesperson for the law firm told The Epoch Times that the entirety of Catalas comment to The Spectator was accurate. Without elaborating further, the spokesperson suggested that the The Spectator cherry-picked half-sentences when it obtained a comment from Catala about Grossberg. The lawsuit (pdf), filed in the U.S. Southern District of New York on March 20, said that the toxic work dynamic fostered by Carlson had impacted her health severely, such that she could barely eat and lost nearly 10 pounds in less than two weeks. This case is as troubling as it is familiar; it is yet another in the long line of cases chronicling the misogynistic environment that permeates Fox News and fosters a toxic workplace where truth remains a fugitive while female workers are verbally violated on almost a daily basis by a poisonous and entrenched patriarchy, the lawsuit stated. Carlson hasnt issued a public response to her lawsuit, but Fox News categorically denied her allegations to media outlets after it was filed. A Fox News spokesperson previously told news outlets that the company will continue to vigorously defend Fox against Ms. Grossbergs unmeritorious legal claims, which are riddled with false allegations against Fox and our employees. After Fox News announced Carlsons departure on April 24, Grossberg made an MSNBC appearance in which she criticized both Carlson and Fox News. Tucker and his executive producer Justin Wells, who was also fired, really were responsible for breaking me and making my life a living hell, Grossberg told MSNBC. It isnt clear if either Carlson or Wells were fired, as details about why Carlson left the company havent been provided. At the same time, Grossberg wrote on Twitter that Carlsons exit is a step towards accountability for the election lies and baseless conspiracy theories spread by the network, although she worked there for several months. Lawyers for Grossberg told The Spectator that she was in contact with Carlson via text and email on a regular basis. The two also spoke over the phone, her lawyers said. Since Tucker did not come to the Fox office, he relied on Justin Wells, his executive producer, and others like Alexander McCaskill, senior producer, who were present in the office every day to be his eyes, ears and mouthpiece, and to convey his tone, as they threateningly reminded Ms. Grossberg, Catala added to the paper. Carlson Speaks After several days of silence, Carlson issued a statement via Twitter on April 26 at 8 p.m. Eastern timethe same time his former show had aired. Where can you still find Americans saying true things? There arent many places left. But there are some. And thats enough, he said in a two-minute-long video. As long as you can hear the words, there is hope. Without addressing his departure or Fox News, Carlson remarked, Both political parties and their donors have reached consensus on what benefits them, and they actively collude to shut down any conversation about it. The other thing you notice when you take a little time off is how unbelievably stupid most of the debates you see on television are, he added. Theyre completely irrelevant. They mean nothing. In five years, we wont even remember that we had them. Trust me, as someone who has participated. His Tucker Carlson Tonight hour-long show aired Monday through Friday starting at 8 p.m., and it was often the highest-rated cable news show in recent years. Notably, it drew significant viewership from the coveted age 25 to 54 demographic. In the interim, a rotation of hosts will fill Carlsons seat, according to Foxs April 24 announcement. Thus far, Fox & Friends cohost Brian Kilmeade has hosted the renamed Fox News Tonight. Fox News Tonight Loses Hundreds of Thousands of Viewers After Tucker Carlson Exit In the wake of Tucker Carlsons sudden exit from Fox News, ratings for the cable news channels 8 p.m. time slot saw a major drop on April 24 and especially April 25. The former host of Tucker Carlson Tonight generated more than 3.3 million viewers nightly, according to Nielsen data. Fox News Tonight, the show replacing Carlsons program, drew just 2.6 million viewersabout a 20 percent dropin the coveted Monday evening time slot, The Hollywood Reporter said. On Tuesday, however, the programs ratings plunged even further. According to Mediaite, only 1.7 million total viewers tuned in at 8 p.m., or about half of Carlsons nightly viewership. Foxs Tuesday show bested Chris Hayess 1.45 million total viewers on MSNBC and CNNs Anderson Cooper, which had 678,000 viewers. Newsmax was behind Cooper with about 562,000 viewers, according to the outlet. But in what could be seen among Foxs management as a concerning development, Fox News Tonight was third in the key 2554 age demographic that is coveted by advertisers. CNNs Cooper came in first, with 163,000 viewers; MSNBCs Hayes came in second, with 162,000; and Fox News Tonight was in third place with 149,000. Before Carlsons ouster, he regularly led all of cable news in that demographic. Nielsen ratings for Wednesdays Fox News Tonight broadcast have not yet been published. At the same time, Fox Corp.the company that owns Fox Newshas seen its shares tumble by about 3.75 percent over the past five days, coinciding with Carlsons departure. As it announced it had parted ways with Carlson, Fox said that Fox News Tonight will feature a rotating slate of hosts before a permanent replacement is named. Fox morning show host Brian Kilmeade was tapped to host the program on both Monday and Tuesday. Kilmeade stated during Mondays show that as you probably have heard, Fox News and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways. I wish Tucker the best. Im great friends with Tucker and always will be. But right now, its time for Fox News Tonight, so lets get started. When reached for comment, a Fox News spokesman pointed to Nielsen data that shows Fox News led cable news on Monday and Tuesday across total day and primetime with viewers and [the 25-54 demographic]. Carlson Releases Video Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Carlson posted a video on his Twitter account and was critical of corporate medias coverage of the news in general. He lamented what he described as unbelievably stupid discussion topics that are prominently featured in the media. One of the first things you realize, when you step outside the noise for a few days, is how many genuinely nice people there are in this country and decent people who really care about whats true, Carlson said, adding that hes noticed how unbelievably stupid most of the debates you see on television are. Further, both major political parties are colluding to shut down debate on big topics such as civil liberties, war, demographic change, and corporate power centers. Theyre completely irrelevant, he continued to say. They mean nothing. In five years we wont even remember that we had them. Trust me, as someone whos participated. Carlson added: This moment is too inherently ridiculous to continue, so it wont. When honest people say whats true calmly and without embarrassment, they become powerful. At the same time, the liars whove been trying to silence them shrink, and they become weaker. But Carlson didnt address why he and the network suddenly parted ways, if he was fired, or any reasons for his departure. During last weeks final show, Carlson made no indication that he would be leaving and told his viewers: Well be back on Monday; in the meantime have the best weekend Fox hasnt publicly commented on his departure other than saying that we thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor. In recent years, Carlson became the channels most popular host after he replaced Bill OReilly, who was ousted in 2016 after settling a sexual harassment probe, during OReillys time slot. In a video posted to his channel this week, OReilly speculated that Fox News was fearful of pending lawsuits against the firm and Carlson. There are a number of lawsuits going to be filed shortly against the Fox News board of directors, OReilly stated. Fox News stock was down big today, so FNC is aware those lawsuits are coming. The board of directors themselves, the individuals sitting on the board, [theyre] going to have to defend themselves. Thats big. GOP Wants DOJ Watchdog to Produce Unredacted Records Related to TrumpRussia Election Ties WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 06: Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) questions Chad Wolf, acting Secretary of Homeland Security, appears before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on August 6, 2020 in Washington D.C. The committee held a hearing on Oversight of DHS Personnel Deployments to Recent Protests." (Photo by Toni Sandys-Pool/Getty Images) Republican senators have written a letter to the Inspector General of the Department of Justice (DOJ) asking for uncensored records related to the agencys review of the FBI probe into alleged TrumpRussia election links. The April 25 letter (pdf) by Senators Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) concerns the 460 pages of heavily redacted records that the nonprofit Citizens United recently obtained in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The DOJs Office of Inspector General (OIG) delivered these records to Citizens United in response to the nonprofits request for interview transcripts linked to the departments review of the FBIs Crossfire Hurricane investigation. Crossfire Hurricane was the code name for an FBI probe that began in 2016 that looked into whether Donald Trumps campaign coordinated with Russia to influence election results. The DOJ OIG report of the review was titled Review of Four FISA Applications and Other Aspects of the FBIs Crossfire Hurricane Investigation. Due to massive redactions applied to the interview transcripts by a number of agencies, including the DOJ OIG, these records are impossible to review. We write to request the unredacted version of those records, the letter pointed out. The records contained in the DOJ OIGs February 3, 2023, FOIA production to Citizens United directly relate to our ongoing efforts to expose corruption within the FBI. It is also our job to oversee OIGs to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of operations. The senators specifically highlighted four transcribed interviews and notes related to four individualsKathleen Kavalec, Lisa Page, Nellie Ohr, and Loretta Lynchwho played a key role in DOJ OIGs investigation. The Republicans also asked the DOJ to reveal how many of the 170 interviews it conducted with 100 witnesses were transcribed. In case any of the interviews were not transcribed, the department has to explain the reason and provide a list of such interviews. The letter sought a response from the DOJ no later than May 9. FBI Pursuit of Trump In the letter, the senators point out that they have been examining the FBIs Crossfire Hurricane investigation as well as the OIGs report on the matter for years. On Dec. 18, 2019, Johnson, who is the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, held a hearing to discuss the OIGs findings. The OIGs report contained a statement from Bill Priestap, an FBI official, that the FBI didnt have any indication whatsoever of Russian influence on the report, which is known as the Steele dossier. However, Grassley and Johnsons investigation into the issue contradicted such a claim. In April 2020, the OIG declassified certain footnotes of the Review of Four FISA Applications and Other Aspects of the FBIs Crossfire Hurricane Investigation report at the urging of the two Republican senators. Footnotes revealed that FBI officials had learned that critical information streams which flowed to the Steele dossier were likely tainted with Russian disinformation early on and throughout the FBIs Operation Hurricane investigation. But the FBI aggressively advanced the probe anyway, ignoring internal oversight mechanisms and neglecting to flag the material credibility concerns for a secret court, according to an April 10, 2020 press release. Despite later intelligence reports that key elements of the FBIs evidence were the result of Russian infiltration to undermine U.S. foreign relations, the FBI still pushed forward with its probe. Trump and Crossfire Hurricane In August last year, Trump revealed on Truth Social that he had fully authorized the total declassification of any [and] all documents pertaining to the single greatest political crime in American history, the Russia Hoax, in October 2020. Special counsel Robert Mueller concluded that the Crossfire Hurricane investigation found zero evidence that Trump or his campaign coordinated with Moscow to influence elections. Later, it was revealed that Crossfire Hurricane was partially based on a series of notes and memos concocted by Christopher Steele, a former spy from the United Kingdom, while he was conducting opposition research for a third party on behalf of Hillary Clintons presidential campaign and Democrats. In an April 5 Truth Social post, Trump called for Republicans to defund the DOJ and the FBI until they come to their senses. The Democrats have totally weaponized law enforcement in our country and are viciously using this abuse of power to interfere with our already under-siege elections, he said. Gov. Newsoms Successor, Part 2: President or Vice President Newsom? Commentary (Part One of this two-part series is The Early Candidates Announce.) On April 25, President Joe Biden launched his 2024 reelection bid. To me, at least, even in the heavily rehearsed and edited announcement video, he looked frail and partly incoherent. Americans seem to agree. An NBC News poll released the day before showed 70 percent of them dont want him to run again. Which brings up various succession scenarios, both for him and for California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a top possibility to succeed Biden. And if Newsom is promoted, what does that mean for his own successor as California governor? What if Newsom has to wait until 2028, fulfilling his full second term as governor? Some scenarios: President Joe Biden during a press briefing at the White House in Washington on April 26, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times) Scenario 1: Biden Drops Out, Newsom Goes for It Biden could decide later this year or early next year not to run and cancel his campaign. In that case, the field would be open for the Democratic nomination. Newsom and Vice President Kamala Harris, also a Californian, both would jump in immediately. They would join those who already have announced: Marianne Williamson and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. If Newsom is elected president in 2024, he would be succeeded as governor by Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis. She would fulfill the final two years of his term, then almost certainly run for reelection in 2028. The California Democratic Party is very hierarchal. As I noted in Part One, its hard to see someone seriously challenging her from her own party. In 2018, Sen. Dianne Feinstein was challenged by former state Senate President pro Tem Kevin de Leon, currently a Los Angeles councilman. Due to the states peculiar Top Two system, they were from the same party. Already frail, and with de Leon campaigning on being younger, she still won, 54 percent to 46 percent. That was a falloff from her 63 percent to 37 percent victory in 2012 over Republican Elizabeth Emken. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to reporters after participating in a swearing in ceremony for Eric Garcetti as ambassador to India at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington on March 24, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Scenario 2: Harris Replaced on the VP Ticket Harris currently is Bidens running mate. As the New York Times reported Tuesday, The vice president will be central to President Bidens reelection efforts, particularly on the issue of abortion access. Both critics and supporters say the increased spotlight is a good thing. But what if she is haunted by the criticisms of the past four years? That she is a terrible speaker and campaigner? Then the party replaces her with Newsom as the vice presidential nominee, with Biden on the top of the ticket? Then Biden-Newsom wins? It could happen. In that scenario, for California, Newsom would again be replaced by Kounalakis as governor, as in Scenario 1 above. Scenario 3: Biden Quits, Harris Becomes President This is a real possibility. The big question there is: How would she perform? Would her shaky performance as VP continue as president, or would she grow in the job? Lincolns experience in office when he became president was as a state legislator and, briefly, a back-bench U.S. congressman. Harry Truman was an experienced U.S. Senatorbut one who, even as vice president, had been kept in the dark on the atomic bomb project. California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference in Sacramento, Calif., on Feb. 1, 2023. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) In this case, Newsom could possibly have a shot at the vice presidency under Harris. Or, if she stumbled, Newsom could even challenge her. In 1976, President Gerald Ford was seen as weakeven as a stumblebum, mocked on Saturday Night Live. He was challenged and almost toppled for the Republican nomination by Ronald Reagan, who went on to win it all four years later. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter also was seen as weak, and he was challenged by Sen. Edward Kennedy, who also lost. If Newsom challenged Harris and got the nomination, then won in November 2024, Kounalakis would again be elevated to governor of California. Scenario 4: Newsom Waits, Runs for President in 2028 In this case, a lot depends on who is president in 2028. Some sub-scenarios: Biden is reelected in 2024 and makes it to 2028. Then its an open field and Newsom would be the favorite against Harris or anybody else. Harris is president and herself runs for reelection in 2028. This would be much like Scenario 3, above, with Newsom challenging a sitting president Harris. Harris is president and, for some reason, doesnt run for reelection in 2028. Again, Newsom would be the favorite to get the nomination. Conclusion: Many Paths to the Oval Office Newsom has shown himself to be a skilled politician, able to take advantage of his opponents mistakes. In the mid 2010s, when he was lieutenant governor and Harris was the states attorney general, they divvied up two posts soon to be opening up. Harris took the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Barbara Boxer, and Newsom of course took the governorship. The division suited both well, with eachas detailed abovehaving highly possible shots at becoming president. The main thing not widely known then was Harriss difficulties in campaigning and speaking in public. The White House in Washington on March 22, 2023. (Richard Moore/The Epoch Times) Finally, there are, of course, other Democratic candidates out there seeking a promotion to chief executive. The PredictIt betting site lists the top candidates after Biden, who is at 79 cents: Newsom 11 Harris 7 Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker 3 (family has billions; the Pritzkers back in San Francisco also have been big Newsom backers) Hillary Clinton 2 Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg 2 Sen. Bernie Sanders 1 (still has the Bernie Bros.) Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez 1 (turns 35 next year) Sen. Amy Klobuchar 1 (ran well in 2020) Then there are Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, and numerous other current and former senators and governors. You also never know when an unknown, like Jimmy Carter in 1977, might pop up and claim the prize. President Trump and other Republican candidates also will be a factor in the Democratic nomination, as the candidates spar with them at campaign events. With numerous domestic issues boiling, and the international situation grave over Ukraine and Taiwan and elsewhere, the choice before American voters in 2024 will be momentous. John Seilers email: writejohnseiler@gmail.com Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Halifax Company to Upgrade 13 Cormorant Helicopters for Canadas Military A Royal Canadian Airforce Cormorant helicopter from 103 Search and Rescue Squadron based at 9 Wing Gander takes off from the airport in Deer Lake, N.L. on Dec. 1, 2015. (The Canadian Press/Andrew Vaughan) Canadas defence minister travelled to Halifax Thursday to tout a major subcontract as part of the $1.2-billion upgrade of the militarys fleet of search-and-rescue helicopters. Anita Anand announced that IMP Aerospace and Defence is to deliver 13 upgraded Cormorant helicopters to the Canadian Armed Forces following work done at its Halifax facilities. Under the revitalization deal first announced in December, the main contractorLeonardo UK Ltd.is to build three new helicopters to increase the size of the Cormorant fleet to 16. The Cormorant fleet has been serving Canada since 2001 but it requires upgrades to remain operationally effective, Anand told a gathering at an IMP hangar near Halifax Stanfield International Airport. The fleet will be upgraded to the most advanced version of the helicopter. Officials werent specific about the impact on local employment, saying only that the subcontract would mean hundreds of jobs for the company. Anand did say the Cormorant upgrade project has the potential to contribute nearly $79 million annually to Canadas GDP and sustain 650 jobs a year for Canadian companies over a 12-year period. Delivery of the upgraded helicopters is expected to begin in 2026 after work to improve the aircrafts internal navigational and communications systems, among other upgrades. David Gossen, president of IMP Aerospace, called the subcontract a strategic win for his company. First and foremost, it will create hundreds of jobs, and secondly, it increases our technology base, Gossen said. He said the agreement would see his companys technicians and engineers trained on the helicopters latest technology at Leonardos facilities in the United Kingdom. They will bring home that know-how, and they will position us for future work, he said. The federal governments contract with Leonardo includes $1.168 billion for work on the helicopter, while $78 million will go toward the purchase of a training simulator from Montreal-based CAE Inc. Cormorants are currently used to conduct search-and-rescue missions out of Comox, B.C., Gander, N.L., and Greenwood, N.S. The addition of three more helicopters is expected to see the fleet expand to include operations out of Trenton, Ont. Federal Immigration Minister Sean Fraser, the regional minister for Nova Scotia, said the modernization of the helicopter fleet will increase capabilities of the Armed Forces. This is the kind of thing thats going to support men and women in uniform by making sure theyve got new and reliable equipment, he said in an interview from Ottawa. But its also going to ensure that the search and rescue needs that the military may be called in to support are going to be improved. Fraser, whose riding includes the IMP facility, said the new contracts will pump millions of dollars into the local economy. This is good news from a public safety point of view, and its great news for our local economy, with hundreds of people who are going to be working at good-paying jobs at IMP. Serious illnesses are often accompanied by warning signs or symptoms that not only indicate the bodys response to disease but also serve as an alert to take action. These early warning signs suggest that the body is under threat and requires prompt attention to eliminate potential hazards. For example, the sudden appearance of black stools is an unusual sign that requires immediate investigation. Bowel movement is a natural biological process, and many diseases can be revealed through the examination of stool. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners often ask about their patients bowel movements during diagnosis, as the color, form, and odor of the stool can provide insight into their overall health. Generally, the healthy stool is brown, soft, and solid. If there is a sudden change in bowel movement, it is important to investigate the underlying cause as such changes may indicate an internal problem in the body. Next, lets take a look at a case involving black stool to gain a better understanding of the fundamental knowledge and treatment methods associated with it. This will help us identify potentially life-threatening situations and take necessary actions. Black Stool Is a Commonly Overlooked Symptom of Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding Many people tend to focus only on surface-level symptoms and become fixated on treating them while overlooking the life-threatening illness hidden behind them. One day, I received a call from a woman in London who told me that her husband, Mr. Lin, had fainted while using the bathroom at around five in the morning. When he woke up, he found that two of his front teeth had been damaged and his lips were cut, resulting in a significant amount of bleeding. They were very concerned about the damage to his teeth and the bleeding, so they promptly went to see a dentist. However, due to the pandemic, the dental clinic was going to close the next day, so they could not extract the teeth as the dentist had suggested. So, the woman asked me if there were any alternatives to tooth extraction. Could his teeth heal on their own over time, or could traditional Chinese medicine be used to treat them? The patients family was concerned about the patients teethbut as a traditional Chinese medicine practitionershould we first follow the patients familys line of thought and try to address the teeth problem, or should we first investigate the cause of the fainting? Clearly, the latter is of greater importance since the fainting may have been caused by a life-threatening factor. If we focus solely on treating the surface-level symptoms and fail to rule out the underlying issue, we may risk delaying proper diagnosis and treatment, ultimately putting the patients life in jeopardy. Fainting can be caused by many factors. What could have caused Lins fainting? Does he have any pre-existing medical conditions? Has he experienced any discomfort lately? According to Mrs. Lin, her husband does not have any chronic illnesses, but he has been having some gastrointestinal issues in recent months. Three days prior to fainting, Lin had diarrhea after eating chocolate cake and has been having two to three bowel movements a day since then. Additionally, the stool appeared black in color, which led the couple to suspect that the chocolate cake was not properly digested. Upon learning that Lin had been passing black stools for three days, I was shocked and immediately suspected that he may have been suffering from upper gastrointestinal bleeding. I could not help but wonder if the excessive bleeding had led to a transient ischemic attack, which could have caused him to faint. So, I asked Mrs. Lin how her husband fainted and how long he had remained unconscious. She replied that she did not know how he fainted, but she was aware of the duration of his loss of consciousness because she knew what time he went to the bathroom. Then, I spoke directly with Lin and asked him what happened during his fainting episode and whether he had experienced any symptoms beforehand, such as sudden headaches or dizziness. Lin replied, I have absolutely no recollection of what happened before I fainted, and I do not know how I fainted. This ruled out the possibility that he had accidentally bumped into something and fainted. It was highly likely that he fainted due to upper gastrointestinal bleeding, which led to cerebral ischemia that could have caused instant memory loss. When I spoke with Lin, his voice was weak and feeble, and it was clear that he was in a frail state. I inquired about any discomfort or illnesses he had been experiencing, and he shared that he had been passing black stools on and off for the past three months. In addition to the fainting episode, stomach discomfort, diarrhea, and multiple stools, his appetite had not been great for the past few months, and he sometimes felt bloated after eating, though there was no pain. During our video call, I observed Lins tongue and noticed that it was pale with a white and slightly thick coating, indicating weak spleen and stomach function, which was consistent with his other symptoms. To further confirm that the black stools were caused by upper gastrointestinal bleeding, I asked Mrs. Lin to send me a photo of her husbands stool after he had a bowel movement. However, she felt embarrassed and only sent me a picture of toilet paper with a small amount of fecal matter on it, which was completely black. When I saw the photo, I was shocked because there was no way that the black color could have been caused by food. No food could possibly turn fecal matter into such a terrifying shade of black! (Attached is a photo of the black stoolsyou wont believe the color!) Mrs. Lin felt embarrassed and only sent me a picture of toilet paper with a small amount of fecal matter on it, which was completely black. (Photo courtesy of Mrs. Lin) Lins passing of black stools for a few months, coupled with the fainting suggested that his gastrointestinal bleeding was already quite severe. How much blood has to be lost from the digestive tract each day for the stool to turn black? How much blood had he lost in total over those past three months? What was the underlying cause of the gastrointestinal bleeding, and could it be life-threatening? How Much Blood Has to Be Lost From the Digestive Tract for the Stool to Turn Black? Black stools are typically caused by bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract. When blood remains in the intestines for an extended period, red blood cells break down and hemoglobin reacts with sulfides to form ferrous sulfide, resulting in black-colored stools. Modern medicine has found that black stools may only occur when a patient loses more than 50 milliliters (0.05 liters) of blood per day. Assuming Lin experienced black stools on a daily basis would indicate that he was losing at least 50 milliliters (0.05 liters) of blood per day. Over a period of three consecutive months, this would result in a total blood loss of at least 4,500 milliliters (4.5 liters). Even if Lin had only experienced black stools half of the time, he would still have lost at least 2,250 milliliters (2.25 liters) of blood. Based on Lins weight at the time, 60 kilograms (132.27 pounds), his estimated total blood volume was 4,800 milliliters (4.8 liters). When blood loss exceeds 1,500 milliliters (1.5 liters), it can cause insufficient blood supply to the brain, dizziness, and even loss of consciousness. When blood loss reaches 2,000 milliliters (2 liters) or more, it can be life-threatening. Although Lins total blood loss over those three months had exceeded the bodys limit, he had not been in immediate danger due to the chronic nature of his bleeding. The human body has compensatory mechanisms that increase blood production to compensate for blood loss. However, the rate of blood production was unable to keep up with the rate of Lins chronic blood loss, resulting in a gradual decrease in total blood volume and eventually leading to fainting. In other words, the fainting episode indicated that his blood loss had reached its maximum capacity, and if the bleeding persisted, it could have become life-threatening. Under the circumstances of chronic blood loss and extreme weakness, having the damaged teeth extracted would only have worsened the situation. Fortunately, the dental clinic was closed. Due to the increasingly specialized nature of modern medicine, each specialty only focuses on diseases within its own domain and often has little to no understanding of other specialties. This can be detrimental to patient care, as the human body is a complex system and it is unlikely for a patient to have only one illness. In cases where a patient is afflicted by several illnesses, it can be difficult to determine which specialist to consult. In contrast, ancient Chinese doctors were typically general practitioners who had a holistic understanding of all diseases, although they may have had more expertise in certain areas due to various factors. Therefore, traditional Chinese medicine is an ancient wisdom and a treasure of humanity. What Is Considered Normal Black Stool and How to Differentiate It? As mentioned above normal stools are typically brown, soft, and well-formed. So, how can we tell which types of black stool are normal? 1. Foods With High Iron Content Can Lead to Black Stool The color of our stool is closely related to the food we eat. If we consume food with darker colors, our stool will be darker as well. Foods that are high in iron, such as spinach and pig blood curd (also known as blood tofu or blood puddinga popular Cantonese delicacy in Asian countries), can also cause black stool. However, once we stop eating these foods, the color of our stool will return to normal. Lins family initially mistook his black stool for undigested chocolate cake. However, the food he consumed would have already been excreted from his body after having diarrhea, and would not have resulted in black stool and fecal matter resembling the color of ink. Additionally, his family was unaware of his nearly three-month history of passing black stool. 2. Some Chinese Herbal Medicines Can Cause Black Stool Lin should have asked advice from his traditional Chinese medicine practitioner if he was taking any Chinese herbal medicine. In fact, TCM practitioners typically inquire about the condition of the stool during diagnosis and will promptly address any issues. Certain medicinal herbs, such as dang gui, he shou wu, shu di, xue yu tan, and jing jie tan, may cause the stool to become darker in color. However, the color is usually dull and lacks luster, unlike the shiny black stool caused by upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Lins dark fecal matter could not have been caused by ordinary food or Chinese herbal medicine. 3. Certain Western Medicine Can Also Cause Black Stool Iron supplements and medications containing bismuth (the main ingredient in Pepto-Bismol) can also cause black stool. It would be best to consult with the prescribing doctor for more information. Emergency Treatment Lins condition had reached a critical point and required urgent treatment to stop the bleeding and improve his overall health. However, at that time, during the peak of the pandemic, many people were unable to reach an ambulance or were hesitant to go to the hospital due to fear of infection. If they developed a fever, hospitals would ask them to self-isolate at home, making it impossible to seek medical attention. Therefore, I explained Lins condition to his family and suggested that they come to my clinic to pick up some Chinese medicine that night. Unfortunately, due to the long distance and other factors, they were unable to make it. The next day, Lins condition had worsened, but fortunately, his family was able to contact an ambulance and he was taken to the hospital for treatment. At the hospital, a CT scan and an endoscopic examination were performed, revealing that Lin was suffering from gastritis, duodenal ulcer, and upper gastrointestinal bleeding (which was located at the site of the duodenal ulcer). Due to the significant amount of bleeding, Lin received two units of blood transfusion, along with medication, and was kept under observation at the hospital for a night. He was discharged the following day. After the emergency treatment at the hospital, the upper gastrointestinal bleeding stopped. However, the gastritis and duodenal ulcer remained untreated and were difficult to cure with Western medicine. In other words, the underlying cause of the illness was not addressed, and the risk of bleeding persisted. To manage his condition, Lin started taking traditional Chinese medicine. How Does Traditional Chinese Medicine Treat Black Stool? Some people hold the view that traditional Chinese medicine is slow to take effect and liken it to a slow doctor. However, this perspective is incomplete, as TCM emphasizes gradual treatment of the root causes of an illness while urgently addressing its symptoms. Nowadays, most individuals who turn to TCM treatment have already tried Western medical treatment without success, leading to the progression of acute illnesses into chronic ones. In such cases, TCM practitioners can only focus on addressing the underlying cause of the disease and treating its complex nature meticulously and patiently. However, for patients who are experiencing bleeding, this symptom is considered an emergency, and stopping the bleeding is the top priority. The approach to stopping bleeding in TCM differs from that in Western medicine, as TCM also considers the patients overall physiological function, ensuring that after the bleeding is stopped, blood stasis does not remain in the body, and organs can function properly while generating new blood to replenish the lost blood. Therefore, TCM treatment for black stool includes hemostatic function, prevention of blood stasis in the body, and enhancement of the digestive and absorptive functions of the spleen and stomach. This enables the body to absorb more essential nutrients and convert them into blood, helping to alleviate the patients symptoms and improve their overall health. In ancient China, a miraculous hemostatic herbal recipe called Huangtu Tang was discovered, which has proven to be highly effective in treating upper gastrointestinal bleeding. TCM has been using Huangtu Tang for at least 2,000 years, and it was recorded in the Essential Prescriptions from the Golden Cabinet by the Han dynasty medical sage, Zhang Zhongjing. Huangtu Tang not only stops upper gastrointestinal bleeding, but also tonifies the spleen and stomach, nourishes the intestines, and promotes blood circulation to dispel stasis, thereby gradually restoring the healthy function of the digestive system. It is a widely regarded formula for treating the underlying causes of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The ingredients of Huangtu Tang include zao zhong huang tu, gan di huang, e jiao, fu zi, bai zhu, gan cao, and huang qin. However, due to the changes in time, differences in climate and environment, and variations in individual physical conditions, we cannot blindly apply ancient prescriptions to modern-day treatment. Considering Lins specific situation, we have made the following adjustments to the original formula: Zao zhong huang tu (25g), huang qi (9g), dang shen (9g), shu di huang (6g), e jiao (6g), bai zhu (6g), rou gui (3g), gan jiang (3g), bai zhu (3g), bai shao (3g), huang qin (6g), and gan cao (3g). Preparation method: add 25g of zao zhong huang tu to 1.5 liters of water and boil for 15 minutes. Then, strain the liquid and use it to simmer the remaining herbs (except for e jiao), over low heat for half an hour after boiling. Finally, take 600ml of the decoction, divide into two doses, and consume it warm. When taking the medicine, dissolve 3g of e jiao in water and add it to 300ml of the decoction to be consumed together. Emergency Bleeding Control Using Traditional Methods In certain urgent situations, it may be difficult to reach a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner or a Western doctor or to acquire all the necessary Chinese herbs mentioned above. In such cases, is it possible for us to manage the emergency situation and stop the bleeding as quickly as possible? Below, we present some traditional methods for emergency bleeding control that can be employed as a last resort. 1. Stop Bleeding Using Xue Yu Tan (Carbonized Hair) The most potent Chinese herbal medicine for stopping bleeding is carbonized hair, also known as xue yu tan. Xue yu refers to human hair, and xueyu tan is the ash obtained by burning hair. Ancient people believed that human hair is derived from blood and contains components that can stop bleeding. When burned into ash, it has a remarkable effect on stopping bleeding. In times of crisis, contributing ones hair to save a life is something that many people are willing to do. The use of carbonized hair for stopping bleeding in China dates back at least 2,000 years, and it is recorded in one of the earliest Chinese pharmacological classic, The Divine Farmers Classic of Materia Medica. Once the hair has been thoroughly cleaned, it can be burnt into charcoal, crushed, and taken orally in doses of 3 to 10 grams. Carbonized hair is not only fast-acting in stopping bleeding, but it also does not leave blood stasis in the body like many Western medications. 2. Stop Bleeding Using Juan Bai Tan (Carbonized Chinese Arborvitae) Chinese arborvitae, also known as juan bai, is a common ornamental plant found in many households. However, many people are unaware that it is an excellent hemostatic agent that can stop bleeding without leaving blood stasis in the body. You can use fresh Chinese arborvitae to make a decoction by boiling it in water, or you can burn it into charcoal before decocting it. The recommended dosage is 5 to 10 grams per serving. To prepare, add the Chinese arborvitae to 1000 milliliters (1 liter) of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Then, simmer over low heat for 30 minutes before filtering and consuming. It can be consumed frequently, similar to drinking tea. Recipes for Nourishing the Body 1. Codonopsis and Lotus Root Chicken Soup Ingredients: 1 whole hen, lotus root (500g), astragalus, and codonopsis (15g each), bai zhu (9g), shu di, and dried tangerine peel (6g each). Preparation method: place the herbs in a cheesecloth bag and stuff the bag into the chicken cavity. Next, put the chicken into a clay pot, add enough water to cover the chicken, and add some cinnamon and ginger. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer until the chicken is tender. Remove the herb bag and serve the meat and broth. You can add salt and 1 gram of sanqi powder for each serving. 2. Lotus Root Starch and Egg Custard Ingredients: 1 egg, lotus root starch (30g), qian shi (5g), Chinese yam (5g), and sanqi powder (1g). Preparation method: Mix the lotus root starch, qian shi, Chinese yam, and sanqi powder evenly, then add a small amount of cold water to form a paste. Add 150ml of water and one egg to the paste and mix well. Place the mixture in a steamer and steam for 5 minutes after the water starts boiling. You can add an appropriate amount of brown sugar or salt according to personal preference. Consume once a day. *Some herbs mentioned in this article may be unfamiliar, but they are generally available in Asian supermarkets. Note: Because different people have different physiques, it is recommended to consult your doctor or TCM experts. Hong Kong Says It Is Illegal to Incite Dissatisfaction With the Regime While Teaching History of Cultural Revolution Scholar: Criticism of Mao Zedong or the CCP may be construed as mockery to the current regime On April 18, at a seminar on Hong Kongs national security education, some teachers asked whether it would be in breach of the National Security Law (NSL) when contents of the Cultural Revolution were invoked during class periods. Chris Tang Ping-keung, Secretary for Security, replied that the main issue is not about the topic, it depends on whether there are criminal acts and intentions involved. If teachers and/or students fabricate facts on sensitive issues and use them to incite either anti-CCP and/or anti-HK sentiments, it will constitute an illegal act. Going through both the History and Chinese History curriculum guidelines recommended by the Education Bureau for schools, they all include issues related to political movements such as the Cultural Revolution since the establishment (1949) of the Communist Partys rule in China. The guidelines even put emphasis on investigating and assessing the nature of the Cultural Revolution in the Senior Secondary (Form 4 to 6) Chinese History curriculum. The Cultural Revolution was seen as a nationwide cultural destruction campaign launched by Mao Zedong, the Chairman of the CCP, masquerading for political struggles between 1966 to 1976. It was sometimes referred to as the Calamitous Decade in Chinese history. As a British colony, Hong Kong was always able to mention, in no compromised rhetoric, the reasons for the Cultural Revolution and its destruction of traditional Chinese culture in its textbooks during the past few generations. After the transfer of sovereignty, although the wording of relevant content in Hong Kong textbooks has been revised year after year, the statement of this era in history continued to keep its nature as being much more direct and detailed than that of the textbooks in mainland China. The third volume of Chinese history textbooks in Hong Kong secondary schools describes the prime reason for the causes of the Cultural Revolution as power struggles among the CCP upper echelon. Security Head: Illegal to Incite Anti-CCP and Anti-HK Sentiments The seminar on April 18 was held online, and about 3,000 primary and secondary school principals, vice principals, and teachers participated. In the seminar, Tang first talked about the definition of national security and why the Hong Kong National Security Law was enacted and reiterated that the government had arrested 250 people for violating the NSL in the past two years to the end of March this year, of which 71 were convicted. Some teachers mentioned that sensitive content such as the Cultural Revolution will inevitably be mentioned during the teaching process, and asked whether it would touch the red line of national security. Tang replied that misusing or falling into the trap of violating the law due to misunderstanding does not constitute a violation of the law. However, if teachers and students use such sensitive issues to fabricate facts to incite anti-CCP and/or anti-HK sentiments, it will constitute an illegal act. Tang also said that he believes there will be no problem as long as teachers follow the Guidelines for Teachers Professional Ethics issued by the Education Bureau. The Hong Kong National Security Law has clearly listed national security crimes, namely, the secession of the country, subversion of state power, terrorist activities, and collusion with foreign countries or foreign forces to endanger national security. Red Line Unclear, Guideline Requires Self-Awareness to Safeguard National Security The Hong Kong Education Bureau announced the Guidelines on Teachers Professional Ethics on Dec. 15, 2022, which explains the professional ethics and behavioral norms that teachers should have, including abiding by the rule of law, setting an example, and caring for students. Among them, abide by the rule of law requires teachers to consciously safeguard national security, social order, and public interests, fulfill social responsibilities and civic duties, and actively support and promote national education. Christine Choi Yuk-lin, Secretary for Education, was asked at the time that when teachers talked about events in class, such as the June 4 incident in 1989 and the anti-extradition movement in 2019, how could it not be considered as biased by the authorities? Choi responded that the guidelines would not clearly indicate how to teach, and the authorities would consider each case independently. And even if similar incidents occur, it also does not mean that they will be dealt with directly according to precedents. Historian: Blow Everything Out of Proportion Now Taken Root in HKs Education Sector Hans Yeung Wing-yu, a former manager of the assessment and development department of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Bureau and a scholar who proposed questions for the history subject of the HKDSE, pointed out to the Epoch Times that Tangs statement during the seminar could hardly relieve the teachers worries. He pointed out that the red line is not based on facts but on intentions. In other words, judgment on right or wrong is based on subjective wishes and officials will, and complaints against teachers are handled according to political needs. Yeung gave an example. In the past few years, during the various cases when teachers were disqualified, all of them were executed indiscriminately based on politics rather than professional judgment. For instance, one Liberal Studies teacher at Sik Sik Yuen Ho Lap Primary School was penalized after making a mistake about the Opium War (also known as The Anglo-Chinese War). A Hong Kong primary school teacher who gave pupils a factually incorrect account of the Sino-British Opium War was barred from the profession on Nov. 12, 2020. Another Liberal Studies teacher at Lung Cheung Government Secondary School was accused of using inappropriate and biased teaching materials after screening Hong Kong Connection in class. He believes that the ramification of the Lung Cheung case is particularly important. It is strange that Hong Kong Connection, even being a production of a public TV station, introducing and discussing international and local issues of interest to Hong Kong people, can be banned from being used as teaching material. This shows that even if the teaching meets all social expectations, it can still be nailed down at any time. Yeung said that the culture of Blowing everything out of proportion has taken root in Hong Kongs education sector. Hong Kong teachers now certainly become aware that teaching anything about China and Hong Kong could violate the NSL at any time, so it is better to avoid it. If you really need to teach it, do it according to those stated (word by word) in the textbooks. In the past, teachers used to design supplementary materials and exercises by themselves, but now that has almost disappeared. The focus of teachers work has changed from preaching and teaching to protecting personal safety. As a result, all the basics in education, like free thinking and teaching freedom, have all been greatly curtailed, resulting in a seismic decline of teaching quality, he said. Topics Like the Cultural Revolution Still Remain in History and Chinese History Curricula Going through the current guidelines displayed on the website of the Hong Kong Education Bureau, the Chinese History Curriculum for Secondary 1 to 3, Chinese History and History Curriculum Guidelines for Secondary 4 to 6, all topics involving the political movements since the founding of the CCPs rule in China including the Cultural Revolution are still there. In particular, the Chinese History Curriculum and Assessment Guidelines for Secondary 4 to 6 have the most specific descriptions of those related topics. The guidelines were jointly compiled by the Curriculum Development Council and the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, and then recommended by the Education Bureau for schools, and updated in November 2015. When it comes to studying the history of the period from the founding of Communist China to the end of the 20th century, it is divided into four major topics, including socialism construction and cultural revolution. The learning points of the former are the network in the development of political movements and economic reforms plus the related problems derived from such movements and reforms. Part of the description there mentioned, during the early stages of the establishment of the PRC, to accomplish the full development of socialism, there were repeated political movements and economic reforms undertaken, such as suppression of counter-revolutionaries, land reform, the three antis, the five antis, the first five-year plan, loudly and openly air opinions, anti-rightism, and the three red flags, resulting in many political and social transformations in a relatively short period of time. The main learning points of the Cultural Revolution includes the process of the Cultural Revolution and its derived issues. The explanatory notes state further, The successive campaigns after the founding of the PRC have created a number of obstacles to economic development. After review, the government adjusted its strategy, and the economy gradually improved, but ideological struggles still existed, resulting in the Cultural Revolution. During the ensuing ten years, political struggles were intense, economic production was greatly impacted, and social turmoil persisted. CCPs Alteration of History Led to a New Red Line Yeung said that Hong Kong has always taught the history of the Cultural Revolution based on historical facts. The Sixth Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the CCP adopted a version as a resolution on certain historical issues of the party since the founding of the PRC to completely revoke the Cultural Revolution. But the recent edition of history textbooks in mainland China has recast the Cultural Revolution as ten years of difficult exploration of socialism, effectively turning the image of the event from negative to one of perceived affirmation. According to a section of Knowledge about the Party on the Party School of the CCP News Online, referring to the reasons for the Cultural Revolution, there is such a description, On the point about what is socialismthe party and Mao Zedong have not fully figured out for a long time on how to carry out socialism development, our party has been exploring continuously. Yeung believes that this is Xi Jinpings ideological preparation to take the old socialist road again at any time, thus forming a new red line for history teaching. Any criticism toward Mao or CCP could well be construed as alluding the authority, an act of mocking the present by satirizing the past. All such fears could constitute new concerns in the breach of the NSL. House Advances Measure to Undo Bidens Tariff Shield for Chinese Solar Panels This photo taken on April 11, 2021 shows a worker producing photovoltaic solar parts at a factory in Haian, in China's eastern Jiangsu province. - China OUT (Photo by STR / AFP) / China OUT (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images) The House Rules Committee on April 26 voted for a bill to undo the Biden administrations emergency move shielding some Chinese-made solar panels from tariffs, drawing closer to a vote in the full House and a threatened veto from President Joe Biden. House Joint Resolution 39 passed 9 to 4. We need more, not less, accountability for unfair trade practices that have given China a dominant position in solar production, said Jason Smith (R-Mo.), a supporter of the bill who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee. This proposal would directly harm our ability to meet our climate goals. U.S. solar manufacturings just not sufficient to meet the current demand, and this measure would dramatically slow down solar installation, said Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.). The resolution was co-sponsored by Democrats and Republicans ranging from Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) to Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). Legislations Path The April 26 vote came after an April 19 vote by the House Ways and Means Committee advancing the same legislation. Congress must act in this instance to hold accountable bad actors in global trade, and in particular, Chinese wrongdoing, said Smith. The bill may come to the House floor as early as this week. An equivalent bill, the other half of the joint resolution, was introduced in February by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.). The White House on April 24 warned that Biden would veto the legislation. This rule is necessary to satisfy the demand for reliable and clean energy while ensuring Commerce is able to rigorously enforce U.S. trade laws, hold trading partners accountable, and defend U.S. industries and workers from unfair trade actions, the White House statement reads. Should Biden attempt to quash the joint resolution, the House and Senate would need two-thirds majorities to defeat his veto. Solar Tariff Shield The rule in question follows Bidens June 2022 emergency proclamation concerning a stated need for additional solar energy capacity. Additions of solar capacity and batteries were expected to account for over half of new electric sector capacity in 2022 and 2023. The unavailability of solar cells and modules jeopardizes those planned additions, which in turn threatens the availability of sufficient electricity generation capacity to serve expected customer demand, the proclamation states. Electricity produced through solar energy is also critical to reducing our dependence on electricity produced by the burning of fossil fuels, which drives climate change. The Department of Defense has recognized climate change as a threat to our national security, the proclamation continues. Bidens emergency proclamation waives tariffs on solar panels from Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaysia for 24 months. Notably, it came during a Department of Commerce investigation into allegations that China has evaded U.S. tariffs by finishing equipment in those Southeast Asian countries. Following up on Bidens proclamation, a September 2022 rule from Commerce referred to panels finished in the four Southeast Asian countries with parts and components manufactured in the Peoples Republic of China. That rule is the target of the resolution of disapproval. The U.S. imposed anti-dumping duties on Chinese solar panels in 2012 in the wake of a Commerce investigation. Commerce came to a preliminary finding in its latest tariff investigation in December 2022. It determined that several firms with production in China are attempting to bypass U.S. duties by doing minor processing in one of the Southeast Asian countries before shipping to the United States. Illegal Immigrants Fuelling Crime and Prostitution in UK: Braverman The home secretary made the remarks ahead of a successful Commons vote backing the Illegal Migration Bill British Home Secretary Suella Braverman arrives for a cabinet meeting at Downing Street, in London, on March 28, 2023. (Leon Neal/Getty Images) Illegal immigrants are fuelling crime and prostitution in the UK, Home Secretary Suella Braverman has said. Speaking in Parliament ahead of another successful step to having her Illegal Migration Bill passed, Braverman said those crossing the English Channel illegally have values at odds with our country. We are seeing heightened levels of criminality when related to the people whove come on boats, related to drug dealing, exploitation, prostitution, Braverman told the Commons on Wednesday. There are real challenges which go beyond the migration issue of people coming here illegally. We need to ensure that we bring an end to the boat crossings. Challenged on whether she had statistical evidence to back her claim, the home secretary said she had gathered the information from police chiefs. Speaking at a subsequent event in Westminster, she said, I consider police chiefs experts in their field and authoritative sources of information. It was not in all cases, but she added: It is becoming a notable feature of everyday crime-fighting in England and Wales. Many people are coming here illegally and theyre getting very quickly involved in the drugs trade, in other forms of exploitation. Dog Whistle Remarks The governments immigration legislation cleared the Commons after MPs gave it a third reading by 289 votes to 230, majority 59. Thats despite concern from senior backbench Tories, including former Prime Minister Theresa May and ex-party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, about the impact the flagship immigration reforms could have on modern slavery protections. May warned that it will leave more people in slavery in the UK, calling it a slap in the face for anyone who cares about victims of human trafficking. She told the Commons: Modern slavery is the greatest human rights issue of our time. The approach in this bill, I believe, will have several ramifications. I believe it will consign victims to remain in slavery. Duncan Smith said: We need to send the right signals about this and I think the problem with this bill right now is its unnecessarily now targeting a group of people that are not the problem, themselves will suffer, and ironically we will fail as a government through the home affairs end of it because the police simply wont be able to get those prosecutions. Labour condemned Bravermans comments about immigrants values, with a spokesman calling it the sort of invective that signals that the policies being promoted have failed. Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UKs refugee and migrant rights director, also hit out at her remarks. Suella Bravermans dog whistle remarks about the values of migrants being at odds with British norms are appallingly divisive and shamelessly intended to stoke fear and hatred of people seeking refuge in this country, he said. No-one should suffer such blatant exposure to prejudice and hostility, especially not in the form of highly insensitive remarks from the home secretary. The governments draconian asylum legislation is already set to tear apart legal protections in this country for refugees, victims of human trafficking, and many other people, while Suella Braverman continues pouring petrol on a xenophobic and racist fire they themselves have lit. A group of people thought to be illegal immigrants are brought in to Ramsgate, Kent, onboard a Border Force vessel on Aug. 1, 2022. (Gareth Fuller/PA Media) Court Ruling Expected The Illegal Migration Bill will change the law so people who arrive in the UK illegally will be detained and then promptly removed, either to their home country or a safe third country such as Rwanda. The government says this will deter people arriving in the UK through illegal, dangerous, or unnecessary methods, such as on small boats that cross the English Channel. Critics of the bill have dismissed the proposed legislation as unworkable, while right-wing Tory MPs believe it does not go far enough. Other Tories want greater protections for minors and victims of human trafficking. Ministers have already given in to some demands to avoid potential revolts, with a series of government amendments approved in the Commons. The government was unable to say whether the legislation complies with the European Convention on Human Rights. Although cleared in the Commons, it will face a stiff test in the Lords when it undergoes further scrutiny. The five-year trial would see some asylum seekers sent to Rwanda on a one-way ticket, to claim asylum there. They may be granted refugee status to stay in Rwanda. If not, they can apply to settle there on other grounds, or seek asylum in another safe country. More than 45,700 people used this route to come to the UK in 2022, the highest figure since records began. In December 2022 the High Court said that the Rwanda plan is legal and that it does not breach the U.N.s Refugee Convention. However, in January, the High Court ruled that some of the groups who lost the case had the right to appeal against parts of its decision. The appeal hearing began on Monday with a verdict expected on Thursday. Flights cannot take off to Rwanda while legal proceedings are ongoing. PA Media contributed to this report. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had a "long and meaningful" phone call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday, with the two men agreeing to send envoys to Beijing and Kyiv in a possible initial move to broker peace talks to end Russias war against Ukraine. Zelenskyy, in a comment on Twitter, gave no details of his nearly hourlong conversation with Xi, his first known contact with the Chinese president since Russia's invasion 14 months ago. Zelenskyy said, "I believe that this call, as well as the appointment of Ukraines ambassador to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations." Later, on his website, he called the conversation productive and said it would lead the way toward "possible interaction with the aim of establishing a just and sustainable peace for Ukraine." Chinese state media reported that Xi appealed to Zelenskyy for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, warning, "There is no winner in a nuclear war." He was apparently referring to the threat of Russia using tactical nuclear weapons. Chinese state TV said Xi's government would send a special representative to Ukraine for talks about a possible political settlement. "Negotiation is the only viable way out," state TV said in a report on Xi's comments to Zelenskyy. "All parties concerned should remain calm and restrained in dealing with the nuclear issue and truly look at the future and destiny of themselves and humanity as a whole and work together to manage the crisis." China has attempted to appear neutral on the Russian invasion, in February proposing a cease-fire and peace talks. But Beijing has also refused to condemn Russia's invasion or call for Moscow to withdraw its troops from Ukraine, including Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014. Zelenskyy has repeatedly said his government will not engage in peace talks until Moscow withdraws its troops from all of Ukraine. "There can be no peace at the expense of territorial compromises," Zelenskyy said after his phone call with Xi. Meanwhile, Russia wants Kyiv to acknowledge Russia's annexation of Crimea and last years declaration that the Ukrainian provinces of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia are part of Russia. Chinese state media quoted Xi as telling Zelenskyy, "Amid the current rise of reasonable thinking and voices from all sides, we should seize the opportunity to build up favorable conditions for a political settlement of the crisis." In Washington, the White House described the Xi-Zelenskyy call as a positive development, allowing the Chinese leader to hear Ukraine's view of Russia's "illegal, unprovoked invasion." "We think that's a good thing," said John Kirby, the White House National Security Council spokesman. Last month, Xi made a three-day state visit to Moscow, highlighting Beijing's bid for global leadership. At the end of the talks, Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin declared their two countries had a "no-limits friendship." Since then, Putin has also met at the Kremlin with Chinese defense officials. IN-DEPTH: Trump, DeSantis, and Their Surrogates at War on Social Media Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are fighting a war of words, and the battlefield is social media. Hardly a day goes by without sniping. Trump, a declared presidential candidate for 2024, lashes out relentlessly at DeSantis, while the likely-but-undeclared Republican candidate takes subtler swings at the former political ally. Various surrogates pummel the presumed opponent of their favorite, day and night, on Twitter and Trumps own Truth Social. Some of Trumps latest posts express outrage about DeSantiss current trip abroad to meet with world leaders. He wrote about that on his platform on April 24. The Consultants are sending DeSanctus [sic], and demanding he go immediately, on an emergency Round the World tour of U.S representative population countries, like South Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Israel, in order to up his game and see if he can remove the stain from his failing campaign. Bad poll numbers! Trump wrote. Perhaps he can, and perhaps he cant, who really knows, but hell have plenty of time to think as he sits alone, on his tax payer funded airplane, riding it out and thinking, WHY??? Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and his wife, Casey DeSantis, are escorted to their seats for a meeting with the Japanese foreign minister at the Iikura Guest House in Tokyo on April 24, 2023. (Eugene Hoshiko/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) A day earlier on Truth Social, he posted, The Globalist, China hawking and RINO infiltrated Club For No Growth, which now wants to give up backing Ron DeSanctimonious because they realize there is no personality or people skills there, are beside themselves, and just dont know what to do. Florida has the Sun & the Ocean, and was GREAT long before I put Ron there. The semi-elite No Growthers are considering sending Ron to the great Walter Reed Medical Center for an emergency personality transplant. His poll numbers are crashing! Social media accounts for the DeSantis War Room, which bills itself as Rapid Response for the Florida governor, posted a video on April 22 of DeSantis delivering a speech with a pointed reference to Trump. Leaders take the bull by the horns and make the decisions for themselves. They dont subcontract out their leadership to health bureaucrats like Dr. Fauci, he said. DeSantis, for now, keeps his own Twitter missives, on accounts attributed to him as an individual, looking like a governor and potential president. Posts show him giving speeches, signing bills, and otherwise addressing the peoples business. Anything that might be construed as a response to Trump is left for other social media pages, although some supporters are showing signs of having had enough. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a Twitter firebrand and Trump loyalist, urged supporters for both to knock it off. The online personal fights between Trump and DeSantis influencers need to stop, Greene wrote on Twitter on April 14. It makes everyone look bad and helps no one. She listed a host of national woes, beginning with, We are in $31 trillion in debt, to urge the two camps to focus on the real enemies causing all of these extremely serious problems. Noticeably, Greene avoided criticizing either of them personally, attributing the rancor to influencers. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) speaks outside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on the day of former President Donald Trumps planned court appearance on April 4, 2023. (Caitlin Ochs/Reuters) With about nine months until any primary voting starts, others are also weary of the infighting, according to Susan MacManus, political science professor emerita at the University of South Florida. People are saying, I dont know if I can take a year and a half of it. Will it be tit for tat for a year and a half?' she told The Epoch Times. A lot of Republicans are angry theyre going at each other like that. It makes the Democrats look unified, which is disturbing to a lot of Republicans. MacManus predicted that its going to get worse. Shawn Donahue, a political science professor from the University of Buffalo, said a Twitter war with Trump wont bode well for DeSantis. The Name Game I hate to put it like this, Donahue told The Epoch Times. But think of how Trumps nicknames for people have stuck. For the rest of your life, youre going to think of Little Marco, Low Energy Jeb, Lyin Ted, Sleepy Joe, and Crooked Hillary. Indeed, Trumps former opponents, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), President Joe Biden, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, seem destined to carry those monikers in some circles forever. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Donald Trump, then-Republican presidential candidates, chat during a commercial break in the broadcast of the Republican Presidential Primary Debate on the campus of the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla., on March 10, 2016. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Some people see it as childish, but it works, Donahue said. With Trump, its asymmetric warfare. Hes willing to do and say things the standard politician is not willing to. Trump has tried out various nicknames for his presumed primary opponent on social media and in speeches, including Ron DeSanctimonious and Ron DeSanctus. Impact of Press Coverage Twitter and other social media have proven effective tools and weapons for politicians. They wouldnt be, however, if the press and media didnt make them so, according to Tobe Berkovitz, a political media consultant and emeritus professor of advertising at Boston University. If the media ignored Truth Social, Trumps platform, if they didnt cover Trumps posts and DeSantiss posts, the average voter wouldnt even know these things exist, he told The Epoch Times. What matters with Twitter is that the press picks it up. Not a lot of people are reading any tweets by anyone. The press picks it up, and that turns it into a much higher profile story. Social media also allow campaigns to get videos out for a fraction of the cost of television ads. Then, the press and media start talking about them. Ultimately, millions of people might watch them if they go viral. As a political advertising consultant, Berkovitz used that tactic in the pre-social-media era by releasing television ads directly to the press to create a buzz. Republican candidate George H.W. Bush, with legendary political consultant Lee Atwater behind him, and Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis used the same tactic effectively in the 1988 presidential campaign. The media spent all their time talking about the ads, Berkovitz said. DeSantis allies ran that play by releasing a video on April 14, just before Trump addressed the National Rifle Association (NRA). The ad shows video clips of Trump as president talking down the gun rights group and parleying with Democratic Party leaders about how to make gun laws more restrictive. DeSantis has dipped in polls over the past couple of months as Trump has risen. That could be attributed to Trumps slashing social media attacks, according to political science professor Aubrey Jewett of the University of Central Florida. But theres no way to know for sure, she told The Epoch Times. Other factors contributed to Trumps rise, including his indictment, which seemed to give only a temporary boost. DeSantiss remarks on the RussiaUkraine war may have caused his polling numbers to dip, Jewett said. Online Campaigning Generates Cash Trump has used social media brilliantly, not only to speak to his followers but also to raise money from people making small contributions, Donahue said. He compared Trump with the late Jesse Helms, who used direct mail for the same purpose. Helms was one of the top fundraisers you ever saw, Donahue said of Helms, a Republican senator for North Carolina from 1973 to 2003. Direct mail was expensive, and now you have Facebook. And Trumps back on Facebook. Trump raised more than $4 million, much of it from small or first-time donors, the day after his indictment. It wasnt Trump going to black-tie dinners in Dallas or Houston or Miami that brought in the cash, Donahue said. He hasnt had to do that. In some ways, the Twitter war is just a new twist on a timeless phenomenon. Politics has always been a brass-knuckles business, Berkovitz said. Online campaigning now is the ring where candidates must be ready to brawl. Every politician, going back to our founders, had to learn to use the communication tools available at the time, Carl Calabrese, a retired Buffalo-area Republican political consultant, political science professor, and public official, told The Epoch Times. At the [countrys] founding, it was pulpits and pamphlets and town squares where candidates brought their message. Then, it became newspapers by the Civil War. Then, modern technology. [Franklin D.] Roosevelt was the trailblazer using radio. And then television, where [John F.] Kennedy was the trailblazer. Politicians still have to use all those mediums, he said. But they have to add this to the arsenal, Calabrese said. Who do we reach, how do we reach them, and whats the message? Its the same question we ask with traditional media. Social media gives people such as Trump the biggest bang for the buck, he said. Thats not just financially but also in the number of people reached with the relatively small effort of typing a message. And using social media is a must for reaching younger voters, some strategists say. Its where a lot of them get their information, Jewett said. Most young folks aged 35 and under are not watching traditional news or TV on cable. Older Americans rely more on social media for news these days as well, according to Calabrese. Among his former colleagues, four out of five got their news exclusively, or read it first, on Twitter, he said. And three of those were over 60. Its not just a young-person phenomenon. Campaigns realize that and want to tap into it. However, MacManus expressed concern for U.S. politics because of the rancor epitomized by the TrumpDeSantis Twitter war. You wonder what all this bashing and negativity and incivility is going to do to turnout, and thats got to be of concern to both parties, she said. Susan A. MacManus, professor emerita at the University of South Florida, has written many books on politics and is one of the most-quoted political scientists in the South. (Courtesy of USF) Florida voter turnout was lower for the 2022 midterm elections than in the 2018 midterms. A Knight Foundation analysis of young peoples opinions about the news found that they think it focuses on conflict and never on options or solutions, according to MacManus. The younger generation sees nothing positive about politics on either side of the aisle, she said. And the national press is part of the problem. They just love conflict. The voter turnout gap between younger and older voters has widened. Generation Z voters turned out at a rate of 23 to 28 percent, and about 28 percent of millennials showed up to vote, which is low compared to older generations, according to MacManus. Another polling statistic troubles her. Polls ask if youd like your child to grow up to be president, MacManus said. The answer used to be overwhelmingly yes. Now, its overwhelmingly no. They dont wish that on their children. Distrust is rampant. People dont know who to trust. They dont trust anybody. The threads that hold this country together are extremely frayed. I pray every night we get together in this country. Love thy neighbor as yourself, the most basic of faith ideologies. Voters are really weary. They just want some peace and quiet. IN-DEPTH: US Officials Reject Compensation for People Diagnosed With COVID-19 Vaccine Injuries U.S. authorities rejected multiple people who sought compensation for COVID-19 vaccine injuries, despite diagnoses from doctors, documents show. Letters from U.S. officials reviewed by The Epoch Times show officials contradicting doctors who treated patients as they turned down requests for payment. Cody Flint, an agricultural pilot, was diagnosed by four doctors with a severe adverse reaction to Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine. Shortly after being vaccinated, Flint experienced intense head pressure, which led to problems such as perilymphatic fistula, the doctors said. Flint sent a slew of medical files, including evidence of the diagnoses, to the U.S. Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP), which compensates people who prove they were injured by a COVID-19 shot. But administrators for the program rejected Flints application in a denial letter, saying they did not find the requisite evidence that the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination caused the conditions from which he suffers. Flint, in his 30s, felt his first symptoms within an hour of vaccination. An onslaught of severe symptoms followed while he was flying two days later. One second I went from having burning in the back of my neck and tunnel vision to the very next second I was slumped over in my airplane. The best way I know to describe it, it was like a bomb went off inside my head, Flint said. CICP administrators told him that compelling, reliable and valid medical and scientific evidence does not support a causal association between the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, perilymphatic fistulas, increased intracranial pressure, Eustachian tube dysfunction, hearing loss, or loss of eyesight. They also tried to pin the problems on barotrauma. Colloquially known as airplane ear, barotrauma happens when air pressure suddenly changes, and is common as planes climb higher in the sky. Barotrauma causes the fistulas and symptoms of the fistulas began while flying, administrators wrote. Flint and his doctors asserted in appeal letters that the barotrauma theory doesnt hold up because Flint flies low as he dusts crops. Flints condition is not from barotrauma, Flints doctors told the CICP. As an agricultural pilot, he does not fly more than a couple of hundred feet off the ground which is not of a magnitude to where he is at risk for barotrauma. Elevated intracranial pressure has been recognized as a complication of COVID vaccination, and given the sequence of events, more probable than not, it is the cause of Mr. Flints elevated intracranial pressure, which had been documented on lumbar puncture, they added. The elevated intracranial pressure led to his perilymphatic fistula. Elevated intracranial pressure is a cause for perilymphatic fistula and more probable. The CICP determination was reviewed by a panel that sided with administrators. The panel found that the COVID-19 vaccine did not cause Mr. Flint to develop bilateral perlympathic fistulas and related symptoms, Suma Nair, an administrator, told Flint in a final denial letter. There is no compelling causal connection between the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and the symptomology Mr. Flint experienced; the more likely cause of Mr. Flints symptoms is trauma from flying a plane, which would have developed over time. Administrators cited no studies or other evidence in their letters. Flint said that the determination was wrong, pointing to a number of papers detailing post-vaccination intracranial and other neurological issues. He also noted a study that said intracranial pressure can cause perilymphatic fistulas. Nair also said the panel concluded: given the timeline of symptoms, it was not plausible for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to have caused the otologic and vestibular issues experienced by Mr. Flint. Its just all comical to me, Flint told The Epoch Times. I get the shot, Im injured within 48 hours, and they say that that makes it implausible. Agricultural pilot Cody Flint in a file image. (Courtesy of Cody Flint) Difficulty Getting Compensation The case highlights how people who experienced problems after vaccination have struggled to get money from the federal government, even when doctors diagnose vaccine injuries. Flint is one of 76 people who were rejected as of April 1 because administrators determined they did not show that a covered serious physical injury was sustained as the direct result of the administration of a COVID-19 vaccine. The CICP may only make such determinations based on compelling, reliable, valid, medical and scientific evidence, the program says. More than 8,100 applications, as of April 1, have been submitted to the CICP for compensation for a COVID-19 vaccine-induced injury or death. Three hundred and sixty-two in total have been turned down. Just 23 have been accepted. All but two are for a type of heart inflammation called myocarditis or a related condition known as pericarditis, both of which U.S. authorities say are caused by COVID-19 vaccination. Documents on the denials and acceptances have been largely withheld from the public. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, successful in unearthing information about COVID-19 vaccine safety, have yielded few documents. Administrators located 652 records in response to one request seeking all claims and associated documents. They only released 52 heavily redacted documents, citing exceptions to FOIA. A similar request returned a single page that wasnt already public. COVID-19 vaccine injuries fall under the CICP, a little-used program before the pandemic that was created by Congress in a 2005 bill, because of a Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act declaration entered during the Trump administration that has not yet been rescinded. Most administered vaccines in the United States fall under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, enabling people with alleged or actual injuries to take their cases to federal judges in a no-fault system that paid out $4.8 billion between 1988 and 2022. Decisions on CICP petitions, in contrast, are decided by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)the same agency that operates the program. That potentially creates a conflict of interest, researchers wrote in a 2022 paper, advising Congress to initiate major reforms by either relocating the program or allowing judicial review of determinations. Some members, including Sens. Cindy-Hyde Smith (R-Miss.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) have expressed interest in reform but no bills have gained traction yet in the divided Congress. People who apply to the CICP are only eligible for money for unreimbursed medical expenses and lost pay. Survivors of people who die can get death benefits. The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program covers past and future healthcare costs, pain and suffering, lost earnings, and legal fees. The CICP has paid just $6 million to date, including under $5,000 total to the only three people who were injured by COVID-19 vaccines and have been compensated. HHS and HRSA did not respond to requests for comment. Dr. Joel Wallskog speaks in a file image. (Courtesy of Dr. Joel Wallskog) All These People Are Going to Get Denied Dr. Joel Wallskog was one of the first people to receive Modernas COVID-19 vaccine. He got a shot on Dec. 30, 2020. Within days, he experienced symptoms including a loss of balance, headaches, and leg weakness. I was completely healthy, very active, Wallskog, 53, told The Epoch Times. Now I take 20 medicines. Wallskog was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, or spinal cord inflammation. At least two doctors have concluded the injury was caused by the vaccine, records show. Wallskog transmitted medical records and supplementary documents, such as a study from National Institutes of Health researchers that discussed reports of neuropathic symptoms following COVID-19 vaccination. The same researchers diagnosed multiple people with vaccine injuries. CICP administrators rejected Wallskogs petition. The current medical and scientific evidence does not show a causal link between the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and transverse myelitis, other neuro-inflammatory disorders, myelopathy, or thrombotic disorders, including spinal cord infarction, Dr. George Reed Grimes, director of the HRSAs Division of Injury Compensation Programs, wrote in the denial letter. Furthermore, there is no evidence that your symptoms of lower extremity numbness and tingling with neck flexion, and chronic thoracic pain with weakness and numbness in your legs, is caused by the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, he added. Administrators did not note the doctors diagnoses or cite any studies. One doctor had written in office notes that Wallskog suffered a significant reaction from Moderna COVID vaccination. Wallskog disputed the determination, writing in an appeal that an exhaustive work-up revealed no other cause of my symptoms besides my Moderna shot. An appeal, or request for reconsideration, sends the determination to a qualified panel, independent of the program, according to federal law. The panel reviews the determination and sends its recommendation back to the program, which makes the final determination. Twenty-eight studies have documented transverse myelitis following COVID-19 vaccination, a systematic review published in October 2022 found. Those include case reports of transverse myelitis after a Moderna shot. Researchers said the exact mechanisms for vaccine-induced transverse myelitis remain unclear but posited genetic factors play a role. Wallskog said that as of now, only people who suffer a narrow set of injuries can expect to be compensated by the U.S. government. Many people have this false sense that the CICP is going to be their answer, and its not, he said. All these people are going to get denied unless they have myocarditis, anaphylaxis, or certain blood clotting conditions. COVID-19 vaccines at George Washington University Hospital in Washington in a Dec. 14, 2020, file photograph. (Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/AFP via Getty Images) Outside Compensation Vaccine manufacturers are not liable for injuries due to laws like the PREP Act. That leaves people with few options when theyre injured. Wallskog helped found a group called React19, which describes itself as a science-based non-profit offering financial, physical, and emotional support for those suffering from long-term COVID-19 vaccine adverse events. Drawing from a pool of donated money, the group has so far paid $556,652 to the vaccine injured, with 81 people receiving compensation. Applicants must provide a medical note or consultation documenting symptoms and signs theyre related to vaccination. Group officials, including Wallskog, review each application and make a determination during weekly board meetings. They give out grants of up to $10,000. The donations come from what the group describes as a care fund. Unfortunately, the care fund is on hold right now because were low on money, Wallskog said. I always say we wish we had more money but at the same point were doing with React what our healthcare organizations and our federal agencies should be doing. The program could help people like Angie Bluford, who did not apply to the CICP because of the one-year deadline. Bluford wasnt diagnosed with a vaccine injury until 18 months after getting a Moderna COVID-19 vaccination. React19 is also advocating for reform of the CICP or moving injury claims from the CICP to the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, widely considered the superior option. That would require adding the COVID-19 vaccines to the routine immunization schedule, which has already been done; adding vaccines to the vaccine injury table, and congressional approval of an excise tax. Coverage under the national program should be retroactive, React19 says. Steve Wenger in a file image. (Courtesy of Steve Wenger) Still Waiting Its taken more than a year for some injured people to get a determination. There were still 7,771 applications pending as of April 1. One was sent in by Steve Wenger, a project manager whose COVID-19 vaccination caused Guillain-Barre syndrome, a disorder that damages the immune system. Wenger, who got vaccinated to avoid losing his job, submitted his application in March 2022. He didnt receive confirmation until July 2022. Hes still waiting for the outcome. The CICP cannot estimate when the medical review will begin or how long it may take to complete, administrators told him in a letter. Its a waiting game, Wenger told The Epoch Times. To be honest, Im waiting on my rejection letter, because thats what Im expecting. Wengers pessimism stems from the high rejection rate and the fact no claims for Guillain-Barre syndrome have been approved despite U.S. authorities acknowledging the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine causes the disorder. Wenger has been dealing with large medical bills, including thousands of dollars for biweekly treatments with intravenous immunoglobulin, one of the few drugs that have helped those with lingering injuries from the vaccines. Even if CICP approves Wengers petition, the money likely wouldnt last long. Ive read stories that medical debt has just absolutely destroyed people, financially buried them, Wenger said. I never envisioned myself being one of those people. But you know, here I am. Iran Seizes Oil Tanker Headed for Texas: US Navy An oil tanker seized by Iranian naval forces at the Gulf port of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran, on Oct. 31, 2022. (IRNA/AFP via Getty Images) Iran seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman that was headed for Texas on April 27, according to the U.S. Navy. Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) took over the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, called the Advantage Sweet, which issued a distress signal, according to the Navys Fifth Fleet. The IRGCN seized the tanker in international waters by boarding the ship via helicopter. Irans actions are contrary to international law and disruptive to regional security and stability, the Fifth Fleet said in a statement. The Iranian government should immediately release the oil tanker. The tanker is an 11-year-old commercial vessel owned by Turkey-based Genel Denizcilik Nakliyati AS. The Fifth Fleet noted that the seizure is part of a pattern of behavior by Tehran. Irans continued harassment of vessels and interference with navigational rights in regional waters are a threat to maritime security and the global economy, it stated. In the past two years, Iran has unlawfully seized at least five commercial vessels sailing in the Middle East. In May 2022, Irans Revolutionary Guard, designated a terrorist group by the United States, seized two Greek tankers in the Persian Gulf. Iran released the tankers in November. In July 2019, Iran seized two British-linked tankers, the Stena Impero and the Liberian-flagged MV Mesdar in the Strait of Hormuz. The Stena Impero was released in September 2019. Earlier this month, the United States sent a submarine, the USS Florida, to the Middle East amid tensions between Iran and Israel. Recent events, including the strikes in Syria and public threats made by Iran against merchant vessels, prompted us to remind regional mariners to remain vigilant, Fifth Fleet Cmdr. Timothy Hawkins said. The United States has sought to reenter the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, colloquially known as the Iran nuclear deal, but has been unable to reach agreement with Iran. Negotiations have been suspended since 2022 because of Russian demands. Additionally, Iran has come under fire for allegedly supplying drones to Russia to use in its invasion of Ukraine. Over the past couple of weeks, the United States has enacted punishments against Iran. On April 24, the U.S. State Department imposed visa restrictions on 11 Iranian officials for allegedly being connected with human rights abuses in Iran. The U.S. Treasury Department enacted sanctions on five Iranian officials for alleged human rights violations. ISIS Suicide-Attacker Involved in Airport Attack Killed in Afghanistan FILE PHOTO: U.S. Soldiers, Airmen and civilian staff receive casualties who were injured outside of Hamid Karzai International Airport and evacuated to the U.S. Army-operated Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC) for further care in Landstuhl, Germany August 27, 2021. Landstuhl Regional Medical Center/Marcy Sanchez/Handout via REUTERS The Taliban have killed the mastermind behind the Kabul airport suicide attack in 2021 carried out by an ISIS-affiliated terrorist group that killed 13 U.S. troops and many more civilians during the United States chaotic evacuation from the country, U.S. officials said on Tuesday. The bombing occurred on Aug. 26, 2021, as U.S. troops were trying to help Americans and Afghans flee in the chaotic aftermath of the Talibans takeover, and compounded Americas sense of defeat after 20 years of war. He was a key ISIS-K official directly involved in plotting operations like Abbey Gate, and now is no longer able to plot or conduct attacks, White House spokesperson John Kirby said in a statement, referring to the Abbey Gate entrance to the Kabul airport where the blast occurred. He did not name the official. We have made good on the Presidents pledge to establish an over-the-horizon capacity to monitor potential terrorist threats, not only from in Afghanistan but elsewhere around the world where that threat has metastasized as we have done in Somalia and Syria, he added. The Afghan affiliate of ISIS, known as Islamic State Khorasan, or ISIS-K, after an old name of the region, is an enemy of the Taliban. Terrorists loyal to ISIS first appeared in eastern Afghanistan in 2014 and later made inroads in other areas. Late Tuesday night, Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder issued a statement confirming that the plotter had been killed by the Taliban. The United States was not involved in this operation, Ryder said. Over the weekend, the U.S. military began to inform the parents of the 11 Marines, the sailor, and the soldier who were killed in the blast at Abbey Gate, and they shared the information in a private group messaging chat. The father of one of the Marines said the death of his sons killer brings little comfort. Whatever happens, its not going to bring Taylor back and I understand that, Darin Hoover, the father of Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover, said in a phone call with The Associated Press. About the only thing his mom and I can do now is be an advocate for him. All we want is the truth. And were not getting it. Thats the frustrating part. The blast at Abbey Gate came hours after Western officials warned of a major attack, urging people to leave the airport. But that advice went largely unheeded by Afghans desperate to escape the country in the last few days of an American-led evacuation before the U.S. officially ended its 20-year presence. Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Labor Government Buys Radar Defence Firm to Safeguard Tech Supply Chain Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles speaks to the media during a press conference after the release of the Defence Strategic Review at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on April 24, 2023. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch) The Australian government will buy defence radar system manufacturer CEA Technologies, in a move Defence Minister Richard Marles says will safeguard the supply chain for radar technologies. CEA has operated for 40 years, has over 600 staff, and develops cutting-edge radar systems for major naval vessels. From July 2023, the Commonwealth will hold a non-controlling stake in the company for 18 months before it shifts to a majority stake and CEA becomes a Government Business Enterprise. The Labor government says the company will continue to operate at arms length and independent from political leaders. Todays landmark agreement secures the longevity of this Australian company and guarantees the supply of critical radar systems for the ADF, now and into the future, said Defence Minister Richard Marles in a statement on April 27. Finance Minister Katy Gallagher said the deal would keep a balance between maintaining the independence of CEA as a standalone company while also keeping Australians safe while achieving value for the taxpayer. Upgrades to Military Bases Continuing The announcement comes soon after the government revealed it would shift $3.8 billion (US$2.5 billion) towards upgrading military bases across Australias north as part of a steady build-up to deal with potential regional conflicta continuation of earlier policies under the Morrison government. According to Marles, the new funding push will include $2 billion towards upgrading runways, fuel storage, accommodation, and security at air bases at RAAF Base Learmonth in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, as well as in the Northern Territory and northern Queensland. Another $1 billion to upgrade major training areas at the Robertson Barracks in Darwin and the Lavarack Barracks in Townsville in northern Queensland. While the naval bases HMAS Coonawarra, HMAS Cairns, and the Harold E. Holt Naval Communications station will receive $600 million. Another $200 million will go towards accelerating other projects in the north. The government revealed it would need to continue building up its manpower in the region, including a possible larger U.S. marine rotation. We will be seeing the numbers of personnel in the north, and specifically in Darwin, growing over the next ten years There is some moving around, but in the aggregate, you will see numbers grow, Marles told reporters on April 27. I think what youre also going to see is a continual growth of the marine rotation thats happening here. And greater opportunities to involve other countries in training opportunities, he added, noting the increased presence will be of benefit to the local economy. The announcements form part of the wider reconfiguration of the Australian Defence Force that began under the Labor governments predecessors. The Defence Strategic Review, handed down on April 24, continues this trend with the authors recommending that the government eschew traditional land-fighting armed forces for more maritime-focused, long-range strike power. More HIMARS rocket systems and land-based maritime strike, said Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy. So this is about getting an Australian army thats shaped for our current strategic circumstances and going from a service whose greatest range for its artillery is 45 kilometres to one that can project power in excess of 500 kilometres. So this is about reshaping the army to modernise it, to be quite frank, he told ABC Radio. The underlying philosophy of this move, which has also been adopted by the Taiwanese government, is to up the threat of retaliation to a point where Beijing will have serious doubts about starting a military conflict. We need to make Australia a difficult proposition for any adversary, Marles told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. In that context, we need to be a porcupine. Los Angeles Times Denies Submitting Questions to the White House Before Press Conference President Joe Biden holds his notes while answering a question during a press conference in the Rose Garden of the White House after a meeting with South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol, in Washington, on April 26, 2023. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images) The Los Angeles Times is denying allegations that it submitted questions to the White House before President Joe Bidens April 26 press conference, despite a cheat sheet Biden was holding. Our reporter did not submit any questions in advance of the Q&A with President Biden, a spokesperson for the paper told The Epoch Times. While taking questions, Biden held a paper with the name, image, and pronunciation of Los Angeles Times reporter Courtney Subramanian. The document also listed a question, appearing to indicate Subramanian had submitted one ahead of time. How are YOU squaring YOUR domestic prioritieslike reshoring semiconductors manufacturingwith alliance-based foreign policy? said the paper, listing it as question #1. Biden called on Subramanian first. She asked: Your top economic priority has been to build up U.S. domestic manufacturing in competition with China, but your rules against expanding chip manufacturing in China is hurting South Korean companies that rely heavily on Beijing. Are you damaging a key ally in the competition with China to help your domestic politics ahead of the election? Subramanian covers the White House and as such, she is in regular contact with the White House press office seeking information for her reporting, the Los Angeles Times spokesperson said. You would have to ask the White House who prepared the document for the president and why they included that question. I would let the reporter for Los Angeles Times speak for herself. It is entirely normal for a president to be briefed on reporters who will be asking questions at a press conference and issues that we expect that they might ask about, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters in Washington on Thursday. Subramanian did not return an inquiry and has not commented on the situation. Biden responded in part by saying that his desire to increase U.S. manufacturing is not about China, adding, Im not concerned about China. Biden only called on two reporters. The other, ABC Newss Mary Bruce, asked the octogenarian president what he would say to the substantial percentage of Americans who have said in polls they dont want him to run for reelection. It wasnt clear whether Biden planned to call on Bruce ahead of time. The reason Im running again is theres a job to finish, Biden said. He said he thinks he would still be running even if former President Donald Trump had not launched a 2024 bid. Biden has said in the past that aides have directed him to only call on certain reporters. He has occasionally called on reporters from The Epoch Times and the papers sister media NTD. The president has also held cheat sheets in the past, including in March 2022 when he held a document that had possible questions regarding the RussiaUkraine war. Man Sentenced to Life in Death of NYC Ambulance Driver Pallbearers from the New York City Fire Department carry the casket of fallen FDNY EMT Yadira Arroyo into St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church, in the Bronx borough of New York on March 25, 2017. (Michael Appleton/New York City Mayor's Office via AP) NEW YORKA 31-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Wednesday for killing a New York City emergency medical technician by running her over with her own ambulance. Jose Gonzalez was convicted of first-degree murder last month in the March 2017 murder of Yadira Arroyo, a 14-year Fire Department veteran and mother of five, in the Bronx. Prosecutors said the fatal encounter started when Gonzalez grabbed the back of Arroyos ambulance and rode on it, then jumped off and stole a mans backpack. The robbery victim flagged down the ambulance and Arroyo got out and spoke briefly to Gonzalez, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said. Gonzalez then jumped into the drivers seat of the ambulance, backed up over Arroyo and drove forward, dragging her across an intersection, Clark said. Arroyo was pronounced dead at a hospital. The case against Gonzalez was delayed by psychiatric evaluations to determine his fitness to stand trial. He was convicted on March 8 after a month-long trial. Clark said in a statement that the sentencing closes a long and difficult chapter for the victims family and her FDNY colleagues, who have waited for justice for six years. The Daily News reported that Arroyos mother, Leida Rosado, said in court before the sentencing, At night, before I close my eyes, Yadi is the last thought on my mind. Taken from me in the most savage way. Gonzalez told the courtroom, I apologize to the victims family. I never knew what was going on. Gonzalezs attorney had sought a sentence of 20 years to life. Mendicino Says RCMP Took Decisive Action to Shut Down Chinese Police Stations in Canada Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino (L) and CSIS director David Vigneault wait to appear before the Special Committee on Canada-China Relations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Feb. 6, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Spencer Colby) The Chinese police stations operating in Canada have been shut down by the RCMP, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said as he was pressed by MPs on actions taken by his government to tackle interference. The RCMP have taken decisive action to shut down the so-called police stations, said Mendicino while testifying on April 27 before the House of Commons Procedure and House Affairs Committee (PROC). Mendicino faced repeated questions from Conservative MPs committee asking about the police stations and why the federal government has not expelled Chinese diplomats in light of media reports alleging their involvement in foreign interference. Mendicino did not directly answer on multiple occasions questions about the lack of expulsion of diplomats and instead said that his government has taken a number of measures to protect the country. No arrests, no charges. The FBI have [made] arrests, but not in Canada, in respect of the illegal police stations, said Conservative MP Michael Cooper. Cooper added that since no diplomats have been expelled and no arrests made, and that Mendicino was not answering the questions directly, he asked if he would at the very least rebuke the Beijing regime. Canadas among the strongest voices when it comes to rebuking any authoritarian regime and anyone that stands against human rights, Mendicino said. Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly had been more forthcoming about the reasons for not expelling diplomats when she testified before PROC on March 9. She said concerns about retaliation and a lack of evidence explain why there have been no expulsions since 2015. If there are ever Chinese diplomats that flout the Vienna Convention, then we will take action, said Joly. Chinese Police Stations The RCMP indicated in March that it was investigating two suspected Chinese police stations in the Montreal area. After identifying publicly the organizations that were allegedly hosting the stations, two community organizations providing services to Chinese immigrants, the RCMP said it had received over a dozen serious tips on their activities. As of early April, RCMP C Division in Montreal told The Epoch Times it had no updates to provide on the file and that the investigation was running its course. RCMP headquarters was contacted to confirm whether the stations have indeed been shut down, but a response was not received by publication time. Other stations were said to be operating in Toronto and Vancouver. The issue was brought to light by Spain-based NGO Safeguard Defenders, which identified stations operating across the world. The RCMP had already indicated in March that the stations in Canada had ceased operations, but at that time the existence of the ones in Montreal was not publicly known. Former RCMP commissioner Brenda Lucki told the Commons Standing Committee on Canada-China Relations in February that marked police cars had been sent on location to disrupt the stations activities. This led to Chinese diplomats protesting to federal authorities, Luckis current acting replacement said a few weeks later. Any time you have representatives from the embassy whose law enforcement liaison officer comes up to us and is not pleased with the actions we took, I think thats a sign that we did our job, said then-deputy RCMP Michael Duheme as he testified before PROC on March 2. Mendicino did not elaborate on which decisive action the RCMP took to shut down the stations, but it is known the public was advised of an investigation and marked police cars were sent on location. No arrests have been made, which comes in contrast with actions taken by the FBI recently. The Bureau arrested two individuals on April 17 in New York City on charges of operating a police station for the Chinese regime. This prosecution reveals the Chinese governments flagrant violation of our nations sovereignty by establishing a secret police station in the middle of New York City, said U.S. District Attorney Breon Peace. The duo was charged with conspiring to act as agents of the Chinese government and obstructing justice. Canada currently does not have strong laws against foreign interference and also lacks a foreign agent registry, contrary to the United States. Consultations are currently ongoing on the Canadian registry but Mendicino couldnt provide a timeline for when it could materialize. I understand the urgency, but we need to establish a mechanism that also includes protections against stereotyping and stigmatization, he told MPs. Peter Wilson, Andrew Chen, Andrew Thornebrooke, and Eva Fu contributed to this report. Migration System Overhaul to Entice Long-Term Residents Participants in the Australia Day parade are seen as the walk down Swanston Street in Melbourne, Australia, on Jan. 26, 2020. (Robert Cianflone/Getty Images) The Albanese government will shake up migration after a review found the system was not meeting either current or future needs. The overhaul, to be announced by Home Affairs Minister Clare ONeil on Thursday, will cover permanent residency for temporary visa holders and ways to bring in skilled migrants to boost the economy. About two million people in Australia are on temporary visas, with about 10 percent a year becoming permanent migrants. ONeil commissioned the review last year and will flesh out the governments new policy when she addresses the National Press Club. Our migration system is broken. Its not delivering for Australians. Its not delivering for our businesses, and its not delivering for migrants themselves, she told ABCs 7.30 Report on Wednesday night. It is a horrendously complex system that makes it really hard to bring high-skilled workers into the country who will lift productivity. ONeil said for employers in tech-based industries, for example, the skills list was archaic and out of date. She said wage exploitation of temporary migrant workers was also rife and needed to be curbed. ONeil warned Australia risked falling behind other developed immigrant countries, such as Canada, by becoming a nation of permanently temporary residents. Some employer groups have called for looser restrictions on skilled migration caps and target industries, while others want a rethink of English language requirements and rules regarding post-study employment. Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley said the government needed to ensure the new policies and settings did not put undue pressure on the already stretched rental housing market. Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said Australia was a richer country because of the millions of migrants who had come to its shores. But the size, composition and timing of the migration intake were legitimate areas for public debate, he told Sky News. Its time for (the government) to front up and provide some answers what is their plan, how many people do they intend to bring in, how are they going to reduce the numbers of temporary visa holders while also solving the skills shortage? Senator Paterson said. Parliamentary Intelligence and security committee chair and Labor MP Peter Khalil said the migration system was unjust, slow and unplanned. Over the last nine years under a Liberal government, its become a dogs breakfast, he told Sky News. Khalil said one of the key problems was the increase in temporary visas while permanent migration had largely remained steady. He said migrants who were allowed in the past to put a stake in the ground had gone on to build modern-day Australia. Minister Tells Parliament Non-Crime Hate Incidents Should Not Inhibit Lawful Debate Labour Party supports revised code amid concerns over freedom of speech A woman dresses up in a costume with a sign saying "free speech" as she prepares to take part in a protest in Westminster, London, on Feb. 11, 2023. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) A government minister has told a debate in the House of Lords the controversial policy of recording non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs) should not be used to inhibit free speech. Lord Murray of Blidworth, a parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Home Office, told a debate on Wednesday, Non-crime hate incidents have attracted a significant amount of controversy, particularly in this place, due to concerns relating to free speech. Last month it was reported Home Secretary Suella Braverman laid down new guidelines ordering the police to only record non-crime hate incidents when absolutely necessary. Murray told the Lords the government understood the strength of feeling among the general public about the issue which is why the new code of practice on the recording and retention of data on NCHIs had been published on March 13. Murray explained: The collection of non-crime hate incident information is a key legacy of the Macpherson inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence. He said: This information pertains to incidents which are not crimes and provides the police with the means to understand tensions within communities or cases involving particular individuals before they can escalate into serious harm. In this respect, this data is vital for helping the police build intelligence to understand where they must target resources to prevent serious crimes or harms which may later occur, Murray added. But he said: This government are absolutely clear that vulnerable individuals and communities must continue to be protected. However, non-crime hate incidents must never be used to inhibit lawful debate, and we must also be very careful about what information is kept on an individuals record. This balance has unfortunately not always been struck, and this issue is precisely what the code is designed to address, Murray added. Lord Strathcarron, a Conservative peer, said, The need for reform of non-crime hate incidents is clear on many levels, one of which is that an estimated quarter of a million of these have been recorded, which works out at about 70 a day. Police Monitoring Thoughts and Opinions One can only imagine the amount of non-crime police time this has used up. It is worth remembering that nothing illegal has been done during all this police time. The police have taken it upon themselves to monitor our thoughts and opinions, and if they do not like what they find they record against us, Strathcarron added. He said this was not a trivial matter as the data recorded would show up forever in checks made by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Strathcarron then referred to the recent incident when four schoolboys in Wakefield were arrested after a copy of the Quran was damaged during an incident. He said the incident would be recorded as an NCHI, even though the head teacher found that there was no evidence of any malicious intent. Strathcarron added: The publicity around this case also brought to light the fact that NCHIs, unlike actual crimes, will not automatically be deleted from the young boys records when they reach the age of 18. Not content with issuing non-crime hate incidents against the schoolboys, we then saw the chief constable appearing to promote the idea of blasphemy law and the public humiliation of the autistic boys mother, he added. Strathcarron said, This is where we find ourselves when we start to police hurt feelings and not crime. The new code has been created following the ruling of the Court of Appeal in 2021 in Miller v the College of Policing (pdf). The case was brought by Harry Miller, an officer with Humberside Police who was contacted by the College of Policing at work for reposting a limerick that was critical of transgender people. Former police officer Harry Miller speaks to the media outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Dec. 20, 2021. (Dominic Lipinski/PA) No crime had been committed, but Humberside Police still recorded Millers post as an NCHI. Ruling in Millers favour, Mr. Justice Knowles compared the polices action to the Cheka, the Gestapo, and the Stasi, and reminded the court, We have never lived in an Orwellian society. Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede, a Labour peer, said: The court found that the recording of non-crime hate incidents was lawful, but must be subject to more robust safeguards to ensure a better balance between responding to hate incidents and protecting freedom of speech. The Labour Party supports this revised code. Beware of Common Sense He added: The code puts a lot of weight on using common sense, but I do not believe we should rely on that phrase too much to ensure its fair and uniform application at an operational level. What is common sense to an experienced officer may not be to a new recruit having to apply these rules for the first time. Baroness Brinton, a Liberal Democrat peer, said, I should declare that, as a disabled person who has used a wheelchair for a decade, I have been on the receiving end of hate crimes, non-crime hate incidents and, I am sorry to say, threatening behaviour and even assault. She said had been regularly abused while travelling on trains: Comments such as People like you shouldnt be allowed on the train during rush hour or Why are people like you taking up space where I want to sit? are regular. They can and do also use abusive language, right in your facecripple, retard, or even worse. Brinton said, It may be a generic statement and fall under the home secretarys definition of free speech, but the delivery of it leaves the recipient in no doubt that it was intended to be personal. The ability to record these incidents as NCHIs is therefore important, because it means that a pattern of behaviour can be tracked and followed, as needed. My concern is that police officers, always under pressure, might ever look only at the one incident in front of them, then, if they decide not to record it, there is no trail of consistent abusive behaviour, she concluded. The Uzbek-Hungarian Joint Investment Fund will start its work in the third quarter of 2023, Minister for Economic Development of Hungary Marton Nagy said during the plenary session of the second Tashkent International Investment Forum (TIIF-2023). "The Hungarian government has invested $200 million in the development of this Fund. Preliminary negotiations on the launch of its work are already underway," the minister said. According to Nagy, in the near future, Hungarian banks will also sign an agreement with the Ministry of Finance of Uzbekistan. The minister also noted the successful economic cooperation between Uzbekistan and Hungary. He also pointed out that the launch of a direct flight between Uzbekistan's Tashkent and Hungary's Budapest, which is scheduled for the second half of 2023, will contribute to further strengthening of relations. Tashkent International Investment Forum is a large-scale dialogue platform for the entire Central Asian region, which allows presenting the investment potential of Uzbekistan to international investment and business communities. The forum is aimed to attract big foreign investment, financial and economic organizations, and companies interested in integrating into the dynamically developing market of Uzbekistan. ?IIF-2023 will be attended by over 2,500 people from the US, UK, Turkiye, China, India, Egypt, EU, CIS, Southeast Asia, and Middle East countries. For comparison, last year more than 1,500 people applied for participation. Disney sued Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday over the Republican's takeover of its theme park district, alleging the governor waged a "targeted campaign of government retaliation" after the company opposed a law critics call "Don't Say Gay." The suit, filed in Tallahassee, was filed minutes after a Disney World oversight board appointed by DeSantis voted to void a deal that placed theme park design and construction decisions in the company's hands. It's the latest conflict in an ongoing feud between DeSantis, a Republican expected to run for president, and Disney, a powerful political player and major tourism driver in Florida. The dispute with Disney has drawn significant criticism from the governor's White House rivals and business leaders who view it as an extraordinary rejection of the small-government tenets of conservatism. The fight began last year after Disney, in the face of significant pressure, publicly opposed a state law that bans classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades, a policy critics call "Don't Say Gay." Mississippi Jail Escapee Dead After Armed Standoff Dylan Arrington, one of four Mississippi prisoners who escaped from the Raymon Detention Center in Raymond, Miss., on April 22, 2023. (Jackson Police Department via AP) CONWAY, Miss.A man who escaped from a Mississippi jail and is suspected in a Monday night killing died after barricading himself in a home and setting it on fire during an armed standoff with deputies, authorities said Wednesday. Plumes of smoke emanated from the charred remains of the home in Conway, hours after a body was recovered. Dylan Arrington, 22, perished inside the home, setting it ablaze after shooting a deputy in the leg, Leake County Sheriff Randy Atkinson told The Associated Press. He inflicted that kind of terror after escaping from jail, killing people and shooting law enforcement. But that guy wont be killing anyone else, Atkinson said. In a statement posted online in the evening, Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said the remains had been positively identified as Arrington. The cause of death was under investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. Authorities have been pursuing Arrington and three other inmates who broke out over the weekend from a Mississippi jail under federal scrutiny. Arrington is suspected of killing a man and stealing his pickup truck after the escape. The owner of the torched Conway home said he saw someone matching Arringtons description hiding inside a trailer behind his house on Tuesday evening. He notified the sheriffs office and fled with his family. Investigators searched the property, but there was no trace of Arrington. They continued the search through the night with drones and a helicopter. Around 7 a.m. Wednesday, Atkinson and a deputy returned to the property with the homeowner. After a short meeting, the homeowner discovered Arrington inside. He sprinted outside and alerted the officers, who were standing in the driveway. Arrington then exchanged gunfire with them through a window, striking the deputy in the leg, Atkinson said. Within a two-hour period, the house was set ablaze from within, he said. Investigators waited until the fire was out before they approached the home and found a body. The injured deputy was transported to a hospital where he was stabilized. Multiple law enforcement agencies continued searching parts of the state, after the Leake County Sheriffs Office told residents to please keep your doors locked and have no keys or weapons in your vehicles. The U.S. Marshals Service and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation are among the agencies assisting in the search. Police said Anthony Watts, a 61-year-old church pastor, was shot and killed Monday around 7 p.m. on Interstate 55 in Jackson after he pulled over to help a man who had wrecked a motorcycle. That man shot Watts several times and then stole his Red Dodge Ram, police said. Watts died at the scene. The suspect in that shooting fit the description of Arrington, Jackson Police Chief James E. Davis said. Casey Grayson, Corey Harrison and Jerry Raynes are the other three prisoners who escaped Saturday night from the Raymond Detention Center, a facility near Jackson, through breaches in a cell and the roof. Jones said the men might have camped out on the roof before fleeing and going their separate ways. Rolls of razor wire line the top of the security fencing at the Raymond Detention Center in Raymond, Miss., on Aug. 1, 2022. (Rogelio V. Solis/AP Photo) Raynes was spotted on surveillance footage at a service station in Spring Valley, a suburb of Houston, at 11 a.m. Sunday, Jones said Wednesday in a statement. Investigators believe he fled to Texas after stealing a Hinds County Public Works vehicle, which was recovered in Spring Valley. It was unknown whether Raynes traveled alone. The four escapee had been in custody for various felony charges, most involving theft. Arrington had charges of auto theft and illegal possession of a firearm, WAPT-TV reported. Watts stolen Red Dodge Ram, which has tan trim and Cowboys stickers on the front and the back, was last seen heading south on I-55 in Terry, Mississippi, police said. Investigators also believe a stolen Chevy Silverado is connected to the escape. Raynes, Grayson, and Harrison remained at large. In July, U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves ordered a rare takeover of the Raymond jail after he said deficiencies in supervision and staffing led to a stunning array of assaults, as well as deaths. But before the appointed receiver was scheduled to assume control over the jail Jan. 1, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the lower courts order until it ruled on the countys motion for reconsideration. By Michael Goldberg Canadian Parents Increasingly Choosing Independent Schools for Their Kids: Study Backpacks, jackets, and shoes belonging to students are seen outside an elementary school classroom in Vancouver, B.C., on April 13, 2023. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press) Parents across Canada are increasingly choosing independent schools over government schools for their children, according to a new study by the Fraser Institute. Released on April 26, the study says the share of K-12 students enrolled at independent schools across the country increased in every province over a 19-year span, while the share of those enrolled in government schools declined. The findings were based on enrolment data obtained from provinces between the period of 2000/01 and 2019/20. The study defines independent schools as those characterized by alternative approaches to teaching with a distinct academic focus or religious orientation. In the 19-year period, independent school enrolment, as a share of total enrolment, rose from 8.7 percent to 13.2 percent in British Columbia, 4.1 percent to 4.3 percent in Alberta, 1.2 percent to 2.8 percent in Saskatchewan, and 6.8 percent to 8 percent in Manitoba. In central Canada, Ontario saw a rise from 4.9 percent to 6.9 percent while Quebecs records indicated an increase from 9.4 percent to 11.7 percent. The Atlantic provinces observed similar trends, as the share of independent school enrolment climbed from 1.6 percent to 3.1 percent in Nova Scotia, 0.9 percent to 2.2 percent in Prince Edward Island, 0.8 percent to 1.6 percent in Newfoundland and Labrador, and 0.7 percent to 1.0 percent in New Brunswick. Decline in Public School Enrolment Enrolment in public schools showed a different picture, though its approach in education is still the dominant form in all ten provinces. Every province except Alberta (increase of 24.7 percent) recorded a decline in the absolute number of students enrolled in public schools, the authors wrote. The province with the largest decline (29.4 percent) in public school enrolment was Newfoundland and Labrador during the studied period. Every province, including Alberta, also experienced a decline in the share of total students receiving their education from public schools, they said. The study said the phenomenon of increased independent school enrolment can be attributed to provincial funding. It noted that Quebec and British Columbia, along with Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, provide partial funding to these schools. However, Ontario and the four Atlantic provinces do not allow money to follow children to the school of their choice, it added. This did not stop Ontario from recording a higher share (6.9 percent) of independent school enrolment than Alberta (4.3 percent) and Saskatchewan (2.8 percent). [I]t is important to note that Ontario is also the province with the fewest regulations for establishing an independent school, they reasoned. Homeschooling Meanwhile, Alberta recorded the highest rate of students enrolled in homeschooling at 1.9 percent in 2019/20. Five provinces record home schooling enrolment rates of less than 1 percent but every province except British Columbia has experienced an increase in both absolute enrolment and the share of total enrolment, the study said. Home schooling remains a relatively small but growing part of the overall education system. Michael Zwaagstra, senior fellow with the Fraser Institute and co-author of the study, says the evidence is clear that parents are looking for more choice in how their children are educated. For their childrens education, parents across Canada are increasingly choosing options outside the government school system, he said in a news release. Musk Discusses Artificial Intelligence With Schumer on Capitol Hill Elon Musk speaks at the 2020 Satellite Conference and Exhibition in Washington, on March 9, 2020. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) Tesla CEO Elon Musk met with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Capitol Hill on April 26, and the two talked about artificial intelligence (AI) and electric vehicles. We talked about the future, Musk told reporters after finishing his meeting, which lasted about an hour. We talked about AI and the economy. Schumer told reporters that the two had a very good meeting. The New York congressman added, We talked about Buffalo, Tesla has a large plant in Buffalo. And we talked about AI. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in Washington on Dec. 22, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Schumer On April 13, Schumer announced a plan to establish rules for AI to address national security and education concerns, considering the rising popularity of programs like ChatGPT. His proposal would require companies to allow independent experts to review and test AI technologies prior to their public release or update and gives users access to those results. Ive worked with some of the leading AI practitioners and thought leaders to create a framework that outlines a new regulatory regime that would prevent potentially catastrophic damage to our country while simultaneously making sure the U.S. advances and leads in this transformative technology, Schumer said in a statement at the time. Schumers office cited Chinas release of draft rules on regulating AI days earlier, calling it a wake-up call to the nation. Leader Schumer believes that it is imperative for the United States to lead and shape the rules governing such a transformative technology and not permit China to lead on innovation or write the rules of the road, his office said. Chinas draft rules, announced by the Cyberspace Administration of China on April 11, stated that content generated by generative artificial intelligence should embody core socialist values and shall not contain anything that subverts the state power or advocates the overthrow of the socialist system. Musk When Schumer posted his proposed plan on Twitter, which he called a first-of-its-kind effort on AI, Musk applauded the senators announcement. Good news! AI regulation will be far more important than it may seem today, Musk wrote. Musk has been raising the alarm about risks associated with AI. In March, he joined over 1,000 experts in signing an open letter calling on all AI labs to immediately pause developing systems more powerful than OpenAIs Chat GPT-4. AI systems with human-competitive intelligence can pose profound risks to society and humanity, the letter says. Powerful AI systems should be developed only once we are confident that their effects will be positive and their risks will be manageable. Last week, in an interview with Fox, Musk warned that AI has the potential to destroy civilizations. He explained that existing AI technologies are trained to be politically correct, and announced he will launch an AI platform called Truth GPT, a Chat GPT alternative that behaves as a maximum truth-seeking AI that tries to understand the nature of the universe. I think this might be the best path to safety, in the sense that an AI that cares about understanding the universe is unlikely to annihilate humans because we are an interesting part of the universe, Musk told Fox News. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Jan. 30, 2020. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images) Warner On Wednesday, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.) sent CEOs of several AI companies a letter, asking them to take steps to address the risks of AI. [W]ith the increasing use of AI across large swaths of our economy, and the possibility for large language models to be steadily integrated into a range of existing systems, from healthcare to finance sectors, I see an urgent need to underscore the importance of putting security at the forefront of your work, the letter says. Warner wants the CEOs to respond to 16 questions before May 26, on how each company was taking steps to prevent security breaches, malicious use, and misinformation. Also on Wednesday, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the Biden administration is working as aggressively as possible to figure out our approach to AI, according to Reuters. The challenge is you dont want to stifle innovation in a brand new area with massive potential, Raimondo said. The risks related to misinformation and deep fakes etcetera are massive. Separately, also on Wednesday, Musk met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is in the United States for a six-day state visit. According to South Korean news agency Yonhap, Yoon invited Musk to invest in South Korea. In response to the invitation, Musk said he is expected to visit South Korea and the nation is a leading candidate to host a Tesla gigafactory, according to Yonhap. National Citizens Inquiry Suspended by YouTube The National Citizens Inquiry (NCI), a non-government public inquiry into COVID-19 being organized by Canadians, said it had been suspended by YouTube for a two-week period. The temporary suspension, announced by NCI on April 26, means the Alberta hearings, being held in Red Deer, will not be broadcast or livestreamed on the organizations YouTube channel. YouTube has had a COVID-19 medical misinformation policy since May 20, 2020, with strict rules about postings related to COVID-19, the COVID vaccine, and anything that contradicts local health authorities or the World Health Organizations medical information about COVID. On April 26, the inquiry heard testimony that alleged Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) doctors were told not to report serious adverse vaccine reactions. A hearing on April 13 heard testimony from Dr. Jayanta Bhattacharya, a Stanford University professor of medicine, who criticized the vaccine trials and government policies. Other social media channels are still carrying the hearings, and this is not the organizations first ban. Earlier in April, the NCI was also restricted by YouTube for a period of seven days and livestreamed Toronto hearings on other social media platforms. In an April 9 tweet, the NCI said it had ruffled the feathers of another social media company. TikTok has unjustly suspended the #NCI TikTok account with no explanation, preventing us from sharing valuable information about our citizen-led and citizen-funded initiative investigating the governments #COVID19 policies, said the group. We believe in transparency, accountability, and the right of citizens to express their views, and TikToks decision to suspend us is wrong. By suspending our account, TikTok is silencing the voices of citizens who want to participate in this critical inquiry. We call on TikTok to reverse this decision and allow us to continue our mission to listen, learn, and recommend. Join us in the fight for democracy and the right to express our views freely, the NCI said at the time. The organization said it had gained 11,000 followers in just one month and the channel was a great resource to get short and impactful clips from testimonies out to the public. The NCI expects 133 Canadians will testify, plus an additional 58 experts, at eight cross-country hearings. The National Citizens Inquiry is a citizen-led and citizen-funded initiative that is completely independent from the government. It officially began on March 16. At the first hearing, two physicians testified they lost their jobs for questioning if harm was being done by the governments public health measures. Matthew Horwood contributed to this report. No Canadian Court Has Imposed 10-Year Maximum Sentence for Gun Smuggling, Committee Hears Firearms confiscated at the Windsor border are displayed at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) point of entry at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ontario, on June 28, 2022. (Emily Elconin/Reuters) The federal government has proposed to increase the jail sentence for gun smuggling to a 14-year maximum, but no court has ever imposed the current 10-year maximum sentence. At a House of Commons public safety committee meeting on April 25, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said, By raising maximum sentences, we are sending a very strong signal. The federal governments Bill C-21, An Act to Amend Certain Acts, would increase the sentence for gunrunning under the Criminal Code. However, Mendicino acknowledged the maximum sentence in effect now has never been applied, according to Blacklocks Reporter. Conservative Manitoba MP Raquel Dancho asked Mendicino, How common is it now to sentence someone to 10 years, the current maximum? I have confidence in the judiciary to exercise good judgment, replied Mendicino. Is it common at all? Has it happened quite a bit? Dancho said. Mendicino would not directly answer. He said, Every single case is taken on its facts. But I have confidence in the judiciary to use higher maximum sentences to make sure gun traffickers who terrorize our communities with guns are separated from the community. In an Inquiry of Ministry presented in the House of Commons on Dec. 12, 2022, cabinet said the current maximum has not been applied since 2016. The data said 390 criminals were sentenced for weapons trafficking, and none were jailed for a 10-year sentence. Not one person has been awarded the current 10-year maximum sentence, Dancho said. It is frustrating to see you talk on national television, here today, in Question Period to our questions, about how you are getting tough on gun traffickers and increasing the maximum to 14 years when the current 10 years has never been used since your Prime Minister formed government, she added. According to Mendicino, Bill C-21 has a lot of good policy. He said, I share the concern that Ms. Dancho articulates around maximum sentences. This prompted Alberta Conservative MP Dane Lloyd to say the bill was virtue signalling and would not reduce gun crimes. He said, There are currently bans on criminals for possessing firearms in this country without a license as it is and yet they continue to access firearms. One prominent example of this was the death of rookie Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer Grzegorz Pierzchala, a 28-year-old constable, shot by a suspect with a handgun while responding to a routine call about a vehicle in a ditch near Hagersville, Ontario, on Dec. 27, 2022. One of the individuals charged with first-degree murder in the officers death was a repeat offender who had been released from prison and was out on bail. The suspect was already prohibited from possession of a gun by two previous court orders. Lloyd criticized the Liberals gun ban bill, which affects legal, licensed firearms owners. What is disrespectful to Canadians is putting forward divisive political policies that are only designed to help the Liberal Party win elections instead of policies that will actually combat violent crime in our communities, he said. That is what is disrespectful to victims. In a Nov. 10, 2022, Public Safety briefing note, Efforts to Address Firearms Smuggling and Trafficking, the federal government said it did not know how many guns are illegally brought into Canada across the border. The total number of firearms successfully smuggled into Canada is unknown, said the note. New England cuisine gets a rebrand at the chef's acclaimed Stages at One Washington When youve cooked under Thomas Keller and Grant Achatz, nabbed $10,000 on Food Networks Chopped, and owned a restaurant thats regularly ranked as one of North Americas best, the whole world is your oyster. But for New England native chef Evan Hennessey, theres simply no place like home. I grew up here in Dover, [New Hampshire], Hennessey said. Im not a city boy; I need the mountains, the ocean. I need to be near nature. Sea truffle chawanmushi with toasted peanuts, puffed wild rice, and ginger-peanut cream sauce. (Courtesy of Stages at One Washington) The chef and owner of Stages at One Washington, set in a historic mill along the Cocheco River, has turned down opportunities to lead restaurants in the hallmark cities most chefs drool over. Hes more interested in championing his home region. We have an incredible bounty of ingredients all around us; I want to redefine New England cuisine, he said. So many people think that if its not chowder or apple pie, then its not New England. Not trueor rather, why not? Brown butter miso ice cream with caviar and candied celery leaves. (Dani Sykes Photography) Ask a casual diner to envision New Hampshire cuisine, and cured monkfish or beach radish-infused yogurt would hardly come to mind. And yet these are only a couple of the locally sourced items found on Stages menu. New England has a history of growing, cultivating, harvesting, foraging, and preserving that dates hundreds of years, Hennessey said. We pickle, ferment, dry, cure, smoke, and can various ingredients. One of our favorites is to salt brine fish with sea salt we made from the ocean from where we gather seaweeds, then smoke and cook at a very low temperature to preserve. By incorporating such techniques with local ingredients from land and sea, he achieves diverse flavors that, while reminiscent of Nordic or Japanese cuisine, are just as American as apple pie. Guests sit at a six-seat countertop facing the kitchen, so were able to describe, define, and have great conversations about where these ingredients came from and why we chose them, he said. Aerated brie and mushroom madeleines. (Dani Sykes Photography) One dish hes especially proud of features sea truffles, red algae harvested from the New England coast that has the taste and aroma of black truffles, infused into his version of chawanmushi, a Japanese steamed egg custard. Foraged sea truffle, a red algae reminiscent of black truffles, from the New England coast. (Evan Hennessey) A collection of dried locally foraged fungi. (Evan Hennessey) Another past dish involved an Irish Dexter cow raised with Old World slow-farming methods. Hennessey roasted the beef over an open fire while brushing it with a miso made from Jacobs Cattle beans, which are native to New England. Additions of grilled dill and a French-style reduction sauce, made with roasted bone stock seasoned with black garlic, bridged this tribute to the regions agricultural past with more modern cooking methodology. In 20 years, I hope people see New Hampshire as a destination for food, Hennessey said. There is so much more, and we know so much more, and that needs to be shown. Evan Hennessey, chef and owner of Stages at One Washington in Dover, N.H. (Vinny Marino/Ethos and Able Creative) Meet the Chef Age: 46 Born: Arlington, Mass. Lives: South Berwick, Maine A Favorite Local Ingredient: Our wild mushrooms have really complex herbal notes with different layers of sweetness and meatiness. Favorite City Outside of New Hampshire to Eat: Louisville; I have a lot of fond memories of eating with my grandparents there. No Regrets: Don Lemon Publicly Addresses CNN Exit CNN's Don Lemonseen here at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government Institute of Politics taking part in a program titled "Race, Media and Politics" in Cambridge, Mass., on Feb. 22, 2019. (Paul Marotta/Getty Images) Former CNN host Don Lemon has spoken publicly for the first time since confirming he was fired by the network, stating that he has no regrets and no plans to rush to another job. In an interview with Extra at the Time 100 Gala in New York City, Lemon, who most recently hosted CNNs This Morning, also detailed his plans for the future following the sudden and surprise departure. Life goes on. Thats behind me, and well see what happens in the future, he said of the exit. Im gonna [sic] spend my summer on the beach and on the boat and with my family. Just chill out, and then Ill see what happens next, but Im fortunate enough to be in a position where I can do that I have time. I dont have to rush to another job, even if I want another job. When asked if he would do anything differently, Lemon said, I live my life with no regrets, and whatever I did, I did, I owned. He added, I dont look back and dont want to change things in the past. The former host also stressed that he is excited for a new chapter, adding that life is short. So there are lots of things that come your way that are unexpected, but Im a survivor. I come from strong, sturdy stock in Louisiana, and a lot of people are rooting for me and who love me, he said. Larger Issues at Play In a statement on Monday, Lemon announced he was fired from CNN in which he alleged that his agent had informed him about the sudden decision. After 17 years at CNN, I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly, he penned on Twitter. At no time was I ever given any indication that I would not be able to do the work that I have loved at the network. It is clear that there are larger issues at play. He went on to thank his colleagues and others he worked with at the network. CNN disputed his claims in a separate statement, calling them inaccurate. He was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter, CNN Communications wrote on Twitter. In another statement released Monday, the company said Lemon would forever be a part of the CNN family and thanked him for his contributions over the past 17 years. Former South Carolina Republican Gov. Nikki Haley speaks at the Republican Jewish Coalition Annual Leadership Meeting in Las Vegas, Nev., on Nov. 19, 2022. (Wade Vandervort/AFP via Getty Images) Controversial Career Lemons departure came after he faced criticism over a controversial segment aired earlier this year on CNN This Morning in which he said that Republican presidential candidate and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, 51, was no longer in her prime. When a woman is considered to be in her primein her 20s, 30s, and maybe her 40s, he stated. His comments referenced Haley earlier calling for candidates over the age of 75 to be tested for competency. Responding to Lemons departure from CNN on Monday, Haley posted on Twitter: A great day for women everywhere. Now, lets get men out of womens sports, alongside an image of two cans of lemonade that read, Past My Prime? and Hold My Beer with Nikki Haley for President. In 2018, he was named in a lawsuit filed by a bartender who accused the host of assaulting him at a bar in 2018 in Sag Harbor, New York, although the lawsuit was later dropped after the plaintiff stated that his recollection of the events was not what I thought they were when he initially filed the suit. Lemons lawyer said in a statement at the time that the lawsuit was a crass money grab from its inception and a malicious and vulgar attack on his character. Lemons firing came on the same day that Fox News announced it had parted ways with Tucker Carlson without providing an explanation as to why. The move has since prompted a boycott of Fox Network. Norwich, Ontario, Council Votes to Allow Only Government Flags to Fly on Township Property The township of Norwich, Ontario, has voted that only flags for the municipality, province, or country will be permitted to fly on township property. At a council meeting on April 25, which was at times disrupted by a loud, public crowd in the gallery, the five-member council voted 32 in favour of a motion to limit the flying of various special interest flags. Only government flags and banners related to the promotion and beautification of the downtown and local businesses will be allowed under the bylaw. The motion, put forward by Councilor John Scholten, was originally worded to specifically exclude pride flags and progress flags from being flown. Whether flown together or apart, these [government] flags are all we need to represent the diverse and multicultural citizenship in Norwich township, Scholten said. To open the door to flying flags that represent any particular group, organization, or ideology, will only divide rather than unite. The council was told during the more than three-hour meeting that certain flags are divisive and have resulted in costly vandalism. After multiple submissions from members of the public and council debate, the motion was amended to remove the exclusion of certain flags, and instead worded to specify the three levels of government flags that can be flown. One council member expressed concern about the legal liability of specifically excluding any group. Advocacy Various members from the LGBTQ and pride community spoke at the meeting, including Tami Murray, president of the Oxford County Pride group. She told the council that the purpose of progress flags is to reduce risk of homophobic violence, youth suicide, promote inclusion and love. Murray, who told the meeting she was lesbian, said anyone protesting the flying of gay pride flags should be ashamed. All of you in protest today, shame on you. You preach Christianity but embrace hate and violence. This is hypocrisy at best, she said. Councilor Alisha Stubbs was against the motion to restrict flags. She said, This entire situation right now, its sneaky. Its demeaning, she said. Id like to note Id never support something like this in good conscience. Scholten said the purpose of the bylaw is to maintain unity. He said the Canadian flag symbolizes pride and strength and is inclusive of all people, while the Ontario flag unites those that chose to make the province their home. According to Scholten, the county flag symbolizes the townships agriculture and history. These flags are all we need to represent the diverse and multicultural citizenship in Norwich Township. By flying these flags alone on township property, we can coexist in peace and harmony no matter who we are, what we believe. I believe that to open the door to flying flags that represent any particular group or organization or ideology will only divide rather than unite, he said. Scholten added the township has a budget of $9.7 million and the council is tasked with running this township as a business. He said anyone with personal property can fly any flag they wish, noting the bylaw only applies to town property. We are not in the promotion business of any particular business, group, organization, or ideology, nor have we been appointed judges of any of these. He told the council meeting that other major municipalities such as Petawawa, Ontario, and Mission, B.C., have taken the same stance. Scholten, Mayor Jim Palmer, and Councilor Adrian Couwenberg voted in favour of the three-flag policy. Stubbs and Councilor Shawn Gear were opposed. The mayor said it was clear that residents supported banning non-government flags. As the mayor, I have to support the people in my township. There are far, far more people on that side than on the other side, Palmer said. Not Tolerated: Elon Musk Suspends Creator of Pedophile Pride Flag From Twitter Twitter logo and a photo of Elon Musk are displayed through magnifier in this illustration taken on Oct. 27, 2022. (Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters) Twitter has suspended an account belonging to a user who created a youth-attracted person flag to celebrate and support pedophiles, as Elon Musk declared that such behavior would not be tolerated on the platform. Dr. Anastasia Maria Loupis, a medical professional based in Copenhagen, Denmark, took to Twitter on April 26 to share a screenshot of the alleged account behind the flag, named ZeebDemon. A post from the account allegedly behind the flag reads: Happy Alice Day, to those who celebrate! I figured, why not use today to unveil the YAP (youth-attracted person) pride flag I designed almost a year ago? The flag featured shades of blue, yellow, pink, and white bars. The original post was retweeted 56 times and garnered 947,000 views. Alice Day is reportedly an annual pedophilia pride day taking place on April 25. Elon Musk suspended the person who made a pedophilia flag. Well done, Elon, Dr. Loupis wrote of the original account, to which Musk, who banned the account within 24 hours, responded, Not tolerated on this platform. The bio of the since-removed Twitter account behind the flag reads: Attraction is not abuse. And abuse is not love. Love is love. Defy hate. Dismantle systemic oppression. Stand in solidarity against bigotry, against fascism. Since taking over Twitter in October last year, Musk has made it a mission to remove child sexual abuse and exploitation material on the platform. He has urged users to inform him if they see issues that must be addressed. Twitter Aggressively Banning Accounts Linked to Abuse Under his helm, the site has updated how it detects content related to such material to make it more efficient and aggressive, according to cyber security and data analyst Andrea Stroppa. In December, Stroppa explained that the number of accounts suspended by Twitter on a daily basis for sharing child sexual abuse and exploitation material had nearly doubled since Musk took over. According to Stroppawho at the time was working as an independent researcher on Twitters Trust and Safety teamTwitter took down 44,000 suspicious accounts, of which over 1,300 had attempted to avoid detection by using codewords and text in images to communicate between Dec. 3 and Dec. 4 alone. After Musks takeover, the platform also established dedicated teams to investigate accounts that violate child sexual exploitation policy on a daily basis, Stroppa said. Twitter states that it has zero tolerance towards any material that features or promotes child sexual exploitation, which is one of the most serious violations of its rules. The Epoch Times has contacted Twitter for comment. If youre a victim of child sexual exploitation on the internet or are aware of child sexual abuse material, sex trafficking, or other crimes against children online, you can make a report at CyberTipline.org or call NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678). Former President Donald Trump made a campaign stop in New Hampshire on April 27, holding his first rally since President Joe Biden launched his reelection bid. During his speech, Trump criticized Bidens economic record and didnt focus as much on other Republican candidates. The Air Force National Guardsman accused of leaking highly classified documents appeared in court for his detention hearing. Federal prosecutors argued that he should remain locked up before his trial because he poses a serious flight risk. Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) sat down with NTDs Stefania Cox to discuss the national debt and womens and girls rights in sports. Russias press secretary said it welcomed a recent call between Chinas leader Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Meanwhile, Ukraine appoints a new ambassador to China. A geopolitical analyst sheds light on the situation. President Yoon Suk-yeol and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden on Wednesday warned North Korea of a "swift, overwhelming and decisive response" to any attempt by the North to use its nuclear weapons. Yoon said such a response would include U.S. nuclear weapons, and Seoul would be in a position to take part in deciding how they are to be used. President Yoon Suk-yeol (left) and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden give a press conference on the White House lawn in Washington on Wednesday. /Newsis Meeting in Washington, the two presidents agreed that nuclear-armed American submarines will make regular visits to South Korean ports for the first time in decades. A senior U.S. government official said, "This has not happened since the early 1980s." President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee wave from the balcony of the White House in Washington on Wednesday with their U.S. counterparts Joe and Jill Biden. /Yonhap In a bid to quell South Korea's own renascent nuclear ambitions, the U.S. proposed forming a "nuclear consultative group" to deal more effectively with North Korea's growing threat. This means sharing information with South Korea and allowing it to participate in the planning and operation of America's nuclear assets. "A North Korean nuclear attack against the U.S. or its partners is unacceptable, and would result in the end of whatever regime took the action," Biden said. "I have absolute authority, and sole authority, to launch a nuclear weapon, but what the declaration means is that we will consult with our allies if any action is so called for." "We expect the mechanism of information sharing, joint planning and execution of extended deterrence will work better," a source at the South Korean presidential office said. President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee pose for a photo with their U.S. counterparts Joe and Jill Biden at the White House in Washington on Wednesday. /Newsis Seoul in turn pledged to abide by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty -- in other words, it will make no attempts to acquire its own nuclear weapons. At a welcoming ceremony at the White House earlier, the two presidents affirmed their commitment to the alliance. Yoon said, "The journey of the [South Korea]-U.S. alliance over the past 70 years proves that our predecessors' decisions were right and wise." Biden responded, "Our alliance is the linchpin of regional security and prosperity." Angelina Jolie and her son Maddox Jolie-Pitt arrive for a state dinner at the White House on Wednesday. /AP-Yonhap After the joint press conference on the White House lawn, Yoon wrapped up the day with a state dinner with some 200 dignitaries and other guests. They included Angelia Jolie and her son Maddox, who enrolled at Korea's Yonsei University in 2019. Tucker Carlson broke his silence and chose to do it on Twitter. Will it be the platform the popular TV personality uses to reach his viewers? Republicans passed their debt ceiling bill with spending cuts in the House. President Joe Biden signaled a veto should it make it past the Senate. Raising the debt limit is a recurring issue. Is there a long-term solution? For the first time in over 40 years, the United States will dock a nuclear-armed submarine in South Korea. Thats after President Biden and his South Korean counterpart signed an agreement on April 26 to deter North Koreas nuclear threat. We hear from an expert on what all this means. Topics in this episode include: 1. US to Send Nuclear Subs to South Korea 2. Rick Fisher on North Koreas Rising Nuclear Threat 3. House Passes GOP Debt Limit Bill 4. House Holds Hearing on Child Trafficking 5. Montana Bars Transgender Lawmaker From House Floor 6. Tucker Carlson Breaks Silence 7. Mississippi River Bursts its Banks 8. Large Hail Storms in Texas and Florida 9. Fugees Rapper Convicted in Federal Court 10. Analysis on China-Taliban Lithium Deal 11. Natural History Museums New Wing Opens Next Week Nurses Strike Cut Short as UK Court Rules 2nd Day of Action Unlawful Royal College of Nursing General Secretary Pat Cullen (centre) joins nurses outside the High Court in central London, on April 27, 2023. (James Manning/PA Media) The planned strike by nurses in England will be cut short after a High Court judge ruled the last day of the action would be unlawful. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) had planned a 48-hour industrial action in the National Health Service (NHS) in England, which would begin on the evening of April 30 and end on May 2. But NHS Employers, which represents NHS trusts, asked the government to check the legality of the action because the RCNs strike mandate is set to run out on May 1. Health Secretary Steve Barclay took legal action and a High Court judge ruled in favour of the government. Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay leaves 10 Downing Street, London, on March 15, 2023. (Jordan Pettitt/PA Media) Justice Linden said the outcome was inevitable but the RCN had forced the case to court instead of grasping the nettle and conceding. He ordered the union to pay the costs of the hearing, saying the union had shown a high degree of unreasonableness. The RCN said it would follow the ruling and cancel the strike on May 2, but will continue with the planned action on April 30 and May 1. Unlawful Strike The health secretary welcomed the High Court decision. Barclay said: I firmly support the right to take industrial action within the lawbut the government could not stand by and let plainly unlawful strike action go ahead. Both the NHS and my team tried to resolve this without resorting to legal action, but unfortunately, following a request from NHS Employers, we took this step with regret to protect nurses by ensuring they are not asked to take part in an unlawful strike. Downing Street said it was regrettable that the government had to take legal action to stop the unlawful action. Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks official spokesman told reporters: The government never wanted to take this to court. We did indeed try every possible way to avoid a court case. The NHS presented the RCN with clear legal evidence that their planned strike for May 2 was unlawful. We asked them to call it off. The RCN refused. Thats why the NHS asked the government to intervene and seek the view of the court. He said the health secretary wrote the RCN again on Wednesday asking it to call off the illegal part of the planned strike, but the request was rejected again. No Choice Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, said: The RCN could and should have resolved this significant issue of the legality of its strike sooner. More than a week ago now, NHS Employers approached the RCN to query whether its mandate for strike action expired at midnight on May 1, 2023, and not the May 2 they had appeared to suggest. The RCN vigorously rejected our assertion and we were left with no choice but to ask the secretary of state to seek the view of the courts. Clarity has now been achieved, not least for RCN members, and the judge has confirmed the position we set out last week: any strike action occurring on May 2 would be illegal. Talking to BBC Radio 4s World at One programme, Mortimer said the RCN had placed itself in a remarkable position. He said: I think the judge captures the position really well, this is a remarkable position that one of the health services largest trade unions has placed itself in. Its important that staff can express their grievances, he said, but added: I think its even more important that is done within the law. Looking ahead, he said: The NHS wants to see this dispute, the dispute between doctors and the government as well, resolved, and weve all got a part to play in that. Darkest Day The RCN angrily attacked the government for taking the union to court rather than trying to resolve the row. The unions general secretary Pat Cullen said in a statement: It is the darkest day of this dispute so farthe government taking its own nurses through the courts in bitterness at their simple expectation of a better pay deal. Nursing staff will be angered but not crushed by todays interim order. It may even make them more determined to vote in next months reballot for a further six months of action. Cullen threatened earlier this month that nurses could strike until Christmas if they cannot reach a satisfactory pay deal with the government. The main opposition Labour Party also criticised the governments legal action. During a visit to Lancashire, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: The nurses dont want to be on strike. They want a government thats negotiating and talking to them, not taking them to court. I think most people are scratching their head and saying instead of going to court, just get on with resolving the underlying issues, so that all these people who are waiting for operations, waiting to have stuff done in hospital, can actually reduce that anxiety and get onto it. PA Media contributed to this report. Oklahoma Passes Bill Allowing Religious Institutions Access to State Funding The Oklahoma State Capitol is seen in Oklahoma City, Okla., on Sept. 30, 2015. (Reuters/Jon Herskovitz) Oklahoma legislatures have passed , through the House and is now waiting to be signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt. The bill (SB 404) passed with a 64-27 vote and protects against discrimination against religious organizations, especially when it comes to receiving state tax dollars. The bill prohibits exclusion from government funds, benefits, programs, or exemptions based solely on the religious character or affiliation of a person or entity, the bill states. Rep. Jon Echols (R-OKC), who co-wrote the bill, along with other Republican supporters, said money shouldnt be withheld from organizations just based on religious beliefs and should be given the same funding rights as other schools in the state. But if there was ever a reason for this bill, its the fact that its taken us two hours to do something that, replace the word religion with the word gender in the bill, replace religion with the word sex in the bill and this would be unthinkable to have a two-hour debate over, Echols said in a statement during the session. Sen. Julie Daniels (R-Bartlesville) also cited a recent Supreme Court case involving state funds for religious schools to prove why SB404 is needed in Oklahoma. In recent years, there were three Supreme Court cases quite close together that all dealt with the establishment of religion issues, Daniels said in a statement. And just incidentally, they were all involving schools religious schools being denied certain benefits that were being offered to other schools. And basically, we updated [state statute] to say, You cant deny a benefit largely on the basis of the character of the person or the institution being religious. Bill Unnecessary, Democrats Say Democrats argue the bill is unnecessary and accuse the authors of not proving actual examples of discrimination. Discrimination against religious institutions does not happen in Oklahoma, Rep. Monroe Nichols (D-Tulsa) said in a statement. Theres another intent: to allow for public dollars to flow into private religious schools, something that currently doesnt happen in Oklahoma. Gov. Stitt has not said if he would sign the bill, but he expressed his support for religious charter schools in a letter to Attorney General Drummond supporting religious freedom in Oklahoma. As Governor, I wish to make clear that I support not only the pluralism promoted by Oklahoma charter school laws but also the religious liberty of all Oklahomans and to express my confidence that the people of Oklahoma do as well, Stitt said in his letter. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signs documents in an undated photo downloaded on Oct. 14, 2022. (Courtesy of State of Oklahoma) A Catholic church is currently revising an application to the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board for a Catholic virtual charter school with questions about its legality and its administrative setup. Brett Farley, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Oklahoma, said the bill could bring some answers to the constitutional questions about the legality of a religious charter school in Oklahoma. This was a bill that was in the works and planned on long before any question related to a Catholic charter school was even on the radar, Farley said in a statement. So any insinuation that the two things are connected is completely false. This bill was drafted long before [Attorney General Gentner] Drummonds opinion came out. Representative Nichols also pointed out that using religious beliefs to receive funding for religious charter schools isnt the right approach. To suggest that God, that religion is being discriminated against simply because theres a financial interest somewhere in a specific area is the wrong thing to do, Nichols said in a statement. Mickey Dollens (D-OKC) voiced his opinion to separate churches from the state government funding. One of the wealthiest religious institutions in the world is claiming a substantial burden because Oklahoma wont give them tax dollars to fund their church-school combo? Sounds like divine entitlement to me Vote NO on SB 404.#SeperationOfChurchAndState, Dollens Tweeted. Online Regulation Bill C-11 to Become Law After Senate Vote The Senate of Canada building and Senate Chamber are pictured in Ottawa on Feb. 18, 2019. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick) The Liberal governments controversial Bill C-11 to revamp the Broadcasting Act and put online content under the government regulator has finally passed the Senate. Senators passed the motion clearing the bill by a wide majority of 5216 on April 27. Great news! tweeted Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez, who sponsored the bill. Our stories matter, and with C11, we are supporting our artists and creators so they can continue sharing their stories with the world. The Senate had studied the bill previously and sent it back to the House of Commons with amendments. It then returned to the Senate with some of the amendments rejected. An amendment to exempt individual content creators was defeated by all parties except the Conservatives. The motion that was adopted by the Senate states that it agrees with the amendments made by the House and does not insist on its amendments to which the House of Commons disagrees. The motion further states that the Senate takes note of the Government of Canadas public assurance that Bill C-11 will not apply to user-generated digital content and its commitment to issue policy direction to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission [CRTC] accordingly. This issue has been at the centre of the debate around the bill, with the Liberals saying it doesnt cover used-generated content while the CRTC chair and other critics say that it does. Conservative Sen. Denise Batters said in proceedings before the vote on the motion that public assurances are not enough. Honourable senators, I wasnt born yesterday, she said. Theres no reason to think this Liberal promise will hold up any better than any of the many, many other broken Liberal promises. Batters said the government side censored debate around the bill in the Senate by imposing a time allocation. Under Bill-C11, online streaming platforms will fall under the regulatory power of the CRTC. The bill will also require those platforms to invest in creating Canadian content. A summary of the bill states that the CRTC should be provided with the power to require that persons carrying on broadcasting undertakings make expenditures to support the Canadian broadcasting system. The bill also provides a progressive slant to the Broadcasting Act by adding multiple identity politics provisions. It replaces a section that says the broadcasting system should serve the needs of Canadian men, women, and children by serving all sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions. Peter Wilson contributed to this report. Orange County Slated to Establish an Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs Orange County will have an Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, after county supervisors unanimously approved its creation on April 25. The office will serve as a central hub for coordination of services, resources, and advocacy groups, for immigrants and refugees within the county, according to officials. County officials held a press conference the following day highlighting plans for the new office. Yesterday, a Board of Supervisors meeting received many expressions of public support and stories from residents here in Orange County on why this office will be instrumental in helping residents and refugees now and in the future, Supervisor Doug Chaffee said during the press conference. OC Supervisor Doug Chaffee speaks about Orange Countys upcoming immigration and refugee center in Santa Ana, Calif., on April 26, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) The idea was sparked in part over the countys unpreparedness to assist 500 Afghan refugees find shelter in Orange County in the summer of 2021, following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to county officials. Though Orange County is no stranger to refugees, the county has not experienced an influx of refugees at this rate for several decades, a staff report for the item agendized by Chaffee and Supervisor Andrew Do reads. Officials said the new office will help in assisting refugees find social services support, legal advice, health care, education, and employment. As a centralized tool for immigrant services, Chaffee told The Epoch Times he expects the office to also be cost-effective for the county in the long term as it will help immigrants become self-sufficient sooner. From our perspective, we want to say that we care. We care about everyone in the county, Chaffee said. Thats a message that sometimes is lost on people who see Orange County as anti-immigrant and yet so many of our residents are foreign-born. Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento said during the press conference establishment of the new office felt very personal, as an immigrant, born in Bolivia in 1965. There is still some negativity towards immigrants. Thats something I hope this office will address and make sure that were humane to one another, were civil, and provide resources in a way that is befitting of who we are in Orange County, he said during the press conference. Sarmiento told The Epoch Times the countys next steps include establishing the office, which is proposed to be somewhere in Westminster, and identifying a demand for the services. If theres a high demand then we will adjust the number of staff and funds we allocate, he said. Representatives from 22 refugee- and immigrant-serving organizations were in attendance, some giving speeches. Refugees from Ukraine and Vietnam concluded the conference by giving thanks for the help received since they entered Orange County. Iryna Sobiania, a Ukrainian refugee, speaks about the help she received in Santa Ana, Calif., on April 26, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) I was lucky one of my friends directed me to the office of Supervisor Andrew Do, Vietnam refugee Anna Nguyen said in a speech. Nguyen said she needed help when she came to America as a single mother. Thanks to Do and his staff, she said she was able to transition smoothly and now recommends the countys services to others. I also referred a lot of people who needed help with the same situation and they also did get help with the office of Supervisor Do and had a really good result, she said. Controversy at the Board Meeting The day prior, over 50 residents spoke during public comments before the office was approved. Most were in favor, but a handful of residents argued against it. What about the people that already exist here and that are living here? What programs will be removed to sustain this program that you want to create, said an Orange County resident during the Tuesday meeting. But another resident said the office was long overdue. That was Metra Azar-Salem, executive director of the non-profit Afghan Refugee Reliefwhich focuses on resettling refugees in Southern California, specifically those recently seeking refuge from Afghanistan. We Afghan Americans got together to provide [refugees] the services that we are looking forward to having through this office that is on the proposal today, she told supervisors during the meeting. According to officials, the county is currently assisting about 246 refugees. Chaffee said his office expects to expend about $500,000 in discretionary funds for the new office, which will have one director and two staff members. Establishing such an office under a director is not a foreign concept to the board. Some of the offices responsibilities include connecting immigrants or refugeesregardless of visa statusto resources in the county, strengthening partnerships with existing non-profits, and supporting policies that advance the inclusion and the rights of immigrant and refugee communities, among other things, according to a staff report. Over 10,000 Federal Agents May Have Access to Secretive Surveillance Program: Rep. Gaetz Michael Horowitz, chair of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, testifies during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington on Feb. 1, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) More than 10,000 federal employees might have access to data revealed by a secretive government surveillance program that has come under scrutiny because of alleged abuses, according to expert testimony to Congress. At an April 27 House Judiciary subcommittee hearing, lawmakers heard from a panel of witnesses on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which gives intelligence agencies broad powers to conduct surveillance on foreigners suspected of spying for a foreign power or belonging to a terrorist group. The witnesses included a representative from the Department of Justice Inspector General and two witnesses from the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. However, bipartisan concerns have been raised because the program also has the ability to collect information about U.S. citizens. During the hearing, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) queried panelists about how many FBI agents could have access to FISA-acquired data. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) delivers remarks at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2023. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) A court-ordered report released in May 2022 revealed that the FBI had made more than 3.3 million queries of Americans under FISA authority. This, in turn, prompted a crisis of confidence in the FBIs respect for civil liberties among members of both parties. In his questioning, Gaetz referenced that report. Addressing each of the three panelists, Gaetz asked, If I represent to you that we believe there may be north of 10,000 people in the federal government who can perform [FISA] queries, would anyone here have a basis to disagree with that? All three answered in the negative. In a Twitter post featuring a clip of the exchange, House Judiciary Republicans said, Upwards of 10,000 FBI personnel may have access to section 702-acquired FISA data. 10,000! Whys that number so big? Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) speaks at a House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee hearing, The Fentanyl Crisis in America: Inaction Is No Longer an Option, in Washington on March 1, 2023, in a still from video footage. (House Judiciary Committee YouTube/Screenshot via NTD) Alleged Abuses The program in question, FISA section 702, has been scrutinized for its alleged abuses. Aside from the incidents uncovered in 2021, the intelligence community (IC) has repeatedly failed audits of its use of FISA. In 2019, Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz investigated a random sampling of 29 FISA cases by the FBI and found significant compliance issues. The FISA is overseen by the FISA court, a secretive body that grants spying authority to U.S. intelligence agents. To make a FISA query of U.S. citizens, the FBI and other law enforcement agents are legally required to receive the approval of the closed-door FISA court. In his investigation, Horowitz found that none of the 29 randomly chosen queries had been carried out properly or legally. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) said from an earlier conversation with Horowitz that in 25 of the cases, there was unsupported, uncorroborated, or inconsistent information. The FBI was unable to produce the relevant investigative files in the other four, Biggs reported. In those 29 applications that were reviewed, the inspector general found over 400 instances of noncompliance with the Woods Procedures, Biggs said, referencing FBI procedures requiring that FISA requests be scrupulously accurate. Since 2021, the FBI has reduced illegal queries by about 90 percent, according to FBI Director Christopher Wray. Specifically, the authority for these searches was granted by FISA section 702, an amendment added to the bills original text in 2008. That section gave the U.S. intelligence community the power to gather information on foreign agents reasonably believed to be operating outside the United States. But section 702 also gives the IC the ability to make incidental queries, queries of U.S. citizens who have communicated with a suspected foreign agentan authority that lawmakers say is anti-Fourth Amendment. Unfortunately for the intelligence community, we have a Fourth Amendment, Biggs said in his opening remarks. The House Oversight Committee has a six-member working group trying to hammer out a reformed section 702, which will expire on Dec. 31, 2023, without congressional reauthorization. But during the hearing, Biggs indicated his belief that section 702 may already [be] beyond repair. FISA section 702 explicitly states that it may only be used to target non-U.S. persons located abroad for the purpose of obtaining foreign intelligence information, he said. But its clear that the government has used communications acquired through this program to conduct backdoor searches of Americans communications. During the hearing, the panel heard testimony from Horowitz, whos part of a watchdog group designed to ensure IC compliance with Americans civil liberty protections. Although safeguards are in place to ensure that Americans civil liberties are being respected, Horowitz and other panelists made clear that the IC has repeatedly failed to comply with these safeguards. Bipartisan Concerns Republicans have led the charge in substantially revising or even abolishing the FISA. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act has shown to be a powerful tool for United States intelligence, Biggs said. [But] the United States intelligence community has shown they cannot be fully trusted to retain this power. In fact, I cannot think of a single example of a powerful intelligence tool that was not abused in the United States in this way. The issue crosses party lines, with many Democrats joining Republicans in calling for reforms. However, Democrats have been less open to full-scale abolition. Today, this committee finally gets back to the serious work of keeping Americans safesafe from those who seek to do us harm and safe from those who might trample on our civil liberties in a quest to keep our country secure, no matter the cost, ranking Democrat member Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) said. Nadler, who says he has never voted to reauthorize section 702, nonetheless called it important to national security, especially in todays threat environment. In 2020, prior to revelations about the FBIs massive illegal spying operations against U.S. citizens, Wray told Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) that he wouldnt lose any sleep over most FISA queries and warned against grinding FISA to a halt with more scrupulous review. The constitutionality of the FISA program has been in dispute for about a decade. Whistleblower Edward Snowden claimed in 2013 that the U.S. intelligence community, despite the claims of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama to the contrary, was carrying out the largest intelligence-gathering operation in human historyall without the knowledge of Americans or their elected representatives. Correction: This article has been updated to correct inaccuracies in reporting. The Epoch Times regrets the error. Rapper Pras Michel Convicted in Conspiracies to Influence US Government Pras Michel, a member of the 1990's hip-hop group the Fugees, arrives at U.S. District Court in Washington, on March 31, 2023. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) Rapper Prakazrel Pras Michel, a member of the 1990s hip-hop group the Fugees, has been found guilty by a jury of 10 counts of crimes related to his alleged participation in conspiracies, including to help China influence the United States. The 50-year-old Grammy Award-winning rapper was convicted on April 26 of conspiring with a Malaysian financier, Jho Lowalso known as Low Taek Jhoto carry out foreign lobbying campaigns to influence the U.S. government under the administrations of Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump. The 10 counts include conspiracy, concealment of material facts, falsifying campaign finance records, witness tampering, and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. Michel faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the top counts. The judge has yet to set a sentencing date. Influence Schemes The Fugees won two Grammy Awards for their best-selling 1996 album The Score. Prosecutors said that by 2012, Michel needed money and found it through Low, who was known to pay celebrities large sums of money. Jynwel Capital Limited CEO Jho Low attends the 2014 Social Good Summit at 92Y on Sept. 21, 2014 in New York City. (Taylor Hill/Getty Images) The defense acknowledged that Michel wanted to make money but argued that he had received bad legal advice as he reinvented himself in the world of politics. Prosecutors accused Michel of having sought to convince the Justice Department under the Trump administration to drop civil and criminal investigations into Low over the 1MDB embezzlement scandal. The effort was carried out with Low, Elliott Broidy, Nickie Lum Davis, George Higginbotham, and others. Broidy, Higginbotham, and Lum Davis have all since pleaded guilty for their roles in the scheme. Low faces separate charges in New York that he and his family embezzled more than $4.5 billion from Malaysians state-owned investment fund 1MDB from 2009 to 2015. He remains at large. Equanimity, the $250 million luxury yacht that fugitive Malaysian businessman Low Taek Jho allegedly bought with funds embezzled from 1Malaysia Development Berhad, in Selangors, Malaysia, on Aug. 8, 2018. (Ore Huiying/Getty Images) Prosecutors said Michel was also paid to try to persuade the U.S. government to extradite a Chinese national back to China, at the direction of Chinas vice minister of public security. Prosecutors pointed out that Michel didnt register as a foreign agent. The Chinese national, who is suspected of having committed crimes in China, is billionaire and dissident Guo Wengui, also known as Miles Guo. Guo was never extradited but was arrested by U.S. prosecutors over unrelated fraud charges in March. Michel was also accused of having agreed to funnel some $20 million from Low into Obamas 2012 reelection campaign, in exchange for receiving millions of dollars. Michel contributed to Obamas campaign both personally and through about 20 straw donors. The prosecutors said that in doing so, Michel hid that the funds were from overseas. Federal election law prohibits foreigners from donating to U.S. campaigns. Rapper Testified in Own Defense On the witness stand, Michel said Low wanted to take a photo with Obama and paid Michel about $20 million over the course of nine months to help him get it. Michel said that although he used some of the money to pay for three of his friends to attend two political fundraisers for Obamas 2012 campaign, he didnt do so at Lows direction, and no one told him that was illegal. Once he gave me the money, it was my discretion how I spent the money because its my money, Michel told the jury, calling the money he received free money. Regarding the charges related to Guos extradition, Michel told the jury that he had failed to register himself as a foreign agent because his attorney, Higginbotham, never told him it was required by law. Michel testified that he did pass along information to the FBI about China wanting to extradite Guo. Michel said he thought it was something the FBI should know that China was concerned Guo was allegedly a criminal rapist. Higginbotham has since pleaded guilty for his role in the scheme. He told jurors that at Michels insistence, he met with the Chinese ambassador in Washington to tell the ambassador that the Trump administration was working toward extraditing Guo. As proven at trial, the defendant [Michel] engaged in an extensive conspiracy to use millions of dollars in foreign funds to engage in illegal back-channel lobbying and make unlawful campaign contributions, Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Departments Criminal Division said in a statement. Todays verdict demonstrates that anyone who engages in unlawful foreign-sponsored efforts to influence American officials, our elections, or the criminal justice system will be brought to justice. Michels lawyer, David Kenner, told reporters outside the courthouse on April 26 that he was extremely disappointed by the verdict but remains hopeful the charges could be dismissed by the judge. I remain enormously confident that this case is not over, and that we will ultimately prevail, he added. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly set deadlines for both parties to file briefs on a number of post-trial motions, including a request for a judgment of acquittal, that extend into July. Reuters contributed to this report. Republican Lawmakers Unveil Package to Secure US Southern Border House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) speaks at a press conference at the RNC headquarters on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Jan. 25, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Republican lawmakers revealed on Thursday that five of the nine sectors of the southern border of the United States are controlled by Mexican cartels. House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark E. Green (R-Tenn), Vice Chairman Michael Guest (R-Miss.), Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) held a joint press conference on April 27 to announce a new border security bill being moved out of committee and to the House floor. During the press conference, Green, a physician, businessman and combat veteran, outlined some of the damage that has been incurred during the Biden administration. The lawmaker asserted that the majority of border sectors are presently controlled by cartels, allowing for drug and human trafficking to run rampant. Additionally, the Tennessee Republican said that, since Biden took office in January 2021, more than six million illegal immigrants have come across the United States border, which is more than the population of 25 states and more than all the illegal immigrants under the Obama and Trump administrations combined. He also said the administration did away with 89 policies under previous presidents that would have kept illegal immigration at bay, and let the return agreements with multiple countries lapse. This is intentional, Green said of the change in border policies. The drug cartels are seizing the day to get more fentanyl in here and make more money Every single American is at risk for these ridiculous open door policies. Well, weve had enough. Green seemed to be referencing a Committee Field Hearing in McAllen, Texas, where Border Patrol Raul Ortiz said, Cartels control an awful lot on the southern border, south of the United States. Weve seen across the southwest border, nine sectors, and out of those nine sectors, four of them have significant resources But in five of those nine southwest border sectors, we have seen an increase in flow, and that has caused a considerable strain on our resources and really has forced the Border Patrol to move agents and even migrants to some of the other areas. And so, I have to move resources into those five southwest border sectors, and that forces me to make some adjustments across the entire 2,000 miles of the southwest border. Scalise said in his comments that the lack of a secure border has led to the fentanyl and other drug-related deaths of 300 Americans per day, and that the United States lost 100,000 individuals to fentanyl and similar drugs last year. What President Biden has done to open up the southern border has created a multibillion-dollar industry for the drug cartels in Mexico, Scalise said. President Biden is providing billions of dollars to the drug cartels in Mexico who now have operational control over our southern border. Every American ought to be outraged about that. The group introduced their Border Reinforcement Act of 2023 (H.R. 2794), co-sponsored by all Homeland Security Republicans, saying it provides solutions to restore order at the Southwest border and prevent future harm to operational preparedness to the countrys northern and marine borders. According to the lawmakers introduction of the legislation, it was developed using first-hand information gathered during the committees border trips to El Paso, Texas; hearings, including a field hearing with U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz in Pharr, Texas; and conversations with numerous Border Patrol agents, border communities, and everyday Americans. The act proposes resuming the border walls construction, which the present administration stopped. It also expands Border Patrols staff to 22,000 agents to address frontline needs, and prioritizes updating and improving CBP technology to keep field agents safe. The act also requires the Department of Homeland Security to reveal to Congress and make public all monthly statistics, including monthly known gotaways figures, on or before the 7th of each month. Additionally, it provides retention bonuses for U.S. Border Patrol agents who achieve specific conditions to safeguard the nation, and funds local law enforcement in land and marine border states to improve border security. Finally, the act restricts CBP One app usage by restoring its original purpose and prohibiting DHS from utilizing it for non-commercial reasons, including immigration processing. Just before the end of the press conference, Scalise again touched on the damage of an uncontrolled border, saying, Weve seen it, the rapes, the human trafficking, not only the deaths [but] theyre making billions of dollars off the trafficking. Trafficking is disgusting. Joe Biden ought to be disgusted about it. Biden can do something about it. He created this problem. He needs to work with us to solve this problem. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the Biopharmaceutical Industrial Complex Examining childhood immunizations and the pandemic as a tool of tyrants You have scientists who are supposed to be regulators, who are making money on the product theyre supposed to be regulating, says Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the founder and chief legal counsel of Childrens Health Defense and the author of The Real Anthony Fauci. In a recent two-part episode of American Thought Leaders, host Jan Jekielek sat down with Kennedy to discuss subjects ranging from his fierce criticism of the vaccine approval process to the weaponization of some government agencies against the American people. In the interviews, Kennedy reveals the failures of health agencies to properly test vaccines, attacks the financial web connecting these agencies and pharmaceutical companies, and examines the intrusions of our intelligence agencies into domestic affairs. Jan Jekielek: The Real Anthony Fauci is a remarkable book and about much more than Dr. Anthony Fauci, but about the whole development of the biopharmaceutical industrial complex and what you call a global war on democracy and public health. Tell me about the genesis of this book. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: I spent almost 40 years as an environmental advocate, and I had seen and written extensively and litigated on this issue of agency capture, which is a conspiracy of mechanisms by which regulatory agencies become captured by the industries theyre supposed to regulate. Instead of protecting public health or the environment, they become sock puppets for the industry theyre supposed to regulate. When I began litigating and advocating on the vaccine issue in 2005, I was dumbstruck not only by the level of agency captures within the public health agencies, but by the financial entanglements. For example, the FDA [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] receives 75 percent of its drug approval budget from the pharmaceutical industry. Almost 45 percent of its total budget comes from the pharmaceutical industry. Not only NIH [National Institutes of Health] as an agency, but individual scientists within NIH are allowed to patent drugs they work on and then turn them over to the pharmaceutical industry and collect royalties on them. Those scientists over the past decade or so have collected some $300 million in royalties. You have scientists who are supposed to be regulators who are making money on the product theyre supposed to be regulating. The regulatory function of these agencies becomes subsumed by the mercantile ambitions of the pharmaceutical companies. To give you another example, the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] has a $12 billion annual budget. Almost $5 billion of that goes to purchasing vaccines in secretive sweetheart deals with the big vaccine companies, and then compelling or persuading large numbers of people to take those vaccines, mainly children. With the metrics at that agency, if you want a promotion or if you want a salary increase, you dont get that by finding a problem with a vaccine. You get that by showing youve contributed to the expanded coverage of vaccine use. Its a perverse incentive for a regulatory agency protecting public health because it makes them an arm of the industry. Anthony Fauci is the embodiment of that institutional corruption. Hes lasted 50 years not because hes done a good job at protecting public health; its because hes done a good job at protecting industry profits. When he came into office in 1968, about 6 percent of Americans had chronic disease. By chronic disease, I mean not only obesity, but neurological disease, allergic disease, and autoimmune disease. By 1986, 11.8 percent of American children had chronic disease. By 2006, that number had risen to 64 percent. Thats his track record. He claims hes protecting Americans from infectious disease, but he rarely talks about chronic disease, which is much more devastating than infectious disease. Meanwhile, the vaccines scheduled during that period went from the three vaccines that I took when I was a kid, and I was fully compliant, to 72 doses that are mandated today from 16 vaccines. The question is: Has that made Americans healthier? In 2000, the CDC did a study with Johns Hopkins University. They looked at this question, Did vaccines have anything to do with the momentous decline in mortalities from infectious diseases between 1900 and the present? The CDC study found that the vaccines had almost nothing to do with it. Instead of physicians and scientists being responsible for that reduction, it had been engineers. It was greater sanitation, the roads that brought food like oranges and citrus to northern cities, better nutrition, better sewage treatment plants, chlorination of water, and a number of other engineering advances that were really responsible for the decline in death from infectious disease. Mr. Jekielek: What youre describing stands in the face of what everybody is supposed to know. Vaccines save 2 to 3 million lives a year is whats typically said. Mr. Kennedy: There are a lot of claims about vaccines and how many lives theyve saved, but theres very little science to support that. Vaccines are exempt from pre-licensure safety testing. Theyre not tested for safety against placebos in any kind of functioning trial prior to being approved because vaccines are regulated differently than other medicines. This has to do with the CDCs legacy as a public health service. The Public Health Service, the predecessor of the CDC, launched the vaccine program as a national security defense against biological attacks on our country. They wanted to make sure if the Russians attacked America with some biological or pathogenic weapon that we could quickly formulate and deploy a vaccine to 200 million Americans without regulatory impediments. But calling it a medicine would have meant placebo-controlled trials, which take five years. Why five years? Because many of the injuries that come from vaccines, like all medicines, are long-term injuries. You may say that the vaccine prevented the infection, but you dont count the cancers, the neurological disorders, the ADHD, and the autoimmune diseases that pop up five years later. You need long-term studies. But there was an urgency to deploying vaccines, so they said, Well call it a biologic, and well make biologics exempt from long-term safety studies. None of the 72 doses of vaccines currently mandated for children have ever been tested in a pre-licensing safety study against a true placebo. Heres an example of what I worry about. For many years, Bill Gates and the WHO [World Health Organization] have pushed children to receive the DTP [diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis] vaccine. Its the most popular vaccine in the world because of their efforts. We withdrew that vaccine in the 1980s in this country because it was killing so many children and causing brain damage, according to an NIH study done by UCLA. We replaced it with a DTaP vaccine, which is safer but less effective. They did the same thing in Europe. Meanwhile, Gates and the WHO were giving it to African and Asian children. In 2016, they asked the Danish government for funding, though Denmark wasnt using this vaccine. The government wanted to see a study showing the vaccine actually saved lives. Bill Gates was unable to provide that. Then, the Danish government said, Were going to do this study. They went to Western Africa, where they have very good clinics and 30 years of vaccination records. They brought in the best scientists in the field and did a study of the records. They found that girls who had received that vaccine were 10 times more likely to die than unvaccinated children. They were not dying of things that anybody had ever associated with the vaccine, but of anemia, bilharzia, malaria, dysentery, and pulmonary respiratory issues like pneumonia. It was not until these Danish scientists looked at the data over 30 years that they realized, Holy cow, this vaccine is killing more people than diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis did prior to the introduction of the vaccine. Thats the danger. You could have a vaccine for 30 or 40 years and nobody actually notices that the kids who are taking it are worse off from a health perspective, because youve never done the placebo-controlled trials. Mr. Jekielek: It strains credulity that such an obvious type of test wouldnt be done. There is safety information on every vaccine in the insert. Mr. Kennedy: If you look at a vaccine insert, for example, for the MMR [measles, mumps, rubella] vaccine, it probably has 60 or 70 injuries listed. At one point, because of a lawsuit, I actually had to go through all of the vaccine inserts for the mandatory vaccines now being given to children between birth and 18 years old. There were 420 listed side effects, including death, paralysis, and brain damage. Even autism is listed now. Thats the one place where they tell the truth, the vaccine companies. Doctors are told that these are miracle technologies. Theyve saved millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions of lives, but theres no science supporting that. On the other hand, a lot of science supports the supposition that most of these vaccines, not all of them, but most of them, are causing more injuries and deaths than they are averting. Mr. Jekielek: Going back to your uncles assassination in the 1960s, weve heard that U.S. agencies may have been involved way back then. Now there are people asking, Do we even live in a democracy today? The Global War on Democracy is the subtitle of your book. Did something change at that time that we werent aware of? Mr. Kennedy: Yes, I think something did change back then. When I was 7 years old, on January 17, 1961, my birthday, President Eisenhower made what I look at today as the most important speech in American history. It was his farewell speech to the nation. Three days later, my uncle John Kennedy would take the oath of office, but Eisenhower gave this wonderful speech in which he warned America against the emergence of a military-industrial complex, a permanent war industry, and an associated federal science technocracy, which he specifically mentioned, that, if not constrained, would dominate American democracy and rob us of all the things that are important about our country. My uncle realized that Eisenhower had captured the most important issue of our time. He spent the next three years of his presidency in combat with his own military-industrial complex. Years later, when the Cold War ended in 1992, we were supposed to get a peace dividend. We were supposed to beat our swords into plow shares and put that money into projects like schools, roads, and the environment, and into rebuilding the gutted middle class in this country. In the next year, we had the first World Trade Center attack, and then in 2001 came 9/11. By the end of that decade, we had 888 military bases abroad. Thats an imperial nation. I would say the most recent blow in this coup detat against democracy by the military-medical-industrial complex and the biosecurity agenda was COVID-19, when the government began censoring speech. Those in charge of government and its agencies successfully asserted power to suppress dissent. They closed the churches for a year with no scientific citation and no regulatory process. There were no hearings, no rationale that anybody could see or challenge in any way. They got rid of freedom of assembly, which is also in the First Amendment, by the social distancing dictates. They went after property rights for the Fifth Amendment, shutting down 3.3 million businesses with no due process and no just compensation, in total violation of the Constitution. One of the big worries of the people who made the Constitution is that demagogues and tyrants would be able to persuade an uneducated public to relinquish their rights. We were the first country with mandatory public education. They understood that an uneducated public could easily be manipulated through propaganda. Today, unfortunately, the mechanisms by which people are being educated are social media and the legacy media. As we saw in the pandemic, social media is influenced by the intelligence agencies, the government, and the regulatory agencies orchestrating this coup detat against democracy. Mr. Jekielek: You said the educated are supposed to be able to notice the demagoguery and the propaganda, but it was actually the truckers, ostensibly the less educated, who saw through this. Mr. Kennedy: Thats a good point. It was shocking to me that the most educated people, the people who had been the most tenacious in their defense of the Bill of Rights from the McCarthy era through the Iraq war, suddenly became disabled by this incredibly skilled propaganda push. How do you impose centralized control on an indigenous population of a foreign country? First of all, you disable institutions by using propaganda to sow fear by polarization, deliberate polarization of the population by sowing the country with chaos agents, and all these techniques for creating chaos in developing countries so that you can come in. The CIA was involved in coup detats or attempted coup detats between 1947 and 1997 against a third of the nations on Earth. Around 2016, with the election of Trump and with Brexit, it seems that the intelligence agencies made a decision to turn all of those weapons onto the American people. We saw this extraordinary propaganda campaign at the beginning of the pandemic. The CIA wouldnt do that to America, some people may say. Its illegal to propagandize in America. Not anymore it isnt. During the Obama administration, essentially the old law that had forbidden this was overridden. It was also overridden in the Patriot Act in 2001 during the Bush administration. The CIA gained increasing powers. They propagandize and use these techniques on Americans. By the way, in the Fauci book, I talk about Event 201, which was a pandemic simulation that took place in October 2019 in New York. It was sponsored by Bill Gates, the World Economic Forum, and the Chinese CDC. The social media companies were there and the pharmaceutical companies were there. The big corporate PR firms were there. Mr. Jekielek: And the current DNI [director of national intelligence] was there. Mr. Kennedy: Yes, the current DNI, Avril Haines, was there. At that time, she was the former deputy director of the CIA, and there she is at this simulation. So whats the CIA doing at a pandemic simulation? Theyre not a public health agency. Anyway, Event 201 simulated a global coronavirus pandemic that killed 60 million people, a lot more than the actual one, which we learned about two months later, although the virus was already circulating in October 2019. We didnt know about Event 201 until January 8, 2020. What are they talking about at that event? Theyre not talking about public health. Theyre not talking about how we get vitamin D to everybody to build their immune systems or how we quarantine the sick while protecting constitutional rights. No, theyre talking about using this pandemic as a pretext for clamping down with totalitarian controls. The first thing they said is, We have to limit free speech. We cant allow people to criticize government policies, and particularly, we cant allow people to talk about a lab leak. Theyre doing this in October 2019, before any of us had ever heard of Wuhan. George Gao, whos the Chinese CDC director, must have known at that point that this virus is already circulating, because he is the Chinese expert on coronavirus. He had to know its circulating in Wuhan, and in October, hes with the CIA former deputy director talking about how we quiet people when they start talking about a lab leak. And she says, Not only do we need to censor them, but we need to flood the zone with authoritative voices, which means propaganda. Put on the mask, do what youre told, obey. That fear has the capacity to disable critical thinking. Thats why its the tool of tyrants and they weaponized it. Mr. Jekielek: Where do we go from here? Mr. Kennedy: I wouldnt be fighting if I didnt think there was hope for restoring democracy and value to our country. I dont know what form that will come in, but I know that my job is to fight for it. The way that will happen is if enough individuals take personal responsibility for making it happen. For me, I dont make predictions and I try not to get invested in outcomes. But I know I have to get up every day and fight for democracy and human dignity and rights, and all the things that my God wants me to fight for. I was in the environmental movement as a leader for 40 years. If youre an environmentalist, every victory is temporary, and every defeat is permanent. If you lose a species, its gone forever. If you pave over a piece of landscape, you never get it back. A lot of environmentalists burn out because they feel defeated. Their souls get crushed, and they feel hopeless. I decided at the beginning of my career that I was not going to do that. I wasnt going to get invested in results. If you dont have expectations, youll never get disappointed. If theyre not capable of disappointing you, they cant defeat you, and you become relentless. Thats what makes somebody like me dangerous. No matter what they do to me, Im going to fight them again. All of us have to have that attitude, because that is what is ultimately going to give us victory. If you know what youre going to do, let go of the outcomes and you can never be beaten. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. San Clemente Opposes State Control Over Local School Districts Curriculum Removal The San Clemente City Council has voiced its opposition to a California bill that would prohibit local school boards from banning curriculum, textbooks, and instructional material without state approvaland would also create new requirements for diversity and inclusiveness in school textbooks and other materials. The resolution to oppose the bill was introduced by Mayor Pro Tem Steve Knoblock in March and supported by Councilors Victor Cabral and Gene James, while Mayor Chris Duncan and Councilman Mark Enmeier dissented. Both Enmeier and Duncan said during an April 18 meeting, where the motion was discussed, that the issue is strictly a school board matter, with the latter calling it a culture war political item. But Knoblock contended that the issue was relevant to the council because it regarded the citys children. I know a lot of people are concerned [that] this isnt a city function, but at the same time, it does deal with local control, he said. It does deal with important issues regarding all of our kids. Cabral agreed, saying that he thought cities should fight for local control alongside their colleagues on school boards. I want to keep control at the local level and not have Sacramento make decisions for us about whats best, he said. Library books on a bookshelf in a file photo. (John Moore/Getty Images) According to the bills authorAssemblymember Corey Jackson (D-Riverside)it is intended to revolutionize classrooms. We must strive to create a more equitable and inclusive education system for all students, Jackson said in a Feb. 21 press release. This bill will ensure that students in California receive a comprehensive education that celebrates the diversity of our state and promotes a sense of belonging in the classroom. Under the proposed bill, the state education code would be amended to require schools to exclusively adopt classroom materials that include proportional and accurate representation of Californias diversity in the following categories: race, gender, socioeconomic status, religion, and sexuality. If passed, it would also establish a review process for the selection and approval of books, ensuring that only those materials that meet the standards for diversity and inclusiveness are approved for use in the classroom, according to Jackson. Assembly Bill 1078, as it is named, was set for a hearing in the Assemblys Education Committee March 30, but the hearing was canceled at the request of the author. Its unclear when its next hearing will occur. President Yoon Seok-youl on Wednesday agreed with U.S. President Joe Biden to shelve South Korea's own nuclear ambitions for some sway in deciding how American nuclear weapons are to be used in its defense against North Korea. In return for South Korea's pledge to abide by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the U.S. agreed to form a "nuclear consultative group" that gives Seoul access to information and input into planning any use of the American nuclear umbrella against the North. But some hawks in South Korea were disappointed. Chung Yeon-bong of the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy said, "For the new consultative body to be effective, there need to be more specific guidelines for the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command. I had hoped for results to come out of this meeting that could bolster [South Korea's] capability to develop its own nuclear-powered submarines and to become a potential nuclear-armed state, but that did not happen." Senate GOP Blocks Resurrection of Equal Rights Amendment Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., joined from left by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and other congressional Democrats, holds up a copy of the Constitution during an event about their resolution to remove the deadline for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment at the Capitol in Washington on Feb. 12, 2020. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo) Senate Republicans blocked the efforts of Democrats on April 27 to revive the long-since-expired Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) a century after it was first introduced. Specifically, the vote was to invoke cloture on a motion to proceed in taking up a joint resolution (pdf) to disregard the deadline that Congress set decades ago for the amendments ratification. Although two RepublicansSens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)voted with 49 Democrats to take up the resolution, they fell short of the 60 votes required to invoke cloture. We lost this vote; we are going to win this fight, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said at a press conference outside the Capitol. Schumer, who switched his vote to no so he could bring up the bill at another time, said the amendments supporters would continue to fight until we win. Women are under assault politically in so many ways, whether its the right to choose, or womens health care, or discrimination, or so many other things, he asserted. Its about time America said no to all of that. Its about time America said no to the MAGA majority on the Supreme Court, that we need protections for women, he added. A Century of Debate First drafted in 1923, the ERA was passed by Congress in 1972 with the stipulation that the amendment must be ratified within seven years. The text of the amendment states, Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex. According to Article V of the Constitution, for a proposed amendment to become law, it must be ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures. By 1978, however, the ERA had only been ratified by 35 statesthree short of the 38-state threshold. Seeing that more time would be necessary to reach the mark, Congress voted to extend the ratification deadline to June 30, 1982, but it wasnt until 2020 that Virginia finally put the amendment across the line. And with the deadline long since passed, the amendment has yet to become law. Prior to Thursdays vote, the Biden administration weighed in on the matter, signaling its support for removing the deadline. In the United States of America, no ones rights should be denied on account of their sex, the White House said in a statement of administration policy (pdf). It is long past time to definitively enshrine the principle of gender equality in the Constitution. Gender equality is not only a moral issue: the full participation of women and girls across all aspects of our society is essential to our economic prosperity, our security, and the health of our democracy. Republican Fears Republicans, on the other hand, have argued that the amendment is unnecessary, given that women are already protected from sex-based discrimination under the 14th Amendment. Additionally, others have expressed concerns that the law could erase sex-specific legal protections for women. What the Equal Rights Amendment actually does is take away key protections for women when it comes to their ability to compete in sports, or even sex-specific spaces like locker rooms, bathrooms, and prisons, Heritage Foundation research associate Emma Waters told EWTN News in February. Waters also held that the amendment could be interpreted to create a right to unrestricted abortion. New Mexico actually passed a state-level Equal Rights Amendment, she noted. And in 1998, their Supreme Court not only ruled that this provided a right to an abortion, but it actually provides a right to taxpayer-funded abortions, which would go even further than Roe v. Wade did. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), who chairs the Senate Pro-Life Caucus, shared the same concern while testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Feb. 28. The vague language of the amendment, she argued, would be used by pro-abortion activists to re-empower unelected judges to impose a radical abortion policy that is in line with China and North Korea. She continued: The 1972 Equal Rights Amendment would harm the rights of women and weaken the United States Constitution. I call on my colleagues to reject this unconstitutional and misguided effort. TOURS, FranceOn April 24 and 25, the unique sounds of Shen Yun Performing Arts resounded in the capital of Touraine, which has been the capital of France several times. Didier Garnier is a former Inspector General of Agriculture. It is a magnificent show! The production is very well done. It is the whole history of China, which unfortunately we know very little of in France, and its a real pleasure. The specific technique is also excellent and allows us to understand better. Its great! he said. Mr. Garnier said that he was amazed both by the history and by the spirit and knowledge of this culture that we are learning about, which is completely different from our Western culture. New York-based Shen Yun is the worlds premier classical Chinese dance company, and a pioneer in the performing arts world. The dancers artistic level is excellent: when you see the whole thing, the choreography the technique, all at the same time, because they have to adapt to fit in the screen at the same time as the dance! said Mr. Garnier, referring to Shen Yuns digital projection, a Shen Yun innovation which creates seamless interaction between projection and performers on stagean invention so original it has its own patent. In addition to the technical and aesthetic aspects, Mr. Garnier was sensitive to the spirituality conveyed in many of Shen Yuns dance narratives. In reviving Chinas 5,000 years of traditional culture, Shen Yun also pays tribute to this ancient Chinese belief that the culture was inherited from the divine. Thats the spirit! And to give this idea of God and heaven, I believe this is the whole history of our humanity, said Mr. Garnier. It is indeed important for the actual world. The tenor expressed all these things very well. In our atheist world, we lose our human values; we go towards violence, towards things where we feel bad about, where our soul feels bad. I believe this is a recall to return towards happiness. Jean-Marie Ogez, former chief warrant officer in the Foreign Legion, attended Shen Yun at the Palais des Congres in Tours on April 24, 2023. (NTD) Jean-Marie Ogez was a chief warrant officer in the Foreign Legion. Shen Yun is magnificent. The synchronization! The costumes! Marvelous! said Mr. Ogez. Its full of warmth, full of tradition, he said, noting that the dancers were very beautiful. A lot of work, exceptional synchronization! It is exceptional. Last year, I came and found it exceptional. Now it is Every year, it is wonderful! Serge Lavaure is a retired rural doctor. Living in Limoges, he did not hesitate to travel the 250 kilometers to see Shen Yun. The show was extraordinary. I love the diversity, the music, the beauty of the scenes, the beauty of the music, the dances which were quite varied. Most importantly, the physical prowess and difficulty of the spins, jumps, etc. it was very pretty! Serge Lavaure, a retired general physician, came from Limoges to see Shen Yun in Tours on April 24, 2023. (NTD) This doctor was also impressed by the artistic level of the dancers: It must take pretty incredible training to reach such perfection and such a level of difficulty in the jumps! He said that he felt both admiration for the difficulty of the technical prowess and the beauty of the dances, but also an intense emotion towards what comes from all the dancers. Indeed, classical Chinese dance has the special factor of allowing dancers to express their emotions and feelings on stage, thus allowing artists to tell a story without words. For Dr. Lavaure, Shen Yun can bring peace, it can bring serenity to everyone, it can bring calm and kindness, which we are missing a lot right now. Reporting by NTD and Sarita Modmesaib. The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006. South Korean President Hails US Ties in Face of North Korea Threat During Address to Congress South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol addresses a Joint Meeting of Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on April 27, 2023. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images) The 70-year-old alliance between the United States and South Korea preserved a frail peace that allowed a new nation founded on the principles of free-market democracy to prosper, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said in an address to Congress. And now, in a decisive moment in history, South Korea will use its economic prowess as a compass of freedom for citizens of the world, he said during a 45-minute speech in which he quoted U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy. No nation offers a better example than South Korea of the benefits of taking the right path to democracy instead of the wrong path to the totalitarianism being pushed by China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, Yoon said. There is one regime determined in pursuing a wrong path, he said, referring to Kim Jong Uns North Korean regime. The difference is stark. North Korea has abandoned freedom and prosperity. Yoon spoke of unprecedented and horrendous accounts of abuses from more than 500 defectors in the past five years that include people executed by firing squads for violating COVID-19 restrictions, for watching South Korean television programming, and for possessing the Bible and having faith. Kims communist cadre has impoverished and shackled North Koreans to develop an arsenal of about 20 nuclear weapons and conduct intimidating missile tests to augment saber-rattling rhetoric against South Korea, Japan, and the United States. North Koreas obsession with nuclear weapons and missiles [has thrown] its population into severe crisis and human rights abuses, Yoon said, calling on democracies to raise global awareness of the gravity of North Koreas human rights violations, especially with the specter of famine materializing. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits a hall displaying various types of warheads in North Korea on March 27, 2023. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP) Denuclearization Still the Goal The seventh South Korean president to address Congress, Yoon was on the fifth day of a six-day U.S. tour that concludes April 28 with a speech at Harvard University. The day before his congressional address, Yoon and U.S. President Joe Biden announced revisions to the 70-year-old U.S.South Korea alliance in a joint Washington Declaration. The revised treaty spells out a set of extended deterrence measures to be exerted visibly by U.S. strategic assetsnuclear forcesin the skies and waters around the Korean Peninsula. The agreement douses momentum among South Koreans to build their own nuclear weapons arsenal rather than rely on the United States, which many in South Korea and elsewhere believe to be distracted in paralyzing partisan feuds. Under the extended deterrence doctrine, there will be increased port visits of U.S. Navy 7th Fleet boomerslarge submarines that carry nuclear submarine-launched ballistic missilesfor the first time in four decades, U.S. Air Force rotational deployments of strategic bombers, combined operations between South Korean conventional forces and U.S. strategic units, and presidential-level consultations in a newly created nuclear consultative group. Yoon quoted Reagan in saying the United States tolerance for North Koreas nuclear brinksmanship is limited and that Pyongyang would learn the hard way that there is a point at which they will not advance in threatening a growing span of the globe with nuclear weapons. We must make his words clear to North Korea, he said. We need to speed up Korean, U.S., and Japan trilateral security operations to counter the increased North Korean nuclear threat. The language in the tweaked treaty appears to shift the long-standing goal of denuclearization of North Korea to nuclear deterrence in dealing with Pyongyang. But Yoon told Congress that denuclearization is still a viable goal. He said South Korea will keep the door open to dialogue with North Korea about denuclearization and said Seoul has offered Kim Jong Un an incentive package to improve North Koreas economy to help end its privations and encourage it to take the right path. All Pyongyang has to do, he said, is stop its nuclear program and begin a denuclearization process. Protesters in Manila, Philippines, demonstrate against incursions into Philippine waters by Chinese ships, on Feb. 24, 2021. (Aaron Favil/AP Photo) Yoon Avoids Specific References to China Other than mentioning the alliances presence in ensuring the rule of law in the Western Pacific, Yoon didnt directly address issues related to China. South Korea and China have a complicated relationship. On one hand, Beijing props up Kim Jong Uns regime. On the other hand, China is South Koreas biggest trading partner. Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) was among the representatives who told The Epoch Times they wanted Yoon to elaborate on South Koreas relationship with China. I wish he had spoken [in] greater detail about China, he said. The nuclear deterrence that we are continuing to increase and improve can deal with the challenges of North Korea. But China, in the 21st century, is an adversary. Theyre a competitor. And theyre a vast market. And I think we have to have a strong strategy, not only with our Indo-Pacific partners but with Europe, as we deal with China, because they are the larger challenge. U.S. Army troops fight in the streets of Seoul, South Korea, on Sept. 20, 1950. (National Archives/AFP via Getty Images) Weapons Deter War, Prosperity Preserves Peace Yoon said that although resolve and weaponry can deter war, only prosperity can sustain peace. Freedom brings peace, and peace in turn safeguards freedom, he said. He also said that South Korea has been a vivid example of that in the 70 years since it was invaded by North Korea with assistance from the Soviet Union and, eventually, intervention by China. It was the United States that led the world in this decisive moment of history 70 years ago, Yoon said, and its the example set by the United States that inspires South Korea as its booming economy and growing international trade give it increasing efficacy on global affairs. Imperial nations found colonies. America righteously stands to defend freedom, a new world order based on free trade, that brought peace and prosperity throughout the world, Yoon said. The United States did not look the other way. Korea will never forget the great American heroes who fought with us to defend freedom. And so it is in opposing Russias invasion of Ukraine, Yoon said. North Korea invaded us, he continued. Democracies came running to help us. The rest is history. Freedom and democracy [are] under threat by Vladimir Putins attempt to unilaterally change the status quo with force, he said. Korea strongly condemns the unprovoked armed attack against Ukraine. Korea will actively work to safeguard the security of the people of Ukraine and support their efforts in reconstruction. That alliance is now stronger, more prosperous with many more connections than ever before, the lynchpin safeguarding our peace and prosperity, Yoon said, noting that South Korea was once a recipient of U.S. foreign aid but is now the only nation in modern history to become a donor in foreign aid. That is testimony to the success of our alliance, he said. It has evolved from one of unilateral assurance to a partnership that is mutually beneficial. Yoon paraphrased Kennedys Ask not what your country can do for you, calling on citizens of the world to ask what, together, we can do for the freedoms of humanity. He said, Korea will stand in solidarity with the international community. We will do what we can for the freedoms of humanity. He said the alliance between South Korea and the United States isnt just a pact between two nations but one of global reach. Our alliance is an alliance of universal values, Yoon said. Freedom, human rights, [and] democracy are the very foundation of our bond. Our alliance is for justice. Our alliance is for peace. Our alliance is for prosperity. Together, our alliance will continue to move toward the future. We will build the world of tomorrow that offers endless opportunities for our future generations. Stellantis to Offer Buyouts Amid Electric Vehicle Transition The Stellantis sign outside the Chrysler Technology Center, in Auburn Hills, Mich. on Jan. 19, 2021. (Carlos Osorio/AP Photo) DETROITAnother automaker is trying to cut its workforce to trim expenses and stay competitive as the industry makes the long and costly transition to electric vehicles. Stellantis on Wednesday said its offering buyouts to groups of white-collar and unionized employees in the U.S., as well as hourly workers in Canada. The cuts are in response to todays increasingly competitive global market conditions and the necessary shift to electrification, the company said in a prepared statement. Stellantis said its looking to reduce its hourly workforce by about 3,500, but wouldnt say how many salaried employees its targeting. The company has about 56,000 workers in the U.S., and about 33,000 of them could get the offers. Of those, 31,000 are blue-collar workers and 2,500 salaried employees. The company has another 8,000 union workers in Canada, but it would not say how many will get offers. Stellantis, formed in the merger of Fiat Chrysler and Frances PSA Groupe, says in a statement that its reviewing its North American operations to trim costs, become more efficient and protect the competitiveness of its products. The company says its offering packages to certain salaried workers who have 15 or more years of service. Packages also are being offered to unionized employees in the U.S. and Canada. Information about the packages will go to employees the week of May 1. The offers drew immediate criticism from Shawn Fain, the new president of the United Auto Workers union. Stellantis push to cut thousands of jobs while raking in billions in profits is disgusting, Fain said in a prepared statement. This is a slap in the face to our members, their families, their communities, and the American people who saved this company 15 years ago. The former Chrysler company went through a government-funded bankruptcy in 2009 and was eventually merged with Italian automaker Fiat. The offers follow Ford and General Motors, which have trimmed their workforces in the past year through buyout offers. About 5,000 white-collar workers took General Motors up on offers to leave the company this year. Ford cut about 3,000 contract and full-time salaried workers last summer, giving them severance packages. The unions testy statement about Stellantis comes ahead of what are expected to be contentious contract talks between Detroits three automakers, the United Auto Workers, and Unifor, the Canadian union representing auto workers. Talks with both unions will open this summer. The UAW contracts expire in September. Last week, Fain told reporters that hes unhappy with all three companies over efforts to unionize new joint-venture factories that will make battery cells for future electric vehicles. All three companies are investing billions to build at least 10 battery factories in North America to handle expected demand for EVs. Fain singled out Stellantis, saying it failed to include the union when it announced a battery factory in Kokomo, Indiana. He also said Stellantis plans to close a factory in Belvidere, Illinois, is unacceptable. Stellantis placed the Belvidere plant on idle in February and laid off most of its roughly 1,350 workers. Fain won a narrow election last month running on the platform that the union for too long has been cooperative with the automakers. He would not say if a strike against Stellantis is likely. By Tom Krisher Teachers Union Chief Concedes Offering Edits to CDC School Reopening Guidelines, Denies Substantive Changes A sign outside of Columbus Elementary School lets visitors know that the playground has been closed in Chicago, Ill., on Jan. 25, 2021. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) The president of the nations second-largest teachers union faced tough questioning on April 26 by members of a House subcommittee seeking to determine whether the union unduly influenced the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) policy on school reopenings during the pandemic. Americans are curious to know if the AFT [American Federation of Teachers] access was in line with CDC past practice and if their influence had a positive or detrimental impact on Americas children, subcommittee Chair Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) said at the start of the hearing. While it is reasonable for the CDC to seek outside opinions, were some opinions accepted and others not considered? And why or why not? Randi Weingarten, the head of the 1.7 million member union, was the subcommittees sole witness. Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) during a House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing in Washington on Sept. 26, 2017. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) At issue was whether or not the AFT or Weingarten herself had suggested changes to the CDCs February 2021 guideline document, Operational Strategy for K-12 Schools Through Phased Prevention, that resulted in prolonged school closures. CDC Guidance Schools could and should have reopened much earlier than they did but remained closed based on three faulty recommendations provided by the CDC, according to Wenstrup. The recommendations cited included using community spread rates for the virus versus school spread rates in triggering school closures, the requirement for routine screening and testing, and using six-foot social distancing requirements rather than a three-foot standard. None of these [recommendations] were based on sound science at the time, and the AFT directly supported all, Wenstrup said. American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill on Nov. 1, 2017. (Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters) Wenstrup, a medical doctor, noted that transmission rates among children were known to be much lower than for adults, that children were less likely to become ill from the coronavirus, and that deaths were exceedingly rare, occurring in about 1 in 1 million cases. Did the AFT consult with the CDC on its February 2021 operational strategy for school reopening? Wenstrup asked. Weingarten conceded that there had been consultation with the CDC beginning with a conference call on Jan. 29, 2021, and two or three subsequent phone calls with CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. Did you suggest revisions to their operational strategy? Wenstrup asked. Weingarten said she had done so but insisted they mainly were ideas and that only two specific policy changes were recommended. Those were suggestions to include a work-from-home option for teachers with compromised immune systems and to revise the guidelines if a new variant of the virus emerged. Weingarten said she also asked the CDC to create a trigger that would serve as a guideline for knowing when to close schools, though that wasnt a suggested revision to the draft policy. When you made these proposals, the two you suggested, were they accepted by the CDC? Wenstrup asked. Weingarten said they were. Clear Denial Throughout questioning, Weingarten appeared to ramble and change the topic frequently, twice pleading her age and failing memory as a reason for lacking clarity. Look, Im 65 years old. I dont remember anything anymore. Im sorry, she said. When admonished for not responding directly to a question, she said, Sorry, Im just slow. However, when Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) asked about making direct changes to the draft CDC document, Weingarten answered directly and clearly. Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) during a hearing in Washington on July 27, 2022. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Documents and testimony gathered by this committee show the CDC and AFT worked closely on this guidance; some of the AFT suggestions were included nearly word-for-word by Director Walensky herself. In a transcribed interview, a career CDC official testified this level of coordination was uncommon, Comer said. To summarize, AFT was provided with a full draft copy of the guidance two weeks before publication and suggested line-by-line edits No, we did not, Weingarten said, interrupting Comer. She insisted that the AFT had offered only the two previously stated comments on policy and outlined them clearly. Defended as Reasonable Steps Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) defended both suggestions as common sense safety measures. Meanwhile, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) wondered aloud at the purpose of the hearing. Its convened to accuse a federal agency of the crime of consulting with American citizens, he said. Weingarten insisted that she and the AFT placed a high value on in-person education, understood the harmful effects of prolonged school closure on students, and felt terrified as they fended for themselves to define safety and operational policies in the absence of guidance from the Trump administration. What we were simply looking for was clear, scientific guidance. And when we couldnt get it, we did it ourselves, she said. Other Input Sought The CDC requested input on school reopening from 14 sources, according to an agency spokesperson. Those included national organizations representing school nurses, superintendents, school boards, state boards of education, and the National Education Association, the nations largest teachers union. These collaborative conversations resulted in nearly two-thirds of schools returning to full, in-person learning by May 2021, which was up from less than half in January 2021, the spokesperson said in an April 27 email to The Epoch Times. The Founders and the Constitution, Part 7: John Rutledge Commentary Lets get the bad news out of the way first: John Rutledge owned slaves. Moreover, during the Constitutional Convention, he informed his fellow delegates that the three southernmost states would not join the Union if the Constitution immediately abolished the slave trade. Discerning people, however, judge whether a historical figure is great, not by the faults that figure shared with others in his generation, but by how far he or she rose above his or her peers in other ways. By that measure, John Rutledge was a great man. Rutledge was born in or near Charles Town (now Charleston), South Carolina, in September 1739. Neither the place nor the date is certain. He was about seven years younger than George Washington and John Dickinson and 12 years older than James Madison. He was educated at home by his father and by a tutor who taught him the Greco-Roman classics. Electing a career in the law, he clerked in a leading Charleston law firm, and then traveled to England to study at the Middle Temple. This was the same institution that trained John Dickinson, Rutledges brother Edward, and several other prominent American Founders. He returned home in 1760, and the following yearwhile only 21 years oldwas elected to the lower house of the South Carolina colonial legislature. In 1765, the legislature sent him to the convention of colonies known to history as the Stamp Act Congress. He chaired the committee that petitioned the British House of Lords for a redress of grievances. Rutledge likewise served in the First Continental Congress (1774) and, during its early weeks, in the Second (1775). However, he returned to South Carolina late in 1775. Once back home, he chaired the committee that wrote the first state constitution. In the initial elections under that constitution, he was elected state president. He served in that capacity for two years. In the initial elections under a second state constitution, he was elected governor (1779). In 1780, South Carolina was hammered by an overwhelming British invasion. The legislature granted Rutledge dictatorial powers, earning him the nickname Dictator John. He coordinated guerrilla war against the British until hostilities ended the following year. After his term as governor was over, he served again in the state legislature, and next as chief judge of South Carolinas court of chancerythe tribunal that administered the Anglo-American body of law called equity. He was in that position when chosen for the Constitutional Convention. The Constitutional Convention Rutledge headed the four-man South Carolina delegation, and attended all the conventions sessions. On the political spectrum of the timedescribed in the first essay in this serieshes best classified as a centrist. One indication of the respect his colleagues had for him is that they elected him again and again to serve on committees formed to broker compromises or resolve deadlocks. They also elected him to chair the Committee of Detail, which was charged with preparing the Constitutions first draft. On that committee, Edmund Randolph of Virginia prepared the preliminary outline, but the principal editing is in Rutledges handwriting. His notations include the forerunner to the Necessary and Proper Clause (Article I, Section 8, Clause 18) and the provision allowing two-thirds of the state legislatures to force an amendments convention. When convention proceedings stalled, it often was Rutledge who got them moving again. It was on his motion that the group adopted firm working hours. And when it looked like the larger states might walk out because the convention had voted to give smaller states equal representation in the Senate, Rutledge counseled perseverance. Madisons notes report Rutledge as saying, For his part he conceived that altho we could not do what we thought best we ought to do something. Some modern authors have marginalized Rutledge, favoring the flashiness of Gouverneur Morris or the democratic instincts of James Wilson. But the finished Constitution contained far more of Rutledge than of Wilson, and probably as much as of Morris. True, Rutledge didnt get everything he wanted. He wanted the House of Representatives to be elected by the state legislatures, and the convention chose popular election. He favored allocating Representatives according to each states wealth or tax contributions, but the convention chose population. He argued in vain for congressional election of the president and unsuccessfully opposed the Origination Clause, which granted the House of Representatives the exclusive right to initiate tax bills (Article I, Section 7, Clause 1). Yet its also true that an astonishing number of Rutledges ideas ended up in the final Constitution. Following are some of the positions he advocated successfully. Quite a few of these were inserted on his motion: federal powers are specifically listed (enumerated), rather than granted in general terms; the executive branch is headed by a single president, who may not unilaterally declare war or establish peace; the members of the House of Representatives have two-year terms; treaties negotiated by the president are subject to approval by two-thirds of the Senate; theres no property requirement in federal elections; theres no council of revision to review congressional laws; members of Congress are paid from the national treasury rather than by the states; trial by jury is guaranteed in criminal cases; ex post facto laws and bills of attainder are banned; treason and bribery are grounds for impeachment; state and federal officeholders must take an oath prior to assuming office; the president may not pardon a person who is impeached by the House and convicted by the Senate; the Constitution and constitutional federal laws and treaties are the supreme Law of the Land; and the president is barred from accepting emoluments from the United States or from any state in addition to his legal compensation (Article II, Section 1, Clause 7). Few, if any, other delegates could surpass Rutledges record for identity between his own ideas and the finished document. Later Life In 1789, President George Washington appointed Rutledge as an associate justice of the Supreme Court, but he soon resigned to become Chief Justice of South Carolina. When John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States, resigned in 1795, Washington nominated Rutledge to replace him. For political reasons, howevercoupled with rumors about Rutledges growing mental instabilitythe Senate never approved the nomination. Rutledges actual service as Chief Justice was limited to five months as a recess appointment (pdf). Rutledges last years were marked by tragedies. These included the humiliating rejection of his bid to be Chief Justice, a subsequent attempt to commit suicide, and the loss of his wife, Elizabeth. The final straw was the death of his famous and beloved younger brother Edward, on Jan. 23, 1800. John passed only a few months later: on July 18. Rutledges granite monument stands at St. Michaels Episcopal Church in Charleston. For a monument to him thats more lasting, look around you. Read prior installments here: first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. The Voice Is so Divisive That Even Those on the Same Side Arent on One Page Banners reasing Vote No to Referendum and We deserve more than a voice are seen at the Aboriginal tent Embassy in Canberra, Australia, on Feb. 15, 2023. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch) Commentary A voice that speaks out of both sides of its mouth is not to be trusted. And so it is with The Voice proposal on which we will need to cast a vote later this year. Having been promised that this is a move to unite us, we see The Voice dividing our community. It is unlike the Liberal initiated referendum of 1967, which was designed to take race out of the Constitution, attracting over 90 percent support of Australians. This proposal will, if carried, scrape through with the barest of margins leaving us divided. Most telling is the powerfully persuasive opposition emanating from within the Indigenous community, which was thankfully absent in the 1967 referendum. As Australias first Aboriginal senator, Neville Bonner (Liberal, Queensland) argued, it was equality as fellow Australians which was sought and obtained, not special treatment unavailable to fellow citizens. A strong unifying, and very Australian virtue overwhelmingly endorsed. When Australian Aboriginal senators as diverse in their outlooks as Senator Jacinta Price (Country Liberal, Northern Territory) and Senator Lidia Thorpe (formerly Greens, now independent, Victoria) are urging their fellow Australians to reject The Voice along with the former national president of the Australian Labor Party, Warren Mundine AO, and Anthony Dillon, we know this comprehensively upends the shallow promise of delivering unity. Shadow Minister for Child Protection and the Prevention of Family Violence Kerrynne Liddle (L) and Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians Jacinta Nampijinpa Price (R) look on as Australian Opposition Leader Peter Dutton speaks to media during a press conference in Adelaide, Australia, on April 18, 2023. (AAP Image/Michael Errey) Although support for the ill-conceived Voice is, thankfully, rapidly diminishing as people understand its implications, it is still foreseeable that well-meaning woke city folk might foist The Voice on an Aboriginal community that is opposed to it. In anyones language, that must surely be a perverse and exceptionally debilitating outcome. On top of that, the strongly divergent views from within the Indigenous community about The Voice is proof positive, if needed, that there is no such thing as The Voice. Like all Australians, however, classified by some form of identity or other, there will be divergent views. This is healthy. But it resoundingly puts the lie to the proposition that such a thing as The Voice exists. To assert otherwise is both patronising and indicative of an unhealthy and unhelpful need to pigeonhole people of a particular grouping. Canberra would do well to consider getting itself a set of ears rather than The Voice. Even Voice Proponents Are Contradicting Each Other On another front, we are promised that The Voice is a minor change. Yet the same leaders promising us inconsequential change are trying to promote The Voice as a fundamental game changer on the way we do business in Australia. Both cant be correct. Big crowds are seen outside South Australias parliament in Adelaide, Australia, on March 26, 2023. (AAP Image/Matt Turner) In the absence of an honest assessment as to its impact, we are well advised to reject The Voice. The Voice is more than just recognising our Indigenous Australians in the Constitution. The Voice threatens to impose a layer of extra bureaucracy with uncertain wording providing a gold mine for constitutional lawyers. In 1967, the meaning and consequences of taking race out of the Constitution were clear and concise. Todays proposal unbelievably seeks to return race to the Constitution, with every lawyer advancing their own unique interpretation of its impact. Even our solicitor-general for the Commonwealth recommended a change to the wording, which the so-called working group did not accept. So now the same solicitor-general provides advice that everything is ok. If so, why the initial request for changed wording? In the absence of a full and coherent explanation, which is yet to be forthcoming, Australians would be well advised to reject this mish-mash of inconsistencies. While on inconsistencies, it is to be noted that some proponents of The Voice are adamant that it will have the right to be consulted by the executive arm of government as well as the parliament. Yet others seeking to shore up the ever-declining support for The Voice assert the exact opposite. Being on the same side seeking our support, they show how fraught, unclear, and messy this proposal will be in practice. They cant both be right. This means that however the High Court might finally interpret the change, a considerable proportion of the YES campaign will be bitterly disappointed. Moreover, many Australians will have voted YES on a false premise. Hardly unifying and potentially the breeding ground for resentmentthe exact opposite of what is being promised. With the YES case continuing to implode by the day, those still unsure of their attitude may care to contemplate why there is a need to enshrine The Voice in our Constitution, let alone how it will improve the well-being of a single Indigenous Australian other than those who might get a job in The Voice bureaucracy. Lets not undo the great advance of the 1967 referendum by yet again dividing us on the basis of race. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. 'San Francisco's #1 Entertainment' Venue Word-of-mouth seems to be Jay Alexanders biggest means of drawing a crowd to his Marrakech Magic Theater. Billed online as San Franciscos most popular tourist event, without so much as one ad in print, the show sells out week after week. Alexanders enthusiasm for all things magic bloomed at age 11 after attending a magic show with his granddad. His path was clear even then: Magic was his future. Alexander rummaged through every book he could find on the subject, yet he had two major obstacles to overcome before performing in public: a speech impediment and dyslexia. He practiced in front of customers at his mothers retail shoe store while trying to overcome his fears. The speech impediment took practice to overcome, he told The Epoch Times, but dyslexia never goes away. It only troubles him with the written wordnumbers are perfectly clear. When you see some of his numerology performances, you can understand that his skill for numbers was never affected by his dyslexia. In fact, it seems to make him stronger as a skilled mathematician. Magician Jay Alexander plays a fun game with audience member. (Courtesy of Marrakech Magic Theater) Making It in Show Business At 18, Alexander struck out on his own, performing on cruise ships and for corporate events. Then he had a lucky break: He was invited to comedy legend Robin Williamss home to perform for Thanksgiving dinner and was such a hit that Williams invited him to open for several of his shows. Alexander credits Williams for some of his onstage energy and perhaps a few of his comedic stylings. The Williams family carries on the traditional Thanksgiving dinner to this day and Alexander is always invited to perform. While Alexander was performing at a private party, one of the guests, world-famous concert and music-promoter Bill Graham was impressed with Alexanders act and asked him to begin performing backstage at many of his concerts to entertain the musicians and other invited guests, including at three Rolling Stones tours. While Alexander still performs for corporate events occasionally, six years ago he put the cruise ships behind him and opened Marrakech Magic Theater. He has not looked back. The Set-up and Performance Jay Alexander meets his audience at a pre-show in which he performs card tricks. (Courtesy of Marrakech Magic Theater) Attendees are ushered into the lounge at 5:30 p.m. to enjoy some of the delicious Moroccan food from the restaurant upstairs or just to enjoy one of the Moroccan-inspired beverages. While doing so, they watch Alexander perform his remarkable card tricks beside each table. Alexander says that it is rare for someone to figure out the tricks he performs. The lounge pre-show gives Alexander a chance to acquaint himself with his attendees and select those most likely to work in his act. Much like a poker player will read a card game for signs of what is called a telldoes someone scratch his nose, cock his head a certain way, or squint his eyes when he picks up a good or bad card?Alexander uses those same types of tells to read his audience. An audience is absolutely necessary for a show, he says. Joshua Jay, a magician friend of Alexanders, says, If you are doing magic alone, youre just practicing. The main show begins at 6:30 p.m. in an intimate theater upstairs seating only 35. The proximity of the stage to the audience leaves little room for the guests to miss any sleight of hand. Alexander is a gifted entertainer and encourages the involvement of even the shyest of audience members with his pleasant sense of humor. In between the gasps of wonder and laughter, there is thunderous applause. The Magicians Mission Alexander believes that magic is one of the few art forms that connects people of different ages, education, religion, nationalities, and socioeconomics; it is a universal language. I have spent my life creating a show that makes people laugh, fools peoples eyes and minds, makes them question reality, and touches hearts. I love the balancing act of engaging all the senses. Its a show of sleight of hand, sleight of mind, and sleight of heart. One note: Although the ambience is pleasant, for safetys sake, the lighting on the stairs needs to be improved. Other than that, the venue is comfortable and engaging with the spirit of the original speakeasy adding to the magic. Marrakech Magic Theater 419 OFarrell Street, San Francisco Tickets: 415-794-6893 or SanFranciscoMagicTheater.com Running Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes Closes: ongoing Former President Donald Trump travels to New Hampshire, the first state for the GOP primary to deliver remarks at 4:00 p.m. ET on April 27. Trumps Lawyers Urge Congressional Involvement in Classified Documents Case President-elect Donald Trump pauses as he talks to members of the media after a meeting with Pentagon officials at Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., Dec. 21, 2016. (Carlos Barria/Reuters) Donald Trumps legal team has asked the House Intelligence Committee to intervene in the Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation of the former presidents retention of classified documents. DOJ is not the appropriate agency to conduct investigations pertaining to the mishandling or spillage of classified material, Timothy C. Parlatore and other Trump attorneys wrote in a letter dated April 26 (pdf) to committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-Ohio). DOJ should be ordered to stand down, and the intelligence community should instead conduct an appropriate investigation and provide a full report to this Committee, as well as your counterparts in the Senate. Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during a press conference at the Department of Justice in Washington on Jan. 27, 2023. (Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo) Trumps legal team also sent the letter to the rest of Congresss intelligence-focused Gang of Eight. That group includes Turner; Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee; Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.); Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.); House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.); House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.); Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Mark Warner (D-Va.); and Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). NARA Allegations The letter alleges that the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has become overtly political and declined to provide archival assistance to President Trumps transition team. The Epoch Times documented NARAs politicization in a January investigation. The agencys top lawyer, registered Democrat Gary Stern, would have been at the heart of legal decision-making in the Trump and Biden classified documents cases. In the Trump case, the DOJs counterintelligence head, Jay Bratt, played a central role in that decision-making. In an April 27 statement to The Epoch Times, National Archives Public and Media Communications denied that NARA declined to offer archival assistance to Trumps team. The statement cites a February letter (pdf) from Stern to Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, in which Stern changed his tune on whether NARA helped the White House. With a poster of a New York Post front-page story about Hunter Bidens emails on display, Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) announces a recess because of a power outage during a hearing before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee at Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on Feb. 8, 2023. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) He had told the committee a different story during a Jan. 31 interview with them. I stated at the interview [on Jan. 31, 2023] that it was my recollection that NARA had not provided such assistance, Stern said in the February letter. Following the interview, I checked with my colleagues, and I was informed that, in fact, NARA did send staff members to the White House in the final weeks of the Trump Administration to assist with the move of the physical records (including artifacts), in coordination with the DOD [Department of Defense] team that NARA employed to transport the records from the White House complex to the National Archives. In their letter, Trumps legal team claims to have discovered why classified documents ended up in boxes at Mar-a-Lago. White House institutional practices for the handling of classified materialsincluding declassification proceduresare inconsistent with how the intelligence community and military handles classified materials. This is indicative of the staffs packing processes and not any criminal intent by President Trump, their letter reads. The White House staff simply swept all documents from the Presidents desk and other areas into boxes, where they have resided ever since. In his February letter, Stern said he believes that NARAs guidance was logistical in nature and did not involve providing records management guidance. The packing of boxes and transfer of records from the White House to NARA at the end of each Administration is always managed and controlled by White House and NSC [National Security Council] officials, NARAs April 27 statement reads. While NARA routinely provides assistance, the NARA staff work under the direction of the White House Trumps lawyers claim that the discovery of classified documents at the properties of former Vice President Mike Pence and President Joe Biden suggests that the fault lies with White House practices that stretch across administrations. Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks at Politics & Eggs at the New Hampshire Institute Politics at St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., on Aug. 17, 2022. (Scott Eisen/Getty Images) DOJ Involvement Questioned Their letter questions the choice of sending the case to the DOJ, which, in turn, led to the execution of a search warrant at Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. NARA, created in 1984 (pdf) as an independent establishment in the executive branch, made that referral. The matter should have been immediately referred to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) or your Committee, and not DOJ, the lawyers letter reads. Biden appointee Avril Haines leads the ODNI. Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Avril Haines speaks during a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (not pictured) to the Office of Director of National Intelligence in McLean, Va., July 18, 2022. (Saul Loeb/Pool via Reuters) The improper involvement of DOJ in what should have been an administrative investigation of the mishandling or spillage of documents with classified markings set the matter on the wrong course and, in the current political environment, Attorney General Merrick Garland and DOJ predictably chose to pursue this as a criminal investigation, the lawyers letter reads. The Trump legal teams letter states that the DOJs approach to Trumps case, including its grand jury subpoena and search warrant, was marked by aggressive combativeness in the face of the former presidents attempts to cooperate. They cite reporting from The Washington Post to argue that Bratt sought a search warrant for Mar-a-Lago as early as May 2022 and that he worked to prevent the FBI from additional cooperation with Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the White House, the DOJ, the House Intelligence Committee, and Trumps legal team didnt respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment. British tobacco giant BAT and a subsidiary in Singapore have been slapped with a record US$629 million fine by U.S. authorities for breaching sanctions against North Korea. "With today's action, which involves the largest settlement payment in the department's history, these entities have been held to account," the U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday. Despite a press statement in 2007 that it was no longer involved in tobacco sales to North Korea, BAT continued to do business there through a paper company in Singapore to circumvent U.S. sanctions. "BAT ran the payments for the tobacco sold to North Korean entities through the third-party company, resulting in approximately $415 million of... banking transactions from North Korea to the third-party company in Singapore -- money that was then passed on to [BAT Marketing Singapore] and BAT," the department said. "To make these payments, North Korean purchasers used front companies so that U.S. banks, which processed the transactions, would not know about the connection to North Korea." Brian Nelson, a Treasury under secretary, said, "For years, BAT partnered with North Korea to establish and operate a cigarette manufacturing business and relied on financial facilitators linked to North Korea's weapons of mass destruction proliferation network in the process of enriching itself." BAT CEO Jack Bowles apologized. "We deeply regret the misconduct arising from historical business activities that led to these settlements, and acknowledge that we fell short of the highest standards rightly expected of us," Bowles said. Charges have also been brought against a North Korean banker and two Chinese facilitators "in connection with a multi-year scheme to facilitate the sale of tobacco to North Korea," the department said. "Between 2009 and 2019, the defendants engaged in a scheme to purchase leaf tobacco for North Korean-owned entities, and used front companies and false documentation to cause U.S. financial institutions to process at least 310 transactions worth approximately $74 million that they otherwise would have frozen, blocked, investigated, or declined, had they known that the transactions connected to trade with North Korea," it added. "The transactions resulted in an estimated nearly $700 million in revenue for North Korean manufacturers, one of which was owned by the North Korean military." Tucker Carlson Breaks Silence in First Video Message Since Leaving Fox HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 17: Tucker Carlson during 2022 FOX Nation Patriot Awards at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood on November 17, 2022 in Hollywood, Florida. (Photo by Jason Koerner/Getty Images) Good evening, its Tucker Carlson! Tucker Carlson has proclaimed again to America in his first monologue since parting ways with Fox News. Carlson broadcast his monologue on Wednesday night at his usual 8 p.m. ET time slotwhen he would have addressed the nation from Fox News Tucker Carlson Tonightbut this time from his Twitter account. The conservative current affairs commentator and host revealed his observations after taking a couple of days off since his sudden split from Fox News on April 21. One of the first things you realise after you step outside the noise for a few days is how many genuinely nice people there are in this country, kind and decent people, people who really care about whats true. And a bunch of hilarious people also; a lot of those. Its got to be the majority of the population, even now. So thats heartening. The other thing you notice when you take a little time off is how unbelievably stupid most of the debates you see on television are. Theyre completely irrelevant trust me, as someones whos participated. He then went on to say that big topics that will define our future get virtually no discussion at alltopics like war, civil liberties, emerging science, demographic change, corporate power, and natural resources. When was the last time you heard a legitimate debate about any of those issues? Carlson asked, saying that both of Americas main political parties and their donors have agreed to shut down any conversation about them. Thats a depressing realization, but its not permanent It wont work. When honest people say whats truecalmly and without embarrassmentthey become powerful. At the same time, the liars who have been trying to silence them shrink, and they become weaker. Thats the iron law of the universetrue things prevail. Where can you still find Americans saying true things? There arent many places left but there are some, and thats enough. As long as you can hear the words, there is hope. See you soon, Carlson said. The video of the now-former prime-time host received more than 5 million views within the first hour. In recent days, Carlson had done some popular programming, including interviews with Tesla founder Elon Musk and former President Donald Trump. Last month, he also broadcast never-before-seen Jan. 6 footage of Jacob Chansley, also known as the QAnon Shaman, who has since been released from jail. Parting Ways Neither Fox News nor Carlson have commented publicly on the separation. A news release issued by the company on April 24 said the two had agreed to part ways. We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor, it said. Anchor Harris Faulkner commented on her Fox News program that the two parties had come to a mutual agreement. She did not elaborate. During Carlsons final Fox News broadcast on Friday, April 21, he told viewers he would be back on Monday, April 24, indicating that he hadnt expected the split and that it was likely initiated by Fox. The Epoch Times has reached out to Carlson and Fox News for comment. Popular Voice on Cable Tucker Carlson Tonight was one of cable newss consistently top-rated programs for years and a leading program among the 2554 demographic. Carlson began hosting it in 2016 and often attracted millions of viewers per episode. In March, the program drew the highest audience on cable TV, averaging 3.251 million viewers per show, according to Nielsen data shared by Fox News. Following the announcement, Fox Corporation took a nearly $1 billion hitaround 3 percentto its market value on Monday, trading at a low of $29.27, adding to its more than 16 percent decline in the last 12 months. Fox also suffered a ratings loss on Monday night without Carlson. Host Brian Kilmeade was the first of a rotating slate of hosts who will replace Carlson on Foxs temporary program Fox News Tonight, until a new host is named, the company has said. A company spokesperson told Reuters that Foxs Monday show was still ranked top across the board. He said it grew from the last show hosted by Carlson on Friday, pointing to Nielsen data that showed it pulled in about 2.6 million viewers. MSNBC at 8 p.m. on Monday night saw 1.51 million viewers, while CNN had 728,000 viewers, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Meanwhile, conservative news outlet Newsmax grew the viewership for its 8 p.m. ET time slot, with Eric Bolling the Balance picking up 531,000 viewers. While Kilmeade had more viewers than Carlson on Friday, it was less than Carlsons average Monday viewership across the last two months, which averaged 3.3 million viewers, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Carlson demonstrated an average viewership of around 3.2 million viewers in the first quarter of 2023, according to Nielsen Data. America Responds Besides the ratings, many analysts are saying they believe Carlsons exit will have a sizable impact on Fox News. Its a huge deal, said Matthew Tuttle, the head of Tuttle Capital Management, an investment firm that is betting against Fox Corporation shares, according to Reuters. The 8 p.m. slot is important and they will lose viewers in that spot. Megyn Kelly, who left Fox News for NBC in 2017 over displeasure with the networks managerial decisions, said on Monday on her conservative-leaning podcast that Fox had made a serious mistake letting Carlson go. I dont know what drove Fox News to make this decision. And it was clearly Fox News decision because theyre not letting him say goodbye, Kelly said. Thats my supposition. Thats not inside knowledge talk about misjudging your audience yet again. After being cancelled from NBC in 2018, Kelly has since gone on to host her own satellite radio show and podcast. Kelly said she thinks Carlson might go independent like I have, in comments to Newsmax on Monday. He will no longer answer to a corporate master. He will be free to say whatever he wants to say, within the bounds of defamation law, of course, and hell be totally unleashed. Journalist Glenn Greenwald credited Carlson with holding several views that conservatives are divided over. Greenwald, who had appeared regularly on Carlsons show, wrote on Twitter that Carlson was the cable host who most: Opposed US proxy war in Ukraine; Denounced CIA, FBI and DHS for its systemic lies and corruption; Devoted himself to a pardon for Julian Assange; Objected to regime change efforts in Cuba; Criticized Trump Admins militarism. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a Democrat running for the partys 2024 presidential nomination, linked Carlsons departure to his coverage of information that was unfavourable to COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Kennedy has been a prominent critic of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Fox fires @TuckerCarlson five days after he crosses the red line by acknowledging that the TV networks pushed a deadly and ineffective vaccine to please their Pharma advertisers, Kennedy wrote on Twitter. Carlsons breathtakingly courageous April 19 monologue broke TVs two biggest rules: Tucker told the truth about how greedy Pharma advertisers controlled TV news content and he lambasted obsequious newscasters for promoting jabs they knew to be lethal and worthless. Meanwhile, Carlson has received offers from conservative news networks like Newsmax, OANN, and The Blaze. Glenn Beck, founder of The Blaze and another former Fox News host, said on his Monday show that Carlson could easily join his network. We would love to have you here, you wont miss a beat, and together, two of us will tear it upjust tear it up, Beck said. OANN founder and CEO Rob Herring has also invited Carlson to begin discussing terms for joining his cable network. Elon Musk has also said he wants to turn Twitter into a platform where Carlson and other independent content creators could prosper. On the other side of the political spectrum, left-leaning voices have been celebrating Carlsons departure. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) claimed Carlsons Fox News program was a sewer of countless lies and hate, and that Carlson is one of the leading election deniers and opponents of democracy in America. Pascrell said its a good thing that Carlson will no longer have his Fox News platform. Some Republicans also criticised Carlson for his opinions. After all Tuckers lies and defamation, its about time, former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) wrote on Twitter in response to the announcement. CNN to MSNBC to Fox Carlson was a host for both CNN and MSNBC earlier in his career, before signing on as a Fox News contributer in 2009. He landed a co-hosting position in 2013, replacing Dave Briggs on Fox & Friends Weekend. In 2017, be quickly became Foxs most popular personality after replacing Bill OReilly in the networks prime-time lineup. Carlson lives in Florida with his wife. The Daily Mail found him driving a golf cart with his wife outside of his Boca Grande house on Tuesday, telling the outlet that, Retirement is going great so far. I havent eaten dinner with my wife on a weeknight in seven years, he said. He then joked when asked about his future plans, Appetizers plus entree, and drove off. In the wake of his surprise exit from Fox, a speech that Carlson gave the night before the separation for the 50th anniversary celebration of conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, went viral. The speech provided a good outline of Carlsons view of the current state of society, in which he described widespread moral decay and issued warnings about the future of Western civilization if things dont turn around. I have concluded it might be worth taking just 10 minutes out of your busy schedule to say a prayer for the future, and I hope you will, Carlson said in the keynote speech. You look around and you see so many people break under the strain, under the downward pressure of whatever this is that we are going through, he said. And you realize that the herd instinct is maybe the strongest instinct. I mean, it may be stronger than the hunger and sex instincts, actually. The instinct, which again, is inherent to be like everybody else and not to be cast out of the group, not to be shunned. But you look around and you see these people and some of them really have paid a heavy price for telling the truth and they are cast out of their groups, whatever those groups are, but they do it, he said later in his speech. Anyway, I look on at those people with the deepest possible admiration. Im paid to do that. I face no penalty, he said. Someone came up to me, Youre so brave. Really? Im a talk show host. Its like I cant have any opinion I want. Thats my job. Thats why they pay me. Its not brave to tell the truth on a cable news show and if youre not doing that youre really an idiot, youre really craven. Youre lying on television? Why would you do that? Youre literally making a living to say what you think and you cant even do that, please. Lorenz Duchamps, Ryan Morgan, Jack Phillips contributed to this report. Turkey Unveils 1st Nuclear Power Plant; Putin Hails Multifaceted Partnership Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on February 14, 2019. (Photo by Sergei CHIRIKOV / POOL / AFP) (Photo by SERGEI CHIRIKOV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) Turkey has formally inaugurated its first nuclear power plant, which was financed by Russia and built by Rosatom, a Russian state-owned nuclear energy company. Turkey has joined the club of nuclear energy-producing nationsalbeit after a 60-year delay, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at an April 27 inauguration ceremony, which he addressed via video link. The ceremony, during which the first batch of nuclear fuel arrived at the reactor, was attended by the Turkish and Russian energy ministers and the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Located in Turkeys southern Mersin province, the $20 billion Akkuyu nuclear energy project will be able to meet roughly 10 percent of the countrys total demand for electricity, according to project leaders. Energy-dependent Turkey currently relies on imported energy for approximately 90 percent of its national electricity consumption. The reactor is part of a broader TurkishRussian plan to build a total of four nuclear power plants, construction of which began in 2018, near the Mediterranean town of Akkuyu. Once they become fully operational in 2028, the four power plants will have the capacity to produce a combined 4,800 megawatts of electricity. Nuclear energy is no longer a distant target for Turkey, Turkish Energy Minister Fathi Donmez said at the ceremony. Next year, we will start generating electricity from nuclear energy. Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant through a video link, at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, on April 3, 2018. (Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via Reuters) Putin Hails Flagship Project Russian President Vladimir Putin also delivered an address by video link, describing the Akkuyu nuclear project as a flagship endeavor in TurkishRussian relations. The project, he said, helps strengthen the multifaceted partnership between our two states, which is based on the principles of good neighborliness, mutual respect, and consideration of each others interests. Citing the two countries close economic ties, Putin stressed Russias continued willingness to help meet Turkeys energy needs, especially natural gas. He added that the close partnership between Russia and Turkey was mutually beneficial and served the core interests of the two countries people and governments. Shortly before the inauguration ceremony, Erdogan and Putin exchanged views directly by phone. According to Turkeys Anadolu news agency, the two leaders discussed bilateral relations, regional developments, and a Turkey-brokered deal between Russia and Ukraine that lets the latter export grain through the Black Sea. Despite being a longstanding NATO member, Turkey maintains good relations with Russia, with which it shares extensive trade and energy ties and a lengthy maritime border. While Ankara was quick to condemn Moscows invasion of Ukraine early last year, it has thus far refrained from endorsing Western-led sanctions on Russia. Earlier this month, Washington unveiled a fresh group of economic sanctions on Russia-linked firms, including five entities closely connected to Rosatom. The United States accuses Rosatom of using energy exports to exert political pressure on foreign buyersa claim the company denies. At the time, Anatoly Antonov, Russias ambassador to the United States, described the sanctions on Rosatom-linked firms as another attempt by Washington to sidestep the rules of fair competition. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses lawmakers of his ruling Justice and Development Party during a meeting at the Parliament in Ankara, Turkey, on Feb. 1, 2023. (Presidential Press Office/Handout via Reuters) Pre-Poll Health Scare The reactors inauguration comes only two weeks before Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) face contentious presidential and parliamentary polls slated for May 14. With deep-seated support in rural, more conservative parts of the country, Erdogan and his Islamist-leaning AKP have remained firmly in power since 2002. But they have seen their popularity decline in recent years, due mainly to skyrocketing living costs and the dwindling value of the Turkish lira. Some opinion polls suggest that the AKPand its leadercould lose the vote to a six-party coalition led by the secular-oriented Republican Peoples Party. On April 25, Erdogan abruptly ended a live television interview complaining of a stomach ailment. The following day, he canceled several scheduled appearances at campaign rallies. The cancellations quickly sparked speculation online that the 69-year-old leader was suffering from ill health; some claimed he had been hospitalized. However, on April 27, a presidential spokesman rejected the claims, while stressing Erdogans fitness for office. The president, he said, is on the job with great strength, health, and vigor. The spokesman went on to accuse the opposition of trying to gain political advantage through baseless distortions about the presidents health. The Kremlin, for its part, said it was unaware of the rumors. We are preparing for a phone conversation today, a Kremlin spokesman told reporters shortly before the inauguration ceremony. The two presidents will engage in meaningful conversation. When Sandra Sandy Hazelip turned to Eleanor Ellie Hamby in advance of their 80th birthdays and suggested traveling around the world in 80 days, her best friend was instantly all in. Ellies eyes got big and she said Woo-hoo! She started making definite plans for that to happen, Hazelip told The Epoch Times. That was five years ago. And the intrepid pair have since been to 18 different countries, across all seven continents. Theyve visited Antarctica, seen eight world wonders, ridden camels, zipped through Finlands forests on a husky sleigh, and been caught in a wild storm crossing the Drake Passage by boat. Theyve boarded a tiny plane in Kathmandu, Nepal, and flown over Mount Everest; taken a hot-air balloon over the Egyptian pyramids; and encountered a python up close and personal in Australia. It all might seem like a far cry from everyday life in Texas, where they both reside, but then the adventure-loving grandmas have always had a thirst for travel. Eleanor Ellie Hamby (L), the director of Zambia Mission and an international documentary photographer, with Sandra Sandy Hazelip, the former president of the Texas Geriatric Society. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) Hazelip(L) and Hamby . (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) Hazelip, the former president of the Texas Geriatric Society, is one of the physicians for Hospice of the Big Country in Abilene; she has authored books and lectured on womens health issues in several countries. While Hamby is an international documentary photographer whose work has been published widely in the United States and Africa; she also serves as the director of Zambia Mission, an organization providing much-needed medical care in remote areas of the African countryside. The two met on a medical mission in Zambia at age 58, shortly after Hazelips husband, Don, passed away. Hamby is a widow to her spouse, Kelly, and both ladies call their late husbands the loves of their lives. Successful and happy, both grandmothers are way too busy to consider retiring any time soon. I wouldnt retire from something I love as much as medicine, Hazelip said, while Hamby is currently on her 27th medical mission. Documenting their fun and games is part of the enjoyment. The two write a travel blog, Around the World at 80, and have multiple social media pages. Earning an enormous online following, they also caught the attention of several major news outlets in different countries, who have invited them for appearances and interviews. Temple Complex Luxor, Egypt. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) The Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) Jama Masjid, Delhi, one of the largest mosques in India. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) The Memories Several years after they first met, Hamby and Hazelip progressed to becoming firm friends and the explorations began. Describing themselves as big budget travelers they took three major trips before planning to travel around the world in 80 daysand on each of the three trips some big, wild things happened. Their first trip was the trans-Siberian train in 2008, which they booked second class. Unbeknownst to the two Texas girls, they were witnesses to a crime that took place during their journey, resulting in them having to sign a lot of police documents. Thats the longest train ride. We had a blast on that one; we always call it Murder on the trans-Siberian, Hamby said. On their second trip, through Southeast Asia in 2009, when the two were on their way to Shanghai, China, riding a public bus, a pedestrian was knocked down by their bus, leaving them stranded on the side of the road amidst the chaos of the accident. [The police] gave us a flashing escort to a train station, Hazelip said. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) Mt. Fuji in the background, Tokyo, Japan. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) Next, whilst in the Middle East sleeping in a Bedouin tent in the Syrian desert in 2011, they had to escape across the border from Damascus after war started in Syria that night. Needless to say, after navigatingand reveling insuch adventures, the two ladies were ready to take up the challenge of a round-the-world trip. The World Trip Originally, the plan was to set off some point after Hazelips and Hambys respective 80th birthdays in April and August of 2022, but after making all their reservations, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. But COVID did not shut us down, said Hazelip. Instead, we made our trip around the world in 80 days at 81, a year later. Fascinated by the Jules Verne novel-turned-TV series Around the World in 80 Days starring fictional English adventurer Phileas Fogg, the two set off on Jan. 11 this year, returning on April 1 to keep exactly to the timeframe. They circumnavigated the globe in one direction, beginning in Dallas and ending up in Australia, before flying back to the United States. Arriving in Antarctica, their first destination, was a bit of a shock to the system. January is their summer but it was still, of course, very, very cold, Hazelip said. Then also in January, the duo would set foot in Lapland in the Arctic Circle, during Finlands winter. That was colder, Hazelip said. Gentoo penguins at Halfmoon Island, Antarctica. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) Halfmoon Island, Antartica. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) First though, they explored remote Easter Island with its mysterious headsa fascinating, beautiful, tiny little island as Hamby calls itand spent some time in Chile and Argentina. Next, they took off to Spain for a welcome days jaunt on a hop-on, hop-off bus. Landing in Finland hoping to see the Northern Lights, Hamby and Hazelip got the thrill of all time on a husky ride through the woods. It wasnt exactly the gentle little ride around they thought it would be. When they gave the command for the huskies to take off, we went for several miles as fast as we could. We were just holding on for dear life but that was quite fun, Hamby said. They were fortunate enough to see the impossibly beautiful northern lights after spending two nights in Lapland. My gracious! What an experience to see that sky light up with colors that we cannot imagine, Hazelip said. Easter Island. Hamby said its one of the most fascinating places to visit in the world. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) Then it was time to go see the majesty of Rome before heading to London. From there they flew to Nairobi and then to Zanzibar in the Indian Ocean, where they were able to learn more about the spice islands history. A few of the locations they visited that stood out the most include Zambias stunning Victoria Falls, and the pyramids of Giza, which they saw from the vantage point of a hot air balloon. The exquisite Taj Mahal, which they hot-footed it to after arriving in India on Feb. 25, was just surreal, and a heavenly world wonder for Hamby to photograph. Absolutely beautiful. It was just amazing, Hamby said. After their very Indiana Jones-esque small plane ride from Nepal over the Himalayas at the start of March, it was onto Australia and the Great Barrier Reef. That was where Ellie had the adventure of allowing a python to wrap itself around her body, Hazelip said. Sharia Muizz li-din Allah, Cario, Egypt. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) The Colosseum, Rome. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) The Taj Mahal in India. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) So, after completing their trip around the world, which they succeeded in doing in precisely 80 days, did they stop and take a good rest? Not likely. I went to work Tuesday, Hazelip said. Hamby said: I went to work Monday. You know, people ask us, Did you get tired, doing all that traveling? But we never did; we never missed a day. We never stayed in bed that whole time because we were too tired or something. We were either flying or we were out exploring and taking pictures. Trevi Fountain, Rome. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) Jain Temple, Udaipur City, India. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) Hazelip and Ellie pose for a photo as five magnificent white rhinos, in the background, rest in the shade during the hot afternoon sun, in Zambia. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) So, whats next for the two best friends? Unsurprisingly, theres another adventure in the pipeline, which they plan to undertake when they turn 82. In a heartbeat, we would do it again, Hamby said. Sandy and I love to travel. In fact, we are working on our next tripin 2024. Hazelip said: When we plan a trip, we just plan to go have fun. But let me tell you, the added happiness of that; all the comments weve received from the public and the media telling us what joy weve brought into other peoples lives as they followed us along on this trip, and how weve inspired others to get up and start doing something. This is so fun for us. Check out more photos of their adventures: Hot Air balloon ride in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) Victoria Falls, Zambia. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) A hot air balloon ride in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) Bali, Indonesia. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) The Udaipur City Palace, India. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) Bali, Indonesia. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) Bali, Indonesia. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) Monkey Forest in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) Tasmania, Australia. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) The Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) In Egypt. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) The view from Mount Everest. (Courtesy of Around The World at 80) Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter Tyson Laying Off 15 Percent of Senior Leadership, 10 Percent of Corporate Workers Tyson Foods will slash its senior leadership and corporate roles in a bid to improve efficiency, which comes as the company reported dismal financial numbers in the first quarter 2023 fiscal year. In a memo (pdf) to employees on Wednesday, Tyson Foods CEO Donnie King said that one of the ways the company plans on boosting efficiency is by removing duplication of work. As we look toward our future, we must also consider the roles and staffing levels across our teams and prioritize work that drives value for our customers and consumers. This means making the difficult but necessary decision to reduce headcount across the organization, the memo said. These efforts have primarily focused on reducing enterprise-wide corporate overhead, which includes eliminating approximately 15 percent of senior leadership roles and 10 percent of corporate roles. Tyon, based in Springdale, Arkansas, intends to discuss the headcount reduction with a majority of team members this week. All decisions regarding reducing the headcount will be implemented in accordance with all local requirements. Tysons plan to lay off workers comes as the company has been struggling financially. In the first quarter of fiscal 2023 that ended on Dec. 31, Tyson reported an adjusted operating income of $453 million, down close to 70 percent from the $1.43 billion in first quarter 2022 fiscal year. This happened despite sales jumping from $12.93 billion to $13.26 billion during this period. The companys CEO blamed market dynamics and some operational inefficiencies for negatively affecting the firms profitability in the first quarter. Over the past year, shares of Tyson Foods have fallen by around 35 percent as of April 26. It is down more than 5 percent year to date. Layoffs, Automation Tyson employed roughly 6,000 employees in the United States in corporate offices as of Oct. 1, 2022. It also had 118,000 workers at non-corporate sites like warehouses and meat plants. Most of the eliminated roles in senior leadership are the posts of senior vice presidents and vice presidents, a company spokesperson said, according to Reuters. Back in October, Tyson announced that it would relocate all its corporate jobs to the Springdale headquarters, which led to some corporate employees quitting. The recent memo also highlights the companys push toward automation. We have increased efficiency through greater capacity utilization across our plants, closing less productive facilities and investing in digital-forward plants, the memo said. We have made advancements in technology and automation, accelerating how we do difficult, repetitive, and hard-to-fill jobs in our plants. Additionally, we are utilizing technology to improve self-service for administrative tasks across all facilities. In December 2022, Tyson announced that it would invest $1.3 billion in automation through 2024 to cut down labor expenses and boost production. This month, the company revealed that it was testing out self-driving trucks in Texas. Shutting Down Operations Over the past few months, Tyson Foods has announced closing down multiple offices and plants. In October, when the company announced moving corporate positions to Springdale, the firms offices in Chicago, Illinois, and Dakota Dunes, South Dakota, were shuttered. Last month, Tyson said that it would close down two chicken plants on May 12. One of the plants is located in Glen Allen, Virginia. The shutdown will affect 692 workers. Another plant closure, in Van Buren, Arkansas, will affect 969 employees. The companys announcement had attracted criticism from the United Food and Commercial International Workers Union, which represents employees at Tysons plant in Virginia. These men and women risked their lives and the safety of their families to keep this plant operational during the pandemic, and this is the thanks they get? the union said in a statement. Uber Drivers Are Not Interstate Workers Exempt From Arbitration, US Court Rules Uber branding is seen on private hire vehicle at Chopin Airport in Warsaw, Poland, on March 22, 2023. (Toby Melville/Reuters) Uber Technologies Inc. drivers are not exempt from a U.S. law requiring them to bring work-related legal disputes in private arbitration rather than joining class action lawsuits in court, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Wednesday. A panel of the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that Uber drivers do not qualify for an exemption from the arbitration law for workers involved in interstate commerce because they rarely cross state lines when transporting passengers. A San Francisco-based appeals court came to the same conclusion in a 2021 case involving Uber, and an appeals court in Boston that year said Lyft Inc. drivers were required to arbitrate legal claims against the company. Uber and lawyers for the drivers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The ruling came in a proposed class action accusing Uber of misclassifying drivers as independent contractors rather than employees, who would be eligible for overtime pay and reimbursements for work-related expenses and who can cost a company up to 30 percent more than contractors. The Federal Arbitration Act requires the enforcement of agreements to bring employment-related disputes in arbitration rather than court, but exempts transportation workers engaged in interstate commerce. A majority of private-sector U.S. workers, and most Uber drivers, have signed such agreements. The question of whether the exemption applies to Uber drivers and other gig workers is crucial because it determines whether they can bring large-scale class actions or must individually arbitrate legal claims. Arbitration is often impractical because of the small sums at stake in individual cases. The 3rd Circuit on Wednesday said evidence presented in the case showed that nearly two-thirds of Uber drivers never cross state lines, and only 2.5 percent of Uber trips are interstate. Even when drivers do make such trips, it is incidental to their work, the three-judge panel said. Take away interstate trips, and the fundamental character of Uber drivers work remains the same, Circuit Judge Anthony Scirica wrote for the court. The ruling affirmed a New Jersey federal judges 2021 decision to send the claims to arbitration. By Daniel Wiessner UK Has No Plans for Asylum Routes for Sudan Refugees: Braverman Home Secretary Suella Braverman delivers a speech on policing at the Public Safety Foundation think tank in central London, on April 26, 2023. (Stefan Rousseau/PA Media) The UK government has no plans to establish safe routes for Sudanese refugees to seek asylum in Britain, Home Secretary Suella Braverman has said. The British military has airlifted 536 people out of the African country, which was plunged into violence on April 15 when a bloody conflict broke out between the Sudanese army and a powerful paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces. More than 2,000 British nationals have registered in Sudan under evacuation plans, but thousands more could be in the country. A British Royal Air Force C-130 Hercules military transport that was carrying evacuees from Sudan is pictured on the tarmac at Larnaca International Airport, in Cyprus, on April 26, 2023. (Christina Assi/AFP via Getty Images) During a visit to Northamptonshire on Wednesday, Braverman was asked if the government will start looking at safe routes for refugees from Sudan once the evacuation of British nationals has been completed. She replied: We have no plans to do that. Our focus first and foremost right nowand bearing in mind this is a fast-moving situation and a complex situationis to support British nationals and their dependents. Downing Street confirmed on Thursday that there were no current plans to create a specific resettlement scheme for anyone fleeing Sudan. Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks official spokesman said there are no such plans, but that it was something we keep under review. Safe and Legal Route The UK government said the country has a proud history of providing protection for those who genuinely need it through our safe and legal routes. According to official figures, the UK offered refuge to almost half a million people between 2015 and 2022, including people from Ukraine, Hong Kong, and Afghanistan. The government also made clear that, We cannot accommodate everyone who wants to come to the UK and we are not able to open a bespoke route for every situation. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (right) and Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, meet with teams coordinating the evacuation of British nationals from Sudan, during a visit to the Foreign Office Crisis Centre in central London, on April 25, 2023. (Hannah McKay/PA Media) Asked about the possibility of safe and legal routes for Sudanese refugees to get to the UK, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Thursday: There is war and conflict all over the world. There are literally millions upon millions of people who are in countries plagued by war. We recognise that we cannot host everybody who is in a country plagued by war. Sudan is not the only country suffering from conflict. And so picking out Sudan because it happens to be in the news, I think, diminishes the suffering of other people around the world, firstly. And secondly, we have to remember there are millions upon millions of people who are fleeing conflict or who are fleeing economic privations. Small Boat Crossings Immigration minister Robert Jenrick has already warned that the conflict in Sudan will worsen the illegal immigration crisis in the English Channel. Speaking at the Policy Exchange think tank on Tuesday, Jenrick noted that the African country was already in the top 10 countries from where illegal immigrants crossing the Channel originate. He said that very significant numbers of people will leave Sudan in the coming days and weeks following the outbreak of conflict. The minister played down the chances of the UK taking refugees directly from Sudan, but stressed the government will do everything we can to assist the United Nations in supporting those who have fled to neighbouring countries. An inflatable craft carrying illegal immigrants crosses the shipping lane in the English Channel off the coast of Dover, England, on Aug. 4, 2022. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) In his speech, Jenrick said that, The basic fact is undeniable that the number of people who are willing and able to reach the UK today is astronomical and vastly outnumbers what we are capable or willing to take as a country. He said illegal immigrants tend to have completely different lifestyles and values to those in the UK, and tend to settle in already hyper-diverse areas, undermining the cultural cohesiveness that binds diverse groups together and makes our proud multi-ethnic democracy so successful. He added: The current numbers of people arriving here illegally surpass any reasonable numbers that the state could be expected to provide for, or integrate successfully into our national community. And it is for the most disadvantaged in our society that feel this most acutely. Abusing Our Hospitality The foreign secretary said illegal immigrants have been abusing the generosity of the British people. Cleverly said on Thursday: The people from many, many parts of the world who have come into the UK over many, many decades have integrated fully and successfully in British society. We have always been a generous nation, but we can also see that there are people who are proactively abusing our hospitality and a national character is very much like a personal character. People are generous of spirit, but if we see people abusing that generosity, it erodes trust, it erodes trust in the immigration system. We want to reinforce the British peoples natural hospitality and generosity, we want to support that and protect that. We also want to protect the country from people who seek to abuse it, including those people traffickers. PA Media contributed to this report. UK, Italian Prime Ministers Vow to Work Together to Tackle Illegal Immigration The leaders of Britain and Italy have vowed to work together to tackle illegal immigration and other common challenges, as they hailed the very strong relations between their two countries. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak welcomed his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni to Downing Street on Thursday, who is on a two-day visit to the UK. They will sign a memorandum of understanding which Sunak said will strengthen co-operation on illegal immigration, defence, and the response to Russian President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in 10 Downing Street, London, on April 27, 2023. (Alberto Pezzali/PA Media) Ahead of their private talks, Sunak said: I think the values between our two countries are very aligned, which is why we can work so well together on shared challenges, whether its responding to Putins illegal invasion in Ukraine, where again I pay tribute to your leadership, but also tackling illegal migration, which is something that is common to both of us. Meloni hailed a new beginning for bilateral co-operation. She said the two countries have had a strong partnership for decades and there is much more that we can do on many topics on which we are on the same sidedefence, Ukraine. She commended the UK governments effort to curb illegal immigration. Tackling traffickers and illegal migration is something that your government is doing very well, she said. Im following your work and I absolutely agree with your work and I think there are many things that we can do together. Common Challenge Illegal immigration is an issue that has plagued both Britain and Italy. According to Home Office figures, 45,755 illegal immigrants arrived in the UK by crossing the Channel in 2022. Out of the 43,794 who had their nationality recorded, 28 percent were Albanian nationals and 20 percent were Afghan. More than 5,500 illegals have already arrived in the UK by crossing the Channel this year. An inflatable craft carrying illegal immigrants crosses the shipping lane in the English Channel off the coast of Dover, England, on Aug. 4, 2022. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made stopping the boats one of his five priorities and has said he is determined to deliver on his promise. The government is trying to get its Illegal Migration Billaimed at clamping down on illegal small boat crossingsthrough Parliament. The bill aims to ban anyone who arrives in the UK illegally from claiming asylum. If it becomes law, illegal entrants will be swiftly removed from the UK to their home country or a safe third country like Rwanda and will be banned from reentry. The bill would also enable powers to be granted to detain immigrants for 28 days without recourse for bail or judicial review, and then indefinitely for as long as there is a reasonable prospect of removal. The bill cleared its final stages in the House of Commons, though it will face a stiff test in the House of Lords when it undergoes further scrutiny. State of Emergency Italy has also seen a recent surge in arrivals by boat migrants, with 34,715 people reaching the country between Jan. 1 and April 19more than four times the number for the same period last year, which was 8,669. Meloni, who took office in 2022 promising to reduce illegal immigration, has led a crackdown on people smugglers and on rescue ships operated by charities, which she says are encouraging a growing number of illegal immigrants to risk dangerous voyages from North Africa across the Mediterranean. Illegal immigrants from the reception centre wait on board the Asso Trenta ship to be transported to the quarantine ship GNV Azzurra, in Lampedusa, Italy, on May 11, 2021. (Antonio Parrinello/Reuters) On April 11, her government declared a six-month national state of emergency to help it cope with the surge in illegal immigration. The government said the state of emergency was necessary to carry out with urgency extraordinary measures to reduce congestion at an overwhelmed migrant shelter on Lampedusa, a tiny Italian island in the Mediterranean. Also needed are new structures, suitable both for sheltering as well as the processing and repatriation of migrants who dont have the requisites to stay in Italy, the government statement said. Last week, Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida said Italians were at risk of ethnic replacement, drawing criticism from centre-left parties who accused him of promoting white supremacya charge he has rejected. Fighter Jets Also on the agenda of Sunaks talks with Meloni is the agreement between the UK, Italy, and Japan to develop next-generation fighter jets. The defence partnership, announced in December, hopes to see the planes, called Tempest in the UK, in the skies by 2035. Announcing the pact, Sunak said the partnership deal underlined Britains view that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions are indivisible. The Tempest is designed to replace the Typhoon, which was built by the Eurofighter consortiumwhich was made up of Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UKand it is understood that other countries could be invited to join. PA Media contributed to this report. California Lawmaker Vows to Carry on With Fentanyl Crackdown Despite Committees Rejection SANTA ANA, Calif.Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) said April 26 hes done trying to get a bill cracking down on fentanyl dealers out of a state Senate committee after it was rejected again this week, and will instead support efforts to seek an initiative from voters to change the law. Umberg sponsored the bill with Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucapia). The Senate Public Safety Committee rejected the bill, called Alexandras Law, on March 28 as well. Its possible a similar bill could surface in the Assembly and work its way over to the Senate, Umberg said. But he wont ask the Public Safety Committee to send the bill to the floor anymore. I am committed to making sure we have an all-in approach, Umberg told City News Service. I have other bills [addressing the crisis]. Alexandras Law was opposed by the states public defenders, who objected to any expansion in the law enabling prosecutors to seek murder charges against fentanyl pushers. I will continue in some fashion to pursue this whether by initiative or other measure, Umberg said. The state senator said he would support any initiative that lines up with the bill he proposed. Senator Tom Umberg, D-Santa Ana. (Courtesy of Tom Umbergs office) The bill sought to provide convicted fentanyl dealers with a warning that if they get caught dealing again and one of their customers dies, they could face an upgrade in punishment from manslaughter to second-degree murder. It has been compared to the so-called Watson Advisement given to drunken drivers. Umberg said his bill would require prosecutors to prove the dealers knew that the drugs they were peddling were laced with fentanyl and caused a fatal overdose. The bill before the Public Safety Committee was even narrower than Watson, Umberg said. In order to be able to elevate it beyond a simple distribution of an illegal substance you need to prove the perpetrator knew or should have known that there was fentanyl in it. He said the law is not targeting low-level drug dealers who arent aware theyre selling a narcotic laced with fentanyl. Its not the knucklehead giving his roommate a pill he thinks hes fine, he said. This bill doesnt apply to that person. Period. Yes, it would apply to the Mexican Mafia pharmacist lacing Percocet with fentanyl. California state Sen. Tom Umberg (R), D-Santa Ana, speaks in Sacramento on fentanyl legislation on April 25, 2023. (Travis Gillmore/The Epoch Times) The California Public Defenders Association has opposed the bill. The association wrote that the bill would be used as a predicate to establish the mental state of malice, required for a murder charge, when the person involved in the drug transaction had no intention of ever killing or injuring the person who knowingly obtained the controlled substance. The association said it sympathizes with the bills intentions, but allowing prosecutors to upgrade charges to murder for a drug deal overdose would resurrect the failed public policy of the past and return to mass incarceration as a solution for societal problems. From our experience as public defenders, we know that many of those who engage in the illegal drug trade are often low-level users of drugs themselves. To punish them for the unintended consequences of engaging in illegal narcotic sales and for outcomes that they never intended is contrary to sound public policy and humane treatment in our criminal justice system. Umberg defended his efforts, saying he has introduced a variety of legislation addressing the crisis. The fentanyl crisis is unprecedented, he said. This is an area where Ive been working a huge part of my professional life both in this country and overseas. He added it was a false choice to present it as a debate over more law enforcement and better treatment of addicts. This is an all-in kind of thing, Umberg said. We have to direct resources toward prevention and treatment, but also to preventing those who are selling and distributing fentanyl from doing it so this has been presented as a binary choice and its not a binary choice and that is very frustrating and particularly frustrating with SB44. University Cancels Film After Trans-Rights Protesters Blockade Venue Adult Human Female cancelled The University of Edinburgh sign on May 13, 2015. (PA Media) A Scottish university has been accused of siding with a censorious minority after it cancelled the screening of a film following trans-rights protests. Tess White, MSP for Scotlands north-east region, said Edinburgh University had censored free speech by pulling the plug on showing Adult Human Femalea documentary asserting that women are defined solely by their biological sex. The screening was organised with the universitys support after a previous event in December was also cancelled when protesters occupied a screening room minutes before it was due to be shown. On Wednesday, the entrance to a lecture hall in George Square was blockaded by protestors several hours before the film was due to be screened. According to the Conservative politicianwho was at the campus to watch the 90-minute documentarypeople were physically prevented from attending the viewing. The university has said it worked with the events organisers over the issue, however, a decision to cancel the screening was taken due to safety concerns. Describing the decision as disgraceful, White posted on Twitter: For the second time, women have been shut out of Edinburgh University for trying to discuss their rights. They might have shut us out, but we wont let them shut down our freedom of speech. Worrying Pattern She has now sent a letter to the universitys provost setting out her deep disappointment over the events cancellation. The letter, seen by The Epoch Times, states: This was supposed to have been an opportunity for people to exchange their views on womens rights in the kind of environment that should not only facilitate freedom of speech, but actively defend it. Instead, Edinburgh University sided with a censorious minority who shut down debate by shutting women out. White said that the physical prevention of guests attending the screening continues a worrying pattern for an academic institution that claims to be committed to academic freedom and freedom of expression. She added, Warm words are not enough when such fundamental principles are at stake. I sincerely hope Edinburgh University will work with the events organisers to ensure the screening can still take place, and that it can do so without heavily restrictive conditions which limit the level of public participation. The issue was also raised in Parliament by Scottish National Party MP Joanna Cherry. Its lesbian visibility week yet as my alma mater Edinburgh University flew the lesbian visibility flag yesterday and advocated for inclusion, last night it failed for a second time to stop a masked mob from preventing the screening of a documentary called Adult Human Female, she said. The film features feminists and lesbians, including my friends, Dr Shereen Benjamin, Lucy Masoud, and Professor Jo Phoenix, talking about how important it is to be heard about their lesbian identity and experience. So can I ask Leader of the House can we have a debate about how we prevent lesbian erasure and the intimidation of lesbians in our civic life including at our universities? In response, Penny Mordaunt said she would raise the matter with the Minister for Women and Equalities as well as the Home Secretary. In a statement sent to The Epoch Times on Thursday, an Edinburgh University spokesperson said it was fully committed to upholding freedom of expression and academic freedom and was disappointed the event did not go ahead. The statement added: In line with our commitment to fostering an inclusive, supportive and safe environment for our whole community, we worked with the organisers and put measures in place to mitigate risks associated with the event. However, with protesters restricting access to the venue, safety concerns were raised should the event proceed. It was therefore decided that the screening should not continue. Transphobic Claims Made by independent filmmakers Deirdre ONeill and Mike Wayne, Adult Human Female bills itself as an explainer about the issues, how far things have already changed for the worse for women and how difficult it has been to be heard, to be listened to. Through a series of interviews, the film recounts the impact of gender self-ID on single-sex spaces for women, ranging from prisons to health care to sport to lesbian dating sites. Critics accuse it of being transphobic by denying that trans women have equality with biological women and claim it puts forward unevidenced arguments. Supporters argue that it sets out the legal and biological basis for sex and the necessity for protecting sex-based rights. University and College Union (UCU) Edinburgh was one of the groups that turned out to protest against the film. Posting images of protestors lining the street across from the venue, UCU posted on Twitter: Its big and weve only just started. No to hate on campus. Videos later uploaded to social media showed masked protestors blocking all entrances to the building. Lucy Masoud, a black lesbian who survived the 1999 homophobic bombing of Londons Admiral Duncan pub, is one of those interviewed in the documentary. In a video posted to social media on Thursday, she criticised those who stopped the film from being screened. She said, I have no power in this world, I have no say in anything, but I was asked to be in this documentary so that my words could be heard by other people. That was an immense honour for me, something that will never happen again. You have prevented that from happening. One day you will wake up and realise that what you did was wrong. US Announces Sanctions on Russia Over Detainment of WSJ Reporter Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands in a glass cage in a courtroom at the Moscow City Court in Russia on April 18, 2023. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo) The United States announced on April 27 sanctions against Russias security service, the FSB, in light of Moscows detainment of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. The Biden administration also announced sanctions against Iran for wrongfully detaining Americans. These actors in Russia and Iran have tried to use Americans for political leverage or to seek concessions from the United States, a senior administration official told reporters in a call. These actions threaten the stability and integrity of the international political system and also threaten the safety of U.S. nationals and other persons abroad. The official said the United States would sanction the FSB for being responsible for, or complicit in, directly or indirectly engaged in, or responsible for, ordering, controlling or otherwise directing the wrongful detention of U.S. nationals abroad. The FSB has repeatedly been involved in the arrest, investigation, and detention of U.S. nationals wrongfully detained in Russia, the official said. Indeed, Russias state-owned media outlets have publicly acknowledged the FSBs involvement in the arrest and investigation of wrongfully detained U.S. nationals. That announcement comes as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Post published a joint ad in their print editions on April 27 urging support from the U.S. government, including President Joe Biden and the White House, for Gershkovichs release. Gershkovich, 31, was arrested on March 29 on spying charges; hes being held in a Russian prison and has been denied U.S. consular services by Moscow. The State Department has labeled Gershkovich as wrongfully detained, a designation allowing greater government resources to be allocated toward securing his release. We continue to be shocked and outraged over the wrongful arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who is imprisoned by the Russian government for no other reason than newsgathering, the media organizations stated. As editors and publishers of some of Americas largest news organizations, we are united in calling for his immediate release. Reporting is not a crime. The sanctions in Iran would target Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intelligence organization, or IRGCIO, over the wrongful detainments of U.S. nationals, the administration official said. The IRGCIO frequently holds and interrogates detainees, including at least one wrongfully detained U.S. national in Evin Prison, the official said. And Evin Prison has a long and sordid history of human rights abuses, including extensive reports of torture. The official also announced that four IRGCIO leaders would be sanctioned for their roles in wrongful detentions. Todays sanctions are one of a series of efforts, some public like this, some private, to secure the release of U.S. nationals wrongfully held overseas to promote accountability for the culprits, the official said. And by doing so, to prevent and deter the next set of cases from arising in the first place. Only 19,939 babies were born in February, the first time the number for the month fell below 20,000 since records began, Statistics Korea said Wednesday. The number of newborns is usually relatively high in the first three months of the year, but now the figure fell to a record low, which could bring the total fertility rate to less than last year's all-time low of 0.78. Parents tended to prefer their children to be born from January to March so they are ready for school at the earliest possible age. By the same token they avoid giving birth in November and December, because that would group their kids with younger children when they start school. Childbirths therefore dropped below 20,000 in the months of November and December. But this year's lower birthrate is party due to the coronavirus pandemic, when marriages dropped below 200,000 per year. U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance hold a hearing to examine the FBIs abuses of its Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) authorities at 9:00 a.m. ET on April 27. Michael E. Horowitz, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Justice; Sharon Bradford Franklin, Chair, U.S. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board; and Beth A. Williams, Board Member, U.S. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, will testify. US Senator, Capitol Police Chief Blast Tucker Carlson for Alleged Jan. 6 False Narrative U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) says former Fox New host Tucker Carlson created a "false narrative" regarding Jan. 6, 2021 at the Capitol on April 25, 2023. (U.S. Senate Video/Screenshot via The Epoch Times) A Democrat senator from Maryland and U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger used a Senate budget hearing on April 25 to blast former Fox News host Tucker Carlson for creating an allegedly false narrative with the Jan. 6 security-camera video that he broadcast in March. During a budget hearing before the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) asked Manger to comment on Carlsons use of the Jan. 6 video in his March 6 broadcast about the events of Jan. 6, 2021. U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger testifies before a Senate committee on his request for a $106 million budget increase on April 25, 2023. (U.S. Senate Video/Screenshot via The Epoch Times) In I think February or early March of this year, Speaker [Kevin] McCarthy authorized the release of more than 40,000 hours of security footage from the awful events of January 6, Van Hollen said. He released them to former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who then used them to create a false narrative surrounding the events of that day, concluding that the attack on the Capitol was quote, mostly peaceful chaos, and that, The footage does not show an insurrection or riot in progress. Van Hollen noted that, as of April 24, Carlsons program is no longer in the Fox News lineup. But a lot of the damage has been done, Van Hollen asserted. Can you talk about the impact this false narrative has had on the men and women who work for you? Manger said he put out a statement the day after the March 6 Tucker Carlson Tonight broadcast, noting how disrespectful it was to the men and women of the Capitol Police. I think what was fortunate is that that narrative that Mr. Carlson tried to put out had no legs, Manger said. I think most folks understood exactly what it was. And so I think that was very gratifying to the members of the Capitol Police to see that that the public did not agree with that assessment. Van Hollen replied, I appreciate that. And I agree with you that despite his best efforts, the American public understood exactly what happened on that day and that it was not the narrative that he put out. The budget-hearing discussion of the Fox News host was just one example among a sea of voices reacting to the news Carlson and the network have parted ways. Many on the left celebrated Carlsons departure, while some followers of Carlsons show have predicted he will be back stronger than ever. Carlsons March 6 special showed Jacob Chansley, the so-called QAnon Shaman, being led around the Capitol interior by police on Jan. 6. Officers tried to open some of the doors for Chansley and eventually let him into the Senate Chamber, where he stood on the rostrum and recited prayers. $106 Million Budget Increase Manger outlined his fiscal year 2024 Capitol Police budget request with a $106.3 million spending increase. The USCP budget would fund the full-time equivalent of 2,761 positions, including 596 civilian employees and 2,165 sworn officers. The budget request would fund enhanced intelligence capabilities, a normalization of police staffing levels, expansion of the Dignitary Protection Division, better systems to address threats against members of Congress, better physical security to protect the Capitol, and strengthened training programs, Manger said. A Capitol Police officer watches supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather outside the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. (Cheriss May/Getty Images) The sheer increase in the number of threats against Members of Congressapproximately 400 percent over the past six yearsrequires new and innovative techniques to identify, deter, and mitigate threats before they materialize, Manger told the subcommittee. Upcoming elections, the campaign activities that precede them, and the increasingly heated political rhetoric further heighten the prospect of future security risks and challenges. Capitol Police has benefited from a substantial boost in funding since Jan. 6, 2021. Its fiscal year 2022 budget was $602.5 million, a 20-percent increase over 2021. Funds have been used, in part, to respond to problems identified by various oversight groups in the wake of the Jan. 6 protests and rioting at the Capitol. These include failures in the USCP intelligence division, which has been cited for not sharing threat data with rank-and-file officers prior to and on Jan. 6. The department is also trying to rebuild its ranks after a slew of post-Jan. 6 staff departures. According to Senate Sergeant at Arms Karen Gibson, chairwoman of the Capitol Police Board, nearly 200 USCP recruit officers graduated in October 2022. The number of sworn police officers has recovered from a post-Jan. 6 low of 1,800 to more than 1,900 today, Gibson told the subcommittee. The USCP 2024 budget would fund up to 2,165 sworn positions, a 20-percent increase from the post-Jan. 6 low. President Joe Biden and his South Korean counterpart are meeting in Washington. Peace, stability, freedom, and nuclear deterrence are up for discussion, as aggression and threats rise in the region. Two nearby nationsChina and North Koreaare behind much of that concern. Topics in this episode: U.S. to Send Nuclear Subs to South Korea; Biden Addresses Age Concerns Amid 2024 Bid DeSantis for More Cooperation with Japan, S. Korea; Leaves China, Taiwan Out of His Asia Trip Charged Chinese Police Trained in Canada: Report Biden Would Veto Bill to Restore Solar Panel Tariffs Xi-Zelensky Speak for First Time Since Russian Invasion UK Tobacco Company to Pay $600M for Violating U.S. Sanctions on N. Korea Chinas Yuan Overtook Dollar for Intl Trade in March Demographic Dividend Lost? Indias Population to Overtake Chinas: UN Nuclear Threats from Asia a Serious Risk: Tan China in Focus is sponsored by Preserve Gold. Protect your IRA or 401(k) from the declining dollar with precious metals. Learn more now: http://offers.preservegold.com/ntd Vermont Senate Could Soon Vote on Gun Control Bill Aimed at Preventing Suicide A bill to reduce suicides by instituting gun storage laws, setting a 72-hour waiting period for gun purchases, and expanding Vermonts extreme risk protection order statute is working through the legislature and has picked up some changes. One of the bills primary opponents is cautiously optimistic, but with three weeks left in this legislative session, he is not making any firm predictions. Theres still plenty of time for shenanigans, Chris Bradley, secretary and treasurer of the Vermont State Rifle and Pistol Association, told The Epoch Times. The purpose of this legislation is to prevent death by suicide by reducing access to lethal means of firearms, Bill H.230 reads. Democratic State Representative Alyssa Black, the bills principal sponsor, did not answer an email requesting comment. A police firearm is shown in this file photo. The national debate about gun control has focused on limiting access to firearms, but safe use and storage of legally owned guns is an ongoing issue. (Martin Bureau/AFP/Getty Images) The bill is before the State Senate Judiciary Committee, scheduled for markup on April 26. Markup is when committee members strike through, highlight or underline text to indicate desired changes. Bradley said the bill has already undergone significant changes. H.230 initially required all firearms to be stored separately from ammunition in a locked container or with a lock or other device that renders the firearm inoperable. It provided an exception if an authorized firearm user is carrying it or has it in close proximity. Bradley said this requirement was ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 2008 District of Columbia v. Heller decision. According to that decision, requiring a gun owner to make a firearm inoperable infringes on Second Amendment rights. That language has been removed from H.230, along with penalties for failure to store a gun safely. The bill would still hold a gun owner accountable for crimes or accidents due to irresponsible storage. We Support the Safe Storage Bradley said his organizations support that. We support the safe storage of firearms, he said. There would be civil actions probably far more severe for anything happening if you dont store [firearms] safely. He said the gun rights groups closely monitor the extreme risk protection order, so-called red flag law, language in the bill. While they still oppose red flag laws, Bradley said he was glad to see one change. Current Vermont law requires that extreme risk protection orders be taken before a judge by a states attorney or attorney general. The judge could issue an order if it is determined that there is clear and convincing evidence. The law also requires the person subject to the order to be notified under due process. Tougher Standard Set H.230 would have allowed a family or household member to petition the court for a 14-day emergency order that a judge could issue after a preponderance of the evidence. The respondent would not have to be notified before their firearms were confiscated. According to Bradley, the committee has agreed to make the standard clear and convincing evidence for the 14-day temporary order as well. Bradley said the lesser standard of a preponderance of the evidence could open the door to abuse by people carrying a grudge or wanting to cause trouble. While he is pleased with the change, Bradley said the groups oppose the red flag laws because they deny respondents due process rights. That is something we cannot support, he said. Waiting Period Is Up in the Air Bradley also took issue with the bills proposed 72-hour waiting period. He said there is no evidence that this would prevent anyone from committing suicide. But it could leave the target of a stalker vulnerable for three days. In written testimony for an April 5, 2023, hearing before the committee, supporters said the waiting period would provide suicidal people time to reconsider their plans. Democratic State Sen. Tanya Vyhovsky, a committee member and social worker, said 72 hours is the standard cooling time for people in crisis. Ironically, while Bradley opposes the waiting period, he said it might be what stops the law. He said the waiting period is up in the air. Supporters of the bill want the waiting period. Vermont Gov. Phil Scott has indicated he might veto the legislation if it includes a waiting period, Bradley said. Scott could not be reached for comment. Bradley believes his side can muster the votes in the Senate to sustain a veto. Still, he said its too early to predict how things will shake out. He said Democratic State Sen. Dick Sears Jr., Judiciary Committee chairman, is taking his time with the bill. Bradley said Sears is meticulous and will not call for a vote until he is sure its ready. I think the chair is proceeding very cautiously, Bradley said. Veterans Respond to DOD Officials Reportedly Cheering Tucker Carlsons Fox Exit Several U.S. military veterans have issued public comments defending former Fox News host Tucker Carlson after a report emerged that Pentagon officials were relieved that he would no longer host his popular prime-time show. Just a day after the cable channel announced in a news release that it had parted ways with Carlson, Politico published an article based on anonymous sources that claimed Pentagon officials were celebrating Carlsons exit, citing his criticism of the U.S. military under President Joe Bidens leadership. Were a better country without him bagging on our military every night in front of hundreds of thousands of people, one senior Pentagon official is reported to have said, while a second, according to Politico, said: Good riddance. The publication reported that when it invited him to comment, Carlson responded to the report by text message, writing: Ha! Im sure. The news outlet stated that Carlson declined to elaborate any further. Veterans Respond The report prompted many veterans to respond on social media, with one critic saying it is unfitting for Department of Defense (DOD) officials to publicly denounce media figures who question their policies. Its highly inappropriate for a Pentagon official to be making comments about the sacking of a media figure who questioned them. This, no matter your views on Tucker himself, former Navy SEAL Scott Taylor tweeted on April 26. This should be denounced in a bipartisan way. Army Ranger veteran Sean Parnell also spoke up in Carlsons defense, saying the outspoken 53-year-old cable news host never bagged on the military, but that he had instead attempted to hold U.S. Defense officials accountable for their carelessness on matters such as the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal. Tucker never bagged on our military. He demanded accountability of the senior leadership who gave us the disaster of Iraq & Afghanistan. Who to date, have not been held accountable for anything. Thousands of Americans dead. Wounded. Trillions wasted. And for what? Parnell wrote in a post on Twitter. On his 8 p.m. ET show, Carlson did occasionally criticize U.S. military leadership, expanding on the topic in an op-ed published in 2021 in which he questioned the role of women in combat. Keeping women out of direct combat had been U.S. military orthodoxy for over 200 yearsuntil less than a decade ago. Carlson also denounced the Biden administration for prioritizing wokeness and diversity within the military in the face of the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party, prompting a rare response from then-Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby. What we absolutely wont do is take personnel advice from a talk show host or the Chinese military, Kirby said during a briefing with reporters in March 2021. Maintain Neutrality The social media firestorm also caught the attention of Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq. Every senior Pentagon official who commented on this story while hiding behind anonymity is a coward, Vance tweeted on Tuesday. Call me old-fashioned, but senior military officials should maintain neutrality about hot-button political topics. And they certainly shouldnt run to one media outlet to gossipanonymouslyabout another. Call me old fashioned, but senior military officials should maintain neutrality about hot button political topics. And they certainly shouldnt run to one media outlet to gossipanonymouslyabout another. J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) April 26, 2023 While hosting one of the top-rated cable news programs for years, Carlson was also one of the only mainstream television hosts to openly criticize top federal agencies. Journalist Glenn Greenwald credited Carlson with holding several views that conservatives are divided over. Greenwald, who had appeared regularly on Carlsons show, wrote on Twitter that Carlson was the cable host who most: Opposed US proxy war in Ukraine; Denounced CIA, FBI, and DHS for its systemic lies and corruption; Devoted himself to a pardon for Julian Assange; Objected to regime change efforts in Cuba; Criticized Trump Admins militarism. Carlson, who has yet to provide details about why he suddenly left Fox News, was a host for CNN, PBS, and MSNBC earlier in his career, before signing on as a Fox News contributor in 2009. He landed a co-hosting position in 2013, replacing Dave Briggs on Fox & Friends Weekend. In 2017, he quickly became Foxs most popular personality after replacing Bill OReilly in the networks prime-time lineup. Carlson Breaks Silence On Wednesday at his usual 8 p.m. ET time slottwo days after parting ways with Fox NewsCarlson posted a two-minute video on Twitter, revealing his observations after taking a couple of days off. Carlson argued in the clip that big topics that will define our future get virtually no discussion at alltopics like war, civil liberties, emerging science, demographic change, corporate power, and natural resources. When was the last time you heard a legitimate debate about any of those issues? Carlson asked, saying that both of Americas main political parties and their donors have colluded to shut down any conversation about them. He said the United States increasingly resembles a one-party state. Thats a depressing realization, but its not permanent It wont work. When honest people say whats truecalmly and without embarrassmentthey become powerful. At the same time, the liars who have been trying to silence them shrink, and they become weaker. Thats the iron law of the universetrue things prevail, Carlson said. Where can you still find Americans saying true things? There arent many places left but there are some, and thats enough. As long as you can hear the words, there is hope. See you soon, he added. Melanie Sun contributed to this report. From NTD News Victoria to Raise Criminal Age to 12 and then 14 Victoria is set to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12 and then 14 by 2027 after the Victorian government announced it will reform the states juvenile justice system. According to The United Nations, child welfare groups, medical experts, human rights lawyers, and Indigenous advocates, the minimum benchmark should be no lower than 14. The states cabinet ministers approved the plan prior to a meeting between the federal and state attorneys general on April 28 to discuss a national approach to raising the age of criminal responsibility. Victorian Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes said that when very young children engage in dangerous behaviour, something has gone terribly wrong in their life. We need to respond effectively and compassionately whilst still making sure theyre accountable for their actions, Symes said. This important reform is a careful and considered first step towards making sure fewer children are entering the criminal justice system and ensuring the safety of all Victorians. Minister for Youth Justice Enver Erdogan said that he believed investing in social services that help children stop criminal behaviour was necessary. Instead of incarcerating 10 and 11-year-olds, it makes the community safer if were able to invest in services that help put these children on the right track so they can become adults who contribute positively to society, Erdogan said. Content of the Reform In the first stage of the reform, the states support services will assist 10 and 11-year-olds who committed crimes and their families by addressing the causes of the problematic behaviours and preventing them from contacting the criminal justice system. However, in serious offending, the Victorian government will work with the police on how to respond to the crime. The Victorian government said that after raising the criminal age to 12, it would move to lift the minimum age of responsibility to 14 by 2027. The second stage will involve designing and implementing a different service model for children aged 12 to 13 who violated the laws. This will be in consultation with an independent review panel so that the youth justice system will have the capacity to protect at-risk children and the broader community. Currently, in most Australian states and territories, the criminality age is 10, and children of that age can be arrested, remanded, and incarcerated in juvenile detention centres if found guilty of committing a crime. However, the Northern Territory government passed a related bill in November 2022 and will raise the minimum age to 12 later this year. The Supreme Court of Victoria is seen in Melbourne, Australia, on Aug. 21, 2019. (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images) Additionally, the ACT government has planned to introduce a law to raise the minimum criminal age to 12 in 2023 and then to 14 within two years later, and Tasmania intends to raise the minimum age of detention to 14 but keep criminal responsibility at 10. The Victorian government has now started consultation with the community on the reforms, with the laws scheduled to be introduced to the Victorian parliament sometime this year. If passed, the minimum age of 12 will be implemented in late 2024. Response from the Victorian Government and Other Groups Following the announcement, Victorian Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes said that the government did not lift the minimum criminal age directly from 10 to 14 to avoid unwanted consequences. I am very concerned that if you raise it too quickly, youre going to have unintended consequences, she said, as reported by The Age. Youre going to have kids falling through the gap, and youre going to have a waiting list of kids stepping into custody at 14. We want to make sure that no young person falls through the cracks. We want to make sure that the system, the services, and the family supports are in place to coincide with raising the age to 14. Meanwhile, Dr Jacqueline Small, the president of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, said that many children in the youth justice system had mental health issues, which were exacerbated by incarceration and system contact. Children under 14 years may not have the level of maturity and cognitive function to be considered criminally responsible, she said. Raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14 years is critical to protecting the health and wellbeing of children and young people at risk of incarceration, especially Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and children with developmental disabilities. We Must Change: Australia Post Boss Reveals Postal Services Grim Financial Situation Australia post CEO Paul Graham speaks to media during a press conference in Melbourne, Australia, on April 27, 2023. (AAP Image/Joel Carrett) Australia Posts boss has warned that the national mail service is at the crossroad as it faces the technology revolutions, saying changes are needed for the struggling service to survive. Chief Executive Paul Graham on Thursday gave a frank assessment about the organisations financial situation, which posted a $169 million loss this financial year alone. The service also announced last week 400 jobs were set to be axed by the end of the financial year. The bottom line is this: We are spending more and more money to deliver fewer and fewer letters, he told the American Chamber of Commerce in Melbourne. Graham said the traditional postal service business model has been eroding since the global financial crisis, while the deterioration in its outlook is gathering pace. Until the year 2000, mail volumes tracked the economy growing at around the same rate as gross domestic product but after Y2K mail volumes began to flatline, he said. Then, during the GFC, mail volumes fell by five percent and they have been falling ever since. A man posting mail at an Australia Post postbox in Sydney, Australia, Sept. 2, 2013. (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts) Mail volumes then plummeted in 2007-2008 to 66 percent due to the financial crisis. Today, the average household receives less than two letters per week and sends less than three percent of all mail. Graham noted that the Australia Post office network is also suffering lower foot traffic as digital services dominate over-the-counter transactions and people opt for flexible options such as parcel lockers. The number will continue to decline, with per-houshold mail volumes predicted to halve in the next five years. The reasons for this dramatic shift email, apps and smartphones have been well documented, he said. Australia Post was governed by the 1989 Australian Postal Corporation Act, a regulation that Graham said was no longer fit for purpose. [The regulation was] legislated before the internet boom and the creation of smartphones, when letters were the dominant form of communication, online shopping was yet to take hold, and digital service provision largely did not exist. Its a stark message, but the Australian community must understand that without change to their national postal service, its long-term viability is at risk. It comes after the organisation revealed in March that it was bracing for significant losses due to a decline in letter deliveries after the federal government released a discussion paper aimed at modernising the organisation. The paper closes on April 27 at midnight. The consultation process that closes tonight will help us develop the blueprint for change. But there is no question we must change. A Global Decline But Australia Post is not the only postal service that is facing structural headwinds, as the situation is global. Graham said postal services overseas that were not supported to change and adapt have not been able to survive, with some dramatically negative impacts on the community and the public purse. We do not have to follow that path, but doing nothing is simply not acceptable. There have been more than 11 reviews of Australia Post over the past 10 years, and we do not need any more to repeat the same fundamental message: that the status quo is no longer an option for our business. He urged the parliament to show commitment and goodwill to make the changes necessary to deliver a sustainable future. My simple request is to put the national interest first. We want to keep Australia Post strong for all Australians and especially communities in rural and regional Australia, but this is only possible if we are financially sustainable. An Essential Community Service Graham, however, describes Australia Post as one of the last of Australias great, publicly owned commercial endeavours. Its financial viability is important because Australia Post is owned by the Australian taxpayer, although the service is not financed by taxpayers but entirely self-funded, he said. Qantas is no longer owned by Australian taxpayers, neither is Telstra. Australia Post is. Were proud to be a self-funded public enterprise and we want to remain that way. We want to keep delivering essential public services to Australian communities and businesses without taking a penny from consolidated revenue. That is funding that should go to schools and hospitals, not Australia Post. The service has over 4,000 offices nationwide, covering every corner of the country, and a workforce of more than 65,000 direct or indirect employees. He described Australia Post as an essential community service like water or gas or electricity. Thats why nothing stops us. Not even the pandemic, he said. When much of the country was locked down due to COVID-19, we kept open and kept delivering. In addition, we are the backbone of the digital economy especially Australias $67 billion online retail industry, delivering over 500 million parcels in FY22. In summary, our DNA is not changing, but we need to evolve to better meet our customers expectations in the modern economy. Chilean President Gabriel Boric at a cabinet meeting in December 2022. Presidencia de Chile (EFE) When the leftist Gabriel Boric took office as Chiles president on March 11, 2022 and swore in his Cabinet, which contained 14 female ministers and 10 males, he said: I am deeply proud that there are more women than men. And that is thanks to the feminist movement. At that time, not only did his core team contain more women than men, but his administration also marked a milestone by appointing a female Minister of the Interior and Public Security for the first time in the countrys history, the physician Izkia Siches. A little over a year later the Interior and Public Security portfolio, one of the most important government positions in Chile, remains in the hands of a female minister, Carolina Toha. But the appointment of socialist Alvaro Elizalde as Minister of General Secretariat of Government (Segpres) on April 19 replacing the lawyer Ana Lya Uriarte, who stepped down for health reasons ended the parity in the heart of Borics government, which for the first time during his presidency now comprises more men than women: 13 to 11. Boric has so far made two changes within his government and in both he attempted to safeguard the gender parity that has been a hallmark of his administration. The first shuffle came after the referendum of September 2022, in which 62% of Chileans rejected a proposal to enshrine a new Constitution. That was when Siches a member of Borics inner circle left and Toha entered. He also switched the portfolio of Giorgio Jackson, his closest adviser, from Segpres to Social Development. In his place he appointed Uriarte, which led to a clear female-majority cabinet with 15 women ministers to nine men. The second change took place on March 10, a day before Borics first anniversary as president. The new structure contained two fewer women than when the government was sworn in, but it remained egalitarian: 12 women and 12 men. However, as part of this decision Foreign Minister Antonia Urrejola, who held a key portfolio with international visibility, was replaced by Alberto van Klaveren. Chilean President Gabriel Boric's Cabinet on March 12, 2022, and March 11, 2023. Presidencia de Chile But after the arrival of Elizalde, who left the Senate to join the Cabinet, the predominance of women over men in the early days of Borics government was lost. According to Maria de los Angeles Fernandez, a political scientist and president of Hay Mujeres, a foundation that promotes visibility and leadership among women, Boric, by installing parity as a principle and a mechanism to form his government, made the same mistake as Michelle Bachelet in her first term (2006-2010). In Fernandezs opinion, the former socialist president and the countrys only female leader, inaugurated ministerial parity in Chile in 2006 based on mathematical criteria, but could not keep her promise since it was altered in successive Cabinet changes. Fernandez explains that both the Bachelet and Boric administrations have lacked from the point of view of governmental communication a narrative on the meaning of parity, in the sense that it is not necessarily a matter of clinging to a rigid mathematical figure, but rather the desire for a balanced relationship between 60% and 40% representation of each sex. This is what is meant by flexible parity. Jorge Navarrete, a lawyer and political columnist, tells EL PAIS that, more than the numbers, what has been lost alongside parity in the Boric government is symbolism. In general, this government has at times been, and still is, somewhat grandiloquent on certain positions. It was the case with the environmentalist and ecological government, and the parity government. Therefore, any falls, even if they are not particularly significant, are very noticeable when they come from very high up. It conspired that President Borics first Cabinet changes affected more women than men. Still, the analyst points out, when the numbers are taken into consideration, it is undeniable that there is still a very important female presence among Borics team. However, far from the expectations that the government had sown, the recent departure of Minister Ana Lya Uriarte marks a certain tendency that in the most relevant ministries, despite the governments declarations and calling, women end up being more affected than men. Navarrete also points to another factor: cultural changes, which take time: Chilean politics is still preferentially dominated not only by men, but by a male code. As such, when the time comes to turn to a certain contingent cast to replace positions within the same category, there is always a greater available stock of men than of women. Even in the first Chilean government to declare itself openly feminist. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Police Hostel for cops daughters pursuing higher studies in Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior By Kumar Ankur The Madhya Pradesh Police Department will provide accommodation facilities to the daughters of cops who wish to stay in cities having better opportunities of higher education. The Police Welfare Department has developed three hostels in Bhopal, Indore and Gwalior for the purpose. The department has named the initiative Police Hostel. Police Welfare Department officials claimed that they will hire retired female cops for the post of warden in these hostels. A nominal fee will be charged from the inmates for their stay up to a maximum of four years in these hostels. Police Welfare Department wishes to encourage the cops below the rank of inspector to send their daughters for higher studies in big cities. Up to some extent the families will be rid of accommodation expenses, said Additional Director General (ADG) (Welfare) Vijay Kataria. The Welfare Department will develop the infrastructure and will arrange for other resources required for operations of the hostels in other parts of the state as well. We will hire retired cops for managing the hostel which will again benefit the police family, said the officer. These hostels are available on first come first serve basis in Bhopal, Indore and Gwalior. 10 police personnel, driver martyred inNaxal-triggered IED blast in Dantewada Our Correspondent & Agencies DANTEWADA, IN A tragic incident, ten police personnel and a driver were killed after Naxals blew up the vehicle in which they were travelling in Chhattisgarhs Dantewada district on Wednesday, police said. Officials confirmed the news and stated that the incident occurred about 2 km away from Aranpur police station and 55 km away from the district headquarters around 1 pm when a team of the State Polices District Reserve Guard (DRG) was returning from an anti-Naxalite operation. The troopers were travelling in a Marshal vehicle to evade the Maoists, who laid an ambush soon after getting information that security personnel had boarded the vehicle. They detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) weighing 50 kgs when the vehicle reached the spot. The impact of the explosion was so severe that the vehicle tossed several feet high before landing in mangled remains. The explosion created a pit measuring nearly 15 feet in depth. All the DRG troopers and the driver of the vehicle died on the spot, and the bodies of the martyrs were scattered around. This is the first major incident in the last four-anda-half years in Chhattisgarh. After the incident, senior police officials, including Superintendent of Police, DIG CRPF, and IG Anti Naxal (Ops), reached the spot along with additional forces, who started a search and combing operation in the area. The martyred troopers have been identified as Joga Sodhi, Munna Ram Kadti, Santosh Tamo, Dulgo Mandavi, LakhmuMarkam,JogaKawasi,Hariram Mandavi, Raju Ram Kartam, Jairam Podiyam, Jagdish Kawasi, and Dhaniram Yadav (driver). Expressing his grief over the incident, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel extended his condolences to the families of the deceased. He took to Twitter to say, News of 10 DRG (District Reserve Guard) personnel and one driver being killed in an IED attack by Naxals in Dantewada is saddening. The jawans were in the area for an anti-Naxal operation. The Chief Minister also prayed for the departed souls peace. Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan has joined in expressing his deep sorrow over the martyrdom of 10 District Reserve Guard (DRG) troopers and one driverin Dantewada district. He paid tribute to the martyrs and extended his condolences to the bereaved families. Condemning the Naxal incident, the Governor strongly denounced the anti-national intentions of Naxalites and stated that their agenda will never succeed. Harichand anal soemphasised that the Central and State Governments are determined to eliminate Naxalism in a coordinated manner. In the past, numerous attacks have taken place on the security forces in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh,comprising seven districts including Dantewada,betweenMarch andJune. In the last major incident, 22 security personnel were killed on April 3, 2021, in an ambush along the border of Sukma and Bijapur districts. Seventeen security personnel were killed in a Naxal ambush in the Minpa areaofSukmadistrictonMarch21,2020. On April 9, 2019, BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi and four security personnel werekilledina blastinDantewadadistrict. TheBurkapalattackofApril24,2017, in Sukma district claimed the lives of 25CRPFpersonnel.TheTadmetlamassacre, the deadliest Naxal attack in which 76 security personnel died, had taken place in April 6, 2010. Sacrifice of martyred cops will always be remembered: PM NEW DELHI PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday strongly condemned the Naxal attack on Chhattisgarh police personnel and paid tributes to those killed in the incident. Strongly condemn the attack on the Chhattisgarh police in Dantewada. I pay my tributes to the brave personnel we lost in the attack. Their sacrifice will always be remembered. My condolences to the bereaved families, the Prime Minister tweeted. Shah assures all help to CM Baghel DANTEWADA : FOLLOWING the tragic incident in Chhattisgarhs Dantewada district where 10 policemen and a driver lost their lives in a blast carried out by Naxalites, Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel onWednesday to assess situation, according to officials. During the conversation, Shah assured the Chief Minister of all possible assistance in handling the situation. The Home Minister also stated that the Central Government would provide all necessary aid to the State Government, as per officials. Theincidenthassparkedwidespread condemnation, with politicians and citizens alike expressing their condolences to the families of the deceased. The State Government has launched aninvestigationinto thematter, while additional security forces have been deployed to the area to maintain law and order. CABINET PAYS TRIBUTE TO POLICE PERSONNEL KILLED IN DANTEWADA IED ATTACK:THE Union Cabinet on Wednesday paid tributes to police personnel killed in an IED blast in Chhattisgarhs Dantewada district, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said. The Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also passed a resolution condoling the demise of former Punjab chief minister and Shiromani Akali Dal patriarchParkash SinghBadal,Thakur told reporters here. Ten police men were killed when their vehicle was blown up by anim provised explosive device (IED) in Dantewada districtofChhattisgarhonWednesday. Badal, 95, died at a private hospital inPunjabsMohalionTuesdayevening. A marriage made in heaven Aajji once narrated how my parents got married. During early 1940, my father Narayan was convicted along with his friends for his involvement in a murderous assault on a British officer inside the then Hindustan Aircraft Factory at Bengaluru. He was arrested and tortured for revealing the plot and names of the fellow conspirators. Legally the charges couldnt be substantiated during trial but since his association with the group was proven, he was let off but was externed from the then Madras State. With the assistance of associates of Azads group, he had to go underground in Gwalior. My mother Manu hailing, from an orthodox Konkanastha Thatte family, a decedent of Mathematicians of Royal Scindhia dynasty, was studying Medicine, but was actively involved in the covert activities of freedom struggle, where her cousins Dada Vaishampayan and Dr Parchure were the pioneer leaders and organisers associated with Savarkar and following Chandra Shekhar Azad in Gwalior. None could question them, their discipline and defy them. Manu was advised to stop wasting time in studying Medicine and instead take up Nursing to care for the volunteers involved in revolutionary skirmishes. Due to her active participation in freedom struggle, she had even been designated as Commander of the Manzer Brigade, Ladies wing of the revolutionary organisation. Manu had seen this stocky, dark-skinned fearsome Tamilian in hiding, but could never talk to him as she didnt know any Southern or English language and he couldnt speak Hindi or Marathi. Once there was a big excitement, Chandra Shekhar Azad himself was coming to organise and address the Gwalior Unit. Late in the night, in a clandestine meeting, Azad addressed the gathering, stressing for uniting the entire Nation. Aware of the rift amongst the group on the basis of cast, religion and region, very specifically, he gave an example political talks and opinions of unity arent the unifying factor for uniting the entire country, but intercast and interstate marriages across the length and breadth of the country, shall ensure complete bonding of India as one. He further elaborated for example after freedom this Tamilian boy Narayan should marry a girl from north, without any knowledge of her cultural and social background and language, paused while speaking he scanned the gathering as though searching someone and his steely gaze rivetted on Manu in the crowd, as if selecting her. The meeting got over and after some years, India gained freedom but Azad had made Supreme Sacrifice. Manu my mother got a Government job and had shifted to Indore. Narayan stayed in North and due to his good command over English had a job with a pharmaceutical company. Both had last seen each other at Gwalior in December 1947 and almost forgotten each other. Once while in Bombay, Dr Atre an old accomplice from Gwalior, located and met Narayan, he was on a specific assignment on the instructions of none other Dada Vaishampayan and Dr Parchure, to accomplish Azads unfulfilled dreams. He wanted Narayan to accept alliance with Manu as Azad had once desired in the underground meeting. My mothers orthodox family was dead against this alliance as he was a Madrassee and very dark to look at whereas Manu was very fair, beautiful and dainty girl and there was no match, especially my Azoba who had been a Police Daroga in his days had an utter dislike for the violent freedom fighters but surprisingly Manu, without any hesitation had said a big Yes. Well the opposition melted in the face of Obeisance for the Dictates, Wishes and Desires of Azad, marshalled by his faithful followers Dada Vaishampayan, Dr Parchure and Dr Atre to name a few. These two were married in the court without any fanfare and celebration. Till death parted them, both remained fiercely loyal and honest to the well-being and welfare of the country. BIDEN BID SEASONED though he is as a politician, United States President Mr. Joe Biden must be aware in his own head that his re-election bid is not without risks. The eighty-year-old Democratic leader must be conscious that his appeal to the nation to allow him to finish the job he had undertaken three years ago may be met with some scorn by a vast percentage of voters particularly against the background of the messy economy and messier sociology of the United States. Yet, given the current overall American domestic scenario, Mr. Joe Biden appears to have a decent chance of returning to the White House a little over a year later, thanks to the serious recent setback to former President Mr. Donald Trump who was planning to dare Mr. Biden at the hustings once again. Mr. Bidens time in the White House has been one of a rather loosely-handled leadership challenge, particularly when the US stood at the cross-currents of changing social trends with sharp ethnic -- or even racial -- angles. At the White House, Mr. Biden inherited a string of failures of many previous US Presidents to handle the overwhelming forces that were threatening to pull the American society in different directions. Though as an institution, the US presidency was expected to reconnoiter in advance the silent stresses and strains on the social fabric and bring in effective responses to the complicated issues at hand, the White House occupants mostly remained doused in politics to retain their personal primacy somehow. Mr. Joe Biden, too, fell in line, guiding his policies focused on short-term goals -- national or political. No matter all that, Mr. Joe Biden had only one way to go -- forward, and the re-election bid is the first step in that direction. At this precise moment, there are reasons to believe that the Democratic Party has endorsed his candidature as a matter of both, his natural-first-choice right as incumbent President, and a probable absence of any internal challenger at this particular moment. As the time advances, though, a couple of other Democratic Party bidders may emerge on the scene -- and stir the atmosphere to whatever extent. In his comment at the time of making the re-election bid known, Mr. Biden talked of the importance of the moment to save democracy. But the catch-word of his statement was Freedom. It was for that value that Mr. Biden wants to stand up and get counted. And to add a special emphasis to the idea, he has insisted upon personal freedom as a motivation for the people to act in tandem. The re-election bid has a smart angle as well -- Mr. Joe Biden has announced that Vice President Mrs. Kamala Harris will be his running-mate. The twosome, thus, gives a message that everything has been proper at the highest level and the re-election bid is the most natural outcome of the developments of the past 4-5 years of working together, first in the election and then in the White house. Beyond politics, however, is the confused societal scene of the US. The social fabric is being pulled in different directions, with many ethnicities making their presence stronger and politically demanding. There are elements that appear to be working to tear apart the so-called American harmony. In fact, many social thinkers are wary of the very concept of American social harmony, in the sense they suspect that the so-called American Dream today stands severely and seriously threatened. This really makes the task of a President harder to act as a holding agent of the larger US society domestically and retain American leadership globally. This is the first and the foremost challenge Mr. Joe Biden faces at this juncture. For, with a clumsily-woven domestic society, the pattern of voting cannot be predicted accurately. For, there is a big segment of American population that appreciates what Mr. Donald Trump had achieved in the White House -- establishment of American primacy in all considerations -- America First. Mr. Biden may find it difficult to counter this segment effectively. For, the moment Mr. Biden announced his re-election bid, an outcry also rose correspondingly asking for the return of Mr. Donald Trump to the centre-stage. Though it not known how Mr. Trump could stage a strong comeback with his current baggage of liabilities, his name is likely to cause stir among the voters all right. At this moment, it is difficult to fathom how the Republic party would respond to the electoral challenge, with Mr. Donald Trump having been cornered in a complicated legal case. There, of course, would be a few others to lead the party in the upcoming presidential election. For, on the political front, it will be rather preposterous to write-off the Republican Party which has had a history of staging terrific comebacks time and again. Though the criminal case against Mr. Trump may impede his chances to contest again, the Republican Party is sure to make some smart moves to counter the Biden challenge. Those details notwithstanding, there is no doubt that Mr. Biden will face quite a serious Republican counter -- motivated by the popular perception of the failure of the President to stem the economic decline and social decay. Another big challenge Mr. Biden faces is of proving to the American public that the US has not conceded its global leadership role to China. He will have to indulge in a lot of strong and convincing advocacy to win over the otherwise flimsy and fluid voter-mood. That effort is certainly not going to be easy as it may appear to the Democratic camp at this juncture. Everything, thus, will depend on how Mr. Joe Biden stands equal to these challenges. Congress demands Home Minister to take action against BJP leader to curb misuse of Atrocity Act By Bhavana Aparajita Shukla Tale and claim made by social activist and a tribal man, (as they introduced themselves) belonging to Dhar district left a series of questions with media persons on Wednesday, as both made serious allegations on the BJP leader. Making a stunning entry at Pradesh Congress Bhawan in State capital, the duo alleged how they were being targeted by former minister and Ranjana Baghels man. An audio clip revealing what transpired between the former minister for women and child development and her man named Soma (who has been accused of atrocity with these two victims) were also played. Talking to The Hitavada, Raju Pawar, social activist, claimed that he use to raise voice against illegal liquor shops in Manawar tehsil of Dhar district. As an retaliation to his justified demand, he has been targeted. When he was preparing for his engagement ceremony at his home on January 13, 2022, a group of around 10-15 people stormed to his place and kicked him brutally. According to Raju Pawar, they used to beat him until he became almost unconscious. He alleges that these people belong to a man named Soma, a known goon in the area and he has protection from BJP leader Ranjana Baghel. After the blitzkrieg of evidences, Pradesh Congress Committee media incharge, K K Mishra and newly-appointed Pradesh Congress, Media Vice-President, firebrand Santosh Singh Gautam claimed that not only under the nose of the Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Home Minister Narottam Mishra but it seems that such accused have protection from leaders. Mishra said Congress party demands from the State Government, Administration and Police to take strict action against the culprits of Raju Pawar. Who has been compelled to lead a life like exile. He should be given protection. ELB device of wagons modified by city Rly engineer works wonders By Sagar Mohod A simple tinkering with empty load box (ELB), a device necessary for controlling goods rake, has provided ennumber of advantages for the Indian Railways. With the modification, apart from savings, since number gears are reduced, even its operation is now simplified. The development is credited to N L Jiddewar, he worked as Safety Counsellor with Mechanical Department at Central Railway's Nagpur Division. Jiddewar is that rare breed of employees in Government system that are not content with simple 10 to 5 working at their job, rather he walked that extra mile to make all the difference for the Railways. And a salient aspect of the innovation is that it came even as he was near superannuating, he retired recently. More creditable for Jiddewar, the simple changes in empty load box mechanism for BOXN and BCN wagons has won him national applauds. Railway Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) recognised the modification, as Shailendra Kumar Sharma, Director, Wagon, RDSO, said the innovation on part of Jiddewar is quite innovative as same reduced the rigging of items inside the gear. Sharma mentioned that with modification in ELB will increase its reliability. A team from RDSO visited Ajni sick line and was impressed with working of the new ELB. Evacuations In Sudan By Arun Kumar Shrivastav The ongoing conflict in Sudan has intensified further, leading to countries sending in emergency planes to evacuate diplomats and their citizens. American fighter planes reportedly carried evacuation of diplomats throughout Monday night. The situation in Sudan is rapidly deteriorating, and the world is watching with concern as violence escalates. According to media reports, the Indian Government is taking steps to ensure the safety of its citizens stranded in Sudan amid intense fighting. The media reports said two Indian Air Force aircraft are on standby in Saudi Arabia to evacuate Indians from Sudan. In addition, the Indian Government has been closely monitoring the situation in Sudan and has been in touch with its embassy in Khartoum to assist Indian nationals. It is worth noting that the conflict in Sudan is not a new development. The country has been embroiled in various conflicts and civil wars for decades, displacing millions and causing significant loss of life. The ongoing conflict in Sudan is a tragic reminder of the toll war and violence can take on a country and its people. As the situation in Sudan continues to evolve, the international community needs to remain engaged and supportive of efforts to end the conflict. The Indian Governments efforts to evacuate its citizens from the conflict zone are a testament to its commitment to ensuring the safety and security of its citizens. The world must work together to find a peaceful resolution to the situation in Sudan so that the people living there can begin rebuilding their lives and moving forward. Another media report said that two French military aircraft have already evacuated 388 people, including Indians, from Sudan. This evacuation was carried out after a request from the Indian Government. The French Army aircraft reportedly flew to Sudans capital, Khartoum, to evacuate the stranded individuals, many of whom were Indian nationals. As part of our preparations, and in order to move swiftly, the Government of India is pursuing multiple options. Two Indian Air Force C-130J are currently positioned on standby in Jeddah. And, INS Sumedha has reached Port Sudan, a statement from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs on Sunday said. The conflict in Sudan has been ongoing for several years, with various factions vying for power and control. According to UN figures, the latest violence between Government forces and rebels in the capital, Khartoum, has led to the deaths of at least 420 people, and more than 860 have been injured. The situation in Sudan is complex, and the conflict has taken a severe toll on the people living in the country. Sudans rival leaders have pledged to evacuate their citizens and others from the war-torn country. The report states that the rival leaders have agreed to work together to evacuate their citizens, foreign diplomats and other individuals in the country. The agreement is a significant development in the ongoing conflict in Sudan and provides hope for a peaceful resolution. The Indian Government has been closely monitoring the situation in Sudan and has been in touch with its embassy in Khartoum to assist Indian nationals. The Government has also been working closely with other Governments to ensure the safe evacuation of its citizens from the conflict zone. The situation in Sudan remains volatile, and those in the country must prioritise their safety and security. However, the ongoing conflict in Sudan has significantly impacted the people living there, and the international community must do all it can to ensure that the battle ends. The recent agreement between Sudans rival leaders to evacuate their citizens and others from the country is a significant development and provides hope for a peaceful resolution. Contingency plans are in place, but any movement on the ground would depend on the security situation, which continues to be volatile with reports of fierce fighting at various locations in Khartoum, the MEA said in its statement. (IPA) HC seeks NMCs reply on poor condition of public wells Staff Reporter The division bench of Justices Atul Chandurkar and M W Chandwani at Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court, on Wednesday, issued notices to Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and three other government agencies while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) on the condition of public wells in the city. The petitioner, Sandesh Singalkar, filed the PIL after the municipal corporation could not provide information about the status of public wells in the city. Municipal Commissioner; Regional Director of Central Groundwater Authority (CGWA); Regional Officer, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) are the respondents in the PIL. According to the petitioner, water of 50 per cent of the public wells is unfit for consumption, and wells have either dried up or turned into garbage pits. The court has ordered the respondents to file their replies within four weeks after issuing the notices. New-look historic Sangram Sagar pond inaugurated Staff Reporter historic Sangram Sagar pond of Gondwana era was inaugurated after its beautification and development of civic amenities in a graceful ceremony, on Wednesday. Member of Parliament, Rakesh Singh, accompanied by MLA, Cantt, Ashok Rohani and other senior public representatives inaugurated the Sangram Sagar and Cafeteria by cutting ribbons and lighting earthen lamps at the bank of pond. The entire premises illuminated with thousands of earthen lamps lit by the dignitaries. Addressing the programme, MP, Rakesh Singh said that Sangram Sagar is the heritage of Rani Durgawati and Raja Sangrams era and it is a matter of pride for him for its beautification and development of basic amenities for convenience of visitors. He added that residents of Jabalpur are already blessed with their birth at the bank of holy river Narmada and having rich water bodies. Even after having water abundance, there is an urgent need to ensure Operation Kaveri: 530 Indians evacuated from Sudan NEW DELHI, TWO military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) evacuated over 250 Indians from Sudan after a naval ship rescued another 278 citizens from the strife-torn country. The total number of Indians evacuated so far from Sudan stands at around 530, according to official data. Under its evacuation mission Operation Kaveri , India has set up a transit facility at Jeddah and all the Indians have been taken to the Saudi Arabian city after their evacuation from Sudan. The first batch of 278 Indians were evacuated by Indian Navys frontline ship INS Sumedha on Tuesday. Hours later, the first C130J heavy-lift transport aircraft of the IAF landed at Port Sudan to bring back more Indians. It was followed by evacuation by another C130J. According to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, the first C-130J aircraft brought to Jeddah 121 passengers while the second plane evacuated 135. A second C-130 flight reaches Jeddah bringing 135 passengers from Sudan. #OperationKaveri moving steadily forward, he tweeted. India has set up a control room in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah to facilitate evacuation of Indians from Sudan. Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan has reached Jeddah to oversee the evacuation mission. From Jeddah, India is set to bring back the Indians home in military transport aircraft of the IAF. Sudan has been witnessing deadly fighting between the countrys army and a paramilitary group for the last 12 days that has reportedly left around 400 people dead. India stepped up its efforts to evacuate the Indians from Sudan as a 72-hour truce was agreed to between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) following intense negotiations. Jaishankar on Monday announced launch of the mission Operation Kaveri to bring back the stranded Indians from Sudan. Brazil has emerged from its Bolsonaro-era isolation led by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who says he wants to spearhead a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia. Lula is known for off-the-cuff remarks, but is now choosing his words carefully to cement his place as a chief mediator between the two warring countries. Still, his ambiguous statements and puzzling equanimity have caused some irritation in diplomatic circles recently. EL PAIS interviewed the Brazilian president as he began a state visit to Spain, while back home former president Jair Bolsonaro was testifying in court about his alleged role in inciting rioters to attack government institutions a week after Lula took office. Lula sounded several warnings about the rise of right-wing extremism in the world and said the principal aim of his third presidential term is to create quality jobs and establish a new business-labor relationship. He also challenged us to check at the end of his term how much Amazonian deforestation has improved. Question. Mr. President, you are arriving on a continent where no can see any light in this war. Any attempt to end the war will generate high expectations, and you are now leading an international peace initiative for Ukraine and Russia. You have condemned the invasion, but you have also criticized countries like Spain who send arms to Ukraine. When an invaded country asks for help, what should others do? Sit on their hands or help the country that was attacked? Answer. The first thing to understand is that this war should never have started. It started because there is no longer any capacity for dialogue among world leaders. Brazil condemns it because Russia has no right to invade Ukraine. The Russians are wrong. The rest of us now have a choice: either feed the war or try to end it. I am more interested in talking about ending this war. Nobody is talking about peace, only me, and Ive met with [world leaders] like Biden [USA], Scholz [Germany], Xi Jinping [China] and Macron [France]. We need to get together and end this conflict, but it can only be done at the negotiating table. Thats what I want to do. The European Union is an important asset for the entire world, and I think Europe should assume a balanced mediation role. Europe got involved very quickly [in the war]. So its important to find leaders who want to talk about peace. China, Mexico, Indonesia... we need to engage countries that are not directly or indirectly involved, as well as those who support Ukraine because they are against the Russian occupation. We have to unite all these countries. Next week I am going to talk to [French President Emmanuel] Macron and other presidents to find a path to peace. There is a battle underway with right-wing extremists fascism and Nazism are back. We cannot have another war in Europe. Didnt we learn this lesson from the two world wars? With more peace, the world will be more productive and just. That is what Im proposing and defending. Q. Of course, we all need to strive for peace and stop this war. But in the meantime, do we leave the Ukrainians to fend for themselves while Putin bombs them? A. When [the chancellor of] Germany visited Brazil, he asked us to send Ukraine the tank ammunition that we bought from them. I told Scholz that I wouldnt do it because if Russia sees Ukraine using Brazilian weaponry, then Brazil has now entered the war. And if youre part of the war, then you cant talk about peace. I want to engage countries that are not linked to the war. If we succeed in achieving peace, it will be good for humanity. Otherwise, this war will never end, because Putin thinks hes right and Zelenskiy is justified in defending his invaded nation. So, who is going to put an end to the war? I am worried that this war is linked to political interests and election strategies. That has happened before in the world, and I dont think its right that no one is attempting to build peace. I am going to try. I know Brazil is not on the United Nations (UN) Security Council, but the permanent members of the Council are not seeking peace. The UN still maintains a political structure established in 1945, but those geopolitics are long gone. We have to adapt the UN to 2023. Q. I suppose thats what you mean when you talk about a more just and equitable international order. But I dont want to leave the subject of Ukraine just yet. On April 25, you said that an end to the war depends on Ukraine recovering its territorial integrity and Russia keeping Russian territory. What exactly do you mean by Russian territory? A. Russia has been in Crimea for a long time and has invaded other territories. I dont know what type of agreement Zelenskiy and Putin are going to accept. Putin certainly doesnt want NATO on Russian borders, and Zelenskiy certainly doesnt want an occupied Ukraine. So impartial outsiders are the only ones who can forge an agreement to stop this war. Dont ask me how first we have to sit down at the negotiating table. Both sides want to win, but a war doesnt always need a winner. Stop fighting, come to an agreement and get everything back to normal. I believe its possible because it happened after World War II. The European Union is proof of our capacity and intelligence as human beings to work together. Russia and Ukraine can do this and I intend to help them. President Lula da Silva and Pepa Bueno, editor-in-chief of EL PAIS at the Palace Hotel in Madrid; April 26, 2023. JAIME VILLANUEVA Q. I understand you dont know yet how you are going to achieve peace. Nobody knows. You talked to Zelenskiy and sent an envoy to talk to Putin. Must Putin stop bombing Ukraine to begin peace talks? A. We have to convince him, because he is not there yet. Thats the dilemma people start wars without knowing how to stop them. We just have to sit down and talk. I was pleased to see Xi Jinping visit Russia. I sent Celso Amorim [foreign policy advisor to Lula] to meet with Putin, and in a few days, hell also meet with Zelenskiy. And so we are building the pillars. Macron is also interested in building peace. Another war in Europe seemed unthinkable, yet there it is. Peace may seem impossible, but were going to do it. We need more people striving for peace instead of throwing fuel on the fire. Q. Many countries would probably applaud the more equitable international order you are proposing at the UN. What is the role of human rights in this new international order? A. For me, respect for human rights is the top priority. Brazil will not enter any negotiation that does not consider human rights. And war is an abrogation of human rights. We must stop the war, because you can rebuild a house, a bridge, a road, but you cannot resurrect lives. Q. I ask about the new international order because clearly China must have a role in it. But its a country that imprisons activists and lawyers, and nobody really knows whats happening to the minorities in Tibet. How forcefully should respect for human rights be articulated in this new international order you are advocating, which seems to be moving forward? A. No one should think that China is the only one to blame for what is happening in the world. The problem is not just China its the US, France, the UK... the permanent members of the UN Security Council must take the initiative. An example of why we need global governance is climate change. We make and implement decisions in our respective countries, but business interests fight these measures and they never get done. Thats why I advocate more robust governance, especially on climate and economic issues. Q. Spain will assume the presidency of the EU Council in July, and there are high expectations the MERCOSUR-EU trade agreement can finally be ratified in the next six months. But its still facing resistance on both sides of the Atlantic. Do you think it will be ratified? A. I am happy that Spain is assuming the presidency. I had hoped it would be signed in 2006-2007 when Zapatero [Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero] was in office. Now its 2023 and the current shape of the trade agreement is unacceptable, so we are going to propose changes. As soon as Spain takes over, I intend to find common ground between the EU and the MERCOSUR nations. Its important to learn where France stands because it has always been very rigid about agricultural concessions. A good agreement is when both parties win. Brazil needs to become an industrial country again: 30% of our GDP used to come from industry and now its down to 11%. I am going to work hard to ratify an agreement this year. There is willingness on the MERCOSUR side; now we have to see what the EU wants. Q. In your previous administration, you set a goal that fewer Brazilians should go hungry. And you did it millions achieved food security. What is your priority in this presidency? A. We are still far from attaining the employment levels we want. We have 11% unemployment in Brazil. When Dilma [Rousseff] left office [in 2016], we had 4.3% unemployment. My goal is to grow the Brazilian economy and encourage more private investment. In May, we are going to present a package of infrastructure projects to attract foreign investors, especially from Spain. That is one reason for my visit. Im also here to learn about the agreement between the Spanish government, Congress, labor unions and the app businesses its an agreement that legalizes the lives of all the [app delivery drivers]. In my first presidency, we not only ended hunger, but we increased the quality of life of Brazilians. But weve taken several steps back since then. There are still 33 million people experiencing hunger in Brazil. We need quality jobs and to create a new relationship between business and labor because the union structure has been dismantled in Brazil. Democracy thrives when we have strong labor unions and a dialogue between employers and workers. Its simple Brazil needs to grow and for that to happen, the government must work to establish trust and credibility with the private sector. This will lead to external credibility for Brazil. Q. The European Parliament has approved a ban on importing products from deforested areas. The Amazon basin suffered a lot during the Bolsonaro years. You promised zero deforestation by 2030 how are you going to do it? A. Its a campaign commitment that I intend to keep. Deforestation and burning must be banned. Brazil has 30 million hectares [74 million acres] of degraded land. Not a single tree should be cut down in my country because we dont need to Brazil is already the worlds largest producer of animal proteins. We need to improve our agricultural production to feed Brazilians and people in other countries, but we must preserve the environment and indigenous lands. This is our moral, ethical, political and environmental duty. When I leave office, you will see if I was successful. Lula da Silva in Madrid on April 26, 2023. Jaime Villanueva Q. The European and American continents have a common problem. In fact, its a global problem that extends into Portugal, where you recently made a state visit. Im talking about the intolerance of the far right. You heard their protests during your speech to the Portuguese parliament on April 25, the anniversary of the Carnation Revolution [in 1974, that overthrew the authoritarian regime in Portugal]. You experienced an attempted right-wing coup in your own country a week after taking office. Is democracy secure in Brazil? A. It is not just Brazil. We must save democracy all over the world because right-wing extremists are in Spain, Portugal, France, Germany... Only democracy can establish and preserve individual freedoms. A metal worker can only become president in a democracy. Spain knows all about authoritarianism. In Portugal, only eight people were making noise during my speech. I dont know how what they said to their children, who may have seen their parents acting in this ridiculous manner on television. The far right is often barbaric we saw it with Hitler. And that type of fascism can take hold in any country. Q. What was Bolsonaros role in the January 8 assault in Brasilia? A. I have no doubt that he tried to stage a coup. It was planned for my inauguration, but there were too many people watching that day, so he waited a week. I saw it all on television they stormed the Planalto Palace [the presidents workplace] and our security forces were negligent there. They broke into the National Congress, the Supreme Court and the palace. There are people in jail now for what they did that day. We are looking for those who funded it all, such as those who paid for the buses that transported the rioters to the capital. The Secretary of Security for Brasilia is in jail. We are convinced that it was all organized by Bolsonaro and his team. He has been charged with 34 crimes and more charges are coming, as well as international lawsuits. He is also accused of causing the [pandemic] deaths of over 300,000 people, because he failed to buy enough vaccines and the right medications. Q. After Bidens recent announcement of his intent to run for reelection, will you do the same? A. I cant think about that now. It has only been four months since I started my term. What I must do now is to shape a more democratic Brazil for our people, with more equitable wealth distribution, better education and greater happiness. That is what I will try to do. And I ask for Gods help every day. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Pained at claims of enforced silence in India: V-P Delhi Bureau and Agencies NEW DELHI, VICE PRESIDENT Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday took a swipe at former Congress President Sonia Gandhi over her enforced silence remarks, and said the freedom of expression one enjoys in the country cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Addressing the inaugural session of the Mann Ki Baat @ 100 Conclave, Dhankhar also hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for keeping politics away from his monthly radio programme, which had come as a beacon of hope for a nation that was losing hope and its world image had nosedived. He also slammed an ostrich-like stance some people take while touring foreign lands and ignore the rapid development taking place in the country. In an apparent reference to Sonia Gandhis recent article in a newspaper alleging enforced silence in the country under the BJP Govt, Dhankhar said the freedom of expression a person enjoys in the country cannot be found anywhere in the world. I am pained and also sometimes feel what has happened to our intelligentsia. Long articles are written on enforced silence. How can there be enforced silence in the country? Such a big freedom of expression you will not find in any other country across the world, the Vice President said. Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur, Information and Broadcasting Secretary Apurva Chandra and Prasar Bharati CEO Gaurav Dwivedi were also present at the inaugural session of the conclave. Dhankhar said when he first became a Member of Parliament in 1989, he felt he had got a lot of power as he could give cooking gas connections to 50 people every year. But, the architect of Mann Ki Baat has given 150 million connections that too free of cost. This is an achievement the world cannot understand, Dhankhar said, referring to the Ujjwala scheme of the Government. Preliminary probe needed before filing FIR onallegations of wrestlers: Delhi Police to SC NEW DELHI : THE Delhi Policeon Wednesday told the Supreme Court that some kind of preliminary probe was needed before it can proceed with the registrationo fan FIR over sexual harassment allegations levelled by seven women wrestlers againstWFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha was told by Solicitor GeneralTusharMehta,appearingfor theDelhiPolice, thatifthetopcourt felt that an FIR was to be lodged straightaway then it may be done. However, the police felt there are some issues which needed preliminary inquiry before theregistration of the FIR, the top law officer said. You know Solicitor we also dont do something without hearing the other side andunlesswehave some material. Please furnish the material which you have on Friday...We took it up as this involves a minor etc, the CJI said. The law officer said let an impression be not created that the FIR has not been registered despite the court asking for it. The bench took note of the submissions of Mehta, and said Delhi Police may put forth their views on registration of the FIR on April 28 when the plea of wrestlers will be heard. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing forthe wrestlers, said he would be filing some additional material on the matter. The top court on Tuesday issued notices to the Delhi Police and others on a plea by the seven women wrestlers, saying thematterisserious andrequires its consideration. Several national award winning wrestlers have been protesting at Jantar Mantar here demanding the government make public the findingsofanoversightpanelthatinvestigated the sexual harassment allegations againstSingh,alsoa BJPMP. Shaista managing Atiqs financial empire, say police sources PRAYAGRAJ (UP), POLICE officials probing the Umesh Pal murder in Prayagraj are now using the economic route to reach Shaista Parveen, wife of slain Atiq Ahmad and an accused in the case. According to police sources, Shaista has information about her husbands massive wealth and property acquired in the past four decades. We have information that Shaista is desperately trying to hold on to the wealth and ensure that she saves it for her sons. We are now probing sources that helped the family get these properties, many of which may be benami. The police carried out raids at Sallahpur and Hatwa villages of Prayagraj. Atiq Ahmeds brother Ashrafs in-laws house is also in Sallahpur village, said a police official. Sources said that Atiq had acquired properties in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Hyderabad and Shaista may be hiding in one of these places, along with some other women of Atiqs family who are also accused in the Umesh Pal murder case. Atiq also made investments in diamond mining, dairy and other projects in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and even in Mumbai. Shaista Parveen has knowledge about these properties. Officials say that Shaista and Ashrafs wife Zainab Rubi may be changing locations frequently to avoid arrest while locals in Chakia area claim the duo may be observing the period of iddat (over three months of seclusion after husbands death) in hiding. STAMFORD A judge has agreed to close the courtroom when discussing potential evidence submitted by the attorney for Michelle Troconis in the Jennifer Dulos murder case, according to a ruling issued Wednesday. Troconis' attorney, Jon Schoenhorn, has been at the center of a controversy over a sweatshirt he contends could cast doubt on whether his client was involved in the killing of the New Canaan mother who is presumed dead after vanishing in May 2019. Stamford Superior Court Judge Kevin Randolph decided Wednesday that the courtroom should be closed to the public for the hearing to determine if a letter written by Schoenhorn that was with the sweatshirt when it was turned over to prosecutors in 2021 is confidential under attorney-client privilege. If the letter falls under attorney-client privilege, the judge would need to know if Schoenhorn was willing to waive the privilege. If the letter is determined to be evidence in the case, Schoenhorn could be disqualified from representing Troconis. In his four-page ruling, Randolph concluded that the public should be prohibited from attending the hearing in case the items are used in Troconis' defense. "A defense for all to see is in danger of becoming no defense at all," Randolph said. Assistant States Attorney Sean McGuinness and Schoenhorn had previously indicated they wanted the courtroom closed to the public and any related documents sealed during the hearing on the letter. Schoenhorn turned the sweatshirt over to prosecutors in 2021 through a third party, attorney Tara Knight, who is now a Superior Court judge. In her motion to remove him from the case, Supervisory Assistant State's Attorney Michelle Manning said Schoenhorn has refused to tell prosecutors where he got the sweatshirt. But Manning said Schoenhorn has claimed he may use the sweatshirt in his client's defense since it contained a hair with the DNA of Pawel Gumienny, a former employee of Fotis Dulos, who faced murder and other charges in his estranged wife's death and disappearance when he died by suicide in 2020. Schoenhorn has also filed a motion seeking the removal of the entire Stamford State's Attorney's Office from the case. Randolph indicated in his ruling that Schoenhorn said he may try to introduce the results of the DNA testing on the sweatshirt as evidence during a trial under certain circumstances. Schoenhorn contends the sweatshirt could indicate Gumienny was also involved in the crime, court documents said. But in his response to Manning's request to have him disqualified, Schoenhorn said there is no reason for him to testify where he got the sweatshirt. Gumienny has not been charged with a crime. He has acknowledged that Fotis Dulos was using his truck on the day of the homicide and told investigators he believed his boss may have been trying to frame him for the crime. Police believe Fotis Dulos used Gumienny's Toyota Tacoma pickup truck to drive to New Canaan on the morning of May 24, 2019, and then biked to his estranged wife's home where he attacked her when she returned from dropping off their five children at school, arrest warrants stated. On the night of the disappearance, police said Troconis was seen on surveillance video in Fotis Dulos pickup truck as he made a series of stops in Hartford. Police said Fotis Dulos was dumping trash bags in bins along Albany Avenue. Police said they later recovered some of the bags, which contained Jennifer Dulos blood and clothing. Troconis and Kent Mawhinney, a former attorney and friend of Fotis Dulos, have each pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit murder. Troconis has also pleaded not guilty to tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution charges, NORWALK A city police sergeant is "fully cooperating" with investigators after he was involved in a fatal crash on a Connecticut highway last week, his chief said. Norwalk Police Sgt. Shannon Sherry was off-duty at the time of the April 19 crash on Interstate 84 in Southington, Chief James Walsh said in a statement Thursday. State police said Sherry's Tesla "veered" across all three lanes and collided with a pickup truck in the right lane. The crash caused the pickup to roll over and killed the driver who was identified as 24-year-old New Britain resident Elijah Joseph Vallier. Walsh said he was informed of the "off duty accident that Sgt. Sherry was involved in while driving his personal vehicle" that same day. "Sergeant Sherry is fully cooperating with the investigation and reconstruction of the accident that is being conducted by the Connecticut State Police," Walsh said. Walsh said his department is not conducting an internal affairs investigation into the incident. Sherry is using his personal time he's accrued and has not returned to duty since the crash, Walsh said. State police said the crash unfolded during the afternoon hours last Wednesday along a stretch of Interstate 84 east near Exit 30. The agency said Vallier had been driving a 2003 Ford F-250 Super Duty east on I-84 in the right lane. "For an unknown reason," Sherry's 2023 Tesla Model 3 veered out of the left lane, crossed the center lane "and collided with" the Ford, state police said in a news release. The crash caused Vallier to lose control of the vehicle, which "traveled across the center lane, left lane and entered the grassy median," state police said. The truck continued across the grass and "entered into a rollover event," hit the guardrail in the left shoulder of the westbound side of the highway before coming to rest in the left lane and shoulder of I-84 west. State police said the Tesla was able to stop in the right shoulder of the highway. The crash closed the westbound side of the highway for hours on Wednesday. Sherry and a female front seat passenger in the Tesla were not injured and declined medical attention, police said. The news release did not say whether the Tesla was operating in a self-driving mode at the time of the crash. The state police media relations office last week said the "facts and circumstances surrounding this collision remain under investigation" and said the summary of the crash was the only information available for release. The office said Thursday the crash remains under investigation. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON (AP) She swaggered, she jabbed, she inspired. She even joked. Anyone looking for a glimpse of what Vice President Kamala Harris could bring to the campaign trail would have found it this week at Howard University, where she headlined a rally for reproductive rights. After two years of tightly scripted, uneven performances that often dismayed Democrats and cheered Republicans, Harris is looser, more forceful and more willing to speak off the cuff following her trip to Africa a month ago. That is the vice president that America is going to get a chance to get to know for the first time, said Laphonza Butler, a former adviser to Harris who leads EMILYs List. Now Harris, the first woman and person of color in her position, will be put to the test as President Joe Biden seeks a second term. Although vice presidents are rarely decisive in reelection efforts, Harris is poised to be an exception. Not only is she leading the charge on Democrats' most potent issue, the battle over abortion rights, she's the running mate for the oldest president in history, increasing scrutiny over whether she's ready to step into the top job if necessary. It's an issue that Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, raised on Wednesday in an interview with Fox News. If you vote for Joe Biden, you really are counting on a President Harris," Haley said. "Because the idea that he would make it until 86 years old" the age Biden would be at the end of a second term "is not something that I think is likely. Harris' mission until Election Day will be energizing the voters that Democrats most need specifically women, people of color and young people while sustaining what will likely be an unrelenting barrage of Republican attacks. Vice presidential candidates, if theyre going to make a difference, theyre going to make it at the margin, said Joel Goldstein, a historian of the vice presidency. But if you look at our recent history, a lot of our presidential elections have been decided at the margins. Harris appearance at her alma mater Howard University on Tuesday night, the same day that Biden announced his reelection bid, was a first look of how she'll approach the campaign. Her focus on abortion echoed her message during the midterm elections, but was even more barbed than usual as she targeted extremists she accused of taking away people's rights. Dont get in our way because if you do, were going to stand up, were going to organize and were going to speak up and were going to say were not having that, were not playing that! Harris said. Addressing herself to so-called leaders who want to restrict abortion, Harris told them to open your medicine cabinet in the privacy of your bathroom, in the privacy of your home. I wonder whats sitting up in there." The crowd roared with laughter. You dont want me getting in your business, do you? she said. Harris linked efforts to restrict abortion to Republican attempts to tighten rules for voting and limit what can be taught in schools. Understand whats at play, she said. You cant sleep on this. Cornell Belcher, a Democratic pollster, said Harris is probably better positioned to connect with, in an authentic way, that critical emerging cohort of the American electorate that we are absolutely positively dependent on to win a majority. Not everyone has felt that way, and she's faced chatter from the sidelines over whether Biden should replace her as vice president. She consistently polls worse than Biden, whose own numbers are underwater. In an AP-NORC poll conducted in January, 43% of U.S. adults had a favorable opinion of Biden, and 36% said the same about Harris. Among Democrats, Biden was at 78% and Harris was at 67%, while 10% said they didn't know enough about Harris to have an opinion. However, Harris featured prominently in Bidens announcement video walking alongside the president, embracing first lady Jill Biden, taking a selfie with a supporter and more. Biden's campaign website is topped by the names Biden Harris, and a pop-up fundraising solicitation includes a picture of the two leaders smiling together. Bidens Twitter account shared the same photo on Tuesday night, adding the caption in this together. I was really put off by all the prognostication about whether she was a drag on the ticket, said Mini Timmaraju, the president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. Shes the biggest asset. Harris' portfolio as vice president changed with last year's Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that legalized abortion nationwide. Although she had previously been assigned thorny issues with little political upside, such as stemming migration from Central America, Harris swiftly embraced a new role as the administration's most ardent defender of reproductive rights. When a copy of the decision was leaked, Harris reviewed it with a small circle of aides in a West Wing office. How dare they? she kept repeating, according to a member of her staff at the time who requested anonymity to discuss the private conversation. The phrase was swiftly included in a previously scheduled speech that night. Outrage over abortion helped Democrats limit their losses in the midterm elections, and the party expects it to remain a focus for voters. Its going to be a major mobilizing issue, said Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster who has worked with Biden. Republicans keep doing things to keep the issue alive. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a likely candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, recently signed a state ban on abortions after six weeks. Women would have more time to get an abortion in cases involving rape or incest, but they would need to provide documentation such as a restraining order or police report. Erin Perrine, a spokesperson for Never Back Down, a super PAC supporting DeSantis, scoffed at the idea that Harris would be helpful to Biden's reelection chances. Shes not a good messenger," she said. "She is prone to not only stepping on the message, but putting out word salad answers, and then when she gets uncomfortable, getting into a laughing fit. Judging by the poll numbers, Perrine said "you have two people that Democrats dont want running for president and vice president. Former President Donald Trump, who is running for another term, suggested in a recent interview with Newsmax that running mates will ultimately be irrelevant in the campaign. Theres never been a vice president thats done anything for the election. In other words, they vote for the one person, he said. I dont think vice presidents have any impact at all on the vote. However, Trump said, Its such an important position. If something happens, thats going to be your president. Democrats rely on Black women in elections, and Harris' support was evident during a February event at Georgia Tech University in Atlanta. Although the vice president had come to talk about the administration's energy policy, the crowd was eager to discuss their support for her as a barrier-breaking woman. In her own way, as a female, as an African American, she is stepping out, said Camille Zeigler, a 65-year-old retired educator. Whats happening is shes not stepping out in the way that society wants her to step out." Zeigler said people want to put Harris in a box as "an angry Black woman or a mad Black woman or a Black woman with an attitude. Instead, Zeigler said, Harris answers with grace and poise, providing a model for other African American women. Beverly Rice, a 65-year-old who runs a nonprofit focused on literacy, celebrated Harris' ascension after a history of Black women being close to power but not holding it. Its about time," she said. Weve been building America forever. ___ Associated Press writers Bill Barrow in Atlanta, and Hannah Fingerhut in Washington contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SEATTLE (AP) Washington and Minnesota won't cooperate with attempts to prosecute out-of-state patients seeking reproductive or gender-affirming procedures and treatment, under new laws signed Thursday by the two states Democratic governors. They're the latest liberal states to enact legal safeguards as Republican legislators across the country are rushing to block or limit transgender and abortion health care. More than a dozen states have effectively banned abortion outright in the year since the Supreme Court's conservative majority overturned Roe v. Wade. Freedom of choice is a health care issue. We are protecting access to health care, said Gov. Jay Inslee, who wore a pink tie to the outdoor bill signing ceremony in Seattle. The laws block other states from using Washington- or Minnesota-run courts or judicial processes to enforce their bans things like warrants, subpoenas, extradition requests or other court orders. Anti-abortion advocates and legislators questioned the need for Washingtons and Minnesotas shield laws, since abortion is already protected under state laws. Washington Republican Rep. Jim Walsh tweeted that the policies are anti-family. Halfway across the country, Gov. Tim Walz made Minnesota a refuge for young people coming from other states for gender-affirming care. He also signed legislation Thursday making Minnesota a sanctuary for abortion patients from other states and banning so-called conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ youth. Look, I dont know how hard this concept is to understand, Walz said. When someone else is given basic rights, others dont lose theirs. Were not cutting a pie here. Weve giving basic rights to every single Minnesotan. Walz and Inslee signed the bills on a day when Republican legislators in Kansas enacted what may be the most sweeping anti-transgender bathroom law in the nation. A day earlier, Montana Republican leaders barred a transgender state lawmaker from the House floor after she rebuked colleagues who voted to ban gender-affirming care for children. Transgender medical treatment for children and teens has been available in the U.S. for more than a decade and is endorsed by major medical associations. The Washington law responds to states such as neighboring Idaho that made it illegal for an adult to help a minor get an abortion without parental consent. And starting next year, anyone in Idaho who provides gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth could end up a convicted felon. Similarly, the new Minnesota law is aimed at abortion patients not only from neighboring states, but those from as far away as Texas who have made Minnesota a destination. States that generally allow people to end pregnancies have provided more abortions on average per month since June last year than they did before Roe v. Wade was overturned. That's according to a national tracking effort called #WeCount, which is led by the Society of Family Planning, a nonprofit organization that promotes research on abortion and contraception. Clinics in Washington have reported 138 more abortions per month since the court decision than in the months before it. Minnesota's first openly transgender legislator, Rep. Leigh Finke, was the chief House author of the trans refuge bill. Signing it into law was an act of great inclusion and celebration that protects vulnerable people. All of us are living our daily lives, trying to simply find space to be who we are, to love who we love, to exist in our schools, to exist peacefully in our families, just find a space for us to be whole, Finke said. Republican Sen. Paul Utke argued against the abortion bill, saying Minnesota should not protect doctors, nurses and other medical professionals who have intentionally violated the abortion laws of other states. Washington's governor signed a handful of related laws Thursday. One prevents out-of-pocket costs for abortions under health insurance plans regulated by the state Insurance Commissioner's Office. Another increases consumer protections around how companies collect, share and sell health data including from period-tracking apps. A third specifically protects health care providers from disciplinary action for performing legal abortion or gender-affirming care in the state. The state also bought a bulk order of the longtime FDA-approved abortion medication mifepristone amid an ongoing lawsuit over the drug by a conservative Christian group. Inslee had pushed to add abortion protections to the state constitution but it failed to advance in the Legislature at least in part because it required some Republican support to meet a two-thirds threshold in each chamber. Abortion has been legal in Washington state since a 1970 statewide referendum. In 1991, Washington voters approved codifying Roe into state law. A Minnesota judge struck down most of the state's abortion restrictions last summer. Walz then signed a bill in January codifying abortion rights. ____ Karnowski reported from St. Paul, Minnesota. AP Videographer Manuel Valdes contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Iran's navy seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday heading to the U.S. amid wider tensions over Tehran's nuclear program, the latest-such capture in a waterway crucial for global energy supplies. The U.S. Navy's Mideast-based 5th Fleet identified the vessel as the Advantage Sweet. Satellite tracking data for the vessel from MarineTraffic.com showed it in the Gulf of Oman, just north of Oman's capital, Muscat, on Thursday afternoon. It had just come from Kuwait and listed its destination as Houston. The Advantage Sweet issued a distress call at 1:15 p.m. while in international waters as Iran seized the vessel, the Navy said. "Irans actions are contrary to international law and disruptive to regional security and stability," the 5th Fleet said in a statement. Iran should immediately release the oil tanker. The Navy initially said Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard seized the vessel, but an American naval aircraft later confirmed that Iran's navy captured the ship, 5th Fleet spokesman Cmdr. Timothy Hawkins told The Associated Press. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said the seizure came after an unknown ship collided with an Iranian vessel last night in the Persian Gulf, causing several Iranian crew members to go missing and get injured. It did not identify the other ship involved in the alleged collision. The Advantage Sweet had been in the Persian Gulf on Wednesday, but its track showed no unusual behavior as it transited through the Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of all traded oil passes. Iran has made allegations in other seizures that later fell apart as it became clear Tehran was trying to leverage the capture as a chip to negotiate with foreign nations. Irans harassing activity within the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman is commensurate with an established pattern of behavior that has seen Iran target vessels as a result of ongoing disputes," maritime security firm Dryad Global said. The 5th Fleet said the Iranian seizure was at least the fifth commercial vessel taken by Tehran in the last two years. Iran's continued harassment of vessels and interference with navigational rights in regional waters are a threat to maritime security and the global economy, it added. U.S. Army Gen. Erik Kurilla, the top U.S. commander for the Middle East, said in a statement that the illegal seizure of the tanker was ""another in a continuing series of violations by Iran of the international rules-based order." The vessel's manager, a Turkish firm called Advantage Tankers, issued a statement acknowledging the Advantage Sweet was being escorted by the Iranian navy to a port on the basis of an international dispute. All the ship's 24 crew members are Indian. The safety and welfare of our valued crew members is our No. 1 priority, the firm said. Similar experiences show that crew members of vessels taken under such circumstances are in no danger. The ship's listed owner appeared to be a Chinese company. Manifest information from data firm Refinitiv showed the Advantage Sweet carried Kuwaiti crude oil for American energy firm Chevron Corp. of San Ramon, California. Chevron said it was aware of the situation. We are in contact with the vessel operator with the hope of resolving this situation as soon as possible, Chevron spokesperson Christine Dobbyn said in a statement. Thursday's seizure by Iran was the latest in a string of ship seizures and explosions to roil the region. The incidents began after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from Irans nuclear deal with world powers, which saw Tehran drastically limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Also, the U.S. Navy has blamed Iran for a series of limpet mine attacks on vessels that damaged tankers in 2019, as well as for a fatal drone attack on an Israeli-linked oil tanker that killed two European crew members in 2021. Tehran denies carrying out the attacks, but a wider shadow war between Iran and the West has played out in the regions volatile waters. Iranian tanker seizures have been a part of it since 2019. The last major seizure came when Iran took two Greek tankers in May and held them until November. In the wider Mideast, Iranian-backed militias in Syria have carried out attacks on U.S. forces, including one that killed a contractor in March. The U.S. responded with airstrikes. Meanwhile, talks over Irans tattered nuclear deal have been stalled for a year. Since the deals collapse, Iran runs advanced centrifuges and has a rapidly growing stockpile of enriched uranium. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has warned Iran has enriched enough up to 60% purity a short technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%. That would be sufficient for Iran to make several nuclear weapons if it chooses to do so. ___ Associated Press writer Robert Badendieck in Istanbul contributed to this report. ___ Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP. At around 9 p.m. last Wednesday night, the Russian company Concord, which is owned by magnate and Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, posted a message on the social network VKontakte. In the missive, Prigozhin said he felt it was necessary to inform everyone that there have been no employees of Wagner in Sudan for over two years. We have had no contact with either Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo or Abdel Fattah al-Burhan for a long time. Generals Dagalo and al-Burhan, military strongmen who led the coup to overthrow the transitional government in October 2021, are now commanding the two opposing sides engaged in a power struggle in Sudan. Prigozhin, who is also known as Putins chef due to his close relationship with the Russian president and his catering services provided through Concord, added that none of his companies has financial interests in the African country. However, EU and U.S. sanctions against the Wagner Group a Russian mercenary organization spread across Africa, the Middle East, and the frontlines of the Ukraine war contradict Prigozhin. Brussels and Washington state that Wagner maintains a presence in Sudan through front companies by which, among other interests, it exploits the Sudanese gold-mining industry. Prigozhins message was aimed at media outlets such as the BBC, The Washington Post and Jeune Afrique, who have raised questions about his relationship with Dagalo, the commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) who are battling al-Burhans Sudanese Armed Forces, as well as Wagners involvement in the gold industry, particularly through a company called Meroe Gold. The U.S. Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added Meroe to its sanctions list in July 2020 over its links to Prigozhin, whom Washington accuses of exploiting the countrys natural resources and discrediting pro-democracy protests. Meroe Gold is a subsidiary of M-Invest, Wagners front company in Sudan. A street in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, hit by ongoing fighting between the RSF and the Sudanese Army. Indonesian Embassy KBRI Khartoum (EFE) On February 25 of this year, the Official Journal of the European Union published a list of those sanctioned for their links to the Wagner Group, which Brussels accuses of human rights abuses in Africa. Among the people and companies cited was Meroe Gold, which is based in Khartoum, and M-Invest, headquartered in Saint Petersburg, the heart of Prigozhins businesses. The sanctions report stated: Meroe Gold is a cover entity for the Wagner Groups operations in Sudan. It is closely linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin. By being affiliated with the Sudanese military, the Wagner Group secured the exploiting and exporting of Sudanese gold to Russia. Moscow and Khartoum have traditionally maintained close relations, before, during and after the military coup that deposed Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. But it was in 2017, at the height of the revival of Russian interest in the African continent with Wagner setting up shop in countries including Mali and the Central African Republic that the first concessions for gold mining were signed. This industry, which accounts for around 70% of Sudanese exports with around 90 tons extracted per year, experiences significant problems of illegal bullion trafficking, making it one of Sudans main attractions for foreign interests. Russia also has plans to build a naval base in Port Sudan, on the Red Sea coast, a point of great strategic value with the Suez Canal to the north and the Gulf of Aden to the south. Most foreign military bases in the region, including those maintained by the U.S., France and the United Kingdom, are located in Djibouti, south of the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. The dictator al-Bashir gave the go-ahead for the Russian military complex, but his fall and the arrival of a transitional government put the construction of the base in Port Sudan under review. Nevertheless, following the military coup in 2021, signals toward Moscow have been positive. On February 23, 2022, a day before Russia invaded Ukraine, General Dagalo arrived in Moscow to discuss cooperation and security issues. The second-in-command of the military junta headed by al-Burhan whom journalistic investigations have linked to the Wagner Group stated that if it did not threaten the security of his country, he did not see any reason to prevent Russia from setting up a military base on the Red Sea. A year later, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov shook hands in Khartoum with General al-Burhan. There was agreement on the base, but there has been no official confirmation from the now-bankrupt junta of its construction. Sudan is playing carrot and stick over the base, says Roland Marchal, a veteran Sudan expert at the Paris-based Sciences Po Center for International Studies. When [al-Burhan] met Lavrov he said yes, but they cant be seen by the West to be maintaining that stance for fear that new sanctions will jeopardize the little they still receive. Despite Wagners seemingly clear role in both training the Sudanese Armed Forces and the exploitation of the countrys gold, Marchal says that Russias influence in the country is still marginal, compared to that of other countries such as Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, and that Moscows relationship with Khartoum does not affect the current confrontation to any great extent. Russia is pragmatic, the analyst points out, but its relations with the government will be more difficult from now on, whoever wins. Smuggled gold bars seized by RSF militias in Khartoum in May 2019. Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah (Reuters) EU sanctions and gold smuggling In the EU sanctions report, Meroe Gold is linked to two local companies: Al-Sawlaj for Mining and Aswar Multi Activities. Through the former, Wagner operates in the gold mines to avoid any foreign sanctions; the latter is a Sudanese security company used for the supply of arms and the transport of Russian personnel inside the country on military aircraft. According to an investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, Aswar received $100,000 a month from the Wagner Group, which also covered its taxes and the salaries of all its employees. While Prigozhin claims there have been no Wagner personnel on Sudanese territory for two years, the reality is contradictory. According to the specialized website Mining.com and local Sudanese media, at least 58 Al-Sawlaj employees have been investigated this year for smuggling between five and seven kilograms of gold out of the country. Of those employees, 36 are reportedly Russian nationals. The operation was carried out in Al-Sawlajs mines on the banks of the Nile. The investigation led to charges being brought against a Russian citizen, who was in charge of security at the mine. In July 2022, a CNN investigation in collaboration with the Dossier Center concluded that Sudanese gold was being smuggled out of the country via a Russian-led network. The report counted at least 16 Russian flights loaded with gold taking place over a period of 18 months. At the head of the operation was Alexander Sergeyevich Kuznetsov, a Wagner veteran who has been under EU sanctions since December 2021. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate LONDON (AP) An attorney for the publisher of The Sun tabloid used Prince Harry's own words Thursday to argue that his phone hacking lawsuit should be thrown out. Attorney Anthony Hudson said emails from the Duke of Sussex to the royal family's chief spokesperson indicated he was aware enough of allegations against the publisher that he could have brought a lawsuit in a timely manner. Harry first learned that one of his voicemails had been intercepted in 2006 and knew he had a claim to bring in 2012, Hudson said. But the prince only began pushing Buckingham Palace in late 2017 and early 2018 to pressure the British newspaper arm of Rupert Murdochs media empire to apologize for hacking his phone. There needs to be an ultimatum otherwise this institution and everything it stands for becomes a laughingstock, the Duke of Sussex emailed the chief spokesperson for the royal family in February 2018, according to court records. After a three day hearing in the High Court, Hudson asked a judge to throw out the hacking suits brought by Harry and actor Hugh Grant, arguing they had ample knowledge to file claims within a six-year time limit. It is utterly hopeless, unreal and fanciful to suggest they could not have embarked on the ... claims they have since brought, Hudson said. Justice Timothy Fancourt said he would rule at a later date. The suit is one of several Harry has brought in his battle against the British tabloid press, in litigation that risks further alienating him from his family by exposing palace secrets and amplifying grievances aired in his explosive memoir Spare. Court papers filed this week said Prince William, his brother, had allegedly received a huge sum of money in 2020 from Murdochs papers to go quietly to settle hacking allegations. Harry also said his father directed palace staff to order him to drop the lawsuit because it was bad for the family. Attorney David Sherborne argued that the prince and Grant were aware of hacking by a rogue reporter at the former News Of The World, which Murdoch owned, but didn't realize how widespread the interceptions were until a much bigger scandal erupted in 2011 that drove the paper out of business. The two were prevented from learning about snooping by The Sun, another Murdoch newspaper, because News Group Newspapers executives concealed evidence and lied, Sherborne said. He argued that the cover-up created an exception to the time limit for filing the lawsuit. Sherborne also argued that Harry was prevented from bringing a case because of a secret agreement the royal family had with Murdoch's company. The alleged agreement was intended to shield the royals from having to testify in court and be confronted with embarrassing evidence, Harry said. Harry said he was told he couldn't file suit because the agreement approved by the late Queen Elizabeth II called for News Group to reach a settlement and issue an apology to the royal family after settling its other litigation in the voicemail hacking scandal. Fancourt said he was troubled by what appeared to be a factual inconsistency between Harry's claim that he didn't have knowledge before 2019 to bring a lawsuit and the prince's saying that he would have brought a case in 2012 if not for the secret agreement. But Sherborne said he did not have enough knowledge in 2012 to bring the claim he eventually filed because he only knew about one instance of hacking. When it appeared News Group was stalling, Harry got fed up and filed suit against the company in 2019. News Group denied the existence of a secret agreement and said The Sun does not accept liability or make any admissions to the allegations. It had no comment on the alleged settlement with William. Buckingham Palace did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment on the alleged agreement or the settlement allegedly paid to William, who is the heir to the throne. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate GLEN CARBON Trustees unanimously rebuffed a developer Tuesday at a building and development committee meeting after he presented his company's concept plan for a 119-unit senior living apartment complex. The public comment section of the meeting began with warnings from Bill Davison, head of the Glen Carbon's planning and zoning commission, about developments like the proposed Clover Communities. "We have addressed similar requests in the past and for a number of reasons, up to this point, those have been denied," he said. According to Davison, senior-level housing needs to have a great number of amenities, such as the current ones in Glen Carbon like Meridian Village, Keystone and Eden Village. "We feel that in this area and having been around for a long time, that putting it in that particular spot, if there's even the remotest of possibilities for something like that to come up, it's something we need to be very cautious about," he said, referring to Clover's statements that they've never had to come back to a municipality and request a rezoning of a property. Davison said the parcel in question is zoned as low-density due to nearby subdivisions to the north and south. Village Administrator Jamie Bowden said he believes the property is within the village's boundaries but it has not been annexed, so it would need to be annexed for a rezoning. Company's vision Russell Caplin, development director with Clover Development, spoke next. He proposed erecting a three-story, 119-unit senior living apartment facility on almost 20 acres along Route 159. The target site is immediately south of the Fields Crossing subdivision and on the Glen Carbon-Maryville border. The buildings would be set back quite a distance from 159. By comparison, the village's comprehensive plan calls for a capacity of 79 single-family homes on the same site. Caplin said Clover is an owner/operator of age-restricted, multi-family communities located in western New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri. "If you have $3,000 to $4,000 a month to spend in your retirement, you're going to be able to go to a community where you have a wait staff at every meal and a high level of amenities and meal plans," he said. "If all you have is Social Security [income], there are other great places to live but what about retired schoolteachers? Folks on pensions? "There really hasn't been a good place for them to live in many communities. We create communities for those folks." The building would be 140,000 square feet and include a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments. Amenities would include modern kitchens with granite countertops, a breakfast bar, pantry and stainless-steel appliances. There would also be in-unit washers and dryers, walk-in showers, wall-to-wall carpeting in living rooms and bedrooms, laminate kitchen flooring, private patios or balconies. Shared amenities would include a community room, a large outdoor patio, a library, a fitness center, a hair salon, a family room, a game room and a coffee bar. There would also be assistance for residents who don't drive to get to the grocery store, doctors' offices, pharmacies and other errands. Parking slots would be available on three sides of the building, with a mix of 130 surface spaces and 40 garage spaces, which would be for rent separately for residents. There would be no on-site meal service; residents would need to shop and dine within the community. Caplin said his company tried to design this proposed development to minimize the impact to Fields Crossing, including ensuring that most of the units face south. "We think of ourselves as a pretty good neighbor; we pay full real estate taxes and we don't put any kids into the [local] schools and we put very few additional cars onto the road," Caplin said. Bowden mentioned the entrance to the site would need to be reviewed with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and may ultimately have to swing to the south. The existing private drive is not wide enough to be an ingress/egress for a facility like the one proposed and it would need to be separated from Fields Crossing's entrance. "We do also have the ability to join into [Fields Crossing] drive per an existing easement," Caplin said. Village leaders' concerns Trustees then weighed in on the plan. "Your neighbors to the immediate north and immediately north of that is another medical building," trustee Ben Maliszewski said. "They are all brick. Our ordinances [say] that we want construction to be similar to those all-brick structures. "I'm not in favor of vinyl-clad buildings that you have here. I would not want to move on anything until we see a different rendering of a structure made with brick," he added. "Another question I have is the location of the road," Maliszewski said. "There's a long driveway coming in from 159 that takes you to the complex. Is there a reason why it's so long?" Caplin said that is due to the local topography. "I would think that you would probably want a right-in/right-out in that area," the trustee said. "I hesitate in wanting to move forward with this for two reasons. I want to see more brick and something comparable to your neighbors to the north. I would have preferred that you had called IDOT already, that this is what IDOT wants you to do." Trustee Walter Harris said he is concerned about separation between Clover and Fields Crossing. Caplin said trees and fencing are the first ways to separate the two and he said putting garages on the north side is also an option. Trustee Victor Smith honed in on Caplin's phrase that Clover is a good neighbor. "With that in mind, I highly suggest you contact the homeowners' association of Fields Crossing because a couple of things about this are going to be problematic," he said. "When you speak of that easement and utilizing that entrance for Fields Crossing, that's going to be a no-go." Smith said the HOA for Fields will want an alternative to that. He added that the homes in Fields Crossing have a certain amount of space between them while Clover's proposal is much more dense. Smith also said the development plans lack storm water runoff considerations for the site. "I'd be really concerned as you have a row of parking spaces that are right up against those houses. I don't think fences and trees will be able to overcome without something more substantial there," Smith said. There was also a concern noted that headlights from cars parking at Clover would be seen through the fence and trees. He cautioned Caplin about the total number of units, which led him to again suggest Caplin meet with the Fields Crossing HOA. Trustees agreed to revisit the proposal at the next building and development committee meeting at the end of May because of two factors: The developer had not scheduled a meeting with the HOA and had not found out what traffic rules the IDOT would want for the site and access to 159. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON (AP) House Republicans narrowly passed sweeping legislation Wednesday that would raise the government's legal debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion in exchange for steep spending restrictions, a tactical victory for Speaker Kevin McCarthy as he challenges President Joe Biden to negotiate and prevent a catastrophic federal default this summer. Biden has threatened to veto the Republican package, which has almost no chance of passing the Democratic Senate anyway, and the president has so far refused to negotiate over the debt ceiling which the White House insists must be lifted with no strings to ensure America pays its bills. But McCarthys ability to swiftly unite his slim majority and bring the measure to passage over opposition from Democrats and even holdouts in his own party gives currency to the Republican speakers strategy to use the vote as an opening bid forcing Biden into talks. The two men could hardly be further apart on how to resolve the issue. The bill passed by a razor-thin 217-215 margin. We've done our job," McCarthy said at the U.S. Capitol after the vote. The president can no longer ignore by not negotiating, he said. Now he should sit down and negotiate." As the House debated the measure, Biden on Wednesday indicated he was willing to open the door to talks with McCarthy, but not on preventing a first-ever U.S. default that would shake America's economy and beyond. Happy to meet with McCarthy, but not on whether or not the debt limit gets extended, Biden said. Thats not negotiable. Passage of the sprawling 320-page package in the House is only the start of what is expected to become a weekslong political slog as the president and Congress try to work out a compromise that would allow the nation's debt, now at $31 trillion, to be lifted to allow further borrowing and stave off a fiscal crisis. The nation has never defaulted on its debt, and the House Republican majority hopes to maneuver Biden into a corner with its plan to roll back federal spending to fiscal 2022 levels and cap future spending increases at 1% over the next decade, among other changes. McCarthy worked nonstop to unite his fractious Republican majority, the five families including the conservative Freedom Caucus and others, making post-midnight changes in the House Rules Committee in the crush to win over holdouts. Facing a revolt from Midwestern Republicans over doing away with biofuel tax credits that were just signed into law last year by Democrat Biden, GOP House members relented and allowed the tax credits to stay on the books in their bill. Our delegation has stood united for Iowas farmers and producers fighting to amend the bill to protect biofuels tax credits," said the four House Republicans from Iowa in a joint statement announcing their support for the bill. Republicans also agreed to more quickly launch the bolstered work requirements for recipients of government aid, starting in 2024 as proposed by another holdout, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. who has led previous challenges to McCarthy and ultimately voted against the bill. Republicans hold a five-seat House majority and faced several absences this week, leaving McCarthy with almost no votes to spare. In the end the speaker lost four Republican no votes, and all Democrats opposed. This bill is unacceptable, it's unreasonable, its unworkable, its unconscionable and its un-American, said the Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Thats why we oppose it. Democrats derided the Republican plan as a ransom note," a shakedown and "an unserious bill" that was courting financial danger. But as McCarthy worked to shore up support, some of the most conservative rank-and-file Republican members who have never voted for a debt ceiling increase in their quest to slash spending said they were preparing to do just that, rallying behind the speaker's strategy to push Biden to the negotiating table. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., a member of the Freedom Caucus, said he wanted double the deficit savings contained in the bill but would vote for it because it starts the ball, it gets us in the arena to solve the debt problem. Its a first big test for the president and the Republican speaker, coming at a time of increased political anxiety about the ability of Washington to solve big problems amid the need to raise the federal debt limit in a matter of weeks. The Treasury Department is taking extraordinary measures to pay the bills, but funding is expected to run out this summer. Economists warn that even the serious threat of a federal debt default would send shockwaves through the economy. In exchange for raising the debt limit by $1.5 trillion into 2024, the bill would roll back overall federal spending and: Claw back unspent COVID-19 funds. Impose tougher work requirements for recipients of food stamps and other government aid. Halt Bidens plans to forgive up to $20,000 in student loans and End many of the landmark renewable energy tax breaks Biden signed into law last year. It would tack on a sweeping Republican bill to boost oil, gas and coal production. A nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office analysis estimated the Republican plan would reduce federal deficits by $4.8 trillion over the decade if the proposed changes were enacted into law. Several Republicans from the party's right wing, eager for even stricter spending cuts, said the bill was at least a starting point as they prepared to vote for McCarthy's strategy and bolster his hand in talks with Biden. Freshman Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., said, Its our obligation to get Speaker McCarthy to the table. Others though, remained noncommittal or flat-out no's. Rep. Andy Biggs, the former chairman of the Freedom Caucus who voted against the bill, said he had wanted Republicans to do more to end deficit spending. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., also a "no" vote, said of the nation's nearly $32 trillion in debt, thats my major concern." In the Senate, leaders were watching and waiting. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said House passage of the legislation would be a wasted effort and that McCarthy should come to the table with Democrats to pass a straightforward debt-limit bill without GOP priorities and avoid default. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who stepped aside to give McCarthy the lead, said the speaker has been able to unite the House Republicans. Now, he said, Biden and McCarthy must come to agreement. Otherwise, he said, Well be at a standoff. And we shouldnt do that to the country. In a statement late Wednesday, the White House press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said congressional Republicans must act immediately and without conditions to avoid default. ... That is their job." __ Associated Press writers Josh Boak, Mary Clare Jalonick and Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report. __ This story was first published on April 26, 2023. It was updated on April 27, 2023, to delete an erroneous reference to Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz as a member of the Freedom Caucus. Gaetz is not a member of the group. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate HELENA, Mont. (AP) Montana Republicans barred transgender lawmaker Zooey Zephyr from the House floor on Wednesday, wielding decorum rules after she rebuked colleagues supporting a ban on gender-affirming care for children and protested their efforts to silence her. The punishment marks the first time in nearly half a century that Montana lawmakers have sought such disciplinary action against one of their own. It caps a weeklong standoff between Zephyr and House Republican leaders and formalizes their decision to silence her for saying that those voting in favor of the ban would have blood on their hands. Zephyr will still be able to vote and participate in committees, but not discuss proposals and amendments under consideration in the full House. The legislative session is set to end in early May. The fight over Zephyr's remarks has brought the nationwide debate over protest's role in democracy to Montana, where lawmakers punished her for voicing dissent, an increasingly prevalent move in statehouses. Supporting Zephyr's attempts to regain her voice, protesters interrupted proceedings earlier this week by chanting Let her Speak in a boisterous rally that came after they protested outside the Capitol and unfurled a banner that read Democracy Dies Here. After days of rebuffing Zephyr's request to speak, Republican leaders finally granted her the floor to give a statement before they ultimately voted to discipline her Wednesday. She said her initial blood on your hands remark and subsequent decision to thrust a microphone into the air toward protesters in the House gallery were an effort to stand up for the LGBTQ+ community and her constituents in Missoula. House Speaker Matt Regier's decision to turn off her microphone, she said, was an attempt to drive a nail in the coffin of democracy." If you use decorum to silence people who hold you accountable, then all youre doing is using decorum as a tool of oppression, Zephyr told her colleagues. House Republicans who supported barring Zephyr from the floor have accused her of placing lawmakers and staff at risk of harm for disrupting House proceedings and inciting protests in the chamber on Monday. But lawmakers were on the floor Monday when protesters were in the gallery, and there have been no reports of damage to the building. Freedom in this body involves obedience to all the rules of this body, including the rules of decorum, House Majority Leader Sue Vinton said. Authorities arrested seven people in the confrontation, who Zephyr said were defending democracy. Her opponents said ensuring government can conduct business on behalf of the people without interruption was a critical precedent to set. This is an assault on our representative democracy, spirited debate, and the free expression of ideas cannot flourish in an atmosphere of turmoil and incivility, Republican David Bedey said on the House floor. The episode comes weeks after two Black lawmakers, Tennessee state Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, were expelled for participating in a protest in favor of gun control after another school shooting. Similarly, Zephyrs punishment has ignited a firestorm of debate about governance and who has a voice in an elected body during this politically polarizing time. Post-expulsion, the fate of the two Tennessee lawmakers were sent to their county commissions, which swiftly voted to reinstate them. Zephyr told The Associated Press after the vote that Republican leaders were likely aware that a similar sequence of events could be triggered, had they expelled her. My community and the Democratic Party in Missoula would send me back here in a heartbeat because I represent them and I represent their values by standing up for democracy, she said. In Missoula, the county Democratic Party Chair Andy Nelson said Zephyr's constituents and supporters were disheartened to see her disciplined. What it comes down to is the silencing of not just Rep. Zephyr, but the 11,000 people she serves, he said after the decision. The punishment comes two days after protesters later packed into the gallery at the Statehouse and brought House proceedings to a halt chanting Let her speak" as Zephyr lifted her microphone toward them. Seven subsequent arrests galvanized both her supporters and those saying Zephyr's actions constitute an unacceptable attack on civil discourse. The far-right Montana Freedom Caucus, which had pushed for Zephyr to be censured, said in a statement that her actions in support of the protesters were nothing more than an ego trip." The caucus again on Wednesday deliberately misgendered Zephyr by using incorrect pronouns when referring to her. There needs to be some consequences for what he has been doing, said Rep. Joe Read, a member of the caucus who frequently and inconsistently used incorrect pronouns for Zephyr. He claimed Zephyr gave a signal to her supporters just before Monday's session was disrupted. He declined to say what that was other than a strange movement. "When she gave the signal for protesters to go into action, I would say thats when decorum was incredibly broken, Read added. Zephyr told the AP that she felt the moment was calling on her to stand up for democracy. Every time that one of these votes came; every time the speaker refused to allow me to speak; when the protesters came and demanded, my thought was twofold," she said. "Pride in those who stood up to defend democracy and a hope that in some small way, I could rise to that moment individually and do the work they sent me to do. ___ Metz reported from Salt Lake and Brown reported from Billings, Montana. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate MADRID (AP) Spain's national weather service said temperatures would reach values typical of summer across most of the country, with a high of 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) forecast Thursday for the southern Guadalquivir Valley. As people sweltered in a country experiencing a severe drought, Spanish media reported that the Health Ministry would consider implementing a heat prevention plan two weeks early to help regions respond to the effects of the unseasonably warm weather. The State Meteorological Agency, which is known by the Spanish acronym AEMET, said temperatures were exceptionally high" for April because of a mass of very warm and dry air coming from North Africa. With a long weekend coming up, some people packed beaches along the coast. But residents who could not escape the heat in Spain's inland capital, Madrid, were less lucky. Loli Gutierrez, 70, said she was worried about what conditions would be like when summer actually comes. This is already unbearable. We are only in April. If this happening in April, how is it going to be June?" she said. Last year was Spain's hottest since record-keeping started in 1961, and also the country's sixth-driest despite the presence of weather phenomenon La Nina, which slightly dampened global average temperatures. Three years of scant rainfall and high temperatures put Spain officially into long-term drought last month. The Spanish government has requested emergency funds from the European Union to support farmers and ranchers in the country's agricultural heartlands, including the Guadalquivir Valley. The worlds biggest exporter of olive oil, Spain is also an important producer of fruits and vegetables for the European market. The drought has already driven up prices of Spanish olive oil to record levels. Currently, 27% of Spanish territory is classified as in a drought emergency or alert, according to the Ecological Transition Ministry, and water reserves are at 50% of capacity nationally. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Inforial (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, April 27, 2023 14:57 5 d5259e4d93052b0e76bee70b05568bf2 4 Inforial BP-Batam,infrastructure,economic-growth Free The city of Batam in Riau Islands recorded economic growth of 6.84 percent in 2022, an increase of 2.09 percent compared with the 2021 rate of 4.75 percent. With the latest figure, Batam's economic growth stood at its highest rate in the last five years, as well as being higher than the overall provincial economic growth of around 5.09 percent and the national rate of 5.31 percent. Chairman of Badan Pengusahaan Batam (BP Batam) Muhammad Rudi said that BP Batam's integrated and comprehensive planning was able to boost Batam's development targets and drive the regional economic sector. We hope that public infrastructure investment will have a positive impact on economic growth. With the direction of Batam's development policy that has been prepared [by BP Batam], we hope that this figure can continue to increase to 7 percent," he said. Meanwhile, other economic indicators also showed positive numbers. Batam's export value in 2022 reached US$15.56 billion, an increase of 29.29 percent compared with 2021. The largest export commodity of machinery/electrical equipment was valued at $7.24 billion, followed by mechanical aircraft maintenance machines at $1.52 billion. The Batams cumulative export value contributed 79.29 percent of the total cumulative exports of the Riau Islands, which were valued at $19.62 billion. The largest export volume and value by destination country is still dominated by Singapore, followed by the United States, China, Denmark and India. Meanwhile, total imports from January to December 2022 amounted to $13.3 billion, an increase of 20.25 percent from the previous year due to an increase in cumulative imports of industrial products. The Human Development Index (HDI) for Batam in 2022 was also the highest in the province, recorded at 81.67, while the Riau Islands HDI is 76.46. . (./.) "The development of Batam is organized in terms of land, sea and air transportation. Infrastructure is a priority, as we encourage it to provide multiple effects, such as opening the way for investment and employment, enabling various economic activities to grow, increasing connectivity and supporting the productivity of society and industry." Muhammad Rudi said. At the same time, Batam's strengthening economic conditions do not make him complacent, encouraging others at BP Batam to complete the 2023-2024 priority projects in accordance with the established budget plans. The infrastructure realization figure has continued to skyrocket from 2018 to 2022 with a rate of 45.28 percent. A total of 59 strategic infrastructure projects were completed by BP Batam in 2021, along with 32 regional strategic infrastructure projects completed in 2022. Furthermore, 17 infrastructure projects will continue in 2023 and 24 projects will be prepared in 2024, which are expected to continue to stimulate upstream and downstream economic activity. Investment realization figures also continued to rise. Based on data from the Investment Activity Report (LKPM), realization of foreign investment in 2022 increased by 48.5 percent with a total of 1,738 projects, and a total value of US$ 746.85 million. "Insyallah, our economy will strengthen. But we must be cautious. We continue to improve the infrastructure and programs to attract investment. Furthermore, it is our duty to all work hand in hand to keep Batam safe," Muhammad Rudi concluded. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Reuters Washington, United States Thu, April 27, 2023 10:35 5 003a0fdfeebb1025ab3702947b93540a 2 Companies Elon-Musk,tesla,Yoon-Suk-yeol,president,gigafactory,Indonesia,nickel,EV Free South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met with Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Wednesday in Washington to call for investment in his country, Yoon's office said. The two met at Musk's request as Yoon is in the US for a six-day state visit, said Choi Sang-mok,Yoon's senior economic secretary, according to a transcript of a news briefing Choi gave in Washington on Wednesday provided by Yoon's office. Yoon touted South Korea as an ideal country for Tesla to build a gigafactory, citing the country's cutting edge industrial robots and high-skilled workers, Choi said. "(President Yoon) also said he would actively support Tesla in terms of location, human resources and tax if it makes the investment decision," Choi told reporters. Musk told Yoon that South Korea remains as one of the top candidates for Tesla's Gigafactories, and he would have an opportunity to visit the Asian country, according to Choi. Tesla and Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In November, Yoon told Reuters that the country would offer "tailored" incentives and minimise any risks posed by unions to encourage Tesla's investment, days after he had a video call with Musk. In March this year, Musk announced Tesla will build a new factory in Mexico, which would be its first plant outside of the United States, Germany and China. Canada and Indonesia have also been cited as potential candidates for Tesla's new factory. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Felix Martua (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, April 27, 2023 08:51 5 003a0fdfeebb1025ab3702947b91cbf5 1 Lifestyle holiday-in-bali,Indonesian-tourists,tourism,banda-neira,bali,Maluku,holiday-spots,Tanjung-Puting-National-Park,likupang,beach,destination Free For anyone who wishes to have joyous memories, wider horizons and a better appreciation for nature and history, 2023 is the perfect time, especially after nearly three years of the excruciatingly restricting pandemic, to go all-out with their upcoming vacations. Considering several public holidays are already upon us, such as the five-day Idul Fitri break in late April, Ascension Day in May and the school vacation in June, there is no time like the present to start planning for your next detoxing excursion. However, in case popular vacation spots such as Bali, Lombok and Yogyakarta are too basic for your vacation-related thirst this year, here are a few of Indonesia's hidden gems, where you may experience the best and the most fruitful of times. In these places, Instagram-able views are just one of the many things you can take home at the end of the day. Remember, though, no matter where you are headed and where you come from, respecting the local culture and norms goes a long way. Likupang Beach, North Sulawesi Nusa Dua and Raja Ampat might be the vacation spots that cross the minds of most tourists when they consider spending their precious time off on a scenic, summery shore. However, Likupang Beach could be a tranquil destination for beachgoers in the mood for a more serene excursion. Notable for its natural beauty, white sands, green hills and meadows in the background, and the fact that it has yet to turn into a crowded resort area, Likupang Beach has progressively put its name on the country's tourism map. Located in North Minahasa regency in North Sulawesi province, the local government has proven its commitment to turning Likupang Beach into a flourishing holiday haven, initiatives include turning the beach into a special economic zone and encouraging sustainable tourism practices and a zero-waste lifestyle among the locals. The blue shores are not the only tropical sanctuary that Likupang has to offer. Minutes from the coast, tourists can enjoy the picturesque Pulisan Hill and savannah-like Larata Hill. For consummate food lovers, the culinary scene impresses with Likupang-specific delicacies such as lalampa, milu siram and binte biluhuta. Tanjung Puting National Park, Central Borneo Jungle book: Taman Puting National Park is located in West Kotawaringin regency in Central Kalimantan province. (Courtesy of Orangutan Foundation International) (Official website/Courtesy of Orangutan Foundation International) In the mood for a jungle adventure on your next leave of absence? Tanjung Puting National Park should be on the top of your list. Nestled comfortably in West Kotawaringin regency in Central Kalimantan, the national park boasts a different, awe-inspiring experience compared with other municipal parklands thanks to the abundance of vegetation along the park's Sekonyer River and orangutan conservatory. Moreover, Tanjung Puting National Park encompasses more than 3,000 square kilometers of world-renowned Borneo peat swamps, mangroves and coastal beach forests, lowland rain forests, tropical moist forests and secondary (regenerated) forests. The Orangutan Foundation, in particular, runs the park's facility called Pondok Ambung Tropical Forest Research Station, which supports local and international researchers in studying the diversity of flora and fauna nurtured by the foundation, including orangutans. Besides the latter, Tanjung Puting National Park is also a home for rare mammals such as gibbons and sambar deer and insects such as Bornean butterflies. Moreover, local tour companies around the park offer day trips for tourists to venture across the Sekonyer River and visit the park's facilities and other research stations. Lasem, Central Java Move over, Kota Tua Jakarta; it is time for Lasem to become the country's heritage town that enters everyone's radar, particularly the history buffs and the xenophiles. The subdistrict, situated in the Rembang regency of Central Java province, has grown in popularity for its unique, blended Chinese and Javanese culture and historical values. Arguably one of the very first regions in Indonesia where the early Chinese immigrants stepped foot in Java in the 14th century, Lasem (formerly known as Lao Sam or "" in Hokkien Chinese) is the town where many Chinese merchants set up shop after Admiral Cheng Ho visited Java to establish a bilateral partnership with the Majapahit Empire. Besides the ancient Chinese architecture that remains intact across the town's neighborhood, Lasem is also known as a batik center predominantly concentrated in the town's Kampung Batik Karangturi. The city is also known for its religious attractions, such as the Jami Lasem Mosque, which has stood the test of time since 1588. The mosque is also regarded as proof of the first Islamic ministration on the northern shores of Java, dating back to the 16th century. For tourists who are looking for a more provocative side of the town's history, a former opium house called Lawang Ombo, which is also known as one of the oldest residences in Lasem, is not to be missed. Banda Neira, Maluku Islands Known by the locals as "A Piece of Eastern Paradise," Banda Neira is precisely that. Dazzling as the home of nutmegs, it has mirror-like waters that are crystal clear, so much so that one can observe the marine life underneath with the naked eye. No wonder the island was once fought over by European adventurers in the early age of colonialism. The island has no shortage of cultural, historical or even political appeal; Banda Neira was made famous as the island where some of the country's most storied icons, such as Mohammad Hatta and Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo were once exiled by the Dutch in the early 20th century. Banda Neira offers almost every attraction to tourists, pilgrims and globetrotters. The island's Lava Flow will astonish even the most experienced divers and snorkelers with its ethereal, oceanic biota. Fort Belgica should enthrall history buffs as they take in the still-standing remains of the 17th century and learn about the ferocious battles between the Dutch and local people. Pilgrims are very much encouraged to pay their respects to their ancestors at the Parigi Ranti Monument, built to honor the lives of the many people of the area who fell victim to massacres by the Dutch. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, April 27, 2023 17:11 5 d5259e4d93052b0e76bee70b0556e95a 1 Politics Indonesia,megawati-soekarnoputri,Jokowi,Ganjar-Pranowo,politics,coalition,first-lady Free President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo held a meeting on Thursday with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri, the first encounter since the two politicians made a joint appearance last week to announce the party's endorsement of Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo as the partys presidential candidate in 2024. Jokowi was joined by First Lady Iriana during a meeting held at Megawati's private residence on Jl. Teuku Umar, Central Jakarta. PDI-P secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto said that although the meeting was primarily designed as a get-together to celebrate the Idul Fitri holiday, the President and Megawati did discuss issues related to politics. "The meeting was cordial and both talked about political dynamics in the wake of our announcement of Ganjar Pranowo's candidacy. Everybody looked happy," Hasto said in a statement released in the wake of the meeting. Hasto said that the meeting lasted for an hour. Last week, the PDI-P finally gave its endorsement for Ganjar as its candidate in the 2024 presidential election. Ganjar, governor of one of the most populous provinces in the country, is up against former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan and Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto, in what is expected to be a hotly contested race. The announcement was made at a livestreamed event by Megawati and it ended months of political uncertainty after some key government officials suggested President Jokowi should extend his tenure beyond the two terms allowed by the constitution. Opinion articles written in the style of their author. These texts are to be based on verified facts and must be respectful towards people, even though their actions may be criticized. All opinion articles written by individuals from outside the staff of EL PAIS shall feature, along with the authors name (regardless of their greater or lesser renown), a footer stating their office, academic title, political affiliation (if any) and main occupation, or the occupation related to the topic being assessed Juan Guaido's surprise stopover in Bogota (Colombia) again exposed the Venezuelan oppositions worst shortcoming: a complete ignorance of the history and current affairs of Venezuela and Colombia. Guaido's decision to insert himself in Colombian President Gustavo Petros international conference to seek democratic solutions to the Venezuelan schism was enthusiastically applauded on social media. He arrived uninvited and elbowed his way into the spotlight, just like Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, back in 2016 when she was Foreign Minister. Rodriguez was conspicuously left off the guest list for an important MERCOSUR (a South American trade block) meeting. She crashed the party anyway, but found an empty ballroom waiting for her. Petro had proposed the meeting of 20 country representatives as a symposium for opposition and pro-Maduro leaders to get the Mexico talks back on track. Easier said than done, of course. Now that the respective roles of Venezuelas government and opposition in the Petro conference are clear, perhaps we will have a productive forum that truly transcends the suspicions and misgivings that have resulted in so many fruitless meetings of friendly countries, like the Lima gabfest and the very permanent council established by the Organization of American States (OAS). If only because all the governments represented at the Bogota conference are legitimate and there are no interim governments that feed every year on handouts from the US Agency for International Development and other usurper regimes. The guest list looks balanced the opposition and Maduro both have very reliable friends in that deck of cards. The Petro initiative undoubtedly has traction and perhaps it will succeed in freeing the talks from the Mexican quagmire. But I suspect that Maduro would have preferred not to have such a conference. In short, the first meeting yielded substantive agreements in record time and the participating countries have agreed to convene again. God willing, it will happen soon. The crux of these agreements is that the timetable for truly free, above-board elections will run in parallel with the lifting of sanctions. Implicit in the agreements is the need for a general amnesty, restitution of universal political rights, and $3 billion in humanitarian aid for the suffering Venezuelans. Everyone agreed on Mexico as the venue for the next meeting, which will be refereed by Norway, a friendly supporter whose exhortations have often been ignored. The Venezuelan lead actors will be surrounded by a reasonably balanced supporting cast of countries. Most importantly, Colombia will remain as host. As Venezuelas next-door neighbor, it suffers the greatest impacts of the ongoing crisis and is highly motivated to get the job done. But no one has a crystal ball to tell us whether the relaunched talks will succeed. Surely some Venezuelans hope the Petro initiative will fail, but perhaps only those with long-held grudges tracing back to the 1829 assassination of Jose Maria Cordova, who rebelled against General Simon Bolivar. There are more than a few, to be sure, but they do not represent most Venezuelans today. They are the Guaido-Trumpers, the faction that Juan Guaido shamelessly panders to as Leopoldo Lopezs surrogate. Is there anyone else in the Venezuelan opposition with the same propensity for the mendacious, the egomaniacal, and the colorful as the media-friendly, exiled Lopez? Whatever you may think about Petro, does Leopoldo Lopez really believe that someone with Petros background will take orders from Nicolas Maduro? With a vengeful Lopez cheering him on from the sidelines and untrustworthy social media flatterers applauding every move, Juan Guaido insists on walking this precarious tightrope without realizing that his own frivolous behavior has ended his public career before the age of 40. I must ask the irate Venezuelan exiles in Miami and Madrid to ponder one last question: the repertoire of Billos Caracas Boys is virtually indistiguishable from the music of beloved Colombian bandleader Pacho Galan. Why is that? I do not find it plausible that Gustavo Petro has convened this conference to appease anyone or whitewash the Venezuelan dictatorship. Colombia, my friends, is our other half. Its in all of our interests on both sides of the Tachira River that the Bogota initiative goes ahead. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan Thu, April 27, 2023 07:59 5 d5259e4d93052b0e76bee70b05560e48 1 Archipelago North-Sumatra,police,assault,crime Free The North Sumatra Police have arrested officer Adj. Sr. Comr. Achirudin Hasibuan for failing to intervene to stop his son from assaulting a university student in December. Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Hadi Wahyudi said Achirudin was also relieved of his duty as chief of operations at the provincial police drug crimes directorate. Achirudin Hasibuan was found guilty of violating the ethics code for allowing his son to conduct criminal action, Hadi told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. Achirudins 19-year-old son, Aditya Hasibuan, has been charged with assault under Article 351 of the Criminal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Aditya allegedly assaulted a 19-year-old university student on Dec. 21, 2022, and damaged his car. The next day, the victim went to Adityas house in Medan to demand compensation, but Aditya allegedly assaulted him again, in front of his father. The perpetrator's parent was at the location, but instead of intervening, he did nothing as the perpetrator assaulted the victim, said North Sumatra Police chief of criminal investigations Sr. Comr. Sumaryono. Both the victim and Aditya filed police reports against each other following the incident. A video of the alleged assault has been circulating on social media, gaining attention because of its similarity to an alleged assault by Mario Dandy Satrio against the teenage son of a member of GP Ansor, the youth wing of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the nations largest grassroots Muslim organization, which was also recorded and made the national headlines. Marios alleged assault brought public attention to his familys lavish lifestyle, including his possession of a Jeep Rubicon and Harley Davidson motorcycle. Earlier this month, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) named Marios father, former mid-ranking tax collector Rafael Alun Trisambodo, a suspect on charges of taking bribes from taxpayers for the past 12 years. (dre) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nina A. Loasana and Dio Suhenda (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, April 27, 2023 10:04 5 5fceed71997e5776a1634d25dc5856e7 1 Society mudik,traffic-law-enforcement,policy,intervention Free Authorities are claiming early success in managing this years record-breaking Idul Fitri travel season, buoyed by reduced congestion during the expected peak of traffic counterflows on Monday and Tuesday, which marked the end of the state-mandated holiday period. This years Idul Fitri mudik (exodus) was the first since the beginning of the pandemic to be free of COVID-19 travel restrictions. As many Indonesians partaking in the tradition traveled by motor vehicle, the government has sought to ensure that the return leg does not entail the miles of gridlock that have elicited road rage, exhaustion and deadly traffic accidents in the past. Earlier this week, President Joko Jokowi Widodo released a video statement urging citizens to avoid making their return trips during the expected traffic peak. He asked non-essential workers in both the public and private sectors to extend their holidays until after Wednesday, when possible. As a result, millions of people are taking more time in their hometowns, while other holidaymakers are using the opportunity to visit tourist destinations in and around the nations capital. National Police Chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo suggested that the Presidents call had helped mitigate congestion. The governments request to the public has had quite the impact on traffic. Based on our calculations, we saw a 13 percent decrease in the number of vehicles on Tuesday compared to the same period last year, Listyo said, as quoted by Kompas.com. Previously, the Transportation Ministry had estimated that some 203,000 vehicles would head back to Jakarta each day beginning on Monday, a day before the Idul Fitri mandatory collective leave ended. The country already posted a record-breaking number of homebound travelers this year, with 163,829 vehicles leaving Greater Jakarta at the peak of outgoing mudik flows on April 19, which state-owned toll road operator PT Jasa Marga said was nearly a 21 percent increase from last year. The government had estimated that 123 million Indonesians would take part in mudik this year, with some 27 million expected to travel by car. But Jasa Marga head of corporate communications Lisye Octaviana said that as of Tuesday, only around 175,000 homebound vehicles had returned to Greater Jakarta, roughly 18 percent of the total 984,000 vehicles traveling eastward from the capital during the exodus. On top of that, as of Tuesday, more than 130,000 mudik travelers had arrived in Greater Jakarta by ferry from Sumatra; roughly 80,000 people had returned by train; and some 153,500 had arrived by plane via Soekarno-Hatta international airport. Aside from the decrease in gridlock, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said the number of traffic accidents during the mudik period had dropped significantly this year. [Accidents] dropped by around 39 percent compared to last year, from 3,573 incidents to 2,117, Budi said on Monday. The number of deaths also fell by 33 percent, from 2,999 to 2,013, the minister added. Meanwhile, the police have estimated that the average time mudik participants have spent traveling this year has fallen by 18 to 30 minutes from last year. In 2022, the average mudik journey took 7 hours, but the figure had dropped to 6 hours and 47 minutes as of Tuesday. Listyo expressed hope that the lower volumes of return traffic would persist over the coming days and that traffic would be evenly distributed. I hope we wont have to see any severe traffic gridlock during the return flow period, he said on Tuesday. Successful intervention The Idul Fitri holiday period officially ended on Tuesday, with most businesses resuming operations on Wednesday. But given the large number of vehicles yet to return to Greater Jakarta and the early successes of government intervention, authorities are rolling out still more policies to counter traffic congestion. Jasa Marga has announced a 20 percent discount on toll fees along the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road, one of the main thoroughfares connecting Jakarta to neighboring regions to the east, from Thursday to Saturday. It has also designated two additional return lanes during the period. Authorities have also enacted an odd-even license plate policy and one-way traffic corridors on the Trans-Java toll road through to Monday. Meanwhile, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD, who is temporarily stepping in as administrative and bureaucratic reform minister, has barred government officials from holding halal-bihalal (post-Idul Fitri gatherings) until at least Tuesday to allow civil servants to extend their holidays. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Hou Yanqi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, April 28, 2023 06:03 4 5fceed71997e5776a1634d25dc5945ee 3 Academia China,ASEAN,agriculture,cooperation,RCEP,rice,food,digital,summit,farmer Free On April 25, the opening ceremony of the ASEAN-China Year of Agricultural Development and Food Security Cooperation was held in Beijing. The event is a concrete measure to implement the important consensus reached by President Xi Jinping and leaders of ASEAN countries at the special summit to commemorate the 30th anniversary of China-ASEAN dialogue relations and to build a peaceful, safe, secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable home together. It is by no means arbitrary to choose agricultural development and food security as the theme of this years China-ASEAN cooperation. The combined population of China and ASEAN countries exceeds 2 billion, accounting for about a quarter of the worlds total population. Agriculture is the backbone industry of China and most ASEAN countries, and the main source of income for hundreds of millions of ordinary people. Agricultural development and food security are not only related to the stability and prosperity of the country, but also to the well-being of every family and every person. However, agricultural development and food security have never been more severely tested than today. Devastating effects can easily be caused by extreme weather, regional conflicts, the COVID-19 pandemic, etc. at any time. The latest Food Price Index published by the Food and Agriculture Organization was still at a high level of 126.9. Against this backdrop, it is undoubtedly of strong relevance for China and ASEAN to strengthen cooperation on agricultural development and food security to jointly address the challenges. In fact, China and ASEAN have always attached importance to agricultural cooperation. Over the past 30-plus years, the two sides have signed more than 40 agricultural cooperation agreements and established eight agricultural-cooperation mechanisms. ASEAN has become Chinas number-one agricultural trade partner and the most important agricultural investment destination. Moreover, China and ASEAN countries have jointly implemented more than 300 agricultural technology cooperation projects covering a wide range of fields such as crop cultivation, animal disease prevention and control and standardized production of fruits and vegetables. On this basis, we hope through the series of activities that will be held during the ASEAN-China Year of Agricultural Development and Food Security Cooperation cooperation between the two sides can be advanced to a higher level. We will work together to ensure regional food security, strengthen policy communication and coordination, explore agricultural development paths that suit our own characteristics and enhance the resilience of agriculture and food security. In the next five years, China will continue to financially contribute to the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve to provide rice to ASEAN countries and carry out supporting activities, in order to improve the food security guarantee system in the region. We will jointly promote the green and digital transformation of agriculture; promote greater synergy between the Action Plan on China-ASEAN Green Agriculture and the ASEAN Guidelines on Sustainable Agriculture; deepen cooperation in digital agriculture, smart agriculture, etc.; and collaborate on green agricultural research and innovation, in order to enhance the green, circular and sustainable development of agriculture in the region. We will work together to expand trade in agricultural products. China is actively implementing President Xis solemn commitment that China will import US$150 billion worth of agricultural products from ASEAN in the next five years. In 2022, US$36.98 billion worth of agricultural products were imported from ASEAN to China, accounting for 15.7 percent of Chinas total agricultural imports over the same period. With the full implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) and the steady advancement of negotiations on a new round of upgrade of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, the above-mentioned commitment will surely be achieved at an early date, benefiting more farmers in ASEAN countries. Hopefully, China-ASEAN agricultural cooperation could embrace new opportunities, helping create a new life of abundance and prosperity for every farmer who works hard to achieve their dreams. *** The writer is Chinese Ambassador to ASEAN. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Topics : China ASEAN agriculture cooperation RCEP rice food digital summit farmer Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Editorial board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, April 28, 2023 03:59 4 5fceed71997e5776a1634d25dc593b37 1 Editorial Papua,TNI,hostage,release,operation,violence,atrocity,fatalities,transparency,separatists Free Misinformation is rampant in this digital era, but the lack of transparency on the part of the government regarding the ongoing attempts to rescue a New Zealand pilot who was abducted by Papuan separatist rebels almost three months ago is equally disturbing. Worse, it could send the wrong message that it has deliberately misled the public, the taxpayers who will demand accountability of every rupiah spent on the operation to release the foreigner. First of all, the Indonesian Military (TNI) played down any use of force and instead supported negotiations to bring Phillip Mehrtens back home safely. The reality is military troops deployed for the joint operation in Papua called the Peaceful Cartenz, which replaced the Nemangkawi Operation last year, have been combing the jungles in the hilly Papuan regency of Nduga to hunt down members of the West Papuan Liberation Army (TPNPB) and locate Mehrtens. The hostage-taking took place on Feb. 7 in Paro airport in Nduga after the TPNPB guerillas burned the Susi Air aircraft Mehrtens piloted. All passengers on board were let go unharmed. In the latest video released on Monday by Mehrtens captors, the pilot said he was alive and healthy and called on the Indonesian authorities to stop the airstrikes. The New Zealander said Indonesia had dropped bombs in the area where he was being held, putting him and other peoples lives at risk. The TNI denied on Thursday that they had used bombs, saying the report was part of the separatist groups propaganda to discredit Indonesia. In 2021, the London-based Conflict Armament Research told Reuters the purchase of thousands of mortar bombs from Serbia by the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) for use in Papua. A local reverend told Reuters he bore witness to bomb attacks by drones on several Papuan villages in October of that year, but BIN flatly denied such allegations. Notwithstanding the accusations, the militarys hostage release mission is underway and looks set to intensify, following a firefight in the Mugi-Mam area in Nduga on Saturday. TNI chief Adm. Yudo Margono raised on Monday the status of the military operation to ground combat ready, which equals the alertness level of naval forces protecting the illegal fishing-prone waters of the North Natuna Sea. Yudo confirmed the fatality of a TNI soldier in an April 22 skirmish, the fifth personnel killed in restive Papua this year alone. The TPNPB, however, claimed to have shot dead a dozen of the 36-strong squadron in the exchange of fire in Mugi-Mam. Despite the series of attacks, Yudo has promised not to deploy reinforcement troops to deal with hostage takers. But due to the difficulties facing the domestic and international media in accessing information on the ground in Papua, the outside world can hardly verify how things develop in the efforts to release Mehrtens, and on the restoration of peace and order in the strife-torn territory in general. The public has, for example, remained in the dark about how many military and police troops are in place in Papua. With the formation of new provinces in Papua recently, it should make sense for the TNI and the National Police to fly in more personnel. The reinforcements do not take into account ad hoc operations like the Peaceful Cartenz, border patrols and, if any, covert operations. The government, too, has remained silent about the progress of negotiations conducted by local figures and religious leaders to persuade the TPNPB to set Mehrtens free. The continuing military operations only signal the dialogue is stalled. But given the fact that the cycle of violence has inflicted nagging wounds to the Papuans, not to mention the injustice resulting from impunity for perpetrators of atrocities, dialogue should be the only choice to pursue. Instead of readiness to combat, Jakarta only needs the willingness to start a dialogue. A devastating tsunami accelerated peace talks in Aceh in 2005. The human casualties in Papua are already too many to trigger a dialogue for peace restorations in Papua. Topics : Papua TNI hostage release operation violence atrocity fatalities transparency separatists Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Joanne Lin Singapore Fri, April 28, 2023 05:24 4 003a0fdfeebb1025ab3702947ba09464 2 Academia ASEAN,rivalry,US,China,Indo-Pacific,Quad,East-Asia-Summit,Nuclear,Ukraine Free When Indonesia took over the ASEAN chairmanship this year, President Joko Jokowi Widodo highlighted the importance of ASEAN as an anchor for global stability and cautioned against the grouping being used as a proxy to any powers. He emphasized that ASEAN should not let current geopolitical dynamics turn into a new cold war in our region. As Indonesia hosts the first ASEAN Summit of the year next month, it will be reminded once again that its success as the ASEAN chair will be determined by how it manages strategic competition in the region and the challenges within the grouping such as Myanmar. Much as the region is increasingly viewed as an arena of major power competition as noted in the State of Southeast Asia 2023 Survey Report, ASEAN is not without its options. In responding to the intensifying United States-China rivalry, the report has shown that the region favors the option of enhancing ASEANs resilience and unity to fend off pressure from the two major powers (45.5 percent of respondents). A smaller proportion of respondents felt that ASEAN should continue its position of not siding with the two major powers (30.5 percent) or seek out third parties (such as the European Union, Japan, India, Australia, or the United Kingdom) to broaden its strategic space and options (18.1 percent). Such findings seem to indicate that Southeast Asian respondents desire ASEAN to exercise its agency and play a greater role in the region. ASEAN in itself may present an alternative course of action to avoid a binary choice. This goes beyond ASEANs de facto position as a bridge or geostrategic buffer between US, China, and other major powers. ASEAN can have greater agency beyond being a link or convenor of meetings. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong in a national press club session in Canberra earlier this week underscored that middle powers like Australia and Southeast Asia have agency to create a peaceful region. That means that ASEAN in and of itself may strive to be a power to hedge against the major power rivalries and competition, ensuring that the regions trajectory lies more in its own actions, rather than those of major powers. For that to happen, ASEAN will need to capitalize on its own initiatives or actions to strengthen the grouping and its relations with external partners based on their individual merits and issues rather than through the lenses of major power rivalry. Despite a myriad of national interests and varying degrees of alignment among its member states, ASEAN as an organization has stayed clear of ideology-driven decision-making and extreme positions. It should continue to forge a cooperative regional order built on a culture of pragmatism and accommodation as observed by Kishore Mahbubani. ASEAN can focus on three key aspects to boost its relevance amidst competition and rivalries. First, ASEAN should continue to promote its multilateral instruments such as the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) to highlight the importance of universal principles such as the renunciation of the use of force and the settlement of disputes by peaceful means principles that are eroding following Russias invasion of Ukraine and Chinas increasing military pressures in the Taiwan Strait. Ukraines accession to the TAC last November boosted ASEANs image as a promoter of peace and will encourage more parties to accede to the treaty. Similarly, the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty reflects ASEANs commitment to preserving Southeast Asia as a region free of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. ASEAN is encouraging the five official nuclear weapon states (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the US) to sign the protocol to the treaty to provide legally-binding security assurances not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against ASEAN members. This may prove to be challenging considering the growing nuclear threats. However, China has indicated its willingness to sign the treaty and may set an example for others to follow. Second, ASEAN should make greater use of its premier leaders-led mechanism such as the East Asia Summit (EAS) to promote more constructive dialogue and practical cooperation in emerging issues such as food and energy security. ASEANs stronger leadership role in the EAS will help manage the divide between major powers including China, Russia and the US. ASEAN-led trade mechanisms such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) may also be utilized to promote greater interconnections between major powers and ASEAN countries. Encouraging more external parties to join the agreement will strengthen the multilateral trading system and foster more networks that will be hard to decouple. Third, ASEAN should support Indonesia more in implementing the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP). While most Indo-Pacific strategies (including the Quad countries) are aimed at countering China, the AOIP promotes inclusive cooperation and enjoys the support of China and Russia. Indonesias plan to organize the Indo-Pacific Forum in September this year will help identify concrete projects and activities among ASEANs partners in maritime security, connectivity, sustainable development, and economic cooperation. As Indonesia is almost reaching its halfway point in its chairmanship, it is running out of time to achieve its long list of priorities. This includes strengthening ASEANs capacity and institutional effectiveness in addressing the growing global challenges as well as positioning ASEAN to play a leading role in the region. The next few months will tell if Indonesias ideas and leadership are sufficient to revitalize ASEAN and bring it to the next level. *** The writer is co-coordinator of the ASEAN Studies Centre at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore and lead researcher (political-security) at the center Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Geza Molnar and Clement Melki (Agence France-Presse) (The Jakarta Post) Budapest Fri, April 28 2023 As Pope Francis gears up to visit Hungary for the second time in less than two years on Friday, he is being awaited by the country's Catholics and its nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Yet, the self-styled "defender of Christian Europe" has frequently diverged from the pope's messages on topics from migration to LGBTQ rights in a bid to reintroduce religion in the largely secular nation while trumpeting his political agenda. "Such indoctrination has little to do with true Christianity," theology professor Rita Perintfalvi of the Austrian University of Graz told AFP. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nina A. Loasana (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, April 28 2023 The government has claimed the omnibus bill on health could better protect doctors, but Ombudsman Indonesia warned that the proposed legislation left a lot to be desired in terms of protecting patients against medical malpractice. The bill seeks to bring in sweeping changes to the health sector by supplanting 10 existing laws, including the 2004 Medical Practice Law, the 2009 Health Law, the 2009 Hospitals Law and the 2014 Health Workers Law. The bill has been met with mixed review from medical associations since the start of the deliberation at the House of Representatives early this month, with the All-Indonesia Doctors Association (PDSI) and the Village Midwives Forum (Forbides) among a dozen of proponents of the bill. Some other more prominent medical associations, such as the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI), have strongly opposed the bill that they fear could criminalize health workers and undermine the role of medical associations. Responding to criticism, Health Ministry spokesperson Mohammad Syahril claimed that compared to prevailing laws, the bill could provide better legal protection for doctors and other medical professionals. "The existing laws do not provide a maximum protection for doctors, nurses, midwives and other health workers, so we've proposed [to lawmakers] to add [more provisions regarding health workers protection] to the bill," Syahril said in a statement on Monday. "It's untrue that the bill removes legal protection for health workers, the bill will increase it instead." Read also: Minister Budi fires back at omnibus health bill critics The governments proposal allows the use of out-of-court settlements to resolve disputes between patients and medical professionals. Under the proposed provisions, medical workers can also refuse to provide treatment to abusive patients and deny patients requests for treatment if they are against the law or medical ethics. Medical workers are also entitled to a safe and healthy working environment and protection from attacks when doing their jobs. The bill itself, according to Syahril, already upholds several key provisions of the existing laws aimed at protecting healthcare professionals from criminal and civil liabilities in certain cases. This includes provisions that legalize abortion for victims of sexual violence and the ones that make hospital fully responsible for all losses due to medical negligence. Compensation for patients The Indonesian Ombudsman pointed out that the bill still fell short in ensuring that victims of medical malpractice are compensated for their injuries and losses, saying that the provision on compensation was too vague. Ombudsman head Mokhammad Najih said when medical malpractice occurred victims were often at a loss on how or where they could go to ask for compensation. Read also: Fears health bill could undermine BPJS Kesehatan "In the event of malpractice, the sanction [given by the MKDKI always stops at disciplinary actions and does not include compensation payment for victims," Najih said in a recent press briefing. He was referring to the Indonesian Medical Disciplinary Council, where patients may report an alleged malpractice and doctors may face disciplinary sanctions ranging from a warning to a temporary suspension of their medical licenses if found guilty. The Ombudsman suggested that the provision in the bill that grants patients "the right to pursue a claim" for compensation for damages from medical malpractice be changed into that patients are "entitled to compensation" for such a malpractice. Another red flag While the Ombudsman is concerned about compensation, a medical legal expert from Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University flagged other shortcomings of the bill in protecting patients against medical malpractice, including the fact that the government is proposing lawmakers to scrap a provision that regulates lawsuits and criminal prosecutions. The proposed removal of the provision is "another setback for patients' rights", said Rimawati, a medical legal expert from Gadjah Mada University. The provision in question is adopted from the 2004 law on medical practice. It says that patients can either file civil lawsuits against medical practitioners for alleged malpractice even if they have received disciplinary sanctions from the MKDKI or report the alleged culprit to the police in a criminal case. In 2015, doctors challenged the 2004 provision with the Constitutional Court but they lost the case. It's crucial that the government as a regulator can protect medical workers from overcriminalization but also ensure patients are well protected against damages from malpractice," Rimawati told The Jakarta Post recently. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dan Peleschuk and Ethan Wang (Reuters) (The Jakarta Post) Kyiv/Beijing Fri, April 28 2023 Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke to Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday for the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, fulfilling a longstanding goal of Kyiv which had publicly sought such talks for months. Zelensky, describing the hour-long phone call as "long and meaningful", signaled the importance of the chance to open closer relations with Russia's most powerful friend, naming a former cabinet minister as Ukraine's new ambassador to Beijing. Xi told Zelensky that China would send special representatives to Ukraine and hold talks with all parties seeking peace, Chinese state media reported. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin AFP Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea Thu, April 27, 2023 10:06 5 5fceed71997e5776a1634d25dc5862f1 2 Asia and Pacific Joe-Biden,US,geopolitics,Papua-New-Guinea,Australia,China,diplomacy Free Joe Biden is set to become the first sitting US president in at least a century to visit Papua New Guinea, Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko said Thursday, revealing plans for a brief but symbolic trip. Biden plans to stop in Port Moresby in May as he travels between a G7 summit in Japan and a Quad summit in Sydney, Australia, the foreign minister said. "He is coming on the 22nd, in the morning, and will be here for three hours only," Tkatchenko said, adding that talks were expected to focus on the economy, security and climate change. The presidential trip is a nod to Papua New Guinea's rapidly growing strategic importance, as the United States and its allies tussle with China for influence across the Asia-Pacific. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Port Moresby in 2018 to much fanfare, with Chinese flags hoisted across the capital and his motorcade whizzing past gathered crowds. The trip was seen as a major diplomatic coup for Beijing. US and Australian officials have been concerned by a rapid uptick in Chinese investment in the resource-rich Melanesian nation. There have also been concerns that China has been trying to establish a military outpost, prompting Washington to float the idea of establishing a joint naval facility on Manus Island. A series of US secretaries of state have visited in the past, including Hillary Clinton and then US vice president Mike Pence in 2018, who stepped in when president Donald Trump cancelled his attendance at a regional summit. According to State Department records, which date back to Theodore Roosevelt's administration in 1901, no sitting US president has visited Papua New Guinea. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin AFP Beijing, China Thu, April 27, 2023 13:10 5 003a0fdfeebb1025ab3702947b9520b0 2 Middle East and Africa democracy,China,Sudan,evacuation,Navy,conflict,Africa Free China has deployed its navy to rescue citizens from conflict-hit Sudan, the defence ministry in Beijing said on Thursday. Multiple nations have scrambled to evacuate embassy staff and citizens by road, air and sea from Sudan, where fighting between the army and paramilitaries has killed hundreds and led to acute shortages of water, food, medicines and fuel. Rescue operations intensified in recent days as a 72-hour ceasefire took effect on Tuesday. But some fighting was reported around the country on Wednesday, with witnesses describing "heavy air strikes" east of the capital, Khartoum. "Recently, the security situation in Sudan has continued to deteriorate," Chinese defence ministry spokesman Tan Kefei said. The navy was deployed on Wednesday, he added, "in order to protect the lives and property of Chinese people in Sudan". He did not specify the number of vessels involved. China said on Monday it had safely evacuated an initial group of citizens, estimating about 1,500 of its nationals were in Sudan. And on Wednesday evening Wu Xi, head of consular affairs at the foreign ministry, told state broadcaster CCTV more than 1,100 Chinese nationals -- including Hong Kong residents -- had been evacuated. China says it is Sudan's largest trading partner, with more than 130 companies investing there as of mid-2022. Some 800 Chinese citizens would be evacuated from Sudan by sea from April 25 to 27, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Wednesday. More than 300 other people have crossed over to countries bordering Sudan by land, she added. The fighting has killed at least 512 people and wounded more than 4,000, according to Sudan's health ministry, and reduced some districts of greater Khartoum to ruins. UN agencies reported Sudanese civilians "fleeing areas affected by fighting, including to Chad, Egypt and South Sudan". With Khartoum's international airport disabled after battles that damaged many aircraft, groups of foreigners have been airlifted out from smaller airstrips. Other evacuations were taking place from Port Sudan, an 850-kilometre (530-mile) drive from Khartoum. An Indonesian military plane flew 110 Indonesian nationals from Port Sudan to the Saudi city of Jeddah on Wednesday, the foreign ministry tweeted Thursday. It brought the total number of Indonesians evacuated from Sudan since the outbreak of conflict to 667. Topics : democracy China Sudan evacuation Navy conflict Africa Lorenzo Montatore Following the success of The Invention of Nature, in which the German-British historian Andrea Wulf examined the life and work of the naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, Magnificent Rebels: The First Romantics and the Invention of the Self (2022) explores the romantic spirit. Originally, the adjective romantic had nothing to do with the meaning it has today, at least in popular culture. To be romantic was to discover ones own self and to understand the peaks and troughs of life without being daunted by them, a philosophy well-suited to modern times. What is historically known as romanticism was born in Jena, Germany, more than two centuries ago, among a circle of friends comprising young personalities such as Goethe, Schlegel, Schelling, Schiller or Novalis. As Wulf explains: They wanted to romanticize the whole world, and that meant perceiving it as an interconnected whole. They spoke of the link between art and life, between the individual and society, between humanity and nature. There were three fundamental aspects that particularly interested the Romantics, and which again are undeniably relevant in the times in which we live. The unity between human beings and nature. In a world on the verge of being engulfed by the Industrial Revolution, the Romantics took refuge in nature to recover the connection to our primary home. For them, nature is the source of all creativity, mystery, and beauty. After the collective trauma of the coronavirus pandemic, many young people have again turned their eyes and hearts to nature, abandoning the cities and giving new impetus to what in the late 1960s was known as neo-ruralism. The importance of imagination. Faced with the monotony of an increasingly rigid and uniform world, the Romantics advocated the power of the human mind to fantasize. In Spain, Gustavo Adolfo Becquer deployed his romantic imagination in legends and narratives that are still read in schools to this day. In the audiovisual world, the rise of fantasy cinema, particularly Marvel superheroes, indicates that fantasy is still a necessity to escape the travails of life in the digital age. The balance between freedom and selfishness. In the recent conversation between Prince Harry and the physician Gabor Mate, the author of Spare spoke of his struggle for identity, as well as of the depression and anxiety that limit human beings until they discover who they are. The vindication of the self was also a pillar of Romanticism, which at the same time asked how this individuality fits into the community. Is it possible to be oneself, without renouncing ones essence, and at the same time be part of society? It is a theme that is prevalent in contemporary philosophy, as well as in the work of novelists such Haruki Murakami. The protagonists of his stories are usually misfits or characters who are displaced from society by unusual circumstances, leading to a journey of self-discovery before they return to the world. In an era dominated by stress, fear about the future and intoxication through social networks, how can we today cultivate that romantic self that allows us to discover who we are and what we can bring to life? There is a key concept in Romanticism that perhaps holds the answer to that question: sturm und drang. Generally translated as storm and stress, it defines the literary movement that emerged in Germany in the late 18th century advocating freedom of expression and emotion taken to its extreme as a response to rationalism and the Enlightenment. To incorporate a little sturm und drang into our daily lives, the first step is to try and resist the urge to maintain control over everything. Covid and the war in Ukraine have shown that the world is unpredictable and that there is little point trying to anticipate what will happen. The only thing truly in our hands is to decide how we will live our own lives day by day. An unkempt romantic would tell us that the solution to anxiety is to let life make you tremble with fear. When you relinquish control and allow life to surprise you, you are no longer a hostage to circumstance. You become an active part of that river of events and emotions we call life. Francesc Miralles is a writer and journalist specializing in psychology Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Yvette Tanamal (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, April 27, 2023 Saudi Arabia is temporarily hosting Indonesian nationals fleeing from Sudan, at 560 people as of Thursday, said Saudi ambassador Faisal Abdullah Al Amudi in Jakarta, as Indonesia prepares to airlift them back home. Ensuring that all evacuees in Jeddah, regardless of their nationalities, have been taken care of, Abdullah said on Thursday that the Saudi government is committed to helping them out by issuing a special temporary visa as well as providing basic needs such as food. As of now, the 560 Indonesian citizens have been given [immigration] relief, facilities and basic needs, he said. It is part of the humanitarian efforts given by the Saudi government in responding to calls from its close allies, including Indonesia. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (ETR:FME Get Rating)s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of 33.05 ($36.72) and traded as high as 41.80 ($46.44). Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA shares last traded at 41.59 ($46.21), with a volume of 797,796 shares changing hands. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of brokerages recently weighed in on FME. UBS Group set a 38.00 ($42.22) price objective on shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA in a research report on Tuesday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a 17.10 ($19.00) price objective on shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA in a research report on Monday, February 20th. Berenberg Bank set a 46.83 ($52.03) price objective on shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA in a research report on Wednesday, March 8th. Jefferies Financial Group set a 21.00 ($23.33) price objective on shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA in a research report on Tuesday, March 14th. Finally, Warburg Research set a 22.00 ($24.44) price target on shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA in a research report on Monday, March 6th. Get Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA alerts: Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA Stock Up 0.5 % The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 85.52, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.89. The companys 50-day simple moving average is 38.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is 33.24. About Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co KGaA provides dialysis care and related dialysis care services in Germany, North America, and internationally. It offers dialysis treatment and related laboratory and diagnostic services through a network of outpatient dialysis clinics; materials, training, and patient support services comprising clinical monitoring, follow-up assistance, and arranging for delivery of the supplies to the patient's residence; and dialysis services under contract to hospitals in the United States for the hospitalized end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and for patients suffering from acute kidney failure. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Glacier Media Inc. (TSE:GVC Get Rating) passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of C$0.33 and traded as low as C$0.26. Glacier Media shares last traded at C$0.26, with a volume of 6,900 shares traded. Glacier Media Price Performance The business has a 50 day simple moving average of C$0.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of C$0.32. The company has a market capitalization of C$34.79 million, a P/E ratio of -1.18 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.65. Get Glacier Media alerts: Glacier Media (TSE:GVC Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 22nd. The company reported C($0.10) earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of C$42.73 million during the quarter. Glacier Media had a negative net margin of 16.79% and a negative return on equity of 15.92%. Analysts predict that Glacier Media Inc. will post 0.07 EPS for the current fiscal year. About Glacier Media Glacier Media Inc operates as an information and marketing solutions company in Canada and the United States. The company operates through three segments: Environmental and Property Information; Commodity Information; and Community Media. It offers environmental risk data and related products to environmental consultants, CRE brokers, financial institutions, and insurance companies; produces digital audit guides and compliance tools for use in environmental health and safety audits; and operates REW.ca, a residential real estate listings and property information marketplace, which provides consumers with key real estate information and insights to make better informed decisions about their home. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Glacier Media Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Glacier Media and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Brunswick (NYSE:BC Get Rating) updated its second quarter earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of $2.60-2.70 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03. Brunswick also updated its FY23 guidance to $9.50-11.00 EPS. Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on BC shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Brunswick from $110.00 to $122.00 in a research report on Friday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Brunswick from $100.00 to $110.00 in a research report on Friday, February 3rd. B. Riley lifted their price objective on shares of Brunswick from $88.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday, February 3rd. KeyCorp assumed coverage on shares of Brunswick in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. They set an overweight rating and a $100.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Roth Capital reissued a buy rating on shares of Brunswick in a report on Thursday, February 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $102.75. Get Brunswick alerts: Brunswick Stock Up 2.6 % Brunswick stock traded up $2.15 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $85.23. The stock had a trading volume of 852,494 shares, compared to its average volume of 570,302. The company has a market cap of $6.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.48 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $82.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $77.78. Brunswick has a 52 week low of $61.89 and a 52 week high of $93.15. Brunswick Increases Dividend Brunswick ( NYSE:BC Get Rating ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 2nd. The company reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.02. Brunswick had a net margin of 9.94% and a return on equity of 37.56%. The business had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.44 earnings per share. The firms revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Brunswick will post 10.35 EPS for the current year. The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 15th. Investors of record on Monday, February 27th were given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 24th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.88%. This is a positive change from Brunswicks previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Brunswicks dividend payout ratio is currently 17.80%. Insider Activity at Brunswick In related news, VP Christopher F. Dekker sold 7,353 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.29, for a total value of $649,196.37. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 41,455 shares in the company, valued at $3,660,061.95. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Brunswick news, CFO Ryan M. Gwillim sold 5,710 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.28, for a total value of $504,078.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 28,522 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,517,922.16. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Christopher F. Dekker sold 7,353 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.29, for a total value of $649,196.37. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 41,455 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,660,061.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 13,234 shares of company stock worth $1,167,542 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.74% of the companys stock. Institutional Trading of Brunswick Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Brunswick during the 1st quarter worth $52,000. Bank of Montreal Can grew its holdings in shares of Brunswick by 140.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 41,387 shares of the companys stock worth $3,496,000 after purchasing an additional 24,171 shares during the period. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS grew its holdings in shares of Brunswick by 10.5% during the 1st quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 28,255 shares of the companys stock worth $2,286,000 after purchasing an additional 2,694 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Brunswick by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 6,426,552 shares of the companys stock worth $519,843,000 after purchasing an additional 46,519 shares during the period. Finally, Great West Life Assurance Co. Can boosted its holdings in Brunswick by 9.7% during the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 45,006 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,746,000 after acquiring an additional 3,992 shares during the period. 93.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. About Brunswick (Get Rating) Brunswick Corp. engages in the design, manufacture, and marketing of recreational marine products, including marine engines, boats, and parts and accessories for those products. It operates through the following segments: Propulsion, Parts and Accessories, Boat, and Corporate/Other. The Propulsion segment manufactures a full range of outboard, sterndrive, and inboard engines, as well as propulsion-related controls, propellers, and rigging parts and accessories. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Brunswick Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Brunswick and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Companhia Paranaense de Energia COPEL (NYSE:ELP Get Rating) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, The Fly reports. The firm issued a buy rating on the utilities providers stock. Companhia Paranaense de Energia COPEL Stock Performance NYSE ELP opened at $7.49 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $6.78 and a 200-day moving average of $6.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.30. The stock has a market cap of $4.10 billion, a PE ratio of 23.41 and a beta of 0.73. Companhia Paranaense de Energia COPEL has a 52-week low of $5.71 and a 52-week high of $8.25. Get Companhia Paranaense de Energia - COPEL alerts: Institutional Trading of Companhia Paranaense de Energia COPEL Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Fox Run Management L.L.C. raised its stake in Companhia Paranaense de Energia COPEL by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 16,146 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 1,568 shares in the last quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Companhia Paranaense de Energia COPEL by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 51,758 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $307,000 after purchasing an additional 1,814 shares in the last quarter. Mariner LLC raised its stake in Companhia Paranaense de Energia COPEL by 14.5% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 16,591 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $119,000 after purchasing an additional 2,104 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Companhia Paranaense de Energia COPEL by 16.2% in the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 15,865 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $124,000 after purchasing an additional 2,206 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Claro Advisors LLC raised its stake in Companhia Paranaense de Energia COPEL by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 20,138 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $145,000 after purchasing an additional 2,259 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 4.50% of the companys stock. Companhia Paranaense de Energia COPEL Company Profile Companhia Paranaense de Energia engages in the generation, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity. It operates through the following segments: Power Generation and Transmission (GET), Power Distribution (DIS), Telecommunications (TEL), GAS, Power Sale (COM), and Holding Company (HOL). The GET segment include production of electricity from hydraulic, wind, and thermal projects (GER) and also provides services of transmission and transformation of electric power. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Companhia Paranaense de Energia - COPEL Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Companhia Paranaense de Energia - COPEL and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. CMS Energy (NYSE:CMS Get Rating) had its target price cut by Guggenheim from $68.00 to $65.00 in a research note published on Monday morning, The Fly reports. Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com initiated coverage on CMS Energy in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a sell rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on CMS Energy from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a sector perform rating and issued a $71.00 target price on shares of CMS Energy in a research report on Wednesday, February 8th. Bank of America raised CMS Energy from a neutral rating to a buy rating and decreased their target price for the company from $68.00 to $66.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on CMS Energy from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CMS Energy currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $68.11. Get CMS Energy alerts: CMS Energy Price Performance Shares of NYSE CMS opened at $61.72 on Monday. The stocks 50-day moving average is $60.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $60.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.78. CMS Energy has a 1-year low of $52.41 and a 1-year high of $71.97. The company has a market cap of $18.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.36. CMS Energy Dividend Announcement CMS Energy ( NYSE:CMS Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 2nd. The utilities provider reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.60. CMS Energy had a return on equity of 11.57% and a net margin of 9.74%. The company had revenue of $2.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.47 EPS. CMS Energys revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that CMS Energy will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year. The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 31st. Investors of record on Friday, May 5th will be paid a $0.4875 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 4th. This represents a $1.95 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.16%. CMS Energys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.42%. Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, SVP Brandon J. Hofmeister sold 1,250 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total value of $75,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 64,131 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,847,860. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Brandon J. Hofmeister sold 1,250 shares of CMS Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total value of $75,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 64,131 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,847,860. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Brian F. Rich sold 4,000 shares of CMS Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.72, for a total transaction of $246,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 91,927 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,673,734.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 7,314 shares of company stock valued at $447,136 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the companys stock. Institutional Trading of CMS Energy A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of CMS Energy by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 37,060,269 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $2,158,389,000 after buying an additional 412,183 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. raised its position in shares of CMS Energy by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 27,198,488 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $1,584,040,000 after buying an additional 524,947 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of CMS Energy by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 18,885,448 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $1,196,015,000 after buying an additional 922,417 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of CMS Energy by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,855,679 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $981,675,000 after buying an additional 82,250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of CMS Energy by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,161,072 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $389,506,000 after buying an additional 101,278 shares in the last quarter. 92.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. About CMS Energy (Get Rating) CMS Energy Corp. engages in the provision of electric and natural gas activities. It operates through the following business segments: Electric Utility, Gas Utility, and NorthStar Clean Energy. The Electric Utility segment focuses on generation, purchase, distribution, and sale of electricity. The Gas Utility segment includes purchase, transmission, storage, distribution, and sale of natural gas. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for CMS Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for CMS Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Robinson Value Management Ltd. increased its position in shares of iShares Gold Trust (NYSEARCA:IAU Get Rating) by 6.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 67,982 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after buying an additional 3,820 shares during the quarter. iShares Gold Trust comprises about 2.0% of Robinson Value Management Ltd.s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Robinson Value Management Ltd.s holdings in iShares Gold Trust were worth $2,351,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of IAU. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in iShares Gold Trust during the third quarter valued at about $264,003,000. Bank of Montreal Can raised its holdings in iShares Gold Trust by 93.3% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 4,573,365 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $150,602,000 after buying an additional 2,207,676 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in iShares Gold Trust by 24.1% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,397,408 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $272,323,000 after buying an additional 1,436,094 shares in the last quarter. GM Advisory Group Inc. raised its holdings in iShares Gold Trust by 107.9% during the first quarter. GM Advisory Group Inc. now owns 2,486,906 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $91,593,000 after buying an additional 1,290,420 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank raised its holdings in iShares Gold Trust by 309.8% during the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 1,229,400 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $38,759,000 after buying an additional 929,400 shares in the last quarter. 62.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get iShares Gold Trust alerts: iShares Gold Trust Price Performance NYSEARCA IAU traded down $0.04 during trading on Thursday, hitting $37.64. 1,354,595 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,277,365. iShares Gold Trust has a 12 month low of $30.69 and a 12 month high of $38.84. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $36.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $34.86. iShares Gold Trust Profile iShares Gold Trust (the Trust) is to own gold transferred to the Trust in exchange for shares issued by the Trust (Shares). Each Share represents a fractional undivided beneficial interest in the net assets of the Trust. The assets of the Trust consist of gold held by the Trusts custodian on behalf of the Trust. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IAU? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Gold Trust (NYSEARCA:IAU Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for iShares Gold Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Gold Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Production from Ivory Coasts highly anticipated Baleine oilfield, holding 2 billion barrels of crude oil and 2,400 to 3,300 billion cubic feet of natural gas, is expected in the second half (H2) of 2023. Owned by a consortium comprising ENI, an Italian multinational oil and gas company, and Petroci, the Ivorian national oil company, the consortium jointly operates and manages the field for exploration, development, and production of hydrocarbons in the area. Located near Assouinde, southeast of Abidjan, this significant oil fields initial phase, slated to commence in 2023, will account for 15% of the fields total production, while the subsequent phase is expected to span 30 years. More reserves Recent drilling in Baleine E1X has unveiled even greater reserves of oil and gas in the adjacent block, elevating the total estimated quantities to approximately 2.5 billion barrels of oil and 3,300 billion cubic feet of gas, surpassing earlier projections by a remarkable 25%. According to Ivorian authorities, a Floating Storage Production and Offloading (FPSO) vessel named Baleine departed from Dubai on April 6 to the Ivory Coast to begin production, eighteen months after its commercial discovery. The vessel has a processing capacity of 15,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil, a storage capacity of 650,000 bbls, an unloading capacity of 520,000 bbls, treatment of produced water 7,600 bpd and a draft of 5.5m. Rapid progress Ivory Coasts Minister of Mines, Petroleum and Energy, Mamadou Sangafowa Coulibaly, underscored the rapid progress of the Baleine project which has necessitated substantial investment into the country including the drilling of three production wells in the field that are currently nearing completion. Furthermore, an 80 km hydrocarbon transport pipeline has been installed, and the FPSO has been refurbished to meet operational requirements. Coulibaly encouraged major industry players to explore the vast potential of Ivory Coasts sedimentary basin, as he proclaimed that there are numerous other Baleines yet to be discovered in the country. The upcoming MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2023 conference, a prestigious gathering of key stakeholders in the oil and gas sector, presents an opportunity to further explore and invest in Ivory Coasts burgeoning energy landscape. Historically, the Ivory Coast has maintained a relatively moderate level of hydrocarbon production, averaging around 30,000 bpd. However, with the upcoming exploitation phase of the Baleine field, the countrys crude oil production is projected to surge by 50% in the short term, heralding a transformative shift. Furthermore, Ivory Coast stands to benefit from the associated natural gas, which can be utilised to power its electricity plants, bolstering the countrys energy security and sustainability. These momentous developments also have the potential to foster regional collaboration, as similar offshore projects are underway in the MSGBC basin, notably in Mauritania and Senegal.-- TradeArabia News Service It is still spring and, as he stretches the irrigation pipes between the vines, it occurs to Jose Antonio Martinez Lara, 49, that he has already lived through a similar scenario. His father, Patricio, 75, is driving the tractor. He refuses to stay at home after a lifetime working the land, partly because he fears the worst. Patricios 17-year-old grandson, also called Jose Antonio, was not yet born during the last great drought that lasted between 1991 and 1995. The Martinez family are trying to save their vineyards using drip irrigation because there has been no rain in the municipality of Tomelloso, in the Spanish province of Ciudad Real, for 134 days. They have already lost the entire cereal harvest, worth 25,000 ($27,500). With the lowest rainfall in the whole of Spain this year, the districts inhabitants, mainly farmers, spend their lives looking upwards. They are at the epicenter of the drought. Tomelloso has approximately 36,000 inhabitants and more than 23,000 hectares of vineyards, as well as fields of barley, olives, almonds and melons. It also has the largest wine cooperative in the world the Virgen de las Vinas, with almost 3,000 members. The vineyards have generally come to the rescue and paid off any debts racked up by other crops. After a good harvest, plots of land have been bought, machinery purchased, and facilities changed. The vineyards meant money, something that cannot be said today. Vineyards in Tomelloso, Ciudad Real. Luis Sevillano The president of the cooperative, Rafael Torres, says that he is deeply worried and that the situation is really bad, that after the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, which caused the cost of fertilizer, diesel and phytosanitary products to soar, all that was missing was a drought. Its the last straw, says Jose Antonio Martinez from his vineyard on the outskirts of town. When it comes to farming, the only forecasts that matter are weather forecasts not those of large financial institutions. The rainfall here this year has been less than half of what usually slakes the thirst of this arid land. However, they are so accustomed to dry weather that the native grape variety, Airen, used mainly for white wine, is particularly drought resistant. But it has its limits. That is why the Martinez family is laying the irrigation pipes among the low vines. They have turned on the tap early. It is unheard of to be irrigating in April and they dont know if the permitted quota of water will last until August. But theres no alternative. Rafael Torres, president of the Virgen de las Vinas Cooperative, looks out the window of his offices in Tomelloso. Luis Sevillano There is the water that falls from the sky and then there is the water concealed underground. Everyone is aware that in the region of La Mancha, there have always been landowners and aguatenientes water deputies as the residents call them. Twenty to 30 meters below the dusty furrows, there are enough waterways to irrigate and multiply production for all those suffering above ground. But since 1995, illegal wells and the amount of water each farmer can use has been strictly controlled. And if it doesnt rain, the quota is not enough. A group of young people bathe in the reservoir of Penarroya, 15 kilometers from Tomelloso this April. Luis Sevillano Now, as the drought is discussed in the coffee shops and bars, and in front of the pristine white Town Hall, there is an image that stays with you that of the Penarroya reservoir, about 15 kilometers from Tomelloso, which is almost overflowing. In late April, groups of young people splash about in its crystal-clear waters. Official data confirm it is at 86% of its capacity, in the driest period in almost three decades. How is that possible? ask a handful of pensioners in the village who appear to consider the origins of the reservoirs water a mystery. Penarroya is filled by the Lagunas de Ruidera, explains the president of the Federation of Irrigators of Castilla-La Mancha, Herminio Molina. The water is filtered in the aquifers of the Campo de Montiel and is discharged due to gravity into the lagoons, which are protected by many restrictions. Once the lagoons go through their natural cycle, they discharge through the last lagoon which is the reservoir. The water empties into it and accumulates. The reservoir irrigates some 8,000 hectares of the surrounding municipalities, including Tomelloso. The irrigated crops in the district, which account for about half of the total, are watered from aquifer 23 and the Penarroya reservoir. The limit for those who irrigate with groundwater is 1,350 cubic meters per hectare and about 3,000 for those who, like the Martinez family, are supplied from the reservoir. Practically all the cereals have been lost in the area those dependent on rain, Torres explains. Crops such as Jose Antonios, which involve an investment of about 800 per hectare, are no longer salvageable, even if it rains in the next month. The agricultural unions are seeking to apply for direct aid from the regional government to compensate for their losses. To continue working this dry land already has more to do with sentimentality than anything else, Torres adds. Hilario Diaz demonstrates the aridity of the soil of his vineyard in Tomelloso. Luis Sevillano A few kilometers from Jose Antonios vineyard, another farmer, Hilario Diaz, 73, rakes his hand through the soil between his trellised vines. Look, theres not a single living root. Not a drop of moisture. No matter where you look its dry, he says. He has drip irrigation using groundwater, but like the rest, he has to calculate the precise amount so as not to exhaust his quota before August. The high temperatures expected this week are not helping. And the vines are looking the worse for wear. He points out the lack of buds, the dry shoots. This is a disaster, he says. The Martinez family has 200 hectares of crops in the area. They actually hail from another even drier municipality, La Solana, but they gradually migrated here, accumulating a quantity of loans and sweat. Patricio acknowledges his farm is large given he is the only son of a shepherd. And it is only now, at 75, that he has learned to enjoy holidays. Previously, when his son proposed visiting Cadiz, he replied: I dont know if Ill know how to be a tourist. Irrigating cereals in Tomelloso. Luis Sevillano Jose Antonio turns grim as he takes off his straw hat. He recalls that in 1995, he had to pull up the vines and take a job at a gas station and another job loading melons. It was a period that left me traumatized, as you city people would put it, he says. And Im seeing the same thing happening, the same thing... His son, the eldest of three, has given up his plans to complete a mechanics course in order to join his father and grandfather on the farm. When the young man walks away, his father says sadly: I think it was a mistake. I dont know how hes going to make a living out of this. I dont want him to live what I have lived through. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Robinson Value Management Ltd. raised its stake in shares of iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF (NYSEARCA:EWU Get Rating) by 12.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 20,829 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 2,258 shares during the period. Robinson Value Management Ltd.s holdings in iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF were worth $639,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its stake in iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF by 35.1% during the 4th quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 1,378 shares of the companys stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 358 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich increased its stake in iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 31,706 shares of the companys stock valued at $972,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF by 152.9% during the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 827 shares of the companys stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. boosted its position in shares of iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 11,185 shares of the companys stock valued at $376,000 after purchasing an additional 505 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC now owns 173,085 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,537,000 after purchasing an additional 674 shares in the last quarter. Get iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF alerts: iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF Stock Performance Shares of NYSEARCA:EWU traded up $0.13 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $33.57. 599,738 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,851,627. iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF has a 52 week low of $25.36 and a 52 week high of $33.86. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $32.44 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $31.19. The company has a market cap of $3.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.02 and a beta of 0.83. About iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF The iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF (EWU) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI United Kingdom index. The fund tracks a market cap-weighted index of British companies. It covers the top 85% of British companies by market cap. EWU was launched on Mar 12, 1996 and is managed by BlackRock. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EWU? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF (NYSEARCA:EWU Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Koninklijke Philips (NYSE:PHG Get Rating) announced an annual dividend on Thursday, April 27th, Wall Street Journal reports. Investors of record on Friday, May 12th will be given a dividend of 0.9387 per share by the technology company on Thursday, May 18th. This represents a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 11th. Koninklijke Philips has a dividend payout ratio of 63.6% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Koninklijke Philips to earn $1.38 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.91 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 65.9%. Get Koninklijke Philips alerts: Koninklijke Philips Stock Up 1.4 % PHG traded up $0.29 during trading on Thursday, hitting $21.18. The company had a trading volume of 1,257,034 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,999,205. The company has a market capitalization of $18.84 billion, a PE ratio of -8.53 and a beta of 0.90. Koninklijke Philips has a one year low of $11.75 and a one year high of $26.76. The firms 50-day moving average price is $17.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Koninklijke Philips ( NYSE:PHG Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 30th. The technology company reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.36. The business had revenue of $5.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.91 billion. Koninklijke Philips had a negative net margin of 11.63% and a positive return on equity of 6.29%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Koninklijke Philips will post 1.1 earnings per share for the current year. Several equities research analysts have commented on PHG shares. UBS Group cut Koninklijke Philips from a neutral rating to a sell rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 17th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Koninklijke Philips in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Societe Generale raised shares of Koninklijke Philips from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Koninklijke Philips from 19.00 ($21.11) to 18.50 ($20.56) and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Koninklijke Philips from 17.00 ($18.89) to 16.00 ($17.78) and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $16.79. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Koninklijke Philips Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Koninklijke Philips by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 16,411 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $501,000 after acquiring an additional 771 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in Koninklijke Philips by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 62,767 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $1,916,000 after acquiring an additional 1,414 shares during the period. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC bought a new stake in Koninklijke Philips in the 1st quarter valued at $311,000. Citigroup Inc. raised its stake in Koninklijke Philips by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 36,882 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $1,126,000 after acquiring an additional 483 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in Koninklijke Philips by 9.9% in the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 94,798 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $3,002,000 after acquiring an additional 8,515 shares during the period. 10.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. About Koninklijke Philips (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. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Koninklijke Philips Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Koninklijke Philips and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Lennox International (NYSE:LII Get Rating) issued an update on its FY23 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of $14.25-15.25 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of $14.87. The company issued revenue guidance of $4.72-4.91 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $4.73 billion. Lennox International Stock Up 9.0 % Shares of Lennox International stock traded up $23.13 on Thursday, hitting $280.20. 924,922 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 316,674. The firms 50-day moving average is $250.80 and its 200 day moving average is $249.46. The stock has a market cap of $9.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.95, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.92. Lennox International has a 52-week low of $182.85 and a 52-week high of $280.91. Get Lennox International alerts: Lennox International (NYSE:LII Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 31st. The construction company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.55 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. Lennox International had a net margin of 10.53% and a negative return on equity of 152.66%. The firms revenue was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.35 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Lennox International will post 14.87 EPS for the current year. Lennox International Announces Dividend Analysts Set New Price Targets The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 14th. Investors of record on Friday, March 31st were issued a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 30th. Lennox Internationals dividend payout ratio is currently 30.53%. Several analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Lennox International in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Lennox International from $279.00 to $272.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 5th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Lennox International from $300.00 to $283.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on Lennox International in a research note on Monday, March 27th. They set a market perform rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Lennox International from $240.00 to $248.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lennox International currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $256.67. Insider Transactions at Lennox International In related news, EVP Daniel M. Sessa sold 2,052 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.80, for a total value of $504,381.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,256 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,878,124.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.83% of the companys stock. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lennox International A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in Lennox International by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 404,068 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $89,973,000 after purchasing an additional 10,227 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its stake in shares of Lennox International by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 17,310 shares of the construction companys stock worth $4,141,000 after acquiring an additional 399 shares in the last quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec boosted its stake in shares of Lennox International by 376.1% during the 4th quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 4,304 shares of the construction companys stock worth $1,030,000 after acquiring an additional 3,400 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Lennox International by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 4,278 shares of the construction companys stock worth $1,023,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allstate Investment Management Co. bought a new stake in shares of Lennox International during the 4th quarter worth $710,000. 68.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Lennox International Company Profile (Get Rating) Lennox International, Inc engages in the design, manufacture, and marketing of products for heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration. It operates through the following business segments: Residential Heating & Cooling, Commercial Heating & Cooling, and Refrigeration. The Residential Heating & Cooling segment manufactures and markets furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps, packaged heating and cooling systems, equipment, and accessories. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Lennox International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lennox International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC Get Rating) announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The asset manager reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.11 by ($0.06), Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $187.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.60 million. Moelis & Company had a net margin of 15.26% and a return on equity of 37.77%. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 38.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.95 earnings per share. Moelis & Company Stock Down 8.0 % MC traded down $3.23 on Thursday, hitting $37.37. The companys stock had a trading volume of 1,716,810 shares, compared to its average volume of 612,380. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $40.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $41.78. The firm has a market cap of $2.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.34 and a beta of 1.44. Moelis & Company has a 12 month low of $33.12 and a 12 month high of $50.23. Get Moelis & Company alerts: Moelis & Company Dividend Announcement The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 21st were issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.42%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 17th. Moelis & Companys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 111.63%. Analyst Ratings Changes Insiders Place Their Bets MC has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Moelis & Company from $30.00 to $29.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 12th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Moelis & Company in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating for the company. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Moelis & Company from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a sell rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Moelis & Company from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a sell rating in a research report on Thursday, February 9th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and three have given a hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Reduce and a consensus target price of $37.86. In other Moelis & Company news, insider Navid Mahmoodzadegan sold 23,323 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.05, for a total value of $1,004,055.15. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 99,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,298,973. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Kenneth Moelis sold 73,976 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.18, for a total transaction of $3,416,211.68. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 104,769 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,838,232.42. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Navid Mahmoodzadegan sold 23,323 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.05, for a total transaction of $1,004,055.15. Following the sale, the insider now owns 99,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,298,973. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 357,757 shares of company stock worth $15,829,128 in the last three months. 7.97% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moelis & Company A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its position in Moelis & Company by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 8,723 shares of the asset managers stock worth $410,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its position in shares of Moelis & Company by 0.4% in the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 91,368 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $3,089,000 after acquiring an additional 349 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE increased its position in shares of Moelis & Company by 9.1% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 7,401 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $348,000 after acquiring an additional 620 shares during the period. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC increased its position in shares of Moelis & Company by 15.0% in the first quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 6,366 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $299,000 after acquiring an additional 828 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Moelis & Company by 10.1% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 11,169 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $524,000 after acquiring an additional 1,020 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.35% of the companys stock. Moelis & Company Company Profile (Get Rating) Moelis & Co operates as a holding company. It engages in the provision of financial advisory, capital raising and asset management services to a client base including corporations, governments, sovereign wealth funds and financial sponsors. The firm focuses on clients including large public multinational corporations, middle market private companies, financial sponsors, entrepreneurs and governments. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Moelis & Company Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Moelis & Company and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Prosperity Bancshares (NYSE:PB Get Rating) issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The bank reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.04, Briefing.com reports. Prosperity Bancshares had a return on equity of 7.97% and a net margin of 42.30%. The firm had revenue of $365.58 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $285.02 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.33 earnings per share. Prosperity Bancshares Stock Up 3.4 % Shares of NYSE PB traded up $2.05 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $62.35. The stock had a trading volume of 940,532 shares, compared to its average volume of 677,978. The company has a market capitalization of $5.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.65, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.96. Prosperity Bancshares has a 1-year low of $58.25 and a 1-year high of $78.76. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $65.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $70.43. Get Prosperity Bancshares alerts: Prosperity Bancshares Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 15th will be paid a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.53%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 14th. Prosperity Bancsharess dividend payout ratio is currently 38.39%. Insider Activity Hedge Funds Weigh In On Prosperity Bancshares In related news, Chairman H E. Timanus, Jr. purchased 1,000 shares of Prosperity Bancshares stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $62.90 per share, with a total value of $62,900.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 202,891 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $12,761,843.90. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link . Corporate insiders own 4.20% of the companys stock. Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in Prosperity Bancshares by 83.6% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 692 shares of the banks stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Prosperity Bancshares by 73.2% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 710 shares of the banks stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. First Manhattan Co. raised its position in shares of Prosperity Bancshares by 3,488.4% during the 1st quarter. First Manhattan Co. now owns 2,476 shares of the banks stock valued at $171,000 after acquiring an additional 2,407 shares in the last quarter. Pathstone Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Prosperity Bancshares during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $207,000. Finally, Walleye Trading LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Prosperity Bancshares during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $227,000. 81.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of research firms have commented on PB. Janney Montgomery Scott raised Prosperity Bancshares from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $76.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, March 13th. Raymond James dropped their price target on Prosperity Bancshares from $85.00 to $70.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 6th. DA Davidson upgraded Prosperity Bancshares from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $79.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, March 13th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Prosperity Bancshares from $83.00 to $71.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Prosperity Bancshares from $69.00 to $58.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Prosperity Bancshares has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $73.09. Prosperity Bancshares Company Profile (Get Rating) Prosperity Bancshares, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the provision of financial products and solutions. It offers retail and commercial banking services such as deposits, online Internet banking, loan, investments, trust, and credit card to small and medium-sized businesses and consumers. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Prosperity Bancshares Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Prosperity Bancshares and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Virgin Money UK PLC (OTCMKTS:CBBYF Get Rating) shares reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $2.40 and last traded at $2.40, with a volume of 0 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $2.40. Virgin Money UK Price Performance The business has a 50 day moving average of $2.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $2.40. About Virgin Money UK (Get Rating) Virgin Money UK PLC provides banking products and services for consumers, and small and medium sized businesses under the Clydesdale Bank, Yorkshire Bank, and Virgin Money brands in the United Kingdom. The company offers savings and current accounts, mortgages, credit cards, and home loans; business loans, overdraft facilities, treasury solutions, and corporate and structured finance; asset and invoice finance services; risk management; international trade services; and home, car, and life and critical illness insurance products. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Virgin Money UK Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Virgin Money UK and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Zalando SE (FRA:ZAL Get Rating) shares fell 2.2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as 36.61 ($40.68) and last traded at 36.64 ($40.71). 527,122 shares were traded during mid-day trading, The stock had previously closed at 37.45 ($41.61). Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Berenberg Bank set a 35.00 ($38.89) price objective on shares of Zalando in a research note on Friday, March 10th. Barclays set a 35.00 ($38.89) price target on shares of Zalando in a report on Monday, January 30th. Warburg Research set a 52.00 ($57.78) price objective on Zalando in a research report on Tuesday, March 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a 53.00 ($58.89) price target on shares of Zalando in a report on Tuesday, March 7th. Finally, UBS Group set a 48.00 ($53.33) price objective on shares of Zalando in a research note on Tuesday, March 7th. Get Zalando alerts: Zalando Trading Up 1.2 % The businesss 50-day moving average is 36.95 and its 200-day moving average is 34.31. About Zalando Zalando SE operates an online platform for fashion and lifestyle products. It provides clothing, footwear, accessories, and beauty products with free delivery and returns. The company also sells its products through its Zalando Lounge; and brick-and-mortar outlet stores in Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne, Leipzig, Hamburg, Hanover, Munster, Stuttgart, Mannheim, and Ulm. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Zalando Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Zalando and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Montana State Representative Zooey Zephyr leaves the House chamber after a motion to bar her passed, at the Montana State Capitol in Helena, Montana, U.S. April 26, 2023. The latest high-profile example of statehouses deciding who can be heard during legislative debates is playing out in Montana, where a transgender lawmaker on Wednesday was barred from speaking on the House floor for the remainder of the session. For days before voting to discipline her, legislative leaders in the GOP-controlled statehouse had not allowed Rep. Zooey Zephyr to speak during debates because she said colleagues who voted to ban gender-affirming care for youth would have blood on their hands The remark provoked outrage from Republicans who said the language was belittling and an affront to civil discourse. Zephyr rebuffed demands from legislative leaders to apologize for her remarks, leading to days of standoff between her and lawmakers in the majority party over how to move forward. The silencing of Zephyrs microphone drew hundreds of protestors to the Montana Capitol. After Zephyrs request to speak on a proposal was denied Monday, they erupted in chants of Let her speak! and forced the House to temporarily adjourn. Police in riot gear were sent in to clear the gallery, leading to seven protestors being arrested on trespassing charges. The standoff between Zephyr and House Republicans originated in a debate over gender-affirming care for minors. Its evolved to dovetail with a nationwide debate over the robustness of democracy in politically polarizing times. Montana is among the wave of GOP-controlled states passing legislation to ban gender-affirming care over ardent objections from the transgender community and its advocates. Montana lawmakers advanced a measure last week, sending it to Gov. Greg Gianforte, who has indicated he will sign it. Heres what you need to know: Who is the transgender lawmaker at the center of this? Last year, Zephyr became the first openly transgender woman elected to the Montana Legislature putting her among a record number of transgender lawmakers who began serving across the U.S. The 34-year-old Democrat is from the left-leaning college town Missoula, where shes been a staffer at the University of Montana. She has spent much of her life advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and worked behind the scenes during the 2021 legislative session to help block efforts to ban gender-affirming health care. Following her November election, she said she wanted to enlist moderate Republicans to push back on what she called extreme and dangerous attacks and help people understand transgender adults like her. Instead, she and fellow members of the Democratic minority have been powerless to stop Republicans from passing proposals focused on transgender kids. In addition to banning gender-affirming care for minors, lawmakers also passed legislation that says misgendering or deadnaming students is not illegal discrimination unless it rises to the level of bullying. Deadnaming refers to using the name a transgender person used prior to transitioning. Zephyr has been unfazed by calls from Republican leaders and legislative staffers to apologize, scale back her remarks or calm protesters. In a speech on Monday, Zephyr likened gender-affirming care bans like the one that passed in Montana to eradication, echoing fears raised throughout the transgender community that stripping transgender youth of access to care endangers their lives and mental health. What started this dispute? On April 18, as the House debated the governors proposed amendments to a measure banning gender-affirming care for minors, Zephyr spoke against the bill while making a reference to the bodys opening prayer. I hope the next time theres an invocation, when you bow your heads in prayer, you see the blood on your hands, she said. House Majority Leader Sue Vinton, a Republican, immediately called Zephyrs comments inappropriate and disrespectful. That evening, a group of conservative lawmakers known as the Montana Freedom Caucus demanded Zephyrs and deliberately referred to her using male pronouns in a letter and tweet. Thats known as misgendering using pronouns that dont match a persons gender identity. The move to discipline Zephyr and keep her from the House floor for the remainder of the legislative session stemmed from her participation in Mondays protests, not the initial remarks themselves. What does the disciplinary action do? The House voted along party lines to prevent Zephyr from participating in debates speaking or voting from the floor of the Montana House of Representatives or the gallery. It allows her to participate and vote remotely but effectively prevents her from speaking during debates on proposals and amendments for the remainder of the legislative session, which is scheduled to end in early May. It does not limit her participation in committee hearings, House Speaker Matt Regier told reporters after the vote. Does this have a precedent? The only known attempt to censure lawmakers in the Montana Legislature was almost a half-century ago, according to Eve Byron with the Montana Historical Society. In 1975, Democratic lawmakers sought to reprimand three Republicans who were accused of placing false and misleading election advertisements, according to news articles provided by Byron. The censure motion failed after a House committee determined the ads were misleading but not out of line with advertisements placed by other lawmakers, according to an article that appeared in the Independent Record newspaper. There are no further records of Montana legislators being expelled or censured, Byron said. Who has led the charge to silence Zephyr? Although Montana has long leaned Republican, for years voters crossed party lines and elected Democrats to the U.S. Senate and governors mansion. But the state has recently shifted rightward. Republicans now command control of state government, which theyve used to push legislation restricting abortion and loosening gun laws. One reflection of such a shift is the newly influential Montana Freedom Caucus, which includes at least 21 of the Legislatures 102 GOP lawmakers. Its ideological leader is U.S. Rep Matt Rosendale, a hardline conservative who backed former President Donald Trumps false statements about fraud in the 2020 election and was among a core group of Republicans who opposed electing U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House. Efforts to punish Zephyr originated in the caucus, whose members said Zephyrs comments displayed a hateful rhetoric and called for a commitment to civil discourse similar to criticisms leveled against Democrats who were expelled from the Tennessee statehouse for joining in gun control demonstrations. The caucus later issued a statement calling Mondays protest and arrests an insurrection and accused Zephyr of encouraging it. No property damage or threats to lawmakers have been reported. But Republicans from the statehouse to Montanas congressional delegation have called the protesters violent and condemned their interruptions. Who is the House Speaker enforcing the gag order? Zephyrs punishment has thrust leaders in Montanas Republican-majority Legislature into the spotlight, including Regier, who was elected House Speaker in January. Throughout his tenure, Regier, a real estate investor from a northwestern Montana political family, has spearheaded legislation to restrict local governments from enacting gun control measures. His proposal to ban the type of abortion most commonly used after 15 weeks passed the Legislature this year. Gianforte hasnt acted on the bill. Kalispell, where Regier is from, is the largest city in Montanas deeply Republican Flathead County. County commissioners there opposed mask requirements to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Library directors and staff have resigned over efforts to ban books about gender identity, sexuality and race. The region is known for agriculture and as a tourist gateway to Glacier National Park. Is this related to the Tennessee lawmakers being expelled? Not directly, but the dispute reflects tensions and harsh rhetoric around culturally divisive issues including firearms, racial justice and rights for the LGBTQ+ community that currently dominate much of Americas political discourse. The Tennessee expulsions stemmed from a dispute over gun control. It drew accusations of racism after Republicans removed two Black lawmakers following their participation in a protest but retained a third lawmaker involved who was white. In her Monday speech, Zephyr connected the fight over her words to the struggles facing marginalized groups throughout the country, including those who have the audacity to stand up and say this legislation gets us killed and have been met with punishment. On Tuesday, Tennessee state Rep. Justin Pearson, who was expelled and reinstated as an interim lawmaker this month, called the Montana standoff anti-democratic. We will not let our democracy die without fighting for every voice. We are in this fight from Memphis to Montana! he tweeted. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition The United Nations Children Fund has urged Nigerian youths to explore opportunities available for them in the digital world to thrive. UNICEF Programme Officer, Joannes Yimbesalu harped on the need to empower youths by giving them neccessary supports they required to become successful and attain their full potential in life. He said this in Lagos at a 2-day Media Dialogue organised by UNICEF in collaboration with Lagos State Directorate of National Orientation Agency (NOA). The event brought young persons and selected journalists together to interact, learn and to build their capacity to raise awareness of the benefits and opportunities youths can gain on various digital platforms. Yimbesalu called on media to support the youths by amplifying their voice to attract government attention so that policy makers would take necessary actions in addressing unemployment in the country. According to him, "We see a lot of resilience from young people. They are very creative and they and very innovative. There is need to empower these youths by giving them the neccessary supports, both financial and capacity development and ensure that whatever they are doing, they are productive". The NOA Director in Lagos, Mrs Adetola Adegboyega admonished youths to shun any act that may be inimical to their future. She charged them explore digital platforms productively and stay focus in life. Adegboyega said "Our youths should be focused and know that there are opportunities here. There are many opportunities for them on the digital space. Social media is not necessarily for internet scam known as Yahoo Yahoo. There are better things that youths can do online and make legitimate income". Taiye Tunkarimu, Head of Communication, Stakeholder Management an Promotions, Lagos State Employment Trust Fund highlighted the activities of the agency towards addressing unemployment by creating employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for Lagos residents through access to finance, vocational skills training, innovation and market simulation. The Director, Policy, Planning, Research and Statistics, Lagos State Ministry of Education Dr Afoabi Adejare charged parents to encourage their wards to key into available online digital learning platforms such as Nigeria Learning Platform, Eko Digital, Eko Excel among others to compliment the existing methods of impacting knowledge. Some of the participants, Adedeji Ibraheem Adewumi, Biojela Zainab Afolashade and Akpoborie Emmanuel Oreva described the event is an eye opener for them and expressed their desire to cascade the knowledge to other youths. The youths called on government to tackle unemployment by supporting young persons with knowledge and facilities that would enable them thrive and become successful in Nigeria rather than migrating to other countries. UNICEF Communication Officer Blessing Ejiofor said the event was aimed at galvanizing the media to support advocacy on digital learning solutions with a focus on bridging the digital divide, especially for girls and young people in hard-to-reach communities She noted that UNICEF has collaborated with government and other partners in creating enabling environment for skills development that would enable young people to thrive and be able to respond to the country's social and economic needs. Ejiofor noted that the deployment of the Nigeria Learning Passport (NLP), an online offline and mobile digital learning platform that supports learning and skills acquisition for Children and youths as well as the Youth Agency Marketplace (YOMA) platform are avenues to skill as well as connect young people to opportunities for employment, entrepreneurship and social impact. United Kingdom Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has written to president-elect Bola Tinubu ahead of his May 29 inauguration. In the letter sighted by newsmen, Sunak vowed to work with Tinubu who was declared as winner of the just concluded presidential election. Sunak said he hopes to welcome Tinubu to London in April 2024 for the second Africa Investment Summit. He said the summit will be a key moment to strengthen UK-Nigerian business partnerships in order to create jobs and growth, increase bilateral trade and investment, and support your aim of boosting Nigerias export competitiveness. The prime minister said the UK will keep supporting Nigeria in addressing its security challenges through the sharing of expertise and tools. The UK has been a longstanding partner of Nigeria and we stand ready to support your efforts to build peace, unity and prosperity in Nigeria. The UK Government welcomed the opportunity to hear your priorities when you met the Minister of State for Development and Africa last year. I am proud of our work supporting access to education and healthcare, improving governance, and helping meet the humanitarian needs of those affected by conflict, the letter reads partly. Together, we can expand our partnership further, including by strengthening our trade and investment relationship for the mutual prosperity of both our countries through an Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership. I also hope to continue our work in addressing the security challenges facing Nigeria and the wider region. Such challenges are not limited by borders; it is vital that we share expertise and tools to combat them. The National Security Adviser looks forward to further dialogue with your National Security Adviser later this year. The deep bond between our two nations comes not only from our shared heritage and the links between our people, including through education, the arts, and sport, but also our unique relationship through the Commonwealth. We can take pride in its values of democracy, good governance and cooperation. Through this forum, we will continue working in partnership to tackle global challenges like climate change, with its unique impact on Nigeria and your wider region, I believe our shared leadership on this can play a vital role. Sunak added that his government will continue liaising with Tinubu and his team through the transition period and following your inauguration. The Ebonyi International Airport, named after President Muhammadu Buhari, has received its first flight landing. The Aircraft, Air Peace Hopper, 5N-BXF from Abuja landed at the airport at 3.48 Pm, Thursday amidst cheers from Ebonyi people gathered for the inaugural flight. That was followed by another Air Peace from Lagos, Hopper 5N-BUY which arrived about 30 minutes after. Governor Umahi who received the returnee flight passengers addressed the gathering in high spirit. He recalled how badly neglected Ebonyi people were in the past, and attributed the present glories and achievements of the State to God's providence. He appreciated President Muhammadu Buhari for his tremendous support towards the success of the Airport, and other capital intensive projects in the State. He also appreciated the State Executive Council, the Legislature, the judiciary and all who contributed to the success of the Airport. Umahi specifically thanked his predecessor, Chief Martin Elechi for providing him the door through which to excel. He noted that the Airport would be handed over to the Federal government for concesioning in order to keep it running effectively, adding that Buhari would be visiting to officially commission the Airport in the next ten days. Umahi explained: "For the project cost, this entire thing so far is 36 billion naira, including the equipments. "We have the best equipment in the whole country, and anybody can challenge us. "What is remaining now is the Air field, taxi way and runway lighting, which we have paid for. "We needed to have this place to be the best to meet world standard." "We will continue to pay for the next four weeks." In his remarks, the former Governor of the State, Chief Martin Elechi applauded the Governor. He observed that commenting on the Airport would consume many days and books of eulogy. Elechi described the naming of the airport after President Buhari as most appropriate, going by his various contributions and historical impact in the development of the State. He added that such an edifice wherever it is located always brings innumerable development. Mr Collins Oti who represented the Chairman and Chief Executive of Air Peace, Chief Allen Onyema, said it was highly exciting landing on the airport, and commended the State government for such a huge initiative. The General Manager, Aerodrome Services, Oladipo Adebayo, who represented the Director, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, described that Airport as one of its kind in the country. He praised the design and quality of the runway and other facilities in the airport as both unique and of highest quality standards. He however called for proper maintenance of the facility for greater durability. Others who spoke, including the Ebonyi State Governor-elect, Francis Nwifuru; the Special Assistant to Governor David Umahi on Aviation Services, Mrs Obianuju Aloh; and the chairmen of Ezza North and South local government areas, Moses Ogodoali Nome and Mrs Euphemia Nwali respectfully, on whose land the Airport is located, also eulogized the Governor, describing the Airport as a great driver of economy and tourism. While Nwifuru noted that the governor's performance would continue to pose a huge challenge to him as his elected successor, Nome described the airport as a seemingly impossibility made possible through bravery, diligence and commitment of the Governor. The Aircraft, Air Peace Hopper, 5N-BXF from Abuja landed at the airport at 3.48 Pm, Thursday amidst cheers from Ebonyi people gathered for the inaugural flight. That was followed by another Air Peace flight from Lagos, Hopper 5N-BUY which arrived about 30 minutes after. Governor Umahi who received the returnee flight passengers addressed the gathering in high spirits. He recalled how badly neglected Ebonyi people were in the past, and attributed the present glories and achievements of the state to God's providence. He appreciated President Muhammadu Buhari for his tremendous support towards the success of the Airport, and other capital intensive projects in the state. He also appreciated the State Executive Council, the Legislature, the judiciary and all who contributed to the success of the Airport. Umahi specially thanked his predecessor, Chief Martin Elechi for providing him the door through which to excel. He noted that the Airport would be handed over to the Federal government for concessioning in order to keep it running effectively, adding that Buhari would be visiting to officially commission the Airport in the next ten days. "For the project cost, this entire thing so far is 36 billion naira, including the equipment. "We have the best equipment in the whole country, and anybody can challenge us. "What is remaining now is the Air field and run way lighting which we have paid for. "We needed to have this place to be the best to meet all standards." Governor Umahi further said the state government would offer free flight to passengers travelling to Abuja and Lagos from the Airport within the next four weeks. In his remarks, the former Governor of the State, Chief Martin Elechi applauded the Governor. He observed that commenting on the Airport would consume many days and books of eulogy. Elechi described the naming of the airport after President Buhari as most appropriate, going by his various contributions and historical impact in the development of the state. He added that such an edifice wherever it is located always brings innumerable development. Mr Collins Oti who represented the Chairman and Chief Executive of Air Peace, Chief Allen Onyeama, said it was highly exciting landing at the airport, and commended the state government for such a huge initiative. The General Manager, Aerodrome Services, Oladipo Adebayo, who represented the Director, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, described the Airport as one of its kind in the country. He praised the design and quality of the runway and other facilities in the airport as both unique and of the highest quality of standards. He however called for proper maintenance of the facility for greater durability. Others who spoke, including the Ebonyi State Governor-elect, Francis Nwifuru; the Senior Special Assistant to Governor David Umahi on Aviation Services, Mrs Obianuju Aloh; and the chairmen of Ezza North and South local government areas, Moses Ogodoali Nome and Mrs Euphemia Nwali respectfully, on whose land the Airport is located, also eulogized the Governor, describing the Airport as a great driver of economy and tourism. While Nwifuru noted that the governor's performance would continue to pose a huge challenge to him as his elected successor, Nome described the airport as a seemingly impossibility made possible through bravery, diligence and commitment of the Governor. Northumberland United Ways 2022 campaign raised more than $900,000 for the community thanks to the community, the organization recently announced. In April, community partners, donors, businesses, and government officials gathered to celebrate the success of the 2022 campaign at the United Ways annual campaign achievement breakfast. United Way recognized the communitys collective efforts raising more than $900,000. We could not do what we do without all of you, said Maggie Darling, the organizations acting executive director. Our success is the result of you, our committed donors, volunteers, and staff, who are advocates, community leaders and ambassadors of United Way, said Darling, while extending a huge round of thanks for the continued support. At the morning breakfast celebration, United Way also announced its 2023-24 community partners and invited partners to share more about the impact United Way is making in communities. Those partners include: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northumberland: Core-funded programs, including in-school mentoring, traditional mentoring, and Go Girls! Community Care Northumberland: Supporting seniors at home program and stretcher transfer program. Community Counselling and Resource Centre: Community counselling. Habitat for Humanity Northumberland: Home maintains, a home repair program in Alderville First Nation. The Help Centre of Northumberland: Core funding for programs including housing support, financial literacy, energy programs, ESL classes, seniors support, outreach and more. Rebound Child and Youth Services: Triple P (Positive Parenting Program). The Salvation Army: Food bank, outreach meal, health bank and rent bank. Transition House: Emergency shelter support services. WrapAround Northumberland: Wraparound services for individuals and families. Meaghan Macdonald, executive director with Habitat for Humanity Northumberland, also presented to the crowd on housing in Northumberland and talked about how the recent United Way grant is helping map the housing continuum locally and further identify needs for affordable and attainable housing. Looking ahead, United Way said it is excited to continue to build strong partnerships that will create more resilient communities. United Way is beginning to work on a new community impact strategy to understand the changing needs locally, and how we can ensure our investments are aimed at achieving the greatest impact possible, said Darling. United Way thanked the Best Western Plus Cobourg Inn and Convention Centre for sponsoring the breakfast for the last 20 years. To learn more, visit www.mynuw.org. SHARE: Self-proclaimed white nationalist Kevin Goudreau will be sentenced in June after admitting he threatened to kill his neighbour. In the Ontario court of justice in Peterborough on Wednesday, April 26, the 46-year-old pleaded guilty to uttering threats to cause death and breach of probation. According to the agreed statement of facts, Goudreau was under court conditions not to communicate with the victim when he threatened to kill her. The victim and her child were on their front porch when Goudreau walked by around 6 p.m. on May 4, 2022, and uttered that the victim better get inside before he f---ing killed her. Just days before, a same-sex couple who lived near Goudreau said they were told by city police that he had reportedly screamed hate speech, including death to homosexuals, outside their apartment building. Goudreau has said he is the chair of the Canadian Nationalist Front, previously known as the White Nationalist Front, a white nationalist and far-right group. A pre-sentence report was ordered for Goudreau as it is anticipated the prosecution will ask the judge to send Goudreau to jail for the crime. He returns on June 6 for sentencing. A Peterborough resident walked out of the Ontario court of justice in Peterborough on Wednesday, April 26, without a criminal record despite smashing a beer bottle over another mans head at a downtown Peterborough bar in October 2022. In an earlier court appearance, the 21-year-old pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm in connection to his involvement in a bar fight at the Social Pub. In sentencing the man to a conditional discharge, 12 months probation, and 20 hours of community service, Justice Jennifer Broderick noted that the assault was out of character, and the man showed remorse for his actions. According to lawyer Jeffrey Ayotte, his client was extremely intoxicated the night of the incident, and was head-butted seconds before he hit the victim over the head with a beer bottle. Further, Ayotte said his client was severely beaten after by the victims friends. The victim suffered a concussion and a laceration that required stitches. A Peterborough woman has been given a second chance after taking steps to address anger issues following an attack on a neighbour. The 21-year-old woman appeared in the Ontario court of justice in Peterborough on Wednesday, April 26 where she was sentenced to a conditional discharge, 18 months probation, and 50 hours of community service. Earlier in the year, she pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm and unlawful entry in connection with an incident in the winter of 2022. According to Justice Jennifer Brodericks reasons for sentencing, the woman entered a womans apartment unwanted on Jan. 29, 2022. A verbal dispute turned into a physical altercation where the woman pulled a chunk of hair from the victims head, and repeatedly punched her before the two fell down the stairs. The woman continued to punch the other woman in the face at the bottom of the stairs and eventually hit the victim in the head with a dog leash before the attack stopped. After the two separated, the woman apologized and tried to comfort the victim. Following her arrest, the woman participated in anger management before being sentenced. In sentencing the woman, Broderick said she found the crime to be out of character and noted that woman was intoxicated when the attack happened. She said another sentence then a conditional discharge would have a disproportionate impact on the single mother who Broderick said deserved a second chance. SHARE: A new non-denominational church service is taking place Sunday mornings in the former St. Andrews Church and it makes a special point of welcoming all who are homeless. Father Leo Coughlin, a 91-year-old retired priest, is officiating at 11 a.m. on Sundays, as of earlier this month; housing advocate Dan Hennessey attends and has promoted the services online. Coughlin says he uses the word homeless here both in the literal and in the metaphorical sense: people without houses are certainly welcome, as are people without a spiritual home or people who are isolated and lonely. Those without any friends. Those with addictions. With brokenness, he said. We all are homeless in some way. The weekly gatherings started on April 16 and are ongoing at the decommissioned church on Rubidge Street. St. Andrews Church closed in early 2019 after its congregation had dwindled and had merged with that of George Street United Church. Meanwhile in October, the local non-profit Right to Heal received provincial government funding to offer mental health and addiction treatment in the former church as an 18-month pilot project. Right to Heal is run by Whitepath Consulting founder and president Peggy Shaughnessy, who developed the treatment programs. Coughlin said hes co-operating with Shaughnessy to allow the services to occur in the building. Hes said its offering hospitality, good music and good food to anyone whod like to attend. Coughlin said hes happy to welcome people who need to come in out of the elements and get food. Hennessey said the point is to meet people where they are at to welcome them in as they are. He said often friends of his who are homeless go to church on Sundays, to come in from the cold for awhile: And they get asked to leave. Not at this new service, Coughlin said: Youll be welcome, and youll be loved. Hes not hung up on denominations, either: Its not Protestant or Catholic its the people of God. Period, he says. Coughlin further says he believes that relationships can be built through this service though he doesnt expect that to happen quickly. Nor does he expect a crowd: he said the turnout was low, in the first two weeks. But hes prepared to wait, calling this a new concept and a new way of building community. Its the slow work of God. Sunday Service happens at 11 a.m. weekly at 441 Rubidge St., through the entrance off Kirk Street. joelle.kovach@peterboroughdaily.com SHARE: KYODO NEWS - Apr 27, 2023 - 14:21 | All, Coronavirus, Japan Japan formally decided Thursday to downgrade the legal status of the novel coronavirus to a level on par with seasonal influenza on May 8, paving the way for full normalization of social and economic activities. The finalization of the schedule comes as the government mulls bringing forward the lifting of its remaining coronavirus border control measures by more than a week to midnight Friday, in anticipation of an increase in people traveling overseas and returning during the Golden Week holidays starting Saturday. Under the current requirement, all entrants to the country must present certification of having received at least three COVID-19 vaccination doses or a negative result from a coronavirus test, taken within 72 hours of departure. Infectious disease experts at a health ministry panel gave the greenlight to the planned reclassification schedule based on the current coronavirus pandemic situation and the preparedness of the health care system for a resurgence across the country. The panel reported that around 8,400 medical institutions, comprising 90 percent of hospitals nationwide and clinics, are ready to take in up to 58,000 COVID-19 patients. Around 44,000 institutions will accept outpatients, up from 42,000 at present. "Special measures that the government has been taking in response to the novel coronavirus will end on May 7," Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Katsunobu Kato told a press conference. In Japan, COVID-19 is currently designated as a special category equivalent to or stricter than Class 2, which covers infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, under the law. The government has said it will reclassify COVID-19 to Class 5 diseases like seasonal influenza from May 8, meaning a state of emergency will no longer be issued when a resurgence of infection occurs. The government's covering of coronavirus-related medical charges for outpatient care and hospitalization will also end, except for expensive treatments. But some infectious disease experts are cautious about a rapid return to pre-pandemic norms, stressing the need for the elderly and others vulnerable to the coronavirus to continue wearing face masks in order to protect themselves. "There is still a high risk if people start going out the way they did before the coronavirus pandemic," said Tetsuya Matsumoto, a professor of infectious diseases at the International University of Health and Welfare. Earlier this month, a group of experts on the health ministry's advisory panel also warned that Japan could face a "ninth wave" of the coronavirus pandemic even more severe than the previous one, while the health minister noted a rise in cases of the new, contagious XBB.1.5 subvariant of the virus. During the last surge in infections, or the eighth wave, seen from late November to late January, over 7.5 million COVID-19 cases were reported, according to the health ministry. Related coverage: Japan eyes bringing forward end of COVID-19 border controls to April 29 Hospital professionals represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union staged a rally outside of the Peterborough Regional Health Centre on Thursday to protest Bill 60 which will allow private clinics more autonomy when providing services. More than 35 health organizations held rallies across Ontario, with hospital professionals coming out in a form of staggered protesting during their lunch breaks, explained Sarah Labelle, chair of the hospital professionals division with OPSEU. Weve got them all coming out on their lunch break, and their staggered. So far, weve had over 125 people come through, and were here until 1:30 p.m., she said. About 200 people in total should be coming through. Bill 60, also known as the Your Health Act, was introduced by Premier Doug Fords government in February with measures to speed up access to health care services by having private clinics offer more surgical and diagnostic services, such as cataract, knee and hip surgeries, and giving pharmacists power to prescribe medications for some illnesses, to free up hospitals to concentrate on other services. Their solution to the largest staffing crisis in the history of health care is to privatize surgeries and diagnostics, Labelle said. Privatizing surgeries and diagnostics will not solve wait times. Privatizing health care like this could cost taxpayers more money and take hospital professionals away from the public sector, Labelle said. Recent data coming out Quebec from 2016 to 2020 through a freedom of information request showed privatization did not decrease wait times, she said. The data they provided says that those private clinics are costing one and a half to three times the amount, to do the exact same procedures, as it is in the public hospitals, Labelle said. A week ago, Haliburton Highlands Health Services announced that the Minden hospital emergency department is closing effective June 1, with all emergency and in-patient services there consolidated at the Haliburton hospital. (Bill 60) could eventually completely decimate some of our small hospitals. Weve already seen a closure of an emergency department in Minden, Labelle said. If those hospitals have to close in smaller communities, that will increase the wait times in bigger communities that maybe arent going to be as impacted right away. But it will eventually impact everyone. Alternatives Labelle hopes the government will use to fix the staffing crisis include opening up more seats in medical school programs, offering incentives to existing staff to prevent them from retiring before new people can be trained and helping hospital professionals with their college fees once they start working. PeterboroughKawartha MPP Dave Smith could not be reached for comment on the matter Thursday. Labelle encourages Peterborough residents to become informed about Bill 60 and make their voices heard when the Peterborough Health Coalition sets up dozens of booths in Peterborough city and county on May 26 and 27 when volunteers will collect signatures from people opposed to the provinces new strategy. aschummer@peterboroughdaily.com SHARE: Ive been following the Roman Catholic synod process. The three-year consultation among church members was called by Pope Francis in 2001. Members of the church, and some long gone from it, have been meeting in seven areas of the world to compose an account of their experiences, laments and hopes for the future. We Canadians belong to the North American group with the U.S. Following the initial stage of engagement at parish and diocesan level, there have been 12 virtual meetings among 931 participants from Canada and the U. S: seven meetings in English, two in French and three in Spanish. The result is a 39-page report called For a Synodal Church, to go forward for discussion and decision-making in October in Rome. The two bishops in charge of the Can-Am stage were Raymond Poisson of St. Jerome and Daniel Flores of Texas. Of the 931 people taking part, 391 were laywomen, 235 laymen, 76 deacons, 148 priests and 77 nuns. When it was first announced, only one woman, Sister Nathalie Becquart of France, was to have a vote in Rome. Later, the Pope announced that representation of nuns and laywomen will be expanded. Ringing loudly from all parts of the world, not just the West, are calls for true co- responsibility and the inclusion of all the baptized in all offices. I have been interested on account of being marginalized as a woman in ecclesial life. I am a skeptic. but not a cynic. I follow because the Roman Catholic Church is an influential global institution, and the things it says and does affect the fate of the worlds women, whether in Christian, Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist-majority countries. If, for example, this Pope declared in one simple statement that woman and men are equal, the status of women everywhere would be improved. The challenge to patriarchy would be immense. The North American paper said plainly there can be no co- responsibility in the church without fully honouring the inherent dignity of women. We need to ground ourselves in the equal dignity of baptism. The Pope puts the best face on the process calling it walking together and enlarging the tent and listening to the spirit. Politically, I think he realizes that to make any progress in modernizing the institution, as was hoped after Vatican 11 in the 1960s, and to counter the effect of right-wing bishops and groups, he must collect the views of unhappy but still faithful Catholics. There has been a small uptake among Catholics to participate in the synod. In Peterborough, 14 of 45 parishes submitted written reports to Bishop Daniel Miehm and his point person on the synod, former director of education Deirdre Thomas. I personally have benefitted from my watchfulness. The first is a growth in geographical and cultural knowledge, as I read the reports from other parts of the world. For example, Indian Catholics wish to be able to attend mass squatting, their usual posture. The Fijians, in desperation, point to living with environmental damage. I have seen the amazing unanimity among the recommendations from all over the world and heard the profound embarrassment and anger of Catholics over the sexual abuse crisis. People call for a much more vigorous cleaning up of sexual abuse and a deep analysis of the theological, historical and psychological causes of it. I came to find a splendid newsletter called the Global Sisters Report. There are 650,000 Roman Catholic nuns in the world, doing all kinds of good. The devil, of course, is always in the details and in the structure. This structure at present is hierarchical and episcopal. From here on in, at the synods final meetings, live lay voices are absent. One lone woman, a French sister, has voting rights. I asked a progressive Canadian bishop when we might look for any signs of democracy within this church. In the next millennium, he said with a wry smile. Not good enough. SHARE: Necessity, as the saying goes, is the mother of invention. Well, motherhood necessitated the invention of the new U.S. Girls album and, frankly, perhaps Meg Remy should consider having another round of kids. Bless This Mess, Remys ninth album under her endlessly evolving U.S. Girls alias, was written and recorded in Toronto while she was pregnant with and subsequently adapting to life with twin boys and, as has been the case with every U.S. Girls record since 2015s head-turning Half Free and 2018s smashing disco odyssey In a Poem Unlimited, one is tempted to call it her best yet. Its certainly the years smart-pop album to beat thus far, adding a welcome layer of gloss and future-R&B bump-n-grind to Remys ever-more-tuneful explorations of femininity and feminism, and her committed anti-corporate/anti-establishment convictions. Its also brimming with the inscrutable sense of humour thats been a large part of U.S. Girls charm since Remy started the project in her native Chicago as a deconstructionist, one-woman electro-noise assault weapon 15 years ago, featuring a ridiculously slick and tuneful should-be pop hit, Tux (Your Body Fills Me, Boo), sung from the point of view of a lonely, neglected tuxedo to match the cover portrait of a very pregnant Remy sporting the same. The similarly inscrutable Remy, as usual, is leery of talking too much about the specifics of Bless This Messs creation because the story comes to feel not real anymore. The truth becomes marketing, you know? And thats always strange. Essentially, the record released in late February via esteemed U.K. indie label 4AD was born out of being off the road during COVID lockdown in the throes of incipient parenthood, making music and writing songs at home with husband and frequent collaborator and touring bandmate Max Slim Twig Turnbull, and with friends over email for fun, and doing some strange things Id never done before, like writing songs to Hollywood briefs. A big-time Hollywood movie was looking for songs and I wrote two songs for the movie, Remy quietly recalled one recent evening after putting the twins, now two years old, to bed. They didnt get chosen, but they were good songs. Bless This Mess was one of them and Futures Bet was the other one. So I had a batch of songs going and then I found out I was pregnant, and then I was, like, Well, I need my advance money now. I need my money now. So Im making a record It was a lot of fun to make a record like that. Out of necessity. Because then I wasnt beholden to any idea or grand theme or trying to tie everything together. It was a free-for-all, in the best sense especially because I was making it during such a time of uncertainty in not just the outside world, but my inner world. I was, like, Am I gonna die in childbirth? Am I gonna have, like, a crazy blood-pressure situation and I explode? I dont know. Maybe this was going to be the last record Id ever make so it was done with a Who cares? attitude. Pregnancy and pandemic stasis also contributed to keeping Remy and U.S. Girls offstage for three years, the longest shed gone without performing in 15 years. But while Remy confessed at the time that it was good to be a little nervous again about hitting the road this month, she displayed nothing but unflappable confidence during a small-scale preview of the tour conducted with the aid of a versatile four-piece band before a small, doting crowd at the Drake Underground earlier this month. Indeed, as she quipped dryly at the end of the performance: This was our first show in three years. Lucky for you what a good show it was. She returns to Toronto Thursday and Friday, April 28, for a pair of shows at the Velvet Underground, with another scheduled for Aug. 20 at the more capacious Budweiser Stage opening for the National and Patti Smith. It would be wise to catch U.S. Girls when these opportunities arise, since being a mom has compelled Remy to rethink her past habit of hitting the road hard in support of a new recording for weeks on end. Once the kids were actually here and now that the records out, and through the lead-up to the record coming out and having to make decisions around touring and that kind of thing, its affected everything and Im so grateful for it because I am responsible to these two people as their caregiver right now. Its forcing me to make good decisions that I wasnt able to make in the past when I was just mostly making them for myself, you know? Because then it was, like, Oh, I can be miserable. Im good with that. I can go on a tour with a totally inhumane routing and just get sick. I can do that. But Im not gonna ask my kids to do that now. So Im making better choices, I think. And also its just a perspective thing, as well. Its just very grounding being a parent and it makes me feel a part of the lineage of human beings, which feels far more rewarding and nourishing and important than a review of my record or something, you know? With Bless This Mess, Remy has proffered to the public the most generous, tuneful and listener-friendly U.S. Girls album to date. Whether that trend will continue or whether U.S. Girls will take a turn for the arcane again is anybodys guess, but thats precisely why Remys catalogue is so compelling. Like a David Bowie or a P.J. Harvey or a St. Vincent, shes one of those artists whose work is consistently exciting precisely because you have no idea whats going to come next. We thought with this one we had really made something that would or could be digestible by most systems, you know? And its not. I mean, its not anywhere near pop. Its just not. When you really listen to pop music, it couldnt be farther from it, laughed Remy, herself a fan of musicians who continually keep you guessing. I like that as well. Not everybody does. So its nice that there are as many kinds of artists as there are people out there in the world because you can find, like, the artists that your vibe matches with. Some people, they say you should read the same book over and over again and thats how you really get to an understanding of the book. And maybe thats true for an artist if youre working in the same form over and over again But I like to mix it up. I dont know if my records quote/unquote sink or swim out in the world, ever. As long as theyre swimming in my body of work, I feel like if they fit Im pleased and then Im just ready to move on to the next one. Ben Rayner is a Toronto-based journalist and a frequent contributor to the Stars Culture section. Follow him on Twitter: @ihatebenrayner SHARE: Great, now we dont know if emojis are sincere? Before we get going today, I must address the outraged ruffians of Leafs Nation including my brother Kris calling for an unsportsmanlike misconduct because a column this week left them feeling like I was a Judas Iscariot, ankle-wobbling in Bauers on thin ice. I never told you to defect from Leafs Nation. By all means, keep painting your cheeks. Keep waving your flags. And when the Leafs are eliminated, Ill send you a thoughts-and-prayers emoji. From hieroglyphics to Ikea instructions, we are conditioned to, well, draw meaning from pictograms. But are the emojis now flying at Mach 5 in the ether an accurate reflection of how we truly feel? Or as a CBS story put it this week: Are people really being honest when they pick these emotion emojis? A recent study out of Japan suggests the answer is no. You can read it in the journal, Frontiers in Psychology. Warning: its long and larded with citations and the social science jargon that makes me want to inject Red Bull into my retinas just to get through the introduction. But this sentence sums it up: Interestingly, smiling faces do not necessarily express happiness but are also used to de-intensify and mask emotions that are not appropriate for expression. In other words, emojis might be deceptive. That eggplant a weirdo just texted might not necessarily reflect BDE. Ive come around on these goofy toons of digital comms. When emojis first gained cultural traction, it felt odd to send someone a picture instead of words. It felt juvenile. But we have busy lives. And emojis are as convenient as seat warmers. They are also free. Or Id be in debt over the crying-laughing emojis I fling every day. You know what else? Emojis are a beautiful conversation killer. If Im en route to the market and my wife texts to request cauliflower, I can reply with a thumbs up. Then when I ignore her disgusting request and stock up on ribs, I send a sad face to pretend the cauliflower was sold out even though it wasnt. Happy face! Im not casting aspersions on this Japanese study. However, having spent six years as a TV critic that included watching utterly deranged Tokyo game shows, I would suggest there might be cultural and confounding variables that do not translate into universal emoji insight. Id also question why researchers studied 1,289 participants, of whom 1,085 were between the ages of 12 and 19. And only 78 were male. That is flawed methodology. Sigh face! My teen daughters emoji proclivities are not representative of Noam Chomsky. But even if everyone is prone to dishonest emojification I just made up a word why is this surprising in a world where white lies are a crucial social lubricant? At home, at work, with family, with friends, with strangers in public spaces, our faces are living emojis. We fib because we care. Do I believe your new dress is gorgeous? Hard no. You look like a zebra that was run over by an 18-wheeler. But I say you look gorgeous because that is what good people should do. We lie to soothe. Happy face! Youre at a restaurant. The server comes over to ask how youre enjoying the entree. Why they always ask when you are chewing is a different column. But what do you say? Great! Fantastic! Mmm! Our lizard brains are hard-wired to accentuate the positive even with a mouthful of fettuccine that tastes like packing peanuts. If your boss asks if you agree with an operational plan, chances are you will send back a 100% emoji. You go with the flow. You want to be a good soldier. Also, there is no emoji that means, That is a terrible idea! This place is doomed! The only truly honest citizens among us are those who suffer from road rage. Im not defending them. They are terrifying. But they are in touch with their feelings. They are not inclined to sugar-coat any visceral reactions. That 10-second honk and trembling middle finger is the ultimate multimedia emoji. You know what they mean. Emoji, invented by Shigetaka Kurita, is a Japanese portmanteau for letter and picture. The global nuances in emojification are fascinating. In China, according to Digital Information World, clapping hands is most popular. The crying laughing I overuse is most popular in 75 countries. The heart emoji leads the way in Russia, which is grimly ironic given the heartbreak it has unleashed on Ukraine in its barbaric invasion. But an aggregated look at emoji usage across the planet shows that most countries just yearn for love and laughter. Emojis are sweet. Emojis are aspirational. The CBS story this week offered a suggestion: So, the next time youre faced with a screen full of emojis, experts suggest choosing one that truly matches your mood. Thumbs down to those experts. No critical information is ever relayed via emojis. CSIS is not contacting clandestine sources overseas with cryptic pictures of clasped hands or birthday cakes. Emojis are about shorthand. And if that sideways laughing face with streaming tears shooting out like blue lasers masks a sad apprehension, so be it. We can both get on with our days and sort it out later. We lie all the time for the benefit of others. Emojis should not be exempt. Go Leafs Go! SHARE: MONTREAL - The head of a private seniors residence in Montreal has been charged with fraud after he allegedly billed a regional health authority for resident services that were never provided. Paul Asselin, 60, produced fake invoices using the names of people who were not living at the care home at the time the services were allegedly provided, Quebec anti-corruption police allege. The Unite permanente anticorruption says the alleged fraud took place between March 18, 2021, and April 30, 2022. Asselin, who runs Les Jardins de Jouvence residence in Montreals MercierHochelaga-Maisonneuve borough, has been charged with fraud under $5,000, forgery and use of a forged document. The value of the fraud is estimated at more than $4,000, police say. The local heath authority declined to comment directly on the case, but Christian Merciari, an assistant to the president and CEO, said the agency is reviewing its verification process to ensure greater control over our process of paying invoices. Our ultimate objective is to ensure that the care that is billed for corresponds with care that is verifiably provided in our partners, Merciari, with the public health authority CIUSSS de lEst-de-lIle-de-Montreal wrote in an email Thursday. Asselin is scheduled to appear in court on May 31. The Jardins de Jouvence residence did not immediately respond to a request from comment. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2023. Read more about: SHARE: UNITED NATIONS (AP) U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield is heading to Brazil next week, following up on recent high-level meetings between the presidents and top diplomats of the two countries. The U.S. Mission to the United Nations said late Wednesday that she will visit the capital, Brasilia, and then travel to Salvador, one of the oldest cities in the Americas and a center of Afro-Brazilian culture, from May 2-4. Thomas-Greenfields visit follows Februarys White House meeting where President Joe Biden and Brazils President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva stressed the importance of defending democracy and preserving the Amazon rain forest and talks on the margin of the Group of 20 ministerial meeting in New Delhi in early March between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira. Lula has also reached out to China and Russia, traveling to Beijing earlier this month to meet with Chinas President Xi Jinping in Beijing and holding talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Brasilia last week. The Brazilian president sparked criticism from the U.S. and the European Union for suggesting recently that Kyiv and the West share some responsibility for the conflict in Ukraine, which began with Russias invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. The U.S. mission said Thomas-Greenfield, a member of Bidens Cabinet, will focus on promoting democracy and multilateral cooperation on the trip, as well as on combating climate change, safeguarding food security, continuing cooperation on regional migration, and ensuring equity for marginalized racial, ethnic, and Indigenous communities. Brazil, Latin Americas largest country and a major global exporter, is currently serving a two-year term on the U.N. Security Council. The mission said that in Brasilia, the ambassador will meet with government officials to discuss our partnership in the region and at the United Nations. She will also meet Brazilians dealing with the more than 250,000 Venezuelan migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in the country and speak at the University of Brasilia, the mission said. In Salvador, the mission said, Thomas-Greenfield will underscore the U.S. commitment to reinvigorate the 2008 U.S.-Brazil Joint Action Plan to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Discrimination and Promote Equality and will engage with Afro-Brazilian civil society and young people. SHARE: OTTAWA - Military and foreign affairs officials said Thursday Canada expects to send additional planes to help evacuate people from Sudan in the coming days but the volatile situation on the ground is making planning difficult. The first two Canadian-operated evacuation planes left Khartoum Thursday carrying 118 people, including both Canadians and citizens of allied nations. Two hundred Canadians had previously escaped with the help of allies including Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom. Global Affairs Canada says about 1,800 Canadians registered their presence in Sudan and just over 100 Canadians still there have asked for help to flee. Several hundred others have asked for assistance on the ground but currently want to stay. Most of them in the capital of Khartoum. Defence Minister Anita Anand was pleased with the news some flights had succeeded but called the whole situation volatile with intermittent power and communications systems. The situation is extremely dangerous in Sudan and key civilian infrastructure is necessary for any evacuation of non-combatants in this situation, she said. She said there are 200 Canadian military personnel involved in the missions and they are working as quickly as possible. Two Canadian navy ships are in in the vicinity but movement to the sea by land is risky. Vice-Admiral Bob Auchterlonie, commander of the Canadian Joint Operations Command, said for now allied planes are not being targeted. We will continue evacuations as long as we can support Global Affairs Canada that being said, its a very tenuous situation on the ground, he said. Violence erupted in Sudan last week between its army and a paramilitary force. At least 512 people, including civilians and combatants, have been killed since April 15, with another 4,200 wounded, according to the Sudanese Health Ministry. The Doctors Syndicate, which tracks civilian casualties, has recorded at least 295 civilians killed and 1,790 wounded. A ceasefire has brought some calm, though the fighting continues. Auchterlonie said Canada and its allies are concerned the end of that ceasefire Thursday night may bring an escalation in violence. Already the two flights Canada has successfully flown out were not full because of increasing extortion of people who are trying to flee to the main airfield in Khartoum. There are concerns about leaving in darkness to get to the airport, said Julie Sunday, the assistant deputy minister for emergency management at Global Affairs. All of our allies have noted to us that they have faced the same issues. Canada has been criticized for a slow response to the situation, but officials at a technical briefing for reporters Thursday said the suddenness of the violence took them by surprise. Auchterlonie said intelligence reports first indicated the situation in Khartoum was deteriorating about 12 days ago. Weve had Canadian Armed Forces on the ground in excess of a week at this point, including our special operations forces, he said. So just to counter the information that may be out there, the fact is were monitoring globally, working with our allies and partners and across government, to ensure were tracking situations around the world. Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said she was with her G7 nation counterparts in Japan when the violence escalated and they began working on a response immediately. Its of little comfort to Canadians who found themselves trapped as the fighting erupted. Mohamed Hassan was set to return home to Toronto on April 15, the same day fighting spilled into the streets of Khartoum. The 45-year-old filmmaker registered with Global Affairs Canada but said a week passed without an evacuation plan. He said he could hear gunshots, mortar shells and low-flying planes from his familys home in Omdurman, a city in the capital region. The response I got from the Canadian government I felt abandoned, I felt helpless. And nobody was going to do anything for me, so I had to do what I had to do, Hassan said. His family joined thousands of others headed north to Egypt. After several failed attempts they were able to arrange for a bus, and the harrowing trip took six days. There are no words to describe the experience of terror, horror and misery and fear for my life, he said in an interview from Cairo, where he arrived on Thursday. Cash-strapped with limited flight options, he is staying with family and trying to find a way to Toronto. Im just in communication and contact with my family waiting for them to try to send me money. I dont even have money now, he said. Global Affairs is helping evacuees get to a safe third country. Canadians can apply for emergency loans to help them get home, and about $170,000 has been handed out to around 70 people so far. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2023. With files from The Associated Press, Jordan Omstead in Toronto and Keith Doucette in Enfield, N.S. Read more about: SHARE: ETDA ramps up secure online transactions awareness PHUKET: The Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) held a public awareness seminar in Phuket Town yesterday (Apr 26) to educate local officials and community leaders of the dangers of online threats and scams in the hope the awareness will be passed onto to local communities. technologycrime By The Phuket News Thursday 27 April 2023, 02:01PM Phuket Vice Governor Amnuay Pinsuwan chaired a training session, held at The Pago Design Hotel, which focussed on how to conduct secure transactions online. Present to lead the training was Praparat Chaiyos, head of the ETDAs online help and problem management center, known by its hotline moniker 1212 ETDA. Ms Praparat said the ETDA under the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society is tasked with operating the online Help and Resolution Center (1212 ETDA), in conjunction with relevant partner agencies. The center is also tasked with conducting public awareness and training sessions to educate the public about online security threats to private data. The 1212 ETDA or Online Fraud and Complaint Center has been created to solve online transaction problems and we have brought experts from many sectors involved to do field training and raise awareness about online transactions problem prevention and management, Ms Praparat explained. The training aims to give knowledge and make understanding of how to make a safe online transaction through an easy learning method for organisations and people, she added. The ETDA is also working together with an alliance of government agencies and organisations to extend the network in order to more easily receive complaints to prevent online fraud and create trust about online transactions, she added. The target group of the training includes 2,000 people from local government officials, regional officials, community leaders, and people who are interested in the program, with training sessions being held in 10 provinces: Rayong, Chonburi, Chiang Mai, Phitsanulok, Lopburi, Ubon Ratchathani, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phuket, and Bangkok. The series of seminars comes as government agencies carry out public awareness campaigns warning that people face up to three years in jail or a fine of up to B300,000, or both, if they are found to be providing mule accounts for online scams. Earlier this week people were warned against a scam aiming to lure people to click to receive a B2,500 rebate from the Social Security Fund. Clicking the link allows the scam operators to access private information and even functions on the mobile phone, officials warned. KYODO NEWS - Apr 27, 2023 - 17:04 | All, Japan, World A video camera used by a Japanese journalist shot dead in Myanmar while filming an anti-junta demonstration in 2007 has been returned to his family, according to a report by a Myanmar independent broadcaster. Final images taken by slain video journalist Kenji Nagai with the camera included scenes of anti-government protesters in Yangon, the arrival of national army trucks and Nagai himself reporting the situation. The Democratic Voice of Burma said it found the camera in Myanmar and handed it over on Wednesday to Nagai's younger sister, Noriko Ogawa, in Bangkok. Ogawa said she is "deeply grateful" for the return, adding, "I hope this will help people take a second look at what is happening in Myanmar." The 50-year-old journalist was using the Sony video camera when he was shot on Sept. 27, 2007, by security forces in Yangon, DVB said. Ogawa, who lives in Imabari, Ehime Prefecture in western Japan, had been calling for the return of Nagai's camera and other belongings. "We are happy that we could contribute in a small way to ease the sorrow of Kenji Nagai's family for their loss in a senseless killing," said DVB Chief Editor Aye Chan Naing. Related coverage: Filmmaker released from Myanmar urges Japan to condemn junta Japan demands release of journalist held in Myanmar GUELPH A maintenance man from Cambridge was caught on video lying on a Guelph clients bed and undoing his pants, Guelph Police Service said in a news release. A 22-year-old Cambridge man faces charges for allegedly committing an indecent act after going to an address near Exhibition Park to fix a plumbing problem on April 7. Police said a video showed the man looking in the fridge, going to the homeowners bedroom and removing personal lubricant from a bedside table. The homeowner reported to police that they activated the voice feature on the camera and asked the man to leave. Police said the man in the video stood up and appeared to be pulling up his pants. SHARE: KITCHENER The City of Kitchener announced it was fencing off unsheltered residents living at Roos Island from the rest of Victoria Park as it tries to get people to move elsewhere, and prevent any new people from living there. In a press release the city said it has been offering shelter spaces to the half dozen or so people still living there. Some have accepted. Some have not. To ensure the safety of both individuals on the island and staff during this transition period, and to protect the privacy of people as they prepare to move, a gate has been installed at the Roland Street Bridge, the release said. Access on and off the island will be managed by third-party security. It went on, The citys goal is to return Roos Island to its intended use as a public space, available for all residents to enjoy. Roos Island and the Heritage Bridge will undergo maintenance in the spring and summer. Roos Island is expected to reopen in phases, beginning this summer. A notice given to campers said You are not being asked to move off the island until you move to your cabin or other housing/shelter option. Asked what will happen if people dont leave the island Bethany Rowland, corporate communications director, said the city tries to take a compassionate approach. Most individuals voluntarily leave or get connected with outreach or other service partners, she said in an email. It is rare that the city needs take any further measures to enforce our bylaws. People have been living on Roos Island, in varying numbers, since July 2022. The move comes as people are preparing to move into the Region of Waterloos managed encampment at 1001 Erbs Rd., which will operated by The Working Centre. Working Centre staff were told to prioritize moving people from camps on city and regional properties at Roos Island, 150 Main St. in Cambridge and 100 Victoria St. N., some of the most visible encampments in the region. Fifty people will be allowed at the managed encampment. Visitors will not be allowed. Coun. Debbie Chapman, whose ward includes Victoria Park, said the move to fence off the island is happening now because some people are moving to Erbs Road. The why now is because of the move, she said, adding shes pleased to see people living at Roos offered alternative shelter. Two days prior to the Roos Island announcement Kitchener bylaw officers attended another encampment in the Wilson Park area. Staff said bylaw received a complaint. Staff found a shelter space for one individual and got a taxi to take her there. The following day, another camper was at this location, but the individual left within a couple of hours, said Shawn Falcao, manager of corporate communications. As of fall 2021 it was estimated more than 400 people are living unsheltered in Waterloo Region. When the region sought an injunction in Superior Court it was dismissed, with the justice saying eviction without accessible shelter spaces for all would violate human rights. Lawyer Shannon Down from Waterloo Region Community Legal Services represented people living at 100 Victoria during the injunction hearing. She said she was disappointed in what the city chose to do at Roos Island and that any coercive move of people is a charter violation. Im really disappointed that they didnt contact us before starting to move people out so people could actually get some independent legal advice on what their rights are, Down said. Paige Desmond is a Waterloo Region-based reporter focusing on municipal issues for The Record. Reach her via email: pdesmond@therecord.com SHARE: WATERLOO REGION The regions Catholic school board has publicly denounced tweets made by one of its trustees that sparked a Rebel News delegation, chants of shame and police arriving at its board meeting earlier this week. In a statement sent out late Wednesday, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board said it does not support statements made by Trustee Wendy Ashby in social media posts. The posts, which have now been deleted from the Kitchener/Wilmot trustees Twitter account, have drawn criticism from parents and fellow trustees regarding her statements targeted at white Christians. The most dangerous creature on the planet is the White Christian male. Theyre a Threat to anyone who is not them, one of the tweets read. Hush money. Buying silence about being underpaid. White women make obedient soldiers for the christofacist patriarchy, a second deleted tweet reads. After the posts circulated on social media, calls began for Ashby to resign from the board, culminating in more than 3,000 signatures on the Parents as First Educators website, and close to 2,700 on Campaign Life Coalition. On Monday, David Menzies, a host on right-wing website Rebel News, appeared as a delegation at the boards meeting, quoting some of Ashbys tweets, and asking the board to condemn her social media actions. The exchange posted to Twitter by Campaign Life Coalition shows the packed board room erupting into shouts and jeers as Menzies speaks. Trustees eventually voted to halt the proceedings and left the room. The video shows the room chanting shame as staff and trustees leave. Police were later called to the meeting. No arrests were made, and no one was removed from the meeting, said Waterloo Regional Police spokesperson Andre Johnson. In the boards statement on Wednesday, Ashby formally apologized for her social media statements. I apologize for my tweets that offended people and I apologize to my board colleagues for how this has impacted them, she said. This tweet has now been deleted. Conversations about inequality are often uncomfortable. As a Metis woman and in my professional role, I encounter these discussions regularly and part of these discussions is to challenge our existing systems. A great deal of my education and advocacy work is around understanding and furthering diversity, equity and inclusion. She said she decided to delete her Twitter account to ensure that my comments and advocacy will not be taken out of context, in the future, and she intends to continue working with her colleagues and the community in her role as a trustee. Ashby did not respond to requests for comment from The Record. Among the colleagues Ashby will have to work with is trustee Marisa Phillips, who issued her own public statement on Wednesday condemning Ashbys statements. She said the comments were entirely inappropriate, unacceptable, and should be condemned without hesitation. I stand with the concerned parents and community members who denounce my colleagues words. Racism and Sexism against any group have no place in our society, she said. These actions become especially heinous when they originate from an elected school board trustee whose hurtful comments are aimed directly at many of the families she has been tasked with representing. Board chair Tracey Weiler, who originally agreed to an interview on Thursday, cancelled and instead pointed to Wednesdays news release for the boards stance on the matter. The Board will continue to be accountable and accessible to our community, but we will not tolerate hate of any kind or disrespectful behaviour that is disruptive to public meetings, the release said. There will be no further comment from the Board of Trustees at this time. Read more about: SHARE: WATERLOO REGION Grand River Transit bus drivers could be on strike as of May 1. The Region of Waterloo and Unifor Local 4304 are in negotiations for a new contract. A strike deadline of just before midnight on April 30 has been set. The region and the unions bargaining committee are scheduled to meet Thursday and Friday to continue negotiating and secure an agreement, said Lana Payne, Unifor national president, in a statement. Transit operators were on the front lines of the pandemic and maintenance staff made sure the buses were roadworthy, Payne said. Local 4304 members have shown how critical they are to the Waterloo areas economy. They have earned a fair contract. The union represents more than 650 transit operators and 90 skilled trades and support workers. Issues include increased wages and scheduling, the union said. A strike would affect drivers of buses, MobilityPlus and BusPlus services. Ion train service will continue, as it operated by Keolis, the region said. The region said it will continue to meet with Unifor representatives to reach an agreement. Employees at the Region of Waterloo provide services to almost 650,000 residents every day. This work is critical and is valued and appreciated, the region said in a media release. GRT had its first strike in 2020. About 730 GRT drivers, dispatchers, mechanics and service attendants were off the job for 11 days. RELATED STORIES Waterloo Region Grand River Transit strike ends Saturday SHARE: WATERLOO REGION The car of the future will monitor the vital signs of drivers or passengers suffering heart attacks or strokes and automatically take them to the nearest emergency ward. When the autonomous vehicle gets to the hospital, the vital signs data collected by sensors in the seats will upload to the computer system used by doctors and nurses, saving valuable minutes. The technology already exists. It was created by the Kitchener-based med-tech startup CloudDX. It partnered with Faurecia, a huge French auto-parts maker with 110,000 employees in 33 countries. Faurecia specializes in seating, interiors, electronics and clean mobility. Faurecia was already making smart car seats with sensors. CloudDX developed a platform used across North America for delivering remote/virtual health care and telemedicine. So we integrated their car seat into our platform, said Robert Kaul, the co-founder and CEO of CloudDX. The seats are inside the Project Arrow vehicle the first electric, connected, autonomous vehicle made entirely with Canadian parts. Project Arrow was headed by Flavio Volpe of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association, and it produced the first electric, connected, autonomous vehicle made entirely with Canadian parts. The vehicle is currently visiting different innovation hubs to help spur more startups into working on auto-related technology. Kaul said the seats monitor heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, temperature, brain waves, oxygen levels and other vital signs. The software that handles the data can determine if and when a driver or passenger is having a heart attack, stroke or an acute allergic reaction. The vehicle can be programmed to pull over, call for help and wait for paramedics to arrive. Or it can be programmed to find the nearest emergency ward and drive there right away. How cool could that be? said Kaul. The tag line here is: The car as caregiver. When the vehicles computer detects a driver in trouble, it will ask if he or she is OK. If the driver does not respond, the vehicles computer will contact 911, steer the car onto the shoulder and stop, he said. The software is sophisticated enough to filter out stops, bumps, accelerations and other quick or sudden movements of the vehicle that could interfere with the collection of the drivers vital signs. It took a lot of work to make that happen, said Kaul. CloudDX is among 15 local companies selected to provide technology and hardware for Project Arrow. In total 58 companies, including Linamar, Toyota and Geotab participated. It is a manufacturing and technology milestone for the country. I think it is amazing, said Kaul. For Canadian companies to get together and prove to the world Canadian technology is not just OK, or good enough, or as good we are miles ahead of everybody else. The Project Arrow vehicle is a four-wheeled celebration of the countrys manufacturing and technical prowess that can compete with the best from the U.S., China, Germany and elsewhere, said Kaul. We are super-proud to be part of it, he said. SHARE: KYODO NEWS - Apr 27, 2023 - 18:00 | Sports, All, Japan, G7 Two-time Olympic men's gymnastics all-around champion Kohei Uchimura visited Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at his office Thursday in Tokyo with a group of current and former gymnasts who will deliver a message of peace in Hiroshima ahead of next month's Group of Seven summit. The gymnasts from the G-7 member countries will take part in the "G-7 Gymnastics Hiroshima" event this week ahead of the May 19-21 summit, which is likely to focus heavily on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. International Gymnastics Federation President Morinari Watanabe, Tokyo Games floor bronze medalist Mai Murakami and Russian-born American 2008 women's all-around Olympic champion Nastia Liukin were also among the group who met the prime minister. The athletes will visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum to lay flowers at the cenotaph for A-bomb victims on Friday and meet junior and senior high school students the next day. Uchimura, who is from Nagasaki, the second city hit by an American atomic bomb attack after Hiroshima in the closing days of World War II, said they hoped to encourage world leaders to take steps toward peace at the summit. "All of us here wish to contribute to peace through sports," said Uchimura, who won all-around Olympic gold in 2012 and 2016. Kishida said, "I would like to demonstrate leadership...at the summit and cooperate with other G-7 countries to convey to the world the G-7's determination for peace, stability and prosperity." Related coverage: G-7 leaders set to lay flowers at cenotaph for Hiroshima A-bomb victims 67% of A-bomb survivors doubt G-7 will pave way for nuclear abolition G7 mulls almost complete ban on exports to Russia Nari Shakti : Empowering the Nation | Sudha Murty (Padma Bhushan Awardee, Educator, Author, and Philanthropist) Yatra naryastupujyante-ramantetatra Devata This verse was written thousands of years ago in our Bharat, during the times when our ancestors knew the power of women. Women not just means a female gender, but much beyond that. They make half the society and a familys backbone. Where women were respected and enjoy their status, Gods reside there. But over centuries, may be due to various reasons, our women were kept inside, unlike those days of thousand years ago. In ancient India, women too were considered equally like men and given opportunities in intellectual debates, administration, property inheritance, scholarly know- ledge, etc. Later, women were denied education, social status and to a great extent, her existence. She was only being recognised as a daughter, as a wife or as a mother, and lost her glory of equality and courage. I feel women are like elephants tied to a tree. For an elephant, a tree is not a great thing to uproot, and she can just pull it out with ease. But the elephant thinks that she has been chained and hence, does not unleash her potential. So are women. They are great managers, root of a family, with hard working habits; but chained to the mindset that they cannot exercise their powers or unleash their potential. It is possible to think that way because, a starting point is required to trigger any storm or wave. How this point would come, who will help them, who will give them confidence, who will give a policy to help them or who will unlock her potential for the first time ? Who will acknowledge her to come out of her smoky kitchens, who can give her a helping hand when she wants to start a new venture, who will appreciate her capacity in sports, health, defence, aviation ? Once it is done, she will grow herself with tremendous capacity in building the Nation. This amazing transformation happened to them, with the right leader who spoke about women and making aware that daughters are precious gifts of God. The leader started talking to all common men and women of his country through a programme with good live and real examples. He made the right promise, with right words and followed in the right direction. Be it Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana, Swachh Bharath Mission, #SelfiewithDaughter, etc. Who encouraged the Nari Shakti and made them to remember that they are responsible in countrys building National wealth ? This leader did this with Mann Ki Baat episodes which started in 2014, with various social issues like children getting scared of the exams, parental pressure, women empowerment (Nari Shakti), etc. The leader is none other than our Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji. The broadcast programme of his talk with people of our country is known as Mann Ki Baat. He speaks with various people from different walks of life, about various causes and finds out the real heroes who are unsung, unheard, unseen, but who have done great work. When a good leader talks consistently without exaggeration, people listen and believe and then, follow. The entire country has a great belief in him that what he talks, he means, particularly women who have been benefited a lot from his talks and projects. Today, women in different fields have achieved a lot. When women do extraordinary work, they are called and appreciated and Nation accepts them; they become role models to many youngsters and thus girl children are dreaming big because they know that policies are favouring them and they are achievable. Few months ago, I had visited a rural village regarding my work, and was interacting with a group of children. We were exchanging many questions and answers, covering many varied topics. Towards the end of our talk, was my last question to the young girls in the group, What do you want to be when you grow up? A bright-eyed girl immediately said, I want to be Zoya Agarwal. I was curious and asked why. She said, You dont see TV, you dont read paper ? Zoya Agarwal took all women pilot team flying over north pole from San Francisco to Bangalore, covering a distance of 16,000 km. She met our Prime Minister. I want to be like her. The other girl said I want to participate in Olympics, because I will be a role model to other girls and get honoured by Prime Minister. The third girl said I want to be a lady entrepreneur, because there are big projects like PMMY which will help me. Their mother came out and said, Madam, I want to thank Prime Minister ji for getting us LPG. It has saved my eyes from smoke and improved my health. Another lady said, I feel safe to go to toilet now. Some older women came forward and told We listen Mann Ki Baat but we do not know how to convey dhanyavad. Madam, in case you meet him or write to him, please convey from all of us that your sisters of this country want to thank him. Their tears showed how much gratitude they wanted to express. I had told them that I would do it sometime, somewhere, somehow. And, my mind was effortlessly observing the confident transformation in our Nari Shakti. I remembered the shloka once again, Yatra naryastupujyanteramantetatra Devata. PIB UNREALISTIC DEMANDS Justification for the unrealistic demands being made by the federal unions, and particularly the work-from-home issue, became even more farcical last week when The Canadian Press and CTV reported that during the pandemic as many as 117,000 government employees were sent home on full pay, at a cost to taxpayers of $819 million, as they were "unable" to work from home! And as I recall, the majority of government employees also received pay increases during the pandemic. If 117,000 are unable to work from home, why are they demanding to be able to do just that? "Sunny Ways," people, but only if you work for the government, it seems. Les Farrington Ancaster POLITICAL CORRECTNESS RUN AMOK To the trustees and superintendents of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB): your recent new policy to refrain from using notable Canadians in naming new schools in your board is a shattering blow to your students as well as to our nation and community. You have basically turned your backs to those Canadians who have made significant contributions to our nation and society. I will now provide you with a brief history lesson on some notable Canadians and events that Canadian school boards have honoured : Andrew Mynarski School, Winnipeg, Manitoba (Winnipeg School District) Banting and Best Public School, Scarborough, (Toronto District School Board) Vimy Ridge Public School, Ajax (Durham District School Board) Why is it these boards have no problem in naming their schools after notable Canadians and significant events in our history? At the same time, the HWDSB has decided not to follow a similar proud example as these school boards have done. Shame on you HWDSB! If the HWDSB needs some excellent examples of hometown Canadians to name possible new schools, here are four outstanding local suggestions: Charles Juravinski Nathan Cirillo Frank Garbas Albert Garshowitz Both Frank Garbas and Albert Garshowitz were from Hamilton and lost their lives in the Dam Buster Raid of May 16-17, 1943. Being politically correct all the time, is perhaps just not working to the benefit of your students, our community and nation. Mike LoSchiavo Stoney Creek RESTAURANT SERVICE SLIPPING Prior to the onset of COVID we happily used to frequent several of the local restaurants in the Stoney Creek and Hamilton area. At that time we normally received pleasant, professional service and tipped service staff accordingly. However, since the end of the pandemic we have noticed that not only are restaurant service staff complacent, they are often less than diligent in their duties as well as rude when they find our response lacking. After working for more than 35 years in customer service, I am not your average customer, nor will I accept lacklustre service from service staff and then provide a tip to reward them! The staff receiving tips appears to be the least worrisome business factor for owners, but should be a major concern. Low customer counts and less returning customers happen quickly as more new restaurants open daily and eating out, or ordering out becomes a luxury. Additionally, the customers choice of offerings increase exponentially, thus allowing those with lousy service and poor staff attitudes to go quickly out of business, fading into the sunset only to complain about business being bad due to the economy. Carl Williams Stoney Creek SHARE: Metrolinx is putting off demolition of an apartment chimney in the way of LRT construction to preserve bird habitat. The move to protect nesting space for the threatened chimney swift is popular with many residents but its also hitting a nerve with housing advocates who argue more should be done to preserve homes for human tenants displaced by the citys light-rail transit project. The provincial agency managing Hamiltons $3.4-billion LRT project posted photos online this week explaining why a lonely chimney encircled with scaffolding remains standing after the demolition of a three-storey brick apartment building at the corner of Holton Avenue and King Street East. Via email, Metrolinx said it had found physical evidence of habitation in the chimney and watched at least one of the cigar-shaped swifts enter the old brick stack. Since the chimney swift is listed as a threatened species both provincially and federally, the agency has decided the chimney will be retained and stabilized. The small, acrobatic-flying swifts are known to roost and make nests in old chimneys, but populations are shrinking. Provincial law says you must create new habitat if you are going to destroy a chimney used by the swifts but finding a way to maintain the chimney is encouraged. A lonely chimney encircled with scaffolding remains standing after the demolition of a three-storey brick apartment building at the corner of Holton Avenue and King Street East. John Rennison/The Hamilton Spectator The post spurred online kudos from bird lovers and other conservation-minded residents Wednesday but also pointed commentary about renters who have lost affordable living space to the ongoing demolition of at least 60 buildings along the Main-King corridor in the way of LRT. There is a painful irony in watching demolition paused for birds while so many human tenants are displaced by the LRT project, said Karl Andrus, housing advocate and a manager with the Hamilton Community Benefits Network. You dont want there to be a higher priority for birds than for unhoused people, said Andrus, one of a growing number of advocates pushing both the city and province to commit to building new affordable housing along the fast-redeveloping LRT route. Prior to demolition, the bird-friendly King Street apartment was a flashpoint for criticism that LRT spurs tenant displacement and that not enough is being done to offset the loss of affordable housing along the route. The apartment was emptied in early 2018 for the first iteration of an LRT project that was infamously cancelled over a ballooning budget the very next year. Advocates demanded that vacant building and others be reopened even if only temporarily to help residents caught in the citys affordable-housing crisis. It didnt happen. Instead, a new federal-provincial funding partnership resurrected the transit project and the King Street apartment, along with dozens of other emptied buildings on the LRT route, have now been knocked down. Metrolinx has emphasized it offered relocation help to all tenants directly displaced by the project, in some cases by paying moving costs and top-up rent payments in a new location. The agency has bought 60 properties along the planned LRT line but may need to buy another 30 or so. Advocates argue a specific government commitment is long overdue to build new, replacement affordable housing. The city has expressed hope surplus project land will eventually be used for affordable housing, but no specific commitment has been made by either Metrolinx or the province. A requested report on what the city can do on its own to preserve or buy land along the route has been delayed. Metrolinx said Wednesday it did not expect the chimney to get in the way of LRT construction, but did not say whether it would be maintained permanently and if so, how the rickety stack would fit into future land uses. This isnt the first time LRT planners have had to work around threatened species. In 2017, plans for a Frid Street extension to an LRT maintenance facility had to be tweaked because of the discovery of endangered butternut trees. Read more about: SHARE: KAMLOOPS, B.C. - The BC Financial Services Authority has issued its largest penalty to date against a Kamloops, B.C., woman who it says failed to comply with an order to stop unlicensed rental property management services. The authority says Kathy Alaina Bakker provided unauthorized rental property management for 10 properties in the city between December 2019 and August 2022. It says Bakker has been ordered to pay a $125,000 penalty and nearly $55,000 in investigation and hearing fees. The agency says aggravating factors in its decision included that she continued to manage the properties after being notified of the investigation and intentionally ignored the order to stop. Bakker, who has 30 days to appeal the decision, could not immediately be reached for comment. The authority called it a landmark penalty that comes after legislation was updated to increase maximum penalties for misconduct to $250,000. Raheel Humayun, director of investigations for the authority, says in a statement that the fine sends a a clear message that failing to comply with an order and not co-operating with an investigation will not be tolerated. Unlicensed persons and their unlawful participation in providing real estate services puts landlords and tenants at risk, particularly when it comes to protecting deposits or rent, he said. These risks are elevated in a competitive rental market, where unlicensed rental property managers may engage in unfair practices, and the recourse for impacted tenants is unfortunately limited. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 26, 2023. Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version incorrectly identified Raheel Humayun as female. Read more about: SHARE: More and more cars hum, an audible signal of the increasing number of electric vehicles on Canadian roads. But one type still loudly rumbles: the classic yellow school bus. A coalition of nearly three dozen environment, health and child-welfare groups launched a call to action Thursday to replace Canadas 50,000 diesel-fuelled school buses with electric models, a push they say will have immediate and long-term health benefits including psychological benefits. Decades of research has shown that diesel exhaust is a toxic air pollutant, and emerging evidence suggests it can affect brain function and memory. Diesel is also a potent greenhouse gas, and children will bear the greatest burden of climate changes consequences. Electrifying school buses will help alleviate these harms, advocates say. But maybe most of all, turning school buses carbon-friendly will be a powerful symbol of change a balm for kids climate anxieties. Our young people are worried about their futures. They know about climate change; they know what causes climate change. And each day were asking them to climb onto a bus that they know is part of the problem, said Erica Phipps, executive director of the Canadian Partnership for Childrens Health and Environment. Replacing diesel buses would show kids there is hope. The adults in their lives are taking action. Approximately 2.2 million Canadian children travel on more than 50,000 school buses daily, according to figures cited by the group. The vast majority of those trips are taken on buses fuelled by diesel. A report published last year led by Pollution Probe calculated that of Ontarios 20,000 school buses, only 13 were fully electric as of 2017, with another 200 scheduled for delivery by 2026. Compared to adults, children are especially vulnerable to the harmful health effects of air pollution, Environment Canada has warned. Children breathe more air per kilogram of body weight and spend more time outdoors, and their bodies and lungs are still developing. Children should play as far away from roadways as possible, the ministry said. School buses drive a source of air pollution directly into a hub of childrens daily lives, the call notes. These buses pull right up in front of schoolyards, and weve all seen it: buses nose-to-tail, idling, said Phipps. Were all familiar with the smell of diesel exhaust. This is a common source of important exposure for children and communities across Canada. A Human Health Risk Assessment for Diesel Exhaust published by Health Canada in 2016 notes that enough evidence exists to establish a causal link between exposure to diesel exhaust and both lung cancer and respiratory issues, and there is also evidence linking it to a range of other cardiovascular, immune system and developmental problems. Emerging evidence has also linked diesel exhaust to cognitive and learning problems. In one study of 25 adults published earlier this year, University of British Columbia researchers exposed study subjects to diesel exhaust and then ran imaging scans of their brains. The short-term exposures had temporary negative effects on brain connectivity, they found. Its a huge health risk that we dont really necessarily have at the top of our minds. Certainly the general public isnt aware. I dont think of the health risks of air pollution, but they are there, and children are particularly at risk, said Dr. Samantha Green, president-elect of Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and a family physician with Unity Health in Toronto. In the U.S., studies have shown that people who are racialized or living on low-incomes have higher exposures to dangerous air pollution; similar Canadian data are limited, the coalition notes. Phipps said that part of their call for funding to accelerate the replacement of buses is to prioritize communities that are closer to roadways and already have higher pre-existing exposure to air pollution. Electric school buses are more expensive, and the group is calling on communities, school boards and all levels of government to help fund the transition. Sources of funding exist, but cant cover the entire cost: the Government of Canadas Zero Emission Transit Fund, for example, offers $2.75 billion over five years to help public transit and school bus operators plan to electrify their fleets, including buying 5,000 zero emission buses. In addition to the impacts of air pollution, the biggest threat to the health of our kids is climate change and the growing climate crisis, said Green. Its a threat today and of course also a threat in the future. The electrification of the school bus fleet across the country is one step of many that all need to take place to tackle this problem. Kids are also psychologically impacted by climate change. A major global survey of children and young people published in the Lancet Planetary Health in 2021 found that 84 per cent of kids were worried about climate change, and almost half thought about it every day. The vast majority of young people and kids are worried about the climate crisis, and not only that, but they also feel distressed at the lack of action being taken by the grown ups who surround them. So this is like a direct way to address the climate anxiety that children and youth are facing, said Green. Thursdays call is an initiative of Healthy Environments for Learning Day, which is run by the Canadian Partnership for Childrens Health and Environment, one of the 34 groups behind the push. SHARE: More than a week after Premier Doug Ford first said the Ontario Science Centre will be demolished and replaced with housing, the conservation authority that owns much of the land is waiting to tell Ford thats impossible. Were playing the waiting game at the moment, Michael Tolensky, chief financial and operating officer of Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, told the Star on Wednesday, adding Fords later musings about maybe also adding a community centre or school to the Don Mills site failed to clear up confusion. Nothing can be built on our land there but its not just because of the TRCA, its also city and provincial policies, which is why we were confused when the province announced affordable housing on that land, Tolensky said. Its within a ravine and considered hazardous lands because of the steep slopes and the West Don River floodplain, so Im not sure how you would accomplish building in that area. We, and local community members, are trying to get a better understanding of what the provinces agenda is with that land there have been announcements but its kind of unclear as to what the actual intention is. TRCA, Ontarios biggest conservation authority, owns 81 acres of land around the southwest corner of Don Mills Road and Eglinton Avenue, with the City of Toronto owning the rest of the site. They jointly leased it to the Science Centre for 99 years, ending in 2064, in an agreement that allows for only the centre on the site and requires renegotiation for any other uses including housing, according to city officials, who already have plans for new housing on adjacent city-owned parking lots. Under fire for his Ontario Place redevelopment scheme that includes a towering private spa to be built by an Austrian company, Ford on April 18 announced Science Centre programming would move to the site and its tired concrete structure, built into the ravine, would be demolished. The province is planning to get rid of the old Science Centre, putting in affordable, attainable, non-profit housing homes up there because thats what people need, the premier told reporters. A week later, amid fierce criticism from Flemingdon Park residents over the loss of the Science Centre, and from architecture experts over the loss of the Raymond Moriyama-designed structure, Ford changed course. Were going to help you out with a new community centre and were going to help you with a new school, because theyre in desperate need of a school, I hear, the premier said, adding elements of the landmark building might survive. The provincial government has ample legislative powers to override local authorities but Tolensky says he doesnt know why that would happen here given none of the 81 (TRCA) acres is developable for this specific purpose. Councillor Jon Burnside, whose ward includes the Science Centre, is also waiting for answers. He says if science programming must move to Ontario Place, he is gathering ideas for what can replace it to improve the lives of Flemingdon Park and Thorncliffe Park residents. The (Dennis R.) Timbrell recreation centre across the street needs to be rebuilt and wed love to partner with educational institutions, like Seneca College, to bring tech and other opportunities for kids, Burnside said. If theres one thing the city needs is money and Id love to see possibilities for children to learn. At Queens Park on Wednesday, Ford bristled under repeated opposition questions about his evolving Ontario Place and Science Centre plans. Were going to revitalize Ontario Place. Were going to make sure that the Science Centre is there world-class, 300,000 square feet with exhibits, the premier told the New Democrats during the legislatures daily question period. The students up there, theyve never experienced Ontario Place, he said, motioning to a group of schoolchildren touring Queens Park. Because the Liberals and the NDP you closed it for what, 12 years now? Theres weeds growing up. Its decrepit, said Ford. All you Dippers are welcome to come, he taunted the NDP of the revamped waterfront park. NDP MPP Jennifer French blasted Ford for painting the Ontario Science Centre as a teardown. But it isnt, said French (Oshawa). What is true is that capital repairs and building renewal are years behind The minister says the Science Centre is falling apart. However, the business plans say nothing of the sort. What the Ontario Science Centre needs is for the government to cough up the needed funds and make the repairs, she said. Tourism Minister Neil Lumsden likened the Science Centre to an old car that still runs and does awfully well. Gas mileage is not great, but after a while, you have to find a new one. Youve had great memories. It can still work, but you have an opportunity to get a newer model, something special, something that is more efficient, something that will carry more people, said Lumsden. When we talk about the movement of the Science Centre, we talk about an opportunity were talking about tourism. David Rider is the Stars City Hall bureau chief and a reporter covering city hall and municipal politics. Follow him on Twitter: @dmrider Robert Benzie is the Stars Queens Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie Read more about: SHARE: KYODO NEWS - Apr 27, 2023 - 14:37 | All, Japan, World Kirin Holdings Co. said Thursday it will buy Australian health food company Blackmores Ltd. for AU$1.88 billion ($1.24 billion) to expand its health-related business in the fast-growing markets of the Asia and Oceania regions. Blackmores will become a fully owned subsidiary of Kirin under a deal scheduled to be completed in August, said the Japanese beverage group. Kirin has in recent years focused on the overseas potential of the health sciences, seeing limited growth in the domestic beverage market. Kirin said that in part, it has decided to acquire Blackmores to tap into the Australian firm's wide sales channels in the fast-growing Southeast Asian market. Besides Australia, Blackmores mainly sells its products in China and Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore. Takeshi Minakata, a senior executive officer of Kirin, said at a press conference that with the acquisition, they aim to be "a leading company in the health-related business in Asia and Oceania." Blackmores, which was established in 1932, is one of the most trusted vitamin supplements makers in Australia with sales of AU$650 million in the year ended June last year, according to the two companies. Related coverage: Kirin to export premium Fuji whisky to Singapore amid weaker yen As Toronto mayoral candidates vie for the support of everyday voters, theres another contest going on behind the scenes: the hunt for big-name endorsements. Ahead of the June 26 byelection, some challengers for the mayors job have been touting support theyve received from recognizable figures like community leaders, politicians, and even an Oscar-winning filmmaker. Some say its a smart strategy to grab headlines; others say it wont translate into actual votes. But in a wide-open field with several candidates jockeying to stand out from the pack, knowing whos endorsing whom could be an easy way to signal values and attract donors. In the early stages of the race, Ana Bailao has emerged as the leading endorsee. Shes amassed an impressive list of backers that include members of Parliament, councillors, two former Toronto mayors and surprisingly, given the candidacy of former New Democrat MP Olivia Chow some major public-sector and construction unions. But theres no guarantee that the seal of approval from prominent Torontonians will translate into a winning campaign. And with some polls showing Bailao trailing behind candidates with stronger name recognition, her focus on endorsements may be as much a sign she is playing catch-up to her better-known rivals as it is an indication that she is enjoying a groundswell of support. Name recognition key in mayors race Bailao, the former councillor for Davenport who served as one of John Torys deputy mayors, has made endorsements a part of her election strategy since day one. She showed up at city hall to register with council members Shelley Carroll, Chris Moise and Paul Ainslie at her side, and has since announced the support of a half-dozen unions, as well as three sitting Liberal MPs: James Maloney, Gary Anandasangaree and Salma Zahid. On Monday, she added former Toronto mayors Barbara Hall and Art Eggleton. Bailao says the endorsements are proof of how I bring people together, and show that as mayor she would collaborate with council and other levels of government to solve the citys problems. A member of Bailaos campaign, speaking confidentially to discuss internal strategy, acknowledged the aim of the endorsements is in part to help level the playing field with candidates who are more familiar to voters. There are no political parties in city elections, so name recognition is vital, and despite serving three terms on council, Bailao has less than other candidates. Olivia Chow is a nationally known former NDP MP and city councillor, Mark Saunders was police chief for five years, and Coun. Josh Matlow (Ward 12, TorontoSt. Pauls) has grabbed headlines throughout his more than decade-long tenure at city hall. In the shortened byelection campaign, Bailao has little time to introduce herself to voters. People know Barbara Hall, people know Art Eggleton and people know their local MPs and MPPs, so their endorsements are intended to boost Bailaos profile, the source said. The blessing of some high-profile unions might also be an early boon to Bailao and a loss to Chow, who entered the race later though Chow is expected to announce significant labour backers in the coming weeks, and rank-and-file union members have objected to the Bailao endorsement. Bailaos struggle for name recognition is reflected in early polling. While earlier this month a Mainstreet Research public opinion survey placed her among the front-runners with about 17 per cent support, other polls have her trailing the pack at around five per cent. Her campaigns internal polling has her at about 12 per cent, in a statistical tie for second with Matlow and behind Chow, who is at about 16 per cent. U.S.-style primaries In addition to helping with name recognition, the source said Bailaos endorsements will send a message to political donors and organizers that shes the strongest centrist candidate. Fellow challengers Coun. Brad Bradford (Ward 19, BeachesEast York) and Mitzie Hunter, Liberal MPP for Scarborough-Guildwood, are expected to compete with Bailao for the same pool of Liberal-leaning voters and organizers, and the endorsements signal that Bailao is the most viable of the three, said the source, who likened the situation to a U.S.-style election primary. The message is forget Mitzie, forget Brad. Dan Moulton, a Liberal strategist at Crestview Strategy, said Bailao does appear to be making the strongest effort to consolidate the capital-L Liberal machinery, as it exists in Toronto, and its clearly going to have an impact on her ability to organize and fundraise. But the reality, he adds, is that the Liberal machinery will shift to back whoever takes on the leading role as a challenger to Chow, whom he sees as the strongest candidate, and there is still a lot of race left to run. Im not sure endorsements are going to be what makes a difference in this election, he said. Its the ability of candidates to carve out a compelling position for themselves that is far more important. Divisions in Scarborough Anandasangaree and Zahid, two Scarborough Liberal MPs, chose Bailao over Hunter. In an interview, Zahid (Scarborough Centre) said she knew Bailao as deputy mayor and appreciated her support for Scarborough issues including the subway and affordable housing. Another factor was that Bailao, one of the first candidates to declare interest in running, got to her early. While Hunter would also be a strong voice for Scarborough, Zahid said she thinks Hunter is needed at Queens Park. Anandasangaree (ScarboroughRouge Park) said he reached out to Bailao because she has a record of being supportive of Scarborough at city hall, particularly on transit, and sees her as the best consensus-builder. Hunter said in a statement that these are the early days of the campaign and she expects to announce endorsements of her own closer to voting day. For now I am concentrating on my campaign to ensure Toronto is a city that works for everyone, everywhere, she said, adding that shes received an enthusiastic response to her policy proposals about TTC safety, homelessness, youth mental health and libraries. High-profile candidates have less need for endorsements Chow, who entered the race on April 17, two weeks after other leading candidates signed up, has so far welcomed endorsements from New Democrat MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam, last years mayoral runner-up Gil Penalosa, and Canadian film director Sarah Polley. In a statement, Chows campaign director Michal Hay said shes proud to have the support of prominent people, but endorsements are about campaign strategy and raising name recognition. Olivia Chow is very well known to Torontonians as someone who fights for them whether as a local councillor, local MP, school board trustee or former child advocate, Hay said. Street nurse Cathy Crowe and academic Akwasi Owusu-Bempah are among those who have endorsed Matlow, but he hasnt secured the public support of any council colleagues despite being in his fourth term at city hall. Matlow said other candidates are taking an institutional approach, and his campaign is more grassroots. Speaking at a press conference Wednesday surrounded by supporters, he said truth be told, the most important endorsement for this campaign when it comes to what I value, are people like the people standing behind me. Before Saunders announced his candidacy, Premier Doug Ford said it would be great if the former chief ran for mayor. But Saunders said Wednesday that endorsements arent important to most residents. When parents go to sleep at night, theyre not worried about what celebrity or former politician is endorsing which candidate, and are more concerned about public safety and the high cost of living, he said. Its time that regular people, with reasonable requests, are listened to. Bradford has the likes of former TTC chair Karen Stintz in his corner. His campaign said the most important endorsement will come from the people of Toronto on June 26, but Bradford has a wide-ranging and growing team from across the city, communities, and sectors. They are all mobilizing to help Brad deliver less talk and more action for the people of this city. Unforeseen issues may also throw a wrench in endorsements such as the provinces decision to move the Ontario Science Centre to Ontario Place which has angered some Toronto residents. Bailao is in favour of the move, while several other candidates are not. Some local politicians are waiting to see how the platforms shake out before making a decision. Adil Shamji, the Liberal MPP for Don Valley East, said he hasnt committed to endorsing any mayoral hopefuls yet and hasnt decided if he will do so publicly or privately. But he said he will be looking for candidates who will stand up to Premier Ford, who will engage with Toronto residents and who have a credible plan to follow through on their promises, rather than just considering partisan ties. Ben Spurr is a Toronto-based reporter covering city hall and municipal politics for the Star. Reach him by email at bspurr@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @BenSpurr Alyshah Hasham is a Toronto-based reporter covering city hall and municipal politics for the Star. Reach her via email: ahasham@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @alysanmati Read more about: SHARE: Peel police are investigating a shocking report that a Toronto-area man has been running a website that distributed a lethal but legal poison used in a rising number of suicides. Earlier this week, the Times of London reported that seven deaths by suicide, including four in the U.K. and three in the U.S., had been linked to sodium nitrite sold on a website run by GTA man Kenneth Law through a business listed at a Mississauga post office box. Asked about the Times investigation on Wednesday, Peel police confirmed they are aware of the case and are conducting an active investigation. Peel police spokesperson Const. Heather Cannon declined to speak to the specifics of the investigation and did not confirm whether police have contacted Law in the probe. The Star has not independently confirmed the details of the Times investigation. The Star sent a detailed request for comment to an email address and GTA phone number listed on the now-defunct website, but did not receive a response. On Wednesday, the Globe and Mail reported that Law denied he was targeting buyers who wished to die by suicide and said the Times misrepresented his comments. Approached by the Times in person outside a GTA post office, the U.K. newspaper reported that Law confirmed he was selling sodium nitrite, but said: Im not assisting anything, Im selling a product. Sodium nitrite is a preservative salt used in meat processing. The chemical is safely used in deli-meat preparation for products such as ham, bologna and bacon, where very small amounts are used to cure the meat and give it a reddish colour. However the salt is lethal at larger, more pure concentrations and researchers in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K., have warned about a recent increase in deaths by suicide involving sodium nitrite. Speaking generally, Dr. Tyler Hickey, the lead author of a 2021 Ontario study on recent deaths involving sodium nitrite and the similar sodium nitrate, told the Star they are a particular concern because they are legal, available via online suppliers and lethal at relatively small doses as little as a few tablespoons can cause death. The 2021 study found 23 deaths involving the ingestion of the toxic salts in 2019 and 2020 alone; there were five deaths in the previous 18 years. Hickey, a forensic pathologist with the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service, noted his research also found online forums discussing the salts as a way to die by suicide. He said he hoped the Times investigation will bring greater awareness and scrutiny that there may need to be tighter controls on access to these substances. The study concludes: This is an increasingly employed method of suicide in our region. One of the suicides referenced in the Times investigation was the April 2022 death of Neha Susan Raju, 23, of Guildford, Surrey. A coroners report later concluded Raju had died after ordering a substance that is freely available to be purchased from the internet in lethal quantities for delivery within the U.K. It added: No protection is afforded to vulnerable people prior to them making such purchases In October, the coroners office mailed its findings to a Mississauga P.O. Box address that was listed on what appears to have been Laws website, which now returns a page reading: This site cant be reached. An archive of the site, retrieved in October, includes sodium nitrite as one of only five products available for purchase, at an advertised purity of 99.999 per cent. A more recent archive from January of this year included a disclaimer, added in big red text, stating that due to the potential self-injury of underage customers, any sodium nitrite orders would require photo ID submitted to an email address appearing to belong to Law. The sites about page described the chemical as an excellent food preservative that has become increasingly difficult to source. Counselling or aiding someone to die by suicide is a criminal offence in Canada, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. A U.K. study from earlier this month reported 20 deaths in that country, concluding that suicides are being facilitated by the unregulated availability of sodium nitrite online as a chemical or supplied as part of a suicide kit. Amid this trend, the online sale of sodium nitrite has become highly controversial in recent years and Law is far from the only online seller to draw attention. Last fall, a group of U.S. parents launched a lawsuit accusing online retailer Amazon of selling sodium nitrite in pure concentrations with zero household uses despite warnings that people were using the chemical in suicide attempts. Responding to the lawsuit, Amazon told NPR it requires its sellers to follow applicable laws and regulations. Sodium nitrite is not intended for consumption, and unfortunately, like many products, it can be misused, a spokesperson told NPR. If you are thinking of suicide or know someone who is, there is help. Resources are available online at www.crisisservicescanada.ca or you can connect to the national suicide prevention helpline at 1-833-456-4566, or the Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868. Jason Miller is a Toronto-based reporter for the Star covering crime and justice in the Peel Region. Reach him on email: jasonmiller@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @millermotionpic SHARE: Fans scrambling to grab Drake tickets Thursday morning for the Toronto shows were faced with steep presale prices. The Toronto artist will wrap up his North American Its All a Blur tour at home staging at the Scotiabank Arena on Oct. 5 and 7. Drake will also perform in Montreal on July 14 and 15 before hitting the Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Aug. 28 and 29. The presale queue on Ticketmaster opened at 10 a.m. on Thursday morning. Available level 100 and premium seats for both concert dates sold out quickly before noon, with some seats still available hours after the presale started for the 200 and 300 levels. Ticket prices sat anywhere between $719 and $1,148 by Thursday afternoon. Fans were quick to respond on social media, with some users calling the prices absurd while others expressed frustration over the inevitable website crashes while attempting to secure their seat. Earlier this year, a Montreal law firm expanded the scope of a class-action lawsuit against Ticketmaster arguing the ticket giant intentionally misleads consumers for their own financial gain, including Drakes Montreal concert. The suit started with a Montreal man who purchased two Official Platinum seats for Drakes upcoming Its All A Blur tour at the Bell Centre on July 14 for $789.54 each. The next day, the law firm said, Drake added a second show for July 15 and the same seats were available for more than $350 less. The suit further alleges Ticketmaster knew Drake would perform two concerts in Montreal, but concealed this information in order to squeeze out as much money as possible from fans buying tickets for the first show, and illustrates Ticketmasters greed, anticompetitive conduct, dominance of monopolistic position as the only primary seller and failure to respect the law. Ticketmaster and Live Nation did not respond to the Stars numerous requests for comment before publication. Drake tickets will be on sale to the general public on Friday. With files from Alessia Passafiume Read more about: SHARE: Muslim students bullied in the schoolyard, being called terrorists or enduring jokes about bombs in their bags. Those are among the incidents that compelled Torontos public school board on Wednesday night to vote unanimously in favour of developing a system-wide strategy to combat Islamophobia, making it the second school board in Canada to do so. The move comes after trustees at the Toronto District School Board heard impassioned pleas from community members who said students dont feel safe, calling on them to develop an anti-Islamophobia strategy they said was long overdue. (Youth) are not feeling like they can be their true self, not feeling a sense of belonging, and dont feel like their identities are reflected in what theyre learning, Samya Hasan, executive director of the Council of Agencies Serving South Asians, told the Star on Thursday. The organization was one of the driving forces pushing for this strategy, with Hasan applauding the latest TDSB move as a very important milestone and a historic moment. At a board meeting on Wednesday, Trustees Liban Hassan and Neethan Shan presented their motion calling for an action plan specific to dismantling Islamophobia, noting hate crimes against Muslims are on the rise in Canada, which significantly impacts Muslim students. Its a tailored approach that builds on work the TDSB is already doing to combat racism, hate and discrimination. This strategy will bring focus to this concern about Islamophobia, said Hassan, who is Muslim and heard from many community members and organizations on the need for a targeted approach. Hassan, who represents Ward 6 (York South-Weston), called for a strategy that, among other things, includes deeper data collection, and will make the community feel as though we see them and value them. Shan of Ward 17 (Scarborough Centre) said the board is addressing Islamophobia, but its not happening at the level where we are able to support and sustain that anti-Islamophobia work. He called on other non-Muslims to engage in this work saying, Islamophobia is living in a lot of our houses. Strategy to include mental health supports Staff will report back in the fall on the development of a strategy, which will include accountability measures, ways to engage the Muslim community, mental health supports for students and educators, a curriculum review, a look at hiring practices and how to help Muslim teachers move into senior roles. The Peel District School Board passed a similar motion in September 2021 and in January became the first board in Canada to adopt an anti-Islamophobia strategy. At the TDSB, Canadas largest and most diverse board with about 235,000 students, roughly 19 per cent of students identify as Muslim. According to its Human Rights Office 2021-2022 Annual Report, there were 2,248 reported incidents of racism, bias and hate logged in its online reporting portal between September 2021 and August 2022. Hate or bias because of religion accounted for about 10 per cent of all reported incidents and were mostly racial slurs or epithets by students. Antisemitism was reported the most frequently at seven per cent, followed by Islamophobia at three per cent, with all other religions under one per cent. The TDSB says the data is an indicator of whats going on, but doesnt paint a definitive picture. We have heard directly from our communities and have the data to show that Islamophobia continues to impact our students and staff, said TDSB Chair Rachel Chernos Lin in a media release. By taking a focused approach to confronting Islamophobia, we enable more members of our school communities to feel safe and welcome. In March 2022, the board launched a formal plan it says is to ensure students and staff move beyond performative responses to hate and racism. Based on the data of reported incidents, it created an Anti-Hate and Anti-Racism Strategy. An Islamophobia strategy builds on the work the board is doing, said TDSB Director of Education Colleen Russell-Rawlins in a media release, adding, We are committed to improving the focus on affirming Muslim identities and eliminating hate and discrimination in ways that are responsive to the experiences of Muslim-identifying students, staff and families. At a committee meeting last week, about 20 people students, parents and staff voiced support for the motion, with some questioning the TDSBs data, saying many incidents of Islamophobia go unreported. Muslim students attacked, bullied Student Yousif Ahmed, 16, who is Black and a visible Muslim, said kids regularly make fun of Muslim students, calling them terrorists or saying they have bombs in their bags. Hes been subjected to such jokes made in front of teachers, noting I have never felt protected by my school. ... Every day I hear Muslims being attacked and bullied in schools simply for believing their beliefs. Former student Ramsha Tariq, a 22-year-old South Asian hijabi woman, recalled asking teachers for a space to pray at school and being met with comments such as, Cant you just do that at home? and Ask someone else. It made me feel guilty for practising my faith, she said. I felt unsafe and (unwelcome) due to the lack of accommodation and understanding. Muslim parent Marie Eggen recalled many examples of Islamophobia that both her children have experienced over the years. Among them was the time when her sons Grade 4 class read a book about 9/11 and the kids began calling him assassin in the playground and classroom he reported it to staff, but nothing was done. And when her daughter was in Grade 6, she was left shocked and frozen during a classroom discussion about war when a classmate spoke of Muslim terrorists days later Eggen approached the teacher about how the incident could have been addressed and says the response was, I dont do politics in class. Aasiyah Khan, director of education with the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), said after the hate-motivated 2021 truck attack in London, Ont., when four members of a Muslim family were killed, a key recommendation from community members was for school boards to adopt an anti-Islamophobia strategy. This sends an important message to the community that Islamophobia is being taken seriously, said Khan, who helped develop Peels strategy. As we hear whats happening in our communities it would be naive for us to assume that Islamophobia does not exist in our schools, or in our hallways or in our classrooms. She said the NCCM gets a number of calls each day from parents, students, staff and community members, about incidents of Islamophobia that include bullying, alienation, and a lack of support. And while the TDSB has a reporting portal, many people dont know about it. Until some of these systemic mechanisms translate into real-life change for Muslim students, staff and families, we have continued work to do. SHARE: A 45-year-old massage therapist has been charged in connection with a sexual assault in Markham. York Regional Police said a 48-year-old woman contacted the police after allegedly being inappropriately touched while undergoing treatment with the man on January 13. The victim was not physically harmed in this incident, police added in a media release. According to police, the suspect delivers massage therapy at several locations in Markham, sometimes at his clients homes through mobile appointments. He has been practising massage therapy for the past decade. York police said there might be more victims and encourage anyone with information to come forward. Read more about: SHARE: For the first time in months, the head of the provincial transit agency in charge of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT has provided some details about the setbacks hindering the completion of the much-delayed multibillion-dollar project. At an announcement Thursday about an unrelated transit project, Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster spoke about the magnitude of delays the Eglinton light rail line is facing, now in its 12th year of construction, three years past its due date. There are 260 nonconformances quality issues that must be rectified, Verster said. We are using every lever and every remedy to get our contractor (Crosslinx Transit Solutions) to deliver on time. However, he added, it shouldnt be at the expense of safety and quality. Eglinton LRT quality issues include track problems Crosslinx Transit Solutions (CTS) is the consortium of companies that are responsible for the construction of the troubled 19-kilometre light rail line, which has been also been the subject of legal battles between the provincial transit agency and CTS. Verster said the biggest quality issue lies in the track work, which was initially completed in 2021, but upon inspection, was found to be outside Metrolinxs specifications. The degree of accuracy were talking about is literally millimetres, he said, explaining that even a small error could have large implications, like train derailment. Despite our urging and our guidance, (this is) only being rectified now. And itll have a two-month impact, at least, on the completion date. When that day may be is still uncertain according to Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney, who was at the same event on Thursday. I would love to be able to provide a date, but that is contingent upon CTS delivering a credible schedule to Metrolinx, she said. As of yet, CTS hasnt been able to do that. CTS didnt respond to a request for comment in time for publication. Delays in construction mean delays in training TTC staff Verster emphasized this also has an impact on TTC operators, who cant begin training until the system is fully ready. As of now, he said only 50 per cent of required testing has been completed. As a government and as an agency, we can guide, we can advise, but in the end, the decisions are made by the contractors, Verster said, adding that the cost of delays and the hundreds of quality control issues are coming at expense of CTS. We are withholding substantial payments against the completion of the project. Doug Ford said hes frustrated by Eglinton LRT delays Verster wasnt the only one expressing exasperation. When pressed on the Crosstown delays in Scarborough on Thursday, Premier Doug Ford said hes frustrated because the project has been taking way too long. Still, he said the LRT wont open till its 100 per cent safe. I'm not going to pull a Mayor (Jim) Watson in Ottawa, pushing it forward, derailing the LRT in Ottawa, making a total mess of it, Ford said, referring to the troubled transit line in the capital that was subject of a public inquiry. Am I on Metrolinx like an 800-pound gorilla? I can assure you I am. Ford stressed that the LRT extension in the west is four weeks ahead of schedule, and that other transit projects are moving fast and theyre moving furious. Scheduling, Verster said, is something that troubled the Crosstown from the start. At the launch of a project, the contractor is not pressured on time because completion is years away and time is lost in the design process, he said. CTSs initial designs were between nine and 18 months late in some cases. Losing 18 months at the beginning of a project is never really recovered thereafter, he said. Metrolinx to issue contracts differently because of Eglinton LRT The learning lesson for Metrolinx has been to issue contracts differently. Instead of projects being lumped into one big contract, Verster said Metrolinx will break them down into smaller parts, to reduce the scale of work and achieve a higher degree of success. Still, the government doesnt have doubts about their preference for the public-private partnership model, according to Mulroney, and these delays havent severed future ties with CTS. The four companies in CTS are good companies, Verster said. This is a contract which had a very negative outcome for us, but theyre performing well in some of our other projects. My biggest concern is that we get a safe transit system. Were building infrastructure for the next 100 or 150 years and weve got to get it right. With files from Robert Benzie Read more about: SHARE: One person is seriously injured after a shooting in Lawrence Heights. Toronto police said they were called to Flemington Road and Varna Drive just before 5:30 p.m. for reports of a shooting. One victim was located with gunshot wounds and was transported to hospital via emergency run. Several shell casings were also found at the scene. Lawrence Heights Community Centre is currently in hold and secure. Police said there are two suspects described as men, five-foot-eight and six-feet-tall, one wearing a blue jacket and the other a grey jacket. Anyone with information is asked to call 9-1-1. This is a developing story TG Thea Gribilas is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Reach her via email: tgribilas@thestar.ca SHARE: Plan your trip before youre in your car: The Ministry of Transportation has scheduled 24 closures in Halton on April 27, 2023 for roadwork on Highway 401, Highway 403, Highway 407 ETR and Queen Elizabeth Way. Highway 401 eastbound at Sixth Line Road: one right lane closed until April 28 at 5 a.m. Highway 401 eastbound between James Snow Parkway and Fifth Line Road: one left lane closed until April 28 at 5 a.m. Highway 401 eastbound between Regional Road 25 and James Snow Parkway: three alternating lanes closed until April 27 at 5 a.m. Highway 401 eastbound between Regional Road 25 and James Snow Parkway: three right lanes closed from April 27 at 11 p.m. until April 28 at 5 a.m. Highway 401 eastbound express between James Snow Parkway and Fifth Line Road: one right lane closed until April 28 at 5 a.m. Highway 401 eastbound on-ramp at James Snow Parkway: all lanes closed until April 28 at 5 a.m. Highway 401 eastbound on-ramp at Trafalgar Road: all lanes closed from April 27 at 11:59 p.m. until April 28 at 5 a.m. Highway 401 westbound between James Snow Parkway and Regional Road 25: four right lanes closed until April 27 at 5 a.m. Highway 401 westbound between James Snow Parkway and Regional Road 25: three right lanes closed from April 27 at 11:59 p.m. until April 28 at 5 a.m. Highway 401 westbound between James Snow Parkway and Steeles Avenue: one right lane closed from April 27 at 11 p.m. until April 28 at 9 p.m. Highway 401 westbound on-ramp at James Snow Parkway: all lanes closed from April 27 at 11 p.m. until April 28 at 5 a.m. Highway 401 westbound on-ramp at Trafalgar Road: all lanes closed from April 27 at 11:59 p.m. until April 28 at 5 a.m. Highway 403 eastbound at Waterdown Road: one left lane closed until April 28 at 5 a.m. Highway 403 westbound at Highway 407: two alternating lanes closed until April 28 at 6 a.m. Highway 403 westbound on-ramp at Queen Elizabeth Way Toronto: all lanes closed until April 28 at 5 a.m. Highway 407 ETR eastbound off-ramp at Highway 401: all lanes closed until April 27 at 5 a.m. Highway 407 ETR eastbound off-ramp at Highway 401: all lanes closed until April 27 at 5 a.m. Highway 407 ETR eastbound on-ramp at Queen Elizabeth Way Niagara Bound: all lanes closed until April 28 at 5 a.m. Highway 407 ETR eastbound on-ramp at Queen Elizabeth Way Niagara Bound: one alternating lane closed until April 28 at 6 p.m. Queen Elizabeth Way Fort Erie bound at Highway 403/407: one alternating lane closed until April 28 at 6 a.m. Queen Elizabeth Way Fort Erie bound between Bronte Road and Victoria Avenue: two left lanes closed until April 28 at 5 a.m. Queen Elizabeth Way Fort Erie bound between Bronte Road and Victoria Avenue: two right lanes closed until April 28 at 5 a.m. Queen Elizabeth Way Fort Erie bound between Royal Windsor Drive and Appleby Line: one left lane closed until April 28 at 2:30 p.m. Queen Elizabeth Way Toronto bound at Highway 403/407: one alternating lane closed until April 28 at 5 a.m. Have further to travel? Highway closures for planned roadwork outside Halton About this story This story was automatically generated using open data from Ontario 511. These closures are scheduled for short-term or emergency repairs and maintenance of provincial highways around Oakville, Burlington, Milton and Georgetown. The disruptions may be intermittent or ongoing and can change due to weather, emergencies and other factors. SHARE: MELFORT, Saskatchewan (AP) Police in Canada said Thursday they may never know why a man went on a stabbing rampage that left 11 people dead and 17 injured last year. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police released details at a news conference on the Sept. 4 killings in James Smith Cree Nation and the nearby Saskatchewan village of Weldon, but they did not pin down the motive. Myles Sanderson, the 32-year-old accused in the attacks, died in police custody a few days later. Supt. Joshua Graham, the officer in charge of major crimes, said Myles Sanderson and his brother Damien Sanderson went to the James Smith Cree Nation to deal drugs on Sept. 1. The day before the massacre, Damien Sanderson told people at a nearby bar they had a mission to do and that people would hear all about it in the next few hours. Damien Sanderson, however, was one of the first people killed the morning of the rampage. Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore, commanding officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP, said since both Myles and Damian Sanderson are dead some of the pieces of information may never be known. To speak to exactly their mindset and what they were thinking, we cant necessarily address that, Blackmore said at the news conference. After the brothers attacked a man in his home with scissors, Myles Sanderson and Damien Sanderson got into a fight in a vehicle. An injured Damien Sanderson fled the vehicle into the trees along the side of the road. His body would be located there the following day. Myles Sanderson continued to go to different homes in the community, attacking some people and killing others. He threatened other people, saying they were lucky to not be hurt as he stole some of their vehicles. On Sept. 9, after a three-day manhunt and hundreds of reported sightings, police arrested Myles Sanderson on a highway near Rosthern, Saskatchewan. He went into medical distress soon after he was placed in custody and died. Blackmore was asked why the RCMP were not able to apprehend Myles Sanderson sooner. His attacks were unpredictable, she said. As fast as information was coming in about a vehicle he was in, he was abandoning that vehicle, moving on foot and then stealing other vehicles. It was a very rapidly unfolding, very dynamic and chaotic situation. Police say that after nearly eight months, the investigation into the stabbing rampage is still not complete. Blackmore said RCMP examined 42 different crime scenes, including buildings and vehicles. They also seized about 700 exhibits and spoke with more than 250 witnesses. A handful of people from the community attended the presentation in Melfort, but victims and their families received the update on Wednesday. Darryl Burns, whose sister Lydia Gloria Burns died in the stabbings, said it brought some closure. The way the morning went there was so much confusion, there was so much turmoil, Burns said. Looking back on it, you couldnt really tell where he was going to go or what he was going to do. He said there was a lot of emotion and lot of the sorrow and sadness hearing the timeline. Police said the update wont affect two coroners inquests set for early next year. One of the inquests is to focus on the killings, while the other is to look at the suspect. Police have said Sanderson went into medical distress shortly after he was arrested near the Saskatchewan town of Rosthern. An independent investigation is also being conducted by Saskatoon police and the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team. Police had previously released some details about the deadly rampage on the First Nation about 170 kilometers (105 miles) northeast of Saskatoon. Four dangerous persons alerts were released before 10 a.m. saying there had been multiple victims and giving descriptions of the suspects and the vehicle in which they were believed to be travelling. Later that day, police announced multiple people had died or were injured in the attacks, which took place across 13 locations. The province was on edge and police remained on the lookout for days. Blackmore said police received tips from across Canada with people certain they had seen Myles Sanderson. It takes time as we assess the information as it comes in to determine which is credible information or not as it unfolds, she said. By Sept. 7, there was a break in the case. A 911 call came from the town of Wakaw, about 110 kilometers (68 miles) southwest of the First Nation, about a stolen white truck. Police vehicles sped down rural roads in the area and a helicopter hovered overhead. The suspect vehicle hit a ditch and drove into trees along the highway near Rosthern. Myles Sanderson was taken into police custody but went into medical distress shortly after and died. SHARE: CAIRO (AP) Armed fighters rampaged through a city in Sudans war-ravaged region of Darfur on Thursday, battling each other and looting shops and homes, residents said. The violence came despite the extension of a fragile truce between Sudans two top generals, whose power struggle has killed hundreds. The mayhem in the Darfur city of Genena pointed to how the rival generals fight for control in the capital, Khartoum, was spiraling into violence in other parts of Sudan. The two sides accepted a 72-hour extension of the truce late Thursday. The cease-fire has not stopped the fighting but created enough of a lull for tens of thousands of Sudanese to flee to safer areas and for foreign nations to evacuate thousands of their citizens by land, air and sea. The cease-fire has brought a significant easing of fighting in Khartoum and its neighboring city Omdurman for the first time since the military and a rival paramilitary force began clashing on April 15, turning residential neighborhoods into battlegrounds. Both the military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, said that they accepted the extension of the truce. But explosions and heavy gunfire could be heard in at least one Khartoum neighborhood late Thursday. The U.S. State Department released a statement welcoming the cease-fire and the two sides readiness to engage in dialogue toward establishing a more durable cessation of hostilities and ensuring unimpeded humanitarian access. The joint statement named a wide array of mediators, including the African Union, an eight-nation East Africa bloc, the U.N., Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the U.K. and the U.S. It highlighted the breadth of international peace efforts, which have thus far failed to end the fighting. The White House meanwhile encouraged Americans to take advantage of any opportunity to leave Sudan in the next 24 to 48 hours, even as Washington has faced criticism for not mounting the kind of mass evacuation of its citizens already carried out by other nations. We are working continuously to create options for American citizens to leave Sudan, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, warning that the situation could deteriorate at any moment. A U.S. defense official said three U.S. Navy vessels were approaching the Sudanese coast but none had received orders as yet to pick up citizens or other personnel. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing military operations. British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly urged U.K. nationals who want to leave to get to an airfield north of Khartoum for evacuation flights. The situation could deteriorate over the coming days, he warned. Britain said it has evacuated 897 people on eight flights to Cyprus, with operations continuing. The fighting has continued in some parts of the capital despite the truce, and in the western region of Darfur, residents said the violence had escalated to its worst yet. Darfur has been a battleground between the military and the paramilitary RSF since the conflict began nearly two weeks ago. Residents said the fighting in Genena was now dragging in tribal militias, tapping into longtime hatreds between the regions two main communities one that identifies as Arab, the other as East or Central African. In the early 2000s, African tribes in Darfur that had long complained of discrimination rebelled against the Khartoum government, which responded with a military campaign that the International Criminal Court later said amounted to genocide. State-backed Arab militias known as the Janjaweed were accused of widespread killings, rapes and other atrocities. The Janjaweed later evolved into the RSF. Early Thursday, fighters who mostly wore RSF uniforms attacked several neighborhoods across Genena, driving many families from their homes. The violence spiraled as tribal fighters joining the fray in Genena, a city of around half a million people located near the border with Chad. The attacks come from all directions, said Amany, a Genena resident who asked to withhold her family name for her safety. All are fleeing. It was often unclear who was fighting whom, with a mix of RSF and tribal militias some allies of the RSF, some opponents all running rampant. The military has largely withdrawn to its barracks, staying out of the clashes, and residents were taking up arms to defend themselves, said Dr. Salah Tour, a board member of the Doctors Syndicate in the West Darfur province, of which Genena is the capital. The syndicate estimated that dozens of people were killed and hundreds wounded. Almost all of Genenas medical facilities, including its main hospital, have been out of service for days, and the sole functioning hospital is inaccessible because of the fighting. Criminal gangs looted the main hospital, stealing vehicles and equipment and destroying the hospitals blood bank, the syndicate said. Its a scorched earth war, said Adam Haroun, a political activist in West Darfur, speaking by telephone with the sound of gunfire at times drowning out his voice. Haroun and other residents said the citys main open-air market was completely destroyed. Government offices and aid agencies compounds were trashed and repeatedly burned, including U.N. premises and the headquarters of the Sudanese Red Crescent. Two major camps for displaced people have been burned down, their occupants mainly women and children from African tribes dispersed, said Abdel-Shafei Abdalla, a senior member of a local group that helps administer camps. Elsewhere in Darfur, there have been sporadic clashes, particularly in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur province, where thousands have fled their homes, Abdalla said. At least 512 people, including civilians and combatants, have been killed in Sudan since April 15, with another 4,200 wounded, according to the Sudanese Health Ministry. The Doctors Syndicate, which tracks civilian casualties, has recorded at least 303 civilians killed and 1,848 wounded. Meanwhile, in Khartoum, residents reported heavy explosions and gunfire in the upscale neighborhood of Kafouri after the truce extension was announced. The military had earlier used warplanes to bomb RSF positions in the area. Many are struggling to obtain food and water, and electricity is cut off across much of Khartoum and other cities. Multiple aid agencies have had to suspend operations. Fearing that fighting will escalate once more, Sudanese and foreigners have been rushing to escape. Egypt has so far evacuated more than 5,300 Egyptians from Sudan and received more than 14,000 Sudanese fleeing the fighting, the Foreign Ministry said. Long lines of buses continue to form at the border, and tens of thousands more have gone to other neighboring countries or to the Red Sea city of Port Sudan, trying to get onto ferries to Saudi Arabia. Hassan Ali, a Dutch citizen who made it to the city of Larnaca in Cyprus on an evacuation flight, told The Associated Press he had spent days trapped at home in Khartoum. Most areas had no water and only intermittent electricity. Most of the time we (are) locked at home unless you go for something really emergency, food, medication. Thats it, he said. Many sought shelter in hospitals, even though most of the hospitals get attacked as well, by both sides. People, they just left everything behind, he said of those leaving. There is no cash, Theres no money. You just take your bag. ___ Associated Press writers Menelaos Hadjicostis in Larnaca, Cyprus; Jill Lawless in London; Christopher Megerian, Lolita C. Baldor and Matthew Lee in Washington, and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed this report. Read more about: SHARE: KYODO NEWS - Apr 27, 2023 - 23:00 | All, Japan, World The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- Camera of Japanese journalist killed in Myanmar returned to family YANGON - A video camera used by a Japanese journalist shot dead in Myanmar while filming an anti-junta demonstration in 2007 has been returned to his family, according to a report by a Myanmar independent broadcaster. Final images taken by slain video journalist Kenji Nagai with the camera included scenes of anti-government protesters in Yangon, the arrival of national army trucks and Nagai himself reporting the situation. ---------- Japan major automakers' domestic output sees 1st rise in 4 yrs TOKYO - Domestic output by Japan's eight major automakers for fiscal 2022 rose for the first time in four years, the companies said Thursday, as the negative effects from the coronavirus pandemic and a chip shortage eased, with Toyota Motor Corp. hitting record sales and production on a global basis. Data released by the companies showed that their combined domestic production rose 7.8 percent to 7.65 million units in the year ended March. ---------- Japan formally decides to downgrade COVID-19 to flu level on May 8 TOKYO - Japan formally decided Thursday to downgrade the legal status of the novel coronavirus to a level on par with seasonal influenza on May 8, paving the way for full normalization of social and economic activities. The finalization of the schedule comes as the government mulls bringing forward the lifting of its remaining coronavirus border control measures by more than a week to midnight Friday, in anticipation of an increase in people traveling overseas and returning during the Golden Week holidays starting Saturday. ---------- Biden, Yoon agree on "new level" of U.S. nuclear shield for S. Korea WASHINGTON - U.S. President Joe Biden agreed Wednesday with his South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk Yeol on plans for Washington to send nuclear submarines to its major ally for the first time in four decades as part of efforts to bolster extended deterrence measures in response to North Korea's growing nuclear threat. Biden and Yoon, who is on a state visit marking the 70th anniversary of the bilateral security alliance, released a joint declaration to make unequivocal the U.S. commitments to South Korea's defense, including enhancing military training and forming a group of senior officials to discuss nuclear issues. ---------- BOJ likely to stay course as new chief Ueda holds 1st policy meeting TOKYO - New Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda is widely expected to shun surprises at a two-day policy-setting meeting from Thursday, his first since assuming the post, even amid persisting speculation that an overhaul of the central bank's controversial yield cap program will come sooner rather than later. Ueda's remarks in the lead-up to the meeting have suggested that the central bank under his leadership will remain committed to monetary easing and controlling short-term and long-term interest rates at a time of budding inflation expectations. ---------- Japan ruling bloc, 2 opposition parties to revise immigration law TOKYO - Japan's ruling bloc and two opposition parties agreed Thursday to revise a controversial bill that, if passed, would amend an immigration law enabling authorities to deport individuals who apply repeatedly for refugee status. Following the agreement, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner Komeito, along with the two opposition parties, are seeking to vote on the bill as early as Friday at the lower house committee on judicial affairs, lawmakers said. ---------- Tokyo Disneyland operator's net profit surges in post-COVID rebound TOKYO - Oriental Land Co., operator of the Tokyo Disney Resort, said Thursday its net profit rose by around 10 times to 80.73 billion yen ($605 million) for the year ended March, as the number of visitors to the theme parks is increasing amid eased COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Oriental Land, which runs the Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea parks both located near the Japanese capital, said visitors surged by 83.2 percent to more than 22 million people, which also included a rise in foreign tourist numbers. ---------- Gymnasts meet Japan prime minister ahead of G-7 Hiroshima summit TOKYO - Two-time Olympic men's gymnastics all-around champion Kohei Uchimura visited Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at his office Thursday in Tokyo with a group of current and former gymnasts who will deliver a message of peace in Hiroshima ahead of next month's Group of Seven summit. The gymnasts from the G-7 member countries will take part in the "G-7 Gymnastics Hiroshima" event this week ahead of the May 19-21 summit, which is likely to focus heavily on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. ---------- Video: Women's fashion fair in North Korea KYIV, Ukraine (AP) NATO allies and partner countries have delivered more than 98% of the combat vehicles promised to Ukraine during Russias invasion and war, the military alliances chief said Thursday, giving Kyiv a bigger punch as it contemplates launching a counteroffensive. Along with more than 1,550 armored vehicles, 230 tanks and other equipment, Ukraines allies have sent vast amounts of ammunition and also trained and equipped more than nine new Ukrainian brigades, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. More than 30,000 troops are estimated to make up the new brigades. Some NATO partner countries, such as Sweden and Australia, have also provided armored vehicles. This will put Ukraine in a strong position to continue to retake occupied territory, Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels. His comments came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping held a long and meaningful phone call in their first known contact since Russias full-scale invasion more than a year ago. Though Zelenskyy said he was encouraged by Wednesdays call and Western officials welcomed Xi's move, it didnt appear to improve peace prospects. Russia and Ukraine are far apart in their terms for peace, and Beijing while looking to position itself as a global diplomatic power has refused to criticize Moscows invasion. The Chinese government sees Russia as a diplomatic ally in opposing U.S. influence in global affairs, and Xi visited Moscow last month. Stoltenberg said the 31 NATO allies were committed to shoring up Ukraines military, adding that taking back land the Kremlins forces occupied would give Kyiv a stronger negotiating position if peace talks occur. Ukrainian officials said Chinas overture was encouraging. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Thursday described the call between Xi and Zelenskyy as very productive. Im convinced it is a good beginning for our relations in the future, Shmyhal said after visiting Pope Francis at the Vatican. But the Kremlins response was lukewarm. Asked if the call could help end the fighting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: We are ready to welcome anything that could lead to the termination of the conflict in Ukraine and the achievement of all the goals set by Russia. Peskov said the conversation between the Chinese and Ukrainian leaders was the sovereign business of those countries and the issue of their bilateral dialogue. With battlefield positions in Ukraine largely static in whats become a war of attrition, Russian forces have kept up their bombardment of Ukrainian areas, often hitting apartment buildings and other civilian infrastructure. At least seven civilians were killed and 33 were injured between Wednesday and Thursday, Ukraines presidential office said Thursday. They included one person killed and 23 wounded, including a child, when four Kalibr cruise missiles hit the southern city of Mykolaiv, a regional official said. The governor of Mykolaiv province, Vitalii Kim, said 22 multi-story buildings, 12 private houses and other residential buildings were damaged. Kalibr missiles are launched from ships or submarines, The ones that hit Mykolaiv were fired from the Black Sea, according to Ukraines Operational Command South. In other developments: Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree allowing the deportation from annexed Ukrainian territories of residents who refuse to become Russian citizens. Starting in July of next year, Russia will consider such residents to be foreigners who can be expelled from territory that Russian authorities consider to be Russian. Putin annexed four Ukrainian regions last September, building on his 2014 annexation of Crimea. Many countries have condemned the moves as illegal. Putin, who has often dwelt on history and his interpretation of it to advance his policy views, ordered his government on Thursday to prepare public studies about what he calls his special military operation in Ukraine. The effort is to include museums, adding to an announcement by one of his ministers that new school textbooks discussing the military operation are to be introduced in September. The head of Russias mercenary Wagner Group repeated claims that the Russian military is withholding ammunition from his soldiers, who are leading the fight in the eastern city of Bakhmut, the wars bloodiest battle. In social media posts, Yevgeny Prigozhin said without providing specifics that a criminal group did not give us ammunition, forcing his fighters to do whatever they can with a minimal quantity of ammunition. Prigozhin claimed ammunition stockpiles are withheld because of treason by Russian officials, whom he described as thugs. ___ Cook reported from Brussels. Associated Press Writer Yuras Karmanau in Tallinn, Estonia, and Frances DEmilio in Rome contributed. ___ Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine Read more about: SHARE: ROME (AP) Ukraines prime minister said he asked Pope Francis during a private Vatican audience Thursday to help facilitate the return of Ukrainian children who were forcibly taken to Russia. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, briefing reporters on his half-hour audience with the pontiff, said he also invited Francis to come to Ukraine. I asked His Holiness to help us return home Ukrainians, Ukrainian children who are detained, arrested, and criminally deported to Russia, Shmyhal said. The Vaticans brief statement on the audience did not go into particular points of the talks. It noted that Shmyhal met with the Holy Sees secretary of state and foreign minister after his meeting with Francis. During the cordial discussions, which took place in the Secretariat of State, various matters connected to the war in Ukraine were highlighted, with particular attention to the humanitarian aspects and efforts to restore peace, the Vatican said. Francis has repeatedly decried the war in Ukraine, which began 14 months ago with Russias invasion of its neighbor. He has expressed a desire to visit both Ukraine and Russia in the context of his hopes of improving the prospects for peace. The International Criminal Court last month issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia's children's commissioner, accusing them of war crimes for abducting children from Ukraine. Russia has denied any wrongdoing, contending the children were moved for their safety. Speaking to reporters at the Foreign Press Association in Rome, Shmyhal said that in his talks at the Vatican he also discussed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyys multi-point proposal for peace and the steps the Vatican could take in helping that plan become reality. He gave no specifics. The prime minister also declined to venture what might next develop in Ukrainian-Chinese relations. Zelenskyy said Wednesday that he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping had a long and meaningful phone call. During their conversation, which was the first known contact between the two presidents since the war began in February 2022, Xi said Beijing would send an envoy to Ukraine to discuss a possible political settlement to the conflict. The envoy is a former a former Chinese ambassador to Russia. The hour-long call came two months after Beijing, which has long been aligned with Russia, said it wanted to act as a mediator and a month after Xi visited Moscow. Shmyhal described the phone call as extremely productive and said it marked a new stage in Ukrainian-Chinese relations. Im also convinced it is an extraordinary beginning for developing our future relations, the prime minister said. Asked about the May 18 expiration date of a deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey to keep Ukrainian grain exports flowing during the war, Shmyhal said the shipments were another topic he broached with both Vatican and Italian officials. Russia has threatened to reject another extension of the deal, complaining that Western sanctions have held up exports of its products. I asked both the leadership of Italy and the Holy See to help Ukraine continue the grain corridors work without restrictions, Shmyhal said. The prime minister participated Wednesday in a Rome conference hosted by the Italian government to bring together businesses eager to participate in eventual reconstruction projects in Ukraine. ___ Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine Read more about: SHARE: JERUSALEM (AP) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday shrugged off Disneys lawsuit against him as politically motivated, and that it was time for the iconic company to stop enjoying favorable treatment in his state. Disney sued DeSantis on Wednesday over the Republicans appointment of a board of supervisors in its self-governed theme park district, alleging the governor waged a targeted campaign of government retaliation after the company opposed a law critics call, Dont Say Gay. The legal filing is the latest salvo in a more than year-old feud between Disney and DeSantis that has engulfed the governor in criticism as he prepares to launch an expected 2024 presidential bid. Theyre upset because theyre having to live by the same rules as everybody else. They dont want to pay the same taxes as everybody else and they want to be able to control things without proper oversight, DeSantis said during a visit to Israel. The days of putting one company on a pedestal with no accountability are over in the state of Florida. DeSantis was speaking on the third leg of an international trip meant to burnish his foreign policy credentials ahead of a potential campaign for the Republican presidential nomination as a key rival to former President Donald Trump. DeSantis has dived headlong into the fray with Disney, a major driver of tourism and a font for employment in Florida, as business leaders and White House rivals have bashed his stance as a rejection of the small-government tenets of conservatism. The fight began last year after Disney, in the face of significant pressure, publicly opposed a state law that bans classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades, a policy critics call Dont Say Gay. DeSantis then took over Disney Worlds self-governing district and appointed a new board of supervisors to oversee municipal services in the sprawling theme parks. But before the new board came in, the company pushed though an 11th-hour agreement that stripped the new supervisors of much of their authority. The Disney lawsuit asks a federal judge to void the governors takeover of the theme park district, as well as the DeSantis oversight boards actions, on the grounds that they were violations of the companys free speech rights. In a speech to a conference at Jerusalems Museum of Tolerance, DeSantis spelled out his Middle East policy, speaking of the importance of the U.S.-Israel alliance. He said Israel was the only authority that could protect freedom of worship for all in combustible Jerusalem and that the U.S. embassy was rightfully moved to the city by the Trump administration, despite opposition from Palestinians. He repeated his opposition to the deal that aimed to rein in Irans nuclear program, saying it empowered that countrys rulers rather than held them back. The Iran nuclear deal passed under Obama. His sucessor, Trump, revoked the U.S. agreement to it. DeSantis also said the U.S. shouldnt interfere in the way Israel chooses to be governed, a direct critique of President Joe Biden, who has voiced concerns about a contentious Israeli government plan to overhaul the countrys judiciary. DeSantis began his multi-country trip in Japan and then traveled to South Korea. After Israel, he heads to Britain. ___ Goldenberg reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Read more about: SHARE: BEIRUT (AP) A leading international rights group on Thursday said Turkish border guards have been indiscriminately shooting at Syrian civilians along the border with the war-wrecked country, as well as using excessive force against asylum seekers and migrants trying to cross into Turkey. There was no immediate response from Ankara to the accusations by Human Rights Watch. The New York-based group also urged the Turkish government to investigate and hold accountable border guards responsible for these grave human rights violations, including unlawful killings, and end the longstanding impunity for these abuses. Though there have been similar incidents in the past years, the latest followed a February earthquake that hit southern Turkey and northern Syria, killing over 50,000 people, including more than 6,000 in Syria. In Turkey, anti-immigrant sentiment is nearing a boiling point, fueled by Turkeys economic woes. With unemployment high and the prices of food and housing skyrocketing, many Turks have turned their frustration toward the countrys roughly 5 million foreign residents, particularly the 3.7 million who fled the civil war in Syria. Human Rights Watch said the latest shooting took place on March 11, when Turkish border guards viciously beat and tortured a group of eight Syrians who were attempting to cross irregularly into Turkey. A man and a boy died in Turkish custody, while the six others were seriously hurt, HRW said . It added that six of the guards involved are under investigation by Turkish authorities for their alleged role in the abuse. HRW said that on March 13, a Turkish border guard shot and killed a 59-year-old Syrian man who was plowing his land in an area adjacent to the border. The watchdog said it has written to Turkish officials asking for information about both incidents. Turkish gendarmes and armed forces in charge of border control routinely abuse and indiscriminately shoot at Syrians along the Syrian-Turkish border, with hundreds of deaths and injuries recorded in recent years, said Hugh Williamson, HRW director for Europe and Central Asia. Ankara has been taking strict measures over the past years to prevent the flow of refugees from Syria. Well over 1 million migrants entered the European Union in 2015, many of them fleeing conflict in Syria and Iraq. The arrivals through Turkey overwhelmed facilities on the Greek islands, and sparked one of the EUs biggest-ever political crises. To persuade Turkey to stop people leaving its territory, the 27-nation bloc offered Ankara 6 billion euros to care for the Syrian refugees and the prospect of fast-track EU membership talks and visa-free travel in Europe for its citizens. Arrivals quickly dropped to a relative trickle, and the EU is keen to update the arrangement. SHARE: PHOENIX (AP) Hope bounced around Brittney Griner like a buoy and an anchor. Hope of returning home, hope of a miracle, was all she had all those months in custody in Russia. On the days hopelessness crept in, days that grew as her detainment stretched into a second winter, optimism drowned in despair. Photos of her family half a world away kept Griner afloat. Just being able to see their faces, that did it for me, Griner said Thursday in her first news conference since being released. The moment where you kind of want to give up, you look at the photos and it kind of brings you back to what youre waiting on. Youre waiting to be back with your families, with your loved ones in a safe place. Griner has been safe since a nearly 10-month detainment in Russia on drug-related charges ended with a prisoner swap in December. Griner kept a low profile following her return to the U.S. while adjusting to life back home, outside of appearances at the Super Bowl, the PGA Tours Phoenix Open and an MLK Day event in Phoenix. She returned to the spotlight at a news conference on Thursday, an event attended by roughly 200 people inside the lobby of the Footprint Center, home of the Phoenix Mercury and the NBAs Phoenix Suns. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, Griners wife, Cherelle, and members of the Mercury organization gave the WNBA star a standing ovation as she appeared from behind a banner and climbed onto the riser. Different than a basketball press conference today, said Griner, her eyes beaming and a huge smile across her face. A LOT of media in here today. Griner gained international attention in February 2022, when she was arrested after Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges containing cannabis oil. She later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to nine years in prison. After months of negotiations between Washington and Moscow, Griner was exchanged in the United Arab Emirates for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout on Dec. 8. Griner kept her emotions in check during the news conference while thanking everyone who helped secure her release, including President Joe Biden, but had to take a moment to compose herself after being asked about her resiliency through the ordeal. Im no stranger to hard times, Griner said, fighting back tears. Just digging deep. Youre going to be faced with adversities in life. This was a pretty big one. I just relied on my hard work to get through it. Griner faced an adjustment period once she returned to the U.S., one thats still ongoing. She spent some time in San Antonio, where she picked up a basketball for the first time in nearly a year. Wearing low-stop shoes on an outdoor court, Griner put up a few shots, even trying to see if she can still dunk (yes, she can). I thought I was like 16 again, she said. I mean, my ankles did not like it, but it was good. Once back in Phoenix, Griner walked around town, taking in the scenery of her hometown with a newfound appreciation that comes with a freedom she didnt have for nearly 10 months. Walking around town was a little bit different, but it felt good being back to being on U.S. soil, especially when youre back here in the Valley, Griner said. It was really warming and nothing but love, being out and about, just trying to get back to just being normal. Normal will include a return to the Mercury. Griner announced shortly after her release that she would play in the WNBA this season and re-signed with the Mercury on a one-year deal. The seven-time WNBA All-Star and two-time league defensive player of the year started slowly and has ramped up training in preparation for the Mercurys opening game on May 19. I feel like Ive hit the corner and just loving it now, but at first there was a point where it was like, wow, dang, I really want to do this this fast right now? But no, it was so worth it. So worth it. Griner is returning to the WNBA but wont be playing abroad again, unless its with Team USA. Im never playing overseas again, the two-time Olympic gold medalist said. The only time I would want to would be to represent the USA. Griners new normal also will include working with Bring Our Families Home, a campaign formed in 2022 by the family members of American hostages and wrongful detainees held overseas. Griner said her team has been in touch with the family of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, whos being detained in Russia on espionage charges. Griner and BOFH unveiled a mural outside the Footprint Center with the faces of Americans detained overseas and will work to bring as many of them home as possible. No one should be in any of the conditions that I went through or theyre going through, she said. The Russian prison conditions at times spiraled Griner into hopelessness. The familiar faces of her family always brought her back, hope returning until she was finally able to reunite with them. ___ AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports SHARE: TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Republican legislators in Kansas enacted what may be the most sweeping transgender bathroom law in the U.S. on Thursday, overriding the Democratic governors veto of the measure without having a clear idea of how their new law will be enforced. The vote in the House was 84-40, giving supporters exactly the two-thirds majority they needed to override Gov. Laura Kellys action. The vote in the Senate on Wednesday was 28-12, and the new law will take effect July 1. At least eight other states have enacted laws preventing transgender people from using the restrooms associated with their gender identities, but most of them apply to schools. The Kansas law applies also to locker rooms, prisons, domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers. When I go out in public, like Im at a restaurant or up on campus or whatever, and I need to go to the bathroom, theres definitely going to be a voice in my head that says, Am I going to get harassed for that? said Jenna Bellemere, a 20-year-old transgender University of Kansas student. It just makes it so much more complicated and risky and unnecessarily difficult. Republican legislators argued that theyre responding to peoples concerns about transgender women sharing bathrooms, locker rooms and other spaces with cisgender women and girls. They repeatedly promised that the bill would prevent that. Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, told GOP colleagues after the vote that the override was truly the icing on the cake among conservative policy victories this year. Im just giddy, he said. The Kansas law is different than most other states laws in that it legally defines male and female based on the sex assigned at birth and declares that distinctions between the sexes in bathrooms and other spaces serves the important governmental objectives of protecting health, safety and privacy. Earlier this week, North Dakota enacted a law that prohibits transgender children and adults from having access to bathrooms, locker rooms or showers in dormitories of state-run colleges and correctional facilities. Kansas law doesnt create a new crime, impose criminal penalties or fines for violations or even say specifically that a person has a right to sue over a transgender person using a facility aligned with their gender identity. Many supporters acknowledged before it passed that they hadnt considered how it will be administered. The bill is written broadly enough to apply to any separate spaces for men and women and, Kellys office said, could prevent transgender women from participating in state programs for women, including for female hunters and farmers. As written, it also prevents transgender people from changing the gender markers on their drivers licenses though it wasnt clear whether that change would occur without a lawsuit. Critics of the new law believe it is an attempt to legally erase transgender people while also refusing to recognize gender fluid, gender non-conforming and non-binary people. They argued that the bills vagueness will prompt harassment of transgender people. The lack of clarity is by design because it allows them to disclaim the worst possible interpretation while also allowing for the worst possible outcome to happen, said Micah Kubic, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, which opposed the law. When she vetoed the bill, Kelly suggested it was discriminatory and said it would hurt the states ability to attract businesses. The new law is part of a larger push by Republicans across the U.S. to roll back LGBTQ+ rights, particularly transgender rights. At least 21 states, including Kansas, restrict or ban female transgender athletes participation in female sports. At least 14 states but not Kansas have restricted or banned gender-affirming care for minors. The new Kansas bathroom law borrows language and a title from three national groups anti-trans Womens Bill of Rights. One of those groups, Independent Womens Voice, said the new law will prevent judges, unelected bureaucrats, and administrators in Kansas from unilaterally redefining the word woman to mean anyone who identifies as a woman. Under the new law in Kansas, legally sex means biological sex, either male or female, at birth, though it allows accommodations for intersex people if their conditions are considered disabilities under U.S. law. Intersex people can have ambiguous external genitalia at birth or conditions involving external genitals that dont match a persons sex chromosomes. The new law declares that females have a reproductive system at birth developed to produce ova, while males have one developed to fertilize the ova. Supporters said they expect that most school districts, cities and counties already are in line with the new law in how they handle sex-separated spaces. They also dont expect local officials to actively police who uses which restrooms. Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, said he expects police to intervene if theres any kind of harassing behavior but transgender people still will use facilities associated with their gender identities if theyre discreet about it. He compared the new law to existing decency laws, but in Sedgwick County, home to Wichita, District Attorney Marc Bennett, an elected Republican, said that in general, if a law doesnt list explicit elements for a defined crime, the elected prosecutor would not have enforcement authority. Both supporters and critics suggest the new law will prompt court cases if someone has a complaint about how local officials or even businesses handle the use of facilities by transgender people. Brittany Jones, policy director for the conservative Kansas Family Voice, which backed the law, said the law will come into play as officials and courts deal with conflicts. It would be as the cases arise, Jones said. Yet critics believe that the new law will prompt harassment not only of transgender people but nonbinary, gender-fluid and gender-nonconforming people. Tomboys, people who just arent really that into femininity as a woman, they cant freely express themselves without being worried that theyre going to be called out and removed from the spaces that they rightfully belong in, said Adam Kellogg, a 19-year-old transgender University of Kansas student. Former state Rep. Stephanie Byers, the first elected transgender Kansas lawmaker who now lives in Texas, predicted that legal chaos is coming to her former home state. While the attack on transgender people is not physical, Byers said, Theyre taking us out in every possible way. ___ Follow John Hanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna SHARE: WASHINGTON (AP) Former Vice President Mike Pence testified Thursday before a federal grand jury investigating efforts by then-President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, according to a person familiar with the matter. Pences appearance before a grand jury in Washington scrutinizing the president he once loyally served is a milestone in the Justice Departments investigation and likely gives prosecutors a key first-person account about certain conversations and events in the weeks preceding the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. It also carries significant political implications, coming as Pence hints at entering the 2024 presidential race and a potential run against Trump, the Republican front-runner. The testimony, confirmed by a person familiar with the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss a secret grand jury matter, came hours after a federal appeals court in a sealed order rejected a bid by Trump's lawyers to block Pences appearance. Pence was subpoenaed to testify earlier this year, but Trumps lawyers objected, citing executive privilege concerns. A judge in March refused to block Pence's appearance, though he did side with the former vice presidents constitutional claims that he could not be forced to answer questions about anything related to his role as presiding over the Senates certification of votes on Jan. 6. Well obey the law, well tell the truth, Pence said in an interview with CBS News Face the Nation that aired Sunday. And the story that Ive been telling the American people all across the country, the story that I wrote in the pages of my memoir, thatll be the story I tell in that setting. It was not immediately clear what Pence may have told the grand jury, but he is the most high-profile Trump administration official to be summoned before the panel. Inside the federal building where the grand jury has been meeting, just blocks from the U.S. Capitol, security was high because of Pences appearance with an unusual amount of activity from U.S. Marshals. Pence has spoken extensively about Trumps pressure campaign urging him to reject Democrat Joe Bidens presidential election victory in the days leading up to Jan. 6, including in his book, So Help Me God. Pence, as vice president, had a ceremonial role overseeing Congress counting of the Electoral College vote but did not have the power to affect the results, despite Trumps contention otherwise. Pence, a former Indiana governor and congressman, has said that Trump endangered his family and everyone else who was at the Capitol that day and history will hold him accountable. For four years, we had a close working relationship. It did not end well, Pence wrote, summing up their time in the White House. Trump was speaking in New Hampshire when news broke of Pences grand jury appearance. Asked at a diner if he was concerned about his testimony, Trump responded, No Im not and I dont know anything about it. Lawyers for Pence had raised their own, more narrow challenge to the subpoena. They argued that because Pence was serving in his capacity as president of the Senate as electoral votes were being counted in Congress on Jan. 6, he was protected from being forced to testify about that process under the Constitutions speech or debate clause, which is intended to protect members of Congress from being questioned about official legislative acts. A judge agreed with that argument, effectively narrowing the scope of his expected testimony. The Justice Department special counsel leading the investigation, Jack Smith, has cast a broad net in interviews and has sought the testimony of a long list of former Trump aides, including ex-White House counsel Pat Cipollone and former adviser Stephen Miller. Smith is separately investigating Trump over the potential mishandling of hundreds of classified documents at his Palm Beach, Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, as well as possible efforts to obstruct that probe. It is not clear when either of the special counsels investigations will end or who, if anyone, will be charged. ___ Associated Press writers Michael Kunzelman, Lindsay Whitehurst and Nathan Ellgren in Washington and Michelle L. Price in Manchester, New Hampshire, contributed to this report. ___ This story was first published on April 27, 2023. It was published again on April 28, 2023, to correct security was high because of Pences appearance, not because of Trumps appearance. SHARE: The development of a spa at Ontario Place may become the pivotal election issue in the Toronto mayoral race. Many of us watching as details unfold are scratching our heads, trying to understand how this benefits Ontarians. So far, the process is secretive, but still concerning. Therme is an Austrian company; yet, it appears that Ontario will be gifting them 35 acres of waterfront. In addition, Ontario will spend $200 million to clear the land and $450 million to build underground parking. This will require clear-cutting at least 850 trees. In return, we get a large, private structure dominating the public space, increased traffic, and the possibility that many will not be able to afford its entry fee. The recent plot twist, adding the Science Centre to the site, will not negate any of these issues. Those of us of a certain age are flashbacking to the Harris Conservative government and its sale of Highway 407 to a Spanish consortium. The toll road was sold for $3.1 billion dollars in 1999, and in 2019 it was valued at $30 billion. In fact, Premier Doug Ford criticized the selling of this public asset. Yet, his government is willing to give away an irreplaceable waterfront property, using government funds to facilitate its development. If the Ford government wants to provide access to green spaces, recreation, and water features, there are less costly and more accessible options to consider. For example, Bronte Provincial Park in Oakville has a 1.8-acre outdoor pool one of the largest in Canada. My family considered this our cottage, packing a picnic lunch, visiting the park then heading to the pool. My children learned to swim there, along with other families, summer camps, and school groups. Sadly, the pool was closed last year, and there is no indication it will open this year. What if the money to be provided to Therme is instead used to create and nurture public spaces for all? Repairing the pool and providing shuttle buses from the GO station, that is minutes away, could enable families from the GTA and Hamilton to enjoy all Bronte Park has to offer. I am confident there are many opportunities to provide recreational opportunities without the financial and environmental costs of the Therme proposal. Hopefully, the public consultation on Thursday will be an opportunity for the people to speak and for Ford Nation to listen. Political philosopher Nancy Fraser contends that a socially just society has three dimensions: redistribution, recognition, and representation. Ontario Place belongs to the people of Ontario, and all voices must be recognized and represented in any decision making. The group Ontario Place for All states Public interest, not commercial interest must drive the new vision. Will the government recognize the growing number of people expressing their opposition to this development? Will these voices have equal representation in the consultation? Or do developers, lobbyists, and private companies matter more? Pat Robinson is an educator, community volunteer, and student of social justice. Read more about: SHARE: My neighbour Brian surprised me a few days ago when he said he had always thought of himself as a monarchist and a big supporter of the British Royal Family. But I now realize I was really just a fan of Elizabeth, he said, referring to the late queen who died last September. She epitomized duty and grew into her role with grace and dignity. As for King Charles III, whose title will be formalized in an over-the-top coronation ceremony in barely a weeks time in London, the only thing Brian would say was coolly blunt: I dont have a view of him other than hes Elizabeths son. Like my neighbour, I hold no ill will towards Charles and wish the best for the Royal Family and its often disfunctional members. But Charles isnt my king (I know, I know, technically he is the King of Canada) and his coronation drives home yet again to me the realization that its inevitable that Canada will break from the British monarchy. Im not alone in feeling this way. In fact, a poll earlier this week indicates that more and more Canadians oppose having Charles declared King of Canada and being our head of state. And most of us dont want to swear an oath to King Charles, dont want to sing God Save the King and dont want to see Charles on our $20 bills or $2 coins. At the same time, barely nine per cent of Canadians surveyed are really looking forward to the coronation of Charles. Gee, even in the U.K. less than 10 per cent say they are very interested in the coronation. Despite these pathetically low numbers, our national TV networks CTV, the CBC and Global are planning hours and hours of breathless commentary and flag-waving coverage from London that can best be described as fawning over anachronistic symbols of privilege and inherited wealth. While Im trying to avoid the media onslaught about Charles and the monarchy thats about to be unleashed on all of us, I will console myself with the knowledge that only 27 per cent of Canadians want Canada to remain a constitutional monarchy for years to come. That number was surprisingly consistent across the entire country. Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute, told Toronto Star reporter Joshua Chong earlier this week that changing demographics have led us to a place where people are looking at this institution and either are sort of shrugging their shoulders and going, Whats the point of this? or even more firmly saying, Why are we continuing to profess ties to an institution that increasingly has very little to do with modern Canadian society? The truth is the monarchy is totally irrelevant today, an utterly useless institution thats nothing more than a non-stop soap opera from Harry and Megan to Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein. So, please Justin Trudeau, dont declare a national holiday as the tiny, but vocal gang of monarchists are demanding you do to honour Charles. And thank you Ottawa for keeping coronation day celebrations on Parliament Hill to a minimum. With the coronation, its now time to think seriously about finally cutting our ties with the British monarchy. It can be done with the approval of the House of Commons, the Senate and all 10 provincial legislatures. While some academics insist it would be too hard to do, the Angus Reid poll shows more than half of the respondents in every region of Canada favour severing relations. Why not hold a national referendum? If the results are the same as the poll it would be easily conceivable that Ottawa and every province would do what the people want and dump the monarchy. Until then, I hope to get my hands on one of Britains hottest-selling coronation souvenir items: a yellow T-shirt that reads Not My King. SHARE: Annual flooding is forcing hundreds of people from the Kashechewan First Nation to be evacuated from the James Bay community. A statement from Indigenous Services Canada says that since evacuations began on April 17, communities members have been asked to choose whether they would like to be moved to near-by on-land areas, or other Ontario communities some 400 kilometres south. It says that 467 people have chosen to be evacuated to on-land areas near the community on the north shore of James Bays Albany River, while others have been moved to Timmins, Cochrane or Kapuskasing. Kashechewan First Nation regularly faces serious annual flooding. A state of emergency was declared for the community on April 3. Indigenous Services Canada, Ontario and Kashechewan First Nation in 2019 reached a framework agreement on permanently relocating the community to higher ground, but those plans are still being finalized. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2023. This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship. SHARE: KYODO NEWS - Apr 27, 2023 - 20:08 | World, All, Coronavirus Taiwan said Thursday it will downgrade its classification of COVID-19 on May 1 to a less severe category of communicable diseases, such as flu, and disband a task force established to deal with the virus in the early stage of the pandemic. As the domestic coronavirus situation on the island has remained stable, with infections remaining low, COVID-19 will be designated as a Category 4 communicable disease next Monday instead of Category 5. Other infectious diseases covered by Category 5 include yellow fever and the Ebola virus. The Central Epidemic Command Center, which was established on Jan. 20, 2020, will also be dissolved on Monday. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen thanked all CECC staff members, which held its last press conference on Thursday, as well as frontline workers for their hard work in overcoming various challenges during the pandemic. Deputy Health Minister Victor Wang, who has headed the CECC since July last year, told reporters the center's press conferences played a very important role in delivering COVID-19 information to the public in an open and transparent manner. "It's the people's trust in us that makes them want to support our disease prevention strategies, getting us to where we are today," Wang said. The CECC has held 960 press conferences since it was established. The CECC's tasks will be taken over by Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare. The island, which reported its first COVID-19 case on Jan. 21, 2020, has seen more than 10.23 million cases and experienced over 19,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to Taiwan's Central News Agency. Related coverage: Japan formally decides to downgrade COVID-19 to flu level on May 8 Japan eyes bringing forward end of COVID-19 border controls to April 29 Japan eyes shift to "quality" experiences as inbound tourism recovers In the wake of violent incidents like the fatal stabbing of a 16-year-old in a subway station last month, Ontario is beefing up bail enforcement teams to keep a closer eye on high-risk and repeat offenders awaiting court dates. Enough is enough, Solicitor General Michael Kerzner said Thursday as he and Premier Doug Ford were at Scarboroughs 42 division police station to announce an extra $112 million in funding for the OPP, municipal and First Nations police forces and prosecutors. Recently weve seen a new level of brazenness from people who wish to do harm. The money will give police the proper tools to keep track of potentially dangerous people on bail, said Ford, who with fellow premiers has been pressing the federal government for reforms making it harder for violent offenders to get bail. People dont feel safe, Ford told reporters, saying major crime is up 20 per cent in Toronto in the last year. Were seeing too many innocent people lose their lives at the hands of dangerous people over the past two years, 70 per cent of gun murders right here in Toronto were out on bail for other firearms charges. The announcement comes during Torontos municipal election campaign where former police chief Mark Saunders who ran on the Ford team as a Progressive Conservative candidate in last Junes provincial election, but lost is campaigning on a law-and-order agenda. In late March at the Keele subway station, high school student Gabriel Magalhaes was stabbed in an unprovoked attack by a stranger after a day out with friends. He died later in hospital. Toronto police have charged Jordan OBrien-Tobin, 22, with first-degree murder. The Star has reported a judge previously warned the accused who has a record of four assaults and a history of family violence was a threat to the public if he did not get aid for his mental health and substance abuse issues. The Police Association of Ontario said it supports the new measures in a justice system that has been accused of having a revolving door bail system. It no longer feels like the door is revolving, it feels like the door is wide open, president Mark Baxter said. Right now, the tools available are inadequate. Ford said the new funding will help police forces establish dedicated bail compliance teams that will also assist prosecutors and assess public safety risk at bail hearings. Money could also be spent on bail compliance technology and on a network with other police services to share bail offender information. Almost half the $112 million will be used to expand the OPPs repeat offender parole enforcement or ROPE squad across the province to apprehend high-risk offenders who have broken their bail conditions. Another $26 million is earmarked for intensive serious violent crime bail teams within the court system to ensure there are dedicated prosecutors and related experts to handle complex bail hearings. The provinces plan echoes a mayoral campaign promise from city Coun. Brad Bradford, who last week pledged to establish a 68-officer bail enforcement unit. While announcing his plan, Bradford said it would reduce violent crime by people not getting caught for bail infractions, while acknowledging the new squad wouldnt eliminate the kind of random violent crimes that have plagued Toronto. Bradford estimated the cost of a Toronto bail compliance unit at $16 million to establish and $10 million per year after that funding he vowed to get from the Ford government. The government says a new dashboard will be key to its bail compliance technology, and is based on an initiative already in use by the Toronto and Durham police forces, which allows them to track those on bail for firearms offences, including where they are residing. The province-wide initiative will track those out on bail for a wider range of violent offences including firearms, drug and human trafficking, sexual assault and murder providing real-time updates on offenders, including bail conditions, their most recent check-in and allows different police forces to access and share information. The bail team announcement is the second this week related to law enforcement. With files from David Rider Read more about: SHARE: With President Joe Biden having decided to seek re-election in 2024, and with Donald Trump emerging as his most likely rival, the immediate future of a nation in terminal decline appears to have been decided, for the prospect of either of these men ruling the United States until 2028 is not particularly edifying from a global perspective, and not just because of their age, significant though that factor may be. Neither man is unlikely to take measures to ease tensions in the Indo-Pacific or to bring relations with China on an even keel. There may be differences in approach towards Russia, for Mr Trump has always been ambivalent towards the Kremlin, but by the time the election comes around, things may have changed significantly in Ukraine. The Middle East peace architecture that Mr Trump sought to create now lies in tatters, not because of anything President Biden did, but because he was outflanked by Beijing. Ties with Europe which the incumbent has made the cornerstone of his foreign policy may get a little frayed by a Trump presidency, but not enough to upset the applecart. But these are details. The larger picture that will present itself is based on the events of the past six or seven years, which give the world sufficient material to make realistic assessments of what either of the men could bring to the table post 2024. And that is not a particularly sumptuous offering. Certainly there is nothing to suggest that America will grasp the leadership of the world with both hands and set a brave new course, or be able to wrest back the initiative from a resurgent China. On the contrary, presidencies conducted by men in or approaching their 80s are bound to be compromised, notwithstanding the health endorsement Mr Biden made a part of his announcement to run. As of now, Americans do not seem very enthusiastic about the President seeking a second term, and that enthusiasm will be dampened further by the announcement that his running mate will be Kamala Harris, whose record as Vice-President has been less than stellar. The question is important because the Vice-President automatically succeeds an incapacitated president. While observers expect the Democrats to rally behind Mr Biden and Ms Harris, that position may change should the party come to an unsatisfactory assessment or if some other prominent Democrat chooses to throw his or her hat into the ring. That leaves the question of domestic challenges, where despite President Biden having outlined the upcoming battle as one for the soul of America, the dominant issue will remain the question of womens rights, especially abortion rights. The Democrats drew unexpected support in last years midterm elections, and the Republican nominee will have to ensure its traditionally conservative flock stays together. A Biden-Trump contest is guaranteed to be acrimonious, and there will be allegations and counter-allegations flying around, further dividing the polity. America needs a new President in 2024, and will for that reason get one. The rest of the world cannot be thrilled by the choices that seem to be on offer. KYODO NEWS - Apr 27, 2023 - 20:54 | All, Japan, Travel/Tourism Oriental Land Co., operator of the Tokyo Disney Resort, said Thursday its net profit rose by around 10 times to 80.73 billion yen ($605 million) for the year ended March, as the number of visitors to the theme parks is increasing amid eased COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Oriental Land, which runs the Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea parks both located near the Japanese capital, said visitors surged by 83.2 percent to more than 22 million people, which also included a rise in foreign tourist numbers. Its sales also jumped by 75.2 percent from a year earlier to 483.12 billion yen, the operator said, adding that revenue per customer has increased thanks partly to the introduction of a service that allows paid reservations for seats in attractions and shows. The company said that for the current year through next March, it expects a further increase of visitors attracted by events celebrating the 40th anniversary of Tokyo Disneyland's opening. It projected a net profit of 86.99 billion yen and sales of 543.95 billion yen for that period. Related coverage: Tokyo Disneyland celebrates 40 years with fanfare, iconic characters Japan eyes shift to "quality" experiences as inbound tourism recovers Japan eyes bringing forward end of COVID-19 border controls to April 29 Pakistans Army is clearly feeling the heat. Even as many in the country, and many more outside, ask whether and when it will intervene to seize power from a fragile coalition that seems to be making a mess of running the country, and with national institutions on the brink of implosion, the Army has launched a furious public relations exercise to deflect some of the criticism it has faced, principally from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf of Imran Khan, but especially from ordinary citizens who have taken to social media to criticize its role in severe terms. The Director of Inter Services Public Relations, at a press conference this week, claimed that the institution was apolitical and could not be pressurized by social media, in itself an acknowledgment of the assault it has faced. Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told local media persons that the countrys Constitution imposed reasonable restrictions on free speech and targeted those with vested interests who had indulged in irresponsible, illogical and unconstitutional comments about the Army. Responding to criticism of the Armys role by some veterans, General Chaudhry cautioned them not to involve themselves in politics. He also distanced the Army from attempts to reach out to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, saying these were an initiative of the previous Imran Khan government. The Army has already informed the countrys Supreme Court that it is not in support of elections to the Punjab assembly on 14 May and favours simultaneous polls to the National Assembly and provincial legislatures. Responding to public criticism of the severe drain on economic resources caused by the Army, General Chaudhry claimed the institution had decided to cut expenses related to fuel, rations, construction, nonoperational procurement, training and non-operational movement. It is widely acknowledged in the country that the economy is in a mess and that the security situation is fragile. Historically, these are factors that have provoked the Armys direct involvement in the administration of the country, and there are many who argue that it has not done this so far because it has no immediate prescription for the economic woes that beset the country, and does not want to be saddled with the responsibility of fixing things, or of having to take the blame for not being able to do so. At the same time, it will not want a political situation where its considerable powers are undermined, a risk that it will perceive from the installation of any regime that wishes to change the status quo. But more than anything else, the Army seems to be coming to the realization that the people of the country may have had enough with the ways of an institution that is widely believed to have feathered its nest while promising an elusive stability. Swami Vivekananda wrote a large number of letters to the wife of Mr George W Hale, which were poignant, informal and revealing. He abundantly poured out his heart in them, making no bones about telling her the truth. They werent serious matters alone; a few of them carried humour as well. On the whole, a beautiful and rich collection of readable letters to Mrs Hale came from Swamijis facile pen. The letters are sufficient for one to delve into the depth of kinship Swamiji had with her. Swamiji became one of her inner circle from the day Mrs Hale picked him up from the Chicago roadside and straight away put him in her house, giving him the privilege of her offspring. Thus, he became a sibling of her children overnight. She did so ignoring the adverse opinions of many of her neighbours who thought it was her misadventure to let him live amidst her young girls. He wrote to one of his brother disciples: The girls (Mrs Hales daughters and their nieces) call me brother, and I address Mrs Hale as mother. All my things are at their place, and they look after them, wherever I go. In a faith and colour conscious America, this was indeed an incongruent happening ~ one being a devout American Christian and the other a coloured Hindu hailing from a quaint country such as India. But what was common among them that they became so close to each other in a trice? The fact was that they were convinced that religion is one and there are innumerable religious faiths suited to numerous traditions, cultures and temperaments for its achievement, which is eternal and emancipating. Swamiji said, One infinite religion existed all through eternity and will ever exist, and this religion is expressing itself in various countries in various ways. Mrs Hale must have harboured the same belief rising above the superficial differences of country, creed and colour. The flashing point of Mrs Hales understanding with Swamiji was, therefore, her spirituality, to which she was finely tuned and committed. In praise of her devout demeanour, Swamiji famously called her by the name Mother Church. Mrs Hale was well-to-do, cultured and spirited. She was the mainstay of Swamijis life in America for a year from the eve of the Parliament of Religions in September 1893, and her family was more dear to him than any other he would know in the west. Her good connections with many prominent citizens inside and outside Chicago were very useful to Swamiji from the outset of his acquaintance with her. Providing for all his basic necessities, she raised him, as it were, from the dust to a well-known figure in her country at a time when it was crucial for the fulfilment of his Mission. Mrs Hale maintained his bank accounts and kept track of his complex movements as well as interactions with people of diverse natures and standings in society. Her watchful attention to his needs then was relentless. Swamiji laid on her the brunt to correspond with his friends, followers and brother disciples for his work in India and abroad. In a word, his dependence on her was total and comprehensive. His letters are a proof of all these and many more things of his subsistence then. Swamiji felt deeply indebted to Mrs Hale and her family for the unbridled protection and patronage he received from them during a very important period of his life when he was in urgent requirement of a solid prop to lean upon. On 21 November 1893 he wrote to her: May you be blessed forever, my kind friend, you and your whole family have made such a heavenly impression on me as I would carry all my life. Notably, he began this letter addressing her as Dear Mother but in its body he described her as my kind friend, which shows how informal he was with her by dint of his affection to her. Swamiji was transparent to Mrs Hale, even sometimes to the point of embarrassing her, speaking against her country, countrymen and religion. But she proved herself to be different by her conscientious conduct. She had a clear perception to be able to see Swamijis heart and mind. She knew his forte as well as foibles in the right measure. Swamijis letters to her almost invariably described his journeys, interactions, events and instructions. In one letter he had given the message of his safe arrival at Madison. His host, a Mr Updike, was not very friendly at first; but in the course of an hour he became very kind to him. On 4 February 1894, he wrote from Detroit, where he was staying with Mrs Bagley who attended the Parliament and knew Swamiji well. She was the widow of the ex-governor of Michigan. He praised her children amply. Her eldest daughter gave him a luncheon at a club where he met some of the finest ladies and gentlemen of the city. Detroit was the place where he experienced a tough time encountering the hostile clergy, but then here he manifested his outstanding power during lectures. Marie Louise Burk wrote: Detroit was, in a sense, a turbulent vortex of the contemporaneous thought of the nation, both conservative and radical, and this, together with the fact that Swamijis power was rising to a peak, tended to make his visit there akin to the explosion of long brewing storm. Swamiji apprised Mrs Hale of various difficulties he was grappling with because of a number of Americans. We learn from his letter to her about his utter disappointment over being cheated by the Slayton Lyecum Lecture Bureau for a contract of three years he signed with it. He wrote to her on 20 February 1894 from Detroit: I am thoroughly disgusted with this Slayton business and I am trying hard to break loose. I have lost at least $5,000 by joining this man. He noted that a speaker earned at least $1,000 for a lecture there, and so in every place, Slayton should have done the same for him, which he didnt do by telling lies. Seeing the liking the American people have for me, he wrote, I could have, by this time, got a pretty large sum. He consulted legal experts to get loose from this liar of a Slayton. Informing her, he said, Several judges here have seen my contract, and they say it is a shameful fraud and can be broken any moment, but I am a monk ~ no self defence. His earnings from lectures were for his work in India but not at the cost of his monastic principles. Therefore he lastly thought he had better throw up the whole. He explained everything about his Mission to her. He was sending his earnings to Mrs Hale and she would deposit the amounts in his account. Two days later, on 22 February he sent her a note, giving the details of the amounts he had earned against the lectures he delivered at Detroit. He also gave her a word of caution in it, saying: However, let not Slayton know anything about the rest of the money, as I am going to separate myself from him. This is just an example of the many contentious issues he shared with her in confidence which were of deep concern to him. It evidently tells of his immense faith as well as sense of dependence on her for the exceptional character that she was in fact. Mrs Hale was well aware of the ebb and flow of Swamijis mood. Hence he didnt hesitate to give expression to his feelings in both conditions. For instance, in a sort of pensive mood he wrote on 24 April 1894 from Boston: As for lecturing, I have given up raising money. I cannot degenerate myself any more. When a certain purpose was in view, I could work; with that gone I cannot earn for myself I had in Detroit tried to refund the money back to the donors, and told them that, there being almost no chance of my succeeding in my enterprise, I had no right to keep their money; but they refused and told me to throw that into the waters, if I liked. But I cannot take any more conscientiously. We can quite imagine that hearing this Mrs Hale remained unfazed, for she surely knew he wasnt saying it resolutely. She had replied definitely with the words which would forthwith repair his mood to resume lecturing for his avowed cause. Mrs Hale mostly wrote long letters ~ as Swamiji did ~ giving titbits of information and enquiring about his health etc., along with the details of the progress with things he had asked her to do, which could be anything connected with his work. It clearly indicates that he had free access to her and she, too, was pleased to freely meet his needs, however complicated and challenging, as a doting mother would. She eased Swamijis myriad obstacles at the earliest period of his endeavour. Accordingly, she is unforgettable. We infinitely owe for her unparalleled contribution in laying a firm foundation that acted as a niche for Swamiji to stand upon for taking the task of the budding Ramakrishna Mission forward. So we most affectionately remember this matchless woman with a pious heart on the completion of 125 years of the Missions illustrious existence. (The writer is associated with the Ramakrishna Mission, Narendrapur) NEWS ITEMS GIRLS SCHOOLS IN BOMBAY Bombay, Apr. 26 An interesting application was made in the Bombay High Court on behalf of a resident of Surat who was convicted under section 10 of the Primary Education Act for having neglected his little daughters education in a recognised municipal school and subsequently fined one rupee by the Sub-divisional Magistrate of Surat. The petitioner alleged that his daughter was admittedly attending a Rashtriya (National) girls school, and that the real motive of the prosecution was not prompted by any desire to secure the educational welfare of the girl, but was designed to give the deathblow to all private enterprise in the matter of the education of children. Particularly was this so in the case of Rashtriya schools said the petitioner to the committee of management of primary education in Surat. ARMY CLOTHING FRAUD CASE Allahabad, Apr. 26 An echo of the Army Clothing frauds case was heard in Allahabad High Court when Justice Daniels dismissed the revisional applications of Niranjan Chaudhri and Narain Chandra Chatterji who were convicted by the joint magistrate of Allahabad in December last for the abetment of an offence of criminal breach of trust with regard to a number of great-coats sold at auction for Rs. 1,100. The two accused were each sentenced to one years rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs. 1,000. They appealed to the Sessions Judge of Allahabad who upheld the convictions and sentences. Against the latters decision they appealed to the High Court. This was the last of a series of cases which the Government had started in connection with the Army Clothing Depot at Allahabad. PROHIBITION SCANDAL IN AMERICA Citizens of Gary, the steel centre in Indiana, are shocked by the verdict of the jury in the United States court finding fifty-five of its most prominent residents are guilty of wholesale corruption and entering into a conspiracy to violate the prohibition law. Among those convicted of the crime, for which two years imprisonment and a fine of pound 2,000 may be imposed, are the mayor of the city, the sheriff, the prosecuting attorney, a city judge, and many of the most prominent business men. Summing up for the Government, the prosecutor said that the evidence submitted proved that lawyers sharing the profits. As the result of official corruption liquors could be bought openly at every soda-water shop in the city until the Government agents arrived. MUNICIPALITY AND KHADDAR Bombay, Apr. 26 At the Bombay Corporation today an animated debate took place on Mr. Jamnadas Mehtas proposition for the universal adoption of khaddar (handspun handwoven cloths) by municipal employees. Mr. Mehta considered the question from a purely economic point of view. Khaddar was cheap and durable and would effect a handsome saving out of the Rs. 33,000 spent every year on uniforms for municipal employees. It was in the interest of the city and municipal administration that he brought forward his resolution. Besides khaddar embodied the sentiments of thousands of citizens in Bombay and therefore, it behoved the municipality as a representative institution to echo their feelings. Mr. Mehta further held that the resolution might be opposed by those who nurtured a political bias in their minds. FARMERS OFFER THREE ALTERNATIVES The deadlock in the Norfolk agricultural dispute is likely to remain until the Governments intentions are known. The employers offered three alternatives, namely, twenty-four shillings for a week of fifty hours, twenty-five shillings for a week of fifty-two hours or twenty-six shillings for a week of fifty-four hours, with an additional shilling a week if the Government carried out its proposals to halve the rates on agricultural land. In the course of a meeting of the Union, the leader transmitted a proposal made by the Bishop of Norwich namely the continuation of the old rates until the Government scheme to relieve agriculture had been definitely adopted, but which the employers had refused. OCCASIONAL NOTE The second round proper of the English Football Association Cup was played on Saturday last and after the replays there will be sixteen fewer clubs left in the competition. The annual excitement over the Cup may be likened to an intermittent fever with crises occurring every fortnight for a period of three months and after that a month of tense anticipation until the fever reaches a head on the day the final is played. The competition, embracing as it does all the teams in the three English leagues as well as amateur clubs, generally supplies a crop of surprising results and reversals of form. When a team in a junior League beats a senior League team, there is general consternation and those who are not close followers of the game immediately jump to the conclusion that a result such as this shows the unsoundness of the League system. Mature judges, however, realise that a different type of football is played and in the hurly-burly of cup-ties, scientific football is often overcome by kick and run tactics. Last Saturdays results bear this out and the game in which Charlton, a low placed Third Division club, beat Preston North End, a first League club and last years runners up in the final, is a case in point. The last four should be found among the clubs mentioned above, together with Liverpool, Bolton, Cardiff and the winner of the Middlesbrough-Sheffield replay. Malda Police today arrested a gunman, who had taken 80 students, boys and girls, and a teacher hostage in a schools classroom and demanded that he be given back his son, who he said was taken away by his wife when they separated two years ago. The police finally intercepted Debkumar Ballab, a local resident, who had taken the students of Class VII hostage in the classroom of the Muchia Chandra Mohan High School, under Malda police station. It is learnt that Mr Ballab sneaked into the classroom and brandished a 9mm pistol, while asking the students and the teacher to remain as they were. The gunman asked the lady teacher, who was taking her Bengali class to inform the school authorities, the administration and, especially the media about his act, a source said. Mr Ballab also demanded that he wanted to speak to the media about his state of mind, as his wife had left his house with his son. I will release all of them if I get back my son with the help of the administration, Mr Ballab said, showing the pistol and keeping two bottles on the table, claiming them to be petrol bombs. Panic gripped the students and teachers of the school until both the police and the media arrived on the spot, the source said. Finally, DSP (D&T) Azharuddin Khan, managed to intercept Mr Ballab and help the students safely get out of the classroom. Police seized two pistols, a knife and other materials from his possession and brought the situation under control, a police source said. Police have registered a case and started investigating the matter based on the track record of the man and the statements he gave, the source added. Sources said that Rita Barman, Ballabs wife, was elected a panchayat member on a BJP ticket. She joined the Trinamul Congress later. The couple was involved in a fight over some issues two years ago, and Mrs Ballab decided to leave him with their son, who is now a Class XII student, a source said. As his son left home, Mr Ballab was demoralized, and had been trying to get back his custody, the source added. According to the police, Mr Ballab had been arrested on 28 June, last year, under the Arms Act after he went live on Facebook and brandished a gun and threatened that he would shoot at sight anyone me met outside his house if his son was not given back to him. Police raided his house then and recovered the gun and arrested him, a source said. It was, however, not clear as to how and when the man had been out of prison in between. The school education department, for the first time, has prepared summer projects for students which will take them outside their classrooms and get them acquainted with the surroundings and improve communication skills. The students are divided into three categories classes V and VI, classes VII and VIII, classes IX-X and classes XI- XII (clubbed). To implement the programme, district-level committees have been set up which will be headed by either the district magistrate or additional district magistrate. The head of the institution, with the help of other teachers will implement the project. The involvement of nongovernment bodies and private organizations may be welcomed. The projects include case studies, data analysis, writing report after observation, group discussions and peer learning. The students will interact with people and this will help them to develop their communication skills. The students will visit science centres, local libraries, heritage places, hospitals and other places of training and public exposure. The students will have to file reports on the places they visited and this will improve their writing skills. The group discussions will help them to improve their communication power. Summer projects have become essential features of academic exercise, ranging from school to the university level. They provide students with a toolkit for future success, including building on current interests, developing new skills. Sandip Banerjee, an educator, congratulated the school education department for taking up such a venture. It will bridge the gap between the classroom and society. Secondly, the students will get a chance to acquaint themselves with public behaviour. The programme will improve the communication skills of the students which is important when they will be preparing themselves to get jobs, Mr Banerjee maintained. Worried about the Kaliaganj violence following alleged rape and then mysterious death of a teen, chief minister Mamata Banerjee reportedly pulled up the director general of police (DGP) Manoj Malaviya during an administrative review meeting held at the state secretariat Nabanna on Wednesday. Sources, who were present in the meeting, said that the chief minister was seen aggrieved with the incident and asked Mr Malaviya, saying, Why didnt police take prompt action to tackle the situation? Why didnt the police intelligence get advance information about the trouble in the area? Police were inactive, Miss Banerjee reportedly asked the state police chief in the meeting that was attended by her cabinet ministers, bureaucrats and IPS officers. While speaking to reporters after the review meeting Miss Banerjee said, Its an unfortunate incident. The way the minor girls body was dragged out and carried by the police was not fair. Bodies should be shown more respect. I am shocked by her death. As per her WhatsApp details, she might have love affairs, Miss Banerjee added. She slammed the BJP for fuelling vandalism in Kaliaganj following the teenagers death. BJP has brought goons from Bihar to create violence like destroying government properties and assaulting police. An inquiry will be conducted to probe the incident. She threatened that police should attach properties of those who were involved in the violence in Kaliaganj. I have asked the police to arrest people who are involved in the incident. It was a planned move to create trouble like assaults on policewomen, setting fire on police stations. I wont allow vandalism which happened in Delhi and Gujarat here in Bengal, she said. Delhi reported seven deaths due to Covid-19 on Wednesday and registered a total of 1,040 fresh cases, the state health department said in a bulletin, spelling further concerns of the ongoing the wave of the pandemic extending its grip over the national capital. Further, according to the bulletin, a total of 4,915 samples were tested for Covid over the last 24 hours while 1,320 patients recovered from the infection. With over 1,000 cases being reported in the city for the second consecutive day, the positivity rate on Wednesday stood at 21.16 per cent, the bulletin stated. The number of active cases in the national capital stood at 4,708, the health bulletin stated further, adding that of these, 305 patients are currently undergoing treatment in hospitals. Amid the rising Covid cases, medical experts warned earlier that the new XBB1.16 variant is capable of defeating the immune systems. Amidst a gradual spike in Covid-19 cases in several states, mock drills were undertaken on April 10 and 11 in a total of 33,685 health facilities, including 28,050 government facilities and 5,635 private health facilities. Earlier this month, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said lawyers were free to appear virtually in court in the wake of the rising Covid cases. CJI Chandrachud said taking note of news reports suggesting a spike in Covid infections, the lawyers were at libery to appear virtually in court proceedings or switch to a hybrid mode of work, if they so desired. The AAP Government in Delhi has passed a budget worth Rs 517.94 crore for the development of Delhis mandis in the city. A high-level board meeting was held at the Delhi Secretariat, under the chairmanship of Delhi Development Minister Gopal Rai, to discuss the development of the National Capitals mandis. The meeting included officials from the Delhi Agricultural Marketing Board (DAMB) and APMC. During the meeting, the board approved a budget of Rs 517.94 crore for the development of mandis in the upcoming financial year of 2023-24. Divulging more details on the same, Rai said, The board has given the green signal to a budget of Rs 517.94 crore for the development of Delhis mandis. For the financial year 2023-24, the board has allocated approximately Rs 206.37 crore to APMC, Azadpur; Rs 17.40 crore to Fruit & Vegetables Market, Ghazipur; Rs 16.31 crore to FP & EMC Ghazipur; Rs 8.50 crore to Flower Market; Rs 19.70 crore to APMC Keshopur; Rs 43.02 crore to APMC, Narela; Rs 4.42 crore to APMC, Najafgarh and Rs 202.19 crore to the Delhi Agricultural Marketing Board. Rai said along with development of the Tikri Khampur wholesale mandi, the Fruit and Vegetables mandi, and the Poultry Market at Ghazipur, the renovation of the Ghazipur Flower Market will also be done. He said additionally this year renovation work of the Poultry Market at Ghazipur will be done with a budget of Rs 102.20 crore. Rai also said, The Flower Market at Ghazipur will be developed with a budget of Rs 40.50 crore. Along with this, a budget of Rs 20 crore has also been allocated for the renovation of shed number 7 for Azadpur Mandi. The Delhi government is committed to the development, expansion and creation of better infrastructure in mandis. He said all the decisions of the board have been taken keeping in mind the well-being of the farmers of Delhi and for the overall betterment of the mandis. The Orissa High Court asked the States health authorities to take into consideration the reopening of the sleep disorder clinic at the Cuttacks SCB medical college and Hospital (SCBMCH).T he clinic has been shut for more than five years. A petition moved by a lawyer Mrinalini Padhi had sought for the reopening of the clinic on the ground that there has been a 20 per cent increase in cases of sleep disorders, particularly among young adults in the aftermath of global pandemic. The division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice Gourishankar Satapathy in a ruling directed the Director Medical Education and Training (DMET) to examine the petitioners contention and take a decision on the public health issue. The sleep disorder clinic set up in the physiology department of the SCBMCH started functioning in March 2013.The authorities provided OPD services for people with sleep disorders in November 2015,after there was a high inflow of patients. Nearly 2,600patients with sleep disorders were treated in the outdoor facility by the time it was shutdown on 23 December, 2017. The state of Uttar Pradesh is closer to becoming the hub of manufacturing medical devices and medicines in the country. The upcoming medical device parks will be provided with excellent connectivity. The Medical Device Park is set to come up on an area of 350 acres in Sector 28 of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority in Gautam Budh Nagar. The park will be given access to not only metros, expressways, but also will get seamless connectivity through bullet train services. So far, 59 plots have been allotted for Medical Device Park. On the other hand, allotment letters, checklist and lease plans were handed over to 26 allottees on Wednesday by the Chief Executive Officer. Chief Executive Officer of Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority Dr. Arunveer Singh said here on Wednesday that a meeting was organized with the allottees of the plots, in which they were handed over letters related to allotment of land. He informed that in order to realize the concept of Make in India and self-reliant India, work is going on at a fast pace to make this Medical Devices Park a world-class facility under the guidance of the Chief Minister. An Export Promotion Council is also being set up in the park by the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India. With this, industrialists will no longer need to go anywhere else for export documentation, export grant, MAI grant, etc. According to the Chief Executive Officer, a common hydrant facility will be provided here. The General Manager (Project) has been directed to arrange signage on the highway. Along with this, the allottees have been informed that residential facilities are available in the nearby villages of this scheme and in the sector built in the authority area. By Takuya Karube, KYODO NEWS - Apr 27, 2023 - 19:50 | All, World U.S. President Joe Biden agreed Wednesday with his South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk Yeol on plans for Washington to send nuclear submarines to its major ally for the first time in four decades as part of efforts to bolster extended deterrence measures in response to North Korea's growing nuclear threat. Biden and Yoon, who is on a state visit marking the 70th anniversary of the bilateral security alliance, released a joint declaration to make unequivocal the U.S. commitments to South Korea's defense, including enhancing military training and forming a group of senior officials to discuss nuclear issues. At a press conference with Biden after their summit at the White House, Yoon praised the elevation of Washington's extended deterrence to a "new level" and the forthcoming expansion of the mutual security treaty to the realms of cyberspace and outer space. "Our two countries have agreed to immediate bilateral presidential consultations in the event of North Korea's nuclear attack and promised to respond swiftly, overwhelmingly and decisively using the full force of the alliance including the United States' nuclear weapons," he said. In a fresh warning to North Korea, Biden said a nuclear attack against the United States or its allies is "unacceptable and will result in the end of whatever regime were to take such an action." The U.S. measures, centered on shielding allies with its so-called nuclear umbrella, were augmented at a moment of rising concern over national security and in the face of a more assertive China, which has recently intensified military pressure on Taiwan. China on Thursday expressed its "firm opposition" to the U.S.-South Korea joint declaration, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning saying it would "heighten tensions" on the Korean Peninsula, undermine regional peace and stability and run counter to a denuclearization goal. Mao told a press conference in Beijing that issues related to the Korean Peninsula are "complicated and sensitive" and urged all countries to play a constructive role for the political settlement of the issue rather than stoking up tensions and confrontations. The South Korean leader, who took office last May, repeatedly said the alliance is guided by "universal values" such as freedom and democracy, and it will contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific and beyond. A day after formally announcing his bid for re-election in 2024, Biden also hailed Yoon's "political courage" to improve South Korea's ties with Japan after many years of tension over historical issues. The presidents said they agreed to continue efforts toward strengthening trilateral cooperation with Japan. Under the "Washington Declaration," issued along with a joint statement, they also reaffirmed South Korea's non-nuclear status, abiding by all the obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty. The declaration said South Korea is backed by "the full range of U.S. capabilities" and Washington will "further enhance the regular visibility of strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula." The assets include nuclear ballistic submarines that will be sent to visit South Korea, something that has not taken place since the early 1980s. Biden, however, said no nuclear weapons will be stationed on the peninsula, stressing, "We are not walking away from that." In an attempt to better understand each other's views, a Nuclear Consultative Group, modeled after U.S. engagement with European allies at the height of the Cold War, will be established at the assistant secretary level. The main purpose of the group is to provide Seoul with additional insight into how Washington thinks about planning for major nuclear contingencies, according to senior Biden administration officials. The officials suggested ahead of the summit that the declaration, which was discussed "for months," is aimed at both providing better deterrence against North Korea and helping to quell persistent calls in South Korea for nuclear armament. In addition to bilateral issues, the summit's joint statement said Biden and Yoon reiterated the importance of maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait, boosting cooperation with Southeast Asian and other countries in the region, and supporting Ukraine in its defense against Russia's aggression. Apparently with China in mind, the statement said the nations are "strongly opposed any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the Indo-Pacific, including through unlawful maritime claims." China reacted sharply to the two leaders' reference on the Taiwan issue, reiterating its claim that the territory, which Beijing regards as its own, is "at the core of China's core interests" and allows "no interference by any force." China urges the United States and South Korea "to see clearly the nature of the Taiwan question, follow the one-China principle, be prudent in words and deeds and avoid going further down the road on a dangerous path," Mao said. Yoon's state visit, the first to the United States by a South Korean leader since 2011, comes as he seeks to forge closer ties with the United States and Japan to advance economic security among other goals. Amid China's increasing influence in high-tech sectors, the presidents agreed to ensure more resilient supply chains for semiconductors and other vital industrial materials. Yoon said they have agreed to launch a dialogue for next-generation technologies between their national security councils and pledged to further promote people-to-people exchanges, especially between students, to build a brighter future. Yoon is due to deliver a speech to a joint session of the U.S. Congress on Thursday. Related coverage: U.S., S. Korean leaders to agree on stronger extended deterrence Apprehending risk to the life of the jailed former minister Bikram Singh Majithia, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) said here on Wednesday might be eliminated in custody after being framed in a false case by planting some incriminating object on his person. In a representation to the Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit, a delegation of senior SAD leaders including former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who is Majithias sister, and Majitha legislator Ganieve Kaur who is Majithias wife, urged him to direct the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government to remove Harpreet Sidhu from the additional charge of additional director general of police (ADGP) prisons immediately. The delegation said that like the previous Congress government; the AAP Government too was playing into the hands of Sidhu. They said the police officer, who had failed as head of the Special Task Force on Drugs with the drug menace increasing manifold under his watch, had been given the additional charge of state prisons solely to allow him to settle his personal scores with Majithia. This benefits AAP politically because the top AAP leadership including its convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal carry a personal grouse against Majithia for having to apologise to the latter for leveling false charges of drug trade against him, the leaders added. Speaking to reporters outside the Raj Bhawan, Badal said, My brother Bikram Majithias life is not secure in jail with Sidhu as ADGP prisons. The police officer can go to any extent to harm my brother. There is a danger of Bikram being eliminated or being entangled in another false case by planting something on his person. Ganieve Kaur said the Majithia family feared that Sidhu would register yet another FIR against her husband. She requested the governor to intervene in the matter and ensure justice for her family which was suffering due to the vendetta unleashed on it. Earlier, the SAD delegation apprised the governor that Sidhu, who has animosity towards the Majithia family, should not be allowed to function as a super DGP. They said the police officer was not only head of the STF but was also instrumental in the formation of an SIT to probe the allegations against Majithia besides exercising control over it. Now, Sidhu was given the additional charge of the Jails department to allow him to cook up further false evidence against Majithia. They said the police officer was related to Majithia and there had been bad blood between the families for generations with Sidhus family blaming Majithias family for the death of their aunt. They alleged that Majithia was being subjected to inhuman treatment in jail. The jail minister, during a visit, directed that the former minister be shifted to a chakki which is unsafe and unfit for human habitation. They said the cell in which Majithia was currently lodged was 88 feet. The sole purpose of shifting Majithia to the said cell is to humiliate him and violate his human rights, the leaders added. All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee today said he would stop the Jana Sanyog Yatra and quit politics if the BJP can say that it has organised a review meeting in Cooch Behar district in the last nine years. Addressing a public meeting at Ghugumari in Cooch Bbehar (Dakshin), Mr Banerjee came down heavily on BJP MP Nisith Pramanik and said: As the union minister of two departments, what has he done to protect people of Cooch Behar against BSFs atrocities on Rajbanshi and minority people? You have elected a BJP candidate in the Lok Sabha in 2019. The BJP under the leadership of Narendra Modi is in power over the last nine years. Has the BJP organised a review meeting in Cooch Behar like us in the nine years? If the BJP can prove it, I will stop this Jana Sanyog Yatra, I will quit politics and will never come to beg for votes, Mr Banerjee said. Notably, Mr Banerjee has started the Jana Sanyog Yatra from Cooch Behar yesterday. The AITC leader today covered several villages and interacted with locals to know about their basic needs. He also held three public meetings at three separate places, including Tufanganj, interacted with Padma Shri Dr Dharma Narayan Barma at Haripur and finally attended another interactive session at the SA Ground in Tufanganj. Mr Banerjee, who is also an MP from Diamond Harbour, said he would stage a sit-in demonstration in Delhi, after the end of the two-month Jana Sanyog Yatra across the state, if the central government failed to disburse central funds for various schemes, including the 100-days job. A total of 2.65 crore people are enrolled in the 100-day job scheme (NREGA) in West Bengal. Of them, if at least one crore people write to the prime minister on this issue, I will stage a sit-in, demanding the legitimate central funds, he said. Notably, keeping an eye on the forthcoming panchayat elections, Mr Banerjee has started reaching out to the people, terming his initiative as the Nabajoar of Trinamool Congress. The AITC leader has also introduced a new system of selection of candidates for the three-tier panchayat polls by the people through secret ballots at every public meeting he holds. Addressing the public meeting today, the AITC General Secretary said: People will select and elect their panchayat members, who will work for the people, irrespective of political colour, to constitute a corruption-free and progressive civic body for five years. Since a section of AITC workers created trouble and allegedly looted polled ballot papers during polling for selection of candidates in Cooch Behar yesterday, Mr Banerjee today requested them to maintain discipline during the polling. Following his instructions, re-polling was conducted there today. Mr Banerjee also warned a section of AITC leaders and workers who had been creating such trouble during the polling. The previous system of selection of candidates for rural polls by local leaders will not be accepted. I know some people will face problems due to the present system. If anyone brings in some people to obtain extra 20 votes than others, they are living in fools paradise, Mr Banerjee claimed A woman and her newborn, who had been stolen from the gynecology and obstetrics ward of the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) recently, were discharged from the hospital today. As the couple left the hospital, Nityananda Singha and Ranjita Singha nicknamed the baby Lucky. The discharge was done after approval of the child welfare committee, it is learnt. The first time mother, Mrs Singha, who had been referred to the NBMCH after postpartum hemorrhage, following delivery of the child at the Kharibari hospital on 18 April, was admitted to the gynecology & obstetric ward on 19 April. Her three-day-old baby had been stolen by a woman from the ward on 20 April. The incident snowballed into a major issue with it bringing to the fore multiple loopholes in the security system of the NBMCH. A special police team rescued the baby from Chopra in North Dinajpur and arrested a mother and daughter duoSita Das and Anju Dason 22 April. The baby, who had been kept at the neonatal intensive care unit since then, was handed over to her mother on Tuesday. Mr Singha said the security system at the ward should be monitored properly. We have named our son Lucky, but it is just a nickname. We will decide on a good name for him after discussing with family members at home on a good occasion, he said. Dean of student affairs at the NBMCH and gynecologist Dr Sandip Sengupta said they were happy that the child had been rescued with the proactive role of the police. We have introspected the security system. The NBMCH authorities have restricted the movement of family members during their entries, and that will be strictly followed. We are also planning to beef up the security more, Dr Sengupta said. Meanwhile, many doctors and faculties of the NBMCH voiced for enhancement of police strength on the campus. Security guards are deployed at the entries of the wards. But around 4000 people daily turn up at the outpatient department. The campus is spread on around 120 acres of land. There is no mechanism of monitoring. We have earlier requested the police to look into this problem, an official said. The police outpost at the NBMCH has been functional with an inadequate number of force. Headed by the officer-in-charge, the outpost, which covers Matigara-I gram panchayat, has two subinspectors, five assistant subinspectors, six constables and two women constables, sources said. Along with the NBMCH, the outpost covers a vast area outside the campus. A senior officer of the Siliguri police commissionerate, however, claimed that the number of police personnel at the outpost was sufficient. NBMCH patient welfare committee chairman and Siliguri mayor Gautam Deb said he would discuss with the police and prepare a roadmap on strengthening the security of the campus in the next committee meeting. The main priority for Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi Municpal Corporation would be to work on meeting the partys 10-point guarantee to the people in the national capital, focussing on issues such as cleanliness, sanitation and stray dogs, Deputy mayor Aaley Muhammad Iqbal said on Wednesday. A councillor from the Chandni Mahal ward, Aaley Iqbal happens to be the first Muslim candidate to hold the position of Deputy Mayor in the national capital since 1977. In a free-wheeling conversation with ANI on Wednesday, Iqbal said, Our priorities will be centered around the 10 point-guarantee that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal gave to the public ahead of the municipal polls. Every single of these issues that we have promised to address is very important to us. Cleanliness, sanitation, and garbage mounds will remain focus areas for us going forward. Earlier, the MCD was synonymous with corruption. With the reins of the civic administration now with us, we have to work towards restoring the image of the MCD. Issues around the stray dog menace, roads, and MCD schools are also important to us, he added. Iqbal resides in the Old Delhi area and was elected councillor on an AAP ticket from the Chandni Mahal Ward of the Matia Mahal Assembly constituency. On the stray dog menace, the AAP leader said the party will focus on 100 per cent sterilisation of dogs and also look towards setting up shelters for stray canines in the streets of the national capital. We have already held multiple meetings with veterinary experts on this. We have understood the problem and will try to bring respite to people who are grappling with the stray dog problem. Our first priority is 100 per cent sterilisation of dogs and ensure that their population doesnt increase. We have also put forward the idea of setting up dpg shelters. Adopting stray dogs could be another way forward but it will not offer a holisitic solution to the problem, Iqbal said. He added, We will also try to take animal and pet lovers into confidence before making any move in this direction. Many of them move court on issues pertaining to stray dogs, thereby putting further roadblocks for us. In addition to this, we also have a dedicated team, which is researching on cities and states that have successfully dealt with the stray dog problem. We will also look to tie up with corporations elsewhere. We will deliver on our promises and bring positive results to the people Delhi very soon. Iqbal already served two previous terms as an MCD councillor and won a fresh mandate, third consecutive one, in last years civic polls. While in 2012 he contested as an independent candidate, Iqbal fought the civic polls on a Congress ticket in 2017. Son of former Congress MLA Shoaib Iqbal, who switched over to the AAP in 2020 and was elected a legislator from the Matia Mahal Assembly constituency, Aaley Iqbal won the Chandni Mahal ward by a margin of 17, 134 votes. Speaking further on concerns arising out of Delhis drainage system, the Deputy Mayor said the Engineering and Maintenance department was working on the issue. The department is working on the issue. They are providing us a day-to-day reports from each of the 12 zones in Delhi. However, we have only just started and hopefully, our efforts would lead to a lasting solution to the problem very soon, he added. Coming down hard on the BJP, which held civic reins in the national capital for 15 years, he accused them of wasting the time of people and the MCD during the first round of the polls to elect the mayor and deputy mayor. The BJP didnt have the numbers and received a lot of backlash from the public (over the ruckus in the MCD during the mayoral polls). They had to face defeat last time. It took us three attempts to elect the mayor, and, in the process, 80 days of the MCD and the 2 crore people of Delhi were wasted. They knew the public wouldnt forgive them this time and, hence, didnt put up any fight this time, he said. Considered a popular leader in his region, Iqbal is affectionately nicknamed Aaley Bhai by his supporters. Asked if he has set sights on being elected an MLA, Iqbal said for now, he will only focus on his current responsibilities. I wont be able to comment much on what the future holds for me. However, my aim would be to give my 100 per cent to my immediate job. If Kejriwal-ji vests me with any additional responsibility in the coming days, Id would look to fulfil the same with utmost sincerity. The post of deuty mayor brings with it a huge responsibility and currently, I am focussing entirely on fulfilling the responsibilities that I have been entusted with, Iqbal said. On the ongoing probe agaisnt CM Kejriwal and former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, who is already under judicial custody in connection with alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy case, Iqbal said, All that I would say is that these cases are politically motivated. He also dismissed Congresss claims of the AAP losing support among Muslim voters. There is nothing like that. These are baseless claims. If that was the case, how did I win by such a handsome margin? I come from a area where 90 per cent residents are Muslims, Iqbal added. Earlier in the day, AAP candidates Shelley Oberoi and Aaley Muhammad Iqbal were elected as mayor, and deputy mayor of the MCD, after BJP candidates Shikha Rai and Soni Pal withdrew nominations. After the re-election, Aaley Iqbal took to Twitter to say that he will continue to work for improving amenities in Delhi and serving its residents. Heartfelt thanks to the people of Delhi. With your wishes and of Chief Minister Shri @ArvindKejriwal ji, I am re-elected unopposed as Deputy Mayor. Serving the people of Delhi will be my first priority. I will constantly strive for it, he said in a tweet. The Deputy Mayor said further he will take all councillors along for a developed and progressive Delhi. Both Oberoi and Iqbal completed their 38-day tenure as Mayor on March 31. As per the norms, the election process needs to be completed before April 30. The post of mayor in the national capital sees five single-year terms on a rotational basis with the first year reserved for women, the second for the open category, the third for the reserved category and the remaining two again for the open category. Delhi gets a new mayor after the end of a financial year. The earlier election for the post of mayor saw high drama with AAP and BJP councillors clashing with each other during one of the meetings. Finally, the elections were held in the fourth attempt. AAP also went to the Supreme Court over the elections. The municipal elections in Delhi were held on December 4, last year and the results were announced on December 7. AAP came out victorious with 134 seats out of 250. However, the BJP finished a close second, bagging 104 seats. Amid reports that the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has initiated an investigation into the alleged irregularities in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) cameras installed across Kerala under Safe Kerala project to check traffic rule violations, Opposition leader in the Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan has urged the state government to reveal all details related to the Rs 232 crore project. In a letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Satheesan on Wednesday urged to release all details related to the Rs 232 crore project. He alleged that the contract for installing the cameras is shrouded in mystery. He said that no details on the AI project are available either in the state government website or in the public domain. The government should release all details related to the project including the government orders, the agreement signed between the Transport Department and Keltron. Details of the tender floated by Keltron, the note file on the agreement and the current file also should be released, Satheesan said When I examined the documents I could access, I could understand that the cameras were purchased at rates higher than the market price and there was no transparency in the selection of companies for the contract, he said, asking that if there is a vigilance investigation, why did the Cabinet meeting approve the project. Earlier, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala alleged that major corruption took place in awarding the tender of the project to Bengaluru-based SRIT India. Chennithala has urged the state government to make public all the details of the project related to the AI-powered cameras, which he said, were installed across the state to impose fines in the name of road safety. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting here with Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia to review passenger traffic at the airports across the country. Senior officers from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) also attended the meeting. Issues of capacity enhancement, security equipment and customs were part of discussion in the meeting amid rising air traffic. The meeting was significant as the countrys air travel growth has been increasing continuously and it is expected that it will be going to double in the next 4-5 years. As per an estimate, there are approximately 200 million travellers (domestic and international) and the number may touch about 400 million in the next four to five years. India is one of the fastest-growing aviation markets and air traffic is on the rise while airlines are also introducing flights on various domestic and international routes. Currently, there are around 148 operational airports. In December last year, Delhi Airports congestion made headlines as several passengers flooded social media with repeated complaints of them facing problems. From long queues to sometimes, people even missing their flights travellers shared their tales of chaos. Soon after the chaos, Civil Aviation Minister resorted to action and visited Terminal 3 (T3) of the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport to share an action plan to mitigate the overall congestion at airports of the country, including Mumbai Airport and Bengaluru Airport. The Char-Dham Yatra is an Indian pilgrimage that covers visit to four sacred spots in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand which include Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath shrines. The yatra is regarded as one of the most significant pilgrimages in the world, and these shrines are thought to be the most sacred and significant pilgrimage centres for Hindus. Of the four dhams, Badrinath Dhams doors have been thrown open to devotees on Thursday. One of the four holy shrines called Char Dhams, Badrinath is devoted to Lord Vishnu. The temple is situated at a height of 3,133 meters above sea level in the Chamoli region of Uttarakhand. The temple remains closed throughout the winter because of the severe cold and snowfall and reopens to visitors during summer every year. The Char-Dham Yatra season, which is anticipated to draw numerous pilgrims from all over India and other countries, officially begins with the temples reopening. The Char-Dham Yatra brings pilgrims through some of the most beautiful and stunning scenic spots in the Himalayas, and is a difficult yet spiritually rewarding journey. The yatra is a test of ones faith and dedication in addition to ones physical stamina. The yatra has officially started with the opening of Badrinath Dham, and it is a fantastic opportunity for devotees to set off on this spiritual trip and seek the blessings of the divine. Here are some ideas to make your trip to Badrinath Dham more fulfilling if youre considering going there on a spiritual pilgrimage: Since the Char-Dham Yatra season draws a lot of pilgrims to the shrines, it is crucial to make travel arrangements well in advance. Make sure you reserve your lodging, transportation, and other travel needs in advance. Badrinath Dham is situated at a high altitude where the weather can be unpredictable. Hence, wear proper clothes. Make sure you pack warm clothing and cosy shoes. Dress appropriately while visiting the temple. Respect temple protocol by taking off your shoes and covering your head before entering. Keep quiet and refrain from snapping photographs inside the temple premises. At Badrinath Dham, the evening Aarti is a spellbinding event. Priests pray to Lord Vishnu during a lovely event that includes music and chanting. While you are there, be sure to attend the Aarti. Badrinath Dham is situated in a magnificent setting surrounded by snow-capped mountains and unspoiled natural beauty. Spend some time looking around and soaking in the peaceful environment. Seek blessings from nearby temples: In addition to Badrinath Dham, the vicinity is home to several other famous sites, including Tapt Kund, Nata Murti Temple, and Charan Paduka Temple. Additionally, seek blessings from these temples. Badrinath Dham is the perfect location to engage in yoga and meditation because of its serene surroundings. Spend some time getting in touch with your inner self and developing your spirituality. Always keep an open mind and heart while visiting Badrinath Dham, and give yourself the opportunity to be changed by the spiritual energy of the place. Criticising the previous governments for neglecting the development of Mathura, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said that projects worth Rs 32,000 crore were currently underway here, which on completion would revive the grandeur and divinity of Mathura during the Dwapar era. Addressing people during an election rally for the upcoming municipal polls, the Chief Minister said: Since independence, during the tenure of various governments, the corrupt and impoverished system had halted Mathuras development. Pointing out that investment proposals worth Rs 35 lakh crore have been received in UP through the Global Investors Summit, the CM said that with this investment, 50,000 youths are going to get employment in Braj region alone. He urged people to vote for the BJP candidate and form the triple-engine government. The Chief Minister said: It is my good fortune that the Mathura Vrindavan Municipal Corporation was established by our government in 2017. By forming the Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad, work has been done to take forward the action plan for the overall development of this place. Stating that the development of Banke Biharis Dham will be done on the lines of Kashi, the CM said: It is our responsibility to bring back the splendor of Barsana, Gokul, and Govardhan. This municipal election is important from this point of view. Lambasting the previous government, the CM said: Before 2017, people belonging to a particular party used to roam around with tamanchas in their hands. Today the youth have tablets in their hands. Total enrollment under the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) crossed the 5.20 crore mark as on 31 March 2023. The scheme enrolled more than 1.19 crore new subscribers in 2022-23 as compared to 99 lakh in the last financial year, depicting a growth of more than 20 per cent. As on date, the total assets under management (AUM) in APY is more than Rs. 27,200 crore and the scheme has generated an investment return of 8.69 per cent since its inception. In the Public Sector Banks (PSBs) category, nine banks achieved the annual target while the Bank of India, State Bank of India, and the Indian Bank sourced more than 100 APY accounts per branch. Under the Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) category, 32 banks achieved the annual target while the Jharkhand Rajya Gramin Bank, Vidharbha Konkan Gramin Bank, Tripura Gramin Bank and the Baroda Uttar Pradesh Gramin Bank sourced more than 160 APY accounts per branch. Also, the Tamilnad Mercantile Bank, Dhanlaxmi Bank and Airtel Payments Bank achieved the annual target allocated by the Ministry of Finance. Further, twelve states Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Uttarakhand also achieved their annual targets with the help and support of their respective State Level Bankers Committee (SLBCs). The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) conducted 47 APY Outreach programmes and Town Hall meetings pan India at various locations, in coordination with SLBCs and RRBs. Many initiatives were taken such as the launch of a digital onboarding facility using Aadhaar, the launch of revamped APY app,17 podcasts for creating awareness on the benets of APY, the launch of a Chatbot facility for seeking basic information on APY, etc. Under the APY, a subscriber would receive a lifelong minimum guaranteed pension of Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 per month from the age of 60 years, depending on their contributions, which itself would vary based on the age of joining the APY. The same pension would be paid to the spouse of the subscriber after the demise of the subscriber and on the demise of both the subscriber and spouse, the pension wealth as accumulated till age 60 of the subscriber would be returned back to the nominee. Rajasthan has witnessed a significant increase in its export of goods till February 2023, with a growth rate of 10.04 per cent as compared to the same period of 2022. Chairman of the Rajasthan Export Promotion Council (REPC) and Rajasthan Small Industries Corporation Limited (RAJ-SICO) Rajiv Arora said at a meeting that the states textiles, agro-food products, gems and jewellery, and engineering goods have been the major contributors to this growth. The meeting on Export Growth and Future Strategy of Rajasthan was organised by the REPC here yesterday to discuss and invite suggestions from exporters to increase exports from Rajasthan. Arora said more than 31 lakh people in the state have been employed in export units and allied services. The chairman also highlighted the efforts made by the state government under the initiative Mission Niryatak Bano to provide necessary process and documentation training to over 9,000 entrepreneurs, artisans, and handicrafts men from different districts to make them exporters. As a result, the exports from Rajasthan have increased from Rs 46,476 crore in 2017-18 to over Rs 70,000 crore in February 2023, he claimed. Industries and Commerce Commissioner Mahendra Parakh urged all the exporters to become members of REPC. Various major industrial and commercial organizations of the state, including FICCI, CII, Sitapura SEZ, Mahindra World City SEZ, ASSOCHAM, PHDCCI, FORTI, FORE, RCCI, RTMA, and FORHEX participated in the meeting and expressed their suggestions to increase exports from Rajasthan. REPC also discussed a plan of organizing exhibitions in Jaipur and abroad to boost the marketing of the states products. The UAEs impressive economic growth and overall stability make it one of the worlds most important and attractive global hubs for businesses today. The country, according to the government, witnessed a 7.6% growth in 2022, while an international search firm noted in 2022 that the global commercial operations in the UAE grew in the last 36 months, writes Simon Mason, Chief Operating Officer & Chief Revenue Officer, Writer Relocations. With the Dubai Government targeting to double the size of its economy by 2031, it would not be a surprise to continue to witness an influx of international companies that want to capitalise on the growth potential of various local sectors, such as finance, tourism, healthcare, education, and commerce. These businesses will need world-class talents to be part of their corporate families and be their partners in their success. Second home As a result, expatriates are coming in droves. According to a recent report by HSBC, the UAE is the most sought-after destination for expatriates, with lifestyle, higher earnings, family stability, purchasing power, and sustainable living conditions being among the top reasons for relocating to the country. Executives and CEOs are among those who are looking at making the UAE their second home. Other considerations not mentioned in the report include world-class infrastructure, cultural diversity, a safe community, tax-free salaries, and a high standard of living. This trend will only gain momentum as the country continues to invest in infrastructure and technology, among other things, to maintain a conducive environment for both businesses and individuals to thrive. The nation will continue to be an exciting and vibrant place to live, owing to its diverse cultural landscape, stable economy, and investment in key sectors. Undoubtedly, it is poised for growth and development driven by the government's ambitious plans and the wise leadership's vision in the next 50 years and beyond. New hires In the UAE, most families and individuals who have relocated choose to settle in the country permanently. New hires are the majority in terms of relocations to the UAE, with companies operating in the country looking outside their geographic area when recruiting top talents. Such a development has propelled the growth of the relocations industry as well, and we at Writer Relocations are at the forefront of helping businesses, including Fortune 500 companies, to efficiently relocate employees to find new homes, new communities, and new experiences. As the UAE continues to invest in its future, its status as a global destination of choice for expatriates and as an international hub for businesses will only further grow and strengthen.-- TradeArabia News Service A delegation of political party officials from various countries has paid a visit to China's Anhui Province and conducted theoretical research. The delegation, made up of theorists from 20 countries, held discussions with multiple government departments in Anhui. They also visited a local community, Anhui Museum, Chinese AI firm iFLYTEK, a rural revitalization program and participated in activities themed on experience sharing of rural revitalization practices. Produced by Xinhua Global Service Himachal Pradesh Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi said that the state government is going to adopt an approach to hemp plants to generate revenue besides creating livelihood opportunities for the people. Its non-narcotic use of the plants. In a notification issued on 26 April, the state governor had accepted the constitution of a committee as proposed by the Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to examine and give recommendations on the legalising cultivation of cannabis plant (excluding charas) for Medicinal and Scientific purpose and also for legalizing cultivation of any Cannabis plant for Industrial purpose, only for obtaining fibre or seeds in the state. Jagat Singh Negi who has been appointed as the chairman, while presiding over the first meeting of the committee here on Thursday said that the committee is looking at all the aspects of the regulations and policy framework to open the market for medical and industrial use of hemp to provide patients with access to safer natural medicines and for making available biodegradable or organic alternatives to plastic and construction material in the state. The committee further analyzed the scope of the Hemp market in the state with a focus on environmental benefits. Foreign investment is also expected to come in the coming years. Himachal Pradesh can lead on this opportunity by creating conducive policy for such investment opportunities. Multiple high value products across various industries like pharmaceuticals, ayurveda, textiles, foods and cosmetics can be made with the fiber, seed, leaf and flower of Hemp, he said. Licensed cultivation of medical hemp in the polyhouse, licensed cultivation of industrial hemp with less intoxicant factor in enclosed or fenced areas besides collection of Wild Cannabis, reducing its availability for the drug market and using the wild plant for non-narcotic purposes were also discussed during the meeting. The committee further discussed how the backward areas of the state can benefit from the project. Negi said that the committee also plans to tour the neighboring states like Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh to analyze the impact of regulations of Hemp Cultivation. Advocate Deven Khanna detailed non-narcotic use of hemp plants and its benefits during the meeting. The United Kingdom and India on Wednesday signed an agreement to collaborate on science and innovation. The agreement between the two nations was signed after the meeting between the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh and UK Science Minister George Freeman. The memorandum of understanding signed between the two nations on research will enable quicker, deeper collaboration on science between the two science powerhouses that will drive economic growth, create skilled jobs and improve lives in two nations and worldwide, UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said in a press release. The agreement will remove red tape standing in the way of major collaborations while unleashing a raft of new joint research schemes aiming to deliver progress on some of the biggest issues facing the world, including climate change and pandemic preparedness through, Artificial Intelligence and machine learning. The UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology in a press release said, Programmes include the establishment of a new UK-India Net Zero Innovation Virtual Centre focusing on industrial decarbonisation and launching the first-ever UK-India scientific deep sea voyage. George Freeman said that the agreement between India and UK is part of a program of deepening UK collaboration with other global superpowers on innovation and research to help tackle shared global challenges. He noted that the partnership between India and UK will grow the sectors, companies and jobs of tomorrow for the benefit of both nations and the globe. Freeman further said, India is rapidly building on its phenomenal software and innovation sectors to become a global powerhouse in science and technology. With our extensive trading and cultural links, shared democratic values and interest in urgent global issues from green technology and agri-tech to biosecurity and pandemic preparedness, we have very strong platforms for deepening research collaboration, he added. Besides this agreement, UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said that India will also be named as a partner for the UKs International Science Partnerships Fund, carrying forward the UK-India science partnership built through the Newton-Bhabha fund. The renewed partnership will kick off with two new joint UK-India research programmes for research into Farmed Animal Diseases and Health and towards a technology and skills partnership programme that will enable UK and Indian researchers to develop skills, technologies and knowledge in areas such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and bio-imaging. Sharing details regarding his meeting with George Freeman, Jitendra Singh tweeted, It was a warm exchange of thoughts during one-on-one meeting with my counterpart, British Minister for Science, Innovation &Technology, Mr George Freeman in the iconic British Parliament House #London, before the start of formal Indo-UK Science & Innovation Council Meeting. On April 26, Jitendra Singh arrived at Heathrow Airport in London. Other UK-India agreements made at the Science and Innovation Council include: The creation of the UK-India Net Zero Innovation Virtual Centre, hosting the Hydrogen Valley and Industrial Decarbonisation Living Lab to help decarbonise manufacturing and transport, according to the official press release. Several UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Indian Department for Science and Technology (DST) joint research calls, including programmes on sustainability and solid earth hazards, according to the official press release. An intention to launch a partnership for decarbonising Indias pharmaceutical and fine chemicals industries. A programme of UK-India university partnerships, including one between Asto University and CSIR Dehradun on sustainable biofuels. The Fourth annual meeting of the RS/INSA Yusuf Hamied programme, a scheme designed to promote relationships and knowledge exchanges between UK and Indian researchers. Amid the rising activities of adversaries China and Pakistan in the online domain to target India, the Indian Army has operationalised new specialist units to counter these threats and challenges under its cyber warfare initiatives. The decision was taken during the Army Commanders Conference held in the third week of this month headed by Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande. To safeguard the communication networks and increase preparedness levels in this niche domain, Command Cyber Operations and Support Wings (CCOSW) are being raised in Indian Army, government sources said here. They said that Cyberspace has emerged as an important component of the military domain both in grey zone warfare as well as conventional operations, they said. Highlighting the importance and requirement of such specialist units, the sources said the expansion of cyber warfare capabilities by our adversaries has made the cyber domain more competitive and contested than ever before. The Indian Army today is rapidly migrating towards net centricity, which entails an increased reliance on modern communication systems at all levels, they said. Specifying the role of these new units, the sources said: These organisations will assist the formations to undertake the mandated cyber security functions to strengthen the cyber security posture of the Indian Army. In the last few years, the Army has taken multiple steps to counter the aggression of adversaries in the form of virtual honey trapping and hacking. The Defence Cyber Agency is working at the tri-services level to deal with these issues. Madhya Pradesh Congress President Kamal Nath has written a letter to National Women Commission (NCW) Chairperson Rekha Sharma demanding a high-level inquiry into the alleged pregnancy tests carried out on would-be brides at a Mukhyamantri Kanyadan Yojana mass-marriage event organised by the MP BJP government in Dindori district of MP on 22 April. In his letter, Nath demanded stringent action against those found guilty of the shameful act. The former MP CM alleged that the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led MP government is insensitive towards women and girls. He called the incident shameful and a violation of the privacy and dignity of women. The matter came to light after at least five of the girls who had registered to get married at the function were declared disqualified, after their pregnancy tests were carried out and the test reports came positive. Mass marriages under the Mukhyamantri Kanyadan Yojana were organised at village Gadasarai in tribal dominated Dindori district on 22 April to mark the festival of Akshay Tritiya. Around 224 marriages were to be carried out, but five girls were disqualified on grounds of being pregnant and consequently 219 weddings took place. In view of the convenience faced by crores of people while obtaining a driving licence (DL), the Central government has decided to expand the list of valid documents for vehicle registration. The documents to be produced to obtain a driving licence now include MNREGA cards, labour cards, and farmer passbooks. These documents will be recognised as identity cards and residence certificates. The government has prepared a list of 30 documents, which will be valid for issuance of DL and vehicle registration. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has sent a letter in this regard to the Secretaries of the Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Empowerment, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Education, and Chief Secretaries of the State Government on April 24 seeking suggestions. The top officials of the departments have been requested to send their suggestions by May 10. A senior official of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said that three major documents are required for driving license and vehicle registration, identity certificate, residence certificate, and date of birth certificate. In the absence of these documents, people face a lot of difficulty in getting a DL and registering a new vehicle. Keeping this in mind, the government has expanded the list of DL and vehicle registration documents. The documents mainly include the Kisan Pass Book (with photo), Handicapped Certificate, MNREGA-Shramik Card, Marriage Certificate issued by the Central and State Government, Pension Card (with photo), Transgender I-Card, and Certificate of Recognized Educational Institution. Documents etc. will be valid as identity certificates and residence certificates for DL and vehicle registration. Apart from this, documents of Life Insurance Corporation (residence certificate), PAN card (identity card), school leaving certificate (residence and age certificate), I-card (residence and age certificate), etc. of the center and state will be valid. While Aadhaar Card, Voter ID Card, and Passport will be valid as identity certificates, residence certificates,s and date of birth certificates in DL-Vehicle Registration for personnel serving in Central and State Governments and their public sector undertakings. The official said that after May 10, the above-listed documents will be recognized. A road transport sector expert, Anil Chikara, said the decision of the Central government will be beneficial. But the government should ban the use of a driving licence (DL) as proof of residence because after a crime, the Regional Transport Officer (RTO) is taken into JD in the police investigation. Stepping up his attack on the LDF Government on the Artificial Intelligence (AI) cameras installed across Kerala under Safe Kerala project to check traffic violations, Opposition leader in the Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan on Thursday said all those involved in the Keltron-AI camera deal are either linked to the Chief Ministers Office or his networks in Kannur. Calling the AI camera deal as the second SNC-Lavalin, VD Satheesan has demanded a judicial investigation into the alleged corruption in the AI Camera contract deal. The SNC-Lavalin scandal refers to the alleged kickbacks involved in the KSEBs contract with the Canadian company in 1995 for the modernisation of Pallivasal, Sengulam, and Panniar hydel stations when Pinarayi Vijayan was Keralas power minister. Though Pinarayi Vijayan was exonerated by a CBI Court, the CBI has filed an appeal in the Supreme Court. Satheesan said that the directors of all the companies involved in the deal were linked to each other. It has come to light that the Uralungal Society (ULCCS) and SRIT had formed a joint venture. He made a fresh allegation that the managing director of the state government undertaking, Keltron, who inked the deal with SRIT, went straight to the Uralungal Society (ULCCS) as the vice-president of its technology solutions wing after she was removed from Keltron in 2021 following an allegation. Addressing the media here on Thursday, after UDF high power committee meeting, Satheesan raised seven questions, about the AI camera deal, including the basis on which the contract was awarded to SRIT that he wanted the government to answer. 1) As per the tender called by Keltron the tender should be given only to technically and financially qualified Original Equipment Manufacturer or an authorized vendor. Why did SRIT based in Bengaluru received the contract despite violating the tender conditions? 2) As per KELTRONs tender document, SRIT cannot subcontract works on data security, data integrity, the configuration of the equipment and facility management. Then why did they issue a subcontract? 3) How did a company like Ashoka Buildcon Ltd, having no technical expertise in the field, obtain the subcontract? 4) Why SRIT was permitted to seek financial assistance and issue sub-contracts by violating the tender conditions? Why did the transport minister withhold the information about the company? 5) Is it against the norms to pay 6 per cent of the total amount (Rs 6 crores) as a service fee (commission) to SRIT after subcontracting all the work to other companies? 6) Did SRIT give undertakings of the two companies in Technopark and Industrial Estate to KELTRON during its pursuit of attaining the project? 7) According to the Keltron tender document, the tender has been given to SRLT for the works including control room.Why was Rs 66 crore extra estimated for maintenance? On Wednesday, Satheesan has urged the state government to reveal all the details related to the Rs 232 crore project. In a letter to the chief minister, he urged him to release all details related to the project including the Government Orders, the agreement signed between the transport department and Keltron. Details of the tender floated by Keltron, the note file on the agreement and the current file also should be released, he said. The Opposition leader alleged that the contract for installing the cameras is shrouded in mystery. He said that no details on the AI project are available either in the state government website or in the public domain. This adds to the mystery regarding the project. Virtually addressing BJP workers in Karnataka ahead of Assembly polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday sharply attacked the Congress for promoting revdi culture by making tall promises. He warned the people of the state that the guarantees being given by the Opposition party would submerge the state in debts. A country cannot be run by taking shortcuts. Revdi (freebies) culture is essentially eating away the resources of future generations. The BJP thinks for the next 25 years and doesnt take shortcuts, he said. But whenever necessary, the BJP also provided assistance to people, he said and recalled free Covid vaccines and free rations during the pandemic. The PMs remarks came in the wake of reports that senior Congress leaders in the state were signing guarantee cards promising 200 units of free power to every household, 10 kilos of free rice and monthly direct cash transfers of Rs 2,000 to women heading households and Rs 3,000 to unemployed youth, if it the party returned to power. Modi said the people of Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh were still waiting for the pre-poll promises to be fulfilled by Congress governments, adding the Opposition party could only guarantee lies, corruption and dynastic rule. The warranty period of Congress is already over, what guarantee will it give, he asked. He said he would give a guarantee of development of the state at such a speed and scale that it played a key role in a developed India over the next 25 years. The PM contended that a double engine sarkar was necessary for the better development of the state. We have seen that the Union governments welfare programmes reach the people when there is a BJP government in the state, too. For instance, while the Union government provides Rs 6,000 direct cash transfers to farmers annually, the Karnataka government has made an additional contribution of Rs 4,000. Thus, farmers in Karnataka get a total of Rs 10,000. This is the best example of how a double-engine sarkar works, he argued. He claimed that in states ruled by Opposition parties, many schemes were being stymied, and their names changed as the leaders were scared that Modi will become popular. If you have a government always fighting with the Union government, the development of the state will be hit, he said and asked, Can a tractor run with one tyre of a tractor and another tyre of a car. The BJP claimed that about 50 lakh party workers participated in the online programme. The PM is scheduled to visit the state soon to address a series of election meetings. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday told his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu that all issues related to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and commitments. Amid ongoing standoff between India and China on the LAC in eastern Ladakh, Singh categorically conveyed to his Chinese counterpart that development of relations between the two countries is premised on prevalence of peace and tranquility at the borders. Singh reiterated that violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation. Singh met State Councillor and Minister of National Defence of China General Li Shangfu here on Thursday. The Chinese Defence Minister is in Delhi to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers Meeting on Friday. This is the first time that a Chinese defence minister is in India following the Galwan Valley clash between the troops of the two countries in June 2020. Singh and Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu had frank discussions about the developments in the India-China border areas as well as bilateral relations. The visit of the Chinese minister is taking place when ties between India and China are also far from normal since they have not been able to resolve the military stand-off in eastern Ladakh despite umpteen rounds of military and diplomatic talks. The stand-off, which began in April-May 2020, has led to increased tensions in bilateral ties. After the SCO Defence Ministers meeting, a meeting of the SCO Foreign Ministers is scheduled to be held on 5 May in Goa. For this meeting, Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has also confirmed his participation. The SCO comprises India, Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan. Iran has also become a full-fledged member of the grouping and will formally join it at the summit in India. A 35-year-old man, who allegedly consumed poison after being summoned by the police for questioning in connection with last weeks Poonch terror attack case at Army personnel, died on Thursday in the hospital. Mukhtar Hussain Shah, a resident of Nar village in the Poonch districts Mendhar tehsil, was disturbed as he was facing some domestic issues, an official said and added that he was not summoned as a suspect. He allegedly consumed poison at his house on Tuesday evening and was admitted to the Government Medical College, Rajouri, where he died on this morning. A video in which Shah is seen speaking about his domestic issues has gone viral. Five soldiers were killed on 20 April at Bhatta-Durian when terrorists ambushed an Army truck. Shah took the step within hours of being asked to report for questioning in connection with the ambush by terrorists. He was not a suspect in the terror attack case but was called for questioning like most of the residents of his village that is located near the ambush spot. A massive search and cordon operation has been launched in many areas of both Poonch and nearby Rajouri but there has been no contact with the terrorists who fled the scene after the deadly ambush. BEIJING, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday held phone talks with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, on China-Ukraine relations and the Ukraine crisis. The following are some of the highlights of their talks. UKRAINE CRISIS -- President Xi said that dialogue and negotiations are the only viable way out for the Ukraine crisis, and no one wins a nuclear war. -- China will send a special representative of the Chinese government on Eurasian affairs to visit Ukraine and other countries to conduct in-depth communications with all parties on the political settlement of the crisis, he said. -- On the Ukraine crisis, China always stands on the side of peace, and its core stance is to facilitate talks for peace, he said. -- Xi noted his proposals of four points about what must be done, four things the international community must do together and three observations, saying that on this basis, China released its Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis. -- China did not create the Ukraine crisis, nor is it a party to the crisis, Xi said, adding that as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible major country, China would not sit idly by, nor would it add oil to the fire, still less exploit the situation for self gains. -- It is hoped that all parties would seriously reflect on the Ukraine crisis and jointly explore ways to bring lasting peace and security to Europe through dialogue, Xi said. BILATERAL TIES -- Mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, said Xi, is the political foundation of the bilateral ties. -- He called on both sides to focus on the future, keep on viewing and making plans for bilateral relations from a long-term perspective, and extend the tradition of mutual respect and treating each other with sincerity, so as to propel the development of the China-Ukraine strategic partnership. -- China's willingness to develop its relations with Ukraine is consistent and clear, Xi said, adding that no matter how the international situation changes, China is willing to work with Ukraine to push forward mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries. As it deployed its third naval ship INS Tarkash for evacuation operations being carried out in Sudan, India today acknowledged that the situation in the strife-torn nation was very complex and highly volatile and it was making all-out efforts to ensure the safety of Indian nationals stranded there. Giving details at a media briefing about the progress of Operation Kaveri launched by India to evacuate its nationals from Sudan, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said: I am informed that the third ship, INS Tarkash, has also reached Port Sudan today as part of our efforts. He said: Two naval ships have also been positioned as part of the Government of Indias efforts. INS Sumedha was the first one to dock, took up, picked up roughly 300 odd Indians yesterday, brought them to Port Jeddah, and is today back in Port Sudan to fetch the next group of Indians and bring them to safe harbours. Kwatra said that the government was in constant touch with the stranded Indians in Sudan and had set up control rooms in India as well as in Sudan. PM Narendra Modi addressed a high-level meeting in which he personally reviewed and directed the officials of the Government of India to take suitable measures to assist and bring back these stranded Indians, he added. As part of our efforts, two C-130 aircraft of the Indian Air Force have been mobilised and are constantly positioned in Jeddah, and have been there since April 19. We have also set up a control room in Jeddah and a control room in Port Sudan. So we have two control rooms working along with our embassy. So theres a full triangulation of efforts between the control room in Jeddah through our consulate and mission in Riyadh, through the control room team in Port Sudan, which is the north-eastern coast of Sudan, and our embassy in Khartoum City, the Indian diplomat said. About the situation in Sudan, he said ceasefires had been declared several times by the warring groups but on many occasions, they were not honoured. There has been feedback of sporadic firing going on. The situation on the ground remains highly volatile, Kwatra said. In response to a question on the number of Indians in Sudan, he said Our estimate is that approximately there are 3500 Indians. More specifically, I think 3000-odd have already registered online. And roughly an additional 300 are in touch with the mission. The Government of Indias focus in this entire effort has been to advise and assist the standard Indian nationals. Kwatra said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also reached out to the foreign ministers of other key partners whose nationals were stuck in Sudan. He said the government was ready to evacuate nationals of other countries which have sought Indias assistance in rescuing their nationals. Britain has evacuated 301 people from conflict-ridden Sudan in four flights, a spokesperson of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said. The spokesperson told reporters that four more flights, arranged by the British government, have left Sudan by the end of Wednesday. Violent clashes erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on April 15 in the Sudanese capital Khartoum and other places. The two sides agreed on a 72-hour ceasefire on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported. More than 400 people have been killed and more than 3,000 injured since the unrest began, according to the WHO. Britain began a large-scale evacuation of its citizens from Sudan on Tuesday, following similar efforts made by other nations. The British government had estimated that around 4,000 British passport holders were stranded in the northeastern African country. After agreeing to part ways from America-based news channel Fox News, former host Tucker Carlson has made some crucial allegations on the American Media and their TV debates. Carlson released a video message on Twitter and alleged that debates on the topics like War, civil liberties, emerging science, demographic change, corporate power, and natural resources are not permitted in American media. He alleged that both political parties and their donors have reached a consensus on what benefits them. And they actively collude to shut down any conversation about it, he added. War, civil liberties, emerging science, demographic change, corporate power, natural resources. When was the last time you heard a legitimate debate about any of those issues? Its been a long time, he said in his video message on Twitter. He said the United States suddenly looks like a one-party state. He said that the realization is depressing but not permanent. He said nobody actually believes them (TV Debators). Hardly anyones life is improved by them. This moment is too inherently ridiculous to continue. And so it wont (continue). The people in charge know this. Thats why theyre hysterical and aggressive. Theyre afraid. Theyve given up persuasion. Theyre resorting to force. But it wont work. When honest people say whats true calmly and without embarrassment, they become powerful, he said. The other thing you notice when you take a little time off is how unbelievably stupid most of the debates you see on television are. Theyre completely irrelevant. They mean nothing, he said. He said that in five years, no one would even remember that we had them. Trust me, as someone whos participated. And yet, at the same time and this is the amazing thing the undeniably big topics, the ones that will define our future get virtually no discussion at all, he added. At the same time, the liars whove been trying to silence them shrink and they become weaker. Thats the iron law of the universe. True things prevail. Where can you still find Americans saying true things? There arent many places left. But there are some, and thats enough, he said. As long as you can hear the words, there is hope. See you soon, he signed off saying. The representatives of the US India Caucus are working to ensure that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gets to speak to the United States Congress, said US Congressman Ro Khanna on Thursday. Were working to ensure that the Prime Minister gets to speak to the United States Congress. The co-chairs will be requesting the Speaker to issue that invitation, Ro Khanna told ANI. According to media reports, PM Modi will be on a bilateral visit to the US in June-July this year. In response to what could be the key deliverables from PM Modis US visit, Khanna said, Well, as I said earlier that defence is deliverable and the jet engines are, I think, critical. The immigration reform is critical, and also deepening the strategic partnership which we saw today. Responding to the query about what the two countries, India and the US, must do differently to make a difference in the relationship, Khanna said that the US wants to make sure the GE Engines deal with India is done so that they dont lose out to Europe. After holding the India-US Business Summit, he said, We need to be stronger on defence, and this is a key time. India has realised that the Soviet military equipment doesnt work as well. They realise the Soviet Union is moving towards China, and they have really been open to building a strong relationship with America. They want these jet engines, and the first thing is to make sure that deal gets done, hopefully before the Prime Ministers visit. When asked about the economic future between the two countries, the US Congressman said that he thinks India can emerge as the market hub in Asia. You see companies like Apple moving out of China, moving into India into Bangalore, opening up Apple stores there. I have encouraged companies to, of course, manufacture in the United States, restore into the United States, but to the extent they need to sell into Asia to look to allies like India instead of China, said Ro Khanna. On being asked if there was bipartisan support when it comes to understanding Indias viewpoint on its ties with Russia, Khanna said, Well, I think theres an understanding, as Secretary Mattis pointed out, of Indias energy needs and an understanding that we need to figure out how to provide India with alternative sources of cheaper energy. And Ive appreciated that India has unequivocally condemned Putins invasion of Ukraine, but this should not be a barrier to strengthening a partnership that will last decades. Saint-Laurent, CA (H4T1V6) Today Cloudy with periods of rain. High 56F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 46F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Arriving from a lengthy overland journey, King Philip sought refreshment prior to the meeting with other chiefs. A spot was found just below the bridge over Wading River on Cedar Street where the stone abutments of the early Road to Bristol (now Rhode Island) tamed the flow of the stream to form a small cove. The water was quiet, just deep enough for King Philip to enjoy a relaxing bath just prior to a meeting the results of which we enjoy today. There is a pathway leading from South Street Extension that enables visitors to view this area. By Yoo Seungki SEOUL, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Tritium, which the Japanese government planned to dump from its crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean, will harm human beings' inside bodies as internal exposure can be more dangerous than external exposure, a renowned scientist said Thursday. "When tritium gets inside the body, it's at least as dangerous as any of the other radionuclides. And in some cases, it's more than double as dangerous in terms of the effects of the radiation on the genetic material, on the proteins," Timothy Mousseau, professor of biological sciences at the University of South Carolina, told a press conference in Seoul. The Japanese government and institutions, including the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), have claimed that tritium is not dangerous because it emits a very "weak" beta particle, but the professor called it "fiction." "Ingestion is really the most dangerous. People have said that tritium is not dangerous based on the concerns for external exposure, but using the same argument, you would say that uranium 235 is not dangerous," he noted. Tritium is known as an emitter of low-energy beta particles incapable of penetrating a human body as they are stopped by a layer of clothing, in contrast to gamma rays that can pass through a human body and only be stopped by several feet of concrete. If the tritiated water or the organically bound tritium discharged from the collapsed Fukushima power plant is consistently ingested, the ionizing radiation would directly damage DNA or indirectly affect other metabolic activities through oxidative stress or an imbalance inside the body that can lead to cell and tissue damage. "The way it works is that the tritium molecule comes inside the cell and ejects an electron...It's a little bullet. It's like a bullet coming from a gun. It comes out from the nucleus of the tritium atom. That bullet hits something like the DNA," Mousseau said. "What makes tritium more dangerous than high-energy emission is that the bullet is moving kind of slow, so it hits something and bounces. And it hits something else and then it hits something else. It doesn't go anywhere, so you end up with a clustered damage from that beta particle," the professor noted. "High-energy beta particles are higher energy. They will hit something, yes, but then they continue and go through the cell, maybe out of the body, and do much less damage as a result. So, this is why we need to pay attention to tritium in particular," he added. Mousseau, who published over 130 scientific papers related to radiation effects, presented a new paper on the biological consequences of exposure to tritium earlier this month based on 250 studies after scanning over 700,000 references to tritium. According to the paper, the scientific literature indicated that tritium could be genotoxic and carcinogenic and can affect reproductive systems such as sperm and eggs. Japan planned to release over 1.2 million tons of the tritium-laced water into the ocean for 30 years from 2023, but the discharge would last much longer than planned, Shaun Burnie, a senior nuclear specialist at Greenpeace East Asia, told the press conference. "Those discharges could begin as early as July, possibly later, and continue for many decades, not just the 30 years but maybe 50, 60, 70, 80 years. Next century is really possible," said Burnie. "This is water that's radioactive in tanks, so it's the deliberate decision to pollute and contaminate the environment, which doesn't need to take place because actually there is sufficient storage space in the two districts next to the Fukushima nuclear power plant," he noted. Burnie was also skeptical of Japan's claim that the contaminated water could be diluted through an advanced liquid processing system (ALPS). "This is water that has come in direct contact with a reactor, a nuclear fuel that suffered a severe melt, which means fission products within the nuclear fuel became in direct contact with water," the specialist said. "It's unclear how successfully the ALPS system processes the water. Around 70 percent of the water in the tanks still needs to undergo further processing. So, we still don't know how effective it's going to be. It can't be discharged as it is at the moment," he added. The Biden administration is announcing new measures meant to stop migrants from illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, both by cracking down on those who do come, and by creating new pathways meant to offer an alternative to the dangerous journey From left, the American flag, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts flag and the City of Boston flag fly outside Boston City Hall in May 2022. A unanimous Supreme Court ruled that Boston violated the free speech rights of a conservative activist when it refused his request to fly a Christian flag on a flagpole outside the building. ALTON The trend of demolitions will continue in Alton. Wednesday's city council meeting was mainly a repeat of Monday's committee of the whole meeting where aldermen approved 10 properties for demolition in Alton. Those properties included 1217 E. 5th St., 730 and 728 Humboldt Court, 613 Joesting Ave., 915 Harrison St., 1923 Gross St., 1109 Wesley St., 3105 Hillcrest Ave, 2813 Sunnyside St. and 3308 Franor St. At a recent council meeting Mayor David Goins said the four main area's of the city's housing focus were strategic demolition, rigorous code enforcement, housing development and possible growth in annexation. According to Goins, 45 demolitions have occurred in Alton since 2021 and the city is using "fast track procedures" under the state statute to raze derelict properties. He said the office also is working closely with the Building and Zoning Department and an abatement task force to employ strategies to assert co-compliance, while exploring a foreclosed property registry to address derelict buildings in the city. City officials also are considering a new fee whenever a financial institution files foreclosure proceedings on a property. Proceeds from the fee would be used to address other vacant properties in Alton. At the end of the Wednesday's city council meeting, aldermen referred another large number of demolitions to be voted on at the next committee of the whole meeting. The demolitions include: 306 Dry St. 1702 Market St. 728 Alby St. 1204 Central Ave. 1606 Greenwood St. 2515 Della Ave. 2507 Della Ave. 1815 Smith St. 1037 Union St. 2628 Yager Ave. 2017 Country Club Drive 702 Fairview Ave. 1100 Rixson St. 2709 Resident St. 3016 Watalee St. 3210 Clifton Ave. 1921 Worden Ave. Also referred was a motion to authorize the closure of East 3rd Street to facilitate the grand opening of Rotary Park on Wednesday, May 17. The park broke ground in October 2021; its creation coincided with the Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club's centennial year. IThe park will feature hillside seating, shade trees and greenery surrounding a circular plaza bearing a six-foot custom inlay medallion of the Rotary symbol. Amphitheater-style limestone seating around the plaza will accommodate up to about 200 people for weddings, picnics, concerts, classroom instruction, meetings and other events. Aldermen also referred these motions to the next committee of the whole meeting: Disbursement of $600,000 in federal American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) funds for curb installation and improvement at Gordon Moore Park. Disbursement of $200,000 in ARPA funds for the James Killion Park project. Authorize the closure of State Street to retouch The Alton Ripple mural created by artist Joe Miller in September 2021. Authorize the use of the parking lot at Landmarks Boulevard to facilitate the Alton Farmer's and Artisan's Market every Saturday from May 13 to Oct. 21. Visit https://downtownalton.com/events/alton-farmers-artisans-market/ for more information. Authorize street closures to facilitate the annual Memorial Day Parade on Monday, May 29 at 10 a.m. ALTON A local organization is hoping to give help to those in need. Gift of Voice, a mental health training and technical assistance center, is collaborating with The Dream Center of Alton to host an All In Clergy conference on Tuesday, May 2 at The River Church, 3401 Fosterburg Road, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Doors will open at 9:30 a.m. AJ French, CEO of Gift of Voice's Edwardsville office, said that the event is for pastors and individuals and families who have been impacted by incarceration. The plan for the conference is to equip churches with post-prison ministry resources, mental health resources and look at what the church can do to provide housing for those formerly incarcerated. "I used to think that mental health was the thing that nobody wanted to talk about," French said. "There was a lot of shame about that, particularly in faith communities. But I don't that so much anymore." The event's key note speaker will be Manny Mill, Executive Director of Koinonia House National Ministries based in DuPage County. Mill comes from a very colorful past life himself. In 1986, while he was running from the FBI to Caracas, Venezuela, Mills found Jesus Christ. Afterwards, he returned to the United States and served nearly two years in federal prison. In 1988, he received one of the first Charles W. Colson Scholarships awarded to ex-prisoners to attend Wheaton College. There he earned a BA in Biblical Studies (1989) and an MA in Theological Studies (1991). Mills was ordained to the work of the Gospel ministry in May 1991. According to French, Mill's has a program called Meet Me at the Gate, where the ministry trains people to meet someone at the prison gate and pick them up and bring them to the community of their choice either back at home or with a host family. Ministers will meet with the prisoner six months prior to release to build trust and a relationship. Once a place is found, they will stay with that family up 18 months. "This program is a pretty intense program, but it's been met with a lot of success," French said. The conference is free to attend, but will require registration. People can register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/all-in-clergy-conference-tickets. He wore a lot of hats in his life, but Jerry Springer will be remembered most for the outrageous, off-the-wall TV show that bore his name. Springer died at the age of 79 following a brief illness, according to a family statement WLWT-TV, a fellow Hearst Media outlet, in Cincinnati reports. Springer died in his suburban Chicago home. A native of Cincinnati, Springer was the city's 56th mayor in 1977 and ran for office in 1982 as an Ohio Democratic nominee for governor, but lost Cincinnati's NBC affiliate reports. He then went on to be a news anchor and commentator at WLWT before heading on to bigger and better things as the host of "The Jerry Springer Show." He joined the ranks of Phil Donahue and Geraldo Rivera during the audience-engaged talk show craze throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Springer became known for having odd topics and people on his show. Everything from husbands cheating on wives to parental reveals to full-on fights that enthralled the audience to shout, "Jer-ry, Jer-ry, Jer-ry." The popularity of his show got him a guest spot on "The Simpsons" in one of the series' epic Halloween episodes. The show itself was parodied in the Austin Powers movie franchise in "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" when Scott Evil (Seth Green) is on Springer's show confronting his father, Dr. Evil (Mike Myers). Springer was also a host on "America's Got Talent." Jerrys ability to connect with people was at the heart of his success in everything he tried whether that was politics, broadcasting or just joking with people on the street who wanted a photo or a word, Jene Galvin, a lifelong friend and spokesman for the family, told WLWT. Hes irreplaceable and his loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart and humor will live on. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for ACM Saturday, April 29, marks what would have been the late Leslie Jordan's 68th birthday. To celebrate, the multi-talented man that helped the world cope with the lockdowns of the recent pandemic with his humor, the Circle Network is hosting "Reportin' For Duty: A Tribute to Leslie Jordan." Filmed at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, the event will include a lineup of performers from Eddie Vedder, to Jelly Roll, Maren Morris, Lainey Wilson, Brothers Osborne, Lukas Nelson, Tanya Tucker along with his co-stars Max Greenfield, Mayim Bialik, Jim Parsons and more. SPRINGFIELD Most Americans 17 to 24 years old are unfit for military service, according to a report presented Thursday morning by four retired generals. Speaking in Springfield, the retired Illinois generals said stronger investments in childrens well-being are needed to curb a growing challenge to national security. The Mission: Readiness new report, based on U.S. Department of Defense data, says 77% of young Americans 17 to 24 years old are ineligible for military service, a 6-percentage-point increase since 2017. We need to help more kids graduate from high school, fully ready and well-skilled for whatever path they choose to pursue next in life whether that be further education and training, workforce entry, or service in our nations military, said retired Army Maj. Gen. (Ret.) William Enyart of Belleville. Enyart and three other retired Illinois generals shared the report Thursday in a hearing of the Illinois House Veterans Affairs Committee. They recommended more investments in young childrens learning and development, including early care, and improvements in Illinois system of birth-to-5 supports. Investments in high-quality early childhood services for our youngest learners are critical to ensure all Illinois children are prepared for the future meaning our state and nation will be well-prepared, too, said retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William Cobetto of Hillsboro. The bipartisan Mission: Readiness organization includes nearly 800 retired admirals and generals concerned with protecting and strengthening national security using via investments in children and youth. While there are no state-specific data available, Illinois matched the previous national figure for military ineligibility six years ago. The generals said the same could be expected today. We should meet this crisis with every proven and promising means available to us, getting out-front of these disqualifiers by helping kids from their most formative years, said retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Gary Dylewski of Peoria. Illinois' FY24 budget represents an avenue for positive change, he said, particularly through early care and education programs that can lay a foundation for healthy physical, cognitive and social-emotional development. According to the report, the reasons for military ineligibility are varied and relate to: Physical health factors, including obesity. In Illinois, nearly one-third of young adults are too overweight to qualify for the armed forces. Yet such problems actually begin much earlier in life; the obesity rate among 2- to 5-year-olds in our state is 13%. Academic factors. Military service requires a high school diploma or GED. However, nearly one in eight Illinois students fails to graduate within four years, a figure that increases to one in five among low-income students. Statewide, about seven out of 10 incoming kindergarteners are unprepared for school success according to the report. Social and behavioral factors, such as substance abuse and criminal records. Nearly 9% of Illinoisans aged 12 to 17 report using drugs in the past month. Illinoisans 18 to 24 years of age comprise 15% of the adult population, but 33% of adult arrests. These disqualifiers are a serious and growing threat to our countrys military preparedness, at a time we can ill-afford it, said retired Marine Brig. Gen. Roger Machut of Elgin. This is an all-hands-on-deck emergency. The retired general said they support the Smart Start investments Gov. J.B. Pritzker proposed in February for strengthening preschool, child care and birth-to-3 programs to reach more families. Bolstering the compensation, training and support of Illinois' early childhood workforce, they said, is a vital component of boosting the access, equity and quality of services for children. They also supported using money from national opioid lawsuit settlements to help fund those programs. Illinois House Resolution 37 and Senate Resolution 36 reflect that desire by Mission: Readiness. The report, Military Ineligibility is Increasing, Elevating the Need for Early Childhood Investments, is online at tinyurl.com/yc8au3xj. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The Justice Department on Wednesday filed a lawsuit challenging Tennessee's new law banning transgender youth from receiving gender-affirming care, one of the several laws the state's GOP-dominated Statehouse enacted this year targeting LGBTQ+ people. The federal government is seeking to invalidate the statute because "no person should be denied access to necessary medical care just because of their transgender status, Assistant U.S. Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a statement. The DOJ said the law violates the Constitution's equal protection clause by discriminating on the basis of both sex and transgender status. The right to consider your health and medically-approved treatment options with your family and doctors is a right that everyone should have, including transgender children, who are especially vulnerable to serious risks of depression, anxiety and suicide," Clarke added. The federal lawsuit comes after Clarke sent a letter to all state attorneys general last month warning them that federal law protects transgender youth against discrimination. The Justice Department also intervened last year in a lawsuit challenging a similar ban on transgender medical care for young people. That lawsuit is ongoing. Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed off on prohibiting gender-affirming care for minors earlier this year. The bill was the first proposal filed in this year's legislative session. Republican leaders did so in response to video surfacing on social media last year of a Nashville doctor touting that gender-affirming procedures are huge money makers for hospitals. That hospital has since paused its transgender services for young people. Republican lawmakers also advanced legislation designed to severely limit where drag shows can take place, making Tennessee the first state to do so. A federal judge has temporarily blocked the statute from being implemented. Nationally, Republican lawmakers have proposed hundreds of laws aimed at transgender people, with at least 14 states restricting or banning gender-affirming care for minors. Under Tennessees law set to take effect July 1 doctors will be prohibited from prescribing puberty blockers or hormones, or providing other gender-affirming care to anyone under 18. The law spells out a handful exceptions, including allowing doctors to perform such medical services if the patients care begins before the law goes into effect. In those cases, care must end by March 31, 2024. Health care providers who violate the ban would be subject to regulatory discipline and could be sued by the state attorney general or private parties. Violations carry a $25,000 penalty. Tennessee is committed to protecting children from permanent, life altering decisions," Gov. Lee said in a statement. "This is federal overreach at its worst, and we will work with Attorney General (Jonathan) Skrmetti to push back in court and stand up for children. The Justice Department's lawsuit is the second complaint challenging the new Tennessee law. Last week, three transgender children and their parents sued the state, claiming the law violates the 14th Amendments equal protection clause because it excludes treatment for gender dysphoria while allowing the same treatments to be used for other conditions. The plaintiffs are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal, and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. Skrmettis office promised to vigorously defend Tennessees law. The federal government has joined the ACLU and an elite New York law firm in attacking a bipartisan law that protects children from irreversible harm, he said in a statement. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WOOD RIVER One thing thats occurred over the last couple decades: our favorite foods and snacks dont taste like they used to. Consider Lucky Charms, Ding Dongs, the buns at Burger King, and so forth. So when I heard that Papa Johns pizza still tastes the same, I wanted to find out. Ive always really liked Papa Johns, especially in junior high school when one of the first locations opened as a dine-in restaurant near the Bridgeton, Missouri Kroger, the grocery store my dad and I went to every weekend. The Papa Johns was in a square on the same parking lot. I went there often with my neighborhood best friend and her family. I was hooked and it was my favorite pizza for a long time. Fast forward to my most recent experience. I ordered from the Papa John's at 668 Wesley Drive in Wood River. I got a three-topping pizza pepperoni, spicey Italian sausage and white onions for my toppings with the original Papa John's crust made from its signature dough. The dough is fresh, never frozen, and made with six simple ingredients and hand-tossed. And, yes, it tasted the same as I remembered. Maybe that's why Papa John's pizza tastes the same as it always has because no one has fiddled with the original recipe trying to cut corners. I always assume well-known food items change because corporations want to cut corners. But the Papa John's restaurants are franchises, through Papa John's Franchising LLC. I always loved the garlic sauce that comes with Papa John's pizza. It was of an oily consistency, like popcorn butter you squirt out at the movies. I love dipping the pointy part of my pizza slice in that sauce. But it's thick and creamy now not the same. It doesn't taste the same on the pizza, either. It's not easy to get it to "stick" to the pizza when you dip in the pointy part. The sauce consistency isn't compatible with the melted cheese. I nuked the sauce in a microwave, and it was better. The change of the sauce recipe is one reason I stopped getting Papa John's. But it's not enough reason since the pizza is still really good. Since Papa John's is basically delivery or carry out, I went to Belk Park on one of the recent beautiful spring days to enjoy my lunch. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) Police pledged Wednesday to crack down on unrelenting gang violence that has paralyzed swaths of Haiti's capital, and pleaded with Haitians to end a string of grisly vigilante killings. The appeal came after an angry crowd on Monday killed at least 13 suspected gang members who police had arrested, with video and pictures shared on social media suggesting that an even greater number since then have died after being stoned and set on fire. If anyone hears anything, please advise the police, Garry Desrosiers, spokesman for Haitis National Police, said at a news conference. Do not take justice into your own hands. Desrosiers said police are mobilized and that anti-gang operations will continue as he urged people to contact police if they see unusual activity or people they dont recognize in their neighborhoods. He told The Associated Press that a lot of victims were killed this week but declined to provide specifics. The vigilante violence Monday took place in the Canape Vert neighborhood of Port-au-Prince after police stopped and searched a minibus for contraband and confiscated weapons from suspects who were face down on the pavement when they were lynched. Desrosiers said a limited number of police were on the scene when it happened: They couldnt sustain the crowd, and the crowd reacted. Six other suspected gang members in the nearby neighborhood of Turgeau who allegedly were shot by police were also set on fire Monday. The gang violence in recent days has injured three police officers and prompted people in Canape Vert and Turgeau to arm themselves with machetes, rocks and bottles to defend their neighborhoods as they set up makeshift checkpoints and blocked entrances with large trucks. Desrosiers said he understands peoples anger and frustration over ongoing gang violence. Theyve been victimized. Theyve been suffering. The young women are being raped. Professionals are being kidnapped. That is not acceptable, he said as he also condemned vigilante violence. The United Nations estimates that gangs now control 80% of Port-au-Prince as lawlessness has escalated since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise. On Wednesday, the new U.N. special envoy for Haiti called for the immediate deployment of a specialized international force that Prime Minister Ariel Henry first requested in October, echoing a similar plea from U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Gang violence is expanding at an alarming rate in areas previously considered relatively safe in Port-au-Prince and outside the capital, said special envoy Maria Isabel Salvador. The Haitian people cannot wait. We need to act now. But the U.N. Security Council has shown no interest in deploying a foreign force, and neither have the U.S. or Canada. Salvador said that in the first quarter of 2022, more than 690 criminal incidents that include killings, rapes, kidnappings and lynchings were reported. That number more than doubled to 1,647 in the same period this year, she said. Salvador also noted that Haitis National Police is severely understaffed: Barely 3,500 police officers are on public safety duty at any given time, nationwide. More than 11 million people live in Haiti, where an estimated seven major gang coalitions and some 200 affiliated groups operate. ___ Associated Press reporter Danica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico contributed. Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Director General Daren Tang in Beijing, capital of China, April 27, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) BEIJING, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Director General Daren Tang on Thursday in Beijing. Noting that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the cooperation between China and the WIPO, Li said China's head of state has sent a congratulatory letter to a commemorative event marking the 50th anniversary, and China hopes to take this opportunity to push the cooperation to a new level. Li said China has always attached great importance to intellectual property rights (IPR) protection, implemented the national IPR strategy, and exerted effort to make the country strong on intellectual property. He said China has made significant improvements in establishing and strengthening the legal protection of IPR, improving the IPR management system, enhancing the awareness of the whole society on respecting and protecting IPR, and handling important infringement cases according to the law. The premier said that China is an active builder, important contributor and staunch defender of the international IPR system. Underscoring the importance of IPR, Li said that the work of intellectual property is facing many new issues and challenges, with the development of artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and other new technologies, as well as the digital economy. Li said China stands ready to enhance cooperation with the WIPO, and make contributions to creating a sound environment conducive to the creation, protection and application of intellectual property rights. Tang commended the historic achievements and progress China has made on intellectual property over the past 50 years. China's intellectual property strategy is exemplary, said Tang, adding that the WIPO has extensive and in-depth cooperation with China in the fields of innovation, technology and digitalization. Tang said the WIPO will further strengthen cooperation with China in the future to promote the innovative development of the world and the common development of all countries. RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) Israeli security forces said they shot and killed a suspected Palestinian assailant in the West Bank on Thursday, stirring tensions in the occupied territory at a time of unusually high violence. The Israeli military said it received reports that a Palestinian had tried to carry out a car-ramming attack near the large West Bank settlement of Ariel. Israeli soldiers opened fire at the suspected assailant after they realized he was wielding a knife, the military added. The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the man killed as 39-year-old Ahmed Taha from the northern Palestinian village of Salfit. No other casualties were reported. Fatah, the secular nationalist party that controls the Palestinian Authority, issued a statement saying that Taha was the father of a 5-year-old and a 7-year-old boy, and a first lieutenant in the Palestinian security forces. It said he was killed on his way home after work. Fatah condemned the killing as a crime. A widely circulated photo shows Taha flanked by his two sons. The Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad claimed Taha was intentionally killed and sent its condolences to his family. The group did not describe the event as an attack or claim any affiliation with Taha. Videos captured from the scene of the crash show Taha's car stranded beside a damaged minivan. An Israeli police officer approaches the driver's seat, the car door left ajar. A moment later, Taha appears to lunge at the officer. A nearby solider unleashes a torrent of gunfire until Taha is reduced to a bloody pulp, footage shows. The Israeli military alleged that Taha swerved into the opposite lane of the highway and tried to slam his car into civilians and security forces stationed at the intersection. It released a photo of a yellow kitchen knife that the army said belonged to Taha. Palestinian media cast doubt on the Israeli claim of a deliberate car-ramming, reporting that Israeli soldiers, trained to respond instantly, could have misconstrued an ordinary collision. In the video, the damaged minivan beside Taha's car appears to have a white and green Palestinian license plate. Thursday's incident adds to a volatile security situation in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli-Palestinian fighting has surged to heights unseen in years. So far in 2023, 96 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank, according to a tally by The Associated Press, at least half of them affiliated with militant groups. During that time, 19 people were killed in Palestinian attacks on Israelis. Israel captured the West Bank, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, in the 1967 Mideast war. Palestinians seek those lands for a future independent state. BEIJING, April 27 (Xinhua) -- The first phase of a renewable power project in the Tengger Desert in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region was connected to the grid and began generating power on Wednesday, according to the China Energy Investment Corporation (China Energy), the project's operator. The first phase of the China Energy project runs purely on photovoltaic power with an installed capacity of 1 million kilowatts, the company said. It is expected to generate 1.8 billion kilowatt-hours of solar power each year, meeting the demand of 1.5 million households, according to the company. It is the first one of China's planned solar and wind power projects to be built in the Gobi Desert as well as other desert or arid areas in the country. The project was designed to run on wind and photovoltaic power, according to China Energy. It has a total installed capacity of 13 million kilowatts and an investment of over 85 billion yuan (about 12.28 billion U.S. dollars). China plans to bring its combined wind and solar power capacity to 1.2 billion kilowatts by 2030, with power generated at large wind and photovoltaic power bases in the Gobi Desert as well as other desert or arid areas in the country totaling 455 million kilowatts. India's solar power installed capacity is expected to touch 300 GW by 2030, even as the government is focused on reducing imports. Vineet Mittal, director and co-founder of Navitas Solar, a leading solar panel manufacturing company, said on Thursday that the installed capacity, which is 60 GW now, is expected to touch 300 GW by 2030. Mittal, whose company raised $5 million to expand its manufacturing capacity by 1.2 GW per annum, said earlier the government focused on how the cost can be reduced rather than looking into where the material is sourced from. Now it is about manufacturing in India and reducing the imports, he added. As far as Navitas Solar is concerned, its current installed capacity is 500 MW. Among its investors are promoters of Parishi Diamond Group from Surat, and Lemon Emerging Ventures LLP. According to him, in the pre-Covid stage, the imports were 70:30 and post-Covid it is almost 50:50. The biggest challenge in promoting this renewable source of energy is to lay the transmission lines and look out for land, said Mittal, whose company has catered to over 700 customers, including government, semi-government and private. Mittal told THE WEEK that in Bhaurch they are working on a project where vegetables can be grown under the solar panels without the help of direct sunlight. A small project of 5 MW is expected to be ready in about six months and the company will also try drip irrigation in the area, he said. The entire audience at Las Vegas's Desert Inn showroom was on its feet. On the stage was Harry Belafonte, wearing a patterned orange shirt, and singing, Matilda, Matilda, she take me money and she ran Venezuela... Harry had the mic, his words had the tunes. The whole lot of the middle-aged audience was with a happy heart - their hands in the air, some with their hands on their hips, everybody swinging to the tune and trying to follow Harry, but there was no copying the way his his hips moved from side to side and made a quick figure-eight, all while his legs took light and bouncy steps that made you want to jump up from your seat and dance. That is why no one remained seated. It was an unexpected energy that was pure magic.... Now his feet were the ones touching the floor and jumping in time with the music. The beat was calypso, the energy was Harry, the mood was infectious. "Everybody now...." Belafonte was electrifying the entire showroom, spinning, twisting, doing fast turns in styles that took calypso into salsa and reggae range. Everybody wanted to feel they could move like Harry. The pulse of the song carried the steel drums to the beat of a lively bass. When Harry stopped singing to let the audience sing, you could hear the russle of people's feet shuffling and swaying to the beat of the distinct calypso rhythm, the syncopated beats, the tinny sound of the drums. The rythm became more insistent, the beat was driving people to move faster and faster, we were all lost in the music, bodies swaying and twisting, feet pounding out the beat. It's a magic of the kind that makes you feel like you have been part of something truly special. "Matilda, Matilda!" Each verse was adding to the tale. It was a sad tale, really about a woman taking all of the man's money for his house and land, and running to Venezuela. But if Harry was happy singing about it, so could we, in the audience, forget about our troubles and just enjoy happy Caribbean beat. As the music faded away, Harry's impeccably pressed pants moved as if in a fast march... "Matilda, Matilda!" It was a memerising end to the concert. The concerts stopped, but the feeling never ended. Belafonte died this week in Manhattan at the age of 96. He made history by becoming the first solo artist to reach 1 million copies sold with the album Calypso in 1956. He popularised the addition of Caribbean music elements to the pop industry. Among his greatest hits are songs like The Banana Boat Song, Jump in the Line and Jamaica Farewell. He was also a political activist, involved in the fight for civil rights and various humanitarian causes. He was an inspiring mentor to many in the fight for racial fairness, and one of Martin Luther King Jr.'s closest friends. From the 1960s on, he refused to perform in states that had not abolished racial segregation. Last year, he was honoured by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, being inducted for his body of work and influences on later generations. He is the oldest artist to be celebrated by the institution. Thanks Harry! Actor Chrisann Pereira, arrested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on charges of drug possession and lodged at a jail in Sharjah, has been released by law enforcement authorities there, a senior Mumbai Police official said on Thursday. Two men had allegedly cheated the 27-year-old actor, who is from Mumbai, by planting drugs on her and sending her to Sharjah under the pretext of an 'audition' while promising her a role in a Hollywood web series. Pereira, who acted in Mahesh Bhatt directed Bollywood movie 'Sadak 2', was apprehended at the Sharjah airport on April 1 after a small quantity of a drug was found concealed in a memento which one of the accused had given to her to hand it over to someone in the UAE. After her arrest, the accused - Ravi Bobhate and Anthony Paul - allegedly demanded Rs 80 lakh from her mother to rescue her, the official said. The actor's mother then approached the Mumbai Police who arrested the duo and booked them for cheating. The Mumbai Police had sent the case-related documents to the authorities concerned who went through the case details following which Chrisann Pereira was released on Wednesday night, he said. An official communication with the Ministry of External Affairs was underway in this connection, he said. Pereira is likely to return to Mumbai in a day or two, the official said. Shingles vaccine Pharma major GSK has come up with Shingrix, a vaccine for shingles disease. It is an infectious disease that can occur in any part of a persons body, majorly affecting the elderly. According to the World Health Organization, shingles is a global health problem. One in every three individuals can get shingles, and the incidence and prevalence of the disease varies between countries and regions. Shingrix was initially approved in the US in 2017 and in Europe in 2018. It is now available in over 20 countries, including in India. Dr Umang Agrawal, Infectious Diseases Consultant at PD Hinduja Hospitals and Medical Research Centre, said Shingles results due to reactivation of the chickenpox virus that occurs in early childhood or adulthood. As far as the existing treatments are concerned, drugs such as famciclovir, valacyclovir as well as acyclovir are currently available for its treatment. In India, and Asia at large, the disease burden of shingles is considerable, with an estimated annual incidence of 1.5 to 3.9 cases per 1,000 person-years. Dr Dipu T.S., associate professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, Amrita Hospital, said Shingrix demonstrated a high efficacy rate of over 90 per cent in preventing shingles and its complications, particularly postherpetic neuralgia a persistent nerve pain that can last for months or years, even after the rash has healed across all age groups. This vaccine has the potential to substantially reduce the disease burden and associated healthcare costs, especially among older adults and those with compromised immune systems, he said. Shingles can lead to a range of complications, like bacterial skin infections, scarring and vision or hearing problems, if the rash affects the eyes or ears. According to Dr Kanan Shah, a consultant dermatologist at Sterling Hospital, Gurukul, shingles can also affect the brain or spinal cord in rare cases, causing neurological issues like encephalitis or meningitis. People with weakened immune systems or underlying medical conditions are at higher risk of complications. The vaccine's affordability in India can play a vital role in reducing the incidence and severity of shingles. The efficacy continues to be researched by experts. Business strategy and forecasting expert Sanobar Syed said, GSK, in the Indian market, aims to serve 2.5 billion people in the next 10 years. However, lack of awareness regarding shingles, market access and last few years tepid performance due to Covid disruptions of the vaccine portfolio in India can impact the market uptake. Two doses of Shingrix are recommended for adults aged 50 years and above for prevention of herpes zoster (reactivation of chickenpox virus in the body) and post-herpetic neuralgia. The second dose of Shingrix should typically be given two to six months after the first, said Bhushan Akshikar, MD of GSK. Tamil Nadu cabinet under Chief Minister M.K. Stalin is all set to witness a major reshuffle in a couple of weeks. A bureaucratic-level transfer is also on the cards as senior bureaucrats will be retiring in the next two months. In the next ten days, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government under Stalin in Tamil Nadu will complete two years in office. But DMK and its leader Stalin, who is seen as the fulcrum of opposition unity in India, seem to be in no mood to celebrate the second anniversary. More than the celebrations, the ruling party is looking for a major course correction to set right all its shortcomings. The two big U-turns made by the government--withholding the 12-hour work bill and deleting the clause in the Government Order issued to serve liquor in conference halls, marriage halls, banquet halls and convention centres--have turned into a huge embarrassment for the Stalin government. Adding trouble is the DMK files released by Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai and the legal fight over it, and the Income Tax raids at a realty company G Square, allegedly linked to the DMK first family. Apart from these, the other major embarrassment is the two purported audio tapes of finance minister P.T.R. Palanivel Thiaga Rajan where he talks about Stalins son and son-in-law making Rs 30,000 crore and looking for avenues to invest it. More than the two major U-turns in policy decisions or the legal fight with Annamalai or the IT raids at G Square, DMK insiders say that PTR audio has caused a huge dent in the image of the government and the party as the audio directly points fingers at Stalin. Inside sources in the BJP say that there are more audio clips of PTR, at least two, which will be released by Annamalai in the near future. All these have brought a bad name to our government and our leader. If two more audio clips come out then definitely our leader will think of a major reshuffle in the government and in the party, a senior DMK leader on conditions of anonymity told THE WEEK. In fact, hours after Annamalai released the second audio clip, PTR, Water resources minister and DMK general secretary Durai Murugan rushed into a closed-door meeting with Stalin, highly placed sources say. PTR had offered to quit as finance minister and go on two-month leave to the USA. However, Stalin had asked him not to resign as it will only strengthen Annamalais statement. It was only after several hours of discussion PTR was asked to give a video statement saying the second audio is also fabricated like the first one. But DMK insiders say that Stalin has decided to go for a major reshuffle in the cabinet and also at the bureaucratic level. Senior officials in the government are also likely to be replaced. A major change in IAS officers is expected soon. Within the next two months, Chief Secretary V. Iraianbu and Head of Police Force (HoPF) Sylendra Babu will be retiring from service. Sources say Chennai City Police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal is in the race for the top post. Senior officers like Shiv Das Meena, Hans Raj Varma and finance secretary Muruganandham are in the race for chief secretary. In the cabinet, sources say that a few ministers are likely to be dropped and new faces from South Tamil Nadu are likely to be inducted into the cabinet. Sources say that ministers with lucrative portfolios like municipal administration, highways, dairy development, school education, food and civil supplies, handloom and textiles, tourism, revenue and disaster management and also departments like Minorities welfare and Adi Dravidar welfare are likely to be dropped. During the last cabinet meeting, sources say, Stalin had warned a few ministers calling out their names and asking them to perform. And when the Assembly was in session, he had expressed displeasure about the performance of most of the ministers. He had even called some of the ministers and told them to talk about the subject more than praising him. However, all his efforts did not yield any results. This time though, during the cabinet meeting scheduled to be held on May 2, Stalin is expected to be very harsh on his cabinet colleagues for their inefficiency in handling their departments. ANKARA, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a phone talk with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday ahead of the inauguration ceremony of Turkiye's first nuclear power reactor built by Russia. Turkiye-Russia relations and regional issues were discussed during the phone talk, Erdogan's office said in a statement. The Turkish president thanked Putin for his contributions to the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, where a ceremony for its first nuclear fuel delivery will be held on Thursday, the statement said. The two leaders discussed the developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the work on the grain agreement, the statement said, adding that Erdogan and Putin talked about new "initiatives that could be worked on through the proposed working group." They also discussed the developments in Syria, Erdogan's office said. Putin also conveyed his best wishes to Erdogan for a speedy recovery after his stomach bug, according to Erdogan's office. Ahead of the Karnataka Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually addressed lakhs of BJP workers in the poll-bound state on Thursday. The address, part of the party's effort to boost its campaign, had an audience of over 50 lakh workers from 58,112 booths. Stating that the Bharatiya Janata Party is preparing a "young team" in Karnataka to lead the state's development in the next 25 years, the Prime Minister said the party doesn't think about five years of its own rule but thinks about the country. "We don't think about the party but think about the country. We don't think just about present electoral politics but about taking India ahead in the next 25 years", he said. "The BJP is making a young team in Karnataka to give leadership to the development journey of the state in the next 25 years. It is our effort to make numerous global hubs in Karnataka like Bengaluru," he said. The Prime Minister also used the opportunity to lash out against the freebie culture, which he alleged was being promoted by the Congress. He asked what was the meaning of its guarantees when that party's warranty itself has expired. The Congress had announced guarantees' that include 200 units of free power to all households (Gruha Jyoti), Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head of every family (Gruha Lakshmi), and Rs 3,000 every month for graduate youth and Rs 1,500 for diploma holders (both in the age group of 18-25) for two years (YuvaNidhi), on coming to power in the state. He said a country cannot be run like this as it would result in debt. "In our country some political parties have made politics the means of power and corruption, to achieve this, they are using all means like 'saam, dham, dhand, bedh'. These political parties don't think about the future of the country, the future generation of Karnataka, its youth, women," Modi said. This is eating into the "share" of future generations. "The country cannot be run like this, governments cannot be run like this. Governments have to think about the future, along with the present. Governments cannot run just for day-to-day needs, they have to work on asset creation so that the lives of families are on track for decades," he added. Modi also promised to visit the state ahead of the polls. The Prime Minister is slated to undertake a whirlwind two-day tour of the State from Saturday during which he is scheduled to address six public meetings and hold two road shows. (With inputs from PTI) The Calcutta High Court on Thursday ordered an NIA investigation into the violence in Shibpur in Howrah district during Ram Navami celebrations. Hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, a division bench presided by Acting Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam directed for the transfer of investigation to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) from the West Bengal Police. In the PIL, Adhikari sought an NIA probe into the violence, during which it was alleged that bombs exploded. The court directed the state police to transfer all records and CCTV footage relating to the matter to the central government within two weeks. The Centre was directed to send the documents to the NIA thereafter. Former Bihar MP Anand Mohan, serving a life sentence in a three-decade-old case of an IAS officer's murder, was released from the jail in Saharsa on Thursday morning, three days after the Bihar government ordered his release. Jail officials confirmed to ANI that Mohan walked free from the jail around 4.30 am on Thursday. Mohan's release was ordered by the state law department in a notification issued late on Monday, along with that of 27 others. The former gangster-turned-politician spent 14 years inside the jail after a trial court awarded him capital punishment for the murder of G Krishnaiah, the then District Magistrate of Gopalganj. A higher court, however, commuted it to life imprisonment. The news of his release was received with disappointment by the family of Krishnaiah who termed it "disheartening." The victim's daughter Padma also urged the government to reconsider the decision. "I request Nitish Kumar ji to give a second thought to this decision. With this decision, his govt has set a wrong example. It is unfair not just to a family but to the whole nation. We will appeal against this decision," she told ANI. Krishnaiah's wife Uma too vowed to fight against the decision to release him. "I appeal to the President and the PM to intervene in this matter and ask CM Nitish Kumar to send him (Anand Mohan) back to jail," Uma Devi told reporters. An IAS officer of the 1985 batch, Krishnaiah, who hailed from Telangana and was a Dalit, was beaten to death while his car tried to overtake a funeral procession of which Mohan was a part. Mohan, who was then an MLA from Mahishi in Saharsa district, had come to Muzaffarpur to mourn the killing of Chhotan Shukla, a dreaded gangster belonging to the Bhumihar community. Meanwhile, there are reports that Mohan will conduct a rally on Thursday morning to celebrate his release. His supporters have already started celebrating his release from prison. Meanwhile, a petition against the decision of the state of Bihar for amending Bihar Prison rules was filed by retired IPS Amitabh Das in Patna High Court. Another petition by Amar Jyoti, the Bihar in-charge of Bhim Army's Bharat Ekta Mission, was also filed on Wednesday. The PIL said the Nitish Kumar government tweaked the state's jail manual to "favour criminals". The order of the Bihar government has drawn ire from the Dalit community. Mohan who has a huge sway among Rajputs, an influential upper caste, was often photographed holding a gun in his hand and surrounded by armed henchmen armed to the teeth. With pre-poll surveys predicting an edge for the party, the Congress's election campaign has gathered steam in the poll-bound Karnataka. While senior leader Rahul Gandhi is back in Mangaluru on Thursday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge too is in his home state actively campaigning. After Priyanka Gandhi, who was stationed in the state for the last two days, left for Delhi on Wednesday, senior leader Rahul Gandhi will be in the state. He will address a massive rally in the city. Rahul will also interact with the members of the fishermen community at Uchila in Udupi, said reports quoting Congress candidate in Kaup constituency Vinay Kumar Sorake. Meanwhile, Kharge will attend a press conference and a public meeting in Ron. Later in the day, he has another public meeting scheduled at Shirahatti. Highlighting corruption In view of the high-stakes battle, Congress is leaving no stone unturned to ensure victory, focusing on the local issues and attacking the BJP government for its alleged corruption. AICC general secretary K C Venugopal on Wednesday lashed out against the saffron party, stating that the people in Karnataka have decided to bring the Congress to power with an absolute majority. The BJP is in a pathetic condition after their 'misgovernance' in the last four years, he alleged. Venugopal said the BJP came to power through horse-trading in the state and later indulged in corrupt deals to make money due to which people termed their rule as '40 per cent commission' government. Priyanka Gandhi too, in her roadshows held on Wednesday that drew a massive crowd, highlighted the issues of price rise and unemployment. She said the "40 per cent BJP government" in Karnataka has looted the people of the State with multiple scams such as PSI recruitment and seeking commission from contractors among others. "Make Congress victorious, make Karnataka win. In this election, vote for your future, the future of your children and your state," she added. The party also has a strong local leadership. KPCC chief D K Shivakumar has expressed confidence in winning. He reiterated on Wednesday that he can "give it in writing with blood" that the Congress win 150 seats, including the seat of Jagdish Shettar. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to interact with about 50 lakh workers of BJP in Karnataka through virtual mode on Thursday. In a first, Britain is trying to de-link faith with the pro-Khalistan movement on its soil, a significant step that recognises the need to end the political legitimacy enjoyed by the extremists having a free run so far trying to subvert the British system spreading hate, terror and divisive agenda. The threat has come home to bite with Colin Bloom, appointed as the Faith Engagement Adviser by the UK government in 2019, warning the country can no longer turn a blind eye to attempts being made by certain pro-Khalistani groups to circumvent the democratic order, inflate influence, legitimise dubious positions using the Sikh label to lobby political bodies, masquerade as human rights activists, thereby presenting a false appearance of legitimacy. In the latest report, Bloom reviews the British governments engagement with faith and warns against any move that can inadvertently legitimise the Khalistan extremists by government or parliamentary engagement - a mistake made by successive governments both in Britain and Canada that are facing subversive activities, tensions, hate and intimidation on their soil. Bloom goes back to the genesis of the pro-Khalistan movement in the 1980s to question the motive of the extremists by digging holes in the territorial claim of establishing an independent state of Khalistan, the physical borders of which are largely shared with specific parts of Punjab in India. Interestingly, this territorial claim does not include the part of the Punjab located in Pakistan. It is not entirely clear if the motivation for these extremists is faith-based or not, says Bloom. The report goes on to explain why faith is far removed from such claims. It is clear that the Rishi Sunak government can clamp down on pro-Khalistani outfits like Babbar Khalsa International, International Sikh Youth Federation and other feeder groups if the British system delinks their support base from any religious ideology or faith - rather recognise them as subversive forces against the core values of Britain of freedom and tolerance. The BKI was proscribed by the UK government in March 2001 - the same time when Al Qaeda was listed as a terrorist organisation. But the ISYF was de-proscribed by the UK government in 2016 following an application to remove them from the list of terrorist organisations. Colin recommends the government plug the gaps in its policy and review various steps to help clamp down on violence or religious-based sectarianism. The writing on the wall is clear. Turning a blind eye has the potential to psychologically damage children and adults, as well as compromise the safety and security of faith communities in the UK. This is why Bloom stresses the need to distinguish extremist agendas of power, control and subversion from mainstream Sikh communities. The report documents several instances where arsonists have carried out reprisal attacks for inter-faith marriages, abduction, torture and murder of Indian leaders besides attempts to subvert the British state. The latest worry, according to Bloom, is the misuse of social media to push online videos inciting violence, retribution and the glorification of dead pro-Khalistan militants and AK47 machine guns. UKs communications regular, Ofcom has been taking steps to suspend and revoke licences of broadcasting channels that propagate hate and incite violence in the last two years. The need for the UKs counter-terror bodies to investigate the glorification of pro-Khalistani extremists has been flagged in the report. Bloom draws from the experience of the Canadian government in tackling the pro-Khalistani extremists where attempts made by the latter to speak against them led to a backlash in 2018. The 2018 Public Report on the Terrorism Threat to Canada allegedly came under fire for flagging pro-Khalistani extremism as a threat, and references were removed to allay religious sentiments. The point is buttressed by the Bloom report which shows the way forward for the British government in tackling the threat. The report gains significance at a time when the recent attack on the Indian Mission in London by a Khalistan mob brought the issue centre stage exposing how radical separatist Amritpal Singh, on the run in India for a month before his arrest, was being supported by the UK, US and Canada-based extremists. There has been a long pending demand by New Delhi not to allow foreign soils to be used by extremists to spread unrest, a concern which is now being shared in Britain. Akali stalwart Parkash Singh Badal was cremated with full state honours at his ancestral village in Punjab's Muktsar district on Thursday with thousands of mourners and leaders across the political spectrum paying their last respects to the five-time chief minister. SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal lit the funeral pyre at a special platform erected for the last rites. Badal's mortal remains were taken to the family's farmland, around a kilometer from his residence, on a flower-decked tractor-trolley with his son Sukhbir Singh Badal and other family members standing with folded hands as the vehicle moved past the mourners on the route. Overcome by emotions, Sukhbir Badal and his sister Parneet Kaur Kairon broke down before the body was consigned to flames. Badal died at a private hospital in Mohali on Tuesday, nine days after being admitted there with breathing problems. People from all walks of life, including politicians and religious leaders, turned up at the village to pay tribute to the leader whose political career began seven decades ago when he became the sarpanch of Badal panchayat. BJP president J.P. Nadda, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and National Conference's Omar Abdullah visited Badal village to pay their last respects. Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann were also among the mourners. Heavy security arrangements were made in the village in view of the visits by the political leaders. Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, senior BJP leader Tarun Chugh, Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, and former union minister Praful Patel also paid homage to the former chief minister. Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Congress leader Deepender Hooda, Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma, Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and former Punjab minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa also attended the last rites. In the morning, the mortal remains were kept for the last 'darshan' at his residence. People in huge numbers queued up there to pay tribute and express grief. Sukhbir Badal and his wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal could be seen in tears as people visited their residence and offered them condolences. Their two daughters and a son also stood beside the mortal remains. Former finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Parkash Singh Badal's estranged nephew and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia were also present among other leaders. The grand old man of Punjab politics first became chief minister in 1970, heading a coalition government that did not complete its term. He served as chief minister in 1977-80, 1997-2002, 2007-12 and 2012-2017. He became MLA 11 times, losing an election for the state assembly only twice. In 1977, he joined Morarji Desai's government briefly as the Agriculture minister at the Centre. In 2008, Badal handed over the reins of the SAD, which he had headed from 1995, to son Sukhbir Singh Badal, who also became the deputy chief minister under him. Born on December 8, 1927 in Abul Khurana near Malout, Badal graduated from the Forman Christian College in Lahore. He entered the state assembly from Malout in 1957 as the Congress nominee. In 1969, he won the Gidderbaha assembly seat on the SAD ticket. Badal's wife Surinder Kaur Badal died of cancer in 2011. They had two children - Sukhbir Singh Badal, the heir to his political legacy, and Parneet Kaur, who is married to former minister Adesh Pratap Singh Kairon. SAD chief Sukhbir Badal's wife is Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met with Chinese counterpart General Li Shangfu in New Delhi on Thursday and said all issues in LAC must be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements. Singh said this at a bilateral meeting with Li amid the three-year border row along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh that has significantly strained ties between the two sides. The talks took place hours after Li arrived in New Delhi to attend a meeting of defence ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) being hosted by India on Friday. In a statement, the defence ministry said, The two Ministers had frank discussions about the developments in the India-China border areas as well as bilateral relations. Chinese Defence Minister is in Delhi to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation on Friday. The Raksha Mantri categorically conveyed that development of relations between India and China is premised on prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the borders. He added that all issues at the LAC need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and commitments, the statement said. According to the statement, the minister reiterated that violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation. Li's visit to India is the first by a Chinese defence minister to India after the eastern Ladakh border standoff began three years ago. The meeting between the two defence ministers took place days after the Indian and Chinese armies held 18th round of military talks on ending the three-year border row in eastern Ladakh. In the Corps Commander talks on April 23, the two sides agreed to stay in close touch and work out a mutually acceptable solution to the remaining issues in eastern Ladakh at the earliest. However, there was no indication of any clear forward movement in ending the three-year row. India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas. Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang is also set to visit India next week to attend a conclave of foreign ministers of SCO member countries in Goa. The meeting is slated for May 4 and 5. India is hosting the SCO defence ministers' meeting under its presidency of the grouping. Defence ministers of China, Russia and other member nations of the SCO except Pakistan are attending the meeting in Delhi. Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif will attend the meeting through virtual mode, officials said. (With PTI inputs.) Close to 1,700 Indians are headed home from Sudan. The situation is volatile. The Ministry of external affairs is hoping to get the rest of the Indians out as soon as possible. Our estimate is that there are approximately 3,500 Indians and an additional 1,000 odd PIOs, said Vinay Kwatra, foreign secretary at a special briefing on Operation Kaveri. One of the big challenges is that connectivity. There are power outages so many people cant charge their phones and face network issues. One of the big challenges is that they are scattered. The mission has created a network, however, to pass on information, to tell people not to take avoidable risks as well as efforts to bring them out, added Kwatra. Getting people from Khartoum to Port Sudan from where they are taken to Saudi Arabia is a challenge. The ceasefire of 72 hours is holding but there is also firing. In the first batch, Indians moved outoften in the middle of the nightduring the day. The mission arranged buses at various locations in Khartoum so that they travel to further safety to South Sudan. There is 850 km land corridor, said Kwatra. Things are still tense and the situation is far from safe. The journey time can take 12 to 18 hours. The other (challenge) is the availability of diesel for buses, he said. The security situation on the ground is complex. During the movement and mobilisation whatever issues were faced. Whether they were logistic challenges or whether there were obstacles, they were handled by the mission. India is also in contact with all sides, Kwatra said so that Indians could get out of the conflict zone. India stands for greater developments...they see Indians as good citizens, he asserted. Two Naval ships have been stationed at Jeddah. A control room has also been established in Port of Sudan. Two C 115s have been stationed at Jeddah too to bring back Indians. We have been working very closely with Saudi Arabia, as well as the leadership, said Kwatra. NATO countries have delivered more than 98 per cent of the combat vehicles promised to Ukraine amid its war with Russia, the military alliance's chief said on Thursday, giving Kyiv a bigger punch as it appears poised to launch a counteroffensive. Along with more than 1,550 armoured vehicles, 230 tanks and other equipment, member nations have sent Ukraine vast amounts of ammunition and also trained and equipped more than nine new Ukrainian brigades, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. More than 30,000 troops are estimated to make up the new brigades. "This will put Ukraine in a strong position to continue to retake occupied territory, Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels. His comments came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping had a long and meaningful phone call in their first known contact since Russia's full-scale invasion more than a year ago. Though Zelenskyy said he was encouraged by Wednesday's call and Western officials welcomed Xi's move, the development didn't appear to bring about any immediate shift in peace prospects. Russia and Ukraine are far apart in their terms for peace, and Beijing while looking to position itself as a global diplomatic power has refused to criticise Moscow's invasion. The Chinese government sees Russia as a diplomatic ally in opposing US influence in global affairs, and Xi visited Moscow last month. Stoltenberg said the 31 NATO allies were committed to shoring up Ukraine's military, adding that taking back land occupied by the Kremlin's forces would give Kyiv a stronger negotiating position if peace talks occur. The Kremlin gave a lukewarm response to the call between Xi and Zelenskyy. Asked if the call could help end the fighting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: We are ready to welcome anything that could lead to the termination of the conflict in Ukraine and the achievement of all the goals set by Russia. Peskov said the conversation between the Chinese and Ukrainian leaders was the sovereign business of those countries and the issue of their bilateral dialogue. With battlefield positions in Ukraine largely static as a war of attrition took hold in recent months, Russian forces have kept up their bombardment of Ukrainian areas, often hitting apartment buildings and other civilian infrastructure. At least seven civilians were killed and 33 were injured between Wednesday and Thursday, Ukraine's presidential office said. They included one person killed and 23 wounded, including a child, when four Kalibr cruise missiles hit the southern city of Mykolaiv, official said. Carrying the fifth batch of 297 passengers from strife-torn Sudan, Indian Navy vessel INS Tej left Port Sudan for Jeddah in early hours of Thursday. "#OperationKaveri INS Teg departs from Port Sudan with 297 passengers. This is the fifth batch of stranded Indians enroute to Jeddah," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted. This brings the total number of Indians evacuated from Sudan so far to over 1000. Earlier on late Wednesday, the fourth batch of 136 stranded Indians had left Port Sudan for Jeddah onboard an IAF C-130J aircraft. India has set up a transit facility at Jeddah and Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan is overseeing the evacuation mission from the Saudi Arabian city. Meanwhile, Indian rescued from Sudan narrated their tales of ordeals and how they feared for their lives after the conflict broke out in the African nation. "It was like we were on a deathbed," Sukhvinder Singh from Haryana told PTI on his arrival at the Delhi airport from Saudi Arabia. He was one of the 360 Indian nationals who returned home Wednesday night under India's 'Operation Kaveri' evacuation mission. "We were living in one area, confined to one room. It was like we were on a deathbed," he added, Chhotu, a factory worker who hails from Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, was in a state of disbelief and exclaimed, "'Marke wapas aa gaya (have returned after almost dying)'. Now, I will never return to Sudan. I will do anything in this country but won't go back," he told PTI shortly after landing at the Indira Gandhi International Airport's Terminal 3. Tasmer Singh (60), an evacuee who hails from Hoshiarpur in Punjab, described his experience during the ongoing strife as horrifying. "We were like a dead body, roaming in a small house without power, water. We never imagined that we will face this kind of a situation in our lives but thank God, we are alive," he said. Sukhwinder Singh, the engineer, also narrated how difficult it was to travel during the strife in Sudan. "We contacted the Indian embassy and buses for around 200 people were arranged. A road trip was very risky. Only God knows how we reached Port Sudan," he said. He said the warring groups can shoot anybody "depending on their mood". "It depends on the mood of the individual. If we say we are Indians, they let us go," the Faridabad native said. Meanwhile, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan met with the family of the Kerala man who was killed after a stray bullet hit him in Sudan. The minister said he had ensured the safe travel of the family to Kochi. HOUSTON, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Asa Hutchinson, former governor of the U.S. state of Arkansas, officially launched his bid on Wednesday for the Republican Party's 2024 presidential nomination. "Today, I am announcing that I am a candidate for president of the United States," Hutchinson told supporters in Bentonville, Arkansas, his birthplace, one day after President Joe Biden announced he's running for a second term. Hutchinson, 72, also a former congressman, administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and border security official, is the fifth Republican joining the field of Republican presidential hopefuls, which is expected to grow as campaign season revs up. "From Congress to the DEA to Homeland Security, I have served our country in times of crisis. As governor of Arkansas, we cut taxes and created record surpluses. We increased pay for teachers. We reduced regulations; recruited industry, and the private sector grew by over 100,000 jobs. My mettle has been tested," he said. Hutchinson said he knows how to balance a budget and doesn't want an "unending" war in Ukraine, emphasizing that the United States must secure its southern border and put Social Security and Medicare on a more sustainable path. In his remarks, Hutchinson didn't mention former President Donald Trump, who was the first Republican candidate to formally announce a 2024 presidential run. However, in an interview with CBS News over the weekend, Hutchinson argued that Republicans' "best opportunity is to have a new face." Other Republicans who have formally joined the race for the party's presidential nomination include Nikki Haley, former governor of South Carolina and former ambassador to the United Nations, Vivek Ramaswamy, a former biotech executive, and Larry Elder, a conservative talk radio host and a gubernatorial candidate during California's 2021 recall effort. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is widely considered the top rival to Trump in the Republican field, but he hasn't formally announced a presidential campaign so far. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is in Washington for a six-day state visit. American President Joe Biden and Suk Yeol, on Wednesday, unveiled a new plan to counter North Korea's nuclear threat, with the US leader issuing a blunt warning that such an attack would result in the end of whatever regime took such action. Biden, at a joint news conference at the White House, called the alliance 'ironclad', CNN reported. Our mutual defence treaty is iron clad and that includes our commitment to extend a deterrence and that includes the nuclear threat, the nuclear deterrent, Biden said. Theyre particularly important in the face of DPRKs increased threats and the blatant violation of US sanctions, he added. There have been discussions between officials from both countries for several months. North Korea, since the beginning of this year, has conducted close to 10 missile tests, with about a dozen being fired in March itself. The agreement between Seoul and Washington would mean the regular deployment of strategic assets like a US nuclear ballistic submarine visit to South Korea, which has not happened since the early 1980s. Suk Yeol said that the new commitment by the righteous alliance includes plans for bilateral presidential consultations in the event of a North Korean nuclear attack, the establishment of a nuclear consultative group and improved sharing of information on nuclear and strategic weapons operation plans. Were not going to be stationing nuclear weapons on the peninsula, but we will have visits to ports, visits of nuclear submarines and things like that, Biden said. With PTI inputs Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial said on Thursday that the Supreme Court cannot force the ruling alliance to hold negotiations with the opposition over the holding of elections in Punjab province, but observed that it appeared that the government was "playing pass-pass". Amid uncertainty over the Punjab Assembly's future in spite of Supreme Court orders declaring elections to be held on May 14, a three-member bench led by Justice Bandial resumed hearing of the politically-sensitive case. However, the hearing was adjourned barely an hour after it started with Justice Bandial saying that a detailed order would be issued later. "We are not pushing anyone but only finding out a way for the enforcement of the Constitution," he said. During the hearing, the court raised questions over the government's seriousness regarding holding negotiations with the opposition. What steps has the government taken to show its goodwill? It seems like the government is playing pass-pass, Justice Bandial was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper. At the previous hearing, the court had asked political parties to hold talks on April 26 and come up with a response by April 27 after giving stakeholders a chance to reach an agreement. However, no talks were held and the government also refused to comply with the April 4 directive. "If the government was serious about negotiations, it would have made efforts itself. The court can't force the government to hold negotiations, the top judge said. He also remarked that politicians should themselves find solutions to the problems, adding that the Constitution and our order [on polls] is present if the differences were not sorted out via talks. The top judge also expressed hope that talks between ousted premier Imran Khan Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and the government would be held on Thursday. The court hearing on Thursday came amid a deadlock between the government and PTI over the holding of polls in Punjab province. The PTI dissolved the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies on January 14 and 18, respectively, in a bid to force the ruling PDM coalition in Islamabad to hold early general elections in the country. The PTI is determined to press for polls, but the government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif maintains its stance on simultaneous elections across the country. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said elections were an issue that needed to be decided in Parliament and added that the appropriate time to conduct them was either in October or November. Talking about the Supreme Court's direction to the government and opposition to hold talks, he said the court's job is not arbitration, but their job is to give orders as per the Constitution and law. He said that Parliament was the right forum for such matters. The current National Assembly would complete its term on August 13, and elections would be held after that. Sharif said there was complete unity in the coalition government and that polls should be held on the same day in the entire country. According to the Constitution, elections shall be held within 90 days after the dissolution of the lower house. This means that the election must be held by mid-October. The last general election was held in July 2018. The PTI dissolved the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies on January 14 and 18, respectively, in a bid to force the ruling coalition in Islamabad to hold early general elections in the country. Sharif pointed out that Parliament had rejected the decision of a three-member bench of the court to hold the election in the Punjab province on May 14. Backed by cybersecurity industry veterans, Stack Identitys patent-pending algorithm detects and eliminates unauthorized, invisible shadow access to prevent cloud data breaches Pune, Maharashtra, India (NewsVoir) Stack Identity, a Silicon Valley startup automating identity and access management (IAM) governance to identify and eliminate cloud data threat vectors, today announced the closing of a $4 million seed funding round Co-led by US -based WestWave Capital and Benhamou Global Ventures. In the rapidly evolving realm of cloud-based identity and access management (IAM), businesses are unable to protect sensitive data if they dont know who has access, why, and for how long. Stack Identity was created to solve this problem, making it easier for customers to protect critical and sensitive data stored in the cloud by eliminating applications and services from rogue access, and preventing unauthorized data sharing and data exfiltration. Protecting sensitive data in a complex data sharing environment is only possible by addressing the access layer and specifically what Stack Identity defines as shadow access. Stack Identity was created to address the problem of shadow access-unauthorized, unmonitored, and invisible cloud data access patterns created by the myriad of human and machine cloud identities accessing the cloud. Businesses of all sizes can now benefit from Stack Identitys automated breach detection leveraging advanced heuristics that continuously detects and removes bad actors from cloud environments, said Ambrish Deshpande, Co-founder & COO, Stack Identity. Our Honourable Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi also spoke about cyber security as the common concern among most of the world leaders today and how India has the opportunity to export Cyber Security Services and innovative solutions. India is not only a critical market for Stack Identity but a vast talent pool that would support our global customer base while strengthening our commitment to India. The companys R&D centre in India is home to development and delivery of path-breaking solutions for Shadow Access for organizations globally. The company has customers from industry-leading companies in North America and India. Additional investors in the round include Plug and Play and notable cybersecurity investors. The investment capital will enable Stack Identity to further invest in solving the challenge of automating cloud security as enterprises accelerate the development of data-centric and AI powered applications. Stack Identity will use the funds to scale product development, strengthen go-to-market strategies and expand customer reach, including SMBs, mid-market and enterprises. Eliminating Shadow Access as DevOps and SecOps Battle for Cloud Access Control Security concerns have become more significant as more companies move operations and data into the cloud. Cloud data is continuously exposed via thousands of automated, distributed access controls and entitlements, both human and API-based. One of the greatest challenges for organizations is ensuring that authorized identities have access to sensitive data while, at the same time, detecting and eliminating threats from unidentified users. Without visibility, risky behaviour cannot be effectively identified, prioritized and remediated. Despite security measures put in place by security teams, lack of visibility causes blindspots and shadow access for attackers to wreak havoc on organizations. Through its patent-pending Breach Prediction Index (BPI) algorithm, Stack Identity reduces the risk of cloud vulnerabilities and improves IAM audits, compliance and governance. The BPI enables Stack Identity customers to prioritize both risk and impact. Using its BPI, Stack Identity customers are empowered to detect the 2% of toxic combinations that impact 90% of data assets. Investor & Customer Thoughts on Stack Identity Seed Funding Round We are very proud to co-lead the investment in Stack Identity, said Gaurav Manglik, General Partner at Westwave Capital. Venkat and the team are tackling an untenable security problem created by the proliferation of thousands of automated and human identities in the cloud, with an identity-first data security approach. We believe in the teams expertise in security, and Stack Identitys deep technology to differentiate in a crowded IAM market. Stack Identity represents the winning formula we look for in our deal evaluation frameworks, namely, the combination of technology and team, said Yashwanth Hemaraj, Partner at Benhamou Global Ventures. As we accelerate into an Enterprise 4.0 world, Stack Identity is primed to emerge as a future market leader in the IAM space as enterprises accelerate digital transformation initiatives and the sanctity and security of data continue to increase in importance and value. Our AWS cloud ecosystem is a mix of automated DevOps and manually managed infrastructure, said Steve De Jong, distinguished engineer at Vercara. Stack Identity gives continuous visibility into our data exposure risks with the ability to automate least privileged enforcement for both our security and engineering operations teams. About Stack Identity Founded in the heart of Silicon Valley, Stack Identity transforms cloud IAM operations to continuously detect, eliminate and govern unauthorized, unmonitored and invisible shadow access. Through its patent-pending algorithm Breach Prediction Index (BPI), applied with deep data and application context, Stack Identity reveals the 2% of toxic access combinations that impacts 90% of data assets and enables cloud security teams to quickly prioritize and automate remediation. Visit us at www.stackidentity.com, and follow us on LinkedIn. (Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with Newsvoir and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR PWR New Delhi, Apr 27 (PTI) The government on Thursday said that wheat procurement has reached 195 lakh tonnes so far in this marketing year that started in April, surpassing the total purchase made during the previous year. "The procurement of wheat during RMS (rabi marketing season) 2023-24 has already surpassed the total procurement of RMS 2022-23," an official statement said. Rabi marketing season runs from April-March, but bulk of purchases happen between April and June. "In RMS 2022-23, the procurement was 188 lakh tonnes. However, till April 26th, 2023, wheat procurement during RMS 2023-24 is 195 lakh tonnes. "This has largely benefitted the farmers. MSP (minimum support price) outflow of about Rs 41,148 crore has already been made to about 14.96 lakh farmers during the ongoing wheat procurement operations," the statement said. Major contribution in the procurement comes from three wheat producing states of Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh with procurement of 89.79 lakh tonnes, 54.26 lakh tonnes and 49.47 lakh tonnes, respectively. "One of the major factors, contributing the progressive procurement this year, is the grant of relaxation by GOI in quality specifications of wheat being procured, in view of untimely rains leading to luster loss. This will reduce the hardship of farmers and check any distress sale," the statement said. The central government has also allowed all the states to open procurement centres at village/ panchayat level and to carry out the procurement through co-operative Societies/ Gram Panchayats/ Arhatias etc. also in addition to already existing designated procurement centres, for better outreach. In addition, rice procurement is also progressing smoothly. A quantity of 354 lakh tonnes of rice has been procured till April 26, 2023 during kharif crop of 2022-23 kharif marketing season, with another 140 lakh tonnes yet to be procured. Further, a quantity of 106 lakh tonnes rice has been estimated to be procured during the rabi crop of KMS 2022-23. Kharif marketing season runs from October to September. "The combined stock position of wheat and rice in the Central Pool, has surpassed 510 lakh tonnes which puts the country in a comfortable position to meet its requirements of food grains. With the ongoing procurement of wheat and rice, the food grains stock levels are on rise in Government granaries," the food ministry said. Chandigarh, Apr 27 (PTI) Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij on Thursday invited Australian industrialists to invest in the state and assured them of state government's support. Wooing the investors in Australia, Vij assured them there is a congenial atmosphere in Haryana for setting up industries and told that there is no problem related to law and order. He also assured them that the state government will give all possible cooperation to facilitate them. Further, the minister said that Haryana is an ideal destination for investment and it has the advantage of being surrounded by the country's capital Delhi on three sides. According to an official statement here, Vij was addressing the gathering in a meeting of office bearers of 'Association of Haryanvis in Australia' and office bearers of various industrial organisations, in Sydney. He is currently on a visit to Australia to take part in International Gita Mahotsav (IGM), which will be held in Sydney from April 28-30. The annual international festival, which has over the years been held in Kurukshetra during November-December, is also being held abroad over the past few years. The last few editions of the festival were held in Mauritius, England, and Canada. The IGM 2023 is being hosted in Australia, jointly by the Association of Haryanvis in Australia (AHA) and Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB) in collaboration with a few other organisations. The state minister said that the BJP-led government in Haryana is laying emphasis on new technology in which emphasis is being laid on setting up energy saving and environment-friendly units. "In this regard, various types of exemptions are also being given by the state government to establish such units," he said on the occasion. Vij said the state has prepared a comprehensive Haryana Enterprises and Employment Policy - 2020 to attract investment, offering various incentives. He said Haryana is becoming the first choice for foreign investors willing to set up new businesses and also for multinational companies having expansion plans. Many top companies already have their presence in the state, he said. The Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) have set up 36 industrial model townships and industrial estates at various strategic locations in the state to attract investments. "The initiative aims to implement Atmanirbhar Bharat centric design and developmental interventions to enable micro and small enterprises at the block level by leveraging cluster approach to create sustainable employment and entrepreneurship opportunities," said Vij. Touching upon the locational advantage which Haryana enjoys, Vij said that almost the entire state comes under the influence of two freight corridors - Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) and Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor (ASIC). He said that Haryana has witnessed a rapid economic growth and added "our MSMEs have been at the forefront of this growth". "With the presence of around 9.7 lakh MSMEs, we believe that these are the backbone of a growing economy. Haryana has also introduced sectoral policies like Electric Vehicle Policy 2022, State Data Center Policy 2021, MSME Policy 2019 and our latest Atma Nirbhar Textile Policy," said Vij. Earlier, Vij went to the residence of Sewa Singh, President of Association of Haryana in Australia, in Sydney city. Mumbai, Apr 27 (PTI) Actor Chrisann Pereira, arrested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on charges of drug possession and lodged at a jail in Sharjah, has been released by law enforcement authorities there, a senior Mumbai Police official said on Thursday. Two men had allegedly cheated the 27-year-old actor, who is from Mumbai, by planting drugs on her and sending her to Sharjah under the pretext of an 'audition' while promising her a role in a Hollywood web series. Pereira, who acted in Mahesh Bhatt directed Bollywood movie 'Sadak 2', was apprehended at the Sharjah airport on April 1 after a small quantity of a drug was found concealed in a memento which one of the accused had given to her to hand it over to someone in the UAE. After her arrest, the accused - Ravi Bobhate and Anthony Paul - allegedly demanded Rs 80 lakh from her mother to rescue her, the official said. The actor's mother then approached the Mumbai Police who arrested the duo and booked them for cheating. The Mumbai Police had sent the case-related documents to the authorities concerned who went through the case details following which Chrisann Pereira was released on Wednesday night, he said. An official communication with the Ministry of External Affairs was underway in this connection, he said. Pereira is likely to return to Mumbai in a day or two, the official said. Washington, Apr 27 (PTI) The Indian-American community is small but powerful enough to be instrumental in changing America's foreign policy, said an Indian-American leader, who played a key role in shaping some of the key moments in bilateral ties. Swadesh Chatterjee, a Padma Bhushan awardee in 2001, said the US-India relationship has just scratched the surface and there are immense opportunities in several key areas, including clean energy, global health and innovation. Today it's the Indian American community, though it is small, it is politically powerful to really change the policy of the United States, and also for India. That is coming of age of Indian American community, and you should be all proud, he said at an event here on Wednesday. North Carolina-based Chatterjee has played a key role in the India-US relationship, particularly in lifting sanctions post-nuclear tests and getting the civilian nuclear deal passed through the US Congress. We should work very hard. Work has just begun. There will be misunderstanding, there will be challenges between India and us," he told a gathering of Indian Americans. "As you very well know, India did not support the US in the United Nations when Russia attacked Ukraine. A lot of (people) thought what is this about India? But India and the US relationship cannot be on auto pilot. There are always challenges, he said. Unlike its Quad partner countries, India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and it abstained from the votes at the UN platforms on the Russian aggression. India has been pressing for an immediate cessation of violence in Ukraine and seeking a resolution of the crisis through diplomacy and dialogue. Chatterjee said Indian Americans have played a "vital role" in the relationship between the two countries. We will be there to make sure that it does not slide, he said. Chatterjee, who has worked on this relationship for the past several decades, said India was earlier viewed with suspicion, as a part of the Soviet block and a country with chronic property. In the geopolitical chess game, they used to think that India is a country to be managed, not a partner, he said. But the rise of India's economic power after Narasimha Rao became the prime minister and Dr. Manmohan Singh became the finance minister and America's interest in China and, most importantly, the political activism of Indian Americans in this country has altered the US-India relationship, Chatterjee said. Houston, Apr 27 (PTI) The Indian-American stepfather of a missing six-year-old boy, who is presumed dead, faces another charge that he stole USD 10,000 in cash from his employer before fleeing to India with his wife and her six children last month, police in the US state of Texas have said. Arshdeep Singh and his wife have been charged with felony apart from child abandonment and endangerment in the missing boy's case, Everman Police Chief Craig Spencer said on Tuesday. We want these fugitives arrested and extradited to the United States so that we can seek answers for the disappearance of Noel, Spencer said. Spencer said they were reliant upon federal officials to work with international partners to locate and extradite Cindy Singh and her husband Arshdeep Singh. Police released several new details on Tuesday in the investigation into the search for Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez, who appeared malnourished and unhealthy the last time he was seen alive in October 2022, according to extended family members. Following a tip, the Everman Police began looking into Noel's welfare in March and within days the police said his mother and stepfather had left the country. Spencer said the investigators had now added a felony theft charge for the missing boy's stepfather Arshdeep Singh. According to Spencer, Arshdeep Singh delivered products to convenience stores and hours before leaving the country last month he allegedly forged documents to hide the theft of USD 10,000 in cash from his employer. Spencer said the investigators looking into a large deposit alerted the company to the altered document and missing money. The police confirmed the boy's family used a credit card to buy one-way airline tickets to India for Arshdeep Singh, Cindy Singh, as well as her six children the day before they left the country. Spencer also shared an updated timeline in the case, narrowing down exactly when they believe Noel may have disappeared. "So much has happened since it all began in late March, it's a lot to keep track of. There have been numerous developments in the case since an initial AMBER Alert came out for Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez," Spencer said. "So our timeline has been narrowed down to between about a week after the twins came home and then November 1 when it appears Cindy began to plan an escape from the country," he said. Spencer ran down a list of facts, including that Noel was never enrolled in school, which the investigators had uncovered so far in their probe. The investigators also found that the boy's extended family confirmed that Noel was abused and neglected regularly and that food and water were withheld because Cindy didn't like his dirty diapers. The boy's extended family said Noel was struck in the face with keys for drinking water. Cindy referred to Noel as evil, possessed, or having a demon in him. Noel began missing doctor appointments after July 2022 and Cindy asked to borrow a friend's child to attend a doctor's appointment so she could retain benefits, the investigators found. Cindy told different stories about his whereabouts, including selling him to a lady in a grocery parking lot. His biological father and aunt in Mexico have never met him. No data has been found to show the family made trips to the Texas-Mexico border or that he had been sold. Cindy told her family to lie to the police about seeing Noel recently. The family lived in squalor but chose to spend most of their tax return on a concrete patio for a home they don't own. The contractor who poured the porch said Cindy was in a hurry and was indecisive and that she asked for it to be thicker in a certain area, the investigators found. Noel's stepfather Arshdeep Singh disposed of a single indoor/outdoor carpet in a dumpster the night before they left the country but left behind other trash in their rented home, it was found in the probe. Multiple cadaver dogs "alerted" to the indoor/outdoor carpet recovered by investigators as well as the dirt underneath the new patio, indicating the one-time presence of human remains. Police said there was no physical material found large enough to test. Washington, Apr 27 (PTI) America needs to show some strategic patience with India on its ties with Russia, a former US defence secretary has said, asserting that New Delhi does not support Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Former Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said the defence ties between India and the US have strengthened and grown significantly. We need to show some patience. They (Indians) are moving in the right direction, he said on Wednesday. Mattis' remarks came at the first-of-its-kind India-US summit organised by Congressman Ro Khanna in his capacity as the Co-Chair of the Congressional India Caucus. Noting that India has maintained its strategic independence, he said the Indian government does not support the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been very blunt about that, he said. India must keep growing its economy. The alternative is societal unrest, a weaker India, he said. The last thing India wants to do ...to push Russia and China closer together, he said, adding that India being closer to Russia right now is not bad for America. Unlike its Quad partner countries, India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and it abstained from the votes at the UN platforms on the Russian aggression. India has been pressing for an immediate cessation of violence in Ukraine and seeking a resolution of the crisis through diplomacy and dialogue. India is coming off the Russian sphere of influence. This is not a time to lecture India, but there is an opportunity to work with the country, which is in a tough neighbourhood, Mattis said. On the one hand, it has a radicalised, nuclear weapon Pakistan as a neighbour, and on the other hand, it has China which is trying to bully it, he said. He called for the continuation and enabling of the collaboration between US technology and scientists and demanded that obstacles to their movement be removed. The National Security Council is leading an effort right now I know on critical and emerging technologies... This is really where we need to go and where we have the opportunity to go and there are some things we can do to really ease the challenges. And collectively, this is what gives us a firm foundation, he said. Colombo, Apr 27 (PTI) The US has sanctioned former senior Sri Lankan Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda for a gross violation of human rights during the brutal conflict with the LTTE, penalising a second senior defence official of the island nation in the last three years. The 70-year-old Navy Commander from 2005-2009 became the second senior defence official to be sanctioned by the US for handling the final battle with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009. He was later appointed Sri Lankas Ambassador to Japan. In 2020, the US State Department similarly sanctioned the current chief of defence staff Gen. Shavendra Silva. He was a divisional head of the Army during the final battle and later became the Commander. "The US State Department has designated the former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda for 'a gross violation of human rights'," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Wednesday. The US continues to seek truth and justice for victims of the Sri Lankan civil war, the statement further added. The US has sanctioned several other defence officers of Sri Lanka for their role in the island nation's war against the LTTE, however, most of the others were junior officers in designation. Last year the US sanctioned the military officer Prabath Bulathwatte, former head of a clandestine Sri Lankan Army platoon known as the Tripoli Platoon. When named, all the property and interests of individuals or entities in the US or under the control of the US are blocked, and they and their immediate family members are made ineligible for entry to the US. In 2021, the US similarly listed two more Sri Lankan soldiers. Chandana Hettiarachchi, a Navy officer and Sunil Ratnayake, a staff sergeant of the Sri Lanka Army were so sanctioned over accountability for gross violations of human rights. In a bitterly fought campaign that began in 1983, Sri Lanka's military ended the nearly three-decade brutal civil war in the island nation in May 2009, by killing the leaders of the LTTE. The LTTE was fighting for an independent state for the Tamilians in Sri Lanka's North and Eastern provinces. Though the exact date when LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed by the Sri Lankan Army was not known, his death was announced on May 19, 2009. The then-president Mahinda Rajapaksa on May 18, 2009 declared the end of a 26-year war in which over 1,00,000 people were killed and millions of Sri Lankans, mainly minority Tamils were displaced as refugees inside the country and abroad. BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- China's procuratorial organs have prosecuted over 15,000 individuals in more than 7,300 cases related to intellectual property rights (IPR) infringement crimes from January 2022 to March 2023, according to the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP). Procuratorial organs across the country have made active efforts to reduce the cost of safeguarding rights and improved judicial efficiency in handling IPR cases, said the SPP. Islamabad, Apr 27 (PTI) Pakistan's National Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution expressing "full confidence" in Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, amidst an increasing confrontation between the government and the judiciary. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party, tabled a resolution, stating that the National Assembly of Pakistan "reposes its full confidence in the leadership of" Prime Minister Sharif. The resolution was supported by 180 Members of the National Assembly (MNAs). The development comes days after the National Assembly rejected a money bill tabled by the government for providing funds to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for holding polls in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Lahore, Apr 27 (PTI) Pakistan's ousted prime minister Imran Khan on Thursday dismissed the claim made by the government that his life is under threat from "foreign agencies", and instead said he has identified a total of six persons within the country, including three fresh ones, who plotted to kill him. Referring to a new video that he claims his team has sent to his associates abroad, Khan, 70, said that its content talks about the people who want to kill him and would be out in public in case he is assassinated. "Among the six, three are those whom I had named in the FIR after an assassination attempt on my life in Punjab in November last year," Khan said in a series of tweets on Thursday. After a gun attack on his rally in the Wazirabad area, some 150 kms from Lahore, in which he suffered bullet injuries to his leg, Khan blamed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and ISI's top officer Major General Faisal Naseer for hatching a plot to assassinate him. "Interior minister (Sanaullah) says my life is under threat from foreign agencies. Let me make it clear to the entire country that the only threat to my life is from the 3 people I named after Wazirabad assassination attempt. Same 3, + 3 more I have identified in a video statement, tried to eliminate me on March 18 in ICT Judicial Complex," Khan said. Khan has not identified the three additional persons named by him. On March 18, clashes erupted between security forces and supporters of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party outside the judicial complex in Islamabad ahead of his appearance before a court in connection with a corruption case. In his tweets, Khan categorically said that if he is assassinated, the ones to be blamed would be the ones named in the video. "If any attempt is made now on my life, these same people will be responsible. Just as they tried to pin the blame for the Wazirabad attack on a religious extremist - a mere smokescreen - they are now trying to create another deception of foreign agencies," he said. "I want to make it crystal clear to the nation that the only people responsible for any attempt on my life will be the people I have identified. They are petrified I will be elected back to power & hold them accountable, hence their efforts to assassinate me," he said. Khan's PTI is pressing for early general polls, but the government led by Prime Minister Sharif maintains its stance on simultaneous elections across the country. Prime Minister Sharif on Wednesday said elections were an issue that needed to be decided in Parliament and added that the appropriate time to conduct them was either in October or November. The current National Assembly will complete its term on August 13, and elections are expected to be held after that. Copenhagen (Denmark), Apr 27 (AP) A court in Norway sentenced a former contractor of the Wagner Group, a private Russian military company known for brutal tactics, to 14 days in jail for disorderly conduct and for carrying an air gun in a public place. The Oslo court acquitted Andrey Medvedev, who is seeking asylum in Norway, of committing violence against police officers during his arrest, according to his lawyer, Brynjulf Risnes. Officers detained Medvedev outside a pub in the Norwegian capital following a February bar brawl. He admitted resisting arrest and spitting when he was put in handcuffs but denied kicking the officers, the lawyer said after his client appeared in court on Tuesday. It is very good that he was acquitted for what was the most serious, Risnes told the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet following Thursday's verdict. Medvedev also pleaded guilty to carrying an air gun when he went to a pub in downtown Oslo in March. He fled to Norway earlier this year, crossing illegally over the country's 198-kilometer (123-mile) border with Russia, and has said he would fear for his life if were sent back. Medvedev said he agreed to join the Wagner Group from July to November 2022 but left after his contract was extended without his consent. He said he was willing to testify about any possible war crimes he witnessed, though denied participating in any himself. Earlier, he reportedly told Russian dissident group Gulagu.net that he was ready to tell everything he knew about the Wagner Group and its owner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, a millionaire with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Soldiers working for the shady private contractor are fighting on the front lines in Ukraine and also have fought in Mali. (AP) PY PY Kyiv, Apr 27 (AP) NATO allies and partner countries have delivered more than 98 per cent of the combat vehicles promised to Ukraine during Russia's invasion and war, the military alliance's chief said on Thursday, giving Kyiv a bigger punch as contemplates launching a counteroffensive. Along with more than 1,550 armoured vehicles, 230 tanks and other equipment, Ukraine's allies have sent vast amounts of ammunition and also trained and equipped more than nine new Ukrainian brigades, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. More than 30,000 troops are estimated to make up the new brigades. Some NATO partner countries, such as Sweden and Australia, have also provided armoured vehicles. "This will put Ukraine in a strong position to continue to retake occupied territory, Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels. His comments came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping had a long and meaningful phone call in their first known contact since Russia's full-scale invasion more than a year ago. Though Zelenskyy said he was encouraged by Wednesday's call and Western officials welcomed Xi's move, the development didn't appear to bring about any immediate shift in peace prospects. Russia and Ukraine are far apart in their terms for peace, and Beijing while looking to position itself as a global diplomatic power has refused to criticise Moscow's invasion. The Chinese government sees Russia as a diplomatic ally in opposing US influence in global affairs, and Xi visited Moscow last month. Stoltenberg said the 31 NATO allies were committed to shoring up Ukraine's military, adding that taking back land occupied by the Kremlin's forces would give Kyiv a stronger negotiating position if peace talks occur. Ukrainian officials said China's overture was encouraging. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Thursday described the call between Xi and Zelenskyy as very productive. I'm convinced it is a good beginning for our relations in the future," Shmyhal said after visiting Pope Francis at the Vatican. But the Kremlin's response was lukewarm. Asked if the call could help end the fighting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: We are ready to welcome anything that could lead to the termination of the conflict in Ukraine and the achievement of all the goals set by Russia. Peskov said the conversation between the Chinese and Ukrainian leaders was the sovereign business of those countries and the issue of their bilateral dialogue. With battlefield positions in Ukraine largely static as a war of attrition took hold in recent months, Russian forces have kept up their bombardment of Ukrainian areas, often hitting apartment buildings and other civilian infrastructure. At least seven civilians were killed and 33 were injured between Wednesday and Thursday, Ukraine's presidential office said on Thursday. They included one person killed and 23 wounded, including a child, when four Kalibr cruise missiles hit the southern city of Mykolaiv, official said. The governor of Mykolaiv province, Vitalii Kim, said 22 multi-story buildings, 12 private houses and other residential buildings were damaged in the attack. Kalibr missiles are launched from ships or submarines, The ones that hit Mykolaiv were fired from somewhere in the Black Sea, according to Ukraine's Operational Command South. (AP) PY PY Aurangabad, Apr 27 (PTI) The Shiv Sena (UBT) is making efforts to win at least 100 seats in the 2024 Assembly polls in Maharashtra, its leader and MLC Ambadas Danve said on Thursday. The plan is to scout for winnable candidates and also to concentrate on seats where the party came second in the 2019 Assembly Polls, Danve, who is Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, told PTI. The 2019 Assembly polls were fought by the undivided Shiv Sena in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party, which got over 100 seats. The two parties together got more than 150 seats in the 288-member House. However, the Sena split in June last year after the rebellion by Eknath Shinde, which brought down Uddhav Thackeray's Maha Vikas Aghadi government. "We are looking for the right candidate on seats which were with MLAs who joined the Eknath Shinde faction. Also seats where we were second, like 27 seats in Marathwada. We plan to contest such seats with full power," Danve said. He claimed the Eknath Shinde government is in a fragile state as the support base of the Sena remains with Uddhav Thackeray, which had put paid to plans of the BJP. In an apparent reference to speculation about Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar and talk of his closeness to the BJP, the Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC, without taking names, said no ruling party (BJP) will try to break other parties if the situation is stable. "Such is the situation that Eknath Shinde may have to resign as CM," Danve claimed. Mumbai, Apr 27 (PTI) Five persons were arrested for allegedly stealing gold and diamond jewellery worth Rs 1.74 crore from the south Mumbai house of the chief executive officer of a prominent IT firm, an official said on Thursday. Those arrested for the theft, which took place in IT firm CEO Sharad Sanghi's house, located on Carmichael Rod under Gamdevi police station limits, include a house help and her husband, the official added. "The theft came to light on April 14. The IT firm CEO and his wife asked those employed at their home about the missing ornaments. A probe found the ornaments were stolen piecemeal since February by their house help who was passing it to her husband," he said. The house help was arrested and her husband was held from Jogeshwari railway station, just as he was about to flee the state, on the basis of her call detail record and CCTV footage, the official said. On the basis of his questioning, police arrested three persons to whom the stolen jewellery was handed over, he said. The stolen items were recovered and further probe into the case is underway, the official added. Aurangabad, Apr 27 (PTI) A total of 45.32 lakh persons have got loans amounting to Rs 4,606 crore under the Pradhan Mantri SVANidhi Yojana, Union Minister Bhagwat Karad said here on Thursday. The PM Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi scheme provides a platform for financial inclusion for street vendors through loans. Speaking at a loan distribution program organized in Sant Eknath Rang Mandir here, the Union Minister of State for Finance said, "The number of PM SVANidhi beneficiaries is 45.32 lakh across the country. In Mumbai's 24 zones, 104 banks were roped in to take the number of beneficiaries to two lakh. It was completed in 45 days." Those who have repaid the first loan amount of Rs 10,000 under the scheme will be eligible for the Centre's Mudra scheme, Karad added. Ahmedabad, Apr 27 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's appeal challenging the order of the Surat sessions court declining a stay to his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname" remark will now be heard by a new judge of the Gujarat High Court on April 29. As per the cause list published on Thursday by the High Court, Gandhi's appeal will be heard by Justice Hemant Prachchhak on April 29. Earlier on April 26, when Gandhi's lawyer P S Champaneri mentioned the case before Justice Gita Gopi, she recused herself from the hearing by saying "Not before me." The development came a day after Gandhi moved the HC. A metropolitan magistrate's court in Surat on March 23 sentenced the former Congress president to two years in jail after convicting him under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 499 and 500 (criminal defamation) in a 2019 case filed by Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Gujarat MLA Purnesh Modi. Following the verdict, Gandhi, elected to the Lok Sabha from Wayanad in Kerala in 2019, was disqualified as a Member of Parliament (MP) under the provisions of the Representation of the People Act. Gandhi challenged the order in a sessions court in Surat along with an application seeking a stay to the conviction. While granting him bail, the court on April 20 refused to stay the conviction. Purnesh Modi filed a criminal defamation case against Gandhi over his `How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?' remark made during an election rally at Kolar in Karnataka on April 13, 2019. A stay to the conviction could pave the way for Gandhi's reinstatement as a Member of Parliament. Mumbai, Apr 27 (PTI) Despite small staff, the Indian embassy in Sudan operated round-the-clock to evacuate those stranded in the war-torn country, said the passengers who landed in Mumbai on Thursday while narrating their harrowing experiences of the last seven days. Abdul Kadir, a 39 years old businessman, said after the situation in Khartoum worsened, India's ambassador B S Mubarak and his team of eight officials worked tirelessly. With limited staff, they did unlimited work, he said, adding that the Indian embassy was operating 24x7 during this period. Mubarak himself was stuck in the worst-affected part of the city, but he was continuously in touch with the staff and volunteers, he said. The ambassador created WhatsApp groups of Indians in each locality and ensured that every person got help, Kadir added. Defense attache Gupreet Singh took risk and brought Mubarak to a safe area, he said. Kadir, who was living in Sudan since 2017, said they were used to the tense situation in the country, but this time things took a bad turn unexpectedly, though they were hoping that tensions would decrease in the holy month of Ramadan. Within one hour the situation went out of control, he said, adding that they did not get a chance even to buy food and groceries. We got the benefit of being Indian. We were allowed to pass peacefully through numerous checkpoints, Kadir said, adding that the Indian community at Port Sudan not only opened their homes but also their hearts for the rescued compatriots. Another passenger said the situation was very bad, and the work done by the embassy staff could not be described in words. I only pray to Allah that all our stranded brothers and brothers in the embassy reach home safely, he added. Many people were still waiting for their relatives to reach Mumbai from Sudan. Anita Pandey, a resident of Kalyan, was one of them. Her husband had been working as a fitter in Khartoum for the last one year. My husband's friend told me that he has been rescued and is safe. I don't know where he is at present, but we are waiting for his arrival....I am hoping that he will reach tonight, Pandey said. Kolkata, Apr 27 (PTI) Following are the top stories from the Eastern Region at 5 pm. CAL 9 BH-ANAND MOHAN-LD RELEASE Gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh released from jail Saharsa/Patna: Gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh, who was serving a life sentence, was released from Saharsa jail on Thursday morning after being behind the bars for 15 years. CAL 15 OD-MAOIST-ENCOUNTER Police seize condoms, contraceptive pills, pregnancy test kits from Maoist hideout after encounter Nabarangapur: Police seized condoms, contraceptive pills and pregnancy test kits from a Maoist hideout following an exchange of fire with red rebels on Odisha-Chhattisgarh border, a senior officer said here on Thursday. CAL 14 WB-HC-KALIAGANJ INVESTIGATION Cal HC directs WB police to file progress report in probe in girl's death Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court Thursday directed West Bengal police to file a progress report on its probe into the unnatural death of a minor girl at Kaliaganj in Uttar Dinajpur district, which had trigerred violent protests there earlier this week. CAL 13 WB-ABHISHEK-CENTRAL VISTA PROJECT BJP-led Centre stalled funds for Bengal to fund Central Vista project: Abhishek Alipurduar: Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Thursday accused the BJP-led Centre of stalling funds due to West Bengal to fund the Central Vista project. CAL 12 WB-SHANTONU SEN-INTERVIEW Anti-corruption agencies staring at permanent interference: Ex-CBI joint director Kolkata: The Central Bureau of Investigation and other anti-corruption agencies in the country are staring at the predicament of permanent interference if a 2018 anti-graft law remains unchallenged, according to former CBI joint director Shantonu Sen. CAL 11 BH-JAIL-OVERCROWDING Bihar: Many overcrowded jails have double or more than double their prisoner capacity Patna: Amid a raging debate over the release of 27 convicted prisoners in Bihar, the latest figures released by the state home department underscore the need for decongesting 59 jails where nearly 62,000 inmates are currently lodged. CAL 8 TR-SHAH Amit Shah to visit Tripura in May to review Bru resettlement programme Agartala: Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to visit Tripura in May to review the rehabilitation of Brus in the state, a senior official said on Thursday. CAL 7 AR-HC-BJP MLA Arunachal: HC declares BJP MLA's election void for concealing info on properties Itanagar: The election of Arunachal Pradesh BJP MLA Dasanglu Pul was declared void by the Gauhati High Court for concealing information about her properties in the election affidavit. CAL 6 WB-HC-NIA-VIOLENCE-RAM NAVAMI Calcutta HC orders NIA probe into violence in Shibpur during Ram Navami Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday ordered an NIA investigation into the violence in Shibpur in Howrah district during Ram Navami celebrations. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang holds talks with Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Murat Nurtleu who visits China for the coming fourth China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Bowen) XI'AN, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang Wednesday held separate talks with Central Asian countries' senior diplomats who have visited China for the coming fourth China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. The diplomats included Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Murat Nurtleu, Kyrgyzstan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Kulubaev Zheenbek Moldokanovich, Tajikistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sirojiddin Muhriddin, Uzbekistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Bakhtiyor Saidov, and Turkmenistan's First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Vepa Hajiyev. Qin said China will, as always, firmly support Central Asian countries in safeguarding national sovereignty, independence, security, and territorial integrity, support the countries in independently choosing development paths in light of their national conditions, and resolutely oppose any external interference in the internal affairs of Central Asian countries. China will also strengthen communication and cooperation with Central Asian countries under the framework of the UN and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) framework and jointly safeguard the basic norms of international relations, the UN-centered international system, and international equity and justice. The foreign ministers of the five countries noted that developing ties with China is the priority direction of their diplomacy. The five countries will implement the consensus of the heads of state, increase high-level exchanges, promote the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, deepen people-to-people exchanges, jointly crack down on the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism, and extremism, and usher in the next 30 golden years of China-Central Asia relations. China's international influence is vitally important, and Chinese modernization brings new opportunities to Central Asia and the world, the foreign ministers of the five countries noted, adding that the five countries support a series of global initiatives and proposals put forward by China, support China's legitimate position on issues related to Taiwan, Xinjiang and Tibet, and oppose politicizing human rights. The two sides reached a broad consensus on promoting pragmatic cooperation. They will strengthen cooperation in economic and trade investment, connectivity, green agriculture, medical and health care, energy and mineral resources, port shipments, and local friendship cities. China and Kazakhstan will sign a mutual visa exemption agreement to facilitate personnel exchanges and promote the establishment of consulates in Xi'an and Aktobe. China will work with Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan in establishing cultural centers. China and Tajikistan will expand cooperation in industrial parks and give full play to the role of Luban Workshop, the first of its kind in Central Asia. China and Uzbekistan will advance the comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era and create highlights of cooperation in poverty reduction and innovation. Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan will also work with China to speed up the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project. China and Turkmenistan will make solid plans to hold annual cultural activities in each other's countries and accelerate the establishment of traditional medicine centers in Turkmenistan. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang holds talks with Kyrgyzstan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Kulubaev Zheenbek Moldokanovich who visits China for the coming fourth China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Shao Rui) Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang holds talks with Tajikistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sirojiddin Muhriddin who visits China for the coming fourth China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Bowen) Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang holds talks with Uzbekistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Bakhtiyor Saidov who visits China for the coming fourth China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Shao Rui) Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang holds talks with Turkmenistan's First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Vepa Hajiyev who visits China for the coming fourth China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Shao Rui) New Delhi, Apr 27 (PTI) The security situation in Sudan remains very complex and highly volatile and India's efforts have been to ensure safety of Indian nationals, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said on Thursday. At a media briefing, he said India has been in touch with all the concerned sides in Sudan with a focus on taking out Indians from the conflict zones. "Our focus has been to take out the Indians from the conflict zones to safer areas as soon as possible and then to bring them back home," the foreign secretary said. Referring to India's evacuation mission 'Operation Kaveri', he said 360 Indians have been brought back home and another batch of 246 are reaching India soon. At present, he said around 320 Indians are in Port Sudan and they are being taken to Saudi city of Jeddah. New Delhi, Apr 27 (PTI) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday held talks with his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu and is learnt to have discussed the lingering border row in eastern Ladakh. The talks took place hours after Li arrived in New Delhi to attend a meeting of defence ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) being hosted by India. Li's visit to India is the first by a Chinese defence minister after the eastern Ladakh border standoff began three years ago. There is no official word yet on the meeting between Singh and Li. The meeting between the two defence ministers took place days after the Indian and Chinese armies held 18th round of military talks on ending the border row. In the Corps Commander talks on April 23, the two sides agreed to stay in close touch and work out a mutually acceptable solution to the remaining issues in eastern Ladakh at the earliest. However, there was no indication of any clear forward movement in ending the row. India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas. Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang is also set to visit India next week to attend a conclave of foreign ministers of SCO member countries in Goa. The meeting is slated for May 4 and 5. On Thursday, Singh also held separate bilateral talks with his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Iran and Tajikistan. India is hosting the SCO defence ministers' meeting under its presidency of the grouping. Defence ministers of China, Russia and other member nations of the SCO except Pakistan are attending the meeting in Delhi. Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif will attend the meeting through virtual mode, officials said. New Delhi, Apr 27 (PTI) A 24-year-old man was arrested for allegedly duping people on the pretext of providing them assistance in plumbing and other household chores, police said on Thursday. The accused, Mantej Ansari, a native of Jharkhands Deoghar, used to attract the attention of customers by posting fake advertisements online. Then he fraudulently asked the customer to download a screen-sharing application on their phone and deducted money from their bank accounts, they said. In March, a Dwarka resident was cheated by the accused. The victim was in need of a plumber so he browsed the internet in search of help, he saw the advertisement put up by Ansari and contacted him, police said. Ansari asked the complainant to download an application and insisted to pay Rs 10 as a registration fee. Immediately after Rs 8,600 was deducted from his account through Paytm. When the victim protested about this, Ansari said that it was done by mistake, they said. Meanwhile, the complainant got messages of three transactions amounting to Rs 81,123, they said. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) M Harsha Vardhan said during the investigation, it was found that on March 12, Ansari made some purchases online using the victims debit card. He had bought an iPhone from Jio Mart and Rs 8600 was transferred through Paytm. Notices were served to Flipkart and Jio Mart seeking details of items purchased through these websites by the accused, he said. Based on technical and manual surveillance, the email id of the accused used for online shopping was obtained through which his registered mobile number was traced and the accused was identified, he said. Ansari was subsequently arrested following a raid at his house here and two mobile phones along with SIM cards were recovered from him, police said. New Delhi, Apr 27 (PTI) The Delhi government alleged on Thursday that Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has not cleared the file for takeover of Modern International School in Dwarka and accused him of acting like a "roadblock" in the procedure. The school breached provisions of the Right to Education (RTE) Act and the Delhi School Education Act and Rules by not admitting students belonging to economically weaker sections (EWS), not providing free uniform-stationery to beneficiary students, wrongly terminating teachers, and making fake/dummy registrations in Class XI, according to an official statement. The AAP dispensation had decided to take over the school in December last year and sent the proposal for the lieutenant governor's approval. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and then Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had pointed out that the subject of education is not under the LG's purview and he can only forward it to the President or approve it. "However, the LG sat on the file till January 2023 and obstructed the takeover of the school by illegally placing his observations, without his jurisdiction on matters of education," the statement alleged. The chief minister forwarded a fresh proposal for the lieutenant governor's nod in February but the LG "again sat on the file till April 2023 and again obstructed the takeover of the school by placing illegal observations, without his jurisdiction". Education Minister Atishi had submitted another proposal after the LG's observations, again calling for the takeover of the school. The proposal has been resent to the LG by Kejriwal, highlighting the delays on his part. Education of several children is being hampered and it has been over four-and-a-half months since the matter was first sent to the LG, the CM had noted while forwarding the proposal. The Delhi government had also appealed to the lieutenant governor to take swift action and provide necessary approval for the takeover of the school, which is in the best interest of the students. The chief minister has noted that the Delhi government has taken a final decision to take over the school and the matter is being placed before the lieutenant governor to record his views under Rule 47 A of the Transaction of Business of the GNCTD (Amendment) Rules, 2021, whether he wishes to differ from the government and refer the matter to the president, according to the statement. "It is more than four and a half months now, and the education of several children is being hampered. Therefore, it is humbly requested that lieutenant governor may record his final views whether he would like to refer this matter to the president," added Kejriwal. The decision of taking over the school was taken following several show-cause notices to it. After examining all the facts and the replies submitted by the administration of Modern International School, Dwarka, the government concluded that it is apparent that the reply submitted by the school is not appropriate and no proper justification or documents or clarification regarding breach of terms and conditions of recognition and directions of the Directorate of Education were submitted. Earlier, there was a prolonged standoff between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and the LG over foreign training for government school teachers. New Delhi, Apr 27 (PTI) The Delhi BJP on Thursday staged a protest near Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's house here, accusing him of spending crores on renovation of his official residence. The BJP has accused Kejriwal of spending nearly Rs 45 crore on renovation of his official residence at 6, Flagstaff Road in Civil Lines area, during 2020-2022, while the Aam Aadmi Party has alleged that the BJP was trying to divert attention from real issues. Carrying a model of a mansion, the protesters took out a march from Chandgiram Akhara on Ring Road towards the Delhi chief minister's residence. Kejriwal has been occupying the Civil Lines residence after becoming chief minister in 2015. The BJP has alleged that Kejriwal, who had claimed to promote honesty and simplicity while entering politics, has built a "palace of corruption". Hitting back at the BJP, AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh had said it was trying to divert attention from important issues. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's official residence was built in 1942 and the roof had collapsed thrice, Singh had said. Following the roof collapse incidents, the Public Works Department (PWD) suggested a new house be built and this was done, he had said claiming Rs 30 crore was spent on the rebuilt house. Belagavi, Apr 27 (PTI) Belagavi district with second highest number of assembly seats after Bengaluru Urban -- is expected to face tough contest between the BJP and Congress as Lingayat politics surmounts the local issues, but the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) could play spoilsport in a few seats as it wants to keep the border issue alive. There are 18 assembly constituencies in the border district which is a Lingayat stronghold and has been a BJP bastion in the last two decades. As in the last three elections, it is likely to be a straight contest between the BJP and Congress in most of the assembly seats barring five where the Shiv Sena-NCP supported MES -- a vocal proponent of the inclusion of Belagavi and other Marathi-speaking areas in Maharashtra -- has fielded local candidates. The leadership vacuum in the Lingayat community after sidelining of stalwart leader B S Yediyurappa, demise of some prominent local Lingayat BJP leaders like Suresh Angadi and Umesh Katti and rising clout of politically influencial Jarkiholi family belonging to scheduled tribes community -- are expected to resonate among voters. The exit of many disgruntled BJP leaders including three-time MLA and former Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi from Belagavi, over denial of the ticket for the upcoming assembly election -- is likely to dent some votes here. On the other hand, MES is trying hard to keep the border issue alive in Belagavi, which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency and constitutes nearly 40 per cent Marathi-speaking population. The triangular fight could dent votes of national parties in five Marathi-speaking dominated constituencies. Five of the constituencies in the district are dominated by Marathas, while Lingayats form a majority in most of the 13 remaining constituencies. There is a sizable population of OBCs and SCs/STs as well, with two seats reserved for these groups in the district. In the district, where many elected representatives are sugar barons, three powerful political families -- the Jharkiholis, the Jolles and the Khattis -- enjoy electoral dominance. From the Jharkiholi family, Ramesh Jarkiholi and Balachandra Jarkiholi are contesting on a BJP ticket from Gokak and Arabhavi assembly constituencies, respectively. Another member of the family, Satish Jarkihol is contesting on a Congress ticket from theYemkanmardi seat. The Jarkiholi brothers are known to change parties. Ramesh Jarkiholi was a minister in the Congress-JD(S) coalition government before joining the BJP ranks. He was among the 17 MLAs who defected from the Congress and helped BJP to topple the Congress-JDS coalition government in 2019. Ramesh's clout in the district is hard to ignore as he has ensured BJP ticket to his followers who defected from Congress, which has upset the traditional party leaders especially his political rival Laxman Savadi Another prominent family are Jolles represented by the incumbent Muzrai (Religious and Charitable Endowments) minister Shashikala Jolle who is contesting on BJP ticket from Nippani constituency. Her husband Anna Saheb Jolle is the BJP Lok Sabha member from Chikkodi in Belagavi district. From the Khatti family, Ramesh Khatti -- who represented the Chikkodi parliamentary constituency from 2009-2014 -- is contesting on a BJP ticket from the Chikkodi-Sadalga MLA seat this time, while his nephew Nikil Katti from Hukkeri assembly constituency after untimely demise of his father Umesh Khatti, who was an eight time MLA and six time minister. After quitting BJP over denial of a ticket, Laxman Savadi is contesting on a Congress ticket from the Athani assembly seat to avenge his humiliation from the saffron party, especially Ramesh Jarkiholi. He has to face Mahesh Kumathalli, then in the Congress, now the BJP nominee Ramesh has differences with some Congress leaders like Laxmi Hebbalkar who is contesting from Belagavi Rural seat. Both of them are contesting from different constituencies but are trying hard to defeat each other to settle personal grudges. There are 39.01 lakh voters in the 18 assembly constituencies of Belagavi district. Out of which, 19,68,928 are male voters, 19,32,576 women and 141 registered as Others, as per the official data. In the 2018 polls, the BJP won 10 and Congress 8 seats, which changed after the defections in 2019. Three Congress MLAs Ramesh Jarkiholi (Gokak), Mahesh Kumathalli (Athani) and Shrimanth Patil (Kagwad) resigned and joined the BJP. Belagavi, April 27(PTI) While BJP candidate Ramesh Jarkiholi was busy campaigning in neighbouring constituencies, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivaraj Chouhan was in Gokak assembly segment to campaign for him and urged the voters not to fall for "false promises" made by the Congress. In place of Ramesh, his brother Balachandra Jarkiholi -- a BJP candidate from Arabhavi assembly seat - was present during the campaign along with senior local saffron party leaders on Wednesday. Ramesh, a six time MLA, is an influential political leader not only in his home turf but also the entire Belagavi district. He was among the 17 MLAs who defected from Congress to the BJP in 2019 toppling the Congress-JDS coalition government. He is said to have orchestrated the defection of MLAs, which helped the BJP come to power. Addressing the gathering, Chouhan said the development works are undertaken ony by the BJP government and not the Congress which has only given "corruption, crime and commission" besides its anti-Lingayat approach in Karnataka. He said the Opposition party makes false promises and urged voters not to fall for them. "Beware of (Congress leader) Rahul Gandhi's promises. He had come to Madhya Pradesh promising a debt waiver but nothing was done." The Congress can do anything for votes, and even might promise getting stars from the sky, he said, and alleged that the Congress wants to win elections "to make money". The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister said both Congress and JD(S) are two faces of the same coin with dynasty politics. "Voting JD(S) will strengthen Congress," he said. Listing out the achievements of the BJP government both at the Centre and state, he said more development initiatives will be undertaken if the double engine government is elected in the state. "BJP is the only party which can undertake the development works. Support BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modiji who will further strengthen Karnataka." Chouhan also thanked Ramesh for defecting from Congress and saving the state from Congress rule. Gokak is one of the 18 constituencies in Belagavi district,which has the second highest number of assembly seats after Bengaluru urban. The Congress has fielded Mahantesh Kadadi from this constituency. There are 2,38,221 voters in the Gokak Assembly constituency, out of which 1,16,816 are male, and 1,20,085 female voters. Lingayats comprise 75,000, SC-ST 45,000, Muslim 35000, Kuruba 25000, and Uppar Samaj 14,000. Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 27 (PTI) The opposition Congress in Kerala on Thursday slammed the LDF government over its Rs 232 crore AI camera initiative by terming it as a "massive, systematic and planned" corruption that was centered around the office of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Senior Congress leader and former Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Ramesh Chennithala, who was the first one to raise allegations of corruption and irregularities in connection with the project, claimed that the common man was being looted to fill the coffers of companies of friends and relatives of the ruling Left front. He alleged the Kerala CM was the "prime accused" in the scam as everything happened with his knowledge and approval. Chennithala, at a press conference here, also ridiculed State Industries MInister P Rajeev's announcement of an inquiry into the matter by the Principal Secretary, Industries, saying that it was an attempt to "whitewash" the corruption that took place "under the guise of the Safe Kerala project". Similar allegations were also made by Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Assembly V D Satheesan, who contended that the Chief Minister's Office was at the centre of major scams like the gold smuggling through diplomatic bags, Life Mission fraud and now the AI camera related corruption. The CMO has not yet reacted to these allegations. Both the Congress leaders, at separate press conferences held here, also raised a number of questions like why Bengaluru-based SRIT was awarded the contract when it was neither technically or financially qualified nor an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) or an authorised vendor of the same as was required under the tender conditions. Satheesan, speaking to reporters, alleged that SRIT and some other companies, which were also not technically qualified and were connected to each other, formed a cartel and participated in the tender in such a manner that the Bengaluru-based company won the bid. The LoP also questioned why the project was launched with much fanfare when there was a Vigilance probe underway against a Transport department official in connection with the AI cameras. Both Congress leaders further asked why the details of the Vigilance probe was not disclosed before the cabinet in a note placed before it by State Transport Minister Antony Raju recently. They also claimed that neither the government nor any of its ministers have been able to answer any of the queries raised by them regarding the project. Chennithala further said that Rajeev was able to talk very casually about the entire matter and deny the allegations as he has no responsibility for the project which was planned before he became the Industries Minister. Satheesan said that once Rajeev has denied there was any corruption in connection with the AI camera procurement, how will the Principal Secretary Industries, who answers to the minister, say anything that is contrary. Both Chennithala and Satheesan said that there were several brands of cameras in the market which carried all the specifications that the AI cameras had, but were much cheaper and came with warranties and five-year maintenance guarantees. However, in the instant case, besides the contract amount of Rs 151 crore to install the cameras, an additional Rs 66 crore has been set aside for maintenance of the same, they alleged and claimed that all this points to a large-scale corruption in the implementation of the project. Chennithala said the cameras should not be called Artificial Intelligence (AI) cameras and should be termed as Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. "AI is a process, a system and it is only one per cent of the camera. It is actually an ANPR camera. An even better name for it is corruption camera," the senior Congress leader said. Satheesan, during his interaction with the media, also alleged some Kannur-based companies as well as Kozhikode-based Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society were linked to SRIT and were behind the AI camera scam. Since Vijayan inaugurated the Safe Kerala project last week, the Congress has been vocal about its opposition to the initiative and alleged there were irregularities and corruption involved in awarding the contracts. Mathura, Apr 27 (PTI) A 45-year-old man was killed and another injured after a speeding SUV hit two scooters in the Police Lines area here in Uttar Pradesh, police said on Thursday The SUV's driver first hit Mohit Sharma's scooter and in an attempt to flee, rammed Mukesh Saini's vehicle, an official said. Both were rushed to a hospital where Saini succumbed to injuries. The condition of Sharma is said to be stable, he said. The SUV's driver has been arrested, the official said. Gurugram, Apr 27 (PTI) Police here have conducted a special search operation during which they raided 17 clubs, bars and restaurants to check illegal hookah bars and arrested two people, officials said on Thursday. Ganja, prohibited medicine, hookahs and intoxicants of various flavours were seized during the raids conducted on Wednesday night. The Faridabad police also raided a hookah bar, being run illegally near Lakhan chowk, NIT-2, on Wednesday night and arrested its owner. In Gurugram, the police raided 17 places including restaurants, clubs and bars in the Sector 29 area. Two people were arrested. The police also seized illegal medicines, hookah, ganja from some clubs. The search operation was conducted jointly by the teams of Gurugram Police and drug control officials. ACP Sanjeev Kumar, ACP Vikas kaushik, ACP Dr Kavita, and Drug Controller Amandeep Chauhan were involved in the search operation. "The raid was conducted after police received information that illegal hookah parlours are running in some pubs, bars and restaurants. Two FIRs were registered and the further probe is underway," said ACP, DLF Dr Kavita. In Faridabad, a team led by ASI Yashpal reached at Nutelindo Cafe where banned hookah was being served in the bar. Police have seized four boxes of 100 grams each containing banned hookah and nicotine substance from the spot. Faridabad police spokesperson Sube Singh said that after registering an FIR under COPTA or the Cigarettes or Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act. The bar owner, identified as Dev, has been arrested, he said. BEIJING, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese police have launched this year's campaign to apprehend economic fugitives who have fled overseas, according to the Ministry of Public Security. Public security organs will intensify efforts to solve key cases of fugitive repatriation and the recovering of criminal assets in the "Fox Hunt 2023" campaign, and support discipline inspection and supervision departments in this regard, the ministry said. During last year's "Fox Hunt" campaign, Chinese police have arrested more than 700 fugitives suspected of various economic crimes, and recovered 1 billion yuan (about 144 million U.S. dollars) of illegal assets in one single case, the largest amount of this kind in the past three years, the ministry added. China launched its "Fox Hunt" operation in 2014 to pursue economic fugitives. Westerly, RI (02891) Today Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. High 54F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 43F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. New York City Mayor Eric Adams defended the NYPDs overtime spending during his executive budget rollout on Wednesday, suggesting that critics of the departments fiscal outlay are either anti-overtime or anti-police. Adams had just unveiled his updated $106.7 billion spending plan when he launched into a tangent about police overtime spending, which has faced scrutiny for being excessive. The NYPDs overtime costs in 2022 were the highest of any city agency, with uniformed cops costing the city $670 million in overtime for that fiscal year, almost double the $354 million allocated in the adopted budget. The fire department spent $392 million on overtime, the second-highest actual overtime cost for that year. In comparison, non-uniformed agencies spent far less on overtime, with the Department of Social Services racking up the highest OT cost among them at $85.2 million in 2022, and the Parks Department spending around $30 million. Adams had prefaced his remarks by saying he had discussed the issue with some City Council members the other day, adding that he never hears them talking about overtime in any other agency besides the NYPD. He questioned whether the issue was anti-overtime or anti-police, saying that nobody gets riled up about overtime in parks, in the Human Resources Administration, or anywhere else but the NYPD. He added that if it is anti-police, shame on us. Adams retired from the NYPD as a captain and has previously shown support for the department, even as he has also pledged to reform it. Last year, during his campaign for mayor, he received criticism from some activists for accepting campaign donations from police unions. However, he has also expressed support for reforms such as reducing the departments budget and creating alternative emergency response systems. The mayors defense of the NYPDs overtime spending has sparked criticism from some city council members, who have argued that excessive overtime is a sign of mismanagement and that the city should be investing in community-based programs instead. However, Adams has maintained that the NYPD needs overtime to maintain public safety and that his spending plan strikes a balance between public safety and investing in communities. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) At the instructions of Gedolei Yisrael, the Chareidi parties will not call the sector to join the right-wing million-man march for judicial reform on Thursday. One of the heads of the Charedi parties told Kikar HShabbat that From the first moment, we said that regarding the reform, we are being led and are not leading. There is no reason for us to be at the center of the storm. Its not for nothing that weve hardly had any interviews in recent weeks. And in general, Gedolei Yisrael dont want to be mevatel the Torah of thousands of avreichim and bochurim for a protest that is not related to Torah gezeiros. (YWN Israel Desk Jerusalem) Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson formally launched his Republican presidential campaign Wednesday, pledging to bring out the best of America and aiming to draw contrasts with other GOP hopefuls on top issues, including how best to reform federal law enforcement agencies. Hutchinson kicked off his 2024 bid in his hometown of Bentonville, on the same steps where he launched an unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaign 30 years ago. I ran as a conservative Republican when being a Republican was like having a career-ending handicap, Hutchinson said, adding, And now, I bring that same vigor to fight another battle, and that battle is for the future of our country and the soul of our party. The stalwart conservative, who announced in a television interview earlier this month that he intended to run, has been a rare figure among announced or expected GOP presidential hopefuls in his willingness to criticize former President Donald Trump, calling for him to drop out of the 2024 race instead of seeking another White House term. And while Trump has fixated his campaign message around his false claims about the 2020 election he lost, Hutchinson has said voters need a candidate who is not focused on the past. While some of the other contenders who served in Trumps administration struggled to carve out distance from Trump, Hutchinson has been able to draw from his lengthy resume in government and roots in Americas heartland. Without mentioning Trump by name Wednesday, Hutchinson offered a contrast to the former presidents derision of federal law enforcement by emphasizing his own background, with previous service as head of the Drug Enforcement Administration and former undersecretary of the Department of Homeland Security. There are a few misguided leaders who say we should defund law enforcement, we should defund the FBI. I am here today in support of our law enforcement heroes, Hutchinson said. He went on to say, We should not defund the FBI, but we do need serious reform to refocus the core functions of our federal law enforcement. He said the FBI needs to be trimmed down and focused on its No. 1 duty: leading our counterterrorism mission. Hutchinson, also a former U.S. attorney and congressman, launched his bid a day after President Joe Biden formally announced his reelection campaign. Hutchinson has argued that neither Biden nor Trump is focused on the future. I am confident we will even survive through the destructive policies of the Biden administration, but the time for change is now, said Hutchinson. It is time to bring out the best of America. On Wednesday, Hutchinson also offered a contrast to the isolationist approach some other Republicans have taken about Russias invasion of Ukraine, saying he agreed with those who say we do not want an unending war in Ukraine, and the best way to avoid a long war is to help Ukraine win today. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, entrepreneur and Woke, Inc. author Vivek Ramaswamy and radio host Larry Elder are also in the Republican race. They, along with expected and potential candidates like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, have largely avoided criticizing Trump and have at times defended him. Hutchinsons announcement took place in the tree-lined town square of Bentonville, the birthplace of Walmart. The city of nearly 57,000 people in the northwest part of the state is where Hutchinson first served as a city attorney starting in 1977 and where he first ran for office with an unsuccessful bid for local prosecutor. Hutchinsons second gubernatorial term ended in January, but hes been a defining figure of Arkansas politics for more than four decades. His successor is Trumps former press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Elected to the U.S. House in 1996, Hutchinson won a seat his older brother, Tim, had held for two terms. Serving as one of the House managers prosecuting the impeachment case against President Bill Clinton starting in 1998, Asa Hutchinson stayed in the House until 2001, when he resigned to serve in the Bush administration. After the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, the National Rifle Association selected Hutchinson to lead a task force to study school safety and recommended putting armed guards at every school in the country. Elected governor in 2014, Hutchinson signed a series of income tax cuts and restrictions on abortion, including an outright ban on the procedure that became effective when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Hutchinson later said he wished that the measure had included exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest, but didnt push for lawmakers to add those exemptions after the court ruling. On Wednesday, Hutchinson steered clear of culture war issues otherwise dominant in some sectors of GOP politics, focusing on his overall commitment to safeguarding America as democracys lighthouse. Hutchinson supported many of Trumps policies but began to break with him over his lies about the 2020 presidential election. He has also criticized Trump for the 2020 peace deal he negotiated with the Taliban and for high government spending in his administration, calling Trump one of the reasons that we added to our national debt and our deficit. Randy Zook, the head of the Arkansas Chamber of Commerce, attended Wednesdays launch and said Hutchinson found a way to thread the needle as governor even as the state moved further to the right. Zook cited as an example Hutchinsons decision to support keeping the states Medicaid expansion, but with changes such as a work requirement that was blocked by a federal judge. I think theres a lane for him, Zook said. The country is looking for a reasonable and sensible and positive conservative. Asa fits that bill. Hutchinson has also shown a willingness to criticize some of his other rivals, telling The Associated Press he disagrees with the way DeSantis has sparred with Disney after the company opposed legislation DeSantis signed in Florida barring school instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity. It seems very Trumpian to me as to how hes approached it, Hutchinson said. I dont think government ought to be punishing the private sector because we dont like what they say. Kathy Travis, a retired schoolteacher from Bentonville who attended Hutchinsons launch, said she voted for Biden in 2020 but was leaning toward supporting the former governor. Travis, who wore a shirt that said #AnyoneButTrump, said she was pleased with Hutchinsons handling as governor of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hes just a regular guy whos made his way in politics and maintained his values, Travis said. (AP) The co-founder of a fundraising group linked to Steve Bannon that promised to help Donald Trump construct a wall along the southern U.S. border was sentenced to four years and three months in prison on Wednesday for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors. Brian Kolfage, a decorated Air Force veteran who lost both of his legs and an arm in the Iraq War, previously pleaded guilty for his role in siphoning donations from the We Build the Wall campaign. A co-defendant, financier Andrew Badolato, was also sentenced to three years for aiding the effort. He had also pleaded guilty. A third man involved in siphoning funds from the wall project, Colorado businessman Tim Shea, wont be sentenced until June. Kolfage and Badolato were also ordered to pay $25 million in restitution to the victims. Absent from the case was Bannon, Trumps former top political adviser. He was initially arrested aboard a luxury yacht and faced federal fraud charges along with the other men, but Trump pardoned him during his final hours in office. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg brought new, state charges against Bannon last year. He is awaiting trial. Presidential pardons apply only to federal crimes, not state offenses. Bannon has called the case nonsense. Kolfage, Badolato and Shea were not pardoned by Trump, leaving them to face the prospect of years in prison. Prosecutors said the scheme was hatched by Kolfage, who served as the public face of the effort as it raised more than $25 million from donors across the country. He repeatedly assured the public he would not take a penny from the campaign. As money poured into the cause, Kolfage and his partner, Shea, turned to Bannon and Badolato for help creating a nonprofit, We Build the Wall, Inc. The four defendants then took steps to funnel the money to themselves for personal gain, prosecutors said. An attorney for Badolato, Kelly Kramer, described Bannon as a leader and primary beneficiary of the scheme, noting that his own client received a much smaller payout than the pardoned associate. While prosecutors acknowledged that Badolato profited the least of the four defendants, they described him as the connective tissue between Kolfage and Bannon, helping to direct the kickbacks between the two parties. Kolfage, 41, told Judge Analisa Torres that he was remorseful, disgusted, humiliated. He said he had not anticipated the scale of donations that would flood in for the cause and soon found himself drifting away from his initial goal, which he said was putting a spotlight on the countrys broken immigration system. I made a promise not to personally benefit and I broke that promise, he said. Torres said the defendants not only cheated their donors but contributed to a chilling effect on civic participation by tarnishing the reputation of political fundraising. The fraudsters behind We Build The Wall injured the body politic, she said. Kolfage received more than $350,000 in donor funds, which he spent on personal expenses that included boat payments, a luxury SUV and cosmetic surgery, prosecutors said in a court filing. Bannon was accused of taking more than $1 million through a separate nonprofit, then secretly paying some of it back to Kolfage. Badolato, 58, and Shea also stole hundreds of thousands from fundraisers as well, prosecutors said. As part of a plea deal, Kolfage and Badolato agreed not to challenge a sentence within the agreed-upon range: between four to five years for Kolfage and 3 1/2 to four years for Badolato. An attorney for Kolfage previously argued that his client should avoid prison time given his lack of criminal history and severe disability. Some sections of a border barrier were built by We Build the Wall on private lands, but the nonprofit is now defunct. (AP) The Supreme Court is speaking with one voice in response to recent criticism of the justices ethical practices: No need to fix what isnt broken. The justices response on Tuesday struck some critics and ethics experts as tone deaf at a time of heightened attention on the justices travel and private business transactions. That comes against the backdrop of a historic dip in public approval as measured by opinion polls. Deeply divided on some of the most contentious issues of the day including abortion, gun rights and the place of religion in public life the courts six conservatives and three liberals seem united on this particular principle: on ethics they will set their own rules and police themselves. Charles Geyh, an Indiana University law professor and legal ethics expert, said everything the justices detailed Tuesday evening about ethics was essentially outlined in Chief Justice John Roberts annual year-end report from 2011, more than a decade ago. Theyre basically saying What weve been doing is just fine. Lets just re-say it for those of you at the backThat just strikes me as, you know, pretty empty, Geyh said. The most recent stories about the questionable ethics practices of justices began earlier this month. First came a ProPublica investigation that revealed that Thomas has for more than two decades accepted luxury trips nearly every year from Republican megadonor Harlan Crow without reporting them on financial disclosure forms. Thomas responded by issuing a statement saying that he was not required to disclose the trips. A week later, ProPublica revealed in a new story that Crow had purchased three properties belonging to Thomas and his family, a transaction worth more than $100,000 that Thomas never disclosed. Politico reported more recently that when Justice Neil Gorsuch sold property he co-owned shortly after becoming a justice, he disclosed the sale but omitted that the property was purchased by a person whose firm frequently has cases before the high court. And earlier this year, there were stories about the legal recruiting career of Chief Justice John Roberts wife and whether it raised ethical concerns that she was paid large sums for placing lawyers at firms that appear before the court. The series of revelations has provoked outcry and calls for reform particularly from Democrats. On Wednesday, Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Angus King, the independent from Maine, announced legislation that would require the Supreme Court to create a code of conduct and appoint an official to oversee potential conflicts and public complaints. Next week, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on Supreme Court ethics reform. The time has come for a new public conversation on ways to restore confidence in the Courts ethical standards. I invite you to join it, wrote Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., in a letter. Roberts declined in his own letter made public Tuesday evening. He wrote that testimony by previous holders of his office before Congress is exceedingly rare, as one might expect in light or separation of powers concerns and the importance of preserving judicial independence. To his letter, however, Roberts attached a Statement on Ethics Principles and Practices signed by all nine justices describing the ethical rules they follow about travel, gifts and outside income. This statement aims to provide new clarity to the bar and to the public on how the Justices address certain recurring issues, and also seeks to dispel some common misconceptions, the statement read. But ethics experts and other court observers said the statement that followed and ran just over two pages was nothing new, just the rehashing of things we already knew and found insufficient, said Gabe Roth of the watchdog group Fix the Court in a statement. The statement signed by the justices essentially said that they consult a wide variety of sources to address ethical issues, decide for themselves when a conflict requires that they step away from a case and file the same annual financial disclosure reports as other judges. The justices have previously resisted calls to write a formal code of conduct. Kathleen Clark, a legal ethics professor at Washington University in St. Louis, said in her view the problem is that the justices have not been subjected to basic accountability that just about everybody else in the federal government has to comply with. What was striking to her about the statement, she said, was a failure to grapple with the fundamental problem of lack of accountability. The justices seem to be utterly clueless about the problem they have Theyre in a bubble apparently. They dont see what a big problem they have with the lack of accountability, she said. (AP) Former Vice President Mike Pence took a direct shot against his ex-boss, Donald Trump, in a podcast appearance during which he touched on the need to reform Social Security and Medicaid. Remember, Joe Bidens policy is insolvency, Pence said on The Dispatch podcast. In fairness, my old running mates policy is identical to Joe Bidens: That were never even gonna talk about Social Security and Medicare. I think we owe my three granddaughters better than that. If we just stay on the trajectory were on, Sarah, $32 trillion will go to $150 trillion in the next 30 years. And if you wait to deal with it at that point, budget experts will tell you left, right, and center you only have bad choices. Youre either cutting programs that people really rely on, or youre gonna double middle class taxes and probably introduce a European style taxation system called a VAT, Pence continued. So, its the only way that the numbers work. But if you introduce common sense and compassionate reforms for Americans under the age of 40 now, and you communicate that to the American people, we can stave off that debt crisis and put our country back on a path of fiscal solvency. Pence is among a plethora of other Republicans considering throwing their hat in the 2024 ring. While once one of Trumps staunchest supporters, Pence soured on Trump and vice versa following the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) Top Vietnamese legislator begins Uruguay visit A high-ranking delegation of the National Assembly (NA) led by NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue arrived in Montevideo on April 27 afternoon (local time), starting an official visit to Uruguay at the invitation of Senate President Beatriz Argimon Cedeira. National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue arives in Montevideo on April 26 (local time), beginning an official visit to Uruguay, aiming to consolidate and further promote the traditional friendship, solidarity and mutual support between the two countries. Hue is scheduled to hold talks and meet with high-ranking leaders of Uruguay, sign a cooperation agreement between the two legislatures, and take part in activities marking the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries. His visit aims to consolidate and further promote the traditional friendship, solidarity and mutual support between the two countries, as well as cooperation between the two legislatures, especially when the two countries are celebrating 30 years of bilateral diplomacy this year. Uruguay is one of Vietnams important partners in Latin America. The two sides will discuss ways to improve the efficiency of cooperation in various potential fields, and at the same time examine the possibility of starting negotiations for the Vietnam Mercosur free trade agreement. Vietnam and Uruguay established diplomatic relations on August 11, 1993. The two countries have maintained the fine friendship and cooperataive relations over the years. Two-way trade between the two countries increased to more than US$100 million in 2019 from just US$27 million in 2007. Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, bilateral trade rose 89.7% last year to US$175.1 million. Tours, activities and attractions travels third-largest and fastest growing sector will reach $67 billion in Asia Pacific (APAC) during 2024 and surpass the pre-pandemic peak to reach $75 billion in 2025, says new research from travel experiences leader Arival. Travel experiences in Asia Pacific have returned to rapid growth as the region reopens to regional and long-haul travel, finds, according to its The Outlook for Experiences 2019-2025 research released ahead of its Arival Activate event in Bangkok. . The Asia Pacific region has borne the worst of the pandemic, with a broad regional shutdown in cross-border travel well beyond other parts of the world, said Arival CEO Douglas Quinby. But demand for travel in the region is now accelerating as many borders have reopened, encouraging travelers to return. As we saw when other regions reopened, travelers put experiences first in travel planning and spend. The challenge now will be for the global industry to get ready for the rapid influx of demand from across Asia Pacific. Online bookings will surpass 30% of all tours, activities and attractions booking worldwide in 2025, up from 17% in 2019, according to Arival research. However, online booking volume across Asia Pacific will more than triple during the same period as younger travelers shape travels rebound. Online marketplaces and mobile-ready operators across the region will be best positioned to benefit. The large, experience-hungry cohort of Gen-Z and millennial travelers in Asia are putting experiences first and they are willing to pay for it, said Arivals Quinby. But operators must be ready. This means more small-group, immersive experiences that get travelers off the beaten. And it must all be discoverable and bookable on mobile, with plenty of Instagram- and TikTok-worthy moments. The Arival Activate event takes place in Bangkok from June 12-14, and is expected to bring together hundreds of tours, activities and experiences professionals from across the region. Arival Activate is an event designed specifically for the Asian experiences Industry, including suppliers and operators of tours, activities, and attractions The primary focus this year is on aiding businesses in navigating their post-pandemic recovery through targeted sessions on digital strategies, networking and connecting with leading distributors and OTAs in the APAC region. There will be dedicated sessions on connectivity, channel management, dynamic pricing, generative chat, super apps, the guest experience, the future of distribution, sustainable tourism, culinary travel trends. TradeArabia News Service BEIJING, April 27 (Xinhua) -- China will make more efforts to further stabilize employment, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said Thursday. The ministry will accelerate the expansion, implementation, optimization and adjustment of policies and measures, as well as promote innovation in ideas, systems and institutions for employment, Yu Jiadong, vice minister of human resources and social security told a press conference. Employment of key groups including college graduates shall be ensured, Yu said, adding that the plan to promote employment and entrepreneurship for college graduates and activities such as campus job fairs will be advanced. The vice minister went on to add that employment services will be enhanced, and large-scale vocational training will continue to be carried out. The ministry will launch a special campaign to rectify order in the human resources market, crack down on unlawful activities, such as illegal intermediary agencies and false recruitment, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of workers, Yu said. China's job market witnessed stable improvement in the first quarter of this year, with the surveyed urban unemployment rate dropping to 5.3 percent in March, down from 5.6 percent in February, which is lower than 5.8 percent a year ago. The number of new jobs created in the first three months stood at 2.97 million, up by 120,000 year on year, data from the ministry showed. Russias Foreign Ministry on Thursday denied a U.S request for a consular visit to Evan Gershkovich, an American reporter for The Wall Street Journal who is jailed on espionage charges. The ministry said it rejected the request for the May 11 visit in retaliation for the U.S. refusing to grant visas to Russian journalists who planned to accompany Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on a trip to the United Nations. Gershkovich has been in custody since his March 29 arrest by Russias security service on espionage charges that he, his employer and the U.S. government have denied. Gershkovich is the first U.S. correspondent since the Cold War to be detained in Russia on spying charges, and his arrest rattled journalists in the country and drew outrage in the West. The United States has declared Gershkovich to be wrongfully detained and demanded his immediate release. The Russian denial of the U.S. request for a consular visit to Gershkovich followed Lavrov warning that Moscow will not forget and will not forgive the denial of the visas to Russian journalists. The Foreign Ministry said Friday it was also considering other retaliatory measures. A protest note was presented in connection with the provocative conduct of the U.S. diplomatic mission, which thwarted the issuing of visas to mass media representatives from the press pool of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who were supposed to accompany him on his trip to New York as part of Russias presidency of the U.N. Security Council, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The U.S. Embassy was informed in this connection that its request for consular access to U.S. citizen Gershkovich, detained on suspicion of espionage, on May 11 was declined, the ministry statement said. Other possible retaliatory measures, about which the U.S. side will be duly notified, are being considered. (AP) By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com One can only say, Mi KaAmcha Yisroel. And, in fact, the judge in a recent case actually said something just like that. The statement was made concerning an individual that had just spent close to 4 months in Rikers Island, and due to our communitys efforts, was spared a difficult fate. The judge remarked that in her entire career, she had never seen anything like this before. The judge had never seen some 470 people rally in support of an individual to give him another chance at success. The lawyer handling the case was Charles Miller, esq. This was, very likely, the judges first exposure to seeing, in action, the Mitzvah of Pidyon Shvuyim being performed. Imagine, hundreds of people, from Rabbonim, to world-renowned Poskim, to high school boys, to high school girls, to people who are struggling financially, to successful health care industry businessmen all giving of their time and money to ensure that the individual involved be released from his incarceration. And that is what happened this week. There are two former Yeshiva Darchei Torah students whose time and efforts in this case are truly, truly remarkable. There are, of course, many statements in Chazal and the Poskim about this Mitzvah. What follows is an overview of these statements and a discussion of some of the halachic issues involved in this Mitzvah. The Shulchan Aruch (YD 252:1) writes, There is no Mitzvah as great as Pidyon Shvuyim. He continues that it receives precedence to all other Tzedakos. The Rambam lists no less than eight Mitzvos involved: The Rambams eight verses are: 1] Lo saametz es Levavcha Do not tighten your heart(Dvarim 15:7) 2] veLo Sikpotz es yadcha Nor shall you tighten your hand (Dvarim 15:7) 3] Lo saamod al dam rayacha Do not stand idly by your brothers blood (VaYikra 19:16) 4] Lo yirdeno beferech leainecha Do not let him go down in excessive labor in front of your eyes (Vayikra 25:53) 5] Pasoach tiftach es yadcha lo You shall surely open your hand for him (Dvarim 15:8) 6] Vechai achicha imach And your brother shall live with you (Vayikra 25:36) 7] Veahavta lerayacha kamocha love your friend as yourself (Vayikra 19:18) 8] Hatzel lakuchim lemavais Save those taken toward their death (Mishlei 24:11) The Meil Tzedakah #1158 and Rabbeinu Bachya in his Kad HaKemach both write that this Mitzvah is equated with the creation of Heaven and earth, which is why Hashem started the ten commandments with, I am Hashem who took you out of Egypt and not, who created Heaven and earth. The Mateh Moshe writes that whomsoever engages in this Mitzvah that person and his or her descendants will be saved from being taken in captivity. The Menoras HaMeor writes that in the merit of this Mitzvah, Klal Yisroel will be redeemed as seen from the pasuk in Yishayahu (35:10). THE ARUCH HASHULCHAN There is, of course, a question that many have posed. Are the halachos of contemporary incarcerations the same as those discussed in Chazal? There is a fascinating Aruch HaShulchan which deals with the contemporary application of this Mitzvah. Rav Yechiel Michel Epstein (1829-1908) ztl in Yore Deah (252:1), [in the laws of Tzedaka qualifies the Mitzvah of Pidyon Shvuyim:] And all this was in earlier times, and even nowadays in far flung wildernesses such as Asia and Africa, where bandits fall upon travelers and take them into captivity to the point where it is necessary to redeem them with large sums of money, as is known from the caravans that travel in the western wilderness. It seems that the Aruch haShulchan is suggesting that the full blown Pidyon Shvuyim and all of its associated Halachos are essentially a thing of the past and no longer applicable in the Aruch HaShulchans time. The Aruch HaShulchan points out that it may not be equivalent as prison wardens do not have the power of life or death over their charges. According to the Maharsha in Bava Basra 8b, however, it is not so clear-cut. The Maharsha indicates that the prisoners own temperament may also cause depression and ideation of suicide chalilah. This would apply in contemporary cases too. RIKERS MAY BE DIFFERENT But even according to the aforementioned Aruch HaShulchan, our local prison may be different. Dr. Robert L. Cohen, M.D., is a physician who makes regular visits to Rikers. He is quoted by the Marshall project as saying, Ive visited jails and prisons all over the country, and Rikers Island has a deserved reputation of extreme violence. The Marshall Project itself reports that Rikers Island has been notorious for violence and neglect for decades. But detainees, corrections officers and officials tell us the New York City jail complex has plunged into a new state of emergency. BUT WHAT IF THE PERSON DID SOMETHING WRONG, OR VERY WRONG? This is a very good question which, in this authors opinion, may require a Psak on each particular case. Before we get to that, however, there is a fundamental halachic disagreement between the Poskim that cuts to the heart of the underlying issues. It is between the Radbaz (in his commentary on the Rambam Hilchos Matanos Aniyim 4:13) and the Yam Shel Shlomo (in his commentary on Gittin 4:72) whether the laws of Pidyon Shvuyim apply to someone who actually stole money under circumstances where there exists extraordinary punishment. The Yam Shel Shlomo writes clearly that the halachos of Pidyon Shvuyim do not apply to someone guilty of actually stealing money even if the persons life is at stake. The Radbaz disagrees completely and writes that it certainly does apply. It is clear, however, that even the Yam Shel Shlomo would agree that, while it may not be considered Pidyon Shvuyim, there is still an Inyan to save him if possible. A PSAK ON EACH CASE This author would like to suggest that whenever one deals with pidyon shvuyim, there appears to be three major issues that need to be examined. The first one is the issue of the persons possible guilt or alleged guilt and whether the legal repercussions that are faced are excessive. The second issue is that of the persons own physical and mental safety and well-being. The third issue is whether the person presents a danger to others and whether jail would be good for the person. All of these issues may be factors in the decision as to the nature of how much Pidyon Shvuyim is involved. GUILT Let us start with the issue of guilt. Rav Aharon Felder ztl spent 14 years with Rav Moshe Feinstein ztl. In his Rishumei Aharon, he cites the following vignette of Rav Moshe Feinstein ztl: One time, a religious Jew entered the Beis Midrash to speak with Rav Moshe Feinstein ztl. He began to relate how his son is sitting in jail on account of dealing drugs. He requested that Rav Moshe write a letter to the judge on behalf of his son to have mercy upon him. Rav Moshe turned to him and said, Your son makes people ill and damages them; Let him sit in jail. Even though the father pleaded and persisted, he refused to budge. He added that his actions were against the laws of the state and he cannot do whatever he wants (Rishumei Aharon Vol. I p.22). It may well be that Rav Moshe held lhalacha like the Yam Shel Shlomo when there is no significant danger. In light of this debate, when there is established guilt then we may talk about Safek Pidyon Shuyim which, unless there are other important factors or issues, we should treat no differently than unequivocal Pidyon Shvuyim. SAFETY Let us now move on to the issue of safety. If the person is innocent, and does not present a danger to others, but issues of his or her own personal well-being and safety come into play then real Pidyon Shvuyim may come back into play even according to a strict reading of the aforementioned Aruch HaShulchan. To examine the issues of safety, however, we need to look at the particular health and age of the person in question as well as the type of people in the particular prison under discussion. For example, a few years ago, an elderly man with health issues was sentenced to prison. There is no question that even though he was in Otisville prison for him was a certain death sentence. The medical care in the U.S. Federal Prison System is abysmal and he died shortly after he began to serve time. It is clear that there was no lower level Pidyon Shvuyim Type B for this person. Rather, that case fell into the Yam Shel Shlomo/Radbaz debate. DANGER TO OTHERS The next question involves whether or not the person involved presents a danger to others. Dealing drugsm for example, can cause long-term damage to hundreds of kids and have untold repercussions. This is a factor that would affect the nature of any Mitzvah involved. CONCLUSION In this case, it was apparent to those involved that there was clear Pidyon Shvuyim involved. It is also clear that we live among extraordinary people who care deeply for others. We have a beautifl community. It is to the point that this past Monday, a judge declared it publicly in a courtroom. The author may be reached at [email protected] Former President Donald Trump is returning to New Hampshire on Thursday for his first campaign appearance since President Joe Biden launched his own reelection bid, heading for a potential 2024 rematch. The appearance at a downtown Manchester hotel, expected to be a smaller event than Trumps typical large rallies, also marks his first return to an early voting state since his legal troubles increased. Earlier this month, he pleaded not guilty in New York to a 34-count felony indictment charging him with a scheme to bury allegations of extramarital affairs that arose during his first White House campaign. Trump is expected to use the event to roll out new endorsements for his campaign and speak about the economy and the opioid epidemic, among other subjects. It comes two days after Biden kicked off his own long-expected reelection campaign, presenting himself as he did in 2020 as a buttress against Trump and his Make America Great Again political candidacy. Bidens campaign launch video included snapshots of Trump and warned of MAGA extremists working to erode freedoms including voting rights and abortion rights. Trump is considered a front-runner for the GOP nomination, though more Republicans are expected to jump into the race soon, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Trumps campaign this week started airing its first television ad, which assails DeSantis. In the ad, Trump takes credit for DeSantis political rise and shows the governor yoking himself to the former president, including clips from a 2018 gubernatorial campaign ad in which he uses some of Trumps catchphrases like Build the wall and Youre fired. Two weeks ago, Trump appeared with several other announced and potential presidential candidates at the National Rifle Association convention in Indianapolis. Last weekend, he spoke by video to a gathering of evangelicals in Iowa that marked the unofficial start of the states 2024 caucus campaign. But even as the campaign season moves ahead, Trumps legal worries arent abating. A civil rape case against him went to trial in Manhattan this week. A former magazine columnist testified Wednesday that she was raped by Trump in the dressing room of a luxury department store in 1996. Trump has called the claim fiction and has not yet attended the trial, though his lawyers say he could decide to testify. On Monday, a prosecutor in Atlanta investigating whether Trump and his allies illegally interfered with the 2020 presidential election in Georgia said she expects to announce charging decisions in the case this summer. She requested that law enforcement officials prepare security measures in the case of a strong public reaction. Trump is also facing ongoing probes from the U.S. Department of Justice over top secret documents found at his Florida estate and his efforts to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election. Trump has dismissed all accusations of wrongdoing and has insisted the investigations are politically motivated. New Hampshire is a political swing state, though voters in the state rejected Trump in the 2016 and 2020 general elections. It was, however, the first state Trump won in the 2016 Republican presidential primary contest, propelling him into GOP dominance that he maintains to this day. The former president made one other visit to New Hampshire earlier this year, stopping in Salem as part of his first appearances on his latest White House campaign. (AP) The broadband, mobile, TV and landline providers that annoy the most customers have been revealed - with one dubbed a 'concern' by Ofcom. The regulator publishes complaints figures every three months to help people compare providers when they shop around and to shame firms into improving customer service. The regulator found Shell Energy had the most complaints for both broadband and landline services between October and December 2022. The firm had 27 complaints per 100,000 broadband customers and 25 grievances for every 100,000 landline users. Communication breakdown: Regulator Ofcom's latest complaints figures show which firms consumers have had the most issues with towards the end of 2022 Shell also logged the most complaints for both categories in the previous quarter, July to September 2022. An Ofcom statement said: 'We remain concerned about Shell Energy's persistently high complaint volumes. 'We have been engaging closely with the provider on its plans to improve its customer service, and expect to see results of this in the coming months.' Companies with the most broadband complaints Company Complaints per 100,000 customers Shell Energy 27 Vodafone 19 TalkTalk 18 Virgin Media 14 BT 10 NOW Broadband 10 Plusnet 10 EE 7 Sky 5 Source: Ofcom A Shell Energy spokesperson said: 'We always strive to learn from any instances where a customer feels let down. Ofcom's table reflects our position up to six months ago, and we have invested heavily and made big strides in our customer service and complaint processes since then. 'We are confident that these improvements will be reflected when Ofcom releases its next set of figures.' BT Mobile received the most mobile complaints, albeit of just four for every 100,000 customers. Companies with the most pay-monthly mobile complaints Company Complaints per 100,000 customers BT Mobile 4 Virgin Mobile 3 O2 3 iD Mobile 2 Vodafone 2 Three 2 Tesco Mobile 2 EE 2 Sky Mobile 1 Source: Ofcom Meanwhile Virgin Media racked up the most complaints with paid-for TV, as eight out of every 100,000 people signed up with the firm had an issue in the period. A Virgin Media O2 spokesperson said: 'Our number one priority is serving our customers. We're investing in every area of our business to create an excellent customer experience, with complaints down across the board in the final three months of last year. 'We know there is more we can do and will do to improve the service we offer, resolve issues quickly and efficiently, and make it easier for our customers to get help and support whenever they need it.' Overall, the number of complaints Ofcom got in the period was similar to the three months before, though complaints about broadband rose slightly. Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at Uswitch, said: 'Given the massive shift to remote working over the past few years, it's unacceptable that faults, service and provisioning remain the most complained about broadband issues across the industry, by a distance - 44 per cent. 'With millions of consumers facing major price increases in 2023, the very least they should expect is a service that they can entirely depend on.' Companies with the most landline complaints Company Complaints per 100,000 customers Shell Energy 25 TalkTalk 11 Vodafone 8 Virgin Media 7 Plusnet 7 BT 6 NOW Broadband 5 EE 3 Sky 2 Source: Ofcom The latest complaints figures stop at December 2022, meaning they do not include major broadband and mobile price hikes in late March and early April 2023. These prices rose by up to 17.3 per cent, and could cause a rise in customer complaints in the next batch of figures - as Ofcom does accept disputes about pricing. How to complain about your broadband, phone or TV provider Relatively few people bother to make a complaint to their communications provider even when suffering poor service. You cannot complain directly to Ofcom. Instead, first take your grievance to your broadband, landline, mobile or TV provider. If after eight weeks you've still not received a response, or you're not happy with the response you have received, you can escalate the problem to an ombudsman. There are two ombudsmen approved by Ofcom: Ombudsman Services and the Communication & Internet Services Adjudication Scheme. Your provider will be a member of one of these, so check first. That ombudsman will then look at your case and an investigator should make a decision within six weeks. You can then either accept the outcome or appeal it. TORONTO, April 26, 2023: Thomson Reuters (TSX/NYSE: TRI) today filed its management proxy circular and related documents in connection with the upcoming annual and special meeting at which shareholders will be asked to approve a proposed return of capital transaction, among other items. The management proxy circular and related documents are available online and for pick-up, as set out below. The return of capital transaction consists of a cash distribution of US$4.67 in cash per common share, or approximately US$2.2 billion in the aggregate, to holders of common shares and a consolidation of outstanding common shares (or reverse stock split) on a basis that is proportional to the cash distribution. The share consolidation ratio will be based on the volume weighed average trading price of the common shares on the New York Stock Exchange for the five trading days immediately prior to the return of capital becoming effective. The proposed return of capital transaction is intended to distribute cash on a basis that is generally expected to be tax-free for Canadian tax purposes. Shareholders who are taxable in a jurisdiction outside of Canada (including taxable U.S. resident shareholders and others) (Eligible Opt-Out Shareholders) will be able to opt out of the transaction. This right to opt out is being provided to those shareholders because in jurisdictions other than Canada the tax consequences of not participating in the transaction may be preferable to those associated with participating in the transaction. If an Eligible Opt-Out Shareholder chooses to opt out, it will not receive the cash distribution and will continue to hold the same number of shares that it currently holds. Details of the transaction (including information regarding the opt-out right) are described in the management proxy circular and related materials, which are available on www.tr.com in the Investor relations section. The documents were filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities on SEDAR and are available at www.sedar.com. The documents were also furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission through EDGAR and are available at www.sec.gov. The documents will also be available for pick-up, free of charge, at Computershare Investor Services Inc.s offices in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. Please contact Computershare Investor Services Inc. using the phone numbers or e-mail address set out below for the addresses of those offices. The annual and special meeting of shareholders will be held on Wednesday, June 14, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. EDT. The meeting will be webcast at www.tr.com. Holders of Thomson Reuters common shares as of 5:00 p.m. EDT on April 21, 2023 are entitled to vote at the meeting. Registered shareholders who have questions or need assistance voting their shares may contact Computershare Investor Services Inc., at 1.800.564.6253 (toll-free in Canada and the U.S.) or at 1.514.982. 7555 (outside Canada and the U.S.) or at the following e-mail address: corporateactions@computershare.com. Non-registered shareholders who hold their shares indirectly through an intermediary (such as an investment dealer, stock broker, bank, trust company or other nominee) should contact their intermediary if they have questions or need assistance. Shareholders who have questions or need assistance may also contact D.F. King & Co., Inc., who is acting as Information Agent for the transaction, at 1.866.864.4943 (toll-free in Canada and the U.S.) or at 1.212.269.5550 (outside Canada and the U.S., banks, brokers and collect calls) or at the following email address: tri@dfking.com. About Thomson Reuters Thomson Reuters (NYSE / TSX: TRI) (TR) informs the way forward by bringing together the trusted content and technology that people and organizations need to make the right decisions. The company serves professionals across legal, tax, accounting, compliance, government, and media. Its products combine highly specialized software and insights to empower professionals with the data, intelligence, and solutions needed to make informed decisions, and to help institutions in their pursuit of justice, truth and transparency. Reuters, part of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds leading provider of trusted journalism and news. For more information, visit tr.com. SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking, including statements relating to the return of capital transaction and the anticipated tax treatment for shareholders participating in the transaction and those opting out. These forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and reflect our companys current expectations. As a result, forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, including other factors discussed in materials that Thomson Reuters from time to time files with, or furnishes to, the Canadian securities regulatory authorities and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. There is no assurance that the return of capital transaction will be completed or that other events described in any forward-looking statement will materialize. Except as may be required by applicable law, Thomson Reuters disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. CONTACTS MEDIA Andrew Green Senior Director, Corporate Affairs +1 332 219 1511 andrew.green@tr.com INVESTORS Gary E. Bisbee, CFA Head of Investor Relations +1 646 540 3249 gary.bisbee@tr.com KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Inc. (NYSE:KREF Get Rating)s share price traded down 6.9% on Tuesday after TheStreet downgraded the stock from a c rating to a d+ rating. The stock traded as low as $10.25 and last traded at $10.35. 160,506 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 68% from the average session volume of 499,159 shares. The stock had previously closed at $11.12. Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on KREF. Citigroup cut their price objective on KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $16.00 to $11.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $16.50 to $12.50 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $15.50 to $12.00 in a research report on Monday. JMP Securities cut their price objective on KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a market outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 1st. Finally, Raymond James dropped their price target on KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $18.00 to $15.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, KKR Real Estate Finance Trust currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $15.64. Get KKR Real Estate Finance Trust alerts: Hedge Funds Weigh In On KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Penserra Capital Management LLC lifted its position in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 23.0% in the 1st quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 25,413 shares of the companys stock valued at $289,000 after acquiring an additional 4,756 shares in the last quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust during the 1st quarter valued at $289,000. Claybrook Capital LLC raised its stake in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 9.8% during the 1st quarter. Claybrook Capital LLC now owns 148,166 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,688,000 after buying an additional 13,245 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its stake in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 103.6% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 47,503 shares of the companys stock valued at $541,000 after buying an additional 24,172 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GP Brinson Investments LLC raised its stake in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 290.2% during the 1st quarter. GP Brinson Investments LLC now owns 268,909 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,063,000 after buying an additional 200,000 shares during the last quarter. 76.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Stock Performance KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Dividend Announcement The firm has a market capitalization of $721.40 million, a PE ratio of 41.76 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 272.77, a quick ratio of 272.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.92. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $12.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $14.61. The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 30th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 16.48%. KKR Real Estate Finance Trusts dividend payout ratio is presently 688.00%. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Company Profile (Get Rating) KKR Real Estate Finance Trust, Inc engages in originating and acquiring senior loans secured by commercial real estate assets. Its target assets include mezzanine loans, preferred equity and other debt-oriented instruments. The companys investment objective is capital preservation and generating attractive risk-adjusted returns for its stockholders over the long term, primarily through dividends. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for KKR Real Estate Finance Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Occidental Petroleum Co. (NYSE:OXY Get Rating) has received a consensus rating of Hold from the twenty-four ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have issued a hold recommendation, six have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $72.89. OXY has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays boosted their price objective on Occidental Petroleum from $70.00 to $78.00 in a research note on Friday, March 17th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Occidental Petroleum from $84.00 to $86.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 11th. Raymond James lifted their target price on Occidental Petroleum from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a strong-buy rating in a report on Friday, April 21st. Bank of America upgraded Occidental Petroleum from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $80.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, January 6th. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded Occidental Petroleum from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $63.00 to $70.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 28th. Get Occidental Petroleum alerts: Insiders Place Their Bets In related news, major shareholder Berkshire Hathaway Inc purchased 1,678,017 shares of Occidental Petroleum stock in a transaction on Monday, March 6th. The stock was bought at an average price of $61.56 per share, with a total value of $103,298,726.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 198,392,755 shares of the companys stock, valued at $12,213,057,997.80. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders purchased 12,371,716 shares of company stock valued at $735,557,715 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.35% of the companys stock. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Occidental Petroleum Occidental Petroleum Stock Down 1.7 % Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Occidental Petroleum in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC raised its holdings in Occidental Petroleum by 5,000.0% in the 1st quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 510 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. acquired a new position in Occidental Petroleum in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Occidental Petroleum in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Selway Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Occidental Petroleum in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.45% of the companys stock. OXY opened at $60.26 on Monday. Occidental Petroleum has a one year low of $53.21 and a one year high of $77.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 1.15. The stocks fifty day moving average is $61.27 and its 200-day moving average is $64.84. The company has a market capitalization of $54.12 billion, a PE ratio of 4.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.78. Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 27th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.83 by ($0.22). Occidental Petroleum had a return on equity of 52.68% and a net margin of 35.87%. The firm had revenue of $8.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.21 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.48 EPS. The firms quarterly revenue was up 97.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Occidental Petroleum will post 5.81 EPS for the current fiscal year. Occidental Petroleum Increases Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 10th were paid a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 9th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.19%. This is an increase from Occidental Petroleums previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. Occidental Petroleums payout ratio is 5.82%. Occidental Petroleum Company Profile (Get Rating) Occidental Petroleum Corp. engages in the exploration and production of oil and natural gas. It operates through the following segments: Oil and Gas, Chemical, and Midstream and Marketing. The Oil and Gas segment explores for, develops and produces oil and condensate, natural gas liquids and natural gas. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Occidental Petroleum Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Occidental Petroleum and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Endeavour Silver Corp. (NYSE:EXK Get Rating) (TSE:EDR) has been given a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy by the ten analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $5.79. EXK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. TheStreet raised Endeavour Silver from a d+ rating to a c rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 14th. Pi Financial raised Endeavour Silver from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 7th. StockNews.com raised Endeavour Silver to a sell rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 14th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $5.50 price target on shares of Endeavour Silver in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. Finally, CIBC dropped their price objective on Endeavour Silver from C$7.50 to C$6.50 in a research note on Tuesday, February 7th. Get Endeavour Silver alerts: Institutional Investors Weigh In On Endeavour Silver A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Endeavour Silver in the 1st quarter valued at $49,000. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its stake in Endeavour Silver by 225.8% in the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 73,588 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $344,000 after acquiring an additional 51,000 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. bought a new stake in Endeavour Silver in the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Endeavour Silver by 924.9% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 684,840 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $3,185,000 after acquiring an additional 618,022 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. bought a new stake in Endeavour Silver in the 1st quarter valued at $55,000. Institutional investors own 23.64% of the companys stock. Endeavour Silver Price Performance Shares of EXK opened at $4.00 on Thursday. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $3.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $3.44. Endeavour Silver has a 52-week low of $2.47 and a 52-week high of $4.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $760 million, a PE ratio of 133.33 and a beta of 1.44. Endeavour Silver (NYSE:EXK Get Rating) (TSE:EDR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 2nd. The mining company reported $0.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Endeavour Silver had a return on equity of 4.11% and a net margin of 2.95%. The business had revenue of $81.99 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.22 million. Sell-side analysts predict that Endeavour Silver will post 0.13 EPS for the current fiscal year. About Endeavour Silver (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. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Endeavour Silver Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Endeavour Silver and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG Get Rating) had its price objective upped by Loop Capital from $1,700.00 to $1,850.00 in a research report released on Wednesday, The Fly reports. They currently have a hold rating on the restaurant operators stock. A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the company. Argus lifted their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $1,800.00 to $1,900.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, February 9th. Stephens lifted their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $1,970.00 to $2,000.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $2,000.00 to $2,200.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Credit Suisse Group boosted their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $2,050.00 to $2,200.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $1,900.00 to $2,050.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Chipotle Mexican Grill presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $2,003.82. Get Chipotle Mexican Grill alerts: Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance Chipotle Mexican Grill stock opened at $2,009.85 on Wednesday. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $1,636.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,556.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.50 billion, a PE ratio of 62.69, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.32. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a 52 week low of $1,196.28 and a 52 week high of $2,047.31. Insider Transactions at Chipotle Mexican Grill Chipotle Mexican Grill ( NYSE:CMG Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 25th. The restaurant operator reported $10.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $8.89 by $1.61. The business had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.34 billion. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a return on equity of 40.96% and a net margin of 10.41%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $5.70 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 41.46 earnings per share for the current year. In other news, CEO Brian R. Niccol sold 991 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,537.37, for a total value of $1,523,533.67. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 23,347 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $35,892,977.39. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Brian R. Niccol sold 2,193 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,633.11, for a total value of $3,581,410.23. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 23,347 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $38,128,219.17. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Brian R. Niccol sold 991 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,537.37, for a total value of $1,523,533.67. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 23,347 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,892,977.39. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,856 shares of company stock valued at $17,938,741 in the last three months. 1.01% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of CMG. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 4th quarter worth $450,560,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 185,417.0% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 306,103 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $1,645,000 after buying an additional 305,938 shares in the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 4th quarter worth $248,604,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 1st quarter worth $166,000. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 65.8% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 375,736 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $521,332,000 after buying an additional 149,115 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.26% of the companys stock. Chipotle Mexican Grill Company Profile (Get Rating) 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. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Chipotle Mexican Grill Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Chipotle Mexican Grill and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. USANA Health Sciences, Inc. (NYSE:USNA Get Rating) DA Davidson issued their Q2 2023 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of USANA Health Sciences in a report released on Wednesday, April 26th. DA Davidson analyst L. Weiser anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $0.77 for the quarter. The consensus estimate for USANA Health Sciences current full-year earnings is $2.85 per share. DA Davidson also issued estimates for USANA Health Sciences FY2024 earnings at $3.50 EPS. Get USANA Health Sciences alerts: USANA Health Sciences (NYSE:USNA Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 7th. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $227.96 million during the quarter. USANA Health Sciences had a return on equity of 15.67% and a net margin of 6.70%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.03 EPS. USANA Health Sciences Trading Up 8.4 % Separately, StockNews.com upgraded USANA Health Sciences from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Friday, March 10th. Shares of USNA opened at $67.90 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $1.31 billion, a PE ratio of 18.91 and a beta of 0.77. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $62.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $57.81. USANA Health Sciences has a 12-month low of $48.61 and a 12-month high of $78.05. Insider Buying and Selling In related news, CEO Kevin Guest sold 5,297 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.15, for a total value of $318,614.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,058 shares in the company, valued at approximately $244,088.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, insider Joshua Foukas sold 3,771 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.01, for a total value of $230,068.71. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,012 shares in the company, valued at approximately $183,762.12. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Kevin Guest sold 5,297 shares of USANA Health Sciences stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.15, for a total value of $318,614.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,058 shares in the company, valued at $244,088.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 24,632 shares of company stock worth $1,490,529 in the last quarter. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On USANA Health Sciences Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in USANA Health Sciences by 225.0% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 533 shares of the companys stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 369 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in USANA Health Sciences by 61.3% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 637 shares of the companys stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its stake in USANA Health Sciences by 318.1% in the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 949 shares of the companys stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 722 shares during the period. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in USANA Health Sciences in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $69,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its stake in USANA Health Sciences by 92.7% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 927 shares of the companys stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 446 shares during the period. 52.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. USANA Health Sciences Company Profile (Get Rating) USANA Health Sciences, Inc develops and manufactures nutritional, personal care and weight-management products. It operates under the following segments: USANA Nutritionals, USANA Foods, Personal Care and Skincare, and All Other. The firms brands include Procosa and MagneCal D. The company was founded by Myron W. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for USANA Health Sciences Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for USANA Health Sciences and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. KIEV, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The Patriot air defense system has been deployed in Ukraine, Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said on Wednesday. "From April 2023, the Patriot air defense system is on combat duty in Ukraine," Oleshchuk wrote in a Telegram post. The Ukrainian servicemen are "quickly mastering" their skills in using the air defense system, he said. The Patriot will help Ukraine protect its skies from ballistic missiles, Oleshchuk added. On April 19, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that Patriot systems have arrived in Ukraine. According to Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat, the Patriot missile system can destroy targets at distances up to 150 kilometers. Profund Advisors LLC lessened its stake in Mueller Industries, Inc. (NYSE:MLI Get Rating) by 8.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,564 shares of the industrial products companys stock after selling 350 shares during the period. Profund Advisors LLCs holdings in Mueller Industries were worth $210,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in Mueller Industries by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 26,412 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $1,632,000 after purchasing an additional 316 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale raised its position in Mueller Industries by 11.3% in the 4th quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 26,916 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $1,580,000 after purchasing an additional 2,732 shares during the last quarter. HWG Holdings LP raised its position in Mueller Industries by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. HWG Holdings LP now owns 18,518 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $1,093,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Euclidean Technologies Management LLC raised its position in Mueller Industries by 664.9% in the 4th quarter. Euclidean Technologies Management LLC now owns 35,577 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $2,099,000 after purchasing an additional 30,926 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Seizert Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Mueller Industries during the 4th quarter worth $967,000. Institutional investors own 89.64% of the companys stock. Get Mueller Industries alerts: Mueller Industries Stock Performance MLI opened at $70.29 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $71.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $67.22. Mueller Industries, Inc. has a 52 week low of $50.05 and a 52 week high of $76.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.01 billion, a PE ratio of 6.04 and a beta of 1.09. Mueller Industries Increases Dividend Mueller Industries ( NYSE:MLI Get Rating ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.46 EPS for the quarter. Mueller Industries had a net margin of 16.53% and a return on equity of 41.01%. The firm had revenue of $877.58 million during the quarter. The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 17th were issued a $0.30 dividend. This is a positive change from Mueller Industriess previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 16th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.71%. Mueller Industriess payout ratio is 10.32%. Insider Activity In other news, CEO Gregory L. Christopher sold 55,381 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.16, for a total value of $4,107,054.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 625,784 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $46,408,141.44. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, CEO Gregory L. Christopher sold 507 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.00, for a total value of $38,025.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 603,671 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $45,275,325. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Gregory L. Christopher sold 55,381 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.16, for a total transaction of $4,107,054.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 625,784 shares of the companys stock, valued at $46,408,141.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 57,666 shares of company stock valued at $4,275,639 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 3.00% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Separately, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Mueller Industries in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a buy rating for the company. About Mueller Industries (Get Rating) Mueller Industries, Inc engages in the manufacture of copper, brass, aluminum, and plastic products. It operates through the following segments: Piping Systems, Industrial Metals, and Climate. The Piping Systems segment consists of Domestic Piping Systems Group, Great Lakes Copper, Heatlink Group, European Operations, Trading Group, Jungwoo-Mueller, and Mueller Middle East. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MLI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Mueller Industries, Inc. (NYSE:MLI Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Mueller Industries Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mueller Industries and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Hancock Whitney Corp lessened its holdings in shares of MaxLinear, Inc. (NYSE:MXL Get Rating) by 24.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,029 shares of the semiconductor companys stock after selling 2,610 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corps holdings in MaxLinear were worth $273,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale acquired a new position in MaxLinear during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its position in shares of MaxLinear by 1,068.9% in the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,543 shares of the semiconductor companys stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 1,411 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio boosted its stake in MaxLinear by 108.3% in the 4th quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 2,500 shares of the semiconductor companys stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in MaxLinear during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $90,000. Finally, Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in MaxLinear during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $144,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.26% of the companys stock. Get MaxLinear alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several equities research analysts have recently commented on MXL shares. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price objective on shares of MaxLinear from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 2nd. BNP Paribas started coverage on MaxLinear in a research note on Tuesday, February 28th. They set an underperform rating and a $30.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com began coverage on MaxLinear in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Susquehanna reaffirmed a positive rating and set a $48.00 target price on shares of MaxLinear in a report on Thursday, March 9th. Finally, Benchmark cut their price target on shares of MaxLinear from $50.00 to $47.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $46.40. MaxLinear Trading Up 0.4 % MaxLinear stock opened at $29.36 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm has a market cap of $2.31 billion, a PE ratio of 8.60 and a beta of 1.93. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $33.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $34.70. MaxLinear, Inc. has a 12 month low of $28.99 and a 12 month high of $53.65. MaxLinear (NYSE:MXL Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 1st. The semiconductor company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $290.59 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $290.09 million. MaxLinear had a net margin of 11.16% and a return on equity of 46.03%. Analysts anticipate that MaxLinear, Inc. will post 1.31 earnings per share for the current year. Insider Buying and Selling In other MaxLinear news, insider James Lougheed sold 115,944 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.74, for a total value of $4,723,558.56. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,921 shares of the companys stock, valued at $159,741.54. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 8.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. MaxLinear Company Profile (Get Rating) MaxLinear, Inc engages in the provision of communications systems-on-chip, or SoC, solutions used in broadband, mobile and wireline infrastructure, data center, and industrial and multi-market applications. Its products include cable broadband modems and gateways, wireline connectivity devices, radio frequency transceivers, fiber-optic modules, video set-top boxes and gateways, hybrid analog and digital televisions, direct broadcast satellite outdoor and indoor units, and power management and interface products. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for MaxLinear Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for MaxLinear and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (NYSE:AWI Get Rating) Research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group boosted their Q2 2023 earnings estimates for shares of Armstrong World Industries in a research report issued on Tuesday, April 25th. Jefferies Financial Group analyst P. Ng now anticipates that the construction company will earn $1.33 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.30. The consensus estimate for Armstrong World Industries current full-year earnings is $4.87 per share. Jefferies Financial Group also issued estimates for Armstrong World Industries Q3 2023 earnings at $1.24 EPS, Q4 2023 earnings at $1.08 EPS and FY2023 earnings at $4.76 EPS. Get Armstrong World Industries alerts: Armstrong World Industries (NYSE:AWI Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The construction company reported $1.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $310.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $310.86 million. Armstrong World Industries had a net margin of 16.32% and a return on equity of 41.94%. The businesss revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.02 EPS. Armstrong World Industries Stock Performance Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of Armstrong World Industries from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 22nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Armstrong World Industries from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, April 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Armstrong World Industries from $97.00 to $86.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 12th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Armstrong World Industries from $90.00 to $87.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group restated an outperform rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Armstrong World Industries in a research report on Wednesday, February 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $83.63. Shares of NYSE:AWI opened at $66.23 on Thursday. The companys 50 day moving average price is $72.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $74.23. Armstrong World Industries has a 12-month low of $66.06 and a 12-month high of $94.94. The firm has a market cap of $3.01 billion, a PE ratio of 15.16, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Armstrong World Industries Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in Armstrong World Industries in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in Armstrong World Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. bought a new position in Armstrong World Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in Armstrong World Industries by 32.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,029 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in Armstrong World Industries by 89.9% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,272 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $115,000 after purchasing an additional 602 shares during the last quarter. Insider Activity at Armstrong World Industries In related news, SVP Mark A. Hershey sold 6,835 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.14, for a total value of $547,756.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 38,218 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,062,790.52. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.80% of the stock is owned by insiders. Armstrong World Industries Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 4th will be paid a $0.254 dividend. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 3rd. Armstrong World Industriess payout ratio is 23.34%. Armstrong World Industries Company Profile (Get Rating) Armstrong World Industries, Inc engages in the design, manufacture, and trade of commercial and residential ceiling, wall, and suspension system solutions. It operates through the following segments: Mineral Fiber, Architectural Specialties, and Unallocated Corporate. The Mineral Fiber segment produces suspended mineral fiber and soft fiber ceiling systems for use in commercial and residential settings. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Armstrong World Industries Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Armstrong World Industries and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ieq Capital LLC boosted its stake in WestRock (NYSE:WRK Get Rating) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 50,895 shares of the basic materials companys stock after buying an additional 1,145 shares during the quarter. Ieq Capital LLCs holdings in WestRock were worth $1,789,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in WestRock by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 30,619,872 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $1,440,053,000 after buying an additional 252,490 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in WestRock by 11.7% in the third quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,923,063 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $182,965,000 after purchasing an additional 619,458 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc boosted its stake in WestRock by 17.2% in the third quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 4,655,260 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $143,801,000 after purchasing an additional 681,756 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management boosted its stake in WestRock by 2.0% in the third quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 4,625,087 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $142,869,000 after purchasing an additional 90,800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in WestRock by 0.7% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,074,239 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $125,853,000 after purchasing an additional 29,809 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.08% of the companys stock. Get WestRock alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on WestRock from $34.00 to $32.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 15th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on WestRock in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on WestRock from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, February 2nd. Argus lowered WestRock from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, February 13th. Finally, Citigroup raised WestRock from a neutral rating to a buy rating and cut their price target for the company from $34.00 to $32.00 in a research note on Monday, March 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $33.57. WestRock Trading Down 1.5 % NYSE WRK opened at $29.09 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $30.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $33.60. The company has a market capitalization of $7.41 billion, a PE ratio of 9.26, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. WestRock has a 12 month low of $26.84 and a 12 month high of $54.78. WestRock (NYSE:WRK Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 1st. The basic materials company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.60 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $4.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.11 billion. WestRock had a net margin of 3.80% and a return on equity of 10.53%. The companys revenue for the quarter was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.65 EPS. Research analysts forecast that WestRock will post 2.9 EPS for the current year. WestRock Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, February 10th were issued a $0.275 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 9th. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.78%. WestRocks dividend payout ratio is presently 35.03%. WestRock Profile (Get Rating) WestRock Co engages in the provision of sustainable fiber-based paper and packaging solutions. It operates through the following segments: Corrugated Packaging, Consumer Packaging, Global Paper, and Distribution. The Corrugated Packaging segment consists of the sale of corrugated containers and other corrugated products including displays. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WRK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for WestRock (NYSE:WRK Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for WestRock Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for WestRock and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd raised its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO Get Rating) by 39.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 679 shares of the oil and gas companys stock after buying an additional 192 shares during the quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltds holdings in Valero Energy were worth $86,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 2,470.0% in the 3rd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 257 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. HighMark Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 60.6% in the 3rd quarter. HighMark Wealth Management LLC now owns 265 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. IAG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Independence Bank of Kentucky raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 150.0% in the 4th quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 250 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.28% of the companys stock. Get Valero Energy alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on VLO shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Valero Energy from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, January 20th. Mizuho boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $170.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 11th. Tudor Pickering lowered Valero Energy from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, April 17th. Raymond James boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $169.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a strong-buy rating in a research report on Monday, January 30th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Valero Energy from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $154.53. Valero Energy Stock Down 1.0 % NYSE VLO opened at $116.64 on Thursday. The stocks 50 day moving average is $131.73 and its 200 day moving average is $130.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $96.93 and a 12 month high of $150.39. The stock has a market cap of $43.29 billion, a PE ratio of 4.01, a P/E/G ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.66. Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 26th. The oil and gas company reported $8.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.45 by $1.00. The business had revenue of $41.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $43.31 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 50.15% and a net margin of 6.54%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 16.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.47 EPS. Research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 25.26 EPS for the current fiscal year. Valero Energy Increases Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 14th were issued a dividend of $1.02 per share. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.50%. This is a boost from Valero Energys previous quarterly dividend of $0.98. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 13th. Valero Energys dividend payout ratio is 14.01%. Valero Energy Company Profile (Get Rating) Valero Energy Corp. engages in the manufacture and marketing of transportation fuels and other petrochemical products. It operates through the following business segments: Refining, Ethanol and Renewable Diesel. The Refining segment consists of refining operations, associated marketing activities, and logistics assets that support its refining operations. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Valero Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Valero Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Taylor Morrison Home (NYSE:TMHC Get Rating) had its price target lifted by stock analysts at Barclays from $40.00 to $45.00 in a report issued on Thursday, The Fly reports. Barclayss price objective points to a potential upside of 15.21% from the stocks current price. TMHC has been the subject of several other research reports. StockNews.com began coverage on Taylor Morrison Home in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Credit Suisse Group increased their price objective on Taylor Morrison Home from $33.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, February 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $35.79. Get Taylor Morrison Home alerts: Taylor Morrison Home Stock Performance Shares of TMHC stock opened at $39.06 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 5.59 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The stock has a market cap of $4.23 billion, a PE ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 1.71. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $36.86 and a 200-day moving average of $32.55. Taylor Morrison Home has a one year low of $20.05 and a one year high of $40.53. Insider Buying and Selling at Taylor Morrison Home Taylor Morrison Home ( NYSE:TMHC Get Rating ) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 15th. The construction company reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $2.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.32 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.19 EPS. Taylor Morrison Homes revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Taylor Morrison Home will post 6.46 earnings per share for the current year. In other news, CEO Sheryl Palmer sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.13, for a total transaction of $3,613,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 296,052 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,696,358.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Taylor Morrison Home news, Director William H. Lyon sold 4,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.52, for a total value of $158,080.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 147,570 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,831,966.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Sheryl Palmer sold 100,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.13, for a total value of $3,613,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 296,052 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,696,358.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 284,467 shares of company stock worth $10,638,292 in the last quarter. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Institutional Trading of Taylor Morrison Home Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of TMHC. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Taylor Morrison Home in the 1st quarter valued at about $466,000. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Taylor Morrison Home by 7.9% in the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 9,902 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $269,000 after acquiring an additional 729 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Taylor Morrison Home in the 1st quarter valued at about $309,000. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS raised its holdings in shares of Taylor Morrison Home by 10.5% in the 1st quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 45,038 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $1,226,000 after acquiring an additional 4,294 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Great West Life Assurance Co. Can raised its holdings in shares of Taylor Morrison Home by 9.4% during the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 68,917 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $1,930,000 after buying an additional 5,933 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.33% of the companys stock. Taylor Morrison Home Company Profile (Get Rating) 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. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Taylor Morrison Home Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Taylor Morrison Home and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW Get Rating) had its price target lifted by equities researchers at Barclays from $220.00 to $240.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, The Fly reports. Barclayss price objective points to a potential upside of 4.85% from the companys current price. Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $263.00 to $268.00 in a research report on Wednesday. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $231.00 to $253.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $285.00 to $267.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $260.00 to $235.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $257.83. Get Sherwin-Williams alerts: Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance Shares of SHW opened at $228.90 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $222.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $230.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.07 billion, a PE ratio of 29.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.03. Sherwin-Williams has a 52-week low of $195.24 and a 52-week high of $285.00. Insider Buying and Selling Sherwin-Williams ( NYSE:SHW Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.84 by $0.20. Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 9.41% and a return on equity of 86.29%. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.61 earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Sherwin-Williams will post 8.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. In related news, CEO John G. Morikis bought 2,207 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 27th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $226.70 per share, for a total transaction of $500,326.90. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 231,344 shares of the companys stock, valued at $52,445,684.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO John G. Morikis bought 2,207 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 27th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $226.70 per share, for a total transaction of $500,326.90. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 231,344 shares of the companys stock, valued at $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 businesss stock in a transaction dated 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. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the companys stock. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sherwin-Williams Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 49.1% in the 1st quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 316 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 145,970 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $32,810,000 after purchasing an additional 984 shares during the period. Slow Capital Inc. grew its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 30.3% in the 1st quarter. Slow Capital Inc. now owns 13,643 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $3,067,000 after purchasing an additional 3,176 shares during the period. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. grew its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 122,936 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $27,632,000 after purchasing an additional 4,900 shares during the period. Finally, Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc. grew its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc. now owns 7,017 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $1,577,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. 76.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. 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. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Sherwin-Williams Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Sherwin-Williams and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. O-I Glass (NYSE:OI Get Rating) had its target price raised by equities researchers at Royal Bank of Canada from $34.00 to $37.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, The Fly reports. Royal Bank of Canadas price target would suggest a potential upside of 75.02% from the companys current price. OI has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of O-I Glass from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 5th. StockNews.com started coverage on O-I Glass in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on O-I Glass from $18.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, February 2nd. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of O-I Glass from $23.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, February 2nd. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of O-I Glass from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday, February 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $24.20. Get O-I Glass alerts: O-I Glass Price Performance Shares of NYSE OI opened at $21.14 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.86. The company has a market cap of $3.28 billion, a PE ratio of 5.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.36. O-I Glass has a twelve month low of $11.60 and a twelve month high of $23.52. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $22.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.12. Insider Buying and Selling O-I Glass ( NYSE:OI Get Rating ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.46. O-I Glass had a return on equity of 34.12% and a net margin of 10.04%. The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.78 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.56 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that O-I Glass will post 2.57 EPS for the current year. In other news, insider Vitaliano Torno sold 17,299 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.22, for a total transaction of $384,383.78. Following the sale, the insider now owns 158,010 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,510,982.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Arnaud Aujouannet sold 2,510 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.33, for a total value of $56,048.30. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 55,368 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,236,367.44. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Vitaliano Torno sold 17,299 shares of O-I Glass stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.22, for a total value of $384,383.78. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 158,010 shares in the company, valued at $3,510,982.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in OI. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its holdings in shares of O-I Glass by 0.3% in the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 613,152 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $7,940,000 after purchasing an additional 1,950 shares in the last quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P purchased a new position in O-I Glass during the 3rd quarter valued at about $416,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. lifted its holdings in O-I Glass by 7,574.7% during the third quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,074,462 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $13,914,000 after buying an additional 1,060,462 shares during the period. AlphaCrest Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in O-I Glass during the third quarter valued at about $736,000. Finally, Oberweis Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of O-I Glass by 165.4% in the 3rd quarter. Oberweis Asset Management Inc. now owns 69,000 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $894,000 after buying an additional 43,000 shares during the last quarter. 93.60% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. O-I Glass Company Profile (Get Rating) O-I Glass, Inc engages in manufacturing of glass products. It offers products to the food and beverage sectors. The firm operates through the following geographical segments: Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific. The company was founded in 1929 and is headquartered in Perrysburg, OH. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for O-I Glass Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for O-I Glass and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP Get Rating) by 6,586.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 393,589 shares of the utilities providers stock after acquiring an additional 387,703 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc.s holdings in CenterPoint Energy were worth $11,804,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in CenterPoint Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $440,000. Raymond James Trust N.A. lifted its position in CenterPoint Energy by 59.0% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 14,757 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $452,000 after buying an additional 5,475 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in CenterPoint Energy by 28.5% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,585,045 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $79,208,000 after buying an additional 572,884 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its position in CenterPoint Energy by 9.0% during the 1st quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 32,098 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $988,000 after buying an additional 2,642 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in CenterPoint Energy by 59.3% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 738,270 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $22,615,000 after buying an additional 274,696 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.28% of the companys stock. Get CenterPoint Energy alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CNP. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of CenterPoint Energy from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, April 20th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of CenterPoint Energy from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an outperform rating and set a $33.00 target price on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a research report on Monday, March 6th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of CenterPoint Energy from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, April 14th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered shares of CenterPoint Energy from a buy rating to a neutral rating and increased their target price for the stock from $31.00 to $32.00 in a research report on Monday, January 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CenterPoint Energy currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $32.75. CenterPoint Energy Price Performance Shares of NYSE:CNP opened at $30.35 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $19.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.09, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.75. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $29.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $29.38. CenterPoint Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $25.03 and a one year high of $33.50. CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 17th. The utilities provider reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.29 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $2.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.29 billion. CenterPoint Energy had a net margin of 11.21% and a return on equity of 9.88%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.36 EPS. Research analysts predict that CenterPoint Energy, Inc. will post 1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. CenterPoint Energy Dividend Announcement The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 17th. CenterPoint Energys payout ratio is currently 47.80%. CenterPoint Energy Profile (Get Rating) CenterPoint Energy, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the business of power generation and distribution. It operates through the following segments: CenterPoint Energy, Houston Electric, and CERC. The CenterPoint Energy segment consists of electric transmission and distribution services in the Texas gulf coast area in the ERCOT region and electric transmission and distribution services primarily to southwestern Indiana and includes power generation and wholesale power operations in the MISO region. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CNP? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for CenterPoint Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for CenterPoint Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW Get Rating) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 920 shares of the industrial products companys stock, valued at approximately $203,000. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ITW. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in Illinois Tool Works by 71,229.9% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,120,637 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $383,093,000 after purchasing an additional 2,117,664 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 106,481.6% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,897,153 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $3,515,000 after purchasing an additional 1,895,373 shares during the period. Briar Hall Management LLC increased its holdings in Illinois Tool Works by 2.0% during the third quarter. Briar Hall Management LLC now owns 26,352,224 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $4,760,529,000 after buying an additional 520,540 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new position in Illinois Tool Works during the first quarter valued at $91,466,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Illinois Tool Works by 5.9% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,902,872 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $1,236,063,000 after buying an additional 326,412 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.83% of the companys stock. Get Illinois Tool Works alerts: Insider Activity at Illinois Tool Works In other Illinois Tool Works news, 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 value of $14,809,337.62. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 40,072 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $9,868,130.72. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Illinois Tool Works news, CEO Ernest Scott Santi sold 235,656 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 213,538 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,592,274.02. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Vice Chairman Christopher A. Oherlihy sold 60,137 shares of Illinois Tool Works stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 40,072 shares of the companys stock, valued at $9,868,130.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.78% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Illinois Tool Works Stock Performance Illinois Tool Works stock opened at $231.37 on Thursday. The stocks 50 day moving average is $234.23 and its 200 day moving average is $225.65. The company has a market capitalization of $70.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.66, a PEG ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 1.10. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a twelve month low of $173.52 and a twelve month high of $253.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.60 by ($0.26). Illinois Tool Works had a return on equity of 87.15% and a net margin of 19.04%. The company had revenue of $3.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.95 EPS. Illinois Tool Workss revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 9.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Illinois Tool Works Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 13th. Investors of record on Friday, March 31st were issued a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 30th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.26%. Illinois Tool Workss payout ratio is currently 53.58%. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on ITW shares. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Illinois Tool Works from $232.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Friday, February 3rd. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Illinois Tool Works in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a buy rating on the stock. Credit Suisse Group lifted their price objective on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $259.00 to $282.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Illinois Tool Works from $174.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on Illinois Tool Works from $211.00 to $205.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $228.64. 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. Featured Articles 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). Receive News & Ratings for Illinois Tool Works Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Illinois Tool Works and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Arkin Reyim drives a tractor to lay mulching film and sow at a cotton field in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 21, 2023. Arkin Reyim is a 51-year-old cotton farmer with more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of cotton fields in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County in Xinjiang. Arkin's courage and unique vision has prompted him to start growing cotton in 2004 when he got married with his wife Hasiyat Kasim. Since then, Arkin has devoted himself into the cultivation of cotton for over 10 years, thus making him an experienced cotton grower in the county. In this year, Arkin bought the Beidou navigation system with 8,000 yuan (about 1155.5 U.S. dollars) to have it installed into his tractor, as a way to mechanise the growing process and improve efficiencies. Yuli County in Xinjiang is suitable for the growing of cotton due to its unique natural conditions. It has become an important commodity cotton production base of the country. At present, the county's 1 million mu (about 66,666.7 hectares) cotton fields have entered the sowing period smoothly with the help of new technology and modern agricultural machinery. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge) Arkin Reyim takes his mother to go for a meal in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 22, 2023. Arkin Reyim is a 51-year-old cotton farmer with more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of cotton fields in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County in Xinjiang. Arkin's courage and unique vision has prompted him to start growing cotton in 2004 when he got married with his wife Hasiyat Kasim. Since then, Arkin has devoted himself into the cultivation of cotton for over 10 years, thus making him an experienced cotton grower in the county. In this year, Arkin bought the Beidou navigation system with 8,000 yuan (about 1155.5 U.S. dollars) to have it installed into his tractor, as a way to mechanise the growing process and improve efficiencies. Yuli County in Xinjiang is suitable for the growing of cotton due to its unique natural conditions. It has become an important commodity cotton production base of the country. At present, the county's 1 million mu (about 66,666.7 hectares) cotton fields have entered the sowing period smoothly with the help of new technology and modern agricultural machinery. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge) Arkin Reyim drives a tractor to lay mulching film and sow at a cotton field in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 21, 2023. Arkin Reyim is a 51-year-old cotton farmer with more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of cotton fields in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County in Xinjiang. Arkin's courage and unique vision has prompted him to start growing cotton in 2004 when he got married with his wife Hasiyat Kasim. Since then, Arkin has devoted himself into the cultivation of cotton for over 10 years, thus making him an experienced cotton grower in the county. In this year, Arkin bought the Beidou navigation system with 8,000 yuan (about 1155.5 U.S. dollars) to have it installed into his tractor, as a way to mechanise the growing process and improve efficiencies. Yuli County in Xinjiang is suitable for the growing of cotton due to its unique natural conditions. It has become an important commodity cotton production base of the country. At present, the county's 1 million mu (about 66,666.7 hectares) cotton fields have entered the sowing period smoothly with the help of new technology and modern agricultural machinery. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge) Arkin Reyim pushes the mulching film aside to let the cotton shoot come out at a cotton field in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 22, 2023. Arkin Reyim is a 51-year-old cotton farmer with more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of cotton fields in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County in Xinjiang. Arkin's courage and unique vision has prompted him to start growing cotton in 2004 when he got married with his wife Hasiyat Kasim. Since then, Arkin has devoted himself into the cultivation of cotton for over 10 years, thus making him an experienced cotton grower in the county. In this year, Arkin bought the Beidou navigation system with 8,000 yuan (about 1155.5 U.S. dollars) to have it installed into his tractor, as a way to mechanise the growing process and improve efficiencies. Yuli County in Xinjiang is suitable for the growing of cotton due to its unique natural conditions. It has become an important commodity cotton production base of the country. At present, the county's 1 million mu (about 66,666.7 hectares) cotton fields have entered the sowing period smoothly with the help of new technology and modern agricultural machinery. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge) Arkin Reyim (2nd L) celebrates his 51st birthday with his family members in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 17, 2023. Arkin Reyim is a 51-year-old cotton farmer with more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of cotton fields in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County in Xinjiang. Arkin's courage and unique vision has prompted him to start growing cotton in 2004 when he got married with his wife Hasiyat Kasim. Since then, Arkin has devoted himself into the cultivation of cotton for over 10 years, thus making him an experienced cotton grower in the county. In this year, Arkin bought the Beidou navigation system with 8,000 yuan (about 1155.5 U.S. dollars) to have it installed into his tractor, as a way to mechanise the growing process and improve efficiencies. Yuli County in Xinjiang is suitable for the growing of cotton due to its unique natural conditions. It has become an important commodity cotton production base of the country. At present, the county's 1 million mu (about 66,666.7 hectares) cotton fields have entered the sowing period smoothly with the help of new technology and modern agricultural machinery. (Photo by Wang Zhipeng/Xinhua) This aerial photo taken on April 17, 2023 shows Arkin Reyim driving a tractor to plough at a cotton field in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Arkin Reyim is a 51-year-old cotton farmer with more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of cotton fields in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County in Xinjiang. Arkin's courage and unique vision has prompted him to start growing cotton in 2004 when he got married with his wife Hasiyat Kasim. Since then, Arkin has devoted himself into the cultivation of cotton for over 10 years, thus making him an experienced cotton grower in the county. In this year, Arkin bought the Beidou navigation system with 8,000 yuan (about 1155.5 U.S. dollars) to have it installed into his tractor, as a way to mechanise the growing process and improve efficiencies. Yuli County in Xinjiang is suitable for the growing of cotton due to its unique natural conditions. It has become an important commodity cotton production base of the country. At present, the county's 1 million mu (about 66,666.7 hectares) cotton fields have entered the sowing period smoothly with the help of new technology and modern agricultural machinery. (Photo by Wang Zhipeng/Xinhua) Arkin Reyim operates the Beidou navigation system in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 21, 2023. Arkin Reyim is a 51-year-old cotton farmer with more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of cotton fields in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County in Xinjiang. Arkin's courage and unique vision has prompted him to start growing cotton in 2004 when he got married with his wife Hasiyat Kasim. Since then, Arkin has devoted himself into the cultivation of cotton for over 10 years, thus making him an experienced cotton grower in the county. In this year, Arkin bought the Beidou navigation system with 8,000 yuan (about 1155.5 U.S. dollars) to have it installed into his tractor, as a way to mechanise the growing process and improve efficiencies. Yuli County in Xinjiang is suitable for the growing of cotton due to its unique natural conditions. It has become an important commodity cotton production base of the country. At present, the county's 1 million mu (about 66,666.7 hectares) cotton fields have entered the sowing period smoothly with the help of new technology and modern agricultural machinery. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge) Arkin Reyim walks at a cotton field to inspect the growing condition of cotton shoots in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 21, 2023. Arkin Reyim is a 51-year-old cotton farmer with more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of cotton fields in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County in Xinjiang. Arkin's courage and unique vision has prompted him to start growing cotton in 2004 when he got married with his wife Hasiyat Kasim. Since then, Arkin has devoted himself into the cultivation of cotton for over 10 years, thus making him an experienced cotton grower in the county. In this year, Arkin bought the Beidou navigation system with 8,000 yuan (about 1155.5 U.S. dollars) to have it installed into his tractor, as a way to mechanise the growing process and improve efficiencies. Yuli County in Xinjiang is suitable for the growing of cotton due to its unique natural conditions. It has become an important commodity cotton production base of the country. At present, the county's 1 million mu (about 66,666.7 hectares) cotton fields have entered the sowing period smoothly with the help of new technology and modern agricultural machinery. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge) Arkin Reyim inspects the growing condition of cotton shoot in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 21, 2023. Arkin Reyim is a 51-year-old cotton farmer with more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of cotton fields in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County in Xinjiang. Arkin's courage and unique vision has prompted him to start growing cotton in 2004 when he got married with his wife Hasiyat Kasim. Since then, Arkin has devoted himself into the cultivation of cotton for over 10 years, thus making him an experienced cotton grower in the county. In this year, Arkin bought the Beidou navigation system with 8,000 yuan (about 1155.5 U.S. dollars) to have it installed into his tractor, as a way to mechanise the growing process and improve efficiencies. Yuli County in Xinjiang is suitable for the growing of cotton due to its unique natural conditions. It has become an important commodity cotton production base of the country. At present, the county's 1 million mu (about 66,666.7 hectares) cotton fields have entered the sowing period smoothly with the help of new technology and modern agricultural machinery. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge) This aerial photo taken on April 17, 2023 shows Arkin Reyim driving a tractor to plough at a cotton field in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Arkin Reyim is a 51-year-old cotton farmer with more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of cotton fields in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County in Xinjiang. Arkin's courage and unique vision has prompted him to start growing cotton in 2004 when he got married with his wife Hasiyat Kasim. Since then, Arkin has devoted himself into the cultivation of cotton for over 10 years, thus making him an experienced cotton grower in the county. In this year, Arkin bought the Beidou navigation system with 8,000 yuan (about 1155.5 U.S. dollars) to have it installed into his tractor, as a way to mechanise the growing process and improve efficiencies. Yuli County in Xinjiang is suitable for the growing of cotton due to its unique natural conditions. It has become an important commodity cotton production base of the country. At present, the county's 1 million mu (about 66,666.7 hectares) cotton fields have entered the sowing period smoothly with the help of new technology and modern agricultural machinery. (Photo by Wang Zhipeng/Xinhua) Arkin Reyim (R) inspects tools in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 29, 2023. Arkin Reyim is a 51-year-old cotton farmer with more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of cotton fields in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County in Xinjiang. Arkin's courage and unique vision has prompted him to start growing cotton in 2004 when he got married with his wife Hasiyat Kasim. Since then, Arkin has devoted himself into the cultivation of cotton for over 10 years, thus making him an experienced cotton grower in the county. In this year, Arkin bought the Beidou navigation system with 8,000 yuan (about 1155.5 U.S. dollars) to have it installed into his tractor, as a way to mechanise the growing process and improve efficiencies. Yuli County in Xinjiang is suitable for the growing of cotton due to its unique natural conditions. It has become an important commodity cotton production base of the country. At present, the county's 1 million mu (about 66,666.7 hectares) cotton fields have entered the sowing period smoothly with the help of new technology and modern agricultural machinery. (Xinhua/Wang Fei) Arkin Reyim looks for tractors for spring ploughing via his mobile phone as he takes a meal in Yuli County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 1, 2023. Arkin Reyim is a 51-year-old cotton farmer with more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of cotton fields in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County in Xinjiang. Arkin's courage and unique vision has prompted him to start growing cotton in 2004 when he got married with his wife Hasiyat Kasim. Since then, Arkin has devoted himself into the cultivation of cotton for over 10 years, thus making him an experienced cotton grower in the county. In this year, Arkin bought the Beidou navigation system with 8,000 yuan (about 1155.5 U.S. dollars) to have it installed into his tractor, as a way to mechanise the growing process and improve efficiencies. Yuli County in Xinjiang is suitable for the growing of cotton due to its unique natural conditions. It has become an important commodity cotton production base of the country. At present, the county's 1 million mu (about 66,666.7 hectares) cotton fields have entered the sowing period smoothly with the help of new technology and modern agricultural machinery. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge) Arkin Reyim (L) inspects tools for ploughing at a cotton field in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 17, 2023. Arkin Reyim is a 51-year-old cotton farmer with more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of cotton fields in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County in Xinjiang. Arkin's courage and unique vision has prompted him to start growing cotton in 2004 when he got married with his wife Hasiyat Kasim. Since then, Arkin has devoted himself into the cultivation of cotton for over 10 years, thus making him an experienced cotton grower in the county. In this year, Arkin bought the Beidou navigation system with 8,000 yuan (about 1155.5 U.S. dollars) to have it installed into his tractor, as a way to mechanise the growing process and improve efficiencies. Yuli County in Xinjiang is suitable for the growing of cotton due to its unique natural conditions. It has become an important commodity cotton production base of the country. At present, the county's 1 million mu (about 66,666.7 hectares) cotton fields have entered the sowing period smoothly with the help of new technology and modern agricultural machinery. (Photo by Wang Zhipeng/Xinhua) Arkin Reyim operates a scarifier to loosen the soil at a cotton field in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 21, 2023. Arkin Reyim is a 51-year-old cotton farmer with more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of cotton fields in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County in Xinjiang. Arkin's courage and unique vision has prompted him to start growing cotton in 2004 when he got married with his wife Hasiyat Kasim. Since then, Arkin has devoted himself into the cultivation of cotton for over 10 years, thus making him an experienced cotton grower in the county. In this year, Arkin bought the Beidou navigation system with 8,000 yuan (about 1155.5 U.S. dollars) to have it installed into his tractor, as a way to mechanise the growing process and improve efficiencies. Yuli County in Xinjiang is suitable for the growing of cotton due to its unique natural conditions. It has become an important commodity cotton production base of the country. At present, the county's 1 million mu (about 66,666.7 hectares) cotton fields have entered the sowing period smoothly with the help of new technology and modern agricultural machinery. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge) Arkin Reyim drives a tractor with the Beidou navigation system at a cotton field in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 17, 2023. Arkin Reyim is a 51-year-old cotton farmer with more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of cotton fields in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County in Xinjiang. Arkin's courage and unique vision has prompted him to start growing cotton in 2004 when he got married with his wife Hasiyat Kasim. Since then, Arkin has devoted himself into the cultivation of cotton for over 10 years, thus making him an experienced cotton grower in the county. In this year, Arkin bought the Beidou navigation system with 8,000 yuan (about 1155.5 U.S. dollars) to have it installed into his tractor, as a way to mechanise the growing process and improve efficiencies. Yuli County in Xinjiang is suitable for the growing of cotton due to its unique natural conditions. It has become an important commodity cotton production base of the country. At present, the county's 1 million mu (about 66,666.7 hectares) cotton fields have entered the sowing period smoothly with the help of new technology and modern agricultural machinery. (Photo by Wang Zhipeng/Xinhua) Arkin Reyim makes oil dough cakes with his wife in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 21, 2023. Arkin Reyim is a 51-year-old cotton farmer with more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of cotton fields in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County in Xinjiang. Arkin's courage and unique vision has prompted him to start growing cotton in 2004 when he got married with his wife Hasiyat Kasim. Since then, Arkin has devoted himself into the cultivation of cotton for over 10 years, thus making him an experienced cotton grower in the county. In this year, Arkin bought the Beidou navigation system with 8,000 yuan (about 1155.5 U.S. dollars) to have it installed into his tractor, as a way to mechanise the growing process and improve efficiencies. Yuli County in Xinjiang is suitable for the growing of cotton due to its unique natural conditions. It has become an important commodity cotton production base of the country. At present, the county's 1 million mu (about 66,666.7 hectares) cotton fields have entered the sowing period smoothly with the help of new technology and modern agricultural machinery. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge) Arkin Reyim drives a tractor to work at a cotton field in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 22, 2023. Arkin Reyim is a 51-year-old cotton farmer with more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of cotton fields in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County in Xinjiang. Arkin's courage and unique vision has prompted him to start growing cotton in 2004 when he got married with his wife Hasiyat Kasim. Since then, Arkin has devoted himself into the cultivation of cotton for over 10 years, thus making him an experienced cotton grower in the county. In this year, Arkin bought the Beidou navigation system with 8,000 yuan (about 1155.5 U.S. dollars) to have it installed into his tractor, as a way to mechanise the growing process and improve efficiencies. Yuli County in Xinjiang is suitable for the growing of cotton due to its unique natural conditions. It has become an important commodity cotton production base of the country. At present, the county's 1 million mu (about 66,666.7 hectares) cotton fields have entered the sowing period smoothly with the help of new technology and modern agricultural machinery. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge) Arkin Reyim drives a tractor to lay mulching film and sow at a cotton field in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 21, 2023. Arkin Reyim is a 51-year-old cotton farmer with more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of cotton fields in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County in Xinjiang. Arkin's courage and unique vision has prompted him to start growing cotton in 2004 when he got married with his wife Hasiyat Kasim. Since then, Arkin has devoted himself into the cultivation of cotton for over 10 years, thus making him an experienced cotton grower in the county. In this year, Arkin bought the Beidou navigation system with 8,000 yuan (about 1155.5 U.S. dollars) to have it installed into his tractor, as a way to mechanise the growing process and improve efficiencies. Yuli County in Xinjiang is suitable for the growing of cotton due to its unique natural conditions. It has become an important commodity cotton production base of the country. At present, the county's 1 million mu (about 66,666.7 hectares) cotton fields have entered the sowing period smoothly with the help of new technology and modern agricultural machinery. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge) Arkin Reyim (R) holding a birthday cake poses with his wife to celebrate his 51st birthday in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 17, 2023. Arkin Reyim is a 51-year-old cotton farmer with more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of cotton fields in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County in Xinjiang. Arkin's courage and unique vision has prompted him to start growing cotton in 2004 when he got married with his wife Hasiyat Kasim. Since then, Arkin has devoted himself into the cultivation of cotton for over 10 years, thus making him an experienced cotton grower in the county. In this year, Arkin bought the Beidou navigation system with 8,000 yuan (about 1155.5 U.S. dollars) to have it installed into his tractor, as a way to mechanise the growing process and improve efficiencies. Yuli County in Xinjiang is suitable for the growing of cotton due to its unique natural conditions. It has become an important commodity cotton production base of the country. At present, the county's 1 million mu (about 66,666.7 hectares) cotton fields have entered the sowing period smoothly with the help of new technology and modern agricultural machinery. (Photo by Wang Zhipeng/Xinhua) Arkin Reyim cares for his sheep after completing his farm work in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 21, 2023. Arkin Reyim is a 51-year-old cotton farmer with more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of cotton fields in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County in Xinjiang. Arkin's courage and unique vision has prompted him to start growing cotton in 2004 when he got married with his wife Hasiyat Kasim. Since then, Arkin has devoted himself into the cultivation of cotton for over 10 years, thus making him an experienced cotton grower in the county. In this year, Arkin bought the Beidou navigation system with 8,000 yuan (about 1155.5 U.S. dollars) to have it installed into his tractor, as a way to mechanise the growing process and improve efficiencies. Yuli County in Xinjiang is suitable for the growing of cotton due to its unique natural conditions. It has become an important commodity cotton production base of the country. At present, the county's 1 million mu (about 66,666.7 hectares) cotton fields have entered the sowing period smoothly with the help of new technology and modern agricultural machinery. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge) Arkin Reyim has dinner with his wife in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 21, 2023. Arkin Reyim is a 51-year-old cotton farmer with more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of cotton fields in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County in Xinjiang. Arkin's courage and unique vision has prompted him to start growing cotton in 2004 when he got married with his wife Hasiyat Kasim. Since then, Arkin has devoted himself into the cultivation of cotton for over 10 years, thus making him an experienced cotton grower in the county. In this year, Arkin bought the Beidou navigation system with 8,000 yuan (about 1155.5 U.S. dollars) to have it installed into his tractor, as a way to mechanise the growing process and improve efficiencies. Yuli County in Xinjiang is suitable for the growing of cotton due to its unique natural conditions. It has become an important commodity cotton production base of the country. At present, the county's 1 million mu (about 66,666.7 hectares) cotton fields have entered the sowing period smoothly with the help of new technology and modern agricultural machinery. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge) Arkin Reyim feeds his sheep in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 29, 2023. Arkin Reyim is a 51-year-old cotton farmer with more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of cotton fields in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County in Xinjiang. Arkin's courage and unique vision has prompted him to start growing cotton in 2004 when he got married with his wife Hasiyat Kasim. Since then, Arkin has devoted himself into the cultivation of cotton for over 10 years, thus making him an experienced cotton grower in the county. In this year, Arkin bought the Beidou navigation system with 8,000 yuan (about 1155.5 U.S. dollars) to have it installed into his tractor, as a way to mechanise the growing process and improve efficiencies. Yuli County in Xinjiang is suitable for the growing of cotton due to its unique natural conditions. It has become an important commodity cotton production base of the country. At present, the county's 1 million mu (about 66,666.7 hectares) cotton fields have entered the sowing period smoothly with the help of new technology and modern agricultural machinery. (Xinhua/Hao Zhao) Arkin Reyim inspects the growing condition of cotton shoots at a cotton field in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 22, 2023. Arkin Reyim is a 51-year-old cotton farmer with more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of cotton fields in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County in Xinjiang. Arkin's courage and unique vision has prompted him to start growing cotton in 2004 when he got married with his wife Hasiyat Kasim. Since then, Arkin has devoted himself into the cultivation of cotton for over 10 years, thus making him an experienced cotton grower in the county. In this year, Arkin bought the Beidou navigation system with 8,000 yuan (about 1155.5 U.S. dollars) to have it installed into his tractor, as a way to mechanise the growing process and improve efficiencies. Yuli County in Xinjiang is suitable for the growing of cotton due to its unique natural conditions. It has become an important commodity cotton production base of the country. At present, the county's 1 million mu (about 66,666.7 hectares) cotton fields have entered the sowing period smoothly with the help of new technology and modern agricultural machinery. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge) This photo taken on April 21, 2023 shows a cotton shoot at a cotton field in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Arkin Reyim is a 51-year-old cotton farmer with more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of cotton fields in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County in Xinjiang. Arkin's courage and unique vision has prompted him to start growing cotton in 2004 when he got married with his wife Hasiyat Kasim. Since then, Arkin has devoted himself into the cultivation of cotton for over 10 years, thus making him an experienced cotton grower in the county. In this year, Arkin bought the Beidou navigation system with 8,000 yuan (about 1155.5 U.S. dollars) to have it installed into his tractor, as a way to mechanise the growing process and improve efficiencies. Yuli County in Xinjiang is suitable for the growing of cotton due to its unique natural conditions. It has become an important commodity cotton production base of the country. At present, the county's 1 million mu (about 66,666.7 hectares) cotton fields have entered the sowing period smoothly with the help of new technology and modern agricultural machinery. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge) Arkin Reyim talks with his family members in Yuli County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 1, 2023. Arkin Reyim is a 51-year-old cotton farmer with more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of cotton fields in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County in Xinjiang. Arkin's courage and unique vision has prompted him to start growing cotton in 2004 when he got married with his wife Hasiyat Kasim. Since then, Arkin has devoted himself into the cultivation of cotton for over 10 years, thus making him an experienced cotton grower in the county. In this year, Arkin bought the Beidou navigation system with 8,000 yuan (about 1155.5 U.S. dollars) to have it installed into his tractor, as a way to mechanise the growing process and improve efficiencies. Yuli County in Xinjiang is suitable for the growing of cotton due to its unique natural conditions. It has become an important commodity cotton production base of the country. At present, the county's 1 million mu (about 66,666.7 hectares) cotton fields have entered the sowing period smoothly with the help of new technology and modern agricultural machinery. (Xinhua/Hao Zhao) Arkin Reyim drives a tractor to work at a cotton field in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 22, 2023. Arkin Reyim is a 51-year-old cotton farmer with more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of cotton fields in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County in Xinjiang. Arkin's courage and unique vision has prompted him to start growing cotton in 2004 when he got married with his wife Hasiyat Kasim. Since then, Arkin has devoted himself into the cultivation of cotton for over 10 years, thus making him an experienced cotton grower in the county. In this year, Arkin bought the Beidou navigation system with 8,000 yuan (about 1155.5 U.S. dollars) to have it installed into his tractor, as a way to mechanise the growing process and improve efficiencies. Yuli County in Xinjiang is suitable for the growing of cotton due to its unique natural conditions. It has become an important commodity cotton production base of the country. At present, the county's 1 million mu (about 66,666.7 hectares) cotton fields have entered the sowing period smoothly with the help of new technology and modern agricultural machinery. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge) Arkin Reyim shears a sheep at his sheep pen in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 29, 2023. Arkin Reyim is a 51-year-old cotton farmer with more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of cotton fields in the Bax Mali Village of Yuli County in Xinjiang. Arkin's courage and unique vision has prompted him to start growing cotton in 2004 when he got married with his wife Hasiyat Kasim. Since then, Arkin has devoted himself into the cultivation of cotton for over 10 years, thus making him an experienced cotton grower in the county. In this year, Arkin bought the Beidou navigation system with 8,000 yuan (about 1155.5 U.S. dollars) to have it installed into his tractor, as a way to mechanise the growing process and improve efficiencies. Yuli County in Xinjiang is suitable for the growing of cotton due to its unique natural conditions. It has become an important commodity cotton production base of the country. At present, the county's 1 million mu (about 66,666.7 hectares) cotton fields have entered the sowing period smoothly with the help of new technology and modern agricultural machinery. (Xinhua/Hao Zhao) Rollins Financial bought a new position in Coca-Cola Europacific Partners PLC (NYSE:CCEP Get Rating) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 3,964 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $219,000. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of CCEP. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in Coca-Cola Europacific Partners by 27.5% in the first quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 12,218 shares of the companys stock valued at $595,000 after purchasing an additional 2,638 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Coca-Cola Europacific Partners by 2.0% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 14,173 shares of the companys stock valued at $690,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in Coca-Cola Europacific Partners by 5.0% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 14,447,992 shares of the companys stock valued at $702,316,000 after purchasing an additional 685,745 shares during the last quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can purchased a new position in Coca-Cola Europacific Partners in the first quarter valued at about $10,809,000. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Coca-Cola Europacific Partners by 13.9% in the first quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 4,954 shares of the companys stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 605 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 28.63% of the companys stock. Get Coca-Cola Europacific Partners alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Credit Suisse Group increased their price target on Coca-Cola Europacific Partners to 65.00 ($72.22) in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com cut Coca-Cola Europacific Partners from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday. Societe Generale upgraded Coca-Cola Europacific Partners from a sell rating to a hold rating and set a $61.15 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group upped their price objective on Coca-Cola Europacific Partners from $68.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Coca-Cola Europacific Partners from $63.00 to $66.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $66.66. Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Stock Up 1.2 % Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Company Profile Shares of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners stock opened at $64.01 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $57.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $54.23. Coca-Cola Europacific Partners PLC has a twelve month low of $41.80 and a twelve month high of $64.12. (Get Rating) Coca-Cola Europacific Partners plc engages in the distribution and sale of non-alcoholic ready to drink beverages. It operates through the following geographical segments: Iberia, Germany, Great Britain, France, Belgium/Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Iceland. The company was founded on August 4, 2015 and is headquartered in Uxbridge, the United Kingdom. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Coca-Cola Europacific Partners and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. HM Payson & Co. decreased its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS Get Rating) by 33.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,136 shares of the companys stock after selling 1,553 shares during the quarter. HM Payson & Co.s holdings in Novartis were worth $284,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of NVS. Financial Management Professionals Inc. raised its position in shares of Novartis by 2,018.8% in the 4th quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 339 shares of the companys stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 323 shares in the last quarter. McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its position in shares of Novartis by 42.7% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 441 shares of the companys stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Front Row Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Novartis by 38.3% in the 3rd quarter. Front Row Advisors LLC now owns 498 shares of the companys stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.12% of the companys stock. Get Novartis alerts: Novartis Trading Down 1.4 % NVS opened at $102.54 on Thursday. Novartis AG has a fifty-two week low of $74.09 and a fifty-two week high of $105.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $217.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.35, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.54. The companys 50 day moving average price is $89.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $87.60. Novartis Increases Dividend Novartis ( NYSE:NVS Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 25th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.16. Novartis had a net margin of 13.78% and a return on equity of 22.44%. The company had revenue of $12.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $12.60 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.46 earnings per share. Novartiss revenue for the quarter was up 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 6.59 earnings per share for the current year. The company also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 10th were given a dividend of $3.4694 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 9th. This is a boost from Novartiss previous annual dividend of $1.18. This represents a dividend yield of 2.6%. Novartiss dividend payout ratio is 71.61%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several equities analysts have recently commented on NVS shares. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a strong-buy rating for the company. BTIG Research lifted their price target on shares of Novartis from $75.00 to $85.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. Citigroup lowered shares of Novartis from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, January 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Novartis from an underweight rating to a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, January 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Novartis from an equal weight rating to an underweight rating in a report on Friday, January 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $82.89. About Novartis (Get Rating) Novartis AG is a holding company, which engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of healthcare products. It operates through the following segments: Innovative Medicines, Sandoz, and Corporate. The Innovative Medicines segment researches, develops, manufactures, distributes and sells patented pharmaceuticals, and is composed of two business units: Novartis Oncology and Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding NVS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Novartis Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Novartis and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. GYL Financial Synergies LLC increased its position in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE Get Rating) by 102.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,002 shares of the utilities providers stock after buying an additional 1,517 shares during the quarter. GYL Financial Synergies LLCs holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $464,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Sempra Energy by 2.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,199,642 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $4,228,254,000 after purchasing an additional 625,052 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Sempra Energy by 0.7% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,795,347 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $638,074,000 after purchasing an additional 24,679 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in Sempra Energy by 2.8% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,935,160 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $440,097,000 after purchasing an additional 80,852 shares during the period. Neuberger Berman Group LLC raised its position in Sempra Energy by 16.8% in the third quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 2,540,802 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $381,066,000 after purchasing an additional 366,259 shares during the period. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp raised its position in Sempra Energy by 7.5% in the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 2,388,520 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $358,329,000 after purchasing an additional 166,839 shares during the period. 84.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Sempra Energy alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes SRE has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Sempra Energy from $150.00 to $164.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on Sempra Energy from $169.00 to $166.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 1st. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Sempra Energy in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company. Bank of America lowered their target price on Sempra Energy from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Sempra Energy from $180.00 to $174.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sempra Energy currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $167.67. Sempra Energy Stock Down 2.3 % NYSE:SRE opened at $154.33 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $48.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.88 and a beta of 0.73. Sempra Energy has a one year low of $136.54 and a one year high of $176.47. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $151.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $154.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 0.60. Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 28th. The utilities provider reported $2.35 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.06 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $3.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.79 billion. Sempra Energy had a return on equity of 10.53% and a net margin of 14.74%. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.16 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Sempra Energy will post 8.96 EPS for the current fiscal year. Sempra Energy Increases Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 22nd were issued a $1.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 21st. This represents a $4.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.08%. This is a boost from Sempra Energys previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. Sempra Energys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 71.90%. Insiders Place Their Bets In other Sempra Energy news, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 19,260 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.09, for a total value of $2,813,693.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1 shares of the companys stock, valued at $146.09. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Sempra Energy news, CFO Trevor I. Mihalik sold 2,306 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.50, for a total value of $342,441.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 21,362 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,172,257. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 19,260 shares of Sempra Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.09, for a total value of $2,813,693.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1 shares in the company, valued at approximately $146.09. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 52,504 shares of company stock valued at $8,045,547 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.14% of the companys stock. About Sempra Energy (Get Rating) Sempra Energy is an energy-service holding company, which engages in the development and operation of energy infrastructure, and provision of electric and gas services. It operates through the following segments: San Diego Gas and Electric Company (SDG&E), Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), Sempra Texas Utilities, Sempra Mexico, and Sempra LNG. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SRE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Sempra Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Sempra Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW Get Rating) KeyCorp raised their Q2 2023 earnings estimates for Sherwin-Williams in a research note issued on Tuesday, April 25th. KeyCorp analyst A. Yefremov now anticipates that the specialty chemicals company will post earnings per share of $2.71 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $2.45. The consensus estimate for Sherwin-Williams current full-year earnings is $8.42 per share. KeyCorp also issued estimates for Sherwin-Williams Q3 2023 earnings at $2.64 EPS and FY2023 earnings at $9.00 EPS. Get Sherwin-Williams alerts: Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of 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. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $285.00 to $267.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 31st. Loop Capital lifted their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $260.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $220.00 to $240.00 in a report on Thursday. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $263.00 to $268.00 in a report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $257.83. Sherwin-Williams Price Performance SHW stock opened at $228.90 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $222.79 and a 200-day moving average of $230.77. Sherwin-Williams has a 12-month low of $195.24 and a 12-month high of $285.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.03. The company has a market cap of $59.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.65, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.07. Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.84 by $0.20. Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 9.41% and a return on equity of 86.29%. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.14 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.61 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 19th will be given a $0.605 dividend. This represents a $2.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 18th. Sherwin-Williamss payout ratio is currently 31.35%. Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams In related news, SVP Bryan J. Young sold 2,750 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.76, for a total transaction 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 approximately $1,756,145.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Sherwin-Williams news, SVP Bryan J. Young sold 2,750 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 23rd. The shares were 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 owns 7,955 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,756,145.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO John G. Morikis bought 2,207 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, January 27th. The stock was purchased 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 owns 231,344 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,445,684.80. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.55% of the companys stock. Institutional Trading of Sherwin-Williams Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. General Partner Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter worth approximately $61,000. Alpha Paradigm Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $373,000. Czech National Bank lifted its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 27,602 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock worth $6,551,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund lifted its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 8,452 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock worth $1,731,000 after acquiring an additional 276 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 16,177 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock worth $3,312,000 after acquiring an additional 475 shares during the period. 76.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Sherwin-Williams Company Profile (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. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Sherwin-Williams Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Sherwin-Williams and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. MEMPHIS, the United States, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Female giant panda Ya Ya left the Memphis Zoo here on Wednesday morning for a flight returning to China. Ya Ya's departure came after 20 years of stay at the zoo in Memphis, Tennessee. As arranged by the Chinese and U.S. sides, she will board a plane to Shanghai. Produced by Xinhua Global Service LJUBLJANA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The Slovenian government is aiming to reduce its budget deficit and public debt in the coming years, it said on Wednesday, while announcing a bigger deficit expected this year. The country's budget deficit this year is expected to rise to 4.1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), up from a share of 3.9 percent in 2022, the government said. Meanwhile, public debt should gradually fall to 63.5 percent of GDP by the end of 2026, from 69.9 percent at the end of 2022. Slovenia's deficit should fall to 2.8 percent of GDP in 2024, in line with European Union rules requiring member states to keep their deficits below 3 percent of GDP. "In the years 2025 and 2026 the fiscal effort should enable further reduction of deficit to 2.2 and 1.3 percent of GDP," the government said in a statement. Last year, the government took hefty measures to help citizens and companies overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, and also managed to cut deficit and debt which had both increased sharply during the pandemic. With a GDP growth of 5.4 percent last year, Slovenia expects its GDP to increase by 1.8 percent this year, and accelerate to 2.5 percent in 2024, mainly counting on the growth of exports, household spending and investments, the macroeconomic institute UMAR said last month. The UN Security Council holds a meeting on Haiti at the UN headquarters in New York, on April 26, 2023. The top UN envoy for Haiti on Wednesday called for the deployment of an international specialized force in Haiti to quell armed gang violence. (Manuel Elias/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua) UNITED NATIONS, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The top UN envoy for Haiti on Wednesday called for the deployment of an international specialized force in Haiti to quell armed gang violence. "I would like to emphasize the urgent need for the deployment, authorized by the Security Council, of an international specialized force, as articulated by the (UN) secretary-general in his letter dated Oct. 8, 2022. We need to find innovative ways to define the force to support the Haitian National Police," said Maria Isabel Salvador, the special representative of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for Haiti and head of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH). Haiti requires immediate assistance to counter increasing armed gang violence and to develop its police. The rapidly deteriorating security situation demands that the country remain at the center of international attention and action. Further delay in addressing the unprecedented insecurity in Haiti could also lead to a spill-over of insecurity in the region. The decisive support of the Security Council remains crucial in ensuring security, rule of law, stability, and peace in Haiti, she said in her first briefing to the Security Council in her current capacity. "Time is of the essence, and the Haitian people deserve your urgent action. If not supported, the vicious circle of violence, political, social, and economic crisis, in which the people struggle every day, will continue to turn. Breaking this daunting circle must not be delayed. The Haitian people cannot wait. We need to act now," she said. A path for Haitians to engage in dialogue toward restoring democratic institutions in the country has been charted. However, the general sentiment among Haitians is that it will be difficult to move forward without effectively addressing rampant insecurity, said Salvador. Gang violence is expanding at an alarming rate in areas previously considered relatively safe in Port-au-Prince and outside the capital. The horrific violence in gang-ridden areas, including sexual violence, particularly against women and girls, is emblematic of the terror afflicting much of Haiti's population, she said. According to data collected by the Haitian National Police and by BINUH, in the first quarter of 2022, 692 criminal incidents -- homicide, rape, kidnappings and lynching -- were reported. In the same period in 2023, the number of recorded criminal incidents more than doubled. Last month showed the highest incident rates since 2005, said Salvador. Faced with increasingly violent armed gangs vying for control of neighborhoods of the capital, with limited or no police presence, some residents have begun to take matters into their own hands. These dynamics lead indefectibly to the breakdown of the social fabric with unpredictable consequences for the entire region, she warned. Only two days ago, in Port-au-Prince, a group of civilians took 13 suspected gang members from police custody, beat them to death and burned their bodies, she said. With the increase in armed gang violence, Haitians have continued to suffer one of the worst human rights crises in decades. People living in areas under gang control are exposed to the highest rate of human rights abuses. Interviews carried out by BINUH indicate that gangs continue to use sexual violence, including multiple-perpetrator rape, to terrorize and inflict pain on populations living in areas under the control of their rivals. Other forms of sexual violence, such as sexual exploitation, were also reported as being used by gangs against women and girls living in communities under their influence, she said. Children are among the victims of the most heinous crimes, including killings, kidnappings, and rape. Over the last three months, school children have been hit by bullets while sitting in their classrooms and kidnapped when being dropped off at school. Furthermore, many schools closed late last year as a result of violence and extortion by gangs. Despite most reopening in early 2023, many children have not returned to the classroom due to violence near the school or in their neighborhoods, or inability of their families to pay school fees, she noted. Salvador said she was deeply shocked by reports of snipers indiscriminately targeting civilians. In this context of high vulnerability, children are being recruited into armed gangs. Nearly half the population -- 5.2 million people -- are in need of humanitarian assistance. Some 39,000 suspected cases of cholera have been reported since the epidemic reappeared in October 2022, she said. The Haitian government has continued to invest in the national police. However, the force is severely understaffed and ill-equipped to address the violence and criminality. Deaths, dismissals, and increased resignations among the police have cut its operational strength from 14,772 to about 13,200 personnel, of whom only approximately 9,000 perform police tasks. Barely 3,500 police officers are on public safety duty at any given time, nationwide. In the meantime, recruitment of new police officers has been halted due to deteriorating security and logistical constraints, said Salvador. The national police succeed in mounting some effective anti-gang operations but holding these security gains is merely momentary. The need for urgent international support to the police to address the rapidly deteriorating security situation cannot be overemphasized, she said. Beyond the immediate support the national police require, it is urgent to make progress toward a nationally led solution to the long-standing political impasse. This is fundamental to restoring sustainable and durable security, as well as social and economic stability, she said. Maria Isabel Salvador (Front), the special representative of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for Haiti and head of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti, speaks at a Security Council meeting on Haiti at the UN headquarters in New York, on April 26, 2023. The top UN envoy for Haiti on Wednesday called for the deployment of an international specialized force in Haiti to quell armed gang violence. (Loey Felipe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua) MALVERN, Pa. (AP) MALVERN, Pa. (AP) CubeSmart (CUBE) on Thursday reported a key measure of profitability in its first quarter. The results matched Wall Street expectations. The Malvern, Pennsylvania-based real estate investment trust said it had funds from operations of $147.5 million, or 65 cents per share, in the period. NEW YORK (AP) At Michigan State University, children of employees can spend Thursday seeing what it's like to staff a dairy farm, work in sports or plant a tree at the school's first in-person Take Our Kids to Work Day since the pandemic began. Some 1,500 employees and kids have registered and the university has invited staff to bring any child in their life to explore the campus. This is a way that people can see each other and meet their families, show off MSU, which is designated a family friendly university," said Jaimie Hutchison, director of the universitys WorkLife Office. "It also allows people to see what others do across campus and have more pride in the institution that they work for. MSU's plans recall the roots of Take Our Kids to Work Day, which celebrates its 30th anniversary on Thursday. This year, Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work Foundation, the nonprofit that promotes the day, hopes more organizations remind people of the importance of showing kids where their parents work. The foundation also hopes to get some help to ensure its survival. The idea of Take Our Kids to Work Day, which the foundation marks annually on the third Thursday in April, seemed like part of a bygone era in recent years because, due to the pandemic, there werent a lot of workplaces to take them. Many parents were always taking their kids to work or taking their work to wherever the kids were in the dawn of the work-from-home era caused by COVID-19. And for parents who needed to head to a workplace, precautions over limiting the spread of the disease generally kept their kids away. The foundation has had challenges of its own. It was led for years by Carolyn McKecuen, an entrepreneur, artist and MacArthur Fellow, who Dave Oliveria, the foundations interim executive director, called the linchpin of the organization. She died in November. The board is trying to pick up the pieces to just keep it going, Oliveria said. The foundation lost money last year and currently has no employees. This year, it is partnering with Junior Achievement USA to host a virtual event that will include a gameshow format where panelists will answer questions about their careers. In the coastal town of Brigantine, New Jersey, school superintendent Glenn Robbins is encouraging his staff to bring their children to school and for students to accompany their parents to their workplaces Thursday. He estimates that around 30% of students will participate. It makes them appreciate things that they might not see when theyre stuck in a school building every day for five days a week, he said. Over the years, educators and schools have complained that having some students taken out of class is more disruptive than helpful. Thirty years ago, the head of the Ms. Foundation for Women, Marie Wilson, was inspired by research into the flagging self-esteem of girls when they reached adolescence to suggest that parents bring their daughters to work to expand their sense of possibility. The foundations cofounder, Gloria Steinem, mentioned the idea in an interview and in the spring of 1993, Take Our Daughters to Work day exploded into reality. It challenged the workplace to be responsive to the family needs in some ways, even making people aware that many people had children at home, said Teresa Younger, president and CEO of the Ms. Foundation for Women. Womens participation in the work force has been largely flat since 2000, after picking up in the 1990s. About three-quarters of women aged 25 through 54, a group that filters out students and retirees, were in the workforce in 1993, a figure that reached nearly 78% this year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The pandemic disproportionally drove women out of the workforce and they returned more slowly even after lockdown measures ended and available jobs again increased. The name and date of the day has changed since it started, including boys officially in 2003, though many workplaces have used kid or child for years. Also, companies and workplaces are free to organize a day for employees to bring their children to work whenever and however they like, said Oliveria. Around 1,000 kids have registered for this year's livestream, Junior Achievement US said. But it has always been difficult to measure participation, Oliveria said, but this year's participation likely represents a sharp decline from the 18 million kids that the organization said participated between 2005 and 2009. I dont see evidence of a million people, but I think that many companies can do their own thing and we wouldnt know, Oliveria said. Thats just a tough thing to put your arms around. Younger said she understands the difficulty of continuing to meet the needs of the current moment. Thats the challenge of every legacy organization, is: how do we respond to the challenges of now and continue to integrate the work as it needs to be? she asked. Bringing a child to work is still a meaningful way to create a more economically and socially equitable society, she said. It holds industry accountable for the opportunities that they provide for the next generation and the exposure they provide. ___ 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. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate ALBANY Motorists who own certain model Hyundai and Kia cars may want to keep a close eye on them if they dont want them stolen by a TikTok-watching teen or preteen. And they should contact the automakers on their websites to get software updates or an old-school Club style steering wheel lock, according to Attorney General Tish James. Shes joined other attorneys general nationwide urging more action on what has been a rash of internet-inspired thefts of Hyundai and Kia cars, thanks in part, to flawed ignition switches that make them unusually easy to steal. Specifically, the cars made between 2011 and 2022 have been targeted due to the security flaws which include a lack of immobilizers which in most cars verify that the correct key is being used. The state top prosecutors want the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to recall the affected vehicles. They also want Hyundai and Kia to speed up prevention efforts through a software update that is being rolled out for different models of the cars. In Monroe County alone, which includes the city of Rochester, more than 1,400 Hyundai and Kia cars have been stolen in the last five months, according to County Executive Adam Bello. Thats prompted preliminary moves by Rochester Mayor Malik Evans to sue Hyundai/Kia, following Buffalo, San Diego and Seattle, which already have started legal actions. The level of Hyundai and Kia thefts in the Capital Region wasnt immediately known. But Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said he doesn't believe it has been as extensive as in the Rochester/Monroe County area. Essentially, because of the way their ignition is configured, these cars can be started with a phone charger USB cable and a blank key or even a screwdriver after the thief pries open the ignition key component on the steering wheel. That trick has exploded on the TikTok social media site and it has been mimicked with alacrity by underage drivers. Its very unusual that weve got kids as young as 11 showing how to steal these, said Scott Holeman, a spokesman for the Insurance Information Institute. There is also a Kia Challenge going around the internet in which viewers are urged to one-up one another in displaying how much damage they can do to the cars once they are entered and started. Thats in contrast to traditional auto theft problems in which criminal gangs steal cars to sell on a black market or to disassemble them for parts in clandestine chop shops. Theres a safety issue as well. According to James, at least four deaths and numerous injuries have resulted from car accidents following the theft of these vehicles. Hyundai and Kia are aware of the issue. Spokespeople from Hyundai couldnt be reached by deadline. But a spokesman for Kia, which is a subsidiary of the Korean-based Hyundai, said in an email that they are taking action by offering software updates and steering wheel locks. Kia remains deeply concerned that car thefts targeting certain models encouraged by social media content promoting criminal conduct is an issue, Kia spokesman James Bell said in an email. To address these crimes, we continue to roll out a free, enhanced security software upgrade to restrict the unauthorized operation of vehicle ignition systems and we are also providing steering wheel locks for impacted owners at no cost to them. He said Kia to date has contacted over 2 million Kia drivers to let them know of the software upgrade, and more than 183,000 eligible customers have already had the upgrade installed. In addition to supplying more than 40,000 free steering wheel locks to over 300 law enforcement agencies across the country for distribution to Kia owners, the company has shipped more than 10,000 locks directly to impacted owners as well, he said. James has a number of suggestions for Hyundai or Kia owners. If youre a Kia owner or lessee, you should check Kias website or call Kia directly to check the status of your vehicles eligibility for a software upgrade or free steering wheel lock. Motorists can also call Kias Customer Care team toll-free at 1-800-333-4542 or online. If youre a Hyundai owner or lessee, you should check Hyundais website or call Hyundai directly to check the status of your vehicles eligibility for a software upgrade or free steering wheel lock. Motorists can also call Hyundais customer care agents toll-free at 1-888-498-0390 or visit its website for more information. People can also contact their local Hyundai/Kia dealers to ask about having the software on their vehicles upgraded to repair the vulnerabilities that make them uniquely prone to theft. They also can request an anti-theft steering wheel device from Hyundai or Kia for vehicles that are not immediately eligible for a software patch that would repair its vulnerabilities. rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU This photo taken on March 2, 2023 shows wind power blades to be exported at Yantai Port in Yantai, east China's Shandong Province. (Photo by Tang Ke/Xinhua) China's economic growth in the first quarter of 2023 is faster than expected and will help to restart the global economy BUDAPEST, April 27 (Xinhua) -- China's economic growth in the first quarter of 2023 is faster than expected and will help to restart the global economy, president of the Hungarian-Chinese Chamber of Economy has said. "China reopened before the Chinese New Year ... and the consequence of this is the acceleration and economic development that no one expected," said Erno Peto in an interview with Xinhua during the China-Central and Eastern European countries industrial cooperation forum held in Budapest. China has achieved a notable growth rate of 4.5 percent year on year in the first quarter, beating previous forecasts by many institutions. The country's optimized COVID-19 prevention measures are credited to this growth, said the expert. According to Peto, the 4.5 percent growth of China will act as a catalyst for the economic development of many nations in Europe. China is one of the most important trade partners of the European Union (EU), "if China's gross domestic product (GDP) is 1 percent higher than 4.5 percent, it will generate half a percent of GDP growth in the European economy." China's economic momentum will thus contribute to relaunching the economy on a global scale, Peto said. "I believe that China will restart the world economy." Peto indicated that the faster-than-expected growth in the first quarter was just the beginning. "At the Davos Forum, various economic macro analysts estimated the growth of China's GDP in 2023 at around 4.5-5 percent, given the data of the first quarter. This figure had to be modified, and today the annual GDP growth is estimated at around 5.6-5.8 percent," he said. His view was echoed by many, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which projected an exceed-5-percent growth for China in 2023. Peto was convinced that China's growth will give impetus to the region of Central and Eastern Europe, in which Hungary could play a special role. He highlighted Hungary's potential as a logistics hub, financial center and platform for businesses in Central Europe and the EU. "The expansion of China's economy holds great significance for the global economy, and Hungary has a unique position to contribute to Central Europe and the EU," he said. Peto emphasized that in the present interconnected global economy, all parties rely on each other. Therefore, promoting a healthy and mutually beneficial economic partnership is essential for success. "Everyone is dependent on the other," he said. This article was first published on NerdWallet.com. Starting a business can be an enticing dream. Its also notoriously difficult to come up with an original idea, find the right team and fund its growth. If you want to work for yourself, there may be an easier way buying an existing business. Think of it like renovating a house instead of building one from the ground up, says Mark Zweig, entrepreneur-in-residence at the University of Arkansas Walton College of Business. I like the constraints of an existing business versus a clean sheet of paper, Zweig says. Here are four reasons to consider this path to entrepreneurship. You don't have to start from scratch Founders need to find customers, develop relationships with vendors and hire employees. They may need to rent space and buy equipment. They also need to create processes, set up software tools, hire lawyers and accountants, and complete other relevant tasks. Building that structure takes time and money. When you buy a business, at least some of those things are already in place. Theres a lot of intellectual capital when you buy a business, says Randy Katz, founder of Synesis Advisors and past president of the California Association of Business Brokers. The employees have seen pretty much any kind of problem that you might run into, which means that they probably are better at foreseeing problems and better [at] planning for problems. And perhaps most valuable of all: There may already be money coming in. I could invest $200,000 and have to grind it out and build the business from scratch with absolutely no infrastructure and no guarantees of success, Katz says. With the same amount of money, he says, you could purchase a business that generates cash flow right out of the gate. Buying a business doesnt guarantee success either, Katz cautions. Still, the financial economics just make a lot of sense if you buy the right business, do the right diligence and are successful in the continuity of the operation. Financing may be available It can be very difficult to find startup funding for a new venture. Many business owners rely on their own savings or friends and family to get their business up and running. The main advantage of buying a business over starting a business is that theres capital and loans available from banks for buying businesses, says Tim Stolz, a certified financial planner and certified public accountant at Bestgate Wealth Advisors in Maryland. You may be able to use an SBA loan or business bank loan to buy a business. Startups are typically excluded from these types of financing because they lack revenue history but when youre buying an existing business, lenders can evaluate its financials and make predictions about the businesss future performance Business sellers may also be willing to finance the business purchase, Zweig says, especially if theyre eager to retire and dont have a successor. You can do due diligence You can look through an existing businesss books to make sure everything is above board, from classifying workers correctly to complying with sales tax laws. Zweig cautions against businesses that face pending litigation, businesses with reputations that feel impossible to improve and family businesses that employ several relatives. He also watches out for single-person management situations in which if the owner leaves, all of the institutional knowledge leaves with them. And any unethical or illegal activity is a no-go. Working with an attorney and CPA with experience in business acquisitions can help you stay on top of the complicated legal and tax considerations involved in a business purchase. Talk to a personal financial planner, too business ownership is still a risk, and its essential to prepare your personal finances as well. You may already know the business well You could be working in or around the business youll someday buy. Long-term key employees of small businesses are often the ones best positioned to successfully succeed the founder, Stolz says. He adds that small businesses are often well positioned to buy their competitors, especially if they serve similar groups of customers. If youre casting a wider net, a business broker may be able to help. These advisors can help you find a deal outside your industry or neighborhood. All of a sudden, an opportunity can come to [a buyer] and they say, you know what, I never would have thought of this, but this is a really great business, Katz says. This article was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet. Rosalie Murphy writes for NerdWallet. Email: rmurphy@nerdwallet.com. The article Thinking of Starting a Business? Consider Buying One Instead originally appeared on NerdWallet. ALBANY The muffled sound of a lullaby and the occasional toddlers cry could be heard behind a locked door on the top floor of the towering Legislative Office Building on a recent afternoon at the state Capitol. The nondescript conference room on the ninth floor is, like the rest of the building, in an area of the Capitol complex that requires visitors to pass through security checkpoints. Otherwise, its guarded only by a small Ring security camera thats discreetly affixed to the top of the main door. For months, the room has housed a small unlicensed day care center providing care to a select number of Democratic Assembly members, many of whom bring their children along when they take part in legislative meetings and other government business. But other than the occasional sound of childrens voices and the out-of-place security camera, there is no signage or other information indicating theres a day care operating in a building that houses the offices of more than 200 state lawmakers. The large conference room is steps from offices used by Assembly Majority Leader Crystal People-Stokes and Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie, who according to sources approved the unregulated setup. The space has been used for official purposes through the years ranging from legislative ethics meetings to employee training sessions. The room has been fully converted to a child care setting, with amenitites that include a microwave oven, refrigerator, colorful floor mats, childrens' books, toys, blankets, pillows, a water cooler and at least one crib. The Times Union monitored the office for several days recently and discovered that toddler-age children were being cared for there for more than several hours per day while the Legislature has been in session. The current unofficial use of the room, which some but not all lawmakers are aware of, has created no public stir. But some legislators have privately raised questions about Heasties sanctioning of a day care center thats being operated without authorization from the state Office of General Services, which manages state buildings, or the state Office of Children and Family Services, which regulates day care centers. On Friday, a day after the Times Union published this story online, a spokesman for the Office of Children and Family Services said their agency will investigate the unregistered child care center. "As the state oversight authority, OCFS will investigate after it is made aware of an alleged unlicensed or unregistered program," Solomon Syed, a spokesman for the agency, said in a statement. The complimentary child care service, which has been staffed by two legislative aides, has provided "drop-in" day care services for a handful of Democratic Assembly members since it was quietly launched earlier this year. Heasties office said they consider it a drop-in center that began in January as a pilot program to gauge the need for day care services for Assembly members. They said it is open to any member of the chamber who needs help with child care, including Republicans, and that the Office of General Services is aware of what were working on. We know we have a need to provide the working parents with some assistance, said Kerri Biche, a spokeswoman for Heastie. We kind of developed this drop-in center as a trial. Investing in a child care structure is expensive and has a lot of resources, so before we did that we needed to know exactly what the needs are. Its available to any legislator who has parenting needs. Syed, the spokesman for the state Office of Children and Family Services, said that if "a program meets the requirements under the law, then they must obtain a license or registration, regardless of whether the provider is compensated or has an informal agreement with the childs parent or guardian. As the state oversight authority, if after an investigation OCFS determines a child care program is operating without a required license or registration, the agency issues a notice to cease operations." The state Office of General Services issued did not confirm whether they were informed about the Assembly's child care room and instead issued a general statement on Friday. "OGS informs tenants that they must adhere to any applicable regulations," the statement reads. "The appropriate regulatory agency oversees and investigates questions regarding compliance." One lawmaker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, noted that the optics of using a government office and legislative aides to provide complimentary child care to a select group of legislators could be a politically volatile arrangement. The setup also is in place at a time when child care options for many New Yorkers including thousands of state government workers are both scarce and expensive. At some state agencies, there are on-site day care options for the children of employees, but many of those facilities are also open to the public and can cost more than $1,400 a month for one child full-time. State employees also sometimes need to sign up for waiting lists to use those facilities. In the conference room used by the Assembly members, who are paid more than $140,000 a year, its unclear how much capacity there is or how many children and what ages are being cared for on a regular basis. Biche said there are about five lawmakers who are dropping their children at the makeshift facility. Two legislative aides, both with teaching experience, are overseeing the center, according to Biche and Whyland, who is also a spokesperson for Heastie. Biche said the one of the aides does regular state Assembly work when she is not working in the center. The other works exclusively in the center. The working world has changed. Were more accommodating to being a family-friendly environment, and the speaker doesnt want parents to have to choose between being a legislator and having young kids, Biche said. This is a benefit that were trying to provide to make sure that parents can still be with their kids while in Albany. In some cases members have had to choose between leaving their young kid with a relative at home or trying to convince a relative to come up here and stay with them, and this is just trying to give them some flexibility. Whyland noted that the speaker has the authority to provide benefits to members and that the center is viewed as a benefit. Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay said he had been made aware of the center but had not thought to tell his entire Republican conference that the service is available. If someone did make a request to me for child care I would have said, 'Oh yeah there is this option,' Barclay said. There was never a memo or something that went out to all members saying this was available; it was more word of mouth. I certainly support having child care for members. I think we need more of that in the workplace. But we ought to make sure its offered to everybody on an equal basis, and obviously we need to follow whatever laws are in place. Child care has been a top issue of lawmakers. Last month, Heasties office released the Assemblys budget proposal that included $7 billion over four years to expand access to safe, affordable child care across the state. That proposal included an additional $137.5 million for the second year of the four-year spending plan. Gov. Kathy Hochul also has made access to affordable child care a priority. On March 15, Hochul announced the launch of an online screening tool to help families check eligibility for child care. The governor also said it would reestablish a statewide task force to develop an implementation plan for universal child care, calling it part of the governors sweeping plan to make New Yorks child care system fairer, more affordable and easier to access. As a mother who put her career on pause due to a lack of affordable child care, I understand first-hand how important this lifeline is for families, Hochul said last month. In the Legislature, where in recent years more women have been elected and many of them are raising young children, it has become commonplace to see kids in tow in the Senate and Assembly chambers as well as in the party conferences that take place behind closed doors. But the added step of providing child care for some elected officials in a government office that is apparently not licensed could pose both ethical and legal questions. The Office of Children and Family Services, which licenses day care centers, defines a small day care center as a program or facility which is not a residence in which child day care is provided to three through six children for more than three hours per day per child for compensation or otherwise. There are added restrictions for small day care centers, including that no more than two children under the age of 2 may be cared for at any one time and when any child who is less than 2 years of age is present, the maximum capacity is five. The state agency defines a child day care center as any program or facility which is not a residence in which child day care is provided on a regular basis to more than six children for more than three hours per day. Seasons and years blow through the high Alpine peaks of the decades-spanning The Eight Mountains." But a warm, abiding glow persists throughout this tender, even restorative epic of male friendship. The film, by Belgian filmmakers Charlotte Vandermeersch and Felix van Groeningen, is a stunning, often profound and frequently jaw-droppingly gorgeous tale of two friends from childhood through adulthood set against the Italian Alps. Vast and intimate at once, their luminously languid adaptation of Paolo Cognetti's bestseller reaches sublime heights. The Eight Mountains, which last year won the jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival, isn't hurried. The ebbs of its two-and-a-half hours are sometimes a little too placid. But the passage of time what changes, what endures is much the subject of the movie. Just as the film's near-sole setting a remote mountain cabin beneath the peaks of northwestern Italy beckons Pietro (Luca Marinelli) and Bruno (Alessandro Borghi) throughout their lives, the intoxicating atmosphere of The Eight Mountains is a cherished retreat I'm already eager to revisit. When we first encounter Pietro and Bruno, they're 11-year-olds. They come from different backgrounds. Pietro's family is middle-class, lives in Turin and only vacations in the Alps. Bruno's family is hardscrabble and working class, and live year-round in the mountains. They become fast friends immediately, though, and it would hard to imagine a more idyllic rendering of childhood than Pietro and Bruno's mountain playground. (One honorable mention: Pixar's Luca," just a little further south from here.) As wide-screen as the surroundings are, the Belgian filmmakers Vandermeersch and van Groeningen, with cinematographer Ruben Impens, shot The Eight Mountains in boxy Academy ratio. Somehow, this only enhances the high-mountain splendor of the film, while at the same time drawing its characters closer together. The hills, you might say, are alive. And the music is a big part of that. The Eight Mountains is scored by the Swedish songwriter Daniel Norgren, whose dreamy, organ-inflected folk songs radiate throughout the film. It might seem too much to compare the effect to Leonard Cohen soundtracking McCabe and Mrs. Miller." But in a similarly rural film where much goes unspoken, Norgren's serene music voices something ethereal, compassionate and timeless. The songs combined with such magnificent images produced a soulful, magical alchemy. Most of the film takes place when Pietro and Bruno are in their 30s. By young adulthood, they've grown apart. They live in different economic realities. The mountains mean different things to them. It's not a vacation or a refuge for Bruno; it's his life. Pietro's father (Filippo Timi), a pivotal figure in the early childhood scenes, dies having spent his life a workaholic. We get the impression his fleeting few weeks at the mountain cabin were the only ones that mattered to him. But Pietro's strained relationship with his father and Bruno's closeness to him continues to shadow the movie. The Eight Mountains is richest in its first half, when it's foremost a father-son tale. After years away, Pietro, a writer, returns to help Bruno (now a bearded mountain man) rebuild the cabin. It's a project of rehabilitation, inside and out, and of reconciliation with his father's unrealized Alpine dreams. But in tracking the book, Vandermeersch and van Groeningen go for something more novelistic. Some pains melt away. New ones emerge. Pietro travels the world. Bruno stays, stubbornly. He falls in love, starts a family, but struggles to make ends meet. Pietro resolves to return every summer. Different as they are, the bond they share is immense. Their lives remain irrevocably intertwined Marinelli, the talented Martin Eden actor, and Borghi, have a stirring rapport even if their inherent differences are never resolved, and never could be. I'm tempted not to say too much about how The Eight Mountains evolves, though, at the same time, the few plot points matter little. Life moves along, with fluctuations of fortune, shifting definitions of home and cyclical drifts from summer to winter, and back. The Alpine idyll that Pietro's father pined for and that Bruno devotes himself to, ultimatley, remains tragically out of reach. Only the mountains endure. "The Eight Mountains, a Janus Films and Sideshow release is not rated by the Motion Picture Association. In Italian. Running time: 147 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four. Filming for the second season of the HBO Max series Pretty Little Liars is underway in the Hudson Valley, and the production is looking for locals to serve as extras for a roller-skating party scene that takes place in the 1970s. Grant Wilfley Casting and the Hudson Valley Film Commission put out a call for people between the ages of 18 and 45 who are able to roller skate and are comfortable with strobe lights. All genders and ethnicities are welcome. The scene is tentatively scheduled to be filmed in Hyde Park on May 16, and while the call notes that Hudson Valley locals are sought, transportation from Manhattan will also be provided. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WALLKILL Wednesday was the end of the six-day period in which the Orange County District Attorneys Office had to present its case to a grand jury for an indictment against Edward V. Holley, who is charged with murdering Megan McDonald in 2003. But because the district attorney's office did not move forward with a preliminary hearing in Wallkill Town Court, Holley will be released from jail this week. The case against Holley has not been dismissed. The 42-year-old Wawayanda man was already serving time in the Orange County Jail for an unrelated drug charge when State Police arrested and charged him last week with second-degree murder. He will finish the remaining few days of his sentence on the unrelated charge before he is released on his own recognizance to await further proceedings in the murder case. Later on Wednesday, Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler announced he was recusing himself from the case and requesting a special prosecutor be appointed, citing a conflict dating back to when he was in private practice. According to a news release from Hoovlers office, he previously represented a person of interest in the McDonald investigation. That person died before Hoovler was elected district attorney. James A. McCarty, supervising judge of the felony criminal parts of the states 9th Judicial District, appointed Julia Cornachio as the special prosecutor. According to the Orange County district attorneys release, Cornachio has more than 30 years of experience as a prosecutor and has handled numerous homicide prosecutions in Bronx and Westchester counties. As to why the deadline to present the case against Holley to the grand jury was missed, the release noted that it is not feasible for any prosecutor to present a matter of this size and complexity, and obtain an indictment, within the six days required by New York state law. State law gives prosecutors six days to present evidence to a grand jury against felony criminal defendants who did not post bail or were remanded after their arraignment. Failure to do so means the defendant can be released on their own recognizance while the case is pending. Holley was arraigned in Middletown City Court on April 20 before his case was transferred to Wallkill Town Court. Town Judge Peter Green, who is presiding over the matter, assigned Cornwall attorney Paul Weber to defend Holley. His next court date will be May 3. Who knows whats going to happen then? Weber said by phone Wednesday afternoon. I havent been presented with any discovery (material). ... I suspect there is something else coming down the pike, but I dont know. This is an interesting case. Police have accused Holley of killing McDonald, a 20-year-old woman whose body was found in 2003 off a rural road in Wallkill. Police said she was bludgeoned to death. The case had gone unsolved for 20 years until last week, when police charged Holley with killing her. Holley had been among a list of suspects throughout the investigation. He was interviewed by investigators four times but told police in those interviews that he did not kill her, according to the felony complaint against him filed by a State Police investigator. Police said McDonald had a romantic relationship with Holley and had broken up with him days before she was killed. Police have described the case as intimate partner violence. Given the cases high profile, media from around the region flocked to State Polices news conference at Troop F headquarters last week. Friends of McDonald and her family gathered nearby. Elected officials and law enforcement personnel stood behind the speakers podium. But the event was marked by an unusual absence: the Orange County District Attorneys office. The prosecutors office said it had not been given the opportunity to review the felony complaint, which laid out the State Polices case against Holley, and had not been alerted that he was going to be arrested. Based on the theory laid out in the complaint and Hoovlers having previously represented a person of interest, there would be a substantial appearance of a conflict of interest if the prosecution of this case remained with the Orange County District Attorneys Office, the office said in a news release. But Holley's attorney thinks there is more behind Hoovler's absence from the news conference. I really think that there is a rift between the prosecutors office and the State Police, Weber said. He thought Hoovler was making a statement by not attending the news conference. You know these guys; they like to grandstand, Weber said. (Hoovler) wouldve been front and center, trust me, and he wasnt. That tells me he just inherited a very bad case and is pissed off about it. The district attorneys office declined to respond to Webers comments, citing the fact that the case is now in the hands of the special prosecutor. Though McDonalds family was disappointed that Holley was released, they expected it would happen as the case moved through court, according to a statement issued through their attorney, John Beatty. After patiently waiting for over 20 years, we are confident that the police have arrested the right person Edward Holley, the statement reads. The process may not be easy or follow our preferred path, but we will not rest until justice is secured for Megan. Beatty also released his own statement, affirming that his office remains committed to seeking justice for Megan. My office will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the prosecution of Edward Holley now proceeds expeditiously, ethically and professionally, he said. ALBANY A judge sentenced Nsikak Okure to 8 to 24 years in prison Wednesday for the September hit-and-run crash that killed Tanisha Brathwaite, but not before the victims family delivered heart-wrenching impact statements mourning the loss of the rising talent. My sister wont be able to finish her second book. She wont be able to have the kids she wanted, Tiyarna Brathwaite said. She wont be able to root for her nieces and nephews at their proms and their graduations ... any of that no more, because he took her life and just left her there. On Sept. 14 at about 6:30 p.m., 31-year-old Brathwaite was struck by Okures vehicle as she crossed Clinton Avenue at the intersection of North Swan Street on her way home from work. Just 36 minutes later and 7 miles away from the scene, a witness spotted a vehicle driving erratically at the intersection of Crossgates Mall Road and Western Avenue and called 911. Okure of Guilderland was taken into custody for drunken driving after crashing his vehicle into a median. But police said he was released due to a lack of evidence tying him to the fatal crash. In November, Okure was arrested and charged with aggravated vehicular homicide and several driving while intoxicated counts. He pleaded guilty in February and admitted to a charge of leaving the scene of an incident without reporting. According to prosecutors, the plea satisfied the initial 11-count indictment that alleged Okure recklessly drove a car under the influence of a significant amount of alcohol resulting in Brathwaites death. In imposing the sentence Wednesday in Albany County Court, Judge Andra Ackerman said she refused to believe the defendants claim that he didnt initially know he hit Brathwaite. She cited his actions shortly after the crash, when he pulled his car over to assess the damage and discovered her wig on the vehicle. You never went back. You never turned around to see if she was OK, she said. Ackerman also referenced Okures initial arrest when he lied about hitting anything other than the median. The judge said she counted 18 times Okure initiated a conversation with officers about the damage to his car in the three and a half hours he spent at the Guilderland Police Station. What sickens me in this is that when you saw the wig that was on the car, you knew unequivocally that you hit her ... and then later, that wig is found on the side of the road just like the way you left Tanisha to die. So, I cant find any reason to sentence you to anything less than the maximum under the plea agreement. Brathwaite was born in Brooklyn and later moved to Albany, where she graduated from the University at Albany. She worked as a security guard at the Empire State Plaza while pursuing her creative ambitions as a childrens book author. The sentencing is a long time coming for her grieving family, who have been desperately seeking answers and justice since the hit-and-run. Two of Brathwaites five siblings and her parents took the stand to address the defendant and highlight the woman they describe as brilliant, big-hearted and destined for so much more. It hurts so bad. My family is falling apart, Thomas Brathwaite, the victims father, said through tears. " ... But I will celebrate her life every day, I will never forget her. Some of you will but I will never forget her. She will always be here with me." Okure was also sentenced to 2 to seven years that will run concurrently for leaving the scene of an incident without reporting. NISKAYUNA A young boy stood at a microphone to explain the shock he and his Glencliff Elementary School classmates felt when a gray truck backed up and suddenly drove by the unmistakable bright-red stop sign that jutted from the side of their stationary school bus. I was surprised by it, and I think that the kid that was getting off the bus might have been a little scared, he told Niskayuna Town Board members at a recent public hearing. Town leaders were considering a local law to allow video cameras attached to stop-sign arms on buses to record and then report to town police drivers who flout a state law aimed at keeping vehicles from passing buses as they stop to allow students to get on and off. In New York, an estimated 50,000 motor vehicles illegally pass school buses every day despite a state law that requires drivers to halt for stopped school buses when the large red lights located on top of the vehicles are flashing, a warning that the bus is picking up or discharging students, according to information on the Governors Traffic Safety Committee. Police officers, as part of a statewide public awareness campaign known as Operation Safe Stop and Enforcement Day, rode some school buses or followed them Thursday in marked and unmarked police vehicles on routes where motorists driving by buses has been a problem. After Tuesdays public hearing in Niskayuna, the initiative, a joint partnership with the school district and police department, was passed unanimously by the governing body. Town officials must still discuss and determine the fines drivers will face and settle on a vendor. Police Chief Jordan Kochan said the cameras could be up and running by the start of the 2023-2024 school year in September. The town is searching for a vendor but BusPatrol, a safety technology company, appears to be the front runner to land the vending contract. Passage of the legislation in Niskayuna came one day after their counterparts in neighboring Schenectady on Monday approved a similar local law. Signed Wednesday by Mayor Gary McCarthy, the law imposes fines starting at $250 for a first offense and $25 more for each subsequent violation. The city will cover the full cost of the installation and maintenance of the cameras and collect revenue from the fines. In September, Albany County legislators passed legislation to install the camera technology on school buses across the county. South Colonie Central School District was the first to get the cameras. For the first few weeks, drivers who broke the law were sent a warning. After that, they received tickers after the video evidence from the system was reviewed. The fine for a first-time offense is $250. Niskayuna Assistant Superintendent for Business and Operations Matt Leon said the camera technology offered by BusPatrol will hopefully draw attention to and help motorists change their dangerous behavior. Sadly, we know that illegal passing of school buses is a daily reality in communities across the country, including our own, and that the consequences can be tragic, said Leon, who oversees the districts transportation department. We owe it to our children to do everything we can to make their mornings, their afternoons, their lives, and their communities as safe as possible. Steve Randazzo, the executive vice president of BusPatrol, told Niskayuna officials that the firm is currently working with Saratoga and Schenectady counties. Were in the process of working with both of the two counties that you mentioned, Randazzo noted in response to a question about jurisdiction since Alplaus in Schenectady County and Rexford in Saratoga County are part of the Niskayuna school district. They havent adopted local laws enabling enforcement just yet but we anticipate that they will in the coming months. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate ALBANY U.S Rep. Elise Stefanik says she wants the FBI to brief her a second time on its handling of Shahed Hussain, a longtime undercover informant for the bureau who operated the unauthorized limo business involved in the 2018 limo crash in Schoharie that killed 20 people. And Stefanik specifically wants to talk to the FBI agents who know Hussain, who left the U.S. for Pakistan about seven months before the disaster, leaving his son Nauman in charge of the business, Prestige Limousine. Nauman Hussain, 33, is scheduled to go on trial Monday in Schoharie County Court on 20 counts each of criminally negligent homicide and manslaughter for his alleged role in the tragedy, considered the worst highway transportation disaster in at least a decade. Sign up for the Justice in Schoharie newsletter Stay up to date with the latest developments in the Schoharie limo crash investigation and the trial of Nauman Hussain with our free newsletter. Sign up here. Shahed Hussain was never charged in the case. Prosecutors have placed all the blame on his son, arguing that he neglected to repair the brakes on the 31-foot stretch Ford Excursion that was carrying 17 friends from Amsterdam to a birthday party in Cooperstown on the afternoon of Oct. 6, 2018. The limos driver, who also died in the crash, lost control of the Excursion as it descended a steep section of Route 30 in rural Schoharie County. The white Excursion, which weighed nearly 7 tons when fully loaded with passengers, sailed through an intersection going more than 100 mph and crashed into the parking lot of a popular gift shop and cafe, killing two bystanders. Investigators have blamed the crash on massive brake failure. Stefanik, whose district includes Schoharie County, has used her position as a ranking GOP member of the powerful House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence to question FBI Director Christopher Wray on the bureaus handling of Shahed Hussain. After Wray stonewalled Stefanik in public hearings citing concerns about revealing methods and protocols related to confidential informants Stefanik's complaints helped compel the FBI to conduct an internal investigation into Hussain. The congresswoman has been at odds with the FBI for years over what she views as its unfair treatment of former President Donald J. Trump, whom Stefanik has endorsed for the 2024 presidential election. Stefanik and U.S. Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, chairman of the Intelligence Committee, were given a confidential briefing on the findings of the investigation on March 29. At the time, Stefanik said she had serious concerns about the FBIs so-called confidential source program, in which Hussain would go undercover in anti-terrorism cases, both in the U.S. and abroad. Available public and court records show that Hussain was an extremely valuable asset for the bureau, even traveling to terrorist camps in Pakistan, including one run by the Pakistani Taliban near the Afghan border. On Thursday, Stefanik revealed a bit more about her concerns, saying that she had learned at the first briefing about an apparent lack of adherence to standard operating procedures within the FBIs confidential source program. Shahed Hussain was the leading actor in two high-profile FBI undercover stings targeting mosques in upstate New York in the years following the 9/11 terror attacks. He posed as a wealthy businessman who wanted to participate in terrorist attacks in the U.S., efforts that were staged by the FBI using fake storefronts and weapons, and led to the convictions of a number of people who were sentenced to lengthy federal prison terms. Two of the defendants were from Albany: Yassin M. Aref, an imam at an Albany mosque, who was released from federal prison in 2018, and pizza shop owner Mohammed Hossain, who was released from federal prison in 2020. At trial for those New York sting cases, lawyers for the defendants portrayed Shahed Hussain as a con man who not only regularly committed perjury on the stand but also had committed widespread tax fraud and money laundering; defense attorneys claimed he had been allowed to scam business partners and commit bank fraud while under the supervision of the FBI. Hussain, who also owned a motel in Wilton, was also known to flaunt his FBI connections to scare away code enforcement officials and others to back off his businesses, which were often cited for health and safety violations. Stefanik wont say what she specifically learned from her FBI briefing or if the investigation has revealed any criminal wrongdoing connected to Hussain's limo business that could impact his sons upcoming trial. Nauman Hussains attorney Lee Kindlon recently suggested during a pretrial hearing in Schoharie that the FBI may have aided Shahed Hussain in falsifying the Excursions 2016 registration with the state Department of Motor Vehicles in order to evade state Department of Transportation oversight, alleged deceptions that Kindlon called the original sin of the tragedy. Kindlon said he wanted to subpoena Wray to testify at the trial. On Thursday, Stefanik said she sent a letter to the FBI director reminding him that she expects a second briefing by the FBI that would include her speaking to the agents who were in charge of Hussain. I expect full accountability and cooperation on this issue, Stefanik wrote. Moreover, as I indicated on March 29, the upcoming brief on this matter shall be provided by FBI agents with firsthand knowledge of the case files and materials. On Thursday, the FBI, for the first time, denied to the Times Union culpability. "The FBI did not take any action which allowed Prestige Limousine to operate, nor did we take any action to interfere with the prosecution of the case," a spokesperson with the FBI headquarters said in a statement. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate MADRID (AP) Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva met with Spain's prime minister Wednesday for talks aimed at making progress on an intercontinental trade deal, but his differences with the European Union on the war in Ukraine remained evident. The 27-member EU completed negotiations in 2019 on a wide-ranging trade deal with Mercosur, a South American bloc that includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. But ratification stalled during the presidency of Lula's predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, due to concerns over environmental standards and price protections for European farmers. Lula and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez held a news conference after signing bilateral agreements Wednesday. The warmth between the two left-wing leaders was evident, but their divergent views on Ukraine left a note of tension in the room. There is no doubt that we condemn Russia's violation of Ukraines rights with the invasion, but it is of no use to say who is right or wrong. The war must be stopped, Lula said. He drew a comparison between Russia's actions in Ukraine and wars waged by other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, invoking the United States' invasion of Iraq in 2003 without a United Nations mandate. Earlier this month, Lula irked Western leaders when he said that both Ukraine and Russia had decided to go to war and that U.S. military aid was fueling the conflict. In Spain, Lula reiterated his call for a G-20 of peace, which he envisions as a group of nominally neutral nations that would try to mediate an end to the Ukraine conflict. The U.N. Security Council's permanent members are the ones who sell the most weapons in the world," the Brazilian president said, suggesting that countries like Brazil, Egypt or South Africa were better positioned to mediate. Earlier in his visit, Lula said that peace must be restored in Ukraine because of the war's knock-on effects on global food and fertilizer prices. He later reassured his Madrid audience of Brazil's commitment to international cooperation, reeling off a list of world leaders he had met with since he began his third non-consecutive term at the beginning of the year, and stating his intention to meet many more. Brazil is back, he said. Sanchez trod a fine line on Ukraine, thanking Lula for his peace proposal but telling the Brazilian leader that in this war, there is an aggressor and a victim, and the aggressor is Putin. The Spanish prime minister added: If we want a fair and long-lasting peace, it is fundamental that the voice ... of Ukraine and its president be heard. Separately, Brazil and Spain are pushing to get the fine print of the Mercosur deal ready for scrutiny by member nations at a joint July 17-18 summit of the EU and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). Spain takes over the EUs rotating presidency in July, and Brazil will simultaneously assume the equivalent role in Mercosur. Sanchez described the CELAC meeting as an excellent opportunity to push the treaty forward, while Lula added: we need to get it done. The Mercosur-EU agreement would integrate a market of around 800 million people that represents about one-forth of the worlds gross domestic product and more than $100 billion in bilateral trade of goods and services. The deal would cut customs duties and ease access for agricultural exporters to the EU market, and for European manufacturers to Mercosur countries. Mario Sergio Lima, a senior political analyst for Brazil at Medley Global Advisors, said Lula's Ukraine comments were not helping the deal's progress. I dont think that this is what will determine the relationship with Europe, but it is something that rather complicates the conversations," he told The Associated Press. "Its reversible, but Brazil should try to distance itself as much as possible from the Russia issue. Following meetings with Spanish business leaders on Wednesday, Lula also made sure to promote his longstanding links with the country's trade unions, and tweeted a photo with a delegation from the main UGT union. He was hosted by Spain's King Felipe VI for a lunch at the royal palace and was due to return to Brazil on Wednesday afternoon. - Martins reported from Sao Paulo WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court is speaking with one voice in response to recent criticism of the justices' ethical practices: No need to fix what isn't broken. The justices' response on Tuesday struck some critics and ethics experts as tone deaf at a time of heightened attention on the justices' travel and private business transactions. That comes against the backdrop of a historic dip in public approval as measured by opinion polls. Deeply divided on some of the most contentious issues of the day including abortion, gun rights and the place of religion in public life the court's six conservatives and three liberals seem united on this particular principle: on ethics they will set their own rules and police themselves. Charles Geyh, an Indiana University law professor and legal ethics expert, said everything the justices detailed Tuesday evening about ethics was essentially outlined in Chief Justice John Roberts' annual year-end report from 2011, more than a decade ago. Theyre basically saying ... What weve been doing is just fine. Lets just re-say it for those of you at the back...That just strikes me as, you know, pretty empty, Geyh said. The most recent stories about the questionable ethics practices of justices began earlier this month. First came a ProPublica investigation that revealed that Thomas has for more than two decades accepted luxury trips nearly every year from Republican megadonor Harlan Crow without reporting them on financial disclosure forms. Thomas responded by issuing a statement saying that he was not required to disclose the trips. A week later, ProPublica revealed in a new story that Crow had purchased three properties belonging to Thomas and his family, a transaction worth more than $100,000 that Thomas never disclosed. Politico reported more recently that when Justice Neil Gorsuch sold property he co-owned shortly after becoming a justice, he disclosed the sale but omitted that the property was purchased by a person whose firm frequently has cases before the high court. And earlier this year, there were stories about the legal recruiting career of Chief Justice John Roberts' wife and whether it raised ethical concerns that she was paid large sums for placing lawyers at firms that appear before the court. The series of revelations has provoked outcry and calls for reform particularly from Democrats. On Wednesday, Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Angus King, the independent from Maine, announced legislation that would require the Supreme Court to create a code of conduct and appoint an official to oversee potential conflicts and public complaints. Next week, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on Supreme Court ethics reform. The time has come for a new public conversation on ways to restore confidence in the Courts ethical standards. I invite you to join it, wrote Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., in a letter. Roberts declined in his own letter made public Tuesday evening. He wrote that testimony by previous holders of his office before Congress is "exceedingly rare, as one might expect in light or separation of powers concerns and the importance of preserving judicial independence. To his letter, however, Roberts attached a Statement on Ethics Principles and Practices signed by all nine justices describing the ethical rules they follow about travel, gifts and outside income. This statement aims to provide new clarity to the bar and to the public on how the Justices address certain recurring issues, and also seeks to dispel some common misconceptions, the statement read. But ethics experts and other court observers said the statement that followed and ran just over two pages was nothing new, just the rehashing of things we already knew and found insufficient, said Gabe Roth of the watchdog group Fix the Court in a statement. The statement signed by the justices essentially said that they consult a wide variety of sources to address ethical issues, decide for themselves when a conflict requires that they step away from a case and file the same annual financial disclosure reports as other judges. The justices have previously resisted calls to write a formal code of conduct. Kathleen Clark, a legal ethics professor at Washington University in St. Louis, said in her view the problem is that the justices have not been subjected to basic accountability that just about everybody else in the federal government has to comply with. What was striking to her about the statement, she said, was a failure to grapple with the fundamental problem of lack of accountability. The justices "seem to be utterly clueless about the problem they have ... They're in a bubble apparently. They don't see what a big problem they have with the lack of accountability, she said. ___ Mark Sherman contributed to this report. NEW YORK, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Latin America is worth caring about regardless of how it factors into Washington's competition with Beijing, argued an article published on World Politics Review on Monday, as U.S. policy in Latin America is strongly shaped by the question of China's involvement and influence there. "When competing with Beijing, U.S. criticisms cannot be aimed at pushing China out of Latin America, but they can help shape better actions by China throughout the hemisphere," insisted the author of the essay titled "In Latin America, the U.S. Is Getting Competition With China All Wrong." It's no mystery why much of Latin America would want a relationship with Beijing: The economic opportunities it offers the region are too large to ignore. And China has successfully integrated itself with the region's economies in such a way that reversing that process at this point would be nearly impossible, explained the article. China is "the major trading partner and commodity purchaser for much of South America," said the report. "And in some places, its loans rival those of multilateral development banks, making China a key actor in any debt negotiations that Latin American economies might face in the challenging years ahead." "While the U.S. is not going to convince countries to turn away from Beijing, it could very well help governments debate and regulate their way to a better and more fair playing field, for China but also for all foreign powers operating in their countries. That would ultimately benefit the populations of countries across the region," it added. Will Waldron/Times Union Gabler Realty, a woman-owned, Delmar-based real estate firm led by Judi Gabler, is expanding with the addition of The Legacy Team, a team led by Anthony Wolcott. Wolcott is moving his license and four-person team over to the Gabler Realty in response to challenges in the Capital Region residential real estate market. Operating with 100 percent commission structure and producing more than $12 million in sales volume in 2022, Wolcott is focusing on expanding his business with a supportive, traditional firm that offers enhanced clerical and marketing support. A total of 122 Irish citizens and their dependents have been evacuated from Sudan, according to Tanaiste Micheal Martin. The number is expected to rise over the coming days. Due to continued uncertainty about the duration of the current ceasefire, and the generally volatile situation in Sudan, we advise citizens, if they judge it safe to do so, to give serious consideration to evacuation options as they become available, Mr Martin said. Evacuation operations will only continue for as long as the security situation in Sudan allows. The Government has also approved the extension of the Emergency Civil Assistance Team (ECAT) operation to Cyprus. Under ECAT, defence forces personnel on the ground have supported Irish citizens with their evacuation through Djibouti, Jordan, Cyprus Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Some citizens have also made their way overland independently. The operation, originally based in Djibouti, has been extended to Cyprus. While evacuation flights are still being organised, EU and other partners have signalled that they will be winding down evacuation missions that have previously been landing mainly in Djibouti, the Department of Foreign Affairs said. The UK are currently operating evacuation flights from Sudan to Cyprus. Mr Martin said: The ECAT team has proven its flexibility in responding to this volatile and evolving crisis by moving operations swiftly to Cyprus, and I thank them for their continued dedication and support to Irish citizens caught up in this crisis. Mr Martin thanked EU partners, the UK, Jordan and Djibouti for their ongoing cooperation in this challenging mission. Our embassy in Nairobi and the Department of Foreign Affairs are in ongoing contact with Irish citizens in Sudan and will continue to assist and advise them, he said. [April 27, 2023] HB11 Energy signs Australia-Spain bilateral laser fusion energy agreement, secures federal grant for $1.76M project SYDNEY, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Australia's first laser fusion energy company HB11 Energy has signed a bilateral agreement with the University of Salamanca (USAL) and the Spanish Pulsed Lasers Centre (CLPU), to accelerate laser fusion energy development in Australia and Spain. The agreement will give HB11 Energy access to Spain's most powerful petawatt-class laser, operated by CLPU, which uses similar technology to the Livermore National Ignition Facility (NIF) where net energy gain was recently achieved. Australia's Ambassador to Spain Sophia McIntyre attended the signing of the agreement, due to the huge national potential for the bilateral partnership to put both countries at the forefront of the global race to clean, safe, reliable, and unlimited energy production using laser fusion. The Australian Government, through the Australian Research Council (ARC), has also awarded a $560,000 ARC Linkage grant towards a $1.76M project for the development of HB11 Energy's home-grown hydrogen-boron laser fusion, hosted by UNSW and involving collaborators at Macquarie University, University of Bordeaux and Spain's CLPU. Accessing CLPU facilities is particularly critical to HB11 Energy - and Australia as a whole - because Australia doesn't currently have the laser required for this work, whereas the laser owned by CLPU is a short-pulsed variety which is most advantageous for hydrogen-boron fusion. Conversely, CLPU is particularly interested in HB11 Energy and its Austraian and global collaborative network, because it offers a best-practise approach to sourcing clean and affordable energy through laser fusion, and because of the capabilities it has built such as materials and laser target fabrication. The combination of Spain's expertise in nuclear science and ownership of ultra-high intensity laser facilities, with Australia's capability and personnel in laser science and technology, make for a strategically-matched international partnership that will progress science for fusion energy generation, says HB11 Energy. Dr. Warren McKenzie said: "The co-founder of HB11 Energy, Professor Heinrich Hora, first theorised about laser fusion in the late '70s and pioneered the field at UNSW Sydney. But the high-powered lasers needed to achieve the hydrogen-boron laser fusion did not exist back then like they do now. "Partnerships with organisations like the University of Salamanca and the CLPU are crucial for fusion energy research, like the research we will be conducting under the ARC Linkage grant, and beyond. "Australia needs to build its national laser fusion energy capability if we are going to lead the race towards fusion energy. This partnership is one of the many steps HB11 Energy is taking towards this goal, which will raise the profile of Australian research into laser fusion energy at a time when many governments around the world are planning major international laser fusion programs." Her Excellency Sophia McIntyre, Australia's Ambassador to Spain, said: "HB11 Energy's research with CPLU is groundbreaking and a great example of the growing science and technology ties between Australia and Spain. Collaborations like these place Australia in the vanguard of international research and help to build our scientific knowledge base and ensure we stay competitive." Dr. Maria Dolores Rodriguez Frias, director of CLPU, said: "Since the achievement of the laser laboratory NIF (US), Ignition is a reality in nuclear fusion. At CLPU we host the most powerful laser in Spain that counts among the three most powerful in the world at a high repetition rate. We are sure that this agreement will enhance our capabilities and strengthen our common interests fostering a green fusion energy in the next decades." The agreement signing was attended by: Director of CLPU Maria Dolores Rodriguez Scientific advisor at CLPU and long-time HB11 Energy collaborator Dr. Luca Volpe HB11 Energy's director and co-founder Jan Kirchoff HB11 Energy lead scientists Dimitri Batani and Sergey Pikuz and Sergey Pikuz Minister of Education of the Junta de Castilla y Leon, Rocio Lucas Rector of the University of Salamanca, Ricardo Rivero It follows HB11 Energy's recent establishment of a coalition of global laser technology heavyweights designed to kickstart Australia's laser industry and develop a petawatt-class laser facility locally. It also follows a CLPU experiment on proton boron fusion performed by a large collaboration of academics led by HB11 Energy, which is now one of very few laser experiments globally that has actually demonstrated a material number of fusion reactions. HB11 (www.hb11.energy) is creating the future of clean energy; safe, reliable, and unlimited electricity, generated by small nuclear fusion reactors that use abundant fuels with little or no harmful waste. It does this by using laser technology to fuse hydrogen and boron-11. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, while Boron-11 comprises some 80% of all Boron found in nature, is readily available, and is a stable, non-radioactive isotope. Unlike other nuclear and fossil-fuel burning plants, HB11 Energy's energy-generating process does not require large plants. Energy is released in the form of charged particles and can directly be converted to electricity without the need for steam turbines. This approach generates few neutrons through minority side reactions, which minimizes waste issues. There's no risk of a reactor meltdown and the energy generated can be directed straight to the grid. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/hb11-energy-signs-australia-spain-bilateral-laser-fusion-energy-agreement-secures-federal-grant-for-1-76m-project-301809253.html SOURCE HB11 Energy [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 27, 2023] Intact Financial Corporation publishes 2022 Social Impact & ESG Report More than one in two stakeholders recognize Intact's efforts to build resilient communities according to the Resilience Barometer survey TORONTO, April 27, 2023 /CNW/ - Intact Financial Corporation (TSX: IFC) today announced that its 2022 Social Impact & ESG Report Building Resilient Communities is available at www.intactfc.com. The report includes the 2022 public accountability statement for Intact and its applicable subsidiaries. Society is at a pivotal time, and Intact'spurpose to help people, businesses and society prosper in good times and be resilient in bad times also drives its conviction to be a leader in building resilient communities. Intact defines resilient communities as being climate proof and economically thriving. "In 2022, our people, customers, and communities have faced increasing headwinds both from the economy and from the impacts of climate change," said Diane Flanagan, Deputy Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Communications at Intact, and Chair of the Intact Foundation. "Helping is at the heart of our purpose, and we put our expertise and resources to work every day to get customers back on track, prepare communities to face the impacts of climate change, and create opportunities for families living in poverty." The 2022 Social Impact and ESG Report highlights Intact's objectives, illustrates how its financial and non-financial goals tie together, and demonstrates how the company is performing against other key societal metrics. Intact constantly challenges itself to find the intersections between helping society and winning in the marketplace. Here are some highlights of the Report: Building Climate Resilient Communities Intact has been on the frontlines of climate change with customers for over a decade. In 2022 alone, Intact handledover 1 million claims and paid out $11 billion to get customers back on track. In Canada, the companyhelped customers with 4,500 claims related to Hurricane Fiona and in the U.K., managed 16,000 claims from the most severe windstorm in 30 years. Intact has invested $25 million into 100 climate resilience projects over a 13-year period, including at the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo, as well as more recent partnerships established with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, and Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust in the U.K. Building Economically Resilient Communities Intact's efforts to build economic resilience has been focused on creating opportunities for families living in poverty. For its annual Generosity in Action campaign, Intact partnered with the United Way Canada and matched employee contributions allocated to programs focused on supporting vulnerable communities. Since 2018, Intact has partnered with the Breakfast Club of Canada with a $3 million-commitment to help expand and sustain children's breakfast programs across the country. Supporting Community Well-being by Enhancing Employee Generosity Intact's 29,000 employees have also stepped up to demonstrate the company's value of Generosity. Last year, employees donated more than $3 million globally and volunteered 14,778 hours of their time to more than 400 organizations. To enhance employee generosity, Intact donated $12.5 million to more than 2,000 organizations globally. Introducing the Resilience Barometer With a goal of having "3 out of 4 stakeholders recognize Intact as leaders in building resilient communities", Intact worked with the global market research firm, Ipsos, to create a Resilience Barometer to measure its performance. Six stakeholder groups were surveyed customers, employees, brokers, investors, governments, and NGOs and industry associations. The initial results were encouraging: More than half of the company's stakeholders recognize Intact as a leader in building resilient communities, and 90% of stakeholders believe that Intact has a responsibility to help communities become more resilient. About Intact Financial Corporation Intact Financial Corporation (TSX: IFC) is the largest provider of property and casualty (P&C) insurance in Canada, a leading provider of global specialty insurance, and, with RSA, a leader in the U.K. and Ireland. Our business has grown organically and through acquisitions to over $21 billion of total annual premiums. In Canada, Intact distributes insurance under the Intact Insurance brand through a wide network of brokers, including its wholly-owned subsidiary BrokerLink, and directly to consumers through belairdirect. Intact also provides affinity insurance solutions through the Johnson Affinity Groups. In the US, Intact Insurance Specialty Solutions provides a range of specialty insurance products and services through independent agencies, regional and national brokers, and wholesalers and managing general agencies. In the U.K., Ireland, and Europe, Intact provides personal, commercial and specialty insurance solutions through the RSA brands. SOURCE Intact Financial Corporation [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 26, 2023] FIRST REPUBLIC BANK 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 First Republic Bank - FRC Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until June 23, 2023 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against First Republic Bank ("First Republic" or the "Company") (NYSE: FRC), if they purchased the Company's securities between January 14, 2021, and March 14, 2023, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. What You May Do If you purchased securities of First Republic 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-frc/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by June 23, 2023. About the Lawsuit First Republic and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws. On March 10, 2023, following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, investor and market scrutiny focused on the Company's liquidity and financial strength, leading it to issue a press release touting its strength and stability. Then, on March 12, 2023, the Company disclosed that it had obtained $10 billion of additional borrowing capacity from the Fed and JPMorgan Chase & Co. On this news, shares of First Republic fell $83.79 per share, or more than 72% over three trading sessions, to a closing price of $31.21 per share on March 13, 2023. The case is City of Hollywood Police Officers' Retirement System v. First Republic Bank, No. 23-cv-1993. 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 http://ksfcounsel.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230426006074/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A man stands in front of an electronic poster prior to a press screening of the movie "Guardian Code" in London, Britain, on April 26, 2023. A Chinese animated family movie will be on screens in over 300 cinemas across the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland on May 26. The English-dubbed movie "Guardian Code" is an installment of "Boonie Bears," which is an animated movie series widely recognized by children in China. (Xinhua/Li Ying) LONDON, April 26 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese animated family movie will be on screens in over 300 cinemas across the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland on May 26. The English-dubbed movie "Guardian Code" is an installment of "Boonie Bears," which is an animated movie series widely recognized by children in China. "I think it's fun, action-packed and pacy, and it's got a really good storyline to it. I think the best thing about the movie is that it applies to both boys and girls," said Emma Evans, brand licensing manager of the Media Pioneers, at the press screening of the film on Wednesday. She noted that the characters are very appealing and the film will appeal to a cross-section of people. In the computer-animated sci-fi comedy film, young bear cubs Briar and Bramble lose their mother in a forest fire, and many years later, they receive news of their mother in a robot research institute. The theme of the film is family, something that Chinese people value the most, said Liang Xiaobei, managing director of the Media Pioneers, adding that she hopes British audiences will enjoy the movie as much as audiences in China. The film, set to premiere in London on May 13, is presented by Fantawild Animation Inc. and distributed in the UK and Ireland by the Media Pioneers. A woman is silhouetted against an electronic poster prior to a press screening of the movie "Guardian Code" in London, Britain, on April 26, 2023. A Chinese animated family movie will be on screens in over 300 cinemas across the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland on May 26. The English-dubbed movie "Guardian Code" is an installment of "Boonie Bears," which is an animated movie series widely recognized by children in China. (Xinhua/Li Ying) People attend a press screening of the movie "Guardian Code" in London, Britain, on April 26, 2023. A Chinese animated family movie will be on screens in over 300 cinemas across the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland on May 26. The English-dubbed movie "Guardian Code" is an installment of "Boonie Bears," which is an animated movie series widely recognized by children in China. (Xinhua/Li Ying) [April 26, 2023] WIZ.AI Launches groundbreaking Large Language Model for business verticals SINGAPORE, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- WIZ.AI, a Singapore-based AI-native leader in omnichannel customer engagement, today announced the launch of its first Large Language Model (LLM) that can be tailored for business verticals. This is the latest innovation in WIZ.AI's constant growth as an AI-native company since its founding in 2019. WIZ.AI's solutions automate hundreds of millions of customer interactions daily, serving over 200 businesses across diverse industries such as banking and finance, insurance, FMCG, e-commerce, telecom, and healthcare in more than 15 countries. WIZ.AI's launch of their groundbreaking domain-specific LLM redefines AI as more than just an efficiency and cost-saving tool, positioning it as a business advisor that bridges the gap between humans and technology. By using a custom, business-focused LLM, companies can unlock a new library of interconnected, AI-powered workflows. This promises to shape the future of work, with AI sitting alongside humans as a co-pilot. By having bespoke LLMs, businesses can fully embrace AI and use it to revolutionize their operations, propelling industries to new heights. A First-of-its-Kind Enterprise LLM (LLM) WIZ.AI's LLMs, unlike general-purpose models, are designed for specific business verticals. Tailor-made LLMs excel in automated dialogues, tasks, intelligent assistance, and provide insights from proprietary data. They turn raw, industry-specific data into valuable information, allowing AI to work effectively alongside humans. Bots can identify critical role-related tasks, provide professional assistance, and automate business-specific processes. Domain-specific LLMs by WIZ.AI provide enterprises with many key benefits that general purpose LLMs do not, namely: 1. Reliability: WIZ.AI LLM offers enterprises a professonal and accurate company-specific LLM, quickly updating frequently requested information and proprietary or brand-based information for optimal accuracy and timeliness. 2. Domain Focus: Data that resides within the LLM are customized to specific industries or businesses. By having a bespoke LLM, businesses can quickly deploy AI solutions in multiple diverse scenarios, from internal employee onboarding to addressing customer queries. 3. Data Security: WIZ.AI's unique, in-house LLMs are exclusive to each specific customer, providing enhanced data confidentiality and security. This approach safeguards corporate clients' sensitive information and business secrets, preventing information leakage and security risks. 4. Intelligence and Analytics: Localized, custom LLMs can harness more nuanced insights from unstructured data including test and voice, because it understands your specific business context better. You gain a deeper understanding of customer needs, market dynamics, and potential opportunities for growth. How WIZ.AI's LLM impacts industries: An FMCG use case WIZ.AI's LLM can impact industries on several levels beyond the customer engagements it automates. Take the FMCG industry for example, by adopting a more proactive outreach approach for the client, WIZ.AI Talkbots helped upsell more stock-keeping units (SKUs). LLM enhanced accuracy in order-taking conversations while keeping it human-like, which greatly reduced the man-hours spent visiting clients for order-taking. The order-checking process also benefits from WIZ.AI's LLM, as it automatically reviews client feedback during dialogues and triggers re-confirmation to ensure accurate deliveries. Additionally, the deeper insights gleaned from unstructured dialogue data enable FMCG customers to improve their product and procurement processes. This comprehensive solution not only helps avoid SKU stockouts but also enhances gross merchandise value (GMV). Empowering AI transformation WIZ.AI aims to transition businesses from digital transformation to intelligence transformation, focusing on leveraging AI to automate complex tasks, improve decision-making processes, and integrate AI-driven analytics and insights for strategic planning and operational efficiency. By providing solutions in a Model-as-a-Service format, WIZ.AI makes its AI-based products more accessible to businesses of all sizes. "The future of work is one where AI acts as a co-pilot, working seamlessly alongside humans. With our bespoke LLMs, businesses can fully embrace AI's potential, revolutionizing their processes and propelling industries forward. Our vision is to create a world where customized AI solutions empower businesses to make smarter decisions, automate complex tasks, and drive meaningful insights." shares Jennifer Zhang, CEO and co-founder of WIZ.AI. This future is within reach, and promises to truly transform Southeast Asia a breakthrough transformation driven by artificial intelligence. More about WIZ.AI WIZ.AI, a Singapore-based global leader in conversational voice AI, revolutionizes B2C communication with its cutting-edge, hyper-personalized, omnichannel customer engagement solutions. Driven by a talented local tech team, WIZ.AI's intelligent platform facilitates over a hundred million automated customer interactions hourly, enabling exceptional customer service and strong business ROI. With a growing international presence, the company caters to over 200 clients from a wide range of industries, across 15 nations, with Fortune 500 companies and unicorn start-ups accounting for 60% of its clientele. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/wizai-launches-groundbreaking-large-language-model-for-business-verticals-301809037.html SOURCE WIZ.AI [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 27, 2023] Santhera Announces Preliminary Unaudited 2022 Annual Results Ahead of Full Report Publication by End of May and Provides Corporate Update Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR A conference call will be held on April 27, 2023, at 14:30 CEST / 13:30 BST / 08:30 EDT. Details are at the end of this news release. Revenue from contracts with customers of CHF 7. 5 million (2021: CHF -1.6 million) Operating result of CHF - 52.0 million ( 2 021: CHF - 56.9 million) and net result of CHF - 70.1 million (2021: CHF - 55 .5 million) Cash and cash equivalents of CHF 1 .4 million ( December 31, 2022), together with existing financing facilities , enabl e cash reach into Q 4 -2023 Key milestones reached with U.S. , EU and UK regulatory submissions (NDA, MAA) for vamorolone in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) Financing initiatives ongoing to support vamorolone launch and other activities Pratteln, Switzerland, April 27, 2023 Santhera Pharmaceuticals (SIX: SANN) announces the Companys preliminary unaudited financial results for the year ended December 31, 2022, reports on progress with its lead drug candidate vamorolone for the treatment of DMD in the U.S. and Europe, and provides updates on its strategic and financing initiatives. As permitted by SIX Exchange Regulation, the Company will publish the full 2022 Annual Report by the end of May. 2022 was a key year, culminating in two important regulatory filings, in the U.S. and the EU, for vamorolone in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), followed by a third in the UK in early 2023. In parallel, Santhera started expanding its U.S. operations and market entry preparations, concluded first outlicensing agreements which can give rise to non-dilutive cash inflows, and implemented various measures to secure funding and strengthen its capital structure. In 2022, and into 2023, we have been fully engaged with advancing vamorolone in DMD and I am delighted that we currently have three parallel applications for marketing authorization under review, in the U.S., EU and UK. This represents a tremendous achievement for Santhera and a major step towards our goal of bringing this innovative treatment option to patients living with DMD, said Dario Eklund, CEO of Santhera. With equal vigor, we are pursuing additional near-term financing and partnering opportunities, primarily to allow us to fund market entry preparations for vamorolone. We continue to evaluate various non-dilutive options including licensing agreements and monetization of assets in addition to debt and royalty financing and, depending on market conditions, we may also consider equity-based funding options. REVIEW OF PIPELINE AND BUSINESS PROGRESS 2022 key events and post-period updates Marketing authorization applications submitted and under review in the U.S., EU and UK with decision on approvals expected in late 2023 Efficacy, safety and bone health data with vamorolone in patients with DMD published in JAMA Neurology and presented at scientific conferences Launch readiness activities for vamorolone advanced in the U.S. and started in EU Exclusive license agreement concluded with Sperogenix for vamorolone in rare diseases in the Greater China Region Phase 2 trials started with vamorolone in boys aged 2 to <4 years and 7 to <18 years with DMD and in males aged =18 and <65 years with Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) Lonodelestat developed to Phase 2 readiness in two indications Vamorolone on track for U.S. and European approvals and launches in late 2023 USA. Santhera completed the NDA for vamorolone in DMD in October 2022. In January 2023, the FDA accepted the NDA for standard review and set the target date for its decision on approval to October 26, 2023, the date of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA). At the recent mid-cycle review meeting, the FDA indicated that no significant review or safety concerns were noted up to that point in its ongoing review and re-affirmed its earlier decision not to request an Advisory Committee Meeting. As part of the ongoing NDA review, the FDA completed several inspections at various sites, including those of the contract manufacturer, the sponsor and certain clinical trial sites, all with satisfactory outcomes. Subject to approval, vamorolone could become available to patients in the U.S. in the final quarter of 2023. European Union. In October 2022, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) validated the marketing authorization application (MAA) for vamorolone for the treatment of DMD submitted in the prior month. The review is on track and Santhera expects the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) to issue an opinion in the third quarter 2023. Subject to a positive CHMP opinion, the European Commission (EC) is expected to decide on a marketing authorization for the EU late in 2023, with a potential launch of vamorolone in first EU countries starting immediately after approval. United Kingdom. In March 2023, Santhera announced that it had submitted a MAA to the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for vamorolone for the treatment of DMD. A similar timeline is conceivable for the decision on approval in the UK as in the EU. Findings on bone health published for vamorolone alongside efficacy and safety data Vamorolone is being developed to provide an anti-inflammatory and muscle preserving treatment with a favorable safety and tolerability profile as an alternative to the current standard of care with glucocorticoids. In addition to long-term efficacy and safety data with vamorolone, recent publications and presentations further characterized vamorolones differentiated profile with regard to bone health [1-5]. The publications highlighted clinical observations from treatment with vamorolone indicating an absence of deleterious effects on bone metabolism with the potential to reduce vertebral fractures. Vamorolone has shown that it does not depress bone biomarkers, allows for bone biomarkers that were depressed because of prednisone treatment to recover after switching to vamorolone, and results also indicate fewer and less severe spinal fractures after long-term treatment with vamorolone compared to an external control study. Furthermore, no growth stunting has been observed in the pivotal VISION-DMD study and over the 30 months duration of extension treatment with vamorolone. The most commonly reported adverse events versus placebo from the VISION-DMD study were cushingoid features, vomiting and vitamin D deficiency. Adverse events were generally of mild to moderate severity. Vamorolone is an investigational medicine and is currently not approved for use by any health authority. Expanding on areas of unmet needs such as bone health, Santhera has launched the educational website www.DoMoreForDMD.com. This website is intended to raise awareness about the effects that DMD and the treatment with corticosteroids may have, and highlights the current care considerations from experts in different areas. Pre-commercialization measures advancing Santheras U.S. subsidiary made further progress in establishing launch readiness through hiring into critical roles and focusing on priority projects. These include medical and market access activities, working closely with key clinical opinion leaders to advance education through presentations and scientific publications as well as engaging with patient advocacy groups. A similar program of activities has begun in Europe. Upon approval, Santhera envisages launching vamorolone in the U.S. and selected European countries with our own organization. Ensuring prompt availability of vamorolone to patients and a successful implementation of the commercialization plans across regions, the Company will need to raise additional financial funds. Raxone sales in France resumed In 2019, Santhera out-licensed rights for Raxone (idebenone) outside North America and France to Chiesi Group. Since August 2021 and until the recent settlement of reimbursement matters, Santhera has provided Raxone to patients with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) in France for free. Following an agreement reached in February 2023 and the inclusion of Raxone on the list of reimbursed products in France, sales of Raxone have resumed in April 2023. This now enables Santhera to progress negotiations on completing outlicensing of Raxone and to initiate discussions with the FDA on submitting Raxone for approval for LHON in the U.S., which are further supported by encouraging clinical data from two recent studies with positive results as part of the now completed post-authorization measures (PAMS). Clinical and early access programs with vamorolone Clinical studies with vamorolone were initiated to investigate its effects in a broader patient age group in DMD and in patients with BMD. The clinical development program for vamorolone until now included patients 4 to <7 years old and, as part of the pediatric investigational plan (PIP) requested by EMA, a new Phase 2 study aims at collecting information on vamorolone outside this age range through inclusion of patients starting at an age of 2 years and up to 18 years. A second Phase 2 pilot study is evaluating the safety, tolerability and exploratory clinical efficacy on motor function outcomes of vamorolone compared to placebo in males aged =18 and <65 years with BMD. In addition, Santhera has submitted a request for an early access program for vamorolone for the treatment of DMD in France, namely an AAP (autorisation d'acces precoce) and plans to submit a similar request in the UK, namely an EAMS (early access to medicines scheme), before summer 2023. Such programs allow patients with serious or life-threatening conditions to gain access to investigational drugs that have not yet been approved by regulatory agencies. Lonodelestat development paused to focus on vamorolone advancement Santheras focus in the near-term is on advancing vamorolone through the regulatory process towards approval and on preparations for market entry. Consequently, and as previously communicated, Santhera has paused the development program for lonodelestat, its second clinical development candidate targeting pulmonary indications. Preparations for Phase 2 studies in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and in cystic fibrosis (CF) are far advanced, however, continuation of the program will be subject to funding. Santhera explores various opportunities via collaboration and/or partnerships to resume the project as quickly as possible. Pursuing portfolio opportunities Santhera intends to continue actively managing its portfolio of products as an additional source of future non-dilutive income streams and to optimize patient access and commercialization prospects. The Company aims to develop vamorolone for additional indications with partners to ensure the full potential of this product is made available to the patients. Having already out licensed the product in the Greater China region to Sperogenix, Santhera is seeking collaborations with a view of granting sublicensing rights to vamorolone in DMD and potentially in other indications in other jurisdictions. Likewise, the Company is looking to partner lonodelestat whose development is currently paused as it prioritizes its vamorolone strategy. Strategy Committee evaluating all strategic options for Santhera Santhera recently formed a dedicated Strategy Committee to evaluate all strategic options for the Company, and its primary focus is clear: bringing vamorolone to patients as quickly and effectively as possible and assessing the products potential in additional indications. Beyond this, it will focus on the advancement of potential outlicensing agreements with respect to vamorolone, lonodelestat and Raxone in certain geographies. Additionally, the Strategy Committee supports the evaluation of other options such as the monetization of assets, royalty financing, standby equity distribution agreements and, depending on market conditions, equity-based funding. In connection with the recent financing, Bradley Meyer, Senior Advisor at Ducera Partners, has been appointed as Board observer. Santhera will propose him to its shareholders for election as a new Board member at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting of June 27, 2023. Santheras next steps Santheras key objectives for the remainder of the year and into 2024 are approvals and launches of vamorolone in DMD in the U.S. and Europe along with raising additional financing to fund the Companys operations and ambitious commercialization plans. PRELIMINARY UNAUDITED 2022 FINANCIAL RESULTS & FINANCING Revenue from contracts with customers of CHF 7.5 million (2021: CHF -1.6 million) Operating result of CHF -52.0 million (2021: CHF -56.9 million) Net result of CHF -70.1 million (2021: CHF -55.5 million) Cash flow from operating activities of CHF -29.7 million (2021: CHF -37.4 million) Cash and cash equivalents of CHF 1.4 million (Dec 31, 2022) Top- and bottom-line results impacted by French pricing/reimbursement agreement for Raxone Financing initiatives to secure operations and advance launch preparations for vamorolone Settlement reached on pricing and reimbursement for Raxone in France Since its launch in 2015, Raxone was reimbursed in France for the treatment of patients with LHON under a temporary financing scheme. From August 2021, Santhera has supplied Raxone free of charge based on an agreement reached with the Direction de la Securite sociale (DSS) in France after the temporary pricing was challenged and Raxone was removed from the list of reimbursed drugs. Pricing and reimbursement discussions with the Comite economique des produits de sante (CEPS) started in 2021 and were still ongoing by the end of 2022. Due to uncertainties around the outcome of these negotiations, the Company accrued an additional CHF 8.1 million in 2022 towards a settlement, of which CHF 6.0 million was recognized against net sales and CHF 2.1 million as marketing and sales expenses. As of December 31, 2022, Santhera had recognized a total accrual amount of CHF 24.9 million in noncurrent provisions. In February 2023, Santhera concluded the negotiations with the CEPS securing a final pricing reimbursement. The newly agreed price for Raxone in France is lower than the price applied under the temporary pricing scheme, leading to a settlement payment of approximately EUR 25 million (CHF 24.9 million), with 30% due in mid-2024 and the remainder one year later. The first payment is currently expected to be covered by the direct sales generated in France until mid-2024, while the second payment will be covered by direct sales thereafter. Outside of France and North America, Santhera has out-licensed Raxone to Chiesi Group. 2022 full-year revenue In 2022, Santhera reported revenue from contracts with customers of CHF 7.5 million (2021: CHF -1.6 million). Net sales amounted to CHF -5.6 million (2021: CHF -5.0 million). The negative sales are attributable to an additional CHF 6.0 million that has been accrued and offset against sales in the context of reimbursement negotiations in France, as described above. In 2022, Santhera recognized revenue from out-licensing transactions in the amount of CHF 11.2 million (2021: CHF 1.1 million). This largely reflects an upfront milestone payment from the out-licensing of vamorolone for the Greater China Region with Sperogenix. Operating expenses and result Cost of goods sold amounted to CHF 3.6 million (2021: CHF 3.8 million) and represents continuing supply of Raxone and amortization of intangibles. Operating expenses of CHF 56.1 million (2021: CHF 51.9 million) were higher, primarily due to additional intangible impairment and increased expenses related to vamorolone. Development expenses amounted to CHF 30.5 million (2021: CHF 29.7 million). The increase was primarily due to the additional intangible impairment expense of CHF 6.2 million related to lonodelestat. The remaining amount includes third-party clinical and regulatory services for finalizing data analysis and the assembly of the regulatory dossiers for vamorolone in DMD to U.S., EU and UK authorities. Marketing and sales expenses were CHF 10.9 million (2021: CHF 9.3 million). The increase was a result of the additional accrual of CHF 2.1 million in relation to ongoing reimbursement negotiations in France, as described above, which was partially offset by lower pre-commercialization activities for vamorolone. The remaining amount includes market readiness preparations for vamorolone in the U.S. General and administrative expenses of amounted to CHF 14.6 million (2021: CHF 12.7 million), for which the increase year-on-year reflects the addition of personnel in key functions in view of market readiness preparations for vamorolone in the U.S. The operating result amounted to CHF 52.0 million which is in a similar range year-on-year (2021: CHF -56.9 million). Financial income and expenses Financial income of CHF 5.6 million (2021: CHF 22.9 million) was lower than in the previous year due to a non-recurring recognized gain on exchange of 2017/22 Bonds in 2021. Financial expenses of CHF 23.3 million (2021: CHF 20.7 million) increased year-on-year due to the recognition of a higher change in fair value of financial instruments (net) which was only partially compensated by lower financing transaction costs, together with an increase in interest expense. The net financial expense amounted to CHF 17.7 million (2021: financial income of CHF 2.2 million). Net result The net result 2022 was a loss of CHF 70.1 million, compared to a net loss of CHF 55.5 million for the year 2021. Cash balance and cash flows As of December 31, 2022, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of CHF 1.4 million compared to CHF 21.2 million as of December 31, 2021. Net cash outflow for operating activities was slightly lower year-on-year and amounted to CHF 29.7 million (2021: CHF 37.4 million). Net cash inflow from financing activities was lower year-on-year and amounted to CHF 13.9 million (2021: CHF 46.0 million). The increase in net additional proceeds from exchangeable notes were largely offset by the repurchase of convertible bonds. In comparison, 2021 saw a one-time income from a capital increase (2022: nil). Shareholders equity Total consolidated net equity deficit as of December 31, 2022, amounted to CHF -48.5 million compared to total equity of CHF 1.3 million as of December 31, 2021, as a result of the net loss incurred for the period. Equity-linked financings and share capital In a difficult market environment throughout 2022 and to date, Santhera managed to reduce the balance sheet debt through repayment of a convertible bond and engaged in equity-linked financings to provide sufficient funding for operations and advancing its lead product towards approval. Presently, the Company still has treasury stock available for placement, subject to adequate market conditions. Bond instruments. In February 2022, the senior unsecured convertible bonds (2017/22 Bonds) with a remaining amount of CHF 13.9 million were fully repaid and delisted from the SIX Swiss Exchange. Of the senior unsecured convertible bonds (2021/24 Bonds) maturing in August 2024, an aggregate amount of CHF 13.6 million was still outstanding at December 31, 2022, with CHF 6.0 million being repurchased during the year. Of the private convertible bonds (2021/24 Private Bonds) in the amount of CHF 15.0 million issued to Highbridge, CHF 3.0 million were converted into shares during the period, leaving a remainder of CHF 12.0 million at December 31, 2022. In summary, this significantly reduced total of convertible bonds during 2022 from CHF 48.5 million to approximately CHF 25.5 million, now maturing in August 2024. Share capital and treasury stock. The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of June 30, 2022, approved a reduction of the nominal value of the shares from CHF 1.00 to CHF 0.01 per share. During 2022, a total of 20,712,700 new shares were issued for financing transactions and share-based compensation, with the unused portion held as treasury shares. In order to provide additional fundraising flexibility, the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of November 29, 2022, approved an ordinary share capital increase by up to 40,000,000 registered shares by February 28, 2023, none of which were placed during the period under review. In summary and as of December 31, 2022, Santhera's issued shares amounted to CHF 753,205.10 and the Company held 9,438,017 treasury shares. Post balance sheet date, in February 2023, Santhera completed the ordinary capital increase resolved by its shareholders on November 29, 2022, by issuing 40,000,000 shares. Santhera delivered 3,000,000 of these shares at CHF 0.75 per share. The remaining 37,000,000 shares were kept as treasury stock. As at April 26, 2023, the Company holds 38,514,652 treasury shares to facilitate the ongoing facilities provided by Highbridge and for future equity-based financings. Authorized and conditional share capitals. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Companys shareholders approved the increase of authorized and conditional capitals at the AGM and EGM, held in June and November, respectively. Shares were issued out of both capitals for financing transactions and to treasury shares. On the balance sheet date (December 31, 2022), Santheras authorized capital amounted to 36,860,687 shares and its conditional capital amounted to 35,191,205 shares, each with a nominal value of CHF 0.01 per share. Santhera plans to use these shares for financing activities, if required. Amendments of Highbridge facility to satisfy near-term cash requirements In June 2022, the Company upsized its existig financing arrangement with certain funds managed by Highbridge Capital Management, LLC (Highbridge) by up to an additional CHF 40 million, allowing for periodic drawdowns (subject to certain conditions) and exchangeable by Highbridge for shares at a discount to the volume-weighted average price (VWAP). An initial drawdown tranche of CHF 20 million was received on June 3, 2022. In September 2022, Santhera and Highbridge amended the existing financing arrangement to provide for the immediate drawdown of a CHF 10 million tranche. As part of this new money financing and further commitments, Santhera agreed on a new conversion price of CHF 1.20 for the remaining outstanding private convertible bond issued to Highbridge in 2021 and a new exercise price of CHF 0.80 per share for the existing warrants held by Highbridge. A further tranche of CHF 10 million available for drawdown is conditional on management achieving certain milestones and other conditions. Post balance sheet date, in February 2023, Santhera and Highbridge further amended the existing financing arrangement. Under the amended agreement, Highbridge will provide up to CHF 22.2 million, thereof around CHF 2.2 million through the purchase of 3 million shares at CHF 0.75 per share and up to CHF 20 million through the existing financing arrangement, subject to conditions. This is intended to fund Santhera up to the PDUFA date in October 2023 when an FDA decision on vamorolone in the U.S. is expected. The Company had outstanding exchangeable instruments as of December 31, 2022, in the aggregate amount of CHF 28 million (December 31, 2021: CHF 2 million) reflecting an issue during the year 2022 of CHF 40 million offset by repayments through exchange for shares. Funding outlook Santhera has treasury shares, conditional and authorized capitals which are available for future placement or issue, subject to market conditions. This, in combination with the recent drawdown from the amended Highbridge facility, is expected to provide a liquidity runway for operations into Q4-2023, or up to the PDUFA-date (October 26, 2023), when approval of vamorolone in the U.S. is expected. In order to support the preparation and execution of the launch plans for vamorolone in the U.S. and Europe, Santhera will need to secure additional funds. Santhera is pursuing strategic options including but not limited to non-dilutive funding in the form of out-licensing agreements and/or the monetization of assets and, in parallel, is also evaluating debt financing, royalty financing, standby equity distribution agreement or, depending on market conditions, equity-based funding. DECISION OF SIX EXCHANGE REGULATION SIX Exchange Regulation has permitted Santhera to publish its 2022 Annual Report by May 31, 2023, at the latest. Santhera is in the process of completing the 2022 Annual Report and the postponement enables Santhera and its auditors to complete the preparation and audit of the financial statements, also taking into account material events after the balance sheet date. As required by SIX Exchange Regulation, Santhera hereby reprints the following extract of the decision of SIX Exchange Regulation (translation from the German original): The exemption from the obligations for maintaining listing and thus the deferral of the publication of the annual report for the year 2022 as well as the filing of this report with SIX Exchange Regulation Ltd by Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at the latest is hereby approved subject to the following provision (lit. a) and conditions (lit. b): a. SIX Exchange Regulation Ltd reserves the right to potentially suspend trading in the securities of Santhera Pharmaceuticals Holding Ltd for a certain period of time if it does not publish its annual report for the year 2022 in accordance with the provisions on ad hoc publicity (art. 53 Listing Rules in conjunction with the Directive on Ad hoc Publicity) and submit it to SIX Exchange Regulation Ltd by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, at the latest. b. Santhera has to publish a media release regarding the present decision in accordance with the provisions on ad hoc publicity (art. 53 Listing Rules in conjunction with the Directive on Ad hoc Publicity) by 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 27, 2023 at the latest. Such media release has to include the full text of clause I of the present decision in a prominent place; must mention the reasons for postponing the publication and filing of the annual report for the year 2022; must mention the unaudited key figures such as net sales, EBITDA, EBIT, net profit/loss, total assets, equity etc. with regard to the business results 2022. Full-year Financial Information The preliminary unaudited figures presented in this press release are subject to change. The Company plans to publish its audited 2022 Annual Report during May 2023. Consolidated Income Statement IFRS, in CHF thousands 2022 (preliminary unaudited) 2021 (audited) Net sales (5,578) (4,963) Revenue from out-licensing transactions 11,190 1,126 Net sales to licensing partner 1,861 2,242 Revenue from contracts with customers 7,473 (1,595) Cost of goods sold (3,592) (3,767) Of which amortization intangible assets (3,040) (3,040) Other operating income 259 346 Development (30,536) (29,715) Marketing and sales (10,857) (9,332) General and administrative (14,565) (12,725) Other operating expenses (158) (100) Operating expenses (56,116) (51,872) Operating result (51,976) (56,888) Financial income 5,593 22,901 Financial expenses (23,303) (20,730) Result before taxes (69,686) (54,717) Income taxes (460) (809) Net result (70,146) (55,526) Consolidated Balance Sheet IFRS, in CHF thousands Dec 31, 2022 (preliminary unaudited) Dec 31, 2021 (audited) Assets Tangible assets 1,008 1,324 Intangible assets 59,206 64,596 Financial assets long-term 444 468 Deferred tax assets 3 88 Noncurrent assets 60,661 66,476 Prepaid expenses 513 1,069 Inventories 108 428 Trade and other receivables 1,091 1,936 Cash and cash equivalents 1,353 21,208 Current assets 3,065 24,641 Total assets 63,726 91,117 Equity and liabilities Share capital 753 54,608 Capital reserves and share premium 581,116 509,513 Retained deficit (626,571) (556,425) Employee benefit reserve 2,722 (437) Treasury shares (94) (5,020) Translation differences (682) (911) Total equity (42,756) 1,328 Noncurrent convertible bonds 21,080 25,796 Noncurrent derivative financial instruments 4,335 3,683 Noncurrent warrant financial instruments 5,171 4,723 Noncurrent lease liabilities 607 1,203 Noncurrent provisions 24,961 16,808 Pension liabilities 1,844 4,794 Noncurrent liabilities 57,998 57,007 Trade and other payables 6,964 4,585 Accrued expenses 10,265 9,710 Income tax payable 553 266 Current lease liabilities 623 609 Current Exchangeable Notes 22,403 1,488 Current convertible bonds 0 13,880 Current derivative financial instruments 5,440 402 Current warrant financial instruments 2,225 1,650 Current provisions 11 192 Current liabilities 48,484 32,782 Total liabilities 106,482 89,789 Total equity and liabilities 63,726 91,117 Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows IFRS, in CHF thousands 2022 (preliminary unaudited) 2021 (audited) Result before taxes (69,686) (54,717) Depreciation and impairment of tangible assets 608 634 Amortization and impairment of intangible assets 9,250 3,090 Share-based compensation 5,452 2,761 Change in fair value of financial instruments, net 1,364 (8,656) Realized gain on exchange of convertible bonds 0 (13,439) Realized gain on repurchase of convertible bonds (1,504) 0 Change in pension liabilities 104 507 Reversal of current provisions (67) (589) Change in noncurrent provisions 8,153 16,808 Taxes paid (78) (70) Change in net working capital 1,513 1,767 Total financial result 17,635 16,485 Interest received 0 1 Interest paid (2,488) (1,941) Net cash flow from/(used in) operating activities (29,744) (37,359) Investments in tangible assets (53) (2) Investments in intangible assets (3,903) (13) Change in financial assets long-term 24 84 Net cash flow from/(used in) investing activities (3,932) 69 Proceeds from capital increase 0 20,272 Proceeds from sale of treasury shares 475 81 Purchase of treasury shares 0 (56) Proceeds from exercise of equity rights 37 0 Proceeds from Exchangeable Notes 40,000 22,000 Repayment of Exchangeable Notes (7,000) (3,500) Proceeds from convertible bonds 0 13,792 Repayment of convertible bonds (13,935) 0 Repurchase of convertible bonds (4,511) 0 Financing transaction costs (215) (3,439) Cost of issuance of capital (270) (2,389) Payment of lease liabilities (688) (739) Net cash flow from/(used in) financing activities 13,893 46,022 Effects of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents (72) 65 Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents (19,855) 8,797 Cash and cash equivalents at January 1 21,208 12,411 Cash and cash equivalents at December 31 1,353 21,208 Share Capital (number of shares with par value of CHF 0.01) Dec 31, 2022 (preliminary unaudited) Dec 31, 2021 (audited) Ordinary shares issued 75,320,510 54,607,810 Treasury shares 9,438,017 5,019,879 Conditional capital for equity rights 5,034,583 5,425,677 Conditional capital for convertible rights 30,156,622 21,878,228 Authorized capital 36,860,687 27,303,905 Conference Call Santhera will host a conference call on April 27, 2023, at 14:30 CEST / 13:30 BST / 08:30 EDT. CEO Dario Eklund, CFO Andrew Smith and CMO Shabir Hasham, MD, will discuss the 2022 annual financial results and comment on ongoing corporate developments. Participants are invited to call one of the following numbers (no dial-in code is required): Switzerland/Europe: +41 58 310 50 00 United Kingdom: +44 207 107 06 13 USA: +1 631 570 56 13 A replay will be accessible at https://www.santhera.com/ad-hoc-news from about two hours after the call has ended. Corporate calendar May 31, 2023 Annual Report 2022 publication (latest date) June 27, 2023 Annual General Meeting References [1] Guglieri M et al (2022). JAMA Neurol. 2022;79(10):1005-1014. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.2480. Link. [2] Mah JK et al (2022). JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(1):e2144178. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.44178. Link. [3] Guglieri, et al (2022) JAMA. doi:10.1001/jama.2022.4315 [4] Heier CR at al (2019). Life Science Alliance DOI: 10.26508 [5] Liu X, et al (2020). Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 117:24285-24293 About Santhera Santhera Pharmaceuticals (SIX: SANN) is a Swiss specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative medicines for rare neuromuscular and pulmonary diseases with high unmet medical need. The Company has an exclusive license for all indications worldwide to vamorolone, a dissociative steroid with novel mode of action, which was investigated in a pivotal study in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) as an alternative to standard corticosteroids. For vamorolone in the treatment of DMD, Santhera has a new drug application (NDA) under review by the U.S. FDA, a marketing authorization application (MAA) under review by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and an MAA submitted to the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The clinical stage pipeline also includes lonodelestat to treat cystic fibrosis (CF) and other neutrophilic pulmonary diseases. Santhera out-licensed rights to its first approved product, Raxone (idebenone), outside North America and France for the treatment of Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) to Chiesi Group. For further information, please visit www.santhera.com. Raxone is a trademark of Santhera Pharmaceuticals. For further information please contact: [email protected] or Eva Kalias, Head Investor Relations & Communications Phone: +41 79 875 27 80 [email protected] Disclaimer / Forward-looking statements This communication does not constitute an offer or invitation to subscribe for or purchase any securities of Santhera Pharmaceuticals Holding AG. This publication may contain certain forward-looking statements concerning the Company and its business. Such statements involve certain risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such statements. Readers should therefore not place undue reliance on these statements, particularly not in connection with any contract or investment decision. The Company disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements. # # # Attachment 2023 04 27_FY2022prelim_e_final [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 27, 2023] Black Business Initiative (BBI) Announces Matthew Martel as New CEO HALIFAX, NS, April 27, 2023 /CNW/ - After 25 successful and rewarding years leading the Black Business Initiative (BBI), Rustum Southwell has announced he will retire as CEO of the organization on May 1, 2023. Southwell will be succeeded by Matthew Martel, who is currently the BBI's Chief Operating Officer. A transition plan is in place to ensure a seamless transfer of authority occurs for the organization, with Southwell continuing to support the BBI in an advisory role. Southwell's retirement follows many impressive achievements for the BBI. As founding CEO of the organization and a passionate community leader, he played a key role in leading the expansion of a robust and vibrant Black business community in Halifax and throughout the region. The BBI has seen incredible growth over the years with the introduction of Business is Jammin', Black Business Consulting, and Black Business Community Investment Fund Limited, all of which further the BBI's mission to positively influence business culture in the Atlantic Provinces by promoting and assisting in the development of Black-owned businesses. Southwell's vision for the BBI was to grow and support black-led organizations nationally. That vision was realized in 2019 when the BBI grew from a provincial organization to having a presence across Atlantic Canada and throughout the country. "We greatly appreciate the decades of exemplary service Rustum has brought to our organization," says Joseph Parris, Chair of the BBI's Black Business Initiative Society. "We welcome Matthew to his new role as CEO and as we move the organization forward through the continued tradition of success we have demonstrated and achieved over the past 27 years." "Being a part of the BBI has been a very fulfilling journey," Southwell says. "Congratulations to the organization and Matthew Martel as the BBI embarks on its next chapter. I am so very proud to see Nova Scotia setting the standards for Black entrepreneurs in Canada." A Project Manager who believes in a 'people-first' approach to business, Martel took on the position of Chief Operating Officer at the BBI in 2019. He holds a Master's Degree in Technology, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation from Saint Mary's University. A serial entrepreneur, Martel has an extensive background in leadership, human resources, change management, and strategic planning. "I am absolutely thrilled to be leading the Black Business Initiative and I'm eager to work with the BBI team to continue our mission of promoting and supporting black-owned businesses," Martel says. "I am confident that the organization will continue to make a real difference in the lives of black entrepreneurs and the communities in which we serve." A committee consisting of a recruitment firm and BBI's Board of Directors was formed to undertake the task of hiring the new CEO. The committee received substantial interest in the role from applicants both provincially and nationally, with a short list of candidates undergoing a rigorous interviewing process. "We are delighted to welcome Matthew into this role," Cynthia Dorrington, Black Business Enterprise Chair with the BBI Society, says. "As an accomplished business professional, he brings a wealth of knowledge and skills to this position. On behalf of the BBI and its Board of Directors, we give our thanks to Rustum and look forward to the future ahead under Matthew's leadership." Martel will officially take on the role of Chief Executive Officer of the BBI effective May 1, 2023. About The Black Business Initiative (BBI): The Black Business Initiative (BBI) was founded in 1996 by the Government of Canada and the Province of Nova Scotia to address the unique needs of Nova Scotia's Black business community. Since its inception, the BBI has grown into a catalyst for job creation, equitable participation, and advancing economic prosperity across Canada. SOURCE Black Business Initiative (BBI) [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 27, 2023] Terran Orbital Receives Milestone Payment for 300 Spacecraft, $2.4 Billion Contract with Rivada Space Networks Terran Orbital Corporation (NYSE: LLAP) ("Terran Orbital" or "the Company"), a global leader in satellite-based solutions, today announced the receipt of a further milestone payment alongside completion of the screening of the industrial partners as well as trade studies that will support the acquisition process and system engineering for the Company's 300 spacecraft, $2.4 billion contract with Rivada Space Networks. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005223/en/ Terran Orbital Receives Milestone Payment for 300 Spacecraft, $2.4 Billion Contract with Rivada Space Networks (Image Credit: Rivada) Terran Orbital, through its wholly owned subsidiary Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, Inc. ("Tyvak"), will design, build, and deploy 288 low-Earth orbit satellites and 12 "spare" satellites to produce a total of 300 spacecraft weighing approximately 500 kg a piece. Terran Orbital will also integrate the communication payload and perform the final satellite assembly, integration, and test. Terran Orbital will develop portions of the ground segment as well. With the official onboarding of the partners now complete, Rivada has taken another important step toward the installation of its constellation. The deployment will begin with the launch of a Terran Orbital-developed demonstrator mission by the end of 2024, consisting of four satellites across two orbital planes and including regenerative payloads and laser communication terminals on the satellites. The "Demonstrator Mission" (not part of the later 300 satellite LEO constellation) will support the verification of gateway-less transmissions from one user to another, routed within a small network of four satellites in space. Mission operations for the on-orbit satellites will be conducted from Terran Orbital's state-of-the-art satellite operations control center. "Working with Rivada has been a pleasure," said Terran Orbital Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer Marc Bell. "Terran Orbital looks forward to proceeding with the program as scheduled as we continue refining the Rivada spacecraft design." Declan Ganley, Chief Executive Officer of Rivada Space Networks, commented: "We are delighted to be moving ahead rapidly with Terran Orbital and our industrial partners to take our constellations from concept to reality." Ganley added: "The additional 'Demonstrator Mission' in 2025 will ensure that customers can test the operational environment of our unique laser-connected data network ahead of the rollout of the main constellation and provide RSN with an operational test bed for early ground segment automation to build up best practices for operating our larger fleet." About Terran Orbital Terran Orbital is a leading manufacturer of satellite products primarily serving the aerospaceand 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 www.terranorbital.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains, and the Company's officers and representatives may from time to time make other public written and verbal announcements that contain, "forward-looking statements" for purposes of the federal securities laws. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of present or historical facts, contained in this press release, regarding our business strategy, future operations, prospects, expectations and the expectations of our customers, estimates, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by such words as "plan," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "could," "may," "might," "will," "should," "would" and "could" and other similar words and expressions. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (many of which are beyond our control), or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this press release, including, but not limited to: Rivada's ability to obtain additional funding to continue to finance its operations and fund future installments of our manufacturing contract; the status of Rivada's regulatory approvals for its constellation and business operations and continuing ability to receive and maintain required regulatory approvals to conduct its business; Rivada's right to terminate our contract for convenience or default; our ability to scale-up our manufacturing processes and facilities in order to meet the demands of this program; design and engineering flaws that may exist in our products and the failure of our components and satellites to operate as intended; our ability to finance our operations, research and development activities and capital expenditures; expectations regarding our strategies and future financial performance, including our future business plans or objectives, anticipated cost, timing and level of deployment of satellites, prospective performance and commercial opportunities and competitors, the timing of obtaining regulatory approvals, retention and expansion of our customer base, product and service offerings, pricing, marketing plans, operating expenses; our ability to manufacture a large number of satellites in the anticipated timeframe; our anticipated costs associated with such manufacturing; market trends, revenues, margins, liquidity, cash flows and uses of cash, capital expenditures, and our ability to invest in growth initiatives; the ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations, and to identify and realize additional opportunities; anticipated timing, cost, financing and development of our satellite manufacturing capabilities; our ability to finance our operations, research and development activities and capital expenditures; our expansion plans and opportunities; our ability to comply with domestic and foreign regulatory regimes and the timing of obtaining regulatory approvals; our ability to finance and invest in growth initiatives; the possibility that we may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; the possibility that the COVID-19 pandemic, or another major disease, natural disaster, or threat to the physical security of our facilities or employees disrupts our business; supply chain disruptions, including delays, increased costs and supplier quality control challenges; the ability to attract and retain qualified labor and professionals and our reliance on a highly skilled workforce, including technicians, engineers and other professionals; our ability to achieve profitability and meet expectations regarding cash flow from operations and investments; our leverage and our ability to service cash debt payments and comply with debt maintenance covenants, including meeting minimum liquidity and operating profit covenants; our ability to access invested cash or cash equivalents upon failure of any financial institutions we bank with; limited access, or access on unfavorable terms, to equity and debt capital markets and other funding sources that will be needed to fund operations and make investments; litigation and regulatory enforcement, including the diversion of management time and attention and the additional costs and demands on our resources; and the other risks disclosed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") from time to time, including under the heading "Risk Factors" in the prospectus dated June 16, 2022 related to our Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended (File No. 333-264447), which was declared effective by the SEC on June 23, 2022, and our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations, plans, forecasts, assumptions, and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects. There can be no assurance that the future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated, and we may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. New risk factors and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make. You should read this press release with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from the expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements we make. All forward-looking statements we make are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and we do not assume any obligation to, and we do not intend to, update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005223/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 27, 2023] Frontier Dental Lab Group Partners with Friendship Dental Laboratories Frontier Dental Lab Group ("Frontier" or "FDL Group") (www.frontierdentallabgroup.com), an integrated dental lab platform, announced today that it has partnered with and made an investment in Friendship Dental Laboratories, LLC ("Friendship") (https://friendshipdentallab.com/), a full-service dental laboratory based in Rosedale, MD. Brent West, President of FDL Group, commented, "Friendship is known as one of the leading full-service dental labs in the Mid-Atlantic and has experienced tremendous growth in recent years through the leadership of George Diacoloukas. We couldn't be more excited to have George and the rest of the Friendship team join the platform and look forward to sharing best practices." George Diacoloukas, President at Friendship, commented, "My family and I take immense pride in all we and our team of managers and technicians have accomplished at Friendship Dental Laboratories since our inception in 1973. We are excited to partner with Frontier as they will be able to provide us with additional resources to support growth as we continue to invest in our employees and technology, which will allow us to best serve our dedicated customers. I am looking forward to working with Brent, Gil, and the rest of the Frontier team." Friendship is a full-sevice, NADL certified dental laboratory offering a full suite of fixed restorations and removable prosthetics including crowns and bridges, implants, removables, and aligners. Headquartered in Rosedale, MD with another lab in Baltimore, MD, Friendship serves a tenured and diversified customer base of private practices, governmental institutions, and DSOs. George Diacoloukas will join Frontier's Board of Directors, in addition to continuing to serve as President of Friendship. Jimmy Frye, Vice President at O2, commented, "We are honored to partner with Friendship, a best-in-class dental lab that will be highly complementary to FDL Group and will bolster the platform's presence in the Mid-Atlantic. George Diacoloukas is an outstanding leader, and we look forward to the collaboration between the Friendship and FDL Group teams." About Friendship Friendship Dental Laboratories, LLC is a full-service dental laboratory providing a complementary offering of general dentistry and cosmetic dentistry products. Friendship also offers a full suite of value-added services including in-office assistance, in-house continuing education courses, and chair-side conversions. Friendship has approximately 90 employees across its headquarters in Rosedale, MD (fixed lab), and Baltimore, MD (removable lab). Additional information is available at https://friendshipdentallab.com/. About Frontier Frontier Dental Lab Group is a full service, multi-site laboratory group that provides high-end dental prosthetics for cosmetic dentistry (full arch, single and multi-unit anterior crowns and bridges, and veneers), general dentistry (single and multi-unit posterior crowns and bridges), implants (single unit, bridge, and full mouth) and removable dental products (dentures, custom trays, and nightguards). With approximately 575 employees across seven laboratories, FDL Group serves over 6,000 customers throughout North America. Additional information is available at www.frontierdentallabgroup.com. About O2 Investment Partners O2 Investment Partners is a Midwestern based private equity firm that seeks to acquire majority interests in lower middle market Family/Founder owned businesses in B2B services, technology, and select niche industrial companies. The firm invests in businesses with earnings growth potential and a clear path to the creation of shareholder value. Additional information is available at www.o2investment.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005127/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 27, 2023] ZTO to Announce First Quarter Financial Results on May 17, 2023 U.S. Eastern Time SHANGHAI, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE: ZTO and SEHK: 2057) ("ZTO" or the "Company"), a leading and fast-growing express delivery company in China, today announced that it will release its unaudited financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2023, after the U.S. market closes on May 17, 2023. ZTO's management team will host an earnings conference call at 8:30 P.M. U.S. Eastern Time on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, which is 8:30 A.M. Beijing Time on Thursday, May 18, 2023. Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows: United States: 1-888-317-6003 Hong Kong: 852-5808-1995 Singapore: 800-120-5863 Mainland China: 4001-206-115 International: 1-412-317-6061 Passcode: 4410731 A replay of the conference call may be accessible through May 24, 2023 by dialing the following numbers: United States: 1-877-344-7529 International: 1-412-317-0088 Canada: 855-669-9658 Passcode: 8325254 A live and archived webcast of the conference call will also be available at the Company's investor relations website at http://zto.investorroom.com . About ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE: ZTO and SEHK: 2057) ("ZTO" or the "Company") is a leading and fast-growing express delivery company in China. ZTO provides express delivery service as well as other value-added logistics services through its extensive and reliable nationwide network coverage in China. ZTO operates a highly scalable network partner model, which the Company believes is best suited to support the significant growth of e-commerce in China. The Company leverages its network partners to provide pickup and last-mile delivery services, while controlling the mission-critical line-haul transportation and sorting network within the express delivery service value chain. For more information, please visit http://zto.investorroom.com . For investor inquiries, please contact: Investor Relations Tel: (86) 21 5980 4508 Email: [email protected] View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zto-to-announce-first-quarter-financial-results-on-may-17-2023-us-eastern-time-301809478.html SOURCE ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. [April 27, 2023] CoreLogic: US Mortgage Delinquency Rate Hovers Near Record Low in February CoreLogic, a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider, today released its monthly Loan Performance Insights Report for February 2023. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005226/en/ Figure 1: National Overview of Loan Performance (Graphic: Business Wire) For the month of February, 3% of all mortgages in the U.S. were in some stage of delinquency (30 days or more past due, including those in foreclosure), representing a 0.4 percentage point decrease compared with 3.4% in February 2022 and a 0.2 percentage point increase compared with January 2023. To gain a complete view of the mortgage market and loan performance health, CoreLogic examines all stages of delinquency. In February 2023, the U.S. delinquency and transition rates and their year-over-year changes, were as follows: Early-Stage Delinquencies (30 to 59 days past due): 1.4%, unchanged from February 2022 and up from 1.3% in January 2023. (30 to 59 days past due): 1.4%, unchanged from February 2022 and up from 1.3% in January 2023. Adverse Delinquency (60 to 89 days past due): 0.4%, unchanged from February 2022. (60 to 89 days past due): 0.4%, unchanged from February 2022. Serious Delinquency (90 days or more past due, including loans in foreclosure): 1.2%, down from 1.7% in February 2022 and a high of 4.3% in August 2020. (90 days or more past due, including loans in foreclosure): 1.2%, down from 1.7% in February 2022 and a high of 4.3% in August 2020. Foreclosure Inventory Rate (the share of mortgages in some stage of the foreclosure process): 0.3%, up from 0.2% in February 2022. (the share of mortgages in some stage of the foreclosure process): 0.3%, up from 0.2% in February 2022. Transition Rate (the share of mortgages that transitioned from current to 30 days past due): 0.7%, down from 0.8% in February 2022. The national mortgage delinquency rate has barely changed year over year since the spring of 2022, indicating a fairly stable economy in which most borrowers are able to pay their mortgages on time. Similarly, the U.S. foreclosure rate has held steady at 0.3% for a year. And while the unemployment rate remained near a pre-pandemic low in March, it is possible hat mortgage delinquency rates could begin to creep up later this year, as the impact of recent job losses begin to affect the numbers several months later. "Despite a small monthly increase in the share of mortgage payments that were one month late in February, early-stage delinquencies remained unchanged year over year," said Molly Boesel, principal economist at CoreLogic. "February's early-stage delinquency rate was historically low and primarily driven by a strong job market. However, the possibility of a recession that would raise the U.S. unemployment rate could slightly erode the current strong mortgage performance situation in the coming months." State and Metro Takeaways: No state posted an annual increase in overall delinquency rates in February. The states with the largest declines were New York and West Virginia (both down by 0.9 percentage points). The other states' annual delinquency rates dropped between 0.8 and 0.1 percentage points. In February, 18 U.S. metro areas posted an increase in overall delinquency rates. The top two areas for mortgage delinquency gains year over year were Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida and Punta Gorda, Florida (both up by 1.7 percentage points). All but four U.S. metro areas posted at least a small annual decrease in serious delinquency rates (defined as 90 days or more late on a mortgage payment) in February. The metros that saw serious delinquencies increase were Cape Coral-Fort Myers; and Punta, Gorda Florida (both up by 1.3 percentage points). North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida; and Bloomsburg-Berwick, Pennsylvania followed (both up by 0.1 percentage point). The next CoreLogic Loan Performance Insights Report will be released on May 25, 2023, featuring data for March 2023. For ongoing housing trends and data, visit the CoreLogic Intelligence Blog: www.corelogic.com/intelligence. Methodology The data in The CoreLogic LPI report represents foreclosure and delinquency activity reported through February 2023. The data in this report accounts for only first liens against a property and does not include secondary liens. The delinquency, transition and foreclosure rates are measured only against homes that have an outstanding mortgage. Homes without mortgage liens are not subject to foreclosure and are, therefore, excluded from the analysis. CoreLogic has approximately 75% coverage of U.S. foreclosure data. Source: CoreLogic The data provided is for use only by the primary recipient or the primary recipient's publication or broadcast. This data may not be re-sold, 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 is 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 [email protected]. For sales inquiries, please 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. This data is 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 and the CoreLogic logo 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/20230427005226/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 27, 2023] Neo Financial Sets a Target of 13,000 Rewards Partners by the Start of the 2023 Canadian Small Business Week In just three years, Neo Financial (Neo) has added more than 10,000 partners to their cashback rewards network. These include local, national, and ecommerce businesses such as Landmark Cinemas, Decathlon, Tentree, and Endy all the way to local favourites such as Ride Cycle Club, Balzac's Coffee Roasters, Sunshine Village, and Craft Beer Market. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005317/en/ With over 10,000 rewards partners and counting, Neo's cashback network offers customers unlimited cashback and gives businesses access to a streamlined loyalty program. (Photo: Business Wire) The Neo app enables Canadians to explore businesses on the rewards network with a live map feature or search by category to discover the cashback they can earn. When paying with their Neo Credit card or Neo MoneyTM card, customers receive unlimited instant cashback from these businesses. This dynamic network drives Canadians to spend at these partners, giving all businesses access to loyalty tools traditionally reserved for only the biggest brands. These tools are critical in helping small businesses acquire and retain customers. "Growing up in the back of a family-owned, 30 seat restaurant, I saw first hand the amount of hard work that goes into running a small business. It has always been important to me that at Neo, we build a platform that helps small businesses thrive," said Andrew Chau, CEO and Co-Founder of Neo Financial. "Instead of going through traditional marketing channels, Canadian small businesses can now target consumers directly using Neo's technology, with their marketing spend going directly to the customer." Small businesses are vital to the economy, employing over two-thirds of Canadian employees - but with rising costs, are currently under pressure to do more with less. With one of the largest rewards network in Canada, Neo proactively partners with these small businesses to help them gain new customers and build and retain their most loyal customers. Traditionally, rewards programs have been limited to credit card customers only. Neo's rewards network extends to both credit card users (Neo Credit card) and those who prefer to use a debit card but want the rewards of a credit card, with the newly introduced Neo MoneyTM card. Powered by the Neo MoneyTM account, the Neo MoneyTM card allows Canadians to access their funds and spend at any store that accepts Mastercard, earn cashback, as well as withdraw from any ATM in Canada. The Neo MoneyTM account is a new hybrid account that combines the benefits of an everyday chequing and savings account with no monthly fees, free everyday transactions, Interac e-Transfers, bill pay, and direct deposit. A significant number of Canadians still prefer to spend on debit and the Neo MoneyTM card now allows Canadians to use an alternative, with rewards attached, that directs them to local business partners. About Neo Financial: Neo Financial is a technology company simplifying finances through reimagined spending, savings, investing, and mortgages. Founded in 2019 by the co-founders of SkipTheDishes, Neo has raised more than $299 million in funding from top-tier investors and has been recognized as one of the top tech startups in Canada by LinkedIn. Neo is headquartered in Winnipeg and Calgary, and is backed by top investors across North America. Through partnerships with leading financial institutions, Neo provides members with a safe and secure way to spend (Neo CardTM), save (Neo MoneyTM), invest (Neo InvestTM), and get a mortgage (Neo MortgageTM). Neo for Business powers financial solutions for Intuit TurboTax, Hudson's Bay, and over 10,000 other partners across the country. To learn more, visit neofinancial.com. The Neo Credit card is issued by ATB Financial pursuant to license by Mastercard International Incorporated. The Neo Money card is a prepaid Mastercard issued by Equitable Bank pursuant to license by Mastercard International Incorporated. The Neo Money card is powered by the Neo Money account, which is provided by Concentra Bank. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005317/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 27, 2023] Linklogis Releases 2022 ESG Report: Promoting Digital Intelligent Supply Chain Finance and Reducing 7,800 Tons of Carbon Emissions Shenzhen, china, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On April 27, 2023, Linklogis released 2022 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report. Adhering to the ESG mission of "Technology empowers the development of sustainable supply chain finance", Linklogis promotes sustainable development in environmental protection, social responsibility, and corporate governance, contributing to the development of the real economy and the advancement of the digital economy. In the past year, Linklogis has properly aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, continuously improving the management of material topics, and implementing robust and effective ESG governance. In 2022, Linklogis total revenue and income from principal activities reached RMB920 million, with an adjusted net profit of RMB200 million and a gross profit margin of 83.8%. The total transaction volume reached nearly RMB260 billion, and the assets of transactions Linklogis served related to sustainable supply chains reached RMB6.8 billion. Linklogis received a low risk rating for the first time by Sustainalytics, an international authoritative ESG rating agency under Morningstar, ranking in the top 15% within the global software and service industry and the top 18% among global companies. Committed to Green and Low-carbon Operation, the Digital Intelligent Technology Solutions Promote Energy Conservation and Consumption Reduction Liniklogis actively promotes the comprehensive application of green technology, implements sustainable development concepts into product and development decisions, and assists multiple customers and partners, such as Zijin Mining and Luoyang Bank, in landing supply chain finance business through digital and intelligent technology solutions, and reducing resource consumption and energy use through digital, one-stop, streamlined and safe operation throughout the entire process. Taking Linklogis financial technology solution Carbon0chain as an example. By combining Linklogis Multi-tier AR Transfer Cloud product and the green sustainable finance data platform Bee-Clean, Carbon0chain effectively solves major pain points in the current green finance market, such as the difficulty for carbon footprint data to be calculated and tracked, and the lack of incentives for enterprises, especially manufacturing enterprises, to participate in the development of carbon neutrality. By applying artificial intelligence, blockchain, edge computing and privacy computing technologies independently developed by Linklogis, the Carbon0chain can realize the whole process statistics and tracking of particle data of scope 3 in the international greenhouse gas accounting system, and achieve the usability with invisibility of data. Besides, with its efficient and advanced technological products and green service system, Linklogis enabled itself, and its customers and partners to achieve online and paperless operations, improving energy efficiency and reducing negative impacts on the environment. According to statistics, Linklogis saved approximately 3,000 tons of paper in 2022, which is equivalent to a reduction of 1,800 tons of carbon emissions or approximately 750 acres of forest. Linklogis is committed to low-carbon and green operation, and incorporates various energy-saving and consumption reduction requirements into the workplace management. Linklogis encourages employees to commute using environmentally friendly means of transportation, reducing carbon emissions and environmental pollution. Practicing Green Digital Inclusive Finance and Partcipating in the Compilation of Multiple Achievements to Lead Industry Development As a powerful driver for the transformation of industrial structure and sustainable economic development, green inclusive finance is conducive to the formation of a win-win result between ecological environment and economic value. Linklogis collaborates with financial institutions to promote the development of green inclusive finance, serving multiple green industries and high-tech enterprises, and providing high-quality financing experiences for SMEs through customized solutions and industry-leading technology infrastructure. In 2022, the assets of transactions Linklogis served related to sustainable supply chains (including green finance, renewable energy, rural revitalization, pandemic relief, etc.) reached RMB6.8 billion, and Linklogis served more than 180,000 SMEs. Taking the example of promoting rural revitalization, issues such as difficult financing, expensive financing, long approval cycle and slow return of capital of SMEs agricultural business are still prominent, and the accessibility, coverage and convenience of exclusive agricultural financial services are in urgent need to be improved. Linkloigs and Standard Chartered Bank jointly provided exclusive financing products for agricultural businesses in Sichuan Province, offering flexible, efficient and convenient technological support for its supply chain financial services according to the actual situation of all parties. The project captured the attention of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of Sichuan Province, and won the Best Supply Chain Finance Solution Award in China by The Asset. Linklogis adheres to the policies and measures introduced by national and local governments to assist SMEs in financing. In September 2022, after the Industry and Information Technology Bureau of Nanshan District, Shenzhen issued the Notice on the Application of Commercial Factoring Support Project in Nanshan District, Linklogis immediately arranged a professional team to notify the policy one-on-one to its partner suppliers. Ultimately, 78 suppliers who cooperated with Linklogis received the financial subsidy, with an estimated amount of RMB11.77 million. In promoting industry development and standard formulation, Linklogis was successfully selected as the first batch of data merchants of Shenzhen Data Exchange, and played a vital role in preparing and writing critical industry standards such as the Application Specifications for Privacy Computing in Financial Scenarios, the Research Report on the Application of Privacy Computing (2022), the White Paper on Cross-border Data Circulation Compliance and Technological Application, and the White Paper on Low-code Development (2022). In addition, Linklogis was invited to events such as the Greater Bay Area Tech & Innovation Summit and the 2022 GBA International Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Summit, actively leading the development of the industry. Achieving High-level Corporate Governance and Building a Diverse, Equal, and Inclusive Workplace Environment Linklogis pursues a high standard of corporate governance, establishes a sound corporate governance structure, risk management, internal audit and internal control system, improves the internal anti-corruption management system and policies, and ensures compliant operation. Linklogis continues to explore emerging technologies and focuses on data security and privacy protection. It strictly abides by national regulatory compliance requirements, and builds the security technology system from multiple dimensions such as information security management, information security assurance, information security certification and risk management to ensure the steady development of our customers and partners in a safe and reliable environment. In order to maintain its industry-leading position and the competitive edge in the market, Linklogis continuously improves its level of intellectual property management and protection, and has established incentive measures to encourage and protect technological innovation. Linklogis has applied for a total of 415 patents and acquired a total of 172 copyright registrations. Besides, Linklogis continues to increase investment in research and development. In 2022, Linklogis invested RMB350 million in research and development, accounting for 38.0% of the total revenue and income. The R&D personnel accounted for 61.6% of the total workforce. Linklogis attaches great importance to the sustainable development of the company and believes that talents are the key driving force for corporate development. Linklogis has made precise efforts in organizational structure, employee training, women's welfare, freedom of association, and anti-discrimination, striving to create an open, equal, and inclusive workplace environment, attract versatile talents, and build a diversified talent echelon. As of the end of 2022, Linklogis had a total of 981 employees, of which 425 were female employees, accounting for 43.3% of the total workforce. In order to help the organizations and employees gain lasting competitiveness and long-term development, Linklogis has established a three-dimensional and diversified training system based on employee needs, achieving full coverage of trainees. In 2022, the average training hours per employees reached 18.5 hours, with a training coverage rate of 100%. Linklogis has also created a path for college talents to enter workplace from universities through university-enterprise cooperation. In addition, Linklogis provides employees with a stage to display their talents and a good care mechanism, enabling them to realize their self-worth and gain a sense of belonging within the organization. In 2022, the company established Linklogis Public Welfare to encourage employees to actively participate in public welfare activities and make small and good deeds more powerful. Song Qun, the founder, chairman and CEO of Linklogis, said, Sustainable development is foundation for enterprises to make progress and develop. In the past year, facing the challenges and uncertainties, Linklogis focused on its core strategies and businesses to overcome difficulties, continuously improved and optimized our sustainable development strategies and management, fulfilled corporate social responsibility, and continuously enhanced the core competitiveness of the company through technological capabilities. Looking ahead, Linklogis will continue to pay attention to the sustainable development trends at home and abroad, continue to serve various fields of supply chain finance deeply through digital technology solutions, create long-term value for employees, shareholders and the society, and share the fruits of technological innovation. Gloria Zhou Public Relations Manager Linklogis +8613906009431 zhoushiqian(at)linklogis.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 27, 2023] ReasonLabs Launches Safer Web DNS Filter To Protect Families and Individuals Online With Safer Web, home users can easily filter internet content to protect themselves from privacy trackers, and inappropriate, harmful content, while blocking unwanted intrusive ads NEW YORK, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ReasonLabs , the cybersecurity pioneer equipping families and individuals with the same level of cyber protection used by major global companies, today announced the launch of Safer Web , its DNS filter that safeguards home users from data trackers, unwanted ads, and ensures a safe browsing experience for the whole family. Not only a privacy-focused tool, Safer Web utilizes a number of threat intelligence and behavior analysis technologies to block domains associated with malware and phishing. Safer Web is an easy-to-use internet filter, operable with no tech knowledge, and preloaded with features suited for adblocking and parental control . Safer Web filters out explicit URLs, and harmful content, and limits access to a wide variety of commonly used apps and websites that users deem unsuitable for themselves or their children. By preventing browser tracking and user monitoring through various types of applications on a native device, users can receive upgraded personal privacy protection as well as experience increased internet connectivity speeds. "The launch of our DNS filter Safer Web is a huge milestone for ReasonLabs," said Kobi Kalif, CEO at ReasonLabs. "Safer Web helps us deliver on our promise to provide best-in-class privacy and security protection to home users around the world. By supplying a DNS filter that's specifically built to he enterprise standard, families and individuals can surf the web safely and with confidence, knowing they are protected." "Our Safer Web DNS filter was developed to provide a safe browsing experience for all," said Noam Weizer, VP of Apps Distribution and Business Development at ReasonLabs. "Part of Safer Web's appeal is that it is extremely easy to use and can be operated with just a few clicks. It's the perfect application for parents to utilize in order to keep their kids safe and protected online. Paired with our mobile application FamilyKeeper, parents can be on top of their kids' digital lives 24/7." The addition of Safer Web to ReasonLabs' suite of cybersecurity products aimed at consumers, which includes a Next-Generation Antivirus, Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) , VPN, browser protection, parental control app, and more, brings an added layer of safety and security for its users. Led by cybersecurity, AI, and machine-learning experts, ReasonLabs provides the highest levels of defense and privacy protection to individuals and families worldwide. Safer Web is available for download today with multiple subscription options and a 30-day money-back guarantee. About ReasonLabs: ReasonLabs is a cybersecurity pioneer equipping tens of millions of families and individuals worldwide with the same level of cyber protection utilized by Fortune 500 companies. Its AI-powered, next-generation antivirus engine scans billions of files around the world to predict and prevent cyberattacks in real-time, 24/7. Its flagship product, RAV Endpoint Protectio n, together with its other products combine to form a multilayered solution that safeguards home users against next-generation threats. Co-Founded in 2016 by seasoned cybersecurity expert Andrew Newmanan architect of Microsoft's native cybersecurity program, Microsoft DefenderReasonLabs is based in New York and Tel Aviv. Learn more at https://www.ReasonLabs.com . Follow us: Blog | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube Contact: Eric Wolkstein Marketing Communications Manager, ReasonLabs [email protected] +19892441734 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1883752/ReasonLabs_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/reasonlabs-launches-safer-web-dns-filter-to-protect-families-and-individuals-online-301809382.html SOURCE ReasonLabs [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] BEIJING, April 27 (Xinhua) -- China's energy consumption continued to rally in the first quarter of 2023, boosted by the country's rising industrial power demand, a government official said Thursday. Total electricity consumption increased 3.6 percent year on year in the first three months, Dong Wancheng, an official with the National Energy Administration, told a press conference. Dong said that the electricity consumption for industrial use went up 4.4 percent from the same period in 2022, contributing 78 percent of the overall electricity consumption growth. Coal consumption logged a steady increase driven by the rising industrial power demand in the first quarter, while the consumption of natural gas and refined oil had also reported an uptick since February, according to Dong. To further meet domestic energy demand, China scaled up energy source imports. The imports of coal surged 96.1 percent year on year in the first quarter, Dong added. [April 27, 2023] The TM+ Streaming App, Powered by TVCoins, wins Technology Award for OTT Development Leading Colombian regional network, Telemedellin, was recognized for outstanding direct-to-consumer video streaming technology BOSTON, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "PRODU Tecnologia Awards" hosted by PRODU Magazine is an annual awards ceremony that recognizes excellence and technological innovation in the Latin American media industry. The 2023 edition was held in Las Vegas, Nevada at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show, one of the most important global events in the media and technology sector. The OTT Development Award recognizes outstanding technology powering cloud-based streaming experiences. Award categories included Remote Production, Broadcast Solutions, OTT Development, Sustainability, and more. Winners are hand selected by a panel of experts to acknowledge the latest innovations that are transforming the industry. The OTT Development Award recognizes outstanding technology powering cloud-based streaming experiences. This year the award went to Telemedellin in recognition of TM+, the network's first-ever OTT platform. TM+ offers viewers free and unlimited access to Telemedellin's programming through a user-friendly interface that allows them to consume live and on-demand content anywhere and at any time. Back in August, TM+ was designed and deployed by TVCoins, a distribution and monetization platform that partners with content owners to launch free, white-label apps made possible by the uniqueness of its ad-powered, revenue share business model. Since then, Telemedellin has grown its business with global content distribution on Connected TVs and mobile devices. "We're very proud to have received the OTT Development award for our flagship app, TM+. I'm grateful to the Telemedellin team for working with us to deploy this award-winning platform and for prioritizing its success as part of a strategic initiative to reach more viewers with a modernized content offering," said Gustavo Marra, President of TVCoins. PRODU Magazine and the entire media industry are recognizing the work that TVCoins does to eliminate barriers of entry to the streaming market, while simultaneously enhancing the experience of viewers around the world. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-tm-streaming-app-powered-by-tvcoins-wins-technology-award-for-ott-development-301809651.html SOURCE TVCoins [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 27, 2023] NTx Expands Commercial and Operational Teams to Accelerate Growth Nature's Toolbox, Inc. (NTx), a life sciences company enabling novel pharmaceutical RNA and protein development and production, today announced the expansion of its team with the appointments of Sheila Moran as Chief Commercial Officer, Phillip Easton, Ph.D. as Vice President of IT Infrastructure and Operations, and Lily Pisani as Senior Director of Customer Excellence. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005170/en/ NTx announced the appointments of Sheila Moran as Chief Commercial Officer, Lily Pisani as Senior Director of Customer Excellence, and Phillip Easton, Ph.D. as Vice President of IT Infrastructure and Operations, (Photo: Business Wire) "Nature's Toolbox is on the verge of a major commercialization push that will take our proprietary technology out of the lab and into the global market," said Jamie Coffin, Ph.D., CEO of NTx. "I worked with Sheila, Phillip, and Lily prior to joining NTx, and know they all have the right skills and experience to ensure NTx is set up for commercial success, bring in new customers, and drive financial growth." Sheila Moran, CCO, brings over 30 years of sales and business development experience in the healthcare and life sciences industries to Nature's Toolbox. She most recently served as the Senior Vice Presidet of Solution Sales at Sema4, where she led and directed sales, customer, and clinical support activities, including the establishment of commercial sales operations for the company's genomic testing and data business. She delivered double-digit growth every quarter for over three years achieving more than 300% growth in the testing footprint in women's health and oncology. Earlier in her career, she held leadership roles at Dell Healthcare and Life Sciences, and IBM Healthcare and Life Sciences. "Biomanufacturing holds tremendous promise for the future of healthcare, as well as other industries. Nature's Toolbox is uniquely positioned to lead this transformation with its combination of cutting-edge science, molecular design, and engineering prowess," said Sheila Moran. "My background in technology and engineering within life sciences has prepared me for this exciting challenge of leading NTx into its commercialization phase alongside this amazingly talented team." Phillip Easton, Ph.D., VP of IT Infrastructure and Operations, brings over 30 years of IT services and business development leadership experience to help implement NTx's IT strategy and operations. He most recently served as the Head of IT Services at Sema4, where he developed and implemented a company-wide IT strategy to support on-site and remote users and lab pipelines. During his time there, he was able to optimize resources and polices to realize $2M cost avoidance annually in technical expenses. Prior to Sema4, Phillip was a Business Development Manager at Dell Healthcare and Life Sciences where he developed solutions that resulted in $10 million in new hardware and software sales annually. Earlier in his career, he also worked in technical solutions for IBM Healthcare and Life Sciences. Lily Pisani, Sr. Director of Customer Excellence, will oversee NTx's sales and marketing strategies. She also comes to Nature's Toolbox from Sema4, where she began as a Marketing Manager specializing in events. She worked her way up to the role of REI Regional Business Director, NY and NJ for the company's women's health portfolio, successfully maintaining and growing the second largest sales number in the country across all divisions. Lily has a proven track record of expanding startups' brand recognition and has been recognized throughout her career for her ability to develop and execute effective sales and marketing campaigns, build strong relationships with customers, and drive revenue growth. Prior to Sema4, Lily held various marketing roles at CooperSurgical where she organized and executed customer events and managed logistics for CooperSurgical's global tradeshow presence. For more information about NTx and its proprietary platform, please visit: https://www.ntxbio.com. About NTx Nature's Toolbox, Inc. (NTx) is a life sciences company located in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. The company is commercializing its biomanufacturing systems NTxpress, NTxscribe and the bioinformatics platform, DruID, for the discovery of natural products. NTx's proprietary continuous-flow, fully recombinant, in vitro, cell-free transcription system utilizes hollow fiber bioreactors to support the growing demand for mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutics. NTx's biomanufacturing processes can easily be scaled to meet fluctuating supply needs so that companies can increase and streamline production as they respond to changing global demands. For more information, please visit: https://www.ntxbio.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005170/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 27, 2023] Texas Lender Goes Above and Beyond to Make Homeownership a Reality for Immigrant Borrower HOUSTON, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Brenda, an aspiring homeowner, tried to purchase a house for the almost a decade. However, her husband's lack of documents as an immigrant caused several setbacks in their journey. A valid ID is required for the non-purchasing spouse, causing the couple to back out of deals in the past. But thanks to the efforts of a dedicated lender, Jenny Orozco with AmCap Home Loans, Brenda and her husband's dream of homeownership finally came true. The lender, who is passionate about helping the Hispanic community, went above and beyond to assist the couple in obtaining the necessary documentation. The lender sought help from a friend who works at the Mexican embassy to guide Brenda's husband in obtaining a passport. Despite the husband's fear, Orozco reassured him and made sure that the process was smooth and successful. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Oroco, Brenda and her husband finally closed on their dream home in just a short 15-day transaction. This achievement is even more remarkable as there were no realtors involved in the transaction. "This is a heartwarming example of how individuals in the community can come together to help others achieve their dreams," Orozco said. "I'm honored to have been able to assist Brenda and her husband in their journey to homeownership, and I hope to inspire others to do the same." The lender's commitment to serving the Hispanic community and going above and beyond for clients exemplifies the values of the industry. This story serves as a reminder of the importance of inclusivity and support in the journey towards homeownership. About AmCap Whether you dream of buying your first home, refinancing your current mortgage or consolidating debt, our highly experienced team of mortgage professionals will work with you to find the best loan program to fit your budget and your needs. Since 2008, AmCap home loans and refinance experts have provided a streamlined mortgage loan process that alleviates the stress of buying a home. AmCap is licensed in more than 40 states. AmCap has been a Houston Chronicle top workplace for 12 years in a row. Interest applicants should seek further information at amcaprecruiting.com. Borrower interested in pre-qualifying for a home with Jenny can visit https://myamcap.com/jenny-orozco/. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/texas-lender-goes-above-and-beyond-to-make-homeownership-a-reality-for-immigrant-borrower-301807470.html SOURCE AmCap Home Loans [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 27, 2023] AM Best Affirms Credit Ratings of Kuwait Insurance Company S.A.K.P. AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "a-" (Excellent) of Kuwait Insurance Company S.A.K.P. (KIC) (Kuwait). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. The ratings reflect KIC's 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. KIC's balance sheet strength is underpinned by its risk-adjusted capitalisation, as measured by Best's Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), which is assessed at the strongest level. Further supporting the balance sheet strength assessment is KIC's consistent internal capital generation and prudent reserving practices. Offsetting factors include KIC's high-risk and concentrated investment portfolio, which exposes its capital position to potential volatility, and the company's elevated dependence on reinsurance, although the associated counterparty risk is partially mitigated by the use of a panel of financially sound reinsurers. KIC's strong operating performance assessment is demonstrated by a five-year (2018-2022) weighted average return-on-equity ratio of 16.3%, with earnings over this period supported both by the company's underwriting and investment results. KIC reported net profit after tax of KWD 42.1 million in 2022 (2021: KWD 11.4 million), with the year-on-year increase principally driven by a one-off positive investment return from the disposal of a single equity holding. KIC's underwriting profitability continues to support overall earnings and it has generated positive returns in its non-life and life accounts over the past five years. The company's non-life portfolio has historically driven overall underwriting performance and generated a five-year (2018-2022) weighted average combined ratio of 88.8%, as calculated by AM Best. KIC holds a wel-established position within its domestic insurance market of Kuwait, from which it sources all its premium. In 2022, KIC generated gross written premium of KWD 50.4 million (USD 165.2 million), compared with KWD 46.9 million in 2021 (USD 155.4 million). Although KIC's profile is concentrated in Kuwait, it benefits from good product diversification, offering a comprehensive range of non-life, life and takaful products, and a strong presence in corporate business lines, including general accident and property. In 2023, KIC expects to complete the acquisition of a domestic takaful company allowing continued operation in the takaful market. KIC's strategic plan continues to include geographic expansion, through establishing operations in Egypt's life insurance market. Although projected to be at a small scale relative to its domestic business, KIC's regional expansion presents additional operational and execution risks. This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best's 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 Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Best's Credit Ratings, Best's Performance Assessments, Best's Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best's 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. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005618/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 27, 2023] Deadline Reminder: Law Offices of Howard G. Smith Reminds Investors of Looming Deadline in the Class Action Lawsuit Against Teleperformance SE (TLPFY) Law Offices of Howard G. Smith reminds investors of the upcoming June 20, 2023 deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in the case filed on behalf of investors who purchased Teleperformance SE ("Teleperformance" or the "Company") (OTC: TLPFY) American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs") between July 29, 2020 and November 9, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Investors suffering losses on their Teleperformance investments are encouraged to contact the Law Offices of Howard G. Smith to discuss their legal rights in this class action at 888-638-4847 or by email to [email protected]. On August 4, 2022, Forbes published an article alleging that Teleperformance had subjected its workers to poor working conditions, using real, graphic images and videos of child sexual abuse to train its TikTok content moderators, while "conversations with former employees reveal[ed] the extent to which moderators were both under-trained and overworked." On this news, Teleperformance's stock price fell $7.75, or 4.6%, to close at $160.94 per ADR on August 5, 2022, thereby injuring investors. Then, on November 9, 2022, Time reported that "Colombia's Ministry of Labor has launched an investigation into TikTok subcontractor Teleperformance, relating to alleged union-busting, traumatic working conditions and low pay." On this news, Teleperformance's stock price fell $24.55, or 18.6%, to close at $107.77 per ADR on November 10, 2022. Then, on March 22, 2023, four months after the Company "unanimously" decided to exit the "highly egregious" content moderation business, Teleperformance announced that it would be reentering the field. Market analysts observed that the move was an indication of the Company's overall business and growth prospects. One HSBC Global Reserch analyst report stated that the "U-turn on content moderation raises concerns about communication, governance and broad fundamentals." On this news, Teleperformance's stock price fell $6.87, or 5.7%, over three days to close at $112.82 per ADR on March 24, 2023, thereby injuring investors further. The complaint filed in this class action alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants failed to disclose to investors: (1) that Teleperformance's growth in Core Services had been achieved, in part, by requiring its content moderators to engage in inappropriate, traumatic, abusive, and potentially criminal activities; (2) that certain Teleperformance social content moderators had been trained with materials which included illicit images of child sexual exploitation; (3) that contraband images had been included in Teleperformance Daily Required Reading reports for its content moderation staff; (4) that Teleperformance had failed to safeguard child sexual abuse material and had potentially violated strict rules governing the handling of such materials, including rules relating to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children; (5) that Teleperformance had failed to provide adequate training or emotional and psychological support to content moderators exposed to egregious materials, including those exposed to extreme graphic violence and sexual images; (6) that Teleperformance had imposed unreasonable time and performance targets that compounded the occupational trauma suffered by its content moderators; (7) that Teleperformance had failed to implement or maintain the working conditions represented to investors, including by subjecting the Company's content moderation workers to widespread occupational trauma without psychological support, and with paltry pay, punitive salary deductions, extensive surveillance, and aggressive union-busting tactics; (8) that, as a result, Teleperformance was subject to a material, undisclosed risk of legal, regulatory, business, and reputational harm if the truth regarding the Company's content moderation services, treatment of its content moderation workers, and handling of contraband materials was ever publicly revealed; and (9) as a result, Defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times. If you purchased or otherwise acquired Teleperformance ADRs during the Class Period, you may move the Court no later than June 20, 2023 to ask the Court to appoint you as lead plaintiff if you meet certain legal requirements. To be a member of the class action you need not take any action at this time; you may retain counsel of your choice or take no action and remain an absent member of the class action. If you wish to learn more about this class action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Howard G. Smith, Esquire, of Law Offices of Howard G. Smith, 3070 Bristol Pike, Suite 112, Bensalem, Pennsylvania 19020, by telephone at (215) 638-4847, toll-free at (888) 638-4847, or by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.howardsmithlaw.com. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005243/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 27, 2023] Rentschler Biopharma Receives Worcester Business Journal 2023 Manufacturing Excellence Award Company presented with Workforce Development Award, recognizing partnership with MassBioEd and WPI to train people for biotech manufacturing positions Company honored at Worcester Business Journal Manufacturing Summit and Excellence Awards Rentschler Biopharmas Milford footprint continues to grow with new state-of-the-art facility planned to open for business next year LAUPHEIM, Germany, and MILFORD, Mass., April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rentschler Biopharma, a leading global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for biopharmaceuticals, announced that the companys U.S. subsidiary, Rentschler Biopharma Inc., has been honored with a Worcester Business Journal (WBJ) 2023 Manufacturing Excellence Award. The company was selected as the winner of the Workforce Development Award, particularly in recognition of its partnership with MassBioEd and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). This joint career development program was kicked off in 2022 to train people re-joining the workforce for stable, attractive biotech opportunities. Rentschler Biopharma was presented the award at the WBJ Manufacturing Summit and Excellence Awards event held in Worcester on April 25th. Tobias Glueck, Senior Vice President Human Relations, said: It is an honor to receive this award. We are always looking for ways to work together with other organizations to solve problems and better serve our clients. Our collaboration with MassBioEd and WPI has brought wonderful new talent to our company, and we are excited to be continuing this important program. I warmly thank and congratulate our Milford-based team for enabling this fruitful partnership and for their efforts to continually find ways to build awareness of and excitement about the work we are doing. John Dougherty, Senior Director Manufacturing, added: We are proud to be a part of the manufacturing community in Central Massachusetts and are continuing to grow in Milford. We expect to open our new state-of-the-art facility in 2024, and we are already hiring to meet the anticipated demand. I have the leasure of working with our new team members from the joint apprenticeship program with MassBioEd and WPI. It is truly gratifying to work with these talented colleagues who are eager and passionate about our science and our cause. Our work is both challenging and incredibly rewarding, and we are driven by the goal of helping our clients bring innovative, life-changing treatments to patients. The new, state-of-the-art Rentschler Biopharma Manufacturing Center (RBMC) will be a multi-product facility focused on commercial production of complex molecules for U.S.-based clients. The site will add 22,000 square feet of manufacturing cleanroom space and house four new 2,000 L single-use bioreactors, in addition to being highly automated and leveraging industry 4.0 solutions. The RBMC is the largest expansion in the companys 150+-year history and will double Rentschler Biopharmas global cGMP capacity. The site is slated to be operational in the second half of 2024. About Rentschler Biopharma SE Rentschler Biopharma is a leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) focused exclusively on client projects. The company offers process development and manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals as well as related consulting activities, including project management and regulatory support. Rentschler Biopharma's high quality is proven by its long-standing experience and excellence as a solution partner for its clients. A high-level quality management system, a well-established operational excellence philosophy and advanced technologies ensure product quality and productivity at each development and manufacturing step. In order to offer best-in-class formulation development along the biopharmaceutical value chain, the company has entered into a strategic alliance with Leukocare AG. Rentschler Biopharma is a family-owned company with about 1,200 employees, headquartered in Laupheim, Germany, with a second site in Milford, MA, USA. In Stevenage, UK, Rentschler Biopharma has launched a company dedicated to cell and gene therapies, Rentschler ATMP Ltd. For further information, please visit www.rentschler-biopharma.com. Follow Rentschler Biopharma on LinkedIn. Contact: Rentschler Biopharma SE Dr. Cora Kaiser Senior Director Corporate Communication Phone: +49-7392-701-874 [email protected] Media inquiries: MC Services AG U.S. Eva Bauer Laurie Doyle Phone: +49-89-210228-0 Phone: +1 339-832-0752 [email protected] For a high-resolution image of the WBJ Manufacturing Excellence Award Ceremony on April 25, 2023 in Worcester, please contact [email protected]. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 27, 2023] Salt Security Honored in the Prestigious Stevie 2023 American Business Awards SAN FRANCISCO, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, at RSA Conference, Salt Security , the leading API security company, announced that it has been named the winner of a Stevie Award in the "Most Innovative Tech Company of the Year" category in The 21st Annual American Business Awards. "We are honored to be recognized in this year's Stevie American Business Awards," said Roey Eliyahu, co-founder and CEO, Salt Security. "APIs fuel today's modern innovation. However, increasing market adoption of APIs has expanded the attack surface, making them a popular target for attackers to access critical company data and systems. This award recognizes the unique and innovative approach delivered with the Salt Security API Protection Platform. Salt provides organizations with the deepest insights to accurately identify and stop API attacks before they happen and strengthen their APIs in development." Only Salt applies cloud-scale big data with time-tested ML and AI to give organizations the deepest context over time to quickly detect growing API security attacks, which can take days, weeks, and even months to unfold. Salt enables organizations to easily catalog all of their APIs, see which ones expose sensitive data, and detect and block API attackers in runtime. By leveraging the industry's most mature algorithms and its cloud-scale API data lake architecture, Salt delivers advanced API threat detection to block malicious API attacks, including threats outlined in the OWASP API Security Top 10 list. With remediation insights, Salt also empowers developers to improve API security posture in pre-production. The combination of leadership in both the market and technology earned Salt this Silver Stevie Award. The American Business Awards are the U.S.A.'s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small. More than 3,700 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted his year for consideration in a wide range of categories, including Startup of the Year, Executive of the Year, Best New Product or Service of the Year, Marketing Campaign of the Year, Thought Leader of the Year, and App of the Year, among others. More than 230 professionals worldwide participated in the judging process to select this year's Stevie Award winners. "It is very gratifying for us to be able to recognize the achievements of such a wide variety of organizations, teams, and individuals in the 21st ABAs, and we look forward to bringing them together in New York on June 13 to celebrate with them," said Maggie Miller, president of the Stevie Awards. Details about The American Business Awards and the list of 2023 Stevie winners are available at www.StevieAwards.com/ABA . Salt is showcasing its award-winning API security platform, including just-announced enhancements to its AI algorithms and new platform capabilities for API attack detection and discovery, at the RSA Conference in San Francisco this week. Please visit Salt at Booth 1535 at the show, or to learn more about Salt Security or request a demo, go to https://content.salt.security/demo.html . About Salt Security Salt Security protects the APIs that form the core of every modern application. Its patented API Protection Platform is the only API security solution that combines the power of cloud-scale big data and time-tested ML/AI to detect and prevent API attacks. By correlating activities across millions of APIs and users over time, Salt delivers deep context with real-time analysis and continuous insights for API discovery, attack prevention, and hardening APIs. Deployed quickly and seamlessly integrated within existing systems, the Salt platform gives customers immediate value and protection, so they can innovate with confidence and accelerate their digital transformation initiatives. For more information, visit https://salt.security/ Press Contact Dex Polizzi Lumina Communications [email protected] About the Stevie Awards Stevie Awards are conferred in eight programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com . Sponsors of The 2023 American Business Awards include HCL America, Melissa Sones Consulting, and SoftPro. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/salt-security-honored-in-the-prestigious-stevie-2023-american-business-awards-301809186.html SOURCE Salt Security [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 27, 2023] Napa Valley Wildfire Resiliency Summit Convenes 250 Attendees to Address Regional and Global Insurability and Risk Mitigation Challenges Galway Holdings, a financial services and insurance distribution platform, is pleased to announce the successful conclusion of its Wildfire Resiliency Summit held in Napa Valley on March 9-10, 2023. This invite-only, two-day event achieved its objective of starting a dialogue and fostering collaborative efforts in the wine community to address global insurability, proactively address wildfire threats, and ultimately mitigate future wildfire loss. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005266/en/ At the Wildfire Resiliency Summit that took place in March 2023, owner/proprietors from well-known wineries in the Napa Valley took the stage to share their insights and experiences in dealing with annual wildfire threats. (Photo: Galway Holdings) The gathering brought together key constituents from Napa Valley and beyond, including insurance companies, winery owners and representatives, wildfire experts, leaders in mitigation solutions and local residents. Galway Holdings believes that a cooperative strategy is the way forward for both property owners and insurers to address wildfire exposure, extend risk transfer solutions to affected regions, and support wildfire-impacted communities. Galway Holdings' Executive Chairman John Hahn provided opening remarks, stressing that while this particular event was specific to Napa Valley, wildfires and insurance protections are a nationwide and global concern. This gathering served as a catalyst for action and long-term solutions to a wildfire crisis that has accelerated in recent years. Linda Reiff, the President and CEO of the Napa Valley Vintners Association, spoke next about Napa Valley as an American treasure and strong agricultural community, known for its innovation and leadership, and sared a number of examples of the collaborative efforts underway to prevent and mitigate wildfires. As the California wine industry contributes approximately $170 billion each year to the U.S. economy, climate change-related wildfires are placing it-and the hundreds of thousands of jobs that it supports-in peril. On average, wildfire prevalence, severity, size, and costs are increasing. These wildfires place health, lives, communities, properties, and livelihoods at risk across the entire nation: more than 71 million U.S. homes were reported to have some level of wildfire risk in 2022, according to the First Street Foundation. "Pressing issues such as wildfires necessitate bold, proactive undertakings and collaboration between the various parties affected," said Louis Reynaud, SVP - Climate Risk Resiliency Practice Leader, Galway Holdings. "This event was a first step in bringing together these different groups to open the lines of communication, provide a forum for them to share their unique perspectives, highlight the proactive efforts that the Napa community has made, and showcase how the effectiveness of those measures should be reflected in underwriting practices." Following the opening remarks, the owner/proprietors from well-known wineries in the region took the stage to share their insights and experiences in dealing with annual wildfire threats. Cyril Chappellet, President and CEO of Chappellet Winery, joined Kellie Duckhorn, General Manager of Baldacci Family Vineyards and Schatzi Throckmorton, Proprietor of Relic Wine Cellars, to offer their views. They were followed by local firefighting experts and scientists, who left no doubt as to the dangers to people and property but also offered clear, actionable steps that-if implemented-can substantially reduce the risk of major wildfire loss. Day two of the Summit featured a "boots-on-the-ground" tour of local wineries and homes, showcasing business and property owners' efforts to protect their assets and communities. Attendees witnessed various mitigation strategies, including fuel reduction and strategic fuel breaks, emergency egress, advanced sprinkler defense systems, property hardening components, and examples of defensible spaces that help manage and contain wildfire risk in the Napa Valley region. "Galway Holdings is committed to enriching and empowering the communities it serves. There is much we can achieve if we work together to identify solutions and coordinate meaningful next steps," said Derek Thomas, Chief Strategy Officer, Galway Holdings and President, Galway Strategic Solutions. "Early feedback post-Summit indicates that these initial discussions are likely to serve as a springboard for transformative action. We're already hearing from insurance carriers who are rethinking their wildfire risk." Galway Holdings' affiliate companies - EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants, Jencap, Paragon, and MAI Capital Management - provide a unique opportunity to leverage broad market access with strategic partners in the excess and surplus (E&S), retail, and reinsurance spaces to encourage participation and partnership in reducing wildfire risk. For those who have questions about the event or would be interested in learning more about Galway Holdings' wildfire mitigation initiatives, please contact us at [email protected]. About Galway Holdings Galway Holdings, LP, is a financial services platform focused on powering the growth of its network of companies utilizing data and technology to develop innovative next-level solutions on behalf of its clients. We empower our people with a commitment to our culture, the community and climate in an actionable manner leveraging the resources available across our platform. For more information about Galway Holdings, follow us on LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005266/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 27, 2023] Cegedim off to a dynamic start in 2023 Quarterly financial information as of March 31, 2023 IFRS - Regulated information - Not audited Q1 2023 revenues grew 12.9% Cegedim Sante: growth picking up speed Boulogne-Billancourt, France, April 27, 2023, after the market close Revenue First quarter Change Q1 2023 / 2022 in millions of euros 2023 2022 Reported Like for like(1)(2) Software & Services 80.4 71.2 12.9% 12.0% Flow 24.8 22.6 9.7% 9.9% Data & Marketing 24.6 22.5 9.5% 8.3% BPO 14.4 12.3 17.8% 17.8% Corporate and others 1.6 0.7 135.2% 135.2% Cegedim 145.9 129.2 12.9% 12.2% (1) At constant scope and exchange rates. (2) The positive currency impact of 0.4% was mainly due to the pound sterling. The positive scope effect of 1.1% was attributable to the first-time consolidation in Cegedims accounts of new acquisitions Kobus Tech, Mesdocteurs, Laponi, and Clinityx. Cegedim generated consolidated Q1 2023 revenues of 145.9 million, an increase of 12.9% as reported and 12.2% like for like(1) compared with the same period in 2022. All divisions contributed to the growth. Divisional growth rates ranged from 9.5% to 17.8%, confirming the good sales momentum seen in previous quarters. Analysis of business trends by division Software & Services Software & Services First quarter Change Q1 2023 / 2022 in millions of euros 2023 2022 Reported LFL Cegedim Sante: 20.6 14.7 40.1% 33.2% Insurance, HR, Pharmacies, and other services 47.3 44.5 6.2% 6.0% International businesses 12.5 12.0 4.4% 8.1% Software & Services 80.4 71.2 12.9% 12.0% Cegedim Sante picked up its pace of growth to 40% compared with the first quarter of 2022. Segur Act-related roll-outs generated 2.8 million in first-quarter revenues and acquisitions, 1.0 million. Other French activities grew sales by 6.2%, buoyed by HR activities and other services. International businesses returned to growth, particularly in the doctor and insurance segments in the UK. Flow FLOW First quarter Change Q1 2023 / 2022 in millions of euros 2023 2022 Reported LFL e-business 15.0 13.7 9.5% 9.9% Third-party payer 9.8 8.9 9.9% 9.9% Flow 24.8 22.6 9.7% 9.9% Third-party payer systems in France had an excellent first quarter, up nearly 10%, owing to strong invoice volumes in pharmacies and rising volumes in the hospital segment. Data & Marketing Data & Marketing First quarter Change Q1 2023 / 2022 in millions of euros 2023 2022 Reported LFL Data 13.1 12.3 6.3% 4.1% Marketing 11.5 10.2 13.4% 13.4% Data & Marketing 24.6 22.5 9.5% 8.3% Most of the growth in Data activities came from French sales. The positive scope effect of +2.2% was attributable to the first-time consolidation of Clinityx. Advertising in pharmacies had a promising start to the year, growing by double digits. BPO BPO First quarter Change Q1 2023 / 2022 in millions of euros 2023 2022 Reported LFL Insurance BPO 8.8 7.5 16.3% 16.3% HR BPO 5.7 4.7 20.2% 20.2% BPO 14.4 12.3 17.8% 17.8% BPO operations continued to post double-digit growth over the first quarter, driven equally by services aimed at health and personal protection insurance companies, and by those designed for clients HR departments. Highlights Apart from the items cited below, to the best of the companys knowledge, there were no events or changes during Q1 2023 that would materially alter the Groups financial situation. War in Ukraine The Group does not do business in Russia or Ukraine and has no assets exposed to those countries. Significant transactions and events post March 31, 2023 To the best of the companys knowledge, there were no post-closing events or changes after March 31, 2023, that would materially alter the Groups financial situation. Outlook Based on Q1 2023 revenues up 12.2% like for like(1), and despite the public health, economic, geopolitical, and monetary uncertainty facing the world, the Group is confident it can grow full-year revenues by at least 10% like for like(1). The Group does not expect to make any significant acquisitions in 2023. --------- (1) At constant scope and exchange rates. WEBCAST ON APRIL 27, 2023, AT 6:15 PM (PARIS TIME) The webcast is available at: www.cegedim.fr/webcast The Q1 2023 revenue presentation is available: On the website: https://www.cegedim.fr/finance/documentation/Pages/presentations.aspx And on the Cegedim IR smartphone app, available at https://www.cegedim.fr/finance/profil/Pages/CegedimIR.aspx The Audit Committee met on April 26, 2023. The Board of Directors, chaired by Jean-Claude Labrune, met on April 27, 2023. 2023 financial calendar 2023 April 27 after the close June 16 at 9:30 am July 27 after the close September 20 after the close Q1 2023 revenues Shareholders meeting H1 2023 revenues H1 2023 results Financial calendar: https://www.cegedim.fr/finance/agenda/Pages/default.aspx Disclaimer This press release is available in French and in English. In the event of any difference between the two versions, the original French version takes precedence. This press release may contain inside information. It was sent to Cegedims authorized distributor on April 27, 2023, no earlier than 5:45 pm Paris time. The figures cited in this press release include guidance on Cegedim's future financial performance targets. This forward-looking information is based on the opinions and assumptions of the Groups senior management at the time this press release is issued and naturally entails risks and uncertainty. For more information on the risks facing Cegedim, please refer to Chapter 7, Risk management, section 7.2, Risk factors and insurance, and Chapter 3, Overview of the financial year, section 3.6, Outlook, of the 2022 Universal Registration Document filled with the AMF on April 12, 2023, under number D.23-0266. About Cegedim: Founded in 1969, Cegedim is an innovative technology and services company in the field of digital data flow management for healthcare ecosystems and B2B, and a business software publisher for healthcare and insurance professionals. Cegedim employs more than 6,000 people in more than 10 countries and generated revenue of 555 million in 2022. Cegedim SA is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: CGM). To learn more, please visit: www.cegedim.fr And follow Cegedim on Twitter @CegedimGroup, LinkedIn and Facebook. Aude Balleydier Cegedim Media Relations and Communications Manager Tel.: +33 (0)1 49 09 68 81 [email protected] Jerome Moreau Cegedim Director of Management Control Head of Financial Communication Tel.: +33 (0)7 85 63 61 99 [email protected]dim.com Celine Pardo .becoming Media Relations Tel.: +33 (0)6 52 08 13 66 [email protected] Annexes Breakdown of revenue by quarter and division Year 2023 in thousands Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Total Software & Services 80.4 80.4 Flow 24.8 24.8 Data & marketing 24.6 24.6 BPO 14.4 14.4 Corporate and others 1.6 1.6 Group revenue 145.9 145.9 Year 2022 in thousands Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Total Software & services 71.2 74.4 75.2 81.1 302.0 Flow 22.6 22.6 21.5 23.9 90.6 Data & marketing 22.5 27.6 22.8 34.1 106.9 BPO 12.3 13.1 13.0 14.6 53.0 Corporate and others 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.7 2.8 Group revenue 129.2 138.3 133.3 154.4 555.2 Breakdown of revenue by geographic zone, currency, and division at March 31, 2023 as a % of consolidated revenues Geographic zone Currency France EMEA ex. France Americas Euro GBP Others Software & Services 84.5% 15.4% 0.1% 87.2% 11.3% 1.6% Flow 92.1% 7.9% 0.0% 94.9% 5.1% 0.0% Data & marketing 97.3% 2.7% 0.0% 97.7% 0.0% 2.3% BPO 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% Corporate and others 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% Cegedim 89.6% 10.3% 0.1% 91.7% 7.1% 1.3% Attachment Cegedim_CP_1Q2023_EN [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 27, 2023] Pattern Ag announces world's largest single ecosystem metagenomics database Pattern Ag built the worlds largest soil-focused metagenomics database, at greater than 43 Terabases Pattern Ag plans to expand its future sequencing and analysis efforts to include samples from around the globe to build the first global map of the soil microbiome Pattern Ag is actively mining unknown soil microorganisms to uncover microbial dark matter and unleash the power of biological solutions in agriculture EMERYVILLE, Calif., April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pattern Ag operates the worlds largest metagenomics database, leveraging soil data from more than 43 Terabases. This database is larger and more significant than the publicly available Tara Oceans database a multinational academic partnership that took five years to build and Pattern Ag continues adding to its own database. The scale of the Pattern Ag database is critical because it unlocks new computational solutions in agriculture, Rob Hranac, Pattern Ag CEO, said. This unique scale of data in agricultural soils allows us to predict agronomic outcomes more precisely than previously possible, unleashing the power of predictive ag for our customers. Pattern Ag was founded in 2018 and soon after started building its database. As work progressed, Pattern Ag collected samples and began running DNA tests on soil. Today, Pattern Ag collects and analyzes soil samples from across the Midwest, continuously adding depth to its massive database. The company plans to broaden the scope of this effort to include analysis of soil samples from around the globe, with a long-term vision of building the first global map of the soil microbiom. A key limitation of our ability to understand the soil microbiome is the available genomic data at scale, Hranac said. Typically, researchers have been limited by low throughput laboratory models that have allowed them to study microbiomes in isolation. Pattern has created a unique genomic data factory for soils by building biological analytics for product placement and investing in advanced robotics platforms to process soil data at scale. An instantiation of the power of the Pattern Ag metagenomics database is the companys recently released annual Predictive Ag Report, which predicts the risks of some of the worlds most destructive pests 12 months in advance, with more than 90% accuracy. This information allows farmers to reduce the costs associated with controlling pests and pathogens, including corn rootworm and soybean cyst nematodes, leading to more sustainable farming practices. Scale is not the only factor that makes our genomic database unique, says Danielle Watts, Ph.D., vice president of data science for pattern. By focusing on production corn and soybean fields, we can uniquely understand the context behind the genomes we are sequencing. Having metadata on the physical, chemical, and agronomic components of the fields we sample from gives us a unique ability to connect microbial data to farmer outcomes. The fusion of these datasets allows Pattern Ag to reduce the time it takes to bring new insights to the market, and mine for new organisms and pathways that had not previously been described by science. According to estimates from the Food and Agriculture Organization, food production will need to be increased 60% by 2050 to feed the worlds growing population. Companies that use insights garnered from the Pattern Ag metagenomics database will help commercialize innovative solutions to sustainably increase food production. Pattern Ag is actively soliciting industry and academic partnerships to be a part of leveraging its metagenomics database to solve practical agronomic challenges for farmers. Pattern Ag Founded in 2018, Pattern envisions a future where conventional agricultural inputs are enhanced and eventually replaced by precision microbiome engineering, improving farm productivity and sustainability. Patterns corporate office is headquartered in Emeryville, California, with field teams located throughout the Midwest. Pattern uses analytics to help farmers optimize their spending on crop protection, seed selection, and fertility inputs while improving the long-term productivity of their land. To learn more, visit www.Pattern.ag. For more information and to receive a copy of the report, please contact: Natalie McCracken Head of Marketing, Pattern Ag 708-220-4342 [email protected] www.pattern.ag [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] BEIJING, April 27 (Xinhua) -- China strongly opposes the United States' requirement of forbidding chip makers of the Republic of Korea to fill the gap of chip exports left by their American peers in the Chinese market, said a commerce ministry spokesperson Thursday. The U.S. act is textbook bullying that severely disrupts regular economic and trade exchanges between companies and undermines market regulations and the international economic and trade order, Shu Jueting, spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, told a press conference. She said the move also threatens the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains. Noting that the chip industry chain is built on collaboration between economies with respective comparative advantages, Shu said that the United States is seeking decoupling and disruption of industrial and supply chains by abusing export control and forcing some countries to practice trade protectionism against China. Shu added such U.S. attempts are the main reason behind the recent revenue and profit nosedives of companies along the industrial and supply chains of chips in certain countries. Citing a comment piece on the matter, Shu said governments and companies of relevant countries should defend free trade rules and construct a global industrial and supply chain system that is safe, stable, smooth, open, inclusive, and win-win. Addressing media reports on upcoming U.S. measures to contain investments in China, Shu said it is a typical non-market practice to apply intervention or restriction to companies' decision-making using administrative means. Also, it is against the basic principles of global economics and trade to launch discriminatory containment directed at a specific country, she added. China will strongly oppose the U.S. measures if the news is true, Shu said. Given that the United States had often expressed its willingness to engage in benign competition with China instead of pursuing China-U.S. decoupling, China hopes that the U.S. side will stay true to its words and respect companies' rights to conduct investment and trade to achieve win-win outcomes, said Shu. [April 27, 2023] Investor Alert: Safe Holdings Be an informed investor - Don't be fooled by fraudsters misrepresenting themselves TORONTO, April 27, 2023 /CNW/ - New Self-Regulatory Organization of Canada (New SRO) is warning Canadian investors not to be fooled by Safe-Holdings.com. The company falsely implies they are regulated by the former Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) and are members of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund. Safe Holdings is not a member of New SRO and was never registered with IIROC to sell forex or crypto assets, or any other investment products. All investors must be informed and ask themselves important questions before purchasing higher-risk investment products that do not trade on stock exchanges. Investors should know that unregulated crypto-asset trading platforms are different from regulated marketplaces and may be missing key investor protections. Registered investment firms are regulated, and individuals must meet our high standards and deal fairly, honestly and in good faith with Canadian investors. We urge Canadian investors to exercise caution when dealing with non-registered firms. Investors can also check the background, qalifications and any disciplinary history of investment advisors registered with New SRO by checking the free AdvisorReport for investment dealers, or the CSA's National Registration Search for mutual fund dealers. If you believe you have been a victim of this or a similar scam, contact your local police, or the CSA for your provincial securities commission contact information, and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. *** About New SRO New Self-Regulatory Organization of Canada (New SRO) is the national self-regulatory organization that oversees all investment dealers, mutual fund dealers and trading activity on Canada's debt and equity marketplaces. New SRO is carrying on the regulatory functions of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada and the Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada, and is committed to the protection of investors, providing efficient and consistent regulation, and building Canadians' trust in financial regulation and the people managing their investments. For more information, visit www.newselfregulatoryorganizationofcanada.ca. SOURCE INew Self-Regulatory Organization of Canada [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 27, 2023] Invest WindsorEssex partners with Virtualware to accelerate VR CAVE capabilities for the automobility sector TORONTO, Ontario, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the Windsor-Essex Regional Technology Development Site (WE RTDS), led by Invest WindsorEssex (IWE), announced a partnership with virtual reality (VR) company Virtualware (EPA:MLVIR) to expand SME access and use cases for Canadas largest publicly accessible VR CAVE. The WE RTDS is one of seven Regional Technology Development Sites (RTDS) made possible through the Ontario Centre of Innovations (OCI) Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) initiative. The WE RTDS specializes in cross-border technology, advanced simulation, virtual reality and automotive cybersecurity. The use of virtual reality across all industry sectors brings more interactivity, flexibility and connectivity to work, without compromising the sense of presence. VR is driving widespread changes to allow companies to leverage their digital assets and improve processes such as prototyping, reviewing design, product development, training and promotion of products and services. Todays announced partnership between Invest WindsorEssex and Virtualware further supports innovation in Canadas automobility ecosystem through the expansion of IWEs VR CAVE capabilities and the programming available to companies through the WE RTDS. The IWE VR CAVE will now include a unique integration with VIROO, the pioneering VR as a Service (VRaaS) platform developed by Virtualware. Virtualwares flagship product is now integrated with the VR CAVE. Through the development of a new VR CAVE functionality, the team at Virtualware has improved VIROO to support SMEs working on digital twinning projects locally and across the OVIN sites. Using the advanced VIROO VR platform, participants can be supported by staff at the IWE VR CAVE to develop their digital twin models and iterate in real-time using a variety of both 2D and 3D devices. This helps to remove any previous barriers for support and access to services that once existed where participants needed to be on site to use this specialized software. Having this new platform also alows greater connectivity between OVIN RTDSs to support more clients and provide complementary services. The three-year partnership between IWE and Virtualware will leverage each organizations strengths and accelerate the adoption of VR in Ontario-based SMEs. Quotes Our partnership with Invest WindsorEssex, Canadas mobility innovative cluster, will accelerate VR adoption across the automotive industry, creating valuable opportunities and building the most powerful enterprise VR ecosystem in the country," Unai Extremo, CEO, Virtualware. Our cooperation with IWE is to strategically consolidate an ecosystem where the use of VR in the auto sector defines success in terms of companies utilizing 3D content as actual dynamic assets with real economic and transformative impact, Michael Rosas, VP General Manager for North America, Virtualware. This is the type of partnership that will help us continue to position Ontario as a North American leader in mobility innovation and next-generation vehicle production. Expansion of the IWE VR CAVE capabilities and accessibility allows for increased programming and support available to SMEs through the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Networks Regional Technology Development Sites, Raed Kadri, Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, and Head of the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network, Ontario Centre of Innovation. About Invest WindsorEssex Invest WindsorEssex is the lead economic development agency for the Windsor-Essex region. The focus of the organization is to develop and execute strategies to retain, expand, attract and help new businesses start-up in the Windsor-Essex region. Invest WindsorEssex is led by a board of distinguished community leaders. A team of professional staff will assist you with all your location and investment decisions by working one-on-one with businesses, to facilitate the process of starting, growing or locating in Windsor-Essex. investwindsoressex.com About Virtualware Virtualware is one of the pioneering corporations in the European Virtual Reality industry applied to the industrial, educational and healthcare sectors. Virtualwares flagship product VIROO, the worlds pioneering VR as a Service (VRaaS) platform, makes Virtual Reality accessible to companies and institutions of all sizes and sectors. It is an all-in-one digital solution that enables the development and deployment of multi-user Virtual Reality applications remotely. virtualwareco.com About the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) OVIN is an initiative of the Government of Ontario, led by the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI), designed to reinforce Ontarios position as a North American leader in advanced automotive technology and smart mobility solutions such as connected vehicles, autonomous vehicles and electric and low-carbon vehicle technologies. Through resources such as research and development (R&D) support, talent and skills development, technology acceleration, business and technical supports, and demonstration grounds, OVIN provides a competitive advantage to Ontario-made automotive and mobility technology companies. ovinhub.ca Media Contacts Gina Meret-Dybenko Director, Marketing and Communications Invest WindsorEssex Mobile: 519-791-6223 Email: [email protected] Aida Otaola Head of Communications Virtualware Email: [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 27, 2023] Durabook Americas is Honored with Gold and Bronze Stevie 2023 American Business Awards Durabook Americas, an innovator in purpose-built, rugged mobile computing solutions, today announced it was named the winner of two prestigious Stevie Awards in The 21st Annual American Business Awards (ABA), including a Gold in the Business Technology - Other category for the Durabook R8 Fully Rugged Tablet, and a Bronze in the Customer Service Department of the Year category for Durabook Americas Service and Technical Support Department. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005794/en/ ABA Stevie Award winners were determined by the average scores of more than 230 professionals worldwide who participated in the judging process. More than 3,700 nominations from organizations of all sizes across virtually every industry were submitted for consideration in a wide range of categories. "It is quite an honor to have achieved recognition in these two categories amidst thousands of nominations," said Sasha Wang, President, Durabook Americas. "We are grateful to the panel of Stevie American Business Award judges for their discernment and recommendation. Our appreciation goes to our highly qualified employees, our innovative customers, and trusted partners." Awarded Gold in the Business Technology - Other category, the Durabook R8 Fully Rugged Tablet is the world's first fanless 8" fully rugged tablet featuring 12th generation Intel Core processors for exceptionally powerful user performance. The R8 Rugged Tablet is designed to meet the increasing demads of field service workers operating across some of the most demanding sectors, including manufacturing, transportation, logistics, oil and gas, field services and utility industries, as well as law enforcement departments and government agencies. These users often require both high performance and the convenience of portability, which are typically conflicting needs. One ABA judge commented, "The Durabook R8 Fully Rugged Tablet seems like an innovative and useful product that meets the needs of field service workers who require high performance and portability. The product's specifications are impressive, with its fanless design and 12th generation Intel processors offering exceptional computing power and reliability, and its rugged features and certifications making it durable in harsh environments. Additionally, its expansion options, connectivity features, and long battery life provide additional value for users." In the Customer Service Department of the Year category, a Bronze was awarded for Durabook Americas' Service and Technical Support Department. Innovative and effective customer support is a critical element of business for Durabook Americas, and it is committed to providing assured three-day turnaround time and advanced engineering support. Durabook Americas' dedicated team of experienced, certified technicians and the stock of high-availability service parts enable the company to provide comprehensive service and repair offerings to major markets across North America. In June of 2022, Durabook Americas announced it expanded its renowned customer-service department with a new Service and Tech Support Center, located in Fremont, California. According to one of the ABA 2023 judges, "A tremendous amount of experience at Durabook that translates into a high level of customer service." Another judge noted "Great examples of service excellence from the metrics you shared. I appreciated hearing some of the details that have led to these achievements including your experienced teams of support engineering and comprehensive parts stock." The American Business Awards are the U.S.A.'s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations - public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small. Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word meaning "crowned," the awards will be presented to winners at a gala ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York on Tuesday, June 13. "It is very gratifying for us to be able to recognize the achievements of such a wide variety of organizations, teams, and individuals in the 21st ABAs, and we look forward to bringing them together in New York on June 13 to celebrate with them," said Maggie Miller, president of the Stevie Awards. Connect with Durabook Americas via social media on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. About Durabook Americas Durabook Americas is an innovator in purpose-built, rugged computing solutions. The company leverages the field experience of client-partners throughout the U.S. Armed Forces, public safety agencies and field service organizations to deliver reliable, cost-effective, and customizable solutions. Durabook Americas, Inc. is headquartered in Fremont, California, and is the North American subsidiary of Twinhead International Corporation, a leading manufacturer and customizer of rugged computing solutions for more than 30 years, including the globally acclaimed Durabook brand. For more information on Durabook Americas, Inc., visit the website. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005794/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 27, 2023] CI Financial Announces Sale of its Minority Stake in Congress Wealth Management CI Financial Corp. ("CI") (TSX: CIX) announced today it has reached an agreement to sell its minority stake in Congress Wealth Management, LLC ("Congress") to Audax Private Equity. Congress, led by President Paul Lonergan, serves clients across the U.S. from its Boston headquarters and offices in six other cities. CI, which first invested in Congress in the third quarter of 2020, holds its stake in the firm through CI Private Wealth, LLC ("CIPW"), its integrated U.S. wealth management subsidiary. "Congress is a great firm and our partnership with Paul and his team has been fantastic," said Kurt MacAlpine, CI Chief Executive Officer. "However, CI's investment in Congress was made almost three years ago, prior to the establishment of the CI Private Wealth differentiated private partnership model. To fully benefit from its features, only active contributors to the business can be CIPW Partners. Unfortunately, the ownership structure at Congress precludes it from fully integrating into CIPW. CI and Congress believe that minority ownership is not the best structure to maximize the client and employee experience, and that Audax will be an excellent partner to support the next chapter of growth for Congress." CI received a return of approximately three times its initial investment in Congress and will use the proceeds from the transaction to pay down debt. "The investment from CI was extremely productive and we are exiting on the best of terms," said Mr. Lonergan. "In addition to finding a solution that works for our ownership, we are also eager to pursue additional M&A opportunities thanks to the backing from Audax Group." "I want to thank Paul and the entire team at Congress for their hard work and dedication over the last three years," said Mr. MacAlpine. "They are an incredibly talented team and I wish them all the best." The transaction s expected to close in May 2023. About CI Financial CI Financial Corp. is a diversified global asset and wealth management company operating primarily in Canada, the United States and Australia. Founded in 1965, CI has developed world-class portfolio management talent, extensive capabilities in all aspects of wealth planning, and a comprehensive product suite. CI manages and advises on approximately C$391.1 billion (US$289.4 billion) in client assets (as at March 31, 2023). CI operates in three segments: Asset Management, which includes CI Global Asset Management, which operates in Canada, and GSFM Pty Ltd., which operates in Australia. Canadian Wealth Management, which includes the operations of CI Assante Wealth Management, Aligned Capital Partners, CI Private Wealth (Canada), Northwood Family Office, CI Direct Investing and CI Investment Services. U.S. Wealth Management, which includes CI Private Wealth (U.S.), an integrated wealth management firm providing comprehensive solutions to ultra-high-net-worth and high-net-worth clients across the United States. CI is headquartered in Toronto and listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: CIX). To learn more, visit CI's website or LinkedIn page. This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning anticipated future events, results, circumstances, performance or expectations with respect to CI Financial Corp. ("CI") and its products and services, including its business operations, strategy and financial performance and condition. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as "believe", "expect", "foresee", "forecast", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "goal", "plan" and "project" and similar references to future periods, or conditional verbs such as "will", "may", "should", "could" or "would". These statements are not historical facts but instead represent management beliefs regarding future events, many of which by their nature are inherently uncertain and beyond management's control. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements involve risks and uncertainties. The foregoing list is not exhaustive and the reader is cautioned to consider these and other factors carefully and not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Other than as specifically required by applicable law, CI undertakes no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statement after the date on which it is made, whether to reflect new information, future events or otherwise. CI Global Asset Management is a registered business name of CI Investments Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of CI Financial Corp. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005833/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 27, 2023] Upgrading Public Safety & Criminal Justice Software: CivicEye Q1 Momentum CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CivicEye, the provider of cloud-based public safety software for law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, and clerks, announced today record growth in several new markets across the US during the first quarter of 2023. Law enforcement and prosecution professionals in Kansas, Mississippi, New York, Tennessee, and Texas have decided to upgrade to the CivicEye platform. These partnerships will push the industry forward with the latest in digital infrastructure and integrations for the criminal justice system. Law enforcement & prosecution agencies in KS, MS, NY, TN & TX partner with CivicEye to embrace innovative technology. In the first quarter of 2023, there was significant growth for CivicEye as it secured multiple new clients and expanded its presence in various states through awarded contracts for law enforcement records management, digital evidence document management, prosecutor case management, and municipal court case management systems. Improved Data Collection and Collaboration with Enhanced Digital Infrastructure for Law Enforcement & Prosecutors CivicEye's recent acquisition of new contracts for its innovative records management system and prosecutor case management systems are a clear indication of its continued growth in the law enforcement industry. Decatur, MS joins the platform: CivicEye's Mississippi expansion has been bolstered by the addition of Decatur, MS , where the company has a quickly growing client list of over 20 customers in 15 counties. The Company's collaborative approach to onboarding supported the successful implementation and digitization of the Decatur MS Records Management program within 30 days. CivicEye's expansion has been bolstered by the addition of , where the company has a quickly growing client list of over 20 customers in 15 counties. The Company's collaborative approach to onboarding supported the successful implementation and digitization of the Decatur MS Records Management program within 30 days. Wilson County, KS Wilson County, KS announced its partnership with CivicEye and their excitement to enhance workflows and streamline existing processes with updated case and document management software. Geneva, NY gets an upgrade: In New York , CivicEye upgraded a legacy customer in Geneva to its modern RMS system with the additions of new CAD, LiveScan and TraCS interfaces to streamline the process for other law enforcement agencies in the region coming online and utilizing the platform. In , CivicEye upgraded a legacy customer in to its modern RMS system with the additions of new CAD, LiveScan and TraCS interfaces to streamline the process for other law enforcement agencies in the region coming online and utilizing the platform. Jamestown, TN chooses cloud-based tech: CivicEye is thrilled to add Jamestown TN to its network of customers in Tennessee . This will enable the department to transition from pen and paper to electronic reporting, access real-time dispatch calls through CivicEye's CAD interface and communicate seamlessly with local prosecutors who are launching CivicCase in their district. CivicEye is thrilled to add to its network of customers in . This will enable the department to transition from pen and paper to electronic reporting, access real-time dispatch calls through CivicEye's CAD interface and communicate seamlessly with local prosecutors who are launching CivicCase in their district. Ellis County, TX announces partnership: The Ellis County Prosecutor and her team have taken a significant step towards modernizing their justice system. The collaborative effort will optimize a significant set of processes through a conversion to the CivicEye platform, while other functions and interagency collaborations will be digitized for the first time entirely. Massachusetts to Alaska . By joining the CivicEye platform and seamlessly integrating with crucial interfaces like Court, Dispatch, and Jail Management, customers have consistently improved their efficiency, productivity, and driven improved community outcomes. "Our mission is to empower law enforcement and prosecution professionals with the latest digital infrastructure and integrations for the criminal justice system, ultimately improving community outcomes," said Khristian Gutierrez, CEO of CivicEye. "We are thrilled to see our mission resonate so well in police departments and prosecution offices nationwide as we've expanded into new markets this quarter. We look forward to learning from our new clients and continuing to provide excellent service and software enhancements to our existing ones," Gutierrez said. About CivicEye CivicEye delivers modern, easy-to-use cloud software for law enforcement, prosecutors and courtroom officials that helps to enhance daily workflows and improve community outcomes. The CivicEye platform includes Records, Digital Evidence, and Case Management solutions that reduce friction points within and across departments. CivicEye serves over 130 agencies across the United States. Media Contact: Mary Elizabeth Myrick, [email protected] Sales Contact: Nathan Leatherwood, [email protected] www.civiceye.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/upgrading-public-safety--criminal-justice-software-civiceye-q1-momentum-301810040.html SOURCE CivicEye [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 27, 2023] Empire Wind and Beacon Wind Announce GENext, Cradle-to-Career Initiative to Promote Offshore Wind Education and Regional Training Opportunities in New York The Empire and Beacon Wind projects, which are being built as part of a 50-50 strategic partnership between Equinor and bp, have announced the creation of its GENext initiative. This initiative is a comprehensive program to open pathways to career opportunities for the current and next generation of workers on Long Island and in the Capital Region and New York City. The program, announced at the Minority Millennials 'We are the Future Summit' at Hofstra University, will launch during the lead up to construction of the projects with local school districts, colleges and unions in the three regions of New York to build awareness and access to offshore wind education and training centers that help produce the future workforce for New York's rapidly growing renewable energy industry. "Just as New York made a substantial commitment to fostering the growth of offshore wind in the state, we are committed to involving New York's workers and small businesses directly in the industry's growth. The GENext program takes a multi-generational approach to the development of this workforce, helping ensure that family-sustaining careers are accessible to New Yorkers and reflects the state's diversity. Offshore wind is about more than helping the state reach its ambitious renewable energy goals-it's about new generations of New Yorkers taking a leadership role in the future of this exciting new industry," said Jennifer Edwards, incoming Head of Community Affairs for Equinor Wind US. The GENext program's cradle-to-career approach to education and workforce development involves three comprehensive stages: Integrating offshore wind and STEM curriculum within local schools to increase awareness of career pathways within the industry, as well as introduce the technological concepts of wind energy in a fun and age-appropriate manner. Developing technical talent by working with local higher educational institutions and training centers to facilitate post-secondary degrees and certificatios in fields connected to the offshore wind industry such as electrical engineering. Equinor will also provide a specific set of wraparound services, such as scholarships, housing, transportation or childcare for underserved New York communities to help ensure robust participation and increased graduation rates, regardless of socio-economic or other factors. Working with companies that are in the supply chain to build their capacity to ensure that their workforce is well-equipped to enter and complete training programs; help local businesses access entry-points into the supply chain; build out required training programs that will allow these businesses to qualify for work in the offshore wind sector; and provide additional wraparound services to help reduce the cost for these diverse small businesses and their workforces to enter into the offshore wind industry. Equinor Renewables US Equinor is one of the largest offshore wind developers in the world. Its work in the United States includes the development of two lease areas off New York, Empire Wind and Beacon Wind. The projects plan to provide New York State with 3.3 gigawatts (GWs) of energy-enough to power nearly two million homes-including more than 2 GWs from Empire Wind and 1,230 megawatts from Beacon Wind 1. www.equinor.com/NY. bp in the US bp's ambition is to become a net zero company by 2050 or sooner, and to help the world get to net zero. bp has a larger economic footprint in the United States than anywhere else in the world, investing more than $140 billion since 2005 and supporting about 245,000 jobs. For more information on bp in the US, visit www.bp.com/US. About Empire Wind Empire Wind is being developed by Equinor and bp through their 50-50 strategic partnership in the US. Empire Wind will power more than 1 million homes and generate 2.1 GW of power. For more information, please visit www.empirewind.com. About Beacon Wind Beacon Wind is being developed by Equinor and bp and is planned for an area of 128,000 acres in federal waters between Cape Cod and Long Island. The lease area was acquired in 2019 and is being developed in two phases. Beacon Wind 1 is on track to deliver 1.2 GW of renewable energy directly to New York City in the late 2020s - enough to power 1 million homes. Beacon Wind 2 has the capacity to generate another 1.2 GW of clean energy for consumers in the US Northeast. www.beaconwind.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005947/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 27, 2023] Autel Energy Provides More Power for More Fleets at the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo Autel Energy to share charging technologies that advance EV fleet operations EV charging brand offers sustainable and reliable fleet transportation Charging solutions address EV operating concerns, such as range anxiety and cost California fleets are encouraged to explore Autel Energy's charging opportunities ANAHEIM, Calif., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- For businesses transitioning to or starting an all-electric fleet lineup, social and environmental sustainability goals can be achieved; however, this may lead to range anxiety and delivery reliability hesitation. Autel Energy, the leading provider of residential and commercial electric vehicle chargers, is solving these dilemmas with its innovative charging technologies and dependable energy resources. To highlight its EV infrastructure solutions for commercial fleets, Autel Energy will showcase its products at the 2023 Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in Anaheim, California. Fleet operators and managers attending the ACT Expo presented at the Anaheim Convention Center from May 1-4 are invited to visit Autel Energy at Booth 7603. The brand will display its suite of chargers, including the recently unveiled Autel MaxiCharger DC Compact Mobile, which debuted at the 2023 New York International Auto Show in April. Autel Energy will be available to present its EV solutions for fleets and supply resources to streamline the transition to electric vehicle mobility. "As we focus on improving the charging infrastructure for everyday consumers, we must not overlook the use and advancement of EVs in business settings, particularly within fleet operations. Portable chargers are convenient, allow for greater flexibility, and can be used in a variety of locations to ensure commercial fleets are meeting deadlines and advancing clean and sustainable transportation. With portable chargers, fleet operators can provide customers with the same service level they expect from traditional mobility options," said John Thomas, chief operating officer at Autel Energy. Autel Energy makes it easy for businesses to take advantage of electric vehicle commercial transportation, providing a reliable and efficient way to charge fleets with portable chargers. These chargers are designed to curb EV charging complications, allowing operators to confidently deploy electric fleet vehicles and promote a greener mode of transportation. The technology by Autel Energy reduces operational costs, lowers vehicle carbon footprints and optimizes efficiency through innovative energy management. Autel Energy offers a wide selection of products to satisfy any charging requirement, ranging from AC (Level 2) residential and commercial chargers to bi-directional DC vehicle-to-everything (V2X) home charging, DC fast charging (Level 3), and digital energy management tools like ChargeCloud, the only comprehensive charging cloud solution available. These solutions are designed to guarantee dependability, quality, and improved EV experiences while supporting grid stability and pushing the boundaries of EV mobility. More information about Autel Energy is available at https://autelenergy.us/. About Autel Energy Autel Energy's vision is to create a seamless customer experience that enables the deployment of technology and smart infrastructure that accelerates the adoption of electric vehicles and energy management solutions worldwide. Autel Energy makes the most advanced products accessible and convenient for residential and commercial users offering hardware, software, apps, and cloud-based solutions to cover almost every use case and application. This includes world-class charging hardware for AC (Level 2) home and commercial, DC Bi-directional V2X power management, and DC (Level 3) fast charging from 40kW to 720kW with innovative configurability and modularity. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/autel-energy-provides-more-power-for-more-fleets-at-the-advanced-clean-transportation-expo-301810190.html SOURCE Autel Energy [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 27, 2023] Westaim Announces Details for Investor Day and Shareholders Meeting The Westaim Corporation ("Westaim" or the "Company") (TSXV: WED) is pleased to announce that it will host its Annual Investor Day on Thursday May 18, 2023 at 9:30 a.m. (Eastern Time) in-person at Vantage Venues, Inverness Room, 27th Floor, 150 King Street West, Toronto, ON, Canada M5H 1J9 and virtually via a live stream. The agenda will include a business overview and discussion with management from Westaim and Arena Investors, followed by a question-and-answer session. Due to the Initial Public Offering and expanded disclosure by Skyward Specialty, management from Skyward Specialty will not be participating in the Annual Investor Day. Those not available to attend in person will have an opportunity to submit questions in advance through registration. The presentation will be available on the Company's website, www.westaim.com, after the Annual Investor Day and for at least 180 days thereafter. If you are interested in attending the Investor Day, please REGISTER HERE. Westaim also announces that it has filed on the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) and on its website its management information circular and related materials for its annual and special meeting of shareholders ("ASM") to be held on Thursday May 18, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. (Eastern Time). The ASM will occur in-person at Vantage Venues, Inverness Room, 27th Floor, 150 King Street West, Toronto, ON, Canada M5H 1J9. About Westaim Westaim is a Canadian investment company specializing in providing long-term capita to businesses operating primarily within the global financial services industry. The Company invests, directly and indirectly, through acquisitions, joint ventures and other arrangements, with the objective of providing its shareholders with capital appreciation and real wealth preservation. Westaim's strategy is to pursue investment opportunities with a focus towards the financial services industry and grow shareholder value over the long term. Westaim's investments include significant interests in Skyward Specialty, Arena Investors and Arena FINCOs. Skyward Specialty, the HIIG Partnership, Arena FINCOs and Arena Investors are defined in the notes to Westaim's audited consolidated financial statements for its fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 and related management's discussion and analysis. Westaim's common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the trading symbol "WED". Cautionary Note and Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains certain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements"), including with respect to timing of the Investor Day and ASM. All statements other than statements of present or historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "achieve", "could", "believe", "plan", "intend", "objective", "continuous", "ongoing", "estimate", "outlook", "expect", "project" and similar words, including negatives thereof, suggesting future outcomes or that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management of Westaim at the date the statements are made based on information then available to Westaim. Various factors and assumptions are applied in drawing conclusions or making the forecasts or projections set out in forward-looking statements including past practice of the Company. Forward-looking statements are subject to and involve a number of known and unknown, variables, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of Westaim, which may cause Westaim's actual performance and results to differ materially from any projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors, among other things, include: foreign exchange risk, regulatory rules and required approvals; market volatility and market disruption. No assurance can be given that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Additional information regarding risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's business are contained under the heading "Risk Factors" in its annual information form for its fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 filed on the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.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. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005319/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 27, 2023] Swisslog Healthcare Promotes Michael Palone to Vice President - Product Management Swisslog Healthcare, a leading supplier in medication management and transport automation solutions, has promoted Michael Palone to Vice President of Product Management for the Medication Management division. In his new role, Palone will lead a new team that includes Product Managers, Business Analysts, and User Experience (UX) Designers. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427006003/en/ Michael Palone, Swisslog Healthcare (Photo: Business Wire) "Michael's early experience as a practicing pharmacist combined with working in particular hospitals and healthcare systems has contributed to his success at Swisslog Healthcare," said Anthony Pugliese, COO of Swisslog Healthcare. "He is perfectly suited for this role that is responsible for ensuring that we are delivering the most impactful and useful producs to our customers." "This new opportunity will allow me to combine my broad industry experiences, operational knowledge of the business, and pharmacy domain expertise to deliver tailored solutions to our customers," said Michael Palone, Vice President, Product Management. "Swisslog Healthcare continues to be on the forefront of helping healthcare facilities across the country save money and time with a unique suite of medication management solutions, and I am looking forward to a broader leadership role in this division." Palone is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and holds a master's degree in public health from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. After joining Swisslog Healthcare in 2015 as the Director of Operations, Pharmacy Automation in North America, Palone acted as the operational and transitional leader during the Talyst acquisition. He was promoted to Vice President of Project Realization in 2018, assuming leadership of project teams for pharmacy and transportation automation. Leading up to this promotion, Palone assumed leadership of the project and customer support teams at Swisslog Healthcare. During his tenure, he guided the development of the Customer Success team and the operational activities through the acquisition of Talyst. Palone actively partners with colleagues in Italy through many changes with pharmacy automation products and their manufacturers. About Swisslog Healthcare Swisslog Healthcare provides integrated medication supply chain solutions to hospitals and health systems to assist providers in treating patients across the continuum of care. Integrating transport and pharmacy automation, value-added services, and intelligent software, Swisslog Healthcare enables healthcare providers to respond to patients' needs quickly and with greater accuracy. The company minimizes many sources of operational waste, so providers achieve higher levels of productivity to impact the well-being of patients in positive ways. For more information, visit www.swisslog-healthcare.com. Swisslog Healthcare is a member of the KUKA Group, a leading global supplier of intelligent automation solutions. For more information, visit www.kuka.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427006003/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 27, 2023] Pivotree to Release First Quarter 2023 Financial Results and Enters into Automatic Share Purchase Plan Pivotree Inc. (TSXV:PVT) ("Pivotree" or the "Company"), a leading provider of frictionless commerce solutions, will release first quarter 2023 financial results on Friday, May 12, 2023 before the market opens. The webinar will be hosted by Bill Di Nardo, CEO, and Mo Ashoor, CFO, followed by a question and answer period. A live Zoom Video Webinar of the event can be accessed at 8:30 am ET through the following registration link: https://pivotree.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yL48kLoBQj-pbsvfCJh7tg Listeners that prefer to dial in by phone may do so by accessing the same web link and the dial in details will be provided by email upon registration. A replay will be available approximately two hours after the conclusion of the live event. Automatic Share Purchase Plan PIvotree also announced today that it has established an automatic securties purchase plan ("ASPP") in respect of its previously announced normal course issuer bid ("NCIB") applicable to its outstanding common shares. The ASPP is intended to allow for the purchase of its common shares under the NCIB at times when Pivotree would ordinarily not be permitted to purchase its securities due to regulatory restrictions and customary self-imposed blackout periods. Pursuant to the ASPP, purchases will be made by the Pivotree's designated broker based on pre-established purchasing parameters, without further instructions by the Company, in compliance with the rules of the TSXV, applicable securities laws and the terms of the ASPP. The ASPP will terminate on the earliest of the date on which the purchase limits specified in the ASPP have been attained, the date on which the NCIB terminates or the date on which the ASPP is terminated by a party in accordance with its terms. Pivotree's NCIB permitting the repurchase, for cancellation, up to 1,617,518 common shares of the Company, commenced on August 8th, 2022 and will continue until August 7th, 2023, when the bid expires, or such earlier date as the Company completes its purchases pursuant to the notice of intention filed with the TSXV. All purchases of common shares made under the ASPP will be included in determining the number of common shares purchased under the NCIB. Any common shares purchased by the Company pursuant to the NCIB will be cancelled. About Pivotree Pivotree, a leader in frictionless commerce, designs, builds and manages digital platforms in Commerce, Data Management, and Supply Chain for over 250 major retail and branded manufacturers globally. Pivotree's portfolio of digital solutions, managed and professional services help provide retailers with true end-to-end solutions to manage complex digital commerce platforms, along with ongoing support from strategic planning through platform selection, deployment, and hosting, to data and supply chain management. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada with offices and customers in the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. Pivotree is widely recognized as a high-growth company and industry leader. For more information, visit www.pivotree.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. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005986/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Preliminary report on police action tonight . . . Here is the first word . . . KCK Officer Involved Shooting in the 1100 block of Metropolitan Just before 8:30pm an officer was conducting a traffic stop in the 1100 block of Metropolitan. During the traffic stop, a confrontation ensued and shots were fired by the officer. The subject in the vehicle and the officer were both transported to the hospital. The subject, an adult male, was pronounced deceased at the hospital. The officers injuries were minor and non life threatening. KCPD homicide detectives and crime scene personnel have responded to the scene. They will be processing the scene and speaking to witnesses. Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 816-234-5043. Or you can remain anonymous by calling the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS. Once the investigation is complete, detectives will submit the case file to the Wyandotte County Kansas District Attorneys Office. ############## Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . . Police shoot, kill man in KCK's Argentine neighborhood Wednesday night KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Police in Kansas City, Kansas, shot and killed a man in the city's Argentine neighborhood Wednesday night. The shooting unfolded in the 1100 block of Metropolitan Avenue just before 8:30 p.m. According to KCPD spokeswoman Donna Drake, an officer attempted a traffic violation stop in the area. KCK officer hurt, individual dead following confrontation that ended in shooting A Kansas City, Kan., police officer shot and killed a man during a confrontation on Wednesday night. The confrontation happened after KCK police tried to conduct a traffic stop at 12th and Metropolitan at around 8:30 p.m. The confrontation ended in gunfire from the KCK officer. Investigation underway after man shot, killed by officer in Kansas City, Kansas KANSAS CITY, Mo. - One person is dead and a Kansas City, Kansas officer is injured following an altercation during a traffic stop Wednesday night. The incident was reported just before 8:30 p.m. near S. 12th Street and Metropolitan Avenue. Developing . . . Our TKC upshot . . . A very, very rich family is easily manipulating the press on this effort . . . Meanwhile . . . The reality is that NKC doesn't have the tax base for this power move OR the leverage in Jeff City to make it happen without spending an EPIC amount of cash. We won't say that it's impossible. Just unlikely. Accordingly . . . Here's a more optimistic perspective from a developer hack who has found favor with the local "public" news "media collective" which is run more like a suburban high school clique . . . One of Kansas Citys most powerful business families, the Merrimans of Financial Holding Corp., has assembled almost 100 acres in the heart of North Kansas City, according to news first reported by the Kansas City Business Journal. Although the Royals still are believed to be considering the East Village as their top choice, should its developer, VanTrust Real Estate, stumble in assembling the 15-acre site, the Merriman interests would be ready to step in quickly with a far larger location. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . A C-27J Spartan transport carrier of the Hellenic Air Force landed at the Tanagra air base shortly after 16:00 on Wednesday, carrying 16 Greek nationals, 1 Greek Cypriot woman, 9 Romanians, and 8 Finnish who were evacuated from Sudan, where a civil war is raging, ANA reports. Shortly before the C-27J's arrival, another C-17 left from Elefsina air base to evacuate Greek and other European citizens from Sudan, via Aswan, Egypt. 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: Wikimedia Commons License: CC-BY-SA Copyright: Groubani 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. A Red Dress candlelight walk is planned for Friday, May 5 in Scarborough to raise awareness of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2 Spirit (MMIWG2S) people. Indie bookstores redefine readers retail shopping experience and become part of the community Saturday marks Canadian Independent Bookstore Day, where book buyers across the nation are encouraged to support their local shop TTS announces new headquarters (TRAVPR.COM) 27th April, 2023 - Portugal - It is with great excitement that TTS announces it is moving its headquarters from Lisbon to Miami. Taking this step is part of TTS's growth strategy, to provide the best service to their clients and help travel agencies grow. "We are extremely excited to announce that we will be moving our headquarters to Miami," commented TTS CEO Rui Figueiredo. Taking this important step supports our company's expansion plans, enabling us to better serve our clients worldwide, especially in the Americas, and continue to provide innovative travel technology. The new headquarters of TTS will be located in the heart of downtown Miami, close to key business locations. TTS will have the space it needs to expand its operations and continue growing. Despite the move, TTS will maintain its offices in Lisbon and operate a research center in the beautiful Azores, Portugal. Rui Figueiredo CEO @ TTS.com About TTS Travel Technology & Solutions TTS is a leading global player in developing innovative solutions for travel agents and the travel industry. Operating in over 90 countries, managed through 3 offices Miami, Lisbon, and the Azores Islands TTS develops technology solutions for travel agents, consolidation/hosting agencies, and corporations, counting over 9000 customers. TTS is also a Travelport Partner, belonging to the Travelport Developer Network. ### Kuramathi is one of the first resorts to open in the Maldives and is part of Universal Resorts of Universal Enterprises Private Ltd, a 100% Maldivian owned company, and pioneer of tourism in the Maldives. (TRAVPR.COM) MALDIVES - April 27th, 2023 - Gender equality in science is integral to advancing the development goals declared by the United Nations. This International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Kuramathi Resort Maldives joins the call to advocate for female representation in science among the younger generation. On 10th February, Kuramathi will host an exhibit at the Eco Centre highlighting the contributions of women leaders from various marine science institutes and the transportation sector in the Maldives, including the Maldives Marine Research Institute, Maldives Manta Ray Project, Olive Ridley Project, Salted Ventures Swimmers, Men of Water diving centre, Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) and the Maldives Airports Company Ltd (MACL). A career talk will headline the main event on 11th February to promote the potential for women and girls to pursue a path in the science field. Invited school children from the neighboring islands will hear from female role models from the participating Maldivian organizations sharing their insights about their work and achievements. Persuasive and inspiring, this session aims to open a window for the young attendees to learn about the many career opportunities available to them in the science field. We strongly believe passion and knowledge are both necessary to protect and safeguard our planet. Our objective for this event is to present school leavers with a wide range of alternatives in considering their career choices specifically to fill the gap in the representation of environmental and conservationist female role models in the Maldives, says Sara Scroglieri, Resident Marine Biologist of Kuramathi. A champion for change, community building is rooted in the sustainability practices of Kuramathi by collaborating with local islands through livelihood support, educational outreach and nurturing local talents. More Information - https://www.kuramathi.com/ ### Giant panda Ya Ya left the Memphis Zoo Wednesday for a flight returning to China. Her departure came after 20 years of stay at the zoo in Memphis, Tennessee. Over the past few months, giant panda lovers across the U.S. had traveled to the Zoo to say goodbye to Ya Ya. Produced by Xinhua Global Service This photo taken on April 27, 2023 shows portable oxygen cylinders in a store in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Sun Fei) by Cao Bin LHASA, April 27 (Xinhua) -- While a person can only survive for a few minutes without oxygen, what happens when oxygen content in the air is only two-thirds of the normal level? Hypoxia, a condition where the body doesn't receive enough oxygen, is a reality on the "roof of the world." In fact, as I write these words, I myself am using the oxygen supply system in my office to help me breathe. As altitude increases, the amount of oxygen in the air declines due to the falling partial pressure. A mountaineering friend once told me that atop Mount Qomolangma, which stands at 8,848.86 meters, the amount of oxygen in the air is about one-third of that at sea level. In Lhasa, at an altitude of more than 3,600 meters, the oxygen content is about 65 percent of that at sea level. A shortage of oxygen can cause mountain sickness and even be fatal. Mountain sickness is a syndrome that arises from an incomplete or maladaptive response to hypoxic conditions. Symptoms can range from mild to severe and may include headaches, dizziness, chest tightness, shortness of breath, palpitations, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and impaired memory and cognitive abilities. I have experienced them all to varying degrees. Fortunately, they did not develop into pulmonary edema or brain edema. Almost everyone I meet here experiences some sort of mountain sickness, including local Tibetans, though most of them have adapted well to the geographical conditions. I once read an article in which scientists explained how a small set of gene variants enable Tibetans to enhance the efficiency of oxygen transport in their blood, without putting undue strain on their hearts. Upon learning this, I was filled with awe and admiration for my Tibetan friends and local residents. They have undergone an incredible transformation over countless generations, resulting in the unique and remarkable physical abilities they possess today. Despite almost everyone advising me, a non-local, not to exercise strenuously on the plateau, I couldn't resist my habit of staying active. During my visit to some gyms in Lhasa, I was pleasantly surprised to find that most of them were equipped with diffused oxygen supply. However, I still found that my strength training intensity wasn't on par with what I was used to in Beijing. Similarly, while swimming 1,000 meters of breaststroke, I found myself taking an additional 20 minutes to complete the distance. Although oxygen is typically imperceptible to our senses, residing at the high altitudes of Tibet enables one to genuinely sense the presence of this vital and life-sustaining element. As you stroll through the supermarket, it's hard to overlook the sight of bulging bags of chips, on the verge of bursting open and spilling their savory contents. And then there are the Tetra Pak containers of yogurt, meticulously stacked upside down, with their glued corners elegantly fanned out like wings. These intriguing scenes serve as a reminder that the air is thin here, and therefore, the amount of oxygen is lower than what we're accustomed to. In addition to traditional yak jerky and intricate thangka paintings, there is a ubiquitous presence of a unique "local specialty" in this part of the world: portable oxygen. These life-sustaining cylinders can be purchased at convenience stores, tobacco and liquor shops, scenic spots, and even public restrooms. In bustling cities like Lhasa, Shannan and Xigaze, oxygen cafes and clinics are easily accessible, offering tourists relief from altitude sickness through oxygen therapy. With the plateau's geography proving to be a challenge, the local government has endeavored to devise innovative and resourceful methods to increase the oxygen supply and enhance the quality of life for residents. According to this year's regional government work report, oxygen supply projects in border counties and towns above 3,500 meters will continue to be implemented. The regional finance department has raised over 2 billion yuan (about 289 million U.S. dollars) for such projects since 2016. Apart from oxygen supply equipment, what could be a vital source of oxygen? Trees, of course! Thanks to the afforestation efforts, Tibet has witnessed a remarkable increase in tree coverage and the expansion of grasslands over the years. The largest afforestation project in Tibet launched in 2021 is expected to complete the afforestation of more than 2 million mu (133,333 hectares) surrounding Lhasa by 2030. The central government has spent 12.7 billion yuan on building an ecological security barrier in Tibet since 2012. The forest coverage rate has increased to 12.31 percent, and the comprehensive vegetation coverage of grassland has reached 47.14 percent. Situated at approximately 4,500 meters above sea level, the city proper of Nagqu is known for its rarefied atmosphere, arid climate and sandy soil, devoid of naturally growing trees. After nearly two decades of efforts, a few trees have miraculously survived and are growing alongside roads. However, in Nagqu's Tsonyi, China's highest county with an average altitude of over 5,000 meters, the sight of trees remains a luxury beyond reach. I have been there once. Despite using my portable oxygen equipment, I found it hard to fall asleep at night because of the serious altitude sickness with headaches and palpitations. Local doctors told me that painkillers have become a necessity for local residents to alleviate headaches and other symptoms of altitude sickness. I was astonished when I was told the children there were remarkably shorter than those in other parts of Tibet due to a lack of nutrition caused by the high altitude, in spite of eating nutritious food, such as meat, eggs and milk, at school every day. In response, the regional government initiated a groundbreaking high-altitude ecological relocation program, resettling the residents from Tsonyi to Singpori, nestled on the north bank of the Yarlung Zangbo River in the city of Shannan, at an altitude of about 3,600 meters. There are always more solutions than problems. In Tibet, I have witnessed the invaluable qualities exhibited by its people and government, such as creativity, accountability and unwavering courage in the face of adversity. It is clear that the Tibetans' resilience and indomitable spirit triumph over any obstacle. In a remarkable feat of human adaptation to the low-oxygen environment, combined with improved living conditions and medical facilities, the average life expectancy in Tibet surged to 72.19 years in 2021, a significant rise from 35.5 years in 1951. This serves as compelling evidence of the region's progress and development, paving the way for a healthier and more prosperous future for its residents. This photo taken on April 27, 2023 shows medical oxygen cylinders at a clinic in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Sun Fei) This photo taken on April 27, 2023 shows containers of yogurt stacked upside down in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Sun Fei) This photo taken on April 27, 2023 shows a bulging bag of snack in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Sun Fei) A man plants trees on a mountain in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, May 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje) Government is weaning off Desalcott. In fact, it's the government's intention that by the ti HEFEI, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Zhou Jiangyong, a former senior official in east China's Zhejiang Province, on Thursday stood trial at a court in Chuzhou, Anhui Province, on a charge of accepting bribes. Zhou was formerly a member of the Standing Committee of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and secretary of the CPC Hangzhou Municipal Committee. According to the prosecution filed by the people's procuratorate of Chuzhou, Zhou took advantage of his various positions in Zhejiang between 2001 and 2021 to seek profits for others regarding matters including project construction, project contracting and land acquisition. In return, Zhou accepted money and valuables worth over 193 million yuan (about 27.89 million U.S. dollars), according to prosecutors. In the closing statement, Zhou pleaded guilty and expressed remorse. A verdict will be announced in due course. By Jeff Murphy, April 27, 2023 University of Central Missouri Engineering Technology - Mechanical Engineering Option students, from left, Tabitha East, Garyn Carl, Kyle Gann, Seth Martinko, and Allison Bright, represented the College of Health, Science and Technology at the 2023 NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge. WARRENSBURG, MO With a tight window for planning, design and fabrication, a team of Engineering Technology students at the University of Central Missouri are celebrating a sixth-place finish in the 2023 NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge. The event, which included teams from approximately 40 institutions from around the world, took place Friday and Saturday, April 21-22 at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. UCM Professor of Engineering Technology Troy Ollison and Associate Professor and Engineering Technology Coordinator Joe Long accompanied the five-member student team on their journey to Huntsville. They represented the combined efforts of 18 students from the College of Health, Science and Technology who are enrolled this spring in the Engineering 4221: Manufacturing Problem Solving course. I signed up for the class. I honestly didnt know what we were getting into until about March, said Seth Martinko, a senior Mechanical Engineering student from Odessa. He was excited to learn that he was going to be one of the rover drivers in this competition. His team was part of an event that included nationally known engineering institutions such as Purdue and Auburn. Martinko joined Engineering Technology students, Garyn Carl, senior from Louisburg, Kansas; and students from Missouri, Kyle Gann, senior from Marshall; Allison Bright, junior from St. Clair; and Tabitha Easter, a transfer student from Oak Grove, as members of UCMs Rover Challenge team. Over a two-day period, they were tasked with racing their two-person human-powered rover over a three-quarter-mile course with simulated extraterrestrial terrain in under eight minutes. While UCM has had previous entries in this annual competition, Ollison said the UCM team began designing the current rover during the fall 2022 semester and initiated its fabrication this spring. Doing so required students to follow numerous competition rules that included documentation as well as developing the rover and its features for optimal performance. In order to attain points for the competition, teams must write two detailed planning and design reports as well as give live presentations to the NASA engineers judging the event, Ollison said. NASA judges assessed these reports and presentations, then the rover was evaluated and scored on certain criteria. The rovers had overall width and safety requirements that must be met, but each team could score additional points for meeting other criteria. This included: being able to fold the rover into a 5x5 foot box; the ability to assemble (unfold) in less than 30 seconds; creating a rover that weighs less than 210 pounds; and the rover teams interaction in local STEM engagement with 250 or more middle school and/or high school students. Hundreds of high school students attended the competition. The UCM rover did get points for fitting in the 5x5 cube and for assembly taking less than 30 seconds, Ollison said. However, we just missed the weight bonus by 10 pounds and the STEM engagement by 100. The Rover Challenge course was set up with many obstacles in which the team had to overcome, and the competition also included astronaut-based tasks that had to be performed without leaving the rover. These tasks included retrieving liquid samples from various mediums and locations, efforts which contributed to the UCM teams overall score. In the end, the UCM rover and drivers performed beautifully, Ollison said. Mechanically, the rover performed above expectations with no failures on either run. The drivers did an outstanding job navigating the obstacles and tasks while powering the rover through the course under the allotted eight-minute window. In a team meeting the week after the competition, Rover Challenge participants and Ollison showed video of the competition to those students who were part of the team, but did not make the trip to Alabama. Team members also responded to questions about the experience and what they learned. Gann outlined the process of building the rover from scratch, and the collaboration that took place from creating a model and fabricating a basic frame and wheels to installing the drive train and brakes that were designed to meet the competition goals. He expressed his appreciation for the experience he gained mentoring different groups of students who were completing various tasks to make sure the rover came together in the end and on time. The process of putting the rover together entailed many evenings and some weekend work, according to the team members. This was no small task considering other student commitments, team members noted.. Toward the end, we had all the pieces, but we were kind of scrambling to get things done in the right order, Easter said. The teams persistence paid off. The rover was completed, and the experience in Alabama opened up new opportunities to continue learning while competing against students from some of the nation's best engineering institutions. It was really cool to see how all the other schools had the same challenges that we did and then how they came up with different ideas to attack the same challenges, Gann said. The interaction with students from other colleges and universities also provided opportunities to learn more about other skills, such as different communication styles, which are essential to team building. UCM students also discovered that the size of their team compared to some institutions with 30 to 40 members was not detrimental to their success on the rover project, and the UCM team didnt come to the event less prepared than other competitors. Whenever we got down there, Bright noted, our goal was just to finish the course. We didnt know how we were going to do, but we just wanted to finish the course in eight minutes and say that we finished. We ended up doing well that first day, and thought we can do better tomorrow. It really boosted our confidence. Then when we were done, we were like, we did good. Now were excited for next year. The experience only fueled team members desire to ensure UCM makes a successful return trip to the NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge in 2024. Team members spent part of their long drive back to Warrensburg discussing what could possibly be changed with the rover to improve next years chances for higher placement. Whatever happens in the future, faculty members who were part of this effort were impressed by the students' commitment to a successful outing in Alabama. This competition was very challenging but rewarding. Some of the most challenging aspects have been students working effectively as a team and understanding there is more than one way to do something, Ollison said. Time was another huge challenge. Only having a few months to fabricate and test the rover was maybe the students biggest hurdle. And to make matters worse, the suspension wheels designed for this race failed during testing six days before the competition and old wheels had to be retrofitted in order to race. Regardless of such obstacles, the student team proved they could rise above the challenges. As a faculty adviser for this project, I cant explain how proud I am of all the students who were part of this, Ollison said. I also want to thank all of the faculty and industry professional that helped with fabrication and donated materials. To learn more about the NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge visit the event website. More information about UCMs Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology Mechanical Engineering Option is available online or by calling Ollison at 660-8660 or emailing ollison@ucmo.edu. Driven by Seth Martinko, rear, and Allison Bright, front, a pedal-powered rover developed by students in the Engineering 4221: Manufacturing Problem Solving course, gets a test drive outside the UCM Administration Building days before heading to the 2023 NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge. Ukraine will definitely regain its territories within the internationally recognized borders as of 1991. A diplomatic way to end the war is possible, but not with the current Russian leadership in place. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov expressed his opinion in an interview with RBC-Ukraine, Ukrinform reports. "The diplomatic way is possible when the aggressor's resources are weakening while they still seek to bargain. They will want to bargain a certain sanction lift, opportunities at selling or trading in something in order to get by. Their specific treasury holders will want to use it, they will want to stop being outcasts, for their children to be able to study elsewhere. They will search for bargains. And this bargaining is already diplomacy," minister said. The defense chief emphasized Ukraines goal to prove that altering borders by force is unacceptable. He suggested that a diplomatic way to end the war was possible, but unlikely. In particular, it will not happen as long as Russias current leadership is in power. "Definitely not. I think it might already happen with this regimes successors. They may remain ideologically the same, but their names will be different and it will be easier for them to nod at their predecessors, saying that they ruined everything," minister said. Reznikov expressed confidence that Russia would be held accountable for crimes committed in Ukraine. He cited Germany as an example, as well as both world wars. According to the minister, the defeat in World War 1 and the Treaty of Versailles led to revanchist sentiments, which is why Germany unleashed another large-scale war. "That's why there will be a desire for revenge after Russia is defeated in this war. That's why we need an international tribunal, a conditional Nuremberg-2, wherever it takes place. Some suggest itll be the Hague indeed, it's symbolic, although I would do it in Mariupol or Kharkiv at least a tribunal session," the head of the Ministry of Defense said. As reported, in Reznikov's opinion, the 11th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein, Germany, brought Russia closer to being held accountable. "The results of Ramstein-11: Russia is approaching Nuremberg-2. Each meeting in this format not only gives more useful gifts to the Ukrainian Army, but also aims at bringing criminals to justice," Reznikov wrote. Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and Minister of Defense of the Republic of Italy Guido Crosetto discussed strengthening military and technical assistance to Ukraine. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said this on Telegram, Ukrinform reports. According to Shmyhal, they also discussed cooperation in the defense sector and Euro-Atlantic integration. "We appreciate Italy's support for Ukraine on its way to NATO. The Ukrainian army, with the support of its allies, is already implementing the best standards of the Alliance and proving in practice the superiority of these standards in the war against Russia," Shmyhal said. He expressed gratitude for the six packages of military and technical assistance. "We are interested in strengthening cooperation with Italy as one of our key allies in the defense sector," Shmyhal emphasized. As Ukrinform reported, Shmyhal and Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, discussed the peace formula proposed by President Volodymyr Zelensky. The PACE decision to recognize the deportation of Ukrainian children to the territory of the Russian Federation as genocide will help bring the aggressor state to justice. Today, there was an important political result in Strasbourg at the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. A resolution was adopted recognizing that Russia's deportation of Ukrainian children has evidence of genocide. This is the first recognition of this fact at the level of such a high international organization uniting the states of our continent. Practically speaking, this decision will significantly help our global efforts to bring Russia and its officials, including the head of the terrorist state, to justice for genocide and genocidal policies against Ukraine, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address. The President stressed that the deportation of Ukrainian children is one of the fully premeditated elements of Russia's attempt to erase the identity of the Ukrainians, a deliberate crime of genocide. He noted that Ukraine will continue to work on all levels formal and informal, with leaders of states, at the parliamentary, governmental, law enforcement levels, in the legal community and in international and inter-parliamentary organizations to return all deported Ukrainian children and hold Russia to account. Zelensky noted that the number of children deported by the terrorist state could be higher: We know for sure the data of almost 20 thousand children who were taken away and dispersed to different regions of the evil state. But it is obvious that this is only a part of much larger criminal actions. There may be many more such children, Zelensky stressed. The President expressed confidence that all Russian officials guilty of genocide will be brought to justice and punished: There will be sentences for genocide. Just as for all other crimes committed by Russia against Ukraine and our people. As reported, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe today recognized the deportation and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children to the territory of the Russian Federation as genocide and called on the ICC to consider the possibility of criminal prosecution for this crime. Ukrainian state-owned company Centrenergo, which is managed by the State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPFU), has started exporting electricity for the first time. According to Ukinform, SPFU reported this. "On April 26, Centrenergo, which is managed by SPFU, started exporting electricity for the first time in its history. Moldova became the first foreign buyer," the statement reads. Centrenergo noted that exports will allow the company to reduce its dependence on the domestic electricity market and gain access to EU markets. "The company is developing cooperation with the European energy sector to increase electricity exports," Centrenergo added. As Ukrinform reported, on April 21, Ukraine suspended electricity exports to Slovakia, which began on April 17. On April 24, the National Commission for State Regulation of Energy and Public Utilities Chairman Kostyantyn Ushchapovskyi met online with the Director of the Energy Community Secretariat, Artur Lorkowski, and Deputy Director Dirk Buschle to discuss the urgent resumption of electricity exports from Ukraine to Slovakia. In March, the "last samurai of the G7" paid a visit to Ukraine Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida met with President Volodymyr Zelensky and visited Bucha. Since on the same day, Chinese leader Xi Jinping was in Russia where he shook hands with criminal aggressor Vladimir Putin, the bright contrast between the meetings in Kyiv and Moscow somewhat shifted public focus away from the outcome of the negotiations between the leaders of Japan and Ukraine. However, the last time a Japanese prime minister visited Ukraine was in 2015, while the previous joint statement of the two leaders was signed in 2011. Ukrinform decided to address Japans Ambassador in Kyiv, Kuninori Matsuda, with questions about the importance of the latest visit and the key results of the meeting, including new aid and prospects for Ukrainian-Japanese relations. IN BUCHA, KISHIDA'S FACIAL EXPRESSION WAS AS GRIM AS EVER - Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan finally visited Ukraine in March. You accompanied him, including during a meeting with the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky. Of what significance was this visit for Japan? - Since the start of the full-scale war of aggression, Prime Minister Kishida, as well as the Japanese government and people, have been constantly demonstrating that they stand with Ukraine and sincerely support it. It is extremely important that Kishida was able to see the actual situation in Ukraine, talk to the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, and other Ukrainian officials, and directly hear their opinion. Thanks to this, Japan strengthened its intention to resolutely help Ukraine in the future. Of great importance was the confirmation that Japan as the country chairing the Group of Seven this year should show leadership during the Group's discussions. Kishida sought to visit Ukraine before the G7 summit in Hiroshima. So, I think it's really good that he was able to come. - Kishida stated that he "felt strong fury" when he visited Bucha. Did you notice strong emotions in the Prime Minister during his visit to the scene of the tragedy? What did you feel there yourself? - When he listened to the horrifying stories of Bucha, his facial expression was as grim as ever. He listened seriously to people, and it seemed that he was making some kind of decision for himself. Later, during a press briefing, he stated that he saw in Bucha what aggression had led to, and deeply felt that it was an atrocity. These words clearly reflect (his feelings - ed.). And I, too, together with the Prime Minister, listened to the priest of St Andrews Church. I was at a loss for words when I saw this indescribable sadness in his blue eyes... At the same time, after the stories from the representatives of the Bucha Municipal Council of how the town is being restored after overcoming depression, I personally felt inspired. Now the Embassy has started to look more specifically at what we can do to rebuild Bucha. - According to the statement by the Japanese government, the meeting between Zelensky and Kishida lasted 2 hours and 40 minutes. Can you describe the atmosphere of that meeting? - Prime Minister Kishida and President Zelensky previously spoke several times online, but this time the first physical meeting took place. I could see that they had mutual trust and respect, and I think that the meeting had a really nice atmosphere. Zelensky was very attentive to Kishida, and Kishida tried not to miss any of Zelenskyi's words. In my opinion, the two had a fruitful exchange of ideas. - It was also stated that they held a working meeting over dinner. Have you and Mr. Kishida tried some Ukrainian cuisine? - Early into the working dinner, the President explained Mr. Kishida the menu of dishes and drinks that were served. I think that the Prime Minister enjoyed this dinner held in a really warm atmosphere. At the same time, the conversation about international affairs related to the ongoing war was detailed and productive. "SPECIAL GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP" WILL BECOME THE CORE OF BILATERAL RELATIONS - Following the meeting of the two leaders, a joint statement was made, which has not happened between Ukraine and Japan since 2011. Which points should we pay attention to? - The meeting took place against the background of Russia's full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine. Therefore, of course, the joint statement of the heads of state contained the understanding that this Russian aggression is a direct threat to security, peace, and stability not only in the Euro-Atlantic space, but also in the Indo-Pacific and other regions of the world. In my opinion, the major significance of the joint statement is that it clearly sets out the essence of this war as a war that is not just a territorial dispute between Russia and Ukraine as it concerns not only Europe, but the order, stability, and peace of the entire international community. Our Prime Minister explained the situation in the Indo-Pacific region and this was also reflected in the joint statement. Bilateral cooperation for the implementation of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) concept was discussed. The leaders expressed serious concern about the situation in the East and South China Seas. In addition, they condemned the nuclear and missile issue of North Korea due to the fact that Russia also employs nuclear intimidation and poses a nuclear threat. With the consent of both sides, the heads of state agreed to raise the status of bilateral relations to "Special Global Partnership". This means that Japan and Ukraine will not only discuss bilateral issues, but also exchange views and cooperate on global ones. This statement will be the core of our future relations. - Japan has significantly changed its foreign policy toward Russia. The statement, in addition to the concern over the situation in the East and South China Seas, emphasized the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait area. As far as I know, this is the first time Ukraine has declared its official position on these issues. By the way, in the past, in its foreign policy, Japan took into account the intentions of Russia, and Ukraine took into account those of China, which to some extent inhibited the development of Japanese-Ukrainian relations. Can it be assumed that after February 24, 2022, both countries began to take less into account the intentions of Moscow and Beijing, respectively? And, if so, in your opinion, how will these changes affect future Ukrainian-Japanese relations? - I think you are completely right. This Russian aggression against Ukraine is an atrocity that has undermined the foundations of the international order. And Japan is also feeling the crisis very strongly. Therefore, our state has significantly changed its foreign policy toward Russia. And future Japanese-Ukrainian relations will be based on this undeniable fact. Our countries will exchange their views more closely and cooperate in such fields as Russia sanctions, support for Ukraine, and work with the countries of the Global South. Our embassy in Kyiv is also in close contact with the Government of Ukraine on an almost daily basis. - Ukrainian media were interested in whether it would be announced that lethal weapons would be provided to Ukraine during the visit, but this never happened. Japanese law does not allow sending lethal aid to countries in armed conflict. But the category of lethal weapons includes, for example, air defense systems, which can actually protect the lives of civilians and Ukraines energy infrastructure. The joint statement of the G7 leaders refers to coordination for the provision of air defense systems to Ukraine. And Ukraine needs weapons to win this war. Taking this into account, could you please tell us whether there is currently a discussion underway in Japan regarding a potential provision of lethal aid to Ukraine? - The Government of Ukraine perfectly understands our circumstances and legislation. So, accordingly, it forwards to us specific requests for assistance. Over the last year, Japan has been doing what it can or should do under the current laws, and I think that we will continue to do it steadily. In addition, in general, in sending defense equipment abroad, Japan acts strictly and cautiously taking into account our basic idea of a "country of peace". I can't answer your question of what debate might arise in Japan in the future, but we provided non-lethal capabilities to Ukraine. And this time, Kishida told Zelensky that Japan had allocated $30 million for the supply of non-lethal aid to Ukraine through the NATO trust fund. I think Japan will provide the help it can provide. AGREEMENT ON INFORMATION PROTECTION WILL MEAN THE SAME RELATIONS OF JAPAN WITH UKRAINE AS WITH THE USA AND NATO - During a press conference, Kishida announced the start of coordination on concluding a bilateral agreement on information protection. Japan has signed such agreements with only eight countries (USA, France, Australia, Great Britain, India, Italy, South Korea, and Germany), as well as with NATO. What does Japan expect from this deal and what will it bring to both countries in the future? - Japan believes that it should have such relations with Ukraine, which will be equal to those with the eight countries and NATO, with which Japan previously concluded such an agreement. This stage has come, there is an understanding of the need, against the background of the mentioned agreement, to start coordination on its signing. The information protection agreement will adequately and safely protect classified information of both countries in accordance with the laws of each state, and if necessary, Japan and Ukraine will be able to quickly and properly exchange information useful for the preservation and development of security of both countries. The negotiations will kick off soon, so I can't talk about their prospects now, but I am convinced that this will create an extremely important base for our countries. After this announcement, I have extremely high expectations and I praise both Ukrainian government officials and representatives of the Japanese government. - Kishida presented Zelensky with a "victory shamoji" (a rice paddle - ed.) and a light bulb in the form of origami cranes, symbolizing peace. It is known that Japanese politicians rarely declare "Ukraine must win." Mostly, they refrain from using the word "victory" at all in the context of Russias war of aggression. Some of them even say that it would be wrong to wish victory for Ukrainians as victims of war. However, Ukrainians do want to hear from the world a wish for a "certain victory", which is symbolized by this shamoji. Therefore, I believe that Kishida's gift was appropriate as he carefully studied the moods of Ukrainians. So I would like to clarify with you whether Japan wants Ukraine to win this war with Russia? - The Prime Minister presented two gifts to the President: a Hiroshima "victory shamoji" and an Osunayaki-style ceramic light bulb from Miyajima, from the same prefecture. Kishida commented on the gifts as follows: "(This is ed.) in order to express support for President Zelensky in the face of Russian aggression and to wish him peace as soon as possible." If we explain what this means from the point of view of diplomacy - we think that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine should be restored within internationally recognized borders as a result of the end of this war of aggression, "just and lasting peace" should be returned to Ukraine. This is what is implied by the gifts. So, to briefly answer your question "Do we want the victory of Ukraine?", I believe it can be understood as a yes. - Okay. Ukraine's victory means the restoration of territorial integrity and the establishment of a just peace. Does Japan support Ukraines position? - Yes. In addition, I would add something here. This is about that extremely gruesome execution of a Ukrainian prisoner of war, shown in widely circulated video. I am personally appalled. The Government of Japan strongly condemns the fact that, in the course of this full-scale war, unprovoked brutal acts are taking place in Ukraine, which violate the norms of international law and international humanitarian law. We believe that those responsible must be held accountable according by law. Now the relevant bodies of Ukraine are investigating this. Japan is closely monitoring the probe and will respond appropriately. - Please tell us the details of the Japanese aid to Ukraine announced during Kishida's visit. - The new aid package that the Prime Minister handed over to the President is grants worth $500 million. Of this, $470 million has been earmarked for the energy sector, including containerized gas turbines and mobile power substations, as well as demining and construction waste treatment. Another $30 million goes to the supply of non-lethal aid through the NATO trust fund. The total amount of aid that the Japanese government has provided to Ukraine since the outset of the full-scale aggression is $7.6 billion. We believe that our aid, in accordance with the idea of "standing with Ukraine," is growing, which is confirmed by numbers. - Was the aid recently announced by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) the one that Kishida announced during the meeting with Zelensky? - Exactly. - So, it is being implemented quite quickly. - Yes, were implementing it quickly. The fact is that back in the winter, we made maximum efforts to provide Ukraine with generators, and now we intend to do everything possible ahead of the next winter, which I think Ukraine is also anticipating. We are seriously engaged in ensuring that the $500 million aid announced by Kishida is implemented as soon as possible. RUSSIAN AGGRESSION AGAINST UKRAINE WILL BE ONE OF THE MAIN TOPICS OF THE G7 SUMMIT IN MAY - Speaking of peace. Today, the world is talking about two different concepts of peace in the context of the Russo-Ukrainian war. The first is "immediate ceasefire at any cost". The second is that peace can be established only after the Russian troops withdraw from the entire territory of Ukraine, that is, after Ukraine wins. It is known that Kishida wants to raise the issue of "peace" during the G7 summit in May. Could you tell us, please, what kind of peace Kishida seeks to support in Hiroshima, the city that is the symbol of peace? - It would not be an exaggeration to say that Russian aggression against Ukraine will be one of the main topics during the G7 summit in May. I think Kishida will firmly hold unity of the G7, say that he will continue to support Ukraine, and once again demand that Russia immediately and unconditionally withdraw its troops and weapons (from the entire territory of Ukraine - ed.). In the end, he and other G7 leaders will declare to the world their stance in order to realize a "just and lasting peace". I would like to make a few comments about the "immediate ceasefire at any cost" that you just mentioned. If we take into account the fact that this is a full-scale and one-sided war of aggression on the part of Russia, I believe it would impossible to establish peace without a clear call to Russia to cease fire and withdraw (troops - ed.). - On February 23 of this year, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Yoshimasa Hayashi, speaking at a meeting of the UN General Assembly, called such a peace (without the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from the entire territory of Ukraine - ed.) an "unjust peace". It is Japan's position, isnt it? - It is, yes. - Japan continues to impose harsh sanctions against Russia, and strongly supports Ukraine. At the same time, it is known that the Japanese government retains the position of "Minister of Economic Cooperation with Russia", Japanese companies continue to be involved in Russian gas projects, such as Sakhalin-1, Sakhalin-2, and Arctic LNG. In the eyes of Ukrainians, this looks like a contradiction. Why hasn't the post of minister for cooperation with the Russian Federation been abolished, and why does Japan continue to import Russian gas? - This position remains in place, but I can say that its tasks have become different. Due to Russian aggression, Japanese-Russian economic relations have changed, and this affects many Japanese companies, and each of them is thinking about responding to Russia's actions. Some have already left this country, some are reducing their business gradually, and some are still deciding what to do next. The Japanese government provides them with the necessary information and advice. This position still exists due to the need to help them in the process of withdrawing business from Russia. Therefore, I ask you to look at the essence of the activity, not at the positions title. Regarding energy projects, Japan's main policy is to gradually reduce dependence on Russian energy sources, in particular oil and coal, which is based on the corresponding joint statement of the G7 foreign ministers. In the second half of 2022, Japan's imports of crude oil from Russia fell by about 90% against last year, coal by about 60%, and natural gas imports did not increase. So, based on our main policy, Japan takes measures that do not contradict Russia sanctions. And I think it is necessary to continue to explain this to the Ukrainian government so that there is understanding. - Zelensky supports Japan's position regarding the Northern Territories and expresses solidarity with Japan. But we hear almost no reaction to this from Tokyo. What is Japan's position regarding this support expressed by Ukraine? - We are very well aware that, since last fall, President Zelensky and the Verkhovna Rada have repeatedly expressed their understanding of our position regarding the Northern Territories and their solidarity with us. Japan's policy is to resolve the issue through bilateral negotiations with Russia and the conclusion of a peace treaty. In my opinion, the fact that many countries, including Ukraine, express their understanding and support for Japan's principled position is important for future negotiations with Russia. I firmly and gratefully explain this to the Ukrainian government officials. - You say that it is important? - Yest. Perhaps it will be clear if you look at the situation from another perspective. If no one is aware of this issue, the negotiations may drag on or even be ignored. JAPAN WILL ALWAYS STAND WITH UKRAINE - Martial law is still in place in Ukraine, air raid alerts still go off in Kyiv, although not so often. How is working in Kyiv for you and your diplomats today? How do you feel, working in such unusual conditions? - After the resumption of the embassy's operations last fall, we are gradually bringing in our staff the number of embassy employees has even become larger than before the start of the full-scale war. Our operational regime for bilateral relations with Ukraine and work related to Japan's wartime G7 chairmanship have already been established. We carry out our daily work almost without delay, using various applications to warn of a potential strike, as well as get various messages from Kyiv authorities, while focusing on the safety of each embassy employee. I am sincerely grateful to the Japanese and Ukrainian staffers who work with high motivation and morale in such a difficult situation. To be honest, I could not have done all this work if I were here alone, but luckily I have the support of my colleagues. Also, the National Police of Ukraine also provides excellent security for the embassy and my residence. I have previously worked in the Middle East, South Asia, and some parts of North America where security is not always reliable, and compared to those places, I think the security mechanism in Ukraine is really effective. It would be wrong to say that there is no tension or stress but, thanks to everyone around, I am confident in my work. - You started working in Ukraine in November 2021, and a few months later came a full-scale invasion. Have your views and impressions of Ukraine and Ukrainians changed since then? - I, of course, studied Ukraine before coming here. Even at a young age, I was into the affairs of the entire post-Soviet space. And when I worked as the head of the Russian department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I thought I was paying close attention to the relations between Russia and other former republics of the Soviet Union. However, after Russia started this full-scale aggression against Ukraine and I heard various speeches and statements by Putin to justify this aggression, I realized that I need to study the history, culture, nature, religions, and people of Ukraine. Our embassy has formed a group with the participation of experts on the Ukrainian language because it is not easy for me to learn it on my own. So we visit different places together, such as history or art museums, churches, the Holodomor museum, and the Babyn Yar nature reserve, or we listen to the stories of different Ukrainians. In this way, my colleagues and I try to better understand Ukraine, its wonderful nature, rich culture and history. And I feel that my understanding of why Japan should help Ukraine is also deepening. We also see ordinary Ukrainians more often. For example, when we go to churches, people ask us: "Where are you from?" Through such communication, we learn about the warm and patient nature of the Ukrainian people. I think that because of this war, our image of Ukraine, which used to be abstract, has become concrete. It helps us in our daily work, and I hope that it will definitely lead to the strengthening of Japanese-Ukrainian relations. - You mentioned that your image of Ukraine has become concrete." Please describe it in a few words. - In my opinion, this is the "spirit of freedom and independence". Today's Ukraine is what it is because of its thousand-year history the people who lived on this land sometimes suffered from large neighboring countries but the people of Ukraine have always defended their freedom, independence, and human dignity. And this is also clearly reflected in its current defensive war. - Do you have any special impressions about working in "wartime" Kyiv? - Answering such questions, I always remember the morning of February 24 of last year, when missiles flew over Kyiv and a full-scale war of aggression began. I looked out the window of my residence and saw a woman on Taras Shevchenko Boulevard she was walking her dog! At that moment I thought that people are strong. When I saw people on the subway who supported each other, and the fighters of territorial defense forces at the checkpoint during our temporary evacuation from Kyiv, I felt their indescribable calm in such a difficult situation. Perhaps the strength of Ukrainians manifests itself precisely in extremely difficult times. I don't know if my family and I would be able to maintain such calm and human dignity, and react in the same way as Ukrainians, should we find ourselves in the same situation. I keep thinking about these experiences, but it all started when I saw a woman with her dog on the morning of February 24. - You sometimes show videos on social media where you speak Ukrainian. When you returned to Kyiv in October last year, you exclaimed "Glory to Ukraine!" How well do you already speak Ukrainian? - I passed the elementary grammar textbook of the Ukrainian language twice, I can read texts, but I cannot communicate in Ukrainian. However, every day I find 5 to 10 minutes and open my textbook to improve my communication quality. When I give a speech, my colleagues help me write texts in Ukrainian, and I recite them. I think it would have been better if I were a bit younger (laughs). However, lately I am pleased that, when I hear Ukrainians speaking Ukrainian, I generally understand what they are saying. - Finally, I would ask you to send a message to Ukrainians. - My message to all of you is only one. Despite the fact that Russia lies between us, Japan and Ukraine are still neighbors. Therefore, Japan will always stand with Ukraine in the future. This is the key point. Takashi Hirano, Kyiv Photo by Hennadiy Minchenko The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe welcomed an arrest warrant the International Criminal Court issued for Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling on member states of the Rome Statute to implement it, and also emphasized the need to prosecute all other Russian perpetrators, as well as the self-proclaimed President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko. The corresponding resolution "Deportations and forcible transfers of Ukrainian children and other civilians to Russian Federation or to Ukrainian territories temporarily occupied: create conditions for their safe return, stop these crimes and punish the perpetrators" was adopted during the debate at the PACEs spring session, according to an Ukrinform correspondent. "The Assembly welcomes the International Criminal Courts decision of 17 March 2023 to issue arrest warrants against the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, and the Russian Commissioner for Childrens Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, for the war crimes of unlawful deportation and transfer of populations, in particular children, from temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation," the document says. Against this background, the PACE called on the member states of the Rome Statute "to take every possible action to fulfil their obligations to enforce the arrest warrants already issued by the International Criminal Court, and to support the prosecution and bringing to justice of all other responsible persons." "In particular, named individuals for whom direct responsibility has been alleged by international human rights organisations include the Russian Federations Prime Minister, ministers of education and health, the Commissioner for Human Rights and the first deputy chief of staff to the Russian President and, at regional level, the governors of Krasnodar Krai, Magadan, Kamchatka Krai, the President of Tatarstan, and the head of the Republic of Adygea," the resolution reads, specifying the list of some other persons responsible for crimes in Ukraine. As Ukrinform reported earlier, on March 17, 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russias Representative for Childrens Rights, both suspected of illegally deporting children from the occupied territories of Ukraine to Russia since at least February 2022. Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Milkov says his country is facing unprecedented hybrid attacks from Russia amid Moscow's military aggression against Ukraine. This was reported by Novinite, according to Ukrinform. "In parallel with Russia's aggressive military actions, we are facing an unprecedented increase in various hybrid attacks aimed at undermining Bulgaria's stability and thereby our democratic values and processes," Milkov said at the opening of the conference "Responding to Challenges in a Fragmented Security Architecture: Countering Russian Hybrid Actions" organized by the Sofia Security Forum. According to him, the Russian aggression, which is taking place in the immediate vicinity of Bulgaria's borders, is a gross violation of the international legal order and has dealt a serious blow to the current international security architecture, which has led to significant consequences for public and political life, including in Bulgaria. "Russia uses a full arsenal of hybrid tactics, instrumentalization of energy and basic food supplies, cyber activities of control over sensitive technologies, unprecedented strengthening of propaganda aimed at internal political destabilization of our societies - provoking discontent and reducing solidarity with Ukraine," minister said. As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Moldovan Defense Ministry said that the country is not currently facing an immediate military threat but remains the target of a hybrid war unleashed by Russia in an attempt to overthrow the government. ADEN, Yemen, April 27 (Xinhua) -- A senior commander of Yemen's government forces was killed on Thursday in a roadside bomb blast in the country's southern province of Abyan, a security official told Xinhua. "Fawzi Shaif Bakri, who served as the commander of the 3rd battalion of the government Security Belt forces, died due to a roadside bomb that went off close to the convoy he was traveling in," the local security official said on condition of anonymity. He said that the explosion also wounded three of his guards. The injured guards were immediately transported to a nearby hospital to receive medical treatment, according to the official. Tensions have been escalating in Abyan as al-Qaida gains a foothold in the region, exploiting the current instability caused by the years-long military conflict raging in Yemen. The Yemen-based al-Qaida terror group has been responsible for a surge in attacks against government forces, intelligence officials, and military infrastructure, further exacerbating the already dire situation in the war-ravaged Arab country. In an effort to combat the mounting terror threat, government forces backed by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition conducted several large-scale military operations on al-Qaida hideouts in recent months. However, the Yemeni government forces have not been successful in eliminating the terror groups entrenched in various mountainous areas of Abyan and other neighboring southern provinces. Yemen has been embroiled in a devastating civil war since 2014, with the Houthi rebels fighting against the internationally-recognized government and its allies, which include a Saudi Arabia-led coalition. The Ministry of Digital Transformation, the State Service for Special Communications, and the Ministry of Digitalization of Japan have signed their first trilateral memorandum, which marks the beginning of digital cooperation between the two countries. This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Education, Science, and Technology Development and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov on Telegram, Ukrinform reports. "We are starting digital cooperation with Japan we have signed a memorandum with the Japanese Ministry of Digitalization. We will focus on cyber defense to protect Ukrainian critical infrastructure facilities as much as possible. Japan has experience and expertise in countering cyberattacks. We also agreed to share the best IT practices and digital solutions," he said. Fedorov said Ukraine would help Japan with its experience in building a unified and effective e-government system: the mobile first approach, experience in quickly launching online services, developing e-government, and implementing digital innovations at the government level. As reported earlier, the Ministry of Digital Transformation signed a memorandum with Techosystem, an association of technology companies that will contribute to the development of Ukraine's startup ecosystem and innovation infrastructure. Moldova has joined the core group of nations working to establish a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, which now includes 35 states. This was announced by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, following the negotiations with his Moldovan counterpart Nicu Popescu, Ukrinform reports. "Productive talks with a good colleague and friend Nicu Popescu. Discussed steps needed to open EU accession talks in 2023. He informed me on Moldovas decision to join the Core Group on the creation of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine. 35 states now," the head of Ukrainian diplomacy noted. As Ukrinform reported earlier, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba of Ukraine is visiting Moldova on Thursday. In 2022, President Volodymyr Zelensky formed a working group headed by the head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, aimed to contribute to creating a special tribunal for holding Russian leadership accountable for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. The idea to establish the tribunal was supported by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, European Parliament, NATO Parliamentary Assembly, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, and individual states. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba discussed security challenges, development of infrastructure, trade, and Moldovas transit capacity with President of Moldova Maia Sandu and Prime Minister of Moldova Dorin Recean. I was honored to be received in Chisinau by Maia Sandu and Dorin Recean. We discussed common security challenges, development of infrastructure, trade, Moldovas transit capacity. Ukraines victory will also secure long-lasting stability and prosperity for our dear neighbours, Ukraines top diplomat posted on Twitter. I was honored to be received in Chishinau by @SanduMaiaMD and @DorinRecean. We discussed common security challenges, development of infrastructure, trade, Moldovas transit capacity. Ukraines victory will also secure long-lasting stability and prosperity for our dear neighbours. pic.twitter.com/CIKO9ax3PY Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) April 27, 2023 As reported, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba is visiting Moldova on Thursday. Head of the Presidents Office Andriy Yermak held a video conference meeting with foreign policy advisors to the Presidents of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Romania and discusses the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine. As the Presidents Office informs, Yermak thanked the interlocutors for the comprehensive assistance provided by their countries to Ukraine during the full-scale Russian invasion and emphasized the importance of further movement towards the unity of NATO countries' positions on Ukraine's membership in the Alliance in the context of the upcoming summit in Vilnius. "This is evidenced by President Zelensky's Peace Formula and our official position: our principled position is that we see no alternative to Ukraine's membership in NATO," Yermak said. At the same time, the Head of the President's Office noted that an important decision must be made to provide Ukraine with effective security guarantees until our country becomes a member of the Alliance. These security guarantees cannot replace or substitute for Ukraine's membership in NATO but will serve as a guarantee of Ukraine's security until full membership in the Alliance, which has no alternatives, the Presidents Office underscores. Yermak also emphasized the importance of a strong political signal from NATO regarding a clear algorithm for Ukraine's approach to membership in the Alliance. "Today, thanks to you, thanks to the United States and other partners, the unity that you have created and that is being maintained is a powerful weapon," he said. The representatives of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Romania, in turn, once again reaffirmed their countries' full support for Ukraine and its future full-fledged membership in NATO and the European Union. As reported, on April 20, President Zelensky said that Ukraine was preparing for the NATO Summit in Vilnius and waiting for a political invitation to the Alliance. Photo credit: Presidents Office facebook like button Tweet tweet button for twitter Published April 27, 2023 CAPTION: 2023 Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup first-place winners Rise & Rotate pose with their trophies. The team from Northwestern State University took home the top prize of $25,000. MONROE, LA The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup hosted its second annual awards luncheon on April 21, 2023, at ULMs Bayou Pointe Event Center. The luncheon was the culmination of the entrepreneurship competition, with $61,000 in prize money awarded to the three top teams, including their faculty advisors, and the winner of the live elevator pitch competition, voted on by attendees of the luncheon. Rise & Rotate, a team comprised of students from Northwestern State University, took home the first-place prize of $25,000. Their business plan centers around a device that will help patients with limited mobility more easily and safely rise from a seated position and rotate to a bed or a chair. Rise & Rotate features team leaderMatthew Gamble, team membersHayden Stanley and Alexander Brown, and advisor Elizabeth Prejean, DBA. The second-place prize of $15,000 was awarded to GloBowl, a team from ULM. GloBowl is a company whose purpose is to reduce the use of plastic by creating a sustainable, reusable, to-go food container. GloBowl features team leaderJanet Stopka, team membersOlaia Becerril Alvarez, Victoria Abrams, Garrett Kahmann and advisor Veronika Humphries, JD, LLM. Third place and a prize of $10,000 went to ExploreMate, a team from ULM. Explore Mate is an app that helps users find a local person to act as a tour guide when traveling to new locations. Explore Mate features team leaderThalama Malla, team members Prajwol Pachhai, Ramesh Ranabhat, Manish Katuwal and advisor Joyce Zhou, Ph. D. The advisors from each of the top three teams also each received a $1,000 prize. The winner of the live elevator pitch competition was Garrett Kahmann from GloBowl. Kahmann won the $2,000 prize after receiving the most votes from attendees of the luncheon, who voted via text message after hearing 90-second pitches from each team. In its second year, The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup expanded its eligibility and was open to teams from ULM, VCOM, Grambling State, Louisiana Tech, Northwestern State, Centenary College, and LSU-Shreveport. During her remarks at the luncheon, ULM Dean of the College of Business and Social Sciences Dr. Michelle McEacharn expressed the goal of expanding the competition statewide. This really is the beginning. Our original goal was that in five years we would be across the state of Louisiana. We will be across the state next year, said McEacharn. Dhu Thompson, Premier Sponsor and Founder of The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup also provided remarks at the luncheon. After thanking those who helped make the competition happen and recounting his own entrepreneurial experiences, Thompson spoke directly to the student competitors. You have the opportunity to change the world, and youre going to change it with the gift of your entrepreneurial spirit, said Thompson. Never lose sight of the true lessons that will be learned through your failures. Dont be afraid of failures and mistakes, learn from them, he said. Thompson closed by reminding the students to practice humility. Remember, the person beside you knows something you dont, he said. About The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup Open to all majors with cash prizes totaling $61,000, The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup is the premiere business plan competition for Louisiana. It provides an opportunity for students to develop critical thinking, team building, presentation, and other soft skills which are all important to career growth. The goal is to inspire participants and the community to think entrepreneurially by rewarding creativity, professionalism, and hard work. This years competition was open to undergraduate and graduate students of ULM, VCOM, Grambling State, Louisiana Tech, Northwestern State, Centenary College, and LSU-Shreveport. Eighteen teams submitted written, formal business plans which were reviewed and scored independently by a panel of twelve volunteer judges made up of business owners and investors. The panel of judges later deliberated in groups to select the six finalist teams. The six finalist teams presented in-person oral presentations, held on April 4th at The Hangar on the ULM campus. Five volunteer judges dedicated their time to listening to each team present their business plan and supporting visuals. The judges then deliberated and selected the first, second, and third place winners. The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup was founded by distinguished ULM alumnus Dhu Thompson. Thompson is the founder, past owner, and former chairman of the board for Delta Plastics, producer of agricultural irrigation tubing, and the largest recycler of plastics in Arkansas. He is also the former owner and past chairman of the board for Revolution Bag that manufactures EPA-compliant trashcan liners. Thompsons honors include 2004 Arkansas Business Executive of the Year and SBA Person of the Year. In 2019 he sold the Revolution brands to a New York private equity firm and now focuses on entrepreneurship growth in Arkansas and Louisiana. Earlier in 2023, Thompson received the Warhawk Ambassador Award, one of ULMs highest honors. The Warhawk Ambassador award is reserved for individuals whose interests and loyalty are evident in their deeds and actions, reflecting and recognizing the importance of ULM in our local and global community. For more information about The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup, visit www.ulm.edu/pelicancup A commemoration ceremony marking the 37th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster is held in Minsk, Belarus, April 26, 2023. The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on April 26, 1986, was one of the most serious nuclear accidents in history. (Photo by Henadz Zhinkov/Xinhua) People lay flowers while attending a commemoration ceremony marking the 37th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster in Minsk, Belarus, April 26, 2023. The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on April 26, 1986, was one of the most serious nuclear accidents in history. (Photo by Henadz Zhinkov/Xinhua) (Photo : Emily Ranquist from Pexels) The education sector offers many career opportunities, from traditional teaching to administrative and research positions. With the ever-growing demand for skilled professionals, the field of education has expanded to include various new roles and specializations. In this article, we will discuss eight lucrative career paths in education that you should consider, highlighting the necessary educational degrees, job growth, and salary expectations for each. 1. School Counselor School counselors are pivotal in supporting students' emotional, social, and academic development. They help students overcome challenges and plan for their future educational and career goals. A master's degree in school counseling or a related field is required to become a school counselor. The job outlook for school counselors is promising, with a projected growth rate of 11% between 2021 and 2031. Job growth: 11% (2021-2031) Salary: $58,120 (median annual wage as of 2021) 2. Instructional Coordinator Instructional coordinators, or curriculum specialists, are responsible for developing, implementing, and evaluating educational programs and teaching standards. They often work with teachers and administrators to improve the quality of instruction. A master's degree in education or a related field and some teaching or administrative experience is typically required. The demand for instructional coordinators is expected to grow by 10% from 2021 to 2031. Job growth: 10% (2021-2031) Salary: $66,970 (median annual wage as of 2021) 3. Secondary School Teacher A secondary school teacher educates students in grades 6-12. They specialize in English, Mathematics, Science, or Social Studies. To become a secondary school teacher, you typically need a bachelors in secondary education, a bachelor's degree in your subject area, and a teaching certification. The demand for secondary school teachers is expected to grow by 8% from 2021 to 2031. Job growth: 8% (2021-2031) Salary: $61,660 (median annual wage as of 2021) 4. Postsecondary Teacher Postsecondary teachers, or college professors, teach students beyond the high school level. They can specialize in various subjects and often engage in research and publication activities. A Ph.D. is generally required, although a master's degree may suffice for some positions, especially at community colleges. The job outlook for postsecondary teachers is strong, with a projected growth rate of 12% between 2021 and 2031. Job growth: 12% (2021-2031) Salary: $80,560 (median annual wage as of 2021) 5. Educational Consultant Educational consultants work with schools, districts, or other educational organizations to improve academic performance, develop policies, or implement new programs. They often have a background in teaching or administration and may hold a master's or doctoral degree in education or a related field. The demand for educational consultants varies depending on the education sector's needs, but job growth is expected to be around 8% from 2021 to 2031. Job growth: 8% (2021-2031) Salary: $79,640 (median annual wage as of 2021) 6. Special Education Teacher Special education teachers work with students with various disabilities, such as learning, emotional, or physical impairments. They develop individualized education plans (IEPs) and collaborate with other teachers, parents, and professionals to support their students. A bachelor's degree in special education and teaching certification is typically required to become a special education teacher. The job outlook for special education teachers is positive, with a projected growth rate of 8% between 2021 and 2031. Job growth: 8% (2021-2031) Salary: $61,030 (median annual wage as of 2021) 7. Education Administrator Education administrators oversee the daily operations and long-term planning of schools, colleges, and other educational institutions. They may work in various settings, such as K-12 schools, colleges, or districts. A master's degree in education administration or a related field is typically required, along with relevant experience in teaching or administration. The demand for education administrators is expected to grow by 8% from 2021 to 2031. Job growth: 8% (2021-2031) Salary: $97,500 (median annual wage as of 2021) 8. Instructional Designer Instructional designers create engaging and effective learning experiences, often for online or technology-based educational platforms. They work with subject matter experts, educators, and multimedia specialists to develop curricula, learning modules, and assessments. A bachelor's degree in instructional design, education, or a related field is generally required, although some positions may require a master's degree. The job growth for instructional designers is expected to be around 9% from 2021 to 2031. Job growth: 9% (2021-2031) Salary: $66,290 (median annual wage as of 2021) 9. Corporate Trainer Corporate trainers work in various industries to design and deliver employee training programs, helping them develop new skills, enhance existing ones, and adapt to new processes or technologies. They often have a background in education, human resources, or a specific industry. A bachelor's degree in education, human resources, or a related field is typically required, and some positions may require a master's degree or professional certifications. The job growth for corporate trainers is expected to be around 9% from 2021 to 2031. Job growth: 9% (2021-2031) Salary: $62,460 (median annual wage as of 2021) 10. Education Policy Analyst Education policy analysts research, evaluate, and recommend improvements to education policies, programs, and practices at the local, state, or federal levels. They may work for government agencies, think tanks, or advocacy organizations and often have a background in education, public policy, or a related field. A master's degree or higher in education policy, public policy, or a related field is generally required. The job growth for education policy analysts is expected to be around 7% from 2021 to 2031. Job growth: 7% (2021-2031) Salary: $60,000 (median annual wage as of 2021) 11. Education Technology Specialist Education technology specialists help schools and other educational institutions integrate technology into their curricula and instructional practices. They may train teachers on how to use new tools, evaluate the effectiveness of existing technology, and recommend improvements or new solutions. A bachelor's degree in educational technology, instructional design, or a related field is typically required, and some positions may require a master's degree or professional certifications. The job growth for education technology specialists is expected to be around 12% from 2021 to 2031. Job growth: 12% (2021-2031) Salary: $67,500 (median annual wage as of 2021) Conclusion The education sector offers various rewarding and lucrative career paths, catering to different interests and skill sets. From teaching roles to administrative and consultancy positions, these ten career paths demonstrate the field's diversity and potential for growth. By pursuing the necessary educational degrees and gaining relevant experience, you can embark on a fulfilling and well-compensated career in education. BEIRUT, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The Lebanese government on Wednesday tightened regulations on Syrian refugees as tension between the displaced and the local Lebanese continues to grow. A statement released by the Lebanese Council of Ministers said the "refugee status" will be officially canceled for those who left the Lebanese territory, calling security services to "strictly pursue violators and prevent the illegal entry of Syrians to Lebanon." The cabinet also asked the Interior Ministry and Social Affairs Ministry to register the newborns of Syrians in Lebanon, and the Labor Ministry was tasked with tightening monitor to make sure that the refugees only work in permitted sectors. The cabinet made the decisions as the country faced an unprecedented financial crisis, further exacerbated by the presence of over 2 million Syrian refugees. "Tension among Lebanese citizens and the Syrian refugees has reached its highest levels, and we are now in a dangerous place," Lebanon's Deputy Parliament Speaker Elias Bou Saab said on Wednesday when meeting with Italian ambassador to Lebanon Nicoletta Bombardiere. "The situation requires a radical change in the European Union's policy on the issue of the displaced and a speedy solution to the issue in a different way," Saab was quoted by the National News Agency as saying. Country Profile The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is the thirty third largest country in terms of area and fifth-most populous with a population of over 210 million. The country has a huge reservoir of young people, with 64% of the population below the age of 29 and 30% between 15 and 29 years. According to the World Bank's statistics, Pakistan is among Asia's five fastest emerging economies, registering a growth rate of over 5.7% in 2017, a trend which is projected to continue in 2018 as well. To date, Karachi remains country's main trade and economic hub but with the ongoing development of another port city Gwadar and regional connectivity ushered in by China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a major impetus to country's international trade and economic activity is expected. Like other countries of the region, Pakistan also faces significant challenges in the field of Transnational Organized Crimes (TOC s ), requiring coordinated efforts by the national authorities in tandem with the international support, especially through capacity building. Though Pakistan is signatory to a number of multilateral treaties on TOCs including those related to drug trafficking and corruption, efforts are underway to enhance effective implementation of these treaties at the national level. UNODC has been working closely with the Government of Pakistan and civil society to fill this gap. A country program (2016-19) was signed between the government of Pakistan and UNODC in December 2016, highlighting commitment of the two sides to jointly work in the areas of illicit trafficking & border management; the criminal justice system & legal reforms; and drug demand reduction, prevention, & treatment. Counter Narcotics Policy Pakistan's Anti-Narcotics Policy of 2010 is built around three pillars: (i) Drug Supply Reduction (ii) Drug Demand Reduction (iii) International cooperation. Efforts are underway to launch a new policy in the wake of new challenges emerging on the counter-narcotics front. Since 2001 Pakistan has followed a 'zero tolerance policy' toward poppy cultivation on its territory. The two-pronged policy built around law enforcement measures and alternative development met with extraordinary success leading to almost complete poppy eradication in the country. Law enforcement Pakistan is geographically vulnerable to drug trafficking due to its borders with Afghanistan, the world's largest producer of illicit opium. In 2016-17, Pakistan seized a total of 2860 metric 1 tons of different types of narcotics drugs. The figure is expected to rise in view of phenomenal increase in poppy cultivation this year in Afghanistan, a development which poses enhanced interdiction challenges for Pakistan's law enforcement agencies. International Cooperation At the international level, Pakistan remains an active member of the UN Commission on Narcotics Drugs (CND), and has contributed to global debate on World Drug issues based on its commitment to the principle of multilateralism and international cooperation. During the last CND session in Vienna, Pakistan tabled a resolution highlighting the issue of drug abuse in educational settings, which was unanimously approved by the Member States. National initiatives, in collaboration with UNODC, are being pursued to scale up measures aimed at preventing drug abuse in educational settings. Pakistan has also become the first country in the region to develop an implementation roadmap for UNGASS, a feat achieved through effective support from UNODC. Drug use prevention and treatment According to the 2013 national survey on "Drug Use in Pakistan", 4.25 million people are considered dependent on substances and require structured treatment for their drug use disorder 2 . Survey findings show that cannabis is the most commonly used drug, with around 4 million users nationwide. Around 860,000 people used heroin regularly, approximately 19,000 people reported they had used methamphetamine and nearly 1.6 million people reported misuse of prescription opioids (painkillers) for non-medical use. In order to better understand the scale and magnitude of drug use in the country, especially after the exponential increase in poppy cultivation and opium production in the region, preparations are underway to launch a fresh drug use survey in the country. Human trafficking and migrant smuggling Human trafficking and migrant smuggling reflect negative trends in human development in the region. These criminal activities often result in forced labour 3 and servitude, leading to serious human rights violations. Among other factors, human trafficking and migrant smuggling are caused by absence of safe, affordable and legal avenues of movement for people across borders. Pakistan has taken important legislative steps to combat these crimes, including the promulgation of "The Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, 2018" and "The Prevention of Smuggling of Migrants Acts, 2018". These laws empower the law enforcement agencies of Pakistan to effectively prosecute the organized gangs perpetuating and benefitting from these crimes, while providing safeguards to the rights of victims of human trafficking and smuggled migrants. Anti-Corruption Pakistan is party to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), which is the only legally binding international instrument against corruption. With Government of Pakistan's renewed commitment to combat corruption, we can expect a more proactive role by Pakistan to promote and augment international cooperation in the realm of anti-corruption. UNODC is already supporting Pakistan in this effort by partnering with country's premier anti-corruption watchdog, the National Accountability Bureau, through various capacity-building initiatives. Criminal Justice System Criminal justice system is one of the highlights of partnership between Pakistan and UNODC. Currently, the major lacunas in Pakistan's criminal justice regime are reactive policing approaches, lack of effective crime prevention measures and issues with evidence collection. 4 Criminal procedures tend to be tedious and time consuming, and there is a sizeable backlog of court cases in the country. Cognizant of these challenges, the Government of Pakistan is taking numerous steps to reform the existing criminal justice system, in collaboration with its international partners, including UNODC. (@ChaudhryMAli88) (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 27th Apr, 2023) DUBAI, 27th April, 2023 (WAM) Dubai will host the prestigious Annual World Congress of the International Confederation of Plastic Surgical Societies (ICOPLAST) from 5th to 7th May 2023. Organised in collaboration with the Arab Association of Surgical & Medical Aesthetics (AASMA) and the Emirates Plastic Surgery Society (EPSS), the global event will be held at the Dubai World Trade and Convention Centre for the first time in the middle East. The worlds largest gathering of plastic surgery societies, the three-day Congress is expected to attract more than 1,500 delegates from over 60 international societies, and visitors from more than 112 countries. The event provides a platform for stakeholders from across the industry including plastic surgeons, aesthetic and anti-ageing medicine physicians, residents, medical students, nurses and representatives of industry leaders to share new knowledge and innovation in the field. The rich agenda of the Congress features workshops and talks on key current topics in plastic, aesthetic and reconstructive surgery. In addition, the Congress will see experts presenting peer-reviewed research papers highlighting the latest discoveries in the field. Dr. Jamal Jomah, President of AASMA, said: The event caters to the immense demand from both start-ups and established national and international businesses in the sector for professional networking platforms and opportunities to interact with the public. The event will discuss the high calibre research being done by renowned plastic surgeons and leaders in plastic surgery and aesthetic medicine. Key topics that will be discussed at the Congress include surgical approaches to facial aesthetics, updates in breast surgery, state-of-the-art techniques in body contouring and advances in regenerative surgery and medicine. The event will also discuss recent updates in the treatment of breast implant illness (BII), innovative technologies in non-surgical face and body rejuvenation and minimally invasive techniques. Dr. Zuhair AlFardan, the President of EPSS said: This event will attract over 150 exhibitors from all over the world, who will showcase the latest technologies and advances in the field of aesthetic and plastic surgery. The event will shed light on current trends in the global cosmetic surgery market that is projected to grow from $46.02 billion in 2021 to $58.78 billion in 2028, despite the global impact of COVID-19. The UAE has seen a significant rise in demand for cosmetic procedures in recent years. The aesthetics industry has emerged as one of the most important contributors to the growth of medical tourism in the UAE, driven by a significant increase in the number of international and regional patients and the expansion of the local pool of trained industry professionals with international qualifications. Currently, cosmetic surgery is one of the top five procedures sought by medical tourists to the emirate. ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 27th Apr, 2023) The United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Cambodia have finalised the terms of a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), paving the way for a new era of trade and investment cooperation between the two nations. The successful conclusion of negotiations was confirmed with the signing of a joint statement by Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, and PAN Sorasak, Cambodias Minister of Commerce. The CEPA with Cambodia will serve as a catalyst to increase and diversify bilateral trade by substantially eliminating tariffs, reducing non-tariff trade barriers, and promoting trade in goods, services, and investment. It builds on growing UAE-Cambodia economic relations that, in 2022, resulted in non-oil trade exceeding US$401 million, which represents a growth of 31 percent compared to 2021 and 146 percent more on the pre-Covid year of 2019. In terms of investments, bilateral FDI had reached US$3.8 million by the end of 2020. The Cambodian economy is one of the most promising in South-East Asia, enjoying 5.1 percent growth in 2022. This deal will deliver new opportunities for its key exports, which include grains, fruits, meats, processed foods, apparel, footwear, and leather goods. The UAE will benefit from new export opportunities in machinery, oils and lubricants, and cars and automotive parts, as well as investment opportunities in logistics and infrastructure, travel and tourism projects, and renewable energy. Dr. Al Zeyoudi heralded the signing as another important step in the UAEs foreign trade agenda, which was launched in September 2021. He said, Cambodia is one of the fastest-growing economies in South-East Asia and this deal will help strengthen East-West supply chains, deliver an important new market for our manufacturers, investors, and service providers, and offer their exporters an important platform for global expansion. Cambodias food production and agricultural sectors, which are a critical part of their economy, will also help us achieve our food security ambitions. "The negotiations took less than six months to complete, which is a clear indication of our shared desire to boost bilateral relations and create new, mutually beneficial opportunities. Sorasak reiterated the shared view on the great prospects to which the UAE-Cambodia CEPA will lead in alignment with Cambodias consistent adherence to trade liberalisation. The conclusion of the negotiations indeed culminates in our shared view and common understanding on all elements of our Cambodia-UAE CEPA. Since the UAE-Cambodia CEPA initiation, we do believe that this agreement will definitely be another great impetus for our shared growth and prosperity through fostering supply chains, enhancing trade flow, and promoting bilateral investment between Cambodia and UAE," he added. The agreement will serve as the catalyst for greater connectivity between ASEAN and the Arab World, which are amongst the most economically dynamic regions in the world. The UAEs new foreign trade agenda is a core component of the nations growth strategy that seeks to double the size of the economy from US$381 billion to US$762 billion by 2030. The UAE has now signed CEPAs with India, Israel, Indonesia, and Turkiye, and is set to conclude negotiations with other strategically important nations in the coming weeks. The Royal Government of Cambodia is supportive of globalisation by means of opening up international trade to ensure that cooperation is at the heart of sustainable and inclusive economic development. To this end, Cambodia has achieved bilateral FTAs respectively with China and South Korea, and mega FTAs under ASEAN and RCEP. Rio de Janeiro, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Apr, 2023 ) :A Brazilian court on Wednesday ordered the countrywide suspension of messaging app Telegram after its parent company failed to provide data sought by authorities on neo-Nazis operating on the network, officials said. The move came after a spate of violent school attacks, at least one of them linked to exchanges on a group with anti-Semitic leanings. Justice Minister Flavio Dino said the court had fined Telegram a million reais (about $198,000) per day for "not complying" with an ongoing probe into neo-Nazi activity on social networks, and ordered the "temporary suspension of (its) activities." "There are groups called 'Anti-Semitic Front' and 'Anti-Semitic Movement' acting in those networks, and we know that this is at the core of violence against our children," the minister said in a video sent to journalists. Earlier this month, a hatchet-wielding man killed four children between the ages of four and seven at their school, in the same week as two other, non-fatal school attacks. Last month, a 13-year-old boy killed a teacher in a knife attack at a school in Sao Paulo. In November, a 16-year-old shooter killed four people and injured more than 10 others in twin attacks on two schools in Aracruz in the southeastern state of Espirito Santo. The G1 news site, citing police sources, reported the teenager had allegedly interacted with anti-Semitic groups on Telegram, one of far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro's favorite communication channels. According to a document from the Federal justice authority in Espirito Santo, in southeastern Brazil, investigators had asked Telegram for the personal data of members of two stated anti-Semitic groups on the platform. The company handed over only data on the administrator of one of the groups, said the document, adding there was "intent by Telegram not to cooperate with the ongoing investigation." The government of leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva recently announced restrictions on social media in a bid to curb the "epidemic" of school attacks. Dino, the justice minister, said two weeks ago that sites would be ordered to take steps to ban content and users "promoting or supporting attacks or violence against schools." Social media companies will also be required to send data to police on all users sharing violent content, and to block users banned for sharing violent content from creating new profiles. The government is working on a separate law to regulate social media activity. In March 2022, a Supreme Court judge blocked Telegram for failing to comply with orders from authorities to remove messages found to contain disinformation in an election year. The ban was later lifted. Bolsonaro, who had various posts blocked on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for violating disinformation rules, had encouraged his base to join him on Telegram instead, where he had more than a million followers. The app has been installed on some 53 percent of cellphones in Brazil, a country of more than 200 million people. In 2022, it was the fastest-growing platform in the South American giant, according to Brazilian authorities. Warsaw, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Apr, 2023 ) :Poland on Thursday said it was inspecting the remains of an aerial military object found near the northern city of Bydgoszcz, which local media said was a missile with Cyrillic writing. "In addition to prosecutors, military experts, police, gendarmes and representatives of SKW (Poland's military counter-intelligence agency) are at the scene," Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro said on Twitter. It landed in a wood "a dozen or so kilometers from Bydgoszcz," the minister added. In a separate tweet, the defence ministry said,Thehe situation does not threaten the safety of residents" of Zamosc, a nearby village. The regional prosecutor's office said in a statement that there were no "signs of an explosion or any explosives at the scene", adding that various hypotheses were being looked into. Local media said the object was found earlier this week and is believed to be an air-to-ground missile. RMF FM radio tweeted that it is "several meters long and stuck straight into the ground... The tube was empty... The warhead was also missing". UNITED NATIONS, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Apr, 2023 ) :Pakistan has told the UN General Assembly that it considers the veto power vested in the Security Council's five permanent members an important issue that needed to be tacked as part of the 15-member Council's reform to make it more effective. Speaking in a debate marking the first anniversary of the 193-nation Assembly's landmark resolution that requires the permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the U.S. -- to justify the use of veto, Ambassador Munir Akram said the Security Council has been paralyzed by the strategic rivalries of its permanent members and the exercise of the veto. "It is precisely for this reason that longstanding disputes such as Kashmir and Palestine could not be resolved," the Pakistani envoy said, adding that the vetoes in the Council have prevented and hindered the implementation of UN resolutions. "The final resolution of the issue of the veto will have to be resolved not separately but as an integral part of the reform of the Security Council," he added. The 2022 Assembly's resolution, adopted by consensus, calls for the General Assembly to automatically meet within 10 days if any of the five permanent members uses their right of veto. The aim is to hold those countries accountable for exercising this special voting power, which allows them to block any Council resolution or decision. This right is enshrined in the UN Charter, the Organization's founding document, because of their key roles in establishing the global body more than seven decades ago. All five have exercised the right of veto at one time or another, with 44 vetoes alone since the year 2000. In his remarks, Ambassador Akram said that experience has confirmed that the abolition or restraint on the misuse of the veto rights of the permanent members will have to be an integral part of the Security Council's reform, pointing out that it was for this reason that Pakistan together with the UfC (Uniting for Consensus) Group remains opposed to the creation of new permanent members on an expanded Security Council. "More permanent members and more veto powers will multiply the likelihood of paralysis and inaction in the Security Council," the Pakistani envoy told the General Assembly. Progress towards restructuring the Security Council remains blocked as the so-called Group of Four -- India, brazil, Germany and Japan -- continue pushing for permanent seats, while the Italy/Pakistan-led Uniting for Consensus (UfC) group opposes any additional permanent members. As a compromise, UfC has proposed a new category of members -- not permanent members -- with a longer duration in terms and a possibility to get re-elected. Besides the five permanent members, the Security Council has 10 non-permanent members elected to two-year terms. Noting the negative power of the veto, Ambassador Akram said this can be "balanced" by, on the one hand, placing restrictions on the use of the veto, and, on the other, enhancing the role of non-permanent members through larger and perhaps longer representation. At the same time, the Pakistani envoy said that any measures to restrict or constrain the veto must be in line with the rules of the Charter. Pakistan, he said, remains convinced that the IGN (Inter-governmental Negotiations) process offers the best avenue to reach an agreed outcome on the Council's reform. "It is only through patient exchanges, mutual accommodation, and compromises that we can broaden the areas of convergence and reduce the points of divergence and thus evolve a 'model' for the reform that can be accepted by the widest possible majority of member states." In his opening remarks, General Assembly President Csaba Korosi said "The issue of the use of the veto affects the whole UN. And the decisions taken in these halls or the lack of decisions reverberate world-wide," adding that "vetoes should always remain the very last resort." He said this first-ever formal debate on the veto initiative was being held "to figure out the best ways to exploit this new instrument in our big UN toolbox." He urged ambassadors to "ask tough questions" and "seek game-changing solutions", stressing that "there is no wrong answer, only new ideas." Korosi also expressed hope that Security Council members can unite and work for viable solutions, going beyond their immediate interests to act responsibly for the sake of peace across the world. "That way we will never have to fall back on the veto resolution," he said. "Because, in my view, it is like an oxygen mask in an airplane: good to have, but best never to be used." The General Assembly President said he intends to send the verbatim records of the debate, and all future debates, to the Council President. "Today's exchange of views cannot be just a pro forma event, or a mere administrative procedure," he said. "This is an opportunity to chart new avenues for multilateralism and cooperation. An opportunity to rebuild trust both within our institution and in it. An opportunity to do better for the eight billion who count on us." (@FahadShabbir) ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Apr, 2023 ) :Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Chines Premier Li Qiang, spoke over the telephone on Thursday wherein they agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in all spheres aimed at benefiting the peoples of their countries besides contributing to regional peace, prosperity and stability. The conversation was marked by traditional warmth and cordiality that has always characterized Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership, the Prime Minister's Office said. The prime minister extended his felicitation to the Chinese Premier's on his election for this high office, which reflected the deep-seated trust of the Chinese nation and confidence in him, stemming from his many achievements in public service. As All-Weather partners and close friends, Pakistan appreciated China's peaceful development as a positive factor of international peace and stability, and was confident that China would continue to achieve milestones on its journey towards modernization and rejuvenation, Shehbaz remarked. Shehbaz Sharif reiterated Pakistan's unstinting support to China on its core issues, including the "One China" policy, Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and the South China Sea. He expressed Pakistan's sincere gratitude for China's principled position on the Jammu & Kashmir dispute and support for Pakistan on other core issues. The Chinese Premier appreciated Pakistan's support for China and reaffirmed China's continuing support to Pakistan's national development, sovereignty and territorial integrity. As an All-Weather Friend, China would continue to stand with Pakistan at all times, he pledged. Recalling Prime Minister Shehbaz's visit to China in November 2022 and wide-ranging conversations with President Xi Jinping and the Chinese leadership, the two leaders took stock of bilateral cooperation in key areas, including China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). (@FahadShabbir) MEXICO CITY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th April, 2023) Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Wednesday he has dismissed the ministers of finance, agriculture, interior, health, science, technology, and transportation, following the first debate on the government's health reform, and appointed new ministers to the cabinet to "accelerate changes" in the republic. "The government program includes a road map roadmap for implementing the changes millions of Colombians backed in a vote ... We reaffirm our commitment to always be faithful to the mandate we have received from the people, and we have decided to make changes in the composition of the government to strengthen our program," Petro said in a statement, circulated on social media by his office. According to the text, Ricardo Bonilla was appointed the finance minister, Jhenifer Mojica - the agriculture minister, Luis Fernando Velasco - the minister of interior, Guillermo Alfonso - the health minister, Yesenia Olaya - the minister of science and innovation, Mauricio Lizcano - the minister of information technologies and communications, William Camargo - the minister of transportation, and Carlos Ramon Gonzalez - the head of the administrative department of the presidency of the republic. According to local media, the president informed the ministers about the cabinet reshuffle the day before, following the first congressional hearings on the president's healthcare reforms. According to the reports, Petro rebuked the ministers for not being sufficiently active and added that republic required an "emergency government" that would work day and night to address the social issues of ordinary citizens. (@FahadShabbir) Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Li Shangfu, in New Delhi to discuss developments in the border areas of the two countries, the Indian Defense Ministry said on Thursday MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th April, 2023) Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Li Shangfu, in New Delhi to discuss developments in the border areas of the two countries, the Indian Defense Ministry said on Thursday. "The Raksha Mantri categorically conveyed that development of relations between India and China is premised on prevalence of peace and tranquility at the borders. He added that all issues at the LAC (Line of Actual Control) need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and commitments. He reiterated that violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation," the ministry said in a statement. Li arrived in New Delhi to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) defense ministers' meeting on Friday. India and China have thousands of square miles of disputed borderlands between them, from the Ladakh region, which is triangulated with Pakistan's Kashmir claims, to Arunachal Pradesh to the east of Bhutan. Border conflicts are a permanent fixture of India-China relations, as both countries do not have a marked border but rather the line of actual control, created after the 1962 border war between the nations. (@FahadShabbir) MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th April, 2023) Russia is ready to welcome everything that can bring closer the achievement of peace in Ukraine and the goals of the special military operation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday, commenting on talks between the leaders of China and Ukraine. On Tuesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that President Xi Jinping had a phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and that China would send a representative to Ukraine and other countries for consultations on the political settlement of the crisis. Xi also assured Zelenskyy that Beijing would make efforts to cease the Ukraine conflict and restore peace as soon as possible, Chinese media reported. "We are ready to welcome everything that can bring the end of the conflict in Ukraine closer, and, in fact, the achievement by Russia of all the goals set (by the military operation), we are ready to welcome this," Peskov told reporters. Commenting on the fact of these talks as such, the official said that this is a "sovereign matter of each of these countries and absolutely a matter of their international dialogue." BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- China will take multi-pronged and adjusted measures to expand employment and maintain its stability, per a new circular released by the General Office of the State Council. Adhering to an employment-first strategy, the country will create more jobs by extending employment-oriented subsidies to companies and sectors that hire recent graduates, as well as other key groups of job seekers, the circular said. It will also strengthen credit support for business startups and foster professional skills training. Companies are being encouraged to hire young employees, including college graduates, who can also find posts in primary-level institutions or start businesses in urban or rural communities, the document said. To help job seekers in difficulty, the country will issue one-time subsidies for eligible graduates, and provide insurance compensation and temporary allowances for the unemployed. (@ChaudhryMAli88) NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said on Thursday that SpaceX will need two months to rebuild its launch pad at Starbase, Texas, and prepare another Starship and Super Heavy rocket for a second flight test WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th April, 2023) NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said on Thursday that SpaceX will need two months to rebuild its launch pad at Starbase, Texas, and prepare another Starship and Super Heavy rocket for a second flight test. Last week, SpaceX carried out the first combined launch of the Starship spacecraft and the Super Heavy first-stage booster. The spacecraft was deliberately blown up during the test flight after it began to lose altitude when multiple engines failed. The spacecraft climbed to an apogee of about 39 kilometers (24 miles) over the Gulf of Mexico, which is the highest point any Starship spacecraft has reached to-date. "As of today, SpaceX is still saying that they think it will take at least about two months to rebuild the launch pad and concurrently about two months to have their second vehicle to launch," Nelson said. The explosion of the first Starship rocket was not a big downer in the way SpaceX does things because the company is hardware rich and has a lot of rockets ready to go for further tests after corrections are made, Nelson also said. In addition, the NASA administrator pointed out that he expects more Starship launches to take place at Boca Chica, Texas. CAIRO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th April, 2023) Paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Thursday agreed to extend the current ceasefire in Sudan for another 72 hours. Earlier in the day, the Sudanese armed forces said that they agreed to the extension of truce. "We announce that we agree to the proposal ... to extend the humanitarian truce for an additional 72 hours," RSF tweeted. KHARTOUM (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th April, 2023) The Sudanese Foreign Ministry denied on Thursday the reports about the consent of the commander-in-chief of the Sudanese army to negotiate with the opposing Rapid Support Forces (RSF). On April 15, violent clashes between the Sudanese regular armed forces and the RSF paramilitary group broke out, with the epicenter in Khartoum. On Wednesday, South Sudan's Acting Foreign Minister, Deng Dau Malek, told Sky news Arabia that Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah Burhan has agreed to speak with the rebel paramilitary commander, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. "The ministry confirms that information from some parties about the consent of the armed forces of Sudan to start negotiations with the Rapid Support Forces is incorrect," the statement said. The United States is imposing sanctions on Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) for its alleged role in the wrongful detention of US nationals abroad, Biden administration officials said on Thursday WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th April, 2023) The United States is imposing sanctions on Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) for its alleged role in the wrongful detention of US nationals abroad, Biden administration officials said on Thursday. "We will be announcing sanctions today against Russia's Federal Security Service, often known as the FSB, for being responsible for or complicit in, directly or indirectly engaged in, or responsible for ordering, controlling or otherwise directing the wrongful detention of US national abroad. The FSB has repeatedly been involved in the arrest, investigation, and detention of US Nationals wrongfully detained in Russia," the officials said during a press briefing. The officials said work on a new sanctions package was "well underway" before the Russian authorities detained Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich last month on charges of espionage. WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th April, 2023) Iran's Revolutionary Guard forces have seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, US Naval Forces Central Command said in a statement on Thursday. "On April 27 at approximately 1:15 p.m. local time, Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker Advantage Sweet was seized by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) while transiting international waters in the Gulf of Oman. The oil tanker issued a distress call during the seizure. U.S. 5th Fleet is monitoring the situation," the statement said. The US statement said Iran's interference with ships passing through international waters threatens maritime security and the global economy. According to a US count, Iran has seized at least five commercial vessels in waters in the middle East region in the past two years, the statement said. The University of South Florida remains one of the top universities in the nation for producing new U.S. utility patents, according to a new ranking released this week by the National Academy of Inventors. Based on the 84 new patents secured during the 2022 calendar year, USF is 14th among American public research universities and 35th among all universities worldwide in generating new patents. This marks the 10th year USF has ranked in the top 15 among American public universities. This important recognition is a testament to the University of South Floridas innovative faculty members and their focus on staying at the forefront of new discoveries, USF President Rhea Law said. A key part of our mission at USF is to continue leading groundbreaking research that solves global problems, improves lives and creates a healthier future for our communities. The ranking places USF in rare company among the academic institutions generating new, novel and useful inventionsincluding innovation powerhouses such as the University of California System, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University and Stanford University. Combined, the three universities that comprise the Florida High Tech CorridorUSF, the University of Florida and the University of Central Floridasecured 286 patents. This puts The Corridor ahead of nationally recognized centers of innovation, including North Carolinas Research Triangle and the University of Texas System. The Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents in 2022 report from the National Academy of Inventors uses data from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in the previous calendar year and highlights the vital role patents play in not only university research and innovation, but in the global knowledge economy. The full report can be found here. Here are some of the highlights of USFs 2022 patents: Learning app created by USF professor enhances vocabulary instruction for dual and English language learners Sara Smith is the creator of the Multimedia Augmented Reality Vocabulary Learning (MARVL) application, which uses technology and research-based best practices to support learning vocabulary in a new language. Smith is an assistant professor in USFs ESOL and Foreign Language Education and Faculty in the Technology in Education and Second Language Acquisition doctoral program. After experiencing classroom environments with more than 18 different languages spoken by her students, Smith developed an application that aims to improve vocabulary instruction for English language learners and dual-language learners. The MARVL app allows children to complete their English vocabulary learning on their own, while also reinforcing their knowledge of words in their home language. MARVL uses that excitement and fun of augmented reality to build on traditional vocabulary flashcard methods, Smith said. We know that the best way for kids to learn a new word is when they get a definition in their first language. So, MARVL is really here to create a resource for teachers so they could provide that dual-language support. New USF patent creates digital alibis This security technology is the first of its kind to create and verify an unforgeable alibi. The patented technology, dubbed "Here I am," can more accurately confirm an individuals identity and location using their voice. It works by creating an unforgeable, encrypted digital certificate on a users cellular device. The certificate is permanently verifiable and can be used for authentication in a variety of scenarios, such as improving employee accountability, as well as protection for victims of domestic abuse and criminal justice. The goal is to license the technology directly to telecom providers that utilize location data. The providers can then offer it to companies to integrate into their own apps, such as ride-sharing services, helping them better protect drivers and passengers. USF computer science and engineering Professor Sriram Chellappan spent several years brainstorming inventions to protect people from being wrongly accused of crimes. In 2018, he teamed up with Balaji Padmanabhan, USF professor of information systems and management, to create the app. When law enforcement is investigating a crime, it is very common for those who are detained to be unable to generate verifiable alibis and that becomes a critical liability, Chellappan said. They cant return to work, may lose their job and as a result, lose their income. I thought there must be a way to fix this and prove peoples true location, when needed. Although devices can easily be tracked, confirming the identity of the person operating the device during that tracking is more difficult, especially after several years have passed. The team concluded the most efficient way to overcome this hurdle would be to combine a persons voice with the location, date and timea foolproof way for someone to prove they were at a specific place at a certain time. Two electrical engineering professors at USF receive patent and NSF grant for wearable technology Wearable electronics are becoming increasingly common, with clothing wired to connect to a range of devices, such as headphones nestled inside a hat. Expanding on previous work in this area that resulted in a patent approved in 2022, USF electrical engineering Associate Professor Arash Takshi and USF Research & Innovation Interim Vice President and Professor Sylvia Thomas are using a novel electrochemical method to print copper directly on fabric. The type of technology that can be embedded into fabric is limited only by the imagination, and Takshi sees his invention as primarily beneficial in several sectorshealth, military and personal performance monitors. Smart suits can be designed for military personnel and astronauts with distributed sensors interconnected using this new technology. Smart suits can also be designed for monitoring a patients health status and the physical activities of athletes. With a $369,574 grant from the National Science Foundation, the project is taking wearable electronics to a whole other level. In the devised method, invented by Takshi and his former doctoral student, Sabrina Rosa-Ortiz, a few volts are applied for growing copper. The relatively larger voltage, still in the range of 2-3 V, results in water electrolysis at the same time that copper grows. Thomas, the projects co-principal investigator, said that the resulting invention has the potential to change the entire production pipeline of wearable electronics. This technology stands to further advance the way we envision wearable electronics, textile electronics and flexible electronics as we know them todayfrom lab to innovation to product, she said. Global dashboard for tracking invasive mosquitoes carrying deadly diseases To combat the ongoing threat of mosquito-borne diseases worldwide, USF researchers have invented a technique to leverage smartphone cameras and image processing to classify mosquito species. With funding from the National Science Foundation, computer science and engineering Professor Sriram Chellappan and integrative biology Assistant Professor Ryan Carney created the Global Mosquito Observations Dashboard to surveil mosquito-borne diseases with automated mosquito identification. Mosquito-borne diseases continue to pose grave dangers to global health. An important step in combating their spread in any area is to identify the type of species prevalent there. To do so, trained personnel lay local mosquito traps, and after collecting trapped specimens, they visually inspect each specimen to identify the species type and log their counts. Using that process takes hours and is cognitively very demanding. However, this smartphone-based system allows anyone to take images of a still mosquito that is either alive or dead and automatically classify the species type. This new system integrates image processing, feature selection, unsupervised clustering and a machine learning algorithm for classification. Also, ordinary citizens can use this system in their own homes for self-awareness and information sharing with public health agencies. Liliane and Christian Haub Fund Professorship in UWs Haub School Liliane and Christian Haub, center, pose for a photo with the faculty and staff of the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming. A gift from the philanthropists will establish the Liliane and Christian Haub Professorship in the Haub School. (UW Photo) A gift to the University of Wyoming from philanthropists Liliane and Christian Haub will establish the Liliane and Christian Haub Professorship in the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, which will support the schools work in environment and natural resources. We are thrilled to support this professorship to attract and retain talented educators and researchers in order to build the best possible faculty who will have a tremendous influence on generations of students to come, Liliane Haub says. The purpose of the Liliane and Christian Haub Professorship is to help early-career faculty maximize their impact on the Haub School through their research, teaching and outreach efforts. Additionally, it is designed to help them make progress toward tenure and promotion through the ranks of professor. The professorship will be used to recruit and retain exceptional early-career faculty in the Haub School and will rotate every three years to a new high-performing faculty member. The generosity of Liliane and Christian will go toward faculty excellence through an endowed professorship, UW President Ed Seidel says. Endowed positions represent UWs commitment to an academic discipline at the highest level. On behalf of the entire university, we are so grateful to Liliane for her steadfast leadership of the school and their advisory board over the past 15 years, Seidel adds. The Haub family has been extraordinarily generous with their support of the University of Wyoming, and we are forever grateful. The goal of the Haub School is to advance the understanding and resolution of complex environmental and natural resources challenges -- which today are more complex and challenging than ever. This involves training the next generation of professionals to efficiently balance, effectively procure, sustainably use and wisely conserve the worlds natural resources through data-informed discussions, building coalitions and working toward consensus. Innovative and passionate faculty are so important to maximize the impact that the Haub School can have on our environment and natural resources across our wild and working lands, says John Koprowski, dean of the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources. Koprowski adds, The continued support of Liliane and Christian Haub -- and their generosity in providing a gift that guarantees resources to empower our faculty in perpetuity -- exemplify the importance of committed partners and friends to achieve sustainable solutions to environmental challenges. Liliane has been a devoted and passionate supporter of the Haub School for well over a decade, all the while providing incredible counsel to past deans and directors and serving on the Haub Schools advisory board. None of these ambitious goals would be possible without professors who share their knowledge and skills both in the classroom and in the field. And it is early-career faculty who will take the program into the future and educate tomorrows students. This endowment also emphasizes the importance of professorships in recruiting and retaining faculty. Professorships attract top talent, and the support of an endowment helps recruit the best and brightest to join the Haub School. And, because the professorship will rotate every three years, it will help retain talented early-career faculty as they make progress toward securing tenure and promotion. This generous gift will provide a unique resource that supports the progress of young faculty toward the critical goal of obtaining tenure, which is a prerequisite for a long and productive career at UW, says Kevin Carman, UW provost and executive vice president. Christian and Liliane Haubs gift will have a significant impact on the future of the Haub School. Indeed, UWs educational program in environment and natural resources has been largely made possible by the Haub familys sustained cross-generational efforts. Liliane Haub has served on the Advisory Board for the Haub School for the past 15 years. During that time, she has been a steady source of support for the school. In addition to her duties on the board, she regularly advises and supports leadership, faculty and students while also providing incredible philanthropic support to countless endeavors. She is passionate about the environment, art and education and leads the familys support of the environment. In addition to Lilianes role with the Haub School, she is director of American Prairie, as well as on the Board of Trustees of Pace University and its Elisabeth Haub School of Law. She managed the family bison ranch in Cora, Wyo., for almost a decade. Under her leadership, the livestock operation transitioned to environmentally sustainable methods. Together with the Haub School, she wrote a field guide highlighting the history, fauna and flora of the area. Christian Haub is CEO of the Tengelmann Group, which is based in Germany. Founded in 1876, the company has been in the Haub family for generations -- Christian is fifth generation. He earned his MBA from the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration. He began his career in investment banking in New York and served as director of Metro Inc. in Montreal, of the Food Marketing Institute and of BrightFarms. He served as CEO and executive chairman of A&P, the U.S. oldest supermarket chain. The Tengelmann Group began as a modest food retail business and grew to the international retail empire it is today, spanning Europe and North America. The company embraces sustainable business practices throughout its enterprise, and it invests in startups and real estate. The company incorporated these practices long before they became mainstream and won numerous awards and recognition for its leadership in this area. The Haub familys vision is for the Haub School to further environmental education, create stronger awareness of the pressing issues related to the vast natural resources in Wyoming and support the development of guidelines to help decision-making in local and state governments. Ultimately, the goal of the Liliane and Christian Haub Professorship is to support the faculty of the Haub School in whats most important -- making a difference. UW and Cardiff University Sign Five-Year Partnership Cardiff University Vice Chancellor Colin Riordan, left, and UW President Ed Seidel mark the start of a five-year research and education partnership at an event in Wales earlier this week. (Cardiff University Photo) Joint ventures in research and education will be developed between the University of Wyoming and Cardiff University in Wales, United Kingdom, as part of a new strategic partnership. Collaborative research projects; an annual series of seminars, conferences and workshops; staff and Ph.D. student visits; and collaborative education programs are all planned as part of the five-year partnership, which was signed at an event this week at Cardiff University. The agreement with UW is Cardiffs maiden strategic partnership with a U.S. higher education institution. For UW, its an agreement with depth beyond those previously developed with other international institutions. This strategic partnership marks a substantial commitment to fostering meaningful collaborations across the disciplines, UW President Ed Seidel says. We envision projects that expand the scope and impact of our research; that create new opportunities for student and faculty exchange; and that will generate connections between Wales and Wyoming that will benefit both our universities and our broader communities. Our partnership with Wyoming is our latest commitment to this civic mission, and I look forward to seeing the benefits unfold as our university communities coalesce over the coming years, says Professor Colin Riordan, vice chancellor of Cardiff University. This also is our first formal partnership with a university in the U.S. As a favorite destination for our students who decide to embark on periods of international exchange during their studies, Wyoming represents an exciting addition to our suite of global opportunities. The new five-year agreement builds on a memorandum of understanding signed by the two institutions in 2021 that helped start a software development program involving UW and Wyoming community colleges under the Wyoming Innovation Partnership. Among additional potential areas for collaboration are energy, computing, music, water, biodiversity conservation, social entrepreneurship, digital humanities, range management and plant health. This new partnership promises to create really exciting opportunities for UW students, faculty and staff, says Isadora Helfgott, UWs vice provost for global engagement. Were thrilled to have found a terrific partner in Cardiff University, a world-class institution with complementary interests and areas of specialization and excellence. We have already identified a number of areas where we have a lot of enthusiasm on both sides to work together, and were excited to identify even more going forward. UW Entrepreneurship Competition Winners Selected BAST Manufacturing is the grand prize winner of the UW College of Business 23rd annual John P. Ellbogen $50K Entrepreneurship Competition. Presenting the businesss pitch during the competition are, from left: Clayton Auzqui, a recent UW graduate from Clearmont who studied economics and agriculture business; Carly Keller, a sophomore from Torrington majoring in veterinary technology at Eastern Wyoming College; and Jared Clapper, a senior from Veteran studying finance at UW. (UW Photo) Winners of the University of Wyoming College of Business 23rd annual John P. Ellbogen $50K Entrepreneurship Competition were selected as the contest concluded April 21-22. Teams were eligible to receive funding from the endowed prize ($63,500), in addition to the Top Submission Awards (four categories), the Peoples Choice Award and the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program Award. The John P. Ellbogen Endowed Fund winners are: -- The grand prize winner, BAST Manufacturing, won $39,000 and is composed of team members Carly Keller, a sophomore from Torrington majoring in veterinary technology at Eastern Wyoming College; Clayton Auzqui, a recent UW graduate from Clearmont who studied economics and agriculture business; and Jared Clapper, a senior from Veteran studying finance at UW. BAST Manufacturing provides a sustainable, high-performance air filter that helps communities and the environment. -- The second winner, Inspira Nutrition, won $15,500 and is led by Evan Eversole, a sophomore from Douglas studying chemical engineering at UW. The business says it fuels your next journey with high-quality, proven nutrition that inspires. -- The third winner, EdgeFlyte, won $5,000 and is led by Tate Schrock, a freshman from Anton, Colo., who is studying business and entrepreneurship at Laramie County Community College. EdgeFlyte offers high-performance, edge-of-space atmospheric research equipment to academics and hobbyists. -- The fourth winner, Purely Persistent, won $4,000 and is led by Michelle Schutten, of Rock Springs, who holds a graduate degree and is a sophomore in a digital design program at Western Wyoming Community College. Purely Persistent LLC is a Wyoming-based, online education business focused on empowering adults to obtain high school equivalency certificates, develop satisfying careers and create rewarding lives. Top Submission Awards winners are: -- Community College Team -- Winning $1,000 was Heart to Heart - WY, led by team members Thea Farrington, of Powell, who is studying psychology at Northwest College; Tatiana Farrington, of Powell, a high school senior taking coursework at Northwest College; and Rilei Farmer, of Cody, a freshman studying art at Northwest College. Heart to Heart - WY is a nonprofit business that works with youth and young adults living with mental illnesses. -- Female Entrepreneur -- Winning $1,000 was Purely Persistent. -- Social Enterprise -- Winning $1,000 was Wyoming Rail Yard, led by Dayton Hammel, of Parker, Colo., a junior studying business entrepreneurship and sales at UW. Wyoming Rail Yard provides terrain parks to the underserved skiers and snowboarders of Wyoming looking to progress and have fun. -- Best Ability to Positively Impact Wyoming -- Winning $1,000 winner was BAST Manufacturing. The Peoples Choice Award winner, Wyoming Rail Yard, received $500. The business also won the High School Choice Award and received $1,000 for that honor. Winner of the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program Award and $2,500 was Mary Claire (MC) Cares, led by team members Auzqui; Clapper; Aram Maljanian, a senior from Los Angeles studying computer science at UW; and Benjamin Wilkin, a junior from Denver, Colo., studying computer science at UW. Mary Claire (MC) Cares provides monitoring technology that merges Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliance and data analytics to improve the care environments of those who are not always able to speak for themselves. Students wishing to compete in the 2023-24 John P. Ellbogen $50K Entrepreneurship Competition may email project coordinator Josie Voight for more information at voight@uwyo.edu. Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, delivers a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 6th Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, April 27, 2023. The 6th Digital China Summit opened here on Thursday. (Xinhua/Shen Hong) FUZHOU, April 27 (Xinhua) -- The 6th Digital China Summit opened on Thursday in the city of Fuzhou in east China's Fujian Province. Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony. Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Leung Chun-ying also attended the event. The two-day summit focuses on showcasing the latest achievements of the Digital China initiative, and on sharing experience in digital development. Participants have the opportunity to witness remarkable progress in areas such as digital infrastructure, the digital economy and digital society at an exhibition dedicated to digital development. A digital product expo, a digital innovation competition and a series of forums are also set be held during the event. The summit is co-sponsored by the Cyberspace Administration of China, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, and the People's Government of Fujian Province. Participants listen to a speech during the opening ceremony of the 6th Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, April 27, 2023. The 6th Digital China Summit opened on Thursday in the city of Fuzhou. The two-day summit focuses on showcasing the latest achievements of the Digital China initiative, and on sharing experience in digital development. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong) UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Li Junhua delivers a video address at the opening ceremony of the 6th Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, April 27, 2023. The 6th Digital China Summit opened on Thursday in the city of Fuzhou. The two-day summit focuses on showcasing the latest achievements of the Digital China initiative, and on sharing experience in digital development. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong) Guests attend the opening ceremony of the 6th Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, April 27, 2023. The 6th Digital China Summit opened on Thursday in the city of Fuzhou. The two-day summit focuses on showcasing the latest achievements of the Digital China initiative, and on sharing experience in digital development. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong) This photo taken on April 27, 2023 shows the opening ceremony of the 6th Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province. The 6th Digital China Summit opened on Thursday in the city of Fuzhou. The two-day summit focuses on showcasing the latest achievements of the Digital China initiative, and on sharing experience in digital development. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong) An exhibitor introduces a training platform for application programming of industrial robots during the 6th Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, April 27, 2023. The 6th Digital China Summit opened on Thursday in the city of Fuzhou. The two-day summit focuses on showcasing the latest achievements of the Digital China initiative, and on sharing experience in digital development. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan) A visitor reads ancient books with VR glasses during the 6th Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, April 27, 2023. The 6th Digital China Summit opened on Thursday in the city of Fuzhou. The two-day summit focuses on showcasing the latest achievements of the Digital China initiative, and on sharing experience in digital development. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan) This photo taken on April 27, 2023 shows the main venue of the 6th Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province. The 6th Digital China Summit opened on Thursday in the city of Fuzhou. The two-day summit focuses on showcasing the latest achievements of the Digital China initiative, and on sharing experience in digital development. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan) People visit the 6th Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, April 27, 2023. The 6th Digital China Summit opened on Thursday in the city of Fuzhou. The two-day summit focuses on showcasing the latest achievements of the Digital China initiative, and on sharing experience in digital development. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan) Visitors look at a digital platform for sugarcane fields management during the 6th Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, April 27, 2023. The 6th Digital China Summit opened on Thursday in the city of Fuzhou. The two-day summit focuses on showcasing the latest achievements of the Digital China initiative, and on sharing experience in digital development. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan) BEIJING, April 27 (Xinhua) -- A selection of the best daily press photos from Xinhua. This photo taken on April 26, 2023 shows the lighting installations set at the exhibition venue of the 6th Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province. The 6th Digital China Summit will take place in the city of Fuzhou in east China's Fujian Province from April 27 to 28. The five-day exhibition was unveiled Wednesday as part of the summit to display the latest achievements and successful practices of digitalization on 11 fronts highlighted in the February plan, including digital infrastructure, the economy, and society. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan) A traditional costume show is held at the Great Tang All Day Mall in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 25, 2023. (Photo by Zou Jingyi/Xinhua) A visitor takes photos of a model of the quantum computing prototype "Jiuzhang" at the 2nd China (Anhui) Science and Technology Innovation Achievement Transformation Fair held in Hefei of east China's Anhui Province, April 26, 2023. The three-day 2nd China (Anhui) Science and Technology Innovation Achievement Transformation Fair kicked off in Hefei Wednesday. (Xinhua/Huang Bohan) Employees make Tacheng cheese bread at the workshop of Jiangqu food company in Tacheng, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 1, 2023. Located on the border of China and Kazakhstan, the small city of Tacheng is home to people of 25 ethnic groups. Wang Huipeng and his wife opened a bakery here in 2016. Now the bakery has developed into a small food factory named Jiangqu with employees coming from 9 different ethnic groups. Many of their products are local favorites, among which their signature Tacheng cheese bread is drawing more and more attention and has become very popular on the internet for its pleasant taste and unique texture. (Xinhua/Fei Maohua) Farmers harvest the lotus roots at a lotus pond in the Lingjiaohu Village of Nanxian County, Yiyang City, central China's Hunan Province, April 26, 2023. Farmers in Lingjiaohu Village of Nanxian County have recently been busy with harvesting lotus roots. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan) This photo taken on April 25, 2023 shows giant panda Ya Ya at the Memphis Zoo in Memphis, the United States. Female giant panda Ya Ya left the Memphis Zoo here on Wednesday morning for a flight returning to China. Ya Ya's departure came after 20 years of stay at the zoo in Memphis, Tennessee. As arranged by the Chinese and U.S. sides, she will board a plane to Shanghai. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) People ride rickshaws at a market place in New Delhi, India, on April 26, 2023. By the end of April, India's population is expected to amount to 1,425,775,850, becoming the most populous country in the world, said the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) on Monday in a press release. (Xinhua/Javed Dar) Okinawa lawmaker Katsutoshi Toyama speaks in an interview after talks at Foreign Ministry in Tokyo, Japan, April 25, 2023. A delegation of lawmakers from Japan's Okinawa Prefecture has called on the country's government to engage in peacebuilding through dialogue and diplomacy. In a resolution submitted to the Defense Ministry, the Cabinet Office and the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo on Monday and Tuesday, the lawmakers also urged efforts to prevent the southernmost prefecture from becoming a battlefield again. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu) Aircraft of the Israeli Air Force Aerobatic Team perform during an air show celebrating Israel's Independence Day in Tel Aviv, Israel, on April 26, 2023. Israel marked its Independence Day from Tuesday evening to Wednesday evening. Israel declared independence on May 14, 1948, but it marks the Independence Day on different dates every year based on the Hebrew calendar. (Gideon Markowicz/JINI via Xinhua) Gong Qin (L) from China demonstrates her invention "Comprehensive Auditory Function Detection System" at the 48th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva in Geneva, Switzerland, April 26, 2023. The 48th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, the first offline edition since the outbreak of the COVID-19, kicked off here Wednesday. More than 820 exhibitors from 42 countries and regions participated in the five-day event, showing some 1,000 inventions. A total of 140 exhibitors from China will display more than 160 inventions involving artificial intelligence, environmental protection and machinery. (Xinhua/Lian Yi) GENEVA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The 48th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, the first offline edition since the outbreak of the COVID-19, kicked off here Wednesday. A total of 140 exhibitors from China will display more than 160 inventions involving artificial intelligence, environmental protection and machinery. Some of the Chinese exhibitors are students from primary and middle schools. Feng Jiashu, an 11-year-old primary school student from north China's Tianjin, brought his invention "Electronic Bird's Nest on the Internet of Things," which attracted many visitors. Joe Lin, who is from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, told Xinhua that the university presented 19 inventions covering such fields as biotechnology, electronic engineering and artificial intelligence. Chinese Ambassador to Switzerland Wang Shihting attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition. He told Xinhua that China's exhibitor team is outstanding in terms of quantity and quality of inventions. More than 820 exhibitors from 42 countries and regions participated in the five-day event, showing some 1,000 inventions. People view a charging system for electric vehicles using a robotic arm, an invention from Spain, at the 48th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva in Geneva, Switzerland, April 26, 2023. The 48th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, the first offline edition since the outbreak of the COVID-19, kicked off here Wednesday. More than 820 exhibitors from 42 countries and regions participated in the five-day event, showing some 1,000 inventions. A total of 140 exhibitors from China will display more than 160 inventions involving artificial intelligence, environmental protection and machinery. (Xinhua/Lian Yi) A shoe-wearing device is displayed at the 48th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva in Geneva, Switzerland, April 26, 2023. The 48th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, the first offline edition since the outbreak of the COVID-19, kicked off here Wednesday. More than 820 exhibitors from 42 countries and regions participated in the five-day event, showing some 1,000 inventions. A total of 140 exhibitors from China will display more than 160 inventions involving artificial intelligence, environmental protection and machinery. (Xinhua/Lian Yi) People visit the 48th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva in Geneva, Switzerland, April 26, 2023. The 48th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, the first offline edition since the outbreak of the COVID-19, kicked off here Wednesday. More than 820 exhibitors from 42 countries and regions participated in the five-day event, showing some 1,000 inventions. A total of 140 exhibitors from China will display more than 160 inventions involving artificial intelligence, environmental protection and machinery. (Xinhua/Lian Yi) People visit the 48th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva in Geneva, Switzerland, April 26, 2023. The 48th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, the first offline edition since the outbreak of the COVID-19, kicked off here Wednesday. More than 820 exhibitors from 42 countries and regions participated in the five-day event, showing some 1,000 inventions. A total of 140 exhibitors from China will display more than 160 inventions involving artificial intelligence, environmental protection and machinery. (Xinhua/Lian Yi) A Chinese inventor demonstrates a high-power density and high-integration electric drive system for electric vehicles at the 48th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva in Geneva, Switzerland, April 26, 2023. The 48th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, the first offline edition since the outbreak of the COVID-19, kicked off here Wednesday. More than 820 exhibitors from 42 countries and regions participated in the five-day event, showing some 1,000 inventions. A total of 140 exhibitors from China will display more than 160 inventions involving artificial intelligence, environmental protection and machinery. (Xinhua/Lian Yi) A zero-emission hydrofoil boat is displayed at the 48th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva in Geneva, Switzerland, April 26, 2023. The 48th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, the first offline edition since the outbreak of the COVID-19, kicked off here Wednesday. More than 820 exhibitors from 42 countries and regions participated in the five-day event, showing some 1,000 inventions. A total of 140 exhibitors from China will display more than 160 inventions involving artificial intelligence, environmental protection and machinery. (Xinhua/Lian Yi) An inventor demonstrates an electric bicycle with a foldable windshield at the 48th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva in Geneva, Switzerland, April 26, 2023. The 48th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, the first offline edition since the outbreak of the COVID-19, kicked off here Wednesday. More than 820 exhibitors from 42 countries and regions participated in the five-day event, showing some 1,000 inventions. A total of 140 exhibitors from China will display more than 160 inventions involving artificial intelligence, environmental protection and machinery. (Xinhua/Lian Yi) Show more Show less South Korea has agreed to not pursue its own nuclear weapons program. Welcome to VOA Asia Weekly. I'm Chris Casquejo in Washington. That story is coming up, but first, making headlines: Chinese leader Xi Jinping talked by phone Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, state media reported. Xi told Zelenskyy that China will send special representatives to Ukraine and hold talks with all parties on resolving the crisis there. The leader of the Islamic State terror group cell that carried out the August 2021 bombing at Kabul International Airport that killed 13 U.S. troops and about 170 Afghan civilians fleeing Afghanistan is dead, slain during recent clashes with Afghanistan's ruling Taliban. U.S. officials, who initially confirmed the death to VOA on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss the intelligence, declined to name the cell leader or say when or where he was killed. Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday that eight Japanese citizens, including embassy officials and their family, were airlifted from an air force base in northern Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, by the French military, after Japanese defense troops evacuated dozens of others to nearby Djibouti. U.S. and Philippines armed forces sank a mock enemy warship off the southeast Asian nations western coast Wednesday during annual joint military drills. The Balikatan is the largest ever annual drill, with over 17,000 troops from the Philippines and U.S. participating. Taiwan's annual Han Kuang military drills will consider China's recent war games to focus on combating a blockade of the island and preserving the fighting ability of its forces, the defense ministry said on Wednesday. Tabletop drills will take place in mid-May, and live-fire exercises the last week of July. The United States and South Korea signed a landmark agreement Wednesday that gives Seoul a greater decision-making role in U.S. contingency planning against a possible North Korea nuclear attack, in exchange for Seoul agreeing not to pursue its own nuclear weapons program. VOAs Anita Powell reports from the White House. President Joe Biden affirmed the U.S. commitment to defend against North Korean aggression as he welcomed South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for a pomp-filled state visit, just the second such visit of his administration. Look, a nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its allies and partisan partners is unacceptable and will result in the end of whatever regime were to take such an action. Pyongyang has greatly increased its missile launch activities this year and last, the United Nations says. Under the new Washington Declaration, the two allies will bolster defenses against Pyongyang. The United States will set up a Nuclear Consultative Group to allow greater information sharing and give Seoul a greater voice in deliberations over U.S. weapons deployment. In return, Seoul will maintain its non-nuclear status in accordance with the Non-Proliferation Treaty it ratified in 1975. Yoon, on Wednesday, welcomed the agreement. In the event of North Korea's nuclear attack, and [our countries] promised to respond swiftly, overwhelmingly and decisively, using the full force of the Alliance including the United States nuclear weapons. Biden said the two presidents also discussed security beyond the Korean Peninsula. We discussed our work together on promoting peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits, ensuring freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and beyond. Excuse me. I also affirmed we together affirmed our shared commitment to stand with the people of Ukraine against Russia's brutal assault on their freedom or territorial integrity and democracy. The U.S. and South Korea have been allies since the end of the Korean war, 70 years ago, but analysts say there are questions in South Korea about the strength and credibility of the agreement. It takes it off the table the possibility of any kind of South Korean development of an indigenous nuclear capability, and it really bolsters the idea that the U.S. and South Korea are going to address North Korea together. But, Snyder added, the potential for cooperation continues to grow, including in space. On Tuesday, Yoon and Vice President Kamala Harris explored the two nations growing ties in space exploration and security, with a tour of a NASA facility near Washington. Thats a sign, he said, that this partnership may go to a new frontier. Anita Powell, VOA News, the White House. Visit voanews.com for the most up-to-date stories. Thanks for watching VOA Asia Weekly. Im Chris Casquejo. Until next week. We leave you on a high note: South Korean President Yoon singing the Don McLean song American Pie during his White House visit. Pakistan said Thursday that it was buying discounted Russian crude oil with the implicit approval of the United States, and the first shipment is expected to arrive in the country soon. Masood Khan, the Pakistani ambassador to the U.S., made the remarks at a conference in Washington organized by the Wilson Center's South Asia Institute on the future of relations between the two countries. "We have placed the first order for Russian oil, and this has been done in consultation with the United States government. There's no misunderstanding between Washington and Islamabad on this count," Khan said. The top diplomat was responding to suggestions the energy purchase could undermine Pakistan's already tumultuous relationship with the U.S. "They have suggested that you are free to buy anything below or up to the price cap, and we have abided by that agreement. I think Washington is fine with that," Khan added without elaborating. Vote of confidence for Sharif He spoke just hours after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told the parliament in Islamabad his government was set to receive an inaugural shipment of Russian crude oil. "As we speak, the Russian oil is being loaded to arrive here," Sharif said after securing a vote of confidence from the National Assembly, the upper house of parliament, amid opposition allegations he had lost an already thin majority in the house. A State Department spokesperson responding to Pakistan's import of Russian energy told VOA that Washington recognizes the pressure governments face to secure affordable fuel, and each country will have to make its own choices regarding energy imports. "We continue to coordinate with allies and partners to mitigate the impact of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's war of aggression against Ukraine on global energy markets," the spokesperson said. "Russia's actions have clearly demonstrated it is not a reliable supplier of energy, and we encourage steps to reduce long-term dependence on energy supplies from Russia." The State Department official, however, did not address VOA's direct question about whether the U.S. would be comfortable with Pakistan buying Russian oil as long as it's under the price cap. Last week, Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik said Pakistan had made its first purchase of Russian crude oil at a discounted rate and the cargo would reach the country next month via sea. He did not share further details, saying Islamabad plans to increase the import volume to 100,000 barrels per day if the first transaction with Moscow goes through smoothly. The move was expected to bring a much-needed respite to the cash-strapped South Asian nation, with energy imports making up most of its external payments. The Sharif government has been struggling to avert a balance of payments crisis as it awaits the resumption of financial lending from the International Monetary Fund. The Pakistani central bank's foreign exchange reserves have lately fallen to nearly $4.5 billion, barely enough to cover a month of imports. Ties with US back on track Khan told the audience in Washington on Thursday that Pakistan's ties with the United States had suffered a "brief period of uncertainty" after the U.S.-led foreign military withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, when the then-insurgent Taliban seized control of the country. Despite being an ally of the U.S., Islamabad was accused of sheltering and supporting Taliban insurgents while they were battling the U.S. and NATO troops for almost two decades. The Pakistani ambassador insisted the relationship with the U.S. was back on track and both sides were working to scale up economic and security partnerships. "We are back in business. It is important that the United States restores for Pakistan foreign military financing and foreign military sales, which were suspended by the previous [Trump] administration," the Pakistani ambassador said. Former President Donald Trump cut military cooperation with Pakistan, citing its covert support for the Taliban, charges Pakistani leaders rejected. Khan stressed the need for Islamabad and Washington to work together to eliminate the Islamic State-led threat of terrorism stemming from Afghanistan, noting a surge in terror attacks in Pakistan since the Taliban's return to power in the strife-torn neighboring country. He said Pakistan was politically engaging with Taliban authorities to try to persuade them to deny Afghan space to terrorists waging deadly attacks in his country and those linked to Islamic State-Khorasan, the regional branch of Islamic State. Khan asserted that the U.S. was also "talking directly to Taliban cabinet ministers." "Let's work together to eliminate this threat in the region," he said. "Today, it's a threat to Pakistan and Afghanistan. If unchecked, it will spread to other parts of the region and beyond. Urgent action is needed to fight this menace." Defense talks Senior State Department official Elizabeth Horst, speaking at the Wilson Center conference Thursday, said the last year had helped reset the U.S.-Pakistan relationship. The two countries held midlevel defense dialogues in Washington and a counterterrorism working group in Islamabad in February and March, respectively, she said. "Since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, we have been more aligned than ever with Pakistan on how to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a base for terrorism," said the principal deputy assistant secretary and deputy assistant secretary for Pakistan, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. Horst said that Washington was concerned that the number of attacks, mainly targeting Pakistani security forces, has increased. "Pakistan has much to gain from a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, and the United States and Pakistan have a shared interest in holding the Taliban to its counterterrorism commitments." The U.S. official said that this topic was the focus of recent dialogues between the U.S. and Pakistan. Khan also emphasized the need to work "collectively for promoting women's and girls' education and inclusive governance in Afghanistan." No foreign government has recognized the Taliban as the legitimate ruler of Afghanistan. The international community is pressing the Taliban leadership to remove bans on women's access to education and work. The hard-line de facto authorities are also required to give representation to all Afghan ethnic groups in their administration. VOA State Department Bureau Chief Nike Ching contributed to this report. BEIJING, April 27 (Xinhua) -- China welcomes the appointment of the new Ukrainian ambassador to China, and stands ready to facilitate the ambassador's performance of his duties, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Thursday. Mao made the remarks at a regular news briefing when asked to comment on the news that Pavlo Riabikin, former Ukrainian minister for strategic industries, had been appointed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as Ukraine's new ambassador to China. Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson formally launched his Republican presidential campaign Wednesday, pledging to "bring out the best of America" and aiming to draw contrasts with other GOP hopefuls on top issues, including how best to reform federal law enforcement agencies. Hutchinson kicked off his 2024 bid in his hometown of Bentonville, on the same steps where he launched an unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaign 30 years ago. "I ran as a conservative Republican when being a Republican was like having a career-ending handicap," Hutchinson said, adding, "And now, I bring that same vigor to fight another battle, and that battle is for the future of our country and the soul of our party." The stalwart conservative, who announced in a television interview earlier this month that he intended to run, has been a rare figure among announced or expected Republican presidential hopefuls in his willingness to criticize former President Donald Trump, calling for him to drop out of the 2024 race instead of seeking another White House term. And while Trump has fixated his campaign message around his false claims about the 2020 election he lost, Hutchinson has said voters need a candidate who is not focused on the past. While some of the other contenders who served in Trump's administration struggled to carve out distance from Trump, Hutchinson has been able to draw from his lengthy resume in government and roots in America's heartland. Without mentioning Trump by name Wednesday, Hutchinson offered a contrast to the former president's derision of federal law enforcement by emphasizing his own background, with previous service as head of the Drug Enforcement Administration and former undersecretary of the Department of Homeland Security. "There are a few misguided leaders who say we should defund law enforcement, we should defund the FBI. I am here today in support of our law enforcement heroes," Hutchinson said. He went on to say, "We should not defund the FBI, but we do need serious reform to refocus the core functions of our federal law enforcement." He said the FBI needs to be "trimmed down and focused on its No. 1 duty: leading our counterterrorism mission." Hutchinson, also a former U.S. attorney and congressman, launched his bid a day after President Joe Biden formally announced his reelection campaign. Hutchinson has argued that neither Biden nor Trump is focused on the future. "I am confident we will even survive through the destructive policies of the Biden administration, but the time for change is now," Hutchinson said. "It is time to bring out the best of America." On Wednesday, Hutchinson also offered a contrast to the isolationist approach some other Republicans have taken about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, saying he agreed "with those who say we do not want an unending war in Ukraine, and the best way to avoid a long war is to help Ukraine win today." Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, entrepreneur and Woke, Inc. author Vivek Ramaswamy and radio host Larry Elder are also in the Republican race. They, along with expected and potential candidates like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, have largely avoided criticizing Trump and have at times defended him. Hutchinson's second gubernatorial term ended in January, but he's been a defining figure of Arkansas politics for more than four decades. Elected to the U.S. House in 1996, Hutchinson won a seat his older brother, Tim, had held for two terms. Serving as one of the House managers prosecuting the impeachment case against President Bill Clinton starting in 1998, Asa Hutchinson stayed in the House until 2001, when he resigned to serve in the Bush administration. After the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, the National Rifle Association selected Hutchinson to lead a task force to study school safety and recommended putting armed guards at every school in the country. Elected governor in 2014, Hutchinson signed a series of income tax cuts and restrictions on abortion, including an outright ban on the procedure that became effective when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Hutchinson later said he wished that the measure had included exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest but didn't push for lawmakers to add those exemptions after the court ruling. On Wednesday, Hutchinson steered clear of culture war issues otherwise dominant in some sectors of Republican politics, focusing on his overall commitment to safeguarding America as "democracy's lighthouse." Hutchinson supported many of Trump's policies but began to break with him over his lies about the 2020 presidential election. He has also criticized Trump for the 2020 peace deal he negotiated with the Taliban and for high government spending in his administration, calling Trump "one of the reasons that we added to our national debt and our deficit." At least 60 bodies were discovered in several villages in the Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu province, authorities said Wednesday. Residents from Kashali and Kazaroho villages in Rutshuru territory were killed over several days by rebels from the M23 group, said Isaac Kibira, a deputy to the governor of the Bwito area. "We are sorry to see how the population is being massacred by M23 ... more than 60 bodies (were found) tied up with mosquito nets. Others were tied with bags," Kibira told local media. The M23 rebel group, largely made up of Congolese ethnic Tutsis, rose to prominence 10 years ago when its fighters seized Goma, eastern Congo's 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. The rebel group was dormant for nearly a decade before resurfacing more than a year ago. M23 fighters are accused by civilians and rights groups of killing civilians and abducting people. Earlier this month, the group withdrew from much of the territory that it had captured, as part of a cease-fire agreement. But residents say they're still present. Conflict has been simmering in eastern Congo for decades where more than 120 armed groups are fighting in the region, mostly for land and control of mines with valuable minerals, while some groups are trying to protect their communities. In addition to increasing M23 violence, CODECO rebels in neighboring Ituri province have also been intensifying attacks. On Tuesday, 19 people were killed by CODECO in Irumu territory, said Gili Gotabo, the president of the Irumu civil society group. Fighting between CODECO, a loose association of various ethnic Lendu militia groups, and Zaire, a mainly ethnic Hema self-defense group, has been ongoing since 2017 but has worsened recently. In February, at least 32 civilians were killed by the group. In December, the United Nations said the insurgent group was expanding its areas of control, attacking civilians and Congo's military, and taxing communities in the areas that it holds. Germany is condemning as unacceptable the death sentence handed down in Iran against Jamshid Sharmahd, an Iranian-German dual citizen and opposition figure accused of masterminding a deadly 2008 bombing of a mosque in Shiraz. Sharmahds U.S.-based family vehemently denies the charges. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock questioned the proceedings in the case and wrote in a tweet that Sharmahd never had even the semblance of a fair trial. She asked Iran to reverse the death sentence immediately. Irans Supreme Court this week upheld the death sentence that was issued by a lower court. Baerbock said Germany's ambassador to Iran had cut short a business trip and was rushed back to Tehran to intervene with authorities. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani accused Germany of "interfering in Iran's internal and judicial affairs," and said "Iran will not ask permission from anyone in the way of confronting terrorism and executing justice. Sharmahd, 68, had been living in the United States, where he served as the spokesperson for Tondar, a group that aims to restore the Western-backed monarchy that ruled Iran before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. His family says Iranian authorities kidnapped Sharmahd during a stopover in Dubai in 2020. Iran accuses him of leading an armed wing of Tondar. His family says he had no involvement in any attacks. In an interview with VOA on Wednesday, Sharmahds daughter Gazelle said the family hadnt had any contact with her father, and we must follow the latest news." Gazelle said it was critical to note that her father was not convicted of terrorism, but of "corruption on Earth," a Quranic phrase the Islamic Republic sometimes uses as a catchall term for anti-government behavior of protesters and dissidents. Amnesty International recently wrote a letter to the head of Irans judiciary asking him to immediately issue an order to reverse the "unfair conviction" and annul the death sentence. According to Amnesty, Sharmahd has been tortured for three years and held in prolonged solitary confinement. The group says he was also deprived of adequate health care and should be released immediately. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press. U.S. President Joe Biden will briefly visit the Pacific islands nation of Papua New Guinea in May, a Papua New Guinea official said on Thursday, as Washington seeks to counter growing Chinese influence in the strategically important region. Biden will stop in the capital Port Moresby on May 22 for three hours on his way to Australia to attend the Quad leaders summit, a spokesperson from the PNG Prime Minister's office told Reuters. A Pacific islands source told Reuters Biden is expected to meet with over a dozen Pacific islands leaders during his May visit to Port Moresby. The meeting would be a significant move in U.S. efforts to push back against Chinese inroads in the region, and follows Biden hosting Pacific island leaders at the White House in September. The Quad summit is being held in Sydney on May 24, with the leaders of India, Australia, Japan and the United States attending, Australia's government has said. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to visit Papua New Guinea on May 21 for a two-day visit en-route to Australia, where he will meet the Pacific island leaders, Papua New Guinea's government has previously announced. The PNG Post Courier newspaper reported on its front page on Thursday that the Biden stopover would be the first visit by a United States president to the resource-rich but largely undeveloped country of 9.4 million just north of Australia. The United States embassy in Canberra referred questions to the White House. The White House National Security Council did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. White House officials have been considering tagging on a Pacific islands stop to Biden's travel to the G-7 in Japan and the Quad meeting in Australia, according to a person familiar with the matter. The United States last year stepped up its diplomacy and aid to the Pacific region after China struck a security deal with the Solomon Islands, and Beijing attempted but failed to forge a wider security and trade pact with 10 island nations. In a statement on Thursday, Fiji said its ministers for education, employment and women had met in Beijing with China's foreign minister Qin Gang, and he had "highlighted the need to formalize the China - Pacific Island Countries relationship." The U.S. Supreme Court is coming under increased pressure to adopt binding ethics rules amid revelations that at least two of its nine justices have failed to file full reports on their financial activities. On Wednesday, a bipartisan duo of senators announced they would introduce legislation requiring the court to adopt a code of conduct, noting that the high court is the only element of the federal government including lower federal courts not covered by ethics requirements. A healthy democracy requires trust: trust in systems, trust in institutions and trust in leaders, said Senator Angus King, an independent who caucuses with the Democratic Party. Americans deserve to have confidence that every part of their government especially the highest court in the land is acting in an ethical manner. Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, said, The American publics confidence in the Supreme Court is at an all-time-low. Americans have made clear their concerns with the transparency or lack thereof coming from the Supreme Court and its justices. It is critical the public has full faith that their institutions are functioning, including the judicial branch. Unreported gifts and sales Criticism of the high courts lack of a binding code of conduct has been a recurring feature of discussions of reform over the years, but the calls to establish ethical standards for its justices, who all serve life terms, intensified in recent weeks after a series of unflattering news reports. Earlier this month, the news organization ProPublica revealed that Justice Clarence Thomas has for decades accepted lavish vacations from a billionaire conservative political donor named Harlan Crow. The trips included travel on private jets and a superyacht, and stays at various luxury properties around the world. Thomas was appointed to the court in 1991 by former President George H.W. Bush and is considered its most conservative justice. In response to the story about the vacations, Thomas said he believed he was not required to report accepting the hospitality of a personal friend. He acknowledged that recent changes to the courts rules have made reporting such gifts a requirement and said he would disclose them in the future. A subsequent news story, also from ProPublica, revealed that Thomas had failed to report a real estate transaction in which Crow purchased several properties from Thomas family. One property was the home in which Thomas mother lived. She continued to reside in the property after Crow purchased it and performed extensive renovations. Focus on Gorsuch On Tuesday, the news website Politico reported that in 2017, Justice Neil Gorsuch sold his interest in a Colorado vacation home to Brian Duffy, CEO of Greenberg Traurig, a large U.S. law firm that often represents clients in cases before the Supreme Court. Gorsuch was appointed to the high court by former President Donald Trump in 2017. The home had been on the market for two years, and the sale went through just days after Gorsuch was sworn in as a member of the court. When he reported the sale in his financial disclosures in 2018, Gorsuch, a member of the courts conservative majority, did not identify Duffy as the purchaser. In media interviews, Duffy has denied that there was anything inappropriate about the transaction, saying he was not aware that Gorsuch was part owner of the property until he had already made the decision to purchase it. He said he has never met Gorsuch and does not practice before the high court. As of Wednesday afternoon, Gorsuch had not commented on the sale or his decision not to identify Duffy as the buyer. Because the revelations about reporting failures have implicated two of the courts most conservative judges, some Republicans have suggested the stories are a left-wing effort to remake the court. After the first stories about Thomas were released, Senator John Cornyn tweeted, The left is furious it lost control of the Supreme Court, and it wants it back by whatever means possible. The latest effort is a smear on Justice Thomas. Roberts refuses to testify The announcement of the new legislation came a day after Chief Justice John Roberts declined an invitation from Senator Richard Durbin, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to testify at a May 2 hearing on ethical standards for the court. In a letter to Durbin, Roberts said he would respectfully decline the offer to appear. Testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee by the Chief Justice of the United States is exceedingly rare, as one might expect in light of separation of powers concerns and the importance of preserving judicial independence, Roberts wrote. The chief justice instead appended a five-page Statement of Ethics Principles and Practices, to which he said all nine justices currently subscribe. Durbin said the scheduled hearing will proceed with or without a representative of the Supreme Court. I extended an invitation to the Chief Justice, or his designate, in an attempt to include the Court in this discussion, he said in a statement. But make no mistake: Supreme Court ethics reform must happen whether the Court participates in the process or not. Poor public perception The push to force an ethics requirement on the court comes at a time when public perceptions of the body are at a low ebb. This week, a poll conducted by National Public Radio, PBS NewsHour and the Marist Institute for Public Opinion found that 62% of Americans said they have little or no confidence in the court. As recently as April 2019, that figure had been only 36%. The same poll found that more than two out of three Americans and majorities of Republicans and Democrats believe that justices service on the court should be term-limited rather than a lifetime appointment. Much of the recent change in attitude toward the court is likely attributable to its decision last year to overturn the nearly 50-year-old decision in Roe v. Wade, which had guaranteed women the right to have an abortion. The decision was deeply unpopular with a large majority of Americans and has led to numerous states enacting laws severely limiting access to abortion. The courts ideological makeup has also shifted sharply in recent years. During his four years in office, Trump was able to place three new justices on the court after two justices died and another retired. The result was a shift in the courts makeup from a balance in which liberals enjoyed a small advantage to a firm conservative majority of 6-3. Ethics key to public trust Paul Finkelman, a legal historian and the Robert E. and Susan T. Rydell visiting professor at Gustavus Adolphus College, told VOA that the lack of an enforceable ethical code is damaging to public perceptions of the court. The credibility of the court, the ability of the court to be accepted by the American people, has to be based on high ethical standards, Finkelman said. But when justices have the obvious appearance of impropriety, it makes it very difficult for the American people to accept the decisions of the court. Finkelman said he believes Roberts refusal to engage with the Senate in a discussion on a code of ethics is an error, and that his arguments about the separation of powers are specious. If he comes before the Senate, he is not coming about litigation before the court. He is not coming about whether the court should be overruling an act of Congress, he said. It's not an issue of the separation of powers. Finkelman added, I think Roberts is making a grave error. Political analysts say with both Turkeys ruling and opposition parties pledging to improve ties with the United States ahead of next months national elections, there are hopeful signs for the bilateral relationship following years of tension. Relations between Washington and Ankara went into a downward spiral following a coup attempt in Turkey seven years ago. Ties worsened after NATO ally Turkey decided to purchase an S-400 surface-to-air missile system from Russia in 2019, triggering sanctions and its removal from the U.S.s F-35 fighter jet program. Ankara was also upset by the partnership between the United States and the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, including the YPG fighting Islamic State rebels in Syria. Turkey views the YPG as an arm of the Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK, which is considered a terrorist group by both Ankara and Washington. Turkeys significance as a NATO ally has been boosted by the role it played following Russias invasion of Ukraine, but Turkeys lingering ties with Moscow continue to concern the United States. Turkeys return to F-35 program? In a manifesto announced ahead of the May 14 elections, Turkeys ruling AK Party pledged to strengthen a strategic mechanism with the United States and ensure concrete steps in line with security priorities are taken with regard to YPG, FETO and sanctions. FETO is an acronym for the movement loyal to Fethullah Gulen, labeled by the Turkish government as Fethullah Terrorist Organization in the aftermath of the 2016 coup plot. Gulen, living in self-imposed exile in the United States, has denied allegations he was behind the coup attempt. Turkeys opposition bloc formed by six political parties has been more explicit about improving ties with Washington, promising that it will advance the alliance relationship with the United States based on mutual trust if it wins the election. The lengthy declaration dubbed as a Memorandum of Understanding on Common Policies and published in January both in Turkish and English, promises to take initiatives for Turkey to return to the F-35 program. Analysts speaking to VOA say that, no matter who wins the election, Turkey will have to deal with the presence of Russias S-400 system on its soil before it can return to the F-35 program. The United States views the Russian system as a threat to the next-generation fighter jet as well as NATO aircraft operating over Turkey. The big problem is the presence of the S-400. If that can be dealt with, either doing away with it or securing it so it does not pick up signals from the F-35, then something can be worked out, says Jim Townsend, a senior follow at the Center for a New American Security in Washington. While the opposition does not make any explicit reference to the S-400s, the intent to return Turkey to the F-35 program in coded language indicates a will to resolve the S-400 issue, one expert argues. Everyone knows the return to the F-35 program cannot happen unless the S-400 issue is resolved, Alan Makovksy, from the Center for American Progress, told VOA, via Skype. Uncertain future of the bigger F-16 deal Earlier in April, the Biden administration notified Congress of a planned sale of software upgrades to Turkey for its current F-16 fleet. The deal valued at more than $250 million needs to be cleared through the formal approval process. The notification of the proposed deal came two weeks after the Turkish parliament approved Finlands accession to NATO after holding it off for several months. A bigger defense package for new jets and modernization kits requested by Ankara, however, faces an uncertain future due to continuing opposition in the U.S. Congress. Experts believe Congress expects more assurances from Turkey. Among them are continuing on the de-escalation path with NATO ally Greece to ease tensions and taking meaningful actions to improve human rights. Ankara and Athens, locked in a deep-rooted feud in the Aegean Sea and eastern Mediterranean, have softened their tone following the devastating earthquakes that hit Turkey in February. If there's calm in the Aegean for several months and human rights changes after the elections, it would be a good start. That would be very significant for Congress, said analyst Makovksy. Sinan Ulgen, director of the Istanbul-based Economic and Foreign Policy Research Center, voiced agreement. If there is going to be a new era in Turkey where the government takes meaningful steps in terms of democratic standards and shows the will to build its relations with the West on more solid ground, I think that will positively affect the views in Congress, he said in an interview with VOA. Turkey, along with Hungary, has yet to ratify Swedens NATO accession. U.S. officials are urging Ankara to take action ahead of a NATO summit in July. Regardless of the outcome, analysts expect a positive step from Turkey on this following the elections, adding the opposition might have more flexibility if it wins. Upholding democratic values Officials in the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden have underscored democracy as an important component of its foreign policy vision. Turkey was not invited to the Summit for Democracy two years in a row. I think in terms of whoever wins this election, the party that has a stronger stand on supporting those values and principles will be a government that will be easier for us to work with, said Jim Townsend. Sinan Ulgen argues that while the United States can work with democratic and undemocratic countries to advance its national interests, those relationships often differ in scope and depth. Your position in the international system matters. A Turkey that positions itself among democratic nations would be advantageous not only in foreign policy but also in economy, foreign investment and technology, he said. Tehran's suppression of widespread protests for women's rights has resulted in more than 14,000 people being detained by the end of the year. Dozens of writers were among them. With those arrests, Iran registered the largest increase globally in jailed writers between 2021 and 2022, with 39 new cases of detention or imprisonment in 2022, according to the 2022 Freedom to Write Index by freedom of expression group PEN America. Iran is now the second worst jailer of writers in the world, with 57 writers jailed in 2022, the index said. "As soon as the protests started in September, we did see what I would describe as a preemptive crackdown on the creative and literary and artistic communities," said Karin Deutsch Karlekar, an Iran expert at PEN America. "We did see a number of writers who were basically preemptively arrested because of their profiles, as the protests swelled in September and October." Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not reply to VOA's email requesting comment. The annual index documents the number of writers, academics and public intellectuals who were held in prison or detention for their work. In total, 311 writers were detained around the world, according to the report, which was released Thursday. Of those, 84 were new cases. Iran ranks second only to China, which with 90 writers detained, tops the PEN index. Saudi Arabia is third, with 20 writers jailed. Those three countries accounted for 54% of the total number of imprisoned writers and public intellectuals, the report said. Other countries in the top 10 are Belarus, Myanmar and Vietnam, each holding 16 writers, and Turkey with 15. "Free expression across the world deteriorated in 2022," said Liesl Gerntholtz, who leads PEN's Freedom to Write Center, which produces the index. "I would say that 2022 was probably a worse year for free expression than 2021, including if you look at it through the lens of writers." Iran was one of the most important freedom of expression cases in 2022, according to Karlekar. The number of jailed writers there more than doubled from 22 in 2021 to 57 in 2022. "It was really an attempt to silence certain voices and also create a climate of fear and self-censorship," Karlekar told VOA. The case of Iran is also distinct because of the crackdown's disproportionate impact on women, such as jailed journalist and activist Narges Mohammadi. Iran is now the largest jailer of female writers globally, with 16 of 42 women in custody in Iran, according to the index. Karlekar told VOA that Iranian writers "have a very long history and tradition of speaking out in Iran, of writing about very critical and timely social scenes." "The creative community doesn't get targeted as much in other countries, but in Iran, they really are at the forefront of the pushback against the government," Karlekar said. The targeting of cultural figures is a recognition of the power that they hold, as well as fear of that power, according to Gerntholtz. PEN has seen a similar pattern elsewhere, including China and Belarus. Since launching the index in 2019, PEN America has ranked China as the worst jailer of writers globally each year. China's Washington embassy did not reply to VOA's email requesting comment. Beijing's repression of Uyghurs in the northwestern region of Xinjiang where multiple countries have said China is committing genocide and crimes against humanity is a major driver of China's top jailer status. "All people in China faced systematic suppression of their free expression rights, but ethnic minorities face a particular, acute suppression," said Angeli Datt, who researches China at PEN America. If Xinjiang were ranked on its own in the index, the region would rank third globally, with at least 33 Uyghur writers and scholars imprisoned in 2022. Among them is Gulnisa Imin, a Uyghur poet serving over 17 years in prison on charges of "separatism" for her poetry that preserved and promoted Uyghur language and culture. "The targeting of minority languages and writers who write in Uyghur, Tibetan, Mongolian, or advocate for them, is part of this wider effort by the Chinese government to destroy the cultures of ethnic minorities and try to forcibly assimilate them into Han Chinese culture," Datt said. "It's a deliberate effort to destroy the cultures and unique identity of these people," Datt added. Culture is also under threat in Belarus, according to Polina Sadovskaya, PEN America's Eurasia director. Sixteen writers were imprisoned in Belarus in 2022, including six who were first jailed in 2020 following a contested presidential election. The Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not reply to VOA's email requesting comment. "There is a total crackdown on everyone speaking, writing, thinking in the Belarusian language," Sadovskaya told VOA. "Even just speaking the Belarusian language on the streets of Belarus can be dangerous for people." In one case, a bookstore opened in Minsk by an independent publisher of Belarusian literature was forcibly shut down hours after it opened in May 2022. Unlike journalists and human rights defenders, poets and essayists aren't internationally recognized as a group that is vulnerable to threat, according to Gerntholtz, which means writers often lack organizational support and the infrastructure to protect them. "They're often highly at risk," she said. "They're highly vulnerable, and they are really unprotected. So, the work we do is really trying to make that more visible." Nigerian police are investigating the abduction this week of at least 29 people from a village in the territory of the federal capital, Abuja. Officials say gunmen raided Yewuti village, taking victims on foot into the bush, including children. The attack has raised concerns about Nigeria's worsening insecurity just ahead of next month's swearing-in of Bola Tinubu as the new president. Abuja police public relations officer Josephine Adeh said officials are looking into the matter and would make their findings public soon. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the abductions. But a local council head in Kwali where the village is located said the gunmen invaded after midnight Tuesday and shot sporadically before herding residents, including children, into the nearby bush on foot. The attack has raised concerns of growing insecurity in the Nigerian capital nearly one year after the terror group Islamic State West Africa Province, or ISWAP, claimed responsibility for a jail break that freed hundreds of inmates, including high profile terrorism suspects held at a medium security facility in Abuja. "You know abduction is a very sensitive issue," Adeh told VOA. "We're on it. Whatever we're doing we can't put it out there because of the sensitivity of the issue." Abuja has maintained relative peace for years despite Nigeria struggling to stem a range of insecurity problems, especially in the central, northwestern and northeastern regions. But since last year, the capital has been reporting incidents more often. Last month, local media reported gunmen invaded an Abuja estate and kidnapped nine people. Security expert Senator Iroegbu said the trend is worrying. "It's an unfortunate incident, the people we're talking about are Nigerians, Iroegbu said. "No Nigerian deserves to be kidnapped and it still shows that government still has a lot to do; even within the city center there are a lot of crimes." Despite this, Nigerian authorities say security officials are making substantial progress. Insecurity was a major topic at the February polls in which Bola Ahmed Tinubu was declared winner. Tinubu will be sworn in on May 29. Iroegbu said Tinubu must take security matters seriously. "Any incoming administration should know that the challenge is still very prevalent so they have their work well cut out," Iroegbu said. "It should be a shift from the way the current administration are doing their things, improve where they failed and one of the areas where they really failed is the issue of security." In 2015, outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari promised to address insecurity if elected president. After years of being widely criticized for security failures, Buhari last week said, "Those that think that I have hurt them so much, please pardon me." Eleven female opposition lawmakers have been arrested in Uganda during a protest over what they allege is police brutality. Dressed in black, the legislators took to the streets Thursday morning to voice their dissatisfaction over what they are calling a violation of the rights of women and a threat to their lives, which they say also violates the Constitution. Scuffles erupted between the women and police as the legislators tried to make their way to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. One of the lawmakers, Joyce Bagala, detailed some of the womens grievances. She said that during a recent Womens Day event, one of her colleagues was roughed up by police. Susan Mugabi was beaten, was tear-gassed, she said. There were bullets fired. Her sister was beaten, fondled by police officers. Almost undressed her. Her mother was also arrested ahead of the celebrations. Her father was locked in the house. So, all these violations. Bagala also said she herself was tear-gassed and blocked from holding Womens Day celebrations in her constituency. Police officials were not readily available for comment. They were meeting with the speaker of parliament at the central police station where the legislators were being held. The female opposition legislators are asking for parliament and the internal affairs ministry to acknowledge that the actions of security officers in blocking Womens Day celebrations were illegal, irrational and an affront to the right to associate and assemble. They also want all local district authorities involved in the assault on the legislators to be individually prosecuted before courts of law and security agencies to be restrained from blocking any other meeting or assembly permitted by law. Sudan's army and a paramilitary force battled on Khartoum's outskirts on Wednesday, undermining a truce in their 11-day conflict, but the army expressed willingness to extend the cease-fire. The army late on Wednesday said its leader, General Abdel Fattah Burhan, gave initial approval to a plan to extend the truce for another 72 hours and send an army envoy to the South Sudan capital, Juba, for talks. The Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces previously agreed to a three-day cease-fire that is to expire late Thursday. There was no immediate response from the RSF to the proposal from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, a regional bloc. The military said the presidents of South Sudan, Kenya and Djibouti worked on a proposal that includes extending the truce and talks between the two forces. "Burhan thanked the IGAD and expressed an initial approval to that," the army statement said. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat discussed working together to create a sustainable end to the fighting, the State Department said in a statement Wednesday. Fighting, marauding, looting Some of Wednesday's heaviest battles were in Omdurman, a city adjoining Khartoum where the army was fighting RSF reinforcements from other regions of Sudan, a Reuters reporter said. Heavy gunfire and airstrikes could be heard into the evening. In Khartoum, which together with two bordering cities is one of Africa's largest urban areas, gangs marauded and there was widespread looting. Since fighting erupted on April 15, airstrikes and artillery have killed at least 512 people, wounded nearly 4,200, destroyed hospitals and limited food distribution in the vast nation where a third of the 46 million people relied on humanitarian aid. WHO predicts 'many more deaths' The World Health Organization said 16% of health facilities were functioning in Khartoum and predicted "many more deaths" from disease and shortages of food, water and medical services including immunization. The treatment of an estimated 50,000 acutely malnourished children has been disrupted by the conflict, and the hospitals that are still functioning are facing shortages of medical supplies, power and water, according to a United Nations update on Wednesday. Deadly clashes broke out in Geneina in West Darfur on Tuesday and Wednesday, resulting in looting and civilian deaths and raising concerns about an escalation of ethnic tensions, the update said. The crisis has sent growing numbers of refugees across Sudan's borders, with the U.N. refugee agency estimating 270,000 people could flee into South Sudan and Chad alone. Foreigners evacuated from Khartoum have described bodies littering streets, buildings on fire, residential areas turned into battlefields, and youths roaming with large knives. The White House said a second American had died in Sudan. TEHRAN, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman on Thursday condemned certain German officials' "meddlesome and tyrannical" remarks about Iran's upholding of the death sentence of the Tondar (Thunder) "terror" group's ringleader. Nasser Kanaani made the remarks in response to the calls from a number of German officials for the reversal of the ruling against Tondar group's ringleader Jamshid Sharmahd, who has a dual Iranian-German nationality. In a statement published on the website of Iran's Foreign Ministry, Kanaani said such statements and positions by those German officials not only amount to attempting to obstruct serving justice, but also "encourage terrorists and promote terrorism" across the world. He emphasized that Iran does not seek permission from anybody in its efforts to combat terrorism and deliver justice to terrorists, calling on the German government to remain committed to the principles of sovereign equality and mutual respect and refrain from demonstrating any "impulsive" behavior. On Wednesday, Iran's Supreme Court upheld Sharmahd's death sentence issued in February for his planning and directing of "acts of terror" in the country. According to the supreme court's ruling, in the bill of appeal, the appellant failed to provide any reason or evidence for the reversal of the ruling. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock reacted to the ruling in a post on her Twitter page on Wednesday, saying that the confirmation of the death sentence against Sharmahd is "unacceptable." Baerbock claimed that Sharmahd never had a "fair trial approach," adding, "We call on Iran to reverse this arbitrary judgment immediately." Sharmahd, 67 years old, also has U.S. residency. He was arrested in 2020 on allegations of being the leader of "the terrorist Tondar group," Iran's judiciary media outlet Mizan reported in February. Established by a number of Iranian pro-monarchists in Britain in 2003, the Tondar group is accused of a bombing in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz in 2008, which killed 14 and injured 300 others, and planning other attacks in the country, according to Mizan. Distressed parents of Kenyan university students stuck in Sudan converge in a house in Kenya's Wajir County while they wait for news of their stranded children in Sudan's capital, Khartoum. The imminent end of a 72-hour cease-fire between Sudan's warring forces has left many Kenyan parents extremely apprehensive, including Osman Mohamed. "My son is among those still stranded in the university, and he confirmed to me that they are several of them who are waiting for communication from the embassy and they are yet to receive that information," he said. The first group of Kenyan evacuees arrived home aboard a Kenyan air force plane on Monday night from Paloich airport in South Sudan. The group of 39, including 19 Kenyan students, was evacuated following the unrest in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, which has resulted in hundreds of deaths. "We started our journey two days ago from Khartoum," said Abdi Hamza, an evacuated medical student at the International University of Africa in Khartoum, "and we came by bus to Kosti near the border, then from Kosti to Jodah. In Jodah we were received by the South Sudanese government." A promise to evacuate Kenyans Kenya's cabinet secretary for defense, Aden Duale, said Kenya was committed to ensuring the safe return of all citizens stranded in Sudan. "We will make sure that aircrafts and all logistics are available to evacuate all Kenyans," said Duale, while receiving the evacuees at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. "There are over 3,000 Kenyans held up in Sudan, and so far, we have mapped out 900 Kenyans in various parts of Khartoum and Sudan as a whole." Despite the Kenyan government's efforts, parents of students still in Sudan have expressed fear and appealed to the government to evacuate them before fighting resumes. "We are strongly appealing to the government to speed up the evacuation process so that at least before the extended time elapses, that at least all the students in Khartoum have been ferried to safer places," Mohamed said. Critic says Kenya 'can do better' Earlier this week, Kenya's foreign affairs ministry told stranded Kenyans to register with its embassy in Khartoum in a bid to expedite a quick evacuation process. But since Monday, there have been no further flights of Kenyans out of Sudan. "The fact that out of the 900 that have been mapped you were only able to evacuate 35 shows you how small efforts [were]," said Ahmed Madey, an education researcher in Nairobi. "I think the Kenyan government can do better." Sudan's armed forces and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on Monday agreed to a 72-hour cease-fire, triggering a rush of evacuations of hundreds of foreign nationals by Western, Arab and African countries. As the cease-fire deal comes to its scheduled end, many Kenyan parents such as Mohamed fear for their loved ones but hold out hope for a safe return home. Friends and colleagues of Vietnamese dissident Duong Van Thai who had been taking refuge in Thailand are gathering video and eyewitness accounts of his last known moments in Thailand for clues about his suspected abduction and forced return to Vietnam earlier this month. Vietnamese police announced Duong's arrest April 16, claiming he entered the country illegally from Laos, according to Radio Free Asia, a U.S. government-funded private news organization. State media in Vietnam also reported on Duong's arrest for using an undesignated border crossing to enter the country from Laos on April 14. Rights groups and friends of Duong, however, dispute the claim. They say the journalist and blogger would not have returned to Vietnam voluntarily after having fled the communist country, which has one of the worst human rights records in the region, for his safety. "I know that he would never return to Vietnam. And he had written several SOS emails to the U.N. in 2021 to 2022 expressing that ... he's not safe in Thailand," said Grace Bui, a Vietnamese rights activist living in Thailand who knows Duong. "If he's not safe in Thailand because of the Vietnamese government trying to get him, why should he return to Vietnam? So, those [claims] didn't add up," she told VOA. A member of the outlawed Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam, Duong left Vietnam for Thailand in 2019 after receiving threats over his reporting on government corruption. He continued blogging about powerful state officials back in Vietnam from Thailand, where, Bui says, he had secured refugee status from the local United Nations office and was trying to move to a third country with U.N. help. Bui says Duong had met with U.N. officials in Bangkok about his resettlement goals just days before he disappeared. The U.N. does not comment on individual refugee cases. Thailand does not officially recognize any foreigners as refugees but allows the local U.N. office to issue its own ID cards to vetted asylum seekers meant to help protect them from arrest and deportation. Bui says Duong was last seen on the afternoon of April 13 in Bangkok, after meeting with another friend for coffee and livestreaming an episode for his blog from a park. With permission from Thai police, Bui adds, she and a few others who know Duong collected CCTV footage from shops and homes along his route that day. She says the last video, recorded a few meters from his rental house, captures audio of Duong yelling for help off-camera at about 6:07 p.m. Two eyewitnesses, she says, told them that at about the same time a pair of white cars pulled up to Duong on his motorbike from both front and back, then wrestled him into one of the vehicles and drove off. Bui is convinced that Vietnamese authorities are behind the alleged abduction and is urging Thailand to investigate. "This is really a violation [by] the Vietnamese government, and we want the Thai government and police to get involved to find out what happened and demand the Vietnamese government to give some answers. You cannot just get into a country without the permission and kidnap people," she said. Spokesmen for the Thai police did not reply to multiple requests for comment. The Foreign Affairs Ministry told VOA it had no information about the situation. Besides investigating Duong's disappearance, Thai authorities should guarantee that Vietnamese dissidents taking refuge in Thailand are safe, said Ben Swanton, co-director of The 88 Project, a rights group based in the United States advocating for Vietnam's political activists. "The apparent abduction of Thai Van Duong by Vietnamese agents shows that the Vietnamese government will go to any lengths to silence its critics, including engaging in acts of illegal transnational repression. Duong's abduction is the latest act in what has become a disturbing trend," he said. In 2018, a German court sentenced a Vietnamese man to jail for his role in a kidnapping ordered by Hanoi of a Vietnamese oil executive in Berlin. The next year, Vietnamese blogger and RFA contributor Truong Duy Nhat disappeared while in the process of applying for refugee status with the U.N. in Thailand. He surfaced a few months later back in Vietnam, where he was convicted of "abusing his position and authority" and sent to jail for 10 years. Swanton said Duong's suspected abduction this month has had a "chilling effect" on the other refugees in Thailand. "The message it sends to other critics of the Vietnamese government is that their refugee status affords them little protection," he added. Bui estimates there are at least two dozen political dissidents from Vietnam still taking refuge in Thailand, and more who left because of religious persecution or ethnic discrimination. Doan Chuong Huy is one of them. The labor rights activist says he fled Vietnam for Thailand in 2017, after finishing a second prison stint for his advocacy work and still being harassed by authorities. He says the police tried arresting him again, but failing to do so arrested his father instead. In prison, Duan told VOA, guards watched passively as other inmates would beat him until he coughed up blood. Determined to not go through that again, he left. Like Bui, he is sure Vietnamese authorities are behind Duong's disappearance. "I am very sure that the Vietnamese government is behind this because me and Duong Van Thai are very close and we had many conversation about this," he said. "Duong Van Thai would never want to return to Vietnam." Like his friend, Duan has the U.N.'s imprimatur as a refugee and is hoping to resettle elsewhere. Since Duong's apparent abduction, though, he is more afraid than ever that the same could happen to him and is taking extra precautions to stay safe. "We don't leave the house unless we need to. Before, I would go out on my own, but now I always have other people come with me," he said. Even so, Duan is determined to keep up his rights work for Vietnamese workers from a distance as well as he can. "The degree of danger has increased, but we need to speak up for the truth," he said. An official at the Vietnamese Embassy in Bangkok hung up on VOA when contacted by phone and did not answer several subsequent calls. Vietnam's Foreign Affairs Ministry did not reply to multiple emails. India has evacuated about 1,100 of its nationals from Sudan since it mounted an operation to rescue citizens stranded amid intense fighting between the army and a paramilitary force in the strife torn African nation. Hundreds more have reached Port Sudan and will be brought back home, Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra told reporters at a news conference in New Delhi on Thursday. The Indians are being taken aboard naval ships that have been docked in Port Sudan to the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah, from where they are being flown back to India, according to the foreign ministry. He described the situation in the strife torn African nation as highly volatile. India is among countries that have been scrambling to evacuate citizens and diplomats in recent days as a three-day cease-fire brought some respite in the intense fighting in Sudan. It is due to end later Thursday. The last cease-fire of 72 hours is holding by and large but there has been feedback of some sporadic firing and fighting in some parts of Khartoum, according to Kwatra. As a result, the situation on the ground remains highly volatile and unpredictable, with conflicting claims coming from both sides. He described Operation Kaveri, which has been launched to rescue the Indians, as a complex one that involved ferrying people along an 850-kilometer land corridor from the Sudanese capital Khartoum to Port Sudan. Ensuring safety along the 12-to-18-hour road journey from Khartoum was complicated by efforts to secure buses and diesel fuel, according to Kwatra. There are an estimated 3,500 Indian nationals in Sudan while another 1,000 people of Indian origin who have lived for generations in the country also want safe passage. Most Indians live in or around Khartoum, where fighting is most intense. Indian authorities said that they have been in touch with both the warring sides to ensure that the people are brought to the relative safety of Port Sudan. The ongoing fighting has erupted between Sudan's regular army and a paramilitary unit called the Rapid Support Forces. After the first group of Indians reached India on Wednesday, foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Twitter, India welcomes back its own. #OperationKaveri brings 360 Indian Nationals to the homeland as first flight reaches New Delhi." Earlier this week, he said that New Delhi is "committed to assist all our brethren in Sudan." Indian authorities also said they are willing to assist other countries that want safe passage for their nationals. One of the Indians evacuated from Sudan told news agency ANI that "the fight was intense. We were struggling for food. The scenario continued for two to three days." The news agency did not identify him. Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny said Wednesday that he was facing new extremism and terrorism charges that could keep him behind bars for life, as authorities set the stage for a new trial against the Kremlin's leading critic. Navalny said by video link from prison during the hearing that the extremism charges which he rejected as "absurd" could land him in prison for 30 years. He noted that an investigator had told him he also would face a separate military court trial on terrorism charges that could potentially carry a life sentence, adding on a sardonic note that the charges imply that "I'm conducting terror attacks while sitting in prison." His top ally Ivan Zhdanov said investigators were trying to link the terrorism charges against Navalny to a bombing that killed a well-known Russian military blogger earlier this month. Navalny, 46, who exposed official corruption and organized massive anti-Kremlin protests, was arrested in January 2021 upon returning to Moscow after recuperating in Germany from nerve-agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin. He initially received a 2-year prison sentence for a parole violation. Last year, he was sentenced to a nine-year term for fraud and contempt of court. He is currently serving time at a maximum-security prison 250 kilometers (150 miles) east of Moscow. The new charges against Navalny relate to the activities of his anti-corruption foundation and statements by his top associates. His ally Leonid Volkov said the accusations retroactively criminalize all the activities of Navalny's foundation since its creation in 2011 and carry a potential punishment of up to 35 years in prison. Navalny's associate, Zhdanov, said Wednesday that investigators were revising the charges to link them to a bombing that killed Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky at a St. Petersburg cafe earlier this month. The authorities described Darya Trepova, a 26-year-old St. Petersburg resident who was seen on video presenting Tatarsky with a statuette moments before the blast, as an active supporter of Navalny. They also accused Zhdanov and Volkov of making repeated calls for subversive activities in Russia. An investigator told the court Wednesday that 11 other suspects facing extremism charges alongside Navalny have remained at large and have been put on an international wanted list. The new charges come as Russian authorities conduct an intensifying crackdown on dissent amid the fighting in Ukraine, which Navalny has harshly criticized. Wednesday's hearing at Moscow's Basmanny District Court was held to discuss preparations for Navalny's trial on the extremism charges. Navalny asked for more time to study the 196 case files. The judge closed the session minutes after it opened, ruling that it should be held behind closed doors, because the case involved sensitive information. "It's an attempt to unlawfully restrict my ability to study the materials of the case and prevent anyone from knowing about it," Navalny said before public access to the hearing ended. The hearing ended with the judge giving Navalny 10 days to study his criminal case. No date for the trial has been set yet. Navalny, who is President Vladimir Putin's most prominent foe, has rejected the charges as a political vendetta and an attempt by Russian authorities to keep him out of politics for as long as possible. His associates and supporters have become increasingly worried about his failing health. Earlier this month, they said Navalny had fallen ill with acute stomach pains and suspected that he was being slowly poisoned. Navalny looked gaunt when he appeared via video link from prison, but he smiled and laughed as he warmly greeted journalists who were watching his appearance in court. While imprisoned, Navalny has spent months in a tiny one-person cell, also called a "punishment cell," for purported disciplinary violations such as an alleged failure to properly button his prison robe, properly introduce himself to a guard or to wash his face at a specified time. His supporters have accused prison authorities of failing to provide him with proper medical assistance, using blindingly bright light in his cell and placing him next to a mentally unstable person. Navalny said Tuesday that he had completed a 15-day stay in the punishment cell and was immediately ordered to spend another 15 days there. The Russian authorities have ramped up their crackdown on dissent after Putin sent troops into Ukraine under new legislation that has effectively criminalized any public criticism of Moscow's military action and independent reporting on the conflict. Earlier this month, a Russian court convicted a top opposition figure, Vladimir Kara-Murza Jr., of treason for publicly denouncing Moscow's war in Ukraine. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Another prominent opposition figure, Ilya Yashin, was sentenced to 8 years in prison last year on charges of spreading false information about the military. On Wednesday, a court in Yekaterinburg opened a trial of the city's former mayor, Yevgeny Roizman, on charges of discrediting the military that he rejected. Roizman, a sharp critic of the Kremlin, is one of the most visible and charismatic opposition figures in Russia who enjoyed broad popularity as mayor of Yekaterinburg, Russia's fourth-largest city of 1.5 million people in the Ural Mountains. Last month, Roizman, 60, was ordered to spend 14 days in custody on separate charges of reposting material containing a reference to Navalny's organization. As part of a relentless clampdown, a Russian court last month convicted a father over social media posts critical of the war and sentenced him to two years in prison. His 13-year-old daughter, who drew an antiwar sketch at school, was sent to an orphanage. On March 29, Russia's security service also arrested Evan Gershkovich, an American reporter for The Wall Street Journal, on espionage charges that he, his employer and the U.S. government have rejected. Gershkovich is the first U.S. correspondent since the Cold War to be detained in Russia on spying charges, and his arrest rattled journalists in the country and drew outrage in the West. One dead, 23 wounded in Russian missile strike on Ukraine's Mykolaiv - officials NATO allies, partners have given 1,550 armored vehicles, 230 tanks to Ukraine: NATO Chief Stoltenberg welcomes Xis call with Zelenskyy but says it doesnt change the fact that China has still not condemned Russias invasion of Ukraine British defense ministry says imagery shows that by March 2023, Russian forces had established sandbag fighting positions on the roofs of several of the six reactor buildings at Zaporizhzhia A Russian missile strike on the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv early Thursday has killed one person and injured 23 others. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on the Telegram app, "At night, Russia bombarded Mykolaiv with four Kalibr missiles launched from the Black Sea." The strike damaged homes and an apartment building. Russia denies targeting civilians, saying it attacks military targets. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says Ukraine has received more than 98% of the combat vehicles promised by NATO allies and partners. The deliveries include 1,550 armored vehicles and 230 tanks. Speaking Thursday at a news conference in Brussels, he said NATO has trained and equipped more than nine new Ukrainian armored brigades, putting Ukraine in a strong position to continue to retake occupied territory. Stoltenberg also said he welcomed the call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Zelenskyy, but that it did not change the fact that China had still not condemned Russias invasion of Ukraine. Zelenskyy said he had a long and meaningful phone call with Xi Wednesday, with the two men agreeing to send envoys to Beijing and Kyiv in a possible initial move to broker peace talks to end Russias war against Ukraine. Zelenskyy, in a comment on Twitter, gave no details of his nearly hourlong conversation with Xi, his first known contact with the Chinese president since Russias invasion 14 months ago. Zelenskyy said, I believe that this call, as well as the appointment of Ukraines ambassador to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations. Later, on his website, he called the conversation productive and said it would lead the way toward "possible interaction with the aim of establishing a just and sustainable peace for Ukraine." Chinese state media reported that Xi appealed to Zelenskyy for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, warning, "There is no winner in a nuclear war." He was apparently referring to the threat of Russia using tactical nuclear weapons. Chinese state TV said Xi's government would send a special representative to Ukraine for talks about a possible political settlement. "Negotiation is the only viable way out," state TV said in a report on Xi's comments to Zelenskyy. "All parties concerned should remain calm and restrained in dealing with the nuclear issue and truly look at the future and destiny of themselves and humanity as a whole and work together to manage the crisis." China has attempted to appear neutral on the Russian invasion, in February proposing a cease-fire and peace talks. But Beijing has also refused to condemn Russias invasion or call for Moscow to withdraw its troops from Ukraine, including Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014. Zelenskyy has repeatedly said his government will not engage in peace talks until Moscow withdraws its troops from all of Ukraine. "There can be no peace at the expense of territorial compromises, Zelenskyy said after his phone call with Xi. Russia wants Kyiv to acknowledge Russia's annexation of Crimea and last years declaration that the Ukrainian provinces of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia are part of Russia. Russian recon aircraft over Baltic Sea In Thursdays update on the situation in Ukraine, the British defense ministry said imagery showed that by March 2023 Russian forces had established sandbag fighting position on the roofs of several of the six reactor buildings at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. In the Twitter post the ministry said Russia has likely constructed these positions because it is increasingly concerned about the prospects of a major Ukrainian offensive. However, the ministry said, direct catastrophic damage to the reactors in unlikely under most plausible scenarios involving infantry weapons because the structures are very heavily reinforced. Some material in this report came from Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. A standoff between the government and judiciary over a key provincial election has pushed Pakistan into a political and judicial crisis, with experts blaming the quagmire on the military's long-standing interference in political affairs. The Supreme Court of Pakistan has ordered elections to be held on May 14 in Punjab, the nation's most populous province, where an opposition party led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan is hugely popular. But the 13-party ruling alliance led by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif is refusing to comply. Not backing down, the Supreme Court has refused to reverse its order, even after the defense ministry requested postponement on security grounds. In a further show of defiance, the parliament has passed a bill called the Practice and Procedure Bill (2023) that would limit the chief justice's authority to take up an issue of important public interest on its own initiative the procedure is known as suo moto. The chief justice responded by forming an eight-judge panel comprising himself and many like-minded colleagues from among the court's 15 judges to review the bill. A lawyer filed a reference against the eight judges with the Supreme Judicial Council of Pakistan, however, which hears cases of judicial misconduct. The bill has since become law. Origins of the crisis The crisis began with Khan's removal from office in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence last April, less than four years into his term. Khan then launched a nationwide campaign to push for early elections. Sharif's government refused the demand, saying it would stay in power until the parliament's remaining term ends in August of this year. In a bid to force early elections this past January, Khan's party dissolved the assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, two provinces where it held majorities in the legislatures. According to Pakistan's constitution, elections must be held within 90 days of the dissolution of an assembly. Until then, a caretaker government runs the affairs and oversees elections. But it was President Arif Alvi, a member of Khan's party, rather than the election commission, who set an April 9 date for polls in both provinces. That prompted the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take suo moto notice in late February and constitute a nine-member bench of the Supreme Court, led by himself, to determine who had the authority to announce the election date. Complicating factors Soon after the suo moto hearings began, two judges recused themselves while two separated from the bench after writing dissenting notes. The remaining five judges, led by the chief justice, ruled 3-2 in favor of holding elections within 90 days or as soon after the deadline as possible, granting Khan a victory. The governing alliance refused the court's decision, arguing that because a total of four judges of the original bench had dissented, the decision by three judges therefore was a minority decision and not applicable. When the independent election commission suddenly postponed Punjab polls to October 8, citing a lack of funds and security, Khan's party approached the Supreme Court. By that time, two more dissenters had recused themselves, and the remaining three judges granted Khan another victory by ordering that elections be held on May 14 in Punjab. The court called the election commission's decision to delay polls "unlawful." The ruling alliance refused in a parliamentary vote to grant funds for the elections. It has been calling for a full court to reconsider the matter, a demand the chief justice so far has ignored. Grave situation Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, president of the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), a Lahore-based think tank, said Pakistan's economic, political, judicial, and governance crises have come together to create a grave situation for the nation of nearly 230 million. He holds the powerful military responsible. "The continuous interference of the establishment in the country's political affairs, judicial affairs, almost everything, starting from deciding major policies, making major decisions, I think that has been the major reason for this crisis," Mehboob said. Establishment is a term commonly used in Pakistan to refer to the military. Mehboob said the interference, which the outgoing army chief acknowledged publicly last year, has weakened state institutions, rendering them unable to address crises effectively. Parties in the ruling coalition argue that early elections in Punjab, politically the most prized province, will affect the outcome of parliamentary elections later this year. Khan's popularity has increased exponentially since his ouster, and a common perception is that the government is stalling elections for fear of losing. The 90-day window to hold elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ended on April 14 and April 18, respectively. Mehboob said that by focusing on Punjab and ignoring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the chief justice and his colleagues are not doing "real justice." Holding elections early in two of the four provinces also will lead to a staggered election schedule in the future, as the assemblies will finish their terms at different times. Mehboob noted this is unprecedented, and in the context of Pakistan it will mean, "there's a likelihood of political interference of whatever party wins election in Punjab." Karachi-based lawyer Abdul Moiz Jaferii told VOA the Supreme Court and the ruling alliance are all "acting beyond their station." He said although the judiciary is in the right to enforce a constitutional requirement, its credibility has been hurt by its past decisions, which were rooted not in differing ideologies but "in individuals, their interests, their political alignments, and lack of ability to, to look forward to the institute's mission and the greater good of an institution." The crisis, Jaferii said, can be resolved if the Supreme Court "get its own house in a minimum amount of order." "Then all that remains is for the establishment to actually step back from the support it is giving the coalition government, which gives this coalition government the backbone to defy the court. So, if that support goes away, and Supreme Court orders are implemented under threat of contempt, I feel that this crisis is over." The military claims it's not supporting Sharif or opposing Khan, with whom it has had a very public falling out in the last year. Jaferii asserts that the political and judicial crises have put Pakistan's military in a "lose-lose situation." It is unclear whether polls in Punjab will be held in a few weeks. The chief justice has said the order will not be reversed but has also asked major political parties to negotiate a date for nationwide elections, saying the court could then look into finding a path to hold same-day polls. Sharif said arbitration is not the court's job. Peace talks between Ethiopia's federal government and the rebel Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) have started in Tanzania's semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar. The talks, which began April 24, 2023, and are being mediated by Kenya and Norway, come at a critical time for Ethiopia, which has experienced a rise in ethnic tensions and violence in recent years. The discussions are receiving a generally positive reception, with many expressing hope they will ultimately bring an end to the prolonged period of conflict and instability in Ethiopia. Many analysts, including Abbas Mwalimu, a lecturer at the Tanzania Center for Foreign Relations, are closely monitoring the situation. Mwalimu has been following the conflict and said the talks are a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done to achieve lasting peace and stability in Ethiopia. There will be a chance for success, Mwalimu said, but even greater success can be achieved if the two sides choose to revisit the Constitution and revise it to unify Ethiopia. He said the current Constitution, which allows for regions to have their own governance, is what fuels the desire for separatism among the people. As tensions rise over the incorporation of regional military fighters into the national army, Ibrahim Rahbi, a regional analyst, has suggested the Ethiopian government must carefully manage the process to prevent further conflicts. Rahbi said the Ethiopian government's move to integrate regional fighters into the national army has created a lot of tension, as each of the country's 11 regions has its own fully governed representatives, including armed forces. He added that the government will need to find a way to work together by removing weapons from all regions at once. When asked for a comment, Charles Hillary, the chief spokesperson of the Zanzibar government, stated that the peace talks between the Ethiopian government and OLA are being conducted behind closed doors, and they do not have any information about the ongoing meetings. He further clarified that Zanzibar is only providing a venue for the talks and is not part of the negotiations. The Ethiopian government's efforts to negotiate peace with the Oromo Liberation Army have received a mixed reaction. While some applaud the talks as a step toward resolving the conflict, others, such as the American-Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee (AEPAC), have called for a guaranteed cessation of violence by OLA-Shene before meaningful negotiations can take place. In a statement Wednesday, the AEPAC said, "Negotiations cannot meaningfully take place, while the population and many communities in Ethiopia still face the risk of attack by such forces. Primarily, there must be a guaranteed cessation of all hostile acts by OLA-Shene, which has constantly committed crimes against humanity and engaged in the massacre of innocent unarmed civilians." In recent years, the OLA has grown in numbers, but some experts assert it lacks the organization and weaponry to pose a serious threat to the Ethiopian government. The Oromo region has experienced ethnic violence, and while the government has accused the OLA of involvement, the group denies responsibility. The government's heavy-handed response to the conflict has only fueled bitterness among the Oromo people. Meanwhile, the talks are expected to continue for several days, and both sides have expressed a commitment to finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Thailands political party known for getting cannabis partially legalized in the kingdom, the Bhumjaithai Party, has accused rivals of playing politics with its flagship policy ahead of a May 14 election, warning that marijuana reform is non-negotiable if it is to join any government coalition. In June of 2022, Thailand decriminalized cannabis to be cultivated and sold by licensed businesses for medicinal use only. But a detailed cannabis act failed to pass parliament before it was dissolved in March to make time for campaigning for the upcoming election. In the legal vacuum, recreational smoking has bloomed, causing consternation among critics who say the law is too much, too fast. Both the Pheu Thai and Move Forward parties, the main pro-democracy groups expected to win the majority of seats, say the liberalization of weed has been chaotic, has encouraged the smoking of marijuana and has failed to boost poor farmers as promised, because of high investment costs. We dont want any more weed. Were done with it, Pheu Thai Secretary-General Prasert Chanruangthong told a campaign event last week. Pheu Thai is for medicinal marijuana, not recreational. Do you remember brothers and sisters, the party which sold you Ganja as a magic pill to cure every illness and a cash crop for whoever grows it to become rich? The only people who got rich from it are the capitalists. The issue also has split a broadly conservative public in a country with strict drug penalties, and many are worried by the rampant availability of high-strength cannabis, especially for the young. Responding to the critics, Supachai Jaisamutr, the Bhumjaithai party lead official on cannabis, warned that politics is obscuring the value of cannabis to the Thai economy, which authorities estimate will be at least $1.2 billion by 2025. Theres no such a thing as too fast, too soon when it comes to legalizing weed. The whole world has already done it, he told VOA News. Politicians who are now against the legalization are the same ones that voted for it to pass [first reading] in parliament. But now theyre speaking out against it because its one of our policies. Decisive vote Thais vote May 14 for 500 lower house seats. But the election is complicated by the role of an unelected 250-member Senate, which was appointed by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and his allies. The Senate is expected to swing behind whoever emerges as the leading conservative party after the polls. It also holds a third of the overall [750] votes for the prime minister, once a government has been established. The big picture is seen as a battle between pro-democracy parties shut out of power since a 2014 coup by Prayuth and conservative parties, including Prayuths United Thai Nation, which want to get back to leading the government. But the cannabis issue is taking on an unexpectedly major role. Experts forecast Bhumjaithai, led by Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, could win between 80 and 100 seats, making it the second largest. That would give the party a potential deciding say about whether it is pro-democracy or the conservative bloc that can form a government. Whoever wants to form the government with us must support the cannabis policy, he told a TV talk show host on April 26. Bhumjaithais lawmakers joined the last government of Prayuth, but Anutin has said he is open to moving to a new administration, with one key proviso. We cant keep holding the Thai people hostage like this, Anutin said. Illegal imports The politics of pot have dismayed long-time advocates of marijuana decriminalization. They fear the political noise around cannabis could mean stifling rules emerge when the fine print of the Cannabis Act is debated by the next government. Theres not really a chance for the law to go backwards, said Chokwan Chopaka, who runs a dispensary. But theres a high chance of rule-making that would bar people from entering the industry. Think of it like beer alcohol it wont be illegal, but it will be extremely regulated. For small Thai cannabis players, the political feud has pushed aside the main problem the domestic industry is facing: illegal imports of American or Laotian weed, which is 4-5 times less expensive than Thai-grown buds. The margin is too huge to pass up on, so many dispensaries dont give a damn about homegrown, says Saraprathum Nattapong, a grower and cannabis entrepreneur from Samut Prakarn, a city outside Bangkok. Its purely politics right now. Bhumjaithai is turning a blind eye to the big problem so they can focus on the political game. A powerful Iranian cleric and member of the Assembly of Experts that selects the country's supreme leader has been killed in an armed attack, officials said Wednesday. The attack is believed to be the most significant in years against a cleric in Iran. "Ayatollah Abbas Ali Soleimani was killed this morning in an armed attack ... the assailant was also arrested and is now being investigated," IRNA news agency reported, citing a security official for the northern province of Mazandaran where the killing occurred. The attack took place inside a bank in Babolsar city, the official said. "The motive of the assailant is not yet clear and will be announced after it is clarified," the official added. The governor of Mazandaran, Mahmoud Hosseinipour, said the attacker was a local security officer of the bank. "So far, our information and documents indicate that this was not a security or terrorist act," Hosseinipour told state television, adding that "the assailant did not know the ayatollah." CCTV camera footage released by Tasnim news agency showed the security guard, wearing a blue and white jacket, shooting the cleric from behind as he was sitting in a chair at the bank. Following the killing, Iranian Prosecutor General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri ordered provincial authorities to "investigate the issue from different angles, do the necessary follow-ups and report the results." Soleimani, 75, was previously a representative of the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He had also been the imam who led the weekly Friday prayers in the cities of Kashan, in Isfahan province, and Zahedan in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan. Under the constitution, the 88-strong Assembly of Experts is mandated with supervising, dismissing and electing the Supreme Leader. The all-powerful deliberative body is now headed by ultra-conservative 96-year-old cleric Ahmad Jannati. Its members are chosen in popular elections for eight-year terms from a pool of candidates vetted by the country's Guardian Council. Previous attacks on clerics In April 2022, a suspected jihadist knife attack in the northeastern shrine city of Mashhad in Razavi Khorasan Province led to death of two clerics and injury of another. The chief suspect, identified as Abdolatif Moradi, 21, was an ethnic Uzbek who had entered Iran illegally via the Pakistani border a year earlier, Tasnim news agency said at the time. Moradi was hanged in June in the same city on the accusation of "moharebeh," or "war against God." The assailant struck on the third day of the holy month of Ramadan as large crowds of worshippers gathered at the shrine of Imam Reza, one of the most revered figures in Shiite Islam. The attack in Mashhad came days after two Sunni clerics were shot dead outside a seminary in the northern Iranian town of Gonbad-e Kavus. This aerial photo shows Zhaxi Nyima (R) and his apprentice practicing operation skills on overhead high-voltage live wire in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, April 26, 2023. Zhaxi Nyima has been working in the field of power supply for about 30 years. In 2016, he took the training class and got the certificate, becoming the first person qualified of doing live-wire work in high altitude area in State Grid Tibet Electric Power Company. Live-wire operation is an important technical measure to ensure reliable power supply, but it is also a very dangerous and hard work. No matter in hot summer or cold winter, as long as there is a task, Zhaxi Nyima will climb on the high-voltage wire more than 10 meters above the ground and solve the problems. In 2018, Tashi Nyima won the title of "Tibetan Craftsman" in recognition of his professional skills. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje) Zhaxi Nyima (R) and his apprentice practice operation skills on overhead high-voltage live wire in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, April 26, 2023. Zhaxi Nyima has been working in the field of power supply for about 30 years. In 2016, he took the training class and got the certificate, becoming the first person qualified of doing live-wire work in high altitude area in State Grid Tibet Electric Power Company. Live-wire operation is an important technical measure to ensure reliable power supply, but it is also a very dangerous and hard work. No matter in hot summer or cold winter, as long as there is a task, Zhaxi Nyima will climb on the high-voltage wire more than 10 meters above the ground and solve the problems. In 2018, Tashi Nyima won the title of "Tibetan Craftsman" in recognition of his professional skills. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje) Zhaxi Nyima (R) and his apprentice practice operation skills on overhead high-voltage live wire in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, April 26, 2023. Zhaxi Nyima has been working in the field of power supply for about 30 years. In 2016, he took the training class and got the certificate, becoming the first person qualified of doing live-wire work in high altitude area in State Grid Tibet Electric Power Company. Live-wire operation is an important technical measure to ensure reliable power supply, but it is also a very dangerous and hard work. No matter in hot summer or cold winter, as long as there is a task, Zhaxi Nyima will climb on the high-voltage wire more than 10 meters above the ground and solve the problems. In 2018, Tashi Nyima won the title of "Tibetan Craftsman" in recognition of his professional skills. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje) Zhaxi Nyima (L) tests insulation resistance in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, April 26, 2023. Zhaxi Nyima has been working in the field of power supply for about 30 years. In 2016, he took the training class and got the certificate, becoming the first person qualified of doing live-wire work in high altitude area in State Grid Tibet Electric Power Company. Live-wire operation is an important technical measure to ensure reliable power supply, but it is also a very dangerous and hard work. No matter in hot summer or cold winter, as long as there is a task, Zhaxi Nyima will climb on the high-voltage wire more than 10 meters above the ground and solve the problems. In 2018, Tashi Nyima won the title of "Tibetan Craftsman" in recognition of his professional skills. (Xinhua/Liu Zhoupeng) Zhaxi Nyima (front) looks for operating spots in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, April 26, 2023. Zhaxi Nyima has been working in the field of power supply for about 30 years. In 2016, he took the training class and got the certificate, becoming the first person qualified of doing live-wire work in high altitude area in State Grid Tibet Electric Power Company. Live-wire operation is an important technical measure to ensure reliable power supply, but it is also a very dangerous and hard work. No matter in hot summer or cold winter, as long as there is a task, Zhaxi Nyima will climb on the high-voltage wire more than 10 meters above the ground and solve the problems. In 2018, Tashi Nyima won the title of "Tibetan Craftsman" in recognition of his professional skills. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje) This week former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon went on an unannounced trip to Myanmar, where he met with the countrys military rulers and urged them to find a peaceful resolution to their more than two-year-old violent political crisis. The statement released about his visit did not say if he met with any opposition leaders, which a member of Myanmars opposition National Unity Government criticized in an interview with The Associated Press. Nay Phone Latt, an NUG spokesperson, said international leaders should not meet with the leaders of what he called the countrys terrorist army. If they want to solve the problem of Myanmar, it is important not to ignore the will of the people, he told AP. For more about Bans visit and the effort to find a peaceful resolution in Myanmar, VOA spoke with Chris Sidoti, who was a member of the U.N. Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar from 2017 to 2019. More recently he has formed, along with two other former U.N. experts, the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar, which describes itself as an international group working for human rights, peace, democracy and accountability in Myanmar. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. VOA: What is your initial reaction to Ban Ki-moons surprise visit to Myanmar? Chris Sidoti, member of the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar: Well, it was a surprise. It's been known for a while that Ban Ki-moon, on behalf of the Elders, the organization of which he is deputy chair, was keen to go to Myanmar. But there was no indication that the visit had been accepted by the military there, or that it was about to take place. So it was a surprise when it happened. Initial reaction on my part was very much wait and see; it's very hard at this stage to react to the visit as to whether it was worthwhile or not. Because at this point, we don't know very much about it. Mr. Ban has issued, or the Elders have issued on his behalf, a statement about the mission. And in that statement, it indicated what Ban Ki-moon had said to the general, but there was no indication of what the general had said to Ban Ki-moon. So it's very difficult to know - in fact, it's impossible to know at this stage - whether the visit was worthwhile or not, whether it accomplished anything at all, and whether it will achieve its principal purpose of bringing an end to the violence. So we all wait and see. VOA: Why do you think Senior General Min Aung Hlaing invited the former secretary-general to Myanmar during this time of increasing violence? Sidoti: There are a couple of possible explanations. But in the end, we don't know. The possible explanations are that on the one hand, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing might be feeling increasingly isolated and sees a need to attempt to reach out to the international community to show some willingness to engage. Because to date, he has not shown any willingness whatsoever to engage with anybody, not even ASEAN, the primary alliance in which Myanmar is a member. It may be that there is some connection with the obligation of Myanmar to report to the International Court of Justice by around the 24th of May on its implementation of the court's orders in the genocide case. The military tried to postpone the next report until next year. But the International Court of Justice only last week refused that application and ruled that Myanmar must issue its report by the 24th of May. So it could be that Min Aung Hlaing simply wanted to have something positive to say in that report. But this is all speculation. Ultimately, we don't know. Whatever his motives are, however, whether the visit was worthwhile or not will only be able to be judged on the basis of what results are produced. No matter what the generals motivation was, he has to respond and respond positively to Ban Ki-moon's demand that there be a cessation of the violence for him to get any credit out of this visit at all. VOA: The Myanmar junta focuses on holding elections. Opposition groups like the NUG don't accept the elections, calling them illegitimate. What is your view on the possibility of legitimate elections, given the current environment in Myanmar? Sidoti: Legitimate elections under the junta are absolutely impossible. There are no conceivable circumstances in which free and fair and legitimate and acceptable elections can be held under the junta. It's as simple as that. And that's why, really, they have eased off their preparations for the elections. Originally, they were talking about holding an election in August. But then in February, they extended the state of emergency, and they can't hold an election while the state of emergency is continuing. And just before that, Min Aung Hlaing himself, the head of the junta, acknowledged that the junta controlled less than half the country and was not able, therefore, to conduct elections in more than half the country. So it's absolutely impossible for elections to be held. And although the military is continuing some measure of preparation for the elections, I don't anticipate we will see any attempt to hold an election this year. And indeed, waiting to next year, the military will continue to find it impossible to hold an election that is going to be free and fair and internationally accepted. VOA: We have the ASEAN five-point consensus and the U.N. Security Council's resolution on Myanmar. But we haven't seen implementation of any of these by the junta. The Special Advisory Council on Myanmar has called for more pressure on the military regime to end violence. The NUG has called for anti-aircraft weapons and alarm systems to prevent attacks on civilians. Do you think there is support for that in the international community? Sidoti: The international community has been very slow to provide support for the democratic movement in Myanmar, beyond rhetoric, beyond words, and this is a tragedy. The NUG is calling for defensive weapons. I don't see any prospect at the moment of that being responded to by other countries. But there is much that the international system can do short of providing weaponry. The United Nations itself and ASEAN itself have been notable failures in their commitment to resolving the Myanmar situation. Yes, there is a five-point consensus. Yes, there was a Security Council resolution last December. Both were very positive moves. But both fell far short of what is required. I'm afraid that the Myanmar situation condemns the ineffectiveness of ASEAN and the United Nations. The reputation of these two international organizations is on the line in relation to Myanmar. There is much to be done short of providing weapons, but to date, the U.N., ASEAN and other states have not been prepared to do it. One month since rebels closed in on Drodro village in eastern Congo, the once-bustling wards of its hospital are empty and Dr. James Semire strolls the darkened corridors, wondering when patients will dare to return. The community is one of many in Ituri province's Djugu territory that has seen a surge in attacks by the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo armed group (CODECO), with around 550,000 people forced to flee their homes between January and March, according to U.N. data. Semire said members of the Hema herding community started to abandon Drodro in mid-March ahead of a rumored advance by CODECO. The group, which claims to defend the interests of Lendu farmers, who have long been in conflict with Hema herders, is one of dozens of militias that have destabilized eastern DRC since the 1990s. Most Hema locals had left by March 22, when CODECO fighters took up positions on the hillside by Drodro in broad daylight, the doctor recalled on April 18. "Suddenly, someone came to tell me that there were gunshots outside," said Semire, who also fled his home but still works in the hospital in case any people come in needing treatment. "There are repeated attacks - this delays the return of people here, because it creates doubts," he said. The CODECO raids have worsened a long-standing humanitarian crisis in Ituri province, where 3 million people desperately need aid, according to the U.N. humanitarian agency. Displaced shelter in camp Driven from their sources of livelihood, Ituri's displaced people have gathered in areas of perceived safety such as Rhoe, a camp of ramshackle huts near a U.N. peacekeeping base north of Drodro. Its population has nearly doubled to 65,000 since the beginning of 2023, according to camp representative Samuel Kpadjanga. Needs in the camp are acute. Some dwellings are little more than ragged lengths of canvas stretched over sticks. Meanwhile, many residents are traumatized, after losing their homes and possessions and suffering physical or sexual violence, said Grace Mugisalonga, a mental health expert at Rhoe for medical charity Doctors Without Borders. The road between Rhoe and the provincial capital, Bunia, around 70 kilometers (45 miles) to the southwest, is dotted with CODECO checkpoints, squeezing the camp's supplies. The presence of fighters in the forests and fields around the camp makes attacks on those who venture out a regular occurrence, Kpadjanga said. One resident, who asked not to be named, said a day earlier she had been held at gunpoint by three men in a nearby field. "They argued. One said they should kill me, another said no. My life is safe, but they took everything from me, my scythe, my money," she lamented back in a hut at Rhoe camp, as a toddler peeked at her from the doorway. A government-commissioned report Thursday called for a thorough overhaul of Australias immigration system. According to the Migration Review the system is outdated and does not meet the countrys current or future skills needs, and therefore requires a long term and holistic approach to find a solution. The report makes sweeping recommendations that will be considered by Australia's left-leaning Labor government. Home Affairs Minister Clare ONeil, who commissioned the review, said Thursday that Australia has to skill up or sink. She said critical labor shortages are forcing Australia to be more assertive in the global race for talent to recruit highly skilled overseas professionals and do more to retain the brightest international students. The government considers the complicated and outdated migration system to be a barrier to prosperity. It wants the country to be less reliant on temporary workers, who would, if the reports recommendations are accepted, be given more opportunities to stay permanently. The government is promising safeguards to guard against exploitation and underpayment. The leader of the conservative opposition, Sussan Ley, responding to the report, told local media Thursday the government must address depopulation and the lack of health services in rural Australia as well as improving housing and other essential services. ONeil told the National Press Club in Canberra Thursday that major reform to immigration is desperately needed. I have spoken a lot about what is going wrong with Australias migration system today and there are many, many problems, ONeil said. But what I am genuinely much more excited about is the big opportunity. We have every reason to be optimistic about our countrys future and every reason to believe that our migration system can help us deliver a more secure and prosperous Australia as it has done for us so many times in the past. The immigration review was carried out by Martin Parkinson, a former secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. His report said it was important that Australians do not feel threatened by economic migrants. Immigration has been the dominant theme in the story of modern Australia, which was colonized by the British in 1788. Although more than a quarter of Australias population was born elsewhere, some Australians display hostility toward, or fear of, immigrants. Voters have supported hardline policies that sent asylum seekers arriving by boat without authorization to offshore camps in the South Pacific. Since 2013, the Australian navy has been towing or turning away migrant boats trying to reach Australian waters under the governments Operation Sovereign Borders, which continues under the current left-leaning Labor government. Australias unemployment rate is 3.5%. Russia said Thursday it is denying an upcoming consular visit to detained U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich in retaliation for an American refusal to issue visas to several Russian journalists. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov complained last weekend that the United States had denied visas to Russian journalists set to travel with him to United Nations headquarters in New York. In response, the Russian foreign ministry said Thursday, "The U.S. Embassy was informed that its request for a consular visit on May 11... to U.S. citizen Gershkovich, who was detained on charges of espionage, has been rejected." Moscow warned that "other potential retaliatory measures are being worked out." The ministry said it summoned a senior U.S. diplomat to deliver a formal note of protest of the decision to deny the visas. "It was particularly emphasized [to the U.S. diplomat] that such sabotage, intended to prevent normal journalistic work, would not go unanswered," the foreign ministry said. Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was arrested last month while on a reporting assignment. Russia contends he was caught "red-handed" spying on a Russian military installation. Gershkovich, the Journal and the U.S. government deny the charges. U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy visited Gershkovich in a Moscow jail and watched as he made a court appearance. But Russia is holding him while he awaits trial, rejecting U.S. protests that he is being illegally detained. A U.S. State Department spokesperson told VOA the United States issued nearly 100 visas for Russian nationals, including some journalists, in connection with Lavrovs recent trip to the U.N. "The United States takes seriously its obligations as host country of the UN under the UN Headquarters Agreement," the spokesperson said in an emailed statement. "We reject recent claims by Russian officials that suggest otherwise." "When we speak about the ability of journalists to do their work, it is worth pointing out that Russias ongoing repression of independent media and freedom of the press has led to an exodus not only of foreign journalists but also Russian journalists and entire media outlets," the spokesperson said. Liam Scott contributed to this report. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday hailed 70 years of friendship and cooperation with the United States but warned that the democratic ideals of the two countries are "at risk" throughout the world because "false propaganda and disinformation are distorting the truth and public opinion." At a joint meeting of Congress, Yoon told U.S. lawmakers, "False propaganda and disinformation corrupt intellectualism. They threaten democracy and the rule of law." "Such totalitarian forces may conceal and disguise themselves as defenders of democracy or human rights," he said. "But in reality, they deny freedom and democracy." Watch related video by Katherine Gypson: Yoon, the seventh South Korean president to address Congress, said his country's alliance with the U.S. was forged seven decades ago in the Korean War, fighting that cost the lives of nearly 37,000 American soldiers and eventually led to the armistice dividing the Korean Peninsula between free South Korea and communist North Korea. But he lauded the subsequent decades of cultural exchanges and business advances between the U.S. and South Korea since then. Yoon also said that South Korea, with the U.S. "will play the role as 'compass for freedom'" throughout the world and stand as a bulwark against North Korean aggression. "North Korea's obsession with nuclear weapons and missiles is throwing its population into a severe economic crisis and human rights abuses," he said. "We must raise global awareness of the dire human rights situation in North Korea. We must not shy away from our duty to promote freedom for North Koreans." He called South Korea's bond with the U.S. "an alliance of universal values. Freedom, human rights and democracy are the very foundations of our bonds." Yoon met Wednesday with President Joe Biden to discuss the threats posed by an increasingly bold North Korea, how South Korea and the U.S. can cooperate economically, and ways to counter an increasingly powerful China, among other issues. Watch Yoon's address: Ahead of those talks, the two sides released the Washington Declaration, in which South Korea agreed not to pursue its own nuclear weapons program in return for a greater decision-making role in U.S. contingency planning in the event of a North Korean nuclear attack. The United States pledged a more muscular U.S. presence in the region. A pomp-filled state dinner at the White House Wednesday evening brought Hollywood celebrities, businesspeople and politicians to Washington to celebrate. The occasion was only the second state dinner during the Biden administration, with the first for French President Emmanuel Macron. On Tuesday, Biden, Yoon and their wives paid a solemn visit to the Korean War Memorial on the National Mall in Washington. The United States pledge to reinforce its nuclear umbrella protecting South Korea has failed to quiet some South Korean conservatives who want their country to develop nuclear weapons. Under the so-called Washington Declaration, which was unveiled Wednesday as U.S. President Joe Biden hosted South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for a state visit, the United States vowed to deploy more strategic assets, such as nuclear-capable submarines, long-range bombers and aircraft carriers, to South Korea. In return, South Korea stated its full confidence in the U.S. defense commitment and reaffirmed it would not pursue nuclear weapons. The two allies also announced the creation of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) meant to give Seoul a better idea about how Washington would use nuclear weapons in a conflict with North Korea. Early indications suggest many conservatives within South Koreas policymaking circles support the deal, saying it reinforces the credibility of what is commonly referred to as U.S. extended deterrence. "Our people will effectively feel that they are sharing nuclear weapons with the United States," said Kim Tae-hyo, South Koreas principal deputy national security adviser, according to the Yonhap news agency. Kim Gi-hyeon, chairman of South Koreas main conservative People Power Party, touted the agreement as very meaningful and a significant diplomatic success. However, some South Korean conservatives outside the government criticized the announcement, raising questions about how much the deal will placate nuclear weapons advocates. A Thursday editorial in the Chosun Ilbo newspaper slammed the Yoon-Biden statement for putting nuclear shackles on South Korea. Looking at the Washington Declaration, it seems the United States is more concerned about South Koreas nuclear development than about neutralizing North Koreas nuclear weapons, the editorial read. Cheong Seong-chang, one of South Koreas most outspoken nuclear weapons proponents, called the deal an important achievement, but added: I dont think this agreement will weaken anyones support for independent nuclear armament. Its regrettable that we voluntarily gave up our right to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty when the threat of North Koreas nuclear tactics against the South is becoming increasingly obvious, said Cheong, a senior researcher at the Sejong Institute outside Seoul. No longer fringe The idea of South Korea getting nuclear weapons was once a fringe idea. But it has gone mainstream in conservative circles in response to North Koreas growing nuclear capability and the rise of America First political ideas in the United States. Earlier this year, Yoon himself suggested the U.S. nuclear umbrella was an outdated concept. He later raised the possibility of South Korea developing its own nuclear weapons if its security concerns were not addressed. If South Korea were to go nuclear, some analysts fear it could set off a chain reaction that would lead to many other countries eventually acquiring their own nuclear arsenals. Although Yoon quickly walked back his comments, that did not stop a wave of analysis by South Korean pundits, politicians and even scholars at government-funded research organizations. The debate may endure; opinion polls consistently suggest a strong majority of South Koreans supports getting nuclear weapons. A first step, but toward what? Chun In-bum, a retired lieutenant general in the South Korean army, is among those who has expressed an openness to nuclear armament. Asked whether the Yoon-Biden deal would quiet the nuclear debate, Chun responded: No. But we need to give it a try. In Chuns view, the NCG consultation mechanism is a positive development, but will be effective only if it evolves into a regular forum where U.S. officials can learn what their ally is thinking and why theyre thinking that way. Go Myong-hyun, a research fellow at the conservative Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, also expressed mixed feelings about the Washington Declaration. The Biden administration has delivered what the South Korean side has been demanding for a while now, which is a greater level of input into the nuclear planning process, Go said. But it is still no full NATO Nuclear Planning Group with forward-deployed assets, he added. Only then will independent nuclear armament advocates lose their influence. Some South Korean conservatives have called for a NATO-style arrangement in which South Korean personnel would be trained to deliver U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in a conflict. However, U.S. officials this week said they did not envision returning nuclear weapons to South Korea. They also stressed that the U.S. president would retain sole authority to authorize nuclear attacks, which is true of every U.S. ally security arrangement. Reassurance problems Given such restrictions, some observers predict South Koreas reassurance demands will only grow, especially as the North Korean nuclear threat increases. It is never enough for those who think nuclear weapons are additive, said Jon B. Wolfsthal, a senior adviser to the nuclear disarmament group Global Zero. The threats will not ease, and so they will want more nuclear options, different types and so on. That is the lesson of the last 75 nuclear years. But others say reassurance measures and an effective North Korea policy are the best way to prevent South Korea from going nuclear. If South Koreans see North Korea continue to advance its nuclear weapons capability and perceive the U.S. as not being proactive enough to solve this problem, then voices advocating for South Korea nuclear weapons will only crescendo, said Duyeon Kim, a Seoul-based Korea specialist at the Center for a New American Security. For now, it is a victory to simply lower the volume of the South Korean nuclear debate, insisted Christopher Green, a senior consultant for the International Crisis Group. I doubt either side expected to be able to have the problem go away completely, he said. At any rate, the can has been kicked down the road. Lee Juhyun contributed to this report. An attack by suspected jihadists killed 33 soldiers in eastern Burkina Faso on Thursday, the army said. A contingent of troops came across "a complex, large-scale attack" in the east region, which also left 12 soldiers wounded, according to an army statement. The soldiers "neutralized at least 40 terrorists before the arrival of reinforcements" during the "particularly intense fighting," it added. The wounded troops were evacuated and were being treated by the health services, the army said. Burkina Faso has been grappling with a bloody jihadist insurgency since 2015, when unrest spilled over from neighboring Mali. Fighting between the security forces and groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group has left thousands dead and forced millions of people to flee their homes. Anger within the military at the government's failure to stem the jihadist attacks sparked two coups in 2022. Around 40 percent of the country's territory lies outside state control. Captain Ibrahim Traore, who has led the West African nation since seizing power last September, this month signed a decree for a yearlong "general mobilization" to give the state "all necessary means" to counter the militants. A Chinese coast guard ship blocked a Philippine patrol vessel steaming into a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, causing a frightening near-collision in the latest act of Beijing's aggression in the strategic waterway. The high seas face-off Sunday between the larger Chinese ship and the Philippine coast guard's BRP Malapascua near Second Thomas Shoal was among the tense moments it and another Philippine vessel encountered in a weeklong sovereignty patrol in one of the world's most hotly contested waterways. The Philippine coast guard had invited a small group of journalists, including three from The Associated Press, to join the 1,670-kilometer (1,038-mile) patrol for the first time as part of a new Philippine strategy aimed at exposing China's increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea, where an estimated $5 trillion in global trade transits each year. In scorching summer heat but relatively calm waters, the Malapascua and another Philippine coast guard vessel, the BRP Malabrigo, journeyed to the front lines of the long-seething territorial conflicts. They cruised past a string of widely scattered Philippine-occupied and claimed islands, islets and reefs looking for signs of encroachment, illegal fishing and other threats. In areas occupied or controlled by China, the Philippine patrol vessels received radio warnings in Chinese and halting English, ordering them to immediately leave what the Chinese coast guard and navy radio callers claimed were Beijing's "undisputable territories" and issuing unspecified threats for defiance. Hostilities peaked Sunday morning in the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly archipelago, the most fiercely contested region in the busy sea channel. As the two patrol vessels approached the shoal's shallow turquoise waters for an underwater survey, the Chinese coast guard repeatedly warned them by radio to leave the area, which is about 194 kilometers (121 miles) west of the Philippine island province of Palawan. After several radio exchanges, a Chinese coast guard caller, sounding agitated, warned of unspecified adversarial action. "Since you have disregarded our warning, we will take further necessary measures on you in accordance with the laws and any consequences entailed will be borne by you," the Chinese speaker said. A Chinese coast guard ship rapidly approached and shadowed the smaller Malapascua and the Malabrigo. When the Malapascua maneuvered toward the mouth of the shoal, the Chinese ship suddenly shifted to block it, coming as close as 36 to 46 meters (120 to 150 feet) from its bow, said Malapascua's skipper, Capt. Rodel Hernandez. To avoid a collision, Hernandez abruptly reversed his vessel's direction then shut off its engine to bring the boat to a full stop. Filipino personnel aboard the vessels and journalists, who captured the tense moment on camera watched in frightened silence. But the Malapascua steered just in time to avoid a potential disaster. Hernandez later told journalists that the "sudden and really very dangerous maneuver" by the Chinese coast guard ship had disregarded international rules on collision avoidance. He had the Philippine vessels leave the area after the encounter for the safety of the ships and personnel. Earlier, a huge Chinese navy ship shadowed the two Philippine patrol vessels in the dark of night as they cruised near Subi, one of seven barren reefs China has transformed in the last decade into a missile-protected island base. The Chinese navy ship radioed the Philippine vessels "to immediately leave and keep out." The coast guard radioed back to assert Philippine sovereign rights to the area before steaming away. China has long demanded that the Philippines withdraw its small contingent of naval forces and tow away the actively commissioned but crumbling BRP Sierra Madre. The navy ship was deliberately marooned on the shoal in 1999 and now serves as a fragile symbol of Manila's territorial claim to the atoll. Chinese ships often block navy vessels delivering food and other supplies to the Filipino sailors on the ship, including just a few days earlier, Hernandez said. As hostilities between Chinese coast guard and navy ships and the Philippine patrol vessels were unfolding, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang was in Manila, where he held talks with his Philippine counterpart and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday. China was willing to work with the Philippines to resolve differences and deepen ties, Qin said. The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to an AP request for comment on the encounters. In another Philippine-claimed reef called Whitsun, the Philippine patrol vessels spotted more than 100 suspected Chinese militia ships arrayed side by side in several clusters in the shallows. China says the huge trawler-like ships are fishing vessels, but Manila's coast guard suspects they are being used for surveillance or to hold the reef for future development. Filipino coast guard personnel aboard two motor boats approached the Chinese ships and ordered them through a loudspeaker to leave, but none did. Philippine officials required participating journalists to not immediately release information about the trip to ensure the safety of the mission and to give the coast guard time to brief defense, justice and foreign affairs officials in charge of handling the touchy territorial conflicts. Faced with a militarily far-superior China in the disputed waters, the Philippines launched the campaign early this year to expose the Asian superpower's aggression, hoping public awareness and criticism will force Beijing to abide by international law. Philippines coast guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said the strategy was working. He noted the Chinese ambassador in Manila was prompted to hold a news conference to explain Beijing's side amid outrage over a publicly released video that showed a Chinese coast guard ship aiming a military-grade laser in early February that temporarily blinded two crewmembers of the Malapascua off Second Thomas Shoal. "We are David," Tarriela said, likening the Philippines to the underdog hero of the Biblical story. "We believe that through the publication of all these aggressive actions of China, we would find friends who would criticize Goliath." The territorial conflicts involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have long been regarded as an Asian flashpoint and a delicate fault line in the rivalry between the United States and China in the region. While the U.S. lays no claims to the South China Sea, it has deployed its warships and fighter jets for patrols and military exercises with regional allies to uphold freedom of navigation and overflight, which it says is in America's national interest. Beijing has criticized a recent agreement by the Philippines and the U.S. to grant American forces access to additional Filipino military camps. China fears the access will provide Washington with military staging grounds and surveillance outposts in the northern Philippines across the sea from Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory, and in provinces facing the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety. Washington has repeatedly warned that it would help defend the Philippines its oldest treaty ally in Asia if Philippine forces, ships or aircraft are attacked in the South China Sea. With multiple conflicts looming in what appears to be a placid expanse of sea, where dolphins and starlit night skies send seafarers grabbing their cameras, Malabrigo's skipper Julio Colarina III said he would always strive to stay on the right side of a geopolitical minefield. "As much as possible we'll avoid conflict in the area," he said. "All these competing interests just need one spark." Since Russia invaded Ukraine last February, Ukrainian prosecutors have documented more than 80,000 war crimes committed by Russia forces, as well some 17,000 crimes against the foundations of the national security of Ukraine. In addition, prosecutors in Ukraine have investigated 647 senior Russian military and political officials on suspicion of the "crime of aggression," issuing in absentia indictments against 207 of them. Appearing before a Congressional committee on April 19, Ukraine's Prosecutor General Ukraine Andrii Kostin accused Russia's invading forces of deliberately using rape, torture, and kidnapping in an attempt to sow terror among civilians in Ukraine. Russia has denied targeting civilians. In an interview with VOAs Ukrainian Service, Kostin discusses his teams efforts to bring alleged Russian war criminals to justice, as well as the prospects for creation of an international tribunal to prosecute Russia the crime of aggression. The following transcript has been edited for clarity and length. VOA: Your office has documented more than 80,000 war crimes, committed by Russian soldiers in Ukraine. Could you update us on the investigations? Kostin: Unfortunately, this number is increasing every day. And this is due to the fact that the number of crimes that began to take place en masse on Ukrainian soil against Ukrainians since the beginning of the full-scale invasion continues to grow. In addition to the investigation of the war crimes, we have two separate teams working on major cases - on the crime of aggression and the other one - on the genocide. We are talking about the creation of a web of accountability. Our task with our partners is to make sure that none of the war criminals can penetrate this web. VOA: The International Criminal Court recently issued an arrest warrant Russian President Vladimir Putin. What would you say to the countries that are reluctant to arrest Vladimir Putin if he travels to those countries? Kostin: For countries that have any doubts, it is a matter of checking what is important for them if they are committed to the rule of law, there could be no doubt. They just need to execute the arrest warrant of the International Criminal Court. It's not up to them to somehow analyze the grounds of the arrest warrant or the case. If the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant and identified Putin as a suspect in war crimes, then it's up to the International Criminal Court to deal with this case. And countries that are members of the Rome Statute have an obligation to execute the arrest warrant if Putin appears on their soil [they will have to] arrest him and send him to the International Criminal Court in the Hague. This arrest warrant is a very important signal that no one is and should be or should be above the law. If politicians view Putin and friendship with Putin as more important to them than the rule of law - it could send a very strong negative signal internationally and internally about these leaders. These leaders could treat their population in the same manner, putting private interests above the interests of the rule of law. It would be a big mistake for any politician to intentionally disobey the arrest warrant of International Criminal Court. And the consequences of this mistake for any of such politicians would be very dramatic. VOA: The United States recently declared support for the creation of a tribunal to investigate Russia for its crime of aggression against Ukraine. Specifically, the US supported an internationalized version of this tribunal, which basically is a hybrid tribunal, deeply rooted in the Ukrainian legal system. Is this the kind of tribunal that Ukraine needs? Kostin: First of all, Ukraine needs a tribunal, which would be international, because this is a global war. I hardly know any country that doesn't feel the consequences of this war of aggression on them. The response to the crime of aggression should also be global and should be international. [This is] not only for the Ukrainians and not only as a matter of justice for Ukrainians and for Ukraine, but also to deter any future aggressor from an aggression similar to Russias full scale invasion against Ukraine. Secondly, the international tribunal should have jurisdiction over the highest political and military leadership of Russia. If any type of tribunal uses Ukrainian law, it will automatically mean that the so-called troika - namely president, prime Minister and Minister of foreign Affairs of Russian Federation - will have immunity from criminal liability for the crime of aggression. Thirdly, whatever model it adopts this tribunal should not require any postponement due to any legal obstacles. It should be created during the war all legal instruments should be put in place during the war, so that once the war is over, this tribunal could immediately start. We are doing everything possible to make it happen, but we all need the proper tribunal. Either it is based on an international multilateral agreement. That was our initial idea. Or it is based on a resolution of the U.N. General Assembly and an agreement between U.N. General Secretary and Ukraine. Both of these versions will ensure that this will be an international tribunal. VOA: The U.S. launched a mechanism, allowing to direct funds forfeited from sanctioned Russian oligarchs to the State Department for the purpose of providing aid to Ukraine. How would you assess your partners work on the issue of the future reparations? Kostin: The first successful case with the forfeiture [of the private Russian assets] is in the US. Our partners in the U.S. Department of Justice are working on other cases as well, the work is ongoing. There is a case in Canada. Canadian partners adopted the legislation [on forfeiture of sanctioned Russian oligarchs assets] before everyone else did. The European Union has enacted legislation as well. But all of it applies mostly to the private funds. Ultimately, the goal should be to confiscate Russias sovereign assets, and this is a matter of political courage. There is no legal issue with that. Moreover, one of the consequences of the [ICC issuing] an arrest warrant for Putin is that the head of the state is officially a suspect in war crimes. From a political point of view, the arrest warrant might make it easier for many countries to confiscate sovereign assets of the aggressor state, suspected in committing the war crimes. We are using the term proper tribunal for the issue of confiscation of the Russian sovereign assets as well. When we hear from our partners careful statements [comparing confiscation of the Russian sovereign assets to] opening a Pandora's box, we respond that this box is opened by Putin in a way that none of us can close. We need to do more, not to hide our courage behind immunity, not to hide sovereign assets behind the political risks. VOA: There is currently no mechanism for international control and access to Ukrainian children forcibly deported to Russia. Do you see enough international effort to create such a mechanism? Now I am hearing what I wanted to hear 5-6 months ago, when I was saying every day that the world leaders should speak out for the protection of Ukrainian children. Every international organization has this opportunity. There are certain countries that are more complimentary to Russia than we wish to see, considering the fact that Russia is the aggressor. These countries, their politicians and citizens have to hear every day why exactly Putin has become a suspect at the level of the International Criminal Court. Putin organized and ordered the abduction of Ukrainian children, ordered the destruction of their national identity through forced adoption. Many of these children may not know who they were at birth, who their parents were, where they were born, what country they were citizens of. It is important to show this to the societies of these countries. If everyone, with whom Putin communicates will tell him: "Putin, bring back the children," it would be very difficult for him not to return them. We need to tell the following to the various countries who are still communication with Putin: Colleagues, if you think that you have simply forgotten about what is happening to Ukrainian children - here is a warrant for the arrest of Putin, just so that you remember who you continued to communicate with. With a person who steals children and changes their citizenship, their identity, adopts them into other families. The first sentence of every communication with Putin from anyone should start with Putin, bring back the Ukrainian children. This interview originated in VOA's Ukrainian Service. A Ukrainian journalist working with an Italian newspaper was shot dead by suspected Russian snipers in southern Ukraine on Wednesday. His Italian colleague was injured, the paper reported. Our correspondent Corrado Zunino and his fixer Bohdan Bitik were victims of an ambush near the bridge in Kherson by Russian snipers on the outskirts of Kherson, in southern Ukraine, the daily newspaper La Repubblica reported Wednesday in an article on its website. Bitik unfortunately did not make it and died; he leaves behind his wife and a son. Corrado, who was wounded in the shoulder, is in the civil hospital in Kherson, the newspaper said. The reporters were targeted near the Antonivsky Bridge, which crosses the Dnipro River on the outskirts of Kherson in southern Ukraine, after passing through a series of Ukrainian checkpoints. The journalists reportedly were trying to speak to Ukrainian forces positioned near the bridge. Russian forces left the western portion of the city last year but still often shell it from the eastern part. When the men were attacked, both were wearing blue bulletproof vests marked with PRESS on the front and back. Im well, Ive got a wound in my right shoulder, shaved by the bullet that hit my great friend Bohdan, Zunino told La Repubblica. I saw Bohdan on the ground, he wasnt moving. I crawled until I got out of the line of fire. I ran until I came across a civilians car. I was covered in blood. I got myself taken to the hospital in Kherson. I tried several times to call Bohdan. He didnt answer. He was a great friend of mine; the pain is excruciating, Zunino said. The Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ, urged Kyiv and Moscow to investigate the ambush. We are deeply saddened by the death of Ukrainian producer Bohdan Bitik and wish Italian reporter Corrado Zunino a speedy recovery, Gulnoza Said, who works on Ukraine at the CPJ, said in a statement Thursday. Russian and Ukrainian authorities must swiftly investigate this tragic attack and ensure that journalists are not targeted while reporting on the war in Ukraine. Members of the press are civilians under international humanitarian law and should be protected as such, Said continued. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said his ministry and the Italian Embassy in Kyiv were working with Ukrainian authorities to return Zunino to Italy. The Italian newspaper said the presence of Russian snipers was making it hard to recover Bitiks body. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told Italian media that Russian forces were responsible for the killing. Russians dont care if youre Russian, Italian or Ukrainian, they just shoot, he said. Bitik is at least the 14th journalist killed in Ukraine while reporting on the Russian invasion, according to the CPJ. People visit an exhibition of the 6th Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, April 26, 2023. The 6th Digital China Summit will take place in the city of Fuzhou in east China's Fujian Province from April 27 to 28. The five-day exhibition is unveiled Wednesday as part of the summit to display the latest achievements and successful practices of digitalization on 11 fronts highlighted in the February plan, including digital infrastructure, the economy, and society. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan) Intelligent vehicles are displayed at an exhibition of the 6th Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, April 26, 2023. The 6th Digital China Summit will take place in the city of Fuzhou in east China's Fujian Province from April 27 to 28. The five-day exhibition is unveiled Wednesday as part of the summit to display the latest achievements and successful practices of digitalization on 11 fronts highlighted in the February plan, including digital infrastructure, the economy, and society. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan) This photo taken on April 26, 2023 shows a view of the exhibition of the 6th Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province. The 6th Digital China Summit will take place in the city of Fuzhou in east China's Fujian Province from April 27 to 28. The five-day exhibition is unveiled Wednesday as part of the summit to display the latest achievements and successful practices of digitalization on 11 fronts highlighted in the February plan, including digital infrastructure, the economy, and society. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan) This photo taken on April 26, 2023 shows a view outside the exhibition venue of the 6th Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province. The 6th Digital China Summit will take place in the city of Fuzhou in east China's Fujian Province from April 27 to 28. The five-day exhibition is unveiled Wednesday as part of the summit to display the latest achievements and successful practices of digitalization on 11 fronts highlighted in the February plan, including digital infrastructure, the economy, and society. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan) This photo taken on April 26, 2023 shows a view of the exhibition of the 6th Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province. The 6th Digital China Summit will take place in the city of Fuzhou in east China's Fujian Province from April 27 to 28. The five-day exhibition is unveiled Wednesday as part of the summit to display the latest achievements and successful practices of digitalization on 11 fronts highlighted in the February plan, including digital infrastructure, the economy, and society. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan) This photo taken on April 26, 2023 shows the lighting installations set in the exhibition venue of the 6th Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province. The 6th Digital China Summit will take place in the city of Fuzhou in east China's Fujian Province from April 27 to 28. The five-day exhibition is unveiled Wednesday as part of the summit to display the latest achievements and successful practices of digitalization on 11 fronts highlighted in the February plan, including digital infrastructure, the economy, and society. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan) This photo taken on April 26, 2023 shows a view of the exhibition of the 6th Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province. The 6th Digital China Summit will take place in the city of Fuzhou in east China's Fujian Province from April 27 to 28. The five-day exhibition is unveiled Wednesday as part of the summit to display the latest achievements and successful practices of digitalization on 11 fronts highlighted in the February plan, including digital infrastructure, the economy, and society. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan) This photo taken on April 26, 2023 shows a view of the exhibition of the 6th Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province. The 6th Digital China Summit will take place in the city of Fuzhou in east China's Fujian Province from April 27 to 28. The five-day exhibition is unveiled Wednesday as part of the summit to display the latest achievements and successful practices of digitalization on 11 fronts highlighted in the February plan, including digital infrastructure, the economy, and society. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan) A staff member presents an intelligent platform to visitors at an exhibition of the 6th Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, April 26, 2023. The 6th Digital China Summit will take place in the city of Fuzhou in east China's Fujian Province from April 27 to 28. The five-day exhibition is unveiled Wednesday as part of the summit to display the latest achievements and successful practices of digitalization on 11 fronts highlighted in the February plan, including digital infrastructure, the economy, and society. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan) A visitor displays a cup of coffee purchased with China's digital yuan, or the e-CNY, at an exhibition of the 6th Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, April 26, 2023. The 6th Digital China Summit will take place in the city of Fuzhou in east China's Fujian Province from April 27 to 28. The five-day exhibition is unveiled Wednesday as part of the summit to display the latest achievements and successful practices of digitalization on 11 fronts highlighted in the February plan, including digital infrastructure, the economy, and society. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan) A visitor tries to remote control a vehicle supported by King Long 5G technology at an exhibition of the 6th Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, April 26, 2023. The 6th Digital China Summit will take place in the city of Fuzhou in east China's Fujian Province from April 27 to 28. The five-day exhibition is unveiled Wednesday as part of the summit to display the latest achievements and successful practices of digitalization on 11 fronts highlighted in the February plan, including digital infrastructure, the economy, and society. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan) This photo taken on April 26, 2023 shows a view outside the exhibition venue of the 6th Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province. The 6th Digital China Summit will take place in the city of Fuzhou in east China's Fujian Province from April 27 to 28. The five-day exhibition is unveiled Wednesday as part of the summit to display the latest achievements and successful practices of digitalization on 11 fronts highlighted in the February plan, including digital infrastructure, the economy, and society. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan) United Nations human rights experts on Thursday accused China of forcing hundreds of thousands of Tibetans into programs that threaten their cultural identity and could lead to forced labor. Six U.N. special rapporteurs voiced concern over claims that the so-called vocational training and labor transfer programs were being used as a pretext to undermine Tibetan religious, linguistic and cultural identity, and to monitor and indoctrinate Tibetans. "Hundreds of thousands of Tibetans have reportedly been 'transferred' from their traditional rural lives to low-skilled and low-paid employment since 2015, through a program described as voluntary but in practice their participation has reportedly been coerced," the experts said. They said the labor transfer program was facilitated by a network of vocational training centers, "which focus less on developing professional skills and more on cultural and political indoctrination in a militarized environment." They found that Tibetans in the program were reportedly prevented from using the Tibetan language and discouraged from expressing their religious identity. The statement was signed by the special rapporteurs on contemporary slavery, people trafficking, contemporary racism, cultural rights, minority issues and the right to development. Special rapporteurs are mandated by the U.N. Human Rights Council but are unpaid, independent experts who do not speak for the United Nations. Questions of consent "Tibetans are being drawn away from sustainable livelihoods in which they have traditionally had a comparative advantage, such as wool and dairy production, and into low-paid, low-skilled work in manufacturing and construction," the experts said. "Tibetans are transferred directly from training centers to their new workplaces, leaving it unclear whether they are consenting to this new employment. There is no oversight to determine whether working conditions constitute forced labor." The experts urged Beijing to clarify how Tibetans could opt out of the programs, and to monitor their working conditions in new places of employment. Children separated from families, say experts Tibet has alternated over the centuries between independence and control by China, which says it "peacefully liberated" the rugged plateau in 1951 and brought infrastructure and education to the previously underdeveloped region. But many exiled Tibetans accuse China's ruling Communist Party of repression, torture and eroding their culture. In February, three U.N. experts said that around 1 million Tibetan children had been separated from their families and put through "forced assimilation" at Chinese residential schools. The special rapporteurs voiced their alarm at Chinese government policies aimed at assimilating Tibetan people culturally, religiously and linguistically through the school system. The U.N. refugee agency is appealing to Sudan's neighbors to keep their borders open to people fleeing the fighting that erupted on April 15. Since fighting between the Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces erupted, tens of thousands of Sudanese have left their homes fearing for their lives. U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi echoed repeated calls made by the U.N. secretary-general for hostilities to stop immediately and for all parties to embark on meaningful peace efforts. "This is urgently needed also to prevent another major displacement crisis that could further destabilize a fragile region," Grandi said in a statement. Despite an extension of the latest cease-fire between the warring parties, fighting was reported in Khartoum and the western Darfur region on Thursday. Humanitarian corridors The U.N.'s acting resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, Abdou Dieng, told reporters by phone Thursday that efforts were being made from many quarters to extend the temporary cease-fire and acknowledged that fighting was going on despite it. "There should be a cease-fire to stop fighting, but in the meantime, a humanitarian corridor must be opened to allow humanitarians to bring assistance to people in need," Dieng told reporters from Port Sudan, where hundreds of U.N. staff have relocated for safety. Dieng said he was extremely worried about the situation in Darfur, adding that the only place where major problems had not yet been seen was El Fasher, capital of North Darfur. "For the time being we have a collaboration with the local authorities to protect us in El Fasher," he said. "We hope that will be sustainable." Medical supplies Despite ongoing violence in Sudan, a team from Doctors Without Borders, or MSF, has so far donated medical supplies to three health facilities in the capital, Khartoum, according to a Thursday statement from the organization. One donation delivery took place Thursday amid the violence. Today our team was trying to assess the situation and also the roads to have access to different hospitals. We wanted to accompany the MOH [Ministry of Health] team who came to our warehouse to get the donation, said Ghazali Babiker, MSFs acting country director in Sudan. They received the donation and unfortunately there were clashes close to the warehouse, our warehouse, and there was aerial bombarding. It was very close, and we had to seek shelter and try to postpone the movement until everything is clear, Babiker said. Arrivals in South Sudan, Ethiopia, Egypt Dieng said fleeing civilians were crossing Sudan's borders into South Sudan, Ethiopia and Egypt. Regarding reports of refugees having difficulty crossing into Egypt, he said UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration now had a presence on the Sudan side of the border and were trying to assist people. "There is a crowd coming in and they need to go through a certain protocol to enter into Egypt," Dieng said. "They are being admitted into Egypt with a minimum requirement." UNHCR said at least 20,000 Sudanese refugees had fled to Chad from Darfur, one of the regions in Sudan most affected by violence. Their arrival is placing enormous strain on the country's overstretched resources as Chad already shelters more than 400,000 Sudanese refugees from previous conflicts. "The majority of those arriving are in dire need of basic humanitarian aid, namely food, water and adequate shelter," said Anne Kathrin Schaefer, chief of Chad mission for the International Organization for Migration. On Thursday, the U.N. released $3 million from its central emergency relief fund to assist Chad with the new arrivals. UNHCR has registered at least 4,000 South Sudanese who have been forced to return home prematurely. Marie-Helene Verney, UNHCR representative in South Sudan, noted that much larger numbers of unregistered people had been rushing through the country's northern border with Sudan and were returning home to a situation of deep uncertainty. "We are very, very concerned about the impact on communities" if many South Sudanese refugees return, Verney said from Juba, "particularly in the places where there is conflict and communities are already affected by climate change." The World Health Organization confirmed at least 459 deaths and more than 4,000 injuries but said the actual numbers were much higher. More than 60% of health facilities in Khartoum are closed, and only 16% continue to operate normally. Before fighting erupted two weeks ago, 1 in 3 Sudanese more than 15 million people needed humanitarian assistance. The country hosts more than a million refugees and cares for 3.7 million internally displaced persons. The U.N. is struggling to finance its aid operation in Sudan. A humanitarian appeal for 2023 for $1.7 billion has received only about $200 million. UN Correspondent Margaret Besheer in New York contributed to this report. The U.N. Security Council demanded unanimously Thursday that Afghanistan's Taliban leaders swiftly reverse their restrictions on women's access to education and work, and it condemned a recent ban on local female staff working for the United Nations. "These restrictions are unprecedented in the history of the United Nations, and they put the very presence of the U.N. in Afghanistan in jeopardy," United Arab Emirates Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh said of the most recent edict. "But as we all know, this is just the latest in a wave of restrictions that we have witnessed over the past year and a half." The UAE and Japan drafted the resolution, which expresses "deep concern at the increasing erosion of respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and girls in Afghanistan by the Taliban." More than 90 countries co-sponsored the measure. The resolution says the ban on Afghan women working for the U.N. and nongovernmental organizations in Afghanistan "will negatively and severely impact" U.N. operations in the country, including the delivery of lifesaving aid and basic services. "The Taliban's edicts are causing irreparable damage to Afghanistan," said U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood. "They erase women and girls from society. They also move the Taliban further from its desire to normalize relations with the international community." Thursday's vote came as U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres plans to host a closed-door meeting of special envoys on Afghanistan from several countries in Doha, Qatar, on May 1-2 to discuss what should be done in the aftermath of the intensifying Taliban crackdown on women. The Taliban reclaimed power in August 2021 as the United States and NATO troops withdrew from the country after almost two decades of involvement in the Afghan war. The reclusive chief of the fundamentalist Taliban authorities, Hibatullah Akhundzada, has since imposed his strict interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, to govern strife-torn Afghanistan. He has banned girls' education beyond the sixth grade and has barred most Afghan women from public life and work across the country. Akhundzada last week again dismissed international calls for easing curbs on women's freedom, saying he would not allow any external interference in his Islamic governance, come what may. "I have promised Allah that so long as I am alive, not a single law of infidelity will find a place in Afghanistan," the reclusive Taliban chief said last Friday in Kandahar in a defiant speech that marked the start of the three-day annual Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr. Other countries have refused to recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan's legitimate rulers, citing bans on women's education and work, among other human rights concerns. The resolution also recognizes and stresses the need to address "the dire economic and humanitarian situation" facing Afghanistan, including through efforts to restore the country's banking and financial systems. The United States and other Western nations froze more than $9 billion in Afghan central bank foreign reserves after the Taliban takeover. Washington has since transferred a portion of the frozen reserves to a trust fund in Switzerland, to be used strictly for relief efforts. Afghanistan is the largest humanitarian emergency in the world. The United Nations estimates 6 million people are one step from famine-like conditions, while more than 28 million more need assistance after years of war and natural disasters. U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer in New York contributed to this report. The Commonwealth of Virginia, which borders Washington, D.C., was once one of America's biggest sources of gold. That industry went bust when prospectors headed west. But it could soon see a mini boom again, thanks to improved technology and rising gold prices. VOA's chief national correspondent Steve Herman set out to search for riches. Camera: Adam Greenbaum Leila Oulkebous' research for her doctorate from one of France's top universities was going well when the explosions started. Oulkebous had stopped work on Ethiopia because of that country's civil war, and her research in Sudan was going to be more straightforward, she thought. Then Sudan exploded into violence. The chiefs of the country's army and its rival Rapid Support Forces rose to power after a popular uprising in 2019 prompted them to remove longtime autocratic ruler Omar al-Bashir. They started fighting this month amid tensions over a new plan to re-introduce civilian rule. The bombing shook the house where Oulkebous was living in the capital, Khartoum, investigating the effects of dams on rivers that cross borders. "We were hiding all the time under the bed," she said Wednesday at Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport as hundreds of people arrived in harrowing evacuations. World powers were rescuing people from Sudan on planes and warships in operations prompted by the eruption of the fighting that sent thousands of foreigners and many more Sudanese people fleeing for safety. A French frigate carrying hundreds of evacuees docked Wednesday morning in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as part of broader efforts involving several warships, in addition to airlifts. French military spokesman Colonel Pierre Gaudilliere said France evacuated more than 500 civilians from 40 nations by plane over the weekend after securing the airbase north of Khartoum on Saturday, using its airbase in neighboring Djibouti for the airlift. Gaudilliere said the French military was the first to land and organized the flow of its own and other nations' planes. "You still had airstrikes as the operation was going on, crossfire in the streets, artillery fire, so it was and still is very intense fighting," Gaudilliere said. The French military had personnel on the ground to assess the situation during the operation, he said. Several nations, including Japan, thanked France for rescuing their citizens. More evacuations under way Some other countries quickly joined evacuation efforts. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said Wednesday that three nationals had been evacuated with help from Germany, and his country was now working with Turkey to help evacuate two other citizens. Greek national Christos Dedes, who was in Sudan for work, said he and his colleagues managed to leave their Khartoum hotel Tuesday via the Portuguese Embassy, which sent a car to drive them to the airbase where there were Italian, French and German soldiers. "We just happened to leave with the Italians on a transport plane," he said on Greek TV channel Mega on Wednesday, after he arrived in Athens. From their Khartoum hotel, he said, they could see that "every day the battles were heavier. Both [sides] were using heavy weapons." He said they would hear explosions at night and see bodies in the street. More than 1,000 people from 58 countries were to arrive Wednesday by ship at Jeddah, including many on the French warship Lorraine. Saudi Arabia on Saturday organized the first evacuation convoy by land, via cars and buses bringing people to Port Sudan, where a navy ship took them to Jeddah. The French foreign affairs ministry said a flight carrying 184 French nationals and their families and about 20 other nationals returned from Djibouti and landed in Paris Wednesday morning. Among them was Oulkebous, a Moroccan doctorate student at Bordeaux Montaigne University. "The feeling I had since the first day of fighting was I felt really paralyzed, I didn't know what to do, I didn't know how to get out, the airport was closed, we could not leave," she said, describing "the explosions, the smoke, so really, I didn't have the time to fully realize what was going on." A Royal Air Maroc plane arrived at Casablanca's Mohammed V airport on Wednesday, carrying 136 Moroccan nationals evacuated from Sudan. UK diplomats targeted In contrast with France and some other nations, the United States and Britain didn't evacuate nondiplomats at first. The British government has come under growing criticism for its failure to airlift civilians. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak defended the government's approach, saying diplomats had been evacuated first "because they were being targeted." The British government since said that 301 people had been evacuated on four U.K. flights from Sudan over the past 24 hours, and four more were scheduled Wednesday. Britain intends to keep running the flights for as long as possible. In addition, "rapid deployment teams" of U.K. officials are in Port Sudan assessing potential for a seaborne evacuation. The Foreign Office says U.K. passport-holders are eligible, "and priority is given to family groups with children and/or the elderly or individuals with medical conditions." Officials have said there are as many as 4,000 British citizens in Sudan, 2,000 of whom have registered for potential evacuation. The White House said Monday that the U.S. was helping from afar as thousands of Americans left behind in Sudan sought to escape fighting in the east African nation, after the U.S. Embassy evacuated all of its diplomatic personnel over the weekend and shut down. The Biden administration was considering several options for assisting private American citizens in getting out of Sudan. Two U.S. officials said one option being considered would be to send U.S. Navy vessels in, or en route to, the Red Sea to dock at Port Sudan and take Americans to Jeddah or another location. The officials said this would depend on the security situation and whether it was deemed safe for the ships to dock. A U.S. official said the military has developed other options for getting Americans, including using an airfield that some European countries have used to fly out citizens. To date, it has not been told to do that, the official said. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive matters. In a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress Thursday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol told American lawmakers the 70-year-old alliance between their countries was stronger than ever. Earlier this week, Yoon and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to strengthen nuclear cooperation in the face of increasing regional tensions. VOAs congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson reports. MARYLAND -A leader of a Zimbabwean opposition party, who called for anti-government protests in 2020, has been found guilty of inciting violence. Harare magistrate, Feresi Chakanyuka, ruled Thursday that Jacob Ngarivhume, president of Transform Zimbabwe, used his Twitter account to incite locals to protest against corruption and the governments mishandling the economy. Ngarivhumes attorney, Professor Lovemore Madhuku, told journalists in Harare that his client will be sentenced tomorrow. He has been found guilty and he still mantains that he is innocent. We will be in court Friday, said Madhuku. Ngarivhume also said, The Twitter account they are talking about is not mine. Its just not right for me to be found guilty over something I didnt do. But Chakanyuka ruled that Ngarivhume failed to prove that the Twitter account belonged to someone else. VOA Zimbabwe Service Correspondent Mlondolozi Ndlovu contributed to this article HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's economy could grow 6% this year, better than a previous forecast for 3.8% growth, thanks to a strong performance by agriculture and easing power shortages, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said recently. "We are saying 3.8% growth is an underestimate. The growth should be higher than that and close to 6%," Ncube told an online briefing. In a cabinet statement this week, the government said it expected to harvest 2.3 million tonnes of maize this year, a 58% jump from the previous season driven by favorable rains. "What we mainly did this week was to recognize the strong recovery in the agricultural sector where we have seen 54% growth, at least in the grains sub-sector. We are seeing a 35% growth in the non-food sector," Ncube said. The minister said improved generation at the Hwange coal plant and the Kariba hydroelectric station should help improve electricity availability. He downplayed the likelihood of the government overspending given this year's general election, saying the target was still for the overall fiscal deficit to be 1.5% of gross domestic product, the same as forecast in November. (Reporting by Nyasha Chingono; editing by Alexander Winning and Jason Neely) GENEVA The United Nations refugee agency is appealing to states next to conflict-ridden Sudan to keep their borders open to people seeking safety and protection. Since fighting between the Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces erupted April 15, tens of thousands of Sudanese have been forced to leave their homes in fear of their lives. Filippo Grandi, the U.N. high commissioner for refugees, has echoed repeated calls made by the U.N. secretary general for hostilities to cease immediately, and for all parties to embark on meaningful peace efforts. This is urgently needed, he said, to prevent another major displacement crisis that could further destabilize a fragile region. Despite an extension of the latest cease-fire between the warring parties, more fighting was reported in Khartoum and the western Darfur region on Thursday. SEE ALSO: Farid Aiywar, head of delegation of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Sudan (IFRC) expressed deep concern that after nearly two weeks of fighting there has been no sign of improvement or any kind of a letdown in terms of the fighting and also ease of humanitarian challenges. He said, The main problems continue to be shortage of food, water, medicine and fuel, and limited communication and electricity. In Khartoum, families continue to be held up in their homes and calling for evacuations. However, most areas are not yet safe for them to move, he said. The World Health Organization reports it has recorded 4,075 injuries and 459 deaths in the 25 remaining functional health facilities although this is really much under reported, said Nima Saeed Abid, WHO representative in Sudan. The actual number [of deaths] is much higher, he said adding that 32 percent of health facilities in the country were completely closed due to security attacks and that some had been converted to military bases. IFRC representative Aiywar said more than 40,000 trained Red Crescent volunteers stationed in all 18 Sudanese states were ready to support humanitarian services when the situation improved. Unfortunately, the continued fighting appears set to trigger more displacement inside and outside the country as more people flee in search of safety. UNHCR spokeswoman Olga Sarrado said her agency is working closely with partners and governments in the region to assess the needs of newly arriving refugees and were scaling up efforts to assist them. The humanitarian impact of this crisis will be harsh, she said noting that Sudan hosted more than 1 million refugees and cared for 3.7 million internally displaced before the conflict began. All UNHCR operations in Sudans neighboring countries impacted by this new emergency already have existing large refugee and IDP populations and are also severely underfunded, she said. At least 20,000 Sudanese refugees reportedly have fled to Chad from Darfur, one of the regions in Sudan most affected by violence. Their arrival is placing enormous strain on the countrys overstretched resources as Chad already shelters more than 400,000 Sudanese refugees from previous conflicts, The majority of those arriving are in dire need of basic humanitarian aid, namely food, water, and adequate shelter, said Anne Kathrin Schaefer, chief of Chad mission for the International Organization for Migration. She said that we believe a considerable number of those arriving are Chadians as well as nationals from other countries who lived in Sudan and will require immediate assistance to return to their communities of origin and reunite with their families. Large numbers of Sudanese also reportedly are arriving in Egypt. So far, the UNHCR has registered at least 4,000 South Sudanese who have been forced to prematurely return home. Marie-Helene Verney, UNHCR Representative in South Sudan, noted that much larger numbers of unregistered people have been rushing through the countrys northern border with Sudan. Speaking from Juba, she said most of the South Sudanese refugees have fled from Khartoum and were returning home to a situation of deep uncertainty. With 800,000 South Sudanese refugees in Sudan, an unknown number of South Sudanese still in Sudan, many of them will be coming back to the five northern states in South Sudan that are already extremely fragilea mixture of conflict, climate change, and food insecurity. Verney said the five northern states depended on the pipeline from Sudan to get food and basic goods into their villages. We are very, very concerned about the impact on communities if many South Sudanese refugees return, she said, particularly in the places where there is conflict and communities are already affected by climate change. She added that 75 percent of South Sudans population of almost 12 million depended on humanitarian assistance and warned that the UNHCR was seriously concerned that a large, unplanned number of new returns could destabilize already struggling local communities. THURSDAY, April 27, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Jobs that regularly expose you to certain chemicals appear to steadily increase your risk of pancreatic cancer, a new analysis reports. People with more than 20 years of exposure to some chemical agents had a 39% increased risk of pancreatic cancer, compared with an 11% higher risk for 11 to 20 years exposure and a 4% higher risk for 1 to 10 years exposure, researchers found. Our findings revealed that the risk of pancreatic cancer increases significantly for each additional year of exposure among workers exposed to these chemicals, said study author Ro-Ting Lin, an associate professor of occupational safety and health at China Medical University in Taiwan. The analysis evaluated 12 industrial chemicals and found that five significantly increased the risk of pancreatic cancer in workers, Lin said. The No. 1 chemical that most increased a persons risk of pancreatic cancer was ethylene oxide, followed by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, rubber dust and fumes, styrene, and metalworking fluids, Lin said. These chemicals are predominantly used in the chemical, metal, plastic, rubber and petroleum industries, researchers said. The study adds to mounting evidence that workplace exposure to certain chemicals is associated with a higher risk of cancer, said Dr. Steven Nimmo, president of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine in the United Kingdom. What this new meta-analysis adds is a definite dose-response relationship. The longer people are exposed, the more likely they are to develop pancreatic cancer, said Nimmo, who also edits the journal in which the study was published on April 27, Occupational Medicine. Its another piece in the jigsaw puzzle, he said. That the risk increases with time of exposure is a quite important bit that adds toward whether there is direct causation. However, Nimmo noted that while the relative risk of pancreatic cancer rises significantly in people exposed to these chemicals, the overall risk of this cancer remains low. Pancreatic cancer accounts for about 3% of cancers in the United States and 7% of all cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society. Its an increase in a very tiny risk, Nimmo said. Pancreatic cancer is one of the top five causes of cancer death globally, and is usually found at an advanced stage, researchers said in background notes. Fewer than 10% of patients survive. For the study, Lin and her colleagues combined info from 31 occupational health studies around the world, a data pool that included more than 288,000 people. Overall, they found that occupational exposure to chemical agents accounts for 9% to 47% of pancreatic cancer cases among workers. Some chemicals like ethylene oxide, styrene and metalworking fluids significantly increased the risk of pancreatic cancer even with brief exposure of less than 10 years, Lin said. But longer exposure to higher concentrations of these dangerous chemicals more than doubled a workers risk, she said. Our findings revealed that the risk of pancreatic cancer increases significantly for each additional year of exposure among workers exposed to these chemicals, Lin said. Ethylene oxide is a gas often used in the manufacture of chemicals and the sterilization of medical devices, Lin said. Styrene is used to make insulation, rubber and plastics. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are compounds produced when organic substances like coal, oil or natural gas are burned. PAHs pop up here, there and everywhere as being carcinogenic, Nimmo said. Health and safety regulations that would protect workers from these chemicals vary widely between countries, he noted. For example, the U.S. bases its regulations on general rules set for industry, while the U.K. has a risk-based approach that assesses each specific potential hazard. Lin noted that most of the chemical agents targeted in this study enter the body by inhalation. We recommend reducing exposure by shortening the working duration in the risky operation, enclosing chemical operations, improving ventilation, and ensuring effective personal protective equipment is worn, but ultimately high-risk chemical processes should still be phased out, Lin said. Men with more than 10 years of exposure on the job were found to be the most at risk, the results showed. Based on that, researchers said employers should monitor male employees for symptoms and signs of pancreatic cancer, if theyve been exposed to known cancer-causing chemicals for more than a decade. Nimmo said thats not realistic, given that pancreatic cancer is often a silent killer. The bottom line is that there aren't early symptoms of pancreatic cancer. There is also no screening test for it, Nimmo said. Being mindful of symptoms is not really an option. More information The American Cancer Society has more about pancreatic cancer. SOURCES: Ro-Ting Lin, PhD, associate professor, occupational safety and health, China Medical University, Taichung City, Taiwan; Steven Nimmo, MB ChB, president, Faculty of Occupational Medicine, London, U.K.; Occupational Medicine, April 27, 2023 BEIJING, April 27 (Xinhua) -- China plans to send one to three network backup satellites for the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) into space this year to improve the stability and usability of the constellation, according to the 13th China Satellite Navigation Conference on Thursday. As a national major sci-tech project, the BDS is a global navigation satellite system, constructed and operated independently by China. Currently, it has 45 satellites in orbit, including 15 for BDS-2 and 30 for BDS-3. All the satellites are connected to the network and run stably. The system's services such as global and regional short message communication, international search and rescue, precise single point positioning, and space-based and ground-based enhancement, all meet the target requirements. The BDS was initiated in 1994. The construction of BDS-1 and BDS-2 was completed in 2000 and 2012, respectively. When BDS-3 was completed and put into service on July 31, 2020, China became the third country globally to have an independent global navigation satellite system. China will accelerate the integration of BDS with emerging technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence and big data. It aims to build a more ubiquitous, integrated, and intelligent national spatial and temporal system by 2035. The 3-day conference kicked off Wednesday in Beijing. More than 4,000 experts and scholars from home and abroad in the satellite navigation field attended the conference online and offline. BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- There have been no new severe hospitalized cases or deaths resulting from the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 reported, despite the subvariant's considerable transmission and immune evasion capacities monitored in various countries, a Chinese health expert said on Wednesday. There is also no indication of heightened severity in XBB.1.16 infections compared to other Omicron subvariants, said Chen Cao, a research fellow at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), at a press conference held by the State Council joint COVID-19 prevention and control mechanism. By April 22, China had reported 57 locally transmitted cases of XBB.1.16 and its sub-strains. Based on Chinese monitoring data, the Omicron subvariants BA.5.2 and BF.7 remain predominant among local cases, and cases of XBB and its sub-strains have seen relatively fast growth, Chen said. The China CDC will watch and analyze future changes of the virus closely, Chen added. Mi Feng, spokesperson for the National Health Commission (NHC), said at the press conference that the stabilizing trend of COVID-19 infections in China has continued. He urged the strict implementation of response measures to ensure safe travel and a happy May Day holiday for the people, as International Workers' Day on May 1 is approaching. To ensure sound medical services during the holiday, the NHC has ramped up its provision of fever clinics and treatment beds, shored up its supply of medicines and equipment, and enhanced its training of medical personnel and medical services by experts in clinics and on tours, according to NHC official Guo Yanhong. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is suing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a man who has gone from getting married at Walt Disney World to generating billion-dollar beef with the company. According to CNN, the lawsuit alleges that DeSantis is infringing on the companys right to free speech by weaponizing his political power. Critics do not envy DeSantis having to go up against Disneys legal team. This is the company that had copyright law changed on their behalf, remember? The lawsuit claims DeSantis now threatens Disneys business operations, jeopardizes its economic future in the region, and violates its constitutional rights. Disney first came under attack by DeSantis et al. because the company came out against Floridas so-called Dont Say Gay bill. After staff walkouts and a flurry of criticism, the company gave a statement decrying the bill (now law) saying it should be repealed by the legislature, and it should never have passed. This rebuke by Floridas largest employer, plus arguments over vaccine mandates, prompted DeSantis to revoke Disneys control of the Reedy Creek Improvement District the special taxing district for the land on which Walt Disney World sits. Under an agreement made back in 1967, Disney had the right to pave roads, control mosquito populations, and even build a nuclear power plant if they so chose. DeSantis signed a bill to dissolve the previous board and create a new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District comprised of people DeSantis chose. Disney then clapped back in the form of a royal clause. Before being dissolved by DeSantis, the old board passed a resolution asserting that its privileges would remain intact 21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, king of England living as of the date of this declaration. And in retaliation to that, DeSantis board voted to invalidate that resolution. DeSantis also threatened to build a prison right next to the Magic Kingdom. Disney wishes that things could have been resolved a different way, the lawsuit reads. But Disney also knows that it is fortunate to have the resources to take a stand against the States retaliation a stand smaller businesses and individuals might not be able to take when the State comes after them for expressing their own views. In America, the government cannot punish you for speaking your mind. Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images Former Fugee Pras Michel has been convicted on ten counts related to a criminal conspiracy to help China gain access to U.S. officials. According to CNN, he faces up to 20 years in prison. He was on trial in connection with Malaysian businessman Jho Lows attempts to reach U.S. officials, including Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Michel was found guilty on Wednesday afternoon of conspiracy to defraud the U.S., witness tampering, and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. His lawyer told the press he will appeal if and/or when they move to sentencing, saying, This is not over. Prosecutors said Low gave Michel more than $100 million to influence the American government to stop investigating him. Michel testified that the $100 million in question came from a media business, not from Low. He said his only involvement with Low was to help him find him a U.S. attorney. Michel was also accused of advocating for the extradition of a Chinese dissident on behalf of the Chinese government as well as giving over $800,000 of a different $20 million payment from Low to Obamas campaign. Michel testified that Low had paid him $20 million to get a picture with Obama. Michel said he then used $800,000 of that money to donate to Obamas campaign, adding that it was his money to use as he saw fit. I could have bought 12 elephants with it, he testified. No sentencing date has been set. Low was also charged and is believed to be in China. 2059 Part II: Nightbirds suggests the kind of vital series Extrapolations could have been if it readjusted its barometer for whose struggles hold narrative value. Photo: Apple TV+ Extrapolations shouldnt have been an easy watch, and the greatest failure of the recently concluded Apple TV+ series about the devastating worldwide effects of climate change is that it was. High-concept in its presentation of global warmings impact on the future but small-minded in its commitment to rich Westerners as its primary protagonists, Extrapolations ended up being the kind of show you watch with a shrug instead of a gasp. Theres an ugly cynicism to the series assumption that viewers will be most moved by the difficulty of getting fresh produce for a dinner party or hearing the worlds last humpback whale as voiced by Meryl Streep, rather than empathizing with people whose hardships are certainly greater. While actors like Matthew Rhys, Heather Graham, Judd Hirsch, Gemma Chan, Diane Lane, and Edward Norton portray the invariably well off, tens of millions of climate refugees are mentioned only in passing, and there is no meaningful discussion of what life is like in the regions of the world facing significant devastation: Africa, the Mediterranean, the Pacific Islands. The series only character who attempts climate-change reversal on a planetary scale is Indira Varmas billionaire scientist, Gita Mishra, and Extrapolations not only calls her geo-engineering attempt terrorism, it makes her plan fail. The idea that extreme actions might be morally viable, and might be all we have left, isnt something this series wants to give too much credence; its no How to Blow Up a Pipeline. Extrapolations would rather cling, fairly fecklessly, to legislation, prosecution, and good tech as our way out of this ever more drastic hole Executive producer Michael Ellenberg said of the series star-studded cast, We wanted to collapse the distance from this issue, and with these famous actors youre there automatically. Yet none of these famous actors plays someone in the midst of the kind of climate-caused struggle that so many around the world are already living through; theyre playing executives and high-powered lawyers, tech investors and art dealers, social-media influencers and real-estate developers. Only once in its eight episodes does Extrapolations deliver the emotional tension, breakneck pace, and knotty ethics required of a story that is meant to shake viewers out of complacency, and its in the episode with the fewest actors recognizable to an American audience. Episode five, 2059 Part II: Nightbirds, suggests the kind of vital series Extrapolations could have been if it had readjusted its barometer for whose struggles and sacrifices have narrative value. The preceding four episodes sketched a near-future in which Nicholas Biltons (Kit Harington) Alpha Industries holds a monopoly grip on tech, operating everything from a company that clones extinct animals to mines for base metals that are used in batteries, and his outsize influence has made it difficult for the countries where he does business to agree on how to address climate change. As the world gets warmer, nearly everything is corporatized and commodified, and Nightbirds provides the clearest look at what the increasing costs of staying alive in a crumbling world mean for people not working for one of Biltons companies or a federal government, not bestowed with inherited wealth, and not living in the United States. The episode starts a few minutes before the end of the preceding episode, 2059: Face of God, in which Mishra, flying a plane full of calcium carbonate that is meant to blot out the sun and cool the Earth (like what actually happened after the 2001 explosion of Mount Pinatubo), is shot down by Bilton and the American president near her hometown of Badlapur, India. Fifty-two kilometers away in Mumbai, driver Gaurav (Adarsh Gourav) watches the explosion through a hazy night sky. Mumbai is under a daytime curfew because of the heat, vendors sell oxygen masks by the puff, and theres no real rice to be found in India because agricultural conditions are so poor; its all synthetic, processed crap. To make ends meet, former farmer Gaurav now transports illegal cargo. But theres clearly something different about the job given to him by handler Neel (Gaz Choudhry), who insists on accompanying him on the drive to Varanasi, where theyll meet their mysterious boss, Anusha (Zuleikha Robinson). Photo: Zach Dilgard/Apple TV+ Director Richie Mehta stays tight on Gourav and Choudhrys faces as they sit next to each other in the trucks cabin, pivoting between the two as they complain about traffic and corrupt cops, compare asthma symptoms and family backstories, and bicker about movies, conspiracy theories, tensions between India and Pakistan, space travel, geo-engineering, and God. During the ride, Nightbirds slides into the same theoretical, sometimes theological, talkiness that congeals the dramatic tension of some of the series other episodes, and at one point, Neel follows Extrapolations (arguably unreasonable) optimistic party line by telling the doubtful Gaurav, You gotta believe in possibilities and happy fucking endings. Yet the character pairing works because the antagonism between them is refreshingly raw, vehement, and acrimonious and because writer Rajiv Joseph grounds their quarrels in the direct impact climate change has on their lives. But most of all, it works because through Guarav and Neel, Extrapolations finally acknowledges that there is virtue in breaking the rules to save lives. When regular health care is unavailable because of pervasive pollution, are nanobots an appropriate treatment option, or do they hand more of our private data over to Big Pharma? When entire industries are wiped out because of regulatory negligence, are illegal means of supporting oneself justified? And when all food is trademarked and copyrighted, meaning the worlds poorest people are banned from cultivating their own plants and starve to death as a result, wouldnt you rather align with those trying to upend the status quo than with those sustaining it? Once Gaurav and Neel learn from Anusha that their cargo is stolen rice seeds free of corporate branding, and after they hit the road again with a genetic scientist who will help grow the plants and disseminate them to those in need, Nightbirds amps up the stakes with a series of obstacles that are simultaneously recognizable because of their similarity to real-life events and sobering because their heightened awfulness doesnt seem that implausible. Perhaps the freak heat wave that nearly boils alive Neel and a child he tries to protect, or the torrential downpour that starts to flood the countrys living-underground communities, seems like a scare tactic to exacerbate present-day fears. But discomfort is integral to change, isnt it? Lofty ruminations on whether we still deserve this world, or hollow affirmations that the prosecution of one bad guy is enough to right our course, or frankly goofy sequences in which wild animals provide bloody comeuppance to the worlds worst capitalists, dont have the effective power Extrapolations believes they do. Alteration requires interruption the two go hand in clasped hand, fist alongside raised fist and the series fails viewers by offering only one episode with the perspectives and urgency needed to convey this. Gaurav and Neels radicalized dynamic shakes Extrapolations out of its otherwise too-proper rhythm, but just like the 1.5-degrees-Celsius warming threshold of the Paris Agreement, its not enough to make a difference. Photo: Terence Patrick/CBS via Getty Images After eight years on the air at CBS, The Late Late Show With James Corden comes to an end tonight, a moment that will be commemorated with a prime-time Carpool Karaoke special and the final episode of The Late Late Show featuring guests Will Ferrell and Harry Styles. When Corden launched what would eventually become Americas foremost source for watching famous people sing karaoke in a passenger seat, the late-night talk show was at an inflection point. Only a year prior, Jimmy Fallon had taken over The Tonight Show from Jay Leno, who, we are legally obligated to remind you, stole it from Conan OBrien. At the same time, Seth Meyers launched his own show in Fallons former 12:30 a.m. spot. A few months after Cordens tenure began in 2015, Jon Stewart left The Daily Show, where he was replaced by Trevor Noah. It was a time when a new guard was taking over in this format, and also a time when a bunch of white guys left, only to be replaced by (mostly) more white guys. Eight years later, as Corden heads off the air and back to England and the late-night talk show as a genre seems closer to potential extinction than it ever has, it feels like we may be at another inflection point. Which is why it seemed appropriate to have an emergency discussion between Bethy Squires, author of Vultures This Week in Late Night column, and TV critic Jen Chaney about Cordens likability and legacy, and where late night goes from here. Bethy Squires: We come to bury James Corden, not to praise him. Well, Im here to praise him a little. Im sad to see this show go. Not just this time slot of late night, but The Late Late Show With James Corden. For the This Week in Late Night column, I had to watch every late-night show, and the way he riffed with his staff during the lockdown era was a genuine highlight. But Im curious what you thought about Corden, especially pre-pandemic, which I caught a lot less of. Jen Chaney: I remember when he first launched the show in 2015 and, in his second week on the air, hosted an entire program from some random guy named Tommys house, with guests that included Jeff Goldblum and Beck. (Beck noted that it was very hot in Tommys house while Tommy fawned all over him. Beck later performed in Tommys dining room.) The space was clearly too tight for a proper late-night show, but there was something fun and DIY about that episode that gave me early David Letterman vibes combined with a heavy dose of Graham Norton. In that episode and his in-studio ones, Corden committed to putting all of his guests together on the sofa, one of the things that has always made Nortons U.K. show such a fun hang and that generally worked on Corden, too. I liked how Corden was experimenting with the form and improvising a bit. But as the show went on, it became known more for its bits its Carpool Karaoke segments and Crosswalk the Musical performances than for its improvisational qualities. The biggest knock against Corden, actually, is that his show didnt feel improvised at all, but instead like a series of highly choreographed set pieces designed to make the celeb guests seem relatable and to showcase Cordens talents as the U.K.s No. 1 Thirstiest Theater Kid. The thing is, thats sort of what he promised CBS executives he would do. In an interview earlier this week with CBS Sunday Morning, Corden recalled the feedback he gave to CBS when they asked him what they should do with the time slot that once belonged to Craig Ferguson. I said I think youve got an opportunity to have an hour there that embraces the internet, he said. Make a show that launches at 12:37 but people consume and watch all day, because thats how that audience are consuming their content now. His song-and-dance fests and sketches often did go viral, so you can make a strong argument that he succeeded at his mission. But he, along with Jimmy Fallon, also pushed late night into a direction where carefully orchestrated spontaneity replaced actual spontaneity. And I miss the real thing, or what at least felt more like the real thing. I miss that one time Beck played Country Down in a dining room. BS: Thats the most frustrating thing about watching Corden as a comedy fan: seeing the genuine moments of spontaneity crowded out by the splashy, prerecorded stuff. But thats definitely how hes most well known by the world at large. I want to go back to his time in the U.K. panel-show trenches. As a Big Fat Quiz fan, thats how I first knew him. Corden was often paired up with Jack Whitehall (who has been a frequent guest on The Late Late Show), and the two would be the brats of the episode. The Big Fat Quiz of the Year is a pub-quiz-style show that comes out on Christmas every year on Channel 4. Teams of celebs compete to see who knows the most about the past year, but really theyre competing to see who can make the most jokes about host Jimmy Carrs style, tax evasion, and hair plugs. One of the better bits the show ever had was when Whitehall and Corden (1) showed up in tuxes to demonstrate that they werent here to fuck around, and (2) ordered in pizza. This stunt highlights both Cordens greatest strength and biggest flaw rolled into one. Hes not afraid to play the heel when the comedy requires it. The way he and Whitehall pester the other panelists is very high school: annoying yet funny at the same time. But the commitment to preplanned bits is also there. And by the time Corden got The Late Late Show, some U.K. comedy nerds were like, Good, hes your problem now. Lets talk more about how he and Fallon YouTube-ified late night. Theres the obvious point that the two both utilize these recurring segments (Carpool Karaoke, Go On, Git, etc.) to be consumed as stand-alone content, completely divorced from the concept of late night. But Corden also pretapes a lot of things that seemingly dont need to be pretaped. If he has a big guest, theyll be on the couch one night and then show up in a sketch/song/Crosswalk Musical later in the week. He doesnt even try to make the viewer believe all these things are happening the same night. How do you feel about the un-temporality of late night today? On the one hand, aint no way Im going to stay up late to watch a show on network broadcast. On the other hand, I cant help but feel like were losing something ineffable by decoupling late night from actually being late at night. JC: There is something about the fact that these shows were meant to be watched just before bed what people had to do in the days before streaming, the internet, and DVRs that helped define their sensibilities. The monologues and the interviews between host and guests were really the main event, and were meant to be chatty and fun, to provide some good laughs before the drowsiness kicked in. Even when guests had been prepped ahead of time, there was still that sense of spontaneity in a lot of late-night conversations, and the sense that surprising things could happen that werent under the control of the host or the publicists micromanaging their clients. Just one example of many: Cher telling Letterman he was an asshole on national television in 1986. Generally in those days, things didnt feel quite as overtly scripted. Certainly Letterman, Leno, and Conan did sketches; Conan had a particular gift, in his 12:30 heyday, for weirding out with masturbating bears and pimp bots, which, again, suited the audience of (mostly) younger people up late and in the mood for something punchy. Corden was correct to recognize that by the mid-2000s, people were no longer consuming late night late at night anymore. He also was smart to think about how his show might work in the YouTube era. But the focus on games and silly sketches, on The Late Late Show and elsewhere, has wound up pushing late night further from its original principles. Instead of creating a relaxing, organically evolving experience where anything could seemingly happen, Corden (and Fallon) started forcing the anything to happen. Corden especially earned a reputation as a try-hard (among other things). Like, watch this and try not to cringe. It cant be done. That reputation has been tough for him to shake, mainly because its accurate, although not necessarily always a bad thing. BS: Theres something a friends ex-boyfriend said that has stuck with me much longer than their relationship, and that is You cant force the jam. I think it was in the context of making fun of Phish or something, but it definitely applies here. Fallon and Corden are guilty of trying to force the jam, in a way that Day Drinking With Seth never does. Colberts audience often forces the jam upon him, with all the chanting and the booing. Corden is a try-hard, but the American allergy to people making an effort is not one of our cuter attributes. I can sort of sympathize, as a person whose job security often depends on an interview going well. Would the loosey-goosey, discursive late-night conversations happen with Charli DAmelio? Celebs are too media-trained nowadays. I wonder if being a try-hard is the only way to pierce the PR veil. I cant get you to call me an asshole or dance on my desk, but I can get you to eat bull testicles. Its fitting that one of Cordens signature guests is Kim Kardashian, who has made her fortune on a very overproduced version of reality. Speaking of frequent Corden guests, I think its my responsibility now to force you to talk about Harry Styles. JC: Thats right, I only talk about Harry Styles when forced. And by forced, I mean someone comes up to me and says, Hi. Hes a great example of a celebrity who really popped on The Late Late Show, and a testament to how much the charm of Cordens segments could turn up or down based on which famous person was in them. Styless bits worked well in part because he was so generally low-key, and that created a nice contrast with Corden. Their 2019 Concert Crosswalk segment is a lot of fun in part because Harry seems so dismissive of the whole concept. Their more recent making of a video for Daylight for $300 was also fun because it harked back to that seat-of-the-pants style that was on display in that aforementioned episode at Tommys house. Whenever Corden paired up with Tom Cruise to do some daredevil stunt, like jumping out of a plane, that also was fascinating, because Cruise is maybe the only person on earth who is doing the most more flagrantly than Corden. But, Bethy, youve been watching The Late Late Show for the past couple of years much more regularly than I have. Has the forcing of the jam abated at all? BS: Gonna have to first sidebar about the Daylight music-video shoot. I think the Making the Video energy hooks me as a millennial, but also the impish-little-shit energy coming off Corden. I think what makes Cordens trying here palatable is that he knows its annoying. He knows hes being extra, and hes excited to annoy Styles and even the girls who live in that apartment. Lean into your brand, my guy! But to answer your question, there was a time when the jam was coming unforced, and it was when the show couldnt have a real audience. Maybe its the theater kid in Corden, but he always overplays to a studio audience. But when audiences were verboten during COVID in 2021, Corden was the chillest hang of all the late-night shows. The whole staff, including the senior VP of late-night television, West Coast, Nick Bernstein, were forced to participate in monologues. It was like The Soup, with the crew laughing behind the camera. Corden wisely opened up the monologue space, turning it into dialogue between him and head writer Ian Karmel, Reggie Watts and his band, the camera guys, the writers, everybody. Show after show, the crews personas were built up, as well as Cordens specific vibe with each. Cameraman Pete is a Parrot Head; most of the band is into weird sex stuff; Nick Bernstein is into horse racing. There was also a change in how the monologues were edited, making it looser and preserving more of the pre-joke patter. If the years pre-COVID were about turning late night into YouTube, lockdown-era Late Late Show turned late night into podcasts. Its been frustrating seeing the show devolve back into scripted jokes now that things have opened back up. A good example of what the show was like in its podcast era was the week that Bernstein was given a chair that was weirdly high. Then, for the next few nights, the chair would get higher and higher. Silly! Pointless! Mild bullying! This was The Late Late Show (and its CBS exec) at its height. Jen, what does it mean for you that were losing this time slot of late night? CBS is bringing back @midnight in The Late Late Shows spot, even though Twitter is a walking corpse. Does this news, combined with all the new shows that got canceled like Desus & Mero, Ziwe, and A Little Late With Lilly Singh, mean late nights days are numbered? JC: First of all, I wish I had watched Corden more in the quarantine era. In fact, I was hopeful that the stripped-down nature of what late night was forced to become during COVID might usher in more chaos energy to the form. But like you said, everything slid right back to the normal. As far as late nights days being numbered, I dont think its immediately going away. While Colberts contract with CBS expires next year, both of the Jimmys Fallon and Kimmel have a few years left on theirs. But I do think fewer people engage with late-night talk shows than they did when Corden arrived on the scene. When people want to hear from celebrities, they generally follow them on Instagram or TikTok, and when they want some fun host-celeb banter, they go to shows like Hot Ones or Chicken Shop Date. Personally, I still value late-night talk shows. Like you, moments generated on those shows are things I often return to when Im looking for a pick-me-up from a YouTube clip. But I would like to see different voices leading the way put Ziwe on in Cordens old slot, cowards! and more fearlessness in terms of subverting the genre and trying new things. Im not saying I want The Tonight Show to turn into The Eric Andre Show. But Im also not not saying that. As someone who studied his show, how do you think The Late Late Show will be remembered? And how should it be remembered? BS: I think Cordens legacy will be Carpool Karaoke with Paul McCartney. Late-night careers often get condensed to one or two bits that come to represent the hosts whole tenure: Carson with the tomahawk, Letterman with Drew Barrymore, Conans remote segments. I think Corden will be remembered for Carpool Karaoke beating Nanette and Homecoming for an Emmy, and I think people will unfortunately think of it like when Crash beat Brokeback Mountain. But I hope people will remember The Late Late Show for the things it did to expand the boundaries of late night. First, for Cordens immediate predecessor Craig Ferguson bringing some gonzo energy to monologues and really exploring the space. Then, for Cordens willingness to take the show out of the studio. Sure, that impulse did block traffic with Corden dressed as a mouse. But it also gave one random guy a very personal Beck concert. Trying hard has its place. Photo-Illustration: Vulture. Photos: CBS Late-night stand-up spots are no longer the guaranteed career catapults they once were. Long gone are the days of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, when a young comedian could go from a relative unknown to a future sitcom star overnight with a great five-minute set. But the prestige of these opportunities remains. Theyre recognizable credits that help comedians get booked at clubs and festivals, impressive clips that circulate online to build a fan base and offer lifelong bragging rights. Theyre also disappearing: Since the start of 2023, there have been just 25 stand-up-comedy sets across the five major U.S. late-night shows one on Late Night With Seth Meyers, 12 on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and 12 on The Late Late Show With James Corden. With the latter of these shows coming to an end on April 27, this trend is poised to only get worse. Known more for star-studded segments like Carpool Karaoke, the legacy of The Late Late Show With James Corden is unlikely to be tied to the stand-up it featured. But the program, which aired 105 stand-up sets over the course of its run between 2015 and 2023 nearly a third of which marked emerging comedians late-night debuts made an indelible impact on the scene. It was an early showcase for the talent of Jacqueline Novak before she received national attention for her Off-Broadway show Get on Your Knees. It was valuable American exposure for popular British acts visiting from the U.K., such as James Acaster and Romesh Ranganathan. It was the show where Maria Bamford delivered her incredible eulogy for her late mother. All of these will live on YouTube for audiences to discover and revisit for as long as CBS permits them. The man behind all of this is Ryan Williams, a talent booker and segment producer at The Late Late Show responsible for booking comedians and readying their sets for broadcast. Having previously worked in similar roles at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Late Show With David Letterman, Williams brought his experience to The Late Late Show in 2015 to develop the shows stand-up sensibility. The challenge, according to him, was to feature as wide of a range of comedic perspectives as possible while still appealing to Cordens not-necessarily-adventurous audience. More often than not, he succeeded at threading the needle. Ahead of the shows final episode, Williams spoke about the acts hes proudest of booking and the broader state of stand-up on late night. Before coming to The Late Late Show, you worked as a stand-up booker for both Letterman and Fallon. How did the approach differ here? The one thing that every late-night show has in common is that a lot of what youre doing is very tailored to the hosts taste. James came from a place where he wasnt a stand-up comedian. He definitely had tastes and people he loved, but to begin, it was pretty much about showing off American stand-ups to James and trying to find people who tickled his fancy. As time went on, I was able to branch out a little. I focused on getting people some late-night debuts and highlighting some really interesting points of view. What did the booking process look like? Most of the submissions came via email from peoples agents and managers. A lot of times, Id get referrals from stand-ups whod been on the show. Those are the ones that Id get most excited about. When a stand-up was here, did really well, and clearly got what it was all about, Id let them know, As youre going about the world, keep me in mind. Id love to hear about folks you see that are ready and have solid sets. Especially pre-COVID, I was at the clubs a lot more often than I am now, trying to go to different industry showcases, and dropping in at Hot Tub when that was a thing. What were you looking for as you went through these submissions? Its very much about balancing out an interesting point of view that is also very palatable to a mainstream audience. I always tried to keep in mind that the folks showing up to watch a late-night talk-show taping arent necessarily the same folks who would show up to a comedy club. I would avoid more challenging material, for the most part, with a few exceptions. But I always kept in mind that these types of opportunities are pretty few and far between. So if I could find somebody that presented something unique and exciting, that was, in general, the direction I liked to go. When you think back on your favorite sets you booked on the show, what comes to mind? The first one that comes to mind is Jacqueline Novak, who is super-funny. I think we were her late-night debut here. She was one of the first more creative bookings we had someone who is going after exciting, interesting points of view, and maybe people doesnt necessarily fit the standard, traditional late-night mold. She had a really funny set and has gone on to do great things. Fabrizio Copano, more recently the Chilean comedian. He had a rep who sent his clip along, and as soon as I watched it, I was just like, Wow, this is super-funny. It goes back to that thing of like, This is a unique point of view that kind of goes beyond jokes about airplane food. It has something to say that I think would be worth putting on television. Are there any young comedians you feel particularly proud to have been an early champion of? I feel like I got in on the ground floor of the Atsuko Okatsuka train. She is incredible. It was another one of those moments when I watched the clip and I got so excited about the possibility of putting this person on television. Shes got such a unique vibe kind of a childlike innocence, but with a really intelligent, cynical take wrapped up in it. I was thrilled to have her late-night debut here, and shes just gonna continue to excel. Was there a set where you thought, That was so unique. I cant believe I got to put that on TV? Im really proud of the Maria Bamford set that we had about a year ago. I got an email with the original, which was focused on her mother passing away and dealing with the grief of that in a charming way. But thats exactly the type of thing that I would normally try to steer a stand-up comedian away from. Id say, This is incredible and thoughtful and brilliant, but its maybe not the best fit for our audience. She was kind and gracious enough to send over another set that wasnt sort of focused on death and morbidity, and comparing the two of them, it just sort of took the wind out of my sails. It was like, If we have the choice to put this really emotionally riveting set on the air, I think we have to try to go for it. That was a time when I went around here to make sure that everybody was on the same page. Since then, there have been other sets that I would have been excited to put on television but maybe were a little bit too uncomfortable that we havent done. But the response to Marias was really strong and positive, and I think that kind of gave us the green light for the past year or so to be a little bit more daring with some of the folks we were booking. Comedian Jena Friedman spoke recently about a set she was trying to workshop for the show where she was wearing her baby onstage that you had to pull the plug on. I was wondering if you wanted to share your side of that story. Jena is a person Im a huge fan of, and when I saw that she had a book coming out, I actually reached out to her publicist to say, We are a receptive audience here if Jena would even consider putting together a late-night set. We realize we might not be the best fit and that it might be a futile effort. We wanted to attempt to thread that needle of getting an exciting voice who wasnt also going to be challenging to our audience. I had a great experience working with Jena, and we were both very upfront with each other the whole time about what a long shot it would be. I dont think there was any acrimony or hard feelings. It wasnt as if we pulled the plug at the last minute. It was very clear from the beginning that this was going to be a challenge and that it might end up with a big goose egg on the scoreboard. Part of your job is going through these sets word by word to prepare them for broadcast on television. Can you think of an example of something absurd you had to censor so it could air? Youre usually able to find a compromise with the comedian that preserves the integrity of the joke, but there are definitely moments of silliness. You can say erection, but you cant say hard. Its that kind of stuff, where for some reason the very clinical, almost more repulsive names for things are fine, whereas the more colloquial slang terms get shut down by Standards and Practices. There have definitely been some really hilarious email exchanges with Standards and Practices going back and forth over different slang terms for buttholes. Ryan Williams Photo: Terence Patrick/CBS Why do you think other late-night shows, with the exception of yours and The Tonight Show, have scaled back on booking comedians? When youre bringing a stand-up on to the show, youre really farming out five to seven minutes to someone elses point of view. And if thats not important to you, I can see why you wouldnt want to give up that time to someone else when you could be creating your own content. For us, we really wanted to make stand-up a big part of the show. It was important for us to prioritize elevating outside voices. But even from a production point of view, stand-up is so valuable because its basically filling an act of the show where the writers dont have to write anything, and you dont have to pay $10,000 to bring in a band. Ideally, youve got a self-contained performer who can take the pressure off of everything else for five minutes or so. So it seems silly to me that people arent taking advantage of that. Where do you see stand-up on late night going from here? A stand-up set for late night is a very specific animal. Its almost like a poem or a commencement speech, where it has to be structured in a very specific way and youve got to put a lot of time into running it to get it just right. And if theres something thats not as archaic but still allows people who have unique points of view and funny ways of seeing the world to kind of get that out, I think thats great. Im curious to see what is going to happen with this @midnight show. I remember when it aired, it put so many hilarious people on my radar for the first time as a comedy fan, and I think it has an opportunity to do that again. If @midnight is able to celebrate those voices and make people look good, that could be a real revolution in late-night comedy. But also, who wants to be associated with Twitter right now? I dont know how theyre gonna bridge that gap of just having an @ symbol in the front of their name. But I really do hope that they find a creative way to rise to the occasion, because theres a huge amount of talent out there thats just not getting the platform that they used to have. How would you summarize your legacy at The Late Late Show? Im really proud of the folks weve had on the show. I think in comparison to the rest of the field, weve done a really great job of putting stand-up on TV that people are excited about. As funny as Jim Gaffigan is, we didnt book him 15 times for stand-up like they mightve at Letterman. We really did try to find people and expose new names to the audience and celebrate as many people as possible. I hope thats what were remembered for, if anything. This interview has been edited and condensed. Photo: Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for NET-A-PORTER Some artists might be insulted by the idea that their art is ephemeral, but not Reggie Watts. The category-defiant comedian had already made tons of improvised tunes on concert stages and in TV studios over the years before he made a lasting impression playing some of the most ephemeral music of his career: the bumper music on The Late Late Show With James Corden. For the past eight years, you could find the stylishly bespectacled house-band leader every Monday through Thursday making syncopated loops of freestyle vocalizing when he wasnt doing sketches with the host or chopping it up with the guests. Prior to this show, Watts had performed a funhouse-mirror version of the same role on Scott Aukermans IFC series Comedy Bang! Bang!, a satire of late-night talk shows. Its hard to imagine anyone else sliding so seamlessly between these two poles, but Watts was a natural fit in either setting. The sounds he makes live in their own heightened reality, but hes so casual about making them, youd think he was merely adding drumrolls to monologue zingers. Outside of the show, Watts has kept busy lately writing his memoir, Great Falls, MT: Fast Times, Post-Punk Weirdos, and a Tale of Coming Home Again, which will be out in October. By the time the book becomes available, though, he may have found a new steady gig, since The Late Late Show comes to its end on April 27. As he prepared to tape his final episode, Watts spoke about collaborating with musical guests, whats next, and his resemblance to The Muppet Shows Dr. Teeth. What were the early conversations like about how you would be integrated into the show beyond your duties as band leader, and did it end up playing out that way? It ended up being pretty much exactly what James said in the initial meeting. He said to choose your own band and run it like you want to, and everything I asked for, I got. I wasnt really looking for this job I was looking forward to doing my own solo thing but it actually got offered to me a few weeks after I quit Comedy Bang! Bang!, so it was unexpected. Was there much of a learning curve going from being the musical sidekick on a fake talk show with Comedy Bang! Bang! to the musical sidekick on a real one? Not really, other than using in-ear systems having producers tell you when to play the bumps and whatnot. Other than that, it was pretty easy. All the bumps we played in the first year were pretty much improvised. I would send a voice note of something Id been humming to myself that day to the band, and they would learn it by the time I got to the show. It was groovy. I viewed my position as somewhere between Paul Shaffer and Andy Richter. It was kind of similar to Comedy Bang! Bang! They even took the Reggies Question thing from Comedy Bang! Bang!, where Scott would be like, Reggie, do you have anything you want to ask the guest? and I would make up some shit. Did you have any model in mind for how you wanted the band to be on the show? I wanted to be unlike any other band. I told them in the beginning, I dont want to wear suits, and I dont want to be the backing band for solo artists. There was one band I wanted us to be like, actually: My goal was to become a real-world version of the Muppet Show band, and I think we nailed it. Im Dr. Teeth, and weve got Janice on bass. Over the course of the shows run, youve gotten to jam out live with guests like Donald Glover and Dave Grohl. Did you ever consider following up with anyone afterward about exploring the collaboration further? Donald, yes, to an extent, but never explicitly. Donalds a busy guy, but if he wants to work with me, hell reach out he knows that Im interested. But surprisingly: Noah Centineo. Were gonna be doing something together. Hes starting this production company, and I met him when he was a guest on the show. He came up to me after and was super-sweet, and weve been hanging out. Im super-stoked to do something with him. You did some Star Warsrelated bits on the show, and now you have a credit as an Additional Voice on the most recent Star Wars movie. Is there any correlation there? That was my own connection. I had met with J.J. Abrams a few years before I started with the show, when he was working on Super 8. He just liked what I did and wanted to meet me. So we kept in touch, and one night, hed been working on Star Wars [Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker], and I just reached out to see if he wanted to hang out, and he was like, Maybe after the Star Wars movie is done. Then he texted me back 20 minutes later and was like, Do you want to be in it? Wed talked about me doing that at some point I thought it would be cool to just hold a laser rifle in the background or whatever and then he said, If you want to come in tonight and do V.O., I have the perfect thing for you. So I went to the soundstage at Paramount, and he directed me doing a really simple voiceover of Lando Calrissian while he was in his mask. Then the next day, I was on Earth to Ned, the Disney+ show, and Billy Dee Williams the real Lando Calrissian was the other guest on the show. I think my favorite bit of yours on The Late Late Show ever was when you kept playing music and refused to let Corden start the show. Do you have any moments over the years that you are either especially proud of or just had a great time making? I had this idea where I cant remember who was with me, maybe Kristen Schaal, but there was a set built for me where I did this music video of an improvised song. And I had a moment when I was in a phone booth having a dramatic emotional phone call with a lover and then sneaking into her bedroom, so they built a bedroom set and got a rain simulator. That was really fun. When I did stand-up recently and when my band played on the show, those are some of my favorite extra-credit moments. Oh, and playing dodgeball with Michelle Obama. Is there something you havent been able to do between the hours of whenever the show is filmed Monday through Thursday that youre looking forward to doing more of now? Im looking forward to doing more random shit. Before, I couldnt really go off and do stuff. Someone would say, Hey do you wanna record in Asheville, North Carolina? Id have to be like, Well, I can do it on these three days, unless we were off for hiatus, and now I can just be like, Yeah, hows Tuesday? So Im really looking forward to taking advantage of that time. As confining as this daily gig must have been sometimes, was it helpful having the structured schedule of a daily talk show during the early part of the pandemic? Not really. It was cool to have this weird surreal world break, and when we started working again, I was a little bummed. It was a mixed vibe, because I appreciated being able to keep working, but also, I like having big swaths of unstructured time. I got that in the beginning and then when work started happening, even though it was only three hours, I was still bitching about it. What was your initial reaction to finding out the show would be ending this year? I was stoked. I thought it was exactly the right way to do it. James brought the band into our dressing room and told us in person, which I thought was a very cool way to do it. He said it was going to be a year that he would extend it for, which was great, because that gave us time to prepare for what to do next. He thought wed only be on for five years, so eight years is perfect. His instinct was to leave on a high note, and I think thats what were doing. You have a book coming out in the fall, Great Falls, MT: Fast Times, Post-Punk Weirdos, and a Tale of Coming Home Again. But beyond that, what else is next? I have some shows Im pitching, and hopefully people will go for them. It would be great if one of them got made. Im definitely going to be getting into music more, playing with Thundercat and spending some time in Jacksonville and Asheville where the music scenes are happening right now discovering more bands and helping local bands with gigs and getting more opportunities. Im just looking forward to getting out there and collaborating with artists around the world. Youve been openly interested in the possibilities of AI for years. Now that its well and truly arrived, do you see a place for AI in the late-night talk-show and/or improvised musical-comedy space in the near future? Oh, 100 percent. AIs gonna rock and roll. Im a big fan of it. I want it to fuck peoples lives up. I want people to be threatened by it. I think its a good shakeup for people who get too comfortable, myself included. One of the shows Im pitching is about AI, so if it gets picked up, that will give me a chance to really go in depth and check out some cool interesting people working on crazy shit. Now that the show is over and you no longer have to be nice to the host, is there anything youd like to say to James Corden about the time he roasted you for answering a question in French on Celebrity Jeopardy, or about anything else? That fucker! No, you know, it was a roastable moment. I think they took that occurrence and ran with it in a responsible and entertaining way. But more than anything, I want James to know that Im really thankful that he saw something in me and only had me in mind for the job and asked me and believed in me and gave me the opportunity to do what I wanted to do for the show. Thats way more than most artists ever get to do on this scale. BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- China urges the UK to be prudent in its words and actions, stop making groundless accusations against China and interfering in the country's internal affairs, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Wednesday. According to reports, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said in his speech on foreign policy and the position on China on April 25 that it would be a betrayal of national interest to declare some kind of new Cold War or to isolate China. This Government will engage robustly and constructively with China, and at the same time, steadfastly defend the UK's security and values. He said, China should fulfill its obligations in the Sino-British Joint Declaration. The UK is entitled to say so and act. China should not see the UK's remarks on Xinjiang as interference in its internal affairs. He also said the UK hopes to see a peaceful settlement of the Taiwan question, and it is essential that no party takes unilateral action to change the status quo. "In today's deeply interconnected world, the multiple challenges facing humanity require joint responses. Bloc politics and the Cold War mentality are against the trend of history and do not serve the interests of the UK or any other party in the world," spokesperson Mao Ning told a daily news briefing when answering a relevant query. Mao said that China has grown its relations with the UK in the spirit of equality and mutual respect. However, the UK has not kept up with the times and has been repeating old lines from an outdated playbook, which will only keep the UK itself further and further away from the advancement of our times. Regarding the Hong Kong issue, Mao said that all provisions concerning the UK under the Sino-British Joint Declaration have been fulfilled, adding that the UK has no sovereignty, no jurisdiction or right of "supervision" over Hong Kong and no so-called "rights" or "responsibilities" concerning Hong Kong. As for the circumstance of Xinjiang, Mao pointed out that Xinjiang enjoys economic development, social stability, religious harmony and cultural prosperity and people there lead a happy life. "These are facts for all to see, yet the UK side chooses to be oblivious to this and has deliberately smeared and slandered China," she said. The status quo of the Taiwan Strait is that both sides of the Strait belong to one and the same China, Mao said, adding that the biggest threat to peace in the Taiwan Strait comes from the "Taiwan independence" separatist activities and the U.S. connivance at and support for them. If the UK side wants sustained peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, it needs to strictly abide by the one-China principle and stand firmly against the "Taiwan independence" separatist activities. Mao reiterated that the Taiwan question and issues concerning Hong Kong and Xinjiang are purely China's internal affairs which brook no external interference. "We urge the UK to be prudent in its words and actions, stop making groundless accusations against China and interfering in China's internal affairs, and do more things that are conducive to the development of China-UK relations and world peace and stability," said Mao. BEIJING, April 27 (Xinhua) -- On a morning in April 1982, Zhang Wupu, who was the Party chief of Xizhaotong commune, stood at the commune's entrance in Zhengding County, Hebei Province, awaiting the arrival of the new deputy Party chief for the county. Unexpectedly, a young man dressed in plain clothes rode up to him on an old bicycle, taking Zhang by surprise. The man got off his bike and, with a smile, offered his hand to Zhang, who soon realized that it was Xi Jinping, the newly appointed deputy secretary of the Zhengding County Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Zhang inquired, "Did you come alone? And how did you find your way here?" "I asked for directions along the way," Xi replied. Although the county had two jeeps available for official duty, Xi frequently opted to ride his bicycle during fact-finding research trips to gain firsthand knowledge of the county's conditions, including issues that might go under the radar for officials in a chauffeured sedan. However, these rides were not always easy, and Xi sometimes had to carry his bike over sandy riverbanks or rough terrain. During one such trip, Xi learned from local villagers that farmers in the area were unable to sustain themselves with their high grain yields and had to purchase sweet potatoes from other regions. After investigating the issue, Xi discovered that the county did not have enough food left for the farmers after fulfilling the country's annual purchase quota. He reported this problem to upper-level authorities. Subsequently, the quota was lowered and the farmers' burden relieved as a result. In a letter to Zhengding officials, Xi said, "When we conduct research and fact-finding activities, we must carry them out thoroughly, go to see the realities by ourselves and hear the public opinion directly." He also noted that the county's officials should spend at least a third of their time at the grassroots level. And Xi led by example. While in Zhengding, he visited all villages administered by the county. During his tenure as the Party chief of Ningde Prefecture in Fujian Province in the late 1980s, he made a journey to a remote and impoverished township, Xiadang, which was situated in a mountainous area with no proper roads. Xi traversed a narrow and brambled path for hours to reach the township. This had a profound impact on the residents, as very few officials were willing to make the effort to visit Xiadang. After being appointed Party chief of Zhejiang Province in the early 2000s, Xi visited all 90 counties, cities, and districts in the province in a little over a year. During his seven months serving as Shanghai's Party chief, Xi also visited all 19 districts and counties under the city's jurisdiction. Even as the general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, the Party's top official, Xi remains a role model for going to the grassroots, regardless of the obstacles and difficulties involved. He conducted over 50 inspections and research studies on poverty alleviation, which included visits to all 14 contiguous regions marred by extreme poverty. Sometimes, he insisted on visiting those far-flung places. His journey to a poor village situated in the country's southwest mountainous hinterlands in 2019 was an example. He left Beijing early in the morning and arrived in Huaxi Village in the evening. Sitting in the courtyard with the locals, he said, "I took a plane, a train, and a car, switching between three modes of transportation just to get here to meet you and hear what you have to say to us." "Go to villages, go to communities, and go there often," Xi once told Party officials at a training session at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee. "Visit those close by and those far afield; see the real situation, good or bad. We should listen to both praise and criticism from the public. That is how we get to grips with what is really going on." In early April, the Party launched a new campaign to encourage more fact-finding research and studies. For Xi and the entire Party, the campaign will continue to be an unceasing endeavor to understand the issues facing the country, as the CPC advances the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. Mark Robbins to step down as AAR president after almost 10 years in the role. Peter N. Miller, a professor of cultural history at the Bard Graduate Center in New York, has been appointed the new president and CEO of the American Academy in Rome. Miller's appointment as AAR president was announced by the academy's board of trustees on Wednesday and he will take up the new position on 1 July. An expert on the history of scholarship, cultural history, antiquarianism and conservation, Miller will succeed the academy's outgoing president and CEO Mark Robbins who is stepping down after almost a decade in the role. NEW: The Board of Trustees has announced that historian Peter N. Miller will be the Academy's next President and CEO, starting July 2023. Please join us in congratulating Peter!https://t.co/cSB7Orrn7Q American Academy in Rome (@AmAcademyRome) April 26, 2023 Miller is "a strong advocate for the continued importance and vitality of the humanities" - said AAR Board Chair Calvin Tsao - "At a time when the arts and humanities are facing some of the most urgent threats in a generation, Peter is well positioned to bolster and champion the Academys essential role in supporting research, art-making, and independent study." Established in 1894, the AAR is Americas oldest overseas centre for independent studies and advanced research in the arts and humanities. Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share President Joe Biden officially announced Tuesday that he would run for reelection in 2024, naming White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs director Julie Chavez Rodriguez as his campaign manager. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight It makes sense for Biden who is struggling to keep the support of Hispanic voters, the nations second-largest voting bloc to appoint the administrations highest-ranking Latina to the role. Biden enters the race, and a possible rematch against Donald Trump, with most Americans wanting him to sit this one out. According to an NBC News survey, 70% of all Americans including 51% of Democrats dont want him to run for a second term, citing his age as a major reason. Although Latinos cast 16.6 million votes in 2020, and nearly 70% voted for Biden, the Biden campaign cant ignore that Democrats still failed to attract enough Latinos in key swing states. Biden will need Latinos, a voting bloc that was essential to his win in 2020, to help make up the votes that he may lose elsewhere. Advertisement But if the president thinks that his challenge with Latino voters will magically go away with Chavez Rodriguez leading his reelection efforts, he is mistaken. On the face of it, Chavez Rodriguez is an excellent choice to engage with Latino voters fully. She is well connected politically in Democratic Party circles, and there is no doubt that she has the bona fides. Ahead of the 2022 midterms, where the Latino vote was decisive, she was elevated to senior adviser to the president. She worked on Bidens 2020 general election team as a deputy campaign manager, tasked in part to court Latino voters. She is also close to Vice President Kamala Harris, working in Harriss Senate office and on her 2020 presidential campaign. During Barack Obamas administration, she was a senior official in the Office of Public Engagement and served as special assistant to the president. Advertisement And it doesnt hurt that she is the granddaughter of Mexican American labor activist Cesar Chavez, an icon in the Latino community who fought for farm workers rights. For sure, the symbolism of the moment cannot and should not be ignored. But to be effective, there needs to be an intentional effort to shift Chavez Rodriguez from symbol to strategist. Although she has never run a campaign, we can hope her experience will help make that switch clear. Still, we should consider that even with her impressive background and ranking in the White House, Bidens engagement with Latino voters remains deficient. Biden now has a woman of color as the face of his campaign. Thats a start. But, no matter who is running the reelection campaign, the Democratic outreach to the Latino community has to undergo significant rework, and it needs to continue after elections are over. Advertisement What would success look like? Biden and Chavez Rodriguez must tailor his message to the different Latino communities they wish to activate to vote and engage early. His plans for the country must be communicated face to face, specific, concise and understood by everyday people. Undoubtedly, this means prioritizing connecting to Latinos where they organize. One of the most egregious examples of Biden dropping the ball on this in 2020 was when he didnt attend the NALEO conference, a forum for the largest association of Latino public officials. Repeating a political blunder like that would not bode well for Biden. Outside of big conferences, outreach needs to be integrated into community service activities beyond voter registration. Democrats need to be on the ground, present and engaged, before the campaign begins and after the election is won to show they actually care. Grassroots organizers have proven they can be an asset when it comes to this, but the Democratic Party needs to invest more in this resource. Advertisement Reaching Latino voters directly where they live and about things they care about should be a no-brainer, but it remains a problem for Democrats because many leaders insist on viewing Latinos as monolithic. They flatten Latinos into one identity, deconstructing a complex and diverse voting bloc into one issue: immigration. Perhaps Biden hopes that having Chavez Rodriguez at the helm of his reelection efforts will help get most Latinos excited about his record on immigration. He would be wrong. While the president has opened a back door to new immigrants by expanding humanitarian parole programs, his efforts have overall disappointed immigration-rights activists. More important, it is not the No. 1 issue for most Latinos. A Pew survey found that among Latino registered voters in 2022, 80% said the economy was a fundamental issue, 71% said health care, 70% prioritized violent crime and education, and 66% thought it was gun policy. Regarding immigration, 54% thought it was the top priority. Advertisement Following the collapse of Roe v. Wade, abortion has also risen as an essential issue among young Latinos. According to an NBC News report, Voto Latino, a progressive voter mobilization organization, estimates that over 4 million Latinos are expected to turn 18 before the 2024 elections, making them eligible to vote. About 800,000 will be in Texas and 163,000 in Arizona two key battleground states. Even more telling: A different Pew report from 2022 found that while most Latino voters say that they think Democrats care more about them than Republicans do, 77% are unhappy with how things are going in the country, and 54% disapprove of how Biden has handled his job as president. After the excitement over Chavez Rodriguez settles, Bidens reelection campaign must prove that her appointment isnt just window dressing or pandering. Latino voters need to see themselves represented in his actual policies. We need to feel like Democrats truly consider us part of Americas future. We, too, are the soul of the nation. Advertisement More From Bloomberg Opinion: The Truth About the Biden Economy: Matthew A. Winkler Democrats Should Cheer Up About Biden: Jonathan Bernstein Joe Biden Should Worry About More Dead Migrants: Eduardo Porter This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Susanne Ramirez de Arellano is a freelance writer and journalist. She is a grantee of the International Womans Media Foundation and the former news director of Channel 11-Univision in Puerto Rico. She has worked for ABC News, APTN and CNN International. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2023 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share JERICHO, N.Y. JERICHO, N.Y. Kimco Realty Corp. (KIM) on Thursday reported a key measure of profitability in its first quarter. The results matched Wall Street expectations. The Jericho, New York-based real estate investment trust said it had funds from operations of $238.1 million, or 39 cents per share, in the period. The average estimate of nine analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for funds from operations of 39 cents per share. Funds from operations is a closely watched measure in the REIT industry. It takes net income and adds back items such as depreciation and amortization. The company said it had net income of $283.5 million, or 46 cents per share. The real estate investment trust, based in Jericho, New York, posted revenue of $442.9 million in the period, beating Street forecasts. Six analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $440.2 million. Kimco Realty expects full-year funds from operations to be $1.54 to $1.57 per share. _____ This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on KIM at https://www.zacks.com/ap/KIM GiftOutline Gift Article Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine Wex Inc. (WEX) on Thursday reported first-quarter net income of $68 million. The South Portland, Maine-based company said it had net income of $1.56 per share. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, were $3.31 per share. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of eight analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $3.20 per share. The provider of fuel payment processing for fleet vehicles posted revenue of $612 million in the period, also surpassing Street forecasts. Seven analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $603 million. For the current quarter ending in June, Wex expects its per-share earnings to range from $3.45 to $3.55. The company said it expects revenue in the range of $613 million to $623 million for the fiscal second quarter. Wex expects full-year earnings in the range of $13.85 to $14.25 per share, with revenue ranging from $2.45 billion to $2.49 billion. _____ This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on WEX at https://www.zacks.com/ap/WEX GiftOutline Gift Article Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share Roger Scruton was a very English philosopher. He lived on a farm in Wiltshire surrounded by animals, including six horses and a black Labrador. His favorite pastime was fox hunting dressed in traditional hunting pink. He revered institutions such as the monarchy and the (unreformed) House of Lords. His 50-odd books include On Hunting, Philosopher on Dover Beach and England, an Elegy. Yet today this self-described last Englishman is more influential outside England than inside it. Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, regularly refers to him in her speeches. Mattias Karlsson, the leading intellectual of the Sweden Democrats, who are now part of the ruling coalition, has created a think tank called Oikos that claims the Englishman as an inspiration. (Oikos is a Scruton coinage from the Greek word for home). Viktor Orban, Hungarys long-time prime minister, attended his funeral in Malmesbury Abbey, visibly moved, and frequently quotes from his friends writings. The US-based Edmund Burke Society, which tries to provide intellectual heft to the national conservative movement that gathered around Donald Trump, regards Scruton as its intellectual godfather. (The society is putting on its first Nat Con Conference in Britain next month, to be addressed by two Cabinet ministers.) Conferences on Scrutons work are springing up like mushrooms across the continent there was one in Brussels on April 25 entitled the defense of civilization. Budapest boasts a chain of Scruton cafes that hold regular discussions of his work. The flagship of the chain displays various bits of Scrutonia books, records, an old-fashioned gramophone and even a teapot. Advertisement Why has Scruton gone global? The answer to this question tells us a great deal not only about the career (and after-career) of a remarkable Englishman but also about the state of the global conservative movement. Scruton was a heroic anti-Communist who made frequent trips behind the Iron Curtain to proselytize against the ruling ideology, on one occasion being arrested, interrogated, and deported. Fluent in Czech, he taught courses on the giants of European philosophy to people who were starved of anything but the gruel of party propaganda; he lectured on high European art, architecture and music to people condemned to live in Soviet-style council flats. He smuggled in photocopiers and fax machines so that samizdat versions of texts could be published. According to numerous accounts, he took enormous pains as a mentor, even arranging for students to take Cambridge University exams from their home countries, the first time that had ever happened. Many of his pupils and friends from behind the Iron Curtain subsequently rose to positions of power in the post-Communist world. Many more heard the legend of the English philosopher who defied the authorities in order to spread civilization the young Orban and several of his friends made a pilgrimage to Scrutons farm to consult him after the wall fell. Advertisement Scruton was also an exile from British academia. Deprived of a regular income when he resigned from his chair at Birkbeck College, London, he had to scrabble around, churning out articles for the press, low-brow as well as high, and taking short-term teaching appointments in the US. This turned him into both a physical and intellectual wanderer, freed from the straitjacket of teaching a core curriculum to British students and able to rove all over the place, his soul rooted in England but his mind engaged with the world. He was deeply influenced by two Germans, Hegel and Wagner. He made his living by writing which meant producing pieces on a variety of subjects for US and continental publications as well as English ones. Scrutons defense of the fox hunting includes a fascinating meditation on Hegels notion of alienation cured by homecoming to our natural state. Scrutons global influence depends a good deal on the fact that he got to the future first he anticipated the end of conservatisms romance with neo-liberalism and its turn toward questions of national identity. The book that made him famous The Meaning of Conservatism (1980) was a defense of traditional conservatism at a time when Thatcherism was reducing every social relationship into a nexus of contracts. Scruton continued to make a case not only for national identity but also for traditional architecture and environmentalism at a time when most official conservatives had become shills for global corporations. For him conservatism was always about making a home rather than renting a comfortable room in a global hotel chain. Advertisement Scrutons influence grew with three developments: the 2008 financial crisis that discredited the neo-liberal elites he had always disparaged; the growing tensions between the technocrats in Brussels and the peripheral nations such as the UK and those in Eastern Europe; and the 2015 migration crisis. Scruton played a leading role in persuading Michael Gove to support Brexit which in turn led to Boris Johnsons conversion. Theresa Mays 2017 Conservative manifesto was saturated with his brand of conservative philosophy. Eastern Europes love affair with Scruton, ignited by his role in the anti-Soviet resistance, was reignited by the regions own conflicts with Brussels. His influence was also felt in Sweden, where enthusiasm for accepting refugees reached a peak in 2016 when it collapsed with the breakdown of social order in the suburbs. Scrutons combination of Englishness and erudition played an important part in feeding his reputation. Eastern European nationalists were infuriated by being dismissed as xenophobic know-nothings by bureaucrats in Brussels who combined financial power with cultural condescension in a uniquely infuriating mix. Who better to turn to than an Englishman who loathed Brussels but who also wrote learned books on Hegel and Wagner? Hence the Scruton cafe in Budapest where a teapot he once owned now resides. And hence the sartorial style of so many conservatives across the region. Many East European nationalists dress like English gentlemen in tweeds and bowties and cultivate enthusiasm for snuff and wine. Scruton wrote an oenophile column in the New Statesman for many years. Scrutons Englishness is also a key to his influence with Meloni and Karlsson. Invoking Italian conservative thinkers and traditions is a high-risk game given the stain of Mussolini. So English thinkers and traditions are invoked instead. Meloni frequently mentions Scruton in her speeches along with two other English conservatives, J.R.R. Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis, both of whom placed a high value on the nation state and Christian values. In the many things he was so passionate about, from art and music to wine and being a country gentleman, she told the Spectator, he always knew how to embody the essence of conservatism as a way of life and never an ideology. For Karlsson, Scruton provides a shield of sophistication for a party that had its roots in street brawling. Advertisement Scruton also got to the future first when it came to being canceled by the liberal establishment. He was squeezed out of his job at Birkbeck College in London for displaying his conservatism in public rather than keeping it as a private vice: he wrote controversial articles in the Times and published a magazine, the Salisbury Review, which questioned multiculturalism. At the end of his career, when he was both a Sir and a Fellow of the British Academy, he was drummed out of his position as chairman of the governments Building Beautiful Commission on the basis of supposedly racist comments in an interview with the New Statesman which subsequently turned out to have been doctored. Now that canceling has become an industry, gobbling up more victims every day, a growing variety of people, from conservatives to gender critical feminists to classical liberals, are turning to him as both a case study and an inspiration. His voluminous writings provide an excellent description of what it is like to be canceled and how that merciless machinery works. They also demonstrate that there is life after cancellation indeed that there may be a much richer intellectual life outside universities than within them. There is a great deal of danger for Scrutons reputation in the global cult of Scruton. During his lifetime, Scruton wasnt always judicious in who he associated with or indeed what he said. He embraced Brexit as a cause without sufficiently recognizing that it would lead to the rise of a mountebank such as Boris Johnson. He was pals with Orban despite the fact that he was turning Hungary into a kleptocracy rather than a home. Unscrupulous people can easily mine the millions of words he published for quotes to support their causes or besmirch his reputation. Advertisement Yet the Orbanization of his reputation is as misleading as it is dangerous. At his best, Scruton saw conservatism as a corrective to liberalism rather than a call for the restoration of the ancien regime. Conservatives no less than liberals are partisans of Friedrich Hayeks constitution of liberty. Scruton was embraced by Vaclav Havel as well as Orban. The Czech Republic awarded him its Medal of Merit (First Class). The good Scruton still has much to teach us. He understood that day-to-day politics is downstream from intellectual and cultural life that if you want to shape the future of politics you need to shape ideas. He broadened political thought rather than narrowing or toxifying it by applying serious thought to questions that have too long been ignored by all sides of the ideological debate. Why cant we build beautiful buildings anymore? How can we behave as stewards of the countryside? How can we prevent the corruption of human nature by, say, the mass availability of ever more depraved pornography? How can we preserve high civilization in an increasingly vulgar world? Scruton may not always have provided the right answers, but he almost invariably asked the right questions. Advertisement More From Bloomberg Opinion: An Epic of Political Incompetence and Redemption?: Adrian Wooldridge What If We All Work for a Pity City Boss?: Sarah Green Carmichael No, Banks Arent Stronger Than They Need to Be: The Editors Want more Bloomberg Opinion? Subscribe to our daily newsletter. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Adrian Wooldridge is the global business columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. A former writer at the Economist, he is author, most recently, of The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2023 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share BERLIN Berlins first conservative mayor in 22 years took office on Thursday following a state election in which he capitalized on discontent in the German capital. Amid divisions in his own coalition, he had a rocky start. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Kai Wegners center-right Christian Democratic Union, Germanys main opposition party, emerged as the biggest party in the February rerun election that was ordered by a court because of serious glitches in the previous vote in 2021. The CDU celebrated winning in a big city, which it has struggled to do in recent years, while all three parties in Berlins outgoing left-wing government lost supporters. The center-left Social Democrats of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had led Berlin since 2001, most recently under former federal minister Franziska Giffey. The state legislature elected Wegner as mayor on Thursday after Giffey decided that her party would be better served by becoming the CDUs junior coalition partner than by continuing to lead a weakened and often rancorous left-wing alliance. Members of her party narrowly gave their blessing in a ballot conducted over recent weeks. Advertisement Likely reflecting divisions in Giffeys party, Wegner needed an unusual three secret votes to get enough support from lawmakers. Adding to the bumpy start, the far-right Alternative for Germany party claimed to have given Wegner at least some support in the final vote, a politically problematic assertion for the new government that couldnt be verified or disproved. Giffey becomes Wegners economy minister. She will be part of an 11-member regional government that includes seven women and the CDUs first Black minister at state level, music manager Joe Chialo the incoming culture minister. Voters were angered by the 2021 election chaos and what, by German standards, is a dysfunctional bureaucracy in recent years, getting basic paperwork done in Berlin has often entailed lengthy waits even to get an appointment. Wegner has pledged to take personal charge of reforming the citys administration. Advertisement There is also simmering discontent over rising apartment rental costs, long an issue in Berlin one of three German cities that are states in their own right. The countrys 16 state governments have significant powers in many policy areas. Wegner, 50, will be keen to make his mark quickly as his government has unusually little time to prove itself. It will only serve out the five-year term that started with Berlins botched September 2021 election. GiftOutline Gift Article Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share BERLIN A man arrested over last weeks stabbing attack at a gym in western Germany in which four people were wounded is now also a suspect in a fatal stabbing earlier this month, prosecutors said Thursday. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russias war in Ukraine. ArrowRight The 26-year-old Syrian, whom authorities are identifying only as M.D. in line with German privacy rules, was arrested at his apartment in Duisburg on Sunday in connection with the April 18 gym stabbing in the city. He is in custody on suspicion of attempted murder and other offenses. Investigators initially said that one of the victims in that incident appeared to have been targeted. Earlier this week, however, they said a review of the suspects cellphone indicated that there may have been an Islamist motive. North Rhine-Westphalia states top security official, Herbert Reul, told a committee of the state legislature on Thursday that the suspect hadnt talked in custody about a possible motive. Advertisement On Thursday, prosecutors in the nearby city of Duesseldorf said the man was now also a suspect in the stabbing of a 35-year-old man in Duisburg in the early hours of April 9. The victim, who suffered multiple stab wounds, died a few hours after the attack. In a statement, prosecutors said DNA from the scene and the suspects shoes linked him to that attack. They did not make any new comment on the motive. GiftOutline Gift Article Chinese scientists propose a hunt for Earth-like planets orbiting the nearby Sun-like stars of the solar system using a space-borne telescope. Here is the latest progress. BEIJING, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday held phone talks with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky. During their conversation, Xi reiterated China's core position on promoting peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, and announced that Beijing will send a special representative on Eurasian affairs to visit Ukraine and other countries to conduct in-depth communication with all parties on the political settlement of the crisis. The phone call provides a further illustration of China's willingness to mediate in the prolonged crisis besetting the world for more than one year, and of the responsible role China plays in promoting world peace and stability. China's commitment to helping achieve the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis reminds the headline-grabbing rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran not long ago, which was also a result of China's selfless diplomatic work. Persuading Russia and Ukraine to sit down at the negotiating table is indeed a much harder task. Fortunately, voices for peace and rationality are building. More people are waking up to the fact that a protracted crisis to some extent is detrimental to everyone in the world, and dialogue is the sole viable way out. Those who refuse to endorse peace and add fuel to the fire are possessed by their mindset of bloc confrontation or care only about selfish gains from the tragedy. As a responsible member of the international community, China has been making efforts to ease tensions and promote peace talks since the start of the crisis. In February 2023, the Chinese Foreign Ministry released a paper stating Beijing's position on the Ukraine crisis, putting forward a 12-point proposal to end the conflict by addressing both the symptoms and the root causes of the crisis, and reiterating the necessity to end the conflict through dialogue and negotiations. During a state visit to Russia a month later, Xi had an in-depth exchange of views on the Ukraine issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin, pledging that China would continue to play a constructive role in promoting the political settlement of the crisis. Contrary to some countries treating the crisis in a biased and partial way, China has been nudging the two sides into the restoration of peace by upholding balanced and impartial stance. On the Ukrainian side, while pledging to send a special envoy during the phone talks between Xi and Zelensky, China also vowed to keep providing help for the country. In response, the Ukrainian president thanked China for providing humanitarian assistance and welcomed China's important role in restoring peace and seeking diplomatic solution to the crisis. China and Russia have blazed a path of major-country relations featuring strategic trust and good neighborliness. Meanwhile, China-Ukraine relations have gone through 31 years of development and reached the level of strategic partnership. Moreover, China is not the creator of the crisis, nor a party directly concerned. That gives Beijing the diplomatic room and qualification to give a full ear to the demands and concerns of both Russia and Ukraine and play a responsible role in the settlement of the crisis. As for all other parties who truly expect an early end to the crisis and restoration of peace, they should join China's efforts and build up favorable conditions for the political settlement of the crisis. From 17 to 21 April 2023, Australian Border Force (ABF) hosted a study visit by a delegation from the Mongolian Customs General Administration (MCGA), within the framework of the SECO-WCO Global Trade Facilitation Programme (GTFP), to strengthen the MCGAs capacities in the application of Risk Management in Customs and Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) control. The activity was carried out with the participation of six officials from the MCGA, including a visit to the ABF, the National Border Targeting Center, the Container Examination Facility, and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The participants learned from the experience of the ABF in the implementation of Risk Management, the use of technology and data analysis in Customs and SPS control. The participants gained an in-depth understanding of organizational risks and the role of intelligence and systems modelling in risk management. They learned from the best practices of Australia on biosecurity innovation, plan innovation and the biosecurity operations technology approach. The five-day mission enabled the MCGA team to increase their knowledge of the latest development trends of the ABF in enhancing their risk management. The (GTFP) continues its efforts to support the MCGA in developing working principles for the risk management of SPS goods. The World Customs Organization (WCO) appreciates the Australian Border Force for its continued commitment and support to the WCO capacity building efforts. For more information on the GTFP, please contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org. In 1984, David Edgren from the U.S. went to teach English in China's Taiyuan. Recently, the 80-year-old returned to the city, meeting old friends. His story is shared by his son, who has nearly 1.75 million followers on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. Produced by Xinhua Global Service UNITED NATIONS, April 26 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Wednesday called for an end to the political stalemate in Haiti, and for the improvement of the security and humanitarian situation. Haiti remains mired in a political, security and humanitarian crisis. The Haitian people are struggling in pain and despair. The political transition process still lacks broad support. An immediate end to the political stalemate should be a pressing priority for all parties in Haiti, said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations. It is imperative that the Haitian interim authorities and all political parties and factions put the fundamental interests of the Haitians first, commit to dialogue, demonstrate their respective responsibilities, and strive for broader agreements on transitional arrangements so as to create conditions for free, fair, transparent, and credible elections, he told the UN Security Council. Curbing the rising tide of gang violence and criminality is the key to improved security in Haiti, he said. In this regard, cutting off the political support for gangs and the sources of funding and weapons is a matter of urgency. According to the latest assessment by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the raging gang violence is inextricably linked to the illicit flows of weapons into Haiti from abroad, especially from the United States, he said. "We find this trend deeply worrying. If left unchecked, such a trend would fuel the reckless and violent behavior of gangs and exacerbate the current insecurity and instability." Security Council Resolution 2653 provides for sanctions, including an arms embargo, targeting Haitian gangs. These measures must not stay on paper only. The countries concerned must take effective measures to implement the provisions of this resolution, said Geng. Haiti is experiencing a rampant cholera epidemic and an economic decline. Nearly half of its population is threatened by food insecurity. China is deeply concerned by the dire humanitarian situation facing the Haitian people, he said. China supports the United Nations and international partners in their continuous support for Haiti, in particular, assistance rendered to women, children, migrants, and other vulnerable groups. China supports a bigger role for regional countries and organizations to work in synergy with the UN agencies to jointly improve the humanitarian situation, he said. Haiti's multiple crises are intertwined. For a problem this complex, there is no simple fix. Together with the international community, China will continue to support the Haitian people in finding an effective solution to their current plight and suffering, he said. Built nearly five years before RMS Titanic, the 116-year-old passenger ship SS Keewatin will arrive in Port Colborne Friday morning before heading down the Welland Canal to a dry dock. Keewatin was one of six ships owned by Canadian Pacific Railways to sail the Upper Great Lakes and was built in Glasgow, Scotland, on the River Clyde, according to the website sskeewatin.com. From 1907 to 1965 it transported passengers and freight on a two-and-a-half-day journey across the Great Lakes from Port McNicoll, on the south shore of Georgian Bay, to Fort William and Port Arthur, now Thunder Bay. Keewatin laid up in November 1965 after dealing with strict regulations imposed on wooden cabin steamships on the Great Lakes following the SS Noronic fire disaster in 1949 in Toronto, which took the lives of more than a hundred tourists. The 91.5-metre-long Keewatin was to be scrapped, but a man from Michigan saved and then towed it to Lake Kalamazoo, where it empties in Lake Michigan. It sat there for 45 years before being towed to Port McNicoll in June 2012 and opened for tours. According to a story in Metroland Medias Midland Mirror, Skyline Investments, which owned the vessel, donated it to Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston in March. About $2 million will be spent to replace the promenade decking, reinforce the funnel, paint the ships two masts and rebuild the wheelhouse at one of Heddle Shipyards repair yards. It will then be towed to Kingston and prepped for a spring 2024 unveiling. The former passenger ship was being towed on Lake Erie by McKeil Marines Molly M I and assisted by at least two other tugs. People can follow the progress on the Marine Traffic website www.marinetraffic.com by typing Molly M I in the search bar. As of Thursday at 1 p.m., there was a projected arrival time in Port Colborne of 6 a.m., with the tow moving at roughly six knots, about 11 km/h. The time the vessel arrives at the mouth of the Welland Canal could change depending on the conditions on Lake Erie. Information about the Keewatin is on the Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping marine website boatnerd.com. With files from Andrew Mendler/Midland Mirror Read more about: SHARE: An Alberta regulator has added millions of dollars to the refund a prominent provincial utility must pay consumers after attempting to overcharge them for costs it shouldnt have incurred and then trying to cover up the wrongdoing. These costs are under a cloud, said Jim Wachowich of the watchdog group Consumers Coalition of Alberta. (The regulator) is confident in more than one finding of imprudence. In a ruling released Wednesday, the Alberta Utilities Commission said ATCO Electric must refund about $16 million to the Alberta Electric System Operator instead of the $11 million the company had agreed to pay. The refund is in addition to a $31-million fine the commission levied against the company over costs that ATCO tried to recover from the construction of a power line through Jasper National Park. In 2018, the company illegally allowed a First Nations contractor to overcharge in the hope it would bring revenue to another ATCO branch and then tried to hide the deal from regulators. It is illegal for a regulated company to issue large single-source contracts that benefit a non-regulated company in this way. In April 2022, the commission and the company issued an agreed statement of facts on the case, which was revealed by an internal company whistleblower. In addition to the fine, ATCO was required to refund the rate increases it had been granted on the basis of its costs for the Jasper project. The correct value of those increases, the commission ruled, is about $16 million. The increase is made up of about $2.5 million for improper costs related to the sole-sourced contract. It includes $250,000 the company tried to charge consumers for the costs of covering up the illegal deal work conducted in an effort to mislead and conceal information, the ruling says. Another $3 million must be refunded for ATCOs imprudent management and execution relating to working in the narrow right-of-way conditions in a national park. ATCO spokesman Robert Palmer said the $3-million refund is not unusual. It is not unusual for the (commission) to make findings like this on projects and many of the other utilities in Alberta have had such decisions in amounts far greater than the $3 million we see here. This is routine to see in decisions for all utilities. In part of the ruling not connected to that investigation, the commission also required the company refund another $4.4 million related to 14 cancelled projects. The ruling suggests ATCO also withheld information during the Jasper investigation. There are instances where ATCO Electric was asked to provide supporting information, but declined to do so or provided incomplete responses, it says. Company president Melanie Bayley has said the overpayment was an attempt to build capacity within the First Nation. However, documents filed with the commission say the band pocketed the money and outsourced the work as the company suspected it would. CEO Nancy Southern has apologized to shareholders. Wachowich said once ATCO agrees with the accounting presented in the ruling, the matter will be finally closed. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2023. Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said the refund had doubled. The $25 million initially reported included a refund unconnected to the investigation. SHARE: HALIFAX - Canadas defence minister travelled to Halifax Thursday to tout a major subcontract as part of the $1.2-billion upgrade of the militarys fleet of search-and-rescue helicopters. Anita Anand announced that IMP Aerospace and Defence is to deliver 13 upgraded Cormorant helicopters to the Canadian Armed Forces following work done at its Halifax facilities. Under the revitalization deal first announced in December, the main contractor Leonardo UK Ltd. is to build three new helicopters to increase the size of the Cormorant fleet to 16. The Cormorant fleet has been serving Canada since 2001 ... but it requires upgrades to remain operationally effective, Anand told a gathering at an IMP hangar near Halifax Stanfield International Airport. The fleet will be upgraded to the most advanced version of the helicopter. Officials werent specific about the impact on local employment, saying only that the subcontract would mean hundreds of jobs for the company. Anand did say the Cormorant upgrade project has the potential to contribute nearly $79 million annually to Canadas GDP and sustain 650 jobs a year for Canadian companies over a 12-year period. Delivery of the upgraded helicopters is expected to begin in 2026 after work to improve the aircrafts internal navigational and communications systems, among other upgrades. David Gossen, president of IMP Aerospace, called the subcontract a strategic win for his company. First and foremost, it will create hundreds of jobs, and secondly, it increases our technology base, Gossen said. He said the agreement would see his companys technicians and engineers trained on the helicopters latest technology at Leonardos facilities in the United Kingdom. They will bring home that know-how, and they will position us for future work, he said. The federal governments contract with Leonardo includes $1.168 billion for work on the helicopter, while $78 million will go toward the purchase of a training simulator from Montreal-based CAE Inc. Cormorants are currently used to conduct search-and-rescue missions out of Comox, B.C., Gander, N.L., and Greenwood, N.S. The addition of three more helicopters is expected to see the fleet expand to include operations out of Trenton, Ont. Federal Immigration Minister Sean Fraser, the regional minister for Nova Scotia, said the modernization of the helicopter fleet will increase capabilities of the Armed Forces. This is the kind of thing thats going to support men and women in uniform by making sure theyve got new and reliable equipment, he said in an interview from Ottawa. But its also going to ensure that the search and rescue needs that the military may be called in to support are going to be improved. Fraser, whose riding includes the IMP facility, said the new contracts will pump millions of dollars into the local economy. This is good news from a public safety point of view, and its great news for our local economy, with hundreds of people who are going to be working at good-paying jobs at IMP. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2023. With files from Michael MacDonald Read more about: SHARE: Rupi Kaurs poetry book Milk and Honey, an international bestseller amongst young women, was one of the most banned books in U.S. classrooms for the first half of the 2022-23 school year, according to data by non-profit PEN America. The reason for the ban of Milk and Honey, which surpassed sales of Homers Odyssey, is that it includes mentions of sexual assault and violence. In total, 1,477 books were banned between July 1 and Dec. 1, 2022, says the group. Out of the 874 unique titles banned, 44 per cent dealt with themes of violence. Other books in the list discuss race and racism, LGBTQ+ characters, grief or death, student health and well-being, and teen pregnancy, abortion or sexual assault. The report shines a light on the debate around the book-banning movement in American schools, which saw a resurgence in recent years and hit record highs in 2022. While some parents believe certain books deal with subjects that are not suitable for high schoolers, educators say they are vital to making schools more inclusive. I remember sitting in my school library in high school, turning to books about sexual assault because I didnt have anyone else to turn to. This is the reality for many students. We all find comfort in literature that reflects our experiences, Kaur said in a social media post. Other renowned titles on the list include Toni Morrisons The Bluest Eye, which is also among the most challenged books in Canada, Maia Kobabes Gender Queer: A Memoir, and Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale: The Graphic Novel. The 2022-23 school year has been marked to date by an escalation of book bans and censorship in classrooms and school libraries across the United States. PEN America recorded more book bans during the fall 2022 semester than in each of the prior two semesters, read the report by PEN America, an organization that advocates for freedom of expression. In February, revisions in some Roald Dahl books sparked controversy, as phrases such as fat and crazy were removed because some of the language was offensive and lacked inclusivity. Following the backlash, Dahls publisher announced it would release a classic collection of unaltered versions of the books in question. The Dahl revisions have reignited discussions over whether the preservation of important literary works outweigh the importance of not continuing to use language that reinforces discrimination in texts. The same month the Dahl revisions sparked public outcry, the Toronto Public Library announced their new Book Sanctuary Collection, featuring 50 adult, teen and childrens books that were banned, challenged or censored in schools or libraries across North America. Ana Pereira is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @anabpereiraa Read more about: SHARE: JACKSON, Miss. (AP) The white woman who accused Black teenager Emmett Till of whistling at and accosting her in Mississippi in 1955 causing his lynching, which galvanized a generation of activists to rise up in the Civil Rights Movement has died at 88. Carolyn Bryant Donham died in hospice care Tuesday night in Westlake, Louisiana, according to a death report filed Thursday in the Calcasieu Parish Coroners Office. Her death marks the last chance for anyone to be held accountable for the kidnapping and murder that shocked the world. Tills mother, Mamie Till Mobley, insisted on an open-casket funeral in their hometown of Chicago so the world could see her 14-year-old sons mutilated body, which was pulled from a river in Mississippi. Jet magazine published photos. In August 1955, Till had traveled from Chicago to visit relatives in Mississippi. Donham then 21 and named Carolyn Bryant accused him of making improper advances on her at a grocery store where she was working in the small community of Money. The Rev. Wheeler Parker, a cousin of Till who was there, has said Till whistled at the woman, an act that flew in the face of Mississippis racist social codes of the era. Evidence indicates a woman identified Till to Donhams then-husband Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Milam, who killed the teenager. An all-white jury acquitted the two white men in the killing, but the men later confessed in an interview with Look magazine. When Till disappeared in Mississippi, Ollie Gordon one of Tills cousins was 7 years old and living in the Chicago home with Tills mother and family. Gordon told The Associated Press on Thursday that in the days after he went missing, the home was full of fear, because people knew there was a strong likelihood he had been killed. Gordon said she had mixed emotions about Donhams death. She was never tried in the court of man, Gordon said. But I think she was judged by God, and his wrath is more punitive than any judgment or penalty she could have gotten in a courtroom. I dont think she had a pleasant or happy life. Parker is the last living witness to Tills abduction. He has said in interviews and speeches that he heard Till whistle at the woman working behind the counter at Bryants Grocery and Meat Market. Days later, Parker saw men kidnap Till in the dark of night from their uncles home in Mississippi, where the teenagers were staying. Parker said Thursday that his heart goes out to Donham. As a person of faith for more than 60 years, I recognize that any loss of life is tragic and dont have any ill will or animosity toward her, Parker said in a statement. Even though no one now will be held to account for the death of my cousin and best friend, it is up to all of us to be accountable to the challenges we still face in overcoming racial injustice. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that President Joe Biden was proud to sign the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act last year to make lynching a federal crime. The president is committed to ... dealing with racial hatred, Jean-Pierre said. In an unpublished memoir obtained by The AP in 2022, Donham said she was unaware of what would happen to Till. Historian and author Timothy Tyson of Durham, North Carolina, provided a copy of the 99-page manuscript, I Am More Than A Wolf Whistle, to AP. He said he received it from Donham while interviewing her in 2008. Tyson had placed the manuscript in an archive at the University of North Carolina with the agreement that it not be made public for decades, though he said he gave it to the FBI during an investigation the agency concluded in 2021. A campus spokesperson said Thursday that the university returned Tysons materials to him in 2022 because they did not agree on open access to the information. Tyson said in 2022 that he decided to release the memoir to news outlets after some of Tills relatives and other people doing research at the Leflore County, Mississippi, courthouse in June 2022 found an arrest warrant on kidnapping charges that was issued for Mrs. Roy Bryant in 1955 but never served. Tyson said in a statement Thursday that Donhams precise role in the killing of Till remains murky, but its clear she was involved. It has comforted America to see this as merely a story of monsters, her among them, Tyson said. What this narrative keeps us from seeing is the monstrous social order that cared nothing for the life of Emmett Till nor thousands more like him. Neither the federal government nor the government of Mississippi did anything to prevent or punish this murder. Condemning what Donham did is easier than confronting what America was and is. Joe Stidhum was born two years after Till, his cousin, was killed. Stidhum said that older family members protected him and his siblings, and didnt tell them about Tills lynching until they were teenagers. Stidhum said he wishes he knew how Donham reckoned with her own conscience. What did she take with her that no one would know, other than her and her maker? Stidhum told AP on Thursday. I just hope that no one ever has to go through the pain that our family has endured, mostly the elderly family members who have died. In October, a bronze statue of Till was unveiled in Greenwood, Mississippi, just miles from his uncles home. Also last year, members of the New Black Panther Party and other activists began showing up at addresses associated with Donham, including in North Carolina and Kentucky. They were there to serve unofficial warrants for her arrest and trial. Weeks after the unserved arrest warrant was found, the office of Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said there was no new evidence to pursue a criminal case against Donham. In August, a district attorney said a Leflore County grand jury declined to indict Donham. Tills cousin, Priscilla Sterling, filed a federal lawsuit against the current Leflore County Sheriff, Ricky Banks, on Feb. 7, seeking to compel him to serve the 1955 warrant on Donham. In a response April 13, Banks attorney said there was no point serving the warrant because the grand jury did not indict Donham last year. Malik Z. Shabazz, one of the attorneys in the lawsuit against Banks, said its tragic that Mississippi never held Donham accountable. Carolyn Bryants legacy will be one of dishonesty and injustice, Shabazz said. A legacy that verifies that Mississippi coddles and protects white supremacy. ___ Associated Press writers Allen G. Breed in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and Colleen Long in Washington contributed to this report. SHARE: VICTORIA - British Columbia Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says Surrey residents will know Friday who will police the Metro Vancouver city: the RCMP or a municipal police service. The government is set to announce its decision on the future of policing in the city, Farnworth said Thursday. Surrey was well into the process of switching away from RCMP to the independent Surrey Police Service when voters elected a mayor who opposed the change. The indecision has cost Surrey taxpayers many millions of dollars, but Mayor Brenda Locke said the transition back to RCMP will be less expensive than the change to the police service. The provincial government had already approved the move to the municipal police force and now the mayor and council want it to agree to the reversal. Farnworth said it has been one of the toughest decisions his government has had to make. It is a very, very complicated issue and there has been a significant amount of work that has gone into it, and Ill be making the decision tomorrow, Farnworth said in the legislature on Thursday. The key issue in the governments decision is public safety for Surrey and the province, said Farnworth. The minister said earlier that he has concerns about RCMP staffing levels in the province and the call for reforms for Mounties contained in the recent inquiry into the Nova Scotia mass shooting. BC United Leader Kevin Falcon said he wouldnt be able to make a decision on which police force to support because the government hasnt provided enough data that it collected about the pros and cons of the two law enforcement options. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2023. Read more about: SHARE: OTTAWA - Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said Thursday he did not put any undue political pressure on the independent federal agency that regulates the price of patented drugs to influence its efforts to lower medicine costs. Duclos defended himself against the accusation at the House of Commons health committee, which is investigating reforms to the way the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board regulates the cost of drugs. The board has a mandate to make sure drug costs dont become excessively expensive, which includes looking at the price of similar medications in other countries. The reforms will see the board compare Canadian drug prices to those in a wider range of countries. The changes were delayed multiple times, and finally came into force in July. The agency was in the process of consulting on the finer details associated with the new rule in November when Duclos wrote to its acting chair and suggested the process be paused to give drug companies, patient groups, provincial ministers and himself more time to understand the changes. I invited the board to consider extending consultation because I felt that my colleagues at provinces and territories and patient groups and other important stakeholders needed to have more time, Duclos told the committee Thursday. One of the agencys board members resigned shortly afterward, saying Duclos undermined the boards independence. Duclos told the committee that while he was required by law to offer his opinion on the consultation process, the decision to pause enforcement of the new rule was ultimately up to the agency. I cannot interfere in the work of the board, although I follow it closely, Duclos said. I have to be extremely careful in my relationships with the board. But NDP health critic Don Davies, who initiated the committees study, accused the minister of halting the implementation of a new rule intended to lower the cost of drugs at the behest of drug companies that have resisted the change. We hope to find out why the Liberals are standing with the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical industry, instead of Canadian patients who need access to affordable medicine to stay well, and sometimes even to live, Davies said at a press conference before the committee meeting. The lobby registry shows Duclos and his staff met with pharmaceutical companies 15 times during the consultation period between October and December 2022, Davies told the committee. Duclos said he meets with all kinds of people involved in the drug price changes. He also said he has been in contact with drug companies about COVID-19, the shortage of childrens medicine, and other concerns. Canada has the third-highest drug prices in the world, behind only the United States and Switzerland. In 2017, the Liberals announced three key reforms to the board to lower drug prices, but two of those have since been struck down in court as being unconstitutional. One of the ways Canada determines the cost of breakthrough medications is by comparing prices with other countries. The remaining reform measure puts forward a list of 11 countries for comparison, which have similar GDP per capita, and that list no longer includes the United States. The Parliamentary Budget Officer estimates the change could lower spending on patented drugs by about seven per cent over the long term and save billions of dollars. Melanie Bourassa Forcier, the former acting chair of the board, told the committee Thursday she did not feel pressured by the ministers letter, and agreed the agency should take more time to consult on the proposed change. She said in French that it was important to make sure the guidelines used to enforce the change would survive potential legal challenges. She resigned shortly after the minister sent his letter, though Bourassa Forcier said that wasnt why she left her post. Rather, she felt the board was divided and she could not bring them together, she said. She did concede that the pharmaceutical companies steadfastly refused to engage about the new guidelines and were not amenable to any changes to the way drug prices are set. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2023. Read more about: SHARE: OTTAWA - A new federal law will require digital platforms such as Netflix, YouTube and TikTok to contribute and promote Canadian content. The Liberals Online Streaming Act passed its final vote in the Senate Thursday and received royal assent. The bill updates the Broadcasting Act to bring online streaming platforms under the regulatory authority of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. It also sets steep penalties for digital platforms that dont make Canadian content available to their users in Canada. The government said the law will not apply to individuals who post on social media, which had been a chief concern of those opposed to the changes. It will apply to platforms such as Facebook and TikTok that distribute commercial programs like sporting events or live singing competitions. Once the bill receives royal assent, a policy directive will be issued to the CRTC, which is required to develop regulations following consultations with the public. Quebec Sen. Marc Gold, the Liberal governments representative in the Senate, has said platforms that make money from their commercial activities must reinvest in Canadian creators and local content. Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez, who sponsored the bill, said it simply requires streamers to contribute to Canadian culture. Today, we are standing up for our stories, our artists, our producers and our creators. Were standing up so that Canadians have even more opportunities to see themselves in what they watch and listen to, Rodriguez said Thursday in a written statement. With this legislation, we are ensuring that Canadas incredible talent has a bigger and brighter stage online. YouTube said in a written statement of its own that it is disappointed by the bills passing, saying it believes the government didnt take the concerns of digital creators into account. Meanwhile, advocates for broadcasters and producers said the law creates more fairness between digital platforms and traditional media. The Liberal bill has been widely supported by the NDP and Bloc Quebecois, but the Conservatives have called it censorship and ran fundraising campaigns to kill Bill C-11. Conservative senators attempted to stall the bills progress when it arrived back in the Senate last week, which prompted Gold to introduce a time-allocation motion that limited further debate to six hours. Ultimately the third-reading debate didnt even last that long, and a final vote was held Thursday evening. This was the Liberals second attempt to get an online streaming bill passed. The first version, introduced in 2020, did not pass before the 2021 election. It was reworked and then reintroduced in February 2022. The Senate spent 67 hours studying the bill at the committee stage alone, hearing from 138 different witnesses and receiving 67 written submissions. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2023. Read more about: SHARE: BEIRUT, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Hector Hajjar on Thursday called on Turkiye to exchange information about the displaced Syrians returning home from Turkiye with Lebanese authorities. During his meeting with Turkish Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Baris Ulusoy, the Lebanese minister expressed his concern that the Syrian refugees returning home from Turkiye would be displaced again and pile into Lebanon, the National News Agency reported. "We fear that the Syrians returning from Turkiye to Syria will flee again to Lebanon if an agreement is reached between the Syrian and Turkish sides," Hajjar said. Hajjar said he hopes that Turkiye will exchange information about the displaced Syrians returning from Turkiye to Syria with the Lebanese General Security. The two officials noted that the two countries are both concerned about facing heavy repercussions due to the great number of displaced Syrians on their lands. The Lebanese government on Wednesday tightened regulations on Syrian refugees as tensions between the displaced and the local Lebanese continues to grow. Lebanon remains the country hosting the largest number of refugees per capita, with around 2 million Syrian refugees in the country. Lebanon has been suffering from an unprecedented financial crisis, and a large number of refugees weighs heavily on the country's economy and infrastructure. WASHINGTON (AP) House Republicans narrowly passed sweeping legislation Wednesday that would raise the government's legal debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion in exchange for steep spending restrictions, a tactical victory for Speaker Kevin McCarthy as he challenges President Joe Biden to negotiate and prevent a catastrophic federal default this summer. Biden has threatened to veto the Republican package, which has almost no chance of passing the Democratic Senate anyway, and the president has so far refused to negotiate over the debt ceiling which the White House insists must be lifted with no strings to ensure America pays its bills. But McCarthys ability to swiftly unite his slim majority and bring the measure to passage over opposition from Democrats and even holdouts in his own party gives currency to the Republican speakers strategy to use the vote as an opening bid forcing Biden into talks. The two men could hardly be further apart on how to resolve the issue. The bill passed by a razor-thin 217-215 margin. We've done our job," McCarthy said at the U.S. Capitol after the vote. The president can no longer ignore by not negotiating, he said. Now he should sit down and negotiate." As the House debated the measure, Biden on Wednesday indicated he was willing to open the door to talks with McCarthy, but not on preventing a first-ever U.S. default that would shake America's economy and beyond. Happy to meet with McCarthy, but not on whether or not the debt limit gets extended, Biden said. Thats not negotiable. Passage of the sprawling 320-page package in the House is only the start of what is expected to become a weekslong political slog as the president and Congress try to work out a compromise that would allow the nation's debt, now at $31 trillion, to be lifted to allow further borrowing and stave off a fiscal crisis. The nation has never defaulted on its debt, and the House Republican majority hopes to maneuver Biden into a corner with its plan to roll back federal spending to fiscal 2022 levels and cap future spending increases at 1% over the next decade, among other changes. McCarthy worked nonstop to unite his fractious Republican majority, the five families including the conservative Freedom Caucus and others, making post-midnight changes in the House Rules Committee in the crush to win over holdouts. Facing a revolt from Midwestern Republicans over doing away with biofuel tax credits that were just signed into law last year by Democrat Biden, GOP House members relented and allowed the tax credits to stay on the books in their bill. Our delegation has stood united for Iowas farmers and producers fighting to amend the bill to protect biofuels tax credits," said the four House Republicans from Iowa in a joint statement announcing their support for the bill. Republicans also agreed to more quickly launch the bolstered work requirements for recipients of government aid, starting in 2024 as proposed by another holdout, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. who has led previous challenges to McCarthy and ultimately voted against the bill. Republicans hold a five-seat House majority and faced several absences this week, leaving McCarthy with almost no votes to spare. In the end the speaker lost four Republican no votes, and all Democrats opposed. This bill is unacceptable, it's unreasonable, its unworkable, its unconscionable and its un-American, said the Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Thats why we oppose it. Democrats derided the Republican plan as a ransom note," a shakedown and "an unserious bill" that was courting financial danger. But as McCarthy worked to shore up support, some of the most conservative rank-and-file Republican members who have never voted for a debt ceiling increase in their quest to slash spending said they were preparing to do just that, rallying behind the speaker's strategy to push Biden to the negotiating table. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., a member of the Freedom Caucus, said he wanted double the deficit savings contained in the bill but would vote for it because it starts the ball, it gets us in the arena to solve the debt problem. Its a first big test for the president and the Republican speaker, coming at a time of increased political anxiety about the ability of Washington to solve big problems amid the need to raise the federal debt limit in a matter of weeks. The Treasury Department is taking extraordinary measures to pay the bills, but funding is expected to run out this summer. Economists warn that even the serious threat of a federal debt default would send shockwaves through the economy. In exchange for raising the debt limit by $1.5 trillion into 2024, the bill would roll back overall federal spending and: Claw back unspent COVID-19 funds. Impose tougher work requirements for recipients of food stamps and other government aid. Halt Bidens plans to forgive up to $20,000 in student loans and End many of the landmark renewable energy tax breaks Biden signed into law last year. It would tack on a sweeping Republican bill to boost oil, gas and coal production. A nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office analysis estimated the Republican plan would reduce federal deficits by $4.8 trillion over the decade if the proposed changes were enacted into law. Several Republicans from the party's right wing, eager for even stricter spending cuts, said the bill was at least a starting point as they prepared to vote for McCarthy's strategy and bolster his hand in talks with Biden. Freshman Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., said, Its our obligation to get Speaker McCarthy to the table. Others though, remained noncommittal or flat-out no's. Rep. Andy Biggs, the former chairman of the Freedom Caucus who voted against the bill, said he had wanted Republicans to do more to end deficit spending. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., also a "no" vote, said of the nation's nearly $32 trillion in debt, thats my major concern." In the Senate, leaders were watching and waiting. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said House passage of the legislation would be a wasted effort and that McCarthy should come to the table with Democrats to pass a straightforward debt-limit bill without GOP priorities and avoid default. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who stepped aside to give McCarthy the lead, said the speaker has been able to unite the House Republicans. Now, he said, Biden and McCarthy must come to agreement. Otherwise, he said, Well be at a standoff. And we shouldnt do that to the country. In a statement late Wednesday, the White House press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said congressional Republicans must act immediately and without conditions to avoid default. ... That is their job." Associated Press writers Josh Boak, Mary Clare Jalonick and Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report. This story was first published on April 26, 2023. It was updated on April 27, 2023, to delete an erroneous reference to Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz as a member of the Freedom Caucus. Gaetz is not a member of the group. TILDEN TWP., Pa. Tilden Township police say Jahmir Mitchell, 24, is in custody. According to investigators, Jahmir and his father, Jamaal Mitchell, 42 both of Philadelphia along with an unidentified male, robbed the Tilden Township Walmart in October. The group allegedly stole around $930 worth of merchandise. Police say the suspects waited until the store was about to close and then went out a fire exit door. "They had a vehicle," said Frank Cataldi, Tilden Township Police criminal investigator. "It was a black Jeep Cherokee staged out back and it was waiting for them." Police said store associates tried stopping the suspects. They tell us one of the suspects pulled out a gun and threatened to kill the associates. "And they shoved the shopping carts into the associates, and then loaded up the vehicle and got away," Cataldi said. He said it was later determined that this was a large-scale operation, involving more than 57 attempted and successful robberies and thefts in multiple states at Sam's Club and Walmart stores. "I was working with officials from New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and throughout Pennsylvania," Cataldi said. Police said Jahmir Mitchell was arrested in Philadelphia for multiple warrants, one being an alleged retail theft case handled by Tilden Township in 2019. According to police, the suspects have been swapping out registration on the Jeep to avoid being caught. Investigators tell us there are two plate numbers for the Jeep: a New Jersey one (L87PTP) and a Delaware one (299336). Police said the suspects are considered armed and dangerous. They are telling anyone who sees them to call 911. WEST READING, Pa. The West Reading police chief has decided to step down from his position. Mayor Samantha Kaag says the chief is resigning to spend more time with family, but he's not completely leaving the force. It's the third time in under three years the search is on to fill the spot. Last June, Kaag stood by then-Sgt. Wayne Holben as he took the oath to become chief. Less than a year later, Holben is stepping down from that role and will resume the rank of sergeant. "He has dedicated his entire career to West Reading, and, you know, we can't imagine how difficult the decision was to step back, and understand that it was the best for him and his family," Kaag said. Kaag says Holben will continue many of the community-minded projects he started while chief. "The chief role in itself is very time-consuming," she said. "There's a lot going on, and he has been a stable rock throughout everything that's been happening. I think he kind of got a little bit of the full experience in a very short period of time." Last month, a deadly explosion at R.M. Palmer Company claimed seven lives. Holben often spoke on behalf of the department during the early stages of the investigation that has received national attention. One week after the blast, at least one West Reading police officer became involved in a deadly officer-involved shooting in Wyomissing. "We're hoping find somebody that will stay for a while," said West Reading Borough Council President Ryan Lineaweaver. "That is always the goal." The borough is working with the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association to find a permanent replacement. Officials say the association will advertise the role, screen resumes, interview and rank potential candidates and create a list of the most qualified ones for councilmembers' consideration. The top six people will be interviewed in front of council and asked the same questions. "That way, it's comparing apples to apples with every candidate that comes through these doors," Lineaweaver explained. "We utilized them before to hire Chief (Glenn) Granitz a couple of years ago, and regardless of him separating early, we felt that it was a very successful use of the chiefs of police." Officials' ideal candidate is community oriented and will have the skills to understand a borough that's .6 square miles with just under 4,600 residents. "Having a chief of police that understands our community and their needs, and will be community oriented is exactly what we're looking for," Lineaweaver said. Holben has been a member of the department for nearly 23 years. "We are so grateful that he's going to continue here in West Reading, and still be, you know, part of this community that really genuinely loves and supports him," added Kaag. Holben's interim replacement is Sgt. Chad Marks, who Lineaweaver says has just shy of 20 years experience as a member. Officials say internal candidates will be considered to fill the permanent role, but they must complete the same process as external candidates. The process to hire could take between two to three months. PENN TWP., Pa. - If you're knot a fan of pretzels, please don't be in-salted. It's National Pretzel Day, and to commemorate the oocasion, Plum Creek Farm Market and Creamery has a sweet, and salty, deal going on. "They have this cool buy one, get one offer today, and I thought, 'Well, it sounds like a good day to get a pretzel,'" explained Kathy Luckenbill of Jefferson Township. Customers could be seen lining up at the creamery to take advantage of the promotion. "It's delicious," said Luckenbill. "So soft and just cooked perfectly and really, really tasty." "Seems to be a large hit for everyone, and a lot of pretzels going out today," said Plum Creek part owner Ken Nolt. Plum Creek's signature soft pretzels used to only be available at the creamery. Now, thanks to an addition, they're available at stores across the country. "The process has been incredible. As we pick up more customers and distributors, we've made it as far west as Nebraska and down in Florida," explained Nolt. The taste of Berks is twisted, buttered and packaged at the business in Penn Township. "We would've started it last year, but this year, we've gotten into our new building," Nolt said. "We have our line up and running, and now, we can accommodate the orders coming in." Locally, the frozen pretzels are also available at Boyer's Food Markets and the Fightin' Phils. Within days, shelves will be stocked at Redner's Markets, too. Nolt says there are a couple of tricks that make the twists taste so good. "The big thing is our butter waterfall they go through," explained Nolt. "With flash freezing, it makes all the difference. That's the secret." Nolt says a special tunnel on site freezes everything in about five minutes. In turn, that makes the snack rock solid and traps all the moisture in the pretzel. Here is the full list of places where a box of three can be purchased: BGs Value Market Boyer's Food Markets Byler's Market West Dover Fishers Country Store Martin's Country Market Martin's Pantry The Market at Oregon Dairy Stauffers of Kissel Hill Yoders Country Market Select Redner's Markets Today, Plum Creek isn't the only company preparing the snack in Berks County. "Unique, Sturgis," stated Nolt. "A lot of pretzels made in the area here." He says other places that think they're the pretzel capital truly have it twisted. "I think they're confused. It's up here in Berks," joked Nolt. WEST READING, Pa. A sandwich shop has accepted a coveted prize. Tony's of West Reading won the "Judges Cup" in the March Cheesesteak Madness contest. Cheesesteak bloggers decided that Tony's won the prize. They even had an international judge from Toronto take part. We spoke to the Delaware man who runs the contest about how Tony's set themselves apart from other cheesesteaks. "Tony's does a great job with his cheese," said Jim Pappas, chief executive eater, Philadelphia Cheesesteak Adventure. "He has a cheese sauce and melts the cheese on top, or he melts it in with the meat. So you're getting a very good amount of cheese. It's not hiding or covering the meat flavor; it's a complement." Tony's gets to keep the trophy for a year, like the Stanley Cup. Tony's can try to win the cup again next year. SALISBURY TWP., Pa. - A private school in Salisbury Township, Lehigh County, was evacuated Thursday morning. Crews were seen outside in the parking lot of Lehigh Christian Academy, which meets in Cedar Crest Bible Fellowship Church on Cedar Crest Boulevard, just off of I-78. The Salisbury Township Police Department and Cetronia EMS responded to the school for the report of a sick person around 9:30 a.m., according to a news release from township police. The Western Salisbury Fire Department was called in to help after the report of a second sick person was received. One father of a student at the school, who said he was among the first to arrive, said everyone on scene was calm. Police say they conducted initial air quality checks throughout the building, but found nothing of concern. Out of precaution, the school was evacuated for the remainder of the day. Six juveniles and two adults were taken to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment. A similar scene played out last October, when kids were evacuated due to a possible contaminant leak in the building. In that case, the unknown odor was believed to be from an HVAC system, but there were no immediate safety issues. Four people were evaluated at the hospital. 69 News reached out to the school for comment Thursday, but have not gotten a response. DAR ES SALAAM, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa on Thursday expressed dissatisfaction with the increasing pace of deforestation in the country and outlined measures to stop the malpractice. Majaliwa told the parliament that deforestation has increased from 372,800 hectares in 2015 to 469,420 hectares in 2022. He blamed the deforestation on human activities, including agriculture, livestock keeping, and settlements, mentioning the Great Ruaha ecosystem and the Ruvu River basin as the most affected areas. "This situation is unacceptable. Deforestation is one of the causes of climate change that we are experiencing today," he said, adding that climate change was causing devastating impacts, including drought, increased temperature, flooding, and erratic rains patterns. To reverse this malpractice, Majaliwa said the Tanzanian government was taking a number of measures, including reinforcement of conservation laws. "The government has also put in place steps aimed at raising public awareness on the need for conservation and protection of our forests." BETHLEHEM TWP., Pa. - Bethlehem Township will not be a three-Wawa town, at least not anytime soon. Only one is guaranteed right now. The township's Zoning Hearing Board voted 4-0 Wednesday to reject a challenge from a developer who sought to build a convenience store on Freemansburg Avenue. Wagner Enterprises had proposed a Wawa with gas pumps, a bank and 16 apartments for 4900 Freemansburg Ave., a spot at the intersection with Wagner Drive that is known as Harvey's Corner. The developer sought a zoning change to allow for the development, saying the tract was similar to nearby parcels such as the CVS pharmacy. The zoning board turned that down. For now, Bethlehem Township has only one Wawa on the way, and that is on the edge of town. The former Leiser's rental store has been leveled to put up a convenience store with gas pumps. That Wawa will be just north of Oakland Road, on the east side of Nazareth Pike, also known as Linden Street and Route 191. Another Wawa has been proposed for 4457 Easton Ave., between the Blue Grillhouse and Farmersville Road. So far only a preliminary plan, known as a "sketch plan," has been submitted to the township. That plan includes a four-story 60-unit apartment building. The land is near Notre Dame High School and across the street from Bethlehem Skateaway. BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Some students in Bethlehem are brightening up a couple of dark spots in a retirement community, painting a couple of indoor murals to make them feel more like the outdoors. The parking garage elevator lobby on the north side of Moravian Village of Bethlehem is a small space. But folks who live in the retirement community say it needed a bright makeover. "It was dark and dingy," resident Jerry Engle said. "It's a garage area." Engle, who also serves as chair of the housekeeping committee for the community, sketched a picture, hoping to make the small space look like residents' outdoor areas. "I thought, when the doors open up, it's like going out onto your patio from your apartment," he said. "It's bright and shiny and sunny." Engle says the only artistic experience he has is from his years of drawing up mechanical sketches. But the idea caught on, and he suggested Moravian Village bring in local artists, to make his sketch a reality. The retirement community reached out to the Bethlehem Area School District. "The residents here go to the schools and read to the kids," Engle said. "They come here to play games once a month. And I just thought it was a good match to be affiliated with the school and they'd be affiliated with us." Heidi Landis teaches art at Liberty High School. She says she and other teachers from her school and from Freedom High School were asked to spearhead the project. "I looked for students that were looking for community service hours that I knew I had some talent and could paint," Landis said. "They were really excited to help out." It took seven students - five from Freedom and two from Liberty - about two weeks to turn that indoor elevator lobby into an outdoor patio. On Wednesday afternoon, students were adding the finishing touches: the white patio fencing and a physical bench in the corner of the room for people to sit down on; with the possible, last-minute addition of some animals. "I would love to see a fox," Landis said. "I think it looks way better than it looked before," student Jaelyn Merced said. "I think that people are going to feel happy when they leave." Merced, a sophomore at Freedom High School, contributed her art skills with a butterfly, some grass, and some flowers. "I liked doing it a lot," she said. "It makes me feel really happy to be involved in my community and doing something, actually." "I think they did a great job," Engle said. "It's really coming to look very good." The schools say the mural on the north side of the basement should be finished by Wednesday evening. Then the students will begin painting the same mural in another parking garage elevator lobby on the south side of the apartment building, which should be done in about two weeks. The schools and retirement community are also discussing the possibility of painting a different mural inside the Healthcare Center at Moravian Village next year. ALLENTOWN, Pa. - A Lehigh Valley nonprofit, now in its 50th year serving the community, held its annual vigil for victims of crime on Wednesday night. The event, happening during National Crime Victims' Rights Week, was for victims of any and all types of crime. Organizers shared shocking numbers of abuse that adults and children in Lehigh and Northampton counties faced last year. But they also shared their words of empowerment. "For a long time, we feel like we're suffering alone, people don't have time for us," Debbi Miksad, a survivor of sexual assault, told 69 News. "People don't want to listen to our stories." Miksad, who spoke at the event, wanted other survivors to know that their voices should never be silenced. "No, like, you don't have to suffer in silence," she said. "It's not your fault. It's on us to share what we've gone through to help others too." During Wednesday night's Victim's Rights Vigil, the non-profit, Crime Victims Council of the Lehigh Valley, let victims know their stories matter. "We know that victims are not always treated fairly in the criminal justice system. And there's a lot of stigma and stereotypes," Sara Ullmer, Supervisor of Crisis Advocacy Volunteers and Special Events at Crime Victims Council of the Lehigh Valley, said. At the event, stories were told through T-shirts. Some were empowering. One read: "Helping Hands And Hearts Break The Cycle. 2002. Heal The Hurt. Choose Love." Others were heartbreaking. One small, child-sized T-shirt read: "Stevie...I know that many of us still feel the pain of not having you in our lives. I miss you." During the event, organizers rang a bell 17 times: one for each homicide in Northampton and Lehigh counties last year. "Seventeen times," Ullmer said. "Each one to symbolize one of the lives that was lost to violence." Meanwhile, colorful pinwheels lined the pathway at the Tree of Life Memorial Grove in Allentown, where the event was held. Ullmer tells 69 News the pinwheels represent children her agency has seen who have been affected by child sexual abuse. The nonprofit helped close to 300 children affected by sexual abuse in 2022 alone, Ullmer says. People Wednesday night also lined up to drop flowers in vases. "It means whatever they want it to mean for them," Ullmer said. "It's in memory of someone they've lost, it's to honor the person they've become." On this National Crime Victims' Rights Week, the vigil commemorated the theme: "Survivor Voices: Elevate. Engage. Effect Change." "You're one decision away from changing your life, you know," Allison Solley, a survivor of domestic violence, told 69 News. "There is hope, there are resources, there is a light at the end of a tunnel." The nonprofit, Crime Victims Council, tells 69 News it is full of free resources, including its own full staff of counselors. Anyone who needs help can call the 24-hour hotline: 610-437-6611 The nonprofit can also be reached via email: info@cvclv.org and its website. WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. - Local hospitals and senior care facilities are taking precautions, after the CDC warned a potentially deadly fungus is spreading at an alarming rate. Health officials are tracking an increase in cases in New York and New Jersey, though the infection only impacts certain groups of people. Candida auris is not a new fungus, but the U.S. is experiencing a spike in cases. "We've had discussions for well over a year within our division of infectious disease and infection control," said Dr. Luther Rhodes, an infectious disease physician at Lehigh Valley Health Network. The CDC says the fungus presents a serious global health threat because it's often multi-drug resistant and has the potential to spark outbreaks in health care settings. It's a type of yeast known for being most dangerous to people with catheters, lines, or tubes connected to their body. The CDC says when it causes a bloodstream infection, about one in four patients die, though in general, it is not a threat to healthy people. "It is currently not an outbreak at all. It is not a risk for people walking outside," said Dr. Rhodes. "Candida auris infection cases occur almost exclusively in patients with high medical needs within a health care setting, such as patients who need ventilators, central lines and antibiotics, or other patients who have high risk factors for disease acquisition," said a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Health. "People in the community are highly unlikely to get the fungal disease." Health officials say it's hospitals and senior living facilities that need to pay extra attention. "It can spread very rapidly," said Audrey Fernald, a registered nurse and the director of infection prevention and occupational medicine at Fellowship Community. "You have a lot of people living in close quarters...most of our residents are immunocompromised." Fellowship Community in Whitehall Township is focusing on education; it shared information at its recent infection prevention meeting and will feature information about the fungus in its upcoming newsletter. Fellowship has already briefed its housekeeping staff on this and has a special training on cleaning tools and procedures scheduled for next week. "We just added that to our emerging and other infectious disease policy, and it just basically says what we need to do to help prevent the spread, the isolation," said Fernald. Gracedale Nursing Home in Upper Nazareth Township says it is also monitoring for the infection. Lehigh Valley Health Network says it's had two cases over the past year and that both patients were okay. "Our laboratory facilities are quite capable of identifying it," said Dr. Rhodes. That is key, since the CDC says one of the concerning things about the infection is that it can be hard to identify. CDC data shows in the last year, New Jersey had 94 cases, New York had 326, and Pennsylvania had 33. The Pennsylvania Health Department says it's been raising awareness about candida auris with providers since it was detected in the Keystone State in 2020. It says since then, 59 cases have been reported where someone becomes sick from the infection, and there have been 140 more that are non-symptomatic. The infection has been reported in ten Pennsylvania counties. Most cases have been in the Philadelphia region, according to state health officials. The state Health Department says it has sent out multiple Heath Alert Network advisories, including one last month, created a Candida auris toolkit, and hosted a symposium. What if your property taxes were based on how much you make, instead of what your property is worth? That's what State Rep. Robert Freeman is proposing with legislation to create a "property tax circuit breaker," meaning your property taxes would be based off your household income. "The people who would benefit most from this would be senior citizens who are on a fixed or low income, and individuals who may have temporarily lost their job because of a layoff," Freeman said. Currently, the state has a property tax and rent rebate that only applies to seniors and those with disabilities. Which should have a serious impact in communities like the Lehigh Valley, suffering from a housing affordability problem, says Marc Rittle, Executive Director of New Bethany Ministries. "Sometimes your property value can be an indicator of what you can afford, but it is not the thing that says what you can afford or can't afford," Rittle said. "Every family at many income tax brackets, at many income levels, are living paycheck to paycheck." Republican State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie thinks it's a good idea. He has his own proposal to expand the homestead and farmstead exemption by nearly $400 million through state gaming funds. "We need to help everybody across all income levels, all age groups, but there are particular age groups - especially our seniors - that are most affected," Mackenzie said. Freeman says his bill would amend the uniformity clause in the state constitution as the first step. That amendment would need to pass two consecutive sessions. The legislature would then have to pass a separate bill outlining things like who qualifies and how the rebate will be paid. "It's an opportunity to finally address a problem that has festered for a long time," Freeman said. One of the surviving roommates of the Idaho college killings is agreeing to an interview with accused murderer Bryan Kohberger's defense counsel. That's according to a court filing submitted Wednesday. The filing comes after a subpoena was issued to compel Bethany Funke to testify at Kohberger's preliminary hearing. The interview is instead of testifying at Kohberger's preliminary hearing in Moscow, Idaho, in June. An interview with Kohberger's defense team will take place in Nevada, where Funke is now living. The defense had said Funke may have information that could clear Kohberger, so she should be at the hearing. Funke's attorney had said if needed, her testimony could wait for trial. The purpose of a preliminary hearing is to make sure prosecutors have enough evidence to go to trial. This roommate in question is the one who was reportedly sleeping on the first floor during the attacks, not the one who told police she heard noise and saw a masked man in the middle of the night. RAHWAY, N.J. As the pandemic started to wind down, Wall Street had to adjust down its expectations for the pharmaceutical companies that were making COVID-19 vaccines. Merck, with multiple facilities in eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, was one of those companies. However, Merck reported first quarter earnings Thursday that blew past analysts expectations. Although its stock was down slightly in early trading it has recovered and is threatening to surpass its 52-week high. The results were largely driven by Keytruda, the blockbuster cancer drug, and Gardasil/Gardasil 9, for the prevention of human papillomavirus. Sales of the COVID-19 vaccine, Lagevrio, declined 88% in the first quarter of 2023, from $3.247 billion in 2022 to $392 million in 2023. With the easing of COVID, Merck expects about $1 billion in sales for Lagevrio for the full year. Large pharmaceutical companies fuel growth not only through their own research but also by acquiring smaller companies to fill gaps in their product lines. Merck is no exception and on April 16, it announced a definitive agreement to acquire Prometheus Biosciences, Inc. (Prometheus) through a subsidiary for a total equity value of approximately $10.8 billion. The agreement is intended to accelerate Mercks growing presence in immunology and add diversity to Mercks overall portfolio. In addition, the company reported positive Phase 3 results for Sotatercept, an investigational activin signaling inhibitor for the treatment of adult patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. And Keytruda received accelerated approval by the FDA in combination with Padcev, marketed by Astellas Pharma and Seagen, Inc., for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma. Operating results Merck reported that Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) earnings per share (EPS) assuming dilution were $1.11 for the first quarter of 2023. Non-GAAP EPS were $1.40. The declines in GAAP and non-GAAP EPS in the first quarter versus the prior year were primarily due to $0.52 of charges related to the acquisition of Imago BioSciences, Inc. (Imago) and the collaboration and licensing agreement with Kelun-Biotech. Merck said the declines were also due to lower sales of COVID-19 medicine LAGEVRIO (molnupiravir) and the unfavorable impact of foreign exchange. Additionally, the GAAP EPS decline reflects a charge related to settlements with certain plaintiffs in the Zetia antitrust litigation. The GAAP EPS decline was partially offset by the favorable impact of net gains from investments in equity securities compared with net losses in the prior year. Non-GAAP EPS excludes acquisition- and divestiture-related costs and costs related to restructuring programs, as well as income and losses from investments in equity securities and a charge related to settlements with certain plaintiffs in the Zetia antitrust litigation. For the first quarter of 2023 non-GAAP gross margin was 76.9% compared with 70.7% for the first quarter of 2022. The increase primarily reflects lower LAGEVRIO sales, which have a low gross margin, as well as the favorable impact of product mix. Non-GAAP SG&A (Selling, General & Administrative) expenses were $2.5 billion in the first quarter of 2023, an increase of 9% compared with the first quarter of 2022. R&D expenses on a non-GAAP basis were $4.3 billion in the first quarter of 2023, an increase of 67% compared with the first quarter of 2022. The increase was driven by higher compensation and benefit costs, reflecting in part increased headcount to support expanded clinical development activity, higher investments in discovery research and early drug development, and higher clinical development spending. Also, the increase was driven by a $1.2 billion charge for the acquisition of Imago and a $175 million charge related to a collaboration and licensing agreement with Kelun-Biotech. Pharmaceutical Revenue First-quarter pharmaceutical sales declined 10% to $12.7 billion, primarily due to lower sales in virology, largely attributable to LAGEVRIO, and diabetes, partially offset by growth in oncology, vaccines and hospital acute care. Excluding LAGEVRIO, pharmaceutical sales grew 14%, and excluding LAGEVRIO and the unfavorable impact of foreign exchange, pharmaceutical sales grew 18%. The decline in virology was primarily due to lower sales of LAGEVRIO, which decreased 88% to $392 million, largely attributable to sales in the U.S. and U.K. markets in the first quarter of 2022 that did not recur in the first quarter of 2023. The LAGEVRIO sales decline was also attributable to lower sales in Japan and Australia. The sales decline within diabetes primarily reflects lower combined sales of JANUVIA (sitagliptin) and JANUMET (sitagliptin and metformin HCI), which declined 29% to $880 million, primarily due to generic competition in several international markets, particularly in Europe, and lower demand and pricing in the U.S. Growth in oncology was largely driven by higher sales of KEYTRUDA, which rose 20% to $5.8 billion in the quarter. Global sales growth of KEYTRUDA reflects continued strong momentum from metastatic indications, including certain types of no-small cell lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) cancers, and increased uptake across recent earlier-stage launches, including certain types of neoadjuvant/adjuvant TNBC in the U.S. Animal Health Revenue For the first quarter of 2023 Animal Health sales totaled $1.5 billion, a 1% increase compared with the first quarter of 2022. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange, Animal Health sales increased 5%. Growth in livestock products reflects strong demand notably in the ruminant and poultry product portfolio, which includes technology solution products, as well as higher pricing. Excluding the unfavorable impact of foreign exchange, growth in companion animal products reflects the impact of higher pricing. The BRAVECTO (fluralaner) parasiticide line of products had sales of $314 million in the quarter. Financial Outlook Merck claims it continues to experience strong global underlying demand across its key pillars of growth. Consequently, it is raising and narrowing its full-year outlook ranges for sales and non-GAAP EPS. For GAAP EPS, Merck is lowering and narrowing its full-year outlook, attributable to a GAAP-only charge related to settlements with certain plaintiffs in the Zetia antitrust litigation. Merck now expects full-year 2023 sales to be between $57.7 billion and $58.9 billion, including a negative impact of foreign exchange of approximately 2 percentage points, at mid-April 2023 exchange rates. Merck is lowering and narrowing its full-year 2023 GAAP EPS range to be between $5.85 and $5.97. The company is raising and narrowing its full-year 2023 non-GAAP EPS range to be between $6.88 and $7.00, including a negative impact of foreign exchange of approximately 4 percentage points, at mid-April 2023 exchange rates. The non-GAAP range excludes acquisition- and divestiture-related costs and costs related to restructuring programs, as well as income and losses from investments in equity securities and a charge related to settlements with certain plaintiffs in the Zetia antitrust litigation. Merck (NYSE:MRK), known as MSD outside the U.S. and Canada, is a leading pharmaceutical company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products. The company is at the forefront of research to advance the prevention and treatment of diseases including cancer, cardio-metabolic diseases, emerging animal diseases, Alzheimers disease and infectious diseases including COVID, HIV and Ebola. WASHINGTON TWP., N.J. - A man broke into and burglarized multiple businesses in New Jersey, according to a news release from the Warren County Prosecutor's Office. John Berardi is charged with burglary, criminal mischief, and theft of movable property, the prosecutor's office said. The prosecutor's office said Berardi broke into and stole from businesses in Washington Township, Washington Boro (Warren County), Mount Olive Township (Morris County), and Glen Gardner Boro (Hunterdon County). Berardi burglarized the businesses on multiple dates between January 1 and April 22, according to the news release. Authorities said he committed all the burglaries by throwing a rock through either a glass door or plate glass window to gain entry. Berardi was arrested and charged April 22. BAMAKO, April 27 (Xinhua) -- The pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in Mali had long been lagging behind, with the drug market predominantly monopolized by expensive imported drugs, leaving the Malian people in urgent need of medical care and resources. However, this situation has been reversed through a collaboration with a Chinese drugmaker. Back in 2013, Humanwell Pharmaceuticals headquartered in China and the China-Africa Development Fund invested 350 million yuan (50 million U.S. dollars) in Mali's capital and largest city Bamako to establish a local branch, Humanwell Africa Pharmaceutical. Two years later, the company built a state-of-the-art factory in Bamako to manufacture drugs locally, as part of its participation in the Belt and Road cooperation. The project is the first localized drug factory in Mali, and a modern pharmaceutical factory in West Africa with quite high construction standards. Pascal Dao, who has been working for Humanwell for eight years, inspects workshops every day to ensure production safety. Working hard to improve his work skills and learn Chinese, Dao has become a middle manager. "What Humanwell brings us is not only a stable income and a dignified life, but more importantly, the hope," he said. Humanwell Africa Pharmaceutical has hired nearly 200 local employees like Pascal, and provided them with industrial and management training. Former Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita appreciated this project for benefitting the people of Mali, and helping Mali produce drugs independently. "Humanwell put an end to the history that Mali couldn't make medicine, and will benefit Malians," Keita once said. "After years of hard work, we have not only ensured the accessibility of medicines (in Mali), but also ensured the sustainability of the enterprise by creating economic and social benefits," said Li Wensheng, general manager of Humanwell Africa Pharmaceutical, adding that the factory's operation, including its construction and production, is in full compliance with relevant Chinese standards. "Now our drugs are sold to all Francophone countries in West Africa, with sales covering the mainstream drug market in the region," Li said. "The current localization ratio of the factory has reached 95 percent, and 100 percent localization has been achieved for production positions and grassroots management positions. Therefore, the medicines are genuinely 'made in Mali,'" he said. The factory, a major player in Mali's drug manufacturing sector, has also injected momentum to the development of industrial chains. "The surroundings of our factory used to be a wasteland, but now many factories have been established here," Li said, adding that the growing demand for upstream and downstream products has driven local industrialization. "We hope to provide more quality and affordable medicines for the local people, and safeguard the health of people in West Africa," he added. Hundreds of thousands of Australians and New Zealanders have gathered at dawn services and veterans street marches across the two nations to commemorate their war dead on Anzac Day. Australia and New Zealand commemorate Anzac Day every April 25 the date in 1915 when the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps landed on the beaches of Gallipoli, in northwest Turkey, in an ill-fated campaign that was the soldiers first combat of World War I. While veterans of the two world wars dominated Anzac Day services and marches for decades, their descendants and unrelated younger generations have taken their place, defying an expectation that the tradition might die with the veterans. WARSAW, Poland (AP) A baroque Warsaw mansion hosting a museum dedicated to one of Europes greatest 19th century musicians, Polish pianist and composer Frederic Chopin, is reopening with a new focus on original artifacts after months of pandemic-spurred renovations. The main reason of this refurbishing was to create a good atmosphere, good air conditions for the ... original objects," Artur Szklener, director of the National Frederic Chopin Institute said Thursday. And at the same time we wanted to change some ideas of the exhibition itself showing more of the originals, he told The Associated Press. The museum, which houses Chopins last piano, a Pleyel, and manuscripts of his music, will also display new items including letters he wrote to his companion, writer George Sand, and a satirical drawing she made of him, as well as an oil portrait of Chopin by his friend Teofil Kwiatkowski, a fellow Pole. The focus of the renewed exhibition is on the original manuscripts, which take the place of previous copies, and on recreating the mood and style of the times they belong to, museum officials said. Especially after the pandemic we realized that people are overwhelmed, oversaturated with things that are not original, they have enough of it and they wanted more originals, they wanted to touch the real thing, Chopin institute spokesman Aleksander Laskowski told the AP. They cannot touch the letters, obviously, but they almost can. "That was the reason for change: be original. And we are, Laskowski said. Seeing the letters in Chopin's handwriting, written in beautiful Polish and in a very imaginative way" one cannot help feeling transported to his age and into his drawing room, Laskowski said. A large part of the renovation was creating the right technical air and light conditions for exhibiting 19th century manuscripts and other objects, while respecting the architecture of the 17th century Ostrogski Castle. Popular among Poles and foreign tourists, the museum saw an 85% drop in number of visitors during the pandemic. That turned out to be a spur and an opportunity for change. It closed in the fall of 2022 for renovation and rearrangement. The global trauma of the deadly pandemic has also led to some exhibit changes or removals, especially in the room documenting Chopin's death, according to curator Seweryn Kuter. Space has also been made for more items that were owned or linked to the Romantic-era composer, who spent half of his life in Paris, museum officials said. Chopin was born in 1810 in Zelazowa Wola near Warsaw to a Polish mother and a French father. Seeking to develop his talent, he went to Vienna in 1830 and then to Paris, where he settled until his death in 1849. He is buried at the Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris, but his heart was brought to Poland and rests sealed in a pillar of the Holy Cross Church in Warsaw. The museum reopens Saturday. Large numbers of Sudanese have been massing at a border crossing with Egypt and at a main port, desperately trying to escape the violence roiling their country. Residents in the capital of Khartoum and the neighboring city of Omdurman have reported sporadic clashes between the military and a rival paramilitary force but said the intensity of fighting had dwindled on the second day of a three-day truce. The military said it had initially accepted a diplomatic initiative to extend the current cease-fire for another three days after it expires on Thursday. There was no immediate comment from the paramilitary group. For more than 60 years, the American Association of University Women has been putting on the largest book fair in the Lehigh Valley, with tens of hundreds of thousands of books for sale. The sales go back to helping the community with scholarships, donations and so much more. This year's event runs Thursday, April 27 through Monday, May 1 at the Bethlehem Municipal Ice Rink at 345 Illicks Mill Road. 69 News reporter Blakely McHugh was there for 69 News at Sunrise with a look at what to expect. Wessex Grove and Underbelly, in collaboration with Shakespeare Theatre Company, have announced that award-winning actors Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma will take on the roles of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in a new production of William Shakespeare's iconic play. The show is set to premiere in Liverpool in November of this year. Directed by Simon Godwin, the production will break free from the traditional confines of theatres and instead will be staged in four site-specific warehouses in four cities. The set design will be by Frankie Bradshaw and the adaptation by Emily Burns. Producers Wessex Grove and Underbelly said today "We feel very honoured and excited to be working with Ralph, Indira, Simon and Frankie on such a bold artistic vision for one of Shakespeare's greatest plays. Both Wessex Grove and Underbelly's producing ethos is very much to push the boundaries of what a theatrical experience can be and who that experience is for. "This production of Macbeth will inhabit stunning warehouses in four great cities, bringing the audience even closer to Shakespeare's work, and in doing so we hope encouraging a whole new audience to discover the brilliance of live theatre." The play will have runs in Liverpool (24 November to 16 December 2023), Edinburgh (13 to 27 January 2024), London (11 February to 23 March 2024), and Washington DC (2 to 28 April 2024). Tickets for the UK dates will go on sale in June, while tickets for the US show are already available as part of a six-play subscription to Shakespeare Theatre Company's 23/24 Season. Fiennes, who has won both Tony and BAFTA Awards, expressed his excitement about working with Varma and Godwin again, saying: "Macbeth is a play that always carries relevance but with wars in Ukraine and Sudan - and murderous authoritarian regimes very present in the world, the play seems particularly current. But Shakespeare's examination of the minds of his protagonists - the intimate nature of this - is what gives the play its brilliant and terrifying focus." Olivier winner Varma added: "I'm thrilled to be heading back into the rehearsal room with Ralph Fiennes and Simon Godwin exploring Macbeth and Lady M's fraught relationship and the play's themes of ambition and corruption which still feel chillingly poignant in our modern world." Godwin, the director, echoed the sentiments: "Macbeth is a remarkable portrait of a marriage and a terrifying account of the drift towards tyranny. The experience will be heightened by playing in different spaces across different cities before ending our journey - during a US election year - in America's capital. I'm thrilled to be embarking on an international journey driven by Shakespeare's capacity to urgently reflect our shared and volatile present." Further creative team and full casting are expected to be announced soon. Williamson, WV (25661) Today A mix of clouds and sun early, then becoming cloudy later in the day. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 59F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Cloudy in the evening, then off and on rain showers after midnight. Low 42F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%. NAIROBI, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Thursday called on development partners to help the country finance its climate action plans as the East African country grapples with the negative effects of climate change. Festus Ng'eno, the principal secretary in the State Department of Environment and Climate Change, said the country needs about 10 trillion shillings (about 73.5 billion U.S. dollars) to execute its climate action plans despite being a low emitter of greenhouse gasses. "Our updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 2020 requires 62 billion dollars and the current National Climate Change Action Plan 2018-2022 needs up to 13.2 billion dollars. Raising these amounts is quite a challenge for Kenya," said Ng'eno in a statement released in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Kenya, like other countries that are party to the Paris Agreement, is required to establish an NDC, which is a climate action plan to cut emissions and adapt to climate impacts, and update it every five years. Ng'eno said Kenya, like most developing countries, is highly vulnerable to climate change occasioning the need for the provision of adequate and predictable financial support to implement its climate action plans. "Kenya is just coming from the worst drought in 40 years yet we are now already experiencing destructive floods. This pendulum swing from one extreme event to another seems to be increasing with huge negative impacts to the livelihoods and the economy," he said. BLANTYRE, Malawi, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Malawi embarked on the administration of oral cholera immunization vaccine in five districts to mark this year's World Immunization Week, a spokesperson in the Ministry of Health has said. The campaign began on Monday, said Adrian Chikumbe. "The vaccination campaign is a crucial part of our strategy to prevent the further spread of cholera, which has already claimed 1,745 lives in the country since March 2022." Malawi has been battling the cholera outbreak with over 58,000 cases recorded since the disease broke out last March. The outbreak has been linked to poor sanitation and hygiene practices, as well as the consumption of contaminated water and food. The Ministry of Health has been working closely with partners, including the WHO and the UNICEF, to contain the outbreak and prevent further spread of the disease. In addition to the vaccination campaign, the Ministry of Health has been conducting health education and awareness campaigns in affected communities and improving access to clean water and sanitation facilities. ADDIS ABABA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Director General Jean Kaseya on Wednesday called on African countries to cement recent gains made in Africa through vaccinations. Kaseya, who was appointed as the new head of the Africa CDC by the African Union (AU) Assembly in February this year, said in a statement that African countries are highly encouraged to strengthen vaccination programs to avoid losing the gains made by accelerating efforts. African countries "need to make sure that none of our children are left behind from the full benefits of getting vaccinated," said Kaseya, noting that over the last decades, vaccines have saved millions of lives, prevented serious illnesses and outbreaks, and reduced healthcare costs. He, however, stressed a need to intensify these efforts. According to Kaseya, many of the children who are missing out on routine immunization live across different settings, including urban areas, remote communities and populations in conflict settings. "The importance of strengthening routine immunization, reaching zero-dose children and achieving vaccine equity cannot be overemphasized." Kaseya said the African continent can register good healthcare outcomes if it can reach communities with routine as well as COVID-19 vaccines, integrating service provision and supplemental vaccination activities. And strengthening basic routine immunizations across the African continent will help protect individuals who are at higher risk, such as children, from contracting serious and sometimes deadly illnesses like measles, polio, and rubella. "In accelerating the big catch-up, the call to action is to put a stronger focus on reaching the most vulnerable communities with integrated approaches that deliver multiple services," he said. The Africa CDC chief also stressed that such interventions will eventually ensure the protection of the African populace, strengthen health systems, and lead to the path to health and prosperity. "It is important that we ensure access to essential health services and build resilient health systems that can adequately protect the African population from vaccine-preventable diseases," Kaseya said. He further underscored the COVID-19 pandemic's unprecedented pressure on vaccine supply chains, primary healthcare systems, health workforces, and national budgets in Africa. Assura Plc (LON:AGR Get Rating) shares passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 53.23 ($0.66) and traded as low as GBX 49.48 ($0.62). Assura shares last traded at GBX 49.62 ($0.62), with a volume of 3,184,631 shares changing hands. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several research analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Assura from GBX 62 ($0.77) to GBX 56 ($0.70) and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 18th. Barclays reaffirmed a buy rating and set a GBX 60 ($0.75) target price on shares of Assura in a research report on Tuesday, January 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of GBX 66.50 ($0.83). Get Assura alerts: Assura Stock Down 0.6 % The firm has a 50 day moving average of GBX 50.25 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 53.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 70.19, a current ratio of 2.89 and a quick ratio of 2.84. The stock has a market capitalization of 1.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 1,233.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 0.26. Assura Dividend Announcement Assura Company Profile The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 9th were given a dividend of GBX 0.78 ($0.01) per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 9th. Assuras dividend payout ratio is presently 7,500.00%. (Get Rating) Assura plc, a constituent of the FTSE 250 and the EPRA* indices, is a UK REIT and long-term investor in and developer of primary care property. The company, headquartered in Warrington, works with GPs, health professionals and the NHS to create outstanding spaces for health services in our communities. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Assura Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Assura and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Brinker Capital Investments LLC increased its position in iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (NYSEARCA:IJR Get Rating) by 5.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 498,519 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after acquiring an additional 27,029 shares during the quarter. iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF comprises 0.9% of Brinker Capital Investments LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Brinker Capital Investments LLC owned approximately 0.07% of iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF worth $47,180,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF by 67.4% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 15,171,621 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $1,322,814,000 after buying an additional 6,110,963 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 13,823,565 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $1,205,276,000 after buying an additional 176,749 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 9,333,789 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $813,812,000 after buying an additional 506,132 shares in the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. grew its holdings in iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 9,093,064 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $861,029,000 after buying an additional 60,490 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF by 6.1% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 7,162,957 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $772,739,000 after buying an additional 414,469 shares in the last quarter. Get iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF alerts: iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF Price Performance IJR stock traded down $0.40 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $92.17. 2,187,986 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,062,819. The company has a market capitalization of $63.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.11 and a beta of 1.13. iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF has a 52-week low of $86.40 and a 52-week high of $108.24. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $97.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $97.88. iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF Company Profile iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF, formerly iShares S&P SmallCap 600 Index Fund, seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Standard & Poors SmallCap 600 Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of publicly traded securities in the small-capitalization sector of the United States equity market. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IJR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (NYSEARCA:IJR Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Deutsche Borse AG (ETR:DB1 Get Rating)s stock price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of 168.46 ($187.18) and traded as high as 184.70 ($205.22). Deutsche Borse shares last traded at 184.70 ($205.22), with a volume of 417,327 shares trading hands. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several research firms recently weighed in on DB1. Berenberg Bank set a 175.00 ($194.44) price target on Deutsche Borse in a research report on Thursday, February 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a 206.00 ($228.89) price target on Deutsche Borse in a research report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Credit Suisse Group set a 200.00 ($222.22) price target on Deutsche Borse in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. Royal Bank of Canada set a 167.00 ($185.56) price target on Deutsche Borse in a research report on Thursday, February 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a 189.00 ($210.00) price target on Deutsche Borse in a research report on Wednesday, February 15th. Get Deutsche Borse alerts: Deutsche Borse Stock Performance The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 59.13. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of 174.18 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of 168.62. The company has a market capitalization of $34.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.49. About Deutsche Borse Deutsche Borse AG operates as an exchange organization in Europe, the United States, and the Asia-Pacific. The company operates through seven segments: Eurex (Financial Derivatives), EEX (Commodities), 360T (Foreign Exchange), Xetra (Cash Equities), Clearstream (Post-Trading), IFS (Investment Fund Services), and Qontigo (index and analytics business). Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Deutsche Borse Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Deutsche Borse and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ropes Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO Get Rating) by 73.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,266 shares of the medical research companys stock after purchasing an additional 960 shares during the period. Ropes Wealth Advisors LLCs holdings in Thermo Fisher Scientific were worth $1,248,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Red Cedar Capital LLC lifted its position in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 12.7% during the 4th quarter. Red Cedar Capital LLC now owns 284 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $156,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Transatlantique Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 9.9% during the 4th quarter. Transatlantique Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,717 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $3,137,000 after acquiring an additional 516 shares during the period. Heritage Investors Management Corp increased its stake in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Heritage Investors Management Corp now owns 39,625 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $21,821,000 after purchasing an additional 589 shares in the last quarter. Wrapmanager Inc. increased its stake in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 167.1% during the 4th quarter. Wrapmanager Inc. now owns 2,300 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $1,267,000 after purchasing an additional 1,439 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arjuna Capital increased its stake in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 12,339 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $6,795,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. 85.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Thermo Fisher Scientific alerts: Insider Transactions at Thermo Fisher Scientific In other news, Director Jim P. Manzi sold 1,000 shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $584.56, for a total value of $584,560.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 14,807 shares of the companys stock, valued at $8,655,579.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Thermo Fisher Scientific news, Director Jim P. Manzi sold 1,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $584.56, for a total transaction of $584,560.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 14,807 shares of the companys stock, valued at $8,655,579.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Marc N. Casper sold 1,600 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $571.96, for a total value of $915,136.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 128,705 shares in the company, valued at $73,614,111.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 30,100 shares of company stock valued at $16,966,971. 0.43% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Thermo Fisher Scientific Price Performance A number of research firms have weighed in on TMO. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, February 2nd. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $660.00 to $625.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 4th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $710.00 to $693.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 2nd. SVB Leerink lifted their price target on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $620.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, February 2nd. Finally, Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $690.00 to $711.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Thermo Fisher Scientific has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $640.45. TMO stock traded down $12.21 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $536.17. The companys stock had a trading volume of 2,626,927 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,382,864. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has a 1 year low of $475.77 and a 1 year high of $611.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market capitalization of $206.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.79. The companys fifty day moving average is $561.13 and its 200-day moving average is $550.96. Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE:TMO Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 26th. The medical research company reported $5.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts consensus estimates of $5.03. Thermo Fisher Scientific had a return on equity of 21.42% and a net margin of 15.47%. The business had revenue of $10.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $7.25 EPS. Thermo Fisher Scientifics revenue for the quarter was down 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. will post 23.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Thermo Fisher Scientific Increases Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 15th were issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.26%. This is a boost from Thermo Fisher Scientifics previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 14th. Thermo Fisher Scientifics payout ratio is 7.94%. About Thermo Fisher Scientific (Get Rating) Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc engages in the provision of analytical instruments, equipment, reagents and consumables, software, and services for research, analysis, discovery, and diagnostics. It operates through the following segments: Life Sciences Solutions, Analytical Instruments, Specialty Diagnostics, and Laboratory Products and Services. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Thermo Fisher Scientific Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Thermo Fisher Scientific and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. AEON Financial Service Co., Ltd. (OTCMKTS:AEOJF Get Rating) saw a large decrease in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 517,700 shares, a decrease of 48.5% from the March 31st total of 1,004,800 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 0 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently days. AEON Financial Service Price Performance Shares of OTCMKTS:AEOJF remained flat at $9.58 during trading on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $9.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $9.58. AEON Financial Service has a 12 month low of $9.29 and a 12 month high of $9.58. Get AEON Financial Service alerts: AEON Financial Service Company Profile (Get Rating) Featured Articles AEON Financial Service Co, Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides various financial services in Japan. The company operates through five segments: Retail, Solutions, China Area, Mekong Area, and Malay Area. It engages in processing, banking, short-term insurance, bank agency, ATM, credit guarantee, acquiring, Internet, housing and other loans, property leases, installment sales, life and non-life insurance agency, life insurance sales, loan purchases, credit card purchase contracts, collection and payment agency, guarantee, credit card, and electronic money businesses, as well as bank and business management activities. Receive News & Ratings for AEON Financial Service Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for AEON Financial Service and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (TSE:AEM Get Rating) (NYSE:AEM) have been given an average recommendation of Buy by the ten brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is C$78.71. Several research firms have issued reports on AEM. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Agnico Eagle Mines from C$89.00 to C$91.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. Barclays began coverage on shares of Agnico Eagle Mines in a research report on Friday, February 17th. They issued a buy rating and a C$62.00 price target on the stock. Raymond James raised their price target on shares of Agnico Eagle Mines from C$65.00 to C$66.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. National Bankshares raised their price objective on shares of Agnico Eagle Mines from C$76.00 to C$95.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price objective on shares of Agnico Eagle Mines from C$90.00 to C$84.00 in a report on Thursday, March 2nd. Get Agnico Eagle Mines alerts: Agnico Eagle Mines Stock Performance TSE:AEM opened at C$76.28 on Thursday. Agnico Eagle Mines has a 1 year low of C$48.88 and a 1 year high of C$79.37. The firms fifty day simple moving average is C$69.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is C$68.21. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.19. The firm has a market capitalization of C$34.94 billion, a PE ratio of 37.21, a PEG ratio of -1.52 and a beta of 0.80. Agnico Eagle Mines Cuts Dividend Agnico Eagle Mines ( TSE:AEM Get Rating ) (NYSE:AEM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 16th. The company reported C$0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of C$0.53 by C$0.02. Agnico Eagle Mines had a net margin of 11.67% and a return on equity of 6.03%. The business had revenue of C$1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of C$1.91 billion. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Agnico Eagle Mines will post 2.1595896 EPS for the current year. The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $0.532 per share. This represents a $2.13 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 28th. Agnico Eagle Miness dividend payout ratio is currently 104.39%. Insiders Place Their Bets In related news, Senior Officer Ammar Al-Joundi bought 8,200 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 22nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of C$62.17 per share, with a total value of C$509,822.70. Insiders own 0.11% of the companys stock. About Agnico Eagle Mines (Get Rating) Agnico Eagle Mines Limited engages in the exploration, development, and production of mineral properties in Canada, Mexico, and Finland. It operates through Northern Business and Southern Business segments. The company primarily produces and sells gold deposits, as well as explores for silver, zinc, and copper deposits. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Agnico Eagle Mines Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Agnico Eagle Mines and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Alexandria Real Estate Equities (NYSE:ARE Get Rating) issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The real estate investment trust reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.15 by ($1.71), RTT News reports. The company had revenue of $700.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $686.70 million. Alexandria Real Estate Equities had a return on equity of 3.77% and a net margin of 28.01%. The companys revenue was up 13.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.05 earnings per share. Alexandria Real Estate Equities Price Performance NYSE ARE opened at $120.03 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 0.35. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $131.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $143.28. Alexandria Real Estate Equities has a 1 year low of $114.94 and a 1 year high of $191.40. The company has a market cap of $20.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.50, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.93. Get Alexandria Real Estate Equities alerts: Alexandria Real Estate Equities Announces Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $1.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 30th. This represents a $4.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.03%. Alexandria Real Estate Equitiess dividend payout ratio is presently 106.84%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Insider Activity at Alexandria Real Estate Equities A number of research firms have recently commented on ARE. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Alexandria Real Estate Equities from $176.00 to $177.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, February 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded Alexandria Real Estate Equities from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Alexandria Real Estate Equities from $155.00 to $144.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 27th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Alexandria Real Estate Equities from $162.00 to $174.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, February 2nd. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a buy rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities in a report on Tuesday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $168.25. In related news, Chairman Joel S. Marcus sold 9,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.00, for a total value of $1,512,000.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 388,729 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $65,306,472. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, Chairman Joel S. Marcus sold 9,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.00, for a total value of $1,512,000.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 388,729 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $65,306,472. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Hunter Kass sold 3,803 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.45, for a total value of $636,812.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 87,850 shares in the company, valued at $14,710,482.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 16,101 shares of company stock valued at $2,700,271 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.96% of the companys stock. Institutional Trading of Alexandria Real Estate Equities Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Alexandria Real Estate Equities in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,277,135,000. Centersquare Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 188.7% in the first quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 1,341,308 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $269,938,000 after buying an additional 876,725 shares in the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 323.6% in the first quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 525,170 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $105,690,000 after acquiring an additional 401,193 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its stake in shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 136.8% during the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 252,157 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $50,746,000 after acquiring an additional 145,689 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 240.6% during the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 178,233 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $25,962,000 after acquiring an additional 125,906 shares in the last quarter. 89.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. About Alexandria Real Estate Equities (Get Rating) Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc engages in the business of providing space for lease. The firm is also an owner, operator, and developer of life science, agrotechnology, and technology campuses in Greater Boston, the San Francisco Bay Area, New York City, San Diego, Seattle, Maryland, and Research Triangle. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Alexandria Real Estate Equities Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Alexandria Real Estate Equities and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Alger 35 ETF (NYSEARCA:ATFV Get Rating) dropped 0.7% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $13.67 and last traded at $13.67. Approximately 34 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average daily volume of 287 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.77. Alger 35 ETF Stock Performance The firm has a market capitalization of $9.43 million, a PE ratio of 24.98 and a beta of 1.03. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $13.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.71. Alger 35 ETF Company Profile (Get Rating) The Alger 35 ETF (ATFV) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in total market equity. The fund is an actively-managed, non-transparent ETF that holds a concentrated portfolio of global growth stocks. The fund utilizes the Precidian non-transparent model. ATFV was launched on May 3, 2021 and is managed by Alger. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Alger 35 ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Alger 35 ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. ABUJA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- At least six local miners were killed in a late-night attack by gunmen in Nigeria's central Plateau State, an official said Wednesday. The gunmen, who fled immediately after the attack, wreaked havoc in the Turu community of the Jos South local government area of Plateau on Tuesday night, Dachung Bagos, a federal legislator representing the state, told reporters in Abuja, the Nigerian capital. The attack occurred at a mining spot in Turu, and the armed attackers shot indiscriminately in the location of the miners, Bagos said, adding that the motive of the attackers was unknown. Armed attacks have been a primary security threat in Nigeria's northern and central regions, leading to deaths and kidnappings in recent months. Amphenol (NYSE:APH Get Rating) announced its earnings results on Wednesday. The electronics maker reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.02, Briefing.com reports. Amphenol had a return on equity of 27.93% and a net margin of 15.07%. The firm had revenue of $2.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.91 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.67 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. Amphenol updated its Q2 guidance to $0.66-0.68 EPS. Amphenol Stock Up 1.4 % NYSE:APH traded up $1.04 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $74.95. The stock had a trading volume of 3,759,840 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,528,809. Amphenol has a twelve month low of $61.67 and a twelve month high of $82.86. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $78.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $77.63. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a market capitalization of $44.61 billion, a PE ratio of 23.98, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.24. Get Amphenol alerts: Amphenol Dividend Announcement The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 21st were issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 20th. Amphenols dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.45%. Insider Activity Institutional Inflows and Outflows In related news, VP Lance E. Damico sold 25,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.19, for a total transaction of $2,054,750.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 25,700 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,112,283. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link . In related news, VP Lance E. Damico sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.19, for a total transaction of $2,054,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 25,700 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,112,283. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website . Also, insider Jean-Luc Gavelle sold 129,800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.64, for a total transaction of $10,596,872.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 804,800 shares of company stock worth $65,769,622. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Zions Bancorporation N.A. boosted its holdings in Amphenol by 16.9% during the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 1,136 shares of the electronics makers stock worth $86,000 after buying an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. First Manhattan Co. increased its holdings in Amphenol by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. First Manhattan Co. now owns 26,296 shares of the electronics makers stock valued at $2,002,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in Amphenol during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. XTX Topco Ltd increased its holdings in Amphenol by 14.7% during the 1st quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 3,584 shares of the electronics makers stock valued at $270,000 after acquiring an additional 459 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its holdings in Amphenol by 497.2% during the 1st quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 633 shares of the electronics makers stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 527 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of research firms have weighed in on APH. StockNews.com upgraded Amphenol from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Sunday, March 19th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Amphenol from $91.00 to $87.00 in a report on Thursday. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Amphenol from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday, January 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $86.70. About Amphenol (Get Rating) Amphenol Corp. engages in the design, manufacture, and marketing of electrical, electronic and fiber optic connectors, interconnect systems, antennas, sensors and sensor-based products, and specialty cable. Its products include connectors, cable assemblies, sensors, antenna solutions, power distribution, cable, printed circuits, and accessories for connectors and cable. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Amphenol Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Amphenol and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. ArcelorMittal South Africa Ltd (OTCMKTS:AMSIY Get Rating)s share price was down 23.2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $0.13 and last traded at $0.13. Approximately 800 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 92% from the average daily volume of 10,406 shares. The stock had previously closed at $0.17. ArcelorMittal South Africa Stock Performance The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 1.48. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $0.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $0.19. About ArcelorMittal South Africa (Get Rating) ArcelorMittal South Africa Ltd. engages in the manufacture and sale of steel products. It operates through the following segments: Steel Operations, Non-steel Operations, and Corporate and Other. The company was founded in 1928 and is headquartered in Vanderbijlpark, South Africa. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for ArcelorMittal South Africa Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for ArcelorMittal South Africa and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Blackstone Mortgage Trust (NYSE:BXMT Get Rating) had its price objective trimmed by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $23.00 to $18.00 in a report published on Monday morning, The Fly reports. A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on BXMT. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $25.00 to $18.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $24.00 to $17.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $19.80. Get Blackstone Mortgage Trust alerts: Blackstone Mortgage Trust Stock Up 4.9 % Shares of BXMT opened at $17.73 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $19.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $21.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.05 billion, a PE ratio of 12.48 and a beta of 1.33. Blackstone Mortgage Trust has a 52-week low of $16.60 and a 52-week high of $31.48. Blackstone Mortgage Trust Announces Dividend Insider Buying and Selling at Blackstone Mortgage Trust The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 13.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 30th. Blackstone Mortgage Trusts dividend payout ratio is presently 173.43%. In other news, Director Michael B. Nash acquired 50,000 shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust stock in a transaction on Monday, March 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $18.86 per share, with a total value of $943,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 468,455 shares of the companys stock, valued at $8,835,061.30. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director Henry N. Nassau purchased 10,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 15th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $17.81 per share, for a total transaction of $178,100.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 127,348 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,268,067.88. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Michael B. Nash acquired 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $18.86 per share, for a total transaction of $943,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 468,455 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $8,835,061.30. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 1.06% of the companys stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Blackstone Mortgage Trust Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 14.1% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 60,571 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $1,926,000 after buying an additional 7,506 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 11.8% during the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 18,508 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $588,000 after buying an additional 1,957 shares during the period. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC boosted its stake in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 43.2% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 12,607 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $401,000 after buying an additional 3,802 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 50.6% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 82,945 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $2,637,000 after buying an additional 27,873 shares during the period. Finally, Moors & Cabot Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the 1st quarter valued at $200,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.01% of the companys stock. About Blackstone Mortgage Trust (Get Rating) Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc is a real estate finance company, which engages in originating senior loans collateralized by commercial real estate. Its investment objective is to preserve and protect shareholder capital while producing risk-adjusted returns primarily through dividends generated from current income from its loan portfolio. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Blackstone Mortgage Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Blackstone Mortgage Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. MGIC Investment Co. (NYSE:MTG Get Rating) has been assigned a consensus rating of Moderate Buy from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $16.20. MTG has been the subject of several analyst reports. Compass Point raised MGIC Investment from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $18.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 11th. Barclays downgraded MGIC Investment from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and cut their price target for the stock from $16.00 to $14.00 in a report on Friday, January 6th. StockNews.com downgraded MGIC Investment from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, March 30th. Finally, Roth Capital restated a buy rating on shares of MGIC Investment in a report on Thursday, February 2nd. Get MGIC Investment alerts: MGIC Investment Trading Down 0.8 % Shares of NYSE MTG opened at $14.07 on Thursday. MGIC Investment has a twelve month low of $11.38 and a twelve month high of $15.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $13.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $13.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.08 billion, a PE ratio of 5.04, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.34. Insider Transactions at MGIC Investment MGIC Investment ( NYSE:MTG Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 2nd. The insurance provider reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.05. MGIC Investment had a return on equity of 19.71% and a net margin of 73.79%. The business had revenue of $292.25 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $295.17 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.61 earnings per share. The companys revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that MGIC Investment will post 2.12 earnings per share for the current year. In other news, Director Gary A. Poliner sold 8,296 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.92, for a total transaction of $115,480.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,821 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $122,788.32. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.79% of the companys stock. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its position in shares of MGIC Investment by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 92,200 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $1,183,000 after purchasing an additional 3,280 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its position in shares of MGIC Investment by 11.8% in the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 382,668 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $4,975,000 after purchasing an additional 40,501 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of MGIC Investment by 177.9% in the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 878,230 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $11,259,000 after purchasing an additional 562,235 shares during the period. Eaton Vance Management boosted its position in shares of MGIC Investment by 10.2% in the 3rd quarter. Eaton Vance Management now owns 144,029 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $1,847,000 after purchasing an additional 13,346 shares during the period. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC boosted its position in shares of MGIC Investment by 19.3% in the 4th quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC now owns 17,273 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $225,000 after purchasing an additional 2,789 shares during the period. 96.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. MGIC Investment Company Profile (Get Rating) MGIC Investment Corp. is a holding company, which engages in the provision of mortgage insurance, other mortgage credit risk management solutions, and ancillary services. The company was founded by Max Karl in 1957 and is headquartered in Milwaukee, WI. See Also Receive News & Ratings for MGIC Investment Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for MGIC Investment and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Burney Co. trimmed its position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS Get Rating) by 16.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 244,720 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 47,792 shares during the period. Discover Financial Services accounts for approximately 1.2% of Burney Co.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Burney Co. owned about 0.09% of Discover Financial Services worth $23,941,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 52.8% in the third quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,552 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $414,000 after purchasing an additional 1,572 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in Discover Financial Services in the third quarter valued at $1,591,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 78,971 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $7,180,000 after acquiring an additional 2,914 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC boosted its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 11,856 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,160,000 after acquiring an additional 742 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sigma Planning Corp boosted its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 4,590 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $417,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. 81.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Discover Financial Services alerts: Discover Financial Services Price Performance DFS stock traded up $0.92 during trading on Thursday, reaching $102.10. 97,565 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,381,287. The company has a market cap of $26.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.81, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.43. Discover Financial Services has a 52-week low of $87.64 and a 52-week high of $121.17. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $102.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $103.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.07. Discover Financial Services Increases Dividend Discover Financial Services ( NYSE:DFS Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 19th. The financial services provider reported $3.58 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $3.84 by ($0.26). The company had revenue of $3.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.71 billion. Discover Financial Services had a return on equity of 30.68% and a net margin of 24.65%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 29.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.22 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Discover Financial Services will post 13.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 24th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.74%. This is an increase from Discover Financial Servicess previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Discover Financial Servicess payout ratio is currently 16.16%. Discover Financial Services declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 19th that permits the company to buyback $2.70 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 9.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the companys board believes its stock is undervalued. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several research firms recently weighed in on DFS. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Discover Financial Services from $113.00 to $118.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 24th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Discover Financial Services from an underperform rating to a neutral rating and set a $107.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 15th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $115.00 to $112.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 5th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $119.00 to $111.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 20th. Finally, Stephens increased their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $104.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, April 21st. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $117.63. Insider Buying and Selling at Discover Financial Services In other news, EVP Carlos Minetti sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.00, for a total value of $826,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 114,493 shares in the company, valued at $13,510,174. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Robert Andrew Eichfeld sold 13,477 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.18, for a total value of $1,538,803.86. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,509 shares in the company, valued at $3,597,697.62. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Carlos Minetti sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.00, for a total transaction of $826,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 114,493 shares in the company, valued at $13,510,174. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.69% of the companys stock. About Discover Financial Services (Get Rating) Discover Financial Services is a holding company. It operates under the Digital Banking and Payment Services segments. The Digital Banking segment focuses on consumer banking and lending products, specifically Discover-branded credit cards issued to individuals on the Discover Network and other consumer banking products and services including private student loans, personal loans, home loans, and deposit products. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Discover Financial Services Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Discover Financial Services and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Liberum Capital lowered shares of Caledonia Mining (NYSEAMERICAN:CMCL Get Rating) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Monday morning, The Fly reports. Caledonia Mining Trading Up 0.9 % NYSEAMERICAN:CMCL opened at $13.80 on Monday. Caledonia Mining has a 52 week low of $8.75 and a 52 week high of $17.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $177.05 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.30 and a beta of 0.78. Get Caledonia Mining alerts: Caledonia Mining Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 28th. Investors of record on Friday, April 14th will be issued a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 13th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.06%. Caledonia Minings dividend payout ratio is presently 41.79%. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Caledonia Mining About Caledonia Mining Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in Caledonia Mining during the 1st quarter worth $57,000. Morgan Stanley grew its stake in Caledonia Mining by 11.3% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 9,527 shares of the companys stock worth $118,000 after purchasing an additional 964 shares in the last quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. grew its stake in Caledonia Mining by 72.3% during the 1st quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 9,053 shares of the companys stock worth $138,000 after purchasing an additional 3,800 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. acquired a new position in Caledonia Mining during the 2nd quarter worth $139,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Caledonia Mining during the 4th quarter worth $202,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 6.38% of the companys stock. (Get Rating) Caledonia Mining Corporation Plc primarily engages in the operation of a gold mine. It also explores for and develops mineral properties for precious metals. The company holds 64% interest in the Blanket Mine, a gold mine located in Matabeleland South Province, Zimbabwe. It also has an agreement to purchase 100% ownership in the Maligreen project, a brownfield gold exploration project located in Gweru mining district in the Zimbabwe Midlands. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Caledonia Mining Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Caledonia Mining and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Celestica (NYSE:CLS Get Rating) (TSE:CLS) issued an update on its second quarter earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of $0.44-0.50 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of $0.45. The company issued revenue guidance of $1.75-1.90 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $1.77 billion. Celestica also updated its FY23 guidance to $2.00-2.05 EPS. Celestica Trading Up 3.6 % Shares of NYSE CLS traded up $0.41 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $11.76. The companys stock had a trading volume of 885,850 shares, compared to its average volume of 479,973. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The businesss 50 day moving average is $12.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.81. Celestica has a 12-month low of $8.21 and a 12-month high of $14.28. The firm has a market cap of $1.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.97 and a beta of 2.10. Get Celestica alerts: Celestica (NYSE:CLS Get Rating) (TSE:CLS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 13th. The technology company reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.03. Celestica had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 2.01%. The firm had revenue of $2.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.96 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Celestica will post 1.97 EPS for the current year. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Institutional Trading of Celestica Several research analysts recently issued reports on CLS shares. StockNews.com started coverage on Celestica in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a strong-buy rating on the stock. TD Securities increased their price objective on Celestica from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Friday, January 27th. Citigroup increased their target price on Celestica from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, January 27th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a sector perform rating and set a $15.00 target price on shares of Celestica in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Celestica from $14.00 to $15.50 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, January 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $14.58. A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Celestica by 120.3% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 193,371 shares of the technology companys stock worth $2,303,000 after acquiring an additional 105,576 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates acquired a new position in shares of Celestica in the 1st quarter valued at about $132,000. BlackRock Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Celestica by 20.3% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 265,505 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $3,162,000 after buying an additional 44,885 shares during the period. APG Asset Management N.V. lifted its holdings in shares of Celestica by 57.2% in the 1st quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 168,657 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $1,805,000 after buying an additional 61,400 shares during the period. Finally, Great West Life Assurance Co. Can lifted its holdings in shares of Celestica by 35.4% in the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 12,536 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $158,000 after buying an additional 3,276 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 56.26% of the companys stock. Celestica Company Profile (Get Rating) Celestica, Inc engages in the provision of supply chain solutions globally to equipment manufacturers and service providers. It operates through the following segments: Advanced Technology Solutions (ATS), and Connectivity and Cloud Solutions (CCS). The Advanced Technology Solutions (ATS) segment includes aerospace and defense, industrial, smart energy, health tech, and capital equipment businesses. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Celestica Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Celestica and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Westpac Banking Corp boosted its position in Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC Get Rating) by 7.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 189,219 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 13,424 shares during the quarter. Westpac Banking Corps holdings in Centene were worth $15,518,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its position in Centene by 5,700.0% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 348 shares of the companys stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares during the last quarter. James Investment Research Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Centene during the 3rd quarter worth about $51,000. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Centene during the 3rd quarter worth about $71,000. Covestor Ltd raised its position in shares of Centene by 24.1% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 856 shares of the companys stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Finally, U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Centene during the 4th quarter worth about $86,000. 93.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Centene alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of analysts have commented on CNC shares. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Centene from $92.00 to $80.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Centene from $79.00 to $71.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of Centene in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. They issued an overweight rating and a $80.00 price objective on the stock. Credit Suisse Group lowered their price objective on shares of Centene from $94.00 to $87.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Centene from $103.00 to $94.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, twelve 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 an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $92.00. Insider Buying and Selling Centene Trading Down 3.8 % In other news, CEO Sarah London acquired 30,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $62.60 per share, with a total value of $1,878,000.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 313,953 shares in the company, valued at $19,653,457.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link . In related news, CFO Andrew Lynn Asher bought 3,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 9th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $71.89 per share, for a total transaction of $215,670.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer now directly owns 310,955 shares in the company, valued at $22,354,554.95. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link . Also, CEO Sarah London bought 30,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 17th. The shares were bought at an average price of $62.60 per share, with a total value of $1,878,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 313,953 shares in the company, valued at $19,653,457.80. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here . In the last three months, insiders bought 46,750 shares of company stock valued at $3,091,605. Company insiders own 0.28% of the companys stock. Centene stock opened at $66.63 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The company has a market capitalization of $36.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.66, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.56. Centene Co. has a one year low of $61.71 and a one year high of $98.53. The companys fifty day moving average price is $67.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.26. Centene (NYSE:CNC Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 25th. The company reported $2.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.23 by ($0.12). The firm had revenue of $38.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.09 billion. Centene had a return on equity of 13.61% and a net margin of 1.01%. Centenes quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.83 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Centene Co. will post 6.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Centene Company Profile (Get Rating) Centene Corp. operates as a healthcare enterprise, which engages in the provision of programs and services to government sponsored healthcare programs. It operates through the following segments: Medicaid, Medicare, Commercial, and Other. The company was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in St. Louis, MO. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Centene Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Centene and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. CGI (TSE:GIB.A Get Rating) (NYSE:GIB) had its target price boosted by Royal Bank of Canada from C$145.00 to C$155.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, BayStreet.CA reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canadas target price would suggest a potential upside of 12.92% from the companys current price. GIB.A has been the topic of several other reports. National Bankshares increased their price target on shares of CGI from C$140.00 to C$160.00 in a research report on Friday, April 21st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of CGI from C$133.00 to C$150.00 in a research report on Monday. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price target on shares of CGI from C$135.00 to C$150.00 in a research report on Thursday. CIBC increased their price target on shares of CGI from C$140.00 to C$146.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, February 2nd. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of CGI from C$140.00 to C$155.00 in a research report on Thursday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Buy and an average target price of C$150.00. Get CGI alerts: CGI Stock Performance GIB.A traded down C$0.94 during trading on Thursday, hitting C$137.27. The companys stock had a trading volume of 210,779 shares, compared to its average volume of 364,624. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 49.21. CGI has a one year low of C$95.45 and a one year high of C$138.43. The firm has a market cap of C$29.10 billion, a PE ratio of 22.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.85. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is C$127.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is C$119.12. CGI Company Profile CGI Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides information technology (IT) and business process services in Canada, Northern Europe, France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. Its services include the management of IT and business outsourcing, systems integration and consulting, and software solutions selling activities. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for CGI Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for CGI and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Wrapmanager Inc. reduced its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL Get Rating) by 19.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 1,479 shares of the medical research companys stock after selling 359 shares during the period. Wrapmanager Inc.s holdings in Charles River Laboratories International were worth $322,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lifted its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 417.3% in the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 1,288 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $253,000 after acquiring an additional 1,039 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 103,472 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $20,364,000 after acquiring an additional 1,539 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 9,148 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $1,801,000 after acquiring an additional 613 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 14,059 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $2,767,000 after purchasing an additional 804 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D increased its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 29,592 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $5,824,000 after purchasing an additional 856 shares during the last quarter. 97.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Charles River Laboratories International alerts: Charles River Laboratories International Stock Performance Shares of NYSE CRL opened at $187.01 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.32. The firm has a market cap of $9.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.35. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $208.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $220.38. Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $181.36 and a 52 week high of $265.00. Insider Buying and Selling at Charles River Laboratories International Charles River Laboratories International ( NYSE:CRL Get Rating ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.75 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $1.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.04 billion. Charles River Laboratories International had a return on equity of 20.98% and a net margin of 12.23%. The companys revenue was up 21.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.49 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 10.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. In other Charles River Laboratories International news, EVP Shannon M. Parisotto sold 4,558 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.41, for a total value of $1,159,600.78. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,010 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,529,004.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Charles River Laboratories International news, COO Birgit Girshick sold 3,205 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.39, for a total value of $815,319.95. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 41,038 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,439,656.82. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Shannon M. Parisotto sold 4,558 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.41, for a total value of $1,159,600.78. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,010 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,529,004.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 27,763 shares of company stock valued at $6,974,921 in the last 90 days. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In CRL has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Charles River Laboratories International from $241.00 to $230.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 23rd. Credit Suisse Group dropped their target price on Charles River Laboratories International from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 23rd. Citigroup dropped their target price on Charles River Laboratories International from $280.00 to $260.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Charles River Laboratories International from $233.00 to $203.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 28th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Charles River Laboratories International from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, April 6th. Three equities 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, Charles River Laboratories International presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $267.75. Charles River Laboratories International Profile (Get Rating) Charles River Laboratories International, Inc is an early-stage contract research company, which provides research models required in the research and development of new drugs, devices, and therapies. It operates through the following segments: Research Models and Services (RMS), Discovery and Safety Assessment (DSA), and Manufacturing Solutions. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CRL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Charles River Laboratories International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Charles River Laboratories International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. NAIROBI, April 27 (Xinhua) -- The growing burden of infectious and non-communicable diseases in Africa will only be tamed once the continent prioritizes investments in modern diagnostic equipment, some executives said on Thursday at a briefing in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital. African countries are grappling with diagnostic gaps at public health facilities, leading to a high rate of undetected killer ailments in the general population, said Allan Pamba, executive vice president of Roche Diagnostics Africa, a multinational pharmaceutical firm. According to Pamba, upgrading equipment for screening malaria, HIV and AIDS, hepatitis, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer will strengthen their treatment and care while averting a high fatality rate among patients. "Though we are turning the corner on infectious disease as a continent, there is a need to invest in diagnostic infrastructure for screening emerging non-communicable diseases like cancer and chronic heart diseases," Pamba said, adding that reskilling of laboratory technologists in Africa and investing in digital tools will boost surveillance, detection and treatment of vector-borne and lifestyle diseases. Taofik Oloruko-Oba, acting head of East and Anglophone West Africa, Roche Diagnostics Africa, stressed that a new vision for robust and well-functioning diagnostic infrastructure at Africa's public health facilities was long overdue, to help cope with a growing burden of diseases linked to unhealthy lifestyles. Oloruko-Oba said that the priority among policymakers should be making sure that all citizens have access to timely, quality and affordable diagnoses for killer diseases at local health facilities. The COVID-19 pandemic illustrated the urgency for African countries to invest in robust and home-grown diagnostic infrastructure as a means to avert mass fatalities, said Oloruko-Oba, who called for strategic partnerships between governments and industry to help bridge diagnostic gaps in Africa's public healthcare facilities, and enhance screening of disease-causing pathogens. Jonathan Keytel, director of Strategy and Healthcare Transformation, Roche Diagnostics Africa, said African states should invest in a broad portfolio of diagnostic equipment to boost screening of diseases as part of the universal healthcare agenda. Governments should enact policies and legislation that guide quality diagnosis at every level of healthcare delivery in the continent in order to boost response to emerging diseases, Keytel added. Enel Chile S.A. (NYSE:ENIC Get Rating)s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $2.86 and last traded at $2.82, with a volume of 675305 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $2.70. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Separately, StockNews.com started coverage on Enel Chile in a report on Friday, March 17th. They set a buy rating for the company. Get Enel Chile alerts: Enel Chile Trading Up 4.1 % The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $2.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $2.15. The stock has a market cap of $3.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.05. Institutional Trading of Enel Chile About Enel Chile Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Enel Chile in the 1st quarter valued at $43,000. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE grew its holdings in shares of Enel Chile by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE now owns 189,650 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $512,000 after buying an additional 6,045 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Enel Chile by 857.9% in the 4th quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 188,494 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $424,000 after buying an additional 168,817 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Enel Chile by 124.3% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 85,554 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $192,000 after buying an additional 47,411 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Enel Chile by 147.2% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,496,126 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $3,366,000 after buying an additional 890,978 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 2.49% of the companys stock. (Get Rating) Enel Chile SA engages in the development, operation, generation, and distribution of electricity. It operates through following segments: Generation, Transmission, and Distribution. The Generation segment supplies electricity to end customers using lines and substations that belong to transmission and distribution companies. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Enel Chile Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Enel Chile and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Extra Space Storage Inc. (NYSE:EXR Get Rating) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 10,290,000 shares, a growth of 149.2% from the March 31st total of 4,130,000 shares. Approximately 7.7% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,440,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 7.1 days. Extra Space Storage Stock Performance EXR traded up $1.73 on Thursday, hitting $151.12. The company had a trading volume of 1,183,623 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,334,053. The companys fifty day moving average price is $158.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $157.56. Extra Space Storage has a 1-year low of $139.97 and a 1-year high of $216.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 0.54 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The stock has a market cap of $20.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.40 and a beta of 0.54. Get Extra Space Storage alerts: Extra Space Storage (NYSE:EXR Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 22nd. The real estate investment trust reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.08 by ($0.56). Extra Space Storage had a return on equity of 22.01% and a net margin of 45.52%. The company had revenue of $506.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $433.39 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.91 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Extra Space Storage will post 8.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Extra Space Storage Increases Dividend Insiders Place Their Bets The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 15th were given a $1.62 dividend. This is an increase from Extra Space Storages previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 14th. Extra Space Storages payout ratio is currently 101.09%. In other news, CMO Samrat Sondhi sold 6,290 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.88, for a total value of $1,018,225.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 82,653 shares of the companys stock, valued at $13,379,867.64. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CEO Joseph D. Margolis sold 5,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.07, for a total transaction of $800,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 15,144 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,424,100.08. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CMO Samrat Sondhi sold 6,290 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.88, for a total value of $1,018,225.20. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 82,653 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $13,379,867.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 13,440 shares of company stock valued at $2,172,313 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.52% of the companys stock. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in Extra Space Storage by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,648,605 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $630,149,000 after buying an additional 10,610 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Extra Space Storage by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,135,848 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $460,800,000 after buying an additional 38,582 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Extra Space Storage in the 4th quarter worth approximately $380,823,000. Pictet Asset Management SA increased its position in Extra Space Storage by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. Pictet Asset Management SA now owns 2,084,840 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $359,005,000 after buying an additional 145,688 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Extra Space Storage by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,877,977 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $276,405,000 after buying an additional 22,497 shares during the period. 95.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com cut Extra Space Storage from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Wednesday. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Extra Space Storage from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 8th. Raymond James raised Extra Space Storage from an outperform rating to a strong-buy rating and set a $185.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 4th. KeyCorp dropped their price target on Extra Space Storage from $190.00 to $172.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 5th. Finally, Wolfe Research cut Extra Space Storage from an outperform rating to a peer perform rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 18th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Extra Space Storage has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $170.56. Extra Space Storage Company Profile (Get Rating) Extra Space Storage, Inc is a real estate investment trust. It operates through the following segments: Self-Storage Operations and Tenant Reinsurance. The Self-Storage Operations segment includes rental operations of wholly-owned stores. The Tenant Reinsurance segment includes reinsurance of risks relating to the loss of goods stored by tenants in stores. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Extra Space Storage Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Extra Space Storage and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLC increased its stake in iShares Russell 1000 ETF (NYSEARCA:IWB Get Rating) by 34.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,913 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 741 shares during the quarter. Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLCs holdings in iShares Russell 1000 ETF were worth $613,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IWB. Stableford Capital II LLC raised its position in shares of iShares Russell 1000 ETF by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Stableford Capital II LLC now owns 1,694 shares of the companys stock valued at $349,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Fairhaven Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in iShares Russell 1000 ETF by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Fairhaven Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,082 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,003,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp increased its holdings in iShares Russell 1000 ETF by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 358,191 shares of the companys stock valued at $70,682,000 after acquiring an additional 24,044 shares during the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its holdings in iShares Russell 1000 ETF by 94.2% in the 4th quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 2,651 shares of the companys stock valued at $558,000 after acquiring an additional 1,286 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in iShares Russell 1000 ETF by 23.3% in the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,630,230 shares of the companys stock valued at $321,693,000 after acquiring an additional 308,199 shares during the last quarter. Get iShares Russell 1000 ETF alerts: iShares Russell 1000 ETF Stock Performance Shares of NYSEARCA:IWB traded up $2.15 on Thursday, reaching $224.00. The companys stock had a trading volume of 83,538 shares, compared to its average volume of 738,269. iShares Russell 1000 ETF has a 52-week low of $192.01 and a 52-week high of $238.76. The company has a market cap of $28.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.92 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $221.44 and a 200 day simple moving average of $217.48. About iShares Russell 1000 ETF iShares Russell 1000 ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares Russell 1000 Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Russell 1000 Index (the Index). The Index is a float-adjusted capitalization weighted index that measures the performance of the large-capitalization sector of the United States equity market and includes securities issued by the approximately 1,000 largest issuers in the Russell 3000 Index. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IWB? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Russell 1000 ETF (NYSEARCA:IWB Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for iShares Russell 1000 ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Russell 1000 ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Gouverneur Bancorp, Inc. (OTCMKTS:GOVB Get Rating)s stock price traded down 2.4% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $6.60 and last traded at $6.60. 3,670 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 111% from the average session volume of 1,736 shares. The stock had previously closed at $6.76. Gouverneur Bancorp Price Performance The companys 50-day moving average is $7.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $8.74. Get Gouverneur Bancorp alerts: Gouverneur Bancorp (OTCMKTS:GOVB Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Monday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported ($0.05) EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $2.03 million for the quarter. Gouverneur Bancorp Increases Dividend About Gouverneur Bancorp The business also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 15th were paid a dividend of $0.10 per share. This is a boost from Gouverneur Bancorps previous dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 14th. This represents a yield of 1.88%. (Get Rating) Gouverneur Bancorp, Inc operates as a bank holding company for Gouverneur Savings & Loan Association. It is a federally chartered savings and loan association offering a variety of banking products and services to individuals and businesses in its primary market area in southern St. Lawrence and northern Lewis and Jefferson Counties in New York State. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Gouverneur Bancorp Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Gouverneur Bancorp and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Great Bear Resources Ltd. (CVE:GBR Get Rating)s share price traded down 2.3% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as C$28.15 and last traded at C$28.15. 1,886,525 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 525% from the average session volume of 301,841 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$28.80. Great Bear Resources Price Performance The stocks 50 day moving average price is C$28.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is C$28.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 3.85 and a quick ratio of 3.82. The firm has a market capitalization of C$1.63 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of -153.83. About Great Bear Resources (Get Rating) Great Bear Resources Ltd. operates as a mineral exploration company in Canada. The company primarily explores for gold. Its flagship property is the Dixie project covering an area of 9,140 hectares located in the Red Lake district of Ontario. The company was formerly known as Great Bear Uranium Corp. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Great Bear Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Great Bear Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI Get Rating) posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The company reported $10.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.70 by $1.23, Briefing.com reports. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 34.22% and a net margin of 4.57%. The company had revenue of $4.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.92 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $10.81 EPS. Group 1 Automotives revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 1.2 % GPI stock traded up $2.63 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $223.72. The stock had a trading volume of 118,189 shares, compared to its average volume of 173,136. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Group 1 Automotive has a 1-year low of $136.16 and a 1-year high of $242.68. The company has a fifty day moving average of $220.88 and a 200 day moving average of $199.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.70, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.47. Get Group 1 Automotive alerts: Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 1st were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. This is a positive change from Group 1 Automotives previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 28th. Group 1 Automotives payout ratio is presently 3.83%. Insiders Place Their Bets Institutional Trading of Group 1 Automotive In other news, VP Darryl M. Burman sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.50, for a total transaction of $513,750.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 19,945 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,098,697.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink . In related news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 27,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.19, for a total transaction of $5,641,949.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 117,367 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,434,635.73. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website . Also, VP Darryl M. Burman sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.50, for a total value of $513,750.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 19,945 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,098,697.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders have sold a total of 33,600 shares of company stock valued at $7,091,904 in the last three months. Insiders own 3.80% of the companys stock. A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Truist Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 160.3% in the 4th quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 5,289 shares of the companys stock worth $954,000 after acquiring an additional 3,257 shares during the period. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,095,000. Point72 Middle East FZE bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter worth approximately $289,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter worth approximately $14,317,000. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter worth approximately $273,000. Institutional investors own 97.71% of the companys stock. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on GPI shares. StockNews.com raised Group 1 Automotive from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, March 23rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $142.00 to $134.00 and set an underweight rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, February 21st. Finally, Stephens lifted their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $275.00 to $290.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 26th. Group 1 Automotive Company Profile (Get Rating) Group 1 Automotive, Inc engages in the automotive retailing industry. The firm operates through the following geographical segments: U.S, the UK, and Brazil. It also sells new and used cars and light trucks, arranges related vehicle financing, sells service contracts, provides automotive maintenance and repair services, and sells vehicle parts. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Group 1 Automotive Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Group 1 Automotive and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA Get Rating) had its target price increased by Jefferies Financial Group from $325.00 to $350.00 in a research note released on Monday morning, The Fly reports. Jefferies Financial Group also issued estimates for HCA Healthcares Q2 2023 earnings at $4.39 EPS, Q3 2023 earnings at $4.22 EPS, Q4 2023 earnings at $4.68 EPS, FY2023 earnings at $18.14 EPS and FY2024 earnings at $19.92 EPS. HCA has been the subject of several other research reports. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $294.00 to $323.00 in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $217.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of HCA Healthcare from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. They set an overweight rating and a $304.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $237.00 to $296.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, January 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $296.83. Get HCA Healthcare alerts: HCA Healthcare Stock Down 1.4 % Shares of NYSE:HCA opened at $278.07 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 157.23, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The stocks 50-day moving average is $259.87 and its 200 day moving average is $244.63. HCA Healthcare has a 1 year low of $164.47 and a 1 year high of $294.02. The company has a market cap of $77.02 billion, a PE ratio of 13.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.64. HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend HCA Healthcare ( NYSE:HCA Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 21st. The company reported $4.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.99 by $0.94. HCA Healthcare had a negative return on equity of 1,157.58% and a net margin of 9.42%. The firm had revenue of $15.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $15.26 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.12 EPS. The companys revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare will post 17.56 EPS for the current year. The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 16th will be paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 15th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.86%. HCA Healthcares dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.04%. HCA Healthcare declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Friday, January 27th that permits the company to buyback $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 4.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the companys board of directors believes its shares are undervalued. Insider Buying and Selling In other news, SVP Kathleen M. Whalen sold 1,734 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.61, for a total transaction of $457,099.74. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,962 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,626,082.82. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other HCA Healthcare news, SVP Kathleen M. Whalen sold 1,734 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction on Friday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.61, for a total transaction of $457,099.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 9,962 shares in the company, valued at $2,626,082.82. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Kathryn A. Torres sold 4,473 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction on Monday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.38, for a total value of $1,289,923.74. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 22,243 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,414,436.34. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 92,632 shares of company stock valued at $23,978,883. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the companys stock. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Sentry Investment Management LLC grew its stake in HCA Healthcare by 43.3% in the first quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 3,398 shares of the companys stock worth $896,000 after purchasing an additional 1,026 shares in the last quarter. Destiny Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare in the 1st quarter worth $781,000. Concord Wealth Partners grew its position in HCA Healthcare by 54.1% during the 1st quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 151 shares of the companys stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC grew its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 15.6% during the 1st quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,787 shares of the companys stock valued at $999,000 after acquiring an additional 511 shares during the period. Finally, Arlington Partners LLC boosted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 42.6% in the 1st quarter. Arlington Partners LLC now owns 3,045 shares of the companys stock worth $803,000 after buying an additional 909 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.60% of the companys stock. HCA Healthcare Company Profile (Get Rating) HCA Healthcare, Inc is a health care services company engaged in operating hospitals, freestanding surgery centers and emergency care facilities, urgent care facilities, walk-in clinics, diagnostic and imaging centers, radiation and oncology therapy centers, comprehensive rehabilitation and physical therapy centers, physician practices, home health, hospice, outpatient physical therapy home and community-based services providers, and various other facilities. Read More Receive News & Ratings for HCA Healthcare Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for HCA Healthcare and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. IDEX (NYSE:IEX Get Rating) posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The industrial products company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.02 by $0.07, Briefing.com reports. IDEX had a net margin of 18.44% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The firm had revenue of $845.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $818.87 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.96 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was up 12.6% compared to the same quarter last year. IDEX updated its Q2 guidance to $2.10-2.13 EPS and its FY23 guidance to $8.25-8.55 EPS. IDEX Trading Down 2.6 % Shares of IEX stock traded down $5.59 on Wednesday, reaching $209.78. The company had a trading volume of 515,423 shares, compared to its average volume of 382,440. The company has a current ratio of 2.57, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market cap of $15.85 billion, a PE ratio of 27.93, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a 50-day moving average of $222.27 and a 200-day moving average of $225.47. IDEX has a 12 month low of $172.18 and a 12 month high of $246.23. Get IDEX alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities research analysts have recently commented on IEX shares. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of IDEX from $273.00 to $268.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of IDEX from $242.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Monday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on IDEX from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, January 18th. Mizuho lifted their price target on IDEX from $225.00 to $227.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, February 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com raised IDEX from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Tuesday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $240.27. Insider Activity Hedge Funds Weigh In On IDEX In other news, CFO William K. Grogan sold 3,181 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.36, for a total value of $720,051.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 13,864 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,138,255.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink . 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in shares of IDEX by 120.3% in the 1st quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 141 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Covington Capital Management grew its position in shares of IDEX by 120.7% in the 3rd quarter. Covington Capital Management now owns 331 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the period. Fred Alger Management LLC grew its position in shares of IDEX by 345.3% in the 4th quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 383 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $87,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the period. Dearborn Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of IDEX in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $200,000. Finally, Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of IDEX in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $205,000. 96.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. About IDEX (Get Rating) IDEX Corp. engages in the provision of engineering solutions. It operates through the following segments: Fluid and Metering Technologies, Health and Science Technologies, and Fire and Safety or Diversified Products. The Fluid and Metering Technologies segment is involved in the design, production, and distribution of displacement pumps, valves, flow meters, injectors, and fluid-handling pump modules and systems. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for IDEX Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for IDEX and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. iShares S&P/TSX Canadian Dividend Aristocrats Index ETF (TSE:CDZ Get Rating)s stock price fell 0.8% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as C$30.48 and last traded at C$30.49. 7,247 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 68% from the average session volume of 22,814 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$30.75. iShares S&P/TSX Canadian Dividend Aristocrats Index ETF Trading Down 0.8 % The companys 50 day moving average price is C$30.53 and its 200 day moving average price is C$30.15. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for iShares S&P/TSX Canadian Dividend Aristocrats Index ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares S&P/TSX Canadian Dividend Aristocrats Index ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Leju Holdings Limited (NYSE:LEJU Get Rating) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 14,200 shares, an increase of 153.6% from the March 31st total of 5,600 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the companys stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 17,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.8 days. Leju Stock Performance NYSE LEJU traded down $0.01 on Thursday, hitting $1.29. 7,548 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 14,648. Leju has a 1-year low of $1.03 and a 1-year high of $6.69. The firms 50-day moving average price is $1.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1.37. Get Leju alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Separately, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Leju in a research note on Saturday, April 22nd. They set a buy rating for the company. Leju Company Profile Leju Holdings Ltd. engages in the provision of online-to-offline real estate services. It offers electronic commerce, online advertising, and listing services on new residential property sales. The company was founded on November 20, 2013 and is headquartered in Beijing, China. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Leju Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Leju and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. KIGALI, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Remains of at least 587 victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi have been exhumed in the Rusizi district of western Rwanda, the national broadcaster Rwanda Television reported on Wednesday. "We have discovered the remains of 587 genocide victims since we started the search on March 23 of this year," said Oswald Kabera, a genocide survivor and member of IBUKA, an umbrella organization of genocide survivors associations, was quoted as saying. He said that the discovery of the remains came to light when a church in the district underwent terracing works as part of the land preparation for agriculture. "The remains of one genocide victim were discovered in the process, which prompted the Rusizi district authorities to start a search for more genocide remains. This led to the discovery of additional remains," Kabera said. Remains of the victims are still being discovered in many parts of Rwanda, 29 years after the genocide. Rwandans on April 7 started the commemoration activities to mark the 29th anniversary of the 1994 Genocide under the theme "Remember-Unite-Renew." Genocide commemoration activities will continue until July 4 to mark the 100-day calamity, during which over one million people, mainly Tutsi and moderate Hutus were killed. Shares of Lundin Mining Co. (OTCMKTS:LUNMF Get Rating) have been given a consensus rating of Hold by the eighteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have assigned a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $21.57. LUNMF has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays upped their target price on Lundin Mining from C$10.00 to C$11.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley raised Lundin Mining from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a report on Friday, February 3rd. National Bankshares lowered Lundin Mining to a sell rating and set a $8.75 price objective for the company. in a report on Friday, January 13th. TD Securities increased their price objective on Lundin Mining from C$8.50 to C$9.50 in a report on Wednesday, March 1st. Finally, Pareto Securities raised Lundin Mining from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, February 28th. Get Lundin Mining alerts: Lundin Mining Trading Up 1.4 % OTCMKTS:LUNMF opened at $7.61 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.87 billion, a PE ratio of 13.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.57. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $6.57 and a 200-day moving average of $6.34. Lundin Mining has a 52 week low of $4.54 and a 52 week high of $9.65. Lundin Mining Increases Dividend Lundin Mining ( OTCMKTS:LUNMF Get Rating ) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 22nd. The basic materials company reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $811.40 million during the quarter. Lundin Mining had a return on equity of 9.11% and a net margin of 14.04%. As a group, analysts predict that Lundin Mining will post 0.79 EPS for the current fiscal year. The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 24th were given a dividend of $0.0665 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 4.83%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 23rd. This is an increase from Lundin Minings previous dividend of $0.07. Lundin Minings dividend payout ratio is 44.83%. About Lundin Mining (Get Rating) Lundin Mining Corp. is a metal-based company engaged in mining, exploration and development of mineral properties, primarily in Chile, USA, Portugal, and Sweden. It holds interest in the following projects: Chapada, Candelaria, Eagle, Neves-Corvo, and Zinkgruvan. The company was founded on September 9, 1994 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Lundin Mining Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lundin Mining and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Mandalay Resources Co. (OTCMKTS:MNDJF Get Rating) shares dropped 3.7% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as C$1.80 and last traded at C$1.80. Approximately 404 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 83% from the average daily volume of 2,441 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$1.87. Mandalay Resources Stock Performance The company has a fifty day moving average price of C$1.89 and a 200-day moving average price of C$1.77. About Mandalay Resources (Get Rating) Mandalay Resources Corp. engages in the exploration, development, and mining of natural resource properties. It operates through the following geographical segments: Australia, Chile, Sweden, and Canada. The firms projects include Bjorkdal and Costerfield. The company was founded on January 29, 1997 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Mandalay Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mandalay Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc increased its stake in Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN Get Rating) by 970.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 23,868 shares of the information technology services providers stock after purchasing an additional 21,639 shares during the quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Incs holdings in Accenture were worth $6,369,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ACN. United Bank lifted its holdings in Accenture by 6.3% during the 1st quarter. United Bank now owns 2,969 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $1,001,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Weitz Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Accenture by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Weitz Investment Management Inc. now owns 89,400 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $30,148,000 after purchasing an additional 1,168 shares in the last quarter. Fund Management at Engine No. 1 LLC purchased a new stake in Accenture during the 1st quarter worth about $1,805,000. Guardian Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Accenture by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Guardian Wealth Management Inc. now owns 7,292 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $2,459,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Accenture by 104.8% during the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 441,451 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $148,871,000 after purchasing an additional 225,943 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.97% of the companys stock. Get Accenture alerts: Accenture Trading Up 0.7 % Shares of ACN stock traded up $1.86 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $273.07. The companys stock had a trading volume of 616,513 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,370,940. The stock has a market capitalization of $172.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.25. Accenture plc has a one year low of $242.80 and a one year high of $322.88. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $271.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $275.63. Accenture Announces Dividend Accenture ( NYSE:ACN Get Rating ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 23rd. The information technology services provider reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.49 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $15.59 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 11.00%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.54 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Accenture plc will post 11.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 13th will be paid a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 12th. Accentures payout ratio is presently 41.25%. Insider Buying and Selling at Accenture In other Accenture news, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 2,954 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction on Friday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.05, for a total value of $827,267.70. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 24,459 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,849,742.95. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Ellyn Shook sold 5,250 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction on Monday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.90, for a total value of $1,448,475.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 26,908 shares of the companys stock, valued at $7,423,917.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 2,954 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction on Friday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.05, for a total value of $827,267.70. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 24,459 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,849,742.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,010 shares of company stock worth $4,180,030. 0.08% of the stock is owned by insiders. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Accenture from $311.00 to $314.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, March 24th. Piper Jaffray Companies raised their price target on Accenture from $245.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a report on Monday, March 27th. Citigroup raised their price target on Accenture from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, March 24th. Wedbush reiterated an outperform rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research report on Monday, March 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Accenture from $340.00 to $325.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Accenture currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $314.00. Accenture Profile (Get Rating) Accenture Plc engages in the provision of management consulting, technology, and outsourcing services. It operates through the following geographical segments: North America, Europe and Growth Markets. The company was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ACN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Accenture Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Accenture and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc raised its holdings in Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO Get Rating) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 109,488 shares of the financial services providers stock after acquiring an additional 1,512 shares during the period. Marks Group Wealth Management Incs holdings in Brown & Brown were worth $6,238,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of BRO. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Brown & Brown by 658.3% in the 2nd quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,975,944 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $173,617,000 after acquiring an additional 2,583,481 shares in the last quarter. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP raised its holdings in shares of Brown & Brown by 201.1% in the 3rd quarter. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP now owns 1,550,300 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $93,762,000 after acquiring an additional 1,035,472 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of Brown & Brown by 431.3% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 814,770 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $58,883,000 after acquiring an additional 661,425 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service raised its holdings in shares of Brown & Brown by 1,482,265.4% in the 1st quarter. National Pension Service now owns 385,415 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $27,854,000 after acquiring an additional 385,389 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Brown & Brown by 91.9% in the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 796,300 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $48,160,000 after acquiring an additional 381,300 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.52% of the companys stock. Get Brown & Brown alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at Brown & Brown In related news, Director Lawrence L. Gellerstedt III acquired 3,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $57.92 per share, for a total transaction of $196,928.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 16,284 shares of the companys stock, valued at $943,169.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 16.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Brown & Brown Stock Up 0.9 % Shares of NYSE BRO traded up $0.57 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $63.39. 306,700 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,273,713. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a current ratio of 2.49. Brown & Brown, Inc. has a 52 week low of $52.82 and a 52 week high of $68.43. The company has a market cap of $17.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.96 and a beta of 0.74. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $57.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $58.05. Brown & Brown (NYSE:BRO Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $901.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $897.98 million. Brown & Brown had a return on equity of 14.80% and a net margin of 18.15%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 22.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.42 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Brown & Brown, Inc. will post 2.46 EPS for the current year. Brown & Brown Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.115 per share. This represents a $0.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 5th. Brown & Browns payout ratio is 19.01%. Analyst Ratings Changes Several analysts have weighed in on BRO shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Brown & Brown from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 25th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Brown & Brown from $69.00 to $68.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 10th. Citigroup raised Brown & Brown from a neutral rating to a buy rating and raised their price objective for the company from $62.00 to $69.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. StockNews.com cut Brown & Brown from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Brown & Brown from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $66.64. Brown & Brown Company Profile (Get Rating) Brown & Brown, Inc is an insurance agency, wholesale brokerage, insurance program and service organization. It engages in the provision of insurance brokerage services and casualty insurance underwriting services. It operates through the following segments: Retail, National Programs, Wholesale Brokerage, and Services. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BRO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Brown & Brown Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Brown & Brown and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. MicroSectors FANG+ Index 2X Leveraged ETN (NYSEARCA:FNGO Get Rating)s stock price traded down 5.1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $21.77 and last traded at $21.77. 8,603 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 0% from the average session volume of 8,626 shares. The stock had previously closed at $22.94. MicroSectors FANG+ Index 2X Leveraged ETN Price Performance The firms 50-day moving average is $22.07 and its 200-day moving average is $18.07. See Also Receive News & Ratings for MicroSectors FANG+ Index 2X Leveraged ETN Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for MicroSectors FANG+ Index 2X Leveraged ETN and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH Get Rating) announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $5.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.13 by $0.68, Briefing.com reports. The company had revenue of $8.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.31 billion. Molina Healthcare had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 36.05%. The firms revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.90 earnings per share. Molina Healthcare updated its FY23 guidance to $20.25 EPS. Molina Healthcare Stock Performance Shares of NYSE MOH traded up $21.35 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $296.92. 943,527 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 538,663. The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $278.07 and a 200-day simple moving average of $308.99. Molina Healthcare has a 1-year low of $249.78 and a 1-year high of $374.00. The firm has a market cap of $17.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 0.67. Get Molina Healthcare alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes Several brokerages have commented on MOH. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of Molina Healthcare from $400.00 to $380.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 10th. Credit Suisse Group dropped their price target on shares of Molina Healthcare from $395.00 to $347.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 10th. Stephens restated an equal weight rating and set a $375.00 target price on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research report on Thursday, February 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. They set an overweight rating and a $354.00 target price on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Molina Healthcare from $360.00 to $348.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $356.17. Insider Buying and Selling Institutional Inflows and Outflows In other Molina Healthcare news, Director Daniel Cooperman sold 5,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.77, for a total value of $1,383,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 4,944 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,368,350.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink . Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the companys stock. Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 22.9% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,736 shares of the companys stock worth $903,000 after buying an additional 509 shares during the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. purchased a new stake in Molina Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. American Trust increased its position in Molina Healthcare by 33.4% during the 4th quarter. American Trust now owns 1,417 shares of the companys stock worth $468,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its position in Molina Healthcare by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 39,360 shares of the companys stock worth $12,997,000 after purchasing an additional 685 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CI Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Molina Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth about $2,469,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.25% of the companys stock. Molina Healthcare Company Profile (Get Rating) Molina Healthcare, Inc engages in the provision of health care services. It operates through the following segments: Medicaid, Medicare, Marketplace, and Other. The company was founded by C. David Molina in 1980 and is headquartered in Long Beach, CA. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Molina Healthcare Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Molina Healthcare and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Phoenix Wealth Advisors raised its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT Get Rating) by 9.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 9,645 shares of the retailers stock after purchasing an additional 864 shares during the period. Phoenix Wealth Advisors holdings in Walmart were worth $1,368,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WMT. AMI Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Walmart by 1.6% during the first quarter. AMI Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,269 shares of the retailers stock valued at $1,231,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. boosted its stake in Walmart by 36.8% during the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 4,820 shares of the retailers stock valued at $718,000 after buying an additional 1,296 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in Walmart by 31.7% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,162 shares of the retailers stock valued at $173,000 after buying an additional 280 shares during the last quarter. Ergoteles LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 123.9% during the first quarter. Ergoteles LLC now owns 10,566 shares of the retailers stock valued at $1,573,000 after buying an additional 5,847 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its stake in Walmart by 1.7% during the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 857,839 shares of the retailers stock valued at $127,749,000 after buying an additional 13,985 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 31.27% of the companys stock. Get Walmart alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. UBS Group upped their price objective on Walmart from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, April 6th. Royal Bank of Canada set a $163.00 price objective on Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Roth Capital restated a buy rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 14th. Stephens restated an overweight rating and set a $170.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, April 5th. Finally, Erste Group Bank restated a hold rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, March 28th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $165.09. Insider Buying and Selling Walmart Stock Up 0.4 % In related news, Director S Robson Walton sold 157,406 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.00, for a total value of $21,722,028.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 260,926,943 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,007,918,134. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink . In related news, Director S Robson Walton sold 157,406 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.00, for a total value of $21,722,028.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 260,926,943 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,007,918,134. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink . Also, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 1,908,331 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.15, for a total value of $275,085,913.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 247,215,555 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $35,636,122,253.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders sold 21,039,627 shares of company stock worth $2,980,507,683 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 47.06% of the companys stock. NYSE WMT traded up $0.63 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $151.54. 1,046,744 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,229,368. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The company has a market cap of $408.76 billion, a PE ratio of 35.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.55 and a beta of 0.48. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $144.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $143.89. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $117.27 and a 52 week high of $156.98. Walmart (NYSE:WMT Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 21st. The retailer reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $164.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $158.67 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 20.45% and a net margin of 1.91%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.53 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 6.06 earnings per share for the current year. Walmart Dividend Announcement The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 8th will be given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 7th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.50%. Walmarts payout ratio is 53.27%. Walmart Company Profile (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. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WMT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Walmart Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Walmart and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. PROG (NYSE:PRG Get Rating) issued an update on its FY23 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of $2.50-$2.77 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of $2.41. The company issued revenue guidance of $2.3-$2.375 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $2.40 billion. PROG also updated its Q2 guidance to $0.62-$0.70 EPS. PROG Stock Up 1.6 % PRG traded up $0.47 on Thursday, reaching $30.59. 296,989 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 511,141. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $24.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $20.47. PROG has a 52-week low of $12.11 and a 52-week high of $31.60. The company has a market cap of $1.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.04 and a beta of 2.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 3.37 and a quick ratio of 1.28. Get PROG alerts: PROG (NYSE:PRG Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 26th. The company reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.27. PROG had a net margin of 3.80% and a return on equity of 23.28%. The firm had revenue of $655.14 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $642.58 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.57 earnings per share. The firms revenue was down 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that PROG will post 2.4 EPS for the current fiscal year. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Institutional Trading of PROG A number of analysts have issued reports on PRG shares. Loop Capital lifted their target price on shares of PROG from $28.00 to $34.00 in a research note on Thursday. TheStreet upgraded shares of PROG from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a research note on Friday, January 13th. A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in PROG by 37.1% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,129,384 shares of the companys stock valued at $35,966,000 after buying an additional 576,086 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in PROG by 12.7% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,016,437 shares of the companys stock valued at $33,271,000 after buying an additional 227,540 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in PROG in the 4th quarter valued at $16,483,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in PROG by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 914,717 shares of the companys stock valued at $15,449,000 after buying an additional 31,269 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in PROG by 95.2% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 911,986 shares of the companys stock valued at $15,403,000 after buying an additional 444,737 shares during the period. 98.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. About PROG (Get Rating) PROG Holdings, Inc (NYSE:PRG) is a financial technology holding company based in Salt Lake City, Utah with three business segments: Progressive Leasing, which offers lease-to-own transactions primarily to credit-challenged consumers through e-commerce and point-of-sale retail partners, via online, mobile, and in-store solutions; Vive Financial, which provides consumers who may not qualify for traditional prime lending with a variety of second-look, revolving credit products through private label and branded credit cards; and Four Technologies, which provides consumers of all credit backgrounds Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) options through four interest-free installments via its platform, Four. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for PROG Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for PROG and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Redwood Trust (NYSE:RWT Get Rating) had its price objective trimmed by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $8.00 to $7.50 in a research note published on Monday morning, The Fly reports. Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com started coverage on Redwood Trust in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company. Raymond James decreased their target price on Redwood Trust from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a strong-buy rating for the company in a research report on Sunday, March 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Redwood Trust from $9.00 to $8.50 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 14th. Credit Suisse Group reissued an outperform rating and issued a $9.00 target price on shares of Redwood Trust in a research report on Thursday, March 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Redwood Trust from $7.50 to $8.50 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Friday, February 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $9.00. Get Redwood Trust alerts: Redwood Trust Trading Down 1.8 % NYSE:RWT opened at $6.39 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $6.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $7.21. The stock has a market cap of $726.67 million, a P/E ratio of -4.41 and a beta of 1.36. Redwood Trust has a 1 year low of $5.51 and a 1 year high of $10.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.97, a quick ratio of 5.29 and a current ratio of 5.29. Redwood Trust Dividend Announcement Institutional Trading of Redwood Trust The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 24th were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 14.40%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 23rd. Redwood Trusts dividend payout ratio is presently -63.45%. Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RWT. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in shares of Redwood Trust by 8.6% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 34,331 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $371,000 after buying an additional 2,715 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Redwood Trust by 51.5% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 59,710 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $629,000 after buying an additional 20,294 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in shares of Redwood Trust by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 308,263 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $3,246,000 after buying an additional 7,950 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS raised its stake in shares of Redwood Trust by 14.1% during the 1st quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 98,861 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,041,000 after buying an additional 12,189 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Redwood Trust by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,245,804 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $128,948,000 after buying an additional 150,771 shares in the last quarter. 71.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Redwood Trust Company Profile (Get Rating) Redwood Trust, Inc is a financial company, which focuses on several distinct areas of housing credit. It operates through the following segments: Residential Mortgage Banking, Business Purpose Mortgage Banking, and Investment Portfolio. The Residential Mortgage Banking segment consists of a mortgage loan conduit that acquires residential loans from third-party originators for subsequent sale, securitization, or transfer into the investment portfolio. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Redwood Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Redwood Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Robbins Farley lessened its holdings in Dominion Energy, Inc. (NYSE:D Get Rating) by 91.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 866 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 9,734 shares during the quarter. Robbins Farleys holdings in Dominion Energy were worth $53,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc boosted its stake in Dominion Energy by 14.9% during the 4th quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 21,828 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $1,338,000 after acquiring an additional 2,831 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its stake in Dominion Energy by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 58,548 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $3,590,000 after acquiring an additional 4,051 shares during the last quarter. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc bought a new position in Dominion Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $301,000. Brinker Capital Investments LLC boosted its stake in Dominion Energy by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Brinker Capital Investments LLC now owns 161,788 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $9,921,000 after acquiring an additional 14,685 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Dominion Energy by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 127,258 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $7,803,000 after acquiring an additional 3,726 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.30% of the companys stock. Get Dominion Energy alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets D has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Guggenheim lowered their price objective on shares of Dominion Energy from $69.00 to $63.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 28th. Credit Suisse Group lowered their price objective on shares of Dominion Energy from $67.00 to $58.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 14th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Dominion Energy from $66.00 to $61.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Dominion Energy from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Monday, January 30th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Dominion Energy from $60.00 to $57.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $64.18. Dominion Energy Stock Up 0.8 % NYSE D traded up $0.45 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $56.57. The companys stock had a trading volume of 1,210,268 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,603,459. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $56.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $60.02. Dominion Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $52.03 and a twelve month high of $86.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.92, a PEG ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 0.43. Dominion Energy (NYSE:D Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.03. Dominion Energy had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 13.35%. The business had revenue of $4.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.21 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.90 EPS. Dominion Energys revenue was up 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Dominion Energy, Inc. will post 3.87 earnings per share for the current year. Dominion Energy Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 3rd were issued a $0.6675 dividend. This represents a $2.67 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 2nd. Dominion Energys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 244.95%. Dominion Energy Profile (Get Rating) Dominion Energy, Inc engages in the production and distribution of energy. It operates through following business segments: Dominion Energy Virginia, Gas Distribution, Dominion Energy South Carolina, Contracted Assets, and Corporate and Other. The Corporate and Other segment focuses on corporate, service company, non-controlling interest in Dominion privatization, and non-regulated retail energy marketing operations. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding D? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Dominion Energy, Inc. (NYSE:D Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Dominion Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Dominion Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. JAKARTA, April 27 (Xinhua) -- The number of casualties of an overloaded passenger-speed boat that capsized in the waters off Indonesia's western province of Riau on Thursday increased to eight, with several others missing, an official said. Kukuh Widodo, press officer at the provincial search and rescue office, told Xinhua by phone that a total of 58 people have been rescued by the joint-rescue team, comprised of the search and rescue office, soldiers, policemen and volunteers. Widodo said that the speed boat was carrying about 80 people, citing that the search and rescue office awaits information from passengers' relatives or families to determine the precise number of missing persons. The speed boat, SB Evelyn Calisca 01, sank in the waters off Pulau Burung of Indragiri Hilir district at about 16:00 p.m. Jakarta time (0900 GMT), according to him. Several passengers are still trapped inside the boat and rescuers are attempting to remove them from the boat, Widodo said. The speed boat departed from a seaport in Indragiri Hilir district and was heading to a seaport in Tanjung Pinang, the capital of Riau Islands province, he said. Robert Half International (NYSE:RHI Get Rating) announced its earnings results on Wednesday. The business services provider reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.01, Briefing.com reports. The business had revenue of $1.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. Robert Half International had a return on equity of 44.01% and a net margin of 9.09%. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.52 EPS. Robert Half International Stock Performance Shares of RHI traded down $1.07 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $70.63. 1,201,959 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 975,405. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $77.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $77.36. The company has a market cap of $7.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.32. Robert Half International has a 12-month low of $65.40 and a 12-month high of $111.94. Get Robert Half International alerts: Robert Half International Increases Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.72%. This is a boost from Robert Half Internationals previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 23rd. Robert Half Internationals payout ratio is presently 31.89%. Insider Buying and Selling at Robert Half International Robert Half International announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, February 9th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the companys board believes its shares are undervalued. In other Robert Half International news, Director Dirk A. Kempthorne sold 3,456 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.54, for a total value of $278,346.24. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 10,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $872,087.12. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Robert Half International news, EVP Robert W. Glass sold 12,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.94, for a total value of $1,011,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 217,049 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,567,946.06. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Dirk A. Kempthorne sold 3,456 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.54, for a total value of $278,346.24. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 10,828 shares of the companys stock, valued at $872,087.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Robert Half International Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Robert Half International during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Robert Half International during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Robert Half International during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Robert Half International by 111.8% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 574 shares of the business services providers stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares during the period. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main purchased a new position in shares of Robert Half International during the 2nd quarter worth $77,000. 94.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades RHI has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Robert Half International from $76.00 to $75.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 27th. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Robert Half International in a research note on Thursday, January 5th. They set an underperform rating and a $70.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Robert Half International from $79.00 to $78.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 30th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Robert Half International in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a buy rating for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $77.44. Robert Half International Company Profile (Get Rating) Robert Half International, Inc engages in the provision of staffing and risk consulting services. It operates through the following business segments: Temporary and Consultant Staffing, Permanent Placement Staffing, and Risk Consulting and Internal Audit Services. The Temporary and Consultant Staffing segment offers staffing in the accounting and finance, administrative and office, information technology, legal, advertising, marketing, and web design fields. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Robert Half International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Robert Half International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Rogers Communications (TSE:RCI.B Get Rating) (NYSE:RCI) had its target price increased by equities research analysts at CIBC from C$75.00 to C$76.00 in a research note issued on Thursday, BayStreet.CA reports. CIBCs price objective would suggest a potential upside of 13.65% from the stocks current price. Several other equities analysts have also commented on RCI.B. UBS Group raised Rogers Communications from a neutral rating to a buy rating and upped their target price for the company from C$64.00 to C$75.00 in a report on Monday, February 6th. National Bankshares lowered their target price on Rogers Communications from C$78.00 to C$76.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 3rd. TD Securities upped their target price on Rogers Communications from C$78.00 to C$80.00 and gave the company an action list buy rating in a report on Tuesday, April 4th. Scotiabank upped their target price on Rogers Communications from C$74.75 to C$75.75 in a report on Thursday. Finally, Cormark boosted their price objective on Rogers Communications from C$69.00 to C$74.00 in a research report on Friday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of C$75.98. Get Rogers Communications alerts: Rogers Communications Stock Performance Shares of TSE:RCI.B traded up C$0.50 during trading on Thursday, hitting C$66.87. 473,099 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,176,663. The stock has a market capitalization of C$26.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.14, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.38. The businesss fifty day moving average is C$64.00 and its 200-day moving average is C$61.79. Rogers Communications has a one year low of C$50.53 and a one year high of C$72.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 364.11. Rogers Communications Company Profile Rogers Communications Inc operates as a communications and media company in Canada. It operates through three segments: Wireless, Cable, and Media. The Wireless segment offers wireless voice and data communication services to individual consumers, businesses, governments, and other telecommunications service providers; postpaid and prepaid wireless services under the Rogers, Fido, and chatr brands; and wireless devices, services, and applications to consumers and businesses. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Rogers Communications Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Rogers Communications and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. RPG Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF Get Rating) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 69,408 shares of the basic materials companys stock, valued at approximately $5,914,000. Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. United Capital Financial Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of CF Industries by 18.1% during the third quarter. United Capital Financial Advisers LLC now owns 3,669 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $353,000 after buying an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. Pathstone Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of CF Industries by 4.9% during the third quarter. Pathstone Family Office LLC now owns 7,307 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $704,000 after purchasing an additional 338 shares in the last quarter. Balasa Dinverno & Foltz LLC increased its position in shares of CF Industries by 94.0% during the third quarter. Balasa Dinverno & Foltz LLC now owns 9,988 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $961,000 after purchasing an additional 4,839 shares in the last quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of CF Industries by 691.4% during the third quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP now owns 69,229 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $6,663,000 after purchasing an additional 60,481 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its position in shares of CF Industries by 5.8% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 27,211 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $2,619,000 after purchasing an additional 1,485 shares in the last quarter. 92.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get CF Industries alerts: CF Industries Stock Performance Shares of NYSE:CF traded down $1.21 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $70.31. The companys stock had a trading volume of 588,606 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,804,290. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.78 billion, a PE ratio of 4.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.01. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $67.95 and a twelve month high of $119.60. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $77.08 and a 200 day moving average of $89.08. The company has a quick ratio of 3.22, a current ratio of 3.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. CF Industries Dividend Announcement CF Industries ( NYSE:CF Get Rating ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 16th. The basic materials company reported $4.35 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $4.13 by $0.22. CF Industries had a return on equity of 48.59% and a net margin of 29.91%. The firm had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.71 earnings per share. The companys revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 8.95 EPS for the current fiscal year. The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 15th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 14th. CF Industriess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.80%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In CF has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Credit Suisse Group restated an underperform rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of CF Industries in a research note on Thursday, February 16th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on CF Industries from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. Barclays dropped their price target on CF Industries from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 14th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $104.00 to $100.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of CF Industries from $109.00 to $102.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $101.82. CF Industries Company Profile (Get Rating) CF Industries Holdings, Inc engages in the manufacture and distribution of nitrogen fertilizer. The firm owns and operates nitrogen plants and serves agricultural and industrial customers through its distribution system. It operates through following segments: Ammonia, Granular Urea, UAN, AN, and Other. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CF? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for CF Industries Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for CF Industries and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. SCP Investment LP acquired a new stake in shares of EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG Get Rating) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 2,800 shares of the energy exploration companys stock, valued at approximately $363,000. EOG Resources accounts for about 0.3% of SCP Investment LPs investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in EOG Resources in the 3rd quarter worth $22,346,000. HM Payson & Co. raised its stake in EOG Resources by 54.3% in the 3rd quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 233 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Kistler Tiffany Companies LLC acquired a new stake in EOG Resources during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Lumature Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in EOG Resources during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in EOG Resources during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.40% of the companys stock. Get EOG Resources alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several equities research analysts have weighed in on EOG shares. Credit Suisse Group cut their price target on EOG Resources from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 24th. UBS Group started coverage on EOG Resources in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. They set a buy rating and a $152.00 price target on the stock. Scotiabank raised EOG Resources from a sector perform rating to a sector outperform rating and cut their price target for the stock from $150.00 to $145.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on EOG Resources from $140.00 to $132.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 27th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their target price on EOG Resources from $146.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 11th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $150.42. EOG Resources Price Performance EOG Resources stock traded up $0.78 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $116.44. The company had a trading volume of 438,056 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,687,743. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.71. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $115.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $126.38. EOG Resources, Inc. has a 12-month low of $92.16 and a 12-month high of $150.88. The company has a market capitalization of $68.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 1.53. EOG Resources (NYSE:EOG Get Rating) last released its earnings results 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 return on equity of 34.95% and a net margin of 30.19%. The business had revenue of $6.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $6.09 billion. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 11.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.09 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that EOG Resources, Inc. will post 11.7 EPS for the current year. EOG Resources Announces Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 14th will be given a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 13th. EOG Resourcess payout ratio is presently 24.98%. EOG Resources 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. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EOG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for EOG Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for EOG Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Tsingtao Brewery Company Limited (OTCMKTS:TSGTY Get Rating) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 600 shares, an increase of 50.0% from the March 31st total of 400 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.3 days. Tsingtao Brewery Price Performance TSGTY stock traded up $1.70 during trading on Thursday, reaching $53.20. 505 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 942. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $51.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $48.59. Tsingtao Brewery has a 52-week low of $34.17 and a 52-week high of $54.55. Get Tsingtao Brewery alerts: About Tsingtao Brewery (Get Rating) See Also Tsingtao Brewery Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the production, distribution, wholesale, and retail sale of beer products worldwide. It operates through seven segments: Shandong Region; South China Region; North China Region; East China Region; Southeast China Region; Hong Kong, Macau and Other Overseas Region; and Finance Company. Receive News & Ratings for Tsingtao Brewery Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Tsingtao Brewery and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. South Street Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK Get Rating) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 1,966 shares of the utilities providers stock, valued at approximately $202,000. A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in Duke Energy by 2.1% during the third quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 54,910,595 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $5,107,783,000 after acquiring an additional 1,109,394 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 70,549,902 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $6,562,551,000 after purchasing an additional 1,035,303 shares during the period. Neuberger Berman Group LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 41.9% during the 3rd quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 2,875,520 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $267,696,000 after buying an additional 849,278 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 45,155,130 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $4,200,330,000 after acquiring an additional 816,427 shares during the period. Finally, Eaton Vance Management grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 127.8% in the first quarter. Eaton Vance Management now owns 1,151,162 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $128,538,000 after acquiring an additional 645,882 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.22% of the companys stock. Get Duke Energy alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy In other Duke Energy news, SVP Louis E. Renjel sold 1,900 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.90, for a total value of $189,810.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 9,967 shares in the company, valued at approximately $995,703.30. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.11% of the companys stock. Duke Energy Stock Performance Shares of DUK stock traded up $0.30 during trading on Thursday, hitting $98.65. The companys stock had a trading volume of 453,553 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,950,494. The business has a fifty day moving average of $96.59 and a 200-day moving average of $97.81. The company has a market cap of $76.02 billion, a PE ratio of 29.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.43. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $83.76 and a 52 week high of $114.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.27 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 9.11% and a return on equity of 8.45%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 17.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.94 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.61 earnings per share for the current year. Analyst Ratings Changes A number of brokerages recently issued reports on DUK. Seaport Res Ptn raised Duke Energy from a sell rating to a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, March 17th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $107.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 4th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $99.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $116.00 to $112.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 16th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $105.60. Duke Energy Profile (Get Rating) 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. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DUK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Duke Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Duke Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. TCI Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its position in ServiceNow, Inc. (NYSE:NOW Get Rating) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,267 shares of the information technology services providers stock after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. TCI Wealth Advisors Inc.s holdings in ServiceNow were worth $492,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Merit Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of ServiceNow by 1.1% during the third quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 2,356 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $890,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. SWS Partners increased its holdings in shares of ServiceNow by 0.6% during the third quarter. SWS Partners now owns 4,753 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $1,795,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of ServiceNow by 9.0% during the first quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 350 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $195,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. increased its holdings in shares of ServiceNow by 25.4% during the third quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 148 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Finally, Alamar Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of ServiceNow by 0.7% during the third quarter. Alamar Capital Management LLC now owns 4,277 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $1,615,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. 86.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get ServiceNow alerts: ServiceNow Stock Performance NOW traded down $5.24 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $448.79. The company had a trading volume of 2,623,181 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,631,336. The stock has a market cap of $91.44 billion, a PE ratio of 281.25, a P/E/G ratio of 5.72 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $448.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $419.97. ServiceNow, Inc. has a 12-month low of $337.00 and a 12-month high of $521.58. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In ServiceNow ( NYSE:NOW Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 25th. The information technology services provider reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $1.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 expect that ServiceNow, Inc. will post 2.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. A number of brokerages recently issued reports on NOW. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of ServiceNow from $465.00 to $545.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, April 14th. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of ServiceNow from $478.00 to $511.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of ServiceNow from $485.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, January 26th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of ServiceNow from $500.00 to $510.00 in a report on Thursday, January 26th. Finally, Cowen lifted their price target on shares of ServiceNow from $520.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, January 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, ServiceNow has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $530.34. Insider Buying and Selling In other ServiceNow news, insider Jacqueline P. Canney sold 1,083 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $461.03, for a total value of $499,295.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 267 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $123,095.01. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, insider Lara Caimi sold 2,975 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $431.58, for a total transaction of $1,283,950.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 98 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,294.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jacqueline P. Canney sold 1,083 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $461.03, for a total transaction of $499,295.49. Following the sale, the insider now owns 267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $123,095.01. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 65,629 shares of company stock valued at $29,974,024. Company insiders own 0.28% of the companys stock. About ServiceNow (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. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for ServiceNow Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for ServiceNow and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Toubani Resources Inc. (OTCMKTS:AGGFF Get Rating) shares shot up 15% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $0.12 and last traded at $0.12. 514 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 92% from the average session volume of 6,540 shares. The stock had previously closed at $0.10. Toubani Resources Stock Performance The companys 50 day moving average price is $0.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $0.12. Toubani Resources Company Profile (Get Rating) Toubani Resources, Inc is mineral exploration company that engages in the identification, acquisition, exploration, and evaluation of natural resource properties. Its mineral project is the Kobada Gold Project, which is located in southern Mali. The company was founded by Michael A. J. Nikiforuk and Marco J. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Toubani Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Toubani Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. TransDigm Group (NYSE:TDG Get Rating) had its target price raised by Truist Financial from $810.00 to $840.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning, The Fly reports. Several other research analysts have also commented on TDG. StockNews.com initiated coverage on TransDigm Group in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Susquehanna boosted their target price on TransDigm Group from $665.00 to $750.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 8th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on TransDigm Group from $660.00 to $710.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Monday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on TransDigm Group from $765.00 to $793.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on TransDigm Group from $720.00 to $767.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $764.31. Get TransDigm Group alerts: TransDigm Group Trading Down 1.5 % Shares of TDG stock opened at $742.92 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.37. TransDigm Group has a 12-month low of $499.63 and a 12-month high of $772.01. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $737.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $666.84. Insider Buying and Selling TransDigm Group ( NYSE:TDG Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 7th. The aerospace company reported $4.15 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.68 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $1.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.36 billion. TransDigm Group had a negative return on equity of 30.59% and a net margin of 16.53%. As a group, research analysts predict that TransDigm Group will post 20.84 EPS for the current fiscal year. In related news, CAO Sarah Wynne sold 180 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $720.41, for a total value of $129,673.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 700 shares of the companys stock, valued at $504,287. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, COO Jorge Valladares sold 32,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $755.78, for a total transaction of $24,184,960.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 11,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $8,313,580. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Sarah Wynne sold 180 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $720.41, for a total value of $129,673.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 700 shares in the company, valued at $504,287. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 264,393 shares of company stock valued at $196,152,841 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 7.18% of the companys stock. Hedge Funds Weigh In On TransDigm Group Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in TransDigm Group in the third quarter valued at $27,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of TransDigm Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of TransDigm Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of TransDigm Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of TransDigm Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. 96.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. About TransDigm Group (Get Rating) TransDigm Group, Inc engages in the production of engineered aerospace components, systems and subsystems. It operates through the following segments: Power and Control, Airframe, and Non-Aviation. The Power and Control segment includes operations that primarily develop, produce and market systems and components that provide power to or control power of the aircraft utilizing electronic, fluid, power and mechanical motion control technologies. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for TransDigm Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for TransDigm Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Whitecap Resources Inc. (OTCMKTS:SPGYF Get Rating) saw a large drop in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,546,900 shares, a drop of 29.7% from the March 31st total of 12,149,400 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 90,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 94.0 days. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In SPGYF has been the topic of a number of research reports. National Bank Financial lifted their target price on shares of Whitecap Resources from C$15.50 to C$16.50 in a research note on Tuesday, April 18th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Whitecap Resources from C$13.50 to C$14.00 in a research note on Friday, February 24th. Scotiabank cut their target price on shares of Whitecap Resources from C$13.00 to C$12.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 17th. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Whitecap Resources in a research note on Wednesday, January 18th. They set an overweight rating on the stock. Get Whitecap Resources alerts: Whitecap Resources Trading Down 1.9 % SPGYF traded down $0.15 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $7.68. The companys stock had a trading volume of 27,896 shares, compared to its average volume of 68,153. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $7.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $7.77. Whitecap Resources has a 12 month low of $5.83 and a 12 month high of $10.14. Whitecap Resources Increases Dividend Whitecap Resources Company Profile The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.0361 per share. This is a positive change from Whitecap Resourcess previous dividend of $0.04. This represents a dividend yield of 5.26%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 27th. Whitecap Resourcess payout ratio is currently 47.33%. (Get Rating) Whitecap Resources, Inc engages in the acquisition, development, and production of crude oil and natural gas. The company was founded by Grant B. Fagerheim on June 3, 2008, and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Whitecap Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Whitecap Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Yangzijiang Financial Holding Ltd. (OTCMKTS:YNGFF Get Rating) was the target of a large decline in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,500 shares, a decline of 90.6% from the March 31st total of 26,600 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.2 days. Yangzijiang Financial Stock Performance YNGFF stock remained flat at $0.26 during trading on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $0.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $0.17. Yangzijiang Financial has a 1-year low of $0.22 and a 1-year high of $0.27. Get Yangzijiang Financial alerts: Yangzijiang Financial Company Profile (Get Rating) Read More Yangzijiang Financial Holding Ltd provides micro-financing, debt investments, and other investments. The company is based in Jingjiang, China. Yangzijiang Financial Holding Ltd.(SGX:YF8) operates independently of Yangzijiang Shipbuilding (Holdings) Ltd. as of June 2, 2022. Receive News & Ratings for Yangzijiang Financial Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Yangzijiang Financial and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. HANOI, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Vietnamese police said drug seizures from air cargo mailed into the country had risen more in the first three months this year than in five years combined, online newspaper VnExpress reported on Thursday. Synthetic drugs are trafficked by air to Vietnam from such European producer countries as Germany, the Netherlands, Britain, Belgium, and France, with profit rates ranging from between five times and ten times, said the Ministry of Public Security's Department of Drug Investigation Police Department. Figures released by the police showed that nearly 600 kilograms of illicit synthetic drugs were confiscated from shipments intercepted at the airport's cargo terminal in the first three months of this year, compared to the 1,300 kilograms of synthetic drugs, 17,000 kilograms of ketamine, 30 kilograms of heroin, 61 kilograms of methamphetamine discovered in the past five years. The surge in cases showed that traffickers have resorted to smuggling illegal drugs into the country as air cargo and through logistics services, said the police, adding that drug traffickers are mostly Vietnamese living overseas. Airborne smuggling has been in the public spotlight after a group of flight attendants from flag carrier Vietnam Airlines were arrested last month with 11.4 kilograms of drugs concealed in their luggage on a flight from France to Vietnam. In Vietnam, drug trafficking carries a maximum death penalty for those convicted of smuggling over 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kg of methamphetamine. BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to a commemorative event marking the 50th anniversary of cooperation between China and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on Wednesday. Xi noted that, over the past 50 years, China has been firmly committed to upholding the multilateral system of international intellectual property rights (IPR), and the country's cooperation with the WIPO has been expanded and deepened with fruitful results. China has always attached great importance to IPR protection, and exerted efforts to make the country strong in intellectual property. China has strengthened the legal protection of IPR, improved the IPR management system, strengthened IPR full-chain protection, and continued to improve the innovation and business environment, Xi stressed in the letter. China is willing to further deepen the friendly cooperation with the WIPO, and work together to make the global intellectual property governance system fairer and more equitable and better improve the well-being of humankind, said Xi. The commemorative event was held in Beijing on Wednesday. (Source: Xinhua) Weather Alert ...LAKE WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM CDT THIS MORNING TO 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Northwest winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph expected. * WHERE...All of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, western Kentucky, and southeast Missouri. * WHEN...From 10 AM CDT this morning to 7 PM CDT this evening. * IMPACTS...Strong winds and rough chop on area lakes will create hazardous conditions for small craft. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Some lakes in the advisory area include Clearwater Lake, Lake Wappapello, Rend Lake, Crab Orchard Lake, Kinkaid Lake, Cedar Lake, Little Grassy Lake, Devil's Kitchen Lake, Lake of Egypt, Kentucky Lake, and Lake Barkley. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Lake Wind Advisory indicates that winds will cause rough chop on area lakes. Boaters on area lakes should use extra caution since strong winds and rough waves can overturn small craft. && Man sentenced to two years in federal prison for killing bald eagle in Tennessee YANGON, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar authorities have seized 13.2 kilograms of heroin in eastern Myanmar's Shan State, according to a release from the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control reported on Thursday. Acting on a tipoff, anti-narcotics police raided a house in Muse town of northern Shan State on Wednesday and confiscated the heroin, the report said. A suspect was arrested for the case, and the seized narcotics are worth about 132 million kyats (over 62,875 U.S. dollars), it said. The suspect was charged under the country's Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law, and further investigations were underway, it said. Around 180 prison inmates in the Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre in southern Ontario recently conducted a week-long hunger strike against what they called sickening and deteriorating conditions. Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre in Hamilton, Ontario [Photo by Tom Flemming / CC BY-NC 2.0 The prison administration subsequently agreed to address the inmates grievances, but the appalling conditions faced by inmates are pervasive across Canadas provincial and federal corrections systems. The administrators of numerous facilities, as well as the provincial and federal corrections departments, have made countless empty promises over the years to improve conditions. The inmates at Hamilton-Wentworth cited constant overcrowding, a lack of outdoor time, and the threatened loss of television privileges as reasons for launching the hunger strike. A number of inmates in the Niagara Detention Centre near the Canada-US border also launched a hunger strike over similar grievances, although its unclear whether their strike continues. Jesse Bull, the inmate at Hamilton-Wentworth who launched the hunger strike, told CBC News that during the last two months, he had only been allowed outside in the yard once. He cited a lack of clean laundry as another major issue, saying that he receives clean bed sheets only once a month. Inmates are also incensed at mail policies, saying the jail administration tampers with their mail and restricts who they can write to. Due to staffing shortages that are rampant across the province, jails and prisons routinely implement lockdown protocols that cram three inmates into a cell designed for two. In some cases, inmates are forced to sleep on the floor. To be three in a cell, eating where you use the bathroom, being locked down in a hot cell in the middle of summerno, Bull explained to CBC News. He also stressed that many of the issues the inmates experience are not caused by unruly behaviour, and that the prison administration does not fundamentally care about their well-being. Whenever we get locked down, its just a staffing issue its not because we're fighting or drinking, he said. There are solutions to this and everybody just doesnt give a f--k. I just feel like this is one of those situations that will never get solved it's a broken system. In response to the inmates grievances, the Ontario Ministry of the Solicitor General, which administers the provinces jails, issued the same potted statements it has made ad infinitum, about providing correctional services with the tools and resources needed to maintain the security and safety of staff and those in provincial custody. Over the years, inmates in Ontarios prison systems have understandably refused to take the province at its word. The Hamilton-Wentworth hunger strike is only the first of the year, and follows on the heels of strikes in the same facility in 2021 and 2020. Prison hunger strikes have become a perennial struggle by inmates for the sole reason that the conditions they are forced to endure are barbaric and only getting worse, putting the lie to claims by the Progressive Conservative government of Ontario and Premier Doug Ford, as well as their provincial and federal counterparts across Canada, that they stand for human rights. In March of last year, Hamilton-Wentworth inmates launched a strike over the spread of COVID-19 within the prison population and the refusal of the administration to take even basic steps to inform inmates about and protect them from the deadly disease. The SARS-CoV-2 virus was undoubtedly introduced into the facility by staff, who operated under unscientific government guidelines that claim that the virus is spread mainly through droplets and physical contact, rather than through airborne particles. Justin Piche, a criminologist at the University of Ottawa who built a database of COVID-19 infections in Ontario prisons, bluntly told CBC News in January 2022, at the height of the Omicron-fueled fifth wave of the pandemic, that COVID is skyrocketing behind bars in Ontario. From the start of the pandemic to January 2022, over 11,000 positive cases were recorded in Canadian prisons, a rate higher than the general population. Any doubts that conditions in Ontario jails are only becoming more deadly were dispelled by a damning report published by the provinces chief coroner this past February. The report showed that inmate deaths nearly doubled from 23 in 2020 to 41 in 2021. In the eight years leading up to the report, 192 inmates perished in Ontarios prisons. Exposing the punitive character of the criminal justice system, the report also found that 72 percent of inmates who died had yet to be brought before a court of law. Ontarios jails are reserved for inmates on shorter sentences or those awaiting trial. Among the dead, 40 percent were killed by an illicit drug overdose, 24 percent by suicide, and 28 percent by natural causes. Significantly, the report found that prison staff were the number one carriers of illicit drugs into facilities. The reports panelists painted a picture of an entirely debased culture among the prison administration: We learned of a work environment plagued by absenteeism, low morale, a competitive drive to avoid blame, a severely restricted ability to perform the most important and most career-gratifying aspects of the job, and a prevailing dark cloud of mistrust. The abysmal conditions in provincial jails holds true for federal penitentiaries overseen by the progressive Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and the vast gulag of the American prison-industrial complex south of the border. A report published in February 2021 exposed the widespread and arbitrary use of solitary confinement in federal prisons, constituting torture as defined by the United Nations. In one case, an inmate was held in solitary confinement for 22 hours a day with little to no human contact for over 16 years. A number of high-profile deaths in federal penitentiaries, including the suicide of 19-year-old Ashley Smith in 2007, led to public outrage, prompting the Trudeau government in 2018 to announce a reform of the solitary confinement rules. In reality, this was mere window dressing and kept the inhuman practice essentially intact. More recently in the US, the American working population was reminded of the utter hypocrisy and depravity of a two-party political system which oversees a network of dungeons in which inmates starve, choke on their own excrement, and are eaten alive by insects in their cells, all while Washington presents itself as a beacon of democracy and equality. The entire political system in Canada has similarly moved far to the right. While the provincial and federal governments spend billions bailing out the banks and corporations, and arming the military to the teeth to wage war against Russia and the coming war with China in alliance with US imperialism, prison inmates are left to wallow in misery. Meanwhile, millions of Canadian workers are thrust into economic destitution and thus at greater risk of being caught up in a criminal justice system which will force them to rot behind bars. A new right-wing political campaign by premiers and police departments across the country to toughen bail laws will place thousands more workers and the poor in prisons that are already straining to hold their current inhabitants. On Tuesday Ontario Premier Ford announced plans to put more boots on the ground by slashing requirements for the hiring of new police officers. Meanwhile, the real criminals, including the capitalist politicians who allowed COVID-19 to rip through the population and kill over 50,000 innocent people and counting, as well as the financial and corporate swindlers on Bay Street who daily impoverish legions of workers and retirees, remain free. This exposes the political bankruptcy of the entire capitalist system, including its so-called progressive defenders in the New Democratic Party and the trade union bureaucracy, who have kept the Liberals in power for years and wholly endorsed the tough on crime measures that will ultimately be used to suppress the struggles of the working class. People will die from this shortage, for sure. Director of the division of molecular imaging and therapeutics at the University of Alabama, Jonathan McConathy, referring to the drug Pluvicto. Recently, hospitals across the country have been notified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of severe shortages of critical but commonly used chemotherapy drugs that will persist for the next three to six months. These are creating hopeless situations for possibly hundreds of thousands of patients with either new or recurrent malignancies, while placing the entire edifice of oncologic care into crisis mode. Jeffrey Pilz, assistant director of Pharmacy, Medication Safety, and Drug Policy at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, noted recently, Drug shortages are impacting every therapeutic area of practice at this time. In 2023, shortages are reaching record numbers, and unfortunately, our oncology medications are not immune. For instance, according to a recent statement issued by the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) on April 21, 2023, Currently, a US shortage of carboplatin and cisplatin exists that will likely last several months and possibly longer. Platinum drug [the molecular basis for the two mentioned drugs] shortages were first reported to the FDA on February 10, 2023. The recommendations below address how we can conserve carboplatin and cisplatin and allocate the limited supply to those patients who will experience the most significant benefit. These platinum-based agents are front and center of the treatment of women with advanced ovarian and uterine cancer. Both drugs have proven their importance in head-to-head randomized control trials spanning more than three decades. In their strategy, the SGO issued the following guidance: Ration doses by rounding doses down to the nearest vial size as a first step to ensure efficient use. If the shortage becomes more critical, consider reserving carboplatin and cisplatin for curative intent treatment [my italics-BM]. Medical oncologists at some hospitals have been given this rationing guidance, implying the shortages are quite pronounced. Besides these, other cancer drugs such as Pluvicto, made by Swiss drugmaker Novartis, for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer, are facing manufacturing delays and will only meaningfully increase by the second half of the year. Other shortages include methotrexate, fluorouracil, and BCG [Bacillus Calmette-Guerin] that treat a variety of diseases including cancers of the skin, bone, blood or lymphatic, and lungs in all ages. BCG, also known as an anti-tuberculosis vaccine, is effective in the management of bladder cancers. Without these treatment options available to patients, treating physicians may have to turn to less effective options with worse side effects. Some may find their disease progressed beyond hope as they wait to hear from their oncologists. Drug shortages are not new, but in the last decade, the shortages have been skyrocketing, including for cancer drugs. The American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists has reported that there are over 300 drugs in short supply in the US, which include all classes of drugs. These shortages are also taking longer to mitigate. Moreover, the COVID pandemic has added fuel to the fire. A Johns Hopkins Medicine report from 2020 noted, Over the past 10 years, eight of the 10 commonly used drugs in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer affecting thousands of children each year in the US, have temporarily been unavailable. According to a Senate report released in March by the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, chaired by Michigan Senator Gary Peters, new drug shortages in the US increased by 30 percent from 2021 to 2022. At the end of last year, 295 active drug shortages were reported, a five-year high. Additionally, while shortages on average last about 1.5 years, more than two dozen vital medications have been in scarcity for more than a decade. In the US, each year, more than one million people are undergoing chemotherapy or radiation across the country. In a report on the estimated number of individuals living with metastatic cancer in the US, more than half are recurrent cancers. For this population of patients, systemic treatment with chemotherapy and other cancer treatment agents is essential to place their disease in remission with the hope it will not recur. Estimated numbers of Individuals living with metastatic cancer in the US 2018. [Photo: Journal of the National Cancer Institute] According to a study published in 2019 in the journal Lancet Oncology, at a global level, the incidence of cancer is projected to rise to 26 million annual cases by 2040, an increase of over 52 percent in the next two decades. Should evidence-based guidelines be applied according to a persons cancer diagnosis and stage, the number of patients who would need first-line chemotherapy would increase from 9.8 million to 15 million by 2040. Sixty-seven percent of these patients reside in low or middle-income countries, which means that the shortages presently being faced in the US are amplified in these regions who do not have the resources to compete for these life-saving treatments. Researcher Brooke Wilson at the University of New South Wales, lead author of the Lancet study on the global cancer outcomes, told Cancer World magazine, The rising cancer burden and the increasing demands for chemotherapy globally will be major health crises during the next 20 years. The gap between available service provision and demand is substantial, especially in low-income and middle-income countries. She added, Strategic investments to expand capacity for chemotherapy delivery globally are urgently needed. And when the issue of capacity is raised, this also implies a legion of physicians, nurses, technicians in almost every discipline of health care that includes laboratory, radiographic, pathology, surgical, patient care, infectious diseases, and the assortment of equipment and well-stocked pharmaceuticals to tend to urgent health needs. These raise the present questions of the shortage in chemotherapy to a socioeconomic and, therefore, a political level. What are the mechanisms in place to ensure the worlds population, when faced with such a devastating diagnosis as cancer, can be provided with evidence-based treatment that should be available to all as a democratic and social right? As the report notes, by 2040, 53 percent of the 26 million cancer cases will need chemotherapy. By then there will be around 2.5 million lung cancers, 1.9 million breast cancers, and 1.7 million colorectal cancers; the report warns the greatest absolute increases in new cases will occur for these three types of cancer (around 900k cases of lung cancer, 620k of colorectal and 500k breast cancer requiring chemotherapy annually). A study published in the British Medical Journal in November 2020, in the midst of the raging COVID pandemic, found that delaying chemotherapy by even one month meant the risk of dying increased by six to 13 percent. And the longer the delay in providing treatment, whether it was surgery, radiation or chemotherapy, the higher grew the risk of dying. The authors concluded, Taken as a whole, these results suggest there is an urgent need to consider how we organize our cancer services. The prevailing paradigm has been around access to new treatments to improve outcomes, but from a system level, gains in survival might be achieved by prioritizing efforts to minimize the time from cancer diagnosis to initiation of treatment from weeks to days. With regards to the March 2023 Senate report and shortage of active drugs, Senator Peters states, Drug shortages are not a new problem. They are caused by a number of factors, including economic drivers, insufficient supply chain visibility, and a continued US over-reliance on both foreign and geographically concentrated sources for medications and their raw materials. And over the last two decades much of the manufacturing has shifted to China, and even more so to India, in line with economic diktats to decrease production costs. Active active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) Drug master Files, by year of filing and country of manufacture. [Photo: US Pharmacopeia ] Revenue from oncology drugs for 2023 has been estimated at over $200 billion and is expected to rise by nearly 70 percent over the next four to five years. The shortages being felt are mainly affecting older generic drug products, which account for 90 percent of all the drugs sold in the US. According to the FDA, of the drugs that went into shortage between 2013 and 2017, two-thirds were generic, with a median price of $8.73 per dose, and first approved for use more than 35 years ago. In short, delays in manufacturing have more to do with the narrow profit margins that do not incentivize the markets to produce them in sufficient quantities to forestall critical drug shortages. As Dr. Vimala Raghavendran, senior director of the pharmaceutical supply chain center at US Pharmacopeia, testified, Manufacturers only receive pennies per dose for some of these drugs. As an FDA report to Congress noted in 2020 and reiterated in the Senate report by Peters, With few incentives to enter or remain in the market for a narrow but critical set of generic drugs, manufacturers of these products often decide to leave the market, and few if any others decide to enter, which can lead to shortages and have lingering effects on a products availability over time. Although the report attempts to couch the crisis of drug shortages in the oft-used rhetoric of national security risk, warning that the US is overly reliant on foreign and geographically concentrated sources for critical drugs, the driving force is, in final analysis, the crisis of capitalist production based on profit, and the ossified nation-state system. The grotesquely wealthy, with an entourage of physicians at their beck and call, will never feel the horror of being told that life-saving treatments are not available for them or their families. The chaos of capitalist markets only means that the financial aristocracy cannot even conceive of spending even a few pennies for the life-saving medicines required by the working class, when a planned socialist economy could ensure that access to evidenced-based health care is made possible for all. Germany has witnessed another case of police violence resulting in death. In Konigs Wusterhausen, Brandenburg, southeast of Berlin, Vitali N., a 45-year-old Moldovan man, who had a Bulgarian passport in order to work in Germany, died in Berlins Neukolln Hospital after being assaulted by the police. Since 2014, Bulgarian and Romanian citizens have been allowed to work in Germany without a work permit and are not infrequently exploited in slave-like conditions. On the evening of April 11, residents of a house on Karl-Marx-Strasse in Konigs Wusterhausen, where Vitali N. had recently been living, called the police around 9 p.m. and complained about a disturbance of the peace. According to the police report, Vitali N. allegedly remained on a property without permission, kicked objects and hit a passenger car. Allegedly, he could not be dissuaded to leave even after being asked by the police officers. The report goes on to say, He behaved aggressively, biting and displaying mental [health] issues. According to media reports, the police officers then used brute force against Vitali N. First, they used pepper spray, even though it is known that this can be extremely dangerous during arrests. If pepper spray is inhaled, it can cause severe nausea and shortness of breath; it can also cause swelling of the airways and acute choking. The tersely written police report states that Vitali N. was subsequently able to be secured and restrained by the police officers. Immediately afterwards he fainted, and the handcuffs were released. After his breathing stopped, an emergency doctor was called, and the man was taken to a hospital for medical treatment. When he arrived at the intensive care unit at Klinikum Neukolln, some 30 kilometres away, doctors could do nothing more for him. He was diagnosed with hypoxic brain damage, which occurs because of a severe lack of oxygen in the brain. The only conclusion can be that Vitali N. was suffocated to death. Soil was found in his airways and lungs, which was also on his face when he was admitted. Federal riot police during a demonstration against a Castor atomic waste transport [Photo by Montecruz Photo / CC BY-SA 2.0 Based on this evidence, it can be assumed that Vitali N. had his face forcibly held into muddy soil for a long time, whereupon he suffocated. At the time of the assault, it was raining heavily in the area and, according to local residents, Vitali N. was pushed to the ground by the police officers on a patch of grass. The death certificate issued by the attending physician is clear, writes the Taz newspaper: Vitali N. had suffocated. Most severe anoxic brain damage, it states. Oxygen deficiency in the brain by forcibly pressing the face and thorax to the ground in a prone position. The Berlin public prosecutors office and the criminal police department then began an investigation. The Taz quoted from internal documents that included parts of the patients file, a police search record as well as the report of the emergency doctor who first treated Vitali N. in Konigs Wusterhausen, which reveal serious discrepancies. Attempts are obviously being made to conceal the course of events of the brutal police operation resulting in death to exonerate the culprits. The notes of the emergency physician state: Handcuffs are still on. This contradicts the police account, which claims the mans handcuffs were released after he passed out. Securing unconscious people is considered extremely dangerous because it makes medical treatment more difficult and increases the risk of suffocation. The emergency physician also noted that Vitali N. had wet soil in his mouth and nose. During the autopsy, however, no earth residue was allegedly found in the body, the spokeswoman for the Berlin public prosecutors office told the media. According to the prosecutors office, the autopsy did not show any signs of external force and third-party actions as the cause of death. In fact, however, the autopsy revealed that the dead man had massive haemorrhages on his back and shoulder, which obviously resulted from the strong pressure with which the police officers pushed the victim to the ground. In the next few weeks, fine tissue and toxicological examinations will be carried out to find any traces of soil. But this will prove to be rather difficult, since Vitalis throat and lungs were cleaned by the doctors and suctioned when the intubation was performed. It is also unclear why a police chief inspector from Konigs Wusterhausen instructed the Berlin police, via a request for assistance, to attend the clinic after Vitali N. had been admitted to the hospital, in order to confiscate the clothes of the deceased and to insist blood samples be taken to test for alcohol and drugs. The Cottbus public prosecutors office, which has jurisdiction over Konigs Wusterhausen, said it had not ordered this. The police authorities responsible have yet to issue a statement on the matter. Vitali N.s blood test after his admission to hospital showed he had consumed neither alcohol nor drugs. Vitali N.s brother, Ivan, characterized the victim as a quiet, inconspicuous person who generally drank little alcohol. He had simply wanted to lead a normal life in Germany and escape the extreme poverty that was a sad daily routine in Eastern Europe, his brother said. The death of Vitali N. is part of a wave of police violence in Germany. Last October, Kupa Mutombo died in Berlins Charite hospital. He too was a victim of police brutality. Just weeks before that, the racist actions of Berlin police officers against a Syrian family sparked a storm of outrage. We have fundamental structural problems in dealing with the unlawful use of force by the police, criminologist Prof. Tobias Singelnstein of the Ruhr University in Bochum said in the documentary State ViolenceWhen Police Officers Become Perpetrators produced by the political magazine Kontraste. Nationwide, officers perpetrate at least 12,000 cases of illegal police violence annually while on duty, as Dr. Singelnstein noted in 2019 in the interim report of his research project Kviapol. But only about 2,000 cases of police violence are reported each year, and even in those few cases, court proceedings are opened in less than two percent. Convictions occur in less than 1 percent of reported cases, the criminologist explained. This ever-expanding police violence goes hand in hand with the continual increasing of the powers of the police and security apparatus. The previous state government in Brandenburg, made up of the Social Democrats (SPD) and Left Party, passed a new Police Law at the beginning of 2019. Its cornerstones included the expansion of personal checks without requiring just cause, reporting requirements in the area of the Assembly Act without needing a court order, preventive detention as well as contact and residence bans without any concrete signs of a crime, expansion of the storage times of police video surveillance, expansion of public searches in suspected crimes and the use of hand grenades against people. For the current state government of the SPD, Christian Democrats (CDU) and the Greens, this still does not go far enough. They are preparing a comprehensive tightening of the Police Law. According to their plans, the seamless monitoring of messaging services and online searches are to be made possible without any significant hurdles. In addition, the automatic recognition and storage of vehicle license plates would be possible without needing any just cause. Under the SPD-Left Party state government, the police had already stored a total of 40 million photos of vehicles in a database from 2017 to 2019, resulting in massive criticism from lawyers and data protectionists. An official who criticized this blatant and constitutionally questionable surveillance was silenced and transferred. In neighbouring Berlin, too, the new CDU-SPD state government is planning to massively increase the powers of the state and expand those of the police apparatus. Ultimately, police violence and attacks on democratic rights are an expression of increasing class tensions. While billions go into arming the military, any opposition to this is suppressed by force if necessary. Rampant police violence is deliberately covered up by the state and political establishment and is part of the development of a police state. The Liddell coal-fired power station will shut down permanently this week, impacting around 140 workers and hundreds more contractors in the Hunter region of New South Wales (NSW). Liddell Power Station [Photo: AGL] The plant provided up to 10 percent of the states electricity, sparking concern that the closure may lead to more frequent outages and drive up the already skyrocketing price of energy. Liddell is one of five coal-fired power stations slated to close around the country by 2030. There is no rational plan to replace them, in terms of reliable energy supply, decent employment or reducing greenhouse gas emissions by the level necessary to avert catastrophic climate change. While plant operator AGL claims there will be no forced redundancies at Liddell, only around two-thirds of the Liddell workforce will transfer to the nearby Bayswater facility, which currently employs around 460 workers, with the remainder retiring or leaving the industry. While many of the individual workers employed at these power plants may be approaching retirement age, the closure will mean a sharp reduction in the number of full-time jobs available for younger workers. According to the Guardian, the 100 workers transferring to Bayswater will take on duties currently performed by contractors and sub-contractors. This means that third-party and self-employed tradespeople in the region will likely not only lose work at Liddell, but at Bayswater as well. A transfer to Bayswater is no guarantee of ongoing employment. The 2,640 megawatt coal-fired plant is slated to close by 2033. This could be brought forward, especially if AGLs cut-rate coal supply contract with Peabodys Wilpinjong mine expires in 2028 as planned. According to the Australian Financial Review, AGL pays just $33 a tonne for Wilpinjong coal, barely 10 percent of the export price, as the result of a favourable arrangement struck while Liddell and Bayswater were still owned by the state. Origin Energys 2,880 megawatt Eraring coal-fired power station, less than 100 kilometres away, is set to be shut down in mid-2025, putting another 500 workers out of a job. The company announced last year that the facility would close seven years earlier than previously planned. Opened in 1973, the Liddell power station is among the oldest 1 percent of coal plants still in operation worldwide, and is AGLs largest emitter of greenhouse gasses, producing around 8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) each year. However, the closure is not motivated by concern for the environment, but the pursuit of profits, as the cost of solar and wind generation, and battery storage, declines. AGL, Australias largest electricity generating corporation, acquired the 50-year-old plant from the NSW government in 2014, as part of a $1.5 billion package deal with Bayswater. Almost immediately, the company announced plans to shutter the Liddell station. AGLs 2022 annual report makes clear that, having shed one fifth of its employees over the preceding 12 months, the company plans to further shrink its workforce as it moves towards renewable energy generation: Our future workforce is likely to be smaller; employees will be located across a distributed network of sites. While the renewable energy sector employs some 30,000 workers across Australia, the bulk of these jobs are in construction, meaning they do not offer the same long-term stability as employment in a traditional power station. The closure of Liddell and Bayswater, along with the broader transition away from coal, will have a major impact on workers in the Hunter region. According to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data, 8.2 percent of workers in the Hunter region are employed in the coal mining sector, compared with just 0.6 percent throughout NSW. 17.6 percent of Hunter workers are technicians and trades workers, almost 50 percent higher than the statewide figure, while Hunter residents are nearly twice as likely to work as machinery operators and drivers as the rest of the NSW population. Two years after the 2017 closure of the Hazelwood coal-fired power station in Victorias Latrobe Valley, fewer than half of the 850 participants in the state Labor governments worker transition scheme had found full-time employment. This bogus scheme, hailed as a model for future shutdowns by the Construction Forestry Maritime Mining Energy Union (CFMMEU) and the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), was engineered to suppress opposition to the closure. The role of the unions at Hazelwood should serve as a warning to Hunter Valley energy workers. AGL was lauded by the CFMMEU for announcing the Liddell and Bayswater closures early, in stark contrast with the sudden closure of Hazelwood, and the hastened shutdown of Eraring. But despite the advance notice, little has been done to make up for the shortfall of either jobs or electricity generation. While a proposal to build a 250 megawatt battery at the Liddell site was granted planning approval in April 2022, its funding is still up in the air, with AGL saying it will make a final investment decision probably in the second half of this year. A 750 megawatt gas-fired power plant being constructed at Kurri Kurri, in the Hunter, was slated to begin generating in time for the first summer season after Liddells closure, but has been delayed and will not come online until at least the end of 2024. The 2,000 megawatt Snowy 2.0 hydro-electric pumped storage and generation facility has also encountered serious delays, including the collapse of major engineering contractor Clough, and will not be completed until the end of 2027, a year behind schedule. The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) is not predicting immediate supply issues following the Liddell closure, but its CEO, Daniel Westerman, warned last month that reliability gaps are expected to emerge from 2025. As a result, NSW, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia are all forecast to breach the reliability standard from 2027 onwards, Westerman said. Already, NSW is a net importer of electricity from the neighbouring states of Queensland and Victoria. As recently as mid-March, unseasonably warm weather forced AEMO to urgently secure emergency reserve generation in order to prevent power outages in NSW. Energy industry consultant Matt Rennie told the Australian Financial Review, change is coming faster than we have solutions ready to deal with it. Rennie expects energy prices to increase each year for the next decade. Late last year, the federal Labor government imposed 12-month price caps on coal and gas, claiming that this would provide relief for ordinary people, after retail electricity prices soared 23 percent between April and October. In reality, these caps were aimed at protecting the profit margins of major manufacturing corporations and other energy-intensive big businesses. The government was quick to reassure oil and gas producers that the caps would not affect exports, meaning they could continue to reap massive profits on the surging global market. At the same time, Labor introduced its $10 billion Capacity Investment Scheme, ostensibly aimed at speeding the transition to renewable energy. But the scheme is designed primarily to subsidise the profits of the energy corporations, with the taxpayer to foot the bill if revenue dips below an agreed floor. In order to prevent global warming of more than 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels and avoid catastrophic and potentially irreversible climate change, worldwide greenhouse gas emissions need to be halved by 2030. According to the Climate Council, this would require Australias emissions to be cut by 75 percent. The Labor government, however, has set a purely aspirational reduction target of 43 percent by 2030, far short of what is necessary, and zero emissions by 2050. This woefully inadequate climate policy has been enacted with the full support of the Greens and the so-called Teal independents. This underscores the role of all these parties as supporters of big business, who oppose any environmental action that might threaten the vast profits of the energy corporations. Fossil fuel industries must be phased out, but workers in the mining and energy industries must not be forced to pay for the necessary transition to clean energy through the slashing of jobs. The fight against the coming environmental catastrophe, which is already contributing to devastating natural disasters, including earthquakes, fires and floods, requires the mobilisation of the working class against the capitalist system, which subordinates every aspect of life to private profit, and the reorganisation of society along socialist lines. This would include providing well-paid, secure jobs, for all those workers currently working in the fossil fuel industry. Last Wednesday, April 19, marked the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943. The uprising was the first act of large-scale urban armed resistance to Nazi rule on the continent. A few hundred poorly armed fighters, many of them in their teens or early twenties, were able to resist the Nazis brutal SS forces for several weeks. The uprising was led by a coalition of communist youth and Jewish socialist parties, including the socialist Zionist Hashomer Hatzair, Left Poalei Tsiyon and Jewish Labor Bund, all of which were fervently pro-Soviet and convinced that the fight against antisemitism and fascism was indissolubly tied to the fight against capitalism. The Nazis only managed to suppress the uprising by setting the ghetto aflame and killing some 13,000 people, about half of whom were burned alive or suffocated. SS soldiers walking through the streets of the burning ghetto. The picture was taken for a report by SS Commander Jurgen Stroop. While it could not halt or change the course of the Holocaust, the uprising shook the Nazi occupiers to the core. It came just over two months after the defeat of Nazi Germany by the Red Army at Stalingrad, where an entire German army had been wiped out. The uprising earned the Warsaw Ghetto the term little Stalingrad among contemporaries. Along with the now beginning advance of the Red Army, it heralded the eruption of social and revolutionary struggles against the Nazi regime and its allies across Europe. It has since become one of the best known episodes in the history of the Nazi-led genocide of 6 million European Jews and a symbol of courageous defiance in the face of the seemingly overwhelming armed power of fascism. Despite its enormous historic and political significanceor rather because of itthe commemorations of the 80th anniversary were extremely muted. Germanys President Frank-Walter Steinmeier uttered a number of platitudes and asked for forgiveness in Warsaw, under conditions where the German government is again sending tanks to fight a war against Russia in Ukraine and the Polish government is playing a central role in falsifying history, promoting antisemitism and advancing the NATO war against Russia. In Germany itself, there were very few commemorations, almost all of which were organized by Jewish communities. A notable exception was a three-day academic conference organized by the Simon Dubnow Institute in Leipzig, which featured many of the preeminent historians in the field of Polish Jewish history and reviewed recent historical findings about the uprising, including the different political tendencies involved in it. In the context of the conference, students at the University of Leipzig also organized a moving concert with works by composers who had been persecuted, killed or driven into exile by Nazism. The pieces had been picked by the students themselves with an eye not only to conveying the great variety and richness of the musical culture that had been destroyed by the Nazis but also to give a sense of the lives lived by these composers before they were persecuted. Particularly striking were the first three movements of the String Quartet in D Major, one of the earliest works by Ignatz Waghalter, a Polish-Jewish composer who was born in Warsaw and played a major role in the musical life of Berlin in the 1920s but was then forced to emigrate to the US. Also performed were three short but innovative piano pieces for four hands from the Ironies by Erwin Schulhoff, a Czech-Jewish composer who was murdered by the Nazis. The students played the pieces with great enthusiasm, and one student offered a thoughtful introduction to each composer and each piece played. The concert, held at the Leipzig Museum for Musical Instruments, attracted so much interest that additional chairs had to be brought in to accommodate the audience. There is a marked contrast between the evident urge among young people and workers to come to grips with the ongoing intellectual and cultural impact of the Holocaust and the efforts by governments to suppress and distort the historical truth and downplay or avoid any commemoration of what happened. It is precisely because of the contemporary political relevance of the historical lessons from the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising that capitalist governments have no interest in commemorating it. But workers, who are today confronted with the unfolding maelstrom of a new imperialist redivision of the world, the buildup of fascist forces, social counterrevolution and an ongoing pandemic and climate catastrophe, have a tremendous amount to learn from the heroic but also tragic experience of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and the Holocaust. The origins of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising The immediate origins of the plans for armed resistance in the ghetto lay in the devastating experience of the Great Action of July 22-September 8, 1942, when, in the space of only six weeks, an estimated 265,000 Jews were deported from the ghetto to the death camp Treblinka and gassed immediately upon arrival. Ukrainian mercenaries, the so-called Trawniki, who had been trained by the Nazis to help guard ghettos and concentration camps throughout Eastern Europe, played a significant role in the systematic roundup of the Jews and their transport to Treblinka. The memorial at the extermination camp of Treblinka, northeast of Warsaw. Almost 1 million Jews were gassed between the summer of 1942 and the summer of 1943 in Treblinka. It was the second deadliest extermination camp in Europe after Auschwitz. WSWS Media [Photo: WSWS] The Great Deportation was part of so-called Operation Reinhard (Aktion Reinhard), the code name for the systematic industrial murder of the entire Jewish population of 2 million that lived in ghettos in the Nazi-occupied General Government of Poland. Aktion Reinhard was initiated in March 1942, a few weeks after the notorious Wannsee Conference of January 1942, at which leading Nazi and German state officials agreed upon the industrial annihilation of all of Europes Jews. In the one year between March 1942 and March 1943, over half of the 6 million victims of the Holocaust were murdered. The industrialized killing reached its peak in the three months between August and November of 1942, when 1.47 million Jews were gassed to deatha fourth of the total number of victims of the Holocaust and the highest per capita kill rate ever recorded in history. Holocaust kill rate by month, 1942-1944. [Photo: Lewi Stone in Science Advances] Among the victims were the majority of Warsaws Jewish community. Before the war, Warsaw had been home to the largest Jewish community in the world, comprising 400,000 people, or a third of the citys total population. The ghetto, set up in November 1940, was the largest of its kind in occupied Europe and effectively functioned as a giant concentration camp. While a wall separated the ghetto from the so-called Aryan side of Warsaw, trade and smuggling continued between the two sides throughout the ghettos existence. Its inhabitants were forced to subsist on starvation rations of about 184 calories a day. Plagued by hunger, typhus and other diseases, about a fourth of the ghettos inhabitants died before the Great Deportation. Despite the horrifying living conditions and perpetual terror from the Nazis, the ghetto became the site of remarkable cultural and political work, reflecting the rich intellectual and cultural traditions of Polish Jewry. Of the greatest political and cultural significance was the work of Emanuel Ringelblum, a socialist Zionist historian, who founded and led the Oyneg Shabbes Archive. From 1940 through the liquidation of the ghetto, the Oyneg Shabbes gathered a vast array of information about the ongoing destruction of Polish Jewry by Nazism but also the everyday life and cultural and political activities in the ghetto. The archive demonstrates, in particular, the immense impact of Marxism and socialism on Polish Jewry and ghetto life, without which the political origins of the uprising cannot be understood. Among the most active political tendencies in the ghetto were the socialist Zionist scout movement Hashomer Hatzair and the Left Poalei Tsyion, with which Ringelblum was associated, as well as communists. The Jewish social democratic Labor Bund, which had significant influence among the largely artisan Jewish population of inter-war Poland and, for several decades, had spearheaded the formation of self-defense units in Jewish communities against pogroms, also played a prominent role. These tendencies would co-lead the uprising. The Ringelblum Archive also shows that the Trotskyist movement remained politically active in the Warsaw Ghetto almost until the Great Deportation, and some sources indicate that Trotskyists were involved in the uprising. [ 1 ] Between 1940 and 1941, the Trotskyists published two Polish-language journals in the Warsaw Ghetto, Czerwony Sztandar (Red Banner) and the theoretical journal Pregad Marksistowski (Marxist Review), which were distributed on both sides of the ghetto wall. Their publications included essays by Leon Trotsky, including a pamphlet dedicated to the first anniversary of his assassination issued in August 1941, as well as theoretical and political analyses of contemporary and historical events, including the lessons of the October Revolution and the Paris Commune and the difference between revolutionary Marxism and Stalinism. The leader and father of Polish Trotskyism, Solomon Ehrlich (1907-1942), was deported and gassed in Treblinka in the summer of 1942.[ 2 ] The cover of the pamphlet "In memory of Leon Trotsky", issued by the Trotskyists in the Warsaw Ghetto for the first anniversary of his assassination, in August 1941. The last preserved publication of the Polish Trotskyists is a May Day leaflet from May 1, 1942. Written as an appeal to workers in Poland of all nationalities, it was a powerful call for organized, armed resistance to the occupiers, for the international unity of the working class of Europe in the struggle against capitalism, and the building of the Fourth International across Europe. The Trotskyists stressed, in particular, the need for the unity of Polish, Jewish and German workers: In the depth of its heart, the German working class has remained true to the ideals of socialism and strives to, alongside us, do away with Hitlerism and capitalism. On May Day, we extend our brotherly hand to our German class comrades, we extend our hand to workers across the world, together with whom we will take complete and merciless revenge against our common enemy. [ 3 ] A page from the pamphlet "In Memory of Leon Trotsky," issued by the Trotskyists in the Warsaw Ghetto in August 1941. Even among the socialist tendencies where Jewish cultural nationalism played a significant role, there was an understanding that the fate of the Jews depended above all on help from the peoples of Europe and the development of social revolution. Hopes ran high, especially in the spring of 1942, that a revolution in Europe might be imminent. Abraham Lewin, like Ringelblum a member of the Left Poalei Tsiyon and the Oyneg Shabbes Archive, noted in his diary on May 16, 1942: The abyss is getting ever closer to each one of us, the bestial visage of the Nazi apocalypse, with the words death, destruction, doom, death-agony written on its forehead. An unremitting insecurity, a never-ending fear, is the most terrible aspect of all our tragic and bitter experiences ... the truth is nowadays our hearts beat in time with the events taking place on Russian territory, where a life and death struggle is being waged between man and beast, between hope for a better tomorrow for a harried and bloodied humanity and fear of the victory of the most bloodthirsty Nero the world has ever seen. [ 4 ] Lewin and others eagerly followed news about unrest in fascist-ruled Italy and reports by newly arrived deportees, especially from Germany, about signs of economic crisis and political unrest in the Reich. On June 3, 1942, six weeks before the beginning of the Great Deportation, Lewin noted: The letters that arrive from Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia testify to a certain revolutionary ferment throughout the whole Reich. For instance, from Berlin we hear that proclamations are pasted up in the street with the following content: We demand peace, we demand the return of our husbands and sons. The letters from Czechoslovakia also have this strongly revolutionary character. All these letters pulsate with the belief in a swift end to this worldwide slaughter. Is it possible that the whole of oppressed Europe could be mistaken? The heart longs so deeply for salvation. We go to sleep with this dream; we wake with this dream. Is it possible that the most passionate yearning of 95 percent of all inhabitants of the globe should go unfulfilled and the evil power of a band of degenerates and savage murderers should triumph? Reason and the heart tell us that humankind, embodied in the peoples of Soviet Russia, England and America, will be victorious and not the wild animals of Hitler and Mussolini-land. [ 5 ] In the Great Deportation, Lewin would lose his wife and daughter. He himself was murdered in early 1943. Virtually everyone who survived the Great Deportation in the ghetto had lost most of his or her family. Those who survived, on average, were young and considered useful as workers and were therefore temporarily exempt from the deportations. Abraham Lewin, a member of the socialist Zionist Left Poalei Tsyion, with his daughter Ora. The Uprising The Great Deportation left no doubt that the Nazis were seeking to destroy all of Jewry. It also reenforced a sense of terrible isolation from and abandonment by the outside world among the few remaining Jews in the ghetto. The plans for an uprising were born out of a combination of political heroism and despair over the inevitability of death. Based on the accounts of the few survivors of the Uprising, Marek Edelman, Yitzhak Zuckerman and Tzivia Lubetkins, they were motivated by a determination to die fightingto live with honor and to die with honorand to send a signal to the outside world about what was being done to the Jewish people. No one expected to survive the uprising, let alone be able to defeat the Germans, but the hope was that their symbolic act of resistance would help spark a broader movement. Marek Edelman, a Bundist and one of the few surviving leaders of the uprising, later stated, one should die only after having called other people into struggle. We were convinced that it was necessary to die publicly, under the worlds eyes. [ 6 ] Marek Edelman around the time of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Edelman was a member of the Bund. On July 23, 1942, the second day of the Great Deportation, representatives of all political parties gathered for the first time to discuss armed resistance. Earlier that year, under the influence of the newly formed Polish Workers Party, founded with the approval of the Kremlin bureaucracy, the socialist Zionist Hashomer Hatzair and the left-wing Zionist youth movement Dor, as well as a number of other organizations, had already formed an anti-fascist bloc in the Warsaw Ghetto and had begun preparations for armed resistance. A few days later, on July 28, the Zydowska Organizacja Bojowa (ZOB, Jewish Combat Organization) was formed. Whatever their political differences, the overwhelming majority of the left-wing political parties in the ZOB were both socialist and pro-Soviet. Another fighting organization was formed by followers of the far-right Zionist Vladimir Jabotinsky, an admirer of Benito Mussolini. While involved in the uprising and heavy fighting with the Nazi troops, the Jewish Military Union (Zydowski Zwiazek Wojskowy, ZZW) acted independently of the ZOB because of its overwhelming political disagreements. Due to its anticommunist orientation, the ZZW received much more support from the Polish nationalist Armija Krajowa, which was reluctant to support any uprising that could benefit the Red Army. For the ZOB, obtaining weapons and training was extremely difficult. Among the first to offer assistance, if on a limited scale, was the Armia Ludowa, a guerrilla movement affiliated with the Polish Workers Party, the successor of the Polish Communist Party that had been destroyed by Stalin in 1938. For months, members of the 22 units of the ZOB (numbering only about 600 people) trained themselves on the few available weapons. In January 1943, a first uprising occurred during a round-up of thousands of ghetto inhabitants. A unit of the ZOB, which included the legendary Mordechai Anielewicz (a member of the Hashomer Hatzair), began shooting at the Germans and Ukrainians who were trying to bring them to the notorious Umschlagplatz, from where trains left for Treblinka. Almost all members of the ZOB unit were killed. Anielewicz only narrowly escaped. Although it came at a terrible price, the uprising made a big impression on both the Nazis and the inhabitants of the ghetto and Warsaw more broadly. After this first uprising, the Polish nationalist underground led by the Armija Krajowa agreed to a limited supply of weapons and explosives. Among the ghetto fighters, it boosted morale. If they had not already done so, those sympathizing with or involved in the ZOB went underground; many dug out basements and prepared bunkers for the coming uprising. The poet Wadysaw Szlengel described the aftermath of the January uprising and the preparations for the big uprising as follows: Cement and bricks are being brought, the nights resound with the pounding of hammers and pick axes. Water is pumped, wells are dug in basements. The shelters. A mania, a rush, a cardiac neurosis of the Warsaw Ghetto. Lighting, underground cables, drilling the passages, bricks again, ropes, sand lots of sand. Sand. Bunks, cots. Supplies sufficient for months. Electricity, waterworks. Twenty centuries are written off by the SS mans whip. The cave epoch returns, oil lamps, village type wells. The long night has begun. People are going back under the ground. To escape from animals. [ 7 ] On April 18, the commanding staff of the ZOB met. It included Marek Edelman, then 22 years old, and Mordechai Anielewicz, then 21 years old, who would later be remembered as the main leader of the uprising. Mordechai Anielewicz, one of the principal leaders of the uprising and a member of the socialist Zionist Hashomer Hatzair The next day, the uprising began. When SS and police units entered the ghetto for yet another mass deportation, the ZOB met them with Molotov cocktails and hand grenades thrown at the baffled SS units from sewers, windows and alleyways. The SS units were unable to deal with the unexpected attack, suffered serious losses and had to retreat. On April 22, the SS Officer Jurgen Stroop, who had been put in charge of the suppression of the uprising, issued an ultimatum to the fighters to surrender. When it was rejected, he ordered his troops to burn down all the houses, block by block, with flamethrowers and fire bottles and to blow up basements and sewers. Thousands of ghetto inhabitants were burned alive or suffocated from the flames. Edelman later said in an interview, The sea of flames flooded houses and courtyards. ... There was no air, only black, choking smoke and heavy burning heat radiating from the red-hot walls, from the glowing stone stairs. On May 8, the SS discovered the dugout of the ZOB command. Anielewicz and most of the survivors of the ZOB present committed suicideperhaps up to 80 people. Edelman and a few others were able to find their way to the sewers and managed to escape the burning ghetto. The official date for the final suppression of the uprising is given as May 16, when SS Commander Jurgen Stroop personally blew up the historic Great Synagogue. A memorial at the site of the bunker on Mia Street 18 in Warsaw, where Anielewicz, his girlfriend Mira Furcher, and other leaders of the uprising committed suicide to avoid being killed by the Nazis. [Photo by Adrian Grycuk / CC BY-SA 3.0 Although some fighting occurred during the uprising outside of the ghetto wallsprincipally by the communist Armia Ludowa and the nationalist Armija Krajowathe ghetto uprising ultimately remained isolated. In a characteristic display of the indifference by the imperialist powers to the fate of Europes Jews, on April 19, 1943, the same day that the uprising began, representatives of the UK and the US met in a luxury hotel on the island of Bermuda to discuss their response to the European refugee crisis. Both countries refused to lift their quotas for refugees. By then, multiple reports of the unfolding destruction of Polish Jewry had already reached the White House. As for the Polish bourgeois government-in-exile, Emanuel Ringelblum would note soberly at a time when extermination threatens the Jewish people, the Government has done nothing to save at least a remnant of Polish Jewry. [ 8 ] The burning ghetto as seen from the Zoliborz district in Warsaw. In the Polish population that witnessed the destruction of the ghetto, attitudes ranged from indifference and silent or open approval among antisemites, to horror and empathy with the victims. The Polish poet Czesaw Miosz, who was involved in the anti-Nazi resistance movement, saw the burning ghetto from the Aryan side in Warsaw. In his famous poem Campo Dei Fiori, he compared the burning of the ghetto and the fighters to the burning of the great philosopher and scientist Giordano Bruno by the Catholic Inquisition on the Campo Dei Fiore in Rome in 1600: I thought of the Campo dei Fiori in Warsaw by the sky-carousel one clear spring evening to the strains of a carnival tune. The bright melody drowned the salvos from the ghetto wall, and couples were flying high in the cloudless sky. At times wind from the burning would drift dark kites along and riders on the carousel caught petals in midair. That same hot wind blew open the skirts of the girls and the crowds were laughing on that beautiful Warsaw Sunday. But that day I thought only of the loneliness of the dying, of how, when Giordano climbed to his burning he could not find in any human tongue words for mankind, mankind who live on. Those dying here, the lonely forgotten by the world, our tongue becomes for them the language of an ancient planet. Until, when all is legend and many years have passed, on a new Campo dei Fiori rage will kindle at a poet's word. [ 9 ] To this day, the question of why the Holocaust was not prevented and why there was no mass movement to overthrow Nazism in time to save millions of Jews and other victims of fascism remains one of the central questions of the 20th century. The fate of the October Revolution, the Left Opposition and the Holocaust The political origins of the Holocaust cannot be understood outside an examination of the fate of the October Revolution. While the emancipation of the Jews of Western Europe was bound up with the French Revolution, which provided the basis for their large-scale assimilation in the 19th century, the much larger Jewish population in the Russian Empire remained an oppressed and persecuted minority that preserved its own language (Yiddish). It was only the 1917 revolutions that brought emanicipation for the vast majority of European Jewry. Demonstration of Soviet workers and soldiers in October 1917. [Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images] For historical reasons, the fate of the Jews and the advance of social revolution had thus become intrinsically intertwined. For the forces of political reaction, hostility to the revolutionary movement became in turn intertwined with antisemitism. In the Russian Empire, medieval antisemitism fused with hatred of the developing workers movement, and from 1881 onward the Tsarist state regularly encouraged pogroms against the Jewish population as part of its efforts to suppress the revolutionary movement and divide the multi-ethnic and multi-religious working class of the region. For the German and Russian socialist movement, in particular, the fight against antisemitism became a matter of principle and a central touchstone of the struggle for internationalism.[ 10 ] In 1918-1921, the Russian, Ukrainian and Polish nationalist counter-revolutionary forces that fought against the Red Army and the fledgling Soviet state systematically resorted to pogroms as part of their fight against the socialist revolution. It is estimated that some 200,000 Jews, most of them in what is now Ukraine, were brutally slaughtered. An antisemitic propaganda poster depicting Trotsky as a Jewish monster from 1919, the high point of the anti-Jewish pogroms by Whites and Ukrainian nationalists. The Red Army and the Bolsheviks systematically and successfully fought for an end to these pogromsthe largest anti-Jewish massacres in Europe before the Holocaustand against anti-Semitism more broadly. In the 1920s, the Soviet state was the only country in the world that provided state funding for Yiddish-language publications and instructions in Yiddish in schools. These historical experiences left a profound mark on the consciousness and politics of the Jewish working class and socialist intelligentsia of Eastern Europe and, in particular, Poland. The Zionist movement and the social democratic Labor Bund, which had opposed Bolshevism since 1903, split over the October Revolution, with large sections of both tendencies now either directly entering the Bolshevik Party in the newly formed Soviet Union or taking a fervently pro-Soviet stance in inter-war Poland. The conviction of the socialists in the Warsaw Ghetto that their salvation would lie in the development of a revolutionary movement against fascist rule was thus neither utopian nor mistaken. It was rooted in the historical experience of the October Revolution, which had brought an end to World War I, and the successful struggle of the Red Army against anti-Semitism in the ensuing civil war. Both had occured just a little over 20 years before. The same dynamic did indeed develop in World War II. A revolutionary movement began to develop first in Italy and Yugoslavia in 1943. By 1944, much of the continent, including Poland, became engulfed in civil war-like conditions, fueled by the expanding advances of the Red Army. Tragically, however, this movement came too late to save the 6 million European Jews and many more victims of fascism. And in contrast to the revolutionary movement of workers in Russia in 1917 and the Red Army in the civil war, it lacked the necessary Marxist and internationalist leadership and was eventually strangled by Stalinism. A historical explanation for this can only be found in the emergence of Stalinism in the Soviet Union and the growing isolation and then systematic destruction of the Trotskyist opposition in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1917-1920, much of Eastern and Central Europe was swept by revolutionary struggles, and the Bolsheviks were able to extend the conquests of the October Revolution to large portions of the former Russian Empire. Outside of Russia, however, the revolutionary struggles of the working class ended in defeats and betrayals by their own predominantly social democratic leaderships. By 1923, the delay of the international revolution had brought about a dramatic shift in the world situation. In the Bolshevik Party leadership, the internationalist tendency represented by Trotsky and the now fatally ill Lenin had become a minority. The social basis for the strengthening of the nationalist opportunist wing within the party lay in the growing bureaucratization of the state and the party, itself a process that was fostered above all by the international isolation of the still very impoverished and economically backward workers state. Amidst the defeat of the aborted German revolution in the fall of 1923, the Left Opposition was formed under Trotskys leadership to combat the growing national opportunist tendencies within the party leadership. Members of the Left Opposition in 1927. Sitting (left to right): Serebryakov, Radek, Trotsky, Boguslavsky and Preobrazhensky. Standing (left to right): Rakovsky, Drobnis, Beloborodov and Sosnovsky By the fall of 1924, the Stalin faction that spoke for the interests of this bureaucratic layer articulated the political basis for a nationalist reaction against the October Revolution in the program of building socialism in one country. In the years that followed, the Left Opposition waged a systematic struggle against the betrayal of the world socialist revolution by the Soviet bureaucracy, including in the British general strike of 1926 and the Chinese revolution of 1926-27. However, the defeats of the international revolution strengthened the position of the Soviet bureaucracy and the Stalin faction. In December 1927, the Left Opposition was expelled from the party and most of its leaders and members were either arrested or exiled. In 1929, Trotsky was expelled from the USSR. The rise of Stalinism and dominance of national opportunism in the line of the Communist International had particularly disastrous consequences for the Polish workers movement, in which the internationalist and revolutionary traditions of Rosa Luxemburg had for decades played a central role. The Polish Communist Party leadership initially sympathized with Trotsky in the inner-party struggle. It was then subjected to particularly aggressive interventions by the Stalin faction, leading to a series of disorienting zigzags in its political line, culminating in the Polish CPs support for the 1926 coup detat by the far-right General Jozef Pisudski, whose dictatorship went on to imprison and persecute the Polish communists en masse.[ 11 ] By the early 1930s, the Polish CP was politically paralyzed and staggered from one crisis to another. In Germany, the disastrously misguided theory of social fascism promoted by the Stalinized Communist International prevented a joint struggle by the countrys 6 million social democratic and communist workers against the rise of Hitlers Nazi movement. In January 1933, the Nazis came to power without a single shot being fired. This historic defeat of the German working class formed the basis for Trotskys call to found a Fourth International. It was also the formative experience and main accelerator for the emergence of an organized Trotskyist Left Opposition in Poland. In 1937-1938, the counterrevolutionary politics of Stalinism culminated in the Great Terror, in which generations of revolutionaries, including thousands of Soviet Trotskyists and much of the leadership of the October Revolution, were murdered. The Terror also wiped out much of the cadre of the Communist International. The Polish Communist Party, for which Stalin had particular hatred ever since its declaration of support for Trotsky in 1924, was dissolved by the Kremlin in 1938. Virtually its entire leading cadre and thousands of Polish communists who lived in the USSR were murdered. The political confusion and despair caused by these developments are difficult to overstate, particularly their impact on a new generation of radicalized and militant socialist youth who were drawn to the communist movement but left without any political or even physical leadership. Adolf Warski, a co-founder of the first Polish Social Democracy and then the Polish Communist Party and a longtime collaborator of Rosa Luxemburg and Leo Jogiches, was arrested and executed in Moscow in 1937. In August 1939, Stalin concluded a pact with Hitler. Fearing the development of a social revolution in Europe that would threaten the position of the Soviet bureaucracy, Stalin resorted to this bankrupt maneuver in a desperate attempt to preempt or at least delay an invasion of the Soviet Union by German imperialism. The pact facilitated Hitlers assault on Poland, which was temporarily divided between Nazi Germany, which set up the General Government (including Warsaw), and the eastern parts of the country, which were now ruled by the Soviet Union. Politically, the pact paralyzed and numbed both the Red Army in the Soviet Union, leading to devastating losses following the Nazi invasion in June 1941, and the European communist movement under Nazi occupation in 1939-1941. The Trotskyist movement in Poland was destroyed by a combination of the Stalinist terror in eastern Poland in 1939-1941 and the terror of the Nazis, particularly the Holocaust. The Polish Workers Party, which would play an important role in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, was set up under the Kremlin bureaucracys control in early 1942 and developed entirely in the shadow of the destruction of the Polish Communist cadre and the Trotskyist movement by Stalinism. Ultimately, the Holocaust can only be explained as the tragic result of the systematic betrayals and resulting paralysis of the European socialist movement by Stalinism, which both delayed and beheaded the revolutionary movement of the working class against fascism and capitalism. In his writings on the October Revolution and the aborted German revolution, Leon Trotsky stressed the immense significance of time in politics, above all in periods of revolutionary upheaval. The 20th century has shown that it is impossible to build a revolutionary party in the midst of a revolution. The necessary preparations and the political training of the cadre need to be undertaken beforehand. By extension, the tragic experiences of the 20th century show that counterrevolution, of which both the Stalinist Great Terror and the murder of European Jewry were part, can unfold at a stunning speed, undermining the work of generations and making the fight for a revolutionary leadership exceptionally hard. Under conditions of a developing new world conflagration and the building of fascist forces by ruling classes on all continents, workers and socialist youth must draw far-reaching lessons from the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. History shows that the current crisis of world capitalism will inevitably lead to the emergence of a revolutionary movement by the international working class. But it also shows that no time must be lost in the fight to build a revolutionary, Trotskyist leadership that can lead these struggles to victory. MOSCOW, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Russia plans to greatly reduce the export of crude oil and oil products to Europe and reroute the saved amount to Asia, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Thursday. Russia exported around 40 million tons of crude oil and oil products to Asia and some 180 million tons to Europe in 2022, Novak told reporters on the sidelines of an energy event. "This year, 140 million tons of oil and oil products will go to the East. About 80-90 million tons will remain in the West," he said. Amid ongoing fighting in Sudan among rival factions, Japan announced on Tuesday that it had evacuated 45 of its citizens from the country while more Japanese nationals were transported out by other governments. Tokyo dispatched three Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) planes to Africa to participate in the evacuation. Deputy Foreign Minister Shunsuke Takei, centre, meets evacuees from Sudan at a base in Djibouti, Monday, April 24, 2023. [AP Photo/Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan] While portrayed as a rescue operation, the ASDF mission provided Tokyo with the pretext to dispatch its military overseas and further challenge the legal constraints placed on Japans ability to wage war. ASDF is the formal name for Japans air force. Three ASDF planes arrived at Djibouti in the Horn of Africa by Sunday, according to Japans Defense Ministry. These were a C-130 transport plane, a C-2 transport plane, and a KC-767 refueling and transport aircraft. Djibouti is the location of Japans only overseas military base. A total of 370 ASDF and Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF, Japans army) troops took part in the operation. According to Tokyo, 63 Japanese nationals were working in Sudan when the conflict began on April 15, with Tokyo stating that all those who wished to evacuate had done so. These are mostly employees of the Japanese embassy and of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as well as their families. The evacuees working in the Sundanese capital of Khartoum traveled to Port Sudan in the northeast where they were picked up by the Japanese military. Fighting between different factions of the Sudanese armed forces erupted in no small part due to efforts by imperialist countries like the United States and Japan to exert control over Sudan and cut off Khartoums relationship with China and Russia. The faction led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, military chief and de facto head of the country, has supported the US/NATO war against Russia in Ukraine. The opposing faction led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who heads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, has connections to Moscow. Sudan has long been the scene of violence and intrigue promoted above all by the US. Sudan was carved up in 2011, creating the country of South Sudan, where numerous oil fields are located. It is access to these resources which motivates Tokyos involvement in the region through its base at Djibouti, Self-Defense Forces (SDF) deployments, and organizations like JICA, ostensibly providing economic aid to developing countries. The Japan Times on April 23 quoted Magdi el-Gizouli, a Sudanese analyst from the Rift Valley Institute, who stated, Everyone wanted a chunk of Sudan, and it couldnt take all the meddling. Too many competing interests and too many claims, then the fragile balance imploded, as you can see now. Japan is heavily dependent on other countries to meet its energy needs, with oil accounting for approximately 40 percent of this. In 2022, Japan imported 94.1 percent of its oil from the Middle East, leaving Tokyo searching for other sources, such as in Africa, to meet demand while simultaneously trying to undercut competitors in the region. Above all, Japan is looking to remilitarize, which means continually chipping away at Article 9 of the constitution, with so-called rescue missions providing a pretext to do just that. The Japanese ruling elite ultimately hopes to overturn Article 9, known as the pacifist clause, which explicitly bars Japan from maintaining armed forces or waging war overseas. Tokyo also announced in December that it would double military spending over the next five years. Tokyos operations in the region are meant to further the goal of remilitarization. In 2015, Japan revised its Official Development Assistance charter and created the Development Cooperation Charter, with one of the goals the integration of organizations like JICA with the SDF. In other words, JICA plays a military role in Africa, no less than the SDF itself. In the past, the government has also lied about the situation in South Sudan in order to keep SDF troops in the region. In July 2016, fighting broke out in the country that threatened to pull Japanese GSDF troops into the conflict. Stationed there as part of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan, a condition for the Japanese soldiers involvement was the existence of a ceasefire, a condition GSDF logs showed had been broken. The government covered up these facts not only to keep the military in the country to secure access to resources, but to test military legislation passed in 2015 that allowed the SDF to take part in battles alongside allied countries, ostensibly by coming to their defense. This raises the serious question if Tokyo is not once more looking to place SDF troops or Japanese citizens in a conflict zone in order to justify the use of military power, further eroding legal constraints. Tokyo uses so-called aid not only in Africa, but around the globe in pursuit of its imperialist aims. Japan announced on April 5 that it would begin supplying military aid to countries as part of its new Official Security Assistance (OSA) program, which Japans Foreign Ministry website states will be used to strengthen a free and open international order. The US, Japan, and their other allies regularly use this phrase to denounce Beijing for not acquiescing to the order established by Washington in the post-World War II period. The Philippines, Malaysia, and Fiji are likely to be the first to receive support from this program. Tokyo claims that the aid will not be used to purchase weaponry that could be used in a conflict. Instead, recipient governments would use it to boost satellite communication, radio systems, and radars in order to monitor Chinese activity in the region, which would bring these countries further in line with US war planning in the Indo-Pacific targeting China. Japan and the Philippines also reached an agreement in February to allow Japanese troops to take part in exercises in the country, officially to respond to natural disasters. The two sides are also discussing a reciprocal military access agreement that would make it easier to dispatch Japanese troops to the Philippines, alongside a tripartite agreement with the US. In the end, none of Tokyos machinations in Africa or the Indo-Pacific are based on humanitarian concerns. These efforts are above all aimed at deepening Japans own plans for promoting war with China. People lay flowers at a monument during a commemorative ceremony of the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, at the site of the disaster in Ukraine, April 26, 2023. Ukraine on Wednesday marked the 37th anniversary of the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, with a commemorative ceremony at the site of the disaster. (Photo by Roman Petushkov/Xinhua) KIEV, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine on Wednesday marked the 37th anniversary of the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, with a commemorative ceremony at the site of the disaster. During the ceremony, Ukrainian Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Ruslan Strilets, together with the Exclusion Zone employees, paid tribute to people involved in clean-up works at the plant after the disaster. The participants of the ceremony also laid flowers at the monument of firefighters, who died while extinguishing the radioactive fire at the power plant shortly after the accident. After the ceremony, media representatives visited the New Safe Confinement (NSC) over the destroyed reactor, which was put into operation in July 2019. The reporters observed the control room of the NSC and the monitoring systems behind the old defensive structure "Shelter." The radiation levels in the area were within the safe range, according to monitoring systems. On April 26, 1986, a series of explosions ripped through the No. 4 reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, some 110 km north of Kiev, spreading radiation across Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and other European countries. The 30-km-radius area around the plant was declared the Exclusion Zone. The arch-shaped NSC, which was erected over the destroyed reactor to replace "Shelter," will protect the environment from radiation spewing from the unit for about a century. In February 2022, Russian forces captured the Chernobyl plant and had been in control of it for five weeks. People lay flowers at a monument during a commemorative ceremony of the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, at the site of the disaster in Ukraine, April 26, 2023. Ukraine on Wednesday marked the 37th anniversary of the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, with a commemorative ceremony at the site of the disaster. (Photo by Roman Petushkov/Xinhua) People lay flowers at a monument during a commemorative ceremony of the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, at the site of the disaster in Ukraine, April 26, 2023. Ukraine on Wednesday marked the 37th anniversary of the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, with a commemorative ceremony at the site of the disaster. (Photo by Roman Petushkov/Xinhua) STOCKHOLM, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Seizures of the designer drug 3-CMC have increased dramatically in Sweden after it gained a strong foothold in certain areas, local media reported on Wednesday. During the period 2019 to 2022, seizures made by Swedish Customs increased from just over four kilograms to nearly 68 kilograms, Dagens Nyheter newspaper (DN) reported. Meanwhile, seizures made by police increased from five kilograms to nearly 104 kilograms during the same period, DN reported. "The spread of it (3-CMC) started to increase at car meets where youth gathered during the (COVID-19) pandemic," Kristoffer Halvarsson, a community policeman in Ljusdal in central Sweden, told DN. "It is far more common than cocaine, which we encounter a few times a year. This (3-CMC), we encounter a couple of times a week," Halvarsson told DN. Manufacturers of the drug often dilute the chemical composition to circumvent legislation, but 3-CMC and its new variants have been illegal in Sweden in 2019. This photo taken on March 29, 2023 shows the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) It's no mystery why much of Latin America would want a relationship with Beijing: The economic opportunities it offers the region are too large to ignore. NEW YORK, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Latin America is worth caring about regardless of how it factors into Washington's competition with Beijing, argued an article published on World Politics Review on Monday, as U.S. policy in Latin America is strongly shaped by the question of China's involvement and influence there. "When competing with Beijing, U.S. criticisms cannot be aimed at pushing China out of Latin America, but they can help shape better actions by China throughout the hemisphere," insisted the author of the essay titled "In Latin America, the U.S. Is Getting Competition With China All Wrong." It's no mystery why much of Latin America would want a relationship with Beijing: The economic opportunities it offers the region are too large to ignore. And China has successfully integrated itself with the region's economies in such a way that reversing that process at this point would be nearly impossible, explained the article. China is "the major trading partner and commodity purchaser for much of South America," said the report. "And in some places, its loans rival those of multilateral development banks, making China a key actor in any debt negotiations that Latin American economies might face in the challenging years ahead." "While the U.S. is not going to convince countries to turn away from Beijing, it could very well help governments debate and regulate their way to a better and more fair playing field, for China but also for all foreign powers operating in their countries. That would ultimately benefit the populations of countries across the region," it added. NEW YORK, April 27 (Xinhua) -- A whistleblower who viewed first-hand what she testified is a "sophisticated network" of child migrant smuggling into forced labor and other forms of slavery is calling on Congress to act to crack down on the U.S. role in that network, reported Fox News on Wednesday. The hearing, "The Biden Border Crisis: Exploitation of Unaccompanied Alien Children," was held by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security and Enforcement and included Health and Human Services (HHS) whistleblower Tara Lee Rodas as a witness, according to the report. Rodas, who was detailed with HHS at an Emergency Intake Site in Pomona, California, on Wednesday told lawmakers about what she experienced on the ground. "I thought I was going to help place children in loving homes. Instead, I discovered that children are being trafficked through a sophisticated network that begins with recruiting in their home country, smuggled to the U.S. border, and ends when (Office of Refugee Resettlement) delivers a child to a sponsor -- some sponsors are criminals and traffickers and members of Transnational Criminal Organizations. Some sponsors view children as commodities and assets to be used for earning income -- this is why we are witnessing an explosion of labor trafficking," Rodas said. According to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statistics, the number of unaccompanied alien children (UACs) who arrive at the border has swelled from 33,239 in fiscal year 2020 to more than 146,000 in fiscal year 2021 and 152,000 in fiscal year 2022. So far in fiscal year 2023, there have been more than 70,000 encounters of UACs, noted the report. Mansurah: Residents of the ancient city of Mansurah, also known as Brahmanabad, claim that the town that had once produced dynasties can no longer even provide them with the necessities of life. Mansurah was once the capital of Arab rulers. Mansurah, which was the historical capital of the caliphal province of Sindh and a thriving commercial centre during the eighth century under the Umayyad Caliphate and then the Abbasid Caliphate from the year 750 A.D. to 1006 A.D., is now home to just a little over 100 families. Earlier than that, in the middle of the seventh century, the city was governed by the Buddhist Lohana tribe. Under the new Umayyad rulers, the city on the Indus River's bank, about 200 kilometres north of modern-day Karachi, developed into a significant port for cargo and passenger ships coming from the Arabian Sea. Later, however, the river that had once used sea lanes to connect Mansurah to the major economic hubs in the area changed its course and now flows about 50 kilometres away from the town. Also Read: UN: A shipwreck off the coast of Libya claimed at least 55 migrant lives Arab News was informed by renowned archaeologist Prof. Altaf Aseem that the Arabs had conquered Brahmanabad and given it the name Al-Mansurah. Aseem stated that the city already had a large fort with more than 1,400 bastions surrounding it before Muslim forces arrived. He continued by saying that Arab rulers used "decent town planning" to rebuild the city into a prosperous one whose riches exceeded those of Multan, which was at the time one of the most prosperous trade centres in the region. John Bellasis made the first discovery of the old city's ruins in the 1850s, according to Piaro Khan, who oversees archaeological sites in the region. Between 1966 and 1998, the government commissioned a number of excavation projects following Pakistan's 1947 separation from British India. The most recent one was conducted by the Sindh provincial government about three years ago, and several artefacts, including pots and coins, were found. Archaeologists claim that the archaeological evidence verified the multireligious and pluralistic nature of the society that existed under Arab rule. The secretariat of the city, now known as Dar-Ul-Umara, was where we discovered the four door knockers, according to Mohammed Shah Bukhari, project coordinator at the Department of Antiquities and Archaeology. Also Read: Israeli woman principal in court in Australia for sex offences "They are inscribed in very fine and exquisite kufic script, which is carved, on them. It meets the standards of the inscriptions that were discovered in Baghdad, Syria, and North Africa at that time. According to Bukhari, the door knockers' Arabic writing was accompanied by an image of a Hindu deity, reflecting the religious harmony that existed in the region when it was under Arab rule. He also noted that archaeologists had also discovered Buddhist artefacts and other non-Islamic objects among the ruins. The first translation of the Holy Qur'an into the Sindhi language was also finished in Mansurah, according to archaeologist Aseem, which indicates that the people were permitted to continue their ritual practises (under the Arabs). After the Arabs, the city was ruled by Sindh's Sumrah dynasty until 1011, when Mahmud of Ghazni destroyed it as retaliation for the locals' refusal to assist him in his illustrious military campaign against Somnath in 1025. According to Bellasis, who was quoted by Aseem, there were dead bodies "in every street of Mansurah" after the attack. Burnt layers were found during the excavation process, which led archaeologists to believe Mahmud set the city on fire. Mansurah, which was on the verge of being destroyed, later became a victim of nature when the Indus River meandered past the town. The river served as a vital communication channel in addition to being the only source of food and water for the locals and aiding in agriculture. It served as the primary conduit for trade and commerce, according to Aseem.Residents of Mansurah today claim that the city lacks the essential infrastructure. According to Jamal Din Sehto, a retired teacher at the settlement, "There were two schools here that are no longer operational since there are no teachers." "Water and electricity are not available here. Nothing is present. Also Read: In a message to North Korea, the US is planning a rare nuclear missile submarine visit Bukhari argued that Arab nations should support Mansurah's excavation and participate in research and preservation because it once distinguished itself as a major hub of trade and cultural activity.He advised the Arabs to pay attention and regard it as their own culture. Queen Camillas ultimate style moment is almost here, but what can we expect to see on the big day? CHRIS JACKSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Queen Camilla at a State Banquet in 2022 Queen Camilla is about to have the style moment of her life as she prepares for the coronation. On May 6, Camilla will be crowned Queen alongside her husband King Charles at Westminster Abbey, wearing a recycled crown and a ruby ring that dates back to 1831, but what else can we expect to see her wear on coronation day? The Crown Camilla will be wearing Queen Mary's Crown, albeit with some alterations. The inclusion of the Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds, which belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth (she often wore them as brooches), is the first clue that her coronation style could nod to the late Queen. For a more modern look, Camilla might also choose to remove the arches of the Garrard piece by wearing it as a circlet, just like Queen Mary did for the coronation of King George VI in 1937. Related:King Charles' Coronation: All Your Burning Questions About the Crowning Ceremony Answered Royals.UK Queen Mary's Crown The Dress Queen Camilla will reportedly wear an outfit designed by royal favorite Bruce Oldfield for the coronation. The British couturier, who was once a go-to for Princess Diana, has been in Camilla's inner style circle for over a decade and it was his black and silver two-piece design she chose to wear to her first state visit as Queen Consort to Germany last month. While there is a sense of a more low-key ceremony, the dress will almost certainly include symbolic embroidery to represent Great Britain and the Commonwealth. Chris Jackson/Getty Images King Charles and Queen Camilla in Germany 2023 The Earrings The crown won't be the only sparkly element to Camilla's outfit. The coronation earrings, which were commissioned for Queen Victoria in 1858 and have been worn by every Queen Consort at their coronation since, would be the perfect accessory. However, Camilla doesn't have pierced ears, and according to a Vogue interview last year that's not likely to change anytime soon. "The grandchildren will try to persuade me, but, nothing's going to pierce my ears," she said. Story continues Could Garrard, the jewelry house who initially made the earrings, fashion them into clip-ons for the occasion? Or could Camilla break with tradition and wear something from her own personal collection? The Print Collector/Getty Queen Elizabeth at her coronation in 1953 The Necklace While the earrings might prove tricky, the Queen will almost certainly wear the Coronation Necklace. Originally made for Queen Victoria, its coronation debut came in 1902 when Queen Alexandra wore it to King Edward VII's coronation and it's been worn at every ceremony since. The 22.48-karat diamond pendant at its center is known as the Lahore Diamond and was given to Queen Victoria in 1851. Queen Elizabeth wore it to her own coronation in 1953 and for several formal occasions after. Getty (2) The Coronation Necklace The Ring Made for Queen Adelaide in 1831 by Rundell, Bridge & Rundell, Camilla will wear the Queen Consort's Ring for the historic ceremony. Featuring a ruby in a gold setting, flanked by 14 diamonds and smaller rubies around the band, the ring has been used by three prior Queen Consorts; Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Royals.UK The Coronation Rings Including the Queen Consort's Ring 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! The Shoes Just like Queen Elizabeth, who wore her favorite go-to brand Rayne for her 1953 coronation, Camilla will want a pair of trusty heels she knows she can rely on for the two-hour ceremony. A huge fan of British brand, Sole Bliss (she has worn their Ingrid style with its almond-shaped toe and two-inch block heel over 80 times!), founder Lisa Kay says she would be overjoyed to get the commission. "It's been a great source of pride seeing Her Majesty wear our shoes over the last five years and the coronation would be the cherry on the top!" she says. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Taiwans president Tsai Ing-wen speaks during a dinner reception in New Yor (AP) Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen emphasised the island nations perseverance in the face of China's growing aggression during her stopover in New York on Thursday. At a closed-door event hosted by the Hudson Institute think tank, she reportedly said the self-governed island is responsible and calm in contrast to China, which she said is raising tensions in cross-strait relations. "She made a strong point that the defense of Taiwan is actually the defense of America," said Miles Yu, a Hudson Institute director who attended the speech. "The people of Taiwan look forward to peace, but history tells us that the best way to avoid war is to make ourselves stronger," Ms Tsai said at the event, where she received a leadership award. China has raised its concerns over Taiwan's visit to the US, which Taipei is billing as simply a "transit, but she kept a full agenda of events Wednesday and Thursday before flying to Central America. Ms Tsai is scheduled to make to stopovers in the US during her 10-day visit to Guatemala and Belize. Dozens of pro-China demonstrators holding "One China" banners gathered behind police barricades outside the venue of the event. China maintains that Taiwan is a part of its national territory, even though the island has been self-ruled since it split from the mainland in 1949 following a civil war. Beijing has beefed up its military activities around the island, including flying a record number of warplanes into its airspace. Washington's "One-China" policy acknowledges that the Chinese claim Taiwan as their territory. However, the US, which is one of Taiwan's biggest allies, does not endorse China's claim and remains Taipei's most important provider of military hardware and other defense assistance. More than 200 people protested outside the New York hotel where Taiwan regional leader Tsai Ing-wen stayed on Wed. Many protesters were holding anti-secessionism banners. pic.twitter.com/NQn0NKWg7d Global Times (@globaltimesnews) March 30, 2023 On Friday, Taiwan's defence ministry said nine Chinese planes crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait. Beijing's actions deliberately created tension in the Taiwan Strait, the ministry said, adding it condemned the irrational actions. Story continues A day earlier Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson restated China's serious objections to any interactions between Ms Tsai and US leaders. "China firmly opposes any form of official interaction between the US and Taiwan," Mao Ning told reporters on Thursday. "China will continue to closely follow the situation and resolutely safeguard our sovereignty and territorial integrity." Taiwans president Tsai Ing-wen waves as she arrives at a hotel, in New York (AP) A senior Chinese diplomat in Washington, embassy charge d'affaires Xu Xueyuan, pointed to the anticipated meeting between Tsai and the US House speaker Kevin McCarthy as one that could lead to a serious confrontation in US-China relations. Meanwhile, senior security official in Taiwan said earlier that the island expects a less severe reaction from Beijing to a Tsai-McCarthy meeting than when then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei last year. Beijing responded to Ms Pelosi's visit by staging major military drills around the island. "She will be meeting in the United States, so the political complexity is not as high as the speaker coming to Taiwan," Taiwan national security bureau director-general Tsai Ming-yen told Taiwan's parliament. He added that Taiwan had been conducting dry runs on responses to a rise in tensions while the president is away, including when she is flying, and that she can be reached at any time to meet her top security officials. The White House, which urged China on Wednesday not to use Ms Tsai's "normal" stopover in the US as a pretext to increase aggressive activity against Taiwan, also said it had seen "no tangible reaction" yet from China. "I think we've all seen them react in a rhetorical way, but we've seen no indication that there's been any other type of reaction," White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters. In July 2022, a 40-year-old laborer fell to his death while performing demolition on an old hotel in State College without employer-provided fall protection. A month later, a 19-year-old technician employed with Centre WISP was installing high-speed internet cable at a work site in Gregg Township. The bucket he worked in made contact with overhead power lines and he was fatally electrocuted. Federal safety investigations that followed determined the employers failed to implement work practices that complied with OSHA regulations and could have better protected the two employees. Sadly, workplace deaths are an all-too-common occurrence in the U.S. Since these tragic incidents last year, an additional 17 workers have lost their lives at work sites located in the 14 counties covered by OSHAs Harrisburg Office, which includes Centre County. These numbers remind us of the dangers many workers face. Behind these numbers, there are people who mourn each loss. For them, these statistics are loved ones: theyre parents, children, siblings, relatives, friends, or co-workers. For those left behind the day their loved one was lost becomes a sad remembrance. Graduations, birthdays, anniversaries, and other special times are forever tainted. To pay tribute to those whose jobs claimed their lives, April 28 is Workers Memorial Day. An opportunity for us to pause and join those families, friends, and co-workers to recall those who suffered work-related injuries and illnesses. The remembrance also recognizes the grief that their survivors face in the days, months and years after. Workers Memorial Day also reminds us that more must be done to prevent workplace deaths and injuries. For those of us at the U.S. Department of Labor and, specifically, its Occupational Safety and Health Administration, this annual commemoration reinforces our commitment to developing and enforcing standards and initiatives to safeguard workers and guide employers as they work to provide safe workplaces. Story continues Remember, we all have a role to play in making sure our nations workplaces do not endanger our safety and health. If you see people exposed to workplace dangers, dont ignore your concerns. Alert the employer or contact your local OSHA office or law enforcement agency. Demand that the stores you frequent, the companies that get your business, and those you hire dont endanger the people they employ. If they wont, take your business to those who respect their workers rights to a safe and healthy workplace, and who dont put profit ahead of the lives of the people who help them earn it. On Workers Memorial Day 2023, lets remember those who didnt return home after work and commit ourselves to making sure that no one is forced to trade their life for a paycheck. Kevin Chambers is the director of the U.S. Department of Labors Occupational Safety and Health Administration Area Office in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Girls Aloud - Photo: Ellis Parrinder To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Girls Aloud and Polydor/Fascination Records will be releasing a special deluxe edition of the bands debut smash hit album Sound Of The Underground, the first in a series of exciting reissues of their studio albums. The classic album will be released as 3CD deluxe edition featuring two bonus discs of B-sides, rarities and remixes, alongside a 24-page booklet with brand-new sleeve notes and unseen photos. The album will also be available on vinyl for the very first time on both green colored vinyl and a limited edition picture disc. The 3CD track list will also be replicated on streaming and digital on all platforms. Fans can also today hear the first release from the album, "Sound Of The Underground (Alternative Vocal Mix)," which is available now on all streaming services. This alternative mix of the song from the archives has never been released digitally before, and see the band members singing different lines of the iconic song to the original. Last year a limited edition 7" vinyl release of the song was released, with this alternative version as the B-side to raise funds for The Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal. After beating their Popstars: The Rivals competitors to the Christmas Number 1 in December 2002, Girls Alouds "Sound Of The Underground" single went on to spend four weeks at the top of the chart and heralded in a run of 21 magnificent chart smashes that defined a decade in pop. Remembering the creation of the Sound Of The Underground album Nadine recalls, "The aim was to bring in as much creativity as possible and make something as strong as the single "Sound of the Underground. The albums undeniable spine is its six tracks produced by Brian Higgins and the Xenomania collective. Girls Aloud arrived to the recording sessions to find a small army of songwriters concocting hooks, lyrics and rhythm tracks in every room, which Higgins would later piece together into sparkling and surprising pop songs. A vital part of the process was the wide-ranging conversations he would have with individual band members. Story continues I would sit down with Brian and hed say something like, OK, so youre a 17-year-old girl from Northern Ireland, now living in London. Whats going on in your life? Nadine recalls. Those chats were really important because they helped to drive our musical direction and make our songs genuine. The bolshy stomper "No Good Advice" was then released in May 2003 as Girls Alouds second single and debuted at number two. Much as they had done with "Sound of the Underground," the band turned the songs lyrics into a formidable statement of intent. But I dig the music that Im making, baby, and Ill break it into your brain, Nadine sings on the second verse. "No Good Advice" has gone down in history as a Girls Aloud classic and a band favourite, but this doesnt mean every band member is enamored with the music video. It was a 24-hour shoot from 6am to 6am the next morning, and I had a trouser rip situation that had to be gaffa-taped shut! Cheryl says. The original version of the track included lyrics that needed to be censored to ensure radio play the original uncensored version appears on the deluxe 3CD set. Higgins and Xenomania also produced "Life Got Cold," the albums wistful third single which became Girls Alouds third consecutive top three hit when it was released in August 2003. However, what came next was arguably even more important. When the Sound of the Underground album was reissued that November, it included a fourth hit, a rollicking cover of the Pointer Sisters "Jump" recorded for the soundtrack to British rom-com movie Love Actually. It was a make-or-break song for us as a band, Kimberley says, explaining that its success persuaded their record label to invest in a second Girls Aloud album.. Jump" saved our career, Nicola states. It was four on the floor so it could be played in the clubs, but it was also familiar enough to be played on the radio. And at this point, it was probably our most digestible single. The song remains one of the bands most-streamed songs of all time. In October last year Cheryl, Kimberley, Nadine and Nicola held The Primrose Ball, a charity gala event for The Christie NHS Foundation Trust and Cancer Research UK, as part of The Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal. Hosted by Cheryl, Kimberley, Nadine and Nicola, and presented by Fearne Cotton, the evening saw performances by Olly Alexander, Ricky Wilson (Kaiser Chiefs) and Will Young, with a live auction including an original canvas depicting Sarah Harding by The Connor Brothers. More recently, a limited edition 7 vinyl release of the bands debut single "Sound Of The Underground" was released, also to raise funds for The Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal. The single was backed with a never-before-released alternative vocal version of the song from the archives which now appears on the new 3CD set of the new album reissue. Pre-order Sound Of The Underground. For the latest music news and exclusive features, check out uDiscover Music. uDiscover Music is operated by Universal Music Group (UMG). Some recording artists included in uDiscover Music articles are affiliated with UMG. The Top Gun: Maverick star's model ex-girlfriend posted on Instagram alluding to new beginnings, but a source says the two split a while ago due to the difficulty of maintaining a distance relationship Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Glen Powell and Gigi Paris in September Glen Powell's girlfriend Gigi Paris appeared to be hinting at a breakup when she shared a video of herself walking alone on Instagram Wednesday with the caption: "know your worth & onto the next." But a source tells PEOPLE the couple, who started dating in 2019 and were first spotted together vacationing in Punta Mita, Mexico, in January 2020, had called it quits several weeks ago and it wasn't the first time. "Gigi and Glen had broken up several times," the source tells PEOPLE. "They had been on the rocks since Top Gun came out. Gigi was never happy with the long distance filming and when she came to Australia [where Powell was filming Anyone But You] they both decided to break up for good." Though speculation about Powell's chemistry with his Anyone But You costar Sydney Sweeney (who is engaged to Jonathan Davino) grew louder when it appeared that Paris had unfollowed Sweeney on social media, a second source says there's no truth to the rumors. "Gigi only unfollowed Sydney on social media because Sydney never followed her back. This had nothing to do with Glen and Sydney. Gigi is aware that Glen and Sydney never hooked up," the source says, adding that the model felt the distance when Glen was on set. "He takes his work very seriously and it was tough on the relationship." And as to Powell and Sweeney's friendly vibes on set? "They're filming a movie that's a romantic comedy!" the second insider says. "It's like when people say about movie stars, 'Oh, they have such good chemistry.' It's just their job. They're friends that met on set. They're costars." Related:Sydney Sweeney Smiles with Costar Glen Powell in Australia While Making Rom-Com Together Story continues The first source echoes that distance is what drove Powell and Paris apart: "It wasn't about infidelity. She's on different coasts modeling, he's on different coasts filming. When she left, they were on great terms." Amy Sussman/Getty Gigi Paris and Glen Powell Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. This past June, Powell celebrated Paris' birthday by sharing a photo of the model sticking out her tongue in a hat and bikini. "Wherever you are, the sun shines brighter. Every day is perfect because you're in it," he wrote in the caption at the time. The two originally made their relationship Instagram official on Valentine's Day in 2021, when they each shared photos from their adventures together along with captions dedicated to one another. "Here's to you," Paris captioned her photo, while Powell wrote at the time, "My Ride or Die. Happy Valentines Day, y'all!" In August, Powell told PEOPLE about discovering that the internet had a field day with his shirtless beach scene from last year's Top Gun: Maverick, saying Paris sent him several "thirst trap" posts of him. "My girlfriend [was] the first one to send me all the thirst trap TikToks that have come from it, which is all very flattering," he said at the time. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. California electro-industrial outfit HEALTH have dropped a new track Hateful as part of video game ULTRAKILLs most recent update. You can check it out below. The song finds HEALTH collaborating with Sierra and Street Sects Leo Ashline and follows on from last year's excellent DISCO4 :: PART II album, A 12-track album released through Loma Vista Recordings. That record saw the trio teaming up with Nine Inch Nails, Lamb Of God, The Body, Backxwash, POPPY, Perturbator and loads others. PART II landed Three years after VOL.4 :: SLAVES OF FEAR, the L.A. trios ferocious entry into the world of heavy music. A whole lot went to hell in the world in the meantime, forcing the band to re-invent how they wrote music together. For DISCO4 :: PART II they cut it fast and mean, recruiting both legends and nascent contenders of heavy music and its many peripheral genres. Along the launch of Hateful, ULTRAKILL will be launching an in-game collaborative t-shirt with HEALTH and meme account Kino Fabino, as well as a music video contest for the track. A press release also promises more collaborations between HEALTH and ULTRAKILL will soon be announced. In addition, HEALTH - comprising Jacob Duzsik, John Famiglietti, and Benjamin Miller - are returning to the UK on August 17, for a one-off show at ArcTanGent Festival, alongside Converge, Svalbard, Pupil Slicer, Empire State Bastard, Dawn Ray'd, Devin Townsend, Heilung, Conjurer and loads more. The band has been diving into more unexpected projects in the past few years, too, including a cover of New Orders Blue Monday for the Charlize Theron-starring action film Atomic Blonde. Buy or stream DISCO4:: PART II. HEALTH: forthcoming tour dates: 05/13 Las Vegas, NV @ Sick New World 06/15 Sydney, NSW (AUS) @ Crowbar 06/16 Brisbane, QLD (AUS) @ The Triffid 06/18 Hobart, TAS (AUS) @ Dark Mofo 08/18 Saint-nolff, FR @ Motocultor Festival 08/19 Bristol, UK @ Arctangent Festival For the latest music news and exclusive features, check out uDiscover Music. uDiscover Music is operated by Universal Music Group (UMG). Some recording artists included in uDiscover Music articles are affiliated with UMG. Last week, Iran extended an official invitation to Saudi Arabia's King Salman to visit Tehran, one of many steps recently undertaken by the two countries as they slowly improve their relations. The two countries have been bitter rivals for decades, but their relationship has begun to thaw since they signed an agreement to resume diplomatic ties in Beijing last month. It was a diplomatic breakthrough in a standoff that has shaped events and attitudes across the Middle East for more than 40 years. The two countries completely severed diplomatic ties after Sunni Muslim-ruled Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shiite Muslim cleric in 2016. Iran's ruling clerics, and most of its population, are Shiite, and the two nations' animosity has exploded into "proxy wars" in several countries across the region, including Yemen, where groups backed by either side have taken a heavy toll in human lives and caused a dire humanitarian crisis. In detail: Islam's Sunni-Shiite divide There are many questions about how much progress Saudi Arabia and Iran will actually make toward putting their long-standing grudge behind, but given both nations' heavy influence across the Middle East and wider Muslim world, the rapprochement could have a meaningful impact on a range of disputes and crises. Below is a look at how the deal brokered by China could impact the region. The Saudi shift to China "There are two types of common medicines, American medicine and Chinese medicine," Saudi political analyst Salman Al-Ansari told CBS News. He said the Saudis spent four decades trying to convince the U.S. government to stop "Iranian terrorism in the Middle East," but they didn't get the results they were after. "So the kingdom [Saudi Arabia] decided to shift its direction to Chinese medicine," said al-Ansari. "Will it succeed in preventing the 'cancer' of Iranian terrorism from spreading in the Middle East? Only time will tell." Story continues He said Saudi Arabia would see the agreement as an opportunity to assess Iranian commitments to peace. There is no doubt, meanwhile, that this mediation has enhanced China's image on the world stage as a global mediator and power broker. In this picture released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, left, shakes hands with his Saudi Arabian counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, right, and Chineses counterpart Qin Gang in Beijing, April 6, 2023. / Credit: Iranian Foreign Ministry via AP "China is the one and only country that has substantial leverage over Iran," said al-Ansari. "If Tehran doesn't hold up to its promises, then the Iranian regime will be cornered by its biggest ally, which is China. So either way, the deal is positive." Iran's internal turmoil Iran's relationship with Saudi Arabia has been tense since the 1979 Islamic Revolution brought Iran's hardline clerical regime to power. Over the last year, that regime has faced an unprecedented challenge from within, as a wave of protests saw tens of thousands of Iranians demand greater freedom. One expert believes the diplomacy between Tehran and Riyadh, even if it bears limited fruit for their bilateral ties, could help Iran's ruling clerics put the unrest behind them. "The fact that Iran and the Saudis now will again have a diplomatic relationship strengthens the Islamic regime, which is currently struggling with internal turmoil, a fully collapsed economy and full isolation from the rest of the world," Dr. Ardavan Khoshnood, an Iran foreign policy expert who teaches at two universities in Sweden, told CBS News. "It does not, however, mean that all the obstacles between the two countries will be eliminated. Absolutely not." Khoshnood said the highly ideological nature of the two countries' conflict will make it very difficult to achieve meaningful reconciliation between the two sides. "The obstacles between the countries will continue to exist, and we may also witness covert malign operations on both sides," he said. Yemen's civil war Yemen's civil war has always been seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Saudis lead the regional military coalition battling Yemen's Houthi rebel movement, which is backed by Iran. While the new diplomacy between the regional powers could bolster a fragile truce that has quieted the fighting since last year, few believe a definitive end of the war is near, and some fear it could even get worse. "It would be a mistake to assume that a Saudi-Iran rapprochement will translate into ending the war in Yemen," Nadwa Al-Dawsari, a nonresident senior fellow at the Project on Middle East Democracy, told CBS News. "The Saudi goal now is to extricate itself from the Yemen mess that it contributed to." Al-Dawsari said that as Saudi Arabia has failed not only to reinstate Yemen's government and end the Houthi uprising by force over the last nine years, but also come under direct attack due to its role in the war, the kingdom is likely to push Yemen to accept a deal with the Houthis in a bid to at least contain the crisis. That, al-Dawsari said, would effectively be "granting the Houthis political recognition in exchange for assurances to stop their missile attacks against Saudi Arabia and containing Yemen as a civil war." That may help Saudi Arabia in the near term, but it would do little to help the people of Yemen as they endure the brutal humanitarian crisis caused by the war. "The Houthis have been stocking up on arms and repositioning their forces. They are not done fighting and this deal is not about to change that," said al-Dawsari. "Yemen is yet to enter its most intense phase of the conflict." Israel and Saudi Arabia Iran and Saudi Arabia have played significant roles in shaping the political landscape of the Middle East, including Israel's relations with its Arab neighbors ties that Israel's leaders have sought to improve in recent years. Saudi Arabia and Israel share a common cause in opposing Iran's nuclear program and containing its regional influence. Dr. Meir Javendanfar, a lecturer at Israel's Reichman University, told CBS News it's possible that Iran and the Saudis will now be able to manage their differences more smoothly, but that their agreement was unlikely to have a major impact on efforts to normalize Israel's relations with Saudi Arabia. He said, however, that it could see Israel and the Saudis collaborate more to counter Iran's influence in the region. "I think the two countries [Israel and Saudi Arabia] will work together behind the scenes... monitoring what Iran is doing in the region," he said. Lebanon crisis An estimated 75% of Lebanon's population is living in poverty. The country is nearing financial meltdown and currently has no president, as its major political parties can't agree on a path forward to hold new national elections. Lebanon's unique, incredibly complex political system has long been framed by sectarian division, with the Iran-backed Shiite group Hezbollah on one side and the Saudis backing Sunni politicians on the other. So, could the thaw in Saudi-Iranian relations help end the deadlock and make Lebanon's government work again, maybe even filling its presidential vacuum? Not quickly, analysts believe. "This rapprochement not yet exactly a deal does not mean an end to competition, tension, or even friction between KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] and Iran, but it aims at regulating it," Joseph Bahout, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, told CBS News. "Until Iran and KSA openly and frontally address this issue, all local parties in Lebanon will most probably hold to their positions and to their respective candidates." Iraq's internal divisions Iraq played a significant role in facilitating the nascent reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia, with the country's capital, Baghdad, hosting five rounds of talks between Iranian and Saudi officials. Those talks led directly, on March 10, 2023, to the signing of the pact brokered in Beijing for the two countries to restore diplomatic relations. Iraq had a vested interest in bringing the two longtime foes together: The decades-old sectarian rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia has played out on Iraqi soil as much as it has anywhere else. Iraq's Sunni and Shiite Muslims have fought for decades for political clout in Baghdad, and Iran's leadership has long held huge sway with Iraq's powerful Shiite factions. It was that division at the heart of the post-U.S.-invasion violence that plagued the country for two decades. "With Saudi and Iran not escalating, there's hope that the sectarianism in both countries, toward the sect minorities there, will decrease, impacting positively the sectarian tensions in Iraq," Iraqi analyst and deputy Middle East editor for New Lines magazine, Rasha al-Aqeedi, told CBS News. Al-Aqeedi said another benefit of the Saudi-Iranian reconciliation for Iraq, albeit a symbolic one, "is the return of Iraq to the center of geopolitics not as a headache, but rather a problem-solver. It gives Iraq great leverage on the regional and international stages." CBS News' Tucker Reals contributed to this article. Arsenal and Manchester City battle for Premier League title in pivotal match Second American killed in Sudan amid fighting, U.S. says House Speaker Kevin McCarthy pushes to pass debt ceiling plan The post Jonny Greenwood and Dudu Tassa Share Live Video for Ya Mughir al-Ghazala: Watch appeared first on Consequence. Earlier this month, Radioheads Jonny Greenwood announced Jarak Qaribak, an upcoming collaborative album with Israeli musician Dudu Tassa. Now, the pair have shared a live performance video for the single Ya Mughir al-Ghazala, featuring vocals from Karrar Alsaadi. Jarak Qaribak is billed as a celebration of cross-border collaborations, and you can certainly feel the intercontinental influences on Ya Mughir al-Ghazala. The Radioheadness comes through with Greenwoods puttering drum machine, which anchors the track in a mellow electronic beat. His guitar then layers with Tassas, as an array of instruments both Western and Middle Eastern flesh out the transfixing tune. This song originates from Yemen, my fathers country of origin, and Kiri (Karrar) is from Baghdad, my mothers hometown, Tassa explains in a press release. I met Kiri in Vienna and all I could think about was how much beauty, culture and humanity we miss while we are busy stressing differences, borders and limitations. Thats how, together with Jonny, the idea for this whole album started to take shape, through the notion of crossing borders, and looking for connections rather than differences. Check out the live video of Ya Mughir al-Ghazala below. Jarak Qaribak is coming out June 9th, and Greenwood and Tassa have also shared its lead single Ashufak Shay. Greenwood has also been working on new music with The Smile, his supergroup with Thom Yorke. Tickets to their upcoming North American tour are available at StubHub, where orders are 100% guaranteed through StubHubs FanProtect program. StubHub is a secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand. Story continues Jonny Greenwood and Dudu Tassa Share Live Video for Ya Mughir al-Ghazala: Watch Abby Jones Popular Posts Subscribe to Consequences email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox. New York City: Young men and women from the Arab world discussed opportunities for empowerment as well as youth involvement in public life, employment, and education during an event on Wednesday at the UN headquarters in New York. The transition from "Learning to Earning," which included discussions of educational opportunities, the state of the job market, and other factors that can affect a young person's progression from education to employment, was one of the main themes of the Youth Forum for the Arab States Region, which was organised by the UN Economic and Social Council. The gathering also provided young Arabs with an opportunity to showcase their accomplishments, share their stories, and talk about how their experiences in education, employment, and volunteer work can help to empower other young people in the area. Also Read: States formally announce assistance for Sudanese evacuees Men and women from a variety of countries in the regionincluding Sudan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Yemen, Qatar, and Omandiscussed the events that shaped not only their professional lives but also their outlooks on life and their success stories. Arab youth unemployment was a hot topic of conversation. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the session's chair, Hany Anan of Lebanon, noted that the unemployment rate for young people in North Africa and the Arab Middle Eastern countries was respectively about 29% and 24%. In the Arab world, the rate for women was higher, ranging between 36 and 40 percent, he continued. According to UN statistics, more than half of the more than 400 million people living in the Arab world are under the age of 25, and one in five of the population is between the ages of 15 and 24. Also Read: Sri Lanka to discuss debt restructuring with India and more: Wickremesinghe Sudanese refugee Mayada Adil, a doctor, fashion designer, and advocate for women's health equity rights, told the forum that she focuses on "sustainable development," which enables young people to shape their own futures by making decisions that advance their personal and professional development. She continued by stating that she anticipates a significant shift in the Arab world towards digitization and the optimisation of job markets, so it is important to educate young people in the subjects and abilities necessary for them to meet future labour demands and fit into the economic and social system. Adil said, "Let's make real efforts to invest in the potential of our youth. Young mother and researcher Asmae El-Hajji discussed how her early involvement in volunteer work in her native Morocco had shaped her personality and chosen career path as well as increased her income. Yemeni native Talal Ahmed urged recent graduates and new college grads in the area to pursue "alternative ways to make income" rather than concentrating solely on the traditional job market, such as by taking the entrepreneurial route and opening their own businesses. Aceel Radi, a Saudi environmental expert, outlined a number of programmes put forth by the Kingdom's leadership to invest in the potential of the country's young people. By 2030, there are expected to be 92 million young people living in the Arab world, she noted, adding that her nation is actively working to encourage sustainability and development among Saudi youth. Shamsah from Oman and Abdullah Mohammed Al-Mohannadi from Qatar spoke about how education helps prepare young people for the job markets of the future. Al-Mohannadi stated that as part of its strategy to empower the youth population in support of the strategic national vision for the future, the Qatari government has established several universities in the nation and actively promotes the establishment of campuses by foreign educational institutions there. Also Read: Slack has unveiled Canvas, an in-app feature same as Google Docs According to Shamsah, Oman is dedicated to sustainability and the diversity of skills among its young population. The development of soft skills in areas like tourism, financial services, and digitization is essential for the country's investment in its youth, she continued. Kansas Republicans forced through one of the nations most extreme and incoherent anti-transgender bills this week, prohibiting legal gender changes and requiring people to use public facilities that match their sex assigned at birth. On Thursday, GOP lawmakers overrode Gov. Laura Kellys Monday veto of SB 180, which strictly defines biological sex as a male-female binary based on ones capacity to produce ova or fertilize for purposes of reproduction. It also legally links terms like mother, father, man, and woman to biological sex. The bill goes on to specify that areas where biology, safety or privacy are implicated including public bathrooms, locker rooms, prisons, and abuse shelters are necessarily sex-segregated spaces that do not constitute unfair discrimination, and must remain separated in the interest of protecting the health, safety and privacy of individuals in such circumstances. Because the law mandates that a persons legal gender must correspond to their assigned sex, SB 180 will also functionally bar any attempts to change ones gender marker on legal documents, like drivers licenses or other state-issued identification, effective July 1. But SB 180 does not provide any framework for enforcement of the law, nor does it outline what penalties a person would face for violating it. Contrary to some mass media reports, including the Associated Press, the bill is not expected to have any effect on trans Kansans ability to legally change their names. Trans Kansans still have a right to change their name, said Ellen Bertels, an attorney with the Kansas Name Change Project, in a clarifying statement to Them via email. Of course, because sex itself is not a binary category, SB 180 buckles under the weight of its own reductive logic, including a carveout for intersex Kansans that was introduced by a lawmaker who apparently thinks intersex and nonbinary are synonyms. Story continues Anyone who is born with a medically verifiable diagnosis of disorder/differences in sex development shall be provided legal protections and accommodations afforded under the Americans with disabilities [sic] act and applicable Kansas statutes, the amendment, authored by Republican House Rep. John Eplee reads. In effect, Eplees amendment classifies all intersex people as disabled under the ADA, clearing the way for them to use accessible, usually single-stall restrooms. But in comments reported by the Kansas Reflector, Eplee mistakenly said that the amendment was intended for nonbinary Kansans, saying, It would provide security for them for those functions that relate to using the bathroom and changing clothes for an athletic eventThats the whole purpose of the amendment for nonbinary folks. We really shouldnt be surprised that a Republican lawmaker doesnt understand what these words mean, but this ones pretty egregious, as it completely bypasses the real existence of intersex men and women while shuffling nonbinary people off to public facilities that may not exist. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach noted in a supplemental note to the bill that the constitutionality of the legislation is likely to be challenged, which isnt surprising given recent high-profile rulings on the issue anti-transgender discrimination from, for example, the U.S. Supreme Court in 2020. Fundamentally Undemocratic: Zooey Zephyr Responds to Being Silenced by Montana Republicans No amount of silencing tactics will deter me from standing up for the rights of the transgender community." Any attempts at enforcing the new law might also lead to court challenges. In a 2019 consent judgment, a U.S. district judge ruled that Kansas previous policies which did not allow trans residents to change their legal sex on their birth certificates violated the 14th Amendment, and required state agencies and representatives to begin allowing amendments. If the state were to again deny a trans persons right to change their birth certificate, they could be found to have violated that judgment. SB 180 is just one of hundreds of similar bills introduced this year, in what has become a sweeping Republican platform of anti-trans legislation. Earlier this month, Idaho lawmakers made providing gender-affirming care to minors in the state a felony, while the Florida Board of Education expanded the states infamous Dont Say Gay restrictions on classroom speech to include sex education at any grade level. In Montana, where transgender state Rep. Zooey Zephyr has been censured and shut out of legislative debate, Republicans are advancing similar legislation to SB 180 that would define a persons gender by their ability to produce eggs or sperm. I am what they are scared of, Ian Benalcazar, 13, a trans boy from Kansas, told CBS affiliate KMTV when SB 180 first passed earlier this month. I am a human being and I deserve to be treated as such, and I deserve to be happy. I shouldn't have to argue for this. Get the best of whats queer. Sign up for Thems weekly newsletter here. Originally Appeared on them. The Underworld actress and the Moments actor appeared close in New York City on Tuesday, with his arm around her waist splash news Kate Beckinsale and Matt Atwater Kate Beckinsale is spending time in the Big Apple with Matt Atwater. The Underworld actress was spotted in New York City with Atwater on Tuesday, where she and the Moments actor appeared close. "They're friendly," a source tells PEOPLE of Beckinsale and Atwater. "There's nothing romantic going on." Atwater was photographed with an arm around Beckinsale's waist as she wore a long white coat over a blouse and jeans. She finished the look in high-heeled black boots, multiple pieces of jewelry, and black sunglasses, wearing her hair in a high ponytail with a black bow. Meanwhile, her companion kept it casual in dark pants, white sneakers, a white shirt and green jacket as they strolled and chatted. 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 splash news Kate Beckinsale and Matt Atwater Related: A History of Kate Beckinsale's Romances, from Michael Sheen to Pete Davidson The outing between Beckinsale, 49, and Atwater comes two and a half years after she seemingly split from Goody Grace. She and the Canadian rapper, 25, had been linked for months. A source previously told PEOPLE Beckinsale had been enjoying quarantine with the musician amid the pandemic. "Kate enjoys his company," said the source. "She finds him very mature, smart and creative. He entertains her with music, they cook and watch movies. She thinks he is the perfect quarantine boyfriend." splash news Kate Beckinsale and Matt Atwater Beckinsale finalized her divorce from ex-husband and director Len Wiseman in November 2019, four years after they split. She was previously with actor Michael Sheen from 1995 to early 2003. They share 24-year-old daughter Lily Sheen. Since her split from Wiseman, 50, the actress has also been linked to Pete Davidson, Jack Whitehall and Matt Rife. (Despite rumors of a 2022 romance between Beckinsale and Jason Momoa, the latter shot down speculation in April of that year.) Story continues Anthony Harvey/Getty Kate Beckinsale RELATED GALLERY: All the New Celebrity Couples of 2023 Aside from her romantic life, the actress has been focused on family. Last August, Beckinsale revealed two new arm tattoos dedicated to her mother, English actress Judy Loe, and daughter Lily, both reading "mama." "The two I'll kill and die for," Beckinsale wrote alongside an image of the uppercase and lowercase words, on the underside of her forearm. A second photo in the actress's post featured Loe embracing her granddaughter. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Mubi has acquired British filmmaker Molly Manning Walkers debut feature How to Have Sex, which is set to debut in Un Certain Regard at the forthcoming Cannes Film Festival. The streamer has taken all rights for North America, the UK, Ireland, Italy, Latin America, Turkey, and Benelux. Announcing the deal, Mubi said theatrical releases are planned for key territories, including the US and UK, while a theatrical release in the Benelux will be hosted in partnership with Imagine Film Distribution. Following theatrical releases, the film will debut on MUBI in all territories acquired. More from Deadline Written and directed by Walker, the pic stars Mia McKenna-Bruce (Persuasion, Kindling) alongside Lara Peake (Mood, Brave New World), Shaun Thomas (Ali & Ava, The Long Shadow), Samuel Bottomley (Somewhere Boy, Ladhood), and newcomers Enva Lewis and Laura Ambler. The film was shot by Nicolas Canniccioni (Frontiers, Rojek). Billed as an exuberant, nuanced and painfully honest tale about the intricacies of teenage friendship and how we learn to have sex, the pic follows three British teenage girls who go on a rites-of-passage holiday drinking, clubbing, and hooking up, in what should be the best summer of their lives. The film is produced by Wild Swims Ivana MacKinnon (Beast, Bring Them Down) and Emily Leo (Under the Shadow, Nocebo), alongside Heretics Konstantinos Kontovrakis (Triangle of Sadness). Film4 and BFI, awarding National Lottery funding, developed the project and financed alongside mk2 Films. Executive producers are Farhana Bhula and Ben Coren for Film4, Kristin Irving for the BFI, Nathanael Karmitz and Fionnuala Jamison for mk2 Films, Giorgos Karnavas for Heretic, and Phil Hunt and Compton Ross for Head Gear. Film4 will retain television and on-demand rights in the UK and Ireland. mk2 films is handling international sales and brokered the deal with MUBI. Story continues Walker cut her teeth as a DOP on a host of shorts and was recently DOP on BBC Film-backed feature Scrapper starring Harris Dickinson. Her first short as director, Good Thanks, You?, premiered at Cannes. She subsequently won the Next Step prize at Cannes for the How to Have Sex script. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. On Wednesday, the correspondent shared a detailed description on Instagram of his frightening Utah trip, where he suffered from a high altitude pulmonary edema while hiking Morgan Chesky/Instagram Morgan Chesky is recovering in the hospital from high altitude pulmonary edema, which occurred while on a trip to Zion National Park. According to Cleveland Clinic, HAPE occurs when fluid builds up in the lungs and prevents oxygen from moving around your body. On Wednesday, the NBC News correspondent, 37, shared photos on Instagram from his Utah trip, including a shot from his hospital bed. In a detailed caption describing his frightening medical emergency, Chesky began, "I've never shared a story quite like this one, here goes: It's an odd feeling to walk out of ICU. Less than 24 hours after soaking up views at Zion National Park, I was in the back of an ambulance, on oxygen, with no idea what was wrong." "The adventure was painstakingly planned," the Emmy Award-winning journalist shared of the trip with over a dozen of his family and friends after just celebrating a birthday on April 19. "A sunrise hike at Bryce Canyon, followed the next day by Zion, alongside a legendary crew." Related:Man Injured While Hiking Crawls More Than 5 Miles on Knees to Get Help: 'He's a Lucky Guy' Morgan Chesky/Instagram "The trouble began after Bryce, when a fever hit hard," he recalled. "I thought a good sleep would be enough, but a few miles into the hike at Zion I grew frustrated. I couldn't seem to catch my breath." Adding that he's hiked "tougher trails at higher elevations," Chesky noted that "even a slow pace caused my pulse to spike," and admitted he then got angry. "When my uncle grabbed my pack, I let him take it and finished the trail, too weak to even celebrate. I popped Tylenol, determined to sleep it off again. But when I woke up worse, I caved. After hearing my symptoms at Urgent Care, they tested my pulse ox (blood oxygen saturation). Normal is 95-100 percent. Mine read 58. That's when they called the ambulance." Story continues Then as "an incredibly proficient staff" at Cedar City Hospital took over, he said "a CT scan showed fluid filling my lungs, a blood test showed my heart was stressed, and I first heard the term H.A.P.E. High Altitude Pulmonary Edema." A "confused" Chesky said he had hiked at 14,000 ft. before, while "these hikes barely broke nine. Doctors told me it didn't matter." Morgan Chesky/Instagram "A cold I may not have noticed in Dallas was exacerbated by elevation, making me even more prone to altitude sickness. When my lungs started to fill with fluid, it forced my heart to work harder, causing my pulse to skyrocket." "If not treated, staff tells me you either pass out from lack of oxygen or go into cardiac arrest. Hard pass," he added. "Over 24 hours, high flow oxygen, blood thinners, and stellar care eased me back towards a safe baseline. My best night's sleep in days was in an ICU bed I felt lucky to have." Concluding his post, he thanked the staff at the hospital. "Y'all are the best." And to his uncles, "who knew something was wrong and stuck w/me, don't expect to carry my pack ever again. And to the crew who had my back throughout this scary as hell ordeal, much love." "I'm not home yet, but hope to see y'all at a lower elevation soon. Cheers, MC." Related:Julian Sands Still Missing After Other Mt. Baldy Hiker Found Alive, Brother Says: 'In My Heart He Has Gone' In the comments section, a follower empathized, stressing just how dangerous the condition can be after experiencing family loss. "Oh my word. Our cousin passed away through this same ordeal on Mt Aconcagua in Feb. I'm so sorry you went through this but let me tell you how lucky you are to be alive. God Bless You." Per Cleveland Clinic, HAPE requires medical treatment. Symptoms to look out for include tightness in the chest, persistent cough, extreme fatigue and weakness, cyanosis (when your nails, skin or whites of your eyes turn blue), shortness of breath even when resting, confusion and irrational behavior. Making his rescue and recovery even more fortunate, Chesky is expecting a baby with Conversation Couture CEO Olivia Jane Steele, who he posted a picture with earlier this month. 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. In the shot of the pair sitting in the wildflowers of Bluebonnet Trails, the Texas native held Steele from behind as she rested her hand on her very pregnant belly. "Nothing beats bluebonnets and stellar self timer skills :)," Chesky wrote as followers chimed in that he is sure to be an "amazing" father. "From our fam to yours, wishing everyone a happy Easter and Passover! Cheers from TX ." PEOPLE reached out to Steele for updates on Chesky's recovery. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, BGR may receive an affiliate commission. Earlier this year, Netflix started cracking down on password sharing in Spain. Anyone sharing their Netflix account must pay a 5.99 ($6.57) fee per month to continue sharing. According to market research group Kantar, this has resulted in the loss of over one million users in Spain, about a third of which were paid subscribers to the service. Netflixs password-sharing crackdown ramps up Kantars research reveals that churn nearly tripled quarter-over-quarter after Netflix eliminated password sharing in Spain. About half of the subscribers that canceled their subscriptions say they wont pay for Netflix going forward, either. Today's Top Deals Kantar also notes that there arent any clear demographic patterns when it comes to the users in Spain who are dumping the streaming service. This suggests everyone is equally frustrated about the prospect of paying extra to share their accounts. Additionally, 10% of the remaining Netflix subscribers in Spain claim they are planning to cancel in the second quarter of 2023, which Kantar says is much higher than the typical average. There are of course inherent risks with clamping down on password sharing, particularly when back in 2017 Netflix was seen to be actively encouraging it, Dominic Sunnebo, global insight director at Kantars Worldpanel Division. Some users were expected to be lost in the process but losing over 1 million users in a little over a month has major implications for Netflix and whether it decides to continue with its crackdown globally. Monitoring the next few quarters to see how many of these consumers decide to re-subscribe will be vital to Netflix strategy in this space. As Bloomberg notes, Netflix is not especially worried about the spike in cancellations. In an earnings call on April 18, the company noted that there is a cancel reaction in each market when we announce the news. For example, in Canada, Netflix says its paid membership base is now higher than it was prior to launching the paid sharing feature. Story continues Netflix plans to bring its password-sharing crackdown to the US by the end of June. Don't Miss: Todays deals: $30 battle drones, $162 AirPods Pro, Govee smart lights, $39 Ring Doorbell, more More Top Deals See the original version of this article on BGR.com Sony Pictures Classics has acquired worldwide rights (excluding the UK, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Italy and Latin America) to Pedro Almodovars short film, Strange Way of Life, starring Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal, the company said Thursday. This follows the news that the short will premiere as an official selection at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Here is the trailer for the short: It is Almodovars second English-language project after The Human Voice, which was also distributed by Sony Pictures Classics. Sony Pictures Classics picked up the short in pre-production and will release it this fall. Produced by Almodovars El Deseo and presented by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, Strange Way of Life also stars Pedro Casablanc, Manu Rios, George Steane, Jose Condessa, Jason Fernandez and Sara Salamo. It is produced by Agustin Almodovar, with Esther Garcia as executive producer and Barbara Peiro, Diego Pajuelo, and Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello as associate producers. Also Read: Saint Laurent Launches Production Banner With David Cronenberg Movie, Pedro Almodovar Short The score is composed by four-time Academy Award nominee Alberto Iglesias, a regular Almodovar collaborator who received his most recent Oscar nomination in 2022 for Almodovars Parallel Mothers. All characters are costumed by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello. Strange Way of Life follows two gunmen who reunite after 25 years. Almodovar describes the film in his directors statement: A man rides a horse across the desert that separates him from Bitter Creek. He comes to visit Sheriff Jake. Twenty-five years earlier, both the sheriff and Silva, the rancher who rides out to meet him, worked together as hired gunmen. Silva visits him with the excuse of reuniting with his friend from his youth, and they do indeed celebrate their meeting, but the next morning Sheriff Jake tells him that the reason for his trip is not to go down the memory lane of their old friendship This acquisition is the latest in a long relationship between Almodovar and Sony Pictures Classics. Most recently, the distributor released Almodovars short film The Human Voice and Parallel Mothers. The latter earned two Oscar nominations, Best Original Score for Iglesias and Best Actress for Penelope Cruz. Also Read: Donald Sutherland to Join Paramount+ Series Lawmen: Bass Reeves Disneys Pocahontas represented a brave step for the animation studio. The blockbusters that had put the company back on top in the 90s The Little Mermaid, Beauty & The Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King were ambitious in terms of their use of technology and their sheer scale, but none of them had truly engaged with potentially sensitive subjects. Pocahontas might have been an epic love story in the grand Disney tradition, but it also dealt with the impact of colonialism and climate change while featuring a strong female lead character of color. The studio called upon trusted composer Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Beauty & The Beast, Aladdin) and Disney newcomer Stephen Schwartz, who was hot property after writing the Broadway smash hits Wicked and Godspell. Schwartz met with Menken and Disney executives about working on a new project and was so confident that the partnership would work, he signed up before knowing the subject matter of the movie in question. Listen to Disney's Pocahontas now. When Schwartz learned it was an adaptation of the legend of Pocahontas the Native American woman credited with helping English settlers survive in Virginia in the early 1600s he realized how challenging the project might prove. Talking honestly about Native Americans and their encounters with white settlers would be difficult, he once told Grammy.com. But the worst that could happen is theyd see what I came up with and Ill get fired. Such drastic steps were not necessary. Schwartz was determined to do the subject matter justice and did his homework. I have this slogan: in lieu of inspiration, do research, Schwartz told Grammy.com. He later wrote about his efforts to fully understand the culture on his official website, We did go on a field trip to Jamestown and, while there, to a gathering of Native American tribes. As always, being on the spot was tremendously useful for atmosphere and specific details of the lyrics, and I bought some tapes while I was there, including one called Songs of the Virginia Company that was very Algonkian, but probably not the same Algonkian that Pocahontas actually spoke. [the tapes were] helpful in selecting musical styles for songs like Mine, Mine, Mine. The non-English lyrics are indeed authentic. Story continues Menken took the responsibility of writing for Pocahontas just as seriously, later telling Grammy.com, Pocahontas was so pivotal given contemporary sensitivities about how we depict Native Americans. This is a musical and a Disney project, so there are elements that are really romanticized in the storytelling, but we had very pivotal Native advisors such as Russell Means. We and Disney wanted to be accurate and balanced in our depiction of the story. The sweeping epic Colors Of The Wind was a key song in acknowledging the contrasts between the Native American way of life and that of the European settlers. The song finds Pocahontas voiced here by Judy Kuhn opening John Smiths eyes with lyrics like, You think you own whatever land you land on / The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim / But I know every rock and tree and creature / Has a life, has a spirit, has a name. While the settlers assumed Pocahontas and her people are ignorant savages, they have much to learn from them. Its a climate-conscious Disney classic with a message that is, sadly, more relevant than ever. Schwartz acknowledged his inspiration for the song: The lyrics to Colors of the Wind were inspired by a famous letter written by Chief Seattle to Congress, which has been reprinted many times. In the song, I basically wanted Pocahontas to address the Eurocentrism of John Smith; so in essence, it's a consciousness-raising song. I tried to use Native American locution and imagery, and thus the specific wording was somewhat influenced by some of the Native American poetry I had been reading as research. Colors Of The Wind was the first song completed by the Menken-Schwartz partnership and inspired a surge of creativity. Just Around The Riverbend was another classic a song that introduces the audience to the complexities of the central character. In the grand tradition of Disney lead characters, Pocahontas feels she is destined to pursue a different path to the one set out for her by her family and societys expectations. Though she has not yet met John Smith, Just Around The Riverbend prepares the audience for the unlikely romance by emphasizing how headstrong Pocahontas can be. The soundtrack not only handled Pocahontas subject matter with subtlety and intelligence, but it was also a huge hit, reaching No 1 on the US Billboard 200 chart in July 1995 (helped along by Vanessa Williams adult contemporary take on Colors Of The Wind). But its real triumph is how resonant the songs remain. Listen to Disney's Pocahontas now. For the latest music news and exclusive features, check out uDiscover Music. uDiscover Music is operated by Universal Music Group (UMG). Some recording artists included in uDiscover Music articles are affiliated with UMG. Princess Kate Is Going Viral on TikTok For Her Crafty "Princess Shuffle" A resurfaced video from Princess Kate's 2022 visit to Denmark has gone viral on TikTok. In the clip, shared by TikTok user @the.royal.watcher, the Princess of Wales poses for photos with Queen Margrethe of Denmark and Crown Princess Mary at Amalienborg Castle in Copenhagen. As the queen ushers Kate to stand closer to her, the princess subtly heel-toe slides her way next to the monarch without interrupting eye contact with the photographers or missing a beat. Fans have dubbed the discrete move as the "princess shuffle." "And in heels! I would definitely get caught on the carpet and wipe out ," one user commented on the clip. Another added, "Thats a neat trick! Years of [practice]!" Others expressed their confusion at the shuffle, with one user writing, "This will never not be funny to me the Queen literally invited her to come in closer. She didnt need to shuffle in ." Samir Hussein - Getty Images Kate's photocall with the queen and Princess Mary came on the last day of her solo tour of Denmark, where she continued her research in early childhood development by learning about the country's approach and investment in the field. During the tour, she held engagements at the Copenhagen Infant Mental Health Project at the University of Copenhagen, the LEGO Foundations PlayLab space, and Copenhagen's Childrens Museum. A spokesperson for Kensington Palace previously described the royal's trip as a chance to learn about how Denmark has created "an enabling culture for early childhood development, specifically how it has promoted infant mental well-being alongside physical health and how it harnesses the power of nature, relationships, and playful learning in the first five years of life." You Might Also Like Pro Wrestling Revolution Pro Wrestling Revolution, an outfit in San Jose, California, has been helping a high school in San Francisco with fundraisers, a move that those involved say is everything to the school. For years, John OConnell Technical High School a school in the Mission District of San Francisco has been the venue for a Pro Wrestling Revolution show, which has also doubled as a fundraiser for the school. Speaking to The San Francisco Standard, social science teacher and co-organizer of the event Samantha Aguirre praised the wrestling promotion, noting that the proceeds for the events (which typically are upward of $5,000) net more than most of their other fundraising efforts, and will help pay for things like the schools prom. Its hard for schools to fundraise, Aguirre said. We dont have the kind of family base thats able to dedicate money. When we think about schoolshigh school, especiallywe think about these quintessential high school experiences. Its just kind of a given. The owner of Pro Wrestling Revolution, Gabriel Ramirez, is happy to continue the fundraiser, something that happens annually. According to Ramirez, the show acts as a bit of home for some of the families, many of whom are Latino and get a chance to come and see luchadores they grew up watching or are now fans of. Youre bringing a little bit of home to them, Ramirez said. A lot of the time, Ive had fans coming up to me. Its always been a parent bringing a young kid saying, I used to watch this as a kid. It does come full circle. Pro Wrestling Revolutions Gabriel Ramirez previously spoke with WrestleZone for the annual Best For The Business feature. Ramirez spoke about creating Lucha-Masks.com in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as his history in the wrestling business and PWRs place in the Bay Area wrestling scene. The post Pro Wrestling Revolution Fundraises For San Francisco High School appeared first on Wrestlezone. France to help Ukraine turn Chornobyl exclusion zone into scientific hub 27 April, 04:45 PM During the UN conference, the head of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine concluded an agreement with his French colleague (Photo:Nomadsoul1/Depositphotos) France will help Ukraine turn the exclusion zone around the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant into a scientific hub, Ukrinform quoted Ecology Minister, Ruslan Strilets, as saying on April 26. Recently, while participating in a UN conference, I met with my colleague from France, he said while visiting the exclusion zone. Read also: Scientists say stray dogs around Chornobyl show amazing genetic diversity We agreed that France would help develop a scientific hub in the exclusion zone. Because Im sure that right now, right during the war and right at the time when there is a fact of violation of a peaceful atom that has been resting for many years, we can conduct research that cant be done anywhere else in the world. Video of day Russias invasion gave the impetus to study the peaceful atom and transform the Chornobyl exclusion zone into a scientific hub. I invite everyone to come here and understand that this is a zone where we can build the future, the Ukrainian minister said. I wish that the exclusion zone really had a scientific hub. This is the task I set a year ago, and today a lot of work is being done on it. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News Pras Michel, former member of the Fugees, arrives to federal court in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, April 3, 2023. A prosecutor told jurors last week that Michel was driven by greed and "profited exorbitantly" as he sought to lobby the US government illegally on behalf of a financier accused of orchestrating the looting of billions of dollars from Malaysian development fund 1MDB. Photographer: Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images Ting Shen/Bloomberg/Getty Pras Michel Guilty superstar, that's what Pras... are. The rapper best known as a member of iconic '90s group the Fugees has been found guilty of conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. Michel was accused of funneling money from fugitive Malaysian businessman Jho Low through straw donors to Barack Obama's 2012 campaign, trying to impede an investigation into Low's money laundering scam, and trying to persuade the U.S. to extradite a Chinese dissident. Pretty intense stuff but perhaps not too entirely shocking for someone who once rapped, "Black Caesar, dating top divas / Diplomatic legalese, no time for a Visa." Pras Michel, former member of the Fugees, arrives to federal court in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, April 3, 2023. A prosecutor told jurors last week that Michel was driven by greed and "profited exorbitantly" as he sought to lobby the US government illegally on behalf of a financier accused of orchestrating the looting of billions of dollars from Malaysian development fund 1MDB. Photographer: Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images Ting Shen/Bloomberg/Getty Pras Michel Michel met Low in 2006, when the Malaysian playboy was throwing cash and his weight around. Michel helped open some doors, which led to Low providing financing for Hollywood films including The Wolf of Wall Street, which dragged star Leonardo DiCaprio into the trial. DiCaprio testified that Low was interested in donating to the Obama 2012 campaign. However, it seems Low was most interested in getting a photo with the then-incumbent president. Michel, testifying on his own behalf, said he "basically asked for $1 million to begin to think about how" he would get Low his coveted Obama picture. That price eventually soared to $20 million, but Low got his wish at a White House Christmas party. Low's money, however, was stolen from Malaysia's 1MDB sovereign wealth fund, to the tune of $4.5 billion, which explains why Low has been on the lam for years and didn't turn up for Michel's trial. Prosecutors claim Michel was donating money on Low's behalf and in turn trying to silence straw donors using burner phones. After the election of Donald Trump, Michel was accused of taking millions to attempt to deter an investigation into Low as well as trying to persuade the US to extradite billionaire Guo Wengui on China's behalf. Story continues Michel maintains his innocence, insisting he never made any political donations on Low's behalf, and that he voluntarily met with the FBI to discuss Guo and three American hostages in China. "I took it upon myself to report because I thought the FBI should know," Michel said. Former attorney general Jeff Sessions, who also testified in this trial, said Michel's futile efforts at diplomatic legalese didn't seem improper. Related content: Queen Charlotte was Britain's longest-serving queen consort and made her mark on royal history The Print Collector/Getty Images; Liam Daniel/Netflix Queen Charlotte is taking center stage in Netflix's Bridgerton spinoff, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. The series, starring both India Ria Amarteifio and Golda Rosheuvel as the royal at different parts of her life, documents Queen Charlotte's time on the throne as well as her love story with King George III (played by Corey Mylchreest and James Fleet). Though the series takes license by dramatizing certain aspects of her life, it is loosely based on the real-life Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, who lived during the 18th century. She was queen for nearly 60 years and lived a fascinating life until her death in 1818. In addition to being Britain's longest-serving queen consort, she made her mark on royal history in many different ways with her contributions to society. From her upbringing to her relationship with King George, here's everything to know about the real-life Queen Charlotte. Related:Bridgerton's Golda Rosheuvel on Showing Queen Charlotte's Softer Side: It 'Makes Her Relatable' She was believed to be biracial Though she was born in Germany, the daughter of a Duke, Queen Charlotte was directly descended from Margarita de Castro y Sousa, which was the Black branch of the Portuguese Royal House. While her racial background can't be entirely confirmed, art historians who studied portraits of Charlotte more closely following her death seem to believe she was biracial. In that era, artists typically were encouraged to downplay features deemed "undesirable" which, during that time's largely prejudiced society, often included those that were considered more traditionally African, according to The Guardian. However, one painter Sir Allan Ramsay, who was staunchly against slavery (and was married the niece of Lord Mansfield, a judge who ruled in the first case that eventually led to the end of slavery in the British Empire), painted several portraits of Charlotte, which people believe may be more reflective of her actual appearance. Story continues She was 17 when she married King George III Charlotte got married when she was 17 and George was 22 years old. In July 1761, George announced his intentions to wed Charlotte. A marriage contract was signed a month later and the two eventually wed in London on Sept. 8, just a few hours after her arrival, per The Royal Household website. Their Coronation took place later that month, on Sept. 22. She had 15 children Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty, Liam Daniel/Netflix Less than a year after getting married, Charlotte and George welcomed their first child together in August 1762, the Prince of Wales, who would later become King George IV. In total, they had 15 children together, 13 of whom survived to adulthood. In addition to being the grandmother of Queen Victoria, who was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 1837 until her death in 1901, she was also the great-great-great-great-grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II. She and King George III purchased several notable royal homes Some famous royal homes are all thanks to Charlotte and George, including Buckingham Palace. Though St James's Palace was the official residence of the royal couple, George purchased a nearby property, Buckingham House, which the couple moved into in 1762, making it Buckingham Palace, per The Royal Household website. Additionally, Charlotte purchased Frogmore House in 1792 as a country retreat for her and her unmarried daughters. The home also played a key role in the celebration of King George III's Golden Jubilee in 1809. Related:Where Does the Royal Family Live? Everything to Know About Their Residences She introduced the Christmas tree to Britain Charlotte has been credited with introducing the Christmas tree to Britain and its colonies. In her hometown of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, it was a tradition to decorate a single yew branch, but Charlotte took it one step further by replacing the branch with a complete tree and decorating it with lavish decorations, The Independent notes. She founded a number of orphanages Charlotte had many patronages, and among them were several orphanages she founded. In 1809, she became the patron of the General Lying-in Hospital, a hospital for expectant mothers. It was subsequently renamed as the Queen's Hospital, but today is known as Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital. Related:Where Are Royal Family Members Buried? All About Queen Elizabeth and Others' Final Resting Places She died a year before King George III Charlotte died on Nov. 17, 1818 at age 74 with her eldest son, the Prince Regent, by her side. She was later buried at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. To this day, she is the longest-serving female consort and second-longest-serving consort in British history (after Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh). Over a year after her death, King George III died from pneumonia on Jan. 29, 1820, at age 81. Due to his illness, it's likely that he was not aware of or capable of understanding Charlotte's death in his final years. He was later buried at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. George was succeeded in turn by two of his sons, George IV and William IV, however, both of them died without legitimate children. As a result, his son Prince Edward's only legitimate child, Victoria, took the throne. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Jerry Springer, the former Cincinnati mayor and talk show host, died Thursday at his home in the Chicago area after a brief illness, his family said. He was 79. Born Gerald Norman Springer in London, England on February 13, 1944, he immigrated to the Queens borough of New York City at the age of 4 along with his parents and older sister, according to a statement from the family. Obituary: From the mayor's office to tabloid TV, Jerry Springer led a showman's life In his own words: Jerry Springer weighed in on Trump, Cincinnati politics in this 2020 podcast interview Jerry Springer dead at 79: Ohio politicians, TV personalities react Jerry Springer: 5 things to know about the former Cincinnati mayor, talk show host Springer graduated from Tulane University and Northwestern University Law School, served in the United States Army Reserves and had a long career in law, politics, journalism and broadcasting. He was a reporter and political commentator for WLWT-TV. He hosted "The Jerry Springer Show," "Judge Jerry" and more recently a 60s folk music radio show in Cincinnati. In 2006, he even had a shockingly long and humorous run on "Dancing With the Stars." Springer was mayor of Cincinnati in 1977 and 1978 and served on city council throughout most of the 1970s and early 1980s. He was an unsuccessful candidate in the Democratic Party primary for Ohio governor in 1982 and considered running in 2018. Jerrys ability to connect with people was at the heart of his success in everything he tried whether that was politics, broadcasting or just joking with people on the street who wanted a photo or a word, said Jene Galvin, a lifelong friend and spokesperson for the family. Hes irreplaceable and his loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart and humor will live on. Funeral services and a memorial gathering are currently being planned, the family said. They ask that, in lieu of flowers, people make a donation or commit to an act of kindness for someone in need or a worthy advocacy organization. Story continues "As he always said, 'Take care of yourself, and each other,'" the statement said. While his political impact is remembered locally, social media today has been flooded with clips from his show. Sad to hear that Jerry Springer has passed away. Here's Jerry's final thought that almost brought him to tears. 'Deep down we are all the same... to be liked, accepted, respected and not to mention loved is the greatest gift of all... take care of yourself and each other.' pic.twitter.com/f6qIC8nrBa The Sting (@TSting18) April 27, 2023 Former Ohio governor Ted Strickland described his long-time friend and political ally as a talented entertainer, gifted communicator, and nonjudgmental man. He had a certain amount of baggage but he was a wonderfully bright man, Strickland said on Thursday. He noted that Springers values and beliefs lined up closely with his own. A lot of people judge him based on his program. It was reprehensible and even he acknowledged that, Strickland said, adding Even in the midst of that, he was never judgmental of other people. He felt that people should be able to live their lives. Thats in stark contrast to some of the political leadership today. Jerry Springer Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine also issued a statement on Springer's passing. Jerry Springer had a unique style and approached politics with great passion," DeWine said in a statement. "His careers in public service and entertainment made him one of the most memorable personalities in Ohio politics. Fran and I extend our condolences to Jerrys family at this time." Former Hamilton County Democratic Chairman Tim Burke had a 54-year friendship with Springer and worked as his legislative aide in Cincinnati's City Hall. It was not a typical political friendship. Burke has memories of Springer wrestling a bear for charity in 1980. He remembers Springers gonzo-style as a city councilman. When the city in 1973 took over local bus service, Springer stole a bus during a ceremony on Fountain Square and drove it around the block. Springer also used his flair to bring attention to serious issues, Burke said. Then-councilman Springer spent a night in jail at a facility known as The Workhouse in Camp Washington to learn about the plight of prisoners. In 1974, Springer abruptly resigned from council, citing "very personal family considerations." He later admitted he had paid for prostitutes with two personal checks. His political career quickly recovered when he won back his seat on City Council in 1975 and became mayor in 1977. After leaving his elected positions, Springer remained involved in Cincinnati and Ohio politics. Burke said Springer was the single biggest contributor to the Hamilton County Democratic Party during his tenure leading the party from 1993 to 2018. That was Jerry, Burke said. Those were the kinds of things he did to make a point and to try and get peoples attention on issues of importance. Then Burke thought about it. Not wrestling a bear. That was nuts. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Jerry Springer dead: Talk show host and former Cincinnati mayor was 79 High-level meetings in Washington and New York this week could have wide-reaching implications for the war between Ukraine and Russia, geopolitical hotspots like Taiwan and the South Pacific, and the global economy and international finance. With Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the U.N. to preside over the Security Council and meet with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and Guterres then traveling to Washington to visit lawmakers and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, new diplomatic initiatives regarding the 14-month-old war are underway. Amid that diplomacy, perhaps the most significant development in the war this week was a call Wednesday between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who hadnt spoken during the conflict so far due to Chinas general alignment with Russia. Guterres was scheduled to meet Wednesday with the top appropriators in the Senate, Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), the secretary-generals spokespersons office said. Those were followed by meetings with House appropriators Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) and ranking member Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), as well as House Foreign Affairs Committee leaders Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.). Meetings were likely to touch on Ukraine or other topics, like the conflict in Sudan. The U.S. has been a staunch ally of Ukraine and the top international donor to the Ukrainian war effort since the war began, with more than $75 billion given as of February in military, humanitarian and financial aid to the country. According to the German Kiel Institute for the World Economy, the U.S. spent around $48 billion on military aid, around $27 billion on financial and administrative support, and around $4 billion on humanitarian aid between January 2022 and February 2023. The meeting between Guterres and Blinken on Thursday was discussed at the United Nations on Tuesday. Story continues Earlier this month, Blinken authorized an additional tranche of $325 million in military support for Ukraine that included artillery rounds, rockets, small arms and anti-armor systems. We will continue to stand with our Ukrainian partners in response to Russias continued war of aggression, Blinken said in an April 19 statement. This new security assistance will enable Ukraine to continue to bravely defend itself in the face of Russias brutal, unprovoked and unjustified war. Russia could end its war today. Until Russia does, the United States and our allies and partners will stand united with Ukraine for as long as it takes. A readout of the call between Zelensky and Xi, as reported and translated by China analyst Bill Bishop, cautions against the dangers of nuclear war in the context of the Ukraine war and encourages negotiations. Dialogue and negotiation are the only way out. There are no winners in a nuclear war. Regarding nuclear issues, all relevant parties should maintain calm and restraint, truly consider their own and the future of all humanity, and work together to manage and control the crisis, the Chinese readout of the call says, according to Bishop. Bishop reported that China will be sending an envoy to Ukraine and other countries in the region to facilitate talks and work toward a settlement. Xi Jinping finally held a call with Ukraine President Zelensky, and according to the PRC [Peoples Republic of China] readout China will send its special representative on Eurasian affairs to Ukraine and other countries to conduct in-depth communication with all parties on the political settlement of the crisis, Bishop wrote in an analysis. The call between Xi and Zelensky came in the wake of remarkable comments last Friday on French television by the Chinese ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, who questioned the sovereignty of ex-Soviet states. Those comments followed remarks earlier this month by French President Emmanuel Macron, who had concluded a state visit to China and cautioned against European overreliance on the U.S. that could obstruct European strategic autonomy. Macrons comments were first reported in English by Politico. If diplomatic tides in the war in Ukraine are now shifting, they are sure to be felt in the Black Sea, where the future of a trade and humanitarian corridor hangs in the balance. Russian and Ukrainian agricultural products, which are vital to world markets and affect global food prices, have been transiting through this corridor. Experts have also noted the symbolic importance of the corridor, which was negotiated under the auspices of Turkey and the United Nations as an indication that international cooperation can still take place during times of war. Yesterday, Antonio Guterres told me that on the global markets, there are acute shortages of fertilizer, specifically from the ammonia group. Nobody thought about this up until very recently at the last moment, Lavrov told reporters at the United Nations on Tuesday. Lavrov also suggested it was important for his countrys agricultural bank, Rosselkhozbank, to be readmitted to the international bank transfer system, known as SWIFT. Either you want to systemically resolve the issue of food shortages on the global market, [in which case] theres a need simply to bring our bank back into the fold of the SWIFT system. Or you want every time for us and the U.N. Secretary-General to run back and forth and to plead with any given U.S. financial structure for them to be so magnanimous you understand that cannot work and it will not work, Lavrov said. While peace in one part of the world does not imply peace in another, international diplomats often emphasize the importance of de-escalation in general for alleviating regional conflicts. We all want the resolution to correspond to a peaceful environment, Guterres said regarding tensions around Taiwan during a visit to Tokyo last year, as reported by the Japanese publication Nikkei. Its very important to appeal, first of all, to common sense, and then to restrain allowing for the de-escalation. Members of Congress have been concerned about how the conflict in Ukraine could reverberate across the world and affect other areas of geopolitical tension, even as far away as the Pacific Ocean. Updated at 6:47 p.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A Russian army chef with officers at the Vostok 2018 exercise in Russia's Far East in September 2018. MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images The spread of drones on the battlefield in Ukraine is one of the most notable features of the war. Russia's military has been experimenting with drones in a variety of combat roles for years. Counter-drone training has also become common throughout the Russian military. Russia's attack on Ukraine last year kicked off Europe's biggest conflict since World War II, one in which two modern militaries have deployed new weaponry at an unprecedented scale. As such, the fighting in Ukraine has introduced the world to new technologies that are upending longstanding military thinking. Perhaps the most notable development is the widespread use of drones. Both sides have employed drones of all sizes and capabilities both military- and commercially designed models for a variety of operations. Many drones conduct aerial reconnaissance and provide vital information to troops on the ground or relay coordinates for artillery fire. Other drones carry weapons, ranging from small grenade- and mortar-size munitions to harass infantry and mechanized forces to missiles and rockets for attacks on vehicles and fortifications, or are weapons themselves. Almost every Ukrainian unit is using tactical drones in some way, but the Russian military has also been preparing for a drone-filled battlefield, and its troops from the frontlines to rear areas are being trained to use them and to shoot them down. Countering enemy drones Russian airborne troops use an Orlan-10 drone during an exercise in June 2018. Andrey Rusov/Russian Defense Ministry via Mil.ru Russian forces have been tinkering with drones more formally called unmanned aerial systems or vehicles for some time. They used them in Syria and employed them in Ukraine following Moscow's intervention there in 2015. Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian military's general staff, said in 2017 that combat is now "unthinkable without drones they are used by gunners, scouts, pilots everyone." Having used drones and seen drones used with increasing frequency, the Russian military has also expanded its counter-drone training. The threat is now considered so widespread that most Russian troops, regardless of military specialty, are getting instruction in spotting and dealing with drones. Story continues "Counter-UAS training is now ubiquitous across the entire military. In fact, everyone in Russian military uniform whether they're a soldier or a cook or a medic or whoever has to know how to deal with small drones," Samuel Bendett, an expert on Russian military technology at CNA, a research organization, said during a February episode of the Modern War Institute's Urban Warfare Project Podcast. Such training is now "a requirement," Bendett said. "So soldiers are trained how to shoot down small quadcopters, small UAVs that can potentially penetrate Russian defenses." A Ukrainian serviceman with a drone on the outskirts of Bakhmut in December. Sameer Al-Doumy/Getty Images Troops shooting down aircraft is nothing new British sailors reportedly brought down Argentine jets with small-arms fire during the Falklands War in 1982 but counter-UAS training for Russian troops has frequently been part of broader electronic-warfare training. "Every time we read about Russia's electronic-warfare training or a drill, we see the phrase 'counter-UAV training'" because defending against incoming drones and countering electronic-warfare countermeasures "are becoming one in the same," Bendett said. Russian forces are also developing their own unmanned aerial and ground vehicles with robust countermeasures for electronic-warfare attacks, such as jamming, Bendett added. Electronic warfare has been prevalent in Ukraine. Early in the war, Russian electronic-warfare capabilities frequently clashed with each other which Western experts called "electronic fratricide" but their performance has improved and they appear to have had an effect on Ukraine's weapons, including those provided by the West. Recently leaked US Defense Department intelligence documents indicate that Russian troops have used GPS jamming to counter US-provided smart bombs known as Joint Direct Attack Munitions, causing them not to detonate or to miss their targets. Attack vs. defense A "No Drone Zone" sign in a park near the Kremlin in Moscow in March. NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images The Russian military has used its unmanned aerial systems to give the Ukrainians a hard time by surveilling and attacking Ukrainian troops and with strikes on civilian targets, especially energy infrastructure. In recent months, Russian forces have made prolific use of Iranian-made Shahed-136 loitering munitions to target Ukraine's critical infrastructure and urban centers. Ukraine's military has been bolstering its drone defenses throughout the war, as shown in the Western military aid being sent to Kyiv. The US's latest package of security aid includes 30mm gun trucks designed to shoot down drones as well as mobile anti-drone laser-guided rocket systems. Despite having kinetic and electronic-warfare countermeasures to take out Russian drones, Ukraine still faces a difficult challenge. Russia's drones, especially its Iranian-made loitering munitions, often used in large numbers and are cheaper than many of Ukraine's advanced air-defense weapons, like surface-to-air missiles. The leaked US intelligence documents, which were composed in February, show that Ukraine's stocks of those missiles are dwindling. Western countries have supplied Kyiv with more missiles, but Russia's constant attacks mean Ukraine's military may increasingly face a difficult decision between trying to destroy drones or saving its ammo for Russian missiles and aircraft that can do more damage. Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate. He is working toward a master's degree in strategy and cybersecurity at Johns Hopkins' School of Advanced International Studies. Read the original article on Business Insider PORT ST. LUCIE The city has been selected from among more than 50 locations across the state for a new war memorial honoring Floridians who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the Iraq and Afghanistan War Memorial Foundation announced. The monument will be built in Veterans Memorial Park, and could be completed by early 2024, according to Steve Udovich, founder of the Iraq and Afghanistan War Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit in Dunedin. The 6-foot-tall, 15-foot-wide memorial will be made from India black granite, and join other war memorials in the park such as the Vietnam Veterans Wall, World War II Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Purple Heart Memorial and Gold Star Families Memorial. "This is unique. There's no other monument like it in the state," Udovich said. Veterans Memorial Park is at 2100 SE Veterans Memorial Parkway. Port St. Lucie may increase candidate filing fees: More local governments should do this. Honoring local veterans: Jensen Beach veteran, 98, receives French Legion of Honor for service in World War II Helping veterans curb suicides: local efforts provide support to those with mental illnesses Port St. Lucie was selected out of 50 cities statewide by the Iraq and Afghanistan War Memorial Foundation for a new memorial slated for Veterans Memorial Park. Listing 355 names The front of the memorial will feature outlines of Iraq and Afghanistan and service emblems. The back will list names of the 355 Floridians killed in each war. PG Memorials will build the monument. The company has constructed veterans monuments across the nation such as the Fallen Warriors memorial in Philadelphia and the Key West Living Vietnam Memorial Wall. The idea for an Afghanistan and Iraq war memorial came to Udovich, a retired Army infantry officer, when he moved to Florida from Delaware four years ago, he said. "It was one of those things where it's sitting in a file, and you're looking at it week after week and eventually you just say, 'We got to get this done," Udovich said. Cities such as Fort Pierce, Stuart, Freeport and Sebring were considered for the memorial, said Udovich, who has worked on the project with partners Kim Allison, a Gold Star mother; and Phil Wyllie, a retired Army Special Forces officer. Story continues However, Port St. Lucie, unlike others, already had a central location that was home to multiple war memorials, making the new Iraq and Afghanistan memorial the perfect addition. "Stuart and Fort Pierce, for example, both have beautiful veterans memorial parks with a few nice memorials, but if you go put in our monument in there, you're going to disturb their current presentation," Udovich said. Strong local support for the project Support from the Port St. Lucie City Council and local veterans organizations, such as American Legion Post 318 and Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 566, also played a factor in Port St. Lucie's selection, he added. "This memorial is very important to us, because we want to pass on the legacy to younger veterans," said Steven Cameron, membership director of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 566. "They will now be honored here, too, and we can look to them to take care of the memorials after we (Vietnam veterans) go on." The local Vietnam Veterans of America chapter, which has about 100 members, has donated at least $500 to the Afghanistan and Iraq memorial, Cameron said. Udovich hopes the project acts as a catalyst for similar memorials to be built in other states, he said. The foundation has raised about $52,000 for the memorial, as of Monday, Udovich said; $40,000 is still needed. To donate, go to www.IAWMF.org. This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Iraq and Afghanistan veterans memorial will be built in Port St. Lucie Photo Credit: WWE Trish Stratus is determined to be the best at what she does, and part of that stems from being ready for opportunities when they come up. Speaking on WWE After The Bell with Corey Graves, Stratus was asked to describe how she was able to return without missing a beat. I guess its just [being] born to do what you do, Stratus said. I feel like this is what I was born to do. I made a career out of being the best, like I want to be the best at what I do, no matter what I do. Im a hardcore, when I mom, I am [a] hardcore mom [laughs]. I am making the freaking shapes and the bunnies, you know. I go all out. Whatever I do, I want to be the best at it. So I dont know, thats what Ive done my whole life. So any time you give ne something to do, I gonna go out I want to be your best judge in Canadas Got Talent, I want to be the best mom. This is what I do. So I dont know. A healthy lifestyle, a good mindset, a positive outlook, all that is my M.O. This is how I live my life. The WWE Hall of Famer continued by describing how she always aims to stay ready for any potential opportunities and make the most of them when they come up. Stratus stated that she stayed in shape and watched the WWE product closely so that when her return came, shed be prepared. Everyones like, How did you get into ring shape? I just was, Stratus said. I dont let it go and then get ready just for the WrestleMania thing. This is my life. I do yoga daily, I work out constantly. I eat clean, I take care of the vessel, so to speak, and its prepared me for this opportunity. Thats been my motto, its been sort of my mantra for my entire life. Any opportunity Ive been given in my entire life, because I think people are given opportunities all the time, and they just do, Shes so lucky. Theres no luck, right. It might be, you might have a lucky moment. But if you dont take full advantage of it, then thats your fault. So for me, its preparing for these opportunities but recognizing when those opportunities come, and being 100% prepared for it in order to maximize it. Did I know I was going to go back to wrestling? No, but lets keep in ring shape, lets keep in good condition, lets keep on top of the product, lets watch it closely in case theres a moment. Story continues Stratus turned heel by attacking Lynch on the April 10 episode of WWE RAW, and the legend continues to appear on WWE TV, though The Man has been absent ever since. If you use any of these quotes, please credit the original source and link back to WrestleZone for the transcription The post Trish Stratus On Her WWE Return: This Is What I Was Born To Do appeared first on Wrestlezone. Yevgeny Prigozhin, a putative close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the boss of the Wagner mercenary group, called out the Kremlin Wednesday for failing to provide enough ammunition as Ukraine prepares for a looming offensive. "What's going on now with the Ukrainian Armed Forces counter-offensive?" Prigohzin, whose troops have borne the brunt of the battle for Bakhmut, asked rhetorically in an audio message posted on his Telegram channel, according to a translation by Times Radio. "It's raining today and the last of the rain is forecast for May 2. Another week will be needed for the winds to dry the ground. After that, the Ukrainian Army will be ready to move." The Ukrainian Army "is fully ready to move out and cover flanks," he added. "Nobody has ever covered our flanks. All the stories about preventing the Ukrainian reserves from entering Bakhmut is total crap. Not a single shot was made by the Russian Army. Nobody is giving them ammunition. Not to them, not to us. A criminal order was made not to give out ammunition." "Ammunition is stacked high in warehouses as I already said before," Prigozhin fumed. "Scumbags who made these decisions should be answerable to the mothers of those killed in action." Due to the lack of ammunition, too many troops are dying, Prigozhin said. Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin says Russians are dying in Bakhmut because they are not getting enough ammo. (Via Twitter) "Five people are dying instead of one," he complained. "It is a five-to-one ratio. One soldier should die when coming into a building. But five are dying because there's no ammunition. The Ukrainian offensive is inevitable. There's treason inside the Russian Federation. We are not even allowed to build up our defenses." As Prigozhin fulminated, the commander of Ukraine's Special Operations Forces (SSO) Gen. Viktor Khorenko visited Bakhmut Wednesday. He familiarized himself with the current situation in the city and talked with the soldiers of the SSO units defending the city. Story continues "Indeed, the situation in Bakhmut is difficult, but who but you knows what needs to be done and how to act in the current conditions," he told the troops, according to his Telegram channel. "Your work here once again proves that the SSO is primarily an advantage of quality over quantity." Khorenko emphasized the importance of the work of special-purpose groups during the defense of Bakhmut and noted the professionalism of SSO operators. "For a long time, the soldiers of the Special Operations Forces have been fully performing the task of defending the city, which remains the hottest point of the front," he said. "Despite the superiority of the enemy, and massive attacks aimed at destroying city blocks, operators of the SSO of Ukraine strike the enemy at key areas, destroy his personnel and perform a number of other tasks, hindering the advance of Russian troops." Ukrainian SOF Commander Brigadier General Viktor Khorenko has visited Bakhmut. The situation in Bakhmut is hard, who but you knows what to do, - noted Viktor Khorenko while speaking with SOF warriors who are defending the city. pic.twitter.com/1xMqukz5B0 SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES OF UKRAINE (@SOF_UKR) April 26, 2023 Perhaps one good piece of news for Russia as its Donbas offensive seems to have stalled is that Moscow appears to be seeing a reduction in combat casualties, according to the U.K. Defense Ministry (MoD). The MoD, citing Ukrainian figures, suggests that Russia's turn to a more defensive posture along much of the front lines in and around Bakhmut is a likely reason why fewer of its soldiers are getting killed and wounded. Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 25 April 2023. Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/fbRN7V3P9X #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/NGYshhAX13 Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) April 25, 2023 Before we head into todays latest updates from Ukraine, The War Zone readers can catch up on our previous rolling coverage here. The Latest The long-awaited call between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Chinese President Xi Jinping finally took place today. "During the hour-long conversation, we discussed a full range of topical issues of bilateral relations. Particular attention was paid to the ways of possible cooperation to establish a just and sustainable peace for Ukraine," Zelensky said on his Telegram channel. "No one wants peace more than the Ukrainian people. We are on our land and fighting for our future, exercising our inalienable right to self-defense. Peace must be just and sustainable, based on the principles of international law and respect for the UN Charter. There can be no peace at the expense of territorial compromises. The territorial integrity of Ukraine must be restored within the 1991 borders." The two leaders also "discussed ways to strengthen the Ukrainian-Chinese partnership," said Zelensky. "Before the full-scale Russian invasion, China was Ukraine's number one trading partner. I believe that our conversation today will give a powerful impetus to the return, preservation and development of this dynamic at all levels." I had a long and meaningful phone call with President Xi Jinping. I believe that this call, as well as the appointment of Ukraine's ambassador to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations. (@ZelenskyyUa) April 26, 2023 Nearly all the combat vehicles Ukraines Western allies promised to deliver in time for Kyivs expected spring counteroffensive have arrived, NATOs top military commander said on Wednesday, The New York Times reported. Over 98 percent of the combat vehicles are already there, said Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, who is also the top commander of U.S. forces in Europe. In testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, he said, I am very confident that we have delivered the materiel that they need and well continue a pipeline to sustain their operations as well. Top U.S. General in Europe, Christopher Cavoli: Ukraine has already received 98% of the combat equipment promised by the West. Ukraine is "in a good position" for a counteroffensive. pic.twitter.com/jHY3Up1UUP Clash Report (@clashreport) April 26, 2023 With Ukraine eyeing the liberation of Crimea, occupied by Russia since 2014, it appears that Moscow's forces are on the move there. Satellite imagery viewed by open-source intelligence (OSINT) analyst Brady Africk shows that Russia has emptied the Medvedivka depot in northern Crimea where it stored tanks and other armor as well as artillery between Feb. 11 and April 25. Russia has moved equipment out of its depot in Medvedivka in northern Crimea, says OSINT analyst Brady Africk. (Google Earth image) "Without knowing where the vehicles and equipment from that depot near Mevedivka ended up, it is difficult to draw conclusions as to the significance of Russian removing it all," Africk told The War Zone. "It might have been a decision made due to the need for more equipment near the front line, fear of Ukrainian strikes, or a combination of similar motives." Russian forces have emptied out this military depot in northern Crimea, new satellite imagery shows. This site was used to store tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery. pic.twitter.com/3uIc4GI5ac Brady Africk (@bradyafr) April 26, 2023 Speaking of Ukrainian attacks on Crimea, on Monday we wrote about yet another Ukrainian uncrewed surface vessel (USV) attack on Sevastopol, home of Russia's Black Sea Fleet. Now Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR) says that despite Russian protestations, the attack did not violate the Black Sea Grain Initiative. "Ukraine complies with international obligations, including fulfilling all obligations related to the grain corridor," said GUR spokesman Andrii Yusov. "The recent events in Crimea concerned only military facilities and are in no way related to the grain agreement, which provides for Ukrainian ports and civilian ports when it comes to the territory controlled by Ukraine." Military intelligence: Explosions in Crimea do not violate grain deal terms. Recent explosions at Russian military facilities in the occupied Crimea do not violate the terms of the Black Sea grain deal, said a spokesperson for Ukraine's military intelligence Andrii Yusov. The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) April 26, 2023 Yesterday, we wrote about the more than four million howitzer shells, rockets, mortars and other munitions the U.S. has provided Ukraine. Today, The Wall Street Journal took a deep dive into concerns about this nation's supply chain, especially with lingering problems from a 2021 explosion at a Louisiana factory that was "the sole domestic source of an explosive the Department of Defense relies on to produce bullets, mortar shells, artillery rounds and Tomahawk missiles." "The ramshackle facility makes the original form of gunpowder, known today as black powder, a highly combustible material with hundreds of military applications," the newspaper reported. "The product, for which there is no substitute, is used in small quantities in munitions to ignite more powerful explosives." The factory remains offline, highlighting the precarious nature of the U.S. weapons supply chain for items like Stingers, howitzers, anti-armor systems and artillery ammunition. "Stocks are low in both the U.S. and its NATO allies, especially in 155mm howitzer shells, an ammunition that has been crucial to pushing back Russian forces." Can you imagine what would happen to these supply chains if the U.S. were in an actual state of active war, or NATO was? said Jeff Rhoads, executive director of the Purdue Institute for National Security, a defense-research institute at Purdue University. They could be in trouble very quickly. The U.S. military needs black powder to produce bullets, mortar shells and Tomahawk missiles. Its made in one Louisiana factory. It blew up nearly two years ago and remains offline. https://t.co/sIK8Kr6ZMs via @WSJ Howard Altman (@haltman) April 26, 2023 Ukraine's Air Force released a video of one of its new Patriot air defense systems. The 2-minute, 30-second video gives a good look inside and outside one of the systems, on duty somewhere in Ukraine. The two systems - one donated by the U.S. and one a combination of German and Dutch components - arrived in Ukraine last week. The Slovenian government delivered 20 Valuk six-wheeled armored personnel carriers to Ukraine, the Slovenian 24ur news outlet reported Wednesday. The vehicles "were delivered to Ukraine in complete secrecy," 24ur reported. Slovenian Valuks are armed with 40 mm automatic grenade launchers or 12.7 mm machine guns, "and we had 85 of them in our composition and they were in the Slovenian Army for 24 years." The newest weapons Slovenia sent to Ukraine, "they are intended for the transport of infantry and protect them from anti-personnel mines and infantry weapons up to 12.7 mm caliber." The Dutch Marines, who trained Ukrainian troops, are pleased those troops using the Swedish Bandvagn BvS 10 armored tracked all-terrain vehicles the Netherlands provided. Nice to see Ukrainians treat our dear vikings well. Flashback to their training. https://t.co/cFb2cF7VUC pic.twitter.com/ELpor6QbSD Korps Mariniers (@korpsmariniers) April 25, 2023 The United Kingdom was the first nation to promise Western tanks to Ukraine, offering up Challenger 2 main battle tanks. Having been delivered last month, they are now on the battlefield and ready for combat. Also the Challenger 2 tanks supplied by The UK are ready for operational combat pic.twitter.com/RVFzvNez9r NOEL (@NOELreports) April 25, 2023 Wednesday marked the 37th anniversary of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident that left much of Europe contaminated with radioactive cesium, though the ultimate danger could have been much worse. There was a widespread release of radioactive cesium in the wake of the April 26, 1986 explosion at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. (RealChernobyl map) "37 years ago, the accident at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant left a huge scar on the whole world," Zelensky said at a commemoration event. "The radiation leak turned the once cozy and developed territory into an exclusion zone. Today, the 30-kilometer zone around Chornobyl remains a dangerous place with a high concentration of radiation." The deactivated plant and surrounding exclusion zone was captured by Russia as it drove south through it from Belarus on the first night of the all-out war. 37 years ago, the Chornobyl NPP accident left a huge scar on the whole world. Its been more than a year since the liberation of the plant from the invader. We must do everything to prevent the terrorist state from using nuclear power facilities to blackmail and the world. pic.twitter.com/q1QNDniXg4 (@ZelenskyyUa) April 26, 2023 Meanwhile, Ukraine's State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate resumed the work of the Nuclear Safety Inspection unit responsible for the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe's largest and occupied by the Russians since the early days of the all-out war. You can read about one researcher's concerns about Russia's occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in our deep dive here. Oleh Korikov: We are preparing to resume safe operation of Zaporizhia NPPhttps://t.co/Qm0rwu0Wji pic.twitter.com/8hbN3tY6NQ Media Center Ukraine (@CenterUkraine) April 25, 2023 Nearly a year ago today, we interviewed Ukrainian Maj. Borden Krotevych from inside the besieged Azovstal Steel Plant in Mariupol. Back from captivity, he is planning to revive the Azov brigade, hailed by Ukrainians for holding out for months at the Azovstal Steel Plant in Mariupol, the Azov brigade is scrambling to rebuild from heavy combat losses as it seeks to play a muscular role in Ukraines next major assault, The Washington Post reports. The high-profile unit is hoping to recruit 6,500 new fighters who will provide restored combat heft even as its leaders push for the return of more than 1,000 brigade troops who remain in Russia as prisoners of war. We are ready to liberate territory, Krotevych, who is the brigades interim commander and is leading the rebuilding effort after his release from Russian captivity in the fall, said in an interview. Ukraines Azov brigade races to rebuild ahead of fateful fight - The Washington Post https://t.co/EvSnMmqLyb Bud (@BudGothmog44) April 26, 2023 Speaking of Mariupol, Google Maps has updated its satellite images of the Azov Sea port city of Mariupol, devastated during a brutal Russian siege and ongoing occupation. We will never forget what Russia did to Mariupol and its people. From burying loved ones in children's sandpits to escaping now knowing if you and your family will make it throughthe people of Mariupol went through real hell at the hands of Russia. pic.twitter.com/7SCZmFTA3q UNITED24.media (@United24media) April 26, 2023 Russia keeps hitting Ukrainian cities. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry (MoD) said that a woman was killed and 10 people injured after a missile strike on Kupyansk in the Kharkiv Oblast on Tuesday. russian terrorists launched a missile attack on Kupyansk, Kharkiv region. The city museum suffered the most damage. A woman was killed, and ten people were injured. People are still trapped beneath the rubble. pic.twitter.com/R8YBWUL1Ze Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) April 25, 2023 In the age of drones, damaged armor is in great peril on the battlefield. In this case, a damaged Russian T-72A tank was destroyed after being hit by a Ukrainian First Person Video (FPV) drone. The resulting hit detonated the tank's ammunition, finishing it off. #Ukraine: Near Nevelske, #Donetsk Oblast the Ukrainian 59th Motorized Brigade destroyed with an FPV loitering munition a damaged T-72A tank that Russian troops were attempting to evacuate. The ammunition on board eventually detonated, completely destroying the tank. pic.twitter.com/aAGaW4IKFB Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) April 26, 2023 Ukraine is also using FPV drones to attack buildings, like this Russian surveillance system at the Nova Khakhovka power plant. Video of a Ukrainian FPV loitering munition strike on a Russian surveillance system at the Nova Khakhovka power plant. https://t.co/wTYHPP4xPChttps://t.co/PjOFW1DwgS pic.twitter.com/cYt9tp8DRe Rob Lee (@RALee85) April 26, 2023 There are a whole bunch of new drones heading to Ukrainian troops. We are sending 100 kamikaze drones to the Bakhmut direction, Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraines Deputy Prime Minister, said on his Telegram channel. In two days, subscribers of the Blyskavka online publication raised more than UAH 10.4 million (about $283,000) for 500 kamikaze drones through UNITED24. The first batch of those drones is already flying to one of the air reconnaissance units of the 59th brigade. They will help the fighters quickly deliver gifts to the Russians. Thanks to partners and everyone who supports the Drone Army." Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraines Deputy Prime Minister: "We are sending 100 kamikaze drones to the Bakhmut. In two days, subscribers of the Blyskavka online publication raised more than UAH 10.4 million for 500 kamikaze drones through UNITED24. The first batch of "birds" is already https://t.co/5toKbNMs94 pic.twitter.com/1ljtp48UgN Samuel Bendett (@sambendett) April 24, 2023 But regardless of technological advances, snipers will always have a role, like these Russian troops in the bombed-out city of Marinka. Snipers from a Russian Southern Military District motorized rifle unit (presumably 150th MRD) in Marinka with SVDS and ASVKM rifles. https://t.co/pf89Q678bP pic.twitter.com/aamNFs4CxO Rob Lee (@RALee85) April 26, 2023 A Russian "Basurmanin" BMP-1AM infantry fighting vehicle parked next to a building in Luhansk Oblast was destroyed by the Ukrainian army. #Ukraine: A Russian BMP-1AM "Basurmanin" infantry fighting vehicle was destroyed by the Ukrainian army in Chervonopopivka, #Luhansk Oblast. pic.twitter.com/JQBbhFWPQX Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) April 25, 2023 Ukraine keeps adding to its trophy collection, in this case a Russian T-62M tank captured in Kherson Oblast. It may be old, but if nothing else, the tank can be used as an indirect fire platform. #Ukraine: One of the Russian T-62M tanks captured by the Ukrainian army in #Kherson Oblast is now in service with the 17th Tank Brigade. Although it's an ancient type, it still can see use as an armoured recovery vehicle or/and for indirect fire support. pic.twitter.com/cdAi1eI2bv Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) April 25, 2023 Ukraine continues to find innovative ways to use tractors to clear mines, in this case adding armored plating and pushing a wheeled roller. An impromptu remote-controlled demining vehicle with which Ukrainian farmers clear their land. Created on the basis of an old tractor. I never cease to be amazed at the ingenuity of Ukrainians #UkraineRussiaWar #Ukraine #War# #UkraineWar # pic.twitter.com/Ikge9gQOKc AlexRaptor (@AlexRaptor94) April 24, 2023 And finally, one soldier seems to have found some beauty in the horrors of trench warfare. He turned the walls of one trench into a work of art, carving faces into the mud. That's it for now. We'll update this story when there is more news to report about Ukraine. Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com Patti Cazzato has come a long way from being employee No. 8 at Sam & Libby when the shoe company was in its early stages some 30 years ago. But she is tapping into that experience and more as the new chief executive of NakedCashmere, a Southern California direct-to-consumer womens and mens cashmere line launched seven years ago by husband-and-wife team Bruce and Leslie Gifford. More from WWD Last year, Luxembourg-based buyout fund Legatus I acquired the cashmere brands parent company and started scouting for a CEO. Soon, they heard about Cazzato, who most recently was the head of emerging businesses at Victorias Secret. In that job, she negotiated the lingerie companys $18 million strategic investment last year in Frankies Bikinis, a swimwear and lifestyle brand started in Malibu, California, by Francesca Aiello and her mother, Mimi. That deal got her noticed. It was done with The Sage Group, a Los Angeles investment bank that spent considerable time working out the finer details of the investment with Cazzato. When the new NakedCashmere owners reached out to The Sage Group about potential CEO candidates, managing director and partner Paul Altman quickly thought of Cazzato. The new CEO said the job heading up parent company 360sweater and its subsidiary, NakedCashmere, intrigued her because it met her requirements for a satisfying work experience. I dug deep and asked what have been the one or two experiences that have made me the happiest? she said. Those two things were being the founder of my own company and later working as the CEO of Timbuk2. Cazzato was remembering her time in 2007 when she founded Clary Sage Organics, an eco-friendly hand-sewn yoga apparel company and holistic wellness center in San Francisco. She started the company a year before the Great Recession and ended up having to self-finance her enterprise for seven years. It made her learn a thing or two about running a company during tough times. Story continues That led to her next job in 2014 as chief executive of Timbuk2, a San Francisco company that locally manufactured various kinds of bags and backpacks with sustainability in mind. Then she transitioned to Victorias Secret nearly three years ago. My career has always been a combination of entrepreneurial adventures and some multibillion-dollar big businesses, she shared. In her new job at NakedCashmere, she will be taking the brand to the next level with global outreach, introducing new products, improving sustainability and exploring retail opportunities beyond the one store the Santa Monica-based NakedCashmere has in Aspen, Colorado. Until now, NakedCashmere has been primarily d-to-c with almost all its sales in the United States. We are thinking of new ways of doing business, Cazzato said. First on the list is developing a new cashmere line to be knitted in Italy, instead of Mongolia, that will have modern heirloom qualities and sell for $500 to $2,000. We love some of the beautiful craftsmanship we can get out of Italy, the new CEO said. We are going to be making sweaters that are one-of-a-kind and collectible. A NakedCashmere poncho. Courtesy of NakedCashmere The Italian-made luxury-leaning collection will complement NakedCashmeres essentials pieces of sweaters, skirts, dresses, ponchos, wraps, jogger pants, robes and pajamas that are made for women along with a mens line of knits that sell for $200 to $650. The Italian line will be launched under another label [for spring 2024] as a subbrand, Cazzato said, noting she and her colleagues are working on a new label name. This is a pivotal move for us right now creating heirlooms. Next will be making the brand more dimensional by adding items that can be worn with NakedCashmere products, such as jewelry or silk pieces. I am not going to do a full collection [of jewelry or silk] but introduce beautiful concepts that go well with your cashmere, she explained, adding that too will launch for spring 2024. The companys website is being redone to make it easier for international customers to buy online and have their purchases shipped overseas. Right now, most of NakedCashmeres d-to-c sales are done in the United States, but there is a vast market to be explored for the brands merchandise. Beyond online sales, Cazzato wants to develop relationships with luxury retailers, including boutiques and spas, where the customer can touch and feel the product. She is also exploring pop-up store opportunities to see in which direction company-owned retail could go. Theres a lot to come, Cazzato said. It is going to be very exciting. Best of WWD Click here to read the full article. Black Sea wont be safe for at least 20 years due to Russias actions, top admiral says 27 April, 11:35 AM Cargo ships in the Black Sea (Photo:REUTERS/Yoruk Isik) The Black Sea will not be considered safe for at least another 20 years due to Russias actions, the Ukrainian Naval Forces reported on Facebook on April 26, citing the navys top commander, Rear Admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa. The Azov and Black Seas will only be considered safe if Ukraine regains control over all its territories, the admiral told the Black Sea Security Forum in Bulgaria in an online speech. Neizhpapa recalled the attempt to capture Tuzla Island in 2003, the war in Georgia in 2008 that starred the since-destroyed Moskva missile cruiser, Russias illegal annexation of the Crimea in 2014, the occupation of the Sea of Azov in 2022, and the ongoing war in the Black Sea. Video of day He emphasized that Russias imperial ambitions extend not only to the Black and Azov Seas, but also to the Baltic and North Seas and the Pacific Ocean. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News The upcoming coronation of King Charles will mark the first time a male British royal has worn a crown at a coronation since Charles' grandfather, King George VI, in 1937 Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip wave from Buckingham Palace. He was her companion for 73 years, but Queen Elizabeth's husband, Prince Philip, never wore a crown. That's because the late royal wasn't a king even though he was married to the woman who was the Queen of England for more than 70 years. The title of "King" is only given to a male who inherits the throne and reigns as monarch. Instead, Prince Philip who was previously the Prince of Greece and Denmark adopted the title of Duke of Edinburgh. After Queen Elizabeth took the throne when her father, King George VI, died in 1952, Prince Philip became known as "Prince Consort." But since he was a prince, and not a king, Phillip wasn't crowned as part of the coronation ceremony in 1953. The rules are different, however, when the reigning monarch is male, as the world will see on May 6 at King Charles' coronation. The monarch will obviously be crowned at the ceremony at Westminster Abbey. And Charles's wife of 18 years, now called Queen Camilla, will also be crowned, because she holds the title of "Queen Consort" not "Princess Consort." Andrew Milligan/Getty King Charles and Queen Camilla There was some speculation about what Camilla's title would be, largely due to controversy over their affair during Prince Charles's marriage to Princess Diana and Camilla's marriage to her first husband, Andrew Parker Bowles. Camilla's status as a divorced woman also played a role in her potential title. "Queen Consort" is the traditional title for the wife of a reigning monarch. The title of "Queen" is reserved only for female rulers who became monarch through the line of succession. On the day their 2005 engagement was announced, a press release stated: "It is intended that Mrs. Parker Bowles should use the title HRH The Princess Consort when The Prince of Wales accedes to The Throne." Story continues But that all changed in a message released marking the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's reign. The monarch, then 95, announced, "when, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service." The coronation will mark the first time a male British royal has worn a crown since since Charles' grandfather, King George VI, in 1937 except, of course, when Charles was crowned as the Prince of Wales in 1969. Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty St Edwards Crown And what crowns they are! The monarch will actually wear two crowns at the coronation: Charles will officially be crowned with the St. Edward's Crown, which was crafted in 1661 with a solid-gold frame that's adorned with semi-precious stones from tourmalines, topazes, rubies, sapphires, zircons and aquamarines. He will then switch to the Imperial State Crown, which is worn by monarchs more frequently in public such as at ceremonies like the State Opening of Parliament. As for Queen Camilla, she will be crowned with the Queen Mary's Crown. Set with 2,200 diamonds, it was last worn by Queen Mary the late Queen Elizabeth's grandmother when she took part in the coronation alongside her husband, King George V, in 1911. The crown will be slightly altered to include a special touch honoring Queen Elizabeth. Work is underway to reset the headpiece with the Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds which are part of the famous Cullinan diamond, the largest ever found that were part of the late monarch's personal jewelry collection, which she often wore as brooches. After the coronation, the crowns will be displayed in a new exhibit in the Jewel House at the Tower of London, opening May 26. Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group/Getty Queen Mary's Crown For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas outlined plans for reducing the number of migrants at the southern border, expanding restrictive measures and creating new foreign processing centers to direct migrants toward legal pathways for immigration. The Biden administration will establish regional processing centers throughout Latin America as a way to mitigate the number of migrants heading to the southern border, the Cabinet officials said. These centers will be used to pre-screen individuals to assess eligibility for entry into the United States through refugee resettlement, humanitarian parole programs, family reunification or other lawful pathways. The plans are intended to blunt an expected surge in migration following the end of a pandemic era policy known as Title 42, which has been used over 2.7 million times to quickly expel migrants with limited opportunities for asylum claims. The policy is expected to end on May 11, when the COVID-19 public health emergency expires. "Working with our neighbors in the region, we can and will reduce the number of migrants who reach our southern border," Mayorkas told reporters Thursday. "The regional processing centers announced today will be a critical addition to the programs and processes DHS has in place for qualifying individuals to obtain authorization to enter the United States before arriving at our borders." International organizations will oversee the new processing centers, which will be established in several countries like Colombia and Guatemala and in heavily-trafficked areas like the Darien Gap. Migrants will be able to make an appointment on their phones ahead of time before visiting the closest regional processing center. Blinken focused his remarks on the diplomatic side of the effort, which he called a "global approach" to an "unprecedented migration challenge," fueled in recent years by elements like the economic unrest caused by the pandemic, turbulent governance and climate change. Story continues "The magnitude, the range of drivers, the push and pull factors, all demand that we work together," he said. He urged patience from those hoping to see results quickly, noting that "many of these investments can take time to bear fruit." Turning to measures intended to make near-term impacts, Blinken discussed supporting other host countries in providing legal protections and assistance to refugee applicants and countering disinformation spread by traffickers, as well as expanding access to and information about legal pathways. On a call with reporters on Thursday, senior administration officials said eligible migrants will also be offered options for resettlement in the host countries. The governments of Spain and Canada will also be accepting referrals from the centers, one official said. Thursdays joint announcement represents a significant partnership consisting of the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and countries in the western hemisphere to create a buffer between migrants fleeing their home countries and the southern border of the U.S. The administration is continuing to add new migration restrictions while opening up new opportunities for those who may qualify for refugee status or asylum. Those restrictions, which have been focused on Cubans, Venezuelans, Haitians and Nicaraguans at the southern border, will now expand to disqualify those who take to the seas to enter the U.S. illegally, Mayorkas said. Authorities have seen more migrants illegally landing in southern Florida on rickety boats. More broadly, Homeland Security has been working to expand fast-track migrant removals even after Title 42 ends. Further, the administration is moving forward with its most restrictive policy yet, one that will temporarily penalize asylum seekers if they cross the border illegally. Mayorkas said Thursday these measures are designed to reduce the expected strain on immigration authorities once Title 42 lifts. "We have been preparing for this transition for more than a year and a half," Mayorkas said. "Notwithstanding those preparations, we do expect that encounters at our southern border will increase as smugglers are seeking to take advantage of this change and already are hard at work spreading disinformation that the border will be open after that. High encounters will place a strain on our entire system, including our dedicated and heroic workforce and our communities. The smugglers' propaganda is false." PHOTO: A group of 28 migrants wait to be processed by United States Border Patrol agents, after being apprehended trying to cross the border undetected, in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, April 26, 2023. (Paul Ratje/Reuters) During the Thursday call, a senior administration official stressed that the end of Title 42 doesn't mean the border is open and that migrants who fail to submit eligible claims for asylum will still be processed under the standard immigration processes outlined in Title 8 of the U.S. code. Prior to the implementation of Tile 42 in 2020, Title 8 was the sole authority through which Customs and Border Protection processed and removed migrants who crossed the border illegally without a legal basis to stay in the country. But the process through which migrants are removed is much slower than the streamlined expulsions that are allowed by Title 42. Under Title 8, some migrants can request asylum before being removed. In the past, that has created a bottleneck of migrants at CBP processing facilities and border communities. Migrants who are removed under Title 8 are also susceptible to a five-year ban for reentry and may face legal repercussions if they repeatedly attempt to enter the country unlawfully. As previously reported by ABC, DHS has been beefing up resources at the border, in part, by holding "credible fear" screening interviews for migrants while they're in CBP custody as opposed to after they're released. Migrant encounters by Border Patrol agents increased 25% from February to March of this year, with authorities apprehending or detaining migrants more than 250,000 times during that interval, according to CBP. Biden administration to launch regional processing centers for migrants throughout Central and South America originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to take a major step closer to announcing that he's running for president in 2024, with plans in the works to launch an exploratory committee as early as mid-May, sources familiar tell ABC News. DeSantis official announcement would come soon after, with the governor currently eyeing mid-June, the sources said. The news was first reported by NBC News. A spokesperson for DeSantis did not immediately respond to a request for comment. MORE: The external campaign grows for a DeSantis 2024 bid The governor has long been seen as former President Donald Trumps main rival for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. ABC News previously reported that DeSantis has privately indicated to allies that he intends to launch a run for the White House. The governor has suggested that any political decision would have to wait until after his states Legislature has adjourned this year, which will be in early May. PHOTO: In this March 10, 2023, file photo, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to Iowa voters gathered at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, in Des Moines, Iowa. (Scott Olson/Getty Images, FILE) "This is going to be the most productive legislative session we have had across the board, and I think people are going to be really excited," he said on "Fox & Friends" in February, during which he also touted his new book and accompanying tour. "As we get beyond that, then we can decide from there," he said then. While Florida currently has a "resign-to-run" law that would require DeSantis to step down if he launched a White House bid, a state senator this week introduced an amendment to exempt persons seeking the office of President or Vice President of the United States." MORE: DeSantis tests presidential waters in Iowa DeSantis, both popular and controversial, easily won reelection in November and has since sought to share Florida's "blueprint" for success with other parts of the country. At the same time, he has focused on culture war issues -- such as restricting classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender -- while fighting what he calls excessive "wokeness" in America, driven by liberals. ABC News' Jay O'Brien and Brittany Shepherd contributed to this report. DeSantis plans to launch 2024 exploratory committee as early as May: Sources originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Dotdash Meredith and Yahoo Inc. may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. We consulted medical professionals and industry experts to help you find the right infrared sauna blanket for you. InStyle / David Hattan The residents of Finland have been locking themselves in rooms to sweat for nearly 2,000 years. It might sound crazy when you describe it to someone that way, but the tradition commonly known as sauna has persisted through the millennia for good reason very real health benefits. Published clinical reports have suggested that regular sauna bathing may improve cardiovascular function through vascular dilatation, modulation of the autonomic nervous system, changes in circulating fats (lipids) and lowering blood pressure, says board certified, NYC-based dermatologist Dr. Macrene Alexiades. Sauna is also reported to relieve muscle tension, improve sleep quality, boost mood and even help aid weight loss. That makes the sauna cabins a very popular stop for Shana Ominskys clients at the top-rated Lake Austin Spa Resort, where she is the Executive Spa Director. The appeal of sauna is even more compelling when you consider that Finland has been ranked the worlds happiest nation six years in a row. Clearly, there is something to sweating. But, unless you happen to be a hardcore Finnish carpenter, chances are youre more likely to be heading to Ominskys spa than constructing a purpose-built room that can heat to 150-190F in your home or apartment. Enter the infrared sauna blanket, which offers the benefits of sauna at lower temperatures and in the comfort of your own home. Related:The 8 Best Foot Spas of 2023 Best Overall: HigherDose Infrared Sauna Blanket Buy at Higherdose.com Buy at Amazon.com What We Love: The high-quality materials, simple temperature control, automatic shut-off, Low-EMF rating, and ease of portability make this one of the best blankets out there. What We Dont Love: Very little. We think this blanket sets a high bar for the competition. Story continues Higher Dose purports to get you high naturally and 3 out of our 5 experts agree that this infrared sauna blanket is the best on the market. Featuring quality, non-toxic PU leather, an industrial grade zipper, an easily folded design and a carrying case, this blanket makes it easy to reap the benefits of infrared sauna at home. Unlike many of its competitors, it also features additional layers of materials that will further enhance your experience, including a layer of charcoal to help deepen your detox and clay to balance the heat with negative ions, along with a medical-grade magnetic strip to improve blood flow and circulation. It even offers the added benefit of crystal therapy from a layer of amethyst and tourmaline that aid in fighting off free radicals. Top that all off with the fact that this blanket is low-EMF and our experts agree that it has set a high bar for at-home infrared sauna. Price at time of publish: $599 Material: Polyurethane leather | Temperature Range: 68-158F | Settings: Levels 1-8, with timer and auto-shut off | Dimensions: 71 x 71 inches unfolded Best Budget: SurmountWay Sauna Blanket Buy at Amazon.com What We Love: At a much lower price point, this blanket still delivers on the safety and performance we expect. What We Dont Love: The fuschia color reads pre-teen sleepover. The look is generally not as sophisticated as the competition. If youre interested in trying out an infrared sauna blanket, but hesitant to commit to the higher price point of most of the options out there, the SurmountWay Sauna Blanket is a great option. Its particularly easy to use, thanks to simple zone controls that let you easily dial in the temperature and duration you desire. Its also designed with important safety features, like an automatic shut-off if it reaches a temperature that exceeds 185F. And then there are the armholes, which leave us free to enjoy our favorite magazine or book while our bodies enjoy the benefits of sweating it out. However, those arm holes release a lot of heat, which means this blanket may use more energy than others. The general aesthetics also do leave something to be desired. The fuschia color might be flashy for some. Price at time of publish: $126 Material: Oxford cloth and PVC | Temperature Range: 77-176F | Settings: 2 heating zones with time settings up to 60 minutes | Dimensions: 70 x 32 inches unfolded Best Extra Large: Heat Healer Infrared Sauna Blanket Buy at Heathealer.com What We Love: This blanket is packed with premium materials and features, including a super roomy design. It also features faraday shielding which makes it not just low, but practically zero EMF. What We Dont Love: The extra room is ideal for taller or larger users, but might be less efficient for more petite users, who will be left with quite a bit of extra space to heat. The Heat Healer is a great infrared sauna blanket with a wide range of features that even some of the top blankets dont have. In terms of materials, it is absolutely top grade. It utilizes the extra durable Aramid, which is the same material used in suits for both firefighters and astronauts. It also features a layer of 96 jade and tourmaline stones to provide the added benefits of crystal therapy, helping to improve both your immune system and circulation according to Shana Ominsky, the Executive Spa Director at the Lake Austin Spa Resort. And since everything is bigger in Texas, Ominsky especially appreciates that the Heat Healer is substantially roomier in both height and width than many other blankets. Its designed to fit a user up to 66 in height and 300 pounds in weight, which can also be a detraction to performance. While its great for taller or wider users or even those who may suffer from claustrophobia the extra space in this blanket means more space to heat, which makes it less efficient for petite frames that dont take up as much space inside the blanket. But dont get us wrong: This is an outstanding blanket, and especially so if you are looking for one that provides extra room. Price at time of publish: $496 Material: Aramid | Temperature Range: 140-176F | Settings: 1 heating zone with time settings up to 60 minutes | Dimensions: 75 inches long unfolded with 69 inch circumference when in use Related:The 9 Best Fitness Gifts for Women, According to Olympian Allyson Felix Best Zero EMF: Hydragun HeatPod Sauna Blanket Buy at Hydragun.com What We Love: While most blankets state they are low-EMF, the HeatPod is certified to be zero EMF. What We Dont Love: Lots of temperature settings also mean lots of options to toggle through. EMF stands for electromagnetic fields, which, in non-marketing speak, is more commonly called radiation. This sounds worse than it is, as most EMF is not harmful; in fact, the light bulbs we use daily emit more EMF than an infrared sauna blanket. But if you prioritize ensuring that you are not exposed to any radiation whatsoever, the Hydragun Heatpod is a great option. It features zero-EMF infrared coils, which are specifically designed to cut EMF emissions to zero. You can rest assured that the only thing that will be radiating is the glow of your skin. Price at time of publish: $549 Material: Polyurethane | Temperature Range: 86-176F | Settings: 2 degree temperature increments with time settings from 5-60 minutes | Dimensions: 71 x 36 inches unfolded Best for Temperature Customization: REVIIV Infrared Sauna Blanket Buy at Buyboxclub.com What We Love: Whereas most blankets offer a range of different temperatures, the Reviiv allows you to select a specific temperature from its full 100 degree range. What We Dont Love: All those options means you could be toggling through setting options for a long time. Its standard for an infrared sauna blanket to allow you to choose the heat setting, but having the flexibility to choose the exact temperature from the full temperature range is the defining feature of the Reviiv blanket. With a temperature range of 77-176F, the Reviiv can heat to almost any temperature, which you can control precisely with 100 different settings. Youll never be left wondering what temperature high, medium, or low are with this blanket. Of course, that also means you could spend a lot of time deciding and finding which setting to use. Price at time of publish: $369 Material: Polyurethane | Temperature Range: 77-176F | Settings: Full temperature control with 100 settings | Dimensions: 71 x 36 inches unfolded Best Splurge: Bon Charge Infrared Sauna Blanket Buy at Us.boncharge.com What We Love: If youre looking for a bit of extra heat, its worth the extra spend for this high-quality blanket, which heats up faster and gets hotter than most of the competition. What We Dont Love: Its expensive and the materials are not that differentiated from other competitors at a lower price. If its hot, hot, heat that youre after, then the Bon Charge is the blanket for you. With construction and quality comparable to other top blankets, the Bon Charge vastly outperforms when it comes to the speed of preheating and the temperatures it is able to achieve up to 176F. Youll be luxuriating in low-EMF comfort and sweat in no time flat. Price at time of publish: $699 Material: Polyurethane leather | Temperature Range: 77-176F | Settings: Fully adjustable temperature with timer settings from 5-60 minutes | Dimensions: 71 x 35.4 inches unfolded Best with Sleeves: Surnuo Sauna Blanket Buy at Amazon.com What We Love: Sleeves with elastic cuffs mean that you can free up your hands during your treatment without losing quite as much heat inside the blanket. What We Dont Love: The PVC materials are not as high-quality as other options. Though our experts all agree that one of the benefits of sauna is letting your mind unplug and drift without distraction, if youre looking to free your hands up during your treatment to read or hold a device, this option from Surno is the way to go. It features sleeves with elastic cuffs that minimize the heat loss, but leave your hands free to wander even though thats what our experts recommend you let your mind do. Price at time of publish: $160 Material: Oxford cloth | Temperature Range: 77-176F | Settings: Time settings up to 60 minutes | Dimensions: 70 x 32 inches unfolded Best Portable: MiHIGH Infrared Sauna Blanket by Gravity Buy at Gravityblankets.com Buy at Amazon.com What We Love: Lighter and more compact than a lot of the competition, this blanket is easy to store and its accompanying carrying case makes for easy travel. What We Dont Love: Its easily portable because its physically smaller in dimension than other blankets, meaning it's not the best option for tall people. For ease of storage and portability, the MiHigh Infrared Sauna Blanket V2 gets higher marks than most of the competition. Its constructed of high quality PU leather, reaches a high temperature of 167F and still manages to fold up into a compact carrying case. However, tall users be warned: The compact qualities of this blanket come mostly from the fact that it is physically smaller than many others. At only 62 inches long, its about eight inches shorter than most blankets, making it a less than optimal choice for taller users. Price at time of publish: $499 Material: Polyurethane leather | Temperature Range: 77-167F | Settings: Adjustable temperature range | Dimensions: 62 inches long unfolded Best for Beginners : Sun Home Saunas Infrared Sauna Blanket Buy at Sunhomesaunas.com What We Love: This blanket opens up to be completely flat, making it a cinch to wipe down quickly after use. What We Dont Love: It opens flat because it uses a velcro closure, which is not as efficient for retaining heat. The trickiest part of cleaning an infrared sauna blanket is making sure you are wiping down corners and creases. Thats why for ease of cleaning, the velcro closure on the SunHome Saunas Infrared Sauna Blanket is a real benefit. With velcro lining one side, the blanket folds over you to fasten on the other side, which also means it can lay completely flat, just like a regular blanket. The blanket has a fully customizable timer, so you can set your sweat session to exactly the length of time you have. However, the velcro closure, while not a deal breaker, does mean that the blanket loses more heat during sessions and is not as energy efficient as some of its zippered cousins. Price at time of publish: $499 Material: Polyurethane | Temperature Range: 95-167F | Settings: Fully-adjustable temperature control with timer | Dimensions: 71 x 36 inches unfolded Related:I Get Hot and Sweaty Easily, but These 8 Things Make Summer (Somewhat) Bearable Best for Tall People: LifePro BioRemedy Infrared Sauna Blanket Buy at Amazon.com What We Love: This blanket offers an extra long, 76-inch version at a very reasonable price. What We Dont Love: While its great for height, it still maintains a standard width, which makes it a less optimal choice for heavier users. If you have a lot of height, but not a lot of budget, the LifePro BioRemedy blanket is the perfect option. One of the few blankets that offers a 76 inch length, the extra wiggle room here will make all the difference for a tall user. There are also zipper closures on both sides of the blanket, so you can unzip and stick your arms out if you get a little too toasty. This blanket features less bells and whistles than higher end models, but it still performs admirably. Price at time of publish: $180 Material: Oxford cloth and polyurethane | Temperature Range: 113-176F | Settings: 2 time settings, 30 or 60 minutes | Dimensions: 76 x 36 inches unfolded Best with Separate Heating Zones: Gizmo Infrared Sauna Blanket Buy at Amazon.com What We Love: While most infrared sauna blankets allow you to control your temperature, few allow you to set the temperature by body zone. What We Dont Love: More zones mean more settings to play with and this blanket only displays temperature in Celsius, adding to the confusion for most users. If you know that you want to keep your feet warmer than your torso, the Gizmo Sauna Blanket is one of the only options that offers three separate heating zones for upper body, mid-torso, and lower body. All of the zones can heat to the same wide range of temperatures and are controlled by the same timer. The blanket also comes in two sizes, with the extra large dimensions exceeding those of almost every other blanket on the market. With a lot of things going for it, this blanket does have one major disadvantage the temperature displays are in Celsius only, which might confuse some users. Price at time of publish: $400 Material: Polyurethane leather | Temperature Range: 86-194F | Settings: 3 zone control | Dimensions: 68 x 75 inches (standard) or 78 x 88 (large) What to Keep in Mind Material Infrared sauna blankets are typically constructed of synthetic materials, like polyurethane, or a blend of vegan and standard leathers. Its important to look for materials that are free of solvents and other toxins, which have the potential to release gas. The best infrared sauna blankets will provide proof that their materials have been independently tested by an accredited lab. These tests demonstrate whether their materials meet FCC standards for radiated emissions, SGS Labs for toxins and international safety standards, says Heat Healer founder, Lauren Dovey. Temperature Range Infrared, according to all of our experts, allows sauna blankets to operate at a lower temperature range while maintaining all of the expected benefits of the sauna experience. That means, according to Ominsky, you should be looking for a minimum temperature of 68F and a maximum of around 158F. Personal trainer and corrective exercise specialist, Samantha Altan reminds us that a traditional sauna reaches temperatures of 150-195F. The lower temperatures offered by infrared sauna is one of the primary appeals. "Infrared sauna blankets can be much more tolerable for those who are sensitive to heat, says Dr. Alexiades. A full-size infrared sauna generally is heated to between 110F and 135F, Altan says. So youll definitely want your blanket to achieve those temperatures as well. Settings All infrared sauna blankets offer temperature settings, but some offer more specificity and customization than others. If you want to know exactly what temperature your blanket is heating to, look for models with more settings. Youll also likely want a model with a built-in timer, as recommended by board certified naturopath, Dr. Lana Butner. She and all our experts caution against the risk of dehydration when utilizing a sauna. Ensuring that your infrared sauna blanket sessions are long enough to allow you to reap the full benefits, but not overdoing it and risking dehydration is crucial. Some models offer multiple heating zones, allowing you to more precisely control the temperature in different areas of the blanket. If, for example, you know youd like your feet to stay cooler than your torso, this might be an appealing feature for you. Size Every body is different, says Dovey, so its important to make sure your individual body dimensions and preferences can be accommodated by the model you are purchasing. "Some people can tend to feel a bit claustrophobic if the blanket is too tight or heavy, warns Ominsky. If that sounds like you, make sure to look for roomier models. Closure Style The best infrared sauna blankets generally utilize either a zip or a velcro closure. Zippers not only provide ease of accessibility, but they trap heat better, making them more energy efficient as well. That said, for those who might experience claustrophobia, a velcro closure may be a better option. A velcro closure would allow them to exit the blanket more quickly than a zipper would, potentially alleviating any anxiety. Velcro closures also allow the blanket to open completely flat, which can make cleaning a bit easier. Your Questions, Answered How do infrared sauna blankets work? Despite the scientific sounding name, the concept behind infrared sauna blankets is pretty simple, according to Dr. Alexiades. Infrared saunas are just a newer spin on the traditional sauna experience, she explains. They focus on the infrared delivery of heat rather than other forms of heat production. Infrared rays heat up the body with less impact on the temperature of the room, but still induce the intense sweating that characterizes a sauna experience. An infrared sauna blanket delivers heat to your body through the air, similar to what you would experience in a cabin, just in a much smaller space. According to Dovey, this is what makes infrared sauna blankets so great. A sauna blanket actually heats up quicker and is more energy efficient and space saving than a traditional cabin, she says. What are the benefits of an infrared sauna blanket? The benefits of infrared sauna mirror and even improve upon those of traditional sauna, according to all of our experts. Dr. Alexiades calls out that sauna has been shown to improve cardiovascular function and lower blood pressure. Ominsky says that many of her clients seek out sauna because it can reduce high blood pressure, increase metabolism and release toxins from the body. Dr. Butner is particularly keen to highlight the detoxifying benefits. She says that internal organs, including the kidney, bowels, lymph nodes and lungs, reap major benefits from infrared therapy. Dr. Alexiades agrees: "On the skin level, sauna use has been reported to not only flush out toxins, but also to remove dead skin cells, purge clogged pores, deliver fresh nutrient supplies to the epidermis, and help reduce the prevalence of stress-related skin breakouts. Altan is a particular fan of sauna for the pain relief and muscle relaxation it can offer after a tough workout. The heat of a sauna helps promote muscle relaxation by reducing muscle tension and eliminating lactic acid and other toxins that may be present, she says. Under the high-heat provided by a sauna, the body releases endorphins which can also help to minimize pain. As the body temperature rises in the heat of the sauna, blood vessels dilate allowing for increased blood circulation, which in turn speeds the bodys natural healing process. Beyond the health benefits, the most obvious benefit of an infrared sauna blanket is that it allows you to sweat it out in your own home. And some, like Ominsky, even would argue that the blanket experience is, in some ways, an enhancement on the relaxation of traditional sauna rooms. One of the best attributes of the blankets, Ominsky says, is that when you are lying down it allows the blood to circulate and that contributes to a deeper relaxation while receiving all the benefits. How do you clean an infrared sauna blanket? Cleaning an infrared sauna blanket is simpler than you'd probably think. Just wipe it down with a paper towel after a sweat session and then follow that up by using a non-toxic disinfectant wipe or spray. Ominsky uses Citrus II, which is a gentle citrus spray that will kill any bacteria. Before packing it up and stashing it away, Altan says you should first make sure that the blanket has dried completely, especially in the tight corners, otherwise you could end up with mold. Placing an additional cotton blanket inside will also reduce clean up time by helping to absorb your sweat. What should I wear under an infrared sauna blanket? You should fully cover your body with all-natural materials while using an infrared sauna blanket. Long-sleeves, pants, and socks are all recommended for two reasons. First, it will help protect both your skin and the blanket itself by avoiding any direct contact. Second, the layer of fabric will help to absorb excess sweat, making clean up easier. How often can you use an infrared sauna blanket? Our experts all agree that it is safe for most people to use an infrared sauna blanket daily, as long as you are properly hydrating before and after your sessions. Dovey offers that consistency of use is key for seeing the full benefits. We would suggest three to four times per week for 30 to 60 minutes for at least six weeks, she says. 15 minutes helps to relax you and provide muscle relief, whereas 30 to 60 minutes works to get a good sweat on, increase circulation, burn calories and improve cardiovascular function. For athletes or anyone looking to maximize their recovery, Altan recommends using an infrared sauna blanket one to two times per week in order to see the most impact. However, pregnant women should avoid both sauna blankets as well as traditional saunas for the duration of their pregnancy. Additionally, anyone with a medical condition should pay particular attention to their usage, says Dr. Butner. She creates specific schedules and programs for patients who have PMS/PCOS or Lyme Disease. If you have a medical condition, it is best to consult your physician to determine the frequency of use that is right for you. Why Shop with Us Peter Tittiger is a contributing writer at InStyle as well as Byrdie. He has over ten years of experience researching and producing content programs for top luxury and lifestyle brands including TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, Lexus, and Best Made Co. While writing this article he consulted board certified dermatologist Dr. Macrene Alexiades, board certified naturopath Dr. Lana Butner, Shana Ominsky, Executive Director of the top-rated Lake Austin Spa Resort, personal trainer Samantha Altan, and Lauren Dovey, the founder of Heat Healer. Related:The 13 Best Bath Products of 2023 for the Most Relaxing, Rejuvenating Soak For more InStyle news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on InStyle. For the Apparel Impact Institute (Aii), everything boils down to numbers. Certainly, the multistakeholder organization, whose tentpole initiative, Clean by Design, has transitioned hundreds of mills in countries worldwide to greener, more efficient practices, cannot function without them. Its data, after all, that underpins the Sustainable Apparel Coalition spinoffs ability to identify, fund and scale projects that reduce the fashion industrys prodigious impact. And its data that demonstrates whether its efforts are headed with sufficient speed in the right direction. More from Sourcing Journal On Monday, Aiis latest impact report summed up 2022 with some new figures. Over the past year, 380 facilities serving nearly 30 brands completed one of the San Francisco-based groups programs, whether Clean by Design, its carbon tech benchmarking assessment or its carbon target setting. (Another 220 facilities were actively participating in at least one of these.) Together, graduates of its initiatives staved off 56,346 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to taking 12,127 cars off the road. They also saved enough water to fill 714 Olympic-sized swimming pools and as much energy as would keep 3,504 washing machines chugging for a year. Also expanding in 2022 was Aiis reach, which increased from 19 regions worldwide to 28. Today, it covers a wide swath of the planet, including Bangladesh, mainland China, Guatemala, Egypt, India, Mexico, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Turkey and Vietnam, all of which required localized tweaks to activate the organizations solutions. Weve always kind of known that it cant be top-down; it almost has to be bringing the right resources to a region and letting them make them uniquely their own to solve for the problems, said Aii president Lewis Perkins. Because their problems are also slightly different. Story continues Overall, factories made more than $8 million in investments, reaping $4.8 million in savings in return. To put it another way, the average facility shelled out more than $501,000 to recoup nearly $300,000. To be sure, decarbonization doesnt come cheap, particularly at the outset. According to Aiis research, it will cost the fashion industry $1 trillion to fully decarbonize its supply chain by 2030. In June, the organization announced the launch of the Fashion Climate Fund, a $250 million collaborative that is rallying funds from donors such as H&M Group, the H&M Foundation, Lululemon, PVH Corp., Target and The Schmidt Family Foundation to unlock $2 billion in blended capital to help the sector meet its goal of halving carbon emissions by 2030. As 2023 kicked into gear, Aii opened its inaugural call for submissions for the Climate Solutions Portfolio, which will dole out grants from the fund. Things are only going to ramp up now that the stage is set for industry engagement and collective action, Perkins said. Now comes the bridging of the gap between aspiration and execution, something that watchdog groups, from Stand.earth to the NewClimate Institute, say is stymying measurable progress. Aii and the World Resources Institute (WRI) estimate that the apparel industry generated 1 gigaton of CO equivalent in 2019, or roughly 2 percent of that years global greenhouse gas emissions. The story of Aii, and the industry as a whole, is that 2022 was a big increase year in programmatic engagement, adoption and resourcing, Perkins said. From my perspective, the big story is theres growth happening and actual climate action within Scope 3 of the supply chain. Its Scope 3, where a brand or retailers indirect operations reside, after all, where as much as 90 percent of a supply chains emissions are generated. One point of pride is that the organization managed to expand its program coverage from two carbon-reduction interventions, as identified by Aii and WRI in their 2021 Roadmap to Net Zero report, to five, meaning that its tackling not only energy efficiency and energy but also maximizing material efficiency, scaling sustainable materials and practices, and eliminating coal in manufacturing. Historically, Aii has homed in on low-hanging fruit to whet the appetite of users involved, said Kurt Kipka, its chief impact officer. Over time, however, it has seen manufacturers shift those efforts from an almost purely cost-savings standpoint to a more strategic path, which paved the way for other opportunities. The groundwork that we laid with a couple of interventions that we started with really did pay dividends for us as we look to expand that work, both with manufacturers and brands that weve worked with historically, but also new brands and manufacturers who are just getting started, [while] recognizing that everyone is coming at this challenge from a different perspective but can also benefit from aligned language consistent tools and resources, he said. But make no mistake, cost-effectiveness is still a key consideration for its initiatives, which ring up to $17 per metric ton of CO equivalent reduced compared with an average of $67 per metric ton for alternative, external decarbonization strategies such as solar thermal and offshore wind. I dont think thats the only metric that you can look at when youre thinking about a solution, said Ryan Gaines, Aiis chief financial officer. But as we get into reviewing those other solutions that are out there, its an important benchmark to think about which ones are going to be the most cost-effective and at least to implement first. I think eventually you have to go deeper and deeper into the hard-to-reach and more expensive-to-reach carbon, but at least it helps us to start to prioritize with the limited funding that is available today. As 2023 barrels forward, Aii is in build mode around the financial unlock that it hopes the Fashion Climate Fund will accelerate. And so bringing more partners not just from the philanthropic or the brand engagement, but also the banks that were talking to and the other financial institutions that will participate in a lot of the loan models that we hoped to create, Perkins said. For us, its about building out that level of resource where were really starting to look at that sort of pre-seed pilot model scale approach that weve been pitching through our programs all along. For Kipka, this is the year Aii will be diversifying its projects and partners through the Climate Solutions Portfolio. So far, it has received more than 100 applications, which an advisory council comprising experts such as environmental scientist Linda Greer, Textile Exchange Climate+ director Beth Jensen and Lululemon director of product sustainability and environment Crispin Wong is reviewing. I have a lot of hope, as Im reaching the end of that review process that weve landed on a really strong subset of the applications, he said. But theres still so much room for growth, and if anything keeps me up at night, its that we might just miss something that might slip through the cracks. But those are the types of things that our advisory council is going to continue to dig into revisiting those criteria, making them more focused, and even framing our ask more succinctly based on key categories of filling that innovation gap. Click here to read the full article. An ancient Roman physician was found buried with his medical equipment in Hungary, prompting archaeologists to question what urgent matter might have brought him to the far-flung region. The tomb, which had been untouched for about 2,000 years, was discovered near Jaszbereny, about 50 miles from Budapest, according to an April 25 news release from Eotvos Lorand University. The skeletal remains of the doctor, which include an intact skull and leg bones, were found alongside wooden chests containing a complete set of medical tools, researchers said. The physicians skeletal remains on display Physicians skull on display The equipment was of extremely high quality and included pliers, needles and scalpels outfitted with replaceable blades, researchers said. A grinding stone, which could have been used to mix medicines, was also uncovered. Only one other comprehensive collection of similar ancient Roman medical equipment has ever been found (in Pompeii), making the discovery extremely rare, researchers said. Medical tools recovered from the tomb Four of the tools discovered inside the Hungarian tomb Close-up of one of the tools What exactly brought the well-equipped physician to Hungary, which was incorporated into the Roman Empire around the time of his travels, is unclear. The prevailing narrative is that he likely received his training at an imperial center and made the trek to Hungary to provide medical care for someone. Whatever brought him to the region must have been an extraordinary event, researchers said. Physicians in Rome formed guilds and were composed of slaves and freedmen, according to a study published in the Dutch journal Dan Medicinhist Arbog. The education of individual physicians differed remarkably, and Romans were generally wary of them. Google Translate was used to translate a press release from Eotvos Lorand University. Someone buried treasure 2,000 years ago and never returned. A hiker just found it Prehistoric predators last meal reveals an undiscovered ancient species, study says Watch as super rare sea creature gives diver the shock of a lifetime in Malaysia The model was named Rookie of the Year in 2010 and was last featured in the magazine in 17. Chrissy Teigen was photographed by James Macari in Sumba Island. James Macari/Sports Illustrated After being photographed by Walter Iooss Jr. in the Maldives, Chrissy Teigen was named SI Swimsuits Rookie of the Year in 2010. Since then, she has been featured in a total of eight magazine issues. While Teigen has traveled to the Philippines, Cook Islands, the Bahamas, Indonesia and more, one thing all of her photo shoots with the franchise have had in common is the level of comfort shes felt in front of the lens. Its not hard being naked in front of this group of people, because everyone is so, first of all, warm and welcoming about like a curvy body and a beautiful silhouette, so thats different, Teigen admitted on the set of her sophomore photo shoot with the brand in the Philippines. They appreciate it when you have that arch and when theres some feminine qualities and when you have boobs so its different. Everyones really reassuring of the female, feminine body here so its really nice. In addition to her work as a model, Teigen is a lifestyle entrepreneur and a mom. Her brand, Cravings by Chrissy Teigen, offers recipes, cookware and a trio of best-selling cookbooks. She and her husband, R&B star John Legend, are parents to three children. They welcomed their youngest child, a daughter named Esti, at the beginning of this year, and are also mom and dad to daughter Luna and son Miles. Teigen, one of the magazines three 50th anniversary cover stars, famously returned to SI Swimsuit mere months after giving birth to Luna for the 2017 issue. She posed for photographer James Macari in Sumba Island, Indonesia. This is my first body shoot since Luna, Teigen said at the time. I think theres just something about this crew and something about MJ [Day, SI Swimsuit editor in chief] that makes you feel so beautiful and so special. Make sure to follow SI Swimsuit on YouTube! MILAN Complete your home in true European style, in one stop. Italys leading high-end design, furniture and lighting company Design Holding is gearing up to unfurl a new store concept to complete the home, targeting first- and second-tier cities in the U.S. and Asia. More from WWD Founded in November 2018, Design Holding comprises leading brands B&B Italia, Flos, Menu, By Lassen, Lumens, Louis Poulsen, Arclinea, Maxalto, Azucena and Fendi Casa through a joint venture with the Roman fashion house. It has a presence in more than 130 countries. Under the new concept, Design Holdings brands will dialogue with each other in one open space, unlike a showroom concept where brands and their products are isolated from each other. In the U.S., Design Holdings expansion of its brands provides American consumers, decorators and designers the chance to better explore the companys high-end brands in a market that is dominated by mid- to accessible luxury players like Williams-Sonoma Inc. and Restoration Hardware. The experience that comes with physical stores offers a curated environment which is unique and can inspire customers and our architecture and design community, the company said. Its chief executive officer Daniel Lalonde has said the firms goal is to become the LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton of the design industry. There are a slew of directly operated store openings to come in 2023 in markets that are increasingly important to its industry, particularly in North America and Asia Pacific. In the U.S., a retail hub on Manhattans Madison Avenue is expected to span 18,360 square feet and will feature B&B Italia, Maxalto, Azucena, Flos and Louis Poulsen products. A new B&B Italia Design Studio in Miami will span 16,200 square feet and will include top brands B&B Italia, Maxalto, Azucena, Flos, Louis Poulsen and Arclinea. New store openings in Washington, D.C., and Boston will feature B&B Italia, Maxalto and Arclinea. Story continues In the 12 months ended Dec. 31, revenues rose by 25.8 percent to 867.6 million euros, compared with 2021, boosted by business in the U.S. and Asia Pacific, as well as its high-end contract business. Lalonde told WWD that the company is on track to hit 1 billion euros in sales in the near term. An Arclinea kitchen. Courtesy of Design Holding The Boston store will be finalized by May in place of Montage, which for decades has been regarded by Boston residents as a reference for European style, with its selection of contemporary design pieces. Located on 75 Arlington Street, the B&B Italia and Maxalto Store is located in the heart of the Back Bay shopping district and spread over two floors, covering almost 13,000 square feet. The store will showcase B&B Italia, Maxalto and Arclinea together. The latter will be ready by fall 2023. Other B&B Italia openings are planned in Washington in the Georgetown district on 3330 M Street NW, a neighborhood characterized by its brick town homes, boutiques and restaurants. This new location will span 11,880 square feet and will feature monobrand spaces dedicated to B&B Italia, Maxalto and Arclinea. The opening is slated for June. Across the board, interior brands are focusing on smaller cities, since the pandemic prompted consumers of luxury goods to search for larger houses and more outdoor space in areas outside the traditional metropolises. According to a 2023 Wealthiest Cities report by residency and passport consultancy Henley & Partners, second-tier cities are only getting richer, thus creating demand for high-end furnishings and European standards in less saturated markets. In terms of the fastest growing millionaire populations, the San Francisco Bay Area, for example, with 285,000 high-net-worth individuals with a total of 63 billionaires, ranks number three of worldwide cities with the deepest pockets. By comparison, New York City ranks number one with 340,000 HNWIs and 58 billionaires. Los Angeles ranked sixth, Chicago 11th, Houston 15th, Shenzhen in China 24th, Boston 26th and Miami 28th. According to Henley & Partners, in 2022, the number of Bostons high-net-worth individuals rose 50 percent year-on-year. To accommodate the inflow of techies and pharma giants, the New England city is also in the throes of massive residential housing expansion with new districts like the Seaport and towers popping up in the newly revived area in and around the Zakim Bridge. The Boston Seaport In tandem with its development plans, Design Holding has been working on the expansion of innovative products and potential future icons such as the Dambo sofa by Piero Lissoni and Tortello sofa by Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby for B&B Italia; the Ceramique table lamp by R. Bouroullec; the Black Flag lamp by Konstantin Grcic for Flos, and the Thea kitchen by Antonio Citterio for Arclinea. Louis Poulsen and Fendi Casa came together to debut an exclusive collaboration during Milan Design Week and the collection is composed of five Louis Poulsen icons designed by Poul Henningsen that are reimagined to subtly reflect Fendis distinctive code. New collaborations have also taken place across the fashion industry, such as the Stella McCartney x B&B Italia three-piece capsule that launched at Art Basel in December 2022, marking the British eco-conscious designers first-ever interiors collaboration. Lalonde recently explained to WWD that consumers of luxury fashion and accessories are the same ones that understand the artisanal, enduring quality and history behind Design Holdings galaxy of brands and products. What we share with luxury brands is the same customer. He or she has the same Birkin bag, a Tank watch [Cartier], Jimmy Choo shoes, a Camaleonda sofa from B&B Italia and an Artichoke and Arco lamp from Louis Poulsen and Flos, contended Lalonde. Best of WWD Click here to read the full article. The broadcaster responsible for bringing "Sesame Street," "Downton Abbey" and the "OETA Movie Club" into homes across the state is in danger of being shut down by Gov. Kevin Stitt. Voicing concerns about the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority's long-term value to the state, the governor vetoed legislation Wednesday intended to renew OETA's authorization for another three years. OETA's legal mandate to be Oklahoma's public broadcaster will expire on July 1 without legislative intervention. Both the House and Senate would have to override the veto. "Although the OETA may have played a principal role in the provision of educational television services at one time, today the OETAs long-term, strategic value is at best unclear, if not outright imagined," Stitt wrote in his veto message. The type of legislation Stitt vetoed is usually unremarkable. Dozens of state entities need reauthorization, and sunset bills are among the least controversial at the state Capitol. But with the stroke of his veto pen, Stitt put the future of the state's public broadcaster at risk. Gov. Kevin Stitt has vetoed the reauthorization for OETA, Oklahoma's public broadcaster. He questioned OETA's long-term, strategic value. 'It'll be a real tragedy if we lose the service' Robert Spinks, an OETA supporter who is a founding member of the Friends of OETA nonprofit board, said the governor's action is not in the state's best interest. "I think it's really unfortunate that an entity in the state of Oklahoma that serves every Oklahoman with equal concern and equal interest has become a pawn in politics," said Spinks. "While the governor may have his reasons for what he did, I don't believe that action is in the best interest of the state of Oklahoma." Spinks highlighted OETA's 67-year history with programming for education, public safety and civic leadership. "There are many examples through the years, and even recently, of the kind of service that educational television, through OETA, provides for the citizens of Oklahoma," Spinks said. "It'll be a real tragedy if we lose the service that public broadcasting provides." Story continues More: Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoes funds for Arts Council, OETA, Emergency Management stimulus projects What happens to OETA if the veto is not overridden? If an entity's sunset legislation isn't adopted before the expiration date, state law allows it to operate for one additional year. Any funds left over would be set to the state's general revenue fund, and assets would be transferred to the Oklahoma Management and Enterprise Services agency. The governor's veto came on the same day he vetoed 20 Senate bills as retaliation for the Senate rejecting his tax and education plans. However there was no clear connection between those vetoes and his decision on terminating OETA. House Speaker Charles McCall said Thursday that his chamber eventually will look at overriding the veto but said passing the governor's tax and education plans are his priority. "We have all kinds of time to talk about veto overrides, and we don't have as much time to get something done on education," McCall said. This isn't the first time the governor questioned OETA's long-term vision. During a special legislative session in October, Stitt vetoed an $8.2 million appropriation to OETA for infrastructure upgrades to maintain and enhance datacasting and statewide emergency alert communications. It's also not the first time that OETA's mere existence has been threatened. A decade ago, conservative lawmakers tried and failed to let OETA's authorization lapse. OETA's impact on the arts OKC sculptor Joe Slack grew up watching "Gallery America," OETA's long-running, Emmy Award-winning series spotlighting the visual and performing arts in Oklahoma and across the nation. "Gallery America," which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2021, is billed as the only broadcast television program in Oklahoma dedicated to shining a spotlight on the arts from this state. The show is produced locally by OETA and broadcast across the state, with individual Oklahoma artist stories shared with other PBS member stations nationwide. In 2020, "Gallery America" dedicated a full episode to Slack and his work. "I actually had a meeting with a client yesterday. I'm doing a gig for a building in Midtown, and it was because of her seeing that episode and then going to see the piece that she commissioned me to do this piece three years later," Slack said of his 2020 "Gallery America" episode. "Potentially, people that have never been exposed to your work or seen it or might never see it could end up being interested and pursue buying a piece." Contributing: Staff writer Brandy McDonnell This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoes OETA extension, putting broadcast in jeopardy The gaze certainly hasnt left Rana Plaza, as the disaster marked its 10-year anniversary earlier this week, given its importance in establishing binding workplace safety agreements. As of Thursday, new signatories such as Hugo Boss joined more than 35 brands in endorsing the Pakistan Accord. The Pakistan Accord trails the pathfinding work set forth by the Bangladesh Accord (its renewed form being the International Accord). This includes features like independent inspections, remediation, training programs and fire safety. More from WWD In a statement, Yves Muller, chief financial officer and chief operating officer of Hugo Boss AG, underscored that the company is committed to respecting human rights and safe working standards along our entire value chain and apply this throughout our organization. In January, brands such as Bestseller, C&A, H&M, Inditex, Otto Group, and PVH Corp. led the charge (all of whom are on the board of the International Accord) in jointly endorsing the Pakistan Accord. We are seeing this wave of regulation that started with Rana Plaza and started with the accord, said Elizabeth Cline, policy director at nonprofit Remake, in a separate Thursday webinar held by Fashion Revolution. The policy we are seeing today is the legacy of that travesty. Be it worker-led movements under nonprofits such as Remake, Fashion Revolution or the Clean Clothes Campaign, Cline said there has been an evolution and sophistication of transnational organizing, including the aforementioned accords as well as Stateside legislation like the Garment Worker Protection Act (which passed in California in 2021), Fashion Act and Fabric Act. Though there is a global social movement underway, in Clines words, since Rana Plaza to steer fashion in a sustainable direction, there is equally a movement of faster fashion fueling consumption. Story continues Weve seen far faster fashion Boohoo, Shein making the fast fashion of Rana Plaza look slow, stressed Grace Forrest, cofounder of the Walk Free anti-slavery organization, who also joined the webinar. Roland Geyer, author of The Business of Less and professor at UC Santa Barbara, explained the consumer pitfalls: Everyone feels a little bit disappointed about this project [of green consumerism]. Households increasingly feel they cant make those good decisions, though they are getting more environmentally literate. He called for more transparency, with the help of governments, to enable better communication. Its still not enough to walk into a store and look at the information thats available on labels and elsewhere. Theres just no supply chain transparency or useful information. Best of WWD Click here to read the full article. Ukraine, Italy may jointly produce components for air defense systems, says PM Shmyhal 27 April, 11:25 AM Denys Shmyhal (Photo:REUTERS/Remo Casilli) Ukraine and Italy plan to expand their partnership and jointly produce components for air defense systems, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal wrote on Facebook on April 26. Were expanding the horizons of cooperation between Ukraine and Italy in the military-industrial complex, he said. Were considering the possibility of joint production of components of these systems. Were working on having more such operational air defense systems. They will create a reliable shield around our strategic infrastructure facilities. Video of day Shmyhal paid an official visit to Rome on April 26 to attend a bilateral conference on Ukraines post-war reconstruction and to meet with his Italian colleague, Giorgia Meloni, and Italian President, Sergio Mattarella. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News The Met Gala occurs once a year on the first Monday in May. Its fashions most anticipated event, when our favorite celebrities and style icons grace the red carpet wearing beautiful decadent and amazing costumes. Some of the most iconic looks have changed the face of fashion as we know it bringing trends to us directly from the event. TBH, there are so many amazing outfits that we had to use the cosmos break them down to find the most perfect looks for each of the zodiac signs. Aries Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination Costume Institute Gala - Arrivals Neilson Barnard/Getty Images Zendaya in Versace at the Met Gala 2018 As the warrior of the zodiac, Aries are known to be brave, feisty, and daring with both their actions and personal style. At the Met Gala 2018, Zendayas sparking silver gown by Versace, which was crafted to channel and match the energy of the saintly Joan of Arc for the "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination" theme, exuded passion and bravado. Both Joan of Arc and Aries adhere to a fiery state of rambunctious energy, making them the defiant fighters and advocates of those in need and world-at-large. Taurus The 2019 Met Gala Celebrating Camp: Notes on Fashion - Arrivals Neilson Barnard/Getty Images Dakota Johnson in Gucci, 2019 Most of the time, the Bull wears their hearts on their sleeves and always on their chests which is why this bright pink iridescent gown by Gucci for the 2019 "Camp: Notes on Fashion" theme resonates with the vibe of the tender and amorous earth sign who indulges in the finer things in life. Also, pink is the signature color of Taurus, making it their ideal look even with the bloody heart in its center (thats an excellent reminder of their lustful nature). Gemini Met Gala Red Carpet 2021 WWD/Getty Images Chloe x Halle Bailey in Rodarte, 2021 Even though they arent twins like the infamous sign Gemini, these siblings proved to be a dynamic duo at the 2021 Met Gala which celebrated In America: A Lexicon of Fashion. By wearing juxtaposing colors, styles, and fabrics in pink and white, they totally embrace the opposing energy of the celestial twins whose differences unified them and show some sisterly love. Chloe and Halley Bailey proved that siblings can rock the red carpet together especially when wearing Rodarte and proclaiming sisterly love. Story continues Cancer "American Woman: Fashioning A National Identity" Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Arrivals Kevin Mazur Doutzen Kroes in Zan Posen, 2010 The zodiac sign Cancer is known for having strong emotions, which means that they live in a cocoon to protect themselves. Since clothing is a shield or defense against negative energy, theyll opt for a dress that brings out all the good in their life. The Cinderella-eque gown by Zac Posen for the American Woman: Fashioning A National Identity theme had all the sublime and dreamy features that bring Cancer their fairy-tale aesthetic without worrying about their carriage turning into a pumpkin at midnight. Leo "China: Through The Looking Glass" Costume Institute Benefit Gala - Arrivals Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images Rihanna in Guo Pei, 2015 This legendary look for China: Through the Looking Glass could only be worn by Riri because like most Leos, she exudes confidence in all she does. The vibrant yellow color warms the heart of the lion, since the sun-kissed hue radiates heat and passion two adjectives that describe Leo. No one can make a bold fashion statement like Riri, who leveled up her fashion game by wearing a dress fit for a Queen making regal Leo proud. Virgo "Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology" Costume Institute Gala - Arrivals Larry Busacca/Getty Images Beyonce in Givenchy, 2016 Only a Virgo like Beyonce can perfect the elegant, chic, and sophisticated look that the earth sign is known for. Virgos prefer tasteful designs that they can wear with ease which have cool and unique detailing like the flowers and bedazzlement on Beyonces gorgeous 2016 Met Gala dress for the "Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology" theme. The flawless look was put together with toned down makeup and simple hair all of which harmoniously blended with this amazing nude latex Givenchy dress. Libra The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" - Arrivals Mike Coppola/Getty Images Evan Mock in Head of State, 2022 Libras prefer to wear soft colors that speak to their Venusian sentiments. In 2022, Evan Mock wore a beautiful buttery yellow suit by the fashion label Head of State for In America: An Anthology of Fashion. His look was playful, sophisticated, and stylish. Lovelorn and stylish Libra can appreciate the romantic design from the ruffle collar and corset in the pastel hue. Evan Mock looked like a knight ready to sweep us off our feet which he did. Scorpio "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between" Costume Institute Gala - Arrivals Rabbani and Solimene Photography/Getty Images Katy Perry in John Galliano, 2017 Leave it to a Scorpio to come in hot to the Met Gala. Not only is Katy Perry a Scorpio IRL, but her dress personified the fervor and excitement of the intense and transcendent water sign. The crimson red Maison Margiela by John Galliano dress for the Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art of the In-Between theme turned up the heat and heads, allowing the world to see how radiant and powerful one look could be. This dress had a feverish energy like every hot blooded Scorpio. Sagittarius "Charles James: Beyond Fashion" Costume Institute Gala - Arrivals Kevin Mazur Lupita Nyongo in Prada, 2014 Sagittarians are known for their bold sense of style that defies convention. The fashion-forward zodiac sign relishes looks that are one-of-a-kind, with a humorous and adventurous spirit. Fitting the Charles James: Beyond Fashion theme, Lupita Nyongos 2014 dress had its own distinctive charm and style that made it exciting, unique, and audacious enough for adventurous Sagittarius the dress even sparkled and shined on its own, which is why the blunt and energetic fire sign would love to wear it. Capricorn "China: Through The Looking Glass" Costume Institute Benefit Gala - Arrivals Larry Busacca/Getty Images Selena Gomez in Vera Wang, 2015 Although Capricorns usually wear elegant and conservative looks to events that arent very youthful more often than not, theyre looking for a modern twist on a classic fit that transcends time and Met Gala themes. Selena Gomezs white Vera Wang dress from the 2015 China: Through The Looking Glass Met Gala was dignified and sophisticated, as well as cheeky and coquettish the way the sea-goat desires to appear and appeal to others (when theyre not acting too bossy). Aquarius The 2021 Met Gala Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion - Arrivals Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images Dan Levy in Loewe, 2021 Aquarians always speak their minds and seldom remain quiet on matters that are close to their heart, which is why theyre known to be political activists like the way Dan Levy dressed at the 2021 Met Gala for In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion. His fit was inspired by artist and AIDS activist David Wojnarowicz. The look focused on the hate thrown at the LGBTQ during the AIDS crisis also reminding us that there is more work to be done. Pisces The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" - Red Carpet Kevin Mazur/MG22/Getty Images Olivia Rodrigo in Versace, 2022 Every Pisces (like Olivia Rodrigo herself) are drawn to glamor, magic, and art. When the three combine theyre able to create an object of beauty in this case it manifests into the amazing lavender Versace dress Olivia Rodrigo wore at the 2022 Met Gala. The sparky cowl neck dress with sheer opera gloves was styled with butterfly clips in her hair and gave a Pisces approved nostalgic nod to the early aughts for In America: An Anthology of Fashion. Want more like this from Teen Vogue? Check these stories out: Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue Maryland crab cakes with gochujang vinaigrette was on the menu. Courtesy of White House Photo Office First Lady Jill Biden and the White House tapped Chef Edward Lee of Louisville to help craft a three-course menu for this week's State Dinner in honor of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Mrs. Kim Keon Hee. Lee, a renowned Korean American chef, blends recipes and traditions from his Korean family with those he's learned working and living in New York and now Kentucky. "Chef Lee creates meals that are both familiar and surprising, a fusion of different worlds that finds a perfect balance," Dr. Biden said earlier this week during a preview for the State Dinner. "We're honored to have his incredible talent alongside our White House chefs." Lee worked with White House Executive Chef Cris Comerford and White House Executive Pastry Chef Susie Morrison for the one-of-a-kind menu and the second State Visit of the Biden-Harris Administration. The official menu featured many wonderfully creative dishes, including several Southern favorites: The first course was a Maryland crab cake with cabbage, kohlrabi, fennel, and cucumber slaw. That was dressed in a gochujang vinaigrette. The main course was braised beef short ribs with butter bean grits, sorghum-glazed carrots, and pine nuts. Courtesy of White House Photo Office For dessert, dinner attendees were served a banana split made with lemon bar ice cream, fresh berries, mint ginger snap cookie crumble, and doenjang caramel. "It's a high-stakes dinner, probably the biggest thing that I've done in my career, because it's not just VIPs, it's minutes, there's diplomacy involved here," Lee said, according to Louisville Public Media. For Lee, the State Dinner was a wonderful opportunity to show off his singular culinary style while highlighting the 70-year partnership between South Korea and the United States. "It's really because of that alliance, after the Korean War, where my parents immigrated to America and, and I have this life and all these opportunities and, you know, my identity," Lee said. Story continues He added, "Food is about people, it's about culture, it's about love," Lee said. "I am part Korean, and I am part New York and I am part Kentucky and I am part of all these things." The former Top Chef contestant spoke with Southern Living on the Biscuits & Jam podcast last year about his roots and style of cooking, and how it's so closely connected to his family: "So my grandmother sort of stayed at home and cooked, and that's all she knew was Korean food. Everything was made from scratch cause it's a lot cheaper. We had jars of things all over the house. You know, now it would look real trendy and stuff. But back then it was like weird things, funky things fermenting in jars all over the house," he said in the interview. Lee currently has two restaurants, one in Louisville (610 Magnolia) and one outside Washington D.C. (Succotash Prime). His newest one, a Korean steakhouse called Nami, is scheduled to open in Louisville May 2. Lee wasn't the only Southern star in attendance at the dinner. Joanna and Chip Gaines also made the trip to D.C. Gaines wrote, "What an honor it was to be a part of tonights State Dinner to celebrate the 70 year alliance between the United States of America and my mother's home country of South Korea. Coming off the heels of our incredible trip to Seoul, this evening was another reminder of just how proud I am to be a Korean American." For more Southern Living news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Southern Living. Nelson Michelangeli cooks beef for a Venezuelan dish at Alchemy Kitchen while his wife, Nahyla watches. Oct. 02, 2019 For the first time, aspiring food truck owners will be able to get their permits all at once and downtown Louisvillians will benefit, too. Several city agencies have teamed up to launch a pop-up Food Truck Clinic, offering a one-stop shop where food vendors can get the green light from the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness, Louisville Division of Fire and Jefferson County Fire Service, and Alcoholic Beverage Control to legally sell food and drinks to the public. Every Thursday between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., from now until Oct. 19, food trucks and other mobile vendors can stop by the alley at Armory Place behind the Metro Development Center at 444 S. 5th St. to get their permits to operate. Some of our citys favorite local restaurants started as food trucks, Mayor Craig Greenberg said in a release. Food trucks add diversity, help connect neighborhoods and attribute economic vibrancy to our community as a foodie city. We want to support them by making the permitting process as easy and streamlined as we can. The idea for the clinic came from ABC Director Brad Silveria, who said the clinic cuts "the red tape out of the process." The first Food Truck Clinic program launched Thursday, offering a one-stop shop for Louisville food vendors to get permits needed to operate. You may like: NuLu's Hotel Genevieve lands James Beard Award-nominated chef, releases restaurant details "Imagine how hard it is to get one government department together," Silveria said. "We all three came together and said we need to do this. It's like the stars aligned properly to make sure this red tape would be cut." There's also an amnesty period included for the food truckers, waiving the Jefferson County permit fees for the duration of the program. Kentucky state permit fees will still apply. Opening a food truck is often the first step food and beverage purveyors take to opening a restaurant. Troy King, president of the Louisville Food Truck Association, said he often has to educate first-time mobile food vendors on the permitting process required to open. Story continues More than 200 food trucks operate in Jefferson County. Now, King said, new trucks will be able to "come out of the woodwork" and open for business. King said this kind of program is particularly helpful for immigrants looking to get into the food business. On Thursday when the program launched, the Venezuelan truck Alchemy and the Columbian coffee truck Con Aji y Cafe were in attendance. The first Food Truck Clinic program launched Thursday, offering a one-stop shop for Louisville food vendors to get permits needed to operate. You may like: Worth the drive: Big Kahuna serves up tasty twists on Hawaiian barbecue "That diversity is what every city needs," King said. "The food truck scene here is exploding. We are getting new members every week for the Food Truck Association. It's my goal to make it accessible for everyone and make it so it's easy for you to get into this business." Vendors who would like to stop by the Food Truck Clinic must register here. To learn more about food trucks and mobile vending permits, visit Louisvilles Food Truck and Mobile Vending Permit website. Reach food reporter Dahlia Ghabour at dghabour@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville's Food Truck Clinic could mean tons of new food trucks MIG-31 fire crash Details remain limited at this time, but a Russian MiG-31 Foxhound interceptor crashed in the countrys northern Murmansk region earlier today after suffering an engine fire. The two crewmen were successfully able to eject before the plane crashed, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD). Citing a statement provided by the Russian MoD, the TASS news agency reported that the MiG-31 in question was performing a planned training flight when the accident occurred. Onlookers captured footage of the aircraft as it fell from the sky on fire, which can be seen below. Notably, the aircraft appears to have been flying horizontally while its tail section was on fire, then it appears it lost control and went careening into the ground. https://twitter.com/Capt_Navy/status/1651239507843244038?s=20 https://twitter.com/qretaxyeta/status/1651243430855450628?s=20 The Russian MoD also stressed, as TASS reported, that "both pilots were catapulted. The pilots were quickly evacuated by the helicopter of the search and rescue service, and their lives and health are not in danger." Quoting Russian law enforcement in an earlier report, TASS reported that the MiG-31 ended up crashing into a lake due to one of its engines catching fire. It is unclear at present what exactly caused the engine to catch fire. The outlet also reported in the same article that the crash occurred some ten kilometers (just over six miles) from the city of Monchegorsk near the island of Rizh-Guba. Which unit the MiG-31 belonged to remains unclear at present, but its possible that it was from the 98th Independent Composite Aviation Regiment (OSAP) in Monchegorsk. This would align with TASSs reporting, given the outlet's indication that the crash took place very near the city of Monchegorsk. MiG-31BM take-off on full afterburner, 2020. Andrei Shmatko via Wikimedia Commons The MiG-31, which evolved from the MiG-25 Foxbat, first flew in 1975 and entered Soviet service in 1981. These long-range, fast aircraft are principally used as interceptors by both Russia and Kazakhstan, and are capable of carrying long-range air-to-air missiles. A small number of MiG-31s have been adapted to fire the Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missile. As we have noted in the past, the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) and the Russian Navy operate between 110 and 120 MiG-31 interceptors between them. Story continues MiG-31s have had their share of high-profile incidents in the past including one belonging to the Kazakh Air Defense Forces which crashed due to an engine fire specifically. Moreover, they continue to play a critical role in Russias all-out war against Ukraine, which you can read more about here and here. We will update this story as more information becomes available. Contact the author: oliver@thewarzone.com Plus, Chanel names new president. Photo: Imaxtree These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Thursday. How "genderless" became beauty's new buzzword For Highsnobiety, Tynan Sinks reports on the phenomenon of "genderless beauty." The term began to circulate in the beauty market in the mid-2010s, continuing to gain traction as brands reexamined inclusivity. Similarly to buzzwords like "clean beauty" and "sustainable beauty," "genderless beauty" remains undefined. Sinks concludes that, while there are inclusive beauty brands doing it the right way and the "genderless beauty" concept is a step in the right direction, "in the business of beauty, profit always comes before values," adding, "Seeing ourselves reflected in today's beauty campaigns can be affirming, yes. But it shouldn't be taken at face value." {Highsnobiety} "The Rhode Minis Collection" Photo: Courtesy of Rhode View the 8 images of this gallery on the original article Rhode launches kids collection Rhode has launched its debut kids collection, Rhode Minis, timed to Mother's Day. The limited-edition range highlights Rhode's signature mix of bold prints and colorful patterns as well ask kid-friendly versions of best-selling pieces like the Ella Dress. Retailing between $25-$95, the collection is available to shop here. {Fashionista inbox} Chanel names new president After John Galantic stepped down from his role as president and chief operating officer of Chanel Inc. earlier this week, the luxury company has announced Stephane Blanchard as Galantic's successor, effective Sept. 1. Blanchard currently serves as the managing director of Chanel Korea, where he has helped lead initiatives in client engagement, talent development and culture, retail agility and sustainability. There is no news on who will be named Blanchard's successor for Chanel Korea. {WWD/paywalled} Bally's limited-edition capsule collection in honor of the 70-year anniversary of summiting Mount Everest Photo: Courtesy of Bally View the 10 images of this gallery on the original article Story continues New Bally collection celebrates anniversary of summiting Mount Everest Celebrating 70 years since Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary first successfully summited Mount Everest, Bally has launched a limited-edition capsule collection of 70 individually-numbered crewneck sweaters. Inspired by the mountains, they include patches resembling archival images, elements of Himalayan flags and alpine iconography. Each design is crafted out of GOTS-certified, ethically-sourced organic cotton. Bally's limited-edition collection can be found in select stores and online, here. {Fashionista inbox} Frame x Julia Sarr-Jamois collaborative collection Photo: Courtesy of Frame View the 16 images of this gallery on the original article Frame x Julia Sarr-Jamois release collaboration Frame has partnered with British Vogue Fashion Director, stylist, and consultant Julia Sarr-Jamois for a limited-edition capsule collection. The 19-piece collection is inspired by Sarr-Jamois's unique and eccentric style, with pieces that take on bold prints, fun patterns and distinct textures. The collection includes hand-crocheted string bikinis, silk tie-dye camisole dresses, high-rise camouflage utility pants and more. Retailing between $78-$11,995 (for a pair of crystal-covered jeans), the collection is available to shop here. {Fashionista inbox} Ziwe, Ashley Park star in new E.l.f. Vanity Table Talk series Following up its 2023 Super Bowl commercial starring Jennifer Coolidge, E.l.f. has expanded the concept into a full-fledged video series titled Vanity Table Talks. For its first guests, E.l.f. has tapped Ziwe and Ashley Park, who will give insight into their favorite pop culture moments and more as they apply their makeup. New launches and products are highlighted in each episode. E.l.f.'s Vanity Table Talk series will debut this summer. {Fashionista inbox} Never miss the latest fashion industry news. Sign up for the Fashionista daily newsletter. Oddity, the parent company of Il Makiage and Spoiled Child, has acquired Boston-based biotechnology startup Revela for $76 million. With the acquisition and an additional $25 million investment, the company will establish Oddity Labs in Boston. More from WWD The move marks the companys third acquisition since its inception in 2018. It also bought Voyage81, a hyper-spectral imaging software company in 2021 for more than $40 million, and NeoWize, a data science start-up based in Israel in 2019 for an undisclosed amount. Oddity is deploying its strong balance sheet to continue reinventing the beauty and wellness market and cement our competitive advantage and technology moat, said Oran Holtzman, Odditys cofounder and chief executive officer of its latest deal. With the acquisition of Revela we are doubling down on innovation, but this time around science-backed product development and bringing proven pharma-grade technology to beauty and wellness. The combination of Odditys technology and Revelas science is a game changer for the industry. Founded in 2021, Revela is a biotechnology platform that discovers new molecules for consumer wellness applications using artificial intelligence. According to its founders, it has hundreds of molecules in its development pipeline that could be used in beauty and wellness products. Its existing suite of new molecules will be integrated into Odditys current and future brands, and further developed to find next-generation solutions, the company said. The molecules will not be available for sale to other companies, Holtzman confirmed which is different than other biotechnology companies in beauty, who often use ingredients for their own brands and sell them to other beauty companies. One of Revelas patented ingredients is ProCelinyl, a novel small molecule that is meant to support dermal papilla cells and bring hair follicles to a more vibrant state. Another is Fibroquin, which is said to support the pro-collagen pathway in skin to promote skin elasticity and plumpness. Story continues We founded Revela to change the beauty and wellness industry, which has stagnated from underinvestment in science and technology. While biotechnology has broken new ground in molecule discovery, beauty and wellness has fallen behind for decades, and is serving consumers repackaged versions of suboptimal ingredients that have been used for decades. Together with Oddity and its unparalleled technology and online capabilities, we will change this paradigm and redefine the industry, said Dr. Evan Zhao, Revela cofounder and CEO. Oddity Labs will be led by the Revela founding team, with Zhao as chief scientific officer; Dr. David Zhang, Revelas chief science officer, as head of bioengineering and Avi Boppana, Revelas chief technology officer, as head of platform. Part of Zhaos remit will be exploring further acquisition opportunities in the biotech space. This acquisition comes as speculation continues about Odditys plans for an initial public offering. WWD previously reported that in 2020 Il Makiage was working with Centerview Partners to explore deal options, including a potential sale or IPO. While it confirmed this at the time, it has not made any public comments on a potential IPO since, and Holtzman declined to provide an update on the process. In January 2022, Oddity, which has a staff of around 300, not including Revela, with tech comprising 40 percent of the head count, closed a secondary funding round of $130 million, valuing the company at $1.5 billion. The round was led by Thomas Tull, Franklin Templeton, Fidelity Management and First Light Capital Group. According to the company, Oddity saw gross sales of $395 million in 2022. Spoiled Child, the hair care and skin care brand, made $48 million in gross sales in its first year, the company said. Holtzman told WWD that he plans to open a new brand every 18 months, with the next one likely next year. Best of WWD Click here to read the full article. The newest edition of Rick Steves Eastern Europe is getting a new name. Courtesy of Rick Steves' Europe The guidebook formerly known as Rick Steves Eastern Europe will have a new title when the next edition is published later this year. Rick Steves Europe is changing Eastern Europe across the brand to Central Europe, to better reflect a more geographically accurate name for the region. When the 11th edition is published, the guidebook will switch over to Central Europe as the identifier for the area that includes countries like the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, and Croatia. The change was announced in February and will roll out across the companys guidebooks, website, and tour itineraries. In a recent interview with Travel + Leisure, founder Rick Steves explained why he thought the switch was long overdue. Courtesy of Rick Steves' Europe From a marketing, publishing, and tourism point of view, we call Central Europe Eastern Europe and thats a hangover from the Cold War, he said. That was a 50-year anomaly. Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic got filed away in our minds as Eastern Europe, but thats really Central Europe. In a post announcing the change, guidebook co-author Cameron Hewitt wrote that Eastern Europe should really be considered countries like Georgia, Ukraine, and Russia. Prague, often the showcase city of Eastern European tours, is actually located to the west of cities like Vienna, Stockholm, and even parts of Italy. The political divide of Europe has changed, of course, and its high time guidebooks and tour itineraries do, too, Hewitt wrote. The zone is also down in tourism this year, Steves said, because people are worried about the ongoing war in Ukraine. Rick Steves Europe is continuing to operate tours in the region as long as it remains safe to do so, and Steves said he plans to film with his TV crew in Poland later this year. Courtesy of Rick Steves' Europe Its unfortunate that people are penalizing the countries that are farther east, Steves said. Their economy is hurting because people are staying away. Story continues While the change might result in some confusion for travelers looking to visit Poland but still searching for Eastern Europe trips and tips, Hewitt and those at Rick Steves Europe believe the change is worth the risk that come with rebranding. Hewitt wrote: Weve learned that Rick Steves travelers are savvy, open-minded, and curious enough about our world to hop on board when we lead them toward new places and new ideas. For more Travel & Leisure news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Travel & Leisure. Sniffer Dogs Help Researchers Fight Invasive Flies A group of Spotted Lanternflies crowds a tree trunk. (Photo credit: Vicki Jauron, Babylon and Beyond Photography / Getty Images) When you think of sniffer dogs, your first thought is likely canines trained to sniff out drugs. But sniffer dogs can be trained for many more purposes to help humans. Sniffer dogs have been trained to scent out everything from pangolins to endangered orchids. Now, sniffer dogs are helping researchers fight against the invasive lantern fly. Sniffer dogs fight back against invasive species Spotted lanternflies first arrived in the U.S. from China in 2014. Since then, theyve spread quite a bit. Lanternflies are now common in 14 U.S. states. This has created a growing problem for farmers, whose crops are damaged by the flies. It poses a major threat for our grape growers, where its already caused tens of millions of dollars of damage, Michael Raupp, professor at the University of Marylands Department of Entomology, told TODAY. Now, sniffer dog teams from Virginia Tech and Texas Tech are working to fight against lanternflies. Researchers decided that the dogs are most effective when the flies have yet to hatch. The sniffer dog teams are trained to sniff out lanternfly nests, so they can be destroyed before causing any damage. We think what the dog and handler teams might be really useful for is preventing further spread so that they can go through and check a winery, check the vineyards and make sure there are no egg masses, Erica Feuerbacher, Ph.D., from the Virginia Techs Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences told TODAY. While the program is new in development, we can hope that these amazing dogs are able to halt ecological destruction. Dogs using their noses in conservation We applaud the dogs involved for sniffing out lanternflies while they likely have no concept of the impact that theyre making, its nonetheless an important one. Dogs and conservation dont often go paw-in-paw. In fact, our pets have carbon paw prints, and can be ecologically destructive. But some individuals are making changes with their dogs. Similarly to the dogs in this story, sniffer dogs in Hawaii are trained to sniff out invasive plants. And a different set of fly-sniffing dogs is working to prevent fruit fly outbreaks in Australia. We hope to see more canine conservationists making a difference in our future! The post Sniffer Dogs Help Researchers Fight Invasive Flies appeared first on DogTime. The five-time SI Swimsuit model landed the cover just one year after her debut in 2017. Danielle Herrington was photographed by Ben Watts in the Bahamas. Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated Danielle Herrington began her modeling career with a major first gig: her SI Swimsuit debut in Fiji in 2017. She landed on the magazines cover just one year later and returned for a total of five separate SI Swimsuit Issues. Just four days after wrapping up her most recent photo shoot in Florida in 2021, the California native found out she was expecting a baby with her partner, Geron McKinley. The two welcomed their son in August of that year. Becoming a part of the [Sports Illustrated] family has been such a positive thing in my life, personally, she said at the time, between tears. [Sports Illustrated] helped me feel a little bit more comfortable with myself, because that was all they were promoting, diversity. Whatever you are, embrace it, own it. Thats what my cover said: Own it. Below are five gorgeous neon looks from Herringtons 2018 cover photo shoot in Harbour Island, Bahamas, with photographer Ben Watts. Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated Danielle Herrington was photographed by Ben Watts in the Bahamas. Swimsuit by Ola Vida. Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated Danielle Herrington was photographed by Ben Watts in the Bahamas. Swimsuit by Pistol Panties. Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated Danielle Herrington was photographed by Ben Watts in the Bahamas. Swimsuit by milkbaby bikini by Cat Thordarson. Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated Danielle Herrington was photographed by Ben Watts in the Bahamas. Swimsuit by Lybethras Swimwear. Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated Danielle Herrington was photographed by Ben Watts in the Bahamas. Swimsuit by Ola Vida. Make sure to follow SI Swimsuit on YouTube! Weve become a retailer. Thats how Rodrigo Bazan, chief executive officer of Thom Browne, described the brands positioning now. More from WWD With the opening of its 103rd retail location this week in Boston, most of the luxury designer brands sales come from its own direct-to-consumer efforts. As a result, the strategy is to continue rolling out retail with a goal to grow to 115 stores by the end of this year and 150 within four to five years, he said. This count includes company-owned freestanding flagships as well as in-store shops. At the end of the first quarter, there were 62 stand-alone stores, according to Ermenegildo Zegna Group, the brands majority owner. Although Thom Browne is based in the U.S., the company only operates six stores in North America: in its hometown of New York City as well as Miami; Costa Mesa, California; Vancouver, and Toronto. Boston is the seventh store to open on this continent and follows a unit in San Francisco that debuted in October in the historic Yeon Building in Jackson Square. Bazan said that while the retail rollout plan is aggressive, there are not currently any other units planned for the States this year. But were actively looking, he said. Its about finding the right opportunity. He said that with any location, the company strives to establish a foothold with local customers before setting down retail roots. Thats what helped lay the groundwork for a successful opening in San Francisco and hes expecting to replicate that in Boston, where Thom Browne already has a large client base, he said. Despite the focus on retail, wholesale is still viewed as an important part of the business, but its seen more as a marketing and customer acquisition tool than a profit driver. Were in the best 300 stores on the planet, but we dont use wholesale for volume, Bazan said. Last May, we said our aim is to double the number of clients. And the most important way to do that is to expose the largest number of eyeballs to our brand. And having its brand at high-end retail stores where it can host events and showcase its made-to-measure expertise is a means to that end. Story continues But that doesnt prevent us from also opening stores in markets where we wholesale, Bazan said. It just means we can grow more in different ways. He said the brands fragrance, for example, was developed exclusively for its own stores and its eyewear is 50 percent direct-to-consumer with the optical and sunglass range prominently featured in the companys physical locations. Bazan said that when he joined Thom Browne in 2016, the company had only 14 stores. But after the start of the pandemic, he unleashed an aggressive retail rollout that increased that number to just under 70 by the beginning of 2020. Becoming a retailer, however, means the company has a new set of responsibilities, Bazan noted. Key to the success of operating retail stores is to ensure there is a strong staff in each location and marketing is targeted to the local community. Ditto for the merchandise that needs to be specific to the customers in each location. This is all part of the companys Client Value Management approach that is being executed on a global basis, Bazan said. The Boston store has a replica office in the center. The executive had just returned from Asia and he marveled at how similar the stores and the customers are all around the world. The client is the same in China, Japan, South Korea and the U.S., he said. They are looking for quality and timeless product. And having its own stores allows the brand to amplify that message, he said. Its fascinating to see how similar the stores are on the East Coast, the West Coast, Dubai, Korea, he said. And that helps us to stretch ourselves to serve different climates. Regardless of their location, all of the stores are profitable, he said. Thats one reason that the company has transitioned ownership of its fleet of stores in South Korea from a franchise model with Samsung to a directly operated retail one, where the stores will be owned by Thom Browne and operated by Samsung. That will take us to 90 directly operated stores this year, he said. One of those is the new Boston flagship at Copley Place. The 500-square-foot store at 100 Huntington Avenue, Suite D008, was designed in collaboration with architect Flavio Albanese of ASA Studioalbanese and features the brands signature midcentury modern style design. The shop features slat blind-covered windows behind which is a minimalistic office with rows of fluorescent tube lighting, black and gray terrazzo floors, and banker gray Bardiglio and Carrara marble walls. The furniture in the space is all from the same era from American and French designers and includes tables by Jacques Adnet, a desk and chair by Dunbar, and etageres, benches and shelving by Paul McCobb. The store has a minimalistic design. The store carries Brownes mens, womens and childrens ready-to-wear, tailoring and accessories in two areas, with dressing rooms in between. There are also vignettes dedicated to Thom Browne eyewear and Vetyver fragrances. Thom Browne was founded 20 years ago and is now 90 percent owned by Zegna. In reporting its first-quarter earnings last week, the parent company reported revenues for Thom Browne product increased 15.4 percent to 113.3 million euros with particular strength in womenswear and childrens products. Direct-to-consumer sales for the brand rose 25.4 percent to 42.8 million euros, fueled by sound comparable-store growth and the addition of net 11 stores worldwide compared to the first quarter of last year, Zegna said. Wholesale revenue for Thom Browne as well was up 9.3 percent in the first quarter. Best of WWD Click here to read the full article. Councilor Victor Rios speaks during a Marco Island City Council meeting on March 2, 2020. The trial for former Marco Island City Councilor Victor Rios began this week over allegations that he forged votes to win re-election to a condominium board in 2019. Rios, 80, is facing a forgery count for altering a public records and three counts of fraudulent use of personal identification information. His trial began Monday in Collier County Court before Judge Christopher Brown. Each of these counts is a third-degree felony, punishable by a maximum of five years in prison. Rios' attorney did not immediately return a request for comment. Rios was elected to the Marco Island council in 2014 and resigned mid-term in October 2020, citing "personal reasons." Four months later, authorities charged him with fraud for allegedly fabricating votes to remain on the board of the Belize Condominium Association. More: Former Marco Island City Councilor charged with forging condo association votes Rios allegedly altered ballots to make it appear that condo residents who did not vote in the election had voted for him. The election was contentious, and two residents asserted their right to inspect the ballots, according to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation. The residents found that some of the ballot envelopes appeared to bear the same handwriting and 12 people who had purportedly voted for Rios told investigators that they had not in fact voted, according to the FDLE report. Forensic testing allegedly found Rios' DNA on the envelopes of the contested ballots. This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Victor Rios: Fraud trial begins for Marco ex-councilor Victor Rios There are 340,000 millionaires in this city. Spencer Platt/Getty Images New York City is the wealthiest city in the world, beating out other major hubs like Tokyo, London, and Hong Kong. The Big Apple took the top spot thanks to the largest concentration of millionaires, according to a study from Henley & Partners, which looked at the amount of resident high net worth individuals in each city. Overall, there are 340,000 millionaires living in New York City. Jeenah Moon/Getty Images The right to live, work, study, and invest in leading international wealth hubs such as New York, London, Singapore, Sydney, and Hong Kong can be secured via residence by investment, Juerg Steffen, the CEO of Henley & Partners, said in a statement. Being able to relocate yourself, your family, or your business to a more favorable city or have the option to choose between multiple different residences across the world is an increasingly important aspect of international wealth and legacy planning for private clients. Beyond New York City, Tokyo came in as the second wealthiest city with 290,300 millionaires, followed by Californias Bay Area with 285,000 millionaires, London with 258,000 millionaires, and Singapore with 240,100 millionaires. Los Angeles took the No. 6 spot on the list with 205,400 millionaires, while Chicago took the No. 11 spot with 124,000 millionaires. Rob Kim/Getty Images Amir Hamja/Bloomberg/Getty Images When it comes super wealthy people (were talking billionaires), the Bay Area came in at No. 1 with 63, followed by New York City with 58, and Beijing with 43. But just because a city is expensive, doesnt mean there arent deals to be found and budget-friendly activities. In New York, for example, there are affordable hotel options and free activities like riding the Staten Island Ferry and bird watching in Central Park to walking the Brooklyn Bridge and relaxing on one of the citys free public beaches. And in San Francisco, travelers can walk or bike over the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, picnic at Alamo Square Park (of Full House fame), and tour the Mission Murals all for free or little money. Story continues This is a list of the top 10 wealthiest cities in the world, and how many millionaires live there. New York City 340,000 Tokyo 290,300 The Bay Area 285,000 London 258,000 Singapore 240,100 Los Angeles 205,400 Hong Kong 129,500 Beijing 128,200 Shanghai 127,200 Sydney 126,900 For more Travel & Leisure news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Travel & Leisure. While the High Point Market isnt traditionally known as a major bedding destinationthat distinction goes to the Las Vegas Marketa handful of higher-end mattress makers brought their wares to the spring show, which convened this week. The North Carolina market, which is held in April and October in High Point, has in recent years become a major draw for interior designersmore than half of this springs attendees were designers, according to High Point Market Authority attendance numbers. And for the premium mattress companies exhibiting at the show, those interior designers represent a valuable, largely untapped market. More from Sourcing Journal Connecting with those designers spurred direct-to-consumer luxury mattress maker Saatva to set up a showroom at High Point Market for the first time this spring. Along with an array of mattresses, visitors were able to get a first look at the companys new rug line created in partnership with Jaipur Living. The collection, which will be on Saatvas website and in its 11 branded retail outlets in mid-May, includes six designs in a range of colors that coordinate with the companys bed frames. The rugs build on the companys recent expansion into furniture with 14 frame options, as well as chairs and benches for the bedroom. We are trying to help people create the perfect sleep sanctuary, said Shari Ajayi, director of public relations, Saatva. We have mattresses for every type of sleeper, we have the bedroom chairs, benches, beautiful beds, but what we were hearing was people were having trouble finding the complementing rug. So by partnering with Jaipur, we can now offer a full bedroom setup. Ajayi said Saatva chose Jaipur to create its rugs because they wanted to ensure the production process followed the same standards they hold for their mattresses. Story continues The rugs are Good Weave certified because we want to make sure that were being true to our clean, sustainable principles, she said. All our bedding is fair trade, and any product that we dont make ourselves, were making sure everythings made properly and fairly abroadthe rugs are made in India. Ajayi came to market after attending a launch party for the rug line at Saatvas new Charlotte store, which opened earlier this year. The outpost is one of several the company plans to open this year, with additional locations slated to debut in Portland, Seattle, New York City and Paramus, New Jersey. Bedgear, which originally launched as a performance pillow brand, showed off its full range of mattresses, pillows and bedding in High Point, adding new products such as its Night Ice 2.0 cooling pillow and pet beds. But one of its biggest pushes during market was its crib and youth mattress line. Bedgear head of player development Holly Adorno said that with Bed Bath & Beyonds bankruptcy meaning its BuyBuy Baby stores will likely close, theres a larger void in brick-and-mortar retail for childrens bedding. Unfortunately today, there are very few places where you can find baby and kids beds, she said. This is something were really focused on talking to retailers about, and we feel its a huge area of opportunity. Parents are spending $99 on a mattress for their kid and not understanding the importance of the breathability and the technology of getting baby to sleep well. In their showroom, Bedgear set up a full-scale baby and kids display that can be replicated in retail outlets. Bedgear VP of marketing and sales Leslie Clay said the goal was to show retailers how they can easily incorporate this category on their sales floor and potentially unlock a new customer stream. What were trying to accomplish is to get the retailer to understand the importance of the category and put an area in their store or online, she said. Kids and baby is a huge opportunity because theres not a lot of product out here, especially in the premium category, and its an opening to build the brand loyaltyas you grow in your life, you grow with the brands you love. Saatva also has added crib and youth mattresses to their assortment, and Ajayi said the closure of retailers such as BuyBuy Baby presents an opportunity for higher-quality bedding companies to appeal to consumers to make a larger investment in their childs bed. The dynamic has changed because the cost of real estate has made it almost impossible for brands at the lower price point, where kids products tend to be, she said. Parents trust the brands that make their mattresses, especially with an eco-friendly philosophy, and they would feel comfortable giving the same type of sleep experience to their children. Adorno said the key to making that leap with parents is educating them on the value of spending a bit more on their childs mattress. And if retailers are well-versed on the benefits of their brands adult mattresses, making the sale on a crib or youth bed will be easier. If youre a Bedgear salesperson, and you know what youre talking about, you can easily sell this category, too, she said. For both Bedgear and Saatva, High Point Market was an opportunity to not only introduce new customers to their traditional bedding products, but to also show they have something to offer in other categories, as well. In the old days, the bedding industry was sending the consumer to a mattress store to buy a mattress, but then we were sending them to Bed Bath & Beyond, Target or Walmart to buy a protector for the mattress and a pillow and bedding, Adorno said. Now we have a comprehensive program. Click here to read the full article. Screenshot: YouTube Its always exciting when a restaurant offers soft drinks that arent the stiff and conventional American brands were all used to. Unfortunately, those restaurants are few and far between; most businesses are locked into their respective contracts with either Coca-Cola or Pepsi, peddling mainstream beverages for a bargain price. Its a shame, because sodas can help a restaurant stand out just as much as the food can. Jarritos, for example, are a sight for sore eyes at taquerias and taco trucks, a tasty pairing for birria or al pastor. Italian delis often carry sweet and tangy A Siciliana blood orange soda, which goes great with a traditional hoagie or muffuletta. Then theres birch beer, which, no matter what youre eating, is a must in Appalachia. Point is, deep-cut soft drinks rule, and they regularly outshine their name-brand counterparts. Thats why the next time you sit down at a Cuban restaurant, you should try an Ironbeer. Read more What is Ironbeer? Ironbeer (not to be confused with Ironport) is a soft drink that originated in Cuba in 1917, invented by Manuel Rabanal. The story goes that when Fidel Castro came into power in 1960 and nationalized all private property, it caused the Rabanal family to be exiled to Miami, where the soft drink company now resides. Often called Cubas national beverage, Ironbeer also made a heavy mark on Florida, which has the largest concentration of Cuban Americans in the United States. Ironbeers peculiar name is backed up by packaging that makes it look even more like a lager. The red and yellow can features a silhouette of the brands de facto mascot, a shirtless, absolutely yoked dude flexing. Big strong men drink Ironbeer, the can seems to say. Its sort of a spiritual companion to Red Horse, the Filipino beer that advertises its product with the tagline, For men with real strength, inside and out! Ill never not laugh at beverages marketing themselves to big strong men, as if mainlining 40 grams of sugar is what tones those lats. Story continues The back of Ironbeers label, though, tells a more gentle story: Original 1917 flavor! On a Summers afternoon, in 1917, a mule-drawn, wooden wagon arrived at a popular cafeteria in Havana, Cuba. It delivered the first four cases of a new soft drink that would soon be called The National Beverage. Even now, more than 80 years later, Ironbeer is still enjoyed for its refreshing flavor with just a hint of island spices. A lot can change in 80 years - but not the original flavor of Ironbeer! Ah, yes. That original 1917 flavor we all seek out and crave. Ive got to say, though, hint of island spices really sells it. Still, what does Ironbeer really taste like? Is it some imperceptible 1917 flavor, or a tropical island cola? What does Ironbeer taste like? The phrase youll often hear associated with Ironbeer is that it tastes like a fruity Dr. Pepper, and thats largely true. Its got that botanical bite to it that we expect from both root beer and Dr. Pepper. Its also got some birch-beer-esque zip to it, and the fruity notes are at once citrusy and floralthink oranges and plums. It must also be said that Ironbeer contains a dump trucks worth of sugar. Each 12-oz. can contains 47 grams of sugar; I dont know about you, but I just said God damn! sitting alone in my kitchen. For comparison, a 12-oz. can of Coca-Cola contains 39 grams of sugar. Dr. Pepper, 38 grams. Root beers tend to carry 43-44 grams of sugar, and Ironbeer is more on par with the sugar content of Dads or A&W brand root beer. Ironbeer, however, has way more flavor than both of those products. This Cuban soda is a worthy accompaniment to lechon, arroz con pollo, a medianoche, or a classic Cuban sandwich. As a rule, fruity, sugary drinks always pair great with fatty, garlicky, citrusy food. But is Ironbeer the soda of choice for Cuban Americans? Or is it kind of a tourist trap? Other great Cuban sodas you should try I spoke to Cuban American chef and restaurateur Olivia Bin, who confirmed that Ironbeer isnt as ubiquitous as Id thought. It is often in Cuban restaurants and spots in Miami, but its not as popular as many food people like to believe, Bin said. Ill be honest: When I told her I was writing about Ironbeer, I could tell she wasnt all that enthused. I get the sense that Ironbeer is the most well-known and talked about Cuban soda, but not necessarily the one that lives in the hearts of many Cubans. Bin proceeded to tell me about Materva, a soda made from yerba mate (this soda contains 40 grams of sugar). I tasted it, and its deliciously sweetthink of it like a creamy tea-flavored pop. We drink it in the same context as Coke, Bin said. Theres also Jupina, a tropical pineapple soda originating in Cuba. Cuba has made strong contributions to the soft drink landscape, and many of these sodas can be found in various areas of the United States. In addition to being readily available online, youll regularly see these sodas at Cuban restaurants and other Latin American establishments as well. Sometimes you just get sick of Coke and Pepsi, and in those moments there are flavorful alternatives worth seeking out with enthusiasm. More from The Takeout Sign up for The Takeout's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. CHICAGO The white woman who accused Black teen Emmett Till of grabbing and whistling at her before he was kidnapped and lynched in 1955 has died. Carolyn Bryant Donham died late Tuesday in Westlake, Louisiana, according to a report from the Calcasieu Parish Coroner's Office obtained by USA TODAY. She was 88. The lynching of 14-year-old Till in the Jim Crow South shocked the nation and fueled the civil rights movement. Donham was never charged in the crime. "Even though no one will be held to account for the death of my cousin and best friend, it is up to all of us to be accountable to the challenges we still face in overcoming racial injustice," the Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr., who witnessed the interaction with Donham, said in a statement. He also sent his condolences to Donham's family. What happened to Emmett Till? Till, who was 14, had traveled from Chicago to visit relatives in Mississippi that summer. Donham, then 21, accused him of making lewd remarks and grabbing her while she worked at a family grocery store in Money, Mississippi. A few days later, Donham's then-husband, his brother and at least one other person abducted Till in the early morning hours of Aug. 28, according to the U.S. Justice Department. His body was found three days later in the Tallahatchie River, weighed down with a cotton gin fan tied to his body with barbed wire. State officials charged Roy Bryant, Donham's husband, and J.W. Milam with murder, and Donham testified at trial. The men were acquitted by an all-white jury. Months later, Look magazine published an account of the killing it said it obtained from the two men, who admitted beating Till and tossing him in the river. Till's mother, Mamie Till Mobley, held an open-casket viewing in Chicago to allow the public to see what had been done to her son, and she allowed the Black press to photograph his body. Tens of thousands of people paid their respects, and the killing garnered international attention. Story continues 'Let the world see': Church where 100K saw Emmett Till's open casket on a list of endangered historic places In an unpublished memoir, Donham said the men brought Till to her for identification and that she was unaware of what would happen to him, according to the Associated Press, which obtained the 99-page manuscript in 2022 after it was reported by the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting. Milam died in 1980, and Bryant died in 1994. DOJ: 'Considerable doubt' about Donham's account The Justice Department reopened the case in 2004 but closed it in 2007 with no further charges filed. The department then reopened it again in 2017 after a professor alleged in a book that Donham had changed her previous account of the incident. But the department closed the case in 2021. "The government does not take the position that the state court testimony the woman gave in 1955 was truthful or accurate," the department said. "There remains considerable doubt as to the credibility of her version of events, which is contradicted by others who were with Till at the time, including the account of a living witness." Mississippi grand jury declines to indict Donham In June last year, a team searching a Mississippi courthouse basement for evidence about the lynching found an unserved warrant charging Donham in the killing. A Mississippi grand jury in August declined to indict her on charges of kidnapping and manslaughter. Last year, President Joe Biden signed the Emmett Till Antilynching Act, culminating a more than century-long effort to make lynching a federal hate crime. Patrick Weems, executive director of the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in Sumner, Mississippi, said Donham's "lies in 1955 put the torture of Emmett in motion." "She continued to uphold these lies and to protect the murderers until her death," he said. "While the world saw the horrors of racism, and the real consequences of hatred, what the world will never see is remorse or responsibility for Emmetts death." Dig deeper on Emmett Till Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Emmett Till lynching: Accuser Carolyn Bryant Donham dies at 88 Two children wearing urine-soaked diapers were found wandering alone near a busy roadway in Adelanto. Two children wearing urine-soaked diapers were found wandering alone near a busy roadway in Adelanto, according to Victor Valley sheriff officials. At 10:35 a.m. Monday, deputies were dispatched to the 14900 block of Christopher Street. The caller stopped the toddler and baby just before they reached Mojave Drive, which is known to be a roadway with excessive traffic, sheriffs officials said. The children are 1 and 2 years old, according to deputies. The children had walked roughly two blocks from their home. The 1-year-old was wearing no shoes or pants, and both children were dirty, with urine-soaked diapers, deputies said. The mother of the children, Egypt Ealy, 21, was arrested on suspicion of child endangerment and booked into the High Desert Detention Center in Adelanto. The toddler and baby, along with Ealys two other children, were turned over to Child and Family Services. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the Valley Sheriffs Station at (760) 552-6800. Callers wishing to remain anonymous can contact We-Tip at 800-78CRIME or wetip.com. This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Children wearing urine-soaked diapers found wandering in Adelanto Support local journalism and local journalists like me. Visit floridatoday.com/subscribe MELBOURNE Carolyn Vanzo dips a plastic bottle into Lake Washington. The water that gurgles inside hints at a future fraught with more frequent, severe toxic algae blooms and costlier tap water. This slow-flowing lake is the lifeblood of Brevard County. It provides two-thirds of the 19 million gallons of daily water the city of Melbourne supplies to 193,000 people. The region's growth hinges on the health of lakes like this and other outcroppings of the St. Johns River, such as Taylor Creek Reservoir in Orange and Osceola counties, which feeds a third of Cocoa's supply. Regional water managers have preached for decades the need for communities to tap more surface waters such as Lake Washington, to spare the most vital groundwater in the Floridan Aquifer. Drawing too much groundwater can cause saltwater intrusion to wells, increased fire risk, and nearby wetlands to recede. "That's really like our bank account," said Clay Coarsey, director of water supply planning and assessment for the St. Johns River Water Management District said of the Floridan Aquifer. "The vast majority of our utilities have already moved to more brackish groundwater." Because of climate change, lakes like Washington, as well as the rest of the 310-mile-long St. Johns River, face more frequent, severe droughts, making them saltier, more algae-prone and difficult and expensive to treat. When rains return, they'll tend to hit heavier, causing drastic swings in water quality. That in turn will require costlier means of treatment, water managers say, and renewed calls for conservation. More extreme weather and algae has local regional water managers warning that the era of cheap, easy-to-treat water is drawing to and end. "We've had some bad blooms," said David Phares, the city's water production superintendent. "The water is challenging to treat." Story continues And expensive. The chemicals needed to meet that challenge have doubled in cost over the past five years, to about $7.3 million per year, Phares added, with some quadrupling in price as a result of supply chain disruptions and other market forces. That was almost 12% of the utility's $62.3 million operating budget last year for both drinking water and wastewater. The reverse osmosis treatment the city uses to treat the water also requires expensive filters and high energy costs. Like most Florida surface water, Lake Washington is vulnerable to contamination, overgrown weeds, rising salt levels, and the metals and other pollutants that run off land or fall from the sky. The stagnant lake's largemouth bass, black crappie and several other fish species have been under health advisories for mercury for decades. Meanwhile, Florida's efforts to keep source water such as Lake Washington cleaner to begin with have stalled. Few of the recommendations made by Florida's five-member Blue-Green Algae Task Force in late 2019 have been enacted, leaving many lakes like Washington in the lurch. Gov. Ron DeSantis created the panel early that year, after algae onslaughts in Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie River. The panel's recommendations included stepping up plans to limit nitrogen and phosphorus among key basins via improved farming and sewage practices. In August of 2022, a coalition of 12 environmental groups released a scathing report that found that among the 32 recommendations made by the governor's task force, only four had been implemented. They blamed the state Legislature for failing to fund sewage and farming initiatives that could temper toxic algae. Carolyn Vanzo, environmental scientist II. Environmental scientists with the St. Johns River Water Management District conduct routine tests for toxic algae in Lake Washington, which is the main source e of drinking water for the city of Melbourne. There were no signs of an algae bloom on the day of this test, but scientists want to know whether toxic algae blooms are happening more frequently or in higher concentrations in the lake. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed specific criteria to limit blue-green toxins in recreational waters, but Florida chose not to adopt them. State environmental officials cited the fast-paced nature of algae blooms that makes specific criteria difficult to enforce. Instead, Florida environmental and health officials advise the public to avoid swimming, fishing and other recreational activities in waters if an algae bloom is present, especially after toxins are detected. And that's been happening more often at Lake Washington in recent years. Drought, algae tops risks for water supply Toxic blue-green algae thrive in warm, slow-moving waters such as Lake Washington, complicating water treatment as the world continues to heat up. Toxic algae that once only seemed to show up in the summer now begins popping up in the lake much earlier in the year, state sampling results show, even as early as January and February. Higher carbon dioxide in air and water also speeds up algae growth, especially toxic blue-green algae that can float to the water's surface. State and local officials assure Lake Washington's water is safe to drink, but at times odd odors and tastes from the tap have worried residents. And science keeps finding emerging health concerns with the types of blue-green algae that bloom here. Bright-green algae blanketed waters near the lake's banks in July 2019. The algae grew so thick it altered how the city disinfects its water and prompted a town hall meeting hosted by Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay. More than 200 people packed the Melbourne city council chamber, hoping for answers to the smelly water. That summer, an unusually low lake level and high temperatures contributed to the water quality problems in Lake Washington. Ongoing construction projects disrupted the system as well, city officials said. More: Melbourne officials defend city water as residents speak up at Rep. Fine meeting Expect thicker, faster-growing algae, due to global warming Blue-green algae can move easier through the warmer water and float to the surface faster, EPA says. It's a vicious cycle. Algal blooms absorb sunlight, making water even warmer and promoting more blooms. When the algae die, they rot and the bacterial decay robs oxygen from the water and leaves behind thick organic muck on the lake's bottom. Algae toxins pose uncertain risks Blue-green algae coated waters near the banks of Lake Washington are shown in 2019. Certain species of the algae produce the microcystin toxin, which is toxic to humans, plants, and animals. MALCOLM DENEMARK/FLORIDA TODAY Blue-green algae coated waters near the banks of Lake Washington Monday (7/29/2019), where signs warn of potentially toxic algae. Health officials have assured for years that blue-green algae toxin levels pose little-to-no risk to water customers. But scientists who study the emerging threats from such toxins have been finding health risks at increasing lower thresholds. The toxin the algae emits, microcystin, shut down Toledo, Ohio's water supply or a few days in 2014 and has for years occasionally nagged at Melbourne and other Florida utilities that tap lake or river water. The algae commonly blooms in Central and South Florida, and is toxic to fish, plants, invertebrates and mammals, including humans. Now winter and spring rains and record heat set the stage for a witch's brew of earlier algae blooms in Lake Washington and the St. Johns. Rains pulse in the nitrogen and phosphorus from feeds off farm and residential fertilizers, leaking sewage. Recent rains have sent more fertilizers, septic tank seepage and other nutrients to feed toxic algae growth to regional lakes. On April 21 Florida health officials in Volusia County issued a health alert for the presence of harmful blue-green algae toxins found in samples taken April 18 in the center of Lake Monroe, which lies between Deltona in Volusia County and Sanford in Seminole County. In February, state health officials warned visitors to Lake Washington not drink the water, swim, wade, boat, eat fish from the lake or let pets sip the water. Health officials issued a similar alert about blue-green algae in Lake Washington in January 2022. Brain disease:Initial SWFL study finds water, air pollutants could cause grave brain disease Bad algae bloomed on the lake in 2019, too. City testing of Lake Washington that year found a potentially toxic algae, or cyanobacteria, called Dolichospermum circinale. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, that algae species also is capable of creating saxitoxin, the second most potent natural toxin in the world. The toxin can magnify in mussels, crayfish, fish and crops irrigated with contaminated water. Clear-looking waters can cloud risks Meanwhile, recent research has found dangerous neurotoxic amino acids in Florida's salt and freshwater fish, especially freshwater fish commonly consumed by anglers, such as largemouth bass, catfish, speckled perch, bluegill and tilapia. Lake Washington looked clear on a recent day when FLORIDA TODAY accompanied scientists gathering water samples from the lake. Heavy rains, runoff of fertilizers and other nutrients could soon change that as temperatures warm. Taylor Lang, an environmental scientist with the St. Johns district, lowers a secchi disc into the water, a tool scientists use to measure visibility. Lang and Vanzo gather these routine samples to test for algae and the toxins microscopic plants can emit. "It doesn't mean there's a bloom," Vanzo says. "We're just constantly checking." This sunny windless morning, the lake looks mostly lifeless. A few birds hover over the stagnant, glassy surface. Every now and then a fish ripples an otherwise perfect surface. "This is the flattest I've seen it," Vanzo said. The lake appears clear but lifeless to Ryan Shroht, too. He casted out next to the boat ramp during his visit from southern Minnesota to his father, who lives nearby. The bass weren't biting today. "Nothing this morning," Shroht said. Jim Waymer is an environment reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Waymer at 321-261-5903 or jwaymer@floridatoday.com. Or find him on Twitter: @JWayEnviro or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/jim.waymer This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Central Florida lakes, rivers face more algae blooms in warming world Authorities are searching for answers after they say a minor reported an attempted kidnapping as she walked to school. The Collier County Sheriffs Office is investigating a report in which the child said a man approached her in his vehicle in Golden Gate. The victim said she was walking near the intersection of Tropicana Boulevard and 30th Place Southwest on Tuesday morning when a car she didnt recognize slowly pulled up next to her with its windows down. The victim said the suspect was behind the wheel, masturbating while looking at her. Educator convicted: Collier middle school teacher convicted of striking two men after 2019 bar brawl He claims his innocence: Collier school bus driver accused of kissing student pleads not guilty The sedan sped off after a few seconds. The victim told detectives the man did not try to lure her into the vehicle. Detectives said the suspect is described as white, possibly in his early 20s with blond hair and light blue eyes. He was wearing a gray T-shirt, authorities added. He drove a gray and silver two-door car with a black top. Deputies are conducting extra patrols in the area, the sheriff's office said. The sheriff's office on Wednesday released a composite sketch of the suspect. Anyone with information is asked to call the Collier County Sheriffs Office at (239) 252-9300 or to remain anonymous, call Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers at (800) 780-8477. Tipsters may also be eligible for a cash reward of up to $3,000 if their 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 Naples Daily News: Golden Gate schoolgirl reports sex activity by man watching her Five defiant female South Carolina senators three Republicans, one Democrat and one Independent helped block a near-total abortion ban Thursday at the Statehouse in Columbia. With only a week away left in the legislative session, the only five female State Senators banded with Democrats and three male GOP Senators to filibuster and push the debate as long as they could to build pressure. Katrina Shealy, R-Lexington, followed by Sen. Penry Gustafson, R-Kershaw, Sen. Sandy Senn, R-Charleston and counterparts, Sen. Margie Bright Matthews, D-Colleton and Sen. Mia McLeod, I-Richland, each took the well and dove into scenarios of complications in pregnancies, health issues and the mental toll of dealing with law enforcement in cases of rape and pregnancy. Republican South Carolina Sen. Katrina Shealy speaks about a bill banning abortion on the Senate floor on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins) They explained the complexities of a reproductive system, the dangers of lack of access to contraception and the holes in the privacy statutes while warding off four attempts to cut the debate short by rival lawmakers. They questioned why lawmakers refused to discuss the hate crimes bill, especially since it was inspired by the death of one of their colleagues, Sen. Clementa Pinckney, who died in the Charleston Mother Emanuel Church Massacre. "The biggest proponents of the Human Life Protection Act are also the same proponents of constitutional carry, school choice, parental rights and regulating vaccines for everyone, especially children," Shealy said on the Senate floor Thursday. These were the same lawmakers, she said, that didn't want the government regulating masks due to COVID-19. South Carolina Republican Sen. Penry Gustafson speaks against a near-total abortion ban, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in Columbia, S.C. The South Carolina Senate rejected the bill Thursday, April 27. (AP Photo/James Pollard) Previous reporting: SC Senate ignores calls for referendum, now one vote away from near-total abortion ban The current bill, H.3744, prohibits all abortions with exceptions for rape, incest and fatal fetal anomaly. Anyone who violates the proposed law will be fined $10,000 or get imprisoned for up to two years, or both. The bill also states a pregnant woman who has an abortion will not be criminally prosecuted or found civilly liable and mandates that the father pay child support. But it does place the burden of criminalization on the physician who performs the abortion. Story continues "But when it comes to a woman's body when she becomes pregnant, she suddenly belongs to the government," Shealy said. "Once somebody rapes her or she becomes a victim of incest, she would now belong to the government. Once a woman became pregnant for any reason, she would now become the property of the state of South Carolina." When it became clear that the chamber would not be able to move on and conduct other business, lawmakers voted 22-21 to push the bill to the next year, killing any chances of it passing during the current legislative cycle. Reproductive rights activists hail this as a major victory, for now. Vicki Ringer, Director of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, said the government should never force a person to carry a pregnancy or give birth against their will. "But this male-dominated legislature is hellbent on controlling the decisions of women," Ringer said. Sen. Richard Cash, R-Anderson, listens to testimony on two bills that would ban a transgender child's access to gender-affirming healthcare and restrict transgender residents from being able to change their gender markers on their birth certificate in Gressette Building at the S.C. State House on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. Here's how Senators were able to push the abortion debate to the next legislative session An SC Senator can speak on an issue as long as they want. During the third reading of a bill, Senators often use filibustering as a tactic to stall the passage of a bill and maintain pressure. Once the bill has been debated for over two hours, a legislative body can invoke cloture and limit debate. But for that to happen, the chamber needs to muster a special majority, which in this case means getting 26 or more votes. The dissent from three male GOP Republican leaders, Sen. Greg Hembree, R-Horry, Sen. Luke Rankin, R-Horry and Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, was critical and bolstered the support for the female legislators. This Republican pushback irked Sen. Richard Cash, R-Anderson, who said that some in the GOP were trying to move goalposts of what counted as Pro-Life by endorsing a six-week, eight-week or 12-week ban. "I'm not willing to sit by and let the goalposts be moved on what it means to be Pro-Life in the Republican Party," Cash said. Sen. Mia McLeod, I-Richland. McLeod went on to talk about previous legislation she had filed that would regulate Viagra, which the men in the chamber joked made them uncomfortable. But Shealy's point was oft-repeated Thursday. The Lexington lawmaker, who is known for a career working with children, said that it looked like lawmakers cared more about unborn babies than they did about kids who languished in the system, waiting for a loving family to adopt them. The abortion ban may result in thousands of more babies being born in a year. "They'll forget about them after they're born," Shealy said. "They will not want to feed them or educate them or fill their needs in foster care if a mother or family cannot care for them." There were over 100 children, the majority teens, up for adoption on the SC Dept. of Social Services website. "But no one wants to adopt them because they aren't a newborn," Shealy said. Senn, who filibustered for over four hours, came prepared in her flip-flops. South Carolina Republican Sen. Sandy Senn speaks against a near-total abortion ban, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in Columbia, S.C. The South Carolina Senate rejected the bill Thursday, April 27. (AP Photo/James Pollard) In an exchange with Gustafson, the two lawmakers stated the General Assembly had spent over a million dollars debating abortion and finding no resolution. "So everything costs state money when we started into these fights," Senn said. "And when it gets to the point that you have to ramp up security I mean, doesn't that tell you you're on a seriously divisive issue? An issue that probably is best left to every voter?" During the first round of voting, Hembree tried to insert an amendment that would make abortion a ballot issue in 2024. But he was denied after Senate President Alexander Thomas, R-Oconee, ruled that it was inapplicable to the proposed bill. On the final day of the consideration, once it became clear that the bill was not going to go anywhere unless Republican holdouts flipped their votes, the men in the chamber started to discuss a breakthrough. But women in the Senate refused to back down. Senn said she was ready to debate the abortion bill to the end of the session before considering other bills that were being "shoved" toward her. Where does the abortion issue stand? The Senate's vote Thursday means that nothing has changed since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey reiterated Wednesday that there are not enough votes in the Senate to pass a near-total abortion bill, according to a press statement. "The House must pass Senate Bill 474 quickly and bring an end to the ever-increasing abortion numbers in South Carolina," he said. This article originally appeared on Greenville News: SC's near-total abortion ban stalled by female senators. What's next? Corrections & Clarifications: President Harry Truman's name was incorrect in an earlier version of this article. The late Sen. John McCain apparently remains a preoccupation of former President Donald Trump despite McCain's death in 2018. This time, Trump complained that the series of McCain funerals and memorial services went on for too long. In his new coffee-table book "Letters to Trump," priced at $99, Trump includes a letter from McCain, R-Ariz., and writes that he was never a big fan of McCain's, which is not exactly a revelation. Trump wrote in the book that he "never warmed to him" and "never felt good about anybody having anything to do with John McCain and never will, even despite the fact that at their request, I gave him the worlds longest funeral, 11 days. Much like his wars, it never ended." McCain, 81, died Aug. 25, 2018, after being diagnosed with brain cancer. He lay in state at the state Capitol in Phoenix and at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Memorial services took place at North Phoenix Baptist Church and at Washington National Cathedral. He was buried Sept. 2, 2018, at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. Meghan McCain, McCain's daughter, responded on Twitter to a clip of Newsmax host Greg Kelly reading the passage about her father from Trump's book. The 2024 Presidential election will be decided by 3 swing states - Wisconsin, Georgia, and ARIZONA. The last two times Trump and his imitators made elections in Arizona about desecrating my family he lost handily. Keep at it, you Buffon. https://t.co/gKLi6wNsMK Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) April 26, 2023 "The 2024 Presidential election will be decided by 3 swing states Wisconsin, Georgia, and ARIZONA," McCain tweeted Wednesday. "The last two times Trump and his imitators made elections in Arizona about desecrating my family he lost handily. Keep at it, you Buffo(o)n." Story continues Trump and McCain carried on perhaps one of the most legendary political feuds of the past 10 years, and Trump repeatedly has signaled that his animosity didn't die with the six-term U.S. senator, 2008 Republican presidential nominee and celebrated prisoner of war. While McCain was alive, he and Trump battled over many issues, with the rivalry intensifying in 2015 after Trump, who did not serve in Vietnam, mocked McCain's POW record. Trump said McCain, a former Navy aviator who was shot down in 1967, was a war hero because he was captured and that he liked people that werent captured. The North Vietnamese held McCain as a POW for more than five years; he was released 50 years ago last month. Trump also relentlessly attacked McCain over immigration, veterans' issues and other topics. For his part, McCain eventually withdrew his endorsement of Trump's presidential bid after a 2005 recording surfaced that revealed Trump trivializing sexual assault, using vulgar terms about women and making other misogynistic comments. Later, McCain infuriated Trump by famously giving the thumbs-down to and helping to block a Trump-backed push to roll back predecessor President Barack Obama's signature Affordable Care Act. In the 2016 presidential election, Trump carried Arizona over Democrat Hillary Clinton by 3.5 percentage points. McCain, in his final Senate race, outperformed Trump on the same ballot, winning a sixth term by about 12 percentage points. Trump continued to belittle McCain after his death, alienating many longtime Republican supporters and allies of McCain's in Arizona. In his failed 2020 reelection race, Trump narrowly lost Arizona to President Joe Biden, who was buoyed in the state by the support of Cindy McCain, John McCain's widow. Biden became the first Democrat to carry Arizona since President Bill Clinton in 1996 and only the second to do so since President Harry Truman in 1948. Although McCain and Biden opposed each other during the 2008 presidential race, when Biden was Obama's running mate, they remained friends and Biden eulogized McCain at his North Phoenix Baptist Church memorial service. We dont have any McCain Republicans here do we? Well, get the the hell out! - Kari Lake before she called McCain a loser and white nationalist Wendy Rogers a hero. https://t.co/CSKSmVNwsU https://t.co/9CpgicLxny pic.twitter.com/T7PtGnOXUS Tony Cani (@tcani) November 5, 2022 In her tweet, Meghan McCain also appears to reference Trump-endorsed Republican Kari Lake's unsuccessful 2022 campaign to become Arizona governor. Lake ran a Trump-style race that included bashing the long-dead McCain and at one point telling any "McCain Republicans" in attendance at an event to "get the hell out." Dan Nowicki is The Arizona Republic's national politics editor. Follow him on Twitter at @dannowicki. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Donald Trump still attacking AZ's John McCain, dead nearly 5 years WNBA star Brittney Griner spoke to the media for the first time since returning to the U.S. after spending nine months in detainment in Russia, expressing her gratitude for the support she received throughout the ordeal. During a news conference on Thursday, Griner first thanked the media for all the exposure and coverage they gave to her detainment and to her family. She also thanked the WNBA and her team, the Phoenix Mercury, and the Biden adminstration for their push to advocate for her release. Im no stranger to hard times, Griner said, holding back tears, when asked by a reporter about her resilience throughout her detention. Just digging deep. Youre going to be faced with adversities in life. This was a pretty big one. I just relied on my hard work to get through it. When asked about Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter who is being detained by Russian authorities on spying charges, Griner said her team has been in touch with Gershkovichs family, sharing knowledge about how to handle this situation since hes in a different country. I have that mindset no man, no woman left behind. So it hurts, she said, noting how she grew up with a military background as her father served in the Vietnam War. It hurts, it hurts. Because no one should be in those conditions. Like, hands down, no one should be in any of the conditions that I went through, or theyre going through. Its been five months since the Biden administration secured the release of Griner from Russia in a prisoner swap with notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Griner, an eight-time WNBA All-Star, was serving a nine-year sentence at a Russian penal colony after being found guilty of possessing hashish oil at a Moscow airport in February 2022 just days after Russia began its war with neighboring Ukraine. Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist for Team USA, officially re-signed with the Mercury earlier this year. Griner last appeared in the WNBA in 2021 as she and the Mercury clinched a WNBA Finals berth, only to lose to the then Candace Parker-led Chicago Sky in four games. Story continues Griner, who made several sporadic appearances since her release from detainment, and her team officially announced their partnership with Bring Our Families Home (BOFH), a campaign launched last year by the families of American hostages and wrongful detainees, in an effort to urge the Biden administration to take action to bring detainees home and provide resources for detainees families. Griner also expressed her interest in using her platform to speak up and fight against the recent push and state legislatures and Congress to implement laws to prevent transgender athletes from competing in sports. Everyone deserves the right to come here, sit in the seats and feel safe and not feel like theres a threat or they cant be who they are or like its just all eyes on them, Griner said. So I think its crime, honestly to separate someone for any reason. So definitely, will be speaking up against those that legislation and those laws that are trying to be passed for sure. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Chief Justice John Roberts snub of Dick Durbin on Tuesday was accompanied by a less-noted rarity: a declaration signed by all nine justices on their ethics practices. The Statement on Ethics Principles and Practices seemed designed to quell rising calls for ethics reform at the high court. But it didnt break much new ground, and it stopped well short of adopting an enforceable code of conduct that critics have been clamoring for. Instead, the unusual statement the first of its kind in three decades showed a court that is often ideologically fractured banding together to present a united front in the wake of recent controversies surrounding some of its members. The justices message is the same as it largely has been in the past: Trust us. Theres nothing new in this statement. The statement is a lot of handwaving, said Kathleen Clark, a law professor and expert on legal ethics at Washington University in St. Louis. The problem is not with foundational ethics principles. The problem is theres no accountability for violating the law. And theres nothing in this statement that suggests the court even understands what the problem is. The statement, consisting of three pages of text and two pages of citations, was attached to a short letter that Roberts sent to Durbin declining to appear at a Senate Judiciary hearing on Supreme Court ethics. This statement aims to provide new clarity to the bar and to the public on how the Justices address certain recurring issues, and also seeks to dispel some common misconceptions, the justices pronouncement says. It largely echoes previous commitments the justices have made about financial disclosures and recusal practices, and it says the justices consult various non-binding sources when faced with ethical issues. The push for ethics reform at the Supreme Court is intensifying after recent revelations about Justice Clarence Thomas relationship with a Republican megadonor and Justice Neil Gorsuchs sale of a property to the head of a law firm with business before the court. Story continues Sens. Angus King (I-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced a bill Wednesday that would require the high court to adopt a code of conduct within a year. Its a bipartisan boost for a court-reform movement that has largely been led by Democrats though like prior efforts to enact a Supreme Court code of conduct, the bill has little chance of passage. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), a longtime critic of the courts ethics practices, derided the courts latest attempt to assure Congress and the public that it can largely police itself. This new statement of principles has virtually no utility, he said. There is still no inbox to file a complaint, no process for fact finding, no way of making ethics determinations, and thus no way of holding justices accountable. Durbin, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, was a bit less confrontational, but said the high courts response further demonstrates the need for court-reform legislation. I am surprised that the Chief Justices recounting of existing legal standards of ethics suggests current law is adequate and ignores the obvious, Durbin said. It is time for Congress to accept its responsibility to establish an enforceable code of ethics for the Supreme Court, the only agency of our government without it. The Supreme Court seldom comments publicly about its ethics practices. In 2019, Justice Elena Kagan told a House subcommittee that Roberts was actively considering whether the court should adopt a formal ethics code. The chief justice is studying the question of whether to have a code of judicial conduct thats applicable only to the United States Supreme Court, Kagan told lawmakers at the time. That has pros and cons, Im sure, but its something that is being thought very seriously about. The court has provided no further update about the adoption of any ethics code since then, and Tuesdays statement from the court seems to confirm that the effort petered out. In fact, the new statement closely tracks a 2011 exposition from Roberts on the subject. Writing in his year-end report on the judiciary, he defended the lack of a binding code of conduct for the Supreme Court. Like Roberts 2011 comments, Tuesdays statement invokes the courts unique qualities and institutional interests. Before this week, the last time the justices issued a joint statement about their own ethics practices appears to have been in 1993, when seven justices published a Statement of Recusal Policy about cases that might involve attorneys in their families or law firms employing those relatives. The absence of two justices from that declaration appeared to stem not from disagreement but from the fact those jurists didnt have relatives working as lawyers. Two years before that, the court issued a resolution in which the justices agreed to abide by regulations on gifts and outside income adopted by the Judicial Conference of the United States, a body created by Congress to write rules for federal courts. More recently, the court put out a rare joint statement deploring the disclosure to POLITICO of a draft majority opinion overturning Roe v. Wade. In the statement issued in January and apparently on behalf of all nine justices the court called the breach of confidentiality a grave assault on the judicial process and an extraordinary betrayal of trust, but also said the court had been unable to determine the source of the draft, which was largely identical to the majority opinion the court issued last June ending the federal constitutional right to abortion after nearly a half-century. The decision overturning Roe and the recent string of ethics controversies including reports of efforts to lobby justices through meals, vacations and social events likely have contributed to declining public trust in the court. Only 37% of Americans have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the Supreme Court, according a new poll released Monday by NPR, PBS NewsHour and the Marist Institute for Public Opinion. Thats the lowest number since the poll began asking the question in 2018. Clark, the legal ethics expert, said the courts new statement on Tuesday has a face-saving quality to it, but will not accomplish what the justices appear to have intended. These folks are politicians. Theyre absolutely politicians, so they apparently thought signing their names, all nine of them, to this two-plus-page statement was better than not doing it, she said. Theres no reason to think these folks are going to start being accountable until Congress takes some action. They're going to have to be dragged kicking and screaming into the post-Watergate accountability world. Tuesdays statement does raise one new issue not contained in previous court statements on ethics: fears for the justices safety. Judges at all levels face increased threats to personal safety. These threats are magnified with respect to Members of the Supreme Court, given the higher profile of the matters they address, the justices wrote. Recent episodes confirm that such dangers are not merely hypothetical. Matters considered here concerning issues such as travel, accommodations, and disclosure may at times have to take into account security guidance. The 14 New Mexico District Attorneys commend the Governors decision to veto Senate Bills 187 and 84. Her decision prioritizes the safety of all New Mexicans and promotes the wellbeing of the criminal justice system. Although these bills would have brought changes favored by the Public Defender Department and Drug Policy Alliance, experience teaches us that not all change is progress. NMDAA is not controlled by a single identity or ideology. We represent a bipartisan group of elected District Attorneys who serve diverse people, from those living in rural New Mexico to the big city of Albuquerque. While each district attorneys practice is colored by the issues unique to that area, we all agree that public policy that removes accountability for repeat offenders is bad policy. Senate Bill 187 would have removed a tool that helps prosecutors and judges give direction and incentives for treatment to repeat offenders. Treatment options are in everyones best interest. Unfortunately, treatment is sometimes not a reality for abusers until they enter the criminal justice system and are faced with a choice between recovery and more serious consequences. Senate Bill 84 also restricted the discretion of our elected judges and prosecutors to serve the citizens who chose them. Had it been enacted, it would have removed the ability of judges to deal with probation violators in any meaningful way making our communities less safe. A group of numerous criminal justice stakeholders did work together to reach a different and comprehensive probation and parole bill. The Public Defender, however, did not agree with some of the provisions of that compromise and decided to support Senate Bill 84 instead. This all-or-nothing approach cost them meaningful reform that all stakeholders could have agreed on. As prosecutors, we have an obligation to seek justice. We balance many considerations like the safety and wellbeing of victims, the safety of the community, and the interest of the State. We meet our obligations every day with every decisionbig and small. This places us in a different position than Public Defenders, whose utmost allegiance is and must be owed to their individual clients. We applaud the Governors decision to prioritize the safety, wellbeing and health of all New Mexicans. This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: NM DA applauds Governor's veto of criminal justice bills Description Nick & Tonis will host a special wine pairing dinner on Thursday, April 27 beginning at 6:30 p.m. One Night Only Tasting Trip to Piedmont will feature a five-course menu crafted by Chef Joseph Realmuto and Pastry Chef Kelsey Roden, paired with Italian wines chosen by Beverage Director Chimene Macnaughton. The cost is $150 per person, plus tax and gratuity, for the five-course dinner including course-by-course wine pairings. Wines from the menu will be available for pre-order with special event pricing directly through Jacques Franey of Domaine Franey on the night of the event. Thursday, April 27th we travel to mountainous Piemonte. Situated at the foot of the Italian Alps, this region boasts a centuries-old love affair with the noble Nebbiolo. Beyond Barolo, we'll explore the storied aperitivi e digestivi culture. This one night only tasting trip will inspire you to explore these excellent producers in person- mark your calendars- white truffle hunting season in Alba begins in six short months! - Beverage Director Chimene Macnaughton For reservations go to https://bit.ly/3nQGhr6. The menu, subject to change, is as follows: Walk-Around Reception Risotto al Barolo Bagna Cauda, Baby Spring Vegetables White Anchovy & Salsa Verde Crostini Fritto Misto Carne Crudo Grissini APERITIVI E PICCOLI NEGRONI First Course Vitello Tonnato Poached Veal, Tuna Sauce, Spring Pea Salad TIMORASSO La Spinetta Derthona Colli Tortonese 2020 Second Course Angnolotti di Coniglio Rabbit, Favetta, Brown Butter RUCHE Ferraris Agricola Ruche di Castagnola Monferrato 2021 Third Course Angello Prima Verde Spring Lamb, Grilled Porcini, White Asaparagus NEBBIOLO Malvira Trinita Riserva Roero 2006 NEBBIOLO Paola Scavino Barolo Classico 2019 Fourth Course Panna Cotta al Gianduia Poached Rhubarb, Toasted Hazelnuts, Rhubarb Reduction MOSCATO La Spinetta Bricco Quaglia Moscato di Asti DOCG 2022 PANAMA CITY Local officials took action on Tuesday to be prepared for future natural disasters. Panama City commissioners on Tuesday agreed to accept more grant funding to help build two future safe rooms in Panama City. Here's what we know. Panama City commissioners on Tuesday approved more grant funding for two future safe rooms, which will allow the city to be better prepared for natural disasters. What are safe rooms? Safe rooms are rooms that are storm hardened, allowing first responders to remain safe and better service the area in the face of future disasters. Officials have said the need for these rooms became apparent in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 storm that decimated many areas of the city in October 2018. "We learned after Hurricane Michael that ... we have inadequate facilities for our Panama City Police Department," City Manager Mark McQueen said. "We also have inadequate facilities for our Fire Department. These are our first responders who need to come to the aid of our citizens after a disaster." Safe rooms: Panama City works to add four safe rooms to better withstand future natural disasters More Panama City news: Panama City to possibly create downtown social district to allow alcoholic drinks What did commissioners approve Tuesday? They approved two resolutions related safe rooms slated to be built in Panama City. The first resolution accepts a more than $192,000 grant from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. This money will add to an approximately $908,000 grant the city received in December 2021 to build the Emergency Operations Center Safe Room. It will be located behind the Panama City Police Station. "This is all part of our overall objective to have a public safety complex," McQueen said. "This will become the first phase of that entire activity." The second resolution accepted a more than $71,000 grant increase from DEO for the construction of another safe room for the city's public works department. DEO in September 2022 gave Panama City a grant of more than $31,000 for the project. That grant was then increased to almost $103,000. Story continues Is Panama City working to add any other safe rooms? Along with the Emergency Operations Center Safe Room and Public Works Safe Room, the city also is working to build safe rooms at Fire Station 3, Fire Station 4 and the city's utilities department. Local officials already have agreed to enter into contract negotiations with VBA Design Inc. for the design of these safe rooms. They also have agreed to enter into contract negotiations with DAG Architects Inc. for the design of safe rooms at the utilities and public works department. This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City accepts more money to create safe rooms against storms Prosecutors argued that Jack Teixeira, the Air National Guardsman accused of releasing Pentagon secrets on social media, had an arsenal of weapons and could flee the country if released from jail, during his detention hearing Thursday. Teixeira, 21, of North Dighton, Massachusetts, is charged with unauthorized retention of national defense information and unauthorized removal of classified documents. U.S. Magistrate Judge David Hennessy didn't rule immediately whether to release Teixeira with conditions, as his lawyers requested, or keep him jailed until trial. Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, right, appears in U.S. District Court in Boston. A judge is expected to hear arguments Thursday over whether Teixeira, accused of leaking highly classified military documents about the Ukraine war and other issues, should remain in jail while he awaits trial. 'A virtual arsenal of weapons' In a court filing Wednesday, prosecutors said he kept a gun locker near his bed that held weapons including handguns, bolt-action rifles, shotguns and an AK-style high-capacity weapon. FBI agents searched the dumpster outside his house and found a military-style helmet, a mounting bracket used to attach a camera to the helmet and a GoPro camera. "A search of the Defendants primary and secondary residences that of his mother and father also revealed the existence of a virtual arsenal of weapons, including bolt-action rifles, rifles, AR and AK-style weapons, and a bazooka," prosecutors said. More: How did the FBI track down Jack Teixeira, who is charged with classified documents leak? Teixeira also appeared fixated on mass killings, according to prosecutors: In November 2022, he said he would kill a (expletive) ton of people because it would be culling the weak-minded. In February 2023, he told a social media user he was tempted to convert a specific type of minivan into an assassination van. In February 2023, he sought advice from another social media user for what type of rifle would operate easily from the back of an SUV. He described how he would shoot in a crowded urban or suburban environment. FBI Special Agent Luke Church said in a court filing Teixeira used his government computer in July 2022 to search the following terms: Ruby Ridge, Las Vegas shooting, Mandalay Bay shooting, Buffalo tops shooting, and Uvalde. The searches were unrelated to his job, according to Church. Story continues Teixeira also represents a risk of fleeing country because he faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted and the loss of his military career, prosecutors said. He may still have access to a trove of classified documents that would be of tremendous value to hostile nation states that could offer him safe harbor and attempt to facilitate his escape from the United States, prosecutors said. More: How Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old guard leaked documents from deep inside the Pentagon The Defendant has already proved himself to be untrustworthy. The Defendant has already proved himself to be a danger to the U.S. national security, U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins said in a court filing to keep Teixeira detained. And in light of the physical danger posed by the Defendant if released, there is simply no condition or combination of conditions that can be fashioned to adequately address and mitigate the risk posed by his release. The family of Jack Teixeira arrives at the federal courthouse in Worcester, Mass., at about noon on Thursday. Teixeira's lawers: He represents no flight risk, owns guns legally Teixeiras lawyers, public defenders Allen Franco and Brendan Kelley, argued that he should be released pending trial because he will be monitored by his parents and the military. Teixeira is still an active-duty airman first class, and a senior master sergeant has been designated to maintain regular contact with him, the lawyers said. Teixeira lived with his mother and stepfather, a veteran of the 102nd Intelligence Wing who retired after 34 years in the military. Teixeira was arrested without incident in his mothers driveway. This presence and compliance, despite the overt incentive to flee, is direct evidence that he poses no legitimate risk for nonappearance and noncompliance with court procedures, the lawyers said. His lawyers said Teixeiras guns were stored so safely that federal agents needed a drill to get into the safe. At the time of his arrest, Mr. Teixeira legally owned and stored firearms in a locked gun safe at his mothers residence in compliance with his Massachusetts license to carry, the lawyers said. The lawyers suggested conditions on his release including confinement to his residence unless visiting relatives or work, no access to the internet and a $20,000 bond. The lawyers disputed the governments accusation that a hostile government would seduce him to leave the United States. If the Court finds that Mr. Teixeira currently poses a serious risk of flight or obstruction, he is still entitled to pretrial release because there are ample release conditions available to reasonably assure both his presence at trial and compliance with judicial procedures, the lawyers said. Members of Jack Teixeira's family, left and center, arrive at federal court on Thursday in Worcester, Mass. Teixeira, a Massachusetts Air National Guardsman, has been charged with leaking highly classified military documents. Judge voices skepticism of defense arguments Teixeira entered the detention hearing in Worcester, Massachusetts, in orange prison garb. His handcuffs were removed before he sat down. Hennessy voiced skepticism about defense arguments that Teixeira never intended for the classified documents to be distributed widely on the internet. Somebody under the age of 30 has no idea that when they put something on the internet that it could end up anywhere in the world? Hennessy asked. Seriously? Nadine Pellegrini, chief of the national security division in the U.S. attorneys office, told Hennessy the defendants threatening words and behavior were not speculation." "It is based on what we know to date," she said. Pentagon suspends officials at Teixeira's base The Air Force has suspended the top commander and two other officials at the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base where Teixeira served, according to Ann Stefanek, an Air Force spokesperson. The Air Force has also temporarily removed the commanders access to classified systems. The suspensions follow the opening of an Air Force inspector general's investigation of the leak of classified information by Teixeira. Teixeira had been called up to active duty in September along with other Guardsmen at the base. Airmen there help sift through the torrent of intelligence the Air Force collects by through spy drones and other aircraft. Teixeiras job, essentially an IT tech for the intelligence, gave him access to the Pentagons internal computer systems, including one of the most sensitive. Known as the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communication System, or JWICS, it is essentially the Pentagons internet for classified documents. Teixeira would have had access to JWICS to help maintain it, not as an intelligence analyst, according to Scott Murray, a retired Air Force colonel and intelligence expert. Teixeira likely wouldnt have had unfettered access to the most sensitive information such as the Presidents Daily Brief, a distillation of the latest critical intelligence collected around the world. Still, Teixeiras access allowed him to see and pilfer a trove of sensitive information, including daily battlefield updates and assessments of U.S. allies and adversaries. Its estimated that hundreds of people inside the federal government, including contractors, have similar access. Contributing: The Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pentagon leak suspect Teixeira had 'arsenal' of weapons: prosecutors A wave of bills to boost tenant rights in a tight market with high rents and sometimes unsafe conditions was heard in the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday night, signaling hope for renters looking for more protections. And those would be many. Think rent stabilization, legal representation, a rental registry and getting tough on lead hazards. That's not all. More than half a dozen bills were discussed during the three-hour hearing, including what's been dubbed a tenants' bill of rights, a document reaffirming certain rights such as freedom from discrimination and introducing new regulations such as a 4% cap on annual rent increases. The Rhode Island Association of Realtors has already raised opposition to that limit, urging lawmakers in written testimony to focus on "creating more affordable units and lowering housing costs for homeowners and tenants alike." Daniel Denvir, co-chair of Reclaim Rhode Island, a progressive group that has consistently pushed for tenant rights in the state, said now is the time. "Rhode Islanders want the state to fix this housing crisis now," he said. "The historic number of bills introduced to enhance tenant rights are a testament to the fact that legislators are listening." Legal counsel for renters facing eviction All the bills were held for further study, though not without a marathon of testimony. Rep. Cherie Cruz, who is sponsoring a bill to establish a stable of lawyers within the public defender's office to represent tenants facing eviction, described the dizzying array of legal terms renters encounter in such situations. Right now, tenants rely on two primary organizations for pro bono work Rhode Island Legal Services and the Center for Justice where attorneys are inundated with cases. Cruz contends it's essential that all renters be able to find attorneys, "especially [with] something that is so important, so detrimental to someone's health and well-being as housing when it means homelessness for a mother, a child, a family, when it comes to the result of an eviction case." Story continues But it's far from an easy ask. Acting Public Defender Matthew Toro said the office is already short nearly 90 lawyers and has a "well-documented caseload crisis." There is "absolutely no way" it could take on an increase in clients, he said. More: Radon is a big risk in Rhode Island, but renters are left to face the danger on their own Tougher lead regulations see support from attorney general and mayors One of the most consequential shortcomings of substandard housing is the presence of exposed lead paint in a household with children. A state Health Department inspection of this home at 6 Fletcher St. in Central Falls found lead in nearly every surface tested, including where the tenant family's young twins slept and played. The property is owned by Pioneer Investments. Additionally, a trio of bills would push landlords to comply with existing lead laws. Thousands of units around the state are out of compliance, many lacking proper lead certificates that say apartments are safe. If passed, the legislation would require landlords to register with the Department of Health and provide valid certificates of conformance documents they should have already. It would also subject violators to attorneys' fees and damages in addition to letting tenants put rent in escrow if the landlord breaks lead laws. Today, such a move would leave a renter vulnerable to an eviction proceeding that would remain visible to any future landlords, making it nearly impossible to move. Miriam Weizenbaum, chief of the Civil Division of the Attorney General's Office, described the package of bills as "light-touch regulation" created "to make sure landlords follow lead-poisoning prevention laws that have been on the books for 20 years." More: A Central Falls couple's twins were struggling. Then a blood test showed high lead levels Vincent Greene, a lawyer from Motley Rice the same firm that looked into two recent cases of child lead-poisoning in Central Falls apartments owned by rental company Pioneer Investments described the severity of his cases: "I'm the person of last resort," Greene said. "I'm the person to whom parents come when their children have been lead-poisoned, when prevention has failed and there is nothing to be done but to hold someone to account." Both Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera and Providence Mayor Brett Smiley submitted written testimony in support of the package of bills. And now for something new: Radon testing? Another bill sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Boylan would address a hazard that, unlike lead, currently faces minimal regulation: radon. Boylan's bill would require landlords to test for the toxic gas that is emitted naturally from the ground but is often present in high levels in Rhode Island homes. Boylan said the legislation was inspired by The Providence Journal's reporting on the risks of the odorless gas that is far more present in the state than in many locations due to geology. So far, landlords are not required to address it to make their units safe. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: House lawmakers push for state to get tough on landlords. Here's what's at stake Gov. Kevin Stitt has vetoed 20 Senate bills as retribution for not adopting his tax cut and education plans. The bills cover a wide range of topics, including college athletics, opioid overdose prevention, child abuse protective orders and the existence of boards that regulate architects, chiropractors and psychologists. Stitt has pressured lawmakers this session to adopt any combination of tax cuts on groceries, personal income and corporate income. He also has urged senators to compromise on proposals to raise teacher pay and give parents a tax credit if they send their kids to private school. On Wednesday, the House passed the governor's proposed package, but Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat responded to the move by saying: "We have already communicated to the House and governor that this isn't going to pass the Senate." Late in the day, after meeting behind closed doors for several hours, Senate Republicans emerged with a revised version of their plans and brought them immediately to the floor. It wasn't immediately clear whether the House and the governor would support the bills. More: Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoes OETA renewal, questioning public broadcaster's long-term value Gov. Kevin Stitt speaks at to reporters about his tax cut proposals. The veto messages Stitt attached to each bill were identical: "Oklahomans elected me to advocate on their behalf and fight for the taxpayer. I take this responsibility seriously and so I cannot, in good faith, allow another year to go by without cutting taxes and reforming education, both of which we can absolutely afford with our $1.2 billion surplus and over $6 billion in savings," Stitt wrote. "Therefore, until the people of Oklahoma have a tax cut, until every teacher in the state gets the pay raise they deserve, until parents get a tax credit to send their child to the school of their choice, I am vetoing this unrelated policy and will continue to veto any and all legislation authored by Senators who have not stood with the people of Oklahoma and supported this plan." Story continues Both the House and Senate would have to override the bills for them to become law. A veto override requires at least a two-thirds majority for most bills. By vetoing a wide range of bills, Stitt also forces the supporters of those bills into the discussion on tax cuts and education policy. House Speaker Charles McCall responded to Stitt's vetoes by urging the Senate to, at the very least, have a recorded vote on the bills. More: House pressures Senate by adopting Stitt plan for teacher pay and tax credits "We think that the Senate should put it up for a vote and just see where the chips fall," said McCall, R-Atoka. "I understand why the governor is vetoing the bills. The governor has certain power under the Constitution; he's exercising that. He's making it very clear and he has conveyed it to me personally, that if we get his compromise plan to his desk, he is going to be completely fine with any overrides." Speaker of the House Charles McCall speaks at a pro-school choice rally on the south steps of the Oklahoma state Capitol on March 30, 2023, in Oklahoma City, Okla. The Senate responded on Thursday with a wholly new plan. Senators proposed raising teachers minimum salaries by $4,000 to $8,000, giving greater increases to those with more years of experience. These pay raises would be higher than any the House, Senate and governor have voted on so far this session. Refundable tax credits for private-school costs would change under the new proposal, as well. Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, suggested more controls for household income. Families earning under $75,000 a year would qualify for a $7,500 tax credit per child attending a private school. Households with annual income between $75,000 and $150,000 could receive a $7,000 tax credit for each student. Those earning between $150,000 and $225,000 could apply for $6,500 tax credits. A $6,000 tax credit would reward families earning between $225,000 and $250,000 a year. Those with a household income above $250,000 could earn a $5,000 tax credit. The state's budget for these tax credits would reach their peak in 2026 at $250 million. The governor's plan proposed an initial $200 million budget and removing that cap on total spending after two yerars. Homeschooling families would qualify for a $1,000 tax credit per student to apply toward the costs of educating their children. The state would give no more than $5 million in total tax credits for homeschooling. More: Proposed ban on gender-affirming care for minors survives legislative deadline What bills did Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt veto? The following bills were included in the governor's veto package: Senate Bill 291: adds child abuse as a reason to file for a protective order, and allows for a petition to be filed on behalf of a minor victim for any of the listed reasons a person may file a protective order Senate Bill 711: provides naloxone (Narcan) or another opioid antagonist to the Department of Corrections, and authorizes the creation of an opioid overdose education program to be used by DOC and county jails. Senate Bill 712: Provides naloxone (Narcan) or another opioid antagonist to hospitals, and allows for some patients to leave the hospital with two doses Senate Bill 840: brings Oklahoma in line with other states in regards to name, image and likeness regulations for collegiate athletes. Supporters have said the bill would make Oklahoma's recruiting classes more competitive. Senate Bill 34: updates statutory references to prevention of youth access to tobacco Senate Bill 58: extends the Board of Governors of the Licensed Architects, Landscape Architects and Registered Commercial Interior Designers of Oklahoma until 2026 Senate Bill 60: extends the Board of Chiropractic Examiners until 2026 Senate Bill 162: extends the State Board of Examiners of Psychologists Senate Bill 249: makes it easier for health care providers to provide hospice palliative drugs to patients Senate Bill 123: relates to parole eligibility Senate Bill 125: relating to how often law library boards of trustees must meet Senate Bill 267: increases the membership of the Advancement of Wellness Advisory Council Senate Bill 369: requires an employer to conduct a criminal background check before a nurse aide begins employment or a contract Senate Bill 395: creates an income tax check-off to benefit the Recovering Oklahomans After Disaster organization Senate Bill 479: updates definitions in the Uniform Military and Overseas Voters Act to include members of the active or reserve components of Space Force Senate Bill 534: amends the gross adjusted income required to be eligible for the Family Support Program to a gross adjusted income that did not exceed 300% of the federal poverty level guidelines. The previous income line was $45,000. Senate Bill 617: requires any action against a limited liability company to be brought in the county which it is situated or holds its principal place of business Senate Bill 623: various updates to Service Oklahoma Senate Bill 841: relating to motor vehicle storage Senate Bill 889: expands the definition of a dairy farm and milk to include any hoofed mammal, and doubles the fee on milk products Nuria Martinez-Keel contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoes bills on child abuse, overdose prevention Explore editor Hi! Im Sara Rae Shields, Explore editor for the Yakima Herald-Republic. Im a very outgoing and sociable person and I want to share with readers whats going on in the Yakima Valley. I also want to hear from you. Lets create strong community bonds over the fun events and fascinating people to meet in the area. Im Wapato born and raised and love meeting locals and transplants. I spend a lot of time supporting the Seattle Sounders as part of the Dry Side Supporters, raving about my rescue dog, Telly and hanging out at local gathering spots like restaurants,breweries, wineries and bars. Prior to working for YHR, I was a GIS Specialist for the Yakama Nation and take great pride in the 15 years I spent working for my tribe. I also coached middle school girls soccer in Wapato and worked the front desk at a tattoo/body piercing shop. RFA/Health Care Access Reporter Santiago Ochoa is a bilingual journalist covering health care access at the Yakima Herald-Republic in Yakima, Washington. Before joining the Herald, Ochoa reported for Flint Beat in Flint, Michigan, covering the citys Latino populationhealth care, education, community building and more, and winning top honors in the Michigan Press Associations feature category. He served as photographer and later editor for his college newspaper, The Michigan Times. When hes not working, Ochoa enjoys cross-country trips on his motorcycle, going to the movies, reading and skiing. Transparency Market Research Global molecular diagnostics market growth is driven by a surge in the incidence of cancer and unhealthy lifestyle leading to severe infectious diseases. North America is the leading market for molecular diagnostics due to the rise in investments by governments in support of molecular diagnostic tests. Wilmington, Delaware, United States, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the recent study published by Transparency Market Research, the global molecular diagnostics market was estimated at a market value of USD 14.99 million in 2020. During the forecast years of 2021 to 2028, the market is expected to grow at a rate of 11.1% CAGR and finally reach USD 37.19 billion by 2028. The aging population is increasing globally. Coincidentally, the chance of developing a wide range of illnesses, including diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and neurological problems is rising. Request a Report Sample to Gain Comprehensive Insights: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=1783 A United Nations research report estimates that 727 million people worldwide will be 65 years of age or older in 2020. It is anticipated that by 2050, there will be twice as many people aged 80 and older than there are today, or more than 1.5 billion people. The forecasted increase in the worldwide geriatric population over the course of the projected period is likely to have a significant influence on the market. It is anticipated that throughout the course of the projected period, the prevalence of infectious disorders would fuel market expansion. It is expected that the target population would increase due to the rising prevalence of STIs like HIV and HPV, which will accelerate the market's expansion. Around the world, HIV prevalence and incidence were estimated by the WHO to be around 37.7 million and 1.5 million, respectively, in 2020. Additionally, those who with HIV are extremely vulnerable to other diseases including TB, which is the primary cause of mortality for those with HIV. Factors as these, will propel the global demand for molecular diagnostics in the coming years. Story continues Key Findings of Market Report In 2020, the molecular diagnostics market's revenue was dominated by the infectious illness segment. The oncology category is anticipated to see strong CAGR growth throughout the projection period. In 2020, Europe contributed significantly to revenue. This is explained by the growing prevalence of infectious and chronic illnesses, respectively. 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=1783 The Global Market for Molecular Diagnostics: Key Trends The category that generated the most earnings in 2021 was polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This is explained by the fact that it is used to identify COVID-19 alongside additional infectious disorders. Market expansion is anticipated to be fueled by the growing use of high-throughput capabilities PCR technology to identify viral and genetic illnesses. For example, Seegene announced the arrival of their Allplex SARS-CoV-2 Fast PCR Assay in January 2022. The test may be completed in 60 minutes, making it appropriate for mass testing. DNA sequencing procedures and newly developed NGS technologies, like sequencing platforms as well as RNA sequencing, are examples of sequencing technologies that serve the molecular diagnostics market. Global Molecular Diagnostics Market: Regional Outlook North America had a higher revenue share in 2020 as a result of the expanding epidemiology of viral and chronic illnesses. The market is anticipated to expand in the upcoming years as a result of the market-boosting research and development efforts. The high level of living and consumer awareness are resulting in a demand for early diagnosis, which is assisting in the expansion of the market in this area. Asia Pacific is predicted to see a significant CAGR over the course of the projected year as a result of growing market penetration and significant unmet demand. The market is anticipated to grow as a result of the region's constantly growing patient pool, early detection, focused therapy, and early prevention. Global Molecular Diagnostics Market: Key Players Stemcell Technologies Astellas Pharma Inc. Cellular Engineering Technologies Inc. BioTime Inc. Abbott Laboratories Thermo Fisher bioMerieux Inc. Takara Bio Inc. U.S. Stem Cell Inc. BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. Cytori Therapeutics Inc. Osiris Therapeutics Inc. Caladrius Bioscience Inc. Some developments by the key players in the global market for molecular diagnostics are: The TaqPath Enteric Bacterial Select Panel , a CE-IVD certified panel, was introduced by Thermo Fisher Scientific in October 2022 to quickly identify common gastrointestinal bacteria. SkylineDx introduced Merlin Assay as a CE-IVD distributable kit for testing in Europe in September 2022. The Merlin Assay detects melanoma (skin cancer) patients who can safely forego a sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) surgery because they have a low risk of nodal spread. Roche paid US$ 1.8 billion to purchase GenMark Diagnostics in May 2021. Roche's molecular diagnostics portfolio will grow as a result of this purchase. It acquired TIB Molbiol Group in December 2021. For the detection of infectious illnesses, transplant medicine, inherited genetic testing, and hematological testing, TIB Molbiol Group has over 45 CE-IVD approved assays. For In-Depth Competitive Analysis, Buy this Report Now: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php?rep_id=1783